Saturday, March 3, 2012
an opera in one act
based on the original fairy tale
Alison Moritz, stage director | Lyndon Meyer, music director

Presented as part of The Royal Ball
at The Strong's National Museum of Play
11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Free with museum admission

Artist Bios

Stage Director - Alison Moritz will graduate with a Master’s degree in Opera Stage Direction from Eastman School of Music in May 2012. While at Eastman, she has directed Il matrimonio segreto, Venus and Adonis (in concert), The Last Five Years, and several scenes programs. She has also served as Assistant Director and worked backstage on productions including The Bartered Bride (upcoming), Manon, and Assassins. Alison has also trained with and worked for companies such as the SITI Company of New York City, OPERA America, Geva Theatre Center, Nautilus Music Theater, and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. She holds a B.A. in Music and Art History from Washington University in St. Louis.

Musical Director/Pianist - Lyndon Meyer has distinguished himself as a musician with great versatility and insight. As a pianist and vocal coach, Lyndon has held positions with the Eastman School of Music and Mercury Opera Rochester, and has been a vocal coach for the Druid City Opera Workshop and will serve on the faculty of the prestigious Si Parla, Si Canta summer program in Italy this summer. Even while still a student at the Eastman School of Music, he was sought out for his pianistic ability, sensitivity, and knowledge of the art and performance of vocal literature. He has won numerous honors for Lieder and instrumental accompanying, including 1st prize in the Jesse Kneisel Lieder competition, and was selected to accompany works of Strauss and Puccini at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He has also performed in recital with such noted artists as Ani Schnarch, Kevork Mardirossian, Dennis Parker, and Ben Pierce, and as soloist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra and North Arkansas Symphony. He has conducted numerous musical theatre productions in western New York, and is currently organist and music director of St. Thomas More Church in Rochester.

“Trio of Men” – Aaron Bigeleisen is a junior this year at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, NY. For five years, he studied voice with Mark Gizzi-Schmidt. Currently, Aaron studies with Robert Swensen, professor of voice at Eastman School of Music, Richard Cowan, professor of voice at Carnegie Mellon University, and Cantor Ira Bigeleisen of Temple Adath Ari El in North Hollywood, CA.

Aaron has played numerous leads in school musicals over the years, in addition to having a supporting role in an Off-Monroe Players’ production. Aaron has won the prestigious Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition, the Barbara Staropoli Competition, the Shepherd University Vocal Competition, and is a national finalist for the MTNA Senior Vocal Competition in New York City at the end of March. He recently participated in a master class with Jonathan Beyer.

“1st Sister” – Elizabeth Bouk grew up in Rochester, NY and now resides in Hamilton, NY where she is an Instructor of Voice at Colgate University. During Fall 2011 Ms. Bouk made her Syracuse Opera debut in La Traviata (Flora) and sang in Oswego Opera Theater’s Così fan Tutte (Dorabella). Upcoming engagements include Beauty & the Beast (First Daughter) with Empire State Lyric Theater, Madama Butterfly (Kate Pinkerton) with Syracuse Opera, Elijah (alto soloist) with Sackets Harbor Vocal Arts Ensemble, and a recital featuring music of Gershwin, Porter and Weill in Hamilton, NY. Ms. Bouk holds degrees from The University of Cincinnati (C.C.M.) and Westminster Choir College.

“Story Teller” – Kathryn Cowdrick, mezzo soprano, recently celebrated her 30th anniversary as a performer by appearing as Despina in Opera Saratoga’s production of Cosi fan tutte- the very first opera role she undertook in 1981. She is a graduate of Penn State and Columbia University with degrees in speech and voice pathology and began her singing career when awarded an Adler Fellowship with the San Francisco Opera. She went on to sing many productions there that include Falstaff, Manon, Il Ritorno di Ulisse, Il turco in Italia, and in their opera tours in the leading role of La Cenerentola.

She has worked with many international and regional companies that include the Spoleto Festival, Wexford Festival, Scottish Opera, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera and Nederlandse Opera. She was well- known for her Rossini heroines, and now is in demand as one of our most respected singing actresses- appearing in the past few seasons as Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd) for the Princeton Festival, the Old Prioress ( Dialogue of the Carmelites) for Arizona Opera, Marquise(Le file du Regiment) for Kentucky Opera, Old Woman (Candide) and Zita ( Gianni Schicci) for Opera Saratoga, Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia) for Florentine and New York City Opera, Katisha ( The Mikado) for Opera Festival of NJ, Fliipevna ( Eugene Onegin )for Tulsa Opera , Ruth ( The Pirates of Penzance) for Chautauqua Opera, Aunt March ( Little Women) for Ft. Worth Opera ,and the in the title role of Orfeo with Opera Memphis. She has sung Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) for Utah Opera and will reprise the role this spring for Ft. Worth Opera’s 2012 festival season.

She is one of those rare singers that continue as an active performer while teaching. She is on the voice faculty of the Eastman School of Music and recently sang the title role in The Medium with the Eastman Opera Theatre. She is a yearly adjudicator for Classical Singer Magazine’s vocal competition and gives master classes to the Young Artist Programs on Vocal Health and Performance Pedagogy. This summer she will join the faculty of the Taos Opera Institute.

“2nd Sister” – Meredith Doyle is thrilled to be making her opera debut in Beauty and the Beast. She has performed extensively in the musical theater realm, graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Upon discovering opera, she was hooked! She hopes this is the first show of many! She is currently pursuing an English master's degree at SUNY Brockport and studying voice with the remarkable Cecile Saine. She owes all her success, past and future, to her friends, family, and Tyler, who keep everything in perspective and encourage her dreams.

“Beauty” – Natasha Drake, soprano, graduated with her bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music in 2010 under the instruction of Katherine Ciesinski. Born in Minneapolis, she received her high school diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy (Interlochen, MI). An active member of both the Eastman Collegium Musicum and and the new music ensemble Ossia, she has performed music from the 16th through 20th centuries as well as premiered works by Eastman student composers. Her professional operatic credits include La Cenerentola (Clorinda) and Cosi fan tutte (Fiordiligi cover) under the baton of Albert Bergeret with American Landmark Festivals. With the Eastman Opera Theater Natasha has sung in The Turn of the Screw (Miles), Manon (chorus), Orfeo ed Euridice (chorus), in the collegiate premiere of Jake Heggie's To Hell and Back (Stephanie), as well as in an independent student production of the early English opera Venus and Adonis (Shepherdess/chorus). She is looking forward to appearing later this spring with the Cordancia chamber ensemble in Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and with Eastman Musica Nova in Steve Reich's Tehillim. Natasha intends on pursuing a career in opera and is applying to graduate music programs this winter.

“Father” – Joe Finetti, bass – baritone, relishes numerous performing opportunities in the Rochester area. Active in various ensembles, he appeared previously with Brighton Light Opera and Rochester Opera Factory. With the baroque ensemble Publick Musick, he enjoyed interpreting bass solos in numerous Bach cantatas and masses, as well as period performances of Handel’s Messiah. A long-time member of local chamber choir Madrigalia, Joe looks forward to their performance featuring Durufle’s Requiem at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral on Friday, March 23 at 7:30 pm (see www.Madrigalia.org). Joe also performs regularly with the Renaissance group Musica Spei, which presents music for Passiontide on Good Friday, April 4, 7:30 pm at St. Anne Church in Rochester (see www.musicaspei.org). Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 pm, Joe sings the baritone solos in Rutter’s Mass of the Children at Hochstein Performance Hall in a collaborative concert featuring a number of Rochester’s choral groups. When not practicing his music, Joe has a practice of family medicine in Greece, NY. He lives with his wife Maria Mastrosimone, also a family physician, in the Highland Park neighborhood of Rochester. Although proud that in this production of Giannini’s Beauty & the Beast he is father to three daughters – and all with such splendid voices – he gives thanks he does not need to wait in line for the bathroom when he is at home in real life!

“Trio of Men” – Jonathan Greenhalgh is a 25 year old part-time graduate student at the Simon School of Business (University of Rochester). Jonathan has performed in a variety of musicals, most notably performing as Jean Valjean in Greece Athena High School’s production of Les Miserables in 2005 under the direction of Judith Ranaletta. Jonathan was nominated as “Outstanding Leading Actor” by RBTL’s Stars of Tomorrow Competition for his performance. He was also selected to sing for President Bush during his visit to Rochester that same year. Jonathan had the privilege of singing with the YellowJackets a cappella group while attending the University of Rochester, and was recently featured as a soloist during the group’s run on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” this past fall.

“Beast” – Jonathan Howell "A voice from heaven emerges" in "the next Great American tenor" of Jonathan Howell. First establishing himself on the opera stages of Dallas, his Rodolfo; "free and expressive, an actor of excellence and daring" won him attention. Artist of the Year in a Featured Role, The Charn Uswachoke Competition Scholarship and the Texoma Region N.A.T.S. Winner, Mr. Howell toured the lead tenor role of Edoardo in 'La Cambiale di Matrimonio' with La Fenice. In 2005, The Society for New Music of New York featured his tenor in M. Walton's 'Sundance' a stunning story of the incarceration of Leonard Peltier webcast in nine countries to an audience of 20,000 viewers. Roles of Don Jose in 'Carmen,' Cavaradossi in 'Tosca,' Riccardo in ‘Un Ballo in Maschera,’ The Duke in ‘Rigoletto,’ Rodolfo in 'La Boheme,' and Judge Danforth in 'The Crucible,' top some of Howell's feature roles. His Rinuccio in 'Gianni Schicchi' drew accolades from The Greater Dallas Puccini and Wagner foundations. In concert and recital repertoire, he has performed as tenor soloist in The Mozart Requiem & Coronation Mass, Verdi Requiem, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Carmina Burana, The Bach Magnificat, The St. Matthew Passion, Elijah, The Messiah as well as The Puccini Messa di Gloria. A native of Syracuse, New York and graduate of the University of North Texas, Mr. Howell currently studies with Jon Fredric West.

“Gardner” Emmett Gabriel Tross Emmett is gifted senior Vocal Music major at the School of the Arts (SOTA) in Rochester, New York. He possesses a rich, full and resonant tenor voice. He is the recipient for the Eastman Community Music School (ECMS) honors diploma. In addition Emmett has won various voice competitions including: the Young Artist Competition sponsored by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra League where he won second place; Barbara Staropoli Voice Competition at Nazareth College - first place winner in Classical Music 2010; and second place winner in Musical Theater 2011. In January 2012, Emmett earned a Special Recognition Award at the Jonathan Angelone High School Voice Competition sponsored by the Empire State Lyric Theatre.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST –V. Giannini

Artist Bios