WHO'S WHO
Lori Phillips (Tosca), a Rhode Island native,
marks her debut with Boston Academy of Music and Opera Providence in
this production. She has established herself as one of the most exciting
dramatic sopranos in the United States singing such roles as Desdemona
in Otello, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Cio-Cio San in Madama
Butterfly, Senta in Die Fliegende Holländer with Seattle Opera, , and
Elisabetta in Don Carlos with such opera companies as the Seattle Opera,
Sarasota Opera, Opera Memphis, Utah Opera, Nashville Opera, and the
Netherlands Opera. Ms. Phillips was a finalist in the Pavarotti World
Vocal Competiton and winner of a Puccini Foundation Study Grant, and a
Liederkranz Foundation Scholarship. Upcoming engagements include
Gertrude in Hansel & Gretel for Dallas Opera, Minnie in Fanciulla del
West for Utah Opera, and the title role in Turandot with the New York
City Opera.
Ray Bauwen (Cavaradossi) has performed often with
Boston Academy of Music in tenor roles that include Jean, the Juggler in Le
Jongleur de Notre-Dame, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, Anatol in Vanessa,
Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Nemorino in L'Elisir d'amore, and in Trial by
Jury/The Sorcerer. Equally gifted as a concert artist, he has performed as a
soloist in Handel's Messiah, Verdi's Requiem, Britten's War Requiem and
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with such groups as the Handel and Haydn Society, the
New Philharmonia Orchestra, the Rhode Island Civic Chorale, and the Mexico State
Symphony Orchestra. This performance marks Mr. Bauwens' debut with Opera
Providence.
René de la Garza (Baron Scarpia) has appeared often
throughout New England in a variety of operatic and oratorio performances.
Praised for his strong dramatic delivery, this baritone has sung such diverse
operatic repertoire as Germont in La Traviata, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia,
Ford in Falstaff, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Schaunard in La Bohème, and the
title role in Rigoletto with such opera companies as Opera Company of Boston,
Opera New England, New Jersey Lyric Opera, and Opera Providence. As an oratorio
soloist, Mr. de la Garza has performed with the Albany Symphony, the New Haven
Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the
Pioneer Valley Symphony. Mr. de la Garza currently is a voice teacher at the
University of Rhode Island where he also directs the opera program. This
performance marks Mr. de la Garza's debut with Boston Academy of Music.
Jay Baylon (Cesare Angelotti and the Jailer) has been
described as having a voice "so full and unrestrained that it could pass for a
classic Russian bass." A regular performer with Placido Domingo at the
Washington Opera, the bass-baritone has sung in regional companies throughout
the U.S. and Canada including the San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera
Company. The Ohio native specializes in a wide variety of repertoire ranging
from the works of J.S. Bach to the Wagnerian operas. Mr. Baylon was the winner
of the 1996 George London-Kirsten Flagstad Memorial Fund Award. Among his most
recent highlights were his first performances of the title role in in Die
Fliegende Holländer. This production marks Mr. Baylon's debut with Boston
Academy of Music and Opera Providence.
Drew Poling (Sacristan) is a versatile performer who has
been hailed by the Boston Globe for his "unutterably moving" performances in
roles that include Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Bohème,
Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, Hérode in Hérodiade, the title role in Gianni
Schicchi, and Samuel in Un Ballo in Maschera. He appears frequently in Boston
with the Boston Academy of Music, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston
Modern Orchestra Project, the Red House Opera Group,and at the Tanglewood Music
Festival. Mr. Poling has worked with such renown conductors as Seiji Ozawa,
Robert Spano, Craig Smith, Oliver Knussen, and George Benjamin, among others.
Mr. Poling made his debut with Opera Providence when he performed as a soloist
in the recent holiday concert, "Music and Mistletoe."
Miguel Angelo Rodriguez (Spoletta) makes his debut with
Opera Providence and the Boston Academy of Music in this production. His career
includes many roles with Opera Carolina including Gaston in La Traviata, Borsa
in Rigoletto, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitor,
and the Messanger in Aida. He has also appeared in leading and comprimario roles
for Michigan Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and The
Jarvis Conservatory. Mr. Rodriguez received his training in voice from The
University of Michigan, and Boston University, where he studied with renowned
soprano and teacher Phyllis Curtin. A native of Puerto Rico, he currently makes
his home in Boston.
Steven Pence (Sciarrone) is making his professional operatic
debut in Tosca with Boston Academy of Music and Opera Providence. A native of
Costa Mesa, CA, he has recently appeared as Gremin in Eugene Onegin with Lowell
House Opera at Harvard, as Grandpa in The Tender Land at New England
Conservatory, and as Superintendant Budd in productions of Albert Herring at
both NEC and Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. Steve is currently
persuing a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from NEC. He holds a
Bachelor of Music degree from Chapman University in Orange, CA.
Steven Serpa (Shepherd Boy) makes his professional operatic
debut as a countertenor in this production. He has performed as a soprano and
alto soloist in repertoire that includes Handel's Messiah, Bach's Magnificat,
Faure's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, and Britten's Ceremony of Carols with choral
groups that include the University of Rhode Island, the Old West Church in
Boston, and St. Stephen's Church in Providence. Mr. Serpa recently received his
Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Rhode
Island, where he received many awards, including winning the First Annual
University of Rhode Island Composition Competition.
Paul Phillips (Conductor) has been acclaimed as a conductor
"who was born to stand on a podium." He is the winner of numerous honors,
including First Prize in conducting programs in Vienna and Hilversum, selection
for the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductors Program, and six ASCAP Awards for
"adventuresome programming". He has conducted the San Francisco Symphony, Dallas
Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Chamber
Orchestra and Chorus, Pro Arte Orchester of Vienna, and recorded with the
Iceland Symphony Orchestra. After studies at Eastman, Columbia and the
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Mr. Phillips began his career in
Germany at Stadttheater Lüneburg and the Frankfurt Opera. In New England, he has
frequently guest conducted Commonwealth Opera and Opera Providence. Recent
performances include Candide, Carmen, Die Fledermaus, The Magic Flute, The
Medium, The Pirates of Penzance, Sweeney Todd and Tosca. Currently, Mr. Phillips
is the Director of the Brown University Orchestra and the Pioneer Valley
Symphony and Chorus,
Joseph Bascetta (Stage Director) is internationally known
for his high artistic standards and insightful direction. Currently Artistic
Director of the Fresno International Opera Company, he has also served as
Artistic Director of the Berkshire Opera, the Ontario Opera and the Capitol
Artistic Opera Company. Among the opera productions he has staged are Aida,
Carmen, Faust, Die Fledermaus, Susannah, Turandot, and Porgy and Bess to name a
few. He has directed productions for the Taipei Music Festival, Kim Cha Kyung
Opera, Berkshire Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Washington Lyric
Opera, Shanghai Opera, Fresno International Opera Company, Opera Providence and
Ontario Opera. Mr. Bascetta's background includes training with the Royal
Shakespeare Company of London, dance and performance training in vocal and
choral technique, experience as a music educator and intensive study of
Stanislavsky acting technique with Stella Adler. This production marks his debut
with Boston Academy of Music.
Carole Charnow (Excecutive Director) Boston Academy of
Music), trained as an actress at Emerson College, studied classical
singing in the UK with Regina Sarfaty and Eduardo Asquez, and has an MA in
directing from London University. A professional director, singer, and Equity
TV, film, and stage actress in London, England, Ms. Charnow directed the British
premieres of: Sunshine by William Mastrosimone, Quilt, a musical about the AIDS
Memorial Quilt, and Beloved, which she adapted from the Toni Morrison novel. Her
acting credits include feature films as well as television drama and comedy for
the BBC and Yorkshire TV. As joint artistic director of Moving Target Theatre
Company, she produced five UK premieres, including Rebel in Paradise by Howard
Zinn. The company's original commission of Olwen Wymark's Brezhnev's Children
was published by Samuel French and was performed at the Young Vic Theatre in
London and the Edinburgh Festival. Ms. Charnow returned to Boston in 1996 to
take up her position as executive director of Boston Academy of Music, where she
has produced twenty operas to date.
Kathryne Jennings (Artistic Director, Opera Providence)
spearheaded Opera Providence's transition to a professional regional opera
company when she assumed the leadership role in March 1998. In addition to her
duties as producer, she also stage directed OP's production of The Pirates of
Penzance in 2001 and created the educational/outreach arm of Opera Providence,
OPERAtunity. An accomplished soprano, she has sung with opera companies
including San Francisco Opera's Western Opera Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, Boston
Aria Guild, Piedmont Opera Theatre, and Opera Carolina in roles including
Susanna, Musetta, Adele and Fiordiligi. Ms. Jennings has been an Instructor of
Voice at Brown University since 1990. She was recently honored by the Providence
Tourism Council with the 2002 Celebration of Women Achievement in Music Award,
and was chosen by the Providence Monthly as one of the "Ten People You Don't
Know Now, But Soon Will... and may change the face of Providence" in November
2002.
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