Stephen Karr Josh Shaw Victor Leon and Leo Stein Josh and

Presents
by Franz Lehár
Orchestrated and Conducted by
Directed and Designed by
Stephen Karr
Josh Shaw
Original Book and Lyrics by
New English Lyrics by
Victor Leon and Leo Stein
Josh and Kelsey Shaw
Choreography by Amy Lawrence
Costumes by Maggie Green
Stage Manager Kaitrin Kinnare
Assistant Conductor Brad Smith
Assistant Costumer Gabriela Villalobos
Production Assistant Kyleene Johnson
Starring
Bevin Hill as Hanna Gladberry
Nick LaGesse as Sheriff Danny Loewe
Alba Cancél as Valentine Zeta
Brandon Lloyd as Camille Robinson
Scott Levin as Mayor Ezekiel (Zeek) Zeta
Glenn Fernandez as Yan-Can-Sing
Kyle Patterson as Mr. Samuel
Joel Balzun as Mr. Cassidy
Jessica Gonzalez-Rodriguez as Kate Kromow
Michael Bannett as Kit Kromow
Elizabeth Kerstein as Bessie Bogdanovitch
Scott Ziemann as Buford Bogdanovitch
Aumna Iqbal as Polly Pritschitsch
Chris Anderson-West as Palmer Pritschitsch
April Amante as Mimi/Hanna Cover
Amy Lawrence as Blondie
Emily Rose Lezin as Rosie
Lauren Woods as Queenie
Jenna Friedman as Dido
Melinda Ehrlich as Cio-Cio
Alyssa Brode as Valentine Cover/Swing
Orchestra
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Eve Bañuelos
April Cap
Virginia Figueiredo
Bassoon
Horn
Sumner Arano
Brian Shetland
Gabrielle Mocilnikar
Percussion
Harp
Violin
Viola
Cello
Lorry Black
Jacqueline Marshall
Leila Nassar-Fredell
Boryana Popova
Alison Spieth
Joo Lee
Bass
Ben Pendergrass
Chorus
Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano
Tenor
Baritone
Alyssa Brode
Natalia Ferreiro
Abigail Grosch
Daniel Charleston
John Elliot
William Grundler
Chris Katinas
Kyril Kasimoff
POP Board of Directors
Phil Meyer, Chairman
Stacey Oziel, Secretary
Stephen Karr
Josh Shaw
Judy Townsend
Kelsey Shaw, Treasurer
Hannah Waldman
Kathy Crandall
William Kennedy
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Special Thanks
David Kasunic and Occidental College, The Ebell Club of Highland Park
Martha Benedict Photography
Housing for artists graciously provided by Dr. Harry Lieberman and Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Merritt.
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The Merry Widow is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles
County Arts Commission.
This project is supported, in part, by a grant
from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City
of Los Angeles.
Bevin Hill (Hanna Gladberry)
Bevin Hill is originally from Atlanta, GA. She received her Master’s degree at
Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Catherine Malfitano. She has been
a member of Arizona Opera's Marion Rose Pullin Resident Artist Program, Des
Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist, and Opera Saratoga as an Apprentice
Artist. She was a Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Georgia District
Winner. She has sung Lisette in La rondine with Opera Company of Middlebury, VT
and Musetta in La bohème with the Martina Arroyo Foundation. Other roles include
Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Gretel (Hansel
and Gretel), and Grittly (Le 66). She received her BFA in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, PA and currently resides in New York, NY
Nicholas LaGesse (Sheriff Danny Loewe)
The Merry Widow marks baritone Nicholas LaGesse’s third appearance with Pacific
Opera Project. During his 2015 season, he debuted as Jameson in the critically
acclaimed, citywide production of Hopscotch with the Industry. Nicholas also starred
as Harlequin in POP’s extremely successful production of Ariadne auf Naxos. His
previous operatic roles include Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Zuniga in the POP production of Bizet’s Carmen, Ottone in
Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Claudio in Handel’s Agrippina, Jupiter in
Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus and the Underworld and Marquis de la Force in
Poulenc’s Des dialogues des carmélites.
He has been honored as a finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, the winner of the Chicago
Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition, and was a Bella Voce award
recipient in the Bel Canto Foundation Competition. In addition to his operatic endeavors, Nicholas currently
trains with Omambo Dance Project; the 2014 and 2015 World Latin Dance Competition salsa team
champions. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, a Master of Music from UCLA and
has also trained at Marlena Malas’ summer voice institute at the Chautauqua Institution.
Alba Cancél (Valentine Zeta)
Puerto Rican lyric coloratura soprano Alba Franco-Cancél continues to thrill
audiences with her pure and silvery voice, and magnetic stage presence. Alba
received a doctorate in voice performance from the University of Missouri Kansas
City under the tutelage of Vinson Cole and a master's degree in voice from the
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. With UMKC's opera Cancél was featured
as Despina in Così fan tutte, La Fée in Cendrillon, Tytania in A Midsummer's Night
Dream and Amy in Little Women. Cancél has excelled and brought life to the roles
of Queen of the Night in The Magic flute, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La bohème,
Frasquita in Carmen, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and the tittle role in La calisto. She has had the privilege of
performing under the baton of distinguished conductors among them, Maestro Lorin Maazel at the
Castleton Festival 2014. Awards include the 2012 Illinois Opera Theatre Enthusiasts Award, 2011 and
2010 recipient of the Bella Voice Award from the Bel Canto Foundation, and the Public Choice Award from
the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, among many others. Most recently Cancél was a finalist in The
American Prize Award in Voice.
Brandon Lloyd (Camille Robinson)
A Thousand Oaks native, Mr. Brandon Lloyd is a full time member of the Los
Angeles Master Chorale. As a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music, he
actively performed principal roles through the Opera Department, in addition to
numerous scenes. Through the Music Department at Washington Adventist
University, Mr. Lloyd was a soloist for international tours spanning five
continents. He was also one of four Virginia Best Adams Fellows for the Carmel
Bach Festival, during the summer of 2013. This past September, Mr. Lloyd made
his musical theatre debut as Georg Nowack in She Loves Me!, with Panic!
Productions in Thousand Oaks. Most recently, he performed the role of Fred, in a stage adaptation of A
Christmas Carol, with the Thousand Oaks Repertory Company.
Mr. Lloyd is “stoked” to be making his debut, both for POP and as Camille. He thoroughly enjoys
performing a wide range of repertoire, from Bach to Freddie Mercury.
E. Scott Levin (Mayor Ezekiel Zeta)
Bass-Baritone, E. Scott Levin, described as having a “smooth, buttery voice,”
“incredibly sharp timing,” and “a gifted comic actor,” has been making audiences
laugh for the past thirteen years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from
Washington University in St. Louis and Graduate Certificate in Vocal Performance
from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Since 2002,
Scott has sung in over twenty productions with Union Avenue Opera in Saint Louis.
He has also sung with many companies in the Los Angeles area including Long
Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Redlands Opera Theater, Center Stage Opera,
OperaWorks, Definiens Project, Orange County Opera, and Celestial Opera. This
season he made his debut at Townsend/Fresno Opera as the Sacristan in Tosca, his Los Angeles Opera
“Off-Grand” debut as Babayan (Bartolo) in Figaro 90210!, and most recently, his LA Opera mainstage
debut as Dr. Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, starring Placido Domingo. Scott is thrilled to return to POP
after previously appearing as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Schaunard in La bohème, Judge Turpin in Sweeney
Todd, Pane in La calisto, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, the Sacristan in Tosca, and KoKo in The Mikado.
Glenn Fernandez (Yan-Can-Sing)
Healing soul and body, one audience member and patient at a time (respectively),
Glenn Fernandez spends his nights as a singer and his days as an Emergency
Room doctor. This tenor has been thrilling audiences with his uniquely pure sound
and shining, high range. In a review of "A Little Night Music," the L.A. Times noted
Glenn as having a "lovely voice." Glenn began his operatic training in Milan with the
renowned soprano Patrizia Zanardi. While in Italy, Glenn fell in love with operatic
repertoire and realized that he had a gift for expressing the flashy, acrobatic
singing found in the music of opera.
While performing around the world, from L.A. to England to Austria to Germany, Glenn found that young
audiences and people new to opera enjoyed how he utilized his "mighty range" (BlogCritics) to give
performances that were "outstanding" (LAWeekly) and "charming" (Backstage) to all sensibilities. The
sheer uniqueness of his voice, "a fascinating and lovely vibrato," (Stage & Cinema) connects with a wide
range of people.
Find out more about his upcoming art projects by "liking" his page: Facebook.com/GlennFernandezTenor.
He'll be seeing you at his upcoming performances of Aleko, Pigmalion, and Carmen or in the ER (hopefully
not the ER).
Kyle Patterson (Mr. Samuel)
Lauded as one of Southern California’s promising young artists, tenor Kyle
Patterson’s “beautiful and easy‐sounding lyricism” is in growing demand. Last
seen as the moonwalking German Tenor in Pacific Opera Project’s Viva la mamma,
Kyle is thrilled to be joining POP for his eighth production with the company. He is
also a regular performer on the rosters of Repertory Opera Company (ROC) and
Redlands Opera Theatre. Previous roles include: Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di
Siviglia); Nanki‐Poo (The Mikado); Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance); Tobias
Ragg (Sweeney Todd); Henrik (A Little Night Music); Marius (Les Miserables);
Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte); Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); and Ernesto (Don Pasquale).
Kyle spent two consecutive summers as an Apprentice Artist with Opera in the Ozarks in 2012 and 2013,
and was a member of the Opera Chapman Ensemble at Chapman University between 2010 and 2013. Kyle
is also an alumnus of the prestigious OperaWorks Emerging Artist Program. In addition to expanding his
opera repertoire, Kyle has performed several concert engagements in his young career, most recently
appearing as Tobias Ragg in a concert of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd in collaboration with the Golden State
Pops Orchestra. In 2013, Kyle was a finalist in the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Vocal Competition.
Joel Balzun (Mr. Cassidy)
Baritone and Composer Joel David Balzun was recently awarded a fellowship to
the Tanglewood Music Center for summer 2016. Highlights of the 2015-2016
season include “Valentin” (Faust) with Redlands Opera Theatre, as well as recitals
in Southern California featuring performances of Robert Denham's Sutter Creek.
Since his solo debut singing excerpts from Turandot at the Kennedy Centre, Mr.
Balzun has appeared as the title role in Don Giovanni, the Four Villains (Les
contes d'Hoffmann), “Sid” (Albert Herring), “Count Ceprano” and “Marullo”
(Rigoletto), “Fiorello” (The Barber of Seville), “Le gaoler” and “Marquis de la
Force” (Dialogues des Carmélites), “John Brooke” (Little Women,), and Peter
Maxwell Davies' virtuosic Eight Songs for a Mad King. Also an accomplished
composer, his compositions have received international recognition, garnering performances across the
Americas and Europe.
Mr. Balzun holds a Master's degree in Voice Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of
Music, where he studied with Jan Opalach. He has also studied voice with William Lock, Michelle Minke, and
Richard Zeller, as well as composition with Robert Denham, David Eagle, Laurie Radford, and Christopher
Wills. Mr. Balzun currently serves on the voice faculties of Biola University and Fullerton
College. http://www.joelbalzun.com/
Michael Bannett (Kit Kromow)
Michael Bannett, baritone, is a graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music where
he sang with the USC Chamber Singers and USC Opera. Recent operatic roles
include Dancairo in Carmen and Pish in The Mikado (Pacific Opera Project), Silvio
in I Pagliacci (Celestial Opera Company), Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte (Hawaii
Performing Arts Festival), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (Los Angeles
Metropolitan Opera), Betto in Gianni Schicchi, First Priest in Die
Zauberflöte (USC Opera), and Camero in America Tropical (Definians
Project). Michael is a staff singer at St. James' in the City, and performs with
various choral organizations in the Los Angeles area, including Horizon Music
Group, the de Angelis Vocal Ensemble and LASchola.
Jessica Gonzales-Rodriguez (Kate Kromow)
A Los Angeles native, Jessica began studying voice at the age of thirteen.
Participating in the Santa Monica College Opera scenes workshop, she performed
the role of Aurora (Doña Francisquita), Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Hansel (Hansel and
Gretel), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) and covered the role of Dorabella (Così fan
tutte). She has sung with various companies in Southern California starring as
Peggy in Lee Hoiby’s This is the Rill Speaking, Suor Dolcina (Suor Angelica), the
Third Witch (Macbeth), Praskowia and Zozo (The Merry Widow), Antonia’s Mother
and Nicklausse (The Tales of Hoffman), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Siebel (Faust)
and Nancy (Albert Herring) as part of the LA Opera Britten/100 celebration, with the Repertory Opera
Company. This past summer she performed the role of Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the
Chicago Summer Opera Program. She can also be seen in Nickelodeon’s “Parental Discretion, EpisodeSinging School.”
Jessica has a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Mount Saint Mary’s College and an M.M. in Vocal
Performance from California State University, Los Angeles. She is a professional dancer and a member of
the bellydance troupe, “Orchids Al Sahara.” She also serves as a volunteer Community Educator with LA
Opera and currently studies under Dr. David Connors.
Scott Ziemann (Buford Bogdanovitch)
A northern California native, Baritone Scott Ziemann is emerging as a noted artist
in the Southern California vocal community lauded as “a vocal talent worth
catching…a brilliant tone, secure and resonant.” Scott just sang the role of Elder
McLean in Pasadena Opera’s production of Susannah in January. Recently Scott
has sung the roles of Father in Hansel and Gretel, Dr. Grenvil in La traviata,
Captain Corcoran in H.M.S Pinafore, Simone in Gianni Schicchi and Dancaïro in
Carmen. Last year also included the role of Morhpeus in the west coast premiere
of Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland. In concert, he has sung the baritone solo
in Fauré’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has also been seen as Bob in The Old Maid and the
Thief, Seneca in Coronation of Poppea, Palémon in Thaïs and also in Dialogue of the Carmelites, Candide
and The Mikado. Working in musical theater he most recently was Ralph in a Broadway in the Parks
production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate. Scott currently lives in Orange, California and is excited to be
working with POP in their production of The Merry Widow.
Elizabeth Kerstein (Bessie Bogdanovitch)
Called a “dynamic” performer by the Baltimore Sun, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth
Kerstein is recognized for her riveting stage presence and a musical sophistication
beyond her years.
A passionate proponent of art song, Elizabeth spent summers 2014 and 2015 on
scholarship at SongFest, Los Angeles’ esteemed art song festival. There she was
privileged to work with renowned artists including Susanne Mentzer and Dawn
Upshaw. Elizabeth is also devoted to researching and performing contemporary
Jewish music; her last recital on this topic was presented by Johns Hopkins.
Her operatic interests range from classical to contemporary. Favorite past roles include Cherubino (Le
nozze di Figaro), Nancy (Albert Herring), and The Lady With A Hatbox (Postcard From Morocco). From
2012-2015, she was a proud member of the Lyric Opera Baltimore and Baltimore Concert Opera choruses.
Elizabeth recently returned to her native Los Angeles after studying at the Peabody Conservatory (MM)
and St. Olaf College (BM). In October 2015 she was a winner in the Young Musicians Foundation Los
Angeles scholarship competition. Elizabeth is a recipient of Peabody Graduate Assistantships in Voice and
Humanities and two Peabody Career Grants.
Christopher Anderson-West (Palmer Pritschitsch)
Christopher majored in Voice and studied Composition at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music. He has had the great privilege of performing in England,
France, Italy, China, and around the United States. Christopher has also sung in
the chorus with the Los Angeles Opera for productions of Verdi’s Otello and
Beethoven’s Fidelio.
Favorite roles performed to date are Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Il Duca di
Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Tsar Berendey in the United States Premiere of
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka.
This past summer he reprised the role of Ferrando, in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, at the Narnia Music Festival
in Italy. In the fall Christopher performed Alfred, in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, for both Celestial Opera
Company and Repertory Opera Company.
Later this spring Christopher will perform his debut role of Don José in Celestial Opera Company’s
production of Carmen.
Aumna Iqbal (Polly Pritschitsch)
Aumna Iqbal returns for a (ten gallon) hat trick with POP in The Merry Widow,
having appeared in one performance as Composer in last year's Ariadne auf
Naxos, and covering Carmen in the 2014 season. Recent engagements include
Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Alto Soloist in the Class Act Youth Concerts, and
Cenerentola cover (La Cenerentola) with Pacific Symphony Orchestra as well as
stepping in as a last minute replacement on the Green Route in The Industry's
Hopscotch. She will be performing as the alto soloist in Beethoven's Mass in C and
Choral Fantasy with the Santa Barbara Master Chorale in April. Previous roles:
Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Pepa (Goyescas), Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring),
Buttercup (HMS Pinafore). Awards: Milan Panic Jr. Foundation Scholarship 2015, Liebowitz Centennial
Fellow 2014, 3rd Prize David W. Scott Memorial Competition 2014, Finalist The American Prize in Opera
2014. http://www.aumnaiqbal.com
Amy Lawrence (Blondie & Choreographer)
Amy used her two left feet and a bottle of whiskey to choreograph this show. She
makes her appearance as Blondie, the Turkish Grisette. You last saw her
choreography in POP's production of Carmen. As a dancer, Amy has a
background in ballet, jazz, modern and ballroom. She competed professionally in
ballroom dance within the New England and western regions from 2007-2010.
Amy's most notable role as a lead dancer was in the musical Zoot Suit Riot at the
California Theater of the Performing Arts. She has also made an appearance
performing with dancers from Dancing With the Stars. As a full time ballroom
dance instructor, she teaches all styles of partner dance and choreographs for
her students almost every day. Amy is also an accomplished singer having earned degrees from the
Boston Conservatory and USC in vocal performance. You last saw her perform with POP as Luiga in Viva la
Mamma!. Other POP roles include Eternita in La calisto and Frasquita (cover)/Lead dancer
for Carmen. Amy first became familiar with The Merry Widow when she performed selections from the show
as Hanna in Maurach, Austria. This past summer she performed the roles of Despina in Cosi fan tutte and
Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica at the Tuscia Opera Festival in Italy. Other favorite roles include Tytania from
A Midsummer Nights Dream and Queen Tye in Philip Glass' Akhnaten. www.amylawrencedance.com
www.sopranoamylawrence.com
April Amante (Mimi/Hanna Cover)
April Amante makes her POP debut in The Merry Widow. Recently she sang with
the LA Opera Outreach Program as Marcellina (soprano) in Figaro’s American
Adventure. She was honored to play Village Girl 2 in Lark Society’s production
of Anoush in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Other full roles include
Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Frasquita (Carmen) with Opera San Luis Obispo,
Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), the title role of Offenbach's La Périchole, First Lady
(Die Zauberflöte), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Drusilla (L’incoronazione di
Poppea), Polly Peachum (The Threepenny Opera), and Sister Genevieve (Suor
Angelica). April created the role of Marketing Director in the 2008 premiere of Paul Salerni’s opera Tony
Caruso’s Final Broadcast for The National Opera Association. She has been a featured soloist at the Opera
SLO’s Broadway by the Sea, Astoria Music Festival, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Music on Argyle, the
UCLA Faculty Recital series, and Classical Music Encounters of Orange County. April was the winner of
the 42nd Annual American Educators of Italian Origin United (AEIOU) Opera Competition in 2012. She was
a finalist in the 36th Annual Carmel Music Society Vocal Competition and in the NATS National Musical
Theater Competition in 2014. April earned her Bachelor of Music (BM) in Vocal Performance at California
State University-Northridge and her Master of Music (MM) at the University of Arizona in the same subject.
Lauren Woods (Queenie)
Soprano Lauren Smith-Woods has been performing in opera, oratorio, orchestral
and chamber music settings as well as recitals both nationally and internationally
for the past nine years. She studies privately with renowned voice teacher Rhona
Klinghofer and has coached with Adelaide Sinclair, Henri Venanazi and William
Vendice. Smith-Woods was awarded first prize in the Los Cancioneres vocal
competition and has completed the applied music program at El Camino College.
She performs here and abroad with the Hutchins Consort and numerous Music
Festivals. She has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, Santa Barbara Opera,
with orchestras at Walt Disney Hall, and has opened for Stevie Wonder at the Nokia .
Emily Rose Lezin (Rosie)
Emily Rose Lezin is thrilled to be making her POP debut. A native of Los Angeles,
she is a both a graduate of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and of Mannes
College of Music in New York City, where she received her Masters in Music in
2014. Acclaimed for her expressive voice and commanding stage presence, some
of Ms. Lezin’s favorite stage credits include: Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea,
Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Carrie Pipperidge in
Carousel. In 2015, Emily was a vocal fellow at the Music Academy of the West
under the direction of the legendary mezzo-soprano, Marilyn Horne, and had the
opportunity to collaborate closely with Martin Katz, John Fisher, and Nicholas McGegan. Emily performed
the Mezzo Solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under the baton of Larry Rachleff at the Granada Theatre.
Later this season she will be appearing as Carmen with the Celestial Opera Company and as Mařenka in
Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride at the Music Academy of the West. With a passion for cabaret,
American musical theater, classical music, and opera, Ms. Lezin brings her unique dramatic and musical
sensitivity to various genres and styles.
Melinda Ehrlich (Cio-Cio)
Described by the Long Beach Grunion Gazette as “astonishing, a large, gleaming
soprano secure from top to bottom and thrilling to hear” in the role of Vitellia from
Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Melinda Ehrlich has established herself as a voice to
hear in Southern California and beyond. The 2014 LA International Liszt
Competition winner most recently appeared in the chorus of critically acclaimed
The Christians at the Mark Taper Forum and the Hollywood Fringe Festival's
nominee for Best Musical Annabella. 2015 also marked her debut with Center
Stage Opera in Into The Woods, as well as with Pacific Opera Project in its Star
Trek-inspired Abduction from the Seraglio. Last spring, Ms. Ehrlich ventured to New Orleans to sing Mme.
Herz in Mozart’s Impresario. She has also appeared with Long Beach Opera, Pacific Symphony, and
Repertory Opera, and her repertoire includes roles such as Micaela in Carmen, Violetta in La traviata,
Pamina and Papagena in The Magic Flute, and the title role in Suor Angelica. Follow her on Twitter:
@mindose and Facebook: www.facebook.com/melindaehrlich for upcoming performance dates and news.
Jenna Friedman (Dido)
Jenna graduated UCSB with a BM in Vocal Performance in 2014. Recent
performances include Opera Pasadena’s The Magic Flute (Papagena), Pacific
Opera Project’s Falstaff (Chorus) and Abduction from the Seraglio (Chorus). Jenna
participated in OperaWorks 2014 Emerging Artist Summer Program.
Alyssa Brode (Valentine Cover/Swing)
Alyssa Brode is a Philadelphia-born soprano whose performance experience and
training span both coasts. Her opera credits include La Fée (Massenet's
Cendrillon), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel),
Amor (Orfeo ed Euridice) and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte). Alyssa holds a Master
of Music in voice performance from California State University, Northridge and a
Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College where, as a member of the
renowned Westminster Symphonic Choir, she had the privilege of performing
symphonic masterworks with some of the world's most prominent conductors
(Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel) and orchestras (New York Philharmonic,
Cleveland Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin). Alyssa is a recipient of the Robert Barbera Scholarship in Voice,
the Village Voices Scholarship and the Rachel Ketchie Memorial Award as well as being a member of the Pi
Kappa Lambda music honor society. Alyssa is pleased to be back performing with POP after her
appearances in The Abduction from the Seraglio and Falstaff. In July 2016 she will make her role debut as
Violetta in La traviata with Capitol Opera in Laguna Hills, California.
Josh Shaw, Artistic Director
Josh Shaw is the co-founder and Artistic Director of
Pacific Opera Project. Since turning his attentions to
directing in 2011, he has directed and designed over 40
operas and musicals. Highlights include sold-out and
critically acclaimed productions of Tosca: A moving
production, La bohème AKA “The Hipsters”, La calisto,
The Turn of the Screw, and Ariadne auf Naxos. Mr.
Shaw’s Star Trek-themed Abduction from the Seraglio,
for which he wrote a new English book and libretto, is
gaining national attention, following successful runs in
Los Angeles, Tennessee, Texas and Illinois.
Mr. Shaw is the Resident Director for Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles and has
directed productions of Il segreto di Susanna, A Hand of Bridge, Gallantry, A Sunday
Excursion, The Man on the Bearskin Rug, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, and The
Last Silent Voice (World Premiere) for the up and coming company. Other recent
directorial projects include Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, The Mikado, Così
fan tutte, Trouble in Tahiti, Sweeney Todd, and Don Giovanni with POP; Carmen, Lucia di
Lammermoor, and Abduction from the Seraglio at the Southern Illinois Music Festival;
The Medium for Redlands Opera Theatre; Into the Woods and Annie at Burbank
Community Theater; Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci with the Celestial Opera Company;
and Madama Butterfly with Salt Marsh Opera. Upcoming projects include Guilluame Tell
with The Southern Illinois Music Festival, and productions of Abduction from the Seraglio
at Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, CA and Salt Marsh Opera in CT.
In his former life as a tenor, Mr. Shaw sang leading roles with Opera Fairbanks, Capital
Opera of Sacramento, High Desert Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Center Stage Opera, Lyric
Opera of Los Angeles, The Celestial Opera Company, and Opera Pasadena. He has
toured the United States with the Pasadena-based Gilbert & Sullivan troupe, Opera a la
Carte for multiple seasons. He has also worked and recorded albums with LA Operetta
Project, a foundation dedicated to recording lost early American operetta and music
theatre. Mr. Shaw’s most celebrated roles include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly,
Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La bohème, Alfredo in La traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di
Lammermoor, Don José in Carmen, and the title role in Faust.
Mr. Shaw is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and Southern Illinois University,
with a master’s degree in Opera/Music Theater.
Stephen Karr, Music Director
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Stephen Karr is a
young conductor and keyboardist establishing himself
as a compelling interpreter of a wide variety of
orchestral and operatic works. In 2011, Stephen cofounded Pacific Opera Project, for which he serves as
music director and has led highly successful
productions of Trouble in Tahiti, Don Giovanni, Così fan
tutte, Sweeney Todd, La bohème, Il barbiere di Siviglia,
Le nozze di Figaro The Mikado, The Turn of the Screw,
Carmen, La Calisto (LA premiere), Tosca, Abduction
from the Seraglio and Ariadne auf Naxos as either
conductor or from the keyboard. In his review of the Britten, Mark Swed of the LA Times
made special note of the orchestra, "expertly conducted by Stephen Karr."
In addition to his work with POP, Stephen has been on the music staff of opera
companies and universities across the US, including Des Moines Metro Opera’s OPERA
Iowa tour, the Glimmerglass Festival, Michigan State University, Opera New Jersey, Opera
Santa Barbara, Palm Beach Opera and UCLA as a pianist/coach and assistant conductor.
His international appearances include the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman as
assistant conductor and principal keyboardist with the Glimmerglass Festival’s
production of The Music Man and an appointment as Cultural Envoy from the United
States Department of State leading the Rotterdam Youth Symphony and the brass
ensemble from Rotterdam's Codarts Conservatory of Music in a concert for the annual
World Harbor Days festival.
Stephen’s operatic repertoire includes over thirty separate productions, spanning nearly
the entire history of the art form, from Cavalli’s Il Giasone and Lully’s Armide to world or
regional premieres of recent works, notably Kenneth Wells’s The First Lady in 2010 in a
co-production between the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuropsychology and need theater.
He has served as a guest artist or faculty member at Chapman University, California
State University Northridge, Michigan State University, USC, Westminster Choir College
and UCLA, where he will serve as principal pianist for the Spring 2016 production of Così
fan tutte. Stephen's schooling includes degrees in organ performance from Westminster
Choir College and Mercer University, as well as a master's degree in orchestral
conducting from UCLA, where he studied with Neal Stulberg and led a wide variety of
repertoire. He is also a co-founder of the school's resident new music ensemble,
contempo flux.
Kaitrin Kinnare graduated with a degree in Film Production from Emerson
College in 2010 and has worked at NBC Universal Television Studios and Warner
Bros. Pictures. She is the Company Manager for Pacific Opera Project and has
been stage manager for several of their productions, including Ariadne auf Naxos,
Abduction from the Seraglio, La bohème, Tosca, Falstaff, and Viva la Mamma! She
has also managed productions for the Celestial Opera Company, Opera Neo,
Opera UCLA—including their recent West Coast premiere of I due Figaro, and Salt
Marsh Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly.
Maggie Green came late to professional costume design, though she has been
making costumes for family and friends since she was a teenager. It was only
after coming to Los Angeles a decade ago that she realized it could be a career.
Maggie has a certificate in costume design from Los Angeles City College Theatre
Academy, but finds that motherhood was also great training for dressing
performers. By far her favorite work has been with Pacific Opera Project, for
whom she's been doing costumes since 2012 when they did their first big
production with a chorus, Sweeney Todd. She has costumed every show since,
making The Merry Widow her fourteenth show with POP!
Gabriela (Gaby) Villalobos
is a recent graduate of L.A. Pierce College where she studied Costume
Design and Technical Theater. She has been a dresser, sound board operator, assistant stage manager,
and a costume designer. This is her first production with Pacific Opera Project and would like to thank them
for the opportunity to be a part of The Merry Widow. She is ecstatic to be here. Enjoy the show!
Collaborative pianist Brad Smith taught himself to play the piano at age 11, and
began lessons six months later. His primary teachers include Louise Barfield,
Andrew Campbell, Kenneth Griffiths, Donna Loewy, and Elisabeth Pridonoff. He has
done master-class work with Graham Johnson, Patricia Racette, François le Roux,
Cameron Stowe, and Craig Terry. Brad won the 2004 Macon Symphony
Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3
under Maestro Adrian Gnam. He immensely enjoys collaborative work, working as
a vocal coach, recitalist, and rehearsal pianist for operatic, choral, vocal, and
chamber music performances.
At the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, Brad earned a Bachelor of Arts in music
(summa cum laude, 2008) and a Masters in Collaborative Piano (2011). Not only a pianist, he also
received a German minor and edited CCM’s Music Research Forum, one of the country’s only studentproduced musicology journals. In 2015, Smith completed his doctoral degree in collaborative piano at the
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. Also in 2015, he
joined the faculty at Los Angeles Valley College as full-time Piano Accompanist/Coach.
Dr. Smith lives in North Hollywood with his wonderful bride, soprano Kerrie Caldwell.