A concert of well-loved operatic selections by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Rossini, Wagner, Puccini, Bizet, and Massenet. In line with our mission of offering career-launching performance engagements to emerging artists, the concert featured 11 emerging vocal artists, many of them graduates of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, alongside a 40-piece orchestra of emerging orchestral musicians. The concert opened with Wagner’s rousing Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin and concluded with a rare opportunity to hear the stunning Council Chamber Scene from Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.
Sunday, October 28, 2018, 3.00 pm
The Sanctuary at Community Matters
2110 Saint Michael Street, Cincinnati, OH 45204
Conducted by Isaac Selya
With the Xavier University Concert Choir, Dr. Megan Boyd, Director
Orchestra roster
Program
- Wagner: Lohengrin, Prelude to Act 3
The Queen City Opera Orchestra - Rossini: The Barber of Seville, “Largo al factotum”
Figaro: Simon Barrad - Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin, “Kuda, kuda”
Lensky: M. Andrew Jones; Zaretsky: Junbo Zhou - Mozart: Così fan tutte, “Soave sia il vento”
Fiordiligi: Elena Villalón; Dorabella: Ellen Graham; Don Alfonso: Stefan Egerstrom - Massenet: Werther, “Pourquoi me réveiller?”
Werther: Chandler Johnson - Wagner: Tannhäuser, “Dich teure Halle”
Elisabeth: Shareese Johnson - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera, “Eri tu”
Renato: Junbo Zhou - Puccini: Gianni Schicchi, “O mio babbino caro”
Lauretta: Elena Villalón - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, “Dies Bildnis”
Tamino: Travis Pearce - Verdi: Don Carlo, “Dio, che nell’alma infondere”
Don Carlo: Chandler Johnson; Rodrigo: Simon Barrad - Verdi: La traviata, “Ah! Fors’è lui… Sempre libera”
Violetta: Erin Keesy; Alfredo: Travis Pearce - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera, “Di che fulgor”
Oscar: Elena Villalón; Amelia: Shareese Johnson; Renato: Mike Young; Sam: Simon Barrad; Tom: Stefan Egerstrom - Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin, “Lyubvi vse vozrasty pokorny”
Prince Gremin: Stefan Egerstrom - Bizet: Carmen, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”
Carmen: Ellen Graham, with the Xavier University Concert Choir - Verdi: Simon Boccanegra, Council Chamber Scene, “Plebe! Patrizi!”
Simon Boccanegra: Mike Young; Amelia: Erin Keesy; Gabriele Adorno: M. Andrew Jones; Fiesco: Junbo Zhou; Paolo: Simon Barrad; Pietro: Stefan Egerstrom; the Xavier University Concert Choir
Artists
Simon Barrad, baritone
The versatility of “gorgeous voiced” baritone Simon Barrad has been heard across the United States and Europe in opera, Lieder, and oratorio. He returned to Queen City Opera after his acclaimed 2017/18 season performances of Robert in Iolanta and Dandini in La Cenerentola. He has performed at such festivals and companies as the Marlboro Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, Cincinnati Opera, and the Los Angeles Bach Festival, and has collaborated with artists including Mitsuko Uchida, Leon Fleisher, Jonathan Biss, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn. As a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki and in subsequent tours, Simon received acclaim for his side-by-side interpretations of Finnish and American music, headlining venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo, and Finland’s National Opera House.
Simon’s performance was generously sponsored by Emily Hodges.
M. Andrew Jones, tenor
Tenor M. Andrew Jones returned to Queen City Opera after his breathtaking performances in Iolanta as Vaudemont, and in Siegfried as Mime, a role that he reprised at Valhalla Productions in San Francisco. His other performances include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, both with Queen City Opera, and the Messenger in Aida and the Innkeeper in Der Rosenkavalier with Cincinnati Opera. Mr. Jones has a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from CCM, where he performed the roles of Lennie in Of Mice and Men and Bardolfo in Falstaff.
Chandler Johnson, tenor
Chandler Johnson completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at CCM, studying under Thomas Baresel. While at CCM, Chandler performed the roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Lurcanio in Ariodante, and the Governor in Candide, and workshopped Intimate Apparel by American composer Ricky Ian Gordon. In summer 2018, Chandler joined Chautauqua Opera as a Studio Artist, where he covered Governor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski in Candide and was featured in a fully staged scenes program. Chandler also covered the role of Candide and was seen as a featured ensemble member in Candide presented by The Knights at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Shareese Johnson, soprano
Shareese Johnson is an Alabama native. No stranger to the stage, Ms. Johnson has sung the title roles of Suor Angelica and Madama Butterfly, as well as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. Her Donna Anna was reviewed as “precise and lovely, even ethereal” by the Herald Times. Her appearances as the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), Agathe (Der Freischütz), Bess (Porgy and Bess), and the Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) with Converse Opera Theatre drew unprecedented audiences. Ms. Johnson is also an avid performer of sacred works and song. She was a featured soloist in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Britten’s World of the Spirit at Indiana University, and is a recipient of the Ursula Springer Endowment Award from the Wagner Society of New York.
Shareese’s performance was generously sponsored by Karlee Hilliard.
Junbo Zhou, baritone
Junbo Zhou, baritone, from Jinan, China, has performed with Opera San Jose, Sarasota Opera, Nickel City Opera, CCM Philharmonia, and the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. His roles include John Brooke in Little Women, Schlémil in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen, and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He has also been a featured soloist in concert and oratorio performances including Ein deutsches Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, and the Yellow River Cantata. Mr. Zhou’s awards include grants from the Atlanta Opera Guild and 3rd prize at the China National Opera Competition hosted by the China Conservatory of Music. He was a young artist at Sherrill Milnes’ studio and an apprentice artist at Sarasota Opera.
Elena Villalón, soprano
Soprano Elena Villalón delivers a sparkle and warmth throughout her voice, praised for versatility in performances of opera, concerts, and recitals. She has been heard as a Colburn Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles, and as Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone and Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring with CCM’s Opera D’Arte. She was a Vocal Arts Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and a first prize winner of the 2018 Three Arts Competition and the 2018 Dayton Opera Guild Competition.
Elena’s performance was generously sponsored by Dr. John and Susan Tew.
Travis Pearce, tenor
Tenor Travis Pearce made his debut with Queen City Opera in the role of Almeric in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. He has performed roles such as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Sam Kaplan and Lippo Fiorentino in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Mr. EEE in the world premiere of Martian Chronicles, and has been a featured soloist with orchestra in works including Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation. While attending the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Travis was awarded the Harold Heiberg Liedersänger Preis for his performances of Schubert lieder, and was later invited to sing a recital of lieder and operetta for the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Travis holds a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Miami University.
Erin Keesy, soprano
Native to Kentucky, soprano Erin Keesy is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received her Master’s degree and Artist Diploma from CCM, where she studied with Dr. Gwendolyn Detwiler. Her 2017–18 season included appearances with the Cincinnati Pops, the Louisville Orchestra, the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and as a young artist with Cincinnati Opera, as well as a featured performance in SongFest’s Stern Fellowship program in Los Angeles. With Queen City Opera, Ms. Keesy has sung Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Clorinda in La Cenerentola.
Erin’s performance was generously sponsored by Marilyn Z. Ott.
Stefan Egerstrom, bass
Bass Stefan Egerstrom made his QCO debut as King René in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. He received his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Lawrence University and his master’s degree in Voice from CCM. A resident of Minneapolis, Stefan has performed with Minnesota Opera in the world premieres of Puts’ Silent Night and Moravec’s The Shining. At CCM, he sang Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Carlino in Don Pasquale, and the bass solos in Bach’s Johannes-Passion, and through Opera Fusion: New Works he performed in workshops of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers. He was also a Young Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, covering Gremin in Eugene Onegin and the Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
Ellen Graham, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Ellen Graham is a versatile singer who has garnered recognition for performances that are “stirring” and “beautifully sung.” She has performed with the May Festival, the Cincinnati Pops, Collegium Cincinnati, the Evansville Philharmonic, Queen City Opera, concert:nova, and the Vocal Arts Ensemble. Opera roles include Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Julia Child (Bon Appétit!), and Meg Page (Falstaff). Equally at home on the musical theater stage, she has performed in regional theaters including Pittsburgh Public Theater and the College Light Opera Company. Ms. Graham holds a doctorate from the University of Kentucky and teaches at Xavier University.
Mike Young, baritone
Mike Young, baritone, is a native of Cortland, Ohio, and a resident of Cincinnati, where he maintains a private voice studio. His operatic credits include Scarpia (Tosca), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Alberich (Siegfried), Don Giovanni, Marcello (La bohème), the Prosecutor (Another Brick in the Wall, U.S. premiere), and George Milton (Of Mice and Men). His concert performances include solos in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, the Requiems of Mozart, Duruflé, Fauré, and Brahms, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Handel’s Israel in Egypt.
Xavier University Concert Choir
Dr. Megan Boyd, Director
Soprano: Mary Kate Dearie, Natalie Ferraro, Emma Hall, Lindsey Insco, Claire McCreave, Emma Oravec, Sofia Ordoñez, Emma Robinson, Maria Skill, Miranda Werner, Carolyn Youngquist
Alto: Rianna Baker, Chloe Barber, Gaby Corbett, Lauren Davidson, Libby Grant, Alyssa Gries, Megan Humphry, Danielle Hutchinson, Julia Jenick, Charesse Laryea, Sabrina Moran, Ashley Rayzer, Caroline Schmitz
Tenor: Kameron Echols, Kyle Flynn, Austin Hayhurst, Kyle Shiring, Erik Styers, Max Yoder
Bass: Connor Annable, Andrew Guillerman, Patrick Hill, Christian Longberry, Matthew Nguyen, Barry Price
Thanks to our supporters and partners
Michael Ansaldi, George L. Barnard, Jeff and Gayna Basin, Robert and Debra Chavez, Robert and Mary Fitzpatrick, Carol Friel, Shelly Gerson, Ken Gottlieb, Leah Marie De Gruyl, Karlee Hilliard, Emily Hodges, Rebecca Hughes, Nancy and Jerry Klein, David Leigh, Deborah Lewis, Vicki and Michael Lorenz, Yukako Margaritoff, William Needelman, Tom and Marge Osterman, Marilyn Z. Ott, Sam Post, Sonja Rethy, Roger and Barbara Selya, Edward Silberstein, Christopher & Angela Sparks, Michael Sturgulewski, I-Chen Su, Daniel Tonozzi, Madeline Tsai, Barbara Wagner, Rollan Wengert, James Wesner
ArtsWave, Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation, Ingage Partners, Matinée Musicale, Music2Life Foundation, Puffin Foundation West
Special thanks: Price Hill Will & MYCincinnati, Middletown Symphony Legacy Collection, Bill Clark, Rachel Burnside