Saturday October 5th 2019 at 3.00 pm

Sunday October 6th 2019 at 3.00 pm

Finneytown Performing Arts Center (8916 Fontainebleu Terrace, 45231)

Tickets: walkure.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006

Tickets will also be available at the door.

A thrilling tale about a woman forced into a loveless marriage by ruthless kidnappers, and the mysterious stranger who pulls a sword from a tree to help her escape.

One before each performance, there will be a presentation and discussion about domestic abuse prevention presented by Women Helping Women.

Conducted by QCO Artistic Director Isaac Selya.

Stage Direction by Rebecca Herman.

Production Design by Lizzy DuQuette.

Lighting and Technical Direction by Larry Csernik.

Costumes by Laura Molander – Owner of Costume Solutions.

Cast (in order of appearance) and creative team

Lighting Design and Technical Director: Larry Csernik

Larry Csernik is lighting designer for theatre and dance. Originally from Louisville, KY, Larry is a locally based lighting designer who stayed in Cincinnati after attaining his BA in Theater at Northern Kentucky University.

At NKU he has designed many shows including Mud Nostalgia, The Divine Visitor, Dance, The Wedding Singer, Birds, Years: A Musical, As You Like It, The Heidi Chronicles, and most recently Angels in America: Part I.

For the past four years he has designed for both The Commonwealth Theatre Company as well as The Contemporary Dance Theatre of Cincinnati. Other recent productions include The Full Monty and Willy Wonka (The Carnegie in Covington), the premier performance of Soldier’s Christmas (Blueline Editorial), and numerous shows at Thomas More College. He is pleased to return once again to Queen City Opera after designing for Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Rossini’s Cinderella, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Weber’s Der Freischütz.

Stage Director: Rebecca Herman

Rebecca Herman splits her time between directing and assistant directing at numerous companies around the country. She returns to QCO after directing Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Weber’s Der Freischütz (The Magic Bullets).

She is the Founding Artistic Producer at LOLA Local Opera Local Artists, where she recently directed We Might Be Struck By Lighting, and an innovate all-female production of La bohème called "La Femme Bohème." Her other productions there include La Clemenza di Tito: A Retelling. Recent credits include directing Don Giovanni and The Daughter of the Regiment at Austin Opera; Assistant Directing Turandot, The Magic Flute, and Rigoletto at Michigan Opera Theatre; and directing The Damnation of Carmen at Lawrence Opera Theatre.

Production Designer: Lizzy DuQuette

Lizzy DuQuette is a multimedia artist living in Price Hill. This is her seventh time working with Queen City Opera. Past productions include design for Mozart’s Abduction, Wagner’s Siegfried Act II and III, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Weber’s Der Freischütz (The Magic Bullets). She created illustrated projections for QCO’s Israel in Egypt at the Mayerson JCC. Lizzy is interested in small and large scale puppetry and has apprenticed with the legendary Bread & Puppet Theater in Glover, VT.

Hunding: Stefan Egerstrom

Bass Stefan Egerstrom received his Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from Lawrence University, and his Master’s degree in Voice from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Stefan was part of the 2019 Merola Opera Program. In 2018 he made his role debut as King René in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta with Queen City Opera.  At CCM, Stefan was Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Siroco in L’étoile, and Bass Soloist in Bach’s Johannes-Passion. As part of the Opera Fusion initiative between Cincinnati Opera and CCM, Stefan performed in workshops of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star and Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers.  He covered the roles of Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin and Il commendatore in Don Giovanni at Des Moines Metro Opera. Other operatic roles include Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dottore Grenvil in La traviata, and Kecal in The Bartered Bride.

Stefan’s performance is generously sponsored by Emily Hodges.

Sieglinde: Mithra Mastropierro

The young soprano Mithra Mastropierro was lauded by the New York Times as “an artist to watch out for.” She has sung at some of America’s most important opera houses such as The Glimmerglass Festival and the Dallas Opera. She also joined The Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover Abigaille in their recent production of Nabucco. She has sung some of the most important roles of her repertoire such as Norma, Abigaille and Tosca at the Croatian National Theater, where she received rave reviews and was hailed as “a miracle soprano with beautiful bel canto style, unbelievable range and regal stage presence.” A versatile artist, she sang Mimì in New Rochelle Opera’s production of La bohème, and Brünnhilde in Siegfried at Queen City Opera in Cincinnati, her first experience as a Wagner heroine.

Mithra is a major grant winner of the Olga Forrai Foundation for large dramatic voices and has received numerous scholarships and awards, among them an encouragement award by the Gerda Lissner Foundation and full scholarships to Joan Dornemann’s IVAI programs in Israel and Virginia and a full scholarship to study voice and performance at Mannes College. Mithra’s performance is generously sponsored by Dr. John and Susan Tew.

Siegmund: Peter Hakjoon Kim

Tenor Peter Hakjoon Kim attended the Juilliard School, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and became a recipient of the Lucrezia Bori Grant. 

As a leading baritone, he has performed the title roles of Don Giovanni, Nabucco, and Rigoletto, as well as the roles of Amonasro (Aida), Tonio (Pagliacci), Germont (La traviata), Conte di Luna (Il trovatore), Iago (Otello), Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera), and Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) with Tulsa Opera, Union Avenue Opera, New Rochelle Opera, Opera in the Heights, Regina Opera, Chelsea Opera, and the Martina Arroyo Foundation. 

In 2018, he made his tenor debut as Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Regina Opera company. Since then, he has sung the role of Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre in concert and he is currently in a production of Bizet’s Carmen performing the role of Don José. Other upcoming roles include Pollione in Norma in concert in New York. 

Peter Hakjoon’s performance is generously sponsored by the Wagner Society of Cincinnati.