Underworld Productions Opera
and La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez
present
Animals in the Plaza
A FREE Family Performance
Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 3 pm
La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez
9th Street & Ave C, New York City
Songs and arias in Spanish, English, French and Italian featuring
- "Wynken, Blynken & Nod" and "The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat" by Henry Papale
- Selections from Donizetti's comic opera Don Pasquale
- "El
Rinoceronte/The Rhinoceros" by Michael Dutka on a poem by Elisa Gonzalez
Performed by Tara Bobiak, soprano; Jonathan Breit, baritone; Diane Lynn, soprano; and Stephanie McGuire, mezzo-soprano with Elizabeth Rodgers, pianist.
Underworld Productions Opera has a
mission
to take music to historically underserved populations
including Washington Heights and Inwood and to engender a wider audience for opera through
participation by those of diverse backgrounds and ages. UPO has been recognized for innovation and excellence by Musical America’s “Year in Music 2009,” The New York Times, Opera News, Early Music America, and in the blogosphere (“This is genius!” -- Madison Opera Blog). Underworld Productions Opera, 10 Park Terrace East #4C, New York, NY 10034; underworldprod@gmail.com; www.underworldprod.com.
Tara Bobiak’s recent roles include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, and Frasquita in Carmen. Training programs include Opera
Project NYC Scenes Program, Juilliard Evening Division Opera Workshop, New York
Lyric Opera Artist in Residence Program, and Brooklyn Conservatory Opera
Workshop. Ms. Bobiak holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice from Penn State
and is a 2011-2012 Underworld Productions Resident Artist.
Jonathan Breit is a composer and pianist living in New York City. Recent compositions include The Rivals (BMI, Lively Productions), written with Greg Edwards, The Senator and the Slave Girl (Yale University), and The Awkward Stage (Golden Fleece series), written with Leah Maddrie, and a song cycle based on the poems of La Fontaine (Chromatic Voice Exchange). He holds degrees from Yale College and Mannes College of Music.
Michale Dutka is currently completing Liebovar, about the inmates of the
Maritzenstadt Concentration Camp who write a children’s opera to save their
children from the Nazi death camps. He has completed 5 operas including The Crowded House and The Animal Kingdom on bilingual poems by
Elisa Gonzalez, both performed by Underworld Productions Opera.
Diane Lynn holds a MusM from Boston University. Her roles include Dew Fairy in Hansel & Gretel (Emerald City); First Lady in Magic Flute (American Singers’ Opera Project); Belinda in Dido & Aeneas (Bay Area Opera Theater); and Mlle. Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor (Boston University). Upcoming is Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Ms. Lynn is a 2011-2012 Underworld Productions Opera Resident Artist.
Stephanie McGuire, mezzo-soprano has
performed in two roles in New York City Opera’s VOX festival of contemporary
music as well as numerous roles in operas such as Handel’s Alcina and Menotti’s Amahl
and the Night Visitors. She holds a Master’s degree in music from Longy
Conservatory and a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford. Ms. McGuire is a 2011-2012 Underworld
Productions Resident Artist.
Henry Papale has written six operas, including
JULIA: An Operatic Monodrama
premiered by Underworld Productions Opera in 2007. He has written hundreds of art songs, 10
string quartets, and over 200 piano pieces.
His chamber opera, Balloon,
received 8 performances in Toronto; other performances include Bach &
Madrigal Society of Phoenix; John Harms Theatre in Englewood, NJ; and Duquesne
University.
Pianist Elizabeth Rodgers holds both Bachelor
and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music, and is currently on
the faculty there. She has also taught at Bard College, and is pianist in
residence with the Berkshire Choral Festival. Known primarily as a versatile
ensemble player, Ms. Rodgers has performed with The Metropolitan Players,
Downtown Chamber Players, Friends and Enemies of New Music, Music Under
Construction and The Lark Ascending. She has participated in the preparation
and performance of operas with The Little Orchestra Society, Center for
Contemporary Opera, and American Opera Projects. She has played numerous
recitals with singers and instrumentalists, including the distinguished soprano
Judith Raskin. Long time collaborators
include soprano Phyllis Clark and hornist Lisa Pike. Active in new music, Ms.
Rodgers has premiered works by Miriam Gideon, Marc-Antonio Consoli, Wendy
Griffiths, Robert Dennis and Joelle Wallech, among many others. She has
recorded with Opus I, CRI, Grenadilla, Musical Heritage, New World, Aurora,
Albany, Avant and Mode.
