Trouble in Tahiti/Quattro Liriche

Friday, May 9, 2014 @ 6:30 pm

Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo at NYU

24 W. 12th St., NYC

$30 Tickets here.

"Trouble in Tahiti" by Leonard Bernstein

A staged performance about desire and disillusionment. 

"There is a garden. Come with me."
Kelli Butler and Mario Diaz-Moresco
in "Trouble in Tahiti."
Photo by Jonathan Slaff

Kelli Butler (Dinah)
Mario Diaz-Moresco (Sam)
Michelle Seipel, Miran Robarts and Radoslav Lesay (Trio). 
Saffron Chung, piano.










"Quattro Liriche" by Elsa Respighi
A work about the elusive nature of human relations.

"There was a veil through which I could not see."
Kelli Butler in "Quattro Liriche."
Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

Kelli Butler, soprano Chamber ensemble
Saffron Chung, piano
Premiere of arrangement by Henry Papale.

Directed by Gina Crusco.



This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. This program is also made possible in part with public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  Funding has been provided by Deutsche Bank, Venable Foundation and Puffin Foundation. Special thanks to Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo at NYU.

Trouble in Tahiti FREE in WaHI

Sunday, May 4, 2014 @ 4 pm

United Palace of Cultural Arts lobby

4140 Broadway @ 175th St.

Running time: 1 hour.

"Trouble in Tahiti" by Leonard Bernstein

A staged performance about desire and disillusionment. 

"Can we find the way back to the garden?"
Stephanie McGuire and Isaac Grier.
Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

Stephanie McGuire, Dinah.

Isaac Grier, Sam.

Heather Gerban, Miran Robarts, Radoslav Lesay, Trio.

Saffron Chung, piano.

"Outerborough Songs" by Thomas Deneuville

A work about fighting and forgiveness. 

"We lost each other in forgiveness."
Gian-Carla Tisera in OBS.
Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

Gian-Carla Tisera, soprano
Marco Marino, electric guitar.

A talk with the composer will follow.

FREE; seating extremely limited.

Reservation required: underworldprod@gmail.com.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. This program is also made possible in part with public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  Funding has been provided by Deutsche Bank, Venable Foundation, Puffin Foundation, and Columbia-Presbyterian Neighborhood Fund. Special thanks to Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo at NYU. UPO thanks UPCA for their generous support!

Arias at the Y

Sunday, March 16, 2014
2 pm
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

Directions


Glorious arias brought to you by UPO's talented Resident Artists and Guests.

Enjoyable spoken commentary by Gina Crusco lets you in on the secrets of opera. 

It's all yours for FREE with RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com.

Isabella Florin,

Heather Gerban, mezzo-soprano

Raymond Storms, countertenor

         

Lesley Tay, tenor

Radoslav Lesay, tenor

Repertoire includes: 

Cielo, se tu il consenti (Handel: Orlando)

Il mio tesoro (Mozart: Don Giovanni)
Va, laisse couler mes larmes (Massenet: Manon)

Ain't it a pretty night? (Carlisle Floyd: Susannah)

Asleep, my love? (Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Sung by:

Isabella Florin, soprano; Heather Gerban, mezzo-soprano; Raymond Storms, countertenor; Radoslav Lesay, tenor; and Leslie Tay, tenor. 

Saffron Chung, pianist

Arias and Duets at the Y

Sunday, November 10, 2013
2 pm
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood
Directions


Glorious Arias and Duets from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and Le Nozze di Figaro; Puccini's La Boheme, and Massenet's Manon. 

Brought to you by UPO's talented Resident Artists and Guests with Elizabeth Rodgers at the piano.

Enjoyable spoken commentary by Gina Crusco lets you in on the secrets of opera. 

It's all yours for FREE with RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com.

Isabella Florin, soprano

Heather Gerban, mezzo-soprano

Raymond Storms, countertenor

     

Hillary Esqueda, soprano

Radoslav Lesay, tenor

      

Barry Robinson, baritone

Miran Robarts, soprano

An Evening of Arias and Songs

A free community arts event at

Goddard Riverside The Bernie Wohl Center

647 Columbus Avenue at 91st Street

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

7:30 pm

Join us for an evening of favorite arias by Mozart, Puccini & Verdi, and popular songs like "Come back to Sorrento" and "O sole mio." These enjoyable selections will be performed by four dynamic young singers from Underworld Productions Opera.

Featuring Alison McConekey, soprano; Kelli Butler, soprano; Gregory Armstrong, tenor; and Isaac Grier, bass-baritone.

Alison McConekey, Soprano

Kelli Butler, Soprano

Gregory Armstrong, Tenor

Isaac Grier, Bass-baritone

Tickets are free with RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com

Goddard.org/communityarts

First event of the new season: Morris-Jumel Mansion!

Saturday, October 12, 2013
11 a.m.

FREE community performance 

Morris-Jumel Mansion

Underworld Productions Opera is proud to announce our third annual performance at the CAFe. We are back with our talented young singers bringing you music for a relaxing Saturday at the Mansion.

On the program are arias by Mozart, Donizetti and Puccini and songs from The Sound of Music, Les Miz, and more.

UPO is first in the line-up!  Come hear us and stay for lunch al fresco on the Mansion lawn.

Directions: 
http://www.morrisjumel.org/visit/directions/

Featuring:

Isabella Florin, Soprano

Heather Gerban, Mezzo-soprano

Raymond Storms, Countertenor

Radoslav Lesay, Tenor

Barry Robinson, Baritone

Il Trionfo dell'Onore (Honor Wins Out)

at MOSA

(Music at our Saviour's Atonement)

Sunday, May 5 at 5pm

Free event! 

Sung in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles

Underworld Productions Opera presents the New York premiere of Alessandro Scarlatti's only full-length comic opera, Il Trionfo dell'Onore, a fast-paced romp of high and low characters laced with glorious melody.  

Premiered on November 26, 1718 at the Teatro dei Fiorentini in Naples, Il Trionfo dell’Onore is seminal in the development of opera buffa. Its libretto by Francesco Antonio Tullio about four couples staying at two Pisan alberghi centers on the exploits of the dissolute protagonist Riccardo, a precursor to Mozart’s Don Giovanni. At the premiere this quintessential womanizer was played by a woman, soprano Caterina Testi.  This has inspired us to cast soprano Kelli Butler in the lead role. Featuring 8 singers, this 80-minute work will be performed semi-staged.

Featuring: 

Kelli Butler as Riccardo (pictured above)

Maria Todaro as Leonora

Rachel Policar as Doralice

Miran Robarts as Cornelia

Catherine Leech as Rosina

Stephanie McGuire as Erminio

Christopher Preston Thompson as Flaminio

Stephen Lavonier as Rodimarte

Dorian Komanoff Bandy - Music Director, violin

Christine Gummere - cello

Elizabeth Rodgers -- keyboard

Gina Crusco, Director 

Music at our Saviour's Atonement

178 Bennett Avenue

New York, NY 10040

Click HERE for Directions

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. This program is also made possible in part with public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  Additional funding has been provided by the Venable Foundation and Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance; the NoMAA Creative Grant Program was made possible by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation.

Arias and Irish Songs at the Y

Arias and Irish Songs

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with UPO 

Free.

Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 2pm

YM&YHWA 
of Washington Heights/Inwood

54 Nagle Street

New York, NY 10040

Radoslav Lessay

Rachel Policar

Miran Robarts

         

 

        Briana Sakamoto

Program Includes: 

The Silver Aria from Douglas Moore's Ballad of Baby Doe

Durch Zärtlichkeit from Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio

Laurie's Song from Aaron Copland's The Tender Land

Dalla sua pace from Mozart's Don Giovanni

Plus:

Danny Boy

and

 When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Gina Crusco, director

Elizabeth Rodgers, accompanist

FREE with RSVP to underworldprod@gmail.com

Festive Opera Arias at the Y

December 2, 2012
2 pm
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood
54 Nagle Avenue
New York City

UPO Fall 2012 Resident Artists
L to R: Aditi Chavravarty, Rado Lesay, Elise Jablow, Alicia Williams, Danielle Bendjy

FREE but space is limited.
Reserve your places: underworldprod@gmail.com

Hear arias and duets by Underworld Productions Opera Resident Artists and Guests on the Y's delightful stage in a neighborhood setting. Selections include:

Duets by GF Handel 
Hear the themes the composer drew from for his famous holiday oratorio!

"Black Horses" by Michael Dutka
Nero has a new job pulling a heavy cart with 3 other black horses, little knowing what the sad cargo may be. NY Premiere of a 15-minute opera 

Festive arias from Don Giovanni, Turandot, L'Elisir d'Amore and more.

Artists include:

Aditi Chakravarty
Amanda Hick
Elise Jablow
Radoslav Lesay
David Mimran
Alicia Williams

Accompanied by Elizabeth Rodgers. Directed by Gina Crusco.

To get to the Y:

By Bus

Take the #7 or #100 to Broadway and Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block down Nagle Avenue on your left.

By Train

Take the “A” train to 190th Street Stop. Exit through tunnel following signs for Bennett Avenue. Once leave station, go left down small hill to intersection of Broadway and Nagle Avenue. Cross over Broadway and continue walking straight onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block on your left.

Or

Take the “1” train to the Dyckman Street stop. Exit down stairs and turn left onto Nagle Avenue. Go 4 blocks to the Y which is on your right side.

By Car

From points South: Take the Henry Hudson Parkway North to Dyckman Street exit. Follow Dyckman Street two lights and then merge right before island onto Broadway. Immediately turn right at stop sign onto Broadway. Turn left at 6th light onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block on the left side with a parking lot immediately next to the Y.

Or

From points North: Take the Henry Hudson Parkway South to Dyckman Street exit. Make left trun off exit and go straight, 3 blocks to Seaman Ave (can not go further). Turn right onto Seaman Avenue to first light (short block). Turn left onto Dyckman Street and then quickly merge right before island at next light. Immediately turn right at stop sign onto Broadway. Turn left at 6th light onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block on the left side with a parking lot immediately next to the Y. Or From points East: Take the Harlem River Drive North to the Dyckman Street exit. Turn left at the end of the highway onto Dyckman Street. Go to next light and turn left onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is 4 blocks on your right side with a parking lot immediately next to the Y.

UPO at Morris-Jumel Mansion

Songs & Arias on the Front Porch

Saturday, October 6, 2012

1-1:30 pm

With (top to bottom) Aditi Chavravarty; Elise Jablow; Alicia Williams; Danielle Bendjy; Radoslav Lesay. Accompanied by Elizabeth Rodgers. Directed by Gina Crusco.

Thank you so much for participating in the Festival again. As always you and your singers were great! And all the ladies looked so glamorous, definitely the best dressed group of the afternoon. 
-- Carol Ward, Education Director, Morris-Jumel Mansion

Missed it?

Never miss another UPO event!

Email us at underworldprod@gmail.com

Here's what you missed:

Danielle Bendjy in "Mein Herr Marquis"
or as you can see "The Laughing Song"

Aditi Chakravarty in "Adieu, notre petite table."
Imagine saying goodbye to your boyfriend's table!

Elise Jablow in "Deh vieni, non tardar"
telling Figaro she loves him by telling another man she loves him.

Radoslav Lesay in "Mamma" by Bixio.
Is it still possible for a man to love his mother best?

Alicia Williams in Micaela's aria.
Good girl to Carmen's bad girl.

Not to mention The Vanilla Ice Cream Song; Steal me, sweet thief; and Lonely House. 

Next time be sure to join us! 

That email address once again: underworldprod@gmail.com.