Animals in the Park

Underworld Productions Opera

and The Metropolitan Soloists Woodwind Quintet

present

Animals in the Park

A FREE Family Performance

Monday, June 18, 2012 at 7 pm

Isham Park

Entrances south of 215th St. from Park Terrace East or Park Terrace West

Light classics for a summer evening featuring the soloists of Underworld Productions Opera in the premiere of "Wynken, Blynken & Nod" and "The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat" by Henry Papale, arranged by the composer for voice and woodwind quintet.  

Also on the program is last summer's favorite, "El Rinoceronte/The Rhinoceros" by Michael Dutka on a poem by Elisa Gonzalez.

                                                                    

Performed by Tara Bobiak, soprano; Stephanie McGuire, mezzo-soprano; and the Metropolitan Soloists woodwind quintet.  Vocal selections conducted by Gina Crusco.

  

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 inCarmen. 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.

Gina Crusco has been praised in The New York Times for her "elegantly simple staging" and in the Italian press as "la bravissima Gina Crusco." She served as Maestro del Coro of Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto (Italy) for two opera seasons and on the voice faculty of New School University for nine years. She has won awards from NoMAA, Uptown Arts Stroll, Fractured Atlas, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and SPARC, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Michael 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.

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.  

Animals in the Plaza

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

9^th 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.

Don Pasquale in Inwood Park

Underworld Productions Opera sings Don Pasquale

Presented by Inwood Shakespeare Festival Free Opera in the Park produced by Moose Hall Theatre Company

Four shows at 7:30 pm

Inwood Park penninsula

(westernmost continuation of 218th St., Manhattan)

Wednesday June 27 thru Saturday June 30

FREE! 

Don Pasquale:  Peter Castaldi

Norina: Paige Cutrona (6/27, 29, 30); Diane Lynn (6/28)

Ernesto: John Calkins

Dr. Malatesta: Rashard Deleston
Signora Pasquale: Lauren Alfano

Directed by Gina Crusco


"A witty production that combined a gently tweaked storyline with an intimate setting that gave audience members a rare chance to experience opera up close." -- Classical Review

Paige Cutrona plays Norina 6/27, 29 and 30

Peter Castaldi plays Don Pasquale

"... formidable acting skills and vocal authority ... inhabits the role of Pasquale with absolute conviction." -- Classical Review, May 2012

WHO's WHO IN THE CAST

Gina Crusco (Director) has been praised in The New York Times for her "elegantly simple staging" and in the Italian press as "la bravissima Gina Crusco." She served as Maestro del Coro of Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto (Italy) for two opera seasons and on the voice faculty of New School University for nine years. She has won awards from NoMAA, Uptown Arts Stroll, Fractured Atlas, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and SPARC, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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 was pianist in residence with the Berkshire Choral Festival. 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 recorded with Opus I, CRI, Grenadilla, Musical Heritage, New World, Aurora, Albany, Avant and Mode.

Peter Castaldi (Don Pasquale) is a Paris-born baritone who was raised in Milan and finished his education in New York, where he earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, majoring in composition. Mr. Castaldi’s engagements include Gotham Chamber Opera’s production of Montsalvatge’s "El gato con botas," directed by Moisés Kaufman and Mahler’s 8^th Symphony in the Sydney Opera House. Mr. Castaldi was featured in the spring of 2010 singing the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Florentine Opera. In 2008 and 2009 he sang the title role of Falstaff  for Opera Roanoke. 

Paige Cutrona (Norina) has been described as “passionate” and “vocally striking” by Anthony Tommasini inThe New York Times; Allan Kozinn of the Times wrote of her performance in Rameau’s Pygmalion with Underworld Productions Opera that she “made the most of Céphise’s brief moment in the spotlight.” Ms. Cutrona made her solo debut at Lincoln Center in Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.” Her roles include Mimí inLa Bohème; Valencienne in The Merry Widow; Pamina in The Magic Flute and the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro. She has toured the US and Canada with A Royal Christmas featuring Andrea Bocelli, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

John Calkins (Ernesto) has sung Don Ramiro in Cenerentola with Opera New Jersey outreach and Capitol Heights Lyric Opera; Almaviva in Barber of Seville with Light Opera of South Maryland; and Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera Columbus.  He is a semi-finalist in the New York Lyric Opera vocal competition, and has participated in the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.

Rashard Deleston (Dr. Malatesta) earned a degree from Manhattan School of Music. His roles include Figaro (Barber of Seville) with Amore Opera, Escamillo (Carmen) with Opera Company of Brooklyn, Peter (Hansel and Gretel) with New York Lyric Opera, and Marullo (Rigoletto) with Bleecker Street Opera.  He participated in the Intermezzo Music Festival and the Operafestival di Roma.

Diane Lynn (Donna Diana; Norina 6/28) holds a MusM from Boston University.  Her roles include Dew Fairy in Hansel & Gretel (Emerald City Opera Institute); 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.

 

Lauren Alfano (Signora Pasquale) performs extensively as an oratorio soloist.  In addition to performing as a Resident Artist with the Underworld Productions Opera, Ms. Alfano also sings with Satori Opera, New York Lyric Opera, and the Opera Company of Brooklyn.  A proponent of new music, she was featured at the 2011 “Music With a View” Festival. Ms. Alfano recently made her Carnegie debut with the Remarkable Theater Brigade in their production of Opera Shorts.  Her performances include Die Zauberflote (Erste Knabe), GiulioCesare (Cleopatra), Don Giovanni (Zerlina), and Alessandro Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater with ARTEK.

Matt Antar (Servant) is a recent graduate of SUNY Fredonia's BFA Acting program. Credits include "Nero, Seneca, Agrippina and Apples" (Workshop Theatre Co.) , and "The Region of Unlikeness" (Foobi Films)  College credits include "[title of show]," "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," and "The History Boys."  Matt works as the Administrative Assistant and Dance Instructor/Choreographer at the Pied Piper Children's Theatre of NYC.

Jonathan Breit (Stage Manager) 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.

Share the Stage Chorus

SHARE THE STAGE CONCERT

Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 2 pm

YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

54 Nagle Avenue

FREE WITH RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com

or 212-569-6200 x 231

Come hear the unique combination of professional singers and a volunteer seniors chorus.  The program includes arias sung by the Resident Artists of Underworld Productions Opera; choral selections; and solos with choral back-up such as

♪  The Drinking Song from Verdi’s La Traviata

♪  Toreador Song from Bizet’s Carmen

♪  ”Poor Wandering One” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance

Gina Crusco, Director

Sung by: Lauren Alfano, Gregory Armstrong, Tara Bobiak, Rashard Deleston, Christopher Eaglin,

Hillary Esqueda, Sarah Hawkey, Diane Lynn, and Juliana Valente; Elizabeth Rodgers will be at the piano. 

SPARC is a collaboration among the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department for the Aging and the City's five local arts councils. This program is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.  This program is also supported by the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center Neighborhood Fund.

Share the Stage Seniors Chorus

A new choral group is in the making -- 

Come find out what all the excitement is about!

Every Tuesday beginning 1/24/12 

1:00 - 3:00 pm

YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

54 Nagle Avenue, New York City

FREE

 With Share the Stage, professional choral conductor Gina Crusco makes choral singing easy and fun for older adults.  She’ll give skill-building mini-workshops that build lung-capacity, vocal confidence, and team-work. Refreshments will be served.

• Build your vocal confidence
• Enjoy singing in harmony
• Learn a new "language" -- the language of music
• For Older Adults, 50+

Gina Crusco directed the Westport Madrigal Singers for 8 years and led the Jan Hus Choir in concerts with full orchestra.  She directed opera chorus in Italy and is currently Artistic Director of Underworld Productions Opera. 

FREE with RSVP to underworldprod@gmail.com.  Join us!

"Share the Stage" Chorus Kick-Off

A new choral group is in the making --

Come find out what all the excitement is about!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

11 am

YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

54 Nagle Avenue, New York City

FREE

 With Share the Stage, professional choral conductor Gina Crusco makes choral singing easy and fun for older adults.  She’ll give skill-building mini-workshops that build lung-capacity, vocal confidence, and team-work. Refreshments will be served.

• Build your vocal confidence
• Enjoy singing in harmony
• Learn a new "language" -- the language of music
• For Older Adults, 50+

Gina Crusco directed the Westport Madrigal Singers for 8 years and led the Jan Hus Choir in concerts with full orchestra.  She directed opera chorus in Italy and is currently Artistic Director of Underworld Productions Opera. 

FREE with RSVP to underworldprod@gmail.com.  Join us!

Timing is Everything! Comedy Workshop

UPO has FINALLY gotten Heather Dick to come to NYC!  

Timing is Everything!
Playing Comedy on the Stage

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

6:30 – 9 pm

CAP21 Studio #502
18 W. 18th St. (b/w 5th-6th Aves.), NYC

Since 2009 when Artistic Director Gina Crusco took “Make ‘Em Laugh" at Theatre Ontario, she has been determined to give you the chance to work with Heather.  Now is that opportunity – don’t miss it!!  


Through games, improvisations and simple exercises this workshop will explore the technique of playing comedy on the stage.  We’ll create physically comedic characters, play with verbal comedy and language, and explore the art of good timing.  Use your own unique qualities and imaginations to explore and to take risks with your work in a very supportive atmosphere. Come ready to play, laugh and have fun! 

Heather Dick is a performer, director, producer, acting coach and published writer who loves to bring humour into every aspect of her work. She has taught for Theatre Ontario, worked across Canada, produced or performed in more than 70 shows, and appeared in film, television and commercials. Heather is the Producing Artistic Director of the Sirius Theatrical Company.

Think fast!  Register Now.

$25 when you register by January 18

$30 when you register by January 23

$35 at the door

Click the "Donate" button on UPO's homepage:

http://www.underworldprod.com/html/home.html