Synopsis

ACT I. Japan, early twentieth century. On a flowering terrace above Nagasaki harbor, U.S. Navy Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton inspects the house he has leased from a marriage broker, Goro, who has just procured him three servants and a geisha wife, Cio-Cio-San, known as Madama Butterfly. To the American consul, Sharpless, who arrives breathless from climbing the hill, Pinkerton describes the carefree philosophy of a sailor roaming the world in search of pleasure. At the moment, he is enchanted with the fragile Cio-Cio-San, but his 999-year marriage contract contains a monthly renewal option. When Sharpless warns that the girl may not take her vows so lightly, Pinkerton brushes aside such scruples, saying he will one day marry a “real” American wife. Cio-Cio-San is heard in the distance joyously singing of her wedding. Entering surrounded by friends, she tells Pinkerton how, when her family fell on hard times, she had to earn her living as a geisha. Her relatives bustle in, noisily expressing their opinions on the marriage. In a quiet moment, Cio-Cio-San shows her bridegroom her few earthly treasures and tells him of her intention to embrace his Christian faith. The Imperial Commissioner performs the wedding ceremony, and the guests toast the couple. The celebration is interrupted by Cio-Cio-San’s uncle, a Buddhist priest, who bursts in, cursing the girl for having renounced her ancestors’ religion. Pinkerton angrily sends the guests away. Alone with Cio-Cio-San in the moonlit garden, he dries her tears, and she joins him in singing of their love.

ACT II. Three years later, Cio-Cio-San waits for her husband’s return. As Suzuki prays to her gods for aid, her mistress stands by the doorway with her eyes fixed on the harbor. When the maid shows her how little money is left, Cio-Cio-San urges her to have faith: one fine day Pinkerton’s ship will appear on the horizon. Sharpless brings a letter from the lieutenant, but before he can read it to Cio-Cio-San, Goro comes with a suitor, the wealthy Prince Yamadori. The girl dismisses both marriage broker and prince, insisting her American husband has not deserted her. When they are alone, Sharpless again starts to read the letter and suggests Pinkerton may not return. Cio-Cio-San proudly carries forth her child, Dolore (Trouble), saying that as soon as Pinkerton knows he has a son he surely will come back; if he does not, she would rather die than return to her former life. Moved by her devotion, Sharpless leaves, without having revealed the full contents of the letter. Cio-Cio-San, on the point of despair, hears a cannon report; seizing a spyglass, she discovers Pinkerton’s ship entering the harbor. Now delirious with joy, she orders Suzuki to help her fill the house with flowers. As night falls, Cio-Cio-San, Suzuki and the child begin their vigil.

ACT III. As dawn breaks, Suzuki insists that Cio-Cio-San rest. Humming a lullaby to her child, she carries him to another room. Before long, Sharpless enters with Pinkerton, followed by Kate, his new wife. When Suzuki realizes who the American woman is, she collapses in despair but agrees to aid in breaking the news to her mistress. Pinkerton, seized with remorse, bids an anguished farewell to the scene of his former happiness, then rushes away. When Cio-Cio-San comes forth expecting to find him, she finds Kate instead. Guessing the truth, the shattered Cio-Cio-San agrees to give up her child if his father will return for him. Then, sending even Suzuki away, she takes out the dagger with which her father committed suicide and bows before a statue of Buddha, choosing to die with honor rather than live in disgrace. As she raises the blade, Suzuki pushes the child into the room. Sobbing farewell, Cio-Cio-San sends him into the garden to play, then stabs herself. As she dies, Pinkerton is heard calling her name.

– courtesy of Opera News

Cast & Gallery

Cio-Cio-San - Eleni Calenos
Lt. B.F. Pinkerton - Christopher Bengochea
Suzuki - Michele Detwiler
Sharpless - Jason Detwiler
Goro - Peter Tantsits
The Bonze - Jim Poston
Yamadori - Dirk Robinson
Commissioner - Timothy Stoddard
Registrar - Willis Carr
Kate Pinkerton - Maria Gubbels
Yakuside - Michal Jarolimek
Mother - Jennifer Burke
Aunt - Vernae Buck
Cousin - Amanda Campbell

Stage Director - David Malis
Conductor - Steven Crawford
Set Designer - Jennifer Wilhelmi

Chorus Women
Merri Bennett, Soprano
Kathleen Beynun, Soprano
Ana Boyd, Soprano
Lura Penland, Soprano
Bonnie Salewski, Soprano
Stephanie Santos, Soprano
Elisa Egli, Mezzo
Vicke Lee, Mezzo
Carol MacGregor, Mezzo
Diane Petersen, Mezzo

Chorus Men
David Christensen, Tenor
Alexander Lundquist, Tenor
Russell Smith, Tenor
Wally Tuck, Tenor
Willis Carr, Bass
Victor Castillo, Bass
Fernando Menendez, Bass
Stephen Price, Bass

Eleni Calenos, Soprano (Cio-Cio-San)

In her young career, Greek soprano Eleni Calenos is capturing critics and audiences’ admiration for the clarity, warmth and beauty of her lyric voice, and her dignified characterizations. Of her 2008 role debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, the Houston Press said, “The phenomenon was the Cio-Cio-San of Greek soprano Eleni Calenos, whose nuanced characterization was a true wonder to hear. She sailed through her dramatic arias as if buoyed by the stirring music.”

Additional engagements from the past few seasons include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Barbados Music Festival, Giorgetta in Puccini’s Il Tabarro with the Harrisburg Opera, Liù in Turandot with the Boston Concert Opera and the Chorus Pro Musica, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera in the Heights, covering the Countess during the 2010 Glimmerglass Festival as a member of the Young American Artists Program, Medora in Verdi’s Il Corsaro with the Hellenic Music Foundation in New York, as well as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Martina Arroyo Foundation. Of her performance, The New York Times said, “Eleni Calenos sang with a strong, clear soprano and was persuasive as a suffering yet haughty Donna Elvira.” Other performed roles in her repertoire include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Mimì in La bohème and the title role of Suor Angelica.

Upcoming engagements include performing the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Shreveport Opera. Additionally, she will be the soloist in Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in MA, as well as in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Queens College Choral Society, in NY. She will also perform the roles of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Valencienne in The Merry Widow for the Utah Festival of Opera in the summer of 2011.

As a concert soloist, Eleni has recently performed Verdi’s Requiem with Masterworks Chorale in Cambridge, MA, as well as with the Boston University Symphony at Boston Symphony Hall in 2008, and with the Queens College Symphony at Colden Theater in New York. In 2006 she made a recording of George Tsontakis’ Mirologhia, which was released on the KOCH International Classics label with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. In the spring 2009, Eleni appeared as the principal soloist with Greek composer A. Paraskevas at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Eleni is a 2010 Gerda Lissner Foundation award winner, and a winner of the “Judges Award” from the Connecticut Opera Guild 2009 Competition. She also won the audience favorite “Merle McInturff Award for Musical Excellence” of the Irma Cooper 2008 Competition in Columbus, Ohio, the Schyler Foundation “Career Bridges” Award in 2006-2008, and was a 2009 finalist at the Renata Tebaldi International Vocal Competition in San Marino (Italy).

Christopher Bengochea (B.F. Pinkerton)

Christopher Bengochea is praised as having “power, sure intonation, and fine diction that come in a package tied with a ribbon of ‘natural sound.’ The Basque American tenor began his musical career as a pianist, then moved into the study of opera at age 18 during his time at Montana State University and later the University of Montana. After becoming an award winner at the Northwest Regional Metropolitan Opera Nation Council Auditions and winning third prize at the Internationale Societa Concertistica Vocal Competition in Santa Margherita-Ligure, Italy, Christopher decided to pursue singing entirely. It was in Italy where he had the opportunity to study and work with renowned tenor Gianni Raimondi.

Christopher’s operatic repertoire embraces a wide range of roles, including Rugeero Lestouc in La Rondine, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Erik in Alva Henderson’s Nosferatu and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, both for Opera Idaho, Alfredo in La traviata, the title role of Giuseppe Verdi’s Ernani. and Cavaradossi in Tosca. Other companies with which Christopher has performed include: Opera San Jose, Atlanta Opera, Opera Canada, da Corneto Opera, Center City Opera, Opera Company Brooklyn, Jarvis Conservatory, Intermountain Opera, Townsend Opera, Rimrock Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera, Livermore Valley Opera, West Bay Opera, Teatro Felice, Caramoor Opera, and the Tigulio Festival Opera.

For the past three seasons Christopher has been a resident artist of Opera San Jose, where he has been heard in a variety of roles from Reverend Samuel Paris in The Crucible to King Gustavus in Un ballo in maschera. He also performed Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, the title role in Roméo et Juliette, Alfredo in La traviata, and Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, the title role of Werther, the Duke in Rigoletto, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.

At home on both the operatic and concert stages, Christopher was heard as the Evangelist in Bach’s Weihnachts Oratorium with the New York City Chorale Society. Other oratoio engagements include: Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang, Tallis’s The Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, Beethoven’s infamous Symphony No. 9, and Verdi’s Messa de Requiem, the world premiere of Alva Henderson’s From Greater Light, performed with the Orange County Symphony Orchestra.

Future engagements for Christopher include Vasco da Gama in Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine in his Carnegie Hall debut, the title role in Offenbach’s, Les contes d’Hoffman, Pablo Neruda in II Postino, the title role in Mozart’s Idomeneo, the title role in Rossini’s Othello, and Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in Spain.

Michele Detwiler, Mezzo (Suzuki)

Since 2000, Michele Detwiler has sung nearly two dozen roles with regional companies on the West Coast, favoring Mahler, Strauss, Bel Canto and French repertoire. Critics have described her instrument as “amber-voiced”, “a velvety mezzo soprano voice with excellent range”, with performances being cited as “riveting” and holding “center stage commandingly”. A recent Finalist in the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition, this season has found her returning to West Bay Opera to debut Preziosilla (La Forza del Destino), reprising the role of Suzuki with both Opera Idaho and Livermoor Valley Opera, and to the Boise Philharmonic for the Messiah. Last season, Michele appeared with Opera Idaho as Bloody Mary (South Pacific in Concert), Tisbe (La Cenerentola) and Siebel (Faust).

From 2001-2007, she was a Principal Artist and Guest Artist with Opera San Jose, where she sang in eighteen productions ranging from lyric to dramatic repertoire. While there she garnered much praise for her portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor (The Crucible), and took on the title role in Carmen, Suzuki, Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), the title role of La Cenerentola, Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Stephano (Romeo et Juliette), Siebel, Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), and Flora (La Traviata), among others. In addition, the mezzo has sung with Sacramento Opera, West Bay Opera, Trinity Lyric Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Mission City Opera, Apollo Sierra Opera, Auburn Symphony, and Symphony Silicon Valley. Her concert credits include soloist in Bernstein’s Candide Suite, Mozart’s Requiem, Saint-Säens’ Christmas Oratorio, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, Herzogenberg’s Die Geburt Christi, and Einhorn’s Voices of Light.

Jason Detwiler, Baritone (Sharpless)

With over thirty lead roles to his credit, Jason Detwiler is becoming well-known for his magnetic and energizing performances on the opera stage. His voice and acting have been described as “emotionally fervid”, “richly expressive” and “commanding”, with a diverse repertoire ranging from the comedic Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) and Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) to the dramatic Germont (La Traviata) and Escamillo (Carmen). Among his most widely acclaimed roles are Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), the title role in Eugene Onegin, Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Zurga (Les Pechêurs de Perles), and John Proctor (The Crucible). His concert credits include: Bach’s St. John’s Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Saint-Säens’ Christmas Oratorio, Einhorn’s Voices of Light, and Faure’s Requiem.

Jason began the 2010-2011 season by debuting with Sonoma City Opera as Silvio (I Pagliacci). He then returned to Opera Idaho to debut Mr. Webb in Ned Rorem’s Our Town and made his company debut with Opéra Louisiane as the The Barber of Seville. Following a reprise of Melchior (Amahl & the Night Visitors) with Opera Idaho, Mr. Detwiler sang with the Boise Philharmonic in Handel’s Messiah. In addition to debuting Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), he will be singing in a number of concerts throughout the spring and summer: Mollicone’s Beatitude Mass with Cadenza, Ahab in Herrmann’s Moby Dick with the American Philharmonic Sonoma County, Haydn’s Creation with the Idaho State-Civic Symphony, and Billy Bigelow in Opera Idaho’s summer production of Carousel.

A student of heldentenor, Claude Heater, Jason has performed with San Diego Opera, Virginia Opera, Syracuse Opera, Sacramento Opera, Spokane Opera, Shreveport Opera, Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, Opera Coeur d’Alene, Rimrock Opera, Sonoma City Opera, West Bay Opera, Trinity Lyric Opera, Vallejo Symphony Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic, the Boise Master Chorale, and the Auburn Symphony. From 2002-2006, he was part of Irene Dalis’ Opera San Jose as a Principal Resident Artist. While there, he sang Dandini (La Cenerentola), Falke (Die Fledermaus), Papageno, Valentin (Faust), Silvio, Escamillo, Marcello (La Boheme), John Proctor, and the title roles of Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Figaro among others. In 2009-2010, Mr. Detwiler became Opera Idaho’s first Artist-in-Residence, singing lead roles, giving concerts, and leading master classes for the Resident Company. Other major roles include: Yeletsky (Pikovaya Dama), Mr. Gobineau (The Medium), Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos), and the title role in Vaughan Williams’ Pilgrim’s Progress.

Peter Tantsits (Goro)

Peter Tantsits’ agile, high tenor and keen musicianship continue to bring him increased international recognition, particularly for his ability to navigate some of the most challenging modern scores. He was recently named “one of his generation’s most consistently satisfying contemporary vocal music specialists” by OPERA Magazine (UK), the British publication Opera Now praised his “luminous timbre” and ability to craft a role with “astute understanding,” and Opera News has cited his “gifted, agile and expressive” singing with “vibrant, penetrating beauty while managing the complexities of his role with complete mastery and infallibly good diction.”

For the 2010/2011 season Peter Tantsits makes debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, the Munich Philharmonic at the Kulturzentrum Gasteig, and the China Philharmonic at the Beijing International Music Festival, as well as returning to the New York Philharmonic for Doug Fitch’s production of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. He sings the central role of Colin McPhee in Evan Ziporyn’s opera A House in Bali at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Boston’s Cutler Majestic Theater as well as reprising the role of Xu Xian in Robert Woodruff’s production of Zhou Long’s Madame White Snake in Beijing and creating the central role in Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone for Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. He premieres two new works with leading contemporary music groups: Michael LaCroix’s adaptation of Aristophanes’ The Birds with Eighth Blackbird in Chicago and Marcos Balter’s Aesopica at the Morgan Library with the International Contemporary Ensemble. His concert engagements this season also include Carmina Burana (one of his signature roles) with the Oberlin Orchestra. Among his engagements for 2011/2012, Peter looks forward performing John “Jack” Worthing for the European premiere of Gerald Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest with Thomas Adès at the Barbican in London, debuting in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Le Grand Macabre and returning to China for additional performances of Madame White Snake in the opera houses of Guangzhou and Hangzhou.

Peter recently made a successful debut at La Scala in Milan singing the high tenor role of Syme in Robert Lepage’s production of Lorin Maazel’s 1984. He has worked with some of the world’s top orchestras collaborating with conductors Alan Gilbert, Lorin Maazel, Leonard Slatkin, Kristjan Järvi, Leon Botstein and Emmanuelle Haïm. He made two acclaimed appearances with the New York Philharmonic in 2008 and 2010 (both broadcast nationally) and also performed with the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich at Vienna’s Konzerthaus, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie at Bremen’s Die Glocke, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and the American Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center. Peter’s repertoire rages from Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Rameau’s Platée to Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Xenakis’s Oresteia. Two core works in his concert repertoire include Carmina Burana and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. He has performed in a number of international festivals including Britain’s Aldeburgh Festival, the Festival Lyrique-en-mer in France, and the Festival Internacional de Musica Contemporánea in Morelia. Also of note are his performances as Tony in West Side Story in the Middle East for the Centrepoint Theatre in Dubai and his collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group. Peter originally trained as a violinist and earned degrees from Yale University and the Oberlin Conservatory.

Dirk Robinson, Tenor (Prince Yamadori)

Dramatic tenor Dirk Robinson is making his comprimario role debut in Madama Butterfly. Making his professional singing debut in Europe in 2004, Dirk sang three seasons with the acclaimed Chorus Musicus Köln und Das Neue Orchester, Cologne, Germany, in both concert and opera productions throughout Europe and sang frequently throughout The Netherlands. Since 2007, Dirk has lived in Los Angeles where he studies voice, works for a fun ad agency and enjoys bicycling.

Jim Poston (Il Bonzo)

Jim Poston caught the singing bug early in life when he performed the role of Emile in Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s South Pacific in high school. At Simpson College he sang many leading roles, including Billy Bigelow from Carousel, Schaunard from La bohème and Guglielmo from Cosi fan tutte. He received a master’s degree from Boston Conservatory, and participated in three prestigious apprentice programs in Des Moines, Central City, Colorado and in Lake George, NY. He performed excerpts from Rigoletto and Porgy and Bess with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra and sung the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Chorale.

For Opera Idaho, Jim most recently appeared as Luther Billis in South Pacific in Concert. He also performed as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (2003) and in La Traviata, The Merry Widow and Il barbiere di Siviglia. He also has sung many times with Opera Under the Stars. For the past few years Jim has toured the Treasure Valley singing the baritone character in Opera Idaho’s Opera in a Box performances for thousands of school children. He is an award-winning news anchor and reporter, and worked for KBCI-TV in Boise and KIVI-TV in Nampa. He teaches Theatre Appreciation at the College of Western Idaho and works as a professional voice-over actor.

Maria Gubbels (Kate Pinkerton)

Maria Gubbels is currently a senior vocal performance major at Boise State University, studying with Laura Rushing Raynes. Maria has been studying classical music since the age of eleven. As a member of Opera Idaho’s Resident Company since 2009, Maria has sung in the choruses of Ned Rorem’s Our Town and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. In the spring of 2010 she performed her first title role as Dido in BSU’s production of Dido and Aeneas. Upon graduating from BSU, Maria plans to further her studies in voice and opera performance.

Timothy Stoddard, Baritone (Il Commissario)

Timothy Stoddard is a native of Idaho. He is a graduate of Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) and the Lionel Hampton School of Music of the University of Idaho. Timothy’s eclectic interests in the vocal world have led him to a wide variety of roles and venues, equally at home on the recital stage as the opera theater. Recent roles include the Sergeant in The Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert and Sullivan), Ben in The Telephone (Menotti), Hymen in The Fairy Queen (Purcell), and Captain William Clark in the west coast premiere of Michael Ching’s Corps of Discovery. Last season, he interpreted the role of Wagner in Faust for Opera Idaho. On the concert stage, Mr. Stoddard has been featured as soloist for Duruflé’s Requiem and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse. His continuing passion for the recital stage has allowed him to interpret many landmark works, such as Schumann’s Liederkreis (op. 39) and Bach’s Peasant’s Cantata. He has been featured in a program of music by Benjamin Britten with faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, as well as being engaged by the Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival.

Production Staff

Steven Crawford (Conductor)

Maestro Steven Crawford, whose final season with the Metropolitan Opera included two performances of La bohème of which one was his Sirius radio broadcast debut, is one of today’s most versatile opera conductors. Shortly following those performances, he was chosen to conduct the world premiere of HONOR, a requiem for orchestra, chorus and soloists composed by Christian McLeer in honor of those who have died in service to our country. Recently, he conducted the professional premiere of Glory Denied by Tom Cipullo for the Remarkable Theatre Brigade, La bohème for the Inwood Shakespeare Festival, Otello for Kentucky Opera, and Turandot for Dayton Opera. Since leaving the Met, Steven has conducted performances of Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance (for whom his earlier performances of Don Giovanni were noted by the New York Times as “lively, taut, and polished”), Don Giovanni for Dayton Opera, Otello with Vero Beach Opera, and The Medium/Pagliacci for Syracuse Opera. On a different note, Maestro Crawford was recently awarded the honor of Vocal Coach of the Year by Classical Singer magazine.

While still a member of the conducting staff at the Met, Steven’s projects included Faust, the world premiere of An American Tragedy, and the critically acclaimed revival of Cyrano. He recently conducted Kirke Meecham’s Tartuffe in Portland (OR) and earlier La Cenerentola with the Cincinnati Opera, where he had been called “the find of the evening” for stepping in on twelve hours notice to conduct Il Barbiere di Siviglia, simultaneously accompanying the recitatives on the fortepiano.

After working as Music Director of the Illinois Opera Theatre, Steven was engaged as resident conductor of the Florida Grand Opera for five years. During that time, he conducted fifteen different productions, working with such great artists as Sherill Milnes, Carol Neblett, Justino Diaz, and Barbara Daniels. He has also conducted productions for Chautauqua Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Nevada Opera and Opera Northeast. Upon his arrival in New York City, he was immediately engaged by the Metropolitan Opera Guild as Music Director for their production of a newly commissioned opera for young people.

An excellent symphonic conductor and proponent of contemporary music, Steven was engaged by the New York Philharmonic as cover conductor for Maestro Kurt Masur for the American premiere of Minoru Miki’s Symphony for Two Worlds. During the 1998 season, he made his New York City conducting debut in the NYC City premiere of A Chekov Trilogy by Richard Wargo. Before leaving South Florida, he was asked to conduct the New World Symphony and Concerto for Saxophone by Don Martino and returned the following year as guest soloist for the world premiere of John Nelson’s Fantasies and Flourishes, an interactive concerto for disklavier and orchestra. Steven continues to have an active career in accompanying when his conducting schedule permits. He has in the past accompanied Justino Diaz and Pablo Elvira in Puerto Rico, Aprile Millo in Sao Paolo, Richard Cowan on Belle Île en Mer, and Ortrun Wenkel and Håkan Hagegåard in Miami.

David Malis (Stage Director)

David Malis has taught voice and coached/directed operatic repertoire worldwide as head of Gli Apprendisti at the Opera Theater of Lucca in Lucca, Italy, for Oberlin in Italy in Urbania, Italy, and for the University of Miami in Salzburg, Austria. As Opera Director of the Crested Butte Music Festival and the Festival de Musique de St. Barthélémy for twelve years, David produced, directed, cast and performed in La bohème, Cosi fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Carmen, La Traviata, L’elisir d’amore, Faust, Die Fledermaus, Don Pasquale, The Merry Widow, The Bear, Madam Butterfly, La Sonnambula, Gianni Schicchi, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Rigoletto. A student and protégé of one of the greatest singing actors of the twentieth century, legendary Italian bass Italo Tajo, Mr. Malis has participated in the production of opera in almost every capacity: singing, conducting, casting, directing, costuming, set and lighting design, and choral preparation. Tuscan maestro Lorenzo Malfatti was David’s voice teacher, Italian coach, confidant and mentor for almost thirty years. David has served as a judge for The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Chester Ludgin Memorial Verdi Baritone Competition in Manhattan, sharing MC and adjudication duties with Julius Rudel and Placido Domingo.

The first American to win the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, David began his operatic career with the San Francisco Opera, making his debut as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. He made his “Met in the Parks” debut during the summer of 1987, as Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore in a production that included Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe Taddei and Kathleen Battle. David’s official Met house debut as Marcello in La bohème led to twelve seasons there as a leading baritone in a variety of roles: Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, Schaunard in La Bohème, Falke in Die Fledermaus, and more seasons as Papageno. He has performed Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff at La Scala, the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, the Teatro Colòn in Buenos Aires, the Welsh National Opera, and the Thêàtre des Champs-Elysées. He has returned to San Francisco Opera to sing Ford in Falstaff, Marcello in La Bohème, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Ping in Turandot, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and to reprise his critically acclaimed Papageno, in the David Hockney production. He has performed Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia over thirty times with renowned Rossini maestro Alberto Zedda. Figaro also served as his debut role at the Vienna State Opera and the Netherlands Opera. He has appeared in concert in many cities around the world, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Hong Kong, Cardiff and Stockholm.

David’s recent engagements include the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff with Atlanta Opera, Opera Southwest and the Crested Butte Music Festival, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Cleveland Opera, Germont in La Traviata with Arizona Opera, Eisenstein with Baltimore Opera, directing Cosi fan tutte, Madame Butterfly and Don Pasquale for the Opera Theater of Lucca, and a critically acclaimed role debut as Kurwenal in a recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde for Titanic Records.

Opera Idaho Resident Company Bios and Photos

Merri Bennett, Soprano

Merri Bennett has performed in numerous Opera Idaho productions since 1994. She made her Opera Idaho main stage debut in 1999 as Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In subsequent roles, she was Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone for Opera Idaho’s Education Outreach Program, performing for thousands of children in and around the Treasure Valley. Ms. Bennett has sung with the Boise Master Chorale since 1991, most recently as a featured soloist in 2009’s performance of Mendelssohn’s Magnificat. She has appeared as a featured soloist at numerous fundraisers in the Boise area for such organizations as Idaho Dance Theatre, Opera Idaho, and The Idaho Botanical Garden.

Ms. Bennett was honored to sing the national anthem for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s visit to Boise. She particularly loves to sing jazz and western swing, primarily because of the influence of her musician parents. Ms. Bennett is currently the music director and pianist for a local church and also teaches a beginner vocal performance class for ArtsWest School for the Performing & Visual Arts.

Kathleen Beynun, Soprano

Kathleen Beynun was born into a musical family. Her parents met at the USO where her mother played piano as her father sang. She learned four-part harmony around the campfire with her family. Kathleen taught herself piano, was a clarinetist in her high school band, a percussionist in the honor orchestra, and a soprano in the choir. She also performed in USO shows during the Vietnam war. A glimpse of what real performing could be came to her when she was in the Oxnard College Choir and had the opportunity to sing under the direction of Carmen Dragon for a summer concert of Broadway music.

Moving to Boise in 1994, Ms. Beynun joined the Sweet Adelines, began singing lessons with DeNice Jensen, and then joined the Boise Master Chorale. She has sung backup for the Chieftains of Ireland and Sarah Brightman. Having been invited to sing with Opera Idaho in 1999 for the first Opera Under the Stars, she finally found her niche! She has gone on to perform in the chorus in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Puccini’s La Bohème, Bizet’s Carmen, Verdi’s La Traviata, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Pasquale, and Gounod’s Faust. She has appeared in several productions for Opera Under the Stars and Christmas shows.

Jennifer Burke, Soprano (Mother)

Jennifer Burke grew up in London, England; Memphis, Tennessee; and Columbus, Ohio, with summers spent on her grandparents’ farm in Kentucky. She studied opera performance and theatre at Capital University and Ohio State. She also studied jazz vocals with Steelman’s Jazz Workshop. She has been a student of Dr. Lynn Berg since moving to Boise.

Ms. Burke has performed as a member of the Columbus Symphony Choir, The Mozart Chorale, Actors Summer Theatre, the German Village Reader’s Theatre, and Baroque and Blue with Sid Omasta. In Boise, Jen has performed in many productions with Opera Idaho, The Boise Master Chorale, the Four Shillings, and Les Bois Chamber Singers. She has also performed numerous solo recitals and as an invited soloist at the Robert Burns’ Birthday Dinners.

Amanda Campbell, Soprano (Cousin)

Amanda Campbell is a graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While she was a student there, Ms. Campbell had the opportunity to perform in the backup choruses for Judy Collins and Kenny Rogers. Productions with Opera Idaho include Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Cousin), Ned Rorem’s Our Town, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific in Concert, Gounod’s Faust, Opera Under the Stars 2009 (Nala), and Opera Idaho Sings Christmas 2008. Ms. Campbell has also had the privilege of performing the National Anthem for the Boise Hawks and the Idaho Stampede.

Maria Gubbels, Soprano

Maria Gubbels is currently a voice student of Laura Rushing Raynes’s at Boise State University. She will be graduating in the spring of 2011 with a degree in Vocal Performance. Ms. Gubbels has been singing classical music since she was 11 years old. She performed in her first opera in the spring of 2010 when she sang her first title role as Dido in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. She has been in Opera Idaho’s Resident Company since 2009 and has sung in the choruses of Ned Rorem’s Our Town and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. After Ms. Gubbels graduates, she plans to get a masters and/or two-year performance certificate in Opera Performance and to audition for various opera companies in the United States, Europe, and Canada

Lura Penland, Soprano

Lura Penland is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Music in Performance Music Theatre where she was seen as Mrs. Anderssen in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and Una Conversa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Lura has been seen as Berta in Opera Idaho’s main stage production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and as Sister Genovieffa in the Opera Idaho production of Suor Angelica. Other productions include Gounod’s Faust, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Puccini’s La Bohème and Tosca, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado, Verdi’s La Traviata, Bizet’s Carmen, Henderson’s Nosferatu, and Lehár’s The Merry Widow.

Bonnie Salewski, Soprano

Music has been Bonnie Salewski’s life-long passion. She has enjoyed performing in many Opera Idaho productions, most recently in Gounod’s Faust. Bonnie has entertained and inspired audiences in solo concerts and in many community, church, and university events. As a professor at College of Western Idaho, as well as a voice instructor with a private studio in Boise, Bonnie uses her teaching skills to challenge and encourage students to discover and enhance their own musical talents.

This is the second Opera Idaho production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in which Bonnie has performed.

Vernae Buck, Mezzo (Aunt)

Born and raised in Southern California, Stephanie Santos has been studying classical voice for 22 years. She has attended The College of Southern Idaho and is continuing at Boise State University to finish her Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. Her credits include being the soprano soloist for works such as Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in G, the roles of Darlene Love in Leader of the Pack, Crystal the Doo-wop Girl in Little Shop of Horrors, and Hot Box Girl and understudy for Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. She is excited to be singing with Opera Idaho and looks forward to many other projects with the company.

Elisa Egli, Mezzo

Originally from a rural village located in the southwestern corner of Alaska, Elisa Egli spent the first half of her life learning piano and flute as she aspired to be a professional singer.

Since moving to the Treasure Valley, Ms. Egli has appeared as a chorus member in many productions including Gounod’s Faust and Bernstein’s Candide with Opera Idaho and Mozart’s Requiem with the Boise Baroque Orchestra. At Boise State University, she has also performed an array of solo roles such as Vittoria in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers and The First Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Ms. Egli has also produced and directed An Evening at the Opera in which she sang in scenes from Floyd’s Susannah and Copland’s The Tender Land.

Ms. Egli studies at Boise State University as a vocal performance major with emphasis in business and theater. She is owner and head instructor of Area 3 Studios of Boise, where she teaches voice, piano, and flute. Elisa plans to continue her education after graduating with her degree, pursuing a career in the business of the performing arts.

Vicke Lee, Mezzo

Vicke Lee has performed with Opera Idaho since 1994, when she sang in Madama Butterfly. It was her first opportunity to perform Puccini’s exquisite music. She has been hooked on the art form ever since. Since then, she has performed in Puccini’s Tosca, Verdi’s La Traviata, Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La Bohème; Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love); Mozart’s Don Giovanni; Lehár’s The Merry Widow; Strauss’s Die Fledermaus; and Gounod’s Faust, to name a few. Vicke looks forward to more performances in the future.

Carol MacGregor, Soprano

Carol Lynn MacGregor, PhD, is an historian and rancher who has enjoyed singing with the Opera Idaho chorus, as well as supporting the company’s growth.

Diane Petersen, Mezzo

Diane Petersen is a long-time veteran of Opera Idaho, having performed in more than 30 productions since first building sets, sewing costumes, and working as a stage hand in the 1980 production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Additionally, she has performed in musical and stage productions for Boise Little Theatre and Boise State University. She performed with the Boise Master Chorale for 21 years and, although she enjoys any chance to sing, she loves singing on stage most of all.

Alexander Lundquist, Tenor

A multi-faceted musician, Alexander Lundquist joined Opera Idaho’s Resident Company in the summer of 2010. While this is his first venture into operatic stage productions, he has an extensive performance history in both trumpet and voice. Mr. Lundquist has been a member of the Boise Master Chorale since 2005 and performed with the group in Carnegie Hall in May 2010. As a trumpet player, he was a member of the 2009 Kappa Kappa Psi Intercollegiate National Invitation Band that performed in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2009. While earning a minor in music, Mr. Lundquist performed with every major wind ensemble at Boise State and performed at numerous bowl games with the Keith Stein Blue Thunder Marching Band most, notably at the 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade and as a soloist at the 2010 Fiesta Bowl.

Russell Smith, Tenor

Russell Smith is a student at the College of Idaho working on an independent study course toward his Bachelor’s degree in music. He has been singing for six years, trained under Dr. Mari Jo Tynon, and has appeared in Knock ‘Em Dead’s Bye Bye Birdie and Opera Idaho’s Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti. His noted achievements include marching in the Pasadena Rose Bowl parade with the Idaho All Star Marching Band and being a part of a Carnegie Hall performance of Durufle’s Requiem.

Wally Tuck, Tenor

Wally Tuck was asked to try out for Opera Idaho by the Chorus Master Dale Ball following a stage production at Promised Valley Playhouse. He debuted with Opera Idaho in the 1997-1998 productions of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Bizet’s Carmen. Since then he has sung tenor in several productions, including Gounod’s Faust, Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Il barbiere di Siviglia, Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni, and many others.

Michal Jarolimek, Baritone (Jakuside)

Michal Jarolimek grew up in Rupert, Idaho, and holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance and Music Theory from the College of Idaho and an M.A. in Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona. His favorite roles performed include Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Duke of Plaza Toro in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, and Bridegroom in Stravinsky’s Les Noces.

Michal enjoys ensemble singing and is a member of Boise’s Critical Mass vocal ensemble and Opera Idaho’s Resident Company. Recently, Mr. Jarolimek appeared as Frank in Opera Idaho’s production of Ned Rorem’s Our Town. He currently works at Dunkley Music in Boise as the Music Manager.

Willis E. Carr, Bass (Registrar)

Willis E. Carr studied music at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, and has studied with several voice teachers in the Boise area. He has sung in over 20 operas and special events produced by Opera Idaho since the year 2000 and in two Ballet Idaho productions of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana as a member of the on-stage chorus. Roles in Opera Idaho productions have included Dr. Grenville in Verdi’s La Traviata, Captain of the Guard in Puccini’s La Bohème, and Bogdanovich in Lehár’s The Merry Widow. Mr. Carr has regularly sung with the Boise Master Chorale since 1998 and has performed as a soloist for that group. He has sung with the Boise Baroque Orchestra chorus, the Critical Mass choir, and numerous other local choral groups. He also enjoys singing Irish ballads, traditional and western American folk songs, accompanying himself on the guitar and reciting cowboy poetry.

Victor Castillo, Bass

Victor Castillo is a native of southeast Idaho. He became one of the youngest members of Utah Festival Opera Company (UFOC)’s ‘Young Artist Program’ in 1997, singing in the chorus of both the grand and light operas after graduating from Preston High School. At Utah State University (USU), Victor was involved with USU Opera, as well as with USU’s Main Stage Theatre, performing roles such as Filch in Three Penny Opera, Toby in The Medium, and the Father/Voice Keeper in the children’s show Bocon. Other shows included The Royal Family, Romeo and Juliet, Hansel and Gretel, A Little Night Music, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Help, Help the Globlinks. During this time, Mr. Castillo entered the Cache Valley School of Ballet and principled with Cache Valley Civic Ballet (CVCB). Dancing roles included Step Mother in Cinderella, Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Van Helsing in Dracula. After several summer seasons with UFOC, including an amazing 2003 season as a featured artist in Madame Butterfly, and Dorthy Danner’s staging of Fiddler on the Roof, Victor Moved to the east coast where he began working as a singer and dancer at Walt Disney World Resorts. He could be found in most of the parades and Disney’s Lion King show in Animal Kingdom.

Leaving the hot south for the cold of Brunswick, Maine, Mr. Castillo found a new home working with Maine State Music Theatre both onstage and behind it. He performed the role of himself in Who Killed Chuck Abbot. Leaving Maine to work in Boston, Massachusetts, he continued singing and dancing with the Boston Men’s Chorus, singing the 25th Anniversary Concert with Linda Eder, and as a soloist for the commissioned piece Robert Ward’s A Walt Whitman Oratorio in Boston’s Symphony Hall. Victor returned to Utah to dance the Role of Drosselmeyer in Nutcracker, and Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream with CVCB and then reprised the role of Drosselmeyer in Northern Plains Ballet’s Nutcracker in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mr. Castillo made his Boise debut with Opera Idaho’s concert version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific in 2010 and worked with Knock Em’ Dead theatre in their production of Bye, Bye Birdie.

Online Course

Madama Butterfly Online Course

How it works – This four-week course is done completely online. On Monday, January 24th, Opera America will begin sending you audio clips, photos and other information so you can begin your studies. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn at your own pace since everything is done online and no classroom time is required. The four-week course is structured so you can progress at your desired pace and if you choose to follow each week as designed, then the course will conclude just in time for Opera Idaho’s production of Madama Butterfly.

Synopsis – Opera Idaho is teaming with Opera America to offer an online course, free of charge, to individuals interested in heightening their experience for Opera Idaho’s performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. This opportunity is designed as a service for opera lovers and those who wish to learn more about the art form to explore the many dimensions of opera – literature, music, visual arts – as well as the behind-the-scenes artistry that makes magic happen on the operatic stage.

This four-week course, led by Andrew Eggert, will examine the evolution of Puccini’s writing and audience reception to his composition as well as cover topics such as the life of the composer, the opera’s original source material and a musical analysis. Audio clips, photos and an interactive bulletin board, where new study questions will be posted each week, will help aid in the study of musical style and analysis.

The Director – Andrew Eggert is a freelance opera director based in New York City. In the 2008-2009 season, he directed new productions of La Tragédie de Carmen at Chicago Opera Theater, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria at Princeton University, and scenes from Cavalli operas for the Yale Baroque Opera Project. At Glimmerglass Opera, he has worked as assistant director on several new productions and as staff stage director of the Young American Artists Program. He has been a regular guest director at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts and recently staged several Mozart duets for the Apprentice Scenes Program at Santa Fe Opera. Eggert is a graduate of Yale University, where he studied English with an emphasis on dramatic literature and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Music from Columbia University.

To Register – Send an e-mail with your name and the e-mail address where you would like to receive the course information to amber@operaidaho.org.