Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
EUGENE ONEGIN
July 15–17, 22–24, 2011
DVO’s new Professional Artist Development Program performs the opera Eugene Onegin, by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a story of young love, rejection, arrogance, and bad timing, told with expressive, gorgeous music. The PADP brings professional opera singers and those working toward careers together for artistic and career development by working on an opera production. Eugene Onegin will be performed with orchestra, sung in Russian with English surtitles.
Tickets: $25
Performance Dates and Venues
Friday and Saturday, July 15–16, 2011, 8 p.m.,
Sunday, July 17, 2011, 3 p.m.
Tusten Theater, Narrowsburg, NY
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Friday and Saturday, July 22–23, 2011, 8 p.m.
Sullivan West Central HS, Lake Huntington, NY
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Sunday, July 24, 2011 3 p.m.
Wallenpaupack HS, Hawley, PA
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About the Opera
Eugene Onegin, written by the nineteenth-century Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, features some of the composer's best-known music. Based on a novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin, Eugene Onegin was first performed in Moscow in 1879, and continues to be a significant work in the operatic repertoire to this day.
Eugene Onegin is a well-known example of lyric opera; the libretto very closely follows Pushkin's original, retaining much of his poetry, to which Tchaikovsky adds music of an intensely dramatic nature. The story concerns a selfish hero—Eugene Onegin—who lives to regret his blasé rejection of a young woman's love, and his careless incitement of a fatal duel with his best friend.
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Synopsis of the Opera
Act One: In Madame Larina’s garden, she and the nurse Filipievna hear Larina’s daughters, Tatiana and Olga, sing an old folk song and are reminded of days long past. Larina recalls her arranged marriage and they both agree that when happiness is taken away, God sends routine as a substitute. The peasants’ singing makes Tatiana sad and Olga happy. They are visited by Olga’s fiancé, Lensky, and a new neighbor, Eugene Onegin, a somewhat superior young man who finds country life boring and beneath him. Tatiana is impressed with his sophistication and falls instantly in love with him. Later in her bedroom she releases her pent-up, tortured emotions in a letter to Onegin, which she has the nurse deliver the next morning. Later that day Onegin comes to Tatiana and with calm and coolness responds to her that marriage is not for him and that he couldn’t love her that way. He leaves Tatiana embarrassed and humiliated.
Act Two: At a ball in honor of Tatiana’s birthday, Onegin is dancing with Tatiana. Some of the guests begin to gossip about him and his not so savory reputation. Onegin is annoyed and bored and directs his spite against Lensky who invited him to the party by stealing dances with Olga that have been promised to Lensky. Olga, not understanding, scolds the already angry Lensky. The dancing master Triquet arrives with a poem for Tatiana. Onegin continues to taunt Lensky until the situation gets out of hand and Lensky challenges Onegin to a duel.
Zaretsky and Lensky arrive at the dueling site before Onegin and his second, Guillot. While alone Lensky sings his farewell to life and all he has loved. Onegin arrives. The duel takes place and Lensky is killed.
Act Three: Onegin arrives at a party at the palace of a distant relative, Prince Gremin. Again he is bored and unhappy. Prince Gremin enters the room with a lady. Onegin’s suspicion that she is Tatiana is confirmed when Gremin reveals her identity and tells Onegin that she is his wife. He tells Onegin how much he loves her and how barren and miserable his life was before he met her. Onegin sees through Gremin what he has lost. He pays his respects to Tatiana, who is charming and polite, then leaves the room as the guests follow.
She returns alone, obviously agitated. Onegin appears and admits to being hopelessly in love with her. She reminds him of his lecture to her and asks if he now wants her because of her wealth and position in society? Does he want to cause more scandal? They recall how close they came to happiness but ultimately Tatiana finds the strength to go out of the room leaving Onegin behind, devastated.
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Cast and Production Team
Conductor/Musical Director: Violetta Zabbi
Design and Stage Direction: Carol Castel
Chorus Master: Eileen Mackintosh
Costume Designer: Nancy Hobbs
Set Painting: Kay Hines
Cast
Filipievna: Marka Knight (July 15, 17, 23), Erin Murphy (July 16, 22, 24)
Madame Larina: Claire Binek (July 15–17), Kimberly Feltkamp (July 22–24)
Tatiana: Nicole McQuade (July 15, 23), Evelyn Thatcher (July 17, 22), Darla Diltz (July 16, 24)
Olga: Anna Petrie (July 15, 24), Caroline Tye (July 16, 22), Lindsey Grebeldinger (July 17, 23)
Eugene Onegin: Greg Kass (July 17, 22), Wayne Line (July 16, 24), David Tillistrand (July 15, 23)
Vladimir Lensky: Anthony Tolve (July 15, 24), Dmitri Shevelev (July 16, 22), Daniel Jones (July 17, 23)
Prince Gremin: Jörg Schnass (July 15, 17, 23), Duncan Hartman (July 16, 22, 24)
Triquet: Anthony Tolve (July 16, 22), Dimitri Shevelev (July 15, 17, 23, 24)
Zaretsky: Duncan Hartman (July 15, 17, 23), Jörg Schnass (July 16, 22, 24)
The Chorus and Orchestra of the Delaware Valley Opera
Mezzo-soprano Claire Binek (Madame Larina), from Philadelphia, is pursuing a Master of Music degree in Voice at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, where she is a student of the noted soprano, Sharon Sweet. Ms. Binek has taught voice since 2006 at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and includes in her repertoire the famous mezzo-soprano “pants roles” in the operas of Mozart, Strauss, and Gounod, and has performed selections from works by Délibes, Bizet, Verdi, and Rossini in concert. return to top
The career of DVO General Manager and Artistic Director Carol Castel has taken her through the theater world from musical theater to opera; from actress and singer to singing actress; from arts administrator to opera stage director. Her directing career has included over 60 opera productions in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In addition to a studio of private voice students, Ms. Castel coaches and teaches classes in acting, artistry, and performance practices for the classical singer. She is on the faculty of OperaNUOVA in Edmonton, Canada, and is the founder and General Manager of the New York Opera Studio. For more information about Ms. Castel, visit her web site at www.castelopera.com. return to top
Soprano Darla Diltz (Tatiana) has performed a variety of repertoire including Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in Novafeltria, Italy, and both Lucia and Suor Angelica with Knoxville Opera. Other roles include Violetta in La Traviata, and Pamina and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, as well as Mimì and Musetta (La Bohème), Countess (La Nozze di Figaro), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Her performance of the role of Tallulah in The Hotel Casablanca on Albany Records was described as “soaringly sung” by Opera News, and the New York Times called her “a commanding presence, who brought a firm, focused tone and emotional depth” to her arias in Chelsea Opera’s 2010 production of Glory Denied. Her oratorio credits include the solos in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Te Deum, the Brahms Requiem, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Ms. Diltz holds degrees from Midwestern State (Texas), The University of Tennessee, and The University of Kentucky. return to top
Mezzo-soprano Kimberly Feltkamp (Madame La
rina) is a member of Delaware Valley Opera’s Professional Artist Development Program, and recently received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Hofstra University. Last year, she was part of Opera Manhattan’s Studio Ensemble Program and the Hofstra Opera Theater, where she appeared most recently as Prince Orlofsky and Donna Elvira. This fall, Ms. Feltkamp will rejoin the DVO as Hansel in their upcoming production of Hansel and Gretel. return to top
Mezzo-soprano Lindsey Grebeldinger (Olga), originally from Mount Hope, New York, recently received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Ms. Grebeldinger was heard as a soloist in the recent Delaware Valley Opera Chorus Summer Sing concerts this past June. She will be attending the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati this fall to begin her graduate studies in voice, and plans to pursue her dreams of a career in opera. return to top
The music of composer Thomas Pasatieri figured prominently for bass Duncan Hartman (Gremin) this past season. He was featured as Bob Cratchit on Albany Records’ world-premiere recording of Pasatieri’s God Bless Us Every One, and appeared as Sorin in the Armel Opera Festival’s international telecast of Pasatieri’s opera, The Seagull. Other operatic appearances included Sarastro, Basilio, Gremin, Mephistopheles, and King Marke in Tristan und Isolde. Mr. Hartman has sung with the New Israeli Opera, the New Bulgarian National Opera, the Teatro Lirico di Milano, and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, and has sung leading roles with a number of companies in the United States, including Opera Colorado, Nashville Opera, Virginia Opera, and Dicapo Opera Theatre. He has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, and with orchestras including the Tulsa Philharmonic, Connecticut Symphony, and New York’s One World Symphony. As a winner of the Artists International Auditions, he was presented in recital at Weill Recital Hall, and has received awards from the National Opera Association, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, Liederkranz Foundation, Wagner Society of New York, and New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. return to top
New York credits for tenor Daniel Jones (Lensky) include performing Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with New York Opera Studio, covering the roles of Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Regina Opera, the role of Philo in the premiere of Siege at Syracuse at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, and Lensky in Eugene Onegin with New York Opera Studio. Other credits include Beppe in I Pagliacci, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (scenes), and the role of Donald Smith in Louis Riel, all in Montreal. Mr. Jones currently studies with Ira Siff and coaches with Earl Buys in New York. return to top
Baritone Greg Kass (Onegin) is rapidly becoming recognized for his exciting, powerful, and beautiful singing. He recently returned from a triumphant performance as Germont in La Traviata at Panama’s historic Teatro Nacional, and has performed leading roles with a variety of companies, including Lowell House Opera, the Metropolitan Lyric Opera, Regina Opera, One World Symphony, the Altamura Performing Arts Center, and the Seven Hills Sinfonietta. He has appeared as soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Hamilton Fairfield Chorale, and in works by Bach and Dubois with the Orchestra of Wyoming, Ohio. As a recitalist, he has performed at the Akademischer Gesangverein in Germany, at the Bellini Concerto Evening in Ragusa, Italy, and at the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Gala at Alice Tully Hall. Mr. Kass was a second place winner in the Liederkranz Vocal Competition’s Wagner division, an award winner in the Bellini International Vocal Competition, and a finalist in the Friedrich Schorr and Columbus Opera Vocal Competitions. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, he has coached and studied with Licia Albanese, Sherrill Milnes, Giorgio Tozzi, and Jerome Hines. return to top
Marka Knight (Filipievna) has perfomed in opera houses in New York, San Francisco, and New Zealand. Her roles include Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium, Arnalta in The Coronation of Poppea, the Drummer in The Emperor of Atlantis, and Auntie in The Hot Iron, as well as the roles of Julius Caesar, Orfeo, Dido, Aeneas, Carmen, and Pericles. An art song enthusiast, Ms. Knight’s concert work includes performances of Frauenliebe und Leben, Winterreise, and Songs of a Wayfarer. She was a past winner of the Sarah Lawrence Concerto Competition, the Bay Area NATS Art Song Competition, and the Bay Area Mu Phi Epsilon Competition. return to top
The “robust” voice of baritone Wayne Line (Onegin) was recently praised as “well-articulated and well-projected, his acting fluid and dramatic” in Opera Canada, for his Vancouver portrayal of Eisenstein in Burnaby Lyric Opera’s Die Fledermaus. He performed Horace Tabor in the Canadian premier of The Ballad of Baby Doe, as well as the roles of Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore, Orveso in Norma, Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, Morales in Carmen, Marcello in La Boheme, and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. Mr. Line has sung Germont in La Traviata and Blitch in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah for Opera in the Ozarks, Michele in Il Tabarro and Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof for The Natchez Festival of Music, and has performed major roles for Summer Opera Lyric Theater, Viva Musica, and South Florida Opera in the United States, Opera Missisauga in Canada, and the Società dei concerti di Santa Margherita in Italy. return to top
DVO Chorus Master Eileen Mackintosh is a lifelong musician, singer, teacher, conductor, and accompanist. She received a Bachelor’s degree in music from SUNY Fredonia as a double-major in voice and piano, and a Master of Music degree from the University of Connecticut, studying conducting there with Dr. Peter Bagley. Ms. Mackintosh formed The Middletown Chorale in 1996, and over the course of 11 years, developed the Chorale into an outstanding member of the Orange County performing arts community, including several performances with Mid America productions in Carnegie Hall performing major works of Mozart, Beethoven, Rutter, and Orff. A successful classroom teacher for ten years, Eileen left teaching in 2003 for further studies in classical singing. This past February, the soprano made her debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as a finalist in the Nico Castel International Master Singer Competition. Upcoming engagements include soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Opus Cantorum, and Abigaille in Verdi’s Nabucco with Amici Opera. return to top
Soprano Nicole McQuade (Tatiana) appeared in Hudson Opera Theater’s acclaimed 2010 production of Orpheus in the Underworld, and was a member of the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble’s 2010 Standard Repertoire Project. She also was a cast member for outreach performances of Underworld Productions’ Così fan Tutte: Defining Women production, mentored by Metropolitan Opera tenor Marcello Giordani. return to top
As one of the newest members of the Evelyn Lear/Thomas Stewart Emerging Singers Program, mezzo-soprano Erin Murphy (Filipievna) was featured in a concert at the German Embassy this past October. Praised by the New York Times for her “emotionally nuanced portrayal of Azucena” in her July 2009 Central Park performance of Il Trovatore with New York Grand Opera, Ms. Murphy’s “burnished mezzo and theatrical aplomb plumbed the depths of this role and ‘chewed up the scenery.’” Ms. Murphy has performed Amneris in Aida, Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Dame Quickly in Falstaff, Frugola in Puccini’s Il Tabarro, La zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and the roles of Siegrune and Fricka in Die Walküre, Erda in Siegfried and Das Rheingold, and Klytemnestra in Elektra. She has appeared with New York Grand Opera, Natchez Opera Festival, Chelsea Opera, Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, the Open Air Festival in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, Opera Philharmonic Bourgas in Bulgaria, Los Angeles Opera, and Long Beach Civic Light Opera. return to top
Mezzo-soprano Anna Petrie (Olga) has sung Mercedes (Carmen), Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Juno (Semele), Meg Page (Falstaff), and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro). Ms. Petrie has appeared as a guest artist with Pacific Encore Productions and the New York Chamber Virtuosi, and has given two solo recitals to benefit the Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality and Healing. She has sung with Opera New Jersey, Opera Breve, Amore Opera, and the New York Opera Studio, was a Studio Artist with Opera New Jersey in the 2010 season, and has participated in programs with the Martina Arroyo Foundation. Ms. Petrie lives in New York and studies with Lenora Eve, a disciple of the vocal pedagogue, Cornelius Reid. return to top
Bass Jörg Schnass (Gremin and Zaretsky) most recently sang Colline in Puccini‘s La Bohème on tour in Belgium with Théâtre du Tumulte, as well as Sarastro in Mozart‘s Die Zauberflöte with the New York Opera Studio, and Osmin in Mozart‘s Die Entführung aus dem Serail with New York’s Opera Breve. He has performed in concert and on the theatrical stage, as well as in film (with international film directors such as Norman Jewison, Jonathan Demme, and Bertrand Tavernier) and television. Upcoming engagements include the role of Dulcamara in DVO‘s production of The Elixir of Love, as well as the Sagrestano in Puccini’s Tosca, and the Watergoblin in Dvorak’s Rusalka for Kammeroper Leipzig. return to top
Tenor Dmitri Shevelev (Lensky) was born in Russia, and grew up in a musical home with parents who were accomplished concert pianists. At 6 years of age he began to sing in a choir that performed throughout the Soviet Union as well as other countries. When he was 13, his family moved to Israel, and there he continued his musical education, performing with the New Israeli Opera over a period of four years. Upon arriving in the United States in 2002, Mr. Shevelev attended Staten Island College and the Brooklyn College Conservatory, where he sang lead parts in the college’s opera productions, and he has participated in operatic workshops for young artists in the U.S. and abroad. Besides his singing, Mr. Shevelev is a noted chess master, considered one of the top five-percent of players in the world. return to top
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, and raised in New York, soprano Evelyn Thatcher (Tatiana) graduated from Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship award recipient with a Bachelor’s Degree in Opera Performance. Ms. Thatcher received performing scholarships from Sam Houston State University, the University of British Columbia, and the Vocal Institute in Santa Barbara, California. She has a background in dance, was trained as an actor at the Hebert Berghoff Studios, and was part of a comedy improvisation group called “Mixed Nuts” in New York City. Ms. Thatcher has performed leading roles in a variety of operas, including La Bohème, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Carmen, Il Tabarro, I Pagliacci, and La Traviata, and recently covered the role of Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly. She has also performed leading roles in the musicals Brigadoon and The Secret Garden, and can be heard on the soundtrack to the film Dryads, produced by Aix-en-Films. return to top
A singer, actor and musician, David Tillistrand (Onegin) lives in the Bronx with his wife and daughter. Starting his musical life primarily as a saxophonist and bassist, David has made the rounds through instrumental music, musical theatre, theatre, opera, and composing/arranging music. He frequently sings with Regina Opera in New York City. In the theatre, he has performed everything from Shaw to Shakespeare to Guys and Dolls. return to top
Tenor Anthony Tolve (Lensky) has been seen performing in New York venues including Carnegie Hall’s Issac Stern Auditorium, Shea Stadium, and Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell, and abroad in Italy’s Teatro Nuovo and Teatro Caio Melisso. Mr. Tolve’s past performances include, Cavaradossi and Spoletta in Tosca, Don José and Remendado in Carmen, Alfredo and Gastone in La Traviata, Cassio in Otello, Nanki Poo in The Mikado, and the Messenger in Aïda, and he is currently preparing the role of Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly for upcoming performances. Steven Smith, of the New York Times, wrote that Tolve “gave an ardent, mellifluous performance” in New York Grand Opera’s production of Pagliacci. return to top
Recent opera credits for mezzo-soprano Caroline Tye (Olga) include Cornelia in Opera Manhattan’s production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with New York Opera Studio, and the Witch in Opera Manhattan’s production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Other performances in the last year include the Mother in Opera Breve’s production of Hansel and Gretel, as well as the roles of Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Dame Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff, Berta in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and the Muse/Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, all with the New York Opera Forum. She has also performed Cornelia in Giulio Cesare in Egitto with Camerata Baroque, the title role in Carmen with the Boston Opera Collaborative, the role of Arsamene in Handel’s Serse, and Madame de Haltière in Massenet’s Cendrillon. Upcoming roles include La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. Caroline recently received a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Boston Conservatory. return to top
A native of Odessa, Ukraine, Violetta Zabbi (conductor and musical director) immigrated to the United States in 1997. She received her Ph.D. from the Odessa State Academy of Music in piano performance and musicology. Currently she is vice-president and on the faculty of the Long Island Conservatory of Music, guest accompanist at Hofstra University, and rehearsal pianist and coach at Regina Opera. In 2010, Violetta performed with the Opera Manhattan Repertory Theatre in Eugene Onegin and Bergman’s Piazza Navona in 2011. Dr. Zabbi is Musical Director for the New York Opera Studio and on the faculty of the NYOS Summer Program at Vassar for Singers and Pianists. Violetta Zabbi joins the Delaware Valley Opera for the 2011 season as musical director and conductor for the Professional Artist Development Program production of Eugene Onegin, and pianist in their production of The Elixir of Love. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. return to top
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Media Gallery
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