Dates:
April  29, 2011
May 1 (mat), 4, 7 and 10, 2011

Venue:
Houston Grand Opera

Role:
Tanzmeister

Dates:
October 22, 24 (mat) and 30, 2010
November 2 and 5, 2010

Venue:
Houston Grand Opera

Role:
Goro

MAGIC FLUTE (as First Priest)
December 9, Friday at 7:30pm
December 12, Monday at 7:30pm
December 17, Saturday at 7:30pm
December 19, Monday at 7:30pm
*2006*
January 4, Wednesday at 2:00pm MATINEE
January 8, Sunday at 2:00pm MATINEE
January 11, Wednesday at 7:30pm
January 14, Saturday at 7:30pm
January 17, Tuesday at 7:30pm
January 20, Friday at 7:30pm

RIGOLETTO (as Borsa)
January 21, Saturday at 7:30pm
January 25, Wednesday at 7:30pm
January 28, Saturday at 7:30pm
January 31, Tuesday at 7:30pm
February 3, Friday at 7:30pm
February 6, Monday at 7:30pm
February 9, Thursday at 2:00pm MATINEE
February 12, Sunday at 2:00pm MATINEE
February 15, Wednesday at 7:30pm
February 17, Friday at 7:30pm

DER ROSENKAVALIER (as Faninal’s Major Domo & Waiter)
February 4, Saturday at 7:30pm
February 7, Tuesday at 7:30pm
February 10, Friday at 7:30pm
February 13, Monday at 7:30pm
February 18, Saturday at 7:30pm
February 21, Tuesday at 7:30pm
February 26, Sunday at 2:00pm MATINEE
March 1, Wednesday at 7:30pm
March 4, Saturday at 7:30pm
March 8, Wednesday at 2:00pm MATINEE
March 11, Saturday at 7:30pm

For March performances, see schedule in CARMEN.

For more information about the operas, please go to Lyric Opera of Chicago Website

May 19, 2005, Thursday at 7:30pm
Star Plaza Theater
Merrillville, Indiana

Cast
Carmen: Guang Yang
Don Jose: Joseph Kaiser
Escamillo: Quinn Kelsey
Micaela: Erica Strauss
Frasquita: Susannah Phillips
Mercedes: Elisabeth DeShong
Zuniga: Brandon Mayberry
Morales/Dancairo: Levi Hernandez
Remendado: Rodell Rosel

(Narrated by Lauren Curnow)

April 20, 2005, Wednesday at 8:00pm
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Pre-concert lecture: An Interview with Renata Scotto, 7:00pm

Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Kallen Esperian, soprano
Mark Delavan, baritone
Lando Bartolini, tenor
Rodell Aure Rosel, tenor

Richard Easton, actor
Dana Ivey, actor
Roger Rees, actor

Written and conceived by Maestro Bass and newly-appointed Artistic Associate Roger Rees. Performances of Shakespearean source material followed by Verdi’s musical response with stars of both opera and theatre. This concert will feature Act I of Verdi’s Otello; “The Witches’ Chorus,” “Lady Macbeth’s Drinking Song,” and Act I Finale from Macbeth; and, Act III Finale of Falstaff. In honor of April 23, Shakespeare’s birthday.

Ticket prices range between $15 and $85. Please call 917-322-2140 to purchase your tickets today.

(to view the actual review online, you need to register as a user of the online edition of New York times, which is free.)

In a Contest of Young Voices, a Battle Over What May Be
By BERNARD HOLLAND
Published: March 22, 2005

Having gone through more than 1,500 entries, 22 regional winners, 9 finalists ending with 4 grand prizes, another year of Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions are done. The final nine sang at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday afternoon, and to show how well auditions and apprentice programs work (and to give judges time to make up their minds), four singing alumni of the Met programs rounded out the afternoon.

Contestants were in their 20′s. With luck, they will reach their vocal peaks in 15 to 20 years. So do we judge these young people on what they are now or on what we expect them to become? Michèle Losier, a Canadian mezzo-soprano, sounded career-ready, with a poised technique and good control of herself onstage. Another reasonably finished product was the tenor Rodell Aure Rosel, who should keep doing well in the character parts he aims for. Jordan Bisch will be sought after as a true bass with already sophisticated abilities.

Elsewhere was the sound of youth: in the soprano voices a brightness approaching glare and powerful sound with little depth to go with it. Mari Moriya’s “Queen of the Night” aria showed scrupulous athleticism. Ellie Dehn’s soprano was big, agile and a little brittle. Susanna Phillips’s soprano should also warm and deepen; if it does, her direct musicality has promising qualities. Lisette Oropesa, 21, also a soprano, will be a subtle and charming asset for smaller opera houses.

Joseph Kaiser, a tenor with notably careful diction, sings well despite lingering stress in his technique. Elona Ceno, who is from Albania, has the right soprano sound but seemed ill at ease. “Come scoglio” from “Così Fan Tutte,” a Mozartean minefield, was not a good choice for her. For that matter, every contestant but one sang Mozart. This is not easy music for young voices.

The combat done, Sondra Radvanovsky, Morris Robinson, Garrett Sorenson and Charles Taylor showed what a few years of age and experience can produce. I hope all nine contestants were in the wings for Ms. Radvanovsky’s “D’amor sull’ali rosee” from Verdi’s “Trovatore.” This was singing of stunning breadth and beauty. Patrick Summers was the excellent conductor, Susan Graham the M.C.

For the record, the final four were Ms. Phillips, Mr. Rosel, Ms. Oropesa and Mr. Bisch. More power to them, but the real winners will announce themselves 20 years from now.

Here are some links to other people’s comments about the competition:
An Unamplified Voice
Geoffrey Riggs
trrill

ALABAMA
Mobile, WHIL – 91.3, July 2 at 12:30pm

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles, KUSC – 91.5, May 28 at 10:30am
Palm Springs, KPSC – 88.5, May 28 at 10:30am
San Francisco, KDIA – 1640AM, TBA (check back later)
San Francisco, KUSF – 90.3, May 21 at 10:3am
Santa Barbara, KQSC – 88.7, May 28 at 10:30am
Thousand Oaks, KDSC – 91.1, May 28 at 10:30am
www.kusc.org

FLORIDA
West Palm Beach, WXEL – 90.7 , May 14 at 1:00pm

ILLINOIS
Urbana, WILL – 90.9, TBA at 12:30pm (check back later)

INDIANA
Bloomington, WFIU – 103.7, March 27 at 7:00pm
– Columbus, 100.7, March 27 at 7:00pm
Indianapolis, WICR – 88.7, May 28 at 1:00pm
wicr.uindy.edu
wfiu.indiana.edu

NEW YORK
New York, WNYC – 93.9, March 20 at 7:00pm
www.wnyc.org

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh, WQED – 89.3, April 3 at 7:00pm
– Johnstown, WQEJ – 89.7, April 3 at 7:00pm
wqed.org/fm

TEXAS
College Station, KAMU – 90.9, TBA (check back later)
kamu-fm.tamu.edu

UTAH
Provo, KBYU – 89.1/89.5, June 11 at 11:30am
www.kbyu.org

VIRGINIA
Norfolk, WHRO – 90.3, May 14 at 1:30pm
www.whro.org

WISCONSIN - all the following stations will broadcast on May 14 at 12:30PM
Madison, Wisconsin Public Radio – 88.7
– Ashland/Bayfield, W284AN – 104.7
– Brule, WHSA – 89.9
– Eau Claire, WUEC – 89.7
– Green Bay, WPNE – 89.3
– Kenosha, WGTD – 91.1
– La Crosse, WLSU – 88.8
– Menomonie, WVSS – 90.7
– Sister Bay, WHND – 89.7
– Wausau, WHRM – 90.9
www.wpr.org

Jordan Bisch, Bass, 23 (Tri-State)
Susanna Philipps, Soprano, 23 (Mid-South)
Rodell Aure Rosel, Tenor, 29 (Western)
Lisette Oropesa, Soprano, 21 (Gulf Coast)

FYI
For a complete information about the program, including list of guest artists and judges, please scroll to the previous journal entry.

2005 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
March 20, 2005 – Sunday at 3pm
Lincoln Center, New York
(conducted by Patrick Summers, hosted by Susan Graham)

Mari Moriya, Soprano, 27 (Eastern)
- O luce di quest’anima, Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix
- Der Holle Rache, Mozart’s Die Zauberflote

Joseph Kaiser, Tenor, 27 (Central)
- Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon, Mozart’s Die Zauberflote
- Kuda, kuda, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin

Elona Ceno, Soprano, 27 (Eastern)
- Com’e bello! Quale incanto, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia
- Come scoglio, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte

Michele Losier, Mezzo-Soprano, 26 (Great Lakes)
- Parto, parto, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
- Va! laisse couler mes larmes, Massenet’s Werther

Susanna Phillips, Soprano, 23 (Mid-South)
- Je veux vivre, Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette
- Ach ich fuhl’s, Mozart’s Die Zauberflote

Rodell Aure Rosel, Tenor, 29 (Western)
- Jour et nuit, Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffman
- Aria of the Worm, Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles

INTERMISSION

Ellie Dehn, Soprano, 25 (Middle Atlantic)
- Ach, ich liebte, Mozart’s Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
- No word from Tom, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress

Lisette Oropesa, Soprano, 21 (Gulf Coast)
- Ruhe sanft, Mozart’s Zaide
- Una voce poco fa, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Jordan Bisch, Bass, 23 (Tri-State)
- O wie will ich triumphieren, Mozart’s Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail
- Ves’ tabor spit, Rachmaninoff’s Aleko

GUEST ARTISTS
Sondra Radvanofsky (D’amour sull’ali rosee from Verdi’s Il Trovatore)
Morris Robinson (Come dal ciel precipita from Verdi’s Macbeth)
Garrett Sorenson & Charles Taylor (Au fond du temple saint from Bizet’s Les Pecheurs de Perles)

Judges for the 2005 Grand Finals Concert:
Sarah Billinghurst (Metropolitan Opera Assistant Manager, Artistic)
Jonathan Friend (Metropolitan Opera Artistic Administrator)
Christopher Hahn (Pittsburgh Opera Artistic Director)
Speight Jenkins (Seattle Opera General Director)
Gayletha Nichols (Executive Director of Metropolitan opera National Council Auditions)
Lenore Rosenberg (Director of Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program/Associate Artistic Administrator)
Stephen Steiner (Boston Lyric Opera Director of Productions)