Opera Stars in the Land of the Midnight Sun

Fairbanks, Alaska - Interior Alaska’s Opera Fairbanks isn’t resting on its location. Founded in December 2005 by Cassandra Tilly, Theresa Reed, Morgan Reed, and Jim Holm, the company will begin performances in 2007, casting primarily from Alaska talent. A “who’s who” list of opera professionals have graciously supplied their time and talents to the fledgling organization via its Emeritus Board. Founder Cassandra Tilly states: “Our Emeritus members have proved to be an astounding resource for any opera company. Their assistance is priceless, especially in Interior Alaska, where access to professionals of this calibre is limited at best.”

Opera Fairbanks is thrilled to announce the participation of the following Emeritus Board members (in alphabetical order):

Gloria Marinacci Allen - Former Opera, Concert, and Musical Theatre singing actress Gloria Marinacci Allen has performed in 40 major and 18 minor operatic and musical theatre roles throughout the United States and abroad; sharing the stage with such luminaries as Beverly Sills, Dame Joan Sutherland, Sheryl Milnes, Franco Corelli, Richard Tucker and others. She has appeared in concert as the “warm up” act for the late Jack Benny and Danny Kaye. On an international level, she performed numerous concerts throughout Europe, the Mid-East, the Far-East and Great Britain, making repeated command performances before the Queen of Thailand, and the late Princess Grace and Prince Ranier of Monaco. Ms. Allen’s passion for the works of Stephen Sondheim brought her back to stage in 1989 for “FOLLIES” in LA and San Diego. Subsequently she did roles in ”NUNSENSE”, “BIG RIVER”, “PHANTOM” and “ME and MY GIRL.” Gloria Allen’s greatest thrill was achieved when she was given the opportunity to portray a woman she had admired since her college days— Maria Callas – in Terrence McNally’s “MASTER CLASS. She has been a large-scale events planner and in 2001 was Director of Ceremonies and Special events for the Special Olympics World Winter Games, repeating that role for the World Summer Wheel Chair Games in 2006. During her singing career, Ms. Allen became interested in opera education and was involved in the development of several programs for Seattle Opera, Portland Opera and Anchorage Opera. She is currently producing school and community outreach programs to make the joy of opera more easily understood by youngsters and by adults alike. Ms. Allen is presently Producing Artistic Director of Opera Las Vegas.

Maestro Gregory Buchalter - Artistic Director and Conductor Gregory Buchalter received rave reviews for performances of Salome with the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland with Maria Ewing and Helga Dernesch. He has conducted at the Vienna Volksoper and was the first American to conduct with the Kazakstan State Opera. Recently appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of Opera Camerata of Washington Opera, Mr. Buchalter is the chorus master of the Santa Fe Opera and a member of the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera. The position of “Maestro di Banda” was created at the Met for Maestro Buchalter, where he has been chorus master for such productions as the telecast of the Franco Zeferelli production of Don Giovanni and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He has prepared several world premieres at the Met: John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Phillip Glass’s The Voyage and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. At the Santa Fe Opera, he was instrumental in preparing the American premiere of Salinnen’s The King Goes Forth To France. Mr. Buchalter founded his own chorus in 1992, “Choros Aristos,” and led them in a performance of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at New York’s Merkin Hall. As pianist, conductor, lecturer, and vocal coach he has toured extensively in the United States and to locales such as Cairo, Kuwait, Malaysia, Turkey, and Hong Kong.

Dominic Cossa – Acclaimed Metropolitan Opera Baritone Dominic Cossa has performed a repertoire of over 50 operas and concertized worldwide . His extensive roles include Germont in La Traviata, Zurga in The Pearlfishers, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Pierrot in Die Tote Stadt, and Yeletsky in Pique Dame. Mr. Cossa has performed at the Metropolitan, New York City, and San Francisco Opera companies, as well as Washington, Houston, Montreal, Vancouver, Philadelphia; with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic under eminent conductors such as Ozawa, Bernstein, and Solti. His recording credits include Julius Caesar with Beverly Sills, Les Huguenots with Dame Joan Sutherland, L’Elisir d’Amore with Luciano Pavarotti, and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d with the Boston Symphony. Giancarlo Menotti invited Mr. Cossa to appear in two world premieres: The Hero and Tamu-Tamu. Mr. Cossa is presently Chair of the Voice/Opera division of the University of Maryland School of Music.

Phyllis Curtin – American soprano Phyllis Curtin made her operatic debut as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro with the New England Opera Theatre in 1946 before going on to international acclaim. Ms. Curtin’s Town Hall debut was in 1950. She debuted with New York City Opera as three heroines in The Trial by von Einum in 1953 and continued performances in that venue to 1960. Ms. Curtin was featured by the Metropolitan Opera in 1961, 1966-1970, and 1972-73. She also made appearances at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Vienna State Opera, and La Scala. Ms. Curtin created roles in several world premieres including Floyd’s Susannah, Floyd’s Wuthering Heights, Milhaud’s La Mère Coupable, and Floyd’s The Passion of Jonathan Wade. Her American premieres include Britten’s Peter Grimes, Britten’s War Requiem, Milhaud’s Medea and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14. Ms. Curtin has concertized worldwide and recorded extensively, receiving Grammy nominations for the Shostakovich and Ginastera’s Milena. A former artist-in-residence at Aspen Music Festival and professor of voice and Master of Branford College at Yale University, Ms. Curtin is artist-in-residence and head of vocal studies at the Tanglewood Music Center. She has also taught in Canada, China, England, and Russia. She has served on the National Council for the Arts and was designated a U.S. Ambassador for the Arts. Ms. Curtin is presently Artistic Director of the Opera Institute and Dean Emerita of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.

Maestro Plácido Domingo - Plácido Domingo is renowned worldwide as a singer, conductor and arts administrator. He has sung 123 roles, more than any other tenor in history, performed in every major opera house and made well over 100 recordings, garnering nine Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammies. He has made more than 50 videos and three theatrically released films: La Traviata, Otello and Carmen. More than one billion people in 117 nations saw his live telecast of Tosca from the authentic Roman locations. After serving as artistic director of LA Opera and Washington National Opera, he became general director of both companies in 2003. He founded Operalia, the biggest annual international vocal competition, discovering many singers who now enjoy international stardom. In recent years he has been awarded the Kennedy Center Honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, France’s Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur, an Honorary Knighthood of the British Empire and an Oxford Doctorate. This season’s conducting engagements include Madama Butterfly in Washington and Valencia, Tosca in Vienna and La Bohème at the Met. Singing engagements include Siegmund in Washington and with the Kirov Opera in Orange County; Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac in Valencia; Vidal Hernando in Luisa Fernanda with LA Opera; and the title role in the world premiere of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera, his 124th role.

Carlisle Floyd – One of the foremost opera composers and librettists in the world today, Carlisle Floyd has “captured the American spirit” in his music. Blessed with an artistic soul, he has been a painter and writer as well as a composer. His most famous works include Susannah, Of Mice and Men, and Cold Sassy Tree. Susannah premiered in 1955 and has since been performed in every major American city as well as in England and Germany, and is the subject of multiple recordings. Other operas by Mr. Floyd include Bilby’s Doll, Willie Stark, The Soujourner and Mollie Sinclair, Flower and Hawk, Markheim, Slow Dusk, The Passion of Jonathan Wade, and Wuthering Heights. Mr. Floyd served on the Music Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts and was the first chairman of the NEA’s Opera/Musical Theatre Panel upon its creation in 1976. His work has been commissioned by the Ford Foundation, Kennedy Center Foundation, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Greater Miami Opera. Mr. Floyd is Professor Emeritus of Composition at the University of Houston.

Thomas Jaber – Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Coaching at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He has conducted and/or coached opera for the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, the Chautaqua Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Curtis Institute of Music, Academy of Vocal Arts, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia/Luciano Pavarotti International Competition. Mr. Jaber also has served on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music, Baylor University (Brown Visiting Professor of Opera), and Temple University. Mr. Jaber has recorded with the Houston Symphony Chamber Players under Maestro Christoph Eschenbach and with Houston’s Mercury Baroque Ensemble and appeared in recital as collaborative pianist, harpsichordist and organist.

Michael Douglas Jones – Bass Michael Douglas Jones made his international debut in Sweden, singing the role of Director in Kafka’s Chimp (John Metcalf), shortly after singing its world premiere at Banff Music Centre for the Arts. Mr. Jones won the prestigious Jessies award for “outstanding performance by an actor in a leading role” for his creation of the Marquis in 120 Songs for Marquis de Sade (Hannan) in the world premiere co-produced by Modern Baroque Opera and Vancouver New Music. Other world premieres include Westergaard’s The Tempest as Caliban, and Underhill’s Star Catalogues as Tycho Brahe. Mr. Jones has recorded opera in progress for Atlantic Records and new works of composers on the BMI label. He has performed with companies worldwide, including New York City Opera, Florentine Opera, Pitea Chamber Opera, Tulsa Opera, San Antonio Symphony, Modern Baroque Opera, Opera Memphis, Chants Libres, Fort Worth Opera, Quantum Theater, Sarasota Opera, New Orleans Opera, Stony Brook Opera Theatre, Anchorage Opera, Opera Festival of New Jersey, Banff Centre for the Arts, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Vancouver New Music, Greensboro Opera, Baton Rouge Opera, Lyric Opera of Dallas, and National Opera.

Louise McClelland – Mezzo-soprano Louise McClelland has performed extensively in Europe and concertized across the United States. Famous for her performances and expertise regarding composer Hugo Wolf, she was awarded the HW Medallion in Vienna. Ms. McClelland is the author of Hugo Wolf: Letters to Melanie Köchert. Much sought after as a vocal instructor and master class teacher, she is Professor Emerita of Opera at the University of Maryland.

Cindy C. Oxberry – A native of Long Island, New York, Ms. Oxberry is an opera director, arts administrator, producer, teacher, and performer who earned her Bachelors degree in Opera Theater at the Hartt School and her Master’s degree in Voice from the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Oxberry pursued a career as a professional singer, performing with such companies as New York City Opera, Texas Opera Theater, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Omaha, Central City Opera, Skylight Opera Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera, Miami Opera, New Jersey Opera Association and the Connecticut Opera. Ms. Oxberry has served as the personal assistant for acclaimed director Francesca Zambello. Her directing talents have taken her into the world of opera and musical theatre where she has directed for Central City Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Maine State Music Theatre, the Savoyards of DC, the Natchez Opera Festival, Columbus State University, Utah Opera, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. One of Ms. Oxberry’s proudest moments was when she was chosen as the director for Mr. Domingo’s 40th Anniversary celebrating his illustrious singing career, directing FEDORA for the International Opera Company of Mexico at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. In addition to performing and directing, Ms. Oxberry has instructed young singing actors at The Institute for Young Singers for Washington National Opera and the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Stephen R. Smoot – Tenor Stephen R. Smoot, a native of Columbus, Ohio, studied voice at The Ohio State University and continued his training with Gloria Marinacci in Anchorage, Alaska. He has appeared from “pole to pole” having performed with the Anchorage Opera, The Alaska Light Opera Theatre, Opera/Columbus, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the South American tour of the Virginia Opera’s acclaimed production of Porgy and Bess. Mr. Smoot founded and directed the Columbus Ensemble Singers and was a founding member of the vocal quintet, Voix du Jour. He spent two summers singing at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire, toured with the Detroit Institute of Art’s national children’s opera tour of Aladdin, and spent two summers as the managing director of the Alaska Cabin Nite at the Denali National Park in Alaska. He appeared in the world premiere of the Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Amistad and appeared in the first nationa l tour of ShowBoat! While in Columbus, Mr. Smoot was seen at The Little Theatre off Broadway (Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors, Is There Life After High School), CATCO (Rap Master Ronnie), and Player’s Theatre (Phantom) and was a Cantor at St. Joseph Cathedral. Currently living in Chicago and in his third season as the Artistic Manager of the Ravinia Festival, Mr. Smoot is in his eleventh season as principal Cantor at Holy Name Cathedral. Before moving to Ravinia, he spent six seasons as the Assistant Music Administrator at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Believing that education in the arts is the foundation for its future, Mr. Smoot was a resident artist with Urban Gateways: The Center for Arts in Education.