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The Empress and the Nightingale - Opera Camp
Susan Bingham
"Opera Pacific's professional training and performance camp for young people ages 8-18, culminates in performances of The Empress and the Nightingale at The Irvine Barclay Theatre." |
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Maria Simeone, Camp Director
Ms. Simeone has worked professionally in opera for over 15 years. As a singer she has performed throughout the country, as well as in Europe and South America. As a teacher in public education, she has taught principally in grades K-8. She has headed the Opera Pacific Education Department since 1999.
Susan Hulsman Bingham, Composer
Susan Bingham was a concert pianist before taking up composing in 1974. The Chancel Opera Company of Connecticut, Inc., was formed in 1979 in order to perform her liturgical operas and other works.
Pieces in the Chancel Opera Company's library include sixteen sermon-length liturgical operas and several anthems, psalm settings and motets. The chancel operas tour extensively in the Northeast, and four of them have been broadcast over NBC television.
Besides The Empress and the Nightingale, Ms. Bingham has written Eli W, Tiny Operas, The Little Match Girl, Rabbi Nachman's Chair, The Musicians of Bremen, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Changeling, Char Face, The Legend of the Bluebonnet, Anniversary Tales, Daniel's Gift and The Other Wise Man. Four of her chamber operas have been presented at New York's Lincoln Center.
Ms. Bingham has also written the ballet The Snow Queen, based on the Andersen tale, which premiered in New Haven with the New Haven Ballet and Orchestra New England.
Before becoming artistic director of The Chancel Opera Company of Connecticut, she co-directed music at the Foote School Summer Theatre Program in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Children's Opera Program at the Shubert Center for the Performing Arts. She has been working with students at the Worthington Hooker Elementary School on opera-writing projects since 1982. Her work has been supported for many years with grants from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, The New Haven Foundation, The New Haven Fund for Arts in Education, the Margaret Jory Music Copying Grant, Meet the Composer and others.
Susan Bingham lives in New Haven, Connecticut with her husband, lawyer Timothy Bingham. They have a grown daughter, a grown son and two grandsons.
Henri Venanzi, Conductor/Music Director
Opera Pacific's Chorus Master since 1991, Mr. Venanzi will begin his 12th year with the company this season. He also provides artistic leadership to the company's education and outreach program, was recently named a co-director of Opera Pacific's Resident Artist Program, directs the opera program for California State University, Long Beach, and serves as chorus master for the Cincinnati Opera and its Young Artist Program. A graduate of the highly respected Cincinnati Conservatory, Mr. Venanzi worked with Michigan Opera Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, the Hollywood Bowl, Omaha Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Grand Rapids and Fort Worth Opera. In demand as an accompanist and vocal coach, he has performed in Carnegie Hall, recorded with Martina Arroyo and appeared on the Tonight Show with Kathleen Battle.
Vera Calabria, Stage Director
Ms. Calabria comes to her position with over 20 years of experience with the world's most prestigious opera houses. Most notably is her long-standing association with opera legend Jean Pierre Ponnelle. Recently, she has worked as both assistant director and director for major productions with Los Angles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, National Theater Munich, Frankfurt Opera, Metropolitan Opera and the Paris Opera. As an arts educator, she has worked with both the Orange County High School of the Arts and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. An accomplished linguist, she is also fluent in six languages. Opera Camp 2002 marks her first year with the program.
Roberta Kay, Choreographer
Ms. Kay has been directing and choreographing for over 20 years. Some of her stage directing credits include Nunsense, Music Man, Anything Goes and Guys & Dolls. Choreography credits include: Brundibar (with Opera Pacific), Gypsy, Oklahoma and Oliver, plus numerous others. A native Bostonian, Roberta began her professional singing and dancing career at age four. She has appeared in hundreds of stage productions in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Las Vegas, where she was a featured performer. Television performance credits include several musical specials on NBC, local PBS specials and national series for which she won an Emmy.
Kevin Weed, Assistant Music Director
Mr. Weed is a pianist and composer for the Orange County Symphony, children's choir director for Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church in Long Beach, and accompanist and assistant choral Ddirector for Newport-Harbor and Corona del Mar High Schools. A gifted composer, he has written compositions for choir, solo voice, orchestra, piano, chamber and bagpipes. He has served as Opera Camp assistant music director since its inception.
Lori Stinson, Voice Instructor
Acclaimed voice teacher and professional opera singer, Ms. Stinson specializes in the young singing voice. Ms. Stinson has appeared in concert, opera and oratorio throughout the United States. She has appeared with the New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera and San Diego Opera among many others. She most recently appeared with Opera Pacific as The First Lady in the company's 2000 production of The Magic Flute.
Patrick Williams, Acting Instructor
Acting teacher Patrick Williams serves on the teaching staff of two of Orange County's most prestigious arts organizations, South Coast Repertory Theater and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Dedicated to teaching the acting craft to young people, Mr. Williams currently heads innovative educational programs with Long Beach, Brea, Santa Ana and Buena Park area schools. As an actor, he can be seen on The Agency, NYPD Blue and the popular children's show Lizzie McGuire.
Susan Wong, Dance and Chinese Culture Class Instructor
Ms. Wong is well-acquainted with both opera and dance. She has performed as a soloist with the Hong Kong Ballet. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Dance from the University of Southern California and a Bachelors of Music in Opera Performance from California State University, Long Beach.
Donna Levy, Makeup/Guest Teacher
Ms. Levy has been a professional makeup artist for 20 years. She has worked extensively in film, print, television and theater. She is the makeup artist for the Los Angeles Opera, Opera Pacific, the Mark Taper and the Ahmanson.
Production Staff
Christine E. B. Jordan, Costume Director
Ms. Jordan has worked professionally in the area of costuming with the South Coast Repertory, Opera Pacific and many others. She currently serves as Opera Pacific's Costume Director.
Kenneth Verdugo, Scenic Director
Mr. Verdugo has worked in the area of scenic design for the past 16 years. He has worked with South Coast Repertory, Opera Pacific, Walt Disney and the Orange County Museum of Art, among numerous others. As an instructor, he is associated with California State University, Dominguez Hills, University of California, Irvine and University of California, Los Angeles. He is a winner of the Leo Freedman Fellowship for 1999-2001 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art from University California, Irvine and a Masters of Fine Arts in painting/drawing from University California, Los Angeles.
Andrew Nienaber, Technical Director
Mr. Nienaber has been a theater professional since 1995. He has worked in the area of production with the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History children's theater troupe, The Rude Guerilla Theater Company and Opera Pacific. He holds a BFA in theater from the esteemed University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music. He currently serves as Opera Pacific's Production Associate.
Jennifer Cook, Technical Instructor
Ms. Cook has been working professionally in theater for over 11 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Florida State University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Theater Design and Production specializing in stage management from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She has worked as a stage manager for major productions with Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Puccini's Theatre and Opera Pacific. She currently serves as stage manager and production coordinator for Opera Pacific.
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