"BRAVO!" to all of our talented singers, musicians, directors, designers, costumers, make-up artists, set-builders and countless behind-the-scenes friends… You have kept The Raylynmor Opera going strong for twelve wonderful seasons!
Quickly earning a reputation as New York’s premier “Indie Opera” conductor, Peter Szep is known for his “tremendously affecting” accounts of difficult works. His production of Il Tabarro performed on an oil tanker at the Red Hook container port received critical acclaim in The New York Times and was called “exhilarating” by Brian Kellow in Opera News. Peter Szep is Music Director of Vertical Player Repertory in New York, where he will be conducting a site specific production of A View from the Bridge performed in the Red Hook neighborhood in which the opera is set.
Mr. Szep has championed new opera works, conducting the premiers of Dembska’s The Singing Bridge, Hayes’ The Bee Opera and Rodwin’s The Sound of Waves: A Prayer Cycle, which was part of the Mabou Mines’ Suite program. He founded the Chroma Symphony, an experimental multimedia orchestra and his collaborative video work has also been shown as part of Urban Lightworks. Peter Szep has been the Music Director of the Raylynmor Opera Company in Keene, New Hampshire since 2003.
Elizabeth Bachman, Stage Director, consistently receives critical praise for her innovative opera staging. Conversant in five languages, she has directed more than 50 operas in over 30 companies in over 30 companies in North America, Japan and Argentina. Some of the companies Elizabeth has worked with include: The Metropolitan Opera (where she directed such artists as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Kathleen Battle, and Sherrill Milnes); Teatro Argentino; Boston Lyric Opera; Houston Grand Opera; Dallas Opera; Portland Opera; Vancouver Opera; Calgary Opera; Opera Columbus; and Opera de Puerto Rico (where she was artistic director for five years). Of her production of La Forza del Destino with Connecticut Grand Opera, the Connecticut Post said, "The word 'brilliant' comes up again for Elizabeth Bachman's stage direction. She didn't miss the least opportunity to electrify the highly charged drama of undying love and self-consuming vengeance." And for her production of Rigoletto with Madison Opera, the Captial Times declared that "... dramatic tension is useful to a good director, and Elizabeth Bachman is a very good director indeed."
Elizabeth Bachman's recent engagements include Aida at the Metropolitan Opera with Luciano Pavarotti, L'Assedio di Corinto and La Boheme with Baltimore Opera, Madama Butterfly with Boston Lyric Opera and her debut at Teatro Argentino (La Plata, Argentina) with Turandot. In addition, she has directed L'Elisir d'Amore and La Traviata for the Metropolitan Opera; Le Nozze di Figaro in Vancouver, Portland (OR) and Ft. Worth; new productions of Candide and Don Pasquale at Lake George Opera and Madison Opera; and the world premiere of Ezequiel Vinao's Arcanum at The Kitchen in New York.
Elizabeth Bachman is the Artistic Director of the Tyrolean Opera Program (TOP), a summer opera training program in the Austrian Alps. Other international credits include directing in Tokyo for the Metropolitan Opera tour (L'Elisir d'Amore). She has taught at the University of the Pacific, Webster University in St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon University, the Banff Centre and the Baltimore Opera's Studio Program.