Giuseppe Verdi's
Falstaff
Our exciting season begins with Giuseppe Verdi’s comic masterpiece, Falstaff. Our unique roving production will be staged on the grounds of an historic Dublin estate. This production will be presented in Italian with English supertitles. Seating is limited get your tickets today.
Ticket Sales End June 22
or when sold out
Andy Papas (Falstaff)
Highly praised for his "rich voice and comic timing" (St. Louis Post Dispatch), Andy Papas has been well lauded in both operatic and theatrical performances across the country. A native Bostonian, 2021-22 will mark another season of Andy’s performances from sea-to-shining sea. The summer and fall 2021 included a reprise of his hilarious Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville for both Opera Theatre of Connecticut and in St. Louis for Union Avenue Opera. In the Winter, Andy debuts with Opera Naples as the iconic Major General in G&S favorite, The Pirates of Penzance. He also sings this role in a later date (to be announced) for Anchorage Opera. having made his Alaska debut as Dr. Bartolo in 2019. Winter & Spring 2022 has him debuting with Fargo-Moorhead Opera as Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and returning to Washington State for another Barber of Seville, this time for Pacific Northwest Opera. Finally, in June, Andy makes his long awaited debut in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff for Raylynmor Opera, on the grounds of an old mansion and gardens in the Monadnocks of southern New Hampshire.
In 2020, Andy was fortunate to teach students all over the world in Opera & Musical Theater appreciation courses. In classes such as The British Operas are Coming, And The Tony Award Goes To, and Divas, students explored operas and musicals in a variety of styles. Andy also made his small screen debut as Tonio in I Pagliacci for Raylynmor Opera, and in the title role of Don Pasquale for PNW Opera. Fall 2019 brought Andy’s first mainstage Bartolo for both Painted Sky Opera and Anchorage Opera, and a hometown debut as Mr. Bumble in Oliver! with The New Repertory Theatre.
Andy made principal debuts with both Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Saratoga in 2018. He performed Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow in Saratoga in the summer, where Seen & Heard International proclaimed, "Papas was a master of comedic timing and physical humor...capable of roaring one moment and quivering in his boots the next." For Boston Lyric Opera, Andy was Walt Dreary in The Threepenny Opera with BLO in March, and covered Bartolo in The Barber of Seville in October. With Salt Marsh Opera in April, he performed as 'The Jokester' in a newly commissioned piece, Jack and Jill. In February, Andy sang his first Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof for Music on Norway Pond, and Lillas Pastia in Carmen for the BYSO. He returned to Seattle in September '18 as Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème with Vashon Opera.
Sarah Beckham-Turner (Alice)
A true singing actress, soprano Sarah Beckham-Turner has earned critical acclaim for being “soulful and affecting. . . with a bright and gorgeous controlled soprano.” For her performance in New York City Opera’s Angels in America, The New York Times hailed her as “best. . . wry even in desperation as Harper, her voice cool yet vibrating with vulnerability,” and The Observer said, “the only singer who scaled the requisite peak of greatness was Sarah Beckham-Turner. . . Ms. Beckham-Turner is both an artist and a star.”
Upcoming singing performances for Beckham-Turner include Nella in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Ithaca; Woman 3 in the world premiere of Letters you will not get: Women’s Voices from the Great War with American Opera Projects, the title character in Suor Angelica with West Texas A&M Opera and Barber’s beautiful Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Chamber Music Amarillo.
Sarah has performed with companies throughout the United States including, Rosalba (Forencia en el Amazonas) with New York City Opera; Nedda (I Pagliacci), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and Baroness (La Vie Parisienne) with First Coast Opera; Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore) with Opera New Jersey; Fiordiligi (Cosi fan Tutte) and Desdemona (Rossini’s Otello) with Opera in the Heights; Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Antonia (Man of La Mancha), Fiordiligi and Elena (The Italian Straw Hat) with Amarillo Opera; Fiordiligi with Asheville Lyric Opera, Mimi (La Bohème) with Center City Opera Theater Philadelphia; and Frasquita (Carmen) with Lyric Opera Virginia.
Sarah is a member of Opera Cowgirls, an all-female performing group that makes opera more accessible to those who might not normally attend an opera performance. Opera Cowgirls make appearances with opera companies, festivals and bars throughout the United States.
Beckham-Turner is Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at West Texas A&M University where earlier this year she directed Ned Rorem’s Our Town to great critical acclaim. In 2021 she will direct Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore.
http://sarahbeckham-turner.com/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J4S2Lodcc
MEET THE CAST
Marcus DeLoach (Ford)
Following his debut at Opera Philadelphia in the East Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain in 2016, Marcus DeLoach received critical acclaim for his creation of the roles of Senator Joseph McCarthy in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers at Cincinnati Opera, and the Minister in Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves at Opera Philadelphia. He reprised both roles for their New York premieres at the PROTOTYPE festival in 2017 and 2018, and went on to make his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Senator McCarthy in Fellow Travelers in the spring of 2018.
Marcus was hailed as “powerfully convincing” in his Opera Ireland (Dublin) debut as Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking in 2007. And in 2009 he received critical acclaim for his debut at Teatro Comunale di Bolzano (Italy) as Jean in Philippe Boesmans’ Julie. From 2000-2006, as a principal artist of New York City Opera, he sang the roles of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Satyr and Cithéron in Platée, Slim in Of Mice and Men, and many others. He has also appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, Utah Opera, and many others.
Erin O'Rourke (Nannetta)
Soprano Erin O’Rourke, from Bronxville NY, is a first-year M.M. student in the Vocal Arts Department at The Juilliard School. She is studying under soprano Amy Burton.
As soon as she set foot at the Juilliard School, Ms. O’Rourke became involved with many concerts and productions. Erin started working with incredible coaches like Adam Nielsen, David Moody, Marianne Barrett, Kathryn LaBouff and many others.
Recently, she was the cover of Giunone, in Rossi’s L’Orfeo. Erin thoroughly enjoyed her experience working on early baroque music with Avi Stein and Kenneth Merrill. Erin performed with new composers in Juilliard’s Opera Lab, the Aria Showcase with Director Mary Birnbaum, and Dr. Lydia Brown’s Liederabend in Juilliard’s Paul Hall. Ms. O’Rourke’s upcoming performances include Juilliard’s Focus Festival with Joel Sachs and the New Juilliard Ensemble and CPE Bach concert at the Bruno Walter Theater at Lincoln Center.
Ms. O’Rourke earned two degrees from the Ithaca College School of Music. She performed with the Ithaca College Choir and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Erin was selected to participate in Ithaca College’s Opera Workshop and Opera Theatre programs. She worked with many of today’s important artists and teachers.
During 2020-2021, before her time at Juilliard, Ms. O’Rourke began studying under Mezzo-Soprano Dawn Pierce. Ms. O’Rourke became a Young Artist with Opera Ithaca, and a Global Artist with the International Performing Arts Institute. During her time with Opera Ithaca, Ms. O’Rourke covered roles, performed in concerts and masterclasses with today’s professionals. In the 2021 NATS Competition Central NY, she won first place in the Finger Lakes Division. And during the summer of 2021, 2nd in the Voices of Summer Competition at IPAI in Fairhope, Alabama. Her Ithaca College Credits include Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium and Meg from Adamo’s Little Women. Her Opera Ithaca Credits include La Fée (cover) in Viardot’s Cendrillon and Maggie in Sally Lamb McCune’s new work We Wear the Sea like a Coat.
Kara Cornell (Meg Page)
Role debut: Rosina in The Barber of Seville, 2019
Hometown: Long Island NY
Current town: Pittsburgh PA
Kara Cornell, mezzo-soprano, is a versatile performer who is known as "a singer who can balance impeccable production and phrasing with enthusiastic and colorful dramatics." (Berkshire Review for the Arts) Her intuitive acting skills, clear English diction, and expressive portrayal of roles has hailed her "accomplished and electrifying" (Opera Insider) with roles ranging from a "totally endearing" Cinderella (St. Petersburg Times) to a "seductive, wounded, damaged and dangerous" Carmen (The Troy Record).
In the 2019-20 season, Kara made her house debut with Raylynmor Opera in an adaptation of BARBER OF SEVILLE, where she used her passion for yoga to portray Rosina as a 1990’s workout instructor from Miami Beach. In addition to debuting on the concert stage with Butler Symphony, and also made a house and role debut as Glorianna in Roger Zahab’s HEGEMONY with Music on the Edge. Finally, Kara returned to Pittsburgh Festival Opera to debut the leading role of Betty in the stage premiere Fred Roger’s one-act jazz operas WINDSTORM IN BUBBLELAND and SPOON MOUNTAIN.
In 2018-19, Kara made multiple house debuts; with Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Kara performed Dinah in TROUBLE IN TAHITI and as alto soloist in the full-length Handel’s MESSIAH. Kara debuted with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre as Rosina in BARBIERI DI SIVIGLIA and Rose in THE SECRET GARDEN. At Opera Ithaca, Kara made her house and role debut as Isabelle Eberhardt in Missy Mazzoli’s acclaimed opera SONG FROM THE UPROAR, and performed vocal recitals through The Rodef Shalom Professional Concert Series and Resonance Works.
In previous seasons, Kara most notably performed Alma March in LITTLE WOMEN with Pittsburgh Opera, Minskwoman in John Dove’s FLIGHT with Opera Fayetteville, Catherine Wright in Daron Hagen’s SHINING BROW with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Dritte Dame in DIE ZAUBERFLOTE with Opera Saratoga, Eliza Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY with CMPAC, NY and Smithtown Center for the Arts NY, Dinah in TROUBLE IN TAHITI with Resonance Works and Union Avenue Opera, and the title role in CARMEN with Long Island Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Hubbard Hall Opera, Bennington Center for the Arts, St. Petersburg Opera, and Opera at The Madison Theatre, NY.
Kara holds an M.M. in vocal performance from Stony Brook University and a B.F.A. in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University. A Long Island native, Kara currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA where she balances her performing with a passion for teaching and mentoring through Seton Hill University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Alexander Scheuermann (Fenton)
Tenor Alexander Scheuermann grew up surfing the sandy beaches of Merritt Island, Florida. He fell in love with performing while singing and playing guitar in his high school’s production of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, and fell in love with opera while singing in the chorus of Il barbiere di Siviglia as a freshman at Florida State. Alexander has developed a reputation as an innovative and emotional performer, and is a vocal advocate for new and local American opera and performance art.
Alexander’s 2021/22 season includes Fenton in Falstaff with Raylynmor Opera, Polinesso in the world premiere of Jonathan Dawe’s opera Being Ariodante with Columbia University, the cover of Tim Laughlin in Fellow Travelers, at Des Moines Metro Opera. Recent performances include Younger Thompson in Glory Denied, with both Kentucky Opera and Fayetteville Opera, El Remendado in Carmen with Kentucky Opera, and Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette and the cover of Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas with Pensacola Opera.
Alexander has been a resident artist with Pensacola Opera and Kentucky Opera. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a master's degree from the University of Houston.
Pamela Stevens (Quickly)
Pamela Stevens, mezzo-soprano, first sang with Raylynmor as Tisbe, a mean sister, in Rossini's La Cenerentola. She also sang the role of Propriety in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, which was the springboard for Raylynmor Opera! Living and teaching in Hancock, NH and at Keene State College, she has been soloist with many regional organizations including Monadnock Music, Keene Chorale, Monadnock Chorus, New Hampshire Symphony, Nashua Symphony, Great Waters Music Festival, Boston's Cantata Singers, Harvard and Smith, Opera North, and in Carnegie Hall singing a premier written specifically with her voice in mind---the composer calling her voice "simply sublime...world class". She has sung beyond New England including the Oregon Bach Festival under the batons of notable conductors Helmuth Rilling, Dennis Russell Davies, Laszlo Heltay, John Harbison, and Robert Cyr. Ms. Stevens has been soloist on concert tours to Spain, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and South Africa. Graduating from the University of Central Missouri, she continued opera study at New England Conservatory and participated in Master Classes and coaching with Frederica Von Stade, Will Graham, Lindsey Christiansen, Kayo Iwama, Mme Dusi Mura, and Helmuth Rilling. Her repertoire includes extensive performance in oratorio and recital; principal roles in opera include those in Eugen Onegin, Die Zauberflöte, La Cenerentola, and La Traviata.
TBD (Caius)
Michael Scarcelle (Pistola)
Garnering praise for his combination of vocal beauty, musicality and charisma, bass-baritone Michael Scarcelle has proven his versatility in concert, recital, opera and theatre.
Recent performances include Figaro THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO with Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Papageno THE MAGIC FLUTE and The Pirate King THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE with Anchorage Opera, Herrmann Augustus CANDIDE with Leipzig MDR Symphony Orchestra, Poo-Bah MIKADO with Mobile Opera, HYDROGEN JUKEBOX with Skylight Music Theatre, Poo-Bah MIKADO with Shreveport Opera. Other performance highlights include Demetrius A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM with Opera Naples, King Melchior AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS, Beaupertuis in Nino Rota's THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT and Don Pedro LA PÉRICHOLE with Amarillo Opera, Alidoro LA CENERENTOLA and Ceprano RIGOLETTO with Salt Marsh Opera, and the role of Death in Holst’s SAVITRI with Little Opera Theater of New York, for which The New York Times praised his “forbidding, resonant bass-baritone.”
In 2015 he made his Carnegie Hall debut as Masolino in American Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Schillings’ MONA LISA, then performed at the hall again with New York City Chamber Orchestra as soloist for both Duruflé Requiem and Fauré Requiem.
For his performance as Elviro in Boston Baroque’s production of SERSE, Opera News wrote "bass Michael Scarcelle possessed an appealing, charismatic stage presence and a spot-on sense of comic timing reminiscent of a young Cary Grant" and Boston Globe noted his "fluidly sung comic relief."
He holds a Master of Music degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music degree from Hunter College. He additionally studied at The Catholic University of America and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy focusing on dancing and acting.
Brent Reilly Turner (Bardolfo)
American tenor Brent Reilly Turner has been critically acclaimed across the United States. His appearances in opera, concert and recital have been characterized as having a full, dramatic timbre, energetic personality and unique honesty. Recent engagements for Mr. Turner include multiple company debuts: with West Bay Opera as Florestan in Fidelio, Heartbeat Opera as Don Jose in Carmen, Opera Birmingham as Don Jose in The Tragedy of Carmen, and Pacific Opera Victoria as Florestan in Fidelio.
Other recent engagements include debuts with Austin Opera as Carlson in Of Mice and Men, Atlanta Opera as the Kronprinz in Silent Night, and his return to Austin Opera for their production of Bizet’s Carmen. Mr. Turner's Wagnerian repertoire includes roles such as Siegmund in Die Walküre, the title role of Lohengrin, Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, and Froh/Loge in Das Rheingold. Other roles include Max in von Weber's Der Freischütz, Bacchus in R. Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio, Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, Sam Polk in Floyd's Susannah, and Eisenstein in J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus.
https://www.brentturner.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/theeoperaboy/featured
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Maria Sensi-Sellner (Conductor)
https://www.mariasensisellner.org
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0apXwVYJOzTDuyhIGlY8Q
Joe Turbessi (Pianist)
Raylynmor Debut: Macbeth (2016)
Hometown: Boston, MA
Two Recent Performances: Sweeney Todd (conductor) Hansel and Gretel (conductor)
One Upcoming Performance: Beethoven, Piano Concerto #4 Soloist with the Boston Conservatory players
Favorite Opera: Falstaff
Joe Turbessi is a versatile musician in the greater Boston area, maintaining a career as an opera conductor, collaborative pianist and vocal coach. His piano playing has been described by composer Craig Hella Johnson as an "independent, probing musical voice" with "clear and expressive, singing tone.” He is the founder and artistic director of Opera Theater of Cape Cod, which debuted in 2018; as well as assistant conductor for Lowell House Opera, the accompanist for the choirs of the Boston Conservatory and the Radcliffe Choral Society of Harvard; and Music Director at Old South Union church in Weymouth, MA. Notable recent projects include Sweeney Todd (Sondheim) Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck), Cosi fan tutte (Mozart), La Tragédie de Carmen (Brooks), Le Comte Ory (Rossini), Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss), Requiem (Faure), Jesu, meine Freude (Bach), Macbeth and Requiem (Verdi), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Menotti), part I of Messiah (Handel), and several other projects.
Vladimir Odinikikh (Chorus Master)
Vladimir has worked with the Raylynmor as both rehearsal pianist and accompanist. Vladimir began lessons at an early age and received training at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Gnessin Institute of Moscow where he earned both Bachelors and Masters degrees, He participated in the first Rachmaninov International Piano Competition, The International Ponce-Scriabin Festival, and the first Bach Festival in Peru, as well as the Isadora Duncan Festival in London, England. In addition to current college appointments with Keene State College, as collaborative pianist, and Franklin Pierce University as piano teacher, Mr. Odinokikh has taught at the Ippolitov-Ivanov College of Music in Moscow, the Alicia Urreta Center for the Arts in Mexico City and the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelios, Mexico.
