Presents

by Franz Lehár

Orchestrated and Conducted by Stephen Karr

Directed and Designed by Josh Shaw

Original Book and Lyrics by Victor Leon and Leo Stein

New English Lyrics by Josh and Kelsey Shaw

Choreography by Amy Lawrence Costumes by Maggie Green

Stage Manager Kaitrin Kinnare Assistant Conductor Brad Smith

Assistant Costumer Gabriela Villalobos Production Assistant Kyleene Johnson

Starring

Bevin Hill as Hanna Gladberry Alba Cancél as Valentine Zeta

Scott Levin as Mayor Ezekiel (Zeek) Zeta Kyle Patterson as Mr. Samuel Michael Bannett as Kit Kromow

Scott Ziemann as Buford Bogdanovitch Chris Anderson-West as Palmer Pritschitsch

Amy Lawrence as Blondie Lauren Woods as Queenie Melinda Ehrlich as Cio-Cio

Alyssa Brode as Valentine Cover/Swing

Nick LaGesse as Sheriff Danny Loewe Brandon Lloyd as Camille Robinson Glenn Fernandez as Yan-Can-Sing

Joel Balzun as Mr. Cassidy Jessica Gonzalez-Rodriguez as Kate Kromow Elizabeth Kerstein as Bessie Bogdanovitch

Aumna Iqbal as Polly Pritschitsch April Amante as Mimi/Hanna Cover

Emily Rose Lezin as Rosie Jenna Friedman as Dido

O r ches t r a

Flute Eve Bañuelos

Oboe April Cap

Clarinet Virginia Figueiredo

Bassoon Sumner Arano

Horn Brian Shetland

Gabrielle Mocilnikar

Percussion Lorry Black

Harp Jacqueline Marshall

Violin Leila Nassar-Fredell Boryana Popova

Viola Alison Spieth

Cello Joo Lee

Bass

Ben Pendergrass

C ho rus

Soprano Alyssa Brode

Natalia Ferreiro

Mezzo-Soprano Abigail Grosch

Tenor Daniel Charleston

John Elliot William Grundler

Baritone Chris Katinas Kyril Kasimoff

POP Boa rd o f D i r e c t o r s

Phil Meyer, Chairman

Stacey Oziel, Secretary Kelsey Shaw, Treasurer Stephen Karr Hannah Waldman Josh Shaw Kathy Crandall

Judy Townsend William Kennedy

H a t s O f f t o Ou r POP Fam i l y

$5000 smoking jacket William Kennedy & Penny Donnelly

$1000 ascot Mike Tomasulo, Kyle Patterson, & Phil Meyer

$500 wingtips Laura Scott-Sellars, Wendy Arano, Julie Boyd, Paul Gurian, Scott Haller, Myra Rosen, Eric Fütterer,

Jeanne Waldman, & Deborah Gero

$250 bowler hat Michael Melton, Joanne C. Zajac, Benjamin Barnes, Amanda Boesche, Anette Ostergaard, Barbara Schufreider, William Ireland,

Ian White-Thomson, Scott Cruit, Mimi Rotter, Kenneth Robbins, Richard Reeves & Daniel Majoros, Walter Edmiston, Michael Weiss, Morency Maxwell, Bruce Merritt

$100 tweed vest Robert Khoury, Robert Shetland, William Ireland, Judith Hopkins, Candida League, Robert Webb, Elisabeth Clark, John Coudures, Sarah Hensley, Robert Kieft, Sally White, Peter Rutenburg, Monika Whitaker, Carole Roback, Margaret Mostue, Colin and Justin

Barnes, Janet Jack, William and Mary Lewis, Roger Rindge, Carole Donlan, Fay Blair, Kathryn Lane, Jennifer Weiss, Michael Deck, Rosalie Komblau, Amy Miller, Barbara Merkle, & Ted Williams

$50 handlebar mustache Ashley Postlewaite, Youssif Kamal, Eric Castro, Frieda Gockel, Brandon Crispo, Marie Vester, Joseph & Danielle Gangestad,

Jain Szabo, Sonja Alarr, Jason Coleman, Susanne Spangler, Timothy Wright, Elaine Bonuglie, Myron Meisel, Jennifer Frain, Heidi Brantley, Gina Kim, Emily Murray, Martha Jo Morehouse, Louise Ghandhi, Mary Irene Ujda, Zeffin Quinn Hollis, Enid LaGesse,

Tani Mathias, Steven Sailer, Danilo Bach, Mary Bosak, Matthew Ian Welch, Clare Kiklowicz, Luvi Avendano, Jacquelyne Wallace, William Mosby, & Linda Bridges Karr

Special Thanks David Kasunic and Occidental College, The Ebell Club of Highland Park

Martha Benedict Photography Housing for artists graciously provided by Dr. Harry Lieberman and Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Merritt.

Become a member of our POP family. Donate today!

$50 handlebar mustache Get insider POP updates ad invitations to special events in our donor e-newsletter, Access to tickets before the general public, Name recognition in production and special event programs $100 tweed vest All benefits listed above plus— A gift of “Glasses & Glasses” (two glasses of wine and two trademark POP sunglasses) at a POP performance, and an Invitation to a POP rehearsal $250 bowler hat All benefits listed above plus— Invitation to one POP Salon, featuring POP Main Stage Artists $500 wingtips All benefits listed above plus— Invitation to one POP Cast Party $1000 ascot All benefits listed above plus— Invitation to two POP Salons, featuring POP Main Stage artists $2500 monocle All benefits listed above plus— Lunch with Artistic Director $5000 smoking jacket All benefits listed above plus— POP Main Stage artists perform for you at an event of your choice.

This project is supported, in part, by a grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

The Merry Widow is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Bevin Hill (Hanna Gladberry) Bevin Hill is originally from Atlanta, GA. She received her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Catherine Malfitano. She has been a member of Arizona Opera's Marion Rose Pullin Resident Artist Program, Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist, and Opera Saratoga as an Apprentice Artist. She was a Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition Georgia District Winner. She has sung Lisette in La rondine with Opera Company of Middlebury, VT and Musetta in La bohème with the Martina Arroyo Foundation. Other roles include Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Gretel (Hansel

and Gretel), and Grittly (Le 66). She received her BFA in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and currently resides in New York, NY

Nicholas LaGesse (Sheriff Danny Loewe) The Merry Widow marks baritone Nicholas LaGesse’s third appearance with Pacific Opera Project. During his 2015 season, he debuted as Jameson in the critically acclaimed, citywide production of Hopscotch with the Industry. Nicholas also starred as Harlequin in POP’s extremely successful production of Ariadne auf Naxos. His previous operatic roles include Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Zuniga in the POP production of Bizet’s Carmen, Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Claudio in Handel’s Agrippina, Jupiter in Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus and the Underworld and Marquis de la Force in

Poulenc’s Des dialogues des carmélites.

He has been honored as a finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, the winner of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition, and was a Bella Voce award recipient in the Bel Canto Foundation Competition. In addition to his operatic endeavors, Nicholas currently trains with Omambo Dance Project; the 2014 and 2015 World Latin Dance Competition salsa team champions. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, a Master of Music from UCLA and has also trained at Marlena Malas’ summer voice institute at the Chautauqua Institution.

Alba Cancél (Valentine Zeta)Puerto Rican lyric coloratura soprano Alba Franco-Cancél continues to thrill audiences with her pure and silvery voice, and magnetic stage presence. Alba received a doctorate in voice performance from the University of Missouri Kansas City under the tutelage of Vinson Cole and a master's degree in voice from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. With UMKC's opera Cancél was featured as Despina in Così fan tutte, La Fée in Cendrillon, Tytania in A Midsummer's Night Dream and Amy in Little Women. Cancél has excelled and brought life to the roles of Queen of the Night in The Magic flute, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La bohème,

Frasquita in Carmen, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and the tittle role in La calisto. She has had the privilege of performing under the baton of distinguished conductors among them, Maestro Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival 2014. Awards include the 2012 Illinois Opera Theatre Enthusiasts Award, 2011 and 2010 recipient of the Bella Voice Award from the Bel Canto Foundation, and the Public Choice Award from the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, among many others. Most recently Cancél was a finalist in The American Prize Award in Voice.

Brandon Lloyd (Camille Robinson) A Thousand Oaks native, Mr. Brandon Lloyd is a full time member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. As a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music, he actively performed principal roles through the Opera Department, in addition to numerous scenes. Through the Music Department at Washington Adventist University, Mr. Lloyd was a soloist for international tours spanning five continents. He was also one of four Virginia Best Adams Fellows for the Carmel Bach Festival, during the summer of 2013. This past September, Mr. Lloyd made his musical theatre debut as Georg Nowack in She Loves Me!, with Panic!

Productions in Thousand Oaks. Most recently, he performed the role of Fred, in a stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol, with the Thousand Oaks Repertory Company.

Mr. Lloyd is “stoked” to be making his debut, both for POP and as Camille. He thoroughly enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire, from Bach to Freddie Mercury.

E. Scott Levin (Mayor Ezekiel Zeta) Bass-Baritone, E. Scott Levin, described as having a “smooth, buttery voice,” “incredibly sharp timing,” and “a gifted comic actor,” has been making audiences laugh for the past thirteen years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis and Graduate Certificate in Vocal Performance from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Since 2002, Scott has sung in over twenty productions with Union Avenue Opera in Saint Louis. He has also sung with many companies in the Los Angeles area including Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Redlands Opera Theater, Center Stage Opera, OperaWorks, Definiens Project, Orange County Opera, and Celestial Opera. This

season he made his debut at Townsend/Fresno Opera as the Sacristan in Tosca, his Los Angeles Opera “Off-Grand” debut as Babayan (Bartolo) in Figaro 90210!, and most recently, his LA Opera mainstage debut as Dr. Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, starring Placido Domingo. Scott is thrilled to return to POP after previously appearing as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Schaunard in La bohème, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, Pane in La calisto, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, the Sacristan in Tosca, and KoKo in The Mikado.

Glenn Fernandez (Yan-Can-Sing) Healing soul and body, one audience member and patient at a time (respectively), Glenn Fernandez spends his nights as a singer and his days as an Emergency Room doctor. This tenor has been thrilling audiences with his uniquely pure sound and shining, high range. In a review of "A Little Night Music," the L.A. Times noted Glenn as having a "lovely voice." Glenn began his operatic training in Milan with the renowned soprano Patrizia Zanardi. While in Italy, Glenn fell in love with operatic repertoire and realized that he had a gift for expressing the flashy, acrobatic singing found in the music of opera.

While performing around the world, from L.A. to England to Austria to Germany, Glenn found that young audiences and people new to opera enjoyed how he utilized his "mighty range" (BlogCritics) to give performances that were "outstanding" (LAWeekly) and "charming" (Backstage) to all sensibilities. The sheer uniqueness of his voice, "a fascinating and lovely vibrato," (Stage & Cinema) connects with a wide range of people.

Find out more about his upcoming art projects by "liking" his page: Facebook.com/GlennFernandezTenor. He'll be seeing you at his upcoming performances of Aleko, Pigmalion, and Carmen or in the ER (hopefully not the ER).

Kyle Patterson (Mr. Samuel) Lauded as one of Southern California’s promising young artists, tenor Kyle Patterson’s “beautiful and easy‐sounding lyricism” is in growing demand. Last seen as the moonwalking German Tenor in Pacific Opera Project’s Viva la mamma, Kyle is thrilled to be joining POP for his eighth production with the company. He is also a regular performer on the rosters of Repertory Opera Company (ROC) and Redlands Opera Theatre. Previous roles include: Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Nanki‐Poo (The Mikado); Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance); Tobias Ragg (Sweeney Todd); Henrik (A Little Night Music); Marius (Les Miserables); Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte); Tamino (Die Zauberflöte); and Ernesto (Don Pasquale).

Kyle spent two consecutive summers as an Apprentice Artist with Opera in the Ozarks in 2012 and 2013, and was a member of the Opera Chapman Ensemble at Chapman University between 2010 and 2013. Kyle is also an alumnus of the prestigious OperaWorks Emerging Artist Program. In addition to expanding his opera repertoire, Kyle has performed several concert engagements in his young career, most recently appearing as Tobias Ragg in a concert of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd in collaboration with the Golden State Pops Orchestra. In 2013, Kyle was a finalist in the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Vocal Competition.

Joel Balzun (Mr. Cassidy) Baritone and Composer Joel David Balzun was recently awarded a fellowship to the Tanglewood Music Center for summer 2016. Highlights of the 2015-2016 season include “Valentin” (Faust) with Redlands Opera Theatre, as well as recitals in Southern California featuring performances of Robert Denham's Sutter Creek. Since his solo debut singing excerpts from Turandot at the Kennedy Centre, Mr. Balzun has appeared as the title role in Don Giovanni, the Four Villains (Les contes d'Hoffmann), “Sid” (Albert Herring), “Count Ceprano” and “Marullo” (Rigoletto), “Fiorello” (The Barber of Seville), “Le gaoler” and “Marquis de la Force” (Dialogues des Carmélites), “John Brooke” (Little Women,), and Peter Maxwell Davies' virtuosic Eight Songs for a Mad King. Also an accomplished

composer, his compositions have received international recognition, garnering performances across the Americas and Europe.

Mr. Balzun holds a Master's degree in Voice Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Jan Opalach. He has also studied voice with William Lock, Michelle Minke, and Richard Zeller, as well as composition with Robert Denham, David Eagle, Laurie Radford, and Christopher Wills. Mr. Balzun currently serves on the voice faculties of Biola University and Fullerton College. http://www.joelbalzun.com/

Michael Bannett (Kit Kromow) Michael Bannett, baritone, is a graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music where he sang with the USC Chamber Singers and USC Opera. Recent operatic roles include Dancairo in Carmen and Pish in The Mikado (Pacific Opera Project), Silvio in I Pagliacci (Celestial Opera Company), Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte (Hawaii Performing Arts Festival), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera), Betto in Gianni Schicchi, First Priest in Die Zauberflöte (USC Opera), and Camero in America Tropical (Definians Project). Michael is a staff singer at St. James' in the City, and performs with various choral organizations in the Los Angeles area, including Horizon Music

Group, the de Angelis Vocal Ensemble and LASchola.

Jessica Gonzales-Rodriguez (Kate Kromow) A Los Angeles native, Jessica began studying voice at the age of thirteen. Participating in the Santa Monica College Opera scenes workshop, she performed the role of Aurora (Doña Francisquita), Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) and covered the role of Dorabella (Così fan tutte). She has sung with various companies in Southern California starring as Peggy in Lee Hoiby’s This is the Rill Speaking, Suor Dolcina (Suor Angelica), the Third Witch (Macbeth), Praskowia and Zozo (The Merry Widow), Antonia’s Mother and Nicklausse (The Tales of Hoffman), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Siebel (Faust)

and Nancy (Albert Herring) as part of the LA Opera Britten/100 celebration, with the Repertory Opera Company. This past summer she performed the role of Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Chicago Summer Opera Program. She can also be seen in Nickelodeon’s “Parental Discretion, Episode-Singing School.” Jessica has a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Mount Saint Mary’s College and an M.M. in Vocal Performance from California State University, Los Angeles. She is a professional dancer and a member of the bellydance troupe, “Orchids Al Sahara.” She also serves as a volunteer Community Educator with LA Opera and currently studies under Dr. David Connors.

Scott Ziemann (Buford Bogdanovitch) A northern California native, Baritone Scott Ziemann is emerging as a noted artist in the Southern California vocal community lauded as “a vocal talent worth catching…a brilliant tone, secure and resonant.” Scott just sang the role of Elder McLean in Pasadena Opera’s production of Susannah in January. Recently Scott has sung the roles of Father in Hansel and Gretel, Dr. Grenvil in La traviata, Captain Corcoran in H.M.S Pinafore, Simone in Gianni Schicchi and Dancaïro in Carmen. Last year also included the role of Morhpeus in the west coast premiere of Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland. In concert, he has sung the baritone solo

in Fauré’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has also been seen as Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief, Seneca in Coronation of Poppea, Palémon in Thaïs and also in Dialogue of the Carmelites, Candide and The Mikado. Working in musical theater he most recently was Ralph in a Broadway in the Parks production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate. Scott currently lives in Orange, California and is excited to be working with POP in their production of The Merry Widow.

Elizabeth Kerstein (Bessie Bogdanovitch) Called a “dynamic” performer by the Baltimore Sun, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Kerstein is recognized for her riveting stage presence and a musical sophistication beyond her years.

A passionate proponent of art song, Elizabeth spent summers 2014 and 2015 on scholarship at SongFest, Los Angeles’ esteemed art song festival. There she was privileged to work with renowned artists including Susanne Mentzer and Dawn Upshaw. Elizabeth is also devoted to researching and performing contemporary Jewish music; her last recital on this topic was presented by Johns Hopkins.

Her operatic interests range from classical to contemporary. Favorite past roles include Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Nancy (Albert Herring), and The Lady With A Hatbox (Postcard From Morocco). From 2012-2015, she was a proud member of the Lyric Opera Baltimore and Baltimore Concert Opera choruses. Elizabeth recently returned to her native Los Angeles after studying at the Peabody Conservatory (MM) and St. Olaf College (BM). In October 2015 she was a winner in the Young Musicians Foundation Los Angeles scholarship competition. Elizabeth is a recipient of Peabody Graduate Assistantships in Voice and Humanities and two Peabody Career Grants.

Christopher Anderson-West (Palmer Pritschitsch) Christopher majored in Voice and studied Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has had the great privilege of performing in England, France, Italy, China, and around the United States. Christopher has also sung in the chorus with the Los Angeles Opera for productions of Verdi’s Otello and Beethoven’s Fidelio.

Favorite roles performed to date are Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Il Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Tsar Berendey in the United States Premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka.

This past summer he reprised the role of Ferrando, in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, at the Narnia Music Festival in Italy. In the fall Christopher performed Alfred, in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, for both Celestial Opera Company and Repertory Opera Company.

Later this spring Christopher will perform his debut role of Don José in Celestial Opera Company’s production of Carmen.

Aumna Iqbal (Polly Pritschitsch) Aumna Iqbal returns for a (ten gallon) hat trick with POP in The Merry Widow, having appeared in one performance as Composer in last year's Ariadne auf Naxos, and covering Carmen in the 2014 season. Recent engagements include Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Alto Soloist in the Class Act Youth Concerts, and Cenerentola cover (La Cenerentola) with Pacific Symphony Orchestra as well as stepping in as a last minute replacement on the Green Route in The Industry's Hopscotch. She will be performing as the alto soloist in Beethoven's Mass in C and Choral Fantasy with the Santa Barbara Master Chorale in April. Previous roles:

Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Pepa (Goyescas), Mrs. Herring (Albert Herring), Buttercup (HMS Pinafore). Awards: Milan Panic Jr. Foundation Scholarship 2015, Liebowitz Centennial Fellow 2014, 3rd Prize David W. Scott Memorial Competition 2014, Finalist The American Prize in Opera 2014. http://www.aumnaiqbal.com

Amy Lawrence (Blondie & Choreographer) Amy used her two left feet and a bottle of whiskey to choreograph this show. She makes her appearance as Blondie, the Turkish Grisette. You last saw her choreography in POP's production of Carmen. As a dancer, Amy has a background in ballet, jazz, modern and ballroom. She competed professionally in ballroom dance within the New England and western regions from 2007-2010. Amy's most notable role as a lead dancer was in the musical Zoot Suit Riot at the California Theater of the Performing Arts. She has also made an appearance performing with dancers from Dancing With the Stars. As a full time ballroom dance instructor, she teaches all styles of partner dance and choreographs for

her students almost every day. Amy is also an accomplished singer having earned degrees from the Boston Conservatory and USC in vocal performance. You last saw her perform with POP as Luiga in Viva la Mamma!. Other POP roles include Eternita in La calisto and Frasquita (cover)/Lead dancer for Carmen. Amy first became familiar with The Merry Widow when she performed selections from the show as Hanna in Maurach, Austria. This past summer she performed the roles of Despina in Cosi fan tutte and Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica at the Tuscia Opera Festival in Italy. Other favorite roles include Tytania from A Midsummer Nights Dream and Queen Tye in Philip Glass' Akhnaten. www.amylawrencedance.com www.sopranoamylawrence.com

April Amante (Mimi/Hanna Cover) April Amante makes her POP debut in The Merry Widow. Recently she sang with the LA Opera Outreach Program as Marcellina (soprano) in Figaro’s American Adventure. She was honored to play Village Girl 2 in Lark Society’s production of Anoush in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Other full roles include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Frasquita (Carmen) with Opera San Luis Obispo, Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), the title role of Offenbach's La Périchole, First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Drusilla (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Polly Peachum (The Threepenny Opera), and Sister Genevieve (Suor

Angelica). April created the role of Marketing Director in the 2008 premiere of Paul Salerni’s opera Tony Caruso’s Final Broadcast for The National Opera Association. She has been a featured soloist at the Opera SLO’s Broadway by the Sea, Astoria Music Festival, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Music on Argyle, the UCLA Faculty Recital series, and Classical Music Encounters of Orange County. April was the winner of the 42nd Annual American Educators of Italian Origin United (AEIOU) Opera Competition in 2012. She was a finalist in the 36th Annual Carmel Music Society Vocal Competition and in the NATS National Musical Theater Competition in 2014. April earned her Bachelor of Music (BM) in Vocal Performance at California State University-Northridge and her Master of Music (MM) at the University of Arizona in the same subject.

Lauren Woods (Queenie) Soprano Lauren Smith-Woods has been performing in opera, oratorio, orchestral and chamber music settings as well as recitals both nationally and internationally for the past nine years. She studies privately with renowned voice teacher Rhona Klinghofer and has coached with Adelaide Sinclair, Henri Venanazi and William Vendice. Smith-Woods was awarded first prize in the Los Cancioneres vocal competition and has completed the applied music program at El Camino College. She performs here and abroad with the Hutchins Consort and numerous Music Festivals. She has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, Santa Barbara Opera,

with orchestras at Walt Disney Hall, and has opened for Stevie Wonder at the Nokia .

Emily Rose Lezin (Rosie) Emily Rose Lezin is thrilled to be making her POP debut. A native of Los Angeles, she is a both a graduate of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and of Mannes College of Music in New York City, where she received her Masters in Music in 2014. Acclaimed for her expressive voice and commanding stage presence, some of Ms. Lezin’s favorite stage credits include: Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel. In 2015, Emily was a vocal fellow at the Music Academy of the West under the direction of the legendary mezzo-soprano, Marilyn Horne, and had the

opportunity to collaborate closely with Martin Katz, John Fisher, and Nicholas McGegan. Emily performed the Mezzo Solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under the baton of Larry Rachleff at the Granada Theatre. Later this season she will be appearing as Carmen with the Celestial Opera Company and as Mařenka in Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride at the Music Academy of the West. With a passion for cabaret, American musical theater, classical music, and opera, Ms. Lezin brings her unique dramatic and musical sensitivity to various genres and styles.

Melinda Ehrlich (Cio-Cio) Described by the Long Beach Grunion Gazette as “astonishing, a large, gleaming soprano secure from top to bottom and thrilling to hear” in the role of Vitellia from Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Melinda Ehrlich has established herself as a voice to hear in Southern California and beyond. The 2014 LA International Liszt Competition winner most recently appeared in the chorus of critically acclaimed The Christians at the Mark Taper Forum and the Hollywood Fringe Festival's nominee for Best Musical Annabella. 2015 also marked her debut with Center Stage Opera in Into The Woods, as well as with Pacific Opera Project in its Star

Trek-inspired Abduction from the Seraglio. Last spring, Ms. Ehrlich ventured to New Orleans to sing Mme. Herz in Mozart’s Impresario. She has also appeared with Long Beach Opera, Pacific Symphony, and Repertory Opera, and her repertoire includes roles such as Micaela in Carmen, Violetta in La traviata, Pamina and Papagena in The Magic Flute, and the title role in Suor Angelica. Follow her on Twitter: @mindose and Facebook: www.facebook.com/melindaehrlich for upcoming performance dates and news.

Jenna Friedman (Dido) Jenna graduated UCSB with a BM in Vocal Performance in 2014. Recent performances include Opera Pasadena’s The Magic Flute (Papagena), Pacific Opera Project’s Falstaff (Chorus) and Abduction from the Seraglio (Chorus). Jenna participated in OperaWorks 2014 Emerging Artist Summer Program.

Alyssa Brode (Valentine Cover/Swing) Alyssa Brode is a Philadelphia-born soprano whose performance experience and training span both coasts. Her opera credits include La Fée (Massenet's Cendrillon), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Amor (Orfeo ed Euridice) and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte). Alyssa holds a Master of Music in voice performance from California State University, Northridge and a Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College where, as a member of the renowned Westminster Symphonic Choir, she had the privilege of performing symphonic masterworks with some of the world's most prominent conductors (Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel) and orchestras (New York Philharmonic,

Cleveland Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin). Alyssa is a recipient of the Robert Barbera Scholarship in Voice, the Village Voices Scholarship and the Rachel Ketchie Memorial Award as well as being a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society. Alyssa is pleased to be back performing with POP after her appearances in The Abduction from the Seraglio and Falstaff. In July 2016 she will make her role debut as Violetta in La traviata with Capitol Opera in Laguna Hills, California.

Josh Shaw, Artistic Director

Josh Shaw is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Project. Since turning his attentions to directing in 2011, he has directed and designed over 40 operas and musicals. Highlights include sold-out and critically acclaimed productions of Tosca: A moving production, La bohème AKA “The Hipsters”, La calisto, The Turn of the Screw, and Ariadne auf Naxos. Mr. Shaw’s Star Trek-themed Abduction from the Seraglio, for which he wrote a new English book and libretto, is gaining national attention, following successful runs in Los Angeles, Tennessee, Texas and Illinois.

Mr. Shaw is the Resident Director for Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles and has directed productions of Il segreto di Susanna, A Hand of Bridge, Gallantry, A Sunday Excursion, The Man on the Bearskin Rug, Three Sisters who are not Sisters, and The Last Silent Voice (World Premiere) for the up and coming company. Other recent directorial projects include Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, The Mikado, Così fan tutte, Trouble in Tahiti, Sweeney Todd, and Don Giovanni with POP; Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Abduction from the Seraglio at the Southern Illinois Music Festival; The Medium for Redlands Opera Theatre; Into the Woods and Annie at Burbank Community Theater; Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci with the Celestial Opera Company; and Madama Butterfly with Salt Marsh Opera. Upcoming projects include Guilluame Tell with The Southern Illinois Music Festival, and productions of Abduction from the Seraglio at Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, CA and Salt Marsh Opera in CT.

In his former life as a tenor, Mr. Shaw sang leading roles with Opera Fairbanks, Capital Opera of Sacramento, High Desert Opera, Opera Las Vegas, Center Stage Opera, Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, The Celestial Opera Company, and Opera Pasadena. He has toured the United States with the Pasadena-based Gilbert & Sullivan troupe, Opera a la Carte for multiple seasons. He has also worked and recorded albums with LA Operetta Project, a foundation dedicated to recording lost early American operetta and music theatre. Mr. Shaw’s most celebrated roles include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La bohème, Alfredo in La traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Don José in Carmen, and the title role in Faust.

Mr. Shaw is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and Southern Illinois University, with a master’s degree in Opera/Music Theater.

Stephen Karr, Music Director

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Stephen Karr is a young conductor and keyboardist establishing himself as a compelling interpreter of a wide variety of orchestral and operatic works. In 2011, Stephen co-founded Pacific Opera Project, for which he serves as music director and has led highly successful productions of Trouble in Tahiti, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Sweeney Todd, La bohème, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro The Mikado, The Turn of the Screw, Carmen, La Calisto (LA premiere), Tosca, Abduction from the Seraglio and Ariadne auf Naxos as either

conductor or from the keyboard. In his review of the Britten, Mark Swed of the LA Times made special note of the orchestra, "expertly conducted by Stephen Karr."

In addition to his work with POP, Stephen has been on the music staff of opera companies and universities across the US, including Des Moines Metro Opera’s OPERA Iowa tour, the Glimmerglass Festival, Michigan State University, Opera New Jersey, Opera Santa Barbara, Palm Beach Opera and UCLA as a pianist/coach and assistant conductor. His international appearances include the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman as assistant conductor and principal keyboardist with the Glimmerglass Festival’s production of The Music Man and an appointment as Cultural Envoy from the United States Department of State leading the Rotterdam Youth Symphony and the brass ensemble from Rotterdam's Codarts Conservatory of Music in a concert for the annual World Harbor Days festival.

Stephen’s operatic repertoire includes over thirty separate productions, spanning nearly the entire history of the art form, from Cavalli’s Il Giasone and Lully’s Armide to world or regional premieres of recent works, notably Kenneth Wells’s The First Lady in 2010 in a co-production between the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuropsychology and need theater. He has served as a guest artist or faculty member at Chapman University, California State University Northridge, Michigan State University, USC, Westminster Choir College and UCLA, where he will serve as principal pianist for the Spring 2016 production of Così fan tutte. Stephen's schooling includes degrees in organ performance from Westminster Choir College and Mercer University, as well as a master's degree in orchestral conducting from UCLA, where he studied with Neal Stulberg and led a wide variety of repertoire. He is also a co-founder of the school's resident new music ensemble, contempo flux.

Kaitrin Kinnare graduated with a degree in Film Production from Emerson College in 2010 and has worked at NBC Universal Television Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. She is the Company Manager for Pacific Opera Project and has been stage manager for several of their productions, including Ariadne auf Naxos, Abduction from the Seraglio, La bohème, Tosca, Falstaff, and Viva la Mamma! She has also managed productions for the Celestial Opera Company, Opera Neo, Opera UCLA—including their recent West Coast premiere of I due Figaro, and Salt Marsh Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly.

Maggie Green came late to professional costume design, though she has been making costumes for family and friends since she was a teenager. It was only after coming to Los Angeles a decade ago that she realized it could be a career. Maggie has a certificate in costume design from Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy, but finds that motherhood was also great training for dressing performers. By far her favorite work has been with Pacific Opera Project, for whom she's been doing costumes since 2012 when they did their first big production with a chorus, Sweeney Todd. She has costumed every show since, making The Merry Widow her fourteenth show with POP! Gabriela (Gaby) Villalobos is a recent graduate of L.A. Pierce College where she studied Costume Design and Technical Theater. She has been a dresser, sound board operator, assistant stage manager, and a costume designer. This is her first production with Pacific Opera Project and would like to thank them for the opportunity to be a part of The Merry Widow. She is ecstatic to be here. Enjoy the show!

Collaborative pianist Brad Smith taught himself to play the piano at age 11, and began lessons six months later. His primary teachers include Louise Barfield, Andrew Campbell, Kenneth Griffiths, Donna Loewy, and Elisabeth Pridonoff. He has done master-class work with Graham Johnson, Patricia Racette, François le Roux, Cameron Stowe, and Craig Terry. Brad won the 2004 Macon Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 under Maestro Adrian Gnam. He immensely enjoys collaborative work, working as a vocal coach, recitalist, and rehearsal pianist for operatic, choral, vocal, and chamber music performances.

At the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, Brad earned a Bachelor of Arts in music (summa cum laude, 2008) and a Masters in Collaborative Piano (2011). Not only a pianist, he also received a German minor and edited CCM’s Music Research Forum, one of the country’s only student-produced musicology journals. In 2015, Smith completed his doctoral degree in collaborative piano at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. Also in 2015, he joined the faculty at Los Angeles Valley College as full-time Piano Accompanist/Coach.

Dr. Smith lives in North Hollywood with his wonderful bride, soprano Kerrie Caldwell.