CCMONSTAGE OPERA

GALILEO GALILEI

An Opera by Philip Glass
Libretto by Mary Zimmerman
With Philip Glass and Arnold Weinstein
Music by Philip Glass

March 31-April 3, 2022, Patricia Corbett Theater

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  • Conductor Aik Khai Pung
  • Director Greg Eldridge
  • Choreographer Hazel Alexander*
  • Scenic Designer Mark Halpin
  • Lighting Designer Thomas Hase*
  • Projection Designer Ian Macintosh*
  • Costume Designer Reba Senske
  • Sound Designer Matt Tibbs
  • Wig & Make-Up Designer Colin Gallaher*
  • Production Stage Manager Avery Woodruff*
  • Props Manager Madison Frazier*
  • Technical Director Stephanie O’Rear*
  • Musical Preparation Kathleen Kelly

*CCM Student

Galileo Galilei will last 90 minutes with no intermission

Director’s Note

By Greg Eldridge

This performance is dedicated to the memory of those we’ve lost during the pandemic. It is also dedicated to those who, especially now, are struggling to resist violence, occupation, and oppression.

Philip Glass, working alongside librettists Mary Zimmerman and Arnold Weinstein, has created in this work a powerful meditation on love and betrayal, and the never-ending tension between religion and scientific inquiry. The opera uses the life of Galileo (told in flashes that move backwards in time from his last breath to his first) to explore the cyclical nature of relationships, and what it costs to stand up for the truth in a time when dogma seeks to stamp out any voice of dissent. An allegory, sadly, that is far too applicable to our own time

The music of Philip Glass is both haunting and deeply, powerfully emotional, and the significance of this work demands a true collaboration across all the fields of artistic endeavour. Our production brings together some of the finest artists from across all of CCM's world-renowned disciplines. Postgraduate Artist Diploma singers join Masters of Music and Doctoral candidates alongside the accomplished instrumentalists of CCM's orchestral program to perform this mesmerizing and fiendishly difficult music. Adding to the central theme of Art as a means of resisting Ignorance, they are joined by members of CCM's undergraduate Dance course with choreography by a student of this prestigious program. To fully create the world of this allegorical story, students involved in the disciplines of lighting design and video projection have joined forces with a student-designed hair and make-up aesthetic to create a piece that combines the very best of CCM's creative disciplines. With a student-led stage management team supporting a production that draws on the skill of the indefatigable Technical Design and Production students, this promises to be a showcase of the full breadth of CCM's incredible student talent.

Synopsis/Scene Breakdown

  • Chapter 10: The Death of Galileo | Florence, January 1642
  • Chapter 9: The Recantation of Galileo | Rome, June 1633
  • Chapter 8: Pears | Rome, May 1633
  • Chapter 7: The Trial of Galileo | Rome, April 1633
  • Chapter 6: Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World | Published in 1632
  • Chapter 5: A Treatise on the Incline Plane | Rome, 1630
  • Chapter 4: A Walk in the Garden | Rome, 1620 or 1613
  • Chapter 3: Lamps | Tuscany, 1612
  • Chapter 2: The Presentation of the Telescope | Florence, 1610
  • Chapter 1: The Opera Within An Opera | Sometime in the past

The Company

  • Older Galileo | Corbin DeSpain^, Aaron McKone~
  • Pope Urban VIII /Cardinal Barbarini / Simplicio | John Mburu
  • Cardinal 1 / Oracle 1 | Nicholas Kelliher^, Chuanyuan Liu~
  • Cardinal 2 / Servant / Oracle 2 | Justin Burgess
  • Cardinal 3/Priest/Father | Ryan Wolfe
  • Maria Celeste / Duchess Christina | Christina Kerstan^, Ashlyn Rock~
  • Scribe / Maria Maddelena | Jaime Sharp^, Natasha Naik~
  • Sagredo/Marie de’ Medici/Eos | Hayley Maloney
  • Salviati / Younger Galileo | Erik Nordstrom
  • Dancers | Katie Griffith, Morgan Montour, Erin Decker*
  • ^Thursday/Saturday Performance
    ~Friday/Sunday Performances
    *Cover

Orchestra Roster

CCM Philharmonia Orchestra Roster

Aik Khai Pung, conductor 
Vaughn Richardson, assistant conductor (conductor on April 3)

Violin I

  • Kiran Rajamani
  • Korah Cuff
  • Peiyan Cai

Viola

  • Brianna Barta
  • Violet Huang
  • Nathaniel Sendi

Cello

  • Juneho Kim
  • Joe Kovac
  • Maximiliano Oppeltz

Flute

  • Yian Liu

Clarinet

  • Citlalmina Toro

Bassoon

  • John Robken

Horn

  • Catherine Dowd

Trumpet

  • Benjamin Hunter

Trombone

  • Jordan Rowan 

Percussion

  • Zack Todd

Keyboard

  • Deborah Robertson

Celesta

  • Gongming Jiang

Graduate Assistants

  • Xiao Geng
  • Brian McCann
  • Sophie Mok
  • Vaughn Richardson
  • Hannah Schendel

Librarians

  • Rebecca Flank
  • Kristin Welke

Production Staff

  • Assistant Director | Hayley Maloney
  • Associate Choreographer | Tess Klibanoff
  • Assistant Stage Managers | Kaylin Story, Rosie Pavilk
  • Production Assistant | Hannah Kate Hawver
  • Supertitles Operator | Hannah Kate Hawver
  • Assistant Production Managers | Leah Berry, Emma King
  • Assistant Set Designer | Sami Tamulonis
  • Assistant Lighting Designers | Natalia Carlson, Andrew Gange
  • Assistant Costume Designer | Clara Cavins
  • Wardrobe Crew Head | Emily O’Donnell
  • Wardrobe Crew | Kristen Das, Makayla Shipe
  • Costume Crew | Corey Cochran, Savannah Brooks, Amira Rowe
  • Costume Graduate Assistants | Meredith Buckley, Maria Ortiz Lopez, Brittannie McKenna Travis, Natasha Cox, Clara Cavins
  • Media Content Creation | Ian Macintosh
  • Media Server Programmer | Tal Kochav
  • Media and Projection Tech/Operator | Sydney Riddle
  • Lighting Programmer | Rama Van Gils
  • Head Electrician | Samuel Wilson
  • Light Board Operator | Kyle Strickland
  • Deck Chief | Ashton Karp
  • Programmer | Rama Van Gils
  • Followspot Operators | Quinn Morgan, Katie Reus
  • Electrics Crew | William Baker, Paige Baumann, Aiden Bezark, Jason Bowden, Natalia Carlson, Abby Fluck, Andrew Gange, Oliver Hunt, Kathryn Ingram, Ashton Karp, Tal Kochav, Ian MacIntosh, William Meckstroth, Dionte Mercado, Claire Michels, Nate Miller, Bella Pfeiffer, Sydney Riddle, Riley Rowan, Kyle Strickland, Eli Suarez, Vincent Vandeleest, Rama Van Gils, Samuel Wilson
  • Lighting Graduate Assistants | Baron Leon, Alex Mason, Kristen Peck, Alaina Pizzoferrato
  • Assistant Technical Director | Grace Mayo
  • Head Carpenter | Gabby Ullman
  • Set Construction Crew | Mia Adrian, Shelby Allred, Annalee Crosser, Peggie Dona, Izzy Dillon, Abby Fluck, Sophia Gamble, Hannah Kate Hawver, Alex, Husiung, Ashton Karp, Bri Kelley, Benji Lookatch, Emily Mallendick, Nate Miller, Liz Mitan, Meredith Randall, Anika Shirvalker, Brady Smith, Cassie Smith, Macay Smith, Lucia Thill, Lauren Wooten
  • Staff Scenic Artist | Karolyn Hasselfeld
  • Scenic Charge Artist | Sami Tamulonis
  • Paint Crew | Anna Campisano, Suzanne Barnes, Sean Haffey, Madelyn Byrnes, Abigail Heyd, Madisen Frazier, Alexandra Flanagan, Liz Mitan, Mia Adrian, Melanie Reitman
  • Scene Shop Assistants | Mckenna Brennan, Maya Eberhardt, Aaron Graham, Nick Hunley, Thomas Iodice, Grace Mayo, Stephanie O’Rear, Janay Sukkarieh, Logan Vanderpool
  • Set/Props Running Crew | Annalee Crosser, Alex Husiung, Bri Kelly, Benji Lookatch
  • Assistant Sound Designer | Corbin Hopkins
  • Production Sound Engineer | Aaron Harris Woodstein
  • Sound Board Operator | Aaron Harris Woodstein
  • Sound Load in/Out | Aiden Gray, Aaron Harris Woodstein, Corbin Hopkins, Ryan Hurt, Alex Brock, Patrick Kiernan
  • Sound Shop Graduate Assistants | Alex Brock, Ryan Hurt, Patrick Kiernan, Aaron Woodstein
  • Wig and Make-Up Graduate Assistants | Tiara Jones, Colin Gallaher
  • Props Construction Crew | Madisen Frazier, Ali Flannigan, Maddy Byrnes, Suzanna Barnes, Rachel Ledington, Sage Shepard, Simon Knox, Finley Fields, Melanie Reitman, Lauren Wooten, Oliver Hunt, Nick Hunley, Hunter Lee, Lukas Hummeldorf, Roza Gavriilidis, Liz Mitan
  • Stage Management Office Assistant | Jie Min

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UC College-Conservatory of Music alumna Emma Marhefka, soprano (MM Voice ’23) has "won the Met" in the grand finals of the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. One of the most prestigious singing competitions in the world, the Laffont Competition finals took place on March 16, with singers accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Five singers won the finals including Marhefka. CCM singer Samuel Kidd, baritone (MM Voice ‘21), also competed in the final round.

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Sponsors

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust 
Scholarship and Resident Artist Sponsor

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor

The Corbett Endowment at CCM 
Dance Department Sponsor 
All-Steinway School Sponsor

Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc. 
Community Partners

The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel 
Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Sponsor

ArtsWave: Funding Arts, Fueling Community 
CCMpower: Friends and Alumni Fueling the Future of the Arts 
The Strader Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
CCMONSTAGE ONLINE Broadcast Sponsors

Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Musical Theatre Department Sponsor

Genevieve Smith 
Opera Production Sponsor

Rafael and Kimberly de Acha 
Opera D’Arte Sponsor

An Anonymous Donor 
Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander 
Mrs. William A. Friedlander 
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth 
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren  
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen 
Elizabeth C.B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld+ 
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman 
Dr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker+
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer 
Ariel Quartet Sponsors

Jan Rogers 
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation 
Choral Studies Sponsors

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn 
Orchestral Sponsor

Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation 
Starling Pre-Collegiate Sponsor 
Starling Strings Sponsor

Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson 
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary 
Organ Department Sponsors

Louis and Susan Meisel 
Piano Department Sponsor

Richard E. Thornburgh 
Edward Donovan and Cheryl Carter 
Jeff Thomas Catering 
The Castleberry Family 
KMK Law 
Sandra & Stephen Joffe 
Paula Boggs Muething & Brian Muething 
Patti Myers & Alan Flaherty
Trish & Rick Bryan 
Prestige AV & Creative Services 
Graeter’s Ice Cream 
Rhinegeist Brewery
CCMpower 
The CCM Harmony Fund: Challenging Hate & Prejudice through the Performing Arts 
Event Sponsors

Buddy Rogers Music 
LINKS Sponsor

Sponsors listed as of August 30, 2021

General Information

Land Acknowledgment

The Cincinnati area and the land that the University of Cincinnati has been built on is the native homeland of the Indigenous Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribes.

Box Office

Located in the CCM Atrium, the Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 12:30-6 p.m.; Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; and one hour prior to curtain for all ticketed performances. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted.

  • Location: CCM Atrium Lobby next to Corbett Auditorium
  • Telephone: 513-556-4183
  • Email: boxoff@uc.edu
  • Mail: CCM Box Office, P.O. Box 210003, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003
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Parking

Convenient parking is available in the CCM Garage at the base of Corry Boulevard off of Jefferson Avenue. Additional parking is available in garages throughout the UC campus. Any questions concerning on-campus parking should be directed to UC Parking Services at 513-556-2283.

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Tax Credit

If you find that you cannot attend your performance, your tickets may be donated for tax credit as a charitable contribution. Simply notify the Box Office prior to the performance to release your seats, and give your name and address. A tax donation receipt will be mailed to you.

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COVID Careful

UC has updated its indoor masking policy to align with the CDC's recommendations for masking. Beginning on Saturday, March 12, all masking restrictions will be eliminated in all CCM spaces, so long as rates of hospitalization and transmissibility remain in the low-to-medium zones. This means masking will no longer be required in classrooms, rehearsals, performances, etc. for everyone — students, faculty, staff, campus visitors and audience members. Members of our community who prefer to continue to wear a mask when indoors or in close proximity with others for personal safety should continue to do so. Please continue to be sensitive and respectful to the needs of others as we work through this transition. CCM performance venues are currently reduced to 50% capacity. Additional measures may be in place as conditions develop based on guidance from the CDC and UC's physician-led COVID response team. Visit the UC Public Health website and CCM's COVID-19 website for additional information and updates.

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Lost and Found

If you have lost an item, contact lost and found at 513-556-9413.

House Policies

The House Manager has been instructed to minimize the disturbance to patrons already seated when accommodating latecomers. The director and producer of each production select times that are least likely to interrupt the performance, and latecomers will be seated only during these times. Latecomers who miss these opportunities will not be admitted until intermission. Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.

Cameras, Phones and Recording Devices

The video or audio recording of performances is prohibited.

The use of cameras, with or without flashes, recording devices, cellular phones and other electronic devices inside the theater is prohibited. Please leave them with the House Manager.

Smoking and Refreshments

Smoking and refreshments are not permitted in the theater. Effective May 1, 2017, smoking and tobacco use (including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes) shall be prohibited by students, staff, faculty, visitors, vendors and contractors at all times in or on University of Cincinnati properties, including events on university property during non-school hours. This includes all shelters, indoor and outdoor theaters and athletic facilities, bridges, walkways, sidewalks, residence halls, parking lots, and street parking and garages owned by the university.

Learn more about UC's "Tobacco Free Campus"

Hearing Enhancement

Telex listening devices are available for checkout during performances in both Patricia Corbett Theater and Corbett Auditorium. Please inquire at the Box Office.

Wheelchair Seating

Wheelchair seating is available in both Corbett Auditorium and Patricia Corbett Theater. Seating is limited, so reservations should be made with the Box Office when ordering tickets. These seats are subject to availability.

Group Sales

The Box Office can accommodate groups for major productions and concerts. Preview and benefit performances are also available for some productions. For more information, call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183.

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CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.

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Know Your Exit

Map depicting exits from Patricia Corbett Theatre

Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.

The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.