CCM OPERA D’ARTE UNDERGRADUATE OPERA Series presents

DIDO AND AENEAS + GIANNI SCHICCHI

Dido and Aeneas is composed by Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate

Gianni Schicchi is composed by Giacomo Puccini with a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano

8 p.m. Feb. 3-4, 2 p.m. Feb. 5, 2023, Cohen Family Studio Theater

Opera d'Arte Sponsor
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha

  • Conductor | Brett Scott
  • Director | Kenneth Shaw
  • Producer | Amy Johnson
  • Scenic Designer  | McKenna Brennan*
  • Lighting Designer | Bella Pfeiffer*
  • Costume Designer | Corey Cochran*, Kenneth Shaw 
  • Sound Designer | Michael Donahue*
  • Assistant Sound Design | Bri Kelly*
  • Production Stage Manager | Hannah Kate Hawver
  • Props Master | Ashley Crockett
  • Movement | Susan Moser
  • Supertitles |Kenneth Shaw
  • Supertiles Operator | Audra House
  • Rehearsal pianist |Cory Battey
  • Assistant Conductor | Landon Scriber

*CCM Student

Dido and Aeneas + Gianni Schicchi will last approximately two hours with intermission

Featured image at the top of the program: Students perform in CCM Opera's 2018 production of Gianni Schicchi. Photo by Mark Lyons.

Director's Note

By Kenneth Shaw

I have had a long relationship with both operas in tonight's production, having been involved with them on both sides of the footlights. At first glance, they may seem an odd combination for a double bill, but when one looks just under the surface, we first learn that both stories are, to some extent, allegorical. The Purcell is based upon Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid, and the Puccini text comes directly from an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy.  Musically, the two are certainly of vastly different styles, but both are masterful in their depiction of human experience and emotion. Dramatically, therefore, we easily see how human passions burn — whether in the desire for each other or for material things, for love or for duty. And in both, we see how those passions clash, with utterly different outcomes.

I have a special affinity for Dido and Aeneas for many reasons, but I confess to having always struggled with an aspect of the opera that, for me, is unexplained. In past productions, I have simply ignored the nagging question of just who this Sorceress is and why she and the Witches with her hate Dido so much. Though some purists will take issue with me, I have chosen to make a case for this relationship by inventing a reason for that hatred. Built from the legend that Dido fled her murderous brother in Lebanon and landed on the Northern coast of Africa, the Berber chieftain who controlled the region welcomed her and told her she could have as much land as an ox hide would cover. Dido cut a single ox hide into thin strips and laid them end-to-end around a hill, successfully claiming it for her people. I have set forth a premise that Dido has invited the Berber leadership (known in the opera as Sorceress and Witches) into her court at a high level, but not that of leadership. I proffer that their resentment has given birth to a plot to take down Dido in subtle ways — drugging her with ‘medicinal’ droughts and conjuring ancient methods of magic and the supernatural which ultimately, and quite successfully drive the story to its tragic end. Whether one accepts my premise or not, there is nonetheless much to appreciate and enjoy with this work — Purcell's only fully sung opera.

Gianni Schicchi, which Puccini composed as the third in his trilogy of one act operas (with Suor Angelica and Il Tabarro) is his only true comedy, portraying human nature at its most selfish. Yet because we can easily recognize in all the characters some aspect of ourselves that most of us would never dare to express, we can go along with the craziness and laugh about it.

These aspects of the human experience seem to share a commonality across cultures and generations, so we've seen productions set in various historical time periods, with myriad character delineations, the core characteristics of which are found in commedia dell'arte.  Tonight's production is set in 1953, with costumes designed with a nod to the Avant Garde of the period, largely for the purpose of exaggerating the nature of each character.  And we have intended to push the entire design toward that of black and white TV, giving hints of color only to the characters who bring depth and empathy to the story — Rinuccio, Lauretta, and the man himself: the sly, crafty hero of our story Gianni Schicchi. 

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to The Busse Fund, David Adams, Kimberly and Rafael De Acha, Robert Doak, Donna Lowey, the CCM Voice Faculty.

The Place and Time

Dido and Aeneas, Carthage

Gianni Schicchi, 1950’s Florence, Italy

The Company

Dido and Aeneas

  • Dido | Natalia Adame, Lauren Albano*
  • Aeneas | Emilio Vasquez, Sam Dhobhany*
  • Belinda | Lea Nayack
  • Two Ladies | Jadyn Riggs and Annie Weible
  • Sorceress | Reed Demangone, Maya McGuire*
  • Witches | Caitlin Chisham and Nia Spaulding
  • Sailor | Grant Shields, Zachary Burnham*
  • Spirit |  Torie Davis, Reed Demangone*
  • Ensemble | Zachary Burnham, Desmond Bunting, Gretha Fergus, Sydney Horan, Lucas Maceroni, Natalie Mastali, Samantha Pape, Grant Sheilds, Leah Yackanech

Gianni Schicchi

  • Gianni Schicchi | Nathan Schludecker, Joshua Klein*
  • Lauretta | Cora-Melin Mikat, Laura Stanell*
  • Rinuccio | Carlos Ahrens, Jinpark Choi*
  • Simone | Sam Dhobhany
  • Zita | Matilda Smolij, Nia Spaulding*
  • Marco | Emilio Vasquez
  • Nella | Annie Weible, Caitlin Chisham*
  • La Ciesca | Torie Davis, Reed Demangone*
  • Betto di Signa | Joshua Klein, Nathan Schludecker*
  • Gherardo | Zachary Burnham, Grant Sheilds*
  • Gherardino | Caitlin Chisham, Sydney Horan*
  • Maestra Spinelloccio | Lucas Maceroni,Natalie Mastali*
  • Ser Amantio di Nicolao | Desmond Bunting
  • Pinellino | Gretha Fergus, Samantha Pape, Gretha Fergus*
  • Guccio | Sydney Horan, Leah Yackanech*

*Featured in the performance on Saturday, Feb. 4

Cast Profiles

Dido

Natalia Adame

Natalia Adame
Senior Vocal Performance student from Novi, Michigan

At CCM: Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Cupid in Orpheus in the Underworld, Dritter Knabe in The Magic Flute with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Gertrude Stein (cover) and Anna Hope (cover) in The Mother of Us All, Shamana 3 in The House on Mango Street (premiere), Owl in The Cunning Little Vixen and Rose and Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden with the Chautauqua Opera Company and Conservatory (Chautauqua, New York), Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro and Mercédès (scenes) in Carmen at the International Opera Summer Festival of Morelia (Morelia, Mexico).


Lauren Albano

Lauren Albano
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from New Orleans, Louisiana 

At CCM: Police Woman and Chorus in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Chorus in Semele, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.


Aeneas

Emilio Vasquez

Emilio Vasquez 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Houston, Texas

At CCM: 2nd armored man in Die Zauberflöte, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld, People's chorus in Dialogues of the Carmelites.


Belinda

Lea Nayak

Lea Nayak
Junior Vocal Performance student from San Francisco, California

At CCM: Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d'Arte, People's Chorus and Voix de femme en coulisse in Les Dialogues des Carmélites with CCM Graduate Opera, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Opera d’Arte.


Two Ladies

Jadyn Riggs

Jadyn Riggs 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Ensemble in Orpheus in the Underworld, Ensemble in Die Zauberflöte. Elsewhere: MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir (Cincinnati, Ohio).



Sorceress

Reed Demangone

Reed Demangone 
Senior Vocal Performance student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld, Third Spirit in The Magic Flute, L'Eco in L'Orfeo with Opera d’Arte.


Maya McGuire

Maya McGuire (she/her)
Junior Vocal Performance student

At CCM: Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld, chorus in The Magic Flute with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Papagena in Die Zauberflöte at Berlin Opera Academy (Berlin, Germany).


Witches

Caitlin Chisham

Caitlin Chisham 
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Wichita, Kansas

CCM: Policewoman and Judge in Orpheus in the Underworld.
Elsewhere: Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors with University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), Marie in Le Fille du Regiment with Boston University Tanglewood Institute (Lennox, Massachusetts), Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Brevard Music Institute (Brevard, North Carolina), Chorus in Pirates of Penzance with Opera Kansas (Wichita, Kansas).


Nia Spaulding

Nia Spaulding
Junior Vocal Performance student from Berkley, California

At CCM: Zita in Gianni Schicchi, 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld and Dritte Dame cover in Die Zauberflöte with Opera d’Arte, Citizen’s Chorus in Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia (Morelia, Mexico), Second Woman in Dido and Aeneas with Voices of Music (San Francisco, California).

 


Sailor

Grant Shields

Grant Shields
Junior Vocal Performance student from Morrow, Ohio

At CCM: Gherardo and Rinuccio (cover) in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor and Chorus in Dido and Aeneas, Chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites, Mercury in Orpheus in the Underworld, Chorus in The Magic Flute with Opera d’Arte, Tenor Soloist in Nunez Garcia’s Requiem, Jephte in Historia di Jephté.


Zachary Burnham

Zachary Burnham
Junior Vocal Performance student from Detroit, Michigan

At CCM: Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor in Dido and Aeneas, Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d’Arte, chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: Doody in Grease at Riverbank Theatre (Marine City, Michigan).


Spirit

Torie Davis

Torie Davis 
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Toledo, Ohio

At CCM: La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Spirit in Dido and Aeneas, Love Police in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera D’Arte. Elsewhere: Chorus in Carmen, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Macbeth and La Bohème with Toledo Opera, Grace Davis in Street Scene at Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio), Mystery in The Fairy Queen at the University of Toledo, Nursing Sister in Suor Angelica with Resonanz Opera (Mentor, Ohio).


Reed Demangone

Reed Demangone 
Senior Vocal Performance student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld, Third Spirit in The Magic Flute, L'Eco in L'Orfeo with Opera d’Arte.


Ensemble

Zachary Burnham

Zachary Burnham
Junior Vocal Performance student from Detroit, Michigan

At CCM: Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor in Dido and Aeneas, Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d’Arte, chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: Doody in Grease at Riverbank Theatre (Marine City, Michigan).


Hayley Maloney

Desmond Bunting 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Gilbert, Arizona

At CCM: Ser Amantio di Nicolao in Gianni Schicchi, Chorus in Dido and Aeneas.


Gretha Fergus

Gretha Fergus 
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Wallingford, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Pinellino in Gianni Schicci, Chorus in Dido and Aeneas. Elsewhere: YoungArts Competition Winner, Ruth in Pirates of Penzance with The Young Players Club of Swarthmore (Wallingford, Pennsylvania).


Sydney Horan

Sydney Horan
Freshman Vocal Performance and Music Education student from West Palm Beach, Florida

Elsewhere: Palm Beach Opera Studio Artist alum.


Hayley Maloney

Lukas Maceroni
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Royal Oak, Michigan

Elsewhere: Michigan School Vocal Music Association Solo and Ensemble Outstanding Soloist (2022), MSVMA All State Honors Choir (2022)


Natalie Mastali

Natalie Mastali
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Orlando, Florida

Elsewhere: Merit Winner for YoungArts, Washington National Opera Institute alum.


Samantha Pape

Samantha Pape
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Houston, Texas

Elsewhere: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Pirates of Penzance, Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio.


Grant Shields

Grant Shields
Junior Vocal Performance student from Morrow, Ohio

At CCM: Gherardo and Rinuccio (cover) in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor and Chorus in Dido and Aeneas, Chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites, Mercury in Orpheus in the Underworld, Chorus in The Magic Flute with Opera d’Arte, Tenor Soloist in Nunez Garcia’s Requiem, Jephte in Historia di Jephté.


Leah Yackanech

Leah Yackanech
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Rockville, Maryland

At CCM: Ensemble in Dido and Aeneas and Guccio in Gianni Schicchi with Opera d’Arte.


Gianni Schicchi


Joshua Klein

Joshua Klein 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Flower Mound, Texas

At CCM: Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Caronte in L’Orfeo with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni with the Vienna Summer Music Festival (Vienna, Austria), Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Berlin Opera Academy (Berlin, Germany).


Lauretta

Cora-Melin Mikat

Cora-Melin Mikat 
Senior Vocal Performance student from Brighton, Michigan

At CCM: Erster Knabe in Die Zauberflöte. Elsewhere: Fortuna, Pallade, and Damigella in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Chicago Summer Opera (Chicago, Illinois), Chorus in L’enfant et les sortilèges with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Cincinnati, Ohio), Queen of the Fairies in Iolanthe with Detroit Opera (Detroit, Michigan).


Laura Stanell

Laura Stanell
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Harleysville, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Ensemble in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Angel/Maiden in The Maid of Orleans with the Russian Opera Workshop at the Academy of Vocal Arts (Philadelphia), Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica with Bel Canto in Tuscany (Greve, Italy).


Rinuccio

Carlos Ahrens

Carlos Ahrens
Second-year Master’s Vocal Performance student from Orlando, Florida

At CCM: First Commissioner in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Rinuccio in Gianni Schiccci
Elsewhere: Tamino in Die Zauberflaüte with the Trentino Music Festival (Fiera, Italy), Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Mayor in Albert Herring, Old Man in L'enfant et les sortilèges and Apollo in Semele at Vanderbilt Opera Theatre (Nashville, Tennessee), Don Curzio in Le Nozze Di Figaro at Prague Summer Nights (Prague, Czechia )


Linpark Choi

Jinpark Choi
Second-year Master’s Vocal Performance student from Seoul, South Korea

At CCM: Chorus in Le Nozze di Figaro and Colin in L’Amant Anonyme. Elsewhere: Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.


Zita


Nia Spaulding

Nia Spaulding
Junior Vocal Performance student from Berkley, California

At CCM: Zita in Gianni Schicchi, 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld and Dritte Dame cover in Die Zauberflöte with Opera d’Arte, Citizen’s Chorus in Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia (Morelia, Mexico), Second Woman in Dido and Aeneas with Voices of Music (San Francisco, California).

 


Marco

Emilio Vasquez

Emilio Vasquez 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Houston, Texas

At CCM: 2nd armored man in Die Zauberflöte, Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld, People's chorus in Dialogues of the Carmelites.


Nella


Caitlin Chisham

Caitlin Chisham 
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Wichita, Kansas

CCM: Policewoman and Judge in Orpheus in the Underworld.
Elsewhere: Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors with University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), Marie in Le Fille du Regiment with Boston University Tanglewood Institute (Lennox, Massachusetts), Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Brevard Music Institute (Brevard, North Carolina), Chorus in Pirates of Penzance with Opera Kansas (Wichita, Kansas).


La Ciesca

Torie Davis

Torie Davis 
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Toledo, Ohio

At CCM: La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Spirit in Dido and Aeneas, Love Police in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera D’Arte. Elsewhere: Chorus in Carmen, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Macbeth and La Bohème with Toledo Opera, Grace Davis in Street Scene at Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio), Mystery in The Fairy Queen at the University of Toledo, Nursing Sister in Suor Angelica with Resonanz Opera (Mentor, Ohio).


Reed Demangone

Reed Demangone 
Senior Vocal Performance student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld, Third Spirit in The Magic Flute, L'Eco in L'Orfeo with Opera d’Arte.


Betto di Signa

Joshua Klein

Joshua Klein 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Flower Mound, Texas

At CCM: Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Caronte in L’Orfeo with Opera d’Arte. Elsewhere: Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni with the Vienna Summer Music Festival (Vienna, Austria), Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Berlin Opera Academy (Berlin, Germany).



Gherardo

Zachary Burnham

Zachary Burnham
Junior Vocal Performance student from Detroit, Michigan

At CCM: Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor in Dido and Aeneas, Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera d’Arte, chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: Doody in Grease at Riverbank Theatre (Marine City, Michigan).


Grant Shields

Grant Shields
Junior Vocal Performance student from Morrow, Ohio

At CCM: Gherardo and Rinuccio (cover) in Gianni Schicchi, Sailor and Chorus in Dido and Aeneas, Chorus in Dialogues des Carmélites, Mercury in Orpheus in the Underworld, Chorus in The Magic Flute with Opera d’Arte, Tenor Soloist in Nunez Garcia’s Requiem, Jephte in Historia di Jephté.


Gherardino

Caitlin Chisham

Caitlin Chisham 
Sophomore Vocal Performance student from Wichita, Kansas

CCM: Policewoman and Judge in Orpheus in the Underworld.
Elsewhere: Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors with University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri), Marie in Le Fille du Regiment with Boston University Tanglewood Institute (Lennox, Massachusetts), Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Brevard Music Institute (Brevard, North Carolina), Chorus in Pirates of Penzance with Opera Kansas (Wichita, Kansas).


Sydney Horan

Sydney Horan
Freshman Vocal Performance and Music Education student from West Palm Beach, Florida

Elsewhere: Palm Beach Opera Studio Artist alum.


Maestra Spinelloccio

Hayley Maloney

Lukas Maceroni
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Royal Oak, Michigan

Elsewhere: Michigan School Vocal Music Association Solo and Ensemble Outstanding Soloist (2022), MSVMA All State Honors Choir (2022)


Natalie Mastali

Natalie Mastali
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Orlando, Florida

Elsewhere: Merit Winner for YoungArts, Washington National Opera Institute alum.


Ser Amantio di Nicolao

Hayley Maloney

Desmond Bunting 
Junior Vocal Performance student from Gilbert, Arizona

At CCM: Ser Amantio di Nicolao in Gianni Schicchi, Chorus in Dido and Aeneas.


Pinellino

Gretha Fergus

Gretha Fergus 
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Wallingford, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Pinellino in Gianni Schicci, Chorus in Dido and Aeneas. Elsewhere: YoungArts Competition Winner, Ruth in Pirates of Penzance with The Young Players Club of Swarthmore (Wallingford, Pennsylvania).


Samantha Pape

Samantha Pape
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Houston, Texas

Elsewhere: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Pirates of Penzance, Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio.


Guccio

Sydney Horan

Sydney Horan
Freshman Vocal Performance and Music Education student from West Palm Beach, Florida

Elsewhere: Palm Beach Opera Studio Artist alum.


Leah Yackanech

Leah Yackanech
Freshman Vocal Performance student from Rockville, Maryland

At CCM: Ensemble in Dido and Aeneas and Guccio in Gianni Schicchi with Opera d’Arte.


Orchestra Roster

Brett Scott, conductor 
Landon Scriber, assistant conductor 

 

Violin I

  • Lindsey Tootle

Violin 2

  • Kerrigan Mandrell 

Viola

  • Brianna Barta 

Cello

  • Josh Bermudez

Double Bass

  • Jack Kotchka-Smith 

Flute

  • Maddie Choi 

Clarinet

  • Clara Spears 

Bassoon

  • Chaoju Lin

Horn

  • Cole Toothaker

Harp

  • EJ Busby

Percussion

  • Kyle Roemer

Production Staff

  • Technical Director | Stirling Shelton
  • Assistant Stage Manager | Elle Bower
  • Production Assistant | Jen Lampson
  • Production Sound Engineer | Lucia Thill
  • Sound Supervisor | Emily Porter
  • Stage Management Supervisor | Michelle Kay
  • Assistant Lighting Designers | Ashton Karp
  • Production Electrician | Abby Fluck
  • Graduate Assistant Opera d’arte | Kaylyn Baldwin
  • Stage Management Mentor | Rosie Pavlik

Production Staff Profiles

Scenic Designer

McKenna Brennan

McKenna Brennan 
Senior Technical Production student from Los Alamitos, California

At CCM: Automation Op on Clybourne Park, Wardrobe Crew on 42nd Street, Master Carpenter on Little Shop of Horrors, Automation Op on Light in the Piazza.


Lighting Designer

Bella Pfeiffer

Bella Pfeiffer 
Senior Lighting Design student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Laser Designer for The Hughes Project, Lighting Designer for Dido and Aeneas + Gianni Schicchi, Assistant Lighting Designer for Fellow Travelers, A Dream Play, and Sunday in the Park with GeorgeElsewhere: Associate Lighting and Laser Designer at Image Engineering (Baltimore, Maryland).


Costume Designer

Corey Cochran

Corey Cochran 
Senior Costume Design and Technology student from Fort Worth, Texas

At CCM: Wardrobe Head for Xanadu and Marriage of Figaro, Craft Artisan for Lysistrata and She Loves Me. Assistant Designer for Spring AwakeningElsewhere: Wig/Makeup Designer and First Hand for Pippin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Robber Bridegroom and Ain't Misbehavin' at Timber Lake Playhouse (Carroll County, Illinois), Stitchers Apprentice for The Sound of Music, Costume Design Apprentice for La Boheme, Candide, Romeo & Juliet, Rinaldo and The Rip Van Winkles, Costume Designer for Love & War at The Glimmerglass Festival (Cooperstown, New York).


Sound Designer

Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue 
Senior Sound Design student from Norwalk, Connecticut

At CCM: Sound Designer for Dido and Aeneas & Gianni Schicchi, Production Sound Engineer for Dialogues des Carmelites, Production Sound Engineer for The BurialsElsewhere: Sound Designer/A1 for Jersey Boys, The Addams Family, Matilda, Spamalot, and Clue with Forestburgh Playhouse (Forestburgh, New York).


Assistant Sound Designer

Bri Kelley

Bri Kelly 
Sophomore Lighting Design and Technology student from Gaithersburg, Maryland

Elsewhere: Assistant sound designer and A1 on Jekyll and Hyde an Immersive Musical Thriller, A1 on Always, Patsy Cline with Free Range Humans (Fredrick, Maryland), A2 on Cabaret with Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (Hilton Head, South Carolina),  Sound Designer and Audio engineer on Pippin with The Free Theatre (Gaithersburg, Maryland), A1 on Romeo and Juliet with The Endangered Species Theatre Project (Fredrick, Maryland).


Production Stage Manager

Hannah Kate Hawver

Hannah Kate Hawver 
Junior Stage Management student from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

At CCM: PA for Xanadu, Orpheus in the Underworld, and Galileo Galilei, Assistant Stage Manager for Cincinnati Dionysia, Student Choreographer's Showcase (2023), and Sweet Charity, PSM for Gianni Schicchi + Dido and Aeneas, and American in Paris + Other Works. Elsewhere: Assistant Stage Manager at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts (Warsaw, Indiana), Assistant Stage Manager at Gulfshore Playhouse (Naples, Florida), Assistant Stage Manager at Long Bay Theatre Company (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).


Assistant Stage Manager

Elora Bowers

Elora Bowers 
Sophomore Stage Management student from West Chester, Ohio

At CCM: Production Assistant for Something Rotten, Costume Crew for Dialogues of the Carmelites, Assistant Stage Manager for Dido and Aeneas and Gianni Schicchi, Scenic Crew for Spring Dance, Deck Electrician for Sweet Charity.


Production Sound Engineer

Lucia Thill

Lucia Thill 
Sophomore Sound Design and Technology student from Minneapolis, Minnesota

At CCM: Our Town. Elsewhere: Wizard of Oz at Southwest Community Education (Minneapolis, Minnesota).


Assistant Lighting Designer

Ashton Karp

Ashton Karp 
Junior Lighting Design student from Houston, Texas

At CCM: She Loves Me, 2023 Student Choreographers Showcase. Elsewhere: The Carnegie (Covington, Kentucky).


Production Electrician

Abby Fluck

Abby Fluck
Sophomore Lighting Design and Technology student from Wayne, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Board Operator for Xanadu, Assistant Master Electrician for Pippin and The Burials, Production Electrician for 30 Years of Stephen: The Music of Stephen Flaherty, Production Electrician 2 for Hughes Project 2.0 Elsewhere: Electrician Apprentice for GreasePrivate Lives, Always Pasty Cline, God Of Carnage, An American in Paris, and Murder on the Orient Express at The Cape Playhouse (Dennis, Massachusetts).


Graduate Assistant Opera d’arte

Kaylyn Baldwin

Kaylyn Baldwin 
First-year Doctoral Student in Voice from Las Vegas, Nevada

At CCM: Soprano Soloist in The Creation. Elsewhere: Young Leah in Uncovered, Poppea in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Utah State Opera Theatre (Logan, Utah), Chorus in Le Nozze di Figaro with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre (Logan, Utah).


Stage Management Mentor

Rosie Pavlik

Rosie Burns Pavlik 
Senior Stage Management student from Farmington Hills, Michigan

At CCM: Production Stage Manager for Dialogues of the CarmelitesJulius Caesar, and Orpheus and the Underworld, Calling Stage Manager for Cincinnati Dyonisia. Assistant Stage Manager for Cinderella, Galileo Galilei, and Travelogue, Production Assistant for The Magic Flute, and Rocket Science, Wardrobe Supervisor for Spring Awakening. Elsewhere: Orchestra Stage Manager for Aspen Music Festival, Assistant Stage Manager for The Sound of Music (Aspen Music Festival) and The Absentee (The KNOW Theatre of Cincinnati), Sub-Assistant Stage Manager for Don Giovanni (Aspen Music Festival).


next
On stage

Upcoming must-see events + top news from UC's College-Conservatory of Music

Stay up to date on CCM news and events by subscribing to our Next OnStage email newsletter, which is published every other Wednesday. Visit ccm.uc.edu/subscribe to sign up for email updates.

You can also connect with us on FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube and LinkedIn.


CCM News

1

Get to know CCM’s newest faculty and staff members

November 20, 2023

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts this fall. The following new appointments have been announced as of Aug 15, 2023. Additional new hires will be announced later this summer.

2

CCM Opera brings harrowing myth to life in 'The Rape of Lucretia'

November 14, 2023

UC College Conservatory of Music (CCM) launches its Opera Series with Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. The opera, one of the masterpieces of the English repertoire, runs Thursday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov 19 in the Patricia Corbett Theatre. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

3

Cincinnati Opera and CCM to workshop two new operas through...

November 13, 2023

Cincinnati Opera and CCM will workshop two new operas—"Two Corners" and "Bulrusher"—through their Opera Fusion: New Works partnership this winter. Both workshops culminate in free, public performances of excerpts on December 17 (Two Corners) and January 24 (Bulrusher).

Load More
Debug Query for this

CCMpower

CCMpower is a volunteer group of fans, advocates and alumni dedicated to empowering students and fueling the future of the arts through scholarship opportunities and more.

The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.

Join or renew your CCMpower member today to help provide critical scholarship funds. Visit foundation.uc.edu/ccmpower to learn more.

 


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
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Greg Mathein 
Gary & Barb Cummins 
Jim & Linda Miller 
George & Carroll Roden
Musical Theatre Department Sponsors
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. Sittenfeld
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
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
Anonymous
  Classical Guitar Sponsor

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
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
Louis and Susan Meisel
Piano Department Sponsors
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
   Wind Studies Sponsor
Buddy Rogers Music
LINKS Sponsor
Sponsors listed as of Sept. 7, 2023

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, 1-5 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

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.


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.


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.


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.


CCM Faculty and Staff

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.


Know Your Exit

Map depicting exits from Cohen Family Studio Theater

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.