CCM OPERA SERIES PRESENTS

LA FINTA GIARDINIERA
(THE PRETEND GARDEN GIRL) 

Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Libretto attributed to Giuseppe Petrosellini  
Edited for the New Mozart Edition by Rudolph Angermüller and Dietrich Berke 

Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Bärenreiter-Verlag, publisher and copyright owner.

Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2024, Patricia Corbett Theater

  • Conductor | Gary Thor Wedow, guest artist
  • Director | Brian Robertson
  • Scenic Designer | Gabby Trice*
  • Lighting Designer | Krista Billings, guest artist from Cincinnati Opera
  • Costume Designer | Cassie Smith*
  • Sound Designer | Emily Porter 
  • Production Stage Manager | Emily Mallendick*
  • Props Manager | Moira Seger*
  • Dialect Coach | Kirill Kuzmin
  • Fight Director | k. Jenny Jones
  • Assistant Conductor | Michael Patterson*

*CCM Student

La Finta Giardiniera will run 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.

Conductor's Note

By Gary Thor Wedow, guest artist

Wolfgang Mozart and La Finta Giardiniera

This opera is one of my favorite operatic works, among my favorite works of Mozart, and indeed of all comedic operatic masterpieces. It is exuberantly youthful, genuinely humorous (with jokes as old as the pyramids) and it sees directly into the human heart with the MRI of Mozart’s musical probing — yes! it sees into your heart too; you’ll feel it tonight.

It may seem astounding that he wrote this when he was ‘only’ 18, but truth, he had already written around seven professionally produced operatic works, so he was already an operatic force. Although La Finta Giardiniera, I feel, is his first mature opera written in his voice. It is the prototype for his later great works, especially Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così. Though Finta is an opera buffa, it is the serious plaintive arias of Sandrina, the gardeness and the stunning last act reunion duet of the lovers that are among the real treasures of this garden with their rapturous melodies and emotional depth. Other staggering musical moments are the kaleidoscopic Act I and Act II finales, worthy of standing beside Mozart’s later masterpieces, where he sweeps us along with the action with vibrant, continually changing dramatic music.

What amazes and amuses me the most however is the young Mozart’s accurate renderings of these inflated personalities, still so familiar to us today. As a child, Mozart had been exhibited before the crowned heads and the elite of Europe and was well familiar with their preening and self-importance. He paints them hilariously, without shame, with his music, both the upper class and the servants who would soon rise to equality; these are people he knows intimately and within a few bars of his glorious music, we know them too, and despite their ridiculous behavior, we fall in love with them and their vain, foolish antics.

Finally, what the opera is about, and what obsessed Mozart constantly was love; in the final chorus, everyone sings: ‘Viva amore!’ Mozart never ceased being in love with his aptly named wife Constanze. After nine years of marriage, five months before his death he wrote to her: ‘My one wish is to settle my affairs so I can be with you again. You cannot imagine how I have been aching for you. I can’t describe what I have been feeling — a kind of longing that is never satisfied, which only increases daily. Even my work gives me no pleasure…’ Love.

So welcome to our garden, where love always blossoms anew, and we can always hope to find true love renewed or found for the very first time.

Gary Thor Wedow, October 25, 2024

Gary Thor Wedow

Conductor Gary Thor Wedow has established an enviable reputation for dramatically exciting and historically informed performances. Opera News has hailed him for his “hot music making”, “convincingly elegant period style”, and “impassioned leadership”. Conducting a wide range of repertoire, he has had long associations with Seattle Opera (La Cenerentola, Le nozze di Figaro, Gluck’s Orphée, etc.), New York City Opera (Don Giovanni, Carmen, Telemann’s Orpheus, etc.), The Canadian Opera Company (the North American premier of Sartorio’s Giulio Cesare), and the Juilliard School where he is on the faculty and often leads performances of the operas and oratorios of Handel, Mozart, and Bach.

This summer he conducted Barbiere di Siviglia for Des Moines Metro Opera which was lauded by Opera Today as “The Best. Barber. Ever!”, last season included Don Pasquale for Opera Omaha, L’incoronazione di Poppea for the Shepherd School and a new production of Carmen in Spanish for Opera Southwest. He was Artistic Advisor for Portland Baroque Orchestra for the 21-22 season (leading performances of Mendelssohn, C.P.E. Bach and Zeltner) and was formerly the Associate Conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society. His other recent early music performances have included Atalanta for the Juilliard School with Juilliard 415, Rameau’s Platée for Des Moines Metro Opera, Giulio Cesare (Handel) for the Atlanta Opera, and L’incoronazione di Poppea for Cincinnati Opera featuring countertenors Anthony Roth Constanzo and Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen.

A regular guest of Utah Opera, he has led their productions of The Pirates of Penzance, Le nozze di Figaro, Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Fledermaus and L’Entführung aus dem Serail.

This coming spring, he will conduct Le nozze di Figaro for Palm Beach Opera, and later this year Messiah for the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, a work he has frequently led for the New York Philharmonic, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra among many other orchestras. Born in La Porte, Indiana and resident of New York City; Wedow studied piano with virtuoso Jorge Bolet at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University and received his Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory.

Synopsis

While taking a break at Lagonero Studios, two actors performing in the reality TV show, La Finta Giardiniera, have a misunderstanding over how to represent the backstory of the opera the show is based on. By coincidence, that misunderstanding mirrors the backstory where Count Belfiore wounds his lover, the Marchioness Violante Onesti, and cowardly runs away, leaving her for dead. In a frenzy, the actress performing Sandrina, is attended to and returned to set just as filming begins. So begins the reality TV period drama, where the cast desperately tries to find their true love among the many obstacles placed in front of them.

On the set of the Podestà’s verdant estate, we find our contestants pursuing their earnest desire for connection.  

Our Contestants:

  • Count Belfiore: Desperate to get hitched to any willing partner to escape his status as a fugitive for the murder of Marchioness Violante Onesti. A living, breathing Himbo in action.
  • Arminda: Niece of the Podestà. She has meandered through life leaving a chaotic trail of discarded relationships. The Podestà is determined to get her in a relationship that sticks, or at least find someone willing to spend five minutes with her while the ink dries on the marriage certificate.
  • Ramiro: A survivor of Arminda’s abandoned and desiccated relationships. He believes that his constant misery is proof that he is the anointed savior to reveal that Arminda is actually human.
  • Podestà: The Mayor and host to this anticipated day of celebration for Arminda’s impending accelerated marriage to Count Belfiore. He hopes to use the marriage celebration to announce his engagement to Sandrina, the mysterious garden girl.
  • Serpetta: The house maid. Serpetta believes completely that she is the smartest and most desirable person on the estate. The person she wants, the Podestà, is the one person she is struggling to convince.
  • Nardo: The garden assistant to Sandrina. He pretends to be her cousin to disguise that he is the Major-Domo to her Marchioness Violante Onesti. He is completely taken by Serpetta, willing to endure all humiliation for her favor. His eternally optimistic disposition defies all psychiatric definition.
  • Sandrina: La Finta Giardiniera, the pretend garden girl. Really the Marchioness Violante Onesti. After the altercation with Count Belfiore, she hastily disguised herself as a garden maid and gained employment on the estate of the Podestà. She is searching for Count Belfiore to resolve her tumultuous feelings of the actions of that night.  Unfortunately, she left with only Nardo and no plan. Now she is stuck maintaining the ruse of being a servant when really, she is a Countess.

The Company

  • Sandrina | Emma Marhefka+, Morgan Small^
  • Count Belfiore | Reed Gnepper+, Carlos Ahrens^
  • Don Anchiese | Cameron Howard+, Ian Pathak^
  • Arminda | Kaylan Hernandez+, Nia Spaulding^
  • Serpetta | Malone Blaich+, Holly Thomas^
  • Ramiro | Lucy Evans+, Junyue Gong^
  • Nardo | Andrew Hallam+, Sang Bin Park^

^ Performs Friday, Nov. 1
+ Performs Thursday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 2

Student Bios

Sandrina

Emma Marhefka@ WTO (2022) 102

Emma Marhefka 
Second-year Artist Diploma student from Allentown, Pennsylvania

At CCM: The Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen, Mary Johnson in Fellow Travelers, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Elsewhere: Frasquita in Carmen at Des Moines Metro Opera (Des Moines, Iowa), Younger Alyce in Glory Denied at Knoxville Opera (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Opera Roanoke (Roanoke, Virginia), Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi at Opera Tampa (Tampa, FL).


UC CCM logo

Morgan Small  
Second-year MM Voice student from Highland Park, Illinois

At CCM: Sandrina in La finta giardiniera, Rooster/Jay in The Cunning Little Vixen. Elsewhere: Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Cunegonde in Candide, Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, The Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, Milk Maid/Ensemble in La Bohème at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois),  Oberto in Alcina with Saluzzo Opera Academy (Saluzzo, Italy).


Count Belfiore

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Reed Gnepper 
Second-year MM Voice student from Toledo, Ohio

At CCM: Mosquito and Pásek in The Cunning Little Vixen. Elsewhere: Ferrando (cover) in Così fan tutte and Johnathan Dale (cover) in Silent Night with Wolf Trap Opera (Vienna, Virginia), L'amante in Amelia al ballo with The Juilliard School (New York), Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden with The Chautauqua Institute, Chorus in Lucia di Lammermoor and Il barbiere di Siviglia with Cincinnati Opera.


Carlos Ahrens

Carlos Ahrens  
First-year AD Opera student from Orlando, Florida

At CCM: Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  Dr. Baglioni in La Hija de Rappacini, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, First Commissioner in Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: King of El Dorado/ Baron in Candide at The Glimmerglass Festival (Cooperstown, New York), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at the Trentino Music Festival (Trentino, Italy), Ferrando in Così fan tutte at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee), Tommy Djilas in The Music Man at Charlottesville Opera (Charlottesville, Virginia).


Don Anchiese

Cameron Howard

Cameron Howard 
First-year MM Voice student from Irvington, Kentucky

Elsewhere: Little Bat in Susannah, Sandmann in Hänsel und Gretel and Ezekiel Cheever in The Crucible with University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, Le petit vieillard in L'enfant et les sortilèges with Chautauqua Opera Conservatory (Chautauqua, New York).


Ian Pathak

Ian Pathak  
First-year MM Voice student from Springfield, Virginia

At CCM: Podestà in La Finta Giardiniera. Elsewhere: Ferrando (cover) in Così fan tutte and Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls with Opera Saratoga (Saratoga Springs, New York), Schoolteacher in The Pigeon Keeper, Mercure in Orphée aux enfers, Willie in Hobson's Choice, and Schoolmaster/Mosquito in The Cunning Little Vixen with University of Michigan Opera (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Bogdanovitch in The Merry Widow with Toledo Opera (Toledo, Ohio), and Chorus in Aida in Concert with Detroit Opera (Detroit, Michigan).


Arminda

Kaylan Hernandez

Kaylan Hernandez 
Second-year MM Voice student from Miami, Florida

At CCM: Beatriz in La Hija de Rappacini, Arminda in La finta giardiniera, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Elsewhere: Mabel (cover)/Chorus in The Pirates of Penzance and Chorus in Pagliacci at The Glimmerglass Festival (Cooperstown, New York).


Nia Spaulding

Nia Spaulding 
First-year MM Voice student from Berkeley, California

At CCM: Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld (Opera d’Arte). Elsewhere: Chorus in La Traviata with Cincinnati Opera, Chorus in Liverpool Oratorio with Cincinnati Opera, Chorus in La Bohème with Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara, California), La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with International Opera Festival of Morelia (Morelia, Mexico).


Serpetta

Malone Blaich

Malone Blaich 
Second-year AD Opera student from Kansas City, Missouri

At CCM: Serpetta in La finta giardiniera, Lišák in The Cunning Little Vixen, Blanche de la Force in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Jenny/Woman 1/Reporter 1 in The Righteous (Opera Fusion: New Works). Elsewhere: Clivia in Clivia, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and Valentine in La Marchenera with American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) (Graz, Austria).


Holly Thomas

Holly Thomas 
First-year AD Opera student from Nashville, Tennessee

At CCM: Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Serpetta in La Finta Giardiniera, Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, Sister St. Charles in Les Dialogue des Carmelites. Elsewhere: Casilda in The Gondoliers, Chrysaea in The Arcadians and Liesl in The Sound of Music at Ohio Light Opera (Wooster, Ohio), Liesgen from “Coffee Cantata” at Queen City Opera (Cincinnati), Lisa cover in La Sonnambula at Teatro Nuovo (New York City), Celia in Lucio Silla at Chicago Summer Opera, Rose in Ruddigore and Fanchette in Les Mariage aux Lanternes at University of Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee).


Ramiro

Lucy Evans

Lucy Evans  
Second-year AD Opera student from Bellingham, Washington

At CCM: Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Isabella in La Hija de Rappaccini, Agrippina in Agrippina, Madame in Bulrusher (Opera Fusion: New Works) and Uta Hagen in Robeson (Fusion). Elsewhere: Rosina (cover) in The Barber of Seville and Marie de Medici in Galileo Galilei with Opera Theatre of St Louis (St Louis, Missouri), Alto soloist (cover) in Liverpool Oratorio with Cincinnati Opera, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Holy City Lyric Arts and Opera (Charleston, South Carolina), La Messaggera and La Ninfa in L'Orfeo, Agent 1 in M. Butterfly (World Premiere) and Kitchen Girl (cover) in Rusalka with Santa Fe Opera (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Alto Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Albany Symphony (Albany, New York).


UC CCM logo

Junyue Gong 
First-year AD Opera student from Chengdu, China

At CCM: Ramiro in La finta giardiniera, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia, Flower 3 in La Hija de Rapaccini. Sister Gertrude in Les Dialogues des Carmélites. Elsewhere: Nicolette (cover)/Chorus in The Love for Three Oranges and Chorus in Carmen with Des Moines Metro Opera (Indianola, Iowa), 3rd Spirit in The Magic Flute with Queen City Opera (Cincinnati), Chorus in Liverpool Oratorio with Cincinnati Opera.


Nardo

Andrew Hallam

Andrew Hallam 
Second-year MM Voice student from Detroit, Michigan

At CCM: Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream (upcoming), Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen, Mr. Baron in Lincoln in the Bardo. Elsewhere: Dr. Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'amore and Grandpa Moss in The Tender Land at Opera in the Ozarks (Eureka Springs, Arkansas), Leporello in Don Giovanni at Vienna Summer Music Festival (Vienna, Austria), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan).


Sang Bin Park

Sang Bin Park
First-year MM Voice student from Seoul, South Korea

At CCM: Nardo in La finta Giardiniera. Elsewhere: Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro at Chicago Summer Opera (Chicago, Illinois), Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni at Vienna Summer Music Festival (Tampa, Florida), Schaunard in La Bohème at Mannes School of Music (New York City).


Orchestra Roster

CCM Student Orchestra

Gary Thor Wedow, guest conductor

Violin 1

  • Alex Auer, Concert master
  • Ruike Yang
  • Rafael Roig-Francoli
  • Po-Hsun Ho
  • Eunjae Chung
  • LeMan Feng

Violin 2

  • Bill Auer, Principal
  • Karis Dharmawirya
  • Jiajian Zhou
  • Minyue Zheng
  • Zi Qi Wu 

Viola

  • Murphy Combs, Principal
  • Lily Clark
  • Juliette Mikautadze
  • Nan Li
  • Alex Kirk 

Cello 

  • Ada Ortan, Principal
  • Xinrui Yan
  • KanYun Li 

Bass

  • Eric Reigelsperger, Principal 
  • Riley Foos 

Flute

  • Minkyoung Choi
  • Anna Reid 

Oboe

  • Robbie Burleson
  • Anish Pandit 

Bassoons

  • Ethan Surles
  • Joshua Butenschoen 

Horns

  • Shawn Knapp
  • Alyssa Webb
  • Jesus Ortega
  • Lucy Williams 

Trumpets

  • Mason Kibble
  • Jeadong Kim 

Timpani

  • Koen Scheid 

FortePiano

  • Marine Eckert
  • Joe Stephens

Production Staff

  • Technical Director | Benji Lookatch
  • Assistant Stage Managers | Annalee Crosser, Halena Edwards
  • Production Assistant | Matilda Dalton
  • Assistant Production Managers | Annalee Crosser, Bethany Untener
  • Assistant Scenic Designer | Ella Stumpf
  • Assistant Costume Designer | Rachel Luneke
  • Assistant Lighting Designers | Ben Niemczyk, Charlie Raschke
  • Assistant Sound Designer | Hank Burns-Pavlik
  • Assistant Technical Director | Billy Blank
  • Wardrobe Supervisor | Kyle Williams
  • Wardrobe Crew | Chloe Breeze, Coe Morgan, Ryan Peerless, Ibn Whitfield
  • Production Electrician | Laura Hanks 
  • Lighting Programmer | Ashton Karp
  • Light Board Operator | Jack Walter
  • Deck Electricians | Paul Hartmann, Katie Mogren
  • Followspot Operators | Lucy Dunn, Emma Miller
  • Head Carpenter | Blake Yavuz
  • Scenic Charge Artist | Liz Mitan
  • Set/Props Running Crew | Gavin Barrett, John Dougherty, Ethan Fessler, Skyler Rivera, Nikolai Thaman
  • Production Sound Engineer | Val Molloy
  • Sound Board Operator | El Bowers
  • Wig and Make-Up Running Crew | Ela Congleton, Wyatt Laminack, Kyrie Paez

Student Bios

Scenic Designer

Gabby Trice

Gabby S. Trice 
Second-year MFA Stage Design student from Blacksburg, Virginia

At CCM: Scenic Design for La finta giardiniera, Everybody and Clue. Elsewhere: Scenic Design for As You Like It at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, New Jersey), Art Dept. Lead for Mad Hatter’s (Gin &) Tea Party (Washington, DC), Various mural designs for the Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, Georgia), Scenic Design for Legacy of Light and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters at Synchronicity Theatre (Atlanta), Design for The Little Mermaid at America Legacy Theatre (Cincinnati), Design for Peter & the Starcatcher with Stagedoor Players (Atlanta).


Lighting Designer

Krista Billings.

Krista Billings.

Krista Billings
Guest Artist from Cincinnati Opera

Opera credits include The Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Delaware Opera Company, Center City Opera of Philadelphia and the Curtis Institute of Music. She has a wide range of design experience in the performing arts, from the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival to The Velveteen Rabbit (for Enchantment Theatre) and the Re- lighting of Historic Boathouse Row on the beautiful Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Krista loves the scope that opera offers and a chance to help tell the story with light. She is currently the Stage Operation Director for the Cincinnati Opera


Costume Designer

Cassie Smith

Cassie Smith  
Senior BFA Costume Design and Technology student from Arlington, Virginia

At CCM: Assistant Costume Designer for Once on this Island and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Elsewhere: Stitcher at Barrington Stage Company (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) and Assistant Costume Designer for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (Winchester, Virginia).


Production Stage Manager

Emily Mallendick

Emily Mallendick 
Senior BFA Stage Management student from Toledo, Ohio

At CCM: Production Stage Manager for Everybody, Assistant Stage Manager for Little Women, Spring Awakening and Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Production Assistant for The Burials and Blue Stockings. Elsewhere: Stage Manager for Hamlet (Park Tour) with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and 1-MAN NO-SHOW with the 2024 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Production Stage Manager for RENT and Be More Chill with Stone Productions (Toledo, Ohio). Assistant Stage Manager for Light Chasers with the Know Theatre of Cincinnati.


Props Manager

UC CCM logo

Moira Seger (she/they)
Junior BFA Stage Design, Props and Scenic Art student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Scenic Designer for Dark Sisters, Props Manager for La finta giardiniera, Props Manager for The Cunning Little Vixen, Assistant Scenic Designer for The Rape of Lucretia, Scenic Charge for Everybody. Elsewhere: Props Artisan for The Sound of Music, The Count of Luxembourg and Guys and Dolls at Ohio Light Opera (Wooster, Ohio).


Technical Director

Benji Lookatch

Benji Lookatch  
Senior BFA Technical Direction student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

At CCM: Assistant Technical Director for Once on This Island and The Rape of Lucretia, Head Carpenter for Something Rotten and Cinderella. Elsewhere: Install Tech and Fabricator on Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas with River City Scenic.


Assistant Stage Managers

Annalee Crosser

Annalee Crosser  
Senior BFA Stage Management student from Edmond, Oklahoma

At CCM: Production Stage Manager on The Rape of Lucretia, Assistant Stage Manager on Little Mermaid, Assistant Stage Manager on Frankenstein, Assistant Stage Manager on Something Rotten, Production Assistant on The Marriage of Figaro. Elsewhere: Production Stage Manager on Sweet Charity and Gypsy at Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina), Assistant Stage Manager on Don Quixote at Cincinnati Ballet, Stage Management Intern on The Knock at Cincinnati Opera, Assistant Stage Manager on The Bridges of Madison County at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (Winchester, Virginia).


Halena Edwards

Halena Edwards 
Sophomore BFA Stage Management student from Memphis, Tennessee

At CCM: Assistant Stage Manager for La finta giardiniera, Production Assistant for Let the Right One In. Elsewhere: Assistant Stage Manager for Carmen Jones at Hattiloo Theatre (Memphis, Tennessee).


Production Assistant

Matilda Dalton

Matilda Dalton  
Freshman BFA Stage Management student from Perrysburg, Ohio

At CCM: Production Assistant for La Finta Giardiniera.


Assistant Production Manager

Bethany Untener

Bethany Untener 
Junior BFA Stage Management student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Production Stage Manager for John Proctor is the Villain, Assistant Stage Manager for Rappaccini’s Daughter, Assistant Stage Manager for Fall Dance 2023. Elsewhere: Assistant Stage Manager for Unto These Hills at Cherokee Historical Association (Cherokee, North Carolina), Production Assistant for SpongeBob the Musical Youth Edition and Stage Manager for Kids at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati.


Assistant Scenic Designer

Ella Stumpf

Ella Stumpf 
Sophomore BFA Stage Design, Props and Scenic Art student from Lexington, Kentucky

At CCM: Scenic Design Assistant for Let the Right One In and La Finta GiardinieraElsewhere: Props Designer for Alice in Wonderland Junior, Scenic Designer for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus the Musical and Shop Assistant and ASM for Seussical Junior at Woodford Theatre (Versailles, Kentucky).


Assistant Costume Designer

Rachel Luneke

Rachel Luneke 
Junior BFA Costume Design and Technology student from Covington, Kentucky

At CCM: Stitcher for Once on This Island, The Cunning Little Vixen, Clue: On Stage, The Little Mermaid, Wardrobe Crew Head for Everybody and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Elsewhere: Stitcher for Seven Deadly Sins, Così fan tutte, La Bohème, and Silent Night with Wolf Trap Opera (Vienna, Virginia), Stitcher for Camelot, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, No No Nanette, HMS Pinafore, Arizona Lady, and Orpheus in the Underworld at Ohio Light Opera (Wooster, Ohio).


Assistant Lighting Designers

Ben Niemczyk

Ben Niemczyk  
First-year MFA Lighting Design and Technology student from Hartland, Wisconsin

At CCM: Assistant Lighting Designer 2 for La finta giardiniera, Lighting Designer for Dance Works, Lighting Designer for Coppelia. Elsewhere: Lighting Technician at Lighthouse Productions (Green Bay, Wisconsin), Lighting Designer for Amelie, Dance Works 2023, “Afterimages” 2023 and As We Climb at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wisconsin).


Charlie Raschke

Charlie Raschke 
Junior Lighting Design student from Raleigh, North Carolina


Assistant Sound Designer

Hank Burns-Pavlik

Hank Burns-Pavlik 
Sophomore Sound Design and Technology student from Farmington Hills, Michigan

At CCM: A1 for Clue: On Stage, Mic Tech for Sweet Charity and Once on This Island. Elsewhere: Audio Apprentice at Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston, South Carolina), Live Audio and Recording Apprentice at Brevard Music Center Festival (Brevard, North Carolina).


Wig and Make-Up Coordinators

Claire Bonnette

Claire Bonnette (she/her) 
Second-year MFA Make-Up and Wig Design student from Ozark, Missouri

At CCM: Make-up and Wig Designer for Sweet Charity, Make-up and Wig Artist for Clue: On Stage, Assistant Make-up and Wig Designer for Once on This Island. Elsewhere: Spring Awakening Hair and Make-up Designer for Spring Awakening at Drury University (Springfield, Missouri).


UC CCM logo

Emily Kemmerer
Second-year MFA Make-Up and Wig Design student from Wooster, Ohio

At CCM: Wig Stylist and Wig and Make-up Supervisor for Sweet Charity. Elsewhere: Assistant Wardrobe Manager at The Glimmerglass Festival for 2023 season (Cooperstown, New York). Wardrobe Supervisor at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for 2023 season (Cincinnati, Ohio). Wardrobe Supervisor at Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre for 2022 season (Grand Lake, Colorado).


M O'Donnell

M O'donnell
First-year MFA Make-Up and Wig Design student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

At CCM: Wig and Make-Up Design Assistant for The Winter's Tale.


Wardrobe Crew

Ryan Peerless

Ryan Peerless  
Freshman BFA Lighting Design and Technology student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Follow Spot Operator for In the Green. Elsewhere: Assistant Lighting Designer for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at The Carnegie (Covington, Kentucky).


Production Electrician

Laura Hanks

Laura Hanks  
Junior BFA Lighting Design and Technology student from Hilliard, Ohio

At CCM: Production Electrician for La Finta Giardiniera, Production Electrician for Rappaccini's Daughter, Assistant Lighting Designer for The Cunning Little VixenElsewhere: Programmer for Bourbon and Beyond and Louder than Life Festivals 2024, Deck Electrician for Illinois at Bard SummerScape (Red Hook, New York).


Lighting Programmer

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).


Deck Electrician

Katie Mogren

Katie Mogren 
Sophomore BFA Stage Management student from St. Paul, Minnesota

At CCM: Assistant Stage Manager for The Winter's Tale, Production Assistant for Clue: On Stage, Wig & Makeup Crew for Rappaccini's Daughter and The Rape of Lucretia. Elsewhere: Production Stage Manager for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The SpongeBob Musical and Costume Designer for Frozen Jr. at Ashland Productions (Maplewood, Minnesota), Production Stage Manager for Alice in Wonderland with Lakeshore Players Theatre (White Bear Lake, Minnesota).


Head Carpenter

Blake Yavuz

Blake Yavuz  
Sophomore BFA Technical Production student from Los Angeles, California

At CCM: Carpenter for Let the Right One In, Clue: On Stage, The Cunning Little Vixen and Once on This Island. Elsewhere: Carpenter for Little Shop of Horrors, The Play that Goes Wrong, Cabaret, The Agitators.


Costume Running Crew

Ava Morsch

Ava Morsch (she/her)  
Freshman BFA Technical Production student from Cincinnati, Ohio


Scenic Charge Artist

Liz Mitan

Liz Mitan 
Senior BFA Stage Design, Props and Scenic Art student from Mason, Ohio

At CCM: Scenic Charge Artist for Let the Right One In, Rappaccini’s Daughter, Clue: On Stage, Frankenstein and She Loves Me. Elsewhere: Scenic Artist at The Ohio Light Opera


Set/Props Running Crew

John Dougherty

John Dougherty 
Freshman Sound Design student from Fort Thomas, Kentucky

At CCM: Run Crew for La Finta Giardiniera, RF Technician for Wonderful Town.


Production Sound Engineer

Val Molloy

Val Molloy 
Sophomore BFA Sound Design student from Cincinnati, Ohio

At CCM: Mic Tech for Sweet Charity, A1 for Rappaccini's Daughter Elsewhere: A/V Technician for Hamlet at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Park Tour).


Sound Board Operator

Elora Bowers

El Bowers 
Junior BFA Stage Management student from West Chester, Ohio

At CCM: Production Stage Manager for The Marriage of Figaro, Assistant Stage Manager for Choreographers’ Showcase 2024, Assistant Stage Manager for Gianni Schicchi and Dido and Aeneas, Assistant Stage Manager for The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.


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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

VOTE: BroadwayWorld Awards highlight CCM excellence

December 4, 2024

Each year, BroadwayWorld recognizes excellence in regional theater through its online awards. This year, CCM students, faculty and productions received a total of 58 nominations across nearly every category for the Cincinnati Awards, once again proving that CCM is a leader in the local arts scene.

2

CCM winter apparel available for purchase online

November 27, 2024

Show your school spirit this spring with official CCM apparel! New UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel is available for purchase online. CCM's latest quarter zip and crewneck sweatshirt designs can be ordered online now through Dec. 8, 2024. You can preview both items below.

3

Giving Tuesday: Support CCM health and wellness

November 26, 2024

For the UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) community, Giving Tuesday offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact by supporting Student Health and Wellness. As our students dedicate themselves to the arts – pursuing rigorous schedules filled with practice, performance, and academic study – their mental and physical well-being is crucial.

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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.

 


Supporters

Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust
Scholarship and Resident Artist Supporter
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship Sponsor
The Corbett Endowment at CCM
Dance Department Supporter
All-Steinway School Supporter
The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter & Randolph, LLC, Corporate Counsel
Visiting Artists & Thinking About Music Supporter
William L. Gasch Endowment Fund for Dance Excellence
CCM Dance Department Supporter
J. Brett Offenberger, MD and Mr. Douglas E. Duckett;
Dr. & Mrs. Carl G. Fischer 
Greg Mathein 
Jim & Linda Miller 
George & Caroll Roden
Musical Theatre Department Supporters
Gearsupply.com AV Marketplace
Theater Design & Production Supporter
The Estate of Genevieve Smith
Opera Production Supporter
Bacchus Legacy Foundation
TAPAA Guest Director Supporter
Rafael and Kimberly de Acha
Opera D’Arte Supporter
Estate of Mrs. William A. Friedlander
Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth
Judith Schonbach Landgren and Peter Landgren
Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen
Elizabeth C.B. Sittenfeld
Elizabeth Stone
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman
Mrs. Theodore W. Striker
Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer
Ariel Quartet Supporters
Friedlander Family Fund
Karl Zipser
Chamber Music at CCM
Jan Rogers
Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation
Choral Studies Supporters
Anonymous
Classical Guitar Supporter
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Hirschhorn
Philharmonia Supporters
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Starling Pre-Collegiate Supporter
Starling Strings Supporter
Dr. Timothy E. and Janet L. Johnson
Thom Miles and Roberta Gary
Organ Department Supporters
Keyboard Club of Cincinnati
L. Ried Schott
Piano Department Supporters
Kevin and Nancy Rhein
Wind Studies Supporters
Willis Music/ Buddy Rogers Music
LINKS Instrument Donation Supporter
Strader Fund of the Greter Cincinnati Foundation
CCM Innovation Supporter


Sponsors listed as of August 1, 2024

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 Tuesday 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 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.