Meet the performers and guest soloists of Young Artists of America and Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras’ production of Madama Butterfly and Miss Saigon which will be performed at The Music Center at Strathmore on Sunday, March 10th at 4 PM.
Today, meet our guest soloists.
The production will feature over 130 performers in various roles The orchestra is the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras Philharmonic, made up of 85 of the brightest and talented young instrumentalists in the DC Metro area. The cast from Young Artists of America consists of 30 young vocalists from over 14 schools in Maryland, DC and Virginia. The concert will also feature 15 members of the Women’s Chorus of the American Center for Puccini Studies who will lend their expertise in the operatic selections. All in all, over 130 performers will take the stage on Sunday, March 10th at 4 PM.
We’d love to introduce you to our cast of vocal soloists. Firstly, our operatic soloists are three professional opera singers who will be taking on the roles in Madama Butterfly.
Soprano Kay Krekow will be singing Butterfly, Tenor Harry Dunstan will be singing Pinkerton, and Timothy Mix will be singing Sharpless.
Tomorrow, we will introduce our student soloists, all still in high school, who will be singing the roles in Miss Saigon: Chani Wereley (Kim), Eitan Mazia (Chris), Adam Settlage (John), Nicole Sergeyko (Ellen), Gillian Han (Gigi), and Wesley Diener (Engineer).
Soprano Kay Krekow (Butterfly) is an acclaimed interpreter of the heroines of Puccini: Anna in Le villi; Fidelia in the 1889, 1891, and 1905 editions of Edgar; both Mimi and Musetta in La Bohème; the title role in Tosca; the title role in Madama; Minnie in La fanciulla del West; Magda in La rondine; and the triumvirate of Suor Angelica, Giorgetta, and Lauretta in Il trittico.
Miss Krekow has also presented concerts featuring the poetry and music of women troubadours, cabaret songs of the French Impressionists, and Diva’s Song: the Works of 19th Century Opera Divas. With her husband, Dr. Harry Dunstan, she manages The American Center for Puccini Studies and looks forward to reprising her role of Mimi in performances of La bohème this April with the American Center for Puccini Studies.
Tenor Harry Dunstan (Pinkerton) is the Founding Artistic Director of The American Center for Puccini Studies and one of the world’s lead-ing experts on the operas of Puccini. He has performed every Puccini hero and, through his work with the ACPS, has also presented all rare editions of several of Puccini’s operas. His performances have garnered consistent praise: the title role in Puccini’s Edgar; Rodolfo in La bohème; Cavaradossi in Tosca; Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West. He has been a featured soloist at The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Constitution Hall, the Smithsonian Museum, and the Organization of American States, and was the featured soloist in the Papal mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II, which was seen by an international audience of over 200 million. In addition to his performing career, Dr. Dunstan is internationally recognized for his contribution to Puccini scholarship, is a frequent lecturer at major universities, and acts as consultant to a number of opera companies in the United States and Europe.
Recipient of a 2008 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant, baritone Timothy Mix (Sharpless) is recognized for the beauty of his voice and his compelling stage presence. He received critical acclaim for his pivotal role as Edward Gaines in the New York premiere of Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison’s Margaret Garner, in a new production by Tazewell Thompson, for which the American baritone received New York City Opera’s 2008 Christopher Keene Award. The 2010/11 season brought Timothy Mix back to Washington National Opera in the role of Renato in James Robinson’s production of Un Ballo in Maschera conducted by Daniele Callegari; to the San Francisco Opera to sing in the company pre- miere of Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac as Le Bret in a new production by Petrika Ionesco and conducted by Patrick Fournillier; as well as Prus in Janácek’s The Makropolus Case, conducted by Jirˇi Beˇlohlávek and directed by Olivier Tambosi. The artist then joined Portland Opera as Ping in Turandot under Leonardo Vordoni and directed by Christopher Alden. Timothy Mix will wrap up his season by singing Albert in Werther with the Washington Concert Opera, conducted by Antony Walker. Highlights of the 2011/12 sea- son include Dancairo in Bizet’s Carmen, conducted by Nicola Luisotti, as well as a debut at Dallas Opera as Baron Duphol in Verdi’s La Traviata, conducted by Marco Guidarini. Orchestral highlights include a night of arias for the opening gala of the Orlando Philharmonic, conducted by Christopher Wilkins.
Madama Butterfly and Miss Saigon will be presented on the main stage of The Music Center at Strathmore at 4 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013. For tickets, purchase them by phone (301) 581-5100, or online.
