Euterpe Opera Theatre is currently presenting
The First Annual Henrietta Pelta Vocal Recital Series 1999-2000

Great songs can encompass a world of human emotions on just a single page. This season, we introduce a series of recitals celebrating song and honoring one of Sothern California's preeminent vocal coaches: Euterpe Musical Director Emeritus Henrietta Pelta.
For nearly 75 years, Euterpe Opera Theatre has provided performance opportunities for singers in the initial stages of their professional careers. We are very pleased to extend our activities to include this recital series, bringing you great vocal music from Bellini to Gershwin... from improv to spirituals, performed by some of the Los Angeles area's finest vocal artists.
All programs will take place in Harbeson Hall on the lovely Pasadena City College campus. And each recital will be followed by a reception at which you are invited to meet the musicians you have just applauded. Come join us for this exciting season of song!

16 October 1999: Alison England, Soprano

 Saturday 16 October 1999, 8:00 p.m.: Alison England, Soprano
Accompanied by Lisa Edwards, Pianist

Alison England, according to Opera News, "has it all... the looks, the voice, the termperment." Her 1991 Greater Miami Opera debut as Celia Wade in Carlisle Floyd's The Passion of Jonathan Wade was hailed by critics and by Floyd. She was immediately engaged to repeat the role of Celia with the Seattle Opera and to appear in the title role of Floyd's Susannah at Kansas City Lyric Opera -- both directed by the composer. "A star in intepretation and musical skill" (Anaheim Bulletin), Ms.England has appeared with major regional opera companies and leading orchestras throughout the United States and in Japan, and is consitently recognized by critics as a formidable vocal and acting talent.

Ms.England will present "An Evening of Melody" featuring vocal works of Strauss and Bellini along with Spanish canciones, Ravel's haunting "Chansons Madecasses" with cello and flute, and the soulful, expansive music of American composers Ricky Ian Gordon, Jenny Giering, and Jason Robert Brown, concluding with comedic selections by William Bolcom and Flanders & Swann.

23 January 2000: Susan Holsonbake, Soprano

 Sunday 23 January 2000, 4:00 p.m.: Susan Holsonbake, Soprano
Accompanied by Ann Baltz, Pianist

According to the Los Angeles Times, "the program comes alive with the entrance of Susan Holsonbake, a talented and versatile young soprano from California." Ms.Holsonbake has been a featured soloist with such companies as the Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Pacific, Los Angeles Opera, Aspen Music Festival, and the Redlands Bowl Music Festival. Recent roles include Gilda (Rigoletto), Musetta (La Boheme), Marie (La Fille du regiment), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro). Greatly in demand as a concert soloist, she was heard last season in the Crystal Cathedral Concert Series singing Bach's virtuoso soprano cantata, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen.

Ms.Holsonbake will present a program of songs and arias by American composers including Barber, Blitstein, Copland, Hoiby, and Gershwin. To conclude, she and Ms.Baltz will create a section of improvisational songs built on written words or phrases contributed by the audience!

2 April 2000: Kelly Westover-Boudreaux, Soprano

 Sunday, 2 April 2000, 4:00 p.m.: Kelly Westover-Boudreaux, Soprano
Accompanied by Fred Carama, Pianist

Kelly Westover-Boudreaux holds degrees in vocal performance from Chapman University and USC, and is also a graduate of the Music Academy of the West, where she performed and studied with Marilyn Horne. A recent winner of the "Opera 100" and "Orange County Young Artist" awards, Ms.Westover-Boudreaux was also a 1998 Metropolitan Opera Competition Los Angeles Area Semifinalist. She has appeared in operatic roles including Fiordiligi (Cosi fan Tutte), Helenai (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and this season performed soprano solos in Handel's Messiah at the Crystal Cathedral. Her voice can be heard on the new Star Trek CD-ROM and she recently completed recording of her debut solo CD.

Ms. Westover-Boudreaux will present an eclectic program of Handel arias, canciones by Joaquin Rodrigo, "Juliette's Waltz Song," arias from Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe along with classic Broadway favorites, moving arrangements of American folk songs and spirituals, and a group of Cole Porter songs.

11 March 2000: A new Spanish-language comic opera

 Saturday, 11 March 2000, 8:00 p.m.: Special Premiere Concert!

Scenes from Las Poquianchis, a new comic opera by award-winning composer Enrique Gonzalez-Medina. The opera, set in Mexico, is based on an actual 1964 criminal case involving murder by two notorious madams: "las poquianchis."

Selections will be presented in Spanish by Singers Gretchen Johnson, Deborah Mayhan, Gabriel Reoyo-Pazos, and Dennis Rupp; guitarist Felix Bullock; and cellist Antonia Ramirez; with the composer conducting.
Presented on behalf of the Board of Directors of Euterpe Opera Theatre, including:
Robert Frampton, President
Carole Blum, Vice President
Jonathan Vos Post, Secretary
Mary Ann Bosnos, Recital Coordinator

16 September 2000: Love & Passion In Spanish Song

Euterpe Opera Theatre presents "Love & Passion In Spanish Song", a program of zarzuela and ballads, performed by Melodee Fernandez, soprano; Gabriel Reoyo-Pazos, Tenor; and Theodore Crain, piano. The program will be Saturday Evening, September 16, at 8 pm. at Harbeson Hall, Pasadena City College, Pasadena (Colorado Blvd. just East of Hill St.). General Admission is $20; and students under age 25, with student ID, $10.

Program Description: The concert presents a potpourri of songs expressing the many shades of love. Among these are tonadillas and zarzuela romanzas from works such as 'Luisa Fernanda', 'La tabernera del puerto', 'La dolorosa' and 'Los celos iguales', from 18th to 20th century Spain. Also included will be sumptuous tangos and boleros from Cuba and Mexico by Agustin Lara, Maria Grever, Carlos Gardel and Consuelo Velazquez.

Zarzuela: Spaniards take great pride in their music, art, culture and country. That is why the zarzuela has maintained its popularity to this day. It is a genre that began in the 17th century, but its roots go back even further. Originating in the Spanish lyric theater, it was influenced by Italian commedia dell'arte and French opera comique, and has been likened to that of light opera or operetta, because of its unaccompanied spoken dialogue and generally light-hearted stories. Tonadilla in the 18th century was a one-act satirical or political sketch for just a few characters, exploiting national dances and folk-type melodies. It developed into a broadly humorous entertainment with a romantic element. By 1810, the tonadilla was in decline and soon gave way to the Zarzuela. Most zarzuelas have both a serious couple to move the plot along and a comic couple to soften things up. This makes for a nice combination of music that can have the feel of Italian verismo in one instance, and in another, be light and rhythmic like Mozart. Moorish harmonies and florid passages can also be heard; and the use of vihuelas and bandurrias keep Spaniards connected to their history. Traditional dances and rhythms like jotas, peteneras, soleares, polos; regional costumes; and characters such as majos, chulos and dialect speaking Andalusians make these theater pieces nationalistic treasures. Blurring borders, minuets, mazurkas, a schottis or even a tango or foxtrot may also be present, as might a Russian, Italian, royal or courtly character. There are even Cuban, Puerto Rican and Filipino zarzuelas that have been written by composers in those countries.

Melodee Fernandez, soprano, is highly regarded as a specialist of Spanish Zarzuela and art song. While living in Spain, she sang with Opera Comica de Madrid in a national tour of zarzuelas, under Maestro Luis Remartinez. She has been a featured soloist with the Coro Galileo in Madrid, as well as 'Musica en Compostela.' Ms Fernandez was well received as Paloma in Santa Barbara Grand Opera's first zarzuela production, 'El Barberillo de Lavapios'. She sang Carmela in 'Un Camino de Fe', a bilingual children's opera, with Opera Pacific's Overture Company; Medina, in 'Teseo', with Opera Theatre of Lucca (Italy); Pamina in 'The Magic Flute', with Golden West Opera; Susanna, in 'The Marriage of Figaro', with USC Opera; and Nella, in 'Gianni Schicchi', with the Music Academy of the West. She is founder and director of Canto Espanol, which performs concerts of Spanish and Latin American zarzuela and art song throughout Southern California. In June she presented a week of zarzuela master classes as part of the CSU Summer Arts Program hosted by Cal State Fresno.

Cuban Tenor Gabriel Reoyo-Pazos graduated from CSUN. He has sung with many local opera companies in such roles as Cavaradossi in 'Tosca', Canio in 'I Pagliacci', and Florestan in 'Fidelio', with Pacific Repertory Company; Turiddu in 'Cavalleria Rusticana', Alfred in 'Die Fledermaus', and Don Luis in the zarzuela 'El Barberillo de Lavapies' with Santa Barbara Grand Opera; Pinkerton in 'Madam Butterfly', Rodolfo in 'La Bohème', Alfredo in 'La Traviata', Des Grieux in 'Manon', the Duke in 'Rigoletto', the title role in 'Faust', Don Jose in 'Carmen', etc. He appeared with Euterpe Opera in 1992 in the role of Filippo in Haydn's comic opera, 'Infidelity Foiled.' Mr. Pazos has won various contests and awards, including Image's Studio Competition in Bologna, Italy, and Sarno's Caffe' Dell' Opera International Opera Competition in Los Angeles.

Accompanist Theodore Crain has been musical director for the Los Angeles Music Theatre Company, official accompanist for the annual Loren L. Zachary Soociety National Vocal Competition for Young Opera Singers, and official accompanist for the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. After completing his graduate studies with Mme Gwendolyn Kildofsky at the University of Southern California, Mr. Crain became the founding Principal Pianist for Opera a la Carte, the nationally-known Gilbert & Sullivan touring company.
Euterpe Opera Theatre was founded in Los Angeles in 1925 and is celebrating its 75th year. Euterpe produced the first opera performed on the stage of the new Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center in 1964. Between 1964 and 1985 Euterpe, under the musical direction of Henrietta Pelta, presented over 100 operas at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Euterpe alumnae include Nadine Conner, Marvalee Cariaga, Jerome Hines, Mary Costa, Jonathan Mack, Karen Armstrong and Carole Neblett.
For further information: Contact Robert Frampton, president of Euterpe Opera Theatre, at 626-794-7835, Or e-mail rosalinde@earthlink.net.
Send e-mail to Euterpe Opera Theatre