There are approximately 437,000,000 native Spanish Speakers in the world. There are numerous Spanish Operas, from the Baroque through Contemporary periods and even more Zarzuelas, the Spanish version of the Operetta. There are operas by Spanish composers in Catalan and even in English, as you will see in our program. There are operas composed by Spain’s finest and most renowned composers and operas by composers who very few have ever heard of.  Not to mention all the composers in the New World! The UO Opera Ensemble proudly brings you a Celebration of  Spanish Lyric Theater!

Musical Director, Coach and Rehearsal Pianist Gustavo Castro
Director Karen Esquivel
Pianist Grant Mack

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FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS – Daniel Catán
This opera is the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned by a major opera house in the USA, Houston Grand Opera.

Act I, Scene 1
The steamboat El Dorado is set to sail down the Amazon River to the opera house in Manaus where the legendary opera singer Florencia Grimaldi is to perform. On the ship are the captain, his nephew Arcadio and the shipmate Riolobo, who is actually a magical creature of the river.  The passengers, unaware of Florencia’s presence, include Paula and Álvaro, an older married couple who fight incessantly and Rosalba, a young journalist, who is writing a largely made-up biography of her idol, Florencia.

Riolobo – Dylan Bunten*
Capitán – Reggie Tonry  ++
Rosalba – Nadia Madeiros
Paula – Alexa McCuen+
Alvaro - Matthew McConnell**
Arcadio – Luis Rivera**
Florencia – Sonia Cummings
Chorus – Ashleigh Sizemore, Morgan Paige*, Claire Buchanan*, Everett Nash

Act I, Scene 2
Florencia has barely arrived in time to board the boat and make the river journey. She is unrecognized by her fellow passengers. Her motive for the trip is to sing at the opera house in an effort to search for her long-lost love, Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter who chose to live in the jungle in pursuit of a particularly elusive butterfly, while Florencia chose to pursue a career, a choice she now regrets.

Rosalba – Nadia Madeiros
Florencia – Sonia Cummings

Act 1, Scene 5
Paula and Álvaro, are hoping to rekindle their marriage, but things are not going well. Over dinner they exchange bitter words and in the end, throw their rings down a wine bottle to show their disapproval. In the heat of the argument, the bottle is inadvertently tossed over board, to their dismay.
Alvaro - Matthew McConnell**
Paula – Alexa McCuen+
Riolobo – Dylan Bunten*

ZARZUELA SET – Federíco Moreno Torroba, Pablo Luna, Pablo Sorozábal
“La Mujeres Españolas”
The arrival of Joaquín, the bullfighter, drives the lovely ladies of Spain crazy! This song speaks of their beauty and charm. Who will he choose?

Joaquín – Everett Nash
Ladies Chorus – Sonia Cummings, Nadia Madeiros, Claire Buchanan*, Ashleigh Sizemore, Morgan Paige*, Alexa McCuen+

“De España Vengo”
Concha sings that she comes from Spain, bringing the light of the heavens in her eyes and the grace of her homeland in her figure. She loves all things Madrid and, as she sings with her Gypsy accent, the flowers of her mantón or shawl, come to life!

Concha – Claire Buchanan*
Duo from La del Manojo de Rosas

Joaquín decides to take control of this situation and confront a skeptical Concha with his true feelings. She takes a bit of convincing, but finally decides to give romance a try!
Joaquín – Everett Nash
Concha – Claire Buchanan*

Marina – Emilio Arrieta
“La Habanera de Roque”
Roque, an old sailor, and his companion, are sharing drink and a song about the wonderful life on the sea, on “a house that floats”.
Roque - Matthew McConnell**
Fellow Sailors - Trevor Cook, Everett Nash, Dylan Bunten*, Luis Rivera
“Pensar en el”

Marina is waiting for the arrival of Jorge’s boat. Even though she is his ward and considerably younger than he, she loves him and is willing to wait until he comes around to loving her as well. She shares her feelings with Teresa, an older and wiser lady of the neighborhood.
Marina – Morgan Paige*
Teresa – Alexa McCuen+

INTERMISSION

Pepita Jimenez – Isaac Albeniz
This opera was composed with an English libretto by Albéniz’s patron and collaborator, the wealthy English heir Francis Money-Coutts. The storyline is a tradition Spanish one.

“Who teaches love”
Pepita, a young, rich orphan, is in love with Don Luis, a handsome young seminarian.  

Her companion and housekeeper, Antoñona, is preparing for a festive get together but is concerned over the depression that Pepita has fallen into, due to what she now sees as a hopeless love situation.

Antoñona – Alexa McCuen+
Pepita – Sonia Cummings

Els Pirineus – Felip Pedrell
Felip Pedrell, a Catalán composer, is known as the Father of Spanish Musicology and Spanish Opera, as well as being the teacher of some of Spain’s finest composers: Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados.

“Cançó de l’estel”
This beautiful aria in Catalán is sung by Lisa, who is known as Lisardo. She has dressed herself as man so she can follow the man she loves into battle, who is also leader of the army. On the eve of the great battle in the Pyrenees mountains, she sings a song which expresses her sadness that the “star” that she is in love with does not return her love and she only has death to look forward to.

Lisa (Lisardo) – Nadia Madeiros

La Tabernera del Puerto –
Pablo Sorozábal
La Tabernera del Puerto is a zarzuela which is actually very operatic in scope and style. The tenor aria, “No puede ser”, made famous by Plácido Domingo, Alfredo Kraus and José Carreras, is probably the most famous aria of the Spanish Opera or Zarzuela repertoire.

“En un país de fábula”
In this aria, Marola, who works in a tavern owned by her abusive father, shares the tale of an old flautist who lives and dies alone in the forest, accompanied by birds who echo his song of the sadness and the bitterness of his heart.

Marola – Ashleigh Sizemore

El Gato Montés – Manuel Penella
An opera in three Acts, El Gato Montés enjoyed great success in the early 1900’s in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. An English version made its way to New York, where it was enthusiastically received and conducted by Penella himself. The opera eventually received its first performances in the United States in its original Spanish version at the Los Angeles Opera and the Washington National Opera, with Plácido Domingo singing the lead tenor role. The Spanish used in this opera is with the distinct accent of Andalusia.

Act I, Scene 1
Soleá, a young gypsy girl, is awaiting the return of Rafael, an apprentice bullfighter, who has been in a tournament in Madrid. He has been injured, but Soleá’s bigger concern is that, although she cares deeply for him and he has been very kind to her, the true love of her life is Juanillo, known as El Gato Montés (The Wild Cat).  He has become a bandit in the surrounded mountains due to having killed a man while protecting Soleá. Frasquita, Rafael’s mother, seeing the young girl sad, asks what the trouble is and assures her that Rafael has only a slight injury, has been promoted to the status of Matador and will soon be home. Padre Anton arrives, also anxious to see the young bullfighter, who is his godson and whom he baptized. Padre Anton claims that Rafael’s success in the bullring is due to him dropping the baptismal salts container into the water, giving him an overdose of blessing! Soon, a group of his neighbors enter, announcing Rafael’s arrival.  The celebration begins!

Soleá – Morgan Paige*
Frasquita - Claire Buchanan *
Loliya - Nadia Madeiros
Padre Anton – Dylan Bunten*
Rafael – Luis Rivera**
Chorus - Ashleigh Sizemore, Sonia Cummings, Alexa McCuen+, Everett Nash, Matthew McConnell**

“Torero quiero ser”
Rafael is preparing for his big debut as a matador in Madrid. He admires the beauty of Andalusia while waiting for Soleá to come. He has summoned her under the pretext of asking her to help him with his tie and uses this to get a chance to get closer to her. Soleá has come to the realization that she must move on from her unattainable love for Juanillo to a caring relationship with Rafael. When he asks her if she loves him, she explains that she owes him everything and that is enough for her.
Rafael – Luis Rivera**
Soleá – Morgan Paige*

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* Recipients of the Ann Lamon Musgrove Opera Scholarship, established by Ann Lamon Musgrove, Ruth Siegenthaler and Joel Munson.
+ Recipients of the Connie and Thomas Kulick Opera Scholarship
** Recipient of the Kathleen Lacey Bezinover Opera Scholarship, established by Charles Bezinover

We are grateful to the donors who generously established these scholarships to assist talented students in the opera program. To make a gift to the opera program of the School of Music and Dance, towards scholarships or production, please contact the development office at  (541) 346-3859. Thank you!

++ Special Guest Artist Reggie Tonry as Capitán

Artistic and Production Staff
Gustavo Castro, Conductor, Vocal Coach, Pianist
Grant Mack - Pianist
Karen Esquivel, Stage Director, Costume, Props
Zari Crier, Stage Manager
Laura Scrimenti, Assistant Director
Erin Zysset, Photographer & Program
Thor Mikesell, Lights
Margaret Gowen - Seamstress
Special Thanks to:
Dean Brad Foley
Wayne & Ann Musgrove
Thomas & Connie Kulick
The Bezinover Family
Thor Mikesell
The SOMD Voice Faculty: Eric Mentzel, Craig Phillips, Ann Tedards & Milagro Vargas