Beverly helped the work to win

the  convention’s  chamber  opera  

competition.

On January 3, UNLV Opera made its debut at the National Opera Association convention in Portland, Oregon. Senior voice performance major Casey Gard-ner performed excerpts from

Mozart’s  Così fan tutte. A student of Dr. Alfonse Anderson, Casey said  of  the  conference,  “It was a great way to network and get people acquainted with the fact that UNLV has a wonderful mu-sic program with a great staff. I loved the location and the type of people that were present. It is always a wonderful thing to be surrounded by fellow musicians. Portland was a beautiful place full of artistic inspiration, and of course,  fabulous  coffee.”

Casey’s  performance  received  positive feedback from a number of convention attendees, as did UNLV Opera. NOA President-Elect David Holley, Director of UNCG  Opera  Theatre,  said,  “I  admire  UNLV  Opera’s  Facebook  presence”  and  Paul  Houghtaling  of University of Alabama Opera Theatre gave a thumbs-up to our

upcoming Vegas-themed Elixir production concept.

The conference also featured a

UNLV Opera alumna. Beverly

Taflinger (MM 2012) performed

in the premiere of a one—act

opera entitled An Embarrassing

Position. Singing with the Univer-

sity of Oregon Opera Ensemble,

UNLV Opera travels to National Opera Association Convention

Opera Tidbit: Opera in Pop Culture

If you thought opera was only

heard in opera houses or on a

university campus, think again.

You’ve  heard  it  but  may  not  have  

realized it was opera. Tunes from

the opera house often turn up in

places you never expected. There

may be no other classical tune

that turns up in more places than

the Flower Duet from Lakmé by

Delibes. Remember the British

Airways ads with its jetliner float-

ing through calm skies and fluffy

clouds? After the ads aired, every-

one started humming it. You may

remember it more from the

Ghirardelli chocolate ads (my

favorite). But of course, you have

heard opera in countless movies

across all genres. See if you can

recognize some of these examples:

Apocalypse Now—Die Walküre by

Wagner, Driving Miss Daisy—

Rusalka by Dvořák, Godfather I—

La Traviata by Verdi, James Bond:

Quantum of Solace—Tosca by

Puccini, Match Point—L’elisir  

d’amore  by Donizetti, Titanic, Les

contes  d’Hoffmann by Offenbach

and Thaϊs by Massenet. For 400

years, opera has remained strong

in  pop  culture  and  it  doesn’t  

show signs of stopping. -SS

U N L V O P E R A T H E A T E R N E W S L E T T E R

Spring, 2013

Volume 1, Issue 2

Opera Rebels University of

Nevada,

Las Vegas

Opera Theater

Director

Dr. Linda Lister

linda.lister@unlv.edu

Tickets

UNLV Box Office

(702) 895-ARTS

Inside this issue:

UNLV Opera at NOA 1

Opera Tidbit

1

The Fairy Queen 2

Inyo, CA Tour 2

Diva in Training: Lindsay Cunningham

3

Opera Quiz 3

I Feel Pretty 3

Casey Gardner

On December 6-7, nine singers from UNLV Opera traveled to California to perform for students in Inyo County. Sponsored by the Inyo County Council for the Arts, the trip included four performances at Death

Valley Academy and Bishop High School. In addition to singing excerpts from The Old Maid and the Thief, La

clemenza di Tito, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pasquale and Don Giovanni, the UNLV Opera performers improvised scenes on the spot with input from the student audiences. The improvisations featured a variety of characters from an Native American chief to pop star Nicki Minaj. The singers performed primarily for young people who  have  never  seen  opera  before,  and  for  some  who  don’t  have  access  to  music  classes  at  their  schools  due  to  budget  cuts.  Richelle  Janushan  said  the  trip  was  a  chance  “to  change  the  lives  of  those  who  don't  have  the  opportunity  to  see  a  live  opera  performance.  It  was  definitely  an  experience  that  impacted  my  own  life.”  Xa-­vier  Brown  also  shared  his  thoughts  on  the  young  audience:  “Watching  the  excitement  and  appreciation  on  their faces really assured me that I am in the right profession. I feel honored and privileged that my fellow colleagues  and  I  were  able  to  share  such  beauty  and  a  part  of  ourselves  with  such  willing  people.”

The Fairy Queen opens UNLV Opera Theater 2012-13 Season

UNLV Opera tours to Inyo County, California

Page 2

Opera Rebels

Pei-ning Ku as Autumn

In  November,  UNLV  Opera  Theater  presented  a  new  adaptation  of  Henry  Purcell’s  semi-opera The Fairy

Queen. Staged in the intimate ninety--seat Paul Harris Theatre, the production featured the work of talented

student designers/sopranos Isabella Ivy and Daniella Toscano. They oversaw the costumes and slide projec-

tions in addition to playing the roles of Titania and Puck respectively. As a semi-opera, it also featured ex-

cerpts  of  Shakespearean  dialogue  from  the  opera’s  inspiration,  A  Midsummer  Night’s  Dream.  In an interview on

KNPR’s  State  of  Nevada,  Daniella  told  host  Luis  Hernandez,  “As  an  opera  singer,  you’re  not  used  to  speak-­

ing.  That’s  the  challenge.”  (Experience  with  spoken  dialogue  will  surely  come  in  handy  when  UNLV  Opera  

singers find themselves auditioning for operetta and/or musical theatre.) Besides reciting Shakespearean text

and performing Purcellian coloratura, the singers were also called upon to do some Baroque dance befitting

an eighteenth-century masque. In particular, Alfredo Martirena opened Act II with a ballet solo, demonstrat-

ing that opera is a true amalgam of the arts incorporating music, theatre, design, fashion, and dance.

Nathan Van Arsdale

as Oberon in UNLV Opera Theater’s The Fairy Queen (2012)

“A  very  visual          

approach to Pur-

cell’s  brilliant  com-­

position, the pro-

duction flowed elo-

quently with full

cooperation of the

students in the arts

at UNLV and high-

lighted many indi-

vidual talents from

the designers, direc-

tor,  and  cast.”

-David Casey,

Nick Bottom in

The Fairy Queen

Master of Music candidate

Lindsay Cunningham will make

her UNLV Opera debut this

spring as Adina in L’elisir  d’amore.    

A student of Dr. Michelle Latour,

Lindsay is a graduate of Vander-

bilt University and she has also

studied in both Salzburg and Vi-

enna, Austria. Her previous oper-

atic roles include Cherubino in Le

nozze di Figaro and Gianetta, the

other female role in L’elisir  

d’amore.

Lindsay already has some inter-

esting insights into her character:

“I  love  that  Adina  is  the  smartest  

girl in town, knows how to be in

charge, but is still adored by

everyone. Despite her endless

teasing  and  flirtation,  she’s  really  

not as capricious as she claims to

be.”  We  look  forward  to  seeing  

how Lindsay brings this lyric

coloratura role to life in March

when  UNLV  Opera’s  L’elisir  

d’amore  opens on the Ham Hall

stage.

Venus and Adonis, Offenbach’s  La

Belle Hélène and  Massenet’s  Thaïs

and Cendrillon.

The scenes program also provides

the opportunity for student direc-

tors to experiment with their craft.

Master of Music student Nathan

Van Arsdale and senior Daniella

Toscano will go from singing in

L’elisir  d’amore to directing their

first scenes for UNLV Opera.

The 2012-13 UNLV Opera season

closes with a scenes program

showcasing excerpts from opera

and musical theatre about beauty

and vanity. Familiar selections

from Faust, La bohème, West Side

Story, HMS Pinafore and Sweeney

Todd will be presented, as well as

some lesser known pieces from

Previn’s  A  Streetcar  Named  Desire,

Herbert’s  Sweethearts, John  Blow’s  

Another first will be the world

premiere of a scene adapted by

Linda Lister from Robert Har-

ling’s  play  and  film,  Steel Magno-

lias. It features Southern beauti-

cian Truvy, played by Dolly Parton

in the movie, explaining why

“There  is  No  Such  Thing  as  a  

Natural  Beauty.”  It’s  a  perfect  

thematic tie-in to the program,

which is certain to include some

beautiful singing.

Diva in Training: Lindsay Cunningham

I Feel Pretty: Featuring a Number of Firsts

Opera Quiz

II. Which of the following operas

was not written by Henry Purcell?

a. Dido and Aeneas

b. Acis and Galatea

c. The Fairy Queen

d. King Arthur

Answers:

q  ˙ıı p    ˙ı

I. Which Donizetti opera features

the  famous  tenor  aria  “Ah!  mes  

amis”  with  its  nine  high  Cs?

a. L’elisir  d’amore

b. Guillaume Tell

c. Linda di Chamounix

d. La fille du régiment

________________

“Trust  us.  

See “(S)He  Wears  

the  Pants.”  

UNLV Opera presents

scenes from

The Marriage of Figaro,

Hansel and Gretel

and more.

Plus, lots of pants.

Yes,  pants.”

-Las Vegas Weekly,

11/29/12

__________________

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 2

OTHER UNLV DIVAS:

Sheronda McKee won the

Audience Choice Award

at the 2013 Metropolitan

Opera National Council

Utah District Auditions. A

DMA candidate at UNLV,

Sheronda is a student of

Dr. Alfonse Anderson.

__________________

Carrie Wachsberger and

Isabella Ivy (students of Dr.

Latour and Dr. Anderson)

sang at the Nevada Opera

Theatre Guild holiday

luncheon.

__________________

Opera Rebels

Editor: Linda Lister

Assistant Editors:

Suzanne Stone, Stephanie Weiss

UNLV Opera singers after three assemblies at Bishop High School

From left to right:

Carolina Gamazo, Eliysheba Anderson, Casey Gardner,

Nathan Van Arsdale, Xavier Brown, David Casey,

Daniella Toscano, Richelle Janushan, Hye Youn Joo Sin

U N L V O P E R A T H E A T E R

Save the dates!

Spring 2013 Performances

March 15-17 UNLV Opera Theater:

L’elisir  d’amore  (The  Elixir  of  Love)   Ham Hall

April 26 UNLV Opera Workshop:

I Feel Pretty Rando Recital Hall