Pride in the Park NEW YORK CITY OPERA
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NEW YORK CITY OPERA Pride in the Park
Friends, Welcome back! 2022 marks 30 years since Bryant Park reopened into the public space we know today: a Midtown oasis filled with moveable chairs, colorful gardens, and exciting activity. Those who remember Bryant Park of the 1980s will understand my joy and astonishment to see what the park has become. Over the past three decades, free public programming has been essential to the Park’s success. From Ping Pong to Movie Nights to the rink and holiday market of Winter Village, our team works tirelessly to keep the Park active and engaging. As Jane Jacobs and William Holly Whyte, Jr. understood half a century ago, visitors’ “eyes on the street” make Bryant Park a safer and more welcoming space. Picnic Performances has grown into one of the Park’s marquee programs, bringing world-class music, theater, and dance to tens of thousands of people on this lawn every summer. And, last summer, we expanded the audience to reach nearly a quarter of a million livestream viewers – some watching from other parts of the tri-state area, and others as far as Europe and Australia. This season deepens and expands our partnership with a wide range of New York’s extraordinary cultural institutions — from Carnegie Hall to Ballet Hispánico to Classical Theatre of Harlem — and it is an honor to share our stage with them. Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to our neighbors and partners at Bank of America, whose support is critical to the Park and who make Picnic Performances possible. Whether you’re on the lawn or watching remotely, we hope you enjoy the show! Sincerely, Executive Director, Bryant Park Corporation
Welcome to Bryant Park – whether in-person or virtually! Bryant Park is a jewel in the crown of midtown Manhattan and for Bank of America, it is also the center- piece of our midtown campus. In buildings surrounding Bryant Park, over 10,000 Bank of America teammates collaborate to help make financial lives better, serving customers and the communities where we live and work. Since we moved to the neighborhood more than 10 years ago, we have developed a strong partnership with the Park, supporting activities throughout the year. Since 2013, our sponsorship of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park has allowed thousands of New Yorkers and tourists alike to skate, dine and shop contributing millions of dollars to the New York economy. Additionally, we demonstrated our support for our small business community throughout the pandemic by underwriting a booth for local minority-owned businesses to use RENT FREE. With warmer weather as the Park blossoms, people are drawn to the green oasis to get a break from the urban bustle. And when nature is complemented by art, it can be a powerful combination! We're glad you are here today to enjoy a Bryant Park Picnic Performance. Bank of America believes in the power of the arts to help economies thrive, to educate and enrich societies and to create greater cultural understanding. So we lend our support to more than 1,500 nonprofit cultural institutions and programs around the world annually, including this one. We applaud Bryant Park for launching this diverse series and are proud to be the presenting sponsor of Picnic Performances, including the livestream, making it possible for all New Yorkers, visitors and individuals globally to experience the best of New York City’s arts scene for FREE. Enjoy today’s performance and we hope to see you in Bryant Park or at Bank of America Winter Village once again later this year! Sincerely, José Tavarez NYC President, Bank of America MAP 4770542
the power to imagine, illuminate and inspire As a major supporter of arts and culture nonprofit organizations, Bank of America believes in the power of the arts. We are proud to sponsor the livestream of the 2022 season of Bryant Park Picnic Performances. What would you like the power to do?® Featured artist: Isaiah J. Thompson Photo Credit: Ryan Muir © 2022 Bank of America Corporation. MAP4721027
On the Lawn
The lawn opens at 5pm.
Come early for a front row seat,
or drop-in at any time.
Blankets
Hundreds of blankets are available to borrow for
free — or bring your own. Blankets are available on
a first-come, first-served basis.
Chairs
Take a seat in one of the pre-set chairs on the lawn or
grab a chair from the gravel. Please help us remove
your chair from the lawn after the event.
Food and Drink
Bring your own picnic or purchase on-site food and
non-alcoholic beverages from vendors just east of
the lawn.
Games
Find hula hoops, giant Jenga, and more on the east
side of the lawn at select events.
Weather and Rain
Performances are cancelled when it is unsafe to be
outdoors. In some cases, the lawn may be too wet to
open but the performance may continue. Follow @
bryantparknyc for day-of event updates.
TONIGHT’S PROGRAM New York City Opera: Pride In The Park June 17, 2022 7:00pm - 8:30pm This performance will feature a diverse program of selections from opera and musical theater sung by stars from City Opera’s Pride Series and featuring the LaGuardia High School Choir and a special tribute to Ukraine. Come celebrate Pride in Bryant Park with New York City Opera! Michael Capasso Master of Ceremonies Kathryn Olander Music Director and Pianist CAST Glenn Seven Allen Chelsea Bonagura Peter Kendall Clark Lauren Hoffmeier Melanie Long Brian James Myer Christopher Nazarian Jordan Weatherston Pitts Jessica Tyler Wright FEATURING LaGuardia High School Choir, Directed by Jeanne Cascio Daria Hrabova Capasso Oleksandra Hrabova
Glenn Seven Allen
Glenn Seven Allen is garnering
critical acclaim on theater, opera,
and concert stages throughout the
United States as a consummate
singing actor, lauded for his dynamic
interpretations of heroes and
leading men alike. Mr. Allen was
hailed by Opera News as an
“Edwardian matinee idol, giving by
far the most detailed dramatic performance.” Upcoming,
Mr. Allen performs as a soloist in Opera Meets Broadway
and the Romeo & Juliet Ball at Gulfshore Opera, as a
tenor soloist in Kings, Giants & Robots at American
Modern Ensemble, and in Southern Crossings at Barnard
College.
Recently, Mr. Allen starred as Sydney Carton in A Tale of
Two Cities at Bob Jones University, starred as Jack Twist
in Brokeback Mountain with New York City Opera and
subsequently returned as Freddy in Dear Erich, Il Padre
in Piramo e Tisbe with The Little Opera Theater of New
York, and Dan Goodman in Next to Normal with Syracuse
Stage. He also performed as a soloist with Charlottesville
Symphony in their Bicentennial Celebration of the Arts
and The Americans concerts, performed as a soloist in
The New Crew concert with the American Lyric Theatre,
a solo with ALT Alumni: Composers and Librettists
In Concert, and sang the tenor solo in Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9 with Glacier Symphony.
Chelsea Bonagura
American soprano Chelsea
Bonagura enchants audiences with
her “gorgeous sound” and “parallel
mixture of tenderness and fire” (The
Roanoke Times). Role highlights
include “Cunegonde” (Candide),
“Susanna” (Le Nozze di Figaro),
“Mimi” (La Bohème), “Micaëla”
(Carmen), “Adina” (“L’elisir d’amore),
“Donna Anna” (Don Giovanni), and “Gretel” (Hänsel und
Gretel). Ms Bonagura appears frequently with the acclaimed
New York City Opera.
Ms. Bonagura is a member of staff at the prestigious
Mannes School of Music in New York City. She is also a
student and teaching protégé of famed Italian-American
soprano Diana Soviero. Quickly gaining an international
reputation as a premiere voice teacher and vocal technician,
Ms. Bonagura is increasingly sought after as a guest lecturer
and clinician for collegiate and young artist programs.
Highly respected by fellow professional artists, she works
with musicians performing at leading international opera
houses and concert halls including the Vienna Staatsoper,
Royal Opera House, Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper
Stuttgart, Concertgebouw, Sydney Opera House, and the
Metropolitan Opera. Non-classical students have embarked
upon international Broadway tours and enjoyed careers
as acclaimed pop recording artists. She resides in New
York City and divides her teaching between New York and
Europe.
Peter Kendall Clark
Peter Kendall Clark has created
roles in numerous world premieres,
including the title role in Ted
Rosenthal’s jazz opera Dear Erich at
New York City Opera, for which the
New York Times praised his “gravity
and earthy sound.” He has also sung
leading operatic and musical theatre
roles with Caramoor Opera, Anchorage Opera, Union
Avenue Opera, Opera on the James, Charlottesville Opera,
Hawaii Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera, St. Petersburg Opera,
Chelsea Opera, Syracuse Opera and Skylight Music Theatre.
Recent roles include Sweeney Todd, Older Thompson,
Henry Higgins, Fredrik Eggerman, King Arthur, MacHeath,
Count Almaviva and Eugene Onegin. A regular performer
with New York City Opera, he was featured in Harold
Prince’s production of Candide, Peter Eötvös’ Angels in
America, La Fanciulla del West, and Charles Wuorinen’s
Brokeback Mountain, and the premiere of Iain Bell and Mark
Campbell’s Stonewall. Since May of 2020 he has given
nearly 200 outdoor concerts in Brooklyn Heights in the
series “Songs From The Ledge” which the New York Post
has called “the hottest ticket in town.” As the “Brownstone
Baritone” he has been profiled on ABC News, CBS Inside
Edition, Only Good Heroes for OGTV, Voice Of America, the
New York Post, Japan Public Television’s (NHK) Catch!
World Top News, and WQXR’s New York in Concert.
www.peterkendallclark.com
www.songsfromtheledge.com
Brownstone Baritone (YouTube)
Instagram: @brownstonebaritone
Facebook.com/PeterKendallClark
Lauren Hoffmeier
Lauren Hoffmeier was raised in the
heart of New York City with a
performance background in opera
and musical theatre, being hailed as
“…a throwback to brass-lunged divas
like Ethel Merman, with an alto belt
that can stun at 20 paces,” (New
York Post) for her performance as
Cleo in The Most Happy Fella. She is
the author of “Mula and the Fly,” a picture book series that
provides parents and teachers with a soft introduction to
yoga. The fun characters and engaging stories promote a
happy and healthy lifestyle to encourage positive mental
wellbeing during early development. In this brilliant world of
oddballs and misfits, she aims to inspire positivity by
encouraging an international mindset of joy and uniqueness.
Find out more about Lauren at www.LaurenHoffmeier.com
Instagram: @laurenhoffmeier
Twitter: @laurenhoffmeier
Melanie Long
Melanie Long’s unique vocal
prowess has been described as “…
easily switch-hitting from high
coloratura to Broadway belt…” (New
York Post). In high demand as a
soloist and for her powerfully
interpretive stagecraft, Ms. Long has
been featured in several premieres
including the East Coast premiere of
Stewart Wallace’s Hopper’s Wife with New York City Opera.
Ms. Long recently starred as Anna in Encompass New
Opera Theatre’s world premiere of Anna Christie by Edward
Thomas, and was featured on the cast album which was up
for a Grammy Nomination in 2020. She recently made her
Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre debut, creating several
complex characters in the company’s commission of The
Grant Wood Operas: Strokes of Genius, by Michael Ching
and Jean-Francois Charles. Ms. Long performed in the
ensemble cast of New York City Opera’s Stonewall by Iain
Bell and is frequently featured in New York City’s annual
PROTOTYPE Festival with Beth Morrison Projects. She will
make her Arizona Opera debut next season as Petra in
Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. www.americandiva.com
Instagram: @themelanielong
Brian James Myer
Praised for his “robust-voiced” and
“buttery baritone” (the New York
Times), baritone Brian James Myer is
an emerging artist on prominent
opera and symphony stages in the
US and beyond. A Puerto Rican
native of Las Vegas, Mr. Myer has
been establishing himself in the
world of new works with companies
such as New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera,
American Lyric Theatre, Opera San Jose, and Opera Las
Vegas. Most notably, he created roles in two world
premieres with New York City Opera in 2019, Young Erich
(Dear Erich) and Carlos (Stonewall). In 2020 he made his
debuts as Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette) with Knoxville
Opera and as a soloist with the Aula Simfonia Jakarta in
Jakarta, Indonesia. Other slated performances in 2020
included Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Opera on the
James, the bass soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with
the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Moralès/Le Dancaïre
(Carmen) with Festival Opera, Masetto (Don Giovanni) with
the Berkshire Festival Opera, and his European debut as
Squibby in Iain Bell’s Women of Whitechapel: Jack the
Ripper with Opera North in the UK, all of which were
canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. Mr. Myer holds
Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Romance
Languages from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a
Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the Cleveland
Institute of Music. www.brianjamesmyer.com
Instagram: @brianjamesmyer
Facebook.com/brianjamesmyer
Christopher Nazarian
This season, Christopher Nazarian
will be returning to St Petersburg
Opera, to perform Cadmus/
Somnus/ Priest (Semele),
Archbishop (Juana) with dell’Arte
Opera, and Angelotti (Tosca) with
New Rochelle Opera. In recent
seasons, he performed Leporello
(Don Giovanni), Maestro Spinelloccio
and covered Simone (Gianni Schicchi) with St. Petersburg
Opera Florida, Zaccaria (Nabucco), Le Duc (Roméo et
Juliette), Count Ceprano and covered Sparafucile
(Rigoletto), Timur (Turandot), Benoit (La bohème) with
Sarasota Opera, Colline (La bohème), Dr Grenvil (La
traviata) with New Rochelle Opera, Pistola (Falstaff) with
Martina Arroyo Foundation-Prelude to Performance, and
The King (Aida) with Gateway to Classical Music NYC.
Career highlights include bass solos in Bernstein’s Mass at
the Sydney Opera House and Handel’s Messiah with the
Penrith Symphony Orchestra. Awards include Outstanding
Lead Actor by Theatre Tampa Bay 2019 in the role of
Leporello (Don Giovanni) with St. Petersburg Opera, winner
of Russian Song (Sydney Eisteddfod 2014), Finalist in Opera
Awards and Male Operatic Voice (Sydney Eisteddfod 2015),
and Finalist with the Opera Foundation for Young
Australians (Lady Fairfax NYC Scholarship 2015).
Christopher attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
where he received a master’s in Piano and a master‘s in
Opera Performance. He will be making his Carnegie Hall
Debut this year as a featured artist of the Armenian General
Benevolent Union.
Jordan Weatherston Pitts
Tenor Jordan Weatherston Pitts
made his principal artist debut to
critical acclaim as the drag queen
Renata in Iain Bell and Mark
Campbell’s world premiere of
Stonewall with New York City
Opera and continues an active
performance schedule of romantic
and lyric repertoire. His most recent
roles include the cover of Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et
Juliette with the Hawaii Opera Theatre, a cover of The
Magician (Nika Magadoff) in Menotti’s The Consul with
Opera Saratoga, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Achille in La
Belle Helene, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Alfredo in La
traviata, Younger Thompson (Cover) in Tom Cipullo’s Glory
Denied, Goro in Madama Butterfly, and MacDuff in Verdi’s
Macbeth. www.jordanwpitts.com
Instagram: @jordanwpitts
Jessica Tyler Wright
Jessica’s most recent NYCO
appearance was as Herta in the
world premiere production of Dear
Erich. Other NYCO appearances
include Vera Donovan in the New
York City premiere of Tobias Picker’s
opera Dolores Claiborne, based on
the Stephen King novel of the same
title, and the critically acclaimed
2017 production of Candide, reprising the role of Paquette
from the 2008 production, (both directed by Hal Prince).
Her Broadway credits include John Doyle’s Sweeney Todd
and Company, MTC’s LoveMusik (Hal Prince), and Lincoln
Center’s War Horse. Off Broadway, Jessica earned a Lucille
Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a
Musical for her role as Marjorie Taylor in Allegro (Classic
Stage Company). She toured the U.S. and Canada with
Sweeney Todd and had a turn as Mrs. Claus in the Radio
City Christmas Spectacular in Atlanta and Dallas. Regional
favorites include Marian in The Music Man and Lilli in Kiss Me
Kate (MTWichita), KT in Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati
Playhouse), Grace in Annie (North Shore MT), Irene in Crazy
For You (MTWichita and CA Music Circus), Mary Jane in Big
River (Papermill), and Kost in Cabaret (CA Music Circus).
Her television appearances include Blue Bloods with Tom
Sellek and a national commercial for Nexium.
www.jessicatylerwright.com
Kathryn Olander
Recently hailed by Opera News for
her “impressive playing,” Kathryn
Olander is a frequent assistant
conductor/pianist with New York
City Opera as well as many regional
opera houses. In addition to
coaching privately she has held
coaching positions with the Juilliard
School of Music, Manhattan School
of Music, and Chautauqua Institute. An avid recitalist,
highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall
and Zankel Hall, The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bryant Park’s concert
series, the Hungarian Consulate of New York and the Polish
Consulate of New York, and Bechstein Hall. Ms. Olander is a
regular pianist with Reaching for the Arts and Opportunity
Music Project, specializing in bringing music to underserved
communities and Creative Stage. Ms. Olander began
teaching piano at Northeastern University while earning her
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at New England
Conservatory and has since maintained a studio of private
piano students.
Michael Capasso
Michael Capasso is the General
Director of the New York City Opera.
He has produced, directed, and
toured opera and musical theater
productions in the U.S. and abroad
for over 30 years. In June of 2014, he
led the successful effort to bring the
New York City Opera out of
bankruptcy. The revitalized New York City Opera returned
to the stage in January 2016 with a celebratory production
of Tosca. In 1981, he, along with Diane Martindale, founded
New York’s Dicapo Opera Theatre. Over the 30 years of his
leadership, Dicapo Opera Theater presented a diverse
programming to the New York public. In addition to his
work with the Dicapo Opera Theatre, Mr. Capasso has
directed operas at l’Opéra de Montréal; Mallorca Opera;
Toledo Opera; Connecticut Opera; New Jersey State Opera;
Opera Carolina; and Orlando Opera among others. Mr.
Capasso founded the National Lyric Opera in 1991, a touring
company that has brought fully staged operas to
communities in the American Northeast.
PROGRAM
Prelude: Tribute to Ukraine
Ukrainian National Anthem
Daria Hrabova Capasso Soloist
Ukrainian folk song
Oleksandra Hrabova Soloist
La traviata Verdi
Libiamo ne’lieti calici
Glenn Seven Allen Alfredo
Chelsea Bonagura Violetta
Man of La Mancha Leigh/Darion
The Impossible Dream
Christopher Nazarian Don Quixote
Cabaret Kander/Ebb
Maybe This Time
Melanie Long Sally
West Side Story Bernstein/Sondheim
I Feel Pretty
Brian Maria
Glenn, Jordan, Peter Ensemble
Somewhere
Jessica Tyler Wright Consuelo
Falsettos Finn
What Would I Do?
Brian James Myer Whizzer
Peter Kendall Clark Marvin
Funny Girl Styne/Merrill
Don’t Rain On My Parade
Lauren Hoffmeier Fanny
Floyd Collins Guettel
How Glory Goes
Glenn Seven Allen Floyd
Candide Bernstein
Glitter and be gay
Chelsea Bonagura Cunegonde
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis Gordon/Korie
Stupid, stupid man
Brian James Myer Alberto
Mame Herman
Bosom Buddies
Jessica Tyler Wright Mame
Melanie Long Vera
La Cage aux Folles Herman
I Am What I Am
Peter Kendall Clark Albin
Tribute to Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
Company
Being Alive
Jordan Weatherston Pitts Bobby
Passion
I Wish I Could Forget You
Lauren Hoffmeier Fosca
A Little Night Music
A Weekend in the Country
Lauren Hoffmeier Desiree
Daria Hrabova Capasso Fredrika
Chelsea Bonagura Anne
Melanie Long Petra
Jessica Tyler Wright Charlotte
Brian James Myer Carl-Magnus
Jordan Weatherston Pitts Henrik
Christopher Nazarian Frederik
LaGuardia High School Show Choir
Choral Highlights from Pippin Schwartz/Arr. DeSpain
Camille Henri Soloist
Liam Kaznelson Soloist
West Side Story Choral Suite Bernstein/Arr. Huff
Serenity Perez Soloist
Michal Subernat Soloist
Born This Way Germanotta/Laursen/
Arr. Billingsley
Finale: Candide Bernstein
Make Our Garden Grow
Glenn Seven Allen Candide
Chelsea Bonagura Cunegonde
Jessica Tyler Wright Paquette
Brian James Myer Maximilian
Melanie Long The Old Lady
Peter Kendall Clark Dr. Pangloss/Voltaire
LaGuardia HS Show Choir Ensemble
About New York City Opera Since its founding in 1943 by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as “The People’s Opera,” New York City Opera (NYCO) has been a critical part of the city’s cultural life. During its history, New York City Opera launched the careers of dozens of major artists and presented engaging productions of both mainstream and unusual operas alongside commissions and regional premieres. The result was a uniquely American opera company of international stature. For more than seven decades, New York City Opera has maintained a distinct identity, adhering to its unique mission: affordable ticket prices, a devotion to American works, English-language performances, the promotion of up-and-coming American singers, and seasons of accessible, vibrant and compelling productions intended to introduce new audiences to the art form. Stars who launched their careers at New York City Opera include Plácido Domingo, Catherine Malfitano, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Beverly Sills, Tatiana Troyanos, Carol Vaness, and Shirley Verrett, among dozens of other great artists. New York City Opera has a long history of inclusion and diversity. It was the first major opera company to feature African American singers in leading roles (Todd Duncan as Tonio in Pagliacci, 1945; Camilla Williams in the title role in Madama Butterfly, 1946); the first to produce a new work by an African- American composer (William Grant Still, Troubled Island, 1949); and the first to have an African- American conductor lead its orchestra (Everett Lee, 1955). A revitalized City Opera re-opened in January 2016 with Tosca, the opera that originally launched the company in 1944. Outstanding productions during the four years since then include: the world premieres of Iain Bell and Mark Campbell’s Stonewall, which NYCO commissioned and developed, legendary director Harold Prince’s new production of Bernstein’s Candide; Puccini’s beloved La Fanciulla del West; and the New York premiere of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas — the first in its Ópera en Español series. Subsequent Ópera en Español productions include the New York premiere of the world’s first mariachi opera, José “Pepe” Martinez’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Literes’s Los Elementos, and Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires. In addition to the world premiere of Stonewall, the productions in NYCO’s Pride Initiative, which produces an LGBTQ-themed work each June during Pride Month, include the New York premiere of Péter Eötvös’s Angels in America and the American premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain. New York City Opera has presented such talents as Anna Caterina Antonacci and Aprile Millo in concert, as well as its own 75th Anniversary Concert in Bryant Park, one in a series of the many concerts and staged productions that it presents each year as part of the Park’s summer performance series. New York City Opera continues its legacy with main stage performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater and with revitalized outreach and education programs at venues throughout the city, designed to welcome and inspire a new generation of opera audiences. City Opera’s acclaimed summer series in Bryant Park brings free performances to thousands of New Yorkers and visitors every year.
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