SOLD OUT - Opera! at The Magpie. July 19, 20, 22
SOLD OUT – A conversation at Magpie’s bar with Seumas Coutts of M5 Arts and the ART HOTEL and Omari Tau of RMP turned to this proposition- Why not perform an opera that takes place in a busy restaurant in an actual restaurant?
Magpie is excited to host Rogue Music Project’s pop up presentation of The Stronger. Rogue Music Project (RMP) is a collective that cultivates adventurous music and theatre experiences.
Director’s Note for The Stronger
Premiering in 1952, Hugo Weisgall’s The Stronger began as an experiment. Even with thebrilliant Dominick Argento at the keys, chain-smoking, and serving as prompter, he couldn’t findsuccess with his original Estelle. After some work on the score and recasting the role, the piecehas remained his more frequently performed opera.Richard Hart’s adaption of the play by August Strindberg captures Estelle’s descent intoparanoia and posturing. Strindberg’s notion that characters could have multiple motivationsfor their actions was new. It feels real and new again in the Weisgall-Hart creation with musicthat seems equally taut and elastic, tonal and atonal, rhythmic and recitativo.Presenting the work in an actual restaurant provides the right sort of purgatory for Estelle: eyeswatching, judging, silent.
The Stronger - Synopsis
Two women, both of them actresses, meet in a quiet restaurant late Christmas Eve afternoon.Estelle arrives in a happy mood, laden with Christmas shopping bags. Without invitation, shejoins Lisa and launches into a stream of patronizing gossip about her marital happiness, herchildren, and the devotion of Harold, her husband. It would seem Lisa apparently had beenclose friends with him in the past. Estelle put an end to the relationship.As she tosses off one cocktail after another, Lisa’s silence and her failure to respond to eithergossip or teasing infuriates Estelle, leading her to open hostility, and finally to insinuationsabout Lisa’s former relationship with Harold. Becoming a bit drunk, she begins to rage, accusingLisa of scheming to win Harold, even after his marriage, and of having plotted under the guiseof friendship to dominate her and subtly govern her taste, the management of her home, andeven the choice of name given to her son. Carried away with suspicion, she paints Lisa as amonster, a vampire.Having unburdened herself of resentments which had been plaguing her for years, she relaxes abit. Recalling that after all, it is she, not her rival, who possesses husband, home and children,she collects her things, bids Lisa a patronizing “Merry Christmas” and exits. Lisa is left alone, stillsilent.
Hugo Weisgall, composer (1912-1997)
One of America’s most important opera composers, Hugo Weisgall’s output also includedorchestral, chamber and choral works, eight major song cycles, and music for ballet. His operaSix Characters in Search of an Author brought Weisgall national acclaim when it was firstperformed by the New York City Opera in 1959. The same company commissioned andperformed his Nine Rivers from Jordan in 1968, and later staged his Esther , based on the biblicalstory. His other operas include Athaliah , The Gardens of Adonis , Jenny/or The Hundred Nights ,Will You Marry Me? , The Tenor , and his most frequently performed opera, The Stronger .A descendent of four generations of cantors, Weisgall was commissioned by the Friends of theLibrary of Jewish Theological Seminary to write a song-cycle for the 500th anniversary of theexpulsion of the Jews from Spain. Among his more personal works were children’s pieceswritten for his grandchildren.Born in Czechoslovakia on October 13, 1912, he came to the U.S. in 1920 with his parents.During World War II, he was assistant military attaché to the governments-in-exile in London,and later served as cultural attaché in Prague.
Carrie Hennessey, soprano (Estelle)
Known for her soaring voice and richly nuanced characters, soprano Carrie Hennessey isconsistently thrilling audiences and critics in opera and concert appearances around the world.Ms. Hennessey’s much-awaited debut in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire “gave us a Blanchethat let us burrow into her character’s soul, even into the darkest crevices…Hennessey, using aone-two punch of music and drama, made it resonate in a way that equaled the finest stageperformances of the part I’ve seen.” 2019/2020 includes a role debut as Estelle in the opera TheStronger, Blitzstein’s Triple Sec and a world premiere of the opera Bones of Girls by librettist,Cristina Fríes and composer, Ryan Suleiman. The aforementioned performances will all takeplace with The Rogue Music Project, a collective of performers that cultivates adventurousmusical and theatrical experiences. Other performances include Carmina Burana, Beethoven’sSymphony No. 9, Gounod’s Messe solennelle en l'honneur de Sainte Cécile, Brahms’ Requiem, aswell as numerous recitals, cabarets, and continuous music education projects.Recent performances include a celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s music with concert“Bernstein 100” with the Colorado Symphony and Sinfonia Chamber Brass, a recital in severalEast Coast venues “Crisis of Faith” with bass Paul An of arias, duets and scenes from new operasincluding several world premieres, Song of Sacramento featuring 8 world premieres of songswritten by Sacramento area composers, Fauré Requiem , Brahms’ Requiem , an all Schubertrecital with pianist Gayle Blankenburg and cellist Susan Lamb Cook, as well as severalperformances with the Rogue Music Project. Recent past performances include Ms.Hennessey’s orchestral debut of Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder with conductor Daniel Stewart ,Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate! and Requiem , Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 , Mahler Symphony No.2 and Symphony No. 4 , and several chamber works including Respighi’s Il Tramonto , Ravel’sTrois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé and William Walton’s Façade .Ms. Hennessey is an active recitalist, performing songs of the beloved American composer,Ricky Ian Gordon, Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and severalrecital performances of the recital titled “To Live and Die for Love: The Heroines of Puccini”. Ms.Hennessey continues to give Master Classes and to reach out musically in the communities inwhich she works and keeps a busy vocal studio in Northern California. Past engagementsinclude her debut with the Houston Symphony, NYC performances of Poulenc’s Frenchmelodrama La Voix Humaine as well as European appearances at Reduta Hall in Bratislava,Rudolfinum Hall in Prague, the International Mahler Festival in Jihlava, Czech Republic,Concertgebouw in Bruges, Ypres, Belgium and at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Germany.
Jennifer Reason (Music Director/Piano)
Hailed as a pianist "in the league of Carnegie Hall," a "rising star" whose playing is "lush, sensualand colorful: like a painting" (Sulzbach-Rosenberger, Germany), and a "powerhouse" (VictorForman, CapRadio) who possesses an "extraordinary skill" (D. Frantztreb, S.C.C.), JenniferReason is making her mark in Sacramento in a variety of different roles and has beenrecognized as such with the Sacramento Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, 2016.In the nonprofit sector, Ms. Reason can be found as Artistic Director of RSVP, a 16 voiceacapella ensemble that raises money for underfunded local charities through captivatingconcert series created to musically highlight each charity’s mission, and 100% of the proceedsare donated to those organizations, totaling over 35 so far. She is also a founding member of10-year-old new music ensemble Citywater, an acoustic sextet with whom she is dedicated toeducating all ages on the boundless possibilities in music, and with whom many livingcomposers and brand new artistic endeavors are supported. She extends this passion foreducation and exposure to her mash-up band, the ReAssemblers of Whimsy, a group whoexpertly arranges opera arias with pop, jazz, rock, and many other genres!Professionally, Ms. Reason has performed all over the world, and has appeared at multipleinternational festivals as a soloist and ensemble member, and also in world-renowned venueswhich also include the likes of the Vatican and Carnegie Hall. She recently completed her 9thEuropean appearance as a touring member of the California Youth Symphony in June 2018. Shealso extends her love of performance to the theater and has acted as Musical Director toproductions such as the world premiere of Max Understood at Cowell Theater San Francisco,and Disney’s Shakespeare Understood for Marin Theater Co. Away from the piano, you can hearher as the Midday Classical Host for Capital Public Radio. More at www.jennifer-reason.com
Omari Tau (Stage Director)
Omari Tau is known primarily as a singer of styles ranging from classical, jazz, and musicaltheater to pop and R&B. Similarly, his experiences as an artist intersect across broad spectrums,including composition, performance, and both musical and stage direction.Tau received degrees in Music Education at Michigan State University and his Master of Musicin Vocal Performance at the University of Houston, Moores School of Music where he studiedwith mezzo-soprano, Katherine Ciesinski and director Buck Ross. Studying with Mr. Ross, Taudeveloped an eye for fast-paced, quick-witted comedy, deep drama, and he began to develop alanguage for problem-solving on the stage. This led to his being selected to direct HoustonGrand Opera’s traveling opera troupe for young audiences, Opera To Go!, a program thatserved as a training ground for young singers.Tau continued his exploration of the voice which led to experiences performing in avant-gardemusical styles at Fondation Royaumont’s Voix Nouvelle, to singing in operas at the young OperaIn The Heights, and in musicals such as Disney’s The Lion King, a show which he toured fornearly nine years.During his travels on the road with The Lion King, Tau was commissioned by Houston GrandOpera's HGOco in conjunction with The Anti-Defamation League to create a socio-musicaltheatrical experience entitled I Am Called “Me” in conjunction with the No Place For Hatecampaign. He also produced, composed, and directed a bawdy musical theatre romp entitledKill! Kill! or Die! A Zombie Rock Opera , which featured the national artists that he workedalongside each night. Tau continued his connection with the more formal operatic community,including being commissioned to compose his one-act opera Hans In Luck for Lone Star LyricTheater Festival in 2011.After life on tour, Mr. Tau became Director of Opera Theatre at Sacramento State University,rebuilding a once larger program with the fundamentals of stagecraft for singers, accompaniedby an encouraging atmosphere of curiosity for the broader understanding of the operatic artform and its history as a base. Still performing, Tau performed the role of Hud in Broadway inMusic Circus’ much-lauded production of Hair as well as a number of other productions withthe company. In 2013, he directed The Bremen Town Musicians for the Sacramento Operawhich marked a return to such programming after some years.After six years with Sacramento State University’s Opera Theatre, Tau joined the Music facultyof Cosumnes River College where he is currently a professor of Vocal Music.
Sarah Fitch, mezzo-soprano (Lisa)
Sarah Fitch, a native of Houston, Texas, made her professional debut with Knoxville Opera asStéphano in an operatic adaptation of Roméo et Juliette in 2012. She returned to KnoxvilleOpera in 2013 as Wowkle in Giacomo Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West , in 2014 as Hebe in H.M.S.Pinafore , and Ines in Il Trovatore in 2015. Sarah performed the iconic titular role in Bizet’sCarmen with the Midwest Institute of Opera in July of 2014. She has also performed withMarble City Opera as Maggie in The Gift of the Magi in December of 2013. Sarah completed herMaster's degree at the University of Tennessee where she performed the roles of Lucretia inBenjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia , Cherubino in Mozart’s comic masterpiece Le Nozze diFigaro , and Mrs. Nolan in Menotti’s The Medium . Sarah completed her undergraduate degreeat the University of North Texas where she performed the roles of Gertrude in Roméo etJuliette , Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica , Mrs. Gibbs in Copland’s Our Town , andMarcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro . Since moving to Sacramento in 2016, Sarah is thrilled to becontinuing her performing career with the unorthodox, and highly entertaining Rogue MusicProject.
