Schedule of Events
NATS Winter Workshop/NOA Annual Convention

January 9-11, 2014 - Schedule Subject to Change

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8TH 

6 pm        

Dutch-Treat Prix Fixe Dinner

at Café Un, Deux, Trois,

123 W 44th St. btw. Sixth and Seventh Ave. 

 (Reservations Required)

8 pm        

Broadway Show On-Your-Own

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9TH 

8 am to 5 pm - Mezzanine

Registration

8 am to 8:45 am - Plaza Suite

Embrace Your Inner Clown - Zachary Fine

This active warm-up uses clowning techniques and improvisation with a professional clown.  Active session with floor work, dress comfortably.

9:30 am to 10:45 am - Grand Ballroom

Plenary Session - A Presidential Panel  with Julia Aubrey, Katherine Duax and Marc Scorca

The three presidents of NOA, NATS, and Opera America discuss the convergence of tradition and innovation in opera and musical theatre in the 21st century

11 am to 12:45 pm - Grand Ballroom/Foyer

Opening Ceremonies and Luncheon - Keynote Address, Stephanie Blythe

1 pm to 2:45 pm - Grand Ballroom

Plenary Session - Master Class:  The Intersection Between Opera and Musical Theatre: a Performer’s Life Today

Ted Sperling and Victoria Clark

Tony-award winners-- conductor Ted Sperling, and singer Victoria Clark--will discuss the demands placed on musical theater performers as singers and actors with repertoire from many styles and periods.

3 pm to 3:45 pm - Promenade Suite

Broadway Songs: Finding the Truths

Mark Ross and John Bucchino

Discussion of a new book from Oxford Press that analyzes Broadway song repertoire for singers and teachers, with interviews of performers, composers and directors associated with the songs.  This session will spotlight and discuss some of the important Broadway literature vocally, and add a musical and dramatic analysis.  Special guest Mr.Bucchino, award-winning composer of the Broadway show A Catered Affair,will provide analysis and examples.

3:30 pm to 4:15 pm - Grand Ballroom

New Triad: Crossing Over

Steve Gross

Selecting the right “crossover” repertoire is a challenge many classically trained singers face.  This class helps singers make convincing impressions during crossover auditions and in opera auditions where arias are only part of the audition package.

4:30 pm to 5:15 pm - Grand Ballroom

Career Q & A - Stephanie Blythe

5:30 pm to 7:15 pm - DINNER ON YOUR OWN

7:30 pm to 9:30 pm - Grand Ballroom

College Opera Scenes Competition - Paul Houghtaling, Coordinator

Introduction and Master of Ceremonies: Paul Houghtaling, University of Alabama, COSC Chair

COSC Committee:  Kristine Hurst-Wajszcuk, Co-chair, Linda Lister, Dawn Neely, Ron Ulen

Finals Judges:  Division I: Susan Boardman, Susan Gonzalez, Dona Vaughn

Division II: Chuck Hudson, Gordon Ostrowski, Martha Wade

Preliminary Round Judges:  Daniel Bubeck, University of Alabama; Kristine Hurst-Wajszcuk, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Kristin Kenning, Samford University; Linda Lister, University of Nevada Las Vegas;

Dawn Neely, University of West Georgia; Ron Ulen, Texas State University, San Marcos

 

DIVISION I

 Purchase College (SUNY)

Purchase, New York

 Hansel und Gretel, Act I, scene I       Engelbert Humperdinck

Hansel:  Rachel Weishoff                    Gretel:  Robin Clifford

 Stage Director:  Jacques Trussel   Music Director:  Hugh Murphy  

Pianists: Hugh Murphy and Mina Kim

 ____________________________

The University of Miami, Frost School of Music

Miami, Florida

 L’elisir d’amore, Act II, scene vii                  Gaetano Donizetti

               Adina:  Alissa Roca              Dulcamara:  Eric McConnell

Stage Director:  Tony Boutté               Music Director and Pianist:  Alan Johnson

____________________________

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

La fille du régiment, Act II, Trio                    Gaetano Donizetti

 Marquise:  Lindsey Fuson    Marie:  Nicole Wallace    

Sergeant Sulpice:  Nicholas Szoeke

 

Stage Director:  Rebecca Renfro Grimes       Music Director and Pianist:  Roger Keele

 ____________________________

 The University of Montevallo

Montevallo, Alabama

 Little Women, Act II, Final Quartet                Mark Adamo

 Jo:  Mattie Crisp        Meg:  Rachel Pickering

Amy:  Grace Conner        Beth:  Lauren Jones

 Stage and Music Director:  Charles Wood      Pianist:  Laurie Middaugh

 ____________________________

DePauw University

Greencastle, Indiana

 La Rondine, Act II, Finale                  Giacomo Puccini

 Lisette:  Elleka Okerstrom         Prunier:  Joseph Leppeck

Ruggero:  Lance Orta             Magda:  Emily Barnash

 Stage and Music Director:  Kerry Jennings     Pianist:  Gregory Martin

 ___________________________

 DIVISION II

 The University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

 La bohème, Act I finale, arias and duet          Giacomo Puccini

 Mimi:  Rebecca Kidnie        Rodolfo:  Max Hosmer

 Stage Director:  Leigh Holman   Music Director:  Nicholas Carthy    Pianist:  TBA

 ____________________________

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

 The Taming of the Shrew, Act II, scene ii                               Vittorio Giannini

 Lucentio:  Kevin Park        Bianca:  Andrea Hansen

 Stage Director:  Samuel Mungo     Music Director and Pianist:  Kristin Roach

____________________________

 The University of Texas at Brownsville

Brownsville, Texas

 La fille du régiment, Act II, Trio                    Gaetano Donizetti

 Marquise:  Connie Lopez    Marie:  Azalea Laredo

Sergeant Sulpice:  Robert Reyna

 Stage Director:  Nicole Asel    Music Director:  Daniel Hunter-Holly    Pianist:  Laura Brumbaugh

 ____________________________

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

 Susannah, Act II, scene 3                               Carlisle Floyd

 Susannah Polk:  Lily Guerrero            Olin Blitch:  Andrew Simpson

 Stage Directors:  Samuel Ramey and Marie Allyn King     Music Director:  Mark Laycock           

Costumes:  Shannon Smith-Register    Pianist:  Linda Starkey

 ____________________________

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

 The Most Happy Fella, Act I, Trio                             Frank Loesser

 Pasquale:  Richard Hodges         Giuseppe:  Ryan Brock      Ciccio:  Matthew Arnold

Stage Director:  David Holley             Music Director and Pianist:  Benjamin Blozan

 ____________________________

 Brief pause followed by announcement of awards.

The first place winners in each division will be featured in a master class on Friday, January 10 with Copeland Woodruff and Time Long entitled An Inside Look at the Winners.

9:30 pm to 11:00 pm - Palm Room                         

Opening Reception

 

FRIDAY JANUARY 10th 

8 am to 5 pm - Mezzanine               

Registration

8:00 am to 9:30 am - East End Suite

Board of Directors Meeting

8 am to 8:45 am - Hudson Suite

Yoga for Performers - Robert Swedberg  

8 am to 8:45 am - Plaza Suite

Body, Breath, Sound - Adriana Hardy

Body, Breath & Sound offers a unique blend of breathing techniques and body work to free up the voice. It will include ideas from Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Yoga breathing, Inner Body work, and Living in a Body, For anyone using voice as a means of communication, as well as understanding the body mechanics of breath and sound. Active session, dress comfortably.

9 am to 9:45 am - Promenade Ballroom   

Integrating Projections into the Show - Matt Kizer

Learn how projections can reduce the cost of scenery and contribute to the impact of a show.  You will leave with a clear understanding of what projection means to the performers, the director, the other designers, and the producer.   

9 am to 10:15 am - Grand Ballroom

Musical Theatre Training and Casting for Classical Singers

Tiffany Little Canfield, Brian DeMaris, Constantine Kitsopoulos, and Ron Raines with Moderator: David Ronis

A discussion addressing the needs and concerns of classical singers in regards to training and auditioning for musical theatre projects.

10:30 am to 12:30 am - Grand Ballroom Hallway

Poster Sessions

Anthony Radford, Chair

Brian Arreola - Songs of the Fisherman: A Collaboration to Create an Opera-Ballet Hybrid
Rebecca Renfro Grimes - Integrating Mime and Dance into the Opera Scenes Narrative
Anna Hersey - J.P.E. Hartmann’s Liden Kirsten: A Hidden Gem
Kristen Kenning - Polish Opera in the United States: a Call for Education, Performance, and Production
Janene Nelson - Chiaroscuro: A Singer’s Approach to Exploring Artistic Individuality in Interpretation
Mitra Sadeghpour with co-authors Jordyn Beranek, Danielle Bronshteyn, and Michaela Tures - Opera and Sustainability: A Case Study
Jeffrey Snider - A History of Operatic Voice Types

10:30 am to 11:15 am - Grand Ballroom

Interview - Andrew Lippa

Rick Walters, Vice President for Classical & Vocal Publications, Hal Leonard Publishers, will facilitate a conversation about writing for the theatre, writing for the voice and setting words, and the choice of topics for shows and special projects.

10:30 am to 11:15 am - Promenade Suite

Scholarly Paper - Kay Payn, Coordinator

Love and Redemption:  The unfulfilled passion, the dissatisfied dream and chivalric duty in Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, written by Meghann Anneliese Dailey, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA.

11:30 pm to 12:45 pm - Vanderbilt Suite

Governor’s Lunch - Reg Pittman, Coordinator

Have lunch with your regional Governor and other members from your region.  (Reservation required)

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm - Grand Ballroom

NOA Annual Business Meeting and Election of Officers   

Julia Aubrey, NOA President

2 pm to 3:45 pm - Grand Ballroom

Plenary Session--Master Class - Andrew Lippa

Mr.Lippa will coach singers in the performance of songs from his

shows such  The Wild Party, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,

The Adams Family, John and Jen, and A Little Princess.

4 pm to 4:45 pm - Grand Ballroom

New Triad: Crossing Over - Steve Gross

Selecting the right “crossover” repertoire is a challenge many classically trained singers face.  This class helps singers make convincing impressions during crossover auditions and in opera auditions where arias are only part of the audition package.

4 pm to 4:45 pm - Sutton Suite

Singer Training Forum:  Skills Required by Professional Opera Companies for Young Artists

Laura Canning, Jonathan Pape, and Michael Heaston with Moderator Laura Lee       Everett

Learn what skills your students will need to have a professional singing career and how to provide curriculum to produce those skills with guidelines developed by Opera America’s Singer Training Forum.

5:15 and 5:40 pm - National Opera Center

Opera America Tour of the National Opera Center (330 Seventh Ave. @ 29th St.)

Ticketed event, limited to 75 persons per tour time.

8 pm to 8:45 pm - Grand Ballroom

Sacred in Opera

John Pfautz, Coordinator

Claudia Dumschat and Richard Olson

Claudia Dumschat is the Organist and Choirmaster at The Church of the Transfiguration ("The Little Church Around the Corner") in Manhattan working with her husband, librettist and stage director Richard Olson. They will share their experiences and thoughts on producing sacred music dramas and operas at the church and elsewhere. Their repertoire includes works from the Medieval Play of Daniel to Benjamin Britten, as well as world premieres by contemporary composers.

9 pm to 9:30 pm - Grand Ballroom

An Embarrassing Position by Dan Shore

2013 NOA Chamber Opera Competition Winner - Susan Gonzalez and Reuben Blundell

A world premiere performance of a new chamber opera, with students from Hunter Opera Company at Hunter College.

9:45 pm to 11 pm  -  Terrace Ballroom

The Golden Age of Broadway - Elizabeth Vrenios, Coordinator

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11th 

8 am to 5:00 pm - Mezzanine

Registration

8 am to 8:45 pm - Hudson Suite

Yoga for Performers - Robert Swedberg

8 am to 8:45 pm - Vanderbilt Suite

Stage Combat - Rod Kinter

During this workshop, participants will be introduced to the techniques involved with performing the kinds of violence common to opera such as slaps, hair pulls, falls, and struggles.   Participants will learn how to safely execute these techniques while making them seem “real” to an audience.  Active session with floor work, dress comfortably.

9 am to 9:45 am - Grand Ballroom

Young People’s Opera Performance: Searching the Painted Sky—

A Children’s Opera by Martha Hill Duncan and Janet Windeler Ryan

Kimberly Wolfenbarger-Nakamoto, Dr. Christopher Meerdink, Dr. Ezekiel Meza and the Youth Opera of El Paso

Searching the Painted Sky was commissioned by Youth Opera of El Paso to premier at this convention to encourage the Composition of new operas to be performed by children.

9:30 am to 10:15am - Sutton Suite

The Douglas Moore Fund:  Supporting Emerging Creators

Michael Ching and Daron Hagen

The Douglas Moore Fund has provided financial fellowships to five emerging composers in order to learn about the field of opera composition by attending rehearsals and performances of new American works.  Learn about the application and selection process for this annual competition.

10:30 am to 12:00 pm - Grand Ballroom

Stephen Wadsworth:  Advanced Acting Techniques for Opera Singers

Stephen Wadsworth

The acting training offered for singers at the Juilliard Opera/Met Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program is unique.  It is as intensive as the kind of training that spoken theatre actors undergo while it addresses genre-related issues specific to singers.  Lecture demonstration.

10:30 am to 11:15 am  - Sutton Suite

H.O.W. Round Table:  Too Many Sopranos, Too Few Tenors?

Susan Boardman, W. Dwight Coleman, and David Holley with Moderator: Elizabeth Vrenios

Help in casting and producing opera workshops.

11 am to 4 pm - National Opera Center (330 Seventh Ave. at 29th)

26th Annual Vocal Competition - Barbara Hill-Moore, Coordinator

11:30 am to 12:15 pm - Sutton Suite

Choral Conducting and Vocal Technique for Choral Singing - Ronnie Oliver and David Rosenmeyer

Learn how to prepare and conduct a chorus and vocal technique for choral singing.  Group participation.

1 pm to 2:30 pm - Sutton Suite

They Sang in English…Really?? - Kathryn LaBouff

Author of Singing and Communicating in English: a Singer’s Guide to English Diction will guide participants to an understanding of how to achieve clear diction in English in a manner that actually frees up the voice of the classically-trained singer.  She will also highlight the similarities and differences between classical singing and the requirements for musical theatre style.

1:30 pm to 3 pm - Grand Ballroom

The Stage Music of Kurt Weill: Interpreting and Transcending the Score - Daniel Faultus

How to capture the atmosphere and style of this singular music by mining the music stylistically beyond what is found on the printed page for collaborative partners, pianists and singers.

AND

Strong Female Characters in the Music of Kurt Weill: Breaking the Mold Then and Now

Tammy Hensrud and TBA

Through historical and live examples this lecture recital will explore the challenges vocally and interpretively of these cutting edge roles in musical theatre and opera.

3 pm to 3:45 pm - Sutton Suite

Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon Confined to the Salon No Longer:  A New English Translation/Orchestrations Bring Life to a Neglected Operatic Jewel in Discussion and Performance

Charles Effler and Dr. Rachel M. Harris

With a new English translation and orchestrations, Viardot’s witty and charming salon opera is ready today’s audiences.  The opera’s suitability for any sized opera program, in English or French, from small to main stage productions, with piano or orchestra, or for educational outreach will be discussed and performed.

3:30 pm to 4:15 pm - Grand Ballroom

New Triad: Acting Essentials for the Audition - Nic Muni

Using interactive demonstrations this class will focus on core acting technique:  the essential action.  Learn how to answer the “Four Magic Questions” that a singer can use to imbue every audition with an emotional vibrancy and power that is the ultimate goal of our craft.

4:30 pm to 6:00 pm - Grand Ballroom

Flexible Vocal Technique:  Adapting Your Classical Technical Knowledge for a Wide Variety of Contemporary Styles

Stephanie Samaras

This session will focus on strategies to let your standard classical technique be the pivot for contemporary commercial styles of singing, including Broadway and various other pop styles. 

4:30 pm to 5:15 pm  - Sutton Suite

The Creation of: The Scarlet Ibis - Stefan Weisman and David Cote with Moderator Kim Whitener

Based on the story by James Hurst, an inside look at the creation of a new opera for young people in discussion and performance with the composer and librettist.

6:30 pm to 7 pm - Palm Room

Cocktails     

7 pm - Terrace Ballroom

Vocal Competition Winners Concert

7:30 pm to 10:30 pm - Terrace Ballroom

16th Annual Legacy Gala Banquet and Awards

 

***Schedule updated Dec. 18, 2013