Lucia di Lammermoor
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Maryland Lyric Opera presents its first fully staged opera – Donizetti’s beloved tragedy Lucia di Lammermoor at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park. Resident Stage Director Nick Olcott directs the production and MDLO Music Director Louis Salemno conducts the MDLO Orchestra and Chorus.
Maeve Höglund, a rising American soprano who is making her mark at regional opera companies across the country and joined the MDLO Young Artist Institute this past summer, sings the iconic title role at the Thursday and Saturday performances alongside fellow MDLO Institute Artist SeungHyeon Baek. Joining them are alumni of the MDLO Young Artist Institute and the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program; tenor Yi Li as Edgardo and bass Wei Wu as Raimondo.
For the Friday performance, rising soprano Nayoung Ban sings the title role, following her training in the MDLO Young Artist Institute. Singing alongside her are baritone Daniel Scofield, tenor Yongxi Chen, and bass Hunter Enoch. Singing all three performances will be; tenor Roy Hage as Arturo, mezzo-soprano Daiyao Zhong as Alisa, and tenor Yang Chen as Normanno.
Sung in Italian, with English surtitles
Running time is about 2 hours and 25 minutes, including one intermission
Jan 24, 25, & 27 2019
Kay Theatre
Lucia di Lammermoor
Cast
| Lucia: | Maeve Höglund*(24,26) Nayoung Ban*(25) |
| Enrico: | SeungHyeon Baek*(24,26) Daniel Scofield (25) |
| Edgardo: | Yi Li*±(24,26) Yongxi Chen*†(25) |
| Raimondo: | Wei Wu*±(24,26) Hunter Enoch*±(25) |
| Arturo: | Roy Hage (all dates) |
| Alisa: | Daiyao Zhong* (all dates) |
| Normanno: | Yang Chen (all dates) |
* Alumnus of MDLO Young Artist Institute
± Alumnus of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program
† MDLO Beijing Competition Winner
| Conductor: | Louis Salemno |
| Director: | Nick Olcott |
| Lighting Designer: | Joan Sullivan-Genthe |
| Chorus Master: | Steven Gathman |
| Concert Master: | Jose Miguel Cueto |
| Assistant Conductor: | Husan Park |
Synopsis
Opera in three acts. Italian-language libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel “The Bride of Lammermoor”.
Act 1
Scene 1: The gardens of Lammermoor Castle
Normanno, captain of the castle guard, and other retainers are searching for an intruder. He tells Enrico that he believes that the man is Edgardo of Ravenswood, and that he comes to the castle to meet Enrico’s sister, Lucia. It is confirmed that Edgardo is indeed the intruder. Enrico reaffirms his hatred for the Ravenswood family and his determination to end the relationship.
Scene 2: By a fountain at the entrance to the park, beside the castle
Lucia waits for Edgardo. In her famous aria “Regnava nel silenzio“, Lucia tells her maid Alisa that she has seen the ghost of a girl killed on the very same spot by a jealous Ravenswood ancestor. Alisa tells Lucia that the apparition is a warning and that she must give up her love for Edgardo. Edgardo enters; for political reasons, he must leave immediately for France. He hopes to make his peace with Enrico and marry Lucia. Lucia tells him this is impossible, and instead they take a sworn vow of marriage and exchange rings. Edgardo leaves.
Act 2
Scene 1: Lord Ashton’s apartments
Preparations have been made for the imminent wedding of Lucia to Arturo. Enrico worries about whether Lucia will really submit to the wedding. He shows his sister a forged letter seemingly proving that Edgardo has forgotten her and taken a new lover. Enrico leaves Lucia to further persuasion, this time by Raimondo, Lucia’s chaplain and tutor, that she should renounce her vow to Edgardo, for the good of the family, and marry Arturo.
Scene 2: A hall in the castle
Arturo arrives for the marriage. Lucia seems distressed, but Enrico explains that this is due to the death of her mother. Arturo signs the marriage contract, followed reluctantly by Lucia. At that point Edgardo suddenly appears in the hall, which leads to the celebrated sextet Chi mi frena in tal momento. Raimondo prevents a fight, and he shows Edgardo Lucia’s signature on the marriage contract. Edgardo curses her, demanding that they return their rings to each other. He tramples his ring on the ground, before being forced out of the castle.
Act 3
Scene 1: Wolfcrag
Enrico visits Edgardo to challenge him to a duel. He tells him that Lucia is already enjoying her bridal bed. Edgardo agrees to fight him. They will meet later by the graveyard of the Ravenswoods, near the Wolf’s Crag.
Scene 2: A Hall
Raimondo interrupts the marriage celebrations to tell the guests that Lucia has gone mad and killed her bridegroom Arturo. Lucia enters. In the aria “Il dolce suono” she imagines being with Edgardo, soon to be happily married. Enrico enters and at first threatens Lucia but later softens when he realizes her condition. Lucia collapses. Raimondo blames Enrico for precipitating the whole tragedy.
Scene 3: The graveyard of the Ravenswood family
Edgardo is resolved to kill himself on Enrico’s sword. He learns that Lucia is dying and then Raimondo comes to tell him that she has already died. Edgardo stabs himself with a dagger, hoping to be reunited with Lucia in heaven.
Meet the Artists
Maeve Höglund
Soprano
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In the 2018-19 season, Ms. Höglund sang Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor and in concert as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Maryland Lyric Opera, and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with the Oregon Symphony. She was also awarded a career grant from The Opera Awards Foundation.
Ms. Höglund made her Opera Philadelphia debut in the 2017-18 season as Lola in the world premiere of David Hertzberg’s award-winning opera The Wake World. She also made her Michigan Opera Theatre debut as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and was soloist in Messiah with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She returned to the role of Susanna later in the season with Opera Maine, and joined the Maryland Lyric Opera Studio as an artist in residence.
Recordings include: David Hertzberg’s opera, The Wake World, released by Tzadik Records, Stefan Weisman’s opera, Darkling, released by Albany Records, as well as a collection of works for the voice by Mira J. Spektor, Summer and Winter Songs, released by Navona Records.
Distinctions include winner of a Opera Awards Foundation Grant, Giulio Gari Foundation Scholarship, Gerda Lissner Award recipient and Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Competition winner.
Nayoung Ban
Soprano
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South Korean Soprano Nayoung Ban is a young and dedicated operatic soprano with a sizeable and remarkably warm Bel Canto voice. She has been praised for vocal color, stage personality, and musicality beyond her years. Ms.Ban’s upcoming performances include Susanna(Le Nozze di Figaro) with Opera Ithaca and A Voice from Heaven(Don Carlo) with Maryland Lyric Opera. Recently Ms.Ban made her début with Maryland Lyric Opera debut performing the Title role of Lucia di Lammermoor where she also appeared as Gilda(Rigoletto), Musetta(La bohème), Pamina(Die Zauberflöte) and Blonde(Die Entführung) in their Concerts. Additionally, she performed Musetta(La Bohème) with Opera Ithaca and and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) with Mannes Opera where she also appeared as Euridice (Orfeo di Euridice), Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen), Giulietta in (I Capuleti e Montecchi) and Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) with Mannes Opera Opera Scene Performance. Ms. Ban also has performed as a Soprano Soloist in ‘Hear my prayer’ by F.Mendelssohn with Peniel Women’s Choir, T.Dubois’s The Seven Last Words of Christ with Christian Broadcasting System of New York, Soprano Soloist in Gounod’s St.Cecilia Mass with GNC Orchestra and Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with New Hope Reformed Church of New York.
Soprano Nayoung Ban has her Professional Studies in Mannes College of Music, holds her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree at ChungAng University in Korea where she also has her Bachelor's Degree.
SeungHyeon Baek
Baritone
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Baritone SeungHyeon Baek is quickly gaining recognition, throughout the American Opera circuit, as a young artist of significant talents and versatility. Specifically, he has been applauded and recognized for recent performances, over the past few seasons, for his “full, generous baritone voice” and his considerable “histrionic abilities combined with his rich artistry.” Last season, he performed the role of Marcello in La boheme with Opera Ithaca and Symphony of the Mountains and Count di Luna in Il trovatore with Opera San Jose.
Mr. Baek’s upcoming performances include Yamordi/Grand Inquisitor in Madama Butterfly with Canadian Opera Company, Frate/(Rodrigo) in Don Carlo with Maryland Lyric Opera, and the title role of Rigoletto with Opera Orlando.
Mr. Baek made several débuts including his début with Opera Tampa performing the role of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro where The Tampa Bay Times praised his “commanding baritone.” He also made a role début as Tonio in Pagliacci, and house débuts with Opera North as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and New York City Opera as Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del West. Additionally, he performed the title role in Gianni Schicchi with St. Petersburg Opera, and Lord Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, Sonora in La fanciulla del West as well as a soloist in An Evening of Puccini concert all with Maryland Lyric Opera, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with MidAtlantic Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Ithaca and Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Ithaca and New York City Opera for their Park Concert Series.
As a Concert artist, Mr. Baek made his début at Carnegie Hall as a soloist in Fauré’s Requiem with MidAmerica Productions and as a soloist in Dvorak’s Te Deum. He also performed as a soloist in Dubois’s The Seven Last Words of Christ with Christian Broadcasting System of New York, Dvořák’s Te Deum with Adelphi Chamber Orchestra and made his Lincoln Center Concert début with InterSchool Orchestras of New York as a soloist in Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
A native of South Korea, SeungHyeon Baek received a Professional Studies Degree in Mannes College of Music. During his professional studies, he performed the title role of Gianni Schicchi, Don Alvaro in Il viaggio a Reims and Di Cosimo in the New York Premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino with Mannes Opera. He also holds his master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music where he appeared as Pandolfe in Cendrillon and Peter in Hansel and Gretel as well as Valentin in Faust with the Manhattan School of Music Opera Repertory Ensemble. Additionally, Mr. Baek holds a Bachelor of Music degree at ChungAng University in Korea. He has won NJ State Opera’s Alfredo Silipigni Competition in 2017 and Career Bridges Competition in 2015.
Daniel Scofield
Baritone
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Celebrated for his “richly shaded” (Operawire),“booming voice, and full range” (Houston Press) baritone Daniel Scofield is quickly garnering attention as a young Verdi baritone on the rise. This season, Mr. Scofield makes several role debuts, including Scarpia in Tosca for Tri-Cities Opera, Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West for Opera Orlando, Monforte in I Vespri Siciliani with New Amsterdam Opera, Amonasro in Aida with Raylynmor Opera, and the title role in Gianni Schicchi with Maryland Lyric Opera.He also returns to Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Baltimore Concert Opera, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Project Columbus, and Tonio in Pagliacci with the Savannah Opera. Last season, Daniel performed Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Orlando and Phantasmagoria, a collaboration that received high critical praise and national recognition as a must see production. In concert with the Rapides Symphony he performed Germont in La traviata, and in Oklahoma with the quickly rising Painted Sky Opera, he portrayed Rigoletto. Other performances included a return to Marcello in La bohéme with Opera San Antonio, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with St. Petersburg Opera, and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor in his company debut with Maryland Lyric Opera.
Other recent performances include Rigoletto with Gulfshore Opera and Independent Opera, Germont in La Traviata with Hudson Opera Theater, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Pacific Opera Project, Ford in Falstaff with Pacific Opera Project, Valentin in Faust with Tri-Cities Opera, Il Conte in Le nozze di Figaro and Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Columbus, and Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Idaho.
Yi Li
Tenor
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Proving himself a formidable talent and a rising star to watch in the opera world, Tenor Yi Li is quickly gaining attention across the globe. Most recently, Li débuted the role of Cheng Quing in Meredith Monk’s ATLAS with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and moved into bigger repertoire, debuting the role of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West in Maryland Lyric Opera’s inaugural season. He subsequently returned there as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Turridu/Luigi in Il Tabarro/Cavalleria Rusticana as well as returned to The Metropolitan Opera as the Young Lover in Il tabarro.
Upcoming engagements include a return to Maryland Lyric Opera for Turandot and his debut at Opera Tampa in Cavalleria Rusticana.
Other operatic engagements include the role of Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles with Toledo Opera; Nicias in Thaïs with China National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Nashville Opera, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Cassio in Otello at The National Center Performing Arts in Beijing; the role of Alfredo in La traviata with Finger Lakes Opera; and his performance in Huang Ruo’s innovative contemporary opera, Paradise Interrupted. Mr. Li has also joined the esteemed roster of The Metropolitan Opera for productions of Manon Lescaut, Roméo et Juliette, and Der fliegende Holländer.
Concert engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Canterbury Chorale at Carnegie Hall, Indianapolis Opera’s Opera’s Rising Stars Concert and a Chinese New Year Concert with Shenzen Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.
Mr. Li recently graduated from Washington National Opera’s revered Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program where his assignments included Rodolfo in La bohème and productions of Die Zauberflöte and Dialogues des Carmélites. At San Francisco Opera’s world-renowned Merola Program, assignments included Belfiore in La finta giardiniera, Smith in Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth, and Lionel in Martha.
Mr. Li’s training includes an Artist Diploma in Voice from University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he performed Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Ruggero in La rondine. During his time there, he also performed The Duke in Rigoletto at Cincinnati Opera and Don José in Carmen at CCM Spoleto Festival. He also holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Sichuan Conservatory in China, where performances include Alfredo in La traviata, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Cavradossi in Tosca.
Finding success on the emerging artist competition circuit, Yi Li’s talent has been recognized by several elite foundations and organizations. Mr. Li was a Grand Final Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a finalist at Operalia: The World Opera Competition, Winner of the Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, China’s representative at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, 3rd Prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, Finalist in the 49th International Singing Competition of Toulouse, and won the Grand Prize in Opera Columbus Irma M. Cooper Vocal Competition and CCM’s Corbett Scholarship Competition. He also received a grant from Giulio Gari Foundation and performed at their annual gala.
Wei Wu
Bass
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Grammy Award-winning bass Wei Wu recently made his company debut with the Santa Fe Opera as Kobun in the world premiere production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, a role which he will reprise in his debut with San Francisco Opera in the spring of 2020. Original engagements for the COVID-19 shortened 2019-2020 season features company debuts with Opera Philadelphia as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and Pensacola Opera as Ferrando in Il Trovatore. He made the role debut with Pittsburgh Symphony as Rocco in Fidelio under the baton of Maestro Manfred Honeck. He returns to Washington National Opera as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte led by Conductor Eun Sun Kim, and Lodovico in David Alden's production of Otello, NCPA Beijing reprises the role of the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann also appears with the PROTOTYPE Festival as the Nephew in Blood Moon.
This season, Mr. Wu will sing Allan in the American Premiere production of Chausson's only opera King Arthur (Le roi Arthus), with Bard SummerScape Festival. He will return to the Metropolitan Opera in the fall to cover the role of Timur in Turandot. He will make the company debut by singing Hunding with New Orleans Opera in Die Walküre. He will also join the touring performances to reprise the role as Kobun in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Austin Opera. And the company debuts with Opera Philadelphia for the role of Sparafucile in Rigoletto.
Mr. Wu is a regional finalist and district special award winner (Rocky Mountain Region) for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition in 2010 and 2012. He was also the winner of the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition in 2011 and 2012. The second prize winner of The Gerda Lissner Foundation Vocal Competition and placed third in the 5th Taiwan Vocal Competition. He is featured as Kōbun Otogawa on the original cast live recording of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which received the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
Mr. Wu received his B.M. in Vocal Performance from the People’s University of China, Beijing. He received his Performance Certificate and M.M. in Voice Performance at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Who bestowed upon him the Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Graduate Award in 2020.
Hunter Enoch
bass-baritone
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Bass-baritone Hunter Enoch joined the Cafritz Young Artist program at Washington National Opera in the fall of 2015. During his time with the company, he was heard as Count Almaviva in the Young Artist performance of Le nozze di Figaro, a Corporal in The Daughter of the Regiment, ADC in The Dictator’s Wife, covered Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, and sang Sharpless in the Young Artist performance of Madame Butterfly. His WNO debut was as Moralés in Carmen and he was later heard as James Miller in the world premiere of Better Gods. In the 2019-2020 season, Mr. Enoch returned to WNO as Montano in Otello, and sang the role of Kurwenal in Act 2 of Tristan und Isolde with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda at both the Kennedy Center and at Lincoln Center, and performed Palémon with Maryland Lyric Opera. In the 2018-19 Mr. Enoch performed the role of William Dale in Silent Night at Washington National Opera, made his company and role debut as Scarpia for Opera Birmingham, and sang Happy in La Fanciulla del West and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor for Maryland Lyric Opera, and debuted Wotan with Pacific Northwest Opera in The Ring in One Evening. This season Mr. Enoch will sing Scarpia with Anchorage Opera and returns to Pacific Northwest Opera as Germont in La Traviata.
Louis Salemno
Music Director
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Louis Salemno is the Music Director of Maryland Lyric Opera and is the principal conductor for all its performances, including the recent Thaïs, La fanciulla del West, and the MDLO Orchestra concert featuring pianist Leon Fleisher. He oversees the recruitment and training of the emerging artists of the MDLO Institute and leads the team responsible for auditioning, hiring, and managing the MDLO Orchestra and Chorus.
Maestro’s long and storied international conducting career includes posts at some of the world’s leading opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and New York City Opera, among many others. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in France and was mentored by the legendary Kurt Herbert Adler, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gianandrea Gavazzeni and Bruno Bartoletti. As a pianist, he has appeared in recital with Montserrat Caballe and Denyce Graves.
As a mentor, he held the post of Resident Coach for Washington National Opera’s acclaimed Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program for nearly a decade, where he also trained conducting students as well as visiting conductors in preparation for performances. He has also mentored singers at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He studied piano with Mieczyslaw Horszowski and conducting with Max Rudolf at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Joan Sullivan Genthe
Lighting Designer
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Joan Sullivan-Genthe has designed lighting in major theaters throughout the United States and in Europe. As a specialist in opera design she has regularly collaborated with many of the world’s foremost opera directors and designers. Her North American credits include lighting for San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Portland Opera, Cleveland Opera, Tulsa Opera and Chicago Opera Theater, in addition to her work as resident lighting designer for Washington National Opera, in Washington, DC.
European credits include the Zeffirelli production of Pagliacci for Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Turandot for Seville’s Teatro de la Maestranza and Finnish National Opera/Helsinki (Frisell/Ponnelle); Il Trovatore in Göteborg, Sweden (Lawless/Dugardyn); Dialogues des Carmélites for the Grand Théâtre de Genève (Rochaix/Dahlstrom); The Medium/The Telephone double bill, directed by composer Gian Carlo Menotti, at the Spoleto Festival; and the Carl Sternheim play Bürger Schippel, seen at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen, Norway. Several of her Washington National Opera designs have been seen on tour in Japan; and productions televised nationally by PBS have included Pagliacci, Le Cid, and the world premiere of Menotti’s Goya, all with Placido Domingo; La Rondine, and Die Fledermaus.
Ms. Sullivan-Genthe joined Washington National Opera (then known as The Washington Opera) in 1984. Her work for that company included designing more than 125 productions produced at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. These have included high profile world premieres of Menotti’s Goya and Argento’s The Dream of Valentino as well as the U.S. premieres of Wolf-Ferrari’s Sly with José Carreras, Krasa’s Betrothal in a Dream, and Chinese composer Jin’s Savage Land. During her time in Washington, she presented numerous lectures and demonstrations about stage lighting both for the Opera and the Kennedy Center Education Department; lit educational programs presented by the Opera for elementary and high school students; and worked with college student interns interested in getting practical experience in opera.
After discovering opera at Indiana University School of Music, Ms. Sullivan-Genthe began her professional career at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she assisted lighting designers Gil Wechsler, Duane Schuler, Gilbert Hemsley and Ken Billington and designed for the Opera’s young artists program and ballet school. During her tenure in Chicago she realized the original lighting design of the premiere production of Penderecki’s Paradise Lost for Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
A three-year stint as Associate Lighting Designer at San Francisco Opera followed, during which she originated the lighting for the US version of the John Cox/David Hockney production of Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress and a new production of Le nozze di Figaro (Frisell/Brown).
She began her full-time design career in 1984 dividing the majority of her time between Washington, DC and the Seattle Opera where she created over forty production in the ensuing eleven years. Notable productions in Seattle include two versions of the Wagner’s Ring Cycle — the final iteration of the original Seattle production and the initial Ring of the Speight Jenkins administration. Designed by Robert Israel with director, François Rochaix, the production became so successful it was produced four times in ten years.
Ballet credits include the original works Age of Anxiety (Bernstein) by choreographer John Neumaier for BalletWest in Salt Lake City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; as well as Neumaier’s Now and Then (Ravel) for the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. She designed lighting for numerous productions of the Ballet School of the Lyric Opera of Chicago when that company was headed by former prima ballerina Maria Tallchief.
Ms. Sullivan-Genthe’s work has been featured in Theatre Crafts and Lighting Dimensions magazines as well as in J. Michael Gillette’s classic textbook Designing with Light.
Steven Gathman
Chorus Master
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Steven Gathman was appointed Chorus Master of Maryland Lyric Opera last fall and prepared the chorus for La Fanciulla Del West. He has spent 24 years with Washington National Opera and was appointed Chorus Master in 1997. He has prepared the WNO Chorus for over 120 productions in seven languages. For WNO he has conducted performances of Tosca, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La clemenza di Tito, Der fliegende Holländer, and Carmen. At the Miami Summer Music Festival he has conducted Dido and Aeneas, The Medium, Albert Herring, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and Gianni Schicchi. He has served on the music staffs of the Metropolitan Opera, Il Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Pacific. He was on the faculty of the University of Maryland at College Park and served as a guest coach at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, in addition to giving master classes around the country. He holds a bachelor’s of music in piano from DePaul University and a doctor of musical arts degree in piano accompanying and chamber music from the University of Michigan.
Jose Miguel Cueto
Concert Master
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Violinist José Miguel Cueto has over 40 years of experience leading orchestras in the USA and abroad. His multitalented skills as concertmaster, soloist and chamber musician make him a much sought-after artist. After completing his studies at the Conservatory of Music in his native Puerto Rico, Cueto was awarded a scholarship to further his violin studies under the tutelage of laureate violinist Berl Senofsky at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Recognized for his “bravura playing and full-blooded music making” José Cueto has performed worldwide in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe and China. Among others, his festival appearances include performances on the Casals, Aspen, Alba, Usa/China, Autunno Musicale Veronese, and for the American Liszt Society. His four-decade partnership with pianist Nancy Roldán encompasses recordings and worldwide performances hailed by critics as … “superb, powerful, well balanced and exciting.” Mr. Cueto has recorded for Centaur, Sonora, Marquis, Crystal, and Educo labels, performing in chamber ensembles and as soloist with orchestras. Mr. Cueto has previously served as Concertmaster of Concert Artists of Baltimore and the Baltimore Opera Orchestra. He teaches at Catholic University of America and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he’s also been Artist in Residence and Head of Strings. Cueto shares his expertise as violin teacher, chamber ensemble, orchestra coach and lecturer in studio and master class settings. He plays a 1920 Stefano Scarampella and a 2005 violin made specially for him by Luiz Bellini.
Husan Park
Associate Conductor
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Ms. Husan Park has collaborated as assistant conductor and continuo-player for over twenty years at theaters such as Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile, Music Festival in Perpignan, Festspiele Erl in Tirol in Austria, Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Theater an der Wien in Austria, Performing Art Center in Nanjing, Music festival in Shanghai, Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, Festival de Ópera Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Teatro Principal Palma de Mallorca, Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía, and Palau de la Música in Valencia, Spain.
Ms. Park has worked with conductors Jesús López Cobos, Riccardo Frizza, Speranza Scappucci, Corrado Rovaris, Andrea Licata, Sachio Fujioka, Ramón Tebar, David Giménez, and Leonardo García-Alarcón, among others; and with stage directors such as Emilio Sagi, Guy Joosten, Giancarlo del Monaco, Joan Anton Rechi, Gustavo Tambascio, Davide Livermore, and Carlos Wagner.
She collaborated with international opera singers including José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Jaime Aragall, Isabel Rey, José Bros, Cristina Gallardo-Domás, Ángeles Blancas, Juan Diego Flórez, Aquiles Machado, David Menéndez, Ana Ibarra, Sabina Puértolas, Davinia Rodríguez, Giovanna Casolla, Bruno de Simone, Giacomo Prestia, Gloria Scalcchi, Franco Farina, Pietro Spagnoli, Norah Amsellen, Carlo Colombara, Luciana D’Intino, Daniella Barcellona, Fabio Sartori, Elena Prokina, KS Peter Weber, KS Edith Lienbacher, and Anton Scharinger.
In 2014, she collaborated at the world première of "El Juez", an opera composed by Christian Kolonovits for the tenor José Carreras, under the direction of Emilio Sagi and David Giménez. During her career Ms. Husan Park has given recitals as soloist and as collaborative pianist at Musikverein Wien and Konzerthaus Wien in Austria, Teatro Real de Madrid, Palau de Les Arts, Palau de la Música de Valencia in Spain and at theaters in Germany, Italy, France, Finland, El Salvador, and in South Korea.
As vocal coach and assistant, Ms. Park has collaborated at masterclasses with Plácido Domingo, KS Walter Berry, KS Hilde Zadek, KS Hilde Rössel-Majdan, KS Edith Lienbacher, Paul Hamburger, Margit Fleischmann, Maggie Zimmermann, Ana Luisa Chova, and David Menéndez. Her extensive repertoire spans operas from Monteverdi to Adès, and from different epochs and styles (including Operettes and Zarzuelas) in Italian, German, French, English, Spanish and Russian.
She majored in Piano at Konservatorium der Stadt Wien; Vocal Coaching (Liedbegleitung) and Opera Coaching (Opernkorrepetition) at Hochschule f. Musik u. darst. Kunst in Wien, Austria. At the same city in 2001 she became an Austrian citizen. As vocal coach and professor she taught at the Universität f. Musik u. darst. Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and in Conservatorio Superior de Música de Valencia Joaquín Rodrigo, Spain.
Currently, Ms. Park combines work as vocal coach at the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo at the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain with opera productions throughout Europe.
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