Thornton Opera
Bios & Synopses

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart
"Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja"
Papageno: Erick Mosteller

In the forest, the bird catcher, Papageno, describes the life he leads. He loves nature, loves his job catching birds, and dreams of finding a wife to make his life complete. Oh, how he wishes he could catch a woman as easily as he catches birds.

Barbiere di Siviglia - Rossini
Act I recitativo e duetto "Dunque io son"
Figaro: Chris Bang
Rossina: Lydia Brown

Rossina, the ward of a pompous older doctor, has a great friend in barber and jack-of-all-trades, Figaro. Rossina has been courted outside her window by the Count Almaviva, who's been
presenting himself as a poor student named Lindoro. In this scene, Figaro goads Rossina into writing "Lindoro" a letter saying that she'll meet him. At first, she's afraid of being so bold, but it turns out she's already written him a letter. This is followed by Rossina's bubbly expressions of love for Lindoro and Figaro's bubbly expressions of admiration for Rossina.

La Clemenza di Tito - Mozart
Act I, sc 7 "Ah, se fosse intorno"
Tito: Corey Estelle
Servilia: Emma Rocheleau

Emperor Tito has chosen Servillia to be his wife, but she is in love with Annio. She declares to Tito that she must be honest with him – her heart has been given to another man, and if Tito insists she marry him, she won't be able to disguise that love, but that she'll do as he wishes for the sake of the kingdom. Tito is moved by her honesty, and grants her the freedom to marry Annio, adding that if everyone were as honest with him as Servillia, his job would be a joy. He requests that she do her best to pass on this honesty to all who will listen.

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart
"Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen"
Papageno: Chris Bang

Three Ladies with magical powers gave Papageno "Magic Bells'' which they said would protect him and guide him. After going through a process of becoming a novitiate in Sarastro's Masonic order, Sarastro tells Papageno that he'll never make it as a novitiate. After hearing this, all Papageno really wants is a glass of wine, which he drinks. Unfazed, alone, and slightly drunk, he opens the Magic Bells and has a conversation with the Bells, during which he sings of wanting a wife. The Bells convey to him to put his focus on giving love rather than searching for love.

Lucia di Lammermoor - Donizetti
Act I Duetto "Il pallor funesto, orrendo"
Lucia: Haeun Baek
Enrico: Liam Shannon

In a politically turbulent time, Enrico has demanded that his sister, Lucia, marry a man she does not love in order to secure their future. Lucia confronts her brother in his office, refusing to marry this man because she's given her heart to another. They argue, and that's an understatement.

L'Italiana in Algeri - Rossini
Act I recitativo e duetto "Ai capricci..."
Isabella: Zineb Fikri
Taddeo: Blake Stevenson

Taddeo has been a suitor of Isabella. They have travelled to Algiers on vacation, but actually Isabella is looking for her fiancé, Lindoro. After being shipwrecked, Isabella and Taddeo are held captive at a port in Algiers. Guards tell them that Taddeo will become a worker, while Isabella will become part of a harem. In this scene, Taddeo clears the air about their relationship, expressing fear that he's doomed to be a slave, while Isabella is confident that she can "handle" the men and the situation. They decide to set aside their differences so they can support each other.

Die Zauberflöte - Mozart
"Papagena.. Papagena..."
Papageno: Matthew Cook

This scene is a continuation of Papageno's previous scene. He is given a glimpse of a beautiful young woman, his "Papagena", who immediately runs away, faster than he can catch her. Forlorn, dejected and feeling quite sorry for himself, he's convinced that he'll never find love, and contemplates that his only option might simply be to "end life once and for all." He's really looking for a sign, ANY sign, from a woman, ANY woman, to give life and love another chance.

INTERMISSION (15 MINS)

Le jongleur de Notre-Dame - Massenet 
from Act II, scene I
Jean: Nate Owen
Le prieure: Liam Shannon
Un moine poête: Emmanuel Yoque
Un moine peintre: Aidan Moravec
Un moine musicien: Erick Mosteller
Un moine sculpteur: Blake Stevenson

A juggler has spent time at a modern-day monastery, learning the ways of the Marian monks. He feels ashamed that he cannot grasp Latin, so that he can speak to "Our Lady" with beauty and simplicity like the monks. In this scene, he has just told the monks that he's "nothing" – that all he can do is juggle, eat, and drink. The monks – a sculptor, a painter, a poet, and a musician – begin to express how each of their arts is the highest form of praise and adoration, hoping to inspire Jean and perhaps take him on as a pupil. Their egos get in the way, as they argue over whose art is the greatest. The Prior, who is their confessor, insists they calm down. The musician monk speaks of how it is music that unites them in shared praise.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto - Handel 
Act I recitativo e duetto "Son nata a lagrimar"
Cornelia: Zineb Fikri
Sesto: Stephen Pitters

Cornelia and her son, Sesto, have been imprisoned, and are awaiting their separate fates. In this scene, they see each other, and Cornelia convinces the guards to allow them a few minutes alone. Knowing they will probably never see each other again, they say a final goodbye.

La Bohème - Puccini
Schaunard scene, Act I
Schaunard: Aidan Moravec
Rodolpho: Chris Bang
Marcello: Blake Stevenson
Colline: Matthew Cook

In an artists' garrett on Christmas Eve, three young men sharing the garrett complain about the cold. It looks like there'll be very little celebrating, until their roommate, Schaunard, enters with food, pastries, wine, and logs for the fire. As they prepare the table and get a fire going, Schaunard tells the story of how he got the money for the feast. Paid by the hour to teach an Englishman music, he was asked to sing to the man's parrot until the parrot expired. So Schaunard slipped the bird a little parsley, hastening its demise. He was able to leave early, with enough money in hand to celebrate.

Chérubin - Massenet
Act III, scene 7 duo
Nina: Emma Rocheleau
Chérubin: Lydia Brown

Chérubin has lived as a womanizing cad. He wrote a letter to one of his prospects, Nina, who wholeheartedly believed his promise of love. Then he left her in the lurch. In this scene, Nina is sitting in the back seat of a car, waiting to be driven to a convent, in order to forsake the world. Chérubin, having realized he loves Nina, goes to her to express his love. At first, Nina will have
nothing to do with him. She's hurt, and embarrassed that she believed the womanizing Chérubin in the first place. She hands him the letter he wrote her. Chérubin tells Nina that she changed him, that his world has opened...and that opens her world as well.

La belle Hélène - Offenbach
Act I Finale
Hélène: Julia Kempf
Paris: Nate Owen
Ménélas: Emmanuel Yoque
Calchas: Matthew Cook
Agamemnon: Liam Shannon
Achilles: Stephen Pitters
Tutti ensemble

Our belle, Hélène, has dreamed that she will escape her dreary life as the wife of old king Ménélaus, by winning a handsome lover in a contest overseen by the gods. Our scene begins with
the third of three contests – rhyming. Pâris enters, and delivers the winning rhyme. Hélène recognizes Pâris as the man who awarded her an apple in a "Most Beautiful Woman in the World"
contest. Fated to be together, they need to get rid of her husband. Calchus helps them by conjuring a directive from the god, Jupiter, stating that Ménélaus must go to Crete for a month. The entire community lures him onward to Crete with Vegas-style incentive.