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Romeo & Juliet

PERFORMANCES

January 25, 2019
January 27, 2019

LOCATION

Saenger Theatre

LANGUAGE

French with English Supertitles

COMPOSER

Charles Gounod

details

Venture through fair Verona’s divided houses as Shakespeare’s sweeping tragedy of star-crossed lovers is brought to life by Gounod’s sumptuous score.

To read the full Opera synopsis please click here.

Cast

Melinda Whittington*

as Juliette
Soprano

The Salt Lake Tribune praises Melinda Whittington for her “performances of emotional resonance along with their powerhouse vocals.” In her home state, she makes her debut with North Carolina Opera as Ada in Higdon’s Cold Mountain and sings the Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Carolina in the 2017-18 season. She makes role debuts as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Opera Birmingham and as the title role of Arabella with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, sings further performances of the Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Grand Rapids, and returns to Wolf Trap for a birthday concert celebration honoring composer John Corigliano. Last season, she returned to Arizona Opera for the title role of Rusalka in addition to joining Utah Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Greensboro Opera as Micaëla in Carmen, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago for its production of Eugene Onegin.

She is the 2016 third place winner in Fort Worth Opera’s McCammon Voice Competition, 2015 first place winner of the Opera Birmingham competition, a 2013 semi-finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, winner of the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition, and an encouragement award winner in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition. She is a former participant in the prestigious Merola Opera Program in association with San Francisco Opera at which she performed scenes as the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, Barber’s Vanessa, and Bizet’s Le jolie fille de Perth.

She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mackenzie Whitney*

as Roméo
Tenor

Mackenzie Whitney is originally from Janesville, Iowa and is gaining recognition nationwide for his expressive lyric tenor voice.  He studies with Bill Schuman at the Academy of Vocal Arts and received his Artist Diploma in May of 2016. Mr. Whitney has most recently performed with Madison Opera in the role of Rodolfo in La bohème. He also sang Rodolfo with both the Lakes Area Music Festival and the Academy of Vocal Arts, a role in which Philly.com reported “Mackenzie Whitney, who sang Rodolfo, has an appealing lyric tenor voice, his upper tones free and of lovely quality. This role suits him well both vocally and dramatically”.

The 2016-2017 season saw his debuts with Hawaii Opera Theatre as Rodolfo in La bohème, Opera on the James as the Duke in Rigoletto, Utah Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Opera Maine as Alfredo in La traviata. In the 2017-2018 season, he makes debuts with San Diego Opera as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Annapolis Opera as Alfredo in La traviata, returns to Madison Opera as Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas, and brings his Rodolfo in La bohème to his Opera San Antonio debut.

Alex DeSocio*

as Mercutio
Baritone

Described by The New York Times as having a “buttery, booming baritone,” Alex DeSocio (Wichita, KS), received his BM in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and his MM at the University of Maryland. He is a 2-time alumnus of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program. He is the only opera singer certified as an Actor Combatant in The Society of American Fight Directors.

Alex has worked in regional opera companies including Sarasota Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Birmingham, Pensacola Opera, Anchorage Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, Opera Memphis, Livermore Valley Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Pacific Opera Project. Professional role experience includes Silvio in Pagliacci, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Marcello in La Bohème, Lescaut in Manon, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and Dandini in La Cenerentola.

Alex’s awards include being a two-time Metropolitan Opera Council Audition Semi-Finalist, Winner/Laureate with the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Sullivan Foundation Winner, 1st Place Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, 1st Place Winner Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, 2nd Place Premiere Vocal Competition, and Merola Opera Program Shoshana Grant Award.

Artist Website >>

Camille Sherman

as Stéphano
Mezzo-Soprano

Mezzo-soprano Camille Sherman hails from the California North Bay Area. In the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Sherman returned to the Portland Opera Resident Artist Program, where she was seen on their mainstage as Kate Pinkerton as well as covering Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Sally in A Hand of Bridge, Announcer in Gallantry, and Asteria in the American professional premiere of Vivaldi’s Bajazet. Previous credits with Portland Opera include Flora Bervoix in La Traviata and Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera, as well as covering roles Hannah After in As One and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Ms. Sherman also returned to Pensacola Opera in 2019 to make her role debut as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette.

During the 2017-18 season, Ms. Sherman joined Pensacola Opera as an Artist in Residence, performing the role of María in María de Buenos Aires and the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha, in addition to covering roles Aldonza in Man of La Mancha and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Ms. Sherman’s recent seasons include role debuts as the Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos (Berlin Opera Academy, 2017) and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Janiec Opera Company, 2016). In addition to her stage career, Ms. Sherman has also appeared in concert with Nashville Opera and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, and will debut with Naples Philharmonic as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah this winter.

Over the last few years, Ms. Sherman has garnered acclaim in several competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where she was recently named a National Semi-Finalist after having won the Northwest Region, and where she won an Encouragement Award in the competition’s Middle/East Tennessee District the previous year. She was a finalist in the Tier 1 of the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition (2019) and the Brava! Opera Theater Competition (2016). She is a two-time winner of the Kalvelage Memorial Award in the Henry and Maria Holt Competition (2016-17) and secured the Jorge Estebanez Scholarship from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2016).

During her vocal training, Ms. Sherman was in residence at the Janiec Opera Company and at OperaWorks. Ms. Sherman holds degrees in vocal performance from some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including a master’s degree from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Catherine Cook, and a bachelor’s degree from The Boston Conservatory. In addition to her work as a singer, Ms. Sherman is an experienced pianist, flautist, and musical arranger.

Matthew Fleisher*

as Frère Laurent
Bass

American bass Matthew Fleisher makes his Pensacola Opera debut with his performances of Frere Laurent in the company’s premiere production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. A recent honors graduate of the University of Michigan, Matthew has appeared in productions of The Magic Flute (Sarastro), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Snug and Theseus), Tosca (Jailer), The Fall of the House of Usher (Servant), Le Nozze di Figaro (Bartolo), Dinner at Eight (Max Kane), Bastianello (Luciano), and The Difficulty of Crossing a Field with the Janiec Opera Company (Brevard Music Festival), Wolf Trap Opera Company, University of Michigan Opera Theater, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and the Phillip Glass Foundation. During Summer 2018, Matthew will return to Wolf Trap Opera Company for their productions of Romeo et Juliette and Rigoletto.  A student of internationally acclaimed countertenor David Daniels, Matthew has commissioned and will present the world premiere of a recital work by the composer David Hanlon. Matthew combines his appearances in recital and opera with his passion for Global Human Rights.

Alexander Scheuermann*

as Tybalt
Tenor

Praised for his sweet tone and nuanced stagecraft, tenor Alexander Scheuermann has been called “a performer’s performer,” appearing in both theatrical and concert settings across the US and Europe. Recent roles include the cover of Tim Laughlin in Fellow Travelers with Des Moines Metro Opera, Remendado in Carmen with Salt Marsh Opera, Marco in The Gondoliers with Winter Opera St. Louis, and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with Opera Tampa. He makes a role and company debut as Fenton in Falstaff with Raylynmor Opera in 2022. Alexander has been a resident artist with Pensacola Opera and Kentucky Opera, and holds degrees in voice from Florida State University and the University of Houston.

Artist Website >>

Zachary Owen*

as Capulet
Bass-Baritone

Born and raised in Illinois, American bass-baritone Zachary Owen has performed with such companies as the Glimmerglass Festival, Arizona Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Opera North, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Santa Barbara. He has performed the roles of Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Ashby in La fanciulla del West, Don Fernando in Fidelio, Matouš in Smetana’s The Kiss, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Haly in L’italiana in Algeri, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, Frank Maurrant in Street Scene, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni, der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, Spencer Coyle in Owen Wingrave, and the title role in Don Pasquale. A strong advocate for new music, he has participated in a composer’s workshop at Cincinnati Opera in which he worked alongside Jake Heggie, Jack O’Brien, and Terrence McNally to develop two characters for Heggie’s new Opera, Great Scott. In the 2018 season, Mr. Owen returned to the Marion Roose Pullin Studio at Arizona Opera and performed several roles including Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Angelotti in Tosca, and Lycos in Hercules vs. Vampires. A returning member of the Glimmerglass Festival, he will go on to perform the Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen, cover Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as perform supporting roles in West Side Story and Silent Night.

Mr. Owen is the recipient of numerous awards including the Grace Keagy Award at the Lotte Lenya Competition, the Brudos Family Prize for Opera Performance and was a national semifinalist at the 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Luther College in Decorah Iowa and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

* Pensacola Opera debut artist

Creative & Production Team

STAGE DIRECTOR | Scott Skiba*
CONDUCTOR | Jerome Shannon
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR | Cody Martin
PIANIST | Kelvin Ying*

STAGE MANAGER | Karl Anderson

ALSO APPEARING:
The Pensacola Opera Chorus & Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

* Pensacola Opera debut artist

Romeo & Juliet Extras

Meet the Artists Luncheon

Tuesday, January 15 at 11:30 AM
Cost: $30

Meet the Artists Reception

Friday, January 25 - after the show
Cost: $50, $40 for Season Subscribers

Director’s Champagne Brunch

Sunday, January 27 at 11:45 AM
Cost: $50

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