Meet the Cast of Suor Angelica and Cavalleria Rusticana!

Douglas Kinney Frost (Conductor) is Music Director of Syracuse Opera He has lead orchestras throughout North and South America receiving critical acclaim in recent performances including Porgy and Bess at the prestigious Teatro Colon, La Bohème at the Florida Grand Opera, a new production of Madama Butterfly and La Traviata with Anchorage Opera, the Boston premiere of Little Women at the New England Conservatory, The Magic Flute at the Syracuse Opera, and Postcard from Morocco at the University of Michigan. He was the associate conductor and chorus master for Opera Colorado’s Nixon in China, which was recently released on the Naxos recording label. In concert, the breadth of his repertoire has been highlighted in performances with the National Symphony of Mexico, the Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and orchestras in Brazil and Uruguay, Russian Federal Orchestra in Moscow, St Petersburg Festival Orchestra, Kharkov Philharmonia in Ukraine, and the National Orchestra of Korea in Seoul, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and in the U.S. with the Colorado Bach Festival, Rochester Philharmonic, Westminster College, Utah, Virginia and Richmond Symphonies, among others.






Stephanie Gregory (soprano), Suor Angelica, debuts in this title role with Mississippi Opera. A native of Mississippi, Ms. Gregory made her debut as Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine with the Orchestra Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. Ms. Gregory has just completed the role of Tosca with Opera Theater of Connecticut. She sang her first Mimi in La Bohème with Opera Ischia, a role she later reprised with Mississippi Opera., and was also featured in the roles of Micaëla in Missouri and South Carolina as well as Musetta with the Opera Theater of Connecticut and Violetta in South Carolina and with the New Opera Festival di Roma, in Rome Italy. In 2004, she completed a concert tour of South America with the Yale Alumni Chorus singing the soprano soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. She made her debut in the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires with the Orquesta Filarmônica de Buenos Aires. Other cities included were Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, Santiago, Chile and La Plata, Argentina. Other operatic roles for the 2001 ‘American Jenny Lind’ include Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, Nannetta in Falstaff, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, Ilia in Idomeneo and Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Opera engagements in 2008/2009 include Violetta in La Traviata in South Carolina as well as reprising the title role of Suor Angelica for Opera Theater of Connecticut.
Her solo work includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem and ‘Great’ Mass in C Minor, Samuel Adler’s Stars in the Dust, and Haydn’s Creation and Lord Nelson Mass. Her first recording endeavor, Stars In The Dust, music by Meira Warsheaur, which was recorded by the Slovak Radio Orchestra in Bratislava was recently released by Albany Records. Ms. Gregory received a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance as well as an Artist’s Diploma from Yale University. She also graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, specializing in piano and choral conducting.


Jeniece Golbourne (mezzo-soprano), La Principessa/Santuzza, returns to Mississippi Opera where she was Mistress Page in Falstaff. She has performed as Maddalena in Rigoletto with New Jersey Opera; the title role in Carmen, Béatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte at the Manhattan School of Music; Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Westminster Opera Theater; the Principessa in Suor Angelica with the American Singers Opera Project; and both Adalgisa in excerpts from Norman and Eboli in excerpts from Don Carlo with Opera Noire. Concert highlights have included Amneris in Aïda with the Annapolis Chorale and Symphony; arias from Carmen with the Deutsche Kammeracademie Neuss am Rhein Orchestra; the Verdi Requiem with the Würzburg Orchestra; da Falla’s El Sombrero de Tres Picos with the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra; an Opera Concert with the Prague Castle Guard and Police Orchestra, Czech Republic; and an American Songs Concert with the Collegiate Chorale and the New York Repertory Orchestra, conducted by Robert Bass. Jeniece Golbourne is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, and received her Master of Music in Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She has performed in the master classes of Fedora Barbieri, Marilyn Horne, Alberto Zedda, Martin Katz, Willie Waters, and Bo Skovhus.
Engagements for Ms. Golbourne during the 2008-09 season include Azucena in Il Trovatore with Virginia Opera and with Eugene Opera.


Marcos Aguiar (tenor), Turiddu, sang his first Otello in 2008 with the DuPage Opera Theater and with the Vero Beach Opera. He also appeared as Dick Johnson in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West with the Di Capo Opera Theater, Canio in I Pagliacci with the Augusta Opera, and during the summer he sang the role of Des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut with the Utah Festival Opera in Logan, Utah.
A frequent performer in concert and opera, Marcos has appeared as a soloist with the State of São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestras of the Municipal Theater of São Paulo and Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, the Louisiana Philharmonic, among others. In 2003, as a winner of the 6th Aldo Baldin Vocal Competition in Brazil, he was awarded his prize by principal judge, Fiorenza Cossotto. In the same year he debuted as Don José in Bizet’s Carmen at the Opera Festival in Florianopolis, Brazil. In 2004, he sang concert versions of the roles of Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Don José in Carmen at The Municipal Theater of São Paulo and also sang the role of Don José at the Teatro da Paz Opera Festival in Belém, Brazil. In 2005, Marcos made his debut at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro singing the role of Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth. He appeared again in Carmen and Madama Butterfly at the 2006 and 2007 Indiana University Opera Theater seasons, again singing the roles of Don José and Pinkerton. Marcos Aguiar holds a Bachelors degree in Music and Voice from Santa Marcelina College in São Paulo, Brazil, and a Masters Degree in Music from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Maksìm Ivanov (baritone), Alfio, was born in Russia and has been praised for his portrayal of many operatic roles including Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Onegin in Eugene Onegin, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Robert in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Ford in Falstaff. In the United States he has sung leading roles with such companies as Glimmerglass Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Providence, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Boheme Opera of New Jersey, Sanibel Music Festival and Ash-Lawn Highland Festival among others. A frequent soloist on the concert stage, his most recent performances include Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at Woolsey Hall in New Haven, “Viva Italia: An Evening of Italian Arias” with the Wallingford Symphony and was a special guest soloist in an evening of Russian repertoire with the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra.
Mr. Ivanov is a two time winner of the Metropolitan Opera competition in Connecticut, and has won numerous other prizes including the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, the New York’s Jensen Foundation, Liederkranz Opera, the Licia Albanese Voice Competitions and the Shubert Theater International Opera Competition.
Mr. Ivanov holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received his Bachelor of Music (cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music degree from both the Manhattan School of Music and Yale University.
Currently Mr. Ivanov is an Adjunct Professor of Music at the Connecticut College in New London, CT.

Meet the Cast of Rigoletto!

Constantinos Yiannoudes as Rigoletto

Praised for “a fascinating combination of charm and menace”, “a creamy, noble sound”, and “an exceptional voice”, baritone Constantinos Yiannoudes maintains an active performance schedule in both opera and concert.

Past seasons have found him at San Francisco Opera covering Germont in La traviata; Sarasota Opera for the Count in Le nozze di Figaro; Eugene Opera for Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Germont in La traviata; Boheme Opera of New Jersey in the title roles of Rigoletto, Don Giovanni and Il barbiere; San Antonio Lyric Opera for Escamillo in Carmen; Fargo Moorhead Opera for Scarpia in Tosca, and New York’s Central Park with New York Grand Opera for a dual bill of Bohèmes, as Marcello in Puccini’s score and Rodolfo in Leoncavallo’s version of the story.

Mr. Yiannoudes has also appeared with Opera San José, Nevada Opera, Annapolis Opera, Taconic Opera, Teatro Grattacielo, Little Orchestra Society and Opera Orchestra of New York. He has appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and the Bruno Walter Auditorium.

His current operatic repertoire also includes Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Ford in Falstaff, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera and Rodrigo in Don Carlo.

Equally at home in contemporary works, Mr. Yiannoudes has been heard in Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny-Songspiel, Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts, and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. World premiere performances have included the role of Drosselmeir in Craig Bohmler’s The Tale of the Nutcracker and the baritone in Roger Trefousse’s Found Objects. Mr. Yiannoudes also sang the role of Marius in the New York premiere of composer Robert Starer’s Apollonia.

On the concert stage the baritone has performed Rossini’s Ermione, Fauré’s Requiem, John Rutter’s Mass of the Children, and the world premiere of Stephen Walters’ Requiem at Carnegie Hall. He was the soloist in Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with the Eugene Concert Choir, as well as in Handel’s Utrecht Jubilate, Dvořák’s Mass in D, and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs.

Recent operatic engagements have brought Mr. Yiannoudes to Syracuse Opera, where he made his company debut in the title role of Rigoletto. He returned to New York’s Central Park, this time as Germont in La traviata with the New York Grand Opera, and to Taconic Opera as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore.

Sarah Jane McMahon as Gilda

Sarah Jane McMahon is swiftly gaining recognition for her beautiful "vocal sophistication" and sparkling stage presence. In 2008, she opened the New York City Opera's spring season in Purcell's King Arthur and was lauded for her "silvery-voiced soprano" and "real star presence." In 2007, she performed Mabel in a new production of The Pirates of Penzance with N.Y.C.O. for which the The New York Times described her as a "deft comic actress" while also praising her vocal polish and flexibility. Sarah Jane made her debut with the New York City Opera in April 2006 as Galatea in Handel's Acis and Galatea. For this production, The New York Times described her as "bright, active, and fastidiously musical," and the New York City Opera bestowed upon her the coveted Kolozsvar Award.
Shortly after earning a Master's degree in Music from Yale University, Sarah Jane was selected by Maestro Placido Domingo to join the Los Angeles Opera, where she sang with the celebrated tenor as the Fifth Flower Maiden in Parsifal. Other roles with L.A. Opera include Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos and The Milliner in Der Rosenkavalier. Sarah Jane also performed Donna Clara, the Infanta, in Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg at Bard SummerScape Festival for which Opera News wrote: "Sarah Jane McMahon laughed and danced as the glamorous Infanta, making a golden sound with an alluring light vibrato that evoked the young Pilar Lorengar."
Sarah Jane has performed frequently with New Orleans Opera as Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Musetta in La Bohème, Monica in The Medium, and Maria in West Side Story. She has also sung with Opera Grand Rapids as Maria in West Side Story and Micaela in Carmen, the Washington Concert Opera as Dorinda in Handel's Orlando, with Opera Theater of Connecticut as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, and with Des Moines Metro Opera as Abigail Williams in The Crucible.
Recent concert appearances have included Carmina Burana at Avery Fisher Hall, The Rutter Requiem at Carnegie Hall, a New Year's Eve Gala with the New Orleans Opera, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with the Colorado Symphony. Broadway audiences have enjoyed her participation in Scott Seigel's Broadway by the Year 1959, Broadway Unplugged, and A Night at the Operetta at Town Hall, NYC. For this latter appearance Opera News praised her beauty pageant looks and "superb, stylish rendition" of "One Kiss."
A summa cum laude graduate of Loyola University New Orleans and Yale University, Sarah Jane is the Recipient of the Blake Stern Scholarship for Academic and Vocal Excellence at Yale University and a Theodore Presser Scholar. Sarah Jane has recorded the title role in the premiere recording of Emmerich Kalman's Sari, which is available on Albany Records. Opera News described her singing as having "a bright, pleasing sheen that recalls the young Barbara Hendricks." She also has recorded an album of sacred music dedicated to New Orleans and the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Upcoming engagements include appearances with the Central City Opera as Lucia in Britten's Rape of Lucretia and Maria in West Side Story, a return to New Orleans Opera as Micaela, Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the Ridgefield Symphony, and a Gala Concert with Placido Domingo.

Michael Wade Lee as The Duke

The San Francisco Classical Voice hails tenor Michael Wade Lee as a singer "most impressive...with a well-articulated voice of clarity and remarkable color". A seasoned performer on the operatic stage, he has sung with some of the most respected companies in the world, including the Greek National Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the San Francisco Opera Center. Most recently, Mr. Lee performed B F Pinkerton MADAMA BUTTERFLY with Midland Symphony as well as Charles Clayton in the premier reading of Stephen Schwartz's new opera, SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. Last year, he made his international debut in an engagement with the Greek National Opera, performing the role of Don José CARMEN opposite Denyce Graves. In quick succession, Mr. Lee reprised the role of Don José CARMEN with both Chautauqua Opera and for Opera in the Heights. Finally in 2008, Mr Lee sang Nemorino L'ELISIR D'AMORE with St Petersburg, conducted by Mark Sforzini. Mr. Lee looks forward to performing the roles of Don José CARMEN with San Antonio Opera directed by Paul Sorvino, the Duke RIGOLETTO with Mississippi Opera, and Tamino DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE with El Paso Opera.

This season he adds the roles of Cavaradossi TOSCA, Nemorino L'ELISIR D'AMORE and Froh DAS RHEINGOLD to his performed repertoire, adding to a wide variety of roles which include Der Hauptmann WOZZECK which was performed with Indiana Opera Theatre, Nanki-Poo THE MIKADO with Nashville Opera, and Raymond Pocket MISS HAVISHAM'S FIRE with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Mr. Lee has performed the Duke RIGOLETTO at Connecticut Lyric Opera and Opera In The Heights and Turiddu CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA at Chelsea Opera, and in 2004 he performed the Male Chorus RAPE OF LUCRETIA to great acclaim with San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program. Of his performance the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "The best singing came from...tenor Michael Wade Lee, who combined heroism and honeyed tenderness in equal measure".

Gaining a reputation for his vivid characterizations, Mr. Lee created the role of The Actor in the world premiere of Kitty Brazelton's opera FIREWORKS! at American Opera Projects and he has additionally been a member of Pacific Opera's roster since 2002. In 2006, Mr. Lee sang the 1^st Guest in Dargomyzhsky's THE STONE GUEST with the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Botstein at Avery Fisher Hall.

In January 2008, Mr Lee performed the tenor solo in the North American Premier of Scherbachyov's Symphony Blokovskaya with Leon Botstien and the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall. the New York Times said, "[Mr Lee] sang with attractive tone and stamina in the final movement, a lurid Dantean fantasy..."He also sang the tenor solo in the Mozart Requiem and Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace at Carnegie Hall and has appeared in concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and on the stages of Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York City. He was a finalist in the Texoma region's NATS competition and won the Metropolitan Opera National Council encouragement award in Indiana in 2000. Additional awards include a prestigious Merola Career Grant and the Pacific Opera Career Grant.

Hilary Ginther as Maddalena

Ms. Ginther is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, and a native of Bristol, Va. With the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company she performed in many shows including the The Magic Flute (2^nd Lady), Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah (Mrs. McLean), Bernstein’s West Side Story (Maria), and the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. Her previous roles with the Mississppi Opera include Verdi’s La Traviata (Annina), Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde (Mrs. Jaffett), covered the title role in Carmen and recently performed The Marriage of Figaro (Cherubino). Ginther was selected to sing in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (3^rd Lady) with the Opera Festival di Roma this summer in Rome, Italy. Ginther has attended summer young artist programs such as the Daniel Ferro Vocal Program in 2005 and was a Lake George Opera Studio Artist in 2007 where she performed in Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne (Leonié). She was also the soloist cover for Schubert’s Mass in G at the Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall in 2005. In 2006, Ginther was a finalist in the Charles A. Lynam Vocal Competition, and was a semi-finalist in 2007. She was also a semi-finalist in the 2007 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, and has won both the state and regional NATS competition in 2006-2007. She has coached with Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music faculty member Robert Kopelson, Juilliard School voice teacher, Daniel Ferro, the director of LA Opera Works, Ann Baltz, Ronaldo Russo of Lucca, Italy, Italian coach and conductor, Bruno Ragacci, and world-renowned conductor and coach, Fiora Contino. Ginther’s previous voice teachers include Mark Owen Davis; she currently studies with Dr. Maryann Kyle.

MEET THE CAST OF LA BOHÈME!

(back row) Maryann Kyle, James Martin, Kreshnik Zhabjaku, Daland Jones, Mike McDonald, Kyle Swann
(front row) Raffaele Sepe, Stephanie Gregory, Dan Hague, Laurentiu Rotaru

We kicked off the season this past Saturday night with a "Meet the Cast, La Bohème Pre-Party" sponsored by the Mississippi Opera Guild at Reservoir Pointe.

This wonderfully eclectic group of singers and directors including artists from Italy, Romania, Albania, Connecticut, and New York are right here in Mississippi.

We hope to see you at the performance on November 10 at 7:30pm in Thalia Mara Hall. Call 601-960-2300 for tickets!

The Metropolitan Opera goes to the movies!

Find a movie theater near you!

Click the link for ticketing and details

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/hd_events.aspx

Roméo et Juliette – Gounod
Saturday, December 15, 2007 1:00 pm

Hansel and Gretel – Humperdinck
Tuesday, January 1, 2008 1:00 pm

Macbeth – Verdi
Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:30 pm

Manon Lescaut – Puccini
Saturday, February 16, 2008 1:00 pm

Peter Grimes – Britten
Saturday, March 15, 2008 1:30 pm

Tristan und Isolde – Wagner
Saturday, March 22, 2008 12:30 pm

La Bohème – Puccini
Saturday, April 5, 2008 1:30 pm

La Fille du Régiment – Donizetti
Saturday, April 26, 2008 1:30 pm

Some sad news

Please read the following regarding of one of Mississippi Opera's most prized Board Members Barbara Moffitt
Barbara Herfurth Johnson Moffitt of Jackson, a longtime community arts activist, died of pancreatic cancer on Friday, August 24, at her brother's home in Osage Beach, MO. She was 75. Visitation will begin at 12 noon on Wednesday, August 29, at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home on High Street, with the service following at 2 p.m. in the chapel there. The Rev. Dr. Ruth Wallace Black, director of pastoral services at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will officiate. A native of Eldon, MO, Mrs. Moffitt was the daughter of the late Matilda Haldiman Herfurth and Theodore R. Herfurth. She attended the Eldon Public Schools where she was active in all music activities and played piano, flute, oboe and violin. She also played organ for her church. She was a member of her high school honor society, editor of her high school newspaper and salutatorian of her class. She also served as auditor for the American Legion Girls' State. After high school graduation, she attended William Woods College and Central Missouri State College – both on a music scholarship – and Radcliffe (night school) in journalism. She earned her baccalaureate degree cum laude at Belhaven College in Jackson. In l952, she married John Harold White, Jr., and they had one son, John Harold White III, who died in 2003. Mrs. Moffitt earned her law degree at the Mississippi College School of Law where she graduated cum laude. She was a member of the Mississippi State Bar and a charter member of the Mississippi Women Lawyers' Association. She was a former member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral. Always involved in the community, Mrs. Moffitt was a member of the Jackson Symphony League and served as league secretary and chairman of the league's 1973 Odyssey Ball. She served as president of the Community Children's Theatre of Jackson and the Jackson Family Service Association and as a member of the board of the Mississippi Kidney Association. She also was a member of the One O'Clock Club, the Holiday Club, the Serendipity Luncheon Club, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Bridge Aunties, the University Club, Women in Art and the Women's Fund of the Greater Jackson Foundation. A past president of the Contemporary Drama Club, she was named "a volunteer of the year" by Goodwill Auxiliaries in 1992. Mrs. Moffitt worked on the Mississippi Arts Festival from its inception as the Pops Plus and Maytime Mosaic in the late 60s. She served as co-chair, chair and advisor for the annual event and president and board member of the parent organization, the Mississippi Arts Festival, Inc. Longtime friend Lois Clover said she was a part of the arts scene in Jackson since her college days at Belhaven. "The Mississippi Arts Festival – which was staged at the coliseum/fairgrounds -- wrapped symphony, opera, theatre, art exhibitions and children's events into one package," Mrs. Clover said. "Barbara chaired one of our most spectacular festivals. She had an innate talent for handling contracts with performing artists and particular brilliance with artistic programming, fundraising and budgeting. Other volunteers were happy to follow her leadership." But her love in the arts was opera. She began her volunteer career with the Mississippi Opera Association (then the Jackson Opera Guild) in 1958 as promotion chair and subsequently served as a member of the organization's board for many years. She was production director of the Mississippi Opera Company for nine years – during which the company did 22 productions. She also served as president of the Mississippi Opera Guild and as administrative director for the Opera Company for two years and as general manager of the company for two years. The Mississippi Opera is a charter member of Opera America, an organization that provides a voice for opera in this country. Mrs. Moffitt represented the state organization for more than a decade at Opera America's annual meetings. She also was elected to the organization's Board of Directors, the first nonprofessional named to that body. "For many years," said Richard B. Wilson, Jr., former president and board chairman of the Mississippi Opera Association, " Barbara served as the volunteer production manager of our company. It was she who was responsible for getting red cabbages (if needed for props) or a firing squad composed of prominent bankers, lawyers and businessmen to execute a tenor in the final scene of Tosca, " he said. " We could not have paid her enough to do what she did as a volunteer. Truly, Barbara was the backbone of the Mississippi Opera during its glory days." Edwina Goodman, who performed in many productions during that period, said Barbara "was dedicated to doing whatever it took to present a performance equal to those of numerous larger companies. "Having sung in several productions, I can say she was always the catalyst for the production. She was wonderful in making the lead singers, the chorus, the conductors, the stage managers and the members of the orchestra feel that they were doing something truly enlightening and important for the community," Mrs. Goodman said. Mrs. Moffitt also was a member of the board of Friends of the Arts in Mississippi, the support organization of the Mississippi Arts Commission, and served as its executive director for two years. She was chosen for listing in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Arts Entertainment for her contributions to the arts. Mrs. Moffitt had a wide circle of friends, among them Jay Wiener who as a young professional moved next door to Barbara and her husband, Dr. Sam Johnson, whom she married in 1982. Wiener said: "High among my good fortune in life is that of moving next door to Barbara and Sam Johnson, shortly after graduating from law school, in my 20s. Any fear that adulthood is marked by dull conformity was allayed by Barbara and Sam's example. "They were cultured, intelligent, and pragmatic, with puckish senses of humor, rivaling any experienced at college," Wiener said. " We were devoted neighbors from the outset, and I cherish Barbara's model; given her commitment to the community's cultural health; her progressive passion to make the world a better place; and her unwillingness to suffer fools gladly, when to do so is acquiescence in low expectations, in a world in which short term considerations increasingly eclipse community health and progress." Dr. Johnson, who was chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, died in a white water rafting accident in 2000. Barbara married Dr. Ellis Moffitt, a retired allergist, in 2001. He died in 2004. In addition to her love for the arts, Barbara's passion was for animals – especially her standard poodle, Cara. She is survived by her brother, James T. Herfurth; her nephew, Matt Herfurth, his wife, Jeane, and their children, Abbey and Grace, all of Osage Beach, MO; niece, Kimberly Herfurth-Ayscue of Raleigh, NC, and her children Michael and Andrew Boyle of Tallahassee, FL; stepchildren, Margaret Sudduth of Jackson, Alice Johnson of Jackson, Dr. Lee Johnson of Ft. Worth, TX, Dr. Virginia Crawford of Hattiesburg, and Dr. John Moffitt of Madison; ten step grandchildren; and her beloved poodle, Cara. Friends named as honorary pallbearers include R. James Young, Dr. D. E. Magee, Dr. C. J. Chen, Joe Harris, Richard B. Wilson, Jr., Mueller Addkison, Charles Daley, E. Grady Jolly, Jr., and Dr. Don Mitchell, all of Jackson. Memorials may be made to the Mississippi Opera, the Mississippi Animal Rescue League or a charity of choice. Published in the Clarion Ledger on 8/28/2007.

Raffle Winners

Thank you to everyone who purchased a chance to win in the annual Mississippi Opera raffle fundraiser. The winners were drawn on April 21 during intermission of the production of Carmen at Thalia Mara Hall. Congratulations to:

Mary Ann McCarty - 41" Outdoor Stainless Viking Grill

Bob Soukup - Opera Length Mikimoto Pearls

Chad Clifford - 2007 C230 Mercedes-Benz


Be on the lookout for next year's chance for your name to be listed above!!!

Meet the Cast!

Photo credit Steve Rouse, USM Marketing and Public Relations





Cast members for Mississippi Opera (left to right) Oziel Garza-Ornelas as Escamillo, Fenlon Lamb as Carmen, Daniel Holmes as Don José and Hilary Ginther Carmen cover.

Oziel Garza-Ornelas’ (baritone) career already includes appearances with many opera companies in Europe and North America, including The Washington Opera (Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte), Frankfurt Opera (Belcore), Grand Théâtre de L’Opera de Limoges (Marcello in La Bohème), San Diego Opera (Schaunard in La Boheme), Orlando Opera (Schaunard), Sarasota Opera (Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Lescaut in Massenet’s Manon), Opera Theater of Connecticut (Escamillo in Carmen), Piedmont Opera (Lescaut and Marcello), Grand Théâtre de Genève, L’Opera de Nancy and the Neues Festspielhaus, St Pölten (Emuke in Tania Leon’s Scourge of Hyacinths produced by Robert Wilson), and Di Capo Opera Theater in New York (Silvio in I Pagliacci).

Recent engagements include debuts with the Santa Fe Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, in Liège, Belgium as Germont in La Traviata, New Israeli Opera as Dandini in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City as Taddeo, Opera Carolina as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Kentucky Opera as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Shreveport Opera as Germont, and Rigoletto for Nevada Opera.

For American mezzo-soprano Fenlon Lamb’s debut Sacramento Opera as Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, the Sacramento Bee raved, “…every inch the saucy rebel [who] navigated the highly ornamented passages with creamy ease.” Described as “deliciously vulnerable” her Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE was hailed by the Santa Barbara News-Press as “a charismatic characterization supported by a dynamic, rich vocal sound.” The Baltimore Sun applauded her AGRIPPIN saying “In the title role, Fenlon Lamb revealed a bright, flexible voice, ever-brilliant phrasing and theatrical flourish.”

Recently Ms. Lamb sang the roles of Stephano ROMÉO ET JULIETTE at Cleveland Opera, Maddalena RIGOLETTO for Opera Vivente and Flora LA TRAVIATA with Opera Grand Rapids. Highlights from recent seasons include Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA with Sacramento Opera, Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE for both the Caramoor International Music Festival and Opera Santa Barbara, Charlotte WERTHER for Opera Vivente, the title role of IOLANTHE for Cleveland Opera where she also sang the world premiere of COME TO ME IN DREAMS with baritone Sanford Sylvan.

American tenor Daniel Holmes has been praised as a "confident and passionate Roméo" in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with Opera North, and enthusiastically lauded as Alfredo in La Traviata, "his voice was smooth and controlled, and he sang with unpretentious confidence."

Other opera roles include Rodolfo in La Bohème at Italy's Ravella Festival, Gérald (Lakmé) at Sarasota Opera, Hoffmann in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with the Tri-Cities Opera (NY), Tom in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Sam in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, and Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He has also performed leading roles with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

This year, Mr. Holmes returned to Sarasota Opera to sing Rodolfo and as cover for Carlo in Verdi's I Masnadieri.

Hilary Ginther, a Bristol, VA native, is a senior voice performance major at USM. She has performed roles with SOMTC in Susannah, The Magic Flute, and A Grand Night for Singing. She performed as Maria in the USM production of West Side Story in Geb. 2006. Ginther studies with Dr. Maryann Kyle, who also directs the SOMTC.

From the Students in Carmen

I could not ask for a more rewarding experience than this joint production of Carmen. As the Carmen #2, and a senior undergraduate at USM, I am learning more than I ever could have hoped from Carmen #1, Fenlon Lamb. Working with the professionals, I have received much coaching from them, and for that I am extremely grateful. This is a huge milestone for me, and I cannot express the value of this opportunity. Working with Alan Mann and the hired singers in this production of Carmen is something that very few undergraduates are able to experience, and I am thankful to the MS Opera and USM for giving the students such an incredible opportunity, and a huge stepping stone in my career as a young singer. It is making all of us much better performers to be in the presence of such fine professionals. We are having a blast!
~Hilary Ginther

Performing with professional singers and with a director like Alan Mann is a wonderful learning experience. Dan, Fenlon and Oziel have been wonderful mentors throughout this experience and have gone beyond the 'role' to help us students learn the ropes of opera performance. This is truly a wonderful opportunity for the students of USM, and for that we are grateful. (El Remendado)
~Ronald Laitano

Carmen Rehearsals Underway

Rehearsals for the April 21 production of Carmen began in Hattiesburg last week. All of the cast members have arrived safely and are vigorously rehearsing everyday.

Hopefully we will have some comments to post from the directors, cast and crew within the next few days.

Thank you for reading!

What's Happening at Mississippi Opera

Greetings from the Mississippi Opera (MOA) office! I would like to thank you for being a part of our ever-growing mailing list and take a moment to update you on some of the incredible happenings so far this season.

The opening opera, Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, was an enormous success artistically, financially and educationally. Alan Mann, Artistic Director, and I offer our utmost thanks to everyone involved on every level. Please view pictures from the opera online at www.blaylockphoto.com. It truly was a fantastic experience with a wonderfully receptive audience.

The company is not only artistically excellent but financially sound as well. In the last year alone, the accounts payable balance was reduced by almost $70,000. Other achievements this season include: the implementation of a new Long-Range Plan, a Document Retention and Destruction Policy and a Conflict of Interest Policy. Coupled with the introduction of a new Whistle Blower Policy and a new handbook outlining Personnel Policies, MOA continually increases the company’s administrative transparency.

On the technological frontier, MOA has made a number of advancements. With the generosity of Kite Networks of Ridgeland, we are now a wireless internet zone! Updating from dial-up has vastly improved day to day operations. Also, thanks to an anonymous donor, computer software and hardware upgrades have contributed to our ability to operate more efficiently in the twenty-first century. In fact, please subscribe to the MOA blog to recieve an email notification when new posts are made. Easily accessed through our informative website, the MOA blog will allow you to read updates pertaining to the company from both an administrative and artistic perspective. When you're done here, please continue your tour of MOA's website which features company history, ticket form downloads, raffle information, the option to donate online and more!

As you can tell, we are extremely busy here in the office. As the MS Museum of Art prepares to move, the reallocation of office space and the addition of other arts organizations to the arts center as well as a splendid green space are all actively being discussed among the arts groups, the Downtown Partners and the City of Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services. It is proving to be an extremely exciting season.

So, if you’re downtown, stop by to see us – meaning Nell, me and our exquisite Eric McDonald portrait of Metropolitan Opera tenor, John Alexander. Thank you for supporting MOA!

See you at the shows,
Elizabeth Stevens
Administrative Director