October 11 Trinity-On-Main Arts Center – New Britain
October 20 Wadsworth Museum – Hartford
Baroque opera: Daphnis et Eglé opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Fully staged in collaboration with the Connecticut Virtuosi
with members of the Virtuosi Summer Institute and Greve Opera Academy
The heroic pastoral Daphnis et Eglé was first performed in 1753 for the entertainment of King Louis XV at Fontainebleau. The charming baroque opera tells the story of a shepherd, Daphnis, and a shepherdess, Eglé, who believe they are merely friends until Cupid reveals they are really in love with each other.
–
This production features artists from the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra/Connecticut Lyric Opera Young Artist’s Program. Most of the singers in the cast of Daphnis et Eglé have worked with each other and with the core CLO company members in Connecticut as well as in our summer residency program in Greve-in-Chianti, Italy.
Meet the Artistic Team:
ADRIAN SYLVEEN (Artistic Director and Conductor) enjoys a performing career both in the US and in Europe. He serves as Artistic Director of the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, CT Lyric Opera, and the Classical Orchestra of Pila in Poland. He is also a frequent guest conductor with several leading Polish orchestras. An active violin soloist as well as conductor, he has performed concerts and recitals in Poland, Switzerland, Germany, former Soviet Union, and the United States. Sylveen holds Master of Music, and Artist Diploma degrees from the Yale University School of Music, he is also a graduate of the Paderewski Music Academy in Poznan, Poland (diploma with distinction). Since 2012 he is on faculty of the Virtuosi Summer Music Institute at Tunxis College in Farmington, Connecticut, and, since 2015 an Artistc Director of the Greve Opera Academy and Chamber Music Festival in Greve-In-Chianti, Italy. In his career Sylveen has conducted approximately 35 operatic titles, more than 70 symphonies, and numerous concertos and chamber orchestral music works, with special emphases on music of Italian and Slavic heritage. He has conducted and performed concerts in the United States, Poland, Italy, Israel, Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, and former Soviet Union, and worked with such ensembles as Israel Chamber Orchestra, Hoguin Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera di Greve-In-Chianti, Olsztyn Philharmonic, Elbląg Chamber Orchestra, Central Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and others.
Boston-based Tenor JOEL EDWARDS JR. completed an MM and GPD in opera performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. Recent roles include Soldat, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Count di Lerma/Royal Herald, Don Carlo, all with CLO, the title role in Candide and Jake in Second Nature, an East coast premier with Opera del West, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, also with CLO, Don Jose in Halifax Opera’s Carmen in Nova Scotia, the title role in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with Longy Opera Theater. In 2016, the tenor worked as a festival artist with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater and sang the roles of Nelson and Crabman in Porgy & Bess, Noodler in Peter Pan, along with covering the role of Luigi in Il Tabarro.
The Greek soprano MARIA MARGIOLAKOU holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Macedonia and graduated last May from Georgia State University with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance.Last summer, she performed Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) in Greve Opera Academy. With Georgia State Opera Theater, she has performed a number of roles such as Cercatrice (Sour Angelica), Maestro Spinelloccio (Gianni Schicchi), Joan Hall (The Workshop) and Cissy (Albert Herring) under the conductor Logan Souther. She has collaborated with the symphony orchestra of the University of Macedonia under the conductor Georgios Vranos and the symphony orchestra of Drama State Conservatory in Fauré’s Requiem in D minor. Additionally, she sang Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro) and Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) at Lefkas Summer Festival (Greece). Maria has participated in masterclasses with Stephanie Blythe, Cheryl Studer, and Jeannette Pilou. She is also a recipient of the Peter Harrow Scholarship.
Soprano MARY MCCUE earned a Bachelors in Music from the University of Connecticut in 2009. While there, Ms. McCue was a member of the opera theater program where she performed one of her most memorable roles as Cathleen in Vaughn Williams’ Riders to the Sea. She joined CLO in 2017 for the Greve Opera Academy & Music Festival in Chianti, Italy where she performed the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. Since then, she has performed for CLO in several productions including: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Belinda), Mozart’s Die Zauberflote (First Lady), Verdi’s Aida (chorus). She returned to the Greve program last summer to sing Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Ms. McCue has also been the featured soloist in Requiem settings by Faure, Mozart, and Brahms and most recently Schubert’s Mass No.2 in G Major.
Canadian Soprano Chelsie Pall holds both a Master’s Degree and a Bachelor Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Recent performance credits include: Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale (Grande Prairie Opera 2019), Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen (CLO 2018), Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (CLO Greve 2018), Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Grande Prairie Opera 2018), Second Spirit in Mozart’s Magic Flute ( CLO 2017), Michal in Handel’s Saul (Grande Prairie Opera 2017) and Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte (CLO Greve 2017). In addition to a busy performance schedule, Chelsie also has her own voice studio of students. She looks forward to working with CLO again, performing the role of L’amour for Rameau’s Daphnis et Egle.
Soprano Nora Păunescu was born in Bucharest on 11 March 1991 in a family of Romanian actors. From an early age, she began to take acting lessons and played a few roles. She began studying classical singing privately and was admitted at the National University of Music Bucharest, for bachelor studies in Performing Arts. Meanwhile, she appeared in many recitals and performances. After this period she got a contract in Japan, where she sang a large number of concerts for 8 months. She was then admitted to Master studies – one year in Bucharest and a degree from the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Germany. During this time she also gave many concerts, appeared in opera performances and competitions singing in countries such as Germany, United States, Italy, France, Romania, Switzerland.
Baritone SAMUEL BOWEN is an established opera singer in Boston and throughout New England recognized for his dramatic interpretations and intelligent musicianship. He has performed with such companies as Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, Lowell House Opera, and Raylynmor Opera to name a few. Samuel holds degrees from North Carolina School of the Arts and New England Conservatory with additional education from AIMS in Graz, Austria, Operaworks! in Los Angeles, and Flagstaff in Fidenza, Italia. Exciting recent roles include the title role in Don Giovanni, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Frédéric in Lakmé, and Il Barone in La Traviata. Samuel continues to study voice with Elisabeth Phinney and resides in Boston.
An award-winning harpsichordist, AYMERIC DUPRÉ LA TOUR began his training at the Conservatoire National de Région of Lyon, France, his native town. He has performed throughout his country as well as in the United States, Canada, and South America. While at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he earned an Artist Diploma in Organ Performance and a Master of Music in Historical Performance. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School. His dissertation, “New Words for the Music of Louis Marchand,” highlights the diverse talents of this lesser-known Baroque organist, harpsichordist and vocal composer. Dr. Dupré la Tour is the Assistant Artistic Director and Accompanist of the Mystic River Chorale in Mystic, CT. He is also the harpsichordist at Zuckermann Harpsichord International in Stonington, CT, where he regulates and voices both new and restored harpsichords. He is a faculty vocal coach for the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford and accompanist for the Student Education Outreach Program of the Salt Marsh Opera. He performs organ and harpsichord recitals and lectures, collaborates with Jurate Svedaite of the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and has recently formed a French horn and organ duo with Elizabeth Fleming Martignetti.