Praised for her “powerful soprano, beautiful throughout her whole range,” Black American soprano Nina Evelyn is making her mark as a “tour-de-force” performer (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). Her upcoming season includes debuts as Aurore in William Grant Still’s A Bayou Legend (Opera Vermont) and Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem (Heritage Chorale), as well as concert performances with the Robert Owens Festival, Maryland Opera and Ingleside at King Farm.
SET IN A VILLAGE IN THE BAYOU OF MISSISSIPPI, A BAYOU LEGEND FOCUSES ON THE DEADLY REVENGE THAT CLOTHILDE ENACTS ON BAZILE WHO DOES NOT RETURN HER EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE. WHEN CLOTHILDE DISCOVERS THAT BAZILE HAS BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH AURORE, A SPIRIT OF THE BAYOU, WHO IDENTIFIES HERSELF AS BAZILE'S LOVER FROM A FORMER LIFE, CLOTHILDE THREATENS TO HAVE BAZILE ARRESTED FOR VIOLATING LOCAL RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS. WHEN BAZILE CONTINUES TO REFUSE TO WED CLOTHILDE, SHE ARRANGES FOR AN ANGRY MOB TO HAVE HIM LYNCHED.
IN HIS DEATH THROES, HOWEVER, BAZILE'S SOUL IS AT LAST UNITED WITH AURORE, SHOWING THAT LOVE TRANSCENDS TIME AND SPACE, WHILE CLOTHILDE LIVES OUT THE REMAINDER OF HER YEARS AS A BITTER RECLUSE.
This beautiful, lyrical, emotional piece examines the human condition as it grapples with both earthly and celestial concepts, as well as probing the nature of how far we are willing to go to achieve our desired result - and the consequences of those actions.
THIS PRODUCTION AT THE CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS MARKS THE FIRST TIME THAT A BLACK COMPOSER’S OPERATIC WORK WILL BE PERFORMED WITHIN THE STATE OF VERMONT. IN ADDITION, THIS PIECE WILL BE PERFORMED BY A CAST OF WORLD-CLASS BIPOC ARTISTS, BOTH VOCALLY AND ORCHESTRALLY.
OPERA VERMONT IS THRILLED TO INTRODUCE THE STATE AND REGION TO THIS BEAUTIFUL WORK, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FURTHERING OUR MISSION OF REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION IN THE OPERATIC ART FORM, BY PRESENTING WORKS FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED VOICES TO THE VERMONT AUDIENCE.
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Requiem
George Frideric Handel – Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (selections)
Soloists:
Nina Evelyn, soprano
Krista River, alto
Matthew Battista, tenor
David Kravitz, bass
Our holiday tradition continues in the beautiful barn at Boordy Vineyards, featuring the end of Act 1 of La Bohème, the most famous Christmas Eve in opera, and other operatic and seasonal favorites. Make sure to dress for our ugly holiday sweater contest to win a bottle of wine!
The Maryland Opera Children's Festival is entirely FREE and welcomes families and young ones for a day of discovery. The event features arts & crafts, an instrument petting zoo, the puppet performers of the MO Outreach program, cookies and cocoa, and a children's opera version of Hansel and Gretel.
Cast: Julianna Smith- Hansel, Nina Evelyn- Gretel
Program
Roland Carter: Hold Fast to Dreams (Langston Hughes)
Florence Price: Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Vachel Lindsay)
Margaret Bonds: Simon Bore the Cross (Langston Hughes)
Elissa Pfaender: Carmen
Lwazi Hlati: Don Jose
Nina Evelyn: Micaela
Jimin Park: Escamillo
Joshua Klein: Zuniga
Gather round! The March of the Toreadors has begun! A beloved score, the scintillating Habanera, the sexy Seguidilla! Perhaps no other opera stirs the blood as much as the passionate tale of Carmen and her brazen love. Georges Bizet scandalized audiences when he conjured his fiery heroine. He died before the daring Carmen became one of opera’s most famous figures and its songs the most familiar. Let Opera North transport you to the scarlet world of Spain’s back streets, bullrings, and conflicted hearts.
Conductor: Louis Burkot
Director: Alex Paul Sheerin
Scenic Designer: Nate Bertone
Performances
Sunday, July 16, 5:00pm
Wednesday, July 19, 7:00pm
Friday, July 21, 7:00pm
Praised for her “powerful soprano, beautiful throughout her whole range,” Black American soprano Nina Evelyn is making her mark as a “tour-de-force” performer (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). Her upcoming season includes debuts as Aurore in William Grant Still’s A Bayou Legend with Opera Vermont and Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Heritage Chorale (Southborough, MA) as well as concert performances at the Robert Owens Festival and Ingleside at King Farm.
Last season, Evelyn was named a St. Louis District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition for the second consecutive year. She also made her professional leading-lady debut as Constanza in the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s To the People Like Us with White Snake Projects, where reviewers praised her “youthful verve and humor.” That same season, she appeared as Frasquita in Carmen with Maryland Opera.
Evelyn is committed to uplifting the works of Black and underrepresented composers. She is thrilled to present a self-produced recital of Harlem Renaissance inspired music at Ingleside at King Farm, continuing a performance history that includes collaborations with Opera on Tap Boston, Castle of Our Skins, and the African American Art Song Alliance. Through this work, she strives to foster a more inclusive future for the art form.
Evelyn’s training includes young artist programs with the Aspen Music Festival and School, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera North (US). She holds both a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Professional Studies Certificate in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee .
In addition to her work on stage, Evelyn is a certified Reiki master who integrates artistry and healing. She is co-founder of The Embodied Musicians Collective, a community supporting artists and musicians in finding balance and wellness as they forge their unique paths.
Praised for her “powerful soprano, beautiful throughout her whole range,” Black American soprano Nina Evelyn is making her mark as a “tour-de-force” performer (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). Her upcoming season includes debuts as Aurore in William Grant Still’s A Bayou Legend (Opera Vermont) and Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem (Heritage Chorale), as well as concert performances with the Robert Owens Festival, Maryland Opera and Ingleside at King Farm.
SET IN A VILLAGE IN THE BAYOU OF MISSISSIPPI, A BAYOU LEGEND FOCUSES ON THE DEADLY REVENGE THAT CLOTHILDE ENACTS ON BAZILE WHO DOES NOT RETURN HER EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE. WHEN CLOTHILDE DISCOVERS THAT BAZILE HAS BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH AURORE, A SPIRIT OF THE BAYOU, WHO IDENTIFIES HERSELF AS BAZILE'S LOVER FROM A FORMER LIFE, CLOTHILDE THREATENS TO HAVE BAZILE ARRESTED FOR VIOLATING LOCAL RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS. WHEN BAZILE CONTINUES TO REFUSE TO WED CLOTHILDE, SHE ARRANGES FOR AN ANGRY MOB TO HAVE HIM LYNCHED.
IN HIS DEATH THROES, HOWEVER, BAZILE'S SOUL IS AT LAST UNITED WITH AURORE, SHOWING THAT LOVE TRANSCENDS TIME AND SPACE, WHILE CLOTHILDE LIVES OUT THE REMAINDER OF HER YEARS AS A BITTER RECLUSE.
This beautiful, lyrical, emotional piece examines the human condition as it grapples with both earthly and celestial concepts, as well as probing the nature of how far we are willing to go to achieve our desired result - and the consequences of those actions.
THIS PRODUCTION AT THE CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS MARKS THE FIRST TIME THAT A BLACK COMPOSER’S OPERATIC WORK WILL BE PERFORMED WITHIN THE STATE OF VERMONT. IN ADDITION, THIS PIECE WILL BE PERFORMED BY A CAST OF WORLD-CLASS BIPOC ARTISTS, BOTH VOCALLY AND ORCHESTRALLY.
OPERA VERMONT IS THRILLED TO INTRODUCE THE STATE AND REGION TO THIS BEAUTIFUL WORK, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FURTHERING OUR MISSION OF REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION IN THE OPERATIC ART FORM, BY PRESENTING WORKS FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED VOICES TO THE VERMONT AUDIENCE.
Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Requiem
George Frideric Handel – Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (selections)
Soloists:
Nina Evelyn, soprano
Krista River, alto
Matthew Battista, tenor
David Kravitz, bass
Our holiday tradition continues in the beautiful barn at Boordy Vineyards, featuring the end of Act 1 of La Bohème, the most famous Christmas Eve in opera, and other operatic and seasonal favorites. Make sure to dress for our ugly holiday sweater contest to win a bottle of wine!
The Maryland Opera Children's Festival is entirely FREE and welcomes families and young ones for a day of discovery. The event features arts & crafts, an instrument petting zoo, the puppet performers of the MO Outreach program, cookies and cocoa, and a children's opera version of Hansel and Gretel.
Cast: Julianna Smith- Hansel, Nina Evelyn- Gretel
Program
Roland Carter: Hold Fast to Dreams (Langston Hughes)
Florence Price: Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Vachel Lindsay)
Margaret Bonds: Simon Bore the Cross (Langston Hughes)
Elissa Pfaender: Carmen
Lwazi Hlati: Don Jose
Nina Evelyn: Micaela
Jimin Park: Escamillo
Joshua Klein: Zuniga
Gather round! The March of the Toreadors has begun! A beloved score, the scintillating Habanera, the sexy Seguidilla! Perhaps no other opera stirs the blood as much as the passionate tale of Carmen and her brazen love. Georges Bizet scandalized audiences when he conjured his fiery heroine. He died before the daring Carmen became one of opera’s most famous figures and its songs the most familiar. Let Opera North transport you to the scarlet world of Spain’s back streets, bullrings, and conflicted hearts.
Conductor: Louis Burkot
Director: Alex Paul Sheerin
Scenic Designer: Nate Bertone
Performances
Sunday, July 16, 5:00pm
Wednesday, July 19, 7:00pm
Friday, July 21, 7:00pm
Praised for her “powerful soprano, beautiful throughout her whole range,” Black American soprano Nina Evelyn is making her mark as a “tour-de-force” performer (The Boston Musical Intelligencer). Her upcoming season includes debuts as Aurore in William Grant Still’s A Bayou Legend with Opera Vermont and Soprano Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Heritage Chorale (Southborough, MA) as well as concert performances at the Robert Owens Festival and Ingleside at King Farm.
Last season, Evelyn was named a St. Louis District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition for the second consecutive year. She also made her professional leading-lady debut as Constanza in the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s To the People Like Us with White Snake Projects, where reviewers praised her “youthful verve and humor.” That same season, she appeared as Frasquita in Carmen with Maryland Opera.
Evelyn is committed to uplifting the works of Black and underrepresented composers. She is thrilled to present a self-produced recital of Harlem Renaissance inspired music at Ingleside at King Farm, continuing a performance history that includes collaborations with Opera on Tap Boston, Castle of Our Skins, and the African American Art Song Alliance. Through this work, she strives to foster a more inclusive future for the art form.
Evelyn’s training includes young artist programs with the Aspen Music Festival and School, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera North (US). She holds both a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Professional Studies Certificate in Voice Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee .
In addition to her work on stage, Evelyn is a certified Reiki master who integrates artistry and healing. She is co-founder of The Embodied Musicians Collective, a community supporting artists and musicians in finding balance and wellness as they forge their unique paths.