Prague Spring: The Cunning Little Vixen

Prague Spring
The Cunning Little Vixen

One World Symphony
Sung Jin Hong, Artistic Director and Conductor
One World Symphony Vocal Artists

Leos Janácek: The Cunning Little Vixen (1924)*
Sung in English
*New York premiere of Jonathan Dove's orchestration

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales at the door will benefit the Humane Society of New York.

Explore the lush wilderness of the Czech forest primeval in Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen. With extraordinary inventiveness the composer transformed a daily Czech comic strip (see it here) into a touching opera about tender relationships between humans and animals and the cycle of life. Is this bittersweet fable a reflection on Janácek's unrequited love for Kamila Stosslova? Does the forester represent Janácek and Kamila the vixen?

Performance length: 2 hours with intermission

Sung Jin Hong is the artistic director, composer, and conductor of One World Symphony. Hailed by The Village Voice as "a promising young conductor" and by The Korea Herald as "Creator of New York's Hip Classical," As a composer, The New York Times praised Hong's From The Alchemist as transforming "a novel to a lush Mahlerian sound." A passionate educator, Hong was awarded a grant from VH1's Save the Music Foundation to continue teaching at Harlem Children Zone's The Promise Academy. Mr. Hong has guest conducted in Europe, such as Stadt Wien Konservatorium Orchester in Vienna, Austria, Lyrique-en-mer Festival in Brittany, France, and The Royal Northern Conservatory of Music in Manchester, UK. In the U.S, he has guest conducted the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Ballet Company, Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Mannes Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Youth Symphony, Bard College Orchestra, Illinois Wesleyan New Music Players, Western Illinois University Cello Choir, Bradley University Wind Ensemble, Great Music For A Great City at CUNY, Wayne State University Symphony, the Prospect Chamber Players, Twin Cities Ballet Company, and Take Dance Company. Mr. Hong has held positions as Music Director and Conductor of Peoria Sinfonietta and Principal Conductor of IES Singerverein in Vienna. He has also collaborated with musicians from the MET Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic as a conductor. Highlights for the upcoming season include leading One World Symphony's new season as its artistic director and conductor and guest engagements conducting The Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony, Fiery World Music Orchestra in Los Angeles, The Gandharvas, and his debut in Dallas conducting musicians from Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted and recorded world premieres for the world's leading classical record label Naxos. Mr. Hong had the great honor of being personal chosen by the New York Philharmonic Laureate Conductor Kurt Masur to conduct in masterclasses and a concert in New York.

Making her solo debut with One World Symphony, soprano Claire Molloy (Vixen) is a native of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. A versatile performer, her repertoire includes Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Concepcion in L’Heure Espagnole, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Romilda in Xerxes, Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Célie in Signor Deluso, Lucy in The Telephone, Juno in The Judgment of Paris (Eccles), and the soprano in Side by Side by Sondheim.  She earned her MM in Voice Performance from Florida State University and her BM and BBA from the University of Michigan. Ms. Molloy has sung with the Berkshire Opera’s Resident Artist Program, Ann Baltz’s OperaWorks, Eastern Festival Opera, and the Lirica Nacional de Costa Rica. Ms. Molloy was an ensemble member of One World Symphony’s Die Fledermaus.

Born to Czech immigrants, Verunka Vlkova (Vixen) completed her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University. After graduating from ASU Ms. Vlkova became a member of the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, participating in productions of Orpheus in the Underworld and My Fair Lady. In 2006, Ms. Vlkova participated in the Scuola Italia summer program in Ubania, Italy, where she got a chance to perform scenes from i Pagliacci (Nedda) and Cosi Fan Tutte (Fiordiligi). She earned her Master’s degree from New England Conservatory. While attending the conservatory she sang in the school’s mainstage productions of Gianni Schicchi (Lauretta), L’Egisto (Venus) and in the scenes programs for La Bohème (Mimi), I Pagliacci (Nedda). While completing her Master’s degree in Boston, Verunka made her mainstage La Bohème debut of (Mimi) with Boston Opera Collaborative and was a 2007 Metropolitan Opera Council finalist for the New England Region, where she got a chance to perform for a full audience in the beautiful Jordan Hall. In 2008 Ms. Vlkova made her i Pagliacci (Nedda) debut with Lakes Region Opera. This is her first time working with One World Symphony and she is excited to be a part of the Cunning Little Vixen production.

Last seen as Nora in One World’s performance of Riders to the Sea, Sara Paar is excited to be back singing the Fox in Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen.A versatile singing actress, Ms. Paar's work includes performance in opera, musical theatre, contemporary concert work, and vocal dance, the last for which she has received critical acclaim as a member of the Experience Vocal Dance Company. She has most recently been active singing Anne Trulove in an opera scenes concert by Opera Amanti and preparing a small pocket opera by Dag Gabrielsen, All Three Acts of a Sad Play Performed Entirely in Bed, to be performed in October. In July, Ms. Paar completed her certification in Somatic Voicework © The LoVetri Method.

Singing the roles of Musetta, Euridice, Pamina, Countess, Vitellia, First Lady, Lisak, Dew Fairy, Sandman, and Yum-Yum, American soprano Kathryn Janssen (Fox) has performed in New York with Manhattan Opera Repertory Company, One World Symphony, Amato Opera, Cantiamo Opera Theater, and Chelsea Opera. As a devoted recitalist and concert singer she has given concerts in New York, Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, and Iowa. Ms. Janssen has won numerous competitions including the MTNA National Vocal Arts Competition, Vanderbilt Concerto Competition, NATS auditions, and was awarded the Delene Lubenheim McClure prize for outstanding operatic performance. Ms. Janssen has performed with One World Symphony as Musetta in La Bohème, Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Clytemnestra's Confidante in Strauss’ Elektra, and soprano soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Riders to the Sea.

Adrienne Metzinger returns as a vocal soloist with One World Symphony after having sung the roles of Baroness in Vanessa, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos in June of 2008, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare in June 2007, selections from Les nuits d'été in August of 2007, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and most recently as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. She is a founding member, Graphic Designer, and Managing Director of One World Symphony. Ms. Metzinger had the honor of singing our National Anthem to begin New York City's televised 2003 Veteran's Day Parade as well as at a ceremony honoring Senator Hillary Clinton held by the United Spinal Association. In June of 2003, she made her Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall debut singing the music of Kurt Weill. Some of her opera credits include Emilia (Otello), Mercedes (Carmen), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Flora and Annina (La Traviata), Peep-Bo (The Mikado), Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto), Kate (Madama Butterfly), The Sandman/Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and Kate (Ballad of Baby Doe) as well as Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro). She has also made numerous appearances with One World Symphony as a featured soloist in Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Bach's Magnificat, Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel as well many chamber and opera concerts singing selections by Barber, Verdi, Offenbach, and Weill to name a few. Ms. Metzinger has also performed world premiere works by Kyle Gann (orchestrated by Sung Jin Hong), Joan Dawidziak and Stan Grill.

Mezzo-soprano Susanna Ketron was most recently seen in the role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, with Intimate Opera New York. Her recent performances also include the U.S. premiere of Ricardo Llorca's opera Las Horas Vacías at the United Nations, the Broadway U.C.C. benefit concert Love's Philosophy in Manhattan, and a live broadcast on Sirius Radio with the Manhattan Choral Ensemble. She will next be heard singing the role of Nicklausse in Les contes d'Hoffmann in spring 2010. A scholarship award recipient in Westminster Choir College's 2009 CoOperative Program, and a two-time Berkshire Scholar Award winner, Ms. Ketron currently studies with Shirlee Emmons and Deborah Birnbaum. Ms. Ketron is made her debut with One World Symphony performing the role of Count Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus.

Making her solo debut with One World Symphony, Soprano Erica Mundy received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, where she was the recipient of a school-wide scholarship to study in France with renowned accompanist Dalton Baldwin. She holds an M.M. from East Carolina University, where she performed many lead roles, including her operatic debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Ms. Mundy has sung with Bronx Opera, Garden State Opera, Intermezzo Opera, Cantiamo Opera, Opera Manhattan, and the Stony Hill Players of New Jersey. Some of her favorite roles have been Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, and Musetta in La Bohème. She has given numerous recitals and concert performances in North Carolina, Florida, and the New York area, as well as internationally in France, Germany and Spain. She is a student of Dr. Julian Kwok. Ms. Mundy was an ensemble member of One World Symphony’s Die Fledermaus.

Soprano Jane Hoffman is very excited to participate in her first performance with One World Symphony. She is a recent recipient of the Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Hilda Harris. She appeared there as Daniel in the New York premiere production of Handel’s Susannah. Ms. Hoffman made her New York performance debut this winter with the New York Lyric Opera Theater in Die Zauberflöte. She has performed roles such as Olympia (Tales of Hoffmann), the Princess (L’Enfant et les Sortileges), Paquette (Candide) and the First Lady (Magic Flute). Ms. Hoffman also holds a Bachelor of the Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C.

Anita Moore, an Oklahoma native, is happy to return to One World Symphony after singing in Peter Grimes and The Creation in 2008. Ms. Moore is a graduate of the University of Tulsa where she received two degrees in Opera Performance and Fine Art Painting. She has performed with Tulsa Opera in such works as Aïda, Dialogue of the Carmelites, The Magic Flute and Lucia De Lammermoor. She has sung with Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, including a concert at Carnegie Hall, and has presented several solo recitals. She also currently sings with the Saint Andrew Chorale performing in several Oratorio concerts a year. In addition to opera, Ms. Moore teaches voice and piano and continues to pursue her fine art painting in her Brooklyn studio.

Making her debut with One World Symphony, Annie Pennies was most recently sang the role of Drei Dame in New York Lyric Opera's Die Zauberflöte. As the second witch in The Dido Project, directed by Pat Diamond at the Samsung Experience, the New York Times applauded her “alluring mischievousness.” Ms. Pennies is most proud to be employed by Cool Fort Productions as Assistant Production Manager for the Off-Off-Off Broadway premiere of Robert Hutson’s The Fallout. She is also thrilled to be currently working on a project with Onset Films depicting the lives of aspiring opera singers in NYC. This past year marked her second reading project with Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble and her third Carnegie Hall performance with Pacific Encore. Among her NY credits are La Principessa, in OperaOggiNY's very first endeavor, Suor Angelica, and the first witch in Opera Meraviglia’s Dido & Aeneas. Ms. Pennies is currently contracted with the International Lyric Academy (Tisbe, La Cenerentola) in Rome.

Ari Amir is happy to return to One World Symphony after singing Dr. Falke in the January 2010 production of J. Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Mr. Amir’s performed roles include Count Almaviva and Antonio in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, El Dancaro in Bizet’s Carmen, Silvio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Marco in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and various roles in contemporary American operas. He is an avid Brooklynite and does not kill anything or anyone unless he’s onstage.

Oliver Söhngen, born in Germany, educated in Germany and The Cleveland Institute of Music, now lives in Long Island City and serves on the faculty of the Queens New York School of Music. He is happy to return to One World Symphony where previously has been heard in productions of Salomé, Peter Grimes and Ariadne auf Naxos. Mr. Söhngen has appeared as Bastien at the Styriarte Festival in Graz, Austria which was broadcast on Austrian National Television. He has sung the Evangelist in St. John's and St. Matthew's Passions, and performed with Rathaushofoper Konstanz, Fireland Symphony and Gaudio-Kammerorchester Leverkusen. He received the prestigious Northern Ohio Live award for producing, designing and singing Cleveland Public Theatre's production of Viktor Ullmann's opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis, where he was featured in the roles of Harlekin and the Soldier. Mr. Söhngen also enjoys a successful teaching career.

Making her solo debut as a vocal artist, Alissa Mori is a sixth grader and a student of Viktor Basis at the Special Music School. She began her violin studies when she was three and half years old. She received second place in the YWCA and The Korea Daily Music Competition when she was six and performed at Weil Recital Hall. Ms. Mori also won the Special Music Ms. Mori Concerto Competition in 2009 and played Mozart's "Adelaide" Concerto with orchestra. Alissa last performed as a vocal artist with One World Symphony in the symphonic arrangement of Coldplay's Fix You.

Making her operatic debut with One World Symphony, Chloe Pitkoff is a 5th grade student at The Bay View School/PS 102 in Brooklyn. She loves music and is a chorister at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan. Her passions include art, animals, nature and making up creative characters. Ms. Pitkoff describes herself as "a 10-year-old girl who loves nature, drawing and frogs. She has a lunatic dog named Missy, and an eight-year-old brother named Thatcher. She has five cousins and three wacky friends."

Rachel S. Silverman hails from Columbus, Ohio, where she began her vocal study with Dr. Karen Peeler of The Ohio State University. A 2007 graduate of New York University's Steinhardt School, Ms. Silverman has a Bachelor of Music in classical voice performance, Magna cum Laude. At NYU, she studied with Dr. Lori McCann and sang the roles of Fire and Nightingale in Ravel's L'enfant et Les Sortileges, going on to place first in her division in the 2006 NATS New York City competition. In the summer of 2007, Ms. Silverman attended the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy, studying with Julian Rodescu. She has also studied in Prague, Czech Republic, where she received special instruction on the interpretation of Czech art song from soprano Jana Janušova of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Rachel is now a student of Katherine Keyes. She was an ensemble member of One World Symphony's Die Fledermaus and Riders to the Sea.

Making his his debut with One World Symphony, Thatcher Pitkoff is a 3th grade student at The Bay View School/PS 102 in Brooklyn. He loves music and is a chorister at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan. His passions include swimming, soccer, baseball, animals, nature, and making people laugh.

An avid musician, Katrina Gonzales devotes most of her time to music. She has been studying as a cellist at the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center for seven years. It is a school where children get a full music scholarship along with regular academics. Ms. Gonzales has also performed as a vocalist, appearing with One World Symphony in the symphonic arrangement of Coldplay's Fix You, recording the demo for a musical, singing with her school's choir, performing in the world premier of Joel Harrison's Vox Americana (vocal version) and many other things as well.

Andrea Gonzales has been studying music since 2003 at the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center. The school has an extremely intense musical program, similar to a Russian conservatory. Though she primarily studies piano, Ms. Gonzales is also educated as a vocalist and has performed many times, including as a vocal artist with One World Symphony in the symphonic arrangement of Coldplay's Fix You, the world premiere of Joel Harrison's Vox Americana (vocal version), recording a demo for a musical, and performances with her choir, only being a few examples.

Columbine Loza is delighted to be making her debut in an operatic production with The Cunning Little Vixen. It's been challenging, but fun. When not singing like a fox, she sings in the shower, or with the St. Bart's choristers, under the direction of Paolo Bordignon. Drama class at Salk School of Science's 6th grade has proved useful here too. Outside of school Ms. Loza likes to spend time with her cat, Tootsie Roll, and the family cat, Echo. She would like a dog, but that may have to wait until she gets a place of her own. It's exciting to now be helping animals by singing. Her favorite activity is singing; she could not live without singing.

 


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