HARWOOD MANAGEMENT GROUP INC.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
January 2012 - March 2012
 
Baritone DARRELL BABIDGE is a professor of voice at Brigham Young University .

Director JOE BANNO . His feature film Sleeping and Waking is now on Netflix as a streaming video.  The film has enjoyed much success in San Fransisco; Charlotte, NC; Roanoke, VA; Harrisonburg, VA; Washington, DC; and Columbia, MD.  Joe will direct Mini-Operas and Opera Improv,  with the DC-based contemporary-works company, Urban Arias at the The Shakespeare Theatre's Harman Center on February 29th. This April, he will once again collaborate with Urban Arias on their Contemporary Opera Double Bill, Before Breakfast by Pasatieri/Corsaro and The Filthy Habit by Hilliard/Boresi.
 
Bass-baritone BENJAMIN BLOOMFIELD sang Marcello  in a concert performance of La Boheme with New York Lyric Opera.  This Fall, he toured the USA with the Munich Symphony singing as the bass soloist in the Mozart Requiem.   On December 16 and 17 he performed a holiday concert with Kenneth Kiesler and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. On May 28 and June 5 Benjamin will sing as soloist in Mozart Requiem with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall.

Mezzo Soprano LAURA BRIOLI  performed Amneris in Verdi's Aida with Staatsoper Hamburg . She  also performed the title role in Zanetto by Mascagni as well as Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica at Opera de Rennes.

Conductor/Pianist RICHARD CARSEY is Music Director of Skylight Opera in Milwaukee . He was the Music Supervisor for the premiere of the new Off-Broadway musical A Minister's Wife, music by Joshua Schmidt, lyrics by Jan Tranen at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater as a part of Lincoln Center Theatre.   This production also recorded a cast album. This Fall, Richard returned to Skylight Opera to conduct the World Premiere of The Rivals by Kirke Mechem..  He performed as pianist in a chamber music concert in Wisconsin.  This was followed by The Music Man also at Skylight Opera in November/December. This January he performs in "Beyond the Ingenue" with Niffer Clarke at Skylight Opera.

Bass RICHARD CASSELL is the founder and artistic director of Capitol Heights Lyric Opera and is currently performing a series of concerts entitled Immortal Love Songs from Opera and BroadwayHe was recently in London performing the role of the Shaman in S. Sucharatkul's Thai Opera, Mae Nak, at the Bloomsbury Theatre. March of 2012, Richard will play Polonius in a new opera, Hamlet by Carson Kievman at SoBe Arts Institute, South Beach, Florida.

Soprano DANIELLA CARVALHO was  recently a finalist in the "Vox Artis" International Music Competition in Romania.  She also returned to Brazil for La Boheme with Orchestra Sinfonica de Sergipe and peformed a concert at the Municipal Theater of Niterol.  On January 16 she performs a solo recital at Weill Hall in New York City.

Baritone RALPH CATO recently made his debut with Long Beach Opera as Aye in Akhnaten by Phillip Glass.

Tenor BRETT COLBY performed Goro in Madama Butterfly at the Algonquin Playhouse in NJ. This February, Brett returns to the role of Spoleta in Tosca with Opera New Jersey.

Tenor MARTY COYLE spent the summer at Opera Theatre Saint Louis. He recently sang the role of Ferrando from Cosi fan tutte in Harwood Management's first ever Opera Reads at Shetler Studios in Manhattan. He is currently covering the role of Dorvil in Rossini's La Scala di Seta at Juilliard. This May, Marty will make his debut with Toledo Opera in Ohio, singing Pang in Turandot.  

Baritone LAWRENCE CRAIG sang an Opera Gala in the Phonecia Festival of the Voice in New York.  On November 13 he sang as soloist in Robert Ray's Gospel Mass with Mid-America at Carnegie Hall.  He recently sang the role of Guglielmo from Cosi fan tutte in Harwood Management's first ever Opera Reads at Shetler Studios in Manhattan. 

Bass-Baritone CARL DUPONT recently returned to New York after a run of One Touch of Venus with Oper Leipzig in Germany. On August 9th, he sang in a benefit concert to raise money for a new opera, The Three Astronauts, an opera-musical under development by Family Opera Initiative. He recently sang the role of Don Alfonso from Cosi fan tutte in Harwood Management's first ever Opera Reads Carl will perform the title role of Don Giovanni with Capitol Heights Lyric Opera on February 19th at Secaucus Public Library in New Jersey and March 3rd at Riverside Library in Manhattan,

Director JONATHAN EATON is artistic and general manager of Pittsburgh Opera Theater. He returned to Opera Company of Philadelphia to direct his own production of Tosca

Conductor JEFFREY ECKSTEIN's upcoming performances include a gala concert at Guatemala National Theater on November 30 with singers from the Metropolitan Opera. He will then return to Austin, Texas to conduct The Nutcracker with Austin Ballet and Symphony Orchestra December 1st through 23rd.

Director JONATHAN FIELD directed Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito at Oberlin Conservartory of Music in March. This summer he directed La fille du Regiment at the Sugar Creek Festival.  He directed La Boheme at Operaissimo  in August and directed Madama Butterfly at Solon Arts Center, with performances on October 2nd and 8th at the Valvetta Bros. Floor Show Theater. This November he will direct Bolcom's A Wedding at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Baritone LARS FOSSER recently sang Robert and Clara - Österling  (WP) with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Sweden and a lieder concert for the Ebeltoft Music Society, Denmark.

Conductor LAURENCE GILGORE holds the titles of General Director and Principal Conductor for Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra

Tenor DAVID GUZMAN sang the world premiere of To Cross the Face of the Moon with Houston Grand Opera. He also played classical guitar in this production. . In September, David traveled to the
Theatre du Chatelet in Paris for repeat performances of To Cross the Face of the Moon.

Soprano SUZAN HANSON   performed at Long Beach Opera to sing the role of Vaya in The Cherry Town by Shostakovich and sang the soprano role in The Difficulty of Crossing a Field in June. From November 12th through 27th Suzan will perform La Voix Humaine at Opera San Jose. This March, Suzan will perform in a piece that she herself wrote and produced, entitled  Smoke and Mirrors/Althemy of Desire. with performances at El Camino College in Torrance, CA.

Tenor JEAN HEBERT has founded a new opera company in Union City, NJ called Union City Opera.  He performed as tenor soloist in Martin Halpern's  The Dwarf Trees and Lock of Hair at the New York New Church. Jean recently sang in a Gala concert with Boheme Opera New Jersey.
 
Soprano LORI CELESTE HICKS performed as soprano soloist with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra. This November, Lori sang in Robert Ray's Gospel Mass with MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall.

Bass ERIC JOHNSON is head of the opera department at Syracuse University. He recently sang as bass soloist for the Mozart Requiem with members of the Utica Symphony for a memorial performance on 9/11. This March he will sing as bass soloist for Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass with the Oneida Chorale

Pianist CRAIG KETTER played Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 at with Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College with Opera Dolce. Craig provided accompaniment for Harwood Management's Opera Reads in October.

Soprano EUN HEE KIM recently made her debut with Sol Opera Company in Korea as Liu in Turandot. She performed in an opera gala with Sol Opera, where she also won an Artist of the Year Award.  Kim also is on the voice faculty at Shenandoah University where she recently performed her own recital.

We welcome tenor KYLE ERDOS KNAPP to the roster. Kyle spent the summer at Opera Theatre Saint Louis where he covered Tonio in The Daughter of the Regiment. He returned to Saint Louis this October to workshop a new jazz opera and to perform in their Outreach Program. Mr. Knapp recently won the Metropolitan  National Council Auditions in St. Louis.  He performed again with Opera Theatre Saint Louis December, giving two recitals a day as an Artist in Residence. Kyle returns to sing Toby in Sweeney Todd at Opera Theatre Saint Louis this summer.

Conductor DANIEL LIPTON recently led  performances of Verdi's La Traviata with Opera de Columbia, followed by Trovatore with Opera de Quebec. Lipton returned to Opera de Quebec to lead performances of Eugene Onegin. 

Mezzo-Soprano VALERIE MACCARTHY has a jewelry line, available at www.valeriemaccarthy.com.   Valerie recently performed Mozart Vespers at Avery Fisher Hall with Mid-America Productions, with an encore performance at Alice Tully Hall.
 
Director  JAMIBETH MARGOLIS  was director of the musical Warsaw in Voorhees NJ, followed by an engagement with Boheme Opera's Tosca in April.  In June, she directed in Martin Halpern's World Premieres of The Dwarf Trees and Lock of Hair at the New York New Church. She directed Halpern's latest piece, Mrs. Middleman's Descent, with performances at the New York New Church this October. She will direct two more operas by Halpern in February, entitled, The Lower Drawer and Constancy.

Soprano ANTONI MENDEZONA made her debut as Dew Fairy/Sandman in Hansel and Gretel with Boheme Opera NJ on December 11.  She followed this with a performance of  Handel's Messiah and Bach's Christmas Oratorio with Herb Dimmock and The Herford Choral Society in Maryland.  January 16th, Antoni will be the soprano soloist in a concert of The Music of Karl Jenkins at Carnegie Hall, which will include a new work, The Peacemakers, by Jenkins.  This concert is sponsored by DCINY.

Conductor NIELS MUUS is Music Director of Festival Steyr in Austria.  He is also conductor for the Morphing Chamber Orchestra in Vienna. Niels recently conducted concerts with Salute to Vienna at Edmonton, Alberta on January 1st and at Calgary, Alberta on January 2nd.

Conductor PAUL NADLER  returns to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera this 2011/12 season.

Soprano ALISA PETERSON  spent November with the Los Angeles Opera education program, singing Minnie in The Prospector.  She recently sang the Vivaldi Gloria in the Festival of the Voice in Phonecia, NY.

Mezzo-soprano MARGARET PETERSON recently sang the Vivaldi Gloria and an Opera Gala in the Festival of the Voice

Italian soprano CRISTINA PIPERNO recently sang Turandot at the 7th Busan International Festival  in Korea.  She also performed as soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Orvieto Cathedral in Italy.

Mezzo Soprano JESSICA RENFRO performed a world premier of Songs of Faith by Gweneth Walker with Coro Lirico of New Jersey. On December 9 and 11 she made her debut as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Boheme Opera NJ.

Director/Composer SCOTT RICHARDS's has had several of his operas performed at the New York City Opera VOX Festival and is currently writing a new musical for Signature Theater and a play about the Ali Foreman Fight for the Public Theater.

Soprano MARCY RICHARDSON recently performed a selection of "Seconda Donna" Arias from operas by Handel in the 2011 Early Mucis America/Naxos Recording Competition at the Gershwin Hotel.  She also performed Diana in La Calisto with Verticle Players Reperatory. Marcy recently sang songs by Joseph Thalken at a New York Festival of Songs concert with renowned pianist Steven Blier.

We are pleased to welcome bass-baritone ADRIAN ROSAS to the roster. Adrian covered the role of Don Giovanni at Opera Theatre Saint Louis last summer. On November 1st, Adrian played the Father-in-law in Milhaud's Le Pauvre Matelot with Pocket Opera at the Fraunces Tavern in Manhattan. He is premiering the role of Roberto in a new opera by Christof Bergman, entitled Piazza Navona on November 27th with performances continuing each Sunday through January. On February 12, Adrian is singing in New York Festival of Song concert called "Modern Person's Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up" with pianist Steven Blier at the Merkin Concert Hall. He is currently covering the role of Blansac in Rossini's La Scala di Seta at The Juilliard School.

Soprano MICHELE SEXTON performed a concert at Spring Lake Tennis Club in New Jersey.  She also sang an opera gala with Boheme Opera in NJ.

Mezzo-Soprano ERIN SMITH returns to Washington Opera to cover Charlotte in Werther this Fall

Bass-baritone SAM SMITH sang Ramphis in a concert version of Aida with Coro Lirico in New Jersey. This February, Sam sings The Duke of Verona in Romeo et Juliet with Dayton Opera.

Counter-tenor TYLER WAYNE SMITH recently toured as Mary Sunshine as part of the Chicago National Tour this May and June. He made his Broadway debut as Mary Sunshine in Chicago at the Ambassador Theater  and played Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro in Bryant Park with Operamission

Soprano ERIN STEWART recently performed Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Gretna Theatre in Pennsylvania.  On January 12 she returns to Carnegie Hall for a concert of the music of Georgia Shrieve

Conductor ERIC TOWNELL is currently Music Director of the Rochester Choral Society. He recently  hosted the Chorus Management Institute in Rochester, in collaboration wuth the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium.  He led the Rochester Oratorio Society Orchestra in the Crowning Glory Concert at Hochstein Performance Hall.  On December 9 he leads a concert of Brass, Bells, and candlelight wirh the ROS in Rochester.

Conductor JASON TRAMM recently joined the Seton Hall University as an adjunct faculty member, where he conducts the choir. On November 19th, Jason conducted the New York Area All State Orchestra in Rockland County, NY.

Tenor JONATHAN WINELL spent last summer at Central City Opera, where he sang Le Journaliste in Les Mamelles de Tiresias and Leon in Signor Deluso.  He will perform in Tchaikovsky's Iolanthe in December at Dicapo Opera.  On January 29 he will make his debut with Opera Orchestra of NY as Baroncelli in  Wagner's Rienzi. Jonathan will then be in Europe and living in Berlin from February through March 20th.