Puget Sound Concert Opera: 'Medea,' an opera by Luigi Cherubini
$25 advance, $30 at the door
- Karen Early Evans, soprano (Medea)
- Tim Janecke, tenor (Jason)
- Serena Eduljee, soprano (Glauce, Jason's new bride)
- Michael Drumheller, bass (King Creon, Glauce's father)
- Susan Payne O'Brien, soprano (Handmaiden)
- Regina Thomas, soprano (Neris, Medea's servant)
- Janice Ching-Jung Lee, cello
- John Burkhardt, conductor & piano
Luigi Cherubini's Medea is a gripping operatic adaptation of Euripides' tragedy and Pierre Corneille's Médée, bringing to life the tale of one of history's most notorious anti-heroines. Betrayed and cast aside by her lover, Jason, Medea's fury drives her to an unthinkable act of vengeance, culminating in a chilling finale that has captivated audiences for centuries.
Cherubini, a pivotal figure in early Romantic music, masterfully blends Classical structure with the emotional intensity of the emerging Romantic era. His influence extended to composers like Beethoven and Rossini, who admired his dramatic power and orchestral innovation. Medea stands as a testament to his ability to bridge musical generations, delivering a work of searing passion, psychological depth, and relentless tension.
About Puget Sound Concert Opera
Puget Sound Concert Opera's mission is to bring a wide variety of opera to life through passionate performances in intimate settings, fostering a vibrant artistic community. We make these extraordinary works accessible and affordable, ensuring that the joy of great opera is within reach of all.
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/About Karen Early Evans, soprano (Medea)
Karen Early Evans has performed the role of Fiordiligi with Utah Opera and Tacoma Opera. She was most recently heard singing Bach's Peasant Cantata with Yakima Symphony and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Bellevue Opera, where she has also performed the role of the 1st Lady in their production of The Magic Flute. She sings regularly with the Seattle Opera chorus and was recently invited to sing the roles of Nurse and Trang in a workshop for Amelia, a newly commissioned work for Seattle Opera. Ms. Early Evans performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Northwest Sinfonietta as soprano soloist and has also been a soloist with Tacoma Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Utah Symphony and Eugene Concert Choir. She has performed roles with Lyric Opera Northwest, Skagit Opera, Opera Idaho and Glimmerglass Opera. Ms. Early Evans has been honored as a Finalist in the Metropolitan National Vocal Competition as well as the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. She was chosen as the audience favorite in both the Eleanor Lieber competition and the Bella Voce competition.
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/artists.html#karenearlyevansAbout Tim Janecke, tenor (Jason)
A recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest, Tim Janecke makes his debut performance with Puget Sound Concert Opera this season. Past roles include Ferrando (Cosi Fan Tutte) and Nemorino (L'Elisir d'Amor) with Bowen Park Opera, Alfredo (La Traviata) and Don Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro) with L'Opera Piccolo, and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Ferrando with Candleopera. In the world of light opera, Tim has performed Cloclo (Tricolet) with Chicago Folks Operetta and Achilles (Beautiful Helen of Troy) with Light Opera Works. In addition to his busy solo career, Tim is an experienced ensemble singer, having performed extensively with the Chicago Symphony Chorale, Chicago Lyric Opera, and as a Christmas Caroler at the Forge Club in the Chicago area. Tim received his Master's Degree from DePaul University and currently studies with Winnifred Brown.
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/artists.html#timjaneckeAbout Serena Eduljee, soprano (Glauce, Jason's new bride)
Soprano Serena Eduljee's soaring, rich, precise coloratura and "magnetic" acting (Entertainment News Northwest) has made her one of the Pacific Northwest's most in-demand singers, and a favorite of opera audiences everywhere. Last season she sang the roles of Lisa (La Sonnambula) and Nanetta (Falstaff) with Puget Sound Concert Opera, Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) with Pacfic Northwest Opera, and Violetta and Norina in (The Drunken Tenor's Operapalooza Spectacular Shindig) with Tacoma Opera. Ms. Eduljee made her Seattle Symphony debut performing the iconic role of Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte) and has recently performed Orff's Carmina Burana and Bach's Magnificat with the Kirkland Choral Society. A frequent singer with Seattle Opera, her performance as Amore in Seattle Opera's highly acclaimed production of O+E earned much praise. Ms. Eduljee holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she studied under Carol Vaness.
https://www.serenaeduljee.com/About Michael Drumheller, bass (King Creon, Glauce's father)
Michael Drumheller is originally from Richland, Washington. A favorite bass-baritone in the Pacific Northwest opera and classical scenes, he has been a soloist with Seattle Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Tacoma Opera, Skagit Opera, Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestra Seattle, and many other organizations, under the direction of renowned conductors including Robert Spano, Gerard Schwarz, and Leonard Slatkin. As a recitalist, he is especially interested in Russian music, and has been an invited performer of Russian vocal repertoire at the Icicle Creek Music Festival and at Wellesley College.
Mr. Drumheller holds a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University, where he was a student of Phyllis Curtin. He has studied with Armen Boyajian, Robert Honeysucker, Julian Patrick, and several other notable teachers. He is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center and holds BS and MS degrees in engineering and science from MIT. His diverse musical background includes playing tympani in symphony orchestras and drumming and singing for his own rock bands. Mr. Drumheller has been a featured performer in many productions of the late, distinguished Northwest conductor Hans Wolf, and regularly appears as a soloist for Northwest Chorale, which raises money for Northwest Harvest, which fights hunger throughout the Pacific Northwest.
https://michaeldrumheller.com/About Susan Payne O'Brien, soprano (Handmaiden)
About Regina Thomas, soprano (Neris, Medea's servant)
An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas has performed with a variety of companies including Kitsap Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Bellevue Opera, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Seattle Opera Guild. Currently Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President and trustee of concerts for LMC. Favorite operatic roles include Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, Tosca, and Judith (Bluebeard's Castle). Concert work includes Schumann's Frauenleibe und-leben, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder; soprano solos in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Fauré Requiem, and Berio's Folk Songs for voice and chamber ensemble.
https://www.musiccenternw.org/regina-thomasAbout Janice Ching-Jung Lee, cello
Taiwanese-American cellist Janice Ching-Jung Lee is an active performer and music educator in the greater Seattle area. She is the cellist for the Seattle-based Ellinor String Quartet, plays frequently with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and many other ensembles.
She received her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Cello Performance from the National University of Tainan in Taiwan, and Master’s Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Washington in Seattle under the late Professor Toby Saks. In addition to her cello performing and teaching, she also serves as pianist at Kennydale United Methodist Church in Renton. Janice has been heard in many of the greatest concert halls in north America and Asia, including those in Seattle, WA and Taipei, Taiwan.
About John Burkhardt, conductor & piano
John Burkhardt (chorus master/piano) currently serves as chorus master and principal accompanist for Puget Sound Concert Opera. John has arranged and conducted numerous PSCO productions including Lucrezia Borgia, La Damoiselle Elue, Andrea Chenier, Don Giovanni, and I Capuletti ed I Montecchi. John has served as the principal accompanist and chorus master for Bellevue Opera as well. He works for University of Washington Tacoma, managing their communications. He is musically active in the Unitarian Universalist church and has been an opera and musical theater pianist for many years in Seattle and elsewhere.