Puget Sound Concert Opera: La Sonnambula, an opera by Vincenzo Bellini
$20 advance, $30 at the door
- Jennifer Bromagen, soprano (Amina)
- Andrew Etherington, tenor (Elvino)
- David Wadden, bass-baritone (Count Rodolfo)
- Serena Eduljee, soprano (Lisa)
- Regina Thomas, soprano (Teresa)
- Sophia Emanuel, soprano (The Notary; also covering Amina)
- Jenna Calixto, flute
- Danny Sheu, viola
- Kumiko Chiba, cello
- Ericka Kendall, double bass
- John Burkhardt, piano
- Bernard Kwiram, conductor
Music by Vincenzo Bellini, Libretto by Felice Romani. Performed in Italian with Italian and English Supertitles with a full cast, chorus and chamber ensemble of seven pieces.
THE PUGET SOUND CONCERT OPERA EXPERIENCE: With custom arrangements for chamber ensemble, performed by the best local talent, our productions are presented at the highest quality. In our intimate venues combined with the innovative concert opera format, you will see, hear and feel every note! No need for opera glasses or the distraction of sets or costumes. Enjoy refreshments and a free door prize at intermission and then its back to the glorious music!
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 Jennifer Bromagen, soprano (Amina)
Hailed by the Tacoma News Tribune for her "shining coloratura and brilliant high notes," soprano Jennifer Bromagen enjoys performing on opera and concert stages throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has performed as La Contessa di Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Bellevue City Opera, with Puget Sound Concert Opera as the title role in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, and as the soprano soloist in Golijov's She Was Here with the Northwest Sinfonietta. Recently, Ms. Bromagen performed as the title role in Puget Sound Concert Opera's production of Manon, as well as The Queen of the Night in Vashon Opera's The Magic Flute, and with the Pacific Northwest Opera as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata.
Ms. Bromagen was an Associate Artist in Residence with Cleveland Opera and performed on their main stage as the First Handmaiden in Turandot, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and as Edith in The Pirates of Penzance. She has also been seen in such roles as Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia, Mimi in La Bohème, and Countess Adele in Le Comte Ory. She has been a featured soloist in concert halls, temples, and cathedrals throughout the U.S., performing classic solo concert works from Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Verdi's Requiem, as well as such contemporary works as Jenkins' Cantata Memoria and Arnesen's Wound in the Water. In the 2022-23 season, engagements include a return to Puget Sound Concert Opera as Amina in Bellini's La Sonnambula, as well as a return to Pacific Northwest Opera to perform Desdemona inVerdi's Otello.
https://jenniferbromagen.com/About Andrew Etherington, tenor (Elvino)
Andrew Etherington of Overland Park, Kansas, completed his undergraduate studies at Ole Miss and honed his singing and stage skills with Bill Hall’s American Opera Studio. Andrew then completed his graduate work at The Peabody Institute, studying both performance and pedagogy. While there, he conducted a volunteer choir at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and performed regularly in the professional choruses of Lyric Opera of Baltimore, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Washington National Opera. He is an adjunct voice faculty member at Olympic College in Bremerton, WA where he teaches applied voice and assists the opera productions. Recently, Andrew was proud to be a part of The ®evolution of Steve Jobs at Seattle Opera, a tenor soloist for Bremerton Symphony's December concerts, and in Willy & Fred, a new Opera by Linda Kitchen.
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/artists.html#andrewetheringtonAbout David Wadden, bass-baritone (Count Rodolfo)
Bass-baritone David Wadden began his singing career in Boston. As an Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera, he sang the Marchese in La Traviata and Andret in Frank Martin's The Love Potion. Also with BLO, he was a soloist in Boston's Landmarks summer concert series. Local productions included Colline in La Boheme with Longwood Opera, Bertan in Iolanta with Commonwealth Lyric Theater, and Bermiata in Snegurochka with Lowell House opera. He is currently pursuing a degree in computer science at the UW and has participated in opera scenes with the UW Opera Theater. David made his PSCO debut in 2018 as Masetto in Mozart's Don Giovanni.
https://www.operabase.com/artists/david-wadden-49170/enAbout Serena Eduljee, soprano (Lisa)
About Regina Thomas, soprano (Teresa)
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 Sophia Emanuel, soprano (The Notary; also covering Amina)
Coloratura soprano Sophia Emanuel is a young artist on the rise. As a 2022 Festival Artist with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, she covered 1st Lady (The Magic Flute), Micaëla (Carmen), and Mrs. Jenks (The Tender land). Sophia will be a 2022-2023 Studio Artist and Amina (La sonnambula) cover with Puget Sound Concert Opera. She was the 2021 winner of the Seattle Opera Guild Ernesto Alorda Encouragement award, as well as a semifinalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition. Sophia made two role debuts in the 2020 season as Queen of the Night and 1st Lady (The Magic Flute) with Northwest Opera in Schools Etc. She has made appearances in several productions with Pittsburgh Festival Opera including the chorus of La Bohème and Arabella, covering The Fiakermilli (Arabella), and premiering the role of Minnie in a workshop of Night Flight for Minerva's Owl. With San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sophia performed Ortensia, Ettalina, and Eustacia in Musto's Bastianello, as well as Prima Conversa (Suor Angelica). At Carnegie Mellon University, Sophia was seen as Soprano II in Philip Glass' Hydrogen Jukebox and Lucy Lockit (The Beggar's Opera), as well as premiering roles in two short operas through Carnegie Mellon's CO-OPERA project.
About Jenna Calixto, flute
Jenna can be heard playing flute and piccolo in a number of ensembles in the Seattle area, including the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra, Octava Chamber Orchestra, and the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society Orchestra. She has enjoyed performing with Puget Sound Concert Opera since 2010. A native of Vancouver, Washington, she holds performance degrees from Southern Methodist University (B.M.) and the University of New Mexico (M.M.).
http://www.pugetsoundconcertopera.org/artists.html#jennacalixtoAbout John Burkhardt, 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.
About Bernard Kwiram, conductor
Bernard Kwiram, a conductor, marked his Puget Sound Concert Opera debut in 2013 with Béatrice et Bénédict. He has since led notable performances like Der Frieschütz, Anna Bolena, and Il Trovatore. Kwiram has also conducted for Tacoma Opera, Pacific Northwest Opera, and Civic Light Opera, presenting works including Orpheus in the Underworld, La Boheme, Rigoletto, and Aida. He's directed the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society since 2002, overseeing 160+ G&S Canon performances. In 2015, he became music director of Tacoma City Ballet, conducting The Nutcracker, Carmina Burana, and more. A versatile artist, he's sung with Seattle Opera and Everett Symphony, and is a vocal instructor and adjunct professor at Northwest University.