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The 15th Emerging Singers Concert November 1, 2007 at the German Embassy

“Young Singers riumphant in Wagner Roles”Cecelia Porter in Washington Post , November 3, 2007

(See www.washingtonpost.com and www.wagner-dc.org)

Te landmark 15th ESP concert featured favorite Wagner vo-

cal excerpts demonstrating the artistry of the gifted singers, ac-

companied by pianist Betty Bullock. Excerpts included an-

nhäuser (Dich teure Halle); Die Meistersinger von Nüremberg

(Preislied); Der fliegende Holländer (Duet – Wie aus der Ferne);

Parsifal (Ja, wehe, wehe; Nur eine Waffe taught); ristan und

Isolde (Liebestod); Die Walküre (Ein Schwert verhieß mir der

Vater... Winterstürme...Du bist der Lenz.)

In photo (left to right), tenor Corey Bix; soprano Julia Rolwing;baritone Ryan Kinsella; soprano Valerie Bernhardt; baritone MichaeHayes; EVELYN LEAR ; and tenor Brian Register. (missing fromphoto: pianist Betty Bullock)

Te Wagner Society of Washington, DCP.O. Box 58213 Washington, DC 20037Phone 301.907.2600 • Fax 301.907.8671

www.wagner-dc.org

2007 GALA Benefit ................................................... 2ESP Singers on World Stage ...................................... 3Selected ESP Participants ........................................ 4-6

ContentsContribution and Membership Forms ....................... 7Te Meistersinger Guild and Golden Ring .................. 8

Volume IV, No.1 November 2007

Reminder: The 2007 Flying Dutchman GALA Benefit December 1, 2007 at La Maison Française, Embassy of France

Greetings from Evelyn Lear: When my late husband Tomas Stewart and I agreed in 2000 toserve as Artistic Directors of the Emerging Singers Program named in our honor, we were not sure where it would all come out. How wonderful to note that we just presented our 15th concert! In

the seven years of the program, more than 125 singers have auditioned; more than 75 of them haveperformed in the spring and autumn concerts each year. I am grateful to the Wagner Society for itsgenerous support of the aspiring Wagner singers we select for the Program. I am honored to serve as Artistic Director in om’s memory. I appreciate the help of John Edward Niles, our Program Direc-tor. And I am delighted that we are creating an Advisory Board of distinguished artists to guaranteethe long-term advancement of the Program.

Chairman’s Greeting: We are pleased to present this fourth annual issue of Te Wagner

Singer , the sister publication of our twice-yearly Wagner on the Potomac newsletter. Join us for our 2007 GALA Benefit on December 1 and other programs! J.K Holman, Chairman; author of Wagner Moments (2007) and Wagner’s Ring (1998)



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The 2007 Flying Dutchman GALA Benefit Saturday, December 1, 2007, 7:00 pm, at La Maison Française, Embassy of France

A roving Dutchman will greet you during the cocktail reception and around the silent auction tables full of sur-prises and thrills. You can be the only person in North America to ownthe 2008 calendar autographed by Christian Tieleman and full of Bay-reuth production pictures. Fabulous auction items include: a stay in thesuper deluxe Ashford Castle in Ireland to muse on the story of ristanand Isolde; a week in "Valhalla West" in Sun Valley, Idaho; and a specialDutchman package for you and three guests to enjoy the Washington Na-tional Opera Flying Dutchman in April 2008. Classical WETA 90.9 FM Weekend Host Chip Brienza is poised to let the live auction go soaring.

You will meet two artists who have participated in the Emerging SingersProgram and now have international singing careers — Jennifer Wilson, Senta in the WNO Te Flying Dutchman and Jason Stearns, the

Dutchman in the 2008 Savonlinna Festival in Finland in July. (See photos and bios on page 3).

You will be seated to enjoy exquisite cuisine by the French Embassy's catering service. Soprano Valerie Bernhardtand baritone Ryan Kinsella, two future stars of Wagner operas and this year’s Emerging Singers Program partici-pants, will be introduced by Evelyn Lear and will sing for you.

Special Appreciation for Dr. Gerald Perman Te GALA will honor Dr. Gerald Perman, founder and artistic director of Te Vocal Arts Society of Washington,D.C. in recognition of the lasting impact he has been making to enrich the musical life in our nation's capital. Onbehalf of the Wagner Society the distinguished opera singer Richard Stilwell will present Dr. Perman a special ap-preciation.

e French Embassy is an especially appropriate venue for an event centered on theFlying Dutchman. Richard Wagner composed this opera in Paris, after a perilous NorthSea journey!

Te Gala is taking shape under the direction of Yoko Arthur and Diane Stanley. Work-ing with them are Blaine Marshall, the Society's administrator Jackie Rosen, and boardmembers Betty Byrne,

Frederic Harwood, and Nancy O'Hara along with Chairman Jim Holman.

All proceeds from the Gala will support the Wagner Society’s activities including theEvelyn Lear and Tomas Stewart Emerging Singers Program (ESP).

Te deadline for reservation to attend the Society's major fund-raiser is November 15.

Diane Stanley and Yoko Arthur,Gala Co-Chairs



Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart Emerging Singers Program (ESP):Emerging Singers in Opera Houses around the World

Te 1st ESP concert was presented on April 15, 2000; the 15th on November 1, 2007. Ever since October 2004, Te Wagner Singer has charted the progress of the Wagner Society ESP partnership with Evelyn Lear and Tomas StewartTis issue reviews the progress of 17 selected singers who have received coaching, master classes, rehearsals, advice,

contacts and, in many cases, financial support to develop their careers singing the Wagner repertoire. We highlight inthis issue two protégés of Evelyn Lear and Tomas Stewart: soprano Jennifer Wilson and bass-baritone Jason Stearns

Soprano Jennifer Wilson Soprano Jennifer Wilson will sing Senta in the Washington National Opera(WNO) performances of Te Flying Dutchman next Spring. Tis is a sourceof special pride for the ESP. Ms. Wilson was discovered by Evelyn Lear andTomas Stewart in the WNO chorus and was engaged for the 3rd concertin October 2001 where she sang an an unforgettable Dich tuere Halle . Tis was followed by her rapid rise to the world opera scene as a protégée of Ev-elyn Lear. A scant five years after her professional debut as urandot withthe Connecticut Opera in 2002, Jennifer Wilson firmly established herselfas a one of the world’s leading upcoming dramatic sopranos. She has sungin Houston, Santa Fe and at the Lyric Opera replacing Jane Eaglen. AnneMidgette in Te New York imes wrote that Ms. Wilson’s Brünnhilde inChicago “brought down the house.” Ms. Wilson went on to performed athe Téâtre du Châtelet in Paris in Robert Wilson’s Die Walküre in the 2005-2006 season. Her upcoming engagements include Elisabeth in annhäuse

with L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal . She also returns to Valencia to reprise her role as Brünnhilde in Siegfried ina performance conducted by Zubin Mehta. She debuts this season at both Covent Garden as urandot and at the Los Angeles Opera as Gutrune in Götterdämmerung ; she is booked as Aida in 2009 for Opera Australia. She is also an ac

complished concert artist. Ms. Wilson lives in Fairfax VA. She is fondly remembered by members of the WNO choiras well as the choir at the Holy rinty Church in Georgetown where she sang for many years.

Bass-Baritone Jason StearnsBass baritone Jason Stearns came to the attention of Evelyn Lear and Tomas Stewartin 2004 after his professional career with the U.S. Army Chorale. He appeared often athe White House and at diplomatic events when he was a featured soloist with the U.S. Army Band. He was awarded First Prize in the rst annual Chester Ludgin AmericanVerdi Baritone Competition in May of 2005, which was judged by Placido Domingoand others. In the course of preparing singers for the 13th ESP concert on the eve of his

death, Tomas Stewart spoke of Mr. Stearns as his successor. In 2005. Mr. Stearns madehis German operatic debut in Gelsenkirchen as Count di Luna in Il rovatore . In 2006he sang the Heerrufer in Lohengrin with Opera Leipzig. In 2007 he sang two roles withLos Angeles Opera: Biterolf in Wagner’s annhäuser, and Noah (Noye) in Britten’s Noye’sFludde. and most recently, e Mayor in Janacek’s Jenufa . He returns to Los Angeles tosing in the American Premiere of an opera by Viktor Ullmann and will also be in thespring production of ristan und Isolde . Jason Stearns will sing the lead role in Te FlyingDutchman in the in the 2008 Savonlinna Festival in Finland.

Placido Domingo with Jennifer Wilsonat the Washington National Opera (WNO)

October 2007 Welcome to the Opera Concert



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WAGNER ROLES: Wotan, Hunding, King Marke, Daland, and Landgrave.Charles Robert Austin, bass-baritone, has appeared in three ESP concerts: the 6th (May 2003), the7th (September 2004) and the 10th (May 2005) where he offered selections from Die Walküre and Der fliegende Holländer . The Wagner roles he has sung in other venues include Hunding and Wotan inDie Walküre , King Marke in Tristan and Isolde , Daland in Der fliegende Holländer , and the Landgravein Tannhäuser . Other roles also include Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor , Frère Laurent in Romeo et Juliett , and Duke Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle . His most recent role was King Hrothgar in the premiereof Elliott Goldenthal’s opera Grendel . This native Nebraskan is a former US Marine Corps HelicopterPilot and businessman. Contact: A.O.R. Management, Inc.mailto:[email protected]

Corey Bix

WAGNER ROLES: Walther and Siegmund. Corey Bix, tenor, made his ESP debut at the 15th Concert (November 1, 2007) at the GermanEmbassy. As an undergraduate in Iowa, his home state, he appeared in a number of operatic roles,including Don Jose (Carmen), Flute ( Midsummer Night’s Dream), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni ),and The Beatle (Sweeney Todd ). His current Wagner roles are David and Siegmund. A graduateof Simpson College in Indianola, Mr. Bix also earned a Master’s in Music from the New EnglandConservatory in 2004. Since then he has appeared with the Santa Fe Opera and, in 2006, he wonthe George London/Kirsten Flagstad Memorial Award for singing Walther’s Preisleid from Die Meistersinger .

WAGNER ROLES: Isolde and Senta. Valerie Bernhardt , soprano, made her ESP debut at the 15th Concert (November 1, 2007) at theGerman Embassy in Washington DC. The holder of two Juilliard graduate degrees, Ms Bernhardt hasalso distinguished herself in vocal competitions-- most recently in the Wagner Division of the 2007Liederkranz Foundation Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council. She made herCarnegie Hall debut in Donzetti’s Adelia , and her City Opera debut in Janácek’s Cunning Little Vixen.She has a wide range of operatic roles, including the Wagnerian roles of Isolde and Senta, and she hasmade numerous appearances as the featured soprano soloist with large choral organizations here andabroad. Contact: Pinnacle Arts Management.

WAGNER ROLES: Siegmund and Erik.Daniel Brenna ,tenor, made his ESP debut in the 10th Concert (May 2005) in the German Embassy.He is a graduate of the Opera Institute at Boston University, where he performed the roles of Don José in the Bizet/Brook La Tragédie de Carmen, and Lysander and Albert Herring in Britten’s operas A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Albert Herring. He later appeared as Haimon in the world premierstaging of Merryman’s Antigone and the Tenor in Dominic Argento’s Postcard from Morocco. Mr.Brenna has performed with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Op-era, the Tanglewood Music Centre Orchestra, and the Opera House in Giesen, Germany, where hehas sung the roles of Hans (Bartered Bride ), Siegmund (Die Walküre ), Erik (Der Fliegende Holländer )and other works by Verdi, Puccini and Kurt Weil.

Charles Robert Austin

WAGNER ROLES: Steurermann and Siegmund.Michael Hayes, tenor, sang in the 6th ESP Concert (May 2003) at the German Embassy. Mr.Hayeshas performed the Wagnerian roles of Erik and the Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer ) andSiegmund (Die Walküre ). His vocal performances include many career highlights, such as the titlerole in Verdi’s Otello at the RAI Theater in Amsterdam, Turiddu and Canio (Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci ) for Boston Lyric Opera, and Radames ( Aida ) with Nashville Opera. He has also sung withNew York City Opera, Washington Summer Opera Theatre, Opera Detroit, Virginia Opera, DaytonOpera, Kentucky Opera and Cincinnati Opera. He lives in the Washington DC metropolitan area.Contact: Randsman Artists Management.

Michael Hayes

Valerie Bernhardt

Daniel Brenna



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WAGNER ROLES: Eva and Gerhilde(in Bayreuth). Amanda Mace, soprano, who appeared in the 2nd ESP Concert in May 2001, is now based inGermany, where, with financial support from the Wagner Society of New York, she enjoys an activecareer. Her Wagner roles include Gerhilde with the Bamberger Sinfoniker under Jonathan Nott in2004, and Ortlinde (Die Walküre ) at Bayreuth under Christian Thielemann in 2007. She also sangEva in Die Meistersinger , directed by Katharine Wagner with Thielmann conducting in 2006. InMarch 2007 she performed the role of Sieglinde (Die Walküre ) with the National Opera in Vilnius.In addition to her operatic roles, Ms Mace frequently appears on stage as an international concertartist. Contact:Alferink Artists Management (Amsterdam).

Jennifer Roderer

WAGNER ROLES: Ortrud and Erda. Jennifer Roderer, mezzo-soprano, has sung in three ESP Concerts: the 6th Concert (May 2003), the11th (October 2005) the 12th (June 2006) and the 14th (May 2007) at the University of Maryland.She has sung selections from Das Rheingold , Siegfried , and Die Götterdämmerung . She has sung withthe Seattle Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, where she debuted asFricka in Die Walküre , conducted by Charles Dutoit. Her Wagnerian credits also include Waltrautefor Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle Opera, and Rossweiss (Die Walküre ), for Opera Pacific, andFlowermaiden (Parsifal ) with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez, in addition to otherconcert performances featuring Wagnerian excerpts, such as Ortrud (Lohengrin) with the AmericanSymphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center. Contact: Mirshak Artists Management.

WAGNER ROLES: Sieglinde and Freia. Julia Rolwing, soprano, made her ESP debut in the 15th ESP Concert (November 1, 2007). She isa native of Ohio. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Miami FL andis now based in the New York City area. Ms Rolwing recently appeared at the Lasker Summer MusicFestival in North Carolina as the 2007 Vocal Award winner of the Liederkranz Foundation of New York. She also performed the role of Tosca with the Opera of the Hamptons. In October, she wascast as Freia in Das Rheingold for a performance this year with the New Jersey Concert Opera. Oneyear ago, Ms Rolwing sang her first Wagnerian role as Sieglinde (Die Walküre) in Plainfield, NJ. In June, she was awarded the Robert Lauch Memorial Award, the top honor of the Wagner Society ofNew York.

WAGNER ROLES: Amfortas.Ryan Kinsella , baritone, first performed for the Society at it’s 2007 Banquet (May 2007). He sangin the 15th ESP Concert (November 1, 2007) at the German Embassy. He is a native of Syracuse,New York, and a graduate of the Boston University Opera Institute. He won the 2007 WagnerPrize of the Liederkranz Foundation. He has collaborated with the Opera Company of Brooklyn inreading engagements of Tosca and La Traviata . Recently Mr. Kinsella performed Silvio (Pagliacci ) with the Lake George Opera and Belshazzar’s Feast with the Washington Chorus. He has also sung with the New York City Opera, New Opera Theatre, Metro Lyric Opera, among others, and heappears on a new CD:Divas of a Certain Age by Thomas Pasatieri on the Albany Label.

Ryan Kinsella

Julia Rolwing

WAGNER ROLES: Steuermann andristan.Paul MOW , tenor, sang in the 2nd (May 2001) Concert and 4th Annual Wagner Society of Washington, DC banquet in June (2202). He sang Bacchus in Ariade auf Naxos at the CatholicUniversity Summer Opera Teatre in 2003. He added two Wagner roles to his rapidly expandingrepertoire in early 2005. He sang the Steuermann in Der fliegender Holländer with the AnchorageOpera in January 2004, followed by Tristan in February, in the Rostock Opera eater’s concert ver-sion of Act I of ristan und Isolde . He returned to New York for performances of the Beethoven 9th,then went on to perform Lennie in the oledo Opera’s Of Mice and Men, which he also performed with New York City Opera. He appeared in the NYCO production of Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patriaand Sousa’s Te Glass Blowers , which he originated with the Glimmerglass Opera, Te October 2007Gramophone published a highly positive review of his recording of the Brahms 15-song cycle.

Paul Mow

Amanda Mace



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WAGNER ROLES: David. Jeffrey Springer, tenor, sang in the 13th thee ESP Concert (October 2006). Persuaded by the legendary James King to move into the tenor range, Mr. Springer has since made it his own. He debuted as Manrico(Il Trovatore ) with the Connecticut Opera in 2005, and he later toured throughout the US performingthe roles of Don José, the Gypsy and the Soldier with the Teatro Lirico D’Europe. He also sangCavaradossi in Tosca with Opera Naples in addition to his American opera and concert engagements;he also has performed extensively in Germany, France and Spain. This season he will appear with theHouston Symphony, singing works in concert. He is a recent recipient of a grant from the Gerda Lissner

Foundation in New York. Contact: Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

Rebecca Teem

WAGNER ROLES: Brünnhilde.Rebecca Teem, soprano, has sung in three ESP Concerts: the 10th (May 2005)11th (October 2005)and 14th (May 2007) She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, now living in New York City. Following herselection as a Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist in 1999, she made her debut with Opera DramaticaNYC in their performance of Don Carlo. This was followed by performances of Aida ( 2005 ), Strauss’s Elektra ( 2006 ) and Brünnhilde ( 2007 ) with the New York Opera Forum in both staged and concertpresentations. Her Brünnhilde in Siegfried (Act III) in the 14th Concert with the University ofMaryland Symphony under the baton of James Ross at the 14th ESP (May 2007) was followed bypromising auditions in Europe. .

Thomas Rolf Truhitte

WAGNER ROLES: ristan, Siegmund, Parsifal, Lohengrin, Erik, and Froh.Thomas Rolf Truhitte, tenor/Heldentenor, has appeared in two ESP Concerts: the 3rd (October 2001),and the 4th (May 2002) presenting selections from Die Walküre , Parsifal and Rienzi . Since performing inESP concerts, he has added several Wagnerian roles to his repertoire; among them, Erik in Der fliegendeHolländer ), Siegmund in Die Walküre , the title roles in Parsifal and Lohengrin and Tristan in Tristan undIsolde (at the Virginina Opera with Janine Altmeyer), Froh (in Seattle). He has also sung Max in DerFreischütz . A native of California, Mr Truhitte has sung in venues across the country from the Los Angeles Walt Disney Hall to the Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and from Opera Canada in Toronto to Braziland from the Spoleto Festival in Italy to the rest of Europe as far as Metz in France, which covers much of

the range of Western opera house stages. Contact: Randsman Artists’ Management.

Caroline Whisnant

WAGNER ROLES: Caroline Whisnant, soprano, sang in the 7th ESP Concert (September 2003) at the SmithsonianInstitution. Since then, she has developed an active career in Germany, where she is an ensemble member with the Nationaltheater Mannheim and a frequent guest performer with Oper Frankfurt and BadischesStaatstheater Karlsruhe. Highlights of her career have included the title roles in Elektra , Brünnhilde inDie Walküe , the title role in Tosca , the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos, Santuzza in Cavaleria Rusticana ,Leonora in Il Trovatore , Madame in Les Dialogues des Carmélites and Maddalena de Coigny in Andrea Chénier and others. Equally at home on the concert stage, she has performed roles including Sieglinde in Die Walküre , and works ranging from Barber, Korngold and Arvo Pärt, to Mozart, Verdi and Mahler.Contact: Randsman Artists Management,

Betty Bullock

ACCOMPANING PIANIST:Betty Bullock , pianist, is a favorite of singers at the German Embassy. A member of the Washington NationalOpera staff for twenty-five years, Ms Bullock holds degrees from Oberlin and the University of North Carolina.She also studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum in Austria and the Hochschule f ür Musik in Munich. She wasformerly on the faculty a Duke University and the Oberlin Conservatory, as well as a winner of the FranzSchubert Prize for Accompanists awarded by Baden bei Wien in Austria. She is currently on the faculty ofthe American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and, since 1997, also of the University of MiamiSummer Vocal Institute in Salzburg.

Jeffrey Springer



Help Develop the Emerging Singers Program by Your Contribution

FORM OF PAYMENT: (do not send cash) Check Enclosed Visa Mastercard

NAME ON CARD ________________________________________________ NUMBER _______________________

EXPIRATION DATE ______________ AMOUNT TO BE CHARGED $ ________________________________________

SIGNATURE ____________________________________________________

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T h e W a g n e r S o c i e t y o f W a s h i n g t o n , D C O . B o x 5 8 2 1 3 W a s h i n g t o n , D C 2 0 0 7

w w w . w a g n e r - d c . o r g

N O N - P R O F I T

U . S . P O S T A G E

P A I D

W A S H I N G T O N , D C

P E R M I T N O . 1 8 9 5

N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 U P D A T E

h e T h o m a s S t e w a r t a n d E v e l y n L e a r m e r g i n g S i n g e r s P r o g r a m

SPECIAL HANKS: Te Meistersinger Guild: Most of the Members in the Guild have been long-time gener-ous contributors; all have pledged $5,000 for the 2008 membership year. Guild Members (so far) for 2008 are: TeMorris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Frederic Harwood and Lea McDaniel; Christine Hunter; Jim and Diana;Holman; John and Lynn Pohanka; and Guillermo and Cecilia Schultz. For further information on the Guild, pleasecontact Development Committee Chair Frederic Harwood on 202.438.4800 or by email at Frederic_Harwood@ Yahoo.com.

SPECIAL HANKS: Golden Ring Members ($1,000 membership contribution)

Betty Byrne; Aurelius & Janet Fernandez; Marc & Jacqueline Leland; Maika Siebeck; Richard and Cathy SoderquistTomas and Diane Stanley; W. Wolff & Catherine Chura Wolf.

Te Emerging Singers Program Te Wagner Society of Washington DC Evelyn Lear J.K. Holman Artistic Director Chairman John Edward Niles Aurelius Fernandez Program Director President

Invitation to Aspiring Wagner Singers: Aspiring Wagner singers are invited to submit their CVs and a recorded CD or audio tape sample of their singing toProgram Administrator John Edward Niles to apply for the Emerging Singers Program. See www.wagner-dc.org.

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