Program Notes
The House
The House is an opera with music and libretto by Richard Burke that was written expressly for the students of the Hunter College Opera Theater. It premiered at the Kaye Playhouse on May 2, 2013.
The first scene takes place in 1939. Young newlyweds, Ben and Emily, are spending their first night in the house. As they sit on the floor playing Monopoly in the dark, they begin to see their future unfold; they imagine their lives and the lives of their children over the next few decades.
The second scene takes place in 1969, when the house has been rented to a sorority. Two girls, Lenore and Diane, are decorating a Christmas tree and recalling the Vietnam War protests of the previous months. One of them has written an anti-war song which the girls try to sing.
The third scene takes place in the present. The house, after a century of use and misuse, is abandoned and dilapidated. A real estate broker has sent three women to see the house: Julia, a dreamy romantic who loves everything about it, her daughter Valerie, who spends her time texting, and Julia’s best friend Mary, who thinks that buying the house is a bad idea.
The following two excerpts are presented:
1. The setting: A room in a Victorian House, 1939.
Susan Gonzalez, Director
Emily……Briana Sakamoto
Ben……………Jeffrey Sharp
2. The setting: The same house, present day
Dewey Moss, Director
Julia……..Susan Gonzalez
Mary……..….Lauri Aguirre
Valerie……Victoria Franco
The Chorus
Juella Baltonado
Nathan Carlisle
Laura Casertano
Victoria Franco
Troy Gordon
Serena Hernandez
Aliya Kamenshikov
Kaitlin McKendry
Joanna Mieleszko
Karina Roman
Steven Rosenberg
Briana Sakamoto
Jeffrey Sharp
Emily Skoutelas
Carol Szwei
Andrew Tse
The Orchestra
Flute: Allison Kiger
Oboe: Kristin Leitterman
Clarinet 1: Ian Tyson
Clarinet 2: Alexander Knox
Bassoon: Dirk Wels
Horn 1: John Gattis
Horn 2: Patricia Schmitt
Trumpet: Christopher Scanlon
Timpani: Charles Kiger
Percussion: Edwin Gonzales
Piano: Richard Edinger
Harp: Frances Duffy
Violin 1: Eli Spindel
Violin 2: Svetla Kalcheva
Viola: Brian Thompson
Cello: Fred Chu
Bass: Carlos Barriento
Paul F. Mueller is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Choral Studies at Hunter College. A distinguished and versatile musician, he has excelled in choral, orchestral and operatic repertoire. Recent performances include Mozart's Vesperae de Solennes de Confessore in Italy, Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir in France, Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Spain and Mozart’s Requiem in Hungary. He has also appeared as guest conductor of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Professor Mueller is the Music Director of the Greenwich Choral Society and past Music Director of the New Haven Chorale. In addition to conducting, he remains active as an organist/harpsichordist and is involved with research projects which embrace French choral and vocal repertoire of the nineteenth century.
Susan Gonzalez is Director of the Voice Program and Hunter College Opera Theater showcasing fully staged productions of new works in the Kaye Playhouse since 2007. Some of these works include premieres of Nicholas Flagello’s opera The Sisters, Richard Burke’s Game of Poker and The House as well as student compositions showcased in our Pocket Opera Project. As a singer Susan has appeared in leading roles with numerous opera companies and symphony orchestras such as the Chicago Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Lake George Opera, Eugene Opera, Dayton Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Bolshoy Opera. She has appeared as featured soloist in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra and the American Composers Orchestra. Some of her honors and awards include the Metropolitan Opera, the George London Foundation, Leonard Warren and Baltimore Opera Competitions as well as the Liederkranz Foundation and American Opera Association. Her love of new works has fueled recordings of works by Nicholas Flagello, Ruth Schonthal, Elizabeth Fabregas and Elizabeth Austin on the Artek, Naxos and Leonarda labels. She currently serves as New York State Governor for the National Opera Association and sits on Opera America’s Singer’s Training Forum. In addition Susan is outreach coordinator for the New York Opera Alliance’s New York Operafest 2016 where Hunter Opera Theater has been an active member since 2014.
