糖心vlog Opera
The Opera Program at The John J. Cali School is led by Karen Driscoll, Head of Artistic Operations/Opera,听and resides within the College of Performing Arts (CART) at 糖心vlog.
We believe that opera is the one of the most inclusive and collaborative artforms in existence, bringing music, art, dance, history, and stage craft together holistically to create the highest expression of musical performance. Cali Opera emphasizes the importance of exposing its students to early music repertoire through and including the development of the 21st Century style in order to embrace the evolution of historical origins to modern styles and trends of opera today.
We offer a variety of performance opportunities spanning from a fully staged large scale opera production with orchestra, a small-scale chamber opera to a robust opera workshop scenes program.听 We invite participation by all musical degree candidates (Performance, Music Ed., Music Therapy, Music Theater) and all academic levels.
With close proximity to NYC, Cali Opera also draws upon some of the best and most distinguished artists the industry has to offer. Our students also enjoy the tremendous experience of training through master classes, and guest artists in the unique John J. Cali School of Music Immersive Residency Program.
For questions about the Cali Opera Program, please email Karen Driscoll, Head of Artistic Operations/Opera at driscollk@montclair.edu or follow us at our social pages听 and
To learn more about applying to The John J. Cali School of Music, visit our听auditions page or email Linsay Setzer, Audition鈥檚 Coordinator at 蝉别迟锄别谤濒蔼尘辞苍迟肠濒补颈谤.别诲耻听
糖心vlog
Opera听Workshop Chamber听Opera听presents
The Medium
Gian Carlo Menotti, Librettist & Composer
Presented with chamber forces, featuring two pianists in place of full orchestra
Karen Driscoll,听Director
William Hobbs & Ginny Stephens,听Pianists & Musical preparation
Deborah Caney,听Costume Designer听&听Coordinator
Lucas Pinner,听Scenic Designer
Paige Elise Buchanan Stewart,听Livestream Production
Alexander Kasser Theater
Sunday, December 7 @ 5 PM & 7:30 PM 听
Come join us for Gian Carlo Menotti鈥檚 hauntingly beautiful opera,听The Medium.
A psychological drama filled with mystery, tension, and lyrical intensity,听The Medium听tells the story of Madame Flora, a fraudulent spiritualist whose world unravels when the line between illusion and reality begins to blur.
With its gripping music, dramatic characters, and intimate storytelling, this short opera (in an hour) promises to be a powerful theatrical experience you won鈥檛 want to miss.
SUNG IN ENGLISH
Content Advisory:听The Medium contains depictions of s茅ances, alcohol use, psychological distress, the use of a prop firearm and the sound of gunshots.
Janine Morita Colletti,Director
Kyle Ritenauer,Conductor
Sunday, February 1 @ 3:00 PM
One of the most beloved operas of all time, Mozart鈥檚听Die Zauberfl枚te听(The Magic Flute) is a听dazzling adventure where fairy tale, comedy, and timeless wisdom meet.听听With music that soars from the hilarious to the sublime, it enchants audiences of all ages.
Follow Prince Tamino and Princess Pamina as they brave trials of fire, water, and silence in their search for love and enlightenment. Laugh with the irrepressible bird-catcher Papageno, and be swept away by the Queen of the Night鈥檚 blazing vengeance and show-stopping arias. Beneath its fantastical surface lies a story of courage, compassion, and the triumph of harmony over darkness.
Join us for an unforgettable journey of magic, music, and imagination.
Sung in German 鈥 Spoken dialogue in English (Janine Morita Colletti)
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
OPERA WORKSHOP
SECTION 1
PRESENTS
鈥淪chemers, Dreamers, Lovers, and Leavers”
Join us for a night where passion sings, ambition plots, and fate has the final note!
Karen Driscoll, director
LeAnne Overton, music director and pianist
William Hobbs,听pianist
Monday, May 4 at 8PM
Van Fossan Theater
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE
OF MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
499 Franklin Street
Bloomfield, NJ
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
OPERA WORKSHOP
SECTION 2
PRESENTS
鈥淲辞惫别苍”
An Opera Pastiche
Rebecca Jo Loeb, director
William Hobbs, pianist
Victoria Schwartzman,听pianist
Sunday, May 3 at 5PM
Van Fossan Theater
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE
OF MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
499 Franklin Street
Bloomfield, NJ
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
OPERA WORKSHOP
SECTION 2
PRESENTS
“A Night of Opera Magic”
Opera scenes spanning 300 years of opera fantasy
Malena Dayen, director
William Hobbs, pianist
Victoria Schwartzman, pianist
Van Fossan Theater
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE
OF MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
467 Franklin Street
Bloomfield, NJ
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
OPERA WORKSHOP
SECTION 1
PRESENTS
鈥淔airy Tales, Fantasy, and Fiction鈥
JOIN US FOR A NIGHT OF LOVE & LITERATURE
Karen Driscoll, director
LeAnn Overton, music director
Virginia Stephens, pianist
Van Fossan Theater
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE
OF MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY
467 Franklin Street
Bloomfield, NJ
LA CALISTO
Francesco Cavalli,听Composer
Rebecca Jo Loeb,听Director
Kyle Ritenauer,听Conductor
糖心vlog
Opera听Workshop Chamber听Opera presents
Hansel & Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck,听Composer
Karen Driscoll听(Director)
William Hobbs听(Conductor)
Ginny Stephens听(Musical Preparation, pianist)
Deborah Caney听(Costume Designer听&听Coordinator)
James Conrad Smith听(Scenic Designer)
Paige Elise Buchanan Stewart (Livestream Production)
Saturday, December 7 @听
Saturday, December 7 @听
This fairy tale听opera听follows brother and sister鈥, Hansel and Gretel, as they are sent away to gather strawberries after frustrating their exhausted mother. While on their quest, the children get lost in the haunted woods where the renowned evil Witch of Ilsenstein dwells. After encountering some other magical characters, the children come upon a beautiful and delicious gingerbread house, where a kind old woman lives. They are invited inside to enjoy sweets and treats, only to be captured by the evil Witch! She puts a spell on the children, making them eat until they are plump so that she can cook them to perfection. The children manage to overcome the Witch, and their parents find them, all celebrating their freedom.
Family-friendly version: approximately 1 hour
Sung in ENGLISH
糖心vlog
Opera Workshop Chamber Opera presents
Hansel &听Gretel
Engelbert Humperdinck, Composer
Karen Driscoll听(Director)
William Hobbs听(Conductor)
Ginny Stephens听(Musical Preparation, pianist)
Deborah Caney听(Costume Designer听&听Coordinator)
James Conrad Smith听(Scenic Designer)
Paige Elise Buchanan Stewart (Livestream Production)
Saturday, December 7 @ 6:00 PM
Alexander Kasser听Theater
This fairy tale opera follows brother and sister鈥, Hansel and Gretel, as they are sent away to gather strawberries after frustrating their exhausted mother. While on their quest, the children get lost in the haunted woods where the renowned evil Witch of Ilsenstein dwells. After encountering some other magical characters, the children come upon a beautiful and delicious gingerbread house, where a kind old woman lives. They are invited inside to enjoy sweets and treats, only to be captured by the evil Witch! She puts a spell on the children, making them eat until they are plump so that she can cook them to perfection. The children manage to overcome the Witch, and their parents find them, all celebrating their freedom.
Family-friendly version: approximately 1 hour
Sung in ENGLISH
糖心vlog
Mainstage Opera & University
Symphony Orchestra听presents
La Calisto
Francesco Cavalli,听Composer
Rebecca Jo Loeb,听Director
Kyle Ritenauer,听Conductor
Saturday, February 1 @ 8:00 PM听
Sunday, February 2 @ 3:00 PM听
Alexander Kasser Theater
$20 Standard | $15 Seniors
Cavalli鈥檚 poignant and ruckus opera begins in the heavens when we learn that a young, beautiful nymph, Calisto, has the chance to become immortalized as a constellation among the stars. Her story of being pursued by Zeus himself, devastated by the Goddess Diana, and finding herself in the middle of the follies and heartbreaks of an amusing cast of mythological creatures and star crossed lovers leads her down a path of ultimate humiliation and destruction. Will she find her way to the stars, or will she be cursed to live among the vengeful Gods in a beastly form?
Libretto听by Joshua McGuire
Date:听December 9, 2023听@听6PM听听and 8PM听
Location:听Alexander Kasser Theater
Program
In 1924, on the French Riviera, we find the tumultuous听relationship听of Zelda and F. Scott听 Fitzgerald.听 Scott is not only obsessed听with finishing his novel “The Great Gatsby” but is also听distracted听incessantly by Zelda’s unsatiated need for attention by not only听him but by other men.
In a fit of jealous rage, Scott locks Zelda in a bedroom, where she finds herself visited听with visions of her younger and older selves.听听These visions force Zelda to contemplate her life choices and ultimately challenge her mental state while we are left wondering which one of the Zeldas is actually real.
(Sung in English with English surtitles)
Running time: approximately 1 hr
Director:Malena Dayen
Musical Preparation: Victoria Schwartzman and William Hobbs
Date: Saturday, January 27 @ 8PM听听| Sunday, January 28 @ 3PM听
Location:听Alexander Kasser Theater
Based on the true story of an order of Carmelite nuns who was executed by the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, Poulenc鈥檚听Dialogues des Carm茅lites听is both an epic historical tragedy, and an intimate philosophical exploration of faith and humanity.
SPRING 2023 OPERA WORKSHOP SCENES
Trials & Triumphs of Love
An evening of opera scenes where we navigate the ever changing terrain of love, from families, friends, foes and fianc茅es, to a few pirates along the way!
Director: Karen Driscoll
Musical Preparation: LeAnn Overton and Michael S. Caldwell
Date: May 8, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Location: Leshowitz Recital Hall
CALI MAINSTAGE OPERA
GIANNI SCHICCHI and BUOSO鈥橲 GHOST
Music by Giacomo Puccini and Michael Ching
Conductor: Kyle Ritenauer
Director: Anna Rebek
Musical Preparation: Victoria Schwartzman and William Hobbs
Date: January 28, 2023 at 8PM and January 29, 2023 at 3PM
Location:听Alexander Kasser Theater
Set in medieval Florence, the established Donati family are grieving around the deathbed of their patriarch, Buoso Donati. But when they find out he鈥檚 left their inheritance to the church 鈥 mourning turns to rage. They rope in a lower class fix-it guy, Gianni Schicchi, to change the will, in exchange for his daughter Lauretta marrying their young Rinuccio. Schicchi finds the perfect solution, executes the plan, and gets the Donati exactly what they deserve.
In the sequel to Puccini鈥檚 masterpiece, Michael Ching鈥檚 Buoso鈥檚 Ghost, Schicchi discovers a dark Donati secret. When they come back to haunt him, Schicchi screams for mercy, until he conjures up a new plan, and summons the ghost of Buoso for a little help.
CALI CHAMBER OPERA
Music and Libretto by Dan Shore
Director:听Karen Driscoll
Musical Preparation: Beth Robin and Ginny Stephens
Date: December 10, 2022 at 6 and 8PM
Location: Alexander Kasser Theater
A charming, award-winning comedic chamber opera about a widow who longs to marry again and her ambitious pursuit of a new, much younger husband by retaining the services of the local matchmaker. The matchmaker devises a clever plan鈥搘here twists and turns lead up to an unexpected ending for everyone!
SPRING 2022 OPERA WORKSHOP SCENES
Director: Karen Driscoll
Musical Preparation:听 LeAnn Overton & Michael S. Caldwell
Date: May 12, 2022 at 8PM
Location: Leshowitz Recital Hall
An evening of opera and musical theater scenes where we explore the past to find the key to our future.
RECORDED ARIAS PROJECT (Spring 2022)
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:听William Hobbs
Director:听Jeffrey Gall
Recording: Rob Davidson
Yejin Lee, soprano
Jason Zacher, bass-baritone
GaDa Lambert, soprano
Seungchan Hong, baritone
FALL 2021 OPERA WORKSHOP
Preview from
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:听William Hobbs
Director:听Jeffrey Gall
Pianist:听Michael S. Caldwell
Date: December 11, 2021 at 8PM
Location: Alexander Kasser Theater
SPRING 2021 OPERA WORKSHOP SCENES
Director: Karen Driscoll
Musical Preparation:听 LeAnn Overton & Michael S. Caldwell
Date: June 6, 2021 at 8PM
Location: Offsite video projects
From Handel, Mozart, Massenet and more, our performances look beyond the stage and discover our characters鈥 lives both inside and out as we uncover their stories creatively through video storyboarding projects.
with works by Jonathan Bailey Holland and Jake Heggie
Director:听Jeffrey Gall
Piano: William Hobbs & Grant Wenaus
Date: Video released March 31, 2021