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Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro
Gunter Theatre
Saturday, February 15 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 16 at 3:00 pm
PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)
Arias and ensembles live in concert with vocal soloists
The Marriage of Figaro is arguably one of the first true romantic comedies, beginning with its iconic and energetic overture. With a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, this story is an Enlightenment-era social commentary with lots of laughs thrown in. Many say the theme of this beloved opera is the beauty of forgiveness and redemption. Come see for yourself.
GUESTS INCLUDE American bass, DeAndre Simmons, having been hailed as being the performances “class act” by the Los Angeles Times, continues to gain recognition for his beautifully velvet voice, incisive musicianship and captivating stage presence. He has performed with such great opera houses and orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and Bramwell Tovey, Columbia Pro Cantare, Opera Panama, Pacific Opera Victoria, Castleton Festival under Maestro Lorin Maazel, Santa Barbara Symphony, London Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern and others throughout Europe and the U.K. He performs a healthy mix of opera and concert repertoire ranging from Handel to Mozart to Rossini and to Verdi and Wagner. In addition to his operatic roles, DeAndre regularly performs both plays and musicals. Most recently starring as the Narrator in EVERY BRILLIANT THING (CCAE Theatricals) and Montrellous in CLYDES(Moxie Theatre). His recent musical credits include Boatman in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGEand Ken in AINT MISBEHAVIN,(CCAE Theatricals), Caiaphas in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and Kerchak in TARZAN(Moonlight Theatre). Other theatre credits include playing Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT, Father in CHILDREN OF EDEN. His portrayal of Sweeney Todd in Sondheim’s masterpiece was voted TOP TEN BEST SHOWS in San Diego 2024 by the San Diego Union Tribune and he played Professor Bhear in LITTLE WOMEN (Moxie Theatre). Having spent years under the tutelage of the great Barbara Cook, he frequently performs the music of musical theatre and the American Songbook in recitals, pops concerts and cabaret. DeAndre’s 2024/2025 season include an American Songbook recital with Opera in the Park Portland, Marchese/Baron in LA TRAVIATA (Opera in the Park Portland), Sweeney Todd in SWEENEY TODD(SDMT)First Soldier in SALOME and Marchese D’Obigny in LA TRAVIATA (San Diego Opera) and a recital tour of arias, songs and spirituals by composers of the African Diaspora titled “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in Portland, OR, San Diego and Palm Springs. He rounds out his season with both lieder and American songbook recitals around the country. An alumnus of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, DeAndre is a pupil of Fred Carama and has been protégé of James Morris and Barbara Cook. IG:@DeAndresVoice /www.DeAndreSimmons.com Hailed by Opera Magazine as “At once powerful, radiant, timbrally beautiful, and balanced throughout the range, her soprano is that of a singer at the top of her game,” Durban-born South African Fulbrighter, BRONWEN FORBAY’S operatic successes include critically acclaimed performances of Mozart’s Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Eugene Opera, and Tulsa Opera. Other celebrated roles include Orasia, Queen of Thrace (U. S. premier of Telemann’s Orpheus), Adina (L’Elisir d’amore), Velmyra (Wading Home) by Mary Alice Rich, Violetta (La Traviata), and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Cape Town Opera. Concert appearances as a soloist include standard and modern works including Bach’s B Minor Mass (Santa Fe), Handel’s Creation (Cincinnati), Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor (Cincinnati), Mozart Requiem (on tour in Northern Italy: Venice, Verona, Vicenza), Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Dallas), Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Plano, TX) and Missa Solemnis (Tulsa), Miller’s ReWind Cantata for Voice, Tape, and Testimony (Royal Festival Hall, London, England), and Mnomiya’s Ingqai sivele we-Africa (Durban). An avid recitalist, Forbay has performed throughout South Africa, the US, and Europe at various notable venues including the American Cathedral in Paris (France) Les Arts Georges V recital series, and with Dr. Stephen Pierce (piano) at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles). Successful in numerous voice competitions, Forbay was awarded the 2007 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music (a prestigious national South African award whose recipients include Pretty Yende). Selected for the renowned National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Intern Program in 2013, Forbay has presented at the Dallas-Fort Worth NATS, TEXOMA NATS, South Africa Chapter NATS, National NATS, College Music Society (CMS) National Conferences, and the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT). She is a highly sought-after adjudicator and clinician and frequently serves in this capacity for the Schmidt Vocal Arts. Forbay was a featured soloist with the Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestras (South Africa) and Greenville Symphony Orchestra during their 2023-2024 seasons. She is delighted to return to the GSO as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. An Associate Professor of Voice at Furman University (Greenville, SC), Dr. Forbay served on faculty at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, South Africa) while fulfilling her Fulbright two-year homestay requirement. She has also taught at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (Belton, TX), Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX), and the McLennan Community College (Waco, TX). Dr. Forbay holds degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Manhattan School of Music, Southern Methodist University, University of Cincinnati, CCM, and is the first South African woman to earn a DMA in Voice Performance. She served as TMTA Voice Contest Chair from 2018-2021, is a member of the NATS International Advisory Committee, Treasurer of the South Africa Chapter of NATS, and President of Furman’s Black Faculty and Staff Association. Her book coauthored with Dr. Christian Bester (Assistant Professor of Voice, OSU) titled “Afrikaans Art Song Literature: Translation and Pronunciation Guide” will be published by Oxford University Press in 2025. MEGAN STAPLETON is regarded as “an artist of clarity, power, and much expressivity…” (Culture Map). Possessing a warm and agile voice that “shimmers like the moon” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Megan’s versatility stretches from early music to Mozart, contemporary classical, musical theater, and jazz. She most recently made her Lincoln Center debut as the soprano soloist in the New York City premiere of Dan Forrest’s new oratorio, Creation. As a baroque singer, she has been a featured soloist with Ars Lyrica, Mercury Orchestra, Houston’s Bach Society, Austin Troubadours, Lumedia Musicworks, and other chamber ensembles. She was the vocalist of the former Houston Baroque, with whom she performed three full seasons and released an album between 2014 and 2017. Megan has premiered works by Gregory Spears and M.C. Warwick at Houston Grand Opera and has also performed extensively in various programs for children at HGO, including Opera To Go!, Storybook Opera, and First Songs. Regarded for her comedic timing and “lyrical physicality” (BroadwayWorld.com), Megan has performed three leading roles with Houston’s G&S Society, and the Galveston Symphony Orchestra has welcomed her as their soloist on multiple occasions. In 2023 she performed ‘Belle’ in Menken’s Beauty and the Beast with Bob Jones Artist Series and joined Boston Early Music Festival’s esteemed vocal chamber ensemble in Desmeret’s Circé and Francesca Caccini’s Alcina. This summer, she joins the professional roster of Varna International Musik as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. The 24-25 season will see her debuts with Greenville Symphony Orchestra and Symphony of Southeast Texas, while Bob Jones Artist Series welcomes her back to Rodeheaver next spring as Maria in The Sound of Music. Dr. Stapleton currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice Studies at Bob Jones University, where she teaches applied voice, opera workshop, musical theater workshop, vocal literature, and vocal pedagogy. American baritone Jeffrey McEvoy is associate professor of music and director of opera studies at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. As a performer, teacher, and director, he is an advocate for contemporary music and is a strong supporter of American art song, musical theatre and operatic literature. Celebrated performances include roles in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, and Die Zauberflöte. To great acclaim, Jeffrey has sung Escamillo in Carmen, Germont in Traviata, Ramiro in L’Heure Espagnole, Polonius in Hamlet, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, and numerous supporting roles. Highlights of previous seasons include contracts with regional companies such as Opera Carolina, the Winston-Salem Symphony, Steamboat Opera, Connecticut Opera, Opera Boston, Commonwealth Opera, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Lake George Opera. Prior to Jeffrey’s appointment to Winthrop University he served as voice instructor and/or stage director at the University of Connecticut, the University of Kansas, Wichita State University, Boston’s Walnut Hill School of the Arts, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA. Jeffrey was the founding director and coordinator of the Musical Theatre Initiative for Region 4 of the Kennedy Center American Collegiate Theatre Festival and was a member of the faculty and professional staff at the pre-professional Seagle Music Colony program where he directed main stage operas, musicals, and children’s opera productions. Notable collegiate directing projects include Little Women, Die Fledermaus, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Susannah, Die Zauberflöte, The Pirates of Penzance, Hänsel und Gretel, The Crucible, Into the Woods, and La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein. His production of Bernstein’s Candide was recognized as finalist and third place winner in the American Prize for Opera Production. Jeffrey holds his Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal performance from the University of Kansas, Master of Music in Opera from Wichita State University, and Bachelor of Arts in music and Bachelor of Science in biology from John Brown University. Early in his career, Jeffrey was a Kansas City district winner and Regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a resident baritone young artist with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, a studio artist with Sarasota Opera, and participated in summer apprenticeships with Lake George Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. Rachel Calloway brings versatility and compelling insight to stages worldwide. Her work has been praised by the New York Times for “penetrating clarity” and “considerable depth of expression” and by Opera News for her “adept musicianship and dramatic flair.” A dedicated interpreter of new music, Ms. Calloway has premiered hundreds of solo and chamber music works. Recent and upcoming premieres include music by Augusta Read Thomas, John Zorn, Robert Xavier Rodriguez, David Garner, Gabriela Lena Frank, Christopher Cerrone, and Annika Socolofsky. She collaborates with premiere ensembles including Third Coast Percussion, JACK Quartet, the Amernet Quartet, and Ensemble Signal. Ms. Calloway and her husband, violinist Ari Streisfeld, founded Duo Cortona, an ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of new works for violin and voice. She has appeared in concert with the Orlando Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Series, Charleston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Ojai Festival, San Francisco Girls’ Chorus, BAM Next Wave Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Cal Performances, and Lincoln Center Festival. Ms. Calloway made her European operatic debut as Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw at Opéra de Reims, Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jovet (Paris), and Opéra de Lille. She has performed with the late Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival in Virginia, and at Opera Philadelphia, Tulsa Opera, Central City Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera, The PROTOTYPE Festival, and the Glimmerglass Festival. She is also a founding member of Shir Ami, an ensemble dedicated to the performance, discovery and preservation of Jewish music. Ms. Calloway serves on the faculty of the University of South Carolina as Assistant Professor of Voice and Director of Spark: Music Leadership at Carolina. She joined the faculty of the Cortona Sessions for New Music (Italy) in 2014 and Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard in 2016. Ms. Calloway holds degrees from The Juilliard School (BM) and Manhattan School of Music (MM) and can be heard on Albany Records, Tzadik Records, BCMF Records, and Toccata Classics. www.rachelcalloway.com Abigail Schlichtmann is a versatile zwischenfach singer who is delighted to have recently returned to Greenville. She began her journey in vocal performance at Furman University, where she studied under the esteemed guidance of Grant Knox. During her time at Furman, Abigail showcased her talents with the Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre and the Pauper Players. She also had the honor of serving as a soloist with the Furman Singers in their celebrated bi-annual performances of Handel’s Messiah. Abigail continued her education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning her master’s degree in Vocal Performance. There, she had the privilege of training in the studios of Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino and Dr. Kimberly Roberts. Her time at UT was marked by standout performances with the UT Opera Theatre, including roles such as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Additionally, she appeared in the musical HAIR with the Clarence Brown Theatre at UT Knoxville. Abigail’s professional accomplishments also include comprimario roles with Knoxville Opera, where she appeared in Boito’s Mefistofele and Lehár’s The Merry Widow. With a wealth of experience across opera, musical theatre, and concert performances, Abigail brings depth and passion to her craft as she continues her artistic journey in Greenville. Will Jordan is a lyric tenor from Atlanta, GA, currently pursuing a B.M. in Voice Performance at Furman University under Dr. Grant Knox. Now a junior, Will has already performed a variety of principal roles with Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre, including Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance and Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld. His other recent notable credits include Valjean in Les Misérables, Jack Kelly in Newsies, and Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda: the Musical. In addition to his on-stage work, Will is an active member of several prestigious ensembles at Furman, such as the Furman Singers, Furman Chamber Choir, and the Greenvillebillies—Greenville’s first student bluegrass ensemble. A recipient of Furman’s prestigious Presidential Music Scholarship, Will was named a semifinalist in the 2024 Schmidt Vocal Competition. During the summer of 2024, Will attended the internationally renowned Seagle Festival as a Hattie Mae Lesley Foundation Artist, where he performed in a variety of pieces spanning the lyric theatre repertoire, with appearances as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd; Dragon in the Northern United States premiere of Evan Mack’s Dragon’s Breath; Harry Beaton in Brigadoon; and chorus credits in Don Giovanni and Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain. He has also had the privilege of working with renowned clinicians in masterclasses and recitals, including Martin Katz, Adriana Zabala, Javier Arrebola and Libby Larsen. Will is an alumnus of SongFest and the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. Outside of performance, Will serves as the Herring Church Music Intern at First Baptist Church of Greenville and as a Furman Advantage Teaching Fellow in Music Literature and Music Theory. Additionally, he worked as Assistant Director for the Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre’s Opera Scenes program in 2023. Find him on Instagram @willjordantenor. Bass-Baritone, Thomas Dickinson has appeared on stage with the Seattle Opera, The Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, and in concert with the Hartford Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Norwalk Symphony. He last performed with the Greenville Symphony in their production of Carmen. As a concert singer, highlights include performances of the title role of Elijah and the bass solos in the Messiah and Bach’s St. John Passion. An active educator and performer, he currently serves on the voice faculty at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Thomas enjoys exploring the natural beauty of the upstate and spending time with his wife, Candace and their two teenage children. James Siarris is a baritone from Spartanburg, South Carolina. He recently completed a residency with Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York, where he performed the roles of Matt in The Fantasticks and Fiorello in The Barber of Seville, while also covering Figaro. James has performed with notable companies such as the Spoleto Festival, Glow Lyric Opera, Red River Lyric Opera, and Opera North. Among his favorite roles are Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd, Sid in Albert Herring, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, and Dandini in La Cenerentola. James holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston A native of Buffalo, New York, Gary Malvern showed an early interest in science and music. He began his trumpet studies with Charles Gleaves from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen where he played in the World Youth Symphony. He enrolled at Oberlin College in 1976 as a double major in trumpet and biology. He studied trumpet with Gene Young and added a major in music history. After graduating in 1980, he began graduate work at the Yale School of Music where he continued his brass studies with Robert Nagel. During his years at Yale, he studied orchestral conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller who Malvern counts among his most inspirational teachers. Malvern performed with the Colorado Philharmonic and served as principal trumpet of the National Repertory Orchestra. He was solo cornetist with the American Wind Symphony and participated in the chamber music program at Yale in Norfolk. In the mid-80’s, Malvern served as conducting assistant for the National Repertory Orchestra. Since 1983, Malvern has served on the music faculty at Furman University, where his work has included instructing trumpet students, teaching music history and theory courses, coaching chamber music, and conducting various ensembles including the Furman Opera. He spent a year as visiting professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and he has served as artist in residence abroad, most notably at University in Western Australia and at conservatories in Northern Italy. In 1999, Malvern was awarded Furman’s Meritorious Teaching Award. Malvern has played in a variety of chamber music groups including Brass Ring, the Spoleto Festival Quintet, and the Aurora Brass Quintet who commissioned many new works for the ensemble. He has recorded frequently for the Nuove Musiche per Tromba (New Music for Trumpet) label, based in Verona, Italy. He is also a performer with Feste Fantini, a brass, organ and timpani ensemble, who performs regularly throughout the American West and throughout Europe. Gary Malvern has been a member of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra for 40 years, 25 as principal trumpet. Dr. Malvern’s life has been shaped by a boundless enthusiasm for the intrinsic connection between all disciplines and he is a bold advocate for the Liberal Arts. In addition to his activities as a musician, Malvern has been a translator, a story writer, a numism Celebrated for her vocal warmth, power, and lacrime quality, Lindsey Brakhage was born and raised in Georgia. She received her undergraduate degree at Piedmont University, where she went on to tour internationally with the Piedmont Singers in England and Wales. She earned her master’s degree from Converse University and is currently a Resident Artist with Opera Carolina in Charlotte, NC. In the 2024-25 season, Lindsey has performed in the prestigious 75th Anniversary Concert with Andrea Bocelli and will appear in upcoming productions of Carmen and La Bohème with Opera Carolina. Her career highlights include her debut at Carnegie Hall and international performances in Germany and Italy. Lindsey is a District Qualifier for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, a Semi-Finalist in both the Heafner-Williams Vocal Competition and The Premiere Opera Foundation/NYIOP Competition, and took First Place in the SC NATS District Competition for Advanced Women. Mrs. Brakhage currently serves as a staff singer at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. Her creativity knows no bounds, as she strives to make a meaningful impact through her artistry across multiple mediums. She channels her artistic vision through Khage Designs, her graphic design business, while also expressing her creativity through photography and painting. As an author, she inspires young readers with Lindsey the Lion, a heartfelt children’s book that helps kids conquer stage fright. In 2021, she released her debut Christmas album, Evergreen, and in 2025, she will be recognized as a Greenville Pacesetter, honoring her significant contributions and leadership within the Greenville community.
