November 4-5, 2023
Kopleff Recital Hall
Prologue
Buoso Donati loves TV and drama, and it is time for his nightly viewing. His overbearing nurse has other ideas because Buoso becomes agitated if it is too dramatic, so the nurse picks the appropriate channel and leaves. Buoso will have none of it and switches it to his favorite one, the GSU Opera Theater channel.
I Pagliacci
The opera takes place in a small Italian village. Canio is the head of a traveling group of actors. We begin the action with Nedda, the wife of Canio, singing to the birds and trying to put away her fear of Canio, an overbearing and jealous husband. She has been told of their magical songs and their sense of freedom, something she can only dream about. Tonio, a hunchback and part of the troupe of actors, has been watching her. He goes to her and tries to confess his love for her, but he repulses her and whips him to drive him away. He leaves, declaring vengeance. As soon as he leaves Silvio appears. He is a young villager with whom Nedda has been romantically entangled. Silvio asks Nedda to run away with him that evening. At first, she says no, but eventually gives in to Silvio and they make plans for her to slip out after the show that evening. Tonio returns and sees the two lovers. He decides to exact vengeance and goes to fetch Canio. Canio catches them and Silvio escapes. We cut to the famous tenor aria, ‘Vesti la giubba’, where he cries out in despair. He must smile and go on as a clown to make people laugh, even though he is dying inside. The play begins and everything seems to be going along well until Canio hears the same words in the play that he heard the two lovers say. This enrages him and he cannot control his anger. Tonio gives him a knife and urges him on in his fury. In an uncontrollable rage, he kills Nedda and Silvio. The comedy is finished.
SUOR ANGELICA
The story is set in a convent at the turn of the 20th century. The nuns are going about their daily lives. They are in prayers and two sisters arrive late, as does Sister Angelica. Angelica offers penance before entering, but the others do not. After prayers, a series of punishments are exacted to the two sisters, as well as Sister Lucilla and Sister Osmina. They were not acting appropriately for the service. Sister Genovieffa enters to express her joy over the sun’s rays. The sisters are overjoyed by the way the sunlight lights the fountain and turns it gold. This reminds them of the sister, Bianca Rosa, who has recently passed, and they decide to carry a pail of water to her tomb. Sister Genovieffa begins to talk about her desire to see a little lamb, while Sister Dolcina talks about all the food she loves. The sisters chat about the desires of their fellow sisters when Sister Nurse interrupts them. Apparently, Sister Chiara has been stung in the face by numerous wasps. Sister Angelica has the remedy in her herbs and flowers. Immediately following two sisters arrive after having shopped for the convent. One of the sisters asks about the richly ornamented carriage outside the convent. Sister Angelica ardently hopes it is news from her family. The Abbess enters and calls her name. She sends away the rest of the nuns. Sister Angelica’s aunt is here to see her. Her aunt has two things to tell Angelica. The first is about her younger sister’s impending marriage. As a result of this, the aunt has decided to give Angelica part of her parent’s inheritance to her sister. Angelica pleads for news of her son. Her aunt informs her of his death two years prior. Angelica collapses. Her aunt forces her to sign the inheritance document and leaves. Angelica cries out for the son she will never hold again. The sisters return and bid Sister Angelica good night. Angelica makes up her mind to be with her son and creates a poisonous concoction out of her flowers and herbs. She bids goodbye to the convent and her sisters, removes her habit, and drinks it. She begins to feel the effects and collapses realizing she has damned herself and will never see her son again. She begs Mother Mary for a pardon. The angels enter with Mary who grants her wish and Sister Angelica is reunited with her son in heaven.
Gianni Schicchi
Buoso Donati has been so overwhelmed by the opera Suor Angelica that he decides to rewrite his will and give everything to the monks in the town. He signs it with a notary present and then his nurse puts him to bed. His family enters his house after hearing he is not well at all, and Buoso dies. After trying to evoke some emotion for a few moments, they begin the search for the will. Rinuccio finds it clutched in Buoso’s hand. Zita takes it and begins to read it along with the rest of the family and discover the true benefactors of the prized possessions. The MONKS!!! Rinuccio has a plan. They need to contact Gianni Schicchi who solves everyone’s problems. Zita forbids it, but Rinuccio sends off Gheradino to find him and ask him to come to the Donati house urgently. Schicchi arrives much to the dismay of Zita and he brings his daughter Lauretta who is in love with Rinuccio. Schicchi surveys the situation and asks for the will. Several times he declares there is no way to help them then figures out a way. He has them remove the body of Buoso. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. It is Dr. Spinelloccio, who is there for his daily visit. The family blocks him from entering and Schicchi hops in the bed and pretends to be Buoso. It works. The doctor leaves and they devise a plan to have him dress like Buoso and dictate a new will to the notary. The notary arrives along with two witnesses and Schicchi turns the plot on his head, leaving all the prize possession to none other than Gianni Schicchi. He kicks the family out of his house and returns to see the two young lovers embracing. It was a successful day for Gianni Schicchi.
Kathryn Hartgrove
Stage Director
Kathryn Hartgrove has been described as a mezzo-soprano of precision, range and sheer splendor and has been heard throughout the United States, South America and Europe. Her many roles have included Judith in Bluebeard s Castle, Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, Thisbe in La Cenerentola, Siebel in Faust, Emilia in Otello and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with such companies as Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera’s National Tour, Chicago Opera Theater, Łodz National Opera of Poland, Chamber Opera of Chicago, Piedmont Opera Theater and Opera Maine. She has performed as Soloist with the Istanbul National Symphony, the Pesaro Chamber Orchestra and Choir in Italy, the Grant Park Symphony of Chicago, the Hinsdale Chamber Orchestra, the Lake Shore Symphony, the Millikin-Decatur Symphony and the Beloit-Janesville Symphony. She has performed solo recitals in Europe, South America and the United States and has been heard on radio and television in Brazil, Turkey and the United States.
Other performances include Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in Nuremburg, Germany and at the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at the Pasqua Festival in Ravenna, Italy; concerts in Poland at the Krakow Opera House; concerts at the Trujillo Bach Festival in Trujillo, Peru, opera galas in Macerata Feltria and Pesaro, Italy, a recital for the Atelier Concert Series in Paris, France as well as recitals in Bauru, Campinas, Uberlandia and São Paulo, Brazil. She has gone on to work professionally with many of North America’s finest stage directors and conductors.
Ms. Hartgrove is an active professional stage director and recently staged Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi for FIO ITALIA and will be returning to stage Rita and Suor Angelica. She staged Il Canterina for FIO ITALIA’s online summer opera festival in 2021. Prior to COVID-19, Ms. Hartgrove staged Suor Angelica in Uberlândia at the invitation for the famed Brazilian soprano Edimar Ferredi. She was invited to create and stage opera scenes programs for Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil, the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia as part of an Artist in Residence and the Festival of International Opera of the Americas. Other engagements include Dido and Aeneas at the Festival Música das Esferas, Cagnoni’s Don Bucefalo, Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna and Rita for La Musica Lirica in Italy, Pizza con Funghi by Seymour Barab with the Boston Opera Cooperative, Too Many Sopranos and Pizza con Funghi for Milwaukee Opera Theater, Die Zauberflöte for the University of Campinas, Brazil. She will stage direct a scenes program for the Universidade de Guanajuato in Mexico.
During the 2023 FIO ITALIA season, Ms. Hartgrove established a collaboration with the highly respected Gasparo Spontini Pergolesi Foundation and will cooperate in opera productions for the 2024 season.
As a Master Class technician, Ms. Hartgrove has worked nationally with students at the the Cleveland Institute of Music, Florida State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mobile, Southeastern Louisiana University, Capital University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Augustana College, Concordia College, the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Illinois State University, the University of Northern Alabama, the University of Minnesota in Mankota, Ohio University, Miami University of Ohio, Central Michigan University, Southwestern University in Texas, Drake University in Iowa, Utah Valley University, Westminster College in Salt Lake City, the University of Memphis, the University of Montana at Missoula, University of Hawai’i in Honolulu, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Butler University in Indianapolis, Tuft’s University, New England Conservatory in Boston, Ithaca College, Brigham Young University, the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama State University, and Florida Southern University. She is an adjudicator and Masterclass clinician for the National Schmidt Vocal Competition.
Internationally, Ms. Hartgrove has presented Masterclasses at the Universidade de Èvora in Portugal, the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Argentina, the University of Trujillo in Peru, the Summer Music Academy in Afytos, Greece, Universidade Estual di Campinas, Universidade Sagrado Coração, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Estual de São Paulo, Festival Música das Esferas, Brazil and in Novafeltria, Italy. She recently was an Artist in Residence for the Universidade de Guanajuato in Mexico, and at the invitation of the Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic presented a masterclass at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic.
Ms. Hartgrove was co-founder of La Musica Lirica in Italia. For thirteen years she was the festival’s Artistic Director and program’s coordinator. She was one of their stage directors and voice teachers and was responsible for the development of the festival from a 15-person program to one that works with over 60 singers each summer.
After receiving an invitation and co-operative agreement from the President of the Universidade Estual di Campinas, she stepped down from her position at La Musica Lirica and, along with two of her colleagues, founded Festival of International Opera in the Americas. Ms. Hartgrove was the Artistic Director of this Festival in Brazil in 2013. At the invitation of Giovanni Pasotto , the festival moved to Italy (FIO ITALIA) and opened in-person in the town of Urbania, Italy in July of 2022. The Minister of Culture from Panama visited the festival in the summer of 2022 and expressed interest in discussions of a similar festival with their country. The administration of the Universidade de Guanajuato’s has extended a verbal invitation to open FIO MEXICO in the future. A formal cooperation agreement and invitation is forthcoming.
Ms. Hartgrove’s students have sung in major regional houses throughout the United States such as Minnesota Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Atlanta Opera, Omaha Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Theater of St. Louis. Internationally performances include the Amazonas Opera Festival in Brazil, the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro, the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the Orquestra Filharmónica de Ja Ciudad de México and the Orquesta Sinfónica De San Luis Potosí. They have won awards at the State and Regional Metropolitan Competitions and competed on the Semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Competition in addition taking top prizes in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias, the VanderLaan Competition and the Opera Index Competition. Her students have been heard at the Kennedy Center and have gone on to be accepted into prestigious Young Artist programs with the Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and Michigan Opera Theater. They are also singing in major regional houses throughout the United States. Many of her students have been admitted to top schools such as Cincinnati Conservatory, Yale University, and the Manhattan School of Music, to name a few.
Ms. Hartgrove is a Professor of Voice at Georgia State University. She received her Masters degree in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and continued her study at Northwestern University. She has taught at Roosevelt University, Millikin University, Elmhurst College, and the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.
Rolando Salazar
Music Director
Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Rolando served as the Associate Conductor/Chorus Master for his home company, The Atlanta Opera, having previously served for several years as Assistant Chorus Master under longtime Chorus Master Walter Huff. While serving as Chorus Master he was groomed working alongside as well as covering conductors Arthur Fagen, Joseph Colaneri, Joseph Rescigno, Ari Pelto, Joseph Mechavich, David Charles Abell, Dean Williamson, and others.
During this last year Rolando was featured in Love Letters to Atlanta, performing alongside singers Morris Robinson, Jamie Barton, and Kevin Burdette. He also was featured in the digital version of Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park, as well as in an all-Mozart recital with soprano Jasmine Habersham. Other performances included appearances with Cincinnati Song Initiative, MUS/IQUE In a Minute!, as well as returning to the podium to conduct performances of Pagliacci for the Atlanta Opera’s Molly Blank Big Tent Series, and one of the only covid-safe performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Atlanta Concert Opera, an online broadcast viewed all over the world.
Performances prior to the world shutting down included appearances on the podium with the Rome (GA) Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Ballet, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Ozark Family Opera, the Permian Basin Opera, Georgia State University Orchestra, collaborative work with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as serving as the Assistant Conductor and festival pianist at the Bellingham Festival of Music with Maestro Michael Palmer.
Upcoming performances include conducting the Brahms Requiem, as well as a performance with Reginald Smith, Jr. at the Bailey School of Music at Kennesaw State University. Rolando keeps an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for engagements with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide.