Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 7 The Light in the Piazza

Lyric Opera House | 21 MARIE MCLAUGHLIN SIGNORA NACCARELLI Distinguished soprano Marie McLaughlin has enjoyed more than three decades of performance at the highest international level. A wide repertoire of core roles took her around the world at an early age including to the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Opéra National de Paris, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne Festivals. Her substantial discography includes many of those roles, such as Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Sir Neville Marriner for Philips, Despina in Così fan tutte with James Levine for DG, and Micaëla in Carmen and Violetta in La Traviata under Bernard Haitink. Key roles in today’s repertory include Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro (Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Salzburg, Met), Madam Larina in Eugene Onegin (Torino, Glyndebourne, Lille) and Despina in Così fan tutte (Scottish Opera, Spoleto). ERIC SCIOTTO GIUSEPPE NACCARELLI Eric Sciotto has appeared in 12 Broadway shows: Annie Get Your Gun (Tommy Keeler), Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, Sweet Smell of Success, 42nd Street, Sweet Charity, Cry-Baby, A Chorus Line, Pal Joey, Rock of Ages, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and most recently, Something Rotten (Shakespeare). Eric also toured the nation as Tommy in Annie Get Your Gun, and as Paul in A Chorus Line. Eric’s recent regional credits include Nice Work If You Can Get It (Jimmy Winter), Footloose (Ren), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Frank), Pirates of Penzance (Frederick), and A Chorus Line (Zach). In addition to performing, Eric has been directing and choreographing musicals and plays around the nation, he most recently choreographed the west coast regional premier of Something Rotten at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, CA. Prior to that, he choreographed Pippin and Mamma Mia in NoCal, and directed & choreographed The Full Monty at Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, the east coast high school premier of Bright Star at SJR in NJ, Freaky Friday, The Drowsy Chaperone, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Xanadu, Bat Boy, Aida, and Into the Woods. He also directed Steel Magnolias, The Foreigner, Drop Dead, and Footloose. This March, Eric will again choreograph Something Rotten for The Phoenix Theatre Company. This year, Eric joined the Musical Theatre Faculty of The University of Utah (Go Utes!) and continues to direct, choreograph, teach, and perform all around the nation! Eric is SO THRILLED to be a part of this beautiful production of The Light in the Piazza, and thanks his beautiful family, David, Samson (11), and Olympia (7), for putting up with his absence for most of December. SUZANNE KANTORSKI FRANCA NACCARELLI Suzanne Kantorski, “an opera lover’s dream diva” (Addison Independent) is an awardwinning performer known for her “lively and engaging” (NY Times) interpretations and “exquisite and striking vocals” (Fanfare Magazine) whose career spans multiple genres. This season in opera, Ms. Kantorski appeared as Nedda, in Leoncavallo’s I Paglicci with Savannah Opera, Greensboro Opera, and Opera Orlando, in a production Opera Wire hailed as one of the “Top 5 Must-See Operas in North America”. As part of that same production with Orlando, she sang the soprano role for their double bill with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. Ms. Kantorski’s season continued with performances as the title role of Tosca with Opera Company of Middlebury’s fall tour where she received top critical acclaim. An award recipient from many of the opera world’s most distinguished organizations, some of Ms. Kantorski’s grantors include: The Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition, The Loren Zachary International Vocal Competition, The Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, The David G. Whitcomb Foundation, The Bagby Foundation for the Arts, The Jaqua Foundation, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council. With a passion for working with living composers, new music, and site-specific opera, Ms. Kantorski has created roles in new works in companies worldwide. Recently, in Los Angeles, she made her Disney Hall debut performing the Operatic Tableaux, Oh My Son, by Marcos Galvany. She recorded the work in 2015 and has sung the production both in the U.S. and in Spain. Ms. Kantorski’s portrayal as Euridice, in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice with The Vermont Opera Project was featured on-site at the Washington National Gallery of Art, as well as in an abandoned marble production factory and museum. The Washington Post wrote of her performance: “Soprano, Suzanne Kantorski took on the role of Euridice with grace and generously smooth vocal production.” Off the opera stage, Ms. Kantorski is also a founding member of the innovative performance art ensemble, Quintus 4, based in Montreal. The quartet, made up of piano, voice, cello and marimba, met at McGill University where they decided to create “a new experiment in old music.” Their unique programming design consists of virtuosic themes, and entertaining arrangements of classical compositions as well as commissioned works. Built for the 21st century, Q4 also uses a variety of engagement styles including mixed-media, visuals, humor, and multi-media platforms to reach their audiences. For more info and to follow along visit www.suzannekantorski.org MALCOLM SINCLAIR ROY JOHNSON Malcolm Sinclair’s theater credits include Roy Johnson in Light in the Piazza (Royal Festival Hall, LA Opera), Eisenhower in Pressure (Chichester/Royal Lyceum/Ambassadors; Olivier nom.), Major Miles Flack in Privates on Parade (Donmar Warehouse; Olivier nom.), Gavin Ryng-Maine in House/Garden (National Theatre; Clarence Derwent Award), Show Boat (New London), This House (Chichester Festival Theatre/Garrick) and extensive appearances in the West End, at the National Theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Film includes Casino Royale, V for Vendetta and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Television includes Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost, Silk, Foyle’s War and Pie in the Sky. He has been an actor/narrator with the Boston and London Symphony Orchestras, London Philharmonic and the Halle Orchestra.