Why spend and evening with the artists of VHRP LIVE?

MEET THE COMPANY and PRODUCTION TEAM

The Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! is a professional performance company uniquely devoted exclusively to performing the works of Victor Herbert. The mission of VHRP LIVE! is to restore Herbert’s popularity among a wider contemporary music theater and classical music audience in New York City. VHRP LIVE! comprises an accomplished roster of New York City-based performers.

meet THE FORTUNE TELLER cast
in alphabetical order

Drew Bolander (Cerna, Zoltan)

is an actor and singer living in NYC, where he seeks to coalesce all of his various interests and passions into a cohesive and meaningful life. A graduate of the UNC School of the Arts and proud native Northern-Californian, he enjoys languages, science, Shakespeare, being outside, and of course: music! He is honored to be performing in his first production with VHRP Live!

Katherine Corle (Irene)

is excited to perform with VHRP Live once again! She made her Ohio Light Opera debut as Ruth in Ruddigore and Mimi in Can-Can this past summer. Recent NY performances include Leonore in Fidelio with Opera Company of Brooklyn and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Manhattan Opera Studio. She has frequently appeared with Light Opera of New York. Katherine received a B.F.A. with honors from NYU–Tisch and studies voice with Dorothy Stone. www.katherinecorle.com

Chelsea Friedlander (Trina)

is thrilled to be making her VHRP LIVE! debut. Recent performances: Mabel in Pirates of Penzance (Ohio Light Opera) Nannetta in Falstaff (Martina Arroyo Prelude) Adele in Die Fledermaus (Opera in the Ozarks), Luisa in The Fantasticks (Women’s Theater of NJ). Recently sang along side Kristin Chenoweth with Concert Pops of Long Island. Consecutive Encouragement Award Winner at Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Connecticut District). New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players Company Member! Training: M.M. Manhattan School of Music, B.M. Cleveland Institute of Music. Proud member of AEA. www.chelseafriedlander.com

Daniel Greenwood (Count Berezowski)

Specializing in early music, Rossini, operetta, and the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, Daniel is proud to have been featured in performances from California to Switzerland. International appearances include the Verbier Festival and the International G&S Festival, as well as frequent performances across North America. Locally, he has been a featured soloist at Lincoln Center, and regularly sings on the stage with the NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players as well as in the concert hall including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and elsewhere. All my love to Sarah!

Mitchell Roe (Capt. Ladislas)

most recently performed with the Garden State Philharmonic as a soloist for Mozart’s Mass in C. He also recently sang as a soloist making his Carnegie Hall debut for Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living. Other performances include Floyd’s Susannah (Little Bat), Romberg’s The New Moon (Jacques), and Verdi’s Aida (Messenger). mitchroe87@gmail.com

Jonathan Rohr (Csintalanl, Lennor)

is thrilled to join VHRP Live! Originally from North Carolina, Jonathan is a frequent performer on the opera and concert stage. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and the Eastman School of Music, he will join Opera Saratoga as an Apprentice Artist this summer.

David Seatter (Fresco)

has performed major roles with Augusta Opera, Opera/Delaware, Opera Naples, Belle Ayre Opera, Opera Northeast, Light Opera of New York, and Manhattan Savoyards. He’s also done a CAMI tour of Naughty Marietta as well as roles in Eileen and Sweethearts with Light Opera of New York. Other Herbert roles include The Red Mill, Babette and The Princess Pat with Bel Canto Opera and The Fortune Teller with The Shaw Project. www.davidseatter.com

Vira Slywotzky (Madame Pompon)

has performed principal roles with Seattle Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, Light Opera of New York, Boston Midsummer Opera, Chelsea Opera, and the Center for Contemporary Opera. She is the soprano of vocal trio Mirror Visions Ensemble. Her first Herbert role was Dame Paula in Sweethearts. www.viraslywotzky.com

Angela Christine Smith, (Ruth)

recently appeared with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) in the award-winning cabaret show I’ve Got a Little Twist at 54 Below in New York City. Recognized by the press for her work in operetta, Ms. Smith has performed as a Principal Artist with NYGASP in New York and on extensive tours nationally and abroad and is a recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Other credits include performances with the Light Opera of New York (LOONY), Belleayre Opera Festival, New York Lyric Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Delaware, and Liederkranz Opera Theatre.

Sarah Caldwell Smith (Musette, Irma, Fedor)

made her New York debut as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) at City Center with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. Last season she performed the title role in VHRP LIVE!’s Naughty Marietta. She has also appeared with City Center Encores!, Florida Grand Opera, Cape Cod Opera, Liederkranz Opera Theatre, Opera Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and Geneva Light Opera. M.M. Manhattan School of Music.

Matthew Wages (Sandor)

Bass-baritone from Athens, GA. G&S shows/roles performed include: Pinafore (Deadeye/Bill Bobstay/Bob Becket), Pirates (Samuel/Sergeant of Police), Mikado, Gondoliers (Giuseppe Palmieri), Iolanthe (Mountararat), Patience (Major Murgatroyd), Ruddigore, The Grand Duke, Utopia Ltd., The Sorcerer, Trial By Jury, Yeomen of the Guard (2nd Yeoman), Sullivan’s Cox and Box (Bouncer) and a new rendition of Ruddigore: Ruddygore Revisited (Sir Roderic) which made its debut at the International G & S Festival in Harrogate, England. Additionally, Mr. Wages has starred in numerous short & feature films, webisodes and educational video series. www.matthewwages.com.

Bray Wilkins (Corp. Luntz, Yan)

has performed professionally all over the country. Some of his roles include Lensky (Eugene Onegin), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Fenton (Falstaff), Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Lysander (Midsummer Night’s Dream). Along with Opera, Mr. Wilkins performs extensively in both concert and Music Theater repertory.

William Hicks, pianist,

has recorded 127 pieces by Victor Herbert for New World Records and has had a lifelong love affair with the music of this composer. He currently works as a free lance pianist, voice coach, teacher, and conductor in New York, having worked at many of the world’s leading opera houses and having collaborated with many of the world’s leading singers, including The Metropolitan Opera and Luciano Pavarotti. www.williamhicksonline.com

ANGELINE & HER TATTOOED MAN
cast in order of appearance

Matthew Wages — Bass-Baritone

Bass Matthew Wages is a New York City-based bass-baritone originally from Athens, GA. G&S shows/roles performed include: HMS Pinafore (Bob Beckett), Pirates of Penzance (Samuel/Sergeant of Police), The Mikado, Patience (Major Murgatroyd), Iolanthe, The Grand Duke, Utopia Limited, The Sorcerer, Trial By Jury, Yeomen of the Guard (2nd Yeoman), and Sullivan’s Cox and Box (Bouncer). Other: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Schroeder), Forever Plaid (Smudge), Nunsense Amen (Sr. Robert Anne), Annie (Warbucks & Rooster), Music Man (Ewart Dunlop), Big River (Duke).

Angela Christine Smith — Soprano

Angela Christine Smith most recently appeared as “The Queen of the Fairies” in Iolanthe with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP). Ms. Smith has performed as a Principal Artist with NYGASP in New York and on extensive tours nationally and abroad and is a recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Other credits include performances with the Light Opera of New York (LOONY), Belleayre Opera Festival, New York Lyric Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Delaware, and Liederkranz Opera Theatre.

Erika Person

Erika Person has “shone,” “sparkled,” and “chilled the blood” in repertoire ranging from ingénue to old lady. Recent engagements include Edith in Pirates and Iolanthe with NYGASP, and a staged reading of Our Mutual Friend by Larry Gelb. She is thrilled to make her company debut with VHRP LIVE!. www.erikaperson.com

Mitchell Roe — Tenor

Mitchell Roe, Tenor, most recently performed with the Garden State Philharmonic as a soloist for Mozart’s Mass in C. He also recently sang as a soloist making his Carnegie Hall debut for Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living. Other performances include Floyd’s Susannah (Little Bat), Romberg’s The New Moon (Jacques), and Verdi’s Aida (Messenger).

David Seatter

Baritone David Seatter has performed major roles with Augusta Opera, Opera/Delaware, Opera Naples, Belle Ayre Opera, Opera Northeast, Light Opera of New York, and Manhattan Savoyards. He has also done a CAMI tour of Naughty Marietta as well roles in Eileen and Sweethearts with Light Opera of New York. Other roles include The Red Mill, Babette and The Princess Pat with Bel Canto Opera and The Fortune Teller with The Shaw Project. www.davidseatter.com

Vira Slywotzky — Soprano

Vira Slywotzky has performed principal roles with Seattle Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, Light Opera of New York, Boston Midsummer Opera, Chelsea Opera, and the Center for Contemporary Opera. She is the soprano of vocal trio Mirror Visions Ensemble. Her first Herbert role was Dame Paula in Sweethearts. viraslywotzky.com

Bray Wilkins

Bray Wilkins has performed professionally all over the country. Some of his roles include Lensky (Eugene Onegin), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Fenton (Falstaff), Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Lysander (Midsummer Night’s Dream). Along with Opera, Mr. Wilkins performs extensively in both concert and Music Theater repertory.

Robert Balonek — Baritone

Robert Balonek is thrilled to be singing with VHRP LIVE! Robert attended Purchase College and Mannes, where he performed the title roles in Gianni Schicchi and Le Nozze di Figaro. He also performed Ottone; Poppea, Prospero and Ferdinand; Tempest, Guglielmo; Cosi, Ford; Falstaff. Professionally, he has performed lead roles for Chelsea Opera, OOTJ, American Classical Orchestra, Salt Marsh Opera, NYVP, NYOC and recorded for Albany Records. This year, Robert will be performing Shaunard with the South Dakota Symphony.
www.robertbalonek.com

Katherine Corle

Katherine Corle is excited to perform with VHRP Live once again! She made her Ohio Light Opera debut as Ruth in Ruddigore and Mimi in Can-Can this past summer. Recent NY performances include Leonore in Fidelio with Opera Company of Brooklyn and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Manhattan Opera Studio. She has frequently appeared with Light Opera of New York. Katherine received a B.F.A. with honors from NYU–Tisch and studies voice with Dorothy Stone.
www.katherinecorle.com

Stephen Faulk — Tenor

Stephen Faulk has performed major roles with the Ohio Light Opera, Light Opera of New York, New York Street Opera, Troupers Light Opera, Los Angeles Operetta Foundation, Georgia Southern Opera, Augusta Opera, and the Savannah Philharmonic. His Herbert roles include: Captain Ladislas (The Fortune Teller), Con Kidder (The Red Mill) and Barry O’Day (Eileen). www.stephenpfaulk.com

Sarah Caldwell Smith — Soprano

Sarah Caldwell Smith made her New York debut as Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) at City Center with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. She has also appeared with City Center Encores!, Florida Grand Opera, Cape Cod Opera, Liederkranz Opera Theatre, Opera Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and Geneva Light Opera. M.M. Manhattan School of Music. sarahcaldwellsmith@yahoo.com

meet the NAUGHTY MARIETTA cast
in order of appearance

Georga Osborne — Marie Le Valleau

Broadway: Meet Me in St. Louis (OBC); Lincoln Center: Sweeney Todd; Carnegie Hall: A Streetcar Named Desire (w/Renée Fleming); Disney’s Fantasia 2000 (soprano soloist). National Tours: My Fair Lady; The Sound of Music. Regional: Souvenir – Capital Repertory & Weston Playhouse; Chautauqua. Recordings: R&H’s Allegro; Meet Me in St. Louis; The Last Starfighter; Sweeney Todd. www.georgaosborne.nyc

Natalie Ballenger — Felice

Natalie Ballenger recently made her Solo debut at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center with the National Chorale. Past highlights include; Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady), 2014 Lotte Lenya International Voice Competition (3rd Place), Nancy (Dream City and the Magic Knight), Kitty (Orange Blossoms), Susie Trevor (Lady be Good), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Blanche (Dialogues of the Carmelites), and Luisa (The Fantasticks). www.natalieballenger.com

Katherine Corle — Nanette

Katherine Corle is excited to join VHRP Live! Recent NY performances include Leonore in Fidelio with Opera Company of Brooklyn and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Manhattan Opera Studio. She has frequently appeared with Light Opera of New York and will debut at Ohio Light Opera this summer. Katherine received a B.F.A. with honors from NYU–Tisch and studies voice with Dorothy Stone.

Justin Ryan — Etienne Grandet, son of Lt. Governor Grandet

Baritone Justin Ryan earned recent critical praise for his “commanding presence” and “intimidating, cavernous voice” (Opera News) performing with companies across the United States in roles ranging from Mozart’s leading men to those of Massenet, Donizetti, and Puccini. He appears this season with Opera Columbus, Mississippi Opera, and The Little Orchestra Society.

Vira Slywotsky — Adah, a quadroon

Soprano Vira Slywotzky has performed principal roles with Seattle Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Sarasota Opera, Light Opera of New York, Boston Midsummer Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, and the New Haven Chamber Orchestra. Her first Herbert role was Dame Paula in Sweethearts. Her recital life has led her to Weill Hall and Merkin Hall (NYC), Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris) and the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory (St. Petersburg, Russia). www.viraslywotzky.com

Glenn Seven Allen — Capt. Dick Warrington, an American officer

GLENN SEVEN ALLEN has been seen on Broadway and in New York City in The Light in the Piazza (Lincoln Center Theatre), The Long Christmas Dinner (Alice Tully Hall), Carousel (Avery Fisher Hall/PBS Great Performances), and with City Center Encores, York Theatre, Queens Symphony, and Carnegie Hall. He is a Helen Hayes Nominee for Best Actor and can be heard on multiple cast albums in both opera and theater. He has performed pricipal roles at 7 Tony-Award winning regional theatres and has performed 15 professional operatic roles. Mr. Allen holds degrees from University of Washington (Acting) and University of Michigan (Musical Theatre), and serves on the acting faculty at the Yale School of Drama. Upcoming engagements include The Merry Widow (Northern Lights Music Festival), Don Giovanni (Soo Theatre Project).

Mitchell Roe — Col. Blake

Stephen Faulk — Simon O’Hara

Tenor Stephen Faulk has performed major roles with the Ohio Light Opera, Light Opera of New York, New York Street Opera, Troupers Light Opera, Los Angeles Operetta Foundation, Georgia Southern Opera, Augusta Opera, and the Savannah Philharmonic. His Herbert roles include: Captain Ladislas (The Fortune Teller), Con Kidder (The Red Mill) and Barry O’Day (Eileen). www.stephenpfaulk.com

David Seatter — Lt. Governor Grandet

Matthew Wages — Florenz, Secretary to Lt. Governor

Sarah Caldwell Smith — Marietta d’Altena, an Italian runaway

Nathan Brian — Rudolfo, owner of marionette theatre

Nathan Brian, Baritone, has recentlybeen seen as Bob Wallace (White Christmas), Steve Canfield (Silk Stockings), Giuseppe (The Gondoliers), Bilkington Holmes (Dream City), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), President Wintergreen (Of Thee I Sing), Papageno (The Magic Flute), Sam (Trouble in Tahiti), Curly (Oklahoma!), Marcello (La Boheme), and Dick Trevor (Lady Be Good!). www.nathanbrian.com

Wilson Southerland — Pianist

Conductor and pianist Wilson Southerland is in demand throughout the U.S., Africa, Europe and the Middle East. As principal conductor he has led performances in Italy, NYC, the Eastman School of Music, and North Carolina Opera. He has been a member of the music staffs of the New Israeli Opera, Opera Africa, the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, Seattle Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and the Castleton Festival. Recital engagements have included performances at Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Kennedy Center. This summer he will join The Ohio Light Opera as principal conductor. He holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School.

Next post: Announcing the First VHRP LIVE! Season