Queer Opera 2022
singers
scenes
songs
production team
musical ensemble

September 17 and 18 at 7pm - Opera Scenes

September 18 at 2pm - Songs

Lincoln Hall Studio Theater @ PSU

Frances Bigelow (she/they)

Frances Bigelow is a fourth-year student of voice and composition at Portland State University, where she is studying with Christine Meadows and Renée Favand-See. She is a member of Portland State University’s Thorn Choir and a grateful recipient of the Doug & Teresa Smith Opera Scholarship, the Stephen Forrester and Brenda Penner Opera Scholarship, and the Marilyn Crilley and George Rowbottom Opera Scholarship at Portland State. Her main compositional interest is in writing vocal music; ultimately, her goal is to write operas. She is delighted and honored to be participating in Queer Opera this year!

Jessie Bodell (he/they)

Jessie graduated from Portland State University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Musicology/Ethnomusicology and went on to earn a Master of Arts & Culture degree in Musicology from the University of Amsterdam in 2018. His scholarship has focused on music and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, with an emphasis on the performance of gender in various theatrical genres. Before discovering a passion for music history and feminist musicology, Jessie studied classical flute performance at the University of Vermont (where he is originally from), and PSU. When he isn’t swimming in a river, singing, or playing flute, he can be found spending time with his husband and their two small dogs. Jessie is thrilled to participate in Queer Opera for the second year in a row.

Andrew Egbuchiem (he/him)

Mr. Andrew Chukwuka Egbuchiem came into limelight as an artist in residence for the Singers of United Land Project between December 2013 and June 2014 touring through the east half of the United States, Kenya, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, and Latvia. Andrew made his opera debut with the Brooklyn Opera Works in 2016 under the tutelage of Lina Tetriani performing as the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and participated in the Amherst Early Music Festival’s Erismena by Cavalli in 2017. Andrew has been a regular soloist with the Brooklyn Philharmonia Chorus in New York City.

Amongst Andrew awards is a third prize at the New York Classical Music Artists International Voice Competition 2019. Andrew was in the Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Handel’s opera Silla (as Silla) August 2021 and most recent performance was as a soloist in The Constitution (Orchestra performance), a secular oratorio by Benjamin Yarmolinksy in May 2022 in New York.

Angelica Hesse (she/her)

Angelica Hesse has devoted her life to creating beauty — as a singer, graphic designer, and teacher. She recently founded Lark Opera (larkopera.org), singing Pamina in the company’s inaugural performance of The Magic Flute and then Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. A soprano known for a sparkling clear voice and effervescent performances, Angelica has sung with the Resonance Ensemble, the Eugene Opera Chorus and is a frequent performer with Classical Revolution PDX. She is a graduate of Portland State University, where she sang in opera productions and Thorn Choir concerts, including collaborations with the Oregon Symphony. She teaches voice from her North Porltand home studio; she warmly invites people who think they “can’t sing” and eager teenagers to come explore what their voices can do. When not singing, Angelica runs Yellow Pants Studio (yellowpantsstudio.com), providing design and marketing support to small businesses, non-profits, and artists.

Taylor Hulett (she/her)

Aspiring music educator and performer, Taylor Hulett, is a cum laude graduate from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music in Vocal Performance and Choral Music Education. While attending Oregon State, Taylor was a featured soloist in Chamber Choir, University Chorale, Bella Voce, and Opera Workshop. Recently, Taylor performed as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Corvallis Repertory Singers in December. She is also a four time scholarship recipient of the Sunriver Music Festival’s Young Artist program. Taylor recently performed the role of Alice Ford in Portland State University’s spring opera production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Taylor earned her MM in Vocal Performance from Portland State University this June and graduated with 3.94 gpa.

Wyatt Jackson (he/him)

Wyatt Jackson is a Bass-baritone and Portland area native. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from University of Puget Sound and his Master's Degree in Vocal Performance from Portland State University. Wyatt previously worked with Queer Opera for their virtual production of The Old Maid and the Thief in 2021 as the role of Mr. Todd. He also recently performed in Portland State's Spring production of The Merry Wives of Windsor as Mr. Page. Wyatt is looking forward to working more with Queer Opera and hopes to work with more community and local opera productions in the near future.

Lisa Neher (she/her)

Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her, “NEER”) is an award-winning composer and new music mezzo on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher’s musical-theatrical fluency and passion for contemporary music have led to recent engagements with Third Angle New Music, Really Spicy Opera, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the Beaverton Community Band, New Music Gathering, the Resonance Ensemble, Opera Theatre Oregon, and the International Saxophone Symposium.
Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week) and a “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher’s compositions are inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of family and friends, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her collaborators include the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Third Angle New Music, FearNoMusic, Dinosaur Annex, and New Opera West. For more information, visit www.lisanehermusic.com.

Katya Powder (they/them)

Mezzo-soprano Katya Powder (they/them) is originally from the suburbs of our great Motor City – Detroit, Michigan. They received their Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Oakland University, and graduated with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Since 2005, Katya has been teaching private voice lessons, adjudicating national competitions, hosting master classes, and working as an opera singer in both Metro-Detroit and New York City. They are a classically trained mezzo-soprano; most recent operatic roles include Zita in Gianni Schicchi and Cléone in Pénélope, both of which received praise in Opera News and The New York Times, respectively. This upcoming season, Katya looks forward to performing with Detroit Opera in their productions of La Bohème, Faust, and Aida, and is excited to be working with Queer Opera in Portland. Katya currently lives in Detroit, Michigan as a vocalist and educator.

Carolyn Quick (she/her)

Portland-based composer-soprano Carolyn Quick (she/her) “is establishing herself as one of the most important voices in our community (Makrokosmos Project 7: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman).” As a singer and composer, Carolyn loves exploring the unique timbral and textural possibilities of the human voice, and advocates for historically excluded composers with her collective Persisting Sound.

With performances across North America and Croatia, Carolyn’s commissions include Fear No Music, composing a work for their HEARINGS concert in response to the 2018 Kavanaugh Hearings during their Justice: Just(Us) season, Eugene Opera’s Songs for Quarantine, and the Vancouver Opera’s New Works project.

As a singer, Carolyn has performed with Eugene Opera, Queer Opera, Portland Symphonic Choir, and the Oregon Bach Festival Vocal Fellows Program. She was a guest soloist for Vivaldi’s Gloria with the South Puget Sound Community College Choirs, and the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia’s presentation of Handel’s Messiah.

Most recently, Carolyn sang with Resonance Ensemble and the Oregon Symphony to premiere Portland-based composer Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem; and was commissioned to compose a new work for the Portland Phoenix Chamber Choir to be premiered alongside the Pacific Northwest premiere of Margaret Bond’s Credo. For more information visit www.carolynquick.com.

Oliver Schulenburg (he/him)

Oliver Schulenburg (he/him) is a junior at Portland State studying vocal performance under Dr. Hannah Penn. Although currently a baritone, he is still figuring out how to use the new voice testosterone has given him. His most recent role was Dr. Cajus from The Merry Wives of Windsor, which PSU put on in the spring of 2022. This is Oliver’s second Queer Opera workshop, and definitely not his last. In his free time, you can find him trying to wrangle his cat Niamh, or playing fetch with his other cat Shrimp.

Jeremy Sivitz (he/they)

Jeremy Sivitz, tenor, is a burgeoning young artist with a particular propensity for comedy and character. A dedicated singing actor, Sivitz recently made his IU Opera role debut as Bardolpho in Verdi’s Falstaff. Other roles include: Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ali in Zémire et Azor, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, and Don Basilio/Don Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Sivitz received his BM from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and his MM from IU Jacobs School of Music. Outside of music, Sivitz is an avid dancer, aerial acrobat, and painter.

Maeve Stier (they/them)

Maeve Stier is a soprano from Portland, OR. They recently premiered a 6-person queer retelling of The Music Man with Third Rail Repertory Theater and last fall, they performed the role of the Shepherd Boy in Portland Opera’s production of Tosca. Other performance experience includes roles and workshops with PSU Opera, Orpheus PDX, and Aquilon Music Festival, as well as chorus work with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, and internationally acclaimed artists such as Pink Martini, Sarah Brightman, and Josh Groban. They can also be found busking at markets and festivals around the PNW with their accordion.

Madeleine Tran (she/her)

Madeleine Tran is a Portland, OR based soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She was born in Tacoma, WA but obtained her degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Portland in 2018 and continues to study with Dr. Nicole Hanig. As a classical soprano, she has appeared with Portland Opera, Mock's Crest Productions, Renegade Opera, PSU's Queer Opera, and others, and has also appeared locally in the straight and musical theater scene, including performances with Artist's Repertory Theater and Third Rail Theater Company.

singers

scenes

Albert Herring Sid (Oliver Schulenburg) is a teasing, amorous young lad who enjoys telling stories of how he courts the boys around town. Albert (Jeremy Sivitz) is a naïve shop worker who has lived his life under his mum's oppressive gaze. Jamie (Andrew Egbuchiem) is Sid's current love interest, and enjoys a bit of flirty double entendre. Once the three get together, it inspires Albert to muse about what could be possible if he were able to get away, with an interruption from schoolgirl Emmie (Carolyn Quick).	Susannah Susannah (Frances Bigelow) has just returned home from a church square dance still beaming with excitement. Her friend Little Bat (Katya Powder) isn’t quite so excited, since they are worried about running into Susannah’s brother Sam. They remark to the innocent Susannah about how the men were definitely taking notice of her at the dance, although she brushes off the remarks. Instead, her thoughts shift to her own life and what could be possible beyond the mountains.	The Times are Nightfall "The Times Are Nightfall" is the queer sequel to Mozart's "Don Giovanni." In this noir-style one-act, Anna and Elvira are coping with the aftermath of the events that have transpired as a result of Don Giovanni's treachery. The opera explores themes of rape culture and grief through the lens of two women who find solace in the most unexpected place: one another. (from the composer and librettist)
Roméo et Juliette It is the morning after their secret marriage and the young lovers are enjoying each other's intimate company. Romeo (Lisa Neher) hears the morning bird song calling her away but Juliet (Madeleine Tran) tells her to stay. Once she eventually departs, Juliet prays for the angels to protect her.	Pagliacci Prior to this scene, Nedda (Angelica Hesse) has been pursued by two men. Her actual lover enters, Silvio (Oliver Schulenburg), and asks her to run away with him. She hesitates and he believes it is because she does not truly love him. Eventually she relents, agreeing to flee with him and the two confirm their love to one another.	Manon Through a chance encounter, the chevalière Des Grieux (Carolyn Quick) meets Manon (Taylor Hulett), becomming immediately smitten. Instead of their respective journeys - Manon's to a convent and Des Griuex's back home - they decide to go to Paris, together.
La bohème Rodolfo and Marcello reflect on their loneliness before Colline and Schaunard bring a meager meal. To lighten their spirits, the four stage a dance before Masetto bursts in with news that Mimì is outside. As Rodolfo runs to her aid, Masetto relates how Mimì begged to be taken to Rodolfo to die. Left alone, the couple recalls their first happy meeting, but she is seized with violent coughing. When the others return, Musetta gives Mimì a muff to warm her hands but it is not enough.