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Orpheus and Euridice: Myth meets #metoo

 

Anna Montgomery      Sam Davies

Ling Lo      Peter Boylan

Anna Montgomery (top left), Sam Davies (top right), Ling Lo (bottom left), and Peter Boylan (bottom right)

Concert details

In this semi-staged production of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice, enter into a modern reimagining of Virgil’s classic myth of love, loss, and beauty by setting it within the context of today’s #MeToo movement. What if it wasn’t a snake that attacked Euridice? What if she didn’t die and descend to Hades, but instead the world as she knew it crumbled around her after a sexual assault, becoming her own personal living hell? What can Orpheus do to try to rescue her from a situation she can’t find words to express? How can goodness and beauty come out of all this suffering? There is a powerful message of hope and strength in this piece. Join us for our musical journey.

Program 

A Song Cycle in Two Acts
Music and Poetry by Ricky Ian Gordon
Direction and production assistance by Melanie Helton

Act I
Prologue
Orpheus
Euridice
Bliss
Home
They Dance
Song

Act II
Interlude
Illness
Death
The Underworld
The Journey Back
The Disappearance
Song 2
Conclusion
Epilogue

Performers

Anna Montgomery (Euridice)

Anna Montgomery, soprano, completes her Master of Music degree at Michigan State University this spring. She recently appeared as Giulia (La Scala di Seta) with the MSU Opera Theatre, as well as Adele (Die Fledermaus), Rose Maurrant (Street Scene) and Mother (Hansel & Gretel) under the direction of her teacher, Melanie Helton. Equally at home on the concert stage, she has performed as soloist for Elijah and Messiah with the MSU Symphony Orchestra. Equally passionate about chamber collaborations, this past fall she appeared with the new music ensemble Musique 21 and this summer will attend the Fresh Ink Festival in Wisconsin. Recent competitions include placing in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition, and she was a finalist in American Vocal Arts’ International Collegiate Singing Championship. This past summer Montgomery covered Nannetta (Falstaff) with Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance as well as studying at Lauren Flanigan’s Audition Boot Camp in New York City. Other performances include Rose Maurrant with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Festival, Abigail Williams (The Crucible), Despina (Così fan tutte), Javotte (Manon), Papagena (The Magic Flute) and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) with the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) with Opera Steamboat in her home state of Colorado.

Sam Davies (Orpheus)

Sam Davies is a clarinetist and doctoral student at Michigan State University, studying with Dr. Guy Yehuda. He frequently performs with several Michigan orchestras, including the Lansing Symphony, the West Michigan Symphony, the Michigan Philharmonic, the Jackson Symphony, and the Holland Symphony. Recently, he gave the world premiere performance of Black Montuno, a concertino for clarinet and wind ensemble by Ivette Herryman-Rodriguez, with the MSU Symphony Band. He has been member of the ConTempus Initiative since 2017, a mid-Michigan new music ensemble focusing on collaboration with composers and non-musical art mediums. At MSU, he collaborates with composers Kevin Puts, Andy Akiho, and Christopher Cerrone as a member of the new music ensemble Musique 21, and performed in many concerts with the MSU Symphony Orchestra, and Wind Symphony on tour in New York City, Chicago, Kansas City, and Indianapolis. His former teachers include Caroline Hartig, Theodore Oien, John Cipolla, and Daniel Lochrie.

Ling Lo (Pianist)

Ling Lo is concurrently completing a doctor of musical arts degree in piano performance and a master of music degree in collaborative piano from Michigan State University. She also carries degrees in piano performance from Boston University and Soochow University. As a soloist,  Lo has competed in such prestigious competitions as the International Bohemia Metro Cup and Taiwan Cultural Cup Music Competition. In addition to her solo piano career, Lo dedicates her time to chamber music. As a member of the Lumi trio, Lo collaborates with selected students and supervising faculty to prepare performances of contemporary chamber works. Other collaborative work includes assisting at the Centro Studi della Giacoma in Italy. In addition to performing and competing, Lo works as a program assistant with Celebrating the Spectrum: A Festival of Music and Life through MSU and the Center for Research in Autism, Intellectual, and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Lo had the opportunity to present research from this experience at the Daughters of Charity Technology and Research Into Disability conference in Ireland, and at the Music Teachers National Association conference in Texas. Notable teachers include Deborah Moriarty, Zhihua Tang, Paval Nerssesian, Konstantinos Papadakis, and Lihui Chen.

Peter Boylan (Actor)

Originally from Northville, Michigan, Peter Boylan (baritone) is currently pursuing a performance diploma at Michigan State University. Mr. Boylan has received extensive stage experience through MSU with roles such as Blansac (La Scala di Seta), Betto (Gianni Schicchi), Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus), Frank Maurrant (Street Scene), Schaunard (La Bohème), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Lindorf (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Noah (Grapes of Wrath), and the Police Sergeant (Pirates of Penzance). Additionally, he has also had the honor of performing with Great Lakes Light Opera as Mr. Gobineau in The Medium, and with Main Street Opera Theatre as King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. He lends his acting talents to this production.