Il Barbiere di Siviglia

October 13 - 7:30 PM
October 15 - 3:00 PM

The Gardner Theatre, Lancaster Country Day School

Gioachino Rossini

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Rossini’s timeless comic classic is brought to life and reinvented as a 1980’s situation comedy. This is a tale of love and misadventure, as our hero, Figaro, helps to find a way for the two lovers to finally marry, all set to Rossini’s greatest score. It features a cast of incredibly talented young singers who are the future operatic stars of tomorrow. Sung in Italian with English Supertitles

October 13 - 7:30 PM
October 15 - 3:00 PM

The Gardner Theatre, Lancaster Country Day School

Cast

Jordan
Krack

Figaro

Jordan Krack

Baritone Jordan Krack graduated from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) with his Master’s in Vocal Performance in 2020, as a student of Thomas Barasel. Hailing from Sacramento, California, he graduated from Sacramento State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music in the fall of 2016, as a student of Dr. Robin Fisher. He has been featured in several productions at Sacramento State’s Opera Theatre including Enrico in Il Campanello and the Stranger in Darlin’ Corie. Jordan performed with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera in their 2017 production of La Traviata. He has since sung with CCM in their productions of The Bartered Bride and La Clamenza di Tito, and Cincinnati Opera in their productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, and Roméo et Juliette. Most recently, he has covered the role of Anthony Hope in Opera Omaha’s production of Sweeny Todd. His performance as Figaro in Penn Square Opera’s production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia marks his professional operatic debut in a principal role.

Bio

Benjamin Boskoff

ALMAVIVA

Benjamin Boskoff

Georgia native Benjamin Boskoff, Tenor, is a graduate from The University of Michigan School of Music(MM) and is currently completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder. An active vocal artist, Mr. Boskoff is actively engaged in productions, recitals, and chamber concerts in the United States and abroad, most recently in the Czech Republic. Mr. Boskoff specializes in the Bel Canto repertoire, the music of Benjamin Britten, and chamber music. Highlights include: Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw with Red River Lyric Opera, Tamino in Die Zaubeflöte with Lawrence Opera Theatre, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Light Opera of New Jersey, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera MODO, and Count Ory in Le Comte Ory with Lawrence University as a guest artist. In the summer of 2019, Mr. Boskoff was a resident artist with Opera North and covered Macduff and Malcolm in their production of Verdi’s Macbeth. He returned later that year as one of the cast members of their production of “All is Calm.” In 2022, Mr. Boskoff made his professional debut in Ohio with Opera Project Columbus singing Ernesto for their production of Don Pasquale. He is currently preparing to mount several recitals in Colorado, Georgia, Texas and Michigan under the Tenor Horn Project and will make his first appearance with Opera Fort Collins and Penn Square Opera this year. For more information, please visit benjaminboskofftenor.com

Bio

Sable
Strout

ROSINA

Sable Strout

Sable Strout (mezzo-soprano) is a native of Maine where she made her professional debut as Paggio (Rigoletto) with Opera Maine. Sable's recent performance highlights include: Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Tri-cities Opera and Syracuse Opera, and Stéphano in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with Central City Opera. Past young artist residencies include: Opera Saratoga, Opera Idaho, Central City Opera, Opera on the James, and Charlottesville Opera. Upcoming engagements include: Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Penn Square Opera, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) with Inland Northwest Opera, and Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with Virginia Opera. Sable holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern Maine, as a student of Ellen Chickering, and a Master of Music from Wichita State University, as a student of Alan Held. Sable is currently a private student of Daniel Belcher.

Bio

AddieRose Brown

BERTA

AddieRose Brown

Originally drawn to singing through traditional Scottish and American songs, mezzo-soprano AddieRose Brown brings the heartfelt authenticity of folk music to the operatic and art song repertoire. During the 2022-23 season she made her Mélisande role debut (Pelléas et Mélisande, dell’Arte Opera Ensemble), made her Mexican debut as Zerlina (Don Giovanni, Teatro Ángela Peralta) and won first prize at Sparks and Wiry Cries 7th annual NYC songSLAM in collaboration with pianist & composer Maria Thompson Corley. Later in the season she performed in the second annual Vincerò Academy gala at Carnegie Hall, sang in the world premiere of Clarice Jensen’s The Exaltation of Inanna with ACME at The Morgan Library, and covered Nellie in New Philharmonic’s “Broadway in Concert” production of South Pacific. AddieRose made her final soprano appearances as the soloist in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with The Octavo Singers & Orchestra, and in her return to Downtown Music at Grace for a concert featuring excerpts from the Cantatas of Bach, Telemann, and Hoffman. In the coming season she will continue as resident mezzo at the Church of Notre Dame, NYC. AddieRose is delighted to be returning to the place it all began to perform in Penn Square Opera’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Bio

Nathan Seldin

FIORELLO

Nathan Seldin

Nathan Seldin, a baritone from Staten Island, NY, is an alumus of Mannes and Manhattan School of Music. He is thrilled to be making his debut with Penn Square Opera. Career highlights include: Lancelot in Ohio Light Opera's Camelot, Mars in Orpheus in the Underworld, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, No, No, Nanette, Gaston in Broadway Theatre of Pitman’s Beauty and the Beast, Featured Concert Soloist in Trident Festival’s Save Ukraine Fundraiser, NYGASP's HMS Pinafore & The Gondoliers, soloist in the American debut of Last Train to Tomorrow at Lincoln Center, multiple touring concerts around Italy produced by Classic Lyric Arts, and individual solo concerts in local communities.

Bio

Luke
Harnish

BARTOLO

Luke Harnish

Praised for his “luxuriant baritone,” Luke Harnish is quickly establishing himself as a nuanced performer of opera, oratorio, and recital repertoire. A current Resident Artist at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, his roles there have included Zuniga in Carmen, Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata, and King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. This past summer, Harnish was a studio artist with Chautauqua Opera, singing the roles of Jailer in Tosca and Henry B in The Mother of Us All. Previous repertoire highlights include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and the title role in Eugene Onegin, both with Opera Neo. Mr. Harnish has also performed on the stages of Nashville Opera and Opera Kansas, the latter with which he created the roles of Walter Beech and Roy

McPhetridge in the World Premiere of Staggerwing. Concert credits include Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, the title role in Elijah, and the Baritone Soloist in Serenade to Music. In recital, he has presented full performances of Dichterliebe and Schwanengesang. Harnish earned degrees from Vanderbilt University and Wichita State University. He is a district winner of the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.

Bio

Andrew Simpson

Basilio

Andrew Simpson

Andrew Simpson is a bass-baritone from Dallas, TX. He studied with the great bass Samuel Ramey at Wichita State University. He has sung the roles of Angelotti in Tosca with the Wichita Grand Opera and Virginia Opera, Betto di Signa in Gianni Schicchi with the Chicago Opera Theater, the footman in Vanessa at the Santa Fe Opera, and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Opera in the Rock. During his two years with the Palm Beach Opera, he sang the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, the Jailer in Tosca, and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro. Afterwards he went on to perform the roles of Colline in La Bohème in concert style with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Zuniga in Carmen with Annapolis Opera and First Soldier in Salome with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. As an apprentice artist he has also been given the opportunity to cover many roles including Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Sid in La fanciulla del west at the Santa Fe Opera as well as The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with the Palm Beach Opera, Amonasro in Aida with the Virginia Opera, Geronimo in Il matrimonio segreto, and the title role in Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera. Since joining Insignia Artists, Andrew performed the title role in Don Giovanni at Teatro Grattacielo in Monterrey, Mexico in the summer of 2023.

Bio

Matt
Magnus

SARGEANT/CHORUS

Matt Mangus

Lancaster native Matt Mangus, tenor, is a frequent sight on opera and theatre stages in the mid-Atlantic region, most recently with Penn Square's production of Sanctuary Road. He frequently appears with Berks Opera Company in performing their main-stage and modern compositions including Faust, Da Ponte, Cenerentola, and more, and with Wilmington Concert Opera, last in their production of Don Giovanni, singing Don Ottavio.

Matt is a physical therapy assistant at CPRS and an avid weight lifter. Some consider him the strongest tenor in the world. Matt is excited to join this production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Bio

Kyle
Naig

Conductor

Kyle Naig

Kyle Naig is a conductor, pianist, and coach from Des Moines, Iowa. He is a recent graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where he worked on productions of Aïda, Saul, Don Giovanni, Florencia en el Amazonas, and La bohème, as well as the premiere workshop of El milagro del recuerdo in Mexico City. In the 2023/24 season, he looks forward to several conducting engagements, including Il barbiere di Siviglia with both Pacific Opera Project and Penn Square Opera, as well as Into the Woods with the Simpson College Department of Theatre Arts.

Kyle spent the summer of 2022 as principal pianist/coach/backstage conductor for Carmen at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, led by Music Director Daniela Candillari. In the 22/23 season, he served as music director and conductor at both Intermountain Opera Bozeman (Into the Woods) and Opera Orlando (Gianni Schicchi/La cambiale di matrimonio), and he was heard in recital with tenor Duke Kim at The Florentine Opera. Returning to Pacific Opera Project twice, he conducted The Elixir of Love and then served as conductor, music director, continuo harpsichordist, and arranger for the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi’s Ercole su’l Termodonte.

In the summer of 2021, Kyle was Associate Conductor for Sweeney Todd at Des Moines Metro Opera, and in 2020 he arranged and conducted a double bill of Gluck operas as well as a new version of Così fan tutte from the harpsichord for Pacific Opera Project.

Kyle has appeared as music staff at many American opera companies, including The Dallas Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Glimmerglass Festival, North Carolina Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Memphis, Intermountain Opera Bozeman, and Cedar Rapids Opera. He also maintains an active schedule as a recitalist and an arranger.

Bio

Scott Drackley

Director

Scott G. Drackley

Scott G. Drackley has been involved in the opera world for 40 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lebanon Valley College, and a Master of Music in Vocal Accompanying and Coaching from The Catholic University of America. Mr. Drackley has directed many operas, including Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro, Falstaff, Die Zaubereflote, Gianni Schicchi, The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, and The Gondoliers. In the Music Theatre world he has directed Oklahoma, Meet Me in St. Louis, Guys and Dolls, Irene, The Pajama Game, Anything Goes, No, No Nanette, and Hello Dolly.

Mr. Drackley started Penn Square Opera to give singers at the beginning of their ca-reers an opportunity to learn, grow, perform and make connections in the opera world. He is also dedicated to bringing this art form to the wonderful community of Lancaster, PA.

Bio