An accomplished musician, pianist and conductor, Atarah Hazzan began her
private studies at age 8. At age 13 she was accepted into piano
competitions alongside professional pianists in career. At age 17 she was
accepted into Brandeis University Music Department and was expected to
follow a career as a concert pianist. She finished her music studies at
the New York University School of Music Department, while noticing that an
exceptionally fine vocal instrument was also emerging. A two-fold career
began, and Atarah continued her piano as a coach and accompanist primarily
to opera singers, with recommendations from such notable coaches as Joan
Dornemann, and others. Simultaneously, Atarah�s vocal career started to
emerge, and she formed a highly successful singing duo with her husband,
appearing alongside such famous performers as Jackie Mason and others.
Shortly, opportunities in the classical concert and operatic fields began
to present themselves- and after a major success in New York�s Town Hall,
followed by rave reviews in all the New- York papers, Atarah was invited
to join the Metropolitan Opera Company in the Italian wing as Principal
Artist. Her debut there was as Elizabetta in Verdi�s Don Carlos,
with Marilyn Horne as Princess Eboli, James Levine conducting. This was
followed by opening the season in Rome�s Teatro dell�Opera in the title
role of Mascagni�s Parisina, an honor which had never been bestowed
upon an American singer. Other roles sung at the Met were Desdemona in
Othello, Marie in Wozzeck, Leonora in Il Trovatore.
Interestingly, the Met asked her to step in for Caballe�s opening night
Tosca, and Shirley Verrett�s opening night Norma. The critics
have said of her �About once in a generation a soprano comes along who has
all of the natural attributes of a great dramatic soprano�a voice of
exquisite beauty and seemingly unlimited power, the ability to soar above
an orchestra in full cry, a sense of phrasing that requires no movements
or gestures to underline the content of the music and text, and an
extraordinary rapport with operatic music.� Currently, Atarah is a
prominent voice teacher and coach in Manhattan with students traveling
from all over the United States, Canada and Europe. This is her twelfth
season as conductor, music director, rehearsal coach and performance
pianist with Opera of the Hamptons. The critics continue to rave about her
playing and her amazing ability as a director to take each and every cast
to the ultimate, and even beyond the ultimate of their apparent abilities
both as individual artists and as an ensemble: �prodigious�.played with
wonderful sensitivity to a singer�s phrasing and an unerring sense of
musical drama�. Additionally, as pianist, Ms. Hazzan appeared last year in
chamber music ensemble with the Viola Society of New York and recently in
piano recital as soloist in New York�s Steinway Hall. Opera of the
Hamptons is indeed honored to have the esteemed Ms. Hazzan as its Music
Director and Conductor and looks forward to a continued, long and highly
inspired collaboration
Martha
Scriven-Campanella
Martha Scriven-Campanella is a
member of the Board of Directors of Opera of the Hamptons, a founding
member and Administrative Director of Opera of the Hamptons. Ms.
Campanella, previously a resident of New York City, was teaching for the
NYC Board of Education, and then went on to the UFT Teacher Center Program
as a Master Teacher, and Adjunct Professor in Teacher Education at Fordham
University and Brooklyn College.
She came out to Southampton in
1965 and built her first home on the East End in Southampton in 1967.
Upon retiring, she became a permanent resident of Southampton and became
involved in politics and in the East End community.
Martha was Membership Chairman of the Hampton Bays Women Republican
Volunteers. She is a member of the Southampton Study Club, Eastern
Suffolk; Duplicate Bridge Group; Old Towne Garden Club; Rogers Memorial
Library, Monday P.M. Library Book Group; a member of Hampton Bays Book
Club and the Southampton Artists Association. As a member of the
Southampton Rose Society, in their First Annual Art Contest in June 2006,
Martha won First Prize.
As an artist she opened the
Marant Stained Glass Studio on Fifth Avenue In Pelham, New York. As owner
and manager, she specialized in Commercial Design and sale of stained
glass works, repair, demonstrations and classes.
Her art training is in Water Color Painting and she has been involved in
the Art Students League, New York City; Armory Art, West Palm Beach,
Florida; Lighthouse Center for the Arts, Tequesta, Florida; and the East
End Council for the Arts, Riverhead, New York.
Ms. Campanella is married to
Frank Campanella with three married children and eight grandchildren.
Margaret Julian
(Administrative Director)
Margaret Julian
is a member of the Opera of the Hamptons Board of Directors. She also is
Co-ordinater of
Public Relations information for the Opera Guild through the Opera Journal,
website queries, ticket sales, TV advertisement and office management of the East End
Location. She comes to us with an Accountant degree as well as many years of management.
With her own Web
business "sweatersbymaggie.com"
you can get hand knit baby sweaters and blankets. Her computer skills has
been a plus for the Opera Guild. Margaret has helped moved Opera of the
Hamptons into the Computer, Fax, Credit Card Age!
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Guild Members
Grace Bollo
Roy & Stella
Bradbrook
Martha Campanella
Evelyn
Carroll
Maryann &
Cleve Christie
Cathy & Vincent
Ciriello
Margaret Dwyer
Barbara & Michael
Giancola
Linda & Bob
Glinski
Margaret Julian
Janice & Al Junge
Dottie & James
Macaluso
Marian Passidomo
John Sullivan
Cindy Willis
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Production Staff
Stage Directors
James Marvel
Hayden DeWitt
Linda Lehr
John Schenkel
~
Stage Manager
Charles Bosselman
~
Video Archivist/Photographer
Michelle Giancola
~
Production Assistant/Supernumerary
Martin L. YoungLinda & Bob
Glinski and Family
JAMES MARVEL
James Marvel was born and raised in
New Orleans and received his B.A. in World Literature from Sarah Lawrence
College and Oxford University, England. He holds an M.F.A. in Theatre
Arts from the International Actor Training Academy and conducted
additional studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
Recent engagements include new productions
of THE RAKES PROGRESS for the San Francisco Opera Merola Program;
TOSCA for Opera Santa Barbara and The Kimmel Center in
Philadelphia; LES PECHEURS DE PERLES for Opera Boston; LUCIA DI
LAMMERMOOR for Syracuse Opera and New Orleans Opera;
TURANDOT and IL TROVATORE for Utah Festival Opera; AIDA for
Sacramento Opera; IDOMENEO for University of Southern California.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA for Cedar Rapids Opera; MADAMA
BUTTERFLY for Virginia Opera and Opera Tampa; FAUST for
Opera Santa Barbara and Shreveport Opera; and Philip Glass�
GALILEO GALILEI for Boston University�s Opera Institute. In 2007,
James also directed four scenes for the Young Artist Program at The
Santa Fe Opera.
Upcoming engagements
include LA BOHEME for Sacramento Opera; CARMEN for Opera Grand
Rapids; CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA for Toledo Opera; AIDA for Utah
Festival Opera; LA TRAVIATA for Opera of the Hamptons; and
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR for Opera Company of North Carolina
In 2003, James
debuted at Florence Gould Hall in New York City directing Poulenc�s
LA VOIX HUMAINE and Menotti�s THE TELEPHONE. The success of this
production led to additional performance dates at the Royal
Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium and appearances on NPR.
International
credits include work at the 5th International Theatre
Festival in Budapest, Hungary; the Istropolitana Theatre Festival
in Bratislava, Slovakia; the Viola Stage in Prague, Czech Republic;
Teatr Wielki in Lodz, Poland; the Edinburgh Festival in
Scotland; the Wadham Theatre and Burton-Taylor Theatre in
Oxford, England.
Theatre credits include repeat engagements with the Passage Theatre
Company in New Jersey; Clarence Brown Theatre in Tennessee;
Williamstown Theatre Festival; and the Inter-Act Theatre Company
of Philadelphia. James also directed the Southern Premiere of a new
Christopher Durang play at the Southern Repertory Theatre in New
Orleans.
In addition
to his work as an actor and director, James has also played violin in
numerous orchestras; composed original music for professional theatre
productions; danced in pieces choreographed by members of the Martha
Graham company; and published works in a variety of international
journals.
HAYDEN DEWITT
Hayden DeWitt was our distinguished Stage
Director for several productions. She is a consummate actress and
superb mezzo soprano, who specializes in trouser roles. Her repertoire
includes some of opera�s leading �men�: Cherubino in Le Nozze di
Figaro, The Composer in Ariadne
auf Naxos, Aminta
in Il Re Pastore and Hansel
in Hansel and Gretel,
among others. At the
Plovdiv State Theatre, Bulgaria, Ms.
DeWitt sang the title role of Carmen with great success and with
Teatro Corleone, her own company, she has not only directed, but also has
sung in productions of Les Contes
d�Hoffman, Die Fledermaus, Der Rosenkavalier,
Don Giovanni, I Capuleti e Montecchi; and recently sang the
leading role of Sid in the World Premiere of Ishmael Wallace�s �The
Stranger�. She is passionate about directing, but her first love is
singing. Hayden DeWitt directed for three seasons with
the company, having directed Die Fledermaus, Faust, co-directed
La Boheme and La Traviata. Ms. DeWitt is a very gifted
and talented singer and director.
LINDA LEHR
Stage Director, is returning to Opera of the
Hamptons for their 2007 productions of Tosca and La Boh�me. Ms. Lehr is
the Associate Stage Director for Regina Opera in Brooklyn. Past
productions include: Regina Opera: Un Ballo in Maschera, Otello I
Paglicacci, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Tosca, Gianni
Schicchi, Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, Cavalleria Rusticana, Faust, Die
Fledermaus and The Merry Widow. (She wrote new English dialogue for the
last two as well as directing.), Silver Dollar Productions: The Ballad of
Baby Doe, The Jantzen Opera Company: Il Barbiere di Siviglia. and New
Jersey Association of Verismo Opera: La Boh�me. As Principal Stage
Director and Co-Artistic Director of Hell�s Kitchen Opera, she directed
the world premiers of If I Could Sit, If I Could Stand, or Oh, Bill, Oh
Susan and Say It With Flowers (an opera in waiting) by composer Jeffrey
Lependorf and The Dead (based on the James Joyce play), by composer Murray
Boren. Other productions for HKO include Emma by Murray Boren, Die Kl�ge
by Carl Orff, Monteverdi�s The Coronation of Poppea and the Benjamin
Britten realization of John Gay�s The Beggar�s Opera. In 2008 she will
direct La Traviata and It Trovatore for Regina Opera and The Ballad of
Baby Doe for Chelsea Opera.
JOHN SCHENKEL
John Schenkel is a Stage Director and Opera Baritone who has worked in
venues directing and singing across the United States and Germany. His
directing credits are Mozart�s Le Nozze di Figaro at Modus Opera,
Menotti�s The Medium and The Telephone as the inaugural
production for Golden Key Opera at the Hawaii State Theater in Honolulu;
Samuel Beckett�s No I at the Real Theater; Elizabeth Eaton�s
one-woman show Gertrude Stein: an evening at 27 Rue de Fleurus
and The Dead by composer Murray Boren for Hell�s Kitchen Opera;
Mascagni�s Cavalleria Rusticana and Donizetti�s L�Elisir d�Amore
at Regina Opera: Menotti�s Amahl and the Night Visitors. The
Fantasticks, Godspell and Gypsy at the Afton Theater Company
in St. Louis, Missouri: The Telephone and Bernstein�s Trouble in
Tahiti as a double bill at the Rhein Main Lyrisches Stadtsoper in
Frankfort, Germany and the following musicals at the Kaiserlautern
Performing Arts Center: The Wiz, Side by Side by Sondheim, A
Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Something�s Afoot,
Cinderella, The Lion that Roared and an adaptation of James and the
Giant Peach. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and
Manhattan School of Music. Opera of the Hamptons welcomes Stage Director
John Schenkel.
Charles Bosselman
(Stage Manager)
A
character singer of the first order and he has mesmerized audiences with his
outstanding ability. Bass-Baritone Charles Bosselman has sung throughout the
United States from Palm Beach Opera to San Diego Opera, Hawaii Opera
Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Westchester Opera, Knoxville Opera,
Chattanooga Opera, among others. �Charles Bosselman�s singing was
impeccable, his acting superb in turn, elegant and dignified resentful and
angry and finally noble an expressive jewel commanding vocal moments an
excellent combination of acting and singing�. Mr. Bosselman has performed
numerous roles with Opera of the Hamptons and is also Stage Manager for the
company.
Michelle Giancola
(Video Archivist/Photographer )
Michelle
Giancola's career began at the radio and television stations of WNYE. There
she developed such radio shows as The Other Half, a series of
programs that explored music styles ranging from classical to rap. She also
co-produced several television shows including one of the first
investigative reports on the crack epidemic. Since leaving WNYE, Michelle
produced the award winning independent feature Free Floaters, award
winning shorts What's Up & X-Philes and worked as the line
producer on the award winning Mexican mocumentary Who the Hell Is
Juliette? Her work on commercials, music videos, public service
announcements and documentaries spans clients such as McDonalds, HBO, People
Magazine, Advil, NY Lotto, K-Mart, Latina Magazine, Chemical Bank, Giga
Pets, Mariah Carey, Salt N Pepper, Kid 'N Play, Skid Row, the BBC and the
Community Food Resource Center. The feature film Love Like Blood,
her most recent collaboration with director Steven Bozga is making the
festival rounds. Presently she is developing a series of storytelling
documentaries and writing her first novel: My Life as a Dog (so far).
Martin L. Young
(Production Assistant/Supernumerary)
Martin Young,
as a very young man played the role of Maximillian in �The Sound of
Music�; Marly in �Scrooge�; and Bill Sikes in �Oliver�, in good company
indeed, with John and Nicky Turturro. He sang with the Vocal Ensemble of
South Windsor, Connecticut and his interest in the arts led him to film.
He is presently in the movie �Love Like Blood� and the mockumentary �Naked
and Laughing�. As a graphic designer, he has co-developed websites for �X
Philes�, �Firefly Rising�, �Saybelize�, �Firelane Digital Ltd.� for �Love
Like Blood�, and �Opera of the Hamptons�. Martin has appeared in numerous
productions with Opera of the Hamptons.
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Contact Information
For Tickets and
Further Information Please E-Mail or Call:
OPERA OF THE
HAMPTONS
Southampton, New York 11969-1614
Phone and Fax:
631.728.8804
E-mail:
Operaofthehamptons
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