University Symphony Orchestra
Samuel Krachmalnick, Conductor

Violin
   Shirley Marcus*
   Jacqueline Brand
   Jovan Dimitrijevich
   Howard Goldstein
   Andrea Halperin
   Ingrid Hoesli
   Claire Jacobs
   Andrew Krastins
   Eric Kujawsky
   Albert Lamkin
   Paul Lindenauer
   Catherine Milnes
   Don Pian
   Ulysses Roseman
   Mark Shoemaker
   Lorraine Wetterau
   Cindy Wong

Viola
   Sven Reher*
   Juan Barfield
   Jennipher Colthirst
   Steven Sloane
   Rusty Steinberg

French Horn
Aubrey Bouck*
Chris Condon

Trumpet
   Sidney Lazar*
   Yuri Itkin
   Brian Recht

Trombone
Peter Brown
Alex Iles

Harp
Kathleen Moon

Piano
Howard Richman
Sigrid Wagner

Cello
   Nils Oliver*
   Alan Black
   Luanne Langevin
   Laurie McLeod
   Dian Rubanoff
   Julie Silverstein
   Tom Terwilliger
   Ralph Wilcox

Bass
   Paul Zibits*
   Jan Maegaard*
   James Chalifoux
   Greg Sarchet

Flute
   Esther Adler
   Laura Glendinning
   Karin Hoesli
   Linda Lamkin
   Amity Leland

Oboe
   Ken Davis
   Ned Doehne
   Mark Howard
   David Robertson

Clarinet
   Jennifer Hughes
   Robert Read
   David Schorr

Bassoon
Cindy Pearce
Scott Vigder

Percussion
Paul Furman

Teaching Assistant
Claire Jacobs

*UCLA Faculty Member

The UCLA Department of Music and the Committee on Fine Arts Productions present

The UCLA Opera Theater and University Symphony Orchestra
Samuel Krachmalnick, Director
John Hall, Stage Director

30th Anniversary Production of
The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Opera

The Consul

Musical Drama in Three Acts
By Gian-Carlo Menotti

Friday & Saturday
April 25, 26 & May 2, 3
8pm

Sunday
April 27 & May 4
2:30pm

Schoenberg Hall, UCLA

Notes on The Consul

1980 is the 30th anniversary year of the UCLA Opera Workshop and the 30th anniversary of our Spring opera production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul. In 1950 Dr. Jan Popper began instruction in opera at UCLA with a production of Gay’s “The Beggar’s Opera” in the Benjamin Britten edition. Across the continent in New York, Menotti was making history by producing The Consul on Broadway. A modern opera on the Broadway stage? Yes, indeed, and this milestone production won both the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Now, thirty years later, UCLA celebrates this double anniversary with a special new production of The Consul.

The story is a moving portrayal of a family caught between political terrorism and the unfeeling bureaucracy that prevents their escape. Thirty years ago the story had special significance to Americans caught in the struggles of the Cold War. Today the opera has, unfortunately, lost none of its significance. Bureaucracy has grown and political terrorism has become a daily occurrence. And so, while planning this production of The Consul, I find the music and drama speaks as directly to our cast of today as it did in the original production thirty years ago. – John Hall

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the UCLA Opera Workshop the Department of Music is pleased to announce that the Little Theater of Schoenberg Hall will be renamed the Jan Popper Theater after the founder of the Opera Workshop, whose personal dedication and enthusiasm brought opera to so many students.

Cast

John Sorel
Cameron MacDonald

Madga Sorel
Sharon Babbitt (25,27,3)
Aleicia Byrnes (26, 2, 4)

The Mother
Cheryl Swanson (25,27,3)
Debra Patchell (26,2,4)

Secret Police Agent
Peter Juda

1st Plainclothesman
Edward Medrano

2nd Plainclothesman
Tom Smith

The Secretary
Susan LaCroix

Mr. Kofner
Yoav Steve Paskowitz

The Foreign Woman
Pamela Scanlon

Anna Gomez
Katherine O’Hara (25,26,27)
Caron Kass (2,3,4)

Vera Boronel
Linda Burrell

The Magician (Nika Magadoff)
James Sterrett-Bryant (25,27,3)

Assan
John Sarian (25,27,3)
Robert Gene Shaw (26,2,4)

The Voice on the Record
Mabel Mercer

The Story

Because the Secret Police have discovered his underground political meeting, John Sorel must leave his wife, Magda, his infant child and his mother and escape across the frontier. He tells Magda to go to the Consulate and obtain visas and join him but she cannot make any progress obtaining all the necessary documents and papers. Under constant surveillance and unable to escape the bureaucratic nightmare she begins to lose hope. Her sick child dies and John’s mother losing all hope of ever seeing her son again also dies and still Magda cannot even see the Consul. When she receives news that John is risking his life to return to her, she knows that he and his freedom loving friends will all be lost. She writes him a note saying he will not find her alive and returns home to commit suicide by turning on the gas jets. John returns too late to see his wife and is arrested. As Magda is dying she is haunted by specters of refugees she saw at the Consulate.

Time – The present
The action takes place somewhere in Europe

Act I

Scene I: The Sorel Home, early morning
Scene II: The Consulate, later the same day

Act II

Scene I: The Sorel Home, in the evening, a month later
Scene II: The Consulate, a few days later

Act III
Scene I: The Consulate, later afternoon, several days later
Scene II: The Sorel Home, that night

Staff for this Production

Conductor
Samuel Krachmalnick

Stage Director
John Hall

Scenic Design
Archie Sharp

Lighting Design
John Gizienski

Costumes
Alison Gail Bixby

Properties
Robert Deman

Musical Preparation
Anne Rogat
Sigrid Wagner

Production Coordinator
Barbara Burnett

Technical Director
Michael Heafey

Master Carpenter
Phil Grisier

Master Electrician
Robert Goss

Crew
Jamie Smyth
Nancy Norby

Program-Poster Design
Grant Swanlund

Press and Publicity
Gail Matsui
Lydia Woodward

Music Department Coordinator
John Hayes

Music Department Publicity
Carol Vane

Magic and Special Effects
Nick Lewin

Wardrobe
Edythe Johnson

The UCLA Opera Workshop

Director
Samuel Krachmalnick

Producer
John Hall

Coaching and Repertoire
   Mario Carta
   James Low
   Peggy Sheffield

Accompanists
Anne Rogat
Sigrid Wagner

French and German Diction
Sybil Hast

Costume Mistress
Edythe Johnson

Secretary
Darlene Eastman

The UCLA Opera Workshop extends special thanks to Gloria Lane, the Winograds of Teddi of California, and to Peter Horton, Director of Bullock’s Westwood Beauty Salon for their assistance with this production.

The Consul is produced by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner.