The Story of the First African-American Opera Company

AN ORIGINAL STRATHMORE WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 20088 P.M.

FreetoSing:

5301 Tuckerman LaneNorth Bethesda, Maryland

(301) 581-5200 www.strathmore.org

With Free to Sing, Artistic Director Shelley Brown has

elevated Strathmore from presenter into the new role of

producer. Nurturing the barest seed of discovery into a historical

and cultural work, Free To Sing is a proud journey not only into

our region’s rich artistic heritage, but also into the dreams and

aspirations of the Colored American Opera Company, whose

talents and triumphs were overlooked by history. Over the past

year and a half, this production has become a passion-driven

mission for the artistic, production and management teams at

Strathmore. Tonight, it appears on this stage thanks to hundreds

of community benefactors, especially Dr. Carlotta Miles and the

Benefit Committee who acted upon their fervent belief that this is a

story worth telling. We are grateful in this day and age that we are

all “Free To Sing.”

Eliot Pfanstiehl

President and CEO

Strathmore

Strathmore would especially like to thank the following individuals for their generous contribution toStrathmore’s first original production, Free to Sing: The Story of the First African-American Opera Company:

SPONSOR

DONORSMr. and Mrs. Richard S. Carter

Dr. and Mrs. William W. FunderburkMr. and Mrs. Jefferi Lee

Leon Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Alan WurtzelMr. and Mrs. John H. Macklin

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore A. MilesMiller & Long, Mr. John M. McMahon

Union Trust Bank, Mr. Robert L. Johnson

Cover photos L to R: Opera Company Member William T. Benjamin from The Washington Post, February 7, 1902; Saint Augustine Catholic Church; John Esputa (seated with mustache), Paul Bierley Papers, 1892–2002, Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University Library, University of Illinois

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

�

Jim

Saa

h

STRATHMORE PRESENTS

FreetoSing:The Story of the First

African-American Opera Company

AN ORIGINAL STRATHMORE WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION

Music Center at Strathmore, Marriott Concert StageSaturday, February 16, 2008 at 8 p.m.

STARRINGNarrator/Don Pomposo David Emerson ToneyIsabella Awet AndemicaelCarlos Kenneth GayleDonna Lucrezia Carmen BalthropInez Millicent ScarlettDoctor Paracelsus (The Doctor of Alcantara) Gylchris Sprauve

Music Director/Conductor Angel Gil-OrdóñezOrchestra Post-Classical Ensemble

Joseph Horowitz, Artistic DirectorChorus Morgan State University Choir

Eric Conway, DirectorPiano/Organ Andrew Luse

CREATIVE TEAMNarrative Shelley Brown and Michael Rosenberg Director Scot Reese Musical Staging Alvin Mayes

PRODUCTION TEAMSet Design Dan Conway Lighting Design Lyle JaegerSound Design Caldwell GrayProduction Stage Manager Jon FosterProduction Manager Laura Lee EverettStage Manager Miriam TeitelProducer Strathmore

UNDERSTUDIESDoctor Paracelsus & Carlos Patrick Barrett Narrator/Pomposo Alvin MayesCarlos & Doctor Paracelsus Jordan MillsIsabella, Inez, Lucrezia Lindsay RobertsInez, Lucrezia, Isabella Alicia Waller

STRATHMORE PRESENTS

American Opera: D.C. and BeyondAuxiliary Education Event

Mansion at Strathmore, The Dorothy M. and Maurice C. Shapiro Music RoomSaturday, February 16, 2008 at 4 p.m.

PRESENTATIONS BY PROFESSORSRaymond Jackson (Howard University)

Karen Ahlquist (The George Washington University)Patrick Warfield (Georgetown University)

Katherine Preston (College of William and Mary)

Hosted by Post-Classical Ensemble Artistic Director Joseph Horowitz

�

3

4

Angel Gil-Ordóñez, Music DirectorJoseph Horowitz, Artistic Director

VIOLINDavid Salness, ConcertmasterSally McLain Lily Kramer Jennifer Rickard Cindy Lin Doug Dube, Principal SecondBruno Nasta Sarah Sherry Sonya Hayes Lisa Cridge

VIOLALisa Ponton, PrincipalPaul Swantek David Basch Kyung Le Blanc

CELLOEvelyn Elsing, PrincipalMarion BakerDavid Cho

BASSTony Manzo, PrincipalEd Malaga

FLUTEDavid Lonkevich

OBOEMark Hill

CLARINETMarguerite Levin

HORNMark Hughes, PrincipalTed Peters

TRUMPETChris Gekker

TROMBONEChuck Casey

TIMPANIChris de Chiaro

HARPCaroline Gregg

ORCHESTRA CONTRACTORSue Kelly

SOPRANOSPortia BondsAshia Borders Tiara Dixon Maryanne FieldsLeah FinkleaJoanna FordShakyla Johnson Kristal King Reyna Martin Jessica Nelson Simone Paulwell Ashley Perry Shana Powell Brittney Quashie Dayna Quincy

ALTOSThomas AllenJehreva Brown Ericka Carter Patrick Dailey Naim Howard Courtney Jones-Moody Jocelyn Lay Essence Morgan Tabitha Pearson Jacqueline PresseyShannon Ramsey Ashli Rice Ayanna Whtie Brittany Williams

TENORSAnthony Avery Marvin Carr Antonio Chase Brandon Harris Terrone Hill Tarrence Hughes Aaron Lawrence Joshua Lay Imhotep McClean Dwayne Pinkney Jimothy Rogers Raphael Scott Andre Simmons Fred Taylor

BASSESChester Burke Albert Hardy Soloman Howard Colin Lett Adrian Lewis Kevin Lewis Ronald McFadden Tristan Morris Jonathan Nelson Joseph Nelson Sean Robert Dominique Spriggs Benjamin Taylor Danton Whitely

Dr. Eric Conway, Director

POST-CLASSICAL ENSEMBLE

MORGAN STATEUNIVERSITY CHOIR

5

ACT I

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot TraditionalArr. Hall Johnson

Steal Away Traditional Arr. Hall Johnson

Rock-A-My-Soul Traditional Arr. H. Roberts

Mass in C John Esputa Et incarnatus (1832–1882)Sanctus

Te Deum John Philip Sousa (1854 –1932)

Mass No. 3, Cäcilienmesse Franz Joseph Haydn Gloria (1732–1809)

~ INTERMISSION ~

ACT II

The Doctor of Alcantara in Concert Julius Eichberg (1824–1893) Libretto Benjamin E. WoolfArr. Angel Gil-Ordóñez

Part 1OvertureWake! Lady, Wake! (Carlos, Chorus)/You Saucy Jade! (Lucrezia, Inez, Isabella)He Still Was There (Isabella)When a Lover Is Poor (Inez)/Away Despair (Isabella and Inez)Buenas Noches (Chorus)Love’s Cruel Dart (Carlos)The Knight of Alcantara (Lucrezia)I Love, I Love! (Carlos and Lucrezia)Finale to First Act (Doctor, Inez, Isabella, Lucrezia, Pomposo and Chorus)

Part 2 PreludeAh, Woe Is Me! (Isabella)Senor! Senor! (Carlos, Doctor, Inez)Good Night, Senor Balthazar (Doctor, Lucrezia, Isabella and Inez)Finale (Doctor, Inez, Carlos, Lucrezia, Isabella and Chorus)

Please Note: The congregation changed names from St. Martin de Porres, founded in 1858, to Saint Augustine in 1876. For the sake of clarity it will becalled Saint Augustine’s throughout this performance and in these notes.

All music performed in a Catholic Church service before Vatican II was performed in Latin. The first three pieces of music in Act 1 are intendedto show the music of the time that were part of the African-American experience, not music performed as part of the church service.

PROGRAM

AN INTRODUCTION TOFROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

While producing the Strathmore/WAMA Timeline Concert

Series, a 64-part concert series on the history of

Washington area music, I read of the existence of The Colored

American Opera Company. My interest piqued, and I researched

the company at Library of Congress, Howard University, Martin

Luther King, Jr. Library, the Washington Historical Society, and the

Little Falls Library. A breakthrough in my research occurred at the

Marine Band Archive when librarian Michael Ressler referred me to

the important research Professor Patrick Warfield of Georgetown

University had done on John Philip Sousa, John Esputa’s most

famous student. Warfield’s research on Esputa, the music director of

The Colored American Opera Company, provided the link between

the forgotten opera company and Saint Augustine’s Catholic

Church. Once that connection had been made, Morris MacGregor’s

book Emergence of a Black Catholic Community illustrated the

context for the company and provided important details, especially

about the supportive role of Father Barrotti, who originally hired

Esputa as the music director at Saint Augustine.

In addition to Eliot Pfanstiehl and the entire Strathmore staff,

special thanks to the many advisors and scholars whose work

contributed to this project. They include Michael Schreibman of

the Washington Area Music Association, Prof. Patrick Warfield of

Georgetown University, Joseph Horowitz of the Post-Classical

Ensemble, Walter Zvonchenko of Library of Congress, Michael

Ressler of the Marine Band Library, Prof. Raymond T. Jackson and

Prof. Vada Butcher of Howard University, Dena Grant of Saint

Augustine Church, Tiki Davies of The Kennedy Center, Jo Manley

of Stevens Advertising, and my husband, Michael Rosenberg.

Sincerely,

Shelley Brown

VP, Artistic Director

Strathmore

�

Saint Augustine

Catholic Church

6

Jim

Saa

h

7

Free to SingCommissioned by Strathmore, Free to Sing charts the advancementof the Colored American Opera Company, both the first opera company in the District of Columbia and the first African-Americancompany in the United States, as they use their musical talent toraise money for their church community and build schools for their children in the 1870s. Free to Sing focuses on the musicalaccomplishments of the Opera Company with an introductory narrative by Strathmore’s artistic director Shelley Brown andMichael Rosenberg. The evening will conclude with a presentationof the rarely performed landmark operetta, Julius Eichberg’s TheDoctor of Alcantara.

Almost 150 years ago, in 1858, St. Martin’s Parish, now known asSaint Augustine’s Church, was founded as a place of worship forWashington, D.C.’s African-American Catholic population. With aheavy emphasis on music and education, the church employed theexpertise of a former Marine Band member, Professor John Esputa,to lead their chorus. Recognizing the great musical talent found inthe church, choir member William T. Benjamin and ProfessorEsputa went on to form the Colored American Opera Company. In 1873, the Opera Company presented performances of JuliusEichberg’s The Doctor of Alcantara to mixed race audiences—twoat Lincoln Hall and two at Wall’s Opera House in Washington,D.C., and three at Horticultural Hall in Philadelphia before embarking on a tour of east coast cities.

The all-black cast for the performances featured soprano Agnes(Jane) Gray Smallwood, contraltos Lena Miller and Mary A.C.Coakley (a former slave who sewed for first lady Mary ToddLincoln), tenors Henry Fleetwood Grant and Richard Tompkins,baritones William T. Benjamin and George Jackson, and bassThomas H. Williams. Some of the opera members were local businessmen, some were laborers and some were domestic workers,and some were former slaves, newly freed in the years preceding andimmediately following the Civil War.

With the help of the Opera Company’s performances and otherfund-raising activities, St. Martin’s Parish was able to build a newchurch and school, Saint Augustine’s, at 15th and M Streets, NW in 1876. The church was torn down in 1948 to make way for The Washington Post building, but soon, the diocese broughttogether that parish and that of St. Paul’s in 1961 and then went on to create a new Saint Augustine’s Church at 15th and V Streets, NW in 1982.

Free to Sing is a true American success story and an example of thehistoric impact that occurs when groups of people come togetherand use hard work, skill, education, and perseverance to meet acommon goal.

The Doctor of Alcantara Carlos, the son of Senor Balthazar, has come to serenade Isabella,the daughter of the Doctor of Alcantara and Lucrezia. Althoughthey have never met, Carlos has fallen in love with the beautiful visage of Isabella and she has fallen in love with the singer of the beautiful serenades directed to her while she was lonely in a convent. Having arrived home from the convent, Isabella is overjoyed to realize that the soothing and beautiful voice of hermysterious lover has followed her. Unbeknownst to the two younglovers, their parents have arranged their marriage to one another.

While Carlos sings, his music attracts attention from Isabella, hermother, Lucrezia, and Isabella’s maid, Inez. All three women believeCarlos’s song is intended for them. When Inez mocks Lucrezia forbelieving the song is directed to her, Donna Lucrezia scolds Inez as a promiscuous tart. Isabella confides in her mother that she cannotgo forward with the marriage her parents have arranged for herbecause she loves someone else, the perfect voice that sang to her in the convent.

Carlos concocts a scheme to finally meet Isabella face to face. Heclimbs into a basket and has himself delivered to Isabella’s homeunder the pretense that the basket is a gift for her maid, Inez. Carlosclimbs out of the basket and hides in the house only to be found byIsabella’s mother, Lucrezia. Carlos professes his love for Isabellawith a love song, which again is misconstrued by the self-centeredLucrezia to be a song for her. Lucrezia sends Carlos back into hiding. She believes Carlos has returned to the basket to hide, but in fact, he has chosen to hide in the house.

Worried that cranky Lucrezia will disapprove of Inez’s receipt of agift from a suitor, The Doctor of Alcantara and Inez throw the giftbasket into the river. Lucrezia then informs them that a man washiding in the basket. The Doctor and Inez fall into despair thinkingthey have killed the mysterious man in the basket.

Isabella finds Carlos’ note accompanying the gift and desperatelylooks for her beloved. Her grieving family tells her of the unfortu-nate death of the man in the basket. Police arrive to investigate themysterious goings-on, but are unable to pinpoint the crime that hasbeen committed.

Carlos, finally unable to contain his love for Isabella, leaves his hiding place and, searching for his love, unfortunately encountersthe paranoid Doctor and Inez. Carlos convinces them that he is boththe son of Senor Balthazar and Isabella’s love. Relieved to realizethat Carlos was the man in the basket and that he is still alive, theDoctor and Inez offer Carlos a glass of wine. Their calm quickly dissipates when Inez mistakenly gives Carlos a glass of the Doctor’spoisonous potions. When Carlos passes out, Inez and the Doctoragain believe they have killed him. In a panic, they hide Carlos’body under the couch in the living room.

Senor Balthazar, Carlos’ father, enters, wishing to discuss Carlos andIsabella’s wedding arrangements. Inez and the Doctor, believingCarlos dead, try to get Senor Balthazar to leave. When he insists onstaying, they make up a bed for him on the couch, over which thestill unconscious Carlos lies. When Carlos arises from his poison-induced blackout, his true identity becomes known. Once everyonesees that Carlos and Isabella are the intended parties of the arrangedmarriage and deeply in love with one another, great joy ensues.

SYNOPSES

8

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Traditional Arr. Hall Johnson Steal Away, Traditional Arr. Hall JohnsonRock-A-My-Soul, TraditionalArr. H. Roberts

African-American spirituals are Christian songs that echo teachingsin the Bible. Many are songs of hope, referencing a Promised Landfar away from the slave’s world of bondage.

Many spirituals were “coded songs” whose hidden messages could be passed from family to family and from generation to generation.Such spirituals served a dual function. They were first and foremostreligious songs (which helped to fool slave owners), but they alsooften contained hidden instructions. For example, the “sweet chariot”in the well-known spiritual "Swing low, sweet chariot" could havebeen the Underground Railroad itself that would “swing low” intothe southern states. When the singer “looked over Jordan” she mayhave been seeing Ripley, a station across the Ohio River. Such songscould thus contain detailed instructions without alerting slave owners.

Originally sung by slaves working in the fields, spirituals were also performed in front of churches and in other meeting places.They thus acted as unifying songs and helped to build a sense ofcommunity among slaves. Over time spirituals came to be seen byslaves as their own music, and instilled a sense of pride and identity.Now cherished as a uniquely American genre, spirituals are sungproudly. The messages in the songs are still embraced and used asmotivation for audiences today.

Mass in CJohn Esputa (1832–1882)

One of Washington, D.C.’s most important music teachers, JohnEsputa was also a musician, composer and music publisher. A member of the United States Marine Band, John Esputa augmentedhis income as a teacher in the Washington Colored Schools and byserving as musical director in several churches. He achieved greatsuccess with the talented singers of Saint Augustine:

“under the leadership of Professor John Esputa, whose name andfame as a musician is of the first order, and stands No. 1 inWashington City; add to this a chorus of forty-two well-trainedvoices; imagine a grand organ of 34 stops under the master handof Professor Zierback [Thierbach], who in his beautiful combina-tions of flute and violincello, blended with the bourdon, followedby the reed stop, sixteenth, and this with the swell organ coupledwith the choir organ, all concluding with the metallic clash of thedouble gamba, overpowered by the immense choral wave, andyou will have some idea of Saint Augustine’s choir. The attractionto this church is increasing, Foreign ministers, members ofCongress and the aristocracy generally, are frequently seen in thischurch; the elite and upper tens generally consider it their specialprivilege to be present.” (The Catholic Mirror February 2, 1878)

Esputa self-published his Mass in C in 1875. Most of the 250-barsetting is written for unison chorus, broken by a few moments oftwo and three-voice writing. Much of the work is in parallelmotion, but it does contain a fair amount of light chromaticism.Given the date of the Mass it was almost certainly written for Saint Augustine’s choir.

Te DeumJohn Philip Sousa (1854–1932)

John Philip Sousa is today best known as a composer of marches (TheWashington Post and The Stars and Stripes Forever), but between1890 and 1920 he was one of the most popular musical figures inAmerica. Sousa was born in southeast Washington, just blocks from

HISTORICAL TIMELINE

PROGRAM NOTES

Saint AugustineCatholic Church(originally BlessedMartin de PorresChapel), an African-American congrega-tion, is founded andstarts its choir.

The Civil Warbegins.

President Lincolnsigns a bill endingslavery inWashington, D.C.

Under this law, the federal government freed approx-imately 3,100 slaves.

The Civil War ends with theConfederacy’s surrender. Morethan 600,000Americans died in the war.

The 13thAmendment to the Constitution isratified, abolishingslavery in the entireUnited States.

1858 1861 (april 12)

1862 1863(January 1)

1865(April 18)

1865

With the EmancipationProclamation, PresidentLincoln uses his wartimepowers to free all slaves in enemy territory—the 11 southern states (the Confederacy) thatseparated from the United States. The limits of his power prevent him from freeingslaves in Union states(those that remained inthe United States).

President Lincoln photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

9

the Marine barracks where his father served as a trombonist. As aboy, Sousa enrolled at John Esputa’s neighborhood conservatorywhere he studied voice, piano, cornet, trombone, and violin.

After young Philip attempted to run away and join a circus band, hisfather enlisted him as an apprentice musician in the United StatesMarine Band (he was just thirteen). This apprentice program trainedmany of Washington’s young musicians. John Esputa, for example,had enlisted as a fifer in 1844 when he was just twelve. Sousa servedin the Marine Band, first as an apprentice and then as a regular musician until he was twenty (he would become leader of the MarineBand in 1880). But Sousa was hardly just a bandsman, and he alsoperformed as a violinist at Ford’s Opera House and the WashingtonTheatre Comique. While still a teenager Sousa published his firstcomposition, “Moonlight on the Potomac Waltzes.” It was aroundthis time that Sousa began composing and orchestrating for his firstteacher, Professor John Esputa.

Sousa’s contribution to music in Saint Augustine’s Catholic Churchwas reported in the Catholic Mirror of April 1 and 7, 1888. In addition to several orchestrations, he composed this Te Deum. Thiswork, Sousa’s only liturgical piece, was never published, but themanuscript survives at the Library of Congress. It was almost certainly intended for Saint Augustine’s choir.

Mass No. 3, CäcilienmesseGloriaFranz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

Though he did not invent the symphony and string quartet, Haydndid more than any other composer to turn them into the greatachievements of 18th century music. By the time he wrote his lastgreat works, his symphonies had become a tightly organizedsequence of four contrasted movements in which the sonata form iscarried out logically and with great dramatic effect. Optimistic andgood-natured, his music has been beloved by audiences ever since.

When Washington audiences had the opportunity to hear such finemusical offerings during the 19th century, they responded with greatenthusiasm. It was by performing such works that the singers of

Saint Augustine first attracted the attention of critics and patrons,and became known as one of the most interesting musical organiza-tions in the capital city:

“While none of the singers were professionally trained, the grouppossessed singers with impressive natural talent ready for moldinginto a first-rate professional ensemble. Soon the rare opportunityto hear the masses and motets of Haydn, Mozart and otherEuropean Masters was attracting overflow congregation to thetiny chapel.” (Morris MacGregor, The Emergence of the BlackCommunity: Saint Augustine’s in Washington)

The Doctor of Alcantara Julius Eichberg (1824–1893) Libretto Benjamin E. Woolf (1836–1901)Arr. Angel Gil-Ordóñez

Julius Eichberg was the music director of the resident orchestra of theBoston Museum before founding and becoming director of the BostonConservatory of Music in 1867. He also became the Supervisor ofMusic in the Boston Public Schools (a position created for him).

Written in 1862, The Doctor of Alcantara is generally acknowledgedto be the first successful attempt at the French style of Opéra bouffein America by an American-based composer. Eichberg, a native ofGermany who came to the United States in the 1850s, was clearlyinfluenced by the “light opera” popular in Europe at the time. Thestyle is reminiscent of later American works by the popular Gilbertand Sullivan team while incorporating elements of current Americanmusic styles at the time: parlor songs, sentimental ballads, dance-halland melodrama. The Doctor of Alcantara was widely produced forfour decades after its creation, but then, mysteriously disappearedfrom the American stage and was almost completely unknownexcept to musical scholars.

Known as the “Music Man of Boston” for a generation, Eichbergcomposed orchestral works, string quartets and other operettas,including The Two Cadis, Sir Marmaduke: or Too Attentive byHalf, The Rose of Tyrol, and A Night in Rome.

John Esputabecomes the musicteacher and choirdirector at Saint Augustine’s Church.

The 14thAmendment is ratified, granting citizenship to allpeople born or naturalized in theUnited States.

The ColoredAmerican OperaCompany is formedin Washington, D.C.

The 15thAmendment is ratified, guaranteeing that no Americancan be denied theright to vote on thebasis of race orcolor.

The ColoredAmerican OperaCompany tours andperforms the comicopera, The Doctorof Alcantara, togreat acclaim.

A new building isconstructed anddedicated as SaintAugustine’s CatholicChurch. Much of the money used to complete thisconstruction israised by TheColored AmericanOpera Company.

1868 1868 1869 1870 1873 1876

John Esputa(seated with mustache)

10

David Emerson Toney (Narrator)Mr. Toney’s acting credits include Julie Taymor’sBroadway production of Juan Darién. Off-Broadway he performed as Clarence in Richard IIIat the Pearl Theatre Company and Once on thisIsland at Playwrights Horizons. Regionally he wasseen as Alonzo in The Tempest and Lucio in

Measure for Measure at the Folger, Army in the Persians and asOthello in Othello at The Shakespeare Theatre and thirty-fiveother stage productions at Arena Stage (Washington, D.C). Otherproductions include Jacques in As You Like It at the UtahShakespearean Festival, Splash Hatch On The “E” Going Downat Yale Rep, The Fool in King Lear and West in Two TrainsRunning at the Kansas City Rep. He was also the recipient of the2004 Helen Hayes award for Outstanding Actor in a ResidentPlay for the role of Holloway in African Continuum TheatreCompany’s production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running.

Awet Andemicael (Isabella)Following recent performances of Handel’s Messiahwith Handel & Haydn Society, The Boston Heraldpraised soprano Awet Andemicael’s ethereal artistry,noting that “her voice is light, airy, lyric and full ofmusical energy,” and further exclaimed that“Andemicael is a singer to watch.” In the 2007–08

season, she reprises her sought-after interpretation of Trujaman inde Falla’s El Retablo de Maese Pedro with the San FranciscoSymphony and joins the Nashville Symphony for performances ofMessiah. In the 2006–07 season, she made her debut with the LosAngeles Philharmonic repeating her sought-after interpretation ofTrujaman in de Falla’s El Retablo de Maese Pedro, sang the deFalla work with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, starred asClara in Porgy and Bess with Tulsa Opera, and performed theMessiah at Carnegie Hall. Recently named a San Diego Districtwinner and a Western Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan OperaNational Council auditions, Ms. Andemicael is also the SecondPrize Winner of the 2003 Oratorio Society of New York SoloCompetition at Carnegie Hall. She has won the Lee SchaenenFoundation Scholarship Award (2003), the Friedrich SchorrMemorial Performance Prize (2002), the Pasadena Opera GuildAwards (2002) and the Bel Canto Scholarship Foundation FirstPlace Scholarship (2001). She holds degrees from HarvardUniversity and the University of California at Irvine.

Kenneth Gayle (Carlos)“Neither scenery nor intricate lighting is requiredwhen a singing actor of his caliber takes thestage…” declared the Chicago Sun Times. Hailed asone of the “Faces to Watch” and “…one of a newbreed of opera singers…” Kenneth Gayle is accumu-lating accolades in a growing career in opera, orato-

rio, concert and stage. Equally at home in a variety of musicalstyles and genres, national credits include performances with LyricOpera of Chicago, Ravinia Music Festival, Seattle Opera, SeattleSymphony, Grant Park Music Festival, Opera Omaha, OmahaSymphony and Opera Idaho, among many others. Now a residentof Houston, TX local credits include performances with theHouston Ebony Opera Guild, the Mukuru: Arts for AIDS Series,Three Mo’ Tenors, and the premieres of his one-man musical journeys, One Voice and One Voice, One Heart…Revealedincluding selections from his new CD, Revealed, featuring the

original music of Gary Norian. Mr. Gayle is an alumnus of theLyric Opera Center for American Artists and a cum laude graduateof the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University. TheSeattle native is also a past recipient of the Seattle Opera Guildscholarship for voice and opera and a former member of theSeattle Opera Young Artist Program.

Carmen Balthrop (Lucrezia)Carmen Balthrop, soprano, is a professor of voice atthe School of Music at the University of Maryland.She is an inductee of the University’s Alumni Hall ofFame. Ms. Balthrop performed with numerous well-known opera companies and orchestras all over theworld, including The Metropilitan Opera, San

Francisco, Houston, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and Teatro desWestens in Berlin. She performed with the New YorkPhilharmonic, National Symphony, Boston Symphony, and sym-phonies in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,Houston, and Detroit. Ms. Balthrop’s discography, found on theDeutsche Grammophon, Elan, New World, and Fonit Cetra labels,includes the title roles of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha and ClaudioMonteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Her solo CD entitledThe Art Of Christmas, Volume I was released in the fall of 2004.She sang for President Nelson Mandela during a recent visit to theUnited States and was the soprano lead in the world premiere ofcomposer/double bassist, Frank Proto’s The Tuner at theInternational String Bass Convention in Kalamazoo, Michigan. InDecember she sang the east coast premiere of the one-womanopera, At The Statue of Venus by Jake Heggie and TerenceMcNally at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Universityof Maryland. In March 2007, Ms. Balthrop performed in concertwith Dr. Diane White in This is Her Story…This is Her Song, athree-day symposium on black women and song, at the ClariceSmith Center.

Millicent Scarlett (Inez)Canadian soprano Millicent Scarlett hails fromWinnipeg, Manitoba. She received her Bachelor ofMusic in Voice Performance from BrandonUniversity in Canada. While at Brandon shereceived the silver medal, rarely awarded for thehighest GPA in the Applied Music Performance

degree. From there she attended University of Maryland CollegePark, where she received her Master of Music in Opera. She alsoholds a certificate of study from the Mozarteum in Salzburg,Austria. Ms. Scarlett made her professional debut in the role ofClara in Porgy and Bess with Opera Illinois under the baton ofFeora Contina. She also has performed the roles of Melide inL’Ormindo by Cavalli, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Godelieva in theNorth American premiere of Dounaudy’s La Fiamminga, and sev-eral roles in an opera created for the University of MarylandOpera Studio. As a Winner of the Luciano Pavarotti InternationalVoice Competition, she performed the role of Mrs. Ford in Falstaffalong with Mo. Pavarotti and Mo. Leone Maggira. Ms. Scarletthas performed with the National Symphony, The OrchestraInternazionale d’Italia Philharmonic Choir in Kitchener-Waterloo,Fairfax Choral Society, The Washington Chorus, York Symphony,and the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra. She has won numerousawards and scholarships. Some of note are: Winner of the Mid-Atlantic Region Metropolitan Opera Competition, NationalSemi-finalist of the Metropolitan Opera Competition, 2nd place

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

11

Mid-Atlantic region winner, and numerous study and encourage-ment awards. Ms. Scarlett currently resides in Maryland and is aprofessor at The George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Gylchris Sprauve (The Doctor of Alcantara)Gylchris Sprauve, tenor, was born in Santurce,Puerto Rico but grew up in St. Thomas, U.S. VirginIslands. At the age of 7, he started playing organ inchurch. By 14, he met many seasoned musicianswhile working as a pianist/organist in the VirginIslands. After two summers at the Interlochen Arts

Camp in Michigan, he left the Virgin Islands to study voice. Heearned degrees from the University of Iowa and the University ofMaryland. He has sung in such countries as the United Kingdom,Italy, Austria, The Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, and theCaribbean. In addition to opera, Mr. Sprauve also performs orato-rio, gospel, Christian contemporary and world music. In additionto English, he also speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and hassince been learning French.

Angel Gil-Ordóñez, Music Director/ConductorA native of Madrid, Spain, Angel Gil-Ordóñez hasattained an outstanding reputation among Spain’snew generation of conductors as he carries on thetradition of his teacher and mentor, SergiuCelibidache. The Washington Post has praised his

conducting as “mesmerizing” and “as colorfully textured as a fau-vist painting.”

The former Associate Conductor of the National SymphonyOrchestra of Spain, Mr. Gil-Ordóñez has conducted the AmericanComposers Orchestra, Opera Colorado, the Pacific Symphony, theHartford Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the BrooklynAcademy of Music, and the National Gallery Orchestra. Abroad,he has been heard with the Munich Philharmonic, the Solistes deBerne, at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and at the BellasArtes National Theatre in Mexico City.

Currently the Music Director of Post-Classical Ensemble inWashington, D.C., Mr. Gil-Ordóñez also holds the positions of Director of Orchestral Studies at Wesleyan University inConnecticut and Music Director of the Wesleyan Ensemble of the Americas.

In 2006, the King of Spain awarded Mr. Gil-Ordóñez the country’s highest civilian decoration, the Royal Order of Queen Isabella, which is equivalent to a knighthood, for his work in advancing Spanish culture in the world, in particular forperforming and teaching Spanish music in its cultural context.

Post-Classical EnsembleCalled by The Washington Post “a welcome, edgy addition to themusical life of Washington,” Post-Classical Ensemble was createdby Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Joseph Horowitz in 2001, and made itsofficial debut in May 2003. “More than an orchestra,” it breaksout of classical music, with its implied notion of a high-cultureremote from popular art. Its concerts regularly incorporate folksong, dance, film, poetry, and commentary in order to serve audi-ences hunger for deeper engagement, and to cultivate adventurousnew listeners. The Ensemble made its sold-out Kennedy Centerdebut in Fall 2005 in “Celebrating Don Quixote,” featuring acommissioned production of Manuel de Falla’s sublime puppet

opera Master Peter’s Puppet Show. By the end of the 2007–2008season, the Post-Classical Ensemble will have performed morethan two-dozen concerts and recorded two DVDs and a CD in itsfive-year history. In June 2005, in association with the AmericanFilm Institute and Naxos Records, Post-Classical Ensemble accom-panied two classic American documentaries with scores by VirgilThomson. These presentations generated a Naxos DVD (releasedJan. 2007 and called “revelatory” by Philip Kennicott in theWashington Post), and a CD (released last October). The perform-ance of Aaron Copland’s The City last October at the ClariceSmith Center will generate a similar Naxos DVD. Post-ClassicalEnsemble returns to the Clarice Smith on April 6 for “Artists inExile,” a program exploring the New World fates of the com-posers Kurt Weill and Arnold Schoenberg, and the film-makerFritz Lang, where Weill’s Walt Whitman Songs will be performedfor the first time in the United States with orchestral accompani-ment. They will also perform “Revueltas in Context” at theLibrary of Congress on March 14.

Joseph Horowitz, Artistic Director, Post-Classical EnsembleJoseph Horowitz is one of today’s most prolific writers on topicsin American music. As an orchestral administrator and advisor, he has been a pioneering force in the development of thematicprogramming and new concert formats. His seven books offer adetailed history and analysis of American symphonic culture, itsachievements, challenges, and prospects for the future. HisClassical Music in America: A History, was named one of the bestbooks of 2005 by The Economist. An eighth book, Artists inExile: How Refugees from War and Revolution Transformed theAmerican Performing Arts, will be published by HarperCollinsthis month (February 2008). In 2001, Mr. Horowitz co-createdPost-Classical Ensemble, a chamber orchestra in Washington,D.C., pursuing a programming template Mr. Horowitz developedin the 1990s as Executive Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic,the orchestra’s concerts regularly incorporate popular/vernacularmusic, dance, and film.

Mr. Horowitz was a music critic for The New York Times from1976 to 1980. Mr. Horowitz is the author of the articles on “classical music” for both The Oxford Encyclopedia of AmericanHistory and The Encyclopedia of New York State. His honorsand awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, two NEHFellowships, and a commendation from the Czech Parliament forhis numerous celebrations of Dvofiák in America.

Morgan State University ChoirThe Morgan State University Choir, led for more than three decadesby the late Dr. Nathan Carter, the celebrated conductor, composer,and arranger, is one of the nation’s most prestigious universitychoral ensembles. The choral forces of the critically acclaimed choirinclude the University Choir, which is over 140 voices strong, andThe Morgan Singers—approximately 40 voices. While classical,gospel, and contemporary popular music comprise the choir’s reper-toire; the choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritageof the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance.The Morgan State University Choir has performed for audiencesthroughout the United States and all over the world.

The Choir has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Centerand Carnegie Hall on numerous occasions.One of the Choir’smost historic moments came with the opportunity to sing under

12

the baton of Robert Shaw, conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’sand joined by Jessye Norman and others in Carnegie Hall’s “OneHundredth Birthday Tribute to Marian Anderson.” In the1996–1997 season, the Choir appeared in the “Silver Anniversary”concert on Public Television, which won three Emmy Awards forMaryland Public Television (MPT).

In the May 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest, the magazine named theMorgan State University Choir “the Best College Choir in theU.S.’ in its list of “America’s 100 Best.”

In January 2005, under the leadership of Dr. Eric Conway, thechoir performed Mendelssohn’s Symphony #2, “Lobgesang,” withthe Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as sang for the StateDepartment at the invitation of Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice.

The Morgan State University Choir is a cultural ambassador forMorgan State University, the City of Baltimore, the State ofMaryland and the United States.

Eric Conway, Director, Morgan StateUniversity ChoirEric Conway is currently the Music Director of the Morgan State University Choir as well asChairperson of the Fine Arts Department. He servedas Associate Conductor and principal accompanistfor the Morgan State University Choir for twenty

years under the leadership of the late Nathan Carter.

He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the PeabodyConservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he majoredin Piano Performance and minored in Conducting. While at thePeabody, Conway was a recipient of the prestigious LiberaceScholarship, as well as a winner in the Yale Gordon ConcertoCompetition where he earned the honor of playing Rachmaninoff’s2nd Piano Concerto with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra.

Eric Conway has performed as solo pianist with several orchestrasincluding, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore ChamberOrchestra, Baltimore Concert Artists, Johns Hopkins SymphonyOrchestra, Georgetown University Orchestra, and the MillbrookOrchestra in Shepardstown, West Virginia.

Dr. Conway is also sought after as a collaborative artist. He hasworked with several leading artists including Trevor Wye, HillaryHahn, Daniel Heifetz, William Brown, and Janice Chandler Eteme.He is also an orchestral pianist for the Baltimore Symphony.Dr. Conway’s choral accomplishments include working closelywith some of the greatest conductors of the 20th Century includ-ing Robert Shaw, Sir Nevelle Mariner, and Donald Neuen.

Dr. Conway is married to Bessie Elizabeth Conway, and they areblessed to have three sons: Eric, Jr. (13); Christopher (11); andRyan (4).

Andrew Luse, Piano/OrganAndy Luse began studying piano at the age of eight.At 10 he performed his first concerto, the PianoConcerto in D Major by Haydn, with the NewEngland Youth Ensemble under the baton ofFrancisco de Araujo. He went on to solo with thisorchestra several times over the next few years.

Mr. Luse attended Princeton University where he earned a B.A. inHistory and a Certificate in Music Performance. As a freshman, he

won the University Concerto Competition. He received his MastersDegree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Institute of JohnsHopkins University.

Mr. Luse was a participant in the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival,the Aspen Music Festival, and the New Millennium Piano Festivalin Spain. He founded “Classics on the Rocks,” a quarterly seriesbringing classical music into non-traditional venues. Mr. Luse is a former Artist in Residence at Strathmore and is currently co-teaching Strathmore’s Crescendo Club.

Scot Reese, DirectorScot Reese is a professor in directing, black theatre, and musicaltheatre at the University of Maryland, College Park. Professionaltheatre credits include productions from Los Angeles to NewYork. Television credits include daytime dramas, situation come-dies, variety specials, commercials, and an Emmy Award for indi-vidual achievement in performance. Reese’s most recent creditsinclude, Blues Journey at the Kennedy Center, Once On ThisIsland at the Round House Theatre, Pretty Fire and From theMississippi Delta for the African Continuum Theatre Company,The Heidi Chronicles and Barefoot in the Park (with LauraLinney and Eric Stoltz) at LA Theatre Works, Jane Eyre andZooman and the Sign at the University of Maryland, A Raisin inthe Sun at Olney Theatre, and Bells are Ringing and Purlie at theKennedy Center. B.A. – UCLA; M.F.A. - Northwestern University.

Shelley Brown, WriterShelley Brown is the Vice President for Programming and ArtisticDirector for Strathmore, where her programs are known for theirartistic quality, diversity, and collaborative partnerships. Recently,she produced the cELLAbration tribute concert to Ella Jenkins atStrathmore with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and TheWashington Area Music Timeline concert series with MichaelSchreibman. This series, lauded as “admirable and ambitious”(The Washington Post), culminated with the opening of the MusicCenter at Strathmore in February, 2005. She was awarded theExecutive of the Year by the Washington Area Music Association(WAMA) that same year.

She came to Strathmore in 1998 from the John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts, after having launched and booked the initial concerts for the nightly free Millennium Stage Series. Shewas responsible for the programming and management of theOpen House Arts Festival, Holiday Celebration and other international festivals. She is a graduate of Connecticut Collegeand holds a M.B.A. from The George Washington University.

Michael Rosenberg, WriterMichael Rosenberg is a civil trial attorney and partner in theWashington, D.C. law firm of Stein and Rosenberg. He has beenpracticing law in the D.C. area since he graduated from AmericanUniversity’s Washington College of Law in 1991. In law school,Rosenberg served as editor of the Administrative Law Review. Mr.Rosenberg graduated in 1986 from Connecticut College in NewLondon, Connecticut where he majored in English. A ChevyChase, Maryland native, his affinity for writing and writing skillswere developed in his childhood home where he was raised by aplaywright and a labor law attorney. Michael Rosenberg and hiswife, Shelley Brown are residents of Bethesda, Maryland wherethey live with their sons, ages 10 and 12.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONT.

13

Alvin Mayes, musical stagingAlvin Mayes is an Instructor of Dance at the University ofMaryland, College Park. He had two successful partnerships withdirector Scot Reese with “Sophisticated Ladies” and “The ColoredMuseum” both at the University of Maryland. His concert danceshave been performed at The Copland Festival, the OrpheusFestival and the Langston Hughes Tribute, the Kennedy Center,Dance Place, American College Dance Festival; and have been per-formed in Cuba, Great Britain, Russia and Japan. Mayes has cho-reographed such theatre productions as The Wiz!, Little MarySunshine, Dames at Sea, Carousel, Cinderella and five Gilbert andSullivan productions. He won the Metro/DC Dance Award foreducation in 2007 as a culmination of teaching, choreographingand performing in the area since 1978.

Daniel Conway, Scenic DesignDaniel Conway has worked extensively Off-Broadway and inregional theater. Productions of note include: the premieres of LilyDale by Horton Foote at The Samuel Beckett Theatre on TheatreRow; The Trilogy, New Music by Reynolds Price at The ClevelandPlayhouse, directed by David Esbjornson; and the American pre-miere of Brecht’s Conversations in Exile at The New Theatre ofBrooklyn. Regional work includes projects for The ClevelandPlayhouse, Syracuse Stage, The Arden Theatre, The BerkshireTheatre Festival, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Regional theater work includes: Two Gentlemen of Verona, direct-ed by Aaron Posner for The Folger Shakespeare Theatre; TheWorld Goes Round for The Roundhouse Theatre; Jitney and ANew Brain for The Studio Theatre; Our Lady of 121st Street forWoolly Mammoth Theatre; scenery and lighting for Born Guiltyand Peter and The Wolf and scenery for Passing The Love OfWomen for Theatre J and The Glass Menagerie, and Uncle Vanyafor The Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, where he serves as resi-dent designer. Other projects include Take Me Out for The StudioTheatre; Once on This Island for Roundhouse Theatre and thepremiere of Joyce Carol Oates’ The Tattooed Girl for Theatre J.

Nominated for the award seven times, Mr. Conway is the recipientof the 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Set Design, andis the head of the M.F.A. in Design program at The University ofMaryland, College Park. He is a member of The United ScenicArtists, local 829.

Caldwell Gray, Sound DesignStrathmore Lead Audio Technician Caldwell Gray honed hissound engineering skills in the studios and clubs of the mid-Atlantic with his original rock band of twenty-two years, Cravin’Dogs. After more than a decade of wearing grooves in the JerseyTurnpike and over 1,500 shows, The Dogs embarked on a moremodest touring schedule in 1998. Concurrently, Dogs’ producerDoug Derryberry joined the Bruce Hornsby Band and asked Grayto be part of Hornsby’s touring production team. Ten years later,Gray continues to tour with Hornsby as a sound engineer. Grayalso stays busy in the studio, producing his bands and other artistson the Preash Records label. Cravin’ Dogs performs regularlythroughout the D.C. area and has just released its 12th album.

Gray was born and raised in the piedmont of North Carolina,where he attended The University of North Carolina at ChapelHill and graduated with a BA in Creative Communications.

Jon Foster, Production Stage ManagerJon Foster, a stage and production manager, as well as stage tech-nician, lighting designer and director, video engineer and carpenterhas toured the world on five continents working with artists suchas Nils Lofgren of Grin, Neil Young, Roger Daltry of The Who,Pearl Jam, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd andothers. Foster is in demand in the production of special events andfestivals—he is the Main Stage Manager for the New Orleans Jazzand Heritage Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport FolkFestival, and the Essence Music Festival; he was the StageManager for the re-opening of the Superdome in New Orleans in2006 featuring U2 and Green Day; and he was worked at theWinter Olympics, Live Aid, Farm Aid and at Disneyworld. Fosterhas also worked extensively in TV and radio, including for MTV,VH1, NBC, CBS, BBC, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Showwith Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Fosterlives in Garrett Park, MD with his wife, Lynn, and son, Luke.

Laura Lee Everett, Production ManagerLaura Lee Everett has spent the last two decades “wearing blackclothing and being hidden from audience view” in opera housesacross the United States. As an Opera Production Stage Manager,she ensured that singers sang and orchestras played at all theappropriate moments in Anchorage, Aspen, Columbus, CostaMesa, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Baltimore, and all points in-between. She has had the pleasure of working with some of themost renowned conductors, directors, designers and singers incontemporary opera. Born and raised in Florida, and educated inNorth Carolina, Ms. Everett was “schooled early in the art of theSouthern Comic Monologue.” As such, she has always been onthe lookout for a good story to relate to a captive audience; andduring her years on the road, she amassed an impressive collectionof backstage opera tales that rival the very best onstage storylines.In addition to overseeing productions at the nation’s leading operacompanies, Ms. Everett has long been passionate about mentoringyoung artists. After eight summer seasons as the OperaAdministrator at the Aspen Music Festival and School, she joinedthe staff of the University of Maryland School of Music, where, asStudio Manager for the Maryland Opera Studio, her dutiesinclude serving as de facto “Den Mother to the GraduateProgram” – and she couldn’t be happier about it. During the summers, Ms. Everett works with up-and-coming young artists atthe Wolf Trap Opera Company as well. Ms. Everett is also asinger and pianist, can say “Will the Maestro report to the pit,please” in a variety of languages, makes excellent coffee, and is aproud resident of Baltimore City.

Miriam Teitel, Stage ManagerMiriam is currently the Director of Operations at the MusicCenter at Strathmore. Previously, she was the ManagingCoordinator for Yale Opera, where she coordinated the produc-tions and administrative needs of the academic program. Miriamcompleted the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsManagement Fellowship Program, previously known as the VilarInstitute. She came to the Fellowship Program from GlimmerglassOpera, where she served as Music Administrator and worked withtheir Young American Artist Program. Previous positions includecoordinating summer programs at Strathmore, shows withMontgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre, and being theInstrumental Music Fellow at Amherst College, where she

14

managed the orchestra and taught sections. Growing up in ChevyChase, Maryland, she studied bassoon with Truman Harris of the National Symphony Orchestra. She holds a dual degree in MusicHistory/Analysis and Comparative Religion from Amherst College.

Strathmore (Producer)Strathmore, Peter Vance Treibley, chairman, Eliot Pfanstiehl, president & CEO, is Montgomery County, Maryland’s home forthe arts. A 24-year-old presenter of concerts, art exhibitions, andcommunity festivals, Strathmore offers world-class performancesby major national artists of folk, blues, pop, jazz, show tunes, andclassical music in the Music Center, a state-of-the-art 1,976-seatconcert hall and education complex, and in the Mansion, a turn-of-the-century historic home. Strathmore has welcomed morethan 5,000 artists and 2 million guests at its signature exhibitions,concerts, teas, educational events and outdoor festivals since 1983.

Strathmore recently produced the Washington Area MusicTimeline Concert Series, an “ambitious” (The Washington Post)series of 64 concerts tracing Washington, D.C.’s music history, andthe world premiere concert of cELLAbration: A Tribute to EllaJenkins, released nationally on DVD by Smithsonian Folkways.Strathmore commissions new works of art and music, includingthe world premiere musical compositions Emergence: A CicadaSerenade by David Kane, Strathmore Sonata by Garrison Hull andBling Bling by Scott McAllister; works by Artist in Residencemusicians; and the commissioning of the sculptures Music of Lightby Meryl Taradash, Tetra con Brio by Roger Stoller and LittleTemple by Stefan Saal.

Strathmore performances can be heard all over the country onNPR and XM Radio. Public Television recently aired The UnitedStates Air Force 60th Anniversary: A Musical Celebration, a performance taped at the Music Center.

Education plays a key role in Strathmore’s art and music programming. From Children’s Talk and Tours of art exhibitions,to Strathmore’s new Artist in Residence program, a curriculumdesigned to help young musicians, the development of arts appreciation has always been an important component ofStrathmore’s mission.

Saint Augustine ParishSaint Augustine Parish traces its heritage to 1858 and the efforts ofa group of dedicated emancipated Black Catholics. Faced with asociety that was not yet willing to put off the last vestiges of slaveryand a Church that, at best, tolerated the presence of Black people inits congregation, these men and women founded a Catholic schooland chapel on 15th Street under the patronage of Blessed Martin dePorres. In what is perhaps a touch of historical irony, this schoolwas operating four years before mandatory free public education ofBlack children became law in the Nation’s Capital.

After operations were briefly interrupted by the Civil War, a newchurch was built and dedicated to Saint Augustine in 1876. Thenew church and school were funded in large part by the proceedsof the Colored American Opera Company. From its beginning,Saint Augustine’s was the parish of Black Catholics in Washington,D.C. A tradition of lay efforts and of determination flourished.

From its earliest years the school was staffed by the Oblate Sistersof Providence, the oldest religious order of Black women in theUnited States. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established in May of 1892 and continues to this day as an active organization of women and men in the parish.

The parish continued to grow and flourish with a strong commit-ment to education and good liturgy. In February 1928, under thepastorship of Father Alonzo Olds, the parish purchased the site ofthe Washington Home for Children at 1715 15th Street, NW,intending it to be the new home of Saint Augustine ParochialSchool. The school, a rectory and a convent were soon built andthe construction of a new church begun. Most of the parish activities and operations were moved to this 15th and S Streetslocation, while the original church building at 15th and M Streetswas maintained and used until 1946, when it was sold by theArchdiocese of Washington. The church was torn down in 1948to make way for The Washington Post building.

One of Saint Augustine’s neighbors was a large Catholic parish,Saint Paul, whose original membership was primarily of Irish andGerman descent. With the rise of integration and shifting urbandemographics, membership at Saint Paul dwindled steadily until1961, when Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle decreed that the parishesof Saint Paul and Saint Augustine would be united.

In 1979, the Saints Paul and Augustine parish, through the parishpastoral council, staff and the Archbishop of Washington, made adecision to sell the Saint Augustine property at 15th and S Streets.The old Saint Paul buildings at 15th and V Streets would be renovated to house the consolidated schools and other ministriesof the parish.

On November 12, 1982, Archbishop James Hickey decreed thatthe parish of Saints Paul and Augustine, served by the Church at15th and V Streets NW, would again be called the parish of SaintAugustine. With two thousand registered members and three thousand who call it their home church, Saint Augustine is nowone of the largest parishes in Washington, D.C.

Saint Augustine’s proud history continues. In November 1989Father John F. Payne, OSA, was ordained and named as the firstAfrican-American associate pastor assigned to the Saint AugustineParish. In January 1991 Father Russell L. Dillard was installed asthe first African-American pastor in Saint Augustine’s history.Father Dillard was elevated to Reverend Monsignor in May 1991.Father Lowell Case, SSJ, was appointed Pastoral Administrator inFebruary 2003. On February 5, 2005, Father Patrick Smith wasinstalled as Pastor of Saint Augustine Parish.

Now in its 150th year, Saint Augustine Roman Catholic Churchand its parish continue to grow, learn and rejoice.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONT.

15

STRATHMORE HALLFOUNDATION, INC.BOARD MEMBERS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPeter Vance TreibleyChair

Carol A. TrawickVice Chair

Jerome W. Breslow, Esq.Secretary and Parliamentarian

Steven C. MayerTreasurer

Caroline Huang McLaughlinAt-Large

Wendy J. Susswein, ex officioAt-Large

BOARD OF DIRECTORSPaul J. AllenJoseph F. Beach, ex officioRichard S. CarterMeagan T. CampionStarr G. EzraHon. Nancy Floreen, ex officioSol GrahamNancy HardwickDeborah Marriott HarrisonPaul L. HatchettCynthia W. Hu, Esq.Alexine C. JacksonDianne KayJames F. MannarinoAlan E. MowbrayKenneth O’BrienCarrie F. PassmoreLori RiordanHarold K. Roach, Jr.William G. RobertsonGabriel RomeroMary Kay Shartle-GalottoCraig A. SnedekerAnnie S. Totah

As of August 2007

FIRE NOTICE: The exit sign nearest toyour seat is the shortest route to thestreet. In the event of fire or other emergency, please WALK to that exit. Do not run. In the case of fire, use thestairs, not the elevators.”

STRATHMORE STAFF

Eliot PfanstiehlPresident and Chief Executive Officer

Mary Kay AlmyExecutive Assistant to the President

Monica JeffriesExecutive VP of Administration

Mark GrabowskiExecutive VP of Operations

DEVELOPMENTMary KopperVP of Development

Bianca BeckhamDirector of Foundation & CorporateRelations

Bill CareyDirector of Membership andCommunity Relations

Joanne MaitlandManager of Donor Relations & Research

Julie HamreDevelopment Associate

PROGRAMMINGShelley BrownVP/Artistic Director

Millie S. ShottDirector of Fine Arts

Marie SuzukiManager of Artist Relations

Betty ScottEducation Coordinator

Joy-Leilani GarbuttEducation Coordinator

OPERATIONSMiriam TeitelDirector of Operations

Allen V. McCallum, Jr.Director of Patron Services

Jasper CoxDirector of Finance

Mac CampbellOperations Manager

George KarosOperations Program Assistant

Veronica WolfOperations Assistant

Chadwick SandsTicket Office Manager

Hilary WhiteAssistant Ticket Office Manager

Wil JohnsonTicket Services Coordinator

Allen C. ClarkManager of Information Systems

Maryland LehmannMansion Rental Events Manager

Carol MarymanMansion Manager

Johnathon FuentesAssistant Mansion Manager

Christopher S. InmanManager of Security

Tatyana BychkovaStaff Accountant

Jon FosterProduction Stage Manager

Lyle JaegerLead Lighting Technician

Caldwell GrayLead Audio Technician

William KassmanLead Stage Technician

Patsy HobbsCustomer Service Representative

THE SHOPS AT STRATHMORECharlene McLellandDirector of Retail

Lorie WickertRetail and Systems Manager

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONSJennifer A. BuzzellVP of Marketing and Communications

Ana Marisa SchattnerMarketing Manager

Georgina JavorManager of Media Relations

Jerry HasardGroup Sales Manager

LEGAL COUNSELShulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy& Ecker, P.A.

STRATHMORE TEA ROOMMary MendozaTea Room Manager

SUPPORT STAFFGladys AriasFacility and Program Assistant

As of December 2007

�

SPONSOR

BENEFIT COMMITTEE

Dr. Carlotta G. Miles, Chairperson

DONORS

PATRONS

GENERAL COMMITTEE

Mr. and Mrs. Danny BellThe Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation

Ms. Nancy Folger and Dr. Sidney Werkman

Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. GoldbergDrs. David and Lynn McKinley GrantDr. and Mrs. Christopher Hopson, Jr.

GBL Sales, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Leftridge

Maryland State Arts CouncilMid-Atlantic Arts Foundation

Dr. and Mrs. Roscoe M. MooreMs. Laura W. Murphy and

Mr. William G. PsillasMr. and Mrs. Malcolm Peabody

Drs. Edward A. and Frances E. RankinMr. and Mrs. James Scott, Jr.

Mrs. Diana D. SpencerMr. and Mrs. Donald Stewart

Mr. Peter Vance TreibleyThe Washington Post

Mr. and Mrs. Verl B. Zanders

Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. CarterDr. and Mrs. William W. Funderburk

Mr. and Mrs. Jefferi Lee

Leon Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Wurtzel

Mr. and Mrs. John H. MacklinMr. and Mrs. Theodore A. Miles

Miller & Long, Mr. John M. McMahonUnion Trust Bank,

Mr. Robert L. Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene A. AdamsMr. and Mrs. Charles Asmar

Ms. Candice BryantMs. Elsie Bryant

Carderock Capital Management, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Aldus Chapin

Ms. Marilyn G. CharityMs. Karen V. Conlan

Cox, Matthews & AssociatesMr. Daba Dabic and

Dr. Daca Marinac-DabicMs. Jane H. Davenport

Ms. Lorethea DavisMr. and Mrs. Jeff D. Donohoe

Mr. and Mrs. William Luke EnglandMr. and Mrs. James Fitzpatrick

The Gannett FoundationMr. and Mrs. Shelford Gilliam

Robert & Mary Haft Foundation The Harbor Bank of Maryland

Ms. Vera W. HarrisMr. and Mrs. George W. Haywood

Mr. and Mrs. David HillDr. and Mrs. Dulany Hill

The Honorable Rodney E. HoodChristopher Hopson III, Esq.

Dr. Leslie HopsonMr. and Mrs. James L. Hudson

Dr. Marion HullDr. and Mrs. Aaron G. JacksonDrs. Jonathan and Marcia JavittMr. and Mrs. G. Freeborn Jewett

Mr. and Mrs. George JoinerMr. and Mrs. Daniel A. KaneRev. and Mrs. Donald Kelly

Mr. and Mrs. Jasper S. LawhonMr. Bertram M. Lee, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott A. LoganMr. Jamil MacklinMs. Jillian Macklin

Dr. and Mrs. Wendell MilesMr. and Mrs. Jerome Navies

Mr. and Mrs. Walton D. PearsonMrs. Harry C. Press

Drs. Joseph and Eleanor QuashDr. Raymond Ransom

Ms. Madeline M. Rabb

Mrs. Verna C. RobinsonMs. Deborah Royster

Mr. and Mrs. Everett SantosDr. and Mrs. Donald Sewell

Dr. and Mrs. Robert SimmonsBruce Sklarew and Margot Meyers

Mr. and Mrs. Michael SkehanMr. and Mrs. Ramael Slater

Mr. and Mrs. Clifton SlayMr. and Mrs. J. Clay Smith

Ms. Kathryn SmithMs. Gloria Sorrell

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. StillmanMr. and Mrs. Walter L. Threadgill

Mr. Spiros VoyadzisMr. and Mrs. Ronald W. WaltersDr. and Mrs. Horace Ward, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Donald T. WashingtonMs. Lenda Penn Washington

Dr. Hattie N. WashingtonMs. Angela Robinson Weatherspoon,

Artpeace GalleryThe Honorable and Mrs. Paul R. WebberThe Honorable and Mrs. Togo D. West

Marilyn FunderburkFredrika Hill

Helen HopsonAlexine JacksonTina Mance-Lee

Effie MacklinLaura W. Murphy

Strathmore would like to thank the following individuals for their generous contribution to Strathmore’s first original production, Free to Sing: The Story of the First African-American Opera Company:

SUPPORTERS

*As of January 28, 2008