FLORENTINE OPERA NAMES 2010-2011 SEASON STUDIO ARTISTS

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Sept 1, 2010 – The Florentine Opera Company names Erica Schuller (soprano) of Milwaukee, WI; Julia Hardin (mezzo soprano) of Lawrence, KS; Matthew Richardson (tenor) of Dubuque, IA and Scott Johnson (baritone) of Madison, WI, as resident artists for the 2010-2011 Season’s Florentine Opera Studio Program.

Ms. Schuller and Mr. Richardson are new to the Studio Artist Program, while Ms. Hardin and Mr. Johnson both return for a second year. The Studio Program offers a full season of artist-in-residence employment for talented singers beginning their professional careers, and will run from September 2010 through May 2011, to provide performing experience and training essential to career development in the opera art form.

“I am delighted that we are continuing this important initiative for a third season, when we will once again have the opportunity to showcase four exceptional artists,” notes General Director William Florescu. “Both Erica and Matthew come to the Florentine with young, dynamic voices, full of potential, and a personal history with the city of Milwaukee, and we are also happy to have Scott and Julia returning to participate in our program once again. These young performers demonstrate the wealth of talent present among up-and-coming singers and certainly prove that the opera art form has a bright future ahead.”

The 2010-2011 Studio Artists will sing supporting and comprimario roles during each of the Florentine Opera’s mainstage performances, including the world premiere of Don Davis’s Río de Sangre in October. They will also star in The Golden Days: A Concert on November 14, 2010 at 2:30 pm in Vogel Hall of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The Golden Days will feature favorite American operetta arias and ensembles by composers including Sigmund Romberg, Rudolf Friml and Victor Herbert from such pieces as The Desert Song, The Student Prince, The Vagabond King, Naughty Marietta and others. This concert explores the delightful world of the operetta, an art form characterized by elegant songs, witty ensembles and rousing choruses that serves as the roots of modern American musical theater.

A major focus of the Studio Artists will be to bring the Florentine’s 2010-2011 season children’s touring opera program, The Billy Goats Gruff, to over 60 schools and community venues throughout southeastern Wisconsin. In addition to educational programs for younger students, the Studio Artists will also be featured in those targeting older students. On September 30, 2010, they will work with Guido LeBron, who will create the starring role in the world premiere of Rio de Sangre, in a special customized “Get Opera” Program. In partnership with Latino Arts, Inc., this one-hour program is geared towards 8th grade and high school students, fostering an appreciation for the arts and providing cross-curricular opportunities for teachers in English, Language Arts, History, Music and Theater. Participants will be introduced to the operatic art form, experience a special sneak peek of Río de Sangre, and their schools will be eligible to receive tickets to the mainstage performance.

Once again this season, the Studio Artists will also be featured soloists with other Milwaukee-area arts groups during their residency, most notably in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s series of holiday performances of Handel’s Messiah in December 2010.

ABOUT THE 2010-2011 STUDIO ARTISTS:

Erica Schuller ~ Soprano

Erica Schuller, a Milwaukee native, returns to her hometown for the Florentine Opera’s 2010-2011 season, after performing such works as Bach’s Johannes Passion, Jesu meine Freude and Aus der Tiefe with The San Francisco Bach Choir. Erica made her second appearance with the Boston Early Music Festival in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea summer 2009, and was commended for performing her roles (La Fortuna/Damigella) with “skill and grace” by the Boston Globe. She can also be heard on the Festival’s Grammy-nominated recording of Lully’s opera, Psyche, which she performed in 2007. Operatic credits include Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo, Pamina in Mozart’s Magic Flute, Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Amor in Cavalli’s L’Egisto, Noémie in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Lazuli in Chabrier’s L’Étoile, Euridice in Rossi’s L’Orfeo, and Axinia in Boris Goudenow by Johann Mattheson. Erica received her Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Pamela Fry and holds degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Kathryn Cowdrick.

Julia Hardin ~ Mezzo Soprano

Julia Hardin, a native of Lawrence, KS, has been touted as a “powerful” and “expressive” singer drawing from her extensive acting background. Recent engagements include La suora infermiera in Suor Angelica and reprising the role of Polly in Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera with 2010 Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival. Roles with the Florentine Opera include Mrs. Baines in Elmer Gantry and Giovanna in Rigoletto. Other roles include performances with Chicago Opera Theater’s La Clemenza di Tito, where she covered Sesto; productions with The Opera Company, and with Central City Opera as Rosalia in West Side Story, the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, as well as covering and performing Mrs. McLean in Susannah. She has also sung Tisbe in La Cenerentola for the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Opera in the Neighborhoods” program, Paoluccia in Piccinni’s La Buona Figliuola with Fondazione Lirico in Bari, Italy, and as a soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Hardin has received numerous awards, two of which include Second Place in the 2010 Chicago Bel Canto Foundation competition and winner of the 2007 Friends of Austria vocal competition. She holds a bachelors degree from the University of Kansas and a Masters degree from Northwestern University.

Matthew Richardson ~ Tenor
Matthew Richardson was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Dubuque, Iowa where he trained at the Eastman School of Music and performed several roles including Charles Guiteau in Assassins, the teapot in L’enfant et les sortilèges, and Tapioca in L’ètoile. While with the College Light Opera Company for two summers, Matthew performed many roles including Cacambo in Candide, Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance, and Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore. After peforming with the program The Professional Advantage in Piobbico, Italy, Matthew moved to Milwaukee, where he has spent the past two years singing with various local ensembles including the Florentine Opera Chorus and teaching private voice lessons. Matthew also works as a ballroom instructor at East Towne Ballrooms and for the Danceworks’ Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap Program.

Scott Johnson ~ Baritone

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, baritone Scott Johnson completed his B.Mus at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he performed the roles of Sellem in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Il Gran Sacerdote in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Shrike in the West Coast Premier of Lowell Liebermann’s Miss Lonelyhearts. Other roles include Pelleas in Pelleas et Melisande, Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, and Jackson Pollack in the World Premier of Art and Desire, all with the University of Wisconsin Opera, where he recently received his Master of Music. Scott has also been seen as a frequent performer with the Tuscia Operafestival in Viterbo, Italy, where he has performed the roles of Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Boheme, and Germont in La Traviata. In 2008, he was a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. More recently, Scott made his debut with Madison Opera as Wagner in Gounod’s Faust, and Mr. Lindquist in A Little Night Music with Central City Opera, where he has also portrayed Diesel in West Side Story. Roles with the Florentine Opera Company include Sciarrone in Tosca, Revival Worker in the Midwest premiere of Elmer Gantry and Marullo in Rigoletto.

ABOUT THE FLORENTINE OPERA COMPANY:

The Florentine Opera Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presents productions reflecting the highest musical and theatrical standards, while supporting community and educational programs. As a leader in Wisconsin’s art community and the nation’s sixth oldest opera company, the Florentine Opera seeks to establish a significant presence in the cultural, educational and civic life of the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Audiences enjoy beautiful mainstage productions that include first-rate vocal artistry brought to life by established and emerging local, national and international opera stars.

All programs of the Florentine Opera Company are driven by the mission to present opera productions reflecting the highest musical and theatrical standards and designed to fulfill the Company’s vision to expand the experiences of patrons with memorable, outstanding and exciting performances. Audiences enjoy beautiful main stage productions that include first-rate vocal artistry brought to life by established and emerging local, national and international opera stars.

With a foundation of fiscal responsibility, the company continues to grow its artistic and educational programs. Through its outreach and in-school educational programming, the Florentine provides vital arts education experiences for children, nurtures new audiences, and expands cultural horizons for the next generation.

Main stage performances are held at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Milwaukee—home to the Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet, Broadway and Off-Broadway series. The Florentine Opera is a charter member organization of the United Performing Arts Fund and receives Board grants from the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin, as well as support from corporations, foundations and individuals.

For more information, visit www.florentineopera.org.