Show Info
Oswego Opera Theater
presents
La Serva Padrona
Giocomo Pergolesi
Live Streaming Online
Saturday, April 17, 2021
7:00 p.m.
FREE TICKETS
You will receive a special link to access the live video stream the morning of the production. You must reserve a ticket to receive the link.
Synopsys
Part 1 – dressing room
Dr. Pandolfo, an elderly bachelor, is angry and impatient with his maidservant, Serpina, because she has not brought him his chocolate today. Serpina has become so arrogant that she thinks she is the mistress of the household. Indeed, when Dr. Pandolfo calls for his hat, wig and coat, Serpina forbids him from leaving the house, adding that from then on he will have to obey her orders. Dr. Pandolfo thereupon orders Vespone to find him a woman to marry so that he can rid himself of Serpina.
Part 2 – same dressing room
Serpina convinces Vespone to trick Uberto into marrying her. She informs Dr. Pandolfo that she is to marry a military man named Tempesta. She will be leaving his home and apologizes for her behavior. Vespone, disguised as Tempesta, arrives and, without saying a word, demands 4,000 crowns for a dowry. Dr. Pandolfo refuses to pay such a sum. Tempesta threatens him to either pay the dowry or marry the girl himself. Dr. Pandolfo agrees to marry Serpina. Serpina and Vespone reveal their trick; but Dr. Pandolfo realizes that he has loved the girl all along. They will marry after all; and Serpina will now be the true mistress of the household.
Production Notes
Artistic Director’s Notes: The COVID pandemic has been a great tragedy, killing hundreds of thousands here in the USA and leaving millions without work. Artists and performers have been hit hard, as performances have been cancelled world-wide. The cathartic power of live music has been put on hold.
La Serva padrona, originally planned for April 2020, is a gem that we hope will please you. It is witty and full of beautiful melodies — a short entertaining piece, a lovely respite from a nightmarish year.
Our performers are talented and hard-working students. One of our goals is to help aspiring young singers start and further their careers. May this light-hearted comedy lift your spirits as we await a return to live music performances and their enriching beauty. – JF La Manna
Stage Director’s Notes: We All Need an Intermezzo.
For the past year, the world has felt a lot smaller. With travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, businesses being shuttered, and even political divides wide enough to make the Grand Canyon blush, everyone has felt a lot more isolated. It’s been a struggle for many – myself included. With the roll-out of vaccines ongoing, the promise of a better end to this year than last year looks very possible. Little-by-little we are able to do more and more of what we used to do. For this, I’m grateful, because it means that we can put forward a production of some kind.
The challenges of staging an opera production, even a short intermezzo like La serva padrona, are huge. To implement social distancing considerations with all character blocking, for starters. In our production, all of the actors have a specific region of the stage within which they can move without crossing into another’s space. (Thankfully, two of our actors live in the same household and thus aren’t required to social distance anyway, which makes things a little easier!) Then there’s also the consideration for what/who can be in the room at the same time, what with tech crew, orchestra, and directors. Not to mention the specific spaces we have available for the production, and the limitations that puts on furniture and scenery.
Needless to say, it’s a thrill to be doing something close-to-normal again. With the final stretch of the pandemic ahead of us, I think a brief intermezzo is very welcome as we gear up for the final push through this dark chapter of our lives. I hope you enjoy the performance. – Alan Martin
Show Directors
Conductor
Juan Francisco LaManna
Juan Francisco La Manna (Artistic Director, Conductor) is orchestra director at the State University of New York in Oswego and conductor of the Oswego Youth Orchestra. Prior to his appointment at SUNY, Dr. La Manna lived in the Kansas City area, where he was conductor for the State Ballet of Missouri, directing the St. Louis and Kansas City Symphonies. Dr. La Manna was principal conductor for Miami City Ballet for four years, directing many performances in Florida.
Stage Director
Alan Martin
Alan Martin (Stage Director) is a baritone from Scotland who has been performing and teaching in the U.S. for the last 7 years. Most recently he has performed lead roles in productions of Camelot, Beauty & The Beast, Catch Me If You Can, Die Zauberflöte, and Don Giovanni. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Edinburgh Napier University, Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Central Washington University, and Ph.D. in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Kansas. Alan recently moved from Lawrence, KS to Oswego, NY to teach voice and music theatre at SUNY Oswego.
Costumes
Judith Collette
Judy Wyman Collette came to SUNY Oswego as the Costume Shop Supervisor in the fall of 2002. Ms. Collette received her formal Technical Theatre Education/Training at SUNY Ulster and SUNY New Paltz; her goal was to experience all aspects of theatre. She has professionally worked as a master electrician, scenic artist, stage manager, designer, and of course any thing and everything costumes. After completing her under grad programs, Ms. McCabe worked professionally in a Pacific North West venue management company in a production staff position for professional tours in that region’s venue circuit.
Audio Support
Josh Russell
Josh Russell has 12 years of professional experience as a live sound and studio recording engineer. He graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2007 and has owned and operated a local recording studio since 2010. He performs regularly on keyboards and guitar with a number of local and regional bands. Russell supports the audio needs of the music department at SUNY Oswego including live sound reinforcement, recording, and archiving of each event.
Video Support
Joe Stabb
Joe Stabb is an assistant professor of public relations and the faculty director for the Hart Hall Global Living and Learning Community at SUNY Oswego. He has experience in marketing communications, public relations, business development, organizational development, and leadership development.
Cast
Dr. Pandolfo – Salvatore Sperrazza
Salvatore Sperrazza (Uberto) has been singing opera for 4 years now and this is his first time performing in a opera production. Salvatore has previously appeared in SUNY Theater Department’s production of The Fantastiks.
Serpina – Angel Tyler
Angel V. Tyler (Serpina) is a junior vocal performance major at SUNY Oswego. She is an active member of multiple vocal ensembles, and was the soprano soloist for Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio del Noel last Fall; she will be the soprano soloist for Faure’s Requiem with Oswego’s Festival Chorus in May. She has been involved in Oswego State Theatre productions including Urinetown (Officer Barrel) and was the Assistant Music Director for The Fantasticks. Angel has been a part of many Oswego Opera Theater productions including The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, and Don Giovanni. Last Spring, she sang the role of Mrs. Ham in Noye’s Fludde.
Scapin – Alaces Sarmiento
Alaces J. Sarmiento (Scapin) is a senior studying communication and social interaction and music at SUNY Oswego. Originally from Queens, NY, Alaces has been studying vocal music for the past 8 years, and hopes to move forward with her studies by going to graduate school for vocal performance and pedagogy after she graduates this May.
Orchestra
Kaitlyn Lardeo, Emily Baker, violins
Sophia Moon, viola
Vienna McCall, cello