Summer and Smoke
Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, Lee Hoiby’s opera Summer and Smoke takes place in a small Mississippi town where the sexually repressed Alma Winemiller is jilted by the free-spirited town doctor, John Buchanan. Fragile Alma is haunted by demons that make it difficult for her to cope with the realities of the world around her. The opera revisits a tragic theme found in Williams’s work, where his protagonists, often female, valiantly confront emotional crises only to be ultimately broken by their inability to cope with the conditions that surround them.
Program Information
Welcome Note
Now in its third year, the Conservatory’s educational and artist development partnership with our neighbor Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) is in full swing. The partnership unlocks incredible opportunities for Boston Conservatory students and members of BLO’s Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artists, and includes the Opera Innovators Series—a curated collection of talks and master classes that engage some of the most innovative and sought-after figures in the opera world. Additionally, Vocal Arts Department classes in art song, vocal pedagogy, and the choral arts, encompass an exceptional lineup of visiting clinicians, each of whom brings their own powerful and distinct voice to bear on our season’s productions and curricula.
I am so grateful to our generous donors whose giving provides access to the tools and resources our students need to succeed here and beyond. Providing a transformative level of training is the Conservatory’s reason for being. Our faculty and administration are deeply committed to fostering a genuine sense of community, which defines the Conservatory’s learning and performance environments. There is an ethic of care here that champions people’s goals and aspirations in ways where they feel creative, safe, powerful, and courageous in and through the learning. We’re helping students build a life for themselves through music that has purpose and that, in its unique way, will change the world. With a faculty of international renown, an impressive annual lineup of important visiting artists, and a strong commitment to a meaningful list of civic and global initiatives, Boston Conservatory’s Vocal Arts Department is an exciting place to be!
I hope you enjoy your experience with us today, and I welcome you to join us again often.
—Sara Goldstein, Interim Chair of Vocal Arts
Numbers
Prologue
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Act 2
Scene 7
Scene 8
Scene 9
Scene 10
Scene 11
Scene 12
Epilogue
Synopsis
While Alma is seeking a spiritual relationship and would love one with John, he is drinking, gambling, and womanizing. He is interested in a physical relationship with Alma, even suggesting they go to a hotel, but she is horrified and rebuffs him. John is also interested in Rosa, the daughter of the local casino owner. When he throws a party to announce their engagement, Alma tries to disrupt it by telling John’s father, Dr. Buchanan. In an altercation with Rosa’s father, Dr. Buchanan is accidentally shot and killed. This causes John to mature and focus on the spiritual instead of the physical, while Alma is realizing she can have both with John. She goes to tell him about her realization, but it is too late: he has become engaged to Nellie, a younger, more conventional girl. Alma, devastated, goes with a passing salesman to the casino, offering herself for a purely physical relationship, in a complete turn from her former self.
Cast
Young John – Keaton James Cassell^, Jonah Katz^
Alma Winemiller – Olivia Pike, Kayla Kovacs*, (Cover: Marissa Fieland)
Reverend Winemiller – Alec House-Baillargeon, Jovanni Ferrer*
Mrs. Winemiller – Molly Flynn, Olivia Brice*
John Buchanan Jr. – Jason Edelstein, Yanghao Liu*
Nellie Ewell – Molly McDonough, Tess Levine* (Cover: Claire Burreson)
Vernon – Patrick O’Farrell, Vaughn Nesmith*
Roger Doremus – Thomas Valenti, Robert Kleinertz*
Mrs. Bassett – Aubrey Bosse, Nina Gojcaj*
Rosemary – Lizzie Marlow, Bella Abbrescia*
John Buchanan Sr. – Shouzheng Wei
Rosa Gonzales – Karina Gonzalez
Papa Gonzales – Jonathan Motes
Archie Kramer – Jonathan Motes
* Friday/Sunday cast
^ Guest artist
Orchestra
Dayna Dengler, BM '26
FLUTE
Dayna Dengler, BM '26
Abby Leary, BM '25
ENGLISH HORN
Jesse Myers, BM '26
CLARINET
Mason Davis, BM '25
Elly (Hsuan-Hsun) Hsu, MM '25
BASS CLARINET
Mason Davis, BM '25
BASSOON
Lizzie Sylves, BM '25
HORN
Yi-Hwa Chen, MM '25
Jack Krugman, GPD '26
TRUMPET
Cal Richards, BM '25
TROMBONE
Kevin Smith, MM '26
PERCUSSION
Jin Cho, BM '26
HARP
Claudia Moreno Fraile, MM '26
CELESTA
Julian Dürr, MM '26
VIOLIN 1
Emily Scicchitano, MM '25, concertmaster
Anna Vittoria Furlanetto, GPD '26
Zhuoma Jiangyong, MM '26
Hsiang-Chieh Lin, MM '24
Lauren Oeser, BM '25
VIOLIN 2
Acadia Kunkel, BM '28
Yinfei (Tony) Li, MM '26
Isabelle Parker, BM '28
Tian Tian, BM '26
VIOLA
Katy Rose Bennett, MM '26
Victoria Skinner, MM '25
Justin Williams, BM '26
CELLO
Adam Broce, MM '26
Will Rawlinson, BM '27
BASS
Leo Martinez, BM '25
Randall Zigler+
RECORDED OFF-STAGE BAND
Cal Richards, trumpet, BM '25
Freddie Poor, trumpet, BM '27
Julian Dürr, piano, MM '26
Jonathan Goldberg, guitar, Berklee College of Music
Emily Scicchitano, violin, MM '25
Anna Vittoria Furlanetto, violin, GPD '26
Leo Martinez, double bass, BM '25
About the Artists
Laurann Gilley, assistant conductor, is a pianist and conductor who has worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the past 19 years and has also served at Glimmerglass Opera (15 years), San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, and numerous other companies. Recital collaborations include Will Liverman, J’nai Bridges, Amanda Majeski, Nicole Cabell, Alyson Cambridge, and William Burden.
David Gately, director, joined the faculty of Boston Conservatory in 2022 as associate professor of opera. He previously served as guest faculty of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts and as director of the opera studio at Texas Christian University. He maintains an active professional career, which includes more than 300 productions at over 60 opera companies, symphony orchestras, theater companies, and opera training programs worldwide. Learn more about Gately.
Abby Kate Boeschen, assistant director, is a graduate student in Boston Conservatory’s opera program, studying under Dr. Rebecca Folsom. Boeschen made her directorial debut as the assistant director and choreographer for Drake Opera Theatre’s 2023–2024 season. She is a gifted singer, recently captivating as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and an in-demand vocal teacher with a private studio and a faculty role at Drake University’s voice intensive (2024).
Danny Pelzig, choreographer, recently directed City of Angels at Boston Conservatory and choreographed The Band’s Visit at the Huntington. Broadway credits include 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda, and A Year with Frog and Toad. He has directed or choreographed at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. Theater credits include work at the Guthrie, Alliance, Goodman, and Shakespeare theaters. He served five years as resident choreographer for Boston Ballet. Learn more about Pelzig.
Angie Jepson, intimacy/fight director, teaches in Boston Conservatory’s theater and opera departments, and she is a fight choreographer and intimacy director in the Boston area. Recent credits include intimacy direction for Mitridate at the Boston Lyric Opera and fight and intimacy direction for POTUS at SpeakEasy Stage Company. Upcoming productions include fight and intimacy direction for Carousel at the Boston Lyric Opera, directed by Anne Bogart, and She Kills Monsters with the Boston Conservatory theater department. Learn more about Jepson.
Lauren A. Cook (MM '22, vocal pedagogy), assistant intimacy/fight coordinator, is a Boston-based stage director and intimacy choreographer with credits including Boston Lyric Opera’s Eurydice (intimacy director), Commonwealth Shakespeare Apprentice Repertory Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (assistant director), Hub Theatre Company’s Book of Will and Burn This (intimacy director), MassOpera’s immersive La Traviata, two productions of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses (at Suffolk University and Arlington Children’s Theatre), and Nighttown with Lowell House Opera.
Danielle Ibrahim, scenic designer, is a Boston-based artist, designer, and technician. A graduate of Boston University, Ibrahim has worked with the Glimmerglass Festival, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Actors Shakespeare Project, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Boston Playwrights Theatre, and more. Ibrahim is thrilled to be involved with their sixth production at Boston Conservatory, and thanks the artistic and production teams for making for such a wonderful process.
Paul Marr, lighting designer, has a long relationship with Boston Conservatory. He has designed for the dance department for over 10 years now, including the full seasons of dance for the past three years. For the opera department, he has designed lighting for the opera one acts, The Island of Tulipatan, and As One, as well as last year's production of Voir Dire. He is thrilled to be working with David Gately and the Conservatory Opera Department yet again.
Zoë Sundra, costume designer, is thrilled to be designing at Boston Conservatory. Previous BoCo credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Jesus Christ Superstar. Regional design credits include John Proctor is the Villain at Huntington Theatre Company, Chicken and Biscuits with Front Porch Collective, and The Addams Family at Wheelock Family Theatre. Sundra lives in Watertown, Massachusetts with her animals and spouse.
Rachel Padula-Shufelt, wig designer, has Broadway credits that include Glass Menagerie and Waitress. Regional credits include American Repertory Theater’s Life of Pi, Macbeth in Stride, Moby Dick (Elliot Norton Award winner for Best Design), Black Clown, Waitress, Fingersmith (Elliot Norton Award winner for Best Design), Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Elliot Norton award winner for Best Design), Marie Antoinette, and Crossing; and Huntington Theatre Company’s Joy and Pandemic and The Colored Museum. Padula-Shufelt is the hair and makeup supervisor for Boston Ballet and the resident hair and wig designer for North Shore Music Theatre.
Productions Credits
Interim Dean of Music – Isaì Jess Muñoz
Interim Chair of Vocal Arts – Sara Goldstein
Conductor – Andrew Bisantz
Stage Director – David Gately
Student Assistant Director – Abby Kate Boeschen
Assistant Conductor – Laurann Gilley
Dialect Coach – Sarah Jessop
Dramaturg – Scott Edmiston
Choreographer – Daniel Pelzig
Intimacy/Fight Director – Angie Jepson
Asst. Intimacy/Fight Director – Lauren A Cook
Scenic Designer – Danielle Ibrahim
Lighting Designer – Paul Marr
Costume Designer – Zoë Sundra
Costume Design Assistant – Liv Curnen
Wig Designer – Rachel Padula-Shufelt
Wardrobe Supervisor – Blue Barber
Assistant Wardrobe Manager – Taz Meyers
Costume Stock Manager/Draper/Stitcher – Becca Jewett
Draper/Stitcher – Sam Martin, Caroline Seeley
Stitcher – Jackie Olivia, Lindsey Weaver
Costume Shop Assistants – Mai Beisley, Amber Lew, Olivia Pike
Projection Technician – Grace Kroeger
Props Manager – Hannah Spangler
Production Stage Manager – Cameron Sarchi
Production Assistant Stage Manager – Zachary Sayre
Surtitle Designer – Emma Shelton
Surtitle Operator – Emma Shelton
Coaching and Musical Preparation – Jean Anderson, Laurann Gilley
Rehearsal Pianists – Laurann Gilley, Eoin Clark
Vocal Arts Liaison – Patricia Au
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Director of Performance Services and Producer – Hanna Oravec
Assistant Director of Production – Becca Donald
Technical Director, Mainstage – Taylor Kaufman
Assistant Technical Director – Caleb Harris
Principal Stage Manager – Bethany Rachel
Lighting Supervisor – Jacob Inman
Production Electrician – Gabe Goldman
Sound Supervisor – Steve Deptula
Sound Assistant – Maddy Poston
Costume Shop Manager – Alison Pugh
Assistant Costume Shop Manager – Leah Foley
Wardrobe Manager – Blue Barber
Fly Console Operator – Avery Hunt
STUDENT PRODUCTION STAFF:
Student Assistant Stage Manager – Demitra Ypsilantis
Student Assistant Stage Manager – Olivia Reitz
CONCERT SERVICES STAFF:
Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Boston Conservatory thanks audience members for viewing this program information online. This paperless program saved 200 sheets of paper, 21 gallons of water, and 18 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.