Complete Casting for InsightALT Festival, Opening May 28, Announced

American Lyric Theater (ALT) today announced complete casting forInsightALT, the company's upcoming festival dedicated to providing an intimate, up-close look at its process of creating new operas. Taking place at the Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium of The JCC in Manhattan, (located at 334 Amsterdam at West 76th Street) between May 28 and June 3, 2013, the festival kicks off with a special public master class by world-renown soprano Catherine Malftiano. At the center of the festival are concert readings of three new operas in different stages of their development at ALT:The Turing Project by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist David Simpatico; The Long Walk by composer Jeremy Howard Beck and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann(based on the book "The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows by Brian Castner); and La Reina by composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Laura Sosa Pedroza. Themes behind these works will be explored in two symposia led by ALT and Glyndebourne dramaturg Cori Ellison, one of the leading creative figures in the opera world today. (Complete casting and biographies of featured performers attached - see below).

InsightALT

May 28 - June 3, 2013

The Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium, The JCC in Manhattan

(334 Amsterdam at West 76th Street, New York City)

MASTER CLASS - Tuesday, May 28th, 2013 at 7:00 PM

Catherine Malfitano, Soprano / Director, master teacher

Jody Schum, pianist

Singers from each of the three operas below will be featured during this master class on role creation.

SYMPOSIUM: FANTASIZING HISTORY - Wednesday, May 29th, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Cori Ellison, dramaturg / moderator

Royce Vavrek, librettist

David Simpatico, librettist

Jorge Sosa, composer

Additional guests to be announced

International dramaturg Cori Ellison leads a symposium examining the extent to which historical accuracy matters when adapting real events for the stage. All three operas presented during InsightALT are inspired by real people and actual events, but the balance between fact and fiction differs in every piece.

THE TURING PROJECT - Thursday, May 30th, 2013 at 7:00 PM

Music by Justine F. Chen; Libretto by David Simpatico

The Turing Project is a historical fantasia based on the life of the English scientist Alan Turing. A simple man of extraordinary abilities, Turing's achievements include creating the first universal computer; breaking the Nazi U-Boat code, which proved crucial to the success of the allied forces in WWII; and creating the field of Artificial Intelligence. Yet, despite the many benefits Turing's ideas bestowed upon humanity, the British government charged him with Gross Indecency for the crime of being homosexual, and punished him with chemical castration. A year after his sentence was carried out, Turing committed suicide at the age of 41, eating an apple laced with cyanide - according to the official coroner's report. Many speculate that his apparent suicide was inspired by his life-long love of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but others don't believe his death was suicide at all. The opera explores Turing's extraordinary contributions to mankind, his county's disavowal of him because he was gay, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.

Conductor: Keith Chambers

Pianist: Gloria Kim

ALAN TURING: Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone

CHRISTOPHER MORCOM: Benjamin Robinson, tenor

MRS. SARA TURING: Kathryn Guthrie, soprano

JOAN CLARKE: Elise Quagliata, mezzo soprano

STEVE TODD / ARNOLD MURRAY: Kyle Bielfield, tenor

FRED CLAYTON / Winston Churchill: Joseph Beutel, bass baritone

DON BAYLOR / PRINCE CHARMING: Justin Hopkins, bass baritone

ENSEMBLE: Nina Berman, Joanie Brittingham, Christina Hager, Jennifer Townshend, Alison Cheeseman, Cabiria Jacobsen, Joan Peitcher, Meghan Scheibal, Michael Bragg, Stephen Campanella, Sean Clark, Christopher Frisco, Jose Cuartas, Juan Jose Ibara, Brace Negron, Andrew Wannigman.

SYMPOSIUM: OF ARMS AND THE MAN I SING: Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Cori Ellison, dramaturg / moderator

Mark Campbell, librettist

Stephanie Fleischmann, librettist

Jeremy Howard Beck, composer

Kevin Puts, composer

Brian Castner, author/veteran

This second symposium led by international dramaturg Cori Ellison takes a look at how some operas have glorified war while others have laid bare its horrors.

THE LONG WALK: Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Music by Jeremy Howard Beck; Libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann

The Long Walk, based on the book of the same name by Brian Castner, dives deep into the mind of an American soldier who has returned from Iraq after serving as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. Castner's battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which he calls "the Crazy with a capital C," is at the center of this moving personal story of a man struggling to reintegrate himself into his family life upon his return from the war.

Conductor: Steven Osgood

Pianist: Djordje Nesic

Guitarist: Taylor Levine

BRIAN: Daniel Belcher, baritone

JESSIE: Heather Johnson, mezzo soprano

RICKY: Glenn Seven Allen, Tenor

JEFF: Justin Hopkins, bass baritone

CASTLEMAN: Kyle Bielfield, tenor

PERNEATHA: Donita Volkwijn, soprano

SHRINK: Caroline Worra, soprano

VIRGIL: Benjamin P. Wenzelberg, treble

MARTIN: Mercer Patterson, treble

SAM: Hayden Wall, treble

LA REINA: Monday, June 3rd, 2013 at 7:00 PM

Music by Jorge Sosa; Libretto by Laura Sosa Pedroza

The story of one of the most powerful drug "queenpins" in history, La Reina explores the symbiotic relationship between the US and Mexico and their shared responsibilities in the increasingly violent drug wars, fueled by revenge and corruption on both sides of the border.

Conductor: Andrew Bisantz

Pianist: Mila Henry

REGINA: Audrey Babcock, mezzo soprano

LA SANTA MUERTE: Audrey Luna, soprano

EL GRINGO: Christopher Burchett, baritone

YOUNG REGINA: Rosa Betancourt, soprano

EL POZOLERO: Javier Abreu, tenor

EL GOBERNADOR: Dominic Armstrong, tenor

DON NETO: Tom McNichols, bass

EL CAPO DEL NORTE: Michael Zegarski, baritone

EL CAPO DEL SUR: Joseph Beutel, bass baritone

REPORTER / DEA AGENT: John Matthew Myers, tenor

After each of the three operas, there will be an open discussion exploring the creative process with the composers and librettists, moderated by ALT's Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Lawrence Edelson. Following these discussions, audience members are invited to join the writers and performers at meet-the-artist receptions, generously sponsored by Dalton Winery and Teperberg Winery, and provided by Gotham Wines & Liquors.

Tickets for each event may be purchased individually, with pricing ranging from $10 to $25 per event. An InsightPASS is also available, providing admission to all six events for $75, a savings of up to 40%. For further information, or to purchase tickets, please visitwww.jccmanhattan.org/opera or call (646) 505-5708.

Biographies of participating artists, composers and librettists attached below. Click on link to view or download.

InsightALT Cast Biographies

InsightALT Composer and Librettist Biographies

Additional information about ALT artists and projects may be found at
http://www.altnyc.org

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