Opera Maine tp Present THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER By Philip Glass Summer 2022

Opera Maine's 2022 Studio Artist Program, under the leadership of Richard Gammon, will feature performances of The Fall of the House of Usher by Philip Glass on June 29 and July 1, 2022. The opera will be sung in English with English supertitles and performed with the full orchestration.

Conducted by Jackson McKinnon. Directed by Richard Gammon. The cast includes Marcel Sokalski as William, Joseph Tancredi as Roderick Usher, Gabrielle Clutter as Madeline Usher, Miguel Pedroza as Servant, and Joseph Sacchi as Physician. The design team will be headed by lighting designer SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal.

"Poe's famous horror story has fascinated poets, dramatists, and composers for over a century. Poe hints at much, but states hardly anything at all. Is the story real, or is it a hallucination? What is the relationship between the narrator (William), his friend Roderick Usher, and Roderick's dying sister, Madeline? Has she been buried alive, or is it a demon from hell who takes such a spectacular revenge at the end? And is the vast house in which they live a living malignant entity? Incest, homosexuality, murder, and the supernatural hang in the air, but then again, such things may exist only in the imagination of the audience." philipglass.com

Glass's opera, with a libretto by Arthur Yorinks based on the Poe story, premiered in 1988 at the American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, Mass.

Opera Maine will continue its "Opera for All!" program with free tickets to anyone aged 25 and younger.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Philip Glass.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 1, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Pre-Curtain Presentation at 6:30 p.m. by Calien Lewis
Westbrook Performing Arts Center
Tickets $0 - $30 at operamaine.org/studio-artists/
(207) 879-7678

Studio Artist Maureen Brabec will perform for Opera Maine at the annual Gala on April 28 at Ocean Gateway; at a special program hosted by the Boston Wagner Society at the Boston Public Library at 3:30 p.m. on April 29; and in the popular "Art with Arias" concert at the Portland Museum of Art on July 6. She will cover the role of Senta in The Flying Dutchman on July 27 and 29 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland and also will sing with the ensemble.

Opera Maine Education Outreach Young Artists, Daniel Laverierre, Jonas Rimkunas, and March Steiger, perform in school programs throughout Maine in April and May, led by Opera Maine Teaching Artist, Dr. Malinda Haslett. Jonas Rimkunas has been named the 2022 Ellen Chickering Young Artist. Last summer he performed in Opera Maine's L'elisir d'amore and he will sing in The Flying Dutchman ensemble this summer. Rimkunas will graduate from the University of Southern Maine this spring and will pursue a Master of Music degree in the fall of 2022.

In anticipation of the 2022 opera productions, Opera Maine plans related events designed to connect with the community and inspire a love for opera.

Visit OperaMaine.org for a full schedule of events and details for performances of the mainstage opera The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner; "Art with Arias" at the Portland Museum of Art; a special concert at Maine Maritime Museum; and opportunities to learn more about the 2022 operas through programs at Portland Public Library, Curtis Memorial Library, Osher Lifelong Learning, and more.