FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 2012 Contact: Paula Mlyn

LITTLE OPERA THEATRE OF NY PRESENTS TRAVELERS: TWO ONE-ACT RARITIES BY GUSTAV HOLST: THE WANDERING SCHOLAR AND SĀVITRI

NEW YORK, NY—The Little Opera Theatre of NY announces its main spring 2012 production entitled Travelers, featuring two rarely performed one-act operas by Gustav Holst: The Wandering Scholar and Sāvitri. Performances take place May 10 and 11, 8 pm; May 12, 2 pm and 8 pm; and May 13, 3 pm, at 59E59Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets forTravelers are available beginning April 2 and are $35. Tickets can be purchased online: TicketCentral.com; by phone: 212-279-4200/212-279-4200; or at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. The production is directed by Philip Shneidman, conducted by Richard Cordova, with set design by award-winning designer Neil Patel, costume design by Lara de Bruijn, and lighting design by Natalie Robin and Amanda Clegg Lyon. The cast for The Wandering Scholar features Ron Loyd, baritone (Louis), Sharin Apostolou/Maria Alu, sopranos (Alison, evening/matinee); Jeffrey Tucker, bass (Father Philippe); and Benjamin Robinson, tenor (Pierre, the scholar). The cast ofSāvitri features Rufus Müller, tenor (Satyavān); Heather Johnson/Toby Newman, mezzo-sopranos (Sāvitri, evening/matinee); and TBD (Death). Gustav Holst (1874-1934) a British composer most famous for his orchestral score The Planets left in fact a much larger musical legacy. With libretto by Clifford Bax, The Wandering Scholar, Op.50 is based on the book The Wandering Scholars by Helen Waddell. The actual story of The Wandering Scholar is a comedy about a young wife, a priest, a traveling scholar; and what the husband finds when he returns home. The opera received its premiere on January 13, 1934 at the David Lewis Theatre in Liverpool, but Holst – too ill to attend – never heard a live performance of the opera. The opera’s original manuscript had notes indicating that composer had intended to revise parts of the work, but he died before any changes could be made. Benjamin Britten later prepared a chamber version of the opera which premiered in 1951; in 1968 Britten and the composer’s daughter, Imogen Holst, edited a copy for publication. Dating from 1908, Sāvitri, Op. 25, features a libretto by the composer, and is taken from the episode from the Mahābhārata. The composer translated the story from Sanskrit himself. The myth of Sāvitri revolves around Sāvitri and Satyavān alone together in the woods, and their encounter with the god of death. This one-act opera is performed in one movement and without an overture. At the time of its composition, it was considered revolutionary as it involved only three characters and the chamber orchestra of twelve musicians. In many ways, Sāvitri, is the precursor to the work of Benjamin Britten and the English Opera Group later in the century. Imogen Holst wrote the preface to the published score. She noted that her father had suggested that if a prelude was needed, one of the hymns from his Choral Hymns of the Rig Veda, would help establish the appropriate atmosphere. LOTNY’s production of Travelers will incorporate that work as an interlude between the two principal works. The Little Opera Theatre of NY (LOTNY) is a chamber opera company that was founded in September of 2004 with a concert at The Kosciuszko Foundation. Last spring, LOTNY presented the New York Stage premiere of Mozart’s youthful opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto to sold-out houses, and received widespread press coverage. John Yohalem from Parterre Box commented, “it was a treat to see it [Mitridate] in an imaginative and well-paced production by LOTNY…” The New York Times noted the production featured “dazzling arias aplenty” and “fine performances”. Previous seasons have included the U.S. premiere of César Cui’s A Feast in the Time of the Plague with Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart & Salieriin a double-billed program entitled 2 Little Tragedies of Pushkin. The LOTNY repertory began with Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, and has expanded to include Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s opera, The Mother of Us All. Concert presentations have included: Make Believe, the music of Jerome Kern, The Bohemians, music of Giacomo Puccini; both presented at Socrates Sculpture Park as part of the city wide September Concert for 9/11. Work with living composers include the recent production of Inessa Zaretsky’s Man in a Black Coat as part of Target Margin’s Last Futurist Lab at The Bushwick Starr. Richard Cordova (Conductor) was recently appointed Music Director of the Little Opera Theatre of New York following his success as conductor for LOTNY’s New York stage Premiere of Mozart’s Mitridate, Re di Ponto. Mr. Cordova made his professional conducting debut leading the Scandinavian Premiere of Bernstein’sCandide in Bergen, Norway, and has subsequently conducted productions for Oper der Stadt Bonn, Opera North (New Hampshire), Sarasota Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Long Beach Opera, Berkshire Opera, Florida Grand Opera and Baltimore Opera. He has served as Music Director for both Julie Taymor’s Juan Darien during its initial off-Broadway inception (later conducting the work during its Tony Award nominated run at Lincoln Center Theater during the 1996-97 season); and earlier for Music-Theater Group’s groundbreaking off-Broadway production of Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All, an opera he later conducted more often than any other living conductor. As a pianist, he has collaborated with such artists as Martina Arroyo, Frederica von Stade, Renato Bruson, Florence Quivar and Julia Migenes, and has worked in this capacity for several major opera companies around the world. For the past eighteen years, he has toured internationally with various productions of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, conducting the work on four continents. He continues long standing artistic associations with both Des Moines Metro Opera and Sarasota Opera, having held various titles with the latter organization including that of Program and Music Director for the Studio Artists. Philip Shneidman (Director) founded the little OPERA Theatre of NY in the summer of 2004. Work includes: Mitridate, re di Ponto – the NYC stage premiere;La Finta Giardiniera, The Mother of Us with the artist Sherrie Levine, and 2 Little Tragedies of Pushkin with Mungo Thomson. Concerts include: Make Believe, The Bohemians and New York Music all at Socrates Sculpture Park. Mr. Shneidman has directed Eugene Onegin and Dialogues of the Carmelites at The Mannes College of Music. His theater directing credits include: A Drowned Girl [1919] (HERE); Fully Committed (Adirondack Theatre Festival) Romeo & Juliet (Queens Theatre in the Park). On Broadway and at Lincoln Center Theater he has served as the Assistant Director on The Full Monty, A Delicate Balance, The Heiress, Pride’s Crossing, among many others. Early days found him stage-managing operas such as Albert Herring (Aldeburgh Festival) and The Marriage of Figaro (Aspen Music Festival.) Maria Alu, soprano (Alison, The Wandering Scholar, matinee performances). Credits include Salt Marsh Opera, Lake George Opera, Annapolis Opera, West Bay Opera, The Princeton Festival, The Baroque Orchestra of NJ, The Bronx Opera, Little Opera Theater of New York, Utah Symphony & Opera, and Center City Opera Theater, among others. Upcoming performances include concerts with the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey and The Greater South Jersey Chorus. Sharin Apostolou, soprano (Alison, evening performances). Credits include the title role in Handel’s Rodelinda, Le Feu, La Princesse and Le Rossignol in Ravel’sL‘enfant et les Sortilèges (Portland Opera), Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Macao International Music Festival). Nanetta in Falstaff (Utah Opera), Alinda in Giasone (Opera Omnia), Susanna in an abridged version of Le nozze di Figaro (Bryant Park Fall Festival), Fortuna (cover) in Il Sogno di Scipione (Gotham Chamber Opera), and Argene in Ciro in Babilonia (Caramoor Opera Festival). Concert repertoire includes Handel’s Alexander’s Feast and Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem.  Heather Johnson, mezzo-soprano (Sāvitri, evening performances). Credits include the Metropolitan Opera’s Summer Recital Series and that company’s recent production of The Enchanted Island. She received high praise as the title role in La cenerentola and as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible with Sarasota Opera. Other engagements during the 2011-12 season include Mahler’sSymphony no. 2 with the St. Olaf Choir and Orchestra and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with PORT Opera. Ron Loyd, baritone (Louis, The Wandering Scholar). Credits include Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore and the title role in Rigoletto (Salt Marsh Opera), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Marcello in La bohème (Baltimore Concert Opera), and Giorgio Germont in La traviata (Operafestival di Roma Symphony). His many musical theater roles include Max Von Mayerling in Sunset Boulevard(Mobile Opera) and Emile DeBecque in South Pacific (Light Opera of Oklahoma). Concert appearances include Israel in Egypt (Collegiate Chorale), Beethoven Ninth Symphony (Pensacola Symphony) and Messiah (Stonington Choral Society). Rufus Müller, tenor (Satyavān, Sāvitri). Credits include the world premiere of Jonathan Miller’s acclaimed production of the St. Matthew Passion, which he also recorded for United and broadcast on BBC TV; he has repeated his performance in three revivals of the production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Operatic roles include Tamino (Garsington Opera) Lucano in L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Houston Grand Opera), the title roles in Rameau’s Pygmalion and Lully’sPersée (Opera Atelier in Toronto). Toby Newman, mezzo-soprano (Sāvitri, matinee performances). Credits include Dorabella in Così fan tutte (St. Petersburg Opera, Operamission), Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti (Anchorage Opera), Tisbe in La cenerentola (Connecticut Opera), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Light Opera Company of Salisbury, Amato Opera) Meg Page in Falstaff (Natchez Festival of Music) and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Mostly Baroque Players). Ms. Newman collaborates regularly with Meredith Monk, having sung with Ms. Monk on multiple recordings and concerts at Carnegie Hall among many other settings. Benjamin Robinson, tenor (Pierre, The Wandering Scholar). Credits include Tamino (Opera del West), Malcolm in Macbeth and Lt. Cable in South Pacific(Anchorage Opera), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (Raylynmor Opera), and The Electrician in Powder Her Face. Guest soloist, Cape Cod Symphony and Chatham Chorale. Several seasons as resident artist with Ohio Light Opera, and an apprenticeship with Kentucky Opera. Jeffrey Tucker, bass (Father Philippe, The Wandering Scholar). Credits include: New York City Opera (Margaret Garner, Agrippina, L’etoile), Sarasota Opera (Rigoletto, I Due Foscari, The Crucible, Tosca, Don Carlos), Virginia Opera (The Mikado), and Opera Saratoga (Rigoletto). His varied concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah and Dettingen Te Deum, Mozart’s Requiem and Solemn Vespers, and Bach’s Magnificat. Neil Patel (Set Designer) Recent Credits include Maria Stuarda at the Houston Grand Opera, The Morini Strad at Primary Stages, Now.Here.This at the Vineyard Theater, My Children, My Africe for the Signature Theater, Jitney for the Two River Theater Company, By The Way, Meet Vera Stark at Second Stage, American Night at the La Jolla Playhouse and the Center Theater Group, Oleanna and Wonderland on Broadway, and the HBO series In Treatment. Past credits include the Tony Award winning Side Man on Broadway, the Pulitzer Prize winning Dinner with Friends in its New York premiere and on National Tour and numerous theater, dance and opera credits in the United States, Japan and Europe. Lara de Bruijn (Costume Designer) credits include Berkshire Theatre Festival, LaMaMa, Peterborough Players, Flux Theatre, WORKhouse Theatre, Chutzpah! Festival, Trinity Rep Consortium, Actors Studio Drama School, among others. Upcoming productions include The Public with The Flea Theater, A Little Night Music with Castleton Opera Festival, and Man in a Black Coat with little Opera. Natalie Robin (Lighting Designer) is the winner of the Apollo Lighting 2011 Standing O Award and was chosen as a 2008 Young Designer to Watch by Live Design Magazine. In 2009 and 2010, she participated in the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and has been a guest artist at Williams, Bard and Muhlenberg Colleges. This spring she returned to BAM for Poetry 2012 and to Williams College for The Importance of Being Ernest, and made her design debut at Dallas Theater Center with Next Fall and God of Carnage. With little Opera: Two Little Tragedies of Pushkin and Mitridate re di Ponto. Amanda Clegg Lyon (Lighting Designer) credits include JapanNYC Festival/NYTW, Harbor Lights Theater, Morningside Opera, CNR Drama, Infinite Variety Productions, MixTape Dance, Chautauqua Theater Company, The Garage Theatre Group, A Red Orchid Theatre, and The Athens Centre Touring Company, among others. Upcoming productions include Man in a Black Coat with little Opera.

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