Who the H... is Georges Aperghis? 
- 1996 Opera Production 

Cabaret Aperghis - Biographies (1996) 

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CREATIVE TEAM

MARGUERITE WITVOET, music director

As music director, pianist and vocal coach, Marguerite has been instrumental in the development and performance of many contemporary opera and music theatre projects across Canada, with companies such as Autumn Leaf Performance, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Current Sound Operations), Solun Theatre, Vancouver New Music and Zebra Shvungk. Marguerite has been heard on CBC Stereo's Two New Hours as part of the Modern Day Diva concert series and in the opera The Star Catalogues. In 1994, she was Music Director for a theatrical presentation of Georges Aperghis' Recitations at the Shaw Festival Academy. A genuine interest in the many forms of music theatre has led Marguerite to perform in musical comedy and cabaret shows with Colwell Arts Management, Garden City Productions, the Shaw Festival, Toronto Operetta Theatre and the 1995 and 1996 Starry Night AIDS Benefits in Vancouver. Marguerite is presently preparing to direct the music for the upcoming premieres of two new Canadian works: Still Moon on Fire, opening in Toronto in October, 1996, and The Gang in Vancouver in April of 1997.

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GRAHAM COZZUBBO, director

Graham is a director, actor and educator. A co-founder and past Artistic Director of Calgary's New Century Stage, Graham is also former Artistic Associate at Alberta Theatre Projects and a teacher of spoken voice at the Mount Royal College Conservatory, Calgary. Directing credits for New Century Stage include Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice. For Banff Music Theatre, he directed the Canadian premiere of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's Bow Down, and at the Toronto Fringe Festival '93 he directed a new work, Unrequited Pine. Recent directing credits include Hear Me Out! for New Works Calgary and the National Arts Centre, a workshop of Rendezvous of Light for the Victorian Theatre Company in Baltimore, co-direction of The Rake's Progress for the Banff Festival of the Arts, El Cimarrón (Banff and Toronto's Sonic Boom Festival), assistant directing the Banff/Nouvel Ensemble Moderne co-production of Wozzeck with Nicholas Muni, and serving as the Consulting Director on Goethe's Faust at Equity Showcase Theatre (Toronto). Graham is currently Assistant Artistic Director of Banff's 20th Century Opera and Song Program.

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DEBORAH RATELLE, stage manager

Deborah is the Production Stage Manager for Spiderwoman Theatre and has been the on-and-off Production Manager at Native Earth Performing Arts for the past six years. She was the Stage Manager for the New York Theatre Workshops' production of The Rez Sisters and since then, she has worked as a Stage Manager at the Vineyard Theatre and with Spiderwoman at Dance Theatre Workshop in New York. Most recently, she stage managed Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth in Toronto. She tours extensively and this fall will be working with Spiderwoman doing stagecraft workshops in native communities in Oklahoma and Arizona. She is happy to be back in Banff where she worked with the Aboriginal Arts Program as the production collaborator on Trail of the Otter this past February.

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BRENT JOHNSON, technician and lighting design

Brent is very pleased to be a part of the Banff Arts Festival and in particular, the wonderful company of this unique Cabaret! Most recently, Brent worked in his hometown of Fredericton with Theatre New Brunswick (1992-1995) as Assistant Production Manager/Second Lighting Technician, as well as Sound Technician on two shows and too many other titles to mention. Just before Christmas of 1995, Brent completed a two month, cross Canada tour with a musical act. Presently, Brent is living in London, Ontario where his partner is starting her second season as Head of Wardrobe at the Grand Theatre. Brent would like to thank the Drayton Festival in Ontario for allowing him to come to Banff ... in the middle of his contract!

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RHONDA COATES, costumer

This is Rhonda's third season with The Banff Festival of the Arts. It has been a most enjoyable experience working with the Cabaret Aperghis collective and helping to project visual interpretations of this unique music. When not in Banff, Rhonda's home is with her family in Red Deer, Alberta, and her work is as the Program co-ordinator for the new Costume Cutting and Construction Program at Red Deer College.

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COMPANY

ANITA WILSON, piano

A native of Calgary, Anita began to study piano at the age of 6. Some of her early enthusiasm was cultivated during summers at the Banff Centre for the Arts, under such teachers as Gyorgy Sebok and Marek Jablonski. She came to Victoria to study with Dr. Robin Wood at UVIC and completed a Bachelor degree in Music in 1991, graduating with distinction. The following year Anita became an Associate of the Victoria Conservatory of Music as both performer and teacher, and is currently there on faculty.

Anita has been a featured soloist with the Victoria Civic Orchestra and has accompanied numerous recitals, competitions and master-classes. Other highlights as an accompanist have included broadcasts on CBC Radio and the Commonwealth Games Gala, performing with tenor Richard Margison for Queen Elizabeth II. Last year she was the Music Director for the Victoria Conservatory of Music's Opera Studio production of The Tales of Hoffmann. Anita has been involved as répétiteur in productions with the UVIC Opera Nova, the Conservatory's Opera Studio and Pacific Opera's education concerts. Next year, she will be a featured soloist in the Victoria Symphony's "Classics" series, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto #22 in E flat major.

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MARIA REIDSTRA, soprano

Maria was last seen in Banff as the Nurse/Maid in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Maria has a varied career including opera, concerts, music theatre and film. Some of her favourite roles include: the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors (TSP Concerts), The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (Viva Voci Concerts), Miss Stacy in Anne of Green Gables (K-W Musical Productions), Rose in The Secret Garden (Theatre Orangeville) and just recently, she finished filming for Officer Petra in the John Greyson film, Uncut.

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MARIA KOWAN, soprano

After completing a Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet at the University of British Columbia, Maria completed an Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance at the Vancouver Academy of Music. Maria has sung recitals at the Vancouver Academy of Music, Vancouver Women's' Musical Club, Vancouver Arts Council and recently, at the Vancouver Art Gallery. She is currently enrolled at the University of Toronto Opera School, where she performed the role Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. Other roles include Witch in Dido and Aeneas (Western Concert opera), Dorabilla in Cosi Fan Tutti, the Mother Les Côtes d'Hoffman (Vancouver Academy of Music). Maria sang with the Vancouver Opera Chorus for three seasons and will return to Vancouver later this summer to sing in Vancouver Opera's presentation of Opera and Shakespeare.

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SHANNON UNGER, soprano

Shannon completed her Bachelor of Music at the University of Manitoba. She has been a chorus member with the Manitoba Opera Association, Winnipeg Singers, Winnipeg Baroque Ensemble and the CBC Hymn Sing chorus. Shannon has directed productions of The Beggar's Opera, The Old Maid and the Thief and Amahl and the Night Visitors with the New voices Opera Co. Her oratorio credits include solo work in Mendelssohn's Elijah and Handel's Messiah.

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JOHN TESSIER, tenor

In 1995, John was the winner of the London Opera Guild Scholarship Competition, and in the same year he also took the Lawson Prize, London Music Scholarship Foundation. He is presently tenor soloist with First St. Andrew's United Church, London, Ontario, and has performed as soloist for Madrigal Singers, Guelph Chamber Choir, UWO Opera Theatre and the Banff Arts Festival (Stravinsky's Les Noces). John completed a Bachelor of Music degree (voice performance) at the University of Colorado, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Music degree (voice performance) at the University of Western Ontario.

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PATRICK VISSEQ, piano

Patrick originally has studied in Paris, France, as well as at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England. He has coached master classes for Laura Sarti, Norman Shetler, Walter Moore, Ferenc Rados, and he was coach for Frau Kammersangerin Sena Jurinac's master classes in Vienna in 1993-94. He is accompanist for the International Belvedere Competition, and has recently worked as accompanist and coach in France, Austria and Germany.

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ANDREW MORRIS, percussion

Andy Morris is a percussionist presently living in Toronto. While he enjoys freelancing opportunities with the likes of Nexus, Arraymusic, Toronto Symphony, New Music Concerts and the Esprit Orchestra, recently his focus has been more intimate ensembles. He is a co-founder of the music theatre company Zebra Schvungk and a member of the Flaming Dono Dance and Drum Ensemble. Andy also regularly appears as a duo with master drummer Fred Kwasi Donyo of Ghana. For the past seven years he has performed as a member of the Evergreen Club Gamelan which recently released a CD titled Palace on the Artefact label.

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