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Kafka's Chimp - 1996 Opera
Production
Biographies
CREATIVE TEAM
John
Metcalf, Composer
Mark Morris, Librettist
Keith Turnbull, Director
Richard Pittman, Music Director
David Gaucher, Set/Costume
Designer
Claude Accolas, Lighting Designer
Nicole Mion, Choreographer
Nicolette Theroux, Stage Manager
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THE ORIGINAL COMPANY
Parmela
Attariwala, Violin
Krista Buckland, Viola
Kim Cooper, Petronella
Michel Corbeil, Attendant/Waiter
Chantal Deeble, Petra
Steven Horst, Red Peter
Christine Huang, Marimba
Michael Jones, Director
Allyson McHardy, Frieda
Frances Pappas, Kaye
Peter Pavlovsky, Double Bass
Dave St. Pierre, Young Peter/Pierrot
Chiyoko Szlavnics, Soprano Sax
John Thompson, Percussion
Liz Upchurch, Piano/Coach
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CREATIVE TEAM
JOHN METCALF
Composer
A joint UK/Canadian citizen, John
Metcalf now lives in South West Wales. Starting in the late 1960's his
successful compositions embrace a large variety of work that contains
two strong and consistent threads: a deep interest in music and theatre
and an intense involvement in music for the human voice.
Major works have marked his development
including five operas, two commissioned from the Welsh National Opera.
Other seminal early works include Auden Songs (1973) and Dyad
for String Orchestra (1977). In the middle 1980's John wrote three
major works for the voice: The Great Question Mark (1983), The
Crossing (1984) and The Boundaries of Time to words
by Mark Morris.
In 1986 he was appointed Artistic
Director of Banff Music Theatre and Composer-in-Residence. In 1989,
while at Banff, he completed the opera Tornrak, commissioned for Welsh
National Opera. It employs Inuit throat singing techniques and other
extended vocal sounds to create a remarkable synthesis of native singing
movement and language.
John is Artistic Director of the Vale
of Glamorgan Festival, whose artistic policy is to present exclusively
the works of living composers. In 1994, the Festival received the
highest accolade in the Arts in Britain; being awarded the Prudential
Award for the Arts. In 1995, in the town of his birth, Swansea, John
received the John Edwards Memorial award by the Guild for the Promotion
of Welsh Music for his services to music in Wales. John is an Associate
Composer of the Canadian Music Centre.
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MARK MORRIS
Librettist
Mark Morris, librettist, poet and music
critic, is one of the few writers anywhere who has made writing words
for composers central to his art. Kafka's Chimp is his
fourth opera libretto. His second, The Skin Drum with
composer Julian Grant, was also created at Banff and won the 1988 Opera
Association of North America Chamber Opera Competition. His fifth
libretto, Benedetta, was the basis of his recently completed
PhD (the first English Creative Writing PhD in Canada). He has
collaborated with composers on many other works, including a large scale
cantata with John Metcalf. He has written widely for magazines and
newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, and his second book, Guide
to 20th-Century Composers, is being published by Methuen this
November. He has directed in both theatre and opera, including works by
Havel, Shakespeare, Beckett, Auden and Isherwood, Feydeau, Humperdinck,
Puccini, Weill and Vaughan Williams. He was the Director of the Opera
Workshop at the University of Calgary, and founded a Spring/Summer Opera
Performance Course with Mel Braun, which is being offered again at the
University of Manitoba next summer. He has been at Banff every year
since 1986 in a variety of capacities, from creating work at the
Leighton Artist Studios to writing two evening shows for the 1994 Banff
Festival. He took part in the Arts Journalism program in 1994. He is
currently preparing an Ideas program for CBC, on Auden the librettist.
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KEITH TURNBULL
Director
Keith was Artistic Director of the
Manitoba Theatre Centre, and of Second Stage, Neptune Theatre. After
directing James Reaney's acclaimed Donnelly Trilogy at Tarragon Theatre,
Keith founded The NDWT Co., and from 1975 to 1981 directed, adapted,
wrote, produced and designed a number of productions, many of which
toured nationally. With NDWT he started a native theatre company from
which emerged many of Canada's most noted aboriginal performers. Keith
has directed new and traditional, theatre and opera repertoire across
Canada and abroad. He has taught at the University of Manitoba, National
Theatre School, the University of Calgary, and the Banff Centre. Keith
is currently artistic director/executive producer of Theatre Arts at The
Banff Centre.
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RICHARD PITTMAN
Music Director
Richard Pittman is the Music Director
of the Boston Musica Viva, which he founded and has led to international
distinction as one of the best 20th century music ensembles in the
world. He and the BMV were the recipients of the Laurel Leaf Award for
1991 from the American Composers Alliance for distinguished achievement
in fostering and encouraging American music. He is also the Music
Director of the Concord Orchestra, which he conducts in a series of 12
concerts per season.
Mr. Pittman is a frequent guest
conductor with the BBC. Some of his other engagements include the Royal
Philharmonic (London), the National Symphony (Washington, DC), the
Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Hamburg Symphony, the London Sinfonietta,
the City of London Sinfonia, the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, the
Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Virginia Philharmonic, the
Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt) and the Erick Hawkins Dance Company (New
York). As an Opera conductor Richard Pittman has worked at the American
Repertory Theatre (Cambridge), the Huntington Theatre Company (Boston),
the Boston Lyric Opera, the Kentucky Opera, the Tulsa Opera, Opera
Omaha, the American Music Theatre Festival (Philadephia) and the Serious
Fun Festival, Lincoln Center, New York.
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DAVID GAUCHER
Set/Costume Designer
Since 1987, David Gaucher has
participated in numerous productions in Montreal for the cinema and the
stage. Theatre has always been his favourite playground, however, and
this is where he has concentrated his efforts in the last few years. In
1994 his extravagant set design for the highly irreverent and memorable Ubu
Roi by Alfred Jarry won him a "prix du public" for
best scenic design and an invitation to the last Prague Quadriennial.
David works mostly with contemporary authors notably Michel Tremblay,
Brad Fraser, David Mamet, etc. He is well known in Montreal for pushing
the limits of existing theatrical and technical boundaries in an
innovative fashion. David will be designing La Vie est Songe
by Pedro Calderon, christening the new home for Theatre du Nouveau
Monde, in Montreal.
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CLAUDE ACCOLAS
Lighting Designer
In the last twenty years, Claude has
done the lighting design for over 200 productions in Canada and other
countries. He has designed many of Michel Tremblay's works with director
André Brassard. Although Claude is primarily a theatre lighting
designer, he has also worked in opera, variety, television and
architecture. Between 1981 and 1992, Claude taught at the National
Theatre School. In 1993 he was honoured to receive the Felix Award for
best lighting design of the year.
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NICOLE MION
Choreographer
Nicole Mion has been active as a
choreographer and dancer, having created works across Canada for various
theatre and dance companies, as well as festivals. She is particularily
interested in collaborative works which fuse movement and text as in her
latest production Somewhere Between Fear and Desire Lies Passion. Her
work has been produced by Theatre Calgary, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks,
Canadian Stage Company, The Banff Centre and Springboard Dance where she
is a founding member and co-Artistic director.
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THE ORIGINAL COMPANY
PARMELA ATTARIWALA
Violin
Originally from Calgary, Parmela now
makes her home Toronto. She has studied at Indiana University, the Bern
Conservatory in Switzer land, and the University of London's School of
Oriental and African Studies in England from which she holds a Master's
Degree in Ethnomusicology. Parmela specializes in contemporary and
cross-cultural music. Earlier this year, she recorded a CD of new
contemporary music for violin and viola at the Banff Centre, which
includes collaborations with North Indian musicians.
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KRISTA BUCKLAND
Viola
Krista received her training in
Toronto, New York and Boston through funding from the Ontario Arts and
Canada Councils. She has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras
across the U.S. and Canada and as winner of the Eckhardt-Gramatte
Competition, made a nation-wide solo recital tour. Krista currently
resides in Toronto where she is Principal Second Violin of the Canadian
Opera Company Orchestra.
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KIMBERLEY COOPER
Dancer/Chimp
A native of Calgary, Kimberley has been
dancing all of her life. Currently she is dancing with Decidedly Jazz
Danceworks. She also dances with Intravenus Improv Group, and has
appeared as a guest artist with Springboard Dance Collective.
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MICHEL CORBEIL ,
Tenor
Waiter/Attendant
Born in Montreal, Michel is currently a
member of l'Atelier lyrique de L'Opera de Montreal and has performed in
many productions at L'Opera de Montreal including, this year, the role
of Monostatos in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. He studied voice
with Colette Binet, Sylvia Sauret and obtained a Bachelor's degree in
interpretation with William Neill at McGill University. He now is
studying with Ermanno Mauro.
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CHANTAL DEEBLE
Dancer/Chimp
After training at SFU and New York at
the Cunningham and Limon Studios, Chantal settled in Vancouver. She has
performed with Elizabeth Streb's Ringside Inc. (New York), was a member
of the Karen Jamieson Dance Company for 3 years and is presently a
member of The Holy Body Tattoo. She has worked with many independant
choreographers including Joe Laughlin, Susan McKenzie and Serge
Bennathan. Chantal danced in the 1995 Banff Arts Festival production of
Les Noces.
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STEVEN HORST ,
Baritone
Red Peter
Steven has appeared with Canada's major
opera companies and orchestras. As Resident Artist with the Canadian
Opera Company, he performed in numerous productions on the mainstage and
toured across Canada as the title role in Mozart's The Marriage of
Figaro .His operatic engagements of the 95/96 season included
performances of Ping in Turandot with Manitoba and
Edmonton Opera, Belcore in L'Elisir D'amore with
Pacific Opera Victoria, Shaunard in La bohème with
Calgary Opera and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with
Edmonton Opera.
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CHRISTINE HUANG
Marimba
In 1995, Christine graduated with
honours from the University of Toronto where she studied with Russell
Hartenberger of Nexus. Then she went on to study with Gaston Sylvestre
at CNR de Rueil- Malmaison in France. In the fall of 1995, Christine
received a commission grant from the Toronto Arts Council for Canadian
composer Christopher Paul Harman to write a solo marimba piece for her.
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MICHAEL DOUGLAS JONES ,
Bass
The Director
Michael has appeared throughout the
United States and Canada. This past year he drew praise for his
performance as the Doctor in The Banff Centre's production of Wozzeck
which toured to Montreal's Monument Nationale. Last year also saw him
debut with the New Orlean's Opera in the role of Zuniga in Carmen,
and singing in the world premieres of two twentieth century works:
Westegaard's The Tempest, creating the role of Caliban for the
Opera Festival of New Jersey, and with Vancouver New Music, The Star
Catalogues by Underhill, in the leading role of Tycho Brahe. Later
this year he will return to Anchorage Opera as Mephistofélès in Faust.
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ALLYSON McHARDY ,
Mezzo Soprano
Frieda
Allyson, from Oshawa, Ontario, has a
Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance (Honours) and an Opera Diploma
from Wilfrid Laurier University. She has won the Canadian Opera
Company's Young Singers Competition and the CIBC National Kiwanis (Voice
Category). Roles Allyson has sung include Miss Todd in Viva Voci's
production of The Old Maid & The Thief, Hansel in
Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and Alisa in
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Last year Allyson took part in
the Banff Arts Festival as a performer in An American Cabaret
and Oh My Baby. Upcoming engagements for Allyson include
a season with the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble.
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FRANCES PAPPAS ,
Mezzo-Soprano
Kaye
For the past two years Frances has been
a soloist at the Stadttheater Giessen in Germany and has sung numerous
roles including Ceneretola (Ceneretola ), Zerlina (Don
Giovanni ), Idamante (Idomeneo ) and The
Medium by Peter Maxwell Davies. She recently performed with
the Dave Brubeck Quintet in the European Premiere of Brubeck's La
Fiesta de la Posada. In addition to her work in the Classical and
Contemporary fields, Frances also performs Greek Folk music both in
Canada and abroad.
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PETER PAVLOVSKY
Double Bass
Peter graduated with Great Distinction
from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1991.
He then went on to Prague for two years to study privately with Radomir
Zalud, principal bass for the Czech Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Peter
played in the Regina Symphony Orchestra for four years and the National
Youth Orchestra of Canada for two years, touring across Canada with the
group in 1994. Currently he is freelancing in Toronto and studying
privately with Joel Quarrington, principal bass for the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra.
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DAVE St. PIERRE
Dancer/Chimp
A resident of Montreal, Dave is an
accomplished dancer/actor. Recently he performed in the American Tour of
JOE by Jean-Pierre Perreault. Dave has performed
extensively with Brouhaha Danse Company where he performed in Germany.
Dave has also performed with Mia Maure Danse, and in 1995 he performed
in Hommage a René Dupéré at Le Festival de Jazz de
Montreal.
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CHIYOKO SZLAVNICS
Saxophone
Chiyoko is a freelance musician and
composer based in Toronto, who graduated from the University of Toronto
Faculty of Music in 1989. She is a founding member of the 40 fingers
saxophone quartet, performs regularly with Hemispheres Music Projects,
and has composed music for these ensembles as well as several
contemporary dance projects across Canada, including choreography by
Robin Poitras, Bill James, and Michael Greyeyes/Floyd Favel. Chiyoko is
currently the co-artistic director of Art in Open Spaces, a bi-annual
performance series which commissions and presents new choreography and
music inspired by public sculptures in downtown Toronto.
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JOHN THOMPSON
Percussion
John Thompson is originally from
Halifax but now has to live and work in Toronto. John first came to
Banff in 1986 as a winter cycle participant. As well as numerous Banff
Centre productions, John has appeared as a soloist or ensemble member
with Arraymusic, New Music Concerts (Toronto), Esprit Orchestra, Kokoro
Dance (Vancouver), Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Philharmonic, Canadian
Opera Company, Miss Saigon, Showboat and various
other, dance, theatre, new music and bar room ensembles.
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ELIZABETH UPCHURCH
Piano
Liz was born in London, England and
studied at the Royal Academy of Music. There she won many competitions
for both solo piano and accompaniment. In 1991 she was the Royal
Overseas League winner for accompaniment. Her career as a recitalist in
lieder and chamber music has taken her all over Europe; broadcasts
include the BBC. Her work as a vocal coach and pianist include the
Britten Pears School, Clontyr Opera, and the Lady Walton Foundation
Opera Course with Colin Graham, Leonard Hancock and Martin Isepp. Liz's
work at Banff in the past includes coaching and performing in the
Integration Program, the Banff production and tour of Henze's El
Cimarron , and the studio workshops of Kafka's Chimp
by John Metcalf and Mark Morris.
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Theatre: History:
Opera: Kafka's Chimp - 1996 Production