Glory Denied BIOS

Tom Cipullo, Composer

Composer Tom Cipullo’s works have been heard at major concert halls on four continents, from San Francisco to Tel Aviv, from Stockholm to LaPaz.  He has received commissions from the Mirror Visions Ensemble, the Joy in Singing, Sequitur, Cantori New York, tenor Paul Sperry, mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Hart, pianist Jeanne Golan, soprano Hope Hudson, and the New York Festival of Song; and he has received awards and fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Copland House, the Oberpfaelzer Kuenstlerhaus (Bavaria), ASCAP, Meet the Composer, and the Jory Copying Program.  The New York Times has called his music “haunting,” and The Boston Globe remarked that his work “literally sparkled with wit.”  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has called him “an expert in writing for the voice.”  To honor his contributions to the American art song repertoire, the Lincoln Center Library and Joy in Singing sponsored a retrospective concert of Tom Cipullo’s works at Cooper-Union’s Great Hall in 2000.  In 2006-07, Tom Cipullo has received an Aaron Copland Award from Copland House, and the Phyllis Wattis Prize for song composition from the San Francisco Song Festival.

Mr. Cipullo recently completed his first opera, Glory Denied.  The work, after the book by journalist Tom Philpott, is based on the true story of America’s longest-held prisoner of war.  The piece was premiered by the Brooklyn College Opera Theater in 2007 and will have its professional premiere by the Remarkable Theater Brigade in New York in June 2008.  Writing for The New York Times, Anne Midgette said of the work: “It is tonal, melting into aching lushness,…propelled by driving Bernstein-like syncopations, with a bite to its harmonies where different versions of the same truth converge.”  Excerpts from Glory Denied were presented by New York City Opera at its Vox 2004 festival. In its review of that presentation, The New York Times called the piece “intriguing and unconventional,” and cited the work’s “teeming, hard-edged Neo-Romantic style.” 

Tom Cipullo received his Master’s degree in composition from Boston University and his B.S. from Hofstra University, Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors in music.  He studied composition and orchestration with David Del Tredici, Elie Siegmeister, and Albert Tepper.  Mr. Cipullo is a founding member of the Friends & Enemies of New Music, an organization that has presented more than 60 concerts featuring the music of over 175 different American composers.

Tom Cipullo’s song cycles A Visit with Emily and Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House are published by Oxford University Press.  His works have been recorded on the Albany, CRI, PGM, and Capstone labels.

Steven Crawford, Conductor

Maestro Crawford once again joined the roster of conductors for the Metropolitan Opera last season with two performances of La Bohème of which one was his Sirius radio broadcast debut.  Shortly following those performances, he was thrilled to be chosen to conduct the world premiere of HONOR, a requiem for orchestra, chorus and soloists composed by Christian McLeer in honor of those who have died in service to our country.  More recently, he conducted Les Contes d’Hoffmann for his second season with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, for whom his performances of Don Giovanni last summer were noted by the New York Times as “lively, taut, and polished.”   Upcoming for Maestro Crawford are Don Giovanni for Dayton Opera, Otello with Vero Beach Opera, and The Medium/Pagliacci for Syracuse Opera.  On a different note, Maestro Crawford was recently awarded the honor of Vocal Coach of the Year by Classical Singer magazine.

Having finished his ninth and final year as a member of the conducting staff at the Met, his most recent projects included Faust, the world premiere of An American Tragedy, and the critically acclaimed revival of Cyrano.  He recently conducted Kirke Meecham’s Tartuffe in Portland OR, and earlier La Cenerentola with the Cincinnati Opera, where he had been called "the find of the evening" for stepping in on twelve hours notice to conduct Il Barbiere di Siviglia, simultaneously accompanying the recitatives on the fortepiano.

After working as Music Director of the Illinois Opera Theatre, Maestro Crawford was engaged as resident conductor of the Florida Grand Opera for five years.  During that time, he conducted fifteen different productions, working with such great artists as Sherill Milnes, Carol Neblett, Justino Diaz, and Barbara Daniels.  Maestro Crawford has also conducted productions for Chautauqua Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Nevada Opera and Opera Northeast.  Upon his arrival in New York City, he was immediately engaged by the Metropolitan Opera Guild as Music Director for their production of a newly commissioned opera for young people.

An excellent symphonic conductor and proponent of contemporary music, Maestro Crawford was engaged by the New York Philharmonic as cover conductor for Maestro Kurt Masur for the American premiere of Minoru Miki's Symphony for Two Worlds.  During the '98 season, he made his New York City conducting debut in the NYC City premiere of A Chekov Trilogy by Richard Wargo. Before leaving South Florida, he was asked to conduct the New World Symphony in the Concerto for Saxophone by Don Martino and returned the following year as guest soloist for the world premiere of John Nelson's Fantasies and Flourishes, an interactive concerto for disklavier and orchestra.

Maestro Crawford continues to have an active career in accompanying when his conducting schedule permits.  He has in the past accompanied Justino Diaz and Pablo Elvira in Puerto Rico, Aprile Millo in Sao Paolo, Richard Cowan on Belle Île en Mer, and Ortrun Wenkel and Håkan Hagegåard in Miami.

Monica Harte, Young Alyce

She is the soprano soloist on the critically acclaimed 2007 CD release McLeer's Requiem. Also, she is the featured performer on the CD Songs from Another Place singing music by George Brunner, Bern Herbolsheimer and Morris Lang; and, Long Island Songs, music by Tom Cipullo, Anne Phillips, Christian McLeer and George Brunner, both scheduled for release in 2008 on MSR Classics Record Label. She is also featured on The Tempest Project CD to be released in 2008 by POGUS Productions Record Label and recently recorded Robert Voisey’s song cycle, Music in Motion, for his future CD.

Ms. Harte is the General Director (and co-founder) of Remarkable Theater Brigade, producing contemporary operas and concerts in NYC and has produced and presented 25 world premiers for New York audiences since its inception.

Miss Harte maintains a private voice studio in New York City and is on the faculty at Brooklyn College.  Her students are having great success at the professional and young artist levels. They are currently singing with major opera companies including The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and Washington National Opera as well as young artist programs such as Glimmerglass, Des Moines Metro, and St. Louis Opera.

Noby Ishida, Assistant Conductor

Noby Ishida earned a Master of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music, having earned his MA from the University of California at Berkeley.   He has been a vocal coach and assistant conductor with the International Opera Academy of Rome and has served on the faculties of Bennington College, University of Miami, Temple University, CUNY and The New School.  

Noby has been music director and conductor for Opera Northeast and has also conducted several productions for the Belleayre Festival Opera. He will be assistant conductor and orchestral pianist for Remarkable Theater Brigade’s upcoming production of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, starring Chris Trakas, to be performed in June in New York City. Noby is also running his own young artist program, giving young singers an opportunity to sing with professionals and perform in concert operas in venues throughout New York City. Noby has performances of Le Nozze di Figaro, his first production, scheduled for late spring and summer.

As accompanist, he has performed in numerous halls in New York City including Merkin Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Bechstein Center, Steinway Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.

Noby is a freelance vocal coach in New York City, working with artists who sing for major opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera among others.

Gretchen Mundinger, Old Alyce

Soprano, Gretchen Mundinger re-creates the role of Alyce for RTB’s production of Glory Denied. She created the role in the original college production at Brooklyn College for which she received a positive New York Times review. The single original cast member that composer, Tom Cipullo, chose for the professional premiere, Miss Mundinger is finding early success as a young soprano with a big voice.

Miss Mundinger most recently performed the role of The Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in concert with conductor Noby Ishida and the 3 Goddesses in the International Electroacoustic Music Festival’s staged production of The Tempest Project, based on the 2 CD set to be released by POGUS Productions. Written for her, she premiered the piece entitled Summoning by George Brunner, in New York City in 2007 and is featured singing it on the upcoming CD.

Other recent operatic roles include The Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors, Amor in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, The 3^rd Lady in The Magic Flute, Frasquita in Carmen, Bridget O’Malley in A.F.R.A.I.D, and Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus.  A proponent of new music, she is a member of RTB, touring with the company and performing for special events. She will also be singing 2 world premiere compositions in the Emerging Composer’s Concert for IEMF.

Miss Mundinger’s private vocal studio is very active and her students have performed off-Broadway in the Fringe Festival and in the Cabaret circuit. Miss Mundinger has just received her Master’s Degree from Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.

Scott Murphree, Young Jim Thompson

Scott Murphee, Tenor, is a distinguished singer of the concert, recital and opera stage. As a featured soloist, he appeared in Handel's "Saul" for the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. Paul Griffiths of The New York Times reported that he "gave an excellent performance as Jonathan, radiant and expressive, completely in command," as well as declaring his opening aria as "one of the musical high points... [which] gave everyone a lift." His other solo concert engagements include appearances with the Eos Orchestra of New York, the Newberry Consort of Chicago, the Friends and Enemies of New Music, the Mirror Visions Ensemble, the Symphony of Southeast Texas, the Holy Trinity Bach Foundation and Bachworks. He has been a featured soloist in concerts of Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Handel's Messiah and Bach's Mass in B minor. He also has appeared in concerts at several summer music festivals, including the Cape May Music Festival, the Music Festival of the Hamptons, the Aspen Music Festival as well as the Pacific Music festival in Japan.

In Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Mr. Murphree gave a solo recital of songs commissioned by the late Alice Esty. He also has appeared at Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y and Town Hall, singing the songs of Ned Rorem with the composer at the piano. He has worked closely with other composers such as Robert Beaser and Richard Hundley, and has premiered works written especially for him by Yehudi Wyner, Christopher Berg, Tom Cipullo and Richard Pearson Thomas. Mr. Murphree often gives song recitals and has been heard in New York at Florence Gould Hall, Cooper Union and the Kosciuzsko Foundation among others. In addition, he has given recitals abroad in Paris, London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Stockholm.

Mr. Murphree has participated in several world premieres of operas. This spring he sang the role of Percy Bysshe Shelly in the premiere of Allan Jaffe's opera, "Mary Shelley," at the Ethical Culture Society. He also sang the role of Arviragus in the premiere of "Cymbeline" by Christopher Berg, and he sang the title role for the premiere of Tina Davidson's "Billy and Zelda" with Opera Delaware. Furthermore, he has sung roles in the acclaimed productions of Britten's "Paul Bunyan" with the Glimmerglass Opera, and in Jonathan Miller's staged version of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Among his honors, he was given the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Award, and was selected as finalist for both the Joy in Singing Award and the PoulencPlus! Centennial Competition. He received his education at the University of North Texas, Yale University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Joachim Schamberger, Director

Joachim Schamberger is rapidly gaining a reputation in the United States and Europe as a fine stage director who blends the convention of opera with a keen sense of realism. This season began with a new production of Sweeney Todd at Shreveport Opera.  He used his own virtual theater design as well as directed the production.  He then returns to Coburg Opera in Germany where he will use the same technique for a new production of The Wizard of Oz.  In March he will make his debut with Indianapolis Opera directing a production of Tosca.

Last season he made his debut at Coburg Opera in Germany directing a new production of Martha. In the 2005 season Mr. Schamberger directed Alcina in Burlington Vermont. Following this was his debut at Connecticut Grand Opera directing Puccini’s La Bohème. Also, his production of Little Red Riding Hood for Atlanta Opera’s outreach was remounted and he was  assistant director to Dejan Miladinovic in The Abduction from the Seraglio at the same company. 2005 also marked his debut at Shreveport Opera directing Rigoletto

In recent seasons he has been assistant director for productions of Ariadne auf Naxos with Pittsburgh Opera, Fidelio, Eugene Onegin, and Aida with Atlanta Opera, The Rape of Lucretia and Don Pasquale with the Merola Opera Program.  Mr.Schamberger has worked in the United States, Europe and Israel. Born in Germany, he studied voice, piano, conducting and classical guitar. He also studied music, theater and languages at the Musikhochschule in Würzburg and the Opera school of the Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim. He began his directing experience with Suor Angelica and Dialogues des Carmelites for the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv and Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, and Ariadne auf Naxos for the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College in New York.

In 2004, Mr. Schamberger joined the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco, directing the Grand Finale concert, including scenes from Idomeneo, Clemenza di Tito, Tote Stadt, Meistersinger, Rosenkavalier, Pelleas et Melisande, L’Amico Fritz, Otello, Manon, Cavalleria Rusticana, Adriana Lecouvreur, Sonnambula, Mignon, Rake’s Progress, Queen of Spades, Ariodante, Ezio, Candide, Le Roi d’Ys, and Matrimonio Segreto.

Chris Trakas, Old Jim Thompson

Chris Pedro Trakas is noted for the intensity he brings to a broad and eclectic repertoire. His career highlights include Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera (James Levine), Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Seiji Ozawa) and the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the St. Louis Symphony (Hans Vonk). Mr. Trakas is a distinguished recitalist and has collaborated with many important pianists including James Levine (Dichterliebe, Histoires Naturelles, Don Quichotte a Dulcinee - Ravinia Festival), Francois Rene Duchable ( interreise - Newport), James Tocco and Ruth Laredo (Bernstein - Arias and Barcarolles, Symphony Space) and David del Tredici at Weill Hall in the world premiere of the composer/pianist's Three Baritone Songs. On Lincon Center's Great Performers series he shared recitals with Amy Burton, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and pianists Glenn Parker, John Musto, Michael Barret and Steven Blier. Mr. Trakas sang the "Count" opposite Renee Fleming's "Countess" in Gian Carlo Menoti' Spoleto Festival production of Le Nozze di Figaro and recently received critical acclaim for his performance of "Alberich" in Christopher Alden's new production of Wagner's The Rheingold with Jonathan Sheffer's Eos Orchestra. His many recordings include Hyperion's Complete Songs of Ernest Chausson with Felicity Lott, Ann Murray and pianist Graham Johnson, chosen by London's The Guardian as "Classical CD of the Week" upon it's release. Formerly on the voice faculty of the North Carolina School of the Arts, he has also been a guest instructor at the Juilliard School, where he covered the songs of Brahms, Barber, Wolf, Ravel and Musto. He holds B.A. and M.M.degrees in music history, organ and voice from Eckerd College and theUniversity of Houston.

Christian McLeer, Artistic Director and Producer

Christian McLeer received his first commission at 14 for the American Cancer Society, for which he wrote and performed Hope, later recorded by Anna Marie Botazzi on her CD Encores 2. Mr. McLeer’s success sky-rocketed from there and by 25 he had won numerous piano competitions, performed his works at Carnegie, Steinway and Merkin Concert Halls, received more than 20 commissions and co-founded his own professional company, Remarkable Theater Brigade (RTB).

Mr. McLeer's first full-length show for RTB was G Train The Musical, an electroacoustic musical comedy composed with samples taken from the New York subways. The show was produced at the ArcLight Theater in Manhattan and played to 4 sold-out crowds. Natchez Opera Festival in Mississippi will produce the show this summer and there is a recent request by a company in Paris to produce a version in French for a small theater there.

Most recently, Mr. McLeer's Requiem, played to a sold-out house in New York City and has been produced on CD, currently being sold on iTunes. Future recordings include his song cycle Longing, Eternal Bliss written for and sung by Monica Harte on her upcoming CD Long Island Songs, slated for release in 2008 on MSR Classics Record Label; and Ariel's World, which he wrote for the Tempest Project that was recently performed live for the International Electroacoustic Music Festival.

Mr. McLeer’s compositions have been well received in the press as well as the public. Justin Davidson of Newsday said “…the high point of the evening turned out to be… an effective work by Christian McLeer. Awake is an expert piece of choral writing...” Performing his own work won him this comment from Al Monaco of the Herald Courier “When [McLeer] sat down at the Chippendale Steinway... the audience began a journey into virtuosity,” and Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times wrote “…richness of ideas in The Grandfather Clocks, a charming and expressive musical panorama… with echoes of Maurice Sendak.”

In addition to his position as artistic director of RTB, Mr. McLeer keeps busy as the artist-in-residence for the National Chorale, Brooklyn Tech HS and Fort Hamilton HS. He is also musical director for Jan Hus Church and has   recently accepted the position of musical director for the Natchez Opera Festival Educational Outreach.  He is also the sound engineer for the TV show Nova Rock, currently being filmed and has just completed the original score for the short independent film in between written and produced by Gail Bell.