Gallantry
by Douglas MooreDirected by Dr. Robert Scott
Accompanied by Frank Beyer
Dr. Robert C. Scott is a retired Professor from Texas
A&M University Kingsville where he taught for 38 years in the Department of
Music. His field is opera and musical theater. He has a Doctorate from
the University of Texas at Austin with a specialty in opera. During his career
he judged the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions three times for the state
of Oklahoma In Corpus Christi he did musical direction for the Harbor Playhouse
and conducted the first performance in that theater in l976. For 13 years
he had a show on Saturday afternoons on KEDTFM, South Texas Opera when the
Metropolitan Opera was not broadcasting. This is his fourth
production of Gallantry and he is excited to be working with this company.
(artists listed in order of appearance)
Laurie Bryce, the announcer
Laurie Bryce,
mezzo-soprano, a graduate of the University of Toledo, has studied music at the
Juilliard School and voice with Flicka Rahn. Vocal coaches include Dorothy
Randall and Vincent La Selva, orchestral conductor of New York City Opera. A multi-faceted performer, Laurie
made her equity debut as a principal actor in “A Cole Porter Revue” in Sharon,
Connecticut. Other east coast
credits include Lady Thiang, Miss Todd in
“The Old Maid and the Thief”, as well as sacred concert work. She has performed at both the Texas and
Minnesota Renaissance Festivals, was a Texas Artist in Residence and has also
sung with the gospel group Kindred in the shadows of the Andes. Laurie is currently the soloist
at Congregation Beth Israel.
Other local venues include the CCSO, Cathedral Concert Series, Corpus
Christi Chorale, and principal performances with TAMU-CC’s Opera Theater. She has appeared in benefit
performances under conductors Cornelius Eberhardt and William Buhidar. In addition, Mrs. Bryce has been
privileged to sing for world leaders President George H. W. Bush, Lady Margaret
Thatcher, and Genreal Colin Powell at the Christus-Spohn Lyceum.
William Hearn, Dr. Gregg
William
R. Hearn is a small town Texan and recent graduate of Texas State
University in San Marcos. While at
Texas State Hearn performed many roles including: Marco, Betto,
Pinnelino, and Buoso Donatti in Gianni Schicchi, Le Chevalier in Dialogues
of the Carmelites, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Papageno in Die Zauberflote. In the fall of 2006 he placed 1st
in the Junior men’s division and in 2007, 3rd in the Senior Men of
the TEXOMA NATS Competition. He
was also awarded the 2007 National Scholarship from the National Federation of
Music Clubs. Mr. Hearn has twice
been invited to Opera in the Ozarks where he performed the title role in Il
Barbiere di Siviglia, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Count
Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro.
In 2008 he was invited to perform as a Young Artist with the Des Moines
Metro Opera. He last appeared with
the Sparkling City Light Opera as Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone. In
addition to opera, Hearn is also the Director and Producer of a string of
charity Christmas shows that benefit the Brazoria County Youth Home. Since 2003 Hearn and his colleague Greg
Essington have donated over thirty thousand dollars to the local youth home. Mr. Hearn is currently pursuing a
Master’s Degree at Indiana University under the tutelage of Andreas Poulimenos.
Kelly Balmaceda, Lola... the nurse
Kelly Balmaceda, a native of Southern Maryland, received her
degree in Vocal Performance from the renowned New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston, MA. She has received extensive vocal training and coaching from
Flicka Rahn, William Cotten, Jean Anderson- Collier, John Moriarty, Simon
Carrington, and more. She has worked as a teaching artist with The Metropolitan
Opera Guild in New York City. She has served as President of the New England
Conservatory Light Opera Company and in the Educational Outreach Department
with Boston Lyric Opera. Her performance biography includes Atalanta in
Xerxes, Julie Jordan in Carousel, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Maria in The
Sound of Music, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and
Nancy in Oliver. Since moving to Corpus Christi, she has performed as the
soprano soloist in the world premier “Corpus Christi” by Brandon Goff, Brahms'
Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore and Karl Jenkin’s The Armed
Man: A Mass for Peace with the Corpus Christi Chorale. She recently made her
solo debut as Frasquita in Carmen with San Antonio Opera Company and was last
seen as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Sparkling City Light Opera. Kelly is the Founder and
Artistic Director of Sparkling City Light Opera.
Eric Schmidt, Donald...the patient
Eric
Schmidt performed the role of “Ruiz” in Il Trovatore with
the San Antonio Opera in 2009. A
native of San Antonio, Schmidt has also performed the role of “Camille” in The
Merry Widow, and the role of “Gastone”
in La Traviata with the same opera company. Schmidt received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Abilene Christian University, and a
Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music. At
CCM Schmidt played: “A Stranger” in Carlisle Floyd’s Markheim; “Ferrando”
in Mozart’s Cosí Fan Tutte; and “Gonsalve” in Maurice Ravel’s L’Heure
Espagnole. Schmidt starred as “Count
Belfiore” in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera. He played the title role in
Domanick Argento’s The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe during the school’s
2005 season. His oratorio credits include solo work in Theodore Dubois’ The
Seven Last Words of Christ and Oratorio de Noël by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Schmidt has performed the tenor solos in Händel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem.
In addition, he sang the tenor solo in Ottorino Respighi’s Lauda per la
Nativitá del Signore with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati. With
the San Antonio Mastersingers, Schmidt served as tenor soloist in Stravinsky’s Cantata,
Con Flor y Canto by Robert Rodriguez, and Misa Criolla by Ariel
Ramirez.