BYU Opera Theatre Presents:
Voyages of the Heart
A journey across worlds and through the human soul Shea Owens, director CJ Madsen, conductor
7:30 PM | NOV. 21–22, 2025 | CONCERT HALL | MUSIC BUILDING
DIRECTOR’S NOTE Let me give you a sneak peek behind the scenes—opera scenes, that is. This long-standing BYU Opera Theatre tradition is a wonderful opportunity for our students. By selecting various scenes from many different operas, we are not bound by the role limitations of a single opera, and thus many more of them are given a chance to shine on the stage. While some of our scenes may be familiar to you, you’ll see that we sometimes put scenes in a different time or place than the original setting. Doing this not only gives the students (as well as our audiences) a “fresh take” on opera, but it also encourages creative thinking and versatility to prepare them for the professional world. And importantly, it shows that the themes, emotions, and human experiences portrayed through theatre transcend time. It can also be a lot of fun! Make sure to read on later in the program about the modern musical “easter eggs” that we’ve hidden among the scenes and see if you can spot them! Tonight, Voyages of the Heart will take you on journeys, both outward and inward: across seas and distant lands, through love and loss, and even into laughter. Each scene reveals travelers on a journey of some kind, discovering who they are through both lighthearted and profound moments along the way. Our students, too, have embarked on their own artistic and spiritual voyages in preparing this program—learning, stretching, and finding new depth in the music and in themselves. As we navigate our own passages in life, I hope that the Nightingale’s message to “listen for music only you can hear, that can be felt in your heart, your bones, your soul” resonates within you. And I hope we’ll remember that every voyage—whether of faith, forgiveness, or transformation—finds its truest compass in Jesus Christ, whose love steadies us and leads us safely to shore. —Shea Owens
ACT 3 CHO RUS
from Nabucco (1842) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GIUSEPPE VERDI 1813–1901 TEMISTOCLE SOLERA, LIBRETTO 1815–1878
ACT 1 TRIO A ND A RIA
from Die Zauberflöte (1791) . . . . . . . . . . . WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
1756–1791 EMANUEL SCHIKANEDER, LIBRETTO 1751–1812
Tamino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hansen 1st Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Crandall 2nd Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marianne Wood 3rd Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juliet Ingram
ACT 3 TRIO
from Alcina (1735) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL 1685–1759 Anonymous (after Ariosto’s Orlando furioso), LIBRETTO
Alcina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adrienne Braun Ruggiero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Stein Bradamante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabella Thurgood
ACT 2 CHO RUS
from Idomeneo, re di Creta (1781) . . .WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
GIAMBATTISTA VARESCO, LIBRETTO 1735–1805
ACT 2 QUA RTET
from Little Women (1998) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARK ADAMO b. 1962 MARK ADAMO, LIBRETTO
Jo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Heder Amy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelby Laycock Beth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Bjornn Meg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Macey Fisher
ACT 1 MEN’S CHORUS
from H.M.S. Pinafore (1878) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ARTHUR SULLIVAN 1842–1900 W. S. GILBERT, LIBRETTO 1836–1911
Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Flinders
ACT 3 CHORUS
from Dido and Aeneas (c. 1689) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HENRY PURCELL ca. 1659–1695 NAHUM TATE, LIBRETTO 1652–1715
Siren Queen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alenda Petersen
ACT 1 QUINTET
from Song of the Nightingale (2023) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LISA DESPAIN MELISA TIEN, LIBRETTO
Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Kimball Curator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hansen Nightingale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alondra Gutierrez Frog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colette Sorensen Cow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evan Price
ACT 3 QUA RTET
from Rigoletto (1851) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GIUSEPPE VERDI FRANCESCO MARIA PIAVE, LIBRETTO 1810–1876
Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Turner Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah Foist Maddalena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eden Durham Gilda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashtyn Kauvaka Rigoletto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adam Bell
ACT 3 DU ET
from Orfeo ed Eurydice (1762) . . . . . . . . CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK 1714–1787
Orfeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emmie Burch Eurydice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Bjornn
ACT 2 QUINTET
from Carmen (1875) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GEORGES BIZET 1838–1875 HENRI MEILHAC & LUDOVIC HALÉVY, LIBRETTO 1831–1897; 1834–1908
Dancairo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuel West Remendado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tavita Ah Loe Frasquita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKenzie Mulberry Mercédès . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Stewart Carmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sanae Fujii
C H ORUS
from Song of the Nightingale (2023) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LISA DESPAIN MELISA TIEN, LIBRETTO
Nightingale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela Whiting Vance Frog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Stewart Cow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Wells Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leonora Mohlman Curator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samuel Gilbert
HIDDEN VOYAGES MUSICAL QUOTATION ACTIVITY Musicians throughout time frequently quote melodies by other composers in their own works—and we’re doing that tonight! Each of our twelve opera scenes features a short modern musical quotation or sound that we have added in the piano part. Can you match the musical quotation below with the opera scene we use it in? Come meet the director, conductor, and student performers in the lobby after the show to see if you got your answers right!
“Deliver Us,” from The Prince of Egypt _______________________________________________ French police siren sound _______________________________________________ “Gaston,” from Beauty and the Beast _______________________________________________ “Great Fairy Fountain,” from The Legend of Zelda _______________________________________________ “How It’s Done,” from KPop Demon Hunters _______________________________________________ “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” from Mulan _______________________________________________ “Rapunzel’s Song,” from Into the Woods _______________________________________________ “Remember Me,” from Coco _______________________________________________ “The Sound of Silence,” by Simon & Garfunkel _______________________________________________ “There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today,” from Hymns _______________________________________________ “Under the Sea,” from The Little Mermaid _______________________________________________ “What Is This Feeling?” from Wicked _______________________________________________
CHORUS Soprano
Emalyn Bailey Victoria Bjornn Adrienne Braun Lily Butler Sydney Crandall Alondra Gutierrez Lydia Hall Robyn Johnson Sally Kang Ashtyn Kauvaka Naomi Kruger Shelby Laycock McKenzie Mulberry Emma Pettit Emmeline Sevey Colette Sorensen Elizabeth Stein Ashley Stewart Elise Thompson
Isabella Thurgood Angela Whiting Vance Marianne Wood
Mezzo-Soprano Eden Durham Macey Fisher Sanae Fujii Olivia Heder Juliet Ingram Lindsay Kimball Lenora Mohlman Alenda Petersen Emmie Burch Rachel Foutz
Tenor
Tavita Ah Loe Noah Foist
Samuel Gilbert Mark Hansen Miles Perrine Samuel Petersen Canon White
Baritone/Bass
Adam Bell Thomas Flinders Evan Price David Wells Samuel West
VOYAG E S O F T H E H E A RT
Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SHEA OWENS Conductor/Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.J. MADSEN Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MEGAN MICKELSON Opera TA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAMUEL WEST Pianist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRYCE TURNER Pianist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RACHEL JOHNSON Prelude Paraphrase de concert sur ‘Rigoletto,’ S.434 (Liszt, Franz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RACHEL JOHNSON Pianist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PATRICK BEAL Lighting Designers . . . . . . . . . .MCKENZIE WISE AND MARLEY CHRISTENSEN Spotlight Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NICHO WETSEL AND REBECCA KUHN BYU OnStage Promotional Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . ERINN CRAWFORD
SPECIAL THANKS Special thanks to the BYU School of Music production, marketing, scheduling teams and stage crew, as well as the Department of Theatre and Media Arts for the use of props.
Help support the future of BYU Opera Theatre students and their productions by donating to the Nephi A. and Helen C. Draper Memorial Endowed Fund. We truly appreciate your support!
D O NATE N OW
Celebrating 100 years of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications and 150 years of Brigham Young University