© Little Opera Company of Winnipeg, Canada Amahl   Anton Dahl Sokalski made his début as Dolore in  Madama Butterfly (Manitoba Opera), and performed his first  singing role last season as the Second Spirit in Manitoba Opera’s  The Magic Flute. He has also appeared as a soloist with the  University of Manitoba Singers.  A grade 5 student in the  Immersion française program at École Robert H. Smith, he has  been awarded a Silver Medal at the City Finals of the Concours  d’art oratoire (French public speaking competition).  Anton  studies piano and enjoys soccer, running and cross-country  skiing. He hopes to study the harp, lead a professional soccer  team and replace gas-powered vehicles with electric ones.  He is  excited to portray Amahl in his début with the Little Opera  Company.  Thanks go to his Mom, Tracy, who helped him learn  his part, as well as to Papa Raymond, & brother Jaden and to everyone who has come  to experience this story of faith. Mother   Kirsten Schellenberg, Mezzo-Soprano, is one of the  most sought-after mezzos in Manitoba, Kirsten Schellenberg is  “always a treat to hear” and is considered “one of Manitoba’s  most consistent singers” (The Winnipeg Free Press). Kirsten has  performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba  Chamber Orchestra, and the Musik Barock Ensemble, the  Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Musical Offering. Kirsten  has been a featured soloist numerous times with the Winnipeg  Symphony Orchestra, performing Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s  Mass in b minor, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Christ lag in  Todesbanden, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.  Kirsten was delighted to perform Desyatnikov’s The Rite of Winter  1949 at the New Music Festival. Kirsten’s voice has been  described as “ideally suited for oratorio work” and she has been acclaimed as “a young  Maureen Forrester” (The Winnipeg Free Press). This is Kirsten’s first appearance with  The Little Opera Company.  King Kaspar  Irwin Reese, Tenor, was a member of the  chorus of the Metropolitan Opera Company for 23 years. He has  performed roles in Wozzeck, La Traviata, Der Rosenkavalier, La  Boheme, Madama Butterfly,  Death in Venice,  La Forza del  Destino and  Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan.  Mr. Reese  sang with Songfellows, a male quartet comprised of vocalists  from the Metropolitan Opera. He performed with Calgary Opera  for the Olympic Games. He has also performed on international  and national tours of Porgy and Bess with Houston Grand Opera.  For the world premiere of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,  Mr. Reese sang with the New York City Opera.  Mr. Reese  obtained a Bachelor of Music from the College of Wooster,  Wooster, Ohio. As a student at Wooster, he was a prizewinner in  the Ohio National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the mid-west regional  of NATS held at Indiana University. He received the Urlene Fern Brown Prize for  Outstanding Black Student in the Performing Arts.  Manhattan School of Music is where  he received his Master of Music.  King Balthazar  Scott Braun, Bass,  is looking forward to  reprising the role of Balthazar for this performance with the LOC.  Previous performances with this fine company include Papageno  in The Magic Flute, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, the title role in  Gianni Schicci, and most recently as the Doctor in Gallantry.  Scott was also seen in the Gilbert and Sullivan Society's spring  performance of HMS Pinafore, as Captain Corcoran. Well known  as a Baroque enthusiast, Scott has sung the role of Jesus in  Bach's St John and St Matthew Passions, and as Bass soloist in  the Mass in B Minor, Christmas Oratorio, and Handel's Messiah.   The Page  Jason Rahardjo, Baritone, is currently a student  of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Music and is working  towards a Post Baccalaureate in Vocal Performance. He is a  graduate of Briercrest College in Caronport SK., where he  received a Bachelor of Arts in Music in Vocal performance. There,  he took part in Christmas productions, recitals, musical theatre  classes and select opera scenes. He was also involved with  RuBarb Productions in Moose Jaw, SK and was cast as the  Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz  and Gaston in Beauty and the  Beast.  Recently, Jason was cast as Julius Caesar in Manitoba  Underground Opera’s production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare. This  is Jason’s first show with the Little Opera Company and he is  excited to be a part of such a wonderfully talented cast. The Story   Amahl and the Night Visitors is the story of a young disabled  boy and the Miracle of Love that cures him.  Amahl, a shepherd, tries to tell his mother about what he has seen outside; an  enormous star with a long tale. His mother,  used to his habitual lying, grows angry;  she is even angrier when Amahl tells he  that a knock at the door is three kings  come to visit them. The kings enter and tell  the two peasants that they have come to  find a king, and they show the rich gifts  they have brought him. While Amahl's  mother is out gathering wood for the fire,  Amahl asks the kings questions about their lives. The mother returns with her  neighbors, and the villagers present their  gifts to the visitors. That night, Amahl's  mother tries to steal some of the kings'  gold to use to help her child; she is caught,  and when the kings offer to let her keep  the gold, explaining that the king they seek  will need nothing but love to rule his  kingdom, she returns it. Amahl offers his  staff as an additional gift, and suddenly  finds that he can walk. He leaves with the  kings to pay homage to the Child who has healed him. Since its first performance on Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors  has taken its place with A Christmas Carol as a holiday classic. Peformed on  every continent and in many languages, it has been seen by more people than  any other opera in history.   In this warm and compassionate story, Gian Carlo Menotti has captured the  essential spirit of Christmas. At its premiere, The New York Times called Amahl  "rare art. . . tender and exquisite."  King Melchior   Don Larsen, Baritone, is pleased to reprise  the role of Melchior for the Little Opera Company, having sung the  role in the LOC’s inaugural production.  Other previous  appearances with the LOC include: Little Red Riding Hood (Wolf),  Gianni Schicchi (Marco), The Face on the Barroom Floor (Tom /  John) and The Impresario (Scruples).   Don has also appeared in  numerous choruses and roles for Rainbow Stage, The Winnipeg  Gilbert and Sullivan Society and for Manitoba Opera.  In recent  years, Don has been lending his design talents to the LOC as  their web designer. Passionate about the art form, Don hopes that  his efforts all go toward exposing more people to opera.   Michael Dunbar, Stage Manager  After a brief return to the stage  as the Earl of Dunmow in Little Opera Company’s production of A  Dinner Engagement this past spring, Michael returns to the relative  safety, security and obscurity of the role of Stage Manager for Amahl and the Night Visitors.  Having lost count of the number of  productions he has stage managed, suffice to say that he is pleased  to be able to work with this accomplished and talented cast and  crew, especially the newcomers to LOC: Odette, Anton, Kirsten and  Jason.  Enjoying his tenth year of retirement from teaching, when  not involved with LOC, Michael works part-time as a fitness  instructor at a local branch of the “Y”. Michael McKay, Music Director / Pianist, is no stranger to  opera:  After studying at the University of Toronto, he became  resident Music Director of Toronto's Ancient Comic Opera  Company, setting the comedies of Aristophanes as operatic  pasticci and directing the music for various incarnations of Clouds,  Lysistrata, and Assemblywomen, as well as the wholly original  Frogs.  Returning to his alma mater Acadia University, where he joined the  staff as faculty accompanist, he was involved in various operatic  productions: as pianist for Dido and Aeneas, Down in the Valley,  Hansel and Gretel, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and The Magic  Flute as well as extensive excerpts from Cosi Fan Tutte, Don  Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Tales of Hoffmann; as  guest conductor for extensive excerpts of Dido and Aeneas, Julius Caesar, and Paul  Bunyan; and as music director for his own chamber opera The Triumph of Caffeina.   Michael has also sung in opera, being cast in the role of Uberto in La Serva Padrona, Lord  Mountararat in Iolanthe, and Jimmy/God in Kleine Mahagonny.  This is Michael’s second  production with the Little Opera Company, having made his first appearance with the  company for A Dinner Engagement ealier this year.  Becky Sawdon, Dancer, graduated from the Senior  Professional Program of the School of Contemporary Dancers in  2010.  She is an emerging artist in the Winnipeg community, and  is also a recent University of Winnipeg graduate. Completing her  studies with a BA Honors Degree in Dance in June 2011, she  was awarded a Gold Medal for top marks in her Faculty. Past  performances include choreography by Odette Heyn-Penner in  La noche da los Mayas (Oct. 2011), and “Rite of Spring" (2010),  both performed with Winnipeg's Symphony Orchestra.  Becky  has spent her previous two summers in her home town of  Calgary, Alberta, apprenticing with project company M-body and  Choreographer Davida Monk.  Jack of all trades, she worked as  an understudy, rehearsal assistant and even designed and  sewed company costumes.  Future performances will include Becky's second season  with Verge – Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers Emerging Company (March 2012), with  Choreographer Brent Lott.  She is thrilled and very thankful for the opportunity to dance  with the Little Opera Company and to continue work with Odette-Heyn-PROJECTS.   Spencer Duncanson, Artistic Director  One of my fondest  childhood memories is of those Saturday mornings spent at Town  Hall in New York City where I, along with hundreds of other  elementary school aged children, was being taken by family or  friends to learn to appreciate the arts. It was a more holistic  approach to education, a time when it was understood that the  term “educated” meant more than just having prowess in the  “three R’s”. To be educated meant having a broad base of  knowledge, one that included aesthetics.   I grew to look forward to those Saturday mornings. It was there  that I saw my first live play, ballet and opera. It was there that I  began to develop critical thinking. It was there that I learned of the  emotional and intellectual power of aesthetics. One might speculate, it was there that the  seeds of my vocational choice were sown. Claire Hardy, Dancer, is a graduate of The Professional  Program of the School of Contemporary Dancers in affiliation  with the University of Winnipeg BA Honours. Through the  program and since graduation she has been able to work  closely with Odette Heyn of Odette Heyn Projects performing  with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on three separate  collaboration processes as well as travelling to Toronto to work  with Menaka Thakkar Dance Company. She has worked for  Brent Lott in his new emerging company, Verge and will do so  again this upcoming year. She has also had the opportunity to  work as Stephanie Ballard’s Personal Assistant for the Winnipeg  Dance Preservation Initiative. She is honored to be working with  the Little Opera Company and hopes to continue to collaborate  on future projects with them. Kayla Henry, Dancer, is a 2011 graduate of The School of   Contemporary Dancers, in affiliation with the University of  Winnipeg.  She has recently returned back to Winnipeg after  dancing in Victoria, BC for 2 weeks where she worked with  Constance Cooke on her new piece, Flightless Aviators and  Angles. While in BC, Kayla also performed a solo work by  Constance in ROMP! A Festival of Independent Dance.  She is  very thankful to have recently worked with Odette Heyn-Penner  in her most recent work with the Winnipeg Symphony  Orchestra, La Noches de los Mayas and past years work, The  Rite of Spring. Kayla is very excited and thankful to be working  in this collaboration with the Little Opera Company and hopes  the opportunity will arise again.   Odette Heyn-Penner, Director / Choreographer has co-  directed the Professional Program of The School of  Contemporary Dancers for many years. She has been among  the prime trainers of most members of Winnipeg’s contemporary  dance community. Odette has choreographed works for various  performances including The Festival of Canadian Modern Dance,  the Olympics Danscene (Calgary 1988) the Kuan Du Arts  Festival in Taipei. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, The  Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, The Calgary Philharmonic  Orchestra and her latest project with The Winnipeg Symphony  Orchestra’s “La Noche de los Mayas”. Odette is very pleased to  be creating a new work for The Little Opera Company.   Carla Oliphant, Costume & Set Design,  feels very fortunate to  have been raised in an extremely creative household, and as a result  developed a love for all forms of art. She started designing and  sewing costumes at a very early age and often instigated  neighbourhood productions to provide the opportunity to create. She  graduated from The University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Fine  Arts in 1985, with a major in painting. However her love for costuming  took centre stage when she had the opportunity to take some  costume and set design courses at The University of Winnipeg in  order to complete her degree. The following year she was hired by  the U of W theatre department as their costumer. For the past 25  years Carla has worked on many productions with companies such  as M.T.C., St. Norbert Arts Centre, and Tara Players just to name a few, as well as some  film work with Fear X Productions and Buffalo Gal Films. This past year along with her  family started The Creative Stage Emporium, a business that provides the opportunity to  work in a creative environment every day. She truly believes she has chosen costume and  set design as her form of art expression. This is her fifth show with The Little Opera  Company and feels thrilled and honoured to create the visuals for the amazingly talented  artists in this production.  Cary Denby, piano accompaniment (Sunday performance)  graduated from the University of Manitoba and since then has  made a career as an accompanist and repetiteur. She has served  as accompanist for the St. James School Division, the Manitoba  Opera, the University of Manitoba, the Gilbert and Sullivan  Society, Dry Cold, Canzona and the Saskatoon Opera. Cary also  is an extra with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and recently  had the honour to play the organ part in a performance of Saint-  Sean's Organ Symphony, one of the highlights of her career.  Production Artistic Director Spencer Duncanson Stage Director / Choreography Odette Heyn-Penner Music Director Michael McKay Piano (Sunday Performance) Cary Denby Cast Amahl  Anton Dahl Sokalski Mother Kirsten Schellenberg King Kaspar Irwin Reese King Melchior  Don Larsen King Balthazar  Scott Braun The Page Jason Rahardjo Dancers Kayla Henry Claire Hardy Becky Sawdon Chorus of Shepherds and Sherpherdesses Hilda Dick, Pearl Dresser, Linda Feasby, Kira Fondse, Jenna Hill, Linsay MacKenzie, Richard Ryland, Raymond Sokalski, Matthew Berven, Ken Penner, Brent Pfeil Orchestra Oboe: Jenna-Lynn Tessier Violin: Peter Seung Jo, Jennifer Rigotti Viola: Sarah Carswell Cello: Edvany Silva Stage Manager Michael Dunbar Costume / Set Design Carla Oliphant Lighting Kelsey Noren Made with Xara Design by Solidus Web Solutions All Performances will be held at: First Presbyterian Church 61 Picardy, Winnipeg, MB