THREE DECEMBERS
Production and Cast
LITTLEOPERA.CA
OUR CAST
DIRECTORS
Canadian stage director Rob Herriot’s career has taken him across North America.
He has directed productions of Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Boheme, Carmen,
Rigoletto and Don Pasquale (Manitoba Opera), Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale (Livermore Valley
Opera) La Traviata, Don Pasquale (Opera Hamilton), Carmen, Don Pasquale (Arizona Opera), Don
Pasquale (Connecticut Opera, Utah Opera) New productions of Rigoletto (2019)HMS Pinafore
(2018) Hansel and Gretel, and Magic Flute. Other productions for Edmonton include Turandot,
Pirates of Penzance, La Fille Du Regiment, HMS Pinafore (Edmonton Opera-winner of a Sterling
Award for Outstanding Musical of the Season); Tosca, The Mikado, La Cenerentola, all nominated
for the Sterling Award’s Best Musical Production of their year. For Calgary Opera he has directed
productions of Tosca and Barber of Seville, both nominated for Betty Mitchell awards for Best
Musical of 2009 and 2018 seasons, as well as La Boheme for the 40th anniversary of the
company. Other productions for Calgary include The Magic Flute, Pirates of Penzance and
Candide, as well as numerous shows for their Emerging Artists program.
He created a touring production of Don Pasquale for Utah Opera which toured over three
seasons and then produced it with the young artists of Tulsa Opera in 2005. He is currently a
returning director for Opera Nuova, one of Canada’s young artist summer programs. As a
teacher and mentor, he has directed productions of The Fairy Queen, Tartuffe Beatrice and
Benedict, Don Giovanni, Oklahoma, La Boheme and Patience.
Rob returns this summer to direct The Wizard of Oz at Rainbow stage, following past productions
of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. He will also be returning to Manitoba Opera for next
season’s La Cenerentola.
Rob Herriot, Director
Lisa Rumpel, Assistant Music Director
Praised for her "fierce artistry and sheer stamina" (Winnipeg Free Press), Canadian pianist Lisa
Rumpel is passionate about communicating classical music to a variety of audiences. As an
alumnus of the Franz Schubert Institute, Vancouver International Song Institute, Opera Nuova,
University of Manitoba and Brandon University, Lisa is equally comfortable accompanying in art
song, chamber music, opera, and choral accompanying.
Since completing her Masters in Music (Collaborative Piano) in 2015, Lisa has been an active
member of the Manitoba music community. She is Associate Director of Flipside Opera, has
coached three productions of Manitoba Underground Opera, has been repetiteur for several
productions of the University of Manitoba’s Opera Theatre program and is a frequent accompanist
at the Winnipeg Music Festival and Faculty of Music recitals.
Lisa is the accompanist of the Winnipeg Singers and, at our special events, she has performed in
recital with sopranos Tracy Dahl and Lara Ciekiewicz, and has premiered several pieces by
Winnipeg composer Sid Robinovitch. Lisa will accompany Lara for a concert at Music at the
Millennium in 2019.
Soprano, Lara Ciekiewicz (Bea)
Hailed for her “tour-de-force performance” (Winnipeg Free Press) in the title role of Manitoba
Opera’s Susannah, Lara Ciekiewiczhas established herself as a dynamic, intelligent, and moving
singing-actress. Her facility for fully transforming into a character, regardless of genre, has
earned her the reputation of being an artistic chameleon.
This season, Lara rejoined Manitoba Opera as Elle in La voix humaine. She also returned to
the Victoria Symphony for their New Year’s celebration, and to Edmonton Opera as Musetta in La
Bohème.
Recent appearances include Open Air: A Summer Festival of Music for Pacific Opera Victoria
and the Victoria Symphony; The Sopranos of Winnipeg for Manitoba Opera and the Winnipeg
Symphony Orchestra; All Those Arias for the Little Opera Company, and as a soloist for the
Victoria Symphony’s Messiah.
Select additional credits include Countess, Le nozze di Figaro (Edmonton Opera); title role,
Jenůfa; Amelia, Simon Boccanegra; Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi; Nellie Forbush, South Pacific (Pacific
Opera Victoria); Tatyana, EugeneOnegin (Calgary Opera); May, Ours; Cinderella, Into the Woods;
Maria, The Sound ofMusic (Opera on the Avalon); Rosalinde, Die Fledermaus (Toronto Operetta
Theatre).
Lara is increasingly in demand as an adjudicator, and teacher.She serves as a Voice Instructor
at the University ofManitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music.She holds a Masters in Music (Opera)
from McGill University, and aBachelor of Arts-Honours (Voice) from the University of Winnipeg.
She is an alumna of l’Atelier lyrique del’Opéra de Montréal, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera
Program, the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, the Banff Centre, Opera
NUOVA, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (Ballet, Tap, Jazz, MusicalTheatre). Lara also enjoys
gardening, is an avid walker, loves fabulous footwear, and is a self-professed prairie-girlforever.
Canadian baritone, Sheldon Baxter, is a Master of Music graduate holder from the University of
British Columbia opera program. He has studied in the vocal studios of Norman Bailey, Kristine
Ciesinski, and Peter Barcza. During his professional career he has embodied numerous roles
such as: Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin), Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Forester (The
Cunning Little Vixen), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) and Le Dancaïre (Carmen).
Sheldon has performed on many international stages including: Semperoper Dresden,
Landestheater Niederbayern Passau, Wexford Festival Opera, J.K. Tyl Theater Pilsen, Deutsche
Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Hale Center Theatre Utah and
Immling Festspiele.
Recent performances include Valetin (Ein Wintermärchen) with the Wexford Festival Opera in
Ireland. He resides in both Boston, MA and Dresden, Germany.
An artist who defies categorization, Canadian mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber has appeared on
international operatic and concert stages (Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo,
Frankfurt, Montreal, Seattle and Toronto are among her stomping grounds) in a diverse and
eclectic repertoire for over 30 years. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, CBC
Records, Teldec and Dutton Classics. A passionate educator, she is Professor of Voice at Wilfrid
Laurier University, and teaches around the world in a wide variety of contexts. A strong advocate
for the operatic art form and passionate about its future, she enjoys writing and presenting for
novices and aficionados alike.
Baritone, Sheldon Baxter (Charlie)
Naomi Woo, Music Director
Naomi Woo began her tenure with the WSO beginning at the start of the 2019-2020 season. The
29-year-old Canadian is a conductor, pianist, and musicologist whose interdisciplinary approach
to performance and scholarship has captivated audiences in Canada, the United States, and
Europe. Naomi has performed as a pianist in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Orpheum
Theatre.
Passionate about contemporary music, she has conducted and performed dozens of world
premieres and other works by living composers. She recently placed second in the 2016
Eckhardt-Gramatté competition in Brandon for Canadian and contemporary music and was
awarded the Prix Hélène-Roberge for the best performance of a Canadian work in 2015. Naomi
holds a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University, and will soon complete a PhD in
Musicology at Cambridge University in England as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Her work has
been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and Help
Musicians UK.
Mezzo-soprano, Kimberly Barber (Maddie)
STAGE
MANAGEMENT
Several years ago, my friend, Bob McPhee, Executive Director of Calgary Opera at the time, sent a
message suggesting that I look at this phenomenal opera, Three Decembers by Jake Heggie and
Jean Scheer based on a play by Terrence McNally. He suggested it would be a perfect fit for The
Little Opera Company. I immediately search for more information about it on the internet. There
it was the world premier featuring one of my all-time favorite mezzo Sopranos, Ms. Frederica
Von Stade accompanied by two other very fine singers, soprano, Kristin Clayton and baritone,
Keith Phares. I was moved by the story and the music and knew that I would one day have to
find a way of producing this with The Little Opera Company.
In 2019, it was as though all the elements came together. We had engaged a stellar cast, talented
directors, and designers, all of whom were more interested in telling this story than any
excessive monetary gain. We were given the “go ahead” from the publishers; my friend Bob had
retired from his position in Calgary and was thinking of being at our opening; what else could I
ask for?
Then came Covid-19 a week before we were to go into rehearsals. We were all devasted, but
surprisingly, everyone involved in the production determined that we would not cancel the
opera, but rather postpone what we believed would be an event.
Here we are approaching the year 2022, like so many other arts organizations, stepping out in
faith, hoping that we will have the opportunity to share this wonderful opera with as many
people as possible. Terrence McNally crafted a beautifully intricate story that speaks of the
human condition, our joys, hopes, and sorrows. Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer have amplified it
in the setting of moving words and music.
I look forward to seeing this on the stage at Manitoba Theatre for Young People. I only regret
that my dear friend Bob will not be here to see it. Nonetheless, I believe him to be here in spirit
and I offer these performances to him as a tribute of his brilliance as an opera producer…. Love
you Bob.
Sean McMullen, Lighting Designer
Sean E. McMullen, BA, BSc, MFA
Sean lives and works out of the Winnipeg and the East Interlake regions as a freelance artist and
educator; and has, for almost a few decades now, been a designer for theatre and film,
specializing in sets, properties, costumes, and lighting. Along with performance projects, Sean
enjoys teaching design and drawing at the University of Winnipeg, as well as exploring other
artistic media and expression as the mood goes. Sean is currently engaging in writing interests,
but has happily taken a pause to join the Little Opera Company again to bring lighting to this
production of Three Decembers.
Previous credits with the Little Opera Company include: Hansel and Gretel '15, Merry Christmas
Stephen Leacock '16, and La tragédie de Carmen '18.
CREATIVE TEAM
Will Medwick, Stage Manager
Will Medwick is very excited to be working with the Little Opera Company for his second time.
Since graduating from Humber College (Toronto), Will has worked with Manitoba Opera as an
Apprentice Stage Manager, and as Assistant Stage Manager for Little Opera’s production of La
tragédie de Carmen. Will is very excited to return for the role of Stage Manager and is happy to
have a live audience again.
The Little Opera Company presents the Canadian premiere of Jake Heggie’s melodious and dramatic
Three
Decembers
May 27 – 29, 2022
at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People.
Based on American playwright Terrence McNally’s original script, Some Christmas Letters, this 90-minute opera tells
the story of a famous stage actress and her two adult children (played by Kimberly Barber, Sheldon Baxter, and Lara
Ciekiewicz), and their joys and trials as a family as secrets unfold over three decades (1986, 1996, 2006) – a time of an
earlier global health crisis and of discovery.
Robert Butler, Set and Costume Design
Robert' Butler’s foray into costume creation started with the need of something to wear for
Village Green English Country dance performances. This early experience rather accidentally
expanded into a passion for theatrical costuming and a long history with Winnipeg's Shoestring
Players. His work for Little Opera Company includes: Kismet, Opera Shorts and La Tragedie de
Carmen. Most often inspired by period pieces, Three Decembers is an exception. He is excited
to have the opportunity to add visual dimension to the characters of this compelling story.
PROMOTION
Graphic Design: Stephen Boyd
Publicity: Heather Milne
Assistant Publicity: Ekaterina Bogomol
Web Master: Don Larsen
THREE DECEMBERS
Production & Cast
DIRECTORS
OUR CAST
Canadian stage director Rob Herriot’s career has
taken him across North America.
He has directed productions of Madama
Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Boheme,
Carmen, Rigoletto and Don Pasquale (Manitoba
Opera), Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale
(Livermore Valley Opera) La Traviata, Don
Pasquale (Opera Hamilton), Carmen, Don
Pasquale (Arizona Opera), Don Pasquale
(Connecticut Opera, Utah Opera) New
productions of Rigoletto (2019)HMS Pinafore
(2018) Hansel and Gretel, and Magic Flute. Other
productions for Edmonton include Turandot,
Pirates of Penzance, La Fille Du Regiment, HMS
Pinafore (Edmonton Opera-winner of a Sterling
Award for Outstanding Musical of the Season);
Tosca, The Mikado, La Cenerentola, all nominated
for the Sterling Award’s Best Musical Production
of their year. For Calgary Opera he has directed
productions of Tosca and Barber of Seville, both
nominated for Betty Mitchell awards for Best
Musical of 2009 and 2018 seasons, as well as La
Boheme for the 40th anniversary of the
company. Other productions for Calgary include
The Magic Flute, Pirates of Penzance and
Candide, as well as numerous shows for their
Emerging Artists program.
He created a touring production of Don Pasquale
for Utah Opera which toured over three seasons
and then produced it with the young artists of
Tulsa Opera in 2005. He is currently a returning
director for Opera Nuova, one of Canada’s young
artist summer programs. As a teacher and
mentor, he has directed productions of The Fairy
Queen, Tartuffe Beatrice and Benedict, Don
Giovanni, Oklahoma, La Boheme and Patience.
Rob returns this summer to direct The Wizard of
Oz at Rainbow stage, following past productions
of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. He will
also be returning to Manitoba Opera for next
season’s La Cenerentola.
Lisa Rumpel, Assistant Music Director
Praised for her "fierce artistry and sheer
stamina" (Winnipeg Free Press), Canadian pianist
Lisa Rumpel is passionate about communicating
classical music to a variety of audiences. As an
alumnus of the Franz Schubert Institute,
Vancouver International Song Institute, Opera
Nuova, University of Manitoba and Brandon
University, Lisa is equally comfortable
accompanying in art song, chamber music,
opera, and choral accompanying.
Since completing her Masters in Music
(Collaborative Piano) in 2015, Lisa has been an
active member of the Manitoba music
community. She is Associate Director of Flipside
Opera, has coached three productions of
Manitoba Underground Opera, has been
repetiteur for several productions of the
University of Manitoba’s Opera Theatre program
and is a frequent accompanist at the Winnipeg
Music Festival and Faculty of Music recitals.
Lisa is the accompanist of the Winnipeg Singers
and, at our special events, she has performed in
recital with sopranos Tracy Dahl and Lara
Ciekiewicz, and has premiered several pieces by
Winnipeg composer Sid Robinovitch. Lisa will
accompany Lara for a concert at Music at the
Millennium in 2019.
Soprano, Lara Ciekiewicz (Bea)
Hailed for her “tour-de-force performance”
(Winnipeg Free Press) in the title role of
Manitoba Opera’s Susannah, Lara Ciekiewiczhas
established herself as a dynamic, intelligent, and
moving singing-actress. Her facility for fully
transforming into a character, regardless of
genre, has earned her the reputation of being an
artistic chameleon.
This season, Lara rejoined Manitoba Opera as
Elle in La voix humaine. She also returned to the
Victoria Symphony for their New Year’s
celebration, and to Edmonton Opera as Musetta
in La Bohème.
Recent appearances include Open Air: A
Summer Festival of Music for Pacific Opera
Victoria and the Victoria Symphony; The
Sopranos of Winnipeg for Manitoba Opera and
the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra; All Those
Arias for the Little Opera Company, and as a
soloist for the Victoria Symphony’s Messiah.
Select additional credits include Countess, Le
nozze di Figaro (Edmonton Opera); title role,
Jenůfa; Amelia, Simon Boccanegra; Lauretta,
Gianni Schicchi; Nellie Forbush, South Pacific
(Pacific Opera Victoria); Tatyana, EugeneOnegin
(Calgary Opera); May, Ours; Cinderella, Into the
Woods; Maria, The Sound ofMusic (Opera on the
Avalon); Rosalinde, Die Fledermaus (Toronto
Operetta Theatre).
Lara is increasingly in demand as an
adjudicator, and teacher.She serves as a Voice
Instructor at the University ofManitoba’s
Desautels Faculty of Music.She holds a Masters
in Music (Opera) from McGill University, and
aBachelor of Arts-Honours (Voice) from the
University of Winnipeg. She is an alumna of
l’Atelier lyrique del’Opéra de Montréal, San
Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, the
Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music
Center, the Banff Centre, Opera NUOVA, and the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (Ballet, Tap, Jazz,
MusicalTheatre). Lara also enjoys gardening, is
an avid walker, loves fabulous footwear, and is a
self-professed prairie-girlforever.
Canadian baritone, Sheldon Baxter, is a Master
of Music graduate holder from the University of
British Columbia opera program. He has studied
in the vocal studios of Norman Bailey, Kristine
Ciesinski, and Peter Barcza. During his
professional career he has embodied numerous
roles such as: Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin),
Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Forester (The
Cunning Little Vixen), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte)
and Le Dancaïre (Carmen).
Sheldon has performed on many international
stages including: Semperoper Dresden,
Landestheater Niederbayern Passau, Wexford
Festival Opera, J.K. Tyl Theater Pilsen, Deutsche
Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra, Hale Center Theatre Utah
and Immling Festspiele.
Recent performances include Valetin (Ein
Wintermärchen) with the Wexford Festival Opera
in Ireland. He resides in both Boston, MA and
Dresden, Germany.
An artist who defies categorization, Canadian
mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber has appeared
on international operatic and concert stages
(Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome,
Tokyo, Frankfurt, Montreal, Seattle and Toronto
are among her stomping grounds) in a diverse
and eclectic repertoire for over 30 years. She
has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon,
Naxos, CBC Records, Teldec and Dutton
Classics. A passionate educator, she is Professor
of Voice at Wilfrid Laurier University, and
teaches around the world in a wide variety of
contexts. A strong advocate for the operatic art
form and passionate about its future, she
enjoys writing and presenting for novices and
aficionados alike.
Baritone, Sheldon Baxter (Charlie)
Naomi Woo began her tenure with the WSO
beginning at the start of the 2019-2020 season.
The 29-year-old Canadian is a conductor, pianist,
and musicologist whose interdisciplinary
approach to performance and scholarship has
captivated audiences in Canada, the United
States, and Europe. Naomi has performed as a
pianist in venues including Carnegie Hall and the
Orpheum Theatre.
Passionate about contemporary music, she has
conducted and performed dozens of world
premieres and other works by living composers.
She recently placed second in the 2016 Eckhardt-
Gramatté competition in Brandon for Canadian
and contemporary music and was awarded the
Prix Hélène-Roberge for the best performance of
a Canadian work in 2015. Naomi holds a BA in
Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale
University, and will soon complete a PhD in
Musicology at Cambridge University in England
as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Her work has
been generously supported by the Canada
Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and
Help Musicians UK.
Naomi Woo, Music Director
Rob Herriot, Director
Sean McMullen, Lighting Designer
Sean E. McMullen, BA, BSc, MFA
Sean lives and works out of the Winnipeg and
the East Interlake regions as a freelance artist
and educator; and has, for almost a few decades
now, been a designer for theatre and film,
specializing in sets, properties, costumes, and
lighting. Along with performance projects, Sean
enjoys teaching design and drawing at the
University of Winnipeg, as well as exploring
other artistic media and expression as the mood
goes. Sean is currently engaging in writing
interests, but has happily taken a pause to join
the Little Opera Company again to bring lighting
to this production of Three Decembers.
Previous credits with the Little Opera Company
include: Hansel and Gretel '15, Merry Christmas
Stephen Leacock '16, and La tragédie de Carmen
'18.
STAGE
MANAGEMENT
Mezzo-soprano, Kimberly Barber (Maddie)
Several years ago, my friend, Bob McPhee,
Executive Director of Calgary Opera at the time,
sent a message suggesting that I look at this
phenomenal opera, Three Decembers by Jake
Heggie and Jean Scheer based on a play by
Terrence McNally. He suggested it would be a
perfect fit for The Little Opera Company. I
immediately search for more information about
it on the internet. There it was the world premier
featuring one of my all-time favorite mezzo
Sopranos, Ms. Frederica Von Stade accompanied
by two other very fine singers, soprano, Kristin
Clayton and baritone, Keith Phares. I was moved
by the story and the music and knew that I would
one day have to find a way of producing this with
The Little Opera Company.
In 2019, it was as though all the elements came
together. We had engaged a stellar cast, talented
directors, and designers, all of whom were more
interested in telling this story than any excessive
monetary gain. We were given the “go ahead”
from the publishers; my friend Bob had retired
from his position in Calgary and was thinking of
being at our opening; what else could I ask for?
Then came Covid-19 a week before we were to
go into rehearsals. We were all devasted, but
surprisingly, everyone involved in the production
determined that we would not cancel the opera,
but rather postpone what we believed would be
an event.
Here we are approaching the year 2022, like so
many other arts organizations, stepping out in
faith, hoping that we will have the opportunity to
share this wonderful opera with as many people
as possible. Terrence McNally crafted a
beautifully intricate story that speaks of the
human condition, our joys, hopes, and sorrows.
Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer have amplified it in
the setting of moving words and music.
I look forward to seeing this on the stage at
Manitoba Theatre for Young People. I only regret
that my dear friend Bob will not be here to see it.
Nonetheless, I believe him to be here in spirit
and I offer these performances to him as a
tribute of his brilliance as an opera producer….
Love you Bob.
CREATIVE
TEAM
Will Medwick, Stage Manager
Will Medwick is very excited to be working with
the Little Opera Company for his second time.
Since graduating from Humber College
(Toronto), Will has worked with Manitoba Opera
as an Apprentice Stage Manager, and as
Assistant Stage Manager for Little Opera’s
production of La tragédie de Carmen. Will is very
excited to return for the role of Stage Manager
and is happy to have a live audience again.
The Little Opera Company presents
the Canadian premiere of Jake
Heggie’s melodious and dramatic
Three
Decembers
May 27 – 29, 2022
at the Manitoba Theatre for Young
People.
Based on American playwright
Terrence McNally’s original script, Some
Christmas Letters, this 90-minute opera
tells the story of a famous stage actress
and her two adult children (played by
Kimberly Barber, Sheldon Baxter, and
Lara Ciekiewicz), and their joys and
trials as a family as secrets unfold over
three decades (1986, 1996, 2006) – a
time of an earlier global health crisis
and of discovery.
Robert' Butler’s foray into costume creation
started with the need of something to wear for
Village Green English Country dance
performances. This early experience rather
accidentally expanded into a passion for
theatrical costuming and a long history with
Winnipeg's Shoestring Players. His work for Little
Opera Company includes: Kismet, Opera Shorts
and La Tragedie de Carmen. Most often inspired
by period pieces, Three Decembers is an
exception. He is excited to have the opportunity
to add visual dimension to the characters of this
compelling story.
Robert Butler, Set and Costume Design
PROMOTION
Graphic Design: Stephen Boyd
Publicity: Heather Milne
Assistant Publicity: Ekaterina Bogomol
Web Master: Don Larsen
