Tchaikovsky: Iolanta

The RCAS presents P.I. Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. This abridged concert version of the opera includes the highlights of the work accompanied by a storyteller and piano.

"Iolanta" is the last opera composed by Tchaikovsky. It is a moving fairy tale based on Danish writer Henrik Hertz’s lyrical drama about the blind daughter of King Rene Iolanta.

Tchaikovsky's music for "Iolanta" is considered one of the greatest in the operatic canon.

Tickets: $65*

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*Admission includes the performance and a post-concert reception with wine, light hors d'oeuvres, and desserts. Pre-registration and photo ID are required to enter the embassy grounds. Patrons without pre-registration or photo ID will not be permitted inside the embassy.

Cast

Marta - Magdalena Wór

Iolanta - Esther Tonea

Robert - Jonathan Bryan

Count Vaudemont - Fanyong Du

King Rene - Samuel Weiser

Ibn-Hakia - Robert McGuinnes

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Dashiell Waterbury - Director

Tatiana Storozheva - piano

Magdalena Wór - storyteller

Vera Donchenko-Stern, diction coach

Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano

Dr. Magdalena Wór is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming, where she teaches Voice and Opera. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia, as well as Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Georgia State University. She is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Finalist, winner of the International Marcella Sembrich Kochańska Vocal Competition and the Heinz Rehfuss Vocal Competition, Finalist of the International Marcello Giordani and Moniuszko Competitions, and an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Summer Opera Program and the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera.

As a performing musician, Dr. Wór has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, the National Philharmonic, Palm Beach Opera, Baltic Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Birmingham Opera, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and New Trinity Baroque, among others. Equally comfortable on an operatic stage and in intimate chamber setting, Dr. Wór has collaborated with fellow musicians across the United States, as well as in Poland, Mexico, Philippines, and Great Britain.

Esther Tonea, soprano

Romanian-American soprano Esther Tonea is a recent graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Program, winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient. Excited to share her heritage with the classical music world, she has performed all-Romanian recitals with “powerful tone, effortless precision, and expressive immediacy.” This season, she sings the title role in Handel’s Semele, Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and various recitals across the US.

A frequent collaborator with composer Jake Heggie, Tonea performed Diana in the world premiere of If I Were You and workshopped Callie Van Lew in Intelligence. At San Francisco Opera she debuted in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Dream of the Red Chamber; covered in Cosi fan tutte, Eugene Onegin, and Fidelio; and performed scenes from operas such as Il pirata, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, and Ariadne auf Naxos. No stranger to orchestral works, she has sung Haydn’s Creation, Mahler’s Symphonies No. 4 and 2, and Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and Requiem.

Tonea holds an MM Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and BM degrees in Vocal Performance and Cello Performance from the University of Georgia. For future performances: www.esthertonea.com.

Jonathan Bryan, baritone

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Bryan has been praised for his “beautifully resonant baritone,” and “substantial sound,” and has performed leading roles on stages throughout the United States and abroad. He is an alumnus of The Atlanta Opera Studio, Wolf Trap Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist Program, and was a 2019 Georgia District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This season features a number of role and house debuts. He joins the Metropolitan Opera Roster covering the role of JTAC in Jeanine Tesori's Grounded, which he previously workshopped with The Metropolitan Opera and Washington National Opera. He appears with the Russian Chamber Art Society as Robert (Iolanta) at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. and debuts the role of Count Carl Magnus (A Little Night Music, St. Pete Opera) before reprising the role of Sylvio (I pagliacci, Opera Louisianne).

He recently came out of the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist Program (2020-2022) where he made his Kennedy Center debut as Escamillo and Moralès in Francesca Zambello's production of Carmen. He made his Arizona Opera debut as Captain Von Trapp in another Zambello production, The Sound of Music in 2023.

Other roles include the title role in Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Danilo in Lehar’s The Merry Widow, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking, and Rambaldo in La rondine. He received his Master of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with world-renowned baritone, Wolfgang Brendel, and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Louisiana State University.

Count Vaudemont - Fanyong Du

Fanyong Du, hailing from Inner Mongolia, China, is a distinguished lyric tenor who has woven a musical tapestry that resonates globally. From winning the presidential grand prize in Ukraine to placing first at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale Altamura/Caruso in Italy November 2023.

Mr. Du's journey is a testament to his unparalleled artistry. Debuting as Rodolfo at the Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, Mr. Du swiftly ascended to excel as a soloist with the Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra. Notably, he became the youngest voice teacher at the A.V. Nezhdanova Odessa National Academy Of Music. With a bachelor, master, and doctor degrees from Odessa, Mr. Du expanded his musical horizons at the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes School of Music, in addition to receiving invitation from the Cardiff Artist’s program by the Welsh Royal Opera House and as well Academy of Teatro Alla Scala in Milano, Italy. His international performances have graced stages in Italy, Switzerland, South Korea, Canada, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Czech, Slovakia, China and America.

Accolades from competitions such as the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, Guilio Gari International Vocal Competition in the USA, The Mykola Lysenko International Musical Competition, stand as a testament to Mr. Du's remarkable talent. His journey as a tenor embodies dedication, passion, and unparalleled skill, captivating audiences globally with heartfelt performances and exceptional vocal prowess.

Samuel Weiser, bass

Freshly graduated from the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera, Samuel Weiser resides in the DC area as a freelance singer and voice instructor. He is a current student of Neil Shicoff. Samuel graduated cum laude B.S.Ed in Music Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds his M.M. Vocal Performance from Roosevelt University and Artist Diploma from Chicago Opera Theater. Recent roles with Washington National Opera include Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata, Captain in Eugene Onegin, Jailer in Tosca, 2nd Armored Man in The Magic Flute and 2nd Philistine in Samson et Dalilah. Samuel also appeared as Pistola in Act 1 of Falstaff and Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola as part of the “Concert of Comic Masterpieces”. In the Fall of 2019, Samuel had the distinct pleasure of performing The Speaker of the Temple in the Cafritz Young Artist performance of The Magic Flute.

Samuel completed his tenure as a second-year Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theater of Saint Louis in 2017. In Summer of 2016 at the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Samuel was seen as Clumsy God in the World Premiere of Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown after the acclaimed Salman Rushdie novel, Sergeant in La Bohème and Valet in Macbeth. In the Summer of 2017 Samuel appeared as Fred, a deputy and Pump Guy 2 in Ricky Ian Gordon’s New Performance Version of The Grapes of Wrath as well as covered in Madama Butterfly as The Bonze and Publio in La Clemenza di Tito. In the Summer of 2018, Samuel appeared with Central City Opera as an Apprentice Artist, covering Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte and Ferrando in Il Trovatore.

Robert McGuinnes, baritone

With a reputation for "impressive singing... well-supported tone and supple phrasing" (Baltimore Sun) baritone Rob McGinness acts as a conduit, connecting characters to concepts, and listeners to musical landscapes. His current season includes solo appearances with Washington National Opera, IN Series, and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.

Rob’s operatic credits include the title roles in Eugene Onegin and Don Giovanni, as well as Marcello & Schaunard in La Bohème. An enthusiast for Russian-language repertoire, Rob has performed leading roles in Rimski-Korsakov’s Tsar’s Bride, Mozart and Salieri, Snow Maiden, Sadko, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. Other well-known roles include Enrico in Lucia, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, a performance lauded for a “bright baritone and winning jitteriness” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

A recent graduate of Arizona Opera’s Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio, Rob was also a young artist with Opera Theater St. Louis, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Teatro Nuovo, and Bel Canto at Caramoor. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Peabody Institute where he currently teaches courses on grant writing and career skills. An award-winning performer, Rob placed first in the Sylvia Greene Vocal Competition, second in the Piccola Opera Competition, and received the Patricia A. Edwards Award in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.

Dashiell Waterbury, Director

Dash is a stage director, a voice teacher, and a tenor with experience in opera and musical theater. Hailing from California, he has directed and performed all over the United States and in Italy. Companies he has worked with include San Francisco Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Orlando, Cincinnati Opera, Opera in the Heights and West Edge Opera. He recently served as Head of Opera for Stetson University.

Following an interim appointment as head of opera for Baylor University, Dash accepted a position on the voice faculty at Stetson University. During his tenure, his students won first and second place prizes in multiple categories at NATS, as well as other scholarships and awards.

Tatiana Storozheva - piano

Tatiana Storozheva is a professional pianist, accompanist, and vocal coach. She was born and raised in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and attended a special music school for gifted children. She received her Master’s Degree from the Mussorgsky Conservatory in Yekaterinburg in Piano Performance, Opera Coaching, Piano Teaching, and Collaborative Piano.

After completing her studies, Mrs. Storozheva served as Head Coach at the Yekaterinburg Opera for 22 years. She also accompanied soloists in recital, served as a soloist with the Yekaterinburg Philharmonia Society, and was the Artistic Director, Conductor, and Pianist for the Musical Theater in Yekaterinburg. For her contributions to opera, Mrs. Storozheva was named an Honored Artist of Russia. She also received the Best Accompanist award at the Mussorgsky Competition. Her repertoire includes numerous operas and over 300 songs in Russian, Italian, German, French, and English.

Mrs. Storozheva has also made several recordings with internationally recognized Russian singers such as Nikita Storojev and Valentin Zacharov. Throughout her career, she has prepared and accompanied singers in national and international vocal competitions, including the Glinka Competition, the Rimsky-Korsakov Competition in Russia, and the Belvedere Competition in Vienna. She has participated in many festivals in Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, and Hungary and served as a coach assisting Mstislav Rostropovich in a production of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain.

She served as rehearsal pianist and coach for the Baltimore Opera’s production of the same opera in 2003 and for Austin Lyric Opera’s production in 2006. During the summer of 2004, Tatiana presented a recital in Moscow and at the Bard Festival in New York.

Mrs. Storozheva accompanied Grace Bumbry's master class at the Butler School of Music and performed in concerts such as Masterpieces of Russian Romance, Three Generations of Great Russian Composers, Fair at Sorochintsy, Music of Ukrainian Composers, and a Polish Art Song Recital. Her upcoming engagements include performing as a collaborative artist for a recital series in Houston, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

For the past seventeen years, Tatiana has worked in conjunction with the Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Vera Danchenko-Stern, Russian Diction Coach

Vera Danchenko-Stern is Russian diction specialist with over 50 years of teaching experience. She graduated with honors from Moscow’s prestigious Gnessin Institute of Music where she mastered piano, solo performance, chamber music, vocal and instrumental accompaniment.

Her expert Russian diction coaching skills are in demand by world renowned institutions such as the Washington National Opera and the Cafritz Young Artist Program, where she has collaborated on highly acclaimed productions (Tsar’s Bride, Boris Godunov, The Queen of Spades, The Maiden of Orleans), The Honolulu Opera (Eugene Onegin, Ivan the Terrible), and the Baltimore Symphony under the baton of Yuri Temirkanov.

Ms. Danchenko-Stern has taught Russian diction on the faculties of Catholic University in Washington, D.C, and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. She recently conducted master classes at Princeton University, Michigan State University, and Potomac Vocal Institute in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Danchenko-Stern is a jury member in international competitions and a highly regarded Master Class teacher. Many of Ms. Danchenko-Stern’s former students, Timothy Mix (baritone), Magdalena Wor (mezzo), Natalie Conte (soprano), to name a few, were able to use their Russian repertoire to establish and further their distinguished operatic careers.

Ms. Danchenko-Stern is included in the Centennial Edition of “Who’s Who in American Women” and is a National Associate Artist of Sigma Alpha Iota.

Tchaikovsky: Iolanta