Lincoln Square draws memories of Maifest, of bubbles in the fountain, of outdoor dining while shoppers stroll by. This piece is about all those things, but it also acknowledges that the neighborhood is overwhelmingly white, and that within the Western Brown Line stop there is a monument to closed borders and the dismantling of boundaries–a piece of the Berlin wall.
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Lincoln Square draws memories of Maifest, of bubbles in the fountain, of outdoor dining while shoppers stroll by. This piece is about all those things, but it also acknowledges that the neighborhood is overwhelmingly white, and that within the Western Brown Line stop there is a monument to closed borders and the dismantling of boundaries–a piece of the Berlin wall.
Cast
Elizabeth Rudolph
Composer
Elizabeth Rudolph
Composer
Elizabeth Rudolph is a Chicago-based composer “whose music takes advantage of the rhythmic complexity of minimalism to emphasize thoughtfully composed melodic storytelling.” according to contralto Katherine Dalin. Rudolph’s music has been performed and/or recorded by VOX3, Third Eye Theater, New Moon Opera, Chicago Fringe Opera, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Interlochen Arts Academy Chorale, and Opera on Tap-Chicago. Her most recent evening-length opera, Imogen, had its debut with New Moon Opera in 2019. Here, Rudolph shed convention and voiced and scripted roles to be genderless, smartly designing a work that gives more singers an opportunity to be heard. Rudolph is an established classical soprano in her own right, and enjoys collaborating with working artists to create new classical music in all formats, especially art-songs. “Singing her music is always immensely musically and dramatically fulfilling.” says soprano Mary Govertsen.
Other commissions include, Lincoln Square (soprano and cello) for the Chicago Fringe Opera City of Works project, Just a Phase (TTBB Choral) for the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, The Third Night (baritone, bass clarinet, and piano) for VOX3, La Belle Dame sans Merci (SATB chorale) and Incidental Music for The Tempest (chamber music), for Interlochen Center for the Arts.
She attended Roosevelt University (MM-Vocal Performance) and St. Olaf College (BM-Vocal Performance and Music Theory/Composition) where she studied composition with Dr. Peter Hamlin and Dr. Timothy Mahr. She began composing at the age of 14 under the tutelage of Dr. Alan Hirsch, then finished high school at Interlochen Arts Academy where she advanced her composition and music theory study with Dr. Elaine Broad-Ginsberg.
Productions with Chicago Fringe Opera
The Heroes Project – The Widow’s Will
Composer
2021
A City of Works
Composer
2021
Laura Stratford
Librettist
Laura Stratford
Librettist
Laura Stratford is a Chicago-based musical theatre writer. She co-founded and served as Founding Executive Director of Underscore Theatre Company, Chicago’s home for new musicals, and acted as the Executive Producer of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival for five years. With Underscore, she produced over 74 readings, workshops, and productions of new musicals in eight years.
Laura is the co-lyricist and co-librettist of Liberal Arts: The Musical (Underscore Theatre Company), Grounds: The Musical (Midwest Fringe Tour; Theatre Undeclared); Spa Fire! The Children of the One Percent (the EX-Pats), and pr0ne: a hardcore, amateur musical (Underscore Theatre Company), and librettist for The 57th National Mathlete Sum-It (CPA Theatricals; licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide) with collaborators Alex Higgin-Houser and David Kornfeld.
Currently Laura has composed nine original songs for season two of the podcast Arden and is the librettist and lyricist for The Bone Harp, a new musical with music by Heidi Joosten.
She is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild and ASCAP.
Productions with Chicago Fringe Opera
A City of Works
Librettist
2021
Alex Salas
Soprano
Alex Salas
Soprano
Alex Salas is a Chicago based soprano with a focus on new works. Alex was most recently seen in Chicago Fringe Opera’s “City of Works,” featured in Lincoln Square with music composed by Elizabeth Rudolph and text by Laura Stratford. Previous engagements with Chicago Fringe Opera include “Love Wounds” showcasing music composed by Christopher Cerrone in 2019, where Chicago Classical Review described Alex’s voice as “pure and lovely in tone.” Alex is a founding member of Forte Chicago, an operatic improv ensemble, last seen at the 2019 Chicago International Puppet Festival, performing “Distant Flight of Birds”, cabarets, and fully devised shows. Since Forte’s inception in 2015, Alex has been seen devising, directing, and performing in every show. Alex holds a BA in Music Education from Florida Atlantic University, and an MM in Voice Performance from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where operatic credits include Contessa di Folleville in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims, Novice in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Daughter in Torke’s Strawberry Fields. Alex is a soprano section leader at Church of the Holy Comforter in Kenilworth, IL.
Productions with Chicago Fringe Opera
Love Wounds
Soloist (I Will Learn To Love a Person)
2019
Two Remain
Mariola
2022
Allison Chambers
Cello
Allison Chambers
Cello
Chicagoland native Allison Chambers began playing cello at the age of nine. She enjoys an eclectic musical career of teaching, orchestral playing, and chamber music. Allison strives to be a “citizen musician,” as Yo-Yo Ma defines it, by serving the community through art and music. She currently teaches all ages through the Elmhurst College Community Music Program. Allison is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, and presently performs with the South Bend Symphony and Illinois Symphony Orchestras. She is also an active chamber musician with Fifth Wave Collective, a performing group working to bring the music of women to the foreground of classical music. Allison has spent her summers conducting a European concert tour with the Buffalo Grove High School Orchestras, performing with Chicago Summer Opera, and concertizing across wine country with Festival Napa Valley. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Elmhurst College and a master’s
degree in cello performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. When she isn’t behind her cello, you can find her enjoying time with loved ones, exploring the outdoors, or curled up with a good book.
George is the Producing Artistic Director of Chicago Fringe Opera, called “the city’s alt-opera company” by the Chicago Tribune. Recent directing credits for the company include LA JETEÉ and CORSAIR, as well as the company’s long-running hit show THE ROSINA PROJECT, a Hip-Hop adaptation of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE.
In addition, George has directed new productions and workshops of operas, musicals, and plays with Opera Festival of Chicago, Chicago Dramatists, the Chicago Sinfonietta, Pittsburgh Opera, the Bay View Music Festival and Chicago Folks Operetta.
An inspiring mentor, George is the Producing Artistic Director of Opera and Theatre at North Park University.
Now in its ninth season, George hosts OPERA BOX SCORE [America’s Talk Radio Show About Opera] on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago.
To learn more about George, visit gjcederquist.com. He proudly uses zero social media platforms.
Catherine O’Shaughnessy is a rising orchestral and opera conductor in the United States and abroad. Her performances have earned rave reviews from the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Classical Review (“great skill, alertness and sensitivity”), and Vocal Arts Chicago (“resourcefulness…scrappiness and…fierce concentration”). Avidly committed to Chicago’s dynamic musical scene, she is currently the music director of Chicago Fringe Opera, and Principal Conductor of the 5th Wave Collective. In 2020, she proudly helped produce Fringe’s contribution to the Decameron Opera Coalition’s Tales From a Safe Distance—winner of the “Best Collaboration” award from 360° of Opera—which makes innovative use of technology to reimagine this art for challenging new circumstances.
A semi-finalist in the 2016 Spazio Musica International Conducting Competition, Catherine made her New York debut conducting Antonio Salieri’s La Cifra with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble. She has also music directed Pyramus and Thisbe in Freiberg (Mittelsächsisches Theater) and conducted Don Giovanni and La Traviata in Orvieto (Teatro Mancinelli). In 2013 she conducted the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra at a sold-out performance in Tchaikovsky Hall, and in 2017 she guest-conducted the Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra (Manchester, UK). Catherine holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral and opera conducting from Arizona State University, where she was a student of William Reber and Timothy Russell.
Brad Caleb Lee is a UK based visual dramaturge. With CFO he designed Lucrezia, The Long Christmas Dinner, Woyzeck, Corsair and co-conceived A City of Works. Other collaborators include East Riding Theatre, Opera’r Ddraig, Summer Theatre of New Cannon, Richard Burton Theatre Company, Elan Frontoio, Welsh National Opera, Opera Sonic, Music Theatre Wales, Prague Shakespeare Company, Theatre Tuscaloosa, Hell in a Handbag, and Filament Theatre.
Brad curated and designed YOUR VOICE!, an immersive community-driven exhibition reopening the Wales Millennium Centre, was the Curatorial Producer of Prague Quadrennial 2019, was featured in World Stage Design 2017, and co-designed the award-winning British pavilion, MAKE/BELIEVE for PQ2015 / Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Brad is the founding editor of Ascending and has previously edited other publications on theatre design. He holds an MA from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and both a BA and a BS of Commerce from The University of Alabama.
Productions with Chicago Fringe Opera
Two Remain
Production Designer
2022
A City of Works
Co-concept / Designer
2021
Corsair
Production Designer
2020
Woyzeck
Production Designer
2019
The Long Christmas Dinner
Set Designer
2019
Lucrezia
Production Designer
2017
Song from the Uproar
Assistant Director & Stage Manager
2016
Cinematography
Edyta Laurent
Supported by The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, & the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Chicago Fringe Opera is an Opera America Partner.