5 Minutes with some of the Cast of Les Contes d'Hoffmann!

Name: Benjamin Bloomfield

Where you're from: Bow, NH
 

Character you are playing: Crespel, Luther, Schlemil

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Crespel: anxious, fatherly Schlemil: desperate, hollow Luther: jolly

Favorite line that you sing: "malheureux enfant..."
 
Favorite part in the opera: Antonia finale
Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: great music, great drama, great story
 

Name: Joseph Michael Brent
 

Where you're from: New York City
 

Character you are are playing: E.T.A. Hoffmann
 

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Romantic, human, maudlin, eccentric, mercurial

Favorite line that you sing: "Le fut-il, S'il me la fait aimer, je consens qu'il me damne... allons"

Favorite part in the opera: The entirety of Coppelius' music.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: Hoffmann is one of most amazing and fascinating characters in history and the opera captures much of his greatness and reputation.
This opera is both educating and morally driven. Further more, the melodies, characters and stories will speak for themselves.  


Name: Francsico Corredor 

Where you're from: Queens, NYC native of Colombian, Puerto Rican, and Spanish decent.

Character you are playing: Andrès, Cochenille, Frantz, Pitichinnacio.

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Andrès is bourgeois. Cochenille is naïve in a positive child-like manner. Frantz is passionate yet talentless. Pitichinnacio is defensive.

Favorite line that you sing: as Cochenille "A-a-tten-ti-on!"

Favorite part in the opera: between the finale of the Olympia act and the Antonia, mother, dr.Miracle trio.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: this is an amazing piece of work that has survived the test of time despite its many discrepancies. It's about love and lost, good and evil. It's funny and sad. All of these make me want to say it's just so French. It's one of those operas that has everything.


Name: Mika Estrin

Where you're from: Atlanta, GA

Character you are playing: Auditing Antonia

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): 1) passionate 2) conflicted 3) determined 4) loving 5) profound

Favorite line that you sing: ma mere est c'etait en moi ranimée, mon coeur en chantent cryoait l'ecouté.

Favorite part in the opera: I love the final trio in the Antonia act, because it is composed of so many emotional and musical layers. The conflicting forces of good and evil are heard clearly through the orchestration, and it seems to have a power that propels the scene forward.Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: Les Contes d'Hoffman is a multi-faceted and complex story that is centered around a very straight forward and universal emotional journey of a simple man. Any and every person can relate and take something away from this opera, and simultaneously the audience member will be transported by the luscious music and drama that envelopes the story.


Name: Chantelle Grant

Where you're from: Toronto, Ontario Canada

Character you are playing: The voice of Antonia's Mother

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Grand, Glamours, Selfish, Manipulative, Spectral

Favorite line that you sing: "Ma voix t'appelle comme autrefois chante toujours ma fille, chante!"

Favorite part in the opera: The barcarolle

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: Aside from the glorious music and gorgeous pageantry. Hoffmann is is beautiful coming of age tale which speaks to our responsibilities as artists, lovers and as a society. 

Name: Lenora Green
 
Where you're from: Macon, GA
 
Character you are playing:Antonia
 
5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Lonely, Young, Passionate, Brave, Sentimental
 
Favorite line that you sing:La rose nouvelle sourit au printemps. Las! combien de temp vivra t'elle.

Favorite part in the opera: My favorite part of the opera would have to be the trio between Hoffmann, Crespel and Dr. Miracle.  The music is so grand and animated.  I also love a good villain.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hoffmann: I think the public should come to see Les Contes d'Hoffmann because it is such a great opera.  Three wonderful stories that compliment each other very well by having their own personalities.  There is no room for boredom.  I am also impressed by the talent that we have on stage in this program.  It would be a shame not to come out and hear these wonderful singers.


Name: Smitha Johnson

Where you're from: Houston, TX
 

Character you are playing: Antonia (cover)

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Passionate, naive, loyal, ambitious, intense

Favorite line that you sing: "T'aime je donc pour elle, ou l'aime he pour toi

Favorite part int the opera: the exchange between Dr. Miracle and Antonia that leads into the trio is one of the most eerie, yet compelling operatic writing I have ever cone across. I love that Dr. Miracle takes a multi-pronged approach into coercing Antonia back to her music; the most incredible part about the rhetoric that he uses is that he capitalizes on the doubts that are already in her head, so she thinks that it is her own mind that is deceiving her.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hoffmann I think this opera is one of the most unique works in the operatic repertoire. It encompasses such a wide range od emotions and brings to light the eternal struggle faced by all those who choose to pursue art. It has elements of comedy,drama and tragedy. All in all, it is a masterful retelling and reinterpretation of three remakably innovative stories written by the actual E.T.A. Hoffmann, and it is sure to leave audiences moved and inspired.


Name: Chae Seon Kim

Where you're from: South Korea

Character you are playing: Olympia(Cover)

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Cute, Mechanical,Dollish, Emotionless,Calculated

Favorite line that you sing: Voila la chanson gentile, la chanson d'Olympia!

Favorite part in the opera: Antonia's last scene

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: The Opera is funny and it shows Hoffmann's three different love stories.


Name:Tamara Rusqué

Where you're from: Toronto, Canada

Character you are playing: Giulietta

5 Adjectives that describe your character (s): Giulietta is magnetic, crafty, insatiable, dazzling and wicked
 

Favorite line that you sing: My favorite line is actually not sung. I most enjoy my evil cackle at the end of the act!

Favorite part in the opera: I am very fortunate to be singing the famous "Barcarolle" duet with the character of Nicklausse at the top of the third act. It's been one of my favorite melodies all my life.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hoffmann: To enjoy the extraordinary musical and theatrical gifts of my talented colleagues.


Name: Kirsten Scott

Where you're from: Dover, MA

Character you are playing: Nicklausse/Muse

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Young, supportive, sarcastic, smart, thoughtful

Favorite line that you sing: "Notte giorno, mal dormire." Night and day, sleeping badly. This refers to Hoffmann being a mess in the prologue. It is sung with the tune of Leporello's opening aria in Don Giovanni (the opera that is happening next to the Tavern) and is the first moment that we get to see that Nicklausse is witty!

Favorite part in the opera: Prologue tavern scene, when I get to "bro out"

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: It's an exciting, hilarious at times, and poignant story about relationships and how they effect art/creativity. The music is pretty good too!


Name: Janani Sridhar

Where you're from: Singapore, a tropical paradise!

Character you are playing: Antonia

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s): Vulnerable, driven, caring, torn, and hopeful

Favorite line that you sing: Quelle cette voix qui me troubles l'esprit? Est-ce l'enfer qui parle ou Dieu qui m'averit?

Favorite part in the opera: The Violin Aria in Act 2.

Why the public should come watch Les Contes d'Hofmann: It is an opera that will make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings, and make you feel in ways you have never felt before.


Name: Mizhuo Takeshita

Where you're from: Japan

Character you're playing: Olympia

5 Adjectives that describe your character(s):Doll, Machine, Mechanical, Stupid, Young girl

Favorite line that you sing: Oui!

Favorite part in ther opera: Act 1 (Olympia) Nicklausse's Aria

Why the public should come see Les Contes d'Hoffmann: It is wonderful music! Funny, mysterious, creepy and sad.. love and drink! Everyone is going to love it for sure! Please come see us!