Nancy Purcell as JACKIE

Nancy Purcell was last seen as "Claire" in Case 22 at the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival.  Her last appearance at Franklin Park Arts Center was as ”Kate” in the April 2009, BITWC-Imagine That! Theatre production of Brighton Beach Memoires. She has performed in Aurora Studio Theatre productions of The Art of Dining, Cinderella, Arsenic & Old Lace,The Pajama Game, and Little Women, worked with Not Just Shakespeare Inc. in productions of Macbeth, Hamlet and All’s Well That Ends Well, and is an actor with the Radio Theatre at Carver Center. 

Penny Hauffe as JEANETTE

Penny Hauffe's most recent stage exploits include the role of Lettice in the Franklin Park Arts Center and Carver Center productions of Lettice & Lovage (Pieces of Eight Lab Theatre); Blanche in Brighton Beach Memoirs (BITWC Imagine That!); Suzette, the cook (not be confused with the mistress or niece) in Don’t Dress for Dinner (Pieces of Eight Lab Theatre); Major Cartwright in Guys & Dolls (Aurora Studio Theatre); the hostess with the mostest, Paige Patrick in Iron S'Kill-it (Aurora); Roberta in The Gray Ghost (The Gray Ghost Theater Co); Gracie Allen for radio broadcast on WAGE; Mrs Littlebone in Arms and the Highlander (Aurora); half of the profoundly obtuse detective duo, Broffy and Klein in Arsenic & Old Lace (Aurora); Brenda in The Pajama Game (Aurora); and Edith, the cockney maid, in Blythe Spirit (Oatlands Carriage House Theatre).

Phil Erickson as NELSON

Phil  Erickson has his theatrical roots in  radio theatre and subversive improv during his years in Richmond VA.  He most recently appeared as the Solicitor Mr. Bardolph in Lettice and Lovage with the Pieces of Eight Players, and  previously in the BITWC production of Brighton Beach Memoirs as Jack Jerome. He appeared as Nathan Detroit in Aurora Studio Theatre’s Guys and Dolls,  as Chef Pompadeux in Iron S’Killit, Frederick in Arms and the Highlander, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, Hines in The Pajama Game and Officer Brophy in Arsenic and Old Lace.  He appeared also as Lieutenant McNulty in All for the Union and the film Waterford’s War. Other performances include Museum with the Reston Community Players. Phil is delighted to be on stage with the stars of Loudoun Lyric Opera as well as other distinguished characters and usual suspects.

Melody Prochazka as SUSIE

This is Melody’s second performance with Loudoun Lyric Opera.  Melody was in LLO’s production of Gianni Schicchi in the Fall of 2008.  Melody has studied voice privately for 15 years.  She has both a classical and musical theatre background.  She was a state finalist in both the Bland Music Competition and the National Association Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition.  Some of her most memorable roles include Maria from West Side Story;   Anna from The King and I ; Cassie from A Chorus Line  and the Narrator from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which was performed at the Edinborough Fringe Festival in Scotland.  Melody is a Theatre major from New York University where she studied at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.  She has also studied and performed at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in Kerhonkson, New York; Stella Adler Conservatory and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City and with the Hangar Theatre Program in Ithaca, New York.   She enjoys singing for weddings, teaching voice lessons and cantering in church.  Melody is currently studying voice with vocal coach, Melissa Coombs.

Jennifer Weingartner as DORIS

Praised by The Washington Post for her “clear, focused voice,” Jennifer Weingartner is a lyric soprano from New York.  She recently performed a recital at the Embassy of Indonesia, singing the American premiere of songs by Ananda Sukarlan.    Ms. Weingartner has performed with the 7 Sopranos, The Friday Morning Music Club Orchestra, Summer Opera Theatre, The Washington Savoyards, OperaWorks, Bel Cantanti, New York Opera Studio and the Crittenden Summer Opera Workshop.  She has performed at the Austrian and German Embassies and with The Master Chorale of Washington at the Kennedy Center.  Ms. Weingartner played the role of Giannetta in L’Elisir d’Amore, Phyllis in Iolanthe, Sylviane in The Merry Widow and Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors.  This summer she performed the role of Yum-Yum in The Mikado at the Capitol Hills Arts Workshop.  In February 2011, she will be the soprano soloist in Haydn's "Mass in the Time of War" with the City Choir of Washington.   Ms. Weingartner holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from SUNY Stony Brook and a Master’s Degree in Voice from Westminster Choir College.  She currently studies with soprano Ruth Golden.   

Anthony Vargas as FRANK

When he changed his major for the fourth time at NVCC, he figured "Why not try a chorus class?" It was then he was introduced into the wonderful world of formal singing.  Learning terms like vibrato and legato was new to him, but he grew fond of it.  The class became the Chorus for Loudoun Lyric Opera's fall production of HMS Pinafore part of LLO’s HMS Pinafore, an operetta. He learned a lot and decided to audition for Romance.  So, this is the second time Anthony is performing with LLO… and the first time it isn't a class requirement.

Kim Shahbazian as MARY

Kim is making her third appearance with Loudoun Lyric Opera, having also sung the roles of “Dorabella”, in the company’s production of Cosi fan Tutte; and “Orlofsky”, in Die Fledermaus. In addition to appearing as soloist or guest artist with organizations such as the Hershey Symphony Orchestra and the Susquehanna Chorale, Kim has performed feature roles in opera, operetta and musical theater with the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble, Circle Theater of Indianapolis, Harrisburg Opera Association, Lancaster Opera Company, and Capitol Opera Harrisburg. Previous roles include “Cherubino” (The Marriage of Figaro) “Suzuki” (Madame Butterfly), “Oberon” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). “Bella” (Paganini), “Hansel” (Hansel and Gretel), “Buttercup” (HMS Pinafore), “Lady Jane” (Patience) and “Mehitabel” (Archie and Mehitabel).

Felice Fava as ERNIE

Felice Fava, tenor, is making his first appearance with Loudoun Lyric Opera. Recently appearing with the Washington Savoyards, and singing principal roles in the Repertory Opera Theater of Washington’s upcoming season, Felice is making his transition to opera after studying privately for the past few years. Musical theatre roles include Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, John the Baptist/Judas in Godspell, and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Performing from a very young age with an Italian folk group based in Pittsburgh, he is no stranger to the rich history of the Italian repertoire. He currently studies with Fleta Hylton.

Sean Pflueger as RICHARD

Sean Pflueger, bass, is an active performer with many opera companies in the Washington area including Washington Savoyards, Bel Cantanti Opera, Loudoun Lyric Opera, Washington National Opera and The In Series. "[Sean] Pflueger adds the necessary bass-baritone heft... contributing a surprising delicacy and elegance in the lower registers," DC Theater Scene. Recently, he performed the role Pish-Tush in Washington Savoyard’s The Mikado and appeared as a soloist singing many of Mozart great bass roles, Figaro, Osmin, and Papageno, in The In Series and Washington Ballet’s joint production, WAM: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mr. Pflueger has also performed the roles of Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, The Count in John Phillip Sousa’s Desiree, Bob in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Il Comendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Marquis in Verdi's La Traviata, Nerino in Handel's Guilio Cesare, Pooh-Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, Mars in Offenbach’s Orpheus and the Underworld, Alcindoro/Benoit in Puccini’s La Boheme, Chevalier in Victor Herbert’s Madeleine, Betto and Master Spinelloccio/Amatio di Nicolao in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Rambaldo in Puccini’s La Rondine, and St. Peter in Penhorwood’s Too Many Sopranos. Sean is also engaged in concert and oratorio work having performed the Bass solos in Handel's Messiah, Bach’s Canata 59, and the Baritone solos in Faure's Requiem, among others. This season he will be the bass soloist in WAM 2! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the bass soloist in Mozarts’s Requiem, and performing the role of Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore. Sean is a member of the Washington National Opera Chorus and will be appearing in the WNO's version of Verdi's Un Ballo Mashera in September 2010.

MADDY CURTIS - Entr'acte Performance

Recent winner of a trip to Hollywood in a national singing contest, 16-year old Maddy Curtis is a junior at Loudoun Valley High School. She was last with Loudoun Lyric Opera as "Cousin Hebe" in the fall production of HMS Pinafore, and other local roles have included Eponine in Les Miserables, Joanna in Godspell, Becky Thatcher in Treasures: The Musical Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Johanna in Sweeny Todd, Delee in Smokey Joe's Cafe and - most recently - Nancy in Oliver!  She has also performed with the young bluegrass band Jake and the Burtones.