TWENTY-FOUR is...
• a new 2-act opera/pastiche featuring all of the 24 Italian songs & Arias.
• scored for six or seven singers, offering flexible casting.*
*Musical numbers are available in various keys to suit many different combinations of voices. It is even possible for male characters to be played by treble singers, making this work easily adaptable to the needs of individual programs. See how to customize your score by clicking HERE.
TWENTY-FOUR features...
• an original scenario with new English dialogue connecting the numbers.
• new musical arrangements and orchestrations for String Ensemble and Keyboard. A piano/vocal score is also available for those wishing to do a production with piano only.
• duets, trios, and larger ensembles — even a Mozart-style finale, starting with one, and building up to all six voices.
TWENTY-FOUR (or, The Cure for Love)
PRODUCTION HISTORY
WORKSHOP: August 2–6, 2021*
Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX)
Chas Rader-Shieber (stage director)
Tony Boutté (music director/conductor)
Bryan Banowetz (pianist)
Nina: Megan Stapleton, soprano
Milli: Emily Anderson, mezzo-soprano
Lady Clizia: Emily Howes Heilman, mezzo-soprano
Silvio: Piero Regis, tenor
Florindo: Carlos Figueroa, baritone
Lord Tirsi: Tyler Resto, bass-baritone
*Presented with support from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (SHSU) and the School of Music.
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WORKSHOP: September 20–October 8, 2021
Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA)
Chas Rader-Shieber (stage director)
Tony Boutté (music director/conductor)
Jacob Niemann (assistant conductor)
Ting Ting Wong (piano/harpsichord)
Reese Revak (piano/harpsichord)
Nina: Olivia Smith, Merissa Beddows, Maya Mor Mitrani
Milli: Dalia Medovnikov, Sarah Fleiss, Juliet Rand
Lady Clizia: Hannah Klein, Emily Damasco
Silvio: Laurence Kilsby, Sophia Maekawa
Florindo: Colin Aikins, Charles Buttigieg
Lord Tirsi: Samuel Higgins, Evan Gray
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EXCERPTS: January 7, 2022*
Scenes presented at the National Conference
of the National Opera Association (St. Augustine, FL)
Faculty/students/alumni of Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX)
Tony Boutté (stage director/conductor)
Saule Garcia (pianist)
With special guest Dr. Paul Houghtaling (University of Alabama)
Nina: Amanda Ronquillo
Milli: Dr. Emily Howes Heliman
Lady Clizia: Emily Anderson
Silvio: James Silva
Florindo: Dr. Tony Boutté
Lord Tirsi: Dr. Paul Houghtaling
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PRODUCTION: October 27–28, 2022*
University of West Georgia (Carrollton, GA)
Dr. Dawn Neely, Director of UWG Opera Workshop (stage director)
Dr. John Elson Williams (music director/conductor)
Justin Tarver (pianist)
*First full production with piano
Arianna: Kalixta Easterwood, Allison Lee
Nina: Katie Sweeney, Lauren Welker
Milli: Anne Bascom, Alyxandrea Curry
Lady Clizia: Theresa Rochowski, Mackenzi Phillips
Silvio: Nicholas Fletcher, Ethan Weaver
Florindo: Chance McCoy, Matthew Mersereau
Lord Tirsi: Richard Nicholas Glass, Jacob Arnett
Director’s Notes: Any student who has ever auditioned for All-State, majored in music in college or taken private lessons, probably knows the “yellow menace”...or the “yellow bible” depending on how you feel about singing early Italian songs. But these pieces are great for beginning students new to Italian. And I also like to remind my students that while the emotions in these songs are big (it is early opera!), but they are really no different than the big emotions we hear in songs on the radio or in Musical Theatre today.
While the “24 Italian songs and arias” are a great teaching tool, anything this old can feel a little stale. However, Opera directors and composers are really getting creative when it comes to reinvention, including my colleague, Tony Boutté, a Tenor and composer currently teaching in Texas at Sam Houston State University. After chatting a bit at our last National Opera Association conference, he sent me a link to his website for “Twenty-Four or, The Cure for Love.” He and his colleague, Chas have turned the 24 anthology into a delightful new opera/pastiche. The English dialogue and use of the Italian songs give students and music teachers another opportunity to look at the old classic in a new light. We hope you enjoy this new opera with beautiful Italian music!
— Dr. Dawn Neely, Director of UWG Opera Workshop
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PRODUCTION: March 23–25, 2023*
Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, Texas)
Rebecca Renfro (stage director)
Tony Boutté (music director/conductor)
Saule Garcia (vocal coach/répétiteur)
*World premier with orchestra
Cast:
Arianna: Tahtianna Santiago, Hannah Herrera
Nina: Taylor Hendricks, Jessie Madere
Milli: Amanda Ronquillo*, Paige Preston
Lady Clizia: Victoria Tonsfeldt, Kristen Stevens
Silvio: James Silva, Hannah Yarborough, Makenna Pollock
Florindo: Riley Glaesmann, Taylor Jeffers
Lord Tirsi: Heath Martin**, Cole Stout, Derek Clark
Orchestra:
Marco Hernandez (violin)
Liz Muñoz (violín)
Juan Diego Vega (viola)
Daniela Herrera (cello)
Audrey Reese (string bass)
Saule Garcia (harpsichord)
Tony Boutté (harpsichord/conductor)
*SHSU Alumna (Artist Diploma, Spring 2022)
**SHSU Faculty Guest Artist
Presented with support from the SHSU School of Music and the College or Arts and Media