Performances 

Thursday, August 14th & Friday, August 15th
6pm @ Hammond Hall  

Saturday, August 16th & Sunday, August 17th
​2pm @ Hammond Hall

Synopsis

Act 1:

In a lively setting in 17th century Seville, the notorious libertine Don Giovanni is constantly on the hunt for new romantic conquests, accompanied by his loyal but reluctant servant Leporello. As the curtain rises, Don Giovanni attempts to seduce Donna Anna, but is interrupted by her father, the Commendatore, whom Don Giovanni kills in a duel. Donna Anna, devastated, vows to avenge her father's death with the help of her fiancé, Don Ottavio. Meanwhile, Don Giovanni encounters his former lover, Donna Elvira, who is seeking revenge for his betrayal. Despite her anger, she cannot completely resist his charms. The act concludes with Don Giovanni crashing a wedding and seducing the bride, Zerlina, much to the dismay of her fiancé, Masetto.
​
Act 2:

In the second act, Don Giovanni continues his escapades, switching clothes with Leporello to escape detection and further his amorous pursuits. This leads to a series of misunderstandings and mistaken identities, with Leporello being mistaken for his master and nearly killed by Masetto and Donna Elvira. As night falls, Don Giovanni and Leporello find themselves in a graveyard where they encounter the statue of the Commendatore. In a supernatural twist, the statue comes to life and warns Don Giovanni of his impending doom, but the unrepentant libertine laughs off the warning and invites the statue to dinner.
The final scene takes place in Don Giovanni's banquet hall, where he is enjoying a lavish meal. The statue of the Commendatore arrives as promised and offers Don Giovanni one last chance to repent for his sins. Arrogant and defiant, Don Giovanni refuses, and the statue drags him down to hell as a fiery punishment for his life of debauchery and deceit. The opera concludes with the surviving characters reflecting on Don Giovanni's fate and the moral lesson that awaits those who live without remorse or redemption.

The Cast

Don Giovanni

Critically-acclaimed bass-baritone Christopher Grundy received his Doctor of Music from Indiana University, studying with the celebrated German baritone Wolfgang Brendel. He completed his B.A. at Yale University, where he was the assistant conductor of the Yale Glee Club and the Yale Russian Chorus. His opera credits include title roles in Rachmaninov’s Aleko and Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as such varied roles as Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier); Count Danilo (The Merry Widow); Vicar Gedge (Albert Herring); Mr. Alfieri (View from the Bridge); and Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus). A champion of new music, Christopher has premiered numerous works in collaboration with contemporary composers. He sang the role of Dr. Gachet in the premiere production of Bernard Rands’s Vincent. On one week’s notice he learned the lead baritone role for the world premiere of Decameron with the International Opera Theatre of Philadelphia, to critical acclaim. As a recording artist Christopher can be heard on the BIS, Naxos, and Parma labels. Recent oratorio performances include title role in Elinor Remick Warren’s “The Passing of King Arthur” with the Falmouth Chorale, the role of Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion, and bass solos in Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Greenwich Choral Society, Duruflé’s Requiem with the Fairfield County Chorale, Handel's Messiah with the Danbury Concert Chorus, and Mozart’s Vesperae solenne de Confessore with Con Brio Choral Society. Christopher is Director of Choral Programs at Sacred Heart University and the Director of Music at the Unitarian Society of New Haven. He made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut alongside internationally-renowned violinist Alexander Markov. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford, Connecticut. Recently he was honored to become a founding board member of the Neely Bruce Music Foundation. He is an experienced commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor.

Ian Joyal has been praised for his “fine Italianate sound” and is distinctive for his comic role interpretations. His roles include Don Alfonso, Sarastro, Masetto, Leporello and the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2017, Ian made his international debut as a studio artist with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany, performing as Leporello in Don Giovanni and as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. Equally at home on the concert stage, Ian has also performed in many recitals and oratorio works, with repertoire including the bass solos in Verdi's and Mozart's Requiems, as well as multiple performances of Handel's Messiah. Ian credits his father, who was his first voice teacher and church choir conductor, for inspiring him to pursue music.

Il Commendatore

Born amid the storm tossed rocks of what is now a booming tourist town, Aidan Pasha has become a known figure amid the local theatre community. Whether it’s singing with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine; as a love inducing sorcerer, or mustache twirling baronet. Or preforming in productions put on by The Grand, Or even selling ads for Acadia Repertory Theatre; This enigmatic figure tries to keep his finger on the pulse of local entertainment. And is proud to work with The Winter Harbor Music Festival once more in this production of Don Giovanni, enjoy.

​Brian J. Alvarado’s ‘liquid baritone of great charm,’ ‘precise patter elocution,’ and ‘highly attractive legato’ (Parterre Box) has featured recently as Peter in Hansel and Gretel and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (Bronx Opera), Dr. Falke in La Chauve-Souris and the Baritone in The Four-Note Opera (Orchestre Classique de Montréal; Festival d’art vocal de Montréal), Silvio in Pagliacci (New Rochelle Opera), Angelotti in Tosca (Opera Vermont), Eugene Johnson in Blind Injustice (Opera Theatre of the Rockies), Tom in Un ballo in maschera (Opera Project Columbus), and Ivan Turgenev in Notes on Viardot (Music on Site). Other roles include Leporello in Don Giovanni (Bronx Opera, Long Island Lyric Opera, Lighthouse Opera, Amore Opera), The Magic Flute's Papageno (Opera Theatre of Montclair) and Sprecher (Barn Opera), Schaunard in La bohéme, Dandini in La Cenerentola, and the title roles in The Sorcerer, Venus and Adonis, and Sweeney Todd. His solo concert work includes Handel's Messiah, Bach’s BWV 147, Keiser's Markuspassion, Haydn’s Nicolaimesse, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Pastoralmesse, and Spatzenmesse, Schubert's Mass in G, and Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass. The Bronx native has appeared chorally at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madison Square Garden, National Sawdust, and elsewhere. 

​Donna Anna

Soprano Celine Mogielnicki is garnering recognition for her “stunningly powerful, rich sound”,“delicious” (Opera Today) and “finely balanced" (NY Times) singing, “perfect in diction and phrasing with powerful gradations of emotions” (Millbrook Independent). She is dedicated to versatility and sensitivity in her work, spanning from Mozart’s leading ladies to world premiere collaborations in opera, concert, and recital. A prize-winning graduate of the Juilliard School and Dawn Upshaw’s graduate vocal arts program at Bard College, Ms. Mogielnicki has sung with LA Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Bard Summerscape, Caramoor, Opera Baltimore, Charlottesville Opera (formerly Ash Lawn Opera) and DC Public Opera in both standard and contemporary works. Recent leading roles include Fiordiligi, Countess, Rosalinde, Mimì, Governess, Micaela, Pamina, Marzelline and Musetta. Particularly devoted to 20th/21st century works, she has given world premieres by David T. Little (Sir Elton John’s Trainer in Vinkensport), Missy Mazzoli (Song from the Uproar), Noa Ain (Song of the Turtledove), Brian Hulse (Questa rosa novella) and Stephen Gorbos (Whitman Fragments). Oratorio and concert credits include Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mass in C Major, Handel’s Messiah and the world premiere of Judd Greenstein’s Vayomer Schlomo in Zankel Hall. She made her Carnegie Hall Debut in Vaughn William’s Serenade to Music under conductor Benjamin Zander and has appeared in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, National Music Festival, Southwest Florida Symphony, Friends of Mozart Society, Bel Canto at Caramoor, and the Transfiguration Choirs of New York City, Washington National Cathedral, Hudson Valley Chamber Music, the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society, 23Arts Initiative, Z1 Konzerte Berlin, Orania Berlin concert series, Winter Harbor Music Festival and Schoodic Arts in Downeast Maine. Recordings include Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (Leonard/Premiere Bohemienne) with the American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein and Missy Mazzoli’s Song from the Uproar with NOW ensemble under New Amsterdam label. In the 2024/2025 season, Ms. Mogielnicki makes her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Winter Harbor Music Festival, joins the Washington International Piano series as a guest artist and continues her long standing relationship with the Long Island Choral Society, returning as soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah. She will also complete her Doctorate in Musical Arts as a Dean's Fellow from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in May 2025. ​

​Soprano Gisselle Salinas is a performers certificate student and private music teacher in the Jacksonville area. She earned her Bachelors in Music Education from University of North Florida and currently studies with Dr. James Hall. This past fall, she placed 1st in UNF’s Annual Opera Aria Competition and has been a frequent member of the UNF Opera Theater. She has performed in The Mikado, Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Così fan tutte, Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Héro in Béatrice and Bénédict, Mimì in an adaptation of La Bohème and now, the title role of The Merry Widow. This past summer, she traveled to Miami Music Festival to cover the role of Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking while also fulfilling the role of assistant stage manager and props master. She is very excited to perform the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni this summer with the Winter Harbor Music Festival in Maine.

Ottavio

Rogan Winch is a local performer and Maine native. He received a degree from the University of Maine at Orono in Music Performance with a Vocal Concentration and performs regularly in the Down East area. Most recently, he and Deiran Manning performed Schubert's Die Winterreise at the Eagle Hill institute in Stuben and at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor. He performs with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Maine and recently played Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore. 

He enjoys spending time with his wife Alexandria, his two Chow Chow dogs, and his three cats when not performing or working at his day job at The Jackson Laboratory. 

Tenor Andy Boggs is originally from Odenton, Maryland. He is currently a master’s student at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music studying under the tutelage of Brian Horne. During IU Opera Theater’s 2024-2025 season, he played Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw) and Alfred (Die Fledermaus). In Jacobs scenes programs, he played Gonzalve (L’heure espagnole) and Dr. Caius (Falstaff). Boggs made his professional debut singing the role of Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte) with Loudoun Lyric Opera Company and has sung in the Annapolis Opera chorus. He made his international debut singing as Tamino, Erste geharnischter Mann, and Zweiter Priester (Die Zauberflöte) with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. He has performed with the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, singing the roles of Ralph Rackstraw (H.M.S. Pinafore) and Alexis (The Sorcerer). Because of his performances in H.M.S. Pinafore, he was honored with a nomination for Best Performer in a Musical in the BroadwayWorld Washington, DC Awards. As a concert soloist, Boggs has performed as the tenor soloist in works such as Ives’ The Celestial Country, Handel’s Messiah, Purcell’s Welcome to All the Pleasures, and Bach’s Es reißet euch ein schrecklich Ende, among others. He graduated with a B.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland (UMD), studying under Gran Wilson. Throughout his time at UMD, Boggs sang the role of Brack Weaver (Down in the Valley) with UMD’s OperaTerps, portrayed Vincent Jones (Street Scene), and sang in the opera chorus for Maryland Opera Studio.

Donna Elvira

​Cassandra Petrie, mezzo soprano, hails from her beloved state of Indiana. She is thrilled to be returning to the stage at Winter Harbor Music Festival. Passionate about singing a variety of genres, Cassandra frequently sings opera, musical theater, and oratorio. You may have seen her in former WHMF productions. Her operatic repertoire includes Dorabella in Cosí fan tutte (2024), Mrs. Patrick De Rocher in Dead Man Walking (2024), Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (2024), Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (2023), and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (2023). Recently, Cassandra has performed musical theater roles such as Mrs. Lyons in Blood Brothers (2024), Mrs. Winthrope/Alice in The Secret Garden (2023), and Grace Farrell in Annie (2020). A frequent oratorio soloist, Cassandra often sings the alto solos of Handel’s Messiah, most notably with the Berne Mennonite Choral Society. Cassandra made her debut in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio as the alto soloist this past December at WHMF. Cassandra enjoys singing in the distinguished Chicago Symphony Chorus as a Core Associate Member and is the proud Music Director at Churubusco United Methodist Church. During the academic year, Cassandra teaches at Grace College and Manchester University in Indiana. Cassandra holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Olivet Nazarene University and MM in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois. ​

Addison Littlefield is a soprano from Sidney, Maine currently in pursuit of her Master's degree in Opera Performance at the University of Maryland. In the Maryland Opera Studio, she recently performed the role of Milkmaid in The Fishwife. In 2024, Littlefield received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. At Lawrence, she performed various opera roles including Quinn in Alice Tierney, Morgana in Alcina, and Seconda Cercatrice in Suor Angelica. Additionally, she was a featured soloist in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor with Lawrence Symphony Orchestra and Choirs. Littlefield has won multiple prizes in the Wisconsin College Classical NATS Competition, including 1st Place (2020, 2021) and 2nd place (2023). She was also the recipient of The Charles F.L. Anderson Opera Performance Scholarship in 2023. Additionally, Littlefield has performed in past Opera Maine productions including The Flying Dutchman (2022) and The Magic Flute (2019). Littlefield is a student of John Holiday.

Leporello

Bass-baritone Chris Jurak sang in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus from 1977-82, appearing in Carmen, La Boheme, Cavellaria Rustincana, Tosca, Werther, Hansel and Gretel, La Giaconda, La Forza del Destino, Die Frau Ohne Schatten and L’Enfant et Les Sortileges.  He attended the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College program from 1985-87, studying voice with Ilse Sasse and diction/interpretation with Lynne Vardaman. Chris has been a principal soloist with the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island since 2016, appearing in full productions as Lord Tolloler (Iolanthe), the Pirate King (The Pirates of Penzance), Colonel Calverly (Patience), Don Alhambra (The Gondoliers), The Mikado (The Mikado), King Gama (Princess Ida), the Lord Chancellor (Iolanthe) and Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), and in smaller review shows as The Baritone (The World According to Gilbert & Sullivan) and the Ghost of Marley (A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol).  He has also performed concert versions of various G&S roles, including Pish Tush (The Mikado) and Dick Deadeye (in Utopia Opera’s HMS Pinafore) at the NY Gilbert & Sullivan Society.  Since 2022, Chris has been a regular participant at the Winter Harbor Music Festival, performing the roles of Fiorello / The Officer (Il Barbiere Di Siviglia), Bartolo (Le Nozze di Figaro), Don Alfonso (Cosi Fan Tutte) and Leporello (Don Giovanni).  Chris also appears regularly at Opera Night Long Island, a monthly concert series featuring repertoire  sung by local amateur and professional singers. Chris has sung as a chorister and soloist with various ensembles, including the Waldorf Choral Society, the Stony Brook Episcopal Church Choral Ensemble and the Long Island Choral Society.  He currently studies privately in the voice studio of former Met Opera principal soloist Frank Lopardo. Chris works professionally as a Physical Therapist and Osteopath, specializing in the treatment of infants and children, adults with chronic pain syndromes, and opera singers, utilizing an integrated approach of manual and movement therapies.

Stephen L. Bryant is a Grammy nominated bass-baritone with an international career in opera and oratorio. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Symphony, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and BBC Scottish Symphony to name a few. He has sung with the San Francisco Opera, Netherlands Opera, and New York City Opera as well as many other regional companies in roles from Mozart’s Figaro to George in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men. He has performed in two world premieres in works by the Oscar winning composer Tan Dun. These works include The Water Passion presented throughout the US, Europe, Asia, Russia, and Australia and well as the opera Marco Polo also presented in the US, Europe and Asia. Stephen has performed the role of Doctor Bartolo in Winter Harbor Music Festival’s productions of The Barber of Seville and the Marriage of Figaro. He also performed the bass solos in Winter Harbor Music Festival’s performance of Händel’s Messiah this past December.

Masetto

​Deiran Manning has given performances across the United States, Ireland, England, France and Italy at notable venues such as Merkin Concert Hall, Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie, the National Concert Hall in Dublin and the New York City Mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion. A Maine native, Mr. Manning spent his formative years in New York City attending LaGuardia High School and eventually earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. His notable teachers include pianists Edmund Battersby, Edward Auer, Karen Shaw, Jeffrey Swann and baritone Wolfgang Brendel. As a collaborative player, Mr. Manning has performed with notable musicians including flutist Carol Wincenc, violinist Anatole Wieck, and baritones Stephen Bryant and Wolfgang Brendel. As a singer, Mr. Manning has performed with various companies including IU Opera Theater, Bronx Opera, and WHMF Opera. Notable roles have included Papageno in Die Zauberflote and Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore. He regularly works as a vocal coach due to his experience as both a pianist and singer. In 2017, Mr. Manning founded the WHMF Community Opera program which serves to give musicians of all levels and community members the chance to perform, while providing opera to a region which lacks classical performance. Since then, he has produced, directed and coached 5 operas in the region, including a fully socially distanced outdoor production of La Serva Padrona in August of 2020. Mr. Manning has also been on faculty at New York University and Brooklyn Conservatory where he taught group keyboard, performance classes, theory and private lessons. Notable awards include; Stanza Governor’s Prize in Composition, LISSMA International Piano Competition, Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition and the Ira Gershwin award. In 2020, Mr. Manning received grants from the Maine Arts Council to record iconic keyboard works. His recordings of the Diabelli and Goldberg Variations are available digitally on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. Mr. Manning is currently on the faculty at Husson University and the University of Maine. In addition to his performing and teaching, Mr. Manning serves as Executive Director of the Winter Harbor Music Festival.

Zerlina

​Isabel Silva is an American-Brazilian soprano based in New York City. She is very excited to be debuting two roles this August, Despina in Così fan tutte with Winter Harbor Music Festival and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Canto Virginia. Isabel previously performed the role of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Trentino Music Festival in Italy and L'Eternità in La Calisto with Mannes Opera. Other engagements include soloist in recital with Mannes Sounds Festival and American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. In addition to her operatic credits, Isabel won 3rd place in the 2022 Music International Grand Prix semifinals. She is currently a working soprano in the Archdiocesan Cathedral Choir in New York City. Isabel is a graduate from the Mannes School of Music where she received her Master of Music degree in 2023.

Karina Vartanian is recent graduate earning her Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. Partial opera role credits include Frasquita (Carmen), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), La Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), and Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro). She will be making her operatic role debut as Zerlina this summer in Don Giovanni at the Winter Harbor Music Festival. In 2019, Karina was a solo finalist for the Armenian Youth Talent Competition at Carnegie Hall. She was invited to sing for the Pontifical visit of His Holiness Aram I at the Rainbow Room (2023) and was recently invited to perform for the 40th Anniversary Banquet celebrating Archbishop Anoushavan at Terrace on the Park. She is a contracted soloist with The Opera Collective (2024-25) and a proud AGBU Arts Scholarship recipient (2023-25). At MSM, she served as the Chair of Communications for the Womxn Organization where she helped launch the first ever Women’s History Month series programming the first ever Women’s History Month Concert. She currently serves as a Board Member and the Social Media Manager for The Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island.

Covers

Virginia native Alexandra Hague ​(Elvira cover) holds a Bachelor of Music from New York University and is currently pursuing her Master of Music at the Eastman School of Music. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in several productions both in and outside of school, including Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica) and the ensembles of Idomeneo, Dido & Aeneas, and Orpheus in the Underworld. At Eastman, she has been seen in a staged performance of Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen and in the final round of Eastman’s Kneisel competition. She is thrilled to join the Winter Harbor Music Festival this summer and can’t wait to dive into Donna Elvira!

Nora Dahle (Zerlina cover) is a soprano with a passion for opera and theater. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Music Performance, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration at Morningside University. With vocal training under teachers Shannon Salyards-Burton and Whitney Werner, she has cultivated a strong foundation in classical vocal technique. Nora has portrayed a variety of roles on stage, most recently as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Edith in Pirates of Penzance, and Rusty in Footloose. When Nora is not in the practice room or on stage, she loves crafting, reading, and playing games with friends. Her passion for the arts is matched by her dedication and commitment to artistic and professional growth.

​Megan Ortman (Zerlina cover) is a multi-hyphenate musician, arts administrator, and researcher based in Washington, DC. An active performer in the DMV and greater East Coast area, Megan is thrilled to return to WHMF. Her repertoire spans from the 14th to 21st Centuries, with recent roles including Despina (Così fan tutte), Sally (Die Fledermaus), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), and Erste Knabe (Die Zauberflöte) — hooray for Mozart! As an award-winning historian, Megan has researched music of all kinds across the Atlantic World, including Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, Theodor Adorno’s commentary on jazz, the political power of 19th-Century prima donnas, Early Modern American song sheets, and the songs of Troubadour women in 12th-Century Occitania. Megan graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University with degrees in both music and history. During the day, Megan serves in the Development Department of Ford's Theatre Society, where Lincoln’s Legacy Lives. When not working on her many projects, she can be found knitting! Learn more at meganortman.com.​