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.
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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

Ian Joyal has been praised for his "fine italianate sound" and is distinctive for his comic role interpretations, both in musical theatre and opera.
The Midwestern opera singer specializes in Mozart's bass roles, notably as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Bronx Opera and Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte with City Lyric Opera, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with BSOI and Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. 

Ian has sung in regional midwestern productions of a variety of musicals including Smudge in Stuart Ross' Forever Plaid and Caiaphas in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Jesus Christ Superstar.

Highlighting his career has been opportunities to perform both abroad in Germany and Sicily and at home around New York, notably with the opportunity to create the role of Sandrino in Antonio Salieri's unknown opera La Cifra along with performing as Don Alfonso in Salieri's 3 scene composition of Cosi fan tutte, both under the baton of Chris Fecteau with dell'Arte Opera Ensemble.

Following a 2 year hiatus to focus on his apprenticeship in instrument repair focusing on professional woodwinds, Ian was brought back into the scene to work with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Bard Music Festival getting to perform in beautiful works including the Dvorak Requiem and Schoenberg Gurre-Lieder at Carnegie Hall. 

Ian is a former student of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where he studied with notable musicians like Sidney Outlaw and Elizabeth Hastings.

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.

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.

Bass-baritone Jonathan Z. Harris is a native New Orleanian opera singer, recitalist, and actor based in New York City. A two-time Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Jonathan has previously apprenticed with Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Chautauqua Opera. He has also sung with Opera Company of Middlebury, PORTopera (now Opera Maine), Opéra Louisiane, Bronx Opera, and dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, among others. Roles include Leporello (Don Giovanni), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Papageno (The Magic Flute), Publio (La clemenza di Tito), Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Superintendent Budd (Albert Herring), and Simone (Gianni Schicchi). A frequent Bach Vespers ensemble member in NYC, Jonathan’s range in concert extends from Bach to Schönberg’s Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte and Davies’s Eight Songs for a Mad King. He is also an alumnus of SongFest in Los Angeles. Solo recital programs include Green Springs the Tree, a collection of mid-20th century art songs and folk arrangements from both sides of the iron curtain. Theatre credits include Salome and The Importance of Being E(a)rnest Hemingway with M-34 and Love & Geography with Piehole. Jonathan holds degrees in theatre arts from Brown University and music from the University of Michigan. www.jonathanzharris.com

​Donna Anna

​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.

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. ​

Ottavio

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.

Tenor Nathan Krishnaswami, a Massachusetts native, has been seen as King Ouf in L’Etoile and Snowboy in West Side Story with IU Opera. Also with IU Opera, he performed as a chorus member, featured soloist, and River City Teen in The Music Man, and as a chorus member in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lamermoor, and Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. Krishnaswami has sang as the tenor soloist in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass conducted by Betsy Burleigh as a part of the Jacobs Summer Chorus and Philharmonic in 2017.

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. ​

Virginia native Alexandra Hague 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!

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.

Stephen Wynn, A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he studied with renowned bass-baritone Stephen West. His stage credits include Gustave in William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, Ben in Giancarlo Menotti’s The Telephone, Balthazar in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Grandpa in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land. After serving on active duty in the United States Army, Stephen is returning to performing. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he works as a voice teacher and serves as a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Zerlina

​Isabel Silva is an American-born Brazilian coloratura soprano based in New York City, where she has been actively expanding her experiences with a variety of notable debuts, such as Despina in Mozart's "Così fan tutte" in 2024 with Winter Harbor Music Festival, as Barbarina in "Le Nozze di Figaro" with Canto Vocal Programs, as Papagena in "Die Zauberflöte" with Trentino Music Festival, and as Zina in Nico Muhly's "Dark Sisters." Isabel is delighted to return to Winter Harbor Music Festival this year to debute the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. Isabel completed her Master’s at Mannes School of Music. You can find more info at isabelsilvasoprano.com.

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

Nora Dahle (Donna Anna 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.​