Fully Staged Opera with Brevard Symphony Orchestra and English Supertitles
at the VBHS Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960
I PAGLIACCI
March 23 at 3 pm
It's the latter half of the 19th century in Calabria in the south of Italy. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who confronts his wife Nedda and her lover Silvio on stage during a performance.
Performance Space
We perform at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, located at 1707 16th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. The venue seats approximately 1,000 and is handicap-equipped.
Director's Message
RUSSELL FRANKS
As I prepare for Vero Beach Opera’s second production of the 2025 season, I Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, I am immediately confronted by its verismo roots—an inevitable experience for anyone engaging with the work. After thorough research, my first step in any new project is the time-consuming but essential task of translating the opera from its original Italian into American English. While composers like Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini used Italian to express similar themes (even incorporating expletives), their libretti maintain a certain formalism, even when language is used as an insult. In contrast, Leoncavallo’s text embraces a raw, unfiltered familiarity—reflecting the speech of a particular region, the relationships between archetypal characters, and the raw confrontation of both light and dark aspects within us. There is no shield against the true meaning behind the words, which heightens the opera’s emotional impact.
Portraying raw human emotions and societal realities today is a delicate balance—potentially powerful, yet fraught with challenges. However, this production will honor traditional elements, featuring authentic commedia dell'arte costumes, including Canio's iconic white Pierrot attire, to juxtapose the characters' public personas with their private turmoil. Set in 19th-century Calabria, the staging will emphasize the stark realism central to verismo, capturing the intense passions and tragic consequences of the narrative. Vero Beach Opera remains dedicated to delivering high-quality opera, ensuring that this performance resonates deeply with the local audience by blending artistic excellence with cultural authenticity.
Featuring
Russell Franks, Artistic Director, Stage Director, Scenic Designer
BREVARD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Gregory Buchalter, Music Director & Conductor
Jacob LyteHaven, Rehearsal Pianist
Stuart Neill as Canio
Robert Mellon as Tonio
Alexandra Razskazoff as Nedda
Kenneth Stavert as Sylvio
Joseph McBrayer as Beppe
Anthony Capizzi, Jacob LyteHaven as Villagers
Alexis Brockway, Farentino Lennox as Dancers
Isaac Pippin, Martin Leal, Ricardo Leal, Sopia Munguia, Addalyne Munguia, Karla Perez, Aylin Lara as Children
Vero Beach Opera Chorus - Dr. Anthony Baron, Chorus Master
Rachel Lebon, Stage Manager
John LeBon, Asst. Stage Manager
Chad Conley, Lighting Design
Cat Faust, Scenic Artist
Paula Andreozzi & Toni Lemoine, Costume Managers
Robin Volsky, Makeup
Clara McCarthy, Hair & Wigs
Conductor's Message
GREGORY BUCHALTER
Even though Pagliacci is often done as
a double bill with another opera, it is more than a complete evening of entertainment on
its own. Yet to give it the
impact of a full length operatic
performance we are augmenting
it with some exciting surprises. During the second act,
the play within the play is the perfect place to add this
extra music with the idea that it is being performed by
the traveling troupe of players who present the opera's
"Commedia dell'Arte":
• Mattinata (Nedda)
• Non ti scordar di me (Beppe)
• Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo
• Chitarra Romana
• Maria, mari (Tonio)
Pagliacci's most steadfast partner is Cavalleria Rusticana.
Although both operas were never conceived to be
performed together, they are both verismo operas which
deal with murders provoked by jealousy and therefore are
a perfect fit. We are presenting the most famous part of
Cavalleria Rusticana, its intermezzo as performed by the
dancers of the troup. Because of Leoncavallo's Neapolitan
roots, our sequence of Neapolitan songs (including one
written by the composer himself) sung by the singers
of the comedy troupe makes perfect sense and is likely
something that the players would have done at the
time the opera was written. Leoncavallo was one of the
very few composers to write his own libretto (the words
for the opera) and this gave him total control over the
dramatic situation both textually and musically. With the
drama being such an important part of his conception I
am certain he would have approved of the way in which
we are extending his opera and giving it even further
entertaining and dramatic effect.
Masks & Makeup
ROBIN VOLSKY leads our Makeup Crew, and he handmade paper mache/epoxy masks just for our production! He says, "Canio applies his own face paint as Pierrot. He and his fellow troupe members don masks in the play within the opera. That’s actually where their true feelings come out!"
Costumes
PAULA ANDREOZZI & TONI LEMOINE are our Costume Managers. They spend hours upon hours 1) researching, selecting & ordering base costumes from Norcostco, 2) sizing costumes to fit our artists, 3) accessorizing, and 4) creating all kinds of costume pieces! Special thanks to Vero Beach High School, Vero Beach Theater Guild, and St. Edward’s School.
Stuart Neill
Canio
Mr. Neill’s vocal abilities were discovered while singing in a church choir in Atlanta, Ga. at the age of fourteen. After initial vocal studies in Atlanta, Mr. Neill moved to Philadelphia to continue his vocal training at The Academy of Vocal Arts. As a student in Philadelphia, Mr. Neill entered The Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition which he won as the only tenor to receive one of five Folonari Scholarships. Maestro Pavarotti helped launch his career in 1992 with an international operatic debut in the historic Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In his 30 year career as a professional performer and spanning over six continents, Mr. Neill has performed as the leading tenor in most every major opera house of the world to include The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro La Scala, Paris Opera, Teatro Municipal Sao Paolo, Royal Covenant Opera, UK and Vienna Staatsoper to name but a few, as well as performing with the major orchestras of the world, and under the baton of the major conductors of the world. Mr. Neill has recorded more than 30 albums, which have garnered him two Grammy Awards. Besides his work in the classical music world, Mr. Neill has also enjoyed a career in religious music, sharing the platform with several of the well-known Christian ministerial teams of our day, including an audience with Pope John Paul II and “Live for Bethlehem Square Concert” on Christmas Eve. We welcome Mr. Neill to our stage to sing the title role of I Pagliacci, Canio, a role which he has sung with Rome Opera, Italy, Greek National Opera and San Antonio Opera.
Robert Mellon
Tonio
Robert Mellon is an award-winning baritone acclaimed by Opera News for his "excellent comic timing" and a "domineering baritone, gleaming like polished copper." In 2023-2024 he returned to Livermore Valley Opera as George Milton in Of Mice and Men and made two significant debuts - with Detroit Opera as Terry in Breaking the Waves and Florida Grand Opera as Tonio in Pagliacci where the South Florida Classical Review said, “As the deformed clown Tonio, Robert Mellon unfurled a large, voluminous baritone.” The busy artist returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis for roles in La bohème and Galileo Galilei and performed his first Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Indianapolis Opera. 2025 engagements include Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Opera Tampa, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Anchorage Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Vero Beach Opera and the title role in Falstaff with Geneva Light Opera. Recent engagements include Escamillo in Carmen at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Taddeo in L'Italiana in Algeri with Tulsa Opera, Tonio in Pagliacci with Florida Grand Opera, Marcello in La bohème at Pensacola Opera, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Syracuse and Tri-Cities Operas and Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Maine, where Shark on Arts said of his performance, “It was a treat to have Opera Maine favorite, Robert Mellon, back in town and owning every inch of Dandini. The comic business devised for his duet with Don Magnifico (involving an ever moving and unavailable chair) had the house in stitches.”
Alexandra Razskazoff
Nedda
Soprano Alexandra Razskazoff was named a Grand Finals Winner in the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She is our 2024 Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars first prize winner. She is acclaimed by The New York Times as a “richly faceted, slinky soprano,” whose “soprano [is] rich, distinctive of timbre, and penetrating, and possess[es] a lovely bloom on top” (Opera News). In the 2022-23 season, Alexandra made her house debut with The Atlanta Opera reprising Wellgunde (Das Rheingold) and returned to Teatro Municipal de Santiago to make her role debut as Micaëla (Carmen). Alexandra also appeared in a series of concerts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Opera, Washington Opera Society, Vero Beach Opera and Panama City Symphony. She reengaged with Palm Beach Opera for their 2023 season to cover Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) and Alice Ford (Falstaff). Alexandra made some notable house debuts in spring and summer of 2022, including Beethoven's 9th Symphony with Bozeman Symphony and Mimì (La bohème) at Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile. She performed Violetta (La Traviata) with Out of the Box Opera, as well as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with Teatro Grattacielo at the Phoenicia International Festival of The Voice. Earlier in 2021-2022, Alexandra made her debut as Suzel in Teatro Grattacielo's production of Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz. She covered both Micaëla (Carmen) and Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow), as well as sang Giannetta (L'elisir d'amore) at Palm Beach Opera. She also appeared with Maryland Opera in their summer outdoor concert series. Aside from her notable placement in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Alexandra has garnered much acclaim in the realm of vocal competitions. She participated in the prestigious Operalia vocal competition in October 2021 in Moscow where she advanced to be a Semifinalist. Alexandra was named the 1st Place winner of the 2021 James Toland Vocal Arts. Inc. Competition, the First Prize in the Giovanni Consiglio International Competition, as well as 3rd Place in the PARTNERS for the Arts Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP International Vocal Competition, and in National Opera Association’s C. Bailey and D. Argento Vocal Competition.
Kenneth Stavert
Sylvio
Praised for his strong “sense of theatricality,” baritone Kenneth Stavert is a regular performer on stages throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He is passionate about the drama of his productions and has been hailed as “the real thing, a classic Verdi baritone with resonance, flexibility, and vigor.” Whether it is on the operatic or concert stage, he brings the same boldness to each performance His 2024-25 season sees him returning to Vero Beach opera as Silvio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. Other notable performances include Mr. Gobineau with HALO Opera as well as returning to the Southern Illinois Music Festival to sing the role of Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. Recent highlights include the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth with Heartbeat opera and the role of Sharpless in the revival production of the Japanese English translation of Madama Butterfly with Pacific Opera Project at the famous Aratani theater in Los Angeles, California. Other notable role highlights for Kenneth include Marcello in La boheme (Dayton Opera, Newport Classical Music Festival, Gulfshore Opera, Pacific Opera Project) Scarpia in Tosca (Opera In The Heights) Ponchel in Silent Night (Opera San José) and Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos (Palm Beach Opera). Kenneth was last seen at Vero Beach opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni.
Joseph McBrayer
Beppe
Joseph McBrayer, originally from Dallas, Georgia, has been praised by critics as a “polished lyric tenor.” In the 2022-23 season, Mr. McBrayer began his residency as a studio artist with Florida Grand Opera, where he stayed through the 23-24 season and performed the roles of Beppe (Pagliacci), Gastone (La Traviata), Paolino (El Matrimonio Secreto), and Gherardo (Gianni Schicchi), before traveling to Santa Fe to create the role of The Mayor of Santa Fe in Joe Illick’s new opera, Zozobra’s Revenge. In the 2020-21 season, he worked as Indianapolis Opera’s Resident Artist Tenor for the 2020-21 season, performing many virtual recitals as well as taking on the role of Goro in the Opera’s first performance back since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he continued working for Indianapolis Opera and worked on many productions including a new concept of pairing Hans Krása’s Brundibar with Lori Laitman’s Vedem. In 2019, he won the Georgia District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was invited to be a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in both 2019 and 2020 seasons. He spent the summer of 2018 working with the Summer Opera program in Tel Aviv through the Joshi International Fellowship performing the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, among other performances.
Russell Franks
Artistic & Stage Director
Russell has enjoyed an international career both as a singer and director. He has sung over forty major operatic roles and performed in over a thousand concerts. He has appeared as soloist with many orchestral, concert, and choral organizations such as the Bach Society of Greater Miami, Verbier Music Festival, Handel Choral Society of Orlando and the Miami Symphony Orchestra. He has served as set designer and stage director for Vero Beach Opera since 2011. He became Vero Beach Opera Artistic Director in 2022. Russell holds a bachelor’s degree in voice performance and church music from Stetson University and a master’s degree in voice performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He previously served as Director of Opera Theatre at Stetson University for many years.
GREGORY BUCHALTER
Music Director & Conductor
Gregory became Vero Beach Opera's Music Director in 2023 and this production of Pagliacci is his fourth with the company. He has been a Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and the position of “Maestro di Banda” was created for him. At the MET, he prepared several world premieres including John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass’ The Voyage and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. He has served as Music Directors of Opera Fairbanks and Opera, Opera Las Vegas and Camerata of Washington. He is currently Music Director with Varna International and conducts regularly with Florida Grand Opera and has conducted Salome at the Savonlinna Festival in Finland and Fledermaus at the Wiener Volksoper. He recently conducted the Mozart Requiem with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and the Verdi Requiem throughout Italy as well as Idomeneo at the New England Conservatory, Rigoletto with Opera Orlando and Hansel and Gretel with Mobile Opera.
Remember when?
Vero Beach Opera is what it is today thanks to the support of several MET OPERA stars, including MARCELLO GIORDANI who passed away at the age of 56 in 2019. the Italian singer appeared more than 240 times with the Metropolitan Opera, in 27 roles.
Marcello starred as Canio in our production on March 18, 2012, alongside Nelson Martínez as Tonio.
Nelson returns to our 2025 production in the same role!
Watch the performance on YouTube: