HARROWER SUMMER OPERA WORKSHOP
Announcing the 2023 Artistic Faculty
The Georgia State University College of the Arts Office of Educational Outreach is pleased to announce Artistic Director Dr. JJ Hudson, Musical Director Rolando Salazar, and Artist-In-Residence Talise Trevigne as the artistic faculty for the 2023 Harrower Summer Opera Workshop. The Harrower Summer Opera Workshop Artistic Faculty will bring artistry, expertise and world-renowned acclaim to the 38th season of the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop, held each summer in Atlanta.
The Harrower Summer Opera Workshop unites talented young opera-artists from around the country in an intensive three-week summer session culminating in dynamic opera & scenes productions. Located on Georgia State University’s campus in thriving downtown Atlanta, the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop’s faculty of world-class directors, conductors, coaches, and clinicians work intensely with opera cast members. Through their time with the program, artists deepen their performance skills and musical artistry, expand their stage presence, make life-long friendships and discover meaningful connections to the professional world.
Each summer, the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop (HSOW) produces two fully staged mainstage opera productions with its Young Artist participants, with principal roles double cast to present four performances before live audiences. Studio Artists are cast and perform independently in the fully staged and costumed Opera Scenes Program directed by the HSOW’s Artistic Director, along with being cast in the mainstage productions as members of the ensemble and choruses.
While at the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop, members of the program will learn alongside the Artist-In-Residence – a renowned operatic guest performer and teacher who presents recitals, conducts master classes and instructs participants on success in the opera art and industry.
As members of the workshop, both Young Artists and Studio Artists engage in daily Stage-Movement and Stage-Skills sessions, led by acclaimed artist-faculty. Each year, HSOW highlights a new Special-Topic Seminar – introducing a performance skill such as Stage Combat or Make-up for the Stage.
Summer 2023 marks an exciting return of the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop with new Artistic Director and Principal Stage Director, Dr. JJ Hudson, The Valerie Adams Professor of Opera at Georgia State University, and Music Director Maestro Rolando Salazar of The Atlanta Opera and Georgia State University Opera Theater.
Biographies
JJ HUDSON
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ROLANDO SALAZAR
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
TALISE TREVIGNE
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Dr. JJ Hudson, stage director, is the Professor of Opera at the Georgia State University School of Music, and joined the School of Music faculty after more than a decade of freelance directing of opera, operetta and musical theater. Having trained initially as a composer and performer, Hudson brings a unique understanding of music, drama and performance to his productions.
His recent directorial projects include Sarasota Opera, Opera Tampa, Asheville Lyric Opera, Opera Roanoke, Mississippi Opera, Opera in the Heights, Tri-Cities Opera, the Natchez Music Festival and the Berkshires Theatre Group. In 2016, Hudson directed John Musto’s satirical opera Bastianello with Rochester Lyric Opera. In summer 2021, Hudson directed Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with the Lakes Area Music Festival (MN) – his sixth production with this nationally recognized classical music festival. He notably directed a unique performance of Franz Schubert’s song-cycle Winterreise at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with baritone Christopher Herbert as part of the Make Music New York winter festival. Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times wrote of the production, “You have not truly experienced Winterreise until you have stood three or four feet from the singer, his breath visible in the cold.”
Dr. Hudson holds a D.M.A in voice performance and literature and an M.M in opera studies – stage direction from the Eastman School of Music, an M.A. in voice performance from the University of Iowa and a B.M in music composition and voice performance from Stetson University.
Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Rolando Salazar served as the Associate Conductor/Chorus Master for his home company, The Atlanta Opera, having previously served for several years as Assistant Chorus Master under longtime Chorus Master Walter Huff. While serving as Chorus Master he worked alongside conductors Arthur Fagen, Joseph Colaneri, Joseph Rescigno, Ari Pelto, Joseph Mechavich, David Charles Abell, Dean Williamson, and others.
During this last year Rolando was featured in Love Letters to Atlanta, performing alongside singers Morris Robinson, Jamie Barton, and Kevin Burdette. He also was featured in the digital version of Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park, as well as in an all-Mozart recital with soprano Jasmine Habersham. Other performances included appearances with Cincinnati Song Initiative, MUS/IQUE In a Minute!, as well as returning to the podium to conduct performances of Pagliacci for the Atlanta Opera’s Molly Blank Big Tent Series, and one of the only covid-safe performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Atlanta Concert Opera, an online broadcast viewed all over the world.
Rolando’s previous performances include appearances on the podium with the Rome (GA) Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Ballet, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Ozark Family Opera, the Permian Basin Opera, Georgia State University Orchestra, collaborative work with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as serving as the Assistant Conductor and festival pianist at the Bellingham Festival of Music.
Career highlights for American soprano Talise Trevigne include her celebrated portrayal in the title role Porgy and Bess at The Atlanta Opera and she returned as a TAO Company Principal Artist in Season 2020/21 as Nedda I Pagliacci. Her career in the United States includes performances with the Cincinnati Symphony and appeared at Cincinnati Opera. She has played roles with the Boston Lyric Opera, Omaha Opera, Lincoln Centre, Madison Opera, San Diego Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 2016, she was honored with a GRAMMY Award nomination for her rendition of Christopher Rouse’s master piece Kabir Padavali with the Albany Symphony. Her solo CD, At the Statue of Venus (GPR Records), written by Heggie and Glen Roven, quickly climbed to the top of the US record charts.
As an international artist, she has a return appearance with England’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for Tippett’s A Child of our Time in performances in the UK and Germany conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. She created the role of Clara JFK, a role she took to Opéra de Montréal for a Canadian debut and she has revived the roles at Israeli Opera with Frederic Chaslin. In 2007, she won the coveted Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for her mesmerizing portrayal of Violetta in Graham Vick’s La Traviata with Birmingham Opera. She has acclaimed world-premiere performances with the Melbourne International Festival and she revived the role to perform at the Checkhov International Arts Festival in Moscow and at the Bastille in Paris.
Past Seasons
2014
Don Giovanni
A MidSummer Night’s Dream
“Verdi, Strauss & Friends” – selected scenes
2015
Falstaff
Der Rosenkavalier
“Highlights from The Marriage of Figaro” – Scenes
2016
Incorozaione di Poppea
The Consul
“A Celebration of Shakespeare” – Scenes
2017
Dialouges of the Carmelites
Carmen
“Scenesational Scenes”
2018
Ballad of Baby Doe
Little Women
“…endings…” Scenes featuring opera’s greatest finales!
2019
Cosi Fan Tutte
La Nozze doi Figaro
“Seasonal Scenes” – A scene for all seasons!
Thank you for your interest in the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop. The Harrower Summer Opera Workshop is not in production for the 2022 season. We look forward to being back for 2023!
Housing and Tuition for the 2023 Season will be released in the fall of 2022.
