OPERA CAMBRIDGE'S 2026 OPERA
Down in the Valley
Coming to America – An Evening With Kurt Weill
MUSIC: Kurt Weill
LIBRETTO: Arnold Sundgaard
PERFORMANCES: November 6 & 7, 7:30 pm; November 7 & 8, 3:00 pm
Down in the Valley is a one act opera of approximately 1 1/2 hours
This performance is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY*
Prologue
Come and meet Kurt Weill and his wife, the celebrated chanteuse Lotte Lenya, as they recall their sad departure from their homeland and set sail for America, a new and unknown land. Listen to their joy, in their own words, as they sail into New York Harbor and see the welcoming vision of the Statue of Liberty. By way of introducing his opera “Down in the Valley”, Mr. Weill tells you about his love of American freedom and artistic opportunity and offers some songs from his unfinished work, “Huckleberry Finn”, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson.
Down in the Valley
Weill’s opera brings to life his fascination with the American folk genre with its rich music and poignant, often heartbreaking themes. Young Jenny Parsons loves Brack Miller, but Jenny’s father wants her to marry Thomas Bouché, a wealthy older gentleman. Mr. Parsons is deep in debt, and hopes that by promising his daughter to Bouché, Bouché will pay off Parson’s debts.
Jenny and Brack go to a town festival with a square dance in progress. Brack and Thomas Bouché are drawn into a fight over Jenny. Bouché draws a knife and accidentally stabs himself to death. Brack, who is poor, working-class and defenseless, is tried for murder and condemned to die on the gallows. Be prepared to swing between happiness and sorrow in this tale of young love, corrupt elders, and social injustice in small-town America.
Cast
BRACK WEAVER, Michael González
JENNY PARSONS, Alina Tamborini
THOMAS BOUCHÉ, Luke Scott
THE LEADER, Junhan Choi
Mr. Choi is sponsored by Ms. Sheri Monsein, Los Angeles CA
THE PREACHER, Ron Williams
JENNY'S FATHER, Brooks Reeves
GUARD, Tim Ayres-Kerr
PETERS, Thai Johnson
THE PROLOGUE
AS KURT WEILL, narrator, Brooks Reeves
AS KURT WEILL singer, Tim Ayres-Kerr
AS LOTTE LENYA, singer, Sara Mitnik
THE CHORUS
ERIN DILWORTH, soprano
NARÉ KIM, soprano
ELIZA HOWELLS, alto
SARA MITNIK, alto
TIM AYRES-KERR, tenor
THAI JOHNSON, tenor
LUKE SCOTT, bass
RON WILLIAMS, bass
Orchestra
VIOLIN I
Ming-hang Tam, Concertmaster
Bryce Martin
Christopher Nelson
VIOLIN II
Nozomi Murayama
Bowen Chen
VIOLIN III
Derek Pei-Wu Chen
Allyn McCourt
CELLO
Stephen Marotto
Natalia McDermott
DOUBLE BASS
Samantha Donato
FLUTE
Grace Helmke
Jackie Bartling-John
OBOE
Mary O'Keefe
CLARINET
Yhasmin Valenzuela
Jonathan Russell
BASSOON
Debbie Chen
SAXOPHONE
Megan Dillon, Alto
Lucas Barry, Tenor
HORN
Kristi Scaccia
Caroline Finamore
Trumpet
Geoffrey Shamu
Reynolds Martin
TROMBONE
Kevin Virgilio
Connor Thummel
PERCUSSION
Zachary King
PIANO
Libor Dudas
GUITAR
Dermot Gleeson
Artistic Team
STEPHANIE BEATRICE, Conductor & Music Director
DAVID R. GAMMONS, Stage Director
MARTHA BIRNBAUM, Producer
JENNIFER O’CONNELL, Stage Manager
RÓISÍN DOWLING, Assistant Stage Manager
RJ LAMURA, Lighting Designer
ELIZABETH ROCHA, Costume Designer
AVA GREBE, Choreographer
SAMARA “MÈRE” TERNOIR, Assistant Choreographer
MING-HANG TAM, Concertmaster
LIBOR DUDAS, Rehearsal Pianist
T-STOP PRODUCTIONS, Videography
SILKEN AUDIO, Audio Engineering
TRAHER DESIGN, Media Design
STEVEN TRAHER, Media Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MARTHA BIRNBAUM, Executive Director & President
BATHSHEBA MALSHEEN, Vice President
AFARIN BELLISARIO, Secretary
LEONARD SUSKIN, Treasurer
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Charles Coe in memoriam
Pamela Dellal
Mary Eliot Jackson
Opera Cambridge wishes to thank:
Rachel Truman, Sean Mix, and the St. Mark's School Music Department for the use of their Music Stands
Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center for their technical and artistic support
*The Kurt Weill Foundation, Inc. promotes and perpetuates the legacies of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya by encouraging an appreciation of Weill’s music through support of performances, recordings, and scholarship, and by fostering an understanding of Weill’s and Lenya’s lives and work within diverse cultural contexts. It administers the Weill-Lenya Research Center, a Grant and Collaborative Initiative Program, the Lotte Lenya Competition, the Julius Rudel/Kurt Weill Conducting Fellowship, the Harold Prince/Kurt Weill Directing Fellowship, the Kurt Weill Prize for scholarship in music theater, and publishes the Kurt Weill Edition and the Kurt Weill Newsletter. Building upon the legacies of both Weill and Lenya, the Foundation nurtures talent, particularly in the creation, performance, and study of musical theater in its various manifestations and media. Since 2012, the Kurt Weill Foundation has administered the musical and literary estate of composer Marc Blitzstein. www.kwf.org.
