The Daughter of the Regiment, by Gaetano Donizetti
The Daughter of the Regiment, by Gaetano Donizetti is Vegas City Opera’s first presentation at The Smith Center. Be whisked away to gay Paris in this hilarious love story, complete with vocal fireworks and a vibrant new book, in English with a enough French to make it fancy! This cheeky 90-minute comedy will feature operatic legend and Vegas local, Luana Devol, as the Marquise of Berkenfield, long lost mother of the delightful Marie (Athena Mertes) who was raised by the regiment battalion and longs to marry the peasant turned officer, Tonio (Ryan Glover). Nathan Van Arsdale will round out the cast as the lovable Sulpice, leader of the regiment. The Daughter of the Regiment is a fast-paced folly, sure to leave you humming all the way home!
POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Cast
Dennis Doubin
Conductor
Grammy Award winning pianist and conductor Dennis Doubin makes his conducting debut with Vegas City Opera in 2019-2020 season with Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment". A Henderson resident, Maestro Doubin has led Henderson Symphony orchestra in several performances. A full-time member of San Francisco Opera music staff, Dennis has been asked to prepare every facet of the opera production. He can be found coaching singers, prompting performances, and conducting backstage banda. Mo Doubin made his SFO debut conducting Puccini's "La Bohème" at the War Memorial Opera House in 2014. He also appeared leading Verdi's "La Traviata" and Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" at Opera San José in recent seasons. Dennis began his musical journey in Moscow, Russia at the Moscow Boys Chorus and Choral Academy, where he also excelled as a pianist. After immigrating to the United States, he was a student at Idyllwild Arts Academy and would go on to study piano with Vitaly Margulis in Los Angeles. He became assistant conductor at Los Angeles Opera and subsequently assisted with vocal projects for Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other professional engagements include, Seattle Opera, San Diego opera and Sacramento Opera. Mo Doubin further honed his skills in the SFO's Merola and Adler programs. A sought-after coach, Dennis has coached and collaborated with some of today's most important vocalists that include Renee Fleming, Diana Damrau, Leah Crocetto, Dolora Zajick, Ramon Vargas, Brandon Jovanovich, Michael Fabiano, Stephen Costello, Bryn Terfel, George Gagnidze, Ildar Abdrazakov and others.
Luana DeVol
Marquise of Berkenfield
Luana DeVol was born in California and is now a resident of Henderson, NV. From 1984 to 1987, she was a principal soloist in the German opera ensembles, first in Aachen then in Mannheim, Germany. From 1987 she was a free-lance artist singing in virtually all the major opera houses of the World. Her debut at La Scala was made as Fidelio in the title role under the baton of Lorin Maazel. She also appeared at La Scala as the Dyer’s wife in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten under the baton of Guiseppe Sinopoli. Her Bruennhilde in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, for which she was awarded “Singer of the Year” award in Germany, was heard in many theaters, including the Bayreuth Festival, the Vienna State Opera, and the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. More recent appearances include Elektra in Buenos Aires, and a concert performance of Goetterdaemmerung in Abu Dhabi. Luana DeVol joined the faculty of University of Nevada Las Vegas in the fall of 2008. She now concentrates on giving Master Classes internationally, maintains a private voice studio, and serves on the panel of experts for the New York based Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges. Most recently she has been appointed to the staff of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, where she will lead the Wagner Division.
Athena Mertes
Marie
Athena Mertes is one of the Valley’s most celebrated sopranos, whose opera and concert credits include Lilly (Cooperstown), Alice B. Toklas (27), Despina (Cosi Fan Tutte), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Lucy (The Telephone), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Gianetta (L'Elisir d'Amore), Morgana (Alcina), Musetta (La Bohème), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Abigail (The Crucible), Nella (Gianni Schicchi) and soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah and Honegger’s King David. She has performed as a guest soloist with the Burbank Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Henderson Symphony, Opera Las Vegas, Vegas City Opera and Lexington Opera Outreach. Spring of 2019, she will be performing the role of Marie in La Fille du Regiment with Vegas City Opera. She is also the Director of Choirs at the Thurman White Academy of Performing Arts, where she has over 300 students.
Ryan Glover
Tonio
Tenor Ryan Glover is known for his versatility in opera, operetta, oratorio, and musical theatre. During the 2019-20 season he will be making a role debut with Vegas City Opera as Tonio in Donizetti's La fille du régiment. He will also be returning for his fifth season as a core member of the Arizona Opera Chorus. In addition to his position with that company, he serves as a staff singer at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. In past seasons he has performed various works with LA Opera, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, ProMusica Arizona, and Opera Breve, among others. A career highlight was creating the role of Raphael in Lisa Bielawa's Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch's Accuser. This groundbreaking filmed episodic opera, now available on DVD/CD, was nominated for two LA Area Emmys in 2018. Ryan studies with Gail Dubinbaum in Phoenix.
Nathan Van Arsdale
Sulpice
Nathan Van Arsdale holds a Masters of Music, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has performed in a wide array of choral and solo settings domestically and internationally, notably: at the White House; the Lincoln Center in the world premier of opera, Holodomor: Red Earth Hunger, by Virko Baley; at the Kennedy Center; with the Las Vegas Philharmonic; with Clint Holmes and the Las Vegas Tenors; with the AIMS philharmoniker in Graz, Austria; at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival; at the Viennese Opera Ball produced by the Metropolitan Opera at the Waldorf Astoria in New York; at the Savannah Voice Festival under the direction of Sherrill Milnes; and as a resident Young Artist with Opera Colorado. As a long-time Las Vegas resident, Nathan has enjoyed performing with non-profit and for-profit musical organizations, such as: Opera Las Vegas; Sin City Opera; La Voce Totalle; The Venetian; many Church and Community events; and in 2016 Nathan was honored as the featured soloist and visual artist for the Nevada School of the Arts Winter Concert, “Winter Landscapes.” Nathan scripted, emceed, and coordinated the annual Palm Springs Opera Guild’s non-profit outreach program “Opera in the Schools” for over six years, and in 2018, Nathan wrote and coordinated the premiere high school intensive vocal program, “Operatunity,” which prepares high school singers for possible careers in the higher musical arts via one-on-one coaching with working opera singers and living composers.
Nathan is also an internationally recognized fine-art photographer who has been featured on Fine Art Photographer Weekly, Coffee Break Studios, and on wcobm.com’s Geeks R Sexy TV show. His photos are routinely used by website and app developers for the creation of screensavers, wallpapers, and interactive puzzles. Nathan is the owner and president of the photo-marketing company, Invaluable Vantages Ltd, which specializes in stock images, HDR photography for the sale of property, and he currently enjoys serving as adjunct instructor in the UNLV college of education.