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News Contact:
Robin Jackson, Production Technician
College of Marin Drama Department
835 College Avenue
Kentfield, CA 94904
415-485-9555
e-mail: robin.jackson@marin.edu
BOX OFFICE: 415-485-9385

S.F. Opera Singers to Join College of Marin Performing Arts For West Coast Premiere of JACKIE O

Two emerging artists from San Francisco Opera will headline the cast of JACKIE O, a 90-minute chamber opera, composed by Michael Daugherty to a libretto by Wayne Koestenbaum, which will be presented by the College of Marin Performing Arts Department in the Fine Arts Theatre on the Kentfield Campus. Performances will be at 7:30 pm on February 28, March 6 and 13 and at 2 pm on March 8 and 15. James Dunn will direct and musical direction will be by Paul Smith with choreography by Sandra Tanner.

Natasha LelandThe title role of Jackie Onassis will be sung by soprano Natasha Leland of Novato. Ms. Leland appeared this past fall as “Chang’s Second Wife” in San Francisco Opera’s world premiere production THE BONESTTER’S DAUGHTER. Other San Francisco Opera appearances include “A Cretan Woman” in Mozart’s IDOMENOE, and “Manuelita” in Jean-Pierre Ponelle’s production of CARMEN. She has been a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus since 2001. Ms. Leland was also Principal Soloist for the San Francisco Ballet’s WEST SIDE STORY SUITE and was Principal Soloist for both the San Francisco Boys Choir presentation of Schubert’s Mass in C and C Elegans as well as for Solano Chamber Society’s Handel’s MESSIAH. Ms. Leland has a degree in Voice Performance from San Francisco State University.

Mezzo-Soprano Valentina Osinski will perform the role of Maria Callas. Ms. Osinski has been described as the “golden mezzo” whose” artistic intensity and riveting acting have established her as a rising artist” who has graced stages from San Francisco Opera to New York City Opera; from the Eugene, Oregon Opera to Opera San Jose, to Opera Theatre of St. Louis. In 2000, Ms. Osinsky so impressed the late director Sir Colin Graham in the role of Silver Dollar in THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE, that he invited her to perform the role in the New York City Opera production the following year. She has sung on MTV and The Tonight Show. Ms. Osinski received a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance degree from San Francisco State University.

Other noted local performers who will appear in JACKIE O include two-time Goodman Award winner Randall Nazarian who will appear as Aristotle Onassis. Mr. Nazarian appeared on Broadway in GREASE, has done extensive television and film work and has performed with the Marin County Mountain Play, Theatre Works, Spreckels Theatre and American Music Theatre of San Jose. Singing the role of Grace Kelly will be Bay Area Critics Circle Award and Dean Goodman Award winner Susan Zelinsky. Ms. Zelinsky has appeared on stages from American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, to Berkeley Repertory Theatre to South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California.

Tickets for JACKIE O are $20 general and $15 for students, seniors and College of Marin faculty, staff and alumni, and are available through the College of Marin Box office at 415-485-9385 or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006.

 

 

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