Digital Program
Birds & Balls
April 5 —7, 2024 @ SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium
Vinkensport Composer David T. Little | Vinkensport Librettist Royce Vavrek
Balls Composer Laura Karpman | Balls Librettist Gail Collins
OpeningNotes
Directors Note
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– Name of Director
Composer Note
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– Name of Composer
Librettist Note
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– Name of Librettist
Photo Galleryfor Birds & Balls
Comedy takes to the court in a theatrical spectacle, in this world premiere double bill exploring competition in Flemish finch-sitting and the infamous 1973 ‘Battle of the Sexes!’
Dates: April 5 - 7, 2024
Venue: SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium, San Francisco | Get Directions
Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera is a bittersweet comedy in one act inspired by the obscure Flemish folk sport, Finch-Sitting, where trained finches race to sing the most “susk-e-wiets” (the song of the birds) over the course of an hour. We see a motley assortment of contestants battle it out to see who has the most melodious bird. As they compete, the joys, sorrows, delusions and all-too-stark realities of the finches’ trainers are revealed. We never learn the competitors' real names, they are defined by their birds. Some play fair, some don’t. Some just don’t even want to be there at all. But almost all are lost in the world, finding comfort in the companionship of their birds.
Balls is a multimedia opera dramatizing the famed 1973 tennis game between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The match, dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes,” changed not only the perception and treatment of women in sports, but significantly advanced the women’s rights movement. The opera features a live tennis match as a central narrative device, along with actual commentary from the 1973 broadcast. Balls incorporates electronic sampling entwined in the score, and creative time-hopping - key figures such as Larry King and Howard Cosell are joined by American Suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
Cast & Creativesfor Birds & Balls
Cast
Tiffany Austin
Marilyn (Balls)
Jamie Chamberlin*
Holy St. Francis’ Trainer (Vinkensport) | Vocal Quartet (Balls)
View Bio
Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Recent engagements:
- The Center Cannot Hold Parts 1 and 2, Kenneth Wells, Elyn Saks, (UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior)
- Satan’s Fall, Stewart Copeland (VocalEssence Minneapolis/ The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh)
- COVID Fan Tutte, Mozart/Da Ponte (Pacific Opera Project)
Daniel Cilli
Atticus Finch’s Trainer (Vinkensport) | Larry King (Balls)
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Hometown: Emeryville, CA, USA
Recent engagements:
- Boheme out of the Box, G. Puccini, Illica, Giacosa et al. (San Francisco Opera)
- Proving Up, Missy Mazzoli, Royce Vavrek, Karen Russell (Pasadena Opera)
- Sharaku Unframed, Hiroya Miura (Left Coast Chamber Ensemble)
Upcoming engagements:
- Fellow Travelers, Gregory Spears, Greg Pierce (Opera Parallèle)
Photo credit Daniel Cilli
Nathan Granner
Han Sach’s Trainer (Vinkensport) | Bobby Riggs (Balls)
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Hometown: Kansas City, KS, USA
Recent engagements:
- Tosca, Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (Opera Orlando)
- The Shining, Paul Moravec, Mark Campbell (Opera Parallèle)
Upcoming engagements:
- Don Giovanni, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Lorenzo Da Ponte (Charleston Opera)
- Carmen, Georges Bizet, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy (TBA)
Photo credit Sage Etters
Mark Hernandez
Referee (Vinkensport) | Howard Cosell (Balls)
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Hometown: Palm Springs, CA, USA
Recent engagements:
- Champion, Terence Blanchard & Michael Cristofer (Opera Parallèle)
- Dead Man Walking, Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally (Opera Parallèle)
- Lucinda y Las Flores de la Nochebuena, Evan Mack & Joshua McGuire (San Francisco Opera Guild)
Upcoming engagements:
- Voices in Bro: A Cabaret, Hernandez & Benedict (Brooklyn Safehouse)
Photo credit Orna Rae Boozler
Chelsea Hollow*
Farinelli’s Trainer (Vinkensport)
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Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Recent engagements:
- Three Feathers, Lori Laitman, Dana Gioia, (Solo Opera)
- Dolores, Nicolás Lell Benavides, Marella Martin Koch (West Edge Opera)
- Albert Herring, Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier (Pocket Opera)
Upcoming engagements:
- Cycles of Resistance Album Release Tour (various US venues)
https://www.chelseahollow.com/
Photo credit Veronique Kherian
Gabriela Linares*
Super (Vinkensport) | Rosie Casals (Balls)
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Hometown: Puerto Rico
Recent engagements:
- Gianni Schicchi, Giacomo Puccini, Giovacchino Forzano (Chautauqua Opera Company and Conservatory)
- Sussannah, Carlisle Floyd (Opera Theater St. Louis)
- The Consul, Gian Carlo Menotti (SFCM Opera Theater)
Upcoming engagements:
- The Barber of Seville, Gioachino Rossini, Cesare Sterbini (Opera Theater St. Louis )
- Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration (Opera Theater St. Louis )
- Art of Protest (Seraphic Fire, Reginald Mobley)
https://gabrielalinaresmezzo.com/
Photo credit Helenna Santos
Nikola Printz
Billie Jean King (Balls)
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Hometown: Oakland, CA, USA
Recent engagements:
- Boheme Out of the Box, Giacomo Puccini (San Francisco Opera)
- Carmen, Georges Bizet, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy (Opera San Jose)
- Orfeo ed Eurydice, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Ranieri de' Calzabigi (West Edge Opera)
Upcoming engagements:
- Barber of Seville, Gioachino Rossini, Cesare Sterbini (Opera San Jose)
Photo credit Destiny Grace
Shawnette Sulker
Sir Elton John’s Trainer (Vinkensport) | Susan B. Anthony (Balls)
View Bio
Recent engagements:
- The Three Feathers, Lori Laitman, Dana Gioia (Solo Opera)
- The Coronation of Poppea, Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Francesco Busenello (West Edge Opera)
- Dead Man Walking, Jake Heggie, Terrence McNally (Opera Idaho)
Upcoming engagements:
- The Magic Flute, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Emanuel Schikaneder (Livermore Valley Opera)
Chung-Wai Soong
Prince Gabriel III of Belgium’s Trainer (Vinkensport) | Vocal Quartet (Balls)
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Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Recent engagements:
- Gianni Schicchi, Giacomo Puccini, Giovacchino Forzano(Hawaii Opera Theatre)
- Le Rossignol, Igor Stravinsky (West Edge Opera)
- Il Ducato - The New Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan (Lamplighters Music Theatre)
Upcoming engagements:
- Duruflé Requiem (Grace Cathedral)
- La Bohéme, Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa (Hawaii Opera Theatre)
- St. John Passion, Bach (San Francisco Bach Choir)
Photo credit Vero Kherian
Composer & Librettist
David T. Little*
Vinkensport Composer
Royce Vavrek*
Vinkensport Librettist
Laura Karpman*
Balls Composer
Gail Collins*
Balls Librettist
Creative + Production
Brian Staufenbiel
Stage/Creative Director
Nicole Paiement
Conductor
Y. Sharon Peng
Costume and Hair and Make-Up Designer
David Murakami
Projection Designer
Mextly Couzin
Lighting Designer
*Making Opera Parallèle debut this season
Supporters
Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera received funding from OPERA America’s Next Stage program which is funded in part by the Mellon Foundation and gifts from OA’s 50th Anniversary Campaign, including a leadership gift from Frayda B. Lindemann. Support for Birds & Balls is provided in part by the Amphion Foundation.