An Evening of MicroOperas

Program

THE DISASTERS OF WAR | Orson Abram
Pianist: Francisca de Castanheiro de Freitas
Directed by Dani Hummel-Sass
Presenter: Sophia Dove 

Program Note: The Disasters of War is an intermedia theatrical MicroOpera for Soprano, Piano, and Fixed Media based on (and set to) a series of eighty-two etchings of the same name printed by the artist Francisco Goya between 1810 and 1820. Being represented through the libretto (which sets the epigraphs of each image to music) and a PowerPoint presentation that takes place throughout the piece, Goya’s images and depictions of horrific Napoleonic violence and the Spanish war are juxtaposed by their inherent presentation, which is delivered by a soprano and her pianist. The juxtaposition then becomes a mode of parallelism as the performers’ behaviors become akin to the images, denoting that these horrific images are still a part of the everyday. Viewer discretion is advised.

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BOBA BATTLE | Szu-An Chen
Pianist: Nathaniel Brown
Directed by Hailie Crowder
Ms. Lin: Hailie Crowder
Mr. Tu: James Hassan
Judge: Dani Hummel-Sass

Program Note: In a 1996 courtroom in Taiwan, two tea shop owners, Ms. Lin and Mr. Tu, argue over who invented boba tea. Through flashbacks to the 1980s in Taiwan, the story brings to life the origins of this famous beverage and depicts the tension caused by a shared love for Taiwanese tea culture.

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HOW THEY MADE SALAMANDERS | Noah Simon 
Guitar and Vocals: Noah Simon
Directed by Colleen Bur
Salamander: Lindsay Uhrich
God: Audrey Martin
Devil: Danielle Kagy 
Creator #3: Rue Stammen
Narrator/Noah: Noah Simon

Program Note: How They Made Salamanders, set during the creation of every living thing in Genesis 1:25-1:30, depicts how God and her fellow Committee members, the Devil and Creator #3, created the salamander. A study in the absurdity of belief and the hopelessness of control, folkloric, quasi-cryptozoological depictions of the salamander are drafted and torn up by the Committee, who are striving to perfect the salamander. However, it does not go swimmingly. As the opera unfolds, the audience will be treated to an educational slideshow about the material reality of salamanders and their depictions in culture. Enjoy!

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ZOMBIE WAGNER | Brayden Adamisin
Pianist: Nathaniel Brown
Directed by John Dorschner
Ava N.T. Gardner: Colleen Bur
Dr. Badamisin: James Hassan
Zombie Wagner: Starr Washington 

Program Note: Follow a harrowing tale as contemporary opera diva Ava N.T. Gardner and mad scientist Dr. Badamisin journey to "save" classical music by defying God and bringing composer Richard Wagner back to life.

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BIOGRAPHIES

Orson Abram is a multimedia artist who blurs the lines between composer, percussionist, improviser, filmmaker, performance artist, and sound artist. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, they graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and College in 2025, where they studied TIMARA, English, Percussion, and Cinema, and now are pursuing their MM in Music Composition at Bowling Green State University. Orson works across the intersections of video, performance art, installation, and music composition to explore the translation from personal to universal memory, the ethics of performance, self-expression, and transgression. Their work aims to provoke and redefine what music composition and performance can be.

Szu-An Chen is a Taiwanese composer with a keen ability for observation and a vivid imagination. Drawing inspiration from her Taiwanese heritage and reflections on social and environmental issues, she enjoys imagining new possibilities and creating her own magical worlds through music. Her works include a wide range of instrumentations, from solo and ensemble pieces to orchestral, choral, and electronic music. Notably, her orchestral piece, Resilience, won the 2025 BGSU Concerto Competition (Composition Division). She is currently pursuing her MM in Music Composition at Bowling Green State University under the instruction of Professors Christopher Dietz and Marilyn Shrude.

Noah Simon is a composer, singer/multi-instrumentalist, and sound technician. His multifaceted musical identity as a pianist, guitarist, songwriter, accordionist, electronic musician, and music teacher inform work that ranges from noise and psychedelia to classical and country music. Speech, song, and words are central to his practice, which often explores themes of identity, authorship, and creativity. He has played in salsa, blues, and rock bands, and performs as The Podcast, his noise-pop outfit. He loves backpacking, busking, speaking Spanish, dogs, and wonderful parties. These days, he can be found biking around Bowling Green or cooking up a storm at home.

Brayden Adamisin is an up-and-coming composer from the Greater Cincinnati area, currently working on his BM in Music Composition at Bowling Green State University. During his time at BGSU, Adamisin has participated in several new music festivals, concerts, and masterclasses both locally in Bowling Green and internationally in Vienna. 

Francisca de Castanheiro de Freitas, a Brazilian pianist based in Bowling Green, is currently pursuing a DMA in Contemporary Music (Performance—piano) at Bowling Green State University. She earned her MM in Piano Performance under the mentorship of acclaimed pianist Solungga Liu. Notable achievements include 2nd prize at the 2025 Marjorie Conrad Art Song Competition, where she collaborated with singer Colleen Bur, and 2nd prize at the 23rd Piano Competition in Ituiutaba, MG, Brazil. She has also appeared in music festivals in Brazil, the US, and Europe, such as the Brazil-Germany Festival, the 45th Annual BGSU New Music Festival, and the Summer Piano Institute in Xanthi, Greece.

John Dorschner is a first-year vocal performance master’s student at BGSU. His hometown is Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and he received his BM from UW-Eau Claire. He has performed roles such as Coridon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea,Barigoule in Viardot’s Cendrillon, and Jupiter in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. He is currently a member of the Toledo Opera Chorus. John teaches voice privately and at BGSU as a teaching assistant. His previous directing experience includes What are You in For by John Dorschner and Maximus Burger, as well as Cabaret: On the Silver Screen also written by Dorschner.

Dani Hummel-Sass is a mezzo-soprano, teaching artist, and director based in Ohio. She is pursuing graduate degrees in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at BGSU. Dani’s directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Titanic, and several youth shows in the community. As music director, Dani has helmed City of Angels, Side Show, Fiddler on the Roof, Drowsy Chaperone and, most recently, The Robber Bridegroom with The Tiffin Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, for which she is also the Artistic Director. On BGSU’s stage, she was recently seen as the Witch in BG Opera Theater’s production of Hansel and Gretel.

Nathaniel Brown is a first-year graduate student pursuing his MM in Piano Performance. He studies with Dr. Solungga Liu and previously studied with Dr. Paul Barnes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Nathaniel is very involved in the activities of the College of Musical Arts, spending his time performing in his chamber trio, accompanying other students, and fulfilling his assistantship duties at Trinity United Methodist Church. Nathaniel loves collaborating with composers and enjoyed working with Szu-An and Brayden on their MicroOperas this semester.

Hailie Crowder is a second-year MM student in Vocal Performance. Previous university/community theatre roles include Chava (Fiddler on the Roof), Irene Molloy (Hello, Dolly!), Laurey Williams (Oklahoma!), Rapunzel (Into the Woods), Minnie Fay (Hello, Dolly!), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Kathy Selden (Singin' in the Rain), and the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel). She was the soprano soloist for the Marion Civic Chorus in two of their annual presentations of Handel's Messiah, and she has been the soprano vocalist for the BGSU Early Music Ensemble for three semesters. Additionally, she performed in Mexico in the OperaMaya International Music Festival. 

Colleen Bur is in her second year of her MM program in Vocal Performance and will be graduating in May. She attended Lawrence University for her Bachelor of Music in 2022, also in Vocal Performance. She is looking forward to moving with her partner back to her hometown in Minnesota, where she hopes to start her own voice studio, and eventually, her own opera company, focusing on local and underserved artists in the Twin Cities area.

MICRO-OPERA PERSONNEL
Katy Pracht Phares, Project Advisor and Vocal Coordinator
Marilyn Shrude, Project Advisor and Composition Coordinator
Kevin Bylsma, Project Advisor
Michael Laurello, Audio/Visual Recording Engineer
Ryan Ebright, Libretto Consultant
Will Hermanowski, Coordinating Assistant

SPECIAL THANKS
Keith Hofacker
Emily Nash
Theresa Clickner 
Composition, voice and instrumental faculty

The BGSU MicroOperas have existed as early as 2010 when students such as Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, Jamie Sampson, Liz Pearse, and many others helped launch the project. After the Spring 2014 performances, Dr. Jane Rodgers, Dr. Marilyn Shrude, Mr. Kevin Bylsma, and a student representative formed the MicroOpera Committee and served as coordinators. Learning from these initial performances, they created and organized guidelines for future productions, including a very specific call for proposals and deadlines. The MicroOpera Committee reviewed the proposals and selected students who would develop their concepts and compose the opera during the Fall semester. With supervision from the voice and composition faculty, students took on every role in the production—from directing and conducting to singing and instrumental playing. Since then, the BGSU MicroOperas have continued to be a student collaboration between the BG Opera Theater and Music Composition Area. 

WITH SUPPORT FROM
MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music
BG Opera Theater
Department of Musicology/Composition/Theory
Office of the Dean