Commissioned by Cincinnati Opera Education and performed in both Spanish and English, How Nanita Learned to Make Flan is based on the popular children's book of the same name by Campbell Geeslin. It tells the story of Nanita, the daughter of a shoemaker, who works so hard he does not have time to make his own daughter a pair of shoes. Nanita decides to make some shoes for herself, and her creation turns out to be magical, and they sleepwalk her far, far away from home. She eventually finds her way back home with the help of a talking parrot and is reunited with her father.
Cincinnati Opera presents four public performances. Tickets go on sale April 13:
Saturday, May 9 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Madisonville Arts Center 5021 Whetsel Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45227
$5 Tickets
Please call the Madisonville Arts Center at (513) 271-8600 for tickets
Saturday, May 16 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Memorial Hall 1225 Elm Street, downtown Cincinnati
$5 Tickets
Please call the Cincinnati Opera Box Office (513) 241-2742 for tickets
The Cast
Dione Johnson, soprano
Soprano Dione Nicole Johnson will sing the role of Nanita. She is a native of Jackson, Tennessee and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) with a BM in vocal performance. Ms. Johnson is currently pursing graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
An award-winning young artist, Ms. Johnson recently won an Alltech Vocal Scholarship presented by the University of Kentucky. Last summer, she was awarded a grant to attend the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. There she received several performance opportunities, including singing the role of Papagena from The Magic Flute with the AIMS Orchestra and Maestro Eduardo Müller. She was the Rossini Award winner in the 2007 Orpheus National Vocal Competition, and in the same year, she was honored with a plaque from the McLean School of Music for outstanding achievement in vocal performance. She is also a fellow in the McNair Scholars Program.
Mark Kano, tenor
Mark A. Kano sings the roles of Nanita’s Father and the Parrot. He is currently in his first year of doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky under the tutelage of Dennis Bender. Recently, Mr. Kano sang the role of Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Mark has performed the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Remendado in Carmen, Gastone in La Traviata, and Monostatos in The Magic Flute with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. As a Young Artist with Kentucky Opera, Mark sang the roles in Turandot, Il Trovatore, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Samson et Dalila and also the role of Monostatos in Louisville Ballet’s production of The Magic Flute. Mr. Kano has performed with Nashville Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and as a soloist with the Lexington Singers, Middle Tennessee Choral Society, and Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. He holds a master of music degree from the University of Kentucky and a BM in vocal performance from Middle Tennessee State University, which is located in his hometown of Murfreesboro.
Sarah Klopfenstein, mezzo-soprano
Sarah Klopfenstein, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, sings the roles of Senorita LaBamba and the Old Woman. She attended Texas Christian University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in voice performance. Ms. Klopfenstein also holds a Master’s degree in voice from the University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington where she studied under Dr. Everett McCorvey. At UK Sarah performed roles such as Flora in La Traviata, Mercedes in Carmen, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Lucy Perez in The Hotel Casablanca as well as roles with the Intermezzo Foundation Young Artist Program in 2007. Sarah was a chorus member during Cincinnati Opera’s 2008 season and looks forward to joining Cincinnati Opera again this summer.
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Joshua Jeremiah sings the roles of the Village Mayor and the Ranchero. He was a 2005 Young Artist with Cincinnati Opera and sang the roles of Count Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Judge in the company’s co-commission, Margaret Garner. Solo engagements include work with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Cincinnati Baroque Orchestra. Joshua spent two seasons with the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program in 2006 and 2007, where he sang the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff. Mr. Jeremiah has spent a number of summers as a Young Artist at Wolf Trap Opera. He is a graduate of Shenandoah University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Read about Cincinnati Opera's 2004 Premiere of How Nanita Learned to Make Flan!
