Casts for “The Coronation of Esther”

There were three casts for the show, for each major role the first person listed appeared Sunday March 11th and Saturday March 24th 2001. The second person listed appeared Saturday March 10th and Sunday March 18th 2001, and the third person appeared Saturday March 17th and Sunday March 25th 2001.

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  AHASHVEROS Christian Nolen*   David Sandberg**	VASHTI Nancy Lee Johnston Kate Van Eck Shoshana Feinstein	MORDECHAI Robert Bass Garrett Murphy Patrick O’Sullivan
  ESTHER Lonnie Bass Tamara Ivanovic Leilah Feinstein	MEMUCAN Paul Raila Joe Cesario Jeff Moore	HEGAI Nina Krane Ines Ivanovic Miriam Beit-Aharon
  MONICA Shellie Léger Ann Marie King Christine Reif	HIGH PRIEST Frank Walker Anne Dow Kathy Lindsay	MEHUMAN Chace Nolen Jennifer Dudley Evie Dill
  	BIZZETHA Adam Weinreb Indigo Dow Chad Green
  	CHORUS
  Charlotte Ames	Lonnie Bass	Robert Bass
  Jonathan Beit-Aharon	Miriam Beit-Aharon	Nathan Beit-Aharon
  Noah Beit-Aharon	Joe Cesario	Diana Dill
  Evie Dill	Anne Dow	Indigo Dow
  Jennifer Dudley	Leilah Feinstein	Chad Green
  Sue Hall	Violet Haszonics	Kieran Kinnare
  Ann Marie King	Nina Krane	Shellie Léger
  Kathy Lindsay	Jeff Moore	Cheryl Moreau
  Jenny Mosely	Garrett Murphy	Chace Nolen
  Christian Nolen	Patrick O’Sullivan	Mary Lou Pierron
  Timmy Pierron	William Pike	Paul Raila
  Christine Reif	David Sandberg	Ilana Sandberg
  Estee Schpeiser	Chana-Sophie Vester	Tarsha Stacke
  Jodi Waldron	Martha Wechsler
  Adam Weinreb	Dan Weinreb
  Cindy Woolworth

  * Christian Nolen also performed as King Ahashveros on Saturday March 10th.
  ** David Sandberg also performed as King Ahashveros on Sunday March 18th.

  Bios

  Charlotte Ames (Chorus) age 8, is in third grade. She enjoys art, humorous literature, bike rides, soccer, basketball, girl scouting, and collecting cute animals. She has a pet hamster named Nibbles.

  David Bass is the founder and musical director of the North Cambridge Family Opera company. He was a prolific composer of preteneious music as a teenager, but became discouraged in college and pursued a career in chemical engineering instead. After a 20-year hiatuus from musical composition, David has written two distinctly unpretentious operas for the enjoyment of his three young children, their friends, and their families: Space Opera, which he produced and directed May 1999 and May 2000, and the Coronation of Esther. David plans to continue writing music for as long as he can avoid taking himself too seriously.

  Lonnie Bass (Esther) is almost 9 and is a 3rd-grader. Lonnie studies Suzuki violin, sings in a chorus, and studies gymnastics. Lonnie also likes playing soccer, Barbies, and computer games, writing and illustrating her own stories, and playing with her little sister and big brother. She was Jabba the Hutt in the 1999 production of "Space Opera" and Luke Skywalker in the 2000 production.

  Robert Bass (Mordechai) is 11 and a 6th-grader. Robert enjoys music: he plays clarinet and drums and sings in a chorus. Robert also likes programming his computer, video games, jumping on the trampoline, and building Legos. He was Luke Skywalker in the 1999 production of "Space Opera" and Han Solo in the 2000 production.

  Jonathan Beit-Aharon (Chorus) enjoys doing things with his children. Having been but a lowly shepherd in the Middle East, he has definitely come a long way to become an invitee to the great king’s feast.

  Miriam Beit-Aharon (Hegai) is a 9-year-old home-schooler, first in her grade. Having been killed twice by Chewbacca in last year’s performance of Space Opera, this year, Miriam has acquired a more peaceful job as a eunuch. Down at the king’s gate, Miriam is a mover.

  Nathan Beit-Aharon (Chorus) is a 17-year-old High School Junior, but Esther is still his first bacchanalia. Last year he helped choreograph the storm-troopers in David Bass’ Space Opera. There being no Lord Low Priest of Persia, Nathan has no solo. Down at the king’s gate, Nathan is a Shaker.

  Noah Beit-Aharon (Chorus) is a 13-year-old home-schooler, head storm-trooper last year in Space Opera. Noah has been celebrating for half a year in preparation for The Coronation of Esther, and he really enjoys the king’s most reginal splendor.

  Phil Budne sang in the chorus in the 1999 production of Space Opera, and appeared as Sunday-Won Kenobi in the 2000 production. When he's not avoiding work altogether, he maintains this web site, and is always ready to respond to David's late night calls for extra hands building sets.

  Joe Cesario (Memucan): Joe is the Human Resource Coordinator at Coolidge House Genesis Elder Care in Brookline. He is the Music Director at Saint Peter’s in Malden, studies voice with Hanni Myers of Newton, sings with and occasionally solos with the Avenue of the Arts Chorale, Boston and Polymnia Chorale Society, Melrose. Joe has also sung with the Brookline Chorus and Boston Lyric Opera.

  Diana Dill (Chorus) is a Cambridge psychologist. She likes to bike, garden, design interior spaces, read, write, and sing. This is her first opera, and her first time on stage since age 14, and it revives her childhood interest in theatre, when she used to write plays for the neighborhood.

  Evie Dill (Mehuman) is 6 1/2. She likes to sing, play violin and song flute, read, write songs, and act. Past roles have included Terry the Pterodactyl in Prehistoric Pork, Nightmare Girl in Superman, Princess in The Singing Ringing Tree, and a bouncing baby opposite Alan Alda in It’s a Kid’s World.

  Anne Dow (High Priest) is a veteran of many years singing in oratorios and cantatas with Boston’s Chorus Pro Musica and the Cantata Singers, but had not sung opera since college. It took her grandson Indigo to bring it about. (He has succeeded in persuading this kindergarten art failure to join him in potting on a wheel, too!) Other interests include folk music (she accompanies herself on guitar and mountain dulcimer), sea kayaking, SCUBA, cross-country skiing, travel, and food. Around the edges, she develops multi-media programs to teach English in Asia - making as much use as possible of music!

  Indigo Dow (Bizzetha) is a 4th grader. He has played djembe (a Senegalese drum) since he was in diapers and often accompanies African dancing. He also plays the piano and the steel drum. As a kindergartner, he made his singing debut at Symphony Hall in a performance of Amistad under the baton of its composer, John Williams. He loves attending musical theater and is excited about getting to be on the other side of the footlights in The Coronation of Esther. In addition to music, he likes video and computer games, magic, snowboarding, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling - and spicy food!

  Jennifer Dudley (Mehuman) is a 10 year old home-schooler who likes to act and sing. She has 3 cats and she loves them all. Some of her favorite activities are skiing and swimming. Last spring she appeared as Luke Skywalker in the North Cambridge Family Opera production of Space Opera. Her most recent shows are The Miracle Worker and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

  Leilah Feinstein (Esther) enjoys theatre very much, and when she was in 5th grade she played the role of Scheherazade, the storyteller in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, a production of the Hennigan School. She is a member of the Riverside Theatre Works company in Hyde Park, where she recently played he role of Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof and Rizzo in Grease. She is currently working on the role of Fastrada in Pippin, to be presented in June. She has devoted her time to dancing, her life to singing and acting, and hopes to have her own punk-rock band sometime in the near future. Some of her hobbies include: talking to her friends on the phone, hanging out with her friends, and doing impersonations of Manny the Crocodile Hunter and Ms. Swan from Mad TV. She is in 7th grade at Boston Latin School.

  Shoshana Feinstein (Vashti) is the founder of "Impromptu Music Studios" In Providence, R.I. where she tutors private voice and piano. An advocate of the "Bel Canto" school, Shoshana studied voice at Boston University, The Bel Canto Institute under the direction of Jane Bakken-Klaviter, and received her degree in Music and Theatre from Roger Williams University. Boston’s distinguished Tenor Mr. Kaji Aso is her vocal coach and she has performed the roles of Carmen, Violetta Madama Butterfly and most recently Donna Anna with him. As well as performing with The Bel Canto Opera Company of Rhode Island and The Opera company of Boston, Shoshana performs with her original band "Shoshana’s Anam Cara" She released her first CD "Anam Cara" available on Judith Records and has begun production of her second CD. To find out much more about Shoshana, please visit her web site womeninproduction.com

  Chad Green (Bizzetha) is 11 and in the sixth grade. This is Chad’s second North Cambridge Family Opera performance. He made his debut in the 1999 production of "Space Opera" as Stormtrooper #4 and Rebel #4. In his spare time, Chad loves to play sports, read, sleep and play video games.

  Sue Hall (Chorus) is the mom of Lonnie and Robert Bass (as well as 3-year-old future star Reina Bass). David may be king of the Bass household, but Sue is the power behind the throne. Before her transition to stay-at-home mom, she taught math and operations to undergrad and MBA students at Babson College. She enjoys playing the piano and playing on the computer and was also in the chorus in the 1999 and 2000 productions of Space Opera.

  Violet Haszonics (Chorus) Violet is 8 years old. It is Violet’s first time in the Opera. Violet has a big sense of humor and is very creative. She likes to draw, read, and build things. She wants to be an archaeologist and/or computer game maker when she grows up. Violet takes Tae Kwon Do lessons.

  Nancy Lee Johnston (Vashti) studied opera performance at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, and most recently coached in Vienna with Kristin Okerlund of the Vienna State Opera. Nancy Lee has found herself drawn to the Viennese Operetta and song and always includes them with her concert repertoire. She has sung in Boston, California, Connecticut, and Vermont and she has performed with the San Diego and Connecticut Opera choruses. For her other life, Nancy Lee is the Technical Writer for Kaplan College Online Colleges.

  Ann Marie King (Monica) is very excited to be performing as Monica in "The Coronation of Esther". She has performed in many musical theater productions in the New England area. Some of her favorite roles are Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Morgan le Fey in Camelot. Other favorite roles include Bianca in Taming of the Shrew, and Peg in Peg ‘O My Heart, and Valentine’s Day in a dinner theater production of Holiday’s, Inc. In her spare time, she is also a cantor at church, a performer in road shows, a spokesmodel, and an actor in commercials. She would like to thank her family, friends, and theatergoers for their support, especially her parents, brother, the Dalys, Tim, and Steve.

  Kieran Kinnare (Chorus): This is Kieran’s second year with the NCFOC. Now that he is in second grade, he signs up for 3 slices of pizza instead of just 2 after rehearsals; that is, when he doesn’t have to rush back home to Ipswich.

  Nina Krane (Hegai) is 8 years old and is a 3rd grader. She sang the role of C3-PO in her opera debut, the 2000 Family Opera production of Space Opera. Nina loves reading, classic crooners, and funny movies. To her family and friends, Nina is already a STAR!

  Shellie Léger (Monica) is a 40-year-old single mom of three. Two of her children join her for Coronation of Esther, Estee and Levon Schpeiser. Isobel cheers them on from the audience. Shellie has an MSW and an MBA. Although she has a lot more fun singing and dancing and directing, she is not ready to leave her day job. In her first life she acted in NYC in several productions, mostly under the Manhattan Bridge in a loft with no heat...ah...to be young again. Greek tragedy was her favorite, because she got to wear really cool clothes. Shellie is having a blast singing Monica, the Persian version of trailer trash, and a woman after her own heart - still trying to marry up.

  Kathy Lindsay (High Priest): Engineer by day, mother of two by night, Kathy is glad to have such an artistic outlet to fill in the gaps. Tired of the paranoia involved with being a droid, she has found religion, and where else to start but at the top!

  Jeff Moore (Memucan) is a Waltham softwaresmith, is in his third season with NCFOC. This is the first time he won’t be playing Darth Vader, and it’s quite an adjustment. He’s not allowed to order King Ahashveros around, and he has to learn to sing without a helmet. An MIT grad, Jeff has been singing David Bass’s music for nearly twenty years, including the last two years nonstop around the house; just ask his wife Kathy Lindsay or his two daughters.

  Cheryl Moreau (Chorus) performed in the 2000 production of "Space Opera" as a Storm Trooper and participates in publicity, graphics, fund-raising, and administration for the opera company. Her other interests include gardening, fine cuisine, knitting, nineteenth-century literature, early music, volunteer work for the Cambridge Friends School, camping, reading, yoga, and taking care of Dan and Adam..

  Jenny Mosely (Chorus) is a software consultant and homemaker in Belmont. She is also an expert on origami made from business cards. This is her first performance on a public stage in over 30 years.

  Garrett Murphy (Mordechai), age 11 is a 5th grader in Wellesley. He’s in his fifth year with the Boston Children’s Opera, and also has sung with Youth Pro Musica, Revels, and the B.U. Grad. School of Opera. He "moonlights" in musicals- most recently as Young Josh in Big at the Footlight Club.

  Chace Nolen (Mehuman) is a third-grader. This is his first performance in an opera, and not his last!

  Christian Nolen (Ahashveros) has been singing the music of David Bass since 1978. This is his first musical theatre performance since 1975. Singing the role of King Ahashveros has proved to him that Mel Brooks was right. “It’s good to be the King!”

  Patrick O’Sullivan (Mordechai) This twelve-year-old debuted as "Han Solo" in last year’s production of "Space Opera". Patrick is a member of the Handel and Haydn children’s chorus, Somerville’s Openair Circus, the Boy Scouts, and editor and restaurant critic for Dr. Information, a home schooling newspaper. Patrick enjoys history, double-diamond skiing, gourmet food, and telling his mother she’s singing off pitch.

  Mary Lou Pierron (Chorus, mother of Timmy) is a psychologist at Somerville Mental Health Center. This is her first performance with the Opera. Her previous theatrical credits occurred so many years ago that they have been lost in the mists of time.

  Timmy Pierron (Chorus) is an 8-1/2-year-old 3rd grader. This is his first performance with the Opera although, at age 5, he was a terrific mischievous monkey in Too Many Hats. Timmy’s passions include Nintendo, Pokemon, and whistling. (Ask him for a demonstration!)

  William Pike (Chorus) is a Physicist/rocket scientist for a defense company in NH, was born in New York City, raised in rural Maine, and currently resides in the metropolis of Arlington. This is William’s first appearance in an opera and, in fact, he has never seen or heard opera before (except for Bugs Bunny’s "Barber of Seville"). His current hobbies include contra dancing, studying for Bar Mitzvah, and commuting to work.

  Paul Raila (Memucan) is now in his third season with NCFOC. His musical theater credits include the roles of: Obi-Wan Kenobi in Space Opera, Matt in the Fantastiks, and the Barber in Man of LaMancha. He has sung in the Chorus for productions of Pirates of Penzance, Trial by Jury, and Camelot. He currently sings with the Cambridge Community Chorus (mixed voice chorus), and in his distant guilty past also sang with the MIT Logarhythms (men’s a cappella ensemble). When not dispensing questionable advice to biblical Kings he provides first rate advice for the development of New Media technologies and applications.

  Chris Reif (Monica): Chris is not new to disappointment. She has been snubbed by some of the best, including "Slick Willy" Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Stephen Stills, Jeff Bridges and Mel Gibson. Says Chris, "Well, I guess I’ll have to make due with my husband (Tom Kinnare, stage crew)." Chris is also not new to the NCFOC, having given a startlingly life-like performance as a Stormtrooper in last year’s production of Space Opera. She attributes her success in the earlier role to her many years of motherhood and project management.

  David Sandberg (Ahashveros) has been performing light opera and other musical theater since high school, including playing the Major General in a Hebrew production of the Pirates of Penzance. He is the unofficial cantor of Temple Beth Shalom on Tremont Street in Cambridge. During the week, he is the in-house counsel of a Cambridge software company and is also half-way through his courses for a PhD in English literature.

  Ilana Sandberg (Chorus) will be seven years old in May. She likes gymnastics, swimming and ice-skating. She enjoys playing with her cats, dog and mouse. She also likes her little sister Lilly, who wishes she were old enough to be in the show.

  Estee Schpeiser (Chorus) is an 8-year-old third grader. She loves acting and singing, though her first love is writing, and she hopes to both write and illustrate books about animals when she grows up, in addition to being a veterinarian and a teacher!

  Levon Schpeiser is a 12-year-old sixth grader. He loves vintage rock and roll, Napster, Baldur’s Gate II, and the comedy studio at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square. He’s a great DJ and wants to go to Stanford when he grows up to study law.

  Tarsha Stacke, MS Ed. (Chorus) has a budding complementary Healing Arts Practice called Stepping Stones and a cozy Bed and Breakfast called Patchwork Quilt. She is a practitioner of the following modalities: movement, tai chi and chi kung - bodywork, shiatsu and reflexology - herbal remedies, homeopathy and education, a teacher of young children with special needs. She is a part-time faculty member of the Waldorf School in Lexington and the Boston Shiatsu School in Cambridge. Encouraged to take up singing by her teacher Nancy Johnston, this is Tarsha’s first singing endeavour.

  Kathryn Van Eck (Vashti) is excited to make her debut with NCFO. Originally from the Chicago area, she recently graduated from Indiana University School of Music with a Bachelor's Degree in Voice Performance. She has sung many roles; a few of which are Sorella Ingirmiera in Puccini's Suor Angelica, Julie in Showboat, and the Matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof. Specializing in contemporary music, she has been chose to sing the work premiers of pieces by Alexander de Varon, Lincoln Hanks, Jason Bahr, Molly Klein, and Donald Freund, the chairman of the composition department at IU. In addition to contemporary music, her oratorio experience includes soloing with the University Singers in their performance of the Messiah and the "Wachet Auf" cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, under the baton of Dr. Jan Harrington, performances of "The Last Seven Words" by Thomas Dubois and "King David" by Arthur Honehher. M.s Van Each singes with the Boston Coro di Camera at 1st and 2nd Universalist Church.

  Chana-Sophie Vester (Chorus) was born in Freiburg, Germany in September 1994. At age 2 she returned to the United States with her mother, Devorah. Since 1997, Chana-Sophie and Devorah have been living in Cambridge and Arlington. Chana-Sophie is a lover of the arts: music, dance and, especially, all creative crafts such as painting, drawing, ceramics and constructive design. Chana-Sophie also has a passion for literature and animals, above all, cats and horses. She is an active member of the Tremont Street Shul in Cambridge and is currently in the first grade at Moimonides in Brookline.

  Jodi Waldron (Chorus) has received a B.S. degree in Human Resourcs Management fom U.Mass. She likes singing as a hobby (a stress reliever) and studies voice with Barbara Morash (Stoneham) and Linda Papatopoli (Somerville). She has most recently sung with North Reading Community Chorale, North Regional Theatre Workshop, and Polymnia Chorale Society of Melrose. She was a member in the productions of "Carousel" and "Ben Franklin in Paris" presented by Wakefield Repertory Theatre. She is enjoying being a part of North Cambridge Family Opera.

  Frank Walker (High Priest) currently resides in Watertown. Mr. Walker attended the New England and Boston Conservatories of Music. He has appeared with the Boston Lyric Opera, Longwood Opera, and the Opera Company of Boston. He was Darth Vader in last year’s production of Space Opera.

  Martha Wechsler (Chorus) is a 9 year old student in 3rd grade. She is learning to play the cello, and she likes to draw and visit art museums..

  Adam Weinreb (Bizzetha) is a 9-year old 3rd-grader. He and Lonnie encouraged their friends to join the opera company. He performed in the 2000 production of Space Opera as a Jawa and a Storm Trooper. He also appreciates the music of The Beatles, Eiffel 65, and Blue Man Group. He likes reptiles, Legos, computer games, and anything from Australia.

  Dan Weinreb (Chorus) performed in the 2000 production of Space Opera as General Dodonna, a Storm Trooper, a Rebel, and an Alien. His other interests include object-oriented databases and other computer software, kites, reading, progressive rock, Cheryl, and Adam.

  Martha Wechsler (Chorus) is a 9-year old student in 3rd grade.. She is learning to play the cello, and she like to draw and visit art museums..

  Cindy Woolworth (Chorus) is an artistic Lexington matron whose previous singing credits include the New Jersey All-State Chorus, the Chorallaries of MIT, and two seasons of Space Opera. Her other interests include parenting Charlotte and Harry Ames, spending time with Mike Ames, software testing, costumery, gardening, photography, sky events...and playing.