OPERA WESTERN RESERVE

Jonny Kaufman, Tenor • Canio

Tenor Jonny Kaufman possesses a voice of entrancing power, beauty, and finesse, which he employs with considerable technique and musicianship. 

Last season, Kaufman sang the title role in Faust with Opera Western Reserve and brought his lauded Don José to Carmen productions with Charleston Opera Theater and San Diego Opera. He also reprised several roles in returns to St. Petersburg Opera as Rodolfo in La bohème, Union Avenue Opera as Samson in Samson et Dalila, and Opera Wilmington as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. This season, Mr. Kaufman returns to Opera Western Reserve to reprise his Canio in Pagliacci, North Carolina Opera as Calaf in Turandot, and Opera Grand Rapids to reprise his Don José in Carmen. 

Mr. Kaufman recently made his role début as Samson in Samson et Dalila with St. Petersburg Opera, which he also covered for New Orleans Opera. He also returned to Opera Carolina to sing Don José in Carmen, joined Fort Worth Symphony to sing the Steersman and cover Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, sang Canio in Pagliacci with Union Avenue Opera, and joined North Carolina Opera to cover the title role in Ernani.

Sarah Joyce Cooper, Soprano • Nedda

Sarah Joyce Cooper is an award-winning soprano known for her “meltingly beautiful” (Opera News) singing and “passionate power” (Parterre Box). Recent highlights include her debut with Seattle Opera as Minnie Tate in the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee; the role of Violetta in La Traviata with Opera Acadia; Carnegie Hall appearances as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the New England Symphonic Ensemble; and the title role in James Kallembach’s American Jezebel: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson, a world premiere opera commissioned by Harvard University that tells the story of theologian, midwife, scholar, and co-founder of Rhode Island, Anne Hutchinson.

Other recent performances include the roles of Eva and Gabriel in Haydn’s The Creation with MIT and the Handel and Haydn Society Chamber Choir; soloist appearances with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra in Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; and the highly anticipated Rochester premiere of Will Todd’s Mass in Blue with the Rochester Oratorio Society. Operatic credits include Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (Opera Western Reserve), Adina in L’Elisir d’amore (Geneva Light Opera, Bar Harbor Music Festival, Boston Opera Collaborative), Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Syracuse Opera), Violetta in La Traviata (MassOpera) and La Charmeuse in Thaïs (Maryland Lyric Opera). Ms. Cooper holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French studies from Princeton University and Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. In addition to performing, Ms. Cooper is Artistic Director of Opera Acadia and volunteers extensively with Help!ComeHome!, a nonprofit dedicated to meeting the needs of under-served communities throughout the US in Jesus’ Name.

Dr. José Luis Maldonado, Baritone • Tonio

Dr. José Luis Maldonado, also known as Baritone Joe, is an international baritone from Los Angeles, California, hailed by Opera News as a “seemingly unlimited baritone.” He earned degrees from Cal State Fullerton and Manhattan School of Music and completed his DMA at Michigan State University under Dr. Mark Rucker. A recipient of the Opera Buffs Inc. Career Grant and the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, he has established a distinguished career on stages across the United States and abroad. His repertory includes Don Alfonso, Don Magnifico, Escamillo, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Rigoletto, Dulcamara, Tonio, and Figaro. He has appeared with Long Beach Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Pacific Opera Project, Opera Grand Rapids, Lyric Opera of Orange County, Indianapolis Opera, Bellissima Opera, Opera Birmingham, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, among others. Recent engagements include the title role in Rigoletto, Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Tonio in Pagliacci and Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro. Praised for his vocal depth, dramatic intelligence, and stylistic versatility, Maldonado brings authority and presence to a wide range of repertoire, from Mozart and Donizetti to Verdi, Puccini, and contemporary works. For more information please visit www.BaritoneJoe.com

Brian Keith Johnson, Baritone • Silvio

Brian Keith Johnson has performed many roles in opera from Figaro in il barbiere di Siviglia to Ford in Falstaff.  His concert repertoire includes most of the major baritone works such as Carmina Burana, Elijah, The Verdi Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, The Brahms Requiem and The Faure’ Requiem. He has performed operatic and musical theatre roles across the United States including performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Blossom Festival Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Opera Western Reserve, Carolina Master Chorale, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Porthouse Theatre.

Mr. Johnson received his BM Degree from The University of Akron and has also studied abroad at The New Opera Academy of Rome in Rome, Italy and The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. This season he sings Schicchi (Cover) with The Cleveland Institute of Music, The Governor/Innkeeper and Cervantes (Cover) in The Man of La Mancha with The Ohio Shakespeare Festival, The Mozart Requiem with Summit Choral Society, and Carmina Burana with The Akron Symphony Orchestra. Brian, and his wife Susan retired last year from The Akron Public School System with a combined 68 years of teaching between them. Brian is also an avid motorcyclist.

Ethan E. Burck • Beppe

Ethan Burck, originally from Aurora, Illinois, holds degrees from the Yale School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music and Baldwin Wallace University. In the 2025–2026 season Ethan joined orchestras around the country performing Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and scenes from Die Fledermaus as well as rejoining the Des Moines Metro Opera singing Carlson in Carlyle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men and covering the Shepherd in King Roger. He also performed scenes for Dvořak’s Rusalka and Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann. Ethan is managed by Piper Artists Management. 

In the 2024–2025 he joined Opera Philadelphia to cover several roles in the U.S. Premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners. He also spent 3 months in Iowa as a member of the Des Moines Metro Opera’s OPERA Iowa tour, traveling around the state of Iowa performing, giving masterclasses, and advancing opera throughout the state. Following this tour, Ethan was an apprentice artist with Des Moines Metro Opera where he covered the role of Sellem in The Rake’s Progress and performed scenes from Janacek’s Jenufa and Britten’s Billy Budd.

Setting:

August 15, 1948 – Montalto, Calabria, Italy

Overture:

The opera begins with a brief orchestral overture that leads into a prologue sung by the character of Tonio who implores the audience not to watch “Actors” portray a story on stage, but rather to witness real humanity and to recognize that actors are people of flesh and bone who experience real emotion. Tonio then invites the audience to begin the journey of the story on stage “Andiam, Incomincaiate!” (Let’s go, we begin!)

Act I

The action begins as a troupe of traveling Commedia dell’arte players arrive in the small southern Italin town on August 15, the Feast of Assumption. The crowd greets their arrival. Canio, the troupe leader who portrays the clown Pagliaccio in the traveling play, addresses the crowd and encourages all to attend the performance that evening.

Tonio, a member of the troupe who portrays the clown Taddeo in the traveling play, offers his assistance to Nedda, Canio’s wife who portrays the clown Colombina in the traveling play. The crowd playfully suggests that Tonio (Taddeo) may be lusting after Nedda (Colombina). Canio assures the crowd that in the play, Taddeo would only be roughed up in comedic fashion, but that in real life, there would be much more dire consequences for Tonio if such a transgression were to occur.  

Most of the townsfolk disperse to the church to attend the Vespers for the Assumption. Canio, accompanied by the other troupe members, including the dashing Beppe, who portrays Arlecchino in the traveling play, join some other townspeople for a quick drink at the local tavern before getting ready for the evening’s performance. Nedda remains. She is fearful of Canio’s brutal tendencies and finds warming comfort in the mid-August sun. She longs to fly away in freedom as do the birds she observed flying freely in the sky. Tonio surprises her and attempts to seduce her. Nedda repulses and mocks Tonio, sending him away. As he flees, Tonio swears by the Virgin of Mid-August to get revenge. Silvio, Nedda’s secret lover who has been following the traveling troupe from town to town, arrives and in a passionate scene begs Nedda to run off with him. Tonio has been eavesdropping and runs to the tavern to get Canio who arrives jut in time to hear Nedda lovingly call to Silvio with the words “till tonight, and forever I shall be yours.” Canio chases after Silvio, who escapes. Canio returns in a fit of rage to demand the name of Nedda’s lover. Beppe tries to restrain Canio. Tonio helps deescalate the situation by slyly suggesting to Canio that Nedda’s clandestine lover may indeed attend the show that night, which would present the opportunity to catch him. Left alone to prepare fr the show, Canio begins his transformation into Paglaiccio. The act concludes with Canio’s famous aria “Vesti la giubba” (Put on the costume) in which Canio confronts his pain and asks “Are you a man? No, you are just a clown… Put on your costume and your makeup… the people pay… they want to laugh… transform you heartbreak, tears, and sobs into a grimace, and laugh, clown! Laugh at the pain that is poisoning your heart!”

Act II

Excitement builds as the audience gathers for the performance of the traveling play. As the Commedia dell’arte play begins, Colombina informs the crowd that her husband, Pagliaccio is away till later that night. She impatiently waits for the oaf, Taddeo, whom she sent to buy food for dinner with her clandestine lover, Arlecchino, who is heard serenading Colombina from a distance, paralleling Silvio’s advances to Nedda from earlier. Taddeo arrives on the scene making comedic advances to Colombina mirroring Tonio’s advances to Nedda from earlier. Colombina rebuffs him and calls on Arlecchino to throw Taddeo out. Arlecchino presents Colombina with a bottle of wine and a sleeping potion, which the two lovers plot to pour into Paglaiccio’s cup while they escape together. Just then, Taddeo bounds in to warn the two lovers that Pagliaccio is returning. Arlecchino makes his escape while Colombina calls out to him “till tonight and forever yours.” Canio, drunk and dressed as the character Pagliaccio, arrives just in time to hear the same words he overheard his wife Nedda say earlier to her fleeing lover. Canio/Pagliaccio asks Nedda to reveal the name of her lover. Nedda tries desperately to remain in character, dismissing Canio/Paglaiccio wiht derisive comedic answers. Nedda repeatedly calls him “Pagliaccio” attempting to draw him out of his drunken jealousy and back into his Commedia dell’arte character. Canio cannot restrain his fury and shouts that he is no longer Pagliaccio, that his face is white out of shame and frenzy for revenge! He violently demands for her to reveal her lover’s name. The crowd is enthralled, believing that this raw human emotion and realism they are witnessing (“Verismo”) is merely expert-level acting and all “part of the show.” Tonio/Taddeo, enacting his revenge plot, adds fuel to the fire by planting a knife for Canio/Pagliaccio to discover. Nedda attempts to flee the stage, but Canio restrains her and ultimately stabs her. As she dies, Nedda cries out Silvio’s name. Silvio rushes the stage in an attempt to save Nedda, only to be met violently by Canio’s blade. Canio falls to the ground weeping while Taddeo/Tonio announces to the crowd “La Commedia e finita!” (The comedy is over) providing a dramatic bookend conclusion to his opening prologue.