On the quarter deck of the H.M.S. Pinafore, sailors are at work cleaning the ship and singing in preparation for the arrival of Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty. Presently, their work is interrupted by the arrival of a Portsmouth woman nicknamed Little Buttercup. Her basket is full of tempting wares: snuff, tobacco, scissors, watches, knives, and ribbons and laces for wives and sweethearts. In spite of Buttercup’s gay and frivolous exterior, she confesses to a heart burdened with worry and remorse regarding a young sailor by the name of Ralph Rackstraw.

Young Ralph, “the smartest lad in all the Fleet,” has fallen in love with Josephine, daughter of his captain on the H.M.S. Pinafore. But Josephine is sought in marriage by no less than Sir Joseph Porter. Ralph’s love is returned by Josephine, and to her father’s dismay, she confesses her love for the sailor on board his ship, adding that although she can esteem, revere, and venerate Sir Joseph, she cannot under any circumstances love him. “I hate myself when I think of the depth to which I have stooped in permitting myself to think tenderly of one so ignobly born — but I love him! I love him! I love him!” she cries and bursts into tears.

A barge approaches the H.M.S. Pinafore, and from it steps Sir Joseph Porter himself, accompanied by a collection of ladies, consisting of his sisters, his cousins, and his aunts. Sir Joseph inspects the crew of the H.M.S. Pinafore and in a democratic speech declares that all men are equal. These sentiments encourage Ralph Rackstraw to propose to Josephine, who, however, rebukes him for raising his eyes to the daughter of his commanding officer: “Sir, you forget the disparity of our ranks.” In despair, Ralph decides to take his life with a pistol to his head, when Josephine intervenes. “Ah! Stay your hand. I love you!” she tells him, making her confession before the entire ship’s company. They plan to elope that very night, in spite of objections from Ralph’s odious messmate, Dick Deadeye. He urges Ralph vindictively to “remember she’s your gallant Captain’s daughter and you the meanest slave that crawls the water.” But he is shouted down by the rest of the crew, who all side with Ralph and Josephine.

That night on board the Pinafore, Sir Joseph expresses to Captain Corcoran his disappointment with Josephine, who has not responded favorably to his proposals of marriage. “Josephine is, of course, sensitive to your condescension, Sir Joseph, but perhaps your exalted rank dazzles her,” pleads the Captain. So Sir Joseph once again approaches Josephine, and hoping to further his own cause, he tells her that in his opinion, difference of social status is no barrier to love. Little does he know how eloquently he has pleaded his rival’s cause, and Josephine, who was in doubt as to the propriety of eloping with Ralph, has no qualms now. But Dick Deadeye has warned Captain Corcoran of the intended elopement, and the Captain arrives in time to prevent it.

Unable to repress his anger, and in front of all Sir Joseph’s female relations, who have arrived on the scene, he turns on Ralph with “Damme, it’s too bad!” Sir Joseph is horrified at the Captain’s bad language and orders him to his cabin in disgrace. Then, turning to Ralph Rackstraw, he inquires in fatherly fashion how Captain Corcoran came to forget himself. Ralph then admits his love for Josephine, which enrages Sir Joseph. “Insolent sailor, you shall repent this outrage. Seize him,” he commands. And Ralph is led off in custody.

At this point, Little Buttercup intervenes with a truly remarkable story. Many years before, she had been a nanny, and in her charge were two infants: one a well-born babe, the other of humble origin. Inadvertently, she had mixed them up, and Ralph Rackstraw is really named Corcoran, and the Captain is Ralph Rackstraw. On hearing this revelation, Sir Joseph sends for the two affected parties, and Ralph enters dressed in a Captain’s uniform, and Captain Corcoran as a common sailor. Addressing Captain Corcoran, Sir Joseph says, “I need not tell you that after this change in your condition, my marriage with your daughter is out of the question.” The Captain protests in Sir Joseph’s own words that “Love levels all ranks.” “It does to a considerable extent, but it does not level them as much as that,” says Sir Joseph crushingly. Handing Josephine to Ralph, Sir Joseph admonishes him to treat her kindly, and the curtain falls on general rejoicing and a finale in which all the best tunes are repeated and that finishes on a patriotic note in praise of Englishmen.

Brian Eads’ guest conducting credits include the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Festival Orchestra, and Lima Symphony Orchestra. His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He earned his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Florida State University and his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Delta State University. Eads is the current music director and conductor of the Les Misérables North American Tour.

Michael Shell is associate professor of voice at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where he teaches acting and opera workshops, and directs mainstage productions. His philosophy is to inform, excite, and empower his students to be the most authentic singing actors possible. Over the past two years, he has created the new core of Jacobs dramatic training courses. His productions have been praised by critics across the nation. A Broadway World reviewer recently commented on Shell’s new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide: “This production was one I could watch over and over again.” Shell has directed productions for Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Omaha, Opera San José, Opera Tampa, Opera North, Virginia Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Houston Grand Opera. He made his international directing debut at the Wexford Festival Opera in 2010 with a production of Winners by American composer Richard Wargo and returned the following fall to direct Double Trouble–Trouble in Tahiti and The Telephone. He has written and directed three cabarets, including All About Love and The Glamorous Life—A group therapy session for Opera Singers, both for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Shell earned a B.M. and an M.M. in Music/Vocal Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He was a Corbett Scholar at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and studied acting and scene study at H. B. Studios on an H. B. Studios merit scholarship. Shell has been guest faculty and director at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Florida State University, Oklahoma University, A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute, and Webster University–St. Louis, teaching opera workshops and directing full productions and workshop performances. He is also on faculty at the International Vocal Arts Institute Summer Opera Program in Tel Aviv.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana, and raised not two blocks from campus, C. David Higgins started his theatrical studies at IU intent on becoming an actor/dancer before he discovered his love for scenic design. He studied with the famous C. Mario Cristini and became proficient in the Romantic-Realist style of scenic design and painting. After earning his master’s degree, Higgins joined the staff of Indiana University Opera Theater and worked as master scenic artist from the time the Musical Arts Center opened in 1971 until his retirement in December 2011. He was appointed to the faculty in 1976 and served as chair of the Opera Studies Department and principal designer for Opera Theater. His design credits throughout the United States include the San Antonio Festival, Memphis Opera, Norfolk Opera, Louisville Opera, Detroit Symphony, Canton Ballet, and Sarasota Ballet as well as many other venues. His Indiana University productions have been seen throughout North America as rentals by major regional opera companies. His many international credits include the Icelandic National Theater; Ballet San Juan de Puerto Rico; Korean National Opera; Seoul City Opera; Korean National Ballet; Dorset Opera (England); Teatro la Paz de Belém, Brazil; and the Teatro National de São Paulo, Brazil. He has designed the scenery for the world premiere of Our Town (Ned Rorem), the American premieres of Jeppe (Sandström) and The Devils of Loudun (Penderecki), and the collegiate premieres of Nixon in China (Adams) and The Ghosts of Versailles (Corigliano) as well as many other operas and ballets. Known for his Italianate painting style, Opera News magazine has referred to Higgins as one today’s finest American scenic artists.

Indianapolis- based Andrew Elliot is a makeup artist, stylist, wig designer, and cellist. His design and music work can be seen and heard with IU Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, Actors Theatre of Indiana, Phoenix Theatre, Zach & Zack Productions, Summer Stock Stage, and more. As a makeup artist and stylist, his work can be seen locally and nationally in various publications, commercials, billboards, industrials, and editorials. He spent 2020 recreating icons of film, fashion, and theater, which gained national attention, with features in The New York Times, NowThis News, The Indianapolis Star, and Indianapolis Monthly.

Alice Trent is lighting supervisor at the IU Jacobs School of Music. She has designed extensively throughout the Midwest and South, and has worked as an assistant lighting designer at the Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Drama League, and Town Hall Arts Center of Denver. She received the 2019 Barbizon Lighting Company Jonathan Resnick Lighting Design Award and the 2019 Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Spiegel Theatrical Artist Award. Trent placed first in the 2019 SETC Projection Design Competition for her work on King Charles III and was a 2020 Gilbert Hemsley Internship Program Finalist. She earned an M.F.A. in Lighting and Digital Media Design from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Walter Huff is professor of choral conducting and faculty director of opera choruses at the IU Jacobs School of Music. He served as chorus master for the Atlanta Opera for more than two decades, leading the renowned ensemble in more than 125 productions, with critical acclaim in the United States and abroad. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory (Johns Hopkins). He studied piano with Sarah Martin, Peter Takács, and Lillian Freundlich, and voice with Flore Wend. After serving as a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, he received Tanglewood’s C. D. Jackson Master Award for Excellence. Huff served as coach with the Peabody Opera Theatre and Washington Opera, and has been musical director for The Atlanta Opera Studio, Georgia State University Opera, and Actor’s Express (Atlanta). He also has worked as chorus master with San Diego Opera. He served on the faculty at Georgia State University for four years as assistant professor, guest lecturer, and conductor for the Georgia State University Choral Society. He has served as chorus master for many IU Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater productions, most recently, L’Étoile, It’s a Wonderful Life, Lucia di Lammermoor, West Side Story, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Dialogues of the Carmelites, The Elixir of Love, Bernstein’s Mass, Le Nozze di Figaro, Parsifal, Suor Angelica, La Traviata, Little Women, The Barber of Seville, Xerxes, and La Bohème. For four years, Huff has served as choral instructor and conductor for the Jacobs School’s Sacred Music Intensive. He conducted the Jacobs Summer Music series productions of Arthur Honegger’s King David and Stephen Paulus’s The Three Hermits. This past summer, Huff returned for his third year as a faculty member at the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute. He also maintains a busy vocal coaching studio in Atlanta. Huff and Jacobs faculty choral colleague Chris Albanese were invited to present at the American Choral Directors Association National Virtual Convention in March 2021.

Pianist and vocal coach Allan Armstrong is assistant professor of music in voice at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where he specializes in art song literature and opera coaching. He is also the official accompanist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for both the Colorado/Wyoming District and the Rocky Mountain Region. From 2017 to 2020, he was a postdoctoral scholar and visiting assistant professor in chamber and collaborative music at the Jacobs School. He was previously a member of the applied piano faculty at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he codirected the nationally award-winning Bravo Opera Company. Armstrong has been a principal production pianist and coach at Eugene Opera, Opera Colorado, St. Petersburg Opera, Opera on the Avalon, Sugar Creek Opera, Tel Aviv Summer Opera Program, and Opera Tampa. He has taught on the faculty of the Sherrill Milnes Savannah Voice Festival and the International Vocal Arts Institute, in Blacksburg, Virginia. In 2005, he coached and recorded the newly revised version of Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle under the direction of the composer’s son, Peter Bartók. In 2010, Armstrong was a featured solo pianist in a recital of the complete solo piano works of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici at New York University Steinhardt. Armstrong earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. He also earned a Master of Music degree in Chamber Music and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida, where he studied with Svetozar Ivanov and Robert Helps. Armstrong holds professional memberships in the College Music Society and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). In 2019, he was chosen to participate in the acclaimed NATS Intern Program at the New England Conservatory.

Kimberly Carballo is coordinating opera coach for IU Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater and a faculty member in the Chamber and Collaborative Music Department. She is also an active international performer and educator. Carballo has previously worked as the mainstage and young artists program coach for the Compañía Lírica Nacional de Costa Rica, and music theory instructor and vocal coach at the Conservatorio Musical de Alajuela, Escuela de Artes Musicales de la Universidad de Costa Rica, and Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. In addition to her duties at the Jacobs School, she maintains a private studio as a freelance coach, collaborator, and piano teacher. She is founder and director of Reimagining Opera for Kids, a music community engagement and education program based in Bloomington, Indiana. Carballo also forms part of the inaugural and ongoing team for Tunaweza Kimuziki (Through Music All is Possible), a project promoting exchange among music educators, scholars, and performers in Kenya and the United States. (Photo by Synthia Steiman)

Benjamin Czarnota is a D.M. in Voice Performance student who recently returned to the IU Jacobs School of Music to complete his degree after 15 years of teaching voice at the undergraduate level. Roles with IU Jacobs Opera Theater include Mr. Webb in the world premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte,Schaunard in La Bohème, and Njegus in The Merry Widow. Past regional opera engagements include the role of Stanley Kowalski in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Amonasro in Aida with companies such as Wichita Grand Opera, the Cleveland Opera, and Cleveland Opera Theater. During his initial graduate study at Jacobs, Czarnota was chosen by baritone Håkan Hagegård to perform the role of Anton Chekov in Dominick Argento’s A Few Words About Chekov in a staged production of the work. He has also appeared as baritone soloist in the Fauré Requiem, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, the Mozart Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah in appearances with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra and the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra. Musical theater roles include the title role in Sweeney Todd, Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Father in Children of Eden and, most recently, Emile de Becque in South Pacific in a full production with the Akron Symphony. Czarnota also served for two seasons as the official national anthem singer of the Cleveland Browns, performing at all home games. He is a current student of Brian Horne.

Tenor Lucas Newman-Johnson is a native of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, who graduated cum laude from Amherst College. A lifelong performer and student of music, he is pursuing a Master of Music degree at the IU Jacobs School of Music, studying under Russell Thomas. Noted for his strong acting and stage presence, Newman-Johnson recently appeared with IU Jacobs Opera Theater as a chorus soloist in Highway 1, USA and Monostatos in The Magic Flute.

Baritone Andrew Durham, from Paducah, Kentucky, is a second-year master’s student at the IU Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Timothy Noble. While at Jacobs, Durham has appeared as John Brook in Little Women (2020) and Ottone in The Coronation of Poppea (2021). He earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Louisville (UofL), studying with Chad Sloan. At UofL, Durham performed as Brack Weaver in Down in the Valley and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas. In addition, he appeared as a soloist in the Bach Magnificat with the UofL Sinfonietta at the National Theater of Costa Rica and performed with the UofL Symphony Orchestra as winner of the 2019 Aria Competition. He participated as a studio artist at the SongFest summer program of 2018 and appeared as Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Cincinnati Conservatory Opera Bootcamp while performing in its concert of Mozart scenes and arias.

Steven M. Warnock of Glasgow, Scotland, is a 28-year-old lyric baritone completing his Performance Diploma at the IU Jacobs School of Music. He has worked privately with Timothy Noble and Julia Bentley at Jacobs and with Julian Tovey at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). Warnock’s operatic roles include Friedrich Bhaer in Adamo’s Little Women (IU, 2020), Marco in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (IU, 2020), and Steve Sankey in Weill’s Street Scene (RCS, 2018). As a chorus member, he has appeared in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea (IU, 2021), Handel’s Xerxes (IU, 2020), Britten’s Owen Wingrave (RCS, 2016), Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (RCS, 2017), and Jonathan Dove’s The Day After(RCS with English National Opera, 2018). Warnock has also been featured in Scottish Opera’s concert performance of Prokofiev’s Fiery Angel and alongside Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique as a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in Edinburgh, Paris, London, Lyon, Michigan, and New York City.

Philip McCown is a graduate of Auburn University (B.M.) and Indiana University (M.M.) currently pursuing a Performer Diploma under the tutelage of Peter Volpe. Last season, McCown made his IU Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater debut as Laurie in Mark Adamo’s Little Women. Previous IU credits include the choruses of Le Nozze di Figaro, Parsifal, and La Traviata. At Auburn, he performed the roles of Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Bardolph (Falstaff). He has also performed in the opera workshop scenes programs of Carol Vaness and Heidi Grant Murphy as Tom Rakewell (The Rakes Progress), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Martin (The Tender Land). This past summer, McCown participated in the International Performing Arts Institute, where he also performed in a scenes program singing Edgardo and Martin.

Tenor Jonathan Elmore is pursuing his master’s degree in voice performance at the IU Jacobs School of Music, studying with Heidi Grant Murphy. He was born and raised in Covington, Virginia, just outside of the New River Valley area. He earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Virginia Tech in 2020, under the tutelage of Brian Thorsett. While at Jacobs, Elmore has performed the role of Secondo Soldato in IU Jacobs Opera Theater’s production of The Coronation of Poppea and has performed in the choruses of The Barber of Seville, The Coronation of Poppea, and Highway 1, USA.

Originally from Wichita, Kansas, baritone Spencer McIntire is a student pursuing his Master of Voice and his Performer’s Diploma in Voice under the tutelage of Patricia Stiles. A graduate of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, he has performed in the choruses for IU Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater’s Le Nozze di Figaro and La Traviata. Last year, he performed the role of Mr. Dashwood in Jacobs’ production of Little Women. Previous performances include The Pirates of Penzance, Die Zauberflöte, and Speed Dating Tonight!

Theo Harrah is a sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, performing in his fourth opera at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where he is a voice performance major studying with Jane Dutton. His previous credits include Second Armed Man in The Magic Flute and the choruses for Falstaff and Highway 1, USA.

Julio Aleman is a third-year B.M. in Voice Performance student from Lynchburg, Virginia, under the tutelage of Timothy Noble. Aleman was last seen in The Magic Flute as a member of the chorus and played Fiorello in IU Jacobs Opera Theater’s production of The Barber of Seville during the 2020-21 season.

Robert Wente is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Munster, Indiana. He is studying with Wolfgang Brendel at the IU Jacobs School of Music while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Music with an outside field in Astronomy as well as a Bachelor of Science in Physics. With IU Jacobs Opera Theater, he has performed in the choruses of Bernstein’s Mass, Parsifal, La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, and The Magic Flute.

From Montrose, California, coloratura soprano Elizabeth Queen is known for her dynamic singing and commanding stage presence. After her appearance as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Prague Summer Nights festival,OperaWire praised her “tremendous presence” on stage, describing her coloratura singing as “. . . sharp as the dagger she forced into Pamina’s hands.” In addition to multiple performances as Queen of the Night, she has performed the roles of Die Erste Zofe (Der Zwerg), Le Feu (L’enfant et les sortilèges), Frasquita (Carmen), and Gianetta (The Elixir of Love) with Numi Opera Theatre, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Santa Monica Opera Theatre, and the Bob Cole Opera Institute. Queen was the winner of the California Women’s Chorus Vocal Competition in 2017 and received the Emerging Artist Award from the Long Beach Camerata Singers in 2020. This past fall, she performed the role of Drusilla in IU Jacobs Opera Theater’s production of The Coronation of Poppea. She is pursuing a Master of Music in Voice Performance at the IU Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Carol Vaness.

Madeline Coffey is an American soprano from Floyds Knobs, Indiana. She is pursuing a master’s degree in voice performance at the IU Jacobs School of Music, where she also completed her Bachelor of Music degree, under the instruction of Jane Dutton. Coffey was most recently seen with IU Jacobs Opera Theater as Miles in The Turn of the Screw. Other Jacobs credits include Sandman in Hansel and Gretel and Tourier in Suor Angelica. She has also performed the role of Nella in Gianni Schicchi, with Janiec Opera Company at Brevard, and was a finalist in the 2021 John Alexander Vocal Competition.

Mezzo-soprano Regan Poarch, from Kennesaw, Georgia, is a first-year master’s student under the tutelage Jane Dutton. Poarch completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University, earning a dual degree in voice and international studies. She was recently seen on the Musical Arts Center stage as Third Spirit in The Magic Flute and in the chorus of Falstaff. Previous IU Jacobs Opera Theater performances include Handel’s Xerxes, Adamo’s Little Women, and Bernstein’s Mass. Poarch has also been seen as Third Sprit (The Magic Flute) with Bloomington Chamber Opera and Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor) in Heidi Grant Murphy’s Opera Workshop.

Shannon Lally is a mezzo-soprano from Haddonfield, New Jersey, pursuing an M.M. in Voice Performance under the guidance of Peter Volpe and Allan Armstrong. She graduated from Westminster Choir College in 2021 with a B.M. in Voice Performance and a minor in Piano Pedagogy. Recent credits include Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Olga (cover, Eugene Onegin), and Armelinde (Viardot’s Cendrillon). She has sung scenes as La Périchole (La Périchole), Lisetta (Il mondo della luna), Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Nurse (Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet), and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel). She has been a young artist at the CoOPERAtive Program in Princeton, New Jersey; the Russian Opera Workshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Mikael Eliasen Voice Program in Philadelphia. In 2021, she placed first in her division at the New Jersey National Association of Teachers of Singing Festival of Singing competition.

From Hood River, Oregon, mezzo-soprano Olivia Newcomb is a senior pursuing a B.S.O.F. in voice performance and musical theatre under the tutelage of Jane Dutton (and previously Patricia Havranek). This role is Newcomb’s IU Jacobs Opera Theater debut. Performance credits include Orlando Spinks/Unicorn, Asombro, and The Moon Chief for Reimagining Opera for Kids, as well as Annie in Sticks and Stones: A New Musical and Mrs. Wade in Wonderful Town for IU Theatre. Other notable performances include Natalie in the world premiere of Bridesmaids: A New Opera for the Vienna Summer Music Festival and Katarina Minola in The Taming of the Shrew and Rizzo in Grease for Hood River’s Bowe Theatre. Beyond her performance career, Newcomb has organized and moderated the panel “Opera-tunities: Reimagining Opera after COVID-19” for South by Southwest. As a classically trained actress, she works to strengthen the bond between musical theatre and opera to authentically convey the humanity in her music.