The Hillman Opera presents Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Consul,” a work that follows a family’s desperate attempt to flee totalitarian rule, from Nov. 13 to 16 in Marvel Theatre.
A resonant theme and an abundance of student talent define the 2025 Hillman Opera production at SUNY Fredonia.
The Hillman Memorial Music Association, in collaboration with the Fredonia School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Dance, present four performances of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Consul” from Nov. 13 to 16 in the Robert W. Marvel Theatre on the Fredonia campus.
Tickets are available online 24/7 Tickets may also be purchased on Monday, Wednesday or Friday by phone at (716) 673-3501 or in person at the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hillman Producer Don Marrazzo describes “The Consul” as a musical and theatrical masterpiece.
“The composer and librettist, Gian Carlo Menotti, wanted the work to be viewed as a piece of theatre set to music, so he intentionally called ‘The Consul’ a ‘musical drama’ instead of an opera,” Marrazzo said. “Menotti had an instinctive feeing for high suspense, and ‘The Consul’ is a theatrical thriller that feels like the operatic version of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.”
Set around an enigmatic consulate, the producer said “The Consul” constructs a haunting world in which a family’s desperate attempt to flee totalitarian rule is met with indifferent bureaucracy. Performed in English the opera is set in three acts.
“Musically, ‘The Consul’ feels like Puccini - grand Italian opera - with contemporary touches and a fantasy element that creates incredible suspense,” Marrazzo said. “The first operatic composition to be awarded the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music, ‘The Consul’ is truly a can’t-miss experience for both new and seasoned operagoers.”
Written in 1949, “The Consul” touches on themes of The Cold War (1947 to 1991) and the plight of refugees fleeing Eastern Europe after World War II.
“My hope is that audiences will be deeply moved by this extraordinary and timeless story,” Marrazzo said. “Despite being written during the Cold War, ‘The Consul’s themes of freedom, human rights, and the refugee experience remain tragically resonant today.”
The producer noted the Hillman Opera is a “wonderful collaboration between the Hillman Memorial Music Association and the SUNY Fredonia College of Music, Theatre, and Dance involving 150 to 200 students and faculty members annually.”
“Daniel Lendzian is directing this riveting production and conductor Emily Schaad will lead an extraordinary cast and orchestra comprised of Fredonia School of Music students to bring Menotti’s powerful and touching music to life,” Marrazzo said. “We have double-cast this production, and both casts are truly outstanding. The physical production is stark and powerful, with sets by Hyla Stellhorn, costumes by Jessica Lustig, lighting design by Jaydon Zullo, and hair and make-up by Simon Szentgyorgyi.”
The production is double cast featuring students from western New York, Long Island and abroad including:
- Gabrielle Gance (Magda Sorel), a Voice Performance graduate student from Endicott, NY.
- Amie Adams (Magda Sorel), a Voice Performance graduate student from Hamburg, NY.
- Jackson Kelly (John Sorel/The Secret Police Agent on alternating nights), a junior double major in Voice Performance and Music Education from Amherst, NY.
- Dominic Townsend (John Sorel/The Secret Police Agent on alternating nights), a senior Voice Performance major from Youngstown, NY.
- Nova Kowalski (The Secretary), a senior Voice major with a minor in Arts Administration from Parish, NY.
- Esther-Elisabeth Rispens (The Secretary), a Voice Performance graduate student from Brussels, Belgium.
- Carter Converse (Mr. Kofner), a senior from North Tonawanda, NY, pursuing dual majors in Music Industry and Music with a concentration in Voice.
- Kayla Sorensen (The Foreign Woman), a Music Education graduate student from Glenwood Landing, NY.
- Mia Sorgi (Anna Gomez), a junior from Hamburg, NY, pursuing a double major in Voice Performance and Music Education.
- Miranda Wilcox (Anna Gomez), a sophomore Music Education major from Jamestown, NY.
- Danai Kalpaki (Vera Boronel), a Voice Performance graduate student from Corfu, Greece.
- Andrew George (Nika Magadoff/The Magician), a Voice Performance graduate student from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Michael Burns (Assan), a senior Voice Performance major from Schenectady, NY.
- Adrian Otero (Assan), a senior double major in Music Education and Voice Performance from Wheatley Heights, NY.
- Kaitlin Owen (Vera Boronel Cover), a senior double major in Music Education and Voice Performance from Floral Park, NY.
- Hudson Smith (Nika Magadoff/The Magician Cover), a sophomore double major in Music Education and Voice Performance from Gowanda, NY.
“The Hillman Opera’s production of ‘The Consul’ will provide audiences with the opportunity to discover the incredible level of talent we have at the SUNY Fredonia College of Music, Theatre, and Dance year after year,” Marrazzo said.
Performance dates and times are Thursday, Nov. 13; Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 16.
The production is made possible with support from The E. Louise Hoag Fund established in the Fredonia College Foundation, the Friends of the Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center and the Hillman Opera Patrons. “The Consul” is presented as part of the 2025-26 Lake Shore Bank Season.
