I’ll Be Seeing You Program

Mahalo For Joining Us!

Welcome to KHOT Radio 101 at Hawai’i Opera Plaza! Please enjoy a complimentary cocktail or glass of wine before the performance begins. Tonight’s show is approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. Restrooms are located on the 3rd floor via the elevator.

Production Team

Jamie Offenbach, Director
Eric Schank, Maestro Scha (Accompaniment)
Nicole Sakata, Clara Klacker (Sound Effects)
Erik Haines, Audio & Lights
Gordon Svec, Production
James Wright, Choreographer for KISS ‘NU
Kathe James, Costumes
Mia Yoshimoto, Hair & Makeup
Carol Kasamoto, Hair & Makeup
Dave & Emily Hunt, Videographers & Editor
Tobi Nova, Sound Engineer
Andrew Morgan, General Director
HOT Staff

A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors

I’ll Be Seeing You is made possible, in part, by the generous support of The Arthur and Mae Orvis Foundation, Inc. In addition to sponsoring tonight’s performance, the Foundation also provides vital support for Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio program—a training program for Hawai’i’s premier local talent. We are proud to share that I’ll Be Seeing You exclusively stars a cast of current Orvis Opera Studio artists, as well as alumni of the program.

In addition, we’d like to thank Waiākea for generously donating the still water for tonight’s performance.blue mountain range with stream of water leading to Waiakea, Hawaiian Volcanic Water

Tonight’s Songs

Accompanied by Maestro Scha on the Keyboard

Leslie G

Why Don’t You Do Right? – Joe McCoy
Love Is Here To Stay – George Gershwin
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – Jerome Kern
Beyond The Reef – Jack Pitman

I McGuff

I’ll Be Seeing You – Sammy Fain
Embraceable You – George Gershwin
Tenderly – Walter Gross
White Christmas – Irving Berlin
You Made Me Love You – James V. Monaco

KISS ‘NU (Janet, Judy, Jeanie)

Chattanooga Choo Choo – Harry Warren
Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree – Brown, Stept, and Tobias

Ms. Lady QB

Blue Hawaii – Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger
It Had To Be You – Isham Jones
Stormy Weather – Harold Arlen
Don’t Get Around Much Any More – Duke Ellington
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square – Manning Sherwin

KISS ‘NU (Janet, Judy, Jeanie)

Over The Rainbow – Harold Arlen
Don’t Fence Me In – Cole Porter
The Way You Look Tonight – Jerome Kern
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin

Ms. Lady QB

Mood Indigo – Duke Ellington

KISS ‘NU (Janet, Judy, Jeanie)

Bei Mir Bist Du Schön – Sholom Secunda
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Don Raye and Hughie Prince

Bobbie Fe

Thanks For The Memory – Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger

KHOT 101 Artists

I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Walter Kent

Meet the Cast

Sydney Branch HeadshotSydney Branch
With music in her life from a young age, Sydney began to play the viola in middle school. Though she had an interest in singing early on, she did not receive classical training until college. She took a beginner group voice classes at Leeward Community college and fell in love with a new world of music. In 2018, Sydney graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelors of Arts in Music—focus on vocal performance and secondary in viola. During her time at UH, she participated in the University’s Opera Workshop, choir, played with the UH Symphony Orchestra, and joined Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio. Currently, she works as a music teacher for beginner violin, viola, and voice. 

Robert Feng HeadshotRobert Ellsworth Feng
A born collaborator who creates powerful performances, Robert is the recipient of the Seagle Festival Guild Scholarship, the George Woodhead Prize in Voice, and the Peabody Career Development Award. He placed second in the NYCMS International Competition, third in the Lyra Mozart International Competition, and third in the Opera for Earth Competition. Performance highlights include Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) with Opera on the Rocks, Les pêcheurs de perles (Nourabad) with /Kor/ Productions, The Mikado (Ko-Ko) with Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Emmeline (Pastor Avery) and La traviata (Dottore Grenvil) with Manhattan School of Music, and Massenet’s Chérubin (Le Philosophe) with Peabody Conservatory. Robert also created the role of Rev.Joseph Twitchell in Robert Carl’s Harmony with Seagle Festival. He received his B.M. at Peabody Conservatory and his M.M. at Manhattan School of Music. Robert is an alumni of Seagle Festival and member of Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio.

Leslie Goldman
Before returning home to join HOT’s Orvis studio, Leslie enjoyed performing in companies on the mainland and in Europe where she hit the stage as Musetta from Puccini’s La Boheme, Susanna from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Adina from Donizetti’s L’elisir D’amore to name a few. She made her Hawai’i Opera Theatre main stage debut as Frasquita in the 2017 season’s kick off opera, Carmen, by Bizet. In 2019 she performed the role of Annina with HOT in Verdi’s la Traviata. In HOT’s 2020 digital season, Leslie can be seen as The Witch in Chicken Skin Serenades, and The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti. Leslie is one of the head teaching artists for Hawai’i Opera Theater, as well as a principle singer for the outreach program which brings music to over 85 school across the islands.

Blythe Kelsey HeadshotBlythe I. Kelsey
Honolulu native, Blythe I. Kelsey, has been involved in HOT’s productions since the age of 12. She attended the Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where she majored in Vocal Performance with a concentration in Opera Studies, and minored in Musical Theatre. Past roles include the Third Lady, The Magic Flute (2015); Sister Mathilde, Dialogues of the Carmelites (2013); High Priestess, Aïda (2012); Miss Todd in a radio production of The Old Maid and the Thief (2011); the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet–all with HOT; Cobweb, A Midsummer’s Night Dream; Michaëla, Carmen–both with Westminster Opera Theatre. An alumna of HOT’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio program, Blythe has played numerous roles in HOT’s Opera Express tours over five seasons, and performs frequently as a soloist with Hawaii Opera Theatre, including the Great American Voices and Great Singers, Great Songs concert series. She is currently the Director of Artistic Administration for Hawai’i Opera Theatre.

Ian McGuffin HeadshotIan McGuffin
An American baritone and resident artist of Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio, some of Ian’s favorite operatic ventures include Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Miami Summer Music Festival, Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème in the Tuscia Opera Festival of Viterbo, Italy, and Abraham Fleischman in Laura Kaminsky’s Hometown to the World with the Hawaii Opera Theater. In addition to finding Ian on the operatic stage, he also performs in the mediums of oratorio and recital. Such works include the collaborative world premiere of the Dried Tobacco Project, an LGBTQ-themed song cycle written by the Chicago composer Cassandra Kaczor and several benefit recitals for the Agape National Academy of Music of Liberia. Ian received his Bachelor of Voice Performance at Campbellsville University and his Master of Voice Performance in Opera at Roosevelt University’s College of Performing Arts Conservatory.

Catherine Morris
A native of Chicago, Catherine holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University. Since moving to Hawaii in 2017, she has been an active member of Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Orvis Opera Studio and Hawaii Opera chorus. She also currently teaches voice at BYU Hawaii. Catherine has performed with the HOT Express education touring opera for the past four seasons, most recently singing the roles of Madame Magnificent/Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (2019-2020). She has been a guest soloist with the Honolulu Chorale and Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, and currently sings with the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Before moving to Hawaii, Catherine performed the roles of Clorinda in La Cenerentola (2015) and Sister Constance in Dialouges of the Carmelites (2016) with the Midwest Institute of Opera and the role of Lady Adela in the debut production of the musical Invincible (2013) with Arizona State University Lyric Opera Theater.

Natalie Riggs
A soprano from the Pacific Northwest, Natalie received her degree in voice from Central Washington University, where she performed with their award-winning opera program. Along with being a Resident Artist of Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio, she is the Soprano Soloist at Central Union Church of Honolulu and an active member of Nā Wai Chamber Choir—an ensemble dedicated to the preservation, propagation, and innovation of Hawaiian choral music. She also writes and performs her own original music and teaches music at Liholiho Elementary School.