Cast
Cookie Diorio // Tenor, Host
Bearded Ladies / Opera Philadelphia Chorus & Soloist
IG: @cookiediorio
Aurelien Eulert // Pianist
ePOP Music Director
IG: @orelien67
Johnathan McCullough // Tenor, Guitar
Ophémon in The Anonymous Lover, Opera Philadelphia
IG: @johannmccullough
Maren Montalbano // Mezzo-Soprano
The Crossing / Opera Philadelphia Chorus & Soloist
IG: @supermaren
Ashley Marie Robillard // Soprano
ePOP Creative Council / Jeanette in The Anonymous Lover, Opera Philadelphia
IG: @ashley_marie_robillard
* Sponsored by Charles & Judy Freyer
Omar Saleem // DJ, Beatmaker
Mobbluz
IG: @omarphi215
Katrina Thurman // Soprano
ePOP Co-Founder, General & Artistic Director
Director of Artistic Administration, Opera Omaha
IG: @katrinasoprano
​
Full artist bios listed below.
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PROGRAM NOTES
Love Notes 4 Philly conceived by Ashley Marie Robillard and Bobb Hawkey
As we sat down together to talk about the direction to take with our Love Notes series, there was little doubt that we wanted to have a discussion about community – both as a sense of where we belong and, even more importantly, how we commune.
While Philadelphia is the place we call home, our group was born from a shared vision of how we can make a positive impact on our community. We asked ourselves: how can we support our local artists who work to bring beauty to the world? How can we bring music to people who may have not even known that they have needed it? How can we support our neighbors in need of simple necessities? For our city to truly feel like home, every person within it deserves love, care, and support. We are strongest when we work together, which is why there is so much effort to keep us divided.
These pieces of music mean so much to us both individually and collectively. We offer this program as a reminder that what sets us apart is often what makes us the same. We live together in Philly, we love together in Philly, and we belong together in Philly. And let no one tear us apart.
Love,
ePOP
(and go birds.)
PROGRAM
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ACT I
Fault Line
from A Reckoning Bell (2021)
The Magic Lantern
— Ashley Marie Robillard
The Times They Are A-Changin’
from The Times They Are A-Changin (1964)
Bob Dylan
— Cookie Diorio
Let It Be Me
from Rites of Passage (1992)
Indigo Girls
— Maren Montalbano & Katrina Thurman
Il pleure dans mon coeur (Tears fall in my heart)
Poem by Paul Verlaine from Romances sans paroles (1874)
Set to music by Claude Debussy (1888)
— Katrina Thurman
Poisoning Pigeons in the Park
from An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer (1959)
Tom Lehrer
— Johnathan McCullough
Mississippi Goddamn
from Pirate Jenny (1964)
Nina Simone
— Cookie Diorio
Torna a Surriento (Come Back to Sorrento)
Poem by Giambattista De Curtis
Set to music by Ernesto De Curtis (1894)
— Johnathan McCullough
Take Me Back (Emily’s Aria)
from Our Town (2006)
Ned Rorem
— Ashley Marie Robillard
Interlude
from Remembrance (2022)
EA Alexander
— Maren Montalbano
Comment on War
from Evidence of Things Not Seen (1997)
Ned Rorem
— Ashley Marie Robillard & Maren Montalbano
Sound of Silence
from Wednesday Morning, 3 AM (1964)
Simon & Garfunkel
— Full Company
No One is Alone
from Into the Woods (1986)
Stephen Sondheim
— Ashley Marie Robillard, Cookie Diorio, Johnathan McCullough, Maren Montalbano
You’ll Never Walk Alone
from Carousel (1945)
Rodgers & Hammerstein
— Full Company
​
Intermission (30 minutes)
​
ACT 2
Didn’t It Rain
Gospel (1919)
Henry Thacker Burleigh (original)
— Cookie Diorio
Leaving on a Jet Plane
from John Denver Sings (1966)
John Denver
— Johnathan McCullough
So Far Away
from Tapestry (1971)
Carole King
— Ashley Marie Robillard
Change
Maren Montalbano (2020)
— Maren Montalbano
Song of Good Hope
from Rhythm and Repose (2012)
Glen Hansard
— Johnathan McCullough
Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home
from St. Louis Woman (1946)
Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer
— Katrina Thurman
Chantons, célébrons notre dame (Let us sing, let us celebrate our lady)
from The Anonymous Lover (1780)
Joseph Bologne “Chevalier de Saint-Georges”
— Full Company
How I Got Over
Gospel (1951)
Clara Ward (original)
— Cookie Diorio
We Belong
from Tropico (1984)
Pat Benatar
— Full Company
ENCORE:
Exitlude
from Sam’s Town (2006)
The Killers
— Full Company
​
*This show includes some adult themes and language. For this reason, this show is most appropriate for ages 14+. Parental discretion is advised.
Artist Biographies
Cookie Diorio, vocalist & host
Cookie Diorio (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based drag performer, a classically trained vocalist, a songwriter, an activist, a husband, music teacher, and lover of all things sparkly. She mastered walking in 5 inch stilettos in the night clubs of Boston, achieved her hair fantasy by studying vintage videos of Grace Bumbry and founded the giving project Art of the Heel.
Cookie grew up in historic Auburn, NY with gospel in her ears, civil rights in her blood and many songs in her heart. She trained at Ithaca College in the voice studio of Angus Godwin and learned the many different skills of western classical music from master teachers such as Carol McAmis in vocal pedagogy, Lawrence Doebler in choral arts, Dana Wilson in composition and Patrick Hansen in opera coaching.
While Cookie has been in and out of the drag scene since 2002, she began performing regularly in the Philadelphia area as host of the Art Song Repertory Theater Company’s salon series “Saturday Afternoon Drinking Songs” in 2013. Since, she has produced and performed in the off-broadway one woman show "Fire In My Bones: A Gospel Jubilee'' (Kraine Theater), several Philly Fringe shows including Beauty From Our Sorrows, Telling Herstories, Forces of Nature, and I, Too, Sing America. In 2022 she premiered the role of Oracle in the world premiere performance of Andrea Clearfield's Beyond the Binary. She performs regularly with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret and Opera Philadelphia, and is a soloist and host for events, galas, concerts and on the cabaret stage.
Aurelien Eulert, pianist
Hailing from Alsace, France, Aurelien Eulert made his U.S. house debut in 2014 with Palm Beach Opera as diction coach for their production of Les contes d’Hoffmann and head coach for the Young Artist Program. Before and since then, he has been on the music staff of Charlottesville Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Roanoke, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, USC Thornton Opera, UCLA Alpert School of Music, Pacific Opera Project and the Los Angeles Opera Education department. Aurelien has played for acclaimed singers such as Marilyn Horne, Phyllis Curtin, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade and Rod Gilfry. He has assisted and performed under conductors such as James Conlon, Robert Spano and John Williams. In 2019, Aurelien was named Head of Music Staff of OperaDelaware, and oversaw the company’s Young Artist Program. He had previously held the position of Chorus Master and Principal Pianist since 2017. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he was instrumental in OperaDelaware’s switch to digital and outdoor performances and managed the acclaimed Pop-Up Opera program with outdoor presentations on the company’s mobile stage.
Aurelien’s recent seasons included a return to the theatre stage with OperaDelaware and Opera Baltimore, and his debut with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Southwest and Opera Montana. His 2024/25 season also includes a return to Opera Montana in the Spring, and debuts at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Johnathan McCullough, baritone
GRAMMY® nominated baritone and director, Johnathan McCullough, recently premiered his production of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs produced by Opera Philadelphia which was nominated by the Recording Academy for Best of Recording, an International Opera Award nomination, and won the Artistic Creation Prize at the inaugural Opera America Awards for Digital Excellence. He recently made his Canadian directing debut with the Atelier lyrique of Opéra de Montréal with a program entitled Emily centered around works written by Emily Dickinson, which he co-created with conductor and pianist Christopher Allen. Other recent appearances include singing the baritone soloist in Britten’s War Requiem at Walt Disney Concert Hall and recital with pianist Carol Wongs as part of the Carnegie Hall Citywide Series.
He has sung leading roles at Opera Philadelphia, Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Portland Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and many more. Johnathan was selected by Renée Fleming to participate in the Weill Institute Song Studio at Carnegie Hall where he has also performed in concert. Upcoming singing engagements include appearances with Pittsburgh Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Philadelphia as Ophémon in The Anonymous Lover, and Lyric Opera Kansas City as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. He holds a B.M., M.M., and Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music and has been engaged as a guest speaker with institutions across the US and Canada including Yale, Curtis, Wolf Trap, UCLA, Young ARTS, Opéra de Montreal, and Pacific Opera Victoria. He currently serves as the Opera Program Director for the National Children’s Chorus leading Vail Opera Camp. As a director, McCullough’s work has been noted by The New York Times as “a pacesetter for cinematic opera”.
Maren Montalbano, mezzosoprano
Ms. Montalbano can be heard on four GRAMMY Award-winning albums: Born (2023) Lansing McLoskey’s Zealot Canticles (2019), Gavin Bryars’ The Fifth Century (2018), and John Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning work, On the Transmigration of Souls (2005). She appears on over 30 commercial recordings, including Douglas Cuomo’s opera Arjuna’s Dilemma, Kile Smith’s Vespers, Lewis Spratlan’s Hesperus is Phosphorus, Edie Hill’s Evolutionary Spirits, Ted Hearne’s Sound from the Bench, and her debut solo album, Sea Tangle: Songs from the North.
Ms. Montalbano has been a guest artist with the Lancaster Symphony, Folger Consort, Lyric Fest, Choral Arts Philadelphia, Network for New Music, Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, and Piffaro, the Renaissance Band. Her voice has been hailed as “pure, suave and sensuous” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “impeccable” (Broad Street Review). She wrote, produced, and starred in an interactive digital one-woman show called The Bodice Ripper Project, which had its world premiere at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. In the 2024-25 season, Ms. Montalbano continues to walk the line between the digital and live worlds, currently developing a staged performance using hybrid live electronics.
Ashley's participation is sponsored by Charles and Judy Freyer
Ashley Marie Robillard, soprano
Acclaimed for her "fresh-brook lyric soprano" (Parterre Box) and "robust sounds and emotions" (Broadway World), Ashley Marie Robillard emerges as a compelling narrator, enchanting audiences in opera houses, recital venues, and cabaret halls. She has graced esteemed stages such as the War Memorial Opera House, Academy of Music, Jordan Hall, National Portrait Gallery, and Trocadero Theater, and has collaborated with renowned institutions including Washington Concert Opera, Opera Philadelphia, the Amarillo Symphony, Opera Grand Rapids, and Opera Lafayette. Ashley's love for chamber music is marked by collaborations with the Dolce Suono Ensemble and a professional chamber debut with Music From Angel Fire. A fervent champion of contemporary works, she has performed pieces by George Benjamin, David Hertzberg, Rene Orth, Shulamit Ran, and participated in world premieres, including compositions by Dai Wei and Alistair Coleman.
In the realm of recitals, Ashley shines, co-curating performances with Opera Philadelphia and Classical Movements, and earning acclaim as a Gerda Lissner Lieder/Art Song competition grant award winner. Beyond the concert hall, Ashley graces cabaret stages, lending her voice to the Bearded Ladies' Late Nite Snacks series, Stephanie Blythe's Queens of the Night cabaret series, and the Love Notes series by East Passyunk Opera Project. She spent three years doing a nationwide tour of the Italienisches Liederbuch by Hugo Wolf alongside renowned educator and pianist, Mikael Eliasen. Ashley is an alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Merola Opera Program, the Wolf Trap Opera studio artist program, and the Opera Philadelphia Emerging Artist Program.
Omar Saleem, DJ & Beatmaker
Omar Saleem, a seasoned beat maker and drummer, graduated from Gamp High School with a passion for music that has defined his life. With over 25 years of experience, Omar has become a luminary in the music scene, specializing in hip-hop, boom-bap, R&B, and house genres. At 47 years old, his musical journey has taken him to stages around the world, including captivating performances in Puerto Rico, Berlin, Cologne, and numerous venues across the United States.
A maestro in crafting beats, Omar's skillful production has left an indelible mark on the industry. From the rhythmic beats that echo his drumming expertise to the seamless fusion of genres in his compositions, his music resonates with a diverse audience. Beyond the spotlight, Omar's dedication to his craft has been the driving force behind his enduring success.
Whether in the studio or on stage, Omar Saleem continues to be a dynamic force in the world of music, blending tradition with innovation to create a sonic landscape that captivates the hearts of music enthusiasts globally. His journey is a testament to the timeless power of rhythm and melody, leaving an everlasting imprint on the ever-evolving tapestry of musical expression.
Katrina Thurman, soprano
Soprano and ePOP General and Artistic Director Katrina Thurman has been praised for her “remarkably vibrant and flexible voice” (Gramophone) and her “wonderfully clear sound and natural warmth of character” (Opera News). She is a versatile artist who has built a solid reputation performing traditional operatic repertoire while also specializing in contemporary opera and American musical theatre. Her repertoire encompasses over 45 roles in six languages and has taken her to theaters including The Metropolitan Opera where she made her stage debut in Akhnaten, as well as Opéra de Lyon and Festival Lyrique de Belle-Ile en Mer (France), Oper Bonn (Germany), Opera Philadelphia, The Dallas Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Florentine Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Omaha, Utah Opera, Tulsa Opera, American Opera Projects, Syracuse Opera, Sacramento Opera, Anchorage Opera, Shreveport Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, and the Aspen Music Festival. Katrina also serves as the Director of Artistic Administration at Opera Omaha. Follow her on Instagram @katrinasoprano.
Special Thanks to:
Bobb Hawkey – Stage Manager & Strategic Advisor
Jesus Garcia – Artistic Advisor, Director of Marketing & Artistic Administration
Stephen Dagrosa – Manager of Production and Community Events
Capri Dessecker – Artistic Advisory
Ashley Marie Robillard – Artistic Advisory
Matthew Fisher – Bartender, Usher, ePOP Contributing Artist
K.C. Grummun – Bartender, Usher, ePOP Contributing Artist
Kory Aversa – Aversa PR
Our Friends at Opera Philadelphia
Our Friends on East Passyunk Avenue
Pizzata Birreria and Pizzeria
Triangle Tavern
With Thanks to Our Sponsors:
With Thanks to Our Donors:
$1500 and above:
Anonymous Donor
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$500 and above:
Chuck and Judy Freyer
Dave and Jill Whitman
$250 and above:
Charlton Monsanto
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$200 and above:
Riley Berton
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Rosemary Gallagher
Jill Handy
Alice Martinson
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​Jason Willams & Jenna Lewis
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$100 and above
Anonymous Donor
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John Kozemple
Nuri Noaz​
Jennifer Seal​
Allison Swenson
Quint & Caryn Thurman
Tony & Roe Varallo
$50 and above
Anonymous Donor
Anonymous Donor
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Nicole Ameduri
Lisa Bremer
Alex Chan
Paige Gero
Alex Fletcher & Joélle Harvey
Allison Hawkey
Emi Hawkey
Don Marrazzo
Ilisa Marrazzo
Darwina Marshall
Nancy Noaz
Scott and Ruth Ross