Scintillating Shakespeare

Jacobsen Woollen is a conductor, cellist, and tenor residing in Springfield, Illinois, where he serves as Assistant Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Director of the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, Director of the Springfield Choral Society, and Director of the UIS Orchestra.

An Indiana native, Jacobsen returns to the Midwest after spending six years in Vienna, Austria, where he completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Prof. Mark Stringer at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, conducted professional ensembles including the Polska Filharmonia Baltycka and Ensemble Ultreia, served as assistant conductor of the Vienna Opera Festival, and led the Schlosschor Hadersfeld. During his Vienna years, Jacobsen was frequently called back to the Midwest to work at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he served as assistant conductor and led several workshops for new works, including Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones. 

Jacobsen also maintains an active career as a tenor: he recently produced and performed a musical-theatrical concert evening, Lovelace Weave, which explores the father-daughter pair of Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace. As a member of the Grammy-winning Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Jacobsen has participated in opera productions at Theater an der Wien, as well as concerts in Europe’s most renowned venues, including Vienna’s Musikverein and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. 

Prior to his European sojourn, Jacobsen completed a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan under the guidance of Kenneth Kiesler. During this time, he was active in the Ann Arbor musical community as well, serving as founder and director of Paradigm Shift Chamber Orchestra, music director of the Ann Arbor Camerata, and assistant conductor of the Michigan Life Sciences Orchestra. 

As a cellist, Jacobsen was a student of Susan Moses in the Indiana University String Academy and later completed a Bachelor’s Degree with Richard Aaron at the University of Michigan. He has appeared as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Musical Arts Youth Orchestra, and Voces Novae Chamber Choir. As a chamber musician, he has had the pleasure of collaborating with Joshua Bell, Jaime Laredo, Soovin Kim, and many others. From 2013-16, Jacobsen was cellist and artistic curator with the new-music sextet Latitude 49, and he continues to serve on their Board of Directors.

jacobsenwoollen.com

Madison King received her Bachelor of Vocal Performance (2014) and Master of Vocal Performance (2016) from Pittsburg State University. Under the instruction of Mr. Patrick Howle, she had multiple opportunities to perform both scenes and full operas. Pamina in The Magic Flute, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, Serpina in La Serva Padrona, and Adina in The Elixir of Love are among the roles she performed during her studies. Madison was a member of the Tulsa Opera chorus (2015-2018) under the leadership of Lyndon Meyer, and Tulsa Opera’s Filstrup Young Artist Outreach program (2018-2020). She has performed with Landlocked Opera in Kansas City as Pamina in The Magic Flute and Hèro in Beatrice et Benedict. Mrs. King has also enjoyed participating in several summer programs including Manhattan Summer Opera, Chicago Summer Opera, and Midwest Institute of Opera. During these programs, she had the opportunity to study and perform the roles of Despina in Così fan tutte, Susanna in Le nozze di fi garo, First Knitter in A Game of Chance, and Edith in Pirates of Penzance. With MIOpera, Madison understudied the role of Antonia in Les contes d’Hoff mann (2018), and participated in their virtual role studies as Violetta in La Traviata (2020) and Gilda in Rigoletto (2021). She had the pleasure of starring as Violetta Valery in MIOpera’s first film production of La Traviata. This year, Mrs. King has had the opportunity to work with Heartland Opera in Joplin, Missouri as a director. She has directed opera and operetta scenes, and the filmed children’s production of “Little Red’s Most Unusual Day.” Madison’s most recent engagements include Remove Shoes Before Entering by Michael Ching with Heartland Opera in February 2022, soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah in April 2022, and Micaela in MIOpera’s 2022 production of Carmen. 

Madison resides in Carthage, Missouri with her husband, son and daughter. She teaches private voice lessons through her studio which has been growing since she began teaching during her undergraduate education. Several of her students perform regularly in school and local productions. Mrs. King is also an adjunct vocal instructor at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri.

https://www.madisonkingsoprano.com/

Praised as “compelling and splendid,” tenor Carl Rosenthal has excelled in a wide range of operatic repertoire, from Mozart heroes Tamino (The Magic Flute) and Ferrando (Così fan tutte) to the more dramatic leading parts of Don José (Carmen) and Rodolfo (La Bohème).

Other career highlights include Alfredo (La Traviata), Ruggero (La Rondine), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) and the Celebrant (Bernstein’s MASS). He has performed with a number of professional U.S. regional companies, including MIOpera, MassOpera, Loudoun Lyric Opera, and Franklin Light Opera. 

Rosenthal has spent the 2022-2023 season as an Artist-in-Residence with Dayton Opera. He sang Nemorino (The Elixir of Love) and King Kaspar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with the company in the fall, and he joined Dayton Philharmonic as Tenor Soloist in Handel’s Messiah in December. This spring, he will perform Froh (Das Rheingold) and participate in Who Wants to be an Opera Star?, a touring production aimed at attracting a new generation of opera lovers.

Originally from Arlington, Virginia, Rosenthal holds a Master of Music from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. He worked as a mathematics teacher in New York City before pursuing a career in classical music. He currently studies with baritone John Koch.

www.carlrosenthal.com