April Nissen: Woman of Many Talents

The Max, Walt and April Nissen Family ( L to R).

April Nissen, Timpanist and Percussionist
April hails from Livermore and plays eight different instruments of music called for in the Puccini's score of Madama Butterfly.

In the sitzprobe (a German word meaning literally "sit sing" and indicates the first time the musicians and singers come together with the conductor to practice the entire score without staging), the director cut out the "anchor chains" called for in the original score, or it would have been nine instruments called upon her to play. Even an octopus couldn't do that!

April's set up for the sitzprobe.

April's repertoire of instruments for LVO's production of Madama Butterfly include:  timpani, side drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, keyboard glockenspiel, Japanese bells, tubular chimes, Japanese tam tam, and bird whistles (played by another musician).

In addition to being employed full-time as a chemist at Sandia National Labs, she is the mother of a 3-year-old, and she has performed with Livermore-Amador Symphony for 13 years.

She started playing percussion in high school, while also studying piano and playing the flute.  April completed her degree in piano performance at Scripps College while also earning a BS in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College.  I also played timpani and percussion in the Claremont College Orchestra.  Since then, she has picked up experience on the various instruments over the years playing with the local symphony and the Pleasanton Community Concert Band.

Although we cannot call her our own exclusively, we very much appreciate that April is so generous with her talents.

For this production April is in good company of several new LVO orchestra members. Please join us in welcoming:

Meredith Clark, Harpist
The harp in Butterfly is crucial.  Every time you hear the harp in Butterfly, it’s almost like a “leit-motif” or musical theme which is heard conspicuously when Cio-Cio-San makes her first appearance and then throughout the opera.

Meredith has appeared as guest principal harpist with SF Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony and many other professional orchestras throughout northern California and the country.  She received a Master of Music in harp performance from the Cleveland Institute of  Music, one of the premier music schools in the nation.

At the end of this month, Meredith is off to audition for the harp position in the opera orchestra with Chicago Lyric Opera.  We wish her well!

Troy Davis, Oboe
Troy, our principal oboist, has also performed as principal oboe with Berkeley West Edge Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera and other ensembles in the Bay Area.  In addition, he has played second oboe / English horn with SF Opera Orchestra, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Berkeley Symphony and just about every other professional orchestra in northern California.  He studied oboe at the SF Conservatory with John de Lancie, former principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Kevin McLaughlin, Trumpet
Kevin, our principal trumpet player, knows Alex Katsman from his employment as head music librarian at the SF Conservatory.  Kevin received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his Master of Music from Yale University.  He also received a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Kevin auditioned and won a place on the SF Opera Orchestra’s substitute roster in March, 2009.  He has also played professionally with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, among other ensembles.  For about three years, he performed regularly with the Raimund Theater Orchestra in Vienna, Austria.

Remember, when you give us your "hands" in applause, you give them for our fine orchestra members as well!