Hansel & Gretel: the performers
Summer 2015 production
The roles of Hansel and Gretel were played by adult opera professionals Danielle Greiner and Karla M. Hughes. Danielle took the High Desert Opera stage for the first time, fulfilling the role of Hansel, while Karla M. Hughes portrayed Gretel. You can learn more about these vocalists in their respective bio sections on this page.
Thank you to Chuck & Robbie Breaux
This production was sponsored in part by Chuck & Robbie Breaux. They have been involved with High Desert Opera for years. You may remember having seen Chuck on stage in HDO's most recent production "Guys & Dolls" last winter.
Audience comments
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"I am from Germany and have seen Hansel and Gretel many times in Europe as well as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and I enjoyed this production tremendously. It was sweet and light and the scene with the angels moved me to tears"
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"Wow. You always do such an amazing job conveying big operatic concepts with minimal settings and the combined talents of professionals and locals"
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"High Desert Opera is like an oasis in the desert"
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"My kids loved it, and I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I came for them, but I found out I like opera!"
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"Thank you for bringing these beautiful voices together."
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"Hansel and Gretel had the perfect balance of professionalism and child like personalities"
Want production photos?
Professional photos from "Hansel & Gretel" are available through local professional photographer George Brown.
The photos are professional quality and modest in cost. Whether you were a performer on the stage or an HDO patron in the audience, these photos help celebrate wonderful memories from the production.
Contact George by email - photoman534@gmail.com
Principal cast
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Danielle Greiner - Hansel
Danielle Greiner is a native of Treynor, Iowa. She was a member of the Opera Colorado Young Artist Program for the 2011-2012 season. With Opera Colorado she sang Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro (cover & student matinee), Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Carmen in Carmen (touring) and Hansel in Hansel & Gretel (touring).
Ms. Greiner also participated in the Des Moines Metro Opera James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program in 2009 and 2010 and Opera in the Ozarks in 2008. She has appeared as the alto soloist in Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Drei geistliche Lieder, and Bach's Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. Other operatic roles include Erika in Vanessa, Stephano in Roméo et Juliette, and the Secretary in The Consul.
Ms. Greiner graduated from Louisiana State University with a MM in Vocal Performance and earned her BM in Vocal Performance from Simpson College. She currently works at Colorado Mesa University as an Academic Advisor and is " excited for my stage debut with High Desert Opera!"
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Karla M. Hughes - Gretel
A vivacious, versatile performer, soprano Karla Hughes has delighted audiences in opera, operetta, oratorio, musical theater, and theater. Hailed as singing with "vocal pyrotechnics … effortless dexterity" (Opera News), "grace and beauty" (American Record Guide), and, as an actress, described as "exceedingly convincing" (Opera News), she is equally talented as a vocalist, actress, and dancer.
Credits from her career include Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Michigan Opera Theatre, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof with The Ohio Light Opera, and the soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Messiah Choral Society of Grand Junction. In April of 2011, Karla made her Lincoln Center debut as the soprano soloist in Mozart's Krönungsmesse, presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY).
As a recording artist, she can be heard in the roles of Mabel in the Pirates of Penzance and Yum-Yum in The Mikado with Albany Records. Karla is a proud member of the Viterbo University Theatre & Music Theatre faculty in La Crosse, Wisconsin where she resides with her husband, Gary Moss, and their two rescue dogs.
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Kathleen Ruhleder - The Witch
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Gary Moss - The Father
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Alissa VanCamp - The Mother
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Cadence Neste - The Sandman
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Sarah Volk - Dew Fairy
Ensemble
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Naomi Allen
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Bernadette Christiansen
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Keeley Clark
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Bonnie Duffy
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Olive Van Emiren
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Madonna Lynn Harris
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Joyce Helm
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Eric Madsen
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Rachel Madsen
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Sarah Madsen
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Olivia Nikkari
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Aaron Osborn
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Ava Paul
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Hannah Perkins
