About the Work
In 2008, a member of the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, who asked to remain anonymous, made a donation to the chorale to help fund the commissioning of a musical work about Alzheimer’s disease. He did this to honor his parents, who both died of it. In collaboration with Grammy Award-winning opera librettist Herschel Garfein (Elmer Gantry, 2012), the SVC set up a blog to record chorale and community members’ experiences with loved ones who had Alzheimer’s disease. A select group of the stories shared became the basis for the work.
Alzheimer’s Stories premiered on October 9, 2009, at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, conducted by Dr. William Payn. It was recorded for broadcast by PBS television station WVIA and subsequently performed throughout the U.S. and Europe over the last 15 years.
Co-sponsors:
Lois and Tom Clark
Leta Jo and Fred Maue
Judy and Dominic Ronco
Underwriters:
Ruth Anderson and William Payn
Jean and Bob Hormell
Elsbeth Steffensen
The creators dedicate this work to the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, whose members and friends have had the courage to speak clearly of the most agonizing things.
Much of the text of Alzheimer’s Stories is derived from firsthand accounts of the disease offered by members of the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, who commissioned the work. The members of the Chorale and its community of friends submitted personal narratives to a weblog concerning the experience of those they love who had suffered through Alzheimer’s (or were suffering still). Taken together, these accounts form a moving testimonial to all that is best in human beings: qualities of compassion, love, tirelessness, humor; and an inspiring resilience in confronting what is, as of this writing, an incurable and untreatable disease. It was a great privilege to be entrusted with these thoughtful, eloquent accounts, and a great disappointment not to be able to include something of all of them in Alzheimer’s Stories. I can only say that every single narrative was illuminating and inspiring. And so, every single narrative contributed to the overall work, whether or not its words appear in the score.
– Herschel Garfein, librettist
This event will feature a special one-on-one interview with WVIA Radio host, Fiona Powell, and the creators of this work, Robert Cohen (composer), and Herschel Garfein (librettist).
About the Soloists
Amanda Stante
Amanda’s passion for performing complements her commitment to teaching voice. She serves on the music faculty at Susquehanna University as Assistant Professor of Voice. This summer, Amanda will return to New England Music Camp to teach voice and other courses for the second time. Amanda is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and recently gave her presentation Women in Music: Their Stories and Their Songs at the Fall 2021 Allegheny Mountain Chapter auditions. Prior to her appointment at Susquehanna University, Amanda taught courses at the IU Jacobs School of Music and served on the voice faculty at Indiana State University. She has also been on the voice faculty for the IU Jacob School of Music’s College Audition Preparation Workshop and Carnegie Mellon University’s Pre-College Program. Amanda stage directed for Reimagining Opera for Kids (ROK), a Bloomington-based opera outreach company, for two seasons and continues to serve on their Board of Directors.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amanda began her studies in higher education in her hometown at Carnegie Mellon University. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in German, Amanda moved to the Midwest, where she went on to complete her Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Her doctoral studies culminated with her lecture recital on Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs.
Amanda lives in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania with her husband, Jon, and their two children.
Ted Keegan
Ted is a native of Watertown, New York with an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and a graduate degree from UNC-Greensboro. He was last seen as the Phantom in Phantom the Las Vegas Spectacular. He starred in the National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera following a very successful run in the Broadway Company. Ted has performed the role in over 24 States across the country. He has had the great pleasure of appearing as The Phantom on television, performing live from Rockefeller Center for the “Today Show” on NBC. And he has the distinction of being the actor who has sung the role in front of the largest audience ever, when he made a spectacular flying entrance from the dome of Madison Square Garden singing “The Phantom of the Opera” during the half-time show of the NBA All-Star Game. Ted was deeply involved in the George Gershwin Centennial Celebration. He performed unpublished Gershwin at the opening of the George and Ira Gershwin Room at the National Archives in Washington, DC, which The New York Times reviewed as one of the ten best musical events of the year.
Ted has also sung Gershwin with Audra McDonald in New York and with Marin Mazzie at the opening of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He appeared in the Frank Loesser Celebration at Symphony Space in New York City and was a soloist at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, singing Unheard Bernstein. Ted made his Broadway debut in the highly acclaimed revival of Sweeney Todd, where he was seen as Anthony. Other Broadway and National Tour credits include Cyrano: The Musical, Mordred in Camelot with Robert Goulet, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Herman in The Most Happy Fella, Constantine in Hollywood/Ukraine and another Phantom too – in the European Tour of the Kopit/Yeston version.
About Our Collaborator
Union-Snyder Agency on Aging, Inc.SVC welcomes local Alzheimer’s and dementia care representative Holly Kyle as our emcee for this event
We are Union-Snyder Agency on Aging, Inc. We proudly provide advocacy, information and assistance to older adults living in Union and Snyder counties. We help people access the services they need to remain at home or we assist them with nursing home or assisted living placement and related services.
- live independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their own homes and communities
- make informed decisions concerning their care
- stay active and productive for as long as possible.
The Union-Snyder Area Agency on Aging, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation advancing the rights of older adults living in Union and Snyder counties. It serves as the primary agency for developing and providing services for persons sixty and over in Union and Snyder counties. The need for community services continues to escalate with the rapid growth of our aging population.
You can contribute by becoming a volunteer and/or by mailing a tax deductible donation payable to:
Phone: (570) 524-2100 or (570) 374-5558
