CAST
Olivia Prendergast
Olivia Prendergast, Philadelphia-based soprano, is a versatile singer known for her agility and sparkling tone. In the ‘25/’26 season, Olivia will make her Opera Philadelphia debut as Delia in Il viaggio a Reims. She regularly sings with Grammy-winning ensemble, The Crossing. She joined the Mercersburg Symphony as a comical Cunegunde and early music soloist in their 2024 spring concert, and regularly sings with EPOP, or East Passyunk Opera Project, around Philadelphia.
Luke Perkins
Luke Perkins is a recent graduate from Albright College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Vocal Performance, with plans to earn his Masters in the future. Luke recently made his opera debut last year with Berks Opera Company's production in collaboration with Albright College of Hänsel & Gretel (Father). Luke sends a big thank you to Tamara Black, Joel Gori, and the entire Bear Prince team for this incredible opportunity!
Jeremiah Loubriel
Jeremiah Loubriel is a tenor from Reading, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Commonwealth University, with a bachelor’s degree in music performance with a focus on voice. Jeremiah has appeared as Monsieur André in The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber), the title role in Albert Herring (Benjamin Britten), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Mozart), and Luiz in The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan). He has also toured nationally and internationally as part of the Mansfield University Concert Choir.
Suzannah Waddington
American-Canadian soprano Suzannah Waddington, praised for her “bright, penetrating soprano,” (Opera News) is a graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist program. Highlights of her Kennedy Center residence included Carmen (Frasquita), Written in Stone (The Monument), and Handel’s Messiah with the NSO under Gianandrea Noseda. In 2020, she was a Semi-Finalist in the Met Opera National Council Auditions. She received her bachelors and masters in vocal performance from Houghton College.
Program Notes
About The Show
The Bear Prince: a jazz-opera
Things are never quite as they seem. A Woodcutter meets a Bear in the forest and to save his own life, he gives the bear one of his own daughters to marry. Nina, his daughter, travels to the woods to meet her husband-to-be, but is transported on a great adventure to the Sun, the Moon and back to unlock the secret forever.
Pairing opera singers with a jazz trio of musicians, music will transform between jazz styles and the traditions of opera. It is a musical journey through the eyes of Nina as we discover the secret of the Prince Oso.
Sobre la ópera
El Príncipe Oso: una ópera de jazz
Las cosas nunca son lo que parecen. Un Leñador encuentra a un Oso en el bosque y para salvar su vida, le da al oso una de sus hijas para que se casen. Nina, su hija, viaja al bosque a conocer a su futuro esposo, pero es transportada a una gran aventura al Sol, la Luna y devuelta para desbloquear el secreto por siempre.
Juntando cantantes de opera con un trío de artistas de jazz, la música va a transformarse entre el estilo jazz y las tradiciones de la ópera. Es una aventura musical a través de los ojos de Nina en la que discubriremos el secreto del Principe Oso.
Berks Opera thanks our 2025 partners:
Albright College | Arthur Judson Foundation | Berks Arts (PCA)
Berks Community Television (BCTV) | Compass Dental | Fall Festival of the Arts | Feeney Historic Mansion | JCWK Dance Lab | Genesius Theatre | The Miller Center for the Arts | Pennsylvania Council on the Arts | The Presser Foundation | Reading Music Foundation | Sweet Street Desserts | Yocum Institute for Arts Education