Lowell House Opera

Some photos from yesterday’s dress rehearsal!
2 days until the premiere! Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/lho-tickets

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Introducing our Stage Director and Assistant Director, Haley Stark ‘25 and Alicia Chu ‘28

Come see there amazing work this weekend! Tickets here: https://bit.ly/lho-tickets

Haley Marie Stark (Theater, Dance & Media; Psychology ’25) graduated in 2025 with highest honors in Theater, Dance & Media and received the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, awarded annually by the Office for the Arts at Harvard for excellence and distinction in the arts across a student’s undergraduate work. She was admitted to the Columbia University School of the Arts to study Theatre Directing under the mentorship of Anne Bogart and Saheem Ali. This production marks her third year directing with the Lowell House Opera.

Alicia Chu is a sophomore in Cabot and a dual degree candidate studying Economics and Government at Harvard and Vocal Performance at The New England Conservatory of Music. She is so excited to be returning to LHO for a second season, this time in an assistant director capacity. She had her directorial and choreographic debut with HRG&SP’s “The Pirates of Penzance” last fall, and she is currently stage directing “The Crane Wife’s Return of a Favor”, a new musical. In the last two years, she has also had the opportunity to perform with HCO, HRDC, AADT, HRMDC and many more. She wants to thank her parents, friends, mentors, and all of the LHO cast and crew for their continued support!

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4 days until the premiere! Get Tickets Here: https://bit.ly/lho-tickets



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Some BTS shots of last week’s cast run!
5 days until the premiere of No Exit, get tickets here: https://bit.ly/lho-tickets

Shows are March 27-29 @ 8:30 pm in Lowell House
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Eyes everywhere. No escape.
In No Exit, you are always being watched.

Inez: I’ll be your mirror, Estelle.
Just look, just look into my eyes.

Estelle: But in your eyes,
I fear I’ll turn to something wicked.

Garcin: I cannot love you with her watching!
Her eyes boring into my bones...

No Exit is Premiering in 6-days! Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/lho-tickets
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Introducing the Producers!

Executive Producer: Ross Simmons ‘21
Artistic Producer: Lara Tan ‘27
Marketing Producer: Brendon Lau ‘26
Advancement Producer: Sidney Lee ‘26

https://bit.ly/lho-tickets
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Meet Reuben Stern ‘20, our Music Director

Personal connection, identity, and the human capacity for empathy guide the music-making of conductor Reuben Stern, music director of the Lowell House Opera’s production of No Exit. Active in the Greater Boston area, Reuben is the founder and music director of the Orchestra Book Club, a volunteer ensemble dedicated to breaking down barriers to entry in orchestral music for players, composers, and audience members alike. They also serve as assistant conductor for the Apollo Ensemble, and have cover conducted for the Eureka Ensemble and Longwood Symphony Orchestra.

Reuben completed their graduate work at the Peabody Institute under Marin Alsop and Joseph Young, and their undergraduate work at Harvard University, where they studied with Federico Cortese. They were the second person ever to hold a three-year tenure as music director of Harvard’s Bach Society Orchestra, leading praised performances of Sibelius’s 7th Symphony, Florence Price’s 1st Symphony (New England premiere), and Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra, among others.

A staunch advocate for the music of Grażyna Bacewicz, Reuben has collaborated with the Polish Cultural Institute New York and Schott Music to lead the North American premiere of Bacewicz’s Symphony for String Orchestra. They are fiercely committed to improving representation in classical music across gender, race, religion, social status, and ability.
Reuben holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Harvard University. Outside the concert hall, they enjoy powerlifting, math, and origami. Reuben works as a research scientist for Colfax International, studying accelerated computing.

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Introducing the Composer/Librettist, Ethan Chaves ‘26

Ethan Antonio Chaves (b. 2003) is a Boston-based violinist, violist, and composer studying at Harvard and the New England Conservatory. A senior in Winthrop House and Artistic Director of Lowell House Opera, he is composing and writing the libretto for No Exit (2026).

His music has been performed by the MIVOS Quartet, Parker Quartet, New York Youth Symphony, and Harvard Choruses, with premieres in the U.S. and Europe. He has appeared as both composer and soloist at venues including Alice Tully Hall and Sanders Theatre, and was featured on NPR’s From the Top.

Chaves’s work spans chamber, orchestral, and electroacoustic music, with recent and upcoming projects including MIXED SIGNALS, the hill wife, and Hagios.

Recent and upcoming projects including a work for the Apollo Ensemble of Boston, loadbang, and performances at summer festivals including Bang on a Can and TAK LAB in New York.

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Introducing our Valet, Jacob Kincaide

Jacob Kincaide, 35, makes his second appearance with Lowell House Opera. He is a local bass originally from Houston, Texas. When he isn’t singing, he serves as an Intelligence Officer in the US Army Reserves and as an Contractor for the Air Force. He previously served 4 years active duty achieving the rank of Captain. Before serving in the military, Jacob worked through out Europe and the eastern block as a fest singer and guest singer. He received his Artist Diploma and Master’s from the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and his Bachelor’s from The Moores School of music in Houston.

https://bit.ly/lho-tickets

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Introducing our Garcin, Leo Balkovetz

Leo Balkovetz is a tenor and librettist residing in Boston. On stage, Leo sings with a number of local groups including Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Summer Opera, MassOpera, Opera51, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Nonconformists Orchestra. This is his 4th Season with Lowell House Opera. Off stage, he received a 2022 Live Arts Boston Grant to write the libretto for “Violetta” a modern, q***r retelling of “La Traviata” and was a FUSE collaborative poet for Rachel Devore Fogarty’s “Poor Katy: A Murder Ballad”, premiered by Catalyst New Music in 2024. Visit www.leobalkovetz.com to learn more.

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We are so excited to bring this year’s production No Exit onto the stage! An original opera by Harvard senior Ethan Chaves .chaves.composer, come hear an inventive score featuring jazz, acapella, cabaret, and more 🎭 And experience the Lowell House dining hall transformed into an immersive opera! You won’t want to miss our amazing cast 🎶

Lowell House Opera - Harvard Box Office March 27 - 29, 2026 - 8:30pmLowell House Dining HallLowell House Opera presents an extraordinary new commission composed by Harvard College senior Ethan Chaves—a bold operatic adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit. Running for 3 performances. Attendees at the Saturday perform...

Introducing our Inez, Arianna Paz

Mezzo soprano Arianna Paz Ritaccio has been praised for her “warmth of timber and accomplishments as a comedienne” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) and her “all-encompassing” interpretation of song (New England Gilbert & Sullivan Society). She is absolutely delighted to be returning to Lowell House Opera as Inez in the premiere of Chavez’s No Exit. Most recently, Arianna made her role debut as Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Druid City Opera and spent two seasons as a Resident Young Artist with The Ohio Light Opera. In concert, she has appeared as a soloist in Berio’s Sinfonia in Alice Tully Hall, the world premiere of Randall Eng/Tracy K. Smith’s Harbor in Boston Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops, the Festival Internazionale di Mezza Estate with the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, and at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Other opera credits include Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with both Lowell House Opera and Opera NexGen, Pane in Cavalli’s La Calisto with Mannes Opera, and Zerlina (cover) in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Long Island Lyric Opera. This summer, Arianna will join Opera NEO in San Diego, CA as a Studio Artist, covering Strega/Marta in the US premiere of Louise Bertin’s Fausto and Zaida in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia. After graduating from Harvard in 2019 with a BA in Psychology, she received her MM in Vocal Performance & Opera from the Mannes School of Music in NYC. Arianna is the current Artist in Residence at the Signet Society, and she is an alumna of Classic Lyric Arts. www.ariannapazritaccio.com.

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