No Exit

Synopsis

Synopsis:

Three people, Estelle Rigault, Joseph Garcin, and Inèz Serrano are led to a room in Hell by a mysterious valet. While they had all expected something more violent to punish them for eternity, they find a simple furnished room. Will the banality of it all drive them mad, or is it not as bad as they imagined?

Rogue Music Project and the CRC Music Department present a concert reading of Sacramento-based composer Zachary M. Watkins' opera "No Exit" after the play by Jean-Paul Sartres. CRC Music Department students and community performers star in this exciting premier under the mentorship of Rogue Music Project.

Post-Performance Discussion:

Join us for a 30-minute conversation following the performance with:

• Zachary M. Watkins – Composer and Librettist  
• Professor Omari Tau – Music 
• Anthony D’Juan – Theatre & Dance 
• Members of the Company

A note from the composer

Three individuals trapped in Hell to torture each other for all time. The central conflict of No Exit resonates even to someone unfamiliar with playwright Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist philosophies. To bring that conflict to life through music was a decades-long dream for composer Zachary M. Watkins.

Sartre’s play is a standard of philosophical study. His three characters—Garcin, Inèz, and Estelle, are all horrible people who belong in their setting. The common denominator behind their damnation isn’t their misdeeds, per se, but their need to treat fellow humans as Other.

Watkins’ first attempt to adapt Sartre’s masterwork as a young composer was little more than a pen and ink sketch. Though performed multiple times, the composer remained dissatisfied and longed to improve it. That desire took root when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. What was a nascent work with piano accompaniment has matured into an hour-long one-act opera complete with chamber orchestra score.

Many themes and concepts from the initial version have survived and been expanded on. The opera’s style remains minimalist in character with a focus on pulse, rhythm, and syncopation. As the tension between characters rises and falls, the music’s tonality expands and contracts as well, flowing from consonance to dissonance to aurally illustrate the drama.

The orchestration follows the characters closely, and each is paired with a specific instrument. Audiences should listen for how the cello rises in prominence with Garcin, and the clarinet with Inès. Notice how the duality of violin and flute highlight the depth of Estelle’s denial. And amidst these are the ever-present piano and percussion. Often mechanical, with clockwork-like precision, they enforce a maddening inevitability.

Ultimately, Sartre’s characters remain trapped because of their own refusal to learn, change, and grow. Sharing the darkness of their souls, bringing their sins to light, doesn’t lead to new beginnings. Instead, they endlessly gang up against each other in every possible combination. Their character arcs are a circle, looping again and again forever and ever.

And night will never come.

Cast

Production & Orchestra

Meet the Company

Kailey Diggs, Soprano

Estelle - a sophisticated socialite struggling with her past

Kailey Diggs, soprano, approaches singing with passion and dedication. She began her opera journey with her debut in March 2024, performing the title role in Handel’s Alcina. Recently, she graduated from the University of the Pacific with a degree in voice. Eager to share her passion with audiences, Kailey is auditioning for various programs and companies across America. Before opera, she was seen in timeless classics as Maria in both The Sound of Music and West Side Story.

Jianna Eugenio, Mezzo-Soprano

Inès - a determined civil servant with a sharp mind and a darker side

Jianna Eugenio holds a BA in Communications from Sacramento State University and is a music student at Cosumnes River College. She was awarded four music scholarships, a member of choral ensembles, and the featured vocalist for LRCCD Honor Jazz Band. As a singer-songwriter, Jianna previously appeared on the PBS program Celebration of Music. Her horizons also expand to acting, having performed in productions at the CRC Black Box Theatre and with Light Opera Theatre Sacramento.

Pablo Frias, Baritone

Garcin - an academic whose intellectual pride masks his inner conflicts

Pablo Frias, bass-baritone and instrumentalist, is a local musician who performs both on stage and in local orchestras. A fan of all musical genres from jazz to classical to musical theater, the Davis Enterprise lauded "his booming basso voice and commanding presence". Currently a member of RSVP, a Sacramento vocal ensemble that fundraises for local charities, he is excited to be working again with Omari Tau and Cosumnes River College.

Enrique Gil Huizar, Tenor

Valet - a demonic figure guiding the characters through their eternal punishment

With an operatic voice that has been known to "captivate audiences" and with a stage presence which "draws you into the story", Tenor Enrique Gil Huizar has proven himself to be a worthy vocalist on and off the stage beginning in his early days at Yuba Community College in Marysville and Sacramento State's School of Music. He has brought to life roles such as Aeneas in Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Johnny in Elie Siegmeister's Darling Corie. More recently, he has performed Mozart's Requiem in Italy with The Sacramento Choral Society this past summer. When Enrique is not singing, he is teaching elementary music in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and playing trumpet for the latin band known as Son Bugambilia.

Zachary M. Watkins

Composer-Librettist

Composer, educator, and producer Zachary M. Watkins earned his Master of Music in composition from California State University in Sacramento. He has studied with Stephen Blumberg, Leo Eylar, and Frank La Rocca. Watkins’ music focuses on accessible thematic material and intricate rhythms, incorporating a range of styles including avant-garde, jazz, neo-romanticism, and popular musics. ​​ Born and raised in Sacramento CA, his compositions have been performed by soprano Angela Yam, pianist Jennifer Reason, soprano Carrie Hennessey, mezzo-soprano Meghan Dibble, the Citywater new music ensemble, the Goat Hall cabaret opera company, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. The composer maintains a music publishing business and works as a freelance digital music engraver. ​ Outside the classical music realm, Watkins works with a variety of artists, including local hip-hop legends P Chill, DJ Mike Colossal, and Mr. Hooper. A member of BMI Classical, the composer teaches music at Cosumnes River College in Elk Grove, and is an active member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honor societies. The composer currently resides in the greater Sacramento area.

Omari Tau

Conductor & Artistic Director

Omari Tau is Professor of Vocal Music at Cosumnes River College and the Co-Founding Artistic Director of Rogue Music Project. He spent 6 years as Director of Opera Theatre at Sacramento State University and has worked with companies across the nation as a performing artist, composer, director, and conductor. This season he has engagements with Santa Cruz Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Auburn Symphony, Stockton Symphony, and more.

Macie Utile

Lighting Technician

Macie Utile is starting her second year as a theatre student at Cosumnes River College. She would like to thank the AME department for the opportunity to work as a lighting and sound technician, further developing her education in technical theatre.

Suk Yin Chan

Piano

Suk Yin Chan has performed and taught during her twenty-five year professional career. Suk began studying piano and harp at the age of five, and later graduated from the Royal School of Music in London. She worked in her family’s music school in the United Kingdom, Manchester, and Hong Kong. In 2017, she decided to learn piano again, joined the Cosumnes River College jazz band and found a lot of interest in the group. Since 2021, she has continued to study piano, composition, music theory and school choir.

Amy Lindsey

Violin

Violinist Amy Lindsey is a performer and educator based in Northern California. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Amy completed her Master of Music degree while studying with Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio as a member of the Orchestral Career Studies program and the Nightingale String Quartet. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Akron, studying under Alan Bodman and Cory Smith. She has performed in master classes for the Miró Quartet, Cho-Liang Lin, and Noah Bendix-Balgley, among others. An active orchestral musician, Amy is a tenured member of the Fresno Philharmonic and North State Symphony, as well as a frequent performer with the Stockton Symphony and Modesto Symphony. In the chamber music realm, Amy is the violinist for Sacramento-based new music ensemble Citywater, performing numerous premieres by local composers and featuring often at Sacramento State’s Festival of New American Music. As a teacher, Amy maintains a full violin studio and coaches the orchestral program at Sayla Music Academy in Lodi. When not attached to her violin, Amy can be found at her neighborhood yoga studio, working in her perpetually inspiring

Carrie Miller

Cello

Carrie Miller has taught cello privately for the past 15 years and works as a freelance musician in Davis, California. She began playing the cello at nine years old in Davis where she grew up. Carrie studied at Florida State University with Greg Sauer receiving a Masters of Music in cello performance and previously received a Bachelor of Music in cello performance from the California State University, Sacramento where she studied with Professor Andrew Luchansky. During her 4 years at CSU, Sacramento, she had masterclasses with pianist-composer, Eric Zivian, Timothy Eddy, and Steven Doane. In 2015 she performed the Lalo Cello Concerto after being a winner of the CSU Sacramento Concerto Competition. After finishing her masters, she lived in Ann Arbor Michigan and performed with the Jackson Symphony, South West Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Symphony Orchestra, and West Symphony Orchestra in addition to playing in musicals and participating in a number of chamber series. She enjoys working with people of all ages and levels and believes that one of the best parts of being a musician is the opportunity to work with cellists and other musicians. Carrie finds her experience teaching students in her studio and visiting public schools to work with cellists especially rewarding.

Brennen Milton

Clarinet in Bb/Bass Clarinet

Award winning instrumentalist, Brennen Milton, teaches flute, clarinet, and saxophone. He strives to make the world a more interesting place through musical performance, musical coaching, and fashion design. Moreover, Brennen has collaborated with highly skilled musicians from around the world and had the privilege of performing at some of America's and California’s most well known performance venues. Indeed, Brennen has won awards and other honors for his musicianship. In 2015, California State University at Sacramento (Sac State) awarded Brennen with a Master of Music degree where he studied with Deborah Pittman and Sandra McPherson of Sacramento. While at Sac State Brennen won their concerto competition where he was awarded the opportunity to perform Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsody as soloist with the university orchestra. In 2018, as half the duo of Carlos and Brennen, he won an opportunity to perform at at Carnegie Hall after placing first in chamber music for the Golden Classical Music Awards. Furthermore, Brennen seeks to engage musicians through project based and goal oriented musical coaching. From his own experience and through extensive research Brennen guides musicians to their goals. In any case, Brennen believes that a desire to be a better musician is not enough. He asserts one should have clear and concise goals; then one will experience improvement as a byproduct. Continuing on, Brennen performs with local mariachi band El Córima who, in 2023 & 2024, was invited to perform at the Mondavi Center. Finally, Brennen founded bJovon Designs in order to liven up his performances with fascinating garments and share his sewing skills with the world.

Ben Prima

Percussion

Ben Prima is a percussionist focusing primarily on “contemporary classical” percussion literature, as well as traditional North Indian, Middle Eastern, and Balinese music. He holds an MM in percussion performance from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he studied under Andrew Heglund and Cody Remaklus. He also holds a BM from Sacramento State University, where he studied with Daniel Kennedy and Chris Froh. On the other side of the coin, Ben has served on the faculty of Sacramento State’s School of Music, teaching percussion ensemble and private lessons. In the concert hall, Ben has performed alongside such varied musical figures as Nancy Zeltsman, Steve Schick, Pauline Oliveros, Steve Mackey, and the Talujon Percussion Quartet. A woodworker and engineer by trade, Ben designs and creates many of his own instruments and household items.

Brittany Trotter

Flute/Alto Flute

Prize-winning flutist Dr. Brittany Trotter leads a diverse career as an educator, soloist, and collaborator. She is the Assistant Professor in Flute and Woodwind Program Chair at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music in Stockton, CA. Trotter has been awarded first prize in numerous national and regional competitions including the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition in woodwinds in the states of West Virginia (2017, 2016), Wyoming (2015, 2014), and Mississippi (2009). She has also competed as a semi-finalist in the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Since moving to California in 2021, Trotter has performed as a substitute with most of the central valley regional orchestras such as the Stockton Symphony Orchestra, Modesto Symphony Orchestra, and Auburn Symphony Orchestra. Equally versed in post-classical contemporary and experimental music as well as electro-acoustic music and interdisciplinary works, she has performed with the San Francisco Contemporary players and premiered new works for the flute nationally. Trotter regularly performs, teaches, and serves as a guest lecturer throughout the United States. Recent appearances include Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Slippery Rock University, and the University of Memphis to name a few. Trotter has performed and presented at numerous regional and national flute conventions such as the Kentucky Flute Fair, Florida Flute Association Convention, Rochester Flute Fair, Mid-Atlantic flute convention, and the National Flute Association Convention where she was a featured soloist in the 2020 virtual summer series celebration concert series.