Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez (MM ’25, PS ’26), Director, Curator, and Choreographer Molly Ann Killough (BM ’25), Choreographer
Music by Robert Schumann Poetry by Heinrich Heine Additional Music by Clara Schumann
FEATURING Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez, baritone Julie Yaesol Lee (BM ’25, MM ’27), piano Keren Wang (BM ’29), piano
DANCERS & ACTORS Molly Ann Killough Marcus Cruz-Santiago (BM ’25) Gianna DiTucci (BM ’26) Sadie Margolis (MM ’27) KaterÄ«na Olekte (BM ’27) Sophia Stark (BM ’26) Teya Young (MM ’26) Jacob Davila Estella Parr
Free, Tickets Required
Ades Performance Space Manhattan School of Music 130 Claremont Avenue New York, New York 10027
ABOUT THE TALE OF A POET’S LOVEÂ
The Tale of a Poet’s Love is a staged interpretation of Robert Schumann’s “Dichterliebe.” This cycle tells the story of a poet who mourns the loss of a romantic relationship, fighting deep emotional turmoil as he deals with the aftermath of being suddenly left for another man. In this concept, a writer (Liam) writes a fairytale in which a lonely knight falls in love with a mystical fairy bride. He writes this while reminiscing on old memories with his beloved (Kate) as we begin to see parallels between this fairytale and the real events of his own tragic love story. Becoming lost in his writing, Liam starts believing these creations to be reality and experiences a spiraling rollercoaster of emotions that muddies truth with fantasy.
Juan Angel Johnston-Chavez is a baritone, actor, dancer, and director from San José, California. At Manhattan School of Music Juan has performed as Dancaïro in Bizet’s Carmen, Brother in Kurt Weill’s Die Sieben Todsünden, and Grégorio in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Other roles include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Lyric Opera Studio Weimar) and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte (Utah Vocal Arts Academy).
As a director, he has worked on numerous opera scene showcases and helmed promotional short films for Lyric Theater of San José. He also served as the choreographer for Trial by Jury (San Jose State University) and New American Songbook Cabaret (MSM) in 2024 and 2025.
Most recently, Juan Angel conceptualized, directed, and choreographed a staged excerpt of Schubert’s Winterreise which he sung alongside four dancers in the spring of 2025. This project inpired him to further explore the idea of combining classical art song with dance in order to help it reach larger audiences.
Juan holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education from San José State University and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts from Manhattan School of Music. He is currently a Professional Studies candidate at MSM and studies under the tutelage of Sidney Outlaw.
Molly Ann Killough is a senior Vocal Arts major at MSM studying under the tutelage of Christòpheren Nomura. An active actor, singer, and dancer, Molly’s choreography credits include three Alpha Psi Omega (APO, MSM’s theatrical honor society) Dance Shows, as well as several community theatre productions, including Peter Pan Jr. and Bye Bye Birdie. In 2023, Molly served as the music director for APO’s production of Godspell. Her recent performing credits include Almost, Maine (Ginette) with Mezzo Theatrical, as well as a workshop of Ice World (Mrs. Finklestein, Receptionist) and Princess Ida: The Glowup (Bill Able) at MSM.
Will Call pickup begin one hour before the start of the performance when the Box Office opens.
Student Rush tickets will not be available for this performance. Once tickets are sold out, a waitlist line will be available for those without a reserved ticket. For more information, please contact the Box Office at 917-493-4428.
If you are experiencing issues purchasing tickets, please visit the MSM Box Office homepage.
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