Rockland the Opera
New World Premiere

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Jukka Linkola, Composer
Jussi Tapola, Librettist/Stage Director

July 15 & 17, 2011
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
Houghton, Michigan

Commissioned and produced by the Pine Mountain Music Festival
The opera is in two acts with one 20-minute intermission.


Conductor                 Craig Randal Johnson
Stage Director                 Jussi Tapola
Set Designer                 Tom Burch
Costume Designer             Suzanne Young
Lighting Designer             Helena Kuukka
Chorus Master                 Ann Campbell
Rehearsal Pianist/Vocal Coach         Eric McEnaney
Stage Manager                 Nancy Uffner

Cast (in order of vocal appearance)
Alfred Laakso                 Esa Ruuttunen
Puna Pekka Ahopelto             Mark Walters
Johanna Ahopelto             Barbara Shirvis
Pastor Rantanen             Peter Halverson
Sven Polkki                 Christopher Temporelli
Heikki Järvenpää             Brian Shircliffe
Matti Kivi                 James Plante
Rauha                     Jennifer Trombley
Otto                     Benjamin Sieverding
Hilja                     Heather Youngquist
John                     Kyle Tomlin
William Jackson             William Joyner
Pete Casavino                 Paul Truckey
Thomas Colton                 Christopher Temporelli
Raili Ahopelto                 Maddy Lehman
Tuomas Ahopelto             Trevor Puuri
Band, strike breaker             Nathan Held
Band, strike breaker             Kevin Heras
Band, strike breaker             Brandon Pilcher
Band, strike breaker             George Thorvald Wagner
Rauha’s children             Marya Julio
Chloe Neves
Young Alfred Laakso             Ethan Parker

In about 1960, the elderly Alfred Laakso leads a bus tour of tourists to
the town of Rockland, where he lived in 1906. It is almost a ghost town,
but he tells them about when it was a booming place. The action reverts
to 1906.

Scene 1 A Fourth of July party at the temperance hall. Johanna and her
husband, Puna-Pekka (Red Pete) are there. Pastor Rantanen introduces a
union organizer whose speech mixes patriotism with a call for a strike.
Scene 2 Accident in the mine. Otto is killed and Alfred is injured. Otto’s
new widow, Rauha, grieves.

Scene 3 Miner Puna-Pekka agonizes about whether he should have
spoken up about safety lapses. He flirts with getting drunk, but his wife,
Johanna, has hidden the bottles. He resolves to give up drinking.

Scene 4 Otto’s funeral. Pastor Rantanen suggests a ruse whereby the
widow Rauha and her children can stay in their home.

Scene 5 In the tavern, miners talk about the strike. Breaking the
tension, barber Pete Casavino sings “I’m my own barber.”

Scene 6 Johanna visited by William Jackson, underground foreman,
who tells her she deserves better than Puna-Pekka.

Scene 7 In church, as strike date nears.

Scene 8 In mine office the night before the strike. Mine superintendent
Thomas Colton maneuvers William Jackson to name strike leaders.

Scene 9 At home, Puna-Pekka tells Johanna he must participate in the
strike for the sake of the children.

Scene 10 The strike. Miners confront sheriff’s deputies. Chaos, shouting
and gunfire; Puna-Pekka killed on the spot, Kova Kivi dies later.
Scene 11 Crowd of miners in jail. Most are released on bail, but 12 are
charged.

Scene 12 The trial. The elderly Alfred Laakso continues his tale,
describing how two of the miners were tried and acquitted, and the rest
were freed.

Scene 13 William meets Johanna for last time; Johanna returning to
Finland, while William hopes for relationship.

Scene 14 Finale. Back in 1960, and Alfred Laakso concludes the story.