don carlo program | opera philadelphia
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Opera_ChipL_Pennsylvania Trust 8/14/13 11:31 AM Page 1
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8 Don Carlo
12 Synopsis & Running Time
13 Program Notes
16 Artist Bios
20 Orchestra & Chorus
37 Up Next: Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD
4 Letter from the Chairman
5 Board of Directors
6 Welcome from the General Director
23 Leadership Support & Major Gifts
25 Annual Fund Support
28 Corporate Council
35 Administration
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Photo: The cupola at El Escorial monastery, built near Madrid by King Philip II in 1584, inspired the set design for Don Carlo
CONTENTS
OPERA PHILADELPHIA GENERAL INFORMATIONPROGRAM INFORMATION
Dear Friends,
National Public Radio calls Don Carlo “one of the most enigmatic, yet profoundly beautiful operas Giuseppe Verdi ever composed.” It offers some of Verdi’s finest music and a complex plot—sometimes in four acts and sometimes in five (tonight, it’s four)—ripe with intense personal and political intrigue and set amid an uneasy peace which could erupt into war again at any moment.
In other words, it is grand opera at its most grandiose!
When we staged our company premiere of Don Carlo in 2004, an emerging bass-baritone from Philadelphia stepped in at the last minute to perform the role of the Friar. Today, Eric Owens is an internationally renowned superstar, and we are delighted to welcome him home to make his role debut as King Philip II. He is joined by an amazing cast of returning favorites like Troy Cook, Morris Robinson, Ashley Emerson, and Jeremy Milner, along with three outstanding stars all making their company debuts: Dimitri Pittas as Don Carlo; Leah Crocetto as Elisabeth; and Michelle DeYoung as Princess Eboli.
This amazing cast has come together with Jack Mulroney Music Director Corrado Rovaris and director Tim Albery to offer a stunning new production of Verdi’s masterpiece, providing an emphatic exclamation point to our 40th Anniversary Season at the Academy of Music. Thank you for joining us tonight.
Sincerely,
D A N I E L K . M E Y E R , M . D .C H A I R M A N
F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N
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Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., ChairmanDavid B. Devan*, President
Frederick P. Huff, Vice ChairJoel M. Koppelman, Vice Chair Alice Strine, Esq., Vice ChairScott F. Richard, Secretary
Thomas Mahoney, TreasurerStephen A. Madva, Esq., Chairman Emeritus
Benjamin Alexander
Sandra Baldino
F. Joshua Barnett, M.D., J.D.
Willo Carey
Nicholas Chimicles, Esq.
Ady L. Djerassi, M.D.
Ehab Hammad
Mark Hankin
Frederick P. Huff
Caroline Kennedy
Joel M. Koppelman
Beverly Lange, M.D.
Ellen Berman Lee
Gabriele Lee
Peter Leone
Thomas Mahoney
Daniel K. Meyer, M.D.
Agnes Mulroney
Scott F. Richard
Harold Rosenbluth
Stephen G. Somkuti, M.D.
Jonathan H. Sprogell
James B. Straw
Alice Strine, Esq.
Kenneth R. Swimm
Maria Trafton
Charlotte Watts
Donna Wechsler
Honorary Members
Dennis Alter
Alan B. Miller
H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest
Stephen A. Madva, Esq.
List as of April 2015*Ex officio
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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D AV I D B . D E VA NG E N E R A L D I R E C T O R & P R E S I D E N T@ d d e v a nFor more of David’s thoughts on the making of Don Carlo, read his blog at devantagepoint.tumblr.com
WELCOME
Dear Friends,
Opera Philadelphia has enjoyed a tremendous amount of national media coverage about our commitment to new works; but in reality, it is works from the standard canon, like Don Carlo, that command the majority of our time and resources.
The bulk of this planning time is spent on casting and identifying the right creative team. Tonight’s production of Don Carlo was four years in the making, and it all started with Eric Owens. In 2011, Eric let me know that he wanted to debut King Philip II with Opera Philadelphia, and that conversation put a series of events into action.
First, we had to move another Verdi opera we had originally planned for April 2015 to a future season. Second, we spent a year securing the rest of the cast that would be at the international level of Eric. Third, we needed to find an insightful director to work with Music Director Corrado Rovaris and to select a creative team for a new production that would honor the talents of everyone assembled. In Tim Albery we found the perfect director, who in turn recruited designers Andrew Lieberman, Constance Hoffman, and Thomas Hase to realize this vision. All four of these artists are debuting with the company.
And finally, we worked out co-production arrangements with Washington National Opera and Minnesota Opera, who will stage the production after its premiere here in Philadelphia.
I hope you enjoy the culmination of four years’ worth of work this evening. And while tonight is all about Don Carlo, I hope you will join me in looking ahead with excitement to next season’s productions of Verdi’s La traviata and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, and future productions of great operas like Puccini’s Turandot and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
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THAW_OperaCoPhl_fullpg.indd 2 11/18/14 10:19 AM
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Don Carlo
New ProductionCo-produced with Washington National Opera and Minnesota Opera
OPERA PHILADELPHIA
Music Giuseppe Verdi
Text François Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle
Conductor Corrado Rovaris
Director Tim Albery*
Set Design Andrew Lieberman*
Costume Design Constance Hoffman*
Lighting Design Thomas Hase*
Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden
Wig & Make-up Design David Zimmerman
Stage Manager Jenny Harber
*Opera Philadelphia debut
Production underwritten in part by Ms. Barbara Augusta Teichert
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Don CarloTHE
CASTDON CARLO
Dimitri Pittas*
ELISABETH DE VALOISLeah Crocetto*
PRINCESS EBOLIMichelle DeYoung*
KING PHILIP IIEric Owens
RODRIGOTroy Cook
THE GRAND INQUISITORMorris Robinson
TEBALDOAshley Emerson
FRIARJeremy Milner
THE CELESTIAL VOICESarah Shafer
THE ROYAL HERALD &CONTE DI LERMA
Mingjie Lei*
*Opera Philadelphia Debut
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SYNOPSIS
Approximate running time for Don Carlo is three hours and seven minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.
Don Carlo and Elisabeth de Valois, princess of France, were betrothed to be married and had, at a chance meeting, secretly fallen in love; however, for reasons of state, the princess has been forced to marry Carlo’s father, King Philip II of Spain. Carlo confides his love to his friend Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, a radical democrat, who advises him to forget Elisabeth and ask his father for the governorship of Flanders, where he may mitigate the brutalities of Spanish rule. Philip refuses his son’s request in great anger. Meanwhile, tortured with fears that his far younger wife is deceiving him, he co-opts Rodrigo into spying for him. The Princess Eboli, Elisabeth’s lady-in-waiting, furious to discover that her passionate love for Carlo is unreturned, informs the King of Carlo’s love for Elisabeth. Philip orders his rebellious son thrown into prison, but balks at ordering his death, despite the threats of the Grand Inquisitor, who is head of the church and the power behind the throne. The Inquisitor demands instead that the king denounce his new protégé, Rodrigo, a greater menace because of his liberalism. Philip refuses. Thoroughly embittered, the King rails at Elisabeth for her supposed unfaithfulness. Eboli repents her rash confession and determines to rescue Carlo from prison. She accomplishes this mission in the confusion that ensues after the treacherous shooting of Rodrigo, as he visits Carlo in prison. Carlo plans to escape for Flanders to lead a rebellion against his father, but his last farewell to Elisabeth is interrupted by Philip and the Grand Inquisitor. Church and State have united to arrest him.
—Tim Albery
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PROGRAM NOTES
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By Diana Burgwyn
When he accepted an invitation to create a work for the Paris Opéra, Giuseppe Verdi knew his task would not be easy. “Write for the Opéra, where the performances last half a day? Poor me!” he wrote. Indeed, the preference of wealthy operagoers in that city was for long productions with melodramatic plots, lavish stage sets, action-packed crowd scenes, and a mandatory ballet--together forming what was known as “grand opera.”
Verdi bested even the deceased grand opera king Giacomo Meyerbeer by composing Don Carlo, a five-act opera of over four hours, complete with ballet, a parade, and the spectacle of heretics being burned to death. However, he had to make cuts because the last train from Paris to its suburbs would have left by the final curtain. The premiere on March 11, 1867 was a relative success, and over the years Verdi developed several more versions, both in the original French and in Italian, to suit the needs of various opera houses. Still, it was not until the latter half of the 20th century that Don Carlo was recognized as the masterpiece it is; indeed, many musicologists and knowledgeable operagoers consider it to be Verdi’s supreme achievement.
The libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle was taken from a dramatic poem by the German-born Friedrich Schiller, whom Verdi greatly admired. Both play and opera were loosely based on historical figures of the time. Set in 1560 during the infamous Spanish Inquisition, the opera tackles huge issues: religious dogma and political calculation pitted against personal freedom and the brotherhood of man. Its greatness lies in the composer’s masterful musical characterizations, both vocal and orchestral, which bring those issues to vibrant life.
In the opera, King Philip II of Spain is a devout Catholic who adheres religiously to the
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dictums of the Catholic Church and its blind, 90-year-old, all-powerful Grand Inquisitor. As a means of ending the longtime war between Spain and France, he has decided to marry his son Carlo’s fiancée, the French-born princess Elisabeth of Valois. The great love between Carlo and Elisabeth is thus shattered, and Philip soon suspects wrongly that she has been unfaithful to him.
Carlo, hot-headed and somewhat unstable, is in despair over the loss of Elisabeth. Disdaining his father’s religious beliefs, he is in sympathy with his close friend Rodrigo, Duke of Posa (the opera’s only fictional character), who is determined to end the savage repression of the Dutch Protestants in Flanders, then part of the Spanish Empire. The long-suffering Elisabeth is the moral center of the opera: pure, strong, honorable, despite the pain of having been denied Carlo’s love and the terrible betrayal of the jealous Princess Eboli, who is also in love with him.
Each character in the opera is richly drawn. King Philip’s most powerful aria is also his most intimate. Sitting alone in his chambers, he expresses his heartache in realizing that Elisabeth has never loved him. She, in turn, reaches her spiritual apogée when she prays for peace in Flanders and her own death. The previously vengeful Princess Eboli undergoes a transformation when, recognizing the misery she has inflicted on the innocent Elisabeth, she curses her own beauty.
The Grand Inquisitor needs no aria; his bass voice, whether used at full volume or in ominously quiet tones, has the desired chilling effect. How different he is from the opera’s passionate freedom fighter, Rodrigo, whose ringing tones are meshed with Carlo’s in one of the most stirring duets of male friendship ever penned.
As for Carlo, let us remember him less for his anguish and weakness than for his brief moment of glory when he is ready to depart for Flanders. Elisabeth, thrilled by his courage, joins him in an exquisite duet as they imagine the joy of their meeting in heaven.
Diana Burgwyn is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer who specializes in music.
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ADDITIONAL CASTARTISTICAssistant Director .....................................................Amanda ConsolPrincipal Pianist............................. ............................ Grant LoehnigMusical Assistant........................... .........................Matthew BrowerSupertitle Author............................. ..............................Chris BergenSupertitle Operator ......................................................... Tony Solitro
PRODUCTION/TECHNICALProperties Master............................................................ John BryantAssistant Lighting Designer ..............................................Chris FreyTechnical Director ................................................Stephen DickersonMaster Electrician............................................................Terry SmithProperties......................................................................... Paul LodesFlyman ..............................................................................Mike RuffoAssistant Electrician ......................................................Sean Gallen
Assistant Stage Managers ............................Becki Smith, Jen ShawWardrobe Supervisor .....................................................Elisa MurphyCostume Shop Assistant............................................ Stephen SmithShopper/Crafts ....................................................... Kathryn CalhounCutter/Tailor ..................................................... Althea "Nell" UnrathCutter/ Draper ..............................................................Kara MorascoFirst Hands ...............................Patrick Mullhall, Joyanne Rampulla,
Andre "Carl" Thomas, Derwin Cooper, Kevin Ross, Mark Mariani
Stitchers ......................................Suzie Morris Barrett, Pam Raines, Suzan Cerceo, Frankie Fehr, Kathy PiersonDyer/Painter ............................................ Julie Watson, Kate EdelsonWig & Make-up Assistant ....................................Glenna WilliamsonCaptain of Supernumeraries ...........................................Dave Tukey
SUPERNUMERARIES: Andrew Arcangeli, Ezequiel Hernandez, Lisa Panzer, Dave Tukey, Kristine Terrado
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FACILITIES
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TIM ALBERY(Mono, Ontario, Canada)
DIRECTOR
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Tannhäuser, Chicago Lyric Opera; Kátya Kabanová, Boston Lyric Opera; The Coronation of Poppea, Opera North
ELIZABETH BRADEN(Easton, Pennsylvania)
CHORUS MASTER
2014 Oscar2006 Margaret
Garner2004 The Grand Duchess of
Gerolstein (Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: Director of Music, Wallingford Presbyterian Church; Chorus Master, The Barber of Seville, Opera Philadelphia; Chorus Master, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Curtis Opera Theatre
TROY COOK(Quakertown, Pennsylvania)Baritone
RODRIGO
2012 Silent Night2009 Madame Butterfly2006 La bohème(Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: Watty Watkins, Lady Be Good, Teatro de la Zarzuela; Sharpless, Madama Butterfly, Utah Opera; Riccardo, I puritani, Boston Lyric Opera
LEAH CROCETTO(Spartanburg, South Carolina)Soprano
ELISABETH DE VALOIS
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Lidoine, Dialogues des Carmelites, Washington National
Opera; Mimì, La bohème, San Francisco Opera; Desdemona, Otello, English National Opera
MICHELLE DEYOUNG(Grand Rapids, Michigan)Mezzo-soprano
PRINCESS EBOLI
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Judith, Bluebeard’s Castle, Israel Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and
BBC Symphony Orchestra; Fricka, Das Rheingold, Hong Kong Philharmonic; Herodias, Salome, Opera San Antonio
ASHLEY EMERSON(Bangor, Maine)Soprano
TEBALDO
2013 Powder Her Face
Recent Activities: Soeur Constance, Dialogues des Carmelites, Washington National Opera; Marie, La
fille du Régiment, Greensboro Opera; Barbarina, Le nozze di Figaro, The Metropolitan Opera
THOMAS HASE(Chicago, Illinois)
LIGHTING DESIGN
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Doctor Zhivago, Malmö Opera; Don Giovanni, San Diego Opera; Iolanta, The Dallas Opera
CONSTANCE HOFFMAN(Oakland, California)
COSTUME DESIGNER
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Khovanshchina, Vlaamse Opera; Billy Budd, Berlin State Opera; Die Fledermaus, English National Opera
ARTISTS
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MINGJIE LEI(Hengyang, China)Tenor
ROYAL HERALD and CONTE DI LERMA
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Dorvil, La scala di seta, Curtis Opera Theatre; Brighella, Ariadne
auf Naxos, Curtis Opera Theatre; Romeo, Roméo et Juliette, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
ANDREW LIEBERMAN(Decatur, Illinois)
SET DESIGN
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Partenope, San Francisco Opera; The Mystery of Love and Sex, Lincoln Center Theater; Il Turco in Italia, Teatro Regio di Torino
JEREMY MILNER(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)Bass
A FRIAR
2012 La bohème 2011 Carmen 2011 Phaedra (Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: Capulet, Roméo et Juliette, Tulsa Opera; Title Role, Markheim, Little Opera Theatre of New York; Hagen, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Grand Theatre de Geneve
ERIC OWENS(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)Bass-baritone
KING PHILIP II
2008 Norma 2003 Macbeth 1994 Romeo & Juliet (Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: The Dutchman, Der Fliegende Holländer, Washington National Opera; Verdi Requiem, New York Philharmonic; Porgy, Porgy and Bess, Lyric Opera of Chicago
DIMITRI PITTAS(New York, New York)Tenor
DON CARLO
Opera Philadelphia debut
Recent Activities: Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore, Deutsche Oper Berlin; Rodolfo, La bohème, Opera
de Paris; Rodolfo, La bohème, Opera National de Bordeaux
MORRIS ROBINSON(Atlanta, Georgia)Bass
THE GRAND INQUISITOR
2013 Nabucco2005 Aida
Recent Activities: Sparafucile, Rigoletto,
Atlanta Opera; Sarastro, The Magic Flute, Houston Grand Opera; Joe, Show Boat, San Francisco Opera
$45.00 3-Course Menu
BYOB - No Corkage
Live Piano Nightly
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CORRADO ROVARIS(Bergamo, Italy)
CONDUCTOR
2014 The Barber of Seville2006 Cinderella 1999 The Marriage of Figaro (Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: RAI National Symphony
Orchestra; Olimpie, Festival Pergolesi Spontini; La traviata, Opéra de Lausanne
SARAH SHAFER*(State College, Pennsylvania)Soprano
THE CELESTIAL VOICE
2014 Ainadamar
Recent Activities: Lieder with Richard Goode, Carnegie Hall; Messiah, National Orchestra of
Mexico; Constance, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Curtis Opera Theatre
DAVID ZIMMERMAN(Mt. Pleasant, Texas)
WIG & MAKE-UP DESIGN
2015 Oscar 2014 Ainadamar 2013 The Magic Flute (Partial Listing)
Recent Activites: Iolanta, The Dallas Opera; Everest, The Dallas Opera; Magazine features for Opera News, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair
*Opera Philadelphia Emerging Artist
GlassWeekend ‘15
glassweekend.com 800.998.4552 | Millville, NJ
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Studio Events
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VIOLIN I Luigi Mazzocchi, ConcertmasterIgor Szwec, Assistant ConcertmasterMeichen Liao-BarnesCharles ParkerDiane BarnettYan C. SimmonsDonna GranthamElizabeth KaderabekErica MillerAlexandra Cutler-FetkewiczBlake Espy
VIOLIN II Emma Kummrow, PrincipalSarah Dubois Karen Banos Paul ReiserLisa VaupelJennifer LeeGuillaume CombetEliza ChoYu-Hui Tamae Lee
VIOLA Jonathan Kim, PrincipalCarol Briselli, Assistant PrincipalJulia DiGaetaniEllen TrainerElizabeth JaffeKathleen FosterSteven Heitlinger
CELLOPriscilla Lee, Principal
Vivian Barton-Dozor, Assistant PrincipalBrooke BeazleyDane AndersonJennifer LorenzoDavid Moulton
BASSMiles B. Davis, PrincipalAnne PetersonStephen GroatFrederick Weiss
FLUTEAdeline Tomasone, PrincipalEileen GryckyKimberly Trolier
OBOEGeoffrey Deemer, PrincipalEvan OcheretStephen Labiner
CLARINETJoseph A. Smith, PrincipalAllison Herz
BASSOONJacob Smith, PrincipalJon GaarderMichael Pedrazzini
FRENCH HORNAngela Bilger, PrincipalKaren SchubertTodd WilliamsRyan StewartAdam Lesnick
Lyndsie Wilson
TRUMPETBrian D. Kuszyk, PrincipalFrank Ferraro David SealsRobert SkoniczinSteven HeitzerEric Schweingruber
TROMBONERobert Gale, PrincipalEdward CascarellaPhilip McClellandBrad WardMatthew GouldJonathan Schubert
CIMBASSOPaul Erion, Principal
HARPSophie Bruno Labiner, Principal
TIMPANIMartha Hitchins, Principal
PERCUSSIONRalph Sorrentino, PrincipalSusan Jones
ORGANLucas Brown
TUBABrian Brown
OPERA PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRACORRADO ROVARIS, JACK MULRONEY MUSIC DIRECTOR
SOPRANOKaty Avery Jessica BeebeVeronica Chapman-SmithRuth Ann Cunningham Katie Dufendach Noël Graves-WilliamsJulie-Ann Green Valerie Haber Rebecca M. HokeJessica Mary MurphyChristine Nass Aimee PilgermayerEvelyn Santiago Rebecca SilerAmy Spencer Lisa Helmel ThomasRebecca Whitlow
ALTOJennifer BeattieMargaret Caldwell-BlanchardRenée CantwellMarissa ChalkerJoanna Gates
Eve E. HyzerRaffaella Lo Castro Katherine Mallon-Day Maren Montalbano Ellen Grace PetersPaula Rivera-Dantagnan Karina SweeneyKaitlyn Tierney
TENORDane AllisonSang B. Cho Matthew CoxRyan FlemingAli Javaheri A. Edward Maddison Fernando MancillasKristoffer Mihalka Siddhartha MisraDonLeroy MoralesGeorge SomervilleDaniel Taylor Paul VetranoCory O’Niell WalkerSteven Williamson
BASSEnnio Brugnolo Gregory Cantwell Jeffrey Chapman Peter Christian Stephen Dagrosa Lucas DeJesusJim Osby Gwathney, Jr. Dorian Payton Hall Chris HodgesAaron Ellery Hoke Mark MalacheskyJohn David Miles Frank Mitchell Garrett ObryckiAndrew Thomas PardiniLourin PlantDavid SaybrookDaniel SchwartzJames J. Seiler Andrew ShawAndrew SkitkoTim Stopper
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Top left to right: Board member and Chairman’s Council member Dr. Joshua Barnett with his wife, Dr. Heidi Kolberg; Michael Gorman, husband of Frederica von Stade (center); Board member and Chairman’s Council member Nick Chimicles and his wife, Kathleen Chimicles; Board member and Leadership Circle member Peter Leone and his wife, Judy Leone. Bottom left to right: Board Chairman and Leadership Council member Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., composer Jennifer Higdon, Chairman’s Council member Andrew Wechsler, M.D., and his wife Board member Donna Wechsler; Chairman’s Council members Rita and Phil Harper; General Director’s Council member John Alchin with Vice-Chairman and Chairman’s Council member Joel Koppelman and his wife, Sharon Koppelman.
Opera Philadelphia’s top giving programs, the
Leadership Circle & Chairman’s Council, are
comprised of passionate groups of philanthropists
committed to ensuring that the future of opera is
right here in Philadelphia.
Their collective generosity underwrites more than
half of Opera Philadelphia’s artistic expenses
each season, including productions in the
Academy of Music, the nationally lauded Aurora
Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman
Theater, Opera on the Mall, and our award-
winning programs for children.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT Rachel McCausland, Manager, Leadership & Legacy Giving
at 215.893.5909 or mccausland@operaphila.org.
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SUPPORT THE 40TH ANNIVERSARYSEASON ANNUAL FUND CAMPAIGN
B Y W I L L I A M B U R D E N CHAIR, 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON CAMPAIGN
It is my pleasure to join Opera Philadelphia as Chair of the 40th Anniversary Season Annual Fund Campaign. My career has taken me to opera houses all over the world, but I’ve returned to Opera Philadelphia for twelve different productions. It always feels like home to me here.
During my travels, singers, directors, designers, and composers light up when I mention Philadelphia. The opera world is buzzing about Opera Philadelphia’s transformation into one of the country’s most dynamic opera companies. The Opera’s exciting approach to the stage and community, coupled with its unparalleled commitment to new opera, has made it a beacon of artistic vitality.
I was honored to be a part of Silent Night, the first production of the American Repertoire Program to take place at the
Academy of Music, and it was my pleasure to return for the East Coast Premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar, in which I sang the role of Frank Harris. As a performer, I was so thrilled to introduce this powerful work to audiences in Philadelphia. As an opera lover, I cannot wait to return in June to join you in the audience for the World Premiere of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD in the Aurora Series at the Perelman Theater.
When you support the 40th Anniversary Season Annual Fund campaign you help support not only the amazing artistic initiatives, such as the American Repertoire Program, but also the award-winning educational and outreach programs that help ensure that tomorrow’s audiences have access to the same great opera that we do today.
G E T I N V O L V E DO P E R A P H I L A . O R G / S U P P O R T | 2 1 5 . 7 3 2 . 8 4 0 0
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C O R P O R AT E C O U N C I LThe Corporate Council generously supports Opera Philadelphia’s artistic and educational
programming through contributions and in-kind donations.
2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 S E A S O N S P O N S O R S
C O R P O R AT E C O U N C I L M E M B E R S
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For more information about sponsorship opportunities, or to join Opera
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We understand where a single
ticket can take you. American Airlines is a proud sponsor
of Opera Philadelphia
American Airlines and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc. oneworld is a mark of the oneworld alliance, LLC. © 2015 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Launched in 1991 in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia’s Sounds of Learning™ program has introduced the theatrical, orchestral, and vocal splendor of opera to Philadelphia-area schoolchildren. Now in its third decade, the program has reached nearly 150,000 students in ten counties through an arts integration education program that includes opportunities to see an opera for free at the Academy of Music.
Today, the program is more popular than ever, as school districts across the region face continued fiscal pressures that negatively impact the availability of
the arts in schools.
“We are thrilled with the enrichment Sounds of Learning brings to our curriculum,” said a DePaul Catholic High School teacher. That sentiment was echoed by a Pan American Charter School teacher, who said each opera’s student guide “does a phenomenal job of incorporating lessons from other curricular areas, such as art, history, English, and science.”
O P E R A P H I L A D E L P H I A’ S S O U N D S O F L E A R N I N G ™ P R O G R A M
H A S I N S P I R E D S T U D E N T S F O R M O R E T H A N T W O D E C A D E S
A WELL ROUNDED EDUCAT ION NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD
The Magic Flute, 2012. Photo by Kelly & Massa
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Thanks to a grant from the William Penn Foundation, Sounds of Learning™ has now expanded its programming to offer several free, teaching artist-led programs which bring the magic of opera to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The in-class programs connect opera to biology, math, foreign language, social studies, art, music, and other disciplines. Classroom sessions are geared specifically towards the developmental, creative, and curricular needs of the students.
“Opera can offer many developmental benefits for children,” said Michael Bolton, Vice President of Community Programs. “Opera helps increase language development, teaches higher level thinking skills and creative problem solving skills in real world situations, develops an appreciation for the arts, involves all learning styles, and stimulates the imagination. Opera is literature, mythology, folk tales and legends, history, conflicts and emotions. Exposure to opera builds and sustains cultural intelligence.”
L E A R N M O R E O P E R A P H I L A . O R G / S O U N D S | 2 1 5 . 8 9 3 . 5 9 2 5
Dedicated funding for the Sounds of Learning™ program has been generously provided by:
THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION
Wells FargoHamilton Family FoundationUniversal Health ServicesAnonymous
Eugene Garfield FoundationEthel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund-GlaxoSmithKlineThe Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia FoundationMorgan Stanley Foundation
Victory FoundationAlpin J. and Alpin W. Cameron Memorial FundDeluxe Corporation FoundationThe McLean ContributionshipLouis N. Cassett Foundation
Photo by Phillip Todd
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O P E N I N GN I G H TG A L A
Opera Philadelphia invites you into a world of Parisian opulence, gilded fêtes, and one of the greatest love stories in all of opera. The 2015-2016 Season kicks off with a stunning production of Verdi’s La traviata, and we invite you to join in the party with a one-of-a-kind experience: the Opening Night Gala. Celebrate the opening night of the season by stepping into the glittering world of Violetta, Alfredo, Flora, and all of their fellow party-goers.
F R I D AY, O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5A C A D E M Y O F M U S I C
Opera Philadelphia’s 40th Anniversary Gala on the Avenue of the Arts. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier.
T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W O P E R A P H I L A . O R G / G A L A | 2 1 5 . 7 3 2 . 8 4 0 0
*Some Opening Night Gala tickets do not include performance tickets to La traviata, and therefore must be purchased separately. If your current series does not include tickets to the Oct. 2 performance and you would like to attend the Opening Night Gala, please contact Subscriber & Member Services at 215.732.8400, and we would be happy to exchange your performance tickets.
T W O D I F F E R E N T T I C K E T T Y P E S :
T H I S S P E C TA C U L A R B L A C K T I E
E V E N I N G F E AT U R E S :
• Cocktails and an Elegant Dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m.
• Opening Night Performance of La traviata in the Academy of Music*
• Champagne Intermission Reception
• After-Party with dessert, dancing, and the cast of La traviata
• Full Gala tickets starting at $500 per person
• After-Party tickets for $100 per person
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O P E R A P H I L A D E L P H I A E N C O R E S O C I E T Y
If the Opera has played a significant role in your life, we invite you to pay it forward to future generations by including Opera Philadelphia in your estate plans.
Opera Philadelphia’s Encore Society acknowledges the generosity of those individuals who have included the company in their estate plans as an important philanthropic commitment to opera’s future in Philadelphia, and the Society is our way of honoring members today for the legacy they will leave tomorrow.
Not only do members enjoy exclusive access to events that allow them to celebrate the impact of their commitment to the organization’s continued artistic growth, but these gifts have the potential to provide valuable tax and income benefits now and in the future.*
Encore Society members Ben Alexander (left) and Sheila Kessler with baritone Mark Stone at the annual Encore Society Luncheon.
T O J O I N O R T O R E C E I V E
M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N :
Go to OPERAPHILA.ORG/ENCORE-SOCIETY
Contact Rachel McCausland, Manager, Leadership & Legacy Giving,
at 215.893.5909 or at mccausland@operaphila.org.
* Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for the legal requirements and tax advantages specific to these gifts.
OR
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Choose a Create-Your-Own 6-Concert Series for as little as $35 per concert!
This season marks Yannick’s fourth year as music director of our Fabulous Philadelphians.
2015-16 Season Highlights include
John WilliamsMay 4Living-legend John Williams makes a rare Philadelphia appearance to lead a special benefit concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Yo-Yo MaApr. 28-May 1The phenomenal cello master Yo-Yo Ma kicks off a two-week celebration of John Williams’s music for concert hall and film.
Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” Mar. 10-13is an enormous, ambitious, soul-stirring work that simply must be experienced live.
Subscribe Today!215.893.1999 www.philorch.org
Groups of 10 or more call 215.875.7695 All concerts are in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
All artists, dates, prices, and programs are subject to change. All tickets subject to availability. For a complete listing view our concert schedule online at www.philorch.org.
Photos: Todd Rosenberg, Jan Regan
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LEADERSHIPDavid B. Devan General Director & President Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music DirectorAnnie Burridge Managing DirectorJeremiah Marks Chief Financial OfficerDavid Levy Senior Vice President, Artistic OperationsMichael Bolton Vice President of Community ProgramsMikael Eliasen Artistic AdvisorNathan Gunn Director, American Repertoire CouncilYoungmoo E. Kim Resident Technologist
MUSICMichael Eberhard Artistic Administrator
Elizabeth Braden Chorus Master and Music
Administrator
J. Robert Loy Director of Orchestra Personnel
& Orchestra Librarian
Sarah Williams New Works Administrator
Colleen Hood Assistant Director of Orchestra
Personnel & Assistant Orchestra Librarian
David T. Little Composer in Residence
Missy Mazzoli Composer in Residence
Andrew Norman Composer in Residence
PRODUCTIONAlexander Farino Production Manager
Drew Billiau Technical Production Manager
Stephen Dickerson Technical Director
Millie Hiibel Costume Director
Meggie Scache Production Coordinator
MARKETING & MEMBERSHIPRyan Lewis Director of Marketing & Membership
Karina Kacala Marketing Manager
Michael Knight Marketing Operations Manager
Filiz O'Brien Membership Manager
Siddhartha Misra Subscriber & Member Services
Coordinator
INDIVIDUAL GIVINGErin Sammis Director of Major Gifts
Adele Betz Director of Events
Jennifer Dubin Associate Director, Individual
Giving & Patron Services
Rachel McCausland Manager, Leadership &
Legacy Giving
INSTITUTIONAL GIVINGThomas Rhodes Director of Institutional Giving
Derren Mangum Manager of Institutional Giving
COMMUNICATIONSFrank Luzi Director of Communications
Katie Dune Multimedia Communications
Coordinator
ADMINISTRATIONKen Smith Assistant to General Director &
Board Relations Coordinator
Bethany Steel Assistant to the Managing Director
COMMUNITY PROGRAMSAdrienne Bishop Education Coordinator
FINANCEBrian R. Ramos Controller
Maureen McHale Senior Accountant
COUNSELMontgomery, McCracken,Walker & Rhoads LLP General Counsel
ADMINISTRATION
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Acclaimed tenor, and star of Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD, Lawrence Brownlee, collaborates with renowned gospel, jazz,
and classical musician Damian Sneed
(pictured) for an exciting program of original spiritual
arrangements. Many of the selections on the program are from Spiritual Sketches, their acclaimed 2013 recording which will be available for sale at the event.
Selections on the program include inspiring version of such well-known spirituals like “Deep River,” “Every Time I Hear the Spirit,” “Down by the Riverside,” and many more. National Public Radio
declared, “The spirituals might be well-known, but through Brownlee's voice, they shine in new, occasionally jazz-inflected arrangements by Damien Sneed.”
The program will be held at Union Baptist Church, a National Historic Landmark where trailblazing Philadelphia contralto Marian Anderson sang as a child. Anderson, who in 1924 became the first African-American concert artist to record spirituals for RCA Victor, was the first black artist to perform with the Metropolitan Opera.
$ 1 5 T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W O P E R A P H I L A . O R G | 2 1 5 . 7 3 2 . 8 4 0 0
IN RECITAL LAWRENCE BROWNLEEMonday, June 8 | 7:00 p.m.Union Bapt is t Church
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T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W O P E R A P H I L A . O R G | 2 1 5 . 8 9 3 . 1 0 1 8
J U N E 5 – 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 | P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R
S C H N Y D E R / W I M B E R LY
March 12, 1955. New York City. Charlie Parker is dead. But nobody knows it yet. In that empty twilight between the here and the hereafter, the bebop legend sets out to compose his final masterpiece, revisiting the inspirations, demons, and women who fueled his creative genius.
This is the setting of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD, a chamber opera that invites the audience directly into a musician’s mind, heart, and personal purgatory. Set after-hours in the famed New York City jazz club Birdland, the chamber opera stars Lawrence Brownlee as the Grammy Award-winning saxophonist—a role crafted around the effortless, improvisational style that makes him one of music’s most sought after tenors.
Swiss American composer and saxophonist Daniel Schnyder said the idea for the opera came to him when he first heard Brownlee sing. The composer immediately likened the color of the tenor’s voice and his technical command to the music of Charlie Parker. His music is paired with a poetic libretto by playwright Bridgette A. Wimberly to
create a work described as a “bebopera” by The New York Times. Dazzling soprano Angela Brown costars as Charlie’s mother, Addie Parker, with baritone Will Liverman debuting as jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie, who once described Parker as “the other half of my heartbeat.” Mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, who shined in the title role in the 2011 American Premiere of Henze’s Phaedra, returns to the Aurora Series as Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, in whose apartment Parker died.
Ron Daniels directs this World Premiere production, with Corrado Rovaris conducting the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.
yardbirdCHARL IE PARKER’S
UP NEXT AT
O C T O B E R2 , 4 M , 7 , 9 , 1 1 M , 2 0 1 5A C A D E M Y O F M U S I C
V E R D I
L A T R AV I ATA
H I G D O N / S C H E E R
C O L D M O U N TA I N
F E B R U A R Y5 , 7 M , 1 0 , 1 2 , 1 4 M , 2 0 1 6A C A D E M Y O F M U S I C
Wo r l d P r e m i e r e
E a s t C o a s t P r e m i e r e
S E P T E M B E R 1 0 , 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 7 , 1 8 , 1 9 , 2 0 , 2 0 1 5O P E R A I N T H E C I T Y
O P E R A P H I L A D E L P H I A & T H E B E A R D E D L A D I E S
A N D Y: A P O P E R A
C o m p a n y P r e m i e r e
A P R I L 2 9,M AY 1 M , 4 , 6 , 8 M , 2 0 1 6A C A D E M Y O F M U S I C
D O N I Z E T T I
T H E E L I X I R O F L O V E
R . S T R A U S S
C A P R I C C I O
M A R C H2 , 4 , 6 M , 2 0 1 6P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R
C U R T I S O P E R A T H E AT R E
S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! O P E R A P H I L A . O R G | 2 1 5 . 7 3 2 . 8 4 0 0
The Academy of Music and Pere lman Theater are par t o f the Kimmel Center for the Per forming Ar ts
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F L Â N E U R F O R E V E R
The Plaza atKing of Prussia(610) 992-9730
Hermes.com
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