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    “The Flying Dutchman” Opens TDO’s “Swept Away” Season on October 12

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Wenesday, October 3, 2018

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

     

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT

    THE COMPANY’S EPIC SEASON OPENER!

    RICHARD WAGNER’S SWEEPING 1843 MASTERPIECE

    THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

    LIBRETTO BY RICHARD WAGNER AFTER HEINRICH HEINE’S

    Aus den Memoiren des Herren von Schnabelewopski

    ~~~~

    CONDUCTED BY DALLAS OPERA MUSIC DIRECTOR

    EMMANUEL VILLAUME

    DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER ALDEN

    STARRING ACCLAIMED BASS-BARITONE GREER GRIMSLEY AS THE DUTCHMAN AND SENSATIONAL GERMAN-ITALIAN SOPRANO ANJA KAMPE IN HER TDO DEBUT AS SENTA

    ALSO STARRING JAY HUNTER MORRIS AS ERIK

    MARK S. DOSS IN HIS TDO DEBUT AS DALAND

    LURETTA BYBEE AS MARY

    AND ANDREW STENSON IN HIS COMPANY DEBUT AS THE STEERSMAN

    ~~~~

    THE LINDA AND MITCH HART SEASON OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE:

    FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 AT 8:00 PM (Please note special curtain time)

    WITH ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES

    AT 7:30 P.M. AND 2:00 P.M. (SUNDAY MATINEE)

    Oct. 14(m), 17 & 20, 2018

    The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

    AT&T Performing Arts Center

    ~~~~

    This Production Made Possible by

    HOLLY AND TOM MAYER

    RICHARD AND ENIKA SCHULZE

    JOANNA L. AND T. PETER TOWNSEND

     

                DALLAS, OCTOBER 3, 2018 – The Dallas Opera is extremely proud to present the season opener of the company’s grand 2018-2019 “Swept Away” Season: Richard Wagner’s haunting nineteenth-century masterpiece, The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer), a work not seen on The Dallas Opera stage since January of 1994.

    The Flying Dutchman will open on Friday, October 12, 2018 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District.  The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance has a special curtain time of 8:00 p.m.

    This compelling production from Canadian Opera Company in Toronto will be directed by Christopher Alden.  The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will be at the podium for all four performances—kicking off his sixth season at TDO with his first Wagner performance in Dallas!

    A world-class international cast of notable Wagnerians includes American bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as the Dutchman; German-Italian soprano Anja Kampe in her house debut as Senta; American tenor Jay Hunter Morris as Erik; American bass-baritone Mark S. Doss in his TDO debut as Daland; American mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee as Mary, and Korean-American tenor Andrew Stenson in his company debut as the Steersman.

    Subsequent performances of The Flying Dutchman will take place on October 14(m), 17, and 20, 2018, with generous underwriting support provided by Holly and Tom Mayer, Richard and Enika Schulze, and Joanna L. and T. Peter Townsend.

    ~~~~

    Renowned American director Christopher Alden, (The Ann Stuart Stage Director) returns to The Dallas Opera with a production of the same opera he guided in his 1978 company debut, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. He revisited TDO in subsequent seasons to stage a groundbreaking production of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck in 2000, and Mozart’s masterpiece, Le nozze di Figaro. Mr. Alden works regularly with many of the world’s most distinguished companies, including English National Opera Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Santa Fe Opera and The Festival d’ Aix en Provence.

    Mr. Alden’s English National Opera production of Handel’s Partenope received the Olivier Award for Best UK Opera Production as well as Australia’s Helpmann Award and his staging of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Stanislavsky Theater in Moscow won the Golden Mask Award for Best Russian Opera Production.

    “What we love about Wagner’s operas is that Wagner took the operatic art form…to new extremes in talking about human beings and society,” Christopher Alden told Arts and Culture Texas in a newly-published feature.

    “Wagner was a rather dark person himself—a dark, narcissistic, monomaniacal, amazingly focused artist,” the director added. “He wrote pieces that go to the deepest, darkest places about human beings, and reach down into the deepest aspects of the human psyche. That’s why people are so compelled by them and so obsessed by them.”

    The Dallas Opera’s globe-trotting music director, Emmanuel Villaume, in addition to celebrating his Fifth Anniversary with the company, has just released a critically-acclaimed recording of piano concertos with pianist Andrew von Oeyen and the PKF-Prague Philharmonia on the Warner Classics label.  The review in London’s Sunday Times praised Villaume’s “magical sense of rhythm and texture in Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and, especially, in Bizet’s youthful Symphony in C, a toe-tapping joy throughout.”

    Maestro Villaume not only conducts the first two productions of the season, The Flying Dutchman and Carmen, he will return to Dallas in the spring to conduct performances of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.  Villaume will be the guest of the Metropolitan Opera in November, where he will conduct eagerly-anticipated performances of Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers.

    Louisiana native Greer Grimsley, one of the reigning Wotans of the Modern Era, remains one of the most prominent Wagnerian singers of our day.  His interpretations of Wagner roles have earned Grimsley repeat engagements at many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses from Berlin to Santa Fe.  He even sang the role of Wotan in Robert Lepage’s landmark “machine” production of Der Ring des Nibelungen at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

    This past summer, Grimsley triumphed in his Bayreuth debut—singing the title role of the Dutchman, as well as Wotan in Die Walküre.

    The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reviewing Grimsley’s Dutchman proclaimed “Not only does he move well and possess genuine presence, he has sure musical instincts that support a voice of remarkable depth and lyric breadth.  His Dutchman was intelligent and impassioned.”

    And The Huffington Post summed him up thusly: “He sings…well…like a god.”

    Anja Kampe makes her thrilling Dallas Opera debut in the role of Senta. Her portrayals of several roles have set a new standard, including her Sieglinde at the Bayreuth Festival, Isolde at Ruhrtriennale, Katerina Ismailova at Bavarian State Opera (Munich), and Brünnhilde in performances of Die Walküre at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

    Peter Reed of Classical Source wrote that Kampe’s Senta “pinned you to your seat with its intensity and risk-taking abandon” and praised her “gripping mixture of rawness and radiance” in the role.

    Ms. Kampe opened last season with concert performances of Fidelio at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy, conducted by Zubin Mehta. She then returned to the stage of the Bavarian State Opera to reprise her explosive performance as Lady Macbeth in Dmitri Shostakovich’s 1934 masterpiece.  Other recent career highlight include Isolde in a new production in Berlin, and as Kundry in Parsifal at both the Vienna State Opera and Paris National Opera.

    Jay Hunter Morris as “Erik” makes a welcome return to The Dallas Opera after a brilliant revival of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick in which he sang the role of mad Captain Ahab. Earlier, Morris tackled the daunting role of Paul in TDO’s 2014 production of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City”).

    He sang the role of Siegfried with the San Francisco Opera in 2011 and, perhaps most famously, at the Metropolitan Opera in a Grammy-winning production by Robert Lepage.  Senior Critic Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote: “the biggest surprise of the Met’s cast, the hearty, youthful-sounding tenor Jay Hunter Morris.”

    Other recent successes include his first Tristan in Valencia with Zubin Mehta, and Schoenburg’s Guerre-Lieder at the Vienna Konzerthaus with Kent Nagano in a stellar career that has taken Morris from Budapest to Beijing.

    Grammy Award-winner Mark S. Doss has sung with major orchestras in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Toronto, while also performing close to a hundred roles with more than 60 major opera companies around the world: Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera and the Canadian Opera Company (to name a few).

    Recent roles have included Sujskij in Dvorák’s Dimitrij at Odessey Opera in Boston, Méphistophélès in Faust with Ópera Oviedo in Spain, Amonasro in Aida with the Teatro Regio in Turin, Jochanaan in Salome in Mallorca, and the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth with the Dorset Opera Festival.  The role of Daland marks Mr. Doss’s Dallas Opera debut and he will return in March for Manon Lescaut.

    Remarkable range and versatility are the hallmarks of mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee on the opera and theatrical stage.  In addition to singing opera, she is continually exploring the realm of musical theater and character acting and singing, which has led to roles such as Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, and her role debut as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof at Shreveport Opera. Ms. Bybee has also been seen as Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at Vancouver Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and New Orleans Opera.

    This season, in addition to the role of Mary in TDO’s The Flying Dutchman (opposite her real-life husband, Greer Grimsley), Ms. Bybee will perform the concert “On Broadway” with the Springfield Symphony.

    Andrew Stenson launches the 2018-2019 Season with his Dallas Opera debut as the Steersman. He also joins the Minnesota Opera as Fadinard in The Italian Straw Hat, as well as Utah Opera where he will sing Tamino in Die Zauberflöte.

    Last season, Stenson returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, sang the title role of Candide with the San Francisco Symphony, and made his company debut with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in An American Soldier, attracting national attention and acclaim in the role of Danny Chen.

    Mr. Stenson is the first prize winner in both the 2015 Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition and 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition.  He is also the recipient of a 2011 Sara Tucker Study Grant.

    ~~~~

    Allen Moyer designed both sets and costumes for this COC production; OBIE Award-winner Anne Militello is the lighting designer and Emmy Award-winner Dawn Rivard designed wigs and make-up for The Flying Dutchman.  This production marks Moyer and Militello’s exciting TDO debuts.

    The Dallas Opera Chorus is prepared by acclaimed Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

    Performances of this early Wagner masterpiece will continue on October 14(m), 17 & 20, 2018 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, selected by Southern Living as the best new venue for opera and praised by the U.K.’s Opera magazine as the finest opera house in North America.  All evening performances will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. (with the exception of Opening Night); Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m.

    Full season subscriptions are still available, beginning at just $100, and single tickets start at the low, low price of $19.  Student Rush Best Available Tickets may be purchased at the Winspear Box Office for $15 or $25 (depending on the section) ninety minutes prior to curtain.  Contact the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or make your purchase online at dallasopera.org.

    ~~~~

    Tickets for the Dallas Opera’s 2018 Opening Night Celebrations, FIRST NIGHT, presented by Hall Arts Residences and Chaired by Shelle and Michael Sills, are available through Special Events Manager Tracy Mott at tracy.mott@dallasopera.org.

     A free, pre-performance lecture (“The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks”) will be conducted one hour prior to curtain at most performances—excluding the “Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance.”  The Dallas Opera Guild also hosts “Opera Insights,” a lively panel discussion featuring artists, directors and designers, on a Sunday afternoon prior to opening.  For specific dates and more details, visit dallasopera.org.

    Parking onsite will be available in the Lexus Red Parking beneath the Winspear Opera House and the Lexus Silver Parking adjacent to the Wyly Theatre.  Should those reach capacity, additional paid parking is available at nearby One Arts Plaza and in several surface lots.  Prices range from $5 to $25 per vehicle.

    ~~~~

    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

    Founded in 1957, The Dallas Opera is an internationally-recognized innovator dedicated to the overall advancement of the operatic art form and the support of established and emerging artists, as well as the education and development of new opera audiences in North Texas—and beyond. These goals are achieved by commissioning and producing world-class opera; through ground-breaking institutes, national competitions and topical programs; and by presenting opera in both traditional and non-traditional formats and venues in order to attract patrons of every age, background, educational level, and ethnicity—while engaging with more than 87,000 people in our community each year.  TDO is equally committed to the task of responsible stewardship and is managed with efficiency and accountability, to the highest possible standards.

    ~~~~

    2018-2019 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    Additional Information About The Dallas Opera is Available Online at

    www.dallasopera.org

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

    Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

     

    The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Elsa von Seggern Foundation, Texas Instruments Foundation, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.  Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.   Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.

    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by

    Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, and

    The Betty and Steve Suellentrop Educational Outreach Fund

    TDO Family Performances are a part of the

    Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs

     

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2018-2019 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now; single Tickets range from $19 to $289. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2018-2019 MAINSTAGE SEASON

    The Dallas Opera celebrates its 62nd International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

     

    THE FLYING DUTCHMAN by Richard Wagner

    October 12, 14 (m), 17 & 20, 2018

    The season sets sail with Wagner’s sweeping, romantic masterpiece – not seen in Dallas since 1994!

    Time: the German Expressionist 1920s

    Place: the coast of Norway

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Director: Christopher Alden

    Set Designer: Allen Moyer*

    Costume Designer: Allen Moyer*

    Lighting Designer: Anne Militello*

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Greer Grimsley (The Dutchman), Anja Kampe* (Senta), Jay Hunter Morris (Erik),

    Mark S. Doss* (Daland), Luretta Bybee (Mary) and Andrew Stenson* (Steersman).

     

    CARMEN by Georges Bizet

    October 19, 21 (m), 24, 27, November 2 & 4 (m), 2018

    The woman who won’t be possessed by any man returns to The Dallas Opera stage!

    Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

    Time: 19th century

    Place: Seville, Spain and the surrounding countryside

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume and Pierre Vallet (10/24 and 11/2)

    Original Director: Sir David McVicar

    Revival Director: Jack Furness**

    Set Designer: Michael Vale*

    Costume Designer: Sue Blane*

    Lighting Designer: Clare O’Donoghue*

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Original Choreographer: Andrew George

    Revival Choreographer: Andrzej Glosniak*

    Starring: Stéphanie d’Oustrac* (Carmen), Stephen Costello (Don José), Vanessa Vasquez* (Micaëla), Alexander Vinogradov (Escamillo), Sarah Tucker* (Frasquita), Lindsay Metzger* (Mercédès), Rafael Moras* (Le Remendado), Corey Crider* (Le Dancaïre), Ben Wager (Zuniga), Gideon Dabi* (Moralès).

     

    MANON LESCAUT by Giacomo Puccini

    A Semi-Staged Concert – March 1, 3 (m), 6, 9, 2019

    The woman who has everything discovers too late that she has nothing – without true love!

    Libretto by Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica

    Time: Late 18th century

    Place: France and America

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Director: Edward Berkeley*

    Set Designer: Tommy Bourgeois

    Costume Designer: Tommy Bourgeois

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Kristin Lewis* (Manon Lescaut), Musa Ngqungwana (Lescaut), Gregory Kunde (Chevalier Renato des Grieux), Andrea Silvestrelli* (Geronte di Revoir), Jonas Hacker* (Edmondo), Mark S. Doss (Innkeeper), Alyssa Martin (Singer), Matthew Grills* (Dance Master), Clay Hilley* (Lamplighter), Mark McCrory (Sergeant of the Royal Archers) and David Leigh* (Naval Captain).

     

    LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini

    March 15, 17 (m), 20, 23, 29, 31 (m), 2019

    The most timeless love story in all of opera returns to break your heart!

    Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

    Time: 19th century

    Place: The Latin Quarter of Paris, France

    Conductor: Giuliano Carella

    Director: Tomer Zvulun

    Set Designer: Erhard Rom*

    Costume Designer: Peter J. Hall

    Lighting Designer: Robert Wierzel*

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Jean-Francois Borras* (Rodolfo), Pumeza Matshikiza** (Mimì), Anthony Clark Evans* (Marcello), Sara Gartland* (Musetta), Will Liverman* (Schaunard), Nicholas Brownlee* (Colline), and Samuel Ramey (Benoît/Alcindoro).

     

    FALSTAFF by Giuseppe Verdi

    April 26, 28 (m), May 1, 4, 2019

    Shakespeare’s uproarious comedy brought to musical life!

    Libretto by Arrigo Boito

    Time: During the reign of Henry IV of England

    Place: Windsor

    Conductor: Riccardo Frizza

    Original Director: Lee Blakeley

    Revival Director: Shawna Lucey*

    Set Designer: Adrian Linford*

    Costume Designer: Adrian Linford*

    Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher*

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Mark Delevan* (Sir John Falstaff), Angela Meade* (Alice Ford), Quinn Kelsey* (Ford), Mojca Erdmann* (Nanetta), Airam Hernández* (Fenton), Stephanie Blythe* (Dame Quickly), Megan Marino* (Meg Page), Alex Mansoori* (Bardolfo), Andrea Silvestrelli (Pistola), and Robert Brubaker (Dr. Caius).

     

    * Dallas Opera Debut

    ** American Debut

     

    _____________________________________________________________________________________

     

    ###

     

    Heggie and Scheer’s MOBY-DICK Returns to TDO

    It’s the return of the White Whale and the crew in pursuit of him: MOBY-DICK at the Dallas Opera – again – in 2016.  This time, conducted by Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Friday, April 4, 2014
    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Celeste Hart 214.443.1072
    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
    THE RETURN OF JAKE HEGGIE AND GENE SCHEER’S MONUMENTAL DALLAS OPERA WORLD PREMIERE:
    MOBY-DICK
    ~~~~
    Starring Jay Hunter Morris as Ahab, Stephen Costello as Greenhorn, Morgan Smith as Starbuck, Jonathan Lemalu as Queequeg and many more from the original all-star cast
    – conducted by Music Director Emmanuel Villaume! Read more →

    Dallas Opera’s “Die tote Stadt” Opens March 21

    It’s that rarest of rarities…an opera that has only been experienced in a handful of cities across the U.S. since its celebrated 1920 double world premiere!  Die tote Stadt (“The Dead City”) comes to the Dallas Opera stage in a limited engagement, beginning March 21st.  Read on for details. Read more →

    Mardi Byers Sings Dual Role in “Die tote Stadt”

    A cast change for the Dallas Opera’s upcoming production of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt” puts an exciting American soprano in the dual role of Marie/Marietta. Critically acclaimed American soprano Mardi Byers as Marie/Marietta, has replaced Danish soprano Ann Petersen.  Read more →

    A “Sweet” Article by Our FIRST NIGHT Chair

    FIRST NIGHT/FIRST SIGHT Chair Lynn Mock lends a warm-yet-elegant air to the proceedings wherever she goes–whether in the real world or in cyberspace. She gives us her personal take on the newly developed FIRST SIGHT high fashion event, the inspiring Dallas Opera season, and the black-tie extravaganza that is FIRST NIGHT on Jeanne Prejean’s must-read philanthropy blog: “My Sweet Charity.”

    Enjoy the article right here.
    Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and Public Relations

    Single Tickets to Go on Sale July 8th

    July 8th at 10:00. Single tickets go on sale for the upcoming Dallas Opera Season – have your credit card standing by!

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Tuesday, July 2, 2013

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014
    Suzanne.Calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Megan Meister 214.443.1071
    Megan.Meister@dallasopera.org

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE
    SINGLE TICKETS
    FOR THE 2013/2014 SEASON
    “BY LOVE TRANSFORMED”
    Presented by Texas Instruments Foundation
    GO ON SALE MONDAY, JULY 8TH
    Single Tickets Start at Only $19!
    ~~~~
    Two-Opera Subscriptions
    Also Go on Sale, Starting at Just $50
    ~~~~
    Three-Opera Subscriptions
    For as Little as $75

    DALLAS, JULY 2, 2013 – The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce that single tickets for the 2013/2014 “By Love Transformed” Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center will go on sale to the general public next Monday, July 8, 2013 at 10:00 am.
    Single tickets for each of the four productions, starting at the low price of $19, may be purchased at your convenience online at dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly staff at the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000.
    The Dallas Opera, that same day, will also begin selling two-performance and three-performance subscriptions. Season 2-Pack subscriptions for our mainstage productions begin at the low, low price of $50. Take your pick of two mainstage productions you’ve been yearning to see. Season 3-Pack subscriptions start at just $75.

    Season subscriptions for TDO’s mainstage productions begin at the exceptional price of $76—that’s for all four productions! The 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season presented by Texas Instruments Foundation consists of:

    • CARMEN by Georges Bizet, with Clémentine Margaine making her American debut in the title role.
    (Oct. 25 – The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance, 27m, 30, Nov. 2, 8, 10m, 2013)
    • DEATH AND THE POWERS by MIT Media Lab’s Tod Machover, with Robert Orth as Simon Powers, a man transformed by the best technology that money can buy.
    (Feb. 12, 14, 15 & 16m, 2014)
    • DIE TOTE STADT (“The Dead City”) by late-Romantic Viennese composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, with Ann Petersen as Marietta and Jay Hunter Morris as Paul.
    (March 21, 23m, 26, 29, April 6m, 2014)
    • THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini, with Nathan Gunn as the ever-resourceful Figaro!
    (March 28, 30m, April 2, 5, 11 & 13, 2014)

    “The upcoming Dallas Opera season beautifully combines popular favorites, a remarkable rarity and a thrillingly high-tech, twenty-first-century opera,” explains Dallas Opera Marketing Director Carrie Ellen Adamian, “and, as always, each of these works will be presented with world-class singers in phenomenal stage productions.
    “These operas have a very distinct look, as well as sound: from a classic San Francisco Opera Carmen with sets by the legendary Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, to the extraordinary projections of the Royal Danish Opera’s Die tote Stadt, the Magritte-inspired surrealism of Chicago Lyric’s Barber of Seville, and the amazing designs of Steven Spielberg collaborator, Alex McDowell (“Minority Report”), for Death and the Powers.” Adds Ms. Adamian, “If you have ever had the slightest interest in discovering what opera is all about, this is the perfect season to begin that journey.”

    Attention-grabbing Dallas Opera debuts this season include:

    • Hal Cazalet, a British tenor, making his company debut, originated the role of Nicholas in Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers in 2010. The Chicago Tribune noted Cazalet “uses an athletic body and agile tenor to fine effect as the assistant Nicholas.”
    • Isabel Leonard, The Classical Review after seeing Miss. Leonard said she has “genuine star quality is a rarity on the opera stage – or anywhere – but it’s abundantly clear that Isabel Leonard has it in spades.” She is making her TDO debut as Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.
    • Clémentine Margaine, “a rich, gorgeous blooming, warm mezzo-soprano” caused the Opera Currently to say “a great promise of a career!” is making her American Debut in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen.
    • Ann Petersen, the Danish soprano making her American Debut as Marietta in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt. Seen and Heard praised her for “an easy flexibility to her sound…that adds enormously to the intrinsic beauty of her singing.”
    • Bruno Ribeiro, Portuguese tenor making his TDO debut as Don José (Nov. 2, 8 & 10) who “gives rich voice to soulful pleadings” and was praised by Examiner.com for allowing “vulnerability to color his expressive tenor.”
    • Alek Shrader, making his TDO debut as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, “showed himself gifted with a still youthful, energetic personality, and an emotional fire that burns passionately” according to San Francisco Classical Voice.

    Among the notable artists returning to the Dallas Opera stage this year are:

    • Donato DiStefano, one of the most sought-after buffo basses in the world, who most recently charmed Dallas audiences in the title role of Don Pasquale, and he rarely fails to steal the show. Wrote Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Theater Jones, “Musically, he was unassailable; as an actor, he was believable and funny” in that critically acclaimed production.
    • Mary Dunleavy “melds outstanding acting ability with a flexible and gorgeous voice” (William Thomas Walker, cvnc.org), characteristics on display in her tour de force portrayal of all four love interests in the Dallas Opera’s 2005 production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, earning rave reviews and that season’s “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award.”
    • Nathan Gunn, charmed TDO audiences in the much darker role of The Lodger in Argento’s The Aspern Papers last season. TheaterJones noted that “Gunn has one of the most beautiful baritone voices around, and is handsome in a Cary Grant sort of way.” Nathan is sure to continue his love affair with Dallas audiences as Figaro in The Barber of Seville.
    • Brandon Jovanovich, an American tenor singing the role of Don José (Oct. 25, 27 & 30), enthralled Dallas audiences in our 2010 production of Madame Butterfly (and was described by Huffington Post’s Rodney Punt as the definitive Pinkerton of our time). He has been dazzling critics recently in the title role of Wagner’s Lohengrin. San Francisco Chronicle Classical Music Critic Joshua Kosman wrote: “Jovanovich combined sweet-toned lyricism and ardent heroism in just the proportions required for this tricky role. His singing was thrillingly pure and tireless, his stage presence simultaneously tender and aloof.”
    • Jay Hunter Morris has been conquering the opera world, one production at a time. About his performance in the San Francisco revival of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick, Mercury News critic Richard Scheinin wrote: “He sang with a pressurized fury that practically shook the seats of the War Memorial Opera House. Think Old Testament. Think King Lear.” As Siegfried in the Metropolitan Opera’s new Ring, Morris “found his own way to sing this heldentenor role with a lighter yet athletic and youthful sound. His clarion top notes projected nicely over the orchestra” (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times).
    • Robert Orth, “one of the finest singer/actors working in opera today” (Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, Theater Jones) made memorable Dallas Opera appearances as Officer 2/Blazes in our critically acclaimed 2012 production of Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Lighthouse and as Stubb in the Dallas Opera world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick, was praised by Heidi Waleson of The Wall Street Journal for giving the opera “a touch of levity.”
    • Morgan Smith made an indelible impression on Dallas audiences in the world premiere production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick. Critic Joshua Kosman of The San Francisco Chronicle felt that same depth of humanity in Smith’s recent recap of the role: “The real star of the cast was baritone Morgan Smith, whose Starbuck joined vocal splendor, moral authority and deep empathy in a phenomenal combination.”

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    Single tickets for the 2013-2014 Season are subject to dynamic pricing (the earlier they are purchased and the less-in-demand, the lower the price). Subscriptions are on sale now, starting at just $76. Inner Circle seating may be priced higher.

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    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “JULY AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
    IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
    VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

    For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
    To arrange an interview
    Or for additional information
    Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR
    214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

    The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season
    Is Coming Soon to an Opera House Near You!
    Presented by Texas Instruments Foundation

    THE DALLAS OPERA WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERS:

    AMERICAN AIRLINES – OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
    LEXUS – OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE DALLAS OPERA

    Ticket Information for the 2013-2014 Dallas Opera Season

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Subscriptions are now on sale to the general public, starting at just $76. Single Tickets starting at $19 and Flex Subscriptions (2 or 3-performance) go on sale Monday, July 8. Family performances are $5 (Family Performance Subs are $12 for three family performances) are on sale now. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2013-2014 SEASON INFORMATION
    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Seventh International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

    CARMEN by Georges Bizet
    October 25, 27(m), 30, November 2, 8 & 10(m), 2013
    The most irresistible bad girl in opera—How can you possibly say “non”?
    An opera in four acts first performed in Paris on March 3, 1875
    Text by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée
    Time: 19th century
    Place: Seville, Spain
    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
    Stage Director: Bliss Hebert
    Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
    Costume Design: Werner Iverke
    Lighting Design: Thomas Hase
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotten
    Starring: Clémentine Margaine**(Carmen), Brandon Jovanovich (Don José Oct. 25, 27, 30), Bruno Ribeiro* (Don José Nov. 2, 8, 10), Mary Dunleavy (Micaëla), Dwayne Croft (Escamillo), Danielle Pastin*(Frasquita), Audrey Babcock*(Mercédès), Kyle Albertson*(Zuniga), Steven LaBrie (Le Dancaïre), Victor Ryan Robertson (Remendado), John David Boehr*(Moralès).

    DEATH AND THE POWERS by Tod Machover
    February 12, 14, 15 & 16(m), 2014
    Science fiction and poignant family drama combine in a major regional premiere!
    An opera in one act first performed in Monte Carlo, Monaco at the Salle Garnier on September 24, 2010.
    Text by Robert Pinsky, based on a story by Pinsky and Randy Weiner
    Time: Unknown time in the future
    Place: Earth, the home of billionaire Simon Powers
    Conductor: Nicole Paiement
    Stage Director: Diane Paulus*
    Associate Director: Andrew Eggert*
    Scenic Design: Alex McDowell*
    Costume Design: David Woolard*
    Lighting Design: Don Holder
    Choreography: Karole Armitage*
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Starring: Robert Orth (Simon Powers/Robot One), Joélle Harvey (Miranda/Robot Four), Patricia Risley(Evvy/Robot Three), Hal Cazalet*(Nicholas/Robot Two), Frank Kelley*(The United Way), David Kravitz*(The United Nations), Tom McNichols*(The Administration).

    DIE TOTE STADT (“THE DEAD CITY”) by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
    March 21, 23(m), 26, 29 and April 6(m), 2014
    The Hitchcock-like tale of one man’s dark obsession with the woman he loved and lost.
    An opera in three acts first performed in Hamburg & Cologne, Germany on December 4, 1920
    Text by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Paul Schott based on a novel by Georges Rodenbach, Bruges la morte
    Time: End of the 19th century
    Place: The city of Bruges in northwestern Belgium
    Conductor: Sebastian Lang-Lessing*
    Stage Director: Mikael Melbye
    Scenic Design: Mikael Melbye*
    Costume Design: Dierdre Clancy*
    Video Design: Wendall Harrington*
    Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Choreography: Matthew Ferraro*
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Anne Petersen**(Marietta) , Jay Hunter Morris (Paul), Morgan Smith (Fritz), Weston Hurt (Frank), Katherine Tier*(Brigitta), Andrew Bidlack (Albert), Jan Lund**(Victorin), Jennifer Chung (Juliette), Angela Turner Wilson (Lucienne).

    THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini
    March 28, 30(m), April 2, 5, 11 & 13(m), 2014
    Figaro, a scheming barber and jack-of-all-trades plots to release a headstrong girl from her gilded cage!
    An opera in two acts first performed in Rome on February 20, 1816
    Text by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, from his comedy Le Barbier de Séville
    Time: 18th century
    Place: Seville, Spain
    Conductor: Giuliano Carella*
    Stage Director: Herb Kellner
    Original Production: John Copley
    Scenic Design: John Conklin
    Costume Design: Michael Stennet
    Lighting Design: TBD
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Nathan Gunn (Figaro), Isabel Leonard*(Rosina), Alek Shrader*(Count Almaviva), Donato DiStefano (Dr. Bartolo), Burak Bilgili*(Don Basilio), Nathan De’Shon Myers (Fiorello), Christian Teague*(Ambrogio).

    DALLAS OPERA FAMILY PERFORMANCES
    Jack and the Beanstalk: October 26, 2013 and April 5, 2014
    Family Concerts: November 3, 2013 and February 1, 2014
    The Elixir of Love: November 9, 2013 and April 12, 2014

    * Dallas Opera Debut
    ** American Debut
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
    The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; TACA; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to Mrs. William W. Winspear and the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for their continuing support.

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