It’s here! The new Dallas Opera season kicks off in a whole new way tomorrow morning with the inaugural edition of FIRST SIGHT, a reception, fashion show and luncheon sponsored by J.P. Morgan. And that’s just the beginning of what should be a truly landmark weekend. Read on and start planning your picnic now.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 23, 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 PROUD TO PRESENT
“FIRST SIGHT”
Thursday, Oct. 24th Fashion Show
And Opening Weekend Festivities
10 a.m. in the Winspear Opera House
PRESENTED BY J.P. MORGAN
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Followed on Friday, Oct. 25th at 8:00 p.m. by
GEORGES BIZET’S 1875 MASTERPIECE
CARMEN
THE LINDA AND MITCH HART
SEASON OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE
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“FIRST NIGHT 2013”
5:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
At the AT&T Performing Arts Center
NGP ENERGY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, Presenting Sponsor
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The Dallas Opera’s Free Klyde Warren Park Simulcast with Support From the Dallas Arts District – Special Features Begin at 6:30 p.m.
Including Tom and Jerry in “Carmen Get It!” and Costume Contest
Park Patrons will also be Introduced to the Exciting
“SHEILA AND JODY GRANT OPERA DISCOVERY” PROGRAM!
DALLAS, OCTOBER 23, 2013 – The Dallas Opera, inspired by the incredible success of FIRST NIGHT festivities that mark the opening of each new season, is delighted to introduce an extraordinary spin-off: The FIRST SIGHT Fashion Show and Luncheon featuring the work of five outstanding and internationally renowned Dallas-based designers with their breathtaking interpretations of the operas that will take centerstage this season in addition to fashions by ESCADA, an international brand synonymous with the highest quality and luxury. This celebration of great opera and fabulous design will take place on Thursday, October 24, 2013 in the acclaimed Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, presented by J.P. Morgan.
The pre-show reception beginning at 10:00 a.m. will set the mood for the fun that follows as the Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage is transformed into a glamorous high-fashion runway to showcase the imagination and talent of five of fashion’s most creative designers:
ELIZABETH ANYAA
MICHAEL FAIRCLOTH
ABI FERRIN
KHANH NGUYEN
And NICOLAS VILLALBA
Followed by
“RESORT 2014”
PRESENTED BY ESCADA
The fabulous fashion show will be capped by a sit-down luncheon at 11:45 a.m. in the C. Vincent Prothro Lobby, artfully prepared by Puck Catering.
Explains FIRST SIGHT & FIRST NIGHT Chair, Lynn Mock: “The overwhelming public interest in the fashion element of FIRST NIGHT prompted us to expand our vision to match the creativity of an iconic brand, ESCADA, as well as these five incredible designers. By giving them the spotlight, exclusively, in this very special event, we hope to excite and engage our patrons while giving art and fashion their due.
“It’s a perfect extension of the FIRST NIGHT celebrations,” Ms. Mock adds.
Following their unveiling at FIRST SIGHT, these one-of-a-kind creations inspired by the operas and theme of the 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed Season” will lend an additional air of excitement to the red carpet on Opening Night.
Several fashion-savvy style leaders are lending their expertise to the Dallas Opera’s inaugural FIRST SIGHT, including Event Architect Jeffrey Horn FPLtd. and Event Designer Larry Leathers.
“There is nothing more glamorous and elegant than our talented designer creations, with ESCADA fashion; all showcased inside the beautiful Winspear Opera House,” says Fashion Show Producer Rhonda Sargent Chambers. “I am thrilled!”
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The Dallas Opera is pleased to revive—by popular demand—the exciting festivities marking the opening of a new season, known as FIRST NIGHT. The one-night-only celebrations presented by NGP Energy Capital Management will take place both inside and outside the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District, on Friday, October 25, 2013 beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a lavish black-tie dinner at 6:00 provided by Puck Catering in a beautifully appointed tent in Sammons Park (located just off the main promenade to the Winspear Opera House).
The menu and dinner music, as well as the artistic design, will reflect the cultural influences that dominate the 2013-2014 Season – “By Love Transformed” (season presenting sponsor Texas Instruments Foundation).
Sophisticated models will show off their extraordinary opera-inspired couture gowns, designed especially for the occasion. Several of the gowns and original sketches will be auctioned online by FIRST SIGHT sponsor, Heritage Auctions, beginning on October 25th.
Adding to the excitement of the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance is the buzz about the Dallas Opera’s new music director, Maestro Emmanuel Villaume, who will be making his podium debut—as music director—in that evening’s performance (Mr. Villaume has previously conducted productions for the Dallas Opera as a visiting guest conductor). The occasion will also mark the hotly anticipated American debut of award-winning French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine in the title role of Georges Bizet’s 1875 masterpiece, CARMEN.
“FIRST NIGHT has extended the Dallas Opera’s Season Opening Production far beyond the confines of the Winspear Opera House,” explains Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny. “People picnicking on blankets in Klyde Warren Park, enjoying the Dallas Opera’s High-Definition Carmen simulcast, will also share in the excitement of the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance and the energy and enthusiasm of this newly expanded event.
“We are all tremendously grateful to NGP Energy Capital Management, FIRST SIGHT / FIRST NIGHT Chair Lynn Mock and everyone involved in underwriting, planning and executing this extraordinary, multifaceted experience designed to attract people of all ages and backgrounds: patrons, donors and music lovers. This year, we’re expanding our opening night events in Sammons Park, in order to include as many interested patrons as possible—both for our very first pre-performance black-tie dinner and the distinctive After-Party.”
Elements of the Klyde Warren Park Simulcast, supported by the Dallas Arts District, include a presentation of a rarely seen silent comedy, “Carmen Junior,” starring Baby Peggy Montgomery; the Tom and Jerry WB Classic cartoon, “Carmen Get It!” and a Carmen Costume Contest open to all comers! Hosted, beginning at 6:30 p.m., by KDMX radio personality Jagger along with the popular lecturer and head of UNT’s Opera Program, Dr. Stephen Dubberly.
The occasion will also mark the introduction of an exciting new adventure in 21st century community outreach: The Sheila and Jody Grant Opera Discovery program, designed to transform outdoor enthusiasts and opera lovers enjoying a performance on the Klyde Warren Park lawn to new patrons experiencing opera in the magnificent setting of the Winspear.
Learn more about this fabulous program at Klyde Warren Park this coming Friday night!
Food and drink will be available for purchase onsite; however, picnic baskets and blankets are welcome on the lawn.
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FIRST NIGHT Red Carpet arrivals will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening supported by FIRST NIGHT Red Carpet Sponsor, Deloitte. The black-tie dinner is from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., CARMEN curtain is 8:00 p.m. (please note the special time) and the fabulous After Party will commence in the Sammons Park tent adjacent to the Winspear Opera House immediately following the final curtain call.
Modern Luxury is the exclusive media partner for the Dallas Opera’s 2013 FIRST SIGHT and FIRST NIGHT.
FIRST NIGHT complimentary valet service will be provided on the Flora Street side of the Winspear Opera House for all dinner guests.
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She’s the woman no man can resist and, as performed by renowned French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine in her American debut, who would want to say “non”? Hailed as “Best Newcomer” in the 2011 French Classical Music Awards, Margaine will have her hands full with two head-turning, heart-melting Don Josés: tenors Brandon Jovanovich, who last captivated us as Pinkerton in the Dallas Opera’s 2010 production of Madame Butterfly, and Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro making his eagerly anticipated company debut.
This truly phenomenal cast, from American soprano Mary Dunleavy in the role of Micaëla to bass-baritone Dwayne Croft as Escamillo the Toreador, will bring on the sizzle—as well as the steak! Featuring classic Jean-Pierre Ponnelle scenery from the San Francisco Opera, this production conducted by Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, an artist of international stature, will make all the other good/bad girls of opera seem tame, if not lame, in comparison.
CARMEN will be staged by American director Chris Alexander, The James R. Seitz, Jr., Stage Director in Honor of John Gage, who earned critical praise in his 2005 Dallas Opera debut for his staging of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, starring Mary Dunleavy and Marcus Haddock. Mr. Alexander was welcomed back in the spring of 2009 to direct the company’s final performances in the Music Hall at Fair Park: a delightful and daffy rendering of Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers (L’italiana in Algeri).
American tenor Brandon Jovanovich will sing the role of Don José on Oct. 25, 27, and 30, while TDO newcomer, Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro will portray the obsessed lover on Nov. 2, 8 and 10, 2013.
This outstanding international cast includes soprano Danielle Pastin in her company debut as Frasquita; mezzo Audrey Babcock in her Dallas Opera debut as Mercédès; bass Kyle Albertson (another company debut) as Zuniga; baritone Stephen LaBrie as the smuggler, La Dancaire; tenor William Ferguson in his Dallas Opera debut as Remendado and baritone John David Boehr in his TDO debut as Moralès.
Mr. Jovanovich, who enthralled Dallas audiences in our 2010 production of Madame Butterfly (described by Huffington Post’s Rodney Punt as the definitive Pinkerton of our time) and who will perform the role on FIRST NIGHT, 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.”
The season Opening Night Performance of Carmen receives endowed support from Linda and Mitch Hart.
Additional support is provided by Alice W. and Richard D. Bass, Joy S. and Ronald Mankoff, Betty and Steve Suellentrop, Joanna and Peter Townsend and James R. Seitz, Jr.
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Corporate Sponsorships
FIRST NIGHT Presenting Sponsor
NGP Energy Capital Management
FIRST SIGHT Presenting Sponsor – J.P. Morgan
FIRST SIGHT/NIGHT Media Partner – Modern Luxury
Platinum Sponsor ($25,000)
Deloitte
Silver Sponsors ($10,000)
Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP
Heritage Auctions
KPMG
Mary Kay
Thompson and Knight
Bronze Sponsors ($5,000)
Weaver
PT Petroleum, LLC
Individual Sponsorships
Platinum ($2,500 Individual to $25,000 Table)
Alice and David Court
Mary and Dick Covington
Cindy and Charlie Feld
Mary Beth and Jay Marshall
Lynn and Presley Mock
Elizabeth and Richard Naftalis
Robert J. Vladem
Gold ($1,500 Individual to $15,000 Table)
Patti and John Cody
Patsy Donosky
Susan and Mark Geyer
Bobbi and Richard Massman
Tincy Miller
Tanya Roberts
Enika and Richard H. Schulze
Anne and Steven Stodghill
Betty and Steve Suellentrop
Joanna and T. Peter Townsend
Patty and Marty Weiland
Ellen and Don Winspear
Silver ($1,000 Individual to $10,000 Table)
Alice and Richard Bass
Hilary L. Roberts and J.B. Brinkmann in honor of
The Dallas Opera Chorus Master, Alexander Rom
Lucinda Councilman
Jacqueline and Jim Deeken
Bobbi and Leo Fields
Lisa and David Genecov
Carol and Don Glendenning
Jack Harrod
Kaki and Shelton G. Hopkins
Myra and Robert L. Hull
Elizabeth and Scott Kimple
Mike and Barbara Lynn Philanthropic Fund of
The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation
Rhonda and Fraser Marcus
Holly and Tom Mayer
Joyce and Harvey Mitchell
The Northern Trust Company
Mildred M. Oppenheimer
Katherine and Michael Phillips
The Rosewood Corporation
Gloria and Juan Ernesto Snead
Sandra Tucker
Agnes Whitley
Stacie and Mark Whitley
Marnie and Kern Wildenthal
Bronze ($500 Luncheon to $7,500 Dinner Table)
Catherine Ann Carr
Linda Claycomb
Mary Ann Cree
Nick Even
Harriett Gibbs
Faye Gould
Jolie D. Humphrey
Don J. McDermett and Garry Cox
Danna Orr
Betty Secker
FIRST SIGHT – FIRST NIGHT / KEY PERSONNEL
Lynn Mock, Chair, FIRST SIGHT/FIRST NIGHT
Jeffrey Horn FPLtd, Event Architect, Event Design Co-Chair
Larry Leathers, Event Designer, Event Design Co-Chair
Rhonda Sargent Chambers, Fashion Show Producer and Chair
Mary Beth and Jay Marshall, Dinner Chairs
Rhonda and Fraser Marcus, After Party Chairs
Don McDermett and Garry Cox, Table Sales Chairs
Patty and Marty Weiland, FIRST SIGHT Table Sales Chairs
Elizabeth Z. Naftalis, Luncheon Chair
Presley Mock, Underwriting Chair
Debbie and David Burch, Mary and Dick Covington, Cindy Feld, Keith Laycock and Dawna Richter: Underwriting Vice-Chairs
Stacie Whitley, Pre-Events Chair
John Gage, Arrangements Chair
Scott Chase and Greg McConeghy, Arrangements Vice-Chairs
Kaki Hopkins, Advisory Committee Chair
Advisory Committee: Diane Brierley, Patti Cody, Patsy Donosky, Carol Glendenning, Holly Mayer, Lynn McBee, Tincy Miller, Joyce Mitchell, Shannon Skokos, Anne Stodghill, Betty Suellentrop and Ellen Winspear
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Single tickets for the 2013-2014 Season are subject to dynamic pricing (the earlier they are purchased, the lower the price) and are on sale now – for as little as $19. Subscriptions start at just $76. Boxes and Inner Circle seating may be priced higher.
EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “OCTOBER 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, Director of Media & Public Relations
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season
Is Sponsored 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
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. For more information or to make your ticket purchase, contact the friendly professionals at the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
CARMEN by Georges Bizet
October 25 (special time, 8:00 p.m.), October 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: Chris Alexander
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), William Ferguson* (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
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, 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. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.
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