FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart 214-443-1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT
THE EVEREST TRIO:
“Dallas Opera Perspectives” with Dr. Beck Weathers
The World Premiere of Joby Talbot’s
Everest Prelude
With Visuals from the British Film Institute
And a Semi-Staged Everest Returns to Dallas!
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“Perspectives” Moderated by Keith Cerny
Monday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. (Free with RSVP)
Montgomery Arts Theater, Booker T. Washington
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
RSVP at dallasopera.org/events
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Everest Prelude and Everest (Semi-Staged Performance)
Friday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. ($15 to $75)
The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
AT&T Performing Arts Center
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Visit dallasopera.org/events for Tickets and Information
DALLAS, APRIL 27, 2017 – The Dallas Opera is proud to present The Everest Trio, culminating in a semi-staged performance of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s critically acclaimed 2015 masterpiece, Everest, on the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. This one-time-only performance on Friday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. will be conducted by Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and directed by Leonard Foglia, who staged the earlier world premiere.
THE EVEREST TRIO
“Dallas Opera Perspectives,” Monday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m.
One of the survivors of the now-infamous 1996 Everest disaster, Dr. Beck Weathers, a Dallas forensic pathologist, will sit for a public conversation about the experience and aftermath with The Kern Wildenthal Dallas Opera General Director and CEO, Keith Cerny.
Eight people died near the summit of the world’s highest peak on one of the deadliest days in modern mountaineering history. Dr. Weathers managed to survive some of the harshest weather conditions on the planet and make his own way back to camp, having been twice left for dead. Lauren Smart of Dallas Observer noted: “This story of men willing to risk their lives just to say they’ve accomplished something is wrapped up so closely in contemporary discontents…Everest is a musically stunning, cinematically thrilling opera updated here for a new generation, and updated brilliantly.”
This conversation, in preparation for the semi-staged performance of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest, will take place at the Montgomery Arts Theater (next door to the Winspear Opera House) in Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, starting at 6:30 p.m. The nearest paid parking ($17) is located in the Lexus Red parking garage beneath the Winspear. Admission for this unforgettable conversation is FREE with an RSVP. Details can be found online at dallasopera.org/events.
Everest Prelude / Everest on Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.
At the top of the world, dreams die, even for the most valiant of men. The Dallas Opera is exceedingly proud to present, for one night only, a semi-staged encore presentation of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s critically acclaimed Everest, starring tenor Andrew Bidlack, bass Kevin Burdette, and John Boehr from the original cast, with soprano Sarah Jane McMahon as Jan Arnold and baritone Michael Mayes as the doomed Doug Hansen. Julia Rose Arduino returns as Beck’s daughter, Meg.
The concert performance, with projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, will be preceded by the world premiere of Talbot’s Everest Prelude, dedicated to the late Dick Bass—legendary mountaineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. The prelude will be set to projections by Elizabeth Seymour, using British Film Institute footage from George Mallory’s attempts to summit Mt. Everest in the 1920s.
Catherine Womack of D Magazine described Everest in its 2015 Dallas Opera premiere as having “all the ingredients of a blockbuster. Gripping, edge-of-your-seat storytelling, stunning, innovative design and poignant lyricism…instantly appealing.” Heidi Waleson of The Wall Street Journal praised the opera as “remarkable” and Olin Chism of the Star-Telegram raved, “This is one opera performance that rivals great legitimate theater in its impact.”
The 7:30 p.m. performance will be conducted by the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and staged by director Leonard Foglia. Tickets are $15 to $75 and may be purchased through dallasopera.org/events or by calling 214.443.1000.
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The Everest Trio is part of The Dallas Opera’s weeklong Celebrate 60, (April 30-May 7) sponsored by Holly and Tom Mayer, Betty and Steve Suellentrop, the Ben E. Keith Company, The Texas Commission on the Arts, and The Dallas Arts District Foundation Endowment Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.
“It’s an absolute thrill to invite our entire community to celebrate The Dallas Opera’s legendary past and even more exciting future,” explains Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny.
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2016-2017 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, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG
FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by
Texas Instruments 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 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Family performance tickets are just $5. 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 2016-2017 SPRING SEASON MAINSTAGE INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixtieth 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 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. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.
Please note: There will be no Pre-Opera Talk for EVEREST, ARJUNA’S DILEMMA, or THE MAGIC PIANO.
NORMA by Vincenzo Bellini
April 21, 23(m), 26, 29, May 7(m), 2017
A thrilling and suspenseful masterpiece!
Libretto by Felice Romani
Time: 50 B.C.
Place: Roman-occupied Gaul
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Nic Muni
Set Designer: John Conklin
Costume Designer: John Conklin
Lighting Designer: Thomas Hase
Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Elza van den Heever (Norma), Marina Costa Jackson* (Adalgisa), Yonghoon Lee* (Pollione), Christian Van Horn (Oroveso), Mithra Mastropierro* (Clotilde), Charles Karanja (Flavio)
ARJUNA’S DILEMMA by Douglas J. Cuomo
Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
An exotic and appealing soundscape!
Based on text from the Bhagavad Gita
Time: Thousands of years ago
Place: India
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Projection Designer: William Cusick
Sound Designer: Mark Grey
Lighting Designer: Krista Billings
Wig & Make-up Designer: Lexi O’Reilly
Starring: Humayun Khan* (Krishna), Tony Boutté* (Arjuna), Katrina Galka* (Quartet), Audra Methvin (Quartet), Alyssa Martin* (Quartet), Lindsay Ammann* (Quartet)
EVEREST by Joby Talbot (a semi-staged performance with projections)
Friday, May 5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
A powerful and poignant masterpiece!
Libretto by Gene Scheer
Time: 1990’s
Place: Mt. Everest
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Lighting Designer: Krista Billings
Projections Designer: Elaine J. McCarthy
Recording Engineer: Mark Grey
Wig & Make-up Designer: Lexi O’Reilly
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Kevin Burdette (Beck Weathers), Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Michael Mayes (Doug Hansen), Sarah Jane McMahon (Jan Arnold), Julia Rose Arduino (Meg Weathers), John Boehr (Guy Cotter, Mike Groom)
With a special world premiere prelude!
EVEREST PRELUDE with music by Joby Talbot
Film Realization: Elizabeth Seymour
Film Credit: The British Film Institute
THE MAGIC PIANO & The Chopin Shorts by BreakThru Films
Music by Frédéric Chopin
Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
The “Passport Zone” in the Winspear Lobby starts at 12:30 p.m.
A charming adventure for all ages!
Pianist: Derek Wang*
* 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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