FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
EXCITEMENT AND THRILLS ABOUND!
THE DALLAS OPERA’S
SEASON OPENING NIGHT EVENTS
FIRST NIGHT!
2014-2015 “HEIGHTS OF PASSION” SEASON
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EVENTS BEGIN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 AT 5:30 PM
THE MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
AT THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Red Carpet Arrival
Tantalizing Gourmet Dinner
The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro
Curtain Time, 8:00 p.m.
Free Live Simulcast in Klyde Warren Park
Rockin’ And Dancin’ After Party
FIRST NIGHT CO-CHAIRS
LYNN MCBEE AND NICHOLAS EVEN
DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 – Opening Night of the Season holds the promise of something exciting, awe-inspiring and new! FIRST NIGHT presented by The Dallas Opera offers an evening of spectacular events to kick off the 2014-2015 “Heights of Passion” season with fun and flair. The festivities will begin on the lawn outside of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on Friday, October 24, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. with a red carpet entrance featuring models in custom-designed gowns based on the themes of this season’s operas. They continue with a sumptuous black-tie Pre-Performance Dinner at 6:00 p.m., co-chaired by Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger and catered by Wolfgang Puck in Sammons Park in a fabulous tent enhanced by décor inspired by the opera. The Dallas Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a charming comedy, begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, as well as at Klyde Warren Park where last year’s live opening night simulcast attracted thousands!
Following the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance, party-goers will adjourn to an exclusive FIRST NIGHT After Party with the cast, co-chaired by Jenifer Strauss and Robert Weatherly. DJ Lucy Wrubel will be spinning tunes sure to get party-goers rockin’ and dancin’ through the night. Wolfgang Puck Sweet & Savory will nourish the night with a variety of flavorful offerings including breakfast delights and an open bar.
The Winspear Opera house is located at 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX, 75201.
“What could be more special than opening night at the opera – the art form that combines some of the most beautiful music ever written, magnificent voices and acting, intriguing sets and costumes, and the powerful Dallas Opera Orchestra? We invite everyone to join us to support this remarkable company and get immersed in the excitement of the events!” explains Ms. McBee, Co-Chair.
“This is an evening not to be missed! From the wonderful Pre-Performance Dinner, to the superb opera, and then the lively After Party, we have planned a very memorable FIRST NIGHT for you. We believe you’ll be thrilled you took part in these fantastic festivities whether you’re a seasoned opera patron or a newcomer. All are welcome!” said Mr. Even, Co-Chair.
Jeffrey Horn, Event Architect for FIRST NIGHT, is the CEO of Triad Event Solutions. According to Horn, his signature style combines artistic sensibility with a hint of whimsy, and provides the perfect foundation for creating a meaningful experience for guests. “FIRST NIGHT is a playful evening of cocktails and dinner on the lawn! Couture fashion, footlights and folly fill the red carpet. Love abounds, a gilded age is celebrated, and cupid’s arrows ignite passion for the 2014 -2015 Season beneath a starry sky! The After Party completes the gala with sweet tunes spun by a little bird in a gilded cage, late night sweet treats and sips,” promises Horn about the fantastic event he’s designing.
“This is the most exhilarating time of year for The Dallas Opera. Our kick-off events are the pinnacle of the season and offer an array of enticing elements for everyone to enjoy. Opening night at the opera is always very special — one of the most incredible nights of the year. It’s an opportunity for attendees to walk the red carpet, take part in spectacular events, experience the splendor of a night at the opera, and much more. Join our family and be a part of this amazing array of activities and celebrate our ‘Heights of Passion’ Season,” explains Keith Cerny, The Dallas Opera’s CEO and General Director.
The “red carpet entrance” to the opera will feature the FIRST SIGHT Fashion Show consisting of opera-inspired designs by Elizabeth Anyaa, Michael Faircloth, Abi Ferrin, Khahn Nguyen, Edo Popken, and Nicolas Villalba. The custom gowns will be on display, worn by models posing as mannequins. These lovely couture pieces will be auctioned individually by international auction house Heritage Auctions as a fundraiser for The Dallas Opera, a non-profit arts organization, beginning on October 24. The gowns will be available for purchase on their website www.ha.com until November 9, 2014. For more information, please call 877-HERITAGE (437-4824).
The enchanting Pre-Performance Dinner will be enjoyed on Friday, October 24, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Patrons of the black-tie affair will delight in the unique ambiance created by Jeffrey Horn. Wolfgang Puck’s gourmet menu, inspired by The Marriage of Figaro, is certain to tantalize the tastebuds. Tables for the dinner range from $25,000 to $7500 with individual tickets available. All dinner tickets include After Party tickets.
The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s, The Marriage Of Figaro, opens on the evening of Friday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m. in the the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. The simulcast fun at Klyde Warren Park begins at 6:00 p.m. with a “Worst Bridesmaid’s Dress EVER!” contest, “Bouquet Toss” with prizes, and the Three Stooges 1945 classic short film “Micro-Phonies.” The thrilling opera will be simulcast live at 8:00 p.m. from the Winspear Opera House. Visit www.dallasopera.org/simulcast for more information.
Figaro loves Susanna, but he’s not the only one. In a single crazy, romantic day, doors will be locked and unlocked, disguises donned, kisses exchanged and innermost hearts revealed—to some of the most memorable music Mozart ever composed. Leading this merry band is Italian bass-baritone Mirco Palazzi (Figaro), who charmed us out of our seats as Leporello in The Dallas Opera’s 2010 production of Don Giovanni and Austrian soprano, Beate Ritter, a European favorite in her American debut as the lovely Susanna.
This stellar international cast also includes Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins as Count Almaviva. His melancholy Countess will be portrayed by the much-discussed Australian soprano, Nicole Car, in her exciting American debut. Mezzo-soprano Emily Fons, as the love-struck Cherubino. Another world renowned mezzo, Britain’s Diana Montague will be making her TDO debut as Marcellina, and performing the role of Doctor Bartolo, Kevin Langan, one of America’s most sought-after basses. Conducted by our distinguished Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and staged by acclaimed Dallas Theater Center Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty (The Lighthouse)—this Figaro could very well be a marriage made in heaven!
Performances will continue on October 26(m), 29, November 1, 7 & 9(m), 2014 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. All evening performances besides the Opening Night of the Season will begin promptly at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 PM. A free, pre-performance lecture (“The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks”) will be conducted one hour prior to curtain at most performances.
The FIRST NIGHT After Party, Friday, October 24, 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., begins as the opera ends with entertainment maven DJ Lucy Wrubel rocking the house so guests can dance the night away. The Marriage of Figaro cast members will be on hand to mix and mingle with the guests. Patrons will enjoy a fabulous breakfast bar including chicken and waffles, decadent desserts and Opera-inspired specialty drinks. Tickets for the After Party are $125 per person.
FIRST SIGHT/FIRST NIGHT Sponsors
$10,000 and above
Diane and Harold M. Brierley
Deloitte
Nicholas Even
Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger
Linda and Milledge A. Hart lll
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Caroline Rose Hunt
Liz and Scott Kimple
Holly and Tom Mayer
NorthPark Center
Katherine and Michael Phillips
St. Michelle Wine Estates
Betty and Steve Suellentrop
Jacquelin and Phillip Taylor
$5,000 and above
Lee Bailey
Nancy and Clint Carlson
Cindy and Charlie Feld
Elizabeth and Scott Kimple
Northern Trust
Marnie and Kern Wildenthal
Ellen and Don Winspear
$2,000 and above
Heather Wiese Alexander and Scott Alexander
Simona Beal
Debbie and David Burch
Debra Witter and Scott Chase
Mary and Richard Covington
Arlene and John Dayton
Patricia Donosky
Amy and Vernon Faulconer
Susan and Mark Geyer
Wanda Gierhart
Kaki and Shelton Hopkins
Suzelle Smith and Don Howarth
Myra and Robert L. Hull
Tina and Goran Klintmalm
Lynn and Allan McBee
Kim and Greg Miller
Tincy Miller
Joyce and Harvey Mitchell
Lynn and Presley Mock
Robert A. Olson
Anne and Steven Stodghill
Joanna and Peter Townsend
Ellen and Robert Vladem
For more information or to purchase tickets to FIRST NIGHT, please visit: www.dallasopera.org/firstnight.
All single tickets for individual opera performances are subject to availability. Tickets may be purchased at the door – throughout the 2014-2015 Season – or in advance by calling 214.443.1000. Subscriptions and single tickets are available for purchase online throughout the season at www.dallasopera.org.
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION, SEASON SPONSOR
FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “HEIGHTS OF PASSION” SEASON
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
Ticket Information for the 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions are on sale starting at $75. 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 2014-2015 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Eighth 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 begins one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
October 24 (The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance), Oct. 26(m), 29, November 1, 7 and 9(m), 2014
In a single crazy, romantic day, doors will be locked and unlocked, disguised donned, kisses exchanged and innermost hearts revealed—to some of the most memorable music Mozart ever composed.
An opera in four acts first performed in Vienna on May 1, 1786
Text by Lorenzo Da Ponte after the 1784 play La folle journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
Time: The late 18th century
Place: Aguasfrescas near Seville, Spain, the Almaviva’s country house
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Kevin Moriarty
Production Design: John Bury*
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Choreography: Joel Ferrell*
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mirco Palazzi (Figaro) , Beate Ritter** (Susanna), Joshua Hopkins (Count Almaviva), Nicole Car** (Countess Almaviva), Emily Fons (Cherubino), Diana Montague* (Marcellina), Kevin Langan (Doctor Bartolo), Doug Jones (Don Basilio), Angela Mannino (Barbarina), Adam Lau* (Antonio) and Jon Kolbet (Don Curzio).
Production Owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago
SALOME by Richard Strauss
October 30, November 2(m), 5, 8, 2014
Once in a great while, the term “over the top” doesn’t seem nearly high enough.
An opera in one act first performed in Dresden, Germany on December 9, 1905
Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of Oscar Wilde’s French language play
Time: During the time of Jesus Christ
Place: King Herod’s palace on the Sea of Galilee
Conductor: Evan Rogister*
Stage Director: Francesca Zambello
Original Production: Francesca Zambello
Scenic Design: Peter J. Davison*
Costume Design: Anita Yavich
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Choreography: Yael Levitin*
Starring: Deborah Voigt* (Salome), Robert Brubaker (Herod), Greer Grimsley* (Jokanaan), Susan Bickley* (Herodias), Scott Quinn (Narraboth), Heather Johnson* (Herodias’Page), Bradley Garvin (First Nazarene), Grigory Soloviov* (First Soldier), Jason Grant (Second Soldier), Joseph Hu (First Jew), Jay Gardner (Second Jew), John Robert Lindsey (Third Jew), Steven Haal (Fourth Jew), Patrick Guetti* (Fifth Jew), Tyler Simpson* (Second Nazarene), NaGuanda Nobles (A Slave) and Matthew Stump* (A Cappadocian).
Production Owned by Washington National Opera
A RARE DALLAS OPERA DOUBLE BILL:
LA WALLY by Alfredo Catalani
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
The Climactic Final Act!
First performed in Milan, Italy on January 20, 1892
Text by Luigi Illica after Wilhelmine von Hillern’s story, Die Geyer-Wally
Time: Around the year 1800
Place: The Austrian Alps
Conductor: Anthony Barrese
Stage Director: Candace Evans
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Latonia Moore (Wally), Carl Tanner* (Giuseppe Hagenbach) and Jennifer Chung (Walter)
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!
With EVEREST by Joby Talbot
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
A Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Text by Gene Scheer
Time: Modern Day
Place: In the Death Zone on Mount Everest
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Sasha Cooke (Jan Arnold), Kevin Burdette* (Beck Weathers) and Craig Verm* (Doug Hansen).
LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
March 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2015
A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production
An opera in four acts first performed in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896
Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Henry Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème
Time: mid-19th century
Place: The Latin Quarter of Paris, France
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza*
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras
Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Costume Design: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotton
Starring: Ana Maria Martinez (Mimi), Bryan Hymel (Rodolfo), Davinia Rodriguez* (Musetta), Jonathan Beyer (Marcello), Alexander Vinogradov* (Colline), Stephen LaBrie (Schaunard) and Stefan Szkafarowsky (Benoit).
One of the Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!
IOLANTA by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
April 10, 12(m), 15 and 18, 2015
A rarely performed Tchaikovsky gem, set in Medieval Provence!
First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892
Text by Modest Tchaikovsky based on the Danish play King Rene’s Daughter by Henrik Hertz
Time: The 15th century
Place: Provence, a mountainous region in Southern France
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Christian Räth
Scenic Design: Christian Räth
Costume Design: Susan Cox
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ekaterina Scherbachenko* (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov* (Count Vaudémont), Joanna Mongiardo* (Brigitta), Lauren McNeese (Laura), Tamara Mumford* (Marta), Andrei Bondarenko** (Robert, Duke of Burgandy), Mikhail Kolelishvili (Renè, King of Provence), Andrew Bidlack (Alméric), Vladislav Sulimsky** (Ibn-Hakia) and Jordan Bisch (Bertrand).
Another New Dallas Opera Production
* 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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