2019-2020 “Standing Ovation” Season Announced

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Contact: suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

THE DALLAS OPERA PROUDLY PRESENTS ITS

63rd INTERNATIONAL SEASON

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“STANDING OVATION”

Celebrating Ten Years in the Margot and Bill

Winspear Opera House, AT&T Performing Arts Center

The Magic Flute (Oct. 18-Nov. 3, 2019)

The Golden Cockerel (Oct. 25-Nov. 2, 2019)

Don Carlo (In Concert, March 20-28, 2020)

Pulcinella & La Voix Humaine (April 3-8, 2020)

The Barber of Seville (April 24-May 10, 2020)

And TDO’s Acclaimed Family Performance Series

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SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019 AT 8:00 PM

The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

At the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

DALLAS, JANUARY 24, 2019 –The Dallas Opera is proud to announce its spellbinding 2019-2020 Season, “Standing Ovation,” consisting of five mesmerizing mainstage productions, including a Dallas Opera coproduction of a rarely performed work by the composer of “Scheherazade”; a ballet with song—featuring dancers from Dallas Black Dance Theatre, on a double bill with a one-woman drama conceived by French legends Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau; in addition to perennial favorites in fresh and glorious productions! Patrons will be pleased to learn that the 63rd Season of The Dallas Opera contains some of the most popular operas ever composed—with exceptional international casts, conductors, directors and designers—working with the critically acclaimed Dallas Opera Orchestra and Dallas Opera Chorus.

In an effort to present each work as written by the composer and librettist, The Dallas Opera will continue to produce each opera in its original language with English supertitles projected above the stage for maximum enjoyment.

2019-2020 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

THE MAGIC FLUTE

By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

October 18, 20(m), 23, 26 and November 1 & 3(m), 2019

THE GOLDEN COCKEREL

By Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

October 25, 27(m), 30, and November 2, 2019

DON CARLO

By Giuseppe Verdi

March 20, 22(m), 25 and 28, 2020

A Dallas Opera Double Bill:

PULCINELLA & LA VOIX HUMAINE

PULCINELLA: Ballet with Song by Igor Stravinsky

LA VOIX HUMAINE (The Human Voice):

By Francis Poulenc with a libretto by Jean Cocteau

April 3, 4, 5(m) and 8, 2020

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

By Gioachino Rossini

April 24, 26(m), 29 and May 2, 8 and 10(m), 2020

The company will present renowned conductor Emmanuel Villaume, the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, at the podium for three of this season’s operas; as well as the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and Italian conductor Riccardo Frizza.

Every mainstage production in 2019-2020 will be presented in the critically acclaimed Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located at 2403 Flora Street in the heart of the Dallas Arts District.

Season Sponsors are The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family.

Subscription prices for the 2019-2020 Season range from $95 to $939 for all five mainstage operas (not including boxes). Dallas Opera Flex Subscriptions allow patrons to select three or more operas for as little as $19 per performance. Subscription seating goes on sale Monday, April 2, 2019 and seats will be assigned by June 15, 2019.

The benefits of becoming a Dallas Opera subscriber include substantial savings off single ticket prices, priority seating, lost ticket replacement, ticket exchanges and invitations to special events.

Single Tickets, starting at the low price of $19, will go on sale to the public in July. For more information, please contact the friendly staff in The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214-443-1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

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Notable Company Debuts in the 2019-2020 Season Include:

Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga (Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville)
Russian tenor Viktor Antipenko (Prince Guidon in The Golden Cockerel)
English tenor Barry Banks (Astrologer in The Golden Cockerel)
American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton (Princess Eboli in Don Carlo)
American tenor Lawrence Brownlee (Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville)
American soprano Andrea Carroll (Pamina in The Magic Flute)
American soprano Leah Crocetto (Elizabeth de Valois in Don Carlo)
Russian bass Nikolay Didenko (King Dodon in The Golden Cockerel)
Italian tenor Paolo Fanale (Tamino in The Magic Flute)
American tenor Brian Frutiger (Monastatos in The Magic Flute)
American mezzo-soprano Margaret Gawrysiak (Berta in The Barber of Seville)
Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva (Queen of Shemakha in The Golden Cockerel)
Italian baritone Renato Girolami (Doctor Bartolo in The Barber of Seville)
American mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey (Second Lady in The Magic Flute)
American soprano Jeni Houser (Papagena in The Magic Flute)
American director Kyle Lang (The Magic Flute)
American mezzo-soprano Hannah Ludwig (Third Lady in The Magic Flute)
American director Christopher Mattaliano (directing The Barber of Seville)
American soprano Diana Newman (First Lady in The Magic Flute)

American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba, soloist (Pulcinella)

Polish mezzo-soprano Ewa Plonka (Tebaldo in Don Carlo)
Russian soprano Olga Pudova (Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute)
English set and costume designer Gerald Scarfe (The Magic Flute)
American costume designer Jamie Scott, deceased (The Barber of Seville)

American soprano Elizabeth Sutphen as A Celestial Voice (Don Carlo)

American tenor Robert Watson (title role in Don Carlo)
Austrian baritone Markus Werba (Papageno in The Magic Flute)
American tenor Matthew White, soloist (Pulcinella)
South African soprano Pretty Yende (Rosina in The Barber of Seville

“The coming season offers a splendid opportunity to both celebrate and recollect our first decade in the Winspear Opera House,” explains Ian Derrer, The Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO.

“The thrill of working in the Winspear, as well as the prospect of making music with the likes of Emmanuel Villaume, Nicole Paiement, and guest conductors like Riccardo Frizza, continues to attract artists of the highest caliber. That trend continues with eagerly-anticipated TDO debuts of many of the most exciting singers of our day: Jamie Barton, Pretty Yende, Venera Gimadieva, Paolo Fanale, Leah Crocetto, Markus Werba, Lawrence Brownlee, Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition winner Samantha Hankey, and Robert Watson—to name a few!

“The upcoming season is also marked,” Derrer continues, “by a balanced mix of great opera in several languages, from classic to modern, in both popular and brand-new productions. The Dallas Opera’s ‘Standing Ovation’ Season offers something for everyone.”

Returning International Artists in the 2019-2020 Season:

French conductor and Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume (The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director) leading performances of The Magic Flute, The Golden Cockerel and Don Carlo
French conductor and The Dallas Opera’s Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement leading performances of Pulcinella/La Voix Humaine
Italian conductor Riccardo Frizza (The Barber of Seville)
Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom (The Magic Flute, The Golden Cockerel, Don Carlo and The Barber of Seville)
American mezzo/contralto Lindsay Ammann as Amelfa (The Golden Cockerel)
American lighting designer Krista Billings (Don Carlo, Pulcinella/La Voix Humaine)
American set and costume designer Tommy Bourgeois (Pulcinella/La Voix Humaine)
Italian conductor Paolo Bressan (Asst. Conductor, The Magic Flute, Don Carlo)
American bass Kevin Burdette as General Polkan (The Golden Cockerel)
American baritone Corey Crider as Prince Afron (The Golden Cockerel)
Scottish director/choreographer Paul Curran (The Golden Cockerel)
American director Candace Evans (Pulcinella)
American lighting designer Paul Hackenmueller (The Golden Cockerel)
British director Sir Peter Hall, deceased, (Original director of The Magic Flute)
American soprano Jeni Houser as The Golden Cockerel (The Golden Cockerel)
Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecień as Rodrigo di Posa (Don Carlo)
American bass Adam Lau as Don Basilio (The Barber of Seville)
American bass David Leigh as A Monk (Don Carlo)
British set and costume designer Gary McCann (The Golden Cockerel)
American baritone Lucas Meachem as Figaro (The Barber of Seville)
American mezzo-soprano Lindsey Metzger, soloist (Pulcinella)
American set designer Allen Moyer (The Barber of Seville)
American projections designer Driscoll Otto (The Golden Cockerel)
American bass-baritone David Pittsinger as The Speaker (The Magic Flute)
American director and soprano Patricia Racette (La Voix Humaine)
American wig and makeup designer Dawn Rivard (The Magic Flute, The Golden Cockerel)

American bass Morris Robinson as Sarastro (The Magic Flute) and as Phillip II (Don Carlo)

Italian bass Andrea Silvestrelli as The Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlo)

“There’s much to celebrate in 2019 at The Dallas Opera. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine a more exciting time to be Chair of the Dallas Opera, as the company enters a new era under the visionary leadership of General Director and CEO Ian Derrer,” explains Dallas Opera Board Chairman Mark H. LaRoe.

“This year, we will mark the tenth anniversary of our move into the beautiful Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, a twenty-first century reinterpretation of the grand, traditional ‘horseshoe’ engineered specifically for maximum enjoyment of opera and musical theater. 80,000 people in North Texas experienced The Dallas Opera last year through our critically acclaimed mainstage operas, award-winning education programs, free simulcasts, concerts and other community engagements.

However, there’s still much more to be done to make opera accessible to everyone,” LaRoe adds.

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The Dallas Opera’s 2019-2020 Season begins on a high note with The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance on Friday, October 18, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. (note the special curtain time). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final operatic masterpiece, The Magic Flute, in a dazzling Sir Peter Hall production designed for Los Angeles Opera by one of the most renowned satirical cartoonists of the 20^th century!

Italian tenor Paolo Fanale and American soprano Andrea Carroll make their company debuts as the spirited duo of Tamino and Pamina, braving trial by fire and water in order to be united at last. “Tamino demands a beautiful voice that radiates youthful ardor,” wrote Harper’s Bazaar, “and you’ll hear it from this ‘heart-throb Italian tenor (Paolo Fanale).” Meanwhile, Opera News noted that Miss Carroll is “a favorite of the Vienna State Opera, (lauded for her) vibrant soprano (with its) rich, low register and gleaming top.”

Russian soprano Olga Pudova will account for several of the performance’s high notes as the Queen of the Night. This will be her first appearance in the role in Dallas after conquering the stratospheric heights that make her the Queen of choice on major stages from Edinburgh to Vienna. Another eagerly-anticipated debut is Austrian baritone Markus Werba as the delightfully eccentric Papageno. Bachtrack praised his interpretation as “conveying the character’s good and child-like nature…his singing (was) warm and mellifluous.”

Dallas Opera favorite Morris Robinson, an American bass last seen on the Winspear stage as the Commendatore in our acclaimed 2018 spring production of Don Giovanni, “dominates the stage…with his firm, opulent tone that seems to pour forth from another world” (The Classical Review). He returns in the role of the mysterious Sarastro.

This production, originally directed by the late Sir Peter Hall, was designed by British cartoonist and illustrator extraordinaire, Gerald Scarfe, best known for a half century of scathing political cartoons for The London Sunday Times and for directing and designing the animation sequence for Pink Floyd’s film and concert versions of The Wall. Mr. Scarfe has designed sets and costumes for opera companies from Seattle to New Zealand.

The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will conduct The Dallas Opera Orchestra in an eighteenth-century masterpiece that is mixes popular song with show-stopping coloratura and a charming touch of glockenspiel.

Casting the roles of the First, Second, and Third Lady is about choosing complementary voices capable of creating one of the great trios in opera. The First Lady will be sung by American soprano Diana Newman, the Second Lady by American mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey, and the Third Lady by American contralto Hannah Ludwig – all in their TDO debuts.

The villain of the piece, Monastatos, will be portrayed by character tenor Brian Frutiger with soprano Jeni Houser as the charming Papagena and bass David Pittsinger as The Speaker.

This revival will be staged by Kyle Lang in his company debut. As always, chorus preparation is by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

Performances of The Magic Flute continue on October 20(m), 23, 26, and November 1 and 3(m), 2019 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., (except for the opening night performance mentioned above) and the curtain rises on TDO Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. There is no late seating.

The Magic Flute will be performed in its original language, German, with English-language translations projected above the stage at every performance.

Tickets may be purchased by phone (214.443.1000), online (www.dallasopera.org) or at the door. Student Rush Tickets are available 90 minutes prior to curtain – a valid student ID is required for each ticket.

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The second production of The Dallas Opera’s 2019-2020 Season is a brand-new Dallas Opera co-production of an opera that has not appeared on our stage since 1973. The Golden Cockerel by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov opens on Friday, October 25, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. in the Winspear Opera House. Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will conduct this tart-tongued comedy, imaginatively staged by esteemed Scottish director Paul Curran (Becoming Santa Claus).

This opulent Paul Curran production garnered rave reviews when it opened in Santa Fe during the 2017 summer festival. Rimsky-Korsakov’s cautionary tale about lust and power (or the lust for power) captivated both critics and audiences.

Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva will make her company debut as the exotic and oh-so-sultry Queen of Shemakha. Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News wrote, “She weaves her spell with showcase vocalism.”

Russian bass Nikolai Didenko (who, according to The New York Sun, “regularly steals the show with his seemingly effortless subterranean voice” will make his Dallas Opera debut as the delusional King Dodon. Russian tenor Viktor Antipenko and American baritone Corey Crider will sing the roles of Dodon’s backstabbing sons, Prince Guidon and Prince Afron.

Bass Kevin Burdette (Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest), described by The New York Times as “the Robin Williams of opera,” is the king’s loyal commander, General Polkan. Contralto Lindsay Ammann sings the role of Amelfa, while English tenor Barry Banks, a favorite of Metropolitan Opera audiences, makes his TDO debut as the Astrologer who seems to know all.

The Golden Cockerel will be conducted by acclaimed Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, praised for the sensitivity of his conducting by Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times. This season, Maestro Villaume was praised for his illuminating conducting of our season opener, The Flying Dutchman, which prompted Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of TheaterJones.com to write, “Emmanuel Villaume was astonishing in the pit. Having observed him for years, there is a steady upward trend from fine conductor to one of the best of our time.” Wayne Lee Gay of Texas Classical Review noted in his analysis of our second production of the current season, Carmen, “Even in the opening phrases of the Overture…Villaume’s command of the nuance and unique musical language of Bizet signaled an outstanding performance in the making.”

Scottish director/choreographer Paul Curran, who made a dazzling 2015 Dallas Opera debut with the world premiere of Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus, will revive his own production here in Dallas.

Set and costume designs are by internationally acclaimed British designer Gary McCann, whose jaw-dropping designs for The Dallas Opera’s 2015 world premiere of Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus were the talk of the town. Recent and upcoming projects include designing Der Freischütz and Macbeth for Vienna State Opera; Killology for the Royal Court Theatre; Carmen for Philadelphia Opera; and the sets for My Fair Lady for Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

The acclaimed Dallas Opera Chorus will be ably prepared by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

Sung in Russian with English supertitles projected above the stage, The Golden Cockerel can also be experienced on October 27(m), 30, and November 2, 2019. Dallas Opera evening performances begin promptly at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

The complete season schedule, artist and production team bios, synopses and more can be found online, anytime, at www.dallasopera.org.

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The third production of The Dallas Opera’s 63rd “Standing Ovation” Season is one of the greatest and most challenging works in the opera canon: Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlo, opening on Friday, March 20, 2020 for the first of four performances in the magnificent Winspear Opera House.

A generation has passed since The Dallas Opera’s sole presentation of Verdi’s titanic tale of clashing Catholics and Protestants. A French princess is forced to marry King Philip II of Spain against her will when her heart belongs to Don Carlo. In the work described by The New York Times as “The Hamlet of Italian opera—a profound and challenging venture for any opera company,” dangerous secrets and dangerous liaisons abound! A terrifying Grand Inquisitor and a duplicitous mistress of the King send tensions sky high in this explosive mix of sex, politics and religion—thrillingly brought to life by Verdi’s masterful score!

This series of concert version performances will be guided from the podium by Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume.

Soprano Leah Crocetto, “a passionate actress with a beautiful, vibrant voice” (Seattle Times) stars as the conflicted Elizabeth de Valois, torn between desire and duty. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, winner of the BBC’s prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was praised by Opera Now for giving “a searing account of Eboli’s dramatic conflicts and intense emotions.” American tenor Robert Watson, a frequent guest of Deutsche Oper Berlin, has sung repertoire ranging from Cavaradossi to Lohengrin in U.S. and European opera houses. He will make his Dallas Opera debut singing the title role.

Baritone Mariusz Kwiecień, who sings “with palpable musical and emotional investment” (John von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune), returns to TDO in the role of Rodrigo di Posa. Bass Morris Robinson, who last thrilled local audiences as The Commendatore/Stone Guest in 2018’s Don Giovanni, will apply his “gorgeously rich and sepulchral bass (The Washington Post) to the part of King Philip II—in a role debut.

Other principal singers in the cast include bass Andrea Silvestrelli as the feared Grand Inquisitor, bass David Leigh as a Monk, soprano Ewa Plonka in her house debut as Tebaldo, and soprano Elizabeth Sutphen as A Celestial Voice.

Atmospheric lighting is provided by designer Krista Billings and chorus preparation by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage, Don Carlo will have three additional concert version performances on March 22(m), 25 and 28, 2020.

Tickets are likely to go quickly; renew your Dallas Opera subscription today!

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The fourth production of The Dallas Opera’s 63rd Season is a double bill of two remarkable twentieth-century works: Pulcinella, a ballet with song by Igor Stravinsky (performed in collaboration with Dallas Black Dance Theatre) and La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice) a one-woman tour de force by Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau. The Dallas Opera is proud to present a new production of two works never before seen in Dallas!

The character of Pulcinella was introduced in Italy’s commedia dell’arte in 1620; a witty, sometimes foolish, outspoken, “voice of the common man” who conquered geographical and culture boundaries to become a fixture in European entertainment. This neo-classical ballet is based on an eighteenth-century play entitled Four Identical Pulcinellas—and was commissioned by dance impresario Sergei Diaghilev for the famous company he founded in Paris: the Ballets Russes. The original 1920 production also featured sets and costumes by world-renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

The composer utilized themes from the earlier work, erroneously attributed to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, updating them with modern cadences and harmonies. About the project, Stravinsky wrote: “Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible. It was a backward look, of course—the first of many love affairs in that direction—but it was a look in the mirror, too.”

Artists from the world-renowned Dallas Black Dance Theatre will command centerstage, accompanied by a trio of outstanding soloists: mezzo-soprano Lindsey Metzger, tenor Matthew White, and bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba. Director Candace Evans (The Merry Widow, Don Pasquale) returns to The Dallas Opera after recently guiding productions of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en al Amazonas for San Diego Opera, La Tragedie de Carmen for Opera Birmingham, Giulio Cesare for Seagle Music Colony, and The Pearl Fishers for North Carolina Opera.

The ballet is being paired with another work new to Dallas Opera audiences, composer Francis Poulenc’s setting of a raw and riveting drama by French playwright/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice). Starring the remarkable Patricia Racette as a woman on the brink in this, her TDO directorial debut, The Human Voice is a one-woman tour de force in which the audience listens in to one side of a final phone conversation between Elle and the callous ex-lover who has abandoned her for another. The Chicago Tribune raved, “Racette raises the emotional ante…she is mesmerizing from first to last, drawing into her character’s increasing distress…as her life unravels.”

This double bill marks the return of the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement, who last conducted the U.S. premiere of Dutch composer Michel van der Aa’s Sunken Garden in 2018.

Other recent career highlights include Handel’s Xerxes at the Glimmerglass Festival, Kevin Puts’ Silent Night for Atlanta Opera, a reprise of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest (which she conducted in the 2015 Dallas Opera world premiere) and numerous premieres and commissions for the San Francisco company she co-founded, Opera Parallèle. Upcoming engagements include Donizetti’s La favorite for Houston Grand Opera and Mason Bates The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Seattle Opera. In March, Maestra Paiement will conduct the world premiere of a new American chamber opera, Today It Rains, inspired by an event in the life of twentieth-century visual artist Georgia O’Keeffe.

This new Dallas Opera production will feature sets and costumes designed by Tommy Bourgeois with lighting design by Krista Billings.

Pulcinella & La Voix Humaine will be presented at the Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center on April 3, 4, 5(m) and 8, 2020. As always, sung in their original languages: Pulcinella in Italian and La Voix Humaine in French with English language supertitles.

Season subscriptions will go on sale to the public on April 2, 2019. Current season subscribers may renew at any time by contacting the friendly professionals in The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office, at 214.443.1000.

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The final production of the 63rd International Season is a comedy that transcended styles, cultures and languages to become an all-time favorite: Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, opening Friday, April 24, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.

Disguises and false identities abound as men—young and old—vie for the hand of the beautiful Rosina in one of the funniest and most frenetic operas ever composed! Rossini’s delightful 19^th century comedy centers on “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!” a scheming barber and jack-of-all-trades, sung by Grammy Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem, described by San Francisco Classical Voice as a scene-stealer “who draws all eyes…with his charismatic Figaro.”

Figaro plots with Count Almaviva (sung in their TDO debuts by Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga in the first two performances, and by tenor Lawrence Brownlee, “a super nova in the grand opera firmament” in all subsequent performances) to release Bartolo’s headstrong ward, Rosina, from her gilded cage. South African soprano Pretty Yende, who displays “a voice that has a lilting, silvery quality that is both bright and delicate,” portrays the willful Rosina in her company debut. Italian baritone Renato Girolami blusters as the easily duped Doctor Bartolo.

American bass Adam Lau will delight audiences as the music master, Don Basilio, and soprano Margaret Gawrysiak portrays Berta, the governess.

Conducted by Italian Maestro Riccardo Frizza, who will guide our spring performances of Verdi’s Falstaff, this Minnesota Opera production will be staged by director Christopher Mattaliano in his company debut. The sets were designed by Allen Moyer, costumes by the late Jamie Scott, and chorus preparation by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage, this uproarious production will captivate patrons in additional performances on April 26(m), 29, May 2, 8 & 10(m), 2020.

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Evening performances during the 2019-2020 Season will begin at 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise stated (including the 8:00 p.m. curtain for the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance). All Sunday matinees are slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.

The “Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks,” a free background lecture designed to enhance your enjoyment of the opera being performed, takes place in Nancy B. Hamon Hall located just off the Winspear Opera House lobby, one hour prior to each performance, except for Opening Night of the Season.

Dallas Opera performs mainstage works in their original languages. Easy-to-read English translations are projected above the stage during every Dallas Opera performance—even those sung in English—and special headsets are available for the hearing impaired.

No late seating is permitted at Dallas Opera performances once the house doors are closed. Latecomers will be seated at the first available opportunity (usually, intermission).

Flex subscriptions for three mainstage performances of your choice begin at $24 for the 2019-2020 Season. Full Subscriptions begin at $100 for all five productions. New subscriptions will become available on April 2, 2019.

Single Tickets for next season will start at $19 and are expected to go on sale in early July. Group rates are available. Student Rush Tickets are available 90 minutes prior to curtain. With a valid Student ID you can obtain “the best available seat” for as little as $15.

For additional information about the “Standing Ovation” Season, call The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214-443-1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

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Put aside those computers, tablets, and smart phones—and grab the kiddos—in order to take advantage of budget-minded, kid-friendly performances offered by The Dallas Opera in the 2019-2020 Season!

In addition to presenting world-class opera, and to providing support for outstanding young artists, established stars, and up-and-coming female conductors; The Dallas Opera is also committed to introducing the joys of opera to as many people as possible, and to provide budget-minded, kid-friendly performances that can be enjoyed by North Texans of every age, background and educational level.

The always popular Dallas Opera Family Performance Series is generously supported by the Betty and Steve Suellentrop Educational Outreach Fund.

TDO Family Performances are a part of the Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs.

Five dollar single tickets will be available through The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or 24/7 at dallasopera.org/family.

2019-2020 FAMILY PERFORMANCE SERIES

DOCTOR MIRACLE

By Georges Bizet

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Georges Bizet’s romantic, one-act operetta about love and omelets was composed for a music competition when the composer (world-renowned for his operas Carmen and The Pearl Fishers) was just eighteen years old. A youthful vitality permeates this story set in 19^th century Padua, Italy, in the home of the Mayor, his wife Veronica, and his love-struck daughter, Laurette. She’s enamored of the ever-resourceful Silvio, an army captain, who dons one disguise after another to infiltrate the household, in order to win the hand of the girl he adores. Sound simple? Guess again! The classic storybook set and costumes were designed by Production Designer Tommy Bourgeois.

THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS

By John Davies

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Saturday, April 4, 2020

An operatic version of a Brothers Grimm classic fairytale: “The Town Musicians of Bremen,” enhanced with music by Rossini, Donizetti, Offenbach, Arthur Sullivan and Verdi.

Eddie Pensier, a rooster with operatic aspirations, is chased away from his farm for waking the barnyard with tenor arias. On the very same day, Barcarolle, the dog, and Dorabella, the cat, are cast out by their owner for being too old to catch rabbits and mice. The three animals run into the woods near the road to Bremen where General Boom, a retired army donkey, is marching along playing his drum. He’s on his way to Bremen to begin a new band. As each of the runaways cross the General’s path, he invites them to join his band. They have plans of their own, however, and decline the invitation. The woods surrounding the Bremen Road are filled with uncertainty. Eddie, Dorabella and Barcarolle become lost and argue angrily until General Boom hears their shouting and rescues them. With rumors of robbers approaching, they accept the General’s suggestion to overlook their differences, join his band and march to Bremen. Working together as a team they overcome difficult circumstances further down the road, and as they approach their new home, the newly formed Bremen Town Musicians celebrate the idea that friendship, cooperation, and respect for others is far better than facing problems alone.

$5 performances in the Winspear Opera House. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Learn more online at www.dallasopera.org/family.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT!

THE 5^th HART INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN CONDUCTORS SHOWCASE

NOVEMBER 9, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

THE MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE

AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Six of the world’s most promising conductors—all of them women—take the podium to conduct a concert of opera favorites featuring some of the nation’s top young singers performing with The Dallas Opera Orchestra. Hundreds of conductors from countries around the globe have competed for the handful of places available in this young-but-prestigious institute. Six are chosen each year to participate in the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors, an intensive, two-week residency—and an opportunity to work with some of the music industry’s most renowned leaders, artists, conductors, and agents.

Tickets for this exceptional annual concert event start at just $10. Season ticket holders and donors receive priority seating—place your order when you subscribe! Call 214.443.1000.

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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.

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2018-2019 SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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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. Flex Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets range from $19 to $289 (excluding boxes). 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, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2018-2019 MAINSTAGE SEASON: SPRING

The Dallas Opera celebrates its 62ndInternational 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. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

MANON LESCAUT by Giacomo Puccini

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

Featuring images of select art works from the collections of The Dallas Museum of Art!

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

Libretto by Domenico Oliva and Luigi Illica

Time: Late 18^th century

Place: France and America

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Director: Ed Berkeley

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 des Grieux), Andrea Silvestrelli (Geronte de Ravoir), 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: 19^th 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** (Mimi), Anthony Clark Evans* (Marcello), Sara Gartland (Musetta), Will Liverman* (Schaunard), Nicholas Brownlee* (Colline), and Samuel Ramey (Benoit/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 and Costume Designer: Adrian Linford*

Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher*

Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Mark Delavan* (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

______________________________________________________________________________

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CARMEN Simulcast at Klyde Warren Park

Patrons at Klyde Warren Park Enjoy Opera Beneath the Stars! (Photo by Karen Almond)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD

TO ANNOUNCE

Bizet’s CARMEN

TDO’s 17th FREE LIVE SIMULCAST!

Presented in Fabulous Klyde Warren Park
~~~~

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Live from the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

At The AT&T Performing Arts Center

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Activities and Entertainment include Tom & Jerry Cartoon Carmen Get It! and Carmen Costume Contest

Opening night simulcast made possible by support from

The Enrico Foundation

Additional Support Provided by Texas Instruments

DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 – The Dallas Opera announces a free public simulcast at beautiful Klyde Warren Park featuring the gripping and passionate story of Carmen, by Georges Bizet. The special presentation takes place in Downtown Dallas on Friday, October 19, 2018 (program begins at 6:30 p.m., curtain time – 7:30 p.m.).

This will be a live simulcast of the opening night performance in the Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presented for park patrons on a large high definition video screen. The Carmen Simulcast is made possible in part by The Enrico Foundation with additional support provided by Texas Instruments.

This event will mark the 17^th free live simulcast presented by The Dallas Opera since 2010.

Klyde Warren Park is located at 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX 75201. Sign up today for reminders and updates about activities at www.dallasopera.org/simulcast. No reservations are required to attend.

“The free fall simulcast in Klyde Warren Park has quickly evolved into one of our most popular traditions,” explains Dallas Opera Director of Marketing and Ticket Sales Carrie Ellen Adamian. “It’s not merely a grand night for opera, it’s a marvelous opportunity to celebrate community life with your loved ones, children, and friends. For those who may never have experienced opera before, Carmen is especially thrilling with its combination of fantastic melodies and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your…blanket.”

~~~~

The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. before the sun goes down with KLUV Radio’s popular morning show host Jody Dean and Kristian Roberts, Education Program Senior Manager for The Dallas Opera. Activities include a trivia contest, behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast, and a 1962 Tom & Jerry cartoon, Carmen Get It! (courtesy of WB Classics).

The Dallas Opera will also revive our popular “Carmen Costume Contest” which asks the relevant question: “What Kind of Carmen Are You?”

Whether you envision yourself as a traditional Carmen, a Carmen Electra or a Carmen Miranda—male or female, on two legs or four (yes, pets can enter)—you’re being summoned to the Klyde Warren Park stage in your most imaginative Carmen finery to mark The Dallas Opera’s exciting live simulcast. Judging will take place at the simulcast location around 8:30 p.m. (during first intermission) with prize winners to be determined the old-fashioned way: by audience acclaim. Competitors are advised to bring loud and enthusiastic friends.

The public is encouraged to arrive with time to spare before the 7:30 curtain, and to bring blankets or low lawn-chairs to secure their spot on the lawn. A variety of nearby wining-and-dining options include Savor, serving New American cuisine and assorted food trucks.

“Since its inception, Klyde Warren Park has been committed to bringing the very best of the performing arts free of charge to all our patrons,” said Kit Sawers, President of Klyde Warren Park. “The Dallas Opera simulcast has been one of our most successful and beloved programs, with thousands attending each year from all across North Texas. This valued partnership is a dream come true, bringing together people of all ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups for an exciting celebration of the arts with a unique, community-bridging synergy.”

Carmen is the tale of a woman who refuses to be possessed and the man who longs to make her his own forever. Set in 19^th century Seville, Spain, this passionate tale of love, jealousy, and obsession is among the most popular operas ever composed. English language supertitles will be on screen throughout the simulcast.

Carmen’s stellar international cast includes sultry French mezzo-soprano Stephanie d’Oustrac in the title role; tenor Stephen Costello in his role debut as Don José; soprano Vanessa Vasquez in her company debut as Micaëla; Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov as Escamillo; sopranos Sarah Tucker as Frasquita and Lindsay Metzger as Mercédès in their company debuts; tenor Rafael Moras as El Remendado and baritone Corey Crider as El Dancairo in their house debuts; bass Ben Wager as Zuniga, and baritone Gideon Dabi in his TDO debut as Morales.

Sung in French, with English language translations projected above the Winspear Opera House stage, Carmen can also be experienced in the traditional opera house setting during any of six mainstage performances: October 19, 21(m), 24, 27, November 2 & 4, 2018.

Subscriptions and FLEX three-packs (three operas of your choice) for the Dallas Opera’s 2018-2019 “Swept Away” Season are on sale now, starting at just $100 for all five mainstage productions, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org.

Single tickets start at just $19. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for $15 to $25, depending on the section, (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance. Simulcasts are always free of charge and open to all members of the public.

The complete season schedule, artist and production team bios, synopses and more can be found at www.dallasopera.org.

~~~~

ABOUT KLYDE WARREN PARK

Klyde Warren Park serves as a central gathering space for Dallas and its visitors. The 5.2 acre deck park, designed by the Office of James Burnett, is an urban green space built over the recessed Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul streets in downtown Dallas. Klyde Warren Park is a highly active space, providing daily free programming for the public ranging from yoga to lecture series to outdoor concerts and films. The park is privately operated and managed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. For more information on programming, volunteering or to make a donation to support free daily programs, please visit www.KlydeWarrenPark.org.

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, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

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

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, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2018-2019 MAINSTAGE SEASON

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

Original 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 owned returns to The Dallas Opera stage!

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Time: 19^th 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: Stephanie D’Oustrac* (Carmen), Stephen Costello (Don José), Vanessa Vasquez* (Micaëla), Alexander Vinogradov (Escamillo), Sarah Tucker* (Frasquita), Lindsay Metzger* (Mercédès), Rafael Moras* (El Remendado), Corey Crider* (El Dancairo), Ben Wager (Zuniga), Gideon Dabi* (Morales).

MANON LESCAUT by Giacomo Puccini

Semi-Staged, 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 18^th century

Place: France and America

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Director: Ed Berkeley

Set Designer: TBA

Costume Designer: TBA

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 des Grieux), Andrea Silvestrelli* (Geronte de Ravoir), 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: 19^th 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

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 and Costume Designer: Adrian Linford*

Lighting Designer: Rick Fisher*

Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

______________________________________________________________________________

###

The Dallas Opera’s LA TRAVIATA Opens Oct. 27th

THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT
GIUSEPPE VERDI’S HEARTBREAKING 1853 MASTERPIECE
LA TRAVIATA
LIBRETTO BY FRANCESCO MARIA PIAVE
~~~~
STARRING
SOPRANO GEORGIA JARMAN AS VIOLETTA, TENOR RENÉ BARBERA AS ALFREDO, AND BELARUSSIAN BARITONE VLADISLAV SULIMSKY AS GIORGIO GERMONT

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CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO CARLO MONTANARO
IN HIS DALLAS OPERA DEBUT
ORIGINAL DIRECTION BY FRANK GALATI
2017 REVIVAL DIRECTED BY STEFANIA PANIGHINI
IN HER AMERICAN DEBUT
~~~~
OPENING NIGHT: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017
7:30 PM IN THE WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES
October 29 (m), November 1, 4, 10 & 12 (m)
~~~~
PRODUCTION UNDERWRITER:
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION

DALLAS, OCTOBER 10, 2017 – The Dallas Opera is proud to present the second mainstage production of the 2017-2018 “Motives Unmasked!” Season: Giuseppe Verdi’s tender and bittersweet romance, LA TRAVIATA, opening on Friday, October 27, 2017 (The Amy and Vernon Faulconer Performance) at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas. Verdi’s tragic-yet-beautiful tale of a “fallen woman” consistently appears at or near the top of the list of the world’s most popular operas.
This sumptuous production from Lyric Opera of Chicago stars American soprano Georgia Jarman as the doomed Paris courtesan, Violetta Valéry; American tenor René Barbera in his company debut as Alfredo, the naïve young man who falls head-over-heels for her; and Belarussian baritone Vladislav Sulimsky as Alfredo’s deeply concerned father, Giorgio Germont.
In their Dallas Opera debuts, acclaimed Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro guides the performance from the podium and Stefania Panighini—in her American debut—directs the 2017 revival of a production originally staged by director Frank Galati.
This production is made possible through the generosity of the Texas Instruments Foundation.
Subsequent performances of LA TRAVIATA will take place on October 29(m), November 1, 4, 10 and 12(m), 2017. Single tickets start at $19. Contact the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or purchase online, 24/7, at dallasopera.org.

Based on the play La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils (the Younger) who originally presented the tragic love story as a novel, Verdi’s 1853 masterpiece overflows with some of the opera’s most sensuous and beautiful melodies, the most memorable characters, and the most heart-rending drama, making it a popular favorite from that day to this.

Praised for her “crystalline tone and uncommon attention to detail” combined with “rhapsodic voluptuousness” (Opera), Georgia Jarman studied at Boston University and the Manhattan School of Music before captivating opera audiences across the U.S. in performances at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Boston Lyric Opera, Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Florentine Opera—as well as her 2010 Dallas Opera debut as Donna Elvira opposite Paolo Szot’s dangerously charming Don Giovanni. Since her initial bow at English National Opera, Ms. Jarman has conquered audiences throughout Europe and has become a favorite of audiences at Covent Garden. Her triumphs there include her portrayal of all four heroines in the Richard Jones production of The Tales of Hoffmann, for which The Independent (U.K.) hailed her as the “discovery of the year.”
Ms. Jarman’s mastery of both lyric coloratura and bel canto repertoire has earned critical acclaim and left audiences “gasping” with pleasure.
Romantically linked with Miss Jarman’s Violetta is tenor René Barbera, the first sole recipient of all three awards of the Operalia Competition in 2011. He sang performances of Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola in his debuts with Seattle Opera and Los Angeles Opera, and was heard as Almaviva at the Stanislavsky Music Theatre in Moscow. Mr. Barbera made his 2013 Santa Fe Opera debut as Rodrigo in Rossini’s La Donna del Lago. Recent highlights include Almaviva with the Opéra National de Paris, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Almaviva and Iopas in Les Troyens in San Francisco, Tonio in La Fille du Régiment with Greensboro Opera, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Los Angeles Opera, Giannetto in La Gazza Ladra and Narciso in Il Turco in Italia at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. He also appeared as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri, conducted by James Levine, prompting Classical Source to write: “He melted hearts with (his) ardent tone and thrilling high notes.”
Mr. Barbera sang his first Alfredo in La Traviata in Palermo, Italy.
This season, René Barbera will make a number of additional house debuts: Deutsche Oper Berlin as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, at Teatro all Scala Milan as Ernesto in Don Pasquale with conductor Riccardo Chailly, and for the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich as Ramiro in Rossini’s version of the Cinderella story, La Cenerentola. Other notable upcoming engagements include I Puritani at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and a return to the Opéra National de Paris as Almaviva.

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This celebrated production also marks the welcome return of Belarussian baritone Vladislav Sulimsky to the Dallas Opera stage in the wake of a show-stopping appearance on the Winspear stage as Ibn-Hakia in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. A member of the famed Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he has sung countless roles since 2004, the Grammy-nominated Mr. Sulimsky made a strong impression on Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell: “With a dignified presence and a substantive polished baritone, Vladislav Sulimsky is deeply sympathetic.”

“I am confident that Georgia Jarman and René Barbera will captivate audiences with their profound artistry and, together, they should create some of the most exciting chemistry onstage this season,” says Dallas Opera General Director & CEO Keith Cerny. “Just when you think Georgia can’t possibly sing any better—she astounds you by giving even more to her performances; and René’s star is rising so quickly in the opera firmament, he’s practically in orbit.
“This is one TRAVIATA,” Mr. Cerny adds, “that will be talked about for many seasons to come.”
American mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis will be making her Dallas Opera Debut as Violetta’s closest friend and confidante, Flora Bervoix. Earlier, Ms. Levis made quite a splash in the trousers role of Cherubino (at Wolf Trap and elsewhere) prompting Opera News to write that she “sailed through the role…leaving an impressive vocal glow in her wake.” Ms. Levis has been widely praised for her talent, versatility and fearlessness. She was awarded First Prize in the 2017 Klaudia Taev Competition and spent a full season with the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera.
Tenor Brenton Ryan will make his first appearance on the Winspear stage as Alfredo’s friend Gastone. Hailed by Opera News for his “remarkable tonal suavity and refined phrasing,” Mr. Ryan is the winner of the Birgit Nilsson Prize of the 2016 Operalia competition and will be seen this season as Spoletta in a new Metropolitan Opera production of Tosca being broadcast to theaters around the world.
Bass-baritone Dale Travis will return to the Dallas Opera in the role of Baron Douphol.
Baritone Daniel Armstrong will make his house debut as the Marchese D’Obigny along with soprano Rachel Sterrenberg as Annina (Violetta’s loyal maid). In his second appearance on the TDO stage this season, bass-baritone Ryan Kuster returns in the role of the sympathetic Doctor Grenvil.
Rounding out the cast is tenor Brian Rosewell as Violetta’s servant, Giuseppe; baritone Bobby L. Tinnion as Flora’s manservant; and bass Kyle Hancock as the Messenger.

All six performances will be led by renowned Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro in his official Dallas Opera debut.
After serving as music director of Warsaw’s Teatr Wielki from 2011 to 2014, Montanaro made house debuts at Opéra de Monte Carlo (Tosca), Rigoletto at Warsaw Opera, Seattle Opera (Maria Stuarda), Sydney Opera House, and San Francisco Opera where he conducted Puccini’s La Bohème. Mark Mandel of Opera News observed that Montanaro conducted with “Muti-like verve and sprung rhythms,” while a rave review of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra in Seen and Heard International drew attention to the “astounding job (Montanaro) did with this ensemble” and his terrific interaction with the singers. The review concluded, “Who says conductors don’t matter anymore?”
Maestro Montanaro regularly conducts high-level master classes for women conductors on the cusp of major careers, as part of the prestigious Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera.

This lushly romantic Lyric Opera of Chicago production was designed by Desmond Heeley with lighting design by Alan Burrett, and wig and make-up designs by Dawn Rivard.
The choreographer is John de los Santos.
Chorus Master Alexander Rom has the task of preparing the superb Dallas Opera Chorus.
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Set in 19th-century Paris, where the young heir to a distinguished family name falls passionately in love with a woman of uncertain virtue, LA TRAVIATA is one of the most soulfully romantic works in the opera canon.
Modeled after the too-short life and times of one of Paris’ best-known 19th century beauties, Marie Duplessis (who later went on to have a torrid affair with composer Franz Liszt); this is the story of her sometimes stormy relationship with writer Alexander Dumas the Younger, who immortalized her as “The Lady of the Camellias” after she succumbed to tuberculosis at the tender age of 23. After her death, the frenzied sale of her remaining jewels and belongings paid-off her outstanding debts and provided a tidy bequest to her niece in Normandy, who inherited Marie’s ill-gotten gains on the condition that she never set foot in Paris.
In Dumas’ book, which served as the basis for his later play, his fictional heroine tells us, “I built a future life on your love; I dreamed of the country, of purity.” In Verdi’s opera, Alfredo (the stand-in for Dumas fils) was raised far from the wicked city-life and, in his naiveté, barely comprehends the choices that Violetta has been forced to make, in order to survive.
However, composer Giuseppe Verdi, who at the time was living in his own “scandalous” and unconventional arrangement with Giuseppina Strepponi, understood these characters completely and renders them indelibly upon our hearts.
For additional information about the cast, artistic/production team, and synopsis, or to purchase this “hot ticket”—visit www.dallasopera.org today.

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 groundbreaking 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 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.

~~~~
2017-2018 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 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 2017-2018 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 $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, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2017-2018 SEASON MAINSTAGE INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixty-First 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. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

SAMSON & DALILA by Camille Saint-Saëns
October 20, 22 (m), 25, 28, and November 5 (m), 2017
A passionate drama of biblical proportions!
Libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire
Time: 1150 B.C.E.
Place: Ancient Palestine
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume / Pierre Vallet*
Director: Bruno Berger-Gorski*
Set Designer: Peter Dean Beck*
Costume Designer: Carrie Robbins*
Lighting Designer: Alan Burrett
Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Choreographer: Nycole Ray*
Starring: Olga Borodina* (Dalila), Clifton Forbis (Samson), Richard Paul Fink (High Priest of Dagon), Michael Chioldi* (Abimélech) and Ryan Kuster (Old Hebrew)
A traditional period production from Pittsburgh Opera!

LA TRAVIATA (“The Fallen Woman”) by Giuseppe Verdi
October 27, 29 (m), November 1, 4, 10 and 12 (m), 2017
Come toast the greatest love story in all of opera!
Time: Mid-19th century
Place: Paris, France and the French countryside
Conductor: Carlo Montanaro*
Original Director: Frank Galati*
Revival Director: Stefania Panighini**
Production Designer: Desmond Heeley
Lighting Designer: Alan Burrett
Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Choreographer: John de los Santos
Starring: Georgia Jarman (Violetta Valéry), René Barbera* (Alfredo Germont), Vladislav Sulimsky (Giorgio Germont), Abigail Levis* (Flora Bervoix), Brenton Ryan* (Gastone), Dale Travis (Baron Douphol), Daniel Armstrong* (Marchese D’Obigny), Ryan Kuster (Doctor Grenvil) and Rachel Sterrenberg* (Annina)
A gorgeous, classic production from Lyric Opera of Chicago!

THE RING OF POLYKRATES & VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR
A sweeping Viennese concerto paired with a charming domestic comedy!
By Erich Wolfgang Korngold
February 9, 11 (m), 14 and 17, 2018
Violin Soloist (KORNGOLD CONCERTO): Augustin Dumay*
The Dallas Opera Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Villaume

THE RING OF POLYKRATES
Sumptuous Viennese music laced with orchestral color and wit!
Libretto by Leo Feld
Time: Early 20th century
Place: Vienna, Austria
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Director: Peter Kazaras
Set Designer: Donald Eastman*
Costume Designer: Tommy Bourgeois
Lighting Designer: Krista Billings
Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard
Starring: Paul Groves* (Wilhelm Arndt), Laura Wilde* (Laura), Brenton Ryan (Florian Döbllinger), Susannah Biller* (Lieschen), and Craig Colclough* (Peter Vogel).
One of the most rarely performed opera gems! In its third professional U.S. production!

SUNKEN GARDEN by Michel van der Aa
March 9, 11 (m), 14 and 17, 2018
A phenomenal visual, musical and emotional adventure – live and in 3-D!
Libretto by David Mitchell
Time: Present Day
Place: Unknown
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Director: Michel van der Aa*
Set Designer: Theun Mosk**
Costume Designer: Astrid Schulz**
Lighting Designer: Theun Mosk**
Sound Designer: Tom Gelissen*
Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard
Starring: Roderick Williams* (Toby Kramer), Katherine Manley* (Zenna Briggs), and Miah Persson* (Iris Marinus).
Combining live actors and 2-D and 3-D film, to take you where opera has never gone before!

DON GIOVANNI by W.A. Mozart
April 13, 15 (m), 18, 21, 27 and 29 (m), 2018
Mozart’s operatic masterpiece brought vividly to life under the baton of Music Director Emmanuel Villaume!
Time: 20th century
Place: Seville, Spain and the surrounding countryside
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Director: Robert Falls*
Set Designer: Walt Spangler*
Costume Designer: Ana Kuzmanic*
Original Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler
Lighting Designer: Chris Maravich*
Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mariusz Kwiecień (Don Giovanni), Laura Claycomb (Donna Anna), David Portillo* (Don Ottavio), Ellie Dehn* (Donna Elvira), Kyle Ketelsen* (Leporello), Virginie Verrez (Zerlina), Craig Verm (Masetto), and Morris Robinson (The Commendatore).
An evocative and thrilling production from Lyric Opera of Chicago!

* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut

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2017-2018 Season Announcement at NorthPark Center

Photo by Maxine Helfman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071

suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

THE DALLAS OPERA PROUDLY PRESENTS ITS

61^st INTERNATIONAL SEASON

~~~~

FIVE AMAZING PRODUCTIONS

INCLUDING THE U.S. PREMIERE OF

MICHEL VAN DER AA’S SUNKEN GARDEN

AND A DELIGHTFUL KORNGOLD RARITY:

THE RING OF POLYKRATES

2017-2018 Features Three Dazzling Classics

Samson & Dalila (Oct. 20-Nov. 5, 2017)

La traviata (Oct. 27-Nov. 12, 2017) and

Don Giovanni (April 13-April 29, 2018)

~~~~

SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

~~~~

Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017 AT 8:00 PM

The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

At the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

DALLAS, JANUARY 26, 2017 –The Dallas Opera is proud to announce its ambitious 2017-2018 Season, “Motives Unmasked!” consisting of five entertaining and varied mainstage productions, including a dazzling U.S. premiere and a new Dallas Opera production of a very early opera by Viennese wunderkind Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

The 61^st Season of The Dallas Opera mixes classics with the cutting edge in both unfamiliar and favorite productions.

Considered by many to be the ultimate art form, each opera will feature the powerful singing and acting of acclaimed international artists; outstanding conductors, directors and designers; The Dallas Opera Orchestra and The Dallas Opera Chorus; superb sets and costumes; imaginative technological enhancements and more.

In an effort to present each work in its truest form as written by the composer and librettist, The Dallas Opera will continue to produce each opera in its original language with English supertitles projected above the stage for maximum enjoyment.

2017-2018 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

SAMSON & DALILA

By Camille Saint-Saëns

October 20, 22(m), 25, 28 and November 5(m), 2017

LA TRAVIATA

By Giuseppe Verdi

October 27, 29(m) and November 1, 4, 10 and 12(m), 2017

VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR, OP. 35

THE RING OF POLYKRATES

By Erich Wolfgang Korngold

February 9, 11(m), 14 and 17, 2018

SUNKEN GARDEN

By Michel van der Aa

March 9, 11(m), 14 and 17, 2018

DON GIOVANNI

By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

April 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2018

“We have enlisted the talents of some of the finest composers, singers, conductors, directors and designers to create visually arresting, intellectually and emotionally satisfying performances filled with a wide range of extraordinary music and drama,” explains Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera.

“Our 61^st International Season, “Motives Unmasked!” will include three beloved classics, a U.S. premiere, an exquisite concerto, and a delightful opera rarity so rare, that we believe it has only had two professional productions in this country since it originally premiered in Munich 100 years ago.”

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Subscription prices for the 2017-2018 Season start at $95 for all five mainstage opera productions and go on sale April 3, 2017. The benefits of becoming a Dallas Opera subscriber include substantial savings off single ticket prices, priority seating, lost ticket replacement, ticket exchanges and invitations to special events. Single Tickets, starting at the low price of $19, go on sale to the public in July. For more information, please contact the friendly staff in The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214-443-1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

Notable company debuts in the 2017-2018 Season will include:

Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina as Dalila (Samson & Dalila)
German director Bruno Berger-Gorski (Samson & Dalila)
American baritone Michael Chioldi as Abimélech in Samson & Dalila
Italian director Stefania Panighini (La traviata)
American tenor René Barbera as Alfredo in La traviata
American mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis as Flora Bervoix in Traviata
Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro (La traviata)
American tenor Brenton Ryan as Gastone in La traviata
American baritone Daniel Armstrong as the Marchese D’Obigny (La traviata)
French violinist Augustin Dumay (Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major)
American tenor Paul Groves as Wilhelm Arndt in The Ring of Polykrates
American soprano Laura Wilde as Laura in The Ring of Polykrates
American soprano Susannah Biller as Lieschen in The Ring of Polykrates
American bass-baritone Craig Colclough as Peter Vogel in Polykrates
Dutch composer/director Michel van der Aa (Sunken Garden)
British baritone Roderick Williams as Toby Kramer in Sunken Garden
English soprano Katherine Manley as Zenna Briggs in Sunken Garden
Swedish soprano Miah Persson as Iris Marinus in Sunken Garden
American director Robert Falls (Don Giovanni)
American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello in Don Giovanni

Designer debuts next season will include:

Peter Dean Beck and Carrie Robins (Samson & Dalila)
Donald Eastman (The Ring of Polykrates)
Theun Mosk and Astrid Schulz (Sunken Garden)
Walt Spangler and Ana Kuzmanic (Don Giovanni).

Returning international artists in the 2017-2018 Season will include:

French conductor and Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume leading performances of Samson & Dalila; Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 and The Ring of Polykrates; and Don Giovanni
French conductor and Dallas Opera Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement conducting the U.S. premiere of Michel van der Aa’s Sunken Garden
Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom (Samson, Traviata, Giovanni)
American tenor Clifton Forbis as Samson in Samson & Dalila
American baritone Richard Paul Fink as the High Priest of Dagon (Samson)
American bass-baritone Ryan Kuster as Old Hebrew (Samson & Dalila)
American soprano Georgia Jarman as Violetta in La traviata
Belarus baritone Vladislav Sulimsky as Germont in La traviata
American bass-baritone Dale Travis as Baron Douphol in La traviata
British designer Desmond Heeley (La traviata)
American director Peter Kazaras (The Ring of Polykrates)
Costume designer Tommy Bourgeois and lighting designer Krista Billings for The Ring of Polykrates
Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecie? as Don Giovanni
American soprano Laura Claycomb as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
American tenor David Portillo as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni
American soprano Ellie Dehn as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
French mezzo-soprano Virginie Verrez as Zerlina in Don Giovanni
American baritone Craig Verm as Masetto in Don Giovanni
American bass Morris Robinson as The Commendatore in Giovanni
Lighting designer Duane Schuler (Don Giovanni)

“Great opera will always speak to us,” explains General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, “because it illuminates aspects of our nature and helps us define the times in which we live.

“It is my aim to give Dallas Opera audiences the opportunity to better understand their world through the powerful mediums of music and drama. I sincerely believe that the 61^st International Season, filled with remarkable storytelling and unforgettable performances, will make good on that promise.”

The Dallas Opera continues to expand and increase its reputation for producing important, world-class opera and the 2017-2018 season will be no exception.

The company will also present internationally renowned conductors: Emmanuel Villaume, the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, at the podium for three operas, Nicole Paiement, the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor, and Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro.

Every mainstage production will be presented in the magnificent Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located at 2403 Flora Street in the heart of the Dallas Arts District.

~~~~

The Dallas Opera’s 2017-2018 Season, begins with The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance on Friday, October 20, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. (note the special time). Camille Saint-Saëns’ passionate and romantic SAMSON & DALILA will launch the new season by bringing the house down!

Tenor Clifton Forbis and Russian soprano Olga Borodina—in her eagerly awaited Dallas Opera debut!—portray the doomed twosome, trapped in a love affair of biblical proportions.

Samson is the only hope of his people, the Hebrews, in the oppressive grip of the Philistines. Enter Dalila, the calculating seductress capable of capturing men’s hearts with ease. Her temptation of Samson continues until she gets what she wants: the secret of his strength. Camille Saint-Saëns’ opera builds to the familiar, spectacular climax, taken straight from the Book of Judges.

Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will conduct the renowned Dallas Opera Orchestra in “one of the brightest jewels of French opera.”

Recently, Maestro Villaume triumphed in a revival of Jonathan Kent’s production of Tosca at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; prompting Hannah Nepil of The Financial Times to praise Villaume for “teasing out sultry, sumptuous playing from his orchestra.”

He also earned uniformly outstanding notices for his superb conducting of The Dallas Opera’s 2016 revival of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick, which prompted Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Theater Jones to write, “…with Villaume on the podium, Heggie’s score comes across as much more neo-tonal, lush, magnificently constructed and neo-romantic opera than what I perceived in the score back then. Vocal lines soar, giving singers some great bel-canto phrases that are grateful for the voice.”

Dramatic tenor Clifton Forbis has sung some of the most challenging roles in the operatic repertoire. He has mesmerized Dallas Opera audiences as Siegmund in Die Walküre, as well as a “forceful and manly” Tristan. Samson is a signature role for Mr. Forbis, who has performed this part at Bilbao, San Francisco Opera and the Met.

He will star opposite the legendary Olga Borodina, the ultimate Dalila, according to London-based critic Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph. Adam Wasserman of Opera News observed “…to watch Borodina is to see the masterful emergence of a truly human, fully formed character…buttressed by some of the most luxurious, thrilling vocalism that one can hope to encounter in an opera house.”

Other members of this cast include Grammy-winning baritone Richard Paul Fink as the High Priest of Dagon, baritone Michael Chioldi in his TDO debut as Abimélech (the Philistine provincial governor), and bass-baritone Ryan Kuster as the Old Hebrew.

This Pittsburgh Opera production was designed by Peter Dean Beck (sets) and Carrie Robins (costumes) in their company debuts.

The opera will be staged by German director Bruno Berger-Gorski in his house debut. As always, chorus preparation is by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

Performances continue on October 22(m), 25, 28 and November 5, 2017 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., (except for the opening night performance mentioned above) and the curtain rises on our Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. There is no late seating.

SAMSON & DALILA will be performed in its original language, French, with English-language translations projected above the stage at every performance.

~~~~

Back by popular demand, the second production of The Dallas Opera’s 2017-2018 Season is Giuseppe Verdi’s heartbreaking 1853 masterpiece, LA TRAVIATA, opening on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. with an extraordinary cast.

Performed in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage, the romance continues with additional performances October 29(m), November 1, 4, 10 and 12(m), 2017 with evening performances beginning promptly at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2:00 p.m.

It is a story that has been told for thousands of years in millions of ways, but, in this case, the tale of a woman of questionable virtue sacrificing her own happiness for the man she loves is based on an actual person. The famed “Lady of the Camillias” comes to life on the Winspear stage, under the guidance of two dynamic Italians: conductor Carlo Montanaro and director Stefania Panighini in their company debuts.

Easily Giuseppe Verdi’s most romantic work, this revival of a magnificent Lyric Opera of Chicago production, originally directed by Frank Galati and designed by Desmond Heeley, is the perfect “Pretty Woman” night at the opera as well as a perennial crowd pleaser.

Soprano Georgia Jarman, who possesses “a show-stealing coloratura with immaculate style” (The New York Times) will sing the lead role of the fatally ill courtesan, Violetta Valéry. Praised by Opera magazine for her “crystalline tone and uncommon attention to expressive detail,” Ms. Jarman made her TDO debut in our steamy Don Giovanni opposite Paolo Szot.

This time around, she’ll be making sparks with tenor René Barbera, who is making his Dallas Opera debut. Mr. Barbera has swiftly established himself as one of today’s most exciting young artists. He has performed with San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and Opéra National de Paris.

As Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, The Dallas Opera is bringing back an extraordinary baritone: Vladislav Sulimsky from Belarus, bringing another of what Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News describes as “deeply sympathetic” portrayals to the Winspear stage. His 2015 company debut as the mysterious Ibn-Hakia in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta was a show-stopper, even in the midst of a very strong cast.

Mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis makes her Dallas Opera debut as Flora Bervoix. Berkshirefinearts.com applauded her “warm and resonant mezzo voice” but went on to note: “She has the rare interpretive gift of using coloratura to highlight emotional truth rather than to simply show off.”

Tenor Brenton Ryan, “singing with a fresh, clarion tone and dramatic aplomb” (Corinna de Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times) will also be making his TDO debut as Alfredo’s friend, Gastone. Also featured in the ensemble cast are baritone Dale Travis as Baron Douphol, baritone Daniel Armstrong in his Dallas Opera debut as the Marchese D’Obigny, bass-baritone Ryan Kuster as the sympathetic Doctor Grenvil, and soprano Rachel Sterrenberg in her company debut as Violetta’s maid, Annina.

The chorus is a strong presence in this opera and will be prepared by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

The complete season schedule, artist and production team bios, synopses and more can be found online, anytime, at www.dallasopera.org.

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The third production of The Dallas Opera’s 61st Season is a unique pairing of two works by one of the great proponents of the early twentieth century “Viennese sound,” composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The Dallas Opera is proud to present Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (1945) and The Ring of Polykrates (1916) opening Friday, February 9, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. in the Winspear Opera House.

Revered French violinist Augustin Dumay (with more than 40 recordings in his discography) will be the featured soloist with The Dallas Opera Orchestra. Dumay is considered “an absolute master of using changes in tone color as an expressive device” (Fanfare) and many of his recordings are considered the “gold standard” in their repertoire. Heather Kurzbauer of The Strad put it simply: “This is the stuff that dreams are made of.” As for his live concert hall performances, Geoffrey Norris of The Daily Telegraph writes: “Mr. Dumay is a violinist of remarkable individuality…excitingly musical, stimulatingly original, a marvelously fresh but idiomatic interpretation with a strength of personality that made it so powerfully communicative and memorable.”

Critically acclaimed Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will conduct.

The concerto will be paired with Korngold’s very first opera, The Ring of Polykrates, a one-act domestic comedy composed in 1913 when he was just sixteen years old. The work premiered in 1916 on a double bill in Munich.

The plot revolves around a musician, Wilhelm Arndt, whose career is on an upswing, along with his finances. His happiness, he tells his wife, Laura, would be complete if only he could see his long-lost friend Peter Vogel again. But you’re aware of the old saying, right? “Be careful what you wish for!”

Conducted by esteemed Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, directed by Peter Kazaras, and starring tenor Paul Groves, soprano Laura Wilde and bass-baritone Craig Colclough in their TDO debuts. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime musical event!

Scenic Designer Donald Eastman will make his TDO debut. This new Dallas Opera production will also feature period costumes by Tommy Bourgeois and lighting by Krista Billings.

Performed in German with English translations projected above the stage, the Korngold program will have three additional performances on February 11(m), 14 (a romantic Valentine’s Day evening) and February 17, 2018.

Tickets are likely to go quickly; renew your Dallas Opera subscription today!

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The fourth production of The Dallas Opera’s 61^st Season is SUNKEN GARDEN by Michel van der Aa with libretto by British novelist David Mitchell. This production opens on Friday, March 9, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. in the Winspear Opera House.

The U.S. premiere of this groundbreaking opera will be directed by the composer himself–-in both 2-D and 3-D. SUNKEN GARDEN will be performed in English with English supertitles projected above the stage.

Michel van der Aa’s critically acclaimed contemporary operatic masterpiece, SUNKEN GARDEN, has been applauded by both critics and audiences as “a fantastical tale to set the ears and eyes popping” (New York Times headline).

The work, described by its creator as an “occult mystery film opera,” fuses film and live performance (including 3-D and other visual effects) to deliver what Steve Smith of The New York Times called “a bold, rewarding venture” during its 2013 English National Opera world premiere at the Barbican. The production coming to Dallas was reworked for a successful 2015 relaunch of the production at Opéra de Lyon.

A film maker’s obsession with the disappearance of a young girl leads to the discovery of a walled garden, which is the barrier between life and death. Does this place actually exist or is it just a stunning journey of the imagination? Either way, it immerses audiences into a world of crime and mystery to create a one-of-a-kind production unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.

SUNKEN GARDEN was originally a co-production of ENO, Toronto’s Luminato Festival, Opéra de Lyon, the Holland Festival and London’s Barbican Centre. This opera also marked the first collaboration between the Dutch composer and British novelist David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas).

Heidi Waleson, reviewing for The Wall Street Journal described the experience: “The inventive and haunting music is acoustic and electronic, live and prerecorded, classical and pop…Film and music align seamlessly; neither would make sense without the other…When the live singers enter the 3-D garden, the music grows richer and more expansive…The images here are spectacular: the opulent trees and flowers; the quivering holograms of the two captives, Amber and Simon; and the vertical pool through which Zenna enters and departs, which explodes out toward the audience as a shower of droplets or a giant, whirling funnel.

“The fine singers—live and on film—adeptly captured the ferocity and pathos in Sunken Garden. And the lively actors…were completely believable…technical wizardry enhanced the humanity of the piece rather than overwhelming it,” Ms. Waleson added.

Antony Craig of Gramophone (UK) emphasized that SUNKEN GARDEN is a compelling theatrical work: “This is real drama and it works dramatically. The mystery is as complex as TV film noir. The spoken interviews work as film and the 3D successfully drew me right into the sunken garden. Crucially, Sunken Garden works as opera, with Van der Aa’s fusion of musical styles matching the fusion of mediums.”

And Andrew Clement of The Guardian added, “Van der Aa has directed the show as well as the often sumptuous-looking film sequences. As always he’s done it with immense technical skill, and both his orchestral writing and the electronic soundtrack are strikingly effective.”

SUNKEN GARDEN will star English baritone Roderick Williams as Toby Kramer,

British soprano Katherine Manley as Zenna Briggs, and renowned Swedish soprano Miah Persson as Iris Marinus. All will be making their Dallas Opera debuts in this production.

Williams has been praised for “his astonishing ability to perform highly emotional music…from the top of his vocal range (where he was clear as a bell and his diction impeccable) to rich, low notes that stirred the heart.” (Laura Kate Wilson, Bachtrack)

Set and lighting design for SUNKEN GARDEN is by Theun Mosk with costumes by Astrid Schulz, both in their company debuts.

SUNKEN GARDEN will be conducted by the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement, who has developed an international reputation as a conductor of contemporary music and opera.

Wayne Lee Gay of D Magazine’s Front Row wrote of The Dallas Opera’s 2015 world premiere of Everest: “(Paiement) combined old-fashioned precision and discipline with up-to-the-minute insight into the complex modernity of the score.”

Three additional performances of Michel van der Aa’s SUNKEN GARDEN will take place on March 11(m), 14, and 17, 2018. Season subscriptions will go on sale to the public on April 3, 2017. Current season subscribers may renew at any time by contacting the friendly professionals in The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office, at 214.443.1000.

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The final production of the 61^st International Season is Mozart’s hell-raising operatic masterpiece, the comedy-drama, DON GIOVANNI, based on the exploits of the legendary Don Juan, opening Friday, April 13, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.

After more than two centuries, the argument rages on as to whether DON GIOVANNI is the greatest of Mozart’s many masterpieces. Decide for yourself as Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume conducts an all-star cast in this boldly provocative, R-rated production from Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecie? stars as the insatiable womanizer who became a living legend. William Burnett of Opera Warhorses writes, “Kwiecien was extraordinary, an utterly charming but lethally sociopathic bad boy…his Giovanni is a masterpiece.” Added Michael White of The New York Times: “glamorous, handsome of voice and presence, (charismatic) and intelligent besides. It’s the whole package and explains why he’s in such demand to play the part.”

Soprano Laura Claycomb (Rigoletto) returns to the Winspear stage as Donna Anna, after captivating North Texas audiences as Gilda several seasons back, prompting Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News to praise her “limpid tone, dazzling technique and eloquence.”

Tenor David Portillo is this production’s steadfast Don Ottavio, soprano Ellie Dehn will sing the bitter and betrayed Donna Elvira, bass Kyle Ketelsen is the irrepressible Leporello, with stars Virginie Verrez as the coquettish Zerlina, baritone Craig Verm (Everest) as her fiancé, Masetto, and bass Morris Robinson (Show Boat) as The Commendatore!

Disguises and deceptions abound in Lorenzo Da Ponte’s scathing and often humorous portrait of this jaded and unrepentant anti-hero, directed by Robert Falls (Artistic Director of the famed Goodman Theater) in his eagerly awaited Dallas Opera debut.

Critically acclaimed international conductor and TDO Music Director Emmanuel Villaume leads The Dallas Opera Orchestra in Mozart’s action-packed season finale.

“One of the most satisfying perks of being a music director,” says Maestro Villaume, “is the opportunity to conduct productions that I find of particular interest—musically, dramatically, or both. This season is no exception and I am thrilled to be conducting a masterpiece from the late Classical Period, a splendid example of 19^th century French Romanticism, and a pair of works from the neo-Romantic Viennese School of the early 20^th century.

“I sincerely hope, when you leave the performance, you will feel as passionate about these works as we do.”

Scenic Design for DON GIOVANNI is by Walt Spangler, with costumes by Ana Kuzmanic and lighting design by Duane Schuler.

Performed in Italian with English translations projected above the stage, this acclaimed period production will command centerstage for five additional performances, April 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2018.

Don’t delay: mark your calendar, buy your tickets, and then padlock your doors—because there will be no “safe spaces” while Don Giovanni roams the streets of Seville.

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Evening performances during the 2017-2018 Season will begin at 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise stated (including the 8:00 p.m. curtain for the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance). All Sunday matinees are slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.

No late seating is permitted at Dallas Opera performances once the house doors are closed. Latecomers will be seated at the first available opportunity (usually, intermission).

Flex subscriptions for three mainstage performances of your choice begin at $75 for the 2017-2018 Season. Full Subscriptions begin at $95 for all five productions. New subscriptions will become available on April 3, 2017.

Single Tickets for next season will start at $19 and are expected to go on sale next July. Group rates are available.

For additional information about the “Motives Unmasked!” Season, call The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214-443-1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

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Put aside those computers, tablets, and smart phones—and grab the kiddoes—in order to take advantage of budget-minded, kid-friendly performances offered by The Dallas Opera in the 2017-2018 Season!

In addition to presenting world-class opera, and to providing support for outstanding young artists, established stars, and up-and-coming female conductors; The Dallas Opera is also committed to introducing the joys of opera to as many people as possible, and to provide budget-minded, kid-friendly performances (mostly if not entirely in English) that can be enjoyed by North Texans of every age, educational level and background.

The always popular Dallas Opera Family Performance Series is proudly presented by Texas Instruments, and made possible with additional generous support from the Betty and Steve Suellentrop Educational Outreach Fund and Lockheed Martin.

TDO Family Performances are a part of the Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs.

Five dollar single tickets will be available through The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or 24/7 at dallasopera.org/family.

2017-2018 FAMILY PERFORMANCE SERIES

Presenting Sponsor, Texas Instruments

DONIZETTI AND COMPANY

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Sunday, February 18, 2018

From sparkling, good-natured comedies to hanky-clutching tragedies, Gaetano Donizetti was one of the great masters of Italian bel canto. This incredibly prolific composer gave us 75 operas, including four that are highlights of the repertoire: Lucia di Lammermoor, The Daughter of the Regiment, The Elixir of Love and Don Pasquale. Gather up the children (and grand-children) to experience the music of Donizetti, a man who lifted himself out of poverty through hard work, generosity, and extraordinary talent. Featuring the acclaimed Dallas Opera Orchestra and a charismatic narrator, as well as outstanding young singers.

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Based on scenes and music from operas by W.A. Mozart, this production is an operatic version of the beloved children’s fairy tale, with adaptations by John Davies. The story reinforces the virtues of reading as one of the little pigs, Despina, successfully reads up on building a “huff-proof, puff-proof” house at the library. As constructive as it is instructive!

PÉPITO by Jacques Offenbach

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Vertigo, a jack of all trades (who introduces himself with a parody of Figaro’s entrance in The Barber of Seville) is rebuffed by the beautiful hostess of the local inn, Manuelita. She is waiting patiently for her fiancé Pépito to be released from military service. Miguel, a childhood friend, returns to their native village where he immediately falls for Manuelita’s charms. He gets Vertigo out of the way, in order to flirt with the girl, yet Miguel’s advances are rejected. In fact, Miguel is so impressed with Manuelita’s virtue and loyalty that he decides to take the young soldier’s place, so he can come home to marry. However, a letter from Pépito drops a stunning piece of news on Manuelita and Miguel! Learn who finally gets the girl in Offenbach’s charming, one-act comedy.

$5 performances in the Winspear Opera House. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Learn more online at www.dallasopera.org/family.

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2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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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

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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. Full Subscriptions (five opera productions) begin at $95; Flex Subscriptions (three-performances of your choice) begin 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 2016-2017 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION

The Dallas Opera celebrates its SixtiethInternational 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 excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.

MADAME BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini

March 10, 12(m), 15, 18, 24, & 26(m), 2017

The must see, heart-wrenching Italian opera!

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica

Time: 1904

Place: Nagasaki, Japan

Conductor: Donato Renzetti

Stage Director: John Copley

Set Designer: Michael Yeargan

Costume Designer: Anita Yavich

Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler

Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Hui He* (Cio-Cio-San), Gianluca Terranova* (B.F. Pinkerton), Manuela Custer (Suzuki), Lucas Meachem* (Sharpless), David Cangelosi (Goro), Reginald Smith, Jr.* (The Bonze), Will Hughes (Prince Yamadori), Mark McCrory (Imperial Commissioner), Samuel P.J. Lopez (Registrar), Angela Turner Wilson (Kate Pinkerton), Sorrow (TBD)

A classic, period production (new to Dallas) from the San Francisco Opera!

THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Benjamin Britten

March 17, 19(m), 22 & 25, 2017

A dark and gripping tale!

Libretto by Myfanwy Piper

Time: 1950s

Place: Bly, an English country house

Conductor: Nicole Paiement

Original Production: Jonathan Kent

Stage Director: Francesca Gilpin*

Set Designer: Paul Brown

Costume Designer: Paul Brown

Original Lighting Designer: Mark Henderson

Lighting Design Recreated by: David Manion

Wig and Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

Starring: William Burden (Prologue/Peter Quint), Emma Bell* (Governess), Oliver Nathanielsz* (Miles), Ashley Emerson* (Flora), Dolora Zajick* (Mrs. Grose), Alexandra LoBianco* (Miss Jessel)

An acclaimed production from Glyndebourne!

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)

An atmospheric production from Cincinnati Opera!

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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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Six Women Selected for Institute for Women Conductors!

103 Applicants for Elite Program; Institute Makes Room for Four Additional Women Conductors to Observe

An International Inaugural Session of The Institute for Women Conductors At The Dallas Opera

Nov. 28 – Dec. 6, 2015

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Launched with Generous Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

DALLAS, JUNE 5, 2015 – The Dallas Opera is proud to announce the names of the six distinguished professionals selected to participate in the inaugural session of the Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera:

Jennifer Condon (Australia/Germany)
Jessica Gethin (Australia)
Natalie Murray Beale (UK)
Stephanie Rhodes (USA)
Anna Skryleva (Russia/Germany)
Lidiya Yankovskaya (USA)

Working to address a long-standing career issue in the opera world, The Dallas Opera is launching a unique, new residential program designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors. Female conductors age forty and younger, as well as accomplished women singers, opera coaches and accompanists, and instrumentalists with established careers seeking a new career at the podium, were encouraged to apply.

A total of 103 women conductors and professional musicians heeded the call and applied by the April 15^th deadline. Of that number, nearly half the applicants (44%) came from the United States. Other nations making a strong showing included Germany, Italy, Israel and Taiwan (followed by Greece, Canada, Australia and Spain).

Applicants from 27 countries included principal and assistant conductors, concertmasters and music staff from top-ranked symphonies, opera companies, and conservatories.

“As a female conductor,” explained IWC Fellow Anna Skryleva, “I’m interested, of course, in programs supporting women—there are still so few of them; I don’t know of any other program of this type in the opera field. These days in Dallas promise to be very intensive.”

Jennifer Condon heartily agreed, writing: “The Dallas Opera’s recognition of the need for encouragement and support of women conductors is fabulous. The programme – so generously offered – touches on all aspects relevant to a career in conducting. So far as I am aware, there is no programme of its kind anywhere else in the world.

“I simply leapt at the chance to be included.”

“I was so thrilled to see The Dallas Opera offer such an innovative initiative for female conductors to further develop their opera skills on the podium,” responded Jessica Gethin. “As a young, female, Australian conductor based in Perth, the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural Institute for Women Conductors is invaluable at this stage of my conducting career.

“Through a generous combination of intense masterclasses on the podium with international mentors, seminars on the challenges we face within the industry and networking opportunities provided, I am looking forward to developing my technical skills and broadening my repertoire knowledge in a uniquely supportive environment and earning my place as an alumna in this brilliant and vital program, watching it grow and nurture the careers of many female conductors from around the world.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on the scores,” added Ms. Gethin, “and head over to the other side of the globe to get started!”

This new institute will be inaugurated on November 28, 2015 and run through December 6, 2015, with key support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation.

The IWC will consist of master classes and one-on-ones with Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement; seminars, discussions, and networking opportunities; as well as the chance to conduct The Dallas Opera Orchestra in a public concert performance the evening of December 5, 2015 onstage in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas.

When asked what she hoped to gain from the experience, Stephanie Rhodes replied: “Everything! The insights of both Emmanuel Villaume and Nicole Paiement into conducting technique, interpretation, and the various business aspects of the profession are something I imagine will be invaluable, given the wealth of experience they bring to the table.

“I’m particularly looking forward to building relationships with fellow female conductors,” Ms. Rhodes added, “as I think the support, strength, and perspective we can offer each other now will be critical throughout our careers.”

IWC Fellow Natalie Murray Beale expressed similar sentiments: “This program is a vital acknowledgement of female conducting talent and a rare opportunity for women conductors.

“I have great hopes to develop my conducting at the Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera and to make new, positive working relationships with artists and managers alike. I look forward,” she added, “to emerging a stronger and more visible conductor.”

In addition to the six Institute participants, four more conductors – all from the United States – have been invited to observe the proceedings. They are: Arianne Abela, Luçik Aprahämian, Avlana Eisenberg and Co Boi Nguyen.

Those attending will also be encouraged to take part in an annual two-day networking event, beginning in the summer of 2016.

Stated Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny: “The Dallas Opera has demonstrated, in multiple ways, its commitment to reshaping the opera field through the use of innovative public outreach, by exploring new technologies, commissioning new works to expand the operatic repertoire, and programming with passion and imagination.”

“This much-needed program,” Mr. Cerny added, “will enable more women conductors to add their talents and insights to our collective understanding of this art form, while encouraging conversation about the necessity of women in leadership roles.”

The Dallas Opera’s Principal Guest Conductor, Nicole Paiement, who also serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor for San Francisco’s renowned contemporary opera company, Opera Parallèle, commented, “In tandem with my work as a professional conductor, I have spent many years striving to develop and support exceptional young talent, both onstage and in the orchestra pit. I am tremendously pleased to be able to continue this aspect of my career in a leadership role here in Dallas, and to be responsible for guiding each carefully selected group through this newly developed Dallas Opera program.

“The women taking part in this program will have the all-too-rare opportunity to observe another woman in this leadership role, “ Paiement added, “something that, regrettably, I never experienced in my early career as I sought role models from among my professional peers. I sincerely hope my work with the women in this institute can serve as a source of both valuable insights and inspiration.”

Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America, remarked: “The Dallas Opera continues to expand its influence and stature among American opera companies, as shown by this exciting new initiative. The company is to be applauded for taking a significant step to remedy the existing gender imbalance on the podium. This effort complements OPERA America’s support of the work of female opera composers and promises to enrich the art form by encouraging more gifted artists to express themselves through opera.”

Lidiya Yankovskaya, another IWC Fellow, wrote: “The Dallas Opera is known for doing innovative and exciting work that has placed the company at the forefront of American Opera and continues to inspire many within the field, myself included. I relish the opportunity to see this work from the inside and to learn from the company’s phenomenal leadership.

“Taking part in Dallas Opera’s program for Women Conductors will be crucial in giving me the push I need to gain exposure and move forward into more regular high-level work in the opera world. The institute will not only provide the opportunity to receive experience working with the company’s fantastic artists and feedback on my work, but it also represents a chance to gain exposure, and to discover how to make the leap into the next career level.”

Internationally renowned Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume observed: “No conductor ever stands at the podium alone. We raise our baton with those who came before us, and those who will follow in our footsteps.

“It takes a lifetime to become completely at home on the podium,” Villaume adds. “It was my privilege to be guided and taught by geniuses like Spiros Argiris and Seiji Ozawa, who, in turn, always quoted their own masters. In fact, they claimed that, only near the end of their performing careers, did they entirely understand some of the comments and advice they received from their mentors.

“We are always trying to perfect our work. I feel I am now at a place in my career, where I can begin to effectively share my experiences with the next generation of conductors.”

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2015 IWC FELLOWS:

JENNIFER CONDON (Australia/Germany)

Jennifer Condon has been passionate about opera from an absurdly young age – since her teens she has been fortunate to have fellow Australian, Simone Young, as mentor. Jennifer studied piano in Sydney, and conducting in Melbourne and Vienna before commencing work as a souffleuse at the Hamburg State Opera in 2008. She now has a repertoire of over 55 operas. During her time in Hamburg, Jennifer also brought Peggy Glanville-Hicks’ opera Sappho (1963) from the composer’s hand-written manuscript to the recording studio. The CD, with an eminent cast including Deborah Polaski, Sir John Tomlinson and Wolfgang Koch with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, has been released to considerable critical acclaim. Jennifer lives in Berlin and works as a free-lance vocal coach and prompt as she pursues a conducting career. Assistant conducting engagements to date include Lohengrin in Zurich and Salome in Vienna. Future engagements include Reimann’s Lear in Budapest and Ariadne auf Naxos in Tokyo.

JESSICA GETHIN (Australia)

Australian-born conductor Jessica Gethin has won praise from audiences and critics alike for her dynamic energy, outstanding musicianship and abounding presence on the podium. A graduate of the exclusive Symphony Australia Conductor Development Program, Ms. Gethin commenced her official appointment as Chief Conductor of the Perth Symphony Orchestra (Perth, Australia) in 2011. Jessica Gethin has performed on stages throughout Europe, USA, UK, Canada, Asia and Australia as conductor, concert presenter, program writer, orchestrator, guest lecturer, music educator and adjudicator. With a diverse background working across a variety of genres ranging from classical, jazz, opera and ballet to musical theatre, contemporary and film score; Jessica has recorded for numerous CDs, television documentaries, live radio broadcasts and television commercials. Artist collaborations include conducting Welsh bass baritone Bryn Terfel, Divinyl’s Chrissy Amphlette, The Ten Tenors, soprano Rachelle Durkin, Australian screen star Lisa McCune, soprano Marina Prior, tenor David Hobson, jazz trumpeter James Morrison and Dutch violinist Rudolf Koelman, to name a few. Ms. Gethin currently resides in Western Australia with her husband and two children.

NATALIE MURRAY BEALE (UK)

Conductor Natalie Murray Beale is a BBC Performing Arts Fund Fellow and is being mentored by Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed with the Welsh National Opera, Opera Holland Park, Spitalfields Festival, Chamber Orchestra of London and the City of London Sinfonia. Ms. Murray Beale has also gained valuable experience as Assistant Conductor for the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Festival d’Aix, Wiener Festwochen and Den Nye Opera with the Philharmonia, Bergen Philharmonic, B’Rock Orchestra, Le Cercle de l’Harmonie and the Freiburger Barockorchester. Previous positions include serving on the music staff of Welsh National Opera; as coach at the Royal Opera House, Young Artist Programme; and as Guest Chorus Director of London Symphony Chorus.

Ms. Murray Beale enjoys collaborating with composers and recently conducted the soundtracks to the video game Alien:Isolation (BAFTA nominated) and the British film Robot Overlords. Her performances of the new opera, We are Shadows, received a Royal Philharmonic Society award. This year she will make her debuts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

STEPHANIE RHODES (USA)

Stephanie Rhodes is a renowned opera collaborator, having served on the music staff of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, amongst others. She has garnered experience as a conductor, assistant conductor, prompter, chorus master, rehearsal pianist, orchestral keyboardist and diction coach. This summer she joins the Miami Summer Music Festival as the Studio Program Director and conductor of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, additionally participating as a fellow in the festival’s Orchestral Conducting Institute. As a Fulbright award recipient, Ms. Rhodes spent the 2012/13 season in Moscow specializing in Russian repertoire and pronunciation for non-native singers. She was recently commissioned by The Dallas Opera to transliterate Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and is currently working on a book to standardize Russian diction for singers. An alum of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and San Francisco’s Merola Opera program, she holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Utah State University in Collaborative Piano and Piano Performance.

ANNA SKRYLEVA (Russia/Germany)

Russian conductor Anna Skryleva has lived and worked in Germany for the past 15 years. Currently, Ms. Skryleva is engaged as principal resident conductor at The State Theatre, Darmstadt, in addition to performing as a concert pianist and a chamber musician in Russia, other European nations and Mexico. Anna Skryleva’s career as a conductor began in 2002 in Karlsruhe, where she was engaged at the Music College as music assistant of the conductor Prof. Alicja Mounk. From 2007 to 2012, Anna Skryleva was engaged at the State Opera Hamburg as musical assistant of Simone Young, where she acquired a wide repertoire, from German Romanticism to Italian bel canto to modern music of the 20th century. After successfully conducting Richard Strauss’ Salome at the State Theatre Darmstadt in 2013, Anna Skryleva was named Darmstadt’s Principal Resident Conductor. Since then, she has conducted new productions and revivals of works including Otello, Tristan und Isolde, Il trittico, Madame Butterfly, La traviata and many more. The German publication Main-Echo named Anna Skryleva “Person of the Year 2013.” Earlier this year, she was nominated for the “Emotion Award 2015” in the Category “Women in Leadership”; winners will be announced later this month.

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA (USA)

Lidiya Yankovskaya’s recent work as a symphonic and opera conductor has been hailed as “superb,” “expert,” and “coax[ing] every possible expressive note from the instrumentalists.” Currently, Ms. Yankovskaya serves as Music Director of Harvard University’s Lowell House Opera, Artistic Director of Juventas New Music Ensemble, and Music Director with Commonwealth Lyric Theater. She also works regularly with Gotham Chamber Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, and New York Lyric Opera. Last summer, Ms. Yankovskaya served as a conducting fellow under renowned conductor Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival, where she had the privilege of assisting Maestro Maazel and filled in for him regularly in rehearsal and performance. Recent productions have received multiple awards ranging from The American Prize to the National Opera Association Award. In addition to her work as a conductor, Lidiya is a pianist and coach, recently serving as Music Director for Opera Boston’s education tours. Presently, she is working as a Russian Diction Coach and occasional rehearsal conductor for Tanglewood Festival Chorus (the chorus of the Boston Symphony). www.LidiyaYankovskaya.com

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2015 IWC OBSERVERS:

ARIANNE ABELA (USA)

Known for her work promoting charitable organizations, conductor Arianne Abela has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and America’s Got Talent as artistic director of “3 Penny,” a non-profit chorus and orchestra, and co-founder of “House of Clouds.” Arianne served as music director of Saybrook College Orchestra and has conducted the Yale Symphony Orchestra, Wesleyan University Orchestra and the Vidin State Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria. As a chorusmaster, Abela has prepared choirs for Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Rafael Payare, and Martin Katz, as well as for the University of Michigan Opera in productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. As a soloist and professional ensemble singer, Abela has performed with major ensembles across North America, Europe and Asia. Abela is currently a doctoral candidate in conducting at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Jerry Blackstone. She holds a master’s degree in conducting from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree from Smith College.

LUÇIK APRAHÄMIAN (USA)

Luçik Aprahämian’s versatility as a conductor makes her equally at home in front of an orchestra, leading a vocal ensemble, or guiding outstanding performances on the opera stage. With her profound passion for opera, Dr. Aprahämian has served as co-artistic director of Southern Arizona Opera, worked with Opera Parallèle and Bayshore Lyric Opera (both located in the Bay area), and served as assistant conductor and director of the Opera Theatre Program at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She is an avid exponent of new music and has commissioned and premiered works for choir, orchestra, and opera with ensembles in the Bay Area and Arizona. Recent premieres include Andrew Pascoe’s opera, God: The Opera and David Evan Jones’s chamber opera, The Rehearsal. Dr. Aprahämian received her bachelor’s degree in fortepiano performance practice, as well as a master’s degree in conducting, from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She pursued additional graduate studies to earn her doctorate in conducting from the University of Arizona.

AVLANA EISENBERG (USA)

Music Director of the Boston Chamber Symphony, Avlana Eisenberg has conducted orchestras throughout the United States and in France, Germany, Austria, Scotland, Spain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Her debut CD, with soloist Zina Schiff and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV, features violin concertos by Sibelius and Barber and the world premiere orchestral recording of Ben-Haim’s Three Songs without Words. Eisenberg received a Fulbright Fellowship for conducting study in Paris and apprenticeship at the Paris National Opera and was one of Glamour magazine’s “Top Ten College Women of the Year.” As an undergraduate at Yale University, she founded and directed the Silliman Symphony and was honored with Yale’s “V. Browne Irish Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts.” An alumna of Interlochen Arts Camp and the Aspen Music Festival, Eisenberg holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute.

CO BOI NGUYEN (USA)

Ms. Co Boi Nguyen has been on the faculty of the University of Redlands, School of Music since 2006, serving as music director of the University of Redlands Orchestra and Opera. From 2005 to 2007, Ms. Nguyen was conductor and faculty member of the C.W. Post Chamber Music Festival at Long Island University, New York. At the same time, she also worked as assistant conductor to Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun in New York. As an alumna of the Vietnam National Academy of Music, Ms. Nguyen returns to Hanoi regularly to perform and to give master classes. She made her highly acclaimed debut with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra at the Hanoi Opera House in July 2002, making her the first woman ever to lead the ensemble. Ms. Nguyen is a graduate of the conducting programs at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School in New York.

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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print or to arrange an interview

Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and Public Relations

214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, 2015-2016 SEASON SPONSOR FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “SEEKING THE HUMAN ELEMENT” SEASON

Ticket Information for the 2015-2016 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 will be available July 15. Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now starting at $75. Family performance tickets (available June 1) 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 2015-2016 FALL SEASON INFORMATION

The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Ninth 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 excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.

GREAT SCOTT by Jake Heggie

October 30, November 1(m), 4, 7 & 15(m), 2015

A Thrilling Dallas Opera World Premiere!

Libretto by Terrence McNally*

Time: Present Day

Place: A Major American City

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Stage Director: Jack O’Brien*

Production Design: Bob Crowley

Lighting Design: Brian MacDevitt*

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Joyce DiDonato* (Arden Scott), Ailyn Pérez (Tatyana Bakst), Frederica von Stade (Mrs. Edward “Winnie” Flato), Nathan Gunn (Sid Taylor), Anthony Roth Costanzo* (Roane Heckle), Kevin Burdette (Eric Gold) and Michael Mayes* (Wendell Swan). A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!

TOSCA by Giacomo Puccini

November 6, 8(m), 11, 14, 20 & 22(m), 2015

A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production

An opera in three acts first performed in Rome, Italy on January 14, 1900

Text by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa after Victorien Sardou’s 1887 French-language play, La Tosca

Time: Early 19^th century

Place: Locations in and around the City of Rome

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Stage Director: Ellen Douglas Schlaefer*

Production Design: Ulisse Santicchi

Lighting Design: Marie Barrett

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Children’s Chorus Master: TBA

Starring: Emily Magee (Floria Tosca), Giancarlo Monsalve* (Mario Cavaradossi), Raymond Aceto (Baron Scarpia), William Ferguson (Spoletta), Dale Travis* (A Sacristan) and Ryan Kuster (Angelotti).

One of The Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!

BECOMING SANTA CLAUS by Mark Adamo

December 4, 6(m), 9 & 12, 2015

An Eagerly Awaited Dallas Opera World Premiere!

Libretto by the composer, Mark Adamo.

Time: Now

Place: An Elven kingdom in the far, far north; also, the stable of the first Christmas

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Stage Director: Paul Curran

Production Design: Gary McCann*

Video Design: Driscoll Otto*

Lighting Design: Paul Hackenmueller*

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Jennifer Rivera* (Queen Sophine), Juan José de León (Prince Claus), Matt Boehler* (Donkey) Another New Dallas Opera Production

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

________________________________________________________________________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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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 →

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2019-2020 “Standing Ovation” Season Announced

CARMEN Simulcast at Klyde Warren Park

The Dallas Opera’s LA TRAVIATA Opens Oct. 27th

2017-2018 Season Announcement at NorthPark Center

TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

Six Women Selected for Institute for Women Conductors!

Ticket Information for the 2015-2016 Dallas Opera Season

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