FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, October 28, 2019

Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

In Concert – For One Night Only!

The Dallas Opera Hart Institute

For Women Conductors Showcase

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Celebrating 5 Years of Transformational Success

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

The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

At the AT&T Performing Arts Center

Reserved Seats: $25 & $50

214.443.1000 or dallasopera.org/harttickets

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Featuring Singers from

“Opera for Peace – Leading Young Voices of the World”

In the Organization’s First U.S. Collaboration

DALLAS, OCTOBER 28, 2019 – The Dallas Opera is pleased to present an evening of splendid arias and sweeping orchestral favorites on Saturday, November 9^th at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, AT&T Performing Arts Center.  This one-time concert event, celebrating five years of program success, will feature The Dallas Opera Orchestra and international opera artists conducted by the six women chosen for the fifth annual residency of The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors taking place Oct. 27 through Nov. 9, 2019 at the Dallas Opera.

The spotlight will be on 2019 conductors:

• Tiffany Chang (USA)
• Jane Kim (USA)
• Tamara Dworetz (USA)
• Marta Kluczyńska (Poland)
• Madeline Tsai (Taiwan)
• Molly Turner (USA)

Seeking to address a long-standing issue of gender imbalance, The Dallas Opera in 2015 launched a unique, new residential program—one of only three in the world—designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors on the cusp of major international careers.

“Big D is my Big W,” observed Polish conductor Marta Kluczyńska.  “I feel awesome.”

Concert repertoire includes popular works by Rossini, Puccini, Mozart, and Bizet; as well as moving selections by Verdi, Donizetti, Delibes and Handel (see the complete program listings on p. 4).

Reserved seating for The Dallas Opera Hart Institute Showcase Concert on November 9, 2019 is available for $25 or $50 per person (depending on the section) and can be purchased at http://dallasopera.org/harttickets or through The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000.

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A new and exciting aspect of this year’s Hart Institute is The Dallas Opera’s partnership with the “Opera for Peace – Leading Young Voices of the World” program. Outstanding opera artists will rehearse and perform with the institute conductors and The Dallas Opera Orchestra, in the organization’s first collaboration in the U.S.

“Opera for Peace is a new cultural movement reflecting the reality of today’s globalized world,” the organization states. “We believe in the strength of connecting nations. Artistic development occurs through a unique and personalized global schedule of high level training projects, concerts, masterclasses, educational exchanges, special cultural diplomatic projects and events. We give special support to artists from disadvantaged backgrounds and promote diversity, social justice and equality. We provide a platform for our artists and partners to speak about social issues facing our world.” For more information visit operaforpeace.org.

“Opera for Peace—Leading Young Voices of the World is delighted to collaborate with The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors on their fifth annual residency,” adds Opera for Peace General Director Julia Lagahuzère. “Sharing the same values, vision and ambitions, our partnership will further advance our art form and give new opportunities to talented artists.

“The Hart conductors will lead young international singers,” she noted, “alongside world-famous Peace Ambassador tenor Brian Jagde in a celebration of equality, diversity and artistic excellence.”

Mr. Jagde, a native of New York and graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler and Merola programs, returned to the War Memorial stage last season where his Cavaradossi in a new production of Tosca was acclaimed the highlight of the evening. He will reprise the role this season at both Vienna State Opera and at the Metropolitan Opera, where his performance will be seen “Live in HD” around the world.

The phenomenal Ukrainian baritone, Andrei Kymach, the 2019 First Prize Winner of the BBC Cardiff “Singer of the World” Competition and a recent graduate of the Bolshoi Young Artist program, will also be performing in concert.

American mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, praised by The San Francisco Chronicle for her “electrifying sense of fearlessness,” will make her LA Opera debut in the world premiere of Aucoin and Ruhl’s Eurydice. Another exceptionally talented young artist, Puerto Rican tenor Ángel Vargas (who, earlier this year, was awarded his master’s degree from Rice University), a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions – Puerto Rico District and a finalist in the Gulf Coast Regionals, will also share the Winspear stage.

Additional soloists on the program include Nicaraguan-American soprano Gabriella Reyes, the 2018 recipient of the Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation and grand finalist in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; Korean-American countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim, renowned for his interpretation of the music of Mozart and the Baroque Era; South African baritone Chuma Sijeqa, a Link Artist of the Royal Opera House’s 2018-19 Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in the U.K.; and soprano Meryl Dominguez, now in her final year of residency at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Artists engaged in the program will work and rehearse with the Hart conductors throughout the second week of the Institute.

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“Even for the most talented artists, a journey to the forefront of the conducting profession is difficult, and particularly so for women,” wrote Taiwanese conductor Madeline Tsai.  “The Dallas Opera Hart Institute gives its residents a strong gust of wind forward as they sail toward their dreams on the horizon.

“I am immensely grateful and honored for this incredible opportunity to learn from an amazing faculty and other talented artists at the Institute.”

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Naming Support for the Institute from Linda and Mitch Hart

Initial Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

Additional Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 

Baker Botts LLP, Cindy and Charlie Feld, Jenifer and Peter Flynn,

Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer, J.P. Morgan,

Betty and Steve Suellentrop, and Martha and Max Wells,

Debra Witter and Scott Chase, and Texas Women’s Foundation

Made Possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant

Supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation

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REPERTOIRE FOR THE 2019 HART INSTITUTE CONCERT:

Overtures to The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni, William Tell, La forza del destino, Prelude to Act III of Manon Lescaut

“O mio Fernando” from La favorita (Donizetti)

“O soave fanciulla” from La bohème (Puccini)

“Ombra mai fu / Se bramate d’amar chi vi sdegna” from Xerxes (Handel)

“Addio! mio caro bene” from Teseo (Handel)

“Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre” or the Toreador Song from Carmen (Bizet)

“Au fond du temple saint” from The Pearl Fishers (Bizet)

“La calunnia” from The Barber of Seville (Rossini)

“Se tradirmi tu potrai…Tu che vedi il pianto mio” from Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

“Tu, che di gel sei senta” or the Death of Liù from Turandot (Puccini)

“Parigi o cara” from La traviata (Verdi)

“Dôme épais le jasmin” or the Flower Duet from Lakmé (Delibes)

“Donna non vidi mai” from Manon Lescaut (Puccini)

(Please note: 2019 Hart Showcase Concert repertoire selections are subject to change)

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ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA:

One of the leading opera companies in the country, The Dallas Opera has an extraordinary legacy of world-class productions and thrilling premieres featuring the greatest operatic artists of our time. Inaugurated in 1957 with a concert featuring the incomparable Maria Callas, TDO is known for the notable U.S. debuts of a host of legendary artists including Plácido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Franco Zeffirelli, and Sir David McVicar. The company has long been an industry leader and innovator through groundbreaking initiatives like the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, free public simulcasts, acclaimed art song recitals, the national vocal competition, special concerts, and outstanding family and award-winning education programs. TDO’s home is the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, a jewel in the Dallas Arts District. As one of the largest performing arts employers in North Texas, TDO is proudly committed to diversity, onstage and off, and is a major contributor to the economic vitality and international cultural reputation of this region.

2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Elsa von Seggern Foundation;

Texas Instruments; the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture; 

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.

All performances in The Dallas Opera’s 63^rd International Season will take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, unless otherwise indicated. 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. Full and Flex subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of every budget. Prices range from just $57 (for three performances of your choice) to a top orchestra floor price of $777 for all five mainstage productions. Single tickets are priced from $19 to $289 (a few box seats may be higher). For additional information or to make your purchase, call 214.443.1000 or visit dallasopera.org.

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