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    Cast Change for May 7th Performance of NORMA

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Wednesday, May 3, 2017

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014                     Or Celeste Hart 214-443-1071

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

     

    THE DALLAS OPERA ANNOUNCES
    A CAST CHANGE FOR THE FINAL PERFORMANCE OF
    NORMA
    by Vincenzo Bellini
    ~~~~
    Soprano Aviva Fortunata

    Steps into the Title Role

    Co-Starring Marina Costa-Jackson, Yonghoon Lee

    And Christian Van Horn
    Conducted by Music Director Emmanuel Villaume

    Directed by Nic Muni

     

    MAY 7, 2017, 2:00 p.m.
    The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

    AT&T Performing Arts Center

    With Production Support from TACA
    ~~~~

    Tickets start at $19
    Call 214-443-1000 or Visit dallasopera.org

     

                DALLAS, May 3, 2017 – The Dallas Opera has released soprano Elza van den Heever from singing the upcoming matinee performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s NORMA on Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., due to a family emergency.  Acclaimed Italian-Canadian soprano, Aviva Fortunata, will assume the role of the betrayed Druid priestess.

                This final performance in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, during OPERA America week, will serve as the grand finale of The Dallas Opera’s exciting and highly successful 60th Season.

                Tickets for NORMA begin at just $19 and may be purchased at www.dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly professional staff at The Dallas Opera Ticket Office: 214-443-1000.

     

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    Set during the Roman occupation of Gaul in 50 B.C.E., a passionate love triangle in the midst of a deepening culture clash leads to dangerous consequences.  A Druid high priestess, Norma (soprano Aviva Fortunata), is in the throes of despair after discovering that her longtime lover, a Roman proconsul for whom she has borne two children, may have been unfaithful.  Pollione (sung by tenor Yonghoon Lee in his company debut) confesses to a friend that he no longer loves Norma. His amorous attentions are now focused on Adalgisa, a young novice priestess (portrayed by soprano Marina Costa-Jackson), who reluctantly returns his love.  Pollione brushes aside a warning about Norma’s hair-trigger temper and her capacity for rage. 

    Amid the turmoil of the occupation, personal betrayal, and impending revolution, Norma is driven to the very brink of insanity, convinced that her life is coming undone, and fearing what the future may hold for her disgraced “fatherless” children.

    This production is generously supported by TACA.

     

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               Italian-Canadian soprano Aviva Fortunata has been praised as being “blessed with a gorgeous voice of richness and amplitude” (Musical Toronto). Ms. Fortunata was a finalist in the 2016 Operalia Competition in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she performed under the baton of Maestro Plácido Domingo.  Representing Canada in the 2015 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, she was a finalist for the Song Prize.  A graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, Ms. Fortunata’s assignments included the role of Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Così fan Tutte, the title role in Norma, Anna in Maometto II, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes.  Ms. Fortunata is a graduate of the prestigious San Francisco Opera Merola Opera Program.

     

                Critically acclaimed international conductor and Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume leads The Dallas Opera Orchestra in one of Bellini’s greatest contributions to the bel canto repertoire.  The maestro is concluding his fourth season with the company; a season in which he has conducted a wide variety of works reflecting different styles and periods: Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick (a revival of the Leonard Foglia production for The Dallas Opera that launched this worldwide success), Bellini’s Norma – and, still to come: Villaume will conduct a semi-staged performance of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest (Friday, May 5th) a tremendously powerful 2015 Dallas Opera world premiere, with Talbot’s brand-new Everest Prelude.

     

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                Stage director Nic Muni is making his company debut in this period production.  Mr. Muni served as artistic director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  His productions have graced the stages of San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Prague National Opera, and The Kurt Weill International Festival, among others.

    Set and Costume Design is by renowned opera, Broadway and Off-Broadway designer John Conklin.  Lighting design is by internationally acclaimed designer Thomas C. Hase, with wig and make-up design by Stephanie Williams.

    As always, the renowned Dallas Opera Chorus will be prepared for the performances by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

     

                The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks, a free, pre-performance lecture, will be conducted one hour prior to curtain at all Norma performances. More perspective can be gained through “Opera Insights” presented by The Dallas Opera Guild. The informative panel discussion featuring artists, directors and/or designers for NORMA takes place Sunday, April 9, 2017, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Hamon Hall (located off the main lobby concourse in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. For more details, visit dallasopera.org and look under “Upcoming Events.”

     

                NORMA will be performed in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.  For tickets or additional information, call 214.443.1000 or visit dallasopera.org.

     

    2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~

     

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

    IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7.  VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

     

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

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

    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

     

    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by

    Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop

    Educational Outreach Fund.

     

    TDO Family Performances are a part of the

    Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs

     

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated.  Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

     

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2016-2017 SPRING SEASON MAINSTAGE INFORMATION

    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.  The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances. 

     

    Please note: There will be no Pre-Opera Talk for EVEREST, ARJUNA’S DILEMMA, or THE MAGIC PIANO.

     

    NORMA by Vincenzo Bellini

    April 21, 23(m), 26, 29, May 7(m), 2017

    A thrilling and suspenseful masterpiece!

    Libretto by Felice Romani

    Time: 50 B.C.

    Place: Roman-occupied Gaul

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Stage Director: Nic Muni

    Set Designer: John Conklin

    Costume Designer: John Conklin

    Lighting Designer: Thomas Hase

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Elza van den Heever (Norma), Marina Costa Jackson* (Adalgisa), Yonghoon Lee* (Pollione), Christian Van Horn (Oroveso), Mithra Mastropierro* (Clotilde), Charles Karanja (Flavio)

    An atmospheric production from Cincinnati Opera!

     

    ARJUNA’S DILEMMA by Douglas J. Cuomo

    Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

    An exotic and appealing soundscape – in concert with projections!

    Based on text from the Bhagavad Gita

    Time: Thousands of years ago

    Place: India

    Conductor: Nicole Paiement

    Projection Designer: William Cusick

    Sound Designer: Mark Grey

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Lexi O’Reilly

    Starring: Humayun Khan* (Krishna), Tony Boutté* (Arjuna), Katrina Galka* (Quartet), Audra Methvin (Quartet), Alyssa Martin* (Quartet), Lindsay Ammann* (Quartet)

     

    EVEREST by Joby Talbot (a semi-staged performance with projections)

    Friday, May 5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

    A powerful and poignant masterpiece!

    Libretto by Gene Scheer

    Time: 1990’s

    Place: Mt. Everest

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Stage Director: Leonard Foglia

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Projections Designer: Elaine J. McCarthy

    Recording Engineer: Mark Grey

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Lexi O’Reilly

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Kevin Burdette (Beck Weathers), Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Michael Mayes (Doug Hansen), Sarah Jane McMahon (Jan Arnold), Julia Rose Arduino (Meg Weathers), John Boehr (Guy Cotter, Mike Groom)

    With a special world premiere Prelude!

     

    EVEREST PRELUDE with music by Joby Talbot

    Film Realization: Elizabeth Seymour

    Film Credit: The British Film Institute

     

    THE MAGIC PIANO & The Chopin Shorts by BreakThru Films

    Music by Frédéric Chopin

    Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.

    The “Passport Zone” in the Winspear Lobby starts at 12:30 p.m.

    A charming adventure for all ages!

    Pianist: Derek Wang*

     

    * Dallas Opera Debut

    ** American Debut

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    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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    And the Winners Are….

    Top Honors Announced In the 29th Annual Dallas Opera Guild 

    Vocal Competition

    Outstanding Young Artists Awarded

    $18,500 in Cash Prizes

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    Mezzo-Soprano Samantha Hankey

    Takes Top Prize and $10,000 Cash!

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    Second Prize ($5,000) Goes to Soprano Laura Wilde

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    Third Prize ($2,500) Awarded to Soprano Mane Galoyan

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    The “People’s Choice Award” ($1,000)

    Determined by Audience Ballot Goes to Baritone Kihun Yoon

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    Dr. Susan Fleming Honored for her Dedication and Support of The Dallas Opera and The Dallas Opera Guild

                DALLAS, APRIL 30, 2017 – An elite group of nineteen of the most talented young opera singers in the country competed this weekend for prestige and prizes in the 29th Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.  At the conclusion of this evening’s exciting Finals Round, the winners were announced from the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas:

    • The $10,000 Grand Prize, presented by 2017 Vocal Competition Co-Chairs Patsy and Bob Brooks, was awarded to mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey, currently attending The Juilliard School.
    • The $5,000 Second Prize, presented by incoming Guild Presidents Jan and James Clay, went to soprano Laura Wilde.
    • The Third Prize of $2,500, presented by this year’s honoree, Susan Fleming, to soprano Mane Galoyan.
    • The $1,000 “People’s Choice Award,” presented by Katherine and Michael Phillips to baritone Kihun Yoon.
      VC17_372C - Raehann Bryce-Davis, Mane Galoyan, Samantha Hankey, Xiaomeng Zhang, Laura Wilde, Kihun Yoon - Photo by Karen Almond (640x446)
      Semi-Finalists L-R: Raehann Bryce-Davis, Mane Galoyan, Samantha Hankey, Xiaomeng Zhang, Laura Wilde, Kihun Yoon (PHOTO BY KAREN ALMOND)

                This nationally-recognized competition attracted 364 applicants from 35 states.  Initially, twenty semi-finalists were chosen to compete. The Semi-Finals Round took place yesterday, Saturday, April 29th as nineteen young artists vied for the coveted position of finalist.

                After lengthy deliberations from the judges’ panel, six singers were selected to move into today’s Finals Round: mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, soprano Mane Galoyan, mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey, soprano Laura Wilde, baritone Kihun Yoon, and baritone Xiaomeng Zhang.

                “What a thrilling weekend it has been! It is such an honor to be a part of this competition, and so inspiring to see the passion and dedication exhibited by these young performers. Their talent is truly superb. To encourage these artists through the prize money and prestige bestowed upon them, is really satisfying. Jana and I also greatly appreciate the generosity of all of our contributors and the support of The Dallas Opera,” said Dallas Opera Guild Co-President Mac Irwin.      

                The six finalists competed this evening, accompanied by the Dallas Opera Orchestra under the baton of the internationally renowned Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, Emmanuel Villaume.

    “People’s Choice Award” Winner Kihun Yoon:

                Baritone Kihun Yoon is a member of LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. His appearances during the 2016/17 season include Horemhab in Akhnaten and Scarpia in Tosca. In 2015, Yoon made several appearances including his Venezuelan debut, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel and in Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. LA Opera appearances include Sharpless in Madame Butterfly, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, and Schaunard in La  Bohème.  In the summer of 2016, he was featured in Florian Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria at Wolf Trap Opera as Delirio. Yoon has covered Plácido Domingo for several roles including Athanaël in Thaïs, Germont in La Traviata, Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, and Macbeth in Macbeth. Yoon has won many competitions including the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition, the Bilbao-Bizkaia International Singing Competition, and the Shizuoka International Opera Competition. He won the Sullivan Award in 2015-2016. 

                During this evening’s Finals Round, Mr. Yoon performed “Era guale la voce?…Si corre dal notaio” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and “Votre toast, je peux vous le render” from Bizet’s Carmen.

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    Third Prize Winner Mane Galoyan:

                Armenian soprano Mane Galoyan is in her second year residence as a studio artist at Houston Grand Opera. In the 2016-17 season she sang Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore at HGO and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the San Antonio Symphony. Last season, she created two roles in two HGO world premieres – Margaret Hughes in Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players and Lucy in David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischmann’s After the Storm – and also sang Kitchen Girl in Rusalka and Forest Bird in Siegfried. Major competition awards include first prize in HGO’s Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias and third prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition. This past summer, she sang the role of Smorfiosa in Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria with Wolf Trap Opera. In the 2017-18 Season she will be returning to HGO Studio  for the third year, where she will be singing Violetta in La Traviata and Confidante in Elektra.

                In today’s Finals Round, Ms. Galoyan performed “Obéissons quand leur voix appellee” from Massenet’s Manon and “È strano…Sempre libera” from Verdi’s La Traviata.

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    Second Prize Winner Laura Wilde:

                Soprano Laura Wilde is a recent graduate of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. During the 2016/17 season, she returned to Chicago for a role debut as Freia in David Pountney’s new production of Das Rheingold, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Other operatic engagements include the world premiere of Craig Bohmler’s Riders of the Purple Sage at Arizona Opera, Micaela in Carmen with Nashville Opera and a return to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito. During the 2015-16 Season at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms. Wilde performed the role of   Marianne in Der Rosenkavalier and covered Marschallin. She also covered the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hanna in The Merry Widow and sang the role of Anna in Nabucco. In the summer of 2016, she made her European debut as the title role in Janá?ek’s Jen?fa, with the English National Opera.

                In this evening’s Finals Round, Ms. Wilde performed “Das war sehr gut, Mandryka” from Arabella by Richard Strauss and “Einsam in trüben Tagen” from Wagner’s Lohengrin.

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    First Place/Grand Prize Winner Samantha Hankey:

                American mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey from Marshfield, Massachusetts, has been acclaimed by Opera News as “ingenious” and “serious” by The New York Times. This season at The Juilliard School she will sing the title role in Händel’s Agrippina, Varvara in Janá?ek’s Katya Kabanova, and will return to the stage of Alice Tully Hall as a winner of the Juilliard Vocal Arts Honors Recital. She has performed roles including Diana and Giove in La Calisto, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro; and at the Aspen Music Festival as Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Mercédès in Carmen. Recent awards and honors include a 2016 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and prizes from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation, among others. Ms. Hankey is a proud recipient the Kovner Fellowship at Juilliard, where she is pursuing her Masters of Music degree.

                During the Finals Round this evening, Ms. Hankey dazzled the audience with renditions of “Parto, parto” from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito and “D’amour l’ardente flamme” from La Damnation de Faust by Berlioz.

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              “This competition is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work at The Dallas Opera,” said Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. “The caliber of the performers this year is stellar, and the ability to foster their continued growth is extremely gratifying. I look forward to seeing more of these wonderful artists in the coming years.”

    THE 2017 FINALISTS

    FOR THE DALLAS OPERA GUILD VOCAL COMPETITION

    • Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano, age 30, Merola Opera Program Graduate
    • Mane Galoyan, soprano, age 23, currently at Houston Grand Opera Studio
    • Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano, age 24, pursuing her Masters of Music degree at the Juilliard School of Music
    • Laura Wilde, soprano, age 30, graduate of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago
    • Kihun Yoon, baritone, age 35, member of Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, Los Angeles Opera
    • Xiaomeng Zhang, baritone, age 26, Graduate Diploma Student at the Juilliard School of Music

                Soprano Marina Costa-Jackson, currently starring as Adalgisa in The Dallas Opera’s production of NORMA, served as Mistress of Ceremonies with co-hosts Patsy and Bob Brooks. Ms. Costa-Jackson also appeared at the post-competition celebration and dazzled guests with selections from both Broadway and the opera stage.

    Judges for the 2017 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition:

    Brian Zeger, Chair

    Artistic Director of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts

    The Juilliard School 

    Keith Cerny

    The Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera

    Emmanuel Villaume

    The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, The Dallas Opera

    Andreas Melinat

    Director of Artistic Planning, Lyric Opera of Chicago

    Pål Moe

    Casting Director, Bavarian State Opera;

    Casting Consultant, Glyndebourne Festival and Opéra de Lille

     

    Joshua Winograde

    Senior Director, Artistic Planning, Los Angeles Opera

    Diane Zola

    Director of Artistic Administration, Houston Grand Opera

     

    Audience members were also able to take part in the competition by casting a ballot for their favorite singer for the “People’s Choice” award, now is its 17th year.

    CONTRIBUTORS TO THE 2017 COMPETITION INCLUDE:

    KATHERINE AND MICHAEL PHILLIPS

    KEITH AND JENNIFER CERNY

    1. KETTY FITZGERALD
    2. AND MRS. R.V. REGE

    MARTHA AND DR. ROBERT ALLDAY

    ELAINE AND BILL BLAYLOCK

    CECILE P. BONTE

    PATTI AND JOHN CODY

    SUSAN G. FLEMING, PH.D.

    SUSAN AND MARK GEYER

    MARILYN AND WARD HALLA

    KATHY MULDOON AND ROBERT S. HENDLER, MD

    BETTY SECKER

    ROBERT VATICALOS AND DONALD SCHUSTER

    UNDERWRITERS OF THE 2017 COMPETITION INCLUDE:


    AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER & STAFF

    SPICE OF LIFE CATERING

    SUSAN AND ED WILSON

    KATHERINE & MICHAEL PHILLIPS

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                For additional information about the 29th Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition

    or any upcoming Dallas Opera Guild programs and special events,

    please contact The Dallas Opera Guild at 214-443-1040.
    ~~~~

     

    2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

     

    Apply Now for Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera

    IWC ImageFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Tuesday, March 7, 2017
    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart 214-443-1071
    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE
    APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR
    The Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for
    Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera
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    2017 Dallas Residency: Nov. 6-18, 2017
    Deadline for Applications: April 30, 2017
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    TDO Seeks to Create New Opportunities for Talented Young Women Conductors Making Their Mark in the Field of Opera
    ~~~~
    Additional Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
    And the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation
    ~~~~
    www.dallasopera.org/womenconductors

    DALLAS, MARCH 7, 2017 – Striving to address a long-standing career imbalance in the opera world, The Dallas Opera is delighted to announce that applications are now being accepted for a unique residential program designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors: The Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera (IWC). This year’s program represents the third residency of a twenty-year commitment made by the company.
    Female conductors, as well as accomplished singers, opera coaches, accompanists, and instrumentalists with established careers seeking a new career at the podium are encouraged to apply for the upcoming institute, assembling in the fall of 2017. Although the emphasis is on women conductors on the cusp of major careers in opera, more seasoned applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
    The Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors will meet on November 6, 2017 and run through November 18, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. This year’s institute will include two public concerts (on November 11th and November 18th) in addition to intensive one-on-one’s, master classes, career advancement curriculum, and opportunities to conduct the highly regarded Dallas Opera Orchestra.
    The institute, conceived by Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, was created with initial support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation.
    Since that time, it has garnered additional generous support from Linda and Mitch Hart and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
    Stated Mr. Cerny: “The Dallas Opera has demonstrated, in multiple ways, its unshakable commitment to reshaping the opera field through the use of innovative public outreach, and by exploring new technologies, commissioning new works to expand the operatic repertoire, and programming with passion and imagination.
    “This much-needed program, generously supported by benefactors here in Dallas and elsewhere,” Mr. Cerny adds, “will enable more women conductors to add their talents and insights to our collective understanding of this amazing art form.”
    ~~~~
    The tremendous success of the first two institute sessions has been recognized by music lovers, opera VIPs and the national media, earning a feature in Opera News magazine, published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, as well as a segment on PBS NewsHour seen across the U.S.
    Scott Cantrell, Classical Music Critic for The Dallas Morning News lavished praise on individual performances in the inaugural concert and wrote: “Some fine conducting talents were displayed; one hopes to see and hear more from them.”
    The Senior Classical Music Critic for Theater Jones, Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, agreed: “They all did a fine job and got most of the details correct. Every one of them delivered involving performances and was, for the most part, right with the singers and clear in their stick technique. Most importantly, the orchestra responded to one and all with good ensemble playing and responsiveness to each conductor’s desires.”
    The 2017 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors will provide a host of career-building opportunities:
    • Fellows will rehearse and conduct The Dallas Opera Orchestra, a full-sized professional ensemble, with outstanding young opera artists
    • Participate in master classes with renowned conductor Carlo Montanaro, the
    • Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and other stars of the podium
    • Attend seminars and discussions, guided by a variety of experts (including Alec Treuhaft, former Senior Vice-President of IMG Artists, and Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny) on how women conductors can make a greater impact on their field and advance their conducting careers
    • Network with peers and take part in a media “refresher” course

    Six women will be selected from among those applying, along with four additional American observers to participate in this year’s Hart Institute. The Dallas Opera will provide the six fellows with a travel stipend, in-town housing, an honorarium, visa costs, and a per diem to cover basic living expenses. Most meals will be provided.
    Hart Institute Observers will receive a travel and housing stipend. They will have complete access to master classes and seminars but will not have an opportunity to conduct. Most meals will be provided by The Dallas Opera.
    Hart Institute Fellows are also eligible to take part in an annual spring/summer networking event for institute alumni. This spring, Hart Institute Fellows will gather at San Francisco Opera to work with Adler Fellows in an exciting new partnership for The Dallas Opera.
    There is also the potential for one or more participants to be invited back to Dallas to serve as Assistant Conductors or Guest Conductors on future Dallas Opera productions.
    ~~~~
    The application process is now open, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Sunday, April 30, 2017. Entry fee, $35. Applications may be submitted directly at YAPtracker.com: http://www.yaptracker.com/applications/dallas-opera-conductors-2017
    Early applications are definitely encouraged. For more information on The Women’s Conducting Institute at The Dallas Opera, please visit www.dallasopera.org/womenconductors.
    ~~~~
    Maestro Carlo Montanaro, music director of Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, Poland from 2011 through 2014, has conducted both opera and concert repertoire on many of the world’s leading stages including La Scala, the Bastille Opera in Paris, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Verona’s Arena, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Communale in Florence, Vienna State Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Australia, the Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Munich Opera, Monte Carlo Opera, and Teatro Verdi in Trieste (a collaboration which led to a Japanese tour with the orchestra).
    ~~~~
    The Dallas Opera’s Nicole Paiement, the Artistic Director and Conductor for San Francisco’s renowned contemporary opera company, Opera Parallèle, was singled out for praise in a recent Musical America “Profile in Courage” which wrote: “Working in a profession that often leaves women scandalously underrepresented, Paiement has established stellar credentials.”
    As the subject of a 2015 article in Opera News (“The Mountain Climber” by Matthew Sigman), Paiement was described as “one of opera’s most adventurous spirits.” She also serves as Artistic Director of BluePrint, a contemporary music series at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she holds the Deléage Chair, and has broken important new ground in Dallas, where she was invited to conduct critically acclaimed performances of Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Lighthouse, Death and the Powers by Tod Machover, and the successful 2015 world premiere of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest. She has returned to The Dallas Opera this spring to conduct our first performances of Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, in a Jonathan Kent production from Glyndebourne Opera.
    ~~~~
    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.”
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    2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR
    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
    IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
    Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
    ~~~~
    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by
    Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop
    Educational Outreach Fund.

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

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. 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 Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances 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 and Costume Designer: Michael Yeargan
    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)
    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 and 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.

    ###

    “Madame Butterfly” in HD at The Star in Frisco!

     

    THE STARS WILL ALIGN IN FRISCO AS
    THE DALLAS OPERA PRESENTS
    ITS 15TH FREE SIMULCAST
    MADAME BUTTERFLY
    by GIACOMO PUCCINI

    AT THE STAR IN FRISCO
    One Cowboys Way, Frisco, TX
    ~~~~
    Starring Soprano Hui He and Tenor Gianluca Terranova
    Donato Renzetti Conducts
    SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
    Simulcast Live in High Definition
    from The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
    ~~~~
    With Generous Support from Founding Sponsor
    THE DALLAS FOUNDATION
    Register for Free Tickets at dallasopera.org/simulcast
    or call 214-443-1000

    DALLAS, TX. JANUARY 26, 2017 – North Texas’ newest entertainment district and World Corporate Headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, The Star in Frisco, is the new location for the next FREE Dallas Opera Simulcast. A critically acclaimed production of MADAME BUTTERFLY will be featured at the exciting new venue on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. The classic Italian opera by Giacomo Puccini will be simulcast live from the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District, and is generously sponsored by The Dallas Foundation.
    The program begins at 6:30 p.m. hosted by KLUV Radio’s Jody Dean and The Dallas Opera’s Education Program Senior Manager Kristian Roberts. Activities include Family Fun Zone 4:30-6:30 p.m., contests, behind-the-scenes interviews, and a WB Classics cartoon. The opera performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
    With poignant melodies, memorable characters and a heart-wrenching storyline, MADAME BUTTERFLY has captivated audiences and dampened handkerchiefs for more than a hundred years. Loosely based on true events in Nagasaki, Japan, the unforgettable opera tells the tale of a young, naïve Japanese woman, Cio-Cio-San, blinded by her love for a callous American naval officer. MADAME BUTTERFLY, with libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, is the third production of The Dallas Opera’s 60th Season.
    ~~~~
    “The Dallas Foundation has been proud to serve as the Founding Sponsor of The Dallas Opera’s simulcasts at AT&T Stadium since 2012, helping to provide families throughout our community the chance to experience world-class opera in this unique and relaxed setting,” remarked Mary M. Jalonick, President and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. “This year’s simulcast performance of MADAME BUTTERFLY at The Star in Frisco, will offer audiences an opportunity to enjoy one of the most well-known operas in one of our area’s newest event venues.”
    ~~~~

    “Bringing the splendor and magic of opera to as broad an audience as possible is one of my primary goals as head of The Dallas Opera. These free public presentations are a great vehicle to introduce newcomers to this incredible art form, as well as other opera patrons who enjoy seeing performances in a relaxed setting. TDO’s simulcasts have reached over 70,000 patrons since the program began in 2010. We are extremely grateful to The Dallas Foundation for its generous and sustained support of these programs,” said Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera.
    “I am also delighted that TDO will present MADAME BUTTERFLY in high definition at The Star in Frisco for our 15th simulcast in the series, and I know that this setting will show Puccini’s classic opera to its best advantage,” he added.

    The Star in Frisco, Texas is located at One Cowboys Way, Frisco, TX 75034. Tickets and parking are free. Register online at www.dallasopera.org/simulcast or call 214-443-1000. The public is encouraged to arrive early to secure their spot.
    ~~~~
    Lt. B.F. Pinkerton (tenor Gianluca Terranova) rents a wife Cio-Cio-San (soprano Hui He), as well as a house, in a false marriage of convenience. Although he abandons her not long after their wedding, Pinkerton has promised to return. Despite interest from worthy suitors and numerous pleas from her devoted maid Suzuki (mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer) to give up her vigil, the woman nicknamed “Butterfly” remains steadfast (“One Beautiful Day”) during his three-year absence.

    This lovely, period production designed by Michael Yeargan (sets and costumes) for San Francisco Opera, will be led by renowned Italian conductor Donato Renzetti and staged by the legendary British director John Copley.
    Regarded as one of the most famous new interpreters of the role, Chinese soprano Hui He, makes her Dallas Opera debut as Cio-Cio-San. “The debut of Hui He in the role of Butterfly was sensational: she has convinced not only with her big voice, her wonderful technique and her marvelous timbre, but also she touched with a deep and emotional interpretation. The best Butterfly that you can wish,” (Wiener Zeitung, Austria).
    The role of “love ‘em and leave ‘em” Pinkerton will be performed by Italian lyric tenor Gianluca Terranova in his eagerly anticipated company debut. Andrew Alexander of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, recently described the charismatic Italian in another role saying his “youthful, heroic and clear voice perfectly suggests the poetic, dreamy nature of the character…but it can also just as beautifully convey the later anguish and troubled self-awareness that come to the character…”
    Internationally acclaimed Italian mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer stars as Suzuki, Butterfly’s confidant and devoted maid. “Vocally, she displayed an impeccable line of singing, with a pleasing and refreshing timbre that contains an ample range of rich colors,” raved Ramon Jacques, Opera Click, of her role as Isabella in our 2009 production of Rossini’s The Italian Girl in Algiers.
    American baritone Lucas Meachem stars as Sharpless, the American consul in Nagasaki. “A natural on stage, he…dazzled the audience with the power and beauty of his voice,” (Broadway World).
    Winner of multiple international awards, conductor Donato Renzetti has achieved much critical acclaim from around the globe. According to Robert J. Farr of MusicWeb International “The singers do not have to force, particularly when accompanied by a maestro of such experience and sympathy as Donato Renzetti.” George Loomis of The New York Times wrote that the Maestro “conducted a warm, expansive performance,” of a recent production of Tosca (Puccini) for Rome Opera.
    MADAME BUTTERFLY is performed in Italian with projected English translations. Additional mainstage performances take place March 10, 12(m), 15, 18, 24 and 26(m), 2017 at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, Dallas.

    SEASON SPONSOR
    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
    IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
    Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
    ~~~~
    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by
    Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop
    Educational Outreach Fund.

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

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. 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 Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances 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 and Costume Designer: Michael Yeargan
    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 and 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: TBD
    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.

    ###

    THE U.S. PREMIERE OF SUNKEN GARDEN

    DALLAS, NOVEMBER 17, 2016 – The Dallas Opera is privileged to announce that TDO will present the United States Premiere of composer Michel van der Aa’s critically acclaimed contemporary masterpiece, SUNKEN GARDEN, “a fantastical tale to set the ears and eyes popping” (New York Times headline) during the Texas company’s 2017-2018 Season.

    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 at Opéra de Lyon.

    Dallas Opera performances—sung entirely in English with supertitles projected above the stage—are scheduled for March 9, 11(m), 14 & 17, 2018 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  This astonishing work will be directed (both on film and on stage) by Mr. van der Aa himself.

    The announcement was made by Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera, at the conclusion of this evening’s “Composing Conversation with Michel van der Aa” at Studio Music Grill (Royal Lane, Dallas).

    Sunken Garden (Photo: Mike Hoban)
    Sunken Garden Photo by: Mike Hoban

    “I first experienced SUNKEN GARDEN in Lyon, France, in the spring of 2015” explained Mr. Cerny, “and found it a uniquely rewarding theatrical experience.”

    “Michel is an outstanding composer, yet his skill as a videographer and his pioneering use of both two-and-three-dimensional projections, paired with live singers, stretch the boundaries that typically define “What is Opera?” 

    “Much like Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest, the stunning visuals throughout this work and the brilliantly surreal libretto by Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer David Mitchell prompts a necessary rethinking of the art form itself. 

    “I found myself captivated by Michel van der Aa’s extraordinary musical and visual vocabulary—and many in the audience clearly shared my sense of awe,” Cerny adds. “I was certain we were witnessing a work of rare originality and multi-disciplinary innovation. 

    “Frankly, I couldn’t wait to bring it to the U.S.”

    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.

                SUNKEN GARDEN will star English baritone Roderick Williams as “Tony 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.

    Set and lighting design is by Theun Mosk with costumes by Astrid Schulz.

    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.”

    Reviewing for Opernwelt, Albrecht Thiemann had high praise for Michel van der Aa’s extraordinary versatility: “Composer, sound engineer, film maker and director all rolled into one, Van der Aa has always endeavored to make video clips, webcams and laptop animations something more than mere stage setting.  Rather than creating immaterial decoration or replacing physical backdrops and buildings with fancy digital tableaus, he is interested in exploring new dimensions of aesthetic experience. […] Nowhere else [in Van der Aa’s work] are the layerings and reflections of a multimedia Gesamtkunstwerk constructed in such complex ways…and nowhere else has an aesthetic integration of heterogeneous elements been achieved more convincingly in terms of technique. And yet, Van der Aa poses nothing but the age-old questions: Who are we? What do we see, hear, feel? Where do we come from?

    “It seems there is somebody out there who sees the signs of our times for what they are, informed by artistic exploration. One who observes what he sees and hears without blinders. One who devours everything, only to feed it back into his ongoing research into the musical theatre stage.”

     

    Composer Michel van der Aa:

    “One of the most distinctive of the younger composers in Europe today. His ability to fuse music, text and visual images into a totally organic whole sets him apart from nearly all his contemporaries.” (Andrew Clements, The Guardian)

    Michel van der Aa (Netherlands, 1970) is a truly multidisciplinary figure in contemporary music. A unique voice, he combines composition with film and stage direction, and script writing. Classical instruments, voices, electronic sound, actors, theatre and video are all seamless extensions of his musical vocabulary.

    Before studying composition (with Diderik Wagenaar, Gilius van Bergeijk and Louis Andriessen), Van der Aa trained first as a recording engineer at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 2002 he broadened his skills with studies in film direction, at the New York Film Academy, and in 2007 he participated in the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab, an intensive course in stage direction.

    Van der Aa’s musical materials are hard to tease apart, constantly switching between stasis and high energy, concrete and abstract, acoustic and electronic, ‘pure’ and processed, brand new and half-remembered. Many of them are as visual as they are aural. The possibilities of digital and audio- visual technology often feature, not as a surface gloss to his work but at the core of his artistic outlook.

    Another important aspect to Van der Aa’s is collaboration and interdisciplinarity. He has worked with leading classical performers such as Sol Gabetta, Barbara Hannigan, Janine Jansen, Christianne Stotijn and Roderick Williams, as well as the Portuguese fado singer Ana Moura, pop acts Kate Miller-Heidke and These New Puritans, and well-known European actors like Klaus Maria Brandauer and João Reis.

    His most recent partnership is with the English novelist David Mitchell, with whom he is writing his fourth work for music theatre, Sunken Garden, an ‘occult-mystery film-opera’ co-commissioned by English National Opera, the Toronto Luminato Festival, Opera de Lyon, the Holland Festival and the Barbican Centre, London.

    His music has been performed by ensembles and orchestras worldwide, including musikFabrik, ICE, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Chamber Players, SWR orchestra Baden-Baden & Freiburg, the ASKO|Schoenberg ensemble, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Phiharmonia Orchestra London and the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra.

    He has been a featured artist at the Perth Tura New Music Festival and Holland Festival. He is a regular guest of the Berliner Festspiele, Venice Biennale, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Gaudeamus Music Week, Opera de Lyon, Huddersfield Festival and Warsaw Autumn. Additionally his compositions have been performed at the Festival d’Automne à Paris, LA Philharmonic New Music Series, Lucerne Festival, Tokyo Suntory Summer Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Moscow Music Week and Oslo Ultima Festival.

    Van der Aa has won acclaim for his multimedia works for the stage and concert hall (not only the operas One, After Life and The Book of Disquiet, but also Up-Close, and Transit for piano and video). He has directed both the filmed and staged elements of all of these works. His operas have been staged in more than a dozen countries, with After Life and The Book of Disquiet being regularly revived.

    In 1999 Michel van der Aa was the first Dutch composer to win the prestigious International Gaudeamus Prize. Subsequent awards include the Matthijs Vermeulen prize (2004), a Siemens Composers Grant (2005), the Charlotte Köhler Prize for his directing work and the interdisciplinary character of his oeuvre (2005), the Paul Hindemith Prize (2006), and the Kagel Prize (2013).

    Michel van der Aa has won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his multimedia work Up-Close.

    In 2007 the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra commissioned the song cycle Spaces of Blank, and since 2011 he has been a ‘house composer’ with the orchestra. This association that will lead to several major new works, including a violin concerto for Janine Jansen. Over the last few years he has also developed strong ties with the Barbican Centre, with performances of After Life and Up-Close, which led to the premiere of Sunken Garden in April 2013.

    In 2010 he launched Disquiet Media, an independent multimedia label for his own work, and in 2012 developed Disquiet TV, an online virtual auditorium for contemporary music events.

     

    2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

    IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7.  VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

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

    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    ~~~~

    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by

    Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop

    Educational Outreach Fund.

    TDO Family Performances are a part of the

    Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated.  Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. 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 FALL SEASON INFORMATION

    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.  The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances 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: TBD

    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

    Lighting Designer: TBD

    Wig and Make-up Designer: TBD

    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: TBD

    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.

    Free Event! Composing Conversations Featuring Michel van der Aa

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT

    European Composer/Technologist Michel van der Aa

    and The Dallas Opera’s General Director and CEO Keith Cerny in

    COMPOSING CONVERSATIONS 

    Thursday, November 17, 6:30 p.m.

    Studio Movie Grill – Dallas, Royal Lane

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    An Extraordinary Conversation and a Kaleidoscopic Taste of the Composer’s Approach to Musical Storytelling

    To RSVP or For More Information Visit www.dallasopera.org/composing

                DALLAS, TX, NOVEMBER 11, 2016 – For an insightful window into the innovative approach of pioneering European composer and technologist Michel van der Aa, The Dallas Opera invites the public to a free event “Composing Conversations.” Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera, will present the extraordinary discussion, where audiences can also expect an exciting announcement regarding a new collaboration with the composer.

                The intimate setting of the Studio Movie Grill, 11170 N. Central Expressway, (Dallas location, near Royal Lane) is the location for this unique program on Thursday, November 17, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; seating is general admission.

    Michel van der Aa (Photo: Marco Borggreve)
    Michel van der Aa Photo by: Marco Borggreve

                Michel van der Aa is known for combining musical theater and multimedia in often-astonishing ways, as demonstrated in excerpts from his critically acclaimed Sunken Garden, The Book of Sand, and Black Out (which premiered in this year’s Forward Festival, presented by Dutch National Opera). 
                He has been described as “one of the most distinctive of the younger composers in Europe today. His ability to fuse music, text and visual images into a totally organic whole, sets him apart from nearly all his contemporaries.” (Andrew Clements, The Guardian)

                Composing Conversations is an ongoing discussions series featuring some of the most noteworthy international composers. The Dallas Opera presents this programming to showcase all types of opera composers, from grand opera to chamber. This series is intended to introduce some of these great talents to the public and to potentially ignite interest in new operatic works.

                Studio Movie Grill offers friendly service at the push of a button and patrons may order and purchase selections from its American Grill Menu. Over 60 premium spirits are available at the bar.

    BIOGRAPHY – Michel van der Aa

    Michel van der Aa (Netherlands, 1970) is a truly multidisciplinary figure in contemporary music. A unique voice, he combines composition with film and stage direction, and script writing. Classical instruments, voices, electronic sound, actors, theatre and video are all seamless extensions of his musical vocabulary.

    Before studying composition (with Diderik Wagenaar, Gilius van Bergeijk and Louis Andriessen), Van der Aa trained first as a recording engineer at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In 2002 he broadened his skills with studies in film direction, at the New York Film Academy, and in 2007 he participated in the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab, an intensive course in stage direction.

    Van der Aa’s musical materials are hard to tease apart, constantly switching between stasis and high energy, concrete and abstract, acoustic and electronic, ‘pure’ and processed, brand new and half-remembered. Many of them are as visual as they are aural. The possibilities of digital and audio- visual technology often feature, not as a surface gloss to his work but at the core of his artistic outlook.

                For more information, visit www.dallasopera.org/composing or consult the friendly staff in the Ticket Office at 214-443-1000.

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