TDO 20-21 Season Safety Measures – December 10 2020
Spring Season Update with New Options for Patrons
Cast Changes in TDO’s LA WALLY
The Dallas Opera is announcing cast changes for the upcoming production of Cataloni’s LA WALLY; read on.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, January 19, 2015
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera Announces
Cast Changes to LA WALLY
LA WALLY, ACT IV
With Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s EVEREST
(A Dallas Opera World Premiere)
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OPENING FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015, 7:30 P.M.
FOR THE FIRST OF FOUR PERFORMANCES
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The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
At the AT&T Performing Arts Center
~~~~
ALICE W. AND RICHARD D. BASS,
EVEREST Underwriters
With Additional Support from
National Endowment for the Arts,
TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund
& Tobin Theatre Arts Fund
~~~~
Three-Opera FLEX Subscriptions
Still Available, Starting at $75
Single Tickets Start at $19
DALLAS, TX, JANUARY 19, 2015 – The Dallas Opera is announcing cast changes for the company’s upcoming new production of Alfredo Catalani’s LA WALLY (Act IV).
Mexican tenor Rodrigo Garciarroyo will perform the leading role of Giuseppe Hagenbach on January 30 (opening night), February 1 and 4, 2015. Tenor Arnold Rawls will sing the role for the final performance scheduled on February 7, 2015. The singers are assuming the role after Carl Tanner recently withdrew, due to illness.
In addition, soprano Melissa Citro will sing the final performance of La Wally in the title role. Earlier, soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams took over the part from Latonia Moore, who withdrew because of her pregnancy.
Mr. Garciarroyo, who is making his Dallas Opera debut in LA WALLY, has been praised by John Bills of Pro Opera Magazine as “…combining a rich sound and a smooth legato with secure and heroic high notes: first class singing.”
Mr. Rawls makes his Dallas Opera debut in this production after earning rave reviews from Opera News, which wrote, “He owned the stage dramatically and musically…nailing each note.”
Ms. Citro, making her house debut with The Dallas Opera as the intrepid title character of Wally (short for “Walburga,” in case you were wondering), has excelled in a variety of Wagnerian roles. Writing about her Glimmerglass Festival appearance in The Consul, one reviewer claimed Miss Citro “stopped the performance in the second act with her aria, when she finally snaps in the face of the unseen Consul’s inhumanity to his fellow man. Ms. Citro is already singing such Wagnerian roles as a Norn and a Valkyrie in major houses. She has a great career ahead of her. See her now.”
LA WALLY is the first half of the sole double bill in The Dallas Opera’s 2014-2015 “Heights of Passion” Season. The climactic final act of this rarely produced 1892 work is being paired with the world premiere of EVEREST—the first opera by renowned British composer Joby Talbot (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Gene Scheer (Moby-Dick).
Opening night will take place on Friday, January 30, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
That night, LA WALLY will star Mary Elizabeth Williams, described by Opera News as “the next great Verdi soprano,” as Wally, on the heels of her performances as Floria Tosca for Seattle Opera (where she was selected as the 2011-2012 “Artist of the Year”). Ms. Williams, praised by The Washington Post for “wonderful stage presence, both regal and human.” Ms. Williams will perform the role on January 30, February 1 and 4, 2015.
The role of Walter will be sung throughout by Dallas Opera favorite Jennifer Chung, who appeared as Juliette in last season’s critically acclaimed production of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s twentieth-century masterpiece, Die tote Stadt.
Conducted by Anthony Barrese (Tosca, 2008) and staged in this abridged production by renowned stage director Candace Evans (Don Pasquale, The Merry Widow), this is the tale of a free-spirited and fiercely passionate young woman who realizes, too late, that love delayed isn’t always love denied. TDO’s production also will incorporate the famous Act I aria, “Ebben, ne andrò lontana.”
Other members of the top-notch production team include acclaimed set designer Robert Brill (Moby-Dick), costume designer David C. Woolard (Oscar, Death and the Powers), lighting designer Christopher Akerlind (The Dream of Valentino, La bohème, The Marriage of Figaro), wig and make-up designer David Zimmerman and projections designer Elaine J. McCarthy.
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On the slopes of Mount Everest, luck and the weather can turn with equal ferocity and swiftness, and dreams die even for the most valiant of men.
British composer Joby Talbot’s first opera confronts the tragic events surrounding an ill-fated 1996 Everest expedition with a cast that includes tenor Andrew Bidlack and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, as well as bass Kevin Burdette and baritone Craig Verm in their company debuts. This much-anticipated Dallas Opera world premiere will be conducted by contemporary music specialist and Dallas Opera Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and staged by director Leonard Foglia (Moby-Dick) – this season’s James R. Seitz, Jr. Stage Director in Honor of John Gage – with stunning projections designed to carry us to the one of the highest, most awe-inspiring, and dangerous places on earth.
“It’s a thrill to have this opportunity to bring together artists from several of the most memorable productions in recent Dallas Opera history,” says Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, “and to combine their extraordinary talents in fresh and exciting new ways.
“I am also delighted to cement The Dallas Opera’s newfound reputation as a creative force in American Opera with the first of three world premieres scheduled to take place in 2015,” Mr. Cerny adds. “My team and I are confident that this thrilling original work by Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer will bring us a step closer to our goal of providing adventurous North Texas audiences with thought-provoking new works, in addition to carefully conceived productions of rarely performed and much-loved favorites from the opera repertoire.”
Dallas Opera Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement made a profound impression on theatergoers during the 2012 launch of our chamber opera series: The Lighthouse by Peter Maxwell Davies. Wrote Willard Spiegelman of Opera News, “Nicole Paiement led the ensemble briskly through a score that is rhythmically as well as harmonically complex.” Dallas Observer Classical Music Critic Katie Womack expounded further: “The success of Friday’s performance was largely due to Nicole Paiement, who conducted the orchestra skillfully and artistically, and DTC’s artistic director, Kevin Moriarty, whose staging of this work marked his opera directorial debut. Moriarty’s transition to this genre seemed effortless and his work at home in the Wyly Theatre space. Together, the two produced one of the most interesting hours of opera I’ve seen in a while.”
The conductor also led brilliant performances of Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers last season, easily the most cutting-edge and technologically sophisticated opera ever produced in North Texas.
Andrew Bidlack, praised by David Fleshler of The Miami Herald for his “smooth legato and heroic top notes,” prompted Classical Voice of New England to proclaim that he has “vocal color to match one of the original ‘Three Tenors’.” Mr. Bidlack made his TDO debut as Sandy in The Lighthouse, which launched our chamber opera series in 2012.
Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, who debuted with Dallas Opera in the acclaimed 2013 production of Dominick Argento’s The Aspern Papers before creating the role of Mary Magdalene in the San Francisco Opera world premiere of Mark Adamo’s most recent work, “made a brilliant impression,” according to Georgia Rowe of Opera News. “Cooke sang with complete conviction, sounding unforced and lustrous.” While San Francisco Chronicle Critic Joshua Kosman wrote that her singing was “eloquent and shimmeringly rich.”
Bass Kevin Burdette will be making his company debut but he’s already attracting a lot of attention for his “large powerful voice with a burnished robust sound” and a “vibrant personality that pervaded the entire theater” (Opera Today).
Baritone Craig Verm, who will also be making his TDO debut in this production, has earned raves for his “brilliantly performed” roles and “consistently solid and well-colored” singing” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).
The Dallas Opera Chorus is prepared by acclaimed Chorus Master Alexander Rom.
EVEREST is generously underwritten by Alice W. and Richard D. Bass, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, TACA Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund, and the Tobin Theatre Arts Fund.
Performances of this unique double bill (LA WALLY sung in Italian, EVEREST sung in English, with English language supertitles projected above the stage) will take place in the magnificent Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on January 30, February 1 (2:00 p.m. matinee), 4 & 7, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. These works will be separated by an intermission.
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Single tickets for the remaining mainstage productions of the Dallas Opera’s “Heights of Passion” 2014-15 Season (La bohëme, Iolanta) are on sale now, starting at just $19, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for as little as $15 (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance.
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “JANUARY AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
For high-resolution digital photographs suitable for print
To arrange an interview or obtain additional information
Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and Public Relations
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, 2014-2015 SEASON SPONSOR
FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “HEIGHTS OF PASSION” SEASON
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
Ticket Information for the 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Spring Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions are on sale starting at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2014-2015 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Eighth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.
A RARE DALLAS OPERA DOUBLE BILL:
LA WALLY by Alfredo Catalani
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
The Climactic Final Act!
First performed in Milan, Italy on January 20, 1892
Text by Luigi Illica after Wilhelmine von Hillern’s story, Die Geyer-Wally
Time: Around the year 1800
Place: The Austrian Alps
Conductor: Anthony Barrese
Stage Director: Candace Evans
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Williams* & Melissa Citro* (Wally), Rodrigo Garciarroyo* & Arnold Rawls* (Giuseppe Hagenbach) and Jennifer Chung (Walter)
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!
Paired with EVEREST by Joby Talbot
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
A Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Text by Gene Scheer
Time: Modern Day
Place: In the Death Zone on Mount Everest
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Sasha Cooke (Jan Arnold), Kevin Burdette* (Beck Weathers) and Craig Verm* (Doug Hansen).
LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
March 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2015
A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production
An opera in four acts first performed in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896
Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Henry Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème
Time: mid-19th century
Place: The Latin Quarter of Paris, France
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza*
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras
Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Costume Design: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotton
Starring: Ana Maria Martinez (Mimi), Bryan Hymel (Rodolfo), Davinia Rodriguez* (Musetta), Jonathan Beyer (Marcello), Alexander Vinogradov* (Colline), Stephen LaBrie (Schaunard) and Stefan Szkafarowsky (Benoit).
One of the Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!
IOLANTA by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
April 10, 12(m), 15 and 18, 2015
A rarely performed Tchaikovsky gem, set in Medieval Provence!
First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892
Text by Modest Tchaikovsky based on the Danish play King Rene’s Daughter by Henrik Hertz
Time: The 15th century
Place: Provence, a mountainous region in Southern France
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Christian Räth
Scenic Design: Christian Räth
Costume Design: Susan Cox
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ekaterina Scherbachenko* (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov* (Count Vaudémont), Joanna Mongiardo* (Brigitta), Lauren McNeese (Laura), Tamara Mumford* (Marta), Andrei Bondarenko** (Robert, Duke of Burgandy), Mikhail Kolelishvili (Renè, King of Provence), Andrew Bidlack (Alméric), Vladislav Sulimsky** (Ibn-Hakia) and Jordan Bisch (Bertrand).
Another New Dallas Opera Production
* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
______________________________________________________________________________________
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 Wants to Take YOU Higher
The supers, or non-singing extras, that performed the duties of deckhands in our 2010 world premiere production of “Moby-Dick” have been immortalized in scads of photos in books and publications around the world. You could be next. Read on.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, December 5, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
Scale Unimaginable Heights!
Explore New Experiences!
Make History as Part of the Original Cast
Of a Dallas Opera World Premiere!
EVEREST
~~~~
TDO Seeking Supers with Serious Climbing Skills
No Theatrical Experience Necessary
No Singing Required!
~~~~
Apply Online at https://secure.dallasopera.org/supers/
DALLAS, TX, DECEMBER 5, 2014 – The Dallas Opera is putting out a call for men and women of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds—with actual climbing experience—to join the original cast of the world premiere production of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s EVEREST, opening January 30, 2015 for the first of four performances in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Like the Moby-Dick world premiere in 2010, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Dallas Opera is seeking individuals who are unafraid of heights and comfortable working in a harness. They may be called upon to dangle 30 feet in the air for as long as fifteen minutes at a time.
For additional information about the job of opera supernumeraries (or, “supers”) go to http://dallasopera.org/about/employment/seasonal/.
To sign-up, fill out the form at https://secure.dallasopera.org/supers/ and you will be contacted by a member of our artistic/production team.
Rehearsals for the supernumeraries will begin in early January. The position comes with modest compensation and complimentary tickets; not to mention, lifelong “bragging rights.”
Do not delay! Explore this extraordinary opportunity today!
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On the slopes of Mount Everest, luck and the weather can turn with equal ferocity and swiftness, and dreams die even for the most valiant of men. British composer Joby Talbot’s first opera—EVEREST—a Dallas Opera world premiere with a libretto by Gene Scheer (Moby-Dick)—confronts the tragic events surrounding an ill-fated Everest expedition with a cast that includes tenor Andrew Bidlack and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, as well as bass Kevin Burdette and baritone Craig Verm in their company debuts.
This much-anticipated Dallas Opera world premiere will be conducted by contemporary music specialist and Dallas Opera Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and staged by director Leonard Foglia (Moby-Dick) with stunning projections by Elaine J. McCarthy (Moby-Dick, Tristan & Isolde) to carry us to the one of the highest, most awe-inspiring, and dangerous places on earth.
Performances of this unique double bill (LA WALLY, Act IV sung in Italian, followed by EVEREST sung in English, with English language supertitles projected above the stage) will take place in the magnificent Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on January 30, February 1 ( 2:00 matinee), 4 & 7, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.
These One Acts will be separated by an intermission.
~~~~
Single tickets for the remaining mainstage productions of the Dallas Opera’s “Heights of Passion” Season—including the world premiere production of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s EVEREST—are on sale now, starting at just $19, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for as little as $25 (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance.
EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “DECEMBER AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
To arrange an interview
Or for additional information
Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and Public Relations
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, 2014-2015 SEASON SPONSOR
FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “HEIGHTS OF PASSION” SEASON
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
Ticket Information for the 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Spring Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions are on sale starting at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2014-2015 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Eighth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.
A RARE DALLAS OPERA DOUBLE BILL:
LA WALLY by Alfredo Catalani
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
The Climactic Final Act!
First performed in Milan, Italy on January 20, 1892
Text by Luigi Illica after Wilhelmine von Hillern’s story, Die Geyer-Wally
Time: Around the year 1800
Place: The Austrian Alps
Conductor: Anthony Barrese
Stage Director: Candace Evans
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Latonia Moore (Wally), Carl Tanner* (Giuseppe Hagenbach) and Jennifer Chung (Walter)
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!
Paired with EVEREST by Joby Talbot
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
A Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Text by Gene Scheer
Time: Modern Day
Place: In the Death Zone on Mount Everest
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Sasha Cooke (Jan Arnold), Kevin Burdette* (Beck Weathers) and Craig Verm* (Doug Hansen).
LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
March 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2015
A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production
An opera in four acts first performed in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896
Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Henry Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème
Time: mid-19th century
Place: The Latin Quarter of Paris, France
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza*
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras
Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Costume Design: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotton
Starring: Ana Maria Martinez (Mimi), Bryan Hymel (Rodolfo), Davinia Rodriguez* (Musetta), Jonathan Beyer (Marcello), Alexander Vinogradov* (Colline), Stephen LaBrie (Schaunard) and Stefan Szkafarowsky (Benoit).
One of the Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!
IOLANTA by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
April 10, 12(m), 15 and 18, 2015
A rarely performed Tchaikovsky gem, set in Medieval Provence!
First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892
Text by Modest Tchaikovsky based on the Danish play King Rene’s Daughter by Henrik Hertz
Time: The 15th century
Place: Provence, a mountainous region in Southern France
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Christian Räth
Scenic Design: Christian Räth
Costume Design: Susan Cox
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ekaterina Scherbachenko* (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov* (Count Vaudémont), Joanna Mongiardo* (Brigitta), Lauren McNeese (Laura), Tamara Mumford* (Marta), Andrei Bondarenko** (Robert, Duke of Burgandy), Mikhail Kolelishvili (Renè, King of Provence), Andrew Bidlack (Alméric), Vladislav Sulimsky** (Ibn-Hakia) and Jordan Bisch (Bertrand).
Another New Dallas Opera Production
* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
______________________________________________________________________________________
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.
###
Heggie and Scheer’s MOBY-DICK Returns to TDO
It’s the return of the White Whale and the crew in pursuit of him: MOBY-DICK at the Dallas Opera – again – in 2016. This time, conducted by Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 4, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Celeste Hart 214.443.1072
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
THE RETURN OF JAKE HEGGIE AND GENE SCHEER’S MONUMENTAL DALLAS OPERA WORLD PREMIERE:
MOBY-DICK
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Starring Jay Hunter Morris as Ahab, Stephen Costello as Greenhorn, Morgan Smith as Starbuck, Jonathan Lemalu as Queequeg and many more from the original all-star cast
– conducted by Music Director Emmanuel Villaume! Read more →
From the Desk of Artistic Director Jonathan Pell – San Francisco – Part II
Tenor Stephen Costello (“Greenhorn” in MOBY-DICK) with his voice teacher Bill Schuman in San Francisco.
It was such a thrill to see MOBY-DICK again last night, with most of the original cast intact from the world premiere in Dallas, along with the original conductor, Patrick Summers and stage director Leonard Foglia.
A large group of Dallas Opera patrons had flown out to San Francisco for the weekend to attend the performance, but they were not the only people on their feet cheering at the end when composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer came out for their bow at the end of the evening! It was a really exciting performance!
The major cast change was the assumption of the role of “Captain Ahab” by Jay Hunter Morris, and he was intense and compelling in this challenging role. He had already done the opera in Adelaide and San Diego, but he has grown enormously in the part. He sings it magnificently, but what has been interesting to see is how his characterization of this complex character continues to grow in depth.
As many of you know, Jay’s career began as a member of The Dallas Opera chorus many years ago, and he has returned often to sing leading roles with the company, including “Steva” in JENUFA and “Bacchus” in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS. Since he became an “over night” star with his recent appearances as “Siegfried” in the Metropolitan Opera RING cycle, people seem to have forgotten how long this road has been for Jay, and his great success is well deserved.
Stephen Costello, Morgan Smith, Jonathan Lemalu, Talise Trevigne, Robert Orth and Matthew O’Neill all returned to the roles that they created in Dallas, and were simply stunning last night. Each of them were in top form and gave indelible performances that fortunately will be captured for posterity since this production has been recorded for future telecast on PBS’ Great Performances series.
Today it is back to Dallas and a return to rehearsals for AIDA which opens our 2012-2013 season on October 26th.
From the Desk of Artistic Director Jonathan Pell
Basking in the glowing reviews for the Dallas Opera’s extraordinary production of TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, I got on a plane for San Diego to attend the west coast premiere of MOBY-DICK. It was wonderful to be reunited with this magnificent work which we commissioned for the opening season of the Winspear Opera House and which premiered there in April 2010. Most of the original cast and production team had been reassembled (only Stephen Costello and Jonathan Beyer of the principal singers were unable to join the crew for this “sailing of the Pequod”, and were replaced by Jonathan Boyd and Malcolm Mackenzie, respectively. The only other major change was conductor Joseph Mechavich who has ably succeeded Patrick Summers on the podium, and the production was just as stunning as we all remember it.
Ian Campbell, San Diego Opera’s long time general director, was the first colleague to “sign on” as a co-commissioner and co-producer of the five opera companies who share in the production (although the fourth company to present it, after Dallas, Adelaide and Calgary.) I am very grateful to Ian for his support of the project. By the way, San Diego Opera was also a partner in our 2001 commission of Tobias Picker’s THERESE RAQUIN.
The future of MOBY-DICK seems assured now, since four other companies have expressed interest in presenting MOBY-DICK after the last original partner’s performances in San Francisco this October.
It is now 6:30 on Sunday morning and I am at the San Diego Airport awaiting my flight back to Dallas in time for today’s matinee of TRISTAN— I certainly wasn’t going to miss one of the performances of this incredible production if I could help it, and maybe I’ll be able to sleep on the plane…