Featured Artist – Andrea Carroll

Andrea Carroll, Soprano
Role: Pamina, The Magic Flute

Can you give us a little background about yourself? Where did you grow up, etc.?
I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, but was born in Bangkok, Thailand! My dad worked for the World Bank and we were overseas for the first six years of my life– living in Nepal and Bolivia before returning to the Washington D.C. area (where both the world bank headquarters and my dad’s side of the family are). My mom is fully Guatemalan, my dad is half Hungarian, half Austrian and was raised in Rome and Chile before moving to the US. So a very international mix! I’ve always been surrounded by many languages and cultures, so an easy and natural transition into this art form and industry for me. There are no musicians in my family, but a huge appreciation and support for the arts. I studied at the Manhattan School of Music, was a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, and have been living in Vienna, Austria for the past four years working at the Wiener Staatsoper. (Fun side note: my paternal great-grandfather saved up his pennies as a young man to go watch operas in the standing room section of the Wiener Staatsoper. Talk about full-circle! I always have to pinch myself).

Why Opera?
I saw a few as a teenager and was totally hooked! I knew I wanted to be a performer and singer from a very early age and was completely obsessed with musical theater. Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bernstein, Kander and Ebb, Lerner and Loewe.. you name it! I thought I was destined for the Broadway stage and was quite a theater nerd by the age of 11/12. I started taking private voice lessons with a retired opera singer who heard operatic potential there and gently started pushing me in the classical direction. I enjoyed the vocal exercises and the technical aspect, but pushed back and hesitated at first, remaining stubbornly set on making a career belting like Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone. My grandparents were season subscribers to the Washington National Opera and convinced me to come along. In short succession I saw both La bohème and Don Giovanni… my jaw was on the floor. How did these sounds come out of these bodies with no amplification? Getting to sing in Italian, German, Russian, and French? The rest was history. I switched gears and never looked back. My all night musical binge-sessions transitioned from Barbara Streisand to Joan Sutherland, Mirella Freni, Renata Scotto, and Anna Moffo. I was drunk with the opera bug and still am! Musical theater still holds a very special place in my heart and I’m always excited when it makes its way into my performance schedule (Carousel, West Side Story).

Are you excited about performing with this seriously-international cast?
I feel so lucky to be working with this melting pot of a cast! I love how much of a cultural mix there is in the group, which will surely bring wonderful and diverse flavors and energy to the production and performances. I’m especially honored to be singing my first Pamina with some real Zauberflöte experts. Morris Robinson, Olga Pudova, and Markus Werba have performed their respective roles (Sarastro, Queen of the night, Papageno) many times all over the world– I’m so looking forward to soaking in their knowledge and experience about the piece, learning from them, and growing into Pamina alongside them.

How you feel about making your Dallas Opera debut? Do you think the role of Pamina is good role to introduce yourself to our audience?
I couldn’t be more thrilled to be making my Dallas Opera debut. Texas is very near and dear to my heart, as I have spent a lot of time working in Houston. I’m so looking forward to getting to know the DFW area, audiences, and building a new relationship with this amazing house. Although I’ve sung several Mozart ladies many times (Susanna, Despina, Zerlina), this will be my first performances of Pamina. I have been wanting to sing Pamina for years: she’s an iconic role and feels like a great fit for me both vocally and dramatically. She is a young woman with so many interesting layers to explore: innocence, courage, loyalty, passion. I can’t wait and so hope I do her justice.

If you met someone who never listened to opera before which would you have them listen to/watch first and why?
I would steer them in the direction of a true classic– be it comedy or tragedy. The comedies I always recommend are: Elixir of Love and Don Pasquale (short, sweet, funny, easily accessible and sure-shot crowd-pleasers). For tragedies: La bohème and Rigoletto (c’mon… need I say more? Sweeping lush melodies with a heart-wrenching endings). And honestly, Zauberflöte is a great introduction to opera as well! Easily recognizable and beautiful famous melodies, comedy, lush imagery and history. You can’t go wrong with Mozart!

2017-2018 Season Announcement at NorthPark Center

Photo by Maxine Helfman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071

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

THE DALLAS OPERA PROUDLY PRESENTS ITS

61^st INTERNATIONAL SEASON

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FIVE AMAZING PRODUCTIONS

INCLUDING THE U.S. PREMIERE OF

MICHEL VAN DER AA’S SUNKEN GARDEN

AND A DELIGHTFUL KORNGOLD RARITY:

THE RING OF POLYKRATES

2017-2018 Features Three Dazzling Classics

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

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

Don Giovanni (April 13-April 29, 2018)

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SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017 AT 8:00 PM

The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

At the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

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

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

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

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

2017-2018 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

SAMSON & DALILA

By Camille Saint-Saëns

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

LA TRAVIATA

By Giuseppe Verdi

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

VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR, OP. 35

THE RING OF POLYKRATES

By Erich Wolfgang Korngold

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

SUNKEN GARDEN

By Michel van der Aa

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

DON GIOVANNI

By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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

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

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

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

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

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

Designer debuts next season will include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Critically acclaimed Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume will conduct.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2017-2018 FAMILY PERFORMANCE SERIES

Presenting Sponsor, Texas Instruments

DONIZETTI AND COMPANY

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Sunday, February 18, 2018

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

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Saturday, February 3, 2018

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

PÉPITO by Jacques Offenbach

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Saturday, February 10, 2018

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

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

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2016-2017 SEASON SPONSOR

The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

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

FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

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

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

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The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by

Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop

Educational Outreach Fund.

TDO Family Performances are a part of the

Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs

TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Full Subscriptions (five opera productions) begin at $95; Flex Subscriptions (three-performances of your choice) begin at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2016-2017 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION

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

MADAME BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini

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

The must see, heart-wrenching Italian opera!

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica

Time: 1904

Place: Nagasaki, Japan

Conductor: Donato Renzetti

Stage Director: John Copley

Set Designer: Michael Yeargan

Costume Designer: Anita Yavich

Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler

Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

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

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

THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Benjamin Britten

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

A dark and gripping tale!

Libretto by Myfanwy Piper

Time: 1950s

Place: Bly, an English country house

Conductor: Nicole Paiement

Original Production: Jonathan Kent

Stage Director: Francesca Gilpin*

Set Designer: Paul Brown

Costume Designer: Paul Brown

Original Lighting Designer: Mark Henderson

Lighting Design Recreated by: David Manion

Wig and Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

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

An acclaimed production from Glyndebourne!

NORMA by Vincenzo Bellini

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

A thrilling and suspenseful masterpiece!

Libretto by Felice Romani

Time: 50 B.C.

Place: Roman-occupied Gaul

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Stage Director: Nic Muni

Set Designer: John Conklin

Costume Designer: John Conklin

Lighting Designer: Thomas Hase

Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

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

An atmospheric production from Cincinnati Opera!

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.

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The Dallas Opera Presents “The Marriage of Figaro”

(Photo by Dan Rest for Lyric Opera of Chicago)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

THE DALLAS OPERA PRESENTS
ONE OF MOZART’S MOST MEMORABLE COMEDIC OPERAS
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
(“Le nozze di Figaro”)
LIBRETTO BY LORENZO DA PONTE AFTER
THE PLAY BY PIERRE-AUGUSTIN CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS
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CONDUCTED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR EMMANUEL VILLAUME
STAGED BY DTC ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KEVIN MORIARTY
IN HIS WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE DEBUT
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STARRING ITALIAN BASS-BARITONE MIRCO PALAZZI AS FIGARO,
SOPRANO BEATE RITTER AS SUSANNA, BARITONE JOSHUA HOPKINS AS COUNT ALMAVIVA, AND SOPRANO NICOLE CAR AS COUNTESS ALMAVIVA
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OPENING NIGHT: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014 AT 8:00 PM
(NOTE SPECIAL TIME) WITH ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES
Oct. 26(m), 29, Nov. 1, 7, 9(m)
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LINDA AND MITCH HART SEASON OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE OF THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 —The Dallas Opera’s thrilling season-opening production of the 2014-2015 “Heights of Passion” Season is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, a revolutionary romantic comedy filled with memorable music and unforgettable characters. The Marriage of Figaro opens on Friday, October 24, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center located in the Dallas Arts District at 2403 Flora Street.
Opening Night festivities begin with a magnificent red carpet entrance and a sumptuous FIRST NIGHT Pre-Performance Dinner (beginning at 6:00 p.m.) co-chaired by Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger.
The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of The Marriage of Figaro will begin at 8:00 p.m. with subsequent performances scheduled on October 26(m), 29, November 1, 7, and 9(m), 2014.
A high-spirited After Party, co-chaired by Jenifer Strauss and Robert Weatherly, begins just as the opera ends. For more information about all FIRST NIGHT events, please visit our website at www.dallasopera.org/support/special-events/first-night.
Flex subscriptions begin at $75 for the 2014-2015 Season, with full subscriptions starting at $95. Single tickets are also available and start at $19. Contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214-443-1000 or purchase online, 24/7 at www.dallasopera.org.

After a series of entertaining twists and turns over the course of one day, Figaro finally weds his true love. At first glance, The Marriage of Figaro appears to be a story about love and desire. Yet beneath the romantic comedy, there is another tale—that of the servant class cleverly outwitting the upper class—a concept that was nothing short of revolutionary in its day. In this 1786 opera buffa, the music conveys the characters and storyline as effectively as Da Ponte’s brilliant libretto, based on the groundbreaking play by Beaumarchais. Patrons will also tap along to one of the best-known overtures in Western Music.
Our distinguished music director, Emmanuel Villaume, will take the podium to conduct this acclaimed 18th century masterpiece. According to a recent review by The Financial Times, Maestro Villaume is “the seasoned specialist on the podium, (who) conveyed equal parts savoir-faire and inspiration. He sustained reasonable momentum…and reinforced a delicate balance between lyrical restraint and dramatic exuberance.”
“I have a special connection to Le nozze di Figaro: it is the first opera I conducted, in 1990, for the Spoleto Festival USA,” explains Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume. “A promising young soprano was singing the countess; her name was Renée Fleming.
“Mozart takes the wit and craziness inherent in Beaumarchais marvelous play and elevates it to another level. The rhythm and pace of the opera are dizzying! Dramatic and musical constructions complement each other in a rare balance of sophistication, grace and expressive power.
“In the end,” adds Maestro Villaume, “The Marriage of Figaro is one of those rare musical achievements that not only depicts the human condition in all its ambivalence and beauty, but is in itself a near-miraculous work of genius. Mozart’s brilliant interpretation is packed with profound insights which reveal how the world works and, in doing so, change it.”

Joining Maestro Villaume in crafting this masterpiece is Stage Director Kevin Moriarty, the acclaimed Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center, in his Winspear Opera House debut.

“This will be my first opportunity to direct a major work of the standard repertoire, and will allow everyone involved to kick up our heels with laughter at the hilarious plot, marvel at the musical wonders of Mozart’s beautiful score, and delve into bringing these wonderfully rich characters to life on the Winspear stage.
“What a joy it will be!” exclaimed Mr. Moriarty.

“I am so proud to have this opportunity to bring together two of the most talented and original artists at work today in the Arts District,” adds Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny. “Emmanuel and Kevin have earned the admiration and high esteem of music and theater lovers everywhere, and their first collaboration seems likely to result in a truly memorable and intelligent production—with a phenomenal cast. If I didn’t already have my tickets, I’d be online making that purchase right now.”

Starring as Figaro is Italian bass-baritone Mirco Palazzi, who made his U.S. debut with The Dallas Opera in 2010 starring as the cagey Leporello, opposite Paulo Szot, in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The Associated Press hailed his performance as showing “great spirit and comic timing”.
Our female leading lady is the lovely Austrian soprano Beate Ritter, starring as Susanna, Figaro’s love interest and bride-to-be. She makes her American debut in this production after establishing herself as an audience favorite in Europe, specializing in Mozart roles, including The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Blonde in The Abduction from the Seraglio. Her character, Susanna, conspires with Countess Almaviva to set up the Countess’ husband in order to expose his lustful desires.
Described by Opera Insider as “sensational, with one of the most beautifully lyric, full-bodied and honeyed voices I have ever heard”, lovely Australian soprano Nicole Car stars as the deceived Countess. She is making her exciting American debut with this performance after thrilling audiences “down-under” with several spectacular leading lady portrayals for Opera Australia.
For our philandering Count Almaviva, The Dallas Opera has cast “one of the twenty-five artists poised to define opera for this generation,” (Opera News)—Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins. He has also been described as “…an outstanding young baritone with a virile, vigorous yet velvety sound and an immediately evident dramatic authority,” by The Globe and Mail (U.K.).
The vivacious “pants role” of Cherubino, a young man who becomes enamored with every woman he meets, will be performed by mezzo-soprano Emily Fons. The Chicago Tribune asked “has there ever been a more winning impersonation? Her ‘Voi che sapete’ is enough to melt the Countess’ heart, and our own as well.”
This exceptional ensemble also includes bass Kevin Langan, who stars in the buffo role of Doctor Bartolo. As one of America’s most sought-after basses, he has performed with The Dallas Opera in 11 productions including his debut in 1985 in La Fanciulla del West.
The other principal artists in this outstanding cast are world renowned British mezzo-soprano Diana Montague who makes her long-awaited TDO debut as Marcellina, acclaimed character tenor Doug Jones as Don Basilio, soprano Deanna Breiwick in her company debut as Barbarina, bass Adam Lau in his TDO debut as Antonio, the gardener, and tenor Jon Kolbet as Don Curzio.
Production design for The Marriage of Figaro is by John Bury in this classic stage setting from Lyric Opera of Chicago. Joel Ferrel, the Associate Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center, is the production choreographer. The Dallas Opera Chorus will be prepared by Chorus Master Alexander Rom.
Performances will continue on October 26(m), 29, November 1, 7 & 9(m), 2014 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, selected by Southern Living as the best new venue for opera. All evening performances besides the Opening Night of the Season will begin promptly at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 PM.
A free pre-performance lecture (“The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks”) will be conducted one hour prior to curtain at most performances. The Dallas Opera Guild also hosts “Opera Insights,” a lively panel discussion featuring artists, directors and designers, on the Sunday afternoon prior to opening. For more details, visit dallasopera.org.
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TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION, SEASON SPONSOR
FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “HEIGHTS OF PASSION” SEASON

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO KEY BIOS:

EMMANUEL VILLAUME (Conductor)
(Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director in honor of Graeme Jenkins)
Emmanuel Villaume is in his second season as music director of Dallas Opera and will conduct Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta this season. He made his debut with the company in 1998 conducting Faust and returned to conduct Le nozze di Figaro. He is a frequent guest conductor at the world’s leading opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, the Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, London’s Royal Opera, the Paris Opera, Monte Carlo Opera, Venice’s La Fenice, the Munich Staatsoper, Berlin’s Deutsche Oper, the Hamburg Staatsoper, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon. He has led the Montreal Symphony in Montreal and at Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the orchestras of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, St. Louis, Detroit, Minnesota, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Beethovenhalle Orchestra of Bonn, and the China National Opera Orchestra for the 2008 Olympic Games. He is currently Chief Conductor of the National Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. He served as the Spoleto Festival USA’s Music Director for Opera and Orchestra from 2001 to 2010. Maestro Villaume has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Decca and EMI.
Kevin Moriarty (Stage Director)
Kevin Moriarty is the artistic director of Dallas Theater Center, where he has directed It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman, The Who’s Tommy, The Wiz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry IV, The Tempest, Fat Pig, Next Fall, his original adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and Oedipus el Rey. He made his operatic directing debut with The Lighthouse (2012) for the Dallas Opera. For DTC he headed up the move into the Wyly Theatre, the creation of the Brierley Resident Acting Company, and an extensive series of productions of new plays. Mr. Moriarty is the Vice-Chair of the Dallas Arts District, Theatre Communications Group, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and is a Trustee for the Booker T. Washington Advisory Board.

Mirco Palazzi (Figaro)
Bass Mirco Palazzi made his American debut in 2010 at The Dallas Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni in 2010. Born in Rimini, he graduated from Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. He has sung with the most important opera houses in Italy (Bologna, Naples, Rome, Parma, Genova, Turin, Venice, Florence, La Scala) and abroad (Edinburgh, Barcelona, London, Liège, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Bilbao, Koln, Athens and Moscow). Some of his most recent engagements include La damnation de Faust in London and at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Maometto II in Rome, Guillaume Tell in Amsterdam Turin, and at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Lucia in Washington, La gazza ladra and L’Italiana in Algeri in Verona. His discography includes Zelmira, Adelaide di Borgogna, Sofonisba, and Il diluvio universale (Opera Rara), and Lucia di Lammermoor (DVD TDK).

Beate Ritter (Susanna)
Austrian soprano Beate Ritter makes her U.S. operatic debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro for The Dallas Opera. Ms. Ritter debuted at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in Pelléas et Mélisande. She later debuted at the Vienna Volksoper as Blonde in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seragli and has performed with its ensemble as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmina Burana, and Adele in Die Fledermaus. Other notable appearances include Blonde at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Angers, and Nantes, along with Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute for Komische Oper Berlin, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and upcoming performances in Leipzig. In 2015, she will make her debut as Fiakermilli in Arabella at the Cologne Opera.
Joshua Hopkins (Count Almaviva) Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins returns to Dallas Opera for the first time since his company debut as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. Recent performances include Marcello in La bohème for the Canadian Opera Company, and Schaunard for the Metropolitan Opera; Argante in Händel’s Rinaldo and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro for the Glyndebourne Festival. Mr. Hopkins also sang in recital at Carnegie Hall with pianist Julius Drake. Highlights of past seasons include performances at the Metropolitan Opera in a new production of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, La bohème with the Houston Grand Opera, Le nozze di Figaro with the Verbier Festival, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte at Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Hopkins’ first recital disc, Let Beauty Awake, has been released by ATMA Classique label.
Nicole Car (Countess Almaviva)
Australian soprano Nicole Car marks her United States debut with these performances at Dallas Opera. In 2013 she was the winner of the prestigious international Neue Stimmen competition in Germany. She has portrayed the roles of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Mimi in La Bohème, the Italian Singer in Capriccio, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Leila in The Pearl Fishers, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni for Opera Australia. Her performance as Micaela in Carmen from Sydney Harbor was internationally broadcasted and is now available on CD and DVD. In 2009 she debuted as Donna Anna in Victorian Opera’s production of Don Giovanni. Concert appearances have included Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem, and Mozart’s Requiem.

Kevin Langan (Dr. Bartolo)
American bass Kevin Langan returns to The Dallas Opera for Dr. Bartolo, a role he first sang with the company in 2002. He debuted here in 1986 as Ashby in La fanciulla del West and returned for performances in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Hoiby’s The Tempest, Ariodante, Roméo et Juliette, Turandot and Die Zauberflöte. His career spans 35 years and almost 1,300 performances covering a vast repertoire of over 80 roles. Mr. Langan recently became the first artist to reach 300 performances in leading roles at San Francisco Opera. For Lyric Opera of Chicago he has given over 125 performances and over 165 performances with the Santa Fe Opera. Other engagements have included Colline in La bohème and Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera.

EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

Ticket Information for the 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Season

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions are on sale starting at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2014-2015 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Eighth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk begins one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
October 24 (The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance), Oct. 26(m), 29, November 1, 7 and 9(m), 2014
In a single crazy, romantic day, doors will be locked and unlocked, disguised donned, kisses exchanged and innermost hearts revealed—to some of the most memorable music Mozart ever composed.
An opera in four acts first performed in Vienna on May 1, 1786
Text by Lorenzo Da Ponte after the 1784 play La folle journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
Time: The late 18th century
Place: Aguasfrescas near Seville, Spain, the Almaviva’s country house
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Kevin Moriarty
Production Design: John Bury*
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Choreography: Joel Ferrell*
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mirco Palazzi (Figaro) , Beate Ritter** (Susanna), Joshua Hopkins (Count Almaviva), Nicole Car** (Countess Almaviva), Emily Fons (Cherubino), Diana Montague* (Marcellina), Kevin Langan (Doctor Bartolo), Doug Jones (Don Basilio), Angela Mannino (Barbarina), Adam Lau* (Antonio) and Jon Kolbet (Don Curzio).
Production Owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago

SALOME by Richard Strauss
October 30, November 2(m), 5, 8, 2014
Once in a great while, the term “over the top” doesn’t seem nearly high enough.
An opera in one act first performed in Dresden, Germany on December 9, 1905
Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of Oscar Wilde’s French language play
Time: During the time of Jesus Christ
Place: King Herod’s palace on the Sea of Galilee
Conductor: Evan Rogister*
Stage Director: Francesca Zambello
Original Production: Francesca Zambello
Scenic Design: Peter J. Davison*
Costume Design: Anita Yavich
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Choreography: Yael Levitin*
Starring: Deborah Voigt* (Salome), Robert Brubaker (Herod), Greer Grimsley* (Jokanaan), Susan Bickley* (Herodias), Scott Quinn (Narraboth), Heather Johnson* (Herodias’Page), Bradley Garvin (First Nazarene), Grigory Soloviov* (First Soldier), Jason Grant (Second Soldier), Joseph Hu (First Jew), Jay Gardner (Second Jew), John Robert Lindsey (Third Jew), Steven Haal (Fourth Jew), Patrick Guetti* (Fifth Jew), Tyler Simpson* (Second Nazarene), NaGuanda Nobles (A Slave) and Matthew Stump* (A Cappadocian).
Production Owned by Washington National Opera

A RARE DALLAS OPERA DOUBLE BILL:

LA WALLY by Alfredo Catalani
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
The Climactic Final Act!
First performed in Milan, Italy on January 20, 1892
Text by Luigi Illica after Wilhelmine von Hillern’s story, Die Geyer-Wally
Time: Around the year 1800
Place: The Austrian Alps
Conductor: Anthony Barrese
Stage Director: Candace Evans
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Latonia Moore (Wally), Carl Tanner* (Giuseppe Hagenbach) and Jennifer Chung (Walter)
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!

With EVEREST by Joby Talbot
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
A Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Text by Gene Scheer
Time: Modern Day
Place: In the Death Zone on Mount Everest
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: David C. Woolard
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Sasha Cooke (Jan Arnold), Kevin Burdette* (Beck Weathers) and Craig Verm* (Doug Hansen).

LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
March 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 and 29(m), 2015
A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production
An opera in four acts first performed in Turin, Italy on February 1, 1896
Text by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Henry Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème
Time: mid-19th century
Place: The Latin Quarter of Paris, France
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza*
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras
Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Costume Design: Peter J. Hall
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotton
Starring: Ana Maria Martinez (Mimi), Bryan Hymel (Rodolfo), Davinia Rodriguez* (Musetta), Jonathan Beyer (Marcello), Alexander Vinogradov* (Colline), Stephen LaBrie (Schaunard) and Stefan Szkafarowsky (Benoit).
One of the Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!

IOLANTA by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
April 10, 12(m), 15 and 18, 2015
A rarely performed Tchaikovsky gem, set in Medieval Provence!
First performed in St. Petersburg, Russia on December 18, 1892
Text by Modest Tchaikovsky based on the Danish play King Rene’s Daughter by Henrik Hertz
Time: The 15th century
Place: Provence, a mountainous region in Southern France
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Christian Räth
Scenic Design: Christian Räth
Costume Design: Susan Cox
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ekaterina Scherbachenko* (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov* (Count Vaudémont), Joanna Mongiardo* (Brigitta), Lauren McNeese (Laura), Tamara Mumford* (Marta), Andrei Bondarenko** (Robert, Duke of Burgandy), Mikhail Kolelishvili (Renè, King of Provence), Andrew Bidlack (Alméric), Vladislav Sulimsky** (Ibn-Hakia) and Jordan Bisch (Bertrand).
Another New Dallas Opera Production

* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.

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Single Tickets Go On Sale July 14

Although the prices on subscriptions are nearly impossible to beat, for a variety of reasons, some people prefer to buy single tickets. Let us get on your radar screen now, because when these go on sale July 14th, many of the hottest performances are likely to fill up fast.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, June 30, 2014
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
SINGLE TICKETS
FOR THE 2014-2015 SEASON
“HEIGHTS OF PASSION”
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PRESENTED BY TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
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GO ON SALE MONDAY, JULY 14TH
Single tickets Start at Just $19
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Family Performance Singles – $5 apiece!

DALLAS, JUNE 30, 2014— Now is the time to prepare to scale a new summit in North Texas arts and entertainment! Single tickets for Dallas Opera’s 2014-2015 “Heights of Passion” Season, presented by Texas Instruments, and popular TDO Family Performances in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center will go on sale to the general public Monday, July 14, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.
The Dallas Opera’s hotly anticipated season consists of six operas in five outstanding productions, including a spectacular, much-anticipated world premiere! Single tickets start at the low price of $19 and may be purchased, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org/tickets/ or by calling our friendly and helpful ticket office professionals at 214-443-1000—beginning July 14th.
Full season and Flex subscriptions are available for purchase today. Subscriptions for all five productions begin at the amazing low price of just $95! Flex subscriptions (three operas or your choosing) start at just $75 and four opera packages are available, as well.
This is one of the best chances yet to experience the consummate art form—and introduce it to the loved ones in your life! Share world-renowned singers performing with TDO’s superb orchestra and chorus under the baton of Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and prestigious guest conductors. Share the breathtaking sets and costumes, the passions, the action—and immerse yourself in some of the finest music ever composed.
Sold-out houses are becoming more common; we recommend that you plan your 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Season today by consulting the production line-up below:

• THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, the spirited comedy by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Italian bass Mirco Palazzi starring as the clever servant, Figaro.
(Oct. 24 – The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance,
26 (m), 29, Nov. 1, 7, 9)
• SALOME by Richard Strauss featuring the TDO debuts of two phenomenal stars, soprano Deborah Voigt in the title role, and Greer Grimsley as John the Baptist. (Oct. 30, Nov. 2(m), 5, 8, 2014)
• LA WALLY by Alfredo Catalani starring soprano Latonia Moore and tenor Carl Tanner, paired with the world premiere of EVEREST the first opera by British composer Joby Talbot—working with librettist Gene Scheer (Moby-Dick). A modern-day opera, EVEREST confronts the tragic events of an ill-fated 1996 expedition on the world’s highest peak. (Jan. 30, Feb. 1(m), 4, & 7, 2015)
• LA BOHÈME, Giacomo Puccini’s passionate love story, stars Grammy award-winning Latina soprano Ana María Martínez as Mimi and tenor Bryan Hymel as Rodolfo. (Mar. 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27, 29, 2015)
• IOLANTA by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky is a rarely produced gem performed by a superb Russian/American ensemble and conducted by TDO Music Director Emmanuel Villaume. (Apr. 10, 12(m), 15 & 18, 2015)

“This incredible season offers a carefully conceived balance of productions, each with its own special attributes,” explains Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny. We are pleased to return to a five-production season that includes much-loved classics, opera rarities, and premieres. I’d like to personally invite both experienced aficionados and classical music newcomers to take advantage of these magnificent offerings and join us for a season of high adventure!”

The Dallas Opera kicks off the upcoming season with a brilliant domestic comedy, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Patrons will tap along to one of the best-known overtures in Western Music. After a series of entertaining twists and turns, the title character, Figaro, finally weds his true love. Our distinguished music director, Emmanuel Villaume, is scheduled to conduct this acclaimed 18th century masterpiece.
Next, TDO will present one of the most fascinating and controversial operas of the 20th century: Salome, Richard Strauss’ explosive, late-Romantic masterpiece set in biblical times. We are delighted to present superstar soprano Deborah Voigt and baritone Greer Grimsley in their long-awaited TDO debuts.
The Dallas Opera is particularly proud to produce another exciting world premiere, Everest, based on a harrowing true story. British composer Joby Talbot has promised an evocative and imaginative score to go with the insightful libretto by Gene Scheer. This new work will be conducted by Dallas Opera Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and staged by Leonard Foglia.
To complement the mountain theme, the Dallas Opera has paired Everest with La Wally, a love story—possibly based on real people as well—set high in the Austrian Alps. Soprano Latonia Moore, who wowed audiences in TDO’s 2012 season opener, Aida, will sing the title role. Her transcendent voice is sure to effortlessly scale the challenges of composer Alfredo Catalani’s score and she will be partnered with acclaimed tenor Carl Tanner.
La bohème, although tragic, is always a tremendous crowd-pleaser with its romantic storyline, familiar characters, and unforgettable melodies. This opera features two remarkable Latina sopranos, Ana María Martínez and Davinia Rodriguez, in starring roles in this exceptional all-star cast also headed by tenor Bryan Hymel.
We close the Dallas Opera’s “Heights of Passion” season with Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed, Iolanta, a gentle fairy tale about a young princess born blind. This gorgeous work features a superb Russian/American ensemble conducted by Maestro Villaume. Happily, love prevails—in the end.

“We hope everyone will be attracted to these extraordinary operas and rush to purchase their subscriptions now” adds Dallas Opera Marketing Director Carrie Ellen Adamian. “At the very least, mark your calendar to purchase single tickets to the productions you most desire, when they go on sale next month.”

Guest stars making highly anticipated Dallas Opera debuts this season include:

• Deborah Voigt, soprano, making her TDO debut as Salome, is an internationally revered performer. “As Salome, the inexhaustible Miss Voigt is on stage and singing throughout most of the evening. Her Salome stealthily evolves, morphing from naïve young girl into sexual predator, expanding vocally from lyric tenderness to Wagnerian power and majesty.” (Washington Times)
• Greer Grimsley, “with a deep resonance and round tones full of strength and delicate nuance – Grimsley was phenomenal,” according to the Times Picayune about Mr. Grimsley, baritone, who is starring as John the Baptist in Salome.
• Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano, as Queen Herodias in her long-awaited company debut. The Guardian called her performances “heartstoppingly direct, seamlessly expressive, and perfectly even in tone…a marvel in every respect.”
• Nicole Car, “Car’s honeyed voice, clear expression and delightfully focused performance was used to impressive effect right from the opening scene,” (The Daily Telegraph Australia regarding her performance in Eugene Onegin). The soprano, who will make her American debut at TDO as Countess Almaviva, is already being hailed as the next Joan Sutherland.
• Carl Tanner will make his Dallas Opera debut as Hagenbach in La Wally. Uptempo Magazine proclaimed “the quality of Tanner’s voice gave a lasting impression with its vastly dynamic and resonant timber,” following the tenor’s Metropolitan Opera debut.
• Ekaterina Scherbachenko, a Russian soprano who has made Iolanta a signature role, was described by Opera magazine as “exquisitely sensitive and fine-tuned in the title role.”
• Sergey Skorokhodov, who according to The St. Petersburg Times “possesses a strong, clear voice, with an exceptionally winning upper register,” will portray Count Vaudemont in the Tchaikovsky rarity.

Returning to the Dallas Opera stage this season are many highly regarded artists:

• Mirco Palazzi According to the Associated Press, the bass-baritone showed “great spirit and comic timing” in his U.S. debut as Leporello, stealing the Dallas Opera’s 2010 production of Don Giovanni.
• Latonia Moore, “her voice was radiant, plush and sizable at its best, with gleaming top notes that broke through the chorus and orchestra,” wrote The New York Times after the soprano stepped into the role of Aida at New York’s Metropolitan Opera to cover for an ailing lead—and came out a star.
• Robert Brubaker “Brubaker sang with exceptional control over color and dynamic projection (in the role of King Herod), reveling in one of Strauss’ most intricate acting assignments,” hailed the Louisville Journal.
• Andrew Bidlack A young tenor starring in Everest was recently praised by The Dallas Morning News for his performance in TDO’s Die Tote Stadt: “a standout is Andrew Bidlack’s Albert, with a bright beautiful tenor of considerable power.”
• Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano, also starring in Everest, was praised by Opera News: “Cooke’s attractive, erotic stage presence struck plenty of sparks…but without question she also delivers the vocal goods. She possesses a firm, fruity mezzo, straight-toned in quality, which allows the listener to luxuriate in her unerring sense of pitch.”
• Bryan Hymel, “sang the leading tenor role of Rodolfo showing his high notes are easily among the best in the business. The rest of his voice is so attractive, and his presence so winning…” said the Philadelphia Inquirer on his performance in La bohème in which he is starring with TDO.
• Ana María Martínez, a Latin American soprano starring in La bohème, drew rave reviews from Opera News as “a radiantly vulnerable Mimi, consistently employing her darkly textured lyric soprano with great sensitivity to dynamics and text.”
• Davinia Rodriguez, a soprano described by The Seattle Times as “dramatically convincing and vocally resplendent,” will star as Musetta in La bohème.

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.
The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House is conveniently located in the heart of the Arts District at 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX 75201.
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “JUNE AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

Ticket Information for the 2014-2015 Dallas Opera Season

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and go on sale Monday, July 14, 2014. Flex Subscriptions are on sale now, 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 2014-2015 “Heights of Passion Season” is presented by Texas Instruments. The Dallas Opera Family Performances are also 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.

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
October 24, 26(m), 29, November 1, 7 and 9(m), 2014
In a single crazy, romantic day, doors will be locked and unlocked, disguised donned, kisses exchanged and innermost hearts revealed—to some of the most memorable music Mozart ever composed.
An opera in four acts first performed in Vienna on May 1, 1786
Text by Lorenzo Da Ponte after the 1784 play La folle journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
Time: The late 18th century
Place: Aguasfrescas near Seville, Spain, the Almaviva’s country house
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Kevin Moriarty
Production Design: John Bury*
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Choreography: Joel Ferrell*
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mirco Palazzi (Figaro) , Beate Ritter** (Susanna), Joshua Hopkins (Count Almaviva), Nicole Car** (Countess Almaviva), Emily Fons (Cherubino), Diana Montague* (Marcellina), Kevin Langan (Doctor Bartolo), Doug Jones (Don Basilio), Angela Mannino (Barbarina), Adam Lau* (Antonio) and Jon Kolbet (Don Curzio).
Production Owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago

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: TBD
Costume Design: TBD
Lighting Design: TBD
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Latonia Moore (Wally), Carl Tanner* (Giuseppe Hagenbach) and Jennifer Chung (Walter)
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!

With EVEREST by Joby Talbot
January 30, February 1(m), 4 and 7, 2015
A Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Text by Gene Scheer
Time: Modern Day
Place: In the Death Zone on Mount Everest
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Stage Director: Leonard Foglia
Scenic Design: Robert Brill
Costume Design: TBD
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: TBD
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).

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: TBD
Costume Design: TBD
Video Design: Elaine J. McCarthy
Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ekaterina Scherbachenko* (Iolanta), Sergey Skorokhodov* (Count Vaudémont), Joanna Mongiardo* (Brigitta), Lauren McNeese (Laura), Tamara Mumford* (Marta), Andrei Bondarenko** (Robert, Duke of Burgandy), Mikhail Kolelishvili (Renè, King of Provence), Andrew Bidlack (Alméric), Vladislav Sulimsky** (Ibn-Hakia) and Jordan Bisch (Bertrand).
Another New Dallas Opera Production

* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments and the 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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Jonathan’s Viennese Auditions

It is 6:00 in the morning and I am in the Vienna Airport waiting for my flight back to Dallas. I came over for three intense days of auditions held at the historic Theater an der Wien, where a panel of my colleagues and I heard almost 100 singers from 34 countries. There were representatives from Florence’s Maggio Musicale, as well as the opera houses in Antwerp, Toulouse, Santiago, and several German opera houses, including Cologne.

Among the singers auditioning there were a number of Americans who are either based in Europe or were here on an audition tour, including soprano Ava Pine, who was dazzling in arias by Handel and Gounod even at 10:30 in the morning !

Perhaps the most exciting auditions for me were a group of singers from the young artist program at Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Theater, and there was one soprano in particular that was really impressive. I expect that she is at the beginning of what promises to be an extraordinary career.

There were so many singers from so many countries that I couldn’t help but be struck by the extraordinary passion shared by all of these artists from around the world who have devoted themselves to a life in music.

I was also able to attend two performances while I was here, which was fascinating. The first was a new production of Verdi’s IL TROVATORE at the Vienna Volksoper (sort of the Viennese equivalent of the late, lamented New York City Opera or London’s English National Opera) which starred tenor Stuart Neill as “Manrico.”
Some of you may remember him in the title role of FAUST in Dallas in 1998, and obviously he has moved on to significantly heavier repertoire.

The following evening I attended a stunning new production at the Theater an der Wien of Mozart’s IDOMENEO, starrring Richard Croft in the title role. It was conducted by Rene Jacobs and staged by Damiano Michieletti, and performed by a superb cast which also included Marlis Peterson as “Elettra.”

The production was somewhat puzzling, but filled with breathtaking imagery and performed with intense commitment. I have not always enjoyed productions of this opera seria, which often seems static, but even with jet lag I was riveted from beginning to end.

It was also wonderful to see Rick Croft, who is on the faculty at the University of North Texas, enjoy such a personal triumph.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Jonathan Pell, Artistic Director
The Dallas Opera

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Events

Plan Your Visit

Tickets

More From Us

Digital Programs

Education

About Us

Company

History

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Careers

Artist Development

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Get Involved

Recognition

Andrea Carroll, Soprano Role: Pamina, The Magic Flute

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Andrea Carroll, Soprano
Role: Pamina, The Magic Flute