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  • Home > Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

    Participants Announced for 2019 Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera

    2018 Hart Institute Conductors Taking Final Bows (photo by Karen Almond)

    The Dallas Opera is Proud to Announce the

    Conductors, Administrators, and Observers for The Fifth Annual

    Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for 

    Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera

    ~~~~

    Oct. 27 – Nov. 9, 2019 in Dallas, Texas 

    ~~~~

    Distinguished 2019 Hart Institute Conducting Faculty Include

    Emmanuel Villaume, Nicole Paiement, and Carlo Montanaro

    ~~~~

    Initial Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

    Additional Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 

    Baker Botts LLP, Cindy and Charlie Feld, Jenifer and Peter Flynn, Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer, 

    Betty and Steve Suellentrop, and Martha and Max Wells

    ~~~~

    Made Possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant

    Supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation

    ~~~~

    Hart Institute Public Concert: Saturday, November 9, 2019

    The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

     

    DALLAS, MAY 29, 2019 – The Dallas Opera is proud to announce the names of the twelve distinguished professionals (six conductors, three administrators, and four American  observers) selected to participate in the fifth annual residency of the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera taking place Oct. 27 – Nov. 9, 2019 in Dallas, Texas:

     

    • Tiffany Chang (USA)
    • Jiannan Cheng (China)
    • Tamara Dworetz (USA)
    • Marta Kluczyńska (Poland)
    • Madeline Tsai (Taiwan)
    • Molly Turner (USA)

     

    Working to address a long-standing issue at the podium, The Dallas Opera in 2015 launched a unique multifaceted program—one of a mere handful in the world—designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors on the cusp of major international careers.  Female conductors, as well as accomplished women singers, opera coaches, accompanists, and instrumentalists with established careers seeking to further develop their skills at the podium, were encouraged to apply.

     

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

     

    “I was beyond thrilled to hear of my acceptance to the 2019 Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute” wrote U.S. participant Tamara Dworetz.  “The opportunity to learn from world-class conductors, instrumentalists, opera singers and leaders will strengthen my skills and broaden my dimensionalism as a conductor while bolstering my career and professional network; I cannot thank Linda and Mitch Hart and the Dallas Opera enough for initiating and supporting this progressive and powerfully impactful program.”

     

    This groundbreaking initiative received vital foundational support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation.  Naming support came through the generosity of Linda and Mitch Hart.

    Additional support for the 2019 Hart Institute comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Baker Botts LLP, Cindy and Charlie Feld, Jenifer and Peter Flynn, Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer, Betty and Steve Suellentrop, and Martha and Max Wells.

    Made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.

     

    Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO explains: “One of the ways we advance our art form and engage more people is by providing career advancement opportunities for gifted women conductors, ensuring they have the chance to compete for top-level positions in classical music.

    “That’s why the Hart Institute was founded and why it will be needed for years to come.

    “The support and passion of the TDO Family is behind this effort—more than ever.”

     

    A total of 90 women conductors and professional musicians heeded the call in 2019, despite even more stringent admissions requirements initiated last year.  Applicants from 27 countries included music directors, principal and assistant conductors, concertmasters and music staff from top-ranked symphonies, opera companies, and conservatories.

     

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

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

     

    As is the case each year, four talented U.S. Observers were chosen to audit the 2019 Institute: Rebecca Henry, Jane Kim, Vera Volchansky and Rachel Waddell.

     

    ~~~~

    The 2019 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute will consist of hands-on master classes with the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, Emmanuel Villaume; TDO’s Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and Carlo Montanaro, a renowned Italian conductor last seen on our podium conducting three world-class tenors (Michael Fabiano, Bryan Hymel and Matthew Polenzani) in TDO’s “One Night Only Gala.”

    Sessions include career advancement seminars with experienced professionals; topical industry discussions; intensive one-on-ones and networking opportunities; as well as the chance to conduct The Dallas Opera Orchestra in a public concert in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center on the evening of November 9, 2019 (additional details to be announced at a later date).

    This year’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors is partnering with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural “Women in Classical Music Symposium” taking place November 6-9, 2019 in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, in order to provide even greater resources and connections for women in the field.

     

    “I am delighted to work alongside our colleagues at The Dallas Opera as the Dallas Symphony launches its Women in Classical Music Symposium. The Hart Institute has established itself as an important event for women conductors, and their input while designing the symposium has been invaluable,” said Kim Noltemy, President & CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. “Together, we are showing that the Dallas performing arts community is committing to a sustained effort to make changes in the industry.”

    ~~~~

    American conductor Molly Turner noted: “As a young conductor, getting into the Hart Institute opens so many doors traditionally left open only for older and often male conductors.”

     

    “I’m humbled to have such a dedicated opportunity to focus on a genre and repertoire that are least familiar to me and to engage artistically with the excellent musicians and administration of The Dallas Opera” added US conductor Tiffany Chang.

     

    “The Hart Institute appears to be having a pronounced positive impact on the field, with alumnae being singled out for important appointments, projects, and commissions in both the opera and symphonic world,” notes TDO’s Director of Artistic Administration David Lomeli.

     

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

     

    Chinese conductor Jiannan Cheng summed up: “I am honored and thrilled to be selected to participate in the Hart Institute at the Dallas Opera and I am looking forward to growing as a conductor through this world-class experience!”

     

    ~~~~

     

    While the Hart Institute began with a focus on supporting talented conductors, the challenges faced by women opera administrators are equally daunting.  To address this imbalance, The Dallas Opera last year added a new component to the Hart Institute: through 2022, TDO will invite between two and four American opera administrators to participate each season.  These women will be selected on the basis of their potential to become leaders of one of America’s top opera companies at some point in their careers.

     

    The 2019 Hart Institute Administrators are:

     

    • Kristen Bigham (Lyric Opera of Chicago)
    • Beverly Love (Wilbanks Partners)
    • Suzanne Vinnik (artist & entrepreneur—founder of Shoperatic)

     

    The selected opera administrators will have access to all group sessions and special sessions during the annual residency in Dallas.  This curriculum includes the role of the board, leadership development, personal branding, media and PR training, effective artist management, and navigating recruiting processes for senior level positions.  To continue to develop their musical skills, which is essential for any opera executive, the administrators will observe rehearsals with The Dallas Opera Orchestra and conducting master classes.  Special sessions on Development, Finance, and Marketing will be offered as well.

    One of the goals of the program is to construct a wide network of influential female leaders in the administrative offices of performing arts organizations, both large and small, as well as onstage and in the orchestra pit.

     

    ~~~~

     

     

     

    2019 Hart Institute Conductors

     

     

    TIFFANY CHANG (USA)

    Taiwanese-American conductor Tiffany Chang is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Conducting and Conductor at Oberlin Conservatory and Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music.  She also served impactful terms as Interim Director of Orchestral Studies at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and Acting Director of Orchestral Activities at Boston University.  A 2017 Winner of The American Prize in Opera Conducting, Chang has been engaged by NEMPAC Opera Project, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, OperaHub, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, ALEA III, Xanthos Ensemble, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, international music festivals such as IASAS and AMIS, among others.  She studied with David Hoose and Bridget-Michaele Reischl, receiving a DMA in orchestral conducting from Boston University and several degrees in cello performance, music education, composition, and music theory from Oberlin Conservatory.

     

    JIANNAN CHENG (CHINA)

    Jiannan Cheng, a native Chinese conductor, served as an assistant in the 2018 Opernfestspiele Heidenheim in Germany where she conducted a performance of Verdi’s Nabucco with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. Recently, Cheng worked with the City Lyric Opera in New York City as the répétiteur and the assistant conductor in a production of La Tragédie de Carmen. Cheng was the 2018 Conducting Fellow of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and served as the Music Director in the CCM production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito and the 2019 Interim Music Director of the CCM Concert Orchestra. Cheng was a candidate for the 2017 German Conductors’ Award, second prize winner of the 2016 4×4 Competition for Composers & Conductors and studied with Kurt Masur at the 2015 Aurora Music Festival in Sweden.

     

    TAMARA DWORETZ (USA)

    Tamara Dworetz is a 2019 Conducting Fellow for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Her upcoming commitments include serving as assistant conductor to Bramwell Tovey, Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra at the BBC Proms in London. Recently, Tamara was awarded 2nd prize in the Boston Pops’ Bernstein-inspired conducting competition.  Previous positions include Assistant Conductor for the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Butler Opera Center. A dedicated music educator, Tamara was the conductor for the Austin Youth Orchestra, University of Texas University Orchestra and Lakeside High School Orchestra program in Atlanta, Georgia. Tamara attended Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, and she is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at Boston University.

     

    MARTA KLUCZYŃSKA (POLAND)

    Marta Kluczyńska graduated with degrees in Symphony and Opera Conducting and Piano Studies from The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music Warsaw. At the age of 24 she made her opera debut at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw where she, as a resident conductor, has conducted numerous opera and ballet performances including A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten, The Haunted Manor by Stanisław Moniuszko, The Nutcracker by Peter Tchaikovsky, and Romeo and Juliet by Sergej Prokofiev. In 2017, Kluczyńska made her critically acclaimed debuts at the Wrocław Opera with La Cenerentola and at Landestheater Coburg (Germany) with Le nozze di Figaro. She has led concerts with orchestras such as Sinfonia Varsovia, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice), Polish Radio Orchestra (Warsaw) and the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus.

     

    MADELINE TSAI (TAIWAN)

    Chi-Chen Madeline Tsai is a versatile musician who has been trained as a conductor, pianist, singer, organist, and timpanist. She was the only Asian female invited to the Solti International Conducting Competition in Hungary, where she won the People’s Choice Award. Following this award, she conducted the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria and the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. She has also conducted the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Berlin, the Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lithuanian State Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Radio Orchestra Bucharest. As a coach and accompanist, she assisted Grace Bumbry for her masterclasses on Aida and Cavalleria Rusticana in Vienna. Ms. Tsai is currently completing a doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Cincinnati.

     

    MOLLY TURNER (USA)

    Molly Turner is an emerging young conductor from Seattle, Washington. She recently completed her Bachelors in Music Composition at Rice University and will pursue a Masters in Orchestral Conducting at Juilliard in the fall.  Her primary conducting mentors include Larry Rachleff, Gerard Schwarz, and Jerry Hou.  At Juilliard, she will be working with David Robertson.  Recently, she has been featured with the Rice Campanile Orchestra, the Eastern Festival Orchestra, and the Shepherd Undergraduate Opera Scenes. She has also conducted The Philharmonia Orchestra (UK) and the Bay Area Youth Symphony (Houston). A strong advocate for new music, Ms. Turner regularly collaborates with Rice’s New Music Ensemble “Hear & Now” as a composer, violist, and conductor. She enjoys writing for the voice and conducts her own works.

     

    ~~~~

     

    2019 Hart Institute Administrators

     

     

    KRISTEN BIGHAM (USA)

    Kristen Bigham is the Gift Planning Associate at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Combining over five years of experience in the financial services industry with her background as a trained vocalist and director, she works to enhance and expand Lyric’s robust legacy giving program and community, The Overture Society. A native of Fort Worth, TX, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Dedicated to promoting the presence, creativity, and leadership of women within the performing arts, Kristen is a passionate arts advocate and development professional, and has worked with numerous arts organizations throughout Chicago, including Rough House Theater, Piven Theatre, Links Hall, and Forte Chicago.

     

    BEVERLY LOVE (USA)

    Beverly Love is currently a search consultant and Chief Operations & Administrative Officer with Wilbanks Partners, a boutique asset management executive search firm. She previously worked in the office of the Chief Economist and Asia Chairman of Morgan Stanley & Company and subsequently spent three years in Russell Reynolds Associates’ asset and wealth management practice. Prior to that, Beverly was the founding Director of the Greater Atlanta Christian School of Music. A jugendlich dramatischer soprano, she has performed throughout the US and in Italy and Austria. She earned a Masters in Voice/Opera Performance from Southern Methodist University, summa cum laude and Phi Kappa Lambda, and a Bachelors in Vocal Performance from Abilene Christian University, where she graduated with Honors, summa cum laude, and Valedictorian.

     

    SUZANNE VINNIK

    Suzanne Vinnik is an award-winning international opera singer, photographer and arts entrepreneur known for her innate musical phrasing, daring fashion sense and ability to provide innovative marketing solutions to artists, brands and arts organizations. The soprano saw a need for a specialized social media network and marketplace for women in classical music thus creating, Shoperatic. The community stands at over 11k female identifying women in opera (the largest in the industry) and is responsible for generating well over $450k in income for artists since 2017 with zero outside funding or paid advertisement. As a cultural affiliate, the soprano enjoys volunteering and co-producing events with Sing For Hope. Vinnik is an alumnus of the Opera Studio di Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy.

     

    ~~~~

     

    2019 Hart Institute Observers

     

    REBECCA HENRY (USA)

    Rebecca Henry began the 2018-2019 season as Music Director for Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s production of Ruddigore. This summer, she will be serving on the voice faculty of the Performing Arts Institute at Wyoming Seminary. A proponent of new music, Rebecca was music director for the world premiere of Do Not Disturb (Forgotten Opera Company) and premiered works in New Works Fest with Opera on Tap. Additional conducting credits include The Mikado, La Perichole, HMS Pinafore, Ruddigore, and Robin Hood (Victorian Lyric Opera Company). Future engagements include an appointment as Associate Conductor for Bel Canto in Tuscany. When she is not conducting, she can be seen performing as a mezzo-soprano throughout the country and abroad. She received her Undergraduate degree from Rice University and her Masters from McGill University in Montreal.

     

    JANE KIM (USA)

    Jane Kim is the recipient of the 2018 Charles Schiff Conducting Prize. She currently serves as Assistant Conductor with the Little Orchestra Society. She has appeared with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra and Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, and, as cover conductor, she works with the New York Philharmonic, Canadian Opera Company, Juilliard Orchestra, and other ensembles. Previously, Jane served as Music Director of the Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble and conductor of the Juilliard Lab Orchestra. Her summer activities include Aspen Music Festival, which she attended as a Conducting Fellow, and Pierre Monteux Music Festival, where she was named a Bernard Osher Scholar. Jane holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School.

     

    VERA VOLCHANSKY (USA)

    Vera Volchansky, described as conductor of “impeccable taste…whose artistic ability transforms a performance into a meaningful event,” has performed in the United States, Europe, Asia and Russia. Ms. Volchansky is the 2013 American Prize finalist in Conducting, and holds a master’s degree in Conducting from the Eastman School. She was chosen as Conducting Fellow with the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen. As a winner of the Fulbright Award, she studied music of the Russian Avant-Garde and the style of the St. Petersburg school of conducting. Her favorite performances include Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale, Lucia di Lammermoor, and a sold-out concert celebrating the newly-installed Reuter Organ with Grammy-Winning organist Paul Jacobs. Vera was also recently featured on the Moving Forward Podcast with John Lim.

     

    RACHEL WADDELL (USA)

    Rachel L. Waddell is an American conductor rapidly gaining acclaim for her innovative concert programming, and commitment to new music, education, and collaboration. In recognition of her concert programs, Waddell was recently named a finalist for the American Prize’s 2019 Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming. Waddell is entering her third season as the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Rochester in New York. She previously served as the Associate Conductor of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the award-winning Canton Youth Symphonies. While with Canton, Waddell conducted over eighty performances. Additionally, she has guest conducted around the country, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland’s Suburban Symphony Orchestra, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and the Flagstaff Light Opera Company.

     

    ~~~~

     

    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

     

    Founded in 1957, The Dallas Opera is an internationally-recognized innovator dedicated to the overall advancement of the operatic art form and the support of established and emerging artists, as well as the education and development of new opera audiences in North Texas—and beyond. These goals are achieved by commissioning and producing world-class opera; through ground-breaking institutes, national competitions and topical programs; and by presenting opera in both traditional and non-traditional formats and venues in order to attract patrons of every age, background, educational level, and ethnicity—while engaging with more than 87,000 people in our community each year.  TDO is equally committed to the task of responsible stewardship and is managed with efficiency and accountability, to the highest possible standards.

     

    2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

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

     

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

    Texas Instruments Foundation; the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs; 

    The Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

    American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.

    Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.

    Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.

     

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2019-2020 DALLAS OPERA SEASON

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now; single Tickets range from $19 to $289 and go on sale to the public on July 15, 2019. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2019-2020 MAINSTAGE SEASON

    The Dallas Opera celebrates its 63rd International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

    THE MAGIC FLUTE by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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

    This magical production from LA Opera and Seattle Opera opens the season on a high note!

    Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

    Time: Ancient times

    Place: An Egyptian-inspired mythological land

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Original Director: Sir Peter Hall

    Director: Kyle Lang*

    Set and Costume Designer: Gerald Scarfe

    Lighting Designer: TBA

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Paolo Fanale* (Tamino), Andrea Carroll* (Pamina), Olga Pudova* (The Queen of the Night), Morris Robinson (Sarastro), Markus Werba* (Papageno), Diana Newman* (First Lady), Samantha Hankey* (Second Lady), Hannah Ludwig* (Third Lady), Brian Frutiger* (Monastatos), Jeni Houser* (Papagena), David Pittsinger (The Speaker), Aaron Short* (1st Man in Armor) and Ryan Kuster (2nd Man in Armor).

     

    THE GOLDEN COCKEREL by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

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

    A Dallas Opera co-production that opened to rave reviews in Santa Fe!

    Libretto by Vladimir Belsky based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin

    Time: 19th century

    Place: The thrice-tenth tsardom, a faraway place in Russian folklore

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Director and Choreographer: Paul Curran

    Set and Costume Designer: Gary McCann

    Lighting Designer: Paul Hackenmueller

    Projections Designer: Driscoll Otto

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Wig and Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Starring: Venera Gimadieva* (Queen of Shemakha), Nikolay Didenko* (King Dodon), Viktor Antipenko* (Prince Guidon), Corey Crider (Prince Afron), Kevin Burdette (General Polkan), Barry Banks* (The Astrologer), Lindsay Ammann (Amelfa), and Jeni Houser (The Golden Cockerel).

     

    DON CARLO by Giuseppe Verdi in Concert/Semi-Staged

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

    Father against son; Catholic against Protestant; friend against friend in this epic opera.

    Libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle after Friedrich von Schiller’s poem “Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien”

    Time: Around 1560

    Place: France and Spain

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Director: Edward Berkeley

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Leah Crocetto* (Elizabeth de Valois), Jamie Barton* (Princess Eboli), Robert Watson* (Don Carlo), Mariusz Kwiecien (Rodrigo), Morris Robinson (Philip II), Andrea Silvestrelli (The Grand Inquisitor), David Leigh (A Monk), Ewa Plonka* (Tebaldo), Elizabeth Sutphen* (A Heavenly Voice), and Angel Vargas (Count Lerma/The Royal Herald).

     

    PULCINELLA / THE HUMAN VOICE (La voix humaine) – a new Dallas Opera production!

    Pulcinella, a ballet with song in One Act by Igor Stravinsky

    La voix humaine an opera by Francis Poulenc with a libretto by Jean Cocteau (from his stage play)

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

     

    PULCINELLA (100TH Anniversary Production)

    Conductor: Nicole Paiement

    Director: Candace Evans

    Set and Costume Designer: TBA

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Choreographer: Sean Smith

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Starring: Sean Smith (Pulcinella), Lindsay Metzger (Rosetta), Richard Ollarsaba* (Fourbo & Dottore), Matthew White* (Caviello) with soloists and corp dancers from Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

     

    THE HUMAN VOICE (La voix humaine)

    Time: 20th century

    Place: Paris, France

    Conductor: Nicole Paiement

    Director: Patricia Racette

    Set Designer: Tommy Bourgeois

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Wig & Make-up Designer: TBA

    Starring: Patricia Racette (Elle)

     

    THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini

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

    Your heart will be racing—but not for the exit!

    Libretto by Cesare Sterbini based on Beaumarchais’ play Le Barbier de Séville

    Time: 18th century

    Place: Seville, Spain and the surrounding countryside

    Conductor: Riccardo Frizza

    Director: Christopher Mattaliano

    Set Designer: Allen Moyer

    Costume Designer: Jamie Scott

    Lighting Designer: Krista Billings

    Wig & Make-up Designer: Dawn Rivard

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Starring: Lucas Meachem (Figaro), Pretty Yende* (Rosina), Lawrence Brownlee* (Count Almaviva April 29 through May 19), Xabier Anduaga* (Count Almaviva April 24 & 26), Renato Girolami* (Doctor Bartolo), Adam Lau (Don Basilio), and Margaret Gawrysiak* (Berta).

     

    * Dallas Opera Debut

    ** American Debut

    _____________________________________________________________________________________

     

    ###

    Opera Administrators Chosen for 2017 Hart Institute

    IWC-webbanner-flyer

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Wednesday, August 9, 2017
    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart at 214.443.1071
    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    The Dallas Opera is Proud to Announce the
    Inaugural Class of Women Administrators
    For the 2017 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute
    ~~~~
    Nov. 5 – 19, 2017 in Dallas, Texas
    ~~~~
    Four Americans Selected for Elite Opera Professional Development Program
    ~~~~
    Distinguished Faculty Include Marin Alsop, Nicole Paiement, Carlo Montanaro, and Alec Treuhaft
    ~~~~
    Initial Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation Additional Support from
    The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Baker Botts LLP

    DALLAS, AUGUST 9, 2017 – The Dallas Opera is proud to announce the four distinguished professionals selected for the inaugural class of women opera administrators in the newly-expanded Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors and Administrators at The Dallas Opera:
    • Anh Le (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis)
    • Stefanie Mercier (Washington National Opera)
    • Sara Noble (Chautauqua Opera Company)
    • Jennifer Rivera (Long Beach Opera)
    The third annual residency of the Hart Institute is scheduled to take place in Dallas, Texas, from November 5 – 19, 2017.
    Working to address a long-standing career issue in the opera world, The Dallas Opera in 2015 launched a unique, new residential program designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors. This year, the goals of the program were expanded to address the needs of American opera administrators.

    “Although women have played vital roles in politics, corporate culture, the front office, and the boardroom for many years, the so-called ‘glass ceiling’ is real,” explains Dallas Opera Chairman Holly Mayer, “and few women occupy the top jobs in our industry. That’s why the Hart Institute for Women Conductors and Administrators is such an important initiative for The Dallas Opera.
    “This relatively new program already has an impressive track record of helping accomplished women achieve their career goals, as shown by the appointments of Lidiya Yankovskaya as Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater and Tianyi Lu as a Dudamel Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic,” Ms. Mayer adds. “The Hart Institute is making a difference in the lives of qualified music professionals—who just happen to be women!”

    For the next six years, TDO will invite between two and four American opera administrators to join the institute each season. These women will be selected on the basis of their potential to become leaders of one of America’s top opera companies later in their careers.
    The selected opera administrators will attend all sessions during the annual fall residency in Dallas. This curriculum includes examining the role of the board, leadership development, personal branding, media and PR training, effective artist management, and navigating the recruiting processes for senior level positions.
    To continue to develop their musical skills, which is essential for any opera executive, the administrators will observe rehearsals with The Dallas Opera Orchestra and conducting master classes by Marin Alsop, The Dallas Opera’s Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement, and Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro. Special sessions on Development, Finance, and Marketing will be offered as well.
    One of TDO’s goals is to build a network of talented leaders. In addition to the residency, selected administrators will be invited to participate in quarterly conference calls to continue to develop their personal networks and leadership skills.
    The administrators program will accept applications each spring from women who are either American citizens or green-card holders; there is no age limit. Institute Fellows will receive a stipend, travel, and housing for the duration of this year’s Hart Institute.

    Keith Cerny, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO notes: “The Dallas Opera has demonstrated its commitment to reshaping the opera field through the use of innovative public outreach, by exploring new technologies, commissioning new works to expand the operatic repertoire, and programming with passion, courage and imagination.”
    “This already proven program,” Mr. Cerny added, “will enable more women to add to their skills in a wide range of areas, and provide them with the tools to accelerate their careers still further.”

    The institute had vital foundational support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation. Naming support came through the generosity of Linda and Mitch Hart. Additional support for the institute comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Baker Botts LLP, Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer, Betty and Steve Suellentrop, Martha and Max Wells, and Jenifer and Peter Flynn.

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

    ~~~~

    2017 Hart Institute Administrators
    (Inaugural Class)

    ANH LE
    Anh Le is the Publications and Brand Manager at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Prior to moving to St. Louis, she served as the Communications Associate for The Santa Fe Opera and the Associate Director of Marketing at Yale Rep. A lifelong arts lover, she has also worked with companies including the Yale School of Music (New Haven, CT), Opera Holland Park (London), and A.R.T. (Cambridge, MA). Anh received her BA from Harvard University in 2012, where she was awarded the Robert E. Levi Prize for excellence in arts administration. In 2015, she also received an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama.
    Anh Le writes: “It is a tremendous honor to be a member of this institute’s inaugural class, and I look forward to two weeks of inspiration, learning, and professional growth next November. I cannot thank The Dallas Opera enough for its flagship commitment to women in our field.”

    STEFANIE MERCIER
    Stefanie Mercier is the Manager of Rehearsal Planning and Artist Services at Washington National Opera, where she oversees the creation of the overall season rehearsal and performance calendar as well as the daily rehearsal schedule. She was responsible for the rehearsal schedule for WNO’s 2016 Ring Cycle, which required three years of advance planning. Stefanie has been a lover of the performing arts since her first ballet lessons at the age of three. She danced with the School of the Richmond Ballet through high school, performing with the professional company annually in The Nutcracker. At the University of Virginia, she served in leadership roles with two student-run arts groups. After earning a bachelor’s degree, she came to WNO as an intern and has held four different staff positions in the past eleven years.
    Stefanie Mercier writes: “I am thrilled to be chosen to participate in the Hart Institute at Dallas Opera this fall. I look forward to joining this diverse network of women and learning from the forward-thinking curriculum to take my career in opera to the next level.”

    SARA NOBLE
    Sara Noble is in her third year as Company and Media Manager for the Chautauqua Opera Company. Since 2013, she has curated the unconventional operatic concert series ‘Home Brewed Opera’ as Executive Producing diva for Opera on Tap’s New York City chapter. For Opera on Tap, Sara produced the world premiere of James Barry’s comedic opera SMASHED: The Carrie Nation Story and scenes from Daniel Felsenfeld’s opera-in-development The Inner Circle. She served three terms as the Executive Secretary for the New York Opera Alliance, and has collaborated with organizations including American Opera Projects, The BEAT Festival, Opera Slavica, and Fifth House Ensemble. Sara is a strong advocate for contemporary classical music as an administrator, producer, and performer based in New York City.
    Sara Noble writes: “I am thrilled to have been chosen for the first Hart Institute for Women Opera Administrators. I have been greatly inspired by Dallas Opera’s commitment to increase diversity and inclusion in the field and look forward to this opportunity to connect with a network of peers and mentors who share those goals.”

    JENNIFER RIVERA
    Two time Grammy nominee Jennifer Rivera has performed leading roles with opera companies on five continents including the Berlin Staatsoper, the Teatro Regio di Torino, and the Dallas Opera among many others. She was selected as the “Debut Artist of the Year” at the New York City Opera and won a Helpmann Award (Australia’s Tony Award) in 2015. She has created leading roles in three world premieres and her discography includes recordings of Agrippina, Il Ritorno D’Ulisse, L’Olimpiade and the soon to be released Becoming Santa Claus. Jennifer has been writing popular essays for the Huffington Post Arts and Culture section since 2012. In the beginning of 2017 she transitioned to a full-time arts administrator, and was named Assistant Director of Development at Long Beach Opera where she is tasked with major gift fundraising.  Jennifer Rivera writes: “I am thrilled to be returning to The Dallas Opera in order to participate in the inaugural Institute for Women Administrators. The leadership at The Dallas Opera has already inspired me a great deal with their commitment to innovation within the opera industry alongside artistic excellence, and I am excited to be challenged and galvanized by leaders within the field in a program geared towards advancing women into leadership positions.”

    ~~~~
    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
    Founded in 1957, The Dallas Opera is an internationally-recognized innovator dedicated to the overall advancement of the operatic art form and the support of established and emerging artists, as well as the education and development of new opera audiences in North Texas—and beyond. These goals are achieved by commissioning and producing world-class opera; through ground-breaking institutes, national competitions and topical programs; and by presenting opera in both traditional and non-traditional formats and venues in order to attract patrons of every age, background, educational level, and ethnicity—while engaging with more than 87,000 people in our community each year. TDO is equally committed to the task of responsible stewardship and is managed with efficiency and accountability, to the highest possible standards.

    2017-2018 SEASON SPONSOR
    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

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

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
    Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

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

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2017-2018 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $289. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2017-2018 SEASON MAINSTAGE INFORMATION
    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixty-First International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

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

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

    A Double Bill!
    THE RING OF POLYKRATES AND VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR
    A sweeping Viennese concerto paired with a charming domestic comedy!
    By Erich Wolfgang Korngold
    February 9, 11 (m), 14 and 17, 2018

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

    Violin Soloist (KORNGOLD CONCERTO): Augustin Dumay*
    The Dallas Opera Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Villaume

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

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

    * Dallas Opera Debut
    ** American Debut
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    ###

    Women Conductors Chosen for 2017 Hart Institute

    Hart_Institute-BtmRocker

    Photo by Karen Almond, Dallas Opera

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Friday, June 23, 2017
    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014 Or Celeste Hart at 214.443.1071
    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    The Dallas Opera is Proud to Announce the
    Conductors and Observers for Third Annual
    Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for
    Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera
    ~~~~
    Nov. 5 – 19, 2017 in Dallas, Texas
    ~~~~
    Six Selected for Elite Opera Program from
    161 Applicants Representing 33 Countries
    ~~~~
    Distinguished Faculty Include Marin Alsop, Nicole Paiement, Carlo Montanaro, and Alec Treuhaft
    ~~~~
    Initial Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation Additional Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
    Baker Botts LLP, Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer,
    Betty and Steve Suellentrop, and Martha and Max Wells

    DALLAS, JUNE 23, 2017 – The Dallas Opera is proud to announce the names of the six distinguished professionals selected to participate in the third annual residency of the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera taking place November 5 – 19, 2017 in Dallas, Texas:
    • Alba Bomfim (Brazil)
    • Mélisse Brunet (France)
    • Lina Gonzalez-Granados (USA/Colombia)
    • Karin Hendrickson (USA)
    • Carolyn Watson (USA/Australia)
    • Monika Wolinska (Poland)

    Working to address a long-standing career issue in the opera world, The Dallas Opera in 2015 launched a unique, new residential program—one of only three in the world—designed to provide training and career support for distinctively talented women conductors. Female conductors, as well as accomplished women singers, opera coaches, accompanists, and instrumentalists with established careers seeking to develop new skills at the podium, were encouraged to apply.
    A total of 161 women conductors and professional musicians heeded the call in 2017 and applied by the April 30th deadline.
    Other nations represented in this year’s applicant pool are from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, and Mexico; as well as New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
    Applicants from these 33 countries included music directors, principal and assistant conductors, concertmasters and music staff from top-ranked symphonies, opera companies, and conservatories. Alba Bomfim described her selection as “an inspiring gift and a watershed in my career” while Mélisse Brunet revealed she “can’t wait to learn a lot, to meet new mentors and colleagues, and to build new connections.” Karin Hendrickson added, “I can’t wait to begin collaborating with the exceptional staff, and meeting with other talented women conductors from around the world.”

    As is the case each year, four U.S. observers were chosen to “audit” the 2017 Institute: Marie Bucoy-Calavan, Catherine O’Shaughnessy, Maria Sensi Sellner, and Hannah Threlkeld.

    The institute had vital foundational support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation. Naming support came through the generosity of Linda and Mitch Hart. Additional support comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Baker Botts LLP, Susan and Mark Geyer, Holly and Tom Mayer, Betty and Steve Suellentrop, and Martha and Max Wells.
    The 2017 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute will consist of hands-on master classes with Marin Alsop (Music Director, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, and the only conductor ever to receive the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship); The Dallas Opera’s Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiement and Carlo Montanaro, a renowned Italian conductor who will soon make his official Dallas Opera debut guiding our November performances of La Traviata.
    The institute will include career advancement seminars with experienced professionals like Alec Treuhaft, retired senior vice-president of IMG Artists; industry discussions; intensive one-on-ones and networking opportunities; as well as the chance to conduct The Dallas Opera Orchestra in two public concerts in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center on the evenings of November 11th and November 18th (additional details to be announced).
    As part of TDO’s five-year commitment to each institute “class” of conductors, alumnae will be invited to summer reunions for additional masterclasses with piano and singers, and a series of introductory seminars about the business of music.
    Conductor Carolyn Watson writes: “The program is indeed groundbreaking – a unique opportunity and one which offers continuing support and mentorship over a number of years. I look forward to not only this year’s Institute, but also my ongoing association with The Dallas Opera and the Hart Institute, as well as all the wonderful women colleagues I will be fortunate to work with over the course of my career.”
    The program may already be having a pronounced positive impact: Just this week, Chicago Opera Theater announced that Hart Institute Fellow Lidiya Yankovskaya (Inaugural Class, 2015) will assume the role of company music director.
    ~~~~
    While the Hart Institute began with a focus on supporting talented conductors, the challenges faced by women opera administrators are equally daunting. To address this imbalance, The Dallas Opera is adding a new component to this year’s institute: Beginning in 2017, and for the next six years, TDO will invite between two and four American opera administrators to join the program each season. These women will be selected on the basis of their potential to become leaders of one of America’s top opera companies later in their careers.
    The selected opera administrators will attend all sessions during the annual residency in Dallas. This curriculum includes the role of the board, leadership development, personal branding, media and PR training, effective artist management, and navigating recruiting processes for senior level positions. To continue to develop their musical skills, which is essential for any opera executive, the administrators will observe rehearsals with The Dallas Opera Orchestra and conducting master classes. Special sessions on Development, Finance, and Marketing will be offered as well.
    One of the goals of the program is to build a network of talented leaders. In addition to the residency, selected administrators will be invited to participate in quarterly conference calls to continue to develop their personal networks and leadership skills.
    This facet of the program is open to women who are American citizens or green-card holders. There is no age limit and, in an effort to encourage greater diversity, The Dallas Opera is inviting women of various backgrounds to apply by the July 15, 2017 deadline. For more information, or to apply, visit https://dallasopera.org/learn/womens-conducting-institute/ or go directly to yaptracker.com. Institute Fellows will receive a stipend, travel, and housing for the duration of this year’s Hart Institute.

    Keith Cerny, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO notes: “The Dallas Opera has demonstrated its commitment to reshaping the opera field through the use of innovative public outreach, by exploring new technologies, commissioning new works to expand the operatic repertoire, and programming with passion, courage and imagination.”
    “This already proven program,” Mr. Cerny added, “will enable more women conductors and general directors to add their perspectives to our collective understanding of this art form, while encouraging industry-wide conversation about the necessity of women in a variety of leadership roles.”

    2017 Hart Institute Fellow Lina Gonzalez-Granados concurs: “I’m honored to have been invited to be a part of this amazing group of talented individuals who are working tirelessly to push the boundaries of Opera. It is necessary for artists like us to contribute to a musical world in which all qualified women, regardless of background, are welcomed into visible positions of leadership.”

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

    2017 Hart Institute Conductors

    ALBA BOMFIM (BRAZIL)
    The Brazilian conductor Alba Bomfim was the winner of the 2009 Eleazar de Carvalho Prize in Conducting. She has participated in masterclasses by conductors Christopher Zimmerman, Kirk Trevor, Colin Metters, Fabio Mechetti, Harold Farberman, Dirk Brossé, John Farrer and Marin Alsop. Ms. Bomfim has conducted orchestras including: Minas Gerais Philharmonic, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Astoria Symphony, Rose City Chamber Orchestra, Berlin Sinfonieta, Bohuslav Martinu, Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, NY Chamber Orchestra and BBC Concert Orchestra. Since 2012, Ms. Bomfim has worked as adjunct professor in conducting and orchestral activities at the Music Department of Federal University of Piauí (Brasil), and since October 2014 she has excelled as a Ph.D. candidate in Orchestral Conducting Studies at the University of Aveiro under Maestro António Lourenço’s guidance.

    MÉLISSE BRUNET (FRANCE)
    French-born conductor, Mélisse Brunet, is entering her third season as the Assistant Conductor of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and her second season as the Music Director of the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra and the Appalachian Symphony Opera. Brunet recently conducted the operas Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, Gianni Schicchi by Puccini, Die Zauberflöte by Mozart, and will conduct the musical Sweeney Todd by Sondheim in April 2018. She assisted the productions of Carmen with Lionel Bringuier, Magdalena Kožená, Calixto Bieito, and Die Zauberflöte with Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire. Brunet is the regular guest conductor of Symphoria in Syracuse, NY, and the following orchestras in France: Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, Opéra de Rouen, Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, Orchestre d’Auvergne, and Orchestre Régional de Normandie.

    LINA GONZALEZ-GRANADOS (USA/COLOMBIA)
    Praised for her “geniality” and “lightning changes in tempo, meter and effect” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Lina Gonzalez-Granados has established herself as a talented conductor in orchestral and operatic worlds. Upcoming engagements include productions with Odyssey Opera and touring with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the U.S. Ms. Gonzalez-Granados was recently appointed the 2017-19 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellow, and has worked with a number of Boston-area opera companies in critically acclaimed productions, including Odyssey Opera, Boston Conservatory, and OperaHub. Lina is the founder and Artistic Director of Unitas Ensemble, a chamber orchestra specializing in Latin-American repertoire, and was recognized as one of the “Latino 30 Under 30” by El Mundo Newspaper in 2016. Gonzalez-Granados has served as Assistant Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia.

    KARIN HENDRICKSON (USA)
    Nominated for the 2016 Salzburg Festival/Nestle Young Conductors Award, Karin Hendrickson’s operatic work includes: Music Director for the premiere and tour of Opera for the Unknown Woman (Melanie Wilson/National Theatre), Music Director for the Garsington Youth Opera, and Music Director for Bloomsbury Opera. Symphonic debuts include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Kammer-symphonie Graz, Sao Paulo Symphony, Ensemble Eroica, Southbank Sinfonia and Britten-Pears Orchestra. In 2016/17 Karin Hendrickson was Assistant Conductor to the BBC Proms Verdi Requiem under Marin Alsop, and cover conductor for the Royal Ballet. Upcoming projects include music direction for an independent performance of Strauss’ Die Ägyptishce Helena, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s Musical Leadership project, and Chorus Master for Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria with The Royal Opera.

    CAROLYN WATSON (USA/Australia)
    A major prizewinner at the 2012 Emmerich Kálmán International Operetta Conducting Competition in Budapest, Carolyn Watson was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Watson has conducted throughout Europe including Staatsoper Berlin, Brandenburger Symphonkier, BBC Concert Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Kodály Philharmonic. Carolyn has participated in master classes with Marin Alsop, Peter Eötvös, Yoel Levi, Martyn Brabbins and Alex Polishchuk; conducted musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic in Interaktion 2010; served as resident assistant at the Israeli National Opera in 2009; and has worked with conductors including Sir Charles Mackerras, Simone Young and Karen Kamensek. She is the recipient of the Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors, Charles Mackerras Conducting Prize awarded by the Australian Music Foundation in London, Nelly Apt Scholarship and Opera Foundation Australia’s Bayreuth Opera Award and Berlin New Music Opera Award. www.carolyn-watson.com

    MONIKA WOLINSKA (POLAND)
    Monika Wolinska, recipient of the honorary medal, “Meritorious for Polish Culture,” from the Polish Government, enjoys an active conducting career around the world. After her successful performance at Carnegie Hall in 2009, the venue’s first performance by a Polish female conductor, New York critics praised her saying, “Monika has what many contemporary conductors lack – a great sensitivity and a wonderful sense of the sound of instruments.” In October 2014 she conducted a concert in the Gorzów Philharmonic Hall with the world-famous baritone Thomas Hampson, and in February 2015 a concert dedicated to Marina Jaszwili with the outstanding violinist Roman Simovi?. From 2013-2017, Ms. Wolinska served as Artistic Director of Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 2013 she has been Artistic Director of Wojciech Kilar Contemporary Music Festival.

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    2017 Hart Institute Observers

    MARIE BUCOY-CALAVAN (USA)
    Marie Bucoy-Calavan is currently the Director of Choral Studies at The University of Akron, Artistic Director of Summit Choral Society, and serves as the Chorus Director for the Akron Symphony. She served as Assistant Conductor to Robert Porco for the May Festival Chorus, the symphonic chorus for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She has also conducted various opera performances in California and Ohio, including Donizetti’s Elixir of Love and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosí fan Tutte. Ms. Bucoy-Calavan is regularly invited to serve residencies, in order to teach conducting across the nation and abroad, including at the Hochschule für Musik und Theatre in Munich, Germany. She completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting at University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

    CATHERINE O’SHAUGHNESSY (USA)
    Catherine O’Shaughnessy is a rising opera conductor in the United States and abroad. Avidly committed to Chicago’s dynamic opera scene, she has worked with numerous companies and is currently principal conductor of the Floating Opera Company and music director of Chicago Fringe Opera, an organization committed to providing a platform for new and underrepresented voices. Reviewers have praised her “great skill, alertness and sensitivity” as well as her “resourcefulness…fierce concentration…and…spirit of a modern collaborator.” During her doctoral studies with Dr. William Reber at Arizona State University, Ms. O’Shaughnessy learned to appreciate and work in a wide variety of styles and genres. This stylistic flexibility has led to performances throughout Europe and to masterclasses with such teachers as Yuri Simonov, Julius Kalmar, and Maurizio Arena.

    MARIA SENSI SELLNER (USA)
    Maria Sensi Sellner is widely recognized for her versatility and artistry as a conductor of opera, orchestras, and choruses. The first three-time winner of the American Prize for Opera Conducting, Ms. Sellner is the founder and Artistic Director of Resonance Works Pittsburgh, Artistic Advisor for Hubbard Hall Opera, and previously has held positions as Director of the Akron Symphony Chorus and Acting Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (chorus of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). An alum of Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Sellner recently conducted the American premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Gloria, and in 2016 was a strand leader conductor for the world premiere of David Lang’s “the public domain” for 1000 singers at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center.

    HANNAH THRELKELD (USA)
    Hannah Threlkeld is an active conductor of orchestral, opera, and ballet repertoire. She has recently served as Assistant Conductor for the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and as Conductor for the new music ensemble, SYZYGY. Ms. Threlkeld assisted with Meadows Opera Theater’s 2017 production of L’Elisir d’Amore and their 2016 production of Die Zauberflöte. In 2016, she was selected to be a conducting fellow for the Eastern Music Festival where she worked alongside music director Gerard Schwarz and conducted the Eastern Festival Orchestra. Additionally, Ms. Threlkeld studied conducting in Weimar, Germany and holds a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Orchestral Conducting from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Dr. Paul Phillips.

    ~~~~
    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
    Founded in 1957, The Dallas Opera is an internationally-recognized innovator dedicated to the overall advancement of the operatic art form and the support of established and emerging artists, as well as the education and development of new opera audiences in North Texas—and beyond. These goals are achieved by commissioning and producing world-class opera; through ground-breaking institutes, national competitions and topical programs; and by presenting opera in both traditional and non-traditional formats and venues in order to attract patrons of every age, background, educational level, and ethnicity—while engaging with more than 87,000 people in our community each year. TDO is equally committed to the task of responsible stewardship and is managed with efficiency and accountability, to the highest possible standards.

    2017-2018 SEASON SPONSOR
    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

    ~~~~
    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
    IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG

    FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
    Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org

    The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by
    Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin, and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop
    Educational Outreach Fund.

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

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2017-2018 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $289. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2017-2018 SEASON MAINSTAGE INFORMATION
    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixty-First International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. With the exception of FIRST NIGHT, The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.

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

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

    A Double Bill!
    VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR & THE RING OF POLYKRATES
    A sweeping Viennese concerto paired with a charming domestic comedy!
    By Erich Wolfgang Korngold
    February 9, 11 (m), 14 and 17, 2018

    Violin Soloist (KORNGOLD CONCERTO): Augustin Dumay*
    The Dallas Opera Orchestra conducted by Emmanuel Villaume

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

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

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

    * Dallas Opera Debut
    ** American Debut
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
    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.

    ###

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

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

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

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

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

    ~~~~

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

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

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

    TICKET INFORMATION FOR THE 2016-2017 DALLAS OPERA SEASON
    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise indicated. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Flex Subscriptions (three-performances of your choice) begin at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2016-2017 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION
    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.

    MADAME BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini
    March 10, 12(m), 15, 18, 24, & 26(m), 2017
    The must see, heart-wrenching Italian opera!
    Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica
    Time: 1904
    Place: Nagasaki, Japan
    Conductor: Donato Renzetti
    Stage Director: John Copley
    Set and Costume Designer: Michael Yeargan
    Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler
    Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Hui He* (Cio-Cio-San), Gianluca Terranova* (B.F. Pinkerton), Manuela Custer (Suzuki), Lucas Meachem* (Sharpless), David Cangelosi (Goro), Reginald Smith, Jr.* (The Bonze), Will Hughes (Prince Yamadori), Mark McCrory (Imperial Commissioner), Samuel P.J. Lopez (Registrar), Angela Turner Wilson (Kate Pinkerton)
    A classic, period production (new to Dallas) from the San Francisco Opera!

    THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Benjamin Britten
    March 17, 19(m), 22, 25, 2017
    A dark and gripping tale!
    Libretto by Myfanwy Piper
    Time: 1950s
    Place: Bly, an English country house
    Conductor: Nicole Paiement
    Original Production: Jonathan Kent
    Stage Director: Francesca Gilpin*
    Set and Costume Designer: Paul Brown
    Original Lighting Designer: Mark Henderson
    Lighting Design Recreated By: David Manion
    Wig and Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams
    Starring: William Burden (Prologue/Peter Quint), Emma Bell* (Governess), Oliver Nathanielsz* (Miles), Ashley Emerson* (Flora), Dolora Zajick* (Mrs. Grose), Alexandra LoBianco* (Miss Jessel)
    An acclaimed production from Glyndebourne!

    NORMA by Vincenzo Bellini
    April 21, 23(m), 26, 29, May 7(m), 2017
    A thrilling and suspenseful masterpiece!
    Libretto by Felice Romani
    Time: 50 B.C.
    Place: Roman-occupied Gaul
    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
    Stage Director: Nic Muni
    Set Designer: John Conklin
    Costume Designer: John Conklin
    Lighting Designer: Thomas Hase
    Wig & Make-up Designer: Stephanie Williams
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Elza van den Heever (Norma), Marina Costa Jackson* (Adalgisa), Yonghoon Lee* (Pollione), Christian Van Horn (Oroveso), Mithra Mastropierro* (Clotilde), Charles Karanja (Flavio)
    An atmospheric production from Cincinnati Opera!

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

    ###

    Six Women Selected for Institute for Women Conductors!

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

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

    Nov. 28 – Dec. 6, 2015

    ~~~~

    Launched with Generous Support from the Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

     ~~~~

    2015 IWC FELLOWS:

    JENNIFER CONDON (Australia/Germany)

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

    JESSICA GETHIN (Australia)

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

    NATALIE MURRAY BEALE (UK)

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

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

    STEPHANIE RHODES (USA)

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

    ANNA SKRYLEVA (Russia/Germany)

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

    LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA (USA)

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

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    2015 IWC OBSERVERS:

    ARIANNE ABELA (USA)

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

    LUÇIK APRAHÄMIAN (USA)

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

    AVLANA EISENBERG (USA)

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

    CO BOI NGUYEN (USA)

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

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    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

     

    VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     

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

    Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and Public Relations

    214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

     

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

     

    Ticket Information for the 2015-2016 Dallas Opera Season

    All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described.  Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and will be available July 15.  Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now starting at $75.  Family performance tickets (available June 1) are just $5. 

    For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

     

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2015-2016 FALL SEASON INFORMATION

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

     

    GREAT SCOTT by Jake Heggie

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

    A Thrilling Dallas Opera World Premiere!

    Libretto by Terrence McNally*

    Time: Present Day

    Place: A Major American City

    Conductor: Patrick Summers

    Stage Director: Jack O’Brien*

    Production Design: Bob Crowley

    Lighting Design: Brian MacDevitt*

    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

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

     

    TOSCA by Giacomo Puccini

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

    A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production

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

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

    Time: Early 19th century

    Place: Locations in and around the City of Rome

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Stage Director: Ellen Douglas Schlaefer*

    Production Design: Ulisse Santicchi

    Lighting Design: Marie Barrett

    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

    Children’s Chorus Master: TBA

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

    One of The Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!

     

    BECOMING SANTA CLAUS by Mark Adamo

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

    An Eagerly Awaited Dallas Opera World Premiere!

    Libretto by the composer, Mark Adamo.

    Time: Now

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

    Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

    Stage Director: Paul Curran

    Production Design: Gary McCann*

    Video Design: Driscoll Otto*

    Lighting Design: Paul Hackenmueller*

    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

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

     

    * Dallas Opera Debut

    ** American Debut

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

     

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    The Dallas Opera

    • Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
    • 2403 Flora Street, Suite 500
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