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    THE GOLDEN COCKEREL Opens Friday, Oct. 25th

    King Dodon and his court (Photo by Karen Almond)

    MEDIA RELEASE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Wednesday, October 23, 2019

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

     

    The Dallas Opera is Delighted to Present

    THE GOLDEN COCKEREL

    ~~~~

    Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Brilliant Political Satire about Sex, War, and Power

    OCTOBER 25 – NOVEMBER 2, 2019

    Conducted by Music Director Emmanuel Villaume

    Directed by Paul Curran

    ~~~~

    Starring Nikolay Didenko (King Dodon), Olga Pudova (Queen of Shemakha), Kevin Burdette (General Polkan), Barry Banks (Astrologer), Lindsay Ammann (Amelfa), Viktor Antipenko (Prince Guidon), Corey Crider (Prince Afron) and Jeni Houser as the Voice of the Golden Cockerel

    ~~~~

    DALLAS, OCTOBER 23, 2019 – The Dallas Opera’s 2019-2020 “Standing Ovation” Season scales new comedic heights this Friday with the opening of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s hilarious-yet-thought-provoking final opera, The Golden Cockerel.

    The October 25, 2019 performance in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center will begin at 7:30 p.m.

    Conducted by Maestro Emmanuel Villaume (The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director of The Dallas Opera) and directed by Paul Curran (The James R. Seitz, Jr., Stage Director), this rarely-performed work has not been seen on The Dallas Opera stage since 1973.

    This opulent new co-production garnered rave reviews when it opened in Santa Fe during the 2017 summer opera festival. “Gary McCann’s vibrant and kitschy costumes,” wrote Arya Roshanian for OperaWire, “inspired by Russian matryoshka dolls, contain some of the most fabulous and original costumes of the season.”

    Opera Warhorses praised Maestro Villaume’s “majestically-contoured, sensitive performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Orientalist score.” And Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News had high praise for the score itself: “The orchestral writing mixes bright-colored Russian impressionism and echoes of Russian folk idioms. The Queen weaves her spell with showcase vocalism alternately slithery and flickering.”

    Rimsky-Korsakov’s turn-of-the-century cautionary tale about lust and power (or the lust for power) may be more relevant than ever.

    The Golden Cockerel, a three-act satirical masterpiece, premiered in Moscow in 1909 after initially being banned by government censors. The composer, Rimsky-Korsakov, did not live to see his work on stage.

    Tickets for The Golden Cockerel may be purchased by phone (214.443.1000), online (dallasopera.org) or at the door, starting at just $19.

    ~~~~

    Russian bass Nikolay Didenko (who, according to The New York Sun, “regularly steals the show with his seemingly effortless subterranean voice” will make his Dallas Opera debut as the delusional King Dodon.

    Russian coloratura soprano Olga Pudova will be making her company debut as the exotic and sultry Queen of Shemakha. Ms. Pudova is an audience favorite at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, where this season alone, she sings the roles of Tytania in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nanetta in Falstaff, Adina in L’elisir d’amore and the title role in Ruslan and Lyudmila.

    Bass Kevin Burdette (Everest, Great Scott), described by The New York Times as “the Robin Williams of opera,” is the king’s loyal commander, General Polkan.

    Renowned mezzo-soprano Lindsay Ammann sings the role of Amelfa, while English tenor Barry Banks, a favorite of Metropolitan Opera audiences, makes his TDO debut as the Astrologer who seems to know and (possibly) control all.

    Russian tenor Viktor Antipenko in his Dallas Opera debut, and American baritone Corey Crider will sing the roles of Dodon’s backstabbing, bone-headed sons, Prince Guidon and Prince Afron.

    Last but certainly not least, soprano Jeni Houser (currently appearing in TDO’s season opener, The Magic Flute, as the Queen of the Night) is the voice of the Golden Cockerel.

    The other principals in this production are Jay Gardner and Christopher Harrison as Boyars. Samuel P.J. Lopez will sing the tenor solo.

    ~~~~

    All four performances of The Golden Cockerel will be conducted by internationally-acclaimed Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, praised for the sensitivity of his conducting by Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times.

    Wayne Lee Gay of Texas Classical Review noted in his analysis of last season’s Carmen, “Even in the opening phrases of the Overture…Villaume’s command of the nuance and unique musical language of Bizet signaled an outstanding performance in the making.”

    This season, in his recent review of The Magic Flute, Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell observed that “Villaume got well disciplined, suave playing from The Dallas Opera Orchestra. Ensemble singing in the first act was impressively precise.” Meanwhile, Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of TheaterJones.com wrote, “Emmanuel Villaume’s extensive research into the score presents a refreshing new take…that will delight those familiar with the music.”

    Scottish director/choreographer Paul Curran, who made a dazzling 2015 Dallas Opera debut with the world premiere of Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus, is reviving his own production of Cockerel here in Dallas.

    Set and costume designs are by famed British designer Gary McCann, whose jaw-dropping designs for The Dallas Opera’s 2015 world premiere of Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus were the talk of the town. Recent and upcoming projects include designing Der Freischütz and Macbeth for Vienna State Opera; Killology for the Royal Court Theatre; Carmen for Opera Philadelphia; and the sets for My Fair Lady for Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

    Lighting design for this production is by Paul Hackenmueller with projections designed by Driscoll Otto. Wig and make-up designs are by Dawn Rivard.

    As always, The Dallas Opera Chorus will be prepared by The Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.

    Sung in Russian (the original language) with English supertitles projected above the stage, The Golden Cockerel can also be enjoyed at additional performances on October 27(m), 30, and November 2, 2019. 

    Dallas Opera evening performances begin promptly at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. Student Rush Tickets are available at the box office 90 minutes prior to curtain – a valid student ID is required for each $15 or $25 ticket (price varies by seat location).

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

     

    The Dallas Opera Wishes to Express Our Gratitude to Those

    Whose Generous Contributions Made Possible

    This 2019 Production of The Golden Cockerel:

    The James R. Seitz, Jr. Stage Director in Honor of John Gage: Paul Curran

    Additional Special Support Provided by:

    Robert L. and Myra Barker Hull

    James R. Seitz, Jr.

    Joanna L. and T. Peter Townsend

     

    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA:

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

     

    2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

     

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

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

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

    American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.

    Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.

    Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.

     

    All performances in The Dallas Opera’s 63rd International Season will take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, unless otherwise indicated. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

    The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain at most performances. Full and Flex subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of every budget. Prices range from just $57 (for three performances of your choice) to a top orchestra floor price of $777 for all five mainstage productions. Single tickets are priced from $19 to $289 (a few box seats may be higher). For additional information or to make your purchase, call 214.443.1000 or visit dallasopera.org.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    ###

    Featured Artist – Olga Pudova

    Olga Pudova, Soprano
    Queen of Shemakha, The Golden Cockerel

    What drew you to become a singer? Was there a specific “Aha!” moment of clarity?
    When I was 15 years old, I had already finished music school. I didn’t want to be a musician, especially a singer, but my teacher told my parents that I had a good voice and I should keep pursuing my studies. My parents had always wanted a musician in the family and they urged me to take just one vocal coaching session in the conservatory. I finally agreed, only because of them, but as it turns out, this coaching session changed my life! After just two hours spent working with a gifted professor of voice, I understood that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life –- to be an opera singer!!!

    When you watch a performance as an audience member, what do you primarily watch out for? The music? The portrayal? Or the atmosphere?
    The important thing for me, is how true the artists are, when they are performing on stage. If they are really crying, loving, dying, laughing…I feel the same emotions as we work together to create the characters in a performance, and it’s the greatest pleasure I can experience in the theater!

    What do you want the audience to know about the Queen of Shemakha?
    I hope I can show the audience, while I am on stage, who this woman is—and what motivates her. Then, you can ask them, did they understand her character or not?

    What is the one thing that you think is of the greatest importance for every singer to learn?
    Always keep learning!!! Never say to myself, “I’m a star, I have done everything and have become great” – This is “star fever” and absolute death for the artist!

    2019 FIRST NIGHT at The Dallas Opera

    FIRST NIGHT photo by Jason Kindig Photography

    Media Release from The Dallas Opera

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Thursday, October 10, 2019

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

    THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO HOST

    FIRST NIGHT 2019

    WITH PRESENTING SPONSOR,

    TOLLESON WEALTH MANAGEMENT

    ~~~~

     KIM AND GREG HEXT, CHAIRS

    CAROL AND DON GLENDENNING, DINNER CHAIRS

    The Winspear Family, Honorary Chairs

    ~~~~

    In Partnership—for the FIRST time—with the Dallas Zoo!

    ~~~~

     

    The Dallas Opera’s

    Season-Opening Celebrations

    Marking Our Tenth Anniversary in the WOH

    Friday, October 18, 2019

    The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

    AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

     

    DALLAS, TX, OCTOBER 10, 2019 – The Dallas Opera is proud to present the pinnacle of a two-day celebration to mark the opening of the Dallas Opera’s 2019-2020 “Standing Ovation” Season: FIRST NIGHT, presenting sponsor, Tolleson Wealth Management, on Friday, October 18, 2019 at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

    FIRST SIGHT and FIRST NIGHT 2019 are the official opening events of a season-long observance of TDO’s tenth anniversary in the internationally-acclaimed Winspear Opera House.  After more than half a century of legendary performances in the Music Hall at Fair Park, The Dallas Opera moved into a spectacular new venue in the Dallas Arts District in October 2009.

    ~~~~

    Kim and Greg Hext are serving as Chairs for this elegant, eagerly-anticipated evening.

    “In a remarkably short time, FIRST NIGHT has come to represent the quintessential Opening Night celebration with its potent combination of glamour, theatricality, great music, and fine cuisine—in a truly magical setting,” says Chair Kim Hext.

    “Greg and I were so honored to be asked to Chair this year’s FIRST SIGHT and FIRST NIGHT, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. We would love for this season’s spectacular kick-off events to ‘raise the bar’ on the next decade of Dallas Opera Opening Weekends.”

    Honorary Chairs (as befits the tenth anniversary in one of the world’s most beautiful new opera houses) are the members of The Winspear Family, for whom the opera house is named.

    “We are thrilled to celebrate the memory of Margot and Bill Winspear and their passion for great opera,” explained Honorary Chair Don Winspear. “Our family takes personal pride in my parents’ vision for a world-class opera house, achieved through the hard work and efforts of many, many benefactors, artists and professionals. Together, they created a performance venue that has and will continue to welcome all the people of Dallas for generations to come.”

    For the FIRST time in its ten-year history in the Winspear Opera House, The Dallas Opera will “take a walk on the wild side” and partner with the nationally-renowned Dallas Zoo, which will have special two-and-four-footed representatives present for the Opening Night festivities.

    Zoo sponsors for FIRST NIGHT are Diane and Hal Brierley.

    “We are tremendously excited about this unprecedented partnership and the attention it will bring to the living treasures we have at the Dallas Zoo,” notes Honorary Chair Ellen Winspear.

    “Mozart’s masterpiece includes a charming scene in which a fantastical collection of wild animals is tamed by the sound of a magic flute. Dallas Opera patrons on October 18 will find the live versions in the Winspear even more impossible to resist!”

    The people watching begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18, 2019 with a red carpet entrance and private reception.  The arrivals will be followed at 6:00 p.m. with a seated theme dinner carefully prepared by Wolfgang Puck Catering and Chaired by Carol and Don Glendenning.

    “Don and I love to gather friends from near and far to sit down to dine together,” explains Chair Carol Glendenning. “Hosting this superb dinner party is a chance for us to raise a glass with all the many friends of The Dallas Opera, in support of the hard work and phenomenal artistry that make world-class productions, like this fall’s The Magic Flute and The Golden Cockerel, possible.

    “I’m sure we can anticipate an unforgettable culinary experience on Opening Night,” she adds.

    The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute will begin at 8:00 p.m. (please note the special time) featuring a star-studded international cast conducted by Maestro Emmanuel Villaume, The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director.

    Following the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Sir Peter Hall’s acclaimed production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute, FIRST NIGHT celebrations will resume around 11 p.m. with an exuberant After Party featuring the popular dance band, Professor D, and a chance for patrons to hobnob with members of the cast and each other!

    Hand-crafted libations and delicious culinary bites will keep guests of The Dallas Opera energized from the first notes through to the last dance.  Wolfgang Puck Sweet & Savory will provide the delicious noshes, desserts, coffee and specialty cocktails.

    For additional details, visit www.dallasopera.org. To purchase tickets to FIRST NIGHT, or if you have additional questions, please contact Dallas Opera Special Events Manager Tracy Mott at tracy.mott@dallasopera.org.

     

    ABOUT THE DALLAS ZOO

    The Dallas Zoo is dedicated to creating a better world for animals. Named one of the nation’s Top 10 Zoos by USA Today, it is the largest zoological experience in Texas. The zoo has been accredited continuously by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums since 1985, and features a 106-acre park, thousands of animals, and an education department that offers programs for all ages. The zoo is located at 650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 at Marsalis) and is open 364 days a year. For more information, visit DallasZoo.com or call 469.554.7500.

     

    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA

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

     

    2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family

     

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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

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

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

    American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.

    Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.

    Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.

    All performances in The Dallas Opera’s 63rd International Season will take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, unless otherwise indicated. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. (Opening Night of The Magic Flute begins at 8 p.m.) and Sunday matinees start at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

    The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain at most performances. Full and Flex subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of every budget. Prices range from just $57 (for three performances of your choice) to a top orchestra floor price of $777 for all five mainstage productions. Single tickets are priced from $25 to $289 (a few box seats may be higher). For additional information or to make your purchase, call 214.443.1000 or visit www.dallasopera.org.

    _____________________________________________________________________________________________

    ###

     

     

     

     

     

    Featured Artist – Barry Banks


    Where did you grow up?
    I grew up in the village of Packmoor in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Miles and miles of rolling countryside for me to play in!

    How did you become interested in opera?
    Actually, I wasn’t interested in opera. I really wanted to be a professional trumpet player. I played the instrument from the age of 11 and was accepted into two conservatories—primarily to study trumpet, secondly to study singing.  However, when I was accepted into the Royal Northern College of Music as a singer (I will skip the long story of arriving with my trumpet to be told that the school of wind and percussion auditions had closed two weeks before, and I was there for a singing audition!), I was persuaded to go there to see if the singing would pan out!

    Did you have other career aspirations in the works before you decided on singing?
    Other than the trumpet? No.

    What did you find to be the biggest challenge in the original production in Santa Fe, and how will that translate to the stage in Dallas?
    Just the normal acclimatization at that high altitude. That won’t be a problem in Dallas!

    How did the experience of The Golden Cockerel change your perspective on Russian opera?
    It didn’t. I’ve done a few productions of The Golden Cockerel before. The very first time I ever did it, however, I vowed that I would never ever sing another Russian opera in my life because it took me so long to grasp the Russian…working with an unfamiliar alphabet and sounds that are alien to an English speaker’s ear. Then a few years later I was asked by the Metropolitan Opera to do Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol, and I accepted, thinking it was in French, but when the contract came my heart sank at the line ‘to be sung in Russian’ Now I LOVE singing in that language!

    I suppose my take away from doing Cockerel the first time was that it was beautifully lyrical. Up until that point I had spent an entire career singing Italian bel canto music and I was pleasantly surprised by Rimsky-Korsakov’s singability.

    What message do you think the opera is trying to convey to the audience?
    Ahhhhh. That’s for the audience to ascertain and perhaps discuss, afterwards.

     

    The Dallas Opera Guild’s New Texas-Based Vocal Competition!

     

    2019 Guild Vocal Competition Winners by Karen Almond

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    Monday, September 9, 2019

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014

    suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

     

    One Competition Becomes TWO

    To Celebrate Our Proud Texas Roots!

    ~~~~

    THE DALLAS OPERA GUILD BIENNIAL

    LONE STAR VOCAL COMPETITION

    ~~~~

    For Accomplished Young Artists with Texas Connections

    ~~~~

    2020 Competition Chair Dr. Susan Fleming

    Honorary Chair, Martha Allday

    ~~~~

    Applications Will Be Accepted In January

    Same Day Semi-Finals and Finals: May 9, 2020

    Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

    The AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, Texas

     

    DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 – The Dallas Opera and The Dallas Opera Guild are pleased to announce the revival of a state-based vocal competition to alternate every other year with The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition sponsored by the Guild.

    The inaugural Texas-centric event, The Dallas Opera Guild Biennial Lone Star Vocal Competition, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 9, 2020 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, TX.

    General Director and CEO Ian Derrer notes, “The Dallas Opera Guild has always had a special affection for homegrown talent. It’s easy to understand why the membership wished to return to that proud tradition and recreate that sense of excitement in an entirely new way.

    “This new competition has our full support and should complement—beautifully—The Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition in 2021, which will continue to feature the full Dallas Opera Orchestra,” Derrer adds.

    The Spring 2020 Competition—Chaired by Dr. Susan Fleming—will offer thousands of dollars in prize monies to Texas-based singers. The winner will also be guaranteed a spot in the Semi-Finals Round of The Dallas Opera’s national vocal competition taking place the following year, along with the chance to perform for an audience of Dallas Opera Board and Trustees.

    “Patsy and I,” says Dallas Opera Guild Co-Chair Bob Brooks, “along with Susan Fleming, as this year’s vocal competition chairperson—and the entire Dallas Opera Guild—are excited to sponsor this return to a biennial Texas-based competition to complement The Dallas Opera’s national vocal competition.”

     

    The competition is open to singers ages 18 through 30 (as of the actual date of the 2020 Competition) who are Texas residents or students. Applicants may not have participated in any Young Artist or Resident Artist Program with a professional opera company, or, had a principal artist contract with any opera company.

    Applications will be accepted only through YAP Tracker, beginning on January 10, 2020. Applications will close on February 14, 2020, and the competition semi-finalists will be announced on March 15, 2020. Additional details will be forthcoming later in the year.

    The Dallas Opera is very pleased to announce the return of former Artistic Director Jonathan Pell (long associated with the original statewide competition) as one judge in the blue-ribbon panel, along with TDO’s Director of Artistic Administration David Lomeli and renowned arts administrator, educator and adjudicator Dr. Brian Zeger.  On the faculty of The Juilliard School since 1993 and its Artistic Director of Vocal Arts since 2004, Dr. Zeger, who will head the panel, is also the former Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

    “I am really delighted now to have been asked by the company and the Opera Guild to help re-launch this unique competition,” Jonathan Pell wrote. “In my long career in the arts, nothing ever brought me more satisfaction or joy than discovering and nurturing extraordinary young talent, and helping to foster the careers of a new generation of opera stars.”

    2020 Competition Chair Dr. Susan Fleming remarked, “The Dallas Opera Guild is extremely proud of the many professional voices in development that we have fostered for more than three decades. We are eager to hear those who will be selected to compete this year and look forward to hosting an enthusiastic hometown crowd in the Winspear next May!

    “We encourage YOU to come be part of the Lone Star cheering section!”

    This year’s Honorary Chair is longtime Dallas Opera supporter and Guild Member Martha Allday.

    Now in her fifth year as a member of The Dallas Opera Board, Martha Allday has given her enthusiastic support to The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors, as well as the annual vocal competition.

    With her husband, Dr. Robert Allday, Martha served as Guild Co-President during our second season in the Winspear Opera House (2010-2011). It was in that capacity that she became involved in the Guild’s annual vocal competition.

    Beginning in the spring of 2010 with the world premiere production of Heggie and Scheer’s Moby-Dick, the Alldays have hosted numerous visiting artists (and, at times, their families) in their home during extended stays in Dallas.

    “Every artist has a unique story about how they came to their careers in opera, and vocal competitions are frequently a part of that story,” Martha Allday writes. “Recognizing the importance of the competitions to artists in the critical, nascent stages of their careers, I feel it is incumbent upon us to support their development in this way.”

    ~~~~

    HISTORY OF THE DALLAS OPERA GUILD VOCAL COMPETITION:

    In February of 1987, then-Dallas Opera Guild Presidents Connie and Jerry Klemow proposed establishing a Guild-sponsored scholarship fund to financially assist qualified singers seeking a career in opera. With the approval of TDO management and the enthusiastic support of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Nicola Rescigno, a committee comprised of Chair Connie Klemow, Pat Blankenship, Nora Sands and Maria Santarelli, was entrusted to formulate a plan. Soon, the committee welcomed the assistance of then-General Director Plato Karayanis, company dramaturg Roger Pines and Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic John Ardoin.

    Mr. Ardoin suggested a grants program be established in lieu of a scholarship fund or a competition. His suggestion was considered and the concept accepted. It was decided to focus on applicants from North Texas, ages 18-35 with some professional experience. Roger Pines named the program “The Career Development Grant for Singers” (CDGS), and after 20 months of planning the first CDGS program was presented on October 8, 1988 at SMU’s Caruth Auditorium.

    However, for any program to remain dynamic, change and growth must occur. During these past 27 years there have been many changes. From the initial grants program, the concept evolved into The Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition which, until 2014, was focused on vocalists with a Texas connection, both natives and temporary residents. A “People’s Choice Award” and Encouragement Awards were added and, today, financial awards are given directly to the winners to use at their discretion. Through this event, the Guild continues to recognize and honor members of The Dallas Opera community who have demonstrated a special interest in promoting the careers of talented young singers, or, have given exceptional support to The Dallas Opera and the Guild. Jonathan Pell led the Judge’s panel for the first 26 years.

    The vocal competition was significantly re-imagined and expanded in its 27th year to allow applicants from all 50 states and U.S. Territories. Dr. Brian Zeger began chairing a judge’s panel that includes leading figures in American Opera administration and classical music.

    The national competition was reorganized to take place over a two-day period. Finalists were accompanied by The Dallas Opera Orchestra under the direction of the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume through 2018 and under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Frizza in 2019.

    Now, the competition has evolved yet again to serve the needs of accomplished young artists at both the statewide and national level.

    The Dallas Opera Guild remains dedicated to its original commitment to recognize, honor and support exceptionally talented young singers. The distributed award monies are funded anew each year. Guild members graciously donate their time, energy, money and talents to ensure that these prestigious competitions, both national and Texas-centric, succeed in cultivating the next generation of world-class opera artists.

    ~~~~

    ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA:

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

    2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR

    The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
    ~~~~

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    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.

    All performances in The Dallas Opera’s 63rd International Season will take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, unless otherwise indicated. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.  English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

    The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain at most performances. Full and Flex subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of every budget. Prices range from just $57 (for three performances of your choice) to a top orchestra floor price of $777 for all five mainstage productions. Single tickets are priced from $25 to $289 (a few box seats may be higher). For additional information or to make your purchase, call 214.443.1000 or visit www.dallasopera.org.

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