WELCOME Welcome to our 2017 season! We’ve changed our name, but not our commitment to continuing to produce high quality opera. We hope that you will enjoy the interesting and provocative programming we have organized for you for our 2017 summer season. Our 2016 summer season was a great success, drawing enthusiastic audiences to sold-out performances. Our residency at Winchester Thurston School has provided the company an extraordinary performance venue. With the intent to form a long and mutuallybeneficial relationship with this great educational institution, we have signed a three-year contract. Our educational programs, across a variety of channels, have introduced young people to the joys of telling stories through music. We also foster the careers of America’s next opera professionals with our Young Professional Artist Program. Our work would not be possible without the generous support of foundation and private philanthropy, and I take this opportunity to extend many thanks to whose who have contributed to the support of Pittsburgh Festival Opera and the cultural life of Pittsburgh. I also thank our hard-working Board of Directors and the administrative staff for their eager engagement in our mission. We sadly noted the passing of Helen Knox in 2016. Helen was a driving force behind the creation of Pittsburgh Festival Opera some 40 years ago; together with Mildred Miller Posvar, they pursued a vision for a company that would present old and new works, make opera more accessible by singing in English, and nurture young American singers who would take their place on the world stage. Helen’s tireless dedication to these ideals has been—and remains—a source of inspiration for us all.
Eugene N. Myers, Md, FACS, FRCS Edin (Hon) President Pittsburgh Festival Opera
WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH FESTIVAL OPERA! Six years ago we transformed Opera Theater of Pittsburgh into a summer festival, producing our celebrated mix of new operas, rarely performed works, and classic works done in new ways, all sung in English in an intimate theater. Our summer festival has come to define our company more and more—so we felt it was time to change our name to reflect more closely what we have become. We are based in Pittsburgh. We perform in a Festival. And we do Opera! Hence…
Photo by John Bauerlein
We also present our fortieth season this summer. We are celebrating this milestone with some important new initiatives. These include reviving our acclaimed Pittsburgh Ring Cycle over four years starting in 2018, continuing our signature series of rarely performed Richard Strauss operas, and founding a new Festival Opera Fans organization. While we are changing our name, our traditions and commitments to our audiences remain the same: we bring the power of world-class performances to humanize, energize, and re-define opera as an experience that is up-close and personal, approachable, and relevant to today’s audiences. Please come up and say hello after a show! Sincerely,
Jonathan Eaton General and Artistic Director
Pittsburgh Festival Opera congratulates Jonathan Eaton on his appointment as Professor of Music and Winspear Chair in Opera Studies at the University of North Texas in Dallas while he continues as Artistic Director of this Festival. He will pass administrative duties on to Scott Timm, who will become Executive Director as our season ends. Board President Dr. Eugene N. Myers says of this: “We are excited at Jonathan’s news, and are delighted that he will be staying with us for many years to come. We feel this appointment only adds luster to our company’s reputation. We haven’t lost our leader—we’ve gained a university!”
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF General and Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton General Manager Scott Timm Development Director Roxy MtJoy Marketing Director Yvonne Hudson Event and Patron Support Director Lynne Squilla
Music Director Robert Frankenberry Associate Artistic Director Joel Goodloe Education Director Anqwenique Wingfield House Manager Kevin O’Hora Arts Administration Interns Britt Mahan Karina Parker
Marketing Interns Anna Matia Hannah Shea Development Intern Velocity Rose Box Office Interns Victoria Bails Lindsay Lehman Stephanie Simon
Mission Pittsburgh Festival Opera presents innovative opera, producing American works, reinterpretations of older works, and new works, for the widest possible audience. The company focuses on diversity in programming and casting, on crossing boundaries and bringing together talents from all the arts, on encouraging new talent, and on broadening audiences through outreach and education, to create a body of work that is original, entertaining, contemporary and relevant. History The company was founded in 1978 by Mildred Miller Posvar and Helen Knox. Pittsburgh Festival Opera (formerly Opera Theater of Pittsburgh) has been imaginatively led by General and Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton since 1999. In its nearly 40-year history, Pittsburgh Festival Opera has presented more than 50 Pittsburgh premieres and 28 world premieres. The Young Professional Artists Program casts new talent in appropriate roles alongside established local and nationally renowned professional artists during the summer season. In addition to an annual midsummer season, the Festival produces the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition each autumn. Board of Directors CHAIRMAN
Dr. Jerry Clack
Joseph Bielecki
Dr. Etsuro K. Motoyama
PRESIDENT
Dr. Margaretha Casselbrant
Lana Neumeyer
Retired Professor, Department of Classics, Duquesne University
Dr. Eugene N. Myers
Distinguished Professor, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center VICE PRESIDENT
Phyllis J. Sidwell
Educator and Social Service Consultant SECRETARY
Carole L. Kamin
Retired Manager-Buyer, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh TREASURER
Thomas McCaffrey
Vice President, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services FOUNDER
Mildred Miller Posvar Retired Opera Singer
Attorney
Retired Physician, Children’s Hospital
Demareus Cooper Educator and Singer
Anthony M. Figurelli Financial Advisor
Clement George
Senior Associate, Commodities and Risk, PwC
Joyce Candi Grove Retired Educator
William Guy Author and Poet
Gail Novak Mosites Opera Singer
Professor Emeritus
Vice President, Neumeyer Environmental Services. Inc.
Dr. Keith Richmond Dentist and Educator
Elizabeth Russell
Retired Educational Consultant
Dr. James R. Sahovey Physician
Carolyn Smith
Executive Coach and Educator
Sidney Stark
Music Programmer
July 1, 8 at 7:30 pm
WORLD PREMIERE
A GATHERING OF SONS Music Dwayne Fulton Libretto Tameka Cage Conley Cast
Production
Lockdown Victor Great Father The Sky That Can't Stop Seeing The Waters The Speaking Earth The Blood Medic 1 Medic 2 City Violet Victoria Doctor Glock Freedom The Sons (Chorus)
Director Conductor/Orchestrator Fight Choreographer Pianist Scenic Design Projection Design Costume Design Lighting Design Hair and Makeup Design Sound Design Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager
Robert Gerold Terriq White Leslie Howard Charlene Canty Michele Renee Williams Demareus Naomi Cooper Rodolfo Giron Lesley Baird Sam Lothard Miles Wilson-Toliver Adrianna M. Cleveland Denise Sheffey-Powell Jenne Carey Kevin Maynor Austin Vassar Keys William Banks, Diego DelValle, Kenneth Glover, Jaymes Hall, Royce Hearn, Rob Pruitt, Bryan Keys, AndrĂŠ J.C. Southers, Joseph Thompson
Mark Clayton Southers Robert Frankenberry Randy Kovitz Charles Rowe Hank Bullington Hank Bullington Tony Sirk Bob Steineck Jina Pounds Julia Black Michele Lee Betts Ericka Royster
Sung in English Running time 2 hours with one intermission This production uses strong language, flashing lights, and sound effects
PRODUCTION SUPPORT FOR A GATHERING OF SONS Commissioning The commissioning of A Gathering of Sons is made possible through the support of Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh, a program of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Workshop Process The series of community workshops that form the developmental process for A Gathering of Sons are made possible, in part, by generous support from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Performances Performances of A Gathering of Sons are made possible through the support of Marjorie and William Cadwallader. Additional support for A Gathering of Sons is provided by: The Pittsburgh Foundation The Heinz Endowments Opportunity Fund W.I. Patterson Charitable Fund Audience Engagement Audience engagement and outreach activities for A Gathering of Sons are supported by a grant from OPERA America's Opera Fund. The Opera Fund provides technical and financial support to OPERA America Professional Company Members and their partners as part of a North American effort to enhance the quality, quantity and creativity of new opera and music theater.
The world premiere of A Gathering of Sons was June 15 and 16, 2017 at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. Subsequent performances occurred on June 24 at Rodef Shalom, and June 28 and 29 at the Kaufmann Auditorium in Hill House.
THE STORY Part 1 On a cold street, an officer believes he takes a young Black man’s life in secret. But the cover of night does not conceal. The police officer, Lockdown, steals something precious from the man, Victor. From above, a collection of Spirits observes this act. The Sons, as they are called, appeal to The Speaking Earth, The Sky That Can’t Stop Seeing, The Blood, and The Waters to intercede on their behalf on Earth. As Victor dies, his brother, City (also a police officer), welcomes his first child into the world with his wife. City and Victor’s mother, Victoria, learns the news of both of her sons. Lockdown tries to justify what he has just done, but he is met face to face by his closest companion, his gun—who has different plans. Part 2 Victoria confesses to City what has happened to his brother Victor. Lockdown, still grappling with what he has done, is confronted by the Spirits. They accost him and he collapses, broken, having recognized for the first time what he has done. An enraged City finds Lockdown back on the street. City draws his gun. A tragedy follows, but fate is altered by unseen hands.
FROM THE DIRECTOR Seeking Unity through Powerful Storytelling Working on a social justice piece is always a heavy process. Aligning your inner emotions to find that centered space to work from is the most difficult part. Much like discussing race, our emotions dictate our actions. More times than not the masses stay silent. That’s not the case inside of A Gathering of Sons. Here, our characters are both in the flesh and of the spirit world, and they each have the opportunity to express themselves fully. I am humbled to be paired up with our librettist Dr. Tameka Cage Conley and composer Dwayne Fulton, two artists that I admire. Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton and his staff have put in place a platform for each of us to collaborate to tell this powerful story of truth, redemption, atonement, and healing. It has been an exciting journey thus far. I hope that you enjoy your ride through this and I pray that you take away something from this work— whether it’s family unity, community unity, world unity, justice, or merely gaining a better understanding and appreciation of life. Enjoy. —Mark Clayton Southers
CREATIVE TEAM DWAYNE FULTON (composer) is the Minister of Music at Mount Ararat Baptist Church. He conducts one of the great gospel choirs of this country. In past years, he was the musical director for Pittsburgh Festival Opera's production of The Gospel at Colonus in 2011, and the composer for Bridal Suite in 2012 and Gospel Suite in 2013. Fulton is an accomplished pianist and producer, having accompanied such greats as Kirk Franklin and Keith Sweat. He orchestrated and provided backup groups for artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Barry Manilow. His music and choir have been featured on CBS for Easter celebrations. DR. TAMEKA CAGE CONLEY (librettist) is one of Pittsburgh’s rising star authors. She is a literary artist who writes poetry, fiction, plays, and essays. She is a Cave Canem Fellow and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in poetry. She is the recipient of numerous fellowships, residencies, and awards, including the Eben Demarest Trust Grant in support of her novel-in-progress, This Far, By Grace. She received a doctoral degree in English in 2006 from Louisiana State University, where she was a recipient of the Huel Perkins Doctoral Fellowship. In 2010, she received the August Wilson Center Fellowship in literary arts. Her first play, Testimony, was produced at the Center in May 2011. She is currently a fellow in the celebrated Iowa Writers Workshop. MARK CLAYTON SOUTHERS (director) is an award-winning playwright, theatrical producer, and stage director. He is the founder and producing artistic director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, where he has produced well over 125 full-length and oneact plays, including August Wilson’s complete 10-play Pittsburgh Century Cycle since 2003. Southers is in great demand as a director for Wilson’s works, most recently working with the August Wilson Festival at Short North Stage in Columbus. His company just produced the 12th annual Theatre Festival in Black and White, connecting diverse writers, actors, and directors to create an environment where theater artists cross racial lines. Southers has served as Director of Drama for Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center, and has directed two operas for Trilogy: an Opera Company with the Harlem Symphony. At the University of Pittsburgh in 2012, he staged the world premiere of another work about the death of a Black man (in Pittsburgh) at the hand of police, The Gammage Project by Attilio Favorini. Southers’ newest play, Miss Julie, Clarissa and John, is being produced by various regional theaters following its premiere at his company early in 2016, with a tour to the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.
July 7, 15, 20 at 7:30 pm July 9, 22 at 2:00 pm
SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Music and Lyrics Stephen Sondheim Book Hugh Wheeler Cast
Production
Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker Mrs. Lovett Anthony Hope Johanna Barker Judge Turpin Tobias Ragg Beadle Bamford Beggar Woman Adolfo Pirelli Jonas Fogg Ensemble
Director Conductor Scenic Design Projection Design Costume Design Lighting Design Hair and Makeup Design Assistant Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers
Andrew Cummings Anna Singer Adam Hollick April Amante Adam Cioffari John Teresi Robert Frankenberry Lesley Baird Thomas Cilluffo Alex Longnecker Maggie Burr, Jenne Carey, Lori Carrau, Kasey Cwynar-Foye, Robert Gerold, Angela Joy Lamb, Alex Longnecker, Elise Mark, Jordan Speranzo, William Townsend, Michele Renee Williams Tomé Cousin Douglas Levine Hank Bullington Hank Bullington Rachel Wyatt Bob Steineck Jina Pounds Ian Silverman Kathleen Stakenas Francesca Mamlin, Katy Click
Sung in English Running time 2 hours 20 minutes with one intermission
Sweeney Todd is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com
THE STORY Act 1 Sweeney Todd relates his troubled past to Anthony before they separate on the dock. Sweeney enters a pie shop run by Mrs. Lovett, who mentions that a room above her shop is vacant, recalling that it had been Benjamin Barker’s apartment before he was falsely sentenced by Judge Turpin. Sweeney reveals his true identity as Barker, and Mrs. Lovett returns his razors, which she had found and kept. Elsewhere Anthony spies a girl sitting in her window and learns her name is Johanna. Before he is chased away by her father, he promises to return. Later Sweeney exposes a charlatan named Pirelli, selling—with the help of his simple-minded assistant, Toby Ragg—a miracle elixir. He invites the Beadle, who has been in the audience, to the shop for a free shave. As Sweeney waits for him, Pirelli and Toby make a surprise visit. Pirelli reveals that he knows Sweeney’s identity. To prevent blackmail, Sweeney slits his throat. In the meanwhile Anthony has persuaded Johanna to elope with him. The Judge arrives at the shop, followed by Anthony, who unwittingly reveals his plan to elope with Johanna. Sweeney swears to kill anyone who enters the shop in the future, but the canny Mrs. Lovett suggests that his victims might be useful. Act 2 Mrs. Lovett dreams of retirement, while Sweeney plots the death of Judge Turpin. Toby appears, searching for his master, but Mrs. Lovett locks him in the basement. Upstairs, she discovers the Beadle, sent to investigate the odd-smelling smoke from her shop’s chimney. Sweeney now delivers the promised “shave.” Anthony frees Johanna from the asylum, and they flee to the bake shop. The Judge appears, and assured that she is alright, accepts Sweeney’s offer of “a splash of cologne.” Settled in the barber chair, the judge recognizes—too late—who Sweeney really is. Downstairs, Mrs. Lovett attempts to drag the beggar woman into the oven, but Sweeney discovers them and realizes that the beggar woman is actually his wife, Lucy. Mrs. Lovett ruefully confesses that she has not told Sweeney the truth about his wife, because she herself is in love with him. Sweeney pretends forgiveness, but his profound grief moves the story to its tragic conclusion.
MUSICAL NUMBERS IN SWEENEY TODD ACT 1 The Ballad of Sweeney Todd — Ensemble, Todd No Place Like London — Anthony, Todd, Beggar Woman The Barber and His Wife — Todd The Worst Pies in London — Mrs. Lovett The Barber and His Wife (Reprise)/Poor Thing — Mrs. Lovett My Friends — Todd and Mrs. Lovett Green Finch and Linnet Bird — Johanna Johanna — Anthony Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir — Tobias, Todd, Mrs. Lovett, Ensemble The Contest — Pirelli Johanna (Mea Culpa) — Judge Turpin Wait — Mrs. Lovett Kiss Me — Johanna, Anthony Ladies in their Sensitivities — Beadle, Judge Turpin Pretty Women — Todd and Judge Turpin Epiphany — Todd A Little Priest — Mrs. Lovett and Todd ACT 2 God, That’s Good! — Tobias, Mrs. Lovett, Todd, and Ensemble By the Sea — Mrs. Lovett and Todd Not While I’m Around — Tobias and Mrs. Lovett Parlour Songs — Beadle, Mrs. Lovett, Tobias City on Fire / Searching — Ensemble Final Scene — Mrs. Lovett and Todd The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Reprise) — Ensemble
FROM THE DIRECTOR Vengeance bakes Madness It has always been my goal to work on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It is with great joy that I have not only been presented with this project, but also have a chance to work with Pittsburgh Festival Opera under the artistic leadership of Jonathan Eaton. Sondheim’s classic tale of revenge and madness is renowned for its colorful characters, classic songs, and delightful gore. It is a thrill to create with such amazing creative and performance talents and designers both on stage and off, presenting this modern day masterwork. Are you hungry or in need of a shave? Enjoy. —Tomé Cousin
NOTES ON SWEENEY TODD Stephen Joshua Sondheim is without question the most distinguished figure in American musical theater. He is the third generation of such artists, preceded by Victor Herbert (for 15 years conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony) and the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Sondheim’s most familiar works are A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and the occasionally controversial Sweeney Todd. The fictional character Sweeney Todd has enjoyed an extended literary life which began almost 200 years ago in a “penny dreadful” published in 18 parts and rather innocently titled The String of Pearls. The career of Sweeney caught the attention of Sondheim because of a four-act melodrama by Christopher Bond titled Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which premiered in 1973. Sondheim’s adaptation is based on Bond’s play with the assistance of Hugh Wheeler. The success of this “musical thriller”—in spite of its lurid details, or perhaps because of them—has been phenomenal. It received three Tony Awards—for best musical, for best book, and for best score. It has, in a number of instances, been mounted as an operatic production. For those curious about Sondheim’s choice of Sweeney for his musical, this excerpt from an interview he gave at the New School might be enlightening: “When I was 15 years old, I saw a movie called Hangover Square, another epiphany in my life. It was a moody, romantic, gothic thriller about a composer who, whenever he heard a high note, went crazy and ran around murdering people. It had a score by Bernard Herrmann, centered around a one-movement piano concerto. I wanted to pay homage to him with this show, because I had realized that, in order to scare people, which is what Sweeney Todd is about, the only way you can do it, considering that the horrors out on the street are so much greater than anything you can do on the stage, is to keep music going all the time. That’s the principle of suspense sequences in movies. So Sweeney Todd not only has a lot of singing, but it’s infused with music to keep the audience in a state of tension, to make them forget they are in a theater.” —Jerry Clack, Professor of Classics and Pittsburgh Festival Opera Chairman
July 14, 22 at 7:30 pm July 16 at 2:00 pm
XERXES Music George Frideric Handel Libretto Giovanni Bononcini English Translation Stephen Wadsworth Cast
Andrey Nemzer Daniel Moody Emily Harmon Lara Lynn McGill Bonnie Frauenthal Evan Koons James Eder Nicolas Barilar, Richard Block, Diego DelValle, Rodolfo Giron, Chunghee Lee, Francesca Molinaro Hannah Shea, Emily Weaver, Terriq White Dancers Weylin Gomez, Mils James
Xerxes, King of Persia Arsamene, his brother Amastre, Xerxes’ fiancée Romilda, Arsamene’s fiancée Atalanta, Romilda’s sister Ariodate, Romilda’s father Elviro, Arsamene’s servant Ensemble
Production
Chatham Baroque
Director Conductor Assistant Conductor Pianists Choreographer Scenic Design Projection Design Costume Design Lighting Design Hair and Makeup Design Assistant Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers
Daniel Rigazzi Walter Morales Jon Erik Schreiber Steven Liening, Yu-Ju Wu Greer Reed Hank Bullington Hank Bullington Tony Sirk Bob Steineck Rikkilee Rose Briana Sosenheimer Emma Squire Courtney Chaplin, Lauren Wickett
Sung in English with projected titles in English Running time 2 hours 45 minutes with two intermissions Violin Andrew Fouts Viola de gamba Patricia Halverson Theorbo Scott Pauley This production of Xerxes is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Eugene and Mrs. Barbara Myers.
THE STORY Act I The victorious general, Ariodate, hosts Xerxes, the Persian King, on his estate. Ariodate presents the King with a sacred tree, as a sign of their friendship. Left alone with the tree, Xerxes swears to cherish and protect it always. When he hears Ariodate’s daughters, Romilda and Atalanta, come into the garden, he hides so that he can watch them unobserved. Although engaged to the Princess Amastre, Xerxes falls in love with Romilda at first sight. She, however, is in love with Arsamene, Xerxes’ brother. So that he can make her his wife, he banishes Arsamene, even though Romilda rejects his advances. Xerxes later informs Ariodate that a member of the royal family will marry his daughter. The conversation is overheard by Amastre, disguised as one of Ariodate’s servants. Before he leaves the country, Arsamene writes to Romilda to swear his eternal love, entrusting this letter to his servant Elviro. Act 2 Disguised as a flower vendor, Elviro attempts to deliver the letter, but is stopped by Amastre. She now has proof of Xerxes’ faithlessness. Atalanta, Romilda’s sister, meets Elviro and convinces him that she can deliver the letter to Romilda. Atalanta, however, has fallen in love with Arsamene, and tells Elviro that Romilda has fallen in love with Xerxes. Elviro leaves to give his master the sad news. While Atalanta is reading over Arsamene’s letter, she is surprised by Xerxes, who seizes it and reads it himself. Quick witted as ever, Atalanta tells Xerxes that the letter is for her. Xerxes shows the letter to Romilda, hoping to convince her that Arsamene no longer has any affection for her, but Romilda vows to love him anyway. Act 3 Arsamene sneaks back onto Ariodate’s estate to confront Romilda for her “infidelity.” She confronts him about his love letter, which she believes he wrote to Atalanta. During their fight, Ariodate arrives. When he sees the two lovers quarreling, he assumes that Xerxes’ veiled promise to marry a member of the royal household to one of his daughters was a promise to marry Romilda to Arsamene. Thunderstruck, Arsamene and Romilda are married immediately. Xerxes arrives, but too late. Xerxes’ rage is assuaged only when Amastre takes off her disguise and demands that Xerxes make good on his promise to marry her. Xerxes realizes that he has made a fool of himself, asks for Amastre’s forgiveness, and marries her on the spot.
FROM THE DIRECTOR The Transformative Power of Love Handel’s Xerxes is unique in the history of opera. It is the only piece in the repertoire that begins with an aria sung to a plane tree, “Ombra mai fu,” also known as Handel’s “Largo.” It is a stunningly beautiful piece of music, and justly famous, but what does a tree have to do with anything? For me, the tree represents a gift of nature, an object of perfect beauty that must be allowed to grow and develop without constraints. Only in this way will the tiny sapling reach its full potential and become the hundred-year-old towering tree, a symbol of strength, withstanding the winds, rains, frosts, and droughts—the trials of time. Love, too, is a gift of nature, one that cannot be constrained. You cannot choose whom you fall in love with, nor can you make someone love you. Love must be given freely and without conditions. Only then can it grow and become our protection against fear, sickness, loss, and heartache—the trials of every human life. Handel’s opera is about the Persian King Xerxes’ journey from an adolescent autocrat, who simply takes whatever he wants, to a wise and just ruler who understands that generosity is at the heart of kingly power. It is love that changes him—his love for his brother Arsamene, his unrequited love for Romilda, and Amastre’s unconditional love for him. The first step on Xerxes’ journey is his love for a tree. Handel’s Xerxes was never intended to be a historical piece. The libretto takes an ancient, quasi-mythic figure, extracts the bare essentials of his story from Herodotus, and drops him into an 18th century school for lovers. Any production design for this opera should reflect both the mythic, Middle Eastern locale, and the 18th century England in which the piece is really set. The idea of nature constrained is what inspired us, and the image we came back to again and again was a tree in a cage. What kind of society puts a tree in a cage, both to protect it and to keep it from growing wild? How would people dress in this world? The 18th century’s corsets, panniers, hoops, and stiff jackets all served to create an ideal version of the human form, but at the same time made a cage around the person wearing them. We’ve taken the cage-like skeletons out from underneath the 18th century’s garments and put them on the outside, where they meet the loose, flowing fabrics of Middle Eastern dress. The result is a fairy tale world inspired by a song for a tree. —Dan Rigazzi
NOTES ON XERXES Where in Handel’s opera is the king of tragic grandeur, the King of Kings, his superstitions, his cruelty, his generosity, who having reviewed the multitudes under his command broke into tears at the thought that no one in a hundred years will remain—in short, where are all those elements which make Xerxes a tragic hero? Quite obviously, in Handel’s Xerxes they are not there, but then this is a baroque opera with even less historical veracity than last year’s production of Julius Caesar. What is even more intriguing is the choice of the two identifiable incidents in Xerxes’ life. The first is the presence of a plane tree which the historical Xerxes, out of his admiration for its beauty, adorned with golden ornaments. In our opera he extols its beauty in the universally familiar aria “Ombra mai fu.” The second historic trope is a scene at the bridge spanning the Hellespont where Xerxes oversees the return of his defeated army from Greece. As an afterthought, it is possible that these locations may have been chosen because they offered the opportunity for that kind of scenic extravagance so dear to opera-goers of the period. Interestingly, the first performance of Xerxes was as an oratorio. It took place on March 28, 1738. Its debut as an opera seria occurred on April 15 of the same year at the King’s Theater, Haymarket. It was a flop. The libretto was not new. It had been used several times before, most notably in 1654 by Francesco Cavalli. Equally unusual was the fact that Xerxes is made up almost wholly of short, one-movement arias, not the long three-movement da capo arias which Londoners anticipated. Although this may have discombobulated many in the audience—surely not all—it is clearly one of the features which endears it to modern audiences. Xerxes enjoyed only five performances at the King’s Theater and then fell into oblivion for two centuries, as did Handel’s other operatic efforts. As in the case of Julius Caesar—last year’s Festival offering—it was not revived again until 1924, when it was featured at the Göttingen Handel Festival. Its appeal was immediate. In the following two years it was performed at least 90 times in 15 German cities. Today, although it does not boast the popularity it had in the 1920s, it is ranked second only to Julius Caesar in popularity. —Jerry Clack, Professor of Classics and Pittsburgh Festival Opera Chairman
CHATHAM BAROQUE Chatham Baroque has been exciting audiences for more than 25 years with dazzling technique and lively interpretations of music of the 17th and 18th centuries played on copies of instruments from that period. The artistically nimble ensemble of Andrew Fouts (violin), Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba), and Scott Pauley (theorbo) invites the finest of guest artists to perform with them throughout the season, allowing for repertoire ranging from well-known masterpieces to obscure gems. They also tour nationally and internationally and present numerous early childhood and community outreach programs. The demand for Chatham Baroque’s unique brand of artistry and expertise continues to grow, offering a unique resource for other arts organizations in the Pittsburgh region. Chatham Baroque has recently collaborated with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Renaissance & Baroque, Quantum Theatre, Attack Theatre, and more, to critical acclaim. Chatham Baroque has released two critically acclaimed CDs under their own label with a third due this summer. They have begun to remaster and repackage seven previously released and out of print CDs for a collection entitled “Vintage Chatham Baroque.”
DISCOVER STRAUSS SERIES Join us for a festive long weekend of events centered around rarely-performed works of Richard Strauss, and including the Pennsylvania premiere of Intermezzo in our 40th season. The Discover Strauss Pass includes premium tickets for all events in the series, while the Discover Strauss Pass Plus offers the full series with additional Festival performances. THURSDAY 20 JULY FRIDAY 21 JULY
SATURDAY 22 JULY SUNDAY 23 JULY
6:00 pm Meet and mingle with fellow Strauss fans at a private restaurant. Enjoy a welcome toast with Mildred Miller, Pittsburgh Festival Opera founder and a celebrated Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Dinner with Mildred Miller follows (pay your own way).
6:00 pm Dinner with Maestro Brent McMunn, conductor of Intermezzo (pay your own way).
8:00 pm Screening of Der Rosenkavalier, a 1926 ‘silent’ film of the opera, for which Strauss created a reduced score.
2:00 pm Scenes from a Marriage Lecture on Intermezzo with Dr. Bryan Gilliam, author of Rounding Wagner’s Mountain. 6:00 pm Dinner with Dr. Gilliam (pay your own way). 7:30 pm Intermezzo Opening night performance. 10:30 pm Opening Night Party Enjoy food and wine, and mingle with cast members immediately following the performance.
8:00 pm Recital of Strauss songs, presented by members of our Young Professional Artists Program.
11:00 am Sunday Brunch at the beautiful Benedum House, with a recital of Strauss works for piano by Walter Morales.
July 21 at 7:30 pm July 23 at 2:00 pm
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERE
INTERMEZZO Music and Libretto Richard Strauss English Translation Andrew Porter Cast
Christine Storch Robert Storch Anna Franzl Baron Lummer The Notary His Wife Stroh A Commercial Counselor A Legal Counselor A Celebrated Singer Fanny Marie Resi Ensemble
Production
Director Conductor Pianists Scenic Design Projection Design Costume Design Lighting Design Hair and Makeup Design Assistant Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers
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Meghan DeWald Ryan Milstead Maggie Burr Jake Blackledge Jason Slayden Adam Hollick Elise Mark Robert Chafin Robert Gerold Evan Koons Adam Cioffari Marie Anello Lori Carrau Heather Hale Thomas Cilluffo, Diego DelValle, Kelsey Fredriksen, Chunghee Lee, Francesca Molinaro, John Teresi, Terriq White Children Maggie Belliston, Jake Blackledge, Sasha Cowan, Lila Weber, Simon Weber Jonathan Eaton Brent McMunn Soo-Yeon Park, Stephen Variames Hank Bullington Hank Bullington Krista Ivan Madeleine Steineck Rikkilee Rose Eunbi Cho Kathleen Stakenas Lauren Wickett, Katy Click
Sung in English with projected titles in English Running time 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission This production of Intermezzo is made possible through the generous support of: Jerry Clack William Guy
THE STORY Act 1 Christine Storch is packing her husband Robert’s suitcases. A wellknown conductor, he has an engagement in Vienna. She complains to him about the servants and his absentmindedness about everything. After his departure, a friend invites her to go skiing at a nearby resort, where she runs into the penniless Baron Lummer. After a brief conversation, she discovers that she knows his parents, invites him to visit her, and a few days later helps him find lodgings. Lummer later complains about his financial woes. Christine promises to take the matter up with her husband, but Lummer suggests that she lend him a thousand marks. Cagily, she avoids the issue. As Christine mulls over Lummer’s request, a letter arrives for her husband. She opens it and to her horror reads, “My darling, send me two tickets again for the opera tomorrow. Afterwards, as always, we’ll meet in the bar.” Infuriated, she sends her husband a telegram announcing that she is leaving him and orders the maid to pack her suitcases. Taking refuge in her son Franzl’s bedroom, filled with grief and selfpity, she hints at her husband’s misdeeds and tells her son they must leave home. Act 2 At the home of the Legal Counselor, a game of skat is in progress. The company includes conductor Stroh. Moments after Robert arrives, Christine’s telegram is delivered. After reading it, Robert rushes away in a state of distraction while the game begins anew. At the lawyer’s office, Christine discovers that he is willing to take on her divorce case, but only after speaking with her husband. Stroh reveals to Robert that the letter was intended for him. It has been wrongly delivered because of the similarities of their names. As Christine continues her preparations for departure, a telegram arrives from her husband explaining the misunderstanding. Robert arrives home, ready now to tease her about her attraction to Lummer. Repentant for a moment, Christine promises never to upset her husband ever again, and then in her inimitable fashion, sums up the situation with the remark, “This is what people call a happy marriage, right?”
FROM THE DIRECTOR A Rogue’s Gallery Strauss wrote his own libretto for Intermezzo. A certain stigma of composer-as-librettist has been attached to the opera for decades: this holds that it is not Strauss’ finest work, because its story is somewhat autobiographical, borrowing an episode from his life with his wife, and is therefore self-involved, overly subjective, and lacks the hand of a great dramatist. For me, however, approaching the opera as objectively and passionately as I would any fine work of music theater, I find the autobiographical connection to be of little import: no one in my audience knew Strauss and his wife Pauline, and most will have no awareness of their marital misunderstandings. My audience will simply be confronted by the work itself. In it, we meet the self-absorbed, patriarchal, and patronizing composer, who loves but largely neglects his wife. We sympathize with this bored, neurotic, and powerfully passionate woman, whose frustrated love veers wildly from presumptions of betrayal to considerations of revenge adultery. We are appalled at the Mephistophelian confidence trickster Baron Lummer who sleeps with chamber maids in order to identify likely mistresses to seduce for money. And we greet a gallery of thoughtless men and women who surround and enable these shenanigans. A tangle of passion, dependency, exploitation and love lies at the heart of the opera. This feels more like a drama from the pen of Stefan Zweig (he of La Ronde and The Grand Budapest Hotel), a future librettist of Strauss, whose men and women are caught up in manipulative, erotic rounds of dysfunctional relationships. All this makes Intermezzo a magnificently dark musical comedy, rather than a dutiful study of a historical relationship between Strauss and his wife Pauline. No wonder Strauss admired Zweig and worked with him as librettist on his later masterpiece, The Silent Woman (presented last year by Pittsburgh Festival Opera). Our enduring thanks to our dearly beloved board member Jerry Clack, whose advice and support have made this ongoing exploration of Strauss’ most marvelous, little-known works possible. He has revealed a great treasure trove to us all. How lucky we are in Pittsburgh to have him as our lodestar! Watch this stage for more Strauss to come! —Jonathan Eaton
NOTES ON INTERMEZZO Intermezzo, wedged between The Woman Without a Shadow (certainly Strauss’ most ambitious work) and The Egyptian Helen, is part of a trio that Professor Bryan Gilliam has labeled “the Wedding Operas,” since they deal with the reconciliation of married couples. Strauss himself wrote the libretto, calling the opera Intermezzo, a delightfully ambiguous title. To the operagoer, it recalls the musical interludes between the acts of opera seria, such a commonplace fixture in eighteenth century Italian opera. It might also mark the interval between Strauss’ collaboration with Hugo von Hofmannsthal on The Woman Without a Shadow and the soon to materialize The Egyptian Helen. But more temptingly, it signals one of his episodic breaks with his tempestuous wife, the opera singer Pauline von Ahna, which is the thinly veiled substance of the plot of Intermezzo. The opera is based on a rather painful incident in Strauss’ life when a forward young lady by the name of Mitzi Mücke, mistaking the name Strauss for that of the conductor Josef Stransky, sent a request for opera tickets in affectionate terms to the composer. Pauline opened the letter, read it, and without questioning the circumstances visited a solicitor and prepared to file for divorce. The suggestion is that Strauss —always the humorous Bavarian—is in this opera laying an old ghost to rest by turning a painful incident in his life into an affectionate jest—in short, making a gesture of reconciliation. When first mounted in Dresden on November 4, 1924, as part of a celebration of Strauss’ 60th birthday, Intermezzo attracted a great deal of attention insofar as its satire was anything but subtle. The name changes were transparent: Richard Strauss became Robert Storch, Pauline, his wife Christine, Mitzi Mücke emerges as Mieze Meier, while Anna, the Strauss’ servant of 34 years, retains her identity as Anna in the cast. Moreover, gossip around town had always characterized Pauline as a fanatical housekeeper who was always talking about her husband. So she is characterized in the opera. And, lest anyone should be so dense as “not to get it,” Joseph Correck, who portrayed Robert, was “got up” to look like the composer. Supposedly Pauline knew nothing of the plot of the opera until the premiere. When Lotte Lehmann, who sang the role of Christine, congratulated her on the “marvelous present to you from your husband,” Pauline reportedly snapped back, “I don’t give a damn.” —Jerry Clack, Professor of Classics and Pittsburgh Festival Opera Chairman
June 30, July 13 at 7:30 pm
July 22 at 8:00 pm
RECITAL SERIES June 30 at 7:30 pm First Unitarian Church
THE THREE (COUNTER) TENORS
Singers Rodolfo Giron Andrey Nemzer Daniel Moody Pianist Stephen Variames Followed by Festival Opening Night Party July 13 at 7:30 pm First Unitarian Church
DAPHNE ALDERSON SINGS LEONARD COHEN Soprano Guitars Cello Bass Percussion Musical Arrangements
SONGS BY STRAUSS
Daphne Alderson John Marcinizyn Elisa Kohanski Jeff Grubbs RJ Heid John Marcinizyn
July 22 at 8:00 pm First Unitarian Church Singers Marie Anello Lesley Baird Thomas Cilluffo Kasey Cwynar-Foye Kelsey Fredriksen* Robert Gerold Heather Hale Elise Mark William Townsend Michele Renee Williams* * William and Marjorie Cadwallader Resident Artist
Programs subject to change Â
June 25, July 2 at 7:30 pm July 9, 16 at 6:30 pm
IF I LOVED YOU‌
A RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN REVUE Music Richard Rodgers Libretto Oscar Hammerstein Cast
Production
Soloists Marie Anello Thomas Cilluffo Angela Joy Lamb Kelsey Fredriksen Alex Longnecker Ryan Milstead William Townsend Emily Weaver Director Conductor Pianist Costume Design Lighting Design Hair and Makeup Designers Assistant Director Stage Manager
Jonathan Eaton Robert Frankenberry Anthony Gray Tony Sirk Bob Steineck Jina Pounds, Rikkilee Rose Nic Barilar Lauren Wickett
Sung in English Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes with one intermission
FROM THE DIRECTOR The IF Factor Creating a new revue of some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway hits has been a delightful experience. Robert Frankenberry and I, who worked together creating this extravaganza, felt we needed to offer some sort of framework within which these great songs made dramatic as well as musical sense. We first decided to identify recurring character types common to many of the R&H works; then, with help from our trusty assistant Nic Barilar, we selected songs that seemed to represent these. The character types included a lead romantic couple, with the man a bit of a bad boy and the woman a passionate romantic, ultimately seeking marriage; a comic, more worldly-wise couple, perhaps a little burned on the marriage front; a people-pleaser nice guy; a nervy girl who wants to be a Broadway star—and just for fun, we tossed in an opera singer who had been fired by the Met. Then we came up with some themes common to many R&H works. Perhaps the most consistent theme, and often the structural core of their work, is a struggle with love and relationships. A major thread in these is conditionality: IF I loved you, then I might… and characters work their way through a conditional love becoming a realized love. Then there is a theme of Identity: who am I? I want to be something wonderful (a Broadway star, a wife, a worker), but then I discover I’m not actually this—I am something/someone else. Then there is a “Climb Every Mountain” urge: a demand that you go forward, struggle against all odds to realize yourself. And after thinking about all that, Rob Frankenberry and I started to have some fun … and someone came up with this description of R&H characters: heteronormative gender performativity. But that wasn’t me, promise! —Jonathan Eaton
July 19 at 7:30 pm
MOZART BY MOONLIGHT Music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto Lorenzo Da Ponte English Translation Jeremy Sams Cast
Figaro Act 2 in the Falk Auditorium Count Almaviva Countess Almaviva Figaro Susanna Cherubino Don Basilio Marcellina Don Bartolo Antonio
Bill Townsend Kelsey Fredriksen * Evan Koons Angela Joy Lamb Marie Anello Alex Longnecker Hannah Shea Richard Block Nic Barilar
Figaro Act 4 in a moonlit garden Count Almaviva Countess Almaviva Figaro Susanna Cherubino Don Basilio Marcellina Production
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Scott Cuva Chunghee Lee Zachary Wood Hongkyung Kim Emily Weaver Alex Longnecker Lesley Baird
Directors Eunbi Cho, Ian Silverman, Brianna Sosenheimer Conductor Joel Goodloe Pianists Steven Liening, Yu-Ju Wu Sung in English Running time: 2 hours with one intermission All artists are members of the Young Professional Artists Program * Marjorie and William Cadwallader Resident Artist
THE STORY In Act 1 of The Marriage of Figaro, the Count begs his wife’s maid, Susanna, for a tryst before he goes to London on business. However, Susanna is to be married to Figaro, the Count’s valet. The Count, attempting to foil the marriage, plots to marry Figaro to Marcellina, the housekeeper, by paying her for the deed. Act 2 In her bedroom, the Countess laments her husband’s waning love and wandering eye, but plots with Figaro and Susanna to disguise the page, Cherubino, as they send him to a romantic assignation with the Count. They begin to dress Cherubino when the Count knocks at the door. Cherubino quickly hides in a closet as the Count enters. The Count hears a noise and the Countess lies, saying Susanna is in the closet. While the Count leaves to fetch tools to open the closet, Cherubino escapes out the window, and Susanna, having heard everything that was said, replaces him in the closet. The Count returns and is amazed to find her there. Figaro returns to announce his wedding to Susanna, but is interrupted by Antonio, the gardener, who is angry about crushed flowers that were below the window. Figaro lies and claims it was he when Marcellina, Basilio, and Bartolo burst in with a court summons for Figaro, delaying his wedding. In Act 3, Susanna tricks the Count into paying off Marcellina. Meanwhile, Figaro discovers Marcellina is his mother, thus ending the wedding plans between them. Susanna and the Countess move forward with their plans to expose the Count’s unfaithfulness. Act 4 In the moonlit garden, Barbarina tells Figaro and Marcellina about the coming assignation between the Count and Susanna. Figaro leaves, missing Susanna and the Countess, who enter dressed as each other, ready to trick the Count. Alone, Susanna (dressed as the Countess) confesses her love of the Count in order to make Figaro jealous. Susanna hides in time to see Cherubino enter; he tries to seduce the Countess (who is dressed as Susanna), until the Count chases him away. The Count pursues this ‘Susanna’ (actually his wife) into an arbor. By now Figaro understands the joke and, joining in on the fun, makes exaggerated love to Susanna in her Countess disguise. The Count returns seeing Figaro wooing his “wife.” He is outraged, but now the real Countess appears and reveals the ruse. The Count, now understanding, begs her pardon. All are reunited, and so ends the “mad day.”
July 1, 8, 15 at 11:00 am
HANSEL AND GRETEL Music Engelbert Humperdinck Libretto Adelheid Wette English Translation Jonathan Eaton Cast
Production
Hansel Gretel Mother/Witch Father Director Conductor Pianist Costume Design
Lori Carrau Valerie Hosler Jenifer Weber Jesse Davis Jonathan Eaton Joel Goodloe Agnieszka Sornek Elizabeth Rishel
Sung in English Running time 40 minutes with no intermission
THE STORY
Hansel and his sister Gretel are home alone doing chores. Gretel has gotten a pail of milk from town, so the children imagine what their mother could make with the unexpected dairy delight. To pass the time, they begin to dance. When Mother comes home to them playing instead of doing housework, she knocks over the milk. She sends Hansel and Gretel out into the woods to pick strawberries for dinner. When Father returns home in a jolly mood with a sack of food, he grows concerned that Mother has sent the children out, as he knows a witch lurks in the forest. Horrified, the parents rush out to search for the children. Meanwhile, the children are picking strawberries, but Hansel is eating them just as fast as he is picking them. The children approach a cottage and realize it is made of candy. Delighted, Hansel takes a bite of it. Suddenly, the Witch appears and puts a spell on the siblings. She orders them to continue eating so they will be nice and plump for her to eat. As the Witch prepares the oven, Gretel pushes her into the flames and the curse is broken. Mother and Father appear and the family is together again, safe and sound.
ABOUT THE OPERA
Hansel and Gretel has always been Engelbert Humperdinck’s most popular work. Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) first composed four songs to accompany a puppet show his nieces were giving at home in 1890. He used a libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette rather loosely based on the version of the Brothers Grimm  fairy tale. He created a singspiel of 16 songs with piano accompaniment and connecting dialogue. Hansel and Gretel was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893 and became one of the world’s most beloved operas.
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS Pittsburgh Festival Opera thanks its season supporters for their generosity: Trustee’s Circle $25,000+ William Cadwallader Jerry Clack Artist Circle $10,000+ Hans and Leslie Fleischner William and Victoria Guy Phyllis Sidwell Encore Society $5,000+ Margaretha Casselbrant Etsuro and Yoko Motoyama Ovation Society $2,500+ Pete Geissler and Abby Frich Joyce Candi Grove Dan and Carole Kamin Arthur Kerr Eugene and Barbara Myers Linda Natho and Elizabeth Russell Mildred Posvar James Sahovey Sidney Stark Patron $1,000+ Joseph Bielecki Nadine Bognar Kenneth Brand James and Margaret Byrne Dale and Hope Cottrill Jamini Davies Chris and Ann Donahue Clement George Julian Gil Rose Kutsenkow Weia Boelema and Kenneth Manders Ryan Martin Mark Mazur Barbara McKenna Fred and Lana Neumeyer Keith Richmond Brian and Lynn Schreiber Benefactor $500+ Lawrence and Jane Breck Nancy Coleman Lynne Flavin Mary Reynolds Bud and Carolyn Smith
Contributor $250+ Dr. Robert J. Croan and Dr. R. Michael Feldman Patrick Curry and Susan Campbell Joseph Cope Arlyn Gilboa Elsa Limbach Aron and Karen Primack Jerry and Shoshana Rosenberg Eric and Cecile Springer Associates $100+ Jane Arkus Roxana Barad Kathleen Boykin Tybe Brett Patricia Dalby Karen Drilling Jerry and Dina Fulmer Philip Hallen David Hartmann Milton Kimura Milutin and Natasha Lazich Margaretha Levinson Barbara Lloyd Kathryn Logan William and Anne Metcalf Robert and Suzanne Newpher Barbara Nowicki Janet Ocel Wesley Posvar, Jr. Ansley Robin Ralph and Dodie Roskies Karen Scansaroli Franco and Louise Sciannameo Susan and Dennis Slevin Joseph Spirer Janet Squires Michael West Friends Linda Bamberg Lawrence Borland Rebekah Burrows Rosemary Coffey Sachiyo and Blaine Connor
John and Laurie Culbertson Dan Dickinson Brenda Diergaarde Christopher and Elizabeth Donohue Anthony and Annette Ferrieri Sonja Ford-Gore Kenneth Frankenbery Jerry Gindele Anne Gordon Laura Haibeck Marlene Haus Gordon Haw Melanie Holm Yvonne Hudson Craig Johnson Denise Johnson Amy Kellman James Kerr Gary Lewis Barbara Love Christine Michaels George Milosh Randall Moore Earl Mounts Nancy Neal Eric Paljug and Lia Koumbaridou Richard Pratt Kelsey Rhea Janice Rosenberg Lois Rubin Raymond Sanchas Robert and Carolyn Schumacher Barbara Shema Suzanne Silver Gene Smith Katherine Soroka Irene Szulman Eiichiro Takaoka Robert Taylor Blythe Walker Marvin Wedeen Eva Westheimer Sidney and Tucky Wolfson Regina Yankie Robert and Laura Young Roger Zahab
Contributions made from June 11, 2016, through June 12, 2017. For corrections or information about making a tax-deductible gift to Pittsburgh Festival Opera, please contact Development Director Roxy MtJoy at 412-621-1499. Please check to see if your employer offers a matching gift program.
FESTIVAL FANS Members of the Festival Opera Fans, our membership group for loyal supporters of Pittsburgh Festival Opera, enjoy invitations and access to special events and activities—many of them exclusively for Festival Opera Fans. Upcoming events explore the intersection of opera and other art forms, including musical soirees, fashion events, film screenings, gallery gatherings, and more. Please see the Box Office staff or the website for more information. Joseph Bielecki Lawrence and Jane Breck Dale and Hope Cottrill Annette Ferrieri Joyce Candi Grove Diane Kalinowski Alan and Linda Komm
Lee Knox and Dan Smith Doug and Lara Lynn McGill Therese Moss Lana Neumeyer Bud and Carolyn Smith Rob and Janet Squires George Walczak
HOST FAMILIES
We are most grateful for the welcoming spirit of our Host Familes, who open up their homes to provide accommodations for singers and production staff during the summer. Joe Bielecki Jane and Larry Breck Carol Berger Shirley and Jim Cassing Dan Catanzaro and Craig McDonald
Rosemary Coffey Jamini Davies Lynne Flavin Diana Galbraith Catherine Johnsen Dana Kline
Diane Litman and Mark Kahrs Anne and Vincent Lackner Gail and Steve Mosites Susan and Peter Smerd Janet and Rob Squires Tom Yargo
SEASON SPONSORS Allegheny Regional Asset District Amazon Smile Foundation The Buhl Foundation Dollar Bank First Commonwealth Bank The Heinz Endowments Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Image Time, Incorporated McCune Foundation
OPERA America Opportunity Fund Pennsylvania Council on the Arts The Pittsburgh Foundation PNC Foundation PNC Charitable Trusts Sylvia and Martin Snow Family Fund UPMC W.I. Patterson Charitable Fund
SPECIAL THANKS A Gathering of Sons tour venues Mount Ararat Baptist Church Rodef Shalom Congregation Hill House Association’s Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium A Gathering of Sons workshop venues BOOM Concepts Carlow University Carnegie Library Homewood Father Ryan Arts Center First United Methodist Church Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Judah Fellowship KST/Alloy Studios Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company Union Project Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Todd Kulik Carnegie Mellon School of Music Robert Skavronski First Unitarian Church Emily Pinkerton
Thomas Agnew Carnegie Stage Rosemary Coffey Tony Ferrieri Don Henderson Dana Kline Lee Knox and Dan Smith Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center Bob McKeown Housing Hosts, Opera Ambassadors, and Volunteers Philadelphia Candies Point Park University Nadine Schmidt Debra Schurko Candi Castleberry Singleton Woodland Hills High School
FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Concert Master Jason Neukom, XX, IM Violin Patrick Forsyth, XX Ashley Freeburn, ST, IM, GS John Lardinois, IM Sean Neukom, XX Becky Pernicano, IM, GS Sandro Leal Santiesteban, IM Viola Jason Hohn, XX, IM Sean Neukom, IM Cello Katya Janpoladyan, ST, IM Nadine Sherman, GS, IM Will Teegarden, XX Bass Andrew Kohn, IM Cory Palmer, ST Jesica Sharp Crewe, GS, XX Flute Curtis Johnson, GS Josephine Kost, IM Zoe Sorrell, XX Sarah Steranka, IM
Oboe Scott Bell, IM Renate Sakins, IM, XX Lenny Young, XX Clarinet Mary Beth Malek, ST, IM Debra Alexander, IM Bassoon Renee Anthony Dee, ST, IM David Sogg, IM French Horn David Lintz, IM Lindsey Nova, IM Carrie McCormack, ST Saxophone Curtis Johnson, GS
Harpsichord Steven Liening, XX Yu-Ju Wu, XX Percussion Kevin Danchik, ST, IM James Johnson III, GS Chatham Baroque Andrew Fouts, Violin Patricia Halverson, Viola da gamba Scott Pauley, Theorbo KEY GS ST XX IM
A Gathering of Sons Sweeney Todd Xerxes Intermezzo
Trumpet Andrew Augustine, IM David Gardner, ST Trombone Kevin McManus, IM Piano Soo-Yeon Park, IM Charles Rowe, GS Stephen Variames, GS, IM
MEDIA PARTNERS
The musicians employed in Pittsburgh Festival Opera productions are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.
FESTIVAL STAFF General and Artistic Director Jonathan Eaton YOUNG PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS PROGRAM
Director Robert Chafin Assistant Director Ricky Smith Program Faculty Robert Chafin Demareus Cooper TomĂŠ Cousin Andrew Cummings Meghan DeWald Jonathan Eaton Rob Frankenberry Douglas Levine Brent McMunn Mildred Miller Posvar Dan Rigazzi Anna Singer Stephen Variames MUSIC
Music Director Robert Frankenberry Head Coach Stephen Variames
PRODUCTION
Technical Director Malcolm Callery Assistant Technical Director Sam Karas Festival Scenic and Projection Designer Hank Bullington Carpentry Interns Helena Hewitt Kimberly McSweeney Abbi Timmermeyer Scenic Painter Jason Via Props Master Dom Corsoe Production Stage Manager Kathleen Stakenas Stage Managers Emma Squire Michele Lee Betts Assistant Stage Managers Courtney Chaplin Katy Click Francesca Mamlin Lauren Wickett Lighting Designers Bob Steineck Madeleine Steineck Electrics Interns Piper Clement Thomas Feather Emily Hope Max Lasky Layne Preston
Sound Design Intern Julia Black Head of Costumes, Hair, and Makeup Tony Sirk Costume Interns Alexandra Filipovich Krista Ivan Dorothy Sherman Rachel Wyatt Dressers Brenda Hayes Gwynneth Heidinger Elizabeth Sloan Christina Vlachos Hair and Makeup Interns Jina Pounds Rikkilee Rose PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Branding Consultant Bill Bonnell Marketing and Public Relations New Place Collaborations, LLC Publicity Photography Mark Abramowitz Catherine Aceto Production Photography Patti Brahim Printing Press Craft Printers
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JONATHAN EATON (Intermezzo, Hansel and Gretel, If I Loved You…) has served as General and Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Festival Opera since 1999 and has led the company in presenting varied and unusual repertoire as well as reimagined classics. Notable productions have included the world’s first Eco-opera A New Kind of Fallout by Gilda Lyons and Tammy Ryan, Weill’s Lost in the Stars conducted by Julius Rudel, a historic revival of Duke Ellington’s Beggar’s Holiday, and Daron Hagen's Shining Brow performed on the terraces of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic house, Fallingwater. Among the forty or more productions he has directed for PFO are Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle in Jonathan Dove’s reduced orchestration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and at Long Beach Opera, and Weill’s Die Bürgschaft/The Bond, which was chosen to open the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Germany, in 2003. In 2010 he spearheaded the company’s transition into becoming a summer festival, also founding a summer Young Artists Program and International Voice Competition. Jonathan has directed widely in opera houses throughout North America and Europe. His work was was seen at Lincoln Center every year for fifteen years at New York City Opera with Turandot, Carmen, and a celebrated production of Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, which was televised for nationwide broadcast on “Great Performances Live from Lincoln Center.” He has also directed for the Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Diego, Kentucky, Indianapolis, and Memphis opera companies, and the Santa Fe and Spoleto festivals. In Canada he has directed for the Canadian Opera and Vancouver Opera; in Britain, he has directed at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, and Opera North; in Germany, he has directed for the Hannover, Würzburg, and Bielefeld operas and the Bochumer Symphoniker. He has also directed at the Netherlands Opera, and in France for the operas of Nantes, Lyons, and Nancy. Jonathan has directed plays and musicals at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Actors Theater Louisville, the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. He has enjoyed an extended teaching career giving masterclasses at many universities and conservatories around America, and served as Professor of Opera at CCM in Cincinnati, and Director of Opera at Carnegie Mellon University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Jonathan has been appointed as Professor of Music and Winspear Chair in Opera Studies at the University of North Texas in Dallas, while he continues as Artistic Director of this Festival.
DIRECTORS TOMÉ COUSIN (Sweeney Todd) is an internationally recognized director/choreographer/educator/performer and creator of musical theater works, ballets, films, new opera, song cycles, art installations, and is a published author. He has received numerous commissions and awards including Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 2011 Mike Ockrent Fellowship for the John Guare play A Free Man Of Color, directed by George C. Wolfe at Lincoln Center Theatre, three fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and two Vera and Howard Heinz Foundation Direction Fellowships. He serves as the directing supervisor for five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman’s musical Contact, staging productions in Norfolk, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Sarasota, and international companies in China, Hungary, Korea and Poland. In addition he directed the revival of the Susan Stroman, David Thompson, and Harry Connick Jr, musical Thou Shalt Not, and in October 2012 The Producers at PPU for Ms. Stroman. He is a full-time professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the School of Drama. DAN RIGAZZI (Xerxes) is thrilled to be returning to the Pittsburgh Festival Opera after his debut last summer with Julius Caesar. In his ten years on staff at the Metropolitan Opera, he has worked with some of the most influential directors in the American theater: Susan Stroman, Mary Zimmerman, Jack O’Brien, and Bartlett Sher. In addition to his work at the Met, Dan directs at opera companies around the United States. Favorite projects include The Magic Flute for Madison & Arizona Opera, L’amante segreto, a collaboration with TENET at Carngie Hall, Madama Butterfly and La bohème for Ash Lawn Opera, The Tales of Hoffmann for Wolf Trap Opera, and The Rape of Lucretia for Pittsburgh Opera. He is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and an alumnus of the Drama League Directors Project. MARK CLAYTON SOUTHERS (A Gathering of Sons) is staging his first production for Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Read more about Mark and the world premiere’s Creative Team in the Sons section.
CONDUCTORS ROBERT FRANKENBERRY (A Gathering of Sons) leads a multifaceted career as a vocalist, pianist, educator, actor, and conductor. He is currently Lecturer in Musical Theater at the University of Pittsburgh. His credits in musical direction cover the span of opera, including Sweeney Todd (Weathervane Theatre), The Tales of Hoffmann (D’Angelo Opera Theatre), Così fan tutte (DaCorneto Opera), Monteverdi’s 8th Book of Madrigals (Opera Theater of Pittsburgh), Robert X. Rodriguez’ Frida (microscopic opera), and the staged premiere of Daron Hagen’s Vera of Las Vegas (Center for Contemporary Opera). He served as Associate Music director for Glass/Ginsberg’s Hydrogen Jukebox and Music Director for the premiere of Daron Hagen’s I Hear America Singing at Skylight Musical Theatre, and returned as Music Director/Alberich/Hunding/Mime/ Hagen for the premiere of The Skylight Ring. He conducted the premiere of Gilda Lyons’ and Tammy Ryan’s opera, A New Kind of Fallout, based on the life and work of Rachel Carson, for Pittsburgh Festival Opera. On stage, he has performed a wide range of roles in works ranging from Ariadne of Naxos to A Little Night Music. At the piano, Frankenberry performs both traditional classical and contemporary chamber music, and is a member of IonSound, Chrysalis, the Music On the Edge Chamber Ensemble, Trio AnimeBOP, the Phoenix Players, and entelechron. He holds a BM in Piano Performance from Mercyhurst College and an MM in Voice Performance from Carnegie Mellon University. He has held faculty and staff positions at Mercyhurst College, The University of Akron, Chatham University, and Carnegie Mellon University, and is a regular guest presenter at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. DOUGLAS LEVINE (Sweeney Todd) is delighted to return to Pittsburgh Festival Opera, having served as musical director for last summer’s production of Kiss Me, Kate. In addition to musical direction and teaching, Doug is a composer and arranger whose original scores for theater and dance include: Mercy Train (Microscopic Opera Company), Eastburn Avenue, Mother Courage, and Peer Gynt (Playhouse REP), Deadend (Attack Theatre), Mimoun (Pennsylvania Dance Theatre), Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and The Shaughraun (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre), and Colorfast (Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater Festival). He has written music or arrangements for companies including the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, City Theatre, The Junior Mendelssohn Choir, Dreams of Hope, Gateway to the Arts, Renaissance City Women’s Choir, The Playhouse Conservatory Company, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, and The Warhol. www.levinemusic.com
CONDUCTORS BRENT MCMUNN (Intermezzo) is nationally known and admired as a conductor, coach, and pianist. His conducting debut with the New York City Opera in Les contes d’Hoffmann was followed by repeat engagements there in La bohème and Madama Butterfly. He also conducted their National Touring Company and regularly led readings of new works in their VOX New Works Series. He guest conducts at North American companies including Arizona Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lake George Opera, Opera New Jersey, and Calgary Opera. This is his sixth production as conductor with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. He has served as an Assistant and Cover Conductor for well over 100 productions in his years at Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Dallas Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera. In 2004, he became the Conductor and Music Director of Opera at the University of Southern California’s prestigious Thornton School of Music. WALTER MORALES (Xerxes) is a native of Costa Rica, and is the Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. His previous positions include Music Director of Undercroft Opera, Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble, Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, and Assistant Conductor of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic. He has guest conducted with National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Butler County Symphony Orchestra, McKeesport Symphony Orchestra, Heredia Symphony Orchestra, Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra, University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Chamber Orchestra, and Rutgers Chamber Orchestra. He has served as a cover conductor for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 he was a semifinalist for the American Prize in Opera Conducting, and in 2015 he was the winner of the American Prize in Conducting (Community Orchestra Division). In 2016, he was awarded Third Place in the American Prize in Orchestral Conducting (Professional Division) and also received Second Place in the American Prize in Opera Conducting (Professional Division) for the production of Figaro Redux with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Pittsburgh Festival Opera is a member of the Britsburgh Performing Arts Society. Learn more about events at britsburgh.com
THE COMPANY DAPHNE ALDERSON Pittsburgh, PA Alderson Recital
WILLIAM BANKS Pittsburgh PA Ensemble (GS)
Older Alice, A New Kind of Fallout, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Madame Armfeldt, A Little Night Music, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Mere Jeanne, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Pittsburgh Opera.
Count Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, Austrian American Mozart Academy; Nardo, La finta giardiniera, Austrian American Mozart Academy; Frédéric, Lakmé, Loyola University.
APRIL AMANTE Simi Valley, CA Johanna (ST)
NIC BARILAR Punxsutawney, PA Ensemble (XX), Assistant Director (R&H), Antonio, Acts II & IV (Mozart)
Pamina, Die Zauberflöte, Opera San Luis Obispo; Frasquita, Carmen, Opera San Luis Obispo; Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi, Astoria Music Festival. MARIE ANELLO New York, NY Fanny (IM), Soloist (R&H), Cherubino, Act 2 (Mozart), Strauss Recital Cherubino, Class Concert, The Martina Arroyo Foundation; Ambrosia, A Wake or a Wedding (Premiere), Encompass New Opera; Hansel, Hansel & Gretel, Amore Opera. LESLEY BAIRD Pelham, NY Beggar Woman (ST), Medic II (GS), Marcellina, Act 4 (Mozart), Strauss Recital Dorabella, Così fan tutte, LTD; Annio, La clemenza di Tito, USC Thornton School of Music; Third Lady, The Magic Flute, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Rooster, Annie, Virginia Samford Theatre; Slightly Soiled, Peter Pan, The Barn Theatre; Historian/Frenchie/ Confused Guard, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Barn Theatre. MICHELE LEE BETTS Pittsburgh, PA Stage Manager (GS) Stage Manager, Jesus Christ Superstar, Stage 62; Stage Manager, Pittsburgh New Works Festival; Stage Manager, Don Giovanni, Neighborhood Opera Company. RICHARD BURGESS BLOCK Palos Park, IL Ensemble (XX), Bartolo, Acts II & IV (Mozart) Johann, Werther, Opera Idaho; Bass chorus, Aida, San Francisco Opera; Don Inigo, L'heure espagnole, Opera Academy of California.
THE COMPANY HANK BULLINGTON Pittsburgh, PA Scenic/Projection Designer (ST, GS, XX, IM, R&H)
LORI CARRAU Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (ST), Marie (IM), Hansel (H&G)
Scenic Designer (Upcoming), Mr Burns, A Post Electric Play, 12 Peers Theatre; Scenic Designer, Thom Pain, 12 Peers Theatre; Scenic Design/Projection Design, Young Playwrights Festival: 2016, City Theatre Company. MAGGIE BURR Minneapolis, MN Ensemble (ST), Anna (IM)
Filipevna, Eugene Onegin, Undercroft Opera; Principessa, Suor Angelica; Curra, La forza del destino.
Tessa, The Gondoliers, The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company; Pitti-Sing, The Mikado, The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company; Amahl, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Oakland University Opera. CHARLENE CANTY Pittsburgh, PA Sky (GS) Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, Undercroft Opera; Norma, Norma, Undercroft Opera; Clara, Porgy & Bess, Pittsburgh Festival Opera. JENNE CAREY Manalapan, NJ Ensemble (ST), Doctor (GS) Adina, Elixir of Love, Eastern Opera; Josephine, HMS Pinafore, Bucks Country Gilbert and Sullivan; Musetta, La bohème, Center Stage Opera.
ROBERT CHAFIN Morgantown, WV Stroh (IM), Young Professional Artists Program Director, Strauss Recital Hoffmann, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Wiesbaden Staatsoper; Don Carlo, Don Carlo, Staatsoper Hannover; Menelas, Die Ägyptische Helena, Deutsche Opera Berlin. EUNBI CHO Seoul, Korea Assistant Director (IM), Director, Act II (Mozart) Assistant Stage Director, Boris Godunov, Korea National Opera; Assistant Stage Director, La traviata, Korea National Opera; Assistant Stage Director, Tosca, Korea National Opera. TOM CILLUFFO Traverse City, MI Pirelli (ST), Ensemble (IM), Soloist (R&H), Strauss Recital Roméo, Roméo et Juliette, University of Michigan; Tamino, The Magic Flute, Portland Opera To Go; Matteo Borsa, Rigoletto, Portland Opera.
THE COMPANY ADAM CIOFFARI New York, NY Judge Turpin (ST), Celebrated Singer (IM)
ANDREW CUMMINGS New York, NY Sweeney Todd (ST), YPAP Faculty
Musiklehrer, Ariadne auf Naxos, Glimmerglass Opera; The Commentator, Scalia/ Ginsburg (World Premiere), Castleton Festival; Papageno, Die Zauberflรถte, Teatro Municipal de Santiago.
Kurwenal, Tristan und Isolde, Bogotรก Philharmonic; Bass Soloist, Beethoven's 8th Symphony, Flint Symphony Orchestra; Macbeth, Macbeth, Opera in the Heights.
ADRIANNA M. CLEVELAND Pittsburgh, PA Violet (GS) Effie Melody White, Dreamgirls, Pittsburgh Musical Theater; Ensemble, The Summer King, Pittsburgh Opera; Pythia, We've Got Our Eye on You, Cleveland Opera Theater's NOW Festival New Opera Forum. DEMAREUS NAOMI COOPER Pittsburgh, PA The Speaking Earth (GS), YPAP Faculty Narrator, A Lincoln Portrait / Vocal Soloist, A Salute To America, Edgewood Symphony; Ulrica, Un ballo in maschera, Chatham Concert Series, Chatham University; Erda, Ring Saga, Pittsburgh Festival Opera. DOM CORSOE Williamstown, NJ Props Master Rowan University, Theater and Dance Dept, Huntington University Theater Company.
SCOTT CUVA Pittsburgh, PA Count Almaviva, Act 4 (Mozart) Mariachi, The Summer King, Pittsburgh Opera; Carl, Cold Hands, Pittsburgh Co-Opera; Sid, Albert Herring, Carnegie Mellon University. KASEY CWYNAR-FOYE Ellicott City, MD Ensemble (ST), Strauss Recital Susanna (Scenes), Le nozze di Figaro, La Musica Lyrica; Anna (Scenes), Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, MusicTheatre Bavaria; Zerlina, Don Giovanni, MusicTheatre Bavaria. JESSE DAVIS Woodstown, NJ Father (H&G) Wolf/Woodsman, Little Red Riding Hood, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Member, Pittsburgh Opera Chorus.
THE COMPANY DIEGO DELVALLE Asunción, Paraguay Ensemble (GS), Ensemble (XX), Ensemble (IM) Ernesto (Cover), Don Pasquale, CONAMU; Don José, Carmen, Versión Libre (Musical), Fusión ARTS; Dr. Juan Antonio, Poha Vendeha, Marcial Bordas. MEGHAN DEWALD Reading, PA Christine Storch (IM) Soprano Soloist, SnagS&SnarlS (Unsuk Chin Portrait Concert), Lucerne Festival; Marguerite, Faust, Opera Lancaster; Countess Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, Delaware Valley Opera Company. JAMES EDER Columbus, OH Elviro (XX) Leporello, Don Giovanni, Opera Columbus; Bonze, Madama Butterfly, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera; Alcindoro/Benoit, La bohème, Knoxville Opera.
ROBERT FRANKENBERRY Pittsburgh, PA The Beadle (ST), Music Director (R&H), Conductor (GS) Sweeney Todd, Weathervane Theatre; The Tales of Hoffmann, D’Angelo Opera Theatre; Così fan tutte, DaCorneto Opera; premiere of Daron Hagen’s I Hear America Singing, Skylight Musical Theatre. BONNIE FRAUENTHAL Brooklyn, NY Atalanta (XX) Countess, Capriccio, Apotheosis Opera; Violetta, La traviata, dell'Arte Opera Ensemble; Pamina, The Magic Flute. KELSEY FREDRIKSEN Atlanta, GA Ensemble (IM), Soloist (R&H), Countess, Act 2 (Mozart) William and Marjorie Cadwallader Resident Artist The Vixen, The Cunning Little Vixen, Manhattan School of Music; Giulietta, Les contes D'Hoffman, University of Georgia; Second Lady, Die Zauberflöte, Manhattan School of Music.
THE COMPANY ROBERT GEROLD Blairstown, NJ Ensemble (ST), Lockdown (GS), Commercial Counselor (IM), Strauss Recital Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, IU Opera Theatre; Riolobo, Florencia en el Amazonas, IU Opera Theatre; Der Vater, Hänsel und Gretel, IU Opera Theatre. RODOLFO GIRON Boston, MA Blood (GS), Ensemble (XX), 3CT Recital Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions; Legacy Award, Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition, National Opera Association; Ruggiero, Alcina, Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. KENNETH GLOVER Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS) Inn Keeper and vocalist, Black Nativity, Shona Sharif African Dance and Drum Ensemble; Soloist, Trini L Massie 4 the Caz of Christ. JOEL GOODLOE Richmond, VA Music Director (Mozart, H&G) Chorus master, Resonance Works Pittsburgh; Recitalist, Schubert’s Winterreise, National Opera Center; Jesus, St. John Passion, Chatham Baroque.
ANTHONY WILLIAM GRAY Limestone, TN Pianist (R&H) Accompanist/Assistant Musical Director, The Pirates of Penzance, West Virginia University; Chorus Master, The Magic Flute, ETSU Opera; Outstanding Student Award, 2016 ETSU Music Department. HEATHER HALE Paris, KY Resi/Ensemble (IM), Barbarina (Mozart), Strauss Recital Suor Genovieffa, Suor Angelica, Vama International Opera Academy; Belinda, Dido and Aeneas, Northern Kentucky University; Rapunzel, Into the Woods, Northern Kentucky University. JAYMES HALL Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS) Singer, Heritage Gospel Choir of Pittsburgh; Ensemble, Aida, Pittsburgh Opera; Caiaphas, Jesus Christ Superstar, Steven Foster Memorial.
THE COMPANY EMILY HARMON Boston, MA Amastre (XX)
LESLIE HOWARD Pittsburgh, PA Great Father (GS)
Marquise de Merteuil, Dangerous Liaisons, Boston Opera Collaborative; Shaunna, La Femme Bohème, MetroWest Opera; Alto Soloist, Come, Ye Sons of Art, Z.323, Handel and Haydn Society CYC Concerts.
Brooke Benton, Dinah, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre; Randolph Spears, Dance on Widow’s Row, New Horizon Theatre; Tumbo, Jitney, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre.
ROYCE HEARN Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (AGoS), Child, The Gospel at Colonus, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh; Member, A.A.M.I. Boys Choir. ADAM HOLLICK Corona, CA Anthony Hope (ST), Notary/ Lawyer (IM) Connie Rivers, Grapes of Wrath, Sugar Creek Opera; Conrad Birdie, Bye Bye Birdie, Glendale Centre Theatre. VALERIE HOSLER Wexford, PA Gretel (H&G) Little Red, Little Red Riding Hood, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Gangster #1, Kiss Me, Kate, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Cleopatra, Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Undercroft Opera.
AUSTIN VASSAR KEYS Pittsburgh, PA Freedom (GS) Guard/Knight/Duloc, Shrek Jr. The Musical, Moon Area Middle School Drama, Moon Township, PA. BRYAN KEYS Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS) Worship leader, Triumph Baptist Church; executive producer, Jehoshaphat Concert International (SC); Member, Keys Family Ensemble. HONGKYUNG KIM ChangWon, Korea Susanna, Act 4 (Mozart) Alcina/Young Artist, Alcina, Opera Steamboat (Future engagement); Doe, Beloved Prey (World Premiere), Portable Opera Company; Adina, L'elisir d'amore, Martina Arroyo Foundation.
THE COMPANY EVAN KOONS Cincinnati, OH Ariodate (XX), Legal Counselor (IM), Figaro, Act 2 (Mozart) Melchior, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Taylor University Opera; Fred Graham, Kiss Me, Kate, Taylor University Theatre; Count Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, Taylor University Opera. ANGELA JOY LAMB Gales Ferry, CT Ensemble (ST), Soloist (R&H), Susanna, Act 2 (Mozart) Saffi, Der Zigeunerbaron, The Manhattan School of Music; Donna Anna, The Manhattan School of Music Opera Scenes, The Manhattan School of Music; La Bergère, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, The Manhattan School of Music; CHUNGHEE LEE Korea Ensemble (XX), Countess, Act 4 (Mozart) Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus, New Jersey City University; Mimi, La bohème, Korea National University of Arts/ Manhattan School of Music; Anna, Anna Bolena, Korea National University of Arts/ Manhattan School of Music.
STEVEN LIENING Memphis, TN Pianist (XX, Mozart) Rehearsal Pianist, Idomeneo, CCM; Rehearsal Pianist, Cendrillon, CCM; Conductor, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Playhouse on the Square. ALEX LONGNECKER Ankeny, IA Jonas Fogg/Ensemble (ST), Soloist (R&H), Basilio, Acts 2 & 4 (Mozart) Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni, UNT Opera; Tamino, Die Zauberflöte, The Fillmore Studio; Ferrando, Così fan tutte, The Fillmore Studio. SAM LOTHARD Youngstown, OH Ensemble (GS) Featured Actor, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater; Uncle Moses, The Ballad of Emmett Till, New Horizons Theater; Tom Robinson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Heritage Players. ELISE MARK Danville, PA Ensemble (ST), Notary’s Wife (IM), Strauss Recital Barbarina, Le nozze di Figaro, New York Lyric Opera; Adele, Die Fledermaus, PA Lyric Opera; Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Libera.
THE COMPANY KEVIN MAYNOR Pittsburgh, PA Glock (GS)
DANIEL MOODY Cincinnati, OH Arsamene (XX), 3CT Recital
Fasolt, Das Rheingold, Trilogy: an Opera Company; Robeson, Robeson, Trilogy: an Opera Company; Five, Trilogy: an Opera Company.
Alto soloist, Purcell's King Arthur, Les Violons du Roy, Quebec City; Alto soloist, Sacred Cantatas of J.S. Bach, Apollo's Fire; Boy spirit/ Spirit, Curlew River/ Dido and Aeneas, Mark Morris Dance Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music.
LARA LYNN MCGILL Pittsburgh, PA Romilda (XX) Pamina, Die Zauberflöte, St. Pete Opera; Antonia, The Tales of Hoffman, St. Pete Opera; Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Pittsburgh Festival Opera. RYAN MILSTEAD Pittsburgh, PA Robert Storch (IM), Soloist (R&H) Semi-Finalist, Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition; National Federation of Music Club Award, Santa Fe Opera. FRANCESCA MARIA MOLINARO Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (XX), Ensemble (IM), Strauss Recital Madame Goldentrill, The Impresario, From Mozart to Menotti: Two One-Act Operas, Youngstown State University; Performance of "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide, with WV Symphony, Alderson Broaddus University.
ANDREY NEMZER Pittsburgh, PA Xerxes (XX), 3CT Recital Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar, Pittsburgh Festival Opera; 1st Prize Winner, 3rd Minsk International Christmas Voice Competition, Bolshoi Theatre; Prince Orlofsky, Die Fledermaus, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, House of The Unions Pillar Hall. SOO-YEON PARK Bakersfield, CA Pianist (IM) Music Director, Opera Program, California State University; Faculty, Young Artist Program, SongFest; Pianist, King Gesar, Long Beach Opera. ROB PRUITT Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS) Soloist, Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Cleveland Opera, Butler Symphony, Wheeling Symphony.
THE COMPANY GREER REED Pittsburgh, PA Choreographer (XX)
DENISE SHEFFEY-POWELL Pittsburgh, PA Victoria (GS)
Dancer, Ailey II; Dancer, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company; Founder and Artistic Director, Reed Dance.
Donna Anna, Don Giovanni, Neighborhood Opera; Carmen Jones, Carmen Jones, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh; Bess/Serena, Porgy and Bess, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh.
CHARLES D. ROWE Pittsburgh, PA Pianist (GS) Founder/director, Charles D Rowe School of Musicians; Instrument Director for Greater Works Outreach; accompanist for The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh. JON ERIK SCHREIBER Pittsburgh, PA Asst. Conductor/ Chorusmaster (XX) Associate Conductor, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh; Artistic Director, Indiana Community Choir. HANNAH SHEA Harrisburg, PA Ensemble (XX), Marcellina, Act II (Mozart) Prince Orlofsky, Die Fledermaus, CMU; Ensemble, Acis and Galatea, CMU; Alto Soloist, Alexander Nevsky, CMU.
IAN SILVERMAN Bellmore, NY Asst. Director (ST), Director, Act 2 (Mozart) Assistant Director/Stage Manager, The Rake's Progress, Frost Opera Theater; Director, Opera Scenes in Concert, Frost Opera Theater; Assistant Director, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and Gianni Schicchi, Miami Summer Music Festival. ANNA SINGER Pittsburgh, PA Mrs. Lovett (ST), YPAP Faculty Electra, Electra, Chatham Opera; Soprano, Quartet Concert with Hilerie KleinRensi, Robert Chafin, and Richard Lewis, CarsonPalmer Productions.
THE COMPANY ANTHONY SIRK Pittsburgh, PA Costume Designer (GS, XX)
ANDRE J.C. SOUTHERS Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS)
Costume Designer, Dreamgirls, Pittsburgh Musical Theater; Costume Designer, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pittsburgh Musical Theater; Costume Designer, La Calisto, Carnegie Mellon University.
Opera debut
JASON SLAYDEN New York, NY Baron Lummer (IM) Ruggero, La Rondine, Opera San José; Rodolfo, La bohème, Pacific Opera Victoria; Pinkerton, Madama Butterfly, Annapolis Opera. AGNIESZKA SORNEK Katowice, Poland Pianist (H&G) Music Director, Sacred Heart Parish (Emsworth); Pianist, Karol Szymanowski School of Music (Warsaw). BRIANA SOSENHEIMER Ft. Wayne, IN Asst. Director (XX), Director, Act 4 (Mozart) Assistant Director, The Man of La Mancha, Indianapolis Opera; Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red's Most Unusual Day, Indianapolis Opera; Maria, The Man of La Mancha, Indianapolis Opera.
JORDAN SPERANZO Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (ST) Guildenstern, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Scotch 'N' Soda; The Defendant, Trial by Jury, Pittsburgh Savoyards; Ensemble, Acis and Galatea, CMU School of Music. EMMA SQUIRE Pittsburgh, PA Stage Manager (XX) Assistant Director, Peter and the Starcatcher, The University of Pittsburgh; Events Stage Manager, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; Assistant Stage Manager, Failure: A Love Story, Illinois Shakespeare Festival. KATHLEEN STAKENAS New York, NY Production Stage Manager Stage Director, Turandot, Atlanta Opera; Stage Director, Rigoletto, Syracuse Opera; Production Stage Manager, La clemenza di Tito, Manhattan School of Music.
THE COMPANY BOB STEINECK Pittsburgh, PA Lighting Designer (GS, ST, XX) Lighting Designer/ Production Manager, Lifted, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Dance Place, Washington, D.C., and US Tours; Lighting Designer/Production Manager, Resounding Sound, Texture Contemporary Ballet; Lighting Designer, In the Company of Ghosts, Ferraro/ Wehr Productions. MADELEINE STEINECK Pittsburgh, PA Lighting Designer (IM) off the WALL Productions, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Mercyhurst University, Morgantown. JOHN TERESI Jamestown, NY Tobias Ragg (ST), Ensemble (IM) Mule, Mercy Train, Microscopic Opera; King Ouf 1er, L'étoile, Carnegie Mellon School of Music; Filch, The Beggar's Opera, Carnegie Mellon School of Music.
JOSEPH THOMPSON Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (GS) Ensemble, The Gospel at Colonus, Pittsburgh Festival Opera. WILLIAM C. TOWNSEND Downington, PA Ensemble (ST), Soloist (R&H), Count, Act 2 (Mozart) Sid, Albert Herring, Oberlin Opera Theater; Falke, Die Fledermaus, Oberlin Opera Theater; Ralph the Rat, Mystery on the Docks, West Virginia Children's Opera Theater. STEPHEN VARIAMES Cincinnati, OH Head Coach, Pianist (IM) Mary Ragland Young Artist, Outreach, Nashville Opera; Conductor, La Vida Breve, Cincinnati Chamber Opera; Pianist, Don Giovanni, Cincinnati Opera. EMILY WEAVER Pittsburgh, PA Ensemble (XX), Soloist (R&H), Cherubino, Act 4 (Mozart) Solo role, Berlin to Broadway, University of Kansas; Mother, Amahl and the Night Visitors, University of Kansas; Suora Zelatrice, Suor Angelica, University of Kansas.
THE COMPANY JENIFER WEBER Washington, PA Mother/Witch (H&G)
ZACHARY WOOD Oakmont, PA Figaro, Act IV (Mozart)
Member, Pittsburgh Opera Chorus; Giulio Cesare, Giulio Cesare, Undercroft Opera; Woman, Riders to the Sea, Microscopic Opera; Third Lady, Die Zauberflöte, Undercroft Opera.
Unulfo, Rodelinda, Pittsburgh Opera Company; Fiorello, Barber of Seville (student matinee), Pittsburgh Opera Company; Tolomeo, Giulio Cesare, Undercroft Opera.
TERRIQ WHITE Wilmington, NC Victor (GS), Ensemble (XX), Ensemble (IM) Bishop/Death/Sea Captain, The Young King (world premiere), Maryland Opera Studio; Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni, Opera in the Ozarks; Venditore di Canzonette, Il tabarro, Opera in the Ozarks. MICHELE RENEE WILLIAMS Eufaula, OK Ensemble (ST), Waters (GS) William and Marjorie Cadwallader Resident Artist
YU-JU WU Austin, TX Pianist (XX) Pianist, Three Decembers/ Campanello, Opera Memphis; Pianist/Coach, Faust/ Turandot, Tulsa Opera; Pianist/Coach, Little Women, University of Texas at Austin. KEY GS ST XX IM Mozart 3CT
A Gathering of Sons Sweeney Todd Xerxes Intermezzo Mozart by Moonlight The Three (Counter) Tenors
Gertrude/Young Artist, Hansel and Gretel, Red River Lyric Opera; Chorus member, Tosca, Tulsa Opera. MILES WILSON-TOLIVER Hartford, CT City (GS) Polyphemus, Acis and Galatea, Carnegie Mellon University; Giove, La Calisto, Carnegie Mellon University; Dancaire, Carmen the Gypsy, Pittsburgh Festival Opera.
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PATRON INFORMATION BOX OFFICE Three ways to purchase tickets: • Order online at pittsburghfestivalopera.org
286 Main St, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-621-1499 pittsburghfestivalopera.org
• Call the Box Office at 412-326-9687 Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–8pm • Visit the Box Office in Winchester Thurston’s lobby Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm, Sunday, 1pm–4pm, and during all performances. The Box Office opens at least one hour before every performance. VENUES Winchester Thurston School: Falk Audtorium, Middle School Building Enter on Ellsworth or from parking lot
PARKING Convenient free parking is located in the inner courtyard lot at Winchester Thurston (entrance on Ellsworth Avenue). Additional street parking is located nearby, and is free after 6pm and all day on Sundays. Please check posted street signs for special restrictions.
FOOD AND DRINK Light fare provided by Fabled Table is available for purchase before performances and during intermission, with a special prix fixe dinner Hilda Willis Room, Upper School Building available on Saturday evenings. A cash bar is Enter at corner of Morewood and Bayard available at this time, as well as after the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh performances for all Opening Night Parties and Enter on Morewood Free Cabarets. Winchester Thurston is equipped with water fountains, perfect for ACCESSIBILITY Winchester Thurson offers a level entrance and filling up your water bottle. Please note: Only water will be permitted in the route to the Falk Auditorium and the Hilda theater. Willis Room. Wheelchair seat locations offer removable armrests to facilitate easy entry and PRE-SHOW TALKS exit. Each accessible seat is paired with a Pre-show talks with members of the artistic companion seat, although additional staff take place beginning one hour before companion seats are available. An elevator is available in the building should patrons need to curtain time for select opera and musical performances. access other floors. Winchester Thurston School is a nationally recognized co-educational independent school in Pittsburgh, PA, with a pre-K–5 campus in Allison Park and a pre-K–12 campus in Shadyside. Winchester Thurston actively engages each student in a challenging and inspiring learning process that develops the mind, motivates the passions to achieve, and cultivates the character to serve. 555 Morewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 winchesterthurston.org