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Music by André Previn Libretto by Philip Littell

Based on the play by Tennessee Williams

NOV 5-8 | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre A new co-production with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Performed with the BLO Orchestra

BRADLEY VERNATTER Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO | NINA YOSHIDA NELSEN Artistic Director DAVID ANGUS Music Director | ANNE BOGART Artistic Associate

MUSIC IS A VITAL PART OF THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY. It’s not just about the performances we put on; it’s about how we show everything opera can be. From our Concerts in the Courtyard to Street Stage and innovative programs like Create Your Own Opera and our Audition Workshops, we’re committed to bringing opera into diverse spaces where it can touch lives in meaningful ways. Help us make wonder possible! Through your support, we’re able to engage hundreds of Boston youth, foster deep connections with families, and build a vibrant, inclusive community. Donors like you make it possible for us to offer free community operas and transformative educational experiences, inspiring the next generation through the power of music. To make your gift, please scan the QR code.

BLO’s 2019 production of Pagliacci.

PROGRAM CONTENTS

LIZA VOLL PHOTOGRAPHY

Welcome................................................................................................................................. 1 Upcoming BLO Events.......................................................................................................... 2 50 Years of Boston Lyric Opera............................................................................................ 4 50th Anniversary Committee.............................................................................................. 8 BLO Champion: Jane Pisciottoli Papa............................................................................... 10 Board of Directors & Advisors.............................................................................................14 BLO Audiences: Dale Thomas & Hayes Bortz....................................................................16 Creative Team, Cast, & Synopsis.......................................................................................20 Anne Bogart: What a Home Can Hold............................................................................... 24 Meet the Artists................................................................................................................... 26 BLO Artists: AGMA, AFM & IATSE...................................................................................... 36 BLO Repertoire History....................................................................................................... 38 Artistic & Production Personnel........................................................................................40 BLO Neighbors: Boston Arts Academy.............................................................................. 44 Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. 48 BLO Staff.............................................................................................................................. 49 Donors & Institutional Partners......................................................................................... 52 Venue Information................................................................................................................61

Welcome to Boston Lyric Opera’s 50th season. As an American opera company, Boston Lyric Opera is deeply invested in exploring the richness of American repertoire. A Streetcar Named Desire remains one of the most important works of American theatre and has since become a landmark of the American opera canon. André Previn’s luminous, emotionally precise score meets Tennessee Williams’s famously intimate world with music that can be as expansive as the feelings it contains. In this close-quarters story, every glance, every word, and every moment of silence carries enormous weight. Music helps us find connection, meaning, and a sense of home — even when those things feel fragile or impossible to hold onto. This connection is what makes opera so compelling to experience, and also to create. No single person creates an opera. A Streetcar Named Desire is a particularly wonderful example of this. This co-production with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis brings together two companies with a shared commitment to American opera who are both celebrating their 50th anniversaries. This production also highlights artists from many generations of the BLO family. In fact, nearly everyone on Streetcar has worked with BLO before — artists, designers, and creative personnel who have helped shape our work over many years. We are especially delighted to welcome back conductor Daniela Candillari, returning to BLO for the first time since our award-winning Svadba in 2022; Patricia Racette, who returns to our stage for the first time since The Tales of Hoffmann in 1992; and eight current and alumni members of our Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists Initiative. With every production, our family grows. And every time you join us in the theater, you become part of that community — bringing your own perspective, curiosity, and presence to the shared experience of live opera. Thank you for being here with us, and for being part of the community that makes this work possible. Warmly,

Bradley Vernatter Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO

Nina Yoshida Nelsen Artistic Director

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UPCOMING BLO EVENTS DEC 7

OPERA NIGHT AT THE BPL Boston Public Library (Central)

JAN 29 & 31

The Queen Of Spades Symphony Hall

FEB 16-20

OPERA ON TOUR: The Barber of Seville Boston Public Library (multiple branches)

FEB 25

DECONSTRUCTING OPERA: The Marriage Of Figaro Opera + Community Studios

FEB 28

OPERA INNOVATORS: David Angus Opera + Community Studios

MAR 12-21

The Marriage Of Figaro Opera + Community Studios

APR 16

Lawrence Brownlee & Erin Morley In Recital New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

APR 17

OPERA INNOVATORS: Lawrence Brownlee Opera + Community Studios

MAY 8

BOSTON’S COMMUNITY OPERA Symphony Hall

JUN 2

Nadine Sierra In Recital New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

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LEARN MORE ABOUT A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Opera Guide

Scan to open BLO’s A Streetcar Named Desire Opera Guide

Talkback

Join us after curtain on NOV 6 for a talkback with members of the cast and creative team.

NILE HAWVER/NILE SCOTT STUDIOS

EXPERIENCE BLO’S VALUES IN ACTION: Learn about BLO’s history, mission, values, strategic plan, and more by visiting us at: BLO.org/about Raehann Bryce-Davis and Brandon Jovanovich perform in Song of the Earth at BLO’s Opera + Community Studios ( 2026).

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50 YEARS OF BOSTON LYRIC OPERA 1970s Emerging from the merger of three Boston-based opera companies in

1976, the newly formed Boston Lyric Opera entered a period of organic growth, which alternated periods of consolidation and stabilization with periods of more visible change. • 1976: BLO was founded from a merger of New England Regional Opera, Associate Artists Opera, and New England Chamber Opera Group. Ernest Triplett became BLO’s first artistic director. •D EC 1976: BLO presented its first performance: Amahl and the Night Visitors. •M AR 1978: BLO held a fundraising gala concert honoring the career of Jenny Lind. • 1979: John Balme was engaged as General Director.

1980s As BLO developed its audience and base of supporters and explored new

possibilities with larger and more prestigious venues, the company planned more ambitious performances, engaging in strategic risk-taking with an eye toward growth. •A UG 1981: BLO and Brookline Symphony performed Aida at the Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell, attracting 10,000+ audience members. •S EP 1981: BLO became company-in-residence at Northeastern University. Reviews noted improved musical standards and professional appearance, both helped by this newfound stability. •S UMMER 1982: BLO produced a scaled-down Ring cycle, hoping to take it on tour. However, the production resulted in a shortfall. • 1984: Anne Ewers was made General Director. She instituted more conservative fiscal policies to address the budget shortfall.

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• 1986-88: BLO began collaborating with partners such as the Boston Theater of the Deaf and the Perkins School for the Blind to present accessible performances. • 1987-88: BLO received its first NEA grant, which focused on “arts groups of unusual promise.” This grant provided enough financial stability for BLO to plan long-term for the first time. In the same season, BLO paid off its remaining debt and was able to develop a small endowment under Ewers’ leadership. • 1989: Justin Moss was hired as General Director.

1990s BLO presented some milestone productions and continued to expand,

engaging with more audiences in a greater variety of venues and mediums than ever before. With the acquisition of Opera New England in 1998, BLO also developed a robust education branch. • 1990: Stephen Lord was hired as Music Director. • 1991: Deborah Voigt debuted with BLO in Ariadne auf Naxos. • 1992: Patricia Racette debuted in BLO’s premiere of a new critical edition of The Tales of Hoffmann, which garnered international attention. • 1992/93: Janice Mancini Del Sesto was named the new General Manager. • 1992/93: John Conklin debuted with BLO, designing for La bohème. • 1992/93: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson debuted with BLO in Beatrice and Benedict. • 1994: BLO broadcast a production on WGBH for the first time (Carmen). • 1998/99: BLO moved out of the Emerson Majestic into the Shubert Theatre, which increased its seating capacity and orchestra pit. • 1998: Leon Major was named Artistic Director. • 1998: BLO acquired Opera New England, adding a strong education- and children’s-opera-focused arm to the company, which enabled the production of its “Opera for Young Audiences” series the following year.

2000s Having built a solid, loyal base of audiences and supporters — and having

deepened its ties with the broader Boston community — BLO refined its plans for the future, balancing higher-risk endeavors with consolidation and long-term financial planning. • 2001: BLO established the Boris Goldovsky Society for planned giving. • 2002: The company presented its free production of “Carmen on the Common,” attracting 75,000+ audience members. • 2002: Lawrence Brownlee debuted with BLO in Il barbiere di Siviglia. • 2007: Ailyn Pérez debuted with BLO in Le nozze di Figaro. • 2008: Esther Nelson was appointed the new General & Artistic Director. • 2008: WGBH reduced its number of BLO broadcasts. They became special programs, rather than continuing as a regular feature.

From left: BLO’s 2004 L’italiana in algeri featured Lawrence Brownlee (r). | David McFerrin, Caroline Worra, and José Álvarez in BLO’s 2011 Agrippina. PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF BLO ARCHIVES AND BY JEFFREY DUNN

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2010s Although the idea of championing new works and local artists had been part

of BLO’s DNA since its founding, greater financial security in the 2010s made this possible for the company on a larger scale than ever before. • FEB 2010: BLO presented its first Opera Annex production (The Turn of the Screw) in a nontraditional performance space. • 2010: David Angus was hired as BLO’s new Music Director. • 2011/12: BLO presented its first class of Emerging Artists. • 2011: Nadine Sierra debuted with BLO in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. • 2013: Continuing its Opera Annex programming of new works, BLO presented the U.S. premiere of Clemency, a co-commission with BLO, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Scottish Opera; and the Britten Sinfonia. • 2015: The Calderwood Charitable Foundation gave BLO a $5 million gift, the largest single institutional gift the company had ever received. • 2015/16: BLO presented its final production at the Shubert Theatre and began a pivotal shift to a new model of producing opera across various traditional and nontraditional venues, with BLO taking ownership of the ticketing and patron services experience. •S EP 2016: This season’s production of Carmen, which opened BLO’s 40th season, became the company’s highest-grossing production to date. Presented at the Boston Opera House, this was the first opera performed there in 25 years. • 2016: BLO helped establish Boston Opera Alliance, an informal consortium of New England opera companies. • 2018: BLO commissioned and premiered Schoenberg in Hollywood. • 2018/19: Anne Bogart directed BLO’s landmark production of The Handmaid’s Tale, which was performed at Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion. • 2019: BLO produced a carnival-style installation of Pagliacci at the Steriti Memorial Rink.

Scan to explore BLO’s repertoire history, also available on pages 38-39 of this playbill.

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2020s With its original plans disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, BLO pivoted

with innovation and resilience, emerging from this period with expanded community and education programming, a new approach to strategic planning, and a new physical space for its own artists and the Greater Boston arts community. • MAR 2020: Just before its opening night, BLO’s Norma shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. BLO partnered with WGBH to release an audio stream of the production, which drew a digital audience of 15,000 listeners. • 2020/21: Bradley Vernatter was appointed as Interim General & Artistic Director. • 2020/21: BLO began “The Butterfly Process,” a 3-year exploration of authentic storytelling that reexamined the legacy of Madama Butterfly. • 2020/21: During the pandemic, BLO launched digital programming that made opera accessible to a wider audience than ever, releasing three opera films including the commission desert in featuring Isabel Leonard. • 2020/21: BLO launched its free, outdoor Street Stage series. • 2021/22: BLO opened its new headquarters in Fort Point. • 2022: After a year of planning, BLO launched its new 5-year Strategic Plan. • 2022/23: Bradley Vernatter was appointed Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO. • JAN 2022: BLO produced the a cappella opera Svadba, which won OPERA America's 2023 Awards for Digital Excellence in the Artistic Creation category. • MAY 2023: BLO sold out its run of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Omar, cocommissioned with LA Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Carolina Performing Arts, San Francisco Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. • SEP 2023: As a culmination of “The Butterfly Process,” BLO produced a reimagined Madama Butterfly set in San Francisco during World War II. • JAN 2024: Nina Yoshida Nelsen was appointed BLO’s new Artistic Director. • MAR 2024: BLO premiered a new chamber arrangement of Aucoin’s Eurydice, co-commissioned with Opera Grand Rapids. • 2024/25: BLO began operating its Opera + Community Studios, a 16,000-square-foot center in Fort Point, designed for performances, rehearsals, community gatherings and events. • 2024/25: BLO celebrated the 15th season of its Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists. • APR 2025: BLO presented an 80th anniversary production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, the very venue where it had its pre-Broadway premiere in March 1945. The anniversary production marked Jamie Barton’s debut with BLO. • MAY 2025: In collaboration with nearly a dozen performing arts organizations, BLO produced Noah’s Flood — a free, participatory community opera performed by hundreds of youth and community members — at Symphony Hall. • MAR 2026: After 6 months of renovations and construction, BLO re-opened the Opera + Community Studios to the public with Mahler’s Song of the Earth. • MAY 2026: BLO launched its 50th Anniversary Season. From left: Daniela Mack as Rosina in BLO’s 2018 The Barber of Seville. | Jamez McCorkle (c) as the titular character in BLO’s 2023 Omar. PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: BY LIZA VOLL PHOTOGRAPHY AND BY OLIVIA MOON PHOTOGRAPHY

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BLO HONORARY ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE Boston Lyric Opera’s 50th Anniversary Committee brings together distinguished leaders, artists, civic partners, and community voices whose work reflects the breadth and vitality of Boston’s cultural landscape. Representing a range of sectors and perspectives, committee members lend their names and support to this milestone moment as BLO celebrates five decades of artistic and community impact and looks ahead to its next 50 years.

Michael Abels Composer Hilina D. Ajakaiye Chief Strategy Officer, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals Matthew Aucoin Composer John Balme Former General Director, BLO (1979 – 1984) John Barros Interim Executive Director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Bruce A. Beal Chairman, Related Beal State Representative David Biele Massachusetts State Representative, 4th Suffolk Vanessa Calderón-Rosado CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción State Senator Nick Collins Massachusetts First Suffolk Josh Davis Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Edgerley Family South Boston Club

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Janice Mancini Del Sesto Former General Director, BLO (1992 - 2008) Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll Commonwealth of Massachusetts Councilor Sharon Durkan District 8, City of Boston Anne Ewers Former General Director, BLO (1984 – 1989) Councilor Ed Flynn District 2, City of Boston Mary Grant President, Massachusetts College of Art Melissa Gilliam President, Boston University Ashleigh Gordon Co-Founder & Artistic Director Emerita, Castle of our Skins Governor Maura Healey Commonwealth of Massachusetts David Henry Hwang Playwright and Librettist

Imari Paris Jeffries President & CEO, Embrace Boston

Ellen Reid Composer

Andrea Kalyn President, New England Conservatory

Joey Riddle General Manager, Emerson Colonial Theatre

Jim Lucchese President, Berklee College of Music Congressman Stephen F. Lynch U.S. Representative, Massachusetts

Marinell Rousmaniere President, EdVestors Sarah Ruhl Playwright and Librettist

Keeril Makan Vice Provost for the Arts, MIT

Huang Ruo Composer

Quincy Miller President & Chief Operating Officer, Eastern Bank

Marc Scorca President Emeritus, OPERA America

Yo-Yo Ma Cellist

Michael Shinn Executive Director, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Tod Machover Composer and Faculty Director, MIT Media Lab

Leverett Wing Executive Director, Commonwealth Seminar

Justin Moss Former General Director, BLO (1989 – 1992)

Mayor Michelle Wu City of Boston

Esther Nelson Former General & Artistic Director, BLO (2008 – 2021)

Karen Zorn President, Longy School of Music of Bard College

Michelle O’Connor President & CEO, MEDITECH Lee Pelton Former President & CEO, The Boston Foundation Colette A.M. Phillips President and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, Inc.

Check BLO.org for the current membership listing. As of September 21, 2026.

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BLO CHAMPION:

Jane Pisciottoli Papa Of Boston Lyric Opera’s many champions, Jane Pisciottoli Papa is one of our most dedicated. She serves on our Board of Advisors, enthusiastically attends every BLO offering possible, and has a particular talent for connecting people and getting newcomers excited about opera. Among the many gifts she has shared with us over the years is her work on The 40 Seasons of Boston Lyric Opera: A History, which is available to read online via the QR code at left. Jane is truly an ambassador — not only for BLO, but also for opera at large.

How did you and your husband Cosmo first get involved with BLO? Cosmo and I first met in 1978 while volunteering for Sarah Caldwell’s Opera Company of Boston! I had begun attending her productions in 1970 and so enjoyed them that I wanted to be involved in some way. I also wanted more opera than just the four or five she presented each season. I began attending performances by other opera companies, including Associate Artists Opera, one of the three companies that merged in 1976 to form BLO. Cosmo and I attended BLO performances on and off through the ‘80s while still subscribing to Caldwell’s OCB, but when OCB ceased operations in 1990, we decided to subscribe to BLO, 10

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COURTESY OF JANE PISCIOTTOLI PAPA

What made you fall in love with music, the performing arts, and opera? When I was in college in the ‘60s, a friend who was studying voice asked to borrow my family’s tape recorder for a project (this was a reel-toreel device, the size of a small suitcase!). When he returned it, he included a tape he had made of operatic excerpts and insisted that I listen to it. I wasn’t interested, but I knew he would not stop until I told him what I thought of it, so I gave it a try. He had included plot notes on the selected arias. I found myself immediately drawn into the stories and for each selection wanted to know, “what happened next???” So my interest in opera has been story driven from the beginning, with appreciation for the music and voice developing along the way.

and have done so ever since. When we retired we both joined the volunteer corps, which we found very rewarding. You’ve done so much for BLO over the years — volunteering in the office, attending every BLO event and performance possible, serving on our Board of Advisors, and exercising your considerable talent for connecting people and getting them excited about our work. What does it mean to you to be a champion for opera and the arts in general?

I grew up in a family that followed Boston sports teams in great depth, to the exclusion of other sorts of cultural activities, and I would have had little exposure to the performing arts without the opportunity provided by my friend (see first question), who also took me to my first live opera performance. I have always believed he gave me an incredible gift in doing so, one that has provided my life with meaning in so many ways (not least of which was meeting Cosmo!). I feel I can make a difference by passing the gift forward to whoever will receive it. What have you learned from your experiences on our Board of Advisors? How have you been able to take this wisdom into other endeavors? I’ve seen first-hand what an incredibly complex operation a performing arts organization really is. One might tend to think of an opera company as a solely creative endeavor, but one must not lose sight of the fact that it functions like a business, albeit one not focused on generating profit. I wonder if sometimes when small companies fail, whether they lacked enough leadership or board participation by individuals with financial and fundraising acumen. Success takes luck and an effective balance between the artistic and practical facets of the company. One exciting thing I’ve been able to do recently with what I’ve learned in my time on BLO’s Board is to accept an invitation to also join the board of Catalyst New Music, a local company founded by pianist Brendon Shapiro and singer/composer Omar Najmi — both of whom are alumni of BLO’s Emerging Artists initiative! I’m able to bring a different generational point of view, which is valuable in many circumstances. Besides their huge musical talents, Brendon and Omar are deep thinkers about life, the arts, and more. I’m able to offer them an institutional lens and a historical perspective of Boston’s arts world as they strengthen the groundwork for Catalyst. It’s a joy to see and support BLO alumni making their own mark in the community. What keeps you inspired in your work in the Boston arts community? Despite a national climate that is discouraging in many ways, Boston arts organizations and our local artists persevere, seeking out ways

not to just survive but to move forward. We have an amazingly rich and diverse cultural milieu in Boston, which I believe contributes profoundly to so many of our inner lives. It is very fulfilling to me to be a part of sustaining it in any way that I am able. BLO strives to make opera welcoming and relevant, so people feel confidence, belonging, and emotional connection. What do you think are some crucial elements for creating an environment where “opera curious” folks become “opera lovers” — and keep coming back for more? BLO has long recognized the fact that humans are social beings, and we seek emotional connections with others even as we enjoy performances quietly as individuals. The company strives to generate as much interaction as possible, with social events and learning opportunities before mainstage performances, through community outreach, with extensive educational programming, and through multiple wide-ranging partnerships with a diverse array of organizations all over Greater Boston. BLO is committed to presenting repertoire that reflects diverse voices and viewpoints and to ensuring that audience members see themselves represented onstage. In the final analysis, it’s the human touch that makes the difference, and one that has an eddying effect — a new operagoer will invite friends to join them at the next opera! Please tell us about some of your favorite memories with BLO. As you might imagine, there are so many! Working as a volunteer in the office provided me with countless occasions to learn from staff how to appreciate the vocal arts in far greater detail than I as a non-singer might otherwise have managed on my own. On a few occasions, I was asked to help supervise child performers in particular productions, including The Turn of the Screw, Rigoletto, and The Handmaid’s Tale. Whenever the children were not onstage or actively rehearsing, part of my job was to make sure they were doing their homework! Getting to know Emerging Artists and following their careers as they build their future is a joy. I’m still in touch with many of them — the original group are now in their 40s — and I enjoy hearing what they have to say about all kinds of things. These are smart people, philoBLO | FALL 2026

sophical and thoughtful about lots of things including but also going beyond the music world. Whenever I can, I attend performances by current and former Emerging Artists with other Boston companies, for those folks who have remained local.

There has also been the privilege of viewing commissioned pieces, premieres, and other new works, such as Burke and Hare, Clemency, The Inspector, and Akhnaten. Most recently, Noah’s Flood allowed me to share the gift of opera with four of my youngest family members, who now look forward to the 2027 community opera. What makes BLO stand out to you, not only as an opera company but also as a civic and cultural leader? What excites you most about BLO’s future? I believe that the future of opera in Boston should be viewed in its entirety, not just as it relates to a single opera-producing organization. BLO has taken the lead through endeavors like its Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists Initiative and partnerships with local schools in elevating musical standards and in building community awareness of opera, promising a robust future for our vocal arts scene. I have long believed that a key factor in BLO’s success — its longevity where other Boston opera companies have fallen by the wayside — has been the ability of its General Directors and leadership teams to build on the strengths of their predecessors. No one has

COURTESY OF JANE PISCIOTTOLI PAPA

BLO performances take me on an emotional rollercoaster: from the madcap antics of Rossini’s comedies to the eyepopping directorial choices of the recent Madama Butterfly that came out of “The Butterfly Process,” the 40th anniversary season Carmen at the Boston Opera House, offsite productions like Pagliacci at the Steriti Memorial Rink, The Lighthouse at the JFK Library, and Bluebeard’s Castle | Four Songs at the Flynn Cruiseport Terminal… the list goes on. I experienced profound emotional depths in works like Fellow Travelers, Omar, Song of the Earth, and Carousel. I wouldn’t want it any other way!

taken up the position and declared a need to completely sweep away the old and replace it with something totally untried. Each has in their own way firmly embraced what they have been given by previous leaders and has augmented it with new energy, a new vision of what is possible, new approaches to outreach and audience building. But all of them have viewed BLO as a Boston institution with strong roots in the community, and have sought to nurture and strengthen those roots and community connections. Each has striven to provide the highest quality in everything that bears the company name: performances, community programming, special events of all sorts, and partnerships. I view BLO’s growth pattern not as something linear, but as a spiral, always returning to what has made it successful while ever moving to higher levels, toward the loftiest goals of excellence. May it always be so.

This piece is part of a season-long celebration of BLO’s community, anchored by our Artists, Audiences, Champions, and Neighbors. The individuals and groups recognized in these features represent just some of the thousands who have shaped, supported, and sustained us for the past 50 years. Photos: Jane and her great-nephew Jake (a next generation opera fan!) at BLO’s 2026 production of Daughter of the Regiment. Jane Pisciottoli Papa and Cosmo Papa at the 2012 BLO Gala.

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BALLET BC SAT NOV 21 8PM SUN NOV 22 2PM CUTLER MAJESTIC THEATRE AT EMERSON COLLEGE Program:

MEDHI WALERSKI SWAY (2019) Pianist Igor Levit makes his Symphony Hall BOBBI JENE SMITH AND OR SCHRAIBER Obsidian (2025) SHAHAR BINYAMINI BOLERO X (2026) recital debut with an all-Beethoven program.

Tickets at vivoperformingarts.org

A Message from BLO’s Board Chair & Board President Our 50th Anniversary Season continues, now transporting you to New Orleans to experience the operatic telling of one of the most compelling American dramatic works. This timeless story comes alive in a lush sound world that invites us to experience it more viscerally. Every moment of Blanche DuBois’ unraveling is amplified by emotionally charged music and theatrical moments that vibrate with psychological intensity, bringing us closer to her inner world. There is something uniquely powerful about encountering a story we already know through the lens of opera. We may recognize the characters, the conflicts, even the words, but the music implores us to experience them differently, revealing new truths from the story, beyond what is spoken – or in what remains unspoken. That intimacy is especially important in A Streetcar Named Desire. This is not an easy story, nor is it meant to be. It asks us to sit with desire and fear, illusion and reality, tenderness and cruelty, and the ways in which people can struggle to hold onto one another even as their worlds begin to come apart. This is the thrill of experiencing opera — to give our attention to a story that may unsettle or move us, to inhabit perspectives that are not our own, to feel their complexity, and to share these experiences alongside one another. Thank you for continuing with us on our journey through this 50th Season. We hope you'll join us again soon for The Queen of Spades with the BSO, The Marriage of Figaro, or one of our other exciting offerings! Enjoy the performance. Warmly,

Alicia M. Cooney Board Chair

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Alexander Senchak Board President

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alicia Cooney Board Chair Alex Senchak Board President Miguel de Bragança Vice Chair Andrew Eisenberg Vice President Jennifer Ritvo Hughes Treasurer Dr. Irving H. Plotkin Clerk Wayne Davis Immediate Past Board President Bradley Vernatter Ex Officio | Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO

BOARD OF ADVISORS Russell López Lawrence St. Clair Lydia Kenton Walsh Co-Chairs Dr. Susan E. Bennett Richard M. Burnes, Jr. Ellie Cabot Carole Charnow Carol Deane Larry DeVito JoAnne Walton Dickinson Laura Dike Robert Eastman

Priscilla H. Douglas Timothy Fulham Christine Goerke Jack Gorman Frank Graves Susan W. Jacobs Amelia Welt Katzen Sally Kornbluth Maria J. Krokidas John Loder Laura Mandel Ben Markham Abigail B. Mason Jo Frances Meyer Maria Park Winfield Perry Michael Puzo Erinn Rhodes Susan Rodgerson Daniel Romanow Vincent D. Rougeau Ray Stata Peter Wender George Yip

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL David Scudder Chair

Willis Emmons Brian Gokey Sylvia Han David Hoffman Amy Hunter Louise Johnson Janika LeMaitre Lynne Levitsky Anita Loscalzo Kathryn McDaniel Jillian McGrath Kate Meany Elaine Murphy Jane Pisciottoli Papa Koren Phillips

Bill Poduska Susanne Potts Stephen Ricci Allison Ryder Simone Santiago Barbara Senchak Tricia Swift Wynne Szeto Frank Tempesta Richard Trant Amy Tsurumi Archana Venkataraman Robert Walsh Yin-Yin Wang Tania Zouikin

Steven P. Akin Linda Cabot Black Willa Bodman Paul Montrone Ray Stata EMERITI Steven P. Akin J.P. Bargeru Horace H. Irvine IIu Sherif A. Nada E. Lee Perryu

As of September 15, 2026 u

Deceased

Opera begins long before opening night. NILE HAWVER/NILE SCOTT STUDIOS

Your membership supports artists and new work, and expands access across our community — while bringing you closer to it all.

Become a BLO Member blo.org/membership

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BLO AUDIENCES: Dale Thomas & Hayes Bortz

Boston residents Dale Thomas and Hayes Bortz were both completely new to opera when they gave BLO’s production of The Seasons a try in 2025. Since then, they’ve attended William Tell, Carousel, Macbeth, Mahler Symphony No. 3, Song of the Earth, Daughter of the Regiment, and a Street Stage performance in Titus Sparrow Park. We interviewed them for this feature so they could take us inside their experience of going from being “opera curious” to opera superfans! Are you from Boston originally? If not, what brought you to the city?

Hayes: I’m originally from North Carolina! I moved up to New England in 2016 for college and have called Boston home for the past decade. Part of the reason I’ve stayed here for so long is because I love how rich Boston’s arts scene is. I’m very familiar with the city’s theater, music, and visual arts offerings, but I hadn’t explored opera until more recently. What were you curious about with regards to opera before you came to your first one? D: I was curious about what made opera so enduring. I’m interested in how things work and evolve, and opera has this fascinating combination of music, storytelling, performance, and technical production that’s been developed over centuries. I also wondered whether opera would feel relevant to someone who hadn’t 16

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COURTESY OF DALE THOMAS & HAYES BORTZ

Dale: I grew up in Maine and moved to Boston to attend MIT, where I studied engineering. I’ve spent much of my career building technology companies, and Boston has been an incredible place to do that. There’s something special about being surrounded by people who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible, whether in science, technology, or the arts. Hayes and I now call the South End home, and we’ve fallen in love with the neighborhood and the broader Boston community. One of the things I appreciate most about living here is that you can spend your day immersed in technology and innovation, then walk a few blocks and experience world-class music, theater, or opera.

grown up around it. I knew it was an important art form, but I wasn’t sure whether I would connect with it. Our first BLO production, The Seasons, completely changed that perception. It combined Vivaldi’s music with technology, imaginative staging, and a contemporary story about climate change. As an engineer, I was fascinated by how it brought all those elements together. H: Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect! I hadn’t been to an opera anywhere before attending a BLO production. I pictured some-

thing stale and stuffy, the stereotypical wigged singers performing in a foreign language, without much to say about the present day. So I was surprised, then, when my first opera was BLO’s The Seasons, which took Vivaldi’s score and paired it with a cool, high-tech set and an urgent message about climate change. Dale and I left the theater buzzing and immediately started unpacking the show and comparing our favorite moments. What BLO events or performances have you attended? What are some of the most memorable moments for you? D: William Tell was particularly memorable for me. The scale of the production, the music, and the coordination required to bring so many performers together were extraordinary. I spend a lot of my professional life thinking about how complex systems and teams work together, so seeing that level of artistic coordination was impressive. Another favorite was the performance in Titus Sparrow Park, right in our neighborhood. We loved seeing such talented artists perform just steps from home, surrounded by neighbors and families. It made opera feel like a natural part of our community rather than something you’d have to make a special trip to experience. H: Two moments stand out to me. The first is BLO’s community event at Titus Sparrow Park. There was something so special about hearing these incredible performers in our own backyard — it proved to me that opera can happen anywhere, not just within the walls of a fancy theater. Another favorite moment was the character of the Duchess in Daughter of the Regiment. She was so over-the-top campy, and the performance was reminiscent of Nathan Lane in The Birdcage, my favorite movie of all time. That production showed me that opera can actually be laugh-out-loud funny. What did you experience at the opera that you expected? What's something that you didn't expect? D: I expected beautiful music, talented performers, and impressive productions. What I didn't expect was how much the storytelling and emotional experience would stay with me afterward. I also hadn’t appreciated how much innovation goes into contemporary opera. Productions like The Seasons showed me that opera isn’t

simply about preserving something from the past. It’s an art form that can incorporate new technology, reinterpret familiar stories, and address contemporary issues. And I certainly didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did during Daughter of the Regiment. It’s easy to associate opera with tragedy and drama, but it can be incredibly funny and playful, too. H: I expected to love how over the top opera could be, with the costumes, wigs, and big sets for shows like Daughter of the Regiment. I’m a huge sucker for production design. I didn’t expect to find operas adapted from stories I already knew. Seeing Macbeth take a familiar Shakespeare story and turn it into something new was a treat and a great entry point as I was discovering my love for opera. What made you excited about the opera, and what keeps you coming back for more? D: For me, it’s the combination of creativity, craftsmanship, and the unexpected. Each production brings together so many different disciplines, from music and performance to engineering, lighting, set design, and storytelling. When everything comes together, the result can be extraordinary. I also love that Hayes and I experience the performances together and with friends. We’ll leave a show and spend dinner discussing what surprised us, what worked, and what we loved most. We don’t always agree, which makes those conversations even better. What keeps me coming back is that no two productions feel alike. I enjoy being surprised and discovering something I wouldn't necessarily have sought out on my own. H: BLO’s programming is so varied that I love not knowing what I’ll get. Carousel felt like a standard musical and was a great intro for the opera curious. Song of the Earth was intimate and stripped back. William Tell was pure grandeur, with big sets and a huge cast, and the scale took my breath away. Discovering which facet of BLO I’ll get next is what keeps me coming back. What are you most looking forward to about BLO’s 50th anniversary season? D: I’m excited to see BLO continue pushing the boundaries of what opera can be while celebrating its history in Boston. I’m particularly interested in A Streetcar Named Desire. TakBLO | FALL 2026

ing a story that so many people already know and reimagining it through opera creates an interesting opportunity to experience familiar characters and emotions in a completely different way. I’m also excited about the Boston Community Opera initiative. Boston has such an incredible mix of cultures, neighborhoods, and perspectives, and I think there’s something powerful about building a production around the voices and experiences of the people who live here. It’s an ambitious creative project, and I love seeing organizations take those kinds of risks. H: The season is stacked! William Tell was a great way to kick it off, and as a southerner at heart, I’m excited to see how Streetcar is adapted into an opera. I’m most excited for the Boston Community Opera. I’ve heard so much about the process, including the listening sessions around the city, and I love that it’s about making opera accessible to everyone in Boston and letting them know they have a place in an art form that has historically been seen as exclusionary or stuffy. I can’t wait to see what Tracy Smith crafts from the material people all over Boston have given her. Are there any BLO events you have not explored yet that you would like to attend? D: I’d be interested in more behind-the-scenes opportunities, whether that’s learning about how a production is developed, how the sets are engineered, or how the creative and technical teams bring everything together. There’s an enormous amount of expertise behind every performance, and I’d love to learn more about that process. H: Concert in the Courtyard! I’ve been dying to go. The BPL is such a storied institution, and it would be magical to hear opera in that gorgeous courtyard. What would you like to see more of from BLO, or what would you like to see us do in the future? D: I’d love to see BLO continue experimenting with how and where people experience opera. Boston has such incredible public spaces,

museums, universities, and neighborhoods, and there are so many opportunities to bring performances into those environments. I’d also love to see more collaborations at the intersection of art and technology. Boston is a global center for engineering and innovation, and I think there’s an interesting opportunity to connect that community with the performing arts through immersive staging, robotics, digital experiences, or entirely new approaches to production. H: More opera outside the confines of a theater. I’d love to see opera at places like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, maybe paired with curated pieces from their collections. I’d also love to see BLO continue its commitment to youth education and engagement. It’s critical that we foster the next generation of arts lovers in this city and give every corner of it that opportunity. What would you like other “opera curious” folks to know, especially if they are on the fence about attending? D: You don’t need to know anything about opera to enjoy it. I certainly didn’t when I first started attending, and that’s part of what made the experience so interesting. I think people can assume opera requires a certain background or level of “sophistication,” but at its core, it’s storytelling through music and performance. You can appreciate the emotion, humor, and spectacle even without knowing its history. My advice is to pick a production that sounds interesting and just go. Make an evening of it! You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it. I certainly was. H: If you’re worried opera isn’t for you, don’t be afraid to take the leap into the unknown! Start with one of BLO’s free community programs, or choose an upcoming show that sounds especially interesting or exciting to you. Once you take that first step, you’ll hopefully get hooked like I did. You don’t need to be an opera connoisseur to understand what’s happening on stage. BLO’s opera guides and pre-show lectures make it easy to know what to expect and follow along.

This piece is part of a season-long celebration of BLO’s community, anchored by our Artists, Audiences, Champions, and Neighbors. The individuals and groups recognized in these features represent just some of the thousands who have shaped, supported, and sustained us for the past 50 years. Photo: Dale Thomas (l.) and Hayes Bortz (r.) attending a BLO performance at the Emerson Colonial Theatre.

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How did we come to be? This month, the BSO spends two weeks exploring humanity’s oldest question, pairing Haydn’s luminous masterwork The Creation with Creation, a BSO-commissioned world premiere by Osvaldo Golijov that draws on origin stories from across cultures.

2026-27 SEASON Find your music at bso.org

CREATIVE TEAM Conductor DANIELA CANDILLARI Music by ANDRÉ PREVIN Libretto by PHILIP LITTELL Based on the play by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS David Angus, BLO Music Director 2026/27 Season Sponsor Linda Cabot Black PERFORMANCES THU, NOV 5, 2026 | 7:30PM FRI, NOV 6 | 7:30PM SUN, NOV 8 | 3:00PM Running time: 2 hours 50 minutes, with one 20-minute intermission EMERSON CUTLER MAJESTIC THEATRE 219 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116 Performed in English with English surtitles All performances of A Streetcar Named Desire are Audio Described. Audio description & accessibility services made possible by ThinkOutsideTheVox.org

W Boston Lyric Opera Debut l Boston Lyric Opera Jane & Steven Akin

Emerging Artist t B oston Lyric Opera Jane & Steven Akin

Emerging Artist Alum

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Stage Director PATRICIA RACETTE Associate Stage Director ALEXANDRA DIETRICHl Set Designer ANDREW BOYCE Costume Designer AMANDA GLADU Lighting Designer ERIC SOUTHERN Projection Designer KYLEE LOERAW Hair, Wig & Makeup Designers WILL VICARIW & KRYSTAL BALLEZAW Intimacy Director/Fight Choreographer ANGIE JEPSON Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra ANNIE RABBAT Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser Orchestra Leader Coach/Rehearsal Pianist DOUGLAS SUMI A Streetcar Named Desire is a new co-production with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

CAST

SYNOPSIS

Blanche DuBois BRITTANY RENEEW

Having lost her job and ancestral home in Laurel, Mississippi, Blanche DuBois arrives in New Orleans intending to stay with her sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski, whose living conditions are simple and working-class. Clinging to a romanticized version of the past, Blanche quickly finds herself at odds with the domineering Stanley, who plants seeds of distrust against her as easily as he berates and abuses his own pregnant wife. Blanche urges Stella to leave Stanley, but Stella refuses. Struggling to adjust to her vastly changed living situation, Blanche connects briefly with Stanley’s friend Harold Mitchell (“Mitch”), but Stanley turns him against her by telling him she has a history of seduction and deceit. During an argument with Stanley about Blanche, Stella goes into labor and they rush to the hospital. Meanwhile, a confrontation with Mitch leads Blanche to drink alone in the apartment. Stanley returns home from the hospital to “rest,” and while he and Blanche are alone, he forces himself on her. Days later, a devastated Stella — who cannot make herself accept Blanche’s story about what Stanley did to her — has chosen to go along with Stanley’s plan to have Blanche institutionalized. Trapped in her delusions, Blanche leaves quietly with the doctor, believing she is going on a cruise.

Stella Kowalski ANGELA YAMt Stanley Kowalski DAVID ADAM MOORE Harold Mitchell BRENTON RYANW Eunice Hubbell ERICA BROOKHYSER Flower Seller JULIETTE KAOUDJIlW Steve Hubbell NEAL FERREIRAt Young Collector SUOWEI WUlW Nurse JESSICA JACOBSW Doctor DAVID J. CASTILLOW Pablo RICKY LEE OWENS, JR.lW

For a more detailed synopsis, please scan the QR code to explore our Opera Guide.

Content advisory: This production contains scenes related to and depicting domestic violence, abuse, and sexual assault. We encourage patrons to engage with care. Presented under the license from G. Schirmer, Inc., copyright owners. Commissioned by San Francisco Opera. The scenery for this production was constructed and painted by Opera Theatre Saint Louis. Costumes for this production were constructed by Costume Works, Inc.

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The city of Boston played a pivotal role in the development of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire — one of America’s most celebrated dramas — and its enduring legacy as a vehicle for actors, recognized with a Pulitzer Prize and numerous Tony and Olivier wins and nominations. The original pre-Broadway tryout played a two-week engagement at the Wilbur Theatre, November 3-15, 1947 — almost exactly 79 years ago, to the date. Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy performed the iconic roles of Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois, in a production widely credited with launching Brando’s career. While the first out-of-town performances took place in New Haven, CT, Boston was the longer and more consequential testing ground, where the creative team refined the production and navigated early censorship concerns before going to Broadway. This production of the opera A Streetcar Named Desire is directed by acclaimed soprano Patricia Racette, a New Hampshire native with a longstanding connection to BLO. Early in her career, Racette sang four roles in the company’s 1992 production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Reviewer Richard Dyer said Racette “flooded the Emerson Majestic with gloriously full lyric-soprano tone… she will certainly have a successful career.”

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AUDIO DESCRIPTION

MATTHEW SHIFRIN | Audio Description Consultant and Blind/Low Vision Expert Matthew (he/him) is an innovator. He is the founder and CEO of Bricks for the Blind, a nonprofit committed to making play accessible by creating text-based LEGO building instructions for Blind consumers. He is an accomplished musician with degrees from New England Conservatory, accordionist, composer, and countertenor. He wrote and hosted the award-winning podcast “Blind Guy Travels,” wrote award-winning bilingual musicals, and convinced a braille-making company to create Yiddish Braille. Shifrin hopes to inspire other innovators to help blind people discover and engage with the world around them. GWEN COBURN | Audio Describer/ Surtitle Narrator Gwen Coburn (she/her) is a comedian, playwright, and audio describer based in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. She's thrilled to bring her love of storytelling to the audio description for A Streetcar Named Desire, having recently described William Tell at Boston Lyric Opera. Other AD credits include Arts Emerson, Greater Boston Stage Company, and the Edmonton Fringe Festival. As a comedian, she writes and performs with the Nova Show, an original variety show in residence at the Rockwell. Coburn also tours solo works and ensemble plays that combine music, drama, clowning and slapstick. Her most recent solo work, The Importance of Being Haunted, won Best Alternative Venue Comedy at Boston Fringe for phenomenal presentation, innovation, and audience response. She holds a graduate degree in vocal pedagogy from The Boston Conservatory.

JOSHUA OLUMIDE | Audio Describer Joshua Olumide (he/him) is an actor and audio describer whose regional theatre acting credits include the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s The Grove and Sojourners, The Huntington; As You Like It and The Winter’s Tale, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; Romeo and Juliet, Classic Theatre of Maryland; Our Town, People’s Light; Macbeth, Hanover Theatre Rep; A Raisin in the Sun, New Repertory Theatre; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Willpower Tour. His audio description credits include Mfoniso Udofia’s In Old Age, Front Porch Arts Collective & ArtsEmerson; Lifted, Footlight Club, The Huntington, and Wellesley College; and The Ceremony, CHUANG Stage. His film credits include the Oscar-winning American Fiction, MGM; and Detroit, Annapurna Pictures. Olumide recently wrapped production on an independent film called The Phone Booth and is currently in post-production for a short film he wrote and directed, Exposure. Instagram: @JoshOlumide_ ABOUT THINK OUTSIDE THE VOX Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) is pleased to partner with Think Outside the Vox (VOX) to offer culturally competent Audio Description (AD) made for and by the Blind and Low-Vision community. BLO offers AD for all performances of four productions this season: William Tell, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Marriage of Figaro, and Ayre. AD teams have been cast by Blind AD Consultant and opera singer Matthew Shifrin. Audio Description is a strategically crafted and timed narration of the visual elements of a show. AD is broadcast by a live describer via radio transmitter to patrons wearing a headphone receiver. During the show, patrons absorb live in-show AD, which may include choreography of people and props, set changes, lighting, and character clarification — this is precisely timed in between and with the music and dialogue performed onstage. The AD preshow includes contextual descriptions of characters, set design, props, costumes, and visual references. For shows presented in languages other than English, a Narrator will read the surtitles aloud as part of the in-show AD. BLO | FALL 2026

WHAT A HOME CAN HOLD by Anne Bogart, BLO Artistic Associate

isten first to the apartment. A streetcar rattles the plates on the shelf. A neighbor's radio pushes through the ceiling. The bathroom door does not quite muffle the sound of water running or of a woman weeping. On poker nights, the whole building knows who is winning. There is no room in this home that another room does not enter. The Kowalski apartment on Elysian Fields is a home whose walls are thin by design, a place where a life leaks continually into other lives, whether it wants to or not. Into this house, one September evening, a woman arrives with a trunk of white dresses, a paper lantern, a bottle, and a set of habits carefully assembled to keep the world at a bearable distance. But the collision has already begun before she speaks. The philosopher Charles Taylor describes two ways of being a self. The older way he calls “porous”: permeable to community, ritual, weather, memory, and other people; continually shaped by what surrounds it; unable to draw a clean line between what is mine and what is ours. The newer way he calls “buffered”: bounded, self-contained, sealed against outside influence. The buffered self is a modern achievement. It is also, in Taylor’s phrasing, alone. Protected, but separated. Neither condition is necessarily better than the other. The porous self is exposed, while the buffered self is isolated. Each carries its own cost, and Tennessee Williams knew both. His play sets them inside a single household and lets them try to live together. Stella has become porous to the household she married into: its noise, its heat, its violence, its tenderness. She has surrendered the shape of her former self in order to belong to this one. Stanley is porous inside his own circle — which he loves fiercely — but buffered against everything outside it, of which he is suspicious. Blanche has spent years constructing a buffered self out of powder, lamplight, French 24

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phrases, and stories, because of the porous world she came from: DuBois cousins dying one by one, her ancestral home slipping through her fingers, a young husband whose exposure she could not survive. All this very nearly destroyed her. Her buffer is not a lie that she tells to others. It is a structure she has built in order to remain alive. The play places Blanche in a room with no door of its own, only a curtain. Every attempt she makes to construct a buffered interior is defeated by the architecture of the apartment itself. The paper lantern she hangs over the bare bulb is the play’s clearest image of the buffered self: a thin, chosen membrane, meant to make exposure survivable. Its removal, when it comes, is not a metaphor. It is a physical intrusion. When the lantern comes off, the porous world enters uninvited, and there is nowhere left for Blanche to stand. What opera adds to this argument is that it makes the walls of the apartment audible. Williams himself wrote music into the play. His “Blue Piano” drifts up from a barroom around the corner. A rumba slides from a neighbor’s radio. A piano somewhere plays “Paper Doll.” Blanche sings “It’s Only a Paper Moon” from behind the bathroom curtain. And the Varsouviana, the polka that was playing the night her young husband Allan Grey shot himself, returns whenever the past pushes through her defenses. In 1995 André Previn and librettist Philip Littell took a play already saturated with sound and set it to a continuous score, following Williams’ text so closely that the Williams estate required them to keep almost every scene. Previn stayed close to the rhythms of American speech, refused Littell’s request to set Stanley’s famous cry of “Stella!” to music (some things even opera cannot improve), and gave Stanley no aria at all. Blanche gets the arias. Her Act Three “I Want Magic,” lifted from her line to Mitch about not wanting realism, becomes a dreamy, unresolved soundscape in which her constructed world is heard from

the inside. Previn’s language, jazz-inflected clarinet and saxophone braided with a lyricism close to Berg, does what the thin walls do. The Varsouviana no longer lives only in Blanche’s mind. It escapes into the room, and no one onstage can close the door against it. Opera is, by its nature, a porous form. No character can hide inside their own thoughts, because the orchestra will always find them. What was private in the play becomes shared in the opera, which is another way of saying that in this house, at last, nothing is private. A home is the place where the porous and the buffered have to negotiate their terms. What will be let in? What must be kept out? Whose exposure will be protected, whose will be permitted, and whose will be used? Every household is such a negotiation, and so is every rehearsal room, every company, every audience. Streetcar is often described as the story of a fragile woman destroyed by a brutal man. That description is not wrong, but it is thin. The deeper action of the play is that a household is asked to decide what it can hold, and it decides. Stella decides. Mitch decides. The neighborhood decides. They all decide that the cost of holding Blanche is more than this porous home is capable of bearing. The opera clarifies the stakes by ending on Blanche: a soaringly lyrical mad scene in which she imagines dying at

sea — her hand in the hand of a stranger — and is led away. The famous last line, so worn by quotation that it can sound like a grace note, is quieter and more searching than it seems: an acknowledgment that when the people we have belonged to can no longer hold us, we are carried — if we are carried at all — by those who do not yet know us. The kindness of strangers is not a consolation. It is the reach of a community that begins where kinship ends. Which returns us, in the end, to the room we are sitting in. An audience is itself a temporary porous community: people who arrived from separate lives and have become, for the next two hours, permeable to a shared event. Music will move through us. So will breath, laughter, silence, and sometimes, the recognition of something we did not expect to remember. What this opera hands us in the end is not a verdict on Blanche, whether she was sane or deluded, sinned against, or the architect of her own fall. What it hands us is a question about the rooms we inhabit. This particular gathered “we,” on this particular night in the 50th anniversary season of BLO, in a co-production carried by two companies that have chosen to hold the work together. Can we hold what a home onstage could not? The answer is not the same in 2026 as it was in 1947. That is reason enough to embody the piece once again. BLO | FALL 2026

ERIC WOOLSEY

A Streetcar Named Desire at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

MEET THE ARTISTS DANIELA CANDILLARI | Conductor Daniela Candillari has been the Principal Conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) since 2022. Celebrated for her dynamic artistry and insightful leadership, she is equally at home premiering new works and interpreting classical repertoire. Having conducted the film of Ana Sokolović’s Svadba with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Philadelphia, which was released in early 2022 and won Opera America’s 2023 Award for Digital Excellence in Opera, she makes her BLO stage debut with A Streetcar Named Desire. Candillari’s 2026/27 season includes debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Seattle Opera, Baluarte, and Charlotte Symphony. She will also return to Lyric Opera of Chicago for her fourth appearance with the company, while also celebrating returns to Manhattan School of Music, OTSL, and others. Recent highlights include a debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a return to her alma mater, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She made a celebrated debut with the Canadian Opera Company, and two important house debuts in England, with Liverpool Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. As an avid adjudicator, she regularly works with The Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Indiana University. PATRICIA RACETTE | Stage Director Established as one of the foremost interpreters of Janáček and Puccini, Patricia Racette has garnered international acclaim for her portrayals of the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Jenůfa, and Kátya Kabanová, as well as Mimì in La bohème and the three principal soprano roles in both Il trittico and Dialogues des Carmélites. Racette made her directorial debut with a new production of La traviata at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) in the summer of 2018. Other OTSL productions have included Susannah and La voix humaine, the latter of which she both directed and sang the leading role. In the summer of 2026, she directs a new production of A Streetcar Named Desire for the company. Her Susannah was mounted at Opera 26

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Omaha this past winter. She looks forward to directorial debuts at Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago in the coming seasons. Racette was recently named Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She also continues to serve as the company’s Artistic Director of the Gerdine Young Artist and Richard Gaddes Festival Artist programs, which she has led since 2019. ALEXANDRA DIETRICH | Associate Stage Director Puerto Rican American stage director Alexandra Dietrich returns to Boston Lyric Opera as a Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist for the 2026/27 Season. Previous BLO credits include Assistant Stage Director, Daughter of the Regiment, Ride of the Valkyries!, Macbeth, The Seasons, and Mitridate; Staging Coordinator, Vanessa (in collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra); and Intimacy Director, The Seasons. This summer, she will be Assistant Stage Director for the 70th anniversary of The Ballad of Baby Doe at Central City Opera. Directing credits include Glory Denied, Opera Company of Middlebury; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Little Women, and A Little Night Music, Marblehead Little Theatre; The Little Prince, Longy School of Music and NEMPAC Opera; and La tragédie de Carmen, Boston Opera Collaborative. She was Assistant Director to Loretta Greco for The Light in the Piazza and The Hills of California at The Huntington, and to James Robinson for Awakenings at Odyssey Opera. With the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Ms. Dietrich was an Associate Artistic Producer on the GRAMMY®nominated recording of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. She served on the voice faculty at the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music as an Artist Faculty in Voice from 2019-2025. ANDREW BOYCE | Set Designer Andrew Boyce is a Chicago- and NYC-based designer working in theatre, opera, dance, and film/ TV. Past BLO credits include Giulio Cesare. Other opera credits include work with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Curtis Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Omaha, Opera

MEET THE ARTISTS San Jose, Opera Austin, San Antonio Opera, San Diego Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Kentucky Opera, among others. Dance credits include work with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Idaho, YYDC (Chelsea Factory), and PARA. MAR Dance Theatre. In NYC, he has worked on Broadway and with New York Theatre Workshop, Primary Stages, Lincoln Center, Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard, Roundabout, and more. He has worked with most major regional and LORT theaters across the U.S. Boyce holds an MFA from Yale School of Drama and is an Associate Professor of design at Northwestern University. andrewboycedesign.com AMANDA GLADU | Costume Designer Amanda Gladu is a New York Citybased costume designer working in theatre, dance, opera, and film. Select recent projects include La Passion de Simone, Curtis Opera Theatre; Amadeus, Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Nothing Follows, Catapult Opera; Macbeth, Boston Lyric Opera; Lunch Dances, Monica Bill Barnes & Company; Scales on the Wings of a Butterfly, BalletX; The Ghosts of Versailles, Shepherd School of Music; and Silent Light, National Sawdust. She has designed for Spoleto Festival, Ballet Hispánico, Joe’s Pub, The Wilma Theater, PARA.MAR Dance Theatre (2022 Dance Magazine Top 25 to Watch), Dance Aspen, Primary Stages, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others. Gladu is currently Special Visiting Faculty in Costume Design at Carnegie Mellon University. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University and a BA from University of Texas at Austin. ERIC SOUTHERN | Lighting Designer Eric Southern is an Obie Awardwinning designer working in theatre, opera, music, and dance. Boston Lyric Opera credits include William Tell, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. Recent projects include A Streetcar Named Desire, Don Pasquale, Tosca, Die Fledermaus, A Light in the Piazza, Julius Caesar and Galileo Galilei, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Susannah, Opera Omaha; Amadeus, Steppenwolf Theatre Company; and Swing State, Goodman Theatre and Audible Theater. His designs have been seen

internationally in London, Paris, Avignon, Tokyo, Seoul, Athens, Australia, Hanover, Zurich, and Romania. He is a longtime collaborator with the theater group 600 HIGHWAYMEN, where he has collaborated on many projects that have extensively toured throughout the US and internationally. He has designed many projects with companies including Lincoln Center, The Goodman, BAM, MTC, The New Group, Rattlestick Theater, Primary Stages, La Mama, Atlantic Theater Company, Center Theatre Group, and The Guthrie, among others. In opera and music, he has designed for Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Harris Theater, Prototype Festival, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He received both his BFA and MFA at NYU and is an Associate Professor in the MFA Stage Design Program at Northwestern University. ericsouthern.com KYLEE LOERA | Projection Designer Kylee Loera is a video designer and content creator/editor for live performances. Selected design credits include the Hispanic Heritage Awards, Warner Theatre; Gods and Mortals and Fidelio, Washington National Opera / Kennedy Center; Zemlinsky’s Room, BAM/little OPERA theatre of NY; Sing Happy, Louder Than Words, and Cockeyed Optimist, 92nd Street Y Kaufmann Concert Hall; Murder on the Orient Express and Frozen, Alabama Shakespeare Festival; The Light and the Dark, 59E59 Theaters; Jersey Boys, La Cage aux Folles, Frozen, Anything Goes, and Legally Blonde, The Muny; Three Mothers and Sweat, Capital Repertory Theatre; The Wizard of Oz, Children’s Theatre Company; The Ghost of Versailles, Rice University; and Young Frankenstein and The Color Purple, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. She has served as Associate Designer for The Metropolitan Opera for Florencia en el Amazonas and Champion, and at La Jolla Playhouse for Working Girl. More information can be found at kloeradesign.com. WILL VICARI | Hair, Wig & Makeup Designer Will Vicari (he/him) is a hair, wig, and makeup designer based in New York City. His Broadway credits include Real Women Have Curves and Yellow Face with Roundabout Theatre Company. AssoBLO | FALL 2026

MEET THE ARTISTS ciate Wig and Makeup Design credits include Ragtime (2025 Broadway Revival), Parade (2023 Broadway Revival and 2025 National Tour), Harmony, and Spamalot. Opera credits include Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ 2023-2026 seasons. Off-Broadway credits include Ginger Twinsies, Orpheum Theatre; Grief Camp, Atlantic Theater Company; Eurydice and Orlando, Signature Theatre; and The Connector (MCC). Regional credits include Camino Real starring Pamela Anderson, Williamstown Theatre Festival; Rhinoceros, Eden, Falcon Girls, the ripple, the wave that carried me home, and Mojada, Yale Rep; West Side Story and White Christmas, Paper Mill Playhouse; Ain’t Misbehavin’, Barrington Stage Company; and Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, Arena Stage. Vicari holds a BFA in wig and makeup design from Webster University and is co-owner of The Wig Associates with his design partner, Krystal Balleza. thewigassociates.com KRYSTAL BALLEZA | Hair, Wig & Makeup Designer Krystal Balleza (she/her) is a hair, wig, and makeup designer based in New York City. She designed for multiple shows for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during the company’s 2023-2026 seasons. Balleza’s Broadway credits include Real Women Have Curves. Off-Broadway, she has designed for Ginger Twinsies, Orpheum Theatre; Grief Camp, Atlantic Theater Company; Eurydice and Orlando, Signature Theater; The Connector, MCC; Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Good Bones, The Tempest, and A Raising in the Sun, The Public Theater; The Blood Quilt, Six Characters in Search of an Author, and At The Wedding, Lincoln Center; and Americano!, New World Stages. Her regional credits include Rhinoceros, Eden, Falcon Girls, the ripple, the wave that carried me home, and Mojada, Yale Rep; Ain’t Misbehavin’, Barrington Stage Company; Angels in America, Part One, Arena Stage; Real Women Have Curves, A.R.T.; and West Side Story and White Christmas, Paper Mill Playhouse. Balleza is the Hair and Makeup Department Head at Six: The Musical on Broadway. She holds a BFA in wig and makeup design from Webster University and is co-owner of The Wig Associates with her design partner, Will Vicari. thewigassociates.com 28

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ANGIE JEPSON | Intimacy Director/Fight Choreographer Angie Jepson is an intimacy director, fight choreographer, and professor based in the Boston area. She is thrilled to return to BLO after serving as the fight choreographer and intimacy director for William Tell, Daughter of the Regiment, Song of the Earth, Macbeth, Mitridate, and Carousel, as well as the intimacy director on The Anonymous Lover, La Cenerentola, and Bluebeard’s Castle | Four Songs. Her fight and intimacy work has been seen onstage at theaters including the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Huntington Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Gloucester Stage, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Greater Boston Stage Company, Central Square Theater, and at several universities in the Boston area. She is currently on the faculty at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she teaches in the theatre and opera departments. She is a certified intimacy director with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, and a certified teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. She holds an MFA in acting from Brandeis University. BRITTANY RENEE | Blanche DuBois GRAMMY® Award-winning soprano Brittany Renee is delighted to make her Boston Lyric Opera début as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. Throughout her career, Ms. Renee has enchanted audiences with her exquisite artistry and radiant stage presence. Her performance is a masterclass in sophistication and finesse, affirming her status as a rising star destined for a luminous future. In the 2025/26 season, Ms. Renee continued to dazzle the operatic world. Following her successful run at Washington National Opera, Ms. Renee made a highly anticipated return to The Metropolitan Opera as Bess in Porgy & Bess. In addition, she returned to San Francisco Opera as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking, joined Florentine Opera for her role début as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and performed excerpts of Porgy & Bess and Knoxville: Summer of 1915 in concert with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. In recent seasons, Ms. Renee brought her portrayal of Mu-

MEET THE ARTISTS setta in La bohème to The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera in her house début. She was also featured at National Sawdust as Esther in the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Silent Light. ANGELA YAM | Stella Kowalski Angela Yam is known for her impeccable musicianship and charismatic stage presence. As a Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist at Boston Lyric Opera, she appeared in Mitridate, Carousel, Macbeth, and Daughter of the Regiment. She is thrilled to return to BLO as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. Upcoming projects include La Cenerentola with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and Nannetta in Heartbeat Opera’s Falstaff. Previous engagements include Clorinda in La Cenerentola as a Wolf Trap Filene Artist; CioCio-San, Orgy & Bess, Heartbeat Opera; Calisto, La Calisto, Opera Memphis; Liesgen, Coffee Cantata, Boston Baroque; Horse/Rabbit, The Big Swim, Asia Society Texas/Houston Grand Opera; Johanna, Sweeney Todd, Chautauqua Opera and Opera Saratoga; Josephine Young (cover), An American Soldier, PAC NYC; and Cobweb, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Santa Fe Opera. Awards and honors include The Boston Globe’s “Best Breakout Performance in a Supporting Role,” being a winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation Art Song Grant Award and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition New York City District, and being featured on the cover of Opera Magazine. Yam’s output as a composer includes art songs, chamber/ dance works, and operas for Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, Catalyst New Music, Boston Opera Collaborative, songSLAM NYC, Robert Moses’ Kin, SMFA at Tufts, and DREAMGLOW. DAVID ADAM MOORE | Stanley Kowalski David Adam Moore leads a dynamic international career as a GRAMMY®-nominated baritone, director, and immersive media artist. He performs leading roles worldwide, including at The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Carnegie Hall, and the Salzburger Festspiele, with broadcast and recording credits including the

BBC, Arte TV, PBS, NPR, Radio France, RAI, Innova, and Erato. His repertoire exceeds 65 principal roles, with celebrated portrayals of Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Billy Budd, Joseph De Rocher, Stanley Kowalski, and Prior Walter. Moore has originated roles for leading 21st-century composers, including Thomas Adès (The Exterminating Angel), Sarah Kirkland Snider (Hildegard), David T. Little (Book of Dreams), Mary Kouyoumdjian (Adoration, GRAMMY®-nominated for Best Opera Recording), Peter Eötvös (Paradise Reloaded), and Laura Kaminsky (The Post Office). His work in immersive media, stage direction/design, and performance art has been presented by the Guggenheim, Hungarian State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and National Sawdust, among others. With director/designer Vita Tzykun, Moore is co-Artistic Director of the transdisciplinary collective GLMMR, presented worldwide—including Boston Lyric Opera’s recent production of William Tell, which they co-directed and co-designed. He serves on the faculty of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Theater Institute and is a two-time Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis. BRENTON RYAN | Harold Mitchell Brenton Ryan is a tenor widely recognized at internationally acclaimed opera houses and orchestras as a singer of great vocal diversity and dramatic depth. In the 2025/26 season, he returns to the role of Loge in a new production of Das Rheingold, marking his debut with the Osterfestspiel Salzburg. He will also perform the same role in concert with the Berlin Philharmoniker. Mr. Ryan continues his relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, singing Steuermann in Der Fliegende Holländer in Shanghai and Don Basilio in a concert performance of Le nozze di Figaro. He also returns to The Metropolitan Opera for his role debut as The Incredible in Andrea Chénier. Recent highlights include role debuts as Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw and Tony in West Side Story with Houston Grand Opera. He has performed over 100 times at The Metropolitan Opera, including his debut as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus BLO | FALL 2026

MEET THE ARTISTS dem Serail. Additional major appearances include roles at San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and LA Opera. Mr. Ryan is a winner of the Birgit Nilsson Prize at the 2016 Operalia competition and holds degrees from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and DePaul University. ERICA BROOKHYSER | Eunice Hubbell Erica Brookhyser made her professional debut with Boston Lyric Opera as Myrtale in Thaïs while still a student at the New England Conservatory in 2006. Nearly two decades later, she is recognized for her compelling interpretations of Carmen, Brangäne, Didon, Suzuki, and Preziosilla, as well as the Wagnerian roles of Waltraute, Wellgunde, and Zweite Norn. Recent appearances include her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in La traviata, a fully staged El Niño at Spoleto Festival USA, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Colorado, Brigitta in Die tote Stadt with Odyssey Opera, and a return to Los Angeles Opera as Meg Page in Falstaff. As principal mezzo-soprano at Staatstheater Darmstadt in Germany, she performed numerous leading roles, from Cherubino and Orfeo to Carmen and Didon. She has also appeared as Carmen at Seefestspiele Berlin and Theater Erfurt, and as Wellgunde at Nationaltheater Mannheim. Brookhyser gained international recognition as the winner of ARTE-TV’s Open Opera: Who Will Become Carmen? culminating in a live televised performance from Berlin. Additional honors include First Place in the Northwest Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and semifinalist status in the Operalia Competition. JULIETTE KAOUDJI | Flower Seller East Boston native Juliette Kaoudji, mezzo-soprano, joined Boston Lyric Opera in 2025/26 as a Witch in Macbeth, Clara the Maid in Vanessa, and in the ensemble of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. In 2026/27, she joins BLO as a Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist. With the Boston University Opera Institute, her roles have included Minskwoman, Flight; Stéphano, Roméo et Juliette; 30

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Ramona, The Eleanors; Zita, Gianni Schicchi; Paula, Florencia en el Amazonas; and Almera, Dark Sisters. She prepared Ginesa in El Caminante in one week for its premiere with the BU Symphony Orchestra and is on the first commercial recording released by Parma Recordings. Other contemporary work premieres include Scientist, Cosmic Cowboys, White Snake Projects and Jacob Shulman’s Role Playing Game, in which she originated the role of Mayrik. Credits with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra include Ghost of Cassandre, Les Troyens; Lady in Waiting, Don Carlo; and Druid Priestess, Norma. Kaoudji’s postgraduate roles at New England Conservatory included Mère Jeanne, Dialogues of the Carmelites; Nada, Svadba; Maman and Pâtre, L’enfant et les sortilèges; Dido and Sorceress (cover), Dido and Aeneas; Mrs. Grose, The Turn of the Screw; and Chloe, L’arbore di Diana. NEAL FERREIRA | Steve Hubbell Neal Ferreira is a nationally recognized lyric tenor known for his dynamic stage presence and cultivated vocalism. A recipient of Boston Lyric Opera’s 2009 Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence and a member of the inaugural class of the company’s Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists Initiative, he has appeared with BLO in over 25 productions. Favorite roles with the company include Loud Stone, Eurydice; Auctioneer/Taylor, Omar; Jazz Trio, Trouble in Tahiti; The Visitor, In the Penal Colony; Monostatos, The Magic Flute; and Tancredi, The Inspector. In the spring of 2026, he gave a memorable performance as The Duchess Crakenthorpe in Daughter of the Regiment. Ferreira regularly sings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and will return in January 2027 as Chaplitsky in The Queen of Spades under the baton of Andris Nelsons. Also this season, he will reprise his role as Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol with the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Other recent credits include Iopas, Les Troyens à Carthage, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras; Aubrey, Frederick Douglass, Boston Modern Orchestra Project; and Alpheus/Ares, Lysistrata, Odyssey Opera, the premiere recording of which

MEET THE ARTISTS was just released on PENTATONE. Ferreira is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music. SUOWEI WU | Young Collector Tenor Suowei Wu is from Wenzhou, China. In 2026, he joins Boston Lyric Opera as a Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist and Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Singer. He was awarded an Encouragement Award in the New England Region of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2025. Recent operatic engagements include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Bill in Flight. He also appeared in the world premiere of the original Chinese opera Butterflies, performing the role of the Teacher. His additional roles include Ferrando, Così fan tutte; Alfredo, Die Fledermaus; Jimmy, Later the Same Evening; and Lucano, L’incoronazione di Poppea). In concert, he has performed as a tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor. During the summer of 2025, he appeared at the Tanglewood Music Center, where he performed chamber music and art song recitals, and sang the roles of Frog and Teapot in L’enfant et les sortilèges. He holds a Master of Music in vocal performance from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Bradley Williams; and a bachelor’s degree from Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, China. JESSICA JACOBS | Nurse Lyric soprano Jessica Jacobs has been a member of the Boston Lyric Opera Chorus since 2019, appearing most recently in Mahler’s Third Symphony in collaboration with Vivo Performing Arts and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, and the 2026/27 season opener, William Tell. She has performed with organizations such as Boston Opera Collaborative, Seaglass Theater Company, Opera Vermont, Beth Morrison Projects, VOX New England, Salt Marsh Opera, Southold Opera, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, Opera51, and Opera Untapped. Jacobs is an alumna of the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music Masters in Music and Artist Diploma in Opera programs. She has received awards from the Metropoli-

tan Opera National Council Auditions, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the Peter Elvins Vocal Competition, and the Opera Vermont Vocal Competition. In addition to her performance career, Jacobs is the owner and operator of Somerville Music Spaces, a small business near Davis Square in Somerville, MA offering high-quality recording, performance, and rehearsal studios for performers. jessicajacobssoprano.com DAVID J. CASTILLO | Doctor David J. Castillo (he/they) is a multidisciplinary Afro-Latino creative from Boston, MA. He is thrilled to be making his Boston Lyric Opera mainstage debut after playing Sulpice in BLO’s Opera on Tour adaptation of Daughter of The Regiment last season. Select stage credits include Primary Trust, SpeakEasy Stage; Fat Ham, The Huntington/Alliance Theatre; Edward II, Actors’ Shakespeare Project; Baltimore, New Rep; The T Party, Company One; La Llorona, Fresh Ink; and Blood Wedding, Apollinaire. Film/TV credits include Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Rookie (ABC), True Story with Ed & Randall (Peacock), Mr. Mayor (NBC), and The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV+). Voiceover credits include Gasolina (Audible). Castillo holds a BFA in acting from Boston University. As a producer, he has worked on independent festivals such as GAY SH!T and Boston Theater Company’s Queer Voices Festival, as well as several pride events in the city of Boston including Road of Rainbows, POP, and Orgullo Latino. You can see him next in Webster’s Bitch at Greater Boston Stage Company. @DavJCastillo RICKY LEE OWENS, JR. | Pablo Ricky Lee Owens, Jr. is a countertenor from Dallas, Texas. His operatic credits include Refugee in Flight, Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Caio Silla in Ottone in Villa, with additional portrayals of Giulio Cesare, Oberon, Sesto, Orfeo, and Rinaldo. A two-time Boston District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, he has trained with SongFest, the Bayview Music Festival, and LA Opera’s HBCU Opera Career Comprehensive BLO | FALL 2026

MEET THE ARTISTS program. He will attend the Ravinia Steans Music Institute in the summer of 2026. Owens holds a B.A. in music from Prairie View A&M University and an M.M. in vocal performance / opera from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Graduate Diploma student at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he is a student of Bradley Williams. NINA YOSHIDA NELSEN | Artistic Director GRAMMY® Award-nominated mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen captivates audiences throughout North America and Europe with her world-class voice and magnetic stage presence. Over the past two seasons, Ms. Nelsen has maintained an active performance schedule alongside her work as Artistic Director of Boston Lyric Opera, demonstrating a commitment to remaining grounded in the art form she now helps to lead. On the operatic stage, she has performed the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Utah Opera, Anchorage Opera, and Calgary Opera; Hedwige in William Tell with Boston Lyric Opera, and Khanh in Huang Ruo’s Bound with Anchorage Opera. She has also appeared in concert, most recently as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic. In 2026, she received her first GRAMMY® nomination for her performance of Chen’s mother on the recording of Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier. In previous seasons, Ms. Nelsen joined Indianapolis Opera for the title role in Carmen and performed the role of Melissa in Alcina with Seattle Opera, Suzuki with Opera Carolina, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Utah Opera, and Mother Chen in An American Soldier at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, a role that she has previously performed with Bard SummerScape.

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BRADLEY VERNATTER | Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO Bradley Vernatter is the Stanford Calderwood General Director & Chief Executive Officer of Boston Lyric Opera, the company’s top leadership role. Now in his 13th year with BLO and leading the company since 2021, he has guided BLO’s recovery from the pandemic, driven the funding campaign for and the move into its Opera + Community Studios, and shaped the organization’s strategic plan, which will lead BLO into its 50th anniversary season in 2026/27. Throughout his career, Vernatter has produced a range of operas, multi-disciplinary performances, and media productions. In 2020, he was recognized by Boston Business Journal as one of Boston’s “40 Under 40” rising young leaders. He was a member of the YW Boston LeadBoston 2022 cohort and served on the board of advisors at Artists For Humanity, a non-profit that empowers teens through employment in the arts. Additionally, he contributes to social entrepreneurship projects addressing access to basic services. Previously, Vernatter served as BLO’s Acting General and Artistic Director, after having served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. Before BLO, he was Director of Operations for Opera Omaha and Associate Producer for the company’s ONE Festival. He held artistic and management positions with Wexford Festival Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, the Castleton (VA) Festival, and the Miller Theatre at Columbia University. Vernatter holds a Master of Business Administration from the IE-Brown MBA program (Madrid/Providence, R.I.), a Bachelor of Arts from Otterbein College, and a certificate in professional fundraising from Boston University. He is an alumnus of the OPERA America Leadership Intensive, through which he has participated in the Civic Action Group and as a grant reviewer

OPERA INNOVATORS

MASTERCLASSES • MENTORSHIP • COMMUNITY Presented in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston University, New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, and Boston Singers' Resource

The Opera Innovators Series brings internationally acclaimed opera professionals together with emerging singers for an afternoon of coaching, artistic exploration, and community building. Whether you’re performing or observing, these masterclasses offer an opportunity to learn from distinguished artists while connecting with singers, faculty, and professionals from across Greater Boston. All Opera Innovators events are free and open to the public.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLO

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BLO ARTISTS: OUR UNIONS

Boston Lyric Opera employs hundreds of singers, orchestra musicians, stagehands, designers, stage managers, and production crew members annually. The enormous collective effort of these groups on every production is supported by the advocacy of some of the major theatre workers’ unions who represent them: the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Much of the essential work done by this part of our broader artistic community happens behind the scenes. The Q&A below is an introduction to the how opera companies like BLO and unions like AFM, AGMA, and IATSE work together.

Who does each union represent? AFM (American Federation of Musicians) represents BLO’s orchestra musicians. AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) represents most of our onstage artists, as well as stage managers, stage directors, and choreographers. IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) contains local chapters that represent different groups: scenic, costume, lighting designers are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA829; production crew department heads and stagehands are represented by Local #11); and wardrobe crew are represented by Local #775. What role do these unions play in supporting artists, musicians, and production employees? These unions advocate for the artists, musicians, and production workers who comprise their membership. In some ways, opera companies like BLO that engage professional creative workers operate differently than other types of work that may be more traditionally associated with labor unions, such as steel 36

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workers, hospitality workers, transportation workers, etc. AFM, AGMA, and IATSE help performing arts employers like BLO know how to engage with their members and what resources we need to provide to ensure that our employees have the environment they need to provide the best artistic output they can. What differences can union membership (or lack thereof) make for an artist, musician, or production employee? An opera company like BLO that engages with one or more of these unions is often referred to as a “union house.” This means that the company can only employ union members to be part of a production, with rare exceptions. From an employee’s perspective, membership in AGMA, AFM, IATSE, or whichever union covers their specific type of work can give them access to productions and companies that they otherwise would not have, as well as the guaranteed protections that have been negotiated between the opera company and the union.

How do union negotiations work, and how often do they occur? AFM, AGMA, and IATSE negotiations with companies like BLO work through collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Each CBA has an agreed-upon length of time before it expires and must be renegotiated. At that point, both parties discuss existing elements to see which terms are working well and which require attention. Examples include pay rates, frequency and length of breaks during rehearsals, and requirements around media engagement. Each union functions a little differently, and each has its own separate CBA with BLO. Negotiations may involve union representatives who are current members, the union’s business representative(s), specific members of the opera company’s staff, and legal counsel. Depending on the union and the location or size of the opera company, union representatives may or may not be local. How long have these three unions been a part of the opera world in the U.S.? All three of the unions BLO engages with have been around for a long time: AGMA celebrated its 90th anniversary this past March, AFM just turned 130 a couple of weeks ago, and IATSE was founded 133 years ago. Within a year of its founding in 1936, AGMA was engaged in negotiations with major opera houses nationwide, including The Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera Company, and Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company. AFM was founded in Indianapolis in 1896 when a group of delegates broke away from the National League of Musicians, seeking to develop an organization that would be more inclusive to all members. IATSE was created as an industrial union representing backstage workers in live theater, and its history has been intertwined with opera companies from

the beginning. Many of its first local chapters already represented workers in major theatrical venues, including prominent opera houses like The Metropolitan Opera. Are there any major differences that come to mind between these three unions and other labor unions that our audiences may be more familiar with? BLO’s collective bargaining agreements with AFM, AGMA, and IATSE are all done in a way that supports the logistics of rehearsing and performing an opera, which entails some specific needs that are different from the CBAs negotiated by unions that represent, for example, the service industry or teachers. Similarly to other unions, ours protect our workers’ right to fair pay; however, our unions don’t just cover hourly pay rates, they also cover things like performance rates versus rehearsal rates. Another example of a more performance-specific need can be seen in how we discuss breaks for singers in AGMA negotiations: when we’re considering the number of consecutive hours worked before a break is required, we are thinking about the specific toll that the amount of singing has on the performers’ voices and bodies, and how much recovery time is required at specific points during the rehearsal and performance process. We talk about days off differently, too: in addition to things like federal holidays, we factor in considerations like what it means for our artists and musicians to have an appropriate amount of dedicated rest and prep time before they’re required to perform in front of an audience. IATSE members are technical theatre experts whose skills are essential to every production; conversations with IATSE can address things like requirements around building a set, troubleshooting equipment, and maintaining everyone’s physical safety in the venue.

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BLO REPERTOIRE HISTORY 2026/27 William Tell, Rossini A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn The Queen of Spades, Tchaikovsky The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart Lawrence Brownlee & Erin Morley in Recital Boston’s Community Opera Nadine Sierra in Recital Ayre, Golijov 2025/26 Macbeth, Verdi Ride of the Valkyries! Vanessa, Barber Symphony No. 3, Mahler Song of the Earth, Mahler Raehann in Recital, featuring Raehann Bryce-Davis Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti She Was There 2024/25 Mitridate, Mozart Aida, Verdi Die tote Stadt, Korngold The Seasons, Vivaldi/Ruhl Carousel, Rodgers & Hammerstein Noah’s Flood, Britten 2023/24 Madama Butterfly, Puccini La Cenerentola, Rossini The Anonymous Lover, Bologne Eurydice, Aucoin 2022/23 Romeo & Juliet, Gounod La bohème, Puccini Bluebeard’s Castle | Four Songs, Bartók & A. Mahler Omar, Giddens & Abels 2021/22 Cavalleria rusticana, Mascagni Svadba, Sokolović n “Blythely Ever After,” featuring Stephanie Blythe “Soul(Signs): Opera” n B. n Champion, Blanchard

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2020/21 “A Winter’s Evening” n The Fall of the House of Usher, Glass n Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss n (1991 production) desert in, Reid/peña/Darrah n RETRO+ Short Cuts n 2019/20 Pagliacci, Leoncavallo Fellow Travelers, Spears Norma, Bellini C Giulio Cesare, Handel C 2018/19 The Barber of Seville, Rossini Schoenberg in Hollywood, Machover The Rape of Lucretia, Britten The Handmaid’s Tale, Ruders 2017/18 Tosca, Puccini The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, Grant The Threepenny Opera, Weill Trouble in Tahiti | Arias & Barcarolles, Bernstein 2016/17 Carmen, Bizet Greek, Turnage The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart 2015/16 La bohème, Puccini In the Penal Colony, Glass Werther, Massenet The Merry Widow, Lehár 2014/15 La traviata, Verdi The Love Potion, Martin Kátya Kabanová, Janáček Don Giovanni, Mozart

2013/14 The Magic Flute, Mozart Lizzie Borden, Beeson Rigoletto, Verdi I puritani, Bellini 2012/13 Madama Butterfly, Puccini Clemency, MacMillan Così fan tutte, Mozart The Flying Dutchman, Wagner 2011/12 Macbeth, Verdi The Lighthouse, Davies The Barber of Seville, Rossini The Inspector, Musto 2010/11 Tosca, Puccini The Emperor of Atlantis, Ullmann Agrippina, Handel A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck * 2009/10 Carmen, Bizet The Turn of the Screw, Britten Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss Idomeneo, re di Creta, Mozart The Barber of Seville, Rossini * 2008/09 Les contes d’Hoffmann, Offenbach Rusalka, Dvořák Don Giovanni, Mozart The Magic Flute, Mozart * 2007/08 La bohème, Puccini L’elisir d’amore, Donizetti The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck * 2006/07 Madama Butterfly, Puccini Un ballo in maschera, Verdi Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart The Barber of Seville, Rossini *

2005/06 Lucia de Lammermoor, Donizetti La traviata, Verdi Thaïs, Massenet The Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti * 2004/05 L’italiana in Algeri, Rossini The Little Prince, Portman Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky Flight, Dove The Magic Flute, Mozart * 2003/04 Rigoletto, Verdi Tosca, Puccini Così fan tutte, Mozart Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck * 2002/03 Carmen, Bizet Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart La rondine, Puccini Die Fledermaus, J. Strauss The Barber of Seville, Rossini * 2001/02 Don Carlos, Verdi Resurrection, Machover Don Pasquale, Donizetti La bohème, Puccini The Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti * 2000/01 Madama Butterfly, Puccini Don Giovanni, Mozart Salome, R. Strauss The Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti The Magic Flute, Mozart * 1999/00 Aida, Verdi Akhnaten, Glass Die Zauberflöte, Mozart The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Foss * 1998/99 La traviata, Verdi Roméo et Juliette, Gounod Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart 1997/98 “Deborah Voigt in Concert” Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti The Ballad of Baby Doe, Moore Werther, Massenet

1996/97 Tosca, Puccini The Shepherd King, Mozart L’elisir d’amore, Donizetti

1983/84 Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss Il trovatore, Verdi Madama Butterfly, Puccini

1995/96 Faust, Gounod Falstaff, Verdi Xerxes, Handel

1982/83 Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle), Wagner

1994/95 Rigoletto, Verdi Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini Candide, Bernstein 1993/94 I puritani, Bellini Carmen, Bizet The Postman Always Rings Twice, Paulus 1992/93 La bohème, Puccini Beatrice and Benedict, Berlioz Wuthering Heights, Floyd 1991/92 La Cenerentola, Rossini Lost in the Stars, Weill The Tales of Hoffman, Offenbach 1990/91 The Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss Regina, Blitzstein 1989/90 Tosca, Puccini The Flying Dutchman, Wagner La traviata, Verdi 1988/89 The Portrait of Manon, Massenet Thérèse, Massenet Dialogues des Carmélites, Poulenc 1987/88 Maria Stuarda, Donizetti The Turn of the Screw, Britten

1981/82 Norma, Bellini The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart Werther, Massenet 1980/81 Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti La clemenza di Tito, Mozart The Consul, Menotti The Coronation of Poppea, Monteverdi 1979/80 King for a Day, Verdi The Impresario, Mozart Trouble in Tahiti, Bernstein 1977/78 (Performed) “A Jenny Lind Gala,” featuring Elizabeth Parcells 1977/78 (Announced but not performed) Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti The Two Widows, Smetana Four Saints in Three Acts, Thomson 1976/77 Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti The Dog and the Sparrow | The Brementown Musicians, Earls Zaïde, Mozart The Story of the Wise Woman and the King, Orff

1986/87 Rigoletto, Verdi The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky 1985/86 Agrippina, Handel Façade, Walton La voix humaine, Poulenc The Barber of Seville, Rossini 1984/85 First the Music, Then the Words, Salieri The Impresario, Mozart

* Opera for Young Audiences production n Digital production C Canceled due to COVID-19

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ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION PERSONNEL BLO ORCHESTRA Violin Annie Rabbat Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser Orchestra Leader Sarah Atwood Principal Second Violin Stacey Alden Heather Braun-Bakken Heidi Braun-Hill Colin Davis Rohan Gregory Yeolim Nam Zoya Tsvetkova Hikaru Yonezaki Mitsuru Yonezaki Viola Leonardo Vásquez Chacón Principal David Feltner Noriko Hendron Donna Jerome Cello Melanie Dyball Acting Principal Miriam Bolkosky Steven Laven Jacqueline Ludwig Selby Bass Barry Boettger Acting Principal Kevin Green Flute Linda Toote Principal Ann Bobo

ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS Clarinet Jan Halloran Principal Nicholas Brown

Willa Piro Associate Costume Designer Adrianna Desier Durantt Scenic Design Associate

Bassoon Ronald Haroutunian Principal Rachel Juszczak

Michael Janney Stage Manager Jolie Frazer-Madge Assistant Stage Manager Elizabeth Ramirez Assistant Stage Manager Dylan Reid Properties Supervisor Cheyenne Sykes Assistant Lighting Designer Liz Perlman Costume Director Gail Buckley Costume Supervisor Natalia St Jean Surtitle Operator Matthew Shifrin Audio Description Consultant & Blind/Low Vision Expert Gwen Coburn Audio Describer/Surtitle Narrator Joshua Olumide Audio Describer Alyssa Schlaifer Stage Management Intern

Horn Kevin Owen Principal Dirk Hillyer Trumpet Terry Everson Acting Principal Mary-Lynne Bohn Trombone Drew Robertson Principal Cameron Owen Tuba Donald Rankin Principal Timpani/Percussion Craig McNutt Principal Percussion William Manley Acting Principal Harp Amanda Romano Foreman Acting Principal Synthesizer Douglas Sumi Acting Principal

Oboe Nancy Dimock Principal Grace Shryock

COVERS Jessica Jacobs Stella Kowalski Jacob O’Sheal Stanley Kowalski Neal Ferreirat Harold Mitchell Juliette Kaoudjil Eunice Hubbell Daniel Lugol Steve Hubbell Ricky Lee Owens, Jr.l Doctor SUPERNUMERARIES Daniel Lugol

l t

Boston Lyric Opera Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist Boston Lyric Opera Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist Alum

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PRODUCTION STAFF

PRODUCTION CREW Michael Geoghegan Head Production Carpenter TJ Willis First Assistant Production Carpenter Hanna McGugan Head Production Electrician Gordon Manson Lighting Programmer Laura Hildebrand Lighting Programming Associate Dexter Feliciano First Assistant Production Electrician Anne Dresbach Second Assistant Production Electrician David Picot Head Production Properties Corey Pendergast First Assistant Production Properties Bryan Ritchie Audio/Video Supervisor Jack Gruman Projection Programmer Chris Norman Head of Production Video Joshua DeChristopher Head of Production Audio Dianna Reardon Wardrobe Supervisor Erin Vadala First Assistant Wardrobe Monique Peoples Graham Second Assistant Wardrobe Melinda Abreu Hair & Makeup Supervisor Dawn Sloane First Assistant Hair & Makeup MUSIC STAFF Clancy Ellis l Cover Run Conductor William Manley Orchestra Contractor & Music Librarian

The artists and stage managers employed on these productions are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists. All musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. Many of the scenic, costume, and lighting designers are members of United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Stagehands are represented by Local #11 of IATSE. Wardrobe crew are represented by Local #775 of IATSE. BLO is a member of OPERA America, the national service organization for opera in the US and Canada.

presents

Where reverence shows up in rhinestones.

December 5th PROVINCETOWN TOWN HALL, PROVINCETOWN, MA

December 18th & 19th JORDAN HALL, BOSTON, MA

December 20th GROTON HILL MUSIC CENTER, GROTON, MA

Scan the QR code to learn more and purchase your tickets today. bgmc.org 617-542-SING

Christmas Christmas with with the the

Back Back Bay Bay Ringers Ringers United F United First irst P Parish arish C Church hurch Quincy, M Quincy, MA A

December 5 December 5 || 2pm 2pm

December 12 December 12 || 7pm 7pm South S outh C Church hurch Andover, ndover, M MA A A

December 6 December 6 || 3pm 3pm Emmanuel E mmanuel C Church hurch Boston, B oston, M MA A

December 19 December 19 || 2pm 2pm Christ C hrist C Congregational ongregational C Church hurch Brockton, rockton, M MA A B

December 12 December 12 || 2pm 2pm Ames A mes M Memorial emorial H Hall all Salem, alem, M MA A S

December December 19 19 || 7pm 7pm Wellesley W ellesley V Village illage C Church hurch Wellesley, W ellesley, M MA A

For F or h handbell a n d b e l l cconcert o n c e r t ttickets ickets a and n d iinformation nformation v i s i t backbayringers.org visit backbayringers.org

BLO NEIGHBORS:

Boston Arts Academy Founded in 1998, Boston Arts Academy (BAA) is the city’s only full inclusion public high school for the visual and performing arts. BAA students can choose to study vocal music performance, instrumental music performance, multimedia entertainment and production, acting, set design, filmmaking, studio art, graphic design, fashion technology, or a range of dance opportunities. Boston Arts Academy is one of the 10 Greater Boston-area schools that currently participate in Boston Lyric Opera’s Create Your Own Opera (CYOO) partnership, a program that supports both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of opera through arts integration in K-12 classrooms. Based in the 25-year-old, nationally recognized Music! Words! Opera! Curriculum, CYOO brings BLO’s resident teaching artists into classrooms to collaborate with both music and non-music teachers. After implementing arts-integrated lessons into their daily curricula over the course of several months, the work culminates in a collaborative performance or presentation by the students. Often, student groups that participate in CYOO decide to create an original story or adapt a story they know into an opera. For the past two years, BAA students have decided to take a different approach, choosing to engage with existing operatic repertoire, experiencing the unique challenges and satisfaction of putting their own stamp on works that already have a legacy in the operatic world. Last season, they developed an all-treble-voice rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan’s comedy The Pirates of Penzance, with the previous year’s group diving into Bizet’s Carmen. In addition to the CYOO partnership, Boston Arts Academy students regularly attend BLO’s Final Dress Rehearsals and have been engaged to perform as part of past BLO productions. In 44

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June 2026, a group of BAA students performed at She Was There, a program that focused on the often-overlooked stories of Black women throughout history. And just a few weeks ago, several BAA voice students sang in a master class with Michael Fabiano, the featured performer at BLO’s 50th Anniversary Opera Gala. Molly Jo Rivelli, Boston Arts Academy’s classical vocal and choir teacher, shared some of her insight about BAA’s years of partnership with BLO: How long has BAA been engaged in the Create Your Own Opera residency? Boston Lyric Opera has supported my Opera/ Music Theater Scenes class at Boston Arts Academy since fall 2017, providing invaluable staging and character development support, both in person and online throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have continued to adapt alongside us through two school building moves and new performance spaces, making them an imaginative and enduring partner in our students’ artistic education, helping to provide stability and vision during trying times. How have you and your students benefited from engagements with BLO? Since 2018, my students and I have had the opportunity to attend Boston Lyric Opera dress rehearsals, masterclasses, and in-house performances. These experiences have given our students a behind-the-scenes look at professional opera, connecting what they learn in the classroom to the work of working artists

and inspiring them to see themselves as part of the world of opera. One of my most memorable moments was when our students were invited to perform a medley from Once on This Island as part of the pre-show for BLO’s I Pagliacci in 2019. It was incredibly special to see our students share their work at a professional event and experience firsthand what it feels like to be part of the larger Boston opera community. What are your hopes and dreams about continued engagements with BLO? I’m excited to continue growing our partnership with BLO through in-class teaching support, more performance opportunities, and meaningful collaborations between our students and BLO artists. I especially hope we can find more opportunities, in collaboration with BLO, to take our students’ work beyond our school building and into the Boston community, allowing them to share their artistry with a wider audience. Do your students have anything to add? “ BAA’s partnership with BLO means so much to me as a young artist. I’ve gotten to see incredible productions like Carousel at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, which continue to inspire my love for opera. Having professionals come

in and work with us has transformed my musicianship: how I carry myself as a performer, my stage presence, my mindset, and so much more.” - Eliza “ Boston Lyric Opera has helped me discover what is possible for me as a young artist. The opportunities and experiences I’ve had with BLO have meant so much to me, such as when I performed for the Black History event they held in June. As someone who is still growing musically, opportunities like this help to encourage me to keep going and reminds me how important it is to have spaces where young artists can perform and be heard.” - Harmoney This piece is part of a season-long celebration of BLO’s community, anchored by our Artists, Audiences, Champions, and Neighbors. The individuals and groups recognized in these features represent just some of the thousands who have shaped, supported, and sustained us for the past 50 years. Photo: Boston Arts Academy students present their alltreble-voice version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance in 2026 as part of their Create Your Own Opera partnership with BLO.

COURTESY OF BLO STAFF

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Congratulations to Boston Lyric Opera on 50 years of enriching Greater Boston through artistic excellence, cultural engagement, and community impact. 800-457-4901 | winstonflowers.com

Culture & Celebration Cheers to Boston Lyric Opera for 50 years of artistic enrichment. The table is set for decades to come.

Now Booking Private Events Opera + Community Studios @thecateredaffair | thecateredaffair.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Boston Lyric Opera extends its gratitude to the following vendors, partners, individuals, community organizations, and school partners for their extraordinary courtesy in making our 2026/27 Season possible: 4Wall Entertainment 29 Pine Acentech, Inc. | Carl Rosenberg, Jonah Sacks, Khaleela Zaman Allison Voth American Repertory Theater Artists for Humanity ArtsBoston Arts Connect International ArtsEmerson Ball Square Films | Kathy Wittman Beth Harris | Fortepiano Tuner Boston Centers for Youth & Families Boston Children’s Museum Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston Harbor Now Boston Properties Boston Public Library Boston Public Schools Visual & Performing Arts Office Boston Singers' Resource Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston University | College of Fine Arts C3 Commercial Construction Consulting, Inc. | Doug Anderson Capron Lighting & Sound Co. | Jeff Antonellis, Ryan Frost Catalyst New Music The Catered Affair Charlestown Navy Yard City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP | Andrew Eisenberg Costume Works, Inc. | Liz Perlman Christie Lites Cultural Equity Incubator Devon Lumber Dynamix, Inc. Emerson Colonial Theatre – ATG Entertainment Falcetti Pianos | John Slavick First Parish Brookline Flansburgh Architects Fly Over the City The French Library The Friends of Titus Sparrow Park Furnished Quarters GBH Gilbane Building Company HallKeen Management | Jennifer Zarrella, Randy Pelletier Hibernian Hall | Harris Lefteri HILB Group HUB International The Huntington HYM Investment Group IATSE Local #11 JACET | Colleen Glynn

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Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción Janet Buecker JCA Arts Marketing Jim Jenson JKJ Retirement Services | Ben Hall, Jack McDonald King Richard’s Faire Longy School of Music MASARY Studios Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Megan Gilron | Staging Research Metropolis Garage Midway Artist Studios | Raber Umphenour Mike Marchetti Mike Mejia Andrew Motta Museum of Science Myles Standish Business Condominiums National Parks of Boston NEPS Primary Freight New England Conservatory of Music Nile Scott Studios | Nile Hawver No Swet Productions, LLC On the Mark Archery PEAK Rentals Powers Music School PRG Broadway, LLC Production Advantage ProPrint Red Apple Farm Tony Rickard Robert Silman Associates Structural Engineers | Ben Rosenberg, Steven Au Yeung The Rose Kennedy Greenway Rosebrand, Inc. Ryder Transportation Sew What, Inc. | Andrea Fraser Seyfarth Shaw, LLP | Brian Michaelis Sika Consulting | Kemarah Sika Smartpress SoWa Boston Starburst Printing & Graphics, Inc. Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. | Michael Radin TDF | Theatre Development Fund Tessitura The Trustees of Reservations United Parish Brookline United Staging & Rigging | Eric Frishman Vantage Technology Consulting Group | Geoffrey Tritsch Vivo Performing Arts WBUR Winston Flowers YW Boston

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA STAFF NILE HAWVER/NILE SCOTT STUDIOS

LEADERSHIP

PHILANTHROPY

Bradley Vernatter Stanford Calderwood General Director & Chief Executive Officer Nina Yoshida Nelsen Artistic Director David Angus Music Director Anne Bogart Artistic Associate

Megan Bernard Interim Senior Director of Philanthropy Amy Gingle Campaign Director Laura Jekel Director of Annual Giving & Philanthropy Charlotte Porter Principal Philanthropy Advisor Joanna Safarik Senior Philanthropy Advisor Shelly Cornell Senior Philanthropy Advisor Eileen Puzo Gala Manager Randy Biagas-Hill Philanthropy Coordinator Katherine Leary Prospect Researcher

ARTISTIC & COMMUNITY Ben Richter Senior Director of Producing Operations Lisa Hanson Director of Producing Operations Nancy McDonald Director of Business Operations Morgan Beckford Director of Community & Learning Scot Burckhardt Director of Production Brett Hodgdon Head of Music & Chorus Director Ian Rouillard Assistant Director of Production V Brancazio Community & Learning Manager Alexis Feldman Community & Learning Coordinator Natalie Main Artistic Coordinator Michael Janney Producing Associate Kacie Brown Resident Teaching Artist Sepehr Davallou Resident Teaching Artist Laura Nevitt Resident Teaching Artist Hannah Shanefield Resident Teaching Artist Ji Yung Lee Coach/Pianist Brendon Shapiro Coach/Pianist Douglas Sumi Coach/Pianist ADMINISTRATION Lizabeth Malanga Senior Director of Administration Libby B. Snyder Office Administrator Eboni Bell Executive Administrator Anahi Paulino Rumaldo Executive Office Associate Erika Dooley Director of People & Culture FINANCE Jarrell Perkins Chief Financial Officer Michelle Rawding Finance Manager

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Julia Propp Managing Director Alfredo Muñoz Director of Marketing & Sales Ryan Cannister Marketing & Communications Manager RhondaLeigh Dauphinais Interim CRM Project Manager Kathryn DeNitto Director of Institutional Relations Amy Advocat Manager of Institutional Communications & Philanthropy Charley Gibson Audience Services Manager Lauren Florek Senior Patron Services Coordinator Natalia St Jean Editorial Coordinator Wren Rodziewicz Database Coordinator Natalie Barnaby Patron Services Associate Nicole DeGrandpre Marketing Associate JMK PR Public Relations Leapfrog Arts Graphic Design Wetherbee Creative Graphic Design Mouth Media Website JCA Consulting CRM Applications Russell Philanthropies Consultant Phillip C. Song, MD Consulting Laryngologist Division Chief of Laryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Dr. Charmain Jackman Mental Health & Wellbeing Consultant | InnoPsych Art & Soul Consulting Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Think Outside the Vox Accessibility Partner EMERITUS ARTISTS John Conklin Artistic Advisor and Designer Emeritusu

As of October 5, 2026 u

Deceased

BLO | FALL 2026

OPERA + COMMUNITY STUDIOS We’re almost there — help BLO reach the finish line! We’re proud to share that over $10 million has already been raised toward Boston Lyric Opera’s $11 million goal to establish our Opera + Community Studios — BLO’s new civic arts space in Fort Point where artists & communities will create, connect, and collaborate. Opera + Community Studios is more than a building — it’s a civic investment in Boston’s cultural future. Help BLO raise the final $900,000 to bring this shared arts space to life by 2026.

Scan the QR code to make a donation

BLO STAFF

Brenda Rae & Kenneth Kellogg in rehearsal for BLO’s 2026 Daughter of the Regiment at the Opera + Community Studios.

EMERGING ARTISTS

2026

2027

Claire Burreson

Alexandra Dietrich Director

Conductor

Daniel Lugo

Jacob O’Shea

Ricky Lee Owens, Jr.

Soprano

Tenor

Baritone

Clancy Ellis

Countertenor

Juliette Kaoudji

Mezzo-Soprano

Mary Kray

Mezzo-Soprano

Yanghao Liu

Zizhao Wang

Suowei Wu

Dani Zhang

Bass-Baritone

Tenor

Baritone

Soprano

MEET THE NEW COHORT

2026/27 Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists Initiative Throughout the season, BLO’s Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists perform, train, and collaborate alongside some of today’s leading opera professionals. You’ll encounter them on our stages, at community events, and throughout the city as they develop their artistry and help shape the future of opera in Boston. Meet the Artists:

DONORS We are honored to recognize our donors who generously support Boston Lyric Opera through gifts to our annual fund and The Opera Gala. We are deeply grateful for the following contributions made to BLO between contributions made to BLO between July 1, 2025 and September 1, 2026. Our fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, and we list donors at the level of their total giving made during a fiscal year — either this fiscal year or last — whichever is highest. MEMBERS ($100 - $2,999) | We are grateful for the commitment of our members, the largest community of supporters at BLO. Members enjoy opportunities to explore opera and engage with others who share their passion through invitations to special events and other exciting benefits. ORFEO SOCIETY ($3,000 +) | The Orfeo Society supports BLO in all our endeavors, from stage to film to community programs. These aficionados come together regularly to hear artists perform and to learn about our groundbreaking productions from the creative teams, all while providing invaluable direct support to BLO. GOLDOVSKY SOCIETY | Membership is given in recognition of those who have made a provision in a will, living trust, deferred gift plan, or retirement plan that will benefit BLO. ENDOWMENT | We recognize donors to our endowment, who believe in BLO’s fiscal sustainability. For more information or to make a gift, please contact our Philanthropy Team at donorservices@blo.org or 617.702.8975. If you note that your donation is not reflected correctly in this playbill, please contact Randy Biagas-Hill, Philanthropy Coordinator, at rbiagashill@blo.org or 617.702.8975.

CRESCENDO ($100,000+) Anonymous (2) Jane & Steven* Akin Barr Foundation Linda Cabot Black Willa* & Taylor Bodman Rick Burnes* Katie & Paul Buttenwieser Gerard & Sherryl Cohen Alicia M. Cooney* & Stephen Quigley Wayne Davis* & Ann Merrifield Alan & Lisa Dynner Andrew L. Eisenberg* & John Vetrano Marilee Wheeler Trust Charitable Fund Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism The Paul* & Sandrau Montrone Family Winfield* & Linda Perry David W. Scudder & Betsy Ridge Wendy Shattuck & Sam Plimpton Mr.* & Mrs. Ray Stata

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VIVACE ($50,000 - $99,999) Miguel* & Suki de Bragança Barbara & Amos Hostetter Susan W. Jacobs* The Joseph & Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Janika* & George LeMaitre Abigail B. Mason* Massachusetts Cultural Council Miss Wallace Minot Leonard Foundation Mrs. E. Lee Perry Susan & Bill Poduska Helen Pounds Christine & Michael Puzo* Stephen* & Geraldine Ricci PRESTO ($25,000 - $49,999) Anonymous (1) Peter Ascoli Ms. RoAnn Costin Mr. Mark H. Dalzell John H. Deknatel & Carol M. Taylor Robert Eastman* Jack D. Gorman* Maria Krokidas* & Bruce Bullen

John M. Loder* Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture David & Janet McCue Anne M. Morgan Lise Olney & Tim Fulham* OPERA America Mr. & Mrs. A. Neilu Pappalardo Ms. Maria Park* Janet & Irv Plotkin* The ‘Quin Impact Fund Erinn* & Jason Rhodes Allison Ryder* & David Jones Ted Snowdon & Duffy Violante ALLEGRO ($10,000 - $24,999) Anonymous (2) BPS Arts Expansion Fund at EdVestors Ms. Ellen Cabot* Susan Denison Estate of Emily C. Hoodu Frank Graves* & Christine Dugan Kathy & Ron Groves The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation Sylvia Han* & Bruce Rubenstein

Mr. Keith Higgins Kristine A. Moyer Higgins & Robert F. Higgins Lisa Hillenbrand Mr.u & Mrs. Edward C. Johnson Amelia* & Joshua Katzen Milling Kinard Butler & Lois Lampson Drs. Lynne* & Sidney Levitsky Lincoln & Therese Filene Foundation Russell López* & Andrew Sherman Dr. Joseph & Mrs. Anita* Loscalzo Nagesh Mahanthappa & Valentine Talland Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Jason & Deborah McManus MEDITECH Jo Frances Meyer* & Carl Herbert Elaine Murphy* in memory of Buck Haberkorn Paul & Edith Babson Foundation William & Lia Poorvu Melinda & James Rabb Peter & Suzanne Read Mr.* & Mrs. Vincent & Robin Rougeau Russell Philanthropies Barbara* & Andrew Senchak Rumena & Alexander* Senchak Larry* & Beverly St. Clair Andrew Szentgyorgyi, Nicholas Szentgyorgyi & Nancy Brickhouse Prof. & Mrs. Richard S. Tedlow Bradley Vernatter Dr. Robert Walsh* & Lydia Kenton Walsh* Weiler Family Fund Peter J. Wender* Jerry Wheelock & Elizabeth Wood Wilson Family Charitable Fund Michael Wyzga & Judy Ozbun George* & Moira Yip Ms. Tania Zouikin* ADAGIO ($5,000 - $9,999) Anonymous (3) Anonymous in memory of James W. Boynton Mark & Pam Alcaide Nancy Altschuler Mr. Peter Ambler & Ms. Lindsay Miller The Amphion Foundation Bill & Vicki Barke Drs. Susan E. Bennett* & Gerald B. Pier Roger Berman

Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc. The Chay Family Ms. Mei Po Cheung Lynn Dale & Frank Wisneski Mr. Lawrence M. DeVito* Ms. JoAnne Dickinson* Laura Dike* & Vaughn Miller Dr. Jordan S. Ruboy Charitable Fundu The Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation Zach Durant-Emmons & Willis* Emmons Martin Elvis & Giuseppina Fabbiano Fremont Giving Fund Wally Gilbert Melissa Gilliam & William Grobman Dr. Kurt D. Gress & Mr. Samuel Y. Parkinson Nick & Marjorie Greville Mr. Joseph Hammer David Hoffman* Amy Hunter* & Steven Maguire Ms. Louise Johnson* Ellen & Robert Kaplan Liana Enterprises Kate Meany* Gregory E. Moore & Wynne W. Szeto* Mary & Sherif Nada Mario & Nancy Nicosia Jane Pisciottoli Papa* Anthony & Katharine Pell Mr. Carl Rosenberg Stephen & Peg Senturia R. S. Steinberg Ms. Tricia Swift* Mr.* & Mrs. Frank Tempesta Dr. Nelson Thaemert & Mr. Brian Gokey Ms. Amy Tsurumi* Yin-Yin Wang* GRAZIOSO ($3,000 - $4,999) Anonymous (3) John Barstow & Genie Ware Mr. John W. Brewer Tip & Nino Catalano Priscilla Deck & Sean Kelly Kathryn DeNitto Ms. Kathleen Emrich & Mr. Robert Sherwood Elaine Epstein & Jim Krachey Anne Giudice Dr. Maydee G. Lande in memory of her father Alice Levine & Paul Weissman Rebecca Nemser John & Debra Sculley

Mr. John Stevens & Ms. Virginia McIntyre Ernst Ter Haar Michael Young ADVOCATE ($1,000 - $2,999) Anonymous (5) Anonymous in honor of Benedict Hensley, baritone Mr. Bernard Aserkoff Michael Barza & Judith Robinson Christine Bassett & Carey Alexander Richard & Mahala Beams Stacey Brenner Sherie & Walter Bush Ms. Nina Cohen Marjorie B. & Martin Cohn William & Ellen Cross Todd Darling Marianne DePamphilis & Ronald Caccavaro Valerie Dixon Anne Lyons Dolan in memory of Susan Eastman Mr. Mark Donohoe Ms. Priscilla Douglas Edmund & Betsy Cabot Charitable Foundation Johannes Eijmberts & Wiebe Tinga Mark Elefante & Amy Selinger Eli Lilly & Company Foundation Christopher & Hilary Gabrieli Gatling Family Giving Fund Temple Gill & Christopher Yens Dr. David Golan & Dr. Laura Green Susan Goldberg & Geoffrey Etnire Susan Graham Johnston HarborOne Foundation The Hargrove Pierce Foundation Dr. Robert J. Henry, M.D. Mimi Hewlett Art & Eloise Hodges Adam Jaffe & Pamela Jorgensen Mr. Adrian Jones Eva R. Karger Stan & Sandy Keller Mary Jane Kornacki & Jacob Silversin Ms. Lucy LaFleche Pam Lassiter Marilyn Levitt & Andrew Friedland The Lindzen Family Maestro Keith Lockhart & Ms. Emiley Zalesky Lockhart Joe & Pam LoDato Tod Machover & June Kinoshita Steven Maler & Anthony Liquori Mr. Joseph Mari Ms. M. Lynne Markus

BLO | FALL 2026

Rob & Danny McBride Andrew & Jillian* McGrath The Michaud Family Ms. Kati Mitchell Mark & Caroline Murphy Jeff Nelsen & Nina Yoshida Nelsen Esther Nelson & Bernd Ulken Shari & Christopher Noe Jean & Bryan Olson Mr. Anthony Pangaro & Ms. Creelea Henderson Heidi & Lewis Pearlson The Prone Family Foundation Michael Raizman William Reinfeld Art & Elaine Robins Simon Rosenthal & Nouri Newman Lee Sandwen Ellie Schmidt Lisa Serafin Sheehan & Brian Sheehan Annie Short Lesley Silvester & E.J. Kahn III Susan Stamler Richard Starbuck & Deane Hall Campbell Steward Ms. Melissa Tully Ms. Paula Tyack Mary Verhage Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation Roderick & Margaret Wagner Steve Walch & Linda Williams Thomas Watson Albert & Judith Zabin SUSTAINER ($500 - $999) Anonymous (4) Anonymous in honor of Hans Eijmberts & Wiebe Tinga Ameriprise Diane M. Austin & Aaron J. Nurick Daren Bascome Nina & Donald Berk Peter Bienstock Garen Bohlin & Diana Sorensen Gene & Lloyd Dahmen Carl Folta & Molly Lemeris in honor of Maria Krokidas Arthur & Gloria Fox Ms. Christine G. Hannon Pauline Ho Bynum in memory of Susan Eastman Thomas & Sonja Ellingson Hout Martin Kalilow Ricardo & Marla Lewitus Mr. Merrill Mack Eric Mankin Hannah Martin Ms. Virginia Meany

BLO | FALL 2026

Judy C. Miner Robertu & Carolyn Osteen Mr. Gene Pokorny Julia Propp Mr. Michael Schaefer Mr. Robert Shapiro Ann B. Teixeira Michael & Judith Thoyer in honor of Erinn Rhodes The Trees Family Judith Verhave Linda & Harvey Weiner Steve Weiner & Don Cornuet Mr. & Ms. Douglas Woodlock Harvey Young & Heather Schoenfeld CONTRIBUTOR ($250 - $499) Anonymous (5) Anonymous in memory of Thomas Duffy Gill, Jr. Dean Anderson & Jean Scarrow Stephen Ansolabehere & Laurie Gould Nancy Berkowitz Sarah B. Blume in honor of Linda Cabot Black John & Irene Briedis C. Anthony Broh & Jennifer L. Hochschild Ms. Janet Buecker Mr. & Mrs. Philip Cantillon Ms. Jane Carr & Mr. Andrew Hertig Ms. Kathryn Disney Robert Doane Lisa Dobberteen Anne & Gary Dunning Svetlana Evdokimova Mr. Lloyd Fillion Kate Gilbert & Chris Colbert Sandra Gilpatrick Prof. James A. Glazier Brian Harbour Mr. & Mrs. James J. Harper Anneliese Henderson William Hess in honor of Thomas Hess Courtney Keller & Kyle Murray Carol Kemp Mr. Anthony & Mrs. Susan Kiernan Robert W. Kruszyna Ken Maillar & Annie Grear Bruce Malin Deena Matowik Margaret McDormand in memory of Anna Elizabeth McDormand Luke & Susie Perry Helen R. Pillsbury Larry Pratt

R. Lynn Rardin & Lynne A. O’Connell Mr. Jack Reynolds in memory of Stevie Giacalone Susan Rodgerson* Bette Roth Nicholas G. Russell Mr. Frank Santangelo Lauren Schultes Ellie Starr John & Mary Tarvin Jerome Weinstein Susan Wing & Thomas Lavin SUPPORTER ($100 - $249) Anonymous (20) J Adams & P Comeau Lawrence Bair Alan Benenfeld Stuart & Dorothy Bless Mrs. Katharine Boden Michael Bojanowski Jerry Boyd & Lisa Chin Carol V. Brown Denise Casper Erin Coffey & Peter Lamb Collupy System Solutions Mr. Robert Coren & Mr. John W. Gintell Shelly Cornell Elizabeth Coxe Charleen Daniels Linda Davis P.A.C. Delory William DePeter Erin Doherty & David McFerrin Sheila & Charles Donahue Ms. Catharine-Mary Donovan Lance Drane & Elizabeth Wylde The Edwards Family Cindy & Moshe Elmekias Ms. Christina Englund Amy Feind Reeves Jesseca Ferguson Mr. Ralph Gioncardi in memory of Susan D. Eastman Gilda Guttman Dr. Rachel F. Haft & Dr. Jeffrey S. Brown Jacqueline G. Haslett, EdD Laura Hess June Homer Laura Jekel Peter Jordan Yuen Kwan Dennis Lamser Heather A. Laplante Anker Lerrer Rob Loomis & Leslie Becker William J. Lundregan III

Mr. Roderick MacDonald Barbara P. Madden William V. Madison in honor of Vita Tzykun & David Adam Moore Malden Catholic High School Mr. & Mrs. Robert Marshall Masland-Talbot Family James & Caroline McCloy Ms. Patricia McGovern Ralph & Sylvia Memolo Ms. Carol R.H. Miller Daniel & Mayo Morgan Stephen Morris Leigh Madeline Nelson Newell & Betty Hale Fund of Greater Worcester John Ochsendorf Aislinn O’Keefe Diane Ota

Sharon & John Parisi Mr. Mark Pasternack & Ms. Judy Meyers Robert Pease Ted Pietras Christine Pilcavage Susan Porter & Robert Kauffman Vinay Prabhakar Peter & Susan Randall The Reardon Family Mr. David Reid Rob Riordan & Judy Halpern Joel Rubenstein Janice Corkin Rudolf & John Emery Mr. & Mrs. Pasquale Rullo in memory of Carmine Rullo The Schey Family Schrupka Fund Mr. Theodore Sharpe

John & Marilyn Shirey Mr. Harold Stahler Ms. Karen Sweet Valerie Swett Carole Talley Vadim & Lana Tikhomirov Amy & Matthew Torrey Leslie Warshaw Frederick L. Weiss Susan Wheltle Polly Pitt Whiteside in honor of Richard Trant Wiedorn-Britton Family Sybil Williams Jingning Wu The Wu Barstow Family Cynthia Yee Charles Zarba

THE BORIS GOLDOVSKY SOCIETY FOR PLANNED GIVING

Alan & Lisa Dynner Margaret Eagle & Eli Rapaport Robert Eastman Martin Elvis Ms. Anne Ewers Kathryn G. Freed in memory of Dean & Patti Freed Catherine & Frederick Grein Allison Groves Gillian Stuart Hamer Mr. Joseph Hammer Mr. & Mrs. John Henn Mimi Hewlett Ms. Myrna F. Howe Amy Hunter & Steven Maguire Susan W. Jacobs Ellen & Robert Kaplan Eva R. Karger Courtney Keller Ms. Mary Kiley Robert W. Kruszyna Mr. David Latham Joe & Pam LoDato Russell López & Andrew Sherman

Mr. Stephen Lord Ms. M. Lynne Markus Christopher Marrionu Abigail B. Mason Domenico Mastrototaro Richard S. Milstein, Esq.u Mary & Sherif Nada Jane Pisciottoli Papa Marie E. Pereto-Hedin Janet & Irv Plotkin Sandy & Herb Pollacku Christine & Michael Puzo Peter & Suzanne Read Stephen & Iris Taymore Schnitzer David W. Scudder Wendy Shattuck & Sam Plimpton Mrs. Lois Silverman Mr. Michael Tronic Peter J. Wender Mrs. Marillyn Zacharis Ms. Tania Zouikin

The Calderwood Charitable Foundation Alicia M. Cooney & Stephen Quigley Wayne Davis & Ann Merrifield Miguel & Suki de Bragança Alan & Lisa Dynner Jody Gill Abigail B. Mason Janet & Irv Plotkin

Helen Pounds Sheila W. & Samuel M. Robbins David W. Scudder & Betsy Ridge Wendy Shattuck & Sam Plimpton Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation Ms. Tania Zouikin

Anonymous (1) Ms. Diana Abrashkin Michael Barza & Judith Robinson Linda Cabot Black Rick Burnes Mr. David Cole-Rous & Ms. Norma Greenberg Alicia M. Cooney & Stephen Quigley Gene Dahmen Tim Daughters Tamara P. & Charles H. Davis II Wayne Davis Janice Mancini Del Sesto Mr. Lawrence M. DeVito Anne Lyons Dolan in memory of Susan Eastman Dr. Jordan S. Ruboy Charitable Fundu Mr. Dan Durou

ENDOWMENT Anonymous (3) Ms. Ann Beha & Mr. Robert A. Radloff Linda Cabot Black Timothy Blodgett Dr. & Mrs. Eric & Elaine Bucher Katie & Paul Buttenwieser Mr. & Mrs. John Cabot

*Board Member

Deceased

As of October 2, 2026

BLO | FALL 2026

BLO FACILITY DONORS $1,000,000+ Anonymous (1) Anonymous Foundation (1) Alicia M. Cooney & Stephen Quigley Wayne Davis & Ann Merrifield Barbara & Amos Hostetter The Paul & Sandra Montrone Family Mr. & Mrs. Ray Stata $500,000 - $999,999.99 Miss Wallace Minot Leonard Foundation $100,000 - $499,999.99 Willa & Taylor Bodman Miguel & Suki de Bragança Mr. Lawrence M. DeVito Massachusetts Cultural Council Movement Arts Creation Studio Lise Olney & Tim Fulham David W. Scudder & Betsy Ridge Dr. Robert Walsh & Lydia Kenton Walsh $50,000 - $99,999.99 Anonymous (1) Rick Burnes Cabot Family Charitable Trust Andrew L. Eisenberg & John Vetrano Mimi Hewlett

John M. Loder Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Anne M. Morgan Winfield & Linda Perry Stephen & Geraldine Ricci Allison Ryder & David Jones $25,000 - $49,999.99 Family of John M. Conklin Sylvia Han & Bruce Rubenstein Maria Krokidas & Bruce Bullen Russell López & Andrew Sherman Abigail B. Mason Christine & Michael Puzo Rumena & Alexander Senchak Bradley Vernatter Peter J. Wender $10,000 - $24,999.99 Robert Eastman Flansburgh Architects Jack D. Gorman Susan W. Jacobs Kate Meany Mr. Carl Rosenberg Mr. & Mrs. Vincent & Robin Rougeau George & Moira Yip Ms. Tania Zouikin $1 - $9,999.99 Anonymous (1) Drs. Susan E. Bennett & Gerald B. Pier

Stacy Brenner Ms. Ellen Cabot Anne Lyons Dolan in memory of Susan Eastman Alan & Lisa Dynner Gift made in honor of Boston Lyric Opera Staff Gift made in honor of Midway Artist Studios Residents Mr. Keith Higgins Lisa Hillenbrand Jennifer Ritvo Hughes & Marcus Hughes Ms. Louise Johnson Amelia & Joshua Katzen Courtney Keller & Kyle Murray Drs. Lynne & Sidney Levitsky Gregory E. Moore & Wynne W. Szeto Jeff Nelsen & Nina Yoshida Nelsen Ms. Rebecca Nemser Mr. Anthony Pangaro & Ms. Creelea Henderson Jane Pisciottoli Papa Janet & Irv Plotkin Nicholas G. Russell Larry & Beverly St. Clair Ms. Tricia Swift Mr. & Mrs. Frank Tempesta Yin-Yin Wang Janice Blair Yoshida Donations as of October 2, 2026

BLO | FALL 2026

Raehann Bryce-Davis in BLO’s 2026 Song of the Earth.

NILE HAWVER/NILE SCOTT STUDIOS

BLO.org

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS Boston Lyric Opera’s 2026/27 season is supported in part by the Barr Foundation; the ‘Quin Impact Fund; the Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation; the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation; the Miss Wallace Minot Leonard Foundation; the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation; the Poduska Family Foundation; BPS Arts Expansion at EdVestors; the Paul & Edith Babson Foundation; Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation; the Amphion Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Corporate sponsors include MEDITECH; Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete; Bistro du Midi; Falcetti Pianos; Hemenway & Barnes; The InterContinental Hotel; Mighty Squirrel; On the Mark Archery; PEAK Rentals; Red Apple Farm; Smith & Wollensky; Somerville Music Spaces; Winston Flowers; 29 Pine; Metropolis + Channel Center Garage; Polaris Capital Management; Gilbane Building Company; and Flansburgh Architects. Boston Lyric Opera also acknowledges the incredible support of its Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, and other donors and patrons.

SHARE YOUR STORY BOSTON’S COMMUNITY OPERA When Bostonians raise their voices, the result is unforgettable. Scan the QR code to share your answers to the questions that are shaping Boston’s Community Opera.

MICHAEL J. LUTCH

Your stories, language, memories, and dreams will help inspire an opera that reflects the richness, complexity, and spirit of this city. The resulting opera — rooted in Boston’s voices and created in partnership with its communities and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Symphony Hall | Saturday, May 8, 2:00PM Music by Carlos Simon | Libretto by Tracy K. Smith

BLO | FALL 2026

INSPIRING, ENTERTAINING, & CONNECTING COMMUNITIES FOR 50 YEARS.

LIZA VOLL PHOTOGRAPHY

SUPPORT BLO Play a starring role of your own. Make your gift today to support beloved classics, daring premieres, and a new generation of artists and audiences.

SCAN TO DONATE NOW To learn more about joining our community of supporters, please call or visit us at: 617.702.8975 BLO.org/give

• Donations directly impact the core facets of BLO: community & education programs, new works, and increasing opera accessibility. •B LO puts on creative, outside-the-box productions that attract thousands of operagoers and reach hundreds of students through our education initiatives each year. Keep Up With Us: Scan the QR code to sign up for BLO’s email list! Stay in the know about upcoming events and special offers, receive monthly communications like The Downbeat and Coming Up At BLO, and much, much more!

Chelsea Basler as Lola in BLO’s 2021 Cavalleria rusticana.

BLO | FALL 2026

inspiring great performances

Hemenway & Barnes is proud to support Boston Lyric Opera.

www.hembar.com

For over 160 years, we’ve served as legal counsel, wealth managers and trustees to families, businesses and nonprofit organizations, both in New England and beyond. Expect seasoned partners who listen well, understand your situation personally and deliver advice custom-tailored to your needs.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON:

GIVE THE GIFT OF OPERA Our gift certificates are available in any amount. Choose your own value, or contact our Box Office to select an amount based on the experience you’d like to give.

OLIVIA MOON

Lauren Michelle (l.) and Jesus Garcia (r.) in BLO’s 2022 production of La bohème.

EMERSON CUTLER MAJESTIC THEATRE 219 TREMONT STREET | ARTSEMERSON.ORG All performances begin on time. To respect the enjoyment of others, BLO observes a no-late seating policy. While we understand that traffic conditions, public transportation, weather, and other factors can have unexpected effects on your arrival, we wish to minimize disruptions for our seated patrons and for our artists on stage. Additionally, if you must leave during the performance, reentry may be prohibited. As a courtesy to the artists and for the comfort of those around you, please turn off mobile phones, watch alarms, and other devices with audible signals prior to the start of the performance. The use of cameras or recording devices in the theater is strictly prohibited. For BLO productions & subscriptions, visit BLO.org or call BLO Audience Services at 617.542.6772, MON-FRI | 10-5.

FIRE EXIT PLANS: For your own safety, please take a moment to view the exits. • There is no elevator access to the Mezzanine or Balcony. There are 30+ stairs to reach the Mezzanine, 60+ stairs to reach the Balcony. • Restrooms are in the lower lobby accessible by elevator. • Listening devices are available at the box office windows in the lobby.

HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS Mask wearing is strongly encouraged at all times while indoors at the theaters but is no longer required for most* performances and events. For more information on Emerson’s COVID policies, go to artsemerson.org/visit/public-health. BLO | FALL 2026

2026/27

SEASON

SEP 25 – OCT 4

Emerson Colonial Theatre

OCT 16

Opera + Community Studios

NOV 5 – 8

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

JAN 29 & 31

Symphony Hall

MAR 12 – 21

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

APR 16

New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

BOSTON’S COMMUNITY OPERA

MAY 8

Symphony Hall

JUN 2

New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

JUN 17 – 20

Opera + Community Studios

BLO.ORG