PROGRAM: Madame Butterfly October 2023

OCTOBER 2023

Madame Butterfly

SAT / OCT 7, 2023 / 7:30PM

FRI / OCT 13, 2023 / 7:30PM

SUN / OCT 15, 2023 / 2:30PM

Dance Theatre of Harlem

SAT / OCT 21, 2023 / 7:30PM

SUN / OCT 22, 2023 / 2:30PM

Arias and Overtures:

Detroit Opera in Concert

SAT / OCT 28, 2023 / 7:30PM

Hope has a home: The University of Michigan Prechter Bipolar Research Program

What causes bipolar disorder — the dangerous manic highs and devastating lows? Our scientists and research participants are committed to finding answers and effective personalized treatments.

Be a source of hope for bipolar disorder.

Questions? Reach out to Lisa Fabian at 734-763-4895 or visit prechterprogram.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JULY 1, 2022–JUNE 30, 2023

Chair

Ethan D. Davidson

Vice Chair

Mary Kramer

Vice Chair

Peter Oleksiak

Vice Chair

Don Manvel

Secretary

Gene P. Bowen

Treasurer

Enrico Digirolamo

Immediate Past Chair

R. Jamison Williams

President/CEO

Wayne S. Brown

Naomi André

Richard A. Brodie

James Ciroli

Kevin Dennis

Lisa M. DiChiera

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Michael Einheuser

Marianne Endicott

Fern R. Espino

Paul E. Ewing

Bharat Gandhi

John P. Hale

John W. Ingle III

Danialle Karmanos

Barbara Kratchman

Thomas M. Krikorian

Denise Lewis

Franck Louis-Victor

Dexter Mason

Ali Moiin

Donald Morelock

Sara Pozzi

Paul Ragheb

Ruth Rattner

Irvin D. Reid

Pamela E. Rodgers

Evan Ross

Ankur Rungta

Terry Shea

Matthew Simoncini

Richard Sonenklar

Lorna Thomas

Jesse Venegas

Gary L. Wasserman

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Directors Emeriti

Elizabeth Brooks

Shelly Cooper

Marjorie M. Fisher

Herman Frankel

Dean Friedman

Jennifer Nasser

Charlotte Podowski

Audrey Rose

William Sandy

C. Thomas Toppin

Richard Webb

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JULY 1, 2022–

JUNE 30, 2023

Kenn and Liz Allen

Lourdes V. Andaya

Naomi André

Harold Mitchell Arrington

Floy Barthel

Barbra Bloch

Gene P. Bowen

Betty J. Bright

Richard Brodie

Wayne S. Brown and Brenda Kee

Charles D. Bullock

James and Elizabeth Ciroli

Lois Pincus Cohn

Thomas Cohn

Françoise Colpron

Peter and Shelly Cooper

Maureen D’Avanzo

Ethan and Gretchen

Davidson

Kevin Dennis and Jeremy Zeltzer

Cristina DiChiera

Lisa M. DiChiera

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Enrico and Kathleen Digirolamo

Debbie Dingell

Mary Jane Doerr

Michael Einheuser

Kenneth and Frances Eisenberg

Marianne Endicott

Alex Erdeljan

Fern R. Espino and Thomas Short

Paul and Mary Sue Ewing

Margo Cohen Feinberg and Robert Feinberg

Oscar and Dede Feldman

Carl and Mary Ann Fontana

Bharat and Lynn Gandhi

Barbara Garavaglia

Yousif and Mara Ghafari

Carolyn Gordon

Toby Haberman

John and Kristan Hale

Doreen Hermelin

Derek Hodgson

John and Tara Ingle III

Don Jensen and Leo Dovelle

Kent and Amy Jidov

Jill Johnson

Ellen Kahn

Peter and Danialle Karmanos

Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Mary Kramer

Michael and Barbara Kratchman

Thomas and Deborah Krikorian

Linda Dresner and Ed Levy, Jr.

Denise J. Lewis

Arthur and Nancy Liebler

Stephan and Marian Loginsky

Mary Alice Lomason

Franck and Soo

Louis-Victor

Don Manvel

Ronald and Zvjezdana

Martella

Jack Martin and Bettye Arrington-Martin

Dexter Mason

Benjamin Meeker and Meredith Korneffel

Phillip D. Minch

Ali Moiin and William Kupsky

Donald and Antoinette Morelock

E. Michael and Dolores Mutchler

Allan and Joy Nachman

Juliette Okotie-Eboh

Peter Oleksiak

Linda Orlans

Spencer and Myrna Partrich

Margaret Pehrson

Sara Pozzi

Waltraud Prechter

Ted & Carrie Pryor

Paul and Amy Ragheb

John and Terry Rakolta

Ruth F. Rattner

Irvin D. Reid and Pamela Trotman Reid

Pamela E. Rodgers

Jacqueline Roessler

Audrey Rose

Evan and Kelsey Ross

Anthony and Sabrina Rugiero

Ankur Rungta and Mayssoun Bydon

Hershel and Dorothy Sandberg

Donald and Kim Schmidt

Terry Shea

Matthew and Mona Simoncini

Sheila Sloan

Phyllis F. Snow

Richard A. Sonenklar and Gregory Haynes

Mary Anne Stella

Lorna Thomas

James G. Vella

Jesse and Yesenia Venegas

Marilyn Victor

Bradley Wakefield and Meghann Rutherford

Gary L. Wasserman

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

Mary Lou Zieve

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Trustees Emeriti

Agustin Arbulu

Lawrence and Dodie David

Dean and Aviva Friedman

Preston and Mary Happel

Robert and Wally Klein

Charlotte and Charles Podowski

William and Marjorie Sandy

Roberta Starkweather

C. Thomas and Bernie Toppin

Founding Members

Lynn* and Ruth* Townsend

Avern* and Joyce* Cohn

John and Mardell De Carlo

David* and Karen V.* DiChiera

Aaron* and Bernice* Gershenson

Donald* and Josephine* Graves

Roman* and Katherine* Gribbs

John* and Gwendolyn* Griffin

Harry* and Jennie* Jones

Wade* and Dores* McCree

Harry J. Nederlander*

E. Harwood Rydholm*

Neil Snow

Phyllis F. Snow

Richard* and Beatrice* Strichartz

Robert* and Clara*

“Tuttie” VanderKloot

Sam* and Barbara* Williams

Theodore* and Virginia* Yntema

KEY

* Deceased

Welcome Patty Isacson Sabee, Detroit Opera’s next President and CEO

On August 24, the board and trustees of Detroit Opera announced that Patty Isacson Sabee will be the organization’s next President and CEO. When she begins her new position on January 2, 2024, Isacson Sabee will be only the third person to lead Detroit Opera since its founding (as Michigan Opera Theatre) in 1971 by the late David DiChiera. Earlier this year, Wayne S. Brown, who has led the company since 2014, announced his intention to retire.

Isacson Sabee is currently Executive Director of Planet Word, an immersive language experience in Washington, D.C. that celebrates the fun, beauty, and power of words, language, and reading. She has years of experience leading U.S. arts organizations.

We look forward to welcoming Patty in January! For a copy of the press release, visit detroitopera.org/about-us/press/.

Detroit Opera Board Chair Ethan Davidson, incoming President and CEO Patty Isacson Sabee, current DO President and CEO Wayne Brown pose for a photo after the public announcement.

Patty Isacson Sabee addresses the DO staff, board, and trustees at the public annoucement.

Photo Credit: Yassine El Mansouri

A message from Wayne Brown

Welcome to the 52nd season at the Detroit Opera House!

In 1971, founder Dr. David DiChiera unveiled his new company in downtown Detroit with Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Since that time, the many operatic masterworks performed here include Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, which has graced our stage in ten previous seasons. For this newest Madame Butterfly, Yuval Sharon invited director Matthew Ozawa to create a special co-production of this signature work with the Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the Utah Opera.

Madame Butterfly is presented in memory of Board Member Barbara Frankel and in tribute to Board Member Emeritus Herman Frankel. We honor them for their long-time advocacy and major support, together with their subsequent spouses, Ron Michalak and Sharon Frankel, respectively. The Herman Frankel and the Barbara Frankel Donor Lounge and the Detroit Opera Parking Center are testament to their dedication to the Detroit Opera House.

This month we welcome back the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a Detroit favorite, under the artistic leadership of Robert Garland. Our final October presentation is a concert celebrating Roberto Kalb’s first season as Music Director, featuring the Detroit Opera Orchestra on stage with an extraordinary roster of soloists headlined by Christine Goerke, our Associate Artistic Director.

Earlier this year, I announced my plans to mark a decade as Detroit Opera’s President and CEO by passing the torch to a new leader by the end of the calendar year. Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Board Chair Ethan Davidson and a board transition team led by Barbara Kratchman, it gives me great delight to announce that January 2024 will mark the arrival of my successor: Patty Isacson Sabee. I could not be more pleased to welcome Patty to the Detroit Opera family and the Detroit community. I thank you for your extraordinary support for Detroit Opera during my time here.

Our organization benefits from a talented administrative team, a committed board and trustees, a community of individual supporters, and a generous foundation community led by the example of the William Davidson Family Foundation. Special thanks to our dedicated audiences, who in some cases span the duration of the 52 years since David DiChiera proclaimed his vision for opera and dance in Detroit. It has been my honor to serve all of you!

Wayne S. Brown President & CEO, Detroit Opera

A Message from Yuval Sharon

When Giacomo Puccini first wrote Madame Butterfly, japonisme was a fashionable trend in European arts and design. Non-Asian artists rushed to translate the exotic pull of Japan into stories and images that made everyday citizens feel like they travelled to a country that had only recently re-opened its borders after 200 years of isolation. Puccini’s opera presents itself as a postcard from a distant country most of his fellow Italians were unlikely to visit. He peppered his score with “local color”—Japanese folk songs and the pentatonic scale at the basis of much Asian music—all the while knowing the universality of the story’s emotions would speak directly to his audience’s hearts.

But Puccini could never offer an objective look at Japan; he could only offer a perspective, one that can never escape the point-of-view of his own innate Italian-ness. Since then, the opera’s “picture postcard” depiction of Japan has often resulted in harmful clichés of Asian Americans becoming normalized— and often valorized—on the operatic stage. Puccini may have been in pursuit of a truthful expression of humanity—but at whose expense? How would the story unfold if Japanese artists had the chance to tell their own story?

Productions like this one—created by a team of artists with Japanese heritage, led by director Matthew Ozawa and conducted by Kensho Watanabe—always remind us that this opera is not a documentary. The fantasy of Japan and Puccini’s perspective is evoked in contemporary terms, as Pinkerton visits a Japan that is, literally, virtual reality. The story of Pinkerton, an American playboy tourist incapable of imagining consequences to his actions, is not romanticized in this production; instead, the limitations of his empathy prove to be disastrous as he faces life beyond his VR headset. We in the audience are asked to consider our own implication as spectators, who have likely seen productions of Butterfly presented with a less-than-empathetic reliance on stereotype.

Just as in our 2022 productions of La bohème or Faust, this production of Butterfly seeks to bring out new perspectives in classic works. Operatic masterpieces are not frozen in time but become the raw material for an exploration of our present moment. In this case, the fresh view becomes a cultural corrective, one that will be an essential part of preserving Puccini’s work for the future. I hope you find it pleasurable and provocative!

Yuval Sharon

The Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director

A Message from Jon. H. Teeuwissen

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) holds a special place in my heart. Early in my career I had the opportunity to work directly with Arthur Mitchell, who co-founded the company with Karel Shook in 1969. When you work with a founder, you experience the company in a profound way—its essence, the source of its very existence.

I joined DTH as company manager in the 1980s, a time when the company toured to South America, the Soviet Union, Europe, and the U.S. On tour for weeks at a time, I got a lot of “up close and personal” time with the boss. Mr. Mitchell had a reputation for being challenging, and he was, because he had high standards and a clear vision. While some may have found him to be too controlling, I found him to have a generosity of spirit and a commitment to developing both dancers and staff towards reaching our full potential. He was a mentor. Two of the many “Mitchell-isms” that stay with me are “Either you hit the high C, or you don’t hit the high C,” and “You are representing something much larger than yourself.”

Mr. Mitchell and I stayed in touch throughout his life. In what would be our last conversation, he shared with me that he had a temporary case of Bell’s Palsy, and that his doctor told him that it was due to hanging on to stress and anger, and that he needed to “surrender.” He said to me emphatically, “I told him I didn’t know the meaning of the word!” To which I responded, “Mr. Mitchell, if you ever want to know the meaning of the word ‘surrender,’ all you have to do is ask anyone who ever worked for you.” There was a pregnant pause, and then a roar of laughter...

Against all odds, Mr. Mitchell created something unique and timelessly relevant with Dance Theatre of Harlem. He was indeed a force of nature. He refused to take “no” for an answer, and it served him well.

Jon H. Teeuwissen Artistic Advisor for Dance, Detroit Opera

Detroit Opera Needs You!

Because of your dedication and partnership, Detroit Opera continues to provide meaningful artistic experiences for our community and inspire audiences of the future.

Please consider a gift to Detroit Opera this season. Help us to start our season with the strength financially that we have seen on stage artistically.

Your contributions to Detroit Opera generate a significant portion of our overall funding and represents an investment in the next generation of opera and dance.

Thank you for all the ways you support us!

Karah Son as Cio-Cio-San, Madame Butterfly, Cincinnati Opera, PHOTO: PHILIP GROSHONG

In Tribute

The opening night performance of Madame Butterfly is presented in tribute to the enduring legacy of Barbara Frankel and in honor of Herman Frankel, along with their beloved spouses, Ron Michalak and Sharon Frankel, whose collective dedication has been instrumental in shaping Detroit Opera into the vibrant institution it is today.

Barbara, an opera and dance enthusiast, shared her love for the arts with all who crossed her path. She was tireless in her commitment to Detroit Opera, with a legacy that reflects active board participation, leadership support for some of the organization’s most significant initiatives, and generous philanthropy. While many knew Barbara by her warm hospitality in welcoming guests to the lounge that bears her name, it was her unending passion for Detroit Opera and her quiet acts of kindness for which she will most be remembered.

Herman’s extraordinary philanthropy, unwavering commitment, and expertise in construction and renovation was paramount to the realization of David DiChiera’s Detroit Opera House dream. As a long-serving member of Detroit Opera’s board of directors, Herman played a significant role in the company’s growth. His relentless pursuit of a parking garage was not only visionary but also steered the company toward a path of financial stability.

Together, Herman and Sharon, along with Barbara and Ron, have exemplified generosity in its truest form. Detroit Opera extends its deepest gratitude for their enduring advocacy and support, which will resonate for generations to come.

Barbara Frankel & Ron Michalak

Herman & Sharon Frankel

Volunteers Have Fun

For

l o ver s o f oper a, dance, theat er , history , an d communit y.

Volunteers are the heart of Detroit Opera and the Detroit Opera House. Volunteers perform a number of vital tasks — not only ushering. You’ll have fun and make new friends as a volunteer at Detroit Opera.

Learn more at DetroitOpera.org/volunteer or e-mail us at volunteer@DetroitOpera.org

FUN FRIENDS GIVING SERVICE SHARING CARING COMMUNITY OPERA DANCE SHOWS BEAUTY HISTORY INTERACTION THEATRE

To join Detroit Opera Volunteer Association or for more information, please visit DetroitOpera.org/volunteer

Detroit Opera in the Community

OPERETTA REMIX 2023

This past summer, Operetta Remix, our summer camp for students 13 to 18 years old, performed on the main stage of the Detroit Opera House for the first time after many years, and with our largest company of 24 students. The repertoire consisted of pieces from the operetta, opera, and musical theatre canon, which were directed by Dr. Mary Martin and involved musical director Joseph Jackson, choreographer Olivia Kimes, and vocal coaches Jessica Fielder and Dorian Dillard.

UNDER THE SNOW

This year Detroit Opera is commissioning a children’s opera, in collaboration with the Detroit Puppet Company and composer Shara Nova, called The Subnivean Zone: Under the Snow. The opera is about a young child who is encouraged to play outside and discovers another world under the snow, meeting different animals and learning new lessons about life. Carrie Morris of Detroit Puppet Company has created a magical setting with interactive puppetry and with composer

Shara Nova’s new harmonic language, Under the Snow will be a fresh take on opera for young audiences.

STORYBOOK OPERA

Storybook Opera shares Rossini’s Cinderella and Seymour Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood in shortened form aimed for audiences pre-kindergarten to first grade. Our teaching artists introduce the stories, dancing, vocal

exploration, and a few selections from the operas. With the guidance of Dr. Shannan Hibbard from Wayne State University, this program encourages early literacy comprehension infused with the creativity of song and dance.

Scenes from Operetta Remix 2023 and Storybook Opera

PHOTOS: AUSTIN RICHEY

October 2023

6 After The Downbeat with David Phelps

7 Tony Orlando

10 Sugar Skull! A Dia de los Muertos Musical Adventure | Page to Stage

13 The Sicilian Tenors

14 Celebrating Meat Loaf,

The Neverland Express + Caleb Johnson

17 The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare:

The Next Gen | Page to Stage

20 Kevin Nealon | Comedy and Cocktails

27 The Doo Wop Project

29 Late Nite Catechism

November

4 Heart by Heart

Featuring Steve Fossen & Michael Derosier of Heart

26 Assisted Living: The Musical®

THE HOME…for the holidays

December

8 Celtic Angels Christmas

January 2024

12 Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show

13 ruben & clay Twenty | The Tour

20 The American Soldier

21 Hiplet Ballerinas

26 Best of Broadway: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

27 The Lettermen

February

3 Steve Solomon’s Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt!

the therapy continues

6 Rapunzel | Page to Stage

9 Lee Rocker

16 The Chipper Experience!

Where Comedy & Magic Collide

17 Superstar. The Carpenters Reimagined

23 The Barricade Boys,

Stars from the West End cast of Les Miserables

March

2 Leahy

9 Puppy Pals Live!

15 Alfreda Sings Aretha

16 Drum Tao

19 Rainbow Fish | Page to Stage

23 ABBA-Mania—An ABBA Tribute

April

13 Tweet Tweet!

18 The Greatest Piano Men

21 360 Allstars www.MacombCenter.com

Madame Butterfly

Table of Contents

These performances of Madame Butterfly are dedicated to the memory of Barbara Frankel, Alphonse Lucarelli, and Cameron “Sandy” Duncan.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE MATTHEW OZAWA

As we allow ourselves to become immersed in the fantasy of Japan portrayed in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, it’s illuminating to consider through whose lens we are viewing this opera. What experiences, perspectives, histories, and biases do we bring with us as we engage with Butterfly’s story?

When I investigate my own lens, I see that mine represents the East-West conflict that is core to Madame Butterfly. I am biracial—the son of a Caucasian mother and a Japanese father. I am an American whose family was interned during World War II. I grew up in Asia but spent holidays in California. I have spent most of my professional life devoted to the Western art form of opera, though I am often one of the only artists of color in the spaces where I work. I have loved Western classical music as much as I have loved Eastern art forms. Like Butterfly, I have yearned for acceptance but never felt truly at home in any single culture or place.

Butterfly has spent most of her existence seen through the lens of Western white men. Her story was first told by French novelist Pierre Loti, and it then passed successively to American writer John Luther Long, American playwright David Belasco, and Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Likewise, so many of the Butterfly productions we have enjoyed throughout history have presented her story primarily through a white male lens. This fantasy of Japan has been created not by those whose culture is meant to be represented in the opera—namely, Japanese people, and, in particular, Japanese women—but by those who, in many cases, have had no direct connection to Japan. Has this tradition had an impact on whose story Madame Butterfly has actually meant to represent? I believe it has.

This new production reclaims the opera’s narrative through the lens of an entirely Japanese and Japanese American creative team and amplifies the voices of an entirely female Japanese design collective. Together, we have grappled with the challenges of presenting this work for diverse American audiences. Just as Butterfly is trapped with little agency in the opera, we as Asian Americans have been trapped by many of the traditional depictions of Butterfly’s story. We seek now to release this opera’s wings for all to experience anew. To do this, we own that the fantasy of Butterfly that we have come to love is a Western fantasy. Instead of pretending that Butterfly is representative of our Japanese and Japanese American identity, our production amplifies that her story has been seen through the lens of a white man, Pinkerton.

I have spent 20 years studying and directing Madame Butterfly. I have deep love for this work, but it has simultaneously made me, as an Asian American, feel ostracized, and I have felt a duty to reclaim its narrative. With this new production, we acknowledge that there are many ways to view this opera. Our hope is that this journey enables our empathy to be open to the impact we have on each other, and the need for a more compassionate understanding of perspectives outside our own. May the voyage into this production’s fantasy capture your senses, sweep you up in the music’s emotional power, and awaken your own lens.

Madame Butterfly

Performed in Italian with projected English translations

Performance runs 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission

Music Giacomo Puccini

Libretto Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

Based on the play by David Belasco

World premiere February 17, 1904, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy

Director Matthew Ozawa*

Associate Director Melanie Bacaling

Set Design by dots*

Costume Designer Maiko Matsushima*

Lighting Designer Yuki Nakase Link*

Original Wig Design James Geier

Associate Wig & Makeup Designer

Joanne Middleton-Weaver

Stage Manager Kimberley S. Prescott

CAST

Conductor Kensho Watanabe*

Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly) Karah Son*

Lt. B.F. Pinkerton Eric Taylor*

Suzuki Kristen Choi*

Sharpless Nmon Ford

Goro Julius Ahn

Yamadori / The Imperial Commissioner Rolfe Dauz*^

The Bonze Hyungjin Son*

Kate Pinkerton Lisa Marie Rogali*^

The Official Registrar Gregory Ashe

Yakusidé Cameron Barrett Johnson

Cousin Maitri White

Mother Brandy Adams

Aunt Anna Hart

Trouble Alexandra Q. Yan*

Naval Officers Mohammed Fawaz, Sandeep Gupta

Household Attendants Michelle Ding, June Lee

Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton

DETROIT OPERA CHORUS

Choristers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists

Brandy Adams

Gregory Ashe

Cameron Barrett Johnson

Alaina Brown

Rebecca O-G Eaddy

Lucia Flowers

Michael Fowler

Anna Hart

Regis Haynes

Richard Jackson, Jr.

Seth Johnson

Dean Joyce

Audrey Kline

Hillary LaBonte

David Magumba

Anna Moore

Leslie Ann Naeve

Katya Powder

Claire Ryterski*

Diane Schoff

Maitri White

Olga Yalovenko

Antona Yost

Heidi Bowen Zook

* Detroit Opera debut

^ Member of the 2023–2024 Resident Artist Program

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Madame Butterfly

A Co-Production of Detroit Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Utah Opera

Répétiteur Keun-A Lee

Assistant Director Frances Rabalais*

Assistant Stage Managers Nan Luchini, Hailli Ridsdale

Supertitle Operator Dee Dorsey

Supertitles Created for Cincinnati Opera

* Detroit Opera debut

DETROIT OPERA ORCHESTRA

Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local #5, of the American Federation of Musicians

Violin I

Eliot Heaton*

CONCERTMASTER

Laura Leigh Roelofs*

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Anna Bittar-Weller*

Velda Kelly*

Bryan Johnston*

Daniel Stachyra*

Nathaniel Cornell

David Ormai

Ying-Li Pan

Mallory Tabb

Violin II

Emelyn Bashour*

PRINCIPAL

Molly Hughes*

Beth Kirton*

Yuri Popowycz*

Jenny Wan*

Courtney Lubin

Judith Teasdle

Viola

John Madison*

PRINCIPAL

Jacqueline Hanson*

Scott Stefanko*

Joseph Deller

Catherine Franklin

James Greer

Cello

Ivana Biliskov*

PRINCIPAL

Lauren Mathews*

Benjamin Maxwell*

Sabrina Lackey

Megan Yip

Sarina Zhang

Bass

Derek Weller*

PRINCIPAL

Clark Suttle*

Jean Posekany

Robert Stiles

Flute

Seo Hee Choi*

PRINCIPAL

Dennis Carter

Piccolo

Laura Larson*

Oboe

Eli Stefanacci*

PRINCIPAL

Yuki Harding

English Horn

Sally HeffelfingerPituch

PRINCIPAL

Clarinet

Chad Burrow

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Sandra Jackson

Bass Clarinet

J. William King*

Bassoon

Daniel Fendrick*

PRINCIPAL

Gregory Quick*

Horn

Colin Bianchi* PRINCIPAL

Carrie Banfield-Taplin*

Susan Mutter

Tamara Kosinski

Trumpet

David Ammer*

PRINCIPAL

Derek Lockhart

Douglas Amos

Trombone

Ian Maser

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Michael Robinson

Bass Trombone

Bryan Pokorney

Cimbasso

Brendan Ige

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Timpani

Terence Farmer

ACTING PRINCIPAL

Percussion

John Dorsey*

PRINCIPAL

David Taylor

Dan Maslanka

Harp

Maurice Draughn

ACTING PRINCIPAL

*Detroit Opera Core Orchestra

Members of the violin sections occasionally rotate

SYNOPSIS

ACT I In the present day, B.F. Pinkerton enters his apartment and dons a VR (virtual reality) headset to escape into a fantasy. Within moments, he rejoins a game that transports him to Nagasaki, where he embodies his avatar as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. He inspects a house that he will occupy with his young bride, Cio-Cio-San (a.k.a. Madame Butterfly). Sharpless, the U.S. Consul, arrives, and Pinkerton shares his vision of a sailor in search of pleasure and the beautiful Japanese girl who has captivated him. Sharpless tries to warn him of this view, but Pinkerton laughs, toasting the American girl who will someday be his “real” wife.

Butterfly, her colleagues, and family arrive for the wedding. She tells Pinkerton that since her father’s death, she now earns her living as a geisha. She also has secretly converted to Christianity. The Imperial Commissioner performs the marriage ceremony. Then, Cio-Cio-San’s uncle, the Bonze, bursts in. He curses her, inciting the crowd. Protecting Butterfly, Pinkerton orders the guests away. Butterfly weeps and her new husband consoles her. As night falls in this pleasure fantasy, the lovers share a moonlit duet.

ACT II Three years later, modern-day Pinkerton and his American wife have grown distant. His only means of escape is through gaming, where he can manipulate his Japanese bride’s future. In the virtual world, Cio-CioSan patiently waits for him. Her servant Suzuki implores the gods for aid, but Butterfly bids her to have faith—one day, Pinkerton will return and embrace his wife again.

Sharpless enters with a letter telling of Pinkerton’s marriage to an

American. Before he can tell Butterfly, Goro interrupts along with a suitor, Prince Yamadori. Cio-Cio-San refuses his marriage proposal. She brings forth her young son, Trouble, and insists that as soon as Pinkerton knows of him, he will return. If not, she would rather die.

A cannon roars from the harbor, and Butterfly discovers Pinkerton’s ship coming into port. She and Suzuki strew the house with blossoms. As evening falls, she prepares to keep vigil through the night.

ACT III Modern-day Pinkerton turns off the game and goes to bed. In the middle of the night, the game turns on, luring him back to play the next level, where he chooses how he will impact Butterfly’s destiny. Pinkerton chooses an American wife avatar, Kate. As the level continues, Butterfly still waits, though Suzuki persuades her to rest. Soon, Sharpless, Pinkerton, and Kate arrive. Suzuki realizes who the woman is and reluctantly agrees to inform Butterfly. Pinkerton, now aware of Butterfly’s devotion, bids an anguished farewell and rushes away. Cio-Cio-San hurries in expecting to find her husband, and instead finds Kate. She instantly guesses the truth and touchingly wishes Kate happiness. She says that Pinkerton may have his son if he will return for him.

Butterfly orders Suzuki and Trouble away. She has no choice but to escape this nightmare, and she pulls out the dagger with which her father committed suicide. As she raises the blade to her throat, Trouble appears. Cio-Cio-San drops the knife and embraces him. She then blindfolds him, takes the dagger, and stabs herself. As the fantasy dies, Pinkerton desperately tries to hold onto his creation, Butterfly.

Artist Profiles

Julius Ahn GORO

Versatile tenor Julius Ahn has delighted audiences around the world with his unique interpretations. Critics have hailed his signature role of Goro in Madame Butterfly, which he has performed at San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Palm Beach Opera, Vancouver Opera, Opera Carolina, Nashville Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Virginia Opera, Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This season, Julius brings his renowned Goro to Detroit Opera and Opera Philadelphia. Past performances include Borsa in Rigoletto (Dallas Opera), Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors (On Site Opera), Mime in Das Rheingold (Atlanta Opera), the lead role of Guang in Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jafferis’s Stuck Elevator (Nashville Opera), Second Priest in The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera), Spoletta in Tosca (Cincinnati Opera), Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi (Tulsa Opera), and Borsa in Rigoletto (Opera Philadelphia).

Kristen Choi SUZUKI

Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi has been hailed by Opera News as a “powerhouse in the making” for her portrayal of Suzuki in Madame Butterfly. Her 2022–23 season included Toshio Hosokawa’s monodrama The Raven (Opera Philadelphia), Suzuki in Madame Butterfly (Lubbock Symphony), Hiroko in Jack Perla’s An American Dream (Opera Idaho), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Omaha), a workshop of Derrick Wang’s Fearless as Mother (Opera Delaware), and the Cook in Stravinsky’s Le rossignol (West Edge Opera). Previous performances include the Stewardess in Flight (Dallas Opera); Rene Orth’s Tak Tak Shoo and Maddalena in Rigoletto (Opera Philadelphia); Phoung Tran in a workshop of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s The Rift (Washington National Opera); alto soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Dayton Philharmonic); and Annina in La traviata (HALO, Charleston). This season she will perform Suzuki with Opera Philadelphia and Virginia Opera and sing the 2nd Maidservant in Elektra (Dallas Opera).

Artist profiles are listed in alphabetical order.

Rolfe Dauz YAMADORI / IMPERIAL COMMISSIONER

Filipino American baritone Rolfe Dauz, a 2023–24

Detroit Opera Resident Artist, is quickly becoming recognized for his beautiful voice, sensitive artistry, and compelling stage presence. As a Vocal Fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center this past summer, he performed in concerts and recitals curated by soprano Dawn Upshaw, who leads the Vocal Arts Program. Rolfe was a 2022 Festival Artist at the Chautauqua Opera Company, performing roles in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother Of Us All and Kamala Sankaram and Susan Yankowitz’s contemporary operatheater work Thumbprint. In 2021–22, Rolfe performed Wotan/Hingaan

Jann in Yadi Nursalim Anugerah and Miranda Lakerveld’s new opera Ine Aya’ at the Holland Festival, a production that later toured throughout Indonesia. Youth and Love, his vocal-piano duo with Lithuanian pianist Gabrielė Žemaitytė, was awarded second prize at the 2021 International Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition, and he performed a livestream recital in the Grote Zangers series at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ concert hall in Amsterdam.

dots SET DESIGN

dots is a multi-disciplinary design collective creating environments for theater, film, commercials, and immersive experiences. Hailing from Colombia, South Africa, and Japan, they are Santiago OrjuelaLaverde, Andrew Moerdyk, and Kimie Nishikawa. As collaborators, they believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Recent credits include Madame Butterfly (Cincinnati Opera), The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Broadway: James Earl Jones Theater; BAM), Dark Disabled Stories (The Public Theater), Public Obscenities (Soho Rep, NAATCO, Drama Desk nomination), Kate Berlant is KATE (Connelly Theater), and You Will Get Sick (Roundabout Theater, Lucille Lortel nomination). designbydots.com

Artist Profiles

Nmon Ford SHARPLESS

Panamanian American baritone Nmon Ford’s recent international highlights include the title role in Don Giovanni at Dorset Festival Opera and Crown in the Metropolitan Opera co-production of Porgy and Bess at English National Opera and Dutch National Opera. In 2022–23, he sang Escamillo in Carmen (ENO, Calgary Opera, and Opera Colorado), and sang the part of Jesus in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s St. Matthew Passion. Past career highlights include Jochanaan in Salome (Pittsburgh Opera), Don Pizarro in Fidelio (Cincinnati Opera), and Iago in Otello (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra). At Hamburg State Opera, his roles include Scarpia (Tosca), Di Luna (Il trovatore), and the title role in Billy Budd. Other roles include Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Telramund (Lohengrin), Amonasro (Aida), Renato (Un ballo in maschera), Posa (Don Carlo), and Pere Germont (La traviata). Future engagements include Silvio (I Pagliacci), High Priest (Samson et Dalila), and a new production of his own piece, The House of Orpheus.

Yuki Nakase Link LIGHTING DESIGNER

Yuki Nakase Link’s lighting designs with director Matthew Ozawa have included Orpehus and Eurydice (San Francisco Opera). Her designs with director Yuval Sharon include L’Orfeo (Santa Fe Opera). Recent and upcoming designs include Europeras 3 & 4 (Detroit Opera), Angel Island (BAM/ Beth Morrison Projects), Émigré (New York Philharmonic), Fidelio (Canadian Opera Company), VALIS (MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology), Proving Up (Juilliard Opera), In a Grove (Pittsburgh Opera), and Blood Moon (Baruch Performing Arts Center/PROTOTYPE). She was born in Tokyo, grew up in Kyoto, Japan, and currently lives north of New York City, in the woods of Hudson Valley. M.F.A.: NYU. Website:  yukinlink.com

Suzanne Mallare Acton CHORUS MASTER

Known for her versatility and energy on the podium, Detroit Opera Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton has more than 160 production credits covering seven languages. In addition to her chorus work, Suzanne has conducted over 35 productions for the company, including West Side Story, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen , The Music Man, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, La traviata, A Little Night Music, a staged version of Carmina Burana with members of Cirque du Soleil, The Medium , A View from the Bridge, Les pêcheurs de perles, and Frida. She has conducted Dayton Opera, Artpark, Augusta Opera, Verdi Opera Theatre, El Paso Opera, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, BirminghamBloomfield Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Bach Festival, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. For 25 years, Suzanne was artistic director of Rackham Choir. She premiered Too Hot To Handel at the Detroit Opera House, Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, and the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.

Maiko Matsushima COSTUME DESIGNER

Maiko designs for theater, dance, opera, and film in New York and regional theaters, including, most recently, designs for My Wonderful Day, Proliferation of the Imagination, and The Understudy at Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. Other designs include Twelfth Night (Pig Iron Theater Company, Philadelphia), Chicken (Charlotte Ford) at Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, THIS (Playwrights Horizons, NY), Rescue Me (Ohio Theatre, NY), Enjoy (59E59, NY), More (Headlong Dance Theatre, Philadelphia), The Children of Vonderly (Classic Stage Company, NY), Adding Machine, Suitcase, or those that resemble flies from a distance (La Jolla Playhouse, CA), Brooklyn Bridge (Children’s Theatre Company, MN), Bomb-itty of Errors (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, MO), So Close, Year of the baby, Cat’s Paw (Soho Rep., NY), and We Sink As We Run (Dixon Place, NY). She has worked as an associate costume designer on Broadway productions including Spring Awakening, Radio Golf, Lestat, Assassins, Good Body, and Pacific Overtures, and Wicked in Japan.

Artist Profiles

Joanne Middleton-Weaver ASSOCIATE WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER

Born in England, Joanne Middleton-Weaver came to the United States in the late 1980s. She began apprenticing with Elsen Associates at what was then Washington Opera, now Washington National Opera. Joanne has since designed at many opera companies throughout the U.S. during her 30-year career, including Glimmerglass Opera, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. Since 1995, she has designed for Detroit Opera (previously Michigan Opera Theatre), where her credits include La bohème, The Passenger, Frida, Margaret Garner, Cyrano, Faust, Xerxes, and make-up design for X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

Matthew Ozawa DIRECTOR

Matthew Ozawa is a stage director, artistic director, and educator who is one of the preeminent creative forces in the opera world today. Ozawa is the founder and artistic director of Mozawa, a Chicago-based arts incubator. Ozawa served three years as assistant professor of music at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre & Dance and in 2022 he was named chief artistic administration officer of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Recent productions include Orfeo (San Francisco Opera), Fidelio (San Francisco Opera), Madame Butterfly (Santa Fe Opera / Arizona Opera), Don Quichotte (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Romeo and Juliet (Minnesota Opera / Cincinnati Opera / Michigan Opera Theatre), Nabucco (Lyric Opera of Chicago), L’Opera Seria (Wolf Trap Opera), Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Colorado / North Carolina Opera), Arizona Lady (Arizona Opera), La bohème (Opera Colorado / Opera North), and Les Mamelles de Tiresias / Le Pauvre Matelot (Wolf Trap Opera).

Lisa Marie Rogali KATE PINKERTON

Award-winning mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali is a versatile performer of opera, musical theater, contemporary music, and concert music. Her 2023–24 season performances include Kate Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly) and Lapak (The Cunning Little Vixen) at Detroit Opera, where she is a Resident Artist for the 2023–24 season. She will make her role debut as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia (North Carolina Opera). In the 2022–23 season, she sang Princess / Lucy / Fancy Doll #1 in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s Edward Tulane, Hansel in Opera Birmingham’s Hansel and Gretel, and Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette and Paquette in Candide at the Glimmerglass Festival. She has been featured in roles at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Opera Saratoga and earned top honors from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Lotte Lenya Competition, and other competitions. Lisa has performed as a featured soloist in concerts with the Naples Philharmonic, the Masterwork Chorus, and Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.

Hyungjin Son THE BONZE

Baritone Hyungjin Son, a native of South Korea, is an active opera, oratorio, and concert singer. Son has performed as Uncle Bonze in Madame Butterfly, Doristo in L’arbore di Diana, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Mr. Putnam in If I Were You, “Pa” Zegner in Proving Up, and Sir Thomas in Mansfield Park . He has also performed as a soloist in Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall. As a studio artist at Aspen Music Festival, he covered the role of Ford in Falstaff with international bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in the title role and covered the title role in Don Giovanni as well. He was named an Encouragement Winner in 2020 and a district winner in 2022 in the Boston district of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was named a national semi-finalist of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He is pursuing a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Bradley Williams. He holds a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Seoul National University, and a graduate certificate from the Opera Institute of Boston University. Recently, Son made his debut as the title role in Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague.

Artist Profiles

Karah Son CIO-CIO-SAN

Karah Son graduated with a degree in voice performance at Yonsei University in her native city of Seoul, South Korea. She graduated from the Vivaldi Music Conservatory in Novara, Italy, and attended the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, under the guidance of Mirella Freni. She made her professional debut in 1997 as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at the National Theater in Seoul. Past performances include Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Milan), Mimì in La bohème (Bergamo, Milan, Cagliari, Sydney), and Liù in Turandot (Verona, Bologna, Nancy, Valencia, Melbourne). She has sung the title role in Madame Butterfly at the Glyndebourne Festival and numerous cities in South Korea as well as in San Francisco, Tampere, Warsaw, Leipzig, Berlin, Göteborg, Turin, Dresden, Cardiff, Sydney, Warsaw, Turin, Kansas City, Stuttgart, Montpellier, Bologna, Angers, Nantes, and Rennes. Future performances include Madame Butterfly (Copenhagen) and Marina Abramovic’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas (English National Opera).

Eric Taylor

B.F. PINKERTON

Eric Taylor is making his Detroit Opera debut with this month’s performances as B.F. Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. As a Studio Artist at Houston Grand Opera from 2021 to 2023, his roles included Narraboth in Salome and the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites. This season, he will return to Houston Grand Opera to sing the role of B.F. Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. The Washington Post praised his “forceful and compassionate” performances in the title role of Faust at Wolf Trap Opera in July 2023. Eric is an alumnus of the 2022 Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist program, where he sang Melot in Tristan und Isolde and covered the role of Don José in Carmen. In 2017, Eric was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 2021, he placed second in the Eleanor McCollum Concert of Arias Competition, and 2023, he placed first in the Houston Saengerbund Competition.

Artist Profiles

Kensho Watanabe CONDUCTOR

Kensho Watanabe is fast becoming one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors to come out of the United States. Most recently, Kensho received a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S. From 2016 to 2019, he was assistant conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he made his critically acclaimed subscription debut leading the Orchestra and pianist Daniil Trifonov, taking over from his mentor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Equally at home in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Kensho has led numerous operas with Curtis Opera Theatre, including Puccini’s La rondine and La bohème. At Opéra de Montréal, he served as assistant conductor to Yannick NézetSéguin on a new production of Strauss’s Elektra. Recent symphonic highlights include performances with the Houston Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Japan’s Matsumoto Festival, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Kensho is also an accomplished violinist.

Alexandra Q. Yan TROUBLE

Alexandra “Allie” is a first grader at Burns Park Elementary School. She made her theatrical debut in Beauty and the Beast at Michigan Theatre produced by the Burns Park Players in February 2023. She played a sheep and a fork. She will be performing in the same group’s upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz in 2024. Studying piano with her mom Michelle, she performed as a soloist in the annual Youth Service at First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor back in March. Allie loves listening to the stories of Minecraft, building Disney Princess Legos, and collecting Barbie dolls. In her leisure time, she enjoys being a Penguin soccer player fighting for her school.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Detroit Opera Honor Roll

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous donors for their cumulative lifetime giving. Their support has played a vital role in the history of Detroit Opera since being founded by Dr. David DiChiera as Michigan Opera Theatre in 1971 and the building of the Detroit Opera House in 1996. Their leadership plays an integral part in the company’s viability, underwriting quality opera and dance performances, as well as awardwinning community and education programs.

$10,000,000 and above

Ford Motor Company Fund

The State of Michigan

William Davidson Foundation

$7,500,000 and above

General Motors

$5,000,000 and above

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Stellantis

The Kresge Foundation

$2,000,000 and above

Mr.* and Mrs. Douglas Allison

Floy & Lee Barthel

Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto

Dance Endowment and Marvin and Betty Danto Family Foundation

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Frankel

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Lear Corporation

Masco Corporation

McGregor Fund

The Skillman Foundation

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

$1,000,000 and above

Mr. Robert & Mrs. Margaret Allesee*

The Mellon Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Applebaum*

AT&T

Bank of America

Mr.* and Mrs. John A. Boll Sr. Compuware Corporation

Estate of Robert & RoseAnn Comstock

DTE Energy Foundation

The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

Mrs. Margo Cohen Feinberg and Mr. Robert Feinberg

Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* and Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Frankel*

Hudson-Webber Foundation

JPMorgan Chase

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Karmanos

Paul Lavins

Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation

Matilda R. Wilson Fund

National Endowment for the Arts

Richard Sonenklar and Gregory Haynes

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

Dr. and Mrs. Sam B. Williams*

Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor names and gift levels. Should you find an error or omission, please contact Zach Suchanek at zsuchanek@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3427

KEY * Deceased

Contributors to Detroit Opera

DetroDetroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors whose contributions to Detroit Opera were made between July 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023. The generosity of our donors is vital to sustaining Detroit Opera’s position as a valued cultural resource.

Foundations, Corporate & Government Support

$1,000,000+

William Davidson Foundation

$500,000+

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

National Endowment for the Humanities

$250,000-$499,999

The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

$100,000-$249,999

Ford Motor Company Fund

General Motors Corporation

Gilbert Family Foundation

The Mellon Foundation

OPERA America

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation

$50,000-$99,999

Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Milner Hotels Foundation

The State of Michigan

$25,000-$49,999

DTE Energy Foundation

Hudson-Webber Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

Matilda R. Wilson Fund National Endowment for the Arts

The Rattner and Katz Charitable Foundation

Worthington Family Foundation

$10,000-$24,999

J. Addison Bartush and Marion M. Bartush Educational Fund

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

C&N Foundation

Herman and Sharon Frankel Foundation

Geoinge Foundation

Gerson Family Foundation, Inc.

Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

Masco Corporation

MGM Grand Detroit

Ralph L. and Winifred E. Polk Foundation

Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund

The Skillman Foundation

Ida and Conrad H. Smith Endowment for MOT

The Mary Thompson Foundation

Uniprop

Burton A. Zipser And Sandra

D. Zipser Foundation

$5,000-$9,999

Strum Allesee Family Foundation

Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC

J N Grosfeld Foundation

Honigman LLP

Huntington Bank

McGregor Fund

The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation

The Williams Family Fund

$1,000-$4,999

ABM Janitorial Services

Azimuth Capital Management

John A. & Marlene L. Boll Foundation

Book Corp

Joyce Cohn

Young Artist Fund

Pellerito Manzella Certa & Cusmano Family Foundation

Elmira L. Rhein Family Foundation

Five Star Sheets, LLC

Flagstar Bank

FS Transportation, LLC

The Gilmour-Jirgens Fund

James & Lynelle Holden Fund

Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation

Josephine Kleiner Foundation

Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation

Sandy Family Foundation

Somerset Collection

Charitable Foundation

Tuesday Musicale of Detroit

Individual Support

$100,000+

Lee & Floy Barthel

Ethan and Gretchen Davidson

Estate of Barbara

Lucking Freedman

Mr. G. Michael Golden*

Paul Lavins

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr.

David and Chrisitne Provost

Matthew and Mona Simoncini

Richard Sonenklar and Gregory Haynes

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

$50,000-$99,999

Richard and Mona Alonzo

Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Don Manvel

Allan & Joy Nachman

Philanthropic Fund

The Nancy A. Norling Trust

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

The Estate of Mr. David W Schmidt

Jesse and Yesenia Venegas

$20,000-$49,999

Richard and Joanne Brodie

Wayne Brown and Brenda Kee

Robert C. and RoseAnn B. Comstock*

Mr. Adam Crysler & Dr. Oxana Crysler

Kevin Dennis and Jeremy Zeltzer

Fern Espino and Tom Short

Mrs. Elaine Fontana

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Frankel

Ann Katz

Michael and Barbara Kratchman

Nancy and Bud Liebler

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

The Hon. Jack & Dr. Bettye Arrington Martin

Susanne McMillan

Donald and Antoinette Morelock

Mr. Cyril Moscow

Peter Oleksiak

Ankur Rungta and Mayssoun Bydon

Lorna Thomas, MD

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

$10,000-$19,999

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Mr. Joseph A. Bartush

Gene P. Bowen

James and Elizabeth Ciroli

Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD

Enrico and Kathleen Digirolamo

Alex and Lil Erdlejan

Carl and Mary Ann Fontana

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* and Mr. Ronald Michalak

Ralph and Erica Gerson

Ms. Nancy B. Henk

Dr. Devon Hoover*

Kent and Amy Jidov

Ms. Mary Kramer

Denise J. Lewis

Stephan and Marian Loginsky

Robert and Terri Lutz

Ms. Mary C. Mazure

Ali Moiin and William Kupsky

James and Ann Nicholson

William and Wendy Powers

Dr. & Mrs. Samir Ragheb

Irvin and Pamela Reid

Barbara Van Dusen

Richard Ventura* & Margaret Kuhlmann

Anonymous

$5,000-$9,999

Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Margaret Allesee*

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Paul & Lee Blizman

Beverly Hall Burns

Ilse Calcagno

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Marianne T. Endicott

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Joseph Fontana

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Jody and Tara Ingle

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Phillip Minch

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Ellen Hill Zeringue

$3,000-$4,999

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Lisa DiChiera

Arline Geronimus

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Sharon Madison

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Carrie and Ted Pryor

Anthony and Sabrina Rugiero

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Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell

Lois and Mark Shaevsky

The Laura B. Sias Trust

Mr. Michael Simmons

Dr. Gregory E. Stephens, D.O.

Mark Stewart and Antonio Galaz

Buzz Thomas & Daniel Vander Ley

Bret and Susanna Williams

Margaret Winters and Geoffrey Nathan

Lucia Zamorano

Anonymous

$2,500-$2,999

Thomas and Gretchen Anderson

D.L. Anthony, Ph.D.

Marcia Applebaum*

Gregory and Mary Barkley

Ms. Nicole A. Boelstler

Mr. Randall Book

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald T. Burkman

Ms. Karen Curatolo

Walter and Lillian Dean

Carolyn Demps and Guy Simons

Cristina DiChiera and Neal Walsh

Dr. Raina Ernstoff & Mr. Sanford Hansell

Michael Fisher

Yvonne Friday and Stephen Black

Allan Gilmour and Eric Jirgens

Samuel* and Toby Haberman

Doreen Hermelin

Max Lepler and Rex Dotson

Mary B. Letts

Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid

Eugene and Lois Miller

Van Momon and Pamela L. Berry

Dr. & Mrs. Peter Nickles

Terry Packer

Janice Ross

Hershel and Dorothy Sandberg

Susan A Smith

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Joel Tauber

Jeff and Amy Voigt

Stanley Waldon

$1,000-$2,499

Dr. Antonia Abbey

Dennis Archer Jr

Dr. John Belamaric & Dr. Marilyn K. Belamaric

Peggyann and Ramon Berguer

Mr. Stanislaw Bialoglowski

Eugene and Roselyn Blanchard

Ms. Constance Bodurow

Mr.* and Mrs. John A. Boll Sr.

Donald and Marilyn Bowerman

Gerald and Marceline Bright

Thomas and Sharon Butler

Albert and Janette Cassar

Mrs. Judith Christian

Howard & Judith Christie

Ms. Lisa Cobbs

Devon Shea Cook

James and Christine Cortez

Patricia Cosgrove

Mr. Cameron B. Duncan*

Marjory Winkelman Epstein

Linda Forte and Tyrone Davenport

Burke & Carol Fossee

Mr. William Fulton

Thomas M. Gervasi

Erin and John Gianopoulos

Linda and Roderick Gillum

Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski

Philip and Martha Gray

Ms. Carole Hardy

Joi and Korey Harris

Joya Harris-Sherron

Ms. Joyce Hayes-Giles

Eleanor & Alan Israel

Richard and Involut Jessup

Dr. Charmaine D. Johnson

Victoria Lynn Johnson

Theodore and Pamela Jones

Ellen Kahn

Roberto Kalb & Mane Galoyan

Marc Keshishian and Susanna Szelestey

Edward and Barbara Klarman

Gregory Knas

Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky

Meria Larson

Mr. Loreto A. Manzo

Ms. Janet Groening Marsh

Mr. Dexter C. Mason

Kyle McCree and Camille Kroger-McCree

Patrick and Patricia McKeever

Brian and Lisa Meer

Pamela Moore

Cheryl Moore

Harold Munson and Libby Berger

Brian Murphy and Toni Sanchez-Murphy

Richard & Kathleen Nauer

Ms. Faye Alexander Nelson

Joshua and Rachel Opperer

Mr. Michael Parisi

Coleen Pellerito

Verne K Perigord

Mark and Kyle Peterson

Michael and Charlene Prysak

Rip and Gail Rapson

Mr. Dennis C. Regan & Miss Ellen M. Strand

Marlo and Lauren Roebuck

George and Aphrodite Roumell

William and Marjorie Sandy

Thomas and Sharon Shumaker

Anthony L Smith

Ms. Theresa Spear & Mr. Jeff Douma

Garry Spector

Gabriel and Martha Stahl

Judge Cynthia Stephens

Frank and Sandra Tenkel

Esther Thomas

Paul Tomboulian

Jeffrey Tranchida and Noel Baril

Margaret Trimer

Jill Veneable

Joseph and Rosalie Vicari

Deborah Wahl

Edward Weiss

John and Susan Zaretti

$750-$999

Mr. David A. Agius

Ms. Joann C. Brooks

Frank and Jenny Brzenk

Beverly & Reginald* Ciokajlo

Tonino and Sarah Corsetti

Mrs. LaDonna Leyva

Huel and Priscilla Perkins

$500-$749

Robert and Catherine Anthony

Brian Atwater

Paul Augustine

Ms. Allison Bach

Beth Baerman

Julio Bateau

Mr. Al Beachum

Ms. Fay Beydoun

Marsha Bruhn

Ms. Susan Cameron

John and Cynthia Cross Charitable Fund

Gretchen Davidson

Debra DeBose

Ms. Joyce E. Delamarter

Mr. Leonard R. Dimsa

Mrs. Blondell Doughty

Tricia Edwards

Ms. Christine Estereicher

Daniel H Ferrier

Barbara Fisher and William Gould

Carol Gagliardi and David Flesher

Mrs. Louise Giddings

John Gierak and Dona Tracey

Joseph and Lois Gilmore

Gil Glassberg and Sandra Seligman

Christine Goerke

Mr. Robert Theodore Goldman

Mr. Nathaniel Good

Larry Gray

Ms. Joyce M. Hennessee

Paul and Nancy Hillegonds

Beth Hoger & Lisa Swem

Kairi Horsley

Ms. Theresa

Munger Howard

William and Sarah Hufford

Elanah Nachman Hunger

David and Theresa Joswick

James Sidney Keller

Judith and Stephen Kesler

Ms. Lee Khachaturian

Justin and Joanne Klimko

Mr. Alex Koprivica

Ms. Cynthia Kratchman

William and Jean Kroger

Andy Levin & Mary Freeman

John and Kimi Lowe

Joseph and Sandra Lupo

Dr. William Lusk

Mrs. Marsha Lynn

Mr. John McElroy

Lila McMechan

Dr. Anne Missavage & Mr. Robert Borcherding

Ms. Maryanne Mott

Ms. Lois Norman

Mr. Ronald Northrup

Ms. Heddie O’Connor

Adrian Ohmer

Mr. D. Sean Panikkar

Ms. Monica E. Parrish

Anne Parsons* and Donald Dietz

Ms. Haryani Permana

Elaine and Bertram Pitt

Angela Porter, MD

Garry Post and Robert Hill

Concetta Ross

Leroy and Maria Runk

Professor Alvin and Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Vincent and Kathy Scanio

Linda Schlesinger

Walter Shapero and Kathleen Straus

Ms. Brenda Shufelt

Paul and Jill Siatczynski

Allan Skoropa

Dr. Andrew James Stocking

Norma Stone

Andrew J Sturgess

Frank and Patricia Terry-Ross

John M Toth

Barbara and Stuart Trager

Maria Urquidi

Nicole M. Valentini

Dennis and Jennifer Varian

Ms. Janet Beth Weir

Meredith Weston-Band and Jeffery Band

Dr. Ruth A. Worthington

Gifts in Tribute

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the families, friends, colleagues, businesses and groups who generously made gifts to Detroit Opera in honor of or in memory of the special people in their lives, whose names are listed bold below.

IN HONOR OF

Wayne Brown

Todd Gordon and Susan Feder

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

Honigman LLP

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

Barbara Kratchman

David and Nancy Barbour

Dr. William J. Kupsky & Dr. Ali Moiin

Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky

William and Elizabeth S. Kupsky

The Williams Family Fund

Joseph Locasio and Julia Sprangers

Ms. Mary E. Puls

Ruth Rattner

Ann Katz

Yuval Sharon

Dr. Myra Danish

Mali Sharon

Lee Hsien Yang

Pheng Heong Tan

R. Jamison Williams

The Penske Corporation

IN MEMORY OF

Maggie Allesee

Azimuth Capital Management

John Boll

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

Reginald Ciokatlo

Beverly Ciokajlo

Harry T. Cook II

Ms. Susan Chevalier

David DiChiera

Richard and Mona Alonzo Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Karen DiChiera

Dennis Archer, Jr.

J. Addison Bartush and Marion M. Bartush Educational Fund

Knudsen Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Mr. Luis Resto

Ms. Brenda Shufelt

Cameron “Sandy” Duncan

Wayne S. Brown and Brenda Kee

Ethan and Gretchen Davidson

Gary L. Wasserman and Charles Kashner

Donald R. Epstein

Marjory Winkelman Epstein

Elaine Fontana

Five Star Sheets, LLC

Carl and Mary Ann Fontana

Joseph Fontana

Deborah Logan

Robert Ruddy

Ms. Angela Smith

Diedre Turner

Louis and Elaine Fontana

John Reinhard

Barbara Frankel

Wayne Brown and Brenda Kee

Joan M. Bussell

Ms. Carol Camiener

Janice and Larry Cohen

Melissa Cohen

Couzens, Lanksy, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar P.C.

Ethan and Gretchen Davidson

Enrico and Kathleen Digirolamo

Janet and Robert Epstein

James and Margo Farber

Mr. Ronald Michalak

Herman & Sharon

Frankel Foundation

Ms. Laurie R. Frankel

Carolyn Gordon

James Grant

David and Rose Handleman

Patti Kommel

Michael and Barbara Kratchman

Mark and Debbie Landau

Sarah Larges

Stanley Lecznar

Bryan and Susan Ludwig

Mr. Richard McIntyre

Richard and Kathleen Nauer

Jan Rosen

Bernard and Donna Rubin

Barry and Deane Safir

Layne Sakwa

William and Marjorie Sandy

Brian Slickis

Dean Allan Maya Rose Slickis

Charles and Virginia Slickis

Mr. Charles Slickis

Wendy Starr

Debra Wichterman

Dorothy Gerson

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

William & Janet Goudie

Edward Goudie

Eugene Hillelfinger

Wallace Ayotte

Elizabeth Bacon-Pituch and Keenan Pituch

Samson Crowl and Carolyn Crowl

Ruth Daley

Mark and Susan Mutter

Karen Hodgson

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Dr. Devon Hoover

Michael Artman and Anita Shagena

Richard A Berg Ttee

Mrs. Chris Bogojevich

Ms. Stacey Cassis

Patricia Cosgrove

Konstantin Elisevich and Candace Eliesevich

Dr. Andrey Volkov

Delena A. Ickes

Mr. David Edward Laski

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Rozanne Paton

Thomas Quilter

DeAnne Spurlock

Mary Stewart

Herbert Wendt

Dr. David Wu

The Physicians of Great Lakes Cancer Management Specialists

Stuart Itzkowitz and Larry Zimmerman

Mrs. Sharon Skorupski

Mado Lie

Andrew Spector and Onyi Iwela

Alphonse Lucarelli

John and Marilyn Belamaric

Wayne S. Brown and Brenda Kee

Mrs. Judith Christian

Enrico and Kathleen Digirolamo

Stephanie M. Prechter

Matthew and Mona Simoncini

Norma Stone

Dawn Minch

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Daniel Pehrson

Larry Shulman

Irene Piccone

Teresa Gualtieri-Clark

Peter Polidori

Phyllis Pransky

William P. Vititoe

Stephen Economy

Tamara Lehew Whitty

Mr. & Mrs. John Shipman Osler, Jr

David Delos Woodard

Ms. Dorothy Bennoune

Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor and honoree/memorial names for gifts received between July 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023. Should you find an error or omission, please contact Zach Suchanek at zsuchanek@ detroitopera.org or 313.237.3427

* Deceased

THE DAVID DiCHIERA ARTISTIC FUND

In remembrance of our founder and long-term general director, The David DiChiera Artistic Fund has been established to support and honor his artistic vision.

This fund enables Detroit Opera to produce compelling opera, present innovative dance, and engage with thousands of students and members of our community through our educational and outreach programs. Most importantly, it allows Detroit Opera to preserve David’s legacy and his dedication to the young people of Southeast Michigan and young emerging artists from all over the country.

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous corporate, foundation, and individual donors whose gifts to The David DiChiera Artistic Fund were made before August 31, 2023.

INDIVIDUAL

Joe Alcorn (in honor of Joan Hill)

Richard and Mona Alonzo

Carl Angott and Tom Ball

Pamela Applebaum

Hon. Dennis W. Archer and Hon. Trudy Duncombe Archer

Gordon and Pauline Arndt

Timothy and Linda Arr

Mr. Jeffrey Atto

Kenan Bakirci

Landis Beard

Virginia Berberian (in memory of Joan Hill)

Jere and Carole Berkey

Henri and Anaruth Bernard

Mr. Robert Hunt Berry

Ms. Christine Jessica Berryman

Martha and Peter Blom* (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mrs. Judith B. Boesky

Douglas and Rhonda Bonett

Ms. Priscilla Bowen

Wayne Brown & Brenda Kee

Frank and Jenny Brzenk

Ms. Patricia Byrne

Jeff Cancelosi

James and Susan Catlette

Mr. Richard D. Cavaler

Carol Chadwick

Edward and Judith Christian

Howard and Judith Christie

Hon. Avern Cohn* and Ms. Lois Pincus

Paula Lisa Cole

Mr. Martin Collica

Deborah L Connelly (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Holly Conroy (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Helen Constan

Telmer and Carmen Constan

James and Diana Cornell

Pat Cosgrove

Mr. John Craib-Cox

Geoffrey Craig (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mr. Stephen J. Cybulski

Gail Danto and Arthur Roffey

Dodie and Larry David

Walter and Lillian Dean (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Kevin Dennis and Jeremy Zeltzer

Cristina DiChiera and Neal Walsh

Lisa DiChiera

Nicholas Dorochoff and Joe Beason

Linda Dresner and Ed Levy, Jr.

Cameron B. Duncan*

Mr. Keith Otis Edwards

Ms. Elaine K. Ellison

Marianne Endicott

Daniel Enright

Sundra Michelle Epps

Beth Erman (in honor of Ruth Rattner)

Paul and Mary Sue Ewing

Sandra Fabris

Mr. Andrew D Fisher

Barbara Fisher and William Gould

Carl and Mary Ann Fontana

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* and Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Frankel

Peter and Nancy Gaess

Lawrence and Ann Garberding

Wika Gomez

Sylvia and Gary Graham

William Greene and Peter McGreevy

Kristina K. Gregg

John and Kristan Hale

Stephen Hartle

Erik Hill

Ms. Rhea Hill

Ms. Rita Hoffmeister

Anne and Bob Horner

William and Sarah Hufford

Patricia Jeflyn

Dirk A Kabcenell (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mr. Martin Kagan

Ann Frank Katz and Family (in honor of Ruth Rattner)

Ms. Francine C Kearns-King

Mr. and Mrs. Gerd H Keuffel (in memory of Joan Virginia Hill)

Colin Knapp

Frank Kong

Michael and Barbara Kratchman

Mr. Jacob Krause (in memory of Manya Korkigian)

Arthur and Nancy Ann Krolikowski

James and Ellen Labes

Chak and Lizabeth Lai

Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson

Mado Lie*

Bryan R. Lind

William and Jacqueline Lockwood

Stephan and Marian Loginsky

James LoPrete

Stephen Lord

Ms. Renee Lounsberry

Alphonse S. Lucarelli

Evan R. Luskin

Mary Lynch

Paddy Lynch

Marford Charitable Gift Fund

Ms. Jennifer Marling

Diana Marro Salazar

Ms. Alex May

Ms. Mary C. Mazure (in honor of Nadine DeLeury and Gregory Near)

Nadine McKay

Dr. Lisa Meils

Ms. Lynne M. Metty

Ali Moiin and William Kupsky

Mary Rose and Bill Mueller (in memory of Joan Virginia Hill)

Sarah Mumford

Katharine Nipper

Ms. Julia O’Brien

Jason O’Malley

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Orlandi

Mrs. Sally Orley

Bonnie Padilla (in memory of Joan Hill)

Charles and Mary Parkhill

Nicole Patrick

Christopher Patten

Mr. Michael Poris

Ms. Stephanie M. Prechter

Mr. Wade Rakes, II

Rip and Gail Rapson

Ms. Deborah Remer

Ms. Marija D Rich

Pamela Rowland

Ankur Rungta and Mayssoun Bydon

Ms. Loretta W. Ryder

Barry and Deane Safir

Dmitriy and Svetlana Sakharov

William and Marjorie Sandy

Professor Alvin and Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Dr. Mary J. Schlaff and Dr. Sanford Koltonow

Mr. David Schon

Yuval Sharon

Terry Shea and Seigo Nakao

Dorienne Sherrod

Peter and Mary Siciliano (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Ted and Mary Ann Simon

Matthew and Mona Simoncini

Joe Skoney and Luisa Di Lorenzo

Hugh Smith and Marsha Kindall-Smith

Kendall Smith

Lee and Bettye Smith

Richard Sonenklar and Gregory Haynes

Ms. Janet Stevens

Dr. Austin Stewart and Mr. Charlie Dill

Ronald Switzer and Jim McClure

Angela Theis

Mrs. Beverly A Thomas

Buzz Thomas and Daniel Vander Ley

Ms. Patricia A Thull

Mr. Jason P. Tranchida

Jeffrey Tranchida and Noel Baril

Elliott and Patti Trumbull

Mathew and Barbara Vanderkloot

Berwyn Lee Walker

William and Martha Walsh

Gary L. Wasserman and Charles Kashner

Kevin and Andrea Webber

Bradford J and Carol White

R. Jamison and Karen Williams

Peter Wilson (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Blaire R Windom

Mary Lou Zieve

CORPORATIONS & FOUNDATIONS

Aom, LLC

The Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Family Foundation

J. Addison Bartush & Marion M. Bartush Family Foundation

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

DeRoy Testamentary Foundation

Kresge Foundation

MOT Orchestra Fund

(in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Northern Trust Bank

Pal Properties, LLC

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

The Detroit Opera Board of Directors began the first phase of fundraising for Detroit Opera House capital improvements in January 2020. This multi-phase capital campaign grew from recommendations identified in the facilities master plan completed by Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. Scheduled facility improvements and upgrades will shape the patron experience at the Opera House for years to come.

We look forward to sharing full details about the capital campaign in the coming months. Until then, we extend heartfelt thanks to the following donors who made contributions that enabled capital improvements to begin.

Leadership Gifts*

Ethan and Gretchen Davidson

William Davidson Foundation

National Endowment for the Humanities

Matthew and Mona Simoncini

Campaign Contributors*

Naomi André

Michael Azar

Nancy Azizi

Floy and Lee Barthel

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan

Gene P. Bowen

Elizabeth Brooks

Elliott Broom

Wayne Brown & Brenda Kee

Edward & Judith Christian

James and Elizabeth Ciroli

John and Doreen Cole

Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus

Mr. Adam Crysler & Dr. Oxana Crysler

Joanne Danto and Arnold Weingarden

Marvin & Betty Danto

Family Foundation

Ms. Julia Donovan Darlow & Hon. John C. O’Meara

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Mrs. Carol E. Domina

Mr. Cameron B. Duncan*

Wendy L. Ecker

Mr. Michael Einheuser

Marianne T. Endicott

Alex and Lil Erdeljan Foundation

Fern Espino and Tom Short

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. & Mrs.

Herman Frankel

Toby Haberman

John & Kristan Hale

Dr. Devon Hoover*

Eleanor & Alan Israel

Robert Jesurum and Christine Petrucci

The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

Velda Kelly

Ms. Mary Kramer

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Denise J. Lewis

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

Don Manvel

McGregor Fund

Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD

Ali Moiin & Bill Kupsky

Donald & Antoinette Morelock

Allan and Joy Nachman

James and Ann Nicholson

Peter Oleksiak

Ms. Linda Orlans

Penske Corporation

Mr. Shane Pliska

Prof. Sara A. Pozzi Ph. D

Waltraud Prechter

Paul & Amy Ragheb

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao

The Skillman Foundation

Mr. Richard Slama

SOLO World Partners LLC

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

The State of Michigan

Lorna Thomas, MD

Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Ellen Hill Zeringue

* Listing reflects gifts and pledges as of August 31, 2023 in alphabetical order.

AVANTI SOCIETY MEMBERS ENSURING THE FUTURE

Imagine a gift that outlives you, allowing future generations to experience and enjoy the world of opera and dance. That’s the goal of the Avanti Society, Detroit Opera’s planned gift recognition program.

The Italian word avanti means “ahead,” or “forward.” Detroit Opera’s Avanti Society represents a designated group of friends who have made plans to include Detroit Opera in their estates—whether by will, trust, insurance, or life income arrangement. We are grateful for the generosity and foresight of those listed below, who have chosen to declare their intentions and join the Avanti Society. Thank You Avanti Society Members!

Sarah Allison

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya§

Mr. and Mrs. Agustin Arbulu§

Mr.* & Mrs. Chester Arnold§

Dr. Leora Bar-Levav

Mr. and Mrs. Lee Barthel

Mr. and Mrs. Brett Batterson§

Mr. W. Victor Benjamin

Mr.* and Mrs. Art Blair§

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bowlby

Mrs. Doreen Bull

Mr.* and Mrs. Roy E. Calcagno§

The Gladys L. Caldroney Trust

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Carson

Dr.* and Mrs. Victor J. Cervenak

Father Paul F. Chateau

Mary Christner

Mr. Gary L. Ciampa

Ms. Virginia M. Clementi

Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus

Prof. Kenneth Collinson

Douglas and Minka Cornelsen

Dr. Robert A. Cornette§#

Mr.* and Mrs. Tarik Daoud§#

Mr. Randal Darby

Mr. Thomas J. Delaney

Walter and Adel Dissett

Ms. Mary J. Doerr#

Mrs. Helen Ophelia Dove-Jones

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott§#

Mr. Wayne C. Everly

David and Jennifer Fischer

Mr. and Mrs. Herb Fisher§

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* and Mr. Ronald Michalak§#

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Frankel§#

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Freeman*

The Edward P. Frohlich Trust

Mrs. Jane Shoemaker French

Dr. and Mrs. Byron P. Georgeson§

Albert and Barbara Glover

Robert Green

Mr. Ernest Gutierrez

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hagopian

Mr. Lawrence W. Hall§

Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Halperin§

Ms. Heather Hamilton

Charlene Handleman

Preston and Mary Happel

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart§

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Hartwig§

Dr. & Mrs. Gerhardt A. Hein

Ms. Nancy B. Henk

Mrs. Fay Herman

Derek and Karen* Hodgson

Andrew and Carol Howell

Dr. Cindy Hung§

Eleanor and Alan Israel

Ms. Kristin Jaramillo§

Mr. Donald Jensen§

Mr. John Jesser

Mr. John Jickling

Maxwell and Marjorie Jospey

Mr. Patrick J.* & Mrs. Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Josephine Kessler

Edward and Barbara Klarman

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein#

Mr. & Mrs. Erwin H. Klopfer§#

Misses Phyllis & Selma Korn§ *

Myron and Joyce LaBan

Mr. Max Lepler & Mr. Rex Dotson

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr.

Mr. Hannan Lis

Florence LoPatin

Mr. Stephen H. Lord

Ms. Denise Lutz

Laura and Mitchell Malicki

Ms. Jane McKee§

Bruce Miller

Drs. Orlando & Dorothy Miller§

Ms. Monica Moffat & Mr. Pat McGuire

Drs. Stephen & Barbara Munk

Miss Surayyah Muwwakkil

Mr. Jonathan F. Orser

Ms. Julie A. Owens

Mr. Dale J. Pangonis§

Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Parkhill

Mr. Richard M. Raisin§

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner§#

Ms. Deborah Remer

Dr. Joshua Rest

Mr. & Mrs. James Rigby§

Mr. Bryan L. Rives

Ms. Patricia Rodzik§

David and Beverly Rorabacher

Dulcie Rosenfeld

Concetta Ross

Professor Alvin and Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Ms. Susan Schooner§

Mark and Sally Schwartz

Drs. Heinz & Alice Platt Schwarz§

Mrs. Frank C. Shaler§

Ms. Ellen Sharp

Ms. Edna J Pak Shin

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Siebert

Mrs. Loretta Skewes

Ms. Anne Sullivan Smith

Ms. Phyllis Funk Snow§

Mr.* & Mrs. Richard Starkweather§#+

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Mr. Stanford C. Stoddard

Dr. Jonathan Swift* & Mr. Thomas A. St. Charles§

Mr. Ronald F. Switzer§

Lillie Tabor

Mary Ellen Tappan Charitable Remainder Trust

Peter and Ellen Thurber

Alice* & Paul Tomboulian

Mr. Edward D. Tusset§

Jonathan and Salome E. Walton

Susan Weidinger

Mrs. Amelia H. Wilhelm§#

Mrs. Ruth Wilkins

Mr. Andrew Wise

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Zangerle

We express profound thanks to these Avanti Society members whose planned gifts to Detroit Opera have been received.

Robert G. Abgarian Trust

Mr.* and Mrs.*

Robert Allesee#

Serena Ailes Stevens

Mr. and Mrs. J. Addison Bartush§#*

Mr. and Mrs. Mandell Berman

Margaret and Douglas Borden

Charles M. Broh

Milena T. Brown

Charlotte Bush Failing Trust

Mary C. Caggegi

Allen B. Christman

Miss Halla F. Claffey

Robert C. and RoseAnn B. Comstock

Mary Rita Cuddohy

Marjorie E. DeVlieg

Nancy Dewar

James P. Diamond

Dr. David DiChiera

Mrs. Karen V. DiChiera

Dr. and Mrs. Charles H. Duncan§

Mrs. Anne E. Ford

Ms. Pamela R. Francis§

Mrs. Rema Frankel

Barbara Lucking Freedman

The Priscilla A.B. Goodell Trust

Freda K. Goodman Trust

Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D.§#

Maliha Hamady

Patricia Hobar

Mary Adelaide Hester Trust

Gordon V. Hoialmen Trust

Carl J. Huss

H. Barbara Johnston

Mrs. Josephine Kleiner

Mr. & Mrs.

Arthur Krolikowski*§

Mr. Philip Leon

Dores and Wade McCree*

Lucie B. Meininger

Helen M. Miller

Ella M. Montroy

Ronald K. Morrison

Ruth Mott

Elizabeth M. Pecsenye

Clarice Odgers Percox Trust

Thomas G. Porter

Mitchell Romanowski

Ms. Joanne B. Rooney

Mr. & Mrs. Giles L. & Beverly Ross

Ms. Merle H. Scheibner

Ms. Laura Sias

Mrs. Marge Slezak

Edward L. Stahl

Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis

Margaret D. Thurber

Mr. & Mrs. George & Inge Vincent§#+

Herman W. Weinreich

J. Ernest Wilde Trust

Helen B. Wittenberg

Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Elizabeth Work§

Joseph J. Zafarana

Mr. & Mrs. George M. Zeltzer§

KEY

§ Founding Members

# Touch the Future donors

* Deceased members

Membership in the Avanti Society is open to all who wish to declare their intention for a planned gift to Detroit Opera. To learn more, call Juliano Bitonti Stewart at 313-965-4271.

DETROIT OPERA ADMINISTRATION & STAFF

Wayne S. Brown PRESIDENT AND CEO

Yuval Sharon

GARY L. WASSERMAN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Christine Goerke

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Roberto Kalb MUSIC DIRECTOR

DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS

Daniel T. Brinker, General Manager, Detroit Opera House and Parking Center

Alexis Means, Director of Operations and Patron Experience

Rock Monroe, Director of Safety and Security, DOH and DOHPC

Matthew Principe, Director of Innovation

Shawn Rieschl Johnson, Director of Production

Samantha Teter, Director of Marketing and Communications

Ataul Usman, Director of Human Resources

Arthur White, Director of External Affairs

ADMINISTRATION

William Austin, Executive Assistant

Christy Gray, Office Administrator

Laura Nealssohn, Board Liaison

Timothy Lentz, Archivist & Director, Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library

Catherine Staples, Associate Archivist, Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library

Bryce Rudder, Digital Asset Manager & Senior Librarian, Detroit Opera Archive and Resource Library

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Alaina Brown, Program Coordinator

Branden Hood, Program Manager

Mark Vondrak, Associate Director/ Tour Manager

HOUSE OPERATIONS

Juan Benavides, Building Engineer

Kathie Booth, Volunteer Coordinator

Holly Clement, Events Manager

Jennifer George-Consiglio, Manager of Venue Operations

Dennis Wells, Facilities Manager

Emily White, Events Assistant

FINANCE

Kimberley Burgess, Accountant

Rita Winters, Accountant

HUMAN RESOURCES

Josh Kozakowski, Human Resources Coordinator

PATRON SERVICES

Development

Chelsea Kotula, Director of Institutional Giving

Valentino Peacock, Development Operations Coordinator

Zach Suchanek, Stewardship Coordinator

Juliano Bitonti Stewart, Major Gifts Officer

Marketing/Public Relations

Michael Hauser, Marketing Manager

Jennifer Melick, Communications and Media Relations Manager

Austin Richey, Digital Media Manager and Storyteller

Box Office

Amy Brown, Senior Manager of Ticketing and Box Office Operations

Evan Carr, System Administrator

Ellen Smith, Group Sales Associate

Stephanie Stoiko, Box Office Lead

ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT

Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music

Shardae Royster, Artistic Assistant

DANCE

Jon Teeuwissen, Artistic Advisor for Dance

Kim Smith, Dance Coordinator

PRODUCTION

Administration

Elizabeth Anderson, Production Coordinator and Artistic Administrator

Kathleen Bennett, Production Administrator

Emily White, Production Assistant

Technical & Design Staff

Jeff Beyersdorf, Interim Technical Director

Moníka Essen, Property Master

Kaila Madison, Technical Assistant

Music

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Assistant Music Director and Chorus Master

Molly Hughes, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Jean Posekany, Orchestra Librarian

Costumes

Suzanne Hanna, Costume Director

Amelia Glenn, Wardrobe Supervisor

Patricia Sova, First Hand

Mary Ellen Shuffett, Fitting Assistant

Laura Brinker, Tailor

Maureen Abele, Dylan McBride, Paul Moran, Rachel Parrott, Lupe

Vazquez, Stitchers

Wigs & Makeup

Elizabeth Geck, Crew Coordinator

Heather Bartlett, Erika Broderdorf, Vanessa Cassidy, Kaitlyn Denzler, Mallory Maxton, Nicole Pangas, Theo

Place, Esther Soto, Dayna Winalis, Wig & Makeup Crew

Stage Crew

John Kinsora, Head Carpenter

Frederick Graham, Head Electrician

Gary Gilmore, Production Electrician

Pat McGee, Head Propertyman

Chris Baker, Head of Sound

Pat Tobin, Head Flyman

Mary Ellen Shuffett, Head of Wardrobe

IATSE Local #38 Stage Crew

IATSE Local #786 Wardrobe

DETROIT OPERA YOUTH CHORUS

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Director

Sadarra Fields, Principal Chorus Conductor

Twannette Nash, Chorus Administrator

Joseph Jackson, Accompanist

Jane Panikkar, Preparatory Chorus Conductor

Maria Cimarelli, Preparatory Chorus Accompanist

SAFETY & SECURITY

Lt. Lorraine Monroe

Sgt. Demetrius Newbold

Officer Gary Cabean

Officer Dasaian Dupree

Officer A.M. Hightower

Officer Sullivan Horton

Detroit Opera is a proud member of

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Please observe the lighted exit signs located throughout the theater. In the event of an emergency, remain calm and walk, do not run, to the nearest exit. Ushers and security personnel are trained to assist. An emergency medical technician (EMT) is onsite during most events. Contact an usher or staff member if you need medical assistance.

GUEST SERVICES –Vincent Lobby and Broadway Lounge

There are a variety of amenities for your comfort and use located in both guest services locations. Wheelchairs, booster seats*, earplugs, assisted listening devices, feminine hygiene products, basic first aid items, and more are complimentary and available for your convenience. Coat check is also available. The Vincent Lobby is located on the Madison Street side of the building and the Broadway Lounge is located on the Broadway Street side of the building.

*Limited quantity

PHOTOGRAPHY, RECORDING, AND CELL PHONE USE

Photography and/or recording during any performance is strictly prohibited. Photographs taken in the lobby areas, before or after a performance, and during intermission are welcome. As a courtesy to all guests, please turn off all electronic devices and refrain from use during the performance.

RESTROOMS

Women’s restrooms are located off the Ford Lobby (Broadway Street entrance) and down the stairs, and on third floor (Madison Street entrance). Men’s restrooms are located under the Grand Staircase and on the third floor (Broadway Street side). There are two sets of elevators or stairs available to access all third-floor restrooms. All third-floor restrooms are wheelchair accessible (women’s restroom, press 3R in the elevator). There are single-use unisex wheelchair accessible restrooms on the first floor of the Broadway Street side of the building and the Madison Street side of the building. There is also a wheelchair accessible women’s restroom on the Broadway Street side of the building.

NO SMOKING

The Detroit Opera House is a non-smoking facility. This includes e-cigarettes, vapes, and other “smokeless” products.

USHERS

Ushers are stationed throughout the building to assist patrons as needed. Please direct questions, concerns, and feedback to them during your visit. Enjoy volunteering? Please go to guest services or the Detroit Opera website, www.detroitopera.org/volunteers, for information on becoming a volunteer.

LOST AND FOUND

During the performance, lost and found is located in guest services. Unclaimed items are logged and taken to the Safety and Security office after each performance. To inquire about a misplaced or lost item, please call 313-961-3500. Items left over 30 days will be discarded or donated.

RECORDING IN PROGRESS

Entry and presence on the event premises constitute your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded, and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity in connection with Detroit Opera and its initiatives. By entering the event premises, you waive and release any claims you may have related to the use of recorded media of you at the event.

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