PROGRAM: The Cunning Little Vixen

SAT / M AY 11 / 7:30P M

FR I / M AY 17 / 7:30P M SUN / M AY 19 / 2:30P M

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TABLE of CONTENTS 02

Board of Directors

02

Board of Trustees

05

A Message from Yuval Sharon

07

A Message from Patty Isacson Sabee

09

Animating Opera

13

Program

29

Nature in Detroit

33

Thank You to Our Donors

46 Administration and Staff 48

General Information

Shauna Ryder Diggs Enrico Digirolamo Maria C. Duey Marianne Endicott Fern Espino Paul E. Ewing John P. Hale John W. Ingle III Barbara Kratchman Dexter Mason Ali Moiin Donald Morelock Allan Nachman

BOARD OF DIRECTORS JULY 1, 2023— JUNE 30, 2024

Ann Nicholson Sara Pozzi Paul Ragheb Ruth Rattner Irvin D. Reid Pamela E. Rodgers

CHAIR

Evan D. Ross

Ethan D. Davidson

Ankur Rungta

VICE CHAIR

Terry Shea

Mary Kramer

Matthew Simoncini

VICE CHAIR

Richard Sonenklar

Denise J. Lewis

Peter C. Stern

VICE CHAIR

Lorna Thomas

Don Manvel

Jesse Venegas

PRESIDENT & CEO

Gary L. Wasserman

Patty Isacson Sabee

Ellen Hill Zeringue

SECRETARY

Gene P. Bowen

DIRECTORS EMERITI

TREASURER

Elizabeth Brooks

Bharat C. Gandhi

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

R. Jamison Williams

Shelly Cooper

BOARD OF TRUSTEES JULY 1, 2023— JUNE 30, 2024 Lourdes V. Andaya Naomi André Harold Mitchell Arrington Floy Barthel Barbra Bloch Gene P. Bowen Richard Brodie Charles D. Bullock James & Elizabeth Ciroli Lois Pincus Cohn Thomas Cohn Françoise Colpron Peter & Shelly Cooper Maureen D’Avanzo Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Cristina DiChiera Lisa M. DiChiera Shauna Ryder Diggs Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo Debbie Dingell Mary Jane Doerr Maria C. Duey Kenneth & Frances Eisenberg Marianne Endicott Alex Erdeljan Fern R. Espino & Thomas Short Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Marjorie M. Fisher

Margo Cohen Feinberg & Robert Feinberg

Herman Frankel

Oscar & Dede Feldman

Dean Friedman

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Jennifer Nasser

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

Naomi André

Charlotte Podowski

Barbara Garavaglia

Richard A. Brodie

Audrey Rose

Yousif & Mara Ghafari

James Ciroli

William Sandy

Toby Haberman

Kevin Dennis

C. Thomas Toppin

John & Kristan Hale

Lisa M. DiChiera

Richard Webb

Derek Hodgson

2

John & Tara Ingle III Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

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D E T R OI T O P ER A 3

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A message from

Yuval Sharon “I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

—John Muir “From any spot within its border, the forest is just a possibility: the aggregate of possible acts of our which, when carried out, would lose their real value. The part of the forest immediately before us is a screen.”

—Jose Ortega y Gasset Like a restless, wild animal, The Cunning Little Vixen dodges any attempt to tame it with too-easy explanations or symbolic interpretations. Staging The Cunning Little Vixen involves no shortage of delicate balances. The production must be playful without being childish, poetic without being heavy-handed, deeply compassionate but never sentimental, and highly imaginative in itself but always igniting the audience’s imagination first and foremost. Like the music, it must be fleet, direct, clear, and full of surprises. The extreme strangeness of the work must not be cloaked in a neutralizing naturalization, even though the speech rhythms and orchestral timbres might seem to spring Nature before our eyes like a pop-up book. Instead, the work’s singular strangeness must provoke wonder and astonishment—for this opera is as unconventional as it gets.

Initially conceived as an “opera with pantomime,” Janáček later described Vixen as a “forest idyll”—less driven by narrative and traditional character arcs and more an impressionistic journey through Nature’s cycle of life. In fact, it is the forest that plays the central character of the opera. Nature is a blank screen onto which we project our own fears, desires, and memories. The forest can be both a wise, silent teacher, whose lesson is life’s eternal renewal; and it can be a mirror, reflecting back only what we project onto it ourselves. Nature’s mystery stems from it offering us both objective reality and a repetition of our own subjectivity— we go into Nature hoping it will have an answer to a question of ours, but we read into it only what we want.

This production lets everyone involved be free. The animated sets and costumes let us move between literal and abstract realms with complete fluidity, never encumbered by clunky scenery. The singers are free from the physical burden of trying to convince us they are wild animals and instead focus on the essential delivery of the character with their most powerful expressive tools: their voices and their heads. And, most importantly, the audience is free to create their own interpretations on this strange and wondrous work.

Yuval Sharon Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director, Detroit Opera D E T R OI T O P ER A 5

P H O T O BY T H E CL E V EL A N D O R C H E S T R A

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Please consider a gift to Detroit Opera this season. Your generosity will ensure that our community has access to the highest caliber of opera productions, like The Cunning Little Vixen, for years to come!

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A message from

Patty Isacson Sabee

There’s a special magic to Detroit in springtime, and it’s not just the weather. This year, we present Janáček’s enchanting opera about nature’s cycle of life on the heels of last month’s NFL Draft, which brought more than 775,000 visitors to Detroit—some seeing the city for the first time in many years, or for the first time ever. That follows a season in which the Detroit Lions gained local and national fans, with more than half the country reportedly rooting for Detroit during the post-season.

Sports are just part of the lure of downtown Detroit. We’re smack in the middle of the city’s rich culture scene, and we love that Detroit Opera is part of the mix, whether it’s classical, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, or the outdoor Movement and Jazz festivals. You can easily go to an opera, theater, or concert performance during the day and watch a baseball game the same evening.

Spring is the time of year when we announce Detroit Opera’s upcoming season, and there’s magic there, too. We’ll open the season on October 19 with Verdi’s La traviata, directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Roberto Kalb.

The dance season will open on November 2 with Mark Morris Dance Group performing The Look of Love, an homage to Burt Bacharach with musical collaborator Ethan Iverson. We’ll present the world premiere of Yuval Sharon’s futuristic new production of Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte, which could not be more timely as we ponder the role of artificial intelligence in today’s world.

We will also present Anthony Davis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Central Park Five, conducted by Anthony Parnther, one of the foremost interpreters of Davis’s music. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo—one of the most captivating stage performers in all of opera—will sing the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo. In addition to Mark Morris Dance Group, five other top ballet and contemporary dance companies from around the world come to Detroit this season: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Malandain Ballet Biarritz.

After four months, it still gives me chills to be able to say, “President and CEO of Detroit Opera.” The magic is real. You can subscribe and learn more about our upcoming season at detroitopera.org.

Thanks for joining us this season, and we look forward to seeing you again in October!

Patty Isacson Sabee President & CEO, Detroit Opera D E T R OI T O P ER A 7

8 P H O T O BY T H E CL E V EL A N D O R C H E S T R A

Animating The Cunning Little Vixen is the first of Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s operas to be performed at Detroit Opera. Director Yuval Sharon and conductor Roberto Kalb recently spoke with Arthur White, Detroit Opera’s Director of External Affairs, about what makes this opera so special. Their discussion has been condensed and edited for space, but you can listen to the full conversation at Detroit Opera’s OperaHERE podcast, available via your favorite podcasting app.

Arthur White: This production of The Cunning Little Vixen began with the Cleveland Orchestra back in 2014. How did this project come about, and why is now the time to bring it to Detroit?

Yuval Sharon: The Cunning Little Vixen is an absolute masterpiece.

Detroit Opera had never before performed the work of Leoš Janáček, and it felt like an enormous corrective was needed. Janáček's music is among the very best, most sumptuous, and also funny, strange and unique, in the entire operatic literature. I don't know any other composer who set operas based on things like comic strips, as in the case of The Cunning Little Vixen, or science-fiction stories, as with The Makropoulos Case. When I first

did The Cunning Little Vixen at the Cleveland Orchestra, the idea was more of a concert setup—some people call that semi-staged. But if you're going to do a little bit of staging, why not do all the staging?

So I fully staged it. It is based on a comic strip, and all of its characters are members of the animal kingdom or the insect kingdom—the nonhuman population of a forest—so it made sense to go back to that original inspiration and think about a comic-strip approach with animation. This also spares our singers from needing to portray foxes and vixens and badgers and the like in ways that most often end up making the piece seem silly, when actually the piece is deep and carries so much life wisdom in it.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 9

White: The opera will be sung in Czech, with English surtitles.

Janáček's credo was that musical sounds should be derived from the pitches and the rhythms of speech.

Roberto Kalb: This piece is so colored by the language that it's difficult to translate. After the premiere in 1924, there was a German translation, but Janáček was hesitant about using it. He was never truly happy with any of the translations of his music. It just sings in a very different way in Czech. I'm really excited for our audiences to get to experience the color of that language.

Sharon: Janáček’s melodies come from the natural rhythms of Czech, and the scansion of the language is important. A character will state something in Czech with a folk melody, or create a rhythm, and then the orchestra picks it up and the whole rest of the scene is structured based on that.

White: Could you discuss the visual aspects of the production?

Sharon: The concept started with thinking about those photo stands you see at the beach where you put your head in and your body's transformed. It’s so charming—it’s your face, but you're in the body of a beetle or you're suddenly a surfer, because you put your head into this two-dimensional thing.

The animation that Walter Robot created is all digitally created, but from handmade objects. It's got a new and old quality to it. It is very 10

difficult for us to look at nature and not anthropomorphize it; we always give human characteristics to animals. The opera jokes about that.

There are many details that are so silly. When the Fox is courting the Vixen, he asks if she likes to smoke, and the Vixen says, “I'm a modern woman.” Of course foxes are not smoking tobacco! Maybe it's a deficit of our imagination that we can't imagine nature being different than us. On the other side of it, when we think of nature as a projection screen, as a projection of our fantasies and our desires and our fears, then we can learn about ourselves. That’s the journey that the Forester, the principal human character, really undertakes.

White: It seems that technology is becoming an important mechanism in so much of the work that's coming out now.

Sharon: Opera actually has always deployed the latest technologies.

We sometimes think about opera as an old-fashioned way of telling stories, but from the earliest days of opera, there was almost a demand that there would be scenic spectacle.

These theaters in Italy in the 17th century would be competing against each other for developing new technologies to astonish their audience and sell more tickets by doing this. There's a direct line from that to the works of Wagner and the like. The technologies we employ in the theater can create that sense of another world, and that’s an amazing thing about opera.

White: What are the challenges of Janáček's score?

Kalb: This is one of the hardest operas for orchestra musicians. It's especially difficult for the string players—Janáček loved to compose in flat keys, and to compose difficult music that at times was not completely idiomatic, just to create different sounds. Famously, the conductor who premiered the piece, František Neumann, threw the score to the ground during one of the orchestra rehearsals, told Janáček, “This is impossible to play,” and stormed out of the room. However, the sounds in this piece are unique and beautiful, and people who have never listened to a Janáček piece are in for a real treat. The piccolo has a substantial part; there are several parts where Janáček marked “like an ocarina,” this folk sound.

Janáček uses five well-known folk tunes and you hear them clearly. In the first entrance of Harašta, he's singing a folk tune, and it’s obvious that it's a folk tune. In the bar scene, when the Forester is making fun of the Schoolmaster, you’ll be able to hear that little folk theme.

White: Roberto, could you talk about the cast?

Kalb: I think that we have the best cast for The Cunning Little Vixen anywhere in the world. I'm counting the days to start music rehearsals!

Sharon: This cast is going be as perfect as can be. I've been wanting to work with Mané Galoyan, who sings the Vixen, for so long.

Samantha Hankey, our Fox, I have admired so much. Our Forester, Michael Sumuel, completely commanded our attention when he was here for Xerxes, and I'm sure he's going to deliver an amazing final scene, the Forester's dream reflection on the cycle of life. This takes a singer with the kind of gravitas and beauty of tone that Michael possesses. The scene is so beautiful that Janáček chose it to be played at his funeral.

White: I guess death is another part of that natural cycle of life. The Forester experiences this at the end.

Sharon: I think about the Disney movie Bambi when I think about this opera. I remember seeing Bambi as a kid, and when Bambi's mother dies, as a kid it's really traumatic. The opera is different— there’s no sentimentality at all when the Vixen dies. It's an incredibly sudden thing. In opera, you expect some final aria for the Vixen, to be able to sing goodbye, but no, the opera moves on. As beautiful as nature is, there is something that's also a little merciless. Part of what is surprising, maybe shocking, about the opera is just how blunt it is about these things. There's a real wisdom to that, a real truth.

These performances of The Cunning Little Vixen are presented by

William Davidson Foundation 2023–24 SE A SON SPONSOR

with support from

B U R T O N A. A N D S A N D R A D. Z I P S E R F O U N D AT IO N

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PHOTO BY THE CLE V EL A ND OR CHESTR A

Thank You Detroit Opera Sponsors

PROGR AM

M USIC A N D LIBR E T T O

Leoš Janáček

BA SED O N A ST O RY BY

Rudolf Těsnohlídek

Performed in Czech with projected English surtitles World premiere: November 6, 1924, National Theatre Brno SAT M AY 11, 7:30P M PR E- OPER A TALK @6:3 0P M W I T H Y U VAL SH A R ON F R I M AY 17, 7:30P M PR E- OPER A TALK @6:3 0P M W I T H R OBER TO K ALB A ND T IM C HEEK SU N M AY 18, 2:30P M PR E- OPER A TALK @6:3 0P M W I T H Y U VAL SH A R ON, R OBER TO K ALB, A ND T IM C HEEK

No photography or video during the performance is allowed.

Please silence all phones.

Leoš Janáček The Cunning Little Vixen Opera in Three Acts Critical Edition by Jiri Zahrádka Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal Edition Vienna, publisher and copyright owner

DUR AT IO N: 1 H R 30 M IN - N O IN T ER M I S SION D E T R OI T O P ER A 1 3

DIR EC T OR

Yuval Sharon

A NI M AT IO N C R E AT IO N

Walter Robot Studios PR O JEC T IO N & LIG H T ING DE SIG N

Jason H. Thompson C OS T U M E DE SIG N

Ann Closs-Farley M A SK DE SIG N

Cristina Waltz W IG & M A K EUP DE SIG N

Joanne Middleton-Weaver A S S O CI AT E DIR EC T O R

Colter Schoenfish A S SI S TA N T LIG H T ING & PR O JEC T ION DE SIG N

Christian DeAngelis S TAG E M A N AG ER

Brett Finley A S SI S TA N T S TAG E M A N AG ER S

Beth Krynicki, Tracy Hofmann LIG H T ING SUPER V I S O R

Brodrick Whittley R EPE T I T EUR

John Etsell DIC T IO N C OAC H

Timothy Cheek

Production created by The Cleveland Orchestra 14

T H E V I X EN (SLY LI T TLE FOX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mané Galoyan FOX G OLDEN -ST R IP (LI ŠÁ K) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Hankey T H E FO R E ST ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Sumuel T H E S C H OOL M A ST ER / T H E M OS QUI T O .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Cangelosi T H E PA RS O N / T H E BA DGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Rosen H A R A ŠTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Potter T H E R OOST ER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Lawal W OO DPEC K ER / T H E DOG (L A PÁ K) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Marie Rogali FO R E ST ER’S W IF E / T H E O WL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rehanna Thelwell C H OC H OLK A (C HIEF H EN) / M RS. PÁ SEK . . . . . . Melanie Spector F R A N T ÍK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lana Lanzanas * PEPÍK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Crane * T H E C R IC K E T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maitri White T H E GR A SSH O PPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lucia Flowers T H E F R OG.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lillian Fellows * PÁ SEK (T H E IN N K EEPER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . River Guard T H E JAY .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allison Wamser V I X EN’S C HILD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aurora Haziri

= Resident Artist * = Detroit Opera Youth Chorus D E T R OI T O P ER A 1 5

C A S T / P R O D U C T IO N

C O N DUC T O R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roberto Kalb

DETROIT OPERA CHORUS Detroit Opera principal cast and choristers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists

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Suzanne Mallare Acton DE T ROI T O PER A C H O RUS

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Ruhi Balaji Varun Brijesh Paula Casillas-López Jonathan Crane Addison Danke Leah Dekutoski Isabella Edmonds-Hogan Olivia Emanuele Lillian Fellows

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Caitlin Juip Lana Lanzanas Norah Mason Sophia Mason Violet Procunier Norah Procunier Laila Robleh Gracie Ross Riley Roth

Anna Schultz Keara Schultz Viraj Tathavadekar Christine Thomas Cordelia Thomas Abigail Verok Rosaleigh Wyman

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

V IOLIN I

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HORN

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Carrie Banfield-Taplin*

Jean Posekany

Susan Mutter

Robert Stiles

Tamara Kosinski

FLU T E

T RU M PE T

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Laura Larson* Acting Principal

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Terri Sanchez

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David Ormai

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Derek Lockhart

Ying-Li Pan

Caen Thomason-Redus / Piccolo

T RO M BO N E

Anna Bittar-Weller* Bryan Johnston* Beth Kirton* Yuri Popowycz*

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OBOE

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Judith Teasdle

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T I M PA NI

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Ryan King

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BA SS CL A R IN E T

Scott Stefanko* Joseph Deller

Benjamin Taylor

Catherine Franklin

BA SS OO N

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Daniel Fendrick* Principal

C ELLO

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Lauren Mathews* Andrea Yun* Jacob Macdonald

PER C USSIO N John Dorsey* Principal HARP Ellie Kirk Acting Principal C ELE ST E John Etsell *Detroit Opera Core Orchestra Members of the violin sections occasionally rotate

Robert Paddock Sarina Zhang

D E T R OI T O P ER A 17

CHORUS / ORCHESTR A

DETROIT OPERA ORCHESTRA

18 PHOTO BY T HE CLE V EL A ND OR CHE S T R A

The story of The Cunning Little Vixen, courtesy of Glyndebourne Opera

AC T I In the forest, animals and insects dance and play. A Forester enters and settles down for a nap. A playful Vixen cub startles a frog, who then jumps on the Forester, awakening him. The Forester captures the Vixen and takes her home as a pet. The Vixen, now a young adult, lives in the Forester’s courtyard along with an amorous old dog. Weary of captivity, she makes mischief and is tied up by the Forester. She dreams of herself as a young woman. At dawn, when the Rooster crows and begins bossing his hens around, the Vixen urges the hens to rebel. She manages to trick them all, as well as the Forester, and escape to freedom.

AC T II Back in the forest, the Vixen commandeers a Badger’s home. At a village inn the Forester teases the Schoolmaster about his hopeless infatuation with Terynka. When the Schoolmaster in turn taunts the Forester over the runaway Vixen, he rushes out to find her. The Vixen follows the Schoolmaster and the Parson as they drunkenly stumble home from the inn. Mistaking the Vixen for Terynka, the Schoolmaster confesses his passion for her. The Parson laments a hopeless romance from his student days. The Forester spots the Vixen and fires two shots at her, but she escapes unharmed. In the forest, the Vixen meets a charming male Fox, and they are mutually smitten. They retire to the Vixen’s den, and soon they are obliged to marry. All the forest creatures gather to celebrate.

AC T III In the forest, the Forester confronts the poacher Harašta, who boasts of his engagement to Terynka. The Forester sets a trap for the Vixen and leaves.

The Vixen, the Fox and their brood of cubs emerge to play. They find the trap and mock the Forester’s ineptitude. Harašta haphazardly shoots and kills the defiant Vixen as her family scatters. At the inn, the Forester tells the Schoolmaster that he found the Vixen’s den empty. The Schoolmaster is dejected to learn that Terynka will marry Harašta that very day, wearing a new fox-fur muff that he has given her. The Forester returns to the spot in the forest where he first met the Vixen. He recalls his youth, marvels at the beauty of nature, and falls asleep, dreaming of the Vixen. A young frog reminds him of the wondrous cycle of nature.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 1 9

S Y N O P SI S

SYNOPSIS

ROBERTO K ALB C O NDUC T O R

Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb is Music Director of Detroit Opera. His 2023–24 season features house debuts at Santa Fe Opera (L’elisir d’amore) and Atlanta Opera (Rigoletto) and concerts with the Kansas City Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Additional performances this season include The Cunning Little Vixen and an Arias and Overtures concert at Detroit Opera, and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Season highlights in 2022–23 included performances at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Diego Opera, and San Francisco Opera. In 2019, Roberto concluded a five-year tenure as resident conductor and head of music at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he led the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s critically acclaimed run of Rigoletto in collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Opera News wrote of that Rigoletto, “The orchestra sounded sublime under the baton of Roberto Kalb, who buoyant conducting simultaneously led and followed the singers.”

Roberto has conducted at renowned opera companies including Opéra Orchestra National Montpellier, Florida Grand Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Detroit Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Maine, and Tulsa Opera. He has conducted performances with the Orquesta Carlos Chavez in Mexico City and the Orquestra Sinfonica da USP in São Paulo, and served as assistant and cover conductor for performances by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and the Louisville Orchestra.

Roberto holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and in 2021 was awarded the prestigious Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He is married to soprano Mané Galoyan.

Website: robertokalb.com

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DIR EC T OR

Yuval Sharon has amassed an unconventional body of work that expands the operatic form. He is founder and Artistic Director of The Industry in Los Angeles and the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director of Detroit Opera. With The Industry, Yuval has directed and produced new operas in moving vehicles, operating train stations, Hollywood sound stages, and various “non-spaces” such as warehouses, parking lots, and escalator corridors.

From 2016 to 2019, Yuval was the first Artist-in-Residence at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating nine projects that included newly commissioned works, site-specific installations, and performances outside the hall. His residency culminated in a major revival of Meredith Monk’s opera ATLAS, making him the first director Monk entrusted with a new production of her work. The first American ever invited to direct at Bayreuth, Yuval distinguished himself with a boldly progressive Lohengrin in 2018, using subtle dramatic direction to completely overhaul the opera into a critique of entrenched power structures.

He is the recipient of the 2014 Götz Friedrich Prize in Germany for his production of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. He also directed a landmark production of John Cage’s Song Books at the San Francisco Symphony and Carnegie Hall; in March 2024 he directed Detroit Opera’s performances of Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4 at the Gem Theatre in Detroit. In 2017, Yuval was honored with a MacArthur Fellowship and a Foundation for Contemporary Art grant for theater.

Website: yuvalsharon.com

D E T R OI T O P ER A 21

A R T I S T P R O F ILE S

Y U VAL SH A RON

M A NÉ GALOYA N

T HE V I X EN (SLY LI T TLE FOX) Appearance made possible by Applebaum Family Philanthropy Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan is the Second Prize winner of the 2021 Operalia Competition, where she also won the Zarzuela Prize and the Rolex Audience Prize. Her current season includes Suor Angelica and Lauretta in a new production of Il Trittico with Donald Runnicles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Wiener Staatsoper, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Canadian Opera Company, Violetta in La traviata with Santa Fe Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Suor Angelica with the Bayerische Staatsoper. In concert, she will sing Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Swedish Radio Orchestra, and a holiday concert with the Basel Symphony Orchestra.

In the 2022–23 season, Mané performed the title role in Luisa Miller with Oper Köln, Berthe in Le prophète with Aix-en-Provence Festival, Avis in The Wreckers with Houston Grand Opera, Donna Anna with Atlanta Opera, and Violetta with Deutsche Oper Berlin and Seattle Opera.

She also performed The Bells with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Bard Festival, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Seattle Symphony, a concert of arias with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Plácido Domingo in Bad Hofgastein, Austria, and Taneyev’s cantata At the Reading of a Psalm (1915) with the American Symphony Orchestra. Mané holds two degrees from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory in Armenia, where she was named the 2013 winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize. She is married to conductor Roberto Kalb. Website: manegaloyan.com Instagram: @manegaloyan

SA M A NTH A H A NK E Y

FOX G OLDEN -S T R IP (LI ŠÁ K) Appearance made possible by Barbara Walkowski With “much elegance and youthful tone” (Financial Times), mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey is increasingly lauded for her powerful stage presence, paired with a voice admired for its “dusky focus and hypnotic allure” (The Times). Hankey’s 2023–24 season includes debuts in leading roles at the Royal Opera House (Dorabella, Così fan tutte), Detroit Opera (Fox, The Cunning Little Vixen), and Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Santuzza, Cavalleria Rusticana). She performs as soloist with Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette (Met Live in HD) and Opernhaus Zürich as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Last season, Hankey appeared in Ainadamar at Scottish Opera, made debuts at Santa Fe Opera (Mélisande, Pelléas et Mélisande) and Lyric Opera of Chicago (Hänsel, Hänsel und Gretel), performed her Carnegie Hall recital debut, and starred as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at The Met (Live in HD). She held a Fest contract at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 2019 to 2021 and has performed at Den Norske Opera, Dallas Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Bard Festival, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She co-developed the lead roles in David Herzberg’s The Rose Elf and The Wake World. Hankey received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. Her awards include multiple prizes at the Glyndebourne Cup and Operalia Competitions, a Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Grand Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. Website: samanthahankey.com Instagram: @samantha.hankey 22

American bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, lauded as having “vocals that are smooth and ingratiating” (Daily Camera), performs this season as Reginald in the Metropolitan Opera’s co-production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Houston Grand Opera. Concert dates include Mozart’s Requiem (New York Philharmonic, Music of the Baroque), Handel’s Messiah (San Francisco Symphony), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Les violons du Roy), Bach’s Magnificat (Music of the Baroque), Bach’s St. John Passion (Seattle Symphony), Fauré Requiem (National Symphony Orchestra), and Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (Washington National Cathedral). Recent performances include Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Metropolitan Opera), Elviro in Xerxes (Detroit Opera), Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Pittsburgh Opera), and concert performances of Mozart’s Requiem (Cincinnati Symphony), Bach cantatas BWV 61 and 140 (Handel and Haydn Society), and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Pacific Chorale). Other recent highlights include Michael’s LA Opera debut as Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a semi-staged production conducted by James Conlon with choreography by the Hamburg Ballet, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro (Seattle Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Santa Fe Opera), the King in Massenet’s Cinderella (Metropolitan Opera), Leporello in Don Giovanni (Opera San Antonio) and Escamillo (Chicago Opera Theater).

A native of Odessa, Texas, Michael is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and the Filene Young Artist program at Wolf Trap Opera. He resides in San Francisco with his wife and young son. Instagram: @mbsum

DAV ID CA NGELOSI

T HE S C H O OL M A S T ER / T HE M OS QUI T O David Cangelosi made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2004 as Mime in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, conducted by James Levine, and has returned to the Met in multiple roles over the past 18 years. He has performed his signature role of Mime with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Opéra de Montreal, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he performed Mime in Das Rheingold and Wagner’s Siegfried with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and later recorded the same roles with the New York Philharmonic on the Naxos label. In the 2020–21 pandemic season, Cangelosi made a role debut as Loge in Das Rheingold at the famed Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Recent and upcoming engagements include The Nose (2023) with Chicago Opera Theater, Siegfried with Juneau Lyric Opera, a role debut as Eisenstein in a new production of Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus for Western Plains Opera, a role debut of Edrisi for Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger (2022), and a 2022 holiday run of The Magic Flute with the Metropolitan Opera. Having performed the roles of Mosquito/Schoolmaster in the original Cleveland Orchestra production of The Cunning Little Vixen in Cleveland and Vienna, David is delighted to make his debut with Detroit Opera in this highly acclaimed Yuval Sharon production. Website: davidcangelosi.com Instagram: @djcangelosi

D E T R OI T O P ER A 2 3

C A S T P R O F ILE S

MICH A EL SUMUEL

T HE FO R E S T ER

ALE X ROSEN

T HE PA R S ON / T HE BA D G ER After completing his studies at the Juilliard School, American bass Alex Rosen made his international debut with Les Arts Florissants, under the direction of William Christie, in two tours of Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Acis and Galatea.

During the 2023–24 season, Alex joins Théâtre de Caen’s tour of David et Jonathas in Nancy, Paris, Luxembourg and Lille. Other engagements include a Japan/South Korea tour with Les Arts Florissants performing St. John’s Passion and Handel’s Messiah with Accentus. He performs the role of Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse and joins Detroit Opera for The Cunning Little Vixen as Parson/Badger. The 2022–23 season included Seneca/ Console in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opéra Royal at Versailles, and Palau de les Arts Fundacio de la Comunitat in Valencia), Haydn’s Die Schöpfung for Theater Basel, Purcell’s The Fairy Queen for Drottningholms Slottsteater as well as the role of Melisso in Alcina with Musiciens du Louvre on a tour of Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Alex was also a part of a European tour of Ariodante with Il Pomo d’Oro as well as concerts of Messiah with the Orchestre Opéra Royal de Versailles with Franco Fagioli conducting. Website: alexrosenbass.com Instagram: @alexrosenbass

A NDRE W POT TER

H A R A Š TA

Bass Andrew Potter has garnered increasing demand across the country for his larger-than-life stage presence and voice to match. Opera Today hailed his recent performance in L’elisir d’amore: “With his huge, all-encompassing bass voice and precise comic timing he nearly stole the show.”

Andrew’s current and recent performances include house debuts at Seattle Opera (Abimelech, Samson et Dalila, world premiere of Sheila Silver and Stephen Kitsakos’s A Thousand Splendid Suns), and Portland Opera (Vodnik, Rusalka).

Other performances this season include Livermore Valley Opera (Belcore, Elisir d’Amore), Indianapolis Opera (Scarpia, Tosca), Opera Grand Rapids (Pirate King, Pirates of Penzance) and Pacific Opera Project (Superflute, a new take on Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte). Potter recently performed Simone (Gianni Schicchi, Tulsa Opera), Sarastro (The Magic Flute, Eugene Opera), Sparafucile (Rigoletto, Opera Orlando), Commendatore (Don Giovanni, Indianapolis Opera), and René (Iolanta, Pacific Opera Project). Concert engagements included Mozart’s Mass in C Major for Mid-Ohio Civic Opera, and Verdi’s Requiem for Michigan State University. Other roles include Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Poo-Bah (The Mikado), Sulpice (Daughter of the Regiment), Dr. Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), The Bonze (Madama Butterfly), Hunding (Die Walküre), Fafner (Das Rheingold), and Colline (La bohème), Escamillo (Carmen), Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Ferrando (Il trovatore).

Website: awpotter.com Instagram: @awpotter

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Mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell is quickly becoming known for her magnetic performances and expressive vocal power in a wide variety of repertoire. A recent graduate of the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist program, she made her mainstage debut at Washington National Opera performing the title role of Carmen during her final year in that program. During the 2023–24 season she sang the role of Katie Ellen in San Francisco Opera’s Omar and Hippolyta in Atlanta Opera’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Rehanna’s performances include her debut at Dutch National Opera as Girlfriend/Congregant 3 in Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s Blue, roles that she reprised at Washington National Opera. Recent performances includes a role debut as Dinah/Anna I in Madison Opera’s double-bill of Trouble in Tahiti/The Seven Deadly Sins and a debut with the Washington Chorus for Undine Smith Moore’s Scenes from the Life of a Martyr and the Duruflé Requiem, and Scenes from the Life of a Martyr with Exigence Ensemble (Detroit).

She has performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Ruby/Sinner Woman in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, a role she premiered with Opera Theatre Saint Louis in 2019, for which Opera News praised her as a “standout” among the supporting cast. She made her debut with Opera Philadelphia as Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. Website: rehannathelwell.wixsite.com/mezzosoprano Instagram: @rehannathelwell

LISA M A RIE ROGALI

W O ODPEC K ER / T HE D O G (L A PÁ K) Mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali, praised for her “nuanced voice” and “spontaneity” on the stage, is quickly establishing herself as a versatile performer of opera, musical theater, contemporary, and concert music. As a 2023–24 Detroit Opera Resident Artist, Lisa is a featured soloist in Arias and Overtures and Beyond the Pit concerts, sings Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and the Dog/Woodpecker in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. This season she made her role debut as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with North Carolina Opera. During the 2022–23 season, she debuted the roles of Princess/Lucy/Fancy Doll #1 in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s Edward Tulane and performed her first Hansel in Opera Birmingham’s production of Hansel and Gretel.

This summer, she will return to the Glimmerglass Festival to sing Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette and Paquette in Candide. Lisa has performed with companies including Minnesota Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Saratoga. She has earned top accolades from competitions including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Jensen Foundation, Giulio Gari Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, American Traditions Vocal Collection, and Lotte Lenya Competition. Lisa holds a master of music degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati’s CollegeConservatory of Music and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Pennsylvania State University. Website: lisamarierogali.com Instagram: @lisamarierogali

D E T R OI T O P ER A 2 5

C A S T P R O F ILE S

REH A NN A THELW ELL

FO R E S T ER’S W IF E / T HE O WL Appearance made possible by Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

RI V ER GUA RD

PÁ SEK, T HE INNK EEPER Tenor River Guard, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, boasts an impressive musical journey. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a master’s degree in opera from the University of Toronto Opera School, where he studied with Wendy Nielsen. River is a 2021 recipient of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance and Residency Program from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Opera in the 21st Century program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Past roles include Lensky in Eugene Onegin (Highlands Opera Studio), Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Glenn Gould School), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Vocal Arts Institute/CVAI), and Miles in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Proving Up (Aspen Music Festival and School). River has covered the roles of Cavaradossi in Tosca and Sam Polk in Susannah at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. As a 2023–24 Detroit Opera Resident Artist, his cover roles include Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly and Dr. Richardson in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves. He performed as Soldat and Harlekin in Viktor Ullmann’s opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings in February 2024. In May, River will make his debut on the Detroit Opera mainstage in the role of Pásek in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. This summer, River will be a member of the Florentine Opera Summer Studio Ensemble before returning as a Detroit Opera Resident Artist for a second year in September. Instagram: @riverguardtenor

V ICTORI A L AWAL

T HE R O OS T ER

Hailed as “confident and charismatic” (Bachtrack), NigerianAmerican soprano Victoria Lawal enjoys a diverse repertoire, ranging from staple works of the canon to stage plays and world premieres. With a growing emphasis on Italian opera, Victoria most recently covered Norina in Don Pasquale at Festival Napa Valley as a Maria Manetti Shrem Fellow. Victoria also joined the Festival Orchestra Napa singing excerpts as Magda (La Rondine), Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro) and the title role of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia. Victoria makes her Detroit Opera debut as the Rooster in The Cunning Little Vixen directed by Yuval Sharon and conducted by Roberto Kalb. In the 2022–23 season, Victoria debuted the role of the High Priestess in Aida with Tulsa Opera; jumped in for opening-night and subsequent performances of Heartbeat Opera’s critically acclaimed Lady M; and joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the summer season, where she covered the roles of Despina (Così fan tutte), Mrs. Hayes (Susannah), and the title role of Treemonisha. In the 2021–22 season Lawal performed recitals with pianist Mark Robson in a program featuring songs by Julianna Hall, Respighi, Chabrier, Barber and Theodosia Roussos. On film, Victoria starred in The Knock, a world premiere, commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival. Hailed as “smooth-voiced yet strong” (New York Times), Lawal debuted the role of Marzelline (Marcy) in Heartbeat Opera's touring production of Fidelio.

She originated the role of Opal in the world premiere of The Body Female, commissioned by LA Opera. Website: victorialawal.com Instagram: @victorialawal 26

Praised for her “beaming soprano” by Operawire, Melanie Spector was born and raised in New York City. She is a second-year Resident Artist at Detroit Opera, where she made her debut as the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida in 2022.

Recent performances include Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Michigan’s Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Savannah Opera, Brahms’s Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52, Mozart’s “Vorrei spiegarvi, o dio,” K. 418 and Requiem with the Midland Symphony Orchestra, and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Wayne State Wind Symphony at Detroit Symphony’s Orchestra Hall. At Detroit Opera, she has covered the roles of Atalanta in Handel’s Xerxes and Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Fountain of Tears (Ainadamar). This season, Melanie is a featured soloist in Detroit Opera’s Beyond the Pit concerts and John Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4, and sings the role of Chocholka in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. Website: melaniespector.com Instagram: @msoperageek

M A ITRI W HITE

T HE C R IC K E T

Maitri White received her bachelor of music from the University of Michigan in vocal performance with a minor in performing arts management and entrepreneurship. Originally from Marquette, Michigan, Maitri has always recognized that the arts and social justice are intertwined. At the University of Michigan, she served as the executive director of Project SOAR, an educational outreach organization focused on the arts, and produced and performed in several recitals featuring composers of the African Diaspora. During the summer of 2021, she joined the Detroit Opera Chorus for Cavalleria Rusticana: In Concert, explored virtual performance as Third Wood Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka, and served as director of development for Opera NexGen. Instagram: @maitri.a.white

LUCI A FLOW ERS

T H E G R A S SH O PPER

Soprano Lucia Flowers, based in Michigan, has been seen on the Detroit Opera stage in recent productions including Aida, starring Angel Blue and Christine Goerke, Lileana Blain-Cruz’s Faust, and Ragnar Kjartansson’s creation, BLISS, re-staged by Yuval Sharon. Additional credits include soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Frasquita in Carmen (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Cunegonde in Candide (Syracuse Opera), Musetta in La bohème and Morgana in Alcina (University of Michigan), Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Marian Paroo in The Music Man (Western New York Chamber Orchestra), and Patience in Patience and Lady Larken in Once Upon a Mattress (College Light Opera Company). She returns to Detroit Opera in 2024 to perform the role of The Grasshopper in The Cunning Little Vixen.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 27

C A S T P R O F ILE S

MEL A NIE SPECTOR

C H O C H OLK A, C HIEF HEN / M R S. PÁ SEK

L A N A L A NZ A N A S

F R A N T ÍK

Lana Lanzanas, a sophomore at Troy Athens High School, joined the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus in August 2023. She sang the role of Bard 2 in DOYC’s Odyssey performance at the Detroit Opera House on April 20, 2024. She also performed the role of Glinda (Good Witch) in Warren Civic Theatre’s Wizard of Oz in March 2022. She also was nominated for a Sutton Foster Award for her performance of A Tomb with a View at her school theater production at the Fisher Theatre in May 2023. Lana loves to sing, plays the piano and guitar, and writes her own songs. For the past several years she has performed as opening act at 2022, 2023 and 2024 concerts of Michigan- and Ohio-based Filipino-American artists. Lana received a scholarship to attend a three-week camp at the Interlochen Center for the Arts this summer. Lana is also a member of the swim team at Troy Athens High School.

JON ATH A N CR A NE

PEPÍK

Jonathan is a treble singer from LaSalle, Ontario. The seventhgrader is very proud of his multi-ethnic Canadian, American, and South African heritage. Jonathan is completing his first year with the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus, during which he played First Mate in the Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke’s opera Odyssey in April. He is grateful for the experience and everything that he has learned this season. Jonathan is an anthemist for the Windsor Spitfires and Windsor Express and sings with his church choir. Jonathan has performed as Beagle in The Battle of Boat with the Singer’s Theatre. Jonathan studies voice with Lesley Andrew. He is looking forward to playing Pepík in Detroit Opera’s mainstage production of The Cunning Little Vixen. He was recently cast as Brian in Pistachio Pier and is NYC bound.

He also enjoys playing piano, golf, and traveling. He wishes to thank his family, friends, and everyone who has supported and encouraged him.

LILLI A N FELLOWS

THE FROG

Lillian Fellows is a 17-year-old soprano with a sparkling coloratura and an unwavering passion for opera. She began her operatic journey with the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus in 2018 and has since starred in a series of performances at the Detroit Opera House. Her appearances include the Queen in The Maker of Illusions, Zelda in The Very Last Green Thing, and Poor Rabbit in The Secret World of Og. Additional performances include ensemble and understudy roles in La bohème, Hansel and Gretel, and The Grapes of Wrath.

The Cunning Little Vixen will be Lillian’s eighth opera at the Detroit Opera House.

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Here’s a fact that might surprise you: right here in Detroit there are more than 1,000 urban farms. From small backyard plots to acres of community farmland, there are many ways to appreciate the natural cycles.

Here are just a few of the organizations reconnecting people in the city to our ecosystem.

JE S SE, A GA R DEN S T E WA R D, AT OA KL A N D AV ENUE UR B A N FA R M. PH O T O BY AUS T IN R IC H E Y

Black to the Land Coalition The mission of Black to the Land is “to enhance holistic relationships with nature and each other through nature-based, culturally relevant experiences; build equity in outdoor leadership for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.” Through group activities, educational workshops, and rooted ancestral practices, the coalition brings Detroiters back into community with their natural surroundings. Website: blacktothelandcoalition.com

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm (9227 Goodwin Street) For more than a decade, against a backdrop of extreme poverty, the Oakland Avenue Farm has been a stabilizing force in Detroit’s historic North End. What was once vacant land has now become a six-acre farm in the heart of Detroit’s most musically important neighborhood—home to Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, John Lee Hooker, and techno label Submerge Records, among others. By growing healthy food, hosting educational programs, creating cultural gathering spaces and generating jobs, the farm will continue to benefit the neighborhood for decades to come. Website: oaklandurbanfarm.org

D-Town Farm (14027 West Outer Drive) D-Town Farms, owned and operated by the Detroit Black Food Sovereignty Network (DBFSN), occupies more than seven acres inside the Meyers Tree Nursery in the City of Detroit’s Rouge Park. The farm is maintained by a small staff and volunteers who grow more than 30 different fruits, vegetables and herbs each year using sustainable, regenerative methods. The DBFSN is the organization behind the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op at 8324 Woodward Avenue, which opens this month. Website: dbcfsn.org D E T R OI T O P ER A 2 9

WALTER ROBOT STUDIOS A NIM AT IO N C R E AT IO N

Walter Robot is the award-winning creative team of artist Bill Barminski and director Christopher Louie. They work in various mediums including film, animation, art and sculpture. Their work includes the animated short “Joel Stein’s Adventures” (2009 Sundance Film Festival), the animated music video for Death Cab for Cutie’s “Grapevine Fires” (2010), a interactive art show “This Side Up” in 2012 at the Berman Gallery in Santa Monica and POW Gallery in London (2012), and their collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra’s The Cunning Little Vixen (2014), directed by Yuval Sharon, with the story projected onto three 30x16-foot screens behind the orchestra, and backstage portal doors for the singers to open, pop their heads out and sing in place of the animated characters.

In 2017, they were invited to stage the opera at Vienna’s Musikverein, one of the most highly regarded symphony halls in the world. Websites: christopherlouie.me / barminski.com

JASON H. THOMPSON

PR O JEC T IO N / LIG H T ING DE SIG N Jason H. Thompson designs for opera, dance, theater, theme parks, commercial, architecture, and corporate events. He recently received two LA Drama Critics Circle Awards for Revenge Song and Vietgone. Jason has also been awarded the Kinetic Lighting Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Design. He has received two Ovation Awards for Chavez Ravine and Venice.

Key projects include: Lost Highway (Oper Frankfurt); Die Walküre (Karlsruhe, Germany); Tri Sestri (Vienna State Opera); Tarzan and Frozen Sing A-Long (Shanghai Disneyland); Twilight: Gods (Detroit Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago); A Trip to the Moon and Young Caesar (LA Philharmonic); Hopscotch, Invisible Cities, Crescent City (The Industry); Cage Songbooks (San Francisco Symphony, Carnegie Hall, New World Symphony), The Cunning Little Vixen (Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna). On Broadway: Baby, It's You! Additionally, Jason has worked at a number of New York and regional theaters including: the Public Theatre, Center Theatre Group, the Geffen Playhouse, the Guthrie, KC Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Signature Theatre in DC, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and many others. He’s also created four video installations for the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. Jason is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, and a company member of The Industry, an independent artist-driven company creating experimental productions that expand the definition of opera. He and his wife, Kaitlyn, co-founded PXT Studio, a company specializing in merging art and tech for opera, theater, and other live events. Website: pxtstudio.com

ANN CLOSS-FARLEY

C OS T U M E DE SIG N

Ann Closs-Farley has been designing for opera, theater, film and TV for more than 25 years. The diversity of her work and interest is where her talent lies. She loves all aspects of costume design: history, fashion, textiles, technology, mechanics, human reflection, spirit, and most of all, story. She is interested in discovering and learning new ways to re-invent and create transformative ways to make costumes speak to the imagination. In addition to her work in design and art, Ann passionately espouses ideas of using recyclable and thrift store materials in her work. She has a keen interest in current technologies and finds ways to incorporate them into all her creations. Website: annclossfarley.com 30

Cristina Waltz is an independent makeup artist specializing in beauty and special effects. Her work often incorporates both elements to achieve detailed realism or creating colorful and elaborate character designs. Cristina mentored under Ve Neill and learned the ability to balance being a creative artist with the logistic thinking of a good department head. She got her start working with Ve’s longtime friend and client, Pee-wee Herman. Together, they worked to design the makeup for his re-envisioned stage show on Broadway and Los Angeles. From there, Cristina has developed a unique style to call her own. Over the years she has accumulated a diverse list of credits including department head ranging from film, television, commercial, music video, and stage.

Cristina is a member of IATSE Local 706. Her Guild Awards include “Best Makeup for Feature Film” for Bombshell and “Best Commercial Makeup” for FX Networks’ American Horror Story Promo Campaigns. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on HBO's Pee-wee Herman Stageshow. Website: cristinawaltz.com

JOANNE MIDDLETON-WEAVER

W IG / M A K EUP DE SIG N

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: Glimmerglass Opera, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, to name a few. She has designed for Detroit Opera since 1995. Her credits there include La bohème, The Passenger, Frida, Margaret Garner, Cyrano, Faust, and make-up design for X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

SUZANNE MALLARE ACTON

C H O R US M A S T ER

As Detroit Opera's 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.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 31

A R T I S T P R O F ILE S

CRISTINA WALTZ

M A SK DE SIG N

AG E S 1 3 -1 8

Operetta Remix

J UL 2 5 - A U G 9, 2 0 24

|

10A M - 4 P M

Operetta Remix is perfect for aspiring artists ages 13 to 18 who want to build their skills in singing, acting, stage movement, healthy vocal technique, and audition practice.

Taught by experienced opera and theatre professionals, Operetta Remix will explore scenes and songs from your favorite operettas and musicals, and will culminate with a performance at the Detroit Opera House at 7:00PM on August 9, 2024.

AG E S 8 -1 2

Create & Perform

J ULY 8 - 1 9, 2 0 24

|

10A M - 4 P M

Ever wanted to write, compose, and star in your own production? Create & Perform lets you do it all! In this innovative two-week program, young artists create their own stories, dances, and music compositions, culminating in a performance at the Detroit Opera House.

Participants in Create & Perform get to take part in all aspects of mounting a new production, and will build their skills as performers, composers, designers, directors, and crew members while they write and perform an original opera.

Questions about summer programs?

Contact Interim Director of Education, Branden Hood at bhood@detroitopera.org or Associate Director of Education Mark Vondrak at mvondrak@detroitopera.org Register today at DetroitOpera.org/learn/summer-programs These programs are made possible by the Worthington Family Foundation, and The J. Addison and Marion M. Bartush Education Fund.

AG E S 8 -1 8

Come and Sing!

We are inviting young singers to audition for the 2024-2025 Detroit Opera Youth Chorus.

The 2024-2025 season will start in September with rehearsals primarily on Monday evenings at the Detroit Opera House. DOYC is open to singers ages 8 through seniors in high school.

DOYC will perform A Winter Fantasy Concert on December 15, 2024 and our spring youth opera, H.M.S. Pinafore, on March 8, 2025.

Audition Registration: bit.ly/DOYC-audition-registration Email TNash@detroitopera.org for more information.

M AY 4 + 1 8, 2 0 24 (M O R E D AT E S T B A)

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 award-winning community and education programs.

$10,000,000 and above The William Davidson Foundation

Estate of Robert & RoseAnn Comstock Foundation

Ford Motor Company Fund

DTE Energy Foundation

The State of Michigan

The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family

$5,000,000 and above General Motors Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Stellantis The Kresge Foundation

Mrs. Margo Cohen Feinberg & Mr. Robert Feinberg Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Frankel* General Motors Corporation

$2,000,000 and above Mr.* & Mrs. Douglas Allison

Hudson-Webber Foundation

Mr. Lee & Mrs. Floy Barthel

Paul Lavins

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Mandell L. & Madeleine H. Berman Foundation

Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto Dance Endowment and Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation John S. & James L. Knight Foundation Lear Corporation Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr. Masco Corporation McGregor Fund The Skillman Foundation R. Jamison & Karen Williams $1,000,000 and above AT & T Bank of America Mr.* & Mrs. John A. Boll Sr. Compuware Corporation

JPMorgan Chase

Matilda R. Wilson Fund Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes United Jewish Foundation Dr. & 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

D E T R OI T O P ER A 3 3

T H A N K YO U T O O U R D O N O R S (co ntin u e d)

Contributors to Detroit Opera Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors whose contributions to Detroit Opera were made between February 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. The generosity of our donors is vital to sustaining Detroit Opera’s position as a valued cultural resource.

Detroit Opera extends a special thank you to The Cunning Little Vixen guest artist sponsors who helped make these performances possible, including Applebaum Family Philanthropy, Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya, and Barbara Walkowski!

Foundations, Corporate & Government Support $1,000,000 and above William Davidson Foundation The State of Michigan

$500,000-$999,999

$10,000-$24,999

Flagstar Bank

C&N Foundation

FS Transportation, LLC

Detroit Children’s Choir

The Gilmour-Jirgens Fund

DTE Energy Foundation

James & Lynelle Holden Fund

Geoinge Foundation

Josephine Kleiner Foundation

Honigman LLP

Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation

The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Masco Corporation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

National Endowment for the Humanities

Penske Corporation

$250,000-$499,999 The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

MGM Grand Detroit

Ralph L. and Winifred E. Polk Foundation The Rattner and Katz Charitable Foundation

Pellerito Manzella Certa & Cusmano Family Foundation Elmira L. Rhein Family Foundation Rugiero Promise Foundation Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation Somerset Collection Charitable Foundation Warsh-Mott Funds

Ford Foundation

Ida and Conrad H. Smith Endowment for MOT

Individual Support

$100,000-$249,999

The Mary Thompson Foundation

$100,000 and above

Uniprop

Lee & Floy Barthel

Burton A. Zipser and Sandra D. Zipser Foundation

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

$5,000-$9,999

Paul Lavins

Ford Motor Company Fund General Motors Corporation Gilbert Family Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Mr. G. Michael Golden*

Gerson Family Foundation, Inc.

Leslie Lazzerin*

Huntington Bank

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

J N Grosfeld Foundation

Vivien McDonald*

Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund

David & Christine Provost

Hotels Foundation

Strum Allesee Family Foundation

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

$25,000-$59,999 Applebaum Family Philanthropy

The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

Hudson-Webber Foundation

$1,000-$4,999

$50,000-$99,999

The Kresge Foundation

ABM Janitorial Services

Richard & Mona* Alonzo

National Endowment for the Arts

John A. & Marlene L. Boll Foundation

Don Manvel

Matilda R. Wilson Fund

Joyce Cohn Young Artist Fund

Allan & Joy Nachman Philanthropic Fund

Worthington Family Foundation

Five Star Sheets, LLC

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation

$50,000-$99,999 Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

34

The Estate of Mr. David W. Schmidt

Marianne T. Endicott

Arline Geronimus

Fern Espino & Tom Short

Allan Gilmour & Eric Jirgens

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

$20,000-$49,999

Ms. Laurie R. Frankel

Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Christine Hage

Mr. Joseph A. Bartush

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

Mr. William Hulsker

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Ralph & Erica Gerson

Roberto Kalb & Mane Galoyan

Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock*

James & Nancy Grosfeld

John & Arlene Lewis

Samuel* & Toby Haberman

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Alex Erdeljan

Kent & Amy Jidov

Sharon Madison

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Mary Kramer

Don Manvel

Mrs. Elaine Fontana*

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Ms. Mary McGough

Joseph Fontana

Robert & Terri Lutz

Ann Katz

Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

The Hon. Jack & Dr. Bettye Arrington Martin

James & Ann Nicholson

Mr. Stuart Meiklejohn

Xavier & Maeva Mosquet

Susanne McMillan

Phillip Minch

Barbara Walkowski

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Geoffrey Nathan & Margaret Winters*

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Mrs. L. William Moll

$10,000-$19,999 Ms. Pamela Applebaum Ms. Lisa S. Applebaum Richard & Joanne Brodie Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Nina S. Drolias* Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak Nancy B. Henk* Denise Lewis Ms. Mary C. Mazure

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Mr. George & Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman

Ms. Evelyn Micheletti

Brock & Katherine L. Plumb Magdalena Predeteanu* Ted & Carrie Pryor Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero

Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D.

Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell

Ms. Stephanie M. Prechter

Lois & Mark Shaevsky

Waltraud Prechter

Laura Sias*

Ms. Pam E. Rodgers

Susan A. Smith

Janice Ross

Frank & Susan Sonye

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Dr. Gregory E. Stephens, D.O.

Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao

Samuel Thomas & Daniel VanderLey

Mark Stewart & Antonio Galaz

Donald & Antoinette Morelock

Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Stacey Simmons

Mr. Cyril Moscow

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Anonymous

Peter Oleksiak William & Wendy Powers

The Strum Allesee Family Foundation

$2,500-$2,999

Paul & Amy Ragheb

Barbara Van Dusen

Dr. & Mrs. Samir Ragheb

Mr. Lewis Wagner

Dr. Irvin D. Reid & Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid

Ned & Joan Winkelman

Concetta V. Ross*

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Bret & Susanna Williams

Thomas & Gretchen Anderson D.L. Anthony, Ph.D. Ms. Nicole A. Boelstler Dr. & Mrs. Ronald T. Burkman Albert & Janette Cassar

$3,000-$4,999

John & Doreen Cole

Nina & Howard Abrams

Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons

Paul & Lee Blizman

Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh

$5,000-$9,999

Bob & Rosemary Brasie

Lisa DiChiera

Michael & Adele Acheson

Beverly Hall Burns

Ms. Mary J. Doerr

Dr. Harold M. Arrington

Dr. Lynne Carter

Sally & Michael Feder

Richard & Susan Bingham

Maurice & Carolyn Cunniffe

Michael Fisher

Gene P. Bowen

Walter & Lillian Dean

Ms. Violet Dalla Vecchia

Marla Donovan

Dr. Glendon M. Gardner & Leslie Landau

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Yvonne Friday & Stephen Black

Barbara Heller

Lorna Thomas, MD Prof. Michael Wellman

D E T R OI T O P ER A 3 5

T H A N K YO U T O O U R D O N O R S (co ntin u e d)

Doreen Hermelin

Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Garry Spector

Max Lepler & Rex Dotson Mary B. Letts

Richard & Involut Jessup

Cynthia Stephens

Van Momon & Pamela L. Berry

Dr. Sahil Jindal

Dr. Abhishek Swami

Dr. & Mrs. Peter Nickles

Dr. Charmaine D. Johnson

Manuel Tancer & Claire Stroker

Mr. Jonathan Orser

Victoria Lynn Johnson

Esther Thomas

Hershel & Dorothy Sandberg

Theodore & Pamela Jones

Margaret Trimer

Mary Schlaff & Sanford Koltonow

Ellen Kahn

Jill Veneable Joseph & Rosalie Vicari

Mrs. Phyllis F. Snow*

Marc Keshishian & Susanna Szelestey

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Gregory Knas

Joel Tauber

Jeff & Joanne Kukes

Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Meria Larson

Jeff & Amy Voigt

Nancy & Bud Liebler

Stanley Waldon

Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid

$1,000-$2,499

Mr. Loreto A. Manzo

Dennis Archer Jr.

Ms. Janet Groening Marsh

Frank & Jenny Brzenk

Ms. Geraldine Atkinson

Mr. Dexter C. Mason

Mrs. LaDonna Leyva

Dr. Alexandra Baracan

John & Marie McElroy

Dr. Mihaela Batke

Kyle McCree & Camille Kroger-McCree

John & Marilyn Belamaric

Patrick & Patricia McKeever

Peggyann & Ramon Berguer

Eugene & Lois Miller

Mr. Roger Basmajian

Pamela Moore

Mr. Stanislaw Bialoglowski

Cheryl Moore

Eugene & Roselyn Blanchard

Ms. Maryanne Mott

$500-$749

Constance Bodurow

Ms. Shirley Moulton

Dr. Antonia Abbey

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

Harold Munson & Libby Berger

Mr. David A. Agius

Thomas & Sharon Butler

Brian Murphy & Toni Sanchez-Murphy

Robert & Catherine Anthony

Jeff Najor

Ms. Allison Bach

Ms. Faye Alexander Nelson

Julio Bateau

George & Nancy Nicholson

Martin & Marcia Baum

Joshua & Rachel Opperer

Henri & Anaruth Bernard

Coleen Pellerito

Ms. Fay Beydoun

Verne K. Perigord

Barbra Bloch

Mark & Kyle Peterson

Ms. Terry P. Book

Michael & Charlene Prysak

Marceline Bright

Rip & Gail Rapson

Ms. Joann C. Brooks

Ms. Alice Rea

Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD

Erin & John Gianopoulos

Dr. Boyd F. Richards & Mr. Joshua Ronnebaum

Ms. Susan Cameron

Linda & Roderick Gillum

Marlo & Lauren Roebuck

Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski

Jonathan Cohn & Daniela Wittmann

Evan & Kelsey Ross

Mr. Nathaniel Good

Debra DeBose

Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs

Joi & Korey Harris

Mr. Leonard R. Dimsa

Kingsley & Lurline Sears

Joya Harris-Sherron

Mrs. Blondell Doughty

Anthony L Smith

Ms. Joyce Hayes-Giles

Tricia Edwards

Ms. Theresa Spear & Mr. Jeff Douma

Ms. Christine Estereicher

Mrs. Judith Christian James & Elizabeth Ciroli Ms. Lisa Cobbs Tonino & Sarah Corsetti Patricia Cosgrove Dr. Myra Danish Fred & Michele Doner Linda Forte & Tyrone Davenport Burke & Carol Fossee Mr. William Fulton Thomas M. Gervasi

Mary Ellen Hoy & Jim Keller

36

Gabriel & Martha Stahl

Deborah Wahl Edward Weiss Torben Winther & Linda Hall Katina Zaninovich John & Susan Zaretti

$750-$999 Marsha Bruhn

Huel & Priscilla Perkins Vanguard Charitable Dennis & Jennifer Varian Rita Winters

Brian Atwater

Daniel H. Ferrier

Ms. Cynthia Kratchman

John M. Toth

Carol Gagliardi & David Flesher

William & Jean Kroger

Barbara & Stuart Trager

Mrs. Louise Giddings

Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky

Nicole M. Valentini

John Gierak & Dona Tracey

John & Kimi Lowe

Joseph & Lois Gilmore

Mrs. Marsha Lynn

Dr. John Weber & Dr. Dana Zakalik

Gil Glassberg & Sandra Seligman

Lori Maher

Richard & Lucinda Weiermiller

Dr. Nahal Mazhari & Dr. Naser Tavaghi

Ms. Janet Beth Weir

Todd Gordon & Susan Feder Larry Gray

Natasha Moulton-Levy

Meredith Weston-Band & Jeffery Band

Mr. Stuart Grigg

Ms. Lois Norman

Mr. James W. Wild

John & Kristan Hale

Ms. Haryani Permana

Dr. Ruth A. Worthington

Mr. Gary M. Hawkins

Bertram & Elaine Pitt

Paul & Nancy Hillegonds

Angela Porter, MD

Beth Hoger & Lisa Swem

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

Kairi Horsley Ms. Theresa Munger Howard Ms. Jill Johnson Geraldine & Jacqueline Keller Ms. Lee Khachaturian Justin & Joanne Klimko Mr. Alex Koprivica

Adam D. Rubin, M.D, Lakeshore Professional Voice Center William & Marjorie Sandy Linda Schlesinger Dr. Andrew James Stocking Norma Stone

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 peoples in their lives, whose names are listed bold below.

IN HONOR OF Andrew Berg Anne & Robert Berg

Roberto Kalb Barbara & Michael Kratchman

Allan & Joy Nachman Eliot & Elizabeth Bank

Harriet Berg Mr. Richard D. Cavaler Laurence N. Shear

Sally Koh Mr. Tony P. H. Tan

Ruth Rattner Ann Katz

Barbara & Michael Kratchman Anonymous Jeff & Joanne Kukes

Lois Shaevsky Everett & Margery Jassy

Mr. George* & Mrs. Eleanor Bodurow Constance Bodurow Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Todd Gordon & Susan Feder Herman Frankel Laurie Frankel

Dr. William J. Kupsky & Dr. Ali Moiin Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky William & Elizabeth S. Kupsky

John Etsell Katina Zaninovich

Joseph Locasio & Julia Sprangers Ms. Mary E. Puls

Ellen Jacobowitz Ann Conrad Sandra A. Jacobowitz

Mary Kramer Mark and Lois Shaevsky

Yuval Sharon Barbara & Michael Kratchman Mali Sharon Gary L. Wasserman Rodger & Loree Wasserman Dr. Shunbin Xu Ali Moiin & William Kupsky Lee Hsien Yang Mr. Tony P. H. Ta

D E T R OI T O P ER A 37

GIF T S IN T R IB U T E (co ntin u e d)

IN MEMORY OF Bob Bochy Anita Marie Salustro Harry T. Cook Ms. Susan Chevalier David DiChiera Richard & Mona* Alonzo Karen DiChiera Dennis Archer, Jr. Mr. Luis Resto Cameron “Sandy” Duncan Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Gary L. Wasserman & Charles Kashner Elva Ebersole Ms. Brenda Shufelt Elaine Fontana Five Star Sheets, LLC Carl & Mary Ann Fontana Joseph Fontana Deborah Logan Bryan Pukoff Robert Ruddy Ms. Angela Smith Diedre Turner Louis & Elaine Fontana John Reinhard Barbara Frankel Janet & Robert Epstein James Grant Bryan & Susan Ludwig Layne Sakwa Pauline Virgina Fucinari Martha Chamorro & Fernando Peralta Mr. Anthony Delsener Dr. David & Mrs. Yvonne Fucinari Terese, Carole & Mary Louise Ireland Marie Osborne Paul & Kathy Schneider Michael Sullivan Karen Hodgson Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

38

Dr. Devon Hoover Michael Artman & Anita Shagena Richard A Berg Mrs. Chris Bogojevich Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD Ms. Stacey Cassis Patricia Cosgrove Konstantin Elisevich & Candace Eliesevich Delena A. Ickes Mr. David Edward Laski Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky Rozanne Paton Thomas Quilter DeAnne Spurlock Mary Stewart Dr. Andrey Volkov Herbert Wendt Dr. David Wu The Physicians of Great Lakes Cancer Management Specialists Stuart Itzkowitz & Larry Zimmerman Mrs. Sharon Skorupski Roberta Larson Anne Lemke Alphonse Lucarelli John & Marilyn Belamaric Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Mrs. Judith Christian Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo Stephanie M. Prechter Waltraud Prechter Matthew & Mona Simoncini Norma Stone Dawn Minch Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky Daniel Pehrson Larry Shulman Irene Piccone Teresa Gualtieri-Clark Peter Polidori Phyllis Pransky Nancy Rade Paula Lisa Cole

David Schon Michael Schon Dr. Charles B. Smith Dr. Peggie J. Hollingsworth Phyllis Snow Lisa Gross Carole Heinrich Kathleen Kennedy Lauren Woolery Anne Stricker Torben Winter & Linda Hall William P. Vititoe Stephen Economy Beate M. Vreeken Bradley & Rachel Benigni Karen & Matthew Cullen Sandra & John Morrow Margaret Winters Elizabeth Porter & Larry Hickman David Delos Woodard Ms. Dorothy Bennoune Sarisa Zoghlin Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor and honoree/memorial names for gifts received between February 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Should you find an error or omission, please contact Zach Suchanek at zsuchanek@ detroitopera.org or 313.237.3427 KEY * 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.

The 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 not only his dedication to the young people of southeast Michigan, but his support of young emerging artists from all over the country.

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous corporate, foundation, and individual donors whose gifts were made to the David DiChiera Artistic Fund before March 31, 2024.

INDIVIDUAL Joe Alcorn (in memory of Joan Hill) Richard & Mona* Alonzo Carl Angott & Tom Ball Pamela Applebaum Hon. Dennis W. Archer & Hon. Trudy Duncombe Archer Gordon & Pauline Arndt Timothy & Linda Arr Mr. Jeffrey Atto Kenan Bakirci Landis Beard Virginia Berberian (in memory of Joan Hill) Jere & Carole Berkey Henri & Anaruth Bernard Mr. Robert Hunt Berry Ms. Christine Jessica Berryman Martha & Peter Blom* (in memory of Joan Hill) Mrs. Judith B. Boesky Douglas & Rhonda Bonett Ms. Priscilla Bowen Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Frank & Jenny Brzenk Ms. Patricia Byrne James & Susan Catlette Mr. Richard D. Cavaler Mrs. Judith Christian Howard & Judith Christie Mrs. Judith K. Christie Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus Paula Lisa Cole Mr. Martin Collica Deborah L. Connelly (in honor of Nadine DeLeury) Holly Conroy (in honor of Nadine DeLeury) Carmen & Telman Constan

James & Diana Cornell Patricia Cosgrove Mr. John Craib-Cox Geoffrey Craig (in memory of Joan Hill) Mr. Stephen J. Cybulski Gail Danto & Arthur Roffey Dodie & Larry David Walter & Lillian Dean (in honor of Nadine DeLeury) Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh Lisa DiChiera Nicholas Dorochoff & Joe Beason Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr. Mr. Keith Otis Edwards Ms. Elaine K. Ellison Marianne T. Endicott Daniel Enright Ms. Sundra Michelle Epps Beth Erman (in honor of Ruth Rattner) Paul & Mary Sue Ewing Sandra Fabris Barbara Fisher & William Gould Mr. Andrew D. Fisher Carl & Mary Ann Fontana Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel Peter & Nancy Gaess Lawrence & Ann Garberding Wika Gomez Mrs. Sylvia Graham Mr. William Greene William Greene & Peter McGreevy Kristina K. Gregg John & Kristan Hale

D E T R OI T O P ER A 3 9

T H E DAV ID D iC HIE R A A R T I S T IC F U N D (co ntin u e d)

Stephen Hartle Ms. Rhea Hill Ms. Rita Hoffmeister Ms. Anne M. Horner William & Sarah Hufford Patricia Jeflyn Dirk A. Kabcenell (in memory of Joan Hill) Mr. Martin Kagan Mrs. Ann F. Katz, Ph.D (in honor of Ruth Rattner) Ms. Francine C. Kearns-King Mr. & Mrs. Gerd H. Keuffel (in memory of Joan Hill) Colin Knapp Michael & Barbara Kratchman Mr. Jacob Krause (in memory of Manya Korkigian) Arthur & Nancy Ann Krolikowski James & Ellen Labes Chak & Beth Lai Mado Lie* Bryan R. Lind William & Jacqueline Lockwood Stephan & Marian Loginsky James LoPrete Stephen Lord Ms. Renee Lounsberry Alphonse S. Lucarelli* Mr. Evan R. Luskin Ms. Jennifer Marling Diana Marro Salazar Ms. Alex May Ms. Mary C. Mazure (in honor of Nadine DeLeury & Gregory Near) Nadine & Haden McKay Dr. Lisa Meils Ms. Lynne M. Metty Ali Moiin & William Kupsky Mary Rose & Bill Mueller Sarah Mumford Katharine Nipper Ms. Julia O'Brien Mr. & Mrs. Ralph A. Orlandi Mrs. Sally Orley Bonnie Padilla (in honor of Joan Hill) Charles & Mary Parkhill Nicole Patrick Christopher F. Patten Mr. Michael Poris Ms. Stephanie M. Prechter Mr. Wade Rakes II Rip & Gail Rapson Ms. Deborah Remer Ms. Marija D. Rich Pamela Rowland Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon Ms. Loretta W. Ryder

40

Barry & Deane Safir Dmitriy & Svetlana Sakharov William & Marjorie Sandy Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein Dr. Mary J. Schlaff & Dr. Sanford Koltonow Mr. David Schon* Yuval Sharon Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao Dorienne Sherrod Peter & Mary Siciliano (in honor of Nadine DeLeury) Ted & Mary Ann Simon Matthew & Mona Simoncini Joe Skoney & Luisa Di Lorenzo Hugh Smith & Marsha Kindall-Smith Mr. Kendall Smith Lee & Bettye Smith Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes Ms. Janet Stevens Dr. Austin Stewart & Mr. Charlie Dill Ronald Switzer & Jim McClure Angela & Joseph Theis Mrs. Beverly A. Thomas Buzz Thomas & Daniel Vander Ley Ms. Patricia A. Thull Mr. Jason P. Tranchida Jeffrey Tranchida & Noel Baril Elliott & Patti Trumbull Barbara & Mat Vanderkloot Berwyn Lee Walker William & Martha Walsh Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner Kevin & Andrea Webber Bradford J. & Carol White R. Jamison & 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 and Marion M. Bartush Educational Fund Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan DeRoy Testamentary Foundation The Kresge Foundation MOT Orchestra Fund 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 the Detroit Opera House capital improvements in January 2020. This multiphase 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 extend heartfelt thanks to the following donors who made contributions that enabled capital improvements to begin.

Leadership Gifts Ethan & Gretchen Davidson William Davidson Foundation National Endowment for the Humanities Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Campaign Contributors Naomi André Michael Azar Nancy Azizi Lee & Floy Barthel Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Gene P. Bowen Elizabeth Brooks Mr. Elliott Broom Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee Mrs. Judith Christian James & Elizabeth Ciroli Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus John & Doreen Cole Mr. Adam Crysler & Dr. Oxana Crysler Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden Ms. Julia Donovan Darlow & Hon. John C. O'Meara Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

David & Carol Domina Mr. Cameron B. Duncan* Ms. Wendy L. Ecker Mr. Michael Einheuser Marianne T. Endicott Alex and Lil Erdeljan Foundation Fern Espino & Tom Short Carl & Mary Ann Fontana Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel Samuel* & Toby Haberman John & Kristan Hale Dr. Devon Hoover* Eleanor & Alan Israel Robert Jesurum & Christine Petrucci The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation Ms. Velda Kelly Mary Kramer Michael & Barbara Kratchman Denise Lewis Alphonse S. Lucarelli* Don Manvel Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto Family Foundation McGregor Fund Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky Donald & Antoinette Morelock Allan & Joy Nachman Philanthropic Fund James & 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 March 31, 2024, in alphabetical order.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 41

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

David & Jennifer Fischer

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya§

Mr. & Mrs. Herb Fisher§

Mr. & Mrs.Agustin Arbulu§

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

Josephine Kessler

Dr. Leora Bar-Levav

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel§#

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein#

Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel

Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Freeman*

Mr. & Mrs. Erwin H. Klopfer§#

Mr. & Mrs. Brett Batterson§

The Edward P. Frohlich Trust

Misses Phyllis & Selma Korn§ *

Mr. W. Victor Benjamin

Mrs. Jane Shoemaker French

Myron & Joyce LaBan

Dr. & Mrs. Byron P. Georgeson§

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Bowlby

Albert & Barbara Glover

Mr. Max Lepler & Mr. Rex Dotson

Mrs. Doreen Bull

Robert Green

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

Mr.* & Mrs. Roy E. Calcagno§

Mr. Ernest Gutierrez

Mr. Hannan Lis

The Gladys L. Caldroney Trust

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Hagopian

Florence LoPatin

Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E.Carson

Mr. Lawrence W. Hall§

Mr. Stephen H. Lord

Dr.* & Mrs. Victor J. Cervenak

Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Halperin

Father Paul F. Chateau

Ms. Heather Hamilton

Mary Christner

Charlene Handleman

Ms. Jane McKee§

Mr. Gary L. Ciampa

Preston & Mary Happel

Bruce Miller

Ms. Virginia M. Clementi

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart

Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Hartwig

Prof. Kenneth Collinson

Ms. Nancy B. Henk

Douglas & Minka Cornelsen

Mrs. Fay Herman

Dr. Robert A. Cornette§#

Derek & Karen* Hodgson

Mr.* & Mrs. Tarik Daoud§#

Andrew & Carol Howell

Mr. Randal Darby

Dr. Cindy Hung§

Mr. Thomas J. Delaney

Eleanor & Alan Israel

Walter & Adel Dissett

Ms. Kristin Jaramillo§

Ms. Mary J. Doerr#

Mr. Donald Jensen§

Mr.* & Mrs. Chester Arnold§

Mr.* & Mrs. Art Blair

§

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott Mr. Wayne C. Everly

42

§#

Edward & Barbara Klarman

Ms. Denise Lutz

§

Laura & Mitchell Malicki

Drs. Orlando & Dorothy Miller§

§

Dr. & Mrs. Gerhardt A. Hein

Mrs. Helen Ophelia Dove-Jones

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

Mr. John Jesser Mr. John Jickling Maxwell & Marjorie Jospey

§

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. & Mrs. Arthur Krolikowski§

Dulcie Rosenfeld

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

Concetta Ross*

Robert G. Abgarian Trust

Helen M. Miller

Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allesee #

Ella M. Montroy

Serena Ailes Stevens

Ronald K. Morrison

Mark & Sally Schwartz

Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush§#

Ruth Mott

Drs. Heinz & Alice Platt Schwarz§

Mr. & Mrs. Mandell Berman

Clarice Odgers Percox Trust

Margaret & Douglas Borden

Thomas G. Porter

Charles M. Broh

Mitchell Romanowski

Milena T. Brown

Ms. Joanne B. Rooney

Charlotte Bush Failing Trust Mary C. Caggegi

Mr. & Mrs. Giles L. & Beverly Ross

Allen B. Christman

Ms. Merle H. Scheibner

Miss Halla F. Claffey

Ms. Laura Sias

Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock

Mrs. Marge Slezak

Mary Rita Cuddohy

Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis

Marjorie E. DeVlieg

Margaret D. Thurber

Nancy Dewar James P. Diamond

Mr. & Mrs. George & Inge Vincent§#

Mr. Ronald F. Switzer§

Dr. David DiChiera

Herman W. Weinreich

Lillie Tabor

Mrs. Karen V. DiChiera

J. Ernest Wilde Trust

Mary Ellen Tappan Charitable Remainder Trust

Dr. & Mrs. Charles H. Duncan§

Helen B. Wittenberg

Mrs. Anne E. Ford

Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Elizabeth Work§

Mr. Bryan L. Rives Ms. Patricia Rodzik§ David & Beverly Rorabacher

Ms. Susan Schooner§

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. Philip Leon Dores & Wade McCree Lucie B. Meininger

Elizabeth M. Pecsenye

Edward L. Stahl

Peter & Ellen Thurber

Ms. Pamela R. Francis§

Alice* & Paul Tomboulian

Mrs. Rema Frankel

Mr. Edward D. Tusset§

Barbara Lucking Freedman

Jonathan & Salome E. Walton

The Priscilla A.B. Goodell Trust

Susan Weidinger

Freda K. Goodman Trust

Mrs. Amelia H. Wilhelm§#

Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D.§#

Mrs. Ruth Wilkins

Maliha Hamady

§

Founding Members

Mr. Andrew Wise

Patricia Hobar

#

Touch the Future donors

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Zangerle

Mary Adelaide Hester Trust Gordon V. Hoialmen Trust Carl J. Huss H. Barbara Johnston Mrs. Josephine Kleiner

Joseph J. Zafarana Mr. & Mrs. George M. Zeltzer§

KEY

* 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.

D E T R OI T O P ER A 4 3

REMEMBERING

Phyllis Snow Phyllis Snow, a cherished Detroit Opera Trustee and founding member of Detroit Opera (formerly Michigan Opera Theatre), passed away on March 19 at the age of 83. In this company’s early years, Phyllis supported David and Karen DiChiera’s drive to build an opera company for Detroit by volunteering 50 to 60 hours per week, serving in nearly every role, from receptionist to publicist. For five decades, she was a fixture at every mainstage rehearsal, fostering deep connections with countless artists, directors, and staff members. She will be remembered by many as the opera company’s greatest cheerleader, faithfully attending every performance, seated in “Box B” (house left), affectionately known as “Phyllis’s box” by the staff. Phyllis served as a founding member on the Board of Directors from 1974 to 1976, and as a dedicated Trustee from 1974 until 2024—a remarkable tenure of 50 years. From the formative years with founder David DiChiera’s Overture to Opera to the pivotal moments of establishing the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the completion of the Detroit Opera House, Phyllis’s influence and contributions to the success of Detroit Opera are immeasurable.

A celebration of Phyllis’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Phyllis’s family requests that you consider making a donation Detroit Opera. To attend a private celebration of Phyllis’s life, contact Lisa DiChiera at lisamdichiera@comcast.net.

On behalf of the entire Detroit Opera Family, we extend our deepest condolences to Phyllis's family.

May her memory be a blessing.

Ethan D. Davidson Chairman of the Board

IN TRIBUTE: WAYNE S. BROWN Wayne S. Brown succeeded David DiChiera as Detroit Opera’s President & CEO in 2014, leading the company for a remarkable 10 years until his retirement in December 2023. At the time of his appointment, Wayne pledged to find inspiring new artistic leadership for Detroit Opera. This charge was fulfilled with outstanding success, with the appointments of Yuval Sharon as the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director, Christine Goerke as Associate Artistic Director, and Roberto Kalb as Music Director.

Upon his retirement, Detroit Opera’s Board of Directors honored Wayne with the establishment of a tribute fund in his honor, to recognize his decade of leadership and achievements. Commemorated by the renaming of our stage door entrance as “Wayne’s Way,” gifts to the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund support a vital program that grew under his leadership: the Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program. Led by Christine Goerke and Nathalie Doucet, the Detroit Opera Resident Artist program has quickly gained national recognition, cultivating the next generation of opera talent.

Gifts from the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund will provide necessary funds to name a Resident Artist position in his honor through the 2024-2025 season.

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous donors whose gifts were made to the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund before April 1, 2024.

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Denise Lewis

Barbra Bloch

Arthur & Nancy Liebler

Gene P. Bowen

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Richard & Joanne Brodie Philip Brunelle

Hon. Jack Martin & Dr. Bettye Arrington-Martin

James & Elizabeth Ciroli

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Larry & Dodie David

Allan & Joy Nachman

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

James & Ann Nicholson

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Naomi Oliphant

Linda Dresner & Edward Levy Jr.

William & Wendy Powers

Marianne Endicott

Prof. Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D

Alex Erdeljan

Waltraud Prechter

Fern Espino & Tom Short

Ted & Carrie Pryor

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Ruth Rattner

Mary Lou Falcone

Irvin & Pamela Reid

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero

John & Kristan Hale

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Dr. Lorna Thomas

Kent & Amy Jidov

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

Ms. Jill Johnson

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Mary Kramer

Rita Winters

Barbara & Michael Kratchman D E T R OI T O P ER A 4 5

DETROIT OPERA ADMINISTRATION & STAFF LEADERSHIP

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO

Alaina Brown, Program Coordinator

Yuval Sharon, Gary L.Wasserman Artistic Director Christine Goerke, Associate Artistic Director Roberto Kalb, Music Director

DEPARTMENT HEADS Andrew Berg, Chief Development Officer Daniel T. Brinker, General Manager, Detroit Opera House & Parking Center

Mark Vondrak, Associate Director/Tour Manager

HOUSE OPERATIONS Juan Benavides, Building Engineer Kathie Booth, Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer George-Consiglio, Manager of Venue Operations Dennis Wells, Facilities Manager Holly Clement, Senior Manager of Events & Rentals

Branden Hood, Director of Education

FINANCE

Alexis Means, Director of Operations & Patron Experience

Kimberley Burgess, Accountant

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

Rita Winters, Accountant

HUMAN RESOURCES

Shawn Rieschl Johnson, Director of Production

Josh Kozakowski, HR Coordinator

Samantha Teter, Chief Marketing Officer

PATRON SERVICES

Ataul Usman, Director of Human Resources

Development

Arthur White, Director of External Affairs

Chelsea Kotula, Director of Institutional Giving

ADMINISTRATION William Austin, Executive Assistant

Valentino Peacock, Development Operations Coordinator

Christy Gray, Office Administrator

Zach Suchanek, Manager of Annual Giving

Laura Nealssohn, Board Liaison Timothy Lentz, Archivist & Director, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library Catherine Staples, Associate Archivist, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library Bryce Rudder, Digital Asset Manager & Senior Librarian, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library Michael Hauser, Curator of Architecture & History

Juliano Bitonti Stewart, Director of Development Katrina Fasulo, Associate Major Gifts Officer

Marketing/Public Relations Jennifer Melick, Communications & Media Relations Manager Austin Richey, Digital Media Manager & Storyteller Anna Herscher, Lead Graphic Designer Prynsess Partridge, Digital & Promotions Coordinator Deirdre Michael, Website Administrator Position is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

46

BOX OFFICE

Wigs & Makeup

Amy Brown, Senior Manager of Ticketing & Box Office Operations

Elizabeth Geck, Local Crew Coordinator

Evan Carr, System Administrator

Erika Broderdorf, Kaitlyn Denzler, Denitra Townsend, Wig & Makeup Crew

Ellen Smith, Group Sales Associate

Vanessa Cassidy, Swing

Stephanie Stoiko, Assistant Box Office Manager

Stage Crew

Emily Lange, Box Office Associate

John Kinsora, Head Carpenter Frederick Graham, Head Electrician

ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT

Gary Gilmore, Production Electrician

Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music & Director of Resident Artist Program

Pat McGee, Head Propertyman

Matthew Principe, Director of Media & Special Projects Melany Janer, Administrative Assistant

Chris Baker, Head of Sound Pat Tobin, Head Flyman Dee Dorsey, Surtitle Operator Justin Lang, Rehearsal Projection Operator

DANCE

Mary Ellen Shuffett, Head of Wardrobe

Jon Teeuwissen, Artistic Advisor for Dance

IATSE Local #38 Stage Crew

Kim Smith, Dance Coordinator

IATSE Local #786 Wardrobe

PRODUCTION

DETROIT OPERA YOUTH CHORUS

Administration Elizabeth Anderson, Production Coordinator & Artistic Administrator Kathleen Bennett, Production Administrator

Technical & Design Staff Jeff Beyersdorf, Technical Director Brodrick Whittley, Assistant Technical Director Moníka Essen, Property Master

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Director Twannette Nash, Chorus Administrator Joseph Jackson, Accompanist Jane Panikkar, Preparatory Chorus Conductor Maria Cimarelli, Preparatory Chorus Accompanist Stephanie Miltmore, DOYC Production Liaison

Kaila Madison, Technical Assistant

SAFETY & SECURITY

Music

Lt. Lorraine Monroe

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Assistant Music Director & Chorus Master

Sgt. Demetrius Newbold

Molly Hughes, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Officer A.M. Hightower

Jean Posekany, Orchestra Librarian Nan Luchini, Joshua Marzan, Score Readers

Costumes Suzanne Hanna, Costume Director Michaela Tanskley, Wardrobe Supervisor Patricia Sova, First Hand Mary Ellen Shuffett, Fitting Assistant

Officer Gary Cabean

USHERS Max Aghili, Christine Berryman, Ellen Bishop, Kathie Booth, Lori Burkhardt, Sharon Cardeccia, Randall Davis, Dianne Deinek, Suzanne Erbes, Pamela Fergusson, Erin Gaston-Doakes, Jo-Ann Hale, Marilyn Luberti, Sydney May, Myrna Mazure, Ennis Mcgee, Heddie O’Connor, Edna Rubin, Ida Vance

Maureen Abele, Dylan McBride, Paul Moran, Rachel Parrott, Lupe Vazquez, Stitchers D E T R OI T O P ER A 47

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 on-site 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, 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.

Detroit Opera is a proud member of

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restaurant | ghostbar | gardens

A Spirited Place to End Your Evening Join us in The Ghostbar for after-show cocktails and desserts.

Pastries, flaming desserts and specialty beverages Dessert reservations available

4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit | 313.832.5700 | thewhitney.com