From walking down the aisle to hosting an annual fundraiser, the theater is all yours. Michigan's premier venue is unmatched, offering versatile spaces for any celebration. Home to world-class performances and legendary productions, the historic Detroit Opera House offers a backdrop of elegance and drama. Between our exclusive lounges, main stage, grand lobby, and 360° panorama-view Sky Deck, this iconic venue is guaranteed to impress your guests.
Discover why we’re Detroit’s destination for show-stopping experiences.
A message from Patty Isacson Sabee
Welcome to our winter 2025 performances at the Detroit Opera House! As the year begins, we are preparing for Handel’s 314-year-old opera Rinaldo, set in a modern pediatric ward in Louisa Proske’s imaginative new staging. One of the greatest joys of Rinaldo is the gorgeous soprano aria “Lascia ch’io pianga” (“Let me weep”). Listen for it. It may well survive as an undeniable earworm days after you leave the Opera House. This winter the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus has also been deep in rehearsals for Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta H.M.S. Pinafore , which will be performed on Saturday, March 8. It is sobering to look back to the pandemic shutdowns of 2020, when joining others in song seemed like the most dangerous thing one could do. The youth chorus produced its first virtual opera during the pandemic, The Very Last Green Thing, a bright spot during those dark months, but there is nothing like witnessing these young singers’ joy at rehearsing and performing on the mainstage of the Detroit Opera House.
Young people are the future of opera. Thanks to an award from the State of Michigan, Detroit Opera will be able to bring 2,000 students to a performance of H.M.S. Pinafore, where they will see their peers on stage, mixing it up with the witty lyrics and joyful tunes of this Gilbert and Sullivan classic.
We also look forward to the return of Ailey's much-heralded residency, which utilizes Alvin Ailey's signature work, Revelations, as the inspirational framework for a comprehensive study of language arts, social studies, and dance! Thanks to a grant from the Fisher Foundation, this community engagement program will take place at two Detroit public schools in March, with students exploring and embodying the life story of Alvin Ailey and Revelations, while connecting this story to their own life experiences, community, and the broader world around them. Ailey’s Detroit residency will also include a professional development session and a workshop on active aging through dance.
Thank you to the many who have supported Detroit Opera’s education programming, including the Bartush Foundation challenge grant, which will double the impact of new and increased gifts this winter.
We are so grateful that you will join us at the Detroit Opera House, either again or for your first time, to experience the power and impact of opera and to thrill to the ensemble magic of dance.
Patty Isacson Sabee President & CEO, Detroit Opera
Così fan tutte
APR 05 / SAT / 7:30PM
APR 11 / FRI / 7:30PM
APR 13 / SUN / 2:30PM
This brand-new production by Artistic Director Yuval Sharon offers a fresh take on Mozart’s controversial comedy, where the role of Artificial Intelligence turns the tale into a futuristic experiment. Don Alfonso’s manipulations of the “emotions” of his robotic inventions (the lovers) become an obsessive quest to develop spiritual machines.
The Central Park Five
MAY 10 / SAT / 7:30PM
MAY 16 / FRI / 7:30PM
MAY 18 / SUN / 2:30PM
Malandain Ballet Biarritz
APR 26 / SAT / 7:30PM
APR 27 / SUN / 2:30PM
DANCE
Malandain Ballet Biarritz has become one of the most important companies of the French choreographic landscape. This original production combines Antonio Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons and the little-known works of his contemporary and compatriot Giovanni Antonio Guido. With Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, dancers are moved by a more natural, more human form of dance.
Anthony Davis, composer of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music for this true story adaptation of systemic discrimination. This gripping opera follows the wrongful convictions of five African American and Latino teenagers in the assault of a white female jogger in Central Park.
A message from Jon H. Teeuwissen
Twyla Tharp has been a force in dance for over six decades. A milestone in her choreographic career was her creation of Deuce Coupe in 1973, commissioned by the Joffrey Ballet, set to the popular music of the Beach Boys. It is considered the first “crossover” ballet, combining elements of classical ballet and modern dance. She has since created ballets for dance companies around the world, while continuing to create work on her own hand-selected artists.
In 1998 Twyla Tharp choreographed a ballet to a set of variations for the piano written by Ludwig van Beethoven on a waltz composed by Anton Diabelli. I had the opportunity to see a run-through of Diabelli in a studio at New York’s City Center when the piece had just been created. Performed with live piano, it remains my favorite piece of Tharp repertoire. I am thrilled that this masterful work is back in active repertoire, and that it will grace the opera house stage.
Also on the program is a new piece by Twyla Tharp called SLACKTIDE, set to the music of Philip Glass and performed by Chicago’s Grammy award-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion.
Alvin Ailey premiered his masterwork Revelations in 1960. It is now the most performed ballet in the world. Originally a full-length piece set to spirituals, Revelations was edited down to the version we know and love today. Interestingly, Matthew Rushing, Ailey’s interim artistic director, has revisited the spirituals that were cut from the original Revelations, and choreographed a new ballet called Sacred Songs.
This season Ailey celebrates the 25th anniversary of Ronald K. Brown’s Grace , also a very spiritual piece, which opens and closes with two versions of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday”—the first by Jimmy McPhail, and the last by Jennifer Holliday—to the lyrics “God of love, please look down and let my people go.” The middle section is infused with house music. Brown interweaves modern and contemporary with West African forms to create some of the most rigorous dance one will ever experience.
Also on the theme of spirituality and connecting with one’s higher power is a new piece called Many Angels, choreographed by Lar Lubovitch to the serene, poetic Adagietto of Mahler’s 5th Symphony.
May your spirit soar!
Jon H. Teeuwissen
Artistic Advisor for Dance, Detroit Opera
Storybook Opera presents
Touring April – June, 2025
This spring, Detroit Opera’s Education Department will present two operas in its Storybook Opera touring season: Cinderella, composed by Gioachino Rossini and illustrated by Detroit-based artist Carole Morisseau, and Little Red Riding Hood, composed by Seymour Barab and illustrated by Detroit-based artist Vito Valdez. Storybook Opera shares these operas in a truncated form aimed at
pre-K through 2nd-grade audiences. Advised by Dr. Shannan Hibbard, Assistant Professor of Vocal Music Education at Wayne State University, and instructed by DO teaching artists Lucia Flowers, Victoria Lawal, and David Moan, this program encourages early literacy comprehension-infused with the creativity of song and dance.
To bring a performance to your community or school, call 313.309.8258 or email edinfo@detroitopera.org
Imagine a gift that outlives you, allowing future generations to experience and enjoy the world of opera and dance. The Avanti Society at Detroit Opera represents a designated group of donors who have included the organization in their estate plans—whether by will, trust, insurance, or life income arrangement.
Membership in The Avanti Society is open to all. In thanks for their generous support and foresight, Avanti Society members are given special benefits and recognition for their heartfelt commitment to Detroit Opera.
The Avanti Society— Ensuring the Future Mona Alonzo
Membership benefits to The Avanti Society include...
■ Your named recognition in opera and dance program books
■ Annual events held exclusively for members of the Avanti Society
■ Invitations to special events and previews
Contact Juliano Bitonti Stewart, Director of Development, at
or jstewart@detroitopear.org to learn more.
A Legacy of Generosity (1941-2024)
Anyone who had the good fortune to know Mona Alonzo—a longtime Detroit Opera donor and patron who passed away in February 2024— will remember her as an exceedingly warm and sincere person who was deeply committed to her family and friends, and generously supportive of the numerous organizations that were dear to her heart.
Possessing a profound passion for culture, and especially the arts, Mona attended theater festivals every summer and regularly visited and contributed to cultural institutions like Detroit Opera. Mona and her husband Richard were loyal DO subscribers for 25 years and donors for more than 30. And now, with her passing, Mona has left us a generous legacy gift as well. In accordance with her wishes, and her enthusiasm for Yuval Sharon’s ambitious artistic vision for DO, this gift will be used to support our general operations, giving us the freedom to direct the funds wherever they are most needed.
We are eternally grateful to Mona—for her stalwart support through every phase of our evolution as a driver of culture in Detroit, for her fervent belief in our transformative vision and auspicious future, and for her tremendous generosity, which will significantly benefit our organization, our audiences, and our community for many years to come.
PHOTO BY DARIO CALMESE
Alvin Ailey, Founder
Judith Jamison, Artistic Director Emerita
Matthew Rushing, Interim Artistic Director
Company Members
Leonardo Brito
Patrick Coker
Shawn Cusseaux
Sarah Daley-Perdomo
Caroline T. Dartey
Isaiah Day
Coral Dolphin
Solomon Dumas
Samantha Figgins
James Gilmer
Vernard J. Gilmore
Ashley Kaylynn Green
Jacquelin Harris
Michael Jackson, Jr.
Yannick Lebrun
Xavier Mack
Renaldo Maurice
Corrin Rachelle Mitchell
Chalvar Monteiro
Jesse Obremski
Kali Marie Oliver
Alisha Rena Peek
Jessica Amber Pinkett
Miranda Quinn
Hannah Alissa Richardson
Deidre Rogan
Constance Stamatiou
Christopher Taylor
Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis
De’Anthony Vaughan
Dandara Veiga
Isabel Wallace-Green
Christopher R. Wilson
Ronni Favors, Rehearsal Director
Clifton Brown, Assistant Rehearsal Director
Kanji Segawa, Assistant Rehearsal Director
Bennett Rink, Executive Director
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2024–25 season celebrates the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison (1943-2024).
2025 National Tour Sponsor
Major funding of AILEY is provided by AARP, Anonymous, American Express, Bank of America, Bloomberg Philanthropies, BNY Mellon, Diageo North America, Ford Foundation, Fund II Foundation, The Hearst Foundations, Howard Gilman Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Prudential Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Southern Company, The Thompson Family Foundation, and Verizon Communications.
PROGRAM I
Program and cast are subject to change.
SACRED SONGS
(2024)
Choreography by Matthew Rushing
Assistant to the Choreographer: Alexandria Johnson
Creative Associate and Music by Du’Bois A’Keen
Costumes by Danté Baylor
Lighting by Andre A.Vazquez
Scenic Design by Matthew Rushing and Joseph Anthony Gaito
Caroline T. Dartey, Isaiah Day, Jesse Obremski, Isabel Wallace-Green, Dandara Veiga, Miranda Quinn, Coral Dolphin, Alisha Rena Peek, Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis, Patrick Coker, De’Anthony Vaughan, Christopher Taylor, Shawn Cusseaux
The
BY
creation of Sacred Songs is supported by The Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey— Sara & Bill Morgan New Works Endowment Fund, Tracy Elise Poole, Red Moose Charitable Trust, The Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn & Nicolas Rohatyn New Works Endowment Fund, and Daria L. & Eric J. Wallach.
PHOTO
PAUL KOLNIK
TREADING
(1979, NEW PRODUCTION 2024)
Choreography by Elisa Monte
Rehearsal Associate: Clymene Aldinger
Music by Steve Reich “Eighteen Musicians”*
Costumes by Marisol
Original Lighting by Tina Charney
Lighting Design by Clifton Taylor
Ashley Kaylynn Green, Christopher Taylor
This production of Treading is supported by an Anonymous donor, Leanne Lachman, and the Pamela D. Zilly and John H. Schaefer New Works Endowment Fund.
Elisa Monte has been widely recognized as an important innovator and contributor to contemporary dance. She is a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and also danced with Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and Pilobolus. Monte’s signature style— recognized as daring, intense, and passionate—is classical and highly athletic. Rooted in sensuality and controlled, sustained energy, her work is notable for its expansive range of movement. Hers is a diverse vocabulary that refuses stylistic conformity. Monte founded her company, Elisa Monte Dance (EMD) in 1981 and served as Artistic Director until 2016. She has choreographed more than 50 works danced by countless domestic and international companies, including Boston Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, San Francisco Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Teatro alla Scala Ballet, PHILADANCO!, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. She is thrilled to have Treading back in this season’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater repertory and thankful to Alvin Ailey for his support and trust in her work.
*Excerpts from “Music for 18 Musicians” used by arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes Company, publisher and copyright owner.
GRACE
(1999, NEW PRODUCTION 2024)
Choreography by Ronald K. Brown
Rehearsal Associate: Arcell Cabuag
Music by Various Artists*
Costumes by Omatayo Wunmi Olaiya
Lighting by Tsubasa Kamei
Coral Dolphin, Hannah Alissa Richardson, Jacquelin Harris, Miranda Quinn, Samantha Figgins, Vernard J. Gilmore, Isaiah Day, Solomon Dumas, Xavier Mack, Patrick Coker, Chalvar Monteiro
This new production of Grace is supported by Maury & Joseph Bohan. The original production of Grace was made possible by Elizabeth Marsteller Gordon and Natasha Leibel Levine, M.D. & Harlan B. Levine, M.D.
The creation of this work was made possible, in part, by AT&T, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and The Harkness Foundation for Dance.
Ronald K. Brown is an advocate for the growth of the African American dance community and uses movement as a way to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. Brown founded Brooklyn-based EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in 1985 and has also set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, PHILADANCO!, and others. Brown choreographed Regina Taylor’s award-winning play, Crowns, for which he won an AUDELCO Award. In addition, he has received a John Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and a United States Artists Fellowship, among others.
*“Come Sunday” by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner. Composed by Duke Ellington. Performed by Jimmy McPhail. "Gabriel" Performed by Peven Everett and Roy Davis Jr. Published by Studio Confessions (ASCAP) and Warner Chappell Music Ltd (PRS). Licensed exclusively from Large Music, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1996. “Bless It” by Paul Johnson. Recorded at Undaground Therapy Music Studios Chicago, IL. “Rock Shock” written and produced by Roy Davis, Jr., published by Roy Davis, Jr. Music (ASCAP). Recorded at Undaground Therapy Music Studios, Chicago, IL. “Shakara” by Fela (Anikulapo) Kuti. Copyright Shanachie Entertainment Group. “Come Sunday” by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner. Composed by Duke Ellington. Performed by Jennifer Holliday.
PROGRAM II
Program and cast are subject to change.
FINDING FREE
(2024)
Choreography by Hope Boykin
Assistant to the Choreographer: Terri Ayanna Wright
Music by Matthew Whitaker
Costumes by Hope Boykin and Jon Taylor
Lighting by Al Crawford
Finding Free is not the absence of trials but the ability to carry weight, gaining the strength to endure.
Chalvar Monteiro, Coral Dolphin, Caroline T. Dartey, Corrin Rachelle Mitchell, Hannah Alissa Richardson, Isabel Wallace-Green, James Gilmer, Shawn Cusseaux, Solomon Dumas, Christopher Taylor, Isaiah Day
The creation of Finding Free is supported by The Barbara & Gary Brandt Family Foundation. The world premiere of Finding Free is made possible by Judith McDonough Kaminski & Joseph Kaminski. The choreographer is grateful for support she received from American Dance Festival and the BAM Resident Artist Program during the creation of this ballet.
Two-time Bessie Award winner Hope Boykin danced with Complexions, PHILADANCO!, and performed for 20 years with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Boykin has choreographed for numerous dance companies including American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Ballet Black of London, BalletX, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, PHILADANCO!, and The Philadelphia Ballet. She has created three works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and a special commission with Cynthia Erivo honoring Judith Jamison. States Of Hope, an eveninglength work written and choreographed for HopeBoykinDance, premiered in 2023 presented by the Joyce Theater. Boykin has choreographed for Off-Broadway and regional theater, including Kinky Boots for Bucks County Playhouse and Cornelia Street for the Atlantic Theater Company in NYC. She delivered keynote addresses for Lincoln Center Activate, Performing Arts Medical Association, and the American Society of Hand Therapists. Boykin is Artistic Advisor for Dance Education at the Kennedy Center and Artistic Lead for the Kennedy Center Dance Lab. She is Artist-In-Residence at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, an alumni Fellow of The Center for Ballet and the Arts, and was advisor for the Howard University Department of Dance in 2021. As a writer and filmmaker, Boykin blends her words and cadence as the foundation of her developing movement-language. Beauty Size & Color, her short film commenting on changes during the first 20 years of the 21st century, is available on PBS.org. As an educator, creator, mover, and motivator working through her nonprofit HBArts Collective, Boykin firmly believes there are no limits.
—INTERMISSION—
MANY ANGELS
(2024)
Choreography by Lar Lubovitch
Assistant to the Choreographer: Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Music by Gustav Mahler
Costumes by Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme
Lighting by Clifton Taylor
Scenic Design by Lar Lubovitch
After 60 years as a choreographer, I am still frequently asked "Why do you make dances?” In his writings, the 13th century theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas posed a theoretical question about the mysterious behavior of angels to which no actual answer is possible. “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” is a saying still heard today to illustrate that some questions have no logical answer but may be understood as a matter of faith. Occasionally, something may exist in the world just for the sake of itself. For example, a dance. Many Angels is not really about angels (well, maybe a little).
The creation of Many Angels is made possible by The Ellen Jewett and Richard L. Kauffman New Works Endowment Fund.
Lar Lubovitch was born in 1943 and founded Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, which tours worldwide, in 1968. Numerous dances have been performed by major US and international companies. Othello—A Dance in Three Acts, created with ABT and SF Ballet, was featured on PBS’ Great Performances (Emmy nomination). Film and television dances include Fandango (International Emmy), My Funny Valentine for Robert Altman’s film The Company (American Choreography Award nomination), and Concerto Six Twenty-two and North Star for BBC. He has created ice dances for many Olympic skaters, as well as TV specials, include The Sleeping Beauty on Ice (PBS), and The Planets on Ice (A&E—International Emmy nomination, Cable Ace Award, Grammy Award). Broadway credits include Into the Woods (Tony nomination), The Red Shoes (Astaire Award), and the Tony Award-winning revival of The King and I. In 1987, he conceived Dancing for Life, the dance community’s first response to the AIDS crisis. In 2007, he founded the Chicago Dancing Festival. In 2016, he premiered the evening-length ballet The Bronze Horseman at the Mikhailovsky Ballet (St. Petersburg, Russia). Recent awards include Chicagoan of the Year; Ford Fellow (US Artists); the Dance/USA Honor; Prix Benois de la Danse for Choreography (Bolshoi, Moscow); America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasure (Dance Heritage Coalition); and Lifetime Achievement awards from American Dance Guild, ADF/Scripps, Dance Magazine, and the Martha Graham Foundation. Lubovitch holds honorary Doctorates from Juilliard and Boston Conservatory. Since 2018, he has been Distinguished Professor of Dance at UC Irvine.
“Adagietto” from Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim conducting.
—PAUSE—
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025 @7:30PM
REVELATIONS
(1960)
Choreography by Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and Costumes by Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by Barbara Forbes
Lighting by Nicola Cernovitch
Pilgrim of Sorrow
I Been 'Buked The Company
Arranged by Hall Johnson*
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel................................
Arranged by James Miller+
Fix Me, Jesus
Arranged by Hall Johnson*
Patrick Coker, Miranda Quinn, Hannah Alissa Richardson
Shawn Cusseaux, Alisha Rena Peek, Leonardo Brito, Christopher Taylor
Wade in the Water Samantha Figgins, Solomon Dumas, Corrin Rachelle Mitchell
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts “Wade in the Water” sequence by Ella Jenkins. “A Man Went Down to the River” is an original composition by Ella Jenkins.
I Wanna Be Ready Christopher R. Wilson
Arranged by James Miller
Move, Members, Move
Sinner Man .................... James Gilmer, Chalvar Monteiro, De’Anthony Vaughan
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
The Day is Past and Gone The Company
Arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers
You May Run On ............................................................................... The Company
Arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers
Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham ........................................ The Company
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
All performances of Revelations are permanently endowed by a generous gift from Donald L. Jonas in celebration of the birthday of his wife, Barbara, and her deep commitment to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
* Used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.
+ Used by special arrangement with Galaxy Music Corporation, New York City.
REVELATIONS
(1960)
Choreography by Alvin Ailey
Music: Traditional
Décor and Costumes by Ves Harper
Costumes for “Rocka My Soul” redesigned by Barbara Forbes
Lighting by Nicola Cernovitch
Pilgrim of Sorrow
I Been 'Buked The Company
Arranged by Hall Johnson*
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel........................ Christopher Taylor, Dandara Veiga, Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis
Wade in the Water Alisha Rena Peek, Solomon Dumas, Kali Marie Oliver
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
“Wade in the Water” sequence by Ella Jenkins. “A Man Went Down to the River” is an original composition by Ella Jenkins.
I Wanna Be Ready Xavier Mack
Arranged by James Miller
Move, Members, Move
Sinner Man ...................... Leonardo Brito, Christopher R. Wilson, Patrick Coker
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
The Day is Past and Gone
Arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers
The Company
You May Run On ............................................................................... The Company
Arranged by Howard A. Roberts and Brother John Sellers
Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham ........................................ The Company
Adapted and arranged by Howard A. Roberts
All performances of Revelations are permanently endowed by a generous gift from Donald L. Jonas in celebration of the birthday of his wife, Barbara, and her deep commitment to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
* Used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.
+ Used by special arrangement with Galaxy Music Corporation, New York City.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Founded by Alvin Ailey on March 30, 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world. With a repertory that boasts close to 300 works by more than 100 choreographers, it has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents and has been designated a "vital American Cultural Ambassador to the world” by a US Congressional resolution. Forged during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was established to uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity. Mr. Ailey invited dancers of all backgrounds to be a part of his vision while reimagining his company as a “library of dance,” a home for a wide range of choreographers’ works that might otherwise be lost. Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and for 21 years she brought the Company to unprecedented success. In 2011, she selected Robert Battle as her successor; he stewarded the Company until 2023. Today, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to bring joy to audiences around the globe, while expanding its repertory with works by new choreographers and upholding Mr. Ailey’s legacy for future generations.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gratefully acknowledges The Joan & Sandy Weill Global Ambassador Fund, which provides vital support for Ailey’s national and international tours.
ALVIN AILEY FOUNDER
Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers, Texas. His experiences of life in the rural South would later inspire some of his most memorable works. He was introduced to dance in Los Angeles by performances of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, and his formal dance training began with an introduction to Lester Horton’s classes by his friend Carmen de Lavallade. Horton, the founder of one of the first racially integrated dance companies in the United States, became a mentor for Mr. Ailey as he embarked on his professional career. After Horton’s death in 1953, Mr. Ailey became director of the Lester Horton Dance Theater and began to choreograph his own works. In the 1950s and 60s, Mr. Ailey performed in four Broadway shows. In 1958, he founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to carry out his vision of a company dedicated to uplifting the African American experience while enriching and preserving the legacy of modern dance. The creation of his masterpiece Revelations in 1960 cemented his reputation as a choreographer of unique vision, with the ability to transcend racial barriers and connect deeply to people’s humanity. Mr. Ailey established the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (now The Ailey School) in 1969 and formed the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble (now Ailey II) in 1974. He was also a pioneer of programs promoting arts in education. Throughout his lifetime he was awarded numerous distinctions, including the Kennedy Center Honor in 1988 in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture. In 2014, he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to civil rights and dance in America. Following Mr. Ailey’s death on December 1, 1989, The New York Times said of him, “you didn’t need to have known [him] personally to have been touched by his humanity, enthusiasm, and exuberance and his courageous stand for multi-racial brotherhood.”
MATTHEW RUSHING INTERIM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Matthew Rushing was born in Los Angeles, California. He began his dance training with Kashmir Blake in Inglewood, California, and continued his training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He is the recipient of a Spotlight Award and a Dance Magazine Award and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School and later became a member of Ailey II. During his career, Mr. Rushing has performed as a guest artist for galas in Vail, Colorado, as well as in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Russia. He has performed for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House Dance Series. During his time with the Company, he has choreographed five ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance; ODETTA (2014), a celebration of “the queen of American folk music”; Testament (2020), a tribute to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations created in collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano; and this season’s Sacred Songs. In 2012 he created Moan, which was set on PHILADANCO! and premiered at the Joyce Theater. Mr. Rushing joined the Company in 1992. He became Rehearsal Director in 2010, Associate Artistic Director in 2020, and Interim Artistic Director in 2023.
JUDITH JAMISON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMERITA
Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the following 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project. She returned to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1989 when Mr. Ailey asked her to succeed him as artistic director. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights— including two historic engagements in South Africa and a 50-city global tour to celebrate the Company’s 50th anniversary. Ms. Jamison was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a Primetime Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a Bessie Award, the Phoenix Award, and the Handel Medallion. She was also listed in “The TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People” and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. In 2015, she became the 50th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance. In 2016, she received the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards. As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison created many celebrated works, including Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989), Hymn (1993), HERE... NOW. (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad), Love Stories (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places) (2009). Ms. Jamison’s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. In 2004, under Ms. Jamison’s artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for AILEY was realized and named after beloved Chairman Emerita Joan Weill. Following her retirement from the helm of the Company in 2011, Ms. Jamison continued to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remained committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy—using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present, and fearlessly reaching into the future. Her death on November 9, 2024 prompted an outpouring of love and admiration around the world from those who were touched by her magnificent artistry and extraordinary spirit.
RONNI FAVORS REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Ronni Favors began dancing as a child in Iowa City, Iowa. After studying at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, as recipient of the Camp Scholarship, she continued her training at The Ailey School as a Fellowship student. Favors was a member of Ailey II, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and has received the Min-On Art Award. Favors was the ballet instructor at the 1989 inaugural session of AileyCamp in Kansas City and served as Artistic Director of the Camp. She is the Founding Director of Children’s Aid AileyCamp New York and provided guidance in the national implementation of the AileyCamp program. In 1997, Favors was named Assistant Rehearsal Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was its Rehearsal Director from 1999 to 2010. She worked with local dance students who performed in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as in Seattle, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and most recently, Edinburgh, Scotland. She set Alvin Ailey’s Night Creature on TU Dance and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Favors rejoined the Company as Rehearsal Director in 2019.
CLIFTON BROWN ASSISTANT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Clifton Brown, from Goodyear, Arizona, began his dance training at Take 5 Dance Academy and continued in the first class of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. Brown began his professional career when he joined the Ailey company in 1999 and served as choreographic assistant to Judith Jamison. He has also danced with Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and was a founding member and rehearsal director for Jessica Lang Dance. He was nominated in the U.K. for a Critics Circle National Dance Award for Best Male Dancer and received a Black Theater Arts Award as well as a New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Award. As a guest artist, Brown has performed with Miami City Ballet, Rome Opera Ballet, Nevada Ballet, and Parsons Dance. He has set the work of Alvin Ailey, Earl Mosley, and Jessica Lang on various companies around the world. Television appearances as a guest artist include So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. He has had the privilege of performing at the White House for President Obama. Brown became Assistant Rehearsal Director in 2019.
KANJI SEGAWA ASSISTANT REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Kanji Segawa, originally from Kanagawa, Japan, began his dance training with his mother Erika Akoh, studying ballet with Kan Horiuchi and Ju Horiuchi in Tokyo. Segawa was awarded the Japanese Government Artist Fellowship in 1997 to train at The Ailey School. A former member of Ailey II and Battleworks, Segawa danced extensively for Mark Morris and performed as a principal dancer in John Adams’ Nixon in China at The Metropolitan Opera. Since 1999, Segawa has been Creative Associate for Jessica Lang, assisting her creations for companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and The National Ballet of Japan. With Lang, Segawa co-choreographed the world premiere production of Turandot for The Washington National Opera, directed by Francesca Zambello. He was a dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the direction of Robert Battle from 2011-2023 and became Assistant Rehearsal Director in 2024.
BENNETT RINK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Bennett Rink became Executive Director of AILEY in 2013. He first joined the organization as Manager of Special Events in 1994, became Development Director in 1998, and served as Senior Director of Development and External Affairs from 2007 to 2012. In his tenure overseeing AILEY’s development and fundraising efforts, Mr. Rink led a major capital campaign to establish the organization’s first permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance, which opened in 2005 and attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year. Mr. Rink also oversaw the campaign to build the organization’s endowment, which provides vital ongoing support for programmatic initiatives. When the Company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008, Mr. Rink supervised an 18-month celebration including events, promotions, collaborations, and special performances, bringing public awareness of the AILEY organization to new heights. During his time as Executive Director, the Company has deepened its presence in New York City by establishing an annual spring season to complement its New York City Center winter season, while also extending its role as America’s “Cultural Ambassador to the world” with tours to Africa, Europe, and South America. To reach audiences beyond live performances, Mr. Rink has broadened the organization’s commitment to creating film and digital content. Mr. Rink has also extended the reach and impact of AILEY’s educational offerings, including the creation of new curricula and programs that reach across generations, from elementary school children to older adults. In 2017, the organization unveiled the Elaine Wynn and Family Education Wing, providing much-needed additional studios and classroom space. The building now comprises 87,000 square feet and is the largest destination for dance in New York City. In recent years, Mr. Rink has overseen a branding initiative to express the totality of AILEY’s offerings, creating greater connectivity among Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, The Ailey School, Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs, and Ailey Extension. Most recently, he led the organization’s collaboration with the Whitney Museum on Edges of Ailey, the first large-scale museum exhibition celebrating the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of Alvin Ailey. Mr. Rink is a graduate of Syracuse University and holds a BFA in theater.
LEONARDO BRITO (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) began his training with Projeto Primeiro Passo and later studied at Escola Estadual de Dança Maria Olenewa, Centro de Arte Nós da Dança, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and The Ailey School. He danced with Ailey II and then with Ballet Hispánico for five seasons. Brito has performed with the Mariinsky Ballet, Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, and Focus Cia de Dança. In 2015, he received the III Brazilian Modern Dance Congress Award. He has performed works by Robert Battle, Cassi Abranches, Jae Man Joo, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Marcelo Misailidis, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Eduardo Vilaro, and Anabelle Lopez Ochoa. Brito is also proficient in Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art. He has appeared in the FX series POSE, Willy Chavarria’s film Safe From Harm , Out Magazine, Hong Kong Dance Magazine , on the covers of Made in Brazil and SSAW, and in many other campaigns. He joined the Company in 2024. Instagram: @leonardobrittom
PATRICK COKER (Chester, VA) (he/him) began dancing at Jessica Morgan’s School of Dance in Midlothian, Virginia and later the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts (EVSPA). He graduated from The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance in 2014. He has performed with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Jessica Lang Dance, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and BODYTRAFFIC. Coker has also danced with Jamar Roberts, The Bob Fosse Foundation, Joshua Beamish’s MOVE: The Company, HopeBoykinDance, and Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance. In 2018, he was an assistant to Jessica Lang as she choreographed EN on Ailey, and he joined the Company in 2019. Instagram: @pcoke
SHAWN CUSSEAUX (St. Petersburg, FL) began his training at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School where he trained in ballet, modern, and jazz. In 2020, Cusseaux received his BFA in Modern Dance at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. After graduation he joined BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, where he spent three seasons. During that time, he had the privilege of dancing at the Vail International Dance Festival and Ballet Sun Valley. Cusseaux has performed work by Jae Man Joo, José Limón, Edwaard Liang, Camille A. Brown, Matthew Nenan, Jamar Roberts, Dwight Rhoden, Hope Boykin, Amy Hall Garner, Jennifer Archibald, and Nicolo Fonte. He joined the Company in 2023.
SARAH DALEY-PERDOMO (South Elgin, IL) began her training at the Faubourg School of Ballet in Illinois under the direction of Watmora Casey and Tatyana Mazur. She is a 2009 graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance and trained at institutions such as the Kirov Academy, National Ballet School of Canada, The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and intensives at Ballet Camp Illinois and Ballet Adriatico in Italy. Daley-Perdomo was honored to be highlighted in Dance Magazine ’s “On the Rise” feature in 2014, and to perform in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma for the filming of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance. She is a recipient of a Youth America Grand Prix Award and an ARTS Foundation Award. She was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2011.
CAROLINE T. DARTEY (Geneva, Switzerland) trained in rhythmic gymnastics in her hometown from the age of five, rising to national and international levels and becoming the Swiss champion in her category 2009-2011. She later began dancing at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique, Danse et Théâtre of Geneva. Dartey also trained at The Ailey School as a scholarship student and performed in Alvin Ailey’s Memoria during the Company’s 2017 New York City Center season. She was a member of Ailey II 20182020 and has performed works by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Uri Sands, Bradley Shelver, Troy Powell, Robert Battle, Amy Hall Garner, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Andrea Miller, Alia Kache, and Yannick Lebrun. Dartey’s commercial work includes Vogue World New York and performances with music artists Omah Lay and Pheelz on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Dartey joined the Company in 2021. Instagram: @caroline_dartey
ISAIAH DAY (Chicago, IL) began his dance training with Yielded Vessel Dance Ministry at New Life Covenant Southeast. He also studied at Hubbard Street Youth Dance Center and The Chicago Academy for the Arts. He graduated in 2024 from The Juilliard School under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. While at Juilliard, Day performed works by Jamar Roberts, Tiler Peck, Justin Peck, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Rena Butler, and Ohad Naharin. He was named a YoungArts winner in Modern/Contemporary dance in 2019. Day joined the Company in 2023.
CORAL DOLPHIN (Los Angeles, CA) studied modern, West African, Flamenco, ballet, hip hop, tap, aerial silk, salsa, and acting under the mentorship of Debbie Allen. Dolphin began her professional career in New York as a founding member of BHdos, the second company of Ballet Hispánico. She later spent four years with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE. She has worked with artists Madonna, Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Cardi B, and more. In 2019, she performed the Dream Ballet solo in the Broadway musical Oklahoma! She has choreographed for Miguel, Lauren Jauregui, Kali Uchis, and Lenny Kravitz, and for international brands such as Citibank and i-D. In 2020, Dolphin made her directorial debut with a short film in collaboration with renowned composer Raven Bush. Through her art, she aims to magnify universal truths, aspiring for her creations to ignite the remembrance of the divine and higher consciousness that is within us all. Dolphin joined the Company in 2023.
SOLOMON DUMAS (Chicago, IL) (he, him, his) was introduced to dance through AileyCamp. He later began his formal training at The Chicago Academy for the Arts and the Russell Talbert Dance Studio, where he received his most influential training. Dumas studied at New World School of the Arts and was a Fellowship Level 1 student at The Ailey School. He has performed with companies including Garth Fagan Dance; Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company; and Labyrinth Dance Theater and was a member of Ailey II. Dumas joined the Company in 2016.
SAMANTHA FIGGINS (Washington, DC) began dancing at Duke Ellington School of the Arts under the tutelage of Charles Auggins and Sandra Fortune-Greene and attended summer intensives at Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell. She continued her education at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. There, she performed works by George Balanchine, Bill T. Jones, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp. Upon graduating cum laude, Figgins became a member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, performing works by Dwight Rhoden, Jae Man Joo, and Camille A. Brown. She also performed at the 2014 DanceOpen Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. Figgins was featured on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine and in Pointe magazine’s “10 Careers to Watch” in 2013. She has worked with Beyoncé and can be seen in the film Enemy Within alongside Tiler Peck and Matthew Rushing. Figgins joined the Company in 2014.
JAMES GILMER (Pittsburgh, PA) trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School. After graduating, he performed with Texture Contemporary Ballet and joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2011. While dancing with the Cincinnati Ballet for six seasons, Gilmer was promoted to Soloist in 2015 and performed works by Victoria Morgan, Amy Seiwert, Septime Webre, Ohad Naharin, Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edwaard Liang, Jennifer Archibald, and George Balanchine, to name a few. Gilmer was also a member of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, performing during the summer seasons since 2013, and ODC/dance, performing works by Brenda Way, KT Nelson, and Kate Weare. Gilmer performed in New York City Center’s 2021 and 2022 Twyla Tharp celebrations and in Fall for Dance, where he was featured in choreography by Jamar Roberts. He joined the Company in 2019. Instagram: @james.agilmer
VERNARD J. GILMORE (Chicago, IL) began his training at Curie Performing and Creative Arts High School in Chicago under Diane Holda. He later studied at the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater with Harriet Ross, Marquita Levy, and Emily Stein. He received first place in the all-city NAACP ACT-SO competition in 1993. He attended Barat College under scholarship and tutelage of Rory Foster and Eileen Cropley. He then studied as a scholarship student at The Ailey School and was a member of Ailey II. In 2010, he performed as part of the White House Dance Series. Gilmore is a choreographer whose work has been a part of the Ailey Dancers Resource Fund, Fire Island Dance Festival 2008, and Jazz Foundation of America Gala 2010, and he produced the Dance of Light project in 2010 and 2015. An excerpt of Gilmore’s work La Muette was performed in 2017 as part of the “Celebrating the Men of Ailey” program at New York City Center. Nimbus Dance Works performed a new work by Gilmore in 2018. He is a certified Zena Rommett Floor-Barre instructor and teaches workshops and master classes around the world. Gilmore joined the Company in 1997.
ASHLEY KAYLYNN GREEN (Charleston, SC) began her training at Columbia City Jazz where she found her love for dance. She trained in a variety of styles including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. In 2020, Green received her BFA in Dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. There, she performed works by Peter Chu, Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. After graduation she joined Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance where she received a Princess Grace Award in Dance. Green joined the Company in 2021 and that year was named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine
JACQUELIN HARRIS (Charlotte, NC) began her dance training at Dance Productions Studios under the direction of Lori Long. Harris received a silver ARTS award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and was a Presidential Scholar in the Arts semifinalist. She graduated with honors from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. In 2016, Harris was named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. She received a 2017 dance fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Harris has performed as a guest artist with Twyla Tharp, the Merce Cunningham Trust, and Roderick George. She was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2014.
MICHAEL JACKSON, JR. (New Orleans, LA) began his dance training at age 14 at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, under the direction of Charles Augins. He became a member of Dance Theatre of Harlem Dancing through Barriers Ensemble in 2005. In 2006 he joined Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and in 2008 joined PHILADANCO!, where he also worked as artistic director of D3. Jackson joined the Company in 2011 and rejoined in 2015.
YANNICK LEBRUN (Cayenne, French Guiana) began training in his native country at the Adaclam School under the guidance of Jeanine Verin. After graduating high school in 2004, he moved to New York City to study at The Ailey School as a scholarship student. Lebrun was named one of Dance Magazine ’s “25 to Watch” in 2011, and in 2013 France-Amérique magazine highlighted him as one of the 50 most talented French people in the United States. In November 2016, Lebrun was a guest performer with The Royal Ballet in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma . In 2019, he choreographed Saa Magni , his first work for Ailey II, and in 2021, he created Lora for ABT Studio Company. In 2024, he was a nominee for the UK Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for outstanding male modern performance in Dancing Spirit . Lebrun was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2008. Instagram: @yannicklebrun
XAVIER MACK (Washington, DC) began his dance training at Divine Dance Institute in Capitol Heights, MD. He went on to earn his BA in Modern Language & Linguistics from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. After graduation, Mack spent five seasons with Dallas Black Dance Theatre. In 2018, he had the pleasure of performing alongside legendary soprano Kathleen Battle in her concert Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey. Mack has performed as a guest artist in benefit galas and festivals for CityDance, TITAS/DANCE UNBOUND, FINTDAZ, Jacob’s Pillow, and Dance Fest Skopje. He has performed works by Norbert De La Cruz III, Hope Boykin, Hans van Manen, Aszure Barton, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. He joined the Company in 2022. Instagram: @x.mack
RENALDO MAURICE (Gary, IN) began his training with Tony Washington and graduated from Talent Unlimited High School. He attended Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts, studying with Larry Brewer. Maurice was a scholarship student at The Ailey School, Ballet Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. He received second place in modern dance from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and received the Dizzy Feet Foundation Scholarship. In 2012, he was honored with the key to the city of his hometown. Maurice has choreographed and performed with Grammy nominated artists Jazzmeia Horn, KEM, and Grammy Award winner Madonna. He has also incorporated his passion for the arts with social responsibility by becoming the co-artistic director of Indiana's South Shore Dance Alliance. He was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2011. Instagram: @mauricerenaldo
CORRIN RACHELLE MITCHELL (Baltimore, MD) began her dance training in her hometown at LeRe’s Performing Arts Center, owned by her mother and father. She attended Baltimore School for the Arts where she trained with Norma Pera and Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell. Mitchell graduated in 2017 with a BFA in Dance from Point Park University where she worked with choreographers Troy Powell, Garfield Lemonius, and Debbie Allen. After completing one year of apprenticeship, Mitchell joined Ailey II in 2017, performing works by Uri Sands, Bradley Shelver, Troy Powell, Robert Battle, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Amy Hall Garner. She joined the Company in 2019. Instagram: @_slimrin_
CHALVAR MONTEIRO
(Montclair, NJ) began his training at Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts and studied at The Ailey School before receiving his BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Monteiro has worked with Sidra Bell Dance New York, Elisa Monte Dance, Keigwin+Company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, BODYTRAFFIC, and GALLIM. In 2019, Monteiro performed in Merce Cunningham Trust’s Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event, and joined the faculty at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2020. His choreography has been presented in numerous festivals and institutions across the United States, including Ailey’s 2021 Virtual Spirit Gala, Fire Island Dance Festival, Fordham University, and SUNY Purchase. Monteiro has been featured in Vogue Beauty, Document Journal for Moncler, and fashion campaigns for Uniqlo and Lululemon. He was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2015. Instagram: @chlvrmntro
JESSE OBREMSKI (New York, New York) (he/they) began his studies at The Ailey School and continued at Jacob's Pillow, Springboard Danse Montreal, and Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance. He graduated from LaGuardia High School and Juilliard. Obremski performed with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, The Limón Dance Company, and Gibney Company, among others. He is a sought-after educator, choreographer, and restager of José Limón's works. He received the Asian American Arts Alliance's 2016 Jadin Wong Award and achieved Boy Scout Eagle Scout rank. Obremski has been mentioned in The New York Times, on NY1, and was featured in Dance Magazine's "On the Rise" in 2019. He performed at the FINA World Championships in 2019 and at the White House for President Obama. Obremski is the Founder/Artistic Director of Obremski/Works, which has been presented internationally, including by the Kennedy Center. He joined the Company in 2024. Website: jesseobremski.com. Instagram: @jesse_obremski
KALI MARIE OLIVER (Akron, OH) began her dance training with her mother and went on to train at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance. She attended summer intensives at Chautauqua Institution, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and The Ailey School. Oliver graduated magna cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. Upon graduating, she worked closely with Karole Armitage as a guest artist with Armitage Gone! Dance. Oliver spent three seasons in Ailey II under the direction of Francesca Harper, during which time she performed in the Holland Dance Festival. She has had the privilege of performing works by Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, Robert Battle, Andrea Miller, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, William Isaac, Baye & Asa, and Maurya Kerr. She was honored to be a guest artist during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2023 New York City Center season and was thrilled to officially join the Company in 2024. Instagram: @kmo_98
ALISHA RENA PEEK (Upper Marlboro, MD) is a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance, and recently earned her MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Peek began her formal dance training at the Washington School of Ballet and continued at the Kirov Ballet Academy, Dance Theatre of Harlem Kennedy Center Residency, and The Art of Technique. Professionally, Peek has danced in Ailey II, taught Horton in The Ailey School’s Junior Division, served as an assistant to Milton Myers and Hope Boykin, participated in the HopeBoykinDance Bubble Residency, and performed in both An Evening Of Hope and Moments By Hope. Peek appeared in the hit FX series POSE and choreographed a short film produced by BEATS by Dre. This is her fourth season with the Company. Instagram: @alishapeek
JESSICA AMBER PINKETT (Baltimore, MD) began her dance training at Baltimore Dance Tech under the direction of Stephanie Powell. She graduated from George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology and earned a BFA with honors in Dance Performance and Choreography from Towson University. She has had the privilege of performing works by Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Tally Beatty, Camille A. Brown, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Jamar Roberts, and others. She has performed as a guest artist with The Black Iris Project and was a member of Ailey lI from 2016-2018. Pinkett made her New York choreographic debut and performed alongside Madison McFerrin in OPEN AIR. In 2023, she led the world premiere of HopeBoykinDance’s States Of Hope at the Joyce Theater. She was a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2018-2021 and rejoined the Company in 2024. She continues exploring the depths of her artistry as a freelancer, teacher, choreographer, and filmmaker. Instagram: @jessica.a.pinkett
MIRANDA QUINN (Baltimore, MD) (she/her) trained in various genres of dance from ages 2-18 at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts under the artistic direction of Shannon McHale. Quinn graduated from The Juilliard School in 2019 under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. Her attendance at the school was made possible by the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship. She joined the Company in 2019. Quinn is beyond thrilled and honored to be a part of the AILEY community and legacy. Instagram: @mirandaming4
HANNAH ALISSA RICHARDSON (Toronto, Ontario) graduated with honors from The Ailey School Certificate Program. Richardson has performed works by choreographers including Ray Mercer, Bradley Shelver, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Earl Mosley, William Forsythe, and Robert Battle. She has been a featured dancer in festivals including Jacob’s Pillow and the Holland Dance Festival, and had the honor of performing the world premiere of Grace and Mercy choreographed by Ronald K. Brown at Bard’s SummerScape festival. Some of her film and television credits include Orion Pictures’ Every Day and Disney Channel’s Backstage. Richardson was a proud member of Ailey II for one season before joining the Company in 2022. She is also a guest artist with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company. Richardson is thrilled to be part of AILEY and is grateful for all those who’ve continued to support her along her journey. Instagram: @hannahxrichardson
DEIDRE ROGAN (Fort Myers, FL) began her dance training in Fort Myers, Florida under Melinda Roy, Roberto Munoz, and Cheryl Copeland. Deidre graduated with honors from the Ailey/ Fordham BFA Program in Dance in 2015. She is a YoungArts scholarship winner, performed as a United States Arts Ambassador for President Barack Obama during the Opening Ceremony of the Hannover Messe, and was the Associate Choreographer under Choreographer Hope Boykin for the City Center Encores Off-Center production of Promenade in 2019. Rogan danced with Ailey II from 2014 to 2016 and with Parsons Dance from 2016 to 2022. This is her third season with the Company. Instagram: @deidre_rogan
CONSTANCE
STAMATIOU (Charlotte, NC) began her dance training at Pat Hall’s Dance Unlimited and North Carolina Dance Theatre. She graduated from Northwest School of the Arts and studied at SUNY Purchase and as a Fellowship student at The Ailey School. In 2009, Stamatiou received the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship. In 2022, she was one of Sports Illustrated’s “Top 100”, and in 2023, she was nominated for the UK Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for outstanding female modern performance in Cry. She has performed at the White House, in a TED Talk with Judith Jamison, and has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, Logo’s Trailblazer Honors, Elle’s movement series, Good Morning America and The Today Show. Stamatiou has danced in the films Shake, Rattle & Roll , Bolden and the commercial I Love NY. She is a mother of two. Stamatiou was a member of Ailey ll and joined the Company in 2007. Instagram: @constance.stamatiou
CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR (Newark, New Jersey) started his dance training at The Ailey School when he was 11. He later attended Arts High School in Newark. During his training, he attended AileyCamp Newark, performing numerous times at The Apollo Theater and Lincoln Center in works by Rennie Harris, Robert Battle, and other choreographers. After graduating from Arts High School, Taylor received a scholarship to The Ailey School’s Professional Division. In 2022, he joined Ailey II under artistic director Francesca Harper and went on to perform works by Ms. Harper, William Forsythe, Andrea Miller, and Robert Battle. This is his third season in the Company.
FANA MINEA TESFAGIORGIS (Madison, WI) is an artist, actor, and dancer. She is an alumna of Ballet Madison, Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance where she graduated with a major in dance and a minor in journalism. Professionally, Tesfagiorgis has danced with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and The Black Iris Project, among other companies. Since shifting into acting, she has studied at The Freeman Studio, The Kimball Studio, and Lesly Kahn Acting Studio. She appeared in the film In the Heights, the first national tour of My Fair Lady, the opening of The 73rd Annual Tony Awards, POSE , Wu-Tang: An American Saga , and in the short films Booked , Date Nights, Love on Speed , and the EMMY Award-winning WILD. She was previously a member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2013-2019. Follow her journey on her website fanaminea.com . Instagram and TikTok: @fanaminea
DE'ANTHONY VAUGHAN (Kansas City, MO) was introduced to dance at age three by his grandmother. He received his training from AileyCamp, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, and Kansas City Ballet School. He continued his training in New York City at The Ailey School as a scholarship student. In 2014, Vaughan joined Dallas Black Dance Theatre where he performed works by Matthew Rushing, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Alvin Ailey, Elisa Monte, Donald McKayle, and many more. This is Vaughan’s second season with the Company. Instagram: @leedeevaughan
DANDARA VEIGA (Alegrete, RS, Brazil) began her dance training at Social Project Primeiros Passos before receiving a scholarship to her hometown school, Escola de Danca Ballerina. She also studied at Studio Margarita Fernandez in Argentina, Opus Ballet in Italy, Annarella Academia de Ballet e Dança in Portugal, and as a scholarship student at The Ailey School in 2016. From 2017 to 2023, Veiga danced with Ballet Hispánico. In 2023-2024, she performed with The Metropolitan Opera and projects including Site-Specific Dances, Opus Ballet, Noname, and the Black Iris Project. Veiga was named one of Dance Magazine ’s “25 to Watch” in 2023. She has worked with artists including Charla Gen, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Noah Gelber, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Edwaard Liang, Christopher Huggins, and Ray Mercer. This is her first season with the Company. Instagram: @Iamdandaraveiga
ISABEL WALLACE-GREEN (Houston, TX) began her dance training at Houston Ballet Academy. She graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance with a dual degree in Dance and African/African American Studies. She performed with New Chamber Ballet, Urban Souls Dance Company, and was an ensemble member of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Wallace-Green was a company member with DBDT: Encore before joining Dallas Black Dance Theatre in 2021. While in Texas, she partnered with University of Houston and Texas Southern University art museums to premiere her first solo show, Resilience. Wallace-Green joined the Company in 2023.
CHRISTOPHER R. WILSON (Augusta, GA) is a graduate of John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School and graduated cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in Dance. He trained at Colton Ballet School, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and The School at Jacob’s Pillow before beginning his professional career with BHdos, the second company of Ballet Hispánico. He has performed for Queen Sofía of Spain and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and has had the privilege of performing on the main stage of the 2017 Essence Festival in New Orleans. Wilson has performed works by Judith Jamison, Alonzo King, Wayne McGregor, Camille A. Brown, Kyle Abraham, and Hans van Manen, among others. He has been a guest artist for the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and with The Black Iris Project, starting in the Emmy-nominated film, A Mother’s Rite. Wilson was a member of Ailey II and joined the Company in 2018. Instagram: @christopher.r.wilson
The Ailey dancers are supported, in part, by The Judith McDonough Kaminski Dancer Endowment Fund.
Ailey photo by Jack Mitchell. Matthew Rushing, Clifton Brown, Patrick Coker, Solomon Dumas, Vernard J. Gilmore, Renaldo Maurice, Constance Stamatiou, and Fana Minea Tesfagiorgis
by German Vazquez. James Gilmer
Michael
Andrew Eccles. Shawn Cusseaux
Favors, Sarah Daley-Perdomo, Isaiah Day, Coral Dolphin, Samantha Figgins, Ashley Kaylynn Green, Michael Jackson, Jr., Yannick Lebrun, Corrin Rachelle Mitchell, Chalvar Monteiro, and Christopher R. Wilson photos by Dario Calmese. All other photos by Nir Arieli.
Alvin
photos by
photo
photo by
Jackson, Jr. Ronni
ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Daria L. Wallach, Chairman
Anthony S. Kendall, President
Sela Thompson Collins, Jaishri Kapoor, Stephen J. Meringoff, Arthur J. Mirante II, Vice-Chairmen
Jolen V. Anderson
Eleanor S. Applewhaite
Laura D. Corb
Suzan Kereere
Anthony A. Lewis
Jack Pitts
Muhammad Qubbaj
Lata N. Reddy
Bennett Rink
Oti Roberts
Cara Robinson
Danielle M. Robinson, PhD
Tara L. Smith
Joan H. Weill
Edna Kane Williams
DeJuan V. Wilson
Jean-Rene Zetrenne
Pamela D. Zilly
Philip Laskawy, Stanley Plesent, Esq.*, Joan H. Weill, Chairmen Emeriti
Debra L. Lee, Henry McGee, Presidents Emeriti
Gina F. Adams, Simin N. Allison*, Anthony M. Carvette, Kathryn C. Chenault, Guido Goldman*, Bruce S. Gordon, John H. Schaefer, Lemar Swinney, Honorary Trustees
*In Memoriam
ALVIN AILEY DANCE FOUNDATION
Recipient of the National Medal of Arts
Bennett Rink, Executive Director Pamela Robinson, Chief Financial Officer
Eric D. Wright, General Manager
Isabelle Mezin, Director of Company Business Affairs
Gregory Stuart, Company Manager
Joseph Anthony Gaito, Technical Director
HaeJin Han, Production Stage Manager
Yi-Chung Chen, Lighting Director
Jon Taylor, Wardrobe Supervisor
Jorge Lanuza, Master Carpenter
David Trudeau, Master Electrician
Jason Rosenberg, Property Master
Justin Coffman, Assistant Company Manager
Kait Mahoney, Assistant Stage Manager
Natalia Carlson, Assistant Lighting Director
Danté Baylor, Wardrobe Assistant
Katie Chihaby, Wardrobe Assistant
Myles Fowler, Flyman/Assistant Carpenter
Jameson Bernhagen, Assistant Electrician
Amadea Edwards, Director of Administration
Chelsea Gillespie, Licensing & Clearance Manager
Michelle Grazio, Company Business Affairs Manager
Selena Andino Lopez, Company Management Production Assistant
Ebonie C. Pittman, Managing Director of Development
Christopher Zunner, Director of Public Relations
Lynette P. Rizzo, Associate Director of Marketing
Donald J. Rose, M.D., Director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, NYU Langone Orthopedics
Sheyi Ojofeitimi, PT, DPT, OCS, CFMT, Director of Therapy Services / Health & Safety Advisor
Because of your dedication and support, Detroit Opera continues to provide meaningful artistic experiences for our community and inspires audiences of the future.
Please consider a gift to Detroit Opera this season. Your generosity will ensure that our community has access to the highest caliber of dance performances, like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for years to come! Charitable contributions generate a significant portion of our overall funding and are investments in the future of performing arts in our community. Without donations, opera and dance cannot thrive in southeast Michigan. Thank you for all the ways you support us!
Detroit residents access to world-class
and culture experiences, including Detroit Opera’s presentation of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Because dance, like all art, should be for everybody.
Photo credit: Dario Calmese
Photo credit: Jacquelin Harris. Photo by Dario Calmese.
Thank you to our donors Detroit Opera Honor Roll
Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous donors for their cumulative lifetime giving. Their transformative 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, the building of the Detroit Opera House in 1996, and the metamorphosis into Detroit Opera in 2022 under the leadership of Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director Yuval Sharon.
Their leadership plays an integral part in the company's viability, underwriting quality opera and dance performances as well as award-winning community events.
$10,000,000+
The William Davidson Foundation
Ford Motor Company Fund
The State of Michigan
$5,000,000+
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC General Motors
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
$2,000,000+
Mr.* & Mrs. Douglas Allison
Mr. Lee & Mrs. Floy Barthel
Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto Dance Endowment and Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel
Lear Corporation
Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.
Masco Corporation
McGregor Fund
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Skillman Foundation
R. Jamison & Karen Williams
$1,000,000+
Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Margaret Allesee*
Richard & Mona* Alonzo
AT&T
Bank of America
Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation
Mr.* & Mrs. John A. Boll Sr.
Compuware Corporation
Estate of Robert & RoseAnn Comstock
Ethan & Gretchen Davidson
DTE Energy Foundation
The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation
Mrs. Margo Cohen Feinberg & Mr. Robert Feinberg
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
Mrs. Barbara Frankel* and Mr. Ronald Michalak
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Frankel*
General Motors Corporation
Hudson-Webber Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Paul Lavins
National Endowment for the Arts
Matthew & Mona Simoncini
Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes
Dr. & Mrs. Sam B. Williams*
Matilda R. Wilson Fund
Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor names and gift levels. Should you find an error or omission, please contact Angela Nelson-Heesch at anelsonheesch@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3438
KEY * Deceased
Contributors to Detroit Opera
Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors whose contributions to Detroit Opera were received between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024. The generosity of our donors is vital to sustaining Detroit Opera’s position as a valued cultural resource.
Foundations, Corporate & Government Support
$1,000,000+
William Davidson Foundation
State of Michigan
$500,000-$999,999
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
$250,000-$499,999
Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation
Ford Foundation
Mellon Foundation
$100,000-$249,999
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Ford Philanthropy
General Motors
Gilbert Family Foundation
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
$50,000-$99,999
J. Addison Bartush and Marion M. Bartush Family Foundation
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
Milner Hotels Foundation
$25,000-$49,999
Applebaum Family Philanthropy
Hudson-Webber Foundation
Kresge Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
The Karen and Drew Peslar Foundation
The Rattner and Katz Charitable Foundation
Matilda R. Wilson Fund
$10,000-$24,999
Detroit Children's Choir
DTE Energy Foundation
Geoinge Foundation
Masco Corporation
Individual Support
McGregor Fund
MGM Grand Detroit
Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation
OPERA America
Penske Corporation
Ralph L. and Winifred E. Polk Foundation
Ida and Conrad H. Smith Endowment for MOT
The Mary Thompson Foundation
The Williams Family Fund
$5,000-$9,999
C&N Foundation
Aaron Copland Fund for Music
James and Lynelle Holden Fund
Honigman LLP
Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund
Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation
The National Circle
Somerset Collection Charitable Foundation
Strum Allesee Family Foundation
The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation
$1,000-$4,999
ABM Janitorial Services
John A. and Marlene L. Boll Foundation
Joyce Cohn Young Artist Fund
Marjorie And Maxwell Jospey Foundation
Josephine Kleiner Foundation
Elmira L. Rhein Family Foundation
Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation
Introduced in 2024, The National Circle is comprised of Detroit Opera’s leading supporters in this pivotal moment, playing an essential role in bringing the transformative power of opera to audiences in our city and across the country. Through their annual support of $25,000 or more, these donors have an unwavering belief in our art form’s ability to affect meaningful change.
$100,000+
Richard & Mona* Alonzo
Ethan & Gretchen Davidson
Leslie Lazzerin*
Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.
Vivien McDonald*
David & Christine Provost
Matthew & Mona Simoncini
Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner
$50,000-$99,999
Mrs. Phyllis F. Snow*
Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes
Lorna Thomas, MD
Jesse & Yesenia Venegas
R. Jamison & Karen Williams
$25,000-$49,999
Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya
Alex Erdeljan
Patricia Isacson Sabee & David Sabee
Denise J. Lewis
The Hon. Jack Martin & Dr. Bettye Arrington Martin
Susanne McMillan
Allan & Joy Nachman Philanthropic Fund
Ann & James B. Nicholson
Ebbie Parsons III & Ayana Parsons
Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner
Barbara Van Dusen
Ms. Barbara A. Walkowski
KEY
* Deceased
The DiChiera Society
DiChiera Society members honor the legacy and vision of our company’s founder, David DiChiera, while bolstering our future as one of the most significant and innovative opera and dance organizations in the country with an emphasis on community engagement, accessibility, and artistic risk taking under the leadership of Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director Yuval Sharon.
$10,000-$24,999
Gene P. Bowen
Richard & Joanne Brodie
Wayne Brown & Brenda Kee
Mr. Thomas Cohn
Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo
Nina S. Drolias*
Dr. Raina Ernstoff & Mr. Sanford Hansell
Carl & Mary Ann Fontana
Bharat & Lynn Gandhi
Nancy B. Henk*
Mary Kramer
Michael & Barbara Kratchman
Ms. Mary C. Mazure
Ms. Evelyn Micheletti
Ali Moiin & William Kupsky
Donald & Antoinette Morelock
Mr. Cyril Moscow
William & Wendy Powers
Dr. & Mrs. Samir M. Ragheb
Dr. Irvin D. Reid & Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid
Janice Ross
Concetta V. Ross*
Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao
Prof. Michael Wellman
$5,000-$9,999
Ms. Christine Ammer
Thomas & Gretchen Anderson
Dr. Harold M. Arrington
Richard & Susan Bingham
Beverly Hall Burns
Ms. Violet Dalla Vecchia
Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer
Maria & David Duey
Fern Espino & Tom Short
Paul & Mary Sue Ewing
Ms. Laurie R. Frankel
Ralph & Erica Gerson
Toby Haberman
William Hulsker & Aris Urbanes
Jane Iacobelli
Jody & Tara Ingle
John & Arlene Lewis
Don Manvel
Mr. Ronald Michalak
Phillip Minch
Mrs. L. William Moll
Robert & Susan Morris
Mr. George & Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman
Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D.
Waltraud Prechter
Ms. Pam E. Rodgers
Evan & Kelsey Ross
Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon
Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell
Frank & Susan Sonye
Ms. Mary Anne Stella
Mr. Peter C. Stern
Ned & Joan Winkelman
Ellen Hill Zeringue
$3,000-$4,999
Nina Abrams
Gregory & Mary Barkley
Paul & Lee Blizman
Bob & Rosemary Brasie
Dr. & Mrs. Ronald T. Burkman
Dr. Lynne Carter
Albert & Janette Cassar
Anonymous
Maurice & Carolyn Cunniffe
Walter & Lillian Dean
Lisa DiChiera
James & Margo Farber
Sally & Michael Feder
Michael Fisher
Yvonne Friday & Stephen Black
Allan Gilmour & Eric Jirgens
Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski
Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Christine Hage
Roberto Kalb & Mane Galoyan
Max Lepler & Rex Dotson
Mary B. Letts
Nancy & Bud Liebler
Amy McCombs
Ms. Mary McGough
Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD
Van Momon & Pamela L. Berry
Geoffrey Nathan
Sally Orley
Brock & Katherine L. Plumb
Magdalena Predeteanu*
Carrie & Ted Pryor
Lois & Mark Shaevsky
Susan A Smith
Dr. Gregory E. Stephens, D.O.
Samuel Thomas & Daniel VanderLey
Bret & Susanna Williams
Friends of Detroit Opera
Every gift helps ensure that opera and dance thrive in our community, and that we share the indescribable experience we feel when the curtain rises. Friends of Detroit Opera are among our most loyal and crucial supporters and receive exclusive benefits with annual gifts of $500 or more.
$1,000-$2,499
D.L. Anthony, Ph.D.
Ms. Geraldine Atkinson
Mr. Stanislaw Bialoglowski
Sandra & Doug Bitonti Stewart
Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell Bleznak
Constance Bodurow
Ms. Nicole A. Boelstler
Mr.* & Mrs. John A. Boll Sr.
Marsha Bruhn
Ilse Calcagno
James & Elizabeth Ciroli
John & Doreen Cole
Tonino & Sarah Corsetti
Patricia Cosgrove
Sue Cutler & Jeff Fessler
Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons
Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh
Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD
Ms. Mary J. Doerr
Marla Donovan
Nell Duke & David Ammer
Ms. Judith Ellis
Marianne T. Endicott
Marjory Winkelman Epstein
Joseph Fontana & Nada Jurisich-Fontana
Burke & Carol Fossee
Dr. & Mrs. Clifford Furgison
Carol Gagliardi & David Flesher
Arline Geronimus
Thomas M. Gervasi
Mr. Nathaniel Good
Stuart Grigg
Ms. Carole Hardy
Barbara Heller
Mary Ellen Hoy & Jim Keller
Paul Jednak & Tim Kasunic
Richard & Involut Jessup
Mrs. Stephanie Germack Kerzic
Marc Keshishian & Susanna Szelestey
Mr. & Mrs. Gerd H. Keuffel
Gregory Knas
Ms. Cynthia Kratchman
William & Jean Kroger
Jeff & Joanne Kukes
Meria Larson
Stephan & Marian Loginsky
Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid
Mr. Loreto A. Manzo
Ms. Janet Groening Marsh
Patrick & Patricia McKeever
Eugene & Lois Miller
Craig & Shari Morgan
Ms. Maryanne Mott
Harold Munson & Libby Berger
Brian Murphy & Toni Sanchez-Murphy
George & Nancy Nicholson
Dr. & Mrs. Peter Nickles
Joshua & Rachel Opperer
Daniel & Margaret Pehrson
Coleen Pellerito
Mark & Kyle Peterson
Ms. Irene Piccone*
Shane Pliska
Elizabeth Porter & Larry Hickman
Michael & Charlene Prysak
Rip & Gail Rapson
Ms. Alice Rea
Leon & Debbe Saperstein
Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein
Mary Schlaff & Sanford Koltonow
Kingsley & Lurline Sears
Susan Sills-Levey & Michael Levey
Michael & Stacey
Simmons
Gabriel & Martha Stahl
Ann Steglich
Dr. Andrew James Stocking
Andrew J. Sturgess
Manuel Tancer & Claire Stroker
Mr. Jon Teeuwissen
Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin
Jeff & Amy Voigt
Stanley Waldon
Torben Winther & Linda Hall
Katina Zaninovich
John & Susan Zaretti
$750-$999
Antonia Abbey & James Lee
Marceline Bright
Frank & Jenny Brzenk
Beth Hoger & Lisa Swem
Ms. Vera C. Magee
John & Marie McElroy
Walter & Elizabeth Newgeon
Barbara Roden
Dennis & Jennifer Varian
Ms. Janet Beth Weir
Meredith Weston-Band & Jeffery Band
Rita Winters
$500-$749
Robert & Catherine Anthony
Paul Augustine
Ms. Allison Bach
Ms. Mary Anne Barczak
Martin & Marcia Baum
Barbra Bloch
Amy & Tyler Bouque
Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD
Jonathan Cohn & Daniela Wittmann
Daniel & Susan Drucker
Murray & Alice Ehrinpreis
Daniel H. Ferrier
Julie Finn & Bradley Rowens
Sue Force
John Gierak & Dona Tracey
Joseph & Lois Gilmore
Gil Glassberg & Sandra Seligman
Mr. Robert Theodore Goldman
Todd Gordon & Susan Feder
Philip & Martha Gray
John & Kristan Hale
Paul & Nancy Hillegonds
Kimberly Johnson
Ms. Jill Johnson
Geraldine & Jacqueline Keller
Ms. Lee Khachaturian
Justin & Joanne Klimko
Mr. Alex Koprivica
Jennifer Lindsay Kott
Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky
Albert Kurt
John & Kimi Lowe
Mrs. Marsha Lynn
Lori Maher
Dr. Anne Missavage & Mr. Robert Borcherding
Mr. Russell Moore
Natasha Moulton-Levy
Ms. Nancy K. Murray
Mr. Ronald Northrup
Jane Panikkar
Bertram & Elaine Pitt
Garry Post & Robert Hill
Shawn Rieschl Johnson & Christian Kirby
Adam D. Rubin, M.D, Lakeshore Professional Voice Center
Mr. Richard Lee Ruby
William* & Marjorie Sandy
Michael Schon
Clara Sumeghy
Dr. Geneva Tatem
Dr. Gretchen Thams
John M. Toth
Barbara & Stuart Trager
Rennard & Daphne Tucker
Joseph & Rosalie Vicari
Ian D. Wiesner
Janice Zeltzer
Elliot & Dr. Susan Zeltzer
Gifts in Tribute
We extend a heartfelt thank you to the families, friends, colleagues, businesses, and groups who generously made gifts to Detroit Opera in honor of or in memory of the special people in their lives, whose names are listed in bold below.
IN HONOR OF
Andrew Berg
Anne & Robert Berg
Harriet Berg
Mr. Richard D. Cavaler
George* & Eleanor Bodurow
Constance Bodurow
Wayne S. Brown
Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya
Barbra Bloch
Philip Brunelle
Larry & Dodie David
Ethan & Gretchen Davidson
Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs
Mary Lou Falcone
Susan Feder & Todd Gordon
Mary Ann & Carl Fontana
Ellen Hill Zeringue
Patty Isacson Sabee
Ms. Jill Johnson
Barbara & Michael Kratchman
Denise J. Lewis
Bud & Nancy Liebler
Dr. Ali Moiin & Dr. William Kupsky
Allan & Joy Nachman
Naomi Oliphant
William & Wendy Powers
Carrie & Ted Pryor
Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner
Irvin & Pamela Reid
Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon
Lorna Thomas, MD
John Etsell and Europeras 3 & 4
Katina Zaninovich
Carl Fontana
Nina Abrams
Paul & Orvilla Ashely
Thomas E. Barron
Andre Boulanger
Barbara E. Camph
Wilson Curle
Mary Jo & Donald Dawson
David Feeny
Pamela & Lou Fontana
Cynthia Gitt
Peter Gude
Patty Isacson Sabee
Dan & Theresa Johnson
Allen A. Lewis
Skip Shipman
Sarah Siwek
Michael Bartoy & Lana Tapani-Bartoy
Teresa Taranta
Sara Valenti
Robert Wittenberg
Ellen Jacobowitz
Ann & David Conrad
Chuck & Sandra Jacobowitz
Brenda Kee
Dr. Ali Moiin & Dr. William Kupsky
Mary Kramer
Lois & Mark Shaevsky
Barbara & Michael Kratchman
Jeff & Joanne Kukes
Dr. Ali Moiin & Dr. William Kupsky
Mary Jane Kupsky
William & Elizabeth S. Kupsky
Allan & Joy Nachman
Eliot & Elizabeth Bank
Ruth Rattner
Ann Katz
Lois Shaevsky
Everett & Margery Jassy
Lorna Thomas, MD
Paul & Lee Blizman
Barbara Walkowski
Neal S. Goren
Abbie E. Wisusik
Michelle Tornopilsky
IN MEMORY OF
Harry Cook
Ms. Susan Chevalier
Armando Delicato
Judith Gordon & Lawrence Banka
Jacqueline Shuster
Donald Epstein
Marjory Epstein
Pauline Fucinari
Martha Camorro & Fernando Peralta
Mr. Anthony Delsener
Dr. David & Yvonne Fucinari
Therese, Carole &
Mary Louise Ireland
Heather Gehring
Shawn Rieschl Johnson & Christian Kirby
Devon Hoover
Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD
Patricia Cosgrove
Joseph Katulic
Stuart Grigg
George & Ann Marisl
Thomas Dickson & Carol Dick
John P. McMullin
Alexander Ford
Sean & Tori Murphy
Enrico & Olga Petrini
Miss Alma M. Petrini
Nancy Rade
Paula Lisa Cole
Aphrodite Roumell
Allan & Joy Nachman
Florence, David & Joyce Schon
Michael L. Schon
Dr. Charles B. Smith
Dr. Peggie J. Hollingsworth
Phyllis Snow
Lisa Gross
Carole Heinrich
Kathy & Jack Kennedy
Anne Stricker
Torben Winther & Linda Hall
Beate M. Vreeken
Karen & Matthew Cullen
Vreevious
Bradley & Rachel Benigni
Dr. Margaret Winters
Elizabeth Porter
Sarisa Zoghlin
Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer
Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor, honoree, and memorial names for gifts received between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024. Should you find an error or omission please contact Reema Mahmood, Manager of Events and Donor Relations at rmahmood@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3267.
Avanti Society Members Setting the Stage for Tomorrow
Found in many Italian opera texts, the word avanti means “ahead” or “forward,” and the Avanti Society— Detroit Opera’s planned gift recognition program—is a group of thoughtful donors whose generosity is defined by foresight. By including Detroit Opera in their estate plans, members are leaving lasting gifts which will bring the transformative power of opera and dance to audiences in our community and around the country, well beyond our own lifetimes. Thank you, Avanti Society Members!
Douglas* & Sarah Allison
Richard & Mona* Alonzo
Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya§
Mr. & Mrs. Agustin Arbulu§
Mr.* & Mrs. Chester Arnold§
Dr. Leora Bar-Levav
Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel
Mr. & Mrs. Brett Batterson§
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Bowlby
Mrs. Doreen Bull
Mr.* & Mrs. Roy E. Calcagno§
Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E.Carson
Dr.* & Mrs. Victor J. Cervenak
Father Paul F. Chateau
Mary Christner
Mr. Gary L. Ciampa
Prof. Kenneth Collinson
Douglas & Minka Cornelsen
Dr. Robert A. Cornette§#
Mr. Thomas J. Delaney
Walter & Adel Dissett
Ms. Mary J. Doerr#
Mrs. Helen Ophelia Dove-Jones
Marianne T. Endicott§#
David & Jennifer Fischer
Mr. & Mrs. Herb Fisher§
Derek & Pamela Francis
Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak§#
Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel§#
Dr. & Mrs. Byron P. Georgeson§
Albert & Barbara Glover
Robert Green
Mr. Ernest Gutierrez
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Hagopian
Mr. Lawrence W. Hall§
Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Halperin§
Ms. Heather Hamilton
Charlene Handleman
Preston & Mary Happel
Mr. Kenneth E. Hart§
Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Hartwig§
Dr. & Mrs. Gerhardt A. Hein
Fay & Allen Herman
Derek & Karen* Hodgson
Andrew & Carol Howell
Dr. Cindy Hung§
Eleanor & Alan Israel
Ms. Kristin Jaramillo§
Mr. Donald Jensen§
Mr. John Jickling
Mr. Patrick J.* & Mrs.
Stephanie Germack Kerzic
Josephine Kessler
Edward & Barbara Klarman
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein#
Mr. & Mrs. Erwin H. Klopfer§#
Myron & Joyce LaBan
Paul Lavins
Mr. Max Lepler & Mr. Rex Dotson
Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.
Mr. Hannan Lis
Florence LoPatin
Mr. Stephen H. Lord
Ms. Denise Lutz
Laura & Mitchell Malicki
Ms. Jane McKee§
Bruce Miller
Drs. Orlando & Dorothy Miller§
Ms. Monica Moffat &
Mr. Pat McGuire
Drs. Stephen & Barbara Munk
Mr. Jonathan F. Orser
Ms. Julie A. Owens
Mr. Dale J. Pangonis§
Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Parkhill
Mr. Richard M. Raisin§
Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner§#
Ms. Deborah Remer
Dr. Joshua Rest
Mr. & Mrs. James Rigby§
Mr. Bryan L. Rives
Ms. Patricia Rodzik§
David & Beverly Rorabacher
Dulcie Rosenfeld
Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein
Ms. Susan Schooner§
Mark & Sally Schwartz
Arlene Shaler§
Ms. Ellen Sharp
Ms. Edna J Pak Shin
Mr. & Mrs. Harold Siebert
Mrs. Loretta Skewes
Ms. Anne Sullivan Smith
Mr.* & Mrs. Richard Starkweather§#+
Ms. Mary Anne Stella
Mr. Stanford C. Stoddard
Mr. Ronald F. Switzer§ & Jim McClure
Lillie Tabor
Peter & Ellen Thurber
Alice* & Paul Tomboulian
Jonathan & Salome E. Walton
Susan Weidinger
Mr. Andrew Wise
Larry* & Mary Lou Zangerle
We express profound thanks to these Avanti Society members whose planned gifts to Detroit Opera have been realized.
Robert G. Abgarian Trust
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allesee#
Serena Ailes Stevens
Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush§#
Mr. & Mrs. Mandell Berman
Margaret & Douglas Borden
Charles M. Broh
Milena T. Brown
The Gladys L. Caldroney Trust
Charlotte Bush Failing Trust
Mary C. Caggegi
Allen B. Christman
Miss Halla F. Claffey
Ms. Virginia M. Clementi
Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus
Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock
Mary Rita Cuddohy
Marjorie E. DeVlieg
Nancy Dewar
James P. Diamond
Dr. David DiChiera
Mrs. Karen V. DiChiera
Dr. & Mrs. Charles H. Duncan§
Mr. Wayne C. Everly
Dr. Evelyn J. Fisher
Mrs. Anne E. Ford
Ms. Pamela R. Francis§
Mrs. Rema Frankel
Barbara Lucking Freedman
The Edward P. Frohlich Trust
The Priscilla A.B. Goodell Trust
Freda K. Goodman Trust
Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D.§#
Maliha Hamady
Patricia Hobar
Mary Adelaide Hester Trust
Ms. Nancy B. Henk
Gordon V. Hoialmen Trust
Carl J. Huss
Mr. John Jesser
H. Barbara Johnston
Maxwell & Marjorie Jospey
Mrs. Josephine Kleiner
Misses Phyllis & Selma Korn§*
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Krolikowski§
Mr. Philip Leon
Dores & Wade McCree
Lucie B. Meininger
Helen M. Miller
Ella M. Montroy
Ronald K. Morrison
Ruth Mott
Elizabeth M. Pecsenye
Clarice Odgers Percox Trust
Thomas G. Porter
Mitchell Romanowski
Ms. Joanne B. Rooney
Concetta Ross
Mr. & Mrs. Giles L. & Beverly Ross
Ms. Merle H. Scheibner
Drs. Heinz & Alice Platt Schwarz§
Ms. Laura Sias
Mrs. Marge Slezak
Ms. Phyllis Funk Snow§
Edward L. Stahl
Mary Ellen Tappan Charitable Remainder Trust
Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis
Margaret D. Thurber
Mr. & Mrs. George & Inge Vincent§#
Herman W. Weinreich
J. Ernest Wilde Trust
Mrs. Ruth Wilkins
Helen B. Wittenberg
Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Elizabeth Work§
Joseph J. Zafarana
Mr. & Mrs. George M. Zeltzer§
KEY
§ Founding Members
# Touch the Future donors
* Deceased
Membership in the Avanti Society is open to all who wish to declare their intention for a planned gift to Detroit Opera. Call Juliano Bitonti Stewart to learn more, 313.965.4271.
Orchestra
Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local #5, of the American Federation of Musicians
VIOLIN
Eliot Heaton
Concertmaster (on leave)
Daniel Stachyra
Interim Concertmaster
Yuri Popowycz
Acting Asst. Concertmaster
Open Position
Acting Asst. Concertmaster
Emelyn Bashour
Principal Second Violin
Emily Barkakati
Anna Bittar-Weller
Molly Hughes
Bryan Johnston
Henrik Karapetyan
Velda Kelly
Beth Kirton
Jenny Wan
Andrew Wu
VIOLA
John Madison
Principal
Jacqueline Hanson
Scott Stefanko
Open Position
CELLO
Ivana Biliskov
Principal
Benjamin Maxwell
Andrea Yun
Open Position
BASS
Derek Weller
Principal
Clark Suttle
HARP
Open Position
Open Position
Principal
Open Position
Second
OBOE
Eli Stefanacci
Principal
Open Position
Second
CLARINET
Roi Karni
Principal
J. William King
BASSOON
Daniel Fendrick
Principal
Greg Quick
HORN
Colin Bianchi
Principal
Carrie Banfield-Taplin
TRUMPET
David Ammer
Principal
Mark Davis
TROMBONE
Open Position
Principal
Dustin Nguyen
TIMPANI
Eric Stoss
Principal
PERCUSSION
John Dorsey
Principal
Administration & Staff
LEADERSHIP
Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO
Yuval Sharon, Gary L.Wasserman Artistic Director
Roberto Kalb, Music Director
Andrew Berg, Chief Development Officer
Daniel T. Brinker, General Manager, Detroit Opera House & Parking Center
Shawn Rieschl Johnson, Chief Programming & Production Officer
Alexis Means, Director of Operations & Patron Experiences
Holly Clement, Senior Manager of Events & Rentals
Jennifer George-Consiglio, Manager of Venue Operations
Michael Hauser, Curator of History & Architecture
Kathie Booth, Volunteer Coordinator
USHERS
Max Aghili, Christine Berryman, Ellen Bishop, Kathie Booth, Lori Burkhardt, Randall Davis, Erin G-Doakes, Suzanne Erbes, Pamela Fergusson, Jo-Ann Hale, Sue Hargrave, Myrna Mazure, Ennis Mcgee, Steven McReynolds, Heddie O’Connor, Bill Ried, Kimberly Ried, Edna Rubin, Ida Vance, Sheryl Weinan-Yee
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.
Opera has been described as an art form that tells a story through music and singing. Detroit Opera is innovating new and exciting ways to tell those stories. At The Whitney, we see architecture as another art form that tells a story, in our case through our 125-year-old Romanesque-style mansion, one of the last remaining mansions that once lined Woodward Avenue. It is a true reflection of Old Detroit. Before your next opera, or whenever the urge hits you, come visit our mansion. We promise that the welcoming reception you’ll receive, the food and drink you’ll enjoy, and the ambiance you’ll experience, will make you think you’ve gone back in time. Pre-Theater Dining, Sunday Brunch or Afternoon Tea—It’s a story you won’t forget.
