PROGRAM: The Handmaid's Tale

25/26 SEASON | A MERICA @ 250 HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO / JAN 24-25 THE HANDMAID'S TALE / MAR 01-07 PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY / APR 11-12

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 02

Board of Directors

02

Board of Trustees

05

A Message from Patty Isacson Sabee

P1

Program

11

Thank You to Our Donors

17

Detroit Opera Orchestra

18 Administration and Staff 20

General Information

Maria C. Duey Fern R. Espino Paul E. Ewing Mary Ann Fontana

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS OF JANUARY 1, 2026

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Lourdes V. Andaya

Julie Hollinshead

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John W. Ingle III

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Bettye Arrington-Martin

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Ali Moiin

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Ethan D. Davidson

Carrie Pryor

Gretchen Davidson

Paul Ragheb

Kevin Dennis

Irvin D. Reid

Cristina DiChiera

Ethan D. Davidson

Evan D. Ross

Lisa M. DiChiera

VICE CHAIR

Nedda Shayota

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Mary Kramer

Terry Shea

Enrico DiGirolamo

VICE CHAIR

Matthew Simoncini

Kathleen DiGirolamo

Denise J. Lewis

Richard A. Sonenklar

Debbie Dingell

VICE CHAIR

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2026 CHAIR

Lorna Thomas

Mary Jane Doerr

Don Manvel

Jesse Venegas

Linda Dresner

PRESIDENT/CEO

Barbara Walkowski

Maria C. Duey

Gary L. Wasserman

Kenneth Eisenberg

Michael Wellman

Fern R. Espino

Patty Isacson Sabee SECRETARY

Gene P. Bowen TREASURER

Paul E. Ewing

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Mary Sue Ewing

Shelly Cooper

Carl Fontana

Naomi André

Marianne Endicott

Mary Ann Fontana

Lisa S. Applebaum

Marjorie M. Fisher

Bharat C. Gandhi

Bettye Arrington-Martin

Herman Frankel

Lynn Gandhi

Richard A. Brodie

Dean Friedman

Mara Ghafari

Kevin Dennis

Jennifer Nasser

Yousif Ghafari

Lisa M. DiChiera

Charlotte Podowski

Toby Haberman

Shauna Ryder Diggs

C. Thomas Toppin

Gregory Haynes

Enrico DiGirolamo

Richard Webb

Julie Hollinshead

Bharat C. Gandhi IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

R. Jamison Williams

2

Margo Cohen Feinberg Robert Feinberg

FOUNDING MEMBERS

John Ingle III

Anthony Rugiero

Tara Ingle

Sabrina Rugiero

Patty Isacson Sabee

David Sabee

Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Bret Scott

Ellen Hll Zeringue

Nedda Shayota

Meredith Korneffel

Terry Shea

Mary Kramer

Thomas Short

Barbara Kratchman

Matthew Simoncini

William Kupsky

Mona Simoncini

Ed Levy Jr.

Sheila Sloan

Denise J. Lewis

Richard A. Sonenklar

Arthur C. Liebler

Mary Ann Stella

Nancy Liebler

Lorna Thomas

Marian Loginsky

Jesse Venegas

Stephan Loginsky

Yesenia Venegas

Mary Alice Lomason

Amy Voigt

Don Manvel

Jeff Voigt

Jack Martin

Barbara Walkowski

Dexter Mason

Gary L. Wasserman

Robert & Clara “Tuttie” VanderKloot*

Benjamin Meeker

Michael Wellman

Sam & Barbara Williams*

Ronald Michalak

Karen Williams

Theodore & Virginia Yntema*

Ali Moiin

R. Jamison Williams

Donald Morelock

Jeremy Zeltzer

Antoinette Benjamin Morelock Allan Nachman Joy Nachman Linda Orlans Myrna Partrich Spencer Partrich Margaret Pehrson Sara Pozzi Waltraud Prechter Carrie Pryor Ted Pryor Amy Ragheb Paul Ragheb Irvin D. Reid Pamela Trotman Reid Evan Ross Kelsey Ross

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Lynn & Ruth Townsend* Avern & Joyce Cohn* John & Mardell* De Carlo David DiChiera* Karen VanderKloot DiChiera* Aaron & Bernice Gershenson* Donald & Josephine Graves* Roman & Katherine Gribbs* John & Gwendolyn Griffin* Harry & Jennie Jones* Wade & Dores McCree* Harry J. Nederlander* E. Harwood Rydholm* Neil & Phyllis* F. Snow Richard & Beatrice Strichartz*

KEY *Deceased

Augustin Arbulu Dodie David Larry David Dede Feldman Aviva Friedman Mary Happel Ellen Kahn Robert Klein Wally Klein Charles Powdowski Marjorie Sandy Roberta Starkweather Bernie Toppin Mary Lou Zieve

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Patty Isacson Sabee Welcome to the Detroit Opera House—we are thrilled to have you with us today.

Whether you are here to enjoy the jazzy offerings of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the chilling, dystopian landscape of Poul Ruders’ opera The Handmaid’s Tale, or the groundbreaking approach to modern dance embodied by the Paul Taylor Dance Company—or all three!—you already know Detroit Opera as a producer of world-class opera and a presenter of internationally acclaimed dance companies.

But we’re also the steward of an amazing historic opera house, with one of the largest stages in the country, built by and for our community.

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Patty Isacson Sabee President & CEO, Detroit Opera

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director’s NOTE From Brenna Corner In a world increasingly dominated by all sorts of noise, art and storytelling have become vital anchors preserving our shared humanity and fostering empathy. Music and storytelling are universal languages, expressing the complexities of the human spirit where words alone fail. These creative pursuits provide the essential framework through which we process our collective history and envision a more compassionate future.

This adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale strives to drive home the importance and essence of musical storytelling; even in a society designed to silence women, the human impulses of love and connection remain an unquenchable essential and in the world of Gilead an act of defiance.

The musical landscape of this piece is as unforgiving and complex as the novel. Ruders’ score doesn’t just paint a picture of a time, it constructs the confining space P2

of a cold dystopian world. The orchestration is visceral, an almost tactile tension between freedom and control. There are jagged, claustrophobic elements that represent Offred’s daily life under the regime counterbalanced by lyrical fragments of her previous life. This allows us to hear the silence enforced by the Republic of Gilead along with the inner turmoil of a woman desperate to survive.

It makes the piece terrifying in its vast social-political scale and haunting in its personal stakes.

It pulls the audience into the psychological reality of someone whose every breath is a struggle for existence and also an act of resistance.

Narratively, the piece takes place in a variety of different times— Before Gilead, during Gilead, and after Offred's experience. Scenes slide together almost seamlessly between these times, creating a patchwork of Offred’s memories.

Visually and conceptually, we have sought to manifest Offred’s relived experiences through the central use of a massive, doublesided mirror that dominates the stage. This mirror serves as a literal and metaphorical wall, trapping Offred within her own gaze while allowing the audience to witness the overlapping layers of her reality. As the light shifts, the glass transforms—sometimes creating the stark, cold reality of the Commander’s household, and at other times becoming transparent enough to reveal the ghosts of her past. It creates a haunting representation of the memories at war in her mind. Offred might see her own reflection in the restrictive red uniform of a Handmaid, only to have the face of her lost daughter or her former self emerge from the other side of the glass.

This constant play of reflection emphasizes the suffocating sense of being watched, but more important, it illustrates how trauma creates a prison of the mind where the past and present bleed into one another.

At its core, this production focuses on the raw, emotional pulse of the story: the bond of motherhood.

While the Republic of Gilead views Offred merely as a biological vessel, for me the true heart of the piece lies in her identity as a mother plagued by the loss of her daughter.

This production highlights the unbearable guilt Offred carries, the soul-crushing sensation of selfhatred for having failed her daughter by failing to protect her during the rise of the regime. Her daughter is more than a memory to be recalled; she is a constant, ghostly presence on our stage, often glimpsed as a reminder of everything that the regime has stolen. Gilead is a world where motherhood is used as a weapon of the state to ensure compliance, yet Offred's refusal to let her daughter’s image fade away becomes a profound act of love and her act of rebellion.

It is a profound honor to bring Poul Ruders’ operatic masterpiece, The Handmaid’s Tale, to the Detroit Opera stage. Bringing this production to Detroit feels especially vital and timely. I am incredibly humbled to share such a provocative and sonically rich work with you. There is no better place for this exploration of the fragility of freedom and the enduring strength of the human spirit. I invite you to join us in this journey of survival and unbreakable love.

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Synopsis Inside the fractured mind of a woman, a memory is being pieced back together—she shares her story, reliving the past: Though she once lived freely in the United States, her world changed overnight when a plummeting birth rate, driven by environmental collapse, triggered a fundamentalist uprising. A theocratic regime known as the Republic of Gilead seized control, stripping women of their rights—banning them from work, property ownership, literacy, and autonomy. Fertile women, especially those deemed non-compliant with the new moral order, were torn from their families and forced into training centers run by “Aunts.” There, they were indoctrinated to serve as Handmaids: assigned to elite, childless households to be ritually impregnated by the male head of the house, under the gaze of his Wife. Failure to bear a child after three placements meant exile to the deadly Colonies to clean up toxic waste.

As the world around her is controlled by force, Offred navigates an inner landscape shaped by psychological survival. The deepest wound: being torn from her daughter during their failed escape. That loss—impossible to name or undo—echoes through everything. What unfolds is not just a dystopian nightmare, but the slow and painful attempt to make meaning of it.

PROLOGU E The memory begins with violence: Offred is captured, separated from her husband, Luke, and their child. Taken to the Red Center, she trains among other women deemed fertile. Moira, her best friend, resists and escapes.

After graduation from the Red Center, the women are assigned to households as Handmaids.

AC T I Now several years into her life as a Handmaid, the woman, named Offred (Of-Fred), arrives at her third placement. She recognizes the Commander’s Wife as Serena Joy, a former Gospel television personality. She meets the household staff: Nick, a driver, and Rita, a cook.

Every interaction triggers memories of the life she lost: meeting and marrying Luke, raising their daughter.

On a shopping trip, Offred and her assigned companion, Ofglen, encounter Janine—now Ofwarren—visibly pregnant. Later, Nick quietly approaches her, and the Commander unexpectedly visits her bedroom—both forbidden acts. A visit to the doctor includes a covert offer of illegal insemination. Back at the house, the ritual impregnation “ceremony” occurs, followed by covert nighttime visits to the Commander’s study.

At the Red Center, all ranks of Gileadean women gather to celebrate the birth of Janine’s child. Back at the house, Offred’s disorientation grows.

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On another shopping outing, Ofglen tells Offred that Ofwarren’s baby was euthanized due to deformities. They visit Soul Scrolls (shops where customers can ring up and order prayers) to pray for her, when Ofwarren enters, clearly mentally unwell after the death of her child. She’s reliving a moment from The Time Before when she is taken out of Soul Scrolls by Eyes (secret police). Ofglen and Offred visit the wall, where Ofglen tells Offred about a secret resistance group known as Mayday.

Later, in the Commander’s study, Offred learns that the household’s previous Handmaid hanged herself—explaining Rita’s earlier panic.

After the next ceremony, the Commander sneaks Offred into Jezebel’s, an elite brothel. There, she unexpectedly is reunited with Moira, who has been forced into sex work.

Serena Joy, desperate for a child, gives Offred a photo of her missing daughter, in exchange for sleeping with Nick. Offred and Nick become lovers.

At a public execution called a Salvaging, Handmaids are forced to kill a purported rapist—actually a member of the resistance. Ofglen mercifully renders him unconscious before the others descend.

Soon after, Offred receives a new shopping partner; the original Ofglen has died by suicide to avoid capture.

Back at the house, Serena Joy confronts Offred about her secret meetings with the Commander.

Police arrive to arrest Offred. Nick whispers that they are resistance operatives and urges her to trust them. As she is taken away, she doesn’t know whether she’s being rescued—or punished.

C ODA The opera ends with Offred beginning a new chapter—not of escape, but of reckoning. As the music fades, we sense a woman no longer crushed beneath her guilt, but beginning to face it. The trauma of losing her daughter has not left her, but neither has her need to survive for her. In that space between grief and hope, her journey toward forgiveness finally begins.

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SY NOPSIS

AC T II The next morning, Rita panics upon finding Offred unresponsive.

These performances of The Handmaid’s Tale are presented with support from:

Niamh O’Sullivan (Offred) is generously sponsored by Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Lisa Marie Rogali (Offred in the Before Times) is generously sponsored by Donald & Antoinette Morelock Davia Bouley (Serena Joy) is generously sponsored by Bharat & Lynn Gandhi Ann Toomey (Ofglen) is generously sponsored by Mary Kramer Brianna J. Robinson (Moira) is generously sponsored by the Detroit Opera Volunteer Association (DOVA) Jana McIntyre (Janine/Ofwarren) is generously sponsored by Barbara Kratchman

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PROGR AM

C O M POS ER: Poul Ruders LIBR E T T O: Paul Bentley

Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood W O RLD PR E M IER E:

March 6, 2000, Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen PRO DU C T IO N PR E M IER E:

July 26, 2025, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity S U N / M A R 01 / @ 2:30P M PR E- PERF O R M A N C E TALK @ 1:30P M W I T H BR ENN A C OR NER, R OBER TO K ALB, A ND N AT H ALIE D OUC E T T H U / M A R 0 5 / @7:30P M PR E- PERF O R M A N C E TALK @ 6:30P M W I T H M A R I T S T R INDLUND, N AO MI A NDR É, A ND N AT H ALIE D OUC E T SAT / M A R 07 / @7:30P M PR E- PERF O R M A N C E TALK @ 6:30P M W I T H M A R I T S T R INDLUND, N AO MI A NDR É, A ND N AT H ALIE D OUC E T

No photography or video is allowed during the performance.

Please silence all phones.

CONTENT WARNING: The Handmaid's Tale, a dystopian setting based on the original novel, contains graphic depictions of sexual and physical violence, state-enforced pregnancy, and gender-based oppression, as well as scenes of psychological trauma and hangings.

Audience discretion is advised. Not recommended for children under 16 years of age.

RU N T I M E: 2 H RS, 3 5 M IN U T E S W/ O N E IN T ER M I SSIO N

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production DIR EC T O R

Brenna Corner R E V I VAL DIR EC T O R

Amanda Testini S E T D E SIG N ER

A SS O CI AT E LIG H T IN G D E SIG N ER

Joey Guthman

Gillian Gallow

A SS O CI AT E P R O JEC T IO N D E SIG N ER

C OS T U M E D E SIG N ER

Blake Manns

Jessica Oostergo LIG H T IN G D E SIG N ER

Sophie Tang S O U N D D E SIG N ER

Josh Samuels P R O JEC T IO N D E SIG N ER

S. Katy Tucker W IG A N D M A K EU P D E SIG N ER

Joanne Middleton-Weaver IN T I M ACY DIR EC T O R A N D F IG H T DIR EC T O R

A SSI S TA N T DIR EC T O R

Ky Chassells A SSI S TA N T LIG H T IN G D E SIG N ER

Justin Gibson S TAG E M A N AG ER

Hailli Ridsdale A SSI S TA N T S TAG E M A N AG ER S

Zachary Jenkins, Zoë Perrock R EP E T I T EU R S

John Etsell, Mike Karloff

Joe Wright A SS O CI AT E DIR EC T O R

Andrea Beasom

W IG A N D M A K EU P C R E W LE A D ER

Erika Broderdorf W IG A N D M A K EU P C R E W

Vanessa Cassidy, Kaitlyn Denzler, Cedasha Munson, Nicole Pangas, Shea Schoenberg, Esther Soto, Carol Taylor, Jessica Wood. Swing: Giulia Bernardini

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CONDUCTOR.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marit Strindlund OFFRED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Niamh O'Sullivan AUNT LYDIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandra LoBianco SERENA JOY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Davia Bouley THE COMMANDER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Carl OFFRED IN THE BEFORE TIMES.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Marie Rogali LUKE.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Travis Leon Williams OFGLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ann Toomey MOIRA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brianna J. Robinson JANINE/OFWARREN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jana McIntyre OFFRED’S MOTHER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ariana Lucas RITA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Couden NICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Stenson DOCTOR.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew DiBattista NEW OFGLEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Zelinko

Detroit Opera Resident Artist Detroit Opera debut

DE T R OI T OPER A | P1 5

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

cast

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

CHORUS DIRECTOR........................................ Katherine Kozak CHORUS

Amour Bethea, Handmaid A1 Alaina Brown Katelyn Brown Jacqueline Conlon, Widow Selah-Marie Castellano Lily Belle Czartorski Elise Eden Delaney Finn, Warren's Wife/Echo Anna Hart Paige Heidrich Rose Iannuzzi Leslie Ann Naeve, Moira’s Aunt Jessie Neilson, Handmaid Kristina Riegle, Econo Wife/Girl Morgan Seemann Abagail Solomon Tia Wilson, Handmaid B1 Elena Zelinko

Will Floss, Guard Kurt Frank, Eye Regis Haynes Cameron Barrett Johnson, Commander X Matthew Konopacki, Man David Magumba Jovan Osborne Kevin Starnes, Guard Terrence Stewart

SUPERNUMERARIES

Meridith Karls, Offred's Daughter Ashley Dawley, Kelly Drenth, Elizabeth Forsythe, Audrey Huizenga, Dayanna Price, Sarah Wagner, Handmaid/Aunt/Jezebel/Protester Jaime Bellos, Brandon Doyle, Jake Falls, Jahleel Hunley, Joseph Kelly, Sterling Orlowski, Devon Prough, Glen Woods, Eye/Guard

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CHORUS / ORCHESTR A

DETROIT OPERA ORCHESTRA Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local #5, of the American Federation of Musicians V IOLIN I

BA SS

T RU M PE T

Interim Concertmaster

Principal

Principal

Daniel Stachyra* Yuri Popowycz*

Acting Assistant Concertmaster

Henrik Karapetyan* Beth Kirton* Jenny Wan* Andrew Wu* Courtney Lubin David Ormai Ying-Li Pan Florina Petrescu V IOLIN II

Emelyn Bashour* Principal

Solveig Geenen* Molly Hughes* Bryan Johnston* Velda Kelly* Jenny Berg Karen Donato Chase Ward

Derek Weller*

David Ammer*

Clark Suttle* Gary Gatzke Jean Posekany

Elijah Leonard* Derek Lockhart

HARP

Jordan Dove*

Juan Riveros* Principal

PIC C OLO

Collin Stavinoha* Principal

OBOE

Eli Stefanacci* Principal

Yuki Harding Mark Doerr*

Oboe / English Horn

CL A R IN E T

Roi Karni*

T RO M BO N E Principal

Dustin Nguyen* Bryan Pokorney

Trombone / Bass Trombone

T U BA

David Zerkel Acting Principal

T I M PA NI

Eric Stoss* Principal

PER C USSIO N

John Dorsey* Principal

Principal

David Taylor

Lisa Raschiatore J. William King*

K E Y BOA R D

Scott Stefanko*

Clarinet / Bass Clarinet

Jacqueline Hanson* Chloé Thominet* Joseph Deller James Greer Julianne Zinn

BA SS OO N

SA M PLER

V IOL A

Acting Principal

C ELLO

Ivana Biliskov* Principal

Benjamin Maxwell* Gabriel Hennebury Wesley Hornpetrie Julia Knowles Robert Paddock

Daniel Fendrick* Principal

Mike Karloff

John Etsell

Liam Jackson Natalie Law HORN

Colin Bianchi* Principal

* Detroit Opera Core

Natalie Sweasy* Samuel Sidorowicz Madison Warren

Members of the violin sections occasionally rotate.

Orchestra Members

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R E H E A R S A L F O R T H E H A N D M A ID'S TALE. P H O T O B Y A U S T I N R I C H E Y.

Born: Ringsted, Denmark, March 27, 1949 Poul Ruders is one of today’s most highly regarded composers for the opera stage and the symphonic concert hall. He graduated from the Royal Danish Academy as an organist in 1975. Following early studies in piano and organ, he studied orchestration with the Danish composer Ib Norholm. As a composer, he is largely self-taught. His operas have been staged in Copenhagen, New York City, London, Toronto, Munich, and elsewhere; his orchestral music has been commissioned by orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Ruders’ best-known work is The Handmaid’s Tale (1998), his opera inspired by Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. As English critic Stephen Johnson wrote, “In The Handmaid’s Tale—more than in any of his other works—Ruders draws together the themes which have preoccupied him for so long: the apocalyptic, the elemental and the human, aching tenderness, grotesque irony, despair—but perhaps also, as in the closing pages of Symphony No.1, a flicker of hope.” Ruders’ other operas include Kafka's Trial (2003), exploring Kafka's unfinished masterpiece and including dramatized events from the writer’s life; and Selma Jezková (2007), based on the Lars von Trier film Dancer in the Dark. His opera The Thirteenth Child is based on a story by the Brothers Grimm and was premiered at Santa Fe Opera in 2019. Ruders has composed 45 symphonic works and concertos, and dozens of solo and chamber pieces. Solar Trilogy, a set of three symphonic poems—Gong, Zenith and Corona—can be performed individually or as a huge dramatic triptych. His Manhattan Abstraction: A Symphonic Skyline is an homage to New York’s giant contraption of concrete, glass, and chrome.

Poul Ruders shares his thoughts about The Handmaid’s Tale in a recent conversation at detroitopera.org/news.

PAUL BENTLEY | LIBR E T T IST

Born: Sheffield, England, July 25, 1942 Paul Bentley is a British stage, film, television actor, and writer. He wrote librettos for Poul Ruders’ operas The Handmaid’s Tale and Kafka’s Trial, as well as for Ana Sokolovic’s The Midnight Court, Dominique Le Gendre's Bird of Night, and James Rolfe’s Inês. His novel The Man Who Came After Hyacinth Bobo is set during the Fourth Crusade and the Siege of Constantinople. He is also author of the play Inquisition, about Jesuit scientist Teilhard de Chardin, and a radio play in which Jane Austen meets Lord Byron. As an actor, Bentley has performed frequently in London’s West End; his credits include Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, Company, and Follies; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats and Aspects of Love; the Captain in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore; and Dame Edna—the Spectacle. He played the High Septon in the TV series Game of Thrones. Bentley has said, “Despite the fact that I have spent a lifetime acting and singing, if I am remembered for anything I reckon it will be because I wrote librettos for Poul Ruders, a composer of immense distinction...As opera is the greatest of all the art forms, there is nothing more exciting than helping to create one.”

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POUL RUDERS | C O M POSER

MARIT STRINDLUND | C ONDUC TOR

Marit Strindlund is one of the most renowned and inspiring opera conductors of her generation in Scandinavia. She was Music Director and Chief Conductor at Folkoperan Opera House in Stockholm from 2013 to 2021, where she led many successful productions including Tristan and Isolde, Bluebeard’s Castle, La traviata, Turandot, Satyagraha, Ålevangeliet, The Tales of Hoffmann, and others. Marit also held the position of Artistic Director and Music Director at Spira Performing Arts Center with Jönköpings Sinfonietta from 2020 to 2023.

In the 2024–25 season, Marit made her debuts at Staatsoper Stuttgart and Wiener Festwochen, and with the orchestra of Komische Oper Berlin, amongst others.

In spring 2025, Marit headed back to Staatsoper Stuttgart to conduct the world premiere of Der rote Wal to great critical acclaim. She also returns in the 2025–26 season for two productions, including the famously scandalous production of Sancta with renowned stage director and performance artist Florentina Holzinger.

In 2026, Marit returns to Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and makes her house debuts at Detroit Opera for The Handmaid’s Tale (also her American debut) and the Danish National Opera for Carmen. In 2027, she will conduct two productions at the Komische Oper Berlin, making her operatic debut at the house. She will also debut at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland with a new production of Susannah by Carlisle Floyd.

Previously, Marit has conducted numerous opera productions in Belgium, the U.K., and Scandinavia, including a very successful Pelléas et Mélisande in a co-production for Bergen National Opera, Opéra de Dijon, Antwerp’s Muziektheater Transparant, and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen; Usher for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen; Sir John in Love for London’s Opera Holland Park; Songs of Wars I Have Seen for Operadagen Rotterdam; La bohème and The Pearl Fishers at Norway’s RingsakerOperaen; The Brothers Lionheart at Göteborg Opera; Ålevangeliet at Norrlandsoperan; and La bohème and The Magic Flute at Wermland Opera.

From 2015 to 2019, Marit was appointed by the Swedish Minister for Culture as a member of the artistic board of the national Swedish Performing Arts Agency.

Marit studied orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with Jorma Panula, and at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, specializing in opera, with Mark Elder and Mark Shanahan.

Instagram: @marit.strindlund.conductor

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She was the founding Artistic Director of Manitoba Underground Opera, which produces a festival of new operatic experiences each August in Winnipeg. She has also worked as a dramatic coach for training programs including the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artists Program in Washington, D.C. Brenna made her directorial mainstage debut in 2016 with a new production of Hansel and Gretel designed by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop for Vancouver Opera. This production has since toured North America, and was mostly recently produced for San Diego Opera as part of their 2019–20 season. She made her American directorial debut in February 2017 with New Orleans Opera, creating a new production of Sweeney Todd.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she created new opera experiences through film including Don Giovanni for Seattle Opera, Carmen: Up Close and Personal for Vancouver Opera, Dear Mom: a web series for Kentucky Opera, and Green Envelopes for Manitoba Underground Opera.

Brenna was a member of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program with Vancouver Opera and spent two years as the resident director for The Atlanta Opera Studio Artist Program. She is a certified member of Fight Directors Canada and has choreographed many fights for both opera and theater.

She studied classical music at the University of Manitoba and has diplomas in theater from Grant MacEwan College and the British American Drama Academy.

Instagram: @corner.brenna

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BRENNA CORNER | DIR EC TOR

Brenna Corner is an international opera and theater stage director working across the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is also the Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Select directing projects include Macbetto and Il trovatore (Washington National Opera); Pagliacci (Glimmerglass Festival); The Little Prince (Pacific Opera Victoria); H.M.S. Pinafore and L’elisir d’amore (Vancouver Opera); Carmen (Des Moines Metro Opera); Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera); Hansel and Gretel (San Diego Opera and Vancouver Opera); La bohème (Calgary Opera); Dead Man Walking (Israeli Opera); La bohème (The Dallas Opera); Noye’s Fludd and Scalia/Ginsburg (Glimmerglass Opera); Sweeney Todd (New Orleans Opera); Der fliegende Holländer (Cincinnati Opera and Houston Grand Opera); and Carmen (The Atlanta Opera).

NIAMH O’SULLIVAN | OFFR ED

Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan has been praised for her “bewitchingly beautiful, dark vibrant voice” (Süddeutsche Zeitung). A BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2023 to 2025 and former studio member of the Bayerische Staatsoper, Niamh has quickly established herself as one of the most exciting mezzos today. The 2024–25 season saw Niamh make a series of debuts, including her house and role debut as Ino (Semele) and role debut as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) for Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and role debuts as Ursule (Béatrice et Bénédict) and Maddalena (Rigoletto) for Irish National Opera. She also sang Ino in her return to the Royal Opera House. In the 2023–24 season, Niamh made her role debut as Wellgunde in a new Barrie Kosky production of Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House, and as Carmen in La tragédie de Carmen at the Buxton Festival, in addition to singing Wellgunde in Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung and Mercédès in Carmen for Opernhaus Zürich. Other recent plans have included Meg Page (Falstaff ) at Opernhaus Zürich, Mercédès at English National Opera, and Mirza (Lalla-Roukh) and Paulina (Ein Wintermärchen) with Wexford Festival Opera. Niamh’s close association with Irish National Opera has seen her sing Charlotte (Werther), Mercédès, Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Third Maid (Elektra), Asteria (Bajazet), and Alva in the world premiere of The First Child for the company. In concert, Niamh has performed Elgar’s Sea Pictures at the Prinzregententheater for the Munich Festspiele, Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the Münchner Hofkantorei, the main role of Cain in Scarlatti’s Il primo omicidio with the Munich Jakobsplatz Orchestra conducted

by Daniel Grossmann, Cousser’s The Universal Applause of Mount Parnassus at the Wigmore Hall with Ensemble Marsyas conducted by Peter Whelan, and Messiah with the Ulster Orchestra. As a member of the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 2016 to 2018, Niamh sang numerous roles including Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), and the Secretary (The Consul). Niamh studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and was a participant of the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2023. Instagram: @niamhosullivan.mezzo

ALEXANDRA LOBIANCO | AUN T LY DI A

American soprano Alexandra LoBianco, who “gave an impassioned performance” in the title role of Aida at Seattle Opera (The Seattle Times), has established herself as a dramatic soprano of distinctive versatility, musicality, and consistency. The current season includes performances of Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth for her role and house debut with Boston Lyric Opera, as well as concert appearances with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Hailing from St. Petersburg, Florida, Alexandra began her journey in opera with a foundation in voice, theater, and clarinet. She quickly garnered recognition for her talent, winning first prize at the Liederkranz Foundation and Irene Dalis Vocal Competitions in 2011, and at the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition and the Sullivan Foundation Awards in 2013. These early successes laid the groundwork for a distinguished career on the international stage. Alexandra has performed with numerous opera companies of note, while taking on some of the most challenging P22

DAVIA BOULEY | SER EN A JOY

American contralto Davia Bouley has attracted attention from U.S. and European audiences alike for her alluring stage presence and voice of “true beauty” (OperaWire).

She has performed with opera companies, at music festivals, and in concert halls all over the United States and Europe, including the Cincinnati Opera, Theater Dortmund, Munich’s Isarphilharmonie, Berliner Philharmonie, the Aspen Music Festival, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Current and recent career highlights include her debut as Serena Joy in The Handmaid’s Tale at Detroit Opera; Zweite Dame at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Die Zauberflöte, under the musical direction of Sir Donald Runnicles; Siegrune in Die Walküre with Theater Dortmund, directed by Peter Konwitschny; and a tour of concert debuts as Flosshilde in Der Ring an einem Abend with the Staatskapelle Weimar, performing at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Isarphilharmonie, Weimarhalle, Meistersingerhalle in Nuremburg, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and Berliner Philharmonie. Davia made her European debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Paysanne 2 in their new production of Meyerbeer’s Le prophète under the baton of Enrique Mazzola. She then continued to be a regular guest for seven seasons at the company, with roles that included Lola in Cavalleria rusticana, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, the Beggar Woman in Graham Vick’s Death in Venice alongside Ian Bostridge, Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the Third Secretary in the Berlin premiere of Nixon in China. U.S. engagements have included Silver Dollar in The Ballad of Baby Doe with Amarillo Opera, the alto soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Round Top Music Festival, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore with Indianapolis Opera, and Giovanna in Rigoletto and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Cincinnati Opera, conducted by Bernard Labadie. A native of Southern California, she holds a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University. Instagram: @daviabouley DE T R OI T OPER A | P 23

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roles in the repertoire. Career highlights include Leonore in Fidelio with the Wiener Staatsoper and North Carolina Opera, Brünnhilde in Die Walküre and Siegfried with Seattle Opera and North Carolina Opera, Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Des Moines Metro Opera, and the title role in Turandot with Des Moines Metro Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Maryland Lyric Opera. She has also appeared as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana with Seattle Opera, Alice Ford in Falstaff with Santa Fe Opera, and Marianne Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera, which was featured in the Met’s Live in HD broadcast series. Recent seasons have also included performances as Leonora in Il trovatore with Opera Colorado, the Mother in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Foreign Princess in Rusalka with the Canadian Opera Company, and the title role in Tosca with Seattle Opera and Portland Opera. In a stunning international turn, Alexandra stepped in for an ailing colleague as Leonore in Fidelio for her debut with the Wiener Staatsoper while under contract for the title role in Turandot. Subsequent engagements with the Wiener Staatsoper included performing as Helmwige and covering Brünnhilde in Die Walküre while on tour in Japan. Instagram: @lobiancosoprano

SAM CARL | T HE C O M M A NDER

Sam Carl is a rising bass-baritone whose rich, resonant voice and commanding stage presence are drawing increasing attention across European and American stages. This season, Sam makes his role debut as Claggart in a revival of Billy Budd at the Glyndebourne Festival under Nicholas Carter. He also debuts at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet as Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin and returns to Opera Ballet Vlaanderen as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, to Dutch National Opera as Angelotti in Barrie Kosky’s Tosca, and to Theater Basel as Banquo in a new production of Macbeth directed by Herbert Fritsch. In the 2024–25 season, he returned to Dutch National Opera for two new productions: as Hobson in Peter Grimes, directed by Barbora Horáková and conducted by Lorenzo Viotti, and as Der Geisterbote in Katie Mitchell’s staging of Die Frau ohne Schatten, conducted

by Marc Albrecht. He also returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Astradamors in Le Grand Macabre, made his role debut as Alidoro in La Cenerentola at the Opéra national de Lorraine (also touring to Caen, Reims, and Luxembourg), and debuted as Timur in Christof Loy’s new production of Turandot at Theater Basel. His U.S. debut followed soon after, in the role of Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress for Des Moines Metro Opera. Other recent highlights include his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Panthée in a new production of Les Troyens, his return to Dutch National Opera as La Talpa/Betto di Signa in Il trittico and as Der Holzhacker in Königskinder, his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as Prince Gremin, and multiple appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, including as Leporello in Don Giovanni, as Achilla in Giulio Cesare, and as Nick Shadow. He has also appeared at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen as Mephistopheles in Robert Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust, and at the Staatstheater Darmstadt as Colline in La bohème and in the title role of Don Quichotte. Instagram: @samcarlopera

LISA MARIE ROGALI

OFFR ED IN T HE BEFOR E T IM E S

Award-winning American mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali has been praised for her “warm, nuanced voice” and “spontaneity” on the stage. This season, Lisa returns to Virginia Opera to make her role debut as Angelina (La Cenerentola). She brings her magnetic Carmen to both Toledo Opera and Gulfshore Opera, and returns to Detroit Opera as Offred in the Before Times (The Handmaid’s Tale). In the 2024–25 season, Lisa made her debut in the title role of Carmen with both Virginia Opera and Florentine Opera, with a portrayal hailed by The Virginian-Pilot as “not to be missed, a bangup performance.” As part of Sarasota Opera’s Winter Festival, she reprised her charming Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), garnering high praise from Opera with Opera News who called her “a Rossini star in the making.” She returned to the South Florida Symphony as the alto soloist in their annual Messiah, and she concluded the season by bringing her celebrated Rosina to Central City Opera. Other recent highlights include her residency with Detroit Opera, where she performed Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and the Dog/Woodpecker (The Cunning Little Vixen). She also made her role debut as Rosina with North Carolina Opera, made her Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and performed the title role in The Rose Elf by David Hertzberg with P 24

TRAVIS LEON WILLIAMS | LUK E

Travis Leon Williams is an American tenor hailing from Lansing, Michigan. His love for classical voice blossomed when his parents introduced him to Universal Pictures’ 1943 film version of The Phantom of the Opera at age seven. His professional credits include Spoletta in Tosca and soloist in Opera Legends in Black at Opera Las Vegas, Holiday Pops soloist with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, soloist in Opera Grand Rapids’ season-kickoff gala, Roland Hayes in Black Swan Radio Hour at Vegas City Opera, and Mr. Jefferson (and other roles) in Rent at The Dio. Travis was the Division I winner of the 2019 Opera Grand Rapids Collegiate Competition (VanderLaan Prize). In 2019 he attended the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS), where he won second prize in the Meistersinger Competition. He received a 2022 Encouragement Award in the Oregon District of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. Travis serves as a voice coach at DeWitt High School and is a member of the Verna D. Holley Project. He is an adjudicator for the Sutton Foster Awards and a teaching artist with the Disney Musicals in Schools program at the Wharton Center. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Western Michigan University in 2020 and Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2022. Instagram: @bravotravissimo

ANN TOOMEY | OFGLEN

American soprano Ann Toomey, whom Naples Daily News proclaimed to be “a brilliant Floria Tosca [whose] rich voice projects power that doesn’t disintegrate under adversity,” is a former member of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions national semifinalist, and a 2019 Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient. Recently, she made her European debut, to critical acclaim, performing the title role in Suor Angelica at the Berlin Philharmonie, under the baton of Kirill Petrenko. Highlights of the immediate past and current season include Woglinde in Das Rheingold with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, the Una poenitentium in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony, Meg Page in Sir John in Love at Bard SummerScape, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with Dayton Opera, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera San Antonio, and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Glyndebourne Festival. In recent seasons, Ann sang the title role of Tosca with Sarasota Opera, Opera Naples, and Livermore Valley Opera; the Witch in Into the Woods with Tulsa Opera; and Ortlinde in Act III of Die Walküre with Detroit Opera. During the 2018–19 season, she performed as Musetta in La bohème with Lyric Opera of Chicago, completing her three-year residency with the Ryan Opera Center. She debuted at Lyric Opera of Chicago as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte.

Ann is a native of Detroit and currently lives in Chicago. Instagram: @abtoomey DE T R OI T OPER A | P 25

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OrpheusPDX. She has received accolades from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition, and others.

Instagram: @lisamarierogali

BRIANNA J. ROBINSON | M OIR A

Soprano Brianna J. Robinson, whom The Boston Globe proclaimed as “a radiant voice and presence,” is a native of Ravenna, Ohio. She was a Resident Artist with the Detroit Opera in the 2024–25 season, during which her featured role debuts included Annina in La traviata and Antron’s Mother/Kevin’s Mother/Ensemble in Anthony Davis’s The Central Park Five. Brianna is a former Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera, where she had two successful jump-ins—as Julie in Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s Pulitzer Prize–winning opera, Omar, and as Léontine in Chevalier de Saint-Georges’s The Anonymous Lover. In December 2023, she made her debut at Carnegie Hall with The Cecilia Chorus of New York in Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem. In May 2024, she was awarded First Prize in the George Shirley Vocal Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Brianna has performed in the Handel and Haydn Society’s immersive concert experience Crossing the Deep, and with such ensembles as the Akron and the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestras. Brianna was a finalist in Opera Ebony’s Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition and was awarded first prize at the Getting to Carnegie competition in 2020. She made her international debut in Ruse, Bulgaria, in 2021, creating the role of Ophelia in the world premiere of Joseph Summer’s Hamlet. Brianna is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Eastman School of Music.

Instagram: @brianna.jashai

JANA MCINTYRE | JA NINE / OF WA R R EN

Soprano Jana McIntyre is a George and Nora London Foundation Award Winner and a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. This performance marks her debut with Detroit Opera; she returns to Bard SummerScape for Die ägyptische Helena (Aithra) and San Francisco Opera for Parsifal (Flower Maiden). Last season, Jana debuted at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tytania) and at OrpheusPDX in Il sogno di Scipione (Fortuna), and returned to Opera Santa Barbara in La fille du régiment (Marie). She also made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Additional orchestral highlights included her debut with the New York Philharmonic in Boulez’s Pli selon pli: Improvisations sur Mallarmé, I and II (conducted by David Robertson), and a return to Bard Music Festival for Martinů’s Petrklíč. Jana joined the roster of San Francisco Opera for Die Zauberflöte and Innocence, and debuted with Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids in Die Zauberflöte (Königin der Nacht), with Arizona Opera in Le nozze di Figaro (Barbarina), and with the Santa Fe Opera in Jenůfa (Jano). Jana is the recipient of awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Jensen Foundation, and the Shoshana Foundation. She was a Young Artist with the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and an Apprentice Singer with the Santa Fe Opera. Instagram: @janamac

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SARA COUDEN | R I TA

Praised by Opera News for her “unusually rich and resonant” voice, contralto Sara Couden is a premier interpreter of operatic, orchestral, chamber, and song repertoire.

Her 2025–26 season includes a debut with the Houston Symphony in selections from La vida breve, a role and house debut as Ježibaba (Rusalka) with Pacific Northwest Opera, Die Hexe/Die Mutter (Hänsel und Gretel) with Lakes Area Music Festival, and appearances with the St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Tucson Symphony as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Sara’s latest triumphs include her San Francisco Opera debut as Rita in Poul Ruders’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Mrs. Sedley (Peter Grimes), her debut appearance in recital at the Manchester Music Festival, and her role debut as Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress) with Lakes Area Music Festival, as well as company debuts with The Philadelphia Orchestra as Mother/Chinese Cup/Dragonfly (L’enfant et les sortilèges), the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the alto soloist in Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, the Seattle Symphony in Handel’s Messiah, and the California Symphony in songs by Mahler. Sara also recently released her debut solo album, Artur Schnabel—Complete Vocal Works, on the Steinway & Sons label. Instagram: @saracouden

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ARIANA LUCAS | OFFR ED’S M OT HER

Contralto Ariana Lucas, celebrated for her “authentic contralto depths” (Opera News) and “formidable stage presence” (hr2-kultur radio), is rapidly establishing herself as a leading talent in the dramatic repertoire across Europe.

Ariana opened her 2025–26 season with a return to one of her signature roles, Klytämnestra in Elektra at the Theater St. Gallen. This was followed by her “larger than life” (Seen and Heard International) house and role debut as Leokadja Begbick in Barrie Kosky's acclaimed production of Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. In 2024–25 she made her Maifestival debut as Mary in Der fliegende Holländer and was a resident artist at Staatstheater Wiesbaden where she debuted as Mescalina in a new production of Le Grand Macabre. Notable engagements also include her Italian radio debut as First Maid (Elektra) with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome under Sir Antonio Pappano, the Housekeeper (Die schweigsame Frau) at the Bard SummerScape festival, and her Chinese debut as Fricka (Die Walküre) with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra. Other important appearances include her Staatsoper Berlin debut as First Maid (Elektra), Salzburger Landestheater as the Good Fairy (Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella), Flosshilde (Götterdämmerung) and Brigitta (Die tote Stadt) at Wuppertaler Bühnen, and Amastre (Xerxes) at the International Handel Festival in Karlsruhe. Ariana began her German career with an acclaimed house and role debut in the 2015–16 season as Erda in David Hermann’s Das Rheingold with Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, where she continued as an artist in residence until 2022. Instagram: @arianalucas.de

ANDREW STENSON | NICK

American tenor Andrew Stenson, praised by The Wall Street Journal for his “vivid tenor that is both beautiful and full of raw feeling,” is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. In addition to singing many of the standard lyric tenor roles, Andrew has created leading characters in two important world premieres—Danny Chen in An American Soldier with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Gen Watanabe in Bel Canto with Lyric Opera of Chicago (where he returned to sing Ferrando in Così fan tutte).

Andrew has sung such roles as Candide, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Tonio in La fille du régiment, Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, and Sprink in Silent Night with the opera companies of Seattle, Minnesota, Dallas, Utah, Palm Beach, and Arizona, and Washington National Opera. In Europe, he has sung with the Glyndebourne and Wexford Festivals, and the opera companies of Toulouse and Bordeaux. He has appeared with the symphonies of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Kansas City, and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival. He has also won top prizes in several major vocal competitions. During the pandemic, Andrew participated in several virtual productions presented by Seattle Opera. He appeared in their stagings of The Elixir of Love, Don Giovanni, and Tosca, as well as in a solo recital. In the present season, Andrew returns to the Minnesota, Seattle, and Metropolitan Operas. Instagram: @tenorstenson

MATTHEW DIBATTISTA | DOC TOR

Described as “brilliant” by Opera News, tenor Matthew DiBattista is continually in demand on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. Known for an exceptionally varied repertoire, Matthew has performed over 70 operatic roles to date. Recent engagements include his Houston Grand Opera debut as Tinca and Gherardo in Il trittico; San Francisco Opera debut as the Doctor in The Handmaid’s Tale; Carnegie Hall debut as the Teacher in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, recorded on Deutsche Grammophon; the Captain in Odyssey Opera’s recording of The Lord of Cries, which received a Grammy nomination; and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel with the Helena Symphony.

He has been on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera and performed several seasons with Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he recently sang Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor. Other successes include appearances at the Glimmerglass Festival, Florida Grand Opera, Cincinnati May Festival, Boston Pops, New Orleans Opera, Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, Opera Boston, Virginia Opera, Opera Colorado, Tanglewood Music Center, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, Charleston Symphony, and Long Beach Opera. Matthew has also appeared for nine straight seasons as a principal artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Instagram: @mattdibatenor

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C A M IL A M O N T E F U S C O A S O F F R E D. E M M A P E N N E LL A S O F G L E N. P H O T O B Y R I TA TAY L O R, C O U R T E S Y O F B A N F F C E N T R E F O R A R T S A N D C R E AT I V I T Y.

A R T I S T P R O F IL E S

AMANDA TESTINI | R E V I VAL DIR EC TOR

Amanda Testini is an Italian-Canadian director and choreographer based on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her work spans opera and theater across Canada and the U.S., with credits at the Glimmerglass Festival, Arts Club Theatre Company, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Opera, and Pacific Opera Victoria. In the 2025–26 season, Amanda directs Orpheus in the Underworld (Toronto City Opera), La rondine (Good Mess Opera Theatre), and Orpheus & Eurydice (Pacific Opera Victoria). She is also assistant director for Rigoletto (Vancouver Opera) and choreographer for East Van Panto: West Van Story (Theatre Replacement). Recent directorial highlights include Amahl and the Night Visitors with Edmonton Opera and The Medium for Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. She also assisted on La clemenza di Tito (Pacific Opera Victoria), The Handmaid’s Tale (Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity), and The Magic Flute (Vancouver Opera). At the Glimmerglass Festival in 2025, she returned for a second summer to assistant direct Elizabeth Cree and choreograph Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children, following her work on La bohème and The Rip Van Winkles the previous summer.

During her time as a Young Artist with Vancouver Opera, Amanda directed Blond Eckbert and Cavalleria rusticana in concert, choreographed and assistant directed H.M.S. Pinafore, and assistant directed La Cenerentola and The Barber of Seville.

She is a graduate of Studio 58’s acting program at Langara College.

GILLIAN GALLOW | SE T DE SIGNER

Gillian Gallow is a set and costume designer whose work has been seen around the world. She designed costumes for Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata, a two-part adaptation of the Sanskrit epic, which was premiered at Ontario’s Shaw Festival (2023) and most recently staged at Lincoln Center (2025). Other notable designs include costumes for the 2017 Canadian Opera Company (COC) production of Louis Riel, composed by Harry Somers with a libretto by Mavor Moore and Jacques Languirand, and the 2018 world premiere of the COC’s Hadrian, composed by Rufus Wainwright with a libretto by Daniel MacIvor. Her upcoming projects include designing the set for the COC’s Empire of Wild, a new opera

by Métis artists Ian Cusson and Cherie Dimaline.

JESSICA OOSTERGO | C OST U M E DE SIGNER

Jessica Oostergo is a set and costume designer, born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a new resident of Edmonton, Alberta. Her design work has been seen on stages and screens across North America. Jessica worked as the Assistant Head of Wardrobe at Bard on the Beach for seven seasons and has taught design foundations and set design at Langara College’s Studio 58. She is a four-time Jessie Richardson Theatre Award winner, with a total of eight nominations, and a graduate of Studio 58 and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Select credits: Death of a Salesman (Citadel Theatre); Elf (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Die Walküre (Edmonton Opera); Heist (Grand Theatre/Citadel Theatre); A Streetcar Named Desire P 30

SOPHIE TANG | LIGH T ING DE SIGNER

Sophie Tang is an award-winning lighting and set designer working in theater, opera, and dance. She has worked with companies including Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Electric Company Theatre, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, City Opera Vancouver, Theatre Calgary, Arts Club Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Citadel Theatre, Canadian Stage, and others.

Selected credits: The Handmaid’s Tale (Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity); Pride and Prejudice (Grand Theatre); The Little Prince (Pacific Opera Victoria); The Three Musketeers (Citadel Theatre/Arts Club Theatre); The Lehman Trilogy (Theatre Calgary); Salesman in China, The Rez Sisters (Stratford Festival); The Apple Cart (Shaw Festival); Choir Boy (Canadian Stage/Arts Club Theatre); Jersey Boys, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, The Orchard (After Chekhov) (Arts Club Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Harlem Duet (Bard on the Beach); The Pearl Fishers, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Vancouver Opera). Website: sophieyufeitang.com

JOSH SAMUELS | SOUND DE SIGNER

Josh Samuels is a New York City–based sound designer, mixer, and audio engineer working at the intersection of sound, art, and technology. Having started out in theater, they have worked on countless shows across the country and in New York City, including 10 Broadway productions. Their expansive experience in sound includes theater, opera, live music, recorded music, film, broadcast, podcast, immersive, architecture, and various other forms of live events and installation sound. They are a proud member of USA 829 and hold a degree in theatrical design from Ithaca College.Website: jsamuelsdesign.com

S. KATY TUCKER | PRO JEC T ION DE SIGNER

Katy Tucker is a New York–based video and projection designer.

Katy began her career as a painter and installation artist, exhibiting her work at a variety of galleries, such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Dupont Underground, the Dillon Gallery, and Artists Space in New York City. She has collaborated with musicians like Paul McCartney, Helga Davis, Pamela Z, Paola Prestini, Amanda Gookin, and Jeffrey Zeigler. Her work in live performance has been seen in numerous places around the world including Broadway, Off-Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, Carnegie Hall, the Park Avenue Armory, BAM, the Kennedy Center, San Francisco Opera, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dutch National Opera, the Sydney Opera House, Houston Grand Opera, and more.

Upcoming: Smash, “a comedy about a musical,” at the Imperial Theater on Broadway, opening April 10; Tannhäuser at Houston Grand Opera with Francesca Zambello; DE T R OI T OPER A | P 31

P R O D U C T IO N P R O F IL E S

(Citadel Theatre/Theatre Calgary); The Sound of Music (Grand Theatre/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre/Citadel Theatre); Ring of Fire, The Legend of Georgia McBride (Arts Club Theatre); Sunrise Betties (ITSAZOO Productions); Dance Nation, Bunny (The Search Party); An Undeveloped Sound (Electric Company Theatre); and Julius Caesar (Bard on the Beach). Website: jessicaoostergo.com

Lunar Eclipse, directed by Kate Whoriskey at Second Stage Theater; The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Washington National Opera; and Siegfried at Teatro alla Scala. Recent: Die Walküre and Das Rheingold at Teatro alla Scala, directed by Sir David McVicar; Macbeth at Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center; Turandot at Washington National Opera, directed by Francesca Zambello, with a new ending composed by Christopher Tin; Medea at the Canadian Opera Company; The Pianist, written and directed by Emily Mann; Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera; and Klangwolke 23: Odyssey at the Brucknerhaus in Linz, Austria.

JOANNE MIDDLETON-WEAVER

W IG / M A K EUP DE SIGNER

Born in England, Joanne Middleton-Weaver came to the U.S. in the late 1980s. She began apprenticing with Elsen Associates at what was then Washington Opera, now Washington National Opera. Joanne has since designed at many opera companies throughout the U.S. during her 30-year career including the Glimmerglass Festival, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, to name a few. She has designed for Detroit Opera since 1995.

Her credits there include La bohème, The Passenger, Frida, Margaret Garner, Cyrano, Faust, Così fan tutte, and makeup design for X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

JOE WRIGHT IN T IM ACY / FIGH T DIR EC TOR

Joe Wright is a fight and intimacy director, movement coach, stunt performer, and actor based in Southeast Michigan whose personal mission is to make the magic of movement and storytelling accessible to everybody and every body. He is a Certified Teacher and Theatrical Firearms Safety Instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors, a Certified Instructor for Fight Directors Canada, a founder/co-coordinator of the annual Mitten Mayhem Stage Combat Workshop (held in late October), and a founder/lead instructor at Theatrica Gladiatoria (which has year-round classes in stage combat). He has taught for the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (Ann Arbor); Lake Michigan College; and Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Theatre Arts.

Some of his latest work has been seen at Open Book Theatre (The Fantasticks, Clue), Detroit Public Theatre (Soft Target), Croswell Opera House (Bonnie & Clyde), Eastern Michigan University Theatre (The Lightning Thief ), Lake Michigan College (Puffs), and The Dio (Misery, The Play That Goes Wrong). Joe wishes to extend deep gratitude to Amanda Buchalter. Without her assistance with this fight and intimacy work, it could not have been accomplished. Website: fightglad.com

ANDREA BEASOM | A SSOCI AT E DIR EC TOR

Andrea Beasom’s work has been hailed as “visually stimulating” by OperaWire, “ethereal and intimate” by BroadwayWorld, and “sexy” by the Los Angeles Times. Her direction and award-winning choreography have been featured at Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center, LA Opera, Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera San Antonio, Glimmerglass Festival, Indiana University P32

JOEY GUTHMAN

A SSOCI AT E LIGH T ING DE SIGNER Joey Guthman is a joyously passionate lighting and scenic designer for theater, dance and intimate music performance. Joey’s designs are known for being daringly colorful, emotionally evocative and dramaturgically detailed. His work for Detroit Opera has included Highway 1, USA and Down in the Valley (Associate Lighting Designer). Joey is based in Los Angeles, and his work has been seen at Pasadena Playhouse, REDCAT, Royce Hall at UCLA, Getty Villa, Garry Marshall Theatre, El Portal Theatre, California Theatre, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Atwater Village Theatre, L.A. Dance Project, and many others. As an associate designer, Joey has supported projects with Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, SITI Company, Opera Santa Barbara, and Music Academy of the West. He has been a guest artist at University of La Verne, Occidental College, Pomona College, and California State University, Long Beach. He has taken part in international tours with L.A. Dance Project, Collage Dance Collective, and Kronos Quartet. In 2023, Joey joined the faculty at Pepperdine University. He holds a BFA from Emerson College.

Website: jguthmandesign.com

BLAKE MANNS

A SSOCI AT E PRO JEC T ION DE SIGNER Blake Manns is a video and projection designer based in Austin, Texas. Recent credits include: (as Projection Designer) Treasure Island (Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Roméo et Juliette (Washington National Opera); (as Animator) the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, the 59th Annual CMA Awards; (as Associate Projection Designer) Der Ring des Nibelungen (Teatro alla Scala, Milan), Smash (Broadway’s Imperial Theatre), Skeleton Crew (Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre). Website: blakemanns.com

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P R O D U C T IO N P R O F IL E S

Jacobs School of Music, Bard SummerScape, Berkshire Opera Festival, and Austin Opera. Andrea has collaborated with Washington National Opera artistic director Francesca Zambello and many other celebrated directors. She has worked closely with the Tony and Olivier Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori, Tony Award– winning director Warren Carlyle, American theater director Anne Bogart, and artists including Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Nadine Sierra, Kelsey Grammer, and Christine Ebersole. In addition to her work as a director and choreographer, Andrea has performed as a professional singer and dancer at the Royal Opera House Muscat, Kennedy Center, Hawaii Opera Theatre, New York City Center, LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Pasadena Playhouse, Glimmerglass Festival, and Dallas Opera. She danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Pasadena Dance Theatre; in commercial productions for Sony, Puma, Moncler, and Microsoft; and in the film The One That I Want. Andrea earned her Bachelor of Music degree in voice from Mannes School of Music.

Website: andreabeasom.com

KATHERINE KOZAK | CHORUS DIR EC TOR

Katherine Kozak became Detroit Opera’s Chorus Director and Music Administrator with the start of the 2025–26 season. Previously, Katherine served for three years as Head of Music, Chorus Director, and Principal Coach of Arizona Opera’s Pullin Opera Studio. She has worked on staff at the Glimmerglass Festival for 14 summer seasons, eight of them as Chorus Director. Her work at the Glimmerglass Festival can be heard on Château du Versailles Spectacles’ 2021 multimedia recording of John Corigliano and William M. Hoffman’s opera The Ghosts of Versailles, for which she also performed on celesta and piano. Katherine has worked as chorus director, pianist, and coach at U.S. companies including Florida Grand Opera Chorus, where she prepared approximately 20 productions. She has served as head coach, rehearsal pianist, recitalist, supertitle caller, recitative accompanist, assistant conductor, and administrator at the Dallas Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Colorado, and Central City Opera, among others. She has assisted many conductors, notably Richard Bonynge, Joseph Colaneri, John DeMain, and George Manahan. In addition to working with many top-ranked Young Artist programs, she has also worked with singers at The Juilliard School as associate coach, and at Florida’s University of Miami as visiting assistant professor. Katherine earned her Master of Music degree in vocal coaching and accompanying from the University of Illinois, where she was a student of John Wustman. She has enjoyed collaborating with singers since age 11, when she began accompanying and touring with the Singing Angels, based in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

THANK YOU TO OUR

Community Partners Detroit Public Library Wayne State University Alternatives For Girls University of Michigan Center for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Ethics in Medicine (CHHASSEM) Boll YMCA Tonya Adair Dr. Jack Blaszkiewicz Carolyn Cassin Simone Chess Janet Colson Kevin Deegan-Krause Erin Ellison Greer Hamilton

Lisa Harris Stephanie Havey Amy Hecht-Zizes Poppy Hernandez Trinita Johnson Darlene King Turner Anna Krumm Alison Linn

Vernice McDaniel Sharon McWhorter Kathryn Nowinski Cully Sommers Sylvia Taschka Kim Trent Karin Waidley

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Giving Circle Members of Detroit Opera’s The Handmaid’s Tale Giving Circle made an additional contribution to stand behind one of the most urgent and searing operatic works of our time.

We thank them for their dedicated support.

P H O T O B Y R I TA TAY L O R, C O U R T E S Y O F B A N F F C E N T R E F O R A R T S A N D C R E AT I V I T Y.

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Mary Ann & Carl Fontana Aaron & Carolynn Frankel Carol Gagliardi & David Flesher William Hulsker & Aris Urbanes Kathleen Ligocki & Pete Rosenau Matthew & Mona Simoncini Ronald & Mildred Burkman Carolyn Demps & Guy Simon Lisa DiChiera Alex Escobar & Michael Durant Joyce M. Hennessee Barbara Heller Julie & Peter Hollinshead Ann Katz Denise J. Lewis Ms. Jennifer M. Moody Professor Tsehaya D. Smith Bret & Susanna Williams We extend our gratitude to additional supporters of The Handmaid’s Tale Giving Circle, whose contributions were received beyond February 15, 2026.

For more information about future Detroit Opera Giving Circles, contact Katrina Fasulo at kfasulo@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3426.

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P H O T O B Y R I TA TAY L O R, C O U R T E S Y O F B A N F F C E N T R E F O R A R T S A N D C R E AT I V I T Y.

Detroit Opera Needs You! Philanthropic support is essential to sustaining opera and dance in Detroit.

Contributions from individuals help Detroit Opera present exceptional performances, support artists, and engage our community through the power of live performance.

By becoming a Friend of Detroit Opera you are supporting Detroit Opera’s artistic and community activities and in return you receive behind-the-scenes experiences, and opportunities to connect more deeply with artists and fellow supporters. The DiChiera Society offers an elevated way to engage with the art you love. With an annual gift of $3,000 or more, members enjoy exclusive access to the Frankel Lounge at all opera and dance performances, as well as invitations to special events. Learn more about becoming a member and help ensure opera and dance continue to thrive in Detroit for generations to come.

US E T H E Q R C O D E T O D O N AT E N O W!

V I SI T US AT D E T ROI T O P E R A.O RG/D O N AT E O R GI V E US A C ALL AT 31 3.2 37.3 4 2 6

Thank you to our donors Contributors to Detroit Opera

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors whose contributions were received between July 1, 2024, and December 19, 2025. Your generosity is essential to sustaining Detroit Opera as a vibrant cultural resource for our community.

Foundations, Corporate & Government Support

$500,000-$999,999 William Davidson Foundation John. S. and James L. Knight Foundation State of Michigan

$250,000-$499,999 Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Ford Foundation

$100,000-$249,999 Ford Philanthropy General Motors Gilbert Family Foundation Mellon Foundation Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation

$50,000-$99,999 J. Addison Bartush and Marion M. Bartush Family Foundation Max M. & Marjorie Fisher Foundation Milner Hotels Foundation

$25,000-$49,999 The Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation Hudson-Webber Foundation Kresge Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Ruth F. Rattner and Ann F. & Norman D. Katz Charitable Foundation Kurt Weill Foundation For Music Matilda R. Wilson Fund

$10,000-$24,999 DTE Energy Foundation 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 Burton A. Zipser and Sandra D. Zipser Foundation

$5,000-$9,999 C&N Foundation Co-Ette Club, Inc. Aaron Copland Fund For Music Gerson Family Foundation, Inc. James and Lynelle Holden Fund The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation Somerset Collection Charitable Foundation Strum Allesee Family Foundation The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation

$1,000-$4,999 ABM Janitorial Services John A. & Marlene L. Boll Foundation Joyce Cohn Young Artist Fund Detroit Children’s Choir The Gilmour-Jirgens Fund Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation Josephine Kleiner Foundation Warsh-Mott Funds DE T R OI T OPER A | 11

Individual Support

The National Circle

Introduced in 2024, the National Circle unites Detroit Opera’s foremost supporters at a pivotal moment in our history. With annual contributions of $25,000 or more, these visionary donors affirm their belief in the transformative power of live performance to inspire meaningful change—both in our city and across the nation.

$100,000+ Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr. David & Christine Provost Matthew & Mona Simoncini Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes Barbara A. Walkowski

$50,000-$99,999 Richard Alonzo Enrico & Kathleen DiGirolamo Patricia Isacson Sabee & David Sabee Mary Kramer Denise J. Lewis

Lorna Thomas, MD Jesse & Yesenia Venegas R. Jamison & Karen Williams

$25,000-$49,999 Lisa A. Applebaum Richard and Joanne Brodie Alex Erdeljan Carl & Mary Ann Fontana Barbara Lucking Freedman* Jane Iacobelli Barbara & Michael* Kratchman The Hon. Jack & Dr. Bettye Arrington Martin Susanne McMillan

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky Allan & Joy Nachman Philanthropic Fund Ann & James B. Nicholson Ebbie & Ayana Parsons Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner* Barbara Van Dusen

KEY

* Deceased

The DiChiera Society DiChiera Society members honor the legacy and vision of our founder, David DiChiera, while advancing Detroit Opera’s future as one of the nation’s most significant and innovative opera and dance organizations. Their commitment supports our ongoing focus on community engagement, accessibility, and bold artistic exploration under the leadership of Barbara Walkowski Artistic Director Yuval Sharon.

$10,000-$24,999 Gene P. Bowen Mr. Thomas Cohn Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer Dr. Raina Ernstoff & Mr. Sanford Hansell Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation Bharat & Lynn Gandhi Toby Haberman Jody & Tara Ingle Nancy & Bud Liebler Ms. Mary C. Mazure Donald & Antoinette Morelock Mr. Cyril Moscow* William & Wendy Powers Dr. & Mrs. Samir M. Ragheb Dr. Irvin D. Reid & Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid Evan & Kelsey Ross Salome E. Walton Prof. Michael Wellman

$5,000-$9,999 Nina Abrams Ms. Christine Ammer Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya Dr. Harold M. Arrington

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Gregory & Mary Barkley Wayne Brown & Brenda Kee Albert & Janette Cassar Sue Cutler & Jeff Fessler Ms. Violet Dalla Vecchia Reverend Bill Danaher Walter & Lillian Dean Lisa DiChiera Maria & David Duey Nell Duke & David Ammer Marianne Elrick & Kenneth Myers Fern Espino & Tom Short Mr. Michael Fisher Joseph Fontana & Nada Jurisich-Fontana Ralph & Erica Gerson Andrew Glancy James & Nancy Grosfeld Beverly Hall Burns Barbara Heller Ellen Hill Zeringue Julie & Peter Hollinshead William Hulsker & Aris Urbanes Addison & Deborah Igleheart Andy Levin & Mary Freeman Don Manvel

Mrs. L. William Moll Robert & Susan Morris Mr. George & Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman Joshua & Rachel Opperer Ms. Linda Orlans Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D. Waltraud Prechter Carrie & Ted Pryor Janice Ross Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero Leon & Debbie Saperstein Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao Simmons & Clark Jewelers, Michael & Stacey Simmons Christopher Stavrou Ned & Joan Winkelman

$3,000-$4,999 Thomas & Gretchen Anderson Sandra & Doug Bitonti Stewart Paul & Lee Blizman Bob & Rosemary Brasie Dr. & Mrs. Ronald T. Burkman Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons Marla Donovan

Marjory Winkelman Epstein James & Margo Farber Sally & Michael Feder Ms. Laurie R. Frankel Dr. Glendon M. Gardner & Leslie Landau Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Christine Hage Ms. Carole Hardy Richard & Involut Jessup Roberto Kalb & Mane Galoyan Ann Katz Max Lepler & Rex Dotson Mary B. Letts

John & Arlene Lewis Stephan & Marian Loginsky Mr. Loreto A. Manzo Ms. Mary McGough Patrick & Patricia McKeever Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD Brian & Lisa Meer Ms. Evelyn Micheletti Eugene & Lois Miller Phillip Minch Van Momon & Pamela L. Berry Brian Murphy & Toni Sanchez-Murphy Geoffrey Nathan

George & Nancy Nicholson Brock & Katherine L. Plumb Lois & Mark Shaevsky Susan Sills-Levey & Michael Levey Susan A Smith Frank & Susan Sonye Sharon Tevis Finch Buzz Thomas & Daniel VanderLey Joseph & Rosalie Vicari Stanley Waldon Dr. John Weber & Dr. Dana Zakalik Bret & Susanna Williams Dr. Lucia Zamorano

Friends of Detroit Opera

Every gift helps ensure that opera and dance continue to flourish in our community, bringing to life the indescribable magic that begins when the curtain rises. Friends of Detroit Opera—among our most loyal and essential supporters—sustain this work through annual contributions of $500 or more & enjoy exclusive benefits in recognition of their generosity.

$1,000-$2,999 Ms. Geraldine Atkinson Mr. Jason Batke Martin & Marcia Baum Ms. Kanta Bhambhani Mr. Stanislaw Bialoglowski Constance Bodurow Ms. Nicole A. Boelstler Mrs. Marlene L. Boll Marsha Bruhn Ilse Calcagno Mrs. Judith Christie Harriet Clark John & Doreen Cole Tonino & Sarah Corsetti Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh Ms. Mary J. Doerr Mr. David Egner Ms. Judith Ellis Burke & Carol Fossee Carol Gagliardi & David Flesher Marcelo Ganasevici Arline Geronimus Mr. Nathaniel Good Rober & Ann Greenstone Kimberly Hastie Fay & Allen Herman Adriana Herrera Christina Hopkins Joel Howell Mary Ellen Hoy & Jim Keller Paul Jednak & Tim Kasunic Marc Keshishian & Susanna Szelestey Mr. & Mrs. Gerd H Keuffel Sam Logan Khaleghi Justin & Joanne Klimko Gregory Knas

Jennifer Lindsay Kott Ms. Vera C. Magee Federico Mariona & Clara Sumeghy-Mariona Ms. Janet Groening Marsh Mr. Ronald Michalak Mary F. Miller Ms. Maryanne Mott Iuliana & Ovidiu Niculescu Ms. Pamela Patton-Cone Margaret Pehrson Mark & Kyle Peterson Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon Professor Alvin* & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein Mary Schlaff & Sanford Koltonow Kingsley & Lurline Sears Anthony & Theresa Selvaggio Timothy & Kelli Shaheen Ms. Brenda Shufelt Joe Skoney & Luisa Di Lorenzo Ms. Theresa Spear & Mr. Jeff Douma Gabriel & Martha Stahl Ms. Mary Anne Stella Andrew J. Sturgess Manuel Tancer & Claire Stroker Mr. Jon Teeuwissen Dr. Jewlee Weah Tweh Jeff & Amy Voigt Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner Eileen Weiser & Richard Caldarazzo Erica White Katina Zaninovich

$750-$999 David A. Agius Eric Alonas

D.L. Anthony, Ph.D. Frank & Jenny Brzenk Mr. Michael Clyne Murray & Alice Ehrinpreis Dr. Anne Missavage & Mr. Robert Borcherding Maury Okun & Tina Topalian Mr. Carl R. Smith Dr. Andrew James Stocking Dennis & Jennifer Varian

Kimberly Johnson Carol Johnston Geraldine & Jacqueline Keller Ms. Lee Khachaturian Ms. Cynthia Kratchman William & Jean Kroger Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky Albert Kurt Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth Levin Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid $500-$749 Antonia Abbey & James Lee John & Kimi Lowe Wallace Ayotte Mrs. Marsha Lynn Ms. Allison Bach & Jane Panikkar Mr. Michael Cool Bertram & Elaine Pitt Ms. Mary Anne Barczak Elaine & Bertram Pitt Marceline Bright Garry Post & Robert Hill Ms. Susan Burns Shawn Rieschl Johnson & Stephen Calkins & Christian Kirby Joan Wadsworth Adam D. Rubin, M.D, Oliver & Susan Cameron Lakeshore Professional Paula Lisa Cole Voice Center Gerald Davis Mr. Richard Lee Ruby Mr. John R. DiLodovico Mr. Rodney Michael Rusk Manisha Dostert Charles & Pamela Schiffer Daniel H Ferrier Demetrius Shields Barbara Fisher & Anthony Smith & William Gould Leland Calloway Yvonne Friday & Stephen Black Catherine Strumbos John Gierak & Dona Tracey Mr. Bruce Tackett Joseph & Lois Gilmore Frank Tenkel Gil Glassberg & Dr. Gretchen Thams Sandra Seligman Pete Tully Ms. Anita DeMarco Goor Maria Urquidi Philip & Martha Gray Henry Grix & Howard Israel Salvatore Ventura Ms. Rosemary Gugino Ms. Janet Beth Weir Beth Hoger & Lisa Swem Meredith Weston-Band & Jeffery Band Ms. George-Ann Howell Lawrence John & Lilian Lai Elliot & Dr. Susan Zeltzer

DE T R OI T OPER A | 1 3

Gifts in Tribute

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who have made generous gifts to Detroit Opera in honor or in memory of loved ones. The names of those being honored or remembered are listed in bold below.

IN HONOR OF

IN MEMORY OF

Ethan D. Davidson Reverend Bill Danaher

Wickam Allen Beth Buzzelli Carlson

Carl Fontana Mrs. Nina Dodge Abrams Paul & Orvilla Ashely Thomas E Barron Michael J Bartoy Beverly Anne Bloomberg Andre Boulanger Wilson Curle Mary Jo & Donald Dawson David Feeny Pamela Fontana Cynthia Gitt Peter Gude Patricia Isacson Sabee & David Sabee Theresa Johnson Mary Kramer Allen A Lewis James Peggs & Margaret Talburtt Sarah Siwek Teresa Taranta Sara Valenti Rick Warner Robert Wittenberg

Betty Brooks Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Cathy Mosseau

Patricia Isacson Sabee William Austin Juliano Bitonti Stewart Katrina Fasulo Angela Nelson-Heesch Brenda Kee Dr. Ali Moiin & Dr. William Kupsky Dr. Ali Moiin & Dr. William Kupsky Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky William & Elizabeth S. Kupsky Household Jon Teeuwissen Manisha Dostert Lorna Thomas, MD Paul & Lee Blizman Barbara Walkowski Neal S. Goren

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Nicoangelo Corsetti Tornino & Serafina Corsetti Armando Delicatio Patricia Bentley Judith Gordon & Lawrence Banka Jacqueline Shuster Carol DeVore Mr. Mark S. DeVore Shirley DiGirolamo Enrico & Kathleen DiGirolamo Sandy Duncan R. Jamison & Karen Williams Grant Eldridge Tracy Barr Drs. Julie B. Finn & Bradley Rowens Heather Gehring Shawn Rieschl Johnson & Christian Kirby Joseph Katulic Stuart Grigg Alphonse S. Lucarelli R. Jamison & Karen Williams George & Ann Marisl Thomas Dickson & Carol Dick Ruth Rattner Jody & Gary Astrein David & Nancy Barbour Household Ms. Lori Cohn Elle Elder Marianne Elrick & Kenneth Myers Beth & Earle Erman Ann Fishman Amy Folbe Richard & Eleanore Gabrys Marilyn Goldberg Renee Handelsman David & Rose Handleman Barbara Heller Patricia Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Ann Katz Richard Katz Mrs. Barbara Kratchman Michael* & Barbara Kratchman Victor Lebovici Dr. Jay Levinson Nancy & Bud Liebler Howard Luckoff Alex & Lisa MacDonald Angela Nelson-Heesch Ali Moiin & William Kupsky Bluma Schechter Mrs. Bluma Schechter Ms. Lisa Schwartz Grace Serra Martha Siefman Mr. Mark Sussman Mr. William Volz Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner R. Jamison & Karen Williams Sharon Zimmerman Suzann Kaye Ripple Ms. Catherine Pappas Miss Alison Piech Gladys Santiago Ruth Roby Glancy The Glancy Foundation Angeline Rooks Maria McMullen Karol Ross Susan Stepek William Sandy Julie & Peter Hollinshead Tamara Whitty Phyllis Osler Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor, honoree, and memorial names for gifts received between July 1, 2024 and December 19, 2025. Should you find an error or omission please contact Angela Nelson-Heesch at anelsonheesch@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3438.

Avanti Society Members Setting the Stage for Tomorrow

Found throughout Italian opera, the word avanti means “ahead” or “forward.” The Avanti Society— Detroit Opera’s planned giving recognition program—honors a special group of donors whose generosity is guided by vision and foresight. By including Detroit Opera in their estate plans, members ensure that the transformative power of opera and dance will continue to inspire audiences in our community and across the nation for generations to come. With deep gratitude, we thank our Avanti Society members for shaping the future of Detroit Opera.

Douglas* & Sarah Allison Richard & Mona* Alonzo Janet Ames Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya§ Mr. & Mrs. Agustin Arbulu§ Chester* & Emilia Arnold§ George & Joanne Arrick Dr. Leora Bar-Levav Lee & Floy Barthel Brett & Veronica Batterson§ Richard & Gwen Bowlby Mrs. Doreen Bull Roy E.* & Ilse Calcagno§ Dr. & Mrs. Thomas & Dorothy* Carson Dr. & Mrs. Victor J.* & Katherine 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 Herbert & Betty Fisher§ Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak§# Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel§# Byron & Marilyn Georgeson§ William Gipperich Albert & Barbara Glover Robert Green Mr. Ernest Gutierrez Stephen & Aline Hagopian Mr. Lawrence Hall§ Jerome & Margot Halperin§ Heather Hamilton Charlene Handleman Preston* & Mary Happel Mr. Kenneth E. Hart§ Eugene* & Donna Hartwig§ Dr. & Mrs. Gerhardt A. & Rebecca P. Hein Fay & Allen Herman Derek & Karen* Hodgson Andrew & Carol Howell Dr. Cindy Hung§ Eleanor & Alan Israel Ms. Kristin R. Jaramillo§ Don Jensen & Leo Dovelle§ John Jickling Patrick J.* & Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Josephine Kessler Edward & Barbara Klarman Robert & Wally Klein# Erwin H. & Suzanne Klopfer§# Myron & Joyce LaBan Max Lepler & Rex Dotson Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr. Mr. Hannan Lis Florence LoPatin Stephen Lord Ms. Denise Lutz Laura & Mitchell Malicki Ms. Jane C. McKee§ Bruce Miller Orlando & Dorothy Miller§ Ms. Monica Moffat Drs. Stephen & Barbara Munk Harold Munson & Libby Berger Tiffany Nance Mr. Jonathan F. Orser Ms. Julie Owens Mr. Dale J. Pangonis§ Charles A. & Mary Parkhill Allison Prost Mr. Richard M. Raisin§# Ms. Deborah Remer Dr. Joshua Rest James & Marguerite S. Rigby§ Mr. Bryan L. Rives Ms. Patricia H. 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 Harold & June Siebert Mrs. Loretta Skewes Ms. Anne Sullivan Smith Richard* & Roberta Starkweather§# Ms. Mary Anne Stella Stanford C. Stoddard 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 Robert & Margaret Allesee# Mona Alonzo Serena Ailes Stevens Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush§# Mr. & Mrs. Mandell Berman Margaret & Douglas Borden Charles M. Broh Milena T. Brown Charlotte Bush Failing The Gladys L. Caldroney Mary C. Caggegi Allen B. Christman Miss Halla F. Claffey Ms. Virginia M. Clementi Hon. Avern Cohn & Ms. Lois Pincus Cohn Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock Mrs. Mary Rita Cuddohy James Danaher Marjorie E. DeVlieg Nance Dewar James P. Diamond Dr. David DiChiera Mrs. Karen V. DiChiera Nina S. Drolias Charles & Mary Jane Duncan§ Mr. Wayne C. Everly Dr. Evelyn J. Fisher Mrs. Anne E. Ford Ms. Pamela R. Francis§ Mrs. Rema Frankel Barbara Lucking Freedman Edward P. Frohlich The Priscilla A.B. Goodell Freda K. Goodman Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D. §# Maliha Hamady Ms. Nancy B. Henk Mary Adelaide Hester Ms. Patricia Hobar Gordon V. Hoialmen Carl J. Huss Aaron E. Jabbour Mr. John Jesser H. Barbara Johnston Maxwell & Marjorie Jospey Ida King Mrs. Josephine Kleiner Misses Phyllis & Selma Korn§#

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Krolikowski§ Leslie Lazzerin Mr. Philip Leon Dores & Wade McCree Vivien McDonald Lucie B. Meininger Helen M. Miller Ella M. Montroy Ronald K. Morrison Ruth Mott Clarice Odgers Percox Elizabeth M. Pecsenye Thomas G. Porter Magdalena Predeteanu Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner 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 Ida & Conrad H. Smith Ms. Phyllis Funk Snow§ Edward L. Stahl Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis Mary Ellen Tappan Margaret D. Thurber Mr. & Mrs. George & Inge Vincent§# Herman W. Weinreich J. Ernest Wilde Mrs. Ruth Wilkins Helen B. Wittenberg Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Elizabeth Work§ Joseph J. Zafarana George & Pearl 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 Demetrius Shields to learn more, 313.309.8255.

DE T R OI T OPER A | 1 5

Detroit Opera Honor Roll Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these distinguished donors for their lifetime giving. Their extraordinary generosity has shaped the history of our company—from its founding in 1971 by Dr. David DiChiera as Michigan Opera Theatre, to the opening of the Detroit Opera House in 1996, and to our bold transformation into Detroit Opera in 2022 under the leadership of Barbara Walkowski Artistic Director Yuval Sharon.

Their visionary support sustains the vitality of Detroit Opera today, making possible world-class opera and dance performances as well as acclaimed community programs that inspire and engage audiences throughout our region. $10,000,000+

$1,000,000+

The William Davidson Foundation

Richard & Mona* Alonzo

Ford Motor Company Fund

AT&T

The State of Michigan

Bank of America

$5,000,000+

Mandell L. & Madeleine H. Berman Foundation

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

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

General Motors John S. & James L. Knight Foundation The Kresge Foundation Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

$2,000,000+ Mr. & Mrs. Douglas* & Sarah Allison Mr. Lee & Mrs. Floy Barthel Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto Dance Endowment & Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Herman & Sharon Frankel Lear Corporation Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr. Masco Corporation McGregor Fund The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Skillman Foundation R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Compuware Corporation Robert & RoseAnn Comstock Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden 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* & Mr. Ronald Michalak Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Frankel* 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

KEY

* Deceased 16

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

Orchestra

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

V IOLIN

BA SS

BA SS CL A R IN E T

Daniel Stachyra

Derek Weller

J. William King

Yuri Popowycz

Clark Suttle

Interim Concertmaster Acting Asst. Concertmaster

Emelyn Bashour

Principal

Principal Second Violin

HARP

Anna Bittar-Weller

Juan Riveros

Solveig Geenen Molly Hughes Bryan Johnston Henrik Karapetyan Velda Kelly Beth Kirton Jenny Wan Andrew Wu

Principal

FLU T E

Collin Stavinoha Principal

Andrea Velasquez PIC C OLO

Andrea Velasquez

BA SS OO N

Daniel Fendrick Principal

Open Position HORN

Colin Bianchi Principal

Natalie Sweasy T RU M PE T

David Ammer Principal

Elijah Leonard V IOL A

John Madison Principal

Jacqueline Hanson Scott Stefanko Chloé Thominet C ELLO

Ivana Biliskov

OBOE

Eli Stefanacci Principal

Mark Doerr

T RO M BO N E

Jordan Dove Principal

Dustin Nguyen EN GLI S H H O R N

Mark Doerr

T I M PA NI

Eric Stoss Principal

Principal

CL A R IN E T

Benjamin Maxwell

Roi Karni

Andrea Yun

Principal

PER C USSIO N

J. William King

John Dorsey

Open Position

Principal

DE T R OI T OPER A | 17

Administration & Staff LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT

Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO

Juliano Bitonti Stewart, Director of Development

Yuval Sharon, Barbara Walkowski Artistic Director Roberto Kalb, Music Director Daniel T. Brinker, General Manager, Detroit Opera House & Parking Center Shawn Rieschl Johnson, Chief Programming & Production Officer Jon Teeuwissen, Artistic Advisor for Dance

Chelsea S. Kotula, Director of Institutional Giving Katrina Fasulo, Director, Individual Giving & Donor Engagement Angela Nelson-Heesch, Director, Data Analytics & Operations

Samantha Teter, Chief Marketing Officer

Valentino Peacock, Manager of Data & Operations

Ataul Usman, Senior Director of Human Resources

Demetrius Shields, Manager of Individual Giving

ADMINISTRATION

Stephani Davis, Development Coordinator

William Austin, Executive Assistant

ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music & Director of Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program Elizabeth Anderson, Artistic Administrator

DANCE Kim Smith, Dance Administrator

EDUCATION Branden Hood, Director of Education Alaina Brown, Program Coordinator: Education & Community Programs Eliza Beutler, Program Administrator

FACILITIES Vanessa Boyd, Facilities Manager

DETROIT OPERA YOUTH CHORUS

Juan Benavides, Building Engineer

Twannette Nash, Chorus Administrator

Kevie Crumb, Facilities & Event Technician

Jane Arvidson Panikkar, Preparatory Chorus Conductor

FINANCE

Rebecca O-G Eaddy, Principal Chorus Conductor

Kimberley Burgess, Accountant Rita Winters, Accountant

Maria Cimarelli, Preparatory Chorus Accompanist

HUMAN RESOURCES

Joseph Jackson, Principal Chorus Accompanist

Denver Harvey, Human Resources Coordinator

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS Leah Hill, Director of Marketing Anna Herscher, Lead Graphic Designer Jennifer Melick, Communications & Media Relations Manager Deirdre Michael, Website Administrator

Position is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Austin Richey, Digital Media Manager & Storyteller Arthur White, Director of Community & Audience Engagement

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Katherine Kozak, Chorus Director & Music Administrator

Rock Monroe, Director of Safety & Security

Molly Hughes, Orchestra Personnel Manager Jean Posekany, Orchestra Librarian

PRODUCTION

Lieutenant Lorraine Monroe Sergeant Demetrius Newbold Officer Gary Cabean Officer A.M. Hightower

Elizabeth Anderson, Production Coordinator

Officer Michelle Johnson

Kathleen Bennett, Production Finance Administrator

Officer Terrence Hunter

Jeff Beyersdorf, Technical Director Eden Cope, Assistant Technical Director Brian Dambacher, Production Manager Monika Essen, Property Master

Officer Khalil Nalis

TICKETING & BOX OFFICE Amy Brown, Director of Ticketing and Booking

Suzanne Hanna, Costume Director

Stephanie Stoiko, Box Office Manager

Kaila Madison, Technical Assistant

Evan Carr, System Administrator

Brodrick Whittley, Assistant Technical Director

Alex Robinson, Box Office Associate

COSTUMES Michaela Tanksley, Wardrobe Supervisor

Ellen Smith, Group Sales Associate

Patricia Sova Jr., First Hand Mary Ellen Shuffett, Fitting Assistant Eileen Thorna, Tailor Maureen Abele, Paul Moran, Lupe Vazquez, Stitchers WIGS & MAKEUP Erika Broderdorf, Wig & Makeup Crew Coordinator STAGE CREW John Kinsora, Head Carpenter Jerome Bowie, Head Electrician Pat McGee, Head Propertyman Chris Baker, Head of Sound Pat Tobin, Head Flyman Dee Dorsey, Surtitle Operator Mary Ellen Shuffett, Head of Wardrobe IATSE Local #38 Stage Crew IATSE Local #786 Wardrobe

Chris Simpson, Box Office Associate

VENUE OPERATIONS 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 Doakes, Suzanne Erbes, Pamela Fergusson, Sue Hargrave, Myrna Mazure, Ennis Mcgee, S teven McReynolds, Heddie O’Connor, Bill Ried, Kim Ried, Edna Rubin, Ida Vance, Sheryl Weinan-Yee

DE T R OI T OPER A | 1 9

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/support/volunteer, for information on becoming a volunteer.

LOST AND FOUND During the performance, lost and found is located in guest services.

Unclaimed items are logged and taken to the Safety and Security office after each performance. To inquire about a misplaced or lost item, please call 313.961.3500. Items left over 30 days will be discarded or donated.

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

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