THE ATLANTA OPERA ARIA :: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES :: MARCH-APRIL 2019

SPONSORED BY

The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Maria

De Buenos Aires

Astor Piazzolla MUSIC

|

Horacio Ferrer Texts

Mar 28, 29, 30, 31, Apr 4, 5, 6, 7, 2019 Le Maison Rouge @ Paris on Ponce

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WELCOME 3. We could begin to explore an evergrowing body of contemporary shows that reflect the diverse identities that make up our community.

The only question we had about the new series was this: would it sell?

photo: Jeff Roffman

Maria de Buenos Aires is a kaleidoscopic fusion of movement, song, poetry, and despair, exquisitely crafted to capture the essence of Tango culture. Set in a slum nightclub ca. 1900, Maria sidelines the traditional narrative in favor of a poetic and fantastical immersion.

This production of Maria de Buenos Aires, became somewhat of a watershed for The Atlanta Opera.

We first staged Maria in February of 2017. It was part of our Discoveries series, a newly-minted venture to bring opera into Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods.

For sure, it was an experiment to go beyond the walls of the Cobb Energy Centre. We would have to focus on “chamber operas” like Maria because they work in smaller, more intimate venues (as opposed to mainstays like Turandot and The Flying Dutchman). To be honest, we took a risk with this repertoire, but then there were some distinct advantages, too: 1. Instead of adapting a venue to a theatre piece, we could choose spaces that actually enhance the theatrical experience.

(Lé Maison Rouge couldn’t have been a more perfect setting for the surrealistic nightclub of Maria de Buenos Aires.)

2. We could reinvigorate our creative team with new challenges, new composers, and a more interactive experience with the audience.

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It did. Our first season exceeded expectations; the second season did even better. Then Maria de Buenos Aires blew the lid off. Tickets sold so quickly, we added two more performances—all five sold out—and the Discoveries series became a hot ticket.

Thanks to the Discoveries series, we now have new friends at The Atlanta Opera.

42% of the people who have attended our Discoveries series came without ever having seen our mainstage productions. Now, 24% of those first-time opera-goers have attended a mainstage performance. This means that people from the Discoveries audience are making the trip to the Cobb Energy Centre to see shows like Madama Butterfly or Carmen.

Today, we have a new measure of success at The Atlanta Opera: In October our production of Maria de Buenos Aires opened the 2017-18 season of the New Orleans Opera and the 2018-19 season of the New York City Opera.

photo: Jeff Roffman

It seems that in the past few years, this bizarrely magical piece is finally taking its place in the repertory. Challenging audiences to let go of their expectations, Maria jettisons traditional linear storytelling in favor of a surreal and poetic immersion into tango culture. It is a strange world; unsettling; tantalizing, irresistible, and quintessentially Piazzolla.

Thanks for coming to see this show. Please come back, and don’t forget to tell your friends about us.

Tomer Zvulun Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director The Atlanta Opera

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Clayton State University ANNOUNCING THE

2019-20 Vocal Series

JAMIE BARTON, mezzo-soprano KATHLEEN KELLY, piano Sunday, December 8, 2019

CHRISTOPH PRÉGARDIEN, tenor JULIUS DRAKE, piano Sunday, October 20, 2019

RODERICK WILLIAMS, baritone JULIUS DRAKE, piano Saturday, January 11, 2020

WINTER TALES: THE SWINGLES Saturday, December 7, 2019 3:00 PM

MARY BEVAN, soprano JOSEPH MIDDLETON, piano Sunday, March 15, 2020

For tickets or more information call (678) 466-4200 or visit

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DISCOVERIES SERIES SPONSORED BY

The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation PRODUCTION SPONSORED BY

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR

The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Foundation SUPPORT ALSO PROVIDED BY

Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

Major support for The Atlanta Opera is provided by the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

This program is also supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly.

GCA also receives support from its partner agency - the National Endowment for the Arts.

THE ATLANTA OPERA DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Nancy & *Jim Bland Mr. David Boatwright Laura & Montague Boyd Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith John & Rosemary Brown Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Ann & Frank Critz Martha Thompson Dinos John L. Hammaker Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross Howard Hunter - Gramma Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough 8

*Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mary Ruth McDonald Peggy Weber McDowell & Jack McDowell James B. Miller, Jr. - Fidelity Southern Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William Pennington Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Mr. William F. Snyder Judith & Mark Taylor Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Brian & Marie Ward Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Foundation

*deceased

MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES CREDITS MUSIC Astor Piazzolla TEXTS Horacio Ferrer FIRST PERFORMANCE May 8, 1968 at Sala Planeta, Buenos Aires CONDUCTOR Jorge Parodi PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Tomer Zvulun ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Brian August SCENIC DESIGNER Christopher S. Dills COSTUME DESIGNER Joanna Schmink LIGHTING DESIGNER Kevin Frazier WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Lindsey Ewing ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR/CHORUS MASTER Rolando Salazar SUPERTITLES Tomer Zvulun CAST MARIA Solange Merdinian EL DUENDE Milton Loayza EL PAYADOR Gustavo Feulien CHOREOGRAPHER/FEMALE DANCER Analia Centurion CHOREOGRAPHER/MALE DANCER Jeremias Fors ENSEMBLE Talia Marie Aull Yilam Sartorio Laurie Marie Tossing

Sidnei Alferes Jose Caballero Danny Enriquez

BANDONEÓN Daniel Binelli PIANO Polly Ferman MUSICAL PREPARATION Mauro Ronca* ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Conor Hanratty† PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Kristin Kelley ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Emily Copeland Performed in Spanish with English supertitles Approximate running time: 2 hours, including 1 intermission Maria de Buenos Aires Little Opera in two parts For orchestra, narrator and singers Texts by Horacio Ferrer Music by Astor Piazzolla Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, Sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., publisher and copyright owner. *member of The Atlanta Opera Studio †The Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Young Artist Stage Director, given in honor of Tomer Zvulun 9

PRODUCTION NOTE

The Atlanta Opera's 2017 production of Maria de Buenos Aires. photos: Jeff Roffman

A TOWN. A SLUM. FATAL PASSION. AND LOVE.

BY NOEL MORRIS

Maria de Buenos Aires is a show about a forgotten music, a forgotten dance, and a forgotten people. Cast in the gauzy hues of surrealistic poetry, the show explores the social conditions that gave rise to the tango. Not unlike hip-hop in our own country, the tango was a product of communities in distress. Initially dismissed as vulgar and immoral (dancing in an embrace was considered indecent), the tango followed an unlikely journey, traveling from the slums of Buenos Aires to the clubs of Paris. Only then, after it had become an international sensation, did it permeate Argentine society. After all, Argentinians knew the tango better than anyone—it had come from their society’s most undesirable places.

The tango’s origins reach back to the 19th century when male workers, mostly from Germany and Italy, 10

streamed into the Río de la Plata basin.

Looking for jobs that didn’t exist, countless souls became mired in vast dockside slums already crowded with cowboys, or “gauchos,” and a large population of freed African slaves. With no opportunity, few women, and no means of escape, these communities became both a pressure cooker and melting pot. Music of different origins combined – including African rhythms, the waltz, the polka, and the habanera – to become the cultural expression of prostitutes and knife fighters. It wasn’t until the 1920s when the tango moved into the Argentine mainstream that it left behind its edgier associations.

In their place grew a fervid sense of national pride. The tango became part of the Argentine identity, which proved stifling for young composer Astor Piazzolla.

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THE COMPOSER In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” (Maria de Buenos Aires is filled with Christian imagery.) Similarly, the composer Astor Piazzolla, like the tango itself, was at first rebuffed by Argentine society. “Traditional tango listeners hated me,” he recalled. “All the tango critics and the radio stations of Buenos Aires called me a clown, they said my music was ‘paranoiac.’ And they made me popular.

The young people who had lost interest in tango started listening to me. It was a war of one against all, but in ten years, the war was won.”

Astor Piazzolla had spent much of his childhood in Manhattan. In 1929, thousands of miles from his native Argentina, the 8-year-old Piazzolla took up the bandoneón. Within two years, he made his first recording. At the same time, he began studying classical music with a Hungarian pianist. By the age of 17, he was living in Buenos Aires and playing bandoneón in one of Argentina’s most elite tango orchestras. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t ready to settle down. Through the 1940s, he explored both jazz and the music of Bartók and Stravinsky. At one point, he figured he was done with the bandoneón and the tango, but a move to Paris convinced him otherwise.

At the age of 34, he turned up on the doorstep of the famed composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, and presented some of his “classical” compositions. Recounting their first meeting, Piazzolla described an awkward silence. Finally, when Boulanger spoke, her genius for cultivating musical talent became apparent: “I can’t find 12

Piazzolla in this,” she told him. “You say that you are not a pianist. What instrument do you play, then?”

“I didn’t want to tell her that I was a bandoneón player,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘Then she will throw me from the fourth floor.’ Finally, I confessed and she asked me to play some bars of a tango of my own. She suddenly opened her eyes, took my hand and told me: “You idiot, that’s Piazzolla!”

THE OPERITA People often dismiss opera as an ivory tower art. In reality, composers have always absorbed the music of their environment—especially folk music—and filter it into their own works. Nevertheless, Astor Piazzolla is unique in that there is no daylight between him and his native music. When he folded classical and jazz elements into his writing, he pioneered what came to be known as tango nuevo. According to argentina-tango. com, “Astor Piazzolla lived and died as tango’s bad boy, having almost single handedly invented the music’s vanguard.”

Piazzolla completed María de Buenos Aires in 1968 using a libretto from writer, tango musician, and historian Horacio Ferrer. Swimming in surrealistic haze, Ferrer’s language touches upon thenmodern life (The Beatles and hippies), as well as things local to Buenos Aires. The words of this symbolist “operita” don’t completely make sense. But when the title character introduces herself, she tells you everything you need to know: “I am María of Buenos Aires. I am my town.

María tango, slum María, María night, María fatal passion, María of love! Of Buenos Aires, that’s me!”

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clusively in Germany. Originally intended as a low-budget substitute for the church organ, it found its way to Argentina through a wave of German immigration.

A type of concertina, the bandoneón has different sets of buttons for each hand.

Each button produces two different pitches depending on whether the bellows are expanding or contracting.

In each of these aspects (the town, the tango, the slum, the night, fatal passion, and love), the composer leans on Catholic imagery to craft a continuous cycle of life, death, and resurrection. In a sense, Maria de Buenos Aires is a Passion play.

Maria “dies” each time she sells her body: “And I’ll still burn another life for two coins,” she sings. Halfway through the show, however, she really does die, only to persist in spirit form until she’s reborn at the end. Her resurrection does not point toward salvation, however. Rather, it is a commentary on the cycle of poverty. And with it comes a sense of inevitability and melancholy which, to this day, remain at the heart of the tango. “I sing a tango nobody ever sang, and I dream a dream nobody ever dreamt because tomorrow is today, and yesterday comes afterwards.”

THE BANDONEÓN The bandoneón is essential to the sound of this genre of music. Throughout the golden age of the Argentine tango, the instrument was manufactured almost ex-

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THE GAUCHOS The gaucho is a folk hero in Argentina – a skilled horseman and herdsman clad in a broad-brimmed hat, a poncho, and baggy trousers that are either cropped above the ankle or tucked into the boot. Working on the open range, the gauchos lived by a strict code emphasizing bravery, honor, and freedom—a code they upheld through skilled hand-to-hand combat called “esgrima criolla,” or Creole fencing. The gauchos’ weapon of choice was the dagger.

When the gauchos were displaced by changes in land usage, many settled in the urban slums where the dagger, or facón, was shortened to fit beneath the lapel of the jacket. Some believe that tango moves show influence of knife fighters’ footwork.

THE DANCE The embrace forms the basis of the tango.

The upper body is meant to be relaxed and receptive to subtle cues from the partner. The feet hug the ground. In the early days, a man wouldn’t dream of stepping onto the dance floor with a woman before he had trained for months—or years—with other men. Given the extreme gender imbalance in Buenos Aires during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the tango’s embrace was said to help ease the loneliness of these disenfranchised people. In the slums, the tango became a type of courtship ritual between a john and a prostitute.

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CAST & CREATIVE JORGE PARODI CONDUCTOR

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 Internationally acclaimed conductor Jorge Parodi’s recent credits include Il barbiere di Siviglia, Les pêcheurs de perles, Le nozze di Figaro, and the world premiers of Anton Coppola’s Lady Swanwhite for Opera, Tampa; María de Buenos Aires for The Atlanta Opera, New York City Opera, and Opera Grand Rapids; Lucrezia Borgia and I Capuleti e i Montecchi for Buenos Aires Lírica (Argentina); The Turn of the Screw for the Castleton Festival and The Banff Centre (Canada), and Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges for The Juilliard School. Upcoming engagements include his return to Opera Tampa, and his debut at Chautauqua Opera. Reviewed as having “the most expressive conducting hands since Stokowski” by the New York Daily News, Argentinean-born Jorge Parodi has worked with such companies as the Teatro Colón in Argentina, the Volgograd Opera in Russia, and he has collaborated with such artists as Isabel Leonard, Eglise Gutierrez, Tito Capobianco, and Sherrill Milnes. Parodi is the Music Director of Opera in Williamsburg (VA) and also the Music Director of the Senior Opera Theatre at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has led its productions to critical acclaim. A featured interview about his work with MSM Opera recently appeared in Opera News.

TOMER ZVULUN PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, 2009 General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeliborn Tomer Zvulun is also one of opera’s most exciting stage directors, earning consistent praise for his creative vision, often described as cinematic and fresh. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, the opera companies of Seattle, San Diego, Minnesota, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Buenos Aires, Wexford, New Orleans, and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University, and IVAI in Tel Aviv. Since taking the leadership in Atlanta he increased the operations of the company from 12 to 32 performances a season, while stabilizing the financials. Some of his noted achievements include launching the successful Discoveries series, a program that presents new contemporary works and rarely done operas in alternative venues, creating the first young artist program in the company’s history, and doubling the company’s annual fundraising. His work at The Atlanta Opera earned the company an international reputation and numerous awards and prizes. These include the nomination of The Atlanta Opera for the 2016 International Opera Awards in London and the selection of the acclaimed Discoveries series as Atlanta Best of 2015 by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Silent Night for Atlanta Best of 2016.

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CHRISTOPHER S. DILLS SCENIC DESIGNER

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 Christopher has a B.F.A. in theater design and technology from Columbus State University and a M.F.A. in scenic design from Boston University. He has taught, worked, managed, and/or designed professionally across the country, including at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Boston Lyric Opera, the Omaha Theater Company, Parallel 45 Theater Company, Out of Box Theatre, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, the Lakes Area Music Festival, and Cornerstone Theater Company. He works as a freelance scenic designer in metro Atlanta. You may have seen his scenic design work in Maria de Buenos Aires, Yardbird, The Secret Gardener, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Out of Darkness. He values the power that the performing arts can have in bringing communities together, and believes in the power of the human imagination and the longevity of personal connections! christopherdills.com

JOANNA SCHMINK COSTUME DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: COSĂŒ FAN TUTTE, 2000

Joanna has designed and coordinated costumes for The Atlanta Opera for more than 25 seasons. She has created original work for mainstage productions of Dead Man Walking, CosĂŹ fan tutte, Fidelio, Cold Sassy Tree, La rondine, La traviata, Porgy and Bess, Romeo and Juliet, and many others. Her designs have been presented in the Discoveries series productions of Three Decembers, Maria de Buenos Aires, The Seven Deadly Sins, Yardbird, and Out of Darkness: Two Remain. She also designs for the Alliance Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Horizon Theatre, and 7 Stages. Her work at regional companies includes productions with Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Memphis Ballet, Augusta Ballet, and Music Mansion Theater.

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KEVIN FRAZIER LIGHTING DESIGNER

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, 2017 Previous opera credits include The Seven Deadly Sins (The Atlanta Opera). Atlanta credits: Aurora Theatre, Actors Express, 7 Stages, Fabrefaction, Pinch N’ Ouch, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, and Serenbe Playhouse. Other credits: Cleveland Playhouse (OH), Merrimack Rep and Stoneham Theatre (MA), The Peterborough Players (NH), Glow Lyric Theatre and The Warehouse Theatre (SC), and both the New York and DC Fringe Festivals. International credits: Teatro Metripol (Tirana, Albania).

Kevin is an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University, and the recipient of the Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical for The Bridges of Madison County in 2017. Thanks to his family for their love and support. kevinfrazier.net

LINDSEY EWING WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, 2017 Lindsey Ewing is delighted to be returning to design for her sixth production with The Atlanta Opera. This is her second time as wig and makeup designer. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she received her bachelor of fine arts (concentration in wig and makeup design) in 2008. Lindsey has worked with such companies as Sarasota Opera, Opera Carolina, Piedmont Opera, Utah Shakespearean Festival, The Spoleto Festival, Playmaker’s Rep, The University of Maryland, Aurora Theatre, Kennesaw State University, Oglethorpe University, and Serenbe Playhouse. She is the resident wigmaster at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. www.LEHairandMakeupArtistry.com

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SOLANGE MERDINIAN MARIA ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT

Acclaimed for her “smoldering stage presence” (New York Times) and her “richly-hued voice” (BBC Music magazine), New York based Armenian-Argentinean mezzo-soprano Solange Merdinian has garnered international attention for her music. She is the co-founder and co-artistic director of the New Docta Festival in Argentina. Highlights include the principal role in Maria de Buenos Aires; Amor Brujo by de Falla; the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden; “My Mind Is a Stranger Without You” for the movie The Hundred-Foot Journey; and performing at the U.N. General Assembly for India’s 70th Independence Day. Recently, she sang the title role in Maria de Buenos Aires with the Fort Worth Opera, and Teatro del Bicentenario in San Juan, Argentina in September, 2018. She has also performed recitals and chamber music concerts in Fort Worth, New York, Spain, Buenos Aires, and London. She was a featured soloist with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and a soloist in Amor Brujo by de Falla with the Knoxville Symphony. In 2015, she finished a four year world tour with the Philip Glass Ensemble in Einstein on the Beach.

She graduated with a master’s degree in vocal performance from Bard College and received her bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School. She is an advocate for social, educational, and cultural programs through music. This year, she will release her debut solo album entitled “Composing Roots” with guitarist Federico Diaz.

MILTON LOAYZA EL DUENDE

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 Argentinian-born Milton Loayza is a stage actor and director who has focused on bringing Latin American works to the stage. He has appeared in his own stagings of Ella/She by Susana Torres Molina, Asunción by Ricardo Monti, and Don’t Blame Anyone, consisting of his own adaptation of short stories by Julio Cortázar. He has previously taken the role of El Duende in Maria de Buenos Aires at New York City Opera, New Orleans Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, Eugene Opera, Grand Rapids Opera, Syracuse Opera, and Anchorage Opera. In Buenos Aires, he recorded an album of classical Argentinian tangos, “Se ha mezclao la vida” and last year premiered Borges and Tango, a concert with dialogue. He holds a doctoral degree in theatre studies from the City University of New York Graduate Center and is currently a visiting assistant professor at State University of New York at Oswego.

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GUSTAVO FEULIEN EL PAYADOR ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT

Argentinean-American baritone, Gustavo Feulien was hailed by the New York Times as “rich voiced” and by Opera News for his “interesting and convincing portrayal of Scarpia, most impressive in ‘Te Deum’” in Tosca.

Recently, he performed as Scarpia in Tosca with Maryland Symphony Orchestra and again this season with Gulfshore Symphony. With Opera in Williamsburg he performed as Conde di Luna in Il trovatore. He has performed his signature role of Escamillo in Carmen in New York, Virginia, and Montreal. He debuted with Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana and returned to sing the Herald in Lohengrin, and participated in the production of Don Giovanni. He also took part in the world premiere of Mario Peruso´s modern opera Fedra as Teramenes, and he performed at the 100th Anniversary of Teatro Colon’s Celebration Gala. With Opera de Puerto he sang Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Belcore in L´elisir d´amore, and the Conde in the Zarzuela La leyenda del beso. Honors and awards for Gustavo Feulien include the Argentinian Music Critics Association Award for his performances in Lohengrin and Fedra, and he was finalist at the Hans Gabor Belvedere and Monserrat Caballe´s Competition.

ROLANDO SALAZAR ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR/CHORUS MASTER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: LA TRAVIATA, 2013

Rolando Salazar is the Associate Conductor and Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera. He has served as assistant conductor and pianist at the Bellingham Festival of Music, as assistant conductor at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, and as coach/conductor for the Harrower Opera Workshop. He serves as artistic director and conductor of the Georgia Piedmont Youth Orchestra while maintaining a guest conducting schedule, most recently in performances with the Georgia State University Orchestra, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, Georgia State University Opera, and the Ozark Family Opera. Mr. Salazar also keeps an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for engagements with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. A student of Michael Palmer, he is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master of Music in orchestral conducting and an Artist Diploma in orchestra and opera.

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DANIEL BINELLI BANDONEÓN

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 World-renowned composer, arranger, and master of the bandoneón, Argentine Daniel Binelli tours extensively in concert and recital. Binelli is also widely acclaimed as the foremost exponent and torchbearer of the music of Astor Piazzolla. In 1989, he joined Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Sextet, touring internationally. Orchestras with whom Mr. Binelli has appeared as guest soloist include the Symphony Orchestras of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Virginia, Sidney, Montreal, Ottawa, St. Petersburg, and Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich. Some of the conductors with whom Binelli has worked include Charles Dutoit, Lalo Schiffrin, Franz Paul Decker, and Robert Spano, among others. Mr. Binelli conducted Piazzolla’s operita Maria de Buenos Aires in Sicily (Italy) with Italian singer Milva. He is the musical director of Tango Metropolis Company, featured in the PBS documentary Tango, the Spirit of Argentina and in a BBC documentary on Astor Piazzolla’s life.

POLLY FERMAN PIANO

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 A leading interpreter of the music of the Americas, Uruguayan-born, New York-based pianist Polly Ferman captivates audiences with outstanding performances of works by Latin American composers.

Recognized by The Japan Times as “a Musical Ambassador of the Americas,” Ferman’s numerous recordings constitute one of the most extensive collections of Latin American repertoire for piano. Ferman’s tours as a soloist have included performances with prestigious orchestras around the world, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Tokyo, Philippines, Jarkov, and Argentine National Symphonies, among others, as well as recital stages such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tokyo’s Takemitsu Hall, London’s St. Martin in the Fields, and Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón. Ferman created, directs, and performs in GlamourTango, a unique all-female international multimedia music and dance show. Ferman founded and directs Pan American Musical Art Research, a nonprofit organization founded in 1984 to promote awareness of and appreciation for the cultures of Latin America.

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JEREMIAS FORS CHOREOGRAPHER/TANGO DANCER

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT: MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, 2017 Argentine native Jeremias Fors has danced and choreographed with renowned shows like Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango (2016); Maria de Buenos Aires with The Atlanta Opera (2017), New Orleans Opera (2017), Nashville Opera (2017), and Florida Grand Opera (2013); the U.S. tours of This Is Tango Now: Identidad (2013, 2012); Masters of Tango by Tango Fantasy (2011); Homenaje a Mariano Mores (2017); Carmen de Buenos Aires (2015); La Magia del Tango (2016, 2015); A Puro Tango II (2014); Amor de Tango (2011); and Tango Lovers (2009) among many others.

He attended the music programs of New World School of the Arts and Florida International University on full scholarships in music performance.

The discipline and knowledge acquired through his musical education then carried over into his tango, as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer.

This inspiration helped him co-found Tango Axis, LLC in 2010. His performances in Florida Grand Opera’s Maria de Buenos Aires and Robert Rodriguez’s musical piece Tango, both directed by Jose Maria Condemi, were chosen “Top 10 Performances of 2013” by South Florida Classical Review. In 2013, he co-founded an Argentinian Tango School in Miami, and received a proclamation by the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos Giménez, for enriching the art and knowledge of Argentine tango in South Florida. For all things Jeremias Fors visit www.jeretango.com

ANALIA CENTURIÓN CHOREOGRAPHER/TANGO DANCER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT

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Analia Centurion is an internationally renowned tango dancer and instructor. She began dancing Argentine Tango in 1995, and in two years she became stage tango champion in the most prestigious youth competitions in Buenos Aires. She danced in the companies of Juan Carlos Copes, Mora Godoy, and the great Mariano Mores, as well as some of the most famous tango shows of Buenos Aires: Piazzolla Tango, Madero Tango, and La Ventana Tango. She learned with great milongueros such as Mingo Pugliese, Puppy Castello, and Gerardo Portalea. She has performed in the most famous milongas, including La Baldosa, El Parakultural, and Sunderland Club. She also studied and graduated from the academy Estilos de Tango Argentino. She has represented her Argentine culture in the Vail International Dance Festival, and danced nest to the great stars of the American Ballet Theatre, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Her artistry gained her recognition with The New Yorker and made headlines nine times in the New York Times. As a teacher, she has participated in numerous international tango festivals, and recently, most of her engagements have been in the U.S. In Argentina, Analia is the founder of Centurión Tango Academy in Chacabuco, Buenos Aires, where she has taught and directed in the school for more than four years.

THE ATLANTA OPERA ORCHESTRA VIOLIN

Peter Ciaschini The Loraine P. Williams Orchestra Concertmaster Helen Kim Assistant Concertmaster

VIOLA

William Johnston Principal

PERCUSSION Michael Cebulski Principal

DRUM SET John Lawless

BANDONEÓN Daniel Binelli

PIANO

CELLO

Polly Ferman

BASS

Mark McConnell

Charae Krueger Principal

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Lyn DeRamus Principal

FLUTE

James Zellers Principal

GUITAR

John Huston

Musicians employed in this production are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS CHAIR Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Mr. William E. Tucker VICE CHAIR Mr. John L. Hammaker VICE CHAIR Mr. Rhys T. Wilson VICE CHAIR Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates, Jr. TREASURER Mr. Robert Dean SECRETARY Mr. Michael E. Paulhus

MEMBERS

Ms. Elizabeth Adler Mr. Bryan H. Barnes Mr. Dante Bellizzi Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Dr. Harold J. Brody Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Ms. Mary Calhoun Mr. Mario Concha Dr. Frank A. Critz Ms. Martha Thompson Dinos Mr. Robert G. Edge Mr. Dieter Elsner Dr. Donald J. Filip Mr. Kevin Greiner Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross

HONORARY MEMBERS

Mrs. Nancy Carter Bland The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler Mr. Carl I. Gable, Jr. Mrs. Nancy Hall Green Mr. Gregory F. Johnson Mr. Carter Joseph Mr. Alfred Kennedy, Jr. Mr. Michael Keough 24

Mr. Howard W. Hunter Mr. Kevin Kelly Mr. Andrew Long Mr. James B. Miller Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. Paul Snyder Mr. William F. Snyder Mrs. Christine St.Clare Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Ms. Bunny Winter

Mr. George Levert Mrs. Peggy Weber McDowell *Mr. Harmon “Sandy” B. Miller, III Mr. Bruce A. Roth Mr. J. Barry Schrenk Mr. Mark K. Taylor Mr. Thomas R. Williams Mr. Robert G. Woodward *deceased

FRESH, SEASONAL FOOD IN VININGS VILLAGE Join us before or after the show! Theater menu available.

4300 Paces Ferry Road • 770.801.0089 • www.SOHOatlanta.com

Soho_TAO1511 hp.indd 1

A

11/3/15 10:42 PM

COMFORT AND

DELIGHT 4300 PACES FERRY ROAD S.E .

30339 - VININGS

(404)205-8255

STAFF EXECUTIVE Tomer Zvulun CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Micah Fortson MANAGING DIRECTOR ARTISTIC Arthur Fagen CARL & SALLY GABLE MUSIC DIRECTOR Lauren Bailey DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION Rolando Salazar ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR / CHORUS MASTER Wade Thomas ARTISTIC SERVICES & STUDIO MANAGER Mark McConnell ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER Jessica Kiger AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION MANAGER Alexandria Sweatt EDUCATION COORDINATOR PRODUCTION Kevin G. Mynatt DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Alix Strasnick TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Joshua Jansen ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Jody A. Cohen PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Brian August PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Renée Varnas RESIDENT ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Justin Michel LIGHTING SUPERVISOR Kelsey Bailey PROPERTIES COORDINATOR Joanna Schmink COSTUME DIRECTOR Mary Torres WORK ROOM MANAGER Laura Elizabeth Payne STITCHER Emory C. Tuttle STITCHER Daniella Ampudia FITTING ASSISTANT/STITCHER Amy Fortenberry STITCHER FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Kathy J. White DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Inga V. Murro CONTROLLER Kenneth R. Timmons HUMAN RESOURCES & OFFICE MANAGER Chamberlynn Shelton EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Ruth Strickland BOOKKEEPER DEVELOPMENT Amy Davis ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Rachel Jorgensen DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS James Tyson INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER Katie Lawrence DEVELOPMENT SERVICES & DATABASE MANAGER Sandy Feliciano EVENTS & VOLUNTEER MANAGER MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Holly Hanchey DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Rebecca Danis ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Renee Smiley SENIOR MANAGER, TICKETING SERVICES Matt Burkhalter CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER 26

THE ENCORE ATLANTA

DINING GUIDE

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A GREAT NIGHT OUT? Try one of these great Cobb County restaurants before or after the show.

AMERICAN PACES & VINE — Located in The Vinings Jubilee featuring eclectic American comfort food along with lighter fare. Menu highlights include the lobster Cobb salad, Guinnessbraised beef brisket, charred salmon, and crispy pork shank. P&V is also a wine-lover’s haven with an extensive, carefully-curated wine list, Wednesday Wine Tastings and Half-Off Wine Bottle Sundays. Lunch, dinner, Saturday and Sunday brunch.

Vinings Jubilee 4300 Paces Ferry Road 404-205-8255 pacesandvine.com

SOHO — American-style bistro offers fish, seafood, beef, game and poultry, with gluten-free lunch and dinner options, It has a specially priced Cobb Energy Centre theater menu that will get you in and out with plenty of time to make the performance — just show your tickets to your server. Weekly wine-and-tapas flights debut each Wednesday night. Lunch, dinner plus the all-American Sunday dinner: a lobster boil. Order ahead to ensure availability, Vinings Jubilee 4300 Paces Ferry Road 770-801-0089 sohoatlanta.com

THE ENCORE ATLANTA [COBB COUNTY] DINING GUIDE CREOLE/CAJUN

MEXICAN

COPELAND’S OF NEW ORLEANS — Bayou fare plus steak, chicken, pasta and sandwiches. Fresh desserts and pastries from the Cheesecake Bakery. Live jazz Sunday brunch buffet. A favorite gathering spot for New Orleans Saints fans. Libations include the Pontchartrain Beach martini. Lunch, brunch, dinner. Takeout available.

3101 Cobb Parkway 770-612-3311 copelandsatlanta.com

CINCO – Authentic, Latin-infused Mexican cuisine served in a setting designed to put a contemporary twist on Mexican culture.

Menu offers an upscale variety of items that are carefully prepared from scratch, using the finest ingredients. Fire-roasted salsa is made fresh several times a day and the signature guacamole is always made to order. Wide selection of tequilas from moderately priced to, well — check out the $100 margarita, “perfect for any occasion.”

2851 Akers Mill Road SE 770-952-5550 cincorestaurants.com

ITALIAN CRISPINA — Neapolitan-style ristorante and pizzeria in Vinings. Pizza dough is naturally leavened, never frozen, and pastas are made fresh daily.

3300 Cobb Parkway SE, Suite 208 678-426-7149 crispinaatlanta.com MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY — Specializing in Italian cuisine — and lots of it — in a classycasual setting. Pick a booth for an intimate date night, or go big; this place is good for kids and groups, too. Takeout available at all locations.

Buckhead 3368 Peachtree Road 404-816-9650 Cumberland Mall 1601 Cumberland Mall 770-799-1580 Perimeter Mall 4400 Ashford-Dunwoody Road 770-804-3133 maggianos.com

SOUTHERN/SOUTHERN-INSPIRED SOUTH CITY KITCHEN — With a stylish, Southern-contemporary menu, this DiRoNA restaurant helped make grits hip for the business crowd.

1675 Cumberland Parkway 770-435-0700 southcitykitchen.com

COSMETIC, IMPLANT & GENERAL DENTISTRY FOR THE FAMILY. An international leader in cosmetic, implant and general dentistry for more than three decades, Dr. David Mastro’s patients travel world-wide for his Atlanta cosmetic dentistry and report that he is one of the country’s top cosmetic and general dentists.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY DENTIST, NOT YOUR ORDINARY DENTAL OFFICE.

DR. DAVID MASTRO 800 Mansell Road Roswell, Georgia 30076 770.642.9900 1.888.SeeMySmile

alluringcosmeticdentistry.com

BEAUTY DELIVERED After researching cosmetic dentists, I found Dr. Mastro is the best.

My smile has never been prettier.

— Patti Simmons Miss Georgia USA, 2000

Dr. Mastro is a unique dentist with his artistic expression developed through years of hand crafting crowns, veneers and bridges. Today, with the aid of the most advanced technology available, Dr. Mastro can care for patients’ complete dental needs from oral surgery and implants to fillings and general cleanings. Dr. Mastro is legendary for quality dentistry and for transforming smiles for people from all walks of life.

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