The Atlanta Opera's 3 Decembers

THREE

DECEMBERS MUSIC BY JAKE HEGGIE | LIBRETTO BY GENE SCHEER

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John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” As the 2014-15 season draws to a close, I’d like to welcome you to the Atlanta Opera’s future. With tonight’s performance of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, we inaugurate our new Discoveries series. When we conceived the idea, we wanted to create productions dedicated to our audience members who are looking for new works, new ideas, and fresh perspectives.

I have often written in this space about the renaissance that is underway in the world of opera, and how the United States is the epicenter of that renaissance. Three Decembers is one of the best examples. Written in the 21st century with corresponding sensibilities and sophistication, it deals with timeless themes in new ways.

Discoveries will not limit itself to only new works. It will also seek out less frequently produced classical works and apply that same sensibility and sophistication to them.

Undertaking such an adventure is not without risk, and we are grateful to everyone who has made it possible, especially our launch underwriting sponsors, John and Rosemary Brown.

Over the summer, you will hear more about Discoveries. We hope you will join us on the adventure. In the meantime, thank you for being with us tonight.

Enjoy the show!

Tomer Zvulun General & Artistic Director The Atlanta Opera 8

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Three Decembers CREDiTS MUSiC Jake Heggie liBRETTO Gene Scheer, based on the play Some Christmas Letters by Terrence McNally fiRST PERfORMANCE Houston Grand Opera, Cullen Theater, Feb. 29, 2008

CONDUCTOR & PiANiST Steven Osgood PRODUCTiON DiRECTOR Emma Griffin SCENiC DESiGNER Laura Jellinek COSTUME DESiGNER Joanna Schmink liGHTiNG DESiGNER Ken Yunker WiG & MAKEUP DESiGNER Melanie Steele

CAST (iN ORDER Of vOCAl APPEARANCE) CHARliE Jesse Blumberg BEATRiCE Jennifer Black MADEliNE MiTCHEll Theodora Hanslowe

MUSiCAl PREPARATiON & PiANiST Lynn Baker ASSiSTANT STAGE DiRECTOR Marcus Shields STAGE MANAGER Greg Boyle ASSiSTANT STAGE MANAGER Emma Ramsay-Saxon

Performed in English.

Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera.

Approximate running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The production will be performed without an intermission.

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SynopSiS

Three DeCemberS The two adult children of famous actress Madeline Mitchell, have not come to terms with their mother’s absorption with her career and her resultant neglect of them. Their father, an actor, died in an accident when they were very small, and Madeline (Maddy) rationalizes that as a single mother and breadwinner it was necessary to put her career first.

Maddy’s daughter, Beatrice, and son, Charlie, are dealing with enormous problems: Bea is unhappily married and 12

seeks comfort from alcohol, while Charlie is about to lose his partner to AIDS. When Madeline is nominated for a Tony Award, she invites Charlie and Bea to attend the awards ceremony. She and Bea plan to meet at her apartment beforehand to get dressed, but Maddy doesn’t show up on time. Once again let down by her mother, Bea drinks. When Maddy finally arrives and sees the state Bea is in, she compares her to her father, setting off a chain reaction of recrimination, revelation, and, at long last, resolution.

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10 y rt r a of A Ma y 23, 2015–Janu m u se Mu at the High

FOR TICKETS, VISIT OR CALL: high.org/seriouslysilly | 404.733.5000 This exhibition is organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts. Support for the organization of the exhibition has been generously provided by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Support in Atlanta is made possible by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and Inaugural Grandparents Circle of Support.

proDUCTion noTe inspiration to compose. It always has.

The alone time is terribly important, but the creative interaction invigorates my imagination like nothing else.

During the past 15 years, I have been fortunate to collaborate not only with some of the great singers of our time, but with inspirational conductors, directors, instrumentalists, arts administrators, and most of all: wonderful writers.

photo Art & Clarity

Collaborations with writers are especially important because, of course, without words there could be no songs and no opera. I cannot fathom why it is common practice in opera to leave the librettist’s name off the billing. Why is it only Mozart’s Così fan tutte and not Mozart and Da Ponte’s? Yes, music makes it an opera. But if the libretto isn’t strong, the opera will be flawed. A composer may write fabulous music, but a weak libretto can kill it as an opera. It is theater, and a good libretto gives the composer the best chance to create a successful opera.

FirST, The WorDS: JAKe heGGIe ON The ArT OF cOLLAbOrATION Composition can be a lonely business.

You spend days or even months by yourself, sometimes writing easily, sometimes smashing your head on a table or a keyboard to get any notes out at all. That is alternately enjoyable and frustrating. But a theater composer by nature has an intense need to be connected with people. For me, collaboration is what delivers the most 14

When I was a teenager, I set my own texts and wrote pop songs and musical theater ballads (I was sure I’d be writing for Barbra Streisand and Carly Simon.

No dice.) But when I was 17, my first composition teacher, the late Ernst Bacon, introduced me to poetry by Emily Dickenson and Walt Whitman and after that, nothing was the same. Those poems leapt off the page and sang to me, and throughout my twenties I wrote songs based on poetry by wonderful dead authors. A great and rewarding challenge, but very lonely. Rewrites are out, and there’s no way to call and ask what this or that meant to the writer.

In my late 20s, I suffered an injury to my right hand (focal dystonia) that forced me to stop playing piano, and

proDUCTion noTe as a result I stopped composing, too.

In 1993, I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco and landed a job first at Cal Performances, and then at San Francisco Opera as the staff writer. I was in the public relations and marketing department and interacted with some of the world’s great singers on a daily basis.

A few of them – first and foremost the amazing Frederica von Stade – became very good friends and inspired me to compose again. Thanks to watching rehearsals for Conrad Susa and Philip Littell’s The Dangerous Liaisons, I became interested in collaborating with a writer.

So, for countertenor Brian Asawa and baritone Earle Patriarco, I asked my friend John Hall in Los Angeles for new texts (Encountertenor and Thoughts Unspoken).

For soprano Nicolle Foland, I went to Bay Area poet Gini Savage (Natural Selection).

For soprano Kristin Clayton, it was Philip Littell (Eve-Song). For Frederica von Stade, she herself wrote the words (Paper Wings, On the Road to Christmas, and Winter Roses). For Jennifer Larmore, it was Gavin Dillard (Of Gods and Cats), and so on. I also continued to set the classic

poets, and it was a rich time of learning and growing through lively exchange, challenge, and comparison. This period of exploration with writers led to a conversation that changed my life forever.

In 1996, Lotfi Mansouri, who was then general director at San Francisco Opera, called me into his office and said, “I want you to write a new opera for the millennium. And I want to send you to New York to meet with Terrence McNally.

I think you would make a great team.”

Now remember, I was the PR guy at the time. The PR guy who wrote songs.

So how is a 35 year-old composer supposed to respond to that? A new work for San Francisco Opera? With Terrence McNally? It seemed impossible, improbable, terrifying, and incredibly exciting. What young composer would turn it down?

I met with Terrence in May of 1996 when he was still working on the musical Ragtime and preparing his play Love! Valor!

Compassion! to be made into a movie. He was also moving to a new apartment and sorting through his vast record collection.

Joyce DiDonato and Phillip Cutlip in the Houston Grand Opera's production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking in 2011. photo Felix Sanchez for Houston Grand Opera

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proDUCTion noTe

Keith Phares, Frederica von Stade, and Kristin Clayton in the original Houston Grand Opera production of Three Decembers. photo Brett Croomer for Houston Grand Opera

He was a bit distracted. Lotfi had proposed a comedy for the millennium.

Terrence wasn’t interested. I thought it was a no-go, and then I got a surprise phone call in February 1997. Terrence wanted to meet and talk about the opera. We met in June. He said the words Dead Man Walking and life again took a surprising turn. It was the last thing I’d expected to hear — but it was an inspired idea.

We talked about how we would work together and Terrence told me up front that he is not a poet, a novelist, or a librettist per se. He is a playwright. And he told me he would write a play and set up scenes and dialogue that he hoped would inspire music. If I felt the music taking me in a certain direction and the words were not going there, he would rewrite, or I could fill in with my own words and he’d work on it later. It was to be a real exchange and collaboration.

Terrence has a famous passion for opera and a brilliant sense of how to set things up to work on the stage. All I had to do was trust, listen, feel, and write.

After discussing the opera for about nine months, Terrence was ready to write the 16

first act of the libretto. He wanted me to be with him, so in March 1998 we flew to his house in Key West. On the cab ride to the airport, the main hymn, “He will gather us around” came to me, so I knew it would be a good trip. He wrote the first-act libretto in four days and then read it to me. Six months later, in December 1998, I played through Act I for him at his house in Bridgehampton, and he wrote the second-act libretto in four days. Less than a year later, we had the entire opera.

Revisions after a workshop in August of 1999 were minimal, and I had plenty of time to orchestrate. Throughout, there was a constant exchange of thoughts and ideas.

I had found a generous collaborator with an innate sense of how opera differs from straight theater, and what it does best. I had also found a great friend and mentor. That first major collaboration has served as the standard and model for every collaboration I have had since. It was my good fortune to start by working with the very best.

I learned several big lessons through that experience. Collaborators are creative partners who will often work together for many years. To make it work, each has

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proDUCTion noTe to respect the other and share a common goal. They have to be able to depend upon each other. And they have to be flexible enough to see other points of view and make changes, but also know when to defend a position. They cannot be afraid to speak their minds, but must do so constructively — and always for the strength and benefit of the work.

chamber opera for three characters. Gene felt inspired by it, and agreed to create a libretto based on the play, and that is how Three Decembers came to be. My two primary writing collaborators in the same project. Plus Patrick Summers, Leonard Foglia, the phenomenal Flicka von Stade, Kristin Clayton and Keith Phares. It was a dream come true.

Working with Terrence inspired me to go on to several other gratifying collaborations, including original works with Armistead Maupin, Sister Helen Prejean, and Charlene Baldridge, among others. I also collaborated with Terrence to create a musical scene for soprano called At the Statue of Venus, and I set the final monologue from his play Master Class. These collaborations subsequently informed my perspective on classic poems and texts, and have actually given me a new freedom to explore those with fresh eyes.

The freedom and adventure I find in fresh, lively collaborations has led me to work almost exclusively with living writers now.

Somehow, everything about the work feels more vibrant, flexible, and theatrical this way. Maybe later I’ll get back to some of the dead guys and gals whose work I adore. But for now, it is intensely rewarding to be able to look somebody in the eye and say, “So, I have this idea…”

—This article was originally published by Houston Grand Opera | Courtesy of San Francisco Opera

In 2004, I finally had the opportunity to work with the very gifted writer Gene Scheer. When we met, I knew I’d found a collaborator for life. From day one, there was a natural ease and free-flowing exchange of ideas. Gene works passionately and with infectious enthusiasm. We have great respect for each other’s work and we enjoy being together. We challenge each other, inspire each other, and feel free to comment on all aspects of our work together. My work is definitely better thanks to working with him, and I know he feels the same about his own work. He’s quick and prolific and in a short time we’ve written several song cycles and two stage works.

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For seven years, I searched for the right circumstances to create a music theater piece based on Terrence’s short play Some Christmas Letters. I wanted it to be a

Frederica von Stade, and Keith Phares in the original production of Three Decembers. photo Brett Croomer for Houston Grand Opera

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CAST & CreATive TheoDorA hAnSLoWe MADEliNE MiTCHEll ATlANTA OPERA DEBUT

Mezzo-soprano Theodora Hanslowe has performed leading roles in opera houses and on concert stages throughout the world. Career highlights include the title role in La Cenerentola; Rosina in The Barber of Seville and Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri at the Metropolitan Opera; Cenerentola with San Francisco Opera and at the Semper Oper Dresden; Isabella with Los Angeles Opera; the title character in Chérubin with Opéra de MonteCarlo; Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires; Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in Los Angeles, Detroit and Baltimore; and the title role in Saariaho’s Adriana Mater for Santa Fe Opera. Most recently at the Met, Ms. Hanslowe performed the role of the Countess in the new William Kentridge production of The Nose, and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, both in New York and on tour in Japan. She has been a soloist with the Boston Symphony, the Tanglewood Festival, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Bilbao Symphony, among others. With the St. Louis Symphony she debuted at Carnegie Hall as the featured artist in Les nuits d’été. She has performed Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, at Bravo!Vail Music Festival, and with the Stuttgart Rundfunk Orchestra.

Ms. Hanslowe is active in recital and chamber music, including numerous appearances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

JenniFer bLACK BEATRiCE ATlANTA OPERA DEBUT

Lyric soprano Jennifer Black is in high demand on international opera and concert stages. Recent seasons saw her Munich Philharmonic debut performing Musetta in La bohème, her Santa Barbara Symphony debut performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and a return to the Castleton Festival as the soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. On the opera stage, she performed the role of Mimì in La bohème in her Seattle Opera debut, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette in a return to Arizona Opera, Norina in Don Pasquale in a return to the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse in her role début, and made a return to the Metropolitan Opera for its production of La rondine. Ms. Black also recently performed Adina in L’elisir d’amore with the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, and thrilled audiences as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and as Elle in the one-woman production La voix humaine for the Castleton Festival with Maestro Lorin Maazel. Current and future engagements include a return to the Met for productions of Macbeth and La donna del lago, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Baltimore Symphony, Lida in La Battaglia di Legnano with Sarasota Opera, Strauss’ Four Last Songs with Ridgefield Symphony, and Desdemona in Otello with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

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CAST & CREATiVE JESSE BLUMBERG CHArLIE ATLANTA OpErA DEbuT

Baritone Jesse Blumberg is an artist equally at home on opera, concert, and recital stages. In the 2014-15 season he makes his debut with Hawaii Opera Theater as Anthony in Sweeney Todd and appears in concert with Boston Baroque, Apollo’s Fire, the Boston Early Music Festival, American Bach Soloists, and Green Mountain Project. Recent seasons saw his return to Minnesota Opera as Papageno in The Magic Flute, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Kentucky Opera, Handel's Messiah with Boston Baroque, and appearances with American Bach Soloists and Boston Early Music Festival. Additional highlights include his Anchorage Opera debut as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, the world premiere of Positions 1956 at Urban Arias, the Celebrant in Bernstein’s Mass at London’s Royal Festival Hall under the baton of Marin Alsop, Mr. Lockwood in Wuthering Heights at Minnesota Opera and Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos with Boston Lyric Opera. Mr. Blumberg created the role of Connie Rivers in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath at Minnesota Opera, and later made his Utah and Pittsburgh Opera debuts in the same production. He has given the world premieres of two important chamber works, Ricky Ian Gordon’s Green Sneakers and Lisa Bielawa’s The Lay of the Love and Death. Mr. Blumberg is the founder and artistic director of Five Boroughs Music Festival in New York City.

STEVEN OSGOOD CONDuCTOr ATLANTA OpErA DEbuT

Steven Osgood is a conductor whose repertoire ranges from the baroque through the contemporary era’s most challenging works. Mr. Osgood has conducted the world premieres of a dozen operas, including works

by Tan Dun, Xenakis, Missy Mazzoli and Daron Hagen. The 201415 season included premieres of As One by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed with American Opera Projects, and The Scarlet Ibis by Stefan Weisman with the Prototype Festival. Mr. Osgood was Artistic Director of American Opera Projects from 2001 until 2008, during which time he created the company’s renowned Composers and the Voice fellowship program. In recent seasons he has appeared with Opera Memphis, Chautauqua Opera, Fort Worth Opera, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Manhattan School of Music, Edmonton Opera, and the Netherlands Opera. He has been a member of the music staff at the Metropolitan Opera since 2006. Upcoming engagements in the 2015-16 season include the premiere this summer of Jeremy Howard Beck’s The Long Walk at Opera Saratoga, the premiere of Gilgamesh by Paola Prestini and Cerise Jacobs with Beth Morrison Productions, Mr. Osgood’s debut with Los Angeles Opera conducting Mazzoli’s Song From the Uproar, and the world premiere of J.F.K. by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek at the Fort Worth Opera Festival.

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CAST & CreATive emmA GriFFin STAGE DiRECTOR ATlANTA OPERA DEBUT

Emma Griffin is a theater and opera director based in Cincinnati and New York City. She is a frequent collaborator on new music/theater pieces, including Phil Kline’s Out Cold & Zippo Songs at BAM’s Next Wave Festival, Corey Dargel’s Thirteen Near Death Experiences and Removable Parts (winner of Outstanding Performance Art Production at NY Innovative Theater Awards), and Susan Bernfield and Rachel Peters’ Stretch, a fantasia. Ms. Griffin’s opera credits include Don Giovanni at Boston Lyric Opera, The Cunning Little Vixen and Les Mamelles de Tirésias at Juilliard Opera; Wozzeck at the Opera Philadelphia/ Curtis Opera Theater; and I Capuleti e i Montecchi, The Rake’s Progress, Postcard From Morocco, and The Magic Flute at Curtis Opera Theater.

Ms. Griffin was the Artistic Director of the Obie Award-winning Salt Theater, where her highlights include Stage Door (FringeNYC Excellence Award as Best Director), The Cherry Orchard, Scenes From a Marriage, and Conquest of the Universe. Her regional theater credits include productions with Perseverance Theater, Geva Theater Center, Syracuse Stage, Southern Rep, Actor’s Express, Virginia Stage, and Williamstown Theater Festival. She is developing The Three Christs, a new work by composer Corey Dargel for the NEWSPEAK ensemble; and Joan Crawford, composed by Phil Kline. Ms. Griffin is a Professor of Opera Stage Direction at the College Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati.

LAUrA JeLLineK SCENiC DESiGNER ATlANTA OPERA DEBUT

Laura Jellinek is an opera and theater designer based in Brooklyn.

Recent opera productions include Don Giovanni at Boston Lyric Opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites for Opera Philadelphia, The Cunning Little Vixen for Juilliard Opera Theater; Handel’s Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Orlando Paladino at Manhattan School of Music. Her selected theater credits include The Nether and The Village Bike for Manhattan Class Company, Buzzer at the Public Theater, Small Mouth Sounds for Ars Nova, Your Mother’s Copy of the Kama Sutra at Playwrights Horizons, and What Rhymes With America for the Atlantic Theater Company. She has also designed multiple projects with Daniel Fish, The Debate Society and The Mad Ones. Ms. Jellinek’s upcoming projects include a new production of Oklahoma! at Bard SummerScape directed by Daniel Fish, and new work at Playwrights Horizons. She received her M.F.A. from New York University and is the recipient of a 2013 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Set Design.

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CAST & CreATive JoAnnA SChminK COSTUME DESiGNER ATlANTA OPERA DEBUT: Così fan tutte, 2000

Joanna Schmink has provided costume designs and coordination for The Atlanta Opera for 23 seasons. As a designer, she has created original work for productions of Così fan tutte, Fidelio, Cold Sassy Tree, La rondine, La traviata, Porgy and Bess and many others.

Ms. Schmink also works as a freelance designer in Atlanta and the Southeast designing for the Alliance Theatre Company, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Horizon Theatre Company, and 7 Stages.

Her work in regional companies includes productions with Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Memphis Ballet, Augusta Ballet and Music Mansion Theater.

Ken yUnKer liGHTiNG DESiGNER

Ken Yunker is Resident Lighting Designer for Sarasota Opera Association, Lighting Director of FIO Americas Brazil, and a principal designer for the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre Company (world premieres of The Geller Girls, What I Learned in Paris, Bluish, Day of Kings, Leap, Good People, Into the Woods, August: Osage County, Avenue X, and Aladdin). Mr. Yunker has designed more than 50 productions for The Atlanta Opera, including Der Fliegende Hollander, Basil Twist’s Hansel and Gretel, Turandot, Aida, Eugene Onegin, Der Rosenkavalier, Porgy and Bess, and Fidelio. National credits include Florida Grand Opera, Bermuda Arts Festival, Utah Symphony and Opera, Tulsa Opera, Fort Worth Opera, San Antonio Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and Arizona Opera. Credits in Atlanta include Georgia Shakespeare, Theatre in the Square, True Colors, Theatrical Outfit, Georgia Ensemble, Atlanta Lyric, Ballethnic Dance Company, Rotaru Ballet, Brenau University, Georgia State University, Clayton State University and Emory University. Regional awards include the Suzie Bass Award for The Geller Girls and Avenue X, with nominations for August: Osage County, Into the Woods, Rejoice, and The Persians; Abbey Artist of the Year nomination; Creative Loafing lighting award in Best of Atlanta; Theatre in the Square Jenny Award; seven total for Best Lighting. Mr. Yunker is a member of United Scenic Artists #829.

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CAST & CreATive JAKe heGGie COMPOSER

Jake Heggie is the composer of the operas Moby-Dick, Dead Man Walking, Three Decembers, To Hell and Back, The End of the Affair, Out of Darkness, and the choral opera, The Radio Hour. He has also composed more than 250 songs, as well as chamber, choral and orchestral works. The operas, most created with writers Terrence McNally and Gene Scheer, have been produced on five continents.

Moby-Dick (Scheer) was telecast throughout the United States in 2013 as part of Great Performances’ 40th Season and released on DVD (EuroArts). Dead Man Walking (McNally) has received more than 40 international productions and has been recorded twice (Atlantic Records and Virgin Classics). A Guggenheim Fellow, Heggie has served as a mentor for the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, and is a frequent guest artist at universities, conservatories and festivals throughout the USA and Canada. Upcoming commissions include Great Scott (McNally) for The Dallas Opera, starring Joyce DiDonato; songs for mezzo Jamie Barton and cellist Anne Martindale Williams (Pittsburgh Symphony, Carnegie Hall); an a cappella work for The King’s Singers; and a new work based on It’s A Wonderful Life for Houston Grand Opera. www.jakeheggie.com

Gene SCheer liBRETTiST

Gene Scheer’s work is noted for its scope and versatility. With the composer Jake Heggie he has collaborated on a number of different projects, including the critically acclaimed 2010 Dallas Opera world premiere, Moby-Dick, starring Ben Heppner as Captain Ahab; Three Decembers for Houston Grand Opera starring Frederica von Stade; and the lyric drama To Hell and Back for Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, featuring Patti LuPone. Other works by Scheer and Heggie include Camille Claudel: Into the fire, a song cycle premiered by Joyce di Donato and the Alexander String Quartet. Mr. Scheer worked as librettist with Tobias Picker on An American Tragedy, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005. Their first opera, Thérèse Raquin, written for the Dallas Opera in 2001, was cited by Opera News as one of the ten best recordings of 2002. Other recent collaborations include the lyrics for Wynton Marsalis’s It Never Goes Away. With the composer Steven Stucky, Mr. Scheer wrote the oratorio August 4, 1964. The work, recently nominated for a Grammy, was premiered by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and last season was performed by the orchestra, with Jaap van Zweden conducting, at Carnegie Hall. Also a composer in his own right, Mr. Scheer has written a number of songs for singers such as Renée Fleming, Sylvia McNair, Stephanie Blythe, Jennifer Larmore, Denyce Graves, and Nathan Gunn. The distinguished documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, prominently featured Mr. Scheer’s song “American Anthem” (as sung by Norah Jones) in his Emmy Award-winning World War II documentary for PBS entitled The War. 24

The ATLAnTA operA orCheSTrA vioLinS Peter Ciaschini Concertmaster Helen Kim Assistant Concertmaster Fia Durrett Principal Second Violin

oboe / enGLiSh horn Dane Philipsen Principal

CeLLo Charae Krueger Principal

ALTo SAXophone / SoprAno SAXophone Jan Berry Baker

bASS Lyn DeRamus Principal

perCUSSion Michael Cebulski Principal

CLArineT / bASS CLArineT David Odom Principal

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

FLUTe James Zellers Principal

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photo Jeff Roffman

CommUniTy enGAGemenT

The Atlanta Opera joined with the High Museum of Art for Toperoke on May 1, an event combining music and the exhibit "Los Trompos" in the Sifley Piazza. Tenor Ivan Segovia serenedes onlookers. photo: Scott Hazleton

Each season, The Atlanta Opera steps beyond the mainstage to bring opera of the highest caliber to locations throughout the Atlanta metro area. We offer programming and experiences for a wide variety of ages, from the novice to the super fan and everyone in between.

On May 1, The Atlanta Opera began a new collaboration with the High Museum of Art as we participated in a special public performance celebrating the new site-specific art exhibition “Los Trompos” (“Spinning Tops”). Created by artists Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, the exhibit draws inspiration from a child’s spinning top and features colorful, larger-than-life tops installed throughout the Sifly Piazza at the Woodruff Arts Center. The Opera created individual micro-concerts of music ranging from Gluck to Gershwin, performed inside several of the structures, and enjoyed by spectators who interacted with the tops and the singers. The exhibit is on display through Nov. 29; the Opera will reprise its performance Sept. 4.

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Our Studio Tour this season was a charming one-hour reduction of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, which visited middle and high schools and was seen by more than 6,000 students. An encore presentation was given at the High Museum on Mother’s Day, May 10, as part of the museum’s Family Day. Additionally, the Opera created a supplementary performance component to the High’s photography exhibit “Gordon Parks: Segregation Story,” which is on display through June 21. More than 300 students were led through the galleries by museum docents, culminating in a presentation of three songs by soprano Jayme Alilaw. The musical selections reflected the singer’s response to the exhibit, providing students with an opportunity to experience other artists’ interpretations of the world portrayed in Parks’ photographs.

From June 8-12, we will present High School Opera Institute, reimagined as a weeklong intensive workshop for talented high school singers to explore aspects of audition preparation. The Institute

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT will take place at Emory University and includes individual and group voice lessons, music and diction coaching, as well as classes in acting, movement, improvisation, and professional development. The week culminates in a mock audition/recital for parents and friends.

Building on our successful collaboration with the comedy geniuses at Dad’s Garage at this year’s 24 Hour Opera Project, the Opera will once again participate in the Dad’s Garage Gala. This year’s gala at the Fox Theatre on June 13 will feature several of our intrepid and agile singers joining forces with the performers from Dad’s to create improvised musical hilarity.

audience members across the Atlanta metro area. We are grateful for their support. We encourage you to learn more about our community programs by visiting us at atlantaopera.org.

Mezzo-soprano Abigail Halon sings and becomes part of the interactive "Los Trompos" exhibit at the High Museum of Art. photo: Scott Hazleton

Our community and education partners are instrumental in helping The Atlanta Opera to bring the power and passion of opera to thousands of students and

Karen Portaleo Cake and Chocolate Artist

Beautiful, artistic, and delicious cakes created for any event. karen@karenportaleo.com | 678-480-6391 | karenportaleo.com

AnnUAL GivinG The following names represent gifts from individuals, The Atlanta Opera Board of Directors, Staff, Chorus, and Orchestra. We express our most sincere thanks and appreciation to each of our donors. Their ongoing support allows The Atlanta Opera to continue building on its tradition of excellence by introducing new works and reimagining classics.

Listed are pledges and payments to The Annual Fund, The Society for Artistic Excellence, and The Overtures Campaign from July 1, 2013 through April 16, 2015. diamond $200,000+ Nancy & Jim Bland John & Rosemary Brown Ann & Frank Critz *Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Keough Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg

diamond (continued) Bob & Cappa Woodward The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund

$25,000+ Mr. & Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Julie & Jim Balloun Mr. & Mrs. Andy Berg $100,000+ Mr. & Mrs. John Michael Hancock The Laura & Montague Boyd Foundation Mr. Howard W. Hunter Martha Thompson Dinos - Gramma Fisher Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross Mrs. Dale Levert & Mr. George Levert $50,000+ Mr. & *Mrs. Harmon B. Miller III Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Mr. William E. Pennington John L. Hammaker Mr. James D. Powell & Mr. Mitchell J. Czeh Candy & Greg Johnson Baker & Debby Smith Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Mr. William F. Snyder Mr. & Mrs. William E. Tucker Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson

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diamond (continued) Judith & Mark Taylor Charlie & Dorothy Yates Family Fund $15,000+ Cathy & Mark Adams Bryan & Johanna Barnes Mr. David W. Boatwright The Estate of Roy A. Dorsey Mr. & Mrs. William J. Hayes Mr. & Mrs. Wayne James Mr. John O. King Mary Ruth McDonald C. Dave & Carla Moody Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Paulhus Edward W. Phares Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk

AnnUAL GivinG Platinum $10,000+ Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Dr. R. Dwain Blackston Mr. Edward A. Chernoff Mr. Mario Concha Heike & Dieter Elsner Mrs. Bernadette Faber & Mr. John Nadobny Mr. Arthur Fagen Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey Carl & Sally Gable James M. Kane & Andrea Braslavsky Kane Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy, Jr. & Dr. Bill Kenny Dr. & Mrs. James Lowman Mr. & Mrs. Jack C. McDowell Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Ms. Franca G. Oreffice Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Teepen Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Weber Thomas R. Williams Family Jane S. Willson Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland $5,000+ Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Phillip E. Alvelda Dr. Florence C. Barnett Dr. Asad Bashey Jean & Jerry Cooper Col. & Mrs. Edgar W. Duskin Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Nancy & Holcombe Green Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. & Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr. Drs. Aileen O'Neil & Richard Robinson John & Barbara Ross Milton J. Sams Sachin Shailendra Mr. & Mrs. Timothy E. Sheehan Morton & Angela Sherzer Johannah Smith Yee-Wan & John Stevens Mrs. Hugh M. Tarbutton Dr. Nicholas Valerio III Mrs. Wadleigh C. Winship Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle Mr. Allen W. Yee, Esq. $2,500+ Anonymous Mrs. Elizabeth Tufts Bennett Ms. Mary D. Bray Mr. Ron Breakstone Dr. Harold J. Brody

Platinum (continued) Dr. & Bruce A. Cassidy & Dr. Eda Hochgelerent Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein Mr. Robert S. Devins Dr. & Mrs. Donald J. Filip Dr. Mary M. Finn Mr. James Flanagan Caroline & *Harry Gilham Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Harald Hansen Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Hantula Mr. L. D. Holland Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Howard Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison Mrs. Theodora S. Johnson Mrs. Cecile M. Jones Mr. Brian Leetch Ms. Salli LeVan Ms. Linda L. Lively & Mr. James E. Hugh III Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Mrs. Polly N. Pater Mr. David Paule & Mr. Gary Mann Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Shreiber Dr. & Mrs. Patton P. Smith Mr. Peter James Stelling Mr. & Mrs. George B. Taylor, Jr. Gold $1,000+ Anonymous Mr. Michael M. Arens & Mr. Jeffrey M. Daniel Mr. Steven Astriab Atlanta Opera Guild Mr. & Mrs. Walter Bailey Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard Mrs. Wallace F. Beard Michael L. & Valerie W. Benoit Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney Mrs. Enrique E. Bledel Dr. J. Bricker Burns Ms. Lynnore Buersmeyer Barbara S. Bruner, M.D. Mr. & Mrs. John Calhoun Mrs. Stella M. Carlson Mrs. Carol J. Clark Mrs. Jan W. Collins Dr. John W. Cooledge Mr & Mrs. Michael J. Curry Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly , Jr. Ms. Suzanne Mott Dansby Dr. Morgan Eiland & Dr. Susan Eiland Mr. & Mrs. John C. Ethridge, Jr. Ms. Martha Fineman Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich

Gold (continued) John Gam, Ph. D. Peg Simms Gary R. Derril Gay, Ph.D. Ms. Lois M. Grant & Mr. Keith F. Weiland Mrs. John W. Grant III Mrs. Helen C. Griffith Sylvia Halleck, M.D. Mr. George L. Hickman, III Mr. & Mrs. Howell Hollis III Ann P. Howington Mr. & Mrs. David C. Huffman Dr. & Mrs. Duke Jackson, Jr. Mrs. Joseph W. Jones Mr. & Mrs. Gert Kampfer Ronnie & Peter Kessenich Marsha & David King Ms. Eleanor Kinsey Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Klump Mrs. Treville Lawrence Dr. Jason Liebzeit Mr. & Mrs. J. David Lifsey Dr. Carlos E. Lopez Dr. Jill Mabley Jeanie & Albert Marx Dan D. Maslia Margaret McCamish Shelley McGehee Mr. & Mrs. Robert McKeeman Mr. & Mrs. John McMullan Ms. Mimi S. Monett Ms. Priscilla M. Moran Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Muckler Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III Ms. Beverley Paquette Lucy S. Perry Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence S. Phillips Mrs. Betsy Pittman Mr. & Mrs. Daniel V. Pompilio III The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Dr. Michael F. Pratt & Nancy Peterman Mr. David Pylate Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi Lynne & Kent Regenstein Mr. Shawn Rieschl Johnson & Mr. Christian Kirby R.J. & D.G. Riffey, Jr. Sidney & Phyllis Rodbell Mr. & Mrs. George P. Rodrigue Dr. & Mrs.Mark Rowles Mr. Fred B. Smith The Estate of Ms. Barbara Stewart Jane Stoddard Steve & Christine Strong Ms. Melinda R. Stuk Mr. Paul Stuk Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman

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AnnUAL GivinG Gold (continued) Dr. & Mrs. Michael Szikman Troy Taylor Dr. Richard Thio Mr. Stephen H. Thompson & Mr. Drew Mote Ms. Lillianette Cook & Ms. Carol C. Uhl Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Ventulett III Ms. Juliana T. Vincenzino Rae & George W. Weimer Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr. Ms. Linda D. Wickham Larry & Beverly Willson Mrs. Frank Wilson, Jr. Ms. Jerrie Woodward Sherrilyn & Donn Wright Mrs. Sarah Zabinski & Mr. Andrzej Zabinski $500+ Anonymous Mr. Keith E. Adams Mr. & Mrs. C. S. Akers, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. David S. Baker Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Banker Mr. & Mrs. Kenny L. Blank Ms. Martha S. Brewer Bob & Marion Bunker Mrs. Constance Calhoun Dr. Earle Clowney Mr. & Mrs. Don S. Coatsworth Mr. & Mrs. Newt Collinson Maureen & Michael Dailey Mr. Philip A. Delanty Jim & Carol Dew Ms. Elsie Draper Mr. & Mrs. Charles M. Edwards III Ms. Ariana B. Fass Mrs. Arnoldo Fiedotin Mr. & Mrs. Michael Flaherty Mr. & Mrs. Lance Fortnow Mr. James Gary Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke Mr. & Mrs. Donald Goldstein Judge Adele P. Grubbs Ms. Louise S. Gunn Mr. Noel F. Haeberle & Mr. Kenneth Jones Mr. Michael Hand Donna & Richard Hiller Mr. Scott Ingram Mrs. Lou Brown Jewell Mr. Robert L. Karem, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Edward Katze Mr. & Mrs. Fred R. Keith Dr. & Mrs. John L. Keller Mrs. Jo W. Koch Joan & Arnold Kurth Douglas W. & Sarah Mabry

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Gold (continued) Ms. Kathrin Mattox Mr. Thomas L. McCook Mr. & Mrs. Norman Miller Ms. Sharon Mills Mr. & Mrs. Peter J. Morelli II The Mortimer Family Mrs. Thespi P. Mortimer Dr. Patricia S. Moulton Barbara & Mark Murovitz Jane & Jim Murray Terri & Stephen Nagler Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Naman John & Agnes Nelson The Honorable & Mrs. George A. Novak Mr. John Owens Mr. & Mrs. John Payan Mr. James L. Rhoden Ms. Heidi M. Rockwood Mr. John B. Rofrano Sandra & Ronald Rousseau Walid Said Mr. Stuart Schleuse Mr. Robert Sidewater Olinda & John Simon Dr. Susan Y. Stevens Mr. Tarek Takieddine Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor Ms. Virginia S. Taylor Ms. Michelle M. Thomas Mr. James Todd Constance W.Treloar Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Tuller Mr. Mark O'Connell Dr. & Mrs. James H. Venable Mr. & Mrs. Leroy Walden Henry Waszkowski & Patty Thomas Alan & Marcia Watt Ms. Reba P. Welch Janice West William Wilkinson & Robert K. Bellinger Ms. Venette M. Williams Jone Williams Mr. Russell Williamson & Ms. Shawn Pagliarini Dr. & Ms. David W. Wingert $350+ Anonymous Mrs. Judith Alembik Mr. & Mrs. William A. Allison Ms. Joselyn B. Baker Mr. & Mrs. Michael Barker Ms. Lauren A. Benevich Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Betor Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Blumenthal Mr. Gregory Carraway

Gold (continued) Mr. & Mrs. Raymond H. Chenault Mr. N. Jerold Cohen & Ms. Andrea Strickland Dr. & Mrs. Sheldon B. Cohen Mr. Lawrence M. Cohen Dr. Malcolm H. Cole Ms. Sally Combs Mrs. June Crawford Mr. John Cullom Dr. & Mrs. Albert De Chicchis Mr. & Mrs. Arthur R. Dugger Mr. Mark duMas Ms. DeeAnn E. Evans Rita Evans Jim & Virginia Hale Dean & Vivian Haulton James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Mr. & Mrs. James Horgan Mrs. Sally Horntvedt Dr. Karen Kuehn Howell Ms. Annette Janowitz Chris & Jill Le Mr. Sidney E. Linton Livvy Kazer Lipson Mr. Albert C. Loebe Dr. Robert & Judge Stephanie Manis Katherine B. Maxwell & Michael J. Maxwell Mr. Thomas L. McCook Anne Lanier Mursch Mr. & Mrs. J. Vernon O'Neal, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard Newton Mr. & Mrs. Henry C. Parrish III Mr. & Mrs. Guy Paschal Edward & Marjorie Patterson Mr. Darryl C. Payne & Ms. Lisa Richardson Mr. W. Ray Persons Mr. Lawrence F. Pinson Stephen L. Rann Mr. James Rollins Mr. Hervey S. Ross Ms. Lorraine Russell Weslyn A. Samson Dr. & Mrs. Joseph M. Scanlan Katherine Scott Helga Hazelrig Siegel Dr. & Mrs. Stanley J. Smits Scott L. Snead Mrs. Eleanor H. Strain Sarah & David Sutherland Carolyn & Robert Swain Mr. Bernd Ulken Mrs. James B. Vaught Mary Jane & Jorge Vilanova Mrs. Linda P. Vinal

AnnUAL GivinG Mr. & Mrs. A. E. Westmoreland, Jr. Virginia S. Williams Mrs. Johnnie Zahler & Jeanette Zahler Mr. & Mrs. John Zellner Silver $100+ Anonymous Rev. Joanna & Mr. Alfred B. Adams Hilda S. Adams Mr. Thomas A. Adams, Jr. Mr. Herb Adcock Mr. & Mrs. Harold H. Alexander Dr. Catherine Allard Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen Dr. Robert J. & Mrs. Lynne S. Alpern Mr. James D. Altman Ms. Susan M. Alvarez Mr. & Mrs. William F. Amideo Mr. Scott & Ms. Sandra Anderson Ms. Oana Andreescu Dr. & Mrs. Dan J. Appelrouth Dr. & Mrs. Charles R. Arp, Jr. Mrs. Elizabeth A. Bair Ms. Mary M. Ball Dr. & Mrs. John Barnes Ms. Beverly Bates Boris Bauer Mr. Brian D. Beem Dr. & Mrs. Frank C. Bell Mr. Albert E. Bender, Jr. Daniel & Bethann Berger Mr. I. Robert Beton Ms. Jane Beylouny Elen Bianchelli Mr. Gary L. Bivins Mr. Matt Blackburn Albert K. Blackwelder Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Blackwood Mr. & Mrs. Mike Boaz Mrs. Martha Bobo Mrs. Katherine Booth Mr. Marvin S. Brown Mr. Mitch Bucklin Wilton & Victoria Bunch Mrs. Karen Bunn Mr. Matthew Y. Burkhalter & Mr. John Carey Mr. Hans J. Burmeister Mark & Peg Bumgardner Dr. & Mrs. W. Brantley Burns Drs. Brenda & Craig Caldwell Mr. & Mrs. Raymund Callaway Dr. & Mrs. W. Jerry Capps Thomas S. Caras, M.D. Dr. Emma Casanova Ms. Lynda Case

Silver (continued) Dr. Lynn Cathcart Mr. & Mrs. George W. Cemore Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Hal Clarke Mrs. Ruth Coan Mr. & Mrs. Alva C. Cobb Mrs. Claudia Colvin Ms. Celeste Condit Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy Connell Devlin Cooper Mr. & Mrs. F. Dean Copeland Mr. Bruce W. & Mrs. Kate Cotterman Mr. & Mrs. David Courtney Julianna M. Critz Mr. Craig Cuddeback Dr. & Mrs. Jeffery S. Curtiss, Ph.D. Mr. Charles Dale Mr. & Mrs. Peter Dallo Mr. & Mrs. Harold T. Daniel, Jr. Dr. Jiyoung Daniel Mrs. Jeanne Daniels Ms. Rebecca Danis Mr. James M. Datka & Ms. Nora P. DePalma Ms. Carol Comstock & Mr. James L. Davis Mr. & Ms. James Dawson Maria Battista Dellaperuta Jennifer Dempsey Joseph & Joanne DeSantis Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt Ms. Rosemarie Distefano Mr. Jere Dodd Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Drummond Mr. & Mrs. Denis DuBois Mr. Kip Duchon Sara Duke Suzanne Durbin Mr. & Mrs. David R. Dye Lacey T. Dyer Mr. Gregory J. Earnest Arnold & Sylvia Eaves Anne J. Ederington Dr. G. Eichholz Ms. Paula L. Ellis Ms. Elizabeth R. Etoll Ms. Hope Eyre Ms. Barbara Faherty Mr. & Mrs. Kurt A. Fanstill Dr. Fariba Farhidvash Ms. Barbara M. Farr Joann Felder Dr. & Mrs. Stanley Fineman Mr. & Mrs. Charles K. Fischer Dr. & Mrs. Edwin E. Flournoy Ms. Hope Caldwell-Foster Gray & Ruth Fountain Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Friedman

Silver (continued) Ms. Mozelle Funderburk Mr. Glen Galbaugh Ms. Maryanne F. Gaunt Mr. Richard E. & Mary R. Gharst Dan & Harriet Gill Mr. & Mrs. Sander L. Gilman Colonel & Mrs. Donald M. Gilner Dr. & Mrs. Joseph D. Giovinco Dr. & Mrs. Martin Goldstein Dr. Richard Goodjoin James C. Goodwyne & Christopher S. Connelly Ms. Katharine Grady Ms. Nelda Greene Mr. Kevin Greiner Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Grodzicki Ms. Anne L. Grossman Dr. & Mrs. John B. Haberlen Ms. Mary Joe Hanes Mr. & Mrs. William A. Hanger Dr. & Mrs. Eugene Harley Ms. Freya Harris Mr. Ronald L. Harris & Mrs. Jacqueline Pownall Mr. Michael D. Hastings Dr. Gary M. Henschen Marianne & Patrick Hickey Dr. & Mrs. William Hinson Ms. Elizabeth B. Hodges Mr. & Mrs. Douglas M. Holly, Jr. Ms. Tina A. Hooper Dr. & Mrs. S. G. Hornsby, Jr. Pearlann & Jerry Horowitz Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas C. Howard Mrs. Margaret Talmadge Howell Mrs. Roberta L. Huebner Ms. Jan W. Hughen Mrs. Catherine Hughes Ms. Emma Hughes Mrs. H.F. Hunter Mr. John M. Hutchinson & Mr. Brian Bonin Ms. Irmgard S. Immel Mr. Rolf Ingenleuf Mr. & Mrs. Francis M. Jack Mrs. Louise Jackson Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Jackson Stuart Jackson & Robyn Jackson Mary O. Jensen Patricia Johnston Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Johnston Ms. Jo Elliott Jones Mr. & Mrs. Paul Jones Ms. Beth Jones Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Juchelka Mr. & Mrs. Bernd Kahn

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AnnUAL GivinG Silver (continued) Mr. Stephen J. Kalista Mary Nell & Jim Kerr Jane & Bob Kibler Mrs. Donna J. Kilgore Mr. Allen D. King, Jr. Ms. Darothea H. Kirkland Mr. Al Klicus Ms. Caroline B. Klopstock Mr. Richard Kranzmann Mrs. Cynthia Kutka Judge & Mrs. John Langford Mrs. Emma Lankford Mr. Andrew & Mrs. Juliette Lebor Lucy R. & Gary Lee, Jr. Ms. Constance B. Lewis Mrs. Jeanine Lewis Sophie Li Ms. Joanne Lincoln Vanessa & Allan Little Mrs. Shirley Litwhiler Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella Drs. Jean V. & Lester A. Longley Charles & Katherine Lord Mr. Benjamin W. Lovvorn Mr. Trevor & Mrs. Donna Lumb Mr. Bruce Madden Dr. Chalem Mahadevan Belinda & Gino Massafra Ms. John Massengale Mr. M. Reynolds McClatchey Jr. Ms. Gloria G. McCrory Patricia & Laughlin McDonald Mr. Kenneth A. Miller Cindy & Edward Miller Mr. Simon Miller Ms. Sarah Millett Don Minichiello Mr. Roger Moister, Jr. Mr. M. Sean Molley Mr. Anthony Montag Mr. Bill Moody Mr. Albert M. Morrison Ms. Janine Musholt Ms. Pat Nash Mr. Carl W. Nichols Ms. Melissa Mahan Nicol Cindy Baumgardner Mr. & Mrs. David Norris Mrs. Amy Wynn Norman Ms. Marianela E. Noya Mr. Howard R. Osofsky

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Silver (continued) Mr. Joseph M. Pabst Huun Park & Morgan Harris Rev. Louisa T. Parsons Dr. & Mrs. John G. Paty, Jr. Peachtree Battle Garden Club Mr. Andreas Penninger Ms. Mary Percy Ms. Sandra Perkowitz Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin S. Persons, Sr. Ms. Sophia B. Peterman Drs. Frank & Robin Petruzielo Mr. George A. Pfeil III Ms. Maria M. Pflugbeil Donna & Robert Pollet Calvin Pleasants & Vasily Goncharov Ms. Catherine Pobst Donna & Robert Pollet Ms. Anne Pollock Ms. Ivetta V. Polyakova Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse Mrs. Catherine T. Porter Lavinia Pretz Mr. Donald W. Prichard Sharon & Jim Radford Mr. Leonard B. Reed & Ms. Lisa N. Davis Mrs. David A. Reinach Mr. & Mrs. Thomas F. Remington Mr. Mark Rich Mr. Norman Robinson Mr. Don C. Robinson Mr. Bruce Rogers Mr. & Mrs. John Phillip Rogers Mr. Daniel D. Ross Mr. Dwight Ross, Jr. Ms. Linda Rubin Wallace & Cindy Sagendorph Dr. & Mrs. David Satcher Crista & Glenn Schaab Mr. & Mrs. James S. Schiwal Mr. Donald Schreiber & Ms. Barbara Seal Mr. & Mrs. John A. Schwartz Mr. & Mrs. David M. Scoular Harold Settle MD Mrs. Roberta Setzer Mr. Robert L. Silverman Sharon Silvermintz Richard Singer & Liz Nazzari Mr. & Mrs. Charles Slick Tom Slick Mrs. Carol E. Smart Michael Sneath

Silver (continued) Mr. & Mrs. James W. Spencer Ms. Joan Spofford Gail & Barry Spurlock Dr. David Stacy John & Lizanne Stephenson Jay & Katie Sullivan Mr. & Mrs. James A. Summers Marjorie H. & David N. Summers Barbara & John Swann Mr. & Mrs. Hugh K. Switzer David C. Talbert Mr. Eric J. Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Frederick C. Taylor Leigh & Jay Telotte Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Tenenbaum Paul & Loretha Thiele Ms. Nancy A. Thomas Mr. & Mrs. William R. Thurman , Jr. Wolfgang Tiedtke Mrs. Janet P. Tiller Mr. Joseph M. Troncale Carol C. Uhl Marylee Vetrano Mr. & Mrs. Fritz Von Ammon Cameron & Scott Vowell Joseph J. Wade Jr Mr. & Mrs. Stephen G. Warner Mr. & Mrs. Lewis B. Watford Dr. Linda Webb Mrs. Constance Wehner Dr. Bernard Weiss Ms. Parsla A. Welch Mr. & Mrs. Richard T. White Kay C. Wideman Ms. Teri Wikesjo Mrs. Elaine Wilco Mr. & Mrs. Alexander M. Williams Dr. & Mrs. Sam Williams Sue Williams Mr. Jason Williams Ms. Beth Williamson Mr. Calvin Wingo Ms. Ann D. Winters Mrs. Loretta C. Wolf Mr. & Mrs. Ron & Elaine Womack Dr. & Mrs. R. Craig Woodward Mrs. Mary S. Wright Mrs. Jeanne S. Wynne Drs. Martin & Holly York Dr. Edward Zaiko & Dr. Ivana Pelner-Zaiko Kurt-Alexander Zeller

CorporATe pArTnerS $500,000 The Coca-Cola Company $50,000+ Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta $10,000+ Affordable Equity Partners, Inc. The Atlantan Bloomingdales Tony Brewer & Co. Cartier Georgia Dermatology Center Hyde-Moran Group - UBS Private Wealth Management UBS Financial Services Inc.

$5,000+ Anonymous BNY Mellon David Yurman Ikebana International KPMG LLP Neiman Marcus $2,500+ Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Branch Banking & Trust Co. Dennis Dean Catering Gas South King & Spalding LLP PNC Financial Services Group PNC Wealth Management The Ritz Carlton - Buckhead Soiree Catering & Events The St. Regis Atlanta Zurich North America

$1000+ Joel Crowe - Wallace Graphics Double Cross Vodka Fast Signs Sandy Springs National Distributing Company, Inc. Windham Brannon Financial Group, LLC $500+ Fidelity Bank Homrich Berg, Inc. Panasonic

FoUnDATion & GovernmenT SUpporT Listed below are organizations that contributed and/or pledged to The Atlanta Opera between July 1, 2013 and April 16, 2015.

FoundationS $750,000+ The Goizueta Foundation $150,000+ Atlanta Music Festival Association $75,000+ The Sara Giles Moore Foundation The Rich Foundation $50,000+ Livingston Foundation J. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Charitable Trust $20,000+ The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation The Kendeda Fund The Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc. Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Fund Wells Fargo

$10,000+ Molly Blank Charitable Trust The George M. Brown Fund Camp-Younts Foundation Fraser-Parker Foundation Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation JBS Foundation Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation Nordson Corporate Foundation Norfolk Southern Corporation Foundation SunTrust Trusteed Foundation

Government FundinG $50,000+ Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs $20,000+ Georgia Council for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts

$5,000+ Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc. The John & Mary Franklin Foundation, Inc. Hills Family Foundation Publix Super Markets Charities Turner Broadcasting System $1,000+ Bright Wings Foundation The Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta Kiwanis Foundation of Atlanta, Inc Lois & Lucy Lampkin Foundation The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation

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TribUTeS & memoriALS in memory of ms. Katherine anderson Mr. Richard E. & Mary R. Gharst in Honor of mr. & mrs. Shepard B. ansley Janice West in Honor of Florence Barnett The Snead Family in memory of dr. Joseph C. & ruth P. Barnett Dr. Florence C. Barnett in Honor of doug Holly Boris Bauer in memory of Jay Beadle Dan & Harriet Gill in Honor of Jim & nancy Bland Mrs. Connie Treloar Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton Mrs. Treville Lawrence Mr. & Mrs. W. Tinsley Ellis in Honor of laura & Cosmo Boyd Mrs. Eleanor H. Strain in memory of lavinia Cloud Pretz Lavinia Pretz in memory of John Cox Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt in Honor of ashley Curling David & Carmen Mcclellan in Honor of martha thompson dinos Katherine Scott

in memory of miriam drake Ms. Pat Johnston in Honor of Susanna eiland Dr. & Dr. Morgan Eiland in memory of Henry G. Ferrante Jason Ferrante in memory of arnoldo Fiedotin Mrs. Enrique E. Bledel in memory of timothy Gantz Elen Bianchelli in memory of alvin Goldstein The Women of Bryan Cave in memory of John W. Grant, iii Mrs. Carol E. Smart in Honor of Kevin Greiner Ms. Joselyn B. Baker in memory of Betsy Hansen Harald Hansen in memory of mia Hecht owens Mrs. Enrique E. Bledel Ms. Janet R. Piercy Mrs. Catherine T. Porter Brooks, Leslie, & L.J. Yankosky in memory of donald r. Keough Mr. & Mrs. Charles K. Fischer Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Olinda & John Simon Troy Taylor in Honor of Joseph lattanzi The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr.

in memory of rachel lehmann Mrs. Eleanor H. Strain in memory of edward mortimer Mrs. Thespi P. Mortimer in Honor of Polly n. Pater Tom Slick Mr. & Mrs. Charles Slick Mr. & Mrs. Brian Beem in Honor of ms. Faye P. Popper Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse in Honor of rula Jalbout Said Walid Said in memory of Jim Strain Mr. William E. Pennington In Honor of John Tibbetts The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. in memory of marya Gabrielle Williams Jone Williams in Honor of mr. & mrs. Charles r. Yates, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk John & Lizanne Stephenson Mrs. Sarah Yates Sutherland in Honor of tomer Zvulun Dr. Richard S. Sarason & Anne S. Arenstein Cameron & Scott Vowell

enCore CirCLe The Atlanta Opera established the Encore Circle to recognize donors who have designated the Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan. Gifts from these individuals ensure our progress for generations to come.

Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Mrs. Wallace F. Beard Mr. Montague L. Boyd, III Ms. Mary D. Bray Mr. Robert Colgin Martha Thompson Dinos Arnold & Sylvia Eaves Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards Heike & Dieter Elsner Carl & Sally Gable Peg Simms Gary Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman Ms. Judy Hanenkrat Mr. Hilson Hudson

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Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison Mr. J. Carter Joseph Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia Dr. Jill Mabley Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm Dan D. Maslia Mr. Robert L. Mays Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Mr. & Mrs. Jack C. McDowell Mr. & Mrs. Craig N. Miller Miss Helen D. Moffitt Mr. J. Robert Morring Clara M. & John S. O'Shea Mrs. Polly N. Pater

Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Bruce Roth Ms. Hazel Sanger Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr. Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Teepen Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney Rhys T. Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle, J.D. *Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Yates Sr. Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. & Mrs. Mary Mitchell Yates * deceased

would like to thank

for their generous support.

p r o u d ly s u p p o r t s

t h e At l A n tA o p e r A

boArD oF DireCTorS oFFiCerS

CHAiR EMERiTUS Mrs. Boyce Ansley CHAiR Mr. William E. Tucker iMMEDiATE PAST CHAiR Mr. Gregory F. Johnson viCE CHAiR Mr. John L. Hammaker viCE CHAiR Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates TREASURER Mr. Rhys T. Wilson SECRETARy Mr. Michael Keough

memberS

Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams Mr. Bryan H. Barnes Mr. Andy Berg Mrs. Nancy Carter Bland Mr. Montague L. Boyd, III Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Mrs. Mary Calhoun Mr. Mario Concha Dr. Frank A. Critz Ms. Martha Thompson Dinos Mr. Robert G. Edge Ms. Bernadette Faber Mr. Eli Flint Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mr. John Michael Hancock Mr. Howard W. Hunter Mr. William C. Hyde

honorAry memberS

Ms. Mary B. James Mr. Alfred Kennedy, Jr. Mr. John O. King Mr. George Levert Ms. Kelly Lyemance Mr. James B. Miller Mr. Mike E. Paulhus Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. James D. Powell Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Mrs. Loraine Williams Mr. Thomas R. Williams Mr. Robert G. Woodward Mr. Allen W. Yee

Mr. Opher Aviran Consul General Israel to the Southeastern United States Mr. Dieter Elsner Mr. Carl I. Gable, Jr. Mr. John “Jack” S. Gillfillan Mrs. Nancy Hall Green Mr. Carter Joseph Mrs. Peggy McDowell Mr. Harmon “Sandy” B. Miller, III Mr. Bruce A. Roth Mr. J. Barry Schrenk Mr. Mark K. Taylor Mrs. Jane S. Willson Mrs. Bunny Winter 36

STAFF Tomer Zvulun

GENERAl & ARTiSTiC DiRECTOR

Arthur Fagen

CARl & SAlly GABlE MUSiC DiRECTOR

FinAnCe & ADminiSTrATion Paul Deckard

DiRECTOR Of fiNANCE

Inga V. Murro

CONTROllER

ArTiSTiC

Allie Beckett

EXECUTivE ASSiSTANT

Cory Lippiello

DiRECTOR Of ARTiSTiC PlANNiNG & COMMUNiTy ENGAGEMENT

Walter Huff

CHORUS MASTER

Wade Thomas

EDUCATiON MANAGER

Lidiya Selikhov

ARTiSTiC ASSOCiATE

proDUCTion Shawn Rieschl Johnson

DiRECTOR Of PRODUCTiON

John Beaulieu

TECHiNiCAl DiRECTOR/ MASTER CARPENTER

Joanna Schmink

COSTUMES COORDiNATOR

Ken McNeil

DeveLopmenT

WARDROBE SUPERviSOR

Sarah Zabinski

PROPERTiES MASTER

DiRECTOR Of DEvElOPMENT

Catherine Babb

Rae Weimer

ASSOCiATE DiRECTOR Of DEvElOPMENT

Greg Carraway

ALLiAnCe TheATre

Caroline Clark

Steve Jordan Steven Love

ANNUAl fUND MANAGER

ElECTRiCiAN

Rachel Jorgensen

Holly O'Reagan

fOUNDATiON & GRANTS MANAGER

DATABASE SySTEMS MANAGER

AUDiO ENGiNEER

Michael Lyons Vince Simons

mArKeTinG & CommUniCATionS Dave Paule

DiRECTOR Of MARKETiNG & COMMUNiCATiONS

Scott Hazleton

CARPENTER

Alex Mathews WARDROBE

Marjon Wolfe Dana Hylton Calabro

HOUSE MANAGEMENT

MARKETiNG MANAGER

Matt Burkhalter

CREATivE SERviCES MANAGER

Renee Smiley

PATRON SERviCES MANAGER

Rebecca Danis

PATRON SERviCES ASSOCiATE

37

hoUSe poLiCieS LATe SeATinG • Late seating is not guaranteed.

• Latecomers will be asked to wait in the lobby for an appropriate moment to be seated in alternative seats (based on availability).

DiSrUpTionS • The House Manager reserves the right to ask any disruptive audience member to leave without a refund.

TiCKeTinG • All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter the theatre.

• Children age 4 and under will not be admitted.

• Please note that not all programming is appropriate for all ages.

• Regardless of age, everyone must have a ticket, sit in a seat, and be able to sit quietly through the entire performance.

CeLL phoneS & eLeCTroniC DeviCeS • As a courtesy to our actors and other audience members, please turn off all electronic devices (or set them to silent mode) before entering the theatre.

CAmerAS, CAmerA phoneS, & reCorDinG DeviCeS • Cameras, camera phones, and all other video/audio recording equipment of any kind are strictly prohibited in the theatre.

• No photos or recordings may be taken inside the theatre.

• Any photos or recordings will be confiscated by the House Manager and deleted/destroyed.

FooD & DrinK • Food and drink are not allowed inside the theatre.

38

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Warren Averett Members Andrew Siegel, CPA; Dick Ingwersen, CPA; Cindy Ethridge, CPA

COMPETITIVE DRIVE NEVER GETS OLD Resourceful, inventive, accountable, spirited, and yes, competitive. Clients say we share many of their defining traits.

We’ll treat your business like our own—from the advice we give, to the commitment we demonstrate and the service we deliver. Winning matters to you and to us. We’re driven to add measurable value with ideas, advice and capabilities that help achieve the results you demand of yourself and others.

Let’s thrive together. www.warrenaverett.com.

Georgia l Florida l Alabama

WHAT’S MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN LIFE IMITATING THE

Since 1986, Georgia Power has given more than $85 million to non-profits across the state. From Atlanta’s Woodruff Arts Center to Savannah’s Telfair Museums, our commitment to improving the cultural landscape, is just one of the many ways we’re working to support our communities.

georgiapower.com