The Atlanta Opera :: Pagliacci + Kaiser of Atlantis :: Oct-Nov 2020

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2 | welcome Over the summer, I thought about the kind of operas that people might want to see in such a chaotic time. Actually, I thought about what they might need to see.

Our world has been turned upside down. How do you fathom the loss of more than 200,000 lives? How do you get used to being unable to embrace a grandparent or comprehend the loss of jobs and businesses?

I am suddenly confronted with an audience that has been denied access to something as basic as live music; and on a personal level, I’ve had to witness the devastation of this art form. To date, many of my colleagues, fellow music and theater professionals around the world, cannot work. How will they get by?

History tells us, when placed in extreme situations—be it the battlefield, London during The Blitz, or a concentration camp—artists will continue to make art. And so I chose Pagliacci and The Kaiser of Atlantis, two shows that hold up a mirror to creative people in distress. As Tonio sings in the opening to Pagliacci: Mark well, therefore, our souls, rather than the poor players’ garb we wear, for we are men of flesh and bone, like you, breathing the same air of this orphan world.

Often in the opera house, we will transport a show into a different place and time in order to add poignancy to a story and enhance the theatrical experience. As it happens, the year 2020 doesn’t need enhancements—we are living in fantastical times. Health and safety guidelines indicate that we present these productions in the open air. And so we decided to place Pagliacci (“Clowns”) in a circus tent.

Where opera has a reputation for being buttoned-up, the circus is associated with grit and perseverance. Circus performers (like the characters of Pagliacci) are nimble, stubborn, and desperate enough to gather their courage and keep on connecting, even as their lives away from the spotlight are less than rosy. Of course, if you ask any opera star who has missed family events while resting his or her head in another hotel room, you’ll find they are not so different.

The Kaiser of Atlantis comes from a composer and a librettist who were living in Hell, the Theresienstadt, a Nazi labor camp in Czechoslovakia. Even while hoping for their next morsel of food, these men created this opera—in the camp—because it was necessary for them to exercise their humanity. And so will we.

Ironically, COVID-19 enabled the creation of our wonderful ensemble, The Atlanta Opera Company Players. This operatic dream team assembles exceptional Atlanta-area performers who would normally be scattered across the globe. Please join me in welcoming these distinguished artists into The Atlanta Opera family.

Thank you to all who are helping us to keep opera moving forward through this difficult time, especially Dr. Carlos del Rio, whose expert guidance has helped to ensure the safety of performers and audiences alike.

Thank you for coming. Enjoy the show. Be safe; be well; and we will see you all again on the other side.

Tomer Zvulun | Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director

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BIG TENT SERIES SPONSOR The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation PAGLIACCI PRODUCTION SPONSOR Gramma Fisher Foundation – Howard Hunter SPECIAL THANKS Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, thanks Emily Knobloch and John & Rosemary Brown for their generosity, leadership, and unwavering support over the years.

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This program is supported in part by the 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.

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THE ATLANTA OPERA COMPANY PLAYERS JAMIE BARTON additional support by Victoria & Howard Palefsky KEVIN BURDETTE additional support by David & Laura Kavtaradze JASMINE HABERSHAM Mr. William Pennington | Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson DANIELA MACK Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks MEGAN MARINO additional support by Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor MICHAEL MAYES additional support by Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams RYAN MCKINNY Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith MORRIS ROBINSON Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle ALEK SHRADER John Hammaker RICHARD TREY SMAGUR Mr. William F. Snyder

THE ATLANTA OPERA GLYNN STUDIO PLAYERS The Studio Players are supported by gifts from Beth & Gary Glynn and the Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation GABRIELLE BETEAG Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation SUSANNE BURGESS Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation JOSHUA CONYERS Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation CALVIN GRIFFIN additional support by Mr. Robert Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein JOSEPH LATTANZI additional support by Kurt & Jennifer Hilbert | Greg & Candy Johnson

THE ATLANTA OPERA DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney *Nancy & *Jim Bland Laura & Montague Boyd Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. John & Rosemary Brown Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Ann & Frank Critz *Martha Thompson Dinos Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Carl & Sally Gable Beth & Gary Glynn Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross

John L. Hammaker Howard Hunter, Gramma Fisher Foundation Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mary Ruth McDonald James B. Miller, Jr. Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William Pennington Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Mr. William F. Snyder Judith & Mark Taylor Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund *deceased

6 | pagliaccicredits MUSIC & LIBRETTO Ruggero Leoncavallo FIRST PERFORMANCE May 21, 1892, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, Italy

CONDUCTOR & CHORUS MASTER Rolando Salazar PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director SCENIC DESIGNER Julia Noulin-Mérat COSTUME DESIGNER Joanna Schmink LIGHTING DESIGNER Benjamin Rawson SOUND DESIGNER Jon Summers WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Frandresha “Brie” Hall PROJECTIONS DESIGNER Erin Teachman SUPERTITLES Jonathan Dean SUPERTITLES OPERATOR Anna Young

CAST (IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE) TONIO Reginald Smith, Jr.* CANIO Richard Trey Smagur* BEPPE Megan Marino* NEDDA Talise Trevigne* SILVIO Joseph Lattanzi†

CIRCUS PERFORMERS Marilyn Chen Lucy Antonia Eden Meredith Gordon James Maltman

DANCERS Bailey Jo Harbaugh (captain) Gwynn Root

MUSICAL PREPARATION & ACCOMPANIST Elena Kholodova

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Clifton Guterman PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Liam Roche ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Kristin Kelley

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VIRTUAL CHORUS SOPRANO Natalie Rogers Amy Smithwick Tiffany Uzoije Erika Wuerzner

TENOR Robert Banks Will Green Timothy D. Parrott Michael Vavases

MEZZO Valerie Hamm Amber Tittle Laurie Tossing Jessica Wax

BASS Mitch Gindlesperger C. Agustus Godbee Samy Itskov Stephen McCool

ORCHESTRA BASS Lyn DeRamus

HORN Jason Eklund

FLUTE/CONTRACTOR/STEWARD James Zellers

PERCUSSION John Lawless

OBOE/ENGLISH HORN Erica Howard

PIANO Elena Kholodova

CLARINET Miranda Dohrman

PERSONNEL MANAGER Mark McConnell

BASSOON Debby Grove SPECIAL THANKS The director wishes to extend special thanks to Ryan McKinny, Felipe Barral, and Ashley Mirakian for their creative contribution to the concept.

SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL Dr. Harold Brody Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mrs. Andrew Long Mr. Howard Palefsky Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. Rhys T. Wilson Mr. John Haupert Dr. Carols del Rio Dr. Donald J. Filip Performed in Italian with English supertitles. Approximate running time: 75 minutes *member of The Atlanta Opera Company Players | †member of the Glynn Studio Players

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8 | pagliaccisynopsis Prologue Before the performance begins, Tonio addresses the audience directly: “Look beyond the costumes and makeup — the drama you are about to experience is a tale of truth, both in the ecstasy of love and the brutality of rage.”

Act I

Costume sketches by Costume Designer, Joanna Schmink for Tonio, Beppe, and Canio.

Despite an outbreak of illness in the country, a traveling troupe of actors arrives in town, and the villagers demand they perform. The mood is almost ominous. Tonio lingers and is jibed as a result — he is really staying behind to woo Nedda, in the commedia dell’arte play they will soon act out. Canio meanwhile adopts a serious tone. Perhaps on the stage, Pagliaccio might resign himself to his fate if he were to discover Columbine with another man, but if Canio were to catch his wife in an indiscretion, the outcome would be very different. Canio is sick, but desires no pity from anyone.

Left alone, Nedda carefully ponders Canio’s words. It is as if he could read her very thoughts — indeed she longs for freedom and has taken on a lover, an outsider to the circus, Silvio. Nedda is surprised by the sudden appearance of Tonio, who quickly confesses his secret desire for her. She repels his advances, equating him with the half-witted commedia character he plays.

Tonio exits in a fury and Silvio comes in, overflowing with affection and concern. The troupe shall soon be off, and he will no longer be able to be with her. He encourages her to run away with him that very evening after the

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play has concluded. Nedda hesitates — but only for a moment — then agrees to the plan. Tonio has led Canio back to witness the secret tryst from a distance. Silvio disappears unrecognized, but Canio has heard enough to berate his wife, he threateningly demands to know the name of her secret lover. His illness makes him desperate for a connection with Nedda that is impossible.

Beppe happens upon the scene in time to break off Canio’s attack. He demands that everyone steady their emotions as the show is about to begin. Canio laments his situation — he must put on the costume of Pagliaccio and make people laugh while inside he is ripped apart.

Exhausted, he remembers better times with Nedda.

Act II - Puppets The curtain rises with the four players represented as puppets: Nedda as Columbine, Beppe as Harlequin, Canio as Pagliaccio, and Tonio as Taddeo, prepared to act out the classic tale of the cuckolded husband.

Assured by the servant Taddeo that Pagliaccio is away, Columbine awaits the appearance of her true love, Harlequin. Taddeo takes this moment to pour out his true feelings to her, but she heartlessly brushes him off. As soon as Harlequin arrives, Taddeo is ordered away. The lovers dine together and agree to drug Pagliaccio so that they can be together. They are interrupted by Taddeo, who warns that Pagliaccio is making an unexpected return. Harlequin rushes out, and Columbine/Nedda’s parting words mimic exactly what she had said to Silvio earlier: “Till tonight, and I shall be yours forever.”

Pagliaccio observes the half-eaten meals and Columbine’s guilty demeanor. Slipping out of his portrayal of Pagliaccio and into reality of Canio’s world, he demands to know her lover’s name. Nedda is at first carefree, then defiant, she demands to be set free. Again the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred. Blinded by rage over her constant denials, Canio threatens Nedda. In her cry for help she blurts out Silvio’s name, but as he rushes to her side, Canio murders him. As in the Prologue, Tonio addresses the audience with the final line — the comedy is over.

Adapted from The Minnesota Opera

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ROLANDO SALAZAR CONDUCTOR & CHORUS MASTER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT LA TRAVIATA, 2013

Rolando Salazar was the Associate Conductor and Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera from 2017 through 2020.

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.

Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is one of the leading stage directors of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities TOMER ZVULUN such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, and Boston CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. University. He spent seven seasons on the directing staff GENERAL & ARTISTIC at The Metropolitan Opera, where he directed revivals of DIRECTOR Carmen and Tosca and was involved with more than a dozen new productions. He is a frequent guest director PRODUCTION DIRECTOR at companies such as Seattle Opera (Semele, La bohème, ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Eugene Onegin, Lucia di Lammermoor), The Dallas Opera THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, (Die Fledermaus, La bohème), Houston Grand Opera 2009 (Flying Dutchman, Rigoletto), Wexford Festival (Silent Night, Dinner at Eight), Cincinnati Opera (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman), Wolf Trap (Falstaff, Don Giovanni), Israeli Opera (Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare) among others. His European premiere of Silent Night at the Wexford Festival received two Irish Times Awards and traveled from Ireland to Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, and the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin, and Salt Lake City. He directed over 15 new productions at his home company in Atlanta, including Dead Man Walking, The Flying Dutchman, Soldier Songs, Silent Night, Maria de Buenos Aires, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Magic Flute, and Eugene Onegin. During Tomer’s tenure, the company’s fundraising has tripled, resulting in twice the number of productions presented annually. His focus on innovation has garnered national attention and resulted in a Harvard Business School case study chronicling The Atlanta Opera’s turnaround, an International Opera Awards nomination, an ArtsATL Luminary Award, and an invitation to deliver a TEDx Talk about innovation in opera.

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Julia Noulin-Mérat is a French, American, and Canadian production designer. For the past seven years, she has been the Associate Producer at Boston Lyric Opera and is the Co-Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera. In addition, she has worked on over 400 opera, theater, and television productions, including 20 new operas and 22 new plays, and is the principal designer at Noulin-Mérat Studio. Julia received OPERA America’s Women Opera Network mentorship distinction as well as the Leadership Intensive. Recent credit includes; Rigoletto (Minnesota JULIA NOULIN-MÉRAT Opera); Le Monde a l’Envers (Wolf Trap Opera); Tosca and Falstaff (Opera Omaha); Albert Herring (Curtis Institute); SCENIC DESIGNER Gallo, Pedr Solis, and Troubled Water (Guerilla Opera); ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Sumeida’s Song and 27 (Pittsburgh Opera); and The Rake’s Progress, The Threepenny Opera, The Barber of Seville, and Pagliacci (BLO). Other projects include a TedX talk on site-specific opera in the modern age; Neverland (with China Broadway): a $20 million, 50,000 square immersive theater piece in Beijing based on Peter Pan; and Playground (Opera Omaha) a touring operatic sound sculpture in collaboration with composer Ellen Reid. Julia is a graduate of Boston University with an MSc in Arts Administration, an MFA in Set Design, a Diversity Inclusion certificate from ESSEC Business School, a social media marketing specialization from Northwestern University, a Fundraising Development Specialization from UC Davis, a Finance and Leadership certification from Harvard Business School. www.noulinmerat.com

JOANNA SCHMINK COSTUME DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT COSÌ 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, Così 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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BEN RAWSON LIGHTING DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT FRIDA, 2019

FRANDRESHA “BRIE” HALL WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT LA BOHÈME, 2015

ERIN TEACHMAN PROJECTIONS DESIGNER

Ben Rawson is an Atlanta-based lighting designer for theater, opera, and dance – member USA 829. Theatrical and opera design work can be seen at the Alliance Theatre, The Atlanta Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Actors Express, 7 Stages, Theatre Buford, Weird Sisters Theatre Project, and Synchronicity Theatre. Dance design work includes work with choreographers Danielle Agami, Ana Maria Lucaciu, and Troy Schumacher and with groups Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Fly On A Wall, Staibdance, Bluebird Uncaged, Proia Dance Project, and Emily Cargill and Dancers. Ben has also worked across the country as an associate or assistant lighting designer for San Diego Opera, the Alliance Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Utah Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Palm Beach Opera, and Playmakers Repertory Company. benrawsondesign.com Frandresha “Brie” Hall is an Atlanta native specializing in celebrity hair and makeup for film, television, and theatre for over 14 years. She began working with The Atlanta Opera in 2015 with the production of La bohème. She became an assistant designer for The Atlanta Opera’s productions of Dead Man Walking, La traviata, and Salome.

Now, as The Atlanta Opera’s wig and makeup manager, she makes her designer debut with the productions of Pagliacci and The Kaiser of Atlantis. Other credits include The Atlanta Opera’s productions of West Side Story, Eugene Onegin, Frida, La Cenerentola, Porgy and Bess; and Bard Summerscape’s production of Demon. Film credits include The Nth Ward, Sistas, The Oval, and the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.

Erin Teachman has been freelancing as a projection/ digital artist for six years working across disciplines to bring digital media to stages across the United States, including Ford’s Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, the Alley, Dallas Theatre Center, Arena Stage, Florida Grand Opera, the Washington Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet, among others. Erin previously assisted on productions of Dead Man Walking and Frida and worked as digital media designer and 3D artist on Salome. Erin is excited to make his design debut with these extraordinary productions and is happy to return to Atlanta in these difficult times to work with The Atlanta Opera to tell stories in front of a live audience again.

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT SALOME, 2020

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MACK THE KNIFE

An Evening of Kurt Weill

OCTOBER 27 @ 7:30PM JASMINE HABERSHAM

MEZZO EXTRAVAGANZA

Concert Series AD

NOVEMBER 10 @ 7:30PM

JAMIE BARTON

CROSS ROADS A Variety Show NOVEMBER 15 @ 7:30PM MICHAEL MAYES

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14 | pagliaccicast&creative Baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. has been lauded as a “passionate performer”(New York Times) with an “electric, hall-filling” (The Baltimore Sun), and “thrillingly dramatic” (Opera News) voice that is “one of the most exciting baritone sounds to come along in years” (Opera News).

Reginald, a native of Atlanta, is a Grand Finals winner of the 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. He opened the 2019-20 season with a much anticipated debut at The Metropolitan Opera as Jim in Porgy and Bess, REGINALD SMITH, JR. followed by Amonasro in Aida with Houston Grand Opera and Cincinnati Opera. His orchestral appearances include TONIO Christmas Pops Concerts with the Dallas Symphony ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Oregon PORGY AND BESS, 2020 Symphony. In past seasons, he appeared as Jake in Porgy and Bess with Cincinnati Opera, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Opera Memphis, Amonasro in Aida with Opera Idaho, and returned to the rosters of Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. His orchestral engagements included the baritone solo in Carmina Burana for his return to the Houston Symphony and the bass solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at New Jersey Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, and Symphoria.

Richard Trey Smagur, of Clarkesville, Georgia, has been noted for his “attractive lyric tenor” and “vivid presence” (Opera Today) and was named a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2017. He makes several significant debuts this summer, including an appearance with Wolf Trap Opera as Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette and as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Filene Center. In August, he will appear alongside Jamie Barton for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at The Aspen Music Festival and School under the baton of Patrick Summers. A member of RICHARD TREY SMAGUR the Houston Grand Opera studio, his role and house debuts support by included Gastone de Letorières in La traviata, Young Servant Mr. William F. Snyder in Elektra, and Count Almaviva in select performances of Il CANIO barbiere di Siviglia at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Houston.

In the same season, he made his house debut at The Santa ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Fe Opera as Tsarevitch Gvidon in The Golden Cockerel. In the 2018-19 season, he returned to The Santa Fe Opera to make his principal role debut as Števa Buryja in Jenůfa, and appeared with Houston Grand Opera as Steuermann (The Flying Dutchman) and Parpignol (La bohéme). He appeared with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah in December 2019. He has appeared professionally as Tamino in The Magic Flute with OK Mozart and covered Des Grieux in Manon at Des Moines Metro Opera. In concert, he has performed in Elijah with the Tucson Desert Song Festival and as a tenor soloist with the Cincinnati Boy Choir. Last summer, he was a fellow at the Steans Music Institute at Ravinia Music Festival. He participated in HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy in 2012.

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This season Megan Marino joins Les musiciens du Louvre with Mark Minkowski conducting the Da Ponte Trilogy and her debuts of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Dorabella in Così fan tutte at the Opéra royal de Versailles. She also makes her debut with Houston Grand Opera as Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music before returning to Santa Fe Opera as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. Her return to the Metropolitan Opera in Lulu was canceled due to COVID-19 as were returns to Opéra national de Paris as Wellgunde in new productions MEGAN MARINO of Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung. Her debut at the additional support by Opéra national de Bordeaux, also in the Da Ponte Trilogy, Triska Drake was postponed. In the earlier part of the 2019-20 season, & G. Kimbrough Taylor she returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Flora in La BEPPE traviata and Opera Colorado for her Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Future engagements include debuts with the ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Gran Teatre del Liceu and Bayerische Staatsoper as well EUGENE ONEGIN, 2019 as returns to Santa Fe Opera, and Dallas Opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Frau ohne Schatten and has also returned in Iolanta, Suor Angelica, Rusalka, and Thaïs. She joined Opéra national de Paris (Parsifal); Dallas Opera (Falstaff); The Atlanta Opera (Eugene Onegin); Lyric Opera of Chicago (Der Rosekavalier); Santa Fe Opera (Madama Butterfly); Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Fort Collins, Virginia Opera, and Kentucky Opera (Il barbiere di Siviglia); Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Hänsel und Gretel, Eugene Onegin); Des Moines Metro Opera (Falstaff); Spoleto Festival USA (Kát´a Kabanová); Opera Delaware (La Cenerentola); and Central City Opera (Così fan tutte).

16 | pagliaccicast&creative American soprano Talise Trevigne began the 2019-20 season in a return appearance with CBSO for Tippett’s A Child of Our Time in performances in the UK and Germany conducted by Mirga Gražinyte˙-Tyla. She made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Kitty Hart (Sister Rose) in Dead Man Walking before traveling to Albany Symphony to sing Knoxville: Summer of 1915. In 2018, she joined the Metropolitan Opera cast of Porgy and Bess. She debuted the role of Ma in Missy Mazzoli/Royce Vavrek’s highly lauded Proving Up at Omaha Opera and at Lincoln Centre, TALISE TREVIGNE and she made her role debut at Madison Opera as Nedda in Pagliacci. She sang with Theater Basel as Cio-Cio-san in NEDDA Madama Butterfly, a role that brought her great accolades ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT at North Carolina Opera and at Kentucky Opera. She sang PORGY AND BESS, 2020 at Cincinnati Opera in the title role in Porgy and Bess.

She was honored to be nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award in the Best Solo Classical CD category for her rendition of Christopher Rouse’s masterpiece Kabir Padavali with Albany Symphony. Recent highlights include the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Hawaii Opera Theatre, and in Fort Worth she premiered the role of Clara in JFK, a role she took to Opéra de Montréal, a Canadian debut. She sang Leila in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at North Carolina Opera and the title role in Iris at Bard SummerScape Festival. She also debuted as Ophelia in Hamlet at Fort Worth Opera, and she sang Getry’s rarely-heard L’Epreuve Villageoise with Opera Lafayette. Her heroines in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Opera de Lyon under the baton of Kazushi Ono was a great success, and she revived the roles at Israeli Opera with Frederic Chaslin.

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Joseph Lattanzi is gaining notice for his “robust vocalism,” “unmistakable charisma,” and “undeniable star potential.”

A 2017 recipient of a top prize from the Sullivan Foundation, Lattanzi established himself as a singer to watch with his portrayal of Hawkins Fuller in the world premiere of Greg Spears’ Fellow Travelers with Cincinnati Opera, followed by further performances for his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Praise for his performances included The New York Times saying “Joseph Lattanzi was splendid as Hawk, his buttery baritone luxuriant JOSEPH LATTANZI and robust.” In the 2019-20 season, Lattanzi returned to additional support by The Metropolitan Opera for Der Rosenkavalier, revisited Greg & Candy Johnson Fellow Travelers with Arizona Opera and returned to SILVIO the role of Dandini in the Virginia Opera’s production of La Cenerentola. In the 2018-19 season, he joined ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for the first time MADAMA BUTTERFLY, 2014 and returned to Arizona Opera for the central role of Lt. Auderbert in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night. He made his Jacksonville Symphony debut in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and returned to Cincinnati Opera as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. A graduate of the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School, Atlanta Opera audiences have previously seen him as Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Dancaïro in Carmen, and Anthony in Sweeney Todd and as a soloist in a Leonard Bernstein celebration with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Joseph is the co-founder of the opera-centric digital media company OSSIA. Please visit OSSIApresents.com and JosephLattanziBaritone.com for more.

18 | productionnote

JULIA NOULIN-MÉRAT

Life Versus Art WRITTEN BY

Julia Brown Simmons “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”— this aphorism from the mouth of the well-loved melancholy Jacques in Shakespeare’s As You Like It touches on a question that rests at the heart of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci: What is the dividing line between life and art, or is there one?

Rather than featuring royalty or gods or myths, verismo operas such as Pagliacci depict commonplace people along with their problems and conflicts. The verismo tradition had its genesis in the late 19th century literary movement of the same name.

This literary movement aimed to depict realistically the lives of ordinary people. Verismo operas adopted this aim, along with other distinct features, such as the reevaluation of the connection between reality and art, and the shift from the recitative and set-piece form of earlier opera to a continuous and seamlessly sung text.

This meshing of continuous music with more ordinary subject matter connects the theatrical stage and the real world.

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Leoncavallo both composed and wrote the libretto for Pagliacci. Its story centers on a commedia troupe that would have been part of a professional theater tradition, popular in Europe in the 1600s and 1700s, called commedia dell’arte. These troupes would perform commedias which often depicted love, sex, and jealousy. They featured exaggerated archetypes or stock characters who often had set names and costumes that were easily recognizable to audiences.

The essential inception of commedia dell’arte is that audiences can recognize their world in characters performing on the stage.

In Leoncavallo’s commedia troupe in Pagliacci, the players find their own lives mirroring the lives of the characters in the commedia. In act one, the commedia troupe arrives in an Italian village and tell the villagers that their performance will be about Pagliaccio and his troubles. The troupe includes: Canio, the head of the troupe; Nedda, Canio’s wife and Silvio’s lover; Tonio, a fool; and Beppe, another actor. While Canio and Beppe are at a village tavern, Tonio confesses his love for Nedda. Nedda laughs and thwarts Tonio’s attempts to grab her. Tonio feigns departure and eavesdrops while Silvio, Nedda’s lover, asks her to elope with him after the night’s performance. Canio walks in on this scene, but arrives too late to catch Silvio’s identity. Instead, Canio only hears Nedda’s words “I’ll always be yours!”

Canio threatens Nedda, but is held back by Beppe and sent to prepare for the performance. At this moment, Canio sings the famous “Vesti la guibba” (“Put on the costume”) aria, which is followed by a visual memory of lost love in The Atlanta Opera’s production.

When act two opens, the players of the commedia troupe have taken on their roles. Typically, these stock characters would be dressed in the traditional costumes of commedia dell’arte—Canio as Pagliaccio, or the sad

20 | productionnote clown character of Pierrot; Nedda as Columbina, the cheating wife of Pierrot; and Beppe as Arlecchino, the comic servant character. However, this production will will present the commedia through puppets, with the players providing the voices to the puppets representing their stock characters, and allowing for safe socialdistancing of the singers.

When the play-within-a-play begins, Columbina (Nedda) is alone at home, awaiting her lover Arlecchino (Beppe). Taddeo (Tonio) comes to confess his love to Columbina, but is mocked and sent away in return. Upon Arlecchino’s arrival, he and Columbina plan to elope.

Taddeo returns to warn the lovers of Pagliaccio’s (Canio) suspicion. Arlecchino escapes before Pagliaccio can catch him, but Pagliaccio hears Columbina’s words, “I’ll always be yours!” When Nedda (as Columbina) exclaims this line, Canio (as Pagliaccio) cries “Those same words!”

Canio can no longer stay in character. He demands to know the name of Nedda’s lover, and, while Nedda attempts to continue the performance, he sings, “No! Pagliacci non son” (“No, I am not Pagliacci”). It soon becomes clear to the villagers that Canio and Nedda are no longer acting. Silvio fights his way to the stage to protect Nedda from Canio.

The pivotal moment in Pagliacci occurs when Canio can no longer distinguish between his reality and his acting, while Nedda desperately adheres to the principle that “the show must go on”—the moment when “all the world’s a stage.” Pagliacci is emblematic of the profound connection between reality and art. In the opera, life reflects art and art reflects life. Some have criticized opera as artificial performance art, one that is unlikely to reflect “real life.” But in the midst of a global pandemic and national crises, Nedda’s insistence that the show must go on feels very real. It is precisely this imitation, this mirroring between reality and art that insists that the show must go on, both in the opera and in our lives today. And this verismo opera—a style that aims to portray reality and is therefore adaptable to the times and circumstances—strengthens this mirroring of reality and art in our current moment. Nedda clings to this idea

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in her moment of desperation in the opera: performance must continue, both for the audience’s sake and for the performer’s own sake, because the world can be encompassed on the stage.

Undoubtedly, Shakespeare got it right;, but, Pagliacci reverses the aphorism. Tonio tells the audience, “Thus, the love that you will see is the love of human beings; you will see the tragic fruits of hate; of pain the cries, yells of rage you’ll hear and laughter cynical! And you, rather than our poor trappings of actors our souls give consideration, since we are men of flesh and bone who, just as you do, breathe the air in this God-forsaken world of ours!” Not only are all people players, as Shakespeare would suggest, but, as Tonio reminds us, all players are, in fact, people. He establishes a connection between the troupe and the audience—they are the same, for they are all human. This notion is the center of all performance and all art—the show is life, and life is the show. This connection between audience and performer is why, in times of crisis, of isolation, and of pain, the show must go on—the line between the world and the stage is a fine one, and performance reminds us what it means to be human, connected and intertwined with

RENDERING: JULIA NOULIN-MÉRAT

one another.

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22 | thekaiserofatlantissponsors

BIG TENT SERIES SPONSOR The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation THE KAISER OF ATLANTIS PRODUCTION Livingston Foundation SPECIAL THANKS Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, thanks Emily Knobloch and John & Rosemary Brown for their generosity, leadership, and unwavering support over the years.

Official Beverage of The Atlanta Opera

Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

This program is supported in part by the 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.

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THE ATLANTA OPERA COMPANY PLAYERS JAMIE BARTON additional support by Victoria & Howard Palefsky KEVIN BURDETTE additional support by David & Laura Kavtaradze JASMINE HABERSHAM Mr. William Pennington | Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson DANIELA MACK Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks MEGAN MARINO additional support by Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor MICHAEL MAYES additional support by Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams RYAN MCKINNY Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith MORRIS ROBINSON Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle ALEK SHRADER John Hammaker RICHARD TREY SMAGUR Mr. William F. Snyder

THE ATLANTA OPERA GLYNN STUDIO PLAYERS The Studio Players are supported by gifts from Beth & Gary Glynn and the Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation GABRIELLE BETEAG Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation SUSANNE BURGESS Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation JOSHUA CONYERS Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation CALVIN GRIFFIN additional support by Mr. Robert Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein JOSEPH LATTANZI additional support by Kurt & Jennifer Hilbert | Greg & Candy Johnson

THE ATLANTA OPERA DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney *Nancy & *Jim Bland Laura & Montague Boyd Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. John & Rosemary Brown Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Ann & Frank Critz *Martha Thompson Dinos Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Carl & Sally Gable Beth & Gary Glynn Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross

John L. Hammaker Howard Hunter, Gramma Fisher Foundation Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mary Ruth McDonald James B. Miller, Jr. Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William Pennington Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Mr. William F. Snyder Judith & Mark Taylor Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund *deceased

24 | thekaiserofatlantiscredits MUSIC Viktor Ullmann LIBRETTO Peter Kien FIRST PERFORMANCE December 16, 1975, Theater Bellevue, Amsterdam, Netherlands

CONDUCTOR Clinton Smith PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director SCENIC DESIGNER Julia Noulin-Mérat COSTUME DESIGNER Joanna Schmink LIGHTING DESIGNER Benjamin Rawson SOUND DESIGNER Jon Summers WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Frandresha “Brie” Hall PROJECTIONS DESIGNER Erin Teachman SUPERTITLES Kim P. Witman by arrangement with Wolf Trap Opera SUPERTITLES OPERATOR Anna Young

CAST (IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE) LOUDSPEAKER Calvin Griffin† HARLEQUIN Alek Shrader* DEATH Kevin Burdette* THE DRUMMER Daniela Mack* EMPEROR OVERALL Michael Mayes* SOLDIER Brian Vu† GIRL Jasmine Habersham*

CIRCUS PERFORMERS Marilyn Chen Lucy Antonia Eden Meredith Gordon James Maltman

DANCERS Bailey Jo Harbaugh (captain) Gwynn Root

MUSICAL PREPARATION Choo Choo Hu

GERMAN DICTION Arthur Fagen, Carl & Sally Gable Music Director

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ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Clifton Guterman PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Liam Roche ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Kristin Kelley

ORCHESTRA CONCERTMASTER Fia Durrett

CLARINET John Warren

VIOLIN II Adelaide Federici

ALTO SAX Luke Weathington

VIOLA William Johnston

TRUMPET/CONTRACTOR/STEWARD Yvonne Toll

CELLO Charae Krueger

PERCUSSION Michael Cebulski

BASS Emory Clements

BANJO/GUITAR William Hatcher

FLUTE Kelly Bryant

PIANO Choo Choo Hu

OBOE Martha Kleiner

PERSONNEL MANAGER Mark McConnell

SPECIAL THANKS The director wishes to extend special thanks to Ryan McKinny, Felipe Barral, and Ashley Mirakian for their creative contribution to the concept.

SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL Dr. Harold Brody Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mrs. Andrew Long Mr. Howard Palefsky Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. Rhys T. Wilson Mr. John Haupert Dr. Carols del Rio Dr. Donald J. Filip

Performed in German with English supertitles. Approximate running time: 60 minutes *member of The Atlanta Opera Company Players | †member of the Glynn Studio Players

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26 | thekaiserofatlantissynopsis Prologue The Loudspeaker, who functions as the Ringmaster in this circus of life, sets the scene and presents the characters.

On one side, The Atlantis regime: Emperor of Atlantis, The Drummer and A Soldier; On the Other side The Harlequin and a Girl. Straddling these two worlds is Death, who has been with humanity since the beginning of time.

Scene 1 Harlequin describes his sorry life without laughter or love. Death joins him and together they lament how slowly time passes in their grim environment. Death belittles Harlequin’s wish to die and explains how much more dire his own situation is than that of Harlequin. He lacks respect now that the “old-fashioned craft of dying” has been replaced by “motorized chariots of war” that work him to exhaustion with little satisfaction.

Costume sketches by Costume Designer, Joanna Schmink for Loudspeaker, Kaiser, and Death.

The Drummer announces the latest decree of the Emperor: Everyone will be armed, and everyone will fight until there are no survivors. Death denounces the Emperor for usurping his role: “To take men’s souls is my job, not his!” He declares that he is on strike and breaks his sword.

Intermezzo: Dance of Death The citizenry faces immortality during an ever-shifting war under the harsh regime of the Emperor Overall.

Scene 2 In his palace, the Emperor gives battle orders and monitors the progress of the universal war. He learns that people are no longer capable of dying. The Loudspeaker reports that thousands of soldiers are “wrestling with life…doing their best to die” without success. Fearful that his power will not endure without death, the Emperor manipulates the facts and announces that he has decided to reward his subjects with the gift of eternal life. More pointedly, he asks: “Death, where is thy sting? Where is thy victory, Hell?”

Intermezzo: Dance of Death Life in the realm, now officially without death, goes on

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as the Emperor’s grip on his subjects tightens and his propaganda manipulates reality.

Scene 3 A Soldier and a Circus Girl confront one another as enemies. Unable to harm each other, their thoughts turn to love. They dream of distant places where kind words exist alongside “meadows filled with color and fragrance.” The Drummer attempts to lure them back to battle with the sensual attraction of the call. The Girl responds: “Now death is dead and so we need to fight no more!” She and the Soldier sing: “Only love can unite us, unite us all together.”

The Soldier defects from the army with his newfound love, and the Emperor and the Drummer suffer yet another blow.

Intermezzo: The Living Dead Privately, both Harlequin and Emperor Overall dream of simpler times and simpler lives. The citizenry suffers.

Scene 4 The Emperor continues to oversee his failing realm, where his subjects angrily protest their suspension in limbo between life and death. He sees in his mind’s eye the Harlequin, who reminds him of his innocent childhood. The Drummer urges the Emperor to maintain his resolve, but the Emperor’s memories turn his thoughts from his plans for the annihilation of all.

The Emperor is torn between his duty (represented by the Drummer) and his own humanity (represented by Harlequin) and his struggle culminates in a madness trio between the three of them. In a memory, the struggling Emperor remembers his humanity.

Suddenly, Death emerges from nowhere and startles him. “Who are you?,” the Emperor asks. Death describes his role modestly, like that of a gardener “who roots up wilting weeds, life’s worn-out fellows.” He regrets the pain his strike is causing. When the Emperor asks him to resume his duties, Death proposes a resolution to the crisis: “I’m prepared to make peace, if you are prepared to make a sacrifice: will you be the first one to try out the new death?” After some resistance, the Emperor agrees, and the suffering people find release in death once more.

The Emperor sings his farewell. Order is restored once again and in the closing chorus, Death is praised and asked to “teach us to keep your holiest law: Thou shalt not use the name of Death in vain now and forever!”

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28 | thekaiserofatlantiscast&creative Clinton Smith’s 2020-21 season includes a virtual recital for Opera Orlando’s Summer Concert Series. His 2019-20 season included debuts at Florentine Opera conducting Le nozze di Figaro and Opera Birmingham conducting Cendrillon. He returned to Dayton Opera to conduct La Cenerentola, and Tacoma Opera to conduct L’elisir d’amore. He spends his seventh summer on the music staff at Santa Fe Opera playing continuo and covering music director Harry Bicket’s performances of Cosí fan tutte. His recent conducting credits include Charlie Parker’s Yardbird CLINTON SMITH at The Atlanta Opera and Arizona Opera, Pagliacci and Pulcinella at Opera Orlando, Il barbiere di Siviglia at CONDUCTOR Dayton Opera and the University of Michigan, Le nozze ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT di Figaro at Tacoma Opera, Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead CHARLIE PARKER’S Opera, Turandot, Norma, and Hansel und Gretel with YARDBIRD, 2018 Pacific Northwest Opera, The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, and Noah’s Flood with Opera Las Vegas. He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, and Skylark Operas and has included the preparation of over fifty operas in German, Italian, French, English, Czech, Russian, and Mandarin. He recently concluded a collective nine years as music and artistic director of both Orchestra Seattle/Seattle Chamber Singers and the St. Cloud Symphony. His many accomplishments include conducting subscription concerts every season, creating a chamber music series, annual Messiah performances, and partnering with numerous cultural and educational organizations. For four seasons, Minnesota Opera engaged Mr. Smith as cover conductor and chorus master, where he led main stage performances of La traviata and Madama Butterfly and covered the St. Paul Chamber and Minnesota Opera Orchestras in over 20 productions. Mr. Smith holds degrees in orchestral conducting from the University of Michigan and piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is one of the leading stage directors of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass TOMER ZVULUN and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana GENERAL & ARTISTIC University, and Boston University. He spent seven seasons DIRECTOR on the directing staff at The Metropolitan Opera, where he directed revivals of Carmen and Tosca and was PRODUCTION DIRECTOR involved with more than a dozen new productions. He is ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT a frequent guest director at companies such as Seattle THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, Opera (Semele, La bohème, Eugene Onegin, Lucia di 2009 Lammermoor), The Dallas Opera (Die Fledermaus, La bohème), Houston Grand Opera (Flying Dutchman, Rigoletto), Wexford Festival (Silent Night, Dinner at Eight), Cincinnati Opera (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman), Wolf Trap (Falstaff, Don Giovanni), Israeli Opera (Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare) among others. His European premiere of Silent Night at the Wexford Festival received two Irish Times Awards and traveled from Ireland to Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, and the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin, and Salt Lake City. He directed over 15 new productions at his home company in Atlanta, including Dead Man Walking, The Flying Dutchman, Soldier Songs, Silent Night, Maria de Buenos Aires, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Magic Flute, and Eugene Onegin. During Tomer’s tenure, the company’s fundraising has tripled, resulting in twice the number of productions presented annually. His focus on innovation has garnered national attention and resulted in a Harvard Business School case study chronicling The Atlanta Opera’s turnaround, an International Opera Awards nomination, an ArtsATL Luminary Award, and an invitation to deliver a TEDx Talk about innovation in opera.

30 | thekaiserofatlantiscast&creative Julia Noulin-Mérat is a French, American, and Canadian production designer. For the past seven years, she has been the Associate Producer at Boston Lyric Opera and is the Co-Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera. In addition, she has worked on over 400 opera, theater, and television productions, including 20 new operas and 22 new plays, and is the principal designer at Noulin-Mérat Studio. Julia received OPERA America’s Women Opera Network mentorship distinction as well as the Leadership Intensive. Recent credit includes; Rigoletto (Minnesota JULIA NOULIN-MÉRAT Opera); Le Monde a l’Envers (Wolf Trap Opera); Tosca and Falstaff (Opera Omaha); Albert Herring (Curtis Institute); SCENIC DESIGNER Gallo, Pedr Solis, and Troubled Water (Guerilla Opera); ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Sumeida’s Song and 27 (Pittsburgh Opera); and The Rake’s Progress, The Threepenny Opera, The Barber of Seville, and Pagliacci (BLO). Other projects include a TedX talk on site-specific opera in the modern age; Neverland (with China Broadway): a $20 million, 50,000 square immersive theater piece in Beijing based on Peter Pan; and Playground (Opera Omaha) a touring operatic sound sculpture in collaboration with composer Ellen Reid. Julia is a graduate of Boston University with an MSc in Arts Administration, an MFA in Set Design, a Diversity Inclusion certificate from ESSEC Business School, a social media marketing specialization from Northwestern University, a Fundraising Development Specialization from UC Davis, a Finance and Leadership certification from Harvard Business School. www.noulinmerat.com

JOANNA SCHMINK COSTUME DESIGNER

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, Così 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.

ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT COSÌ FAN TUTTE, 2000

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BEN RAWSON LIGHTING DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT FRIDA, 2019

FRANDRESHA “BRIE” HALL WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT LA BOHÈME, 2015

ERIN TEACHMAN PROJECTIONS DESIGNER ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT SALOME, 2020

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Ben Rawson is an Atlanta-based lighting designer for theater, opera, and dance – member USA 829. Theatrical and opera design work can be seen at the Alliance Theatre, The Atlanta Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Actors Express, 7 Stages, Theatre Buford, Weird Sisters Theatre Project, and Synchronicity Theatre. Dance design work includes work with choreographers Danielle Agami, Ana Maria Lucaciu, and Troy Schumacher and with groups Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Fly On A Wall, Staibdance, Bluebird Uncaged, Proia Dance Project, and Emily Cargill and Dancers. Ben has also worked across the country as an associate or assistant lighting designer for San Diego Opera, the Alliance Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Utah Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Palm Beach Opera, and Playmakers Repertory Company. benrawsondesign.com Frandresha “Brie” Hall is an Atlanta native specializing in celebrity hair and makeup for film, television, and theatre for over 14 years. She began working with The Atlanta Opera in 2015 with the production of La bohème. She became an assistant designer for The Atlanta Opera’s productions of Dead Man Walking, La traviata, and Salome.

Now, as The Atlanta Opera’s wig and makeup manager, she makes her designer debut with the productions of Pagliacci and The Kaiser of Atlantis. Other credits include The Atlanta Opera’s productions of West Side Story, Eugene Onegin, Frida, La Cenerentola, Porgy and Bess; and Bard Summerscape’s production of Demon. Film credits include The Nth Ward, Sistas, The Oval, and the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.

Erin Teachman has been freelancing as a projection/ digital artist for six years working across disciplines to bring digital media to stages across the United States, including Ford’s Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, the Alley, Dallas Theatre Center, Arena Stage, Florida Grand Opera, the Washington Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet, among others. Erin previously assisted on productions of Dead Man Walking and Frida and worked as digital media designer and 3D artist on Salome. Erin is excited to make his design debut with these extraordinary productions and is happy to return to Atlanta in these difficult times to work with The Atlanta Opera to tell stories in front of a live audience again.

32 | cast&creative Most recently, bass-baritone Calvin Griffin made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Brühlmann in Werther, sang the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with Florentine Opera, and appeared in concert with Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony in Handel’s Messiah, and with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera for an evening of Mozart. Additional recent highlights include returns to the Richmond Symphony for Handel’s Messiah, Florida Grand Opera as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Minnesota Opera as Eddie in The Fix, and Wolf Trap Opera CALVIN GRIFFIN as Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Gomez in L’heure additional support by espagnole. In a busy 2017-18 season, he made debuts with Mr. Robert Dean Opera Birmingham as Escamillo in Carmen, Opera on the & Mr. Robert Epstein James as Leporello in Don Giovanni, and Opera Orlando LOUDSPEAKER as Alidoro in La Cenerentola. Additionally, he returned to Arizona Opera to sing Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Siviglia, and debuted with Minnesota Opera as the Potter’s THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, Assistant in Fellow Travelers. A native of Columbus, OH, 2017 Calvin is an alum of the Florida Grand Opera studio where he made his debut stepping in as a cover to sing Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen. In addition, he sang Zaretsky and covered Gremin in Eugene Onegin, sang Victor in Before Night Falls, and Samuel in Un ballo in maschera with the company. He recently finished a stint with the Arizona Opera Studio where he performed the roles of the Captain in Florencia en el Amazonas, Zuniga in Carmen, Pistola in Falstaff, and Count Ceprano in Rigoletto.

American tenor Alek Shrader has developed an outstanding reputation both for his beautiful lyric vocalism and his expressive characterizations. He has appeared with The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Canadian Opera Company, Opera de Oviedo, Bayersische Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Opera de Lille, Opera National de Bordeaux, Theatre du Capitole de ALEK SHRADER Toulouse, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals. His support by John Hammaker many roles include Alfredo in La traviata, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L’Italiana in Algeri, HARLEQUIN Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Tonio in La Fille du Regiment, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Oronte in Alcina, Jupiter and Apollo in Semele, Emilio in Partenope, David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Camille in The Merry Widow, Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, the title roles in Candide and Albert Herring, Tony in West Side Story, and Ferdinand in Adès’ The Tempest. As a concert singer, Mr. Shrader has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

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American bass Kevin Burdette has impressed audiences with his mellifluous voice and dramatic characterizations. The San Francisco Chronicle called his Leporello “a tour de force of vocal splendor and comic timing,” and the New York Times dubbed him “the Robin Williams of opera.” He was featured as Stefano in Adès’ The Tempest with the Metropolitan Opera, the DVD of which was awarded the Grammy Award for “Best Opera Recording.” In 2020-21, his scheduled engagements include the role of Howard in the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli & Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners KEVIN BURDETTE with Den Norske Opera, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro with additional support by Dallas Opera, and a return to Santa Fe Opera as Quince in David & Laura Kavtaradze A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Correspondent in the DEATH world premiere of Lord of Cries. Recent highlights include the roles of Pangloss/Martin/Cacambo in Candide with the ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Gran Teatre del Liceu; Señor Russell in The Exterminating THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Angel with The Metropolitan Opera; Voltaire/Pangloss/ 2016 Martin/Cacambo in Candide, Scattergood in The Last Savage, Sulpice in La fille du regiment, and Stobrod/Blind Man in Cold Mountain (world premiere) with Santa Fe Opera; Doktor in Wozzeck with the Philharmonia Orchestra; Leporello in Don Giovanni with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Sulpice with Washington National Opera; Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Seattle Opera; Beck Weathers in Everest with The Dallas Opera (world premiere); Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Philadelphia; and Claggart in Billy Budd with Central City Opera.

Critics around the world have acclaimed mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as “outstanding” (The New York Times), “a powerhouse mezzo” (Wall Street Journal) possessing “a virtuoso technique second to none” (The Guardian) and “a voice like polished onyx: strong, dark, deep and gleaming” (Opera News). Mack’s 2019-20 season included three house debuts, three role debuts, and a return to The Metropolitan Opera. The season opens with Mack bringing her Handelian expertise to her role debut as Juno in Semele with Opera Philadelphia. She then brings her “fresh, feisty, flawless” DANIELA MACK (Opera News) Rosina to house debuts at Minnesota Opera support by and Palm Beach Opera for productions of Il barbiere di Mr. John Haupert Siviglia. Renowned for her bel canto interpretations, she & Mr. Bryan Brooks adds another role to her repertoire as Romeo in Bellini’s THE DRUMMER I Capuleti ed i Montecchi with Opera Omaha, and then returns to The Metropolitan Opera for her highly-anticipated ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT role debut as Varvara in Janáček’s Kát´a Kabanová. On the concert stage, Mack makes her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, and performs in Verdi’s Requiem with Opera Philadelphia. She closes out the season reprising her role as Rosmira in Partenope with San Francisco Opera, for which the San Francisco Chronicle hailed her “athletic, perfectly tuned coloratura.” She is an alumna of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, and was a finalist in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

34 | cast&creative Michael Mayes stunned London audiences as Joseph de Rocher in the UK premiere of Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking alongside Joyce DiDonato at London’s Barbican Hall. His “searing performance” was hailed by critics as “sensational,” “a revelation,” and “of such stunning strength and complete identification.” He made his European debut at the Teatro Real, Madrid, in staged performances of Dead Man Walking and has performed the role with multiple opera houses, including Washington National Opera. He reprised de Rocher with The Atlanta Opera, in a critically acclaimed production co-starring Jamie Barton. He is renowned for MICHAEL MAYES his outstanding performances in contemporary operas, additional support by including the Grammy-nominated world premiere of Great Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams Scott with The Dallas Opera and San Diego Opera; Margaret Garner opposite Denyce Graves with the Opera Company of EMPEROR OVERALL Philadelphia and Opera Carolina, and performances in Out ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT of Darkness, Three Decembers, Glory Denied, The Wreckers, Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, Baden-Baden 1927, and Everest.

SWEENEY TODD, 2018 2018-19 performances included a debut with Staatsoper Stuttgart as the title character in Nixon in China, Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore for Seattle Opera, Starbuck in Moby Dick in Pittsburgh, the title role in Sweeney Todd for The Atlanta Opera. He also excels in dramatic baritone roles such as Scarpia in Tosca, Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West, and the title roles of Don Giovanni and Rigoletto.

American soprano Jasmine Habersham is a versatile and dynamic performing artist. Her 2019-20 season included Adina in L’elisir d’amore (Phoenicia Festival of Voice), Sarah Ruth in Edward Tulane (World Premiere; Minnesota Opera), and Frasquita in Carmen (European Debut; Gran Teatre del Liceu). In 2018-19, she sang Pip in Moby Dick (Opera San Jose), the world premiere of Katie Jackson in The Fix (Minnesota Opera), Clara in Porgy and Bess and Adina in L’elisir d’amore (The Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice). An avid performer of new works, Jasmine has premiered the role of Mariola in Jake Heggie JASMINE HABERSHAM and Gene Scheer’s Out of Darkness: Two Remain (The support by Atlanta Opera). She has also appeared as Pip in Moby Dick Mr. William Pennington Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson (Utah Opera), Pamina in The Magic Flute (Opera Theater St. Louis: Opera on the Go) Papagena in Die Zauberflöte GIRL (Cincinnati Opera and The Glimmerglass Festival), Yum ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Yum in the The Mikado (Kentucky Opera), Esther in (Cincinnati Opera Fusion) and Clara in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Porgy and Bess (Utah Festival Opera). In past summers, 2016 she participated in several young artists programs including the Glimmerglass Festival, Central City Opera, Kentucky Opera, and the Brevard Music Center. As a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, she performed the roles Despina (Cosi fan tutte), Norina (Don Pasquale), Mrs. Julian (Owen Wingrave), and covered the role of Zerlina (Don Giovanni). She received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Shorter College and her master’s and artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

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Described by The New York Times as having an “ample and pleasing tone,” tenor Brian Vu creates visceral and interdisciplinary art on the operatic, theatrical, and concert stages. During the 2020-21 season, he will return to the Metropolitan Opera, singing the Journalist in Lulu, covering the Huntsman in Rusalka, and covering Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd. In 2020, he made a company and role debut with Kentucky Opera as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and before COVID-19, he was slated to make company debuts with Minnesota Opera as Bryce in BRIAN VU the world premiere of Edward Tulane, and Austin Opera as Ping in Turandot. In the fall of 2019, he joined the SOLDIER Metropolitan Opera, covering Prince Yamadori in Madama ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Butterfly and making his debut, singing Waiter Two in WEST SIDE STORY, 2018 Der Rosenkavalier. Alcée in Charles Gounod’s Sapho with Washington Concert Opera and Moralès in Carmen with San Diego Opera, Schaunard in La bohème, and Second Apprentice in Wozzeck both at Des Moines Metro Opera. He made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Mitch Leigh’s Impossible Dream with the composer in attendance. He sang the role of Gee-tar in West Side Story with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and lent his singing voice for the hit HBO television series Watchmen. A First Place Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, he is a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, recipient of the Sullivan Foundation Award, Third Prize in the Gerda Lissner Lieder competition, and a major prize winner in the Opera Index Competition, among others.

36 | productionnote

The Kaiser of Atlantis WRITTEN BY

Julia Brown Simmons

German composer Kurt Weill wrote, “If the bounds of opera cannot accommodate such a rapprochement with the theater of the times, then its bounds must be broken.” Weill’s call—challenging opera to cast off any traditions that prevent it from accurately and sufficiently connecting with current human conditions—is expressed poignantly both by Viktor Ullmann’s opera The Kaiser of Atlantis (Der Kaiser Von Atlantis) and by The Atlanta Opera, which is bravely mounting this production in the midst of a multilayered global crisis.

The 1975 premiere of The Kaiser of Atlantis took place 31 years later than intended. Composer Viktor Ullmann and librettist Peter Kien worked together on the opera in 1943 while they were held in Theresienstadt, a Nazi labor camp. The following year, rehearsals of the composition were shut down by Nazi authorities due

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to heightening censorship and increasing transports to Auschwitz. The manuscripts recovered for the 1975 premiere were passed from Ullmann through the hands of two camp survivors. Both Ullmann and Kien died at Auschwitz.

The Kaiser of Atlantis opens with a prologue: “Hello, hello! This tale is called ‘Death Abdicates,’ a sort of opera in four scenes. The characters: Emperor Overall who hasn’t been seen for some years, because he’s shut himself away in his palace, totally isolated, in order to rule better; the Drummer, who is not quite real, like a RENDERING: JULIA NOULIN-MÉRAT

radio; the Loudspeaker, whom one hears but does not see; a Soldier and a Girl; Death is a discharged soldier and Harlequin, who can laugh in spite of his tears. That’s what life is all about.”

Following the prologue, the opera begins with a scene between Death and Harlequin. Harlequin wishes he could die, while Death laments the loss of respect that modern warfare has brought upon his traditional means of dying. Death’s lament becomes more vehement after the Drummer delivers the Emperor’s call for universal war—a sweeping decree that everyone must begin to fight until there are no survivors. Death decides to go on strike as a rebuke against the Emperor for overstepping his power—Death alone can take the lives of men and women.

Death’s strike means that nobody can die—hanged men are surviving, fatal gun shots are not killing.

The Emperor grows increasingly concerned that he cannot maintain his absolute power without death. The Emperor begins to question his humanity. Ultimately, Death confronts the Emperor and they make a deal: Death will resume his role only if the Emperor agrees to be the first to die. The Emperor accepts his fate and sings farewell.

Both the music and the text of Ullmann and Kien’s opera reflect the fear and apprehensions of those interned in the Nazi concentration camps. The subjects of the Emperor in The Kaiser of Atlantis live in an

38 | productionnote agonizing limbo between life and death while Death is on strike, a tension that mirrors the ever-present but uncertain threat faced by those persecuted under Hitler in Nazi Germany. Reality and art are interconnected, and the line between them blurs, just as the prologue indicates— “That’s what life is all about.” This mirroring of life and art has echoes in Weill’s quotes—Ullmann and Kien have expanded the limits of opera to portray and comment on the terrors of the world in which they live.

But The Kaiser of Atlantis goes beyond demonstrating the terror of Hitler’s Nazism, and even goes beyond offering a political satire of Nazi Germany—the opera also offers means of hope in a time that is otherwise hopeless. This offer of hope is twofold. First, the opera portrays a potential reality in which the Emperor reclaims his humanity and sacrifices himself so that this persecution can end. The opera depicts an end to the limbo and constant fear pervading Nazi Germany.

Second, and perhaps more profoundly, scene three of The Kaiser of Atlantis portrays love as a power that can defeat the temptations of war. A Soldier and a Girl, upon realizing they are unable to kill one another in this universal war, come together in love. They sing together that, “Only love can unite us, unite us all together.” This is an extremely moving call for love coming from the work’s creators—two men interned in a Nazi labor camp. But this call for love is precisely what Weill explains opera is meant to do—Ullmann and Kien have again expanded the reach of opera to fit the times in which they are writing, calling for universal love to defeat universal war.

Ulmann and Kien composed this work in a world of tyranny, despair, and devastation. Yet, they found a way to go on. Like Weill declares, Ulmann and Kien understood that opera is an outlet for a facet of human existence that must be exercised. When circumstances seek to stamp that humanity out, opera can, and must, break free from its traditions.

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The Atlanta Opera has taken a work written during a period of great turmoil and applied its allegorical elements to our own uncertain time. The “bounds of opera”, as they are, “cannot accommodate” the theaters of today.

The Atlanta Opera is breaking those bounds. “The show must go on” in today’s world—especially in today’s world—because life and art are too intimately connected to abandon in moments of suffering.

Ullmann and Kien evidently understood this notion that art is fundamental to humankind better than anyone—they produced a work in the darkest of times, not only to depict the pain in their world, but to remind us of the hope that is possible when we connect with our humanity.

A NOTE ABOUT THE MUSIC Ullmann’s score has been received with significant critical acclaim. Ullmann’s musical style is quintessentially modern, drawing from multiple influences. The style shows glimpses of Ullmann’s past tutelage by Arnold Schoenberg, and the instrumentation is reminiscent of Kurt Weill’s theatrical works.

Though the modernity of Ullmann’s style is evident, there is also a sense of familiarity with the work. This familiarity is heightened by the composer’s use of musical quotation (for example, the inclusion of references to the Lutheran hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God”). References to sacred music would have been particularly bittersweet to the Theresienstadt audience, had they ever been able to hear the work.

40 | theatlantaoperaorchestra VIOLIN

BASS

PERCUSSION

Peter Ciaschini The Loraine P. Williams Orchestra Concertmaster Chair

Lyn DeRamus Principal

Michael Cebulski Principal

Emory Clements

TIMPANI

FLUTE

John Lawless Principal

Helen Kim Assistant Concertmaster Fia Durrett Principal Second Adelaide Federici Assistant Principal Second

James Zellers Principal Kelly Bryant Flute/Picc

Edward Eane

OBOE

Felix Farrar

Diana Dunn Principal

Robert Givens Patti Gouvas Lisa Morrison

Christina Gavin CLARINET

Anastasia Petrunina

David Odom Principal

Virginia Respess-Fairchild

John Warren

Patrick Ryan

BASSOON

Angele Sherwood-Lawless Jessica Stinson

TBD TBD Principal

Rafael Veytsblum

Debra Grove

VIOLA

HORN

William Johnston Principal Viola

David Bradley Principal

Elizabeth Derderian-Wood Assistant Principal Viola

Jason Eklund

Ryan Gregory Julie Rosseter

Yvonne Toll Principal

Karl Schab

Hollie Lifshey

Shawn Pagliarini

Joli Wu CELLO Charae Krueger Principal Hilary Glen Assistant Principal David Hancock Mary Kenney Cynthia Sulko

TRUMPET

TROMBONE Mark McConnell Principal Richard Brady Bass Trombone TUBA Donald Strand Principal

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HARP Susan Brady Principal PERSONNEL MANAGER Mark McConnell Musicians employed in this production are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

41

The Bilingual

Barber Of Seville

RETURNING AFTER A SOLD-OUT RUN IN 2018-19!

BOOK NOW FOR YOUR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY VENUE! ATLANTAOPERA.ORG/EDUCATION

TOUR DATES: JANUARY THROUGH MAY 2021

42 | communityengagement

Responding To The Pandemic WRITTEN BY

Jessica Kiger

In March, as the COVID-19 pandemic struck, The Atlanta Opera formed an exploratory Community Service Task Force to brainstorm and execute ideas to serve the community and keep the Opera connected to patrons.

TASK FORCE INITIATIVES MASK COVERS & GOWNS: The hardworking team in The Atlanta Opera Costume Shop, along with other staff volunteers, worked diligently to cut and sew 2,548 mask covers for Grady Health Systems. In collaboration with the Atlanta Ballet and the Alliance Theatre, the project expanded to include the creation of 1,032 cloth PPE gowns. A total of 43 staff members and volunteers worked on the project. The Costume Shop also created 460 branded and designer masks for board members, staff and studio artists. Volunteers sewed 246 face coverings for Piedmont Hospital and 2 volunteers we connected directly with Piedmont to continue sewing.

TELEGRAMS: Members of The Atlanta Opera Chorus and The Atlanta Opera Studio have sent over 600 personalized “Singing Telegrams� for frontline healthcare workers, hospital patients, members of senior living facilities and

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others in need of emotional support. A special July 4th telegram was sent to veterans and active military.

DIGITAL LEARNING: Virtual Workshops and Masterclass were held with members of The Atlanta Opera Studio and Staff. Topics ranged from the basics of lighting design and props to introduction to opera, majoring in music in college, careers in arts administration, and more. The Opera’s education team also curated virtual activities and resources hosted on our website for educators, parents, and students to conveniently learn about opera from home.

STORYTIME WITH HANSEL AND GRETEL: In May, when 26 of the Opera’s Studio Tour performances were canceled due to COVID-19, the artists worked with director Brenna Corner to create a new virtual show for distance learning. Originally produced live for virtual classrooms and field trips via Zoom, Storytime with Hansel and Gretel was recorded and debuted as a Facebook watch party with the Fulton County Library for all to enjoy.

We continue to connect to classrooms and students virtually. Custom workshops and masterclasses offered in-person or via the teacher’s preferred online platform.

Taught by teaching artists and staff, suggested topics include Introduction to Opera, Operatic Voice Types, History of Opera, and Careers in the Arts, Lighting Design and Props. Additional programs include a virtual presentation of The Bilingual Barber of Seville Studio Tour, Tapestry: A Historical Journey of Expression Through Song, Opera Storytime for young learners and Masterclasses with The Atlanta Opera Studio Players.

We are committed to our mission now more than ever.

With the help of our dedicated team, The Atlanta Opera is striving to make a difference in our community. To learn more about the Opera’s education and community programs, visit www.atlantaopera.org/education.

44 | givingspotlight Kurt and Jennifer Hilbert both began studying vocal music as teenagers. They met as opera majors at Northwestern University and quickly fell in love, and their shared passion for opera eventually led them to build a life together.

When they relocated to Roswell and launched their now thriving, boutique law firm, Jennifer and Kurt found that supporting The Atlanta Opera was a vital way of investing in the greater Atlanta community while continuing their dedication to their favorite art form. As singers who appreciated the early mentoring they received from voice teachers and directors, the Hilberts are particularly passionate about The Atlanta Opera Studio Artist Program. In addition to their annual contribution to the Opera, Kurt and Jennifer recently strengthened their commitment by including The Atlanta Opera Studio in their estate plans.

Kurt and Jennifer Hilbert decided that a planned gift was the best way to support The Atlanta Opera’s future.

Through a bequest, the Hilberts will establish a permanently endowed position in the Opera’s special training program, leaving a legacy and supporting future generations of talented young singers. When asked what inspired them to make this meaningful gift, Jennifer shared, “When we started exploring a career in opera, we weren’t sure where we could find the proper guidance and training. The Atlanta Opera Studio is a wonderful program that nurtures talented young artists at a critical time in their lives, and Kurt and I are happy to know that we will be part of their continued success for years to come.”

Planned giving can offer considerable tax savings while providing lasting income for The Atlanta Opera.

Legacy contribution vehicles include bequests, trusts, life insurance, and retirement assets. Atlanta Opera donors like Jennifer and Kurt Hilbert have a tradition of making gifts to the Annual Fund and then sustaining those gifts through their estates, allowing the Opera perpetually to enrich lives through the power of our art form. We are grateful for their generous support.

To find out how to become a member of the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society, contact Paul Harkins at pharkins@atlantaopera.org.

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ANNUAL GIVING We are grateful for the following donors’ generous support. This list reflects gifts and pledges to unrestricted operating expenses, special projects, and/or endowment made between Jul. 1, 2019, through Aug. 31, 2020.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $1,000,000+ John & Rosemary Brown *Martha Thompson Dinos Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation

$200,000+ Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith Ann & Frank Critz The Gable Foundation Mr. Howard W. Hunter Gramma Fisher Foundation *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg

$100,000+ Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney Beth & Gary Glynn The Karina Miller Trust

$50,000+ Laura & Montague Boyd Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross Mr. William F. Snyder Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson

$25,000+ Cathy & Mark Adams *Nancy & *Jim Bland Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly John L. Hammaker Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Mary Ruth McDonald Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William Pennington Judith & Mark Taylor

PATRON’S CIRCLE $15,000+ Julie & Jim Balloun Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard

Mr. David Boatwright Mr. Frank Butterfield Carl & Sally Gable Candy & Greg Johnson Stephanie & Gregor Morela Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund

GOLD $10,000+ Elizabeth & Jeremy Adler Anonymous John & Wendy Anzalone Bryan & Johanna Barnes Dr. Florence C. Barnett Dr. & Mrs. Asad Bashey Mr. Mario Concha Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein *Heike & Dieter Elsner Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Sandra & Peter Morelli Mr. & Mrs. John Murphy Clara M. & John S. O’Shea Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Paulhus Milton J. Sams Katherine Scott Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Christine & Mark St.Clare Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland

SILVER $5,000+ Anonymous Natalie & Matthew Bernstein Dr. R. Dwain Blackston Jean & Jerry Cooper Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Mr. & Mrs. Lance Fortnow Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey Mr. Ethan Garonzik Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin Deborah & Paul Harkins Mr. L. D. Holland Mrs. Gail G. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Klump Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Long

Dr. & Mrs. James Lowman Mrs. Polly N. Pater Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi Mr. & Mrs. Timothy E. Sheehan Baker & Debby Smith John & Yee-Wan Stevens Mr. & Mrs. Bill Vance Larry & Beverly Willson Mrs. Wadleigh C. Winship Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund

BRONZE $2,500+ Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Dante & Zayra Bellizzi Dr. John W. Cooledge Col. & Mrs. Edgar W. Duskin Dr. & Mrs. Donald J. Filip Mr. James Flanagan Mr. Michael Golden & Dr. Juliet Asher Kevin Greiner & Robyn Roberts Judge Adele P. Grubbs Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Eda Hochgelerent MD & Bruce Cassidy MD Ms. Salli LeVan Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III Belinda & Gino Massafra Shelley McGehee Mr. Conrad Mora Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III Mr. James D. Powell Lynn & Kent Regenstein John & Barbara Ross Morton & Angela Sherzer Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Shreiber Lynne & Steven Steindel Peter J. Stelling & Jody C. Weatherly Mrs. Hugh Tarbutton Mr. & Mrs. George B. Taylor, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Nicholas Valerio III *Dr. & Mrs. R. Craig Woodward

FRIEND’S CIRCLE INVESTOR $1,000+ David Abell Scott & Betsy Akers Ms. Teresa Bailey Mr. & Mrs. Harris P. Baskin

46 | giving&support Ms. Kris Christy Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Croft III Mrs. Overton A. Currie Maureen & Michael Dailey Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt Drs. Morgan & Susan Horton Eiland Mr. Thomas Emch Rita Evans Dr. Mary M. Finn Ms. Louise S. Gunn Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Hantula Mr. George Hickman, III Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Howard Mr. & Mrs. David C. Huffman Mr. & Mrs. Gert Kampfer Mr. & Mrs. Gedas Kutka Mrs. Treville Lawrence Mrs. Dale Levert & Mr. George W. Levert Dr. Carlos E. Lopez Samantha & William Markle Dr. & Mrs. Steven Marlowe Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Ms. Priscilla M. Moran John & Agnes Nelson Mr. & Mrs. John L. O’Neal Mr. & Mrs. Steve Paro George Paulik Lucy S. Perry Mrs. Betsy Pittman The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Richard Restagno Dr. & Mrs. William E. Silver Mr. Fred B. Smith Gail & Barry Spurlock Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor Ms. Virginia S. Taylor Mrs. Rebecca Warner Ms. Betsy K. Wash Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr.

SUPPORTER $500+ Dr. Raymond Allen Paula Stephan Amis Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Banker Col. & Mrs. John V. Barson, D.O. Ms. Jamie Barton Drs. Tatiana & Igor Bidikov Mr. Jonathan Blalock Ms. Mary D. Bray Stanford M. Brown Dr. & Mrs. Harold L. Chapman, Jr. Mrs. Carol J. Clark Mr. N. Jerold Cohen & Ms. Andrea Strickland Mr. Lawrence M. Cohen Aaron Coley Ms Lillianette Cook & Ms. Carol Uhl Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Curry

Amy & James Davis Jim & Carol Dew Denis & Sandra DuBois Ms. Ariana B. Fass Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich Dr. & Mrs. Joseph D. Giovinco James C. Goodwyne & Christopher S. Connelly Mr. John Greer Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Grodzicki Mr. & Mrs. Sam Hagan Ms. Donna Hall Ms. Marilyn M. Hall Mr. & Mrs. Steven Hart Dean & Vivian Haulton Donna & Richard Hiller Wayne Hoffman Mrs. Pearl B. Hollis James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Douglas Hooker & Patrise Perkins Hooker Richard & Linda Hubert Mr. Walter Huff Robert & Barbara Jackson Mary & Wayne James Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich Ms. Eleanor Kinsey Joan & Arnold Kurth Chris & Jill Le Antionesha N. Lee Livvy Kazer Lipson Allan & Veneesa Little Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella James Madsen Mr. & Mrs. Paul Manno Ms. Deborah A. Marlowe Mr. Thomas L. McCook Mr. & Mrs. M. Sean Molley Mr. Frank M. Monger Mrs. Thespi P. Mortimer Terri & Stephen Nagler Mr. Denis Ng & Mrs. Mary Jane Panzeri Ng Mr. & Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr. Mr. Darryl-Christopher Payne Mr. Lawrence F. Pinson Dan Pompilio & Lark Ingram Walter O. Pryor Mr. Stephen L. Rann & Ms. Dytre Fentress Mrs. Frances G. Richards Danny & Quennie Ross Sandra & Ronald Rousseau Dr. & Mrs. William M. Scaljon Mrs. MaryEarle Scovil Mr. Robert Sidewater Mr. & Mrs. Milton W. Shlapak Mr. Paul Snyder Judge Mike & Mrs. Jane Stoddard Steve & Christine Strong Kay Summers Carolyn & Robert Swain

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Alan & Marcia Watt Dr. & Mrs. Sam Williams Kiki Wilson Sherrilyn & Donn Wright Dr. & Mrs. Ben Zinn

CONTRIBUTOR $250+ Judith M. Alembik Ms. Suzanne Aloisio Mr. & Mrs. James Anderson Mr. & Mrs. David S. Baker Kelly Baker Fink Mr. Albert E. Bender, Jr. Mr. Matt Blackburn Dr. Ian Bond Ms. Evelyn L. Bolden Sharon S. Brando James & Nancy Bross Dr. & Mrs. W. V. Brown Dr. Christine Bruno Mark & Peg Bumgardner Drs. Brenda & Craig Caldwell Dr. & Mrs. W. Jerry Capps Anne Carson Mrs. Nita Chambless Lori & David Chastain Mr. John Chickering Dr. Earle D. Clowney Mr. Michael Colbruno Mr. & Mrs. Newt Collinson Carol Comstock & Jim Davis T. Dennis Connally Mr. Anthony Coulter Mr. & Mrs. David Courtney Mr. David D’Ambrosio Mr. & Mrs. Harold T. Daniel Jr. Laura E. Davidson Michael H. Davis Mr. Philip D. Dawson Dr. & Mrs. Albert De Chicchis Mrs. Sally Dean Mr. Stephen H. Dirkes Dr. & Mrs. Hamilton S. Dixon Ms. Barbara B. Dowd Mr. Mark du Mas Ms. Margaret Eisenhauer Mrs. Joyce H. Evans Mr. & Mrs. Steve Feldman Sally & Hank Fielding Ms. Lora Fitzgerald Mrs. Catherine Fox Dr. Linda Fraser Mrs. Sara Frooman Ms. Mary Anne F. Gaunt Mr. Glen Galbaugh Byron Gibbs Col. & Mrs. Donald M. Gilner Dr. & Mrs. Martin Goldstein Ms. Jane Fenwick Goodwin Charita Gray Mr. William Green Helen C. Griffith Dr. & Mrs. Bannester L. Harbin

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Mr. Ronald L. Harris & Mrs. Jacqueline Pownall Steven Hauser Ms. Sharon E. Hill Ms. Jan W. Hughen Stuart Jackson & Robyn Jackson Lillie Jenkins Lou & Tom Jewell Mr. Richard P. Johnson Ms. Susan Johnston & Mrs. Shannon Motley Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Johnston Mr. J. Carter Joseph Mr. & Mrs. Edward Katze Mr. Scott H. Kaplan John & JoAnn Keller William W. Kelly, Jr. Matthew Kent Kevin Kinsey Dr. Rose Mary Kolpatzki Suzanne Lehman Michelle M.S. Lee Mrs. Laura Leon Hamm Paulette & Matthew Levin David & Kathy Linden

Ms. Katharine Mackie Dr. Robert & Judge Stephanie Manis Katherine B. Maxwell & Michael J. Maxwell Mrs. Rachel Miller Mr. Simon Miller Ms. Sally B. Molloy & Mr. John Iacovelli Mr. Pierre P. Mouyal Barbara & Mark Murovitz Ms. Mollie W. Neal Ms. Carol Niemi Mr. John Owens Leah Partridge Mr. & Mrs. John Payan George & Libba Pickett Ms. Jody Pollard & Mr. Sean Finneran Mr. Robert Quish *Sharon & Jim Radford Mary Lou Rahn Mr. Ira Ralph Mr. James L. Rhoden Ms. Lisa Richardson Sidney & Phyllis Rodbell

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Weslyn A. Samson Dr. Anne Saravo Ms. Regina Schuber Mr. Karin Schwerd Jane Shaw Dr. & Mrs. Steve M. Shindell Dr. & Mrs. Stanley J. Smits Ms. Virginia E. Spector Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stansfield Dr. Susan Y. Stevens Doug Steward Fred & Linda Stewart Sarah & David Sutherland Barbara & Jon Swann Ms. Stephanie Talley Mr. Fred Tuck Ms. Mary Ellen Vian Joseph D. & Lisa Gandy Wargo Jone Williams Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy Williams, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. David Wingert Ms. Ann D. Winters Mrs. Loretta C. Wolf Mrs. Mary S. Wright *deceased

48 | giving&support BARBARA D. STEWART LEGACY SOCIETY The Atlanta Opera established the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society to recognize donors who have designated The Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan. In honor of Barbara D. Stewart’s many contributions to The Atlanta Opera, our planned giving division, the Encore Society, has been renamed the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society.

Anonymous (3) Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Mrs. Wallace F. Beard The Bickers Charitable Trust Mr. Jonathan Blalock Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Ms. Mary D. Bray Mr. Robert Colgin *Martha Thompson Dinos The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation Arnold & Sylvia Eaves Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards *Heike & Dieter Elsner Ms. Melodi Ford Carl & Sally Gable Ms. Anne Marie Gary Peg Simms Gary Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman Ms. Judy Hanenkrat The Hilbert Family Trust Mr. L. Don Holland Mr. Hilson Hudson *Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison Mr. J. Carter Joseph Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy Mrs. Alfred D. Kennedy, Sr Mrs. Isabelle W. Kennedy Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia

Dr. Jill Mabley Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm Mr. Robert L. Mays Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Peggy Weber McDowell & Jack 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. James Paulk Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Bruce Roth Ms. Hazel Sanger Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr. Anita & J. Barry Schrenk Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel Christine & Mark St.Clare *Ms. Barbara D. Stewart Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Mr. Tarek Takieddini Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Teepen Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney *Mrs. Jane S. Willson Rhys T. Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. & Mrs. Mary Mitchell Yates *Mr. & *Mrs. Charles R. Yates, Sr. *deceased

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

encoreatlanta.com

TRIBUTES & MEMORIALS In memory of Dr. Joseph C. & Ruth P. Barnett Dr. Florence C. Barnett In memory of Mrs. Barbara Bastin Avondale Estates Woman’s Club In honor of Mr. Jonathan Blalock Mr. Michael Colbruno In honor of Mrs. Nancy Bland Sally & Hank Fielding In honor of Dr. Hal Brody & Mr. Don Smith Jonathan Blalock In honor of Mr. John Brown Mr. & Mrs. David S. Baker In honor of Mr. Jerome Cooper Mr. & Mrs. Mark Taylor In honor of Mr. Rob Dean Mr. Bill Witherspoon In honor of Mr. Rob Dean & Mr. Rob Epstein Jonathan Blalock In memory of Martha “Mot” Thompson Dinos Anonymous (2) Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Inc. Mrs. Betty Davis Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein Allison Fichter & Phillip O’Brien Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Hills Ms. Meredith Johnson Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Tom Presley Carol Riggs Ms. Katherine Scott Mrs. Laura S. Spearman

In honor of Mr. Robert G. Edge Mrs. Eleanor Crosby In honor of Mr. Carl Gable Mr. Barry Berlin Mr. & Mrs. Mark Taylor In memory of Mr. Thomas Gregory Ms. Virginia Puckett Ms. Patricia Stone Mr.* & Mrs. John Zellner In memory of Mr. Kenneth Bryan Horton Drs. Morgan & Susan Horton Eiland In memory of Mr. Charles Johnston Robert & Nancy Johnston Mr. Joseph R. Stabile & Mr. Michael W. Dunkelberger In honor of Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. James Edenfield In honor of Mrs. Karen Morley Mr. Mark Morley In honor of Mr. Rolando Salazar Mr.* & Mrs. John Zellner In honor of Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Bill Vance In honor of Mrs. Rae Weimer The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. In honor of Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. Mr. Robert Quish Ms. Sarah Sutherland In honor of Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland Mr. John Greer Mr. & Mrs. Mark Taylor

*deceased

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50 | giving&support CORPORATE PARTNERS $100,000+

$10,000+

$2,500+

Anonymous The Coca-Cola Company Ameris Bank

Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation CIBC Gas South The Hilbert Law Firm, LLC Legendary Events PricewaterhouseCoopers SAP Success Factors Stryker Foundation TriMont Real Estate Advisors, Inc. WarnerMedia

Delta Community Credit Union McMaster-Carr Supply Company UBS Financial Services Inc. Wallace Graphics

$50,000+ Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta

$1,000+ National Distributing Co., Inc.

FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOUNDATIONS $225,000+ Livingston Foundation, Inc. Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

$50,000+ Atlanta Music Festival Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta The Sara Giles Moore Foundation The Rich Foundation, Inc. The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

$20,000+ The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation J. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Charitable Trust

$10,000+ Auburn University Foundation George M. Brown Trust Fund JBS Foundation The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation, Inc. Norfolk Southern Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation The David, Helen, & Marian Woodward Fund

$5,000+ Camp-Younts Foundation Nordson Corporation Foundation Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.

$1,000+ Atlanta Beltline Partnership Cobb EMC Community Foundation Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta, Georgia The Hills Family Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Hills, Trustees Kennesaw State University Foundation Kiwanis Foundation of Atlanta Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

GOVERNMENT $20,000+ City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs National Endowment for the Arts

10,000+ Fulton County Arts & Culture Georgia Council for the Arts

staff

EXECUTIVE Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun Managing Director Micah Fortson Executive Assistant Chamberlynn Campuzano (Shelton) ARTISTIC Carl & Sally Gable Music Director Arthur Fagen

Electricians John Scott Ross, Kat Cole, Brandon Polk, Justin Schwartz Light Board Operator Amanda Joyce Properties Head Danielle Dickinson Properties Kelsey Bailey Sound 1 Teddy Murry Sound 2 Harvey Mills

Artistic Administrator Meredith Wallace

Sound Board Operator David Young

Artistic Associate Anna Young

Head Video Jay Holloway

PRODUCTION

Video 2 Charlie Taylor

Director of Production Kevin G. Mynatt Production Manager Meggie Roseborough Associate Technical Director Joshua Jansen Production Stage Manager Liam Roche Assistant Stage Manager Kristin Kelley Lighting Supervisor Marcella Barbeau Properties Artisan Christopher Moneymaker Assistant Lighting Designer Daniella Ampudia Assistant Sound Designer David Young Video Supervisors Justin Michel, Sarah Panozzo Head Carpenter Hank Collins Carpenters Drew Pharr, Chris Stewart, Javid Brooks Adams, Tyler Malovoz Head Electrician Jake Scott Assistant Head Electrician/ Programmer Mathew Peddie

Union Steward Peter Cocchiere COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION Director of Community Engagement & Education Jessica Kiger COSTUME Costume Director Joanna Schmink Cutter/Draper Kelly Isaac Cutter/Draper/First Hand L. Elizabeth Payne First Hand/Stitcher Hauzia Conyers Stitchers Jordan Jaked Carrier, Chloe Gervais, Niki Traxler Costume Developer Abigail Polston Wardrobe Supervisor Niki Traxler Dressers Jenn Rodgers, Jenn Ackland Wig & Makeup Manager Frandresha “Brie” Hall Wig & Makeup Assistant Manager Blythe Dever Wig & Makeup Crew Jessica Davis, Sakeitha King, Alex Lucas, Ivy Vail

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DEVELOPMENT Chief Advancement Officer Paul Harkins Individual Giving Officer Jonathan Blalock Institutional Giving Officer Camille Cordak Development Operations & Individual Giving Coordinator Elizabeth Root Events & Volunteer Manager Sandy Feliciano FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Director of Finance Kathy J. White Controller Inga V. Murro Human Resources & Facilities Manager Kenneth R. Timmons Bookkeeper Ruth Strickland Risk Mitigation Coordinator Kylie Saunders MARKETING, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT, & DIGITAL MEDIA Chief of Marketing & Audience Development Ashley Mirakian Associate Director of Marketing Rebecca Danis Senior Manager, Ticketing Services Renee Smiley

52 | inmemoriam I love all things that have gentle sweet smells, that speak of love, of spring, of dreams and fanciful things, those things that have poetic name.

LA BOHÈME “Nobody loved the opera more than Nancy,” recalls one Atlanta Opera patron. Everyone who knew Nancy Bland would agree—she shared her lifelong love of opera with her family, friends, and the Atlanta community.

TIM WILKERSON

Nancy once said that when her husband Jim Bland took her to La bohème on their first date in college, it “sealed the deal” as far as she was concerned. The two operalovers married in 1958 and, over their 58-year marriage, were devoted patrons of The Atlanta Opera.

Nancy cared deeply for Atlanta, where she grew up and raised her family. She attended E. Rivers Elementary School, North Fulton and Northside High Schools, and earned her bachelor of arts degree from Emory University.

She gave back to her community by teaching at The Lovett Schools, volunteering. Nancy also supported cultural, historical, and social service organizations including the Atlanta Junior League, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Whitefield-Murray Historical Society.

Nancy was a part of The Atlanta Opera since its inception, serving as a long-time board member and benefactor.

Her love of opera touched the lives of everyone she knew, including her daughter, Sally Fielding, who now serves on The Atlanta Opera’s Advisory Board. Nancy believed in the Opera’s capacity to make a difference in the lives of others, and her support has made that possible.

Nancy wanted the wider Atlanta community, and future generations, to share the experiences she so cherished: spectacular live music, inspired theatrical productions, and the incomparable feeling of living those moments amidst an audience.

In order to honor Nancy Bland’s memory, The Atlanta Opera will dedicate next season’s production of La bohème to her. Carrying on Nancy’s wish for opera to be an integral part of Atlanta. Perhaps, thanks to Nancy’s unwavering support of The Atlanta Opera, La bohème can change the lives of others in the lasting way it changed hers.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

leadership

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Chair Mr. Rhys T. Wilson Immediate Past Chair Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams Vice Chair Mr. John L. Hammaker Vice Chair Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates Treasurer Ms. Bunny Winter Secretary Mr. Michael E. Paulhus MEMBERS Mrs. Elizabeth Adler Mrs. Wendy Anzalone Mr. Bryan H. Barnes Mr. Dante Bellizzi Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Dr. Harold J. Brody Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Mr. Mario Concha

Dr. Frank A. Critz Mr. Robert Dean Mr. Dieter Elsner Dr. Donald J. Filip Mr. Kevin Greiner Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mr. Howard W. Hunter Mrs. Tiffany Kent Mr. Andrew R. Long Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Mrs. Stephanie Morela Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli Mrs. Talia Murphy Mr. Howard Palefsky Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. William F. Snyder Mrs. Christine St.Clare Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Mr. William E. Tucker Mr. Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, ex-officio

HONORARY MEMBERS *Mrs. Nancy Carter Bland The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler Mr. Robert G. Edge Mr. Carl I. Gable, Jr. Mrs. Nancy Hall Green Mr. Gregory F. Johnson Mr. Carter Joseph Mr. Alfred Kennedy, Jr. Mr. Michael Keough Mrs. Emily C. Knobloch Mr. George Levert Mrs. Peggy Weber McDowell Mr. Bruce A. Roth Mr. J. Barry Schrenk Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan Mr. Mark K. Taylor Mr. Thomas R. Williams Mr. Robert G. Woodward *deceased

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Board Chair Mr. Rhys T. Wilson

Audit Chair Mr. Bryan H. Barnes

At-Large Member Mrs. Christine St.Clare

Vice-Chair Mr. John L. Hammaker

Community Engagement Chair Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr.

At-Large Member Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli

Vice-Chair; Development Co-Chair; Nominating & Board Engagement Co-Chair Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates, Jr.

Investment Chair & Development Co-Chair Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.

Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, ex-officio member Mr. Tomer Zvulun

Secretary Mr. Michael E. Paulhus

Nominating & Board Engagement Co-Chair Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams

Treasurer Ms. Bunny Winter

At-Large Member Mr. Howard W. Hunter

ADVISORY COUNCIL Mr. Andrew J.M. Binns Mr. Kenny L. Blank Mrs. Inge Bledel

Ms. Mary Calhoun Mrs. Sally Bland Fielding Mrs. Beth W. Glynn

ARTISTIC ADVISORY COUNCIL Ms. Jamie Barton Mr. Kevin Burdette

Mr. Michael Mayes Mr. Morris Robinson

Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Mrs. Erin Quinn Martin Mr. Paul Snyder

54 | housepolicies SAFETY The Atlanta Opera has completely redesigned the patron experience with safety as its number one priority.

• POD SEATING Parties are being socially distanced in “circle pods.” Each party has its own dedicated circle of space with 4 chairs, and each circle is physically distanced from neighboring circles.

• FACE COVERINGS Masks are required of patrons at all times.

• HEALTH SCREENING Patrons are required to complete a temperature check and confidential health survey prior to entering the venue.

• TIMED TICKETS Timed tickets are available in increments of 15 minutes to limit queues.

• REDUCED CONTACT All staff are wearing masks, face shields, and gloves.

RESTROOMS Restrooms are located to the right and left of the entrance Gate to Anderson Field.

Restrooms are being sanitized between uses.

PARKING Parking is free on Oglethorpe University campus and is available in the adjoining lots of Hermance Stadium and Oglethorpe’s Track and Field.

EMERGENCY INFO In the event of an emergency, please locate the nearest usher who will direct you to the appropriate exit.

SMOKING Smoking is prohibited on Oglethorpe University campus.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE Persons requiring access assistance are asked to contact the box office at 404-881-8885 for advance arrangements.

• INCREASED SANITATION Hand sanitizer and hand washing stations are available for patron use.

• SOCIAL DISTANCING: Social distancing is encouraged with barriers and signage throughout the venue.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

THE BIG TENT RULES AND REQUESTS • Each pod ticket entitles up to four attendees admittance to the performance regardless of age. No more than four individuals may occupy one pod.

• To ensure the safety of performers, staff and attendees, there is no late seating allowed.

• Please limit conversation during the performance.

• Leaving while the show is in progress is discourteous and we ask that you refrain from doing so.

• Cameras (including use of cellphone camera) and audio and video recording devices are strictly prohibited at all times.

Proud supporter of

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Š2020 The Coca-Cola Company.

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TOWER OF TALENT! Music Is Life - Why Hearts Have A Beat In its successful 7th year, Tower of Talent presents a televised special and virtual fundraiser benefiting the music therapy program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Tune into 11Alive for exciting performances and inspiring stories. premiering Saturday, November 28 at 7pm on 11Alive Text TOT to 24587 to donate