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DON GIOVANNI

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A notorious lover meets his ultimate fiery punishment in Mozart’s celebrated tragicomedy

OCT 24 | OCT 25 | 7:30 PM OCT 27 | 2:00 PM

Odell Auditorium

Greensboro College

Welcome to Autumn!

Greensboro Opera proudly presents Mozart’s powerful dramma giocoso Don Giovanni in a semi-staged, costumed production with full orchestra, chorus and surtitles. The opera premiered 237 years ago on October 29th in Prague; our production features eight dramatically and musically etched characters portrayed and sung by locally and nationally acclaimed artists. Greensboro Opera is delighted to tell the iconic story of well-born, libertine Don Giovanni whose zesty appetites for wine and women, and whose blasphemous disregard for the dead ultimately hurl him to his just reward.

Greensboro Opera is pleased to collaborate with Greensboro College, whose beautiful Odell Auditorium within the Huggins Performance Center is our home for all three performances.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and our Advisory Board, we welcome you to Don Giovanni’s world, Mozart’s brilliant score, and Da Ponte’s engaging libretto. Greensboro Opera looks forward to new projects and collaborations as we work together to foster the growth of opera and to present professional productions of the highest caliber for the enjoyment, education, and enrichment of the Triad Region of North Carolina. Thank you for joining us – we look forward to seeing you again at Greensboro Opera’s next performances in April. Stay tuned!

Barbara Ann Peters President, Greensboro Opera

EMERGENCY EXIT INFORMATION

Patrons are encouraged to take note of exits located on all levels of the auditorium. In an emergency, please use the nearest exit, which may be behind you or different from the one through which you entered.

Message From the General and Artistic Director

Welcome to the first mainstage production of our 2024-2025 season. We hope that you enjoy tonight’s unique format, which I am calling semi-staged concert format.

You will have the luxury of seeing the orchestra on stage, which I think will add to your enjoyment of Mozart’s amazing score. The singers will be between the orchestra and you, our valued patrons.

Don Giovanni is familiar and a favorite to many. The legend of Don Juan is found in numerous cultures and many point to Tirso de Molina’s 1630 play El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) as the inspiration for his many incarnations. In most operatic treatments, the statue of Donna‘s father, the Commendatore, returns and drags Don Giovanni to hell. Many would think this is appropriate consequence for his callous, selfish, unrepentant, and libertine lifestyle. After all, as Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado says, “the punishment fits the crime.”

The question then becomes how Donna’s father, the Commendatore figures in all this. Where does he come from, what is he seeking, and where does he go? He died protecting his daughter and you could argue in self-defense - this elderly man was no match for the young and accomplished Giovanni. He came offering a second chance to Don Giovanni and to share a meal with him, if only Giovanni would repent. He challenges Don Giovanni to make an about face and save his soul. When Giovanni refuses, the Statue watches him suffer the consequences.

Thank you for joining us tonight, we hope you enjoy Mozart’s timeless masterpiece.

All my best, David

A special thanks to Jane and Richard Levy, Barbara Ann Peters, Janet Hendley, and Katherine Davey for providing accommodations for our artists.

Special thanks to Cox Toyota for providing transportation for our visiting artists.

Educational Outreach

Greensboro Opera has a vibrant, constantly evolving educational program, designed to reach potential opera lovers of all ages within our diverse community. In keeping with Greensboro Opera’s vision, our educational outreach aims to redefine operatic experiences through innovation and interaction.

For over twenty years, our signature program for young people has been Opera at the Carolina, which brings every 5th-grade student in the Guilford County Schools to the historic Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro. Teachers receive material in advance to incorporate into lesson plans. Staged and introduced by our General and Artistic Director David Holley, the 45-minute condensed version of an opera from the standard repertoire never fails to delight, as well as educate, thousands of students every year. This program is funded by generous contributions from the school system, The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, The Cemala Foundation, and The Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation.

An integral part of Opera at the Carolina is a ten-minute opera based on a story submitted by one of the students in the audience. Underwritten by Truist, the Barbara Ann Peters Write Your Own Opera contest was initiated by Barbara Peters in 2010 and renamed for her in 2017. Each spring, 4th-grade students are invited to submit stories and the winning entry is turned into a libretto by David Holley.

For twelve years Elvira Green, Metropolitan Opera veteran and Greensboro Opera’s diva in residence, led an Opera Camp for local pre-teens and teenagers. In June 2022, we reconstituted Opera Camp, partnering with Mt. Zion Baptist Church under the direction of Ms. Green.

The Adult Education Initiative is held at Well-Spring Life Plan Community and features lectures, demonstrations, and musical events related to the Greensboro Opera’s opera productions.

We invite you to keep up with future educational programming by accessing the Greensboro Opera website.

Greensboro Opera is a non-profit resident organization of the Greensboro Cultural Center, made possible by a significant in-kind contribution from Creative Greensboro, the City of Greensboro’s office for arts & culture.

Staff

David Holley, General and Artistic Director

Andrea Allen, Office Manager

Stephanie Langford, Marketing Associate

2024-2025 Board of Trustees

Executive Committee

Barbara Ann Peters, President

Pam Cash, Past President

Tom Wright, Treasurer

Jennifer Bryant Pederson, Secretary

Garrett Saake, VP Artistic Advisory

Nancy Sanquist, VP Development

Hallie Hogan, VP Education

Tom Wright, VP Finance / VP Legal

Cliff Bridges, VP Marketing & Communications

Sam Magill, VP Nominating

Pam Cash, VP Personnel

Channelle James, VP Social Justice

Shayla Sharpe, VP Special Events

Board of Trustees

Travis Alexander

Bill Allred

Steven Bingham

Deborah Bowers

Odell Cleveland

Keith Cushman

Janet Hendley, Chair

Anna Clare Allen

David Bray

Vanessa Carroll

Diane Conrad

Jane Curtis

Bert Davis, Jr.

Jim Exum, Jr.

Lenny Sue French

David Karpook

Gene Klann

Gerald Knight

Roberta Laws

Nicholas Lindsay

Advisory Board

Jacquelyn Farlow

Laura Deane Gresham

Carolyn Hall

Judy Jolly

Priscilla Knox

Bill Latture

Fred Lopp

Charlene Marchant

Ben McIndoe

Clyde Nolan

John L. Palmer

James Rushe

Jaclyn Surso

Matthew Troy

Corrie Middleton

Mary Miller

Barbara Moran

Kathryn Troxler

Nancy Walker

Lollie White

THE ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER

GREENSBORO

The ACGG is a proud supporter of Greensboro Opera and the difference they make in our community.

Bookmark The ACGG’s events calendar to plan your next night out!

VISIT THEACGG.ORG TO LEARN MORE.

BENEFACTORS

Greensboro Opera Charter Members

(Contributors of $1000 or more)

Mr. & Mrs. Thaddeus A. Adams III

Mrs. Britt M. Armfield

Mr. & Mrs. Sion A. Boney

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph McKinley Bryan

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Cassell

Mr. & Mrs. William O. Cordes

Dr. & Mrs. Richard B. Davis

Mrs. Bryan Edwards

Mr. & Mrs. C. Allen Foster

Mrs. E. Pierpoint Gill

Mr. & Mrs. Lawton D. Gresham

Mr. & Mrs. John Cannon Harmon

Mr. & Mrs. L. R. Hodges, Jr.

Dr. W. Barlow Inabnet

Drs. Marylin & Louis Karmel

Mrs. Marion Yates Keith

Dr. & Mrs. A. Kelly Maness

Mr. & Mrs. Ralph C. Price

Mr. & Mrs. James S. Schenck III

Mr. & Mrs. Fred A. Sirkel

Mr. Henry O. Timnick

PATRONS

(Contributors of $500 to $999)

Mr. & Mrs. Thornton Brooks

Mr. Joseph McKinley Bryan, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Alan W. Cone

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Cone

Dr. & Mrs. Donald F. Cone

Mr. & Mrs. E. Wray Farlow

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Frank

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald A. Gioffre

Greensboro Hospital

Mr. & Mrs. David L. Grimes

Dr. & Mrs. Charles M. Hassell

Mr. & Mrs. Walter Hornig

Mr. & Mrs. Worth B. Hull

Dr. & Mrs. Harry W. Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Philip L. Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Paul H. Livingston, Jr.

Mrs. Edward Loewenstein

Mr. John Caroll May

Mrs. Charlotte Thurston Modlin

Dr. Jean McAlister

Miss Sarah L. McAlister

Dr. Louie & Sandy Patseavouras

Dr. & Mrs. C.W. Poindexter

Mr. & Mrs. William D. Snyder, Jr.

Mrs. Marjorie D. Sogg

Dr. & Mrs. Carl H. Weatherly

Mrs. N. J. R. Wells

The Jane Harris Armfield Award - Andrea Allen

The Jane Harris Armfield Award was established in 1996 to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to Greensboro Opera. The award is named in honor of the first President of Greensboro Opera, Jane Armfield.

Andrea Allen is the 2023 recipient of the Jane Harris Armfield Award. As Greensboro Opera’s Office Manager for the past five years (2019 –present), she dedicates her time to helping keep operations running smoothly and serves as a communication hub for donors, patrons, and board trustees alike. She has mentored five Arts Administration interns and continues to look for ways to share her love of music with others. Andrea is grateful for the overwhelming support Greensboro Opera receives from its community and fellow arts organizations.

Andrea grew up in Asheboro, NC and later moved to Charlotte to attend Queens University where she studied corporate communications. She came to Greensboro Opera from the field of Professional Healthcare Management Marketing at Crown Laboratories, in Johnson City, TN where she worked as Marketing Manager for a national sunscreen brand. Andrea spends her time playing in the dirt and wandering the great outdoors.

PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE JANE HARRIS ARMFIELD AWARD For Distinguished Service to Greensboro Opera

2023 - Andrea Allen

2022 - Charlene Marchant

2021 - Porter Aichele

2020 - Elvira Green

2019 - Keith Cushman

2018 - Mary Miller

2017 - Michiko Stavert

2016 - Lollie Lake White

2015 - Judy Wright Jolly

2014 - Marnie Ruskin

2013 - Bert Davis, Jr.

2012 - Janet Hendley

2011 - David Holley

2010 - Anna Clare Allen

2009 - Mike Bianco

2009 - J. Glen Grayson

2009 - Claire Kelleher

2008 - David and Nancy Bray

2007 - Emma and Clay Poindexter

2006 - Jane Curtis

2005 - Jacquelyn Farlow

2004 - Jerome Ruskin, MD

2003 - Jeanne Hassell

2002 - Sallie Nolan

2001 - Peggy Johnson

2000 - A. Kelly Maness, Jr., MD

2000 - Lynn Karmel

1999 - Alice Pearce

1998 - Laura Deane Gresham

1997 - Jane Armfield

Program Note - Don Giovanni

Don Giovanni – technically, The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni – is a twoact opera with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The score and libretto of the opera refer to it as a dramma giocoso (“humorous drama”). Filled with disguises and unmasking, the opera is the stuff of comedy. But Don Giovanni’s treatment of women, as well as the opera’s melodrama, supernatural elements, and stark conclusion make Don Giovanni a very dark comedy.

Don Giovanni premiered in Prague on October 19, 1787. The great popularity of Mozart and Da Ponte’s The Marriage of Figaro, which had premiered in Prague the previous year, led to the commission for Don Giovanni. The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni are the oldest operas that have continuously been performed.

Don Giovanni derives from a Spanish folk legend about a libertine, Don Juan, who refuses to repent. The legend first found literary form in a play by the Spaniard, Tirso de Malino, in 1630. The story was rewritten many times before and after Mozart’s opera. The protagonist of Molière’s Don Juan play (1665) is an atheist and free thinker. French royal authorities charged Molière with irreligiosity and political subversion. Between 1819 and 1824 Lord Byron transformed the Don Juan legend into a satirical epic poem. Over the centuries the story of this unrepentant libertine who ultimately pays the price for his behavior has occupied a notable place in the Western cultural imagination.

The Venetian Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the libretti for three of Mozart’s greatest operas: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte (1790). Da Ponte was Jewish by birth, but he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest before becoming an opera librettist.

When Mozart received the commission to compose Don Giovanni, Da Ponte was already busy working on two other libretti. Consequently, he adapted and expanded the libretto of a now-forgotten one-act opera on the Don Giovanni subject that had already premiered in 1787. Da Ponte’s erratic behavior and considerable debts regularly caught up with him. He wound up in the United States, briefly as a grocer and ultimately as the first professor of Italian at Columbia College (now Columbia University).

Program Note Continued

Don Giovanni requires a large cast of talented singers. Don Giovanni (baritone) is guided by his pursuit of pleasure and his belief that his misdeeds will never catch up to him. His servant Leporello (bass-baritone) is trapped between his duty to serve Don Giovanni and his sense of morality. He provides both comic relief and common-sense commentary. Donna Anna (soprano) is hell-bent on revenge after what happens to her father, the Commendatore (bass), at the beginning of the opera. Spoiler alert: The Commendatore will reappear at the intensely dramatic conclusion of the opera. The good-hearted but rather ineffectual Don Ottavio (tenor), Donna Anna’s fiancé, realizes that revenge is Donna Anna’s priority. Donna Elvira (soprano), a former lover of Don Giovanni, is torn between wanting to be reunited with him and wanting him to be brought to justice. Zerlina (soprano) is a peasant woman who falls prey to Don Giovanni’s advances. Masetto (bass-baritone) wants only to marry Zerlina, but his low social status makes him an easy target for Don Giovanni.

Mozart’s ceaselessly melodic music is filled with dynamic contrasts: sometimes light-hearted, sometimes profoundly moving, sometimes even terrifying. Mozart composed the opera’s brilliant overture – which introduces the conflicting moods of the opera – two days before the opera’s first night. Leporello’s catalogue aria (in which he lists his master’s sexual conquests) is a comic highlight. The beautifully simple La ci darem la mano (“There we will hold hands”), the “love duet” between Don Giovanni and Zerlina, is one of the most famous of Mozart’s operatic duets. The finales of both acts are complex musical webs of solo and ensemble singing in multiple combinations.

In Either/Or (1843), Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophical theory of human existence, he argues that “among all classic works Don Giovanni stands highest.” Remarkably, the 19th-century French novelist Gustave Flaubert called Don Giovanni, along with Hamlet and the sea, the “three finest things God ever made.” Peter Shaffer uses Don Giovanni as a pivotal point in Amadeus, his play about Mozart and Mozart’s rival Salieri. With good reason Don Giovanni is the most iconic, enduring version of the Don Juan legend, as well as one of the world’s greatest operas.

Keith Cushman

Synopsis

Act I

Scene 1, outside Donna Anna’s house

Leporello waits outside a house in Seville while his master, Don Giovanni, attempts to seduce Donna Anna. Having heard their voices, Anna’s father, the Commendatore, emerges and challenges Don Giovanni to a duel. The old man is killed by the agile Don, who escapes with Leporello. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio, her fiancé, swear revenge on the unknown assailant.

Scene 2, a street

Giovanni and Leporello meet Donna Elvira, a former conquest of the Don, who is returning home after a long journey. She berates him for abandoning her, yet (while Leporello holds her attention) Giovanni slips away. At the festivities for the peasant wedding of Zerlina and Masetto, Don Giovanni tries to seduce the bride. Zerlina is flattered, yet when Elvira interrupts them, she begins to see the noble’s true character and hurries back to her betrothed. The Don invites all the peasants to a party at his palace. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio come on the scene, yet do not realize Giovanni is the offender. Donna Elvira’s accusations, however, begin to raise their suspicions and in Giovanni’s parting words, Donna Anna recognizes the voice of her father’s murderer. Ottavio renews his vows of vengeance. Giovanni appears and joyously anticipates the party and more conquests.

Scene 3, the garden of Don Giovanni’s palace

The guests arrive and Zerlina consoles Masetto. Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira arriving masked, are invited to join the party; they pray for God to protect and avenge them.

Scene 4, Giovanni’s palace

During the minuet, the Don draws Zerlina into an adjoining room. The dance is interrupted by her screams and soon Giovanni appears dragging Leporello. This trick fails to convince anyone of Giovanni’s innocence. Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira accuse the Don of misdeeds, but he ignores their charges and escapes.

INTERMISSION

Act II

Scene 1, a street outside Donna Elvira’s house

Giovanni, hoping to seduce Elvira’s maid, switches coats with Leporello. The servant succeeds in luring away Elvira, who rejoices that her lover has returned to her. Alone, Giovanni sings a serenade to the maid. Masetto and armed peasants approach so Don Giovanni assumes the manner of Leporello, sending them off in different directions. He then beats Masetto and leaves him lying in the street. Zerlina finds Masetto and comforts him.

Scene 2, a dark courtyard

Leporello’s disguise is uncovered by Anna, Ottavio, Elvira, Masetto and Zerlina. Don Ottavio again affirms his intentions of bringing justice upon Don Giovanni.

Scene 3, a graveyard

Fleeing from his master’s accusers, Leporello finds Don Giovanni in a graveyard. They come upon a statue of the Commendatore and the Don orders Leporello to invite it to dinner. The statue nods its acceptance, Leporello trembles at the sight of the statue, but Giovanni remains undaunted.

Scene 4, a room

Don Ottavio urges his suit for marriage on Donna Anna, but she begs for delay.

Scene 5, Giovanni’s palace

As Giovanni enjoys dinner and musical entertainment, Elvira rushes in and entreats him to change his ways. On her way out, she meets the statue which has accepted Giovanni’s invitation. The statue of the Commendatore comes into the banquet room, and Don Giovanni seals his own fate.

Thank You! to the Jewelry Authority for providing the onstage bling for Donna Anna and Donna Elvira!

Eastern Music Festival

Thank you to Greensboro Opera for supporting our 63rd Season. Together, we continue to inspire and shape the future of music through music education and artistic excellence. Planning for 2025 is already underway. June 28 August 2, 2025 - easternmusicfestival.orgMark your calendars!

Mozart’s

DON GIOVANNI

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte

Sung in Italian with English supertitles

World premiere: October 29, 1787 at The Estates Theatre, Prague Cast (in order of vocal appearance)

Leporello ................................................................................................................Branch Fields

Donna Anna .............................................................................................Melinda Whittington

Don Giovanni ..................................................................................................... Sidney Outlaw

Commendatore ............................................................................................. Donald Hartmann

Don Ottavio .................................................................................................... Roderick George

Donna Elvira ................................................................................................ Samantha Anselmo

Zerlina ......................................................................................................................Amber Rose

Masetto ....................................................................................................... Christian Blackburn

Artistic and Production Staff

Producer/Stage Director/Conductor...................................................................... David Holley

Assistant Director/Production Stage Manager.................................................. Crystal Kachevas

Lighting Designer/Technical Director .................................................................. Jeff Neubauer

Chorus Master .............................................................................................. James Bumgardner

Fight Choreographer.................................................................................................... Jim Wren

Rehearsal Pianist/Chorus Rehearsal Pianist ............................................................ Susan Young

Costume Designer ...................................................................................................Ashley Ward

Wigs and Make-up .............................................................................................. Trent Pcenicni

Wigs, Make-up and Costume Assistant ................................................................. Emily Kohn

Deck Crew .................................................................................................... Makala Whitehead

Costumes designed and created by Green Apple Costumes

This production of Don Giovanni was made possible with funding from The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and the NC Arts Council, a division of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Meet the Artists

Lauded by The New York Times as a “terrific singer” with a “deep, rich timbre,” Sidney Outlaw (Don Giovanni) is an “opera powerhouse” who has delighted audiences in the U.S. and abroad with his “weighty and forthright” sound (San Francisco Chronicle) since 2010, when he exploded onto the international scene as the winner of the Grand Prize at the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballé.

A sought-after concert singer and recitalist, Mr. Outlaw appears in the 2024-2025 season in recital several times with close collaborator, renowned pianist Warren Jones, at Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn Art Song Society, Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera, and University of North Florida. Additionally, he debuts with the California Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with Bozeman Symphony Orchestra in Mozart’s Requiem, and returns to Jacksonville Symphony for their Messiah, following a triumphant debut with the company in 2023. His newest recording, an EP of Brahms’ Zwei Gesange Op. 91, was released by Lexicon Classics in 2024. On the opera stage, he returns to Pensacola Opera for one of his signature roles, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, and reprises his Don Giovanni with Greensboro Opera.

In the 2023-2024 season, Mr. Outlaw returned to Boston Baroque as the title role in Don Giovanni, in a performance that A.Z. Madonna of The Boston Globe called, “an extraordinary role début,” Marcello in La bohème with Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Toledo Opera, and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Charlottesville Opera. He was seen in concert at Colorado Symphony, Opera Memphis, American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Jacksonville Symphony, the Oratorio Society of New York, and Nashville Symphony. He also sang the East Coast premiere of B.E. Boykin’s 26 Ways of Looking at a Black Man, a song cycle written for him, in recital at Manhattan School of Music and at Merola Opera Program.

In recent seasons, Mr. Outlaw sang Schaunard in La bohème with Greensboro Opera, Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with New Orleans Opera, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Omaha, Salieri in Mozart and Salieri with Opera San Jose, Jake in Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Pensacola Opera and Opera Saratoga. He made his San Francisco Opera debut as the First Mate in Billy Budd, he sang Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers with Madison Opera. On the concert platform, he made his début with Boston Baroque as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, returned to Oratorio Society New York as soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass, and joined Youngstown Symphony Orchestra for Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen. Lament, his début solo album recorded live with Warren Jones, was released by Lexicon Classics in 2021.

Originally from Brevard, North Carolina, Mr. Outlaw is a graduate of the Merola Opera Program and the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mr. Outlaw won 2nd Prize in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s International Competition, 2nd Prize in the 2011 Gerda Lissner Foundation Awards, National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, semifinalist in the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition, finalist in both Concours International Musical de Montreal and George London Foundation, and grand prize in the Florida Grand Opera/YPO Vocal Competition. He holds a GRAMMY nomination for the Naxos Records recording of Darius Milhaud’s 1922 opera trilogy, L’Orestie d’Eschyle, in which he sang the role of Apollo.

Currently a member of the faculties at Manhattan School of Music and Brooklyn College, Mr. Outlaw has taught voice previously at his alma mater The Juilliard School. He is working toward his Ph.D. in Music Education from Columbia Teachers’ College and is passionate about balancing his performing career with teaching and mentoring the next generation of classical musicians.

Meet the Artists (continued)

Branch Fields (Leporello), described by Opera America as “a bass of resonant richness,” is a versatile performer engaged throughout North America and beyond in opera, musical theater, and concert. He has sung with Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Edmonton Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Utah Opera, Opera San Jose, and many other regional companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. In concert, Branch has performed with the Munich Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, MDR Leipzig, and the American Symphony Orchestra. Branch’s versatility as a singing actor led to his Broadway debut in South Pacific, understudying the role of Emile de Becque in the 2008 Lincoln Center Theater production, which won seven Tony Awards. He has since been Emile in 7 productions of South Pacific throughout the U.S. and Canada and was nominated for “Best Actor in a Musical” by theater critic circles in Boston, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia. Recent performances include Sir Lancelot for Intermountain Opera Bozeman, Robert in Bridges of Madison County for The Ghostlight Theater in Michigan, Leporello in Don Giovanni for Indianapolis Opera, and Capt. Von Trapp for Charlottesville Opera and Montana TheaterWorks. Branch resides in Williamsburg, VA, with his wife and three children.

Meet the Artists (continued)

Soprano Melinda Whittington (Donna Anna) has performed with opera houses all over the country, including The Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric, Minnesota Opera, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Carolina, North Carolina Opera, Kentucky Opera, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Birmingham. The Salt Lake Tribune praises Melinda for her “performances of emotional resonance along with their powerhouse vocals.” Last season, Melinda made her role debut as Mimì in Minnesota Opera’s new production of Puccini’s La bohème and sang her first Verdi Requiem with the Charlotte Symphony. In describing Melinda’s performance of Mimì, Broadway World says “Whittington’s vocals are so rich and full that she has no problem filling the theater with her glorious voice,” and the Star Tribune says she “could blow your hair back with her electrifying high notes.” This season she will return to both Mimi and Micaëla in Carmen with her home company, Opera Carolina. She also joins the Charlotte Master Chorale and Charlotte Symphony as the soprano soloist in Elijah, and will sing duets from Madama Butterfly and Manon Lescaut with Andrea Bocelli in his October Charlotte concert. Her other recent roles include the title roles of Rusalka and Arabella, Violetta in La traviata, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Ada in Higdon’s Cold Mountain, Nedda in Pagliacci, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Marguerite in Faust, Homecoming Soldier in Redler’s The Falling and the Rising, and Marie Antoinette in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Melinda was a young artist at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, a Merola young artist at San Francisco Opera, and a Filene young artist at Wolf Trap Opera. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to performing, Melinda maintains a private voice studio in Charlotte and teaches at Davidson College. To hear or learn more, visit her website at www.melindawhittington.com.

Meet the Artists (continued)

Tenor Roderick George (Don Ottavio) has graced prestigious venues on stages across the globe. As a noted concert artist, he has sung over seventy performances of Handel’s Messiah, including his New York Lincoln Center debut and recent appearances with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and North Carolina Baroque Orchestra. Equally at home on the operatic stage, he has performed leading roles in operas such as L’elisir d’amore, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Die Zauberflöte, Roméo et Juliette, Lakmé, and Porgy and Bess. In summer 2023, he sang the role of Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Wilmington. Other recent engagements include Mozart Requiem with Northwest Florida Symphony, Carmina Burana with Huntsville Symphony, Faust et Hélène with New York Repertory Orchestra, Dvořák Stabat Mater with Highland Park Chorale and Orchestra, The Chariot Jubilee at University of Maryland, and I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes with Nashville Symphony. Mr. George has concertized internationally, with notable highlights including appearances throughout Russia with the Orpheus Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Krasnoyarsk Philharmonic, and in concert at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. A multifaceted artist, his professional ensemble affiliations include recordings and multiple concert tours across North America and Europe with the American Spiritual Ensemble and with the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, including recent appearances at the Kennedy Center, the National Cathedral, Choral Canada, and on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, he is professor of music at the University of Montevallo and holds a doctorate from The Florida State University. www.roderickgeorge.com

Meet the Artists (continued)

Samantha Anselmo (Donna Elvira) has been named a finalist three times in the Madame Rose Palmai-Tenser Competition hosted by Mobile Opera and a finalist in the John Alexander Voice Competition with Opera Mississippi. Her stage credits include Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Giannetta in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. Upcoming performances include Chloe in Offenbach’s Daphnis et Chloe with Minerva Stage Company at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where she is pursuing her doctoral studies, immersed in advancing her expertise in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Prior to her studies at UNCG, Samantha taught several courses at the University of South Alabama, including Diction for Singers, Introduction to Music, and private voice lessons. While balancing her doctoral studies, Samantha remains an active performer, dedicated to music education and community outreach, evident through her active involvement with local schools, churches, and her participation in opera outreach initiatives.

Meet the Artists (continued)

American soprano, Amber Rose (Zerlina), hailed for her “effervescent” and “iridescent” sound, was recently seen in Greensboro Opera’s production of The Gift of the Magi in the role of Della and as Kate Pinkerton in Opera Carolina’s production of Madame Butterfly last January. Ms. Rose has performed multiple principal roles across the United States with notable companies such as Utah Festival Opera, Opera Carolina, NC Summer Opera, Greensboro Opera, Signature Inc., NH Piccola Opera, Miami Music Festival and Opera Fusion. Her 20222023 season highlights included Ms. Rose’s international debut at the Teatro Comunale in the role of Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann and the creation of two roles in new music productions. Ms. Rose sang the role of Megara in House of Orpheus with Opera Carolina and the role of Mama in An Extra Penny with Signature Inc. Other engagements included performing as the soprano soloist in both the Mozart Coronation Mass and the Bach Cantata Wachet auf ruft, uns die Stimme with the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches and performing as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Taylor Festival Choir. Her stage credits also include Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Madame Silvertone (The Impresario), Nannetta (Falstaff), Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Ms. Rose is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where she earned her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance.

Meet the Artists (continued)

Christian Blackburn (Masetto), baritone, originally from Lakin, Kansas, holds degrees from Kansas State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is currently a student of Victoria Livengood. Most recently, Christian appeared as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West with North Carolina Opera, for whom he also sang Masetto in Don Giovanni (2023), Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata (2023), and the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte (2022). On the concert stage, Mr. Blackburn has been the baritone soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Greensboro Choral Society and in Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht. Since 2020, Christian has taken a step back from full time performing and runs a financial planning and advisory practice in Greensboro. While not working for his clients or performing, he spends time with his two young children, Lilla and Ruby, his dog Pablo and his wife Talia.

No stranger to Greensboro Opera audiences, bassbaritone Donald Hartmann (Commendatore), last appeared as Colline in GO’s 2022 production of La bohème. His professional career began in 1978 in Germany with the Stadttheater Regensburg and a debut with Greensboro Opera in 1979. He has been described as possessing a, “big, rich voice with an amazing timbre” and “… his flair for comedic bel canto is major-league-worthy.” Having performed in over 160 operatic productions, in over 60 operas singing over 70 different roles, he has been reviewed as “one of the best character singers on any opera stage anywhere.” Notable performances include William Jennings Bryan in the 60th-anniversary production of Ballad Baby Doe for Central City Opera in Colorado and the Sacristan in Tosca in the historic reopening of New York City Opera’s return to Lincoln Center. Some of the best-loved portraits in Mr. Hartmann’s gallery of characters are Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, which he sang for Greensboro Opera in 2018, and Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, which he sang this past spring for Opera Roanoke. A frequent presence on stages throughout the United States, he has appeared with the Michigan Opera Theatre, Toledo Opera, Opera Delaware, Arizona Opera, Madison Opera, Piedmont Opera, Opera Carolina, North Carolina Opera, Florentine Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Nashville Opera, and Virginia Opera.

Meet the Artists (continued)

The UNCG School of Music presents hundreds of performances, lectures, and special events annually, most of which are presented free of charge!

Our concert and event calendar features large ensemble performances (bands, choirs, orchestras, jazz ensembles), faculty solo recitals, student solo recitals, chamber music, folk music, operas, a dynamic guest artist concert and lectures series, and much, much more.

Please visit music.uncg.edu for the full performance calendar and follow us on social media!

COMING EVENTS

Student Artist Competition

Final Round

On classical, steel string, electric or gypsy guitar, Kevin Dollar (Mandolin) represents a multifaceted approach to the instrument. He received his MM from UNCG and was the Director of the Music Academy of NC Guitar Competition, and an instructor there from 1995-2013, with master teacher status starting in 2003. He also served on the faculty of Elon University from 2005-2013. In 2013, he opened his own studio, Kevin Dollar Guitar Instruction and founded "Yoga for Guitarists," creating the program after completing his RYT200 certification. Mr. Dollar has performed for the Piedmont Artists Guild, Eastern Music Festival, Elon Jazz Festival, National Public Radio’s “State of Things,” UNC-TV's "NC Weekend” and regularly performs with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, sharing the stage with the likes of Doc Watson, David Holt, Katherine Whalen, and Clay Aiken. He has also performed with the Greensboro Opera Company (The Barber of Seville), the Triad Guitar Quartet, Duo Dolce, Bel Canto and the Hot Club of North Carolina, a group dedicated to the preservation of gypsy jazz. In addition to finding Kevin teaching in his studio, you'll find him performing with Low Key, Mostley Crue, and the Minor Swing Band.

January 16, 2:00 , Tew Recital Hall

Music for Love: Jazz Ensemble I $

Fundraiser for Music for Love

January 19, 7:30 , UNCG Auditorium

Wind Ensemble Chamber Concert

Lindsay Kesselman, soprano

February 1, 7:30 , Tew Recital Hall

$ = ticket purchase required

Spartan Voices and Coro di Belle Voce

February 16, 7:30 , Tew Recital Hall

University Chorale and Chamber Singers

February 20, 7:30 , First Presbyterian Church

Wind Ensemble

Stephanie Ycaza, tuba

February 23, 7:30 , UNCG Auditorium

Jazz Ensembles I and II $

The UNCG School of Music presents hundreds of performances, lectures, and special events annually, most of which are presented free of charge!

Faculty Composers Concert

February 2, 7:30 , Tew Recital Hall

February 24, 7:30 , Tew Recital Hall

Symphonic Band

Symphony Orchestra

February 5, 7:30 , Dana Auditorium

Eric Willie, percussion

February 27, 7:30 , UNCG Auditorium

Please visit music.uncg.edu for the full performance calendar and follow us on social media!

COMING EVENTS

Student Artist Competition

Final Round

January 16, 2:00 , Tew Recital Hall

$ = ticket purchase required

Spartan Voices and Coro di Belle Voce

February 16, 7:30 , Tew Recital Hall

University Chorale and Chamber Singers

Artistic Staff

David Holley (Producer/Stage Director/ Conductor) is the General and Artistic Director of Greensboro Opera and has been the Director of Opera at the University of North Carolina Greensboro since 1992. His directing/producing credits include Greensboro Opera mainstage productions of Porgy and Bess, La Fille du Régiment, Carmen, La Cenerentola, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Pagliacci, as well as Il Trovatore for Opera Roanoke. He conceives and directs the annual Eastern Music Festival/Greensboro Opera collaboration, including last summer’s I Love Paris. In 2009, he produced, directed and wrote the libretto for the world premiere of Picnic, an opera by prominent American composer Libby Larsen, commissioned by the UNCG School of Music. His productions have consistently won awards in the National Opera Association’s annual Opera Production Competition, including seven first place and five second place NOA awards since his arrival at UNCG. Mr. Holley has appeared throughout the US and Canada in a diversity of leading lyric tenor roles including Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Don José in Carmen, Tamino in The Magic Flute and the title roles in The Tales of Hoffmann and Roméo and Juliette. Notable engagements have included Cavaradossi opposite Angela Brown’s Tosca, Don José with Luretta Bybee and Herbert Perry (directed by David Morelock), as well as Pinkerton with Nikki Li Hartliep. Reviewing his performance in the title role in Der Vogelhändler, The American Record Guide said he was “a singing and acting delight.” Opera News has hailed him as “...that rare find, a tall tenor who can act.”

Artistic

Jeff Neubauer (Lighting Designer/Technical Director) has been involved with opera productions for over 20 years. His opera credits include Greensboro Opera’s productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, La fille du régiment, La Cenerentola, Menotti’s Help, Help The Globolinks! and The Will (Gianni Schicchi). Mr. Neubauer was the lighting designer and technical director for Greensboro Light Opera and Song’s production of The Pirates of tour to Roanoke Island Festival Park in 2012. He has also worked on productions of Hansel and Gretel, Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was the first event on the Class A minor league Grasshopper field in downtown Greensboro in 2005. Jeff enjoys “out of the box” productions and loves the opportunity to expose his beautiful daughter Emily (a budding musical theatre actress) to the wonders of opera. Jeff comes from a varied background in technical production, equally at home in theatre and concert production. In his full-time job, he is the Production Director for Westover Church.

Crystal Kachevas ( Assistant Director and Production Stage Manager), from Paragould, Arkansas, holds an MM in Voice Performance from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ and a BM in Voice Performance from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. She is currently working towards her DMA in Voice Performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she serves as a graduate teaching associate for the voice area, On the operatic stage, Crystal’s recent roles include Madame Herz in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor , the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Lord Birkenhead in the American premiere of Elena Langer’s Rhondda Rips It Up!, La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Pietro Baglioni in Catan’s La hija de Rappiccini, Bastienne in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, and Velena Sue Davenport in Richard Pearson Thomas’ A Wake or a Wedding.

Artistic

James Bumgardner (Chorus Master) holds a DMA in Vocal Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and teaches on the voice faculty at Guilford College. Previous voice-teaching and coaching posts include UNCG, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University. Dr. Bumgardner served as chorus master for Greensboro Opera’s productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors, La bohème, I Pagliacci, Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Carmen, and La Cenerentola. His long history with the UNCG Opera Theatre began during his graduate studies, when he served as opera assistant, chorus master, coach/accompanist, assistant conductor, and singer for various productions, including four first-place winners of the National Opera Association’s annual production competition. Jim was delighted to return years later to conduct the UNCG Opera Theatre’s production of Libby Larsen’s Barnum’s Bird. Dr. Bumgardner maintains a U.S. and U.K. presence in the field of Anglican choral music and serves as choirmaster/organist for St. Mary of the Hills Church in Blowing Rock, NC.

Susan Young (Performance and Rehearsal Pianist) received degrees in Music Education (BM Ed) from Appalachian State University and in Music Performance (MM Accompanying) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has served as both musical director and accompanist for numerous opera and musical theatre productions over the years and has worked professionally with community theatres, colleges, Greensboro Opera and Opera Carolina. Susan has been the staff accompanist at Greensboro College for over 25 years and joined their piano faculty in 2008. Two years later, she was appointed to the piano faculty at High Point University (in 2010). Since 2001, she has served as the Director of Music and organist at College Place United Methodist Church. She currently serves as the Collaborative Liaison on the Executive Board of NATS and recently finished a 4-year term as president of the Euterpe Music Club. Susan lives in Greensboro with her husband, Kevin, and their three children, Jonathan, Lauren, and Emma.

Ashley Ward (Costume Designer) has been a costume designer for 17 years. She has costumed many productions of youth theatre, community theatre, commercials, college theatre, operas, and films. Ashley has been nominated for two Blumenthal Costume Awards for her work in The Producers and Ragtime and has a film a credit for Lizzie Borden. She loves the challenges of costume construction! Ms. Ward loves watching the magic of actors become their characters, when they slip on their costumes. In 2023, Ashley opened her own costume shop, Green Apple Costumes, and continues to remain busy on theatre productions. Ashley is a resident of Greensboro NC, where she lives with her husband of 28 years, Clyde, the baby of their 5 children, Penny, and their pets.

Trent Pcenicni (Make-up Designer/Wigmaster) is a Costume, Wig, and Makeup Designer whose work has been seen all over the US and the world including Avenue Q (Off-Broadway), The Phantom of the Opera (International tour), Long Warf Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, The Geffen Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Gateway Playhouse, Triad Stage, Ogunquit Playhouse, City Arts Drama Center, The Wick Theatre, Twin City Stage, and Greensboro Opera. He has an extensive Film and Video resume, including projects for the History Channel, Showtime Television Network, NYU School of Film, and Soomo Publishing. He designed the costumes and Hair for the Emmy award-winning short Bad Romance: Women’s Suffrage. His other awards include Two National Opera Association Production Awards, 2015 Galileo Galilei, Costume Designer, and 2010 L’Enfant et Les Sortilèges, Associate Costume Designer. His research in non-western theatre has taken him to Dubai, China, Thailand, and Indonesia. Mr. Pcenicni is Assistant Professor of Costume Design at Western Carolina University.

Violin I

Greensboro Opera Orchestra

David Holley, Conductor

Jane York, concertmaster

Maddi Huff-Lane

Gracie Zielinski

Violin II

Eve Hubbard *

Sierra Sims-Smith

Viola

Theresa Fox *

Julius Adams

Cello

Diane Bonds

Bass

Cody Rex *

Andrew Beach

Harpsichord

Susan Young

Alexia Della Valle

Monique McLeod

Olivya Moore

Sheridan Kelly

Sara Roberts

Sophia Soler

Yue Zhang

Flute

Janet Phillips *

Abigail Simoneau

Oboes

Ronnal Ford *

Brian Skinner

Clarinet

Carmen Eby *

Matthew Libera

Bassoon

Rebecca Libera *

Christopher Allpress

Horn

Katherine Smith *

Wyatt Carlyle

Trumpet

Hannah Markun *

Kenny Butler

Trombone

Brian French *

Jim Lane

Bass Trombone

Dandrick Glenn

Timpani

Erik Schmidt

*principal

Governor Harris

Lucas Johnston

Brian Kilpatrick

Winston Miller

Gavin Thomas

Markel Williams

D’Andre Wright

2024 Greensboro Opera Don Giovanni Chorus

Greensboro Opera Past Presidents

Jane Armfield 1981

La Traviata

Kelly Maness 1982

Lucia di Lammermoor

Laura Deane Gresham 1983, 1984

Rigoletto

Tosca

Kay Bryan Edwards 1985

The Barber of Seville

Carol Cone 1986

Madama Butterfly

David Bray 1987

Carmen

Sallie Nolan 1988

Don Giovanni

Kathleen Battle Recital

Lynn Karmel 1989 La Boheme

Anne Bodner 1990

Faust

Thomas Allen Recital

Pam Sprinkle 1992

Il Trovatore

Ann Snyder 1992

Tales of Hoffmann

White Agony

Bobbie Mann 1993

Aida

Lynn Karmel 1994

The Magic Flute

Julie Olin 1995

La Traviata

Jackie Farlow & Helen Irvin 1996

Falstaff

Judy Jolly 1997

Madama Butterfly

George House 1998

Carmen

Terry Geremski 1999 Tosca

Don Pasquale

Jerry Ruskin 2000, 2001

Un Ballo in Maschera

The Barber of Seville Otello

Die Fledermaus

Harvey Dondero 2002

La Boheme

Jerry Ruskin 2003

Lucia di Lammermoor

Richard Hicks, Jr. 2004

An Evening of Metropolitan Opera Stars

G.W. (Trey) Aycock, III 2005, 2006

The Marriage of Figaro

Madama Butterfly

Frederick J. Smith 2007

Face on the Barroom Floor

Rigoletto

Barbara Ann Peters 2008

EMF: Night and Day: An Evening of ‘Delovely’ L’elisir d’amore

Philip Long 2009, 2010

The Telephone

Trouble in Tahiti

EMF: A Date with Oscar and Tony

La Traviata

EMF: Love, Life, Laughter

The Magic Flute

Bert Davis, Jr. 2011, 2012

EMF: Celebrating Anniversaries

GALA Got Opera?

EMF: Popular Operatic Arias

Anna Clare Allen 2013

EMF: Verdi to Broadway

GALA: Wine, Women and Song

Woodson E. Faulkner, II 2014

EMF: Phantoms of the Opera

GALA: GO to the Movies

Daughter of the Regiment (January 2015)

Anna Clare Allen 2015, 2016

EMF: Sing to Love

Cinderella

EMF: Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves

Carmen (January 2017)

Janet Hendley 2017, 2018, 2019

EMF: A Shave and a Haircut

The Barber of Seville

EMF: What I did For Love

Madama Butterfly

Hansel and Gretel

EMF: Send in the Clowns

Pagliacci

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Porter Aichele 2020, 2021, 2022

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy (Live streamed)

EMF: Summertime and the Livin’ is Easier

Porgy and Bess

Pam Reeves Cash 2022, 2023

EMF: I love Paris

La Bohème

driving while black (dwb)

EMF: Yours Is My Heart Alone

The Gift of the Magi

Amahl and the Night Visitors

2023-24 Donors

Gifts from November 16, 2023 through October 15, 2024

Sincere Thank You To Our Donors

The Board of Trustees expresses its deep appreciation to all who have supported Greensboro Opera this year. We are sincerely grateful for each and every gift. We invite contributions to support our productions, GALAS and ongoing education programs.

2024-25 Donors

Samuel Magill, Jr.

Mary & Gus Magrinat

Dorothy & Robert Peters

James Rushe

Ronald Saake

Temple Emanuel

Matthew Troy

Edward Walker

Supporter ($100 - $249)

Sekai Adebanke

Lisa Allen & Nick Piornack

June & Vance Barron

Diane Conrad

Mike Cooke

Jane & Doug Curtis

Valerie Edson

Jacquelyn Farlow

Brian French

Gloria Fuller

William O. Goode

Jessica Hayes

Judith Hyman and Richard Rosen

Gerald Knight

Nicholas Lindsay

Ellen Linton

Charlene Marchant

Carl P. Myatt

Clyde Nolan & Patricia Maine

Cindi & Jim Schrum

Jaclyn Surso

Jeanne Tannenbaum

Barbara Teichman

Lollie White

Kerry & Kev Yacoubian

Other

Lenny Sue French

Shelia Hofmann

Channelle James

Kim Jones

Jo Poole

Shayla Sharpe

Matching Gifts

Johnson & Johnson

Honor and Memory Gifts

In Honor of Porter Aichele

Despina Demetriades

Mary & Gus Magrinat

In Honor of Micheline Chalhoub-Deville

Karen Massand & Robert Millican

In Memory of James Exum, III

Keith Cushman & Deb Bell

In Honor of Janet Hendley

Rod & Linda Mortenson

In Honor of David Holley & Waiyi Tse

Jeanne Tannenbaum

In Honor of Barbara Ann Peters

Shelia Hofmann

In Memory of Stuart Teichman

Barbara Teichman

In Memory of Bill Tetreault

Anonymous

Legacy Society

The following have included Greensboro

Opera in their estate plans:

Janet Hendley

Marnie & Jerry Ruskin

In-Kind Gifts

Bill Allred

Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum

Odell Cleveland

City of Greensboro

Creative Greensboro

Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast

Katherine Davey

Bert Davis, Jr.

Elvira O. Green

Greensboro College

Greensboro Day School

Janet Hendley

Asheley & Marty Kotis

Jane & Richard Levy

Mount Zion Baptist Church

Oh, Goodness Fine Portraits

Barbara Ann Peters

R.H. Barringer

Red Oak Brewery

Shayla Sharpe (Sharpe Pursuits, Inc.)

Temple Emanuel

The Kennedy Center

Trade Winds Travel

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

History of Greensboro Opera

Greensboro Opera knows how to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Today’s production of the Gershwins’ Porgy of Bess, the greatest American opera, is its biggest, most ambitious production ever. Porgy and Bess is also the first opera to be staged in Greensboro’s new Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.

Greensboro Opera is thrilled that today’s production marks the return of the multi-talented Rhiannon Giddens – a Grammy winner and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow –to the opera stage. Rhiannon, a native of Greensboro, is an alumna of the UNCG opera program. She first learned about opera in Greensboro Opera’s summer opera camp. Elvira Green, who is performing Maria today, directed that camp.

The curtain went up on La traviata, the first production of Greensboro Opera, on October 16, 1981, starring June Anderson, who subsequently became a major star. A group of civic leaders and music lovers had laid the foundation of this venture the previous year. They had adopted the dual mission of presenting operatic productions of the highest professional standards while educating the community about opera. Greensboro Opera has grown steadily in the ensuing 40 years. The backbone of Greensboro Opera has always been fully staged productions of major operas every year. Although sets and costumes are rented from across the country, the cast, staging, and combination of set and costumes are unique to each Greensboro Opera production. From 1981 to 1998, the company presented one production in the fall. Increasingly large audiences attended these operas. The operas that followed La traviata were Lucia di Lammermoor (1982), Rigoletto (1983), Tosca (1984), The Barber of Seville (1985), Madama Butterfly (1986), Carmen (1987), Don Giovanni (1988), and La bohème (1989). The first nine productions were limited to one Friday evening performance. Beginning in 1990, audience support enabled the presentation of both evening and matinee performances of Faust (1990), Il trovatore (1991), The Tales of Hoffmann (1992), Aida (1993), The Magic Flute (1994), La traviata (1995), and Falstaff (1996). Madama Butterfly (1997) and Carmen (1998) both played to sold-out houses. That led to the decision to mount two productions every season. In the 1999-2000 season, Greensboro Opera staged Tosca and Don Pasquale. Un ballo in maschera and The Barber of Seville followed in 2000-2001, and during 2001-2003 the company staged Otello, Die Fledermaus, La bohème, and Lucia di Lammermoor. The company presented an exciting “Rising Stars from the Met” concert with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2004. Greensboro Opera produced The Marriage of Figaro in 2005, followed in 2006 by an adaptation of Gianni Schicchi, produced by the UNCG School of Music. The 2006-2007 season brought three productions to the stage: Madama Butterfly (2006), two sold-out performances of Hansel and Gretel (2007), and four sold-out performances of The Face on the Barroom Floor (2007) with composer

Henry Mollicone conducting. Rigoletto (2007) was succeeded by L’elisir d’amore in 2008. In spring 2009 Greensboro Opera presented two American one-acts, Menotti’s The Telephone and Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, as well as La traviata. In 2010, The Magic Flute returned to the Greensboro Opera stage.

In 2012 Greensboro Opera began a formal partnership/ collaboration with UNCG Opera Theatre. The opera company contributes financially to UNCG Opera Theatre and in exchange, receives marketin, logistical, and production support. The highlights of the first years of this venture were fall Galas titled Got Opera?, Wine, Women, and Song, and GO to the Movies. The Galas featured UNCG alumni who were singing in major opera houses throughout the world.

In 2013 David Holley, director of the opera program at UNCG, was hired as Artistic Director. (Subsequently his title became General and Artistic Director to reflect all the work he does for the company). Greensboro Opera once again began producing fully staged operas. In January 2015 the company presented The Daughter of the Regiment with a stellar cast featuring René Barbera and Ashley Emerson. At the time David Holley was President of the National Opera Association and was hosting the NOA’s annual convention in Greensboro. The Daughter of the Regiment was the exciting main event of the convention. Opera luminaries, Samuel Ramey, Stephanie Blythe, and Warren Jones attended the opening night performance.

In 2015 Greensboro Opera staged Rossini’s La Cenerentola, followed by the nearly sold-out January 2017 production of Carmen and the 2018 production of The Barber of Seville. In 2018-2019 Madama Butterfly returned to the Greensboro Opera stage, and Hansel and Gretel became the first Greensboro Opera production to be staged in the new $12-million Virginia Somerville Sutton Auditorium at Well-Spring Life Plan Community. In 2019 the company for the first time presented Pagliacci, as well as Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at WellSpring before an audience that contained many children and grandchildren.

The pandemic forced the Greensboro Opera production of Porgy and Bess, starring Rhiannon Giddens, to be rescheduled from November 2020 to January 2022. Porgy and Bess was the capstone to Greensboro Opera’s first forty years, followed by a critically acclaimed production of La bohème in 2022. The 2023-24 season has been one of innovation and interaction, with a concert at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, and productions of Susan Kander’s driving while black (dwb) and David Conte’s The Gift of Magi. Lastly, Amahl and the Night Visitors, returnsed in December for performances at UNCG Auditorium and at High Point University, supported by the Randall Thomas Johnson guest Artist Program endowment.