Osa carmen program final issuu

A Message from the Chairman Dear Friends, It is a great pleasure to welcome you back to the Tobin Center’s H-E-B Performance Hall for the opening production of OPERA San Antonio’s third season. We are proud to be the resident opera company of the Tobin Center and are honored to have you with us as we continue our mission to provide the greater San Antonio community with very high level operatic productions.

I am also very pleased to introduce Enrique Carreon-Robledo, OPERA San Antonio’s General and Artistic Director. We are honored to have Enrique in this position as OPERA San Antonio continues to expand its production schedule.

None of our productions would be possible without the extraordinary generosity and support from our Board of Directors, the City’s Department for Culture and Creative Development, Bexar County, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, The Tobin Endowment, Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts, Charles E. Butt, H-E-B, Frost Bank Charitable Foundation, The Gorman Foundation, Charles Schwab, Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation, Texas Capital Bank, AT&T, the Ewing Halsell Foundation, and the San Antonio Area Foundation.

Georges Bizet’s Carmen ranks among the world’s most popular operas. We are fortunate to have the collaboration of artists from many of the world’s leading opera companies in this production.

The sets and costumes for our performance were originally created at Glimmerglass Opera Festival, and we are proud to remount this exciting production with some of the nation’s most talented artists and production team members. We could not present productions of this caliber without their work, both behind the scenes and on the stage in front of you tonight. Our past productions were acclaimed nationally for their high artistic quality, and I am certain we will uphold this standard as we perform this evening.

OPERA San Antonio is committed to bringing you the best of opera, productions and artists; operas which you could enjoy in major capitals throughout the world – but we are enjoying this tremendous art form right here in San Antonio!

It is only with the support of our community that we can continue to grow and offer you the best of this very special combination of all the arts which can make us see, feel and hear the world differently. I hope you enjoy the performance, and I look forward to your continued support of OPERA San Antonio. Our future will be possible only through your support. When considering your financial giving, please keep OSA on the top of your lists. Please be generous, so that we can further our efforts to enrich our community with extremely high-caliber performances and the best opera has to offer.

With sincere appreciation,

Mel Weingart, Chairman and General Manager

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A Message from the General and Artistic Director To our audience members and patrons, I am happy to be addressing you for the first time as General and Artistic Director of OPERA San Antonio. Although the current season was planned before my appointment, I have embraced it enthusiastically as it will feature two magnificent jewels of the operatic repertoire, both with a cast of singers that represent the highest calibre of talent of their generation.

Beyond that, Mel Weingart our Board Chair -and up until my arrival Interim General Manager- and I share a vision of totally similar aesthetics and artistic philosophy. We are in tune to the point that I am certain I would have selected the same cast of singers for the roles in which you will see them featured this evening. You will agree after the performance is delivered, we have an outstanding group.

After barely three months of having arrived in San Antonio, I feel completely at home already. I came to find a remarkable team of colleagues in our staff and a superb group of supporters in our Board of Directors.

Needless to say, the support of the community has been evident and I take this opportunity to thank each one of you for being such an important part of our success.

OPERA San Antonio is a very young organization, blooming in a city with an operatic tradition dating back several decades, and yet a completely new venture, a company being built from the ground up. Only into our third season, we are established as a very prominent feature in the cultural landmark of the city, and the potential for further development grows continuously.

With the opening of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and OPERA San Antonio’s Inaugural Season a new era in San Antonio’s cultural evolution started. At the time I was able to observe in awe as an outsider, and admire the way in which this new company emerged as an artistic force, immediately and from the start fulfilling its mission to deliver operatic performances of the highest artistic standards.

Today I stand proud to be a part of this artistic enterprise and I exhort you to continue providing us with your support as we evolve. As the seventh largest city in the nation, we are in a group of communities that house opera companies with a long history. We are catching up, and even though we will only be 5 years old by the time San Antonio celebrates its 300th birthday, we are getting established as the prominent Opera Company this great city deserves.

Welcome to Carmen, our first production of the 2016-2017 season. I look forward to welcoming you to many more to come.

With sincere appreciation,

Enrique CarreĂłn-Robledo, General and Artistic Director

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Enrique Carreรณn-Robledo General and Artistic Director

Board of Directors Mel Weingart, Chairman Blair Labatt, Vice Chairman John Asel, Treasurer Maryanne Guido, Secretary Sheldon Braverman Adriana Cisneros Eugene Dowdy A. Baker Duncan Linda Hardberger James McCutcheon Eduardo Parra Marc Raney And Ex-Officio member Nancie Sutter, President of the Opera Guild of San Antonio

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OPERA San Antonio

2016-2017 Season Donors

Thank you!

The Board of Directors, artists, and staff of OPERA San Antonio gratefully acknowledge the generous support from our donors: (Donations received in the past year: October 10, 2015– October 10, 2016) Founder’s Circle ($100,000 & above) The Tobin Endowment City of San Antonio, Department of Arts and Culture Kronkosky Charitable Foundation

Chairman’s Circle ($50,000 to $99,999) Bexar County Commissioner’s Court Mr. and Mrs. Blair Labatt Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts

Underwriter ($25,000 to $49,999) Frost Bank Charitable Foundation A. Baker Duncan H-E-B Mr. and Mrs. Mel Weingart

Sponsor ($10,000 to $24,999) Asel and Associates Mr. and Mrs. John C. Asel AT&T C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc. The Ewing Halsell Foundation Charles A. Forster The Gorman Foundation Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation Terry Scott Tobin Theatre Arts Fund

Patron ($5,000 to $9,999)

Dr. and Mrs. Sheldon P. Braverman The Fletcher Jones Foundation Mr. Cosmo Guido, in honor of Toni Guido Marie Halff Mr. James McCutcheon Ruth Eilene Sullivan & Daniel J. Sullivan Family Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Schulz Semmes Foundation, Inc. Al Silva

Benefactor ($1,000 to $4,999) Aaron Asel J Cary Barton Ms. Marion Bell Dr. and Mrs. Barry Beller Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Birnbaum Antoinette Browning Mr. and Mrs. Tony Canty

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Flora Crichton Mr. and Mrs. Al Ely Margaret Mitchell and Douglas Endsley Joel K. Erben Jeffery S. and Jana B. Galt Guido Brothers Contractors Hon. and Mrs. Phil Hardberger Mr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Labatt Eduardo and Elsi Parra Gail and Marc Raney Mr. Epitacio R. V. Resendez Charles Schwab & Co. Shell Oil Company Matching Gifts Fdn. Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Smith, III Mr. frank Stenger Frank and Nancie Sutter Mr. and Mrs. Dan G. Webster Loren S. Weingart and Jon F. Mooney Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Welder, III

Contributor ($500 to $999)

John B Abeyta Andersen Family Charitable Fund Betty R. Barnes Mrs. George J. Condos Drs. Joe Johnson and Karen Diaz Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. DuVal John H. Frederick Richard and Toni Goldsmith Mr. Ronald Keller Mr. and Mrs. Steve C. Lewis Rabbi Samuel and Lynn Stahl Patrick H. Swearingen, Jr. Mrs. Janelle Tye Steven Wegner and Antonio Gragera

Supporter ($250 to $499) Gayle Cagianut Antonio J. Cantafio Dr. and Mrs. William J. Chiego Dr. and Mrs. Alfonso Chiscano Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Cole Dr. Eugene and Stacy Dowdy Mr. and Mrs. A. Baker Duncan James Griffin Mr. Robert D. Haggard Mr. and Mrs. Gary Hoeffler Mr. and Mrs. Norman Idleberg

Ajeya P. Joshi M.D. Martin and Frederica Kushner Anita and Jerry Lindner Bea and John McFadden Richard Morales Ms. Lillian Morris Phil Muth Ms. Patricia Pratchett Mr. and Mrs. Ira Ross Mrs. Arthur A. Seeligson, Jr. Christie Smith Mrs. Margaret King Stanley Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Sugarman Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Sue Turner Mr. and Mrs. Albert Vale

Friend ($100 to $249)

Dr. Karen Balcom Mr. and Mrs. Bradford R. Breuer Mr. Richard V. Butler Cathy Dawson Mrs. Heather Diehl Mr. and Mrs. Tom C. Frost, Jr. Edward Herbold Emma Heymann Ryland Howard Ms. Mary Jane Howe J. McLaughlin Mrs. Mary Ann Kocurek Ms. Grace Bramlette Labatt Dr. and Mrs. Carl Leafstedt William Meder John Navarrete Joseph-Maria Peralba Mr. and Mrs. David Phipps Ms. Carolyn B. Sanders Marianne and Dr. Morton Schreiber Wendi E Strong Mr. Curtis T Vaughan III Francisco G. Zarate Mr. and Mrs. Michael Luna James Griffin David Duttweiler

In-Kind

Blair Labatt, Al Silva and Labatt Food Supply ($50,000)

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Background to Bizet’s Carmen In 1875, concerts were stressing music of the past rather than that of the present. Opera, if performed in Paris’ great lyric theater, L’Opera, was regarded as a grandiose, stylized divertissement; if performed at the theater known as L’Opera-Comique, it was to be a sentimental, pleasant family entertainment. Carmen was among the first operas to exhibit a departure from the romantic trend to glorify heroes and heroines. Although other operas have followed in its footsteps (notably those of the Italian verismo composers, Mascagni and Leoncavallo, with some contribution

by Puccini), Bizet’s opera stands along in its consummate blend of color, melody, humanity, passion and physical action, without falling pretty to the then “voguish style” to glorify ancient princes, virtuous damsels in distress, or personages take more from legend or imagination than from reality. Its characters are drawn from the lower walks of life, and, in the case of Carmen herself, from the seamy side of life. The opera ends tragically, yet without the ennoblement one thought to be inherent in tragedy; the emotions expressed are not those of heroism, selfsacrifice, pursuit of destiny or any of the traits one has come to expect from such works as Gounod’s treatment of the Faust legend, Verdi’s Aida or a host of other romantic works. Instead we meet several individuals in a true-to-life situation, and are privileged to observe their reactions and to become emotionally involved in their lives without any moralizing or apotheosis on the part of the composer.

Yet Carmen, in spite of its naturalism, is an intensely romantic work. It throbs with patent emotion, swirls with vibrant, nationalistic dances, and sweeps from scenes of color (the tavern of Lillas Pastia) to locales steeped in gloom and foreboding (the Card Scene, at night in the mountains). There are opportunities for colorful costuming, for exotic instrumental sounds (e.g. castanets in the dance scene at the start of Act II), and for masses of choral sound exhilarating with tunes. In other words, Bizet’s opera chooses subjects which are the antithesis of Romantic opera, yet gives it a mode of expression which is Romantic.

It is curious that naturalism in literature was acceptable, but that the same effort in opera was considered reprehensible. This might have been due to the fact that the audiences at the opera had few of the intellectual interest of those who read avidly the material pouring off the presses in the form of the short story, the novel or the play.

Carmen’s first notices tended to be unmixed. Here are a few, written by critics totally persuaded that music for the lyric theater need be pretty, clear, and well ordered: “Bizet’s opera contains some beautiful fragments but the strangeness of the subject drove him to bizarrerie and incoherence. It would be necessary to rewrite the libretto, eliminating its vulgarities and the realism which is unbecoming to a lyric work. Carmen should be made into a capricious Bohemian girl instead of being a harlot, and Don José, a vile and odious creature in the present libretto, into a man possessed by love” “If it were possible to imagine His Satanic Majesty writing an opera, Carmen would be the sort of work he might be expected to turn out. After hearing it, we seem to have been assisting at some unholy rites, weirdly fascinating, but painful. The heroine is an abandoned woman, destitute not only of any vestige of morality, but devoid of the ordinary feelings of humanity - soulless, heartless, and fiendish. Indeed, so repulsive was the subject of the opera, that some of the best artists of Paris declined to be involved in the cast. In the introduction we have a noisy, blatant theme, which starts off wildly without preface… Scarcely have we recovered from our surprise when a jovial march is heard. This gives place as suddenly to a curiously chromatic, not to say ugly, phrase andante breaking off upon a discord.”

Background is Provided Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera Guild: www.metguild.org

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OPERA San Antonio

Synopsis ACT I. In a square in Seville, soldiers watch the passing crowd. A young woman, Micaela, arrives in search of her sweetheart, Don José, a corporal. Another officer, Morales, tells her that José will be along soon; he invites her to wait with him, but when he offers himself as a substitute, she leaves hastily. As the guard changes, a gang of children imitate the arriving soldiers ("Avec la garde montante"), one of whom is José. Girls from the cigarette factory come to smoke and chat ("Dans l'air"). Carmen, a Gypsy who works in the factory, flirts with the local men, airing her philosophy of life: love is a wild bird that cannot be tamed (Habanera: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"). José sits apart, paying no attention. Drawn by his indifference, Carmen tosses him a flower as the work bell calls the girls back inside. His musings on the bewitching "sorceress" are interrupted by Micaela, who brings news of José's mother. She has sent him a kiss, which the girl delivers shyly ("Parle-moi de ma mère"). No sooner has she left than a disturbance is heard in the factory: Carmen has been involved in a fight. The girls run out, arguing over who started it. Lieutenant Zuniga orders José to arrest Carmen. Her wrists bound, she is left alone with José, who forbids her to speak to him. Instead, she flirtatiously sings "to herself" about the rendezvous she might make with "a certain officer" who has taken her fancy (Seguidilla: "Près des remparts de Séville"). José, intoxicated, agrees to let her escape; when she pushes him to the ground and runs off, he is arrested for his negligence.

ACT II. A month later, at Lillas Pastia's inn, Carmen sings a Gypsy song ("Les tringles des sistres tintaient") and dances for the customers. The matador Escamillo arrives, boasting of his exploits ("Votre toast"). He is attracted to Carmen, who puts off his amorous advances. When the inn closes, the smugglers Dancaire and Remendado try to convince Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès to accompany them on their next smuggling trip. The girls are game, except for Carmen, who says she is in love with José and is awaiting his return from prison (Quintet: "Nous avons en tête"). The others laugh at her, then depart as José is heard approaching. Carmen sings and dances for him, but when a distant bugle sounds the retreat, he says he must return to the barracks. Carmen mocks his blind obedience, saying he doesn't love her; he replies by telling her how he has kept the flower she threw, the scent of its wilted blossom conjuring up her image in his prison cell ("La fleur que tu m'avais jetée"). He refuses her suggestion that he desert the army to join her wild mountain life, but when Zuniga breaks in, looking for Carmen, the jealous José attacks his superior.

Carmen summons the other Gypsies, who hold Zuniga captive until they can get away. José, now an outlaw, has no choice but to join their band. The Gypsies rejoice in their life of freedom.

ACT III. In the smugglers' mountain hideout, José regrets that he has betrayed his mother's hopes. Carmen finds his homesickness and constant jealousy tiresome. Telling him he may as well leave, she joins her friends, reading fortunes in the cards. Mercédès foresees a lover for herself, Frasquita a rich husband, but Carmen sees only death ("En vain pour éviter"). When the Gypsies leave José as lookout, Micaela enters, frightened but determined to find him ("Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante"). She hides at the sound of a shot, fired

by José as a warning to a trespasser - Escamillo. When it becomes clear that the two men are rivals, they start to fight but are separated by the Gypsies. Escamillo invites them all to his next bullfight and leaves.

Remendado discovers Micaela, who has come to beg José to return home to his ailing mother. Carmen dismisses him willingly, but José vows to find her again after he has seen his mother.

ACT IV. Back in Seville, the crowd gathers for the bullfight, hailing Escamillo. He and Carmen declare their love, and he enters the ring. Carmen's friends warn that José has been spotted nearby, looking desperate, but she defiantly remains to face him. He enters ("C'est toi?") and begs her to return to him. She replies that everything is finished between them, and she tosses in his face a ring he once gave her. The crowd is heard cheering Escamillo. When Carmen tries to run past José, he stabs her, then falls by her body in despair.

Synopsis is Provided Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera Guild: www.metguild.org 12

OPERA San Antonio

Enrique Carreón-Robledo General and Artistic Director

PRESENTS George Bizet’s

Carmen

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy Premiere March 3, 1875, Opéra-Comique in Paris

Thursday October 27, 2016 7:30pm │ Saturday October 29, 2016 7:30pm H-E-B Performance Hall │ Tobin Center for the Performing Arts Stage Director Conor Hanratty

Conductor Garrett Keast

Assistant Director Joshua Miller

Chorus Master John Silantien

Lighting Designer Allan Burrett

Wig and Make-Up Designer Sondra Nottingham

Stage Manager Samantha Greene

Wardrobe Master Raul McGinnes, SRO Associates

Production Manager Eva Laporte

Choreographer Gabriel Zertuche

Technical Director Pat Smith

Pre-Performance Lecture Dr. Kevin Salfen

Originally directed by Anne Bogart Scenery and Costumes designed by James Schuette The Scenery and Costumes were originally created for Glimmerglass Festival Projected titles designed Kelley Rourke Carmen is made possible by generous grants from

Carmen Cast

Carmen Kirstin Chávez

Don José

Adam Diegel

Escamillo Ryan Speedo Green

Micaëla Andrea Carroll

Zuñiga Matthew Arnold

Morales Ron Ulen

Frasquita Raquel Suarez-Groen

Mercedes Kristen Choi

Lillas Pastia Allan Ross

Le Dancaïre

Guide

Le Remendado

Isaac Bray

Andrew Thornton

Daniel Curran

Carmen Chorus Madonna Gil Amanda Golden Elise Miller Lisa Owens Rachel Peña Muffin Russell Kathleen Sanchez Lindsay Selli* Kara Smoot Diane Stanley

LaQuette Barksdale Kristin Burnam Kim Denmark Sarah Garcia Caroline Melcher Stacy Muniz Magda Rieth Erin Sheehy Emily Thomas Denise Wathen

Raymond Baird Eric Copeland Mark Covey John Hyland Adrien Johnson Jonathan Kennon John Navarette Tony Peña David Silverstein Thomas Soto

Creighton Brown Manuel Canales Jyron Joseph Tyler Norris David Pedraza III Leo Perez Jesus Politron Elijah Rangel Matthew Reynolds

*Chorus Secretary

Carmen Dancers Danielle Campbell Felicia McBride Husan Wong Hopuy Rene Jorge Montes De Oca

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The Children’s Chorus of San Antonio was founded in 1983 to bring the highest quality of choral music education and performance opportunities to young people ages 8-22 in greater San Antonio. Comprised of more than 450 young artists, CCSA serves the city’s diverse and vibrant community through year-round programming, various concerts, and collaborations with the San Antonio Symphony, Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, and OPERA San Antonio. CCSA singers have toured Europe and Canada, performed in Carnegie Hall and Cathedral of Notre Dame, and have been featured on NBC-TV’s Today Show. Dr. Doreen Rao is the Interim Artistic Director.

Associate Director, Children’s Chorus of San Antonio Joseph Causby Executive Director, Children’s Chorus of San Antonio Anne Schelleng Elizabeth Arguelles Fernanda Campos Gabriel Eddy Uriel Eddy Jacy Highsmith Hannah Jury Remie LeBlanc Carmen Lizarraga

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Ellen Meltzer Evelyn Morrey Elizabeth Morrey Valeria Ramos Jenna Takach Kate Taylor Belyn Thompson Madeline Trevino

OPERA San Antonio

Music Director, Sebastian Lang-Lessing

Associate Conductor, Akiko Fujimoto │ Music Director Emeritus, Christopher Wilkins Violin I

Bass

Eric Gratz, Elizabeth H. Coates Concertmaster Chair Bonnie Terry, Associate Concertmaster Sarah Silver, Assistant Concertmaster Joan Christenson Beth Girko* Philip Johnson Bassam Nashawati Anastasia Parker* Laura Scalzo Renia Shterenberg* Andrew Small* Craig Sorgi

Thomas Huckaby, Principal David Milburn, Assistant Principal Nicholas Browne James Chudnow Zlatan Redzic Steve Zeserman

Violin II

Julie Luker

Mary Ellen Goree, Principal Karen Stiles, Assistant Principal Cleo Aufderhaar Angela Caporale * Beth Johnson* Judy Levine-Holley Sayaka Okada * Eric Siu* Aimee Toomes* Amy Venticinque* Stephanie Teply Westney*

Principal Chair

Peter Rubins Adedeji Ogunfolu+, Associate Principal Dana Cullen Jeff Garza 1

Flute

Trumpet

Mark Teplitsky, Principal Jean Robinson Julie Luker, Associate Principal

Piccolo Oboe

John Carroll, Principal Lauren Eberhart Daniel Taubenheim, Assistant Principal

English Horn

Jennifer Berg, Sarah Knapp Kidd English Horn Chair

Viola

Assistant Principal Chair

Marisa Bushman Kayleigh Miller Amy Pikler Terry Stolow Daniel Wang

Kenneth Freudigman, Mary Rohe Principal Chair David Mollenauer, Assistant Principal Barbara George Holgen Gjoni Morgen Johnson Ryan Murphy Vacant

Clarinet

Trombone

Steve Peterson, Principal Patrick Montgomery, Assistant Principal Ilan Morgenstern

Paul Lueders, Ewing Halsell Foundation Principal Chair Hideaki Okada, Assistant Principal Jennifer Berg

Allyson Dawkins, Col. and Mrs. Ran Watson Principal Chair Emily Watkins Freudigman, Alice Viola Winters Eidson

Cello

Horn

Molly Norcross**, Abraham M. Sidorsky

Bass Trombone

Ilan Morgenstern

Tuba

Lee Hipp, Principal

Timpani

Ilya Shterenberg, Principal Stephanie Key, Assistant Principal Rodney Wollam

Peter Flamm, Principal Riely Francis, Assistant Principal

E-flat Clarinet

Riely Francis, Principal David Reinecke, Assistant Principal Bill Patterson

Stephanie Key

Bass Clarinet

Rodney Wollam

Bassoon

Sharon Kuster, Principal Brian Petkovich, Assistant Principal Ron Noble

Contrabassoon Ron Noble

Percussion

Harp

Rachel Ferris, Principal

Librarian

Greg Vaught, Principal Allison Bates

Musician Emeritus

Mark Ackerman, oboe Harvey Biskin, timpani

Stage & Operations Manager, DeAnna D’Egidio │ Orchestra Personnel Manager, Robert Grossman *

Voluntarily rotates between violin sections On Leave ** Acting 1

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OPERA San Antonio

Production Credits

Production Accompanist Dottie Randall

Assistant Conductor Noam Aviel

Assistant Stage Manager Emily Duffin

Assistant Stage Manager 2 Alexandra van Niman

Lighting Assistant Brandon Rosen

Prop Master Karen Arredondo

Supertitles Susan Clark

Wardrobe Assistant Floyd Williams

Wig and Make-up Assistants Arianna Payson

Nora Maoui

Melody Pereda Photography by Lynne Lane Jason Roberts

Public Relations Assistance LHA Public Relations, Laura Hernandez Aplin

Program Advertising by Traveling Blender, Louis Doucette Graphic Design and Marketing/Public Relations by Tobin Center for the Performing Arts Chris Novosad, Kelley Kendall

Graphic Design Assistance Full Nelson Productions, Jennifer Nelson Artist Transportation and Hospitality by Opera Guild of San Antonio, Joan Miller

Special Thanks Children’s Chorus of San Antonio Anne Schelleng Children’s Chorus of San Antonio Parents Susan Clark Kristina Jones The Radius Center Opera Guild of San Antonio Trinity University, A.L.E. Program Dr. Carl Leafstedt

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University of Texas San Antonio Dr. Bill McCrary SRO Associates, Inc. The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and all the staff and volunteers University of the Incarnate Word Dr. Kevin Salfen The McNay Art Museum

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Artist Biographies Kirstin Chávez (Carmen)

Mezzo-Soprano (Dallas, TX) Recent: Recognized as one of the definitive interpreters of Carmen in our generation, Ms. Chávez has performed the role around the world, with, among others, Staatsoper Hannover, Opera Australia, China National Center for the Performing Arts, Central City Opera, Arizona Opera, Columbus Symphony, Opera Queensland, Welsh National Opera, Orlando Philharmonic, and Oper Graz. Her principal debut at The Metropolitan Opera was in the role of Sondra Finchley in Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy.

Upcoming: Meg Page, Falstaff, San Diego Opera; Verdi’s Requiem, New Haven Symphony; Octavian cover, Der Rosenkavalier, The Metropolitan Opera.

Adam Diegel (Don José)

Tenor (Memphis, TN) Recent: Mr. Diegel has appeared in many roles around the United States and internationally, including Cavaradossi in Tosca, Glimmerglass Opera; Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Opera Hong Kong, Palm Beach Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Arizona Opera, Forth Opera, and Opera San Antonio; Don José in Carmen, at San Francisco Opera, PORTopera, English National Opera, and Opera San Antonio; Froh in Das Rheingold, Metropolitan Opera.

Upcoming: Don Carlo in Don Carlo, Lithuanian National Opera; Ruggerio in La rondine, Opera Santa Barbara; Ismaele in Nabucco, The Metropolitan Opera; tenor soloist, Verdi Requiem, Alabama Symphony.

Ryan Speedo Green (Escamillo)

Bass-baritone (Suffolk, Virginia) Recent: A National Grand Finals winner of the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Green is currently in his third season as an ensemble member at the Wiener Staatsoper, with roles including Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Timur in Turandot. A biography of Mr. Green, titled Sing for Your Life, by New York Times journalist Daniel Bergner, was Photo by Dario Acosta published this month by Little, Brown.

Upcoming: Colline, La Bohème, The Metropolitan Opera; later this season he makes his Houston Grand Opera debut as Osmin in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

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OPERA San Antonio

Andrea Carroll (Micaëla)

Soprano (Bethesda, Maryland) Recent: In the 2015-16 season Ms. Carroll was appointed to the ensemble of the Wiener Staatsoper, one of the world’s leading opera houses, where she performed over 25 roles, including Gilda in Rigoletto and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Prior to this time she served two years as a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio.

Upcoming: Mary Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, Houston Grand Opera; Woglinde in Götterdämmerung, Houston Grand Opera; Gilda in Rigoletto, Palm Beach Opera.

Raquel Suarez-Groen (Frasquita)

Soprano (Amerongen, Netherlands) Recent: Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, DiCapo Opera; Gianetta in L’elisir d’amore, Opera in Williamsburg; Adele in Die Fledermaus, Musetta in La bohème, and the title role in Cendrillon, all with New York Lyric Opera; Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Opera Lyra Ottawa; Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Opera Carolina. A recent alumna of the Tyler Young Artist program at Opera on the James, Ms. Suarez-Groen was featured in that company’s productions of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi.

Upcoming: Soprano soloist with the ¡Sing! International Young Artist Festival in Wuhan, China; Nell Gwynn in New York Premiere of King of Players, The Little Opera Theatre of New York.

Kristen Choi (Mercedes)

Mezzo-soprano (Valencia, CA) Recent: A winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, San Diego District, Ms. Choi debuted at Glimmerglass as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Other recent roles include Lady Thiang in The King and I, Marriott Theatre; Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sarasota Opera; Wowlke in La fanciulla del West, Santa Fe Opera.

Upcoming: Paquette in Candide, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse; Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Washington National Opera.

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Daniel Curran (Le Remendado)

Tenor (Blackfoot, Idaho) Recent: Orphée in La descente d’Orphée aux enfers, with Gotham Chamber Opera; Aristeus and Pluton in Orpheus in the Underworld, Virginia Opera; Cassio in Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra’s production of Otello; Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette, Opera Grand Rapids and Lyric Opera of Baltimore.

Upcoming: Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette, Tampa Opera; tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, National Chorale.

Isaac Bray (La Dancaire)

Baritone (Abilene, TX) Recent: Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles; Ben in The Telephone; Assan in The Consul, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, all for the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio; as an Apprentice Artist for Central City Opera he has also sung the roles of Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, and Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat.

Upcoming: baritone solo, Belshazzar’s Feast, Bangor Symphony

Matthew Arnold (Zuniga)

Bass-Baritone (Covington, GA) Recent: Escamillo, Carmen, Florida Grand Opera and Minnesota Opera; Lord Sidney, Il Viaggio a Reims, Chicago Opera Theater; Il Bonzo, Madama Butterfly, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Opera San Antonio; Mandarin, Turandot, Austin Lyric Opera; Le Duc, Roméo et Juliette, San Antonio Opera; bass soloist, Verdi Requiem, Brazos Valley Symphony.

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OPERA San Antonio

Ronald Ulen (Morales)

Baritone (San Marcos, TX) Recent: Currently an Artist Teacher of Voice at Texas State University, Mr. Ulen made his European debut in Il trovatore at the ZĂźrich Opernhaus.

As a resident artist in Coburg, Germany, he sang numerous roles including title roles in Verdi´s Falstaff and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Allan Ross (Lillas Pastia)

(San Antonio, TX) Mr. Ross is a founder and Co-Artistic Director of The Classic Theatre of San Antonio. Recent roles include: Major Petkoff in Arms and the Man, Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, King Lear in King Lear, Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler, Joe Keller in All My Sons, and Professor Serebryakov in Uncle Vanya. Mr. Ross has been honored by the Alamo Theatre Arts Counsel with 20+ Globe Awards. He was also honored by the San Antonio Theatre Coalition as a San Antonio Living Legend.

Andrew Thornton (Guide)

(San Antonio, TX) Mr. Thornton is a San Antonio-based theater artist who acts, directs, teaches and creates original works of theater. He has been honored with eight Alamo Theatre Arts Council awards, the Yellow Rose of Texas Education Award, and the Artists Choice Award for his original piece CLONSTER at the Boulder International Fringe Fest. He has acted in over twenty productions and has directed ten productions locally. He teaches acting lessons with River City Actors Studio.

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Creative Team Garrett Keast

Conductor (Berlin, Germany) Born in Houston, Texas, Keast studied under Christoph Eschenbach at the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera before beginning his career as an Associate Conductor of New York City Opera. Recent engagements have included the NDR Radio Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Atlanta Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile. He has conducted stage ​productions with the Opéra National de Paris (Faust & Swan Lake), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Die Zauberflöte), and New Orleans Opera (Don Giovanni). In the 2016-2017 season he is scheduled to conduct Othello, Tatjana, and The Nutcracker for the Hamburg Ballet

Conor Hanratty

Stage Director (Dublin, Ireland) Current and recent projects include To Hell in a Handbag for Show in a Bag, Flatpack and Harp for his company Ulysses Opera Theatre (all for Dublin’s Fringe Festival), Trouble in Tahiti at the Glimmerglass Festival, and Maria de Buenos Aires at Cork Opera House. For 2016-2017 he is Director in Residence for the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Recently he spent two seasons as Francesca Zambello’s assistant at the Glimmerglass Festival, on her productions of Madama Butterfly (which he re-staged with Garnett Bruce at Opera San Antonio in 2015) and Candide. Forthcoming projects include a touring Opera Briefs to Hungary and the world premiere of Vampirella in March 2017.

John Silantien

Chorus Master (San Antonio, TX) John Silantien is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In San Antonio he is also the Director of the San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers, and Director of Choral Music at University Presbyterian Church. He has conducted international tours by the UTSA Concert Choir and the Mastersingers in Austria, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. In May 2016, he conducted the Mastersingers in the Carnegie Hall premiere of Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories.

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OPERA San Antonio

Alan Burrett

Lighting Designer (London, UK) Alan Burrett’s designs for theatre, opera, dance and musical theatre can be seen regularly throughout the world. He has designed lighting for many large-scale theatrical and architectural projects, concerts and festivals. He designed Madama Butterfly for Opera San Antonio in 2015.

He has designed 36 productions for L.A. Opera and some 15 productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Now based in San Diego, he works as a freelance lighting designer for companies in the U.S. and abroad, and he heads the lighting design program at UC–San Diego.

Raul McGinnes, SRO Associates

Wardrobe Master (San Antonio, TX) Raul McGinnes returns to Opera San Antonio for a third season as Wardrobe Master. Raul also holds a position with Ballet San Antonio, where he recently celebrated his tenth season as Wardrobe Master and costume designer. Other recent projects in wardrobe and costume design for theatre, dance, opera and musical theatre have been with US Army Entertainment, SeaWorld San Antonio, Dollywood, The Playhouse, Emerald City Opera, and, most recently, Lumberjack Adventure in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sondra Nottingham

Wig and Make-Up Designer (Hardinsburg, KY) Resident designer for Nashville Opera, Ms. Nottingham’s recent productions at that company include Andrea Chénier, La Fanciulla Del West, Elmer Gantry, Fall of the House of Usher, and Carly Simon’s Romulous Hunt. Other recent productions include Der fliegende Holländer (Mobile Opera) and Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Opera Ontario). She has toured with Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift, and her work has been featured on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Ellen Degeneres Show.”

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OPERA San Antonio Staff General and Artistic Director Mo. Enrique Carreón-Robledo Director of Administration and Education

Rhanda Luna Artistic and Production Coordinator

Lydia Benedict Administrative and Conducting Assistant

Noam Aviel Administrative Assistant

Cecille Martinez Volunteer Finance Assistant

Laurel Watts Administrative Intern Kristina Jones Trinity University Administrative Intern Susan Clark OPERA San Antonio is supported by The City of San Antonio’s Department for Arts and Culture

The Gorman Foundation 26

OPERA San Antonio | 417 8th Street | San Antonio, Texas 78215 | (210) 673-7270

OPERA San Antonio