THE ARTISTS Matthew Ozawa
stage director American stage director, Matthew Ozawa, has an international career spanning all artistic disciplines having worked for prestigious companies worldwide including Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Siam, Macau International Festival, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Additionally, Ozawa is the Founder and Artistic Director of Mozawa.
Mr. Ozawa’s upcoming engagements include Don Quichotte (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Madama Butterfly (Arizona Opera), Le nozze di Figaro (North Carolina Opera), Sweeney Todd (Skylight Music Theater), and A Little Night Music (Des Moines Metro Opera). His most recent credits include L’opera seria (Wolf Trap Opera), After The Storm* (Houston Grand Opera), Nabucco (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Hand Eye (Eighth Blackbird/Carnegie Hall), Arizona Lady (Arizona Opera), Second Nature* (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Y Portraits: Awakening* (Mozawa), Snow Dragon* (Opera Siam), Tsuru* (Houston Ballet/Asia Society), and Porcelain (Prologue Theater Company).
Gina Perregrino
stéphano Mezzo-soprano Gina Perregrino makes her debut with Minnesota Opera this season as Stéphano in Romeo and Juliet. Most recently she sang Maddalena in Rigoletto with Querido Arte at the Teatro Nacional. The production was recorded and aired on Univision TeleOnce tv throughout Guatemala. In 2016, Ms. Perregrino was a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where she performed the role of Blindwoman in Shalimar the Clown. In the 2015–2016 season, Ms. Perregrino performed the title role of Carmen in New York City and was the grand prize winner of the Metropolitan International Vocal Competition, where she sang the Brahms’ Songs with Viola at Lincoln Center.
During her first season as a Minnesota Opera Resident Artist, Ms. Perregrino also sings Clizia in Diana’s Garden and covers Amore in Diana’s Garden, Wellgunde in Das Rheingold, and Lucy Talbot in Dinner at Eight. She is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, where she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree. There she starred as the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons to critical acclaim.
Alex Ritchie
pâris Dubbed “very entertaining” (Cherry and Spoon), baritone Alex Ritchie has performed on numerous Twin Cities stages including Minnesota Opera, Skylark Opera, Minnesota Concert Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, the MacPhail Center for Music, and Theatre in the Round.
With Minnesota Opera, Mr. Ritchie was seen most recently as Horace Derwent in The Shining, the Lackey in Ariadne auf Naxos, Sid in La fanciulla del West, the Yes Man in The Dream of Valentino, and Polonius in Hamlet. He has also been avidly involved in workshops with the New Works Initiative, helping prepare world premieres including Doubt and The Manchurian Candidate. In 2015, Mr. Ritchie performed the Corporal in Mill City Summer Opera’s La fille du régiment. On the theatrical stage, he was most recently seen as Sullen in Theatre in the Round’s 2014 production of The Beaux’ Stratagem. He also portrayed the Pooh-Bah for Skylark Opera’s 2013 production of The Mikado, a collaboration with Mu Performing Arts.
*world premiere
frère laurent Bass Benjamin Sieverding has been recognized by critics nationwide for his “surprising depth” (Boulder Daily Camera), "natural gift for comedy,” and “full, rich sound” (Ann Arbor Observer). For Minnesota Opera, he has appeared as Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, the Sacristan in Tosca, and the Ranger and the Man-in-dog-mask in The Shining. For his second season as a Resident Artist, he later sings Max Kane in Dinner at Eight and Colline in La bohème.
Most recently, Sieverding performed Montano in Minnesota Orchestra’s Otello. Earlier, he has reprised the roles he created in Theodore Morrison’s Oscar with Opera Philadelphia and made his role debut as Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, performing as a guest artist with the University of Alabama Opera Theatre. An Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera for two seasons, Sieverding made his company debut in three roles for the world premiere of Oscar. As one of the infirmary patients, Sieverding “lent heart-choking realism” to the role (Bay Area Reporter), and the Huffington Post called it “the single most moving scene in the opera.”
David Walton
tybalt Tenor David Walton returns to Minnesota Opera for the 2016–2017 season, most recently as Delbert Grady in The Shining, Spoletta in Tosca, the Hunter in Rusalka, Tamino in The Magic Flute in Duluth, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, Ed Mavole in the world premiere of The Manchurian Candidate, and Il Postiglione in La fanciulla del West. In January 2017, he also sings Silvio in Diana’s Garden and covers Larry Renault in Dinner at Eight.
This past summer, Mr. Walton participated as a Young Artist with the Glimmerglass Festival, performing Parpignol in its production of La bohème, Count Alberto in L’occasione fa il ladro, and covering Reverend Parris in The Crucible. He has also appeared as Tamino and Ernesto (Don Pasquale) with Atlantic Music Festival, spent three years with the Cantus Vocal Ensemble in Minneapolis, and was a Gerdine Young Artist in 2015 with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, covering Matthew Gurney in Emmeline. Mr. Walton has toured Azor in Grétry’s Zemire et Azor with Opera for the Young and was a regional finalist in the Upper Midwest Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Paul Whitaker
lighting design New York credits include work at The Public Theater, mcc Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, The Play Company, Ma-Yi Theater Company, the labyrinth Theater Company, Intar Theatre, the Mint Theater Company, among others. Regional credits include the Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, the Geffen, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Alley Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Center Stage, Hartford Stage, Dallas Theater Center, George Street Playhouse, and Two River Theater, among others. Paul is a graduate of Macalester College and the Yale School of Drama. He is a Senior Lighting Designer/Senior Theatre Consultant for Schuler Shook.
paulwhitakerdesigns.com
| ROMEO & JULIET
Benjamin Sieverding
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