2015-2016 Season Brochure | Opera Philadelphia

Bucharest National Opera

The VOICE O F T HE HUMAN SPIRIT

Opera Philadelphia’s 41st Season is a vivid representation of the

contemporary, the classic, and the modern—a journey through three

well-established works and two strikingly new American productions at once grand and intimate, innovative and familiar. A season

that grabs your soul and never quite lets go thanks to elite voices, unforgettable staging, and the tender, human thread that connects

it all. A season as we’ve seen it in both our memories and our wish lists and now, we share with you.

The East Coast Premiere of the highly anticipated Cold Mountain

will have you pining with Inman and sobbing with Ada thanks to Philadelphia’s own Jennifer Higdon’s debut operatic adaptation

of the National Book Award-winning novel. Tainted love turns pure in a midcentury rendition of Verdi’s cherished La traviata,

summoned by Lisette Oropesa’s haunting yet thoroughly modern Violetta and Alek Shrader’s Alfredo in their company and role

debuts. Rising stars and Curtis Institute of Music graduates Sarah Shafer and Christopher Tiesi give the color and shape of the

1940s to Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love. And in a stunning debut, the World Premiere of ANDY: A Popera explores the intersection

of opera with devised theatre and Warholian art, questioning the

very separation of art and audience­­. All singular productions, yet all

bettering one another for the exquisite company they keep. Perhaps

our entire 41st Season could be themed as the Curtis Opera Theatre production of Capriccio makes clear: between the song, the word,

and the drama itself, what woos the heart most is the way we make them all entirely our own.

Join us in the breadth and color of a life lived in opera.

D av i d B . D e va n General Director & President

C o r r a d o R o va r i s Jack Mulroney Music Director

S ar ah S haf e r “ i s a s i n ge r t o wat c h. ” — O per a N ew s

“Eve n if he di dn’t s ing, he co ul d wi n a ll hearts .”

—T h e T im es of London o n C h r is t op h e r Tie si

Ale k S hr ad e r ’ s “ s i n gi n g i s d i s t i n gu i s he d b y a s i m u ltan e o u s ly r i c i s m an d v e rv e . ” — O per a N ew s

“I h ave never seen a n opera s i n g er p e r form wi t h a s mu ch comm i t m ent a n d vividne ss a s

“ L i set t e

Jay Hunter Morris.”

Or o p e s a

—T h e H o us ton C h ronicle

lights up th e s tage . ” — T he New Y o r k er

N at han G u n n “ c o m m an d s a n o p e r at i c b ar i t o n e w ho s e m i ght y he f t an d r i c hn e s s c o n f e r an outsize a u t ho r i t y o n e v e ry t hi n g he t o u c he s . ” —The New York Times

Isabel Le o na r d is “beg u i l i ng . ” —Th e N ew York T i m e s

“ A DYNAMIC P L ACE T O E X PERIENCE O PERA IN THE 2 1 ST CENTURY. ” — o pe r a n o w

“ OPE R A P H I L ADEL P H IA IS PUS H I NG FU RT HER I NT O T HE W O RLD O F PO P U L AR C U LT U R E I N IT S S E A RCH FOR U NU S U AL S U BJECT S . ” —The NEW YORK TIMES

“ A TAS T E OF WH AT G R A N D O P E RA M AY H AVE BEE N L IK E D U R I NG VER D I ‘ S TIM E . ” —OPERA MA GAZ INE

“ O PER A P H I L ADEL PH I A C O N T IN U E S I T S I NNOVAT I VE WAY S . ” —WQXR

“ Among t he U .S . op era companie s at t he for efront of d e monstratin g ho w to ev o lv e. ” —Nonprofi t Quarterly

© Ken Howard | The Santa Fe Opera

2 0 1 5 I nt e rnationa l O p e ra Awar d nomin ee

L a T r av i a t a O c tob e r 2 – 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 Col d Mo u n t a i n FEBRUARY 5–14, 2016 capriccio M ar c h 2 – 6 , 2 0 1 6 T h e El i x i r o f L o v e A pri l 2 9 – M ay 8 , 2 0 1 6 ANDY : A Po p e r a SEPTEMBER 2015

“ T h i n g s a r e loo k i n g u p, O p e r a t i c a ll y s p e a k i n g , i n t h e c i t y o f b r o t h e r ly lo v e .”

—OPERA N EWS

L a t r av i a t a

S h ort - l i v e d l o v e OCTOBER 2, 4M, 7, 9, 11M, 2015 A c a d e my of musi c Violetta Valéry / Lisette Oropesa* Alfredo Germont / Alek Shrader*

In Verdi’s classic work, Parisian courtesan Violetta surrenders her last hope of personal happiness for the sake of her lover Alfredo’s reputation. Though she is a “fallen woman,” Verdi’s empathetic and vivid score maintains her dignity and the audience’s compassion.

Daring production choices encourage modernity and tradition to collide via a golden-hued Baroque stage

Giorgio Germont / Stephen Powell Conductor / Corrado Rovaris Director / Paul Curran* Set & Costume Design / Gary McCann* Lighting Design / Paul Hackenmueller* *Opera Philadelphia Debut

and a midcentury fashion sensibility. This bold setting creates a unique canvas upon which to experience an unforgettable La traviata.

I N T E R N A T I O N A L T A LE N T I N A T O P - CL A S S T R AV I A T A Soprano Lisette Oropesa, hailed as “irresistible” and “magnetic” by The New York Times, makes her Opera Philadelphia and role debut as Violetta, the woman who risks everything for the man of her dreams, Alfredo (tenor Alek Shrader in his Opera Philadelphia and role debut). Standing in the way of their happiness are society’s mores, espoused by Alfredo’s father, Giorgio (baritone Stephen Powell).

This lush new production is directed by Paul Curran, an outstanding artist who has collaborated with great opera companies all over the world.

Jack Mulroney Music Director Corrado Rovaris conducts the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.

Music by Giuseppe Verdi / Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave Production from Bucharest National Opera O P E RA AT T HE AC ADEM Y | PER FO R M ED I N I TA LI A N WI TH ENGLISH SUP ERTITLE S

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

EAST C O AST

Col d Mo u n t a i n

A l o v e to mo v e mountains

PREMIERE

F e bruary 5, 7m, 10, 12, 14m, 2016 A c a d e my of musi c W.P. Inman / Nathan Gunn Ada Monroe / Isabel Leonard*

Fatigued by the horrors of the Civil War, deserter

Teague / Jay Hunter Morris

W.P. Inman foots the arduous terrain of North Carolina

Stobrod / Kevin Burdette

toward home and the salve of his love, Ada Monroe, herself transformed by his absence. Once a Southern

Veasey / Paul Groves* Conductor / Corrado Rovaris

lady of privilege, Ada adapts to years of profound

Director / Leonard Foglia

deprivation thanks to a resourceful new friend, Ruby.

Set Design / Robert Brill*

Inman’s odyssey home is plagued by not only the Home Guard’s marshals, but a more gruesome possibility: has the war’s violence withered his human capacity to love?

And further, what truly makes a man a human?

Costume Design / David C. Woolard Lighting Design / Brian Nason Projection Design / Elaine McCarthy* *Opera Philadelphia Debut

H O M E T O W N HE R O I C S Opera Philadelphia takes particular pride in this assemblage of firsts: the first opera written by Philadelphia-based composer Jennifer Higdon, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music, and the piece’s East Coast Premiere. The opera is based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Charles Frazier, and features a libretto by Gene Scheer (Moby-Dick; An American Tragedy). Opera Philadelphia’s own American Repertoire Council director Nathan Gunn sings Inman, and is regarded as one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones today. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who will sing the role of Ada, is a 2014 Grammy Award winner and recipient of the 2013 Richard Tucker Award. Tenor Jay Hunter Morris, who creates the role of the villainous Teague, has been in the international spotlight for his portrayal of Siegfried in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Music by Jennifer Higdon / Libretto by Gene Scheer Co-commission and co-production with The Santa Fe Opera and Minnesota Opera O P E RA AT THE AC ADEM Y | Pe rforme d in En gl ish w ith Eng lis h supertit les

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

c o m pa n y

Capriccio

PREMIERE

T h e h e art ’ s t h e t h in g mar c h 2, 4, 6m, 2016 P e r e l man T h e at e r Curtis Opera Theatre with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra

This production of Strauss’s beloved allegory Capriccio stages one of life’s classic conundrums: is music or poetry the lifeblood of humanity? The young, widowed

Director / Chas Rader-Shieber Curtis Opera Theatre Artistic Director / Mikael Eliasen

Countess Madeleine is torn between two suitors, the poet Olivier and the composer Flamand, both of whom vie for her hand with their considerable, yet entwined, skills. While Olivier’s words stir the heart and mind, Flamand’s notes and strings make them soar…or is it the other way around? A plan unfolds: an opera within the opera that will woo Madeleine to answer this artistic conundrum once and for all.

E X P E R I E N CE T HE F U T U R E O F O P E R A Guarantee your seats to what Opera News hailed as “must-see events for serious operagoers” with sold-out shows two years running. The annual co-production from Curtis Opera Theatre, Opera Philadelphia, and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts speaks to our forward-looking approach to opera, with dynamic stagings of adventurous repertoire. The series will mark its ninth season with this progressive production of Capriccio, the final opera by great German composer Richard Strauss.

Music by Richard Strauss / Libretto by Clemens Krauss and the composer New Production Produced by the Curtis Institute of Music and presented in association with Opera Philadelphia and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

The Aurora Series is under written by the Wyncote Foundation.

This production is funded, in part, through support from the William Penn Foundation.

A U RO R A S E R I E S | P E R F O R M ED I N GER M A N WI TH ENGLI S H SUP ERTITLE S

The Perelman Theater is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

T h e El i x i r o f L o v e

T h e P ot e nt P otion to Dri v e D e v otion

A pri l 2 9, M ay 1 m , 4 , 6 , 8 m , 2 0 1 6 A c a d e my of musi c Adina / Sarah Shafer Nemorino / Christopher Tiesi

A truly magic brew, or just a bottle of snake oil?

The Elixir of Love (L’elisir d’amore), set in the 1940s Italian countryside in this charming production from The Santa Fe Opera, is a delight for all lovers of 19th-century Italian bel canto. Poor, oil-soaked auto mechanic Nemorino is in love with the wealthy Adina, but she only has eyes for the striking Sergeant Belcore.

Sergeant Belcore / Craig Verm Dr. Dulcamara / Kevin Burdette Conductor / Corrado Rovaris Director / Stephen Lawless* Set & Costume Design / Ashley Martin-Davis* *Opera Philadelphia Debut

Enter pinstriped Dr. Dulcamara, a quack who woos Nemorino with a promise: drink the elixir and Adina will fall in love with Nemorino within a day. But, does this strange tincture really work?

A C A S T T O DEL I GH T A N D A M U S E A high-caliber troupe of Opera Philadelphia favorites leads this colorful production, with soprano Sarah Shafer (Nuria in 2014’s Ainadamar) as Adina and tenor Christopher Tiesi (various roles in 2013’s Powder Her Face) as the lovesick Nemorino. Baritone Craig Verm, who impressed as Schaunard in 2012’s La bohème, is Sergeant Belcore, with bass Kevin Burdette, who received rave reviews for his hilarious Dr. Bartolo in 2014’s The Barber of Seville, as the huckster Dulcamara.

Stephen Lawless directs, with Corrado Rovaris conducting the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.

Music by Gaetano Donizetti / Libretto by Felice Romani Production from The Santa Fe Opera O P E RA AT T HE AC ADEM Y | Pe rforme d in I ta l ian w ith Eng lis h supertit les

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

O P E R A P H I L A DEL P H I A & T HE B E A R DED L A D I E S

ANDY : A Po p e r a

WORLD PREMIERE

O P E R A T H AT P O P S

C O MING IN SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 5 : P e rforman c e D A T E S an d ti c k e t information to b e announ c e d s h ort l y.

Andrei / TBA Julia Warhola / TBA Edie / Kristen Bailey* Candy / Scott McPheeters* Valerie / Kate Raines*

A musical mélange inspired by the life, fame, and philosophy of Andy Warhol—ANDY: A Popera is, like its eponymous hero, a fabulous collision of the high

Joe / Sean Lally* Members of the Opera Philadelphia Chorus

and low, the commercial and the artistic, the traditional

Music Director / Heath Allen*

and the innovative. It is a work that explodes onto the

Director / John Jarboe*

stage–and sparks out into the audience, presenting singing soup cans, Marilyns, and a randy banana on stage with contemporary versions of Warhol

Dramaturg / Sally Ollove* Costume Design / Rebecca Kanach* Sound Design / Daniel Perelstein Set Design / Oona Curley*

Superstars Valerie Solanas, Candy Darling, and Edie

Lighting Design / Mike Inwood*

Sedgwick. It’s an artistic collision exploring what

Video Design / Jorge Cousineau*

Warhol has become today. What happens when a man becomes a brand?

*Opera Philadelphia Debut

A MASHUP OF CABARET AND OPERA ANDY: A Popera explores the contemporary phenomenon that is Warhol.

It constitutes a radical new collaboration both in form and process, hailed as “strange, smart and entertaining” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, “brave and intriguing” by Philadelphia City Paper, and named “Best of Philly”

by Philadelphia Magazine!

Music by Dan Visconti with original songs by Heath Allen / Text by John Jarboe with Sean Lally and ensemble Co-production with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret.

The development of ANDY: A Popera has been generously supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

O P E RA I N T HE C I T Y | Pe rforme d in En gl ish

T HE

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1

BEST SEATING

opera at the academy series A c a d e my of musi c | Part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

SERIES

Traviata Cold Mountain Elixir

Sunday 2

Friday 1

Sunday 1

Wednesday

Friday 2

8:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

10/2/15

10/4/15

10/7/15

10/9/15

10/11/15

2/5/16

2/7/16

2/10/16

2/12/16

2/14/16

4/29/16

5/1/16

5/4/16

5/6/16

5/8/16

Sunday

Weekday

ZONE

SEATING Area

B

Parquet Box/Balcony Box

$645

$645

1

Parquet Premium

$462

$420

2

Parquet

$420

$381

3

Parquet Balance/Center Parquet Circle/ Center Balcony Circle/Balcony Loge/ Premium Family Circle

$318

$309

4

Side Parquet Circle/Side Balcony Circle/ Front Family Circle

$288

$261

5

Proscenium Box/Family Circle/ Side Balcony Circle/Premium Amphitheatre

$201

$201

6

Center Amphitheatre

$99

$99

7

Side Family Circle/Side Amphitheatre

$45

$45

Please contact Subscriber & Member Services at 215.732.8400 if you are interested in discounted pricing available for obstructed view or no-supertitle seating.

AUR O RA SERIES C h amb e r O p e ra at t h e P e r e l man T h e at e r | Part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

SERIES

Capriccio

zone

Wednesday

Friday

Sunday

7:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

3/2/16

3/4/16

3/6/16

SEATING Area

Price

1

Plaza Box/Plaza Floor

$130.50

2

Plaza Floor/Plaza Tier/First Balcony

$94.50

3

Plaza Floor/Plaza Tier/First Balcony Box/ Second Balcony

$67.50

4

First Balcony Box/Second Balcony

$49.50

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O PERA IN THE CITY

c o m i n g s oo n

S e l e c t S e r i e s pa c k a g e s

2

CH O O SE THREE O R M O RE O PERAS

2015–2016

TRAVIATA

COLD MOUNTAIN

CAPRICCIO

ELIXIR

Perelman

Academy

Day

TIME

Academy

Academy

Friday

8:00 p.m.

10/2/15

2/5/16

4/29/16

Sunday

2:30 p.m.

10/4/15

2/7/16

5/1/16

Wednesday

7:30 p.m.

10/7/15

2/10/16

3/2/16

5/4/16

Friday

8:00 p.m.

10/9/15

2/12/16

3/4/16

5/6/16

Sunday

2:30 p.m.

10/11/15

2/14/16

3/6/16

5/8/16

Academy of music per-ticket prices ZONE

seating Area

Sunday

Weekday

B

Parquet Box/Balcony Box

$215

$215

1

Parquet Premium

$154

$140

2

Parquet

$140

$127

3

Parquet Balance/Center Parquet Circle/ Center Balcony Circle/Balcony Loge/ Premium Family Circle

$106

$103

4

Side Parquet Circle/Side Balcony Circle/ Front Family Circle

$96

$87

5

Proscenium Box/Family Circle/ Side Balcony Circle/Premium Amphitheatre

$67

$67

6

Center Amphitheatre

$33

$33

7

Side Family Circle/Side Amphitheatre

$15

$15

Perelman theater per-ticket prices zone

seating Area

Price

1

Plaza Box/Plaza Floor

$130.50

2

Plaza Floor/Plaza Tier/First Balcony

$94.50

3

Plaza Floor/Plaza Tier/First Balcony Box

$67.50

4

First Balcony Box/Second Balcony

$49.50

Please contact Subscriber & Member Services at 215.732.8400 if you are interested in discounted pricing available for obstructed view or no-supertitle seating.

Seating for Select Series packages is prioritized after Fixed Seat packages are seated. Select Series seating locations are not guaranteed to be renewed from season to season. Subscription seating priority is based on current donor level, number of years as a donor, number of years subscribed and order of date received. Casting, program, schedule, and pricing subject to change without notice. Deposited checks or charges do not guarantee seating availability.

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Pros.

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Pros.

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2nd Floor LOGE

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BOX

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A M P H I T HE AT R E

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STAGE

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4th Floor

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PERELMAN THEATER | Part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts STAGE

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First Balcony

Second Balcony

Balcony Box

Plaza Box Plaza

Plaza Tier

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openi night gala F r i d ay, O c t o b e r 2 , 2 0 1 5

Launch Opera Philadelphia’s 41st Season in style at a black-tie Opening Night Gala.

Celebrate the season-opening performance of this opulent production of Verdi’s La traviata with a party like no other.

Opera Philadelphia’s 40th Anniversary Gala on the Avenue of the Arts. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier.

ng T h i s s p e c ta c u l a r season kickoff f e at u r e s •

Cocktail Reception

•

Elegant Dinner

•

•

•

Opening Night Performance of La traviata in the Academy of Music* C hampagne Intermission Reception After Party with dessert, dancing, and the cast of La traviata

Reserve your tickets n o w f o r t h i s s p e c ta c u l a r e v e n t a n d t h e s ta r t o f O p e r a P h i l a d e l p h i a’ s 2015-2016 Season.

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