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2021 ……………2022
Season
FROM THE DIRECTORS
Dear OSA Family, Necessity is the mother of invention, and throughout the pandemic OPERA San Antonio strove to innovate and redefine our connection to our community. We became filmmakers, reinvented our education and digital programs, developed new partnerships, and in May, became the first company in Texas to return to live, indoor performances at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Now, as we head into the 2021/22 season, we boldly expand on all we have learned in order to continue our mission to share the power and magic of opera with San Antonio. The 2021/22 season kicks off with two big firsts for OSA. We open with our first ever presentation of an opera by Mozart with an action packed 90-minute version of Don Giovanni. The opening night performance will be immediately followed by our first ever Gala, From Seville to San Antonio, which will be held in the Tobin Center’s Alvarez Studio. This is a not-to-be-missed evening of entertainment and celebration. The season concludes with Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto, a production that will catapult OSA back into full-scale opera complete with large orchestra and chorus as well as gorgeous sets and costumes. Our Tobin Center productions are just the tip of the iceberg. Additional season highlights include neighborhood concerts and continued virtual, educational, and outreach programming. There is truly something for everyone in this season designed to celebrate the return to live performing arts in our community. For centuries the opera house has been both a communal and cultural hub, closely reflecting the lives of those that walk its halls and fill its seats. OSA has already proven to be a leader in the return to live performance and we look forward to welcoming you back to share our stories and love for this incredible art form. We are excited to share this unique season with you! E. Loren Meeker, General & Artistic Director
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SEASON21/22
Francesco Milioto, Music Director
CONTENTS OVERVIEW
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More than our mainstage.
DON GIOVANNI
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An action-packed 90-minute production with an all-star cast.
RIGOLETTO
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Verdi’s masterpiece and return to fully staged productions.
GALA
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From Seville to San Antonio a night you won’t want to miss.
EXPLORE OPERA
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Join us for opera classics in the park.
DONOR BENEFITS Join our family of supporters.
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OVERVIEW The 2021/22 season has lots to explore with experiences designed to be accessible across multiple communities and platforms. Don’t miss Explore Opera in the Park! on August 7th. See page 9 for details. A broadcast of Verdi’s La traviata airs September 21, 2021 on Texas Public Radio (KPAC). The performance, captured live in 2018, features Amanda Woodbury, David Portillo, and Weston Hurt with Francesco Milioto conducting the San Antonio Symphony. Several of OSA’s successful digital programs continue throughout the year. Beyond the Production is an online interview series taking artists off the stage and into the community to share their experiences in the operatic arts. Charlas Musicales, expanding on the success of Beyond the Production, is a Spanish language series that introduces Hispanic and Latin artists to new audiences. Past interviews are cataloged on the “Opera Now” tab on OSA’s website and via playlists on OSA’s YouTube Channel. SEASON21/22
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MOZART’S
DON GIOVANNI Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
Don Giovanni balances comedy with tragedy as the Age of Enlightenment’s most notorious lover meets his demise. During his thwarted attack on Donna Anna, Don Giovanni kills her father. A former girlfriend, Donna Elvira, returns to Seville to look for him, and his attempts to seduce a peasant girl on her wedding day fall apart. While notoriously boasting of 1,003 conquests in Spain alone, with hundreds more across Europe, Giovanni evades punishment for his crimes and foolishly mocks death itself. In retribution, the stone statue of Donna Anna’s father comes to dine with the ardent criminal and drags him down to hell. Filled with breathtaking arias and quicksilver ensembles, Don Giovanni is sure to be a spectacular opening to a significant season.
Photo by Karen Almond from the 2018 production of Don Giovanni by The Dallas Opera
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SEASON21/22
CRAIG VERM
MICHAEL SUMUEL
RAQUEL GONZÁLEZ
KARIN WOLVERTON
Don Giovanni
Leporello
Donna Anna
Donna Elvira
KEVIN THOMPSON
KRESLEY FIGUEROA
MARK DIAMOND
JOSHUA DENNIS
The Commendatore
Zerlina
Masetto
Don Ottavio
GARNETT BRUCE
ROBERT TWETEN
Maestro Robert Tweten returns to OSA to conduct the San Antonio Symphony after his success with Faust in the 2018/19 season. OSA Artistic Advisor Garnett Bruce directs this 90-minute production featuring projections co-designed by S. Katy Tucker, who debuted her work at OSA with Lucia di Lammermoor, and Blake Manns. The cast features eight extraordinary singers who bring local and national talent to the stage. 90-minute production Performed in Italian with English supertitles
Stage Director
Conductor
Gala following the opening night performance, see page 8.
SEASON21/22
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VERDI’S
RIGOLETTO Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
This production of Rigoletto marks OSA’s return to fullscale productions, continuing our mission to produce operatic masterpieces featuring incredible casts from across the globe. Rigoletto has often been called the greatest of all operas. Filled with famous arias, it is a powerful drama about a flawed father’s love. Rigoletto, the court jester, has willingly gone along with the Duke of Mantua’s abuses of power - until his own daughter falls victim to the Duke’s charms. The court has no sympathy, and Rigoletto feels powerless, unable to protect his daughter’s virtue. However, his bitter quest for revenge has tragic consequences: Gilda, who truly loves her seducer, is willing to die in his place.
Photo by Boston Lyric Opera from the 2014 production of Rigoletto by the Boston Lyric Opera
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SEASON21/22
JAMES WESTMAN
ANDRIANA CHUCHMAN
SANTIAGO BALLERINI
ANDREA SILVESTRELLI
Rigoletto
Gilda
The Duke
Sparafucile
REGINALD SMITH, JR.
Monterone
E. LOREN MEEKER
BILL MCMURRAY
Marullo
FRANCESCO MILIOTO
SARAH SATURNINO
Maddalena
BRIAN YEAKLEY
Borsa
This production of Rigoletto is a co-production of Boston Lyric Opera, The Atlanta Opera, and Opera Omaha. Originally directed by Tomer Tzvuln with sets by John Conklin, costumes by Victoria Tzykun, and lighting by Robert Wierzel. OSA General & Artistic Director E. Loren Meeker stages the production for OSA and OSA Music Director Francesco Milioto returns to the podium to conduct the San Antonio Symphony. May 5 & 7, 2022 2 hours and 50 minutes including one intermission Performed in Italian with English supertitles
Stage Director
Conductor
SEASON21/22
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FROM SEVILLE TO SAN ANTONIO
GALA 2021
OPERA San Antonio invites you to participate in its Gala, From Seville to San Antonio, on the evening of Thursday, October 7, 2021, at 8:30 p.m. after the conclusion of the evening performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. All the Gala attendees will receive premier seating for the performance of Don Giovanni. Immediately after the performance, the Gala dinner will begin in the Alvarez Studio of the Tobin Center. During dinner, the singers and artists from Don Giovanni will be seated at tables with Gala patrons, and will provide musical entertainment, creating an opportunity both to meet these specially skilled artists and to hear them sing up close. It will be an unforgettable experience for all those who join in. For information on the Gala please contact info@operasa.org.
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SEASON21/22
EXPLORE OPERA
IN THE PARK! Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. San Antonio Public Library: Landa Branch
Explore Opera in the Park! is designed as a fun outdoor concert experience tailored for children and their families on the beautiful grounds of the Landa Branch Library. OSA continues its long-standing summer collaboration with the SAPL, returning to live performance after successfully presenting award winning virtual programming in 2020. The concert features the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio and OPERA San Antonio’s 2021 Apprentice Artists who are generously sponsored by the Opera Guild of San Antonio. The hour-long concert includes fun surrounding activities sponsored by the Young Professionals Opera Guild. Guests are invited to bring blankets and pack a picnic brunch to enjoy in the park. A food truck will be available on site to provide refreshments.
SEASON21/22
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Join the OSA family of supporters today. Click here to make a contribution. 10
SEASON21/22
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Blair Labatt, Chair Matt West, Vice-Chair Mark Johnson, Treasurer Valerie Collins, Secretary Adriana Cisneros Sara McCamish James McCutcheon Eduardo Parra Diana Peña Linda Poetschke Chan Peterson Dale Tremblay Mel Weingart, Chair Emeritus STAFF E. Loren Meeker, General & Artistic Director Francesco Milioto, Music Director Garnett Bruce, Artistic Advisor Veronica S. Lopez, Artistic Administrator Madeline Elizondo, Friends Program and Edudation Coordinator
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P.O. Box 2641 San Antonio, TX 78299-2641 Office: 210-673-7270 Email: Info@operasa.org OperaSA.org