Opera Saratoga 2019 Summer Festival Program Book

OPERA SARATOGA 2019 SUMMER FESTIVAL

Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome from The Mayor of Saratoga Springs

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OUR MISSION

Welcome from The President of the Board of Directors

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Welcome from The Artistic and General Director

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Board of Directors

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Administrative and Artistic Staff

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Seasonal Artistic Staff

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Seasonal Production Staff

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Orchestra

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Chorus

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A Brief History of Opera Saratoga

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Opera Saratoga serves the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack and New York State Capital areas by providing access to worldclass opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public to experience opera in both our home theater and non-traditional venues that leverage and embrace the unique cultural, historic, and natural resources of the area.

Opera Saratoga / Lake George Opera Repertory

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The Friends of Opera Saratoga

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Opera-to-Go

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Saratoga Sings!

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2019 Summer Festival At A Glance

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The Daughter of the Regiment

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Ellen West

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Hansel and Gretel

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Mozart and Salieri

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Housing Heroes

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Principal Artist Profiles

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Conductor and Music Staff Profiles

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Production Profiles

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Festival Artists - Young Artist Profiles

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Support Opera Saratoga

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With Gratitude to our Donors

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Acknowledgments

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OUR VISION 1. To be a valued community partner and asset; 2. To provide access to a wide variety of high-quality opera programs for diverse audiences throughout the region throughout the year; 3. To be a trusted curator of all things operatic for our constituents; 4. To be a recognized and highlyrespected destination for opera lovers from around the country; and 5. To serve the opera field by providing ongoing opportunities for emerging operatic artists to reach their fullest potential through participation in our programs.

OPERA SARATOGA 19 Roosevelt Drive, Suite 215 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518.584.6018 operasaratoga.org facebook.com/operasaratoga twitter.com/operasaratoga instagram.com/saratogasings

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THE SHOPS AT VILLAGE PLAZA 5 SOUTHSIDE DRIVE, SUITE 200, CLIFTON PARK, NY 12065 TEL 518-371-2320 WWW.THEWINDSORCO.COM

OPERA ENRICHES MINDS, LIVES AND COMMUNITIES. For your continued passion and commitment to bringing theatre and creative life to our region, Opera Saratoga, we applaud you!

WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF SARATOGA SPRINGS It is again my pleasure to welcome you to Saratoga Springs and Opera Saratoga’s Summer Festival, this time for 2019! As the Mayor of this City and a theatre devotee, I find the fine array of arts that Saratoga Springs offers both an outstanding City asset and personally exciting. Opera Saratoga is particularly exceptional and I am proud that we have such a renowned company to support.

Opera Saratoga, founded almost sixty years ago in Lake George, now makes its home in Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Spa State Park. It brings talented and diverse artists from around the world to perform for more than 25,000 people annually.

Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson – now in his fifth year leading Opera Saratoga – brings a spectacular season to us this summer, including La Fille du Régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment); the world premiere of Ellen West; and Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). There will be many additional concerts and public master classes as well!

Opera Saratoga also supports developing talent through its Young Artist Program, providing 30 gifted emerging operatic artists from around the world a place to perfect their craft - while we get to view the stars of tomorrow. In addition, Opera Saratoga offers year-round programs throughout the region that enrich our communities, including Operato-Go and Saratoga Sings, which includes a special program for seniors throughout the capital region.

We salute Opera Saratoga, its Board of Directors, and all those who make the company’s programs possible. We treasure the enrichment Opera Saratoga brings to Saratoga Springs. The 2019 Summer Festival is here at last… Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Meg Kelly Mayor

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WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Welcome to Opera Saratoga’s 2019 Summer Festival!

For our first time visitors, as well as our opera veterans, we have a diverse array of beautiful, moving and exciting productions in store for you.

This season, we are presenting two operas that you are likely familiar with, and two that are new to our audiences. Donizetti’s comedy The Daughter of the Regiment opens the season; and Humperdinck’s fairytale adaptation of Hansel and Gretel takes the stage in a unique production in collaboration with the Chicagobased theater company Manual Cinema. Our commitment to presenting contemporary works continues as we present the world premiere of Ellen West, a deeply moving opera with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize winning poet Frank Bidart and the beautiful music of American composer Ricky Ian Gordon. And finally, this year, we present a one-night-only concert of the chamber opera, Mozart and Salieri, based on the imagined rivalry between the two composers, with music by RimskyKorsakov.

Opera Saratoga is proud to bring accomplished artists from all over the world to Saratoga Springs. Our recent productions have earned rave reviews from many quarters, including Opera News, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian in London, and The New York Times. Audiences from across the country – and around the world – come to Saratoga Springs to enjoy the intimacy of our productions, and the unique beauty of our home in Spa State Park.

As many of you know, Opera Saratoga is much more than the summer festival. Our Young Artist Program - the second oldest in the country - not only enlivens the summer productions but also brings great talent out into the community year-round. We perform in Senior Centers across the Capital District; in Elementary, Middle and High Schools through our innovative educational programs including Opera-to-Go and Discover!Opera; and in unexpected venues to make classical vocal music accessible to everyone. Opera Saratoga brings the joy of opera into the lives of over 25,000 people every year - and you make that all possible.

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We thank you all, who support us in so many ways. You may have sponsored a Young Artist, or made a donation to support our community and educational programs. Perhaps you have provided housing this season for a young artist or one of our other summer staff. Housing is one of our biggest expenses each year, and we are very grateful for your help. However you choose to support Opera Saratoga, we are deeply grateful for your generosity. Your ongoing support is crucial.

We could not do what we do without you.

Every time you purchase tickets, bring friends to the opera, and tell people about your experience with us, you make Opera Saratoga’s future even stronger and more vibrant.

Thank you again, and enjoy the Festival!

Rosemarie V. Rosen President

WELCOME FROM THE ARTISTIC AND GENERAL DIRECTOR It is my pleasure to welcome you to Opera Saratoga’s 2019 Summer Festival.

Every year, when I sit down to write this letter, I think about how I want to introduce the season.

What should I tell you about the operas you will be seeing this summer? What do I want you to know about the artists? What community and educational programs should I tell you more about?

This year, I find myself reflecting on something else. Of course, I’m excited by all of the Festival offerings, and I’m very proud of what Opera Saratoga has accomplished. But opera defies all logic, and the fact that we even have an opera company in Saratoga Springs is, in itself, quite remarkable. In Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, Judith Martin explains that “if you put together all the ingredients that naturally attract children — sex, violence, revenge, spectacle and vigorous noise — what you have is grand opera.” It is no wonder that opera has attracted audiences for centuries! But on the other end of the spectrum, Molière was dead on when he observed that, “of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive.”

I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario - a city without an opera company. When I was very young, the National Arts Center stopped producing opera, in part because they could no longer afford to continue doing so – and it was no longer a community priority. Just as I was moving to New York City when I was 20, a fledgling company started up. Sadly, that company is no longer active. Ottawa is the capital of Canada – a capital city without an opera company. Ottawa has a population of 1.3 million people – a city of over a million people who do not have a professional opera company in their community.

knew I had to be a part of its future. You are a part of that future as well.

By being here with us this summer, you are saying that Opera Saratoga matters. Thank you for being with us. Whether you have subscribed to the entire season, or you are just getting your operatic feet wet for the first time with one or two performances, we are incredibly grateful to have you as part of our family. The future of Opera Saratoga is defined by you. This company belongs to you – to the community.

Your support – by being here, by purchasing tickets, by making donations, by hosting artists, by volunteering, and in so many other vital ways – is critical for our future.

It is a great honor for me to serve you and our community by leading Opera Saratoga. As you sit in our intimate theater enjoying all that the Festival has to offer, and as you are amazed by the incredible talent of the artists that grace our stage, please take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are to have this incredible company in Saratoga Springs. This community should always have an opera company to call its own. Together, we can make sure that happens!

With all best wishes,

Lawrence Edelson Artistic and General Director

The population of Saratoga Springs is just over 28,000 people. And we have our own opera company – one that has attracted attention from around the world – right in our own backyard. That is remarkable, and it is something we cannot take for granted.

Opera is a tough business. I know that part of the reason I have dedicated myself to this incredible, illogical and magical form of music theater is because I didn’t have access to opera when I was young. Once I discovered opera, I

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADMINISTRATIVE AND ARTISTIC STAFF

SEASONAL PRODUCTION STAFF

CHAIRMAN Robert C. Miller

ARTISTIC AND GENERAL DIRECTOR Lawrence Edelson

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Eric Brooks

PRESIDENT Rosemarie V. Rosen

MANAGING DIRECTOR Amanda Robie

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER Robert Klein

VICE PRESIDENT Martha Strohl

DEVELOPMENT AND PATRON SERVICES MANAGER Jonathan Blalock

STAGE MANAGERS Kristen Barrett Robert Klein Matt Knight

TREASURER Kenneth Ritzenberg SECRETARY Desiree Farley DIRECTORS Christopher A. Cernik Robert DeSio Lawrence Edelson (ex officio) Peter Haley George R. Hearst III Donene Honnold Ellen Jabbur Lucy Kats Holly Katz Joel Moss Maureen Parker Steve Rosenblum Dr. Christine Rowe-Button Ellen Riley (ex officio) Cindy Spence Michael Vild Dr. Norbert Woods John Zizzo GENERAL DIRECTOR EMERITUS David Lloyd CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Theodore F. Newlin III HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS Dominic Cossa Sherrill Milnes Maria Zouves DIRECTORS EMERITI Louise S. Desormeau Betty Dodds Sofia Dooley Arthur Silverman

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC STAFF AND YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM Laurie Rogers PRODUCTION MANAGER Rome Brown MARKETING AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Ann Chase PUBLICISTS Susan Bardack, Buzz Media Solutions Michelle Tabnick, Michelle Tabnick Communications ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNS Elizabeth Evans Sonia Richman

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS Monica Cook Sarah Renzoni SCHEDULER AND ASSISTANT COMPANY MANAGER Andreya Cherry FESTIVAL WARDROBE SUPERVISOR Eric Rudy ASSISTANT WARDROBE SUPERVISOR Seana Benz WARDROBE April Harlan^ PROPERTIES MANAGER AmarA*jk WIGS AND MAKEUP ASSISTANT Elle Janecek

SEASONAL ARTISTIC STAFF

MASTER ELECTRICIAN Jed Daniels

CONDUCTORS Andrew Bisantz Geoffrey McDonald Lidiya Yankovskaya

ASSISTANT MASTER ELECTRICIAN / VIDEO ENGINEER Stephanette Schwartz-Smith

STAGE DIRECTORS Lawrence Edelson Emma Griffin SCENIC DESIGNERS Cameron Anderson Laura Jellinek COSTUME DESIGNERS Kathleen Trott Kaye Voyce LIGHTING DESIGNER Josh Epstein HAIR AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham CHORUS MASTER Laurie Rogers REPETITEURS Bénédicte Jourdois Djordje S. Nesic FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHER Gary David Gold

ELECTRICIAN Dustin Barnes AUDIO ENGINEER Jake Urquhart Ryan Carmody^ CARPENTERS Rebekah Barse-Nye Camyron Chauffe Alex Korzeniwsky HOUSE MANAGER Joan Sussman PRODUCTION INTERNS Mary Bonacci Brooke Nicole Shultz Isabella Alonso Susie Mena Gabrielle Harper Benjamin Solomon Elizabeth Purnell Arturo Fernandez Jr Brandon Guerrero Joshua Burks

^ Indicates Production Apprentice

ORCHESTRA VIOLIN Amy Gidden, Concertmaster Robert Lawrence, Assistant Concertmaster Adela Peña, Principal Second Patricia Karakas Claudia Saslow Alexander Vselensky VIOLA Kathleen Foster, Principal Julie Goodale CELLO Lowell Adams, Principal BASS Brian Cassier, Principal FLUTE/PICCOLO Jessica Jade Han, Principal OBOE/ENGLISH HORN David Kossoff, Principal CLARINET/BASS CLARINET Nuno Antunes, Principal BASSOON/CONTRABASSOON Gilbert Dejean, Principal HORN Paul Riggio, Principal Joseph Demko TRUMPET Terry Szor, Principal PERCUSSION David Coash, Principal HARP Laura Smith, Principal PIANO/KEYBOARD Djordje S. Nesic Celeste Johnson

CHORUS / ENSEMBLE Sydney Anderson Justin Austin Zachary Barba Brandon Bell Naomi Brigell Cierra Byrd Maire Therese Carmack Joowon Chae Annie Chester Michael Floriano Jonathan Z. Harris Juan Hernández Penelope Kendros Nicholas Martorano Nate Mattingly Rachel Mikol Zackery Morris Whitney Robinson Jeremiah Sanders Alexander Scheuermann Nicole Thomas Jessica Toupin Flora Wall WooYoung Yoon

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPERA SARATOGA Lake George Opera, now Opera Saratoga, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230 people. The company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually. To date, the company has performed over 90 different fully staged works by 63 different composers, including over 40 works by American composers and 8 world premiere productions. Throughout its history, the company’s continued success has been shaped by visionary leaders, talented artists, and critically acclaimed productions.

1998 brought major changes for Lake George Opera. Due to renovations at the Queensbury High School, the Company performed its summer season in the Spa Little Theater on the grounds of Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. The 500-seat theater proved a perfect venue for intimate opera, and though the move was initially intended to be temporary, it has remained the company’s main performance space since then. In 1998, the company also began performing operas in their original languages with projected supertitles.

Fred Patrick, with his wife soprano Jeanette Scovotti, established the company in Lake George, seeking a permanent seasonal repertory company that presented opera in English and showcased young, talented American singers. An ambitious first season included 46 performances in eight weeks, fully staged, with two pianists providing accompaniment.

In 1999, the company hired conductor Daniel Beckwith and stage director Marc Verzatt as co-artistic directors. Shortly thereafter, William Florescu joined the company as artistic director. The new team established a brand of intimate opera theater that would characterize the company’s productions going forward. Important projects during this period included notable productions of Ariadne auf Naxos in the Spa Little Theater, Madama Butterfly in partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in SPAC’s outdoor amphitheater, and the initiation in 2000 of a five-year Opera-to-Go education tour cycle of operas by John Davies.

Growing audiences and performances with orchestra quickly followed, and in 1965, the Opera moved to the newly completed auditorium at the Queensbury High School in Glens Falls. That year also saw the formation of the company’s first Board of Directors and the loss of Fred Patrick to cancer at just 37 years old. Then current artistic director, David Lloyd was appointed general director, a post he held until 1980. During Lloyd’s tenure, the company gave its first contemporary and American operas, Menotti’s The Telephone in 1965 and Robert Ward’s The Crucible in 1966, and four worldpremiere productions: David Amram’s Twelfth Night and Robert Baksa’s Aria da Capo, both in 1968, The Child by Jose Bernardo in 1974, and Alva Henderson’s The Last of the Mohicans in 1977. He formed the Contemporary American Opera Studio in 1980 and introduced Opera-on-the-Lake in 1972.

From 1981 through 1985, Paulette Haupt-Nolen served as artistic director, initiating collaborations with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center to workshop new operas and Proctor’s Theatre for a production of Man of La Mancha. She produced the company’s first opera at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs, the world premiere of The Adventures of Friar Tuck by Glenn Paxton, and introduced the traveling Opera-On-Wheels Program in 1985.

The late 1980s welcomed artistic directors Brian Lingham (1986-87) and John Balme (1988-91), inaugurated the Opera-to-Go education program in 1986, and saw the world premiere of Mark Houston’s Hazel Kirke, an opera set in the Hudson River Valley in the 1840s. The 1989 and 1990 seasons were performed at Adirondack Community College, while the Queensbury High School Auditorium underwent renovations.

In 1991, Susan T. Danis was appointed to the newly established post of managing director and the company returned to Queensbury.

1993 was a transitional year, with David Lloyd returning as interim artistic director, and during which the Opera featured many alumni in three gala concerts, but performing no fully staged productions.

Joseph Illick became artistic director for the next five summers, programming a variety of works that included Rossini’s La Donna del Lago, Massenet’s Cendrillon, Jorge Martin’s Tobermory, Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop, and Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the latter featuring the Boys Choir of Harlem as the Spirits in the Forest.

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In 2002, William Florescu assumed both executive and administrative leadership responsibilities. During the next three years, he reintroduced American operas into the repertory, showcased Apprentice Artists in concert programs with orchestra, initiated the Lake George Opera Summer Camp, and, along with event Chairs Ted and Carol Newlin, initiated the company’s annual Opera Ball.

In 2005, Florescu moved to the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, and Curtis Tucker became the company’s eighth artistic director. In 2006, Tucker guided an expanded summer season that included the professional premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town and a semistaged Apprentice Artist performance of Menotti’s The Medium.

Tucker served in leadership roles for the company for nine seasons, overseeing the 50th season in 2011, and the formal name change to Opera Saratoga that same season. Among the successes of Tucker’s tenure were many critically acclaimed performances of works by Gilbert and Sullivan.

In 2014, the Board of Directors appointed Lawrence Edelson as the new artistic and general director of Opera Saratoga, effective July 1, 2014. Edelson’s leadership began a new chapter in the company’s history, which has included greatly expanded community partnerships throughout the year, diversification of the company’s repertoire, and a reaffirmed commitment to both the presentation of American opera and the mentorship of emerging artists as core activities in the company’s programs each season. Highlights of Edelson’s tenure have included the world premiere of Jeremy Howard Beck and Stephanie Fleischmann’s The Long Walk; the company’s first baroque opera (Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, in a site-specific production at The National Museum of Dance); the company’s first opera in Spanish (Daniel Catán’s Il Postino); the American premiere of Philip Glass and Beni Montresor’s opera-ballet, The Witches of Venice; and the 80th Anniversary production of Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock, which utilized the composer’s original orchestration for the first time anywhere in the world in over 50 years, and was recorded for commercial release – marking Opera Saratoga’s first professional recording. The 2019 summer season marks the fifth festival under Edelson’s leadership.

OPERA SARATOGA / LAKE GEORGE OPERA REPERTORY AMRAM Twelfth Night 1968 (WP)

GORDON Ellen West 2019 (WP)

ARGENTO The Boor 1985 Postcard from Morocco 1972

GOUNOD Faust 1978 Romeo and Juliet 1968, 1985

BECK The Long Walk 2015 (WP)

GRÉTRY Zémire et Azor 2017

MOZART Abduction from the Seraglio 1981, 2002 Così fan tutte 1962, 1965, 1976, 2000, 2011 Don Giovanni 1964, 1970, 1979, 1989, 1999 The Magic Flute 1974, 1975, 1991, 2014 Le nozze di Figaro 1963, 1967, 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, 2016 The Pledge Drive 1997 Il Re Pastore 2001

BERNARDO The Child 1974 (WP)

HAYDN L’infedeltà delusa 1970, 1971

NICOLAI The Merry Wives of Windsor 1968

BERNSTEIN Candide 2004

HENDERSON The Last of the Mohicans 1977 (WP)

BIZET Carmen 1963, 1964, 1977, 1981, 1991, 2010

HOIBY Summer and Smoke 1976, 1978

OFFENBACH La Périchole 1975 Le 66 2012 The Tales of Hoffmann 1982, 1992 La Vie Parisienne 1989, 2007

STRAUSS, R. Ariadne auf Naxos 1969, 1990, 2001

HOUSTON Hazel Kirke 1987 (WP)

PASATIERI Black Widow 1972

STRAVINSKY The Rake’s Progress 1975

HUMPERDINCK Hänsel und Gretel 1963, 1964, 1990, 2019

PAXTON The Adventures of Friar Tuck 1983 (WP)

LEHÁR The Merry Widow 1979, 1988, 2018

PORTER Kiss Me, Kate 1983

SULLIVAN H.M.S. Pinafore 1964, 1983, 2001, 2013 The Mikado 1963, 1978, 1987, 2005 The Pirates of Penzance 1989, 2008 Trial by Jury 1996, 2012

LEHRMAN The Birthday of the Bank 1988 (WP)

PUCCINI Gianni Schicchi 1969, 1995, 2008 La Bohème 1962, 1965, 1970, 1971, 1977, 1984, 1994, 2007 Madama Butterfly 1964, 1966, 1975, 1980, 1989, 2000, 2009 Tosca 1963, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1986

BLITZSTEIN The Cradle Will Rock 2017 (R) BRITTEN Albert Herring 1969 Les Illuminations 1970 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1968, 1997 The Rape of Lucretia 1972 CATÁN Il Postino 2016 CHING Buoso’s Ghost 2008 CIMAROSA The Secret Marriage 2000 Il Maestro di Cappella 2006 DONIZETTI Don Pasquale 1969, 1977, 1998, 2009 L’elisir d’amore 1964, 1987, 2004, 2014 La Fille du Régiment 1985, 1992, 2002, 2019 Lucia di Lammermoor 1983, 2013 Viva la Mamma 2010 FLOYD Susannah 1980, 2003 GERSHWIN Porgy and Bess 1976, 1992 GESNER Faust Counter Faust 1971 GIANNINI The Taming of the Shrew 1965, 1966 GLASS The Witches of Venice 2016 (AP)

LEIGH Man of La Mancha 1981 LEONCAVALLO I Pagliacci 1965, 1982, 2006 LITTLE Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera 2018 (WP) LOEWE My Fair Lady 1991 MARTIN Tobermory 1997 (WP)

PURCELL Dido and Aeneas 2015 RAVEL L’heure Espagnole 1969 RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Mozart and Salieri 2019 (C) RODGERS Carousel 1986

SCHUMAN The Mighty Casey 2012 SHADLE Friends and Dinosaurs 1990 SILVERMAN Elephant Steps 1970 SMETANA The Bartered Bride 1996 STRAUSS, J. Die Fledermaus 1962, 1966, 1974, 1986, 2011

THOMSON The Mother of Us All 1971 VEHAR Eleanor Roosevelt 2009 VERDI Aida 1992 Un ballo in maschera 1990 Falstaff 1975, 1976, 1990, 2017 La traviata 1963, 1967, 1974, 1991, 1998, 2008 Otello 1997 Rigoletto 1964, 1965, 1973, 1987, 1995, 2012 WARD The Crucible 1966, 1967, 1973

MASSENET Cendrillon 1995 Manon 1976, 1990 Werther 1983

ROMBERG The Student Prince 1980

WARGO The Seduction of a Lady 1985 (PP) The Music Shop 1996

MECHEM Tartuffe 1982, 2007

ROREM Our Town 2006 (PP)

WEILL The Threepenny Opera 1972

MENOTTI The Consul 1984, 2018 The Medium 2006 The Old Maid & the Thief 1995 The Telephone 1965, 2011

ROSSINI The Barber of Seville 1962, 1963, 1966, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1988, 1999, 2006 La cenerentola 1982, 1995, 2003, 2015 The Italian Girl in Algiers 1971, 2005 The Lady of the Lake 1994 Otello 1968

WILLIAMS Rocking Horse Winner 2018 (AP)

MOORE The Ballad of Baby Doe 1967

WP = World Premiere AP = American Premiere PP = Professional Premiere R = Recorded for Commercial Release C = Opera in Concert

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THE FRIENDS OF OPERA SARATOGA The Friends of Opera Saratoga began its activities in 2001 with an energetic group of opera enthusiasts known then as The Friends of Lake George Opera. Over the years, the group has been dedicated to providing volunteer support wherever needed to help ensure the success of our beloved company, now known as Opera Saratoga. Each year the challenges change, but the organization remains dedicated to meeting the demands.

Throughout the year, the “Friends” offer volunteer support to Opera Saratoga with behind the scenes efforts including helping with mailings, providing artists’ transportation and short term housing. We provide a Meet & Greet welcome breakfast for the Young Artists when they arrive at the beginning of the Summer Festival, and a full company picnic as the Festival comes to a close. Our wellstocked Concession Stand offers refreshments – with the addition of wine this year for our opera patrons at the Spa Little Theater.

Our original mission has always been to promote opera education, in addition to volunteer support. This year we offered an extremely informative “Conversation between Elizabeth Sobol and Lawrence Edelson” about the issues of maintaining a viable arts organization today. We again sponsored two Opera-to-Go performances, with one being a community partnership for the Children’s Museum and Saratoga Arts Council members, and the other a treat for our senior friends at Woodlawn Commons. At the end of the

Opera to Go tour, we provided a thank you dinner at the home of one of our Board members for the gifted performers who brought that vital program to life. In the spirit of community collaboration, we also provided volunteers for the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Historic House Tour.

We hosted a Holiday Party for our volunteers at the festive Batcheller Mansion, where carols were sung to usher in the season, and for one of our most enjoyable events, we partner with Opera Saratoga for our annual fundraiser, Pasta & Puccini, which not only provides a delightful evening but an opportunity to meet and preview some of the upcoming season’s new operatic talent. We endeavor to keep our members informed with our opera events through our newsletter, The Cantabile.

The more support we have, the more we can provide. Please join us at The Friends of Opera Saratoga by becoming a member! Dues are only $20 for a family membership. Visit www.operasaratoga.org/ friends for more information, or email us at friendsofoperasaratoga@gmail.com.

Ellen Riley President The Friends of Opera Saratoga

BELOW Members of the Friends of Opera Saratoga at Pasta and Puccini.

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The Friends wish to thank the following volunteers for their commitment this past year: Eva Bernard Bonnie Barr Sue Benedetti Jonathan Blalock Kari Borelli Dan Brocker Ann Bullock Ann Chase Anthony Cirillo Donna Clement Danielle Coffey David Emanation Patricia Gallagher Peter Haley Gary Heller Barbara Kass Ken Klotz Karen Klotz Julianna Kopa Melodee Kopa Sarah Kopa Cheryl Kowalski Ursula MacAffer Carol Markley Virginia McMorris Anne Morrissey Tina Palmer Ellen Riley Susi Ritzenberg Bee Roblee John Roblee Karen Watkins Joanna Zangrando

OPERA-TO-GO

SARATOGA SINGS!

In a world where the default forms of entertainment for children are primarily television, video games and the Internet, Opera Saratoga’s Opera-to-Go program provides youth with an all-too-rare opportunity to experience the visceral thrill of the live performing arts, up close and personal!

Saratoga Sings! is an initiative of Opera Saratoga, launched in the fall of 2014, to increase opportunities for the public to experience live opera year-round. Saratoga Sings! offers free concerts and other performance events leading up to the company’s Summer Festival. These programs take place at locations that are unique to the area, and that provide opportunities for the public to connect to opera in familiar settings.

Each year, Opera Saratoga tours an Opera-to-Go production to more than 50 public and private schools throughout the greater Capital and lower Adirondack regions of NY, western Massachusetts, and southern Vermont. The performances feature charismatic professional artists who love to share their joy of music and theater through the opera, as well as through question and answer sessions where students have the opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the music and what it takes to put on a performance.

In February and March of 2019, Opera Saratoga toured Pinocchio to over 15,000 children in the region. This whimsical 45-minute adaptation of the classic story by Carlo Collodi was a perfect introduction to opera for elementary school students, featuring music from operas by Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Offenbach, and Pergolesi, adapted by John Davies, and sung in English. The performances exposed children to a rich variety of operatic music while also exploring the important themes of diversity, acceptance of difference in others, respecting parents and teachers, and the importance of telling the truth. In addition to performances at over 50 schools, our Opera-to-Go artists performed for audiences at area libraries, The Children’s Museum in Saratoga Springs, and the Center for Disability Services in Troy.

In 2020, Opera Saratoga will present a new production of Jack and the Beanstalk for young audiences. Reservations are currently being accepted for the 2020 Winter Opera-to-Go Tour. Please visit www.operasaratoga.org/opera-to-go-2020 for more information.

The program now begins every fall with Saratoga Sings for Seniors, a performance tour to retirement communities, senior centers and assisted living facilities throughout the region. We know that many older adults aren’t able to attend performances at concert halls or theaters due to limited income, mobility or other health issues. Saratoga Sings for Seniors is our way to break down these barriers, and bring the joy of great singing right to their door.

Our Saratoga Sings! programs culminated this season with our annual Saratoga Sings of Art and Inspiration concerts at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, The Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, and The Albany Institute of History and Art, which once again featured vocal music inspired by great artists and works of art, including music by Poulenc, Britten, Bolcom, Puccini, and more.

Saratoga Sings! events are made possible through the generous sponsorship of individuals, corporations, and foundations. We look forward to continuing these free events in the year to come. If you are interested in sponsoring a free concert as part of the Saratoga Sings! initiative, underwriting for each event begins at $2,500. Please contact Jonathan Blalock at 518.584.6018 for further information.

Further details about the 2019-20 Saratoga Sings! programs will be posted at www.operasaratoga.org/saratoga-sings in September.

RIGHT Opera Saratoga’s Opera-To-Go productions enchant young audiences.Saratoga Sings for Seniors brought music into the lives of over 1,000 older adults in our community.

ABOVE Opera Saratoga’s production of Pinocchio.

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“…the production had no polite veneer to soften Blitzstein’s social outrage, with a cast that had the scrupulousness of opera but the theatricality of Broadway.”

- THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

MARC BLITZSTEIN

FIRST COMPLETE RECORDING

Ginger Costa Jackson – Keith Jameson – Christopher Burchett Audrey Babcock – Matt Boehler Michael Anderson – Adam Bradley – Jorgeandrés Camargo – Dylan Elza – Miles Herr – Justin Hopkins Heather Jones – Meghan Kasanders – Eric McConnell – Andy Papas – Scott Purcell – Efraín Solís Nina Spinner – John Tibbetts – Spencer Viator – Brian Wallin

John Mauceri, Conductor Recorded Live at Opera Saratoga Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director

Lead funding provided by The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY and Stephen E. Davis

2019 SUMMER FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE SUNDAY

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25 FREE CONCERT Stars of Tomorrow Filene Hall @ Skidmore College 7:00pm

JUNE 26

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A Whitman Bicentennial Celebration Hubbard Hall 7:00pm 2 TICKETED CONCERT

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Gershwin @ The Mansion Inn The Mansion Inn 2:00pm & 7:00pm

9 SPECIAL EVENT

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13 FREE EVENT

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Russian Opera Master Class with Lidiya Yankovskaya Saratoga Springs Public Library 6:30pm 17 FREE EVENT

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Community Symposium - Ellen West and Disordered Eating: The Intersection of Art, Understanding, and Empathy Filene Hall @ Skidmore College 7:00pm 23

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French Opera Master Class with Bénédicte Jourdois Saratoga Springs Public Library 6:30pm

Opera on the Lake – The 2019 Opera Gala The Inn at Erlowest 4:30pm

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19 TICKETED CONCERT

20 FREE EVENT

Season Preview Concert on Lake George Sembrich Museum 7:30pm

A Master Class with Composer Ricky Ian Gordon Picotte Recital Hall @ The Massry Center, College of St. Rose 7:00pm

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The Daughter of the Regiment Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

JULY 30 OPERA

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Ellen West – World Premiere Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

The Daughter of the Regiment Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

7 OPERA

8 OPERA

The Daughter of the Regiment Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

Hansel and Gretel Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

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Hansel and Gretel Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

Ellen West Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

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Hansel and Gretel Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

Mozart and Salieri Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

Ellen West Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

The Daughter of the Regiment Spa Little Theater 7:30pm

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Hansel and Gretel Spa Little Theater 2:00pm

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THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT (1840) FIRST PERFORMANCE February 11, 1840 Opéra Comique, Salle de la Bourse, Paris Four performances: June 29, July 1m, 7m, 13 Music by Gaetano Donizetti Libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de SaintGeorges and Jean-François Bayard

PRODUCTION CONDUCTOR Andrew Bisantz DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER Lawrence Edelson SCENIC DESIGNER Cameron Anderson

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

COSTUME DESIGNER Kathleen Trott

A PEASANT Zachary Barba* (June 29, July 7m) Zackery Morris* (July 1m, July 13)

LIGHTING DESIGNER Josh Epstein

THE MARQUISE OF BERKENFIELD Whitney Robinson* HORTENSIUS Nicholas Martorano* SULPICE Alex Soare+ MARIE Keely Futterer+ A CORPORAL Brandon Bell* TONIO Santiago Ballerini THE DUTCHESS OF KRAKENTHORP Anny DeGange^ THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Michael Pecak* ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Alexandra Saulsbury* CHORUS MASTER Laurie Rogers

*Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program +Alumni of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program ^Appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association New production, sung in French with English projected text Orchestral arrangement by Francis Griffin.

Costumes provided by Arizona Opera.

Scenery constructed and finished by San Diego Opera Scenic Studios.

There will be one intermission.

The performance will last approximately two and a half hours.

Lead Funding for Opera Saratoga’s production of The Daughter of the Regiment has been generously provided

by Keeler Motor Car Company.

SUPERTITLES Courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Brandon Eldredge* STAGE MANAGER Kristen Barrett ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Monica Cook

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LOVE CONQUERS ALL IN BEL CANTO BATTLES

By Kate Pitt

La Fille du Régiment contains all the elements of a perfect romantic comedy.

Young love, danger, romance, and mistaken identity all collide in a pastoral landscape where love emerges triumphant and, despite the opera’s wartime setting, not a single person is hurt.

La Fille du Régiment, or The Daughter of the Regiment, premiered in Paris in 1840.

Its composer, Gaetano Donizetti, had previously enjoyed success with works written exclusively in Italian, including L’elisir d’amore and Lucia di Lammermoor. Fille, Donizetti’s first opera set to a French text, is altogether different from his Italian operas, particularly the melodramme and tragédie for which he was well known. While our heroine Marie faces a number of challenges on her way to a happy ending, we see her fall in love with only one man, and one of the most perilous situations she finds herself in is a truly disastrous music lesson.

By 1840, with Rossini retired, Bellini dead, and Verdi a fledgling, Donizetti was Italy’s foremost opera composer. But vexed by Italy’s restrictive censorship, he set his sights on Paris, which had superseded his native country as Europe’s opera capital. Lured by an offer from the Paris Opéra, he moved to Paris in 1838 and spent much of the next decade there retooling some of his earlier Italian operas into French versions and creating several original French-language works. Donizetti’s librettists for La Fille du Régiment – Jules-Henri Vernoy and JeanFrançois Bayard – were both talented artists and the authors of numerous successful plays. They also possessed sufficiently Gallic credentials to help the Italian composer win over notoriously difficult French audiences.

Vernoy was particularly well-placed for this task: he was the manager of the OpéraComique theater in Paris where Fille was first performed.

“Opéra comique” is not only the name of La Fille du Régiment’s premiere theater but also of its genre of music. “Opéra comique” is often mistranslated as simply “comic opera,” however the subjects of opéra comique can be serious as well as funny. Bizet’s Carmen and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann are examples of opéras comique with serious themes. Opéras comique are defined by their sentimental stories and the development of their plots through spoken 20

dialogue rather than accompanied recitative.

There can even be roles in opéra comique – such as the Duchess of Krakenthorp in La Fille du Régiment – that are entirely spoken rather than sung.

While the more serious sung-through operas were linked to the French imperial court and had rigorous restrictions of form and content, opéras comique were more flexible. They first emerged in the early 1700s from a theatrical tradition that combined plays and music into a single evening of performance. At first, the main musical element of opéras comique were “vaudevilles”, or popular songs with rewritten lyrics but familiar tunes. As the genre evolved, however, artists began to compose both new music and new words for their works, maintaining the theatrical elements of spoken text and engaging stories while creating a new style of musical performance.

A focus on story is evident not only in the form of La Fille du Régiment, but also in its content. Fille is a “bel canto” – literally, “beautiful singing” – opera, and Donizetti is a master of this lyric style that emerged in Italy at the end of the 18th century, featuring long musical lines, elegant ornamentation, and vocal pyrotechnics that thrill musically and also help convey story.

Tonio’s aria “Ah! Mes amis” is an excellent example of this combination of style and story. It has been referred to as “the Mount Everest of tenor arias,” not only for its difficult transitions between vocal registers but also for the eight high C’s (a ninth is often inserted) that end it. These high-flung notes represent a challenge for both singer and character, who has just summited a mountain in his mind. Faced with the fact that his beloved Marie has promised to marry a member of the French Regiment, he has joined it! Abandoning his native country and flinging himself into a military life with an invading army is an impetuous, romantic, and desperately fantastic act; so is this aria.

“Ah! Mes amis” reflects Tonio’s wild joy with notes that soar above a common bound and reflect his infinite and eternal love for Marie.

Tonio’s delight in joining the army may be misplaced however: the military conflict he finds himself in is a serious one. La Fille du Régiment takes place during the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 – 1815. Marie’s regiment has marched into Tonio’s native Tyrol, a region

of the Alps between modern Austria and Italy. This region was ceded to the French after the Austrian defeat at Austerlitz in 1805, however, the Tyrolean people were not happy with their new government. Tyrol had been part of Austria since the 14th century and in 1809, the population rose in revolt and drove the French out of the region in less than a week.

Napoleon’s response was devastating.

The Tyrolean rebels’ guerilla tactics and familiarity with the mountainous landscape served them well in rebellion, but they were overwhelmed in defense by the huge numbers of French soldiers who swarmed in to retake the region. At the opening of La Fille du Régiment, villagers and nobility alike are fleeing from this invasion and the opera’s romantic plot takes place amid a backdrop of fear. While the opera avoids violence, the real Tyrolean revolt was brutally crushed within a year and its leaders executed.

Donizetti’s idealized depiction of bloodless war and pastoral romance was intensely appealing to French audiences in 1840.

France had endured a bruising half-century of turmoil and bloodshed, including the Revolutions of 1789 and 1830, the Reign of Terror, and the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the opera’s wartime setting, Paris audiences were thrilled by the Italian composer’s vision of a victorious and peaceful France where love emerges triumphant. Donizetti’s first French opera was a rousing success and was performed over 1,000 times at the Opéra Comique between its première and the First World War. La Fille du Régiment was such a success that French composers viewed it as an aggressive incursion into their territory.

Hector Berlioz wrote, “M. Donizetti seems to treat us like a conquered country; it is a veritable invasion. One can no longer speak of the opera houses of Paris, but only the opera houses of M. Donizetti.” Nevertheless, La Fille du Régiment has, over time, become fully unified with French culture. Its final chorus, “Salut à la France” even became an unofficial national anthem during the reign of Napoleon III and continues to be sung at patriotic events to this day.

Kate Pitt, an Apprentice Dramaturg at American Lyric Theater, is a dramaturg, director, and writer in NYC.

THE STORY Marie was found on a battlefield as a baby, and raised by the entire 21st Regiment as their ‘daughter’. Her foster-father Sulpice has decreed that she should marry a soldier from the Regiment. When Marie falls for the Tyrolean Tonio, it looks as though she may have to choose between her family and true love.

The situation becomes still more fraught when the haughty Marquise de Berkenfield arrives on the scene. She discovers that Marie is her niece, and insists on taking her away to bring her up as a lady. Tonio, who has joined the Regiment in order to marry Marie, is in despair. So is Marie, and matters get worse in her new home: she hates ladylike pursuits and is horrified to learn that she must make an aristocratic marriage. Can she get out of it without losing her aunt’s affection? And will she ever see Tonio again? Yes, if the 21st Regiment has anything to do with it…

GAETANO DONIZETTI Composer

JULES-HENRI VERNOY DE SAINT GEORGES Co-Librettist

JEAN-FRANÇOIS BAYARD Co-Librettist

Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) was a key proponent of the bel canto style, and one of the most prolific opera composers in the art form’s history.

His 65 operas, many of which are repertory staples, include L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Maria Stuarda, La Fille du Régiment and Don Pasquale. Donizetti was born in modest circumstances just outside the city walls of Bergamo. The maestro di cappella in the city, Simon Mayr, provided Donizetti’s earliest musical instruction and remained a mentor throughout his career.

After study in Bologna, he moved to Naples.

He gradually established a reputation both locally and further afield, and became a major international voice with the success of Anna Bolena in 1830. Donizetti worked ever harder during this period of success, composing 25 operas in 1830–38 including many of his most familiar, such as L’elisir d’amore (1832), Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Lucia di Lammermoor and Maria Stuarda (both 1835) and Roberto Devereux (1837).

After a move to Paris in 1838, successes included La Fille du Régiment (1840) and Don Pasquale (1843), though in the 1840s his operatic output slowed as a result of both his taking on work as a court composer in Vienna and the gradual onset of syphilis. While several of his operas have never left the repertory, the ‘Donizetti Renaissance’ of the late 20th century shed new light on many previously neglected works, often thanks to the championing of sopranos such as Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. He is recognized today not only as an important figure in operatic history and a key influence on Verdi, but also as a great composer in his own right.

Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (1799–1875) was a French playwright, novelist and librettist. Vernoy de SaintGeorges spent his life in Paris. His first work was the vaudeville comedy Saint-Louis ou les deux dîners, co-written with Alexandre Tardif (1823). He became manager of the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1829. Vernoy de Saint-Georges wrote more than seventy librettos and plays, often in collaboration with other writers. Among his most distinguished collaborators were the poet and playwright Théophile Gautier and the dramatist and librettist Eugène Scribe. His best known librettos are for La Fille du Régiment (1840) and Bizet’s La Jolie Fille du Perth (1867). He also provided a French translation for Weber’s Euryanthe, and collaborated on the scenario for the ballet Giselle (1841). He wrote many comic plays – often in collaboration with Adolphe de Leuven – and five novels. Vernoy de SaintGeorges tended to favour dramatic plots filled with highly improbable coincidences (the story of La Fille du Régiment is one example). He had a strong affection for the 18th century, and often affected a version of 18th-century costume and manners in his everyday life.

Jean-François Bayard (1796–1853) was a French playwright. Bayard studied law and initially worked as a lawyer’s clerk, but his main passion from an early age was the theatre. His first successful play was La Reine de seize ans (1828). He became a close friend of the dramatist and librettist Eugène Scribe, whose niece he married.

Bayard created more than 200 plays for several theatres, sometimes working alone and sometimes in collaboration, including with Eugène Scribe. He specialized in vaudevilles, though he also wrote more serious works. La Fille du Régiment is the only one of his librettos that has not fallen into obscurity. Although his plays were successful during his own times – and much celebrated for their witty cheerfulness – they are not performed today. In addition to his writing career, Bayard worked for the Societé des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, and spent a brief period as Director of the Théâtre des Variétés. He also wrote articles in literary journals, and published poems in several anthologies. He became a member of the Légion d’honneur in 1857.

LEFT “The Last Hours of Donizetti”, by Ponziano Loverini (1891).

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ELLEN WEST (2019) World Premiere FIRST PERFORMANCE June 30, 2019 Opera Saratoga, Spa Little Theater, Saratoga Springs

PRODUCTION CONDUCTOR Lidiya Yankovskaya

Three performances: June 30m, July 6m, 12

DIRECTOR Emma Griffin

Music by Ricky Ian Gordon Poem and Libretto by Frank Bidart

SCENIC DESIGNER Laura Jellinek

Commissioned by Opera Saratoga, Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director; and Beth Morrison Projects, Beth Morrison, Creative Producer

COSTUME DESIGNER Kaye Voyce LIGHTING DESIGNER Josh Epstein

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham

THE POET / DR. LUDWIG BINSWANGER Keith Phares

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Caleb Glickman*

ELLEN WEST Jennifer Zetlan ORDERLIES Nicholas Martorano Penelope Kendros THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Colter Schoenfish* SUPERTITLES Colter Schoenfish* SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Michael Pecak* STAGE MANAGER Matt Knight ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Sarah Renzoni

*Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program New production, sung in English with English projected text Scenery constructed and finished by San Diego Opera Scenic Studios.

There will be no intermission.

The performance will last approximately seventy minutes.

Lead Funding for Ellen West at Opera Saratoga has been generously provided

by The Poetry Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Saratoga Foundation.

Ellen West has been commissioned with generous leadership support from The Poetry Foundation, The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, David and Kiki Gindler, and The Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts.

Additional support for Community and Educational Programs to complement the premiere of Ellen West has been provided

by MVP Healthcare and The Dake Family Foundation/Stewart’s Shops.

The world-premiere production of Ellen West is a co-production of Opera Saratoga and Beth Morrison Projects.

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ELLEN WEST – AN OPERATIC POEM

By Jeff Dingler

A struggle with an eating disorder and gender identity may seem an unusual subject for an opera, but that is what occupies the center of the new adaptation of Frank Bidart’s poem Ellen West. Ricky Ian Gordon, the composer of this world premiere opera, first discovered Bidart’s long, narrative poem during a period of personal tragedy. On August 1, 1996, he lost his partner, Jeffrey Grossi, from complications of AIDS. In the aftermath of this loss, Gordon was completely broken and turned to books and poems to help him through a period of grief. One of the works he found during this time was Ellen West.

Largely a composer of vocal works, Gordon has a penchant for poignantly and expertly blending modern art song, opera and musical theater. The New York City-based composer also has a history of adapting ambitious literary works into music (his three-act opera of The Grapes of Wrath premiered in Minnesota in 2007).

For Gordon, Ellen West has long been on his list of pieces to tackle. “Frank Bidart got at something so private that I was utterly shocked when I read that poem,” he said.

“As time wore on, the piece that really lived inside me, that really called out to me was Ellen West.”

Written in alternating voices – a doctor’s clinical notes on West and West’s own stream-of-consciousness reveries – the poem already reads a bit like a one-act play.

However, below this narrative of a patient suffering in a sanatorium, Ellen West is a visceral exploration of one woman’s struggle to gain meaning beyond the demands and confines of her body and her gender.

“She’s a diva,” said Bidart about the character he created for the poem. He compares West to famous opera soprano Maria Callas, who makes a vital appearance in the poem. “[West] becomes one with metaphysical ideas: the idea that she is tormented by the question: ‘Why am I a girl?’” Bidart said. “She is crucified on the cross of these ideas, on the incompatible demands of mind and body.”

West’s existential search resonates with anyone who’s ever battled an eating disorder or felt they were in the wrong body. Like other famous creative figures with eating disorders – Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters or poet and essayist Anne Sexton – Ellen West is a mercurial genius

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and beauty starved out by existential dread.

She was a real person, too.

One of the first patients treated with existential analysis, a form of personoriented psychotherapy, Ellen West was the pseudonym of a patient of the Swiss psychiatrist Ludwig Binswanger. West, whose real name is still unknown, was born at the end of the 19th century, probably to wealthy Jewish parents in the United States who later immigrated with her to Europe.

Much of West’s story, especially her early life, remains a mystery because Binswanger removed from his report nearly all mention of family history. However, it is known that West had an interest in literature; she kept journals and wrote poetry throughout her life. In January 1921, after a long struggle with depression and two suicide attempts, West was admitted to Binswanger’s sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, where Binswanger attempted to treat her through analysis, a process that informs Bidart’s poem. However, after two-anda-half months of unsuccessful treatment, Binswanger concluded that West was incurable and on March 30, West’s husband took her home. Three days later, at just the age of 33, West committed suicide by poisoning herself.

“I’ve struggled myself with eating disorders,” Gordon said about his connection to the real-life West. “There’s no true clinical language, I think, that describes the inner life, what’s going on in your head about eating and your body, and that’s why this poem is so vital.” In 2015, after completing a number of other projects, Gordon finally began work on Ellen West. With nothing more than Bidart’s email address at Wellesley College – where the poet has taught for more than 45 years – Gordon wrote Bidart a long message about his relationship to the poem. Before long, Bidart wrote back, saying: “Your letter moved me a great deal.

I am eager to see what you do with Ellen West.”

Ellen West isn’t the first of Bidart’s poems to be adapted for another medium. In 2010, Bidart worked closely with actor James Franco, who based a short film on Herbert White, a poem about a serial killer. Last year Bidart won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and the year before that received the National Book Award.

After acquiring the rights to adapt Ellen West, Gordon immersed himself in the

transforming of the long, intense poem with no set meter or rhyme scheme – not the likeliest text to inspire a libretto – into the rich and expansive lines that his music is known for. Upon Gordon’s request, Bidart even wrote a new prologue to open the opera, which creates a frame for the original poem. In the prologue, the poet himself explains the core of Ellen’s dilemma: Ellen was obsessed with eating and the arbitrariness of gender and having to have a body. * Ellen lived out the war between the mind and the body—as Binswanger tells it, lived out in her body each stage of the war, its journey and progress, in which compromise, reconciliation is attempted then rejected then mourned. * At last, intolerable existence seemed to her the snake that swallows its own tail. * So she smashed the head of the snake.

Bidart’s connection to Ellen West is surprisingly similar to Gordon’s. The awardwinning poet encountered West’s case study earlier in his life and held on to the idea of writing a poem about her for many years. When Bidart’s mother died, he was looking for a way to expel his own grief and suicidal thoughts. The result was Ellen West, published in In the Western Night: Collected Poems which appeared in 1990, the year after Bidart’s mother died.

If the text of the opera earns Bidart praise as a librettist, he reminds us that all he did was “make a poem as good as I could make it almost fifty years ago.” Bidart continues, “Ellen rides a storm at sea and then is drowned in it.” Just short of a century after the real West’s death, it’s clear that she remains a catalyst whose struggle resonates for a contemporary audience, first as she appeared in Bidart’s poem and now as she animates Gordon’s ambitious and powerful new opera.

Jeff Dingler is a freelance journalist and writer in Saratoga Springs.

RICKY IAN GORDON Composer Ricky Ian Gordon’s most recent premieres include The House Without A Christmas Tree (2017, libretto

by Royce Vavrek, Houston Grand Opera commission and premiere) and a reduction of The Grapes of Wrath (2017 two-act version commissioned and premiered by Opera Theatre of St. Louis).

A highly prolific composer, Gordon’s catalog also includes Morning Star (2015, libretto by William Hoffman, Cincinnati Opera premiere), 27 (2014, libretto by Royce Vavrek, Opera Theatre of St. Louis premiere), A Coffin In Egypt (2014, libretto

by Leonard Foglia, Houston Grand Opera premiere), Rappahannock County (2011, libretto by Mark Campbell, Harrison Opera House premiere), The Grapes of Wrath (2007 and 2010, libretto by Michael Korie; Minnesota Opera, 2007 premiere; American Symphony Orchestra, 2010 premiere); Green Sneakers (2008, libretto

by Gordon, Miami String Quartet premiere), and more. Upcoming projects include the opera Intimate Apparel with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater commission), Private Confessions with playwright Richard Nelson (Goodman Theatre commission), Ellen West (a cocommission between Opera Saratoga and Beth Morrison Projects), and an opera based on Giorgio Bassani’s novel The Garden of the Finzi-Continis with librettist Michael Korie. Gordon has been a visiting professor at many colleges and universities, including Yale, New York University, The Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music. Among his honors are an Obie Award, Carnegie Mellon’s 2003 Alumni Merit Award for exceptional achievement and leadership, a Shen Family Foundation Award, the Stephen Sondheim Award, The Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award, the Constance Klinsky Award, and many awards from ASCAP, of which he is a member.

FRANK BIDART Poet/Librettist Frank Bidart was born in 1939 and educated at the University of California at Riverside and at Harvard University where he was a student and friend of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop. His first volume of poetry, Golden State (1973), was selected by poet Richard Howard for the Braziller Poetry series but it was not until the publication of The Sacrifice (1983) that Bidart’s poetry began to attract a wider readership. His recent volumes include Half-light: Collected Poems 19652016 (2017), which won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; Metaphysical Dog: Poems (2013); Watching the Spring Festival: Poems (2008); Star Dust (2005); Music Like Dirt (2002); and Desire (1997), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critic’s Circle Award. He is also co-editor of Robert Lowell’s Collected Poems (2003). Bidart’s honors include the Wallace Stevens Award, the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation Writer’s Award, the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Shelley Award of the Poetry Society of America, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Paris Review’s first Bernard F. Conners Prize for “The War of Vaslav Nijinsky” in 1982.

In 2007, he received the Bollingen Prize in American Poetry. Bidart was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2003. He resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has taught at Wellesley College since 1972.

BETH MORRISON PROJECTS Co-Commissioner and Co-Producer Since 2006, Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) has been an industry disruptor and tastemaker at the forefront of musical and theatrical innovation by commissioning, developing, producing and touring the groundbreaking new works of living composers and their collaborators, which take the form of opera-theatre, music-theatre, and vocal-theatre. BMP encourages risktaking, resulting in provocative works that represent a dynamic and lasting legacy for a new American canon. The 2014 bicoastal expansion of BMP to Los Angeles sprang from growing partnerships and relationships with institutions such as LA Opera, the LA Phil, Ford Theatres, Center Theatre Group and RVCC. During the last five years alone, BMP has produced works in 43 venues in 22 cities around the world.

BMP’s commitment to cutting edge musical expression has created “its own genre” (Opera News) of originality. In 2013, Beth Morrison Projects and HERE Arts Center co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival, which showcases contemporary operatheatre and music-theatre projects over ten days each January. The New Yorker recently wrote that the festival is “Essential to the evolution of American Opera,” and the New York Times called the festival “Bracingly innovative… a point of reference.”

Ricky Ian Gordon and Frank Bidart’s operatic poem, Ellen West, will receive its New York City premiere at the PROTOTYPE Festival in January of 2020.

In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or EDNOS. Opera Saratoga has partnered with HPA/LiveWell, the New York Capital Region’s largest provider of support services for those with eating disorders, to explore the important themes of Ellen West with the public through a free public symposium held at Skidmore College in June, and post-performance discussions following every performance of Ellen West.

In addition, Opera Saratoga visited English, Music and Theater classes in six high schools across the region to explore the intersection between Frank Bidart’s poetry, Ricky Ian Gordon’s music, and the reality of teen eating disorders today. Students participating in our in-school programs have also been provided with free tickets for the production.

If you have any questions about disordered eating, we encourage you to reach out to HPA/LiveWell at 518-218-1188, or visit their website at hpalivewell.com. Additional resources may also be found at nationaleatingdisorders.org.

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HANSEL AND GRETEL (1893) HÄNSEL UND GRETEL FIRST PERFORMANCE December 23, 1893 Hoftheater, Weimar Four performances: July 5, 8m, 10, 14m Music by Engelbert Humperdinck Libretto by Adelheid Wette

PRODUCTION CONDUCTOR Geoffrey McDonald PUPPET DESIGNERS Drew Dir and Lizi Breit COSTUME AND WIG DESIGNER Mieka van der Ploeg

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

MASK DESIGNER Julia VanArsdale Miller

GRETEL Joowon Chae*

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Brandon Eldredge*

HANSEL Nicole Thomas*

SUPERTITLES Cori Ellison

MOTHER Annie Chester* (July 5, 10) Flora Wall* (July 8m, 14m)

SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Caleb Glickman*

FATHER Justin Austin*

MANUAL CINEMA PRODUCTION MANAGER Mike Usrey

SANDMAN Rachel Mikol* DEW FAIRY Sydney Anderson*

*Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program Sung in German with English projected text Orchestral arrangement by Patrick Soluri There will be one intermission.

The performance will last approximately two and a half hours.

Lead Funding for Hansel and Gretel has been generously provided by Adirondack Trust.

STAGE MANAGERS Drew Dir Robert Klein

THE GINGERBREAD WITCH Whitney Robinson* (July 5, 10) Cierra Byrd* (July 8m, 14m) PUPPETEERS Alexis Atwill Lizi Breit (Dew Fairy) Sam Deutsch (Mother/Sandman) Sarah Fornace (Gretel) Dan Kerr-Hobert (Father/Witch) Charlotte Long Julia VanArsdale Miller (Hansel) THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

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A FAIRYTALE MASTERPIECE FOR ALL AGES

By Hannah McDermott Scarcity and abundance, the mundane and the fantastic, simplicity and grandeur: these are only a few of the dichotomies that fuel the music and drama of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel.

Hänsel und Gretel, completed in 1893, is Humperdinck’s first and best-known opera.

Though today it is an established part of the operatic canon, Hänsel und Gretel’s composition was far from inevitable.

Despite his formal training as a composer, Humperdinck (1854-1921) was slow to complete any substantial works. His writer’s block has often been attributed to his adulation of his musical contemporaries – especially Richard Wagner, who he assisted for many years. It is possible that Humperdinck would have never composed an opera had it not been for his sister, Adelheid Wette. Wette managed to coax her brother into collaborating with her on a few songs based on the “Hänsel und Gretel” fairytale by the Brothers Grimm to entertain her children. These original songs, as well as the spoken dialogue that strung them together, became the basis for the fulllength opera. Poignantly, this opera about a brother and sister is one of the only operas written by a pair of siblings, with Wette acting as the librettist.

In adapting the story for the stage, Wette and Humperdinck made a few revisions to the Grimm fairytale. They changed the homicidal stepmother, for example, into a more sympathetic mother, who sends her children into the forest to pick strawberries without realizing the danger lurking between the trees. By eschewing the mother’s cruel intentions, Wette and Humperdinck were able to focus the dramatic tension on the villainous, cannibalistic witch. The opera also features characters and scenes not present in the original tale. The Sandman, the chorus of angels, and the Dew Fairy were all added

by Wette and Humperdinck to enrich the magical forest. The final significant difference between the opera and the tale is the finale. The opera, unlike its source, ends with a moral, as the victoriously reunited family rejoices in God’s punishment of the wicked and rewarding of the just.

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The pitting of good against evil in the opera’s final moments is the culmination of the contrasts and dualisms that act as thematic motifs throughout the narrative.

One of the most striking thematic motifs is that of poverty versus abundance. At the beginning of the opera, Hänsel, Gretel, and their parents are near the brink of starvation. The witch, by contrast, lives a life of plenty; her home overflows with food and sweets. But while the witch wants for nothing, she suffers from the grossest moral deficiency imaginable. The children, meanwhile, epitomize innocence and abundant goodness. It is through this motif that the opera is able to question whether poverty belongs to those who lack material wealth or to the morally benighted.

Another dichotomy that the opera takes as a thematic motif is the contrast between the comforts of home and the dangers of the outside world. Within the context of the opera, the home is set in opposition to the expanse of the enchanted forest. While the forest is not entirely evil, it is presented as a threat to the children’s well-being, a space from which they need to be rescued so that they may return to their rightful place around the hearth.

In addition to the contrasts present in the narrative, there are also important contrasts established by the score – principally, the contrast between musical complexity and musical simplicity. Humperdinck achieves this distinction by employing two compositional techniques. The first is the use of Wagner-style Leitmotiven – brief musical “calling cards” that correspond to specific characters, objects, or themes – both to facilitate musical storytelling and to provide musical material from which to weave the score. In Hänsel und Gretel Humperdinck implements the same compositional tactic as his idol Wagner, layering Leitmotiven in order to create an intricate and thematically rich score.

If Humperdinck’s use of Leitmotiven is the source of the score’s complexity, it is the use of folksongs and folk harmonies that gives the opera its simplicity and charm.

Humperdinck incorporated both actual German folksongs, such as “Suse, liebe Suse,” and simulated folk melodies of his own design into the opera, using them

as the opera’s Leitmotiven. Humperdinck was by no means the only 19th- century composer to use folksongs in his/her compositions. In fact, the use of folk melodies in classical music was one of the most pronounced musical trends of the 19th century, a trend that reflected the rise of nationalism in Europe and occurred just as nations were beginning to look to popular myth and folk traditions as a way of establishing a national cultural identity.

What makes Hänsel und Gretel musically distinctive, then, is not simply the use of folksongs or the use of Leitmotiven, but the combination of the two. The result is a score that sounds both down-to-earth and sophisticated. Indeed, it is the complex simplicity of Humperdinck’s score that separates it from other late 19th-century German operas. At the time of the opera’s premiere, there were a number of German opera composers attempting to continue the musical tradition laid out by Wagner.

Additionally, there was a musical/theatrical tradition of Volksoper (people’s opera), or operettas tailored for mass consumption.

What makes Hänsel und Gretel unique is that it represents the nexus of these two lineages, bringing the musical gravitas of a Wagnerian score to a popular subject and popular songs.

The opera’s strengths were immediately recognized, and Hänsel und Gretel enjoyed significant success from the time of its premiere in Weimar in 1893, where it was conducted by a young Richard Strauss.

Within two years, productions were mounted across the European continent as well as in London and New York. Today, Hänsel und Gretel is the most iconic family opera in the canon. It has endured due to its versatility: there is something for everyone in this opera. It is at once a musical feat, an entrancing fairytale, and a heart-rending tale of family, poverty, and redemption.

Hannah McDermott is currently a Dramaturg Apprentice with American Lyric Theater. She received a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and holds a Master of Philosophy in musicology from the University of Oxford.

THE STORY Hansel and Gretel’s parents have fallen on hard times. One afternoon, the children decide to cheer themselves up by dancing. Their mother Gertrud is furious to discover them neglecting their work. She sends them out into the forest to find strawberries for supper, little realizing that it is a dangerous place after dark.

Hansel and Gretel get lost in the forest. A tiny Sandman lulls them to sleep. The next morning, the children wake after a night of wonderful dreams to find themselves near a house made of delicious cake. They can’t resist a nibble… and the house’s sinister owner, the Gingerbread Witch, emerges. What will she do to them?

ADELHEID WETTE Librettist

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK Composer German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921) is best known for his first opera, Hänsel und Gretel (1893).

Humperdinck grew up in the Rhine province of Germany, and began composing at the age of seven. He studied at the Cologne Conservatory and with Franz Lachner and Josef Rheinberger in Munich. In 1879 he won the Mendelssohn Award, and traveled to Italy, where he became friendly with Richard Wagner.

Humperdinck assisted Wagner with the premiere of Parsifal (1882), famously writing a few bars of extra music during Act I’s transition to cover the scenery change. He also served as music tutor to Wagner’s son Siegfried. He was appointed a professor at Frankfurt Conservatory in 1890, and began work on Hänsel und Gretel the same year.

The opera received its premiere on 23 December 1893 in Weimar, conducted by

Richard Strauss, and was an instant success.

Humperdinck went on to compose six more operas, including Königskinder (1910), Dornröschen (1902), Die Marketenderin (1913) and Gaudeamus (1919). Hänsel und Gretel is the only Humperdinck opera to receive regular performances worldwide, though Königskinder (the first opera to use the Sprechgesang (speech-song) technique used later by Schoenberg and Berg among others) is still occasionally performed and has received several praised recordings.

Humperdinck remained active as a composition teacher, notably in Berlin. He also wrote incidental music for the theatre, collaborating with the stage director Max Reinhardt on Shakespeare productions including The Merchant of Venice. His other compositions include songs, choral pieces, a piano quintet, a string quartet, and Moorish Rhapsody for orchestra.

German writer Adelheid Wette (1858– 1916) was the librettist for her brother Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel und Gretel (1893). Wette grew up in Siegburg. She married the Cologne doctor Hermann Wette, who shared her interest in folktales, and had written two folktaleinspired librettos for the composer Arnold Mendelssohn. Wette and Humperdinck originally devised Hänsel und Gretel as a play with folksongs to be performed by Wette’s children. Later she successfully enlarged her text into a fully-fledged libretto. Wette also collaborated with Humperdinck on the fairytale entertainment for children Die sieben Geisslein (The Seven Young Kids, 1895), which, like Hänsel und Gretel, was based on a story by the Brothers Grimm. Her other works include the children’s play Froschkönig (The Frog King, 1896) and a collection of songs, the Deutsches Kinderliederbuch (1903).

LEFT Portrait (unattributed) of Engelbert Humperdinck.

Autograph Manuscript from Hänsel und Gretel.

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ABOUT MANUAL CINEMA Manual Cinema is a performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multichannel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality. Manual Cinema has been presented by, worked in collaboration with, or brought its work to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), BAM (NYC), Arts Emerson, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Kennedy Center (DC), Under the Radar Festival (NYC), La Monnaie-DeMunt (Brussels), The Noorderzon Festival (Netherlands), The Kimmel Center (DC), The O, Miami Poetry Festival, The Tehran International Puppet Festival (Iran), Davies Symphony Hall (SF), The Ace Hotel Theater (LA), The Hakaway International Arts Festival (Cairo), The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and elsewhere around the world. They have collaborated with StoryCorps (NYC), Erratica (London), The Belgian Royal Opera (Brussels), Hubbard Street Dance (Chicago), Pop-Up Magazine (SF), Nu Deco Ensemble (Miami), NYTimes bestselling author Reif Larsen (NYC), three time Grammy Award-winning eighth blackbird (Chicago), NPR’s Invisibilia, Topic Magazine and The New York Times.

MANUAL CINEMA COMPANY MEMBER PROFILES ALEXIS ATWILL (Puppeteer) is an actor, puppeteer and devised theatre maker. She is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. In Chicago, she tells stories through movement, sound and words. Alexis has performed with many Chicago companies including The Gift Theatre, Tympanic Theatre and Genesis Ensemble. She has devised multidisciplinary performances with Lindsey Barlag Thornton for Links Hall and plays fiddle at the Old Town School in Chicago. In addition to live performance, Alexis can be seen on screen in the web series, “The Studio.” Alexis is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf (WP10) and Florida State University.

LIZI BREIT (Puppeteer, MC Associate Designer) is a Chicago-based artist working primarily across illustration, animation, sculpture, and performance. She has been working with Manual Cinema since 2011, and is currently serving as associate designer. She is an artistic associate with The Neo-Futurists and a former member of Blair Thomas & Co. SAM DEUTSCH (Mother) is a performer and designer based in Chicago, and a proud company member of Manual Cinema. Select performance and design credits include: Denise (the fish) in Mistakes Were Made (World Premiere: A Red Orchid Theatre, Chicago/OffB’way: Barrow Street Theatre - 2011 Henry Hewes Design Award nominee) and Zoopy (the dog) in Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money (World Premiere: Chicago Children’s Theatre/Off-B’Way: The Atlantic Theatre). He is a co-producer and Artistic Council member with The Inconvenience, a multidisciplinary arts organization based in Chicago.

SARAH FORNACE (Co-Artistic Director, Gretel) is a director, puppeteer, choreographer, and narrative designer based in Chicago. She is a co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. Outside of Manual Cinema, Sarah has worked as a performer or choreographer with Redmoon Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Garage, and Blair Thomas and Co. Most recently, Sarah wrote the story mode for the video game Rivals of Aether. In 2017, she directed and edited the first episode of the web series, The Doula is IN. In 2016, she directed and devised an “animotion” production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Rokoko Studios for HamletScen at Kromborg Castle in Elsinore, Denmark.

DAN KERR-HOBERT (Father, Witch) is a freelance designer, director, writer and performer. His credits include Moby Dick (Blair Thomas and Company); The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Second City and The CSO); and Trust Us/Screw (The Neo-Futurists). His work has also been seen at The CSO, The DIA, Chicago’s MCA, The New York Fringe Festival, The Adrienne Arsht Center, NJPAC, Steppenwolf Theatre, Dad’s Garage, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Woolly Mammoth Theatre, The National Opera of Belgium, and Millennium Park. He holds a BFA in Acting from the Theatre School at DePaul University. As a Neo-Futurist ensemble member, he can be seen performing regularly in The Infinite Wrench.

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CHARLOTTE LONG (Puppeteer) is a Chicago native who works from a literature, dance and writing background. She studied under Dan Hurlin in puppetry, David Neumann in movement/creation at Sarah Lawrence College and Pig Iron in devising. She has worked with Manual Cinema on performance and video for over 4 years, touring all over the U.S, as well as the Netherlands, Czechia, China, Taiwan, and Berlin in Lula del Ray, Ada/Ava, Mementos Mori, and My Soul’s Shadow. In 2017, she was seen as Lula in Lula del Ray at the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Fest. She is a member of Red Tape Theater in Chicago, has acted in traditional Chicago storefront theaters and various dance collaborations at Links Hall. Charlotte creates dance-text driven pieces about the age of the universe, as well as cross-disciplinary works featuring creative nonfiction and visual references about death, rebirth and the archive.

JULIA VAN ARSDALE MILLER (Co-Artistic Director, Hansel) is a director, puppeteer, and puppet designer. With Manual Cinema she has directed Mementos Mori and The End of TV as well as created original roles in Ada/Ava (Ada), Lula del Ray (Lula’s Mother), The Magic City (Helen), and Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel). In Chicago she has worked as a performer and puppeteer with Redmoon Theatre and Blair Thomas and Co. She spent several years training in devised theatre, clown and mask with Double Edge Theatre, Carlos García Estevez and at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. She is a coproducer and director of several episodes of the new web series The Doula is IN.

MANUAL CINEMA STAFF AND CREATIVE TEAM BIOS DREW DIR (Co-Artistic Director, Puppet Design) is a writer, director, and puppet designer. Previously, he served as the Resident Dramaturg of Court Theatre and a lecturer in theater and performance studies at the University of Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. MIKE USREY (Sound Engineer, MC Tech Director) “That may be the most important thing to understand about humans. It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching, not just for answers to our questions, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives day by day, and we explore the galaxy trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge. And that is why I am here: not to conquer you with weapons or ideas, but to coexist and learn.” – Benjamin Lafayette Sisko MIEKA VAN DER PLOEG (Costume and Wig Design) has designed costumes for many Chicago theaters, including Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Hypocrites, About Face, Chicago Children’s Theatre, About Face Theatre, The House Theatre, Next Theatre, Griffin Theatre, The Building Stage, Albany Park Theater Project, Dog and Pony Theatre, and Manual Cinema. She is proud to be an Artistic Associate at About Face Theatre. She has received two Jeff Award nominations for Golden Boy (Griffin Theater) and Mr. Burns (codesigned with Mara Blumenfeld, Theater Wit).

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MOZART AND SALIERI Scenes and Opera in Concert A Festival Artist Showcase Featuring Members of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program

ONE NIGHT ONLY – THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2019 Scenes from operas by Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Scenes staged by Alexandra Saulsbury and Colter Schoenfish ZAÏDE (1779) Mozart / Schachtner Aria, “Tiger! Wetze nur die Klauen” Flora Wall (Zaïde) Celeste Johnson, Pianist IDOMENEO (1780/1) Mozart / Varesco Duet, “S’io non moro a questi accenti” Rachel Mikol (Ilia) Maire Therese Carmack (Idamante) Michael Pecak, Pianist Caleb Glickman, Conductor LES DANAÏDES (1784) Salieri / Du Roullet and de Tschud Recitative and Duet, “Oublions tous ces jours de peine” Rachel Mikol (Hypermnestre) Zackery Morris (Lyncée) Caleb Glickman, Pianist Michael Pecak, Conductor PRIMA LA MUSICA E POI LE PAROLE (1786) Salieri / Casti Final Quartet, “Maestro vi salute…Eppure quell'orgoglio” Penelope Kendros (Eleonora) Naomi Brigell (Tonina) Nicholas Martorano (Poeta) Brandon Bell (Maestro) Celeste Johnson, Pianist Michael Pecak, Conductor

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (1786) Mozart / Da Ponte after Beaumarchais Recitative and Sextet, “Riconosci in questo amplesso” Sydney Anderson (Susanna) Cierra Byrd (Marcellina) Alexander Scheuermann (Don Curzio) Justin Austin (Count Almaviva) Jonathan Harris (Don Bartolo) Jeremiah Sanders (Figaro) Michael Pecak, Pianist Caleb Glickman, Conductor TARARE (1787) Salieri / Beaumarchais Scene and Quartet, “Que veux-tu, Calpigi?”

Alexander Scheuermann (Calpigi) WooYoung Yoon (Tarare) Michael Floriano (Altamort) Jeremiah Sanders (Atar)

Celeste Johnson, Pianist Caleb Glickman, Conductor DON GIOVANNI (1787) Mozart / Da Ponte Trio, “Ah, taci, ingiusto core” Joowon Chae (Donna Elvira) Justin Austin (Don Giovanni) Jonathan Harris (Leporello) Celeste Johnson, Pianist Michael Pecak, Conductor LA CIFRA (1789) Salieri / Da Ponte Trio, “Son più dolce assai del zucchero” Penelope Kendros (Eurilla) Nicole Thomas (Lisotta) Nicholas Martorano (Rusticone) Michael Pecak, Pianist Caleb Glickman, Conductor COSÌ FAN TUTTE (1790) Mozart / Da Ponte Sextet, “Alla bella Despinetta” Flora Wall (Fiordiligi) Annie Chester (Dorabella) Jessica Toupin (Despina) Juan Hernández (Ferrando) Michael Floriano (Guglielmo) Jeremiah Sanders (Don Alfonso) Celeste Johnson, Pianist Michael Pecak, Conductor LA CLEMENZA DI TITO (1791) Mozart / Mazzolà Trio, “Vengo! Aspettate! Sesto!”

Joowon Chae (Vitellia) Nicole Thomas (Annio) Brandon Bell (Publio) Michael Pecak, Pianist Caleb Glickman, Conductor FALSTAFF (1799) Salieri / De Franceschi Quartet, “O, quanto vogliam ridere” Sydney Anderson (Mistress Ford) Whitney Robinson (Mistress Slender) WooYoung Yoon (Mr. Ford) Brandon Bell (Mr. Slender) Caleb Glickman, Pianist Michael Pecak, Conductor

MOZART AND SALIERI МОЦАРТ И САЛЬЕРИ (1897)

Music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Libretto by Alexander Pushkin One Act Chamber Opera Conducted by Brandon Eldredge Concert Staging by Colter Schoenfish

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE SALIERI Nate Mattingly MOZART Zachary Barba THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS PRODUCTION SUPERTITLES Laurie Rogers, Alexandra Saulsbury and Colter Schoenfish SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Kristen Barrett STAGE MANAGER Robert Klein STAGE MANAGER INTERNS Arturo Fernandez Jr. Elizabeth Purnell

There will be one intermission.

The performance will last approximately two and a half hours.

Lead Funding for Opera Saratoga’s Festival Artist showcase of Mozart and Salieri has been generously provided by Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

INTERMISSION

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THE RUMOR THAT HAS FASCINATED GENERATIONS

By Hannah McDermott

“Mozart and Salieri” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) premiered at Moscow’s Solodovnikov Theater on December 7, 1898. The text for the opera was taken directly from a short play

by Alexander Pushkin written in 1830. The opera consists of only two scenes. In the first, Salieri jealously meditates on Mozart’s skill and musical genius. Mozart arrives to catch up with Salieri.

Salieri then invites him to dinner with the intention of poisoning him. In the second scene, Salieri executes his plan to take the young composer’s life. The unsuspecting Mozart sips his way to doom while playing excerpts from his Requiem for his murderous colleague. Mozart begins to feel the poison’s effect and exits the scene abruptly. The opera ends with Salieri alone on stage contemplating the nature of genius, good, and evil.

The narrative and themes explored in “Mozart and Salieri” have captivated generations of artists and thinkers. From almost the point of his death, rumors began to circulate that Mozart had been poisoned by his competitor Salieri. The traction that these rumors received was in part due to Mozart’s own deathbed conviction that he had been poisoned. Suffice it to say that it is highly unlikely that Salieri hastened Mozart’s end. The truth, however, is often an ineffective cure for gossip, and the image of an artistic rivalry turned deadly quickly spread throughout the European continent.

Pushkin’s play, by way of example, premiered in 1830, only 40 years after Mozart’s death.

Not only did the rumor catch on rapidly, it has proved to have extraordinary endurance. The most recent fictionalization of the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is the 1979 play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, which was later adapted into a film. Perhaps the reason the Salieri and Mozart narrative is so compelling is that it hits on themes of jealousy and genius. In the opera, Pushkin’s play, and Shaffer’s adaptation the central tension between Mozart and Salieri is Salieri’s envy for Mozart’s effortless genius. To Salieri, who has spent his life in slavish devotion to music and to God, Mozart is an indolent fop, whose overwhelming musical talent is both an aberration and an insult. What makes Salieri so compelling is that, while we might not agree with his assessment of Mozart, his envy is understandable. Despite giving his life to music, he has not been able to achieve the artistic transcendence of Mozart’s work. His tenacity cannot overcome his deficit in innate inventiveness and creativity.

The other important theme that is explored in this opera in particular is the relationship between genius and virtue.

While Mozart is dining with Salieri, he asks him if it’s true that Beaumarchais, the French playwright, poisoned a rival. Mozart quickly responds to his own question by saying that of course the rumor was not true as Beaumarchais was too much of a genius to commit such a base crime. Similarly, at the end of the opera Salieri ponders the veracity of the rumor that Michelangelo killed another painter for the commission of the Sistine Chapel. While we can

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feel Salieri muscling to believe this tale, the opera does not appear to give it much credence. The opera instead seems to suggest that while Mozart is not the most refined or ascetic character, he is good. His goodness manifests itself in his ability to make transcendent works of art. Salieri, conversely, is not only artistically deficient but morally corrupt.

There is a curious parallel to be drawn between the plot of the opera and the life of Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov had something akin to a rivalry with fellow composer Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky. It is impossible to know if Rimsky-Korsakov was thinking of Tchaikovsky while composing “Mozart and Salieri”, but perhaps the tension between the two composers is what attracted Rimsky-Korsakov to Pushkin’s play.

Rimsky-Korsakov goes to great lengths to demonstrate that the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is a distinctly musical one, borrowing quotations from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Requiem. Most of these quotes are diegetic, meaning that they are pieces being played by the characters on stage. However, Rimsky-Korsakov does not rely on these quotations solely in order to construct the tonal landscape of 18thcentury Vienna. Rather, he borrows heavily from the tonal language of Mozart’s time, incorporating the Classical idiom into the drama.

The use of this tonal language enhances the realism of the work.

We believe that we are in a room in 18th-century Vienna because of the sounds we hear.

The tonal language of the piece is particularly striking when one considers the musical traditions with which Rimsky-Korsakov was closely associated. Rimsky-Korsakov was part of a group of Russian composers known as “The Five,” comprising Modest Mussorgsky, César Cui, Alexander Borodin, Mily Balakirev, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

The main goal of their collective musical endeavors was to cultivate a distinctly Russian sound, building on a tradition inspired

by Glinka, and many of their works drew on Russian folk songs and musical styles. There are, however, no Russian folk melodies present in “Mozart and Salieri”. The piece does not appear to be striving to brand itself as distinctly Russian.

The most striking quality of “Mozart and Salieri” is its intimacy. For ninety minutes we are brought into the mind of an artist bent on destruction, not creation. In “Mozart and Salieri” Rimsky-Korsakov has constructed an intoxicating narrative of hate, envy, and artistic mediocrity. It is a pageant of rank desires and antipathies not to be missed.

Hannah McDermott is currently a Dramaturg Apprentice with American Lyric Theater. She received a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and holds a Master of Philosophy in musicology from the University of Oxford

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Composer Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) was one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition. His mature operas, including Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte, are among the finest examples of the art form. Mozart was born in Salzburg, the seventh and last child of composer and violinist Leopold; only he and his sister Maria Anna (‘Nannerl’) survived infancy. He and Nannerl were taught by their father and both displayed prodigious musical talent, which they displayed on tours to the European courts. Mozart’s earliest compositions date from age five or six, and his music seems first to have appeared in print in 1764. At age 13 he was appointed Konzertmeister at the Salzburg court, in recognition of his reputation as both composer and performer. Early operas include Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770) and Lucio Silla (1772), both written for Milan. For much of the 1770s he was settled in Salzburg, excursions including to Munich in 1774–5 for La finta giardiniera.

Idomeneo (1780), also composed for Munich, is now considered the first opera of his maturity; but it was Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782) for Vienna that secured his fame. His move to Vienna in 1781, where he taught, composed and performed, heralded his most successful years. Operatic works from this period include his three operas with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, Le nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787, for Prague) and Così fan tutte (1790); all were instantly acclaimed, although Così was later accused of immorality. In 1791 he wrote La clemenza di Tito to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Leopold II, and Die Zauberflöte for the Viennese popular theatre Theater auf der Wieden. His many other great late works include the clarinet concerto, the final two string quintets and the unfinished Requiem. Mozart excelled in every musical form current in his time, including sacred, chamber, symphonic, dance and operatic works. His early facility matured into an inspired synthesis of Italian and south German traditions.

Recognized as a great artist in his time, he is now considered perhaps the most consummate artist in Western music.

ANTONIO SALIERI Composer Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) was an Italian composer whose operas were acclaimed throughout Europe in the late 18th century. At the age of 16, Salieri was taken to Vienna by F.L. Gassmann, the imperial court composer and music director (Hofkapellmeister), and was introduced to Emperor Joseph II. During the same period, Salieri also fostered important friendships with both Pietro Metastasio and Christoph Gluck. Salieri’s first opera, Le donne letterate, was produced at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1770. Four years later, the emperor made him the court composer, and in 1788 he became Hofkapellmeister, a position Salieri held for 36 years. During his official career he composed operas not only for theatres in Austria but also for companies in France and Italy. From 1783 he was an influential supporter of – and frequent collaborator with – Lorenzo da Ponte, who also became Mozart’s most important librettist. His best-known work was the French opera Tarare (1787), translated by Da Ponte into Italian as Axur, re d’Ormus, which the Viennese public preferred to Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Salieri’s last opera was performed in 1804, and he then devoted himself to composing sacred music.

He was an important teacher as well; among his students were Beethoven, Franz Schubert, and Franz Liszt. Throughout his life

LEFT Illustration to Pushkin’s drama, “Mozart and Salieri”, by Mikhail Vrubel (1884).

Salieri remained friendly with Joseph Haydn and with Ludwig van Beethoven, to whom he had given lessons in counterpoint and who dedicated the Three Violin Sonatas, Op. 12 (1797) to him.

Salieri’s relationship with Mozart has been the subject of much speculation. There is, however, little evidence for Salieri’s supposed intrigues and damaging remarks against Mozart; indeed, Mozart himself commented in a letter on Salieri’s favorable reception of Die Zauberflöte. There is also no foundation for the belief that Salieri tried to poison Mozart – the legend that serves as the basis of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Mozart et Salieri (1898), itself based on the Pushkin short story of 1830. Salieri’s music slowly disappeared from the repertoire between 1800 and 1868 and was rarely heard after that period until the revival of his fame in the late 20th century. This revival was inspired, no doubt, by the dramatic and highly fictionalized depiction of Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus (1980; filmed 1984), based on the same Pushkin short story as the opera Mozart and Salieri.

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his exceptional orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synaesthesia. Born at Tikhvin, near Novgorod, into an aristocratic family, Rimsky-Korsakov showed musical ability from an early age, but studied at the Russian Imperial Naval College in Saint Petersburg and subsequently joined the Russian Navy. It was only when he met composer Mily Balakirev that he began to concentrate more seriously on music. Balakirev encouraged him to compose and taught him when he was not at sea. While in the Navy, Rimsky-Korsakov completed a symphony, the first such piece to be composed by a Russian. He also met composers César Cui, Aleksandr Borodin, and Modest Mussorgsky through Balakirev, who, together with Rimsky-Korsakov, banded together in 1860 and became known as ‘The Five’ in an attempt to create a truly national school of Russian music, free of the stifling influence of Italian opera, German lieder, and other western European forms.

Centered in St. Petersburg, the members of The Five are often considered to have been a rival faction to the more cosmopolitan, Moscow-centered composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, although Tchaikovsky often used actual folk songs in his music, and Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov emphasized traditional European training in their work. In 1871, despite being largely self-taught, Rimsky-Korsakov became professor of composition and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire. There he taught many composers who would later find fame, including Alexander Glazunov, Sergei Prokofiev and Igor Stravinsky. He continued to be a prolific composer, producing many orchestral 35

works, including the well-known Sheherazade and Capriccio espagnol. He also wrote fifteen operas, including The Immortal Koschei and The Tale of Tsar Saltan, the latter of which includes his most famous piece, The Flight of the Bumblebee. In 1905 RimskyKorsakov was fired from his professorship in Saint Petersburg owing to his expressing some political views the authorities disapproved of. This sparked a series of resignations by his fellow faculty members, and he was eventually reinstated. The political controversy continued with his opera Le Coq d’Or (The Golden Cockerel, 1907), which was an attack on Imperial Russia, and which was banned from performance following its premiere. Towards the end of his life, Rimsky-Korsakov suffered from angina. He died in Lyubensk in 1908, and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg.

ALEXANDER PUSHKIN Poet / Librettist Russia’s most famous poet, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was born into one of Russia’s most famous noble families. As a young man, Pushkin was immersed in French poetry and Russian Neoclassicism. His early output was generically diverse and included elegies, songs, and epistles. Pushkin’s first major verse narrative, the mock epic Ruslan i Liudmila (1820), was a fauxfairy tale based on medieval Russian history. Pushkin’s first major

success, the poem also generated controversy for its break with prevailing verse traditions. Soon after its publication, Pushkin was sent into exile in southern Russia for his outspoken political views.

During the first years of his exile (1820-1823), Pushkin traveled to the Caucasus and Crimea, writing lyrics and narrative poems that exhibited debts to his recent discovery, in French translation, of the works of Lord Byron. At the end 1823, Pushkin began work on his masterpiece, Evgeny Onegin (Eugene Onegin). Written over seven years, the poem was published in full in 1833. The poem is notable for its inventive and exuberant language and social critique. And while Pushkin played with autobiography, the verse novel turned out to be more autobiographical than even he knew: like Pushkin himself, Onegin dies in a duel. In 1831, Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova. Her beauty and favor at court led to many problems for Pushkin: Nicholas himself was infatuated with her, as was the French royalist George D’Anthès-Heeckeren who openly pursued Natalia for years. Pushkin eventually challenged D’Anthès to a duel, which he lost. He died on January 29, two days after being mortally wounded. While the court sympathized with D’Anthès, the Russian public mourned Pushkin. Fearing unrest, the government held Pushkin’s funeral in a small church, admitting mourners by ticket only. He was buried at dawn next to his mother at Svyatye Gory Monastery. Pushkin’s many narrative poems, epics, and lyrics are mainstays of the Russian literary tradition and widely memorized.

His works have inspired countless song cycles, operas, ballets, and other artistic interpretations.

HOUSING HEROES Our housing hosts are truly housing heroes! Host housing enables Opera Saratoga to bring together almost a hundred artists and technicians in Saratoga Springs each summer to make the annual Summer Festival possible. Housing hosts make personal connections with our young artists and other members of the company; gain a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective; and support Opera Saratoga in a deeply meaningful way.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2019 HOUSING HOSTS Phyllis Aldrich Renee Farley Ellen Riley Ellen & Brad Beal Alvin & Gay Gamage Ken & Susi Ritzenberg Barbara Bock Barbara Glaser Dexter & Deborah Senft Susan Bokan Suzanne Jagoda Cindy Spence Gordon & Sharon Boyd Marcia MacDonald Martha Strohl Robert & Ann Bullock Ben & Jenny Mirling Deborah Studwell Bill & Helen Crawshaw Dianne O’Neill Joanne Yepsen Joy Emery Maureen Parker ADDITIONAL THANKS TO OUR 2019 HOUSING COMMITTEE: Steve Rosenblum (Chair), Jonathan Blalock, Desiree Farley, Patty Finnerty, Susi Ritzenberg, Amanda Robie and Cindy Spence WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE HOUSING HEROES! Hosts provide non-smoking housing that is within a twenty minute drive of downtown Saratoga Springs. Pet-free housing is preferred, but we may be able to place an artist or technician in a house with pets provided we know in advance what pets are present to avoid any allergy issues. Hosts must be able to provide a private bedroom for each guest, access to a bathroom that is not the primary bathroom for the rest of the family, and access to kitchen and laundry facilities. WiFi must also be available. Opera Saratoga Company Members are responsible for their own food, telephone expense, and transportation.

Housing Hosts receive a number of special benefits! For more information about becoming a Housing Host for the 2020 Summer Festival, please contact Amanda Robie at arobie@operasaratoga.org or 518.584.6018.

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Ben & Jenny Mirling Dianne O’Neill Maureen Parker Ken & Susi Ritzenberg Dexter & Deborah Senft Cindy Spence Martha Strohl Deborah Studwell Joanne Yepsen

PRINCIPAL ARTIST PROFILES

SANTIAGO BALLERINI Tonio (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by D. Thomas and Theresa Treadway Lloyd

ANNY DEGANGE The Dutchess of Krakenthorp (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

KEELY FUTTERER Marie (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as Studio Artist Sponsored by Dr. Denise F. Polit and Alan Janosy

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Argentinian tenor Santiago Ballerini is recognized as one of the leading tenors in the Bel Canto repertoire, having appeared at many of the major opera houses in North and South America.

Most recently, the tenor made his debut at the Teatro Regio di Torino as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, a role which he will sing later this season for his debut with Opéra de Toulon. This past season, Ballerini made his European debut as Gualtiero in Il pirata at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, after which he appeared for the first time in Bilbao as Ernesto in Don Pasquale and debuted as Tonio at the Atlanta Opera. He also returned to the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri, and appeared at the Teatro Nuovo’s inaugural festival at SUNY Purchase’s Performing Arts Center as Argiro in Tancredi. In the 2016/17 season, Ballerini sang the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Don Ramiro in La cenerentola at the Teatro Argentino, and Ernesto in Don Pasquale at Atlanta Opera. He also covered the roles of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera. In July of 2017, Ballerini returned to the Caramoor Festival to sing Gualtiero in Bellini’s Il pirata. In the 2015/16 season, he made his acclaimed American debut at the Caramoor Festival as Fernand in La Favorite and sang the role of Tybalt in The Atlanta Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette. In January of 2016, Ballerini was awarded the Grand Prize at the Laguna Magica International Vocal Competition in Chile, receiving invitations to sing Cassio in Otello with the Teatro Argentino and to sing with the Tenerife Opera. He was a semifinalist in the Francisco Viñas Competition at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Argentine Finalist at the Neue Stimmen Competition in Dresden, Germany. He also won First Prize at the Festivales Musicales Competition, American Society Competition and San Juan Opera Competition. In 2014, Ballerini was named Argentina’s “Upcoming Opera Singer” by the Congress of Argentina and the Argentine Association of Critics. He was also a featured soloist for the “50th MET Anniversary Gala”, receiving a scholarship to study with Sherrill Milnes. Before starting his professional singing career, Ballerini was a pianist for nine years and studied Music Therapy at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, specializing in addiction treatment.

Anny DeGange began her career as a dancer with The Martha Graham Dance Company. She was an original cast member of many Broadway shows including Evita and Les Misérables. In regional theaters she was seen as Maria in West Side Story, Lily in Carnival, Marsinah in Kismet and other soprano roles. She sang with the New York City Opera, Cleveland Opera (Hansel and Gretel) and in Italy did concert versions of operas, including Gilda in Rigoletto and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. She appeared opposite international ballerina Carla Fracci, in More About Orfeo for the Festivale Maggio Musicale. At the New York State Theater Institute she performed leading roles in 1776, Reunion, 12 Angry Jurors, Anastasia, The Diary of Anne Frank and Romeo and Juliet, as well as choreographing and directing. She is a founding member of itheaterSaratoga, a professional theater company in Saratoga Springs, where she has appeared in many diverse roles, including Maria Callas in Master Class. She teaches and choreographs for the company, coaches privately, and is a staff member for the School of the Arts at The National Museum of Dance. Anny appears with Opera Saratoga courtesy of Actors Equity Association.

Keely Futterer has been praised by Opera News as a “high-quality lyric soprano with a keen verbal nuance,” and has been recently seen in performances in China, Italy and the United States. Career highlights include Elle in La Voix Humaine, the title role of Suor Angelica, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, and Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. On the concert stage, Ms. Futterer has performed Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, has covered Renée Fleming in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ Letters from Georgia, and has performed as the soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Mozart’s Requiem. Ms. Futterer, a frequent performer of contemporary opera, has performed Isabella Beecher in Victoria Bond’s Mrs. President with Rochester Lyric Opera, the role of Sara Turing in the workshop of The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing with American Lyric Theater, and the role of The Witch Mother in the American premiere of Glass’s The Witches of Venice with Opera Saratoga. Ms. Futterer has recently found success in the Opera Birmingham Competition, the Rochester Classical Idol, and the Shreveport Opera Competition, in addition to taking third place at the International Vocal Competition in Bologna, Italy. In the 2019-2020 season, Ms. Futterer will be joining Tulsa Opera and making her debut as Violetta in La traviata with Opera in the Rock.

KEITH PHARES The Poet / Dr. Ludwig Binswanger (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut 2016 (Count in Le nozze di Figaro) Sponsored by Robert C. and Marcia Miller

ALEX SOARE Sulpice (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2014 as Apprentice Artist Sponsored by John and Thalia Zizzo

JENNIFER ZETLAN Ellen West (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Ann and Bob Bullock

Opera News has hailed Keith Phares as “an authentic contemporary-American-opera divo” with “an impressive gallery of finely-drawn character portraits”. His engagements this season have included Edward Kynaston in Carlisle Floyd’s latest opera, Prince of Players with Florentine Opera (recorded for Naxos records), Sam in Trouble in Tahiti with Lexington Philharmonic, and recitals with Illuminarts: Jewel Box: A celebration of queer diversity, Lyric Fest: Carol of Words: Walt Whitman in Song, and WordSong:Tyger Circus. His upcoming engagements include Elder Tull in Craig Bohmler’s Riders of the Purple Sage with Arizona Opera, which he sang in its 2017 premiere, and Thomas Nangle in Ours with Opera on the Avalon at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Phares sang Charlie in the premiere and recording of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers opposite Frederica von Stade with Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera, the Father in the premiere and recording of Gregory Spears’ Paul’s Case with UrbanArias and PROTOTYPE, George Hurstwood in the premiere and recording of Robert Aldridge’s Sister Carrie, and the title role in the premiere and live, Grammy-winning recording of Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry. In a wide range of repertoire from Mozart through today’s composers, he has appeared in leading roles with Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, New Orleans Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and elsewhere. This fall, he is proud to join the voice faculty of Bowling Green State University.

Romanian-American bass-baritone Alex Soare, praised as a “stand out” (Opera News) and “magnificent” (Talk in Broadway), was recently a Finalist at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona, and received the Third Place Prize at the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. In the 2018-2019 season Alex made his international debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong, performed Mustafà in L’Italiana in Algeri with Winter Opera St. Louis, Peter in Hansel and Gretel with Brava! Opera Theater, John and the Farmhand in the world premiere of Strokes of Genius: The Grant Wood Operas with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, and Colline in La bohème with Finger Lakes Opera. As a recent member of the Florida Grand Opera Studio, he performed the roles of Zuniga in Carmen, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Tom in Un ballo in maschera, Don Basilo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and First SS Officer in The Passenger. While at FGO, he also covered the roles of Victor in Before Night Falls and the title role in Don Pasquale. Recently, Alex has worked with Des Moines Metro Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera North, and Aspen Music Festival. An alumnus of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program, Alex has received awards from The Metropolitan Opera National Council, The Bel Canto Foundation, The Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition, The National Society of Arts and Letters, and the Romanian National Song Competition. Alex studied at the Universitatea Transilvania in Brasov, Romania, Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and Northwestern University Soprano Jennifer Zetlan is internationally recognized for her artistry and captivating stage presence. She has been seen and heard on opera and concert stages worldwide, in recital, and on Broadway. This season, Ms. Zetlan was seen as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Delaware premiere of Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg (Opera Delaware). Known for her passion for contemporary music, Ms. Zetlan has been featured in the premieres of numerous American operas, including Nico Muhly’s Two Boys (The Metropolitan Opera) and Dark Sisters (Opera Company of Philadelphia and Gotham Chamber Opera), John Musto’s Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt (On Site Opera), Steven Stucky and Jeremy Denk’s The Classical Style (Carnegie Hall and the Ojai Festival), Daron Hagen’s Amelia (Seattle Opera), Ned Rorem’s Our Town (Aspen Music Festival, Juilliard Opera Center), Matt Aucoin’s Crossing (American Repertory Theatre), Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star (Cincinnati Opera and On Site Opera), Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre (Center for Contemporary Opera), and selections from David Diamond’s The Noblest Game (Seattle Symphony). Other notable contemporary works she has performed include Kaija Saariaho’s The Tempest Songbook (Gotham Chamber Opera), György Ligeti’s Requiem (American Symphony Orchestra), Osvaldo Golijov’s 3 Songs for Soprano (Lexington Philharmonic), David Hertzberg’s Nympharum, (Juilliard Orchestra) and Richard Ayres’ In The Alps (Alarm Will Sound). Ms. Zetlan has been seen in HD with the Metropolitan Opera as Xenia (Boris Godunov), and has also been seen at the Metropolitan Opera in War and Peace, Le nozze di Figaro, and Macbeth. Ms. Zetlan recently released the album Your Clear Eye (with label Bright Shiny Things) with Ricky Ian Gordon.

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CONDUCTOR AND MUSIC STAFF PROFILES

ANDREW BISANTZ Conductor (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2016 (Le nozze di Figaro) Sponsored by Ted and Carol Newlin

BÉNÉDICTE JOURDOIS Repetiteur and French Coach (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 (Zémire et Azor)

GEOFFREY MCDONALD Conductor (Hansel and Gretel) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Cindy Spence

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Conductor Andrew Bisantz has received rave reviews from Opera News, The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Boston Globe; three of his recent productions have been counted among the top 10 musical events of the season in their respective cities. He made his Opera Saratoga debut in 2016 with Le nozze di Figaro. This season he made his debut with Opera Tampa conducting Verdi’s Macbeth and returned to the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Opera. As Artistic Director and Conductor of Eugene Opera, Maestro Bisantz has played a major role in the emergence of the company as one of the most noted performing arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Since 2008, he has led 18 productions for Eugene, including this season’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and María de Buenos Aires. Maestro Bisantz has conducted more than 50 productions for companies throughout the U.S., including The Turn of the Screw, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Greek for Boston Lyric Opera, Carmen, Manon Lescaut, La bohème, La cenerentola, Pagliacci and Suor Angelica, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Die Zauberflöte, and The Consul for Florida Grand Opera, Patience and Le portrait de Manon for Glimmerglass Opera, and La traviata and La fanciulla del West for Virginia Opera. Actively involved in the development of new work, he recently conducted Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the premiere of Garfein’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He has appeared with the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonics, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, and the Virginia Symphony. His recording of Fredrick Kaufman’s Stars and Distances and Seven Sisters is available on Navona Records, and through Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

A graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera, Bénédicte Jourdois is currently on faculty at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music and a guest coach at Washington National Opera’s Domingo Cafritz Young Artist Program. Ms. Jourdois has been on music staff at the Chautauqua Institution Voice Program since 2007; she regularly plays and coaches for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions district, regional, semi-final, and final rounds, and joined the competition as a judge on the district level in 2017. Ms. Jourdois has performed in numerous venues in Europe and in the United States, including Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, and has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, the Castleton Festival, and Spoleto Festival USA. She was a faculty member at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2016. Born in Paris, Ms. Jourdois holds degrees from the Conservatoire National de Region de Saint-Maur, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, Mannes College, and the Juilliard School.

Geoffrey McDonald is a vibrant and versatile conductor at the forefront of an evolving American opera scene. He has recently made numerous company conducting debuts, with productions at Opera Philadelphia, Wolf Trap Opera, Curtis Opera Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Opera Omaha, Chicago Opera Theater, Toledo Opera, and the Caramoor Festival. As Music Director of New York City’s On Site Opera, he continues to marshal performances of the highest musical standard while adapting to immersive and logistically challenging settings. Current and upcoming seasons mark debuts with Minnesota Opera and Mannes Opera, as well as returns to Opera Philadelphia, Wolf Trap, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and On Site Opera productions at the Met Museum and the Caramoor Festival. Highlights from past seasons include appearances as guest conductor with Gotham Chamber Opera, American Symphony Orchestra, the Bard Festival Players, and collaborations with director R.B. Schlather, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the historical instrument ensemble Grand Harmonie. In the spring of 2017, McDonald made his German theater debut with Theater und Orchester Neubrandenburg/Neustrelitz, and led the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra in Prague. In addition to his active freelance career, he has already established an impressive record as an engaging conductor-educator, serving as Music Director of the Longy Conservatory Orchestra in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Bard College Orchestra; the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra; and the Columbia University Bach Society.

McDonald earned his Masters in orchestral conducting at Mannes College of Music, and his Bachelors degree from Princeton University in musicology. He studied piano, cello, and voice, and is a sought-after vocal coach, working with accomplished singers who appear on the world’s top stages.

DJORDJE STEVAN NESIC Repetiteur (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 (The Long Walk) Sponsored by Michael & Donna Vild

LAURIE ROGERS Director of Young Artist Programs and Head of Music Staff Opera Saratoga Debut 2011 Sponsored by Martha Strohl

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA Conductor (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut 2016 (Zémire et Azor) Sponsored by George and Christine Hearst

Djordje Stevan Nesic’s pianism has been described as artful, assertive, sensitive and quietly virtuosic, and his career highlighted by recital, concerto, chamber, and collaborative performances, both in the US and internationally. Current engagements include a recital of Brazilian and Serbian music in Brasilia, Brazil, marking the 80th anniversary of the Serbia-Brazil diplomatic relations, festival appearances at Opera Saratoga, Berkshire Opera Festival, and Great Waters Music Festival in NH, several appearances with Audra McDonald, and two summer concerts in Belgrade, Serbia. Recently, he was heard performing as the piano collaborator for the annual Joyce DiDonato Carnegie Hall masterclasses, the annual recital for the George London Foundation, and the Lincoln Center Great Performers Circle with mezzo Isabel Leonard, a teaching residency in Zagreb, Croatia, a gala concert for the 84th anniversary of Belgrade’s Kolarac Hall, and recitals for the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Other recent activity includes appearances at Le Poisson Rouge, The Morgan Library, Opera Saratoga, Asolo Theater in Sarasota, the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, the Opera America Conference in San Francisco, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and a live performance on “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor. Djordje recorded seven newly commissioned art songs for the Opera America Songbook CD, performed at Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel halls, Ravinia Festival’s Rising Star Series, and participated in the Midwest-Emmy winning PBS broadcast of “This Little Light of Mine”, also issued on DVD. Other venues include Lincoln Center, the United Nations General Assembly Hall, the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia, and FUJI TV in Japan. He has been a fellow and a guest performer at the Aspen Music Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Greenwich Music Festival, and the Phoenicia Festival of The Voice. As of September 2016, he enjoys his new position as full time Special Faculty for Vocal Coaching and Accompanying at the College of Fine Arts of Carnegie Mellon University.

Laurie Rogers has been Director of Young Artist Programs and Head of Music Staff for Opera Saratoga since 2011, and currently also holds the positions of Music Director of Opera and Principal Vocal Coach at the University of Alabama. She has served as Associate Conductor with LA Opera, and prepared productions for San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Minnesota Opera, American Lyric Theater, Wolf Trap Opera, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, and Washington National Opera, among many others, and served as assistant conductor and in artistic administration for the Opera Company of Philadelphia for thirteen seasons. Recently she conducted Die Fledermaus at the University of Alabama, Little Women at Simpson College, Trouble in Tahiti at Carnegie Mellon University, and Lucrezia Borgia and Le nozze di Figaro at the University of Delaware. This fall she will conduct Menotti’s The Consul for Baltimore Concert Opera. She has been integrally involved in the creation of numerous world premieres, including Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, Ricky Ian Gordon’s A Coffin in Egypt, Richard Danielpour’s Margaret Garner, Dominick Argento’s Dream of Valentino, David Carlson’s Midnight Angel and Dreamkeepers, and David DiChiera’s Cyrano.

Ms. Rogers gives master classes throughout the country, judges for the Met National Council Auditions, and has been published in “Classical Singer” magazine. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music and Tufts University.

Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Russian masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. As Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, she is the only woman to hold that title at a multimillion-dollar opera company in the United States. In the 2019/20 season, she leads the Chicago premieres of Aleko, Everest, and Soldier Songs, as well as the world premiere of Freedom Ride at COT. She makes her Arizona Opera debut conducting Shining Brow, and her Minnesota Opera debut with the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Edward Tulane. Ms. Yankovskaya is Founder and Artistic Director of the Refugee Orchestra Project, which proclaims the cultural and societal relevance of refugees through music, and recently united the classical music traditions of India and the West at the United Nations. She has served as Artistic Director of the Boston New Music Festival and Juventas New Music Ensemble, where she led operatic experiments with puppetry, circus acts, and robotic instruments, as well as premieres by more than two dozen composers. As Music Director of Harvard’s Lowell House Opera, she conducted sold-out performances of repertoire rarely heard in Boston, including Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the U.S. Russian-language premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden. Ms. Yankovskaya has been a featured speaker at the League of American Orchestras and Opera America conferences, and served as U.S. Representative to the 2018 World Opera Forum in Madrid. An alumna of the Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors and Marin Alsop’s Taki Concordia Fellowship, she received a 2018 Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award.

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PRODUCTION PROFILES

CAMERON ANDERSON Scenic Designer (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 (The Merry Widow, Vinkensport, Rocking Horse Winner, and The Consul)

LAWRENCE EDELSON Artistic and General Director; Director and Choreographer (La Fille du Régiment) Opera Saratoga Debut 2013 (H.M.S. Pinafore) Sponsored by Robert C. and Marcia Miller

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Cameron Anderson is an internationally-acclaimed scenic designer and has designed extensively at the world’s leading theater and opera companies. Last season she designed the entire season at Opera Saratoga. Other recent designs include Byhalia Mississippi which is currently running at the Kennedy Center, The Niceties (Manhattan Theater Club, Huntington Theatre Company, McCarter Theater, Geffen Theater), West Side Story for Norway’s Kilden Performing Arts Center and for The Vancouver Opera, and Simon Boccanegra for Argentina’s Teatro Colón. Additional opera credits include The Glimmerglass Festival, The Seattle Opera, The San Francisco Opera, Central City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, OnSite Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera.

Selected Off-Broadway credits include: Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, New Georges, LAByrinth Theater Company, Naked Angels, Ars Nova, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Les Freres Corbusier. Regional credits include: Trinity Rep, Two River Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, and Shakespeare & Company. Upcoming projects include Yerma and Sweat (The Huntington Theatre Company), and Emmeline (Opera Tulsa).

The 2019 Summer Festival at Opera Saratoga is the fifth season under Lawrence Edelson’s leadership as Artistic and General Director. As a stage director, Lawrence’s diverse productions have included the American premiere of Telemann’s Orpheus for Wolf Trap Opera, Philip Glass’s Hydrogen Jukebox for Fort Worth Opera, Werther for Florida Grand Opera, La traviata for The Minnesota Opera, Little Women for Michigan Opera Theatre, Il barbiere di Siviglia for Hawaii Opera Theater, Carmen for Toledo Opera, The Consul, Il Postino and The Cradle Will Rock for Opera Saratoga, and the New York premiere of Fauré’s rarely produced Pénélope for Manhattan School of Music. He was a guest member on the directing staff of New York City Opera, where he restaged Little Women twice: for the work’s Lincoln Center premiere and for the company’s tour to Japan. From 2008 to 2012, Lawrence was also a faculty member at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, where he led seminars on American opera, and directed original productions of Little Women, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Werther, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Eugene Onegin. Before focusing on directing and arts administration, Lawrence enjoyed a performing career in both ballet and opera. He studied voice and musicology at The University of Ottawa and dance at The Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. As a dancer, he performed with Boston Ballet, Ballet West, and BalletMet Columbus; has choreographed for ballet and opera companies across the United States; and has sung in opera, oratorio and musical theater internationally. Lawrence completed his master’s degree in performing arts administration at New York University. In the opera field, Lawrence is perhaps best known as the founder of American Lyric Theater (ALT). As Producing Artistic Director at ALT, a position he continues to hold concurrent with his position at Opera Saratoga, he coordinates the company’s diverse artistic programs including The Composer Librettist Development Program, commissioning of new works, and co-production relationships. Notable projects at ALT include the development of The Long Walk (Beck/Fleischmann), which premiered at Opera Saratoga in 2015; and JFK (Little/Vavrek), which premiered at Fort Worth Opera in 2016, and Why is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me?, which premiered at Urban Arias in 2018. Lawrence has served on the Strategy Committee for OPERA America, and was one of only seven General Directors from American opera companies to be invited to speak at the first World Opera Forum in Madrid. In Saratoga Springs, Lawrence also works closely with Elizabeth Sobol at SPAC as Creative Producer for Classical and Dance, helping to curate the annual residencies of New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

JOSH EPSTEIN Lighting Designer (La Fille du Régiment, Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut 2016 (Le nozze di Figaro, Il Postino, The Witches of Venice)

EMMA GRIFFIN

Director (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Martha Strohl

LAURA JELLINEK

Josh Epstein is thrilled to return to Opera Saratoga after designing the lighting for Le nozze di Figaro, Il Postino and The Witches of Venice. Other opera work includes productions at Minnesota Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Wolf Trap Opera, Berkshire Opera and the Manhattan School of Music. Josh has designed lighting at many of the top regional theaters in the country, including The Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Trinity Repertory, Long Wharf Theatre, Alliance, South Coast Repertory, Geva Theatre, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Playmakers Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse and Paper Mill Playhouse. In addition, Josh is also an ensemble member of the IAMA Theatre Company in LA and is on faculty at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Josh is an LA Ovation Award Winner, a Washington DC Helen Hayes Nominee and a Knight of Illumination Shortlisted Designer. He was a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and currently serves on the O’Neill Playwrights Conference Artistic Council. Josh received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters.

Emma Griffin is a theater and opera director based in New York City; she is also the Managing Artistic Director of The Mannes Opera at the New School. Hailed by the New York Times for her “deeply resonant”, “intelligent”, and “darkly enchanting” staging and with a diverse background in theater, musical theater and opera, Griffin’s productions have been seen in performance venues all over the country. She is a frequent collaborator on new music/theater pieces; projects include Phil Kline’s Out Cold & Zippo Songs at BAM’s Next Wave Festival, Corey Dargel’s Removable Parts (winner of “Outstanding Performance Art Production” at NY Innovative Theater Awards) and Susan Bernfield and Rachel Peters’ Stretch, a fantasia. Opera highlights include La Fanciulla del West at Opera Colorado; the world premiere of Charpentier’s La Feste de Ruel with Catacoustic Consort; La bohème at Crested Butte Music Festival; Three Decembers at Atlanta Opera; Don Giovanni at Boston Lyric Opera; The Cunning Little Vixen and Don Giovanni at Juilliard Opera; and Wozzeck at Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theater. She was the Artistic Director of the OBIE-award winning Salt Theater, based in NYC; highlights with Salt include Stage Door (FringeNYC Excellence Award as Best Director), The Cherry Orchard, Scenes from a Marriage and Conquest of the Universe. She has theater credits at many regional theaters including Perseverance Theater, Geva Theater Center, Syracuse Stage, Southern Rep, Actor’s Express, Virginia Stage, and Williamstown Theater Festival. Prior to her 2018 appointment to Mannes Opera, she was on the faculty at CCM as the Professor of Opera Stage Direction.

Laura Jellinek is a theater and opera designer based in Brooklyn. Her collaborations with Emma Griffin include Don Giovanni, The Cunning Little Vixen, Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Juilliard); Don Giovanni (Boston Lyric Opera); The Cunning Little Vixen, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Curtis Opera); and Three Decembers (Atlanta Opera). Other recent opera designs include La traviata, Madame Butterfly (Opera Theater of St. Louis); A Quiet Place, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Owen Wingrave (Opera Philadelphia); and Orlando Paladino (Manhattan School of Music).

On Broadway she has designed Oklahoma! and Marvin’s Room. She has worked extensively off-Broadway, with recent projects including Mary Page Marlowe (2ST); Mary Jane (New York Theater Workshop); Rags Parkland… (Ars Nova); Queens, The Wolves (Lincoln Center); A Life, The Treasurer, Marjorie Prime (Playwrights Horizons); The Antipodes, Everybody (Signature Theater); Sea Wall/ A Life (Public Theater). She is the recipient of the Lortel, Henry Hewes, and OBIE awards, and holds an MFA in design from NYU.

Scenic Designer (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

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PRODUCTION PROFILES

With over 20 years in the beauty industry, Sondra excels in all mediums of makeup artistry, and is a member of NY 798 Film Union working on feature films with such celebrities as Quentin Tarantino, Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, Tom Sizemore and Danny Trejo. Her work has been featured in such national magazines as The New Yorker, Opera News, and Mojo, along with a 10 page editorial fashion spread in GQ Magazine. She also toured with Paul McCartney on his “Driving the World” tour, and recently finished the US leg of the “Speak Now World Tour” where she was responsible for Taylor Swift’s makeup for each show-related press and media event.

Sondra is based in Nashville, where she has been resident Wig & Makeup Designer for Nashville Opera since 2001. Her work has been seen at over 25 opera companies throughout the United States and Canada, including Michigan Opera Theatre, Florentine Opera and Opera Ontario.

SONDRA NOTTINGHAM

Wigs and Makeup Designer (La Fille du Régiment, Ellen West) Lake George Opera Debut 2000

KAYE VOYCE Costume Designer (Ellen West) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

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Broadway: True West, The Nap, Significant Other, The Real Thing, The Realistic Joneses, and Shining City. Recent Off-Broadway includes: Mary’s Seacole (LCT3), Hurricane Diane (NYTW), Dying City and Mary Page Marlowe (Second Stage), Harry Clarke and This Day Forward (Vineyard), At Home at the Zoo, The Antipodes, Signature Plays and The Wayside Motor Inn (Signature Theatre), Sea Wall/A Life, Hamlet and Measure for Measure (Public Theatre), The Mystery of Love and Sex, 400 Miles (LCT). Recent opera includes Faust (Opera Omaha), Demon and The Wreckers (Bard Summerscape), the world premiere of The Summer King (Pittsburgh Opera) and Il Turco in Italia (Festival d’Aix en Provence, Teatro Regio Torino, Tear Wielki Warsaw).

Upcoming projects include Coriolanus (Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park) and La Fanciulla del West (National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing).

YOUNG ARTIST PROFILES

SYDNEY ANDERSON

JUSTIN AUSTIN

ZACHARY BARBA

BRANDON BELL

Soprano Ellen West cover in Ellen West; Dew Fairy in Hänsel und Gretel Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as Studio Artist

Baritone Poet/Dr. Binswanger cover in Ellen West; Father in Hänsel und Gretel Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Tenor Peasant and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment; Mozart in Mozart and Salieri Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 as Studio Artist

Bass Baritone Corporal and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BM and MM, Manhattan School of Music BM/BME, University of Hartford MM, University of Houston RECENT: Elettra (Idomeneo), Opera NEO; La madre (San Giovanni Battista), Ars Lyrica Houston; Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra; Manon (Manon), Moores Opera Center. UPCOMING: Soloist (Master Class), Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Sponsored by Judy and Jeff Killeen

BM and MM, Baylor University RECENT: Bello (La fanciulla del West), Bayerische Staatsoper; Cal (Regina) and Paralyal Kaul (Shalimar the Clown), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Jake (Porgy and Bess), Glimmerglass Festival and Grand Théâtre de Genève. UPCOMING: Bello (La fanciulla del West), Munich Opera Festival; George (Intimate Apparel), Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theatre; Jim cover (Porgy and Bess), Metropolitan Opera.

RECENT: House Quartet Tenor (Rocking Horse Winner), Opera Saratoga; Pilade (Oreste), Belfiore (La finta giardiniera), Baylor University; Alidoro (L’Orontea), Haymarket Summer Music Festival; Albert Herring (Albert Herring), Spotlight on Opera.

Sponsored by Christine Rowe-Button and Tom Kershner

BM, University of Cincinnati (CCM) MM, University of Tennessee - Knoxville PGD, San Francisco Conservatory of Music RECENT: Colline (La bohème), West Bay Opera; Judge 3 (Candide), Chautauqua Opera; L’imperial Commissario (Madama Butterfly), Wolf Trap Opera; Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia), San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Nick Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Janiec Opera Company. UPCOMING: Terry (Breaking the Waves), West Edge Opera; Dr. Grenvil (La traviata), British Major (Silent Night) and Fiorello (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Utah Opera.

Sponsored by John and Thalia Zizzo Sponsored by Allen and Judy Brick Freedman

NAOMI BRIGELL

CIERRA BYRD

MAIRE THERESE CARMACK

JOOWON CHAE

Mezzo Soprano Hänsel cover in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Mezzo Soprano Gingerbread Witch in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Mezzo Soprano Marquise cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Soprano Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BM, Boston University MM, University of Houston

BM, The Ohio State University MM Candidate, Peabody Institute

BA, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs MM, Eastman School of Music

BM, Seoul National University MM, Temple University PDPL, Mannes School of Music

RECENT: Third Wood Sprite (Rusalka), Des Moines Metro Opera; Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) and Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), Opera Naples; Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Opera in the Heights; Third Lady/Papagena (The Magic Flute), OPERA Iowa.

RECENT: La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), Peabody Opera Theatre.

RECENT: Empress Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Eastman Opera Theatre; Maddalena (Rigoletto) and La Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), Si parla, si canta; Flora cover (La traviata) and Orlofsky study cover (Die Fledermaus), Palm Beach Opera. UPCOMING: Mother/Witch cover (Hänsel und Gretel), Olga study cover (Eugene Onegin), Filipyevna cover (Eugene Onegin), and Berta cover (The Barber of Seville), Palm Beach Opera.

RECENT: Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Opera Naples; Giunia (Lucio Silla), Temple University.

Sponsored by D. Thomas and Theresa Treadway Lloyd

Sponsored by Martha Strohl

Sponsored by Ken and Susi Ritzenberg

Sponsored by Barbara Glaser

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YOUNG ARTIST PROFILES

ANNIE CHESTER

BRANDON M. ELDREDGE

MICHAEL FLORIANO

CALEB GLICKMAN

Mezzo Soprano Mother in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Conducting Fellow Conductor for Mozart and Salieri; Assistant Conductor for Hänsel und Gretel Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 as Conducting Fellow and Assistant Conductor (The Consul, The Merry Widow)

Baritone Hortensius cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Conducting Fellow Assistant Conductor for Ellen West Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BM, Indiana University MM, Indiana University RECENT: Dritte dame (Die Zauberflöte), Antonia (Tiefland) and Madrigal Singer (Manon Lescaut), Sarasota Opera; Ruggiero (Alcina), Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival; Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Indiana University Opera. UPCOMING: Giovanna (Rigoletto), Sarasota Opera.

Sponsored by Martha Strohl

BM, The College of New Jersey MM, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign RECENT: Repetiteur (Murasaki’s Moon), On Site Opera/The Metropolitan Museum of Art/American Lyric Theater; Repetiteur (Rigoletto), Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera; Repetiteur (Tosca), Opera Southwest; Music Director (Pinocchio), Opera Saratoga Opera-toGo. UPCOMING: Assistant Conductor/ Chorus Master (Tosca, Il Postino, La cenerentola, Aida), Virginia Opera.

BM, Oberlin Conservatory MM, University of Michigan RECENT: Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Stony Brook University; Oliver Jordan (Dinner at Eight) and Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), University of Michigan; Soloist (Encore! A Musical Review), Central City Opera.

Sponsored by Jeanne Tartaglia

BFA, Carnegie Mellon University MM Candidate, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music RECENT: Assistant Conductor, CMU All University Orchestra; Music Director (Il Maestro di Cappella), CMU School of Music; Music Director (Judas Maccabeus), Rodef Shalom Synagogue; Music Director (PETROV), Compos-It Opera: UPCOMING: Assistant Conductor (Partenope), CCM Studio Opera.

Sponsored by Peter Haley and Michael Murphy

Sponsored by Rosemarie V. Rosen

JONATHAN Z. HARRIS Bass Baritone Salieri cover in Mozart and Salieri; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut 2014 as Apprentice Artist

JUAN HERNÁNDEZ Tenor Peasant cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

CELESTE MARIE JOHNSON

PENELOPE KENDROS

Pianist / Coach Festival Artist Coach for La Fille du Régiment, Ellen West, Hänsel und Gretel, and Mozart and Salieri Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Soprano Dew Fairy and Sandman cover in Hänsel und Gretel; and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BM, Baylor University MM, Peabody Conservatory DMA Candidate, Boston University

BM, The University of Iowa MM Candidate, The Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna

RECENT: Repetiteur (The Cunning Little Vixen, La traviata, and Pelléas et Mélisande), Boston University Opera Institute.

RECENT: La Fée (Cendrillon), MUK Theater; Despina (Così fan tutte), Trentino Music Festival; Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Teatro Barocco.

Sponsored by Phyllis Aldrich

Sponsored by Patrick DiCerbo

Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico BA, Brown University MM & DMA, University of Michigan RECENT: Leporello (Don Giovanni), dell’Arte Opera Ensemble; Papageno (The Magic Flute), Opera Company of Middlebury; Pistola (Falstaff), Chautauqua Opera; Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), University of Michigan; Simone (Gianni Schicchi), Opera Maine/PORTopera.

UPCOMING: King Marcellus (Princess Maleine – World Premiere), dell’Arte Opera Ensemble.

Sponsored by Betsye Mowry

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RECENT: Corentin (Le Pardon du Plöernel), Amore Opera; Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Accademia Lirica Internazionale Umberto Giordano; Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro) and Gastone (La traviata), Festival Internazionale “Il Ponte”; L’arithmétique (L’enfant et les sortilèges), IMAO. Sponsored by Ellen Jabbur

NICHOLAS MARTORANO

NATE MATTINGLY

RACHEL MIKOL

ZACKERY MORRIS

Baritone Hortensius and Corporal cover in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 in Opera-toGo Tour

Bass Baritone Salieri in Mozart and Salieri; Sulpice cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 as Apprentice Artist

Soprano Sandman in Hänsel und Gretel; Marie cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 as Studio Artist

Tenor Peasant and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment; Mozart cover in Mozart and Salieri Opera Saratoga Debut 2018 as Studio Artist

BFA, Carnegie Mellon University MM, University of Southern California

BA and MM, University of North Texas AD, Boston Conservatory

BA, Wingate University MM and DMA, University of Kentucky

RECENT: Marullo (Rigoletto), Berkshire Opera Festival; Dino (Pooch), Seagle Music Colony; Apollo (The Cows of Apollo), Aspen Opera Center; Publio (La clemenza di Tito), University of Southern California; Big Bad Wolf (The Ugly Duckling), Opera Saratoga Opera-to-Go. UPCOMING: Opera on the James (Tyler Young Artist).

RECENT: Chorus (Götterdämmerung), Metropolitan Opera; Secret Police Agent (The Consul), Opera Saratoga; Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Opera on the James; Judge Dodsworth (Voir Dire – World Premiere), Fort Worth Opera.

BM, Ithaca College MM, Indiana University PD, Indiana University

Sponsored by Dr. Denise F. Polit and Alan Janosy

Sponsored by Cindy Spence

MICHAEL PECAK Conducting Fellow Assistant Conductor for La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season BM, Northwestern University MM, Indiana University DMA, McGill University RECENT: Assistant Conductor (Norma), Winter Opera St. Louis; Repetiteur (The Turn of the Screw), Chicago Summer Opera; Assistant Conductor (La Rondine and A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Miami Music Festival. UPCOMING: Principal Conductor (Giulio Cesare), Chicago Summer Opera.

Sponsored by George and Christine Hearst

WHITNEY ROBINSON Mezzo Soprano Marquise of Berkenfield in La Fille du Régiment; Gingerbread Witch in Hänsel und Gretel Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BM, University of Houston MM, New England Conservatory AD candidate, New England Conservatory

RECENT: La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), and Old Lady (Candide), New England Conservatory; Martine (Le Médecin malgré lui), Odyssey Opera. UPCOMING: Tisbe (La cenerentola), Virginia Opera; Momma (Goldie B. Locks & the 3 Singing Bears), Virginia Opera.

RECENT: Frasquita (Carmen), Opéra Louisiane; Anne Egerman (A Little Night Music), Opera Ithaca; Sylviane (The Merry Widow), Opera Saratoga; Mary Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life), Indiana University Opera Theater; Lucy (The Billy Goats Gruff), Virginia Opera.

RECENT: Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Gulfshore Opera; Jonathon (Silent Night), University of Kentucky; Njegus cover (The Merry Widow), Opera Saratoga; Le Remendado cover (Carmen), Opera Maine; Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), University of Kentucky; Wigmaker (Ariadne auf Naxos), Kentucky Opera.

Sponsored by Chris Cernik

Sponsored by Steve Rosenblum and Eric Rudy

JEREMIAH SANDERS

ALEXANDRA SAULSBURY

Baritone Father cover in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Directing Fellow Assistant Director for La Fille du Régiment; Director for Scenes for Mozart and Salieri Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BA, Manchester University MM, Butler University PD, Indiana University

BA, University of Northern Iowa MM Candidate, University of Texas at Austin

RECENT: Preacher/Street Singer (Bernstein’s Mass), Peter (Hansel and Gretel) and Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi), Indiana University; King Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Bloomington Symphony Orchestra; Ford (Falstaff), Prelude to Performance.

UPCOMING: Falstaff (Falstaff), Mercatello sul Metauro, Italy.

RECENT: Director (Partenope), Opera NEO; Director (The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Robot), One Ounce Opera; Director (She’s Fabulous), One Ounce Opera. UPCOMING: Assistant Director (Le Comte Ory), Chicago Summer Opera.

Sponsored by Mary Huber

Sponsored by Robert and Marcia Miller

Sponsored by Judy Harrigan

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YOUNG ARTIST PROFILES

ALEXANDER SCHEUERMANN

COLTER SCHOENFISH

NICOLE THOMAS

JESSICA TOUPIN

Tenor Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Directing Fellow Assistant Director for Ellen West; Director for Mozart and Salieri Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Mezzo Soprano Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Soprano Gretel cover in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BFA, University of Michigan

BM, University of Nevada, Las Vegas MM, The Juilliard School

BM, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM Candidate, McGill University

RECENT: Iseut aux Blanches Mains (Le Vin Herbé), Wolf Trap Opera/ Washington Concert Opera; Idamante cover (Idomeneo), Wolf Trap Opera; La Chatte/ L’Écureil (L’enfant et les Sortilèges), The Juilliard School.

RECENT: Antonia cover (Tales of Hoffmann), Opera North; Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), UMass Amherst; Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Professor, Eric Sawyer), 5 College Opera. UPCOMING: Rose Maurrant (Street Scene), Opera McGill.

BM, Florida State University MM, University of Houston RECENT: Laurie (Little Women), Opera in the Heights; Siegfried (Das Barbecü), HGOco; Tybalt (Roméo et Juliette), Pensacola Opera; Arcadio cover (Florencia en el Amazonas), Pensacola Opera; Goro (Madama Butterfly), Shreveport Opera. UPCOMING: El Remendado (Carmen), Younger Thompson (Glory Denied), Don Basilio/ Don Curzio (Le nozze di Figaro), Kentucky Opera.

RECENT: Director (Orpheus & Euridice), Arbor Opera Theatre; Director (The Pride), University of Michigan; Director (touch.), University of Michigan; Assistant Director (Das Rheingold), Pittsburgh Festival Opera; Assistant Director (Candide), University of Michigan.

UPCOMING: Assistant Director (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Opera Colorado.

Sponsored by Robert and Marcia Miller

Sponsored by Rosemarie V. Rosen

FLORA WALL

WOOYOUNG YOON

Soprano Mother in Hänsel und Gretel; Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Tenor Tonio cover and Ensemble in La Fille du Régiment Opera Saratoga Debut Season

BA, Music Education Stephen F. Austin State University MM, Vocal Performance University of Houston

BA, KyungHee University, South Korea MM Candidate, Professional Studies, Manhattan School of Music

RECENT: Maria (West Side Story), Isabelle/Madeline (The Face on the Barroom Floor), Shreveport Opera; Elvira (L’Italiana in Algeri), University of Houston Opera; Carolina (Il Matrimonio Segreto), University of Houston Opera; Connie (Three Way: Masquerade), Shreveport Opera; Lady Teazle (The School for Scandal), University of Houston Opera.

UPCOMING: Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Antonia (Man of La Mancha), Shreveport Opera.

Sponsored by Cathy and Elliott Masie

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RECENT: Agenore cover (Il Re pastore), Merola Opera Program; Nadir (Les pêcheurs de perles), Merola Opera Program; Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Manhattan School of Music; Don José cover (Carmen), Martina Arroyo Foundation; Tito (La clemenza di Tito), Manhattan School of Music.

UPCOMING: Faust (La Damnation de Faust), Costa Rica National Symphony Orchestra.

Sponsored by Susan Thompson

Sponsored by Cindy Spence Sponsored by Francesca Bruno and Dan Senecoff

SUPPORT OPERA SARATOGA Did you know that more than 75% of Opera Saratoga’s annual budget comes from the support of our donors? Even when every seat in the house sells out, we rely on your incredible generosity to produce innovative and imaginative opera with world-class guest artists from opera companies around the globe – right here in Saratoga Springs. In addition to supporting the Summer Festival, your donations enable us to: • Provide opportunities for emerging artists – including singers, pianists, conductors and directors – to hone their skills and talents through our nationally acclaimed Young Artist Program • Forge exciting collaborations with other arts and cultural organizations in the region, including The Hyde Collection, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Skidmore College, and The Albany Institute of History and Art • Offer Opera Saratoga’s education programs, Opera-to-Go and Discover!Opera, providing invaluable exposure to live opera in schools across the region to over 15,000 children each year • Produce free events through Saratoga Sings!, our program to present live opera performances year-round Now there are more ways than ever to support Opera Saratoga’s programs in the community and to help support the artistic work that you enjoy on stage!

MEMBERSHIP ($50+)

Members of Opera Saratoga play an active role in bringing great opera to our community through their annual fund support. Members enjoy an enhanced connection to the Opera through behind-the-scenes events including dress rehearsals and backstage tours, and receive special benefits including priority ticket access.

MEMBER ($50 - $99) • Receive the latest news on Opera Saratoga’s community events, special programs, and ticket offers, as well as priority notification for season subscriptions • Acknowledgement of your generous support on Opera Saratoga’s website SUPPORTER ($100 - $249) All of the privileges listed above, plus: • Priority access for single ticket sales before summer opera tickets go on sale to the general public • An invitation to Opera Saratoga’s Annual Meeting and Voting Privileges • Recognition of your gift in Performance Programs PATRON ($250 - $499) All of the privileges listed above, plus: • Access to Opera Saratoga’s Patron Lounge during intermissions • A signed season poster for the Summer Festival SUSTAINER ($500 - $999) All of the privileges listed above, plus: • An invitation for two to attend a final dress rehearsal • 10% discount on day-of-performance tickets

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THE ARTISTS’ CIRCLE ($1,000+) THE ARTISTS’ CIRCLE MAESTRO ($2,500+) THE ARTISTS’ CIRCLE IMPRESARIO ($5,000+)

GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL – MULTI-YEAR LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

By joining The Artists’ Circle, you have the opportunity to support specific artistic initiatives at Opera Saratoga, and to sponsor one or mor artists. Members of the Artists’ Circle receive all of the privileges of membership, plus: • VIP Parking at Festival Performances • Invitation to select staging rehearsals • Invitation to a rehearsal with the Opera Saratoga Orchestra

Join the General Director’s Council and be a part of history as you help Opera Saratoga build a foundation for a sustainable future defined by artistic excellence, community engagement, and civic pride – all while experiencing the creative process like never before!

ARTIST SPONSORS ($2,500+) Sponsoring one or more artists is a special way to support Opera Saratoga while providing a unique opportunity to personally get to know the artists who bring our productions to life. All Artist Sponsors receive Artists’ Circle benefits plus: YOUNG ARTIST SPONSOR ($2,500 - $4,999) Festival Artists: Singers, Directing Fellows, Conducting Fellows, and Pianist/Coaches • An invitation to the Young Artist Sponsors’ Brunch • An invitation to a private Young Artist Master Class PRINCIPAL ARTIST SPONSOR ($5,000) Singers, Directors, Conductors, and Designers • A private lunch with your sponsored artist • A private invitation to attend a staging or music rehearsal featuring your sponsored artist • An invitation to Opening Night Parties If you wish to sponsor more than one artist, your total donation may be allocated to sponsor different artists in different categories. Artist sponsorship is one of the most rewarding ways to invest both in Opera Saratoga and in the future of the incredibly gifted artists who share their talents with our community each year.

For additional information about all of Opera Saratoga’s donor programs, please contact:

General Director’s Council members are part of an exclusive circle of patrons that enjoy intimate gatherings and events with Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson and visiting guest artists. Council Members make a three-year commitment to donate a minimum of $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 per year. Members of The Council may allocate their support to Artist or Production Sponsorship, or Opera Saratoga’s Educational and Community Engagement Programs, and receive the benefits commensurate with their annual level of support.

In addition, in recognition and appreciation of multi-year support, General Director’s Council Members also receive: BRONZE ($5,000 - $9,999 PER YEAR FOR 3 YEARS – TOTAL PLEDGE $15,000+) • Recognition in the General Director’s Council section of the Summer Festival Program • Supertitle recognition at Summer Festival Performances • An invitation to the annual dinner with the artistic and general director and principal artists • A review packet at the end of the season with a sampling of national and international press • First priority in subscriptions and access to house seats for all performances • The opportunity to sponsor a principal artist each season SILVER ($10,000 - $24,999 PER YEAR FOR 3 YEARS – TOTAL PLEDGE $30,000+) All of the privileges listed above, plus: • Invitation to sit in on auditions with Lawrence Edelson in New York City and experience the casting process first-hand • The opportunity to support a specific production and receive acknowledgment on that Production’s title page in the Summer Festival Program Book • An exclusive brunch with the General Director to get the first look at the concepts and designs for each season production GOLD ($25,000+ PER YEAR FOR 3 YEARS – TOTAL PLEDGE $75,000+) All of the privileges listed above, plus: • The opportunity to be a lead commission underwriter for a world premiere at Opera Saratoga • Multi-year naming opportunities commensurate with level of support

Jonathan Blalock Development and Patron Services Manager 518.584.6018

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WITH GRATITUDE TO OUR DONORS FESTIVAL SPONSOR ($50,000+) Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Miller GOVERNMENT New York State Council on the Arts

PRODUCTION SPONSOR ($25,000-$49,000) Lawrence Edelson & Kevin Kotcher Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Ianniello Cindy Spence Martha Strohl

PRODUCTION AND PROGRAM CO-SPONSOR ($10,000-$24,999) Jeff & Janet Altamari Christine & George Hearst III Jeff & Judy Killeen D. Thomas & Theresa Treadway Lloyd George Martin & Ann Githler Dr. Denise F. Polit & Mr. Alan Janosy Rosemarie V. Rosen Katherine & John Walthausen John & Thalia Zizzo GOVERNMENT National Endowment for the Arts BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS & TRUSTS Adirondack Trust Company GE Matching Gift Foundation Keeler Motor Car Company Charitable Foundation The Poetry Foundation Saratoga Foundation

ARTISTS’ CIRCLE IMPRESARIO ($5,000-$9,999) Robert & Ann Bullock Dr. Keith Edwards Barbara Glaser Wallace Graham Ellen Jabbur Ted & Carol Newlin Ken & Susi Ritzenberg Steve Rosenblum & Eric Rudy Dr. Christine Rowe-Button & Dr. Thomas Kershner Ms. Carla Skodinski & Mr. Michael Fieldman BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS & TRUSTS Charles R. Wood Foundation Charles Schwab - Maureen Parker, Independent Branch Leader Facebook Matching Gift Program Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts Friends of Opera Saratoga Greenberg Traurig, LLP Louis P. Brown Family Charitable Trust MVP Health Care Nordlys Foundation Stewart’s/The Dake Family The Times Union

ARTISTS’ CIRCLE MAESTRO ($2,500-$4,999) Phyllis Aldrich Christopher A. Cernik Mr. & Mrs. Patrick A. DiCerbo Allen & Judy Brick Freedman in honor of Lawrence Edelson Patricia Ann Gallagher Peter Haley & Michael Murphy Judy Harrigan, PhD Donene Honnold Mary Huber Joan Lapham Donors listed from June 7, 2018 to June 10, 2019. We regret the omission of anyone who contributed after this date, but look forward to recognizing these gifts next year.

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Dorothy Lee & Victor Han Elliott & Cathy Masie Anthony Mitola Donna & John Moroney Elizabeth Mowry Jeanne Tartaglia Susan C. Thompson BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS & TRUSTS Adirondack Studios Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau, c/o The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region Amphion Foundation Artist Pianos Berkshire Bank Cohoes Savings Foundation Enterprise Car Rentals Equitas Realty - Janet Besheer, Broker Fenimore Asset Management KellerWilliams Realty - The Scott Varley Team Lia Auto Group NBT Bank New Music USA Pioneer Bank Thirsty Owl Saratoga The Touba Family Foundation Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP

ARTISTS’ CIRCLE ($1,000-$2,499) Susan Bokan Ms. Francesca Bruno & Mr. Daniel Senecoff Alison Carr & Kenneth Faulkner Linda & Richard Claytor Charlie Dake Dominick DeCecco Tom & Diane Denny Ilse De Veer & Elayne Livote Chris & Eva Detmer Joy Emery David Ernst Dr. Peter Gray William M. Harris & Holly Katz Fred & Donna Hershey Donald Ingram & Eugene Tobey Regina Janes Lucy Kats & Matthew Rogers Richard King & Gail Grow Donald Lipkin & Mary Bowen Philip & Janice Livingston Patricia Mion Tom & Kerry Selfridge Timothy Smith Dennis Sullivan Mr. & Mrs. Lew Titterton Thomas Tyrrel Mr. & Mrs. Charles V. Wait Jane A. Wait Anthony Wildman Drs. Norbert & Susan Woods BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS & FOUNDATIONS Glens Falls Foundation Holiday Inn Nigro Companies Omni Development Company Price Chopper/ The Golub Foundation Rose & Kiernan Tides Foundation J.M. McDonald Foundation Inc. The University At Albany Foundation The Windsor Companies

To learn more about The General Director’s Council, planned giving through the 2011 Society, and other charitable gift opportunities, please contact Jonathan Blalock, Development and Patron Services Manager, at 518.584.6018.

SUSTAINER ($500-$999) William Aldrich Tony & Perry Atkiss Barbara Bock Pernille Aegidius Dake Laraine Del Belso Barbara Eckhaus Nancy Gendron James Hall Harriet Kalejsso Edith Kliman William Lynch C. Ursula MacAffer Timothy McGowan Virginia & Bruce McMorris Timothy Miller Jim & Anne Morrissey Heidi Muir Susan Novotny Frank & Rosemary Pusateri Helen Rack & Erwin Guetig Mary Richards Sharon Roy Charlotte Saunders Dwight & Rachel Smith Joanna Towse Jeffrey Wentling Jeff Wodicka & Neil Castro Michael Zavisky BUSINESS Herzog Law Firm

PATRON ($250-$499) Jane L. Baker Bruce & Ruth Ann Beers Jonathan Blalock Gordon & Sharon Boyd Mary Lou Bryan Charles & Charlotte Buchanan Susanne Buhac Joanne & David Corey James Covey & James Zabawa Ellen-Deane Cummins John Davies Garry Dufour Joe & Marie Erkes Dr. Richard Etkin & Ms. Donna Parisi Mary Ann Evans Ms. Desiree A. Farley Ben Ford & Jean Dugan Alan Fridkin Gary Gold Drs. David & Felice Gordis John Greer Fran Gross Ms. Maria Harrison Christine Jaronski H. Wayne Judge Barbara Kass Richard & Rebecca Langer Gerald Leary Neal & Robyn Lipschutz William Madison Carol Markley Joe & Danielle Mazza Debbie & Charlie McCambridge Kathy Nolte Richard & Dari Norman Ms. Deborah Onslow Don Porter John & Bee Roblee Sandra & Stewart Ray OPERA SARATOGA IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL

Jo Anne Robbins Renee Rosebrook Carol Rychcik John & Carolyn Sakrison Nadine Sapone Caroline Seligman & George Jolly Mark A. Shalonis Mr. Mark Sonders & Hon. Leslie Stein David Sowalsky Judy Staubo Margot Tohn Jacquiline Touba Patrick & Candice Van Roey Charles & Barbara Vengrove Michael & Donna Wilcox Connie Wood Joanna Schneider Zangrando BUSINESSES & FOUNDATIONS The Fresh Market

SUPPORTER ($100-$249) Lanette Ackerson Mark Adamo Madeline Akel Margaret Albrecht Aimee and Guy Allaud Catherine Allen Judy & Grady Aronstamm Eleanor & Jesse Aronstein Frederick & Sheelagh Baily Ellen Beal Charles Anthony Belotte, in honor of Sofia M. Dooley Catherine W. Berheide Jere & Julia Blackwelder Mayor Robert Blais Dr. Karin Borelli Nancy & Geoffrey Bornemann Tracey Brooks Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bruno Claudia Anderson & Louis T. Buckman, II Sydney Anderson Tim & Patty Burch Carla Burhoe Nancy Cameron CaryLou & Glenn Canfield Margaret C. Chalker Audrey Choiniere Judy Ciccio Michael Colbruno Mahra Colvin Mary A. Corrado Michael & Ellen Cuddy Bruce & Meg Cummings Mr. & Mrs. Robert D’Andrea Alfred Dal Pos Ellen M. deLalla Betty Dodds Peter Dowling Barry & Madelyn Edelson David Emanatian Eleanor Faber Donna Lamkin Faddegon Cynthia Ferguson Rev. Peter A. Fiore, O.F.M .

Karen Hartgen Fisher Karen Flewelling Dr. Robert & Mrs. Jane Flynn Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Forbush Alvin & Gay Gamage Ronald C. Geuther Barbara Gigliotti Mr. & Mrs. John Gilligand OPERA SARATOGA RECEIVES PUBLIC FUNDING FROM

Alba Giordano Thomas & Annemarie Gleason Missy Gnann Mr. & Mrs. Joe Goldsmith Susan & Robert Hahm Cathy Hall David R. Hall Lawrence Hamilton M. Constance Hayner Barbara & Dennis Hultay Graham & Amber Jones Leo Kellogg Linda & James Kennelly Gordon & Julia Kilby Thomas & Joanne Klepetar Beatrice Kovasznay John Lange Linda Larmon Richard Lavigne Holly & Mark Lawton Deidre Leland & Frank Rhyland Senator Betty Little Zoe Nousiainen & Joseph Levy Michelle & Frank Litty Victor & Karen Anne Lou Peggy & John Lynch-Brennan William McColl Janice P. McGinley in memory of Frank H. McGinley Emily Miller Michael Morgan Mary Muller John & Lee Nelson Pattye Nicolls Melody O’Connor Maurice O’Connell Dianne O’Neill Daniel A. Orlock Donna & Thomas C. Owen Carol Panara Eric R. Peterson & Harriet Rifkin Joan Rogers Julia Popova Lisa Reid Donald Rice Jay Rogoff & Penny Jolly Mr. Don Ruberg & Ms. Marin Wyatt Ridgway Paul & Jane W. Rose Aileen Ryan Dorothy D. Sager Michael & Susan Sandison Michael Sekus & Bianca Russo George Sloan Joan Spain Delanne Stageman Mark & Elizabeth Straus Jennifer Strazik Joan Sussman Dr. Lewis Taub Robert & Diane Taylor Tim & Elizabeth Taylor Lyle A. Van Vranken Annalisa & Peter VanAvery William Walker Merrill & Diane Whitburn Mr. & Mrs. David Wren BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS & TRUSTS Saratoga Spring Water The Wesley Community WGY Christmas Wish

MEMBERS (UP TO $99) We regret that space prohibits listing our many Members, but please know how grateful we are for your support.

Opera Saratoga extends special gratitude to members of the General Director’s Council who have made multi-year charitable commitments to build a foundation for long-term sustainability to invest in vital artistic programs and projects that enrich our community.

GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL – GOLD

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Miller Martha Strohl GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL – SILVER

Lawrence Edelson & Kevin F. Kotcher Keeler Motors, Sandy & Gail Keeler D. Thomas & Theresa Treadway Lloyd Dr. Denise F. Polit & Mr. Alan Janosy Mr. George Martin & Ms. Ann Githler Mr. & Mrs. George R. Hearst III Cindy Spence GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL – BRONZE

Robert & Ann Bullock Barbara Glaser Dr. Christine Rowe-Button & Dr. Thomas Kershner

THE 2011 SOCIETY The 2011 Society was established during Opera Saratoga’s 50th Anniversary Season to recognize patrons who have provided, or plan to provide, gifts to Opera Saratoga through their estate plans Members of The 2011 Society help secure a lasting future for professional opera in the region.

2011 SOCIETY MEMBERS

Jonathan Blalock David Emanatian Drs. Philip & Marjorie Gerdine Robert C. Miller Theodore F. Newlin III Carla Skodinski David R. Tarella Drs. Norbert & Susan Woods THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS HAVE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BEQUESTS TO OPERA SARATOGA. WE COMMEMORATE THESE DEPARTED WHO HAVE HONORED US WITH THEIR GIFTS:

Helen V. Froehlich Waldo T. Ross & Ruth S. Ross Louis P. Brown Ross Masterman Florence Milano By informing us of your planned gift, you will be included with this important group of Opera Saratoga supporters.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Opera Saratoga gratefully acknowledges the support of the following organizations and individuals, without whose continued commitment this season would not have been possible: The Albany Institute of History & Art Phyllis Aldrich Jeff & Bart Altamari The Arkell Museum Artist Pianos Alane Ball Chinian David Barone Ellen Beal Rick Bieber Jonathan Blalock Ann & Bob Bullock Eric Brower Jeffrey Brown Realty & Associates Fran Bruno & Daniel Senecoff Ann Chase Anthony Cirillo Donna Clement Nicole Coady The College of St. Rose Cudney’s Cleaners Josh Cupp Lawrence Edelson & Kevin F. Kotcher Cori Ellison David Emanatian Joy Emery ExecuStay Prime Tom Federlin Patty Finnerty Friends of Opera Saratoga Pat Gallagher Gary David Gold Photography Tammis Groft Peter Haley George R. Hearst III Home Made Theater Donene Honnold The Hyde Collection Ellen Jabbur Paul Jennings Barbara Kass Lucy Kats Leo Kellogg Judy & Jeff Killeen Ken & Karen Klotz Kurt Kress Jay Lafond Nina Lockwood Stephanie Lynch The Mansion Inn Carol Markley Marino’s Saratoga Realty Inc. Cathy and Elliott Masie

Kyle McCarthy Bob & Marcia Miller Virginia & Bruce McMorris Betsye Mowry Kathy Nolte New York Racing Association New York State Parks OPERA America Panza’s Restaurant Michael Panza Maureen Parker Racing City Realty Radial Arts Ellen Riley Ken & Susi Ritzenberg Amanda Robie & Trieste Cordova Rosco & Rosemarie V. Rosen Steve Rosenblum & Eric Rudy Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works Saratoga Springs Public Library Saratoga Springs Visitors Center Audrey Saccone Frank Scherry Skidmore College Anthony Smokovich Elizabeth Sobol Cindy Spence Martha Strohl The Thirsty Owl Wesley Health Care Center The Windsor Companies The Wilton Mall The YMCA of Saratoga Springs Joyce Ure Diane Warner Sherwood Wise Jeffrey Wodicka & Neil Castro Lori Wodicka 4Wall Entertainment

Opera Saratoga has received essential assistance for this season from many people and organizations. We sincerely regret any inadvertent omissions to this list.

Copywriting: Jeff Dingler, Lawrence Edelson, Hannah McDermott, Katherine Pitt, and Laurie Rogers.

Program Design: Katherine L. Ehle, Cake & Ale Studio

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DESIGN & ART DIRECTION UNIQUE ART & GIFTS CUSTOM FRAMING KATHERINE L. EHLE, OWNER 16 N. Perry Street, Johnstown cakeandalestudio@gmail.com www.cakeandalestudio.com

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YOUR OPERA COMPANY YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR LEGACY By making a gift through your estate, you join people like you who care deeply about the future of Opera Saratoga and want to ensure that our community can experience the magic of opera for generations to come.

“Carol and I have been supporters of Opera Saratoga going back well into the Lake George Opera days. We, in the Saratoga-Albany-Lake George area, are most fortunate not only to have a resident opera company, but one that performs at such a highly acclaimed level. Planned giving is a perfect way to ensure Opera Saratoga’s long term sustainability. We hope all who read this will join us in so doing.”

- Ted Newlin “Opera in the intimate setting of the Spa Little Theater is a uniquely powerful and magical experience, and Opera Saratoga, for me, represents the future of opera: developing young artists by providing them with the opportunity to perform and developing new audiences through community outreach. My regular annual support recognizes the difference between the cost of presenting opera and my ticket price; including Opera Saratoga in my estate plan recognizes the importance providing future stability to the company.”

- Carla Skodinski

To share your goals for your future gift, or to learn more about planned giving, please contact Jonathan Blalock at 518.584.6018 or jblalock@operasaratoga.org.