Opera Saratoga 2017 Summer Festival Program Book by Opera Saratoga

2017 SUMMER FESTIVAL Lawrence Edelson, Artistic & General Director

ATC_Opera Saratoga Ad_7-5 x 10_2016_Layout 1 5/16/2016 4:37 PM Page 1

We are pleased to support Opera Saratoga and their continuing legacy of providing our community with world-class opera.

To learn more about our banking, investment and insurance services please call or visit any of our convenient branches. 584-5844

AdirondackTrust.com

INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED, NOT A DEPOSIT, NOT BANK GUARANTEED, NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY, MAY LOSE VALUE. Member FDIC. Â© The Adirondack Trust Company

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome from The Mayor of Saratoga Springs

OUR MISSION

Welcome from The President of the Board of Directors

Welcome from The Artistic and General Director

A Tribute to Peter Haley

Board of Directors

Administrative and Artistic Staff

Seasonal Artistic Staff

Seasonal Production Staff

Orchestra

Chorus

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.

A Brief History of Opera Saratoga

Opera Saratoga / Lake George Opera Repertory

The Friends of Opera Saratoga

Opera-to-Go

Saratoga Sings!

2017 Summer Festival At A Glance

Falstaff

ZĂŠmire et Azor

The Cradle Will Rock

Principal Artist Profiles

Conductors and Music Staff Profiles

Production Profiles

Young Artist Profiles

Dancer / Puppeteer Profiles

Acknowledgments

Support Opera Saratoga

With Gratitude to our Donors

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

WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF SARATOGA SPRINGS It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Saratoga Springs and Opera Saratoga’s 2017 Summer Festival. Opera Saratoga has been a vital part of the summer in Saratoga Springs since moving from Lake George to the Spa Little Theater in the Spa State Park, bringing artists from around the globe to share their incredible talents with us. The diversity and vibrancy offered by Opera Saratoga is an important part of what makes Saratoga Springs such a great place to live and visit. This season promises to build on the company’s history of excellence, with three new productions alongside a wide variety of concerts and special events at venues throughout Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area. Lawrence Edelson – now in his third year leading Opera Saratoga – continues to entertain, surprise, and enrich our community with the incredible variety of programming offered.

We thank Opera Saratoga, the Board of Directors, and everyone who makes the company’s programs possible, for not only the artistic value they bring to our community, but also for attracting audiences from around the country that are able to enjoy all that Saratoga Springs has to offer. Enjoy the 2017 Summer Festival - and come back often! Sincerely,

Joanne D. Yepsen Mayor

In addition to the Summer Festival for which Opera Saratoga is best known, the company offers year-round programs throughout the region, including Opera-to-Go and Saratoga Sings!, providing free live opera for all. Their very competitive Young Artist Program provides gifted young performers a stage on which they can shine, while providing us with an introduction to the stars of tomorrow.

WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Welcome to our 56th Summer Festival Season. We are so happy to have all of you join us at Opera Saratoga. You are in for a fabulous experience with us this year. Whether this is your first time with us, or you are a longtime subscriber, we are thrilled that you are here. Once again, Opera Saratoga’s Summer Festival includes three very different experiences. We open our season with a new production of Falstaff. Verdi’s final opera is one of the great masterpieces of the operatic repertoire. It is also one of only two comedies he wrote, based on characters from Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV. Falstaff contains some of the most intricate music and entertaining characters ever created for the opera stage. Craig Kier makes his debut with us this summer on the podium, and director Chuck Hudson returns to Opera Saratoga to bring this sparkling work to life. Our second production is Zémire et Azor more familiar as Beauty and the Beast - in a fantastical production directed by James Ortiz. In addition to Grétry’s beautiful music, the opera incorporates dance and Ortiz’s fabulous puppets – truly exhilarating for adults and children of all ages. This production also marks the company debut of conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya. Our final production is one of the most unique offerings we’ve ever presented. Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock has been produced almost exclusively with piano since its infamous opening night in 1937, when it was shut down by the Federal government due to its subversive and controversial subject matter. The opera not only has a fascinating backstory, but it also raises many timely and timeless issues. Our production will be performed with Blitzstein’s original orchestration, which hasn’t been performed anywhere in the world since 1960. Noted Maestro John Mauceri makes his debut with us this summer, in a new production staged by our Artistic and General Director, Lawrence Edelson.

Once again, we are bringing world class artists to Saratoga Springs – artists who have appeared in the greatest theaters and opera houses of the world. At the same time, Opera Saratoga is attracting audiences and press accolades from around the globe. The secret is out: Opera Saratoga is a summer experience not to be missed! It is our pleasure to bring you beautiful music, great theater and extraordinary singing every summer. But, Opera Saratoga is much more than a Summer Festival. In addition to our summer programming, we hope you get to know us in many other ways. We have year-round activities to provide access to opera and classical vocal music for everyone. Opera-to-Go brings the discovery of opera to over 15,000 children in the region, and our Saratoga Sings! program continues to provide free concerts and events – including programs at The Center for Disability Services, senior centers and assisted living facilities, art museums and galleries, bars and pubs – even art song recitals on the snowy trails of Spa State Park! However you experience Opera Saratoga, we hope you will continue to be part of our family. Opera Saratoga is more vital, more exciting and more accessible than ever. We could not, of course, do any of this without you. We thank all of you so very much for buying tickets, donating, volunteering, and spreading the word. Your ongoing support is crucial – for without it, we cannot continue to serve this wonderful community so deeply. Thank you again and again. Enjoy the season,

Rosemarie V. Rosen

WELCOME FROM THE ARTISTIC AND GENERAL DIRECTOR It is my pleasure to welcome you to Opera Saratoga’s 2017 Summer Festival. Opera Saratoga is a special place. Our intimate theater, with just under 500 seats, provides a remarkably intimate and highly visceral performance experience. Our location, in Spa State Park, is one of the most bucolic places in the country to enjoy the arts. And, our artists, who come together from around the globe to share their talents with our community, create a special family – a family of which you are a very important part. On behalf of everyone who makes our season happen, we are thrilled that you are here with us this summer. In opera, we often see and hear characters who are very different from ourselves – but just as often, we see ourselves and our world reflected on the stage. While Falstaff, Zémire et Azor, and The Cradle Will Rock all present wonderfully entertaining stories, they also shed light on who we are – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Opera entertains us, but it also provides opportunities for genuine reflection. Opera moves us, and in so doing, provides us the opportunity to grow. In a region that is so blessed with performing arts organizations, Opera Saratoga has an important role to play beyond the walls of our theater. It is thrilling to spend my days immersed in the scores of Verdi, Grétry and Blitzstein – but it is also exhilarating to be out in our community, bringing opera into schools, senior centers, and unexpected venues where we share the joy of classical vocal music with audiences of all ages.

Patty celebrates 20 years with Opera Saratoga this summer, and her title doesn’t even begin to shed light on everything she does. Patty has been the heartbeat of this company, working behind the scenes from our time as Lake George Opera in Queensbury, through our move to Saratoga Springs, and as we have transitioned from a beloved local organization to a nationally recognized Festival attracting audiences from around the country. When I joined Opera Saratoga three years ago, it was Patty who showed me the ropes. Without her, our recent program expansion would not have been possible. So, as we celebrate the 2017 Summer Festival, please join me in celebrating Patty, and all she has done for Opera Saratoga over the past 20 years. Thank you again for being with us. We are so grateful for your support, and look forward to sharing an exciting summer full of opera with you, and to welcoming you back often.

Lawrence Edelson Artistic and General Director PS. After the performance, I hope you will join our artists and your fellow audience members on the Arcade overlooking the reflecting pool. We come together after every show to celebrate the joy of great music, thrilling theater, and our very special community.

Every fall, as we begin our season’s adventure, all of us at Opera Saratoga are wide-eyed and excited at what lies ahead. By the end of July, we all just want to sleep for a few weeks! Producing such a wide variety of programs is a truly herculean task. The performances you are enjoying with us this summer would not be possible without the dedication of our Board, staff, volunteers and donors. However, this season, there is one person that I really must acknowledge – Patty Finnerty, our Director of Finance and Administration.

A TRIBUTE TO PETER HALEY

Humanalysis and Denise Polit thank Peter Haley for many years of passionate advocacy for opera in the Capital Region!

Last season, Opera Saratoga honored Peter Haley at the company’s annual gala. As founder of the 400+ member Siena Opera Club, Peter teaches classes on the art form, leads dozens of bus trips every year to performances across the east coast, and has organized a wide variety of international opera tours. Peter is also deeply dedicated to introducing young people to opera. His visits to Opera Saratoga each year with members of the Colonie High School Opera Club are among the highlights of our season. Peter has often referred to Opera Saratoga as “the home team.” This is why it was particularly bittersweet to hear that Peter has announced his retirement from the Siena Opera Club at the end of this summer. It is so hard for everyone who has followed Peter to the opera to accept that he will be retiring. After arranging thousands of trips, endless details - and averting more than a few disasters - Peter is finally taking a welldeserved rest. Peter has enriched our lives immensely, and we owe him much more than we can say. Everyone who has traveled with Peter has learned so much from him. And companies around the country, including Opera Saratoga, have benefited beyond measure from Peter’s caravans that have introduced so many people to opera. Peter, there will be no replacing you. The wonderful experiences and memories we all have will last forever. Thank you for all that you have done. Please know that there will always be a special seat in the house for you at Opera Saratoga!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADMINISTRATIVE AND ARTISTIC STAFF

SEASONAL PRODUCTION STAFF

CHAIRMAN Robert C. Miller

ARTISTIC AND GENERAL DIRECTOR Lawrence Edelson

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Christopher R. Belanger

PRESIDENT Rosemarie V. Rosen

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Patricia Finnerty

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Michael Strickland

VICE PRESIDENT Frank Pusateri TREASURER Michael Vild SECRETARY Martha Strohl DIRECTORS Jeff Altamari Janet Besheer Christopher A. Cernik Robert DeSio Lawrence Edelson (ex-officio) Desiree Farley Victoria A. Graffeo George R. Hearst III Donene Honold Judith Killeen Guy Mastrion Joel Moss Dr. Denise F. Polit Ellen Riley (ex-officio) Kenneth Ritzenberg Steve Rosenblum Christine Rowe-Button Tom Selfridge Cindy Spence Dr. Norbert Woods 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 Anthony Tartaglia

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Deborah Lee DIRECTOR OF MUSIC STAFF AND YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS Laurie Rogers PRODUCTION MANAGER Deborah Jo Barrett MARKETING AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Mariah Wakefield

STAGE MANAGERS Kristen Barrett Laura R. Krause Amy Soll ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS Carmen Alfaro Robert Klein Anthony Poston SCHEDULER AND COMPANY MANAGER Anne Marie Padelford FESTIVAL WARDROBE SUPERVISOR Stephanie Ferenc Henderson

PUBLICISTS Susan Bardack, Buzz Media Solutions Michelle Tabnick, Michelle Tabnick Communications

ASSISTANT HEAD OF WARDROBE Sally Rath

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN Hannah Langtry

WARDROBE Allyson Schiller*

SEASONAL ARTISTIC STAFF CONDUCTORS Craig Kier John Mauceri Lidiya Yankovskaya STAGE DIRECTORS Lawrence Edelson Chuck Hudson James Ortiz CHOREOGRAPHER Jill Echo SCENIC DESIGNERS Martin T. Lopez James Ortiz COSTUME DESIGNERS Anya Klepikov Shima Orans CeCe Sickler LIGHTING DESIGNER Brandon Stirling Baker HAIR AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham AUDIO DESIGNER AND ENGINEER Daniel Czernecki CHORUS MASTER Laurie Rogers ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Joshua Horsch REPETITEURS Timothy Accurso Djordje S. Nesic FRENCH COACH Bénédicte Jourdois FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHER Gary David Gold

VIOLA Kathleen Foster, Principal Julie Goodale CELLO Lowell Adams, Principal Carlene Stober BASS Brian Cassier FLUTE/PICCOLO Jessica Jade Han OBOE/ENGLISH HORN Marsha Heller CLARINET/SAXOPHONE/ BASS CLARINET Nuno Antunes, Principal Susan Martula Peter Scuderi Ed Matthew BASSOON/CONTRABASOON Gilbert Dejean HORN Paul Riggio, Principal Nicholas Miller

PROPERTIES MASTER Linda K. Reynolds

TRUMPET Terry Szor, Principal Gary Boyd

PROPERTIES ASSISTANT Trevor Stanchfield

TROMBONE Lisa Albrecht

WIGS AND MAKEUP ASSISTANT Sara DeFranco

PERCUSSION David Coash

MASTER ELECTRICIAN Kristen Roth

HARP Laura Witt

ASSISTANT MASTER ELECTRICIAN Jaime Mancuso

GUITAR Brett Parnell

ELECTRICIAN Chloe Brush*

ACCORDION Kamala Sankaram

AUDIO ENGINEER Araceli Ramirez

PIANO/KEYBOARD Djordje Nesic Carol-Anne Fraser

CARPENTERS Cameron Fredericksen* Greg West* Amanda Charlebois* HOUSE MANAGER Joan Sussman PRODUCTION INTERNS Sarah Biery Gabby Button Ana Belen Cobos Natalie Cohen Makenzie Hercules Shelby Marquardt Francesca Sebastiano Colter Schoenfish Elaine Smith * Indicates Production Apprentice

ORCHESTRA VIOLIN Olga Patramanska-Bell, Concertmaster Robert Lawrence, Assistant Concertmaster Marya Columbia, Principal Second Karen Banos Patricia Karakas Claudia Saslow Alexander Vselensky

CHORUS Michael Anderson Adam Bradley Jorgeandrés Camargo Courtney Elvira Dylan Elza Heather Jones Miles Herr Marisa Karchin Meghan Kasanders Luke MacMillan Katherine Maysek Eric McConnell Shelley Mihm Garrett Obrycki Andy Papas Scott Purcell Lisa Marie Rogali Nina Spinner John Tibbetts Emily Tweedy Spencer Viator Brian Wallin Laura Zahn Max Jacob Zander

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 57 different composers, including 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. 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. 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 world-premiere 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 Operaon-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.

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. 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. 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), and the company’s first opera in Spanish, Daniel Catán’s Il Postino. The 2017 summer season marks the third festival under his leadership.

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

GLASS The Witches of Venice 2016 (AP)

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

BERNARDO The Child 1974 (WP)

HAYDN L’Infedeltà Delusa 1970, 1971

BERNSTEIN Candide 2004

HENDERSON The Last of the Mohicans 1977 (WP)

BLITZSTEIN The Cradle Will Rock 2017

HOIBY Summer and Smoke 1976, 1978

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

HOUSTON Hazel Kirke 1987 (WP)

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 The Daughter of the Regiment 1985, 1992, 2002 Don Pasquale 1969, 1977, 1998, 2009 The Elixir of Love 1964, 1987, 2004, 2014 Lucia di Lammermoor 1983, 2013 Viva la Mamma 2010 FLOYD Susannah 1980, 2003 GERSHWIN Porgy and Bess 1976, 1992 GESSNER Faust Counter Faust 1971 GIANNINI The Taming of the Shrew 1965, 1966

HUMPERDINCK Hansel and Gretel 1963, 1964, 1990 LEHÁR The Merry Widow 1979, 1988 LEHRMAN The Birthday of the Bank 1988 (WP) LEIGH Man of La Mancha 1981 LEONCAVALLO I Pagliacci 1965, 1982, 2006 LOEWE My Fair Lady 1991 MARTIN Tobermory 1997 (WP) MASSENET Cendrillon 1995 Manon 1976, 1990 Werther 1983 MECHEM Tartuffe 1982, 2007 MENOTTI The Consul 1984 The Medium 2006 The Old Maid & the Thief 1995 The Telephone 1965, 2011 MOORE The Ballad of Baby Doe 1967

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 The Marriage of Figaro 1963, 1967, 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, 2016 The Pledge Drive 1997 Il Re Pastore 2001

SCHUMAN The Mighty Casey 2012

NICOLAI The Merry Wives of Windsor 1968

STRAUSS, J. Die Fledermaus 1962, 1966, 1974, 1986, 2011

OFFENBACH La Périchole 1975 Le 66 2012 The Tales of Hoffmann 1982, 1992 La Vie Parisienne 1989, 2007 PASATIERI Black Widow 1972 PAXTON The Adventures of Friar Tuck 1983 (WP) PORTER Kiss Me, Kate 1983 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

SHADLE Friends and Dinosaurs 1990 SILVERMAN Elephant Steps 1970 SMETANA The Bartered Bride 1996

STRAUSS, R. Ariadne auf Naxos 1969, 1990, 2001 STRAVINSKY The Rake’s Progress 1975 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 THOMSON The Mother of Us All 1971 VEHAR Eleanor Roosevelt 2009

RAVEL L’heure Espagnole 1969

VERDI Aïda 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

RODGERS Carousel 1986

WARD The Crucible 1966, 1967, 1973

ROMBERG The Student Prince 1980

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

PURCELL Dido and Aeneas 2015

ROREM Our Town 2006 (PP)

WEILL The Threepenny Opera 1972

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

WP = World Premiere AP = American Premiere PP = Professional Premiere

proud supporters of

Opera Saratoga

McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams, P.C. is a full-service law firm representing clients across New York State in most areas of law, including banking, bankruptcy, corporate, construction, tax, real estate, land use, environmental, litigation, labor, employment, matrimonial, family, trusts, estates and elder law.

Albany County | 677 Broadway, Suite 500, Albany, NY 12207 | (518) 447-3200 Saratoga County | 646 Plank Road, Suite 206, Clifton Park, NY 12065 | (518) 383-9200 www.mltw.com ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome

Saratogaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaner Proud to be the Dry Cleaner to the Opera Saratoga Stars because Cudneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cares about our community, our environment and your clothing. Visit us at: 160 South Broadway, Saratoga 584-8460 86 West Ave, Saratoga 584-8704 654 Route 9, Wilton 584-8666 3 Hampstead Pl, Saratoga 871-1081 Or we will come to you with FREE Home & Business Delivery Call 584-4848 for more information www.cudneys.com 11

vocal about local

Price Chopper and Market 32 offer you the best in fresh produce sourced from the farmers and growers of the Northeast. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a homegrown commitment weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve kept for over 80 years. Make us your destination for everything you need to savor every moment of the summer.

THE FRIENDS OF OPERA SARATOGA The Friends of Opera Saratoga have been providing essential support to our beloved opera company since 2001. We are a volunteer guild dedicated to enriching and contributing to the success of Opera Saratoga. It is with a great deal of excitement that we approach every Summer Festival, which always provides the Friends of Opera Saratoga with so many enjoyable opportunities. The “Friends” offer volunteer support to Opera Saratoga in a variety of ways throughout the year, from assisting with mailings and events, to providing artist housing and transportation. Pasta & Puccini, our annual fundraiser in partnership with Opera Saratoga, is always a great party with the chance to preview the season and meet up and coming operatic talent. Our Board of Directors sponsors a Meet & Greet for the Young Artists on their first day of rehearsals to introduce them to each other - and to us - as they begin the season’s adventure. Our well-stocked Concession Stand offers refreshments for opera patrons at The Spa Little Theater before every performance and during intermissions. Looking forward, this fall the Friends will be sponsoring an informative lecture and luncheon at the picturesque Van Patten Country Club, and in December we look forward to hosting our popular annual Holiday Party. We also strive to keep our members informed about opera activities with our newsletter, The Cantabile.

In keeping with our mission of also promoting opera education, we are proud to provide a community partnership between The Children’s Museum and Saratoga Arts Council to facilitate the sponsorship of an Operato-Go performance each season. In addition, we also sponsor a performance for our senior friends at Woodlawn Commons. It is also a great pleasure for our Friends Board to then treat the Opera-To-Go cast to an Italian feast to express our appreciation for their many weeks of in-school performances. 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

LEFT Members of the Friends of Opera Saratoga at Pasta and Puccini. RIGHT President of the Friends of Opera Saratoga, Ellen Riley with Mayor Joanne Yepsen.

The Friends of Opera Saratoga wish to thank their volunteers for their commitment and involvement this past year: Phyllis Aldrich Cliff Ammon Bea Barrett Sue Benedetti Karin & Eva Borelli Dan Broker Anthony Cirillo Donna Clement Danielle Coffey Bobbie Cromer Bob Desio Marie Erkes Bernie Forman Cheryl Granato Sandra Granger Lois & Gary Heller Barbara Kass July Killeen Ken & Karen Klotz Rhona Koretsky Ursula MacAffer Carol Markley Virginia & Bruce McMorris Tina Palmer Ellen Riley John & Bee Roblee Chris Rowe-Button Tom Kershner Donna & Michael Vild 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 2017, Opera Saratoga toured The Bremen Town Musicians to over 15,000 children in the region. Featuring the music of Offenbach, Rossini, Donizetti, and Verdi, this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm Folk was an enchanting introduction to opera for area students – an entertaining performance that exposed children to a rich variety of operatic music while also exploring the important themes of diversity and tolerance. 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 2018, Opera Saratoga will present a new production of Hansel and Gretel for young audiences. Reservations are currently being accepted for the 2018 Winter Opera-to-Go Tour. Please visit www.operasaratoga.org/opera-to-go for more information.

We launched the program with Saratoga Sings for Seniors, a weeklong performance tour at retirement communities, senior centers and assisted living facilities throughout the region, which now coincides annually with National Opera Week. 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. Saratoga Sings! events continued throughout the winter and spring. In November, the week after the presidential election, we hosted Saratoga Sings the Voice of the People – a fascinating exploration of the intersection between opera and politics – at The Tang Teaching Museum. We celebrated First Night in Saratoga with Saratoga Sings a New Year’s Celebration, and followed this event in January with two rambunctious performances at local bars – Saratoga Sings Under the Influence – featuring a program of opera under the influence – of liquor, elixirs, poisons, and magic spells! In February, we presented a truly unique performance of Schubert’s Winterreise, outdoors amidst freshly fallen snow in Spa State Park. Moving south to Albany, we welcomed audiences for a free screening of Tim Robbins’ film, Cradle Will Rock, at The Palace Theatre – providing fascinating insight into our summer production of Blitzstein’s brilliant folk opera. This spring, we continued our Saratoga Sings of Art and Inspiration concerts by performing concerts to full houses at three of the region’s most important art museums: The Tang Teaching Museum in Saratoga Springs, The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, and The Albany Institute of History and Art. This year’s program once again featured vocal music inspired by great artists and works of art, including music by Gluck, Poulenc, Heggie and more. Saratoga Sings was made possible this season thanks to a very generous grant from OPERA America. While our grant was only for the 201617 season, response to this program has been overwhelming. 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 Deborah Lee at 518.584.6018 for further information. Further details about the 2017-18 Saratoga Sings! programs will be posted at www.operasaratoga.org/saratoga-sings in September.

TOP The cast of Opera Saratoga’s 2017 Opera-to-Go production of The Bremen Town Musicians. BOTTOM Saratoga Sings a Winter’s Journey, featuring Grammy-nominated baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert singing Schubert’s Winterreise in Spa State Park.

Music keeps the heart young! Love the things that make you young at heartâ&#x20AC;¦ at The Glen

Call (518) 832-7800 to learn more about our exceptional Senior Living community

39 Longview Drive Queensbury, NY 12804

www.GlenHiland.com

ANNIVERSARY

2000 ATTORNEYS | 38 LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE Ë&#x161;

Giving the gift of

music

We salute Opera Saratogaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to bringing innovative, imaginative opera to Saratoga Springs.

54 STATE STREET | 6TH FLOOR | ALBANY, NY 12207 | 518.689.1400 GREENBERG TR AURIG, LLP

AT TO R N E YS AT L AW

WWW.GTLAW.COM

Greenberg Traurig is a service mark and trade name of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Â©2017 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Attorneys at Law. All rights reserved. Contact: Christopher A. Cernik in Albanyat 518.689.1400. Â°These numbers are subject to fluctuation. 29246

2017 SUMMER FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE SUNDAY 21

MONDAY 22

TUESDAY 23

WEDNESDAY 24

THURSDAY 25

FRIDAY 26

Stars of Tomorrow 7:30 pm

MAY 28

3 CONCERT Swan Songs 2:00 pm

JUNE 4 GALA

SATURDAY 27 CONCERT

15 CONCERT

16 CONCERT

2017 Season Preview 7:30 pm

Marc Biltzstein A Life in Song 7:30 pm

Opera on the Lake 4:30 pm 11 CONCERT Wand’ring Minstrels A G&S Cabaret 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm 18

1 SPECIAL EVENT Falstaff’s Feast 5:00 pm

JULY 2 OPERA

Zémire et Azor 7:30 pm

6 OPERA

Falstaff 7:30 pm

9 OPERA

10 OPERA

11 OPERA

The Cradle Will Rock 7:30 pm

Falstaff 2:00 pm

The Cradle Will Rock 2:00 pm

OPERA Falstaff 7:30 pm 8 OPERA Zémire et Azor 2:00 pm

13 OPERA

14 OPERA

15 OPERA

The Cradle Will Rock 7:30 pm

Zémire et Azor 2:00 pm

Falstaff 2:00 pm

CONCERT Broadway in the 1930s 7:30 pm

16 OPERA

The Cradle Will Rock 2:00 pm

FALSTAFF FIRST PERFORMANCE February 9, 1893 Teatro alla Scala, Milan Four performances: July 1, 6, 10m, 15m Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Arrigo Boito

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE DR. CAIUS Max Jacob Zander*

PRODUCTION

Program

CONDUCTOR Craig Kier DIRECTOR Chuck Hudson SCENIC DESIGNER Martin T. Lopez COSTUME DESIGNER CeCe Sickler LIGHTING DESIGNER Brandon Stirling Baker

SIR JOHN FALSTAFF Craig Colclough

WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham

BARDOLFO Michael Anderson*

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Joshua Horsch+

PISTOLA Jorgeandrés Camargo* MEG PAGE Vera Savage+ ALICE FORD Caroline Worra

NANNETTA Emily Tweedy*

SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Carol Anne Fraser*

INNKEEPER Luke MacMillan

New production, sung in Italian with English projected text There will be two intermissions. The performance will last approximately three hours. Costumes provided by Arizona Opera. Orchestral arrangement by Jonathan Dove, by arrangement with Birmingham Opera, UK. Opera Saratoga’s production of Falstaff has been made possible with generous support from Ted and Carol Newlin.

CHORUS MASTER Laurie Rogers SUPERTITLES Kim P. Witman, by arrangement with Wolf Trap Opera

FORD Michael Chioldi

*Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR David Radamés Toro*

MISTRESS QUICKLY Lindsay Ammann

FENTON Dominick Corbacio+

+Alumni of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist

STAGE MANAGER Laura R. Krause ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Carmen Alfaro

ROBIN, A PAGE Baker D’Arcy FAIRIES Emma Jane Andrus, Baker D’Arcy, Jamison D’Arcy, Sophia DePaulo, Natalie Mann, Marissa Phillips THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

ABOVE Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini LEFT An extremely rare manuscript in Verdi’s hand which appears to show the very first stages of his composition of Falstaff. The manuscript is notated in short score on seven three-stave systems per page, written in black ink, with music and words, but without musical phrasing, dynamics or articulation, or any designations of characters or instruments. The manuscript was presented to Maestro Arturo Toscanini by Verdi’s heirs.

A MIGHTY BURST OF LAUGHTER There’s literally nothing like Falstaff. Among the operas of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), it is preceded by over two dozen tragic operas which sprang from and further developed the Italian bel canto tradition of Donizetti and Bellini. But Falstaff, Verdi’s last opera and only his second comedy, has no real precedent in Italian, or any other kind of, opera. Verdi had wanted to write comic opera for some forty years. But the existing prototypes of Italian comic opera---the cartoonish opere buffe of Rossini and the sentimental opere semiserie of Donizetti---were just not Verdi's style. He seemed to understand early on that he needed to write, in his own words, "a lyric comedy quite unlike any other." Verdi had tried his hand at comedy once before Falstaff. His second opera, the comedy Un giorno di regno (1840) was perhaps his biggest flop, withdrawn after just one performance at La Scala. He was understandably gun-shy about comedy after that and typecast as a tragedian. As late as 1879, Rossini was quoted as declaring Verdi incapable of writing comic opera. Yet, if we pay close attention, we can see Verdi subtly honing his comic chops all along. Think of the black humor of the murderer Sparafucile in Rigoletto; the spiteful belly-laughs of the two conspirators in Act II of Un ballo in maschera; and the clownish bluster of Friar Melitone in Act III of La forza del destino. Verdi had decided to retire at age 58, after Aida (1871). He was rich, famous, and discouraged about the singer-centric Italian operatic style losing ground to the orchestrally-driven music dramas of Wagner. He retreated to his villa Sant' Agata, near his hometown of Bussetto, to be a gentleman farmer, along with his second wife, retired soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, and a menagerie of animals. It was not until 1884 that a cabal led by his wife, his publisher Giulio Ricordi, and the young composer-librettist Arrigo Boito managed to coax Verdi out of a 13-year retirement. The irresistible temptation was a libretto based on Othello by Shakespeare, Verdi’s idol; the result was Otello (1887), Verdi’s greatest opera to date. But in 1889, Boito tempted Verdi with another Shakespearean libretto: "There's only one way to finish better than with Otello and that's to finish triumphantly with Falstaff. After having sounded all the shrieks and groans of the human heart, to finish with a mighty burst of laughter - that is to astonish the world."

Boito’s libretto for Falstaff was based on The Merry Wives of Windsor, possibly Shakespeare's messiest, least focused play. Boito bolstered it with excerpts from Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V, as well as material of his own. He rearranged and both added to and streamlined Shakespeare. The result of this heavy tampering is one of most genuinely Shakespearean of opera librettos. If in Otello Verdi and Boito had equaled Shakespeare, in Falstaff they surpassed him. Verdi worked on Falstaff from 1890 to 1892. Rehearsals began in Milan on January 4, 1893, with Verdi supervising a handpicked cast and revising as they rehearsed. Soprano Adelina Patti, observing a rehearsal, called Verdi "such a wonderful man, 80 years of age and only looks 60...as jolly and gay as a lad”. The premiere, at La Scala on February 9, 1893, was a hot ticket and a success. Yet the startlingly original Falstaff baffled critics, who claimed to hear in it traces of Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and even Wagner. What they actually heard was none of those things; it was a new Verdi. "The music isn't difficult,” claimed Verdi, “but it must be sung differently from modern comic operas and the old opere buffe. I wouldn't want it sung like, for instance, Carmen, nor even like Don Pasquale....It's a study all on its own...." Like Otello, Falstaff has no overture or prelude, plunging us immediately into the action. From there, the whole opera is pure propulsion, cast in “real time” as opposed to slowed-down “opera time”, until the final scene. It teems with musical ideas, with few repeats of music or text. In Falstaff Verdi rejects predictable formulas - arias, cabalettas, schematic ensembles - crafting instead a seamless chain of dramatic moments perfectly balanced between the declamatory and the lyrical, the vocal and the instrumental. The orchestra provides both a vast, vibrant backdrop and a wealth of pictorial and dramatic detail. Yet, deploying the busy orchestra with masterful economy, Verdi never lets it dominate the voices. Falstaff is still an Italian opera through and through. Its prevailing speech-like vocal textures blossom now and again into tiny ariosi, songs, monologues, and ensembles. And each character speaks his own special musical language. Falstaff’s Act I monologue, “L’onore! Ladri!” is cast in “overstuffed” 14-syllable lines of verse, and his comic compatriots, especially Dame Quickly, are also drawn with Hirschfeld-like economy and precision.

In Alice Ford, Verdi created a new kind of prima donna, with no grand entrance or show-stopping aria, but nevertheless dominating the action; as Verdi put it, “It's she who stirs the polenta”. Alice’s husband Ford stands apart from the rest, speaking the musical language of the operatic tragedy which was for so long Verdi's home ground. Venting his jealousy in his monologue in Act II, he seems to be cousin to Otello. Ironically, the two youngest characters are the most old-fashioned: Nannetta and Fenton, Verdi's most poetic pair of young lovers, sing extended lyrical lines, an old man’s idealized memory of luminous young love. Their meetings are mini-duets which provide idyllic refuge from the opera’s madcap intrigues. Wrote Boito, "I would like as one sprinkles sugar on a tart to sprinkle the whole comedy with that happy love without concentrating it at any one point." In Act III, Verdi seems to be bidding a deliberate farewell to opera. After the relentless rush of events and musical ideas in the first two acts, the final scene begins as a stately nocturnal masque, with two stylized set pieces: Fenton's short aria, in strict sonnet form (derived from Shakespeare's Sonnets 8 and 128) and Nannetta’s diaphanously scored strophic nocturne. This ethereal mood is abruptly shattered when Falstaff, awaiting a tryst, is tormented and terrified by all of Windsor. No spoilers here, but let’s just say that all ends happily, as it must in a comedy. And please don’t fail to notice that the men are outwitted, while the Merry Wives triumph. Verdi draws Falstaff, and his operatic career, to a brilliant close. After gracing us with 28 mighty tragedies, the 80-year-old composer's last words to us are: "Tutto nel mondo è burla. L'uom è nato burlone." ("Everything in the world is a joke. Man is born a jester.") To seal his most forwardlooking opera, he reaches back to the distant past, the Baroque era, creating a dazzling fugue, virtually unheard of in opera. Its virtuosic interweaving of equal parts - the perfect way to illustrate reconciliation, equality, and the restoration of order encrypts Verdi’s valedictory message: tolerance, understanding, and a sense of humor. None of us, not even the great Verdi, can afford to take ourselves too seriously. Cori Ellison is a Dramaturg at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Principal Dramaturg and Faculty Member at American Lyric Theater.

SYNOPSIS ACT 1 A room at the Garter Inn The hedonistic old knight Sir John Falstaff, with his loyal followers Bardolfo and Pistola, awakens after an evening of reveling. The foppish Dr. Caius bursts in and accuses Falstaff and Bardolfo of picking his pocket and robbing him. After much taunting, they throw him out. Falstaff hands an identical letter to each of his accomplices for delivery to Alice Ford and Meg Page, two wealthy married women, professing his love for each of them, although it is access to their husbands' money that he chiefly desires. Bardolfo and Pistola refuse, citing their code of honor. Falstaff dispatches his page instead, and unleashes a tirade on his followers, telling them that honor is a mere word and is of no practical value, then chases them away. Ford's garden Alice and Meg receive the letters, compare them, and discover they are identical. Together with Mistress Quickly and young Nannetta Ford, they resolve to punish Falstaff. Meanwhile, Ford is warned of the letters by Bardolfo and Pistola. Thirsty for revenge, they are supported by Dr. Caius and Fenton, a young gentleman. To Ford's disapproval, Fenton is in love with Nannetta, and believes Caius to be the better match. Finding moments to be alone, the young lovers exchange flirtations but are constantly interrupted by the others. The act ends with an ensemble in which the women and the men plan their separate revenge on Falstaff.

ACT 2 A room at the Garter Inn Bardolfo and Pistola, now working for Ford, present themselves to Falstaff and pretend to beg forgiveness. Mistress Quickly arrives to deliver Falstaff an invitation from Alice to meet her at home that afternoon between the hours of two and three. Falstaff

celebrates his potential success. A mysterious "Signor Fontana" is introduced as a secret admirer of Alice, but who is actually Ford in disguise. He offers money to Falstaff to seduce Alice for him; the fat knight is puzzled at the request, and "Fontana" explains that if Alice succumbs to Falstaff, it will then be easier for Fontana to achieve the same goal. Falstaff agrees with pleasure, and reveals that he already has a rendezvous arranged with Alice for two o'clock – the hour when Ford is always absent from home. Ford is consumed with jealousy as Falstaff goes off to change into his wooing clothes. When Falstaff returns in his finery, they leave together with elaborate displays of mutual courtesy. A room in Ford's house Alice, Meg and Quickly are in high spirits as they plot their strategy, but Nannetta is very upset, telling her mother that Ford plans to marry her to Dr. Caius, a man old enough to be her grandfather. The women reassure her that they will prevent it. Quickly announces Falstaff's arrival, and Alice has a large hamper and a dressing screen placed in readiness. Falstaff’s attempts to woo her with tales of his past glory are cut short as Mistress Quickly reports Ford’s arrival, determined to catch his wife's lover. The women hide Falstaff in the hamper; meanwhile, Fenton and Nannetta hide behind the screen to canoodle in private. Hearing their kiss, the men assume it is Falstaff with Alice, but discover the young lovers instead. Ford is outraged and orders Fenton to leave. While the men resume their search, Alice orders her servants to dump the hamper out the window into the River Thames, where Falstaff is compelled to endure the jeers of the crowd.

ACT 3 Outside the inn Crawling out of the muddy water, Falstaff glumly curses his misfortunes and consoles himself with some

mulled wine. Mistress Quickly arrives to deliver another invitation to meet Alice. At first Falstaff wants nothing to do with it, but is persuaded when he learns that they are to meet at midnight under Herne's Oak in Windsor Great Park, he in disguise as the mythical Herne the Hunter. Eavesdropping on the scene, Ford, Alice, and their allies confirm their plan for Falstaff's punishment; dressed as supernatural creatures, they will ambush and torment him at midnight under the Oak. Ford privately proposes a separate plot to Caius: Nannetta will be disguised as Queen of the Fairies, Caius will wear a monk's costume, and Ford will perform their marriage. Mistress Quickly overhears them, and quietly vows to thwart the scheme. Herne's Oak in Windsor Park at midnight Fenton arrives at the Oak and sings of his love for Nannetta. The women arrive and disguise him as a monk, including him in their plot to spoil Ford's plans with Caius. Falstaff arrives at midnight, but his attempted seduction of Alice is interrupted by what he believes to be a troop of Fairies. Nannetta leads her cohorts in a dance, then the others arrive disguised as witches, elves and sprites, and soundly thrash Falstaff for his misdeeds. When Falstaff recognizes Bardolfo in disguise, the joke is over and he acknowledges that he has received his due. Now that all is right with the world, Ford announces that a wedding shall ensue. Caius enters in his disguise, accompanied by a veiled figure. Alice presents a second couple, also in disguise, who ask Ford to deliver the same blessing. Ford happily conducts the double ceremony, after which Caius discovers that his bride is actually Bardolfo in disguise, and Ford has unwittingly blessed Fenton and Nannetta as husband and wife. Ford accepts the fait accompli with good grace. Pleased to find himself not the only dupe, Falstaff leads the company in a fugue that proclaims that all the world is folly, and all are figures of fun.

ZÉMIRE ET AZOR Comédie-ballet mêlée de chants et de danses First Performance November 9, 1771 Comédie-Italienne, Fontainebleau Three performances: July 2, 8m, 14m Music by André Ernest Modeste Grétry Libretto by Jean François Marmontel

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE ALI Keith Jameson SANDER Christopher Burchett AZOR Andrew Bidlack ZÉMIRE Maureen McKay FATMÉ Lisa Marie Rogali* LISBÉ Katherine Maysek*

PRODUCTION CONDUCTOR Lidiya Yankovskaya DIRECTOR James Ortiz CHOREOGRAPHER Jill Echo SCENIC AND PUPPET DESIGNER James Ortiz ASSOCIATE PUPPET DESIGNER AND ENGINEER Jessica Scott LEAD PUPPET BUILDER Lisa Schlenker

+Alumnus of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program *Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program New co-production with Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee, WI Sung in French with English projected text; English dialogue adapted by James Ortiz and Shari Rhoads. There will be one intermission. The performance will last approximately two and a half hours.

COSTUME DESIGNER Shima Orans

Orchestral arrangement by Les Violons du Roy.

LIGHTING DESIGNER Brandon Stirling Baker

Lead Funding for Opera Saratoga’s production of Zémire et Azor has been generously provided by Adirondack Trust.

WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Steven Seigart* ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Emily Cuk* FRENCH COACH Bénédicte Jourdois

DANCERS / PUPPETEERS Hannah Button, Sean Anthony Jackson, Alex Mace, Hannah Zinn

SUPERTITLES Emily Cuk*

THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA

SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Timothy Accurso+

Opera Saratoga’s Opera-in-Motion initiative has been made possible, in part, by lead funding by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.

MUSIC LIBRARIAN Steven Seigart* STAGE MANAGER Amy Soll ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Anthony Poston

A FAIRY TALE IN SONG AND DANCE Just a few months ago, Disney’s liveaction film version of Beauty and the Beast opened in theaters. This month, Opera Saratoga’s audiences will be treated to one of the earliest stage versions of this timeless fairy tale: Belgian composer André Grétry’s Zémire et Azor. Though the story of Beauty and the Beast is well known to contemporary audiences, the composer is less likely to be familiar today. However, this was not always the case: Grétry achieved great fame in his lifetime as the composer of over fifty operas, and his influence on the art form is profound, if not immediately apparent. Born in Liège in 1741 to a poor family, Grétry was captivated by Italian opera from an early age. This impelled him to study in Rome from 1760 to 1766, and though he spent most of his career in Paris, his early exposure to the Italian style had a lasting effect on his compositional methods. It is not surprising, then, that he incorporated Italianate musical features into the French form known as opéra comique. Originally comprised of existing popular songs interpolated into a spoken narrative, opéra comique was given new vitality when composers replaced its characteristic popular tunes with music of their own. Grétry refined the form, becoming the genre’s foremost practitioner. Structurally, his operas are also indebted to the tragediés lyriques of such French Baroque composers as Jean-Baptiste Lully, particularly in their incorporation of ballets and instrumental interludes. Zémire et Azor is, in fact, classified as a comédieballet mêlée de chants et de danses, or a “comedy-ballet mixing song and dance”. But contemporary audiences will find that Grétry’s music, with his emphasis on clean melodic lines and homophonic rather than contrapuntal textures, is more reminiscent of the Classical-Era vernacular of Mozart, Haydn, and Johann Christian Bach. Composed in 1771 to a French libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, Zémire et Azor is an early example of a “rescue opera,” a work which concerns the rescue of a benevolent character from a dangerous situation. Mozart saw this opera as a teenager, and it’s easy to hear Grétry’s

influence on Mozart’s own forays into the style, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Die Zauberflöte. Grétry and Marmontel, having been introduced by the Swedish diplomat Gustaf Creutz in 1768, had collaborated on five operas before turning their attention to the famous tale of La Belle et la bête. In selecting his source material, Marmontel chose a well-known version by French governess and author JeanneMarie Leprince de Beaumont. Aside from somewhat restructuring and combining scenes to suit his purposes, Marmontel appears to have left the plot largely intact. When the opera premiered on November 9, 1771 at the Comédie-Italienne in Fontainebleau, it was exceedingly well received and came to be regarded as one of Grétry’s masterpieces. It was revived later that year in Paris and subsequently performed in such diverse locales as St. Petersburg (1774), Stockholm (1778), and London (1779). Zémire maintained a prominent position in the French repertoire until at least 1821, seven years after Grétry’s death. Vocally, Zémire adheres more closely to florid Italian influences than understated French aesthetics, as exemplified by its most famous showpiece, “La Fauvette.” Harking back to Handel, “La Fauvette” is a da capo aria in standard A-B-A format: a fast section, then a slower one, followed by a vocally embellished repetition of the fast section. It was this ornate display of coloratura to which many of Grétry’s contemporaries objected, but in “La Fauvette” he embraces the form wholeheartedly, giving dramatic credence to the vocal acrobatics by having them function as an imitation of birdsong, rather than an empty spectacle of technical virtuosity. In a departure from Handelian practice, Zémire makes extensive use of ensemble numbers, prefiguring Mozart’s subsequent mastery of the form. For this production, a classical chamber orchestra will accompany the sextet of singers to bring Grétry’s exquisite melodies to life. Among the most memorable aspects of this production will surely be the extraordinary puppet representing the beast, Azor. Designed by stage director and designer

James Ortiz, and brought to life by four dancer/puppeteers, its monstrous arms and legs contrast with an incongruously small head to give the impression of grotesque malformation. Reptilian scales protrude violently at awkward angles and curved horns jut menacingly from its forehead. Rather than inciting fear, however, the overriding emotion this behemoth evokes is compassion for his sorry lot – a testament to the artistry of the puppeteers and the context in which the puppetry is integrated with the music. Azor’s entire body is capable of conveying a wide range of emotions, whether he is in the throes of an anguished aria of heartbreak or sharing a tender moment with Zémire. Choosing to forego setting the opera in the sardonic Dangerous Liaisons era of its composition, the production team opts instead for a mise-en-scène which director Ortiz describes as “vaguely Elizabethan” and characterizes as “without irony.” Given the earnestness of the story’s heroine and love-conquers-all viewpoint, his rationale is borne out by the production’s periodspecific visual design. Using a central platform with circular moveable walls, the multi-level set transforms deftly between Zémire’s stately home and Azor’s oncegrand palace. From the crumbling castle to Shima Orans’s detailed period costumes, there is no question that we are in Fairy Tale World at its most classic. Be sure to watch for these unique touches as you enjoy Opera Saratoga’s production of this singular gem.

Daniel J. Brylow is a Milwaukee-based stage director, singer, arts administrator, and translator.

SYNOPSIS ACT I Prologue / Overture A montage establishes the cycle of the traveling merchant Sander’s years of homecomings and goodbyes with his family. Each time, Sander returns with more expensive gifts for his three daughters. Fatmé and Lisbé accept them greedily, while Zémire is simply happy to see her father return. When asked by her father what she would like from his travels, Zémire tells him that all she would like him to bring her is a single rose, as they have none where they live. Sander promises her this present, and he and his servant Ali board their ship once again. Sander’s ship sinks during a storm, and the two men are washed ashore on an enchanted island. They travel through a forest until they arrive at the gate of a mysterious palace. Scene One Ali is scared and wants to leave, but Sander refuses to run away. Spirits of the island bring on a banquet table laden with food. Ali’s mood changes, and he salutes their unseen host. Sander sees beautiful roses growing by the palace. Remembering his daughter’s only wish, he picks a rose for Zémire. At that moment, the beast

Azor appears. He tells Sander that he must pay for stealing the rose. Sander explains that it was taken out of love for his daughter. Azor commands Sander to bring Zémire to him, or he will never see any of his family again. Azor summons a wind spirit, who carries Sander and Ali back home.

When she awakens, she is confused by the transformation. Azor proves to be a kind host. He offers her anything she desires, but Zémire explains to Azor that things can’t buy her happiness. Azor is touched by this. He asks her to sing, and she agrees. Azor is further enchanted by Zémire.

Scene Two Back at the Sander estate, the three sisters sing a work song. Sander and Ali return, but Fatmé and Lisbé are disappointed because the only present he has brought from his journey is a single rose for Zémire. Zémire sings a song of hope to her family. When Ali, against Sander’s orders, tells her about Azor’s threat, Zémire agrees to go to Azor’s palace. Back on the island, Azor sings of his despair. Ali brings Zémire to the palace and runs off. When she meets Azor, she faints at the sight of him.

Scene Two Azor shows Zémire her family in a magic mirror. He decides to allow her to visit them, if she promises to return to him. She agrees. Zémire returns home to find that her sisters remain unsatisfied with everything they have, and that her father is in deep despair. Sander is overjoyed to see Zémire, but despite her family’s objections, she explains that she must return to Azor. On the island, Azor is in despair and near death, believing that Zémire will not return. Zémire returns to find Azor collapsed on the ground. She proclaims her love for him, and as she does, he is transformed into a handsome prince. Azor explains that he had been transformed into a beast by a magic spell, but through the power of love, has been revived. Zémire is reunited with her family as they meet the Prince Azor. The opera concludes as they all sing of the enduring power of love.

INTERMISSION

ACT II Scene One Zémire’s clothes have been magically transformed into a richly-made gown.

LEFT The puppet Azor, created by director/designer James Ortiz, which is operated by four dancer/puppeteers in the production.

THE CRADLE WILL ROCK A Play in Music First Performance originally scheduled on June 16, 1937 at The Maxine Elliott Theatre, NYC. Shut down by the Federal Government. Performed by Marc Blitzstein at the piano with members of the cast in the audience at The Venice Theater, NYC, June 16, 1937. Four performances: July 9, 11m, 13, 16m Music, Book and Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein

MRS. MISTER Audrey Babcock

WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Sondra Nottingham

MR. MISTER Matt Boehler

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Joshua Horsch+

JUNIOR MISTER Spencer Viator*

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR David Radamés Toro*

SISTER MISTER Heather Jones*

STAGE MANAGER Kristen Barrett

STEVE Miles Herr*

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Robert Klein

BUGS Andy Papas* SADIE POLOCK Meghan Kasanders*

+Alumnus of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program *Member of Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program

CAST, IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

GUS POLOCK Michael Anderson*

MOLL Ginger Costa-Jackson

LARRY FOREMAN Christopher Burchett

There will be no intermission.

GENT Andy Papas*

PROFESSOR SCOOT Miles Herr*

The performance will last approximately ninety minutes.

DICK Efraín Solís

ELLA HAMMER Nina Spinner*

COP Dylan Elza*

REPORTERS Meghan Kasanders*, Efraín Solís

Marc Blitzstein’s original orchestration, used by arrangement with European American Music Corporation, agent for Christopher Davis and agent for The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc.

DR. SPECIALIST Jorgeandrés Camargo*

THE OPERA SARATOGA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS

Lead Funding for Opera Saratoga’s production of The Cradle Will Rock has been generously provided by The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY.

PRODUCTION

Additional support for this production has been generously provided by The National Endowment for the Arts.

REVEREND SALVATION Justin Hopkins DAUBER Scott Purcell* PROFESSOR TRIXIE Michael Anderson* PRESIDENT PREXY Eric McConnell* PROFESSOR MAMIE Adam Bradley* EDITOR DAILY Brian Wallin* YASHA John Tibbetts* HARRY DRUGGIST Keith Jameson

CONDUCTOR John Mauceri

New Production, Sung in English.

DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER Lawrence Edelson SCENIC DESIGNER Martin T. Lopez COSTUME DESIGNER Anya Klepikov ASSOCIATE COSTUME DESIGNER Jess Gersz LIGHTING DESIGNER Brandon Stirling Baker 27

THE UNUSUAL STORY OF MARC BLITZSTEIN’S THE CRADLE WILL ROCK On June 16, 1937, Manhattan’s Venice Theatre witnessed perhaps the most legendary opening in the annals of the American theater, the impromptu premiere of Marc Blitzstein’s opera The Cradle Will Rock (and make no bones about it, for all its indebtedness to popular musical theater, and its use of spoken dialogue, the work is as much an opera as Mozart’s The Magic Flute or Bizet’s Carmen). So much so that this storied debut inspired a 1999 Hollywood film, Cradle Will Rock, directed by Tim Robbins (with Hank Azaria playing composer Blitzstein). A native Philadelphian, Blitzstein (19051964), one of the most brilliant composers and lyricists of his time, wrote the work while still in his early thirties in a burst of white heat following the tragic death of his wife from anorexia in 1936. The work was to be presented under the auspices of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), a government agency found in 1935 that produced—before it was defunded by congress in the summer of 1939—hundreds of stage works and radio plays around the country, with the twofold mission of presenting good theater nationally, and granting work to thousands of unemployed or underemployed actors, musicians, writers, artists, and crew members. Hallie Flanagan, the director of the Federal Theatre Project, entrusted Blitzstein’s opera to several future luminaries, namely producer John Houseman, director Orson Welles, and musical director Lehman Engel, with the composer on hand as consultant. After a few delays, the work was scheduled to open at the Maxine Elliott’s Theatre, a house slightly south of Manhattan’s theater district, in June of 1937. By this time, the Federal Theatre had come under hostile scrutiny by many of the more conservative members of the U.S. Congress, who thought the agency nothing more than a front for communist 28

and subversive propaganda; and it must be admitted, at least, that the FTP valiantly patronized, among its broad array of offerings, several provocative works that challenged social conventions. As an impassioned and searingly caustic argument in defense of middle-class support for working-class unions as opposed to corporate privilege, The Cradle Will Rock made Washington particularly nervous, especially in light of violent strikes tearing through the country, including the May 30 Memorial Day Massacre, just two weeks before the planned opening of the opera, in which the Chicago police fired into a crowd demonstrating against Republic Steel, leaving ten dead and scores wounded. Days before the opera was set to open, Flanagan’s supervisors, citing financial duress, ordered a halt to the production. Houseman and Welles, disregarding this injunction, proceeded with a dress rehearsal; but on the day of the premiere, they found the theatre padlocked and manned by security guards, with their access limited to a basement office. As the first-night ticket-holders, sensing excitement, gathered outside the Maxine Elliott’s, Houseman, Welles, and Blitzstein boldly decided to present the work that very night in some other venue. True, they could not remove any items such as music, costumes, sets, or props from the theater, as these were considered government property (even actor Howard da Silva’s toupee was confiscated, although Lehman Engel managed to smuggle out a score under his coat); but they had a cast, an orchestra, and a crew willing to put on the show regardless. Finding an empty and available theater in a matter of hours, as might be expected, proved difficult. Moreover, with exquisite irony, the rules laid down by the actors’ and musicians’ unions—Actors’ Equity and Local 802, respectively—made for additional complications; as government employees,

the cast could not act on a commercial stage, and at their current salaries, the musicians could not play in a commercial pit, only on stage. “So there we were,” recalled Blitzstein, “in the position of having a production without a theater, actors who could not appear on stage and musicians who could appear nowhere else—enough to the make the stoutest enthusiast admit defeat and give up.” However, a determined Orson Welles managed to find an unoccupied Broadway theater, the Venice, to rent. He further procured a piano, and proposed that Blitzstein narrate and play the score from the stage (including, as needed, performing some of the roles himself), and the cast perform their parts from the audience. About six hundred ticket-holders followed cast and crew as they marched uptown to the Venice, inviting friends to join them on the way, as the Venice held about twice as many seats as the Maxine Elliott’s. The performance finally began at 9:45. As Blitzstein began to sing the opening song at the piano by himself, in one of the most riveting moments in the history of the American theater, the young, slender woman playing The Moll, Olive Stanton, began to sing along, taking over the number as a follow spot located her in a loge box. Remarked another cast member, “If Olive Stanton had not risen on cue in the box, I doubt if the rest of us would have had the courage to stand up and carry on. But once that thin, incredibly clear voice came out, we all fell in line.” As the curtain fell, the audience erupted in “roaring pandemonium,” with Orson Welles, late in his life, describing the response as “that mighty, loving explosion which can be heard but once or twice in a theatre lifetime.” The premiere made front-page news, sometimes accompanied by rapturous reviews from those critics who attended the performance, or who

otherwise knew the work, like Virgil Thomson. Blitzstein and company continued to present the work at the Venice, with Actors’ Equity allowing the cast to perform on stage. After a break of some months, during the winter of 1937—38, the opera, with Blitzstein still at the piano, was successfully revived at Houseman and Welles’s new Mercury Theatre, and then at the Windsor Theatre. The Windsor cast, accompanied by Blitzstein, even recorded an abridged version of the work in April 1938. Clearly the dramatic circumstances of the premiere added to the work’s extraordinary reception, as did the day’s social and political milieu; but the opera itself—a dazzling piece of musical theater, both in tone and word—has endured as a highly admired piece, one performed regularly at home and sometimes even abroad, nearly always in productions featuring a simple piano accompaniment and sparse sets in homage to its fabled premiere.

reflects similar qualities in the work as a whole, while the incorporation of such sounds as telephone bell and siren matches the work’s seamless integration of dialogue and music. Only very few performances of The Cradle have presented the work in this original orchestral garb. Leonard Bernstein, who gave the 1937 premiere of the work in Boston while still a student at Harvard (playing the score at the piano by memory!), gave the first public performance of the full orchestral version in concert with the New York City Symphony in 1947. The success of this orchestral debut led to a full-scale Broadway production during the winter of 1947—48, a short run that prompted one critic to write, “when you hear it with the full musical score rather than the original simple piano, you have a chance to realize just how important a composer for the theater is Mr. Blitzstein.” In 1960, the New York

City Opera also presented the work with full orchestra, with Tammy Grimes as The Moll—the last time the work was heard as such, although in 2013, Encores! Off-Center presented, at New York City Center, a few semi-staged performances of the work with a new, reduced orchestration for fourteen instruments prepared by Josh Clayton. Otherwise, nearly every production to date has employed just a single piano. Nor has there ever been a commercial recording of the work with orchestra. Hence, all the more reason to celebrate this rare opportunity to hear The Cradle Will Rock the way it was intended to be heard.

By Howard Pollock for Opera Saratoga. Howard Pollock is the author of the authoritative biography, Marc Blitzstein – His Life, His Work, His World, published by Oxford University Press.

However, as noted by the composer in 1938, this had the unfortunate consequence of distorting his intentions: “Most people overlook the fact that in its original Federal Theatre production, The Cradle Will Rock had been greatly enhanced by the set-constructions, lighting designs, and orchestrations. But in the form by which it finally became known, the show hardly represented a full-reading or a true theatre production. It was really only a heightened reading and, as such, had no intended relation to the theories of Brecht or any one else.” Indeed, the nearly universal use of a piano accompaniment became a strange anomaly—all one has to do is consider any other opera in the repertoire, and imagine it consistently presented with only piano accompaniment. And if this tradition aided the work’s usefulness among smaller troupes, it arguably served as a disincentive for presentation in opera houses and larger theaters. The opera certainly loses a good deal when shorn of its orchestra. For starters, no one pianist can duplicate all the notes in the score. But in addition, Blitzstein’s scoring shows the hand of a highly original and skilled orchestrator. The instrumentation itself is distinctive: flute, two clarinets, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, two trumpets, trombone, piano, accordion, strummed instruments (guitar, banjo, and Hawaiian guitar), a large percussion battery, and strings. To cite one effective stroke, the score, by having the saxophones double on clarinet, occasionally features a clarinet trio, which helps provide some additional pathos for some of the quieter and more sober moments. The orchestration’s refined adaptation of popular scoring

ABOVE Photographs of Marc Blitzstein with the original cast of The Cradle Will Rock, in preparations for the 1937 premiere. Photo credit: Acme. Photographs courtesy of the Weill-Lenya Research Center, Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, New York.

SYNOPSIS STEELTOWN, USA, 1937. Moll, a tired and hungry prostitute, tries to attract a customer, but a detective intervenes to arrest her for soliciting. He mentions a union rally downtown. Then another policeman enters, having rounded up the anti-union Liberty Committee by mistake, and places them under arrest. Everyone proceeds to night court. At night court, Moll meets Harry Druggist, who is continually arrested for vagrancy after having lost his drugstore because of Mr. Mister. Harry tells Moll that the Liberty Committee are bigger prostitutes than she is. He explains how they, and even himself, have sold out to Mr. Mister. In a series of flashbacks, we see this happen. Reverend Salvation is convinced by Mrs. Mister to deliver sermons on World War I that are convenient to the profits of the steel industry. The scene shifts to Mr. Mister’s disreputable children, Junior Mister and Sister Mister. Editor Daily of the Steeltown News is bullied by Mr. Mister into running false stories against union organizer Larry Foreman, and giving

his son Junior a correspondence job in Honolulu to keep him out of trouble. The scene shifts to Harry Druggist’s shop. Harry is strong-armed by one of Mr. Mister’s henchmen, Bugs, into keeping quiet about a bomb that has been planted to take out Gus Polock, an immigrant steel worker who has joined the union. He hoped to preserve his drugstore by doing so, but his son Steve is killed trying to save Gus and his pregnant wife from the blast, and Harry ends up a vagrant. The scene shifts to a conversation between Yasha, a musician, and Dauber, a painter in a hotel lobby. They realize that they are both waiting for Mrs. Mister, their patron. When she arrives, they fawn over her, begging to be invited to a weekend party, and using their art to support her husband’s ideals. Back in the night court, Moll reflects on poverty. Larry Foreman enters, charged with making speeches and distributing leaflets. Larry explains the principle behind unions, and says that the time is coming when “the cradle will rock” and Mr. Mister - and others like him - will be overthrown.

In another flashback, Mr. Mister visits President Prexy at Steeltown University to request a professor to help stir up the students against the union. One of the professors proposed is wholly unsuitable, but Professor Trixie and Professor Mamie fit the bill. The scene shifts to the office of Dr. Specialist, Mr. Mister’s personal doctor, who also treated a worker who was seriously injured in a machine accident. Mr. Mister threatens the doctor with the loss of his chairmanship of the Liberty Committee if he does not tell the press that the worker was drunk. Ella Hammer, the worker’s sister, knows that he was pushed into the machinery, and angrily confronts the doctor and the press. In the final scene, Mr. Mister appears at the night court to release the Liberty Committee. He attempts to entice Larry Foreman with a place on the Committee and a hefty bribe if he will give up his union activities. Foreman refuses. Though a common man, he stands up to the corrupt forces of Mr. Mister. Mr. Mister feels that his monopoly may be slipping away. He confronts Foreman, but the workers are rising up.

This production of The Cradle Will Rock has been funded, in part, by The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY. The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc. administers, promotes, and perpetuates the legacies of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya. It encourages broad dissemination and appreciation of Weill’s music through support of performances, productions, recordings, and scholarship, and it fosters understanding of Weill’s and Lenya’s lives and work within diverse cultural contexts. Building upon the legacies of both, it nurtures talent, particularly in the creation, performance, and study of musical theater in its various manifestations and media. In 2012, the Kurt Weill Foundation assumed ownership of 50% of the estate of Marc Blitzstein. For more information, please visit www.kwf.org. 30

current CMU and Opera Saratoga faculty:

Djordje Nesic vocal coach

WHERE ARTISTRY + INNOVATION SHARE CENTER STAGE

music.cmu.edu | Application Deadline: December 1

Celebrating the many luminar ies of Marcella Sembr ichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, Opera Museum / Concert Series

518.644.2431 / www.thesembrich.org / 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing, NY 31

KERSHNER, GROSSO & CO. Registered Investment Advisors 480 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518) 584-2600

Providing investment advisory & estate planning services for families, trusts, & pensions for more than thirty years. www.kershnergrosso.com

E-Mail: tkershner@post.harvard.edu

SATURDAY

AUGUST 19 8PM

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Yannick NĂŠzet-SĂŠguin, conductor Susanna Phillips, soprano Isabelle Leonard, mezzo-soprano Matthew Polenzani, tenor An Evening of Opera by Bernstein, Bizet, Mozart, Offenbach and Puccini

Tickets:

spac.org

EXPERIENCE. COMMITMENT. RESULTS. Proud Supporters of Opera Saratoga 518.487.7600 / WOH.COM

One Commerce Plaza . Albany, NY 12260

PRINCIPAL ARTIST PROFILES

LINDSAY AMMANN

Mistress Quickly in Falstaff Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Frank & Rosemary Pusateri

AUDREY BABCOCK

Mrs. Mister in The Cradle Will Rock

Opera Saratoga Debut 2012 as Maddalena in Rigoletto Sponsored by Judy & Jeff Killeen

ANDREW BIDLACK

Azor in Zémire et Azor Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by D. Thomas & Theresa Treadway Lloyd

With a voice “capable of sinister low chest tones and robust high notes that can express a gamut of emotions” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and a stage presence that is “a force to be dealt with” (Opera News), Lindsay Ammann posseses an instrument well-suited for the most dramatic of roles, proving to be a future staple in the works of Verdi and Wagner. In 2015-16, Ms. Ammann sang Martha/Adam’s The Gospel According to the Other Mary (Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra), Suzuki/Madama Butterfly (North Carolina Opera), Third Lady/ Die Zauberflöte (Geneva Opera), Alto Soloist/Verdi’s Requiem (South Dakota Symphony). Also Erda, Schwertleite and First Norn in the Washington National Opera Ring Cycle. 201617 included Flosshilde/Rheingold (Lyric Opera of Chicago), First Norn and Flosshilde/ Götterdämmerung (Canadian Opera Company), Fourth Voice/Arjuna’s Dilemma (Dallas Opera) and Mistress Quickly/Falstaff (Opera Saratoga). Future seasons will see a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera and Washington National Opera. Ms. Ammann made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2011 as Rossweisse/Die Walküre. Other highlights include leading roles at the Canadian Opera Company, Oper Stuttgart, Wolf Trap Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Ms. Ammann can be heard on the Grammy Award-Winning Twilight of the Gods CD, released by Deutsche Grammophon.

Award-winning mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock is known for her commanding, powerful performances as Carmen and her dark, hypnotic portrayals of Maddalena in Rigoletto. As Carmen, Ms. Babcock has been seen with Florentine Opera, Nashville Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New York City Opera, San Antonio Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Delaware, Toledo Opera, Anchorage Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. Recent engagements as Maddalena include Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, Florentine Opera and Nashville Opera. Additional highlights are Erika in Vanessa with Sarasota Opera, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Tulsa Opera, Jo in Little Women with Utah Opera and Syracuse Opera, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Spoleto Festival, USA, and the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul with New Jersey Opera. Also widely recognized as a choice singer for new works, Ms. Babcock has premiered several new operas, including Tobias Picker’s Thérèse Raquin (NY Premiere - Dicapo Opera), With Blood, With Ink (World Premiere - Fort Worth Opera), La Reina (American Lyric Theater, NY & Prototype Festival), The Poe Project (American Lyric Theater), and appeared as Mother in Winter’s Tale with Beth Morrison’s Prototype Festival in NYC in 2015. The 2016-2017 season included Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (New Orleans Opera), Aldonza in The Man of La Mancha (Utah Opera), Maddalena in Rigoletto (Palm Beach Opera), and Carmen (Dayton Opera & Fort Worth Opera). The upcoming 2017-2018 season will see engagements with the Dayton Symphony for the Verdi Requiem, the Secretary in The Consul with both Long Beach Opera and Chicago Opera Theater, and the title role in Maria de Buenos Aires with the San Diego Opera. Featured by Opera News as one of their ‘top 25 brilliant young artists’ (October 2015), tenor Andrew Bidlack began the 2016-17 Season at Dallas Opera: Lensky (c) in Eugene Onegin and Greenhorn/Ishmael in Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, and later for a concert performance of Joby Talbot’s Everest. He developed the role of Christopher Morcom in The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing for American Lyric Theater, and at Madison Opera sang the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflote. In Madison he also performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Organist in a program of arias from Messiah, Elijah, and opera favourites. Grétry’s rarely heard opera Zémire et Azor makes great use of the artist’s flexible coloratura when he sings the title role at Opera Saratoga. Andrew recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Beppe (I Pagliacci). He created the roles of Irving Tashman in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star at Cincinnati Opera and Rob Hall in Joby Talbot’s Everest at Dallas Opera, where he previously sang the role of Sandy (The Lighthouse) and Count Albert (Die Tote Stadt). He brought to life the role of Greenhorn (Moby-Dick) in Jake Heggie’s workshop production at San Francisco Opera where he was an Adler Fellow for two seasons, appearing also as Odoardo (Ariodante) and Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor). Andrew sang Ramiro (La Cenerentola) and Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi) at Opera Omaha; Tonio (La Fille du Régiment) at Palm Beach Opera; Baron Lummer (Intermezzo) at New York City Opera; and at Florida Grand Opera, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte). He joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production as The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire with Renée Fleming, with performances also at Carnegie Hall.

MATT BOEHLER

Mr. Mister in The Cradle Will Rock Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Jeff & Janet Altamari

CHRISTOPHER BURCHETT

Sander in Zémire et Azor and Larry Foreman in The Cradle Will Rock Opera Saratoga Debut 2013 as Captain Corcoran H.M.S Pinafore Sponsored by Christine Rowe-Button

MICHAEL CHIOLDI

Ford in Falstaff

Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by George & Christine Hearst

Critically acclaimed bass Matt Boehler recently debuted with Dallas Opera as the Donkey in Becoming Santa, joined Musica Sacra for Handel’s Messiah, the Sacramento Chorale for Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Bard Summerscape as Il Cieco in Mascagni’s Iris, and made his role debut as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with Victory Hall Opera. Additional recent highlights include his debut with Canadian Opera Company as Sir Walter Raleigh in Roberto Devereux, returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Iolantha and The Nose, Madison Opera as Rocco in Fidelio, and debuts with Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie as the Erster Schäfer in Daphne, Michigan Opera Theater as Méphistophélès in Faust, and Des Moines Metro Opera as Osmin in Die Enführung aus dem Serail. With the Theater St. Gallen he made his role debut as Daland in Der fliegende Holländer and sang Leporello in Don Giovanni, Pfarrer/Dachs in The Cunning Little Vixen, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Count Horn in Un ballo in maschera, Pedone in La Wally, Marchese di Calatrava in La forza del destino, Leone in Attila, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto and joined the St. Galler Festspiele as Baldassare in La favorita for their 2014 festival season. The 2016-2017 season and beyond includes Rautavaara’s Vigilia at St. John the Divine in New York, and his much-anticipated return to Canadian Opera Company as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. Future engagements include his debut with Opera Philadelphia in Elizabeth Cree, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Minnesota Opera, Aquanetta with the Prototype Festival, Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Madison Opera, and an appearance at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Christopher Burchett, whom Opera News has described as a “fearlessly vulnerable performer,“ has appeared with companies both in the U.S. and abroad such as New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Estates Theatre in Prague, The Barbican & BBC Orchestra, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, Indianapolis Opera, Kentucky Opera, Glimmerglass Opera Festival and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Last season he performed American Muse with Omaha Symphony, El Gringo in a workshop performance of La Reina at the Prototype Festival, Revelations of Divine Love with the Bel Canto Chorus, Victor in Buried Alive with Fort Worth Opera, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall, Gilgamesh in the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s Gilgamesh with Beth Morrison Projects and Friends of Madame White Snake and the Dad in last fall’s production of Greek with Boston Lyric Opera. This season he performs the Governor in Man of La Mancha with Indianapolis Opera, The Dream of Gerontius with The Orchestra Now, Carmina Burana with The Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center, records Arnold Rosner’s The Parable of the Law with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and sings Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Fargo-Moorhead Opera. Future seasons include appearances with Chicago Opera Theater as John Cree in Kevin Puts’ Elizabeth Cree, Macheath in The Threepenny Opera with Boston Lyric Opera, the soldier in David T. Little’s Soldier Songs with Fargo-Moorhead Opera and El Gringo in Jorge Sosa’s La Reina with Fort Worth Opera. He can be heard on the Naxos, VIA, Cantaloupe and Albany record labels.

American baritone Michael Chioldi has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most soughtafter dramatic baritones of his generation. Praised for his “warm, rich tone” (Opera News) and “deeply communicative phrasing” (The Baltimore Sun), he has received unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences around the world for his portrayals of the dramatic baritone roles of Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss. His recent role debuts include the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto and Iago in Otello with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco (Mexico), Macbeth with Palm Beach Opera, and Nabucco with Lyric Opera Baltimore; as Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore with Utah Opera; and as Rodrigo in Don Carlo and Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera with Austin Lyric Opera. Chioldi has performed at nearly every major American opera house, including The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera. Signature roles include Scarpia in Tosca with Spain’s Opera de Oviedo and NYCO; Jochanaan in Salome with Utah Opera, Virginia Opera, and the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan; the title role of Macbeth with Michigan Opera Theatre, Palm Beach Opera, The Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman), Chautauqua Opera and New Orleans Opera, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Washington and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera, Austin Opera and Washington National Opera and in a nationwide broadcast on the PBS television series Live from Lincoln Center, which received an Emmy award in 2008. Next season he is thrilled to debut with the Dallas Opera in Samson and Delilah and at the Gran Teatro de Liceu in Barcelona, Spain alongside Jonas Kaufmann and Sondra Radvanovsky in Andrea Chénier.

PRINCIPAL ARTIST PROFILES

CRAIG COLCLOUGH

Falstaff in Falstaff

Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Bob & Marcia Miller

DOMINICK CORBACIO

Fenton in Falstaff

Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as an Apprentice Artist singing The Sailor in Dido and Aeneas Sponsored by Rosemarie Rosen

GINGER COSTA-JACKSON

The Moll in The Cradle Will Rock Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Bob & Marcia Miller

The autumn of 2016 found bass baritone Craig Colclough returning to London for Scarpia in Tosca with English National Opera, a role which also served as his debut at the Canadian Opera Company this season. He also joined the Minnesota Opera for Doristo in L’arbore di Diana, and spends the summer singing the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff with Opera Saratoga. Next season includes returns to Minnesota Opera, Arizona Opera, and Los Angeles Opera, and a debut with Dallas Opera. Last season Mr. Colclough’s performances included appearances with Arizona Opera as the title role in Falstaff and the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela for Timur in Turandot, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Additionally, he returned to English National Opera for his role debut of Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, and Los Angeles Opera for Simone in Gianni Schicchi. On the concert stage, he debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Dottore Grenvil in La traviata. Past leading roles include Falstaff in Verdi’s Falstaff, Don Giovanni, Leporello and Il Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Oroveso in Bellini’s Norma, Rambaldo in Puccini’s La Rondine, Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Friar Laurence in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet and Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He made his European debut with English National Opera as Jack Rance in La Fanciulla del West. Additional credits include the Israeli Symphony Orchestra, California Philharmonic, Capitol Records, Abbey Road Studios and the soundtrack of the film Rolled.

Hailed as “heartbreakingly intense”, tenor Dominick Corbacio is a quickly emerging artist with a rapidly growing repertoire. In 2015 he made his Opera Saratoga debut as an Apprentice Artist singing The Sailor in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas directed by Karole Armitage, and returned in 2016 to sing the role of The King in the American premiere of Glass’s The Witches of Venice. This summer, he makes his principal artist and role debut with the company as Fenton in Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff. Earlier this season, Dominick made his debut as a young artist with Florida Grand Opera, where he sang the role of Le Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen, as well as Monsieur Triquet in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin for which he was praised for his “agile instrument that sparkled during his time on stage”. In 2015 he was lauded by the New York Times as having given “one excellent performance after another of the sublime Du Bist die Ruh.” after being featured in Lee Mingwei’s Sonic Blossom at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Other recent credits include Prince Sou Chong (Lehár’s Das Land des Lächelns), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Steven Todd/Arnold Murray (Chen’s The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing), Ballad Singer (Of Mice and Men) and Robert (Hin und Zurück) with Venture Opera, Manhattan School of Music, and American Lyric Theater. Next season, Dominick returns to Florida Grand Opera to sing Normanno in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lamermoor as well as Fourth Jew in Richard Strauss’ Salome.

Ginger Costa-Jackson is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Recent performances include Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Metropolitan Opera, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen with the San Francisco Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, Nashville Opera, the Teatro de Bellas Artes in Mexico, and Despina at Opera de Paris in a new production of Così fan tutte conducted by Philippe Jordan. Future engagements include Dorabella in Così fan tutte with the Seattle Opera, her Los Angeles Opera debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto, her return to the Opera de Paris, Carmen with San Diego Opera, her debut with Washington Concert Opera in Maria di Rohan, and her debut with National Theatre Tokyo as Carmen. In the 2014-15 season she debuted at Vancouver Opera and Opera Grand Rapids in the title role of Carmen, performed El Gato con botas with Gotham Chamber Opera, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and Mercedes in Carmen. Ginger debuted the role of Carmen with the Glimmerglass Festival, and made her European debut as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Gran Teatre del Liceu. At the Metropolitan Opera she has sung over 75 performances in such roles as Smaragdi in Francesca da Rimini, Nancy T’sang, First Secretary in Nixon in China; Wowkle in La fanciulla del West; Eine Theatergarderobiere/Der Gymnasiast/Ein Groom in Berg’s Lulu; Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana; Myrtale in Thaïs; and Rosette in Manon. When not singing on the world’s leading opera stages she performs with the Costa-Jackson Sisters, where she is joined by her sisters Miriam and Marina.

JUSTIN HOPKINS

Reverend Salvation in The Cradle Will Rock and Young Artist Mentor for Marc Blitzstein – A Life in Song

Bass-baritone Justin Hopkins is a young performer in increasing demand nationally and internationally. He has been featured in such concert halls and theaters as Carnegie Hall; Symphony Hall, Boston; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; and Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels. He made his Los Angeles debut this season with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale in the Beethoven Symphony No. 9, as well as critically acclaimed performances of Kurt Weill’s Lost In The Stars. With Opera Saratoga he performed the role of Jeff in the world premiere of The Long Walk in 2015, and made his SPAC debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs in 2016. Hopkins has performed operatic roles ranging from Mozart to Philip Glass, as well as concert repertoire including Britten’s War Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He has performed under the distinguished batons of conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, Jeffrey Kahane, and Keith Lockhart with orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Verbier Festival orchestras, and the Boston Pops. He took 2nd place in the 2012 Lotte Lenya Competition.

Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as Jeff in The Long Walk Sponsored by Dr. Denise F. Polit & Alan Janosy

KEITH JAMESON

Ali in Zémire et Azor and Harry Druggist in The Cradle Will Rock Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by George Martin & Ann Githler

MAUREEN MCKAY

Zémire in Zémire et Azor Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Christine Rowe-Button

Keith Jameson, tenor, a native of South Carolina, recently appeared with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Triquet in Eugene Onegin and as Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha with Utah Opera. He sang the title role of Candide with Opera di Firenze, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil, and at New York City Opera. At the Metropolitan Opera, Keith has sung the Novice in Billy Budd; plus Remendado in Carmen, Bardolfo in Falstaff and Alméric in Iolanta (all three “Live from the Met” HD broadcasts) among others. He created the role of Henry Snibblesworth in the world premier of The Classical Style: An Opera (of sorts) by Steven Stucky and Jeremy Denk at the Ojai Music Festival, CA, and created the role of Yab the Elf in Becoming Santa Claus by Mark Adamo with Dallas Opera. He has performed with the The Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, Central City Opera, Glimmerlgass Opera, New York Philharmonic, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, English National Opera, Opera de Wallonie, and the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan. Upcoming engagements include his debut with Teatro Massimo in Palermo as Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pong in Turandot with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the premier of the one-man opera Why Is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me? by Jeffrey Smith and David Johnston with Urban Arias.

Soprano Maureen McKay is praised and celebrated for her silvery soprano and dynamic character portrayals. In the 2016-17 season McKay made her debut with San Diego Opera as Nannetta in Falstaff and returned to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. McKay also sang Pamina in Die Zauberflöte in returns to Gran Teatre del Liceu and Komische Oper Berlin, as well as debuted with The Bolshoi Theatre in the production where she originated the role in 2012 with Barrie Kosky and “1927”. In the 2015-16 season McKay made her mainstage debut with Seattle Opera in her role debut as Léïla in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles. She also joined The Danish National Symphony Orchestra for performances of Handel’s Messiah and the Choir and Orchestra of Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, both under the baton of Fabio Luisi. She also joined the Colorado Springs Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Barber’s “Prayers of Kierkegaard.” Other engagements included performances of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Gran Teatre del Liceu and returns to both The Atlanta Opera for Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and Portland Opera for Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. As a previous member of the ensemble at the Komische Oper Berlin, McKay sang leading roles in the premieres of several new productions that include Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Marzelline in Fidelio. Also with the company, she sang Mozart’s Requiem in performances conducted by music director Henrik Nánási.

PRINCIPAL ARTIST PROFILES

VERA SAVAGE

Meg Page in Falstaff

Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as a FestArtist singing Tisbe in La Cenerentola Sponsored by Dr. Denise F. Polit & Alan Janosy

CAROLINE WORRA

Alice Ford in Falstaff

Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 as Shrink/Iraqi Woman/Aunt Sarah in The Long Walk Sponsored by Jeff & Janet Altamari

Mezzo-soprano Vera Savage’s singing has been described as “a dream: supple and powerful with a deep velvet shimmer.” A true singing actress, critics have noted that “whatever she sings, we believe.” Vera’s recent performances include Meg Page in Falstaff with Opera on the James, Third Maiden in Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg with Odyssey Opera, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Praskovia and the cover of Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with Boston Lyric Opera, Tisbe in La Cenerentola at Opera Saratoga, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito at Opera in the Heights, and a “thoroughly intimidating” Mrs. Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera. With the Opera Institute in Boston, Vera performed Flora in Verdi’s La traviata, Almera in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, and Madeline Mitchell in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers. The Bostonist described her portrayal of Mitchell as “stunning – a radiant and solid sound that brazenly approached even the most challenging moments of Heggie’s score.” Vera returns to Boston Lyric Opera as an Emerging Artist for the second consecutive season, where she was awarded this season’s “Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence.” Vera placed fourth in Shreveport Opera’s Mary Jacobs Smith “Singer of the Year” competition, was a finalist in the Bel Canto Scholarship’s annual competition, and was a semi-finalist in the “Joy of Singing” art song competition. Upcoming engagements for the 2017/2018 season include performances with Berkshire Opera Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston’s Commonwealth Chorale, Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Caroline Worra has been hailed by Opera News as “one of the finest singing actresses around.” She has sung over 75 different operatic roles including more than 20 World, American, and Regional Premieres. She was internationally acclaimed for her performances of Jenny in The Mines of Sulphur, Grammy nominated CD for Best Opera Recording, and as the title role for The Greater Good; Passion of Boule de Suif, Opera News and New York Times pick for one of the top classical CDs of the year. Her third full opera recording, Glory Denied, was a Washington Post and Opera News pick for one of the top CDs of the year. This year, in her fourth full opera CD, Amleto by Franco Faccio, she was reviewed as “singing with emotional directness and white hot charisma” and “exerting a prodigious histrionic presence even in the context of an audio recording.” Ms. Worra has worked at over 30 opera companies across the United States including The Metropolitan Opera, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Opera, Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Madison Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, Opera Memphis, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, The Princeton Festival, American Lyric Theater, American Opera Projects, Tanglewood, and six seasons at both Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera. Caroline performed on two U.S. National Tours with San Francisco’s Merola/Western Opera Theatre, and overseas she has performed as Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily and Jenny in The Mines of Sulphur at The Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland (winner of The 2009 Best Opera of Ireland Award).

CONDUCTORS AND MUSIC STAFF PROFILES

TIMOTHY ACCURSO Repetiteur (Falstaff)

Timothy Accurso is an alumnus of the Opera Saratoga Young Artist Program, and is thrilled to be joining the music staff this season. Tim recently completed two seasons in the Resident Artist Program at Utah Opera in Salt Lake City. This season he worked on Utah Opera’s productions of Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, and The Long Walk. Tim earned his master’s degree in vocal coaching and accompanying at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with Dr. Julie Jordan Gunn. During his master’s program, Tim also served on the coaching staff for the Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, acting as a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist. In previous summers, Tim worked on faculty with the Performing Arts Institute, a high school music festival in Kingston, Pennsylvania, near his home in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania. He has also worked and performed abroad in other summer festivals including the Franco American Vocal Academy, the CCM-Spoleto summer program, and also had the opportunity to participate in a short chamber music residency in Japan through Susquehanna University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in vocal and piano performance.

Opera Saratoga debut 2016 as FestArtist Pianist / Coach

JOSHUA HORSCH

Assistant Conductor (Falstaff and The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga debut 2015 as Conducting Fellow

BÉNÉDICTE JOURDOIS

French Coach (Zémire et Azor) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Joshua Horsch is a conductor, coach, and pianist equally comfortable in opera, orchestra, and recital settings. Recently named the winner of the 2016-2017 American Prize in Opera Conducting, Joshua looks forward to upcoming engagements including a debut with TriCities Opera conducting Glory Denied and work with North Carolina Opera as Assistant/Cover Conductor for Cold Mountain. This summer, Joshua joins Opera Saratoga as Assistant/Cover Conductor for Falstaff and The Cradle Will Rock. Previously, Joshua served as Assistant/Cover Conductor for Opera Saratoga’s 2015 and 2016 seasons, and is an alumnus of the company’s Young Artist Program as a Conducting Fellow. With Pensacola Opera, Joshua served as Music Director/Conductor for Glory Denied, Assistant Conductor for Aida and Dead Man Walking, and Music Director/Coach for the Artist in Residence program. Joshua’s recent positions include Pianist/Coach for Opera Columbus, Assistant Conductor for Fort Worth Opera, and Assistant Conductor for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, Joshua has served as Music Director/Conductor for Copland’s The Tender Land at the University of Colorado Boulder, Music Director/Conductor for the CU New Opera Workshop, Festival Artist/Conductor for the Newport Music Festival, Staff Conductor for the Boston Opera Collaborative, and Assistant Chorus Master for the Colorado Music Festival. Joshua’s guest and workshop conducting includes work with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus, the Boulder Bach Festival, and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. Joshua studied conducting and piano at the University of Colorado Boulder, Penn State University, and Ithaca College.

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.

CONDUCTORS AND MUSIC STAFF PROFILES

CRAIG KIER

Conductor (Falstaff) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by The Friends of Opera Saratoga

JOHN MAUCERI

Conductor (The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Bob & Marcia Miller

DJORDJE STEVAN NESIC

Repetiteur (The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga Debut 2015 (The Long Walk)

American Conductor Craig Kier has already received high praise for his “Tesla-like intensity” and “impeccable orchestral support” while leading performances around the world. In the fall of 2014, Maestro Kier become the Director of the Maryland Opera Studio, where he has led productions including Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, L’enfant et les sortilèges, Blitzstein’s Regina and Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro. Recent engagements for Maestro Kier include his Arizona Opera debut with Madama Butterfuly, his debut at Wolf Trap Opera leading Britten’s Rape of Lucretia, and a return to Opera Birmingham for La traviata. In 2017, he also makes his Opera Saratoga debut conducting Falstaff, and his Anchorage Opera debut with Don Pasquale. He also continues his relationship with Houston Ballet, leading their Nutcracker, which he has done since 2011. For three seasons, Maestro Kier was Associate Conductor under Patrick Summers at Houston Grand Opera. During that time, he led dozens of performances including Madama Butterfly, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Fledermaus, Trial by Jury and the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s Bound. He also assisted on Otello, Rigoletto, Il trovatore, Don Carlos, La traviata, Le nozze di Figaro and Lucia di Lammermoor. Guest engagements include La bohème with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Atlanta Opera, Lost in the Stars at The Glimmerglass Festival, Hamlet with Opera Birmingham, L’italiana in Algeri with Opera Santa Barbara and The Music Man at Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman. Maestro Kier began his career as part of Seattle Opera’s music staff and has also served on the music staffs of The Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Colorado and Des Moines Metro Opera.

John Mauceri, world-renowned conductor, educator, and writer, has appeared with the world’s greatest opera companies and symphony orchestras, on the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, as well as at the most prestigious halls of academia. Mr. Mauceri served as music director of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy for three years after completing seven years as music director of Scottish Opera, and is the first American ever to have held the post of music director of an opera house in either Great Britain or Italy. He was music director of the Washington Opera (The Kennedy Center) as well as Pittsburgh Opera, and was the first music director of the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall after its legendary founding director, Leopold Stokowski, with whom he studied. For fifteen years he served on the faculty of his alma mater, Yale University. For 18 years, Mr. Mauceri worked closely with Leonard Bernstein and conducted many of the composer’s premieres at Bernstein’s request. He is the Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, where he conducted over 325 concerts at the 18,000-seat amphitheater with a total audience of four million people. Mr. Mauceri has conducted at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), and Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. On Broadway, he was co-producer of On Your Toes and served as musical supervisor for Hal Prince’s production of Candide, as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance with Bernadette Peters. He also conducted the orchestra for the film version of Evita. Mr. Mauceri has won many international awards, including a Tony, a Grammy, a Billboard, three Emmys, an Olivier, 2 Diapasons d’or, four Deutsche Schallplatten awards, and the Ditson Conducting Award from Columbia University.  His first book, Maestros and Their Music – the Art and Alchemy of Conducting, will be published in November by Alfred A. Knopf.

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 his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. Engagements this season include an appearance at the PEN Gala with Audra McDonald, performing as the piano collaborator for the annual Joyce DiDonato Carnegie Hall masterclasses, recitals 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 appearances: Le Poisson Rouge, The Morgan Library, 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 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 the United

Nations General Assembly Hall, the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia, FUJI TV in Japan, the Aspen Music Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Greenwich Music Festival, and the Phoenicia Voice Festival. He is a roster member of the Arts Global Artistic Foundation, lives in New York, and serves as full time special faculty for Vocal Coaching and Accompanying at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

LAURIE ROGERS

Director of Music Staff & Young Artist Programs Opera Saratoga Debut 2011 Sponsored by Adirondack Scenic

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA

Conductor (Zémire et Azor) Opera Saratoga Debut Season Sponsored by Martha Strohl

Laurie Rogers has been the director of Young Artist Programs and Head of Music Staff at Opera Saratoga for the past 7 years. The New England Conservatory alumna recently served as assistant conductor for Porgy and Bess in Bari, Italy; as a conductor she has led productions in Saratoga, Philadelphia, New Mexico, in Italy, and for the University of Alabama and TX State University. She served as assistant conductor for the Opera Company of Philadelphia over the course of 13 seasons and for the Dallas Opera for 5 seasons, and has prepared productions for major opera houses across the country. This past season she was a guest coach at the Minnesota Opera, served as chorus master and pianist for the American Lyric Theater workshop of The Halloween Tree at Merkin Hall in NYC, and oversaw the musical direction of the recording of the song cycle Fierce Grace, commissioned by OPERA America on the life of Jeannette Rankin. She worked on the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick in Dallas, as well as subsequent productions in San Diego, Washington, and San Francisco (the latter recorded for the “Great Performances” series on PBS) and covered Maestro James Conlon and prompted the LA Opera production in 2015. She prepared the world premiere at Houston Grand Opera of Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera composed for Frederica von Stade, A Coffin in Egypt, and performed in subsequent productions in LA and at Lincoln Center. Ms. Rogers gives master classes nationwide, judges the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has been published in “Classical Singer” magazine.

Hailed as “superb,” “expert,” and “coax[ing] every possible expressive note from the instrumentalists,” Russian-born conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya’s engagements this season include Wolf Trap Opera, Flagstaff Symphony, Beth Morrison Projects, American Lyric Theater, Opera Saratoga, Center for Contemporary Opera, and as a regular guest chorus master with Boston Symphony Orchestra & Boston Pops. She is also a part of Dallas Opera’s Inaugural Institute for Women Conductors and Marin Alsop’s Taki Concordia Fellowship. Additionally, Lidiya serves as Artistic Director with Juventas New Music Ensemble & Boston New Music Festival, Music Director with Commonwealth Lyric Theater, and as a conductor with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has previously served as Music Director with Harvard’s Lowell House Opera, and assistant conductor/chorus master with Opera Boston and Gotham Chamber Opera. She was also a Conducting Fellow at Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, where she assisted Maazel and regularly covered for him in rehearsal and performance. This season’s projects include the world premiere of Julian Wachner’s opera Rev23 as part of Boston New Music Festival, and a Cutler Majestic Theater performance of Rubinshteyn’s The Demon in a full production with orchestra with Commonwealth Lyric Theater, and a double Bill of Glass/ Moran’s Juniper Tree and Musto’s Bastianello at Wolf Trap Opera. Lidiya is also the founder and artistic director of Refugee Orchestra Project, an organization that brings refugee musicians and those affected by this issue together in awareness and fund-raising performances.

PRODUCTION PROFILES Brandon Stirling Baker is a lighting designer for opera, ballet and theater. His work can be seen in the repertories of New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pennsylvania Ballet, Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, Berlin Staatsballet, Semperoper Dresden, and many others. His lighting has been commissioned by major ballet companies in France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Israel, South America, Cuba, Jamaica, United Kingdom and Canada. Baker studied at the California Institute of the Arts and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016 Baker received the Lotos Foundation Prize for emerging artists in New York.

BRANDON STIRLING BAKER

Lighting Designer (Falstaff, Zémire et Azor, The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

JILL ECHO

Choreographer (Zémire et Azor) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

LAWRENCE EDELSON

Artistic and General Director; Director and Choreographer (The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga Debut 2013 (H.M.S. Pinafore) Sponsored by Carla Skodinsky & Michael Fieldman

Jill Echo has been active in the New York City dance community for thirty years. As a professional dancer, Jill has performed with Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater, Pearl Lang Dance Company, Janis Brenner & Dancers, Sue Bernhard Dance Works, Cortez & Company, Risa Jaraslow, Karla Wolfangle and Wil Swanson, among others. She has been Associate Director of TAKE Dance since 2004. Jill was also founding member of Taylor 2 and a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Television credits include Alive From Off-Center, Dance in America and American Masters on PBS. She has guest taught at Alvin Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, Long Island University CW Post, The Joffrey School, New York University, Randolph College, West Virginia University, Perry Mansfield, International Summer Dance in Burgos, Spain, Skidmore College, University at Albany and for the American Academy of Ballet, among others. She has held the positions of Adjunct Professor of Dance at Purchase College, and Adjunct Instructor at Vassar College, and is presently teaching Movement for Actors in the Theatre Conservatory at Purchase College and at the Michael Howard Studios in New York City. Jill regularly choreographs for TAKE Dance. Her work can be seen in over 15 plays for Purchase College Repertory Theatre, in Buddhas are Screaming in China for Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and with Strangemen & Co for The Little Mermaid and 10 Days in a Mad-House. Jill holds a BFA and MFA from Purchase College.

The 2017 Summer Festival at Opera Saratoga is the third 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, 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 world premiere of Buried Alive (Myers/Long) for Fargo-Moorhead Opera, 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. He has choreographed for ballet and opera companies around the country. As a singer, he appeared 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. Recent 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.

CHUCK HUDSON Director (Falstaff) Opera Saratoga Debut 2012 (Rigoletto) Sponsored by George & Christine Hearst

ANYA KLEPIKOV

Costume Designer (The Cradle Will Rock) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

MARTIN T. LOPEZ

Scenic Designer (Falstaff and The Cradle Will Rock)

Based in New York City, Chuck Hudson has directed opera productions at major international companies including Cape Town (South Africa), Cincinnati, Florida Grand, Minnesota, Sacramento, Austin Lyric, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Cleveland, Seattle, San Francisco Opera Center, Wolf Trap, and Santa Barbara, among others. He has directed award winning theatre productions in New York and regionally, including The Pearl Theatre, The Chester Theater, Cape May Stage, The Children’s Theatre Festival of Houston, New City Theatre, and Chicago’s Fox Valley Shakespeare Festival. Chuck’s work as a director was mentioned in the January 2011 Edition of American Theatre Magazine. Chuck was a co-creator of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program and has directed productions and presented specialized master classes on Acting and Movement for Singers at National and International Professional Artist Training Programs, including in Australia and New Zealand. He is also in great demand as a private audition coach in New York City, coaching both opera and musical theater performers. Chuck’s specialty in movement comes from a background in gymnastics as well as being one of three Americans to have received a diploma from the Marcel Marceau International School of Mimedrama in Paris. He is the only American to be appointed to teach at Marceau’s School, performing with Marceau on his 1991 European Tour and in Klaus Kinski’s film Paganini. Chuck also studied at the Paris School for Theatrical Fencing and was awarded an Honorary Diploma from the French Academy of Arms. Upcoming productions include La Cenerentola at San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, and Don Pasquale at both Minnesota Opera and Fort Worth Opera.

Anya Klepikov is a costume and set designer for theater and opera, and occasionally for performance art such as Amanda Palmer’s living statue at the NYPL. Opera designs include costumes for An American Tragedy at Glimmerglass and for Orpheus & Euridice with the Vermont Opera Project, sets for Mourning Becomes Electra at the Florida Grand Opera, The Rake’s Progress for the Princeton Festival and La bohème at Yale Opera, as well as set and costumes for Hydrogen Jukebox at the Fort Worth Opera Festival, for Moscow, Cheryomushki! at Chicago Opera Theater, and for the premiere of Empty The House at Curtis. Anya’s set design for The Glass Menagerie at Triad Stage was featured by the American Theatre Magazine, and she is the winner of the Connecticut Critics’ Circle Outstanding Costume Design Award for A Woman of No Importance at the Yale Repertory Theater, as well as winner of OPERA America’s inaugural Director-Designer Showcase with her set and costume designs for Ainadamar. Recently Off-Broadway: costumes for Don Juan at the Pearl, and set for Rose with Kathleen Chalfant. Anya has designed fourteen productions as a guest artist at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, and has worked extensively with directors Tim Vasen, Preston Lane, and Mike Donahue. Anya is on the faculty at UMass Amherst and has lectured on design and color at Princeton, Brown, Colgate, and the Yale School of Drama. BA, University of Chicago; MFA, Yale School of Drama.

Martin T. Lopez is a New York based scenic and costume designer and artisan, happy to be returning to Opera Saratoga this year as scenic designer after designing costumes for The Witches of Venice and Il Postino last season. Other recent projects include costume design for The Pearl Fishers at Utah Opera (recently remounted at North Carolina Opera), collaborating on custom accessories for Madonna and her dancers for her recent Rebel Heart tour for tour stylist Arianne Philips, and creating New York themed wire sculptural elements for Tiffany & Co’s Fifth Avenue Flagship Store windows. Martin’s critically acclaimed work in the opera house has included scenic and costume design for the double bill of Trouble in Tahiti and La Serva Padrona for Opera Santa Barbara, and scenic design for the New York premiere of Fauré’s Pénélope at the Manhattan School of Music. Martin is also the owner and creator of Adornments NYC handmade jewelry and is currently creating custom jewelry and accessories for Frozen on Broadway, including Elsa’s crown. MFA: New York University.

Opera Saratoga Debut 2013 (H.M.S. Pinafore)

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, Tome 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

Wig and Makeup Designer Lake George Opera Debut 2000

SHIMA ORANS

Shima Orans worked closely with Director/Designer James Ortiz to develop the look for Zémire et Azor, a co-production between Skylight Music Theatre and Opera Saratoga. Previous Skylight designs include The Pirates of Penzance, Into the Woods, Hair, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Edith Piaf Onstage, Sunday in the Park With George, Gershwin and Friends, H.M.S. Pinafore, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, I Do, I Do, Souvenir, South Pacific, Little Women, and A Grand Night for Singing. She is on the Skylight staff as Costume Director and Draper. Other costume design credits include Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Syracuse Opera, Sterling Renaissance Festival, Oswego Opera, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Apple Hill Playhouse, Acadia Repertory Theatre, and Albuquerque Civic Light Opera. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and has taught at Point Park University and the State University of New York at Oswego.

Costume Designer (Zémire et Azor) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

JAMES ORTIZ

Director, Scenic and Puppet Designer (Zémire et Azor) Opera Saratoga Debut Season

Based in New York City, James Ortiz is an established director, actor, writer, designer, and puppeteer. Most recently, James was the recipient of the 2016 OBIE Award for Puppet Design for his critically acclaimed Off-Broadway show, The Woodsman. Regionally, On, and OffBroadway James has designed for: Theatre for a New Audience and The Public Theatre (King Lear), Shakespeare Theatre of DC (The Tempest) and The New Group (Mercury Fur), among others. As a director, his work has been seen at New World Stages, Ars Nova, 59e59 and others. As an actor, credits include The Woodsman (New World Stages), El Gato Con Botas (Tectonic Theatre Co.), On the Head of a Pin (Strangemen), Rhinoceros (UglyRhino Theatre Co.), Wanda’s Monster (Making Books Sing). He is the recipient of the 2014 Jim Henson Foundation Grant, 2015 resident artist at The New Victory Theatre and recently became the 2017 Eugene O’Neill residency recipient. James is also the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the devised theatre group, Strangemen & Co.