PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
JAMES CONLON
CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH
ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD GENERAL DIRECTOR
RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR
SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
El Gato Montés: The Wildcat MAY 2019
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CONTENTS 6 The Mariachi Conservatory’s Richard Mata and A MUSICAL LOVE AFFAIR
12
Esperanza Juarez share their passion for music with Angelenos of every background. FROM PLÁCIDO DOMINGO 8 EliA NOTE and Edythe Broad General Director
10 RENOVATION UPDATE The construction of the new Music Center Plaza enters its final stages. BETWEEN WORLDS 12 E l Gato Montés strikes an appealing balance
between opera and zarzuela. By John Henken.
20 SIX QUESTIONS FOR ARTURO CHACÓN-CRUZ The Mexican tenor, one of LA Opera’s favorite leading men, returns as Gato’s dashing matador Rafael Ruiz.
22 NEWS AND PREVIEWS
20
10
Clockwise from top: A scene from El Gato Montés (photo by Javier del Real); the Music Center Plaza gets a new look; tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz.
2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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Los Angeles Opera Publications 2019 Editor Mark Lyons Design Studio Fuse Contributors Stacy Brightman John Henken Wayne Lewis Visit us on the web: www.LAOpera.org Letters to the editor can be sent to laopera@laopera.org
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PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE is published monthly by Southern California Media Group to serve theatrical attractions throughout the west. © 2019 Southern California Media Group All Rights Reserved. Southern California Media Group 3679 Motor Avenue, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90034, tel: (310) 280-2880 fax: (310) 280-2890
4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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A PASSION FOR MUSIC
Esperanza Juarez and Richard Mata (at center), flanked by their daughters America (far left) and Angela.
A Musical Love Affair Some operas are romantic, with young people meeting their true loves. Some operas are epic, with large groups fighting for a common goal. You can find both kinds of stories on the LA Opera stage, illustrated with heightened emotions, bold heroes and
their own mariachi group. But a sense of unfinished business kept Richard awake at night. The mariachi music he loved so much should belong to everybody, not just those of Mexican descent. He knew it could connect people of any background.
The Mariachi Conservatory partners with LA Opera to build a unique zarzuela tradition in Los Angeles. a sense of sublime purpose. But it doesn’t just happen in opera: for the last two decades, another kind of epic romance has been playing out just three miles southeast of the Music Center in Boyle Heights. Richard Mata was raised there, the son of immigrants. His dad drove a truck and his mom took care of the family at home. Early on, Richard fell in love with music, something his pragmatic family tried to discourage. But music kept calling, especially mariachi music. Only Esperanza Juarez held a dearer place in his heart. Happily, both of Richard’s dreams come true. He became the music teacher at Bishop Salesian High School. He and Esperanza married, and the couple headed
How could he share that understanding? The answer required a bold leap of faith, not only on Richard’s part but also on the part of Esperanza and their daughters, Angela and America. In 2007, the Matas founded The Mariachi Conservatory, an afterschool music program with all classes offered free of charge. TMC’s mission is to educate students of all ages interested in learning the art form of mariachi music. Although mariachi music is traditionally taught “by ear,” from teacher to student over the generations, all TMC students are taught to sight read music as well. Seven years ago, with The Mariachi Conservatory now thriving, the story took another turn. LA Opera had been eager to ful-
fill Plácido Domingo’s dream of establishing a zarzuela tradition in Los Angeles. LA Opera called the Matas to see if TMC might be interested in collaborating to teach zarzuela. Richard’s love of music extends to all kinds of classical music, especially bel canto opera. (His own private instructor, the legendary Heriberto Molina, was profoundly influenced by bel canto vocal technique.) Leaping at the opportunity, Richard and Esperanza threw open their doors to LA Opera artists for a weekly zarzuela class, and The Zarzuela Project was born. “It’s thrilling to see zarzuela embraced as part of the tradition in East LA and beyond,” says Richard. The community performers in The Zarzuela Project even partner with the Conservatory’s mariachi students to perform a unique fusion of zarzuela and mariachi, bringing together two important traditional musical genres. On May 5, Plácido Domingo will honor the Matas with the Domingo Award, in recognition of their extraordinary gift to all Angelenos: uniting the traditions of zarzuela, mariachi and opera, and making them all available to anyone who yearns to connect with these magnificent cultural heritages. We are indeed fortunate to have heroes such as the Matas among us.
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A NOTE FROM PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
Welcome to LA Opera PHOTO © KAORI SUZUKI
Dear friends, The return of El Gato Montés to our stage—after an absence of 25 years—fills me with a special joy. This is music I have known seemingly all my life, brimming with the exuberance and musical colors of my native Spain. Composer Manuel Penella called his work an opera, but it’s infused with a heart of zarzuela, the wonderful Spanish version of musical theater. This music truly takes me back to my childhood. Many of you may know that I grew up behind the scenes of my parents’ zarzuela company. This music will always have a place in my heart, and I have taken enormous pleasure in performing music from El Gato Montés for audiences all over the world. When I saw this strikingly beautiful production at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela, where it has enjoyed enormous success, I knew at once that I wanted to bring it here to Los Angeles. These are my first fully-staged performances of this work in many years, and I am thrilled to share this experience with you. In 1994, when LA Opera first presented El Gato Montés, I sang the tenor role of Rafael Ruiz, the romantic hero. I had a wonderful time playing the part of a dashing matador. More recently, switching to the baritone repertoire has given me an entirely new range of characters to play. My role in this season’s presentation, the bandit Juanillo—the “Wildcat” of the title—gives me a fantastic opportunity to portray someone with a darker side. Joining me onstage are three leading artists who have become beloved members of the LA Opera family: Ana María Martínez as Soleá, Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Rafael, and Nancy Fabiola Herrera as the Fortune Teller. I also welcome Rubén Amoretti, who makes his company debut as Padre Antón, as well as Sharmay Musacchio, who returns as Rafael’s mother, Frasquita. Additionally, our cast includes a number of current and former members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. I am also excited to collaborate once again with conductor Jordi Bernàcer, a true champion of Spanish music. I am truly honored that so many of our leading supporters have united to help bring this production to our stage. I am deeply grateful for the generous gifts from Barbara Augusta Teichert, The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, Marie Song and Rolex. These remarkable supporters have all played vital roles in enabling LA Opera to achieve so many remarkable artistic successes over the years. I am also proud to acknowledge special support for this production from Edward E. and Alicia Garcia Clark, who have been so essential to establishing deep connections between LA Opera and the Latino community of Los Angeles, and from the National Endowment for the Arts. Supporters like these make it possible for LA Opera to give our audiences the opportunity to experience wonderful works—like El Gato Montés—that exist outside the standard operatic repertoire. As a nonprofit organization, LA Opera depends upon the generosity of thousands of opera lovers each season, and I am profoundly grateful to everyone whose gifts enable us to serve our community through the unique power of music and drama. Sincerely,
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD GENERAL DIRECTOR
8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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LA OPERA
LA OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marc Stern* CHAIRMAN
Carol F. Henry*
CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Bernard A. Greenberg*
Warner W. Henry*
Sebastian Paul Musco*
Eugene P. Stein*
Marilyn Ziering*
VICE CHAIRMEN
Robert Ronus* TREASURER
Marvin S. Shapiro* SECRETARY
Gordon P. Getty** Kiki Ramos Gindler Ruth R. Gold Brindell Roberts Gottlieb Thomas Gottschalk Diane Gray Monica Gutierrez-Roper Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller, M.D. Hany Haddad Nicolas Hamatake Mary Hayley* Catherine H. Helm Joan Hotchkis Tim C. Johnson* Richard Jones Lawrence A. Kern* Gayle Kirschbaum Christopher Koelsch†* Thomas F. Kranz Lauren B. Leichtman Keith R. Leonard, Jr.
Geraldine Alden, Ph.D. Patricia Artigas James R. Asperger Haig S. Bagerdjian Paul Bloch Alex K. Bouzari Iman Brivanlou Marlene Chavez, Ph.D. Joyce Chernick James Conlon† Robert Cook Alexis Deutsch-Adler Plácido Domingo* Leslie A. Dorman* Geoff Emery Penelope D. Foley Don Erik Franzen Michael A. Friedman, M.D. Alexander Furlotti Craig Garner
Sean V. Madnani Claude Mann Patty McKenna Bryan Moeller James Mulally Gregory Nava Leslie A. Pam, Ph.D. Linda Pascotto Linda Pierce Ceil Pulitzer** Harold B. Ray* Courtney Reum Barry A. Sanders* Lionel M. Sauvage Heinrich Schelbert, M.D., Ph.D. R. Carlton Seaver* Lisa See Joan Seidel Dr. Chester Semel Linda Shaheen Marilyn Shapiro
Susan Shapiro* Eric L. Small James Thurmond Smithgall Dr. Vina Spiehler Deanie Stein Mrs. Dorothy B. Straus Dr. James H. Strauss Barbara Augusta Teichert Sandra W. Terner Paul D. Tosetti* Brigitta B. Troy Christopher V. Walker Regina Weingarten Geoffrey P. Wharton Alyce Williamson Andrew Xu Zev Yaroslavsky Ellen Zetcher Ann Ziff
LIFE TRUSTEES Ambassador Frank E. Baxter* Nicholas G. Ciriello Alicia Garcia Clark
Alice Steere Coulombe Edgar Foster Daniels David K. Ingalls Dr. Harold L. Karpman
Sherry Lansing Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders Mrs. Dennis Stanfill Michael L. Tenzer
Richard E. Troop Dr. A.M. Zarem
PRESIDENTS / CHAIRMEN OF LA OPERA SINCE ITS INCEPTION Stephen D. Gavin John A. McCone Lawrence Deutsch
* Executive Committee member
Bernard I. Forester Kyhl Smeby Edward W. Carter Thomas Wachtell ** Honorary
Roy L. Ash Bernard A. Greenberg Richard Seaver Leonard I. Green
Marc Stern Frank E. Baxter Carol F. Henry
† Ex Officio
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 9
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MUSIC CENTER PLAZA
Renovation Update Call it a revamp, a makeover, a facelift. (We don’t judge). The Music Center Plaza renovation is entering its final stages, scheduled to reopen over Labor Day weekend—just in time for our La Bohéme. What will be different? Several new buildings, including a full-service restaurant, a café and a wine bar, all offering al fresco dining options, along with a new welcome center and new restrooms. The formerly sunken areas of the plaza have been raised and the Jacques Lipchitz-designed Peace on Earth sculpture has been moved closer to Hope Street, doubling the plaza capacity from 2,500 to 5,000 people, with plenty of room for public programming. On the Grand Avenue side, the pedestrian entry has been both widened and flattened, visually connecting the Music Center to Grand Park, and new escalators have been added (just one example of overall improved ADA access). The idea is for the plaza to be a destination in and of itself: a warm and inviting public space where all Angelenos can connect with each other. Sounds great, right? We’re counting down…just a few more months and you can see for yourself.
Renderings of the updated Music Center Plaza showing (top to bottom) exterior and interior views of a new full-service restaurant, and an aerial overview of the plaza from Grand Avenue.
10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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BETWEEN WORLDS THE DRAMATIC DUALITIES OF MANUEL PENELLA AND EL GATO MONTÉS
PHOTO BY JOHN HENKEN
Although virtually unknown himself, Manuel Penella is the composer of music heard around the world. People everywhere might recognize the pasodoble from El Gato Montés, his most famous work, without knowing what it is. Part of this was due to Penella’s immense personal and creative restlessness. The composer of some 85 music theater works of varying size, Penella was seldom in one place long enough to capitalize on his own accomplishments. Then he had the misfortune to die, unexpectedly and abroad, just as Franco was solidifying his control of Spain and the country began its slide into a sort of cultural hibernation. continued on pg. 14
El Gato Montés • May 4, 5, 8, 11, 16, 19
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EL GATO MONTÉS continued from pg. 12 Manuel Penella Moreno was born in Valencia on July 31, 1880, and received his early musical training from his father, who was director of the estimable Valencia Conservatory. At his father’s institution, Penella the younger studied composition with Salvador Giner and violin with Andrés Goñi. He seemed destined for a notable career as a violinist until an accident crippled his left hand, although the injury was not severe enough to keep him from promptly turning up at the Church of San Nicolás as organist. All of this happened before he passed his mid-teens. In 1894, when he was 14, the theater beckoned decisively in welcoming—however tepidly—the premiere of the young musician’s first zarzuela, La fiesta del pueblo. He would not stay home to build on this beginning, but soon set off on his inveterate travels. He traversed the Spanish-speaking Americas, most often with a theater company presenting one or more of his zarzuelas or revistas (composed of humorous sketches with a few songs and dances) although he did pause in Ecuador to conduct a military band. It was nearly 20 years before his first real triumph, Las musas Latinas, in Madrid in 1913. Typically, Penella used this success to travel, taking the work and several of his others to Cuba. Much the same thing transpired in 1916, when the premiere of El Gato Montés in Valencia shook the zarzuela world. Penella was carried home from the Teatro Principal on the shoulders of frenzied fans and the work—and its peripatetic composer, of course—took off on a series of metropolitan conquests, climaxing in 1920 with ten soldout weeks at the Park Theatre on Broadway, which had for several years been a congenial home to touring zarzuelas. The great success of El Gato wrought no perceptible change to Penella’s solitary, impermanent lifestyle. Nor did the equally astounding premiere of his magnum opus, Don Gil de Alcalá, in 1932 at Barcelona’s Teatro Novedades. Its triumph also initiated another period of travel for its composer. And when the Spanish Civil War began in 1937, Penella again hit the road, taking a zarzuela company to Mexico. There he died, in Cuernavaca,
Matador Rafael Ruiz prepares for the bullfight.
January 24, 1939, in the midst of directing the music for a film version of Don Gil. Both El Gato Montés and Don Gil de Alcalá were revived in the 1950s and have never been completely lost. But a kind of ice age overtook the world of the zarzuela and Spanish music theater, stunting progress and sharply reducing activity. One piece kept Penella’s music alive. Since 1916, the pasodoble from El Gato Montés— or imitative echoes of it—has been heard almost everywhere bullfights are held, or
whenever filmmakers wanted to conjure the sound and spirit of the corrida. The pasodoble (a march, played in El Gato to depict the offstage bullfight) represents one element important in most zarzuelas: the regional-color set piece. El Gato has several others: most notably the garrotín that the gypsies sing and dance for the returning hero in Act One and the coplas sung twice by an offstage shepherd boy. continued on pg. 18
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UNDERWRITER RECOGNITION
Barbara Augusta Teichert PHOTO BY STEVE COHN PHOTOGRAPHY
Barbara Augusta Teichert’s longtime support for LA Opera means so much to the company. For 13 years, she has given generously for productions and special concerts. Now, we’re grateful to present El Gato Montés with her help. “Barbara has honored this company with her dedication,” said Plácido Domingo. “She’s demonstrated a lifelong loyalty to opera through her generosity, and I am grateful to have sung in many, many operas that have received her support.” A board member since 2009, Barbara has helped to give life to an impressive
number of our productions: Luisa Fernanda (2007), Die Walküre (2009 and 2010), Tamerlano (2009), Il Postino (2010), Simon Boccanegra and The Two Foscari (2012), Thaïs and La Traviata (2014), Pagliacci and Gianni Schicchi (2015), Macbeth (2016), and Nabucco (2017). She also supported the 2007 Verdi Requiem and the 2008 gala celebrating Domingo’s 40th anniversary in Los Angeles, as well as a 2006 production of La Traviata, starring Renée Fleming, that was released worldwide on DVD. She is a member of LA Opera’s 20th and 30th Anniversary Angels leadership giving programs. Barbara, who lives in Pennsylvania, shows her love of opera by making sure that a number of companies have the
support they need. In December 2018, she was elected to the board of Opera Philadelphia. She has underwritten a number of productions there over the years, including Don Carlo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Barrie Kosky’s production of The Magic Flute, as well as several important contemporary works: Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar and Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain. She also served on the board of Washington National Opera for nine years, supporting a project there every season for over a decade. For the Metropolitan Opera, she has underwritten several productions including the world premiere of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor as well as Iphigénie en Tauride.
We’re able to present El Gato Montés on LA Opera’s main stage thanks to the incredible generosity of the Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, in honor of Plácido Domingo. The Alfred Mann Trust created this fund with a series of gifts that now have an impact of over $10 million in support. Each season, LA Opera is now able to produce two operas by French, Italian or Spanish composers through the fund’s underwriting support. This fund has enabled us to raise the curtain on a host of productions in recent seasons: La Bohème (2012 and 2016), Tosca (2013 and 2017), Carmen (2013) and The Barber of Seville (2015). The Manns created the fund as a way of showing their devotion to LA Opera’s general director, Plácido Domingo. “In a city full of stars, Plácido is a true Los Angeles treasure,” Claude said. “We are
so fortunate to have him singing and conducting here, and his leadership of our LA Opera is so important to the city’s reputation as a cultural capital.” The Manns’ connection to LA Opera is also a love story. Claude’s own passion for opera brought Al to the art form. As LA Opera board chairman Marc Stern noted, “Al hadn’t been an opera lover, but he loved Claude and therefore loved the opera.” A biotech entrepreneur, Al Mann founded 17 companies in his lifetime and was the CEO of MannKind Corporation, a company focused on developing new, lifesaving treatments for diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. He also served as chair of the Alfred Mann Foundation, a trustee of USC, and a board member of the LA Philharmonic. Claude Mann is a philanthropist who earned success in the
PHOTO BY LEE SALEM
The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, in honor of Plácido Domingo
Alfred and Claude Mann with Plácido Domingo in 2011
restaurant business. She has been a member of LA Opera’s board since 2008. Al passed away in February of 2016. With each thrilling production underwritten thanks to the Manns’ generosity, his legacy in the arts—and his love story with Claude—lives on.
16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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UNDERWRITER PROFILE
Marie H. Song LA Opera is grateful to Marie H. Song for her many years of generosity. She is a major underwriter of El Gato Montés—and that’s just the latest gift from this devoted LA Opera patron and supporter since 2000. She previously provided underwriting support for Thaïs in 2014 and Moby-Dick in 2015. A true-blue opera lover, Marie believes that “opera is a total art form, a beautiful blend of grand music, extraordinary voices, dramatic storytelling, fantastic costumes, stage design and lighting.”
Marie loves to travel and has visited nearly every corner of the world. She makes sure to enjoy the arts, culture and natural beauty in each new place she goes. She has worked in the grocery industry for 35 years and is currently executive vice president of Superior Grocers. LA Opera salutes Marie as a true asset to our company and the Los Angeles community. We’re proud to say she’s one of our most generous supporters.
Marie Song (right) with Nino Machaidze, the star of LAO’s 2014 Thaïs.
EL GATO MONTÉS continued from pg. 14 But in El Gato, these numbers are woven into a through-composed, virtually entirely sung work. Because of this—and the greater perceived artistic pretension—El Gato has been called an opera, although it was undeniably born of the zarzuela and related Spanish music theater forms. Terminology was a battlefield fought over again and again through the course of Spanish music theater and never with greater bitterness than between the partisans of zarzuela and opera. The term “zarzuela” was apparently
first used in the early 17th century, for pieces created in the new Italian opera style. The word refers to a small royal palace named for the brambles (“zarzas”) that surrounded it, where these early Baroque works were presented. In Calderón’s El laurel de Apolo, an allegorical character named Zarzuela (identified in the cast list as a “villana música”—singing peasant) says in introducing the work that it is “not a comedy, but rather only a small fable which, in
Soleá loves Rafael, but still harbors feelings for the bandit Juanillo.
imitation of Italy, is acted and sung.” Although there were a host of other terms and subgenres, that is the crux of the definition: part spoken, part sung. Since every opera-producing country has similar genres (operetta, opéracomique, or what-you-will), the nature of the heated controversy may be hard to grasp. But consider that in Spain, the development of a “serious,” all-sung counterpart proved quite limited and that the most expansive historical subjects and the starkest tragedies, as well as costume spectacles and frothy farces, all found shelter within the zarzuela fold (sometimes within the same piece). Consider also that not so long ago, “real” opera companies would not think of presenting Carmen without substituting recitatives for the original dialogue, let alone stage a Merry Widow or a Candide, except as an off-season popular condescension. (Like Carmen, a number of zarzuelas were later “operacized,” with newly-composed recitatives replacing the spoken dialogue in an effort to capture the cultural high ground.) In the second half of the 19th century, the dominant Spanish composer was Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, whose nationalist commitment to the term “zarzuela” continued on pg. 64
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (2015)
Six Questions for Arturo Chacón-Cruz The Mexican tenor, a regular presence in major opera houses around the globe, has become one of the company’s favorite artists, with appearances in several leading Verdi and Puccini roles here, as well as Arcadio in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. This season he adds a new role to his repertoire, as the ill-fated matador Rafael Ruiz in El Gato Montés. His impressive history with the company, outstanding performances and special rapport with Los Angeles audiences has earned him one of this year’s Plácido Domingo Awards (which he’ll receive on May 5). When did you first fall in love with opera? I first developed a crush on opera during my first voice lesson as a teenager. I learned that it wasn’t only about singing, but also acting, and that we were there to tell a full story, playing all sorts of exciting characters. That definitely piqued my interest! Then I fell in love with the art form when I was onstage for the first time singing in La Traviata as a chorister. I felt like I was in a movie or having an out of body experience, like finally everything made sense. My love for opera is rekindled every time I go onstage and have a chance to bare my soul and share my voice with the audience.
You made your LA Opera debut in 2007 (on short notice) in the Verdi Requiem. What were your initial impressions of the company? LA Opera welcomed me 12 years ago with open arms and made me feel so at ease that I forgot about being nervous. (I was replacing Jonas Kaufmann and it was a big deal: singing the Verdi Requiem to honor Edgar Baitzel and Luciano Pavarotti, who had recently passed away.) It felt like I belonged here. This is my ninth time here and working with LA Opera feels like I’m coming home.
Rafael Ruiz will be a role debut for you, but you’ve frequently performed zarzuela in concerts. What would you say to audiences coming to this genre of music for the first time? Yes! Even though it’s a role debut, I’ve sung excerpts of El Gato Montés in concert as well as hundreds of zarzuela, tango, Spanish and Latin songs related to the genre. This show is a treat for the senses, transporting you to the South of Spain, feeling the heat of the conflict and beauty of the dances and colorful costumes. To me, it feels like a trip to simpler times: both carefree and full of passion, with music that make my soul vibrate. continued on pg. 22
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You have been selected to receive the Plácido Domingo Award this year. What does this honor mean to you? This goes beyond all of my expectations and surpasses even my most farfetched dreams. I admire Maestro Domingo so much and he has been such an incredible influence for me. Receiving this award humbles me so much that it makes me want to pinch myself. I’m eternally grateful to the LA Opera for this priceless gift.
PHOTO BY ROBERT MILLARD PHOTO BY KAREN ALMOND
Do you have a dream role? I have several dream roles: some I’ve already performed, and others are on the horizon. Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann is a dream to perform. It has opened many doors for me and has given me many rewards. I’ve been singing it for 10 years and it took me to La Scala in Milan. Werther is another role I have performed a lot, and it grows on me more and more, making me find depths of feelings and new ways to express myself through singing and acting. As you noticed, my dream roles are the ones that—besides having gorgeous music—allow me to challenge myself as an actor. I must, then, add to this list both Andrea Chénier and Otello; hopefully one day I will get to sing them.
PHOTO BY CRAIG T. MATHEW
“…my dream roles are the ones that—besides having gorgeous music— allow me to challenge myself as an actor.”
PHOTO BY KEN HOWARD
Is there a particular moment in El Gato Montés that stands out for you? Several moments stand out, like the love duet with Soleà or the confrontations between Rafael and Juanillo. I am especially looking forward, though, to the amazing duet with Soleà, “Torero quiero ser,” because it’s full of life and it’s always a huge hit with the audience. Another moment that I can’t wait for is the prayer (“Señor, que no me falte el valor”) before my final scene. It’s quite beautiful and moving.
PHOTO BY CRAIG T. MATHEW
IN THE SPOTLIGHT continued from pg. 20
Clockwise from top left: Chacón-Cruz as Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas (2014) with David Pittsinger as the Captain; Rodolfo in La Bohème (2007); Macduff in Macbeth (2016); the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (2018); Alfredo in La Traviata (2014).
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Parkeni
Tuesday–Saturday • May 28–June 1, 2019
Tuesday–Saturday • May 28–June 1, 2019 Join us us when Join when 15 15 of of the the finest finest young young classical guitarists classical guitarists on the on the planet converge onplanet Malibu for this thrilling competition with $65,000 inthrilling cash awards at stake. converge on Malibu for this competition with $65,000 inincash The excitement culminates the final round on Saturday, awards at June stake.1, when the three finalists perform with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra and compete for the top cash awards, as well as for gold, The excitement culminates silver, and bronze medals. in the final round on Saturday, MayPRELIMINARY 30, when the three finalists ROUND AND SEMIFINAL perform with theROUND Young Musicians Thursday, May 30, 9 am and Foundation Debut Orchestra. Friday, May 31, 1 pm $25 per day Smothers Theatre PRELIMINARY ROUND AND SEMIFINAL ROUND
Thursday (9 am) and Friday (1 pm) FINAL ROUND AND May 28 and 29 AWARDS CEREMONY $25 per day Saturday, June 1, 7:30 pm Smothers Theatre $70 • $40 FINAL ROUND AND Smothers Theatre, black tie optional AWARDS CEREMONY Saturday, May 30 7:30 pm will $70 •also $60 • $40 There be a
special two-day competition for classical guitarists There willthe also be a special under age of 18 on May 28–29. Smothers Theatre, black tie optional two-day competition for classical guitarists under the age of 18 on May 26–27.
To order tickets, please call To order tickets, please call 310.506.4522
or310.506.4522 visit arts.pepperdine.edu or visit arts.pepperdine.edu
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UNDERWRITER RECOGNITION
Alicia G. and Edward E. Clark We’re proud to offer our thanks to Alicia G. and Edward E. Clark for their support for this production of El Gato Montés. Alicia and Ed have shown a special kind of passion for the art form and a longstanding commitment to LA Opera. Alicia joined the LA Opera board of directors in 1994 and currently serves as a Life Trustee. She is also a past director of the Opera League of Los Angeles. Previously, the Clarks generously underwrote the 1997 company premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas and the 2000 revival of La Bohème, with
All across the country people are participating in the arts, exercising their imaginations, and developing their creative capacities, thanks in part to generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. And for more than 20 years, the National Endowment for the Arts has been integral to LA Opera’s own growth—building the company in its early years, supporting the commissioning and development of new productions, creating educational programs, and bringing opera to new and
special commissioning support as well for the 2010 world premiere of Il Postino. Together, she and Ed founded Hispanics for Los Angeles Opera, or HLAO. This influential support group celebrates and promotes opera among the Latino community. HLAO and Plácido Domingo, LA Opera’s general director and HLAO’s honorary chair, present an annual award named for him to honor Hispanic artists and community leaders. This year, HLAO’s Plácido Domingo Awards will take place on May 5, 2019, following that day’s matinee of El Gato Montés.
Alicia and Ed have made an impressive impact on opera in Los Angeles—and on LA Opera—and we’re deeply grateful for their continued leadership and support.
underserved audiences. We are honored to have the NEA’s support for this production of El Gato Montés, as well as last season’s Orpheus and Eurydice and many other past productions including Grendel (2006), The Fly (2008), the Ring cycle and Il Postino (2010), Albert Herring (2012), Billy Budd (2014), The Ghosts of Versailles (2015), the world premiere of anatomy theater (2016) and The Tales of Hoffmann (2017). The NEA is an independent federal agency which is committed to making the arts a part of the lives of all people across the nation, and the NEA has helped LA Opera develop some of its signature community initiatives. Through their early
support of the Community Opera at the Cathedral initiative, nearly 6,500 amateurs have performed in an opera and over 55,000 have attended the free performances. With the NEA’s support, LA Opera has brought opera concerts to servicemembers at local military bases, and thousands of teachers and students have experienced opera in their schools. LA Opera is proud to be recognized by the NEA. Through this important public support, the company brings the magic of this art form to many thousands of people each year, making significant contributions to the economic vitality of Los Angeles and enhancing the civic and cultural life of our community.
Dance plays an essential role in El Gato Montés.
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COMPANY NEWS
Susan Graham Will Stay in LA! Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, one of the world’s foremost opera stars, has renewed her contract to continue as Artistic Advisor to LA Opera’s Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program through the 2020/21 season. Said Ms. Graham, “I’m thrilled to renew my contract with the DomingoColburn-Stein Young Artist program at the LA Opera! Another two years with the honor and privilege of mentoring, coaching and overseeing development of our fine young singers, of whom I have grown very fond. Their talents and enthusiasm are inspiring, and helping them grow as artists is, as any teacher will tell you, greatly satisfying. The growth I’ve seen in the program is a
testament to the company’s investment in young talent, and we all try to support them in the best ways we can. I’m delighted to be a part of that team.” Ms. Graham is in residence with the company for at least ten weeks each season. She provides direct mentorship to the young artists in the skills, methodologies and philosophies required for building a long-term career like her own. “For young singers just starting out in their careers, the influence of a guiding light like Susan Graham can make all the difference,” said Mr. Domingo. “She has had a profound impact on our young artists, inspiring them to become more fearless and to find their own truths as performers.”
New Board Members James Mulally and Vina Spiehler are the newest members of the LAO board of directors, elected at a recent meeting. James Mulally has a broad taste in music and has been a supporter not only of LA Opera, but also the LA Chamber Orchestra and LA Master Chorale. His travels have taken him as far away as Madagascar. He is a fixed-income portfolio manager at Capital Group, where he has worked since 1980. Earlier in his career, as a fixed-income investment analyst at Capital, he covered non-U.S. sovereign fixed-income markets. Prior to joining Capital, he was a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He
holds an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College. He is a trustee of his alma mater, Saint Thomas Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. Vina Spiehler is passionate about classical music. She travels around the world to experience opera performances and serves on the boards of the Long Beach Opera and the Baroque Music Festival Corona Del Mar. Dr. Spiehler is a forensic scientist specializing in pharmacology and forensic toxicology. She is an elected member of the International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic
Safety and she represents the United States to the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists. Although retired from the laboratory, she continues to consult and testify in Superior and Federal Court cases. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the UK Home Office Forensic Science Service and an early protégé of the pioneering chemist and inventor Dr. Arnold O. Beckman. As Technical Director for Drug Testing Products at Diagnostic Products Corporation, she had the privilege of working with Sigi Ziering and Marilyn Ziering (a longtime LA Opera board member). “Jim and Vina bring dedication, expertise and energy to the table,” said Marc Stern, chairman of the board. “I can’t wait to collaborate with them as we get to work on our ambitious plans for the company’s future.”
A
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CLOSE OUT THE 2018-19 SEASON WITH US!
HIP HOP DANCE PHENOMS
JON BOOGZ & LIL BUCK Love Heals All Wounds AMERICAN COMPOSER AND SOUGHT-AFTER COLLABORATOR
NICO MUHLY
Archives, Friends, Patterns Fri, May 10 @ 8pm The Theatre at Ace Hotel
Thu, May 23 @ 8pm Royce Hall MOVEMENT: Thu, May 23 after the show The party of the year is back! Our annual post-show event will take place on the Royce Hall Terrace after Jon Boogz & Lil Buck’s performance. Join us for appetizers and drinks, music by guest DJs and performances by L.A. street dancers. MOVEMENT is free with a ticket to the performance.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
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2018/19 SEASON
Don Carlo
GIUSEPPE VERDI
p r i s m
ELLEN REID / ROXIE PERKINS
September 22 – October 14, 2018
November 29 – December 2, 2018, at REDCAT
Production made possible with generous support from The Blue Ribbon. Special additional support from Joyce and Aubrey Chernick. Plácido Domingo’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund. Opening night simulcasts made possible through generous support of Los Angeles County and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. Video production made possible with special support from Michael and Jane Eisner and The Eisner Foundation.
LA Opera Off Grand made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support from a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.
October 1, 2018, at the Musco Center for the Arts
the loser
DAVID LANG
February 22 – 23, 2019, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel LA Opera Off Grand made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support from a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.
Les Talens Lyriques in concert October 11, 2018, at Zipper Hall Presentation made possible with generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg.
The Clemency of Titus Soldier Songs
DAVID T. LITTLE
October 13, 2018, at the Ford Theatres Production made possible by generous support from Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. LA Opera Off Grand made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support from a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
March 2 – 24, 2019 Production made possible with generous support from The Carol and Warner Henry Production Fund for Mozart Operas, GRoW @ Annenberg, and The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund.
Moses
HENRY MOLLICONE / SHISHIR KURUP
March 22 – 23, 2019, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Satyagraha
PHILIP GLASS
October 20 – November 11, 2018 Production made possible with generous support from The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Opera Fund and from Ceil and Michael Pulitzer. Additional support from Linda Pierce and from a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders. Sean Panikkar’s appearance is generously underwritten by a gift from the Piera Barbaglia Shaheen Emerging Artist Program.
Vampyr
Callas in Concert April 13, 2019, at Bovard Auditorium Generous support for this presentation made possible by the Marc and Eva Stern Foundation.
JOBY TALBOT
October 27 – 31, 2018, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel LA Opera Off Grand and Matthew Aucoin’s residency made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support from a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders. Piano graciously provided by Yamaha, Official Piano of LA Opera.
Hansel and Gretel
Production made possible with a generous grant from the Dan Murphy Foundation. Special support also received from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders.
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK
El Gato Montés: The Wildcat
MANUEL PENELLA
May 4 – 19, 2019 Production made possible with generous support from Barbara Augusta Teichert, The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund in honor of Plácido Domingo, Marie Song, and Rolex. Special support from Edward E. & Alicia G. Clark and the National Endowment for the Arts.
La Traviata
GIUSEPPE VERDI
November 17 – December 15, 2018
June 1 – 22, 2019
Production made possible with generous support from the Okun Family in memory of Milton and GRoW @ Annenberg. Susan Graham’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund.
Production made possible with generous support from The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund in honor of Plácido Domingo, Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn), and the Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P1
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SUPPORTERS
30th Anniversary Angels We celebrate our 30th Anniversary Angels who build on the inspiring legacy of the company’s Founding Angels and the many generous Angels who followed them. (See pages P14 and P15.) They have provided the necessary foundational support for world-class opera in Los Angeles.
Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Marc and Eva Stern Foundation The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation County of Los Angeles Dunard Fund USA Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund Carol and Warner Henry Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate Ronus Foundation The Seaver Family Marilyn Ziering GRoW @ Annenberg The Blue Ribbon Ana and Robert Cook Mark Houston Dalzell and James Dao-Dalzell Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman The Alexander Furlotti Foundation Max H. Gluck Foundation Peter and Diane Gray The Green Foundation Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation Nanette and Keith Leonard LGHG Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Dan Murphy Foundation The Okun Family, in memory of Milton Okun Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation Ariane and Lionel Sauvage Eugene and Marilyn Stein Barbara Augusta Teichert Emanuel and Martin Treitel Foundation Richard Wayne Ann Ziff Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation
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PROGRAM
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO, ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD GENERAL DIRECTOR JAMES CONLON, RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH, SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO PRESENTS
El Gato Montés: The Wildcat Music and libretto by Manuel Penella Edited for performance by Miguel Roa
CREATIVE TEAM
CAST
CONDUCTOR
JUANILLO, “THE WILDCAT”
Plácido Domingo
SOLEÁ
Ana María Martínez
RAFAEL RUIZ, “EL MACARENO”
Arturo Chacón-Cruz
FRASQUITA
Sharmay Musacchio
FORTUNE TELLER
Nancy Fabiola Herrera
Supertitles written by David Anglin.
PADRE ANTÓN
Rubén Amoretti*
HORMIGÓN
Juan Carlos Heredia†
LOLIYA
Elizabeth Anderson
Pre-performance talks by Gerardo Kleinburg (May 4, 5 and 8) and by Duff Murphy and Jordi Bernàcer (May 11, 16 and 19). Pre-performance talks are generously sponsored by the Flora L. Thornton Foundation and the Opera League of Los Angeles.
Jordi Bernàcer STAGE DIRECTOR
Jorge Torres*
SCENERY AND LIGHTING
Francisco Leal* COSTUMES
Pedro Moreno* CHORUS DIRECTOR
Grant Gershon
CHOREOGRAPHY
Cristina Hoyos Jesús Ortega*
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS
Fernando Malvar-Ruiz
CAIRELES
Michael J. Hawk†
RECALCAO
Abdiel Gonzalez
PEZUÑO
Daniel Armstrong‡
YOUNG SHEPHERD
Niru Liu†
STREET VENDOR
Joseph Lopez*
ALGUACILILLO
Steve Pence
PEASANTS
Omar Crook Sal Malaki Todd Strange
ASSOCIATE SCENIC AND LIGHTING DESIGNER
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
SUPPORT
Pedro Yagüe
PRODUCTION NOTES
Sara E. Widzer
STAGE MANAGER
Chelsea Antrim PROMPTER
Nino Sanikidze MUSICAL PREPARATION
Jeremy Frank Miah Im Louis Lohraseb† Brendon Shapiro†
Production made possible with generous support from
Barbara Augusta Teichert The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, in honor of Plácido Domingo Marie Song
The estimated running time is two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission. This production uses gunfire.
Musical materials courtesy of Sociedad Española de Ediciones Musicales, S.A. A production of Teatro de la Zarzuela (Madrid), Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Music. Additional costumes constructed by the Los Angeles Opera Costume Shop. Wigs constructed by the LA Opera Wig & Make-Up Department. * LA Opera debut † Member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program ‡ Alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
and
Rolex Special support from
Edward E. & Alicia G. Clark National Endowment for the Arts
Please refrain from talking during the performance, and turn off all cell phones, electronic devices and watch alarms. If you are using an assistive hearing device, or are attending with someone who is, please make sure that it is set to an appropriate level to avoid distracting audio feedback. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house management. Members of the audience who leave during the performance will not be shown back into the theater until the next intermission. The use of cameras and recording equipment is strictly prohibited. Your use of a ticket acknowledges your willingness to appear in photographs taken in public areas of the Music Center and releases the Center and its lessees and others from liability resulting from use of such photographs. Any microphones onstage are used for recording or broadcast purposes only; onstage voices are not amplified.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P3
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SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
ACT TWO
An Andalusian farmstead Everyone is waiting for the bullfighter Rafael Ruiz—known as “The Macareno”—to return from a major triumph in Madrid. Among them are Soleá and Frasquita, his fiancée and mother respectively, and Father Antón, the priest who christened him. Rafael and Soleá publicly declare their love to loud general approval. During the celebrations, a fortune teller reads Rafael’s palm, and predicts his death in the bullring. The festivities are interrupted when a bandit named Juanillo—known as “The Wildcat”—declares that Soleá loves him and that he will kill anyone who comes between them. He then goes. When Soleá’s two rivals meet again, Juanillo challenges Rafael to a duel, but Soleá stands between them, telling the Wildcat that she will kill herself if he carries out this threat. The bandit threatens the bullfighter again. I NT E R M I SSIO N
Scene One: Rafael’s house in Seville the following Sunday The Macareno is making his final preparations and dressing for the bullfight, with friends and his bullfighting team. Soleá is heard singing outside and Rafael calls her in. They express their tender vows of love. Hormigón, the picador, praises the fighting quality of the bulls Rafael is about to face, and the girl shares with him her fears about the bandit’s threats and the fortune teller’s warning. Surrounded by admiring supporters, the Macareno leaves for the bullring, after bidding farewell to his mother and Soleá. Scene Two: the horse yard of the Seville bullring, with its chapel. Rafael and Hormigón prepare for the fight. The matador is uneasy but boasts that he will kill the six bulls plus the Wildcat if he must. The bullfight begins. Fearing that the presence of Soleá and Frasquita will distract Rafael, Hormigón locks the two
ACTO PRIMERO
ACTO SEGUNDO
Un cortijo andaluz Todos esperan el regreso de Rafael, «el Macareno», después de triunfar en Madrid. Entre la gente que viene a lugar aparece Soleá. También se aproximan algunos campesinos y cortijeros para saludar a Rafael, que por fin llega. Después de una gran algarabía, Rafael y Soleá declaran su amor ante los asistentes. Sigue la fiesta hasta que aparece un bandolero llamado Juanillo, «el Gato Montés»; éste declara que Soleá le quiere a el y que matara al que se interponga entre ellos, pero sale huyendo. Los dos hombres se vuelven a encontrar, pero Solea se interpone amenazando a Juanillo con matarse si cumple su venganza; el bandolero amenaza de nuevo al torero.
Cuadro Primero: La casa de Rafael, «el Macareno», en Sevilla Es domingo; el torero se viste para la corrida de toros. Se oye a la muchacha cantar, así que Rafael la llama y acaban hablando de amor. La casa es una algarabía; llega Hormigón, el picador, que habla con Soleá sobre la amenaza del bandolero. Entran los demás antes de que el torero salga para la plaza. Cuadro Segundo: El patio de la Plaza de Toros de Sevilla Rafael y Hormigón se preparan para la corrida; el torero está intranquilo, pero dice que si hace falta mataría a seis toros y a «el Gato Montés». Comienza la corrida; entran Soleá y Frasquita, pero Hormigón las encierra. Desde allí las mujeres oyen al público que jalea la faena de «el Macareno». El público grita
I NT E R M E DIO
women inside the chapel. From there the women listen to the bullfight taking place. There is a loud scream from the crowd as the Macareno is fatally gored by the bull. Soleá faints when she sees Rafael’s body.
ACT THREE Mourners pay tribute to Rafael. Juanillo forces Soleá to go with him back to his mountain lair. The townspeople follow them; Juanillo confronts Hormigón and the others, then pulls out a knife and asks one of them to kill him. No one moves. Guards are heard approaching to arrest Juanillo, who begs his comrade Pezuño to shoot him through the heart. As Pezuño does so, Soleá throws herself in front of Juanillo. The bullet kills both of them, and they fall to the ground in a final embrace. —Synopsis courtesy of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid.
cuando «el Macareno» es herido fatalmente por el toro. Soleá se desmaya al ver el cuerpo de Rafael.
ACTO TERCERO Los dolientes rinden homenaje a Rafael. Juanillo obliga a Soleá a volver con él a su guarida en la montaña. La gente del pueblo los sigue; Juanillo enfrenta a Hormigón y a los demás, luego saca un cuchillo y le pide a uno de ellos que lo mate. Nadie se mueve. A lo lejos se escucha a los guardias que se aproximan para arrestar a Juanillo, quien le ruega a su compañero Pezuño que le dispare al corazón. Mientras Pezuño lo hace, Soleá se arroja delante de Juanillo. La bala los mata a ambos, cayendo al suelo abrazados. Special thanks to Mónica Gutierrez Roper for her assistance in the Spanish translation.
In fond memory of Tara Colburn, supertitles are underwritten by Dunard Fund USA.
P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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Jordi Bernàcer
Jorge Torres
CONDUCTOR
STAGE DIRECTOR
From: Alcoi, Spain. LA Opera: Tosca (2013, debut); An Evening of Zarzuela and Latin American Music (2013). Career highlights: In 2015, he became Resident Conductor at San Francisco Opera. Upcoming engagements include Aida with the Rome Opera, a concert of Spanish music with Plácido Domingo in Rome, and Carmen at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Recent appearances include Lakmé at the Royal Opera House Muscat, Rigoletto, Carmen and Madama Butterfly with San Francisco Opera, Carmen and Tosca in Rome, Simon Boccanegra in Bari, Nabucco and Aida at the Arena di Verona, La Traviata at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania and the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and Le Comte Ory at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, and I Puritani in Piacenza, Modena and Reggio Emilia. He has conducted productions at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia. He has also conducted at the Castleton Festival in Virginia, and Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao.
From: Seville, Spain. LA Opera: debut. Career highlights: He has collaborated with director José Carlos Plaza for Los diamantes de la corona, Electra, El diccionario, Gala de los Premios Líricos de Oviedo, Hécuba, Los Amores de la Inés, La Verbena de la Paloma, Medea, Hacia el amor, La Guerra de las Mujeres, Juan José and El Padre. He has acted in El Auto de los Inocentes (nominated for best supporting actor by the actors’ union), The Oresteia, El Padre, La Noche de las Tribadas (best actor; National Festival of Teatro Vegas Bajas), Medea and Los diamantes de la corona, directed by José Carlos Plaza; as well as Hotel Party, The Dog in the Manger, The Tricycle, Acolytes and Cowards, and Sherlock Holmes. He most recently directed Adria Raluy’s Los Juegos de Invierno and Arístides Vargas’ Flores Arrancadas en la Niebla. His work in film and television includes El Impostor and the series Hospital Central. He is a professor at the Katarina Gurka School of Voice and teaches intensive acting courses and seminars in Madrid. (JorgeTorresActor.com)
Francisco Leal
Pedro Moreno
SCENERY AND LIGHTING
COSTUMES
From: Murcia, Spain. LA Opera: debut. Career highlights: Francisco Leal has collaborated with directors including Jose Carlos Plaza, Josefina Molina, Robert Wilson, Miguel Narros, Manuel Guiterrez Aragon, William Layton and Jose Luis Gomez, in productions for the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Palacio de Festivales de Santander, the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, the Auditorio de La Coruna, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Regio in Torino, the Teatro Lirico de Cagliari, Opera della Toscana and Opéra de Rouen Haute-Normandie as well as numerous productions from the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. He has been technical director for the Centro Dramatico Nacional and the Festival Internacional de Teatro Clasico de Almagro. Recent productions include Florian Zeller’s play El Padre at the Red de Teatros in Madrid and Fidelio at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville and at the ABAO in Bilbao.
From: Madrid, Spain. LA Opera: debut. Career highlights: Pedro Moreno studied fine arts in his native Madrid and in Paris. From the 1960s through the mid1980s, he worked as an haute couture designer in the studio of Elio Bernhayer. In theater he has worked with esteemed directors including José Carlos Plaza, Josefina Molina, José Tamayo and Pilar Miró. With Miró, he has also collaborated in cinema, winning the Goya Award for Best Costume Design for the 1996 film El perro del hortelano (“The Dog in the Manger”). He won a second Goya Award for his costumes for the 1999 film Goya en Burdeos (“Goya in Bordeaux”), directed by Carlos Saura, with whom he also collaborated in Salomé and in the opera Carmen. In the world of dance, he has most notably designed for the National Ballet of Spain, the Ballet of Cuba, the Ballet of Antonio Gades and the Victor Ullate Ballet. He has designed productions for the Teatro Real and for the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.
PHOTO BY JUAN CARLOS RAMOS
PHOTO BY LUIS VIDAL
ARTISTS
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5
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ARTISTS
Grant Gershon
Cristina Hoyos
CHORUS DIRECTOR
CHOREOGRAPHY
From: Alhambra, California. LA Opera: Resident Conductor since 2012, he made his LAO conducting debut with La Traviata (2009). He has conducted 13 productions to date with the company. Career highlights: Last season at San Francisco Opera, he conducted the world premiere of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West, which he conducted earlier this year for the Dutch National Opera. He has conducted Rigoletto, Tosca, La Bohème, La Traviata, Carmen and Madama Butterfly at Wolf Trap Opera with the National Symphony Orchestra; John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary at the San Francisco Symphony and Ravinia Festival; Vivaldi’s Griselda at Santa Fe Opera; and many concerts with the LA Phil. He is the Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director of the L.A. Master Chorale, where he is in his 18th season. He has led world premieres by John Adams, Steve Reich and Esa-Pekka Salonen, among others. His discography includes multiple CDs with the Master Chorale as well as DVDs of Il Postino and Gianni Schicchi from LA Opera.
From: Seville, Spain. LA Opera: Carmen (1992, debut). Career highlights: In 1969, she joined the company of the celebrated dancer-choreographer Antonio Gades as his dance partner. She stayed with that company for two decades, during which she not only travelled the world, popularizing the art form of flamenco on the international stage, but also performed in the well-known cinematic trilogy directed by Carlos Saura: Blood Wedding, Carmen and El Amor Brujo. In 1983, she starred in the ballet Carmen in Paris. At the time, she was widely considered to be the greatest dancer to have ever portaryed the part. In 1989, she debuted her own company, Ballet Cristina Hoyos, which presented the first flamenco performances at the Paris Opera and the Royal Swedish Opera. She continues to create productions that tour the world. Her work in opera includes Carmen at Covent Garden in London, The Marriage of Figaro in Seville. In 2004, she was named the director of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía.
Fernando Malvar-Ruiz
Jesús Ortega
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS
CHOREOGRAPHY
From: Vigo, Spain. LA Opera: Hansel and Gretel (2018, debut). Career highlights: An internationally regarded choral conductor, clinician and educator, he became Artistic Director of the LACC in August 2018. From 2004 to 2017, he was the Music Director of the American Boychoir, leading some 150 performances and up to five national and international tours annually. He prepared the choir for appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, among others. He also conducted the choir on six recordings, led its performances on the Academy Awards and a 9/11 memorial service broadcast globally on CNN, and he was the music director on the film Boychoir, directed by François Girard. He has guest conducted children’s and youth choirs around the globe. He has a master’s degree in choral conducting from Ohio State University and completed the coursework toward a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois.
From: Badajoz, Spain LA Opera: debut. Career highlights: He studied flamenco at the school of Alfonso El Maleno and in Seville with José Galván and Manolo Marín. He began his professional career with La Familia Vargas, with whom he toured throughout Spain and Portugal. In 2000, he performed in the show Ritmo presented by the María Serrano company at the Seville Biennial. In 2002, he toured the world with Ballet Cristina Hoyos. He later was a soloist in Picasso et les ballets at the Châtelet Theater in Paris. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía, as a dancer and as a choreographer. He has taught in Santiago (Chile), Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Havana and throughout Spain and Japan. In 2010 he received the CAB award in recognition of his artistic career as a dancer and choreographer. In 2013, he relocated to Badajoz where he opened the Jesús Ortega Flamenco Dance Center. He continues to perform throughout the world. (JesusOrtegaFlamenco.com)
P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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UNDERWRITER RECOGNITION
U.S. Bank contributes to the strength and health of communities through its Community Possible corporate giving and engagement platform focused on closing the gap between people and possibility in the areas of Work, Home and Play. The company invests their time, resources and passion in economic development by supporting efforts to create stable jobs, better homes and vibrant communities. In addition to its support for LA Opera, U.S. Bank contributes to many other greater Los Angeles area-based arts institutions, including The
Music Center, Center Theatre Group, LACMA, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Inner-City Arts, Pacific Symphony, Pasadena Playhouse and the Geffen Playhouse. With gratitude, LA Opera is honored to recognize U.S. Bank for its support of El Gato Montés and for its steadfast dedication to LA Opera since 2009. It is our hope that with the help of U.S. Bank, new audiences will gain an appreciation for opera and will become civic and cultural leaders in Los Angeles. For more information, visit usbank.com/community.
PHOTO BY JAVIER DEL REAL
Over 1,000 community members will experience the thrilling performances of El Gato Montés for free or $10 thanks to U.S. Bank’s generous support of LA Opera’s Community Circle seating initiative. Community Circle invites organizations from across Los Angeles to bring members of their community to our performances, giving them the opportunity to experience this powerful art form. Through U.S. Bank’s dedication, we are opening the doors of the opera house to those that may not have this opportunity.
Soleá confronts the two rivals for her love.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P7
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ARTISTS
SOLEÁ
From: Madrid, Spain. LA Opera: debut as Otello (1986); he has sung 31 roles to date and conducted 25 productions. Next season, he will perform Nottingham in Roberto Devereux. He was Artistic Consultant (since 1984) and Artistic Director (20012003) before he was named Eli and Edythe Broad General Director in 2003. Career highlights: He has sung over 4,000 total performances of 151 roles and conducted over 600 operatic and symphonic performances. At the Metropolitan Opera, he has sung over 700 performances and conducted over 150 performances. He founded the international vocal competition Operalia. This season’s engagements include singing in La Traviata at the Met, La Scala, Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House Muscat; Gianni Schicchi at the Met; Simon Boccanegra in Vienna; Macbeth in Berlin; and Nabucco in Dresden; conducting engagements include concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic at La Scala, Aida at the Met and La Traviata in Muscat. (PlacidoDomingo.com)
From: San Juan, Puerto Rico. LA Opera: Mimì in La Bohème (1997, debut; 2004); Violetta in La Traviata (2001); Amelia in Simon Boccanegra (2012); Nedda in Pagliacci (2015); Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly (2016); title role of Carmen (2017); Elisabetta in Don Carlo (2018). Career highlights: Following Don Carlo in Los Angeles this season, she performed the title roles of Madama Butterfly at the Vienna State Opera and Florencia en el Amazonas with Houston Grand Opera, where she was recently named the company’s first ever Artistic Advisor. Recent appearances include Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, the title role of Rusalka in Buenos Aires, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Marguerite in Faust in Chicago, Alice Ford in Falstaff at Covent Garden, Florencia en el Amazonas with Florida Grand Opera and Madama Butterfly in Santa Fe. Next season’s engagements include Madama Butterfly at the Met and in Paris and Chicago. A Grammy winner and a 1995 Operalia winner, she can be heard in Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle. (AnaMariaMartinez.com)
PHOTO BY TOM SPECHT
Ana María Martínez
JUANILLO, “EL GATO MONTÉS” PHOTO BY KAORI SUZUKI
Plácido Domingo
Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Rubén Amoretti
RAFAEL RUIZ
PADRE ANTÓN
From: Sonora, Mexico. LA Opera: Verdi Requiem (2007), Rodolfo in La Bohème (2007, mainstage debut), Alfredo in La Traviata (2014), Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas (2014), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (2015); Macduff in Macbeth (2016); Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (2018). Career highlights: Most recently, he appeared in Rigoletto in Naples, Budapest and Hamburg; The Elixir of Love in Macau and Palermo; Tosca in Oviedo; La Traviata in Muscat; The Damnation of Faust in Mexico City. Highlights of recent seasons include The Tales of Hoffmann at La Scala in Milan, as well as in Hamburg and Vienna; Werther in Barcelona and Budapest; Carmen in Palermo, Zurich, Lyon and Hamburg; The Damnation of Faust at the Bolshoi; La Bohème in Hamburg and San Francisco; and The Two Foscari in Vienna. He is a 2005 Operalia winner. Future engagements include Rodolfo in Luisa Miller in Barcelona and Rigoletto in Houston. (ArturoChaconCruz.com)
From: Burgos, Spain. LA Opera: debut. Career highlights: His engagements earlier this season include King Philip II in Don Carlo at Ópera de Las Palmas, Polonius in Hamlet at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and Méphistophélès in The Damnation of Faust with the Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur. He has a special interest in the Spanish lyric repertoire, performing leading bass roles in both zarzuelas and Spanish operas, and he is a regular guest singer at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. Highlights of recent seasons include his debut appearances at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu in Poliuto and Roméo et Juliette and at the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia in The Damnation of Faust, and the Commendatore in Don Giovanni with the Opéra de Lausanne. Future appearances include Simpson in La Tabernera del Puerto in Valencia, the four Tales of Hoffmann villains in Buenos Aires, Timur in Turandot in Barcelona, King Philip II in Don Carlo in Mexico and Ramfis in Aida in Las Palmas.
P8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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ARTISTS
Juan Carlos Heredia
Nancy Fabiola Herrera
HORMIGÓN
FORTUNE TELLER
From: Chihuahua, Mexico. LA Opera: Moralès in Carmen (2017, debut); Marullo in Rigoletto (2018); Jethro in Moses (2019). He is in his second season with the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Career highlights: He was a 2016 winner of Operalia, where he was awarded the Don Plácido Domingo Ferrer Prize for Zarzuela. Last year, he performed Figaro in The Barber of Seville with the Aspen Music Festival. He has sung leading roles at the major festival and theaters of Mexico, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, with roles including Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette and both Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème. He has also sung in the Moscow Conservatory´s Grand Hall with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year, he performed in recital with tenor Yusif Eyvazov at the Salle Gaveau in Paris and a gala zarzuela concert with Plácido Domingo in Guadalajara.
From: Canary Islands, Spain. LA Opera: title role in Carmen (2008, debut); Dona Rosa in Il Postino (2010); Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas (2014); Fenena in Nabucco (2017). Career highlights: Last year, she received a lifetime achievement award from Opera Actual magazine. Recent appearances include Florencia en el Amazonas with Houston Grand Opera, Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri for her debut at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Bernarda in Miquel Ortega’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, Rosario in Goyescas at the Barbican in London (recorded by Harmonia Mundi) and Salud in La Vida Breve (recorded by Chandos). She recently appeared with the Metropolitan Opera in three roles: Fenena, Herodias in Salome, and Maddalena in Rigoletto. Her signature portrayal of Carmen has taken her to the Met, Opéra National de Paris, Covent Garden, Munich, Verona, Moscow, Rome, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Dresden and other cities around the globe. She was a 1996 Operalia winner. (NancyFabiolaHerrera.com)
Sharmay Musacchio
Niru Liu
FRASQUITA
YOUNG SHEPHERD
From: Fresno, California. LA Opera: Maiden in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (2006, debut); Daughter in Akhnaten (2016); Antonia’s Mother in The Tales of Hoffmann (2017); Giovanna in Rigoletto (2018). She covered Herodias in Salome (2017); Nefertiti in Akhnaten (2016); Dragon in Grendel (2006). Career highlights: Dramatic contralto Sharmay Musacchio has performed as a soloist with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Portland Opera/IVAI, Pacific Opera Project, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and Mid America Productions at Carnegie Hall, among others. Recent engagements include making her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Second Novice in Suor Angelica, debuting the title role of the one-woman opera Katie Luther by Glenn Winters, and returning to NYCO as La Vecchia in L’amore dei Tre Re. In the 2019/20 season, she will make her Chicago Opera Theater debut as Auntie in Stefan Weisman’s The Scarlet Ibis and return to the Metropolitan Opera roster for Akhnaten. (SharmayMusacchio.com)
From: Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. LA Opera: Mrs. Alexander in Satyagraha (2018, debut); Bithia in Moses (2019). She is in her first season as a member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Career highlights: She received her bachelor’s of music at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou and her master of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She also holds a graduate diploma in opera performance from the New England Conservatory. This summer, she will join the Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist, and she will perform there in the roles of Diamantine in Gluck’s Merlin’s Island and as Berta in The Barber of Seville. Earlier this season, she received the encouragement award in the Western Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P9
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ARTISTS
Michael J. Hawk
Daniel Armstrong
CAIRELES
PEZUÑO
From: Fredonia, New York. LA Opera: Prince Arjuna in Satyagraha (2018, debut); title role in Moses (2019). Currently in his first season as a member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, he will return next season as Schaunard in La Bohème and the Speaker in The Magic Flute. Career highlights: He received his master’s degree last year from Rice University. In 2018, he was an Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, where he covered the leading role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Doctor Atomic. This summer, he will make his role debut as Escamillo in Carmen with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He will also appear in concert at the Bard Music Festival for performances of Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony and the U.S. premiere of Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane. He has performed the Cobbler in Philip Glass’s The Juniper Tree at Wolf Trap Opera and Prof. Bhaer in Mark Adamo’s Little Women (among other roles) with Shepherd School Opera.
From: Houston, Texas. LA Opera: Captain in Luisa Fernanda (2007, debut), 19 mainstage appearances including, in recent seasons, Moralès in Carmen (2013), Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi (2015), Starbuck in Moby-Dick (2015), Yamadori in Madama Butterfly (2016), Schlémil in The Tales of Hoffmann (2017) and Sciarrone in Tosca (2017). He is an alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Career highlights: He made his Dallas Opera debut last season as Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata. He performed the leading role of the Jester in the West Coast premiere of Ernst Krenek’s The Secret Kingdom with the Colburn Orchestra, conducted by James Conlon. He has performed Bach’s Magnificat with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of music director Jeffrey Kahane. In 2013, he performed the role of Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia with the Colburn Orchestra under the baton of James Conlon.
BEHIND THE MASTERPIECE
What’s in a name?
¡Una ocasión histórica!
The moniker bestowed on matador Rafael Ruiz— “El Macareno”—has a double meaning. It references the Macarena neighborhood of Seville, famous for a 17th-century statue (left) of the Blessed Virgin, a national treasure. The Virgin of Macarena is the patroness of bullfighters and Spanish Gypsies. The nickname also refers to Rafael’s good looks, so that the nickname could be translated as “The Macarena Dreamboat.”
LA Opera’s 1994 production of El Gato Montés, starring Plácido Domingo as the bullfighter, marked the first time the work was performed in Spanish in the United States.
The Wildcat hits the silver screen A 1921 Broadway production (in English) of The Wildcat was successful enough to inspire a Hollywood adaptation. The 1924 Paramount Pictures silent was given the evocative name Tiger Love. It starred one of the great “Latin lovers” of the era, Madrid-born heartthrob Antonio Moreno. Sadly, it’s now considered a “lost” film: no known copies exist.
P10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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ARTISTIC PERSONNEL
LA OPERA CHORUS
LA OPERA ORCHESTRA
SOPRANO
FIRST VIOLIN
BASS
TOMBONE
Roberto Cani
Nathan Farrington
William Booth
STUART CANIN CONCERTMASTER
PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
Armen Anassian
Frances Liu Wu
ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Alvin Veeh Terry Cravens
Marisa Sorajja
Don Ferrone Tim Eckert James Bergman
Christina Borgioli* Lisa Crave* Emma-Grace Dunbar Alannah Garnier Virenia Lind**
Renee Sousa* Lori Stinson Courtney Taylor Rebecca Tomlinson* Sunjoo Yeo
Elizabeth Anderson Natalie Beck** Aleta Braxton*** Sara Campbell* Veronica Christenson*
Michelle Fournier** Kelly Krantz Adriana Manfredi Helene Quintana* Adrien Raynier**
Daniel C. Babcock James Callon Omar Crook* Jason Francisco Charles Lane**
Joseph Lopez Sal Malaki** Mark David Miller** George Sterne*** Todd Strange
Mark Beasom** Reid Bruton* Gregory Geiger* Abdiel Gonzalez Robert Hovencamp**
Mark Kelley** David Kress* Gabriel Manro Steven Pence James Martin Schaefer
ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
ALTO
TENOR
Margaret Wooten Hana Kim Olivia Tsui Dongfang Ouyang Kathleen Sloan Radu Pieptea Loránd Lokuszta Heather Powell
SECOND VIOLIN Ana Landauer PRINCIPAL
Grace Oh
BASS
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
* Has appeared in 50 or more productions ** Has appeared in 100 or more productions *** Has appeared in 150 or more productions
Florence Titmus Leslie Katz Michele Kikuchi Cynthia Moussas Ina Veli Irina Voloshina
VIOLA Brian Dembow PRINCIPAL
DANCERS Marcela Aguayo Alfredo Aja Tiana Álvarez Wendy Castellanos Richard Chavez (swing) Misuda Cohen Claudia de la Cruz (swing)
Andrew Picken ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Emilio Dominguez Albertossy Espinoza Manuel Gutiérrez Cabello Jessica Pacheco Jorge Rivas Oscar Valero Briseyda Zárate Fernández
Karie Prescott Dmitri Bovaird Kate Vincent Aaron Oltman Karolina Naziemiec
John Walz
SUPERNUMERARIES Jeff Cook Donna Gale Jian Leonardo Gerard Marzilli Paula Méndez
Carlos Penuela Karola Sánchez Ryan Shervington Natalie Williams
PRINCIPAL
Heather Clark
Dane Little Helen Altenbach Nadine Hall
HARP
PRINCIPAL
Angela Wiegand Sarah Weisz, piccolo
JoAnn Turovsky
OBOE
TIMPANI
Leslie Reed
Gregory Goodall
PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
Jennifer Cullinan, English horn
PERCUSSION CLARINET Stuart Clark PRINCIPAL
Donald Foster
BASSOON William May PRINCIPAL
William Wood
HORN Steven Becknell PRINCIPAL
Theresa Dimond PRINCIPAL
John Wakefield Scott Higgins
BANDA Laura Stoutenborough, E-flat clarinet Steve Piazza, clarinet Damon Zick, saxophone Dan Rosenboom, trumpet Steven O’Connor, trumpet Jonah Levy, flugelhorn Amy Bowers, trombone David Goya, trombone Brent Anderson, baritone horn P. Blake Cooper, tuba
Jenny Kim ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
James Atkinson
Rowena Hammill ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
TRUMPET Ryan Darke PRINCIPAL
Stuart Canin Concertmaster Chair made possible by a deeply appreciated gift from Dunard Fund USA.
David Washburn ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Andy Ulyate
LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS Harvey Chang Quinn Fagan Kennedy King
Doug Tornquist
FLUTE
Daniel Kelley
CELLO
TUBA
Shelby Perez Brandon Takahashi Rachel Yang
STAY CONNECTED! #ElGatoMontes
Thank you to the Tourist Office of Spain for their support of El Gato Montés and for the Domingo Awards.
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PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P11
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PRODUCTION STAFF
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Azra King-Abadi ASSOCIATE CHORUS MASTER
Jeremy Frank SUPERTITLE PREPARATION/CUER
Linda Zoolalian ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Barbara Donner Whitney McAnally ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS
Mandy Brigham
WARDROBE
VARI*LITE AUTOMATED LIGHTING PROVIDED BY
Lee Smilek
Vari-Lite Inc.
HEAD OF WARDROBE
Mary Basile Charlyn Trenier
THE DOMINGO-COLBURN-STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
WARDROBE ASSISTANTS
The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program supports the future of opera by discovering and developing the talents of highly gifted young artists to become the stars of tomorrow. Since the company’s inception, LA Opera has been committed to nurturing a resident ensemble of young singers who would benefit from long-term professional development. The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, which builds on the success of the company’s earlier, highly respected Resident Artist Program, has the goal of developing the talents of exceptionally gifted young artists to become performers of potentially international stature, whose first loyalty would be to LA Opera.
Wendell Carmichael Shelley Graves-Jimenez Bari June Gregory Mary Lehman Deona Offield Anthony Padilla SEASONAL DRESSERS
CO-MANAGERS, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS
WIGS AND MAKE-UP
Tamara Marshall Deborah Stark Joanne Toll
Darren K. Jinks
HEAD STUDIO TEACHER
Marie Wilson-Rogers STUDIO TEACHERS
Albert Barrientos Kelly Shea
WIGMASTER
Raquel Bianchini ASSOCIATE WIGMASTER
Brandi Strona CREW FOREMAN
Lisa Reitano Nicole Rodrigues
The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program is generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation and Eugene and Marilyn Stein. Special support for young artist stipends is graciously provided by The Lenore and Richard Wayne Young Artist Fellowship. The program was created with funding from the Flora L. Thornton Foundation.
SENIOR WIG & MAKE-UP ARTISTS
COSTUME SHOP
Mazena Puksto Danielle Richter
Maria De La Mora Ademir Serrano
WIG & MAKE-UP ARTISTS
CUTTER/DRAPERS
LEAD STYLIST
Linda Cardenas
2018/19 PARTICIPANTS
Michael J. Hawk BARITONE
Juan Carlos Heredia BARITONE
April Bonasera Alexzandra Granath Tina Sheridan
STAGE CREW
FIRST HANDS
Scott Papez
Gloria Guerrero Bert Henert
OPERA CARPENTER
SECOND HANDS
OPERA ELECTRICIAN
Taylor Raven
Stan Williams
MEZZO-SOPRANO
OPERA ASSISTANT ELECTRICIAN
Liv Redpath
Allen Tate
SOPRANO
Amy Mazzaferro Blanca Miranda Phoebe Ping Hortencia Santos Anna Wong SEAMSTERS
Wing Cheung HEAD OF TAILORING
Robbie Monsod ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF TAILORING
Rafael Avila CHIEF TAILOR
Manuel Dominguez Manuel Medina TAILORS
Meredith Miller HEAD OF CRAFTS
Bryant Villasana CRAFTSPERSON
Misty Ayres Jeannique Prospere
Steve Williams
OPERA PROPERTY MASTER
Sheldon Ross ASSISTANT OPERA PROPERTY MASTER
Heather Orozco OPERA HEAD AUDIO
Kelly Richard Travis OPERA HEAD VIDEO
OPERA AUDIO ENGINEER
Timothy L. Conroy MASTER CARPENTER
Ryan Lebetsamer HOUSE HEAD ELECTRICIAN
Dennis Holbrook Todd Reynolds
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT - WAREHOUSE
Louis Lohraseb CONDUCTOR/PIANIST
Erica Petrocelli SOPRANO
Jose Simerilla Romero TENOR
Brendon Shapiro PIANIST
Sarah Vautour SOPRANO
Joshua Wheeker TENOR
Stephen King HEAD OF VOCAL INSTRUCTION
DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION HOUSE STAFF
Greta Langenberg Darya Shkipina Rosa Limon
MEZZO-SOPRANO
Brad Cobb
COSTUME DESIGN MANAGERS
SENIOR COSTUME ASSISTANTS
Niru Liu
MASTER OF PROPERTIES
HOUSE HEAD AUDIO
Robert Devis HOUSE MANAGER
Demetra Willis HEAD USHER
Carolyn Van Brunt VICE PRESIDENT OF GUEST SERVICES
Special thanks to the staff of the Music Center. Directors, singers, choreographers, stage managers, ensemble members and assistant directors in this production are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists. Orchestra musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians, Local 47. The following employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Machine Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC,: Stage Crew, Local 33; Treasurers and Ticket Sellers, Local 857; Wardrobe Crew, Local 768 ; Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists, Local 706. Interns in the Technical Department are students at California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, California). All editorial materials copyright Los Angeles Opera, 2019. The opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Los Angeles Opera. Recorded welcome announcements voiced by Jamieson K. Price.
P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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LA OPERA
Plácido Domingo
ELI AND EDYTHE BROAD GENERAL DIRECTOR
James Conlon
RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR
Christopher Koelsch
SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO
John P. Nuckols
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF STRATEGIC OFFICER
Diane Rhodes Bergman, APR
VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Stacy C. Brightman, Ph.D.
VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Rupert Hemmings
VICE PRESIDENT, ARTISTIC PLANNING
Carl M. Ries
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Matthew Aucoin
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Susan Graham
ARTISTIC ADVISOR, DOMINGO-COLBURNSTEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
Stephanie Lopez
TECHNICAL MANAGER
Katelan Braymer
LIGHTING ASSISTANT
Hector Quintero Alvarado Christine Ferriter Damien Perard Clara Wiebe
WALLY RUSSELL LIGHTING INTERNS
Jennifer Green
Joshua Winograde
SENIOR DIRECTOR, ARTISTIC PROGRAMS
Eric Bornemann
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
MUSIC ADMINISTRATION Miah Im
HEAD OF MUSIC STAFF
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING
Meredith Ernstberger
Gregory White
Lana Rosen
COSTUME DEPARTMENT MANAGER
John Bishop
SENIOR CUTTER / DRAPER
Corrine Roache
PRODUCTION, STOCK & RENTAL COORDINATOR
SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER
Rachael McNamara Amanda Stewart
SPECIAL EVENTS ASSISTANT
Manuel Garcia
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
John Musselman
Jennifer Babcock
WAREHOUSE MANAGER
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Neal Anderson
MAINTENANCE ASSISTANT
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Nicki Harper
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR
Chelsea Antrim
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Jennifer Harrell
ASSOCIATE MANAGER, REHEARSAL
Brenton O’Hara
ASSOCIATE MANAGER, ARTISTIC PROGRAMS
Melissa Tosto
MANAGER OF CHORUS, DANCERS AND SUPERS
Victoria Mestas
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Matthew Schroeder
PRODUCTION & TOUR MANAGER
Alysha Aurora
TECHNICAL COORDINATOR
Benjamin Howard
EDUCATION ASSOCIATE
Takuya Matsumoto
SYSTEMS ASSOCIATE
Carmen Recker
SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER
Eli Villanueva
RESIDENT STAGE DIRECTOR
Jennie Olivia
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE
Tate Shoebridge
Brady Steel
Marlinda Menashe
Amber Quezada
MUSICAL ASSISTANT TO JAMES CONLON
Nino Sanikidze, DMA
HEAD COACH, DOMINGO-COLBURN-STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Carolina Angulo
DESIGN MANAGER
Margie Schnibbe
PRODUCTION MEDIA MANAGER
Lisa Coto
PROPERTIES COORDINATOR
Damon Schindler
EXPLORING THE ARTS INTERN
Janneke Straub
ACADEMY INTERN
TECHNICAL PAYROLL OFFICER
Kassandra Arroyo
DIRECTOR, LEADERSHIP GIFTS
Josh Harrold
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Brooke Erdmann Au
Vanessa Flores Waite
DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS
RESEARCH MANAGER
Robin Green
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
BOARD LIAISON
Ali Cole
DONOR RELATIONS COORDINATOR
Daniel Calderon
ACADEMY INTERN
MARKETING & BILLING ASSISTANT
FINANCE Jeannie Jones
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MANAGER
Denice Behdad
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT
Ani Iknoyan
CONTROLLER
Courtney Rizzo
DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL PLANNING
Lisa Robertsen
PAYROLL MANAGER
Perrie Garcia
HUMAN RELATIONS / PAYROLL AND BENEFITS ASSISTANT
Daisy Lopez
ACADEMY INTERN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Chul Park
DIRECTOR, BUSINESS SYSTEMS
Richard Comito
DIRECTOR, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Michael Masuda
NETWORK MANAGER
Tommy Mam
BUSINESS APPLICATIONS TECHNICIAN
Tom Nguyen
APPLICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR
BOX OFFICE Shane K. Morton
BOX OFFICE TREASURER
Shawnet Sweets
FIRST ASSISTANT TREASURER
Dale Bridges Johannsen Michael Meyer Brenda Roman Andrew Tomasulo Marlow Wyatt
SECOND ASSISTANT TREASURERS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Mark Lyons
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLICATIONS
Michelle Broadnax
DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER
Arya Roshanian
PRESS & CONTENT SPECIALIST
Marcia Devere
Joseph Howells Susan Wong
THIRD ASSISTANT TREASURERS
Jennifer Harper Robert Harrington Liz Mancia Olivia Perez Andy Phu Joseph Selway TICKET SELLERS
PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT
ANNUAL FUND
Cristy Stiles
ANNUAL FUND SUPERVISOR
Garrett Lew
Bene’t Benton
BLT Communications
SALES AND MARKETING Keith J. Rainville
INDIVIDUAL GIVING
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, BRAND & DESIGN
Peter W. Indall
Marivi Valcourt
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, INDIVIDUAL GIVING
CONSULTANTS
ACADEMY INTERN
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT
RESIDENT LEAD SCENIC ARTIST
Chris Carey
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL GIVING & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
TECHNICAL PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
James Pomichter
Michelle O’Keeffe
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE
Juliana Castillo Jeff Kleeman
DATA & MARKETING ADMINISTRATOR
Cristian Venegas
PROGRAM MANAGER
Morgan Thomas
Ignazio Terrasi
Shakala Kyle
Anabel Romero
DEVELOPMENT
PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO JAMES CONLON
SALES & CUSTOMER DATA MANAGER
FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ASSISTANT
Melisandra Dunker
Christina Ward
Elias Feghali
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING
ACADEMY INTERN
MUSIC LIBRARIAN
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER
SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTIONS MANAGER
Andrea Fuentes
KT Somero
LIBRARIAN’S ASSISTANT
Elizabeth Galvan
Tess Weinberg
SPECIAL EVENTS
Michelle Magaldi
SENIOR DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT
INDIVIDUAL GIVING ASSISTANT
COSTUME DIRECTOR
Gerrie Maloof
Patricia McLeod
Irene T. G. Salazar
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING ASSISTANT
PRODUCTION/ARTISTIC
SENIOR DIRECTOR, LABOR RELATIONS & HUMAN RESOURCES
MAJOR GIFTS OFFICERS
GRANT WRITER
COSTUMES
Grant Gershon
RESIDENT CONDUCTOR
Christian Johnsten Katherine Miranda Kristen Sweetland
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, ADVERTISING & CONTENT
ART DESIGN
Stephen King
HEAD OF VOCAL INSTRUCTION DOMINGO-COLBURN-STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM
Studio Fuse
GRAPHIC DESIGN
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P13
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SUPPORTERS
25th Anniversary Angels
MARC STERN, CHAIR
LA Opera recognizes and thanks those who made extraordinary leadership commitments in honor of the 25th Anniversary Season, ensuring the company’s continued artistic excellence and prominence in the worldwide cultural community. Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco
The Seaver Family
Marc and Eva Stern Foundation
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation County of Los Angeles
Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Carol and Warner Henry Alfred and Claude Mann
Flora L. Thornton Marilyn Ziering
Mr. Harold Alden and Dr. Geraldine Alden Annenberg Foundation Ambassador Frank and Kathy Baxter The Blue Ribbon Alex Bouzari Robert Day Dunard Fund USA Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman
Brindell Roberts Gottlieb The Green Foundation Bernard and Lenore Greenberg, in honor of Leonard Green LGHG Foundation Rosemary and Milton Okun The Milan Panic Family Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer
Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation Ronus Foundation Eugene and Marilyn Stein Christopher V. Walker Lenore and Richard Wayne Ziering Family Foundation Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation
20th Anniversary Angels
MARC STERN, CHAIR
LA Opera wishes to honor those individuals who have made an extraordinary leadership commitment to the company. Building upon the remarkable foundation created by the Founding and Domingo’s Angels, the outstanding support of the 20th Anniversary Angels has helped ensure an artistically vibrant and financially secure future for LA Opera. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation County of Los Angeles
Carol and Warner Henry Alfred and Claude Mann Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Richard Seaver and Sara Jayne Kimm
Marc and Eva Stern Foundation Flora L. Thornton Marilyn Ziering
Mr. Harold Alden and Dr. Geraldine Alden Annenberg Foundation Ambassador Frank and Kathy Baxter Yuki and Alex Bouzari Nancy Daly Edgar Foster Daniels Kelly and Robert Day Leslie and John Dorman Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman
Brindell Roberts Gottlieb The Green Foundation Bernard and Lenore Greenberg, in honor of Leonard Green Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation LGHG Foundation Beatrix F. Padway, in honor of Nathaniel W. Finston Mr. and Mrs. Milan Panic
Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn) Barbara Augusta Teichert The Joop van den Ende Foundation Christopher V. Walker Lenore and Richard Wayne Ziering Family Foundation Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation
Domingo’s Angels
MARC STERN, CHAIR MARY HAYLEY, CO-CHAIR WARNER HENRY, CO-CHAIR
Domingo’s Angels are individuals who made a leadership commitment to fulfilling the artistic initiatives of the Domingo Seasons, 2001-2005. Their remarkable generosity provided a new threshold from which the artistic professionals associated with LA Opera created and produced opera that thrilled and inspired Los Angeles audiences and the world. Robert V. Adams and Barbara Abercrombie Ambassador Frank and Kathy Baxter Colburn Foundation Kelly and Robert Day Marta and Plácido Domingo Leslie and John Dorman
The Green Foundation Lenore and Bernard Greenberg Carol and Warner Henry Walter Lantz Foundation / Edward A. Landry, Trustee Rosemary and Milton Okun Mr. and Mrs. Milan Panic
Richard Seaver and Sara Jayne Kimm Marc and Eva Stern Foundation The Skirball Foundation Flora L. Thornton Foundation Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation
P14 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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SUPPORTERS
Founding Angels
WARNER HENRY, CHAIR
LA Opera is grateful for the vision, boldness and extraordinary generosity of the Founding Angels, whose commitment to the company in its early years helped ensure the future of opera in Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. Ash Dorothy Collins Brown Mr. Richard D. Colburn The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation Forman Family Foundation
Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The Emese and Leonard Green Foundation Carol and Warner Henry Opera League of Los Angeles Richard Seaver
The Skirball Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Leonard H. Straus Flora L. Thornton Foundation
Artistic Excellence Circle
LA Opera is pleased to recognize the Artistic Excellence Circle, a dedicated group of individuals whose annual support ensures that its productions continue to feature today’s leading singers, conductors, directors and designers—all of the elements that make each season memorable. To learn more about the Artistic Excellence Circle, please call John Nuckols at 213.972.7256.
PREMIER DIAMOND PATRON ($500,000 & ABOVE) Anonymous GRoW @ Annenberg The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation County of Los Angeles Mark H. Dalzell and James Dao-Dalzell Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman / Pacific Theatres Foundation Dunard Fund USA Gemini Industries, Inc. Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund
Carol and Warner Henry Nanette and Keith Leonard Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors / Supervisor Sheila Kuehl Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors / Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Music Center Foundation The Okun Family; in memory of Milton Okun The Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn) Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation
Ronus Foundation Ariane and Lionel Sauvage The Richard Seaver Trust for the Opera Eugene and Marilyn Stein Marc and Eva Stern Foundation Emanuel Treitel Trust Gregory and Regina Weingarten Marilyn Ziering Ann Ziff Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation
Mr. Alex Furlotti Max H. Gluck Foundation Brindell Roberts Gottlieb Peter and Diane Gray The Green Foundation Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation LGHG Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Opera League of Los Angeles Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer The David and Linda Shaheen Foundation Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP Marie H. Song Ms. Barbara Augusta Teichert Christopher V. Walker
DIAMOND PATRON ($250,000 & ABOVE) Anonymous The Ahmanson Foundation Mr. Harold Alden and Dr. Geraldine Alden Patricia Artigas and Lucas Etchegaray The Blue Ribbon Ana and Robert Cook Robert Day The Fund for the Performing Arts
PREMIER PLATINUM PATRON ($150,000 & ABOVE) Anonymous The Binder Foundation Leslie and John Dorman Michael and Jane Eisner
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation Patty and Ken McKenna Dan Murphy Foundation Rolex
Laura and Carlton Seaver Alyce and Warren Williamson
Edward E. and Alicia Garcia Clark Hispanics for Los Angeles Opera Freya and Mark Ivener Marylyn and Chuck Klaus Terri and Jerry M. Kohl
Michele and Dudley Rauch / The Rauch Family Foundation Rx for Reading Mrs. Elizabeth Segerstrom Herbert Simon Family Foundation
PLATINUM PATRON ($100,000 & ABOVE) The Armenian Consortium Beatrice and Paul F. Bennett Alex Bouzari The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation Joyce and Aubrey Chernick
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P15
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SUPPORTERS
THE OPERA COUNCIL
Chaired by Paul and Catherine Tosetti
The dedicated support of the Opera Council enables LA Opera to achieve its artistic goals. This program offers exclusive privileges and behind-the-scenes opportunities to those individuals, foundations and corporations who make annual gifts of $25,000 or more. For information, please call 213.972.3160.
GRAND GOLD PATRON ($75,000 & ABOVE) Dr. Robert Adler and Alexis Deutsch-Adler
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Hotchkis
Linda Pierce
Lynn A. Booth and Kent Kresa
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Barry and Nancy Sanders
Kiki and David Gindler
National Endowment for the Arts
Susan R. and L. Dennis Shapiro
Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller, M.D.
Linda and Alvaro Pascotto
Wells Fargo
Anonymous (2)
Penelope Foley
Wendy and Ken Ruby
Mr. James Asperger and Ms. Christine Adams
Mr. and Mrs. David K. Ingalls
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Seidel
Mr. Haig S. Bagerdjian
Dr. and Mrs. Harold Karpman
Chester James Semel
Ambassador Frank and Kathy Baxter
Richard Kendall and Lisa See
Eric L. Small / Flora L. Thornton Foundation
Paul and Marie-France Bloch Fund at The Miami Foundation
Travis and Thomas Kranz
Dr. Vina Spiehler
The Boeing Company
Edward and Madeleine Landry
Jay and Deanie Stein
Susan Lord and Scott Richard Lord
Mrs. Leonard Straus
Sean and Stephanie Madnani
James and Ellen Strauss
Merrill Lynch
Jacob and Sandra Terner
Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Malley
Paul and Catherine Tosetti
Mrs. Ted Orden
Richard Wayne
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Andrew Xu and Timothy Iverson
Barbara and Jay Rasulo
Ellen and Arnold Zetcher
Anonymous (3)
In memory of Morris A. Hazan
Penny and Harold B. Ray
Maria Altmann; in memory of Fritz Altmann
Mrs. Maria Antonia Horne
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart A. Resnick
Maynard and Linda Brittan
Tim Johnson and Jean Cunningham
Courtney Reum
Drs. Maryam and Iman H. Brivanlou
Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Jones
Michelle Rohé
Barbara Burtin
James P. Kelley and Joseph W. Lund
The SahanDaywi Foundation
California Arts Council
Lawrence A. Kern
Yoriko Saneyoshi and Kay Harrington
Marlene and Victor Chávez
Mrs. Trudy Lampert
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders
Ginger Conrad
Drs. Anu and Ali Leemann
Natalie K. and Marvin S. Shapiro
Valerie and Harry G. Cooper
Renee and Meyer Luskin
Carol and James Sterling
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Hardin Coulombe
Lori and Michael Milken
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Edgar Foster Daniels
Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Mollura, Sr.
Brigitta B. Troy
The Rafael and Luisa de Marchena-Huyke Foundation
James Mulally
US Bank Foundation
Laura Donnelley and the Good Works Foundation
Anthony and Olivia Neece
Donna Wagner
Nesbitt Foundation
Wasserman Foundation
Mrs. Charles I. Gold
Dr. Leslie A. Pam and Dr. Ann Christie Petersen / Esper A. Petersen Foundation
LLWW Foundation
Thomas and Thea Gottschalk
The Louis and Harold Price Foundation
Em Green
Mrs. Rita Coveney Pudenz
Esther and Abe Zarem
Gary Gugelchuk
Jerome and Toby Rapport Foundation
Nicolas Hamatake
Mr. Jess Ravich
GRAND GOLD PATRON ($50,000 & ABOVE)
The Otis Booth Foundation Drs. Carol and David Cass Janet and Nicholas Ciriello City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs In memory of Nancy M. Daly for her extraordinary legacy of support Geoff Emery
GOLD PATRON ($25,000 & ABOVE)
Mr. Robert Finnerty and Mr. Richard Cullen
Zev Yaroslavsky Susan Zolla; in memory of Edward M. Zolla
P16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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626.463.5300 villagardens.org
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LAO_WRAP_0519.indd 45
PA S A D E N A , C A 9 1 1 0 1 CA License #197602345 COA #195
4/16/19 4:05 PM
PerformancesLA_POMAd_v3.qxp_2019 3/26/19 11
SUPPORTERS
PATRONS OF LA OPERA Chaired by Dr. Elizabeth Short and Dr. Michael Friedman
Patrons of LA Opera, who contribute gifts of $3,500 or more, enjoy exclusive ticket services, benefits and activities to enhance their opera experience. For more information, please call 213.972.7655.
GRAND SILVER BENEFACTOR ($20,000 & ABOVE) Anonymous Barbara Abercrombie Bank of America Foundation Stephanie Barron and Max Rifkind-Barron The California State Library Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cannon Jerrold Eberhardt Dr. and Mrs. Paul Eisenberg
Valerie Franklin J.H.B. Kean and Toby E. Mayman Lenny and David Kelton Metropolitan Associates Eduard Morf Avo Tavitian Wallis Foundation
PREMIER SILVER BENEFACTOR ($15,000 & ABOVE) Anonymous (2) Kay Anderle Mrs. David Barry Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation Susan and L. David Cole Dr. Gisela Eckhardt Mr. and Mrs. David Elmore Monica Gutierrez-Roper and Trevor Roper Diane Henderson Keller Anderle LLP Jennifer L. Keller Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin Anita Lorber
Emily and Sam Mann David Drew Neer, M.D., J.D. Mei-Lee Ney The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation Evy and Fred Scholder Family Dr. Bertrand and Joan Shapiro Karen and William Timberlake Mr. and Mrs. Michael Towbes Richard and Cynthia Troop Ms. Gail Werner Doris Weitz and Alexander Williams Libby Wilson, M.D.
SILVER BENEFACTOR ($10,000 & ABOVE)
JULY 7 thru AUGUST 31 in LAGUNA BEACH Watch live actors and intricate sets come to life with theatrical illusion in this year ’s Pageant of the Masters production of The Time Machine. Ticket Prices Start at $15 Ask About Special Group Rates
800-487-3378
PageantTickets.com
Anonymous (5) Mr. and Mrs. Arnon Adar Patti and Harlan Amstutz Margaret Campbell Arvey Aversano Trust Esther M. Baird and Stanley Fimberg Jill C. Baldauf and Steven L. Grossman Kaye and Tom Ballantyne Thomas and Judith Beckmen Sandy Behrens Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Beim Dr. Sheldon D. Benjamin and Constance Chesnut Stanley Black; in memory of Joyce Black Stuart and Rebecca Bowne Dr. Robert N. Braun and Dr. Joan A. Friedman Victor Carabello, M.D.; in honor of my beloved parents Oscar and Elisa Laurel K Clark Adams/Cohen Family Christina and Bill Conkle Roberta Conroy Myron and Margie Crain Felice and Richard Cutler Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Dickerson Betty and Brack Duker Danielle Nelson Erem and Vivian Nelson Stephen M. Erhart Mary and Robert Estrin Bruce and Adele Gainsley Jessie and Steven Galson Eve Steele and Peter Gelles Sally and Irwin Goldstein Mr. John Grissom Beverly and Felix Grossman Betty Hayman Robert and Denise Hayman Catherine and Mark Helm Allen Briskin and Gerry Hinkley Stella Jeong and Randall Lee Russell and Mary Johnson
William and Priscilla Kennedy Michelle Kezirian and Charles J. Janigian Mr. David Kobrin Elaine F. Kramer Renee Kumetz The George and Ann Leal Family Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund Mr. Paul Lombardi and Mr. Jeffrey B. Soref Gail and Sam Losh Hon. Nora M. Manella Linda May and Jack Suzar Judy and Steve McDonald Adele Gray McGinnis Diane Hickingbotham McNabb Mrs. Synne Hansen Miller The Mink Family Nancy-Gene Morrison Moss Foundation Ann Mulally Barbara and Norman S. Namerow Gregory Nava and Barbara Martinez Jitner Chris and Dick Newman / C and R Family Foundation Michael Nohaile and Kristin Yarema Carolyn R. Novin Thomas Patrick and Stephen Rulo Diane and David Paul The Stephen Philibosian Foundation John and Mary Lynn Rallis The Reis Foundation, Inc. Jack and Joelle Rimokh Rodrigo J. Rocha, M.D.; in memory of my beloved parents Lars Roos and Dr. Estelita Calica Roos Mrs. Barbara C. Rosenthal Mimi Rotter Matthew & Jennifer Rowland Barbara Sadoff Sakana Foundation Schlinger Chrisman Foundation Malcolm Schneer and Cathy Liu
46 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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WRITTEN BY
MICHAEL MITNICK
INSPIRED BY THE NEW YORKER ARTICLE BY
DAVID GRANN
DIRECTED BY
MATT SHAKMAN
WORLD PREMIERE & GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE COMMISSION
JUNE 11 – JULY 14
TICKETS: 310.208.5454 | geffenplayhouse.org This play was commissioned as part of the Geffen Playhouse's New Play Development Program thanks to the generosity of The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Major support for this world premiere production provided by the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund.
LAO_WRAP_0519.indd 47
4/16/19 4:05 PM
2019/20 Season
SUPPORTERS
PATRONS OF LA OPERA SILVER BENEFACTOR ($10,000 & ABOVE) Amy and Andy Schwartz Tina and David Segel Dr. Sharron L. Seal and Mr. Lawrence Seal Dr. Elizabeth Short and Dr. Michael Friedman Terry and Dennis Stanfill Elinor and Rubin Turner Mr. and Mrs. Dale Ulman US Bank Aviva Weiner and Paulino Fontes Sheila and Wally Weisman M. Faye Wilson Susan Zolla; in memory of Edward M. Zolla
La Bohème Ikko Freese / Drama Berlin
LA BOHÈME • THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA • THE MAGIC FLUTE EURYDICE • ROBERTO DEVEREUX • PELLÉAS & MÉLISANDE THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO • PSYCHO • ANGEL’S BONE JAVIER CAMARENA in recital • RODELINDA in concert
FINE WINE AND GRAND OPERA A CLASSIC COMBINATION
Laetitia Vineyard and Winery and LA Opera share a dedication to producing the finest the world has to offer. For more information about Laetitia Vineyard’s award-winning Pinot Noir and Sparkling Wines, visit www.laetitiawine.com.
J
A o
GRAND BENEFACTOR ($7,000 & ABOVE)
J
Jerome M. Applebaum The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation Warren Breslow and Gail Buchalter Cecelia Cole Ms. Sheila Coop The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. Zoe Cosgrove Drs. Nazareth & Ani Darakjian Dr. and Mrs. William M. Duxler Susan and John Ebey Paul A. Erskine Family Fund Larry and Marlis Gilman Larry Hawley and Barbara Aran C. Terry Hendrix; in memory of Gracia Alkema Freddi and Dr. Kenneth D. Hill Dr. Ronald Hopkins In loving memory of Chester O. Houston, Jr. Hub International Limited Stuart and Simone Isen Dr. Stephen Kanter Nancy Katayama Rosalie Kornblau Mrs. Isabel Markovits-Rosenberg The Maurer Family Foundation James and Grace McAdams Olga Moretti William and Carol Ouchi Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts Ms. Gay Phinny Drs. Michael and Marion Quinn Cliff and Toni Reston Bill and Dinah Ruch Family Foundation The Wally Russell Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Alexander A. Sawchuk Dr. Donald Seligman and Dr. Jon Zimmermann Tracy Stone and Allen Anderson Bette I. Tatge James and Robin Walther Barbara and Ken Warner Michael Weber and Frances Spivy-Weber
E R S
J
B W N
A
F e M
A
B C C
P
PREMIER BENEFACTOR
Providing the nation's most exclusive placements since 1982 Executive & Personal Assistants • Chefs Estate Managers • Nannies • Butlers Housekeepers • Baby Nurses • Elder Care
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($5,000 AND ABOVE)
Anonymous (6) Act 1 Tours The Maurice Amado Foundation The Amphion Foundation, Inc. Anne Andrews and John Thornton Shirley Ashkenas; in memory of Irving Ashkenas Olin and Ann Barrett Randall C. Bassett Leah S. and Gregory M. Bergman Better World JL Institute
CA FO PU
DIS
48 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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COME CELEBRATE A DAZZLING
SUMMER WITH
California Philharmonic 16
TH
SEASON
AT THE MUSIC CENTER’S WA LT D I S N E Y CO N C E RT H A L L 1 1 1 S G R A N D AV E , L O S A N G E L E S , C A 9 0 0 1 2
SUNDAYS AT 2 PM
JUNE 30 | BEETHOVEN MEETS THE BEATLES
A blend that is pure Cal Phil: Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Beatles hits with the full orchestra and more.
JULY 14 | BASTILLE DAY
Excerpts from Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with Broadway star Randal Keith, Philip Smith, Anne Martinez, and the Cal Phil Chorale, plus Camille Saint-Saëns’“Organ” Symphony featuring the world-famous Walt Disney organ.
JULY 28 | SPACE: A GIANT LEAP
Be transported by light years of great music, including the title tracks from “Apollo 13,”“Star Wars,”“Star Trek,” Mars and Jupiter from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1, Titan.”The orchestra will be accompanied by never seen before NASA and JPL images.
AUGUST 11 | CARMEN GOES TO THE MOVIES
Featuring Audrey Babcock, Cedric Berry, Annalise Staudt, and the Cal Phil Chorale. Featuring excerpts from Georges Bizet’s opera, “Carmen.” Also, classic film music by Ennio Morricone (“The Mission,”“Cinema Paradiso,” and more).
AUGUST 18 | THE EMPEROR’S ROUNDUP
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” pianist Daniel Lessner; “The Big Country,” by Jerome Moross, Elmer Bernstein’s “The Magnificent Seven,” Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid,” and Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite.”
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS AT WWW.CALPHIL.COM CALL ORDERS (323) 850-2000 FOR GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE, CALL (323) 850-2050 PURCHASE IN PERSON AT THE WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR SENIORS AND STUDENTS
LAO_WRAP_0519.indd 49
INTIMATE LKS PRE-CONCERT TA VENER MAESTRO VICTOR 1:00PM BP Hall
4/16/19 4:05 PM
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“The laugh factory is open for business!” —Los Angeles Times
THE S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION PRESENTS
A NOISE WITHIN’S 2018-19 REPERTORY THEATRE SEASON
Our Beloved Cast Returns!
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hit the banana peel running and never let up.”
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May 21–June 9, 2019
B U Y T I C K E T S T O D AY
anoisewithin.org | 626.356.3100 Pictured: Ensemble. PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ.
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SUPPORTERS
Hedda has just returned from her honeymoon with George, but she finds herself ill-suited to the role of a housewife. Her desperate dissatisfaction leads to dangerous choices in this exhilarating contemporary adaptation by Doug Hughes.
JUNE 28-30
HEDDA GABLER BY HENRIK IBSEN ADAPTED BY
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ARTISTS CIRCLE ($2,000 AND ABOVE) Anonymous (2) Sara and Robert Adler Mr. Robert C. Anderson Max and Deborah Baroi Dr. Peter and Mrs. Helen Bing Meribeth Brand Todd L. Calvin Joseph and Dolores Casey Evelyn and Stephen Cederbaum
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54 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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WHERE MYTHS TAKE HOLD Rediscover Hermes, Medusa, Cupid, and other beloved mythological heroes and gods. Experience 3,000 square feet of new exhibition space, masterpieces never before on view, and a major reinstallation of the Getty Museum’s collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan treasures. The Getty Villa. One mile north of Sunset on PCH. Reserve your free tickets today.
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BELLA VOCE LA Opera’s world-class artistry, on the stage and in the community, will continue thanks to the generosity and foresight of opera lovers who have established future gifts for LA Opera in their estate plans. LA Opera honors and welcomes these donors as members of Bella Voce with behind-the-scenes events. For more information or to join, please call Nancy Baxter, Director of Gift Planning, at 213.972.3141.
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Russell Thomas in The Clemency of Titus (2019). Photo: Cory Weaver
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56 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
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BARAK BALLET Presents New Repertoire World Premieres by Melissa Barak, Ma Cong, and Andi Schermoly
“Stellar”
- LA Times
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The Broad Stage at SMC Performing Arts Center 1310 11th St. Santa Monica, CA 90401 June 28 and 29, 2019 at 8PM Tickets at barakballet.org
4/17/19 2:10 PM
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Mr. David Chierichetti Edward E. and Alicia Garcia Clark Richard D. and Lisa K. Colburn Nancy Cook Nancy Daly Janet and Roger DeBard Teresa DeCrescenzo Phyllis and Donal Dreifus Jesse Dukeminier and David S. Sanders, M.D. The George A.V. Dunning Fund / California Community Foundation Allan and Diane Eisenman Gerald Faris Adell Fink Claudia and Mark Foster Herbert O. and Jean Fox Kara Kass Fox Allen B. Freitag Trust Ronald Frydman Gerri Lee Frye Roger Gallizzi and James Willey Gwynne M. Gloege Estate of Barbara Goldenberg Eric A. Gordon Leonard Green Susan R. Greer Joyce and Joelle Grinker Estate of Walter O. Halden Roy Hamilton The Jerome G. Handelsman Trust Lee and David Hayutin Anne Heineman Estate of Harvey B. Heller Warner and Carol Henry Yvonne and Gordon Hessler Joan and John Hotchkis Drs. Herbert and Judith Hyman Mr. and Mrs. David K. Ingalls Robert Jesberg and Michael J. Carmody Estate of H. Kirkland Jones Sylvia and Vernon D. Jones Lawrence A. Kern Joyce and Kent Kresa Helen Lamm Ivan and Hilda Layda / Layda Family Trust The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Dr. Paul E. LeMal Raymond A. Lieberman Trust Robert and Marguerite Marsh In memory of Terry Roberta Matthies Dr. Michael McGuire Paula Kent Meehan Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Miller The Jane Moore Family Trust Diane and Leon Morton Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco Anthony and Olivia Neece Joan Harding Newman Mei-Lee Ney Estate of Beatrix F. Padway Milan Panic The Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn) Chloe Pollock-Mieczkowski Mrs. Jean Powell Nan Rae Christine P. Ries The L. Franc Scheuer Trust
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SEE ACADEMY AWARD WINNER DIANNE WIEST in one of theatre’s most extraordinary roles. ®
“BEAUTIFUL...AN AFFECTING REVIVAL... Dianne Wiest is wonderful!”—Time Out New York, Critic’s Pick
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BARBARA HANNIGAN music director
SUPPORTERS
BELLA VOCE BELLA VOCE PATRONS (IRREVOCABLE FUTURE GIFTS) The Malcolm Schneer LAOC Trust The Richard Seaver Trust for the Opera Milton Singer Mr. and Mrs. William Smollen Ellen and Harry Sondheim, in memory of Betty and Felix Leibholz Estate of Mr. Arthur Spitzer Marilyn and Eugene Stein / Capital Group Companies Marc and Eva Stern Linda May Suzar
Estate of Gaby K. Tanas Flora L. Thornton and Eric L. Small Estate of C. Dickson Titus III Emanuel Treitel Ms. Carol Vernon and Mr. Robert Turbin Magda and Frederick R. Waingrow Lenore and Richard Wayne Mark A. Weaver Douglas B. Wood Sharon and Fillmore Wood
BELLA VOCE SOCIETY (FUTURE GIFTS)
JUNE 6-9 2019
The Rake’s Progress
Steven Schick
JACK Quartet
A music gathering of transformative experiences and community in the outdoor splendor of the Ojai Valley • Fully-staged performance of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress • Hannigan performing and conducting her Grammy-winning Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Suite • West Coast conducting debut of Hannigan in works by Stravinsky, Debussy, and Haydn • The US debut of LUDWIG, the Grammy-winning Amsterdam music collective, and the return of Steven Schick and JACK Quartet
Single tickets on sale now OjaiFestival.org | 805 646 2053 join the conversation:
Anonymous (9) Doris Alexander Helen Mae Almas John Altschul Dr. and Mrs. Harlan C. Amstutz Sharon Baranoff Shirley Lee Barasch James C. Bassett, Ph.D. Randall C. Bassett Nancy Griffith Baxter James M. Bell Herbert M. Berk Lorna D. Blancaflor Rebecca Bowne Hans and Dianne Bozler Elizabeth B. and Elwood S. Buffa Jacqueline and Henry Cahn Dr. Alisa Cone Camberlan Leigh Robinson Cartwright Drs. Carol and David Cass Julia Cherry Bernice Colman Ginger Conrad Hilary Crahan Michele McGarry Crahan Keith Crasnick Family Trust Richard Cullen and Robert Finnerty Drs. Nazareth and Ani Darakjian Amy Lyn DeZwart and George Betar Leslie and John Dorman Mary Kathryn Dunn Gerald Elijah and Octaveous Starr Maureen Engelhard Dr. Jon Fellows and Judith Hemenway Daniel Fink, M.D. Ms. Valerie Franklin David F. Freedman Mr. and Mrs. John Garvey Nancy Gentry Geller Dr. Melinda Gilmore Jerome J. Glaser Joyce and Eric Goldman Ms. Nancy A. Grant Donna and Greg Griffith Hildegard Harris Susan and Bruce Heard Laura Hecht Ms. Nita Heimbaugh Bonnie Helms Malcolm T. Henderson Freddi and Dr. Kenneth D. Hill Judge Judith O. and Dr. Glen Hollinger Dr. Ronald G. Hopkins Sharon and Donald Jackley Norman W. and Rose M. Jaffe Bruce Johansen Dr. Barbara Johnston Dr. Stephen A. Kanter
Dr. and Mrs. William Kern Dr. Stephen Knafel Linda L. R. Knight Richard P. and Meredith B. Kramer Victoria and Douglas Lane Larry Layne Robert M. Lea Mr. and Mrs. Lou D. Liuzzi Mr. Jeff MacKey Gerrie Maloof Hon. Nora M. Manella Sam I. Matsumoto / Gordon J. Geever Trust Melissa Machin Mazur Edward McCann Steven D. McGinty The Minturn Family Charitable Foundation Michael and Lorraine Mohill Nancy-Gene Morrison Barbara and Maury Mortensen Mary Jane Myers Gordon and Rosie Ornelas Olson Dr. Sophia Park Lenore and Carl Pearlston Janet Petersen Cat Jagger Pollon Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Prusan Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Pudenz Jeanne E. Roerig Mr. and Mrs. Patrick T. Rogers Frank D. Rubin Dr. Jeanne W. Ruderman Maged Salib Elizabeth Loucks Samson Kenneth Sanson Melody and Warren Schubert Mr. and Mrs. Christof E. Schwab Dr. Donald A. Seligman and Dr. Jon E. Zimmermann Olga Sevilla John Jacob Shaak Marilyn Shapiro Mr. Archie Sharp Lynn Foster Sipe Audre Slater Mr. and Mrs. Dennis C. Stanfill R. Rhoads Stephenson Donna Stillo Amanda F. Susskind Iris and Robert Teragawa Dr. Elaine Totten and Mr. Barclay Totten Mrs. Ella Upsher Dr. Michael Upsher Rose Vardanian Larry Verdugo Barbara and Ken Warner Michael Weber and Frances Spivy-Weber Linda and Robert E. Willett Wesley and Rachel Williamson Mr. and Mrs. Lorin H. Wilson
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SUPPORTERS
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT LA Opera is proud to acknowledge and thank the following public agencies and programs for their support.
National Endowment for the Arts Mary Anne Carter, Acting Chairman
County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Janice Hahn, Chair Kathryn Barger Sheila Kuehl Mark Ridley-Thomas Hilda L. Solis
Los Angeles County Arts Commission Kristin Sakoda, Executive Director
City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs Danielle Brazell, General Manager
California Arts Council Anne Bown-Crawford, Executive Director
Hand Carved Pen in Violin Case by Jack Cousin
ORCHESTRATIONS Artisan Gifts by Classical Musicians
THE CENTENNIAL PEN Hand Carved by LA Phil Double Bassist & Fine Art Woodworker Jack Cousin
California State Library Greg Lucas, State Librarian
View more gifts online from Jack Cousin & Andrea Comsky
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GAIL R. GORDON
Founder & Executive Director
INAUGURALSEASON
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CORPORATE SUPPORT LA Opera appreciates the generous contributions from the following corporations.
An Opera by Alexander von Zemlinsky
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Directed by Gail R. Gordon Musical Direction by Christopher Luthi
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EL GATO MONTÉS continued from pg. 18 proved decisive. Barbieri himself, however, agreed that terms such as ópera cómica might have made the genre more exportable. (If you think that in culturally more egalitarian days the idiosyncratic label “zarzuela” would not remain a hindrance to acceptance outside Spain, try looking up “Penella” in the esteemed New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians or try to find any mention of zarzuelas of any age in commonly utilized textbooks.) In the late 19th century, the género chico, the “little genre,” held complete sway. The development of teatros por horas, small theaters that presented daily schedules of numerous short pieces and sold hourly admissions, created an insatiable market for popular one-act, slice-of-urban-life pieces. These works did not have to be artistically negligible, but by the 1880s a general decline in substance was apparent to many observers. It was in this climate that Penella created his first theater works, short zarzuelas or revistas. In the early 20th century, however, Lehár’s Merry Widow and other operettas conquered Spain as handily as they had the rest of Europe, renewing interest in works of larger scope, such as El Gato Montés. But if Lehár liberated the zarzuela from the grip of the género chico, stylistically Puccini and the Italian verists were the greatest influence on Spanish theater composers of Penella’s generation. Puccini’s influence is felt in the greater dramatic and musical reach of pieces such as El Gato. The lush orchestration, however, came by way of the late Miguel Roa, musical director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela in
Madrid for many years. Although Penella’s original scoring reveals both the technical security of his conservatory instrumental training and the dramatic confidence of long years in the theater, the houses for which he wrote seldom employed full orchestras. Roa supervised and conducted the music for an eminently successful revival created by the Teatro de la Zarzuela in the early 1990s. This production—with Plácido Domingo as the bullfighter Rafael Ruiz (known as “El Macareno”), Juan Pons as the titular bandit chief, and Verónica Villarroel as Soleá, loved by both men—was first unveiled at the Seville Expo in 1992 and traveled widely, including 1994 performances at LA Opera that were filmed and telecast on PBS, and led to a much-praised Deutsche Grammophon recording. Penella wrote his own book for El Gato Montés, although just how much of it is based on a story idea by his friend Felipe Sassone has been debated since the work’s premiere. The story is set in Andalusia and the libretto employs the local dialect throughout—the relationship of Andalusian to Castilian Spanish is roughly that of a broad Southern-American drawl to crisp Oxford English. It tells of an ill-fated love triangle in which the rivals, the bullfighter and the bandit, are basically alter egos, the light and dark sides of the same macho figure: the Macareno kills bulls for Soleá and lives the life of a respected community hero; the Wildcat has killed a man for her and lives the life of a hunted desperado. Act One sets up the conflicts, Act Two resolves them (fatally) for the bullfighter
The matador is fatally gored in the bull ring.
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and Act Three resolves them (again fatally) for the bandit. Penella’s way of dealing with a psychologically parallel story in a dramatically linear form has caused problems with the finale for some critics, and this production includes some reworking of the libretto in the finale. The music supports this tripartite division of both the dramatic form and the psychological focus. Musically, each of the three protagonists is obviously Andalusian in mode, accent and ornament, but also an individual—the gradual merging of Rafael’s and Soleá’s hitherto distinctive lines in the duet in the first scene of Act Two is but one example of Penella’s ability to reinforce the verbal text musically. Indeed, fluid conversational exchange, with all its emotional variety underscored musically, is the prevailing texture. In that context, the rare soliloquies—Rafael’s intense prayer before the bullfight-, the Wildcat’s despairing grief in the final scene—stand out powerfully. Equally effective is Penella’s use of the chorus and orchestra for both scene-setting and dramatic development. The main folkloric elements are conveyed through the chorus and the orchestra—and small parts such as the fortuneteller who reads Rafael’s future and the shepherd boy whose offstage song is the musical touchstone for the central motivation of the title character. These are not mere bits of interpolated costumbrista color; they all advance the drama along its trajectory of alternating celebration and conflict. Penella was many things during the course of his wandering life, including a torero, which accounts in part of the authenticity and urgency of his portrayal of the bullfighter’s life. But he was above all a complete man of the theater and that can be heard in every bar of El Gato Montés.
HERE’S TO YOU
Musicologist and critic John Henken received his Ph.D. from UCLA for a dissertation on Francisco Asenjo Barbieri. He is Managing Editor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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SUPPORTERS
MATCHING GIFTS LA Opera is pleased to acknowledge the companies that support our company with matching gift programs. Under a corporate matching gift program, cash gifts from eligible employees are matched with company or corporate foundation funds. This additional contribution increases a participating employee’s membership level, enhancing their benefits and privileges of membership. Please call 213.972.7277 for more information.
The ACE INA Foundation AECOM Technology Corporation Allegheny Technologies American Express American International Group, Inc. Amgen Foundation Areté Associates Agro Group AT & T Foundation Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Ball Corporation Bank of America Charitable Foundation The Boeing Company BP Foundation CA Technologies California Wellness Foundation 13606 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks 818.990.6128 The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation AbundancePlusSizes.com The Charles Schwab Foundation The only upscale boutique in greater Los Angeles for women size 12 and up. Chevron Corporation From comfortable to casual or dressy—classic to funky & fun. Abundance has it all! CIGNA Foundation CNA Foundation BRING IN THIS AD FOR 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE Dole Food Company Employees Community Fund of Boeing ExxonMobil GE Foundation Genworth Foundation Abundance_May19.indd 1 3/27/19 3:33 PM Georgia Pacific Corporation Goldman, Sachs & Co. Google, Inc. The Home Depot Foundation Humana Foundation IBM Corporation Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies JPMorgan Chase Foundation Los Angeles Times Macy’s, Inc. Medtronic Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc. Microsoft Corporation Monsanto Company Oppenheimer Funds Distributor, Inc. Patagonia, Inc. Pfizer Foundation The Prudential Foundation Qualcomm, Inc. Rockwell Collins RSUI Schneider Electric North America Foundation Sempra Energy Sony Pictures Entertainment Stanley Black & Decker Distinctive Residential Settings | Chef-Prepared Dining and Bistro Tenet Healthcare Foundation Premier Health and Wellness Programs | Award-Winning Memory Care Time Warner TRW Foundation Professionally Supervised Therapy and Rehabilitation Services Union Bank Foundation United Technologies Verizon Foundation VISA W.M. Keck Foundation Eight Los Angeles Area Locations Weingart Foundation Wells Fargo belmontvillage.com
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WORLD PREMIERE
The story of Moses is about as miraculous and epic as anything we can think of: the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Plagues, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Earlier this spring, the Old Testament saga enthralled audiences at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with the world premiere of Moses, by composer Henry Mollicone and librettist Shishir Kurup. A cast of nearly 500 performers of all ages, including several members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in leading roles, brought the work to life under the baton of James Conlon. The company’s enormously popular productions at the Cathedral are offered free of charge. (And we’ve got tons of other programs that make sure everyone has access to opera at little or no cost.) This is largely thanks to incredible leadership support from the Dan Murphy Foundation, which has enthusiastically underwritten this initiative since its conception in 2007, along with additional support coming from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders.
PHOTOS BY TASO PAPADAKIS
An epic Moses at the Cathedral
Clockwise from top: Alok Kumar as Ramses; Michael J. Hawk as Moses; two scenes from Moses; Niru Liu as Bithia.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE 67
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2018/2019 MUSIC CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Follow The Music Center on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @MusicCenterLA
Jay Rasulo
Robert J. Abernethy Cindy Miscikowski Vice Chairs
Lisa See
Rachel S. Moore President and Chief Executive Officer Diane G. Medina Secretary Susan M. Wegleitner Treasurer
Joseph Rice Richard K. Roeder Catharine Soros Marc I. Stern Philip A. Swan Cary H. Thompson Walter F. Ulloa Timothy S. Wahl Alyce Williamson Jay Wintrob
William Taylor Assistant Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
Rollin A. Ransom General Counsel
MEMBERS AT LARGE Charles F. Adams
DIRECTORS EMERITI Peter K. Barker
William H. Ahmanson Wallis Annenberg Jill Baldauf Phoebe Beasley Darrell Brown Kimaada M. Brown Dannielle Campos Greg T. Geyer Lisa Gilford Kiki Ramos Gindler Maria Rosario Jackson Glenn Kaino Stefanie Kane
^
Leave of absence
Judith Beckmen Eli Broad Ronald W. Burkle Amb. (ret.) John B. Emerson* Lois Erburu Richard M. Ferry Brindell Gottlieb Bernard A. Greenberg Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr. Amb. (ret.) Glen A. Holden Stuart M. Ketchum Amb. (ret.) Lester B. Korn
General Information (213) 972-7211 | musiccenter.org
Cary J. Lefton Richard Lynn Martinez
Robert F. Maguire, III
Support The Music Center (213) 972-3333 | musiccenter.org/support
Bowen “Buzz” H. McCoy Mattie McFaddenLawson
Ginny Mancini Edward J. McAniff
Elizabeth Michelson
Fredric M. Roberts
Be a Music Center Docent If you love the arts and enjoy sharing this enthusiasm with the public, we invite you to join the Symphonians. musiccenter.org/symphonians symphonians@musiccenter.org
David Lippman
Darrell D. Miller Shelby Notkin Michael Pagano Cynthia M. Patton Karen Kay Platt Rory Pullens Max Ramberg ^
Kent Kresa
Walter M. Mirisch Claire L. Rothman Joni J. Smith Cynthia A. Telles James A. Thomas Andrea L. Van de Kamp* Paul M. Watson Thomas R. Weinberger Rosalind W. Wyman * Chairman Emeritus
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Illustrations by: Down The Street Designs
A s one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers and a cultural and civic anchor in Los Angeles County, The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in the county. The Music Center is poised to become a multidisciplinary arts center for the 21st century, not only as a home for classical art forms, but also as a driving artistic voice for diversity and inclusion that reflects and responds to the ever-evolving landscape of Los Angeles. Through compelling programs that are relevant to a range of audiences, serving Los Angeles in all its breadth, The Music Center is both the home and the force behind some of the greatest creative expression today.
OFFICERS Lisa Specht Board Chair
4/8/19 11:39 AM
MAY WED 01 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Falsettos CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Ahmanson Theater Thru 5/19 WED 01 MAY / 11:00 a.m. Grand Park’s LUNCH À LA PARK: Food Trucks @ Grand Park Every Tue/Wed/Thu WED 01 MAY / 12:15 p.m. Grand Park’s LUNCH À LA PARK: Yoga reTREAT @ Grand Park Performance Lawn Every Wed/Fri THU 02 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/5 THU 02 MAY / 12:15 p.m. Grand Park’s LUNCH À LA PARK: SPRING CONCERTS featuring L.A.’s Youth Artists @ Grand Park Performance Lawn Every Thu SAT 04 MAY / 2:00 p.m. Great Opera & Film Choruses LA MASTER CHORALE @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/5 SAT 04 MAY / 7:30 p.m. El Gato Montes: The Wildcat LA OPERA @ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Thru 5/19
MON 06 MAY / 8:30 p.m. Between Three Worlds: Films by Akosua Adoma Owusu REDCAT @ Roy And Edna Disney / CalArts Theater
SAT 18 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1&3 LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
FRI 10 MAY / 11:00 a.m. Mozart with Dudamel LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/12
SAT 18 MAY / 8:30 p.m. Maryanne Amacher: Adjacencies (1965) REDCAT @ Roy And Edna Disney / CalArts Theater
FRI 10 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Lila Downs LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SUN 19 MAY / 7:30 p.m. Iveta Apkalna LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SAT 11 MAY / 10:00 a.m. Saturday Mornings @ The Opera — German Opera Tales LA OPERA @ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
TUE 21 MAY / 8:00 p.m. All-Beethoven LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SUN 12 MAY / 7:30 p.m. Pierre-Laurent Aimard LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall MON 13 MAY / 8:30 p.m. Julie Murray: Mysteries of the Visible World REDCAT @ Roy And Edna Disney / CalArts Theater WED 15 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Happy Days CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Mark Taper Forum Thru 6/30
THU 23 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/24 SAT 25 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Masses by Haydn & Beethoven LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall THU 30 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Dudamel Conducts Mahler’s Eighth LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/31
FRI 17 MAY / 8:00 p.m. Lang Lang & Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 LA PHIL @ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 5/19
2019 Visit musiccenter.org for additional information on all upcoming events. facebook.com/MusicCenterLA
@MusicCenterLA
@MusicCenterLA
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The Royal Ballet returns to Los Angeles for the first time in 24 years! Two back-to-back weekends. Two distinctive engagements.
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion musiccenter.org | (213) 972-0711 GROUPS OF 10+: (213) 972-8555 | mcgroupsales@musiccenter.org
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The Royal Ballet Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling July 5– 7, 2019 An unforgettable tale of dangerous desires, family secrets and political intrigue.
The Royal Ballet & Company Wayne McGregor Adès & McGregor: A Dance Collaboration July 12–13, 2019
Background photo: Mayerling. Lauren Cuthbertson as Mary Vetsera and Thiago Soares as Rudolf © ROH, 2018. Ph. by Helen Maybanks; Top left: Natalia Osipova, Ryoichi Hirano ©ROH 2018. Photo by Helen Maybanks; Top right: Lauren Cuthbertson ©ROH 2018. Photo by Bill Cooper; Left middle: Photo by Ravi Deepres; Top headshot: Thomas Adès. Photo by Brian Voce; Bottom headshot: Wayne McGregor. Photo by Pål Hansen.
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An unprecedented collaboration featuring music and dance world premieres as Thomas Adès conducts the LA Phil while The Royal Ballet and Company Wayne McGregor take the stage to perform new choreography by Wayne McGregor.
4/8/19 11:40 AM
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES Support from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors plays an invaluable role in the successful operation of The Music Center.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS, Second District; SHEILA J. KUEHL, Third District; JANICE HAHN, Fourth District, Chair; KATHRYN BARGER, Fifth District; and HILDA L. SOLIS, First District
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T H E G R E AT E S T MUSIC STORIES NEVER TOLD
SEASON 2
K C R W. C O M / L O S T N O T E S
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Li fe g o e s by s o q u i c kl y ENJ OY EVERY M OM ENT
www. J a de Mi l l s . c om 310. 285. 7508 The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. Compan Š2018 Coldwell Banke Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo service marks are registered or pending registrations owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. CALBRE: 00526877
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