Performances Magazine | LA Opera, December 2025

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6 A WELCOME FROM PRESIDENT AND CEO CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH

8

40 TH ANNIVERSARY OPERA BALL

On the opening night of the season, LA Opera celebrated its fourth decade with the company premiere of West Side Story and a Jets-versus-Sharks-themed gala, raising over $2.2 million for the company.

10 BEHIND THE CURTAIN WITH STAGE DIRECTOR BRENNA CORNER

Drawn from the Behind the Curtain podcast series created by LA Opera Connects, an interview with Brenna Corner, director of La Bohème, hosted by veteran broadcaster Gail Eichenthal.

13 CELEBRATE JAMES CONLON’S 20 YEARS AT LA OPERA

To salute his transformative tenure as our beloved music director, we’re pulling out all the stops at a spring gala, and you’re invited.

32 STARS ON THE RISE

Meet the future of opera: introducing the 2025/26 season’s members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program.

PHOTO BY KEN HOWARRD

Young love never sounded so good. LAO’s 2016 production of La Bohème

Welcome to LA Opera

Dear friends:

From its world premiere in 1896 to the present day, Puccini’s La Bohème has never failed to captivate generations of music lovers. It has long been a touchstone for every opera company—and for me, personally. Early in my time at LA Opera, a colleague—who had caught me quietly weeping at the end of yet another performance—told me that if I ever stopped being moved by Bohème, it would be time to leave the business. Nearly 30 years later, I’m still here, and still undone by the same moment every time.

Herbert Ross’s beautiful production, created for LA Opera more than three decades ago, has captivated tens of thousands of audience members not just here in Los Angeles, but around the world. Bringing it back to our stage in our 40th Anniversary Season feels both like a homecoming and a reaffirmation of everything that makes Puccini’s masterpiece endure.

Our cast features two sopranos who are distinguished graduates of our Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Janai Brugger returns for her role debut as Mimì, her fifth leading role here, after previously performing Musetta with us in this very same production in 2012 and 2016. Erica Petrocelli reprises her 2019 portrayal of Musetta, one of four leading roles she has performed with us.

The four Bohemian roommates are all new to LA Opera. We welcome Italian tenor Oreste Cosimo in his U.S. debut as Rodolfo. He will be joined by Gihoon Kim as Marcello, William Guanbo Su as Colline and Emmett O’Hanlon as Schaunard. Rod Gilfry, a longtime company favorite, returns in the dual roles of Benoît and Alcindoro.

This much-loved revival comes to our stage thanks to the generosity of several of our most dedicated supporters. My heartfelt thanks go to Andrea Pessino; the Alfred and Claude Mann Fund; and the Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust, for making this production possible. I am also grateful to the Armenian Consortium and to the Scott Watt Family for their special additional support. Finally, I am proud to recognize the Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund, whose generous support has made Janai Brugger’s appearance possible.

La Bohème remains unmatched in its ability to welcome new audiences into the art form while continuing to move those of us who’ve loved it for decades. I know that many of you are coming to the opera for the very first time, and I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome you here. I’m excited for you to have this experience, and I hope that it will be as meaningful to you as it has been for me.

Sincerely,

LA OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marc Stern* HONORARY CHAIRMAN

Keith R. Leonard, Jr.* CHAIRMAN

Leslie Dorman* CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Carol F. Henry* Linda Pascotto* Andrea Pessino* Robert Ronus* Eugene P. Stein* Régina Weingarten* Marilyn Ziering* VICE CHAIRMEN

Penelope D. Foley* TREASURER

Paul D. Tosetti* SECRETARY

Bernard A. Greenberg VICE CHAIRMAN EMERITUS AND FOUNDING

Ahsan Aijaz

Patricia Artigas

James R. Asperger

Haig A. S. Bagerdjian

Paul Bloch

Lisa Bratkovich

Iman H. Brivanlou, Ph.D.

Barbara Burtin

Marlene Schall Chávez, Ph.D.

Janet J. Ciriello, Ed.D.

James Conlon†

Robert Cook

Alexis Deutsch-Adler

Kathleen Kane Eberhardt*

Chaz Hammel-Smith Ebert

Geoff Emery

Dr. Annette Ermshar

Michael A. Friedman, M.D.

Shaudi Fulp

Gordon P. Getty**

Ambassador Frank E.

Baxter‡

Alicia Garcia Clark

Alice Steere Coulombe‡

Juan Carlos Gonzalez

Diane Gray

Mónica Gutiérrez Roper

Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller, M.D.

Nicolas Hamatake

Catherine H. Helm

William Chase

Hodge-Brokenburr

Rian Johnson

Tim C. Johnson*

Janet Jones

Richard Jones

Monique Regine Kagan

Lawrence A. Kern

Gayle Kirschbaum

Christopher Koelsch†*

Thomas F. Kranz

Ali Leemann, Ph.D.

Scott R. Lord*

Don Franzen

Alexander Furlotti

Joan Hotchkis‡

Sherry Lansing

Hon. Nora M. Manella

Claude Mann

Linda May

Jennifer McCormick

Patricia McKenna*

James Mulally

Gregory Nava

Olivia H. Ernst Neece

Leslie A. Pam, Ph.D.

Linda Pierce

Ceil Pulitzer**

Barry A. Sanders*

Lionel M. Sauvage*

Heinrich Schelbert, M.D., Ph.D.

Charlotte Coulombe

Schoenmann

R. Carlton Seaver*

Lisa See*

Tina L. Segel

LIFE TRUSTEES

Harold B. Ray

Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders‡

Marvin S. Shapiro

Mrs. Dennis Stanfill

Joan Seidel‡

Linda Shaheen*

Marilyn Shapiro

Susan Shapiro*

Eric L. Small

Dr. Vina Spiehler

Janet Stanford

Deanie Stein

Dr. Ellen G. Strauss

Mimi Won Techentin

Barbara Augusta Teichert

Brigitta B. Troy

Gillian Wagner

Christopher V. Walker*

Geoffrey P. Wharton

Andrew Xu

Zev Yaroslavsky

Ellen Zetcher

Joakim Zetterberg

Ann Ziff

Richard E. Troop

Alyce Williamson

PRESIDENTS / CHAIRMEN OF LA OPERA SINCE ITS INCEPTION

Stephen D. Gavin

John A. McCone

Lawrence Deutsch

Bernard I. Forester

Kyhl Smeby

Edward W. Carter

Thomas Wachtell

Roy L. Ash

Bernard A. Greenberg

Richard Seaver

Leonard I. Green

Marc Stern

* Executive Committee member ** Honorary † Ex Officio ‡ in memoriam

Frank E. Baxter

Carol F. Henry

Keith R. Leonard, Jr.

40 TH ANNIVERSARY OPERA BALL

On September 20, LA Opera celebrated the opening of the 40th Anniversary Season with our annual Opera Ball, chaired by Jerry and Terri Kohl. Inspired by Francesca Zambello’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, which captivated sold-out audiences, the evening included dining and dancing on the Jerry Moss Plaza and raised more than $2.2 million to support world-class opera in Los Angeles.

Left: Board Chairman Keith R. Leonard, Jr., Eva Stern, tenor Duke Kim (Tony) and soprano Gabriella Reyes (Maria). Right: Board Vice Chairman Régina Weingarten and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, Vice President and Director of the Annenberg Foundation
At right, Terri and Jerry Kohl, gala chairs and underwriters of both the LA Opera Orchestra and West Side Story, joined by Music Director James Conlon and tenor Duke Kim (Tony).
Left: Board member Barbara Augusta Teichert. Middle: Longtime board member Christopher V. Walker and Kimberly Shiring. Right: Diane and Michael Ziering.
Mike Dreyer, President of Alfred E. Mann Charities, and wife Hannah An.
Left: Opera Council members Koni and Geoff Rich. Middle: James and Jennifer Conlon. Right: At right, Christopher Koelsch, LAO President and CEO, joined by Marc Scorca, President and CEO of Opera America (center), and Todd Bentjen.
Left: Bill Ahmanson, President of The Ahmanson Foundation, Patty McKenna, Ahmanson Foundation and LAO board member, and David Fuhrman, President of the Dan Murphy Foundation. Right: At center, founding board member Carol F. Henry joined by her family.
Left: Board Vice Chairman Andrea Pessino with Amanda Castro (Anita). Middle: Board Vice Chairman Linda Pascotto and husband Alvaro. Right: Longtime board member, current board Vice Chairman, and underwriter of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, Eugene Stein and wife Mindy traditionally host members of the program at each season’s opening night gala.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN WITH STAGE DIRECTOR BRENNA CORNER

This season, LA Opera’s 40th anniversary celebrations include a special Behind the Curtain podcast series hosted by veteran broadcaster Gail Eichenthal. Each episode pays tribute to the voices and visions that have built the company into a vibrant cultural force, tracing the careers of the artists who bring opera to life and sharing the passions that fuel their work onstage and beyond. Produced by LA Opera Connects , the series is part of our mission to open new doors into opera through learning, conversation and community.

PHOTO BY TRUDIE LEE
PHOTO BY KEN HOWARD
Brenna Corner
LA Opera's 2016 production of La Bohème

In this excerpt from a podcast episode dedicated to La Bohème, Gail sits down with stage director Brenna Corner, whose work spans opera and theater across the U.S., Canada and Europe. She shares her own unexpected path into the art form—how a childhood steeped in theater led her to opera, how a lifechanging accident reshaped her career, and why La Bohème remains one of her most meaningful productions. Her reflections on vulnerability, empathy and the power of performance remind us why Puccini’s beautiful work has touched audiences for generations and why it continues to resonate today.

Gail Eichenthal: I’m so delighted to be sitting down with Brenna Corner, renowned director of LA Opera’s La Bohème. Brenna, let’s start at the very beginning. What sparked your interest in opera?

Brenna Corner: I was a total theater kid. I loved musical theater and classical theater like Shakespeare. And then someone told me, “Hey, you know that opera is basically musical theater and Shakespeare at the same time, right?” And I just fell in love.

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GE: Did you have any ambitions to be a performer?

BC: Originally, I was training to be a performer. I was doing a degree in vocal performance, but then I was actually in a car accident that paralyzed my voice. I have an implant that lets me speak right now, but it doesn’t let me sing. I was no longer able to share this art form with my own voice, but, because I had all this theater experience, friends started asking me for drama tips. And then, suddenly, I was a director. There’s something so magical about all of these people participating in a story together: the singers on stage, with 50 of their nearest and dearest friends in the pit, and extraordinary artists backstage. And you need the audience. That’s the whole point—to share these remarkable stories that touch our hearts, from the human voice straight to the human ear. That’s a remarkable intimacy that we just can’t achieve in many other forms.

GE: Can you feel the audience’s emotional reactions? I mean, in an opera like La Bohème, there are probably gallons of tears in the audience.

Creative Care teaching artist Michele Patzakis

Connect with your emotions and express yourself through Creative Care, our Zoom wellness series.

LAOpera.org/CreativeCare

BC: That’s what you want, right? You want the audience to feel, especially in an opera like La Bohème. You want them to experience the joys and the sorrows and the worldview of these characters. It’s so important to remind ourselves how to empathize with other people. For me, that’s what opera does: it creates opportunities for us to reconnect.

GE: You’re watching it unfold; it’s very real. Are there moments in this production that you’re especially excited about?

BC: There’s a scene in Act 3 between Marcello and Mimì, when she shows up and she’s not feeling very well. She’s trying to ask for help. It just feels so human and so vulnerable and so real. It’s always my favorite moment.

There’s a line where he says “que tosse,” “what a cough.” I really like to have him actually picking up a handkerchief in that moment and discovering blood in it. He’s starting to understand how sick she really is, and it changes all of his interactions with her. The big question becomes, how much does she actually know? How much is she aware of, but refusing to deal with?

Then in Act 4 she has this beautiful moment where she asks Rodolfo, “Is it okay that I’m here?” Because the last time they would have seen each other was when they broke up.

And he says, “Yes, yes, yes.” It’s a really generous and kind and vulnerable moment. It’s a small moment full of big things.

GE: Amazing, I can’t wait to see that. For the performers, I can imagine it takes bravery even just to sing some of this music, and on top of that, you’re acting the part and showing your humanity. continued on pg. 12

BC: That level of vulnerability and commitment to communication and sharing is so precious. You have to keep reminding yourself to be brave. It’s the hardest part, but the most important part.

GE: Well, you’re certainly giving us plenty of understanding for why La Bohème is perennially one of the top five operas performed in the world, including at LA Opera. So, what is it about this work that keeps us coming back over and over that’s so resonant?

BC: I love coming back to La Bohème because each time I find something a little bit different in it, a different understanding of the characters. It’s such a remarkable story, and we see it through the eyes of a collection of young people. There are good times and there are bad times, there is love and there is death, there is sadness and there is camaraderie.

And when you have a remarkable cast like we have, the emotions, the humanity and the truth of those moments hit you in such a unique way. It’s something we’ve all experienced in different ways, but it’s something so uniquely true to just being a human being.

GE: Absolutely thrilling to even think about seeing this production that you’ve described so vividly.

The conversation is just beginning as director Brenna Corner shares candid advice for aspiring singers and directors (and a few behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else). Check out the full episode on Behind the Curtain, LA Opera’s official podcast produced by LA Opera Connects available wherever you listen to podcasts. Scan the QR code to tune in now, explore Connects’ live virtual learning series, and stream videos on demand in English or Spanish.

Coming Up Next with LA Opera Connects

Celebrate with us after the final performance of La Bohème on Sunday, December 14. Join us at 4:30pm on the Music Center Plaza for Celebración de las Artes, a family-friendly afternoon of live music, dance and community gathering—free to attend and open to all. This festive event honors LA’s rich Latino culture and is part of our commitment to bringing opera and the arts to everyone across the County. For all the latest updates, RSVP now at LAOpera.org/Celebracion .

PHOTOS BY JC OLIVERA

Celebrate James Conlon’s 20 Years at LA Opera

Join us on Friday, April 24, 2026, as we celebrate James Conlon's 20 years as Music Director of LA Opera with a special concert devoted to the work of three of his favorite opera composers: Mozart, Verdi and Wagner. The concert will be followed by an elegant black-tie gala on the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. This very special evening will offer a unique opportunity for the LA Opera family to honor Maestro Conlon and celebrate his extraordinary achievements.

Visit LAOpera.org/ConlonGala or call 213.972.3620 for more information.

Andrea Pessino

LA Opera is honored to thank Andrea Pessino for his underwriting support of this production of La Bohème. While relatively new to the LA Opera family, Mr. Pessino has already had a profound impact on the company. In 2022, Mr. Pessino joined the board of directors, and shortly thereafter, he became a member of the 30th Anniversary Angels, LA Opera’s premier support circle, demonstrating his deep commitment to the company. He made his underwriting debut in the 2023/24 season, supporting the company’s productions of The Barber of Seville and La Traviata. He went on to underwrite last season’s Madama Butterfly and Rigoletto. Mr. Pessino serves on several board committees, including as a vice chair of the marketing committee.

Mr. Pessino co-founded the video game development studio Ready At Dawn® in 2003 and, until 2020, was the company’s chief technical officer, producing technology for all of Ready At Dawn’s games—from Daxter to The Order 1886 and Lone Echo.

He served as head of research, pursuing special R&D projects, until 2024. From 1998 to 2003, he was a senior software engineer with Blizzard Entertainment® where he authored core technologies for several blockbusters in the WarCraft® video game franchise.

A native of Italy, Mr. Pessino has lived and worked in California since 1990. He is a classically trained musician and an accomplished pianist and composer, having studied composition, harmony, and music theory. His orchestration work on the cinematics for Blizzard’s Diablo II® earned him the 2001 IGDA Game Developers Choice Award for “Excellence in Audio.”

LA Opera is most grateful to be among the recipients of Mr. Pessino’s immense generosity and dedication to this beautiful art form.

The Alfred and Claude Mann Fund

LA Opera is proud to present this production of La Bohème, made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of the Alfred and Claude Mann Fund. The Alfred Mann Trust created this fund with a series of gifts that now have an impact of over $11 million in support. The Manns established the fund as a way of showing their devotion to LA Opera. It underwrites two productions each season, enabling the company to raise the curtain on a host of memorable presentations, which have included earlier productions of La Bohème (2012, 2016) as well as Tosca (2013, 2017, 2022), Carmen (2013), The Barber of Seville (2015), El Gato Montés (2019), The Light in the Piazza (2019), Roberto Devereux (2020), Il Trovatore (2021), Aida (2022), Lucia di Lammermoor (2022), Don Giovanni (2023), Turandot (2023), Madama Butterfly (2024), Romeo and Juliet (2024) and our season-opening production of West Side Story (2025).

The Manns’ connection to LA Opera is a true love story. Mrs. Mann’s own passion for opera brought Mr. Mann to the art form. As LA Opera Honorary 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 restaurant business. She has been a member of LA Opera’s board since 2008. Sadly, Al Mann 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—live on.

The Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust

When Peter Hemmings took the helm of a fledgling opera company in 1984, the prospects for success were doubtful at best. What started that year on a shoestring budget is now known as LA Opera. That it so quickly grew to become one of the world’s most important opera companies is a testament to Hemmings’ tenacity, intellect and vision as founding general director.

“I have always believed that opera is a vibrant, living art form with an exciting future, not simply a museum art,” said Hemmings. His drive to affirm opera’s place in Los Angeles, and to ensure its continued relevance, set the course for LA Opera to carve a niche as a place for innovation as well as tradition.

Hemmings’ contributions are so interwoven into the fabric of LA Opera that the late Flora Laney Thornton

COMING UP

AKHNATEN

Next up on our main stage is a highly anticipated revival of Akhnaten, Philip Glass’s enthralling portrait of a trailblazing pharaoh, starring countertenor sensation John Holiday. Hailed by critics and cheered by audiences when we first brought it to our stage in 2016, director Phelim McDermott’s visually arresting production dazzles with soaring acrobats, astonishing jugglers and towering sets.

established the Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund in 2001 as a permanent memorial. A founding board member and devoted benefactor of LA Opera, Mrs. Thornton noted that Peter Hemmings “triumphed as a steadfast and passionate leader, nurturing LA Opera and directing it toward its place in the spotlight.”

Mrs. Thornton was elected a Life Trustee in 1989. Her generosity to the company led to the establishment of one of the nation’s premier artist training programs. Now called the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, her legacy is carried on by other generous donors.

LA Opera is grateful for Mrs. Thornton’s continued endowment support in recognition of Jane and Peter Hemmings, which is providing generous support for this season’s production of La Bohème.

BY

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KEN
HOWARD

The Armenian Consortium

LA Opera is the grateful beneficiary of the steadfast generosity of the Armenian Consortium—a dedicated group of opera lovers who enjoy coming to the opera with their friends, children and grandchildren. Since Joyce and Joseph Stein conceived of this initiative in 2019, two dozen community members have joined the Consortium to support the company and share a special evening.

La Bohème is the eighth project to benefit from their passion and philanthropy, following Roberto Devereux (2020), Aida (2022), Tosca (2022), Otello (2023), La Traviata (2024), Romeo and Juliet (2024) and Rigoletto (2025). We are delighted to recognize the Armenian Consortium for their generosity. We thank the members listed below for their remarkable collective support.

Armenian Consortium members celebrate the opening night of last season’s Romeo and Juliet with Music Director Designate Domingo Hindoyan.

The Watt Family

This season’s production of La Bohéme has been made possible in part by the generous support of the Watt Family. Patrons of LA Opera for over 20 years, the Watt Family’s devoted past support has helped to bring productions of The Barber of Seville (2015), La Rondine (2007) and Manon (2006) to LA Opera’s stage.

J. Scott Watt is the CEO of Watt Capital Developers, one of the country’s most successful residential, industrial, and commercial real estate companies, committed to our nation’s growth. The company has overseen the development of new homes for more than 100,000 families, as well as eight million square feet of industrial and professional office space including Watt Plaza, a two-story, twin office complex in Century City, 50 shopping centers, and three major first-class hotels. Scott’s late father Ray Watt was the founder of the Watt Group and was instrumental in pioneering the development of the Western region of the United States following World War II.

Linda Kay and John Abdulian

Any Yakoub Barr and Michael Barr

Ani and Nazareth Darakjian

Houry and Vigen Ghazarian

Denise Gertmenian

Louise and Charles Janigian

Vahé and Lisa Karamardian

Michelle Kezirian

Stephanie and Michael Landes

Andrea Noravian and Constantinos Michael

Margaret and David Mgrublian

Cheryl and Harry Nadjarian

Hermineh Pakhanians

Arsine and Gary Phillips

Sonia Randazzo

Tina Segel

Joyce and Joseph Stein

Hayde and Andy Torosyan

Mr. Watt credits his father for raising him within a tradition that values generosity and has committed to passing that value to his own children through a family devotion to philanthropy. The Watt Family has supported organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, Union Rescue Mission, disaster relief projects, and medical developments at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Mr. Watt has served as a board member for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, Union Rescue Mission, as a chairman for Christian Associates Los Angeles, and on the board of Brentwood School. LA Opera is proud to recognize the generosity of the Watt Family for making this production of La Bohéme possible.

J. Scott and Obaida Watt

The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund

Soprano Janai Brugger’s appearance in the role of Mimì has been made possible thanks to generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund. Through this leadership initiative, the Sterns underwrite the LA Opera appearances of the opera world’s most extraordinary artists each season. It is with great admiration that they have chosen to underwrite Ms. Brugger, a distinguished alumna of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program and a recipient of the inaugural Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award. She last appeared with the company as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro.

Chairman of the company’s board of directors from 2002 to 2021, and now serving as Honorary Chairman, Marc Stern has been the driving force in bringing many of the world’s most influential artists to Los Angeles. The Sterns have been involved in nearly every aspect of LA Opera, championing more than 15 ambitious projects. Since the establishment of The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund, they have underwritten the performances of major stars, including Plácido Domingo, Susan Graham, Audra McDonald, Renée Fleming, Angel Blue, Ana María Martínez, Isabel Leonard, Rachel WillisSørensen, Rod Gilfry and conductor Domingo Hindoyan. The Sterns were also the underwriters for Plácido Domingo’s 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Met. In 2021, the Sterns established an annual award to celebrate and support extraordinarily gifted artists in opera: the Eva

and Marc Stern Artist Award. This award recognizes artists with deep connections to LA Opera and serves as an expression of gratitude for past and future artistic contributions to the company.

Marc Stern is Chairman of The TCW Group, Inc., a Los Angeles-based asset management firm. He was elected to LA Opera’s board in 1992 and is involved in numerous other philanthropic activities, including serving on the boards of the Metropolitan Opera, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Committee and the California Institute of Technology. He is also a minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Eva Stern is a clinical social worker and philanthropist, supporting Southern California youth through the combination of education and the arts. A board member of the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, in 2006 she led the effort to establish the Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science School. Inspired by her work with the high school, she established AMP, a special mentoring program for first-year college students. She also serves on the President’s Council at California State University, Los Angeles, on the board of The Blue Ribbon, and is a past chair of InsideOUT Writers, a creative writing program for youth in juvenile hall.

With deepest gratitude, LA Opera acknowledges Mr. and Mrs. Stern for their decades of committed leadership and extraordinary generosity.

Janai Brugger
PHOTO BY DARIO ACOSTA
PHOTO BY JOHN SOLANO PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY KEN HOWARD
Janai Brugger as Musetta in LA Opera’s 2012 presentation of La Bohème, her first leading role with the company.

OCTOBER 12, 1935 SEPTEMBER 6, 2007

LA Opera’s productions from the Italian repertoire are made possible in part by an extraordinary leadership gift in memory of Luciano Pavarotti and in honor of his remarkable contributions to the world of opera.

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MEET SANTA

AT THE GROVE

A magical meet and greet with festive photo packages.

Presented By

West Side Story

September 20 – October 12, 2025

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Production made possible by generous support from Terri and Jerry Kohl, Alfred and Claude Mann Fund and The Blue Ribbon. This production is dedicated to the memory of LA Opera Life Trustee, Ambassador Frank Baxter.

The

Phantom

of the Opera ROY BUDD

October 30 – 31, 2025, at the United Theater Off Grand productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.

Hildegard WORLD PREMIERE SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER

November 5 – 9, 2025, at The Wallis Off Grand productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.

La Bohème

November 22 – December 14, 2025

GIACOMO PUCCINI

Production made possible by generous support from Andrea Pessino, Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, and Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust. Special additional support from The Armenian Consortium and Scott Watt Family. Janai Brugger’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund.

Ben Bliss in Recital

December 7, 2025, at The Wallis

Juan Diego Flórez in Recital

February 10, 2026

Recital made possible by generous support from Robert and Ana Cook. Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.

Patti LuPone: Matters of the Heart

February 21, 2026

Patti Lupone’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund. Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.

Akhnaten

February 28 – March 22, 2026

2025/26 SEASON

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl

Nadine Sierra in Recital

March 21, 2026, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall

Falstaff

April 18 – May 10, 2026

GIUSEPPE VERDI

Production made possible by generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg, Andrea Pessino, Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn), Barbara Augusta Teichert and The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund. With special additional support provided by Laura and Carlton Seaver. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.

James Conlon Concert & Gala

April 24, 2026

Additional support provided by De Marchena-Huyke Foundation.

Noah’s Flood BENJAMIN BRITTEN

May 8 – 9, 2026, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Production made possible by a generous grant from the  Dan Murphy Foundation. Special support also received from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, and Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.

Les

Talens Lyriques: Handelian Heroes

May 24, 2026, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall

Performance made possible by generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg. Additional underwriting support provided by Mr. Robert Finnerty and Mr. Richard Cullen. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.

The Magic Flute WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

May 30 – June 21, 2026

Production made possible by generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg and The Carol and Warner Henry Production Fund for Mozart Operas. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.

Renée Fleming in Recital

June 13, 2026

PHILIP GLASS

Production made possible by generous support from Bernard A. and Lenore S. Greenberg Opera Fund. Additional support provided by The Akhnaten Consortium and LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders. John Holiday’s appearance is generously underwritten by a gift from The Piera Barbaglia Shaheen Next Generation Artist Award.

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40th Anniversary Angels

MARC STERN, CHAIR

KEITH LEONARD, CHAIR

We celebrate our 40th Anniversary Angels, who build upon the inspiring legacy of the company’s Founding Angels and the many generous Angels who followed. (See pages P14-P15.) Their extraordinary support has provided essential annual operating resources for world-class opera in Los Angeles.

Marc and Eva Stern Foundation

Emanuel Treitel Trust

GRoW @ Annenberg

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Colburn Foundation

County of Los Angeles

Dunard Fund USA

Gordon Getty

Terri and Jerry Kohl

Margo Leavin

Nanette and Keith Leonard

Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco

Linda and Alvaro Pascotto

Andrea Pessino

Ronus Foundation

David and Linda Shaheen

Eugene and Marilyn Stein

Barbara Augusta Teichert

The Ahmanson Foundation

The Blue Ribbon

Ana and Robert Cook

Penelope Foley

Max H. Gluck Foundation

The Green Foundation

The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund

Carol and Warner Henry

Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate

The Rafael and Luisa De Marchena-Huyke Foundation

Dan Murphy Foundation

Chris and Dick Newman

Suzanne and Fred Rheinstein

The Seaver Family

Richard Shank Trust

Marilyn Ziering

Ann Ziff

PROGRAM

CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH , SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO

JAMES CONLON , RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR

PRESENTS

GIACOMO PUCCINI

La Bohème

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Based on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger

CREATIVE TEAM

CONDUCTOR

Lina González-Granados

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION

Herbert Ross

DIRECTOR

Brenna Corner

SCENIC DESIGNER

Gerard Howland

COSTUME DESIGNERS

Peter J. Hall

Jeannique Prospere

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Pablo Santiago

CHORUS DIRECTOR

Jeremy Frank

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS

Fernando Malvar-Ruiz

INTIMACY DIRECTOR

Sara E. Widzer

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Erik Friedman

STAGE MANAGER

Whitney McAnally

PROMPTER

Peter Walsh ‡

MUSICAL PREPARATION

Sujin Choi †

Blair Salter

Gabrielė Žemaitytė †

CAST (in order of vocal appearance)

MARCELLO Gihoon Kim *

RODOLFO

Oreste Cosimo * COLLINE

SCHAUNARD

BENOÎT

MIMÌ

PRUNE VENDOR

PARPIGNOL

SOLO CHILD

MUSETTA

William Guanbo Su *

Emmett O’Hanlon *

Rod Gilfry

Janai Brugger ‡

Todd Strange

Nathan Bowles †

Toma Hakushi *

Erica Petrocelli‡

ALCINDORO Rod GIlfry

CUSTOMS HOUSE OFFICER James Martin Schaefer

SERGEANT Steven Pence

SUPPORT

Production made possible by generous gifts from Andrea Pessino

Alfred and Claude Mann Fund

Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift from the Flora L. Thornton Trust

Special additional support from The Armenian Consortium

Scott Watt Family

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl

PRODUCTION NOTES

The running time is approximately two hours and thirty minutes, which includes one intermission between Act Two and Act Three.

This production includes haze. Supertitles written by David Anglin. Pre-performance lectures by Jeremy Frank. Pre-performance lectures are generously sponsored by the Flora L. Thornton Foundation and the Opera League of Los Angeles. Scenery constructed by Seattle Opera Scenic Studio. Additional props by Studio Sereno, Los Angeles. Costumes constructed by the Los Angeles Opera Costume Shop. Wigs constructed by the Los Angeles Opera Wig Department.

* LA Opera debut

† Member of the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program

‡ Alumnus of the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program

ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

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.

ACT I

Four young men live together in a garret in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The poet Rodolfo and artist Marcello try to stay warm on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve. They have no money for food or firewood. Nor does Colline, a student of philosophy. But the fourth roommate, the musician Schaunard, has just gotten paid; he arrives with food, drink and firewood. As they celebrate, they can’t help remembering that their landlord Benoit will be demanding their long overdue rent.

Rodolfo stays behind to finish up some work as the others head out for a night on the town. A knock at the door: Mimì, a pretty seamstress who lives in the same building. A draft blows out her candle. She realizes she has dropped her key somewhere and the two search for it in the darkness. They get to know each other. Rodolfo tells her of his poetry, Mimì tells him of her life, and they fall in love. They head out to catch up with Rodolfo’s friends.

Brief pause for scene change

ACT II

Full of high spirits, the bohemians join the holiday throng. Hat sellers, toy sellers and vendors of all sorts crowd the streets. The bohemians take a table at the Café Momus. Marcello’s tempestuous ex-girlfriend Musetta enters with her rich new lover, Alcindoro.

Marcello pretends to ignore her but it’s obvious to everyone that they still have strong feelings for each other. Musetta finds an excuse to send Alcindoro away on an errand. When a military parade passes by, the reunited lovers and their friends slip away into the crowd, leaving Alcindoro to pay their bill.

INTERMISSION

ACT III

A cold February dawn. Marcello and Musetta are now living together in a tavern on the outskirts of Paris, near a toll-gate. A pale and worn Mimì comes looking for Rodolfo, who had stormed out in a jealous rage earlier that evening. Marcello tells her that Rodolfo spent the night in the tavern. Mimì hides when Rodolfo comes outside. He eventually reveals to Marcello that his jealousy is just an act: he’s actually heartbroken to watch Mimì’s fragile health deteriorate, knowing that he is unable to provide for her, and he fears that she will die if she stays with him. Mimì’s persistent coughing gives away her hiding place, and Rodolfo realizes that she has overheard everything he’s said. The two lovers realize that a longterm relationship is no longer possible for them, but they decide to postpone their break-up until spring. Meanwhile, Marcello and Musetta begin yet another senseless quarrel, and Musetta storms off in anger.

Brief pause for scene change

ACT IV

It is now spring; both couples have split up. Marcello and Rodolfo try to get some work done, but the memories of happier times fill them with sadness. Schaunard and Colline manage to raise their spirits for a while, until Musetta suddenly bursts in with news: Mimì is dying and wants to spend her final hours with Rodolfo. Mimì arrives in a state of collapse, and her friends try to make her comfortable. Musetta sends Marcello out to sell her earrings and buy medicine. Musetta goes out herself to look for a muff to warm Mimì’s cold hands. Colline decides to sell his beloved overcoat to pay for a doctor; Schaunard goes with him.

Left alone, Rodolfo and Mimì recall their first meeting. Their friends return; a doctor is on his way. Thinking that Mimì has fallen asleep, Rodolfo begins to feel hopeful. But when he sees his friends’ faces, he realizes that she is dead.

In fond memory of Tara Colburn, supertitles are underwritten by Dunard Fund USA

PHOTO BY KEN
HOWARD

Lina González-Granados

CONDUCTOR

From: Cali, Colombia.

LA Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor (2022, debut); The Rape of Lucretia, El último sueño de Frida y Diego (2023); Fire and Blue Sky, Dracula, Romeo and Juliet (2024); Coming Home: Angel Blue in Concert (2025). She has been Resident Conductor since 2022.

About: After winning the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, she was named Solti Conducting Apprentice under Riccardo Muti (2020-23). Her 2025/26 season includes a European tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist AnneSophie Mutter; returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Kristiansand Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, National Symphony Dublin and Orchestre Métropolitain; and debuts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan and National Orchestra of Spain, among others. (LinaGonzalezGranados.com)

Brenna Corner

STAGE DIRECTOR

From: Atlanta, Georgia.

LA Opera: associate director of Lucia di Lammermoor (2022, debut); director of Madama Butterfly (2024).

About: She is the artistic director of Pacific Opera Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Select directing projects include Macbeth and Il Trovatore (Washington National Opera), Pagliacci, Noah’s Flood and Scalia/ Ginsburg (Glimmerglass Festival), The Little Prince (Pacific Opera Victoria), H.M.S Pinafore and L’Elisir d’Amore (Vancouver Opera); Carmen (Atlanta Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera); Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera); Hansel and Gretel (San Diego Opera, Vancouver Opera); La Bohème (Calgary Opera, Dallas Opera); Dead Man Walking (Israeli Opera); Sweeney Todd (New Orleans Opera); and The Flying Dutchman (Cincinnati Opera, Houston Grand Opera). She was the founding artistic director of Manitoba Underground Opera. (BrennaCorner.com)

Herbert Ross

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION

From: New York City.

LA Opera: La Bohème (debut, 1993); this season’s revival marks the eighth time it has been presented by the company.

About: The films of Herbert Ross (1927-2001) collectively garnered 44 Academy Award nominations, including one that Ross earned for directing The Turning Point. He directed such diverse films as The Goodbye Girl, Footloose and Pennies from Heaven. He began his career as a dancer, and at 23 became a choreographer for American Ballet Theatre and for the Broadway stage. He directed a number of plays before entering film and brought several Neil Simon works to the screen, including The Sunshine Boys, for which George Burns won an Academy Award, and California Suite, for which Maggie Smith won an Academy Award. Other credits include Steel Magnolias, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Funny Lady and Play It Again, Sam. Herbert Ross also produced and directed The Secret of My Success, The Last of Sheila, Protocol, True Colors and Boys on the Side.

Gerard Howland

SET DESIGNER

From: London, England.

LA Opera: La Bohème (debut, 1993; seven revivals to date)

About: Gerard Howland’s accomplishments as a theatrical and entertainment designer and producer have yielded more than 200 stage productions, 50 operas, numerous television, film and theme park attractions worldwide. His clients include the Royal Shakespeare Company, American Conservatory Theater, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, the Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, the Olympics and General Motors. At the San Francisco Giants’ stadium, he created a giant Coke bottle, baseball mitt and “splash landing,” voted the most popular public sculptures in California. For seven years, he was the director of design at San Francisco Opera. He has also designed for English National Opera, Paris Opera, Prague National Opera, Dallas Opera and Washington National Opera. He is the senior creative director at Universal Studios, Florida. (GerardHowland.org)

PHOTO BY CRAIG T. MATHEW

Peter J. Hall

COSTUME DESIGNER

From: Bristol, England.

LA Opera: Hansel and Gretel (debut, 1992); La Bohème (1993; seven revivals to date); Stiffelio (1995); Simon Boccanegra (2012).

About: Peter J. Hall (1926-2010) was the longtime resident costume designer for the Dallas Opera, where he designed costumes (and occasionally sets) for more than 70 productions beginning with The Barber of Seville in 1962. He also designed costumes for the Metropolitan Opera where he served as resident costume designer for 11 seasons; for Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, La Scala, Kirov Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera and at the Sydney Opera House. His later designs included Ariadne auf Naxos in Dallas, Simon Boccanegra in San Francisco, Otello in South Korea and Stiffelio for Teatro Nuovo in Argentina. He also designed theatrical productions for London’s National Theatre and for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as Much Ado About Nothing directed by Franco Zeffirelli in Rome.

Pablo Santiago

LIGHTING DESIGNER

From: Chiapas, Mexico.

LA Opera: prism (2018, debut); The Anonymous Lover (2020); Breaking the Waves (2021); Omar (2022); Highway 1, USA (2024); The Dwarf (2024); Madama Butterfly (2024); Hildegard (2025).

Upcoming: Falstaff (2026).

About: Pablo Santiago is an acclaimed lighting designer whose work seamlessly bridges live performance and digital film, transforming stages into immersive and emotionally resonant environments. He has worked with renowned institutions including the Kennedy Center, Teatro Municipal São Paulo, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, BAM Harvey Theater, Geffen Playhouse and the Hollywood Bowl. He has collaborated with the LA Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Pablo continues to push the boundaries of the craft, illuminating narratives that captivate and inspire audiences around the world. (PabloSantiagoDesign.com)

Jeannique Prospere

COSTUME DESIGNER

From: St. Lucia, West Indies.

LA Opera: Costume Director since 2021; designer of costumes for La Bohème (2012, debut; 2016).

About: Jeannique Prospere is a theater professional with over 20 years of experience in costume design for theater, dance and opera. A member of IATSE 829 since 2004, she has collaborated extensively with directors, choreographers, designers, and opera companies across the United States and internationally. Her exquisite costumes for La Boheme, originally created for the company’s acclaimed revivals in 2012 and 2016, were seen at the Lyric Opera of Chicago earlier this year. She joined LA Opera in 2006, contributing as Costume Design Manager to numerous productions over the years. In 2021, she was appointed Costume Director, where she now oversees the Costume, Wardrobe, and Wigs & Makeup departments. Renowned for her meticulous attention to detail and collaborative approach, Jeannique works closely with artistic teams to bring their creative visions to life for the stage.

Jeremy Frank

CHORUS DIRECTOR

From: Glendive, Montana. LA Opera: He became Chorus Director in 2022, after working on over 75 productions as associate chorus director and/or assistant conductor. He is a coach for the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program. About: He has collaborated with major opera houses throughout the United States and has prepared operas and vocal chamber music at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, working with Gustavo Dudamel, Esa Pekka Salonen, Phillipe Jordan, Grant Gershon, Barbara Hannigan and Pablo Heras-Casado. A pianist and vocal coach, he is an adjunct lecturer in vocal arts and opera at the University of Southern California. As a pianist, he has partnered with Sondra Radvanovsky, Eric Owens, Brandon Jovanovich, J’nai Bridges, Dolora Zajick, Kate Lindsey and Susan Graham. He has helped prepare the Ring cycle for Seattle Opera and has been a guest faculty member for young artist programs at Utah Opera and Seattle Opera. (JeremyMFrank.com)

Fernando Malvar-Ruiz

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS

From: Vigo, Spain.

LA Opera: Hansel and Gretel (2018, debut); La Bohème (2019); St. Matthew Passion (2021); Tosca (2022); Otello (2023); Turandot (2024).

About: Fernando Malvar-Ruiz has been artistic director of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, one of the nation’s premier youth choral organizations, since 2018. An internationally sought-after conductor, pedagogue and expert in the adolescent voice, he brings more than two decades of experience shaping young singers for the world’s most prestigious stages. Previously, he served for 17 years with the renowned American Boychoir, including 13 years as artistic director. Under his leadership, the ensemble toured internationally, and collaborated with world-class orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic. He won a Grammy Award for his work on Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the LA Philharmonic. (LAChildrensChorus.org)

BEHIND THE MASTERPIECE

Murger the Bohemian

Sara E. Widzer

INTIMACY DIRECTOR

From: Los Angeles, California. LA Opera: directed The Death of Orpheus (2020); livestream director of Il Trovatore (2021); intimacy director for several productions including, most recently, Romeo and Juliet, Così fan tutte, Ainadamar and West Side Story.

About: Upcoming engagements include intimacy direction for Fellow Travelers at Seattle Opera, Cincinnati Opera, San Diego Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. Previous intimacy direction: La Traviata (San Diego Opera), Rodrigo (Opera UCLA), La Bohème (Washington National Opera), Semele (Opera Santa Barbara), After Glow (film by Ryan McKinny). Previous stage/intimacy direction: Carla Lucero’s touch (Opera Birmingham) and JUANA (Opera UCLA), and Cabildo/ Proving Up at UC Boulder. Directing credits also include Carmen (Opera Orlando), The Flying Dutchman (Hawaii Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera) and The Music Man (Royal Opera House, Muscat). (SaraEWidzer.com)

Writer Henri Murger drew on his own life experiences for his Scènes de la vie de Bohème, which inspired Puccini’s opera. In densely populated 19th-century Paris, students and struggling artists like Rodolfo and Marcello took rooms in garret apartments, cramped attic spaces under sloping mansard roofs. Bourgeois families lived on grander lower levels; the higher the floor, the cheaper the rent. Murger recalled that he lived on the sixth floor “because there was no seventh.”

The Other Bohème

Puccini wasn’t the only composer attracted to Murger’s tales of the bohemian life. His close friend and collaborator Ruggero Leoncavallo (right), composer of Pagliacci, got there first, starting work on it in late 1892. He even showed Puccini the libretto he was working on. A few months later, basking in the success of his first big hit, Manon Lescaut, Puccini decided that he wanted to take on La Bohème. Leoncavallo was furious, taking his outrage to the press. “Let him compose, I will compose,” said Puccini. “The public will decide.” Puccini raced through the composition, and his Bohème reached the stage 15 months before Leoncavallo’s. Both premieres were successful, but Leoncavallo’s Bohème was soon eclipsed by Puccini’s, and is seldom performed today.

Los Angeles Gets Bohème First

L.A. hosted the U.S. premiere of La Bohème on October 14, 1897, less than two years after the world premiere. The city wasn’t on the cutting edge of the opera scene at the time, but it did happen to be a convenient stop for the Del Conti Italian Opera Company on its way to San Francisco after touring Mexico. The LA Times praised the performance. “It is the chance of a lifetime to hear such glorious music.” The cast was led by soprano Linda Montanari (pictured above: “splendid brilliancy and aplomb”) and tenor Giuseppe Agostini (“a great triumph”)

Janai Brugger

MIMÌ

From: Darien, Illinois.

LA Opera: Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro (2010, debut); subsequent roles include Musetta in La Bohème (2012, 2016); Pamina in The Magic Flute (2013); Servilia in The Clemency of Titus (2019); Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (2023). An alumna of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (201012), she is a 2021 recipient of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award. About: A 2012 winner of Operalia and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she began the season as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Met, after appearances last season as Pip in Moby-Dick. She will return to the Met for Micaëla in Carmen, debut with the Seattle Symphony in Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, perform a program of Florence Price songs with both the Minnesota Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Sacramento Philharmonic and return to the Grant Park Music Festival. (JanaiBrugger.com)

Erica Petrocelli

MUSETTA

From: East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

LA Opera: numerous roles including Musetta in La Bohème (2019); title role in Eurydice (2020); Donna Clara in The Dwarf (2024); Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (2025). She is an alumna of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2018-20) and a 2025 recipient of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award.

About: She began the season as Marguerite in Faust at Ohio’s Opera Western Reserve and will cover Micaëla in Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera. Last season she performed Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with the Colorado Springs Symphony and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the San Antonio Symphony. She has performed Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opernhaus Zürich, Pamina in The Magic Flute with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Pamina with Sarasota Opera, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Cincinnati May Festival and St. Louis Symphony.

Oreste Cosimo

RODOLFO TENOR

From: Crotone, Italy.

LA Opera: debut.

About: His appearances this season include Rodolfo in Palm Beach, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in Sydney, Alfredo in La Traviata in Melbourne, Luigi in Il Tabarro and Rinuccio in Gianni

Schicchi with the Lithuanian National Opera in Vilnius and Don José in Carmen in Vienna for Opernsommer. Future appearances include Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in Basel. His most recent performances include Alfredo at Rome’s Terme di Caracalla and in Tirana, Don José in Carmen in La Coruña and at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia in Rome, the Duke in Rigoletto and Ruggero in La Rondine in Turin, Alfredo, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann and Florestan in Fidelio at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Rodolfo at the Puccini Festival Torre del Lago, Rodolfo and Edgardo at Opéra de Nice, Verdi’s Requiem with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Cavaradossi in Tosca in Saarbrücken. (OresteCosimo.com)

Gihoon Kim

MARCELLO B ARITONE

From: Gokseong, South Korea. LA Opera: debut.

About: In 2021, he was named the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. This season’s highlights include a role debut as Escamillo in Carmen at Dallas Opera, as well as a festival and role debut as Donner in Das Rheingold at the Salzburg Easter Festival, and a debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony. Last season, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Schaunard in La Bohème and a role debut as Posa in Don Carlo at the Royal Danish Theatre, which he reprised for Deutsche Oper Berlin. Other recent highlights include Scarpia in Tosca with Dallas Opera, Schaunard with the Bavarian State Opera, and Germont in La Traviata at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He has performed Marcello with Covent Garden, Washington National Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival and Korea National Opera. In future seasons, he will return to the Metropolitan Opera and to the Royal Danish Theatre.

PHOTO BY DARIO ACOSTA
PHOTO BY FIORENZO GALBIATI
PHOTO BY HEA-LIN KWON

William

Guanbo Su

COLLINE B ASS

From: Beijing, China.

LA Opera: debut.

About: This season’s engagements include returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni and to Santa Fe Opera as Garibaldo in Rodelinda, as well as debuts with Irish National Opera as Oroveso in Norma and with the English Concert in the title role of Handel’s Hercules on a tour of Europe and the United States. Last season, he made role and company debuts as Publio in The Clemency of Titus at Staatsoper Hamburg, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Nashville Opera, Timur in Turandot at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and as both Somnus and Cadmus in Semele with Atlanta Opera. He also debuted with Dallas Opera as Colline and returned to the Met as the Speaker in The Magic Flute and the Jailer in Tosca. Other recent appearances include the Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Houston Grand Opera, Basilio in The Barber of Seville with Seattle Opera, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with Santa Fe Opera.

Rod Gilfry

BENOÎT/ALCINDORO

B ARITONE

From: Rancho Cucamonga, California. LA Opera: Herald in Otello (1986, debut). After his most recent performances as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte (2025) and his current appearances in La Bohème, he will have appeared with the company in 36 roles. He has performed more leading roles at LAO than any other performer in the company’s history, including the title roles of Billy Budd (2000), The Barber of Seville (1991, 1997) and Don Giovanni (1994). About: A two-time Grammy nominee, he has performed in all the world’s music capitals and can be heard on over 30 recordings. His 80-role repertoire includes 13 leading roles he has created in new operas. This season’s appearances include Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking with San Francisco Opera, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Father-inLaw in Innocence at the Metropolitan Opera, and Alfred Stieglitz in The Brightness of Light with Renée Fleming and the Nashville Symphony. (RodGilfry.com)

Emmett O’Hanlon

SCHAUNARD

B ARITONE

From: New York City, New York. LA Opera: debut.

About: Irish American baritone Emmett O’Hanlon’s 2025/26 season includes a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Kavalier in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Mason Bates and his role debut as Emile de Becque in South Pacific, marking his return to the Paramount Theater. Last season saw him in the title role in Viktor Ullmann’s The Emperor of Atlantis with both the New World Symphony in a new production by Yuval Sharon, and also with the Louisville Orchestra. He covered the role of Agrippa in Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams at the Metropolitan Opera and made his house and role debut with the Barrington Stage Company as Lancelot in Camelot. His many appearances with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein include the title role in Don Giovanni, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Silvio in Pagliacci, Pierrot in Die tote Stadt and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. (EmmettOHanlon.com)

Nathan Bowles

From: Minot, North Dakota. LA Opera: Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet (2024, debut); Bullfighter in Ainadamar (2025); Borsa in Rigoletto (2025). He will return as Dr. Caius in Falstaff and the First Armored Man in The Magic Flute. He joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program last season.

About: In October, he was a finalist at Operalia. Earlier this year, he performed Canio in Pagliacci with Pacific Opera Project and Don José in The Tragedy of Carmen with Tulsa Opera. He made his Dallas Opera mainstage debut as Benvolio. Recent summer engagements include performances with the Santa Fe Opera as the Animal Tamer and a waiter in Der Rosenkavalier. He has a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University, where his roles included the Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia and Judge Danforth in The Crucible. He was a 2024 finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. (NathanBowlesTenor.com)

PHOTO BY SIMON PAULY

LA OPERA CHORUS

SOPRANO

April Amante

Christina Borgioli*

Katy Compton

Ayana Haviv

Terri Hill*

Stephanie Jones

ALTO

Elizabeth Anderson

Natalie Beck***

Danielle Marcelle Bond

Aleta Braxton***

Sara Campbell*

Veronica Christenson**

TENOR

Daniel Coy Babcock

James Callon*

Christopher Craig

Omar Crook*

Adam Faruqi

Sung Bong Kim

BASS

Ralph Cato

Abdiel González*

James Hayden

Jared Jones

Mark Kelley*

David Kress*

Elizabeth Lee

Lori Stinson*

Courtney Taylor*

Janet Todd

Chloé Malia Vaught

Sunjoo Yeo*

Kelly Krantz*

Adriana Manfredi

Julia Metzler

Bonnie Snell Schindler*

Melissa Treinkman**

Charles Lane**

JJ Lopez

Francis Lucaric**

Sal Malaki***

Todd Strange*

Daniel Suk

E. Scott Levin

Connor Licharz

Steven Pence*

James Martin Schaefer*

David Williams

* Has appeared in 50 or more productions

** Has appeared in 100 or more productions

*** Has appeared in 150 or more productions

SUPERNUMERARIES

Ryan Benson

Corinne Chooey

Jeff Cook*

Tony Cronin

Matt Deegan, juggler

Tucker Futrell

Jackson Janowicz

Nicholas Langston, flag spinner

Andrew Lemus

J.C. O’Connell*

Josh Olkowski

Kristen Refermat

Lorin Eric Salm, mime

Elliott Santos

Vanessa Vazquez

Alexander Weston, flag spinner

Sean Wrinkle

Jade Zúñiga

* Has appeared in 25 or more productions

SUPERNUMERARY CHILDREN

Elodie Barker

Lily Braaten

Schroeder Shelby-Szyszko

Bellami Smith

LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS

Lavinia Bernett

Sophia Cham

Delphine Cunningham

Adalynn Davis

Penelope Epstein

Greta Feinstein

Toma Hakushi

Alexa Ho

Olivia Hong

Emiliano Lara-Aguilar

Kaitlyn Loh

Adam Mandel

Holden Pang

Elena Rigali

Caroline Stevens-Whiteside

Nila Vivek

LA OPERA ORCHESTRA

LA

OPERA ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLIN

Ana Landauer CONCERTMASTER

Armen Anassian

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Lisa Sutton

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Cheryl Norman

Olivia Tsui

Beau Henson

Lucinda Chiu

Katie Sloan

Heather Powell

Radu Pieptea

Erica UzCa

Neel Hammond

SECOND VIOLIN

Loránd Lokuszta PRINCIPAL

Haesol Lee

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Florence Titmus

Leslie Katz

Michele Kikuchi

Cynthia Moussas

Ina Veli

Irina Voloshina

Elizabeth Hedman

Nina Evtuhov

VIOLA

Erik Rynearson PRINCIPAL

Evan Antes

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Karie Prescott

Shawn Mann

Jing Peng

Kate Vincent

Aaron Oltman

Diana Wade

CELLO

John Walz PRINCIPAL

Dane Little

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Helen Altenbach

Nadine Hall

Charlie Tyler

Sarah Kim

generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl

BASS

Nathan Farrington PRINCIPAL

Evan Hillis

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Frances Liu Wu

Zach Hislop

Tim Eckert

FLUTE

Heather Clark PRINCIPAL

Angela Wiegand

Sarah Weisz, piccolo

OBOE

Leslie Reed PRINCIPAL

Jennifer Cullinan

Sarah Beck, English horn

CLARINET

Stuart Clark PRINCIPAL

Donald Foster

Stephen Piazza, bass clarinet

BASSOON

William May PRINCIPAL

William Wood

HORN

Steven Becknell PRINCIPAL

Daniel Kelley

Jenny Kim

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Melia Badalian

TRUMPET

Ryan Darke PRINCIPAL

Erick Jovel

Dylan Girard

TROMBONE

William Booth PRINCIPAL

Alvin Veeh

Terry Cravens, bass trombone

TUBA

Doug Tornquist PRINCIPAL

HARP

JoAnn Turovsky PRINCIPAL

TIMPANI

Gregory Goodall PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION

Theresa Dimond PRINCIPAL

John Wakefield

Scott Higgins

BANDA

FLUTE

Shannon Canchola

David Ramirez

Amy Tatum

TRUMPET

Adam Bhatia

John Brannon

Dylan Johnson

Jennifer Marotta

Drew Ninmer

Cameron Wilkins

SNARE DRUM

Erica Hou

Cash Langi

Milton Salazar

Melisandra Dunker MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Brady Steel ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

PRODUCTION STAFF

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER

Azra King-Abadi

SUPERTITLE PREPARATION / CUER

Linda Zoolalian

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS

Kathryn Davies

Johanna Sophia Romo

Miranda Wilson

HEAD STUDIO TEACHER

Marie Wilson-Rogers

STUDIO TEACHERS

Katherine Roberts

Bettina Russo

LOS ANGELES CHILDREN'S CHORUS, CHORUS SERVICES MANAGER

Deborah Stark

COSTUME SHOP

Lindsey Ellison

Robbie Monsod

JoEllen Skinner

Clara Weidman CUTTER/DRAPERS

Alexandra Babec

Adle Smithson

Haley Williams FIRST HANDS

Stephanie Castro

Alex de la Huerta

Erica Fromdahl

Melissa Meza

Blanca Miranda

Carmen Muñoz

Laura Rosen

Arielle Walker

Anna Wong SEAMSTERS

Wing Cheung MASTER TAILOR

Kelvin Small, Jr.

Tina Young Sheridan TAILORS

Dahlia Gonzalez

Madeline Schumacher CRAFTSPERSONS

Emily Frank Miranda Orellana PRODUCTION SUPERVISORS

Rhiannon Smith

SENIOR COSTUME ASSISTANT

Emma Van Horn

COSTUME ASSISTANT

Jacqueline Colindres Paz Gwyneva Rosales PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

WARDROBE

Lee Smilek HEAD OF WARDROBE

Mary Basile

Charlyn Trenier WARDROBE ASSISTANTS

Samantha Corn

Charlie Fleiss

Shelley Graves-Jimenez

Mary Lehman

Glen Moore

Tyrell Pickett SEASONAL DRESSERS

WIGS AND MAKE-UP

Maggie Clark INTERIM WIGMASTER

Kelso Millett INTERIM ASSOCIATE WIGMASTER

Brandi Strona DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR & CREW FOREMAN

Nicole Rodrigues SENIOR WIG & MAKE-UP ARTIST

Nathalie Eidt SENIOR WIG & MAKE-UP ARTIST

Delaney Doherty WIG & MAKE-UP ARTIST

Darlene Sixtos LEAD STYLIST

STAGE CREW

Scott Papez OPERA CARPENTER

Robert Colby Klein OPERA ELECTRICIAN

David Salas OPERA ASSISTANT CARPENTER

Alerton Perez ASSISTANT ELECTRICIAN

Scott Shepherd OPERA PROPERTY MASTER

Heather Orozco OPERA HEAD AUDIO

Kelly Richard Travis OPERA HEAD VIDEO

Brad Cobb OPERA AUDIO ENGINEER

DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION HOUSE STAFF

Timothy L. Conroy MASTER CARPENTER

Ryan Lebetsamer HOUSE HEAD ELECTRICIAN

Scott Shepherd INTERIM MASTER OF PROPERTIES

Heather Orozco HOUSE HEAD AUDIO

Robert Devis HOUSE MANAGER

Demetra Willis HEAD USHER

Carolyn Van Brunt VICE PRESIDENT OF GUEST SERVICES

VARI-LITE AUTOMATED LIGHTING PROVIDED BY Vari-Lite Inc.

THE DOMINGO-COLBURN- STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

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-ColburnStein 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.

The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program is generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation and Eugene and Marilyn Stein. Additional generous underwriting support is provided by Terri and Jerry Kohl and Barbara Augusta Teichert Special support for young artist stipends is graciously provided by The Lenore and Richard Wayne Young Artist Fellowship. Additional support provided by The Jules Brenner Trust and the Young Artist Circle

The program was created with funding from the Flora L. Thornton Foundation

The USC Voice Center is the official vocal healthcare provider for LA Opera and the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program.

2025/26 PARTICIPANTS

Nathan Bowles TENOR

Sujin Choi PIANIST/COACH

Vinícius Costa BASS

Emily Damasco SOPRANO

Julian Garvue PIANIST/COACH

Yuntong Han TENOR

Hyungjin Son BARITONE

Katie Trigg MEZZO-SOPRANO

Gabrielle Turgeon SOPRANO

Gabrielė Žemaitytė PIANIST/COACH

Special thanks to the staff of the Music Center. Principal Singers, Narrators, Performers who have speaking parts, Stage Directors, Associate and Assistant Directors, Stage Managers, Assistant Stage Managers, Choreographers, Assistant Choreographers, Principal Dancers, Corps Dancers, and Chorus Singers appear under terms of an agreement between Los Angeles Opera and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AFL-CIO), the national guild of classical singers, dancers and production staff. 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 and Costume 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, 2025. The opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Los Angeles Opera.

Christopher Koelsch

SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO

James Conlon

RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR

John P. Nuckols

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGIC OFFICER

Diane Rhodes Bergman, APR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Jill Boyd

VICE PRESIDENT, LABOR RELATIONS AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Rupert Hemmings

VICE PRESIDENT, ARTISTIC PLANNING

Andréa Fuentes, Ed.D. VICE PRESIDENT, CONNECTS

Kathleen Ruiz

VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Domingo Hindoyan MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE

Lina González-Granados RESIDENT CONDUCTOR

Jeremy Frank CHORUS DIRECTOR

Renée Fleming ADVISOR, SPECIAL PROJECTS

Susan Graham ARTISTIC ADVISOR, YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

Paul Hopper SENIOR DIRECTOR, ARTISTIC PLANNING

ARTISTIC

Blair Salter

HEAD COACH, YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

Nicki Harper

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Maya Ordóñez MANAGER, ARTISTIC PROGRAMS AND REHEARSAL

Scarleth Arias ARTISTIC OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

BOX OFFICE

Shane K. Morton

BOX OFFICE TREASURER

Shawnet Sweets

FIRST ASSISTANT TREASURER

Joseph Howells

Joseph Selway

Brenda Roman

Andrew Tomasulo

Susan Wong

SECOND ASSISTANT TREASURERS

Lizania Mancia

Andy Phu

THIRD ASSISTANT TREASURERS

Kiana Culpepper

Robert Morrison

Steven Phu

TICKET SELLERS

CONNECTS

Natalie Ramirez

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Adam LeBow

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING

Jake Ryan Lindsey

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Tate Shoebridge

PROGRAM MANAGER

Julia Santha

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Kirsten Anderson

COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Gina Young

OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE

Emmanuel Yoque

LEARNING PROGRAMS ASSOCIATE

Bene’t Benton

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM ASSOCIATE

Eli Villanueva RESIDENT STAGE DIRECTOR

COSTUMES

Jeannique Prospere COSTUME DIRECTOR

Andrealisse Lopez

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS MANAGER

Brittani Seach

PRODUCTION, STOCK & RENTAL SUPERVISOR

Manuel Garcia WAREHOUSE MANAGER

John Musselman

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Neal Anderson

MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATE

DEVELOPMENT

Janneke Straub DIRECTOR, LEADERSHIP GIFTS

Josh Harrold DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS

Christian Johnsten

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MAJOR AND PLANNED GIFTS

Kellynn Meeks

SENIOR BOARD AND EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR

Robin Green

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND OFFICE MANAGER

Zade Dardari

ANNUAL FUND SPECIALIST

Joy Smythe-Macaulay ANNUAL FUND COORDINATOR

INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Benji Railton-Ashe DIRECTOR, MAJOR GIFTS

Katherine Miranda

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS

Evangeline Santos

MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER

Kylie Smith

PROSPECT RESEARCH SPECIALIST

Claudia Giugni

DONOR STEWARDSHIP SPECIALIST

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING

Joslyn Treece

DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL GIVING & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Robin Gilliam

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING OFFICER AND GRANT WRITER

Francesca Cloete INSTITUTIONAL GIVING ASSISTANT

SPECIAL EVENTS

Caitlin Harper EVENTS DESIGN SPECIALIST

FINANCE

Deborah Gould CONTROLLER

Peter Pendergest DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL PLANNING

Daisy Lopez PAYROLL MANAGER

Brian Stefanko ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MANAGER

Jing Hu ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Rowena Matibag-Potter SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST

HUMAN RESOURCES

Esmeralda Marroquin SENIOR HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR

MUSIC ADMINISTRATION

Melisandra Dunker MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Brady Steel ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Ignazio Terrasi MUSICAL ASSISTANT TO JAMES CONLON

PRODUCTION

Jasna Gara PRODUCTION MANAGER

Whitney McAnally PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Marlene Meraz DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Mark Lyons

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLICATIONS

Daniel Calderon CONTENT MEDIA SPECIALIST

SALES AND MARKETING

Caitlin Carlson CREATIVE CONTENT DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Galvan

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, LOYALTY MARKETING

Keith J. Rainville

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, BRAND & DESIGN

Pauline Hwa

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ACQUISITION MARKETING

Terrance Lovecraft INTERACTIVE & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Yesenia Vargas

MARKETING STRATEGIC

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Victoria Rey

MARKETING OPERATIONS AND EVENT SPECIALIST

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT

Jeff Kleeman

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Carolina Angulo

SENIOR DESIGN MANAGER

Margie Schnibbe

SENIOR TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATOR

James Pomichter

PRODUCTION MEDIA MANAGER

Lisa Coto

PROPERTIES COORDINATOR

Natalie Ferguson DESIGN ASSISTANT

Damon Schindler

RESIDENT LEAD SCENIC ARTIST

Chris Carey

TECHNICAL PAYROLL OFFICER

Stephanie Santiago TECHNICAL MANAGER

Dani Monterroso TECHNICAL ASSISTANT

Jennifer Gonzalez

Deborah Gutierrez

WALLY RUSSELL LIGHTING INTERNS

TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Michael Masuda NETWORK MANAGER

Tommy Mam

TECHNOLOGY SERVICES MANAGER

Alex Badali

Jordan Tan

Brian Urrutia

APPLICATIONS ADMINISTRATORS

ACADEMY INTERNS

Diego Castro

Arielle Escareno

Elise Fukuda

Cornelio Garcia

Alan Munoz

Sofia Padilla

Elisa Raya

Bejay Villanueva

CONSULTANTS

Stephen King

HEAD OF VOCAL INSTRUCTION, DOMINGO-COLBURN-STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

Paul Curran HEAD OF DRAMATIC STUDIES, DOMINGO-COLBURN-STEIN YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

Studio Fuse

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Marlinda Menashe

DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT

Patricia McLeod

CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT

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. They have provided the necessary foundational support for world-class opera in Los Angeles.

Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco

GRoW @ Annenberg

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Colburn Foundation

County of Los Angeles Dunard Fund USA

Mr. Harold Alden and Dr. Geraldine Alden

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

Margo Leavin

Marc and Eva Stern Foundation

Gordon Getty

The Lenore S. and Bernard A.

Greenberg Fund

Carol and Warner Henry Terri and Jerry Kohl

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

Linda and Alvaro Pascotto

Andrea Pessino

Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer

Suzanne Rheinstein, in honor of Fred Rheinstein

25th Anniversary Angels

Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate

Ronus Foundation

The Seaver Family

Marilyn Ziering

Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation

Kenneth D. Sanson, Jr., Trust

Ariane and Lionel Sauvage

David and Linda Shaheen

Eugene and Marilyn Stein

Barbara Augusta Teichert

Emanuel Treitel Trust

Christopher V. Walker

Richard and Lenore Wayne

Ann Ziff

Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation

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 MuscoThe Seaver Family

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation County of Los Angeles

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

Gordon Getty

Carol and Warner Henry

Alfred and Claude Mann

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

20th Anniversary Angels

Marc and Eva Stern Foundation

Flora L. Thornton

Marilyn Ziering

Lloyd E. Rigler - Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation

Ronus Foundation

Eugene and Marilyn Stein

Christopher V. Walker

Richard and Lenore Wayne

Ziering Family Foundation

Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation

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

20th Anniversary Angels (continued)

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

Domingo’s Angels

Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer

Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn)

Barbara Augusta Teichert

The Joop van den Ende Foundation

Christopher V. Walker

Richard and Lenore Wayne

Ziering Family Foundation

Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation

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

Founding Angels

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

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

Gordon Getty

The Emese and Leonard Green Foundation

Carol and Warner Henry

Opera League of Los Angeles

Artistic Excellence Circle

Richard Seaver

The Skirball Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard H. Straus

Flora L. Thornton Foundation

LA Opera recognizes the dedicated individuals whose annual support ensures that the finest singers, conductors, directors and designers bring the power and beauty of the art form to our stage. To learn more, call John Nuckols at 213.972.7256.

PREMIER DIAMOND PATRON ($500,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous

The Ahmanson Foundation

GRoW @ Annenberg

Herbert Berk Estate

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Colburn Foundation

Cosgrove Family Trust

Dunard Fund USA

Valerie Franklin Estate

Gemini Industries, Inc.

Gordon Getty

Bernard A. and Lenore S. Greenberg

Opera Fund

Carol and Warner Henry

Terri and Jerry M. Kohl

Margo Leavin

Nanette and Keith Leonard

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Supervisor Kathryn Barger

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath

Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate

Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco

Chris and Dick Newman

The Tarasenka Pankiv Fund

(Tara Colburn)

Linda and Alvaro Pascotto

Andrea Pessino

Estate of Cat Pollon

Suzanne Rheinstein, in honor of Fred Rheinstein

Ronus Foundation

The Richard Seaver Trust for the Opera

Eugene and Marilyn Stein

Marc and Eva Stern Foundation

Ms. Barbara Augusta Teichert

Emanuel Treitel Trust

Gregory and Régina Weingarten

Marilyn Ziering

Selim K. Zilkha and Mary Hayley / Selim K. Zilkha Foundation

Artistic Excellence Circle (continued)

DIAMOND PATRON ($250,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous

Estate of Lea Danberg

Leslie and John Dorman

Penelope Foley

The Green Foundation

Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation

Dan Murphy Foundation

Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Ariane and Lionel Sauvage

PREMIER PLATINUM PATRON ($150,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (3)

The Armenian Consortium

Patricia Artigas and Lucas Etchegaray

The Blue Ribbon

Ana and Robert Cook

Max H. Gluck Foundation

Cornelia Haag-Molkenteller, M.D.

The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation

James Mulally

Peake Ranch

Michele and Dudley Rauch / The Rauch Family Foundation

PLATINUM PATRON ($100,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (3)

Jules Brenner Trust

Barbara Burtin

Margaret Sheehy Collins

Estate of Edgar Foster Daniels

De Marchena-Huyke Foundation

Manuel Gutierrez, in memory of George Sponhaltz

Hispanics for Los Angeles Opera

Joan H. Hotchkis

THE OPERA COUNCIL

Freya and Mark Ivener

Richard Kendall and Lisa See

Lawrence A. Kern

LGHG Foundation, in memory of

Louise Garland

L.L. Foundation for Youth

Patty and Ken McKenna

The Music Man Foundation

David Niemetz and Noriko Tachibana

The Opera League of Los Angeles

The David and Linda Shaheen Foundation

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton LLP

Marie H. Song

Ann Ziff

Barry and Nancy Sanders

David Sanders Living Trust

Laura and Carlton Seaver

Elizabeth Segerstrom

Christopher V. Walker

Scott Watt Family

Dr. Heinrich and Barbara Schelbert

Thurmond Smithgall and The Lanie & Ethel Foundation

South Coast Plaza

Alan and Janet Stanford

Ellen and Arnold Zetcher

Nadia Zilkha, Michael Zilkha and Emma-Louise Hayley, in memory of Mary Hayley Zilkha

Jane D. Zimmerman Trust

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)

Anonymous (2)

Dr. Robert Adler and Alexis Deutsch-Adler

Mr. James Asperger and Ms. Christine Adams

Mr. Haig S. Bagerdjian

The Capital Group Companies, Inc.

Kathleen and Jerrold Eberhardt

GRAND GOLD PATRON ($50,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (2)

Ahsan Aijaz

Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation

Dr. Peter and Mrs. Helen Bing

Paul and Marie-France Bloch Fund at The Miami Foundation

Lynn A. Booth and Kent Kresa

The Otis Booth Foundation

Maynard and Linda Brittan

Janet and Nicholas Ciriello

Family of Ginger Conrad

Charlotte Coulombe and Stuart Schoenmann

Mark H. Dalzell and James Dao-Dalzell

Michael and Jane Eisner

Diane and Peter Gray

Rian Johnson

Monique and Jonathan Kagan

Susan Lord and Scott Richard Lord

Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Linda Pierce

Geoff Emery

Annette Ermshar and Dan Monahan

Mr. Robert Finnerty and Mr. Richard Cullen

Ms. Janet Jones

Travis and Thomas Kranz

Drs. Anu and Ali Leemann

Robert Leevan and Elaine Glickman

Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

Renee and Meyer Luskin / Scope Industries

Linda May and Jack Suzar

The Rafael and Luisa de Marchena-Huyke Foundation

Jennifer and Mark McCormick

Anthony and Olivia Neece

OPERA America/Opera Fund

Caroline and Andrew Randall, in memory of Ann Ronus

Michelle Rohé

Susan R. Shapiro

John and Gill Wagner

Alyce de Roulet Williamson

Mrs. Rita Coveney Pudenz

Wendy and Ken Ruby

George and Terry Schreyer

Tina L. Segel

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Seidel

Dr. Vina Spiehler

Jay and Deanie Stein

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Stein

James and Ellen Strauss

Mrs. Laney G. Techentin

Warren and Mimi Techentin

Kyle Thorpe

Paul and Catherine Tosetti

Brigitta B. Troy

Estate of Monica Weil and Paul Schrade

Joakim Zetterberg and Fredrik Malmberg

GRAMMY MUSEUM

WHERE MUSIC COMES ALIVE

Discover the GRAMMY Museum — where music comes to life.

From iconic artifacts and unforgettable exhibitions to our new hands-on experience, Sonic Playground, you’ll find 17 interactive experiences inviting you to play, create and collaborate.

Tickets at grammymuseum.org

FREE ADMISSION for AGES 17 & Under SCAN FOR TICKETS

THE OPERA COUNCIL

GOLD PATRON ($25,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (6)

Gregory A. Adams

Maria Altmann; in memory of Fritz Altmann

Emily Arms and Steven Johnson

Ruth Bachofner

Shirley Barasch Family Trust

Ambassador Frank and Kathy Baxter

Thomas and Judith Beckmen

Beverly Hills Porsche

Hans and Dianne Bozler

Carol Bramont and David Chesley

Warren Breslow and Gail Buchalter

Drs. Maryam and Iman H. Brivanlou

Allen Briskin and Gerry Hinkley

Mrs. Michele Brustin

Marlene Schall Chávez, Ph.D.

Edward E. and Alicia Garcia Clark

Mrs. Mary Ellen Clark and Mr. Thayne Clark

Claytor Family Foundation

Ginger Conrad

Mrs. Alice S. Coulombe

Drs. Nazareth and Ani Darakjian

John and Gina Despres

Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman / Pacific Theatres Foundation

Linda L. Duttenhaver

Dr. and Mrs. William M. Duxler

PATRONS OF LA OPERA

Dr. and Mrs. Paul Eisenberg

Shaudi and Sean Fulp

Mr. Alex Furlotti

Catherine and Andrew Garroni

Kiki and David Gindler

In memory of Sally Goldstein

David and Sandy Gordon

Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

Gary Gugelchuk

In memory of Morris A. Hazan

Catherine and Mark Helm

HUB International Insurance Brokers

Mr. and Mrs. David K. Ingalls

Tim Johnson and Jean Cunningham

Richard and Randi Jones

James P. Kelley and Joseph W. Lund

William and Priscilla Kennedy

Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles

Maddocks Brown Foundation

G. Lorenzo Manzanarez

Merrill Private Wealth Management

J.H.B. Kean and Toby E. Mayman

Mr. and Mrs. David Mgrublian

Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Mollura, Sr.

Eduard Morf

Lyn Nishimura

Orange County Opera

The Orden, Berkett, Flesh and Sassover

Families

Dr. Leslie A. Pam and Dr. Ann Christie

Petersen / Esper A. Petersen Foundation

The Stephen Philibosian Foundation

The Louis & Harold Price Foundation

Koni and Geoff Rich

Lloyd E. Rigler – Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation

Jutta Romero

Mimi Rotter

Matthew and Jennifer Rowland

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders‡

Edward A. and Ai O. Shay Family Foundation

Carol and James Sterling

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

Richard and Cynthia Troop

Donna Wagner

In memory of Richard and Lenore Wayne

Libby Wilson, M.D.

Andrew Xu and Timothy Iverson

Zev Yaroslavsky

Tamsen Z

Esther and Abe Zarem

Ms. Marion Zola

Chaired by Kathleen and Jerrold Eberhardt

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

Constance Chesnut and Dr. Sheldon Benjamin

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cannon

Susan and L. David Cole

Diane Henderson

Jan Keller

Jennifer L. Keller

Lenny‡ and David Kelton

Gila Michael

Judith S. Mishkin

The Recording Industries’ Music Performance Trust Fund

PREMIER SILVER BENEFACTOR ($15,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous

Mrs. Any Yakoub-Barr and Mr. Michael Barr

Diana Buckhantz and the Vladimir & Araxia Buckhantz Foundation

The Sirpuhe and John Conte Foundation

Laura Donnelley and the Good Works Foundation

Chaz Hammel-Smith Ebert

Mr. and Mrs. David Elmore

Dr. Ronald Gabriel

Mr. Vigen and Dr. Houry Ghazarian

SILVER BENEFACTOR ($10,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (8)

Mr. Sam Abbott and Ms. Kori Anderson

John and Linda Kay Abdulian

Adams/Cohen Family

Adar Family Trust

Rachel and Bulent Altan

Patti Amstutz

Margaret Campbell Arvey

Esther M. Baird and Stanley Fimberg

Jill C. Baldauf and Steven L. Grossman

Beverly and Felix Grossman

Monica Gutierrez-Roper and Trevor Roper

Alma Guzman and Susan Stamberger

Nicolas Hamatake

Linda Joyce Hodge

Chase Hodge-Brokenburr

Barbara Holman

Keller Anderle LLP

Michael and Stephanie Landes

Mr. Mark Loewen

Sandy Behrens

Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Beim

Beatrice and Paul Bennett, in honor of

A. Coulombe

Leah S. and Gregory M. Bergman

Nancy Berman and Alan Bloch

Robert Bienstock and Talie Massoli

Anne Boundy

Lisa Bratkovich

Canyon Partners, LLC

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander A. Sawchuk

Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation

Terry and Dennis Stanfill

Karen and William Timberlake

Michael Weber and Frances Spivy-Weber

Anita Lorber

Emily and Sam Mann

Carol Mitchell

The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

The SahanDaywi Foundation

Evy and Fred Scholder Family

Dr. Elizabeth Short and Dr. Michael Friedman

Eric L. Small

Bette I. Tatge and Lisa E. Tatge

Victor Carabello, M.D.; in honor of my beloved parents Oscar and Elisa

Laurel K. Clark

V. Shannon and Pamela Clyne

Corinna Cotsen and Lee N. Rosenbaum

Myron and Margie Crain

Elizabeth Hofert Dailey Fund

Dain Torpy/Tim Pecci

Patrick Dickey

Jennifer Diener

PATRONS OF LA OPERA

SILVER BENEFACTOR ($10,000 & ABOVE)

Tom Dolby

Mr. Michael Dreyer; in memory of Warner Henry

David A. Drummond

Susan and John Ebey

Ms. Gail Eichenthal

Danielle Nelson Erem and Vivian Nelson

David and Marianna Fisher

Alan J. Freeman

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation

Charles and Marian Goldsmith

Alma Guzman and Susan Stamberger

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Foundation

Betty Hayman

Robert and Denise Hayman

Freddi and Dr. Kenneth D. Hill

Hoebich Family Charitable Foundation

Patricia Houston; in loving memory of Chet Houston

Dr. Ronald Hopkins

Stuart and Simone Isen

Stella Jeong and Randall Lee

Ms. Ratna Jones

Kaiser Permanente

Phyllis H. Klein, M.D.

Renee Kumetz

L.A. Care Health Plan

C. Deborah Laughton; in memory of Charles (Terry) Hendrix

GRAND BENEFACTOR ($7,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous (3)

Jerome M. Applebaum

Gary and Johanna Brown

Nicholas Chrisos

Cecelia Cole

Ms. Sheila Coop

The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc.

Michele M. Crahan

W. Allan Edmiston, Jr., M.D.

Larry Layne and Sheelagh Boyd

Edward and Marie Lewis

June and Simon K.C. Li

Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund

Mr. and Mrs. David B. Lippman

Sam Losh and Judith Lovely

Hon. Nora M. Manella

Judy and Steve McDonald

Diane Hickingbotham McNabb

Marlane Meyer

Mr. Richard J. Meyer

Mrs. Synne Hansen Miller

Ms. Judy Miner

Mintz

Cindy Miscikowski

Nancy-Gene W. Morrison

Harry and Cheryl Nadjarian

Barbara and Norman S. Namerow

Gregory Nava and Barbara Martinez Jitner

Michael Nohaile and Kristin Yarema

Andrea Noravian and Constantinos Michaels

Carolyn R. Novin

Hermineh Pakhanians

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

Thomas Patrick and Stephen Rulo

John S. Perkins

Gary and Arsine Phillips

Ernest and Anne Prokopovych

The Esther Foundation

Dr. Randall T. Espinoza

Dr. Jon Fellows and Judith Hemenway

Nancy Fleischer and Libby Wilson, M.D., in honor of Ida and Max Fleischer

Larry and Marlis Gilman

Catherine Hogel

Nancy Katayama

Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Landry

PREMIER BENEFACTOR ($5,000 AND ABOVE)

Anonymous (9)

Honey Kessler Amado

The Maurice Amado Foundation

The Amphion Foundation, Inc.

Anne Andrews and John Thornton

Linda Antonioli, in loving memory of Kenny Antonioli

Frank & Beverly Arnstein

Ms. Sunny Baey

Mr. Miles L. Bennickes

William Blair

Employees Community Fund of Boeing

Bonnie Brae

Brian P. Brooks

Michael and Tania Cahill

Todd L. Calvin

Evelyn and Stephen Cederbaum

Laura K. Christa

Marie M. Cohen and Jared Diamond

Rhoda Coleman, in loving memory of

Howard Coleman

James and Jennifer Conlon

Patrick Conn

Walter and Donna Conn

Joan and Donald Damask

Ms. Joanne Dallas Davis/Dauray Family Fund

Jack and Barbara Dawson

Susan Edelstein

Helen Funai Erickson

Paul A. Erskine Family Fund

John Farrell and Corey Spivey

Evelyn & Norman Feintech Family Foundation

Theodore Finney Hill

Mr. and Mrs. Don Erik Franzen

Elisabeth and Tony Freinberg

Ronald Frydman

Ronald and Christina Gertz

Goldman Sachs & Co.

Dr. Patricia Goldring

Patrick and Mary Goshtigian

Lori Greene Gordon

Terry Greene

Wendy and Luis Guerrero

Manuel R. Gutierrez

Marie O. Hedlund

Jeff and Yolanda Heller

Claire and Robert Heron

Dr. Ann M. Hirsch and Dr. Stefan J. Kirchanski

David L. and Susan H. Hirsch

In Sook Hong

Douglas Honig, Esq.

Cameron Hotchkis

Dr. Judith Hyman

Ms. Marsha Hymanson

Mr. Daniel J. Jaffe and Ms. Cynthia S. Monaco

Bruce Johansen

Elizabeth and Nicandro Juárez

Jee Sung and Hun Ku Kang

Alan and Amy Karbelnig

Mr. Howard B. Klein

Ellen and Harvey Knell

Mr. Joel and Mrs. Sharon Koppelman

Elaine F. Kramer

Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin

Christine and Jay Lee

Mr. Leonard Levine and Dr. Mateo Ledezma

Ali Razi and Shelley Reid

Rodrigo J. Rocha, M.D.; in memory of my beloved parents

Lars Roos and Dr. Estelita Calica Roos

Mrs. Barbara C. Rosenthal

Mr. William Russell-Shapiro

The family of Dr. Armin and Barbara Sadoff

Sakana Foundation

Amy and Andy Schwartz

Dr. Sharron L. Seal and Mr. Lawrence Seal

Dr. Donald Seligman and Dr. Jon Zimmermann

Dr. Bertrand and Joan C. Shapiro

Mr. Burnie Sparks; in memory of Warner Henry

Catherine Stone

Michael and Suzanne Tennenbaum

Elinor and Rubin Turner

Mr. and Mrs. Dale Ulman

Nancy Valentine

Frank Visco

Dennis Wasser and Ruth Roberts

Drs. Francine Bartfield and Martin Wasserman

Mark A. Weaver

Aviva Weiner and Paulino Fontes

Sheila and Wally Weisman

Doris Weitz and Alexander Williams

Robert E. Willett

Wendy and Jay Wintrob

Susan Zolla; in memory of Edward M. Zolla

Mrs. Isabel Markovits-Rosenberg

James and Grace McAdams

Mr. and Mrs. Bengt Muthen

Doerthe Obert

Cliff and Toni Reston

Robert and Linda Smith

Tracy Stone and Allen Anderson

James and Robin Walther

Marty, Sara and Samantha Widzer

Mary H. Lewis

Marilyn Lightner

Clark and Karen Linstone

Lilly Fong Liu

Dr. Liana Lucaric Boghossian

Mr. Nigel Lythgoe

Gerrie Maloof

John and Jill Manly

Tracey Alden Martin

Laura Maslon

Edeltraud McCarthy

Steven D. McGinty

Bo Mills

Mr. Shannon J. Morton

Moss Adams LLP

Diane Williams Murphy

Ms. Lois A. Murphy

Dr. and Mrs. Steven Nagelberg

The E. Nakamichi Foundation

David Drew Neer, M.D., J.D.

Ms. Michelle Newberry

Frank and Andrea Newman

Mrs. Inna Ockelmann

Christine Marie Ofiesh

Jenny Okun and Richard Sparks

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Oppenheimer

William and Carol Ouchi

Park Bixby Tower, Inc.

Diane and David Paul

Mary E. Petit and Eleanor Torres

Frank and Betty Pinkerton

Drs. Michael and Marion Quinn

Madeline and Bruce Ramer

PATRONS OF LA OPERA

PREMIER BENEFACTOR ($5,000 AND ABOVE)

Sonia Randazzo and Family

Penny and Harold B. Ray

Eileen and Charles Read

Marina Rinaldi

Ms. Margaret Rose, in memory of Ronald Dolkart

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Rountree

Ms. Allison Sampson; in memory of Warner Henry

Brad Schlei and Jamie Price-Schlei

Mr. and Mrs. Neal Schmale

Nicola and Catherine Sebastiani

Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Segal

Richard and Ellyn Semler

BENEFACTOR ($3,500 AND ABOVE)

Anonymous (5)

In memory of Dr. Yoshio Akiyama

Ms. Mary Anderson

Patrick Anderson and Ron Koren

Mr. Robert C. Anderson

Ron and Perky Apperson

Shirley Ashkenas; in memory of Irving Ashkenas

Aversa Foundation

David Baltimore and Alice Huang

Howard Barmazel

Randall C. Bassett

Shelley and Rick Bayer

Minoo Behboody

John R. Benfield and Mary Ann Shaw

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bennion

Dr. Dietmar P. Berger

Leigh Lindsey and Andrew Blaine

Judith F. Blumenthal

Mr. William J. Bracken and Ms. Mary Jo Markey

Langley B. Brandt

Barbara and Richard Braun

Dr. Martin J. Brickman

Patsy Burke

Drs. Carol and David Cass

CBRE National Partners West / Darla Longo,

Barbara Perrier, Michael Longo

Mr. Frederick Chau

Diana and Marc Chazaud

Mr. Joseph Cochran

Nancybell Coe and William Burke, in honor of James Conlon

Christina and Bill Conkle

Dr. Malcolm and Gabrielle Cosgrove

Antonio and Hanna Damasio

Michael Dillon

Mr. and Mrs. R. Stephen Doan

Larry and Jan Duitsman

Mr. Miguel Duran

Alexander Eddy

Craig Emanuel and Deborah Zipser

Margaret Epstein

Joyce and Mal Fienberg

David F. Freedman, in memory of Joan Freedman

Leanne Freeman

Dr. Jerry and Jean Friedman

Scott and Elizabeth Frost

Ronald Frydman

ARTISTS CIRCLE ($2,000 AND ABOVE)

Anonymous (2)

Nathan and Lee Anderson-Papillion

Dr. and Mrs. Leslie Botnick

Sarah and David Bottjer

Mr. Chuck Carpenter

Dr. K. Chang MD

Dr. Timothy Ching

Maj. Gen and Mrs. Susan W. Cooning

Claus Dieckell

Michiko Dunker

Marilyn Shapiro

Natalie K. and Marvin S. Shapiro

Judith L. Smith

LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District

Joyce and Al Sommer

Philip Starr and Michael Simental

John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation

Yvonne Stevens and Paul Schickler

Dr. Roger D. Stewart

Philip and Kristan Swan

Mr. Eliazar Talamantez

Dr. I. Maribel Taussig

Gillian Teichert

Dr. and Mrs. Santo Galanti

Arthur and Helen Geoffrion

Denise Gertmenian

Jerome J. Glaser / International Curtain Call

Dr. and Mrs. Steven M. Goldberg

Mr. Ronald Goldman

Nora Gordon and Brent Bryan

Christine Gregory

Peter and Elizabeth Goulds

Charles F. Hanes

Norma A. Harris & Frank Packard III

Larry and Lilia Hershenson

Mrs. Phoebe Ann Heywood

Gary Ho and Aihua Gan

Richard Holland Trust

Adel F. Jabour, M.D.

Mr. Punya Jain

Dr. Thomas D. Johnson, Ph.D., and Stacy B. Young

Gary and Denise Kading

Gloria Kaplan

Gayle Kirschbaum and Scott D. Baskin

Christopher Koelsch and Todd Bentjen

Ronald and Joann Kramar

Sandra Krause and William Fitzgerald

Anne Kwun

Mrs. Dominique Laffont

Diane S. Lake

Peter and Electra Lang

Irwin and Rachel Levin

Dr. Cheryl D. Lew, M.D.

Michael Lindsay and Kaitlyn Lindsay

Dr. Leonard Lipman

Robert and Susan Long

Ms. Jasmine Lord

Michael and Claudia Margolis

Daniel Marshak

Robert Mendow

Bryan Mershon

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Miller

Olga Moretti

Jane Gray Morrison

Gary W. Murphy

Robert and Sally Neely

Barbara and Lawrence Nevens

Mary Ruth and Jeff Newman

Michael and Marianne Newman

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. O’Dell

Mr. and Mrs. Karl J. Durow

Ms. Charlotte E. Eubanks

Lisa Farrell

Thomas Farrell

Donald and Jackie Feinstein

Amy Friedkin

Mr. and Mrs. Sanford M. Gage

Arthur and Helen Geoffrion

Charmaine Glennon

Carol Goldsmith

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Torosyan

Ms. Joanne L. Dallas and Mr. Frank A. Traficante

Ms. Barbara A. Van Postman

Cynthia Walk

Barbara and Ken Warner

Karen and Les Weinstein

Ms. Gail Werner

David and Michele Wilson

Mrs. Joan A. Winchell; in memory of Verne Winchell

Clemence Yi

Martin and Rosalind Zane

Dr. Betza Zlokovic

Dr. Edward J O’Neill, MD

Dr. Sophia Y. Pak, M.D.

Dr. and Mrs. Nissan Pardo

David L. Paul and Leyla V. Woods

Roger Allers and Genaro Pereira

Michael and Beverly Phillips

The Muriel Pollia Foundation

Carmen Popa

Ruth Popkin

Mr. and Mrs. Roger H. Porter, Jr.

Peggy and Peter Preuss

Kai-Li and Hal Quigley

Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Reid

Fen Rhodes and Nancy Corby

Ken and Erika Riley

Craig and Janis Risch

JoAnna and Matthew Rodriguez

Charleen Rohde

Diana Romero

Rikki Rosen

Paula and Allan Rudnick

John Schunhoff and Ken Titley

Albert Sepe

Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis Sepetjian

Dr. and Mrs. Neil J. Sherman

Mr. and Mrs. John B. (Jack) Simon

Dr. Joan E. Smiles

Judith L. Smith

Debra Vilinsky and Michael Sopher

Steven and Eleanor Sorenson

Charles Souw, in loving memory of Bill Maldonado

Shirley Earlise Starke-Wallace

Sidney Stern Memorial Trust

Francine Swain and Robert Murdock

Mr. Andrew Tavakoli

Dr. and Mrs. Jose Torreblanca

Mrs. Linda Trope

Eve C. Van Rennes

Larry Verdugo

Ms. Carol Vernon and Mr. Robert Turbin

Martin Washton

Dr. Robert W. Weinman

Tina H. Wilson

Jan and Steve Winston

Sharon and Fillmore Wood

David A. Workman

Mr. Rudolf Ziesenhenne

Mr. and Mrs. Philip F. Grant

Christine Gregory

Bernard and Carolyn Hamilton

Dr. and Mrs. Edward Helmer

Lee Hendrix

Marcia and Dr. Paul Herman

Phil and Gage Hewes

Frank Humberstone

John Hofbauer and Laura Fox

Kedra Ishop

“THE

IMPACT OF A DONOR’S GIFT IS AMPLIFIED BY ITS ABILITY TO CHANGE THE CITY”

The Music Center Foundation was established in 1973 by Dorothy Bu um Chandler to provide endowment support to The Music Center, its educational activities, dance programs, and its four Resident Company campus partners: Center Theatre Group, LA Master Chorale, LA Opera, and LA Philharmonic.

Lifting up the performing arts in Los Angeles is a unique opportunity that we can take on together. By making a gift through the Foundation, you can be a part of supporting inspirational new work that threads our community together through a vibrant, emotional connection to the performing arts.

In the spirit of Mrs. Chandler, the impact of a donor’s gift is amplified by its ability to change Los Angeles.

To learn more about how to leave a lasting legacy with the Music Center Foundation, contact Justin Marsh: 213-972-8046, jmarsh@musiccenterfoundation.org

For more information on the Music Center Foundation musiccenterfoundation.org

PATRONS

OF

LA OPERA

ARTISTS CIRCLE ($2,000 AND ABOVE)

Mr. Irwin Jacobson

Paul and Missy Jennings

Dr. Thomas D. Johnson, Ph.D., and Stacy B. Young

Sylvia Kavoukjian

Jim and Jean Keatley

Mr. Lynn Kirkhofer

Mr. David Knapp

Ellen and Harvey Knell

Mr. Joel and Mrs. Sharon Koppelman

Ms. Margaret G. Lodise

Ms. Blanca Lucero and Mr. Charles Romero

Joseph H. MacDonald

Ted McKinney

Drs. Anne and Ronald Mellor

Dr. Reinhard W. Menzel

Janet Michaels

Mary Miller

Mrs. Erica Min

Luc and Courtenay Moritz

Dr. and Mrs. G. Arnold Mulder

Ms. Laurice Myron

Liza and Thomas Newbauer

Ron and Pat Oguss

Mr. and Mrs. Leo J. Pircher

Mary Power

Barry and Sandy Pressman

Mr. Christopher A. Reed

Timothy Reynolds

BELLA VOCE PATRONS (IRREVOCABLE ESTATE GIFTS)

Lynn and Michael Russell

Ms. Shahla Sabet

Mr. Don Simkin

Irene Sohm

Mr. Zohar Sorek

Mr. Herbert Stein

Jesse Telles

United Way of Greater Los Angeles

Larry Verdugo

Christina Wang and Ronald Swerdloff

Martin Washton

Ms. Marie Wiley

Dr. William Wishner

LA Opera is grateful for the generosity and foresight of opera lovers who have established future gifts to the company in their estate plans.

Natsuko Akiyama, in memory of Yoshio Akiyama

Dr. & Mrs. Julio Aljure

Gracia Alkema & C. Terry Hendrix

Karen Alpert Trust

John Altschul

Mr. Marvin Antonowsky

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Ash

Shirley Ashkenas

Shirley Lee Barasch

Ms. Angela Bardowell

Estate of Margaret and David N. Barry III

Ambassador Frank & Kathy Baxter

Karen M. Beecher

Herbert M. Berk

Anne Boundy

The Samuel M. Brainin Trust

Carol & Normand Brewer

Jacqueline Briskin

Maynard & Linda Brittan

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Christine Brodie

Richard & Norma Camp

T. Robert Chapman Trust

David Chierichetti

Edward E. & Alicia Garcia Clark

Richard D. & Lisa K. Colburn

The Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn)

Nancy Cook

Cosgrove Family Trust

Michele McGarry Crahan

Estate of Nancy Daly

Janet & Roger DeBard

Teresa DeCrescenzo

Estate of Phyllis & Donal Dreifus

The George A.V. Dunning Fund/ California Community Foundation

Allan & Diane Eisenman

Gerald Faris

Adell Fink

Theodore Hill Finney

Claudia & Mark Foster

Herbert O. and Jean Fox

Kara Kass Fox

Estate of Valerie Franklin

Allen B. Freitag Trust

Ronald Frydman

Gerri Lee Frye

Roger Gallizzi and James Willey

Nancy Gentry Geller Trust

Gwynne M. Gloege

Estate of Barbara Goldenberg

Eric A. Gordon

Leonard Green

Bernard and Lenore Greenberg

Susan R. Greer

Joyce and Joelle Grinker

Estate of Walter O. Halden

Betty Hall Trust

Roy Hamilton

The Jerome G. Handelsman Trust

Hildegard Harris

Lee & David Hayutin

Anne Heineman

Estate of Harvey B. Heller

Warner & Carol Henry

Yvonne & Gordon Hessler

Joan & John Hotchkis

Drs. Herbert and Judith Hyman

Mr. & Mrs. David K. Ingalls

Robert Jesberg and Michael J. Carmody

Estate of H. Kirkland Jones

Sylvia & Vernon D. Jones

Estate of Stephen A. Kanter

Lawrence A. Kern

Joyce and Kent Kresa

Helen LammIvan and Hilda Layda / Layda Family Trust

Margo Leavin

The Norman & Sadie Lee Foundation

Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine

Dr. Paul E. LeMal

Raymond A. Lieberman Trust

Robert & Marguerite Marsh

Wolfgang E. Marum Trust

In memory of Terry Roberta Matthies

Linda May Suzar

Dr. Michael McGuire

Paula Kent Meehan

Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Miller

The Jane Moore Family Trust

Diane and Leon Morton

Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco

Anthony & Olivia Neece

Joan Harding Newman

Mei-Lee Ney

Estate of Beatrix F. Padway

Mr. Milan Panic

Lenore and Carl Pearlston

Chloe Pollock-Mieczkowski

Cat Jagger Pollon

Mrs. Jean Powell

Nan Rae

Suzanne Rheinstein

Christine P. Ries

Kenneth D. Sanson, Jr., Trust

The L. Franc Scheuer Trust

The Malcolm Schneer LAOC Trust

The Richard Seaver Trust for the Opera

Archie Sharp

Milton Singer

Mr. & Mrs. William Smollen

Ellen & Harry Sondheim, in memory of Betty & Felix Leibholz

Estate of Mr. Arthur Spitzer

Marilyn & Eugene Stein/ Capital Group Companies

Marc & Eva Stern

Estate of Gaby K. Tanas

Flora L. Thornton & Eric L. Small

Estate of C. Dickson Titus III

Emanuel Treitel Trust

Rose Vardanian

Ms. Carol Vernon and Mr. Robert Turbin

Magda & Frederick R. Waingrow

Richard and Lenore Wayne

Mark A. Weaver

Estate of Monica Weil and Paul Schrade

Douglas B. Wood

Sharon and Fillmore Wood

Irene Zimmerman

Stars on the Rise

We are proud to introduce the 2025/26 class of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. This prestigious two-year paid residency for singers and pianists helps highly gifted performers become the stars of tomorrow. Please give a warm welcome to two singers and one pianist new to the program, who join five returning singers and two pianists. Members of the program will be featured in LA Opera’s mainstage productions and other performances throughout the season.

Tenor Nathan Bowles returns in La Boheme, Falstaff and The Magic Flute, after last season’s Romeo and Juliet, Ainadamar and Rigoletto. He recently performed Canio in Pagliacci with Pacific Opera Project and Don José in The Tragedy of Carmen with Tulsa Opera. He is a 2025 Operalia finalist.

South Korean pianist/coach Sujin Choi was on the music staff for Romeo and Juliet and Rigoletto in her first season here and returns for La Bohème and The Magic Flute. She has been a coach with the Aspen Music Festival and Music Academy of the West, and a member of the Merola Opera Program.

Brazilian bass Vinícius Costa appeared in Madama Butterfly, Romeo and Juliet, Ainadamar and Rigoletto. He returns in Akhnaten, Falstaff and The Magic Flute. He performed Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro at the Aspen Music Festival and recently recorded Brazilian composer André Mehmari’s opera O Machete.

In her debut season with LAO, soprano Emily Damasco will appear as Beketaten in Akhnaten and Pagagena in The Magic Flute. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music, with roles including the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte.

Pianist/coach Julian Garvue helped prepare Così fan tutte, Ainadamar and West Side Story, and will be on the music staff for Akhnaten and Falstaff. Over the summer, he was a coaching fellow at Wolf Trap Opera, where he performed harpsichord continuo for their production of The Marriage of Figaro.

Chinese tenor Yuntong Han debuted last season as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and covered Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and he will return in Akhnaten and Falstaff. He began the season covering the role of the Jade Emperor in Huang Ruo’s world premiere The Monkey King at San Francisco Opera.

South Korean baritone Hyungjin Son appeared last season in Madama Butterfly, Romeo and Juliet, Ainadamar and Rigoletto, and returns in Akhnaten and The Magic Flute. A 2023 Laffont national grand finalist, he has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera and Pittsburgh Opera as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly.

A native of New Zealand, mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg will perform in Akhnaten and The Magic Flute in her debut season with LAO. She recently completed her Master of Music at Curtis Institute of Music, where her roles included Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, and was a 2023 Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera.

Canadian-American soprano Gabrielle Turgeon made her company debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, returning in Ainadamar and Rigoletto. She will appear in Akhnaten and The Magic Flute. Over the summer, she performed Micaëla in Carmen with Canada’s Brott Music Festival.

Lithuanian pianist/coach Gabrielė Žemaitytė is new to LAO this season, serving on the music staff for La Bohème. Most recently, she was a vocal piano fellow at the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague.

The Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program is generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation and Eugene and Marilyn Stein, with additional generous underwriting support provided by Terri and Jerry Kohl, Barbara Augusta Teichert, and Richard and Lenore Wayne.

PHOTO BY CHELSEA LAUREN
PHOTO BY MICAH GLEASON
PHOTO BY ALAN GOLDSMAN

A GRAND BAROQUE SALON

JAN 17+18, 2026

Pierre Hantaï, Leader + Harpsichord Margaret Batjer, Violin

C.P.E. Bach, Symphony No. 3 in F major, H.659

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major

J. Leclair, Concerto in D major for Violin, Strings, and Basso Continuo

J. Rameau, Selections from Operas

2025/26 SEASON

PASSION + MYSTERY: MARTÍN + SAY + BEETHOVEN

FEB 14+15, 2026

Jaime Martín, Music Director Fazıl Say, Piano

Michael Abels, Meraki WORLD PREMIERE

G. Fauré, Pelléas et Mélisande

L. Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor

TURNING POINTS:

FAUST + SOUSA + MENDELSSOHN

MAR 12+14, 2026

Dinis Sousa, Guest Conductor Isabelle Faust, Violin

Huang Ruo, The Tipping Point CO-COMMISSION

R. Schumann, Violin Concerto in D minor

F. Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4 in A major, “Italian”

INVENTIONS REIMAGINED

MAR 28, 2026

Christian Sands, Piano Lara Downes, Curator + Piano

A special one-night-only performance featuring jazz takes on Bach’s Sinfonias and Inventions.

TEMPORAL ECHOES: MARTÍN + BANSAL +

APR 11, 2026

SHOSTAKOVICH

Jaime Martín, Music Director Anne Akiko Meyers, Violin

Juhi Bansal, SOUND INVESTMENT COMMISSION / WORLD PREMIERE

Eric Whitacre, THE PACIFIC HAS NO MEMORY CO-COMMISSION / WEST COAST PREMIERE

R. Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending

D. Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony for Strings in C minor

S. Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Classical”

RADIANCE + REVERIE: MARTÍN + MARWOOD + MOZART

MAY 16+17, 2026

Jaime Martín, Music Director Anthony Marwood, Violin

Coleman Itzkoff, Cello

W. A. Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D major, “Haffner”

Christopher Cerrone, Double Concerto for Violin & Cello LACO COMMISSION / WORLD PREMIERE

P. Tchaikovsky, Orchestra Suite No. 4, “Mozartiana”

MAY 30+31, 2026

BAROQUE IN BLOOM

Margaret Batjer, Leader Amanda Forsythe, Soprano

Andrew Brady, Bassoon

J.S. Bach, Weichnet nur, betrübte Schatten, “Wedding Cantata”

H. Biber, Battalia à 10

G.F. Handel, Selections from Giulio Cesare in Egitto

G. Telemann, Don Quixote

A. Vivaldi, Concerto for Bassoon in A minor

Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR

A Peek Backstage

Tasked with creating new looks that would mesh with Peter J. Hall’s original 1993 designs, costume designer Jeannique Prospere conjured this stunning new ensemble for Musetta’s Act Two appearance. Below, a look into her design process for new costumes for chorus women.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Photo courtesy of the artist

Holidays

SCAN FOR TICKETS

Gregory Porter

Christmas Wish

The Klezmatics

Happy Joyous Hanukkah

Christian Sands Quartet

Christmas Stories ONSTAGE

Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular Featuring Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Pueblo Viejo With Special Guest Ximena Sariñana

Gregory Porter
Christian Sands

SUPPORTERS

BELLA VOCE PATRONS (FUTURE GIFTS)

Anonymous (8)

Helen Mae Almas

Patti Amstutz

Robert C. Anderson

Sharon Baranoff

James C. Bassett, Ph.D.

Randall C. Bassett

Nancy Griffith Baxter

James M. Bell

Lorna D. Blancaflor

Dr. Judith F. Blumenthal

Rebecca Bowne

Hans and Dianne Bozler

Ms. Dale Bridges Johannsen

Mrs. Michele Brustin

Sharon A. Bryan

Elizabeth B. & Elwood S. Buffa

Jacqueline & Henry Cahn

Todd Calvin

Dr. Alisa Cone Camberlan

Leigh Robinson Cartwright

Drs. Carol & David Cass

Julia Cherry

Cecelia R. Cole

Bernice Colman

Ginger Conrad

Hilary Crahan

Keith Crasnick Family Trust

Drs. Nazareth & Ani Darakjian

Lawrence E. Deutsch

Amy Lyn DeZwart and George Betar

Leslie & John Dorman

Mary Kathryn Dunn

Anthony P. Eccher and Richard Conner Trust

Gerald Elijah/Octaveous Starr

Maureen Engelhard

Daniel Fink, M.D.

Richard Cullen and Robert Finnerty

David F. Freedman

Leanne Freeman

Dr. Michael A. Friedman and Dr. Elizabeth M. Short

Mr. & Mrs. John Garvey

James Gelb and Diane Morton

Dr. Melinda Gilmore

Jerome J. Glaser

Joyce & Eric Goldman

Rebecca Gomez

Marielle Gottlieb

Ms. Nancy A. Grant

Donna & Greg Griffith

Gary Gugelchuk

Alma Guzman and Susan Stamberger

Susan D. Heard

Laura C. Hecht

Ms. Nita Heimbaugh

Bonnie Helms

Dr. Jon Fellows and Judith Hemenway

Malcolm T. Henderson

Marcia and Dr. Paul Herman

Freddi and Dr. Kenneth D. Hill

Mike Hiscocks, in memory of Carol Roberts

Linda J. Hodge

Dr. Ronald Hopkins

Sharon & Donald Jackley

Norman W. & Rose M. Jaffe

Bruce Johansen

Dr. Barbara Johnston

Ms. Mary Teresa Johnston

BELLA VOCE PATRONS

( FUTURE GIFTS)

Dr. & Mrs. William Kern

Dr. Stephen Knafel

Linda L. R. Knight

Richard P. & Meredith B. Kramer

Victoria and Douglas Lane

Larry Layne

Robert M. Lea

Mr. and Mrs. Lou D. Liuzzi

Gloria Lothrop

Mr. Jeff MacKey

Gerrie Maloof

Hon. Nora M. Manella

Sam I. Matsumoto/ Gordon J. Geever Trust

Edward McCann

McCone Grand Opera Fund

Steven D. McGinty

Cynthia McWhirt

The Minturn Family Charitable Foundation

Michael and Lorraine Mohill

Nancy-Gene W. Morrison

Barbara and Maury Mortensen

Mary Jane Myers

Gordon & Rosie Ornelas Olson

Dr. Sophia Pak

Janet Petersen

Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Prusan

Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Pudenz

Jeanne E. Roerig

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick T. Rogers

Mimi Rotter

Lawrence Rubenstein, Ph.D.

Frank D. Rubin

Dr. Jeanne W. Ruderman

Maged Salib

Elizabeth Loucks Samson

Melody & Warren Schubert

Mr. & Mrs. Christof E. Schwab

Dr. Donald Seligman and Dr. Jon Zimmermann

Richard and Ellyn Semler

Olga Sevilla

John Jacob Shaak

Marilyn Shapiro

Lynn Foster Sipe

Melissa Siskowic

Terry & Dennis Stanfill

R. Rhoads Stephenson

Donna Stillo

James and Ellen Strauss

Ms. Amanda F. Susskind

Elisabeth Tamari

Iris & Robert Teragawa

Dr. Elaine Totten and Mr. Barclay Totten

Mrs. Ella Upsher

Dr. Michael Upsher

Larry Verdugo

Barbara and Ken Warner

Michael Weber & Frances Spivy-Weber

Aviva Weiner

Janice and Mitchell Wellsteed, in memory of Robert Tomson

Linda & Robert E. Willett

Wesley and Rachel Williamson

Tana Wong

Passion Meets Purpose

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

LA Opera is supported, in part, by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.

County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
Kathryn Barger
Janice Hahn, Chair
Lindsey P. Horvath
Holly J. Mitchell
Hilda L. Solis
Los Angeles County Dept. of Arts & Culture
Kristin Sakoda, Executive Director
National Endowment for the Arts
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, Chair
California Arts Council
Danielle Brazell, Executive Director
City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
Daniel Tarica, General Manager

Concert and Home Rentals

Blüthner Pianos (since 1853)

Neupert Harpsichords (since 1868)

Schiedmayer Celesta (since 1890)

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.

AmazonSmile

Amgen Foundation

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Benevity

The Boeing Company

The Capital Group Companies

Charitable Foundation

Chevron Corporation

CNA Foundation

Colony NorthStar

Employees Community Fund of Boeing

Goldman Sachs & Co.

The J. Paul Getty Trust

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc.

Morgan Stanley

Netflix

PPG Foundation

Sempra

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Thrivent

The Walt Disney Company

Congrats, You’ve Picked

Check

LINKS TO PERFORMERS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

MULTI - MEDIA PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE.

UNDERSTUDY UPDATES

THEATER SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES

UPCOMING SHOWS AND CONCERTS AROUND TOWN

INSIDER SCOOPS FROM THEATER AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS

It’s the new way to read the program, it’s

Welcome to The Music Center!

This is your place to experience the magic of live performances and special events, experiencing the joy that moves you, the stories that unite us and the moments that remind us why the arts matter. Across our theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza and in Gloria Molina Grand Park, there is always something to inspire and connect us all.

We are dedicated to ensuring you have the best possible experience here. Help us keep The Music Center safe, inclusive and welcoming for everyone by visiting musiccenter.org/guestagreement.

Find out what’s happening next at musiccenter.org—your guide to performances, celebrations and events across our campus.

#BeAPartOfIt

@musiccenterla

General Information (213) 972-7211 | musiccenter.org

Support The Music Center (213) 972-3333 | musiccenter.org/support

TAKE A FREE TOUR!

Step behind-the-scenes of one of the world’s leading performing arts centers. Our free, 90-minute docent-led tours invite you to discover the stories, architecture and art that bring the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Jerry Moss Plaza to life.

Tours run daily—visit musiccenter.org to check the schedule and make a day of it in Downtown L.A.!

2025/2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Robert J. Abernethy

Chair

Cary J. Lefton

Darrell D. Miller

Vice Chairs

Rachel S. Moore

President & CEO

Michael J. Pagano

Secretary

Susan M. Wegleitner

Treasurer

William Taylor

Assistant Treasurer and

Chief Financial Officer

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Charlene Achki Repko

Charles F. Adams

William H. Ahmanson

Romesh Anketell

Jill C. Baldauf

Phoebe Beasley

Kristin Burr

Dannielle Campos

Alberto M. Carvalho

Elizabeth Khuri Chandler

Terri B. Childs

William E. Dolan

Amy R. Forbes

Greg T. Geyer

Joan E. Herman

Jeffrey M. Hill

Jonathan B. Hodge

Mary Ann Hunt-Jacobsen

Maria Rosario Jackson

Ronald D. Kaplan

Richard B. Kendall

Lily Lee

Keith R. Leonard, Jr.

Kelsey N. Martin

Elizabeth Michelson

Cindy Miscikowski

Teresita Notkin

Karen Kay Platt

Susan Erburu Reardon

Joseph J. Rice

Beverly P. Ryder

Thomas L. Safran

Maria S. Salinas

Corinne Jessie Sanchez

Mimi Song

Johnese Spisso

Michael Stockton

Jason Subotky

Timothy S. Wahl

Jennifer M. Walske

GENERAL COUNSEL

Rollin A. Ransom

DIRECTORS

EMERITI

Peter K. Barker

Judith Beckmen

Darrell R. Brown

Ronald W. Burkle

John B. Emerson **

Richard M. Ferry

Bernard A. Greenberg

Stephen F. Hinchliffe, Jr.

Kent Kresa

Mattie McFaddenLawson

Fredric M. Roberts

Richard K. Roeder

Claire L. Rothman

Joni J. Smith

Lisa Specht **

Cynthia A. Telles

James A. Thomas

Andrea L. Van de Kamp **

Thomas R. Weinberger

Alyce de Roulet Williamson

** Chair Emeritus

Current as of 10/21/2025

John McCoy for The Music Center.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's James Gilmer and Samantha Figgins. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

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.

Janice Hahn Supervisor, Fourth District

Lindsey P. Horvath Supervisor, Third District

Kathryn Barger Chair, Fifth District

Holly J. Mitchell Supervisor, Second District

Hilda L. Solis

Chair Pro Tem, First District

(From left to right)

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

As a steward of The Music Center of Los Angeles County, we recognize that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh and Chumash Peoples. We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants — past, present and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters. We acknowledge that settler colonization resulted in land seizure, disease, subjugation, slavery, relocation, broken promises, genocide and multigenerational trauma. This acknowledgment demonstrates our responsibility and commitment to truth, healing and reconciliation and to elevating the stories, culture and community of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles County.

We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these ancestral lands. We are dedicated to growing and sustaining relationships with Native peoples and local tribal governments, including (in no particular order) the:

• Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

• Gabrielino Tongva Indians of California Tribal Council

• Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians

• Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians-Kizh Nation

• San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

• San Fernando Band of Mission Indians

To learn more about the First Peoples of Los Angeles County, please visit the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission website at lanaic.lacounty.go

Photo Credit: David Franco, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Photographer.

DECEMBER 2025 Happening at The Music Center

MON 1 DEC / 4:00 p.m.

The Music Center Presents Black Planetarium:

Uncharted Anthologies

THE MUSIC CENTER / TMC ARTS

@ Digital Art Space at The Music Center Thru 12/14/2025

MON 1 DEC / 5:00 p.m.

L.A. County Tree Lighting Ceremony

THE MUSIC CENTER / TMC ARTS

@ Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center

TUE 2 DEC / 7:30 p.m.

Paranormal Activity

CENTER THEATRE GROUP

@ Ahmanson Theatre Thru 12/7/2025

THU 4 DEC / 7:30 p.m.

La Bohème

LA OPERA

@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Thru 12/14/2025

FRI 5 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Home Alone in Concert

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 12/7/2025

FRI 12 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Mozart & Sibelius

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall Thru 12/14/2025

FRI 12 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson CENTER THEATRE GROUP

@ Ahmanson Theatre Thru 12/21/2025

Visit musiccenter.org for additional information on all upcoming events. @musiccenterla

SAT 13 DEC / 11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Holiday Sing-Along

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

SUN 14 DEC / 7:00 p.m.

English Cathedral Christmas

LOS ANGELES

MASTER CHORALE

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

MON 15 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Chanticleer

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

TUE 16 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Holiday Brass

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

THU 18 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Ellington's Nutcracker & Tchaikovsky's "Winter Daydreams"

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

Thru 12/21/2025

SAT 20 DEC / 11:00 a.m.

Carols for Kids

LOS ANGELES

MASTER CHORALE

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

SAT 20 DEC / 2:00 p.m.

Festival of Carols

LOS ANGELES

MASTER CHORALE

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

SUN 21 DEC / 7:00 p.m.

Handel's Messiah

LOS ANGELES

MASTER CHORALE

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

MON 22 DEC / 7:30 p.m.

Messiah Sing-Along

LOS ANGELES

MASTER CHORALE

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

TUE 23 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Arturo Sandoval

Swinging Holiday

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

WED 24 Dec / 3:00 p.m.

L.A. County Holiday Celebration

THE MUSIC CENTER

/ TMC ARTS

@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

WED 31 DEC / 7:00 p.m.

& 10:30 p.m.

New Year's Eve with The Roots

LA PHIL

@ Walt Disney Concert Hall

WED 31 DEC / 8:00 p.m.

Gloria Molina Grand Park's NYELA

GLORIA MOLINA

GRAND PARK

@ Gloria Molina Grand Park

SCAN TO VIEW FULL CALENDAR

Photo by Will Yang for The Music Center.

Celebrate L.A.'s Diverse Cultures at a FREE Family-Friendly, Holiday Music and Dance Show.

Be a part of a LIVE television broadcast at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. December 24, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Artists photos (from left to right): Ballet Folklórico de Esperanza, Mostly Kosher and Le Ballet Dembaya. Photo Credit: Timothy Norris for The Music Center.

ALVIN AILEY

March 25–29, 2026

This groundbreaking company embodies African American strength and resilience through mixed repertory programs featuring beloved classics and new works, including Alvin Ailey’s soul-stirring Revelations.

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion musiccenter.org/ailey | (213) 972-0711

BRING A GROUP AND SAVE! Contact marketing@musiccenter.org for more information.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Caroline T. Dartey. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

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Performances Magazine | LA Opera, December 2025 by California Media Group - Issuu