“What happens here is that you find yourself. You’re actually opening. You’re walking through many, many doors inside of you. I take with me a quietness that I’m able to share and instill in people. Because I’m back as Diane. I’m back whole.”
The Iconic Retreat
6 A WELCOME FROM PRESIDENT AND CEO CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH
8 TRANSFORMING SOCIETY’S REJECTS
Music Director James Conlon examines composer Giuseppe Verdi’s heartfelt depictions of unexpected protagonists.
12 NEWS AND PREVIEWS
26 MUSIC , BABIES AND WELL-BEING
Music can play an important role in early childhood development and long-term health.
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A scene from Tomer Zvulun’s staging of Rigoletto
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Welcome to LA Opera
Dear friends:
I am excited to welcome you to this presentation of a towering operatic treasure, Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.
One of the groundbreaking trio of masterpieces from Verdi’s “middle period” (along with La Traviata and Il Trovatore), Rigoletto is an exceptionally powerful tragedy. Despite the opera’s incredible popularity, this is only the fifth time in LA Opera’s four-decade history that we have staged it, and I welcome its return to our stage, especially under the baton of Music Director James Conlon, whose Verdi interpretations are always notably moving.
We have assembled a marvelous cast, led by Quinn Kelsey, one of today’s greatest Verdi baritones, in the title role. Tenor René Barbera, whose previous appearances here in the bel canto fireworks of The Barber of Seville and Cinderella were so memorable, returns as the Duke of Mantua. Lisette Oropesa, one of the brightest sopranos of her generation, returns as Gilda, a role she performed here in 2018. Bass Peixin Chen and mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino (an alumna of our young artist program) return as the scheming Sparafucile and Maddalena, and baritone Blake Denson makes his company debut as Count Monterone. Our striking production is staged by the enormously gifted director Tomer Zvulun, whose 12-year tenure leading the Atlanta Opera has been transformational for that company. His vision for the piece updates the action to Mussolini’s Italy, transporting audiences to a realm of glittering grandeur that disguises the evil lurking under the surface.
I am very grateful to Andrea and Janie Pessino and to the Tarasenka Pankiv Fund, whose generous support has made this production possible. I also extend my gratitude to the Armenian Consortium, the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation, and Laura and Carlton Seaver for their special additional support.
I close on a sad note. We mourn the recent loss of Roberto Cani, the Stuart Canin Concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra, who passed away in April after a brave battle with cancer. We dedicate this production to the memory of this beloved member of the LA Opera family.
I hope you enjoy this performance of one of opera’s most popular—and heartbreaking—masterpieces.
Sincerely,
Christopher Koelsch SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO
LA OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Marc Stern* HONORARY CHAIRMAN
Keith R. Leonard, Jr.* CHAIRMAN
Carol F. Henry* CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Leslie A. Dorman* 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 BOARD MEMBER
Ahsan Aijaz
Patricia Artigas
James R. Asperger
Haig A. S. Bagerdjian
Paul Bloch
Lisa Bratkovich
Iman H. Brivanlou, Ph.D.
Brian P. Brooks
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
Thomas Gottschalk
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
Christopher Koelsch†*
Thomas F. Kranz
Ali Leemann, Ph.D.
Scott R. Lord
Hon. Nora M. Manella
Don Franzen
Alexander Furlotti
Joan Hotchkis
Sherry Lansing
Claude Mann
Linda May
Jennifer McCormick
Patricia McKenna*
James Mulally
Gary W. Murphy
Gregory Nava
Olivia H. Ernst Neece
Leslie A. Pam, Ph.D.
Linda Pascotto*
Andrea Pessino*
Linda Pierce
Ceil Pulitzer**
Barry A. Sanders*
Lionel M. Sauvage*
Heinrich Schelbert, M.D., Ph.D.
Charlotte Coulombe Schoenmann
R. Carlton Seaver*
Lisa See*
LIFE TRUSTEES
Harold B. Ray
Mrs. Joseph A. Saunders‡
Marvin S. Shapiro
Mrs. Dennis Stanfill
Tina L. Segel
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.
VERDI: TRANSFORMING SOCIETY’S REJECTS
“Everyone cried out at the idea of putting a hunchback on the stage; well, there you are. I was very happy to write Rigoletto…and it is my best opera.” (Giuseppe Verdi, July 26, 1852)
And Verdi still thought so 35 years later: “I could write another Otello, but never another Rigoletto,” proclaimed the 74-year-old Giuseppe Verdi after the stunning premiere of his penultimate opera in 1887. Having transformed Italian opera over the course of the 19th century, it is fascinating to consider this statement. He was referring to the first of what are commonly known as the three middle-period masterpieces, written in an incredibly short period of little more than two years. Rigoletto was premiered in March of 1851. Il Trovatore and La Traviata were both produced for the first time five weeks apart in 1853.
Disorder in the court—the jester Rigoletto finds himself at odds with the noblemen he's offended.
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Giuseppe Verdi
These three operas have historically been the most popular and the most universally loved of Verdi’s work. As a measure of this it is interesting to note that, at the time of this writing, all three of these operas are among the dozen most-performed works in the history of the Metropolitan Opera. Explanations of their durability are in no short supply. First is the seemingly unflagging inspiration of melodic invention. These operas abound in great arias and duets whose melodies could be grasped immediately by the public, whistled, hummed and sung on a popular level, and admired and studied after a hundred hearings by musicians and musicologists. Their “formula” was simple, even simplistic, but their genius of how they endear themselves and speak directly from the heart of the character on stage to the emotions of the listener is the quintessence of Italian opera. Their brand of romanticism summarized all that had transpired in previous the previous half century of operatic theater. They are situated in the vestibule to the future, which Verdi himself sets out in these works. Like the head of Janus, these works look backward, in some ways for the last time, but irrevocably point forward.
So much has been written about these works that it is impossible to add much that is new. For that reason, I would like to isolate one aspect of a common characteristic of the three masterpieces which I believe is sometimes overlooked by those who might consider these works to be “old fashioned.” They are, in fact, in the context of Italian theater of the early 1850s, not just daring, bold and shocking, but, in their way, revolutionary.
Verdi’s theatrical genius led him ceaselessly to search for interesting dramatic material. Europe had been rocked by political upheaval and revolution in 1848, and the shock waves were keenly felt by the composer. His lifelong pursuit of audience appeal led him to eschew much of the formulaic opera libretti of the past century. He foreswore mythology, ancient Greece, Rome and even Italian subjects. French, English, German and Spanish sources abound, and it is from Victor Hugo, Antonio García Gutiérrez and Alexandre Dumas that he found the sources for this extraordinary trilogy.
The common thread that ties these works together is their presentation of protagonists who belong to categories of contemporary society’s rejected persons. Verdi saw the potential for explosive dramatic material in the lives and fates of a misanthropic hunchbacked jester, a desperately crazed Romani woman—member of an ethnic group despised and rejected throughout Europe—and a Parisian sex worker. The genius is not only in the choice, but in the rendering. We empathize with Rigoletto despite his physical and moral ugliness,
because of his tender love for his daughter. Azucena’s plight (however farfetched the plot) wins our hearts, despite her degraded and reviled origins. Verdi allows them to point an accusatory finger at their societies for their abject existences, blaming their own vileness on their surroundings. Violetta dies of consumption but turns the tables on the hypocrisy of her society, proving that a woman “of fallen virtue” can be far more capable of true love than the proponents of bourgeois morality. In his soliloquy “Pari siamo,” Rigoletto hurls invective at his world, as a subject of a duke and his courtiers: If I am wicked, it is due completely to you. The idea that the criminal or outcast is bad, not of their own doing, but of their victimization, is one we associate with the 20th century, placing Verdi and Victor Hugo (who provided the opera’s subject matter) far ahead of their times.
Verdi allows Rigoletto and Azucena to point an accusatory finger at their societies for their abject existences, blaming their own evilness on their surroundings.
In choosing Hugo’s Le roi s’amuse (“The King Enjoys Himself”), Verdi knew exactly what he was doing. After all, Hugo’s play is a thinly veiled assault on French royalty and mores. It was closed by the authorities the day after its premiere at the Comédie-Française in 1832. Its depiction of the 16th-century French king, Francis I, though essentially historical, was deemed offensive. It was impermissible to portray a member of the royalty as a roué. His libertine ways are those of Don Giovanni, moving from the daughters and wives of courtiers to a chaste, innocent young woman to a romp with a prostitute. The father in classical theater usually demanded a noble bearing, and it was incongruous that he should be represented by a court jester, who would normally be a comic or secondary character. Hugo did not even spare the mother of King Louis Philippe I (1773-1850), tangentially referring to rumors of her escapade with lackeys.
It isn’t necessary to go further to illustrate Hugo’s penchant for acid social criticism. Verdi saw his opportunity to turn convention on its head by depicting a King as immoral, and his court jester, a hunchback, as tragic. In the minds of his contemporaries a deformed man might be appropriately presented in a circus but,
continued on pg. 10
in general, would be considered unworthy of the stage, and certainly not as a tragic protagonist.
Verdi started to work, sketching a scenario corresponding to the original, featuring the French King “Francesco,” entitled La Maledizione (“The Curse”). The libretto of the opera we know is the end result of a chain of revisions necessitated to gain the authorities’ approval of the work for performance. The censors, always severe, were particularly concerned after the 1848 political upheavals that the theater was a venue for influencing the public and were potentially dangerous politically. Through a successive series of modifications, the King of France became the Duke of Vendome, subsequently diminished to Duke Vincenzo di Gonzaga of Mantua, and eventually retaining only his title without a name. The censors took exception to the opera’s title, which seemed blasphemous. The chief of the Venetian police “deplored” that the celebrated maestro and his librettist Francesco Maria Piave were not able to find a better vehicle for their talents than a libretto of “repulsive immorality and obscene triviality.”
The degree of Verdi’s courage and boldness can be measured by the censors’ reaction. And two years later, again in Venice, he was ready to go further, by portraying a consumptive sex worker as a heroine, a symbol and incarnation of generous and total love.
Mid-18th-century Europe’s burgeoning humanism not only allowed the possibility of sympathetic portrayals of humanity’s underdogs, but actually seemed to have ignited Verdi’s genius. In his two previous operas he cut a path. Luisa Miller (from Schiller) is the tragedy of the genuine goodness of the humble trampled upon by the aristocracy. Stiffelio, the opera that directly precedes
Rigoletto , portrays a minister’s struggle with an adulterous wife and her lover. It is a fascinating work, dramatically as daring as its successors and, musically, a necessary preparatory step. The three middle-period masterpieces had not burst forth from nowhere, they had been percolating over time.
Musically, Rigoletto demonstrates a significant advance in breaking down the traditional fixed forms of the earlier bel canto period. The conventional structure of the “scene and aria” and closed forms still abounds, where musical forms often determine aspects of the text. But the word (Verdi’s parola scenica, the “scenic word”) is increasingly emerging as the determinant of the musical organization. Nowhere is this more evident than for the protagonist, whose music could be described as constantly developmental: halfway between aria and recitative (in a form known as arioso). The form is determined by the dramatic situation, not for fulfilling traditional expectations. This is one of the hallmarks of the future. It is fitting that the most audacious character on the stage also is the inspiration and conduit for the most advanced musical expression to date. Traditionally, there was a strict division of labor between recitative (where the word is dominant, declaimed relatively non-melodically to a simple orchestral accompaniment) and the aria (where the melodic line is dominant, and the text subservient).
Oversimplified, the protagonist’s physical ugliness yet rich inner being is expressed by music predominantly belonging to the future. The music of the outwardly handsome, amoral, high born Duke of Mantua belongs to the past. He sings a ballad at the beginning (where he sets out his philosophy of seduction) at the beginning
BY
Rigoletto himself is to blame for the curse that haunts his thoughts; he horrifies a grieving father by taking a joke too far.
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KYLE FLUBACKER
and a frivolous ditty (an example of classic Freudian projection) at the end. Though he is given a proper aria and cabaletta in Act Two (where he is only fleetingly and superficially genuine), it is in an utterly and significantly conventional form, though inspired before its formulaic end. The immediate and lasting universal success of the Duke’s “La donna è mobile” proved that even while portryaing flippancy and callous entitlement, Verdi could make a lasting impression.
Gilda progresses from “standard” duets with her father and the disguised Duke and an ornamented aria (“Caro nome”) in Act One, through a developing equilibrium between word and song after her seduction in Act Two, into “maturity” in the final act where she assumes her father’s prose and declamation. Vocally her music transforms her, starting from lighter trills and roulades to finishing with the demands of a dramatic soprano. The musical texture passes from a series of closed pieces to a predominantly symphonic structure in the last act, fully unleashing the orchestra at last in the symbolic fury of a storm.
Finally, there is a developmental step in the use of a leading motive. The curse of Count Monterone, the father of one of the Duke’s mistresses, is the central dramatic event; hence Verdi’s intended original title. It
is expressed by the rhythmic repetition of a single note and is freely used throughout the opera both to accompany Rigoletto’s obsession with that curse, and to mark its realization in the course of the drama. The Rigoletto prelude has a single motive, that of the curse (“maledizione”). Menacing and ominous, its premonitory character is only momentarily repressed by the superficial festive music of the first scene.
But Monterone’s curse, hurled at he “who laughs at the sorrow of a father,” cannot be simply brushed aside. It befalls Rigoletto, not because Monterone has supernatural powers, but as a great dramatic irony. The hunchback’s entire world is his daughter and, living as he does —a “serpent” in a court of iniquity—he and the beauty of his paternal love are doomed from the beginning.
Our contemporary society has not ceased to define certain persons as outcasts, to assign second-class citizenship to some, to remain indifferent to poverty, to mock the physically challenged and to mistreat those who are vulnerable.
But neither Hugo, who described himself as a “free thinker,” nor Verdi, an acknowledged anticlerical agnostic, had forgotten the Sermon on the Mount, and provided that to us through a tragic object lesson about its hunchbacked protagonist.
COMING SOON:
To open our 40th Anniversary Season, James Conlon conducts the company premiere of West Side Story (September 20 through October 8), the Bernstein/Sondheim classic featuring the iconic original choreography by Jerome Robbins. Learn more at LAOpera.org/WestSideStory
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KARLI CADEL
Janie and Andrea Pessino
LA Opera is honored to thank Janie and Andrea Pessino for their underwriting support of this production of Rigoletto. While relatively new to the LA Opera family, Mr. and Mrs. Pessino have already had a profound impact on the company. In 2022, Mr. Pessino joined the board of directors, and shortly thereafter, he and Mrs. Pessino became members of the 30th Anniversary Angels, LA Opera’s premier support circle, demonstrating their deep commitment to the company. The couple made their underwriting debut last season, supporting the company’s productions of The Barber of Seville and La Traviata. They went on to underwrite this season’s Madame Butterfly and now this production of 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 to date—from Daxter
to The Order 1886 and Lone Echo. He now serves as head of research, pursuing special R&D projects. 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 the Pessinos’ immense generosity and dedication to this beautiful art form.
Tarasenka Pankiv Fund
LA Opera extends its gratitude to the Tarasenka Pankiv Fund for its support of this season’s production of Rigoletto Tara Colburn established the fund through a bequest in her will, having served as an active board member of LA Opera since the company’s founding in 1986. She was one of the company’s most dedicated supporters for nearly two decades before her passing in 2003. In her farsighted devotion to the company, Ms. Colburn planned this generous endowment to ensure in perpetuity that LA Opera would continue to bring world-class opera productions to future generations.
Ms. Colburn, and subsequently this fund, have to date underwritten 13 LA Opera productions, and most generously supported the company’s supertitles for many years. She would be pleased to know that our supertitles continue to be funded by Dunard Fund USA in her honor since 2010. Her commitment to music extended worldwide as she gave generously to the Metropolitan Opera, Long Beach Opera, LA Chamber Orchestra,
LA Master Chorale, Glyndebourne Festival and the Salzburg Festival, where she served on the board of the American Friends of Salzburg.
Her love of music and the arts began in early childhood. Born Tarasenka Pankiv in Zagreb, Croatia, she studied piano with her concert pianist mother. Her grandfather was director of the Zagreb Conservatory.
She once wrote, “I will be proud to have played a small part in a very important cultural contribution to the life of our community.” Over the course of many years, she played a starring role in the history of the company. We are grateful to Tara Colburn and the Tarasenka Pankiv Fund for over three decades of vital contribution and a legacy of support that continues to carry LA Opera into the future.
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. Rigoletto is the seventh project to benefit from their passion and philanthropy, following Roberto Devereux (2020), Aida (2022), Tosca (2022), Otello (2023), La Traviata (2024) and Romeo and Juliet (2024). We thank the individual members listed here for supporting this production.
Linda Kay and John Abdulian
Any Yakoub Barr and Michael Barr
Ani and Nazareth Darakjian
Houry and Vigen Ghazarian
Stephanie and Michael Landes
Margaret and David Mgrublian
Cheryl and Harry Nadjarian
Arsine and Gary Phillips
Sonia Randazzo
Tina Segel
Joyce and Joseph Stein
Hayde and Andy Torosyan
Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
Norman and Sadie Lee exemplified a couple who were committed to classical music in Los Angeles and to LA Opera since the company’s founding in 1986. Following their passings in 2005 and 2009, their legacy of dedication has continued through the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation, led by their nephew Paul James, building an endowment that is generously supporting this production of Rigoletto.
Norman and Sadie Lee, both British citizens, lived a life of generous philanthropy and community involvement. Norman was born in 1916 and was an engineer and industrialist in refrigerator manufacturing and property development. Sadie, born in 1911, was a schoolteacher. Both had a love of the arts, including music, dance and theater. Upon their retirements, they became active in the community in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Supporting the newly established LA Opera in 1986, they became subscribers and donors. Mr. Lee became a board member and officer, serving until the
2001/02 season when he became a Life Trustee.
During that time, the Lees began their commitment to the future of LA Opera by establishing an endowment that they would enhance with annual contributions. The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation has further supported LA Opera since their passing, contributing to their endowment and the Opera’s annual fund. They have built a legacy that now provides underwriting support for LA Opera’s productions annually, helping the company to continue to bring the beauty of the arts to generations to come.
LA Opera is deeply grateful to the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation for their generosity and dedication over the years.
Armenian Consortium members join conductor Domingo Hindoyan at the Romeo and Juliet cast party (November 2024).
Laura and Carlton Seaver
The Seaver family’s longstanding tradition of generous support for LA Opera continues this season with their production underwriting for Verdi’s Rigoletto. Since the company’s earliest days, the Seaver name has been synonymous with its growth and continued success, and LA Opera is honored to recognize their multigenerational legacy of philanthropy.
The late Richard Seaver, one of the founders of LA Opera, joined the board of directors in 1986. He subsequently served as president, chairman and chairman emeritus. Inspired by his passion for opera and for the company, he became a member of the Founding, Domingo’s, and 20th Anniversary Angels. In recognition of his leadership, Richard portrayed the Cardinal in LA Opera’s productions of Tosca in 2001 and 2005.
The Seaver family’s enduring support for LA Opera continues to this day, including underwriting support for 18 productions since 1991 and joining the company’s 25th and 30th Anniversary Angels. Following in his father’s footsteps, Carlton Seaver has served on LA Opera’s
IN
MEMORIAM
Roberto Cani
board of directors since 2005 and, like his father, he also appeared onstage as the Cardinal in the 2017 revival of Tosca. Carlton and his wife Laura also generously support LA Opera’s education programs, helping to ensure that young people from across Southern California are able to experience the thrill of live opera.
LA Opera thanks the Seavers with deep gratitude for their indispensable devotion to the company throughout its history.
BY
This production is dedicated to the memory of Roberto Cani, our beloved concertmaster, who passed away on April 9 after a brave battle with cancer.
Renowned on stages around the world, Roberto was a singular talent, invaluable leader and incredible colleague. He joined the company in the position of Stuart Canin Concertmaster in 2011, and his close collaboration with Music Director James Conlon played a crucial role in fostering the distinct sound of the LA Opera Orchestra.
Born in Milan, Italy, he launched his concert career when he won the prestigious Paganini International Competition in Genoa at the age of 21. He also won top honors at the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. He performed with major orchestras throughout Europe and the United States.
Roberto was more than a world-class musician. He was a devoted father, a loving husband and a deeply cherished friend. His warmth, passion and generous spirit resonated both on and off the stage. His legacy lives on not only through the music he created, but through the countless lives he touched.
We extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Left: Richard Seaver as the Cardinal in Tosca (2001); Right: Carlton Seaver as the Cardinal (2017).
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KEN HOWARD
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.
CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF GRAND OPERA IN LOS ANGELES!
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SECURING THE FUTURE OF OPERA IN LOS ANGELES
When the curtain rose on LA Opera’s inaugural performance of Otello in 1986, the audience was spellbound. From the opening notes of Verdi’s magnificent score to the final curtain, there was a feeling of excitement and joy in the theater—Los Angeles finally had its own opera company. But no one in the audience could have imagined that LA Opera would so quickly become one of our city’s great cultural cornerstones, regarded by its peers as one of the finest opera houses in the world.
As we approach our historic 2025/26 season, LA Opera has launched the 40th Anniversary Campaign to secure the resources needed to ensure that extraordinary opera will continue to flourish in our great city for the next 40 years and beyond. The campaign’s aim is to give the company the ability to bring such monumental works as Turandot, Tannhäuser and Aida to the stage, as well as new works and innovative productions from the classical repertoire. Our goal is to raise production funds for these and other large orchestral and choral works while also building the company’s endowment to a level that will provide ongoing support for both the company's artistic ambitions and mission to provide vital outreach into the community.
The 40th Anniversary Campaign is for everyone who loves opera, and everyone can play a role.
Consider a special gift to fund a production, join a leadership giving circle, increase your annual support or be part of our lifetime giving initiative. Come to our 40th Anniversary Opera Ball on September 20 and celebrate this milestone with the opening night of West Side Story and dining and dancing under the stars on the Jerry Moss Plaza.
And, perhaps most importantly, you can secure the company’s future by helping to build our endowment fund with a gift to LA Opera in your estate plans.
The 40th Anniversary is a time to honor and thank everyone who has made LA Opera into the dynamic company it is today. Our story began with the visionaries who founded the company nearly 40 years ago. Over the years, these founders and many other members of the LA Opera family—our patrons, supporters, subscribers, ticket buyers, artists, artisans and volunteers—have helped make us the world-class opera company we are today. We want to celebrate you!
Stay tuned for details on the special celebration events we are planning for our anniversary year to thank our LA Opera family members and participants in the campaign.
For more information about the 40th Anniversary Campaign, the Opera Ball or making a planned gift visit LAOpera.org/Campaign or contact us at 213.972.7277 or Patrons@LAOpera.org.
Honoring Rose Vardanian’s Legacy of Giving
As LA Opera celebrates its momentous 40th Anniversary Season, it’s a great time to secure the future of opera in Los Angeles. One of the most meaningful ways you can be part of this vision is by making a planned gift to LA Opera.
We are deeply grateful to the late Rose Vardanian for her commitment to the company’s future. Inspired by Warren Buffett’s philanthropic example, Rose chose to make a legacy gift to LA Opera to ensure that the art form she loved would continue to thrive. “If you wish to leave money for an activity that’s going to benefit a person’s understanding of life and human values, then I think this is a great way to make a contribution,” she said. “I hope my gift will help keep the [art form] going…
40th
Anniversary Opera Ball
Join us on Saturday, September 20, 2025, as LA Opera launches its historic 40th Anniversary Season with an extraordinary evening in the theater and a very special celebration on the Jerry Moss Plaza. The magic begins from the moment guests arrive on the plaza and are immersed in the world of the Jets and the Sharks before entering the theater to experience the beloved American masterpiece, West Side Story. Chaired by renowned arts philanthropists Terri and Jerry Kohl, this night promises to be unlike any other night.
Leonard Bernstein’s landmark work will be brought to the stage in a vibrant new production by internationally renowned director Francesca Zambello, with the full power of the LA Opera Orchestra under the baton of LA Opera Music Director James Conlon You’ll hear this score like you’ve never heard it before. The distinguished cast will be led by tenor Duke Kim, a standout in LA Opera’s Romeo and Juliet, and the radiant soprano Gabriella Reyes.
Opera is here to stay.”
A lifelong opera lover whose passion began at age 16 with a performance of Carmen at the Shrine Auditorium, Rose became a devoted volunteer, Opera League speaker, and member of the Bella Voce Society. She was a much-loved member of our LA Opera family and we are honored that her love of opera will live on through this generous gift.
If you would like more information about creating your legacy at LA Opera, please contact Christian Johnsten, Associate Director of Major and Planned Gifts, at 213.972.7675 or via email at cjohnsten@laopera.org
Following the performance, guests will continue the Opera Ball festivities in an immersive experience inspired by the romance, energy and moving beauty of West Side Story. The night features cocktails, elegant dining, and mambo under the stars. Join cast members, artists and fellow opera lovers for a joyful, memorable evening celebrating the passion, artistry and dedication that LA Opera has brought to audiences for 40 years. Whether attending individually or hosting a table, your presence supports programs that bring opera to the theater and out into communities throughout Los Angeles.
For more information about Opera Ball packages and reservations, please contact specialevents@LAOpera.org or call 213.972.7574.
PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
Terri and Jerry Kohl
CREATIVE SPARK.
Verdi’s Uphill Battle
Verdi believed that Victor Hugo’s controversial 1832 play The King Has Fun introduced “a character that is one of the greatest creations that the theater can boast of, in any country and in all history.” Turning the play into the opera Rigoletto wasn’t an easy process, however. After reading the first draft, the censors expressed their “profound regret that the poet Piave and the celebrated maestro Verdi should not have chosen a worthier vehicle to display their talents,” citing the libretto’s “revolting immorality and obscene triviality.”
LAO’s First Rigoletto
The LA Opera premiere of Rigoletto arrived in 1993, starring the great Justino Díaz (pictured with Ann Panagulias as Gilda). The dashing Puerto Rican singer—who famously created the role of Antony in Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra at the 1966 inauguration of the new Metropolitan Opera House— had previously starred in LAO productions of Macbeth, Otello, Tosca and The Girl of the Golden West, and would return for El Gato Montés and a revival of Tosca
Plug into Your Creative Side. Experience Art!
JULY 5 - AUG. 29, 2025
800-487-3378
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WHERE ART COMES TO LIFE No CGI, no deepfakes—just real people stepping into iconic works of art at the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. Watch masterpieces transform into living pictures, with narration and an original score performed by a live orchestra under the stars. It’s not just a show—it’s an unforgettable experience!
WHERE ART HAPPENS. No screens, no shortcuts—just real artists showcasing original works at the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show in Laguna Beach. Stroll through an outdoor gallery, join free art tours, enjoy live music, and create your own masterpiece in hands-on workshops. It’s art you can explore, experience, and take home. JULY 2 - AUG. 29, 2025 (closed July 4)
Madame Butterfly
September 21 – October 13, 2024
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Production made possible by generous support from Andrea and Janie Pessino, Alfred and Claude Mann Fund, Chris and Dick Newman, Marie H. Song, Margo Leavin, and The Blue Ribbon.
Dracula: The Spanish Version GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA
October 25-27, 2024, at the United Theater
Presentation made possible by generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg. Off Grand productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.
Romeo and Juliet
November 2-23, 2024
CHARLES GOUNOD
Production made possible by generous support from GRoW @ Annenberg; Alfred and Claude Mann Fund; and Barbara Augusta Teichert. Special additional support from The Armenian Consortium. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten. Amina Edris’ appearance is generously underwritten by a gift from The Piera Barbaglia Shaheen Next Generation Artist Award. Domingo Hindoyan’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund. Original production made possible by a generous gift from the Marc and Eva Stern Foundation.
Benjamin Bernheim in Recital
November 9, 2024
at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Presentation made possible by generous support from Kyle Thorpe.
Les Talens Lyriques:
The Sound of Music in Versailles
November 13, 2024, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall
Production 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.
Kristin Chenoweth Holiday Concert
December 14, 2024
Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.
Ryan Speedo Green in Recital
January 19, 2025
at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Kelli O’Hara in Concert
February 1, 2025
Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.
2024/25 SEASON
LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl
Adoration
February 19-23, 2025, at REDCAT
MARY KOUYOUMDJIAN
Off Grand productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.
Così fan tutte WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
March 8-30, 2025
Production made possible by generous support from The Carol and Warner Henry Production Fund for Mozart Operas and The Emanuel Treitel Senior Citizen Fund. Rod Gilfry’s appearance made possible by generous support from The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund. This production is dedicated to the memory of founding board member Alice Coulombe.
The Three Women of Jerusalem CARLA LUCERO
March 14-15, 2025
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 the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.
Coming Home: Angel Blue in Concert
March 15, 2025
Piano graciously provided by Yamaha.
Ainadamar
April 26 – May 18, 2025
OSVALDO GOLIJOV
Production made possible by generous support from Nanette and Keith Leonard, GRoW @ Annenberg, Bernard A. and Lenore S. Greenberg Opera Fund, and a generous anonymous donor. Additional support provided by the De Marchena-Huyke Foundation, the Ainadamar Consortium, and LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders. With special appreciation to Régina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten.
Rigoletto
May 31 – June 21, 2025
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Production made possible by generous support from Andrea and Janie Pessino and the Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn). With special additional support from the Armenian Consortium, the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation, and Laura and Carlton Seaver. This production is dedicated to the memory of Roberto Cani, LA Opera’s Stuart Canin Concertmaster.
Joshua Guerrero in Recital
June 7, 2025
at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Renée Fleming & Friends
June 14, 2025
SUPPORTERS
30th Anniversary Angels
MARC STERN, CHAIR
We celebrate our 30th Anniversary Angels who build on the inspiring legacy of the company’s Founding Angels and the many generous Angels who followed them. (See pages P14 and P15.) They have provided the necessary foundational support for world-class opera in Los Angeles.
Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco
Marc and Eva Stern Foundation
GRoW @ Annenberg
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
Colburn Foundation
County of Los Angeles
Dunard Fund USA
Gordon Getty
The Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund
Carol and Warner Henry
Terri and Jerry Kohl
Claude Mann and Alfred E. Mann Estate
Ronus Foundation
The Seaver Family
Marilyn Ziering
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
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 and Janie Pessino
Ceil and Michael E. Pulitzer
Suzanne Rheinstein, in honor of Fred Rheinstein
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
CHRISTOPHER KOELSCH , SEBASTIAN PAUL AND MARYBELLE MUSCO PRESIDENT AND CEO
JAMES CONLON , RICHARD SEAVER MUSIC DIRECTOR
PRESENTS
Rigoletto
Opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on the play Le Roi s’Amuse by Victor Hugo
CREATIVE TEAM
CONDUCTOR
James Conlon
DIRECTOR
Tomer Zvulun*
SCENIC DESIGNER
Erhard Rom
COSTUME DESIGNER
Jessica Jahn*
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Robert Wierzel
CHORUS DIRECTOR
Jeremy Frank
CHOREOGRAPHER
Ricardo Aponte*
FIGHT AND INTIMACY DIRECTOR
Andrew Kenneth Moss
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Aaron Breid
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Gregory Luis Boyle
STAGE MANAGER
Lisa Kable-Blanchard
PROMPTER
Tamar Sanikidze
MUSICAL PREPARATION
Sujin Choi †
Kevin Murphy
Peter Walsh ‡
CAST (in order of vocal appearance)
DUKE OF MANTUA René Barbera
BORSA
COUNTESS CEPRANO
RIGOLETTO
MARULLO
Nathan Bowles †
Gabrielle Turgeon †
Quinn Kelsey
Hyungjin Son †
COUNT CEPRANO Vinícius Costa †
COUNT MONTERONE
SPARAFUCILE
GILDA
GIOVANNA
Blake Denson *
Peixin Chen
Lisette Oropesa
Kathryn Lewek * (JUNE 18-21)
Madeleine Lyon ‡ PAGE
USHER
MADDALENA
SUPPORT
Gabrielle Turgeon †
Steven Pence
Sarah Saturnino ‡
Production made possible by generous support from Andrea and Janie Pessino Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn)
With special additional support from The Armenian Consortium
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
Laura and Carlton Seaver
LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl
This production is dedicated to the memory of LA Opera’s Stuart Canin Concertmaster Roberto Cani
PRODUCTION NOTES
The running time is approximately two hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission.
This production uses gunshot effects and strobe lights.
Supertitles by David Anglin
Pre-performance talks by James Conlon are generously sponsored by the Flora L. Thornton Foundation and the Opera League of Los Angeles.
Rigoletto is a co-production of the Atlanta Opera, Houston Grand Opera and the Dallas Opera. Scenery originally created for Wolf Trap Opera. Additional costumes constructed by the LA Opera Costume Shop. Wigs constructed by the LA Opera Wig and Make-Up Department.
* LA Opera debut
† Member of the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program
‡ Alumnus of the Domingo-ColburnStein Young Artist Program
ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Scan image at left with smartphone camera (or text “LAO” to 55741) to access the complete digital program.
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 ONE
At the ducal court of Mantua, a ball is in progress. The licentious Duke of Mantua openly pursues Countess Ceprano, much to her husband’s mortification. Further humiliated by the Duke’s jester, Rigoletto, the furious Count Ceprano enlists the help of the courtiers in exacting revenge upon Rigoletto, since he has no recourse against the powerful Duke. The courtiers need no encouragement, for Rigoletto has many enemies. Because Rigoletto has been seen secretly visiting a young woman, his enemies see an opportunity for reprisal.
The venerable Count Monterone interrupts the raucous courtiers, risking his life to denounce the Duke for seducing his daughter. Rigoletto, who hates all the nobles, mocks the Count’s righteous anger. In Monterone’s final moments, he turns on Rigoletto, cursing him for his role in supporting the Duke’s immorality.
Later that night (and throughout the opera), Rigoletto agonizes over the curse and tries to avoid its power. The assassin Sparafucile approaches him, cynically offering to rid the tormented jester of his enemy and employer. Unnerved, Rigoletto turns down the offer and sends Sparafucile away.
Rigoletto returns home and it is revealed that the young woman he has been “secretly” visiting is his own daughter Gilda. He keeps her hidden from the world, only allowing her out to attend church. She does not know about her father’s position in the court and doesn’t even know his name. The spying Duke overhears their conversation and is surprised to learn that this girl, whom he admired in church and followed home, is his own jester’s daughter.
As soon as Rigoletto leaves, the Duke—posing as a poor student named Gualtier Maldè— charms Gilda. Their meeting is cut short by noises from the street. Fearing her father’s return, Gilda sends the Duke away. She sings dreamily of her student lover while the courtiers gather outside to abduct the woman they presume to be Rigoletto’s mistress. When Rigoletto returns, the courtiers fool him into thinking they are abducting Countess Ceprano and ask for his help. Rigoletto
discovers too late that he has helped the courtiers kidnap his own daughter. He blames Monterone’s curse.
INTERMISSION
ACT TWO
At the palace, the Duke laments Gilda’s sudden disappearance, until the courtiers bring news that they have abducted Rigoletto’s mistress for his pleasure. Elated to find it is Gilda, the Duke cannot wait to reveal his true identity to her.
Rigoletto enters, searching for his daughter, only to learn that she is with the Duke in his chambers. He demands, entreats, and finally begs the courtiers to have pity. A disheveled Gilda suddenly appears and rushes into her father’s arms. Rigoletto is furious and refuses her pleas to forgive the Duke. Haunted by Monterone’s curse, Rigoletto swears to avenge the old man and his own daughter, while Gilda pleads for mercy on her lover.
Brief pause for scene change
ACT THREE
On a stormy night, Rigoletto drags Gilda to a remote inn owned by the assassin Sparafucile. He forces her to watch as the Duke seduces Sparafucile’s sister, Maddalena. At the same time, Rigoletto tries to comfort his daughter and sends her away. He then hires Sparafucile to kill the Duke. Maddalena intercedes and begs her brother to spare him. Sparafucile agrees, provided that another victim can be found so that he can earn the fee. Gilda hears the pland and decides to sacrifice herself to save the Duke. She is attacked, stuffed into a bag, and handed off to Rigoletto. He discovers the betrayal when he hears the Duke singing in the distance. Tearing open the sack, he finds his daughter, who sings her farewell with her dying breath. When she is silent, Rigoletto raises his fist to the heavens. Monterone’s curse has been fulfilled.
Synopsis courtesy of Atlanta Opera, based on source material from Houston Grand Opera
In fond memory of Tara Colburn, supertitles are underwritten by Dunard Fund USA
“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” — Alfred Hitchcock
Rigoletto is the ultimate suspense story. It is very clear from the first few notes of the opera that we are headed toward a Hitchcockian bang. The brilliance of Verdi’s score is in the manner in which we get there.
Verdi’s iconic jester character is doomed from the very first scene to a cursed fate. From the moment he is fervently cursed by a furious father, his mental and physical state deteriorate in front of us. Our production highlights his decline. Particularly the psychological one.
Erhard Rom’s brutalist sets throw us back to fascist Italy of the 1920s-30s. It’s a violent, desperate world where privilege and class sharply divide society
German painters Otto Dix and George Grosz and their cinematic successors Federico Fellini and Luis Buñuel have inspired our production. Their work presents us with the abstraction, vulgarity and surrealism that are essential to our story.
Rigoletto is a tale about identity, parenthood, coming of age and the masks that human beings put on
as they try to fit in society. This idea of masks, both literally and figuratively, is present throughout the work. The idea of masks/personas is prominent in this production, especially as it relates to society (represented by the chorus). Throughout history, different people committed terrible atrocities behind masks. KKK hoods, Nazi uniforms, terrorist scarves... Our past and our present are full of examples of the license to kill behind a mask. The question is, what lies underneath?
Rigoletto, Sparafucile and Maddalena represent characters on the fringe of society: carnies, clowns, fortune tellers. The Duke and his cronies represent unlimited power, laced with crime and violence. Gilda, a fragile girl who turns into a woman in front of our eyes, is straddling these worlds and eventually gets lost in them. A surreal, at times grotesque world allows us to penetrate deeper into the tormented psyche of these characters.
There is no realism to find here. The show is an allegory, a mirror to who we are. As distorted as the image might be, it still reflects aspects of our humanity.
Stage director Tomer Zvulun
James Conlon
CONDUCTOR
From: New York City, New York.
LA Opera: La Traviata (2006, debut); he has conducted 69 different operas and over 490 performances with the company to date. He has been Richard Seaver Music Director since 2006. In 2026, he will become Conductor Laureate.
About: He has led virtually every major North American and European orchestra and over 270 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. He has been Principal Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of the RAI in Torino (2016-20), Music Director of the Ravinia Festival (2005-15), Principal Conductor of the Paris National Opera (1995-2004), General Music Director of the City of Cologne (1989-2002), Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic (1983-91) and Music Director of the Cincinnati May Festival (1979-2016), where is now Music Director Laureate. He has won three Grammy Awards and was awarded France’s Légion d’Honneur. (JamesConlon.com)
Erhard Rom
SCENIC DESIGNER
From: Seattle, Washington. LA Opera: Così fan tutte (2025, debut).
About: He has designed settings for over 250 productions across the globe. His design work has been displayed in the Prague Quadrennial International Design Exhibition and at the National Opera Center in Manhattan. His work in opera includes Susannah, The Marriage of Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor and Nixon in China (San Francisco Opera); Don Giovanni, Silent Night and Samson and Delilah (Washington National Opera); Semele, Eugene Onegin and La Bohème (Seattle Opera); Rigoletto (Houston Grand Opera); Jane Eyre, The Rape of Lucretia, Carmen, Faust and La Bohème (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); and Valentino, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Widow and Rusalka (Minnesota Opera). His theatrical work has been seen at Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre Center, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Theatre and Shakespeare Santa Cruz, among others. (ErhardRom.com)
Tomer Zvulun DIRECTOR
From: Tel Aviv, Israel.
LA Opera: debut.
About: General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, he is one of the leading stage directors of his generation. He has directed over 35 new productions in Atlanta, including Wagner’s Ring cycle, and the company has grown under his leadership to become one of the top 10 opera companies in America. His most recent projects include The Flying Dutchman in Houston, Salome and Macbeth in Atlanta, Das Rheingold in Dallas and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Washington National Opera. His work has also been presented by prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera and Seattle Opera, Houston and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass and Wolf Trap. His upcoming productions include a new Fiddler on the Roof at the Alliance Theatre, a new Turandot followed by the complete Ring cycle in Atlanta and Silent Night in Miami and Atlanta. (TomerZvulun.com)
Jessica Jahn
From: Seattle, Washington. LA Opera: debut. She will return in September for West Side Story About: She was awarded both the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk for her design of Charles Busch’s The Confession of Lily Dare. Notable projects include Hamlet and Coal Country at The Public Theater, Orfeo ed Euridice at San Francisco Opera, West Side Story at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dead Man Walking at Washington National Opera, Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day at Houston Grand Opera, Norma at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre de Liceu, Jeanine Tesori’s Blue at Amsterdam’s Nationale Opera and Ballet, Damien Geter’s Loving v. Virginia at Virginia Opera, and Die Mommie, Die! at New World Stages (winner of the Lucille Lortel Award). She a member of the steering committees of Opera America’s Women’s Opera Network (WON) and Racial Justice Opera Network (RJON), as well as Opera America board’s membership committee. (JessicaJahn.com)
Robert Wierzel
LIGHTING DESIGNER
From: New York City, New York.
LA Opera: Rigoletto (2018, debut).
About: He has worked with artists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds in theater, dance, opera, contemporary music and museums throughout the country and abroad. His work in opera includes productions for the Paris Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dutch National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland), Atlanta Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Portland Opera and 36 seasons with the Glimmerglass Festival. His theater work on and off Broadway includes Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill with Audra McDonald, Fela! (Tony Award nomination), David Copperfield’s Dreams and Nightmares and Grace Jones’ Hurricane Show. Since 1985, he has collaborated with director/choreographer Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company.
Ricardo Aponte
CHOREOGRAPHER
From: Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
LA Opera: debut.
About: Stage director and choreographer Ricardo Aponte has directed over 15 musicals and choreographed over 30 musicals, operas and industrial shows nationwide. He resides in Atlanta, where he has become one of the most in-demand creators, recognized with three Suzi Awards and ten nominations. Recent work as director and/or choreographer includes Candide, Cabaret, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Carmen and Frida for Atlanta Opera, Cinderella for Aurora Theatre, Luisa Fernanda for Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, Little Shop of Horrors for Theater Emory and Spring Awakening and White Christmas for Jennie T. Anderson Theatre. Most recently, he directed and choreographed a touring production of The Magic Flute for Atlanta Opera. He is the founder and artistic director of Theatre Platform Project, an educational nonprofit providing performing arts programs to diverse communities in Atlanta. (Ricardo-Aponte.com)
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 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)
Andrew Kenneth Moss
FIGHT AND INTIMACY DIRECTOR
From: Corning, New York. LA Opera: Il Trovatore (2021, debut). His numerous productions for the company include, most recently, last year’s Highway 1, USA, La Traviata, Turandot, Madame Butterfly and Romeo and Juliet
About: He has worked on productions including Armida at the Metropolitan Opera, SAFE at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival, A Little Night Music at the Huntington Theatre Company, Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain at Music Academy of the West and Carmen, Don Giovanni, I Puritani and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek at Boston Lyric Opera. New York credits include Forever Dusty for New World Stages, Pinocchio’s Ashes for Theater for a New City and The Saint of Bleecker Street at Dicapo Opera Theatre. He staged combat for Dead Man Walking, West Side Story, The Seven Deadly Sins and Oklahoma! as resident fight director at Central City Opera. He has been a guest artist/instructor at the University of Oklahoma, Boston University and New England Conservatory.
Quinn Kelsey
RIGOLETTO
B ARITONE
From: Honolulu, Hawaii.
LA Opera: Duke of Nottingham in Roberto Devereux (2020).
About: His appearances this season include returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Rigoletto, Scarpia in Tosca and Amonasro in Aida, the latter two seen on Live in HD. He also performed Filippo Visconti in Beatrice di Tenda at Opéra National de Paris and Rigoletto at Opernhaus Zürich. In the spring, he traveled to Japan for Germont in La Traviata with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy. Future projects include returns to the Met, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra National de Paris, London’s Royal Opera House and Canadian Opera Company. He has performed his signature role of Rigoletto on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Metropolitan Opera (including Live in HD), Opéra National de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many others. His lauded interpretation is preserved on the 2022 Apple Music live recording from the Met. (QuinnKelsey.com)
Lisette Oropesa
GILDA SOPRANO
From: New Orleans, Louisiana.
LA Opera: Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas (2014, debut); Eurydice in Orphée et Eurydice (2018); Gilda in Rigoletto (2018).
About: The 2024/25 season has seen her explore both new and familiar roles, including Violetta in La Traviata at the Vienna State Opera, Ophélie in Hamlet at the Salzburg Festival, and Massenet’s Manon at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, as well as role debuts as Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda in Madrid and Marguerite in Faust at Covent Garden. Additional performances include Elvira in I Puritani in Paris, Alcina in Versailles, and Amalia in I Masnadieri in Munich. Her vast discography includes, most recently, Mis amores son las flores, a collection of zarzuela arias. She won the Beverly Sills and Richard Tucker Awards in 2019 and Oper! Award for best female singer in 2023. In the same year, she was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and the Premio Abbiati in Italy. (LisetteOropesa.com)
René Barbera
DUKE OF MANTUA TENOR
From: San Antonio, Texas. LA Opera: Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola (2013, debut); Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville (2015).
About: The first-ever recipient of all three top Operalia awards in 2011 and winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2008, he has established himself as one of today’s most exciting vocal artists. This season, he made major role debuts as Arnold in Guillaume Tell at New National Theatre Tokyo and Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, with Roberto Devereux at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples coming in July. He began the season with a return to Dutch National Opera in Rigoletto and debuted at Teatro Regio Torino as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore. Other roles in the season include Arturo in I Puritani at Tiroler Festspiele Erl and Nemorino at Teatro Massimo Palermo. Concert appearances include Verdi’s Requiem at Concertgebouw Amsterdam. (ReneBarbera.com)
Kathryn Lewek
GILDA (JUNE 18, 21) SOPRANO
From: East Lyme, Connecticut. LA Opera: debut.
About: Kathryn Lewek is today’s reigning Queen of the Night, singing the formidably challenging role in more than 300 performances of The Magic Flute in leading opera houses worldwide, including those of London, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Madrid, Copenhagen, Provence, Chicago, Houston and at the Metropolitan Opera, where she has performed it a record-breaking 85 times. Her performances this season also include Micaëla in Carmen with Nashville Opera and Musetta in La Bohème with Opera Colorado. Recent highlights include the title role of Lakmé at Opéra de Nice, the four Tales of Hoffmann heroines at the Salzburg Festival, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Palm Beach Opera, Ginevra in Ariodante in Salzburg and at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Eurydice in Orpheus and the Underworld in Salzburg, Countess Adèle in Le comte Ory at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Cunegonde in Candide at the Glimmerglass Festival. (KathrynLewek.com)
PHOTO BY DARIO ACOSTA
PHOTO BY SIMON PAULY
Blake Denson
COUNT MONTERONE
B ARITONE
From: Paducah, Kentucky.
LA Opera: debut.
About: Earlier this season, he debuted at Opéra de National Paris as Monterone while also covering the role of Rigoletto, then returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Monterone. Concert engagement include a debut with the Grand Rapids Orchestra in Orff’s Carmina Burana. Other recent appearances include Ford in Falstaff and Daddy/Tim in the world premiere of Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day with Houston Grand Opera, Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and Pastor/ Kaboom in Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Met, and Schaunard in La Bohème at Washington National Opera. Recent European credits include Larkens in The Girl of the Golden West with Munich’s Bavarian State Opera, Moralès in Carmen with the Hamburg State Opera and Donner in Das Rheingold with English National Opera. He was a winner of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. (BlakeADenson.com)
Sarah Saturnino
MADDALENA
MEZZO -SOPRANO
From: Grass Valley, California.
LA Opera: Her many appearances include Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Emilia in Otello (2023, mainstage debut) and Flora in La Traviata (2024). She was a member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2022-24).
About: She returns to the company as Maddalena, a role she covered earlier this season at the Metropolitan Opera. This summer, she will make her Santa Fe Opera debut as Fricka in Die Walküre. Recent engagements included Fricka in excerpts from the Ring cycle in concerts with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Elena in Joe Illick’s Zozobra: The Revenge at Santa Fe’s Lensic Performing Arts Center, her role debut as Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara, Dorabella in Così fan tutte with the Tel Aviv Summer Opera Festival, and Alice Ford in Sir John in Love by Ralph Vaughan Williams at the Bard Music Festival. She was a 2023 national winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. (SarahSaturnino.com)
Peixin Chen
SPARAFUCILE B ASS
From: Hulunbuir, China.
LA Opera: King of Egypt in Aida (2022, debut); Commendatore in Don Giovanni (2023).
About: Performances of the 2024/25 season include Sarastro in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera and at Atlanta Opera, Colline in La Bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore for his debut at Florida Grand Opera. Performances of the previous season included debuts with Madrid’s Teatro Real as Sparafucile, the LA Philharmonic as Fafner in Das Rheingold, and the Salzburg Festival in Prokofiev’s The Gambler, as well as Timur in Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera and at Washington National Opera. Notable previous appearances include Fasolt in Das Rheingold at Seattle Opera and the Dallas Opera, Bartolo in The Barber of Seville at Cincinnati Opera and the Monk in Don Carlos for his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago. (PeixinChen.com)
Nathan Bowles
From: Minot, North Dakota. LA Opera: Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet (2024, debut); Bullfighter in Ainadamar (2025). He joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program this season. About: In February, he performed Don José in The Tragedy of Carmen with Tulsa Opera. Last year, he made his Dallas Opera mainstage debut as Benvolio and he was an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, appearing there as the Animal Tamer and a Waiter in Der Rosenkavalier. A graduate of Minot State University, 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 has been seen with the Western Plains Opera Company in roles including Don José in Carmen and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. He was a 2024 finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. (NathanBowlesTenor.com)
BORSA TENOR
Hyungjin Son
MARULLO
B ARITONE
From: Seoul, South Korea.
LA Opera: Yamadori in Madama Butterfly (2024, debut); Gregorio in Romeo and Juliet (2024); Teacher in Ainadamar (2025). He joined the DomingoColburn-Stein Young Artist Program this season.
About: In March, he made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly. Recently, he performed the title role of Don Giovanni with the Merola Opera Program and, as a studio artist at Aspen Music Festival, he covered Ford in Falstaff (with Bryn Terfel in the title role) and the title role in Don Giovanni. His concert repertoire includes Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. He was a 2023 national semifinalist of the Met’s Laffont Competition. In 2024, he earned a master’s degree at New England Conservatory. He holds a graduate certificate from Opera Institute of Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Seoul National University.
Gabrielle Turgeon
COUNTESS CEPRANO / PAGE
SOPRANO
From: Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario.
LA Opera: Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (2024, debut); guest soloist in Coming Home: Angel Blue in Concert (2025); Voice of the Fountain in Ainadamar (2025). She joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program this season.
About: This summer, she will perform Micaëla in Carmen at the Brott Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. Last summer, she was an apprentice artist with Des Moines Metro Opera, performing as the Slave in Salome and covering the role of Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande. She previously was a young artist at the Aspen Music Festival and Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and she was a finalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition. She earned her master’s degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where she performed the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen and Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites. She earned an undergraduate degree in vocal performance at the University of Toronto.
Vinícius Costa
COUNT CEPRANO B ASS
From: São Paulo, Brazil. LA Opera: Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly (2024, debut); Duke of Verona in Romeo and Juliet (2024); Jose Tripaldi in Ainadamar (2025). He joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program this season.
About: Last summer, he was a Reneé Fleming Fellow with Aspen Opera Theater, where he performed Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. In 2023, he appeared there in Jimmy Lopez’s Bel Canto and he also participated in the Reneé Fleming Song Studio at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with Theater Basel and Bühne Bern in Switzerland and Teatro São Pedro, Teatro Municipal de São Paulo and Sala São Paulo in Brazil, in roles including Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Zuniga in Carmen, Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and Rodimarte in Scarlatti’s The Triumph of Honor. He won the Wigmore Hall Song Competition’s Ralph Vaughan Williams Award.
Madeleine Lyon
GIOVANNA
MEZZO -SOPRANO
From: San Marcos, Texas.
LA Opera: Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor (2022, debut); Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Bithia in Moses (2023); Frida Image in El último sueño de Frida y Diego (2023); Playmate in The Dwarf (2024). She was a member of the DomingoColburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2022-24).
About: Most recently, she covered the leading role of Federico García Lorca in LA Opera’s production of Ainadamar. Last summer, she made her debut with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in scenes from Carmen and made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival as a Cretan Woman in Idomeneo. She also covered the role of Sesto and performed the role of Nireno in Handel’s Julius Caesar with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist As a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, she appeared in numerous recitals and concerts.
(MadeleineLyonMusic.com)
LA OPERA CHORUS
TENOR
Daniel Coy Babcock
James Callon
Christopher Craig
Omar Crook*
Sung Bong Kim
Charles Lane**
JJ Lopez
BASS
Mark Beasom***
Tim Campbell
Ralph Cato
Abdiel González*
Jared Jones
Mark Kelley**
Francis Lucaric**
Sal Malaki***
David Morales
Robert Norman
Solomon Reynolds
Daniel Suk
David Kress*
Gabriel Manro*
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
DANCERS
Nekai Abriol
Isabella Caso
Katherine Cowgill
Laurie Deziel, swing
Sierra Fujita
Jessica Gadzinski
Courtney Goffney
SUPERNUMERARIES
Jeff Cook*
Tony Cronin
Slim Khezri
Joshua Olkowski
Matthew Deegan, circus performer/juggler
Nicholas Langston, circus performer/juggler
Alexander Weston, circus performer/juggler
* Has appeared in 25 or more productions
LA OPERA ORCHESTRA
FIRST VIOLIN
Ana Landauer CONCERTMASTER
Armen Anassian
ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Lisa Sutton ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Hana Kim
Olivia Tsui
Kathleen Sloan
Radu Pieptea
Heather Powell
Ina Veli
Gerardo Hilera
Neel Hammond
Myroslava Khomik
SECOND VIOLIN
Marisa Sorajja PRINCIPAL
Grace Oh ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Florence Titmus
Leslie Katz
Michele Kikuchi
Cynthia Moussas
Loránd Lokuszta
Irina Voloshina
Elizabeth Hedman
Nina Evtuhov
VIOLA
Erik Rynearson PRINCIPAL
Shawn Mann
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Karie Prescott
Peng Jing
Kate Vincent
Alma Fernandez
Aaron Oltman
Diana Wade
CELLO
John Walz PRINCIPAL
Rowena Hammill
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Dane Little
Michael Kaufman
Nadine Hall
Charlie Tyler
BASS
Nathan Farrington PRINCIPAL
Evan Hillis
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Frances Liu Wu
Zach Hislop
Tim Eckert
FLUTE
Heather Clark PRINCIPAL
Angela Wiegand, piccolo OBOE
Leslie Reed PRINCIPAL
Jennifer Cullinan, English horn
CLARINET
Stuart Clark PRINCIPAL
Donald Foster
BASSOON
William May PRINCIPAL
William Wood
generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl
HORN
Steven Becknell PRINCIPAL
Daniel Kelley
Jenny Kim
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Melia Badalian
TRUMPET
Ryan Darke PRINCIPAL
Drew Ninmer
TROMBONE
William Booth PRINCIPAL
Alvin Veeh
Terry Cravens
TUBA
James Self PRINCIPAL
HARP
JoAnn Turovsky PRINCIPAL
TIMPANI
Gregory Goodall PRINCIPAL
PERCUSSION
Theresa Dimond PRINCIPAL
John Wakefield
Brady Steel
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER
Melisandra Dunker MUSIC LIBRARIAN
Stuart Canin Concertmaster Chair made possible by a deeply appreciated gift from Dunard Fund USA
PRODUCTION STAFF
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Azra King-Abadi
SUPERTITLE PREPARATION / CUER
Linda Zoolalian
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER
Jessica Crawford
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Arturo Fernandez, Jr.
Johanna Romo
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
Melissa Meza
Blanca Miranda
Carmen Muñoz
Anna Wong SEAMSTERS
Wing Cheung MASTER TAILOR
Rafael Avila
Manuel Medina
Kelvin Small, Jr. TAILORS
Dahlia Gonzalez
Alexa Marron CRAFTSPERSONS
Emily Frank
Miranda Orellana PRODUCTION SUPERVISORS
Rhiannon Smith
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
Samantha Wiener WIGMASTER
Maggie Clark
ASSOCIATE WIGMASTER
Brandi Strona DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR & CREW FOREMAN
Nicole Rodrigues SENIOR WIG & MAKE-UP ARTISTS
Nathalie Eidt
Kelso Millett WIG & MAKE-UP ARTISTS
Jacki Nocerino 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-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, which builds on the success of the company’s earlier, highly respected Resident Artist Program, has the goal of developing the talents of exceptionally gifted young artists to become performers of potentially international stature, whose first loyalty would be to LA Opera.
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 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.
2024/25 PARTICIPANTS
Nathan Bowles TENOR
Sujin Choi PIANIST/COACH
Vinícius Costa BASS
Julian Garvue PIANIST/COACH
Yuntong Han TENOR
Kathleen O’Mara SOPRANO
Hyungjin Son BARITONE
Gabrielle Turgeon SOPRANO
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
DIRECTOR, INSTITUTIONAL GIVING & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Robin Gilliam
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING OFFICER AND GRANT WRITER
SPECIAL EVENTS
Jill Michnick
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS AND SPONSORSHIPS
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
Michelle Magaldi PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Jasna Gara PRODUCTION MANAGER
Whitney McAnally PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marlene Meraz DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Mark Lyons
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLICATIONS
Melanie Broussalian
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO
Daniel Calderon CONTENT MEDIA SPECIALIST
SALES AND MARKETING
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
Samera Abdelrhman
Morgan Rhone
Alejandra Vera 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
Scarleth Arias
Diego Castro
Elise Fukuda
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
25th Anniversary Angels
MARC STERN, CHAIR
LA Opera recognizes and thanks those who made extraordinary leadership commitments in honor of the 25th Anniversary Season, ensuring the company’s continued artistic excellence and prominence in the worldwide cultural community.
Sebastian Paul and Marybelle 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
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
Carol and Warner Henry
Alfred and Claude Mann
Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco
Richard Seaver and Sara Jayne Kimm
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
Marc and Eva Stern Foundation
Flora L. Thornton
Marilyn Ziering
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
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
Founding Angels
WARNER HENRY, CHAIR
LA Opera is grateful for the vision, boldness and extraordinary generosity of the Founding Angels, whose commitment to the company in its early years helped ensure the future of opera in Los Angeles.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. Ash
Dorothy Collins Brown
Mr. Richard D. Colburn
The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation Forman Family Foundation
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
DIAMOND PATRON ($250,000 & ABOVE)
Anonymous
Estate of Lea Danberg
Leslie and John Dorman
Penelope Foley
The Green Foundation
Carol and Warner Henry
Terri and Jerry M. Kohl
Margo Leavin
Nanette and Keith Leonard
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)
Andrea and Janie Pessino
Estate of Cat Pollon
Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation
Dan Murphy Foundation
Linda and Alvaro Pascotto
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
Family of Ginger Conrad
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
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
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
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
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
SUPPORTERS
THE OPERA COUNCIL
Chaired by Paul and Catherine Tosetti
The dedicated support of the Opera Council enables LA Opera to achieve its artistic goals. This program offers exclusive privileges and behind-the-scenes opportunities to those individuals, foundations and corporations who make annual gifts of $25,000 or more. For information, please call 213.972.3160.
GRAND GOLD PATRON ($75,000 & ABOVE)
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
Diane and Peter Gray
Susan Lord and Scott Richard Lord
Michael and Lori Milken Family Foundation
OPERA America/Opera Fund
Linda Pierce
Mrs. Rita Coveney Pudenz
Caroline and Andrew Randall, in memory of Ann Ronus
Michelle Rohé
Susan R. Shapiro
John and Gill Wagner
Alyce de Roulet Williamson
“You are all magicians. When I come to LA Opera, I enter a world of beauty. You always lift me to heights I’d never reach on my own.” —Lisa (donor)
GRAND GOLD PATRON ($50,000 & ABOVE)
Anonymous
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
Brian P. Brooks
California Arts Council
Janet and Nicholas Ciriello
Charlotte Coulombe and Stuart Schoenmann
Mark H. Dalzell and James Dao-Dalzell
Michael and Jane Eisner
GOLD PATRON ($25,000 & ABOVE)
Anonymous (5)
Gregory A. Adams
Maria Altmann; in memory of Fritz Altmann
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
John and Gina Despres
Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman / Pacific Theatres Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Eisenberg
Shaudi and Sean Fulp
Mr. Alex Furlotti
Catherine and Andrew Garroni
Geoff Emery
Annette Ermshar and Dan Monahan
Mr. Robert Finnerty and Mr. Richard Cullen
Rian Johnson
Ms. Janet Jones
Monique and Jonathan Kagan
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
LLWW Foundation
Linda May and Jack Suzar
The Rafael and Luisa de Marchena-Huyke Foundation
Jennifer and Mark McCormick
Sally and Irwin Goldstein
David and Sandy Gordon
Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
Em Green
Gary Gugelchuk
Linda and Bobby Hanada
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
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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.
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LA Opera is grateful for the generosity and foresight of opera lovers who have established future gifts to the company in their estate plans.
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Music, Babies and Well-Being
We’ve all felt it, the way the right song can lift our spirits, bring people together, and promote profound healing. LA Opera Connects is out to discover creative ways to support our communal well-being, from interactive performances for all ages to leading conversations in the field of arts and health. In this interview with professional soprano and educator Dr. Nita Baxani, we explore the role music plays in early childhood development and our long-term health.
On an episode of our Behind the Curtain podcast, you stated that babies are inherently musical. Can you tell us more about that innate musicality and how it affects human development?
I had the privilege of working with young children at an early childhood research facility at Columbia University, and what I heard was a lot of spontaneous singing or rhythmic sounds and movements. Each baby was so unique in their natural musicality. One baby might vocalize during solitary play; some enjoyed moving and dancing. There was also lots of sound exploration at home, like pots and pans. One baby had coffee pods, you know, using them as maracas. Infants have this ability to easily engage with parents and caregivers musically, and adults use music to soothe and connect with babies, too. Some people might not be comfortable singing, but think of the melodic voice you naturally use when talking to a baby.
And why is this collaborative musical play so crucial?
Because your long-term social and emotional health and well-being develops within the first few years of life, influenced largely by the relationship with your primary caregiver. So, that’s what we need to be focusing on, right? When we played musical games with the infants
at the research center, we allowed space for them to take the lead and we would respond to what they were doing. It’s the same way you make music with an adult collaborator. Are you being present in that moment, getting out of your head a little bit to shift as needed? Can you hear and see the cues to inform your next musical expression? It’s very much about patience and respect and being comfortable with feeling a little bit vulnerable within that moment, which can be scary. However, that vulnerability can also be very empowering.
In your experience as an artist and educator, how have you seen communal music support mental and emotional health?
As an educator, you ask the question, am I facilitating a safe environment? If you’re creating that safe environment, people can make music, explore their voices or whatever they want to explore. We can sing, we can play, we can dance. There’s a place for everyone to be included and to belong. Arts and music provide a way for us to connect with ourselves and the world around us, build confidence, reduce stress, and improve mental health. There is this strong link between creativity and wellbeing; it’s an integral part of who we are.
continued on pg. 28
The innovative opera BambinO is an interactive experience that brings infants right into each performance.
Cinderella
Choreographed
That connection is so important, and we’re excited to celebrate it at the Los Angeles County Arts and Health Week Summit on June 13. You attended last year; what was that experience like for you? It was wonderful to see all these thought leaders come together to share practices and research and exchange ideas. The program was very interactive, so you get to experience a lot of these skills and tools firsthand. It can really inspire individuals to practice creativity in whatever way that they want to—music, dance, theater, any creative pursuit—and promote self-care and healing. And then the community organizations are there, and you learn about all these resources that are available to you locally. There’s something for everyone at the summit; it’s an absolutely invaluable service for the LA community.
Explore the intersection of arts and health with digital wellness resources and Connects programming, including the Arts and Health Week Summit and our June 2025 tour of BambinO, an opera for babies. Scan the QR code to get started now.
Serena Malfi, Cinderella (2021).
Photo: Eliza Logan
Author, vocalist and music psychotherapist Stacie Aamon Yeldell was one of the presenters at last year's summit.
Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish
Mariza
Riccardo Muti
Anat Cohen
Cécile McLorin Salvant
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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
Dr. & Mrs. William Kern
Dr. Stephen Knafel
Linda L. R. Knight
Richard P. & Meredith B. Kramer
Victoria and Douglas Lane
Larry Layne
Passion Meets Purpose
Robert M. Lea
Mr. and Mrs. Lou D. Liuzzi
SUPPORTERS
BELLA VOCE PATRONS (FUTURE GIFTS)
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
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
National Endowment for the Arts
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, Chair
County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
Kathryn Barger
Janice Hahn, Chair
Lindsey P. Horvath
Holly J. Mitchell
Hilda L. Solis
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.
Congrats, You’ve Picked a Great Performance! Check out the interactive version of this theater program magazine and enjoy even more insight into the performers, creative talent and theater activities that are behind it all.
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
City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
Daniel
California Arts Council
Los Angeles County Dept. of Arts & Culture
Kristin Sakoda, Executive Director
Danielle Brazell, Executive Director
Tarica, General Manager
Welcome to The Music Center!
Thank you for joining us.
The Music Center is your place to experience the joy, solace and transformative power of the arts. Here you can express yourself, connect with others and enjoy incredible live performances and events in our four beautiful theatres, at Jerry Moss Plaza and in Gloria Molina Grand Park.
We promise to provide you with the best experience possible on our campus. Please do your part to help us create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment by reviewing The Music Center Guest Agreement at musiccenter.org/guestagreement
Visit musiccenter.org to learn about upcoming events and performances.
Enjoy the show!
#BeAPartOfIt
@musiccenterla
General Information (213) 972-7211 | musiccenter.org
Support The Music Center (213) 972-3333 | musiccenter.org/support
TAKE A TOUR OF THE MUSIC CENTER
Free 90-minute docent-led tours take you through the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall, along with Jerry Moss Plaza. You’ll learn about the history and architecture of the theatres along with The Music Center’s beautiful outdoor spaces as well as the incredible selection of artwork located throughout the campus.
Tours are offered daily. Check the schedule to plan a fun-filled day in Downtown L.A.!
Visit musiccenter.org for additional information.
OFFICERS
Cindy Miscikowski
Chair
Robert J. Abernethy
Vice Chair
Rachel S. Moore
President & CEO
Diane G. Medina
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
Susan Baumgarten
Phoebe Beasley
Kristin Burr
Dannielle Campos
Alberto M. Carvalho
Elizabeth Khuri Chandler
Riley Etheridge, Jr.
Amy R. Forbes
Greg T. Geyer
Joan E. Herman
Jeffrey M. Hill
Jonathan B. Hodge
Mary Ann Hunt-Jacobsen
Carl Jordan
Ronald D. Kaplan
Richard B. Kendall
Terri M. Kohl
Lily Lee
Cary J. Lefton
Keith R. Leonard, Jr.
Kelsey N. Martin
Susan M. Matt
Elizabeth Michelson
Darrell D. Miller
Teresita Notkin
Michael J. Pagano
Karen Kay Platt
Susan Erburu Reardon
Joseph J. Rice
Melissa Romain
Beverly P. Ryder
Maria S. Salinas
Corinne Jessie Sanchez
Mimi Song
Johnese Spisso
Michael Stockton
Jason Subotky
Timothy S. Wahl
Jennifer M. Walske
Jay S. Wintrob
GENERAL COUNSEL
Rollin A. Ransom
DIRECTORS
EMERITI
Wallis Annenberg
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 4/30/25
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Yannick Lebrun.
Photo by Dario Calmese.
John McCoy for The Music Center.
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.
Happening at The Music Center
SUN 1 JUN / 1:00 p.m.
Life of Pi
CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Ahmanson Theatre
SUN 1 JUN / 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Hamlet
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
@ Mark Taper Forum Thru 7/6/2025
SUN 1 JUN / 2:00 p.m.
Tchaikovsky & Pereira LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SUN 1 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
New Renaissance
LOS ANGELES
MASTER CHORALE
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
TUE 3 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
New Voices from Korea LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
FRI 6 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Korean Premieres & Sunwook Kim LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
JUNE 2025
Visit musiccenter.org for additional information on all upcoming events. @musiccenterla
FRI 6 JUN / 5:00 p.m. dinner; 8:00 p.m. performance
The Music Center's Spotlight
Grand Finale & Grand Gala
THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion & Ahmanson Theatre
SAT 7 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Unsik Chin & Brahms'
Double Concerto
LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
Also 6/8/2025
SUN 8 JUN / 2:00 p.m.
Rigoletto LA OPERA
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Thru 6/21/2025
SUN 8 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Igor Levit LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
TUE 10 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Seoul Chamber Music LA PHIL
@ Walt Disney Concert Hall
SAT 14 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Renée Fleming & Friends LA OPERA
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
TUE 17 JUN / 8:00 p.m.
Parade CENTER THEATRE GROUP @ Ahmanson Theatre Thru 7/12/2025
FRI 20 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
The Music Center's Dance DTLA
Dance Genre TBA THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Jerry Moss Plaza
THU 26 JUN / 7:30 p.m.
Boston Ballet's Swan Lake
THE MUSIC CENTER
@ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Thru 6/29/2025
FRI 27 JUN / 7:00 p.m.
The Music Center's Dance DTLA
Dance Genre TBA
THE MUSIC CENTER @ Jerry Moss Plaza
Will Yang for The Music Center.
Camille A. Brown & Dancers
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
Sep. 12–14, 2025
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Oct. 24–26, 2025
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Mar. 25–29, 2026
New York City Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Jun. 24–28, 2026
The Music Center’s BalletNOW ®: Superstars of Paris featuring Hugo Marchand & Friends
The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall
Jul. 31–Aug. 2, 2026
New York City Ballet. Photo by Erin Baiano.
Chef Adolfo Perez of Cilantro Mexican Grill is the newest Emerging Chef-in-Residence at Abernethy's at The Music Center.
Known for his heartfelt approach to Mexican cuisine, Chef Adolfo brings his bold flavors to a new stage at Abernethy’s, expanding his culinary canvas and blending the soul of Cilantro Mexican Grill with new expressions of his evolving craft.
We invite you to come and experience his story through every bite as he introduces modern flare to traditional favorites we all know and love.
