The Atlanta Opera | Annual Report 2020-21: Carpe Diem

CARPE DIEM 2020-21

MISSION & VISION WE ARE BUILDING THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL OPERA COMPANY ATLANTA DESERVES. WE ARE REIMAGINING OPERA. The Atlanta Opera embraced a new strategic plan just before the events of the 2020 global pandemic brought performances across the world to a stop.

CARPE DIEM (Seize the Day) became an acronym for expressing the organization’s values.

COURAGE ACCOUNTABILITY RESPECT PASSION EXCELLENCE DIVERSITY INNOVATION EDUCATION MAGIC The Atlanta Opera embodied these values during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020-21 season tells the story.

photos by: Felipe Barral, Ken Howard, Raftermen, Jeff Roffman

page 1 MISSION & VISION

LEADERSHIP BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS MEMBERS CHAIR

Mr. Rhys T. Wilson

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams

VICE CHAIR

Mr. John L. Hammaker

VICE CHAIR

Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates

TREASURER

Ms. Bunny Winter

SECRETARY

Mr. Michael E. Paulhus

Mrs. Elizabeth Adler Mrs. Wendy Anzalone Mr. Bryan H. Barnes Mr. Dante Bellizzi Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Dr. Harold J. Brody Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Mr. Mario Concha Dr. Frank A. Critz Mr. Robert Dean Mr. Dieter Elsner Dr. Donald J. Filip Mr. Kevin Greiner Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mr. John Haupert Mr. Howard W. Hunter

Mr. Andrew R. Long Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Mrs. Stephanie Morela Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli Mrs. Talia Murphy Mr. Howard Palefsky Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. William F. Snyder Mrs. Christine St.Clare Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Mr. William E. Tucker Mr. Tomer Zvulun, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, ex-officio

HONORARY MEMBERS Mr. Ronald Antinori The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler Mr. Robert G. Edge Mr. Carl I. Gable, Jr. Mrs. Nancy Hall Green Mr. Gregory F. Johnson Mr. Carter Joseph Mr. Alfred Kennedy, Jr. Mr. Michael Keough Mrs. Emily C. Knobloch Mr. George Levert Mrs. Peggy Weber McDowell Mr. Bruce A. Roth Mr. J. Barry Schrenk Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan Mr. Mark K. Taylor Mr. Thomas R. Williams Mr. Robert G. Woodward

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BOARD CHAIR

TREASURER

INVESTMENT CHAIR

AT-LARGE MEMBER

Mr. Rhys T. Wilson

Ms. Bunny Winter

Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.

Mrs. Christine St.Clare

VICE-CHAIR

AUDIT CHAIR

Mr. Bryan H. Barnes

NOMINATING & BOARD ENGAGEMENT CO-CHAIR

AT-LARGE MEMBER

Mr. John L. Hammaker VICE-CHAIR; NOMINATING & BOARD ENGAGEMENT CO-CHAIR

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CHAIR

AT-LARGE MEMBER

Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr.

Mr. Howard W. Hunter

Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates, Jr. SECRETARY

Mr. Michael E. Paulhus

ADVISORY COUNCIL Mr. Andrew J.M. Binns Mr. Kenny L. Blank Mrs. Inge Bledel

DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

Ms. Mary Calhoun Mrs. Sally Bland Fielding Mrs. Beth W. Glynn

LEADERSHIP page 2

Mr. Michael Mayes Mr. Morris Robinson

Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, EX-OFFICIO MEMBER

Mr. Tomer Zvulun

Mr. Howard Palefsky

ARTISTIC ADVISORY COUNCIL Ms. Jamie Barton Mr. Kevin Burdette

Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams

Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Mrs. Erin Quinn Martin Mr. Paul Snyder

STAFF EXECUTIVE

PRODUCTION

CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Tomer Zvulun

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Micah Fortson

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Misty Reid Chamberlynn Shelton

ARTISTIC CARL & SALLY GABLE MUSIC DIRECTOR

Arthur Fagen

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR

Meredith Wallace

ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE

Anna Young

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Mark McConnell

Kevin G. Mynatt

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Meggie Roseborough

ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Joshua Jansen

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

Megan Bennett

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION

Jessica Kiger

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Kathy J. White

CONTROLLER

Inga V. Murro

HUMAN RESOURCES & FACILITIES MANAGER

Kenneth R. Timmons

BOOKKEEPER

Ruth Strickland

RISK MITIGATION COORDINATOR

Kylie Saunders

DEVELOPMENT CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

Paul Harkins

INDIVIDUAL GIVING OFFICER

COSTUME

Jonathan Blalock

COSTUME DIRECTOR

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING OFFICER

Joanna Schmink

MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT CHIEF OF MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Ashley Mirakian

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Felipe Barral

FILM PROJECT MANAGER

Liam Roche

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Rebecca Danis

SENIOR MANAGER, TICKETING SERVICES

Renee Smiley

CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER

Matt Burkhalter

Camille Cordak

OPERATIONS & INDIVIDUAL GIVING COORDINATOR

Elizabeth Root

EVENTS & VOLUNTEER MANAGER

Sandy Feliciano

page 3 STAFF

CHAIR OF THE BOARD In looking back at The Atlanta Opera’s 2020-21 Season on this day of gratitude, I am so very thankful that: • This horrific pandemic has largely spared our Atlanta Opera family of patrons, donors, singers, other artists, volunteers, staff, Board, Honorary Board and Community Advisory Council. We have been careful and smart, but we have also been very fortunate.

• With the leadership and creative genius of Tomer Zvulun and our superb staff management team, we were able to keep opera alive in Atlanta through the innovative and marvelous Big Tent Series.

• We built and strengthened extraordinary relationships with some of the top singers in the world through The Atlanta Opera Company Players.

• We were able to provide both great art to our community and gainful employment to over 120 artists.

• With the guidance and kind assistance of our good friends, Carlos Del Rio, M.D. and John Haupert, CEO of Grady Health, we did all of this without a single reported COVID-19 infection.

• We were also able to expand the audience for our art nationally and internationally through Spotlight Media and our new filmmaking capabilities.

• With strong leadership from our Board and staff, we have made meaningful and continuing progress towards infusing equity, diversity and inclusion into all aspects and activities of The Atlanta Opera.

• You, our Atlanta Opera family, have been steadfast, loyal and incredibly generous in your continuing support of our company and its vision and mission.

WELCOME page 4

• As a result, as our financial results show, we ended the 2020-21 fiscal year in a strong financial position with both significant cash reserves and a growing Endowment.

With 2020-21 behind us, what lies ahead for The Atlanta Opera? As promised in last year’s letter, we returned to our home at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre for the 2021-22 season, beginning with our marvelous co-production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto. We are rebuilding the company’s capabilities – performing again before main stage audiences; putting back together the full orchestra, chorus and other artists needed for main stage performances; reviving our extensive Community Engagement and Education programs; growing our ticket sales and contributed revenue to cover these significantly larger expenses. At the same time, we are keeping the Big Tent as a regular venue for our Discoveries series of productions. After restoring our capabilities in the 2021-22 season, we will be ready to take on the critical next steps in our Strategic Plan.

Thanks to the support and tireless efforts of our Atlanta Opera family, we survived the pandemic and the severest test of The Atlanta Opera’s character. Our Mission, Vision and Values (see page 3 of this Annual Report) held true and our future has never been brighter. With the pandemic hopefully behind us, we will return to building The Atlanta Opera into a major international opera company and, with your continued support and encouragement, we will succeed.

Rhys Wilson

THE CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Throughout 2020-21, the most difficult period in memory for the world in general and arts organizations in particular, The Atlanta Opera cemented its position as one of the most forward-thinking opera companies in the world.

The 2020-21 season was a silent season for most theatre and opera companies in the world due to the pandemic.

Our instinct to purchase a circus tent and move all our performances to an outdoor venue has proven to be a move that paid off in many ways. The Atlanta Opera emerged as the only opera company in the world to perform four new productions, six concerts and no less than forty live performances during this time. Most importantly, our safety protocols, created in collaboration with our partners at Emory and Grady Hospital, allowed us to do all this without an outbreak.

The audacity and the success of our season did not go unnoticed. With press coverage that included The Wall Street Journal, “PBS News Hour” and multiple publications all over the world, The Atlanta Opera has emerged as a cultural leader during a world crisis of monumental proportions.

When we were hit by the pandemic in March 2020, I found myself thinking a lot about “The Black Swan” by Nassim Taleb. Specifically, I remembered his statement that “history does not crawl, it jumps.”

Instead of letting history jump past us, The Atlanta Opera embraced adversity and stuck to our key principles and values – excellence in our artistic vision, investment in our people, and our ability to diversify and adapt.

First and foremost, we found ways to deliver artistic excellence in the most impossible conditions. Pagliacci, The Kaiser of Atlantis, The Threepenny Carmen, and The Threepenny Opera were all completely new productions.

I often say that creativity needs restraints to thrive, and The Big Tent Series was the ultimate creative pressure cooker.

Our artists rose to the occasion, giving emotionally resonant performances behind barriers. Our designers took the outdoors venue as an opportunity to innovate.

The staff ensured safe, enjoyable experiences for our audience. The audiences rewarded us with smiles beneath their masks and words of encouragement.

The fall performances of Pagliacci and The Kaiser of Atlantis featured our incredible Company Players. I can still see and hear Trey Smagur’s “Vesti la giubba” with greasepaint smears down his vinyl cage, or Kevin Burdette and Alek Schrader’s grotesque masked dance in that fall Big Tent series.

Those memories will last forever.

Collaboration was everything. Opera is the ultimate multidisciplinary art form, and we invited puppeteers, dancers, circus performers and actors to join us in the Big Tent. The result was bigger than the sum of its parts. We are proud that more than 120 cast, crew and creative artists were hired by The Atlanta Opera during this time.

In the Spring, we continued the Big Tent Series with new productions of The Threepenny Opera and The Threepenny Carmen. Within view of our home venue, these outdoor performances were extremely successful. Sold-out performances, many new faces in our audience and some of the most stellar casts in recent memory (Jay Hunter Morris! Kelly Kaduce!) cemented our reputation as an innovative force.

Throughout the entire season, we invested in building our digital and film capabilities. Creating a media company during the darkness of the pandemic could have easily been an experiment that disappeared once we returned to the theaters. For The Atlanta Opera, it will remain. We are investing in talent and infrastructure. Spotlight Media, our streaming platform continues to grow. We are committed to finding a way to be both a company for incredible live performances and innovative digital explorations of opera.

More than anything, we are grateful to our steadfast supporters. Our assets now total more than $30M, and fundraising has tripled. As our financials in this report show, we are emerging from this pandemic season stronger than ever.

When history jumps again, The Atlanta Opera will be ready.

Tomer Zvulun

page 5 WELCOME

We were especially grateful to Oglethorpe University for hosting the opera in the fall in Hermance Stadium.

In the spring, we returned within view of our home, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

THE BIG TENT SERIES page 6

THE MOLLY BLANK BIG TENT SERIES The Big Tent is now a part of The Atlanta Opera’s DNA, but the implementation of the idea was truly innovative in summer of 2020. While many other companies canceled performances months or weeks at a time, The Atlanta Opera staff made a bold move – embracing the outdoor, gritty ethos of the circus and committing to a full season of tent productions. The Atlanta Opera was the only organization, certainly in the United States if not the world, to produce 40 performances of four entirely new productions in the 2020-21 season.

The Big Tent returns in June 2022 for the Come As You Are Festival, which includes performances of Cabaret and As One

page 7 THE BIG TENT SERIES

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA & FILM STUDIO The Atlanta Opera embraced technology to better serve and broaden its audiences in 2020. In November, the company launched Spotlight Media, its filmmaking and digital media production and distribution platform.

After hiring a resident filmmaker, the opera captured its fall Big Tent productions with an eye towards bringing audiences literally closer to the art from (on stage!) through the magic of film. After weeks of post-production, the film versions of Pagliacci and The Kaiser of Atlantis were shared via the streaming Spotlight Media platform.

Tomer Zvulun curated a series designed specifically for Spotlight called “Love Letters to Atlanta,” featuring the Company Players in places woven into the fabric of Atlanta’s musical history. A short interview, led by Zvulun, introduced the first three letters, which debuted at the close of 2020.

The platform has received numerous compliments and plaudits, notably from the Wall Street Journal, and film versions of the spring Big Tent productions, The Threepenny Opera and The Threepenny Carmen released in summer 2021. The company has expanded its Film Studio and now qualifies for Georgia Film Tax Credits.

The Big Tent Concerts: Mezzo Extravaganza Crossroads: A Variety Show Morris Robinson & Friends: Concert for Unity

The Big Tent Operas: Pagliacci The Kaiser of Atlantis The Threepenny Carmen The Threepenny Opera

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA & FILM STUDIO page 8

Love Letters to Atlanta: Morris Robinson Jamie Barton Kevin Burdette Megan Marino Richard Trey Smagur Ryan McKinny

page 9 SPOTLIGHT MEDIA & FILM STUDIO

COLLABORATION Opera has always been a multifaceted artform. From its early origins as court entertainment to massive innovations in stagecraft in the 1800’s, opera has welcomed dancers, poets, musicians, visual artists and, yes, even puppeteers to be part of the action.

Even during the pandemic, the company reached out for collaborators. Part of the company’s artistic vision is to strengthen the Atlanta arts community through creative partnerships.

THE CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS – PAGLIACCI – THE THREEPENNY OPERA

CIRCUS PERFORMERS – PAGLIACCI – THE KAISER OF ATLANTIS

COLLABORATION page 10

SONIA OLLA & ISMAEL FERNANDEZ – THE THREEPENNY CARMEN DANCERS – PAGLIACCI – THE KAISER OF ATLANTIS – THE THREEPENNY OPERA – THE THREEPENNY CARMEN

TOM KEY – THE THREEPENNY CARMEN – THE THREEPENNY OPERA

page 11 COLLABORATION

OCT 22 - NOV 13, 2020 THE BIG TENT @ OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY’S HERMANCE STADIUM COMPOSER RUGGIERO LEONCAVALLO CONDUCTOR ROLANDO SALAZAR STAGE DIRECTOR TOMER ZVULUN SET DESIGNER JULIA NOULIN-MERAT COSTUME DESIGNER JOANNA SCHMINK LIGHTING DESIGNER BEN RAWSON

The circus performers in Pagliacci grapple with tragedy and question whether they must perform despite heartbreak and ruin. In the fall of 2020, the Pagliacci cast channeled their own recent experiences to bring bold, gritty performances that brought Leoncavallo’s work to life.

After all, the show must go on.

The Atlanta Opera’s completely new production of the verismo classic allowed audiences to enter a dystopian world where the pandemic became part of the action. Vinyl booths made it possible for singers to express themselves without masks, and phone calls became surrogates for touch and in-person interaction. Art imitated life.

PAGLIACCI page 12 PAGLIACCI page 12 page 12 ACT I:II:LA CENERENTOLA

page 13 PAGLIACCI page 13 ACT II: PAGLIACCI

THE KAISER OF ATLANTIS page 14

OCT 23 - NOV 14, 2020 THE BIG TENT @ OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY’S HERMANCE STADIUM COMPOSER VIKTOR ULLMANN LIBRETTIST PETR KIEN CONDUCTOR ROLANDO SALAZAR STAGE DIRECTOR TOMER ZVULUN SET DESIGNER JULIA NOULIN-MERAT COSTUME DESIGNER JOANNA SCHMINK LIGHTING DESIGNER BEN RAWSON

The circus is abandoned, and artists are shells of their former selves. The dictator Emperor Overall reigns and declares total war. Death refuses to take another soul.

Viktor Ullmann’s now critically acclaimed chamber opera The Kaiser of Atlantis was written in 1943 in the Theresienstadt concentration Camp—a defiant act of humanity in an inhumane place. Before his death at Auschwitz, Ullmann gave the score to a colleague, and the opera remained unperformed until 1975.

Like its fall Big Tent sister, Pagliacci, this new production of The Kaiser of Atlantis met the moment of the early pandemic days. Hearing the characters speak of days blending together amidst uncertainty and fear was hauntingly relevant.

page 15 THE KAISER OF ATLANTIS

n e m Car The 3 penny

APR 15 - MAY 8, 2021 THE BIG TENT @ COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE COMPOSER GEORGES BIZET ADAPTATION TOMER ZVULUN & JORGE PARODI CONDUCTOR JORGE PARODI STAGE DIRECTOR TOMER ZVULUN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR BRUNO BAKER SET DESIGNER JULIA NOULIN-MERAT COSTUME DESIGNER JOANNA SCHMINK PROJECTION DESIGNER ERIN TEACHMAN LIGHTING DESIGNER MARCELLA BARBEAU

By the spring, the scrappy team at The Atlanta Opera had one Big Tent series under their belt. The tent was pitched next to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in an optimistic nod to returning home for future performances.

Tomer Zvulun and Jorge Parodi adapted The Threepenny Carmen to fit the “threepenny” world we still found ourselves in. This was not a land of excess and grandeur, but a darker, intimate treatment that fit Bizet’s heroine for the modern age.

Flamenco dancing punctuated the tough environment of the Threepenny Tavern, as both audiences and Don Jose found themselves immersed in “surviving Carmen.”

THE THREEPENNY CARMEN page 16

page 17 THE THREEPENNY CARMEN

THE THREEPENNY OPERA page 18

3PENNY OPERA

APR 22 - MAY 9, 2021

THE BIG TENT @ COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

BY KURT WEILL & BERTOLT BRECHT IN COLLABORATION WITH ELISABETH HAUPTMANN CONDUCTOR JORGE PARODI STAGE DIRECTOR TOMER ZVULUN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR BRUNO BAKER SET DESIGNER JULIA NOULIN-MERAT COSTUME DESIGNER ERIK TEAGUE PROJECTION DESIGNER ERIN TEACHMAN LIGHTING DESIGNER MARCELLA BARBEAU PUPPET DESIGNER JASON HINES PUPPET COLLABORATOR JON LUDWIG

Kurt Weill once wrote that “if the bounds of opera cannot accommodate the theater of the time, then those bounds must be broken.”

With that ethos and inspiration, the Opera completed its 2020-21 season with Weill, Brecht and Hauptmann’s The Threepenny Opera.

Again, an all-new production showed audiences the creativity and commitment of the company to making opera work in impossible circumstances. The partnership with the Center for Puppetry Arts made the production larger than life and heightened the surreal nature of it all.

“Mack the Knife,” “Pirate Jenny” and ballads for broken relationships, struggle, love, life and death formed the heart of the production.

page 19 THE THREEPENNY OPERA

STELLAR PERFORMANCES In July 2020, the company created an entirely new ensemble of Company Players to help it deliver the reimagined season. These Company Players comprised 12 singers drawn from the incredible pool of world-class talent living in Atlanta or within a few hours’ drive. The Opera was inspired by Shakespeare’s theater troupe, The Kings Men, which operated at a time when plague regularly shuttered London’s theaters, as well as the modern, critically acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater Ensemble in Chicago.

The Company Players were joined by the Glynn Studio Players, an impressive group of six early career professional with significant stage experience, some with lead performances and major concert appearances on their resume.

Together, the Company and Studio Players comprised the majority of the casts for the Big Tent productions. We are grateful to them and the other outstanding artists who joined us for performances in the spring.

STELLAR PERFORMANCES page 20 ACT I: SHUTDOWN page 20

page 21 STELLAR PEFORMANCES page 21 ACT II: OPERA FLIPPED

BIG TENT CONCERTS One of the goals of The Atlanta Opera Company and Glynn Studio Players was to create a sense of community and belonging to singing artists. So often, performers in the United States travel from “gig to gig,” racking up airline frequent flyer miles and living in hotel rooms. During the pandemic, many of our artists remained at home, and the organization was determined to provide multiple opportunities for performance under the Big Tent.

The Big Tent Concert Series was born—a Player-led initiative, where singers were encouraged to program and design short concerts in a variety of styles both in the fall and spring. The series opened with mezzo soprano Megan Marino, tenor Brian Vu, and soprano Jasmine Habersham, all previous winners of The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music’s prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition.

They were joined by Susanne Burgess, Gabrielle Beteag, Joshua Conyers, and Richard T. Smagur for an evening of Kurt Weill’s songs.

The second performance featured the four acclaimed mezzo sopranos of The Atlanta Opera Company and Studio Players, Jamie Barton, Gabrielle Beteag, Daniela Mack, and Megan Marino.

The final fall performance explored America’s musical crossroads, with a concert spanning multiple genres and featuring Michael Mayes, Jamie Barton, Morris Robinson, and Megan Marino in both singing and instrumental roles.

These Players shared their favorite bluegrass, gospel, blues and other American standards.

In the spring, Crossroads made a reprise, with a new set of songs and guests. Kelly Kaduce, Jay Hunter Morris, Susanne Burgess, Richard Trey Smagur, Calvin Griffin, and Elena Kholodova collaborated on a program called “Imagine Broadway.”

STELLAR PERFORMANCES page 22

MORRIS ROBINSON & FRIENDS: A CONCERT FOR UNITY Created and lead by Atlanta native and Company Player Morris Robinson, and featuring noted Black opera singers, Ronnita Miller, Jasmine Habersham, and Joshua Conyers, the Concert for Unity included selections from spirituals, gospel, rock, opera, and spoken word by actor Enoch King with accompaniment by pianist Damien Sneed. The concert was presented in collaboration with Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company and the City of South Fulton Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

This performance represents just one important step in The Atlanta Opera’s focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. The company is committed to these principles and believes that the work is an ongoing journey. In addition to staff and board work with Atlanta-based Milton Clipper and Company, the company is examining how it can better reflect and celebrate the rich demographic tapestry of Atlanta.

In 2022, the opera will present The 96-Hour Opera Project: Stories that Resonate.

Over four days in June 2022, teams of creative artists will stage and direct, completely new 10-minute operas. These new works will tell Georgia’s stories—the inspiring stories of hardwon struggles and everyday heroes.

The inaugural competition will celebrate the diverse voices of composers and librettists from historically underrepresented communities. The winning team will be awarded a commission to write an opera for The Atlanta Opera to premiere and $10,000 in cash.

page 23 CONCERT FOR UNITY

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION page 24

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION The Opera’s education and community programs reached more than 40,000 people of all ages and colors despite the year’s challenges.

The Bilingual Barber of Seville Studio Tour production launched virtually to schools during the second week of January. The production was filmed by Felipe Barral at the Southwest Arts Center in partnership with the City of South Fulton. The Digital Studio Tour reached 35,629 students, at 70 schools and two community venues – a remarkable 60% increase.

Additionally, the Opera’s teaching artists, staff, and Company Players reached 2,188 students – teaching 52 workshops at 18 schools.

We also reached nearly 3,000 people through digital and in-person community programming. Highlights included partnering with The Breman Museum for Community Conversations surrounding The Kaiser of Atlantis; Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre company for Black Voices in Classical Music: A Conversation About Access; Fulton County Library for Opera Storytime; Atlanta Music Project for a Masterclass with Joshua Conyers; and Grady Hospital for a pop-up concert for healthcare workers.

page 25 AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION

ORCHESTRA page 26

ORCHESTRA VIOLIN

VIOLA

OBOE

PERCUSSION

Peter Ciaschini The Loraine P. Williams Orchestra Concertmaster Chair

William Johnston Principal Viola

Diana Dunn Principal

Michael Cebulski Principal

Elizabeth Derderian-Wood Assistant Principal Viola

CLARINET

Christina Gavin

TIMPANI

Helen Kim Assistant Concertmaster

Ryan Gregory

John Lawless Principal

Fia Durrett Principal Second

Julie Rosseter

David Odom Principal

Adelaide Federici Assistant Principal Second

Karl Schab

John Warren

Joli Wu

BASSOON

Susan Brady Principal

Edward Eane

CELLO

Felix Farrar

Charae Krueger Principal

TBD TBD Principal

PERSONNEL MANAGERS

Robert Givens Patti Gouvas Lisa Morrison

Hilary Glen Assistant Principal

Anastasia Petrunina

David Hancock Mary Kenney Cynthia Sulko

Virginia Respess-Fairchild

BASS

Patrick Ryan

Lyn DeRamus Principal

Shawn Pagliarini

Angele Sherwood-Lawless Jessica Stinson Rafael Veytsblum

Emory Clements

FLUTE James Zellers Principal Kelly Bryant Flute/Picc

Debra Grove

HORN David Bradley Principal

HARP

Jason Eklund Jim Zellers *core musician on leave † non-core musician

Jason Eklund

TRUMPET Yvonne Toll Principal Hollie Lifshey

TROMBONE Mark McConnell Principal Richard Brady Bass Trombone

TUBA Donald Strand Principal

Musicians employed in this production are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

page 27 ORCHESTRA

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Barnes Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney *Nancy & *Jim Bland Mr. David Boatwright Laura & Montague Boyd Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. John & Rosemary Brown Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $1,000,000+ John & Rosemary Brown *Martha Thompson Dinos

$200,000+ *Nancy & *Jim Bland Harold Brody & Donald Smith Dr. Frank A. Critz & Dr. Ann Critz Mr. Howard W. Hunter - Gramma Fisher Foundation *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg

$100,000+ Anonymous Beth & Gary Glynn Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks James B. Miller, Jr. Victoria & Howard Palefsky

$50,000+ The Antinori Foundation Laura & Cosmo Boyd Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross Mary Ruth McDonald Clara M. & John S. O’Shea Mr. Milton J. Sams Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle

$25,000+ Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney Bryan & Johanna Barnes

SUPPORT page 28

Eda L. Hochgelerent MD & Bruce A. Cassidy MD Mr. L. D. Holland Howard Hunter, Gramma Fisher Foundation Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mary Ruth McDonald James B. Miller, Jr. Stephanie & Gregor Morela Mr. & Mrs. John Murphy

Ann & Frank Critz Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein *Martha Thompson Dinos Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Carl & Sally Gable Beth & Gary Glynn Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross John L. Hammaker Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks

ANNUAL GIVING

Received between 7/1/2020 and 6/30/2021 Clara M. & John S. O’Shea Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William E. Pennington Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Mr. Milton J. Sams Katherine Scott Mr. William F. Snyder Christine & Mark St.Clare Judith & Mark Taylor Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle *deceased

Received between 7/1/2020 and 6/30/2021

Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. Connolly Family Foundation Eda L. Hochgelerent MD & Bruce A. Cassidy MD Mr. L. D. Holland Mr. & Mrs. John Murphy Mr. William E. Pennington Mary & EP Rogers Foundation, Inc. Katherine Scott Mr. William F. Snyder Judith & Mark Taylor

PATRON’S CIRCLE $15,000+ Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams Anonymous Mr. David Boatwright Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein The Gable Foundation, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Stephanie & Gregor Morela Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Paulhus Christine & Mark St.Clare The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund

GOLD $10,000+ Elizabeth & Jeremy Adler John & Wendy Anzalone Julia & Jim Balloun Dr. & Mrs. Asad Bashey Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard Dr. R. Dwain Blackston Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Mr. Mario Concha *Heike & Dieter Elsner Mrs. Roya Irvani

Dr. & Mrs. David Kavtaradze Sandra & Peter Morelli Charles T. & Donna Sharbaugh

SILVER $5,000+ Mrs. Phillip E. Alvelda Anonymous Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Dr. Florence C. Barnett Mr. & Mrs. Dante Bellizzi Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Ms. Ariana B. Fass Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey Mr. Ethan Garonzik Kevin Greiner & Robyn Roberts Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin Mr. & Mrs. Paul Harkins The Hilbert Law Firm Gail Johnson Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Klump Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Long Dr. & Mrs. James Lowman Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi Slumgullion Charitable Fund Baker & Debby Smith Mr. & Mrs. Richard Sproul John & Yee-Wan Stevens Larry & Beverly Willson Mrs. Wadleigh C. Winship Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland

BRONZE $2,500+ Dr. John W. Cooledge Jean & Jerry Cooper Ms. Suzanne Mott Dansby Dr. & Mrs. Donald J. Filip Mr. James Flanagan Judge Adele P. Grubbs Mr. Robert Grubert Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III Mimi & Dan Maslia Belinda & Gino Massafra Peggy Weber McDowell & Jack McDowell John & Agnes Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III The Pamer Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Steve Paro Lynn & Kent Regenstein Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk Johannah Smith Lynne & Steven Steindel George & Amy Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Nicholas Valerio III *Peter Stelling & Jody C. Weatherly *Dr. & Mrs. R. Craig Woodward

FRIEND’S CIRCLE INVESTOR $1,000+ George & Gaby Adriaenssens Ms. Hope M. Barrett James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Jonathan E. Blalock Ms. Mary D. Bray Mr. Nelson C. Chu Mrs. Lavona Currie Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Curry Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly Jr. Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt

Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke Mr. Michael D. Golden Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Ms. Louise S. Gunn Mr. Joseph Gyengo Hills Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Howard Mary & Wayne James Ms. Brenda D. Jennings Candy & Greg Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Gedas Kutka Ms. Salli LeVan Dr. Carlos E. Lopez Mrs. Erin Martin Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel The Opera Guild for Atlanta George Paulik Mrs. Betsy Pittman The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Mr. James L. Rhoden Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Shreiber Adhishesh Sood Gail & Barry Spurlock Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Mr. Tarek Takieddini Mr. Johnny Thigpen & Mr. James Martin Ms. Betsy K. Wash Alan & Marcia Watt

SUPPORTER $500+ Paula Stephan Amis Scott & Betsy Akers Ms. Teresa Bailey Colonel & Mrs. John V. Barson Ms. Jamie Barton Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Blumenthal Anne D. Burnett Mr. & Mrs. Raymond H. Chenault Mr. Pete Ciaschini T. Dennis Connally Ms Lillianette Cook & Ms. Carol Uhl John & Linda Cooke Jim & Carol Dew Mr. Thomas Emch Mr. & *Mrs. Leon C. Goldstein George L. Hickman III Mr. Walter Huff Irmgard S. Immel Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich Jeannie Kiger Allan & Veneesa Little Mrs. Thespi P. Mortimer Christine & Jim Pack Mrs. Polly N. Pater Mr. Darryl-Christopher Payne Mr. & Mrs. John H. Petrey Mr. Thomas Ramsay R.J. & D.G. Riffey, Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Scaljon Mr. Kurt A. Shreiner Mr. Paul Snyder Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stansfield Kay Summers Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton, Jr. Rae & George Weimer Ms. Parsla A. Welch Dr. & Mrs. David Wingert Sherrilyn & Donn Wright Dr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Yuschok Dr. & Mrs. Ben Zinn Barbara Zellner

Carolyn & Robert Swain Mr. & Ms. Wolfgang Tiedtke Mr. & Mrs. T. A. Wessels Ms. Jone Williams & Ms. Barbara Robb

$100+

Dalal Al Sane Judith M. Alembik Mr. Mostafa Ammar Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Banker Lisa Beck Mr. Edward S. Berkoff Natalie & Matthew Bernstein CONTRIBUTOR $250+ Mr. & Mrs. Michael Blackwood Atlanta Neurology Ms. Dianne Brannen Drs. Tatiana & Igor Bidikov Melodye G. Brown Stanford M. Brown Mr. Richard Brownlee Dr. & Dr. Keith Bruno Mrs. Nancy M. Bruno Mr. Angelo A. Carusi Ms Kristie Cain & Ms. Janet Romanic Dr. & Mrs. Harold L. Chapman, Jr. Craig & Brenda Caldwell Mr. & Mrs. Charles T. Carlin Dr. Lawrence Cohen Thomas Chapel Carol Comstock & Jim Davis Mr. Paul D. Chiusano Mr. & Mrs. John Costello Alsie Churchman Mr. Courtney Ellis Mrs. Carol J. Clark & Dr. Amina Bhatia Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Engeman Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Charles Cohn Linda Copeland Mrs. Arnoldo Fiedotin Mr. Bruce W. & Mrs. Kate Cotterman Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich Mrs. Eleanor Crosby Ms. Sara Frooman Ms. Ann Cummings Col. & Mrs. Donald M. Gilner Mr. & Mrs. Peter Dean Dr. & Mrs. Martin Goldstein Ms. Bonnie J. Dejoie John Greer Jimmy & Mary Sue Dorsey Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Grodzicki Mr. & Mrs. Denis DuBois Tom Grose Mr. & Mrs. Michael Duff Mr. & Mrs. Sam Hagan Eric Dykes Mr. & Mrs. Steven Hart Mrs. Anne J. Ederington Dean & Vivian Haulton Janice & Charles M. Edwards III Ms. Sharon E. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Fred Emry Donna & Richard Hiller Ms. Barbara M. Farr Mrs. Catherine Hughes Allison Fitcher & Phillip O’Brien Mr. Rolf Ingenleuf Gil Frank Dr. Rose Mary Kolpatzki Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Freeman David & Kathy Linden C. Gallagher Ross & Kristin Maiwand Maria Garcia Mr. Stedman C. Mays , Jr. Mary Anne & Bruce Gaunt & Mr. Charles Bjorklund Dan & Harriet Gill Mr. M. Reynolds McClatchey Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Peter Gilroy Mr. Frank M. Monger Ms. Pat Godbe Barbara & Mark Murovitz Ms. Anne L. Grossman Carol S. Niemi & Dr. Leonard Berger Scott Novellas Jim & Virginia Hale Mr. John Owens Ms. Freya Harris Mr. Lawrence F. Pinson Lynn Hassett Mrs. Frances G. Richards Mrs. Sally Hawkins Anne Saravo, PhD Mr. & Mrs. Douglas M. Holly, Jr. Mr. Karin Schwerd Mrs. Sally Horntvedt Dr. & Mrs. William E. Silver Mrs. Fay Howell Mr. John W. Stephenson

Ms. Suzanne Husting Jaromir Juchelka Mr. Stephen J. Kalista Mr. David Keller Donna Jane Kilgore Ms. Eleanor Kinsey Sergey Latkin Dr. Arthur Lewis Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella Mr. & Mrs. William J. MacKenna Victoria Marino Jeanie & Albert Marx Dr. Joe Massey Katherine B. Maxwell Ms. Robin McDonald Mr. Edward Merves Mr. Daniel Meyers Ms. Gwen Michelle Mr. Simon Miller Ms. Judith R. Millner-Hofer Ms. Patricia Mueller Patricia OConnell Ms. & Mr. Sandra S. Owens Dr. Charles M. Palmer Ms. Donna T. Paulk Lucy S. Perry Ms. Sophia B. Peterman Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Powers Mr. Stephen L. Rann & Ms. Dytre Fentress Kathryn Robertson Garnell Rogers Mr. Daniel D. Ross Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Sabatino Betty Sanders Anne Saunders Daniel Schnur Ms. Toni P. Selby Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod Dr. & Mrs. William O. Shropshire Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel Mr. Joseph R. Stabile & Mr. Michael W. Dunkelberger Mr. & Mrs. John Tanzola Harriet & Edward Trackman Constance W. Treloar Christy Turner Mr. Samuel G. Tyler Ms. Juliana T. Vincenzino Dr. & Mrs. Paul B. Weinberg Whitfield-Murray Historical Society Ms. Beth Williamson Mr. Russell F. Winch Bill Witherspoon Kurt-Alexander Zeller

*deceased

page 29 SUPPORT

CORPORATE PARTNERS $100,000+

$2,500+

Anonymous The Coca-Cola Company

Montag & Caldwell, Inc National Distributing Co., Inc. Wallace Graphics

$50,000+ Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta UPS

$10,000+ Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation Gas South The Hilbert Law Firm WarnerMedia

FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOUNDATIONS $225,000+ The Gable Foundation Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation Lettie Pate Evans Foundation Livingston Foundation, Inc. The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

$50,000+ Atlanta Music Festival Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta The Halle Foundation Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc. Rich Foundation, Inc. Mary and EP Rogers Foundation, Inc. The Sara Giles Moore Foundation The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

$20,000+ Roy and Janet Dorsey Foundation The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation, Inc. J. Marshall and Lucile G. Powell Charitable Trust Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc. New York, NY

SUPPORT page 30

$10,000+ The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation JBS Foundation The David, Helen & Marian Woodward Fund-Atlanta

$5,000+ Camp-Younts Foundation Nordson Corporation Foundation Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.

$1,000+ Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta, Georgia Cobb EMC Community Foundation The Hills Family Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Hills, Trustees Kiwanis Foundation of Atlanta

GOVERNMENT FUNDING $50,000+ National Endowment for the Arts

10,000+ City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Georgia Council for the Arts

TRIBUTES & MEMORIALS

Received between 7/1/2020 and 6/30/2021

In Memory of Dr. Joseph C. & Ruth P. Barnett Dr. Florence C. Barnett

In Memory of Sylvia Debenport Shelley McGehee

In Honor of Mr. Jonathan Blalock Mr. John Thompson, II

In Memory of Mrs. Mot Dinos Anonymous Allison Fitcher & Phillip O’Brien

In Memory of Mrs. Nancy Bland Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Ms. Terrell Boyle Mrs. Carol J. Clark Kathryn Dennis Mrs. Sally Hawkins Thomas & Wallis Hills Mrs. Fay Howell Mrs. Norma Jeanne Mr. & Mrs. Charles C. Josey Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Scott Novellas The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Mrs. Laura S. Spearman Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton, Jr. Constance W. Treloar Whitfield-Murray Historical Society Dr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Yuschok

In Honor of Mr. Robert G. Edge Mrs. Eleanor Crosby In Honor of Stuart Jackson Ms. Kristie Cain In Memory of Mr. Chip Johnston & Mr. Frank Monger Mr. Johnny Thigpen & Mr. James Martin In Honor of Howard & Victoria Palefsky Donna C. Burchfield Mr. & Mrs. John Costello In Honor of Ms. Faye P. Popper Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse In Memory of Kay Quarterman Dr. & Mrs. Ferdinand K. Levy

In Honor of Dr. Hal Brody & Mr. Don Smith Jonathan Blalock

In Honor of Kylie Saunders Anne Saunders

In Memory of John Cox Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt

In Honor of Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Ms. Susanna Eiland Mr. Michael D. Golden

In Honor of Mr. Rob Dean Mr. Bill Witherspoon

*deceased

page 31 SUPPORT

FY21 OPERATING EXPENSES: $7,291,709 Studio Artist Program $199,963

Administrative $1,793,187

$7,291,709 Fundraising $453,141

Marketing $546,952 Audience Development & Community Engagement $67,835 Artistic Programming $4,230,631

FINANCIAL page 32

FY21 OPERATING REVENUE: $8,198,358

Endowment Distribution $240,895

Earned Revenue $1,236,246

$8,198,358

Ticket & Merchandise Sales $325,436 Other Income $910,810

Contributed Revenue $6,721,217 Annual Fund $5,409,087

Foundation $933,130

Special Events —

Government $120,000

Corporate $259,000

page 33 FINANCIAL

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