2022 Cincinnati Opera Program Book by Cincinnati Magazine

CINCINNATI OPERA 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LA BOHÈME

FIERCE

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

CASTOR AND PATIENCE

AIDA

Board of Trustees

Cincinnati Opera Guild

Season Artists

In Memoriam

Orchestra and Chorus

Remembrances

Donors

Celebrations and Honorariums

Opera Fusion: New Works

Repertoire

Society of Angels

Staff

102

Long-Term Subscribers

General Information

104

PROGRAM CREDITS Editor-in-Chief Katie Syroney Art Direction & Design Aimee Sposito Martini Design Assistance Doug Klocke Illustrations La Bohème, The Pirates of Penzance, Castor and Patience, Aida: David de las Heras; Fierce: Aimee Sposito Martini

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WELCOME

n 2005, Cincinnati Opera presented the brand-new opera Margaret Garner. We recall Toni Morrison’s words, Richard Danielpour’s music, and Denyce Graves’s powerful and heartrending performance in the title role. One moment in the opera has become something of an anthem for us over the past two years of lockdown and strife. It’s an aria for Margaret titled “A Quality Love.” Note these lyrics: “Only unharnessed hearts can survive a locked-down life.” And this: “No pretty words can ease or cure what heavy hands can do.” Listening to these lyrics again is a reminder that an opera can speak to us in fresh and unexpected ways each time we return to it. Like all great art, opera engenders compassion and gratitude in proportion to what we invest. Give more to opera, and you’ll get more from it in return. So, whether you’re attending a Cincinnati Opera performance FOR THE l RST TIME OR THE TH WE INVITE YOU TO ENJOY REm ECT AND listen. And if you’re moved to do so, feel free to yell, “Bravo!” Finally, a few words of appreciation. First, to Liz Grubow, PRESIDENT OF THE /PERA "OARD SINCE 3EPTEMBER THANK YOU for consistently providing inspiration and vision. Next, to our singers, instrumentalists, dancers, actors, and stage professionals who DEVOTE THEIR LIVES TO THE CREATION OF BEAUTIFUL SOUL STIRRING ART WE celebrate your perseverance and your gifts. To our staff and to the VOLUNTEER LEADERS OF THE /PERA "OARD AND 'UILD YOU WORK TIRELESSLY year-round to prepare for the summer festival and to nurture the LONG TERM HEALTH OF THIS COMPANY !ND l NALLY TO YOU OUR AUDIENCE OF FANS AND SUPPORTERS YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND GENEROSITY MAKE THIS work possible and worthwhile. 7E ARE ALL OF US PART OF AN EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY THAT HAS EN dured for more than a century. Together, we are creating something remarkable for our community, for our world, for years to come. Thank you.

Christopher Milligan The Harry Fath General Director & CEO

Evans Mirageas The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director

B efore s r a t S g n i s i C a tc h Th e s e R hes O n c t a C d l r o W th e Rest o f th e For 108 years Matinée Musicale Cincinnati has offered recitals by classical musicians destined for worldwide fame. Tickets for these ﬁve remarkable rising-star performances—with free parking—are just $100. That works out to only $20 per performance. Thank you, Louise Nippert, for making that possible.

CINCINNATI DEBUT

Christina Nam

Steven Banks

Alexandre Kantorow

VIOLIN

CLASSICAL SAXOPHONE

PIANO

Sunday, October 2, 2022 7 PM Memorial Hall

Friday, October 28, 2022 7:30 PM Memorial Hall

Sunday, February 19, 2023 3 PM Memorial Hall

USA DEBUT

Valerie Eickhoff

Silver-Garburg

MEZZO-SOPRANO

PIANO DUO

Sunday, March 26, 2023 7 PM Memorial Hall

Sunday, May 7, 2023 3 PM First Unitarian Church

For subscription series tickets:

MemorialHallOTR.org or 513-977-8838 code freepark for free parking

MatineeMusicaleCincinnati.org

GREETINGS FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

elcome! For nearly three years, we’ve been looking forward to this—our return to Music Hall and SCPA, and a full opera season in front of a live audience. It gives me great joy to share this occasion with you, and we’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to be here. ) LL ADMIT IT S ALSO BITTERSWEET FOR ME AS THIS IS MY l NAL SUMMER as president of the Cincinnati Opera Board. Over my three-year term, this company has been on an incredible ride. When I assumed the role in 2019, we were making plans for a spectacular centennial celebration in 2020. After the pandemic pushed those plans aside, THE COMPANY DID WHAT IT DOES BEST IT FOCUSED ON l NDING NEW WAYS to connect people through art, and it made magic happen through innovative online and outdoor programs. Our plans took another surprise turn in 2021, resulting in our amazing Summer at Summit season at Blue Ash’s Summit Park. Through all of these unexpected twists, so many of you logged on, tuned in, showed up (even when the skies over Summit Park started to swirl mightily!), and cheered us on. Through the support of our community coupled with the creativity of our staff, Cincinnati Opera is poised to welcome this extraordinary moment—our very own “triumphal march” back to our home stages. We can’t wait to share with you the experiences we have in store. This September, it will be my privilege to pass the baton to President-Elect Melanie Chavez, whose passion for the company is evidenced by her previous service as a trustee and as chair of some of the Opera’s most memorable special events. Melanie will be an enthusiastic and devoted leader, and the perfect person to help guide the company into its exciting future. I’m grateful to Chris Milligan, Evans Mirageas, and Patty Beggs for their partnership. Serving alongside them and the most dedicated and passionate staff has been a true honor. And to each of you, I offer my thanks for continuing to show up in support of Cincinnati Opera. We hope you enjoy the show!

Liz Kathman Grubow President

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ofﬁcers President Liz Kathman Grubow Chairman Gary T. “Doc” Huffman Treasurer Otto M. Budig, Jr. Secretary Alva Jean Crawford President-Elect Melanie M. Chavez

Vice Presidents Boris Auerbach Ronald T. Bates Robert Bitter Dorothy Anne Blatt Michael L. Ciofﬁ James T. Fitzgerald Barbara Hahn Donald E. Hoffman Kevin C. Jones Judith Colemon Kinebrew Michael Marrero David Motch Robert W. Olson Edward B. Silberstein, M.D. Murray Sinclaire, Jr. James Stapleton John M. Tew, Jr., M.D. Angela Powell Walker Ronna K. Willis Jeannine Winkelmann Anne M. Zaring Regular Members Flávia Bastos, Ph.D. Patricia K. Beggs Ryan Bergstrom Elaine Billmire, M.D. Thomas F. Boat, M.D. Walter Bruyninckx Vivienne Carlson

Candace Ciofﬁ Sheila Cole Peter G. Courlas Eric Dauer Alexander Donath, M.D. Ralph A. Giannella, M.D. Suzanne Hasl Julie Grady Heard Doug Ignatius Jason Jackman Anne Jaroszewicz Mona Kerstine Sid Khosla, M.D. Amber Kincaid Renu Kotwal, M.D. Maya LaLonde Katie Lanni Nanci Wilks Lanni Lynn Larson Julia B. Meister Christine E. Neyer Regina Carswell Russo G. James Sammarco, M.D. Ruthann Sammarco Harry H. Santen Bradbury Skidmore, M.D. Douglas Skidmore Susan R. Strick, M.D. Mary Ann Taylor Brian Tiffany Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D. Sheila Williams Stanford T. Williams, Jr. Peg Wyant Mario Zuccarello, M.D. Advisory Members Vicki Alpaugh Christopher Baucom Robert W. Boden Christopher J. Canarie Arthur B. Casper Cathy Crain Daniel B. Cunningham John G. Earls Harry Fath Peter Graham Theresa Henderson

Barbara Hummel, M.Ed. Margaret LeMasters, M.D. Jenny Magro Sherie Marek Peggy Ann Markstein Donald S. Mendelsohn Ryan L. Messer Beatriz Porras, M.D. Melody Sawyer Richardson Brett Stover Nydia C. Tranter Ray van der Horst Jane Votel Carla D. Walker Shelby O. Wood Presidents Council Boris Auerbach Cathy Crain Harry Fath Kingston Fletcher Liz Kathman Grubow Donald E. Hoffman Gary T. “Doc” Huffman Lawrence H. Kyte Robert W. Olson Harry H. Santen Murray Sinclaire, Jr. Ellen van der Horst Ex-Ofﬁcio Members Kelly Adamson, Executive Director, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce Kristy Davis, Chair, Center Stage Board Associates Peter Koenig, Board President, Friends of Music Hall Christopher Milligan, The Harry Fath General Director & CEO

The Honorable Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D., Dean, UC CollegeConservatory of Music Richard Zincola, President, Cincinnati Opera Guild Honorary Members Charlin Briggs Nicholas P. Ciafardini Vivian A. Dobur Courtis Fuller Patrick Korb Joanie Lotts Sue Alexander Mouch Nancy Rosenthal Zell Schulman Paul A. “Gus” Stuhlreyer III Center Stage Board Associates Katherine Anderson Clark Becker Amber David Kristy Davis Michael T. Dean Jack Fisher Renée L. Gustin Ammon Hollister Sebastien Hue Shannon Lawson Janice S. Liebenberg Alex Lohmann Christian A. Lucke Jacob R. Morvay Jenna K. Morvay Aliya Riddle Will Selnick Brett Willson Christina P. Yardley Candice Young

Production Underwriter Michael L. Ciofﬁ and Rachael A. Rowe Opening Weekend Sponsor The Chavez Family, in memory of Geraldine V. Chavez Performance Sponsors Johnson Investment Counsel Susan and Joe Pichler

Season Presenting Sponsor Huntington

LA BOHÈME Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica Sung in the original Italian Based on the 1851 novel Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger World premiere: February 1, 1896, at Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy Cincinnati Opera premiere: July 6, 1924, at Cincinnati Zoo Pavilion June 18, 23, and 25, 2022, at Cincinnati Music Hall 102nd, 103rd, and 104th company performances of La Bohème

Conductor Stage Director Scenic Designer Costume Design Lighting Designer Wig & Makeup Designer Chorus Master Production Stage Manager Assistant Stage Director

Mark Gibson Alain Gauthier Olivier Landreville Opéra de Montréal Thomas C. Hase James Geier Henri Venanzi Hannah Holthaus Kathleen Stakenas*

Cast in order of vocal appearance Marcello, a painter Rodolfo, a poet Colline, a philosopher Schaunard, a musician Benoit, their landlord Mimì, a seamstress Parpignol, a toy vendor Musetta, a singer Alcindoro, Musetta’s paramour Custom-House Ofﬁcer Sergeant Prune Seller

Rodion Pogossov Ji-Min Park André Courville Ethan Vincent* Thomas Dreeze Talise Trevigne Houston Tyrrell* Raven McMillon Thomas Dreeze Dicky Dutton* Randell McGee* Mitchell Sturges*

* Cincinnati Opera debut

Scenery, costumes, and props created by Opéra de Montréal. Scenery provided by San Diego Opera.

THE STORY

1830s Paris. The artist Marcello and poet Rodolfo try to keep warm on Christmas Eve in their Latin Quarter garret. They are joined by their roommates—Colline, a philosopher, and Schaunard, a musician. Their landlord, Benoit, comes to collect the rent. After getting the older man drunk, the friends throw him out. They soon depart for the Café Momus, though Rodolfo remains behind. There is another knock at the door—it’s Mimì, a pretty neighbor, whose candle has gone out. Rodolfo helps her to the door and relights her candle. Mimì realizes that she lost her key, and as they search, both candles go out. Rodolfo ﬁnds the key and slips it into his pocket. In the moonlight, he takes her hand and tells her about his dreams. Happy to have found each other, Mimì and Rodolfo leave together to join the others. At the Café Momus, Rodolfo introduces Mimì to his friends. Marcello’s former sweetheart Musetta makes a noisy entrance on the arm of the wealthy Alcindoro. Trying to gain Marcello’s attention, Musetta sings of her own popularity. Sending Alcindoro away, Musetta falls into Marcello’s arms. Soldiers march by and the bohemians fall in behind, leaving Alcindoro to settle the check. Later, on the edge of Paris, guests are heard within a tavern. Mimì arrives, searching for the

place where Marcello and Musetta now live. When Marcello appears, she tells him of her distress over Rodolfo’s jealousy. Rodolfo emerges from the tavern, and Mimì hides. Rodolfo tells Marcello that he wants to separate from Mimì, blaming her flirtatiousness. But then he breaks down, saying that her illness can only grow worse amid their poverty. Mimì comes forward to say goodbye to her lover. They recall their past happiness and decide to remain together until springtime. Months later in the garret, Rodolfo and Marcello, now single, reflect on their loneliness. To lighten their spirits, their friends stage a mock duel. Musetta bursts in with news that Mimì is outside, too weak to come upstairs. As Rodolfo runs to her, Musetta relates how Mimì begged to be taken to Rodolfo to die. Mimì is made comfortable, while Musetta asks Marcello to sell her earrings for medicine and Colline goes off to pawn his overcoat. Left alone, Mimì and Rodolfo recall their first happy days, but she is seized with violent coughing. When the others return, Mimì slowly drifts into unconsciousness. Musetta prays for her, but it is too late. The friends realize that she is dead, and Rodolfo collapses in despair. –Courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera

IN PERFORMANCE La Bohème is full of memorable arias, duets, and ensembles—and Puccini makes sure you remember them! By skillfully recalling motives and fragments throughout the opera, he wrings the utmost pathos from the situation. In Act I, the back-to-back arias of Rodolfo and Mimì as they meet are marvels in contrasting character studies. Musetta’s aria in Act II begins as a lyrical “tease” that builds to an exhilarating climax of high spirits and romantic reconciliation. In Act III, the famous quartet of parting lovers neatly encapsulates Henri Murger’s description of bohemian life as “a gay life, yet a terrible one.” In Act IV, Colline’s touching farewell to his coat as he leaves for the pawnbroker’s is understated and grave, as the young philosopher faces the end of his own carefree existence. The last scene shared by Rodolfo and Mimì, in which they recall their meeting and happy days together, rarely fails to elicit tears. -Suzanne Martinucci

The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes. There will be two intermissions.

LA VIE BOHÈME BY S U Z A N N E M A R T I N U C C I

TENOR ANTOINE BÉLANGER AS RODOLFO and soprano Miriam Khalil as Mimì in Calgary Opera’s La Bohème. Photo by Harder Lee Photography.

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Consistently near the top of any list of mostperformed operas in the world, La Bohème is the work that made Giacomo Puccini immortal. After a somewhat mixed reception at its premiere in 1896—the public loved it, the critics didn’t—the opera has, for 126 years, maintained an enduring appeal, occasionally crossing the line between operalovers and general audiences, such as in Norman Jewison’s film Moonstruck. I love the way the opera begins. We know that the opening music comes from the Capriccio Sinfonico, a piece Puccini composed years earlier while he was a student. Here it brings to mind someone energetically and determinedly—perhaps stamping the cold out of his feet—marching up all those stairs to the garret where Rodolfo and Marcello are working, sweeping all of us along. In 1893, when he began work on La Bohème, Puccini was 35 years old. Fresh off his breakthrough success with Manon Lescaut, he was Italian opera’s new star composer. Manon Lescaut fairly gushes with melodic inspiration, a pent-up passion released in an extravagance of tunes that fall all over each other trying to be heard. With his next opera, La Bohème, the melodic inspiration is just as strong, but distilled. It’s as if all of Puccini’s strengths had found their perfect vehicle: Henri Murger’s novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème. In his fourth opera, the composer found a subject that married his personal experience and gifts of melody to his innate theatricality. I think Puccini tapped into a universal feeling, a nostalgia perhaps, about youth—its energy, passions, humor, and optimism, as well as the heartbreak of first love—that so many of us identify with when we remember our own young years. It is perhaps this bittersweet quality that, more than any other, accounts for La Bohème’s evergreen popularity. From the very first note, Bohème exudes a vitality and lyric inspiration that is almost irresistible. There is nothing in the opera that doesn’t seem organic; every note adds a bit of atmosphere, rein-

forces a story element, or illuminates a character. As tenor Luciano Pavarotti once said, “Bohème is like a wound-up spring: Once it starts unwinding, nothing can stop it.” Much of Bohème’s effectiveness must be credited to the superb libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Together with Puccini, they developed a conversational musico-dramatic language that moves ﬂuently from “dialogue” to set pieces. It’s a style particularly suited to this group of friends, people so familiar and intimate with each other that they literally complete each other’s (musical) sentences. I can’t think of another opera dear to me where I’m consistently moved by, of all things, the ﬁnal curtain call. Something about seeing those bohemians, sometimes visibly affected by the tale they’ve told, gets to me. In addition to the beautiful melodies and touching love story, Bohème gives us a simple story about human beings and their relationships. Of being a friend in need—even when ev-

IN ADDITION TO THE BEAUTIFUL MELODIES and touching love story, Bohème gives us a simple story about human beings and their relationships. eryone’s in need. The love of pleasure and having a good time. Of loyalty. Of illness and the cruelty of fate. Of life’s fragility and of taking joy in little things. Of living in the moment. Suzanne Martinucci is a New York-based writer and lecturer on opera. She is a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera Quiz during the Toll Brothers Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts.

PUCCINI’S BOHEMIAN FRIENDS in Cincinnati Opera’s 2017 production included: (left to right) Rodion Pogossov (Marcello), Sean Panikkar (Rodolfo), Nicole Cabell (Mimì), and Nathan Stark (Colline). Photo by Philip Groshong.

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C R AW L

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Production Underwriters National Endowment for the Arts OPERA America Additional Support PNC Robert H. Reakirt Foundation (PNC Charitable Trusts) Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation Performance Sponsors Cincinnati Opera Guild Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust The Fullgraf Foundation

Season Presenting Sponsor Huntington

FIERCE Music by William Meneﬁeld Libretto by Sheila Williams Sung in English A Cincinnati Opera World Premiere July 6, 9, and 10, 2022, at Corbett Theater, School for Creative and Performing Arts

Joseph Young* D. Lynn Meyers* Samantha Reno* Thomas C. Hase Jessica Drayton* James Geier Gina Hays Alexandra Schoeny

Conductor Stage Director Production Designer Lighting Designer Projection Designer Wig & Makeup Designer Stage Manager Assistant Stage Director

Cast in order of vocal appearance 19 Ms. Lee-Adler/Troll 4/Mary Rumer Nyomi Vesta Morgan Troll 1/John Troll 2/Jim Troll 3/Jackie/Margaret

Wendy Hill Megan Graves* Victoria Ellington* Lauren McAllister* Alicia Russell Tagert* M. Andrew Jones Antonio Cruz* Indra Thomas

* Cincinnati Opera debut

A new opera commissioned by Cincinnati Opera. Production constructed by Cincinnati Opera. Created in partnership with WordPlay Cincy, Music Resource Center—Cincinnati, and i.imagine.

THE STORY Four teenage girls meet in an essay-writing class at their high school. While Rumer, Morgan, Nyomi, and Vesta are strangers to each other, they are also strangers to themselves. Their teacher is supportive and somewhat clueless. But that doesn’t stop her from asking a provocative question: “Tell me who you are.” This question sends the girls on a journey of discovery. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of their experiences, personal lives, and inner fears, they are taunted by a ridiculous posse of trolls who represent threats, both real and imagined. Rumer explores loss and love as she mourns the death of a special friend who took their own life. Morgan is caught between her dreams of becom-

ing an artist and those of her parents who expect their brilliant daughter to be the ﬁrst in the family to go to college. Nyomi is the “it” girl of her school but her vivacity is a mask for self-doubt and fear. And Vesta, the youngest and most vulnerable of the group, arms herself against the ugly instability of her troubled home life by disappearing into a fantasy world. Together, Rumer, Morgan, Nyomi, and Vesta maneuver through the obstacle course of their lives with focus, determination, and tenacity. By supporting each other, they confront their fears, drown out the trolls, and illuminate a bold path for those who follow them.

IN PERFORMANCE During a team meeting at the first workshop, I spontaneously described the music of Fierce as “genre salad.” A beautifully constructed salad has many elements, each of which is easy to identify. The greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions are artfully layered on the plate. You can eat them one at a time, or stack two, three, or four to create new flavors with each bite. The music of Fierce is the same. There are many styles represented in this opera: classical, jazz, R&B, Afro-Cuban, to name a few. At times, each genre will be readily identifiable. There are also moments when multiple styles are blended together to create new sounds. Toss in a few melodies for the audience to hum on their way home, and you have a genre salad that aims to please your musical taste buds. —William Menefield

The performance will last approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. There will be no intermission.

FEELING FIERCE BY SHEILA J. WILLIAMS

FIERCE PRODUCTION DESIGN by Samantha Reno.

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Fierce is about . . . growing up, facing fears, taking responsibility, being compassionate, enjoying time spent with loved ones, standing up for oneself, and gathering courage to tackle the difﬁcult moments. Fierce is about life. The story is told through the eyes of four teenage girls living in contemporary society. For source material, the creative team coordinated a series of conversations with ten young women who were—and some of whom still are— participants with community-based organizations Music Resource Center (“MRC”) and WordPlay Cincinnati. They are known as the “Muses”: talented musicians, composers, journalists, and poets. Later in the process, a trio of young women from i.imagine, a Northern Kentucky-based organization, merged their talents for photography with this core group, documenting inspiration-gathering sessions on ﬁlm. The conversations with the “Muses,” held over a period of a year, were richly layered, consisting of exchanges running the gamut from parental expectations and college admissions anxiety to spirited debates on lipstick color choices! They included passionate exchanges about ethnic identity and discussions on dating behavior. And the conversations concluded with a renaissance of ideas about what it means to be a woman in this world—as it is now. The deep dives of conversation I had with the “Muses” were held in a conclave of all-female participants. From these conversations emerged a story supported by four leads—Rumer, Morgan, Nyomi, Vesta—and a focus on issues that were of keen interest and relevance not only to the young women but also to the female members of the creative team, including stage director D. Lynn Meyers and me. The geography of the life of a young wom-

TEEN ARTISTS from WordPlay Cincy, Music Resource Center—Cincinnati, and i.imagine shared original music, poetry, and photography at the I Am Fierce Partner Showcase in April 2022. Photo by Philip Groshong.

an encompasses many layers, and the excavation is not always easy or straightforward. There was as much laughter about the pizza served as there were silences once confidences had been revealed. The encroachment of technology into the lives of 21st-century people has meant not only increased access to news, information, and entertainment, but also the erosion of privacy and exposure to a higher level of cruelty and abuse. The chorus— known as “Trolls”—arose from these discussions. The names of the lead characters are also linked to the strengths of women throughout the centuries. We think of “Vesta” as a domestic Roman goddess of the hearth. But some archaeologists have posited that this incarnation is built on an earlier deity, a goddess of fire. “Nyomi” is a derivative of names from several cultures including Japanese, as well as “Naomi” from the Old Testament who may appear to be a follower but, in fact, may represent strength and resolve. “Morgan” is a derivative of the powerful Celtic goddess known by many names including the “Morrigan.” She is a shapeshifter and, from the stories told in Irish lore, she is not to be trifled with! “Rumer” is a name with mysterious and conflicting origins (English, German, Welsh) and vague meaning. Rumer, the character, is mysterious and full of conflicting desires. But she can focus on what’s important—when she wants to! These women are warriors, and it is their spirit that embodies the best definitions of the word “fierce”: determined, tenacious, strong. They will remake the world. Sheila J. Williams is a novelist who lives in Northern Kentucky, and her most recent novel, Things Past Telling, was released in March. Fierce is her first opera libretto.

WELCOME HOME, CINCINNATI OPERA! WE’VE MISSED YOU.

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THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE Music by Arthur Sullivan Libretto by W.S. Gilbert Sung in English World premiere: December 31, 1879, at Fifth Avenue Theater, New York City Cincinnati Opera premiere: August 6, 1933, at Cincinnati Zoo Pavilion July 7, 8, and 10, 2022, at Cincinnati Music Hall 11th, 12th, and 13th company performances of The Pirates of Penzance

Conductor Stage Director & Choreographer Scenic & Costume Designer Lighting Designer Wig & Makeup Designer Chorus Master Fight Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Director

David Agler* Seán Curran* James Schuette Thomas C. Hase James Geier Henri Venanzi Gina Cerimele-Mechley Peter Nictakis* Michael Scarola 25

Cast in order of vocal appearance Samuel, the Pirate King’s lieutenant The Pirate King Frederic, a pirate apprentice Ruth, Frederic’s nurse Edith, daughter of Major-General Stanley Kate, daughter of Major-General Stanley Isabel, daughter of Major-General Stanley Mabel, daughter of Major-General Stanley Major-General Stanley Sergeant of Police Queen Victoria

Mark Diamond* Zachary James* Matthew White Amber Wagner* Marlen Nahhas* Jasmin White* Christina Hazen* Lauren Snouffer* Patrick Carﬁzzi* Samuel Smith Betsi Brockmeier

* Cincinnati Opera debut

Production originally created for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Scenery owned by The Atlanta Opera and Palm Beach Opera. Costumes are the property of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

THE STORY

Off the coast of England, Frederic, a young man of 21, celebrates the end of his apprenticeship to a band of pirates. He believes the pirate way of life is wicked, and that the crew should consider a respectable lifestyle. The Pirate King claims that, compared to a respectable lifestyle, piracy is honest. Frederic prepares to leave the pirate ship with his nursemaid Ruth in tow. On the beach, they stumble upon a group of beautiful young women. Frederic asks them to help him reform from his pirate life. All reject him except Mabel, and the two quickly fall in love. The pirates return to storm the beach and capture the young women, intending to marry them. The women’s father, the Major-General, arrives and objects to his daughters being married against their will. To save them, he claims to be an orphan. As orphans themselves, the pirates are sympathetic and agree to release their captives. Later at home, the Major-General laments his lie, and his daughters try to comfort him. The police sergeant arrives and tells them that with Frederic’s help, he is prepared to arrest the pirates. Frederic considers this an opportunity to atone for

a life of piracy. The Pirate King and Ruth arrive and inform him that he was to be apprenticed until his 21st birthday and, as he was born in a leap year on February 29, he is actually only 5 years old. The Pirate King insists that Frederic honor his sense of duty and return to the pirates. Upon realizing this, Frederic tells the Pirate King of the impending attack. Before leaving, Frederic meets with Mabel to tell her of his plight, and they agree to be faithful to each other until his return. Mabel tells the police that they will have to face the pirates alone, not knowing the pirates are planning an attack of their own. The pirates attack the Major-General’s house and easily subdue the police. The sergeant begs for mercy in the name of Queen Victoria. Ruth reveals that the pirates are in fact nobility, and the pirates free the Major-General out of their sense of loyalty to the Queen. The Major-General, happy to have his daughters wed noblemen, offers the pirates their hands in marriage as thanks. All join in celebration of the approaching weddings. –Courtesy of Lyric Opera of Kansas City

IN PERFORMANCE The Pirates of Penzance’s most famous music is an ironic example of the piracy Gilbert and Sullivan despised. The second-act chorus “Come Friends Who Plow the Seas” became “Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here!” in the U.S. as early as 1898. In 1915, it found its way into The Ohio State University’s ﬁght song “Across the Field.” “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” is Gilbert and Sullivan’s best-known patter song, a dizzying sequence of ingenious rhymes sung at breathtaking speed. The song is a proving ground for contemporary lyricists who take on everything from biblical philology, the Periodic Table, Animaniacs, and of course, politics. The heroine Mabel gets a star turn with “Poor Wandering One,” a coloratura aria featuring plenty of passages ascending into the stratosphere and a ﬁnal high C that dazzles as much as anything Rossini or Donizetti penned. –Anne Arenstein

The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes. There will be one intermission.

HIJINKS ON THE HIGH SEAS BY A N N E A R E N S T E I N

BASS KEVIN BURDETTE AS THE PIRATE KING in The Atlanta Opera’s production of The Pirates of Penzance. Photo by Jeff Roffman.

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The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan’s ﬁfth collaboration, premiered in 1879 and has outlasted their other 13 operettas, for good reasons. William S. Gilbert’s satiric pen took aim at less-than-deserving military appointees (this time, a modern majorgeneral), politicians, and human foibles, while his partner, composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, satirized Italian opera. Joseph Papp’s wildly successful 1980 production for New York’s Public Theater revitalized Pirates with updated orchestrations and a star-studded cast including Linda Ronstadt, Kevin Kline, and Rex Smith. Highlights from the live performance and the ﬁlm adaptation are worth seeking out on YouTube. Papp didn’t need to update anything in the script; the stage and screen versions demonstrate that the humor remains timely and classic. But Gilbert and Sullivan were targeting actual pirates who made the most of limited copyright laws. Back in the 19th century, British copyrights did not extend to the U.S., and American impresarios were only too happy to present the duo’s hugely popular H.M.S. Pinafore without having to pay royalties. Gilbert and Sullivan retaliated with The Pirates of Penzance, staging a makeshift production in New York to secure a U.S. copyright, the only work of theirs to have its world premiere outside of London.

To no avail. Although the copyright laws failed to prevent unlicensed stagings, Gilbert and Sullivan did quite well with ofﬁcially authorized productions that outdrew the competition, just as they had with H.M.S. Pinafore. And Gilbert was much kinder to his own pirates than he was to the British military and constabulary. In his topsy-turvy world, the pirates are tenderhearted and “comparatively honest,” the police run from confrontation, and the military is clueless. Gilbert’s targets included British devotion to rectitude and personal duty. Frederic, who has been apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday, wails that he is “the slave of duty” when his birthday turns out to be February 29. Get it? Sir Arthur set his sights on grand opera, sending up bel canto coloratura with Mabel’s bravura aria “Poor Wandering One.” Verdi’s “Anvil Chorus” is lampooned in Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous chorus, “With Cat-Like Tread.” Even Schubert comes in for parody as the Major-General sings “Sighing Softly to the River,” accompanied by “water-rippling” phrases from the strings. There’s disagreement on whether the grand chorale in the Act I ﬁnale (“Hail, Poetry”) is another Verdi sendup or a Mozart string quartet parody. Whoever the target, Sullivan’s musical settings have their own sly brilliance that are the perfect match for Gilbert’s equally brilliant wordplay. It’s been 42 years since The Pirates of Penzance dropped anchor in Music Hall. A pick-up orchestra accompanied the cast, most of whom were members of the young artists program. This time around, Pirates makes a triumphant return with the CSO in the pit and a cast of worldclass professionals, some of whom have performed, staged, or conducted Gilbert and Sullivan as well as Verdi, Donizetti, and Mozart. Welcome back, friends who plow the seas! We’ve missed ye. Anne Arenstein is a freelance writer whose work appears in City Beat, Parterre, and Cincinnati Fanfare. She wrote a chapter on new works for Cincinnati Opera: A Centennial Celebration.

A PROMOTIONAL POSTER from a 1937 production of The Pirates of Penzance by the Cincinnati Federal Theatre. Poster design by James H. Murphy (Work Projects Administration Poster Collection, Library of Congress).

Production Underwriter David C. Herriman Fund of GCF CO2 Underwriter Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation Additional Support National Endowment for the Arts Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts)

Performance Sponsors Thomas W. Busse Trust Center Stage Board Associates Flow by ArtsWave Keller Williams Seven Hills The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation

Season Presenting Sponsor Huntington

CASTOR AND PATIENCE Music by Gregory Spears Libretto by Tracy K. Smith Sung in English A Cincinnati Opera World Premiere July 21, 23, 24, 28, and 30, 2022, at Corbett Theater, School for Creative and Performing Arts

Kazem Abdullah Kevin Newbury Vita Tzykun Jessica Jahn* Rachel Eliza Grifﬁths* S. Katy Tucker Thomas C. Hase James Geier Hannah Holthaus Eboni Adams

Conductor Stage Director Scenic Designer Costume Designer Image Designer Projection Designer Lighting Designer Wig & Makeup Designer Production Stage Manager Assistant Stage Director

31 Cast Castor, a family man in his 40s Celeste, Castor’s wife Ruthie, Castor and Celeste’s daughter Judah, Castor and Celeste’s son Patience, Castor’s ﬁrst cousin West, Patience’s son Wilhelmina, Patience’s daughter Clarissa/Ensemble Jane/Watch Night Leader/Woman/Ensemble Cato/Watchman/First Man/Man 1/Ensemble Nestor/Third Man/Man 3/Ensemble Second Man/Man 2/Ensemble

Reginald Smith Jr. Jennifer Johnson Cano Raven McMillon Frederick Ballentine Talise Trevigne Benjamin Taylor* Victoria Okafor Amber Monroe* Zoie Reams* Phillip Bullock Victor Ryan Robertson Earl Hazell*

* Cincinnati Opera debut

A new opera commissioned by Cincinnati Opera. Production constructed by Cincinnati Opera. Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Helicon Music Corporation, New York, publisher and copyright owner.

THE STORY

December 31, 1862. On the eve of the Emancipation Proclamation in a praise house on the coast in the American South, a Watch Night celebration is taking place. Act I 2008. Castor and his family have driven from Buffalo, New York, to his birthplace in a rural community in the American South. This is the same location where the Watch Night celebration took place. Castor knows what is at stake on this trip, and his wife Celeste does too, but to a lesser degree. The children, Ruthie and Judah, are oblivious. They stand with him at a ferry landing, awaiting the boat that will take them to where Castor’s cousin Patience lives with her two adult children, West and Wilhelmina. Patience and West discuss his upcoming departure from the island for work. They both wait for the arrival of Castor’s family. Castor and his family arrive at Patience’s house. In a private conversation with Celeste, Castor explains that they are ﬁnancially desperate, and he hopes to negotiate his stake in the family property with Patience. Later, Judah and Ruthie get to know West. After dinner, Patience reminisces with Castor. Time ﬂashes back to 1966 when Cato and Clarissa, Castor’s parents, decide to leave the island and move north. While Castor and Patience get reacquainted, West and Wilhelmina take Celeste, Judah, and Ruthie to the Whistle, a spot where locals congregate. Act II 1870, in the same location. A group of three men and one woman, members of the newly established autonomous freedmen’s community, are gathered on a house porch to swap stories about the many ways whites and the banks have tricked and cheated Black people out of their land deeds. 2008. On the second day of Castor’s family’s visit, West leads them to an unmarked cemetery where some of Castor’s ancestors are buried. Judah and Ruthie learn about the history of their fam-

ily’s relationship to the land. Castor describes his parents’ experience with redlining in Buffalo in the 1960s. He reveals that a ballooning mortgage underlies his financial struggles. Castor receives a call informing him that he’s defaulted on his loan payments; the bank explains that someone will be repossessing the family car. Later that same day. Patience’s daughter Wilhelmina comforts the kids. Celeste asks Patience for her blessing in allowing them to sell a few acres. But Patience isn’t convinced that she holds the solution to their problems. That night. Judah runs outside during a rainstorm and blows off a little steam. At the same time, in one of the guest bedrooms, Castor wakes from a feverish sleep and tries to have it out with his demons. The following morning. The family all discuss the crisis in the open. Judah, who has been pulling away from his father, informs his parents that he wants to stay on the island rather than return to Buffalo. The next day. Castor and Celeste’s car has been repossessed. Judah is even more adamant that he wants to stay with Patience’s family. To break the tension, Patience drives everyone to a plot of land and house that once belonged to Castor’s parents. At the house, another flashback to 1966 reveals that Cato was having an affair with Patience’s mother, Jane. This family secret instigated Castor’s parents’ reluctant departure from the island to seek a new life up north. Castor and his family are deeply moved by seeing his childhood home, which Patience has preserved. Celeste tells Castor that this is what they have come there to find. Late in the day. Cato and Clarissa, as well as Castor, Celeste, and Ruthie, board the ferry for the mainland. Others from both time periods do the same. It remains unknown whether Castor decides to sell the plot of land Patience has saved for him.

The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. There will be one intermission.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY T R A C Y K . S M I T H A N D G R E G O R Y S P E A R S

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH inspired the setting of Castor and Patience. Photo by Rachel Eliza Grifﬁths.

The creators of Castor and Patience would like to acknowledge that this work is being performed upon the unceded traditional territory of the Delaware, Miami, and Shawnee tribal nations. We pay our respects to elders, past, present, and future.

This work of ﬁction is invested in the joys and complexities of home and family, and it asks us to ponder certain questions: What and who is home? What can we ask of the people we love? What do we owe them? Are the things we inherit meant to set us free, or bind us more tightly to one another? For the Black family at the heart of this story, these questions inevitably lead forward into possibility and back toward a many-layered history. The ancestral home of Castor and Patience is rooted in the American South where Black citizens’ claim to property has historically been fraught. In 1865, the U.S. government initiated an effort to allocate Confederate land to formerly enslaved Blacks. Months later, following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, one of Andrew Johnson’s ﬁrst acts as president was to undo this groundbreaking “40 Acres and a Mule” initiative and redistribute nearly all of the land in question to whites. A great many Black families were pushed into sharecropping or tenant-farming arrangements, and thereby wedged in the rungs of the racial caste system known as Jim Crow. However, some newly emancipated Blacks in coastal Georgia and South Carolina managed to purchase land from the U.S. government during Reconstruction. What was once a site of their enslavement became home to a host of autonomous Black communities—some of which exist still despite more than a century’s worth of threats from erratic tax practices, eminent domain, the complex legal issues surrounding heirs’ property, and other means both legal and nefarious. Although, as the value of property along the Southern coast soars, zealous developers contribute to the rate at which Black farming communities are being replaced with golf resorts and luxury enclaves.

It is this legacy that provides the backdrop for the original libretto for the opera Castor and Patience, which takes place at the beginning of the 2008 financial disaster, a moment of economic crisis with its own links to land and real estate speculation. In the opera, the character Patience is committed to hanging onto the land her family has owned since Reconstruction. But she is an heir-in-common with Castor, whose parents left the South for Buffalo during a late wave of the Great Migration. In building a life of opportunity and even thriving for their children in the North, Castor’s parents swapped Jim Crow for policies of redlining, housing segregation, gentrification, predatory lending, and displacement through eminent domain. What and who is home? What can we ask of the people we love? What do we owe them? Are the things we inherit meant to set us free, or bind us more tightly to one another? If we were to regard this story from an even further vantage point, we might see that Castor and Patience are contending with an even older legacy: that of land theft, displacement, and genocide which can be traced to the first days of European settlement on these shores. Or, to put it differently, we might be nudged to admit that, no matter who we are or where we call Home, History is always here with us, pushing up from the ground beneath our feet.

Tracy K. Smith is a two-term U.S. poet laureate (2017-2019), author of ﬁve collections of poetry, and recipient of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for her collection Life on Mars.

Gregory Spears is a New York-based composer. His opera, Fellow Travelers, with libretto by Greg Pierce, received its world premiere at Cincinnati Opera in 2016.

JESSICA JAHN’S COSTUME SKETCHES for Castor and Patience portray a family across three time periods: 1870, 1966, and 2008.

ENJOY “CASTOR AND PATIENCE” The world premiere of Cincinnati Opera’s “Castor and Patience,” is finally here. After a two-year wait, Flow, An African American Arts Experience, powered by ArtsWave, is proud to help bring it to life as part of its series of quarterly performances by renowned Black artists. The arts help us to build an inclusive, more equitable community. Elevating African American artistry through your support of Flow is one way to make a difference locally. We hope you will join us for more Flow events. Please scan the QR code to join our mailing list of culturally adventurous supporters of African American artists and artistry. If you haven’t given to ArtsWave this year, please consider a donation to the annual ArtsWave Campaign, the primary way the region funds its arts. ArtsWave is working with arts organizations to make inclusion a hallmark of the region’s arts through “Lifting As We Learn,” our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) commitment and plan. The plan includes investing in organizations that share a commitment to DEIA; increasing resources for organizations of color; promoting the voices of all artists in our community; building audiences that reflect the region; and other efforts to deepen roots and bridge cultural divides across our community. We hope you will consider supporting ArtsWave, and we hope to see you at our upcoming Flow events. Sincerely,

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& A S S O C I AT E S

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Production Underwriter Larry and Beth Uhlenbrock Performance Sponsors Thomas W. Busse Trust Mrs. Beryl Merritt, in memory of Beryl Merritt Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack Society of Angels

Season Presenting Sponsor Huntington

AIDA Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni Sung in the original Italian World premiere: December 24, 1871, at the Cairo Opera House Cincinnati Opera premiere: July 17, 1921, at Cincinnati Zoo Pavilion July 22, 26, 29, and 31, 2022, at Cincinnati Music Hall 134th, 135th, 136th, and 137th company performances of Aida

Christopher Allen Crystal Manich* Claude Girard and Bernard Uzan Claude Girard Thomas C. Hase Joe Beumer* James Geier Henri Venanzi Michael Pappalardo* Megan Bennett Haley Stamats*

Conductor Stage Director Scenic Designers Costume Designer Lighting Designer Lighting Co-Designer Wig & Makeup Designer Chorus Master Choreographer Stage Manager Assistant Stage Director

Cast in order of vocal appearance Ramﬁs, high priest of Isis Radamès, Egyptian army captain Amneris, Egyptian princess Aida, Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt King of Egypt, Amneris’s father Messenger High Priestess Amonasro, Ethiopian king, Aida’s father

Morris Robinson Gregory Kunde Tichina Vaughn* Mary Elizabeth Williams* Peixin Chen* Houston Tyrrell Jennifer Cherest Gordon Hawkins

* Cincinnati Opera debut

A co-production of Pittsburgh Opera, Opéra de Montréal, and Utah Opera. Scenery provided by Pittsburgh Opera. Costumes created for Opéra de Montréal.

THE STORY

Ancient Egypt, during the reign of the pharaohs. The high priest Ramﬁs tells the warrior Radamès that Ethiopia is preparing another attack against Egypt. Radamès hopes to command the Egyptian army. He is in love with Aida, an enslaved Ethiopian woman, and he believes that victory would enable them to marry. But Princess Amneris loves Radamès, and she senses his feelings for Aida. The king names Radamès to lead the army. Left alone, Aida is torn between her love for Radamès and loyalty to her country, where her father, Amonasro, is king. In the temple, the priests consecrate Radamès, and Ramﬁs orders him to protect the homeland. Ethiopia has been defeated, and Amneris awaits Radamès’s return. When Aida approaches, Amneris attempts to learn her feelings. Aida’s reactions leave no doubt that she loves Radamès. Amneris, certain she will be victorious, leaves for the triumphal procession. The king and Amneris crown Radamès with a victor’s wreath. Captured Ethiopians are led in. Among them is Amonasro, who signals his daughter not to reveal his identity. Radamès asks for the prisoners to be freed. The king grants his request but keeps Amonasro in custody. The king

declares that Radamès will have Amneris’s hand in marriage. On the eve of the wedding, Ramfis and Amneris enter a temple on the banks of the Nile to pray. Aida, who is waiting for Radamès, is lost in thoughts of her homeland. Amonasro appears and coerces Aida to find out the Egyptian army’s plans from Radamès. Amonasro hides as Radamès arrives and assures Aida of his love. Aida asks him about his army’s plans, and just as he reveals the secret, Amonasro emerges. When he realizes Amonasro’s identity, Radamès is horrified by what he has done. Ramfis and Amneris step out of the temple. Amonasro and Aida are able to escape, but Radamès surrenders. Radamès awaits trial. Amneris offers to save him if he renounces Aida, but he refuses. When he is brought before the priests, he is condemned to be buried alive. Amneris begs for mercy, but the judges are unwavering. Aida has hidden in the vault to share Radamès’s fate. They express their love for the last time while Amneris prays in the temple above. –Courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera

IN PERFORMANCE Verdi’s innate sense of drama and the exactitude with which he achieved it can be thought of as a range of orchestral colors that tell stories extending far beyond the words. This can be found in huge set pieces—such as the Triumphal March in the second act. But pay attention to small details most people overlook. Listen to the urgency and mounting alarm in Act I as the Messenger tells of the Ethiopian invasion of Egyptian soil. Or, in the first scene of Act II, how Amneris deceives Aida by telling her Radamès is dead in a way that both princesses (the latter enslaved) reveal their true feelings to each other and to us. Notice, in the first music of Act III, how Verdi creates a sense of the stirrings of dawn along the Nile. In the last act, before the sensational Judgment Scene and beautiful finale, there is the thrilling argument between Radamès and Amneris that sets up all that follows. —Fred Plotkin

The performance will last approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes. There will be two intermissions.

MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR BY FRED PLOTKIN

SOPRANO LISA DALTIRUS AS AIDA AND BARITONE GORDON HAWKINS as Amonasro (foreground) in the Triumphal March scene of Cincinnati Opera’s 2007 Aida. Photo by Philip Groshong.

Mention Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida to someone not deeply acquainted with it and the response might be, “That’s the grand opera with the elephants!” In fact, apart from some outdoor performances done in the past for tourists at Rome’s Baths of Caracalla, the presence of pachyderms in Aida productions is rare indeed. This opera is much more than grand spectacle, thrilling though that can be. Ismail Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, wanted Verdi to write an ode to inaugurate the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo coinciding with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Verdi was offended, replying that he would not create music for “an occasion.” The theater ultimately opened with Rigoletto on November 1, 1869. Aida only came later, in part because Verdi was intrigued by some of the elements of the story and its dramatic potential. It did not hurt that he was offered the stupendous fee of 150,000 French francs (four times what he got in Paris to compose Don Carlos in 1867).

Like all of Verdi’s masterpieces, Aida is suffused with the composer’s concerns about political freedom, justice, questions of public responsibility versus private desires, and the inevitable disaster that is the legacy of those who would make war rather than love. Verdi had used his early operas—including Nabucco, Attila, and Macbeth—to foster Il Risorgimento (the Resurgence) that led to the formation of the Italian Republic in 1861. The struggling new nation was showing signs of discord. When Verdi began work on Aida, conflicts (including the Franco-Prussian War and Siege of Paris in 1870) had been raging in Europe for decades. The composer was a senatore a vita (a permanent senator) in the new government, whose first capital was Turin, seat of the House of Savoy, Italy’s royal family. They had a passion for ancient Egypt and, in 1832, opened the world’s first museum devoted to the subject. Verdi spent considerable time there, drawing inspiration to create Aida. Typically, Verdi took part in rehearsals of his new operas to elaborate or fine-tune his orchestrations and make changes if he felt something in the dramaturgy could be improved. Verdi did not go to Cairo to participate in the inaugural production. This meant that he did the orchestration ahead of time. Given Verdi’s talents and those of his librettist Ghislanzoni, and the importance of the occasion, it was not a surprise that the opera enjoyed a huge success on December 24, 1871. When Aida came to Italy (La Scala on February 8, 1872), Verdi tinkered with it somewhat. He composed an overture but eventually abandoned it during the rehearsal period. He also focused more on the final moments of the opera, when Aida and Radamès sing a love duet in the chamber that will become their tomb. The last lines of the opera are given to Amneris, Aida’s Egyptian rival for the love of Radamès: “Pace t’imploro, pace, pace, pace.” After all the death and bloodshed—in the opera and in real life—the composer (through Amneris) makes a plea for peace to his own fellow citizens and to all Europeans. How sadly fitting his message still is today.

Fred Plotkin is author of Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera. He writes for WQXR’s Operavore, lectures for major opera companies, and hosts “Fred Plotkin on Fridays” on Idagio.com.

AMNERIS (MEZZO-SOPRANO MICHELLE DEYOUNG) prays while Aida (soprano Latonia Moore) and Radamès (tenor Antonello Palombi) embrace in Cincinnati Opera’s 2013 production of Aida. Photo by Philip Groshong.

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SEASON ARTISTS CINCINNATI OPERA 2022 * Cincinnati Opera debut

KAZEM ABDULLAH

Conductor (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Opera in the Park (2021) Elsewhere: Fire Shut Up in My Bones (The Metropolitan Opera); The Central Park Five (Portland Opera); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Detroit Opera) Upcoming: Proximity (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Omar (LA Opera); Concert engagements (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony)

DAVID AGLER

Conductor (Vancouver, British Columbia)

The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Artistic Director (Wexford Festival Opera); Music Director (Vancouver Opera); Principal Conductor (Australian Opera)

CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

Conductor (New York, New York)

Aida Cincinnati: The Magic Flute (2017); Tosca (2016); Morning Star (2015) Elsewhere: The Magic Flute (Opéra de Montréal); Carmen (Arizona Opera); The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis) Upcoming: La Traviata (Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Handel’s Messiah (Kansas City Symphony)

FREDERICK BALLENTINE

Tenor (Norfolk, Virginia)

Judah, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Steersman, The Flying Dutchman (2018); Sportin’ Life, Porgy and Bess (2019) Elsewhere: Sportin’ Life, Porgy and Bess (The Metropolitan Opera); Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Seattle Opera); Nick, The Handmaid’s Tale (English National Opera) Upcoming: George, It’s a Wonderful Life & Loge, Das Rheingold (English National Opera)

JOE BEUMER

Lighting Co-Designer (New York, New York)

Aida* Elsewhere: The Barber of Seville (Opera Colorado); Tosca (Utah Opera); Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Atlanta Opera) Upcoming: Cavalleria Rusticana & Rigoletto (Opera Colorado); Thumbprint (Portland Opera)

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PHILLIP BULLOCK

Baritone (Berea, Kentucky)

Cato/Watchman/First Man/Man 1/Ensemble, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Angelotti, Tosca (2021); Gregorio, Romeo and Juliet (2019); Jim, Porgy and Bess (2019) Elsewhere: Jim, Porgy and Bess (Royal Danish Opera); Gregorio, Romeo and Juliet (Maryland Lyric Opera); Moralès, Carmen (Richmond Symphony Orchestra); Antonio, The Marriage of Figaro (Kentucky Opera)

JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO

Mezzo-soprano (St. Louis, Missouri)

Celeste, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Diana, La Calisto (2014) Elsewhere: Virginia Woolf, The Hours (Philadelphia Orchestra Association); Emilia, Otello & Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (The Metropolitan Opera); Offred, The Handmaid’s Tale (Boston Lyric Opera) Upcoming: Meg Page, Falstaff (The Metropolitan Opera)

PATRICK CARFIZZI

Bass-baritone (Newburgh, New York)

Major-General Stanley, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Lakai, Ariadne auf Naxos (The Metropolitan Opera); Leporello, Don Giovanni (Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden); Starveling, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Fe Opera) Upcoming: The Bailli, Werther & Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (Houston Grand Opera); Sacristan, Tosca (The Metropolitan Opera) 44

GINA CERIMELE-MECHLEY

Fight & Intimacy Director (Cincinnati, Ohio)

La Bohème; Fierce; The Pirates of Penzance; Castor and Patience; Aida Cincinnati: Romeo and Juliet, Porgy and Bess (2019); The Flying Dutchman, Another Brick in the Wall (2018); Fidelio, Tosca (2016); Silent Night (2014) Elsewhere: Romeo and Juliet (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company); Two Trains Running (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park) Upcoming: Cabaret (Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy)

PEIXIN CHEN

Bass (Houston, Texas)

King, Aida* Elsewhere: Timur, Turandot (Houston Grand Opera); Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville (San Diego Opera); Sarastro, The Magic Flute (The Metropolitan Opera) Upcoming: Fasolt, Das Rheingold (The Dallas Opera); Attila, Attila (Florida Grand Opera); Colline, La Bohème (Washington National Opera)

JENNIFER CHEREST

Soprano (LaPlata, Maryland)

High Priestess, Aida Cincinnati: Cristina Kahlo, Frida (2017) Elsewhere: Gilda, Rigoletto (Dayton Opera); Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro (North Carolina Opera); Gretel, Hansel and Gretel (Washington National Opera) Upcoming: Soloist (Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra); Suor Genovieffa, Suor Angelica (Opera Omaha)

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ANDRÉ COURVILLE

Bass-baritone (Breaux Bridge, Louisiana)

Colline, La Bohème Cincinnati: Zuniga, Carmen (2021) Elsewhere: Clistene, L’Olimpiade (Moscow Philharmonic Society); Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterﬂy (Opera di Firenze); Pietro, Simon Boccanegra (Opéra de Rouen Normandie) Upcoming: Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Berkshire Opera Festival); Titurel, Parsifal (Houston Grand Opera)

ANTONIO CRUZ

Baritone (Tucson, Arizona)

Troll 2/Jim, Fierce* Elsewhere: L’horloge comtoise and Le chat, L’enfant et les sortilèges (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra); Yeletsky cover, The Queen of Spades (Des Moines Metro Opera); Papageno, The Magic Flute (UC College-Conservatory of Music)

SEÁN CURRAN

Stage Director & Choreographer (New York, New York)

The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Romeo and Juliet (The Metropolitan Opera); Gianni Schicchi (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Salome (San Francisco Opera) Upcoming: M. Butterﬂy (Santa Fe Opera); Seán Curran Company in “Ceili” (Irish Arts Center, New York)

MARK DIAMOND

Baritone (Waco, Texas)

Samuel, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Aeneas, Dido and Aeneas (Ars Lyrica Houston); Marcello, La Bohème (Houston Grand Opera); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (Opéra de Reims, Théâtre de Caen, Opéra de Limoges); Soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) Upcoming: Anthony Hope, Sweeney Todd (Austin Opera)

JESSICA DRAYTON

Projection Designer (Powder Springs, Georgia)

Fierce* Elsewhere: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company); Viva Diva! (Dallas Opera); Eugene Onegin (Dallas Symphony Orchestra) Upcoming: Lighting designer, Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theatre Awards; Lighting designer, Young Frankenstein (Circle Theater)

THOMAS DREEZE

Baritone (Toledo, Ohio)

Benoit/Alcindoro, La Bohème Cincinnati: El Dancaïro, Carmen (2021); Count Capulet, Romeo and Juliet (2019); Frank, Die Fledermaus (2016) Elsewhere: Soloist, Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem (Hilton Head Symphony); Doctor, Pelléas et Mélisande (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) Upcoming: Soloist, Stanbery’s The Golden Door (Carnegie Hall)

DICKY DUTTON

Baritone (Wellsville, New York)

Custom-House Ofﬁcer, La Bohème* Elsewhere: JJ, A Halloween Tree workshop (American Lyric Theater); Composer and performance artist, Vexations in Time (The Why Collective, Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre); Performance artist, Before Body Meets Earth (Aural Compass Projects) Upcoming: Soloist, Bach’s Easter Oratorio (Philadelphia Choral Arts Society)

VICTORIA ELLINGTON

Soprano (Washington, D.C.)

Nyomi, Fierce* Cincinnati: Soloist, Opera in the Park (2021) Elsewhere: Leontine, L’Amant Anonyme (UC College-Conservatory of Music); Rachel, Harriet Tubman (Cleveland Opera Theatre) Upcoming: Pamina, The Magic Flute (Cincinnati Opera and Madcap Puppets)

ALAIN GAUTHIER

Stage Director (Montreal, Quebec)

La Bohème Cincinnati: Pagliacci (2012); Gianni Schicchi (2012); Così Fan Tutte (2007); L’Étoile (2006) Elsewhere: La Traviata (Calgary Opera); The Elixir of Love (Opéra de Québec); Written on Skin (Opéra de Montréal) Upcoming: La veuve joyeuse (Festival d’Opéra de Québec); L’Étoile (Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University) 47

JAMES GEIER

Wig & Makeup Designer (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Resident Wig & Makeup Designer Cincinnati: 2004–2021 seasons Elsewhere: Pittsburgh Opera, 2003–2021 seasons; The Nutcracker (Cincinnati Ballet) Upcoming: Pittsburgh Opera, 2022–2023 season; The Nutcracker (Cincinnati Ballet)

MARK GIBSON

Conductor (Cincinnati, Ohio)

La Bohème Cincinnati: Fellow Travelers (2016) Elsewhere: West Side Story (China National Opera); A New Yorker’s Broadway Valentine (Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra); Salome (UC College-Conservatory of Music) Upcoming: Carmen (Miami Music Festival), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 & Das Lied von der Erde (UC College-Conservatory of Music)

MEGAN GRAVES

Mezzo-soprano (Fort Worth, Texas)

Rumer, Fierce* Elsewhere: Second Witch, Dido and Aeneas (Palm Beach Opera); Chorus (Den Norske Opera & Ballet)

RACHEL ELIZA GRIFFITHS

Image Designer (New York, New York)

Castor and Patience* Recent Work: Seeing the Body (W.W. Norton & Company; Winner, 2021 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Poetry, 2021 Paterson Poetry Prize; Nominee, 2020 NAACP Image Award) Upcoming: Promise (Random House)

THOMAS C. HASE

Lighting Designer (Madison, Wisconsin)

Resident Lighting Designer & Lighting Director Cincinnati: 1997–2021 seasons Elsewhere: The Demon (Opéra National de Bordeaux, Gran Teatre de Liceu); Ariadne auf Naxos (Santa Fe Opera); Romeo and Juliet (Houston Grand Opera); Alcina (Opera North) Upcoming: The Elixir of Love (Seattle Opera); Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi (San Diego Opera)

GORDON HAWKINS

Baritone (Washington, D.C.)

Amonasro, Aida Cincinnati: Scarpia, Tosca (2016); Amonasro, Aida (2013); Crown, Porgy and Bess (2012) Elsewhere: Rigoletto, Rigoletto (Deutsche Oper am Rhein); Alberich, Götterdämmerung (Washington National Opera); Nabucco, Nabucco (Seattle Opera) Upcoming: Featured artist, Proximity (Lyric Opera of Chicago) 48

EARL HAZELL

Bass (New York, New York)

Second Man/Man 2/Ensemble, Castor and Patience* Elsewhere: Nelson, Porgy and Bess (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Speaker, The Magic Flute (Tulsa Opera); Talpa, Il Tabarro (Utah Festival Opera); Old Gypsy, Il Trovatore (Arizona Opera); Jim, Porgy and Bess (San Francisco Opera) Upcoming: Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (Birmingham Opera)

CHRISTINA HAZEN

Mezzo-soprano (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Isabel, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro (UC College-Conservatory of Music); Soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Dayton Opera); Flora Bervoix, La Traviata (Dayton Opera) Upcoming: Goffredo, Rinaldo & Zerlina cover, Don Giovanni (Minnesota Opera)

WENDY HILL

Soprano (Racine, Wisconsin)

Ms. Lee-Adler/Troll 4/Mary, Fierce Cincinnati: Berta, The Barber of Seville (2021); Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro (2019) Elsewhere: Woglinde, Götterdämmerung & Waldvogel, Siegfried (Seattle Opera); Constance Fletcher, The Mother of Us All (San Francisco Opera)

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JESSICA JAHN

Costume Designer (New York, New York)

Castor and Patience* Elsewhere: Fidelio (San Francisco Opera); Blue (Glimmerglass Festival); The Snowy Day (Houston Grand Opera) Upcoming: Orpheus and Eurydice (San Francisco Opera); West Side Story (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

ZACHARY JAMES

Bass (Spring Hill, Florida)

Pirate King, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Amenhotep, Akhnaten (The Metropolitan Opera); Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd (Opera Omaha); Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha (Opera Saratoga) Upcoming: Sciarrone, Tosca (LA Opera); Lucius, Edward Tulane (Minnesota Opera); Amenhotep, Akhnaten (English National Opera)

M. ANDREW JONES

Tenor (Moline, Illinois)

Troll 1/John, Fierce Cincinnati: Messenger, Aida (2013); Innkeeper, Der Rosenkavalier (2013) Elsewhere: Mime, Siegfried; Max, Der Freischütz; Jaquino, Fidelio (Queen City Opera); Don José, Carmen (UC College-Conservatory of Music)

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GREGORY KUNDE

Tenor (Kankakee, Illinois)

Radamès, Aida Cincinnati: Alfredo, La Traviata (1989) Elsewhere: Otello, Otello (Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Bayerische Staatsoper); Calàf, Turandot (Staatsoper Hamburg); Manrico, Il Trovatore (Glimmerglass Festival) Upcoming: Calàf, Turandot (Arena di Verona); Don Alvaro, La Forza del Destino (Teatro Regio di Parma); Cavaradossi, Tosca (LA Opera)

OLIVIER LANDREVILLE

Scenic & Costume Designer (Montreal, Quebec)

La Bohème Cincinnati: Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi (2012) Elsewhere: Gianni Schicchi & Faust (Opéra de Montréal) Upcoming: Carmen (Paciﬁc Opera Victoria)

CRYSTAL MANICH

Stage Director (Boquerón, Puerto Rico)

Aida* Elsewhere: The Copper Queen ﬁlm (Arizona Opera); West Side Story (Opera San José); Southern Crossings (Barnard College)

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LAUREN MCALLISTER

Mezzo-soprano (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Vesta, Fierce* Elsewhere: Lazuli, L’Étoile (Sin City Opera); Melanto, Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria (Opéra Louisiane); Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Saratoga) Upcoming: Performances with Avivimus Vocal Duo and Seven Hills Baroque

RANDELL MCGEE

Baritone (St. Louis, Missouri)

Sergeant, La Bohème* Elsewhere: Colline, La Bohème (Winter Opera Saint Louis); Sergeant, La Bohème (Union Avenue Opera); Adult James, Fire Shut Up in My Bones & Usher, Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis)

RAVEN MCMILLON

Soprano (Baltimore, Maryland)

Musetta, La Bohème & Ruthie, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Frasquita, Carmen (2021) Elsewhere: Gilda, Rigoletto (Opera Philadelphia); Pamina, The Magic Flute (Des Moines Metro Opera); Peter, The Snowy Day & Gretel, Hansel and Gretel (Houston Grand Opera) Upcoming: Johanna, Sweeney Todd (Austin Opera) 52

WILLIAM MENEFIELD

Composer (Iowa City, Iowa)

Fierce* Elsewhere: Prism (Carnegie Hall); A Joyful Noise (University of Iowa School of Music); Feelin’ Good (Seasongood Pavilion) Upcoming: Pianist, Mark Lomax Quartet (National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Taft Museum of Art)

D. LYNN MEYERS

Stage Director (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Fierce* Elsewhere: Producing Artistic Director, Tiny Beautiful Things, Cinderella (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati); Playwright, Keeper of the Realm (The Carnegie); Casting director, Carol, Miles Ahead, Shirley, Bones and All

AMBER R. MONROE

Soprano (Youngstown, Ohio)

Clarissa/Ensemble, Castor and Patience* Elsewhere: Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni (Opera Columbus); Countess Almaviva (Kentucky Opera); Nedda, Pagliacci (El Paso Opera); Rooster/Jay, The Cunning Little Vixen (Glimmerglass Festival) Upcoming: Inez, Il Trovatore; Isabel, The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson; Mimì cover, La Bohème (Washington National Opera)

MARLEN NAHHAS

Soprano (Houston, Texas)

Edith, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Mimì, La Bohème & Cristina Kahlo, Frida (Detroit Opera); Musetta, La Bohème: Rodolfo Remembers (Virginia Opera); Gretel, Hansel and Gretel (Opera Ithaca)

KEVIN NEWBURY

Stage Director (Auburn, Maine)

Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Fellow Travelers (2016) Elsewhere: La Favorite (Houston Grand Opera); Faust (Lyric Opera of Chicago); The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera) Upcoming: The Fall of the House of Usher (OrpheusPDX)

VICTORIA OKAFOR

Soprano (Hyattsville , Maryland)

Wilhelmina, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Barbarina, The Marriage of Figaro & Alesha, Blind Injustice (2019) Elsewhere: Miss Lightfoot, Fellow Travelers & Flora, La Traviata (Opera Columbus); Laura Brown cover, The Hours (Philadelphia Orchestra) Upcoming: Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 (Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra) 54

MICHAEL PAPPALARDO

Choreographer (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Aida* Elsewhere: West Side Story & Dido and Aeneas (Opera San José); Carmen & Romeo and Juliet (Melbourne City Ballet) Upcoming: 1984 & The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Canyon Concert Ballet)

JI-MIN PARK

Tenor (Seoul, South Korea)

Rodolfo, La Bohème Cincinnati: Alfredo, La Traviata (2019); Ernesto, Don Pasquale (2015) Elsewhere: Rodolfo, La Bohème (Opera Australia); Alfredo, La Traviata (Teatro La Fenice); Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (Atlanta Opera) Upcoming: Alfredo, La Traviata (Opera Australia)

RODION POGOSSOV

Baritone (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Marcello, La Bohème Cincinnati: Papageno, The Magic Flute & Marcello, La Bohème (2017) Elsewhere: Dandini, La Cenerentola (LA Opera); Papageno, The Magic Flute (The Metropolitan Opera) Upcoming: Jaroslav Prus, The Makropulos Case (Malmö Opera); Belcore, The Elixir of Love (Seattle Opera); Melitone, La Forza del Destino (Royal Opera House)

ZOIE REAMS

Mezzo-soprano (Chicago, Illinois)

Jane/Watch Night Leader/Woman/Ensemble, Castor and Patience* Elsewhere: Carmen, Carmen (Minnesota Opera); Lily, Porgy and Bess (The Metropolitan Opera) Upcoming: Ragonde, Le Comte Ory & Featured artist, Proximity (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Beggar Woman, Sweeney Todd (Austin Opera)

SAMANTHA RENO

Production Designer (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Fierce* Elsewhere: Resident Scenic Designer (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, B Street Theatre); Guest artist and lecturer, Peter and the Starcatcher & Flora the Red Menace (University of California, Davis) Upcoming: Twelfth Night; The Living Dead; The Rewards of Being Frank (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company)

VICTOR RYAN ROBERTSON

Tenor (Atlanta, Georgia)

Nestor/Third Man/Man 3/Ensemble, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: El Remendado, Carmen (2021) Elsewhere: Elijah & Street, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Detroit Opera); Raymond Santana, The Central Park Five (Portland Opera); Alfredo, La Traviata (Opera Orlando) Upcoming: Elijah & Street, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Opera Omaha); Sportin’ Life, Porgy and Bess (Opera Carolina) 56

MORRIS ROBINSON

Bass (Atlanta, Georgia)

Ramﬁs, Aida Cincinnati: Porgy, Porgy and Bess (2019); Ferrando, Il Trovatore (2015) Elsewhere: Sarastro, The Magic Flute (The Metropolitan Opera); Ramﬁs, Aida (LA Opera); Hagen, Twilight: Gods (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Detroit Opera) Upcoming: Lodovico, Otello (LA Opera); König Marke, Tristan und Isolde (Seattle Opera)

JAMES SCHUETTE

Scenic & Costume Designer (Manitowoc, Wisconsin)

The Pirates of Penzance Cincinnati: Nixon in China (2007); Carmen (2004) Elsewhere: Harvey Milk (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Tristan und Isolde (Croatian National Opera); Alcina (Washington National Opera) Upcoming: M. Butterﬂy (Santa Fe Opera)

REGINALD SMITH JR.

Baritone (Atlanta, Georgia)

Castor, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (2021); Jake, Porgy and Bess (2019); Lawyer Frazier, Porgy and Bess (2012) Elsewhere: Uncle Paul, Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Don Alfonso, Così Fan Tutte (San Diego Opera) Upcoming: Pascoe, The Wreckers (Houston Grand Opera); The Reverend, Blue (Washington National Opera) 57

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SAMUEL SMITH

Bass (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Sergeant of Police, The Pirates of Penzance Cincinnati: Sacristan, Tosca (2021); Antonio, The Marriage of Figaro (2019); Giuseppe, La Traviata (2018); Sciarrone, Tosca (2017) Elsewhere: Don Pasquale, Don Pasquale (Anchorage Opera); Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville (Lake George Opera); Leporello, Don Giovanni (Metro Lyric Opera); King, Aida (Palm Beach Opera)

TRACY K. SMITH

Librettist (Boston, Massachusetts)

Castor and Patience* Recent Work: Such Color: New and Selected Poems (Graywolf Press); Wade in the Water (Graywolf Press; Anisﬁeld Wolf Book Award); Life on Mars (Graywolf Press; Pulitzer Prize in Poetry)

LAUREN SNOUFFER

Soprano (Austin, Texas)

Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Gerda, The Snow Queen (Opéra National du Rhin); Griet, Girl with a Pearl Earring (Opernhaus Zürich); Sister Constance, Dialogues of the Carmelites (Houston Grand Opera) Upcoming: Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Austin Opera); Romilda, Xerxes (Detroit Opera); Pamina, The Magic Flute (Opernhaus Zürich) 58

GREGORY SPEARS

Composer (New York, New York)

Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Fellow Travelers (2016) Elsewhere: Paul’s Case (UrbanArias, Prototype Festival, Pittsburgh Opera); Jason and the Argonauts (Lyric Opera of Chicago); The Tower and the Garden (The Crossing); Love Story (New York Philharmonic) Upcoming: Fellow Travelers (Virginia Opera, Seagle Festival)

MITCHELL STURGES

Tenor (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Prune Seller, La Bohème* Elsewhere: Parpignol, La Bohème (Arizona Opera); Soloist, Carmina Burana (Salt Lake Symphonic Choir) Upcoming: Soloist, Bach’s Coffee Cantata (Seven Hills Baroque); Recital, Artist in Residence (Ascension & Holy Trinity Churches)

ALICIA RUSSELL TAGERT

Soprano (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Morgan, Fierce* Elsewhere: Berta, The Barber of Seville (Fargo-Moorhead Opera); Musetta, La Bohème (Toledo Opera); Frasquita, Carmen (Opera Carolina) Upcoming: Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro (Fargo-Moorhead Opera)

MORRIS AND FRIENDS Wednesday, July 27 • 7:30 p.m. MUSIC HALL

Jacqueline Echols soprano

Tichina Vaughn mezzo-soprano

Russell Thomas tenor

Lawrence Brownlee tenor

Will Liverman baritone

World-renowned bass and Cincinnati Opera Artistic Advisor Morris Robinson hosts and curates a special, one-night-only concert of opera, gospel, and musical theater. Featuring outstanding soloists, an HBCU Alumni Choir, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

T I C K E T S F RO M $ 35

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BENJAMIN TAYLOR

Baritone (Baltimore, Maryland)

West, Castor and Patience* Elsewhere: Chester, Fire Shut Up in My Bones (The Metropolitan Opera); Papageno, The Magic Flute (Pittsburgh Opera); Schaunard, La Bohème (Detroit Opera) Upcoming: Schaunard, La Bohème (Opera Philadelphia); Bello, La Fanciulla del West (Bayerische Staatsoper); Thierry, Dialogues of the Carmelites (The Metropolitan Opera)

INDRA THOMAS

Soprano (Atlanta, Georgia)

Troll 3/Jackie/Margaret, Fierce Cincinnati: Serena, Porgy and Bess (2019) Elsewhere: Aida, Aida (Staatsoper Hamburg); Serena, Porgy and Bess (Atlanta Opera); Amelia, Un Ballo in Maschera (Wiener Staatsoper); Mrs. Dickson/Ensemble, Intimate Apparel (Lincoln Center Theater) Upcoming: Soloist, Verdi’s Requiem (Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra)

TALISE TREVIGNE

Soprano (Atlanta, Georgia)

Mimì, La Bohème & Patience, Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Bess, Porgy and Bess (2019) Elsewhere: Cio-Cio-San, Madame Butterﬂy (North Carolina Opera, Theater Basel); Violetta, La Traviata (Calgary Opera); Nedda, Pagliacci (Atlanta Opera) Upcoming: Marguerite, Faust (Detroit Opera); Featured artist, Proximity (Lyric Opera of Chicago) 60

S. KATY TUCKER

Projection Designer (New York, New York)

Castor and Patience Cincinnati: The Flying Dutchman (2018) Elsewhere: Eurydice (The Metropolitan Opera); Florencia en el Amazonas (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Orpheus and Eurydice (Seattle Opera) Upcoming: Medea (The Metropolitan Opera); Elektra (Washington National Opera)

HOUSTON TYRRELL

Tenor (Louisville, Kentucky)

Parpignol, La Bohème* & Messenger, Aida Elsewhere: Rodolfo, La Bohème; Judge Danforth, The Crucible; Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi (University of Kentucky Opera Theatre) Upcoming: Tamino, The Magic Flute (University of Kentucky Opera Theatre)

VITA TZYKUN

Scenic Designer (Odessa, Ukraine)

Castor and Patience Cincinnati: Fellow Travelers (2016) Elsewhere: La Favorite (Houston Grand Opera); The Passenger (Bolshoi Theater); Faust (Lyric Opera of Chicago) Upcoming: Edward Tulane (Minnesota Opera); The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (San Francisco Opera)

TICHINA VAUGHN

Mezzo-soprano (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

Amneris, Aida* Elsewhere: Emelda, Champion (Boston Lyric Opera); Maria, Porgy and Bess (The Metropolitan Opera, Theater an der Wien); Fortune Teller, The Fiery Angel (Theater an der Wien) Upcoming: Mary, The Flying Dutchman (Utah Opera); Maria, Porgy and Bess (NDR Elbphilharmonie); Amneris, Aida (Fort Worth Opera)

HENRI VENANZI

Chorus Master (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Resident Chorus Master Cincinnati: Assistant Chorus Master, 1980–1986 seasons; Chorus Master, 1994–2021 seasons Elsewhere: Recital accompanist for Martina Arroyo, Kathleen Battle, Sondra Radvanovsky, Jerry Hadley; U.S. Artist in Residence (Xi’an, China); Guest opera conductor (University of Alabama Opera Theatre)

ETHAN VINCENT

Baritone (Kansas City, Missouri)

Schaunard, La Bohème* Elsewhere: Riolobo, Florencia en el Amazonas (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Captain, Eugene Onegin (Santa Fe Opera); Jauno, West Side Story (Philadelphia Orchestra) Upcoming: Billy Bigelow, Carousel (Indianapolis Opera); Soloist, Carmina Burana (Opera Philadelphia); Soloist, The Bells & Duke, The Miserly Knight (Bard SummerScape) 62

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AMBER WAGNER

Soprano (Santa Barbara, California)

Ruth, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Turandot, Turandot (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia, Lyric Opera of Chicago); Senta, The Flying Dutchman & Giorgetta, Il Tabarro (The Metropolitan Opera); Sieglinde, Die Walküre (Edinburgh International Festival)

JASMIN WHITE

Mezzo-soprano (Grand Ronde, Oregon)

Kate, The Pirates of Penzance* Elsewhere: Frau Reich, The Merry Wives of Windsor; Disinganno, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno; Soloist, Pulcinella (The Juilliard School) Upcoming: Dryade, Ariadne auf Naxos (Lake Area Music Festival)

MARY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

Soprano (Milan, Italy)

Aida, Aida* Elsewhere: Amelia, Un Ballo in Maschera (Welsh National Opera); Judith, Bluebeard’s Castle (Teatro Pergolesi Jesi, Teatro Coccia Novara ); Elisabetta, Don Carlos (Opera Ballet Vlaanderen) Upcoming: Serena, Porgy and Bess (NDR Elbphilharmonie); Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Paris) 63

Save the date! CINCINNATI OPERA GALA In preparation for our 2023 season

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022 Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza

Join us for fabulous food, drinks, dancing, company, and of course, music!

OPERA 2023 GALA

SHEILA WILLIAMS

Librettist (Newport, Kentucky)

Fierce* Recent Work: Things Past Telling & The Secret Women (Amistad/HarperCollins), Dancing on the Edge of the Roof (Ballantine/OneWorld—Random House)

JOSEPH YOUNG

Conductor (Baltimore, Maryland)

Fierce* Elsewhere: Music Director (Berkeley Symphony); Artistic Director of Ensembles (Peabody Conservatory); Resident Conductor (National Youth Orchestra–USA at Carnegie Hall); Pride and Prejudice & Il Trittico (Peabody Opera Theatre)

TOGETHER WE CAN

SOLVE HUNGER. TOGETHER

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Make memories at

MUSIC HALL 22/23 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 2 ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI ENIGMA VARIATIONS THE PLANETS PEER GYNT IN CONCERT TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 5 PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JUDY GARLAND CENTENNIAL HOLIDAY POPS STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR: 1812 OVERTURE RAGTIME IN CONCERT MARVEL’S BLACK PANTHER

cincinnatisymphony.org • 513.381.3300 Louis Langrée Music Director John Morris Russell Pops Conductor

CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Violins I Stefani Matsuo Charles Morey Philip Marten Eric Bates Kathryn Woolley Anna Reider Mauricio Aguiar Minyoung Baik James Braid Michelle Edgar Dugan Rebecca Kruger Fryxell Gerald Itzkoff Lois Reid Johnson Sylvia Mitchell Luo-Jia Wu

Violins II Gabriel Pegis Yang Liu Scott Mozlin Kun Dong Cheryl Benedict Evin Blomberg Rachel Charbel Elizabeth Furuta Chika Kinderman Hyesun Park Paul Patterson Stacey Woolley

Violas Christian Colberg Paul Frankenfeld Julian Wilkison Rebecca Barnes Christopher Fischer Stephen Fryxell Caterina Longhi Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera Joanne Wojtowicz

Harp Gillian Benet Sella

Cellos Ilya Finkelshteyn Daniel Culnan Norman Johns Matthew Lad Susan MarshallPetersen Hiro Matsuo Theodore Nelson Alan Rafferty

English Horn Christopher Philpotts

Basses Owen Lee James Lambert Matthew Zory Jr. Boris Astaﬁev Ronald Bozicevich Rick Vizachero

Flutes Randolph Bowman Henrik Heide Haley Bangs Oboes Dwight Parry Lon Bussell Emily Beare

Clarinets Christopher Pell Joseph Morris Ixi Chen Bass Clarinet Ronald Aufmann Bassoons Christopher Sales Martin Garcia Hugh Michie Contrabassoon Jennifer Monroe

French Horns Elizabeth Freimuth Molly Norcross Lisa Conway Duane Dugger Charles Bell Trumpets Robert Sullivan Douglas Lindsay Steven Pride Christopher Kiradjieff Trombones Cristian Ganicenco Joseph Rodriguez Bass Trombone Peter Norton Tuba Christopher Olka Timpani Patrick Schleker Michael Culligan Percussion David Fishlock Michael Culligan Marc Wolﬂey

Keyboards Michael Chertock Julie Spangler CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows Maalik Glover, violin Mwakudua waNgure, violin Tyler McKisson, viola Javier Otalora, viola Max OppeltzCarroz, cello Luis Parra, cello Samantha Powell, cello Luis Celis Avila, bass Amy Nickler, bass Librarians Christina Eaton Elizabeth Dunning Adam Paxson Stage Managers Brian P. Schott Phillip T. Sheridan Daniel Schultz Andrew Sheridan

CINCINNATI OPERA CHORUS Erin Alcorn Tyler Alessi Manfred Anaya Avery Bargasse James Henry Benson Joy Burdette Tony Burdette Jaeyoon Choi Antonio Cruz Alexis Davis Hazell Dicky Dutton Victoria Ellington Zach Fitzgerald Erica Gabriel Emily Garcia

Megan Graves Stephen Hanna Christina Hazen Zane Hill Mark Hockenberry Hyein Hong Audra House Mackenzie Jacquemin Cameron Johnson M. Andrew Jones Christina Kerstan Jaclyn Kleier Tess Klibanoff Rachel Kobernick Jordan Krack

Kayla Kramer Isabel Lee Claire Lopatka John Mburu Randell McGee Kenna McWilliams Stephanie Mikuzis Heidi Miller Erik Nordstrom John Overholt Su Hyeon Park Wagner Pastor Christian Patterson Travis Pearce Atticus Rego

Irene Reising Ashlyn Rock Stacey Sands John Siarris Sam Smith Madeline Stern Mitchell Sturges Pauline Tan Debra Templeman Nathaniel Thompson Houston Tyrrell Schyler Vargas Jacob Zhou Talia Zoll

CINCINNATI YOUTH CHORUS IN LA BOHÈME Macey Adams Shika Annamaneni Margaux Flaig Mikaela Harris

Molly Harris Malini Hayes Ella Kim Victoria Louis

Christopher Martin Carla Pacheco Mabel Smith

Director Cheryl Kim

Katherine Ochoa Samantha Riester Marcus Romeo

Bella Ureta Maizyalet Velazquez Daniel Wagner

David Poling Dave Senske

Spenser Smith Stephen West

CINCINNATI BALLET DANCERS IN AIDA Taylor Carrasco Anderson Dasilva Matthew Grifﬁn

Julia Gundzik Catherine Lasak Jhaelin McQuay

SUPERNUMERARIES IN LA BOHÈME Nicholas Belperio Danny Duncan Jay T. Fry

Scott Lincoln Marc Padros Casas

MAJOR SEASON SUPPORT SEASON SUPPORT

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR

SEASON SPONSORS

Christopher Milligan, The Harry Fath General Director & CEO Harry Fath

Opera Goes to Church Sponsor Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts)

Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation

Student Access Sponsor Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust

CO2 Underwriter Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation

Pride Night Sponsors 1919 Investment Counsel ArtsWave Pride

Opera Fusion: New Works Sponsor Mellon Foundation Preferred Healthcare Provider University of Cincinnati Medical Center/UC Health Opening Weekend Sponsor The Chavez Family, in memory of Geraldine V. Chavez Opera for All Sponsors ARP funds from the City of Cincinnati through ArtsWave Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust

Cabaret of Hope: Warsaw 1941 Sponsors Eric and Jennifer Dauer Jewish Federation of Cincinnati Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D., in memory of Mona’s grandparents Resident Conductor Stephen Mulligan The John L. Magro Resident Conductor

Opera in the Park Concert Sponsors ARP funds from the City of Cincinnati through ArtsWave Western & Southern Financial Group

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPONSORS ArtsWave Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust The Charles H. Dater Foundation David C. Herriman Fund of GCF Keller Williams Seven Hills OPERA America

The P&G Fund of GCF PNC Robert H. Reakirt Foundation (PNC Charitable Trusts) Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts) Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

ARTISTIC SPONSORS

LA BOHÈME

FIERCE

Production Underwriter

Production Underwriters

Michael L. Ciofﬁ and Rachael A. Rowe

National Endowment for the Arts OPERA America

Opening Weekend Sponsor The Chavez Family, in memory of Geraldine V. Chavez

Additional Support PNC Robert H. Reakirt Foundation (PNC Charitable Trusts) Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

Performance Sponsors Johnson Investment Counsel Susan and Joe Pichler

Performance Sponsors Cincinnati Opera Guild Patricia A. Corbett Estate and Trust

Support for Maestro Mark Gibson

The Fullgraf Foundation

Nydia Tranter Support for Alain Gauthier, Stage Director

Support for William Meneﬁeld, Composer

Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D.

Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman

The Appearance of Talise Trevigne

Support for Sheila Williams, Librettist

Mr. and Mrs. Gary T. “Doc” Huffman

Harry and Ann Santen

The Appearance of Ji-Min Park

Support for D. Lynn Meyers, Stage Director

Irv and Selma Harris

OPERA America

The Appearance of Raven McMillon

The Appearance of Megan Graves

Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford

Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn

The Appearance of Rodion Pogossov

The Appearance of Alicia Russell Tagert

In loving memory of Richard Lauf

Dr. Susan R. Strick

The Appearance of Ethan Vincent

The Appearance of Indra Thomas

Kathleen Laurin-Martin and Joseph C. Martin

Julie Grady Heard and Benjamin D. Heard

The Appearance of André Courville James Rubenstein and Bernadette Unger The Appearance of Thomas Dreeze Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert The Appearance of Houston Tyrrell Donald E. Hoffman

ARTISTIC SPONSORS

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

CASTOR AND PATIENCE

Production Underwriter

Ginger and David Warner

David C. Herriman Fund of GCF CO2 Underwriter

Performance Sponsors

Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation

1919 Investment Counsel Anonymous

Additional Support

Chavez Properties

National Endowment for the Arts Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts)

Support for Maestro David Agler

In loving memory of Richard Lauf Performance Sponsors Support for Seán Curran,

Thomas W. Busse Trust

Stage Director & Choreographer

Center Stage Board Associates

Ronna and Dr. James Willis

Flow, an African American Arts Experience

The Appearance of Patrick Carﬁzzi

Keller Williams Seven Hills

Mr. Allen Bernard

The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation

presented by ArtsWave

The Appearance of Matthew White

Sheila and Christopher Cole

Support for Gregory Spears, Composer

National Endowment for the Arts The Appearance of Lauren Snouffer

Mr. and Mrs. W.M. James

Support for Tracy K. Smith, Librettist

National Endowment for the Arts The Appearance of Amber Wagner

Linda Siekman

Support for Vita Tzykun, Scenic Designer

The Patricia K. Beggs Fund: Championing The Appearance of Mark Diamond

Women’s Voices

Ms. Spencer Ingerson Support for Jessica Jahn, Costume Designer The Appearance of Marlen Nahhas

James Stapleton and Dr. Elizabeth Shaughnessy

The Patricia K. Beggs Fund: Championing Women’s Voices

The Appearance of Jasmin White

Support for Rachel Eliza Grifﬁths, Image Designer

Dr. and Mrs. William J. Faulkner

The Patricia K. Beggs Fund: Championing Women’s Voices Support for S. Katy Tucker, Projection Designer

The Patricia K. Beggs Fund: Championing Women’s Voices Support for Maestro Kazem Abdullah

The John L. Magro Artist Development Fund Support for Kevin Newbury, Stage Director

Anne and Allen Zaring III

ARTISTIC SPONSORS

CASTOR AND PATIENCE

AIDA

The Appearance of Talise Trevigne

Production Underwriter

Mr. and Mrs. Gary T. “Doc” Huffman

Larry and Beth Uhlenbrock

The Appearance of Reginald Smith Jr.

Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman

Performance Sponsors

Thomas W. Busse Trust The Appearance of Victoria Okafor

Mrs. Beryl Merritt, in memory of Beryl Merritt

With gratitude for a beautiful, forever connection—

Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack

In loving memory of Judith “Gooch” Hiltenbeitel

Society of Angels

The Appearance of Frederick Ballentine

Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert

Support for Crystal Manich, Stage Director

Melanie M. Chavez

The Appearance of Raven McMillon

The Appearance of Mary Elizabeth Williams

Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford

Robert and Carol Olson

The Appearance of Amber Monroe

The Appearance of Tichina Vaughn

Mrs. Clarissa Rentz

Dr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Giannella

The Appearance of Zoie Reams

The Appearance of Gregory Kunde

Melinda and Irwin Simon

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bitter

The Appearance of Phillip Bullock

The Appearance of Morris Robinson

David L. Martin

Dr. James D. Faulkner

The Appearance of Earl Hazell

The Appearance of Peixin Chen

Ms. Lisa Allgood

Dr. Stewart and Ellen Dunsker The Appearance of Houston Tyrrell

MORRIS AND FRIENDS

Donald E. Hoffman

Performance Sponsor

Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts)

Support for Maestro Kazem Abdullah

The John L. Magro Artist Development Fund The Appearance of Morris Robinson

Dr. James D. Faulkner

Sponsoring a season artist provides the opportunity to form a real connection with our artists, beyond seeing them perform onstage. Support from our artist sponsors allows Cincinnati Opera to continue bringing world-class talent to Cincinnati. If you are interested in sponsoring one of our season artists, please contact Joe Peacock at 513-7685565 or jpeacock@cincinnatiopera.org.

CORPORATE, GOVERNMENT, AND FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS EXECUTIVE $50,000+

David C. Herriman Fund of GCF

PRINCIPAL $25,000+

The Alpaugh Foundation

The Corbett Foundation

Thomas W. Busse Trust

The Robert H. Reakirt Foundation (PNC Charitable Trusts)

The Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts)

DIRECTOR $12,000+

INVESTMENT COUNSEL

The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation

AMBASSADOR $6,000+

The Fullgraf Foundation

OFFICER $3,500+

Mueller Family Foundation

Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

SPECIAL PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDING ArtsWave

Ohio Arts Council

City of Cincinnati

Ohio Department of Development

Hamilton County, OH

U.S. Small Business Administration

National Endowment for the Arts

GIFTS-IN-KIND Aglamesis Bros.

Passion Growers

Big Ice

Paycor

B&A Street Kitchen

Richter & Phillips Jewelers

Drs. David and Elaine Billmire

Joe Rigotti/Accent on Cincinnati

Brown Bear Bakery

Taft’s Ale House

A Catered Affair

Taste of Belgium

eat well celebrations and feasts, LLC

Thunderdome Restaurant Group

FILLO Greek Bake Shop

The Travel Byrds

Karlee Hilliard

University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Kendrick & O’Dell The Kroger Company LouVino

Viking Cruises Woodburn Brewing

LPK 73

ARTSWAVE PARTNERS Cincinnati Opera acknowledges the following Partner Companies, Foundations, and their employees who generously participate in the Annual ArtsWave Community Campaign at the $100,000+ level. Your support helps make our community vibrant and connects people across our region through the arts. Thank you! P&G Fifth Third Bank and the Fifth Third Foundation GE Aviation Cincinnati Bell Western & Southern Financial Group Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center The Cincinnati Insurance Companies City of Cincinnati Enquirer Media Great American Insurance Group Ohio National Financial Services U.S. Bank

The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees Macy’s Cincinnati Business Courier The Kroger Co. PNC The E.W. Scripps Company and Scripps Howard Foundation Duke Energy HORAN Cincinnati Reds

NEW CENTURY CAMPAIGN DONORS The New Century Campaign was launched in order to build capacity for Cincinnati Opera and fund signiﬁcant projects in four key areas: The Great Works, continuing Cincinnati Opera’s commitment to the masterworks of the operatic canon; The New Works, expanding the canon by creating and presenting new American opera; The Convener in the Community, broadening the company’s reach within the community; and The Beyond, exploring innovative ways of connecting audiences with opera. We are grateful to these generous donors for their support of this special fundraising effort.

Anonymous Julie and Khosrow Alamin, M.D. Vicki and Peter Alpaugh Dr. Richard S. Sarason and Anne S. Arenstein ArtsWave Boris Auerbach and Kathy Patchel Ronald T. Bates and Randy Lasley Christopher and Annie Baucom Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Drs. Elaine and David Billmire Dorothy Anne Blatt Drs. Thomas and Barbara Boat John and Mary Ann Boorn Mary and Joseph Brinkmeyer Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert Mr. and Mrs. Frederick E. Bryan III Mr. Otto M. Budig, Jr. A.K. Carey Chris and Vivienne Carlson Arthur B. Casper Mr. Andres M. Chavez Ms. Lydia Chavez Manuel and Cynthia Chavez Manuel Chavez III and MacKenzie Chavez Martin and Kimberly Chavez Melanie M. Chavez Robert and Debra Chavez Stefanie K. Chavez Ms. Susana Chavez Jackson Chavez-Campbell Jefferson Chavez-Campbell Natalie Chavez-Campbell Andrea Chavez-Dietz Salvador Chavez-Holzman Cincinnati Stage Employees Local No. 5

Cincinnati Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local No. 864 Michael L. Ciofﬁ and Rachael A. Rowe Sheila and Christopher Cole Sally and Michael Connelly The Corbett Foundation Dr. Peter G. Courlas Mr. and Mrs. John P. Cover Cathy and Tom Crain Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford Bev and Bob Croskery Mr. Daniel B. and Dr. Margaret G. Cunningham Ms. Alegra Dauwalter Mrs. Albert C. Dierckes, Jr. Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas Dr. Jocelyn Dunphy Leslie R. Dye, M.D. The Thomas J. Emery Memorial Jim Evans Harry and Linda Fath Mrs. William A. Friedlander Estate of Kenneth J. Furrier Lissa Urriquia and Dante Gapultos III Kay and Jack Geiger Dr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Giannella Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation Mrs. Robert J. Hasl Julie Grady Heard and Benjamin D. Heard Karlee L. Hilliard

Ms. Lori Hiltenbeitel Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hiltz Mr. Donald E. Hoffman Mr. and Mrs. Gary T. “Doc” Huffman Mr. and Mrs. John G. Humphrey Ms. Susan M. Ingmire and Ms. Lynn Hailey Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Jaroszewicz The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee John Stearns Thayer Trust Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D. Marilyn and Charles Kuntz, M.D. Evelyn and Fred Lang Maestro and Mrs. Louis Langrée Lynn and Don Larson Susan Lauf Margaret LeMasters, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Rob Levey Adele Lippert Whitney and Phillip Long Joanie Lotts LPK Macy’s, Inc. Sherie Marek Ms. Aimee Sposito Martini Drs. Neal and Donna Mayerson Kathy and Jon McCann Mrs. William McKim Ms. Julia B. Meister and Michael Schroeder Mellon Foundation Don and Marji Mendelsohn Estate of Mary and William Meyer Jim and Linda Miller Chris and Molly Milligan

Mr. Steven I. Monder The Music Minions Mrs. Thomas L. Neyer, Sr. The Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust Robert and Carol Olson Margaret and Tom Osterman Marilyn Z. Ott Dr. and Mrs. John A. Parlin III Mr. Joe Peacock Rev. Susan Pfeil Joseph A. and Susan Pichler PNC Beatriz Porras, M.D., and Alvaro Ryes, M.D. Carter F. Randolph, Ph.D. Pamela Spangler Reis and Richard Reis Dianne and J. David Rosenberg Edward and Nancy Rosenthal Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rosenthal

Moe and Jack Rouse Mr. and Mrs. Eugene L. Saenger, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Burton Saidel Harry and Ann Santen Estate of Emalee Schavel Deborah Schultz The Louise Taft Semple Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Steven Shifman Mr. and Mrs. Paul Shortt Cynthia Starr Dr. Susan R. Strick Mr. and Mrs. William Strubbe Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Stuhlreyer III Katie and Jeff Syroney Mr. and Mrs. William Taylor Susan and John M. Tew, Jr., M.D. The L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation Janet G. Todd

Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D., and Robert Toltzis, M.D. Sneja H. and Rafﬁ Tomassian Nydia C. Tranter Carol Turni and Stephan Weigle Bobbie Unnewehr Ellen and Ray van der Horst Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Mr. and Mrs. Jon H. Votel Ginger and David Warner The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Ronna and Dr. James Willis Anne Warrington Wilson Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D.

THANK YOU! Cincinnati Opera thanks our many generous donors who have supported our mission to create opera for everyone! If you would like to make a gift toward our 2022 season, please call 513-768-5561 or visit cincinnatiopera.org/support.

Photo by Philip Groshong

Summer at Summit Cincinnati Opera presented a sold-out, all-outdoor 2021 season at Summit Park in Blue Ash.

Fresh arias Students enjoyed a performance from the

Fierce voices Young poets, musicians, and photogra-

Share the Love Truck Tour, featuring soprano Christina

phers who inspired the opera Fierce shared original

Kerstan and pianist Matthew Umphreys.

creations at the I Am Fierce Partner Showcase.

Opera All Around Throughout the year, Cincinnati Opera might pop up in the most unexpected places--in your neighborhood park, at your church or temple, and even on your street, singing from the back of a pickup truck. We love ﬁnding inventive ways to celebrate the diversity of our community while building connections through music. Keep an eye out for a future performance near you! Visit cincinnatiopera.org for a schedule of upcoming community events.

Some strings attached Cincinnati Opera partnered with Madcap Puppets for a delightful reinvention of The Magic Flute, available for viewing on cincinnatiopera.org. Photos by Philip Groshong and Spotted Yeti.

2022 – 2023 SEASON SWEAT

by Lynn Nottage

SEPT 10 – OCT 8

THE DANCING PRINCESSES by Joseph McDonough & David Kisor

NOV 30 – DEC 30

GRAND HORIZONS by Bess Wohl

JAN 14 – FEB 11

DANCING LESSONS by Mark St. Germain

FEB 25– MARCH 25

WHO ALL OVER THERE? by Torie Wiggins

APRIL 8 – MAY 6

TBA

MAY 27 – JUNE 24 77

Shonita Joshi & Saiyam Kumar in Queen. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

SEASON FUNDER

OPERATING SUPPORT

www.ensemblecincinnati.org

A Bright Future for New Opera IN 2019, ARTISTS GATHERED AT MUSIC HALL’S WILKS STUDIO to workshop the opera-in-progress Castor and Patience as part of the Opera Fusion: New Works program. Photo by Philip Groshong.

A 78

s opera houses come back to life, the art form is now more vibrant than ever, with an exhilarating variety of new operas making their way to stages across the country. Many of these projects can trace their journeys back to Cincinnati and the groundbreaking Opera Fusion: New Works program. Founded in 2011 through a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, Opera Fusion: New Works is a nationally unique partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) designed to support the development of new American operas. Co-directed by Evans Mirageas and CCM Professor Robin Guarino, Opera Fusion: New Works brings composers and librettists together with Cincinnati Opera and CCM artists and administrators to workshop their operas-in-progress and prepare them for the stage. Along the way, CCM students have the opportunity to be part of the creative process, giving them valuable insight into each opera’s genesis and evolution. To date, the program has produced workshops for 20 operas, including ﬁve that have gone on to premiere at Cincinnati Opera: Morning Star (2015),

Fellow Travelers (2016), Blind Injustice (2019), and this summer’s Fierce and Castor and Patience. Others have been produced at prominent opera companies across the country, including Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Minnesota Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera, to name just a few. The program’s success shows no signs of slowing. Earlier this year, the Mellon Foundation awarded Cincinnati Opera a $1.3 million grant, a portion of which will support the continuation of Opera Fusion: New Works for an additional three years. The gift will also support a new artistic initiative by Cincinnati Opera to commission three new operas by composers and librettists of color, with a primary focus on celebrating Black stories. The ﬁrst of these is scheduled to premiere during the company’s 2025 Summer Festival and will receive a workshop through the Opera Fusion: New Works program. (Details to come soon.) The takeaway? The future of opera is bright indeed. We invite you to watch this space for more exciting creative developments ahead.

CORBETT OPERA FUSION AND OPERA FUSION: NEW WORKS PARTICIPANTS These outstanding young artists from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music participated in Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s Corbett Opera Fusion and Opera Fusion: New Works projects during 2021–2022. Kendra Beasley Victoria Ellington Lucy Evans Tanya Harris Tyler Johnson

Nicholas Kelliher William R. Langley Jordan Loyd Emma Marhefka Ariana Maubach

John Mburu Erik Nordstrom Victoria Okafor Atticus Rego Ashlyn Rock

Arieh Sacke Jaime Sharp Madison Stone Logan Wagner

Create your everlasting memory ARTFULLY INSPIRED EVENTS HYPER-LOCAL DINING LUXE GUESTROOMS

The Citrus Collection

WWW.THESUMMITHOTEL.COM

T (513) 527-9900

INDIVIDUAL AND FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS Cincinnati Opera acknowledges with deep appreciation the leadership and generosity of the many individuals and family foundations who have supported the company with contributions to the 2022 Annual Fund.

Anonymous (7) Marina Abanto Mrs. Christine O. Adams Julie and Khosrow Alamin, M.D. Ms. Raye Allen Ms. Lisa Allgood The Alpaugh Foundation, Vicki and Peter Alpaugh Katherine and Christopher Anderson Frank and Janet Andress Family Fund Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Andrews, Jr. Vic and Dolores Angel Mr. Gary J. Anglin Dr. Richard S. Sarason and Anne S. Arenstein Dr. and Mrs. William Aronstein Boris Auerbach and Kathy Patchel Ms. Patricia Baas Lorraine Bachand Mr. and Mrs. Allan J. Bailey Mr. and Mrs. Todd Bailey Gay Bain Frances and Tom Bankston Katherine L. Baquerizo Nole Barbara and Dale Bardes D’Ellen Bardes Ms. Henrietta Barlag Mrs. Mary Baskett Flávia Bastos, Ph.D., and Larry Huston Ronald T. Bates and Randy Lasley Blair Battistini Christopher and Annie Baucom Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Baumann Mr. Donald Beck and Lawrence E. Eynon, M.D. Clark Becker Ms. Lorraine Becker Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Jennifer and Adam Bellin Benevity Community Impact Fund Mr. Ryan Bergstrom Mr. Allen Bernard Glenda and Malcolm Bernstein Drs. Elaine and David Billmire Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bitter Dorothy Anne Blatt Drs. Thomas and Barbara Boat Marlene and Robert Boden Sandra C. Bolek Mr. Stephen Bondurant John and Mary Ann Boorn Mr. Gary Booth Mr. Neil Bortz

Mr. David Brashear Lois and Joseph Brenner Charlin and Peter Briggs Mary and Joseph Brinkmeyer Ms. Betsi Brockmeier Ms. Kate Brockmeier and Mr. Steve Schofield Mark Haggard and Daniel Brown Mr. and Mrs. Douglas J. Bruestle Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert Mr. Otto M. Budig, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John Buescher Building Healthy Lives Foundation Business Information Solutions, Inc. Ms. Angie Butterbaugh Ms. Deborah Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Canarie Doreen Canton Chris and Vivienne Carlson Shannon and Lee Carter Arthur B. Casper Ms. Miriam Charles Mrs. Carole Charleville Martin and Kimberly Chavez Melanie M. Chavez Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chellgren Candace Cioffi Michael L. Cioffi and Rachael A. Rowe Susan and A. Burton Closson, Jr. Penny P. Cobey Carol Cole Sheila and Christopher Cole Dr. George I. Colombel Sally and Michael Connelly Mr. and Mrs. David W. Cook Mr. Randy Cook Dr. Thomas Cook Dr. Peter G. Courlas Mr. and Mrs. John P. Cover Cathy and Tom Crain Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford Mr. Daniel B. and Dr. Margaret G. Cunningham The Charles H. Dater Foundation Eric and Jennifer Dauer Mr. Louis M. Dauner Amber David Mrs. Thomas E. Davidson Kristy Davis and Mitchell Mustain Michael and Leah Dean Dr. George S. Deepe

Contributions from May 1, 2021 to April 18, 2022

Stephen and Cynthia DeHoff Dr. and Mrs. J. Randall Dennison Ms. Jill Dew Mrs. Albert C. Dierckes, Jr. Mrs. Vivian Dobur Ms. Joanna Doerner Dr. and Mrs. Alexander Donath Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Donohue Dr. Samuel N. Dorf and Dr. Maria Kisel Ms. Sharon Downing Mr. Thaddeus and Dr. Kate Driscoll Olga Duarte, M.D., and Garth Stevens, Jr., M.D. Ms. Lisa Dunlap Dr. Stewart and Ellen Dunsker Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dyson John G. Earls Mr. Robert G. Edmiston Mr. and Mrs. Alan Eichner Ann Ellison Harry and Linda Fath Dr. James D. Faulkner Ms. Alice Fegelman and Dr. Leo H. Munick Mr. Carl R. Fiora Mr. and Mrs. James T. Fitzgerald Allyson Fleischer Mr. and Mrs. Ashley L. Ford Lyla Forlani Mr. Charles Frank Dr. and Mrs. Harry F. Fry The Fullgraf Foundation Mrs. Janelle Gelfand Dr. Sheila C. Gelman and Dr. David Greenblatt Dr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Giannella Dr. and Mrs. Richard W. Goetz Judge Robert H. Gorman Mr. and Mrs. Karl Graham Mary Ellen and Peter Graham Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman The Gumbleton Family Renée Gustin Mr. John A. Hadley Ms. Lisa Haglund Mr. and Mrs. Philip H. Hagner Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Selma and Irving Harris Mr. Jeff Harris Chuck and Mary Harris Mrs. Barbara Harshman Emma Hartkemeier Dr. and Mrs. Martin W. Haskell Mrs. Robert J. Hasl

INDIVIDUAL AND FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS Julie Grady Heard and Benjamin D. Heard Mrs. Anne P. Heldman Ms. Catherine Herring David C. Herriman Fund of GCF Mr. Roger D. Hickman Karlee L. Hilliard Ms. Lori Hiltenbeitel Hixson Architecture Engineering Interiors Ms. Emily M. Hodges and Mr. Charles H. Spencer Mr. Donald E. Hoffman Ammon Hollister Linda Holthaus and Richard Zinicola Mr. Paul Horn Mr. and Mrs. Gary T. “Doc” Huffman Mr. and Mrs. Matthew W. Hughes Barbara Hummel, M.Ed. Drs. Lesley Gilbertson and William Hurford Doug Ignatius and Bruce Preston Ms. Spencer Ingerson Amy and Jason Jackman Mrs. Doris Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Jaroszewicz Jewish Federation of Cincinnati Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Mr. and Mrs. Randy Johnson Ms. Brenda Jones Kevin Jones Mr. K. S. Kant Rabbi Kenneth A. Kanter Drs. Marcia Kaplan and Michael Privitera Dr. James Kaya and Ms. Debra Gräuel Ms. Misty Keeton Mr. and Mrs. Lorrence T. Kellar Ms. Arleene Keller Hans and Susanne Keller Ms. Melinda Kelley Mr. Arthur Kerr, Jr. Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Kessler Sid Khosla, M.D. Mr. Ingo Kiesewetter Pamela and Timothy Kimmel Mr. and Mrs. Brian Kincaid Judith Colemon Kinebrew Bo-Kyung and Kevin Kirby Ms. Julie M. Kline Lucy Hodgson and Peter Koenig Sandra Kohn

Renu Kotwal, M.D., and Rajbir Minhas, M.D. Mel and John Kuempel Anne Kunkel Mr. Bruce A. Lafferre Mr. and Mrs. Greg LaLonde Betsy and John LaMacchia LaMacchia Family Foundation Jeff Landen and Family Evelyn and Fred Lang Katie and Joseph Lanni Nanci Wilks Lanni and Nick Lanni Patricia Larsen Lynn and Don Larson Jim and Julie Laskey Susan Lauf Kathleen Laurin-Martin and Joseph C. Martin Takeitha and Shannon Lawson Ms. Sooncha Lee Ms. Kristan Lenning Mr. and Mrs. Rob Levey Beth and Peter Levin Maxine F. Lewis Ms. Sarah C. Leyshock Janice Liebenberg and Andy Holzhauser Elizabeth Lilly Dr. and Dr. Lynn Lin Carol and Mitchel Livingston, Ph.D. Whitney and Phillip Long Al and Mary J. López Ms. Lupe Lopez Ms. Diana Lovelace Alek Lucke Mr. and Mrs. David C. Lundgren Rev. and Mrs. Damon Lynch, Jr. Rick Maddux Jenny Magro Mandare Foundation Dr. Linn Mangano Ms. Kathy Mank Sherie Marek Alan L. Margulies and Gale D. Snoddy Peggy Ann Markstein Candyse L. Jeffries, D.M.D., and Michael A. Marrero David L. Martin Raymond and Madelynn Matlock Ms. Keva Matovina Mr. Karl Mattox Ms. Taylor McCallum Ms. Lindsay McCarren Dr. Janet P. McDaniel Michael L. McKay Ms. Melinda McKee Mrs. William McKim

Contributions from May 1, 2021 to April 18, 2022

Mr. and Mrs. Kyle McLaughlin Ms. Julia B. Meister and Michael Schroeder Don and Marji Mendelsohn Mr. H. Gregory Mermel Mrs. Beryl Merritt Ryan L. Messer and James A. Musuraca-Messer Dr. Robert Miday and Dr. Karen Miday Mr. Ronald L. Miller Chris and Molly Milligan Dr. Stanley Milstein Mr. Steven I. Monder Ms. Janet Moore and Mr. Neil W. Tollas Ms. Melissa Moore Ms. Lorena A. Mora-Mowry Dr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Moravec Jacob Morvay and Jenna Kamrass Morvay Mr. and Mrs. David W. Motch Mary Lou Motl Mueller Family Foundation The Music Minions Norbert and Linnea Nadel Ms. Jacqueline C. Neumann Mr. Gerald L. Newman Mrs. Thomas L. Neyer, Sr. Mr. James Nicholson and Ms. Patricia Callis Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund Mrs. Hiroshi Nishiyama Dr. Peter J. Nord Ms. Kathleen O’Connell and Dr. H. Kenneth Peterson Mr. and Mrs. Neil O’Connor Dr. Cora Ogle Robert and Carol Olson Mr. and Mrs. Tom Osha Margaret and Tom Osterman Marilyn Z. Ott Ms. Stephanie Panarelli Mr. and Mrs. Don Paulsen Mr. Joe Peacock Jo Anne and Poul Pedersen Mr. Raymond Peterson Rev. Susan Pfeil Mr. and Mrs. Ken Phelps Mr. Michael E. Phillips Joseph A. and Susan E. Pichler Ms. Tera L. Pierce Marta Pisarka, M.D., and Michael Maloney, M.D. Cassandra and Glenn Plott Sandra and Michael Porada Beatriz Porras, M.D., and Alvaro Ryes, M.D.

INDIVIDUAL AND FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS

Mr. Nicholas W. Puncer Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Rabinowitz Ms. Barbara N. Ramusack Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Randolph Chris and Mary Ray Mary and Andrew Redington Pamela Spangler Reis and Richard Reis Mrs. Clarissa Rentz Mr. William Renwick and Ms. Debra Bowles Ms. Betsy Resler Mrs. Melody Sawyer Richardson Aliya Riddle Ellen Rieveschl Charles Scott Riley III Foundation Ms. Gale Z. Roberts Edward and Nancy Rosenthal Mr. and Mrs. Louis Ross James Rubenstein and Bernadette Unger Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust (PNC Charitable Trusts) Regina Carswell Russo Dr. James and Ms. Maris Ryan Mr. and Mrs. Eugene L. Saenger, Jr. Saenger Family Foundation Dr. G. James and Ruthann Sammarco Harry and Ann Santen Tom and Carol Schaber Mr. and Mrs. Lee Schimberg Mr. Michael J. Schmitt George Palmer Schober Ms. Carol Schroeder Mr. James Schroer Mark Schroer, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Schulhoff Ms. Janet R. Schultz Rabbi Julie S. Schwartz Jeffrey Seaman Mrs. Barbara Seiver Mr. and Mrs. Blake Selnick Mr. Steven Selss

The Louise Taft Semple Foundation Jane and Mark Serrianne Mrs. Donald C. Siekmann Mr. Brett Siereveld Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack Mr. and Mrs. Irwin B. Simon Murray and Robin Sinclaire Mr. and Mrs. Matt Singleton Laura and Douglas Skidmore Terri and Bradbury Skidmore, M.D. Gerald and Sarah Skidmore Roger and Margaret Smith Matthew J. and Cynthia L. Smith Sandra and Henry Spitz Mr. Jay Edward Springer Ms. Kathy Standley James Stapleton and Dr. Elizabeth Shaughnessy Ms. Marian Stapleton Mr. and Mrs. William Steenken Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman Mr. Brett Stover Dr. Susan R. Strick Mrs. Theodore W. Striker Mr. and Mrs. William Strubbe Frances L.P. Ricketts Sullivan Memorial Fund Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Susskind Miss Janis A. Sutton Katie and Jeff Syroney Dr. Alan and Shelley Tarshis Mr. and Mrs. William Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Carlos R. Teran Mr. Garry Terrell and Ms. Rebecca Terrell Susan and John M. Tew, Jr., M.D. Miss Arlene A. Thorwarth and Linda Tong Brian L. Tiffany and Jerome Ewers Mr. and Mrs. David J. Tobergte Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D., and Robert Toltzis, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Torre Nydia C. Tranter

Larry and Beth Uhlenbrock Mrs. E. Dieter van der Bent Ellen and Ray van der Horst Mr. Wayne Villanueva Christopher and Nancy Virgulak The Voice of Your Customer Mr. Jason Vogel Ms. Mary Vondrak and Dr. Patrick G. Kirk Mr. and Mrs. Jon H. Votel Ms. Angela Powell Walker Mr. and Mrs. John C. Wallhausser Ginger and David Warner Miriam Warshauer-Cohen Jonathan and Janet Weaver Barbara and Irwin Weinberg Fund Mr. and Mrs. Richard Westheimer Barbara M. Weyand Dr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Whitlatch The Stephen H. Wilder Foundation Mr. Charles L. Wilhelm Barbara Wilks The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Ms. Sheila Williams Mr. Stanford T. Williams, Jr. Ronna and Dr. James Willis Brett Willson Anne Warrington Wilson Susan and Dean Windgassen Fr. Barry Windholtz Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D. Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation Shelby O. Wood Peg and Jack Wyant Wyant Family Foundation John M. Yacher Ms. Jody Yetzer Mr. Scott Youger and Mrs. Andrea Shell Anne and Allen Zaring III Zaring Family Foundation Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher Dr. and Mrs. Mario Zuccarello

Contributions from May 1, 2021 to April 18, 2022

We have made every effort to be as accurate as possible in compiling our list of donors. If your name has been incorrectly listed or omitted, please contact the Philanthropy Department at 513-768-5561. Please accept our apologies for any errors.

Cincinnati Opera Center Stage events are designed to engage young professionals who seek to meet fellow arts lovers, learn more about opera, network, and celebrate the arts in our city. Signature Center Stage events include: Singers & Spirits Pair your favorite drink with opera at local bars and restaurants. Coming Fall 2022!

CINCINNATI OPERA

center STAGE

Opera is a Drag A highbrow/lowbrow retelling of a classic opera featuring drag performers. Cincinnati Opera Gala After-Party The ofﬁcial post-party for Cincinnati Opera’s annual black tie fundraising event.

A group for young opera lovers For more information, visit cincinnatiopera.org/center-stage or call 513-768-5520.

Like us on Facebook at Cincinnati Opera Center Stage

Opera & Wellness (formerly Opera & Yoga)

Explore the connection between opera, mindfulness, and movement.

CIN CIN N ATI O PERA’S 1 4 TH

PRIDE NIGHT FRIDAY, JULY 8

•

MUSIC HALL

EVENT CHAIR

BRIAN L. TIFFANY

EMBARK ON A NIGHT OF PRIDE AND VISIBILITY 6:30 P.M. PRIVATE SPONSOR RECEPTION 7:30 P.M. THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE 10:30 P.M. PRIDE NIGHT CELEBRATION

PREMIER SPONSORS

HONOREES

DOUG IGNATIUS & BRUCE PRESTON

To purchase tickets or make a donation in honor of the honorees, call 513-768-5561 or email cgarcialeon@cincinnatiopera.org.

Past and Current Gala Chair Melanie M. Chavez; Past and Current Gala Chair Jeannine Winkelmann; Past Gala Chair Patrick Korb

HONORING CINCINNATI OPERA’S PAST PRESIDENTS AND GALA CHAIRS On June 25, Cincinnati Opera celebrates its much-anticipated return to Music Hall with the glittering Bal de Triomphe, a black-tie dinner and party inspired by the season-opening production of La Bohème. As part of this celebration, we honor Cincinnati Opera’s past presidents and gala chairs. Through their efforts, these individuals have helped to secure the funds needed for Cincinnati Opera to not only survive, but thrive as one of the cultural jewels in Cincinnati’s crown. We offer our deepest thanks to them for their devoted support and leadership.

HONOREES Jennifer Allen Vicki Alpaugh Boris Auerbach Eileen Barrett Flávia Bastos, Ph.D. Mary Ann Boorn Melanie M. Chavez Candace Ciofﬁ Cathy Crain Alva Jean Crawford Olga Duarte Harry Fath Kingston Fletcher

Madeleine H. Gordon Barbara Gould Liz Kathman Grubow Barbara S. Hahn Suzanne Hasl Theresa Henderson Donald E. Hoffman Gary T. “Doc” Huffman William T. Kelleher Mona Kerstine Judy Kincaid Bo-Kyung Kirby

Peter Koenig Patrick Korb Lawrence H. Kyte Joanie Lotts Jacqueline M. Mack Sherie Marek Ryan Messer Carol Olson Robert W. Olson Jacqueline Rabinowitz Melody Sawyer Richardson

Ruthann Sammarco Harry H. Santen Rhonda Sheakley Murray Sinclaire, Jr. Pamela Spangler Reis James D. Stapleton Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D. Ellen van der Horst Jane Votel Ronna K. Willis Jeannine Winkelmann Anne Zaring

Current President and Past Gala Chair Liz Grubow; Past President Murray Sinclaire, Jr.; and Past President Past Gala Chairs

and Past Gala Chair Cathy Crain

Joanie Lotts and Barbara S. Hahn

Past Gala Chairs Anne Zaring, Alva Jean Crawford,

Past President Robert W. Olson and Carol Olson;

and Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D.

Millie Huffman and Past President Gary T. “Doc” Huffman

Past Gala Chairs Jennifer Allen, Bo-Kyung Kirby, Mary Ann Boorn, and Ronna Willis

SOCIETY OF ANGELS Cincinnati Opera acknowledges with deep gratitude the generosity of the following donors who have notiﬁed the company of their planned gifts. These legacy gifts ensure Cincinnati Opera’s future excellence and are a lasting tribute to the foresight of the distinguished members of Cincinnati Opera’s Society of Angels.

Members Anonymous Katherine and Christopher Anderson Frank* and Janet Andress Boris Auerbach and Kathy Patchel Dr. Diane Babcock Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey T. Baker Ms. Henrietta Barlag Mr. Albert M. Bary Christopher Baucom Mr. and Mrs.* Edward C. Bavaria Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Adam and Jennifer Bellin Elaine Billmire, M.D., and David Billmire, M.D. Dorothy Anne Blatt Marlene and Robert Boden Lois and Joseph Brenner Charlin and Peter Briggs Mrs. Cherylann D. Brinkman Mary and Joe Brinkmeyer Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert Arthur B. Casper Mrs. Jackson L. Clagett III Dr. Peter G. Courlas Virginia K. Cover Cathy and Tom Crain Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford Mr. Daniel B. and Dr. Margaret G. Cunningham Mr. Harrison R.T. Davis Mrs. Albert C. Dierckes, Jr. Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas Scott Atkinson* and Christopher D. Edwards Harry and Linda Fath Ms. Gael T. Fischer Mr. Kingston Fletcher Dr. Donald W. Good Valeria and Frederick R. Good Madeleine H. Gordon Barbara Gould Marlesa A. Gray Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Dr. Morton L.* and Mrs. Barbara Harshman Suzanne and Robert* Hasl, M.D. Janet and Cornelius Hauck Hon. Dennis* and Berti Helmick Karlee L. Hilliard Ms. Emily M. Hodges and Mr. Charles H. Spencer Don and Donna* Hoffman Doug Ignatius and Bruce Preston Julia M.F.B. Jackson Dr. and Mrs. Richard Kerstine Sarajane and Richard King

Patrick M. Korb Roberta and Jeffrey P. Kuhn Elizabeth and Ken Kuresman Marjorie and Lawrence H. Kyte, Jr. Mr. Barry Lapidus Richard* and Susan Lauf Kathleen Laurin-Martin and Joseph C. Martin Gail Lennig and Gene Santoro* Adele and Thomas* Lippert Joanie D. and William H.* Lotts Mr. and Mrs. William F. Lyon Susan Sterrit Meyer Chris and Molly Milligan Dr. Stanley Milstein Eleanor and Sam* Minkarah David and Vicky Motch Norbert and Linnea Nadel Robert and Carol Olson Marge and Tom Osterman Marilyn Z. Ott Dr. and Mrs. John A. Parlin III Nicholas Payne and Cynthia Heinrich Joseph and Susan Pichler Ellen and George* Rieveschl Edward and Nancy Rosenthal Dr. G. James and Ruthann Sammarco Zell Schulman Kenneth C. Schonberg* and Deborah Schultz Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack Thomas S. Smith Cynthia and William* Starr Brett Stover Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Stuhlreyer III Nydia C. Tranter Dick and Jane Tuten Barbara and Irwin Weinberg Anne M. Werner Ronna K. Willis Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D. Dr. Atsuko Yatani Anne and Allen Zaring III Estates Estate of Mary Elizabeth Andrews Trust Estate of Thomas F. Buck Estate of Ellen K. Burroughs Estate of Thomas W. Busse Estate of Wm. Rowell Chase Estate of Mrs. Marno Christensen Estate of Norma Clark Estate of Herbert and Betty Colker Estate of Patricia A. Corbett Estate of Wilma B. Cowley

Estate of Miss Emilie T. Curry Estate of Virginia Curry Estate of Mary E. Day Estate of Luba Matiuk Dorman Estate of Ed P. Dundon Estate of Helen T. Ehlers Estate of Miss Natalie Feld Estate of Kenneth J. Furrier Estate of Katherine H. Groll Estate of Mrs. Eleanor Hazelton Estate of Mrs. Jean L. Hermann Estate of Anita Mae Imholt Estate of Dr. Stanley Kaplan Estate of Tailitha P. Kluver Estate of Ruth Koehl Estate of Linda and Samuel Kramer, M.D. Estate of Maria Krocker-Tuskan Estate of Elizabeth W. Kyte Estate of Elma Lapp Estate of Anne and John Lawrence Estate of Rosemary R. Longano Estate of Mrs. Richardson McKinney Estate of Mary and William Meyer Estate of Arnold and Gloria Morelli Estate of Norbert A. Nadel Estate of Bill Nimmo The Louise Dieterle Nippert Trust Estate of Margaret Ohanian Estate of Maurice E. Oshry Estate of Charles Parsons The Pearlman Charitable Remainder Unitrust Estate of James T. Peeler Estate of David and Marilyn Reichert Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Roder Estate of Solveiga Rush Estate of Marilyn A. Russley Estate of Joanne T. Santangelo Estate of Emalee Schavel Estate of Anna Jo and William Selnick Estate of Miss Charlotte L. Shockley Estate of Charlotte E. Smith Estate Miss. Genevieve H. Smith Estate of Lois Staubitz Estate of Cynthia and Frank Stewart Estate of Carolyn and Fred Strebel Estate of Mrs. Italo Tajo Estate of Carol S. Thaman Estate of Phyllis Weston Estate of Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Wilson Estate of Lura Carnes Wine Estate of Harris W. Wright

*Deceased

A Lifetime of Loving Opera M E E T A C I N C I N N AT I O P E R A A N G E L

very opera fan has their operagoing origin Milstein left Manhattan for the Queen City in story. For Society of Angels member Dr. the 1980s to study medicinal chemistry and, later, Stanley Milstein, his began while growing cosmetic science at the University of Cincinnati up in New York City. College of Pharmacy. His professor and mentor, “I give much credit to a wonderful junior high Dr. J. Leon Lichtin, was also a violinist and commusic appreciation teacher, Mr. Alfred Berger,” poser of chamber music, and he introduced his stusaid Milstein. “Aside from having a wonderful barident to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and tone voice, he introduced me to Wagner and the Cincinnati Opera. Ring Cycle through recordings of ‘Ride of the “During the stewardship of former Opera GenValkyries.’” eral Director James de Blasis,” he said, “I not only From there, Milstein began to explore a personattended many performances at Music Hall, but I al passion for singing. also engaged more “My love of chodirectly as a superral music increased numerary, appearing throughout high in three Cincinnati school and college Opera productions: through singing in Don Carlo, Tosca, and mixed chorus and Die Meistersinger von touring glee clubs,” Nürnberg.” said Milstein. “I conAfter 20 years in fess that my embrace Cincinnati, profesof the full operatic sional opportunities repertoire beyond took Milstein to acWagner did not occept a position at the cur until many years U.S. FDA in Washlater—after I had more ington, D.C., where life experience!” he began attending Milstein also beperformances at gan attending Metro- JUDIT AND STANLEY MILSTEIN visited Houston Grand Washington Nationpolitan Opera perfor- Opera in May 2022. Photo by Kara Milstein. al Opera. But his love mances in the 1950s of Cincinnati Opera at the pre-Lincoln Center “Old Met,” which is brings him back every summer. where he fell fully in love with the art form. Said Milstein, “As soprano Renée Fleming once Said Milstein, “So moved was I by the weekly famously observed, ‘The voice must be heard.’ I bevocal and visual spectacles onstage that I experilieve it! Opera has enriched my life so substantially enced through radio and live performances, that it that I can do no less than all that my means perseemed natural for me—even as a young person— mit to ensure that future generations have the opto join the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I began to portunity to experience this same excitement and make annual membership donations, which grew gateway to world-class opera and classical music.” modestly over time.”

CREATE YOUR OWN LEGACY BY BRINGING OPERA TO THE NEXT GENERATION. For more than a century, Cincinnati Opera has been one of the nation’s leading opera companies. We invite you to play a role in Cincinnati Opera’s exciting future. Call Raye Needham Allen at 513-768-5527 or visit coa.planningyourlegacy.org.

Proud Sponsor of Cincinnati Opera’s Planned Giving Program

INVESTMENT COUNSEL

LONG-TERM SUBSCRIBERS Cincinnati Opera is thrilled to recognize the following individuals who have been subscribers for many years. Did we miss you? Please let us know! Contact us at subscribers@cincinnatiopera.org or 513-768-5520.

50 OR MORE YEARS Mr. and Mrs. James R. Adams Mr. Michael A. Battersby Glenda and Malcolm Bernstein Mrs. Cherylann D. Brinkman Donald L. and Kathleen F. Burns The Corbett Foundation Peter G. Courlas Mrs. Albert C. Dierckes, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David Donnett Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Drill Mrs. Vivian A. Dobur Ms. Gael T. Fischer Mr. and Mrs. James T. Fitzgerald

Mr. and Mrs. Ashley L. Ford Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Goodman Ms. Lois Ann Gribler Mrs. Robert J. Hasl Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius W. Hauck Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Kennedy Mel and John Kuempel Mr. and Mrs. David C. Lundgren Mr. Carl G. Marquette, Jr. Ms. Julia B. Meister and Michael Schroeder Mr. J. Michael Meretta Mr. and Mrs. David W. Motch

Mr. Michael Porte Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Randolph Sandra L. Riegler, M.D. Mrs. Lois P. Rust Mrs. William R. Seaman Mrs. James A. Sexton Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack Mr. Robert Patton Swaim Susan and John M. Tew, Jr., M.D. Mrs. E. Dieter van der Bent

Mrs. Thomas L. Neyer, Sr. Mrs. Hiroshi Nishiyama Marilyn Z. Ott Mr. Charles Perin Ellen Rieveschl Dr. G. James and Ruthann Sammarco Harry and Ann Santen Zell Schulman

Dr. Janet Schultz Jeffrey Seaman Mr. and Mrs. Phillip A. Stephenson Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Stradling, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Susskind Mr. Michael L. Walton Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ward

Dr. and Mrs. William J. Faulkner Ms. Dorothy Ann Feldis and Mr. William Klykylo Mr. Kingston Fletcher Dr. and Mrs. Harry F. Fry Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Fudge Dr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Giannella Mr. and Mrs. Howard E. Hamilton Mr. William Kredentser Mr. and Mrs. Gary P. Kreider Marilyn and Charles Kuntz, M.D. Dr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Moravec Ms. Rosemary Novelli Dr. and Mrs. John A. Parlin III Ms. Janet W. Prewitt

Edward and Nancy Rosenthal James Rubenstein and Bernadette Unger Mr. Richard M. Sacksteder and Mr. Victor J. Canﬁeld Ellen and Gene Saenger Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Segal Mr. and Mrs. William Strubbe Nydia C. Tranter Miss Arlene A. Thorwarth and Linda Tong Ms. Karen Webb Mr. Charles L. Wilhelm Mr. and Mrs. John M. Zoller

45 TO 49 YEARS

Anonymous Ms. Henrietta Barlag Dorothy Anne Blatt Mr. David Brashear Dr. George I. Colombel Ann Ellison Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence H. Kyte, Jr. Mr. Barry Lapidus Eleanor Minkarah

40 TO 44 YEARS Anonymous Ms. Mary Auer Boris Auerbach and Kathy Patchel Mr. Michael R. Bachmann and Ms. Mary Combs Mr. Donald Beck and Lawrence E. Eynon, M.D. Drs. David and Elaine Billmire Mr. Neil Bortz A.K. Carey Arthur B. Casper Mr. and Mrs. William Chang Mr. and Mrs. John P. Cover Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dyson Dr. and Mrs. Paul Esposito

35 TO 39 YEARS Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Bavaria Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Lois and Joseph Brenner Mr. J. Robert Chambers Mrs. Carole Charleville Cincinnati Financial Corp. Nancy R. Clagett Mr. Marshall Garrison Shelly Gerson

Ms. Deborah R. Grayson Emma Hartkemeier Irmgard and Horst Hehmann Bob Roesbery and Nancy Helwig Mr. Isaiah Hyman, Jr. Little Britain House Tea Room Ms. Vicky Mary Dr. and Mrs. James J. Nordlund Mrs. Lilián Estévez de Pagani

Dr. Elaine Y. Rosin Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Stanley A. Shulman Sandra and Henry Spitz Ellen and Ray van der Horst Mr. Arnold Wasserman Mr. Edward Jay Wohlgemuth Ms. Susan Wulsin

Mr. Gerald S. Greenberg and Ms. Pamela Meyers Dr. Ralph A. Gruppo Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Ms. Kathleen M. Hammons Mrs. Barbara Harshman Mr. Roger D. Hickman Mr. Donald E. Hoffman Mr. and Mrs. Henry N. Horne Mrs. James Hsu Mr. and Mrs. W.M. James Dr. and Mrs. Timothy E. Johnson Ms. Brenda Jones Mr. and Mrs. Roger Keller Mr. and Mrs. Alex Keller Patrick M. Korb Susan Lauf Mrs. Linda Linker Adele Lippert Ms. Kathryn Maier Mr. Brent Manley Mr. and Mrs. Lon Mendelsohn Mr. George E. Menges Mr. and Mrs. R. William Mischler Sue Alexander Mouch Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Mystkowski

Valerie Newell and Timothy Smith Robert and Carol Olson Marge and Tom Osterman Dr. and Mrs. Alter G. Peerless Joseph and Susan Pichler Mrs. Clarissa Rentz Mr. William Renwick and Ms. Debra Bowles Reverend David Robisch Mr. Joseph Schoettmer Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Schulhoff Mrs. David Schwieterman Murray Sinclaire, Jr., and RSA Gerald and Sarah Skidmore Brett Stover Dr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Striker Ms. Bernadette Tallarico Mr. Garry Terrell and Ms. Rebecca Terrell Beverly Tonkens-VanGrov Larry and Beth Uhlenbrock Ginger and David Warner Dr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Whitlatch Fr. Barry Windholtz John M. Yacher

Mr. Richard Freudenberger Mrs. Janelle Gelfand Don Gray Mr. and Mrs. Carl Harcourt Julie Grady Heard and Benjamin D. Heard Ms. Marlene Kessler Lucy Hodgson and Peter Koenig Joanie Lotts Al and Mary J. López Luke and Neta Lovell Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Marks Raymond and Madelynn Matlock Mrs. Ivan S. Misrach Mr. and Mrs. Fred Norton Mr. and Mrs. Neil O’Connor Ms. Maria Ransdell

Mrs. Melody Sawyer Richardson Mr. and Mrs. Larry A. Sheakley Ann Gallagher Schoen and Jerry Schoen Mr. John T. Schreiber and Ms. Claire E. Fessler Deborah Schultz Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Silverman Roger and Margaret Smith James Stapleton and Dr. Elizabeth Shaughnessy Mr. and Mrs. William Steenken Anne M. Werner Ronna and Dr. James Willis Shelby O. Wood Dr. Richard Young and Mr. Timothy Butz

30 TO 34 YEARS Anonymous Barbara Aberlin Ms. Sandy Adams Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Andrews, Jr. Mr. Gary J. Anglin Gay Bain Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey T. Baker Dr. Alfred J. Berger Marlene and Robert Boden Charlin and Peter Briggs Mrs. Rebecca S. Brown Nicholas P. Ciafardini Sheila and Christopher Cole Dr. Alvin H. and Alva Jean Crawford Mr. Daniel B. and Dr. Margaret G. Cunningham Mrs. Jack Edelman Harry and Linda Fath Dr. James D. Faulkner Mr. Carl R. Fiora Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Gehrig Dr. Sheila C. Gelman and Dr. David Greenblatt Mrs. Elizabeth Gendreau-Maxwell and Mr. Don Maxwell Valeria and Frederick R. Good

25 TO 29 YEARS Anonymous Julie and Khosrow Alamin, M.D. William and Eve Appleton Reverend Christopher R. Armstrong Frances and Tom Bankston Barbara and Dale Bardes Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Baumann Drs. Thomas and Barbara Boat Dr. Walter Bruyninckx and Dr. Anne-Marie B. Blancquaert Mr. James D. Carr and Ms. Jane Wakerman Cathy and Tom Crain Mrs. Jodelle S. Crosset Dr. Stewart and Ellen Dunsker Leslie R. Dye, M.D.

20 TO 24 YEARS

Mrs. Christine O. Adams Ms. Jane Anderson Janet Andress Dr. and Mrs. William Aronstein Mr. Drew Asimus and Ms. Carolyn Royalty Ms. Patricia Baas Ron Bates and Randy Lasley Dr. Rolando Berger Mr. Thomas Berger Ms. Debbie Bogenschutz John and Mary Ann Boorn Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Bradshaw Diann Bridenbaugh, M.D. Mary and Joseph Brinkmeyer Ms. Karen Bruin Mr. and Mrs. Fred Burnett Mr. Robert Burroughs Dr. and Mrs. Lanthan Camblin Ms. Patricia M. Carey Terry Bazeley and John Castaldi Mr. David Charpentier Melanie M. Chavez Ms. Melissa Cox Ms. Mary Diersing Ms. Marsha Drucker Shannon and Paul Duffy Mrs. Melodie Dunn John G. Earls Mr. Frank E. Espohl Mr. Joseph H. Feldhaus Ms. Amy Fuson Mr. Ted Gentry and Ms. Amy Dougherty Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Givens

Dr. and Mrs. Richard W. Goetz Mr. and Mrs. Richard Graeter Philip and Mattie Groshong Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman Ms. Melissa Haas Ms. Emily M. Hodges and Mr. Charles H. Spencer Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer Mr. Martin Hogan Mr. and Mrs. Tom Horwitz Mr. and Mrs. Matthew W. Hughes Ms. Marjorie Hull Doug Ignatius and Bruce Preston Mr. Ralph Isaacs Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Janson Ms. Amy S. Katzman, Esq. Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D. Sarajane and Richard King Elizabeth and Ken Kuresman Mr. Jon P. Longtin Mrs. Judy Lucas Mr. Alex J. Lukondi Mr. and Mrs. John-Peter Lund Ms. Sally A. Lund Ms. Kathy Mank Sherie Marek Mr. Miguel Martinez and Mr. David Grome Drs. Neal and Donna Mayerson Kathy and Jon McCann Dr. Janet P. McDaniel Ms. Mary Anne McMillan Don and Marji Mendelsohn

Mr. and Mrs. Jan Methlie Mr. Ronald L. Miller Chris and Molly Milligan Mr. Charles J. Moomaw Mary Lou Motl Janet Muvich and Lisa Muvich Ms. Kathleen O’Connell and Dr. H. Kenneth Peterson Mr. and Mrs. R. Joseph Parker Mr. Anthony Paternoster Carol and Edwin Pfetzing Mr. Floyd Reed Pamela Spangler Reis and Richard Reis Ms. Mary Rich Moe and Jack Rouse Dr. Constance Sanders, D.M.E. Ms. Carol Schroeder Mr. Steven Selss Mr. Brett Siereveld Mr. and Mrs. Irwin B. Simon Ms. Carol E. Singer Amy Stier and Jef Brown Mr. and Mrs. Carlos R. Teran Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D., and Robert Toltzis, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Tomsick Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Torre Mr. Timothy E. Troendle Susan and Dean Windgassen Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D. Mr. Jan K. Wolf Anne and Allen Zaring III

CINCINNATI OPERA GUILD BOARD The Cincinnati Opera Guild is an organization of committed volunteers who are dedicated to supporting Cincinnati Opera through volunteerism, social events, and ﬁnancial giving. For more than six decades, Guild members have served as advocates for the organization, promoting awareness, generating public interest, and deepening understanding of the art form in our community. Members bring many forms of expertise, especially for our education and community engagement programs. Their support is essential to a vast array of ongoing activities and events, and they are among the Opera’s most enthusiastic ambassadors in Greater Cincinnati. We hope you will consider joining in the fun by becoming a Cincinnati Opera Guild Ambassador! Executive Committee President Richard Zinicola Immediate Past President Karlee L. Hilliard Membership Chairs Marina Abanto Sandy Porada Meet and Greet Chairs Ellen Saenger Shelby O. Wood Promotions Chair Robert von Gerds Members At-Large Julie Alamin Suzanne Hasl Sarajane King Patrick Korb Alex Lukondi

New Members Raye Allen Penny P. Cobey Jeff Landen Ellen Ross Louis Ross Members Marina Abanto Julie Alamin Jennifer M. Allen * Anne S. Arenstein Paule S. Asch, Ph.D. Barbara Bardes Patricia K. Beggs (H) Alfred J. Berger ° Lois Brenner Cherylann D. Brinkman ° Betsi Brockmeier Nichola P. Ciafardini (H) Virginia K. Cover (H) * James de Blasis ° Nancy Dierckes Joanna Doerner Jocelyn Dunphy (H) * Christopher D. Edwards (H) Marlesa A. Gray (H) * Barbara Hahn (H) Barbara Harshman Suzanne Hasl ° (H) * Julie G. Heard (H) * Karlee L. Hilliard*

Emily M. Hodges Linda Holthaus Marlene Johnson Sarajane King * Jennifer Kinnen (H) Bo-Kyung Kirby Patrick M. Korb ° (H) * Mel E. Kuempel (H) * Elizabeth Kuresman (H) Bruce A. Lafferre Sooncha Lee Adele Lippert Joanie Lotts (H) Diana Lovelace Alex J. Lukondi Janet P. McDaniel Ruth McDevitt (H) * Eleanor C. Minkarah (H) * Lawrence Mouch (H) Sue A. Mouch (H) Christine Neyer (H) + * Tom Osterman Marilyn Z. Ott Marchelle Owens ° O’Dell M. Owens ° Lilián E. Pagani ° Isabelle Paul ° (H) Sandra Porada Daniel C. Rebhun (H) * Aileen B. Reinstatler (H) * Gale Z. Roberts Carol A. Rogers (H)

Lois P. Rust Ellen Saenger Ruthann Sammarco ° (H) * G. James Sammarco ° Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Schmidt ° Norma Schoenberger ° Charles R. Schuler ° Martha S. Seaman (H) * Joseph B. Shirley ° Jeffrey Stambough ° Nancy Stambough ° Barbara Stegmaier ° Joseph Stegmaier ° Kim Strubbe Janet V. Stuhlreyer ° Paul A. Stuhlreyer III ° Beverly Tonkens-VanGrov Nydia C. Tranter Janet Todd ° Nancy Virgulak Robert Von Gerds Jeannine Winkelmann (H) * Andrea K. Wiot EJ Wohlgemuth ° Shelby O. Wood Sylvia Yorke Richard Zinicola

(H) Honorary Member *Former Guild Board President °Lifetime member

IN MEMORIAM During the last year, these individuals have made contributions to Cincinnati Opera in memory of friends and family members. Cincinnati Opera is grateful for these thoughtful gifts. In memory of Albert C. Dierckes, Jr. Mrs. Robert Allen Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Mr.. and Mrs. John P. Cover Mr. Robert G. Edmiston Mr. and Mrs. Allen Elliot Mr. and Mrs. Hendy Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ludwig Michael L. McKay Mr. James Murphy, Jr. Mrs. Thomas L. Neyer, Sr. Newman Foundation Robert Ott Mr. and Mrs. J. James Pearce Ms. Carol Schroeder Marianne Schwab Ms. Sherri G. Slovin Rosemary Welsh In memory of J. Howard “Bumpy” Fraser Patricia K. and James D. Beggs

In memory of Charles M. Fullgraf and Charlotte S. Fullgraf The Fullgraf Foundation In memory of Bill Hahn Ronna and Dr. James Willis In memory of Dr. Morton Harshman John F. Barrett Mr. and Mrs. George J. Beddie, Jr. Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Mr. and Mrs. Collins Dr. David Harshman Margo Itkoff Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D. Karel and Jerry Kroos Adele Lippert Mrs. Thomas L. Neyer, Sr. In memory of Judith “Gooch” Hiltenbeitel Patricia K. and James D. Beggs

In memory of Mona Kerstine’s grandparents Mona and Richard Kerstine, M.D. In memory of Fred Klein Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas In memory of Dr. Charles Kuntz Patricia K. and James D. Beggs In memory of Rich Lauf Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Lois and Joseph Brenner Dorothy Anne Blatt Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Karlee L. Hilliard Christopher Milligan Ellen and Gene Saenger Suzanne Schweller Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., and Jacqueline M. Mack Richard Sternberg Mr. and Mrs. James E. Wesner Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D.

The Florian Family Judith Judelsohn Hans and Susanne Keller Anne Kunkel The Manley Family Ms. Keva Matovina Anne M. Tillinghast Ann C. Overbeck In memory of Mary “Winnie” Meister Ms. Maria Aselage Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Doreen Canton Katrina Trimble Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D. In memory of Dr. Issam Minkarah Anonymous Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas Christopher Milligan

In memory of Tom Lippert Patricia K. and James D. Beggs Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas

In memory of Marco Panuccio Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Ms. Emily M. Hodges and Mr. Charles H. Spencer Susan Lauf Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell

In memory of Susie Louiso Patricia K. and James. D. Beggs

In memory of Sheila Plott Patricia K. and James D. Beggs

In memory of John “Jocko” Magro Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas

In memory of Pamela Reis’s mother Jeannine Winkelmann and John Winkelmann, M.D.

In memory of William M. McKim, Ph.D. Patricia K. and James D. Beggs In memory of John “Mike” Meretta Anonymous D’Ellen Bardes Lorraine Bachand Alice Berger Cookie Devine

Contributions from May 1, 2021 to April 18, 2022

In memory of Paul Stanbery Thomas Dreeze and Evans Mirageas In memory of Geraldine Stegner Patricia K. and James D. Beggs In memory of Judy Thompson Patricia K. and James D. Beggs

REMEMBRANCES Wherever there’s an opera company, there’s an opera family. It’s a family of supporters, volunteers, singers, stage professionals, staff members, and fans. Each member does their part to sustain the company and animate its mission. Since the summer of 2019, we have lost a number of dear members of the Cincinnati Opera family. This list is incomplete, but it’s our attempt at recognizing and remembering some who have left us. If we have missed someone, please let us know. Also, the asterisk (*) at the end of the entry indicates membership in the Society of Angels, a giving legacy program that supports Cincinnati Opera’s endowment. See page 86 for more information.

Albert Dierckes (1938–2021) was a chemical engineer and spent most of his career at P&G. He enjoyed attending performances with his wife, Nancy. Albert was a member of the Cincinnati Opera Guild. )N FACT HIS LATE lRST WIFE #LAIRE SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF the Guild in its early days.

Tom Lippert (1932–2021) was a generous CincinNATI /PERA CONTRIBUTOR AND VOLUNTEER (E AND HIS wife, Adele, attended many Cincinnati Opera fundRAISING EVENTS INCLUDING A DONOR TRIP TO ,OS !NGELES 4OGETHER THEY DEVOTED THEIR LIVES TO FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Marianne Doll (1957–2020) was a lifelong Cincinnati resident. As a member of the Cincinnati Opera 'UILD SHE SERVED ON ITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 3HE lRST EXPERIENCED OPERA AS A TEENAGER AND SHARED HER LOVE OF OPERA WITH HER MANY FRIENDS

Susie Louiso (1942–2022) was a frequent collaboraTOR WITH #INCINNATI /PERA IN HER ROLE AS EXECUTIVE DIrector of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, where she worked alongside her husband, Jack. A lifelong #INCINNATIAN 3USIE WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT PROVIDING opportunities to young people.

Marcello Giordani (1963–2019) made a single but spectacular appearance on the Cincinnati Opera STAGE IN AS #AVARADOSSI IN Tosca "ORN IN 3ICily, the acclaimed tenor delighted audiences in more than 240 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. Tom Hammons (1951–2020) sang 12 roles on the Cincinnati Opera stage across nearly four decades. (E WAS BELOVED FOR HIS COMIC ROLES INCLUDING THE 3ACRISTAN IN Tosca and Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville. In 2007, he appeared in Nixon in China as Henry Kissinger, a role he created for the opera’s world premiere in 1987 and for which he won a Grammy Award in 1988. Tom was also a regular at the Met, appearing in more than 200 performances. Mort Harshman n WAS A DEVOTED FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND SERVED ON THE #INCINNATI /PERA "OARD FOR SEVERAL YEARS (E AND WIFE "ARBARA WERE ADVOcates, fans, and supporters of the company. Maria Krocker-Tuskan (1926–2020) worked as a CHILD PSYCHIATRIST FOR MANY YEARS IN #INCINNATI 3HE AND HER HUSBAND )VAN ENJOYED OPERA IMMENSELY and made a generous bequest to Cincinnati Opera in their estate plan. Lorrie Laskey (1934–2020) was a member of the #INCINNATI /PERA 'UILD "OARD WHO ALSO VOLUNTEERED WITH NUMEROUS OTHER CIVIC AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS !MONG HER PROFESSIONAL ENDEAVORS SHE WORKED AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER A PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE AND WRITER OF THE h!ROUND 4OWNv COLUMN FOR the Cincinnati Enquirer. Richard Lauf n SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE /PERA 'UILD AND AS A TRUSTEE AND VICE PRESIDENT of the Cincinnati Opera Board. A gifted raconteur, writer, and former P&G strategist, Rich and his wife, 3USAN TRAVELED FREQUENTLY FOR OPERA PERFORMANCES In 2020, Rich contributed a chapter to the book Cincinnati Opera: A Centennial Celebration. *

William “Bill” McKim (1940–2022) was an English LITERATURE PROFESSOR AT .ORTHERN +ENTUCKY 5NIVERSITY ! LOVER OF lNE ARTS "ILL WAS A WELCOME GUEST AT HUNDREDS OF #INCINNATI /PERA EVENTS OVER THE YEARS WITH his wife, Karen. Issam “Sam” Minkarah (1931–2021) was a regular PARTICIPANT IN /PERA 'UILD EVENTS ALONGSIDE HIS WIFE former Guild President Ellie Minkarah. Born in BeiRUT ,EBANON 3AM WAS KNOWN TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF WITH A WRY SMILE AS h3AM -INKARAH 'UILD SPOUSE v Herta Moore (1920–2021) was a centenarian and a dedicated Cincinnati Opera subscriber for more than YEARS )N 3EPTEMBER WE BROUGHT A SOCIALLY distanced opera celebration to her in honor of her 100th birthday. Gloria Morelli (1930–2019) and Arnold Morelli n WERE AVID VOLUNTEERS AND PATRONS OF the Cincinnati arts community. They attended many Cincinnati Opera performances, and they seldom MISSED THE LATEST AT THE #INCINNATI 3YMPHONY /Rchestra and Cincinnati Ballet. * Mark “Marco” Panuccio (1973–2021) made many appearances with Cincinnati Opera, including leading roles in Nixon in China (Chairman Mao) and Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo). A graduate of CCM, -ARCO CREATED AND PRODUCED h/ (OLY .IGHT v WHICH became a Cincinnati holiday tradition. Pops conDUCTOR *OHN -ORRIS 2USSELL CALLED HIM hTHE PEOPLE S TENOR v AND HIS FAN CLUB CALLED THEMSELVES h&ANUCCI v Solveiga Rush (1930–2020) was a professor of art HISTORY AT THE 5NIVERSITY OF #INCINNATI 3HE WAS A member of the Cincinnati Opera Guild. A lifelong PATRON OF THE ARTS 3OLVEIGA MADE A GENEROUS CONTRIbution to Cincinnati Opera in her estate plan. *

REMEMBRANCES Frank Stewart (1931–2020) was an attorney and leader in the arts community. His estate plan included a bequest to Cincinnati Opera in memory of his late wife, Cynthia, a great fan of the company. Mary “Carol” Thaman (1928–2020) was a devoted patron of the arts and supporter of Cincinnati Opera. A lover of classical music, opera, and theatre, Carol was also an advocate for Catholic education throughout her life. * Judith Thompson (1938–2021) was a member of the Cincinnati Opera Guild. An adventurer and avid traveler, Judy particularly loved France, and “La vie en rose” was sung at her memorial service in honor of her favorite destination. Tony Totten (1956–2020) was the owner and operator of Tony Express Trucking. For more than 30 years, he hauled goods for all of Cincinnati’s leading arts organizations, including the Opera. He served 20 years as Cincinnati Opera’s freight coordinator. Marcella Trice n WAS THE lRST !FRICAN American teacher at Cincinnati Country Day School. In her 27 years with CCDS, she also served as interim head of the Lower School. She was widely recognized for lifelong volunteerism and civic engagement.

Marcella served several terms on the Cincinnati Opera Board. Clayton “Clay” Wagenlander (1954–2021) was the founder of Pebble Creek Group, an audiovisual company and a regular producing partner for Cincinnati Opera events and productions. We are pleased to continue partnering with Clay’s son, Matty, for audiovisual needs. Carl Westmoreland (1937–2022) was a founding member of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. An inspiring orator, Carl was passionate about Black history and served as a consultant for our 2005 production of Margaret Garner. Catherine Wolters (1934–2021) was a longtime member of the Cincinnati Opera Guild. She was an avid supporter of Cincinnati’s arts community, a devoted educator, and a champion of civil rights and access to adult basic education. Arthur Woodley (1949–2020) was a gifted bass who sang traditional and new operas, including The Shining and Champion. His last Cincinnati Opera appearance was as Daland in the 2018 production of The Flying Dutchman.

Proud to support Cincinnati Opera

CELEBRATIONS AND HONORARIUMS During the last year, these individuals have made contributions to Cincinnati Opera in honor or in celebration of friends and family members. Cincinnati Opera is grateful for these thoughtful gifts. In honor of Patty Beggs being inducted in the Opera Hall of Fame Dr. Jack and Barbara Hahn Ronna and Dr. James Willis In honor of Vivian Dobur Ms. Beatrice Lampkin In honor of Ellen Graham and Thomas Hase Patricia K. and James D. Beggs In honor of Don Hoffman Mr. and Mrs. Tom Osha

In honor of Ammon Hollister Saul Schottenstein Foundation B In honor of Chris Milligan Mr. Daniel B. and Dr. Margaret G. Cunningham Susan Zando In honor of Ted Silberstein Beth and Peter Levin In honor of Mike Veroni’s retirement Ms. Raye Allen Catharina Toltzis, Ph.D., and Robert Toltzis, M.D.

Contributions from May 1, 2021 to April 18, 2022

The Cincinnati Opera Guild is celebrating nearly 65 years as opera ambassadors to our community. Members enjoy monthly guest speakers, volunteer at events throughout the year, and host get-togethers to support Cincinnati Opera. Join fellow opera lovers in the community for behind-thescenes access to the art form and company we all love!

VOLUNTEER. ADVOCATE. CELEBRATE. Join the Cincinnati Opera Guild today! Memberships begin at $100 For more information about the beneﬁts of Guild memberships, visit cincinnatiopera.org/opera-guild or call 513-768-5561.

CINCINNATI OPERA REPERTOIRE 1920–2022 John Adams Nixon in China–2007 A Flowering Tree–2011

Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande–2000

Charles Gounod Faust–1921-23, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1932, 1935-51, 1953-58, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1975, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1999, 2007 Romeo and Juliet–1922, 1923, 1933, 1945, 1971, 1982, 1989, 1994, 2002, 2019

Léo Delibes Lakmé–1922, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1955

Aldolphus Hailstork Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story–2007

Gaetano Donizetti The Daughter of the Regiment (La Fille du Régiment)– 1973, 2004 Don Pasquale–1920, 1921, 1945, 1956, 1966, 1968, 1981, 1996, 2015 The Elixir of Love (L’Elisir d’Amore)–1924, 1926, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1958, 1968, 1969, 1983 Lucia di Lammermoor–1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1937, 1939-43, 1952-54, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2008 Roberto Devereux–1974

Fromental Halévy La Juive–1927, 1928

Georges Bizet Carmen–1921-24, 1926-33, 193560, 1962-1971, 1976, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2021

Friedrich von Flotow Martha–1920, 1924, 1926, 192830, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1943-45, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1956

Sidney Jones The Geisha–1932

Arrigo Boito Meﬁstofele–1922, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1939, 1972

Carlisle Floyd Of Mice and Men–1971 Susannah–1959, 1964, 1979, 1988

William Bolcom Medusa–2003

Charles Rudolph Friml The Fireﬂy–1930, 1931

Benjamin Britten Peter Grimes–1960 The Turn of the Screw–1999

George Gershwin Porgy and Bess–2012, 2019

Franco Alfano Resurrection–1983 Daniel François Espirit Auber Fra Diavolo–1927 Michael William Balfe The Bohemian Girl–1927, 1928, 1936 Béla Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle–2001 Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio–1931, 1932, 1980, 2016 Peter Bengtson The Maids–2004 Vincenzo Bellini Norma–1932, 1935, 1938, 1977, 1984, 2003 Il Pirata–1969 La Sonnambula–1960 96

Richard Danielpour Margaret Garner–2005

Daniel Catán Florencia en el Amazonas–2008 Francesco Cavalli La Calisto–2014 Francesco Cilèa Adriana Lecouvreur–1979 Emmanuel Chabrier L’Étoile–2006

Henry Louis Reginald de Koven Robin Hood–1929

Jake Heggie Dead Man Walking–2002 Victor Herbert Naughty Marietta–1929 Engelbert Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel–1920, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1938, 1939, 1942-44, 1973 Leos Janácek Jenufa–1998

Laura Kaminsky As One–2018 Jerome Kern Roberta–1985 Show Boat–1976 Franz Lehár The Merry Widow–1951-53, 1975, 1982

Umberto Giordano Andrea Chénier–1929, 1930, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1995 Fedora–1923

Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci–1920, 1927, 1933-39, 1941-46, 1950, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1982, 1993, 2012 Zazà–1985, 1987

Philip Glass Galileo Galilei–2013

Frank Leoni L’Oracolo–1928, 1931

Osvaldo Golijov Ainadamar–2009

Frank Loesser The Most Happy Fella–1977

Ricky Ian Gordon Morning Star–2015

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Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana–1921, 1922, 1926, 1928, 1933-37, 1941, 194446, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1982, 1993 Iris–1930, 1931 Jules Massenet Manon–1922, 1924, 1939-42, 1952, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1968, 1980 La Navarraise–1931 Thaïs–1933, 1938 Werther–1993

Robert Xavier Rodríguez Frida–2017

Ástor Piazzolla María de Buenos Aires–2012

Gioachino Rossini The Barber of Seville–1920, 1921, 1924, 1927, 1937-45, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1977, 1987, 1991, 1997, 2005, 2021 La Cenerentola–1966, 2000

Robert Planquette The Chimes of Normandy (Les Cloches de Corneville)–1930

Missy Mazzoli Song from the Uproar–2017

Amilcare Ponchielli La Gioconda–1923, 1924, 1928, 1935, 1936, 1942

William Meneﬁeld Fierce–2022

Francis Poulenc La Voix Humaine–2003

Gian Carlo Menotti The Medium–1967

Giacomo Puccini La Bohème–1924, 1932, 1936-63, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2017, 2022 Gianni Schicchi–1975, 1982, 2012 Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West)–1933, 1938, 1986 Madame Butterﬂy–1924, 192833, 1936-41, 1946-60, 1962-64, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, 2001, 2008, 2014 Manon Lescaut–1959, 1964, 1974, 1983, 1991 La Rondine–1973, 1984 Suor Angelica–1975, 1982 Il Tabarro–1975, 1982 Tosca–1923, 1927, 1931, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1943-45, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2006, 2016, 2021 Turandot–1955, 1956, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1987, 1995, 2003, 2015

Giacomo Meyerbeer L’Africaine–1936 Dinorah–1929, 1930

Jacques Offenbach La Périchole–1974 The Tales of Hoffmann–1921, 1923, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1987, 1992, 2006

Italo Montemezzi The Love of Three Kings (L’Amore dei Tre Re)–1926, 1929, 1946, 1947, 1949 Claudio Monteverdi The Coronation of Poppea (L’Incoronazione di Poppea)–2018 Douglas Moore The Ballad of Baby Doe–1976 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail)–1992 Così Fan Tutte–1963, 1966, 1976, 1983, 1989, 2007 Don Giovanni–1930, 1931, 1936, 1949, 1951, 1961, 1977, 1990, 1999, 2004, 2013 The Magic Flute (Die Zauberﬂöte)–1932, 1986, 1993, 2001, 2011, 2017 The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro)–1956, 1957, 1972, 1979, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2009, 2019 Modest Mussorgsky Boris Godunov–1948, 1958, 1974

Kevin Puts Silent Night–2014 Scott Davenport Richards Blind Injustice–2019 Richard Rodgers Carousel–1983 Oklahoma–1984 The Sound of Music–1982 South Paciﬁc–1981

Sigmund Romberg The Student Prince–1978

Camille Saint-Saëns Samson and Delilah–1922, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, 1940-47, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1964, 1970, 1998 Arnold Schoenberg Erwartung–2001 Bedrich Smetana The Bartered Bride–1931, 1954 Gregory Spears Castor and Patience–2022 Fellow Travelers–2016 Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus–1928, 1950, 1951, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1972, 1980, 2016 The Gypsy Baron (Der Zigeunerbaron)–1932 Richard Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos–1961, 2019 Elektra–2002 Der Rosenkavalier–1948, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1967, 1986, 1994, 2013 Salome–1948, 1949, 1953, 1960, 1962, 1968, 1982, 2000 Arthur Sullivan The Gondoliers–1985 H.M.S. Pinafore–1932, 1933, 1981 The Mikado–1928, 1979 The Pirates of Penzance–1933, 1980, 2022 Trial by Jury–1933 Joseph Surdo Enter Pauline–1929 Deems Taylor The King’s Henchmen–1936

Piotr IIyich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin–1984, 2011 Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas Mignon–1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941-43, 1945, 1946 Viktor Ullmann Der Kaiser von Atlantis–2004 Isaac Van Grove The Music Robber–1926, 1927 Giuseppe Verdi Aida–1921-24, 1926, 1927, 1929-33, 1935-1956, 1959-62, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2013, 2022 Attila–1979, 1984 Don Carlo–1961, 1984, 1989, 2009 Falstaff–1926, 1930, 1997 La Forza del Destino–1932, 1965, 1969 Macbeth–1960, 1961, 1978 A Masked Ball (Un Ballo in Maschera)–1931, 1939, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1974, 1991, 2006

Nabucco–2001 Otello–1921, 1929, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1970, 1982, 1996, 2010 Rigoletto–1920-22, 1924, 1926, 1928-32, 1935-56, 1961-63, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1992, 2005, 2011 La Traviata–1923, 1924, 1926, 1931, 1935, 1938-58, 1960, 196264, 1966-68, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2018 Il Trovatore–1921, 1922, 1926-33, 1937-49, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1994, 2015

Das Rheingold–1961, 1981 Tannhäuser–1926-30, 1932, 1935, 1937-40, 1945-48 Tristan und Isolde–1949 Die Walküre–1927, 1928, 1978

Richard Wagner The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Holländer)–1975, 1996, 2018 Lohengrin–1921, 1922, 1924, 1926-28, 1931, 1933, 1935-37, 1947-49 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg–1928, 1929, 1983, 2010 Parsifal–1929, 1930

Meredith Willson The Music Man–1983

Roger Waters/Julien Bilodeau Another Brick in the Wall–2018 Carl Maria von Weber Der Freischütz–1933 Kurt Weill Seven Deadly Sins–2003 Jaromír Weinberger Schwanda the Bagpiper–1986

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Jewels of the Madonna (I Gioielli della Madonna)–1927 The Secret of Susanne–1920, 1922, 1928, 1937, 1948, 1953

SE E T H E POT EN T I A L OF WH AT YOUR WEALT H C A N D O

M y py³ ¿y³ y ³ eu¿ qy · u ¦© ¿ uy q Ëuy qy ³ y ·³·©y— © Â ·Ū Â ·© e ÂŪ e u ³ y © e Çe³ Â · qe©y ep ·³ů ³ * # ¿y³ y ³ · y Ū Ày e©y uy¦y uy ³ e u y ¦ ÂyyƇ À yuŪ e u ·© yÁ¦y© y qyu Àye ³ eu¿ © ¦© ¿ uy yyƇ Â eu¿ qyů M ye Ày e Ày© ³ y p·³ Â ·Ū Â · qe y³ ³ y ³ ³ y Àye ³ Â ·Ɠ¿y À © yu e©u ³ p· uů JOHNSONINV.COM

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Artists’ Coffee Service: Refreshments donated by Sheila and Christopher Cole Artist Housing: AHI Corporate Housing (Lauryn Zanone) Banking Services: PNC Bank; Huntington Bank

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Education Partners: Opera Goes to Church Sunday Series: Allen Temple A.M.E, College Hill Presbyterian Church; The Magic Flute Adaptation: Madcap Puppets—Dylan Shelton, Paul Strickland, Carol Walker, Melissa Bennett, Victoria Ellington, Heidi Miller, Avery Bargasse, Jacob Zhou, Karie Gipson; International Freedom Conductor Awards: National Underground Freedom Center, Steve Milloy, Jillian Harrison-Jones, Cindy Candelaria, Ciara Harper, Kyndra Dyanne Jefferies, Victoria Okafor, Hira Adhami, Molly Brown, Marci Hedges, Marcellene Winfrey, Avery Bargasse, Mark Johnson, Sandra Thornton, Robert Webster, Jason Alexander-Holmes, Ruben Candelaria, Deondra Means, Daniel Parsley, Eunhwa Lee; Watch Night: Juneteenth Cincinnati, Inc., Lydia Morgan, Deondra Kamau Means, Piper N. Davis; Share the Love Truck Tour: Academy of World Languages, Boone County Public Library, Campbell County Public Library, College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation, Corryville Recreation Center, John P. Parker School, Lincoln Recreation Center, Madison Elementary, Mason Elementary School, Mason Intermediate School, Stephanie O’Rear, Roselawn Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, St. Lawrence School, Summit View Academy, Taylor Mill Elementary, The Villages of Roll Hill, TreeHouse Cincinnati, Inc.; Opera Storybook Hour: ABC After School, Boone County Public Library, Campbell County Public Library–Cold Springs Branch, Cincinnati Art Museum, St. Lawrence Elementary, TreeHouse Cincinnati, Inc.; Behind the Voice: Carol Walker, Alexandra Schoeny, Jacob Zhou; Music in Motion: The Giving Voice Foundation, Stacy Shirley, Anna Bonham-White, Carol Walker; I Am Fierce Partner Showcase: i.imagine, Music Resource Center—Cincinnati, WordPlay Cincy; Fierce PodCAST 3HEILA 7ILLIAMS 7ILLIAM -ENElELD !CTIVIties Beyond the Classroom: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; College Hill Recreation Center, David Daniel, Marjorie P. Lee Retirement Community, Mindful Music Moments, OPERA America,

Rothenburg Preparatory Academy, Danielle Cozart Steele, Krista Cornish Scott, William MenelELD 4HE 'IVING 6OICE &OUNDATION 5# (EALTH University of Cincinnati Event Hosts and Partners: Flávia Bastos, Ph.D., and Larry Huston; Melanie M. Chavez; Michael , #IOFl AND 2ACHAEL ! 2OWE %SOTERIC "REWing; Ryan L. Messer and James Musuraca-Messer; Pursuit; Revel OTR Urban Winery; Richter & Phillips Jewelers; Sloane; Brett Stover; Woodburn Brewing; Anne and Allen Zaring III Gifts-In-Kind: Aglamesis Bros.; Big Ice; B&A Street Kitchen; Drs. David and Elaine Billmire; Brown Bear Bakery; A Catered Affaire; eat well celebrations and easts, LLC; FILLO Greek Bake Shop; Karlee Hilliard; Kendrick & O’Dell; The Kroger Company; LouVino; LPK; Passion Growers; Paycor; Richter & Phillips Jewelers; Joe Rigotti/Accent on Cincinnati; Taft’s Ale House; Taste of Belgium; Thunderdome Restaurant Group; The Travel Byrds; University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; Viking Cruises; Woodburn Brewing Green Room Hospitality: Nick Ciafardini Investment Managers: PNC Institutional Investments; Johnson Investment Counsel; 1919 Investment Counsel; Fort Washington Capital Partners Group; Huntington Bank Legal Assistance: Boris Auerbach; Robert W. Olson, Charles E. Baverman III, Jason Hilliard, Hayley Geiler, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Sarah Clay Leyshock, Julia B. Meister, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP; Ann Schoen, Frost Brown Todd LLP Matching Gift Companies: Bank of America Charitable Foundation; The Benevity Community Impact Fund; GE Foundation; Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies; Messer Construction; PNC Bank; U.S. Bank Medical Advisor: Jennifer Wall Forrester, M.D., University of Cincinnati Medical Center Media Partners: Cincinnati Public Radio, 90.9 WGUC and 91.7 WVXU

Ofﬁcial Piano Technician: Russell McNamara, Piano Perfect Preferred Hotel Partners: Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza; The Kinley Cincinnati Downtown Production Partners & In-Kind: AJG Risk Management; Cincinnati Arts Association; Cincinnati Ballet; Cincinnati Music Hall; Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Cincinnati Stage Employees Local 5 IATSE; Cincinnati Wardrobe Union Local 864 IATSE; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden; Hase & Associates, Ltd.; Paul H. Lippe, Inc.; Punky’s Pixels; School for Creative and Performing Arts; SEKO Logistics CVG; Spotted Yeti; University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Production Departments; Vincent Lighting

Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of: ArtsWave; Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau; Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber; First World War Centenary Partnership, Imperial War Museum, London; Friends of Music Hall; Greater Cincinnati Alliance for Arts Education; Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce; Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA; Ohio Alliance for Arts Education; Ohio Citizens for the Arts; Opera Volunteers International; Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce.

Cincinnati Opera is a proud partner of:

Program Book: Produced by Cincinnati Magazine: Publisher Ivy Bayer; Director of Editorial Operations Amanda Boyd Walters; Senior Art Director Emi Villavicencio. Opera Editorial Assistance by Karen Krumpak and Amanda Jackson.

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Strategic Partners: ROKCincy; Young Professionals Choral Collective (YPCC) Cincinnati Opera extends special thanks to the staff and faculty at the School for Creative and Performing Arts: Brad Gerard; James Jones; Kathy Magistrelli; Jeff New; Michael Owens; Angela Powell Walker; George Smith; Theresa Summe-Haas Underwriters of the School for Creative and Performing Arts Professional Trainee Program:

OUR VISION A community that is transformed and inspired by the power and beauty of opera.

OUR MISSION To enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences.

CINCINNATI OPERA STAFF

Christopher Milligan The Harry Fath General Director & CEO

Marley Runk Patron Associate, Data Management

Patricia K. Beggs General Director Emerita

Maria Seffrin Philanthropy Intern

Administration & Finance Jason Terwilliger Chief Financial Ofﬁcer Julie Grady Heard Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Matt Singleton Director of Technology Sandra Levey Human Resources Manager

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Education & Community Relations Tracy L. Wilson Director of Community Engagement & Education Jemannie Severson Luong Education Manager Marketing & Communications Todd Bezold Director of Marketing

Mike Snyder Audio Description

Kimberly Sabio Supertitles Coordinator

Artistic Evans Mirageas The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director

Anna Hlinomaz Company Management Intern

Morris Robinson Artistic Advisor Jane Hulburt Artistic Administrator Cayla Burton Artistic Coordinator Marjoram J E Lynn Artistic Coordinator, New Works Development Peggy Monastra New Works Consultant

Cecilia Spencer Controller

Katie Syroney Director of Communications

Kelly Holterhoff Board Relations & Administration; Director, ROKCincy

Lori L. Hiltenbeitel Director of Ticketing & Patron Strategy

Max Shichtman Accountant

Scott Youger Director of Database Systems

Carol Walker Principal Coach

Aimee Sposito Martini Senior Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Stephen Mulligan John L. Magro Resident Conductor

Melina Cicigline Marketing Intern

Cory Battey Jason Holmes Elena Kholodova Marie-France Lefebvre Michael Lewis James Maverick Valerie Pool Matthew Umphreys Pianists

Elizabeth Reyna COVID Safety Ofﬁcer Marissa Boitnott Administrative Intern Philanthropy Joe Peacock Chief Philanthropy Ofﬁcer Raye Allen Director of Leadership Giving Tera Pierce Director of Institutional Giving Carlos García León Individual Giving Manager Nicolette Rader Events Manager

DiDi Turley Public Relations Intern Philip J. Groshong Company Photographer Emma Browning Rory Hefner-Templar Rebekah Lorenz Jennifer Radisch Matthew Ramler Customer Service Representatives Mark DeWitt Gordon Graham

Henri Venanzi Chorus Master James Maverick Assistant Chorus Master

Eboni Adams Michael Scarola Alexandra Schoeny Kathleen Stakenas Haley Stamats Assistant Directors Ellie Brown Abbey Harris Nor White Directing Interns

Rehearsal Coltan Foster Rehearsal Administrator Cole Rodgers Rehearsal Assistant Production Lyla Forlani Director of Production Krista Billings Stage Operations Manager Zach Quortrup Production Administrator Thomas C. Hase Lighting Director Alex Mason Associate Lighting Director Rebecca Senske Costume Director Chad Phillips Costume Manager James Geier Wig & Makeup Designer Amy Whitaker Wig & Makeup Design Assistant Hannah Holthaus Production Stage Manager Megan Bennett Gina Hays Peter Nictakis Stage Managers

Megan Coutts Tracy Hoffman Jennelle John-Lewis Brooke Redler Jennifer Shaw Margot Whitney Assistant Stage Managers

Maria Barnes Wig & Makeup Intern

Todd Cummins Flyman

Pat Hanlon Assistant Costumer

Anna Vidergar Scenic Artist Intern

Kevin Eviston Master Electrician

Audrey Tieman Properties Intern

John Parr Board Operator

Iris Harmon Elizabeth Kline Kendall Owings Wardrobe Technicians

Ruth Wartman Scenic & Prop Coordinator

Technical Gary Kidney Technical Director

Kevin Barth Master of Properties

House Staff Gary Kidney Technical Director

Gina Cerimele-Mechley Fight & Intimacy Director

Jon Chevalier Master Carpenter

Tim Fowler Property Second Hand

Kevin Eviston Master Electrician

Cedric Collier Head Sound Technician

Paul Stafford Master Carpenter

Liz Vourlas Title Operator

Terri Kidney Angela Sandmann Event Managers

Katie Anthony Madison Stone Stage Management Interns Izzy Flores Natalia Carlson Lighting Interns

Leah Busse Construction Carpenter David Hall Brad Kidney Carpenter Second Hands

Cherl Beyersdoerfer Costumer

Molly McGraw House Manager

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Please Note...

• Latecomers will be admitted to the auditorium at the discretion of management. • Please do not place coats or other objects on the balcony railings. • Please turn off all mobile devices and signal watches during performances. • Please refrain from talking or using a mobile phone during performances.

elevator is located near the east entrance to the Corbett Theater. Restrooms All restrooms in Music Hall are accessible to people with disabilities and are located on all levels. Accessible restrooms are located on the lRST mOOR OF 3#0! ATM An ATM is available in the Western & SouthERN ,OBBY NEAR THE -USIC (ALL BOX OFlCE IN THE South Hall. Broadcasts Cincinnati Opera’s 2022 season will be

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• Music Hall and SCPA are smoke-free buildings.

aired on 90.9 WGUC.

• Eating and drinking are strictly forbidden inside the auditorium with the exception of bottled water.

Supporting the Opera Contributions of all sizes are

• Due to the adult subject matter and in consideration for all patrons, we encourage that children be at least 7 years of age to be admitted to mainstage productions. Visit our website for information on community engagement and education programming for all ages. Opera Insights A free overview of each opera is presented one hour prior to curtain, in Corbett Tower for Music Hall performances and in the Corbett Theater for SCPA performances.

welcome and important to Cincinnati Opera. To make a donation or to inquire about donor benelTS HONOR OR MEMORIAL GIFTS OR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS please contact Carlos García León, Individual Giving Manager, at 513-768-5561 or cgarcialeon@cincinnatiopera.org. Merchandise To purchase merchandise, visit cin-

cinnatiopera.org/bravo-shop. Program Advertising Cincinnati Opera does not necessarily endorse the views, products, or services presented by program advertisers. For information about program advertising, contact Katie Syroney at 513-768-5526 or ksyroney@cincinnatiopera.org.

Meet the Artists For Music Hall performances, pa-

trons may meet performers outside the stage door on Central Parkway. Assistive Listening System An infrared wireless re-

Box Ofﬁce Hours Monday through Friday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hours vary on weekends and performance days; please visit cincinnatiopera.org for more information.

ceiver for the hearing impaired is available upon request from event personnel for Springer Auditorium performances. Audio Description Live descriptions of stage action for the visually impaired are presented by trained describers for Springer Auditorium performances. Please inquire with event personnel. Accessible Seating Wheelchair access and as-

sistance with other mobility issues are available. Please request locations or assistance when ordering tickets, and please reserve early. Elevators Elevators in Music Hall are located in both the South Hall and North Hall. At SCPA, an

CONTACT INFORMATION Email: feedback@cincinnatiopera.org Website: www.cincinnatiopera.org Main Phone: 513-768-5500 Box Ofﬁce: 513-241-2742 Comment Line: 513-768-5576 U.S. Mail: Cincinnati Opera 1243 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45202

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TOP DOCTOR

2015 – 2021

Daniel G. Kuy M.D.,

Kuy Plastic Surgery Cincinnati, OH • Zurich, Switzerland 844-794-7763 • www.DrKuy.com

A round of applause for the Cincinnati Opera. And everyone in your audience. Art illuminates the human experience. It connects us to each other, brings us closer, and reminds us of the incredible heights we’re capable of reaching. So from all of us at Huntington, a big thank you to the Cincinnati Opera for reminding us how brightly we all can shine.

2022 Cincinnati Opera Program Book

Articles inside

General Information

Staff

Remembrances

Opera Fusion: New Works

Society of Angels

Celebrations and Honorariums

In Memoriam

Long-Term Subscribers

Season Artists

Cincinnati Opera Guild