PROGRAM: Bravo 1998 Spring Opera

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Beyond any question, Dame Kiri

Te Kanawa's singing career has been triumphantly consistent over many years. She readily admits that if one thing has changed it's her attitude toward time.

She has the sense that time seems to have speeded up year by year because her punishing schedule keeps her diary filled for up to five years in advance .

And for almost two decades

Dame Kiri has been accompanied by her dependable Rolex timepiece.

Of her gold Lady Rolex, she says, "It is very beautiful, very elegant, and quite wonderful:'

Datejust

"Time I value above all things. It just gets more and more precious:' Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

CREDITS

MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE

Laura R. Wyss

Editor

Mitchell Carter

Contributing Editor

KATTs COMMUNICATIONS

Kimberley A. Dyke

Tina Jones

Design Directors

Cynthia Secof Clisdal

Art Director

Tom Jones

Publishing Consultant

Toby Faber

Director Advertising Sales

Live Publishing

Print & Production Direction

GRAND RIVER PRINTING

Printer

COVER PHOTO: Mark]. Mancinelli; MJM Photography

Michigan Opera Theatre would like to thank the Detroit Institute of Arts for the use of artwork for promotional materials.

Michigan Opera Theatre would like to thank Harmony House Records for the donation of season recordings and videos.

Michigan Opera Theat re's 1997/98 subscription and single tickets have been graciously spon sored by Hammell Music.

Physicians' service provided by Henry Ford Medical Center for the Performing Arts.

Steinway is the official piano of the Detroit Opera House and Michigan Opera Theatre. Steinway pianos are provided by Hammell Music, exclusive represe ntative for Steinway and Sons.

President Tux edo is the official provider of formal wear for the Detroit Opera House.

Michigan Opera Th eatre is a non-profit cultural organization whose activities are supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Nation al Endowment for the Arts , and other individuals, corporations and foundations. Michigan Opera Theatre is an equal opportunity

elcome to Michigan Opera Theatre's 1998 spring season of grand opera at the magnificent Detroit Opera House. Following the great success of Aida and The Magic Flute, last fall, our season of Temptatio n) Tragedy & Triumph continues with three wonderful and unique forces of the operatic repertoire We are, of course, deeply grateful to General Motors for sponsoring our spring season and our production of Porgy and Bess.

We open with our first-ever staging of Jules Massenet 's Manon , a moving and sensual masterpiece presented in a new stage production. Our season continues with The Elixir 0/ Love , Donizetti's deliciously charming comedy, not seen on our stage since 1975 Finally, we celebrate the centenary of the birth of George Gershwin with a magnificent production of Porgy and Bess. We are delighted to welcome the return of many of our favorite artists, who are joined by some of today's most exciting new talent: I am sure you will enjoy and appreciate these grand productions , which are only possible on our expansive stage

Also, this spring season, I invite you to take a few moments before the performance and during interfnission to visit two very special photo displays.

In the Grand Lobby, we present "Celebrating Porgy and Bess," a fun and informative look at the , photos, artists and stories that embrace Michigan Opera Theatre's history of presenting the Great American Opera. It has always been a great source of pride that we were among the very first opera companies to present Porgy and Bess.

Throughout the past twenty-seven years, I have had the pleasure of seeking out and introducing some of the world's great African-American operatic talent Kathleen Battle , Cleo Laine , Leona Mitchell , Wilhelmina Fernandez, Camellia Johnson and Vinson Cole are but a few of the artists who have given so much pleasure to our audiences We have searched our archives and selected our favorite artist and production photos, to present a unique retrospective This display, in the Third Floor Elevator Tower Lobby, celebrates the African-American artists who have played such an important part in Michigan Opera Theatre 's history.

In closing, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the many individuals, corporations and foundations whose on-going support helps us meet the challenge of presenting world-class opera in a world-class opera house!

Enjoy the opera!

ViChiera, General Director

Vavid

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

we've always had an appreciation for performance.

Be it on the road or on the stage. Passion. Power. Excitement. Drama.

All of these are yours to be experienced at the Detroit Opera House.

General Motors is proud to sponsor Michigan Opera Theatre's Spring Season and bring the production of Porgy & Bess to Detroit .

We suggest you sit back and relax the performance is about to begin.

OFFICERS

Mr. Robert E Dewar

Chairman

Dr. David DiChiera

Preszdent

Mr. Cameron B. Duncan Treasurer

Mr C. Thomas Toppin Secretary

Mrs. Robert Allesee .

Mrs. David Aronow

Mrs. ponald C. Austin

1B((2{U'd of Virect:ar& 1997-1998

Mrs. Bella Marshall Barden

Mr. J. Addison Bartush

Mr. Richard A. Brodie

Mrs William C. Brooks

Mr Maurice Cohen

Mr. Jeff Connelly

Mrs. Peter Cooper

Mr. Tarik S. Daoud

Julia Donovan Darlow

Mr. Lawrence N. David

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott

Mr. Herman Frankel

Mrs. Lawrence Garberding

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart

Mr. Eugene Hartwig

Mr. Richard Janes

Mr. Leonard C. Jaques

Mr. Gary Johnson

Mrs. Charles Kessler

Mrs. Robert Klein

Mr Gerald A. Knechtel

Richard W. Kulis D.D.S

Mr. David Baker Lewis

Mr. A. C. Liebler

Mr. Harry A. Lomason

Mr. Alphonse Lucarelli

Ms . Judith McCabe

Mrs. Jacques Nasser

Mr. Jules L. Pallone

Mr. Charles A. Parcells, Jr.

Mrs. Irving Rose

Mrs. David Ruwart

Mr. Alan E. Schwartz

Mrs. Roger F Sherman

Mr S. Kinnie Smith, Jr

Mr Frank Stella

Mrs. George Strumbos

Mr. Robert C. VanderKloot

Mr. Gary L. Wasserman

Mr. Richard C. Webb

Mr. George Zeltzer

Mr. Morton Zieve

Mr. Robert E. Dewar

Chairman

Dr. & Mrs. Roger M. Ajluni

Mr. & Mrs. Roger Ajluni, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Allesee

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Angott

Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Anthony

Dr. & Mrs. Agustin Arbulu

Mr. & Mrs David Aronow

Dr Harold M Arrington

Dr & Mrs. Ingida Asfaw

Mrs. Donald Atwood

Dr. & Mrs. Donald Austin

Hon & Mrs. Edward Avadenka

Mr. & Mrs. Don Barden-

Mrs. James Merriam Barnes

Mr. & Mrs Lee Barthel

Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Alan Baun

Mr. & Mrs W Victor Benjamin

Mrs. Judith Biggs

Mr. & Mrs. John Boll

Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Bortz

Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Brodie

Mr. & Mrs. William C. Brooks

Mr. & Mrs Clarence G. Catallo

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick Clark

Ms. Virginia Clementi

Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Cohen

Hon. & Mrs. Avern L. Cohn

Mr. Thomas Cohn

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Connelly

Mr. & Mrs . Michael J. Connolly

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Cooper

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Cregar

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Cutler

Mr & Mrs Tarik S. Daoud

Julia Donovan Darlo w &John Corbett O 'Meara

Mr. & Mrs Lawrence N David

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Day

Mr. & Mrs. David Denn

Mr. & Mrs Robert N Derderian

Mr. & Mrs. Robert E Dewar

Dr. & Mrs. Fernando G. Diaz

Dr. David DiChiera

Karen VanderKloot DiChiera

Ms. Mary Jane Doerr

Mr. & Mrs . Cameron B. Duncan

Lady Jane Easton

Mr. & Mrs. John Edman

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott

Dr. Fern Espino & Mr. Tom Short

Mrs. Hilda Ettenheimer

Mr. & Mrs. Roland C. Eugenio

Mr. & Mrs. Paul E. Ewing

Mr. Stephen Ewing

Mr & Mrs Alfred J. Fisher, Jr

Mr. & Mrs. Alfred J. Fisher, III

Mr. & Mrs Charles T. Fisher, III

Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Fisher

Mrs. Elaine Fontana

Mr. Louis P. Fontana

Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Forbes

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Mr. & Mrs . Marvin A. Frenkel

Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Garberding

Dr & Mrs Robert Gerisch

Mrs. Frank Germack,Jr.

Mrs Aaron H. Gers henson

Mr. & Mrs. Yousif Ghafari

Mr. & Mrs. Andy Giancamilli

Mr & Mrs. Vito P Gioia

Mr. & Mrs . Dennis Gormley

Mrs Alan L. Gornick

Mr. & Mrs. H. James Gram

Mrs. Katherine Gribbs

Mrs. John C. Griffin

Mrs . Berj H. Haidostian

Mrs . Robert M. Hamady

Mr. David Handleman

Mr & Mrs. Preston Happel

Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Harris

Ms. Maria Harris

Mr & Mrs. Kenneth E. Hart

Mr. & Mrs. E. Jan Hartmann

Mr & Mrs. Eugene Hartwig

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Hermelin

Mr. & Mrs. Keith Honhart

Hon. & Mrs. Joseph Impastato

Mr. & Mrs. Verne Istock

Mrs . David Jacknow

Mr. & Mrs. Darnell D Jackson

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Janes

Mr. Leonard Jaques

Mrs. Sybil Jaques

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Mr. & Mrs G ary Johnson

Miss H. Barbara Johnston

Mrs. William E Johnston

Mr & Mrs. Ma xwell Jospey

Mr & Mrs. Mitchell I. Kafarski

Mr & Mrs John Kaplan

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Karnowsky

Mr. & Mrs Donald W Keim

Dr. & Mrs. Charles Kessler

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Klein

Mr & Mrs Robert Klein

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald A. Knechtel

Mr. Semon E. Knudsen

Mr. & Mrs. Mike Kojaian

Mrs. Reva Kogan

Mr. & Mrs. William Ku

Dr & Mrs. Richard W Kulis

Mr. & Mrs . Ronald C. Lamparter

Mr. & Mrs Davi d B. Lewis

Mrs. Walton A. Lewis

Dr.& Mrs. Kim K. Lie

Mr & Mrs. A. C. Liebler

Mr. & Mrs. Rob ert Lisak

Mr. & Mrs. Harry A. Lomason

Mr & Mrs James H. LoPrete

Mr. & Mrs. Alphonse S. Lucarelli

Mrs. Jessie B. Mann

Mr. & Mrs. Frank S. Marra

Honorable Jack & Dr. Bettye Arrington-Martin

Mr. & Mrs. Richard McBrien

Ms. Judith McCabe & Mr. Michael VanGenehcen

Mr. & Mrs WilliamT. McCormick

Mrs Wade H. McCree , Tr.

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Monolidis )

Mr. & Mrs. E Clarence Mularoni

Mr & Mrs Eddie Munson

Mr. & Mrs. E Michael Mutchler

Mr & Mrs Jacques Nasser

Mr. Christopher Nern

Mr. & Mrs . Julius L. Pallone

Mr. & Mrs. James Pamel

Mr. Charles A. Parcells, Jr.

Mr & Mrs Spencer Partrich

Dr. Robert E. L. Perkins

Mr. & Mrs. Brock E . Plumb

Mrs . Ralph Polk

Mrs David Pollack

Mr & Mrs John Rakolta

Mrs. Hans Rogind

Mr & Mrs. Peter Ronan

Mr & Mrs. Irving Rose

Mrs. Carolyn Ross

Mrs. David Ruwart

Dr. & Mrs. Herschel Sandberg

Mr. & Mrs. William Sandy

Dr. & Mrs. Norman Schakne

Mr. & Mrs . Fred Schneidewind

Dr. & Mrs . Arthur Schultz

Mr. & Mrs. Alan E. Schwartz

Mr. & Mrs. Gergory Schwartz

Mr & Mrs. Donald Schwendemann

Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd A. Semple

Mr & Mrs. Frank Shaler

Ms. Elham Shayota

Mr. & Mrs . Roger F. Sherman

Ms. Albertina Simone

Mr & Mrs. Richard Sloan

Mr. & Mrs S. Kinnie Smith , Jr

Ms Phyllis F. Snow

Mr. Richard Sonenklar

Mr. & Mrs. Richard

Starkweather

Mr. Frank D. Stella

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Mrs. Mark Stevens

Mrs. Rudolph Stonisch

Mr. & Mrs . George Strumbos

Mr. Ronald F. Switzer

Dr & Mrs Anthony Tersigni

Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Mr & Mrs. Lynn A. Townsend

Mr & Mrs Robert C. VanderKloot

Mr. & Mrs. George C. Vincent

Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Wasserman

Mr. & Mrs. Gary L. Wasserman

Mr. & Mrs . Kenneth Way

Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Webb

Mr. & Mrs. Gary L. White

Dr. & Mrs. Christopher Wilhelm

Mr. & Mrs. R. Jamison Williams

Dr. & Mrs. Sam B. Williams

Mr. & Mrs. Eric A. Wiltshire

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Worsley

Mr. & Mrs. R. Alexander

Wrigley

Hon. Joan E. Young & Mr. Thomas L. Schellenberg

Mr & Mrs. Ted Zegouras

Mr. & Mrs. George M. Zeltzer

Mr. & Mrs. Morton Zieve

Mrs. Paul Zuckerman

Ms. Lucia Zurkowski

Mr. Roy Zurkowski

Mr. and Mrs . Lynn A. Townsend

Fo un d ing Cha i rm en

Mr. and Mrs . Avern L. Cohn

Mr. and Mrs John DeCarlo

Dr. and Mrs David DiChiera

Mr and Mrs Donald C. Graves

Honorable and Mrs. Roman S. Gribbs

Mr and Mrs. John C. Griffin

Mr and Mrs. Harry L. Jones

Honorable and Mrs. Wade McCree, Jr.

Mr. Harry J. Nederlander

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron H Gershenson Mr. E. Harwood Rydholm

Mr and Mrs. Neil Snow

Mr. and Mrs Richard Strichartz

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. VanderKloot

Mr. and Mrs. Sam B. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore O. Yntema

DR. DAVID DiCHIERA, General Director

TOM TOMLINSON

Managing Director

Brett Batterson

Detrqit Opera House Manager

Karen VanderKloot DiChiera Director 0/ Community Programs

Steve Haviaras Director 0/ Market ing

Frank Castria

Assistant to the Ge nera l D irector

Linda DeMers

Board Secretary/Administrative Assistant

Beverly A. Moore Receptionist

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Gary Mol' Assistant to the D irector

Dolores Tobis

Office and Marketing Manager

Mark Vondrak

Associate Director

DEVELOPMENT

Katrina 1. Para dine _

Corporate Campaign Manager

Stephani Miller

Capital Campaign Coordinator

Roberta Starkweather

Volunteer Coordinator

J ane Westley

D evelopment Associate

FINANCE/ COMPUTER SERVICES

William T. Schul z Controller

Sharon A. Subj ec k Accountant

Lara Schaaf

Staff Accountant

Mary E. Pihajlich

Systems Man ager

MARKETING/

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Mitchell Carter

Publication s Manag er

Susan Fazzini

Assistant Director 0/ M arketing

Sandy Prekratie

Membership Manager

Dolores Tobis

Group Sales

Jerome Magid

MOT Photograph er

Mark T. Mancinelli

DOH / MOT Photographer

Teanette Pawlaczyk

P uG/ic R elations Volunteer

TICKET OFFICE

Kimberly Mogielski

Tic ket Services Man ager

Kimberly Gray

Ticket Services Assistant Manager

Kyra Busby Jane Coe

Ticket Services Staff

Mitchell Krieger Director 0/ Artistic Resources

David W. Osborne Director 0/ Production

Mary Parkhill Director 0/ Development

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION

Dee Dorse), P roduction Coorain ator

Monica Lee Jackson

Assistant to Director 0/ Produ ction

Marc Astafan

Renaud Doucet

Christine Jones

Assistant Directors

Nancy Krolikowski

Transportation Coordinator

Michelle Held

Administrative Assistant

Pat Lewellen Audition Volunteer

Gary Moy

Jan Stano

Sup ernumera ry Captains

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Dr. David DiChiera

Music Director

Suzanne Acton

Assistant Music Director, Chorus Maste r

Mitchell Krieger Director,

Yo ung Artist Apprentice Program

Diane Bredesen

Orch estra Personnel Manager

Timothy Cheek

George Darden

Marie-France Lefebvre

R ep etiteurs

Dianne Lord

Lawrence Picard

Reh earsal Accompanists

STAGE MANAGEMENT

John Kennelly

Pro duction Stage Manager

Patricia Ansuini

Flawn Barber

Dee Dorsey

Bethan..x Ford

Marin Venturi

Assistant Stage Mana gers

Aaron Haviaras

Lori Schoenenberger

Production Assistants

TECHNICAL STAFF

Vladimir Vukovic

Technical Director

Monika Essen

Property Master

Kendall Smith

Lighting Coordinator

Kathryn Eader

Assistant Lighting Designer

William E. Schoettle Chief Financial Of/icer

Bradley L. Stroud Director 0/ Dance

Laura R. Wyss Director 0/ Public Relations

Maggie Wysocki

Technical Assistant

Dianne Lord

Surtitle Operator

COSTUMES

Ulla Hettinger

Costume Supervisor

Alice Moss

Wardrobe Mistress

Judith Fletcher Barber

First Hand

Rose Mirjah

Genevieve Palczynski

Stitchers -

MAKE-UP & HAIR

Cindy Ludwig

Joanne Weaver

Designers for Elsen Associates

Therese Shmina

Crew Coordinator

P&.fl#.

Kerry A. Painter

House Manag er

Tennifer Turner

Event Coordinator

Jesse Carter

Budding Engineer

Jason Clark

Assistant Building E ngineer

Kimberley Burgess

Administrative Coordinator

Calvin Williams

M aintenance Supervisor

Rock Monroe

D irector 0/ Security

Melvin Lowe

Jamal Mance

Lynn Smvth

Stage Door Security

Maurice Rivers

Concessions Manag er

John Kinsora

Head Carpenter

Robert Mesinar

H ead Electrician

Alan Bigelow

Head 0/ Properties

Robert Martin

Head Flyman

Steve Kemp

Head Soundman

Mary Ellen Shindel

H ead o/Wardrobe

Stagehands

LATSE Local #38

Wardrobe

LATSE Local #786

David Plevan

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Lighting Assistant

the future into focus. So far we have raised $24 million to get us where we are today-in a world-class facility.

Our challenge now is to raise an additional $20 million-$14 million to cover our financial obligations and another $6 million to fund future projects including the Administrative Office Tower, Educational Resource Center and Broadway Facade.

There are many ways to help us meet our goal. Seats are still available for naming, and other custom naming opportunities throughout the theater exist. One exciting initiative is the "Buy A Brick" campaign, now in its final phase . Bricks will be placed for all theater goers to see in the Detroit Opera House Recognition Plaza, a paved walkway to be located outside the Madison Lounge. Installation of bricks and panels is scheduled to begin in late summer 1998.

With already more than 800 bricks sold, the final phase of the "Buy A Brick" initiative is being by the Michigan Opera Theatre Volunteer Association, under the leadership of Bett y Brooks. Volunteers · will be selling bricks in the Grand Lobby at most Detroit Opera House events. Bricks may also be purchased by calling the Development Department at (313)874-7261, or by completing and returning the form below.

Please join the growing number of supporters who have already contributed to this exciting project. By buying a brick, you become a part of history, and allow us to focus on the future.

NAME ___________________________________

ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________ CITY, STATE, ZIP __________________________________ PHONE _____________________

4" x 8" Brick , $100 each , 3 lines, 14 spaces per line.;'

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DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDDGDDDDDDDDD

8" x 8" Brick, $350 each, 5 lines, 14 spaces per line."

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

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16 " x 16 " Paver, $2,000 each, message to be custom designed (can include company logo/a rt work and type face).

*Artwork other than tex t at additional cost.

o Check here if this contribution is in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one .

Please provide information below if you want them notified of your gift

Nrune: __________________

Address : _________________

o My company will match this contribution. (Please include company matching gift form )

My check for $_____for _ brick{s) is enclosed

Please charge to: 0 Visa o Mastercard I3AMEX

Account Number _______________

Expiration Date _______________

Signature ________

Return to: or Fax to:

Detroit Opera House Campaign Michigan Opera Theatre 104 Lothrop Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 871-7213

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Ms. Heather

Mrs. Robert Hamilton

Mr. George V. Hamlin

Mrs. Hala Harb

Sherry & David Harfst

Mr. Joseph Harris

Mr. Richard Harrison

Dr. & Mrs. Charles F. Hartley

Dr. & Mrs. John M. Hartzell

Mr. & Stephen R.

Harvath

Mr. & Mrs Carl A.

Hasselwander

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey K. Haynes

Ms. Joyce Hennessee

Mr. & Mrs. Roger D.

Herrington

Judith & Eric Hespenheide

Mr. Richard Hill

Ms. Joan Hines

Mr. Don Hinckfoot

Mr. Michael E. Hinsky

Historic Memorials

Society in Detroit

Dr Arthur Hoffman

Mr. Gordon V. Hoialmen

Mr. Bob Holland

Ms. Donna Holycross

Mrs Mathew D. Hubchen

IASTE LOCAL 38 Stagehands - IBM

Indoor Air

Dr. & Mrs. Arthur]. Johnson

Dr. & Mrs. Arthur L. Johnson

Mr. Daniel Joseph

Mr. Paul Y. Kadish

Dr Doroth y M. Kahkonen

Mr & Mrs. Garry Kappy

Mrs. Marilyn]. Katz

Kelly Services

Dr. & Mrs. Charles Kessler

Cathy & Steve Kirkpatrick

Ms. Annie Kleene

Dr. Cassandra Klyman

Ms. Reva Kogan

Mr. James F. Korzenowski

Mrs. Wade H. McCree

Peterson American

Mr. Donald E. McIntosh Corporation

Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. McNair

Mr. Robert S. Mesinar

Mr. & Mrs. William Michaluk

Ms. Lori Mikwee

Ms. Helen N. Millen

Mr Frank E. Miller

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Miller

Mr Jeffrey]. Krueger Ms Virginia Miller

Mr. & Mrs. William Ku

Mr. & Mrs. Jim Piper

Prof. Mark R. Solomon

Dr. & Mrs. Sheldon Sonkin

Mr. & Mrs. Timoth y B.

Mr. & Mrs. Brock E Plumb Springer

Ms. Jill Pollock

Mr. Charles Promesso

PVS Chemicals, Inc.

Mr. Orlo G. Reed

Randall Reher, M.D.

Mr. & Mrs. David Stanislaw

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Dr. & Mrs. David Stone

Mrs. Italo Tajo

Mr. Joe Talbert

Ms. Jo yce Renaud Miss Mary Ellen Tappan

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Minasian Mrs Miriam C. Richardson The Buffalo News

Mr. Francis P. Kuplicki & Cynthia & Phillip Minch

Ms. Andrea C. Abram

Dr. & Mrs James Labes

Mr. Mark LaChey

Mrs. Mary Stanley Lawson

Ms. Carol A Ledger

Rita & Lance Leonelli

Mr. Max Lepler

Dr Frank Lewis

Mr. John Lewis

Mr. William L. Libby, Jr.

Lillian & Liberta Licata

Barbara Linthorst-Homan

Mr. & Mrs. A T. Liu

Dr & Mrs. Stephan]. Loginsky

Mr. & Mrs. John Lore

Ms. Joan Lovell

Mr. Charles E. Lucas

Mr. I van Ludington, Jr.

Mrs. Ruth MacRea

Mr. & Mrs. R. M. Major

Dr. & Mrs. Saul Z. Margules

Mrs. Mary V. Marling

Mr & Mrs Frank S. Marra

Patricia Martin

Mr. Rod Monts

Dr. Ja y & Wanda Moon

Mr. Robert Morency

Mr. George Robinson Ms. Rhonda Goers Thomas

Ms. Valerie Roger Mr. George Thorpe , MD.

Mr. & Mrs. Hans Rogind

Dr & Mrs. David B.

Ms. J ane H. Morgan Rorabacher

A. A. Moroun

Dr & Mrs. Jerry C.

Mr. Ronald K. Morrison Rosenberg

Mr. & Mrs . Eddie R. Munson

Mr. & Mrs. Alan Nachman

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Ross

Mr & Mrs. George

Mr. & Mrs. Lester A.Nelson Roum ell , Jr.

Mr Rom an T. Nestorowicz

Rev Rollin B. Norris

Ms. Denise Nouhan

Mr. & Mrs. James O'Connor

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel H Olson

Mr. Reginald Olson

Ms. Corinne Opiteck

Mr. David W. Osborne

Mr. Leo Papp

Mr. Michael S. Parr

Ms. Judith Carol Paul

Mrs. Samuel Pearlstein

Mr. & Mrs. Frank Pellerito

Ms. Barbara A. Peraino

Catherine & Dominc

G. A. Mazur Persichini

Mr. & Mrs. Luigi Ru scillo

Dr. Mark Saffer

Mr John Sagan

Mr. Joseph Samulowicz

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Thurber

Mrs. Gary Torgow

Trimount Developme nt

Ms. Alice Tumidanski

Dr. & Mrs. Zoltan G. Turi

Mr William Turnbull

Ms. Christine Tweddle

Dr. & Mrs. Samuel C. Ursu

Mr. Steve Veresh

Mr. Coleman Verona

Dr. & Mrs. Ignatios Voudoukis

Mr. & Mrs. Arnold B.

Dr. Karen L. Saxton Wallace

Mr. & Mrs. John Schmidt

Mr. & Mrs. William Schoettle

Walter B. & Josephine

Ford Foundation

Mr. Donald Walker & Mr. & Mrs. William B. Warner

Trudi Schreiber

Mr. & Mrs. William Schultz

Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley

Sears

Dr. & Mrs. Nathan P. Segel

Mr. James L. Waterbury

Mr. & Mrs. Marvin G. Webb

Dr. & Mrs. Samuel P. Weiner

Herman and Trudy Weinreich

Mr. Lewis Seno Jane & Wes Westley

Mr. & Mrs. Morris D. Serwin

Mr. Walter Shapero

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Whipple

Dr & Mrs. Christopher D.

Ms. Adele Slatko Wilhelm

Mr. Richard G. Wilkes

George Williams Interiors

Mr. & Mrs. Roy Wilson, Sr.

Ms. Pamela A. Wong

Mrs. Wilford C. Wood

Dr. & Mrs. Jose E. Yanez

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas V. Yates

Dr. Yoeh Ming Ting Yee

Mr. Lawrence Youhanaian

Dr. & Mrs. Eldred G. Zobl

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Zweig

We regret that due to space limitations, we are unable to list gzlts below $1, 000.

How ever, we would lik e to extend our deepest appreciation to all donors who named seats, bought bricks and made contributions to the general restoration 0/ the Detroit Opera Hous e.

Join The Avanti Society!

Michigan Opera Theatre is pleased to announce the creation of a special membership group-The Avanti Society-for donors who include the organization in their wills or other estate plans. By joining The Avanti Society, y'ou guarantee an excellent future for Michigan Opera Theatre and the ' Detroit Opera House. Your foresight and generosity creates a joyous legacy and gives future generations the , thrilling experience of grand opera and dance in a historically restored facility. Careful estate planning can increase

the amount that you can give to loved ones or other charitable organizations because of reduced estate taxes

You can also increase your income through a tax advantaged life income gift.

If you have already included Michigan Opera Theatre in your estate plans, we are very appreciative. Please let us know so that we may acknowledge your generosity and include you in Avanti Society listings and events

For more information please call the Development Office at (313) 874-7261.

We extend our gratitude to the following donors who have underwritten designated areas in the Detroit Opera House.

Grand Lobby Anonymous Donor

Second Floor

Elevator Tower Lobby

Backstage Renovation

Ford Motor Company

General Director's Circle Lounge

Mr. and Mrs . Robert A. Allesee Herman & Barbara Frankel

Grand Central Chandelier

Dr and Mrs. Donald C. Austin

Grand Side Chandelier

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Lavins

Grand Side Chandelier

Chaim, Fanny, Louis, Benjamin and Anne Florence Kaufman

Memorial Trust

Grand Drape

Mr. and Mrs. Tarik S. Daoud

Grand Staircase

Dr and Mrs. Roger M. Ajluni MARK

Third Floor Promenade Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

Trustee Circle

Broadway Lobby

Mr. and Mrs Lynn Townsend

Madison Lobby

Mr. and Mrs. George C. Vincent

Box Level Promenade

Mr. and Mrs . Alvin

Wasserman

We wish to acknowledge and thank the following people for their efforts in on-going special initiatives that support the restoration of the Detroit Opera House.

MOT Volunteer Association

Brick Campaign

Mrs. William C. Brooks

General Director's Circle Lounge

Mrs. Herman Frankel

Rehearsal Hall and Backstage Projects

Mrs. Jacques Nasser

Auditorium Decorative Painting

Amici dell'Opera Founding Committee:

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Barbieri,Jr.

Dr. Gennaro J. DiMaso

Mr and Mrs. Roland C. Eugenio

Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Rondina

Dr. and Mrs Patrick A. Villani

Mr. and Mrs. John J. Vrana

Ms . Sharon Gioia , Campaign Director

Vepartmem; if 1Program&

KAREN VANDERKLOOT DICHIERA, DIRECTOR

Time Out For Opera

We have completed our 6th series of the awardwinning television program Time Out for Opera, and we must express our immense appreciation to the wonderful staff and volunteers at Bloomfield Com'munity Television. Station manager Nad i ne Maynard is executive producer qf the series and Jim Gillis is the director.

House '98 er ro rams • • receives gran onles

S umm er progra m s b egi n Ju ly 6, 1998 an d run throu gh A u gu st 2, 1998.

The Hudson's Learning Family

Volunteers make up the camera crew: men and women who give up five hours a day for five days to help us immortalize on videotape such authorities on music and talented performers as George Shirley, Shirley Verreff, Dr. Wallace Peace, Barbara Wiltsie, Mary Callahan

Lynch and her talented daughter, Caitl in. The programs, which are cohosted and co-produced by Dr. Jonathan Swift and Karen VanderKloot DiChiera, can be seen on Bloomfield Community Television Channel 11 and on PBS Station WFUM of Flint. Check your local cable listings for air times.

Thanks to a grant from Hudson's, families can enjoy a weekly menu of shared artistic adventure during July. During the morning and afternoon of each Saturday, artists , musicians, architects, dancers , actors, writers , and poets will teach classes specially designed for families Saturday family programs will include Josephine Love's "Family Adventures in Music," Francine Dent's "Comedy: The Family That Laughs Together," Michael Hauser's "Architectural Scavenger Hunt," James Tatum's " Conversations in Jazz " and Brad Stroud 's "The Difference Between Ballet and Modern Dance . "

The Learning Kids

With help from the Fanclub Foundation for the Arts, youngsters fourteen and under can participate

in Create Opera!, the improvisational course developed by Karen DiChiera . Children will learn to write, choreograph , compose and perform their own musical theater pieces. High school students can learn the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rogers & Hammerstein and Gilbert & Sullivan. Michigan Opera Theatre's Mark Vondrak , along with actress Mar y Pagnanni and vocal teacher Kate Bublit z, will teach singing , choreography and acting. Former Motown Records composer Bob StThomas will teach his song writing course "From Poetry to Music."

Write On!

A partnership with The Writer 's Voice of the YMCA of Metro Detroit, under the direction of Arts and Humanities Director M.L. Liebler, will offer instruction for beginning writers with Joann L. Washington. Intermediate writers will be taught by Clark Iverson and Jane Ratcliffe. "Poets at the Opera

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Nadine Maynard, Jonathon Swift & Karen DiChiera

House" will feature poetry readings by well-known local and national writers.

The Learning Detroiter

This collection of courses will be offered through the generous support of the City of Detroit Cultural Affairs Department and the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs. Speakers on Detroit's French heritage, popular music in Detroit from the 1950's onward, Detroit's architecture,

Detroit's history through its downtown statues , the history of Hudson's, and the theaters of C. Howard Crane (including the Detroit Opera House) will enlighten adult students. We will even celebrate Detroit's 298th Birthday with toasts and French pastry on July 24th.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

· 20th

· Anniversary of · Community · Programs

• We have begun to receive letters from people who

• remember participating

• in offeri ngs from the Department of Community Programs.

• Our new bravissimo

• newsletter wi II devote

• a summer issue to the

• history of Community

• Programs, and we

• want to hear from

• YOU! Please write us

• about your memories

• and forward them to

• Karen DiChiera,

• Community Programs,

• 104 Lothrop, Detroit,

• M148202.

: Community

Programs

· Covers the

State!

As of the end of

• February, the talented artists of Community

• Programs have given

• 200 performances in

• schools, community

• centers, churches,

• libraries, and theaters.

• Young people and

• adults have enjoyed one-act operas and

• musical revues in

• Petosky, Port Huron,

• St. Joseph, Charlevoix,

• Calumet, Ishpening

• and all of South

• Eastern Michigan.

• Hats off to the artists!

Create Opera! has been offered since 1978. Create opera! workshops being enjoyed by a student (top) and a teacher (bottom). Can you identify them?

Mother and daughter enjoy "The learning Family," (center) July, 1997.

Leading the automotive inte riors industry on a global basis.

TOGETHER THEY MAKE GREAT PERFORMANCES

TOGETHER THEY MAKE GREAT CARS AND GREAT TRUCKS

CORPORATION

GREAT CARS GREAT TRUCKS.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Chrysler Corporation salutes the Michigan Opera Theatre for 26 outstanding seasons filled with music that makes our hearts soar.

THE CAS T

I N ORDER OF VOCAL ApPEARANCE

Guillot de Morfontaine CESAR ULLOA

De Bretigny

RODNEY STENBORG

Poussette

KAREN DRISCOLL'"

JavotteEMILY BENNER

Rosette

JULIE DE VAERE

Innkeeper

ALLEN SCHROTT"

Lescaut

JOHN ROBERT AUTRY"

Two Soldiers

DAN AGGAS

TOMKABALA

Sergeant TONY LYNCH

Manon

RUTH ANN SWENSON (April 18, 22, 25)

STEFANIA BONFADELLF (April 19, 24, 26)

Chevalier Des Grieux

MARCELLO GIORDANI (April 18, 22, 25)

DAVID MILLER" (April 19, 24, 26)

Maid

VICTORIA BIGELOW

Comte des Grieux ARA BERBERIAN

The Porter of the Seminary KENNETH SHEPHERD

April 18 - 26, 1998

Opera in three acts

By Jules Massenet

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille

Based on the novel Manon Lescaut by the Abbe Prevost

First performance : Paris, January 19,1884

New production by L'Opera de Montreal and Michigan Opera Theatre

Conducted by JOHN MAUCERI

Directed by BERNARD UZAN

Set Design by MICHEL BEAULAC and BERNARD UZAN

Original Costume Design by MICHEL BEAULAC and L'OPERA DE MONTREAL

Lighting Design by KENDALL SMITH

Chorus Master SUZANNE ACTON

Choreographer RENAUD DOUCET

Make-up and Hair Design by ELSEN ASSOCIATES

Stage Manager JOHN KENNELLY

Supertitles translation by Lindley L. Becke r and T T Scott

Scenic shop: Decors Sceniques Prodec

Pain ting shop: Longue- Vue Peinture Sceniqu e Inc

Construction of set curtains: Vincent Pastena

Costumes constructed by: I.:Opera de Montreal

Supertitles provtded by arrangement with Baysh ore Opera Translations

Archival recordings engineered by Daniel Dene and assisted by Rudy Lauerman

There will be intermissions following Acts I & II

Michigan Opera Theatre's 1998 Sprin g Season is sponsored by II'General Motors.

The April 25 performance is sponsored by

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

':Michigan Op era Theatre debut

France) the 1730)5

ACT I, Scene One

In the courtyard of an inn at Amiens, two rich dandies, Guillot de Morfontaine and De Bretigny, are dining with thre e " actresses" of their acquaintance A crowd assembles to greet the coach from Arras , among them a soldier, Lescaut , who is to meet his vivacious and beautiful cousin Manon She is on her way to a convent, but, as she tells her cousin, she is overwhelmed with the wonder of her first trip away from hom e ("Je suis encore tout etourdie ") As Lescaut is distracted by his comrades, Guillot takes the opportunity to offer his "prot ec tion" and his carriage to Manon , who is amused. Lesc aut ,then gives her a brief lecture about the family 's honor bronche z pa, soyez gentille"), although he himself is about to join his friends in gambling L eft alone, Manon , refle cts o n th e pleasures that she will soon have to abandon ("Voyons, Manon, plus de chimeres ") . On his way to the coach, a handsome young man , the Chevalier des Grieux, is overwhelmed b y Manon's beauty ; in a daze, he tells h er that she has becom e the mistress of his heart. He offers to save her from the convent . Manon, equally. smitten, agrees to flee with him to Paris.

Sce n e Two

In their co zy Paris apartment, Des Grieux and Manon read the le tter he has written to his father, asking permission to make Manon his wife. Shortly, Lescaut brusquely enters, accompanied b y Bretigny, the latt er disguised as a soldier Lescaut rudel y confronts Des Grieux about his abduction of his cousin. To calm him, the Chevalier shows Lescaut the lett er to his father; meanwhile Br etigny offers Manon a rich and comfortable life, further informing her that Des Grieu x will soon be abducted b y agents employed b y his fath er Alone, Manon heartbreakingly ponders her coming separation from h e r lov e ("Adieu, notre petit e table "). On his return , Des Grieux paints an exqui site dream of their future life toge ther (" En fermant les yeux"); but the dream is shatt ere d by the fatal knock on th e door.

AC T II , Sce n e O ne

The huge, festive crowd of the Cours -La -Reine mills about, buying , selling , eating , drinking , and flirtin g, among them Lescaut, who readily flirts with women as well as dice Meanwhile, Guillot, who has learned that Bretigny (now Manon 's (' prot ec tor") has refused to stage a ballet for Manon, plots to steal her away with his own munific ence. M anon

g reets the adoring crowd by telling them to use their time well, in plea sure , wine, and love , for youth lasts only a short time ("Obeissons quand leur voi x appelle "). She then overhears an old gen tleman tell Bretigny that Des Grieux has been studying for holy orders at the seminary of St. SuI pice. The gentleman is the Comte des Grieu x, father to her former lover; in a delicate conversation, during which neither admits their true identity, Manon asks about Des Grieu x' suffering; his father tells her that the tears flowed in silence. The distraught Manon ignores the ballet that Guillot, at great expense, has provided for her amusement; in the end, she rushes off to St. Sulpice.

Sce n e Two

Des Grieu x is congratulated by his father for his successful sermon at St. Sulpice; nevertheless , the Comte advises his son to leave the religious life, find a good woman, and raise a family ("Epouse quelque br av e fille"). Alone, Des Grieux begs the sweet ima ge of Manon to release him from his ongoing torture (" Ah, fuye z, douce image") The frantic Manon, confronting him, begs him to forgive her and take her back , exerting all her powers ("N'est-ce plus rna main"); and in the end, D es Grieux cannot resist.

ACT III , Sce n e On e

Gambling is the raiso n-d' hre for the Hotel de Transylvanie ; Manon brings Des Grieu x there , against his better judgement , to tr y and replenish their funds . Des Grieux has now abandoned any semblance of respectability and honor to his passion for the lu x ury-loving Manon ("Manon , sp hin x etonnant") Manon celebrates h er hedonistic life with a chilling refrain that denies the ex istence of tomorrow ("A nous les amours et les roses"). By chance, Des Grieu x finds himself pla yin g and winning against Guillot, who accuses him and Manon of cheatin g. The police arrive, arresting them both

Sce n e Tw o

Des Grieux' father has arranged his release. Des Grieu x enlists Lescaut in an effort to free Manon, who is enro u te to Le Havre to be deported to Louisiana. Lescaut succeeds in bribing the guards, but Manon is weak and ill. She begs Des Grieux' forgiveness, and they imagine a bright futur e together, but it is too late: Manon's tortured heart stops beating.

-Mitchell Krieger

n 1731, a young French author named Prevost wrote a seventh volume to his Memoirs and Adve n tures 0/ a Man 0/ Quality, a work in which the word "adventure" was primary; but the sequel , entitled Manon Lescaut, was different. The Memoirs were full of fantastic escapades, gratuitous murders, abductions, escapes, and so on. Manon Lescaut had a few of these, but the narrator, the Chevalier des Grieux , was above all a man whose all-consuming love for the title character led him down the path to despair, crime, murder and exile. Whatever one thinks of the somewhat melodramatic style of Prevost , the deep human statement is unavoidable. What happens to a person for whom love becomes an obsession, who cannot survive without his love, who is willing to feed her outrageous craving for luxury and pleasure, who sacrifices his family, his good name, his homeland? The novel is, truly, a disturbing character portrait of such a man, and of a woman whose lack of scruples are so lighthearted that one cannot help but be charmed, even while one is inescapably entwined in her net.

France in 1731 was a nation in which at least outward shows of morality were necessary, and so Manon L escaut was not well received by the Church and other arbiters of public decency; the novel was in fact banned in 1733. But , by the nineteenth century, things had changed a great deal, so that Prevost's work was ripe for operatic treatment. In fact, three composers wrote successful operas based on the novel: Auber wrote an operetta-like treatment with the same name in 1856; Massenet penned his sensuous , very French treatment in 1884, calling it simply Manon; and Puccini had his first major success with his Italian version , which returned to the full title of M an on Lescaut, in 1893 . Auber 's effort is mostly remembered for one catchy aria for the title character, but Massenet's and Puccini's remain important parts of the repertoire today.

Jules Massenet was. a composer, musician, and person who epitomized his time and place. France from 1842, the year of his birth, to 1912, the year of his death, was the center of world culture, and Paris was home to hundreds of artists, authors, composers, sculptors, and the patrons and audience for all of them. It was a time and place where the next new opera was the most important topic of conversation ; where the talented gathered almost daily in salons to discuss music , art, literature, and the world. For example, the Paris Conservatoire during Massenet's lifetime numbered among its students and faculty such names as Halevy, Berlioz, Adam, Bizet, Franck, Thomas, Guiraud, Delibes, Charpentier, SaintSaens, Gounod, Faure , and Debussy, to name a few. Massenet's talents were certainly in a fertile garden.

Fertility is a good word to describe Massenet's output, too. Twenty-six operas, four ballets , incidental music to a dozen

theatrical works , more than two dozen symphonic works, works for piano , chamber music , oratorios, cantatas, choruses, and hundreds of melodies make up his legacy His operas include many that are still in the repertoire, such as H erodiade (1881), Mano n (1884) , Le Cid (1885), Escla rmonde (1889), W erth er (1892), Tha is (1894), Cen drillo n (1899), and Don Quichotte (1910). No other French composer has so many operatic successes to his credit.

In composing Mano n, Massenet made the choice to portray his heroine very much as Prevost did: overwhelmingly charming, vivacious , delightful; in short, a creature whom both the hero and the audience can forgive everything. In the midst of gambling (and cheating) to satisfy Manon's unending thirst for luxury, Des Grieux names her "Sphinx etonnant, veritable sirene!" (Astounding enigma , genuine temptress!). Earlier, before any of her numerous betrayals of Des Grieux, he describes her in a letter to his father: "Everything about her seduces one: her beauty, youth, grace; the sweetest of voices, the most charming and tender of faces; her spirit embraces life endlessly." Massenet finds a simple, tender melody for the reading of the letter, and a more tortured, passionate musical ambience for the hero's declaration during the gambling scene

By following the musical growth of both principal characters through the opera , Massenet's mastery of musical characterization can be seen In her opening scene Manon has much rapid-fire chatter (sixteen , and on her first trip away from home!), with just a touch of melancholy here and thereafter all, she is on her way to the convent. Des Grieu x , in a pensive mood, has a forthright , sensitive melody, which makes a metamorphosis into a sweet, romantic theme when he sees, and falls in love with, Manon. Their ensuing duet is lively and energetic: the future is bright. This mood continues into the next scene, in their little boudoir, but Manon, already committed to the first betrayal of her love , sings a more anguished and womanly aria ("Adieu, notre petite table"). Des Grieux also plunges emotionally deeper with his exquisite portrait of his dream future ("La Reve")

During the vivacious scene .at the Cours-la-Reine, we experience Manon's more womanly desires for luxury and pleasure in her Gavotte, and then we hear her pain and guilt as she meets with Des Grieux 's father. Then follows the scene in the seminary of Saint Sulpice, in which both characters reach emotional-and musical-heights. Des Grieux grapples for his soul with his wish to devote his life to God and the irresistible, bitter attraction that threatens to rule his life When Manon appears to beg him to return to her, Massenet gives her a melody with immeasurable poignancy and power (" N'est-ce plus ma main " ); and with all her charm, sensuality, beauty and passion, she wins him back, for better or worse-mostly for worse.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

The lovers next find themselves in th e gambling salon of the Hotel Transylvanie, where Des Grieux sings about his tortured love to his "sphinx etonnant," and Manon reveals th e depth of her depravity in an aria praising gold, lau ghter, lo ve and pleasure, with a chilling refrain of "Qui sait si nous vivrons demain" ("Who knows if we will be alive tomorrow"). And in their final duet, as Manon lies exhausted and dying on the road to Le Havre, the lovers ' passion, regret, and d e,s pair, ennobled by their love, inspire Massenet to music of warmth, depth and nobility.

Dramatic sensibilities hav€ changed since 1884, but the exquisite music of Manon still stirs and charms us. The early

eighteenth-century setting depicts a period that continues to fascinate us (witness the popularity of the film Dangerous Liaisons); the charm of the heroine cannot be denied, nor the passion of Des Grieux. The story has its resonance today: after ail, who is Manon but "Material Girl"? And while we have become accustomed to more and more exp licit intimate scenes in today's theater and film, Mass ene t's music for the Saint Sulpice scene is sexier. Like all operatic masterpieces, Manon transcends its setting : its story is timel ess, its message universal.

- Mitchell Krieger is Director 0/ Artistic R esources for Michigan Opera Theatre

'MaJ!U1JV cArda 1Prifile&

SUZANNE ACTON

Suzanne Acton (C horus Master) ha s been MOT's Assistant Music Director and Chorus Master since the 1981/82 season. She has conducted several productions during h er tenure , including The Barber 0/ Seville and The Daughter of the Regiment. For Dayton Opera , she has conducted West Side Story, My Fair ,Lady and The Pirates 0/ Penzance.

Ms. Acton has served as coach and - accompanist for the opera companies of St. Louis and ,San Diego, and is Music Director of Rackham Symphony Choir.

ROBERT

Baritone John Robert Autry (Lescaut) , from Atlanta, is currently an Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera, and appeared th ere last season as Horatio in Thomas 's Hamlet, as both Dancairo and Morales in Carmen, as Fiorello in The Barber a/Seville, and as Hermann in The Tales a/Hoffmann. Other recent engagements included Ping in Turandot with Palin Beach Opera , Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Birmingham Opera, and the Viceroy in La Perichole. This season, besides his MOT debut , Mr. Autry will sing Marcello in Opera Pacific's La Boheme and several roles with San Francisco Opera.

MICHEL BEAULAC

After studying music and art, Michel Beaulac (set and costume design ) joined L'Opera de Montreal in 1989, and is now assistant to the artistic director He created the sets for a ne w production of Fedora, which opened L'Opera de Montreal's 1995-96 season, and designed or co -designed several other productions for the company, includin g Andria Chinier , Carmen, Do n Carlo, and a staged version of Carmina Burana. Also a talented sculptor, Mr. Beaulac 's work has been exhibited in Quebec, Montreal, Toronto , Vancouver and New York.

EMILY BENNER

Young soprano Emily Benner (J avotte) makes her second MOT appearance. Last fall the native of St. Joseph, Michigan , sang the role of the First Lady in MOT's popular The Magic Flute. Her roles at the University of Michigan included Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Carolina in The Secret Marriage, Sister Constance in The Dialogu es 0/ the Carmelites, Alma in Summer and Smoke, Clara in Szgnor Delusa, and Susanna in The Marriage 0/ Figaro, among others. She has also sung Ida (Die Fledermaus) , Hanna (Merry Widow), and Lucy (The Telephone) with Charlevoix Opera Guild.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

ARA BERBERIAN

Detroit-born Ara Berberian (Comte D es Grie ux) has s un g more than 150 operas in his career, including several "L ive from the Met " telev is ion presentations. His extensive repertoire includes bass roles in The Barber 0/ Seville, The Magic Flute, Fidelia , Die Meistersinger, Arzadne au/Naxos, Boris Goelunov, Rom eo and Juliet, The Tales 0/ H offmann, Pellia s et M iitsande, TOJca and The Ghosts 0/ Versaill es. M r. Berberian has recor ded for RCA Victor, Colun1bia, Poseidon Reco rd s, an d Positivel y Armenian. This mark s th e Southfield resi d ent's fifth MOT appearance-he most recently sang Doctor Bartolo in The Barber 0/ Sev zlle (1993 ).

STEFANIA BONFADELLI

Soprano Stefania Bonfadelli (title role) has p e rformed to critical and popular acclain1 throughout Europe and now makes her North American operatic debut. The Verona-born artist's recent successes includ e portrayals of Olympia in The Tales 0/ Hoffmann and Adina in The Elixir 0/ Love in Dijon , LUCIa eli Lamm ermoor in Bergamo, and Th e Barber 0/ Seville and Rlgoletto in To ulouse The Mattia Batti stini competition winner, whos e reperto ire includes La Traviata, Falsta/f, Don Pasquale and Faust, ha s p erfo rmed in Cagliari , Buenos Aires, Vienna, Marseilles, Monte Ca rio , Hamburg and Catania.

JU l:.lI!PE VAERE

Born in South ern Califo rnia , mezzo-soprano

Juli e De Vaere (Rosett e) is completing h er first season at MOT-s h e sa n g th e Third Lady in MOT's notabl e production of Th e Magic Flute last fa ll Ms. D e Vae re rec ently completed two seasons as an Apprentic e Artist with Opera Pacific , performing Soph ie in Die Fledermaus, and Giovanna and the Page in Rlgoletto. H er repertoire al so includes N icklaus se in The Tal es 0/ Hoffmann, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and Ch erubino in Th r: Marrzage o/Flgaro Among her awards is a NATS A pprenti ce Artist Awa rd and the Young Musicians Scholarshi p.

KAREN DRISCOLL

Soprano K ar en Dr isco ll (Pousett e), from Columbu s, Ohio, ha s attracted co nsiderabl e interest from her appearances during th e last two seasons with Florida Grand Opera , Chautaugua Opera, and Sarasota Opera as a m embe r of tb eir yo ung a rtists's e nsembles in ro les that include Silvio in Llsola Disabitata, Berta in Th e Barber 0/ Seville , Kate in The Ballael 0/ Baby Do e, Papagena in The Maglt: Flute , the Female C horu s in The Rape 0/ Lucretia , and Virtue in r.:lncoronazione di Poppea. Her future engagements includ e Micaela in Carmen and the title role in Susannah for L'Opera de Montreal, and Musetta in La Boheme for Florida Grand Opera.

:) I ute, ortS ann, or ist's ill 0/ 10 nb us, he r orida a Bert a la by tents ta

MARCELLO GIORDANI

Since his professional debut in 1986 at the Spoleto Festival , Sicilian-born Marcello Giordani des Grieux) has been in demand at many leading opera houses , including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Vienna, Hamburg State , Deutsche Oper Berlin, Arena di Verona, Bastille, and San Francisco Next season the tenor will make his debut in Geneva in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor and return to Zurich for a new production of Attila Also on Mr. Giordani's horizon is a new production of Les Huguenots to open the new opera house in Bilbao, Spain. His Rodolfo (La Boheme, 1996 ) opened the Detroit Opera House

OHN MAUCERJ

The exceptionally varied career of John Mauceri (Conductor) has encompassed symjlhony orchestras, music theater and film , trequent television appearances and an extensive discography. As an opera conductor, he has led productions at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Scala , Metropolitan Opera, and San Francisco Opera , and has recendy become ,the firSt American MUSIC Director of the Teatro Regio in Turin. His work has been honored with Grammy, Tony, Emmy, Olivier, Drama Dt;sk, Diapaison d'Or, Edison, Billboard and Deutsche Schallplatten awards. Maestro Mauceri 's acclaimed MOT debut came in 1997 \vith The Flying Dutchman.

DAVID MILLER

Tenor David Miller (Chevalier Des Grieux), from Colorado, appears with MOT for the first time, one year after his highly acclaimed Washington Opera debut as Alfredo in La Traviata. This season he will return to that company to sing Tamino in Th e Ma gic Flute. In addition , he will appear as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and Flavio in Norma with the Pittsburgh Opera, and Romeo in 1 Capuleti ed 1 Montecchi and Ferrando in Cosz'/an tutte with the Pittsburgh Opera Center Mr. Miller's reper toire also includes BeJ.lpe in 1 Pagliacci, Wagner and Nerus in Me/isto/ele, Ruggero in La Ro ndine and many other roles.

ALLEN SCHROTT

Bass-baritone Allen Schrott (Innkeeper) was recendy featured in the American premiere of Thomas Acles's Powder Her Fa ce at the Aspen Music Festival, which received critical acclaim from both the national and international press. Next year he will appear in a new production of Powder Her Face at Brooklyn Academy of Music. The Ann Arbor resident has also sung the title role in The Marrzage o/Figaro, Dulcamara in Th e Elix ir 0/ Love, Alfonso in Cosz'/an tutte, and Marcello in La Boheme. This performance marks Mr. Schrott's MOT debut.

KENDALL SMITH

Michigan native Kendall Smith (Lighting Designer) has been Lighting Consultant to MOT since 1988. During the span, he has designed many productions for the company, most recently last fall's Th e Magzc Flute Mr. Smith has also designed lighting for Opera Pacific , Dayton Opera, American Stage Festival and Attic Theater, among others.

cArtia 1Pr#k&

RODNEY STENBORG

Baritone Rodney Stenborg (De Bretigny) returns to MOT after many years absence; his last appearance was in th e title role of Rigoletto in 1980. The Detroit native began his career with "Overture to Opera," the predecessor to MOT, before moving to Germany where he became principal baritone at Oberhausen. Since 1976, Mr. Stenborg has been a resident performer with Houston Grand Opera. Roles he has sung include rago in Otello, Paolo in Simon Boccanegra and Germont in La Traviata, along with parts in Tosca, Azda, Jenu/a and Die Mezstersinger von Niirnberg to mention but a few.

RUTH ANN SWENSON

Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson (title role) first appeared with MOT as Juliet in 1990, then as Lucia in 1992 She now returns as a Metropolitan Opera star Ms Swenson has also appeared at other leading theaters throughout North America and Europe, including San Francisco, Chicago Lyric , Bastille, Covent Garden, Hamburg , <;:anadian Opera Company, Theatre Des Champs Elysees, Paris, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Munich and Cologn e, in roles that range from the dramatic coloratura to the purely lyric. Her EM! album of arias, entitled "Positively Golden ," has earned international praise.

CESAR ULLOA

Cuban-born cesar Ulloa (Guillot de Morfontaine) made his professional debut in 1975 with Dallas Opera in La Traviata. He has since expanded his repertoire to more than fifty roles, and is now one of the world's most sought-after character tenors. Recent engagements include Don Basilio in MOT's The Marriage o/Figaro, Bardolfo in New York City Opera's Falstaff, and several appearances with the Metropolitan Opera: as Don Basilio, as Hortentius in The Daughter 0/ the Regiment, and as the Abbe in Andrea Chenier. Mr. Ulloa's colorful portrayals have been acclaimed through out the U.S., Canada and Europe

BERNARD UZAN

Bernard Uzan (Director; set design) has been the General and Artistic Director of L'Opera de Montreal since 1988, having previously served in the same capacity at Tulsa Opera. In demand throughout North America and Europe, h e has directed productions in Calgary, Ottawa, San Diego and San Francisco; Zurich, Monte Carlo, Palermo and Marseilles , among many other places. His most notable stagings include Romeo and Juliet (MOT 1990), La Travzata, Madama Butterfly, Tosca (MOT 87) , Ariadne au/Naxos, Fau st (MOT 83), The Tales o/Hoffmann , Carmen and The Damnation 0/ Faust.

THE CAS T

Giannetta SAMIABAHU

Nemorino VINSON COLE (May 9, 13, 16)

ANTON INO SIRAGUSA'" (May 10, 15, 17)

THE ELixiR 0F L0VE

May 9·17, 1998

Opera in two acts

By Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto by Felice Romani

First performance: Milan, May 12, 1832

Conducted by STEVEN MERCURIO

Directed by MARIO CORRADI

Set Design by NAOJI KAWAGUCHI

Lighting Design by KENDALL SMITH

Costumes by MALABAR LTD.

Chorus Maste r SUZANNE ACTON

Make-up and H air Design by ELSEN ASSOCIATES

Stage Ma nag er JOHN KENNELLY

Supertitles translation by: William Yannuzzi

Scenery owned by Pittsburgh Op era

Adina JANET WILLIAMS (May 9, 13, 16)

ANA MARIA MARTINEZ'" (May 10, 15, 17)

Belcore RICHARD BERNSTEIN

Doctor Dulcamara THOMAS HAMMONS

Supertitles for I.:Elisir d'Amore are owned by the Baltimore Op era Company

Archival recordings engineered by Daniel Dene and assisted by R udy Lauerman

There will be an intermission following Act I

Michigan Op era Theatre's 1998 Spring Season is sponsored by II" General Motors.

The May 15 performance is sponsored by

The May 16 performance is sponsored by A . Michigan National Bank

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

"MichIgan Opera Theatre debut

Setting: A rural Italian village in the nineteenth century.

ACT I

Nemorino, a good-hearted young peasant for whom thinking is a hard labor, is hopelessly in love with Adina, the pretty young landowner ("Quanto e bella"). Adina is one of the few educated people in the village. She laughingly reads a story to the villagers: the story of Tristan and Isolde and their magic love-potion They are interrupted by the arrival of a troop of soldiers, led by Sergeant Belcore, whose belief in his own attractiveness to ' women is awesome to behold ("Come Paride vezzoso"). Belcore immediately offers Adina his hand in marri\lge; she replies that she needs to think it over.

Nemorino asl}s Adina she spurns him; she replies that , she is as fickle as the breeze ("Chiedi all'aura lusinghiera"), and that ' he must find another love. He answers that he remains constant as the river flowing to the sea.

Technological Craftsmanship

The town turns out to greet Doctor Dulcamara, who explains to one and all that his magic elixir will cure all ills, turn old women into young ones, and make men irrestible, all for three lire ("Udite, 0 rustici"). Nemorino is convinced that the elixir, which is actually just Bordeaux, is the answer to his prayers, and purchases a bottle. In fact, the potion-which he has never before tasted-makes him considerably more devilmay-care, intriguing Adina . Perhaps to test Nemorino, she tells Belcore that she will marry him in one week. Nemorino is confident that the elixir will work its magic in plenty of time, but he despairs when the wedding, due to regimental orders, is advanced to that very evening.

ACT II

As the wedding feast advances, Nemorino is frantic. Doctor Dulcamara suggests that he double his dosage of the elixir, but Nemorino's pockets are bare . He chances upon Belcore, who asks why he is so downcast. When Nemorino explains his financial predicament, Belcore offers a simple but drastic solution : join the army, and receive the recruit's bounty of twenty scudi.

Meanwhile, the village girls have learned that Nemorino has inherited his uncle 's fortune; they eagerly surround the new heir. Nemorino naturally thinks that the additional elixir is working its magic on them . Adina is perplexed at the vision; Dulcamara explains to her that Nemorino sacrificed his freedom in his desperation to win her love

Adina's reaction to Nemorino's new-found popularity is not lost on him; with this tiny ray of hope, his yearning is more desperate than ever ("Una furtiva lagrima"). Adina brings him the army papers, which she has purchased back , telling him to remain where he is loved ("Prendi, per me sei libero"). Finally she confesses the truth ; she loves him just as much as he loves her. Sergeant Belcore loses the battle, but he is confident that he will win others; and Doctor Dulcamara reminds everyone that it was the power of his magic elixir that provided a happy ending

-Mitchell Krieger

ineteenth-century Italian opera composers wrote hundreds of comedies, but how many have entered the standar d repertoire?

Just Rossini ' s big three, Donizetti 's The E l ixir 0/ Love and Don Pasquale, and Ver di 's Fa l staff Of all these durable works, Elixir may well be the most lovable-hardly surprising, since a kinder, more generous composer than Doni zetti never lived His immortality stems in no sma ll part from the captivating score of Elixir, which effor tl ess l y justifies this opera's place in th e comic pantheon

Elixir's wo rld premiere took place in Milan, which we - think of as boasting on l y one opera hou se (worldfamous Lv Scal a). That was not the case 166 years ago, when the city's Teatro della Cannobiana offered Doni zetti a commission ; the Cannobiana needed a new work quick l y, since another composer hadn 't finished on ti me. Donizetti prod u ced operas as easily as drawing br eath, and managed to comp l ete Elixir in six weeks. The te x t came from the experienced Felice Romani, whose career would include six Donizetti libr etti. The composer had hi s hands full with the notoriously difficult Romani, but-like Rossini, Bellini , and even tu all y Verdi-D onizetti grea tl y va lued Romani 's clear, elegan t , concise language. Their opera triumphed a t its first performance on May 12 , 1832.

Since th e 1838 American premiere, Elixir has never been absent from oitr country's opera houses. Audiences savor not only the effervescence of Elixir, but its war mth and heart. The romantic travail of Nemorino an d Adina becomes a matter of some importance to us, especia ll y l ate in Ac t One, when

But beyond that , more than any other tenor role, Nemorino l ets t h e singer establish total rapport w ith his audience. They 're wi th him from the moment he opens his mouth to sigh, "Quanto e bella." Sin gers should be warned, however, not to let Nemorino appear excessively foolish (he's not a fool, just more than usually naIve).

While Nemorino immediately earns audience sympathy, it's more of a challenge for his opposite number. Donizetti gives Adina a hard she ll of self-confidence that cracks only gradually. At the same tim e, the character-e specia ll y in h er duets with Dulcamara-lures some singers into the cutesiness that gives the so-called" -ina" roles a bad name . But Adina has to be believable, and her heart must emerge. If we don' t at l east en jo y h er company, then we become desperate for Nemorino to direct hi s swee tl y clumsy wooing somewhere else.

Amina is confiden t , certainly, but human and vulnerab le , too We see throu gh her as early as the first duet wit h Nemorino: sh e's singing about being as fick l e as th e breeze, but the sinuous, into x icatingly beautiful voca l line tells us there's a feeling, sympathetic person und erneath. And of course, in the secon d act, distress overwhelms her as she realizes that Nemorino might be l ost to her for good. When Adina finally confesses h er l ove (in one of bel canto opera's most g l orious scenes for li ght soprano), it comes as a gratifying emotional release-for her, for Nemorino, and for the audience.

Dulcamara and Belcore are nearly identical in range, althoug h generally b asses take th e former and baritones th e l atter. They're figures of fun, of course, but Donizetti pu ll s them back fro m caricature. Lik e we re ac h for our handkerchiefs r--------------as Nemorino pleads, "A dina, credimi. " The couple's progress from sharp-tongued bickering to joyous reconciliation unfolds through music e x emplifying the sine qua non of good comic opera: melody that instan tl y communicates characte r

As l ong as Elixir has been performed , tenors have been eager t o portray Nemorino No singer cou ld fail to cherish such unfailingly gratefu l music, including the best -loved tenor aria in the repertoire, "Una furtiva la grima."

all the classic bu//o role s, they sh ou l d b e performed with class , all the notes s un g and not brayed, shouted, or otherwise fudged .

Belcore exudes machismo, but in a bel canto mode . Think of his aria , with its graceful flourishes and l onglined l ega to Later, in the Act-On e trio and final e, he moves from annoyanc e to fury to ecstasy, but the singe r has to keep those emotions in pr opor ti o n (too ma n y Be lc ores seem to mistake Elixir for Ot ello or Tosca). As for Dulcamara : if the singer can negotiate rapid-fire patter, he's won half the battle, but Dulcamara a l so must command t he stage with real pizza zz. Frequently t h e production can g ive him a lift (sometimes li t erally): in recent memory Dulc a m ara has entered in a ba ll oon , on a h orse , in a jalopy, even-in mod ern-dress stagings - on a motorcycle!

More than that ope nin g aria, it 's the duet with Adina that many listeners look forward to; it humani ze s Dulcamara a s he sympa thizes with the lovesick h ero ine

In an Elixir ense mbl e there can exist an atmo sp here of good-nat ur ed competition, which often in vigo rates a performance. A perfect example: some years ago a t the Met , Carlo Bergonzi's h e avenl y "U na furtiva l ag rima " elicited a tum u ltu ous ovation Then Renata Scotto en t ered a nd b egan Adina's " Prendi." From the start, she was clearly taki n g gr eat pains to bring every last ounce of her artistry to the aria, and at th e end, her exquisite performance ea rned just as much applause as her partne r 's!

Few ot h e r operas offer l isteners more sheer joy than this one When the comedy pla ys onstage with the , humor emerging truthfully and

naturally from the music, the joy increases tenfo l d . It looks like T he Elixir 0/ Lov e will be around forever, and that's definitely cause for celebration

-Ro ger Pines, pro gram editor fo r Lyric Op era 0/ Chicago, is a regular contribut o r to Op era News and Th e Oper a Quarterly He also writes as "Op era Wizard" for CultureFinder, the cultural in/o rmation service 0/ America

n line.

2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

SUZANNE ACTON

Suzanne Acton (Choru s Master) has b een MOT's Assis tant Music Director and Chorus Master since the 1981 /82 season. She has cond0cted several productions during her tenure , includin¥ The Barber 0/ Seville and The Daughter oj the Regiment. For Dayton Opera, she has conducted West Side Story , My Fair Lady and The Pirates 0/ Penzance. Ms. Acton has served as coach and accompanist for the opera companies of St. Louis and San Diego, and is Music Director of Rackham Symphony Choir.

SAMIABAHU

Soprano Samia Bahu (Giannetta), who delighted MOT audiences last fall as Papagena in The Magic Flute , makes her third appearance here. While at J uilliard , she also performed the role of the First Lady and Second Lady; Cherubino in The Marriage 0/ Fzg,aro, and the title rol e in The Beggar's Opera The versatile Jerusalem -born artist's reperto ire also includes many se riou s roles , among them Mimi in La Boheme and Nedda in I Pagliacet , alon g with roles in Suor Angelica, The Medium and Turandot. In 1996 she made her MOT debut as Frasquita in Carmen.

RICHARD BERNSTEIN

Young ba ss- baritone Richard Bernstein (Belcore) sang the title role in MOT's The Mamage 0/ Figaro last season. He has also appeared twice at the Metropolitan Opera: as Zuniga in Carmen (1995) and as Angelotti in Tosca (1997). The nati ve-New Yorker has also sung with th e Los Angeles Music Center Opera , Opera PacifIC, and the opera comparues of Vancouver, Seattle , Palm Beach, Pittsburgh and several other cities. He recently made his Italian debut , as the Lion in Britten 's A Midsummer Night's Dream Mr. Bernstein received acclaim recentl y when he stepped in for an ailing Bryn Terfel to 0I,en Lyric Opera of Chicago's The Marriage oj Fz garo ; he will also alternate that role next year at the Met.

Kansas City, Misssouri -born Vinson Cole (Ne morino ) first appeared in Detroit to sing the title role in MOT's 1983 production of Faust. He has since becom e one of the world's most sought-after tenors , appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, and the opera companies of Vienna , Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Stuttgart and Naples, and important theaters in France including Paris, Nice, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Nancy. He opened the 1996 La Scala season in a new production of Armide Mr Cole has appear ed on several PBS and BBC telecasts , and mad e numerous commercial recordings.

CORRADI

......::M A"'RI:oO

__

Italian born Mario Corradi (Director) mad e his debut in 1982 with If Matrimonio Segreto in Palermo. Since then he has staged op e ra all over the world. He directed La Sonnambula in Dallas , Do n Giovanni and Or/eo ed Eurzdice in Madrid, Menotti's Amelia al Ballo in Monte Ca rlo and Madama Butterfly in Spoleto He has also staged operas in St. Gallen, Frankfurt , Athens and Tokyo. Last season he directed the fir st twentieth -century p erformance of Spontini 's If Teseo RiconosCluto. He last visited MOT to direct Carmen in 1996.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

THOMAS HAMMONS

MOT veteran bass -baritone Thomas Hammons (Dr. Dulcamara) makes his sixth appearance in Detroit. The buffo specialist's rich voice and comic interpretations are also well -known to audiences at the Metropolitan and New York City Opera, Washington Opera , and elsewhere throughout North America and Europe. He appeared in the world premiere of The Death oj Klinghof/er in Brussels, which had subsequen t performances in Lyons, Vienna , and San Francisco, and created the role of Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China at Houston Grand Opera , which was also seen in Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Los Angeles.

ANA MARIA MARTINEZ

The professional career of American soprano Ana Maria Martinez (Adina) began auspiciously when she was invited to sing Mimi to Placido Domingo 's Rodolfo in a televised gala performance of La Boh eme in her native San Juan. She has since sung Solea in Penella 's EI Gato Montes at her Washington Opera debut and Mimi at her New York City Opera debut This season also saw her debuts at Vienna State Opera and Opera Stutt ga rt This is the artist 's first visit to MOT. Ms. Martinez created the role of the Mother in the world premiere of Menotti's Th e Singing Child (S poleto U.S.A. Festival )

STEVEN MERCURIO

New York-born Steven Mercurio (Conductor) has conducted the opera companies of Rome, San Francisco, Brussels, London, Seartle , Costa Mesa , Washington, Dallas and Pittsburgh, among oth ers He was Music Director of the Spoleto Festival (Italy), Principal Conductor of the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Associate Condu cto r of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He is featured on numerous Sony Classical Label recordings and videos and has several film credits. The Juilliard alumnlls is both a champion of contemporary music and himself a prolific composer This marks the Maestro's fourth visit to MOT.

ANTONINO SIRAGUSA

Emerging Sicilian tenor Antonino Siragusa (N emorino ) made his professional debut in 1996 and h as already caught the attention of the opera world. He has had several notable su ccesses, including those in Messina, Rome, Bologna and Vienna. His American debut at MOT will be followed by first appearances in Tokyo and Osaka , as well as debuts at Teatro Sociale di Com o, Accademia di Santa Cecilia di Roma, and the Rossini Opera Festival. Also on his horizon is the title role in Werther at Teatro Regio di Parma and a new production of Falstaf/ at Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova

Jt\NET WILLIAMS _

Detroit-born soprano Janet W illiams (Adina) first app eared with MOT in 1989 as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and has since charmed audiences with each return. Her mo st recent visit was to portray Susanna in last season 's The Mama ge 0/ Figaro She ha s also had successes at the opera companies of Bastille, San Francisco, Dallas , Nice, Lyon and Berlin. The 1995 /96 season saw the artist 's d eb ut at the Metropolitan Opera as Adele in Die Fledermau s, as well as her Washington _ Opera debut as Sophie in Der Rosenkava lie r Upcoming projects include a new production of Semele at Berlin Staatsoper

c..i Find o ut how yo u ca n jo in Bo Sch emb echl e r in h e lping C. S Mott Chil d re n 's Hos pit a l. Call 1-800-211 -8181. And s upport the orga ni za ti o n s th a t make a re al . Childre n 's H osp ita l. It's o n e o f the to p c hildre n 's diffe re n ce h e re in o ur sta te .

h os pitals in the n a ti o n And it' s o n e of the m a n y "1 rea lly apprecia te North wes t 's com m i tm ent ,to th is organiza t ion. 1 rea lly f eel li ke th ey 're C H1LDR £Nj re as ons why we ' re proud to co nnect th e w orld to Mic hig a n. part of t he tea m th a t 's pulli ng f o r Mic higan. "

"It's great having C.S. Mott Children's Hospital here in Ann Arbor. Some of the country's leading pediatric specialists work here every day, helping children from around our state and around the world."

1% J rh UvJ kJ, g, Legendary Michigan Football Coach

THE CAS T

IN ORDER OF VOCAL ApPEARAN C E

Clara RO BERTA GUMBEL"

Mingo SC OTT PIP E R

Sporting Life PEABO BRYSON"

Jake

RI CHARD HOB SON

Serena ANGE LA SIMPS ON"

(May 30, June 3, 5, 7m, 11, 13, 14)

ANGELA BROWN "

(May 31m, June 4,6, 7, 10, 12, 14 m)

Robbins MI CHAEL AU STI N'"

Jim

D AN A BAK ER"

Peter

MARLIN WILLI F ORD "+

Lily

BREN DA WI MBERLY"

Maria KARL A BURNS "

Porgy GO RDON HAWKI N S"

(May 30, June 3,5, 7m, 11, 13, 14)

ALVY POWEL L"

(May 3 1m, June 4,6, 7, 10, 12, 14m)

Crown JEFFRE Y LAVAR"

(May 30, Ju ne 3,5, 7m, 11, 13, 14)

T IMOTHY RO BE RT BLEVINS '"

(May 3 1m, June 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14 m)

Bess

MARQUITA LISTER

(May 30, June 3, 5, 7m, 11, 13, 14)

MARILYN MOORE-BROWN"

(May 3 1m, June 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14m)

Detective

JOHN BI E D E NBACH"

Undertaker

RUSSELL AMERSON"+

Annie N ATALIE REE SE"

Frazier

KEITH CRAWF ORD "

Nelson

J ASON JA C KSO N" +

Strawberry Woman

ALAIN A BROWN"' +

A Woman

SYLVIA TWIN £"' +

Crab Man

GLEN H O L CO MB "'+

Coroner

F RED BUC HALTER

by George Gershwin

, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin

May 30 - June 17 , 1998

Op e ra in two acts

First performance: Boston, Sept emb er 30 , 1935

Conducted by JOHN D EMAIN

Directed by

TAZEWELL THOMPSON

Set D esign by KENNETHFOY

Cost ume Design by JUDY DEARING

L ighting Design by KE N BILLI N GTON

Choru s M aster

SUZANNE ACTON

Cho reog rap hy by JULIE ARENAL

M usical Preparation by G EORGE DARDEN

Make -up an d H air Design by ELSEN ASSOCIATES

So und Effects Created by STEVEN CANYON KENNEDY

Stage Manage r JOHN KE N NELLY

Supertitle translations by San Francisco Opera

The H ouston Grand Opera production of PORGY AND BESS is a jointly funded Co-Production of Cleveland Opera, Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, H ouston Grand Opera AJ"Sociation, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, and in association with The Orange County Performing Arts Center

The worldwide copyrights in the music of George and I ra Gershwin ®for this presentation are licensed by the Gershwin Family Porgy and Bess'M is presented by arrangement with Tams- Witmark Music Library, Inc , 560 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022

GERSHWIN is a registered trademark and service mark of Gershwin Enterprises. PORGY AND BESS is a trademark and service mark of Porgy and Bess Enterprises

Music materials by arrangement with G. Schirmer, I nc.

Supertitle translations are owned by San Francisco Opera Archival recordings engineered by Daniel Dene and assisted by Rudy Lauerman

Michigan Opera Theqtre's 1998 Spring Season and this production of Porgy and Bess are sponso red by II'General Motors.

The June 5 performance is sponsored by /...)11'9'.

The June 6 performance is sponsored by THOMAS GROUP

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

" Mi chigan Opera Theatre debu t +M ichigan Opera T heatre Young Artist Apprentice

The June 13 performance is sponsored by •

Setting: Charleston) South Carolina) the 1920)5

ACT I, Scene One

It is Saturday night in Catfish Row, a crowded street in Charleston , South Carolina. A crap game is in progress , a piano plays a "low-down blues, " and Clara sings a lullaby ("Summertime") to her baby. Bess' boyfriend, Crown , who is drunk and high , becomes enraged during the game and kills Robbins. The crowd quickly leaves the scene Before making his escape , Crown tells Bess to wait for his return Sportin' Life offers Bess refuge after she begs for some "happy dust," but she chooses to hide in Porgy's room , not suspecting that the crippled beggar loves her.

Scene Two

Robbins is laid out for the wake, with a saucer on his chest to collect funds for his burial. The police arrive and accuse Peter, an old man, of murdering Robbins. Naming Crown as the killer, Peter is taken to jail as a material witness, while Robbins " widow Serena mourns her husband ("My Man's Gone Now"). Bess, now accepted by the community as Porgy's woman, leads them in a 'moving spiritual ("Headin' for the Promised Land").

Scene Three

Jake and the other fishermen repair their nets before they go fishing ("It Takes a Long Pull to Get There") . Jake's wife Clara is worried about the weather and pleads with him not to go. Porgy displays his happiness now that Bess has come to live with him (" I Got Plenty O ' Nuttin "' ). Maria upbraids Sportin' Life, forbidding him to peddle his "happy dust" to her friends The charlatan lawyer, Frazier, arrives to sell Bess a "divorce" from Crown , although the two were never really married. A large buzzard flies overhead frightening the crowd, but Porgy chases .away the evil omen , proclaiming his new-found strength since he found love . Later, in the empty courtyard, Sportin' Life tempts Bess once again, but Porgy orders Sportin' Life to stay away from her. Alone, Porgy and Bess affirm their love for each other ("Bess, You Is My Woman Now") , and then Bess reluctantly leaves Porgy to go to the picnic on Kittiwah Island

ACT II , Sce n e O n e

Th e Kittiwah picnic is in full swing. Sportin' Life entertains the group with his cynical attitude toward religion (" It Ain ' t Necessarily So " ) As the picnickers climb aboard the boat for the trip home, Crown quietly reveals himself to Bess .

Alone with him , Bess argues that she now belongs to Porgy ("What you want with Bess"), but Crown's animal strength proves too much for her; she is overpowered and gives in to his hot desire.

Scene Two

A week has passed since Kittiwah, and Bess has been delirious for that entire time Serena offers her prayers to bring Bess back to health, and tells Porgy that Bess will be well by five o'clock. As the church bells sound the hour of five , Bess calls out for Porgy. Bess tries to explain how Crown affects her ("I Loves You, Porgy") , and how she wants to stay with Porgy, who swears he will protect her Suddenly, the wind rises, and the dreaded hurricane bell sounds.

Sce n e Three

The entire community is gathered in Seren a' s room, in mortal terror as the hurricane rages outside . Jake's boat is out somewhere in the storm ; Clara and the other fishermen's wives are near hysteria Like a hurricane himself, Crown bursts into the room Laughing at the storm , Crown taunts the crowd, and the power of God himself Suddenly, the distraught Clara , giving her baby to Bess , rushes out into the storm in search of her husband. Crown goes after Clara, first warning Bess that he will return for her.

Sce n e Fou r

The citizens of Catfish Row mourn Clara, Jake and Crown, all thought to be lost in the storm. Sportin' Life cynically mocks them Bess, now holding Clara 's baby, sings the same lullaby as Clara. When the courtyard is empty, Crown enters furtively, crawling toward Porg y's window. But Porgy surprises him and kills him with his powerful hands. As the scene ends , Porgy lau ghs triumphantly.

Sce n e Five

The police come to Catfish Row to investigate the murder. They order Porgy to come with them to identify the body. As soon as Porgy is taken away, Sportin' Life persuades the confused and distraught Bess that Porg y will be locked up , never to return . Offering her some " happy dust," Sportin' Life convinces Bess to go away with him ("There's a Boat Leavin ' Soon For New York").

Sce n e Six

A week later, Porgy is released by the police Happy to be home , he calls for Bess Discovering she has gone to New York , Porgy orders his goat cart and, with a determination born of endless love, sets out to find her ("Oh Lawd , I'm On My Way") .

tiny item in the Charleston News and Courier about a Negro beggar, Sammy Smalls, who traveled in a goat cart because he had lost the use of his legs , gave birth in 1925 to Dubose Heyward's powerful novella Porgy George Gershwin read it in 1926 , and determined he had found the subject for his long-considered plans for an opera epitomizing a truly American voice. He wanted a serious subject, to make the chorus and orchestra major players in a traditional ope;atarm , and still to make it accessible for all. "It would be said Gershwin, "a folk opera, a fusion of musical elements. tolk, popular, and classical, and perhaps even aspects of the Yiddish theater." In late 1933 the Theater Guild announced it would pro?ute his operatic version of Porgy and Bess .

The opera's creators for its 1935 premiere ranged from classically frained vocalists such as Juilliard-educated Anne Brown, experienced concert artist Todd Duncan, worldrenowned interpreter of black choral music Eva Jessye and her choir, to the established black vaudeville team Buck and Bubbles. The white southern librettists , Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, the Jewish lyricist/ composer brothers Gershwin, and the black performers all -joined in an extraordinary and consummate marriage of music , words and drama. The new and unique blend defied any neat classification: was it grand opera, a folk opera, or a musical? What did it owe to black music , popular music, European tradition, Gershwin himself, or Eva Jessye, his choir director? In 1976, the debate led Rouben Mamoulian, who had directed both the play and the original production of the opera, to say "critics complained it wasn't opera; it wasn't a musical. You give someone something delicious to eat and they complain because they have no name for it."

In 1942 the opera , trimmed to Broadway standards , had a critical and financial success, running for 284 performances; this version became the standard for more than three decades. When Porgy was produceain Copenhagen in 1943, the Danish underground used recordings of "It Ain't Necessarily So" to interrupt German propaganda broadcasts. The notable 1952 production starred William Warfield as Porgy, launched the career of Leontyne Price who played Bess, and included Cab Calloway as Sportin' Life. It toured Europe under the aegis of the State Department as an artistic weapon in the Cold War. A second tour (1954-1958) played La Scala as well as Vienna, Moscow, and London

Two early productions of the opera in Detroit were in 1967 at the Masonic Auditorium and in 1975 by the Michigan Opera Theater. But Porgy was in Detroit years earlier, in 1936 , when the General Motors Promenade Concerts featured Anne Brown, Todd Duncan, The Eva Jessye Choir and the General Motors Symphony Orchesta in a concert which included excerpts from the opera and Gershwin performing Rhapsody in Blue .

In 1976, Houston Grand Opera presented the first full operatic version of Porgy and Bess since its 1935 premiere, led by John DeMain (who conducts MOT 's current production). DeMain 's complete recording was awarded both the Grammy and Grand Pri x du Disque And in 1985-50 years after its premiere-the Metropolitan Opera finally opened its doors to Porgy and Bess , with Simon Estes and Grace Bumbry in the title roles. Bumbry had to be coaxed to play Bess. "I thought it beneath me. I felt I had too hard and come too far to have to regress to 1935. My way of dealing with it was to discover that it was really a piece of Americana, of American history, whether we liked it or not. Whether I sang it or not, it was still going to be there ."

In 1986, a provocative revisionist production was presented by the Glyndebourne Opera, directed by Trevor Nunn Two indelible features of the opera were dropped: the goat cart and Porgy's kneeling position. Porgy, upright throughout the opera, is supported by crutches. The opera presents Porgy as larger than life, a latter-day Moses, leading his people out of bondage. At the end, Porgy discards the crutches and walks slowly, unaided, not just in pursuit of Bess, but into the light, and from the confining walls of Catfish Row.

The issues of race , politics , art and image aroused by the opera are still contentious The Februar y 1998 PBS documentary Porgy and Bess: An American Voice devoted 90 minutes to these issues, highlighting the debate. However, no one can deny that along with the ironies and contradictions in the opera, and yes, even the stereotypes, Porgy and Bess carries with it universal themes of community and belonging, strength and weakness, courage and cowardice, love and devotion, pride and passion, rejection and acceptance

Poet Maya Angelou (Ruby in the La Scala production) puts these issues in clearest perspective when she says:

If you tell the truth , you don't really need too many translators If you tell facts , you may need translators. Facts can obscure the truth But the human truths that pain is uncomfortable, that love is endearing, that children are amusing and sweet and intriguing, that old people are wise and valuable, to be cherished, these are truths in Birmingham, Alabama or Birmingham, England. Porgy and Bess is a truth, it's a human truth. Take the beauty that is inherent in it and exalt it and cherish it and be made taller and better and finer by it with gratitude for it.

-James A. Standz/er, a music professor at the University 0/ Michigan and director 0/ U 0/ M's N. C. Standz/er Video Archive 0/ Oral History, A/rican American Musicians, is producer 0/ the PBS documentary, Porgy and Bess: An American Voice.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

([}YmP and 18ru& cArda 1Pr#ie& .....

JULIE ARENAL

Julie Arenal (Choreographer) choreographed the original production of Hair and Indians on Broadway. Her credits also include staging and directing Funny Girl in Japan , Jesus Christ Superstar and many other shows. For film, Ms. Arenal choreographed King 0/ the Gypsies, Four Friends, Once Upon a Time in America, Steal Big/Steal Little , Mistress and Great Expectations. She has also choreographed the San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba and Ballet Hispanico. She is the director of New York Express, a hip-hop company commissioned by the Spoleto Festival.

MICHAEL AUSTIN

After a successful European debut in Cavalleria Rusticana at Staatstheater, Stuttgart, Michael Austin (Robbins) sang roles at Stuttgart, in Th e Elixir 0/ Love, Salome, Aida, Madame Butterfly , Alceste, and Pam/al He is also a frequen t guest on stages in Hamburg , Bilbao, Zurich, Hanover, Leningrad, Basil and Bern. The sought-after tenor has also performed in Canada and South America. In the U.S. , credits include an appearance in the world -premiere of Phillip Glass 's Akhnaten at Houston Gral)d Opera which also served as the vehicle for his New York City Opera debut.

KEN BILLINGTON

Ken Billington (L ightin g Designer) received the 1997 Tony and Drama Desk Awrds for his seventieth Broadway production, Chicago. He also received Tony nominations for The Visit, Fox/ire, End 0/ the World , Working and Sweeney Todd. Other projects include 19 seasons of Radio City Music Hall's Christmas and Easter spectaculars, the ice skating sensation Stars on Ice , Disneyland's Fantasmic', Sea World, Florida's thrill ride Journey to Atlantis and 65 operas in Milan , Madrid and elsewhere around the world.

TIMOTHY ROBERT BLEVINS

Baritone Timothy Robert Blevins (C rown) , a native of Los Angeles, has appeared world-wide in a variety of roles including Otis Burrows in Th e Mighty Casey at Juilliard Opera Center, Dr. Bartolo in The Barber 0/ Seville with the Polish National Symphony Orchestra at Fort de France, and Jake in Porgy and Bess at the Pablo Casals' Festival in Puerto Rico. This fall Mr Blevin s made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in several roles in the world premiere of Anthony Davis 's Amistac!. This marks the artist's MOT debut.

ANGELA BROWN

A 1997 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions winner, dramatic soprano Angela Brown (Serena ) has displayed her singing and acting talents throughout North America , Europe and Africa. She first recieved national recognition in 1992 for her portrayal of Seena in Leonard Bernstein 's 1600 Pennsylvania A venue. Ms Brown has also been featured with Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Symphony and C incinnati Pops. Her repertoire includes Ariadn e au/Naxos, Aida, Don Carlos, and Love for Thr ee Oranges. This is her MOT debut.

PEABO BRYSON

Recording star Peabo Bryson (Sportin' Life) received both Oscar and Grammy awards for his performances of two theme songs from popular Disney films: the title song of Beauty and the Beast, and "It's a Whole New World" from Aladdin. The first singer in history to have separate recordings atop four different charts, Mr. Bryson is a nativ e of Greenville, South Carolina. Now internationall y recognized for his many hit albums, including Through the Fire and Can You Stop the Rain, Mr. Bryson makes his MOT-and operatic-debut in this production of Porgy and Bess. Among his notable coll aborators have b een Kenny G, Celine Dion , Lea Salonga, Natalie Cole, and Roberta Flack.

KARLA BURNS

Th e career of multi-talented Karla Burns (Maria) has encompassed opera, classical theater and musical th eater. She has appeared at distinguished venues around the world, including th e Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera , Cairo Opera and Teatro Real in Madrid. Her operatic repertoire includes Falstaff, Die Fledermau s, The Mikado and Blitzs tein 's Regina. In musical theater she has earned a Drama Desk Award, a Tony nomination and the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Perfortnanc e in a Musical. MOT welcomes her for the first time.

KEITH CRAWFORD

Young American baritone Keith Crawford (Frasier) recently made successful debuts at La Scala, Paris Opera, Teatro Real, Madrid, theaters in Japan and Tel Aviv, and with the Houston Grand Opera International Tour of Porgy and Bess With Greater Miami Opera h e has appeared in Tro uble in Tahiti, La TraVIata and Minutes 'till Midnight. Mr Crawford was featured in several televised Opera Company of Philadelphia productions, including Fa ust , Pique Dame and Un Ballo in Maschera. This is his company debut.

JOHN D EMAIN

MOT veteran John DeMain (Conductor) is one of the world's foremost experts on Porgy and Bess. He ha s conducted the work over 250 times, beginning with the 1976 Houston Grand Opera production, which won the Grammy Award and the Grand Prix du Disc He is current Music Directo r of th e Madison Symp h ony Orch estra and Opera Pacific, and Artistic Director of the Madison Opera Notab le recent eng!lgements include a new production of Falstaff for the State Opera in South Australia, Porgy and Bess in Tokyo, Milan and Tel Aviv, and Me/isto/ele for Washington Opera.

ROBERTA GUMBEL

Soprano Roberta Gumbel (Clara) has been h eard internationally in a \vide-ranging variety of performances inclu ding opera, concert , chamber music and musical theater A native of Kansas City, she has perfortned at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Memphis Opera, Metropolitan Opera Guild and Opera Festival of New Jersey in a diversity of roles including Despina in Cosi/an tufte, Tytania in Britten's A MIdsummer Night's Dream, Pamina in The Magic Flute and Oscar in The Masked Ball. This is her company debut.

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GORDON HAWKINS

The 1992 winner of the Luciano Pavarotti Opera Company of Philadelphia International Vocal Compe titi0ll, baritone Gordon Hawkins (Porgy) makes ills company debut. Hawkins sang the role in his successful d ebut at the Royal Opera/Covent Garden, the Bregenz (Austria) Festival , the National Symphony and the Spoleto Festival (Austria) Recent engagements include major roles with Seattle Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, National Theatre Orchestra in Prague , th e Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Symphon y, New York City Opera and Opera Pacific.

RICHARD HOBSON

Baritone Richard Hobson (Jake) first appeared with MOT in 1979, in a televised production of Th e Tender Land. He has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe with th e opera companies of Dallas, Baltimore, Mississippi , Arkansas and others in a variety of roles that includ e Escamillo in Carmen, Rigoletto and the Sentry in Iolanth e H e has created roles in world premieres of works at Skylight Opera Theatre, New York Verismo Ope ra, Prince George Opera , and other places A prolific competition winner, Mr. Hobson's awards _ include the 1996 Caruso Competition and th e 1995 Pavarotti competition .

JEFFREY LAVAR

BaritoneTeffrey LaVar (Crown) has appeared as Crown throughout the U.S.,}apan and Europe, includin g the cities of Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Costa Mesa , Miami, Paris and Milan. In other repertoire, he has appeared with Opera Carolina as Schaunard in La Boh eme and with the Bronx Opera as Belcore in The Elixir 0/ Love. He has also b een h eard in various roles with Florentine Opera, Ch autauqua Ope ra and others. Future engagements for the native of New York include the Bregen z Festival, and Pretoria , South Mrica

MARQUITA LISTER

Soprano Marquita Lister (Bess) has performed the role of Bess in Houston, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo and Milan The important yo ung artist from Washington , D.C. , has also sung the roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi/an tutte, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Micaela in Carmen for Houston Grand Opera, and Musetta in La Boheme for Arena di Verona. This is Ms. Lister's second visit to MOTshe made a successfuTcompany debut earlier this season in the title role of Aida. She recently recorded Porgy and Bess for the Telarc label.

MARILYN MOORE-BROWN

Georgia native Marilyn Moore-Brown (Bess) is rapidly emerging as one of today's most versatile interpreters in opera. Her wide r epe rtoire includes Th e Fairy Queen, The Ma gic Flute, Ariadne au/ Naxos, The Medium, Carmen, Dido and Aeneas, Apollo und Hyadnth , and man y others. In addition, she h as performed the works of Kurt Weill, including Lost in the Stars and Anne LeBaron 's electronic blues opera The E & 0 Line Ms Moore-Brown h as been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Philadelphia's Academy of Music

SCOrrPIPER

Native Costa Rican Scott Piper (Mingo) has shown versatility in opera, operetta and musical theater The talented young tenor has made frequent appearances at MOT. Performances here duririg recent seasons include The Flying Dutchman, La Traviata, Salome, Aida and Th e Magic Flute. He has also recently appeared in Opera Pacific 's Ot ello and Regina, and The National Opera Company's the Merry Wives o/\Vindsor. With Ohio Light Opera , Mr Piper appeared in Gypsy Love and Romberg 's The Desert So ng.

ALVY ROLAND POWELL

Bass-baritone Alvy Roland Powell (title role) is one of the world's best known singers of Porgy In the role, he toured Australia with the Spoleto Festival and Europe with the New York Harlem Theatre In the Houston Grand Opera tour he sang Porgy at the opera companies of San Diego , Seattle, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa and Portland. Mr. Powell has also enjoyed success in many other roles , including Sarastro in Th e Magic Flut e, Blitch in Floyd's Susannah, Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and Mephistopheles in Faust, along wi th roles in La Boh eme, Salome, Aida and many others.

ANGELA SIMPSON

Soprano Angela Simpson (Serena) , making her company debut, has had great success around the world portraying Serena. In the role, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut, her La Scala debut, and joined the Houston Grand Opera International Tour Ms. Simpson has also sung with the opera companies of Dallas , San Diego, Seattle, Miami , San Francisco, Los Angeles , Cleveland and Portland in the U.S., and abroad in Paris , Moscow and Tokyo This year she will perform at the Oulu Festival, Finland, and the Bregenz Festival , Austria.

TAZEWELL THOMPSON

The productions of renowned opera and theater director Tazewell Thompson (Director) have been nominated for twenty -five Helen Hayes Awards, many for Best Director and Outstanding Production. He recently staged the Houston Grand Opera 's Porgy and Bess at La Scala, the Paris Opera House , and the Teatro Real in Madrid Mr Thompson has directed many world premieres , including Neat at the Manhattan Theater Club , Charles Smith's Black Star Line at the Goodman Theatre, and Cheryl West's Holiday Heart at Syracuse Stage.

MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE YOUNG ARTIST ApPRENTICE PROGRAM

Mitchell Krieger, Program Director

Spring 1998 Young Artist Apprentices

Russell Amerson, Alaina Brown, Glen Holcomb , Jason Jackson , Alberta Jean Reed, Sylvia Twine, Marlin Williford

Fall 1997 Young Artist Apprenti ces

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Carol Ambrogio (Winner, the Ruth Hill Apprentice Award), Emily Benner (winner, the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation Apprentice Award), Kimerica Ottogalli, Rachael Unite (winner, the Joyce H. Cohn Apprentice Award)

..

CREATING PREFERENCE IN A CHANGING WORLD

To

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ich igan Opera T h ea t re gratefull y acknowl edges t he generous corporate, fo und a t ion and in d ivi du al donors w h ose con trib u t ions were m a d e between Jul y 1 , 1996 an d Jun e 30, 1997 T h eir generosity pl ays an integ r al part in the Com p any's finan ci al stability, necessary for pro d ucing quali t y grand opera, m u sical t h eat er an d cl assical ballet In addition to en jo ying o ut st anding en t e rt ainment on st age, MOT cont r ibut ors are offered a n u m b er of op por tu ni ti es w h ich all ow th em to observe th e m any p hases of ope r a produ ction, mee t the artists, an d experience o th er b eh ind -th e -scenes activit ies. For more information on b e c o min g involved in t h ese ex clu sive and exciting donor benefits and servi ces, contact th e D evelopmen t D epartment at (313) 8 74-7850.

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"In today's news " . . .if so, consider a trip to the University of Michigan Vocal Health Center. We can diagnose and treat your voice problem , as well as help you enhance and protect your vocal potential.

Professional staff include a Laryngologist , Speech Pathologist , and Voice Training Specialist.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Vocal Health Center at (313) 432-7666. The Center is loc ated at 19900 Haggerty Road (b etween 7 & 8 Mile Roads) in Livonia , Michigan. Keeping

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Dr & Mrs. H erm an Foon

Nancy & James Foran

Mr. & Mrs. An thony C. Fortunski

Ms. Dori s R. Foster

Ms. Phylli s Foster

Mr. Earl A. Foucher

Mr. Benjamin Frank

Mrs. Iva n Frankel

Ms. Jos ephin e E. Fra nz

Mr. Ro bert H. Fredericks

Dr Yvonne Friday

Mr & Mrs. Eugene S. Friedman

Dr & Mrs. Willi am Fulgenzi

Mr. & Mrs. Da vid M. & Melissa A. Garland

Mr. & Mrs. Albert F Gelhausen

Mrs. Maryan ne Gibson

Mr. William N. Gilmore,Jr

Mr. & Mrs. Elio Giovannone

Ms. Patricia Go dell

Ms. Elisha Gold

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Goldberg

Dr. & Mrs. Paul Goodman

Mrs Johanna Gordon

Dr. & Mrs. William C. Govier

Mrs. Nora L. Grabowski

Ms. Remona Green

Ms. Gloria D. Green

Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Groves

Mr. Randolph Gryebet

Dr. & Mrs. Henry Hagenst ein

Mr. Nizami Halim

Mr. Lawrence Hall

Ms. Janet Hanson

Dr. & Mrs. Karl Hanyi

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen G. Harper

Dr. & Mrs. Charles E H artle y

Mr. John Hartley

Mr & Mrs. James G. Hartrick

Dr & Mrs. John M. Hartzell

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen R. Harvath

Ms. Joann Hatton

Dr. & Mrs. Murray Haupttnan

Ms. Nina H aurani

Mr. Lloyd E Haver

Mr Kenneth Heininger

Ms. Barbara Heller

Dr. & Mrs. Michael H epner

Ms Gloria Heppner

Mr. & Mrs. Bruce A. Herbert

Mr. Norman H erb ert

Mr. Russell H erschl er

Juclith & Eric Hespen heid e-Hick s

Mr & Mrs. H einz Hintzen

Dr. & Mrs. Leon Hochman

Mr. & Mrs. Leslie J Hogan, Jr

Mr Rex Holton

Mr. Michael Holz

Mr. & Mrs. William C. Hufford

Mr. William Hulsker

Mrs. Almeda Hunter

Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Hurwitz

Dr. Kyu Hwang

Mr. Andrew J ackiw

Mi. & Mrs. John & Alfreda J anitz

Mr. & Mrs. Zo ltan J. J anosi

John Jickling

Dr. & Mrs Arthur J. J ohn so n

Mr. Michael R. Johnson

Mr. Chois Jones

Mr. & Mrs. Mark L. Kahn

Carolyn Silkwoth & Robert D. Kalla y,] r

Mrs. Elmer Kapp

Mr Peter Karpawi ch

Mr. John Kazmiero ws ki

Hon. & Mrs. Stan C. Kazul

Mr & Mrs. Charles E. Keller

Dr. Annetta R. Kelly

Mr. John Keros

Mr & Mrs. Norman L. Kilgus

Ms. Constance Kinunel

Mary & Kenneth King

Ms. J ean Klarich

Mr. Leslie K1auka

Dr. & Mrs. Gilbert K1 eiff

Mr. & Mrs. J ohn Konik

Fr Ralph E Kowalski

Ms. M Kwitkowsky

Dr & Mrs. James Labes

Dr. & Mrs. Ri chard L. LaMont

Mr & Mrs. Geoffrey J. Lanning

Miss Olya Lash

Mr. Ray H Lawson

Albert & Susan Leader

Ms Barbara A. Leep er

Mr. & Mrs. Timothy P. Lentz

Mr Philip Leon

Mr. & Mrs. Lance Leon elli

Mr. & Mrs. Robert 1. Lesser

Mr. Kenneth Levin

Mr & Mrs. Davi d Baker Lewis

Mr. William L. Libby, Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. John H Lib cke

Mr. Irving Li chttnan

Ms. Elizabeth Lifsey

Mr Michael S. Litt

Ms. Kuei-Mei Liu

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan J. Loginsky

Dr. & Mrs. Robert Loosvelt

Ms. Linda Lott

Ms. Elaine Lovitt

Dr. & Mrs. Robert Lucas

Mrs Irmgard Luel sdorf

Mr & Mrs. William O. Lynch

t

Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Magreta

Ms. Barbara Ann Maher

Cardinal Adam Maida

Ms. Suzanne Maldaver

Mr Carlton Maley, Jr.

Ms. Marion E. Ryan

Mr. & Mrs. Marvin J. Rysz tak

Dr. & Mrs. William H Salot

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Sande rs

Mr Richard Sanders

Dr. William Ross & Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Saperstein

Dr. Magnus A. Wilson

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley J. Winkelman

Ms. Hildegard Win tergerst

Mr. & Mrs. J ames Wishart

Mr & Mrs. Ri chard Wittrup

In Honor of Mr. Herman 1996 OPERA BAll

Frankel's Birthday IN-KI N D GIFTS

In Honor of David Hermelin Merchant of Vino

In Honor of McFarland Florists

Zachary David Heller Polite America

In Honor of Mr Frank Stella Thrifty Flori st Florine Mark

Mr. John Marshall, III

Mr. Lino Martinez

Mr. Le e Maritila

Mr. Charles S. Mason

Mr. George G. Matish

Mr. Timoth y Mayer

Ms. Elizabeth Maysa

Ms. Mary C. Mazure

Mr. Paul W. Me C urd y

Mrs. J anet G. McCarthy

Ms. Katherine McCullough

Mr & Mrs. Dean McFarlane-

Parrott

Mr. & Mrs. Phillip McKenna

Mr. & Mrs. James McLean

Dr. & Mrs. William D. Mercer

Dr & Mrs. Anthony Michaels

Ms. Bob Michielutti

Ms. Hel en Millen

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Frank Mitchell

Mr. & Mrs. Craig F. Moncher

D r. & Mrs. Eliezer Monge

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Moon

Robert L. Kyes & Dagmar K. Moore

Mr. & Mrs. Joel Morris

Mr. Delbert W. Mullen s

Mr. Lee Cha rle s Saperstein

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Saunders

Mrs. Claus F Schaefer

Mr. Rob ert Schecher

Dr. & Mrs. Josep h L. Schirle, Jr.

Ms. Victoria Schlega

Mr. & Mrs. J o hn Schm idt

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Schwartz

Ms. Marilyn Scott

Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley Sears

Mrs. Shirley Wold

Mr. Da vid D. Woodard

Dr. Ruth A. Worthington

Ms. Gunvor Wrathell

Mrs. Marguerite Yahr

Mrs. Teruko Yamasaki

Mr. William Yolles

Mr. & Mrs. John E. Young , Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Zawacki

Mr. & Mrs. Walter W. Zela sko

For Mrs. Ada Linden's recovery

For Dr. Donald Austin's recovery MISC EllANEOUS

Mr. & Mrs Peter Cooper IN -KI ND GI FT S

In Memory of Arlene Redfield's Sister Mr. & Mrs. Gary D'Alessandro

In Memory of John Kamins' Mother the arrangement flow er shop

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Cooper Comfort Inn - Mt. Pleasant

In Honor of Stephani Miller & Mr. & Mrs. Joseph DeVita

David Yates ' Engagement DaEdoardos'

Linda Herskovitz and Detroit Athletic Club

Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Alan Linn Smith Eugenio Painting Compan y

Mr. & Mrs. Isa iah Shafir Zemen ick Hammel Music

Dr & Mrs. Howard S. Shapiro

Ms. Ellen Sharp

Dr J o hn E. Sheard

Ms. Anne S Sherwood

Mr. Anthony Shields

Ms. Deborah Shoop

Mr. Ja ck D. Shumate

Dr. & Mrs. D o ugla s Siders

Mr. & Mrs. Rob ert W. Siegel

Ms. Heather Sievers

Mr. & Mrs. Max E. Simon

Mrs. Laura Lee Sin k

Mr. Gary Skog

Mrs. Hel en T. Slater

Dr Robert F. Sly

TRI BUTE FUND

from July 1, 1997 to March 1, 1998

In Memory of Ruth Doberenz

Mr. Eric D oberenz

The Tribute Fund Hampton Inn - Stevensville

Mr Th omas Schulte , Jr R. J. Hannan - Crawford

Mr. & Mrs. Luth er Hertler Au/Sauble Schools

In Honor of Mr & Mrs. AI I wrey Harmony House

Mr. & Mrs. Sheldon Go ldm an Holiday Inn - Alpena

In Honor of Mr & Mrs. Holida y Inn - Saginaw

Mr. & Mrs. Brett Doberenz Intermezzo Ri storante

Mr. Scott Dob erenz

Ms Shirley Doberenz

Ms. Lorraine M. Dombecki

Mrs. Sarah & Margie Deeb

Mrs. Sylvia J ackson

Mrs. D oris Jenkins

Mrs. Charlotte Buck

Mrs. J ean Everage

Mr. & Mrs. Kalmin D Sm ith Sally O ' Bora

Mr & Mrs. Newton Sobel

Mr. & Mrs. Jam es & Mr & Mrs Na than D Soberman

Maree Mulvoy

Mr John D Murray

Dr & Mrs. Yoram Sorokin

Drs. William P & Frances L.

Mr. Donald A. Naftel Sosnowsky

Ms. Lisa Nagro

Ms. Barbara Naruta

Mr. J ames A. Neela nd

Mrs. Kathleen M Nesi

Mr. J ames Neuenschwander

James L. & Lynn E. Newman

Mrs. Barbara Nickles

Mr. J ohn F. Noonan

Mr. Steven Novin son

Mrs. Judith O ' Keefe-Vindici

Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Oelkers

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel H. O lson

Ms. Corinn e Opiteck

Mr. & Mrs. Dale J. Pan gonis

Mr. Maurice Paoletti

Dr. Barbara Papania

Ms. c.J Pasky

Mr & Mrs. Eduardo M. Perou

Dr. & Mrs Thoma s Petinga, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Pharmer

Mr. & Mrs Richard C. Piesik

Mr. & Mrs. Jim Pip er

Dr & Mrs. Kenneth E. Pitts

Mr. Willam Pizzuti

Mr. & Mrs. Edward L.

Pokornowski

Ms. Stephanie Polny

Mr. & Mrs. David W. Porter

Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Portnoy

Mr. Martin Rafal

Dr & Mrs. A. 1. Ragins

Mr & Mrs. J ac k C. & Jeanne

Ms. Renate Soulen

Ms : Anna M. Speck

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sparvero

Mr. Theodore J. St. Antoine

Ms. Denise Stalzer

Mr. & Mrs. David P Stanislaw

Mr. William Stefani

Mr. Frank D Stella

Mrs. Sharon Stencel

Dr & Mrs. Sheldon Stern

Mr. & Mrs. Carlton Stewart

Mae Passaluqua

Ms. Helen Sobata -G riffith

Ms. Elma Flangan

Mrs. Saundra Youn g

Ms. Maggie Gilmore

Ms. Mary J ane McD ermott

John Kaichen's Marriage Don Jensen

Dr & Mrs. Howard P arva ns

daughter's marriage Public Schools

For Mr. James Ginn's recovery

Ruth Ann Knapp - Saginaw

Mr. Dana Lockni skar

Ms. Ruth Rattner Sharon Mitchell- St. Jo sep h

In Honor of Mr & Mrs. Public Schools

Jacques Nasser Simons, Michelson, Zieve

Mr. & Mrs. Arkady Kuru tin

Donna and Sheldon Stone

AFTERG LOW SPONSORS

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allesee

Allied Metals Corpo ra tion

Michigan National Bank

United American

Naples Bakery

Q uartz Mountain Inn - Nega unee

The P enna Family

David Alex Pi otrowski

Polite America

Mr. & Mrs. Antonio Rea

Thrifty Florists

Mr & Mrs. Emilio Torres

Ms. Ann Nix Health Care Corporati on Ms. Chri stine Tweddle

Mrs. Hel en Fouche

Ms. Gretchen La Chan ce

Mr. & Mrs Stephen Cruz

Ms Gertrude S. Todd

Billie Tripplett

Ms. Almeta Palmer

Mr. & Mrs. Ch arl es Rush

Mr. & Mrs. Fred Wohlfahet , Jr

Mr. & Mrs. Paul E. Centers

Anthony M. Bango & Mrs. Dolores Hurt

Anjanette Sto lt z

Dr. & Mrs. Kamal Surakomol

Mr. & Mrs. Earl B. Sutton

Robert & Mary Margaret Sweeten

Dr. & Mrs. Gerald Swiacki

Mr. & Mrs. David Swoish

Dr. & Mrs. John W. Sybert

Mr Thom as Tapert

Ms. Melissa Flones Tapp

Ms. Irene Tarjany

Mrs. Burt E. Taylor

Ms Mary Teachout

Ms. Janet L. Therrian

Mrs. Dorot hy Alice Tomei

Mr. Emmet E. Tracy

Mr. J erald K. Tranzow

Mr. & Mrs. Victor Troutman

Dr & Mrs. Dimitry M. Turin

Mrs. Arlyn Tuttle

Ms. Erna Knight

Ms. Inge Blakley

Mr. & Mrs. Grato n Dickson

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rhodes

In Memory of Mr. Ata Berker

Mr. & Mrs. Carl Benkert

In Memory of Muriel Magerl Kyle

Miss Gene M. Kyle

In Memory of Helen Nyquist

Pat & Jack Wilkerson

In Memory of Mr William Parnos

Marjorie Paul

In Memory of Mr. Carl Krampert

Mr & Mrs. Roger She rman

In Memory of Mr. Wilbur Mack

Mr & Mrs. Lyn n Town send

In Memory of Mr Hans Rogind

WICO Metal Products

Villa Penna

Woods Fine Wines & Spirits

Mr. & Mrs. J ohn E. Utley Ransome

Mr. & Mrs. John W. Reddy

Dr Melvin L. Ree d

Dr. & Mrs. Carl E. Reichert , Jr.

Dr. Joseph Valentin, DDS

Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Valk

Mr. & Mrs. Kelly Van H ees t

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald L.

Aero/Dyne Sound Control Products

Mr. & Mrs. Frank Arvai

Mr. & Mrs. Ri chard Starkweather

Th ermal-Ne ti cs, In c.

Mr. Enrique Reiners Vander Molen In Memory of

Ms Athena Reister

Mr & Mrs. James Rhein

Mr. & Mrs. John J. Ricca rdo

Mrs. Estelle G. Rice

Mrs. Miriam C. Richardson

Mr. & Mrs. Milton Ring

Mr. J on Robb

Mrs Fannie Robinson

Mr & Mrs. Horace J. Rodgers

Mr. James E. Rodgers

Mr & Mrs. Felix Rogers

Ms. J oa nn e B. Rooney

Mr. Aaron R. Ross

Dr. Norman & H arriet Rotter

Mr. & Mrs. Th eodo re Rudner

Mrs. Maria Runk

Mr. & Mrs. Luigi Ruscillo

Ms. Joanne Mary Ruzza

Mr. & Mrs. Kelvyn Vento ur Tim & Sue Wright's Father

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Vio lante

Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Wasserman

Mrs. Doris Waddell In Honor of the Opera Ball

Ms. Mary Joyce Waite

Miss lone Walker

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein

Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Walter In Honor of David Chivas

Mr. & Mrs. J ona than T Walton Suszann Westo n

Mrs. Mary Ward In Honor of Du sti n Cooper

Miss Evelyn A. Warren In Honor of Dr. Elliotte Moss

Mrs. Kathryn N. Warren For Lorna Clemens ' Recovery

Ms. Georgianna Watsell

Ms. Rhoda Goldman

Mr. Herman Weinreich In Honor of

Mr. & Mrs. Paul S. Wemhoff

Mr. & Mrs. John F. Werner Dr & Mrs. Roger Ajluni

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Whitman In Honor of

Ms. Patricia G. Wiliford Dr & Mrs. Donald Austi n

Mr. & Mrs. Earl K. William s

Mr. Lawrence Williams

SPRING 1998 SEASON

Oyc/1e&rev and {[fuoru&

ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN I Marla Smith FLUTE TRUMPET

*Charlotte Merkerson AndrewWu

;'Pamela Hill

KEYBOARD

*Brian Rood George Darden

Concertmaster Principal Principal Lawrence Picard

*Randolph Margitza VIOLA ;'Laura Larson ;'Gordon Simmons

*Velda Kelly

"John Madison Charles Daval BANJO

*Sasha Margolis Principal

Timothy Edwards

OBOE Derek Lockhart Gale Benson

"Scott Stefanko ;'Rebecca Hammond

.., Principal

Kathleen Ferris *Kathleen Grimes

*Barbara Zmich

James Kujawski

Michael McGillivray

TROMBONE PERSONNEL MANAGER

"Ann Augustin *MauryOkun Diane Bredesen

J anine Bradbury Principal CLARINET

*Greg Near

Jennifer Ross Barbara Stolberg

"Brian Bowman

Charles Roth Principal

Elizabeth Rowin CELLO ''Jane Carl

"=member, Michigan

Paul Euchus Opera Theatre Orchestra

;'N adine Deleury TUBA Detroit Federation

Eugenia Song Principal Russell Mallare Phillip Sinder a/Musicians, Local #5, Kathryn Stepulla ;'Diane Bredesen Paul Onachuk American Federation

Mary Stolberg ;'Minka Christoff

TIMPANI 0/ Musicians.

Melody Wootton Robert Clemens BASSOON ;'Gregory White

Cheryl Zetterholm

"Kirkland D. Ferris Principal

. Elizabeth Gottling Principal

VIOLIN II de Mendoza

*Victoria Haltom John Iatzko

*Scott Armstrong

Princzpal Irina Tikhonova HORN

Terrence Farmer

PERCUSSION

''John F. Dorsey

"Brooke Hoplamazian Eugene Zenzen ;'Susan Mutter Principal

*Anna Weller Principal

*Aurelian Oprea BASS

;'Derek Weller

Constance Markwick Principal

Janet Murphy

Theodore Schwartz

CHORUS

;'Peter Guild

Jennifer Bilbie

Jean Marie Posekany

Dan Aggas Yvonne M Friday

Carol Ambrogio

Emily L.S. Gay

Russell Amerson + Rosalin Contrera

Chris Bauder Guastella

Victoria Bigelow

Kim Wayne Brooks

Alaina Brown +

William H Broyles Jr

Kristen A. Bryant

Fred Buchalter

Patrick Jay Clampitt

Deborah J. Dailey

Michaella Patches

Brad Herbst

Glen Holcomb +

Terrence Horn

Cedric Harold Ingram

Jason Jackson +

Morris R. James

Anthony Johnson

Clarence E. Jones

Tom Kabala

Dionne Kiersten King

Anthony Dixon

Jeff Krueger

Ken Ebaugh Sylvester Lane

Vanessa Ferriole

Louise A. Fisher

Karen Vanessa Ford

Tamara Lehew

Ray Litt

Tony Lynch

"Carrie Banfield

David Taylor

Connie Hutchinson HARP

Celest McLellan

;'Patricia Terry-Ross

Al Taplin Principal

Bettie Lyons

Ursula A. Mason

Cynthia Merritt

Kim L. Millard

Jeanine Head Miller

J ames Mackey Moore

Glenn Morphis

Amanda Newkirt

Anthony C. Noto

Fred Okins

Jennifer L. Oliver

Darren Orta

Peggy O'Shaughnessey

Michael S. Parr

Jennifer M. Pasha

Jan R. Phillips

Patricia Pierobon

Debra Ponds

Alberta Jean Reed+

Trish Reid

Monique Ricard

Mary Robertson

J olanta Rode

Cheryl Ross

Bonnie Sayen

John Schmidt

Katie Schmidt

Robert H. Schram

Kenneth R. Shepherd

Janice Simon

Amy Smith

Bettye Stines

Steven Vedder

Richard Ware

Alvis Wayne

Justin Watson

James R. Wells

Van Whitley

Augustus Williamson

Marlin Williford+

Ernest D. Willoughby

Leroy Winston

Virginia "Ginni" Winters

Eugene Zweig

Stephen Stewart + Young Artist Apprentice

Judith Szefi

Jim Talpos

Sylvia Twine+

Dean Unick

Linda M VanBuren

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

The American Guild

0/ Musical Artists is

the official union 0/ the

Michigan Opera Theatre

vocal performers.

b een said that opera is th e ultim at e theatrical e xp e rience bec ause it encompasses so many elem enrk on one stage : vocal and o r ch e str al music, drama , dance , c o stum e s , sets and lighting The a chie ve ment of this multiplicit y re quir e s man y voices-and m an y

willing hands . The tal ented , willing hands of our Ushers, Ambassadors, Office and Boutique workers, Movers, Supers, Education & Outreach and Opera Le ague volunteers have a significant impact on the overall operation of the Company. Come join us! The time you invest

Bravo!

We Salute the Michigan Opera Theater and Wish You Great Success for the 1998 Season.

After a day of being forced to interact by voice mail , E-mail , and all types of cyber methods, it's comforting to know that there is a source for high quality live performances in Detroit.

Thomas Madison , Inc. is also dedicated to maintaining the highe s t standard of service to this community. Through Integrated Steel, HS Automotive, HSA II, and S & S Cartage , TMI is positively impacting the steel industry. While technology affects us all, TMI says Bravo! to the Michigan Opera Theater for your boundless vision , unlimited imagination , inspiring music and words.

will be small when compared to the amount we can accomplish together

Our volunteers are the "Heart of Michigan Opera Theatre."

Bett y Brooks President

MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION

Presiden t

Betty Brooks

Secretary

Arda Barenholt z

Trea surer

Richard Starkweather

Op era L eague Chairm an

Grace M a ry Allen

Yo ung Prof essionals Cha i rm an

Paula Angelo

Vol un t eer R eso u rce s Coordin ator

Helen Arnoldi-Rowe

Office Volun t eers Ch airman

Jeanette Pawlac zyk

Public I nf ormatio n Ch airman

Linda Watt e rs

Op era H ou se Ambassado rs Ch airman

Hel en Millen

M embership Director

Cheryl Fallen

Supernume raries Cha i rman

Jan Stano -Matuszewski

Ev ent R eso urces Coordinator

James Greely

MOT M overs

Nanc y Krolikowski

Dance Council

D o di e D avid

Op era G uilds

I n ternationa l R eprese ntative

Sharon Gioia

No m ina ting Ch airma n

Maryanne Gibson

Parliamen tarian-By Laws

Ann e tte Balian

Past President

Gloria Cla rk

Chairmen at L arge

Don Jensen

Queenie Sarkisian

Keturah Williams

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

(jeneral 1nformathrm

PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORDING DEVICES

Un authorized cameras and r ecording devices are not allowed inside the theater at an y time

The taking of photographs of the theater or an y performance is strictly prohibited As a court esy to our guests , we ask that all paging de vices and alarm watches be switched to a silent mode prior to the start of a performance.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Doctors and parents are ad vised to leave their seat location (located on ticket) and our emergency number, 313 / 237-3257 , with the service or sitter in case of an emergency.

Please observe the lighted exit signs located throughout the theater. In the event of fire or similar emergency, please remain calm and walk - do not run -to the nearest exit. Our ushers are trained to lead you out of the building safel y

A trained Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is on site during all events Please see an usher or staff member to contact the !EMT.

RESTROOMS

Ladies' restrooms are located off the Broadway lobby, down the sta i rs and also on the third floor (Madison side). Please press 3R on the. elevator.

Gentlemens' restrooms are located under the Grand Theatre staircase', down the stairs and also on the third floor (Broadwa y side). Please press 3 on the elevator.

Please note : All third floor restrooms are wheelchair accessible

NO SMOKING

Detroit Opera House is a smoke-free facility. Ash recept a cles are provided on the exterior of all entry doors for those who wish to smoke.

USHERS

Ushers are stationed at the top of each aisle . If you have a question or concern, please inform an usher, and the y will contact management If you are interested in becoming a volunteer usher, please call the usher hotline at 313 / 237 -3253.

LATE SEATING POLICY

Latecomers will be seated only during an appropriate pause in the program, and will be asked to view the program on closed-circuit television monitors in the lobbies until an appropriate program pause occurs.

LOST AND FOUND

Lost and Found is located in the Administrative Coordinator's office. Please see an usher if you have misplaced an article, or call 313 / 874-7850 if you have already left the theater.

PARKING

Parking is available for all events in the Opera House Parking Lot and the Op era House Garage, located directly across John R. from Detroit Opera House on Broadway. Pre -paid parking is available through the box office. Please call 248/ 645-6666 for parking information

ACCESSIBILITY

Accessible seating locations for patrons in wheelchairs are located in all price ranges on the orchestra level. When inquiring about tickets, please ask about these locations if you require special accommodations.

Assisted Listening Devices are available on a first-come, first-serve basis Please see an ushe r or Ticket Office representative to request this service. Although this is a complimentary service , we will request to hold a piece of personal identification while you are using the device

CHILDREN

Children are welcome however, all guests are required to hold a ticket , regardless of age We kindly ask that parental discretion be exercised for certain programs , and that all guests remember that during a program such as opera or ballet, the ability of all audience members to hear the music is a prerequisite to enjoyment of the performance. In all cases, babes in arms are not permitted.

SERVICES

Concession stands are located on all levels in the lobbies during the winter months. Please note: Food and Drinks are NOT Allowed in the Auditorium at any time!

Coat Check is located in the Madison lobby The cost is $1.00 per coat. Please note that Detroit Opera House does not accept responsibility for any pe rsonal articles that are not checked at the Coat Check. Drinking fountains are located in the lobbies on floors 1 and 3.

Public pay phones are located in the vestibule of the Broadway lobby and in the restrooms. Patrons in wheelchairs can access pay phones through the Broadway storm lobby.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Detroit Opera House is available for rent by your organi za tion Please call Brett Batterson , Facility Manager, at 313 / 237-3250 to receive rental information.

Tours are available for individuals at predetermined times throughout the year and for groups by appointment. Please call Robert Starkwather, Volunteer Coordinator at 313 / 874-7238 to inquire about our tour schedules and prices '

TICKET

INFORMATION

Detroit Opera House Tick et Office hours are:

Non-performance weeks: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p m.

Performance days: 10:00 a m. through the first intermission of the evening's performance , except Saturdays and Sundays when the Ticket Office will open two hours prior to curtain

Tickets for all public events held at Detroit Opera House are also available through all TicketMaster phone and retail outlets.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

EMERGENCIES: 313 / 237-3257

Detroit Opera House General Information: .......... .. ...... 313 / 874-7850

Lost & Found: ......... .... ... .... .. .......... .. .. .. ........ .. .. ..... .. ..... .. 313 / 874-7850

Ticket Office: 313 / 874-7464

Usher Hotline: 313 / 237-3253

Theater Rental Information: ,313 / 237 -3250

Michigan Opera Theatre: 313/874-7850

Detroit Opera House Fax: ,313 / 237-3251

Press and Media Relations: 313 / 874-7850

E-Mail address: dohmgr@motopera.org

Internet address : http: / /www.motopera.org

One of the nation's premier repair and restoration shops

Superb in-house collection of authentic Italian instrum ents /rom the 17th century to the best of the modern school. Beautiful older European violins for advanced students. Liberal approval & trade-in policies; rental service nationwide.

JOHN GEORGE BROWN THE HARPIST 1870 OIL ON CANvAS. 30" X 35"

THE MAScO COLLECTION

Cast Update

James Patterson will sing the role of the Comte des Grieux. Since beginning his career as an Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera in 1983 , the American bass has given more than 150 performances with that company including Sparafucile in Rigoletto and Fafner in their widely-acclaimed Ring Cycle. He has sung with Chigaco Lyric Opera (Tosca and La Forza del Destino , among others) and extensively in Canada This is Mr. Patterson's ninth appearance with MOT he recently portrayed the Speaker in The Magic Flute last fall.

Ara Berberian, originally scheduled to sing the role of the Comte des Grieux , has withdrawn from the production for reasons of health. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Dancers

Stephanie Bussell, Renaud Doucet

Erin Webley (cover)

Supernumeraries

Robert Blaszkowski, Clancy Clarahan, Jordan Fox, Ashton Hopkins , Roy Kellerman (Juggler), David Kirsch, Jeff Kirsch , Frank Kong , Ken Krakat (Juggler) , Fred Lebowitz, James Lee, Madeline Merritt , Gary Moy, Frederick Penn, Jan Renard, Quinnton Smith, Jan Stano, Rose Stolk, Mandy Thoms , Chris Thoms, Lovester Wilson Jr., Mandie Woollcott (Gymnast)

The vi/lagedog Skosh

Blond borzoi .. . . . .

Mystic Unchain My Heart (Valentino)

Black and white borzoi . . ..

Mystic When the Night Comes (Alexie)

Additional Production Credits

Nicole Bigelow, Stage Management Assistant

Brent Boucher, Production Electrician

Robert Papineau and Pippen Puppets, Puppet Coach

Gary Moy, Animal Handler

Terrier appears courtesy of John Kennelly and Kathy McDermott

Borzois appear courtesy of Tom Tomlinson and Cliff Thrasher

Photo Display

Please visit our African-American Artist photo retrospective, located in the Third Floor Elevator Tower Lobby

Created by : Rebecca Happel

Display Design : Ron Mills, Cristina DiChiera, Matt De Gennaro Archival Support : Jeanette Pawlaczyk Photo

The Elixir of Love

Detroit Opera House, May 9-1 7, 1998

The editors of Bravo extend their apologies to Mr Leonard Jaques for omitting his name from the list of Capital Campaign Contributors on page II Mr Leonard Jaques should be recognized at the Benefactor Le vel ($100 , 000 to $249 , 999).

Supernumeraries

Emelina Brincat, Timothy Carter, Ramsay Coronado , Sarah Coronado, Ferris Foster, Jordan Fox , Stan Gawel , Michae l Gravame , Ira Harris , Richard Hill , Thomas Hoagland , Jeff Kirsch , Ste ve LaGrassa , Pam LaGrassa , Fred Lebowitz , Kelly Lyons , Carolyn Moss , Debra Ann Mullins , David Odenbach , Don Pieti , David Piotrowski , Paul Plamadon , Richard Prosper, Matt Ruhlig , Giovanni Rumor, Andres Seeglio, Lee Stafford ,

.Tina Vasallo , Julie Winkel , Mandie Woolcott , Patrick Woolcott

Wigs and Makeup

Vicki Barnett, Corinne Fine, Theresa Donnell y, Viol eta Kapayo , Marta Sawczuk, Elsa Shartis , Mira Stefaniuk , Marta Stefaniuk , Melissa Trac y

Additional Production Credits

Nicole Bigelow, Stage Management A ss istant

Bre nt Boucher, Production Electrician

Photo Display

Pl ease visit our African-American Artist photo retrospective , located in the Third Floor Elevator Tower Lobby.

Created by: Rebecca Happel

Di splay De s ign : Ron Mills, Cristina DiChiera , Matt De Gennaro

Archival Support : Jeanette Pawlaczyk

Photo exhibit made pOHible bv :

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Co"ection: The editors of Bravo extend their apologies to Mr Leonard Jaques for omitting his name from the list of Capital Campaign Contributors on page 11 Mr. Jaques should be recognized at the Benefactor Level ($100,000 to $249,999).

Porgy and Bess

Cast Update

Lily . . . Virginia Winters

Policemen Joseph F LoGiudice, Tony Lynch

Additional Chorus • •• Georgia Reid

Supernumeraries

Althea Antoinette Tucker, Sierra Armstrong, James Lee (Scipio) , Quinnton Smith June 20) , Derek 1Wine, Eric Twine

Additional Production Credits

Nicole Bigelow, Stage Management Assistant

Brent Boucher, Production Electrician

Projected title slides provided by a"angement with Bayshore Opera Translations

Translation by Lindley L. Becker and T. 1. Scott

Wigs and Makeup

Violeta Kapayo, Marta Sawczuk, Therese Shmina, Marta Stefaniuk, Mira Stefaniuk '

, Photo Display

Please visit our African-American Artist photo retrospective, located in the Third Floor Elevator Tower Lobby.

Created by: Rebecca Happel

Display Design : Ron Mills, Cristina DiChiera, Matt De Gennaro

Archival Support : Jeanette Pawlaczyk

Photo exhibit made possible by Thomas Madison, Inc.

Michigan Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges these additional supporters of Porgy and Bess: Barden Companies

M-Care (Sunday, June 7 performance sponsor)

Bettye and Jack Martin Merrill Lynch

THIS PRODUCTION USES STROBE LIGHTING

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Michigan Opera Theatre 's Department of Community Programs presents .... .

Learning at the Opera House '98

July 6th through August 2nd

An educational program to provide cultural and artistic enrichment classes in the magnificent Detroit Opera House during the month of July. Featuring lectures , lecture! demonstrations, tours , and workshops designed for individuals, families , and participants of all ages

If you want to le,am to cast plaster or become a professional opera singer.,. this is the place to be! Explore the inner structure of the Detro it Opera House or leam about _ Detroit's history through its Sculpture. Dr. Wallace Peace retums to his four part series Peace on Opera

Children can leam to paint, write poetry, compose music, act, dance, do stand- up comedy, and much, much more With a curriculum of sixty-three different classes, there 's bound to be something for you and your family

Come celebrate the Summer and all that you can learn at the Detroit Opera Housel

To request a Class Catalog or for more information, please call (313)874-7237

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre