PROGRAM: Bravo 2004 Fall Opera and Dance

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

OHROIT OP£RA HOUSE HOME Of tillC"''' N OPI.A flt(UR(

Th e Official Mag a z in e of the D etroit Op era H ou se

BRAVO IS A MI C H I GAN OPERA TH EATRE

P UBLI C ATIO N

C ONT R I BUTOR S

Dr. David DiC hie ra

Laura Wyss

Ka ren Va n de rKloo t Di Chie ra

J o hn W ille tt

Michiga n Opera Th ea tre Staff

Dave Blackburn , Edit or

PUBLI S H E R

Live Publis h ing Co mp an y Fra nk Cu cc iarre, Design and A rt Directio n Blink Con ce pt &: Des ign , Inc. Produ cti on Ch uck Rose n berg, Co py Editor

Tob y Fa ber, Di recto r of Adv ertisi ng Sa les

Physician s' service pro vid ed b y Henry Ford Medica l Center.

Pepsi-Cola is the o ffi cial soft drink and juice p rovide r for th e Detroit Op era H ou se.

Cadillac Coffee is th e o ffici al co ffee of t he Detro it Opera Hou se

Steinway is the o ffi cial piano o f the De t ro it O p e ra H o u se a nd Michigan Oper a T heatre.

Steinway pian os a re provi d ed by H a mmel Music , exclu sive representative for Stei n way an d Son s in Michiga n .

Pres ident Tu xedo is the officia l pro vi d er of fo rmal wea r fo r the De troit Op era H ou se. Michigan O p e ra Th ea tre is a n onp ro fit cul tural organ ization, w h ose ac ti vi ti es ar e sup ported in part by the Michigan Co uncil fo r Arts an d Cult ura l Affai rs, the Na tio n al Endowment for the Arts, a n d oth er individu als, co rp o ra ti ons an d fo undat io n s. Mic higan O p e r a T h eatre is a n Equ a l Op p ortunity Emp loyer.

Welcome to Michigan Opera Fall Opera Season!

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Mi chigan Opera Thea tre, it is my grea t pleasure to welcome yo u to the De troit Opera Hou se. We hop e tha t you have enjoyed your summer, and lo ok forward to sharing with you another extraordinary season of world-class opera and d an ce

In the summ er month s the De troit Opera House , once again , bustled with the award -winning Lea rning at the Opera House program and a variety of yo uthb ased programs , includin g American Balle t Theatre 's summer dance intensive, which was attended b y stu dents from around the nation.

The past few months have als o all owed u s to co ntinue the ongoing res toration of th e Detroit Opera Hous e Specifically, yo u will notic e major enhanc ements in the auditorium. Res tora tion artis ts we re bu sy all su mmer re p airing pla ster, appl ying d ecora ti ve paint to the back of the hou se and applying hi sto rically accurate wa llpaper in the balcony. I h ope yo u will take a moment to reve l in the ex quisite b ea ut y and warm, rich glow of our beautiful auditorium.

The 1996 opening of our Opera Hou se b eca m e the catalyst for the revi taliz ation of th e spo rts and entertainment di strict that su rround s Grand Ci rcu s Park and Harmony Park. We are inordinatel y proud of our role in th e d eve lopm e nt o f this area and enjo y th e su ccess of the n ew businesses, res taurants and s tadium s. With the trans formation of Madi son Avenue well und erway, we n ow tum our focus to Broadway. As you may ha ve noticed, th e City o f Detroit h as u ndertaken major streetscape improvements on the Broadway Stree t side of the Detroit Opera H ouse, w hi ch include wid er sid ewa lks, new curb s an d gutters

and ornamenta l trees and s tree tlights

We, h avi n g jus t completed our Crowning Achi evemen t campaign, will emb ark on two ex traordinary projects that wi ll serve not only as improvements to our neighborhood , but will provide our commu nit y with inva luable resources and convenience .

FollOwing the run of "Th e Nu tcra cker" in December we will clos e the Opera House Garage on Bro adway. This outdated garage has simpl y outli ved its lifespan. Demolition wi ll begin in December, and in its plac e wi ll emerge a state-of-the-art garage with better access, improved exits, wi d er parking spaces, brighte r li ghtin g and upd a ted elevators. Entra n ces and exi ts will be on Grand River an d John R Streets, rat h er than Broadway.

I am espeCia lly proud of the fact that we will also begin construction this fall on the Ford Cen ter for Arts and Learning in th e six-story to wer on the Broadway Stree t side of the Detroit Opera House. This exciting project will allow us to expand th e Co mmunity Programs

www.MichiganOpera.org

Department, under the direc ti on of Karen DiChi era , and better serve the n ee ds of our "Lea rning at the Opera House " pro gra m. The Ford Center for Arts and Lea rning will contain: the DaimlerChrys le r Theatre , an expe rimental , black-bo x p erformanc e sp ace for intimate present a tions; The Margo V Cohen Center for Danc e, which wi ll serve as the n erve center for all dan ce related educational activities at the Detroit Opera House; the David and Marion Handleman Stu dio , a high-techno logy m edia studio deSigned for inter-active classroom programming and long distance learning; the Lee and Floy Bart h el Costume Shop , a sta te-of-the-art cos tum e shop and classroom space; the Allesee Dance &: Opera Resource library, which will hou se an exte nsive co llection of mu sic scores, tapes, records , CD 's , books , vi d eos a nd reference materials; and a much-needed s tree t level reta il space, which will fea ture boutiqu e items , gi ft s, libretti and mu ch more

Of course, it is through th e success ful comp letion of The Crowning

Achi eveme nt campaign that we have been able to undertake these monumenta l projects. I j oin everyone at Michigan Ope ra Theatre in extend ing my deepest gratitud e to the many ge n erous individuals, co rporations and foundation s that have committed their supp ort to our visio n and made this dream -more than 30 yea rs in the making-a rea lity

Th ank you, and enjoy th e performance!

David DiChiera Founder and Genera l Director Michigan Opera Theatre

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

THE

INVESTMENTS

Stock indexes and asset allocations are one thing. But in the end, w hat really matters are the investments we make in the lives of those around us. At the Private Client Group, we help people manage, grow and preserve their weal th

So they can provide for those they care about most. We offer expertise in trust, investment management, estate administration and philanthropic endeavors; providing insightful strategies that help you achieve your goals. Take sixty minutes to learn about us It could be one of the best investments you'll ever make. Call AI Kantra at 248-901-2098.

BEST

often have nothing to do with money.

PRIVATE CLIENT GROUP

THE FOUR SEASONS

Choreogra phy J am es Kudelka

Condu cto r . ... ... ....... . Ormsb y Wilkins

Music Costume Design ....... Antonio Vivaldi , The Four Seasons

TRAC COSTUME: Carmen Alie and Deni s La voie

Lighting Des ign

Projections and Scenic Effects

Violin Soloist ....... .............. ...... ...... ..... .

Th e Four Seasons is a gift from

...... Davi d Finn ..... Chris W ise

Fujiko Imajishi

THE VOLUN TEER COMMITTEE , THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA

A MAN

Rya n Boorne (Oct. 7,9), Aleksandar Antonijevic (Oct. 8, 10)

SPRING

Stacey Shiori Minagawa (Oct. 7, 9),Jillian Vanstone (Oct. 8, 10)

Lise-Marie Jourdain &: Laura Bo lto n (Oct. 7, 9), Tanya Evid ente &: Je-an Sa las (Oc t. 8, 10)

Erin Richardson, Leonie Gagne, Andreea O lt ean u or Tan ya H owa rd , Tiffan y Mosher, Sophie Letendre or

Alexandra Golden, James Leja, Keiichi Hirano, Dong Hyun Seo or J ean- Seba s ti en Co lau , Daisuke Ohno

SUMMER

H ea th er Ogden (Oct. 7,9), Greta Hodg kinso n (Oct. 8, 10)

Andreea O lteanu &: Tanya H oward (Oct. 7,9), Alejandra Pere z-G omez &: Lisa Rob ins on (Oc t. 8, 10)

Tiffany Mosher, Alepndra Perez -Gomez or Stephanie Hutchison, Lisa Rob inso n or Alexandra Golden, J ames Lej a, Dong Hyun Seo or

J ean-Sebastien Colau, Dais uke Oh no , Jo sep h We lbes or Neh e mi ah Kish, Adam To th or Avinoam Sil ve rman

AUTUMN

Stephanie Hutchison (Oc t. 7,9), Martine Lamy (Oct. 8, 10)

Alej andra Pere z-Gomez &: Lisa Rob inson (Oct. 7,9)

Ste phan ie Hutchiso n &: Alexa ndra Gold en (Oc t. 8, 10)

Avinoam Silverman &: Etienne Lavigne (Oct. 7,9)

Kevin Bowles &: Patrick Lavoie (Oc t. 8, 10)

J ames Lej a, Keiichi Hirano , Don g Hyun Seo o r J ean-Seba stien Co lau , Daisuke Ohno , Joseph Welbes or Nehemi ah Kish, Adam Toth or Avinoam Silverman , Tomas Schra m ek, Hazaros Surmeya n

WINTER

Victoria Bertram, Richard Landry (Oct. 7,9), Pi otr Stanczyk (Oc t. 8, 10)

Lorna Geddes

Tomas Sc hrame k , H azaros Su rm eyan &: Ensemb le

INTERMISSION

THE FIREBIRD

Choreography James Kudelka

Conductor Mu sic Ormsby Wilkins .. .. Igor Str avinsky, Th e Firebird

Red u ced orchestration by Henning Brauel ba se d on the 1945 vers ion Used b y arran gement with European Am e rican Music Distributo rs LLC, so le U.S. a nd Cana dian agent for Sc h o tt Musik Internationa l , publisher and co p yright owner.

Set and Costume Des ign ......... .... .. ..,.... .... . Santo Loquasto

Lighting Design. . ............... .. . David Finn

The Firebird ha s b een made possible through fundin g from Wa lter

Carsen,O.C

The Firebird is a co-produ c tion between The Na tiona l Balle t o f Can ada , Houston Ball e t Foundation and Am erican Balle t Theatre.

THE FIREBIRD

Greta Hodgkinson (Oct. 7,9), J ennifer Fournier (O ct. 8, 10)

PRINCE IVAN

Aleksandar Antonijevic (Oc t. 7) , Gu illaume Cote (Oct. 8)

Nehemiah Kish (Oc t. 9), Patrick Lavo ie (Oc t. 10)

PRINCESS VASILISA

Rebeka h Rimsay (Oct. 7 , 10), Stacey Shi ori Minagawa (Oct. 8)

Jilli an Vans tone (Oct. 9)

PRINCESSES

Laura Bolton or Tamara Jones, Tanya Howard or Sophie Le tendre , Lise-Marie Jourdain, Leonie Gagne , And reea Olteanu, Alejandra Perez -G omez, Eri n Ri chardson, Lisa Robins on, Alexandra Go lden , Tiffa n y Mosher, Leslie Schroeter

KASTCHEI THE DEATHLESS

Etienne Lavigne (Oc t. 7,9), Avinoam Silverman (Oct. 8, 10)

HIS WIFE

Vic toria Bertram

THE PRIESTESS

Lorna Ge ddes

AN OLDER REPTILE

Tomas Schram ek

AN OLDER BEAST

H azaros Surme yan

JAGUAR

Piotr Stanczyk (Oct. 7 ,9, 10), Dai suk e Ohno (Oct. 8)

GENERAL

J ean-Seb astien Colau (Oct. 7,9), Eti enne Lavigne (Oct. 8, 10)

WARTHOGS

Keiichi Hirano or Neh emia h Kish , Ri c h a rd Landry or Dong Hyun Seo

KNIGHTS

Avinoam Sil ve rman or Piotr Stanczyk, Kevin Bo wles, Dong H yun Seo o r J ea n- Sebastien Colau

GUARDS

J ames Leja , Adam To t h , J oseph Welb es or Edward Tra cz, Aarik We ll s

SNAKE

Step h anie Hutchiso n or Krista Da wson

LIZARDS

J e-an Sa la s, Tan ya Evid e nte , J illian Va n stone or Laura Bolton

All casting subje ct to change

Synopsis: The Firebird

A no'te on The Fo ur Seasons

Created for The National Ballet of Canada, The Four Seasons received its world premiere on February 12, 1997 at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre. Set to one of the world's most beloved and well-known scores, it is an abstract ballet that explores the cycle of life. At the centre of the ballet is the role of "a man [or all seasons", a character the audience follows through the youthful promise of spring, the passion of summer, the mellow warmth of autumn, the chill of winter and ultimately to death.

A note on The Firebi rd

When first presented in 1910 by Serge Diaghilev's Ballet Russes, The Firebird stunned the Parisian audience with its aura of fantasy and ritualistic spectacle. The ballet was the result of a close collaboration between choreographer Michel Fokine, composer Igor Stravinsky and des igners Aleksandr Golovin and Leon Bakst The Firebird had all the elements of exoticism so characteristic of Diaghi lev's early Saisons Russes: a fantastic libretto based on Russian folklore, elaborately beautiful sets and costumes, dramatic dancing and a strange and ravishingly beautiful score (Stravinsky's first commission for ballet).

Since its triumphant debut, many choreographers have restaged this magical one-act ballet The National Ballet of Canada premiered James Kudelka's The Firebircl on November 10,2000 at the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto.

The Enchanted Garden of Kastchei

In the Kingdom of Thrice-Nine there lived a demon, Kastchei the Deathless. He mled over a vast forest inhabited by enchanted princesses and petrified knights. They were all under his evil spell and lived their dreary days without hope of liberation, for Kastchei's Death was kept prisoner in a place known to no living man. Unless Kastchei 's Death could be found , they would remain there forever.

In the centre of this forest there was an enchanted garden. The forest trees surrounding it were only pines and oaks and birches, but they seemed strange and marvellous because they grew in the light of a great tree that bore golden apples. Jackdaws, crows, and grey sparrows lived in the forest trees and they were illuminated and made iridescent by the nightly visits of a bird whose plumage burned like the sun. She flew through the night air over sleeping towns and farmlands. Blue light fell from her in flakes and a warm glow emanated from her wings as though she carried bouquets of roses. This bird came to the enchanted garden solely to eat the golden apples for they were for her the source of eternal youth, beauty, and happiness Once she had eaten one, so great was her joy that she remained in this evil forest to dance and fly about the branches. In and out she flew, glittering like a cluster of jewels, unmindful of lurking demons and royal hunters.

One night another visitor entered the forest He was Prince Ivan, the youngest son of King Vyslav: Some say he was sent there by the king to capture the strange bird who had been eating the app les in the royal gardens; others said that he www.MichiganOpera.org

came to the forest in search of Princess Vasilisa whom it was prophesied he would marry Whatever the tme history, all are agreed that the beauty of this glittering bird so amazed him that he resolved to capture her and bring her back to court where he would be acclaimed as a great hunter. But the bird fluttered so quickly in her joy that even the sure arrows of Prince Ivan missed her. The Prince lay in wait, and as she drew near again, he caught her by the taiL The bird, frightened, but still filled with the joy of the golden apple, begged for her freedom and shed tears of diamonds. The Sight so moved the Prince that a new feeling of compassion filled his heart So, forgetting the honour that would be his for the capture of the bird, he released her into the air. But again she returned, leaving with him, as though a pledge, a Single feather from her breast The forest grew still, and Prince Ivan was left alone. Suddenly in the depths of a forest, miles from nowhere, were 12 princesses, among them Vasilisa - all under the spell of Kastchei the Deathless. Tired of the oaks, the pines, and the birches, and bored with their knights, who had been turned to stone, the princesses would wander at night into the light of the golden apple tree. They would amuse themselves by tossing the fallen fmits to one another while trying to execute the rapid dances of their homelands.

They had come to the garden in search of the extraordinary, so they were neither surprised nor frightened when a beautiful man appeared suddenly from the treesa young man moreover, who moved as nimbly as they It seemed very natural, in the light of the tree, that as he danced he should fall in lov e with the beautiful Vasilisa

The oth e r princesses did n o t ask if hi s l ove h ad b een for eto ld eo n s ago or was su d d en and of this m ome nt ; th ey en co urage d the two an d co ntri ve d to leave th em alone in t he gard en But at th at m om en t the su n rose, co m manding all en ch ante d crea tures to di sap p ea r.

Daybreak

Th e Prince, however, ha d fall en too m u ch in love and foll ow ed Vas ili sa rec klessly int o Kas tch ei's Pa l ace. All a t on ce all the m ost infern al t rump e ts an d b ells sound ed an alarm.

Kas tch ei th e Dea thl ess a p pea red Not hing of th e ho r ro r o f his atte ndant s, h is wi fe wi th h er sca ly limb s, or even hi s army with their a rachnid b elli es, co ul d equ al th a t o f Kas tch ei . (A thin ski n was u n ab le suffi Cientl y to co ve r hi s bon es, whi ch p ro trud ed th eir whit e knob s a t eve r y j oint ; hi s fi lthy eyes, whi ch looke d with h a tred on every be ing, flowe d wi th slime) . A chim era h e wa s, to th e end s o f his long cl aws I

All kn ew wh a t th e outco m e of Ivan's

THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA

The Nationa l Ba ll et of Cana d a, a compa n y with m o re t h an 50 dancers an d it s own symph o n y o r ch est r a , is Ca n ada's premier da n ce compa n y a n d ra n ks as o n e o f th e wo rl d\; top internat iona l da nce co m pa n ies.

Fo un ded in 195 1 by Eng li sh da n ce r Ce lia Fra n ca, the company was establis h ed as a classical compa n y a n d is st ill t h e o n ly Canadia n com p any to p Fesent a fu ll r ange o f traditi o n al fu ll- len gth class ics . The co mp a n y not only presents th e class ica l repeno ir e, but a lso embraces contemp ora r y works a n d e n courages the creation o f new ballets an d th e d evelopment of Ca n adia n c h oreograp h ers.

At h ome in Toront o , Ca n ad a, the Na tio n al Ba ll et p erforms annua l Fall , W inte r and Sp ri ng season s, p lu s Th e N ut crac her at t h e Hummi ngbird Ce nt re.

In 1996, t h e Na ti o n a l Ba lle t entered a n ew era wi t h th e appoin t ment o f interna ti o na lly renowned c h o reogr ap h er J a m es Kudelka as Artistic Direc tor.

JAMES KUDELKA

A rti stic Direc tor! Ch oreog raph er J ames Kude lk a was appo int ed Artis tic Di r ecto r o f T h e N atio n al Ballet of Can ad a in J une , 1996. Mr. Ku delka is o n e o f No rth America 's fo remos t dance artis ts, u n iversa lly res p ected for the quality and depth of his wor k As a ch ore ographer, h e h as the rare a bil -

10 BRAV O

The National Ballet of Canada

me etin g wi th th e Dem on King wo uld b e . Ka s tch ei b egan his r itual o f co nt orti ons w hi ch wou ld tu rn his n ew vic ti m to st on e. All Prin ce Ivan knew was t hat th is d em on king could no t b e killed Th e Dea th of Kas tch ei was k e pt prisone r in a secre t p lace.

The Prin cess es end eavo ured to int erce d e on b eh al f o f the poor prin ce, but Ka stc h e i th rea ten ed the m an d they wi thdrew, terrifi ed , b ehind th e trees This respi te was en ou gh for th e Prince to re trieve th e flo wing fea th er o f the m ys teri ous b ird.

Kas tc h ei h alt ed , the de m ons drew b ack. The fo rest was filled wi th the light of a seco n d dawn, for the bird h ersel f h ad return ed to th e en ch ant ed ga rd en at the sum mons o f h er p lu me Th e d em on s an d Kas tc h ei we re th emselves enchanted as the bi rd led them all in a frenzied d ance. Thi s d em oni c leap ing grew so wild , th at fin all y th e en ti re legio n d ro p pe d , exhau sted, in to a dee p slee p To en sure th eir co ntinued un co n sc iou sn ess the b ird ca use d a lull ab y to soun d So swee t was th e melody th at Kas tchei d rea m ed of h is

it y to marry cl ass ical t rad iti on wit h m odern move m e nt and is recognize d [or h is re marka bl e ta lent in combin ing bo t h id ioms. This allows him to serve da n ce com panies fro m Toronto Dance T h eatre to San Francisco Ballet , fro m The Natio n al Ba llet o[ Canada to Les Ballets J azz de Montreal, from Montreal Danse to American Ba llet Thea tre, from Les Grands Ba lle ts Ca n adie n s to solo a rti sts such as Margie G Uli s a n d Peggy Bake r A re m arkab ly p rolific ch o r eographe r , h e has crea ted over 70 ba llets.

Bo rn in Newma r ke t , Onta ri o , Mr. Kud e lka t r ai ned as a classical da n cer at the National Ballet Sc h ool in Toro n to and graduated in 1972 to jo in T he Nationa l Ballet o f Ca nada. W h ile a solois t w i th the Na ti ona l Ba ll et, h e became increasingly absor bed in t he creatio n o f d ance, developing his ideas from workshop pe r formance to presenta t ion in the co mpany\; regular seaso n. In 198 1 , h e Joined Les G rands Ba llets Canad iens in Montrea l as a Principal Dance r and was the co m pan y\; Res id en t Choreograp h er from 1984 to 1990. During t his ti me, b et ween Les G ran d s Ba ll ets Ca n adiens an d oth er commissions, h e created n um erous b a ll e ts, h is wo rk s tead il y maturi n g in th e pe rceptions and intelligence w hi ch distingu ish es its ch arac ter today.

F rom Septemb e r 1992 until May 1996, M r. Kud e lka was T h e Nat ional Ballet of Ca n ada's Artis t -in Residence. T h is rel ations hi p wi t h the Na tion al Ba ll e t enab led him to crea te and

www.Mi chi ga nOp era.o rg

Dea th Hi s dream was so vivid it cou ld be see n b y th e stra n ge bird

In his d ream , a th ro n e stood in the fores t grove This th rone ca rried within its archi tec ture a large egg that h el d the Dea th o f Kas tc h ei . Th e b ird le d the Prince towa rd the thro ne an d revea led to him the sec re t o f th e egg . Kas tc h ei awo k e. As h e str u ggled wit h Prin ce Iva n , the egg cracke d open an d release d Kastc h ei's Dea th cons uming th e evil King and his d em ons.

Wa r m sunli gh t pen et ra ted the fores t , disso lving the Palace of Kastc h ei and the dwe lli ngs o f h is drea m s. Vas ilisa and th e Prin ce find th e m selves att ired in full wedding rega li a. All th e Knigh ts a n d all the Prin cesses, s till en ch anted - but n ow b y a beni gn p owe r - form ed a grea t wedd in g co rt ege, an d with out fu rt h e r d elay th ere too k pl ace in th e Kingd om of Thrice-N ine th e marriage o f Pri nce Iva n an d Princess Vas ilisa.

The Firebird , aft er a las t farewe ll to the Prince who h ad sh own h er s uch compassion, fl ew off and was n ever see n again m

develop repertoire for a si n g le o rga n ization o n a long- term bas is, wh ile a llOwing h im to create new works for other co m pan ies.

Mr. Ku del k a terms h i m sel f "a conscientio u s observer" wh o cr eates da n ces th a t a re m e ditati ons on t h e class ic themes o f love , sex and death. Major wo r ks in cl ud e for T h e National Ball et of Ca n ad a i nclu d e : Cindere ll a (2 004), hi s fi rst full -length origina l ba ll et Th e Contract (The Pied Pip el) ( 2002 ), The Fi rebird (2000), a cop roductio n b etween The Nat io n al Ba llet o f Ca n ada, Am e ri ca n Ba lle t Th ea tre and H o u sto n Ballet , A Disembodied Voice (1999) , Swan Lah e (1999), The FOLLr Seaso ns ( 1997), The Nutcracker (1995), Spring Awakening (1994), TI1 e Actres s (1994) , The Mi raCLI lous Mandalin (1993) and Pastorale (1990). H is wor k fo r other co m pan ies include: In Paradisum ( 1983) and Des ir (1 991) fo r Les G rands Ba ll ets Ca n ad iens, The Heart of the Matter (1 986) [o r J offrey Ba llet , Fift ee n Heterosexual DueLs (1991) for Toronto Dance Theat re , Cruel World ( 1994) and Sin and Tonic (2002) for Ame ri can Ba ll et Thea tre, Term Firma (1995) a n d Some Women and Men (1998) for Sa n Francisco Ball et, Le Bais eI' el e la fee (1996) for Bir m in gham Royal Ba llet , The Book of Alleged Dan ces for Au stralia n Ballet ( 1999) and Gazebo Dances for Ba ll et Met (2 003). These d ances are evide n ce o f h is extraordin ary d eve lopment as a choreograp h er as well as t h e record of a profound art is tic sens ibil ity at wo rk.

By Giuseppe Verdi

Opera in Three Acts

Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

World Premiere: Venice, March 11, 1851

Sung in Italian with English Surtitle translation

Running time approximately two hours and thirty-five minUles including intermissions

Setting: Mantua

ACT I

Scene 1, The Duke 's Palace

In the court of the profligate Duk e of Mantua, a wild, hedonistic banquet is in progress. The Du ke tells his courti er Borsa of his interest in an unknown maiden he had secretly followed to church; at the same time, he admires the Countess Ceprano, in attendance at the banquet. The Duk e does not care if women know that he is attracted to many; nor does he worry about th e j ea lous eyes of husband s and fat h ers. As h e courts the countess, Rigoletto, hi s jester, mocks the Count. Meanwhile , the cavali er Marullo has learned that Rigoletto h as a mistress. Count Ceprano, enraged by Rigoletto 's mockery, enlists the other courtiers in a p lan for vengeance

At the height of the argume nt , Count Monterone enters Hi s daughter h ad b een seduced by the Duke, and Monterone demands satisfaction. Rigo letto insults him in a cruel and lewd fashion; and Monterone , denouncing both the Duke and his serpent of a jester, pronounces upon Rigoletto a fath er's curse ("ma ledizione" in Italian).

Scene 2 , The Street Outside Rigoletto's Home.

Rigoletto h as left the cou rt to make hi s nightly visit to hi s home. As he pauses outside his courtyard, deep ly disturbed by Monterone 's imprecation , he is approached b y Sparafucile, a man who lives by his sword. Offering his services to Rigoletto as a paid assassin , Sparafucile explains his method and pri ce, and tells Rigoletto that he can find him at this location each evening

Alone, Rigoletto ponders ho w alike he is to the killer, using hi s tongue to wound in stead of a sword, and cursing the entire race of court iers who have , in their crue lty and mockery, made him into the twis ted j es ter.

But at home he b ecomes another man. 12 BRAVO

As h e enters the courtyard , h e is greeted exuberantly by his daughter, Gilda. On hearin g his sigh, she asks him about her family, about her mother. Rigoletto confesses that her mother, no w dead, was the only person who ever treated him wi th compassion . St ill , in his zeal to protect his daughter from the life he leads, he tell s h er no more, and refuses to permit h er out , except for church. He charges Giovanna, Gilda 's nurse, with her ca re, and takes his leave.

Meanwhile , th e Duke has , wi th Giovannas paid help, sneaked into the courtyard When he finds himself alone with Gilda, he paSSionately te ll s her of his love. The innocent young maiden is thrilled and confesses to sharing his feelings. Telling her that h e is a poor student named Gualti er Malde , th e Duke take s his leave. Alone, Gilda relives the thrill of her passion , and swears that she will belong to her love until death.

Outside the wall, the co urti ers h ave

gath ered to carry out Cepranos

vengea n ce by abducting the girl the y be li eve to b e Rigo letto's lover. The jester, returni n g, is to ld that the plan is to kidnap the Countess Ceprano. Relieved, Rigoletto agrees to take part. The court iers mask him , secretly covering his eyes, and make off with Gi lda as he holds the ladd er. When Rigol etto rea liz es that he has been betrayed, it is too late ; the curse of Montero n e h as begun to operate.

ACT II

The Duke 's Palace

The Duke had also returned to find Rigolettos house empty, and is angry that hi s newest love has b een tak en from him; but the courti ers gleefu lly tell him of their trick, and th e Duke, learning that they h ave brought Gilda to the palace, ru shes to be with her

Rigoletto ente rs the hall , mournfully searching for some evidence of Gildas whe rea b outs . When the co urtiers tell the Duchess ' page that he is not to be disturbed, Rigo le tto realizes th e truth, and te ll s the courtiers it is his daughte r the y have tak en. Cursing the entire vi le race of cou rtiers, he demands in vain to see h er.

Finally, Gilda emerge s from the Duk es bedchamber, and alone with her father, tearfull y con fesses the entire story Rigoletto tells her they will leave the city, but before they can go, they are interrupted by Monterone, wh o, on his way to the scaffo ld, once more curses the Duke . Rigol etto swea rs h e will carry out vengeance for himse lf, Gilda, Monterone , and all who have been betrayed by his evil master.

ACT III

An Inn outside Mantua

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

www.M ichiganOpera.org

An Inn Outside Mantua. Outside a tawdry inn on th e outskirts of the city, Detroit Opera House

Rigoletto an d Gil da appear. Rigole tto ha s brought her h ere to sho w h er th e truth abo ut h e r love, to whom she st ill wishes to b e faithful.

They sec re te themselves, and sh ortly, the Duke, dresse d as a cava li er, ent ers th e inn , ask in g th e innke ep er- Sparafu cile himself-for some wine , an d hi s sister. Th e Duke rhapso diz es on the fi ckl eness of wome n , as Madda lena, Sparafu ciles sister, serves him wine. As the Duke se du ctively woos Maddalena , th e h ea rtbrok en Gil d a observes through a crack in the wa ll , unable to h ear h er fa ther's a tt empt s at conso lation.

Rigoletto send s Gilda home to don the cloth es o f a boy for their journey, then hands Sparafu cile a down payment on the murder of his ma s ter. As sto rm clouds ga th er, Maddalena, wh o is ch armed b y the hand some stranger, begs her bro ther to spare the Duk e Finall y Sparafu cil e agrees that if someo n e else knocks on the inn door before midnight , the n ewe r arriva l can take the Dukes place in the sack destined to be his shroud.

Gild a, in a fr enzy of con fu sed love, has ch anged h er clo th ing and return ed , and she overhears th e murderous di scussion. Realizing th at h er sacrifi ce can save h er love, Gilda pounds on th e door, and , at the h eight of the storm, enters the inn , knOwing that the po int of a sword wi ll be h er welco m e .

The storm moves on. Rigole tt o, re turnin g, exu lts the feeling of power that elates him as he wai ts to dispose of th e d ead bod y of his evil ma s te r. At midnight , the door opens, and Sp arafucile brin gs him a bod y in a sack, collects his money, and b id s hi s clie nt goo d ni ght. Rigo letto, about to throw the body int o th e ri ve r, is stoppe d b y th e voic e of th e Duk e drun ken ly sin gin g from th e inn. Realizing that an innocent vic tim is in th e sack, h e rips th e fabric ope n , to find hi s d au gh ter inside. Gild a has just enough life left to co nfess h e r d eception, and to tell h e r di stra u ght father that sh e will b e wa iting for him in h eaven , wi th h er mother. As she falls lifel ess, Rigoletto once more c ri es out, "the curse of Monterone! " Ii)

-Court esy of Op era News

Q&A with Mario Corradi

Mario Corradi directs his 13th (Rigoletto) and 14th (Faust) Michigan Opera Theatre productions this fall.

You were born in Montepulciano , Italy. Where do you call home now?

My house is in Mil an, but I'm at h ome wh erever there is a thea ter or an opera to direct.

What was your first experience with opera?

I was very yo u ng-just a pupil. During the late 1950s a traveling company had come to Monte pulc iano to perform Otello, outdoors, in th e square right in front of th e magn ifi cent Renaissance Cathedra l. Su ddenly it s tarted raining and th e entire production was assembled in the tiny 19th Century Th eatre-a rea l gem, but it had a stage no wider than 20 fe et. The se ts were made of framed painted can vasses and th ey were all placed on stage one on top Qf the other, leaving very little roo m for the singe rs, let alone the chorus. I was so fa scinated by Verdi's mu sic that my thought was, "there must be a better way to do an opera l " I believe it all starte d that night.

Of all of the peopl e you have worke d with , is there anyone person who has had a particularly profound impact on you as a director?

Th e man I consider my "maestro " is J ean-Pi.erre Ponnell e, with who m I worked as an assistant, for fi ve years. He tau ght m e the grammar and the syntax of directing. He made me understand the i.mportance of lighting and, above all , he taught me tota l respect for th e music. Every reh ea rsal was an unforget tab le lesson.

What do y ou enjoy most about your work?

Every Si n gle aspect of it. I conside r myself a very fortunat e man. I consider my wo rk to be th e most bea utiful job on Earth In 27 years I ha ve missed only one evening rehearsa l becau se the doctor h ad ordered a 48-hour voice rest. and even last year, after Lasik surgery, instead of s taying home and resting my eyes, I drove to dress re h earsa l for MOrs Un Ballo in Maschera

Is there one opera that you think everyone should see?

Mozart 's Cosi Fan Tutt e.

Do you have an y advice for young people conSidering careers in the arts?

Art is a tota l commitment. One should not even consider sta rting a ca ree r in the arts unless they are ready for an uncompromi sing, tota l commitme nt.

When dealing with operas that are considered classics, how do you make a production your own without compromising th e composer 'sllibrettist's vision-or for that matter, the audience's expectations?

A great masterpiece is such becau se it is so comp lex that its greatness and its full meaning can not be revealed by any Single in terpretatio n Every time I tack le a classic opera I discove r somet hing I never saw before, and th erefore, th at new disco very becomes, as it were, the "leitmotif ' of my production. The p u b li cs expectations are n ever a rea l concern. In Detro it , a full house will h ost 2,700 people. What makes us think that they wi ll all have th e same expectations ancl/or reactions?

When you consider audiences , who are you most gearing your productions for?

Yo un g audiences. If we do not start bringing the young generations to the opera, we wi ll be out of wo rk in 10 or 20 years.

Do you feel specific limitations based on the audiences you direct for?

Would you b e more risqu e in some cases, less so in others?

Rather than thinking about the audiences, I would think in terms of theatrica l environment. Direct ing Rigoletto ancl/or Faust during a regular opera seaso n is one thing. Directing the same

opera s for a fe sti val is anothe r. Fes ti val s are th e place wh ere n ew aven u es in st agin g sh ould b e exp e rim ent ed with A co mpanys main s tage op era seaso n d oes n o t allo w such fr ee dom

This production of Rigaletta has the most internationally diverse cast in Michigan Opera Theatre history (seven nations represented) What challenges does this pose for you?

Th e same as an y othe r p rodu cti on. I sp eak seven langua ges . I ca n only h op e th a t th ey all come from th e seve n lingui stic areas I am familiar wi th. Otherwise, we can und ers tand one an other with th e lan gu age we all ha ve in co mm on : mu sic.

How does the Detroit Opera House stack up to other theaters and opera houses you've worked in?

The De t ro it Op e ra Hou se and the Teat ro Regio in Parma a re my fa vo rite hou ses in the wo rld.

The law firm of Dykema Gossett applauds the Michigan Opera Theatre for bringing music to life, audiences to their feet and the spirit of harmony to our one Sound performance after another.

What makes Detroit so special?

W hat m ake s m y wo rk in Det roit so uniqu e is my friend ship with Dr. Di Chi era We di sc u ss ve r y op enly every as p ec t o f the produ cti on and , al thou gh very spa rin g in hi s praises, h e is ve r y generou s wi th his criti cis m-which is always ve r y co n s tru c ti ve and ve r y h el p ful. m

Grand Vall ey celebra tes the imagin ation, creativity, and beauty of the fine arts We applaud the talented people who share our passio n for excellence and our com mitmen t to perso nal achievement. For mo re in formatio n about the outstandi ng o pportunities at Grand Vall ey, call

(800) 748 -0246 or vis it \\rwwgvs u. ed u

Art is a total commitment.

One should not even consider starting a career in the arts unless they are ready for an uncompromising, total commitment.

This is not just what we believe, it's who we are. It's what's imprinted in our 100 years of history. Like Henry Ford once said, "I do not want things that money can buy. I want to live a life ... that makes the world a litt le better for having l ived it." That's why it's essent ial to preserve and promote cultural treasures such as the arts and human ities We sa lute the Michigan Opera Theatre for its contributions to the arts.

Self-expression yields great masterpieces.

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

Ford Motor Company

By Charles Gounod

Setting: Wittneberg, Leipzig and the Harz Mountains

Prelude

Sa tan , also kno w as Mep hi stophel es, is awaken e d b y a stream of li ght whic h guides his attention to th e s tud y of th e aged scienti st/philosoph er, Dr. Fau s t. The demon und ers tand s th e purpo se o f hi s vision and , with th e help of his Shades, prepares to walk in th e hu man world disgu ise d as so m eon e from th e 18 3 0s. Fa u st , li vin g in m e dieva l times, wi ll co nsid e r Sa tan a m an from th e fut ure, and find him philo so phi ca lly and sc ientifi ca lly int eresting, chall en ging to co mpreh end .

ACT I

Scene 1 , Dr. Faust's Study.

Dr. Faust h as to so lve the m yste ri es of the world an d life. Ea rl y on e morning , d espairin g and emotion all y isolated, h e d ec id es to die and prepa res to take poison. His resol ve is int errupte d wh en h e recalls the inn ocen ce of yo un g p easants in their d aily routine. H e envi es them an d curses God for making him old and devoid of feeling, unab le to change his empty existence In his desp eration , Fau st calls u p on Sa tan for help. Me phistopheles obligin gly appears and offe rs Faus t money, glo ry and power in exchange for his soul.

Faust , ho weve r, d em an ds yo uth and all of the j oys he missed w hil e buried in his studi es . Sa tan agree s to this request and, when Faust has second thou ghts, h e conjures a vision of a b ea utiful , unt ouche d girl , Ma rgueri te Fau st weakens and signs his so ul away, w h ereupon h e is transform ed into a young m an. T hey leave m edieval tim es and jump forward into the 1830s.

celeb ra ti ng th e go d Bacc hu s and the abund ant grape h arvest. Va lentin , a yo ung so ldi er leavin g imme diately for war, is h avin g a final drunken outing with some of hi s fell ow so ldi ers and Siebel and Wagne r, two s tudent friend s. For prot ect ion at th e fron t , h e carries a religiO US m ed al give n to him b y hi s sister, Marguerite. What starts as a mocking son g by a drunk en so ldi er, end s as an ea rnes t plea b y a yo un g man about to face p ossible d eath

While all ge t ba ck into a fe stive drinking mood , Mephis topheles and Faust appear. Mephistophel es pays homage to the pagan Go ld en Ca lf whi ch all app laud Then h e b egin s to tell fortu n es, pre di c ti ng peop le's woes, one of wh ic h includ es th e nam e o f Ma rguerite.

Va lentin is irritated tha t the s trange r speaks o f his sis ter in s uch a li ght. Mephistoph eles respo nd s b y predicting Va lentin 's death.

Trying to m ak e p eace, Wagner offers Mephistopheles a cup of wine. The d evil proclaims th e wine unacceptable and gestures to a crude statu e o f Bacchu s. When wine magically pours from it , the crowd is both exci ted and ftighten ed Mephistopheles offers to toas t Margue ri te. Valentin , su spicious of the ga ri sh strange r, co nsiders the toa st an insult and dra ws his sw ord. The po we r of evil breaks th e sword in half. Va lentin and hi s comrades use their swo rd hilt s to mak e cro sses and subdue the frightenin g d emons.

Faust and Mep hi sto pheles see m susp en d ed in time Fau st wan ts to kno w when he wi ll m ee t th e innocent gi rl from hi s vis ion No soo n e r h as h e ask ed than th e cro wd b eco m es active aga in and Ma rgu erit e ap p ea rs. Fau s t sto p s her and offers to escort h e r h ome. She modestl y d eclin es and Mep his topheles urge s Fau st

to pursue h er. The fe stiva l continu es at a fren e ti c pa ce as the s tru ggle for Fau st 's conscien ce begins between Mephisto pheles and the unkno wi n g Marguerite.

ACT II

Marguerite'S Gar d en.

Sieb el , qUi e tl y in love wi th Margu e rit e, stea ls into th e ga rden and gathe rs fl owe rs inte n ded fo r h e r. As predicted ea rli er by Meph istopheles, each flo wer with ers and dies at hi s touch. H e blesses him self from a strea m which surrounds th e sa n ctifie d ground on whi ch Margu e rit e li ves The sp ell is broken.

Fau st and Mephistopheles anive and watch Sieb el leave hi s flo wers for Marguerite. The devil retires to conjure a gi ft for Fau st to give to the young girl. Faust re fl ects on the p erfec tion and purity of th e p lace wh ere hi s id ea l love lives. Mep hi sto pheles retu rns with a case of bri ghtl y co lore d j ew els and fabri cs which is to b e Faust's offering to Margue rit e , gifts o n e mi ght u se to appeal to the se nso ri al/se n sual side of a child Th ey both hi de as sh e en ters.

Marguerite sin gs the ballad o f th e King of Thul e. Th e ballad brings to mind th e hand so m e st ran ge r who offered to wa lk her h ome . Sh e discovers Siebel's flowers and the n ext moment comes upon the gems and materials. Unable to resist touching it em s sh e h as never experienced before, sh e di scovers a mirror and beginS to study h erself. Her first sin: vanity Mephi stoph eles manipulation of Marguerite b egins.

Marguerite's busybod y n eighb or, Marthe, catch es he r an d sco lds the gi rl for thi s vanity. Mep his topheles , wishin g to s top thi s intrusion , interrupts and informs Marthe of her hu sba nd 's d ea th . Th eir

18 BRAVO

www Michi ga nOpera.o rg

Scene 2 , The Kermesse.

Townspeople, so ldi ers and student s are

conve rsation allows Faust to approach Margue rite

Th e devil whisks Marthe away and th e two you n g p eople sing of th eir new lo ve . Margu erit e attempts to leave, but h er attr action to Faust cau ses h er to rema in Touched by her inno ce n ce and purity, Faust bids Marguerite goo dni ght. Mephistop heles mocks Fau sts gentlemanly a tti tud e Soo n , Marguerite can be h ea rd indoo rs, murmuring dreamil y o f h e r desire for Faust Fau s t breaks into h er room, an d h e and Marguerite co n summate their passion . Mephistopheles, alone, de li ght s in hi s brilliance at furthering Marguerites demise.

ACT III

Scene 1 , Marguerite 's House

Pregna nt and ostracized b y fri ends and village rs, Ma rguerite wond ers wh y Faust has n ot ret urn ed. As sh e r eca ll s their t ime together, the fragile state of h er mind b eco m es evi d ent.

Scene 2 , A Church.

Marguerite pra ys for help and forgiven ess. Mephistopheles p lays on h er inner fears and accuses her o f sin . Sh e tries to join fell ow wo rship ers in praye r, but h er vo ice is overwhelmed b y the d evils.

Sa tan announces th at sh e is a los t sou l before the gates of Hell.

Scene 3 , A Field Outside of Town.

Local militi amen return from the wa r, exhausted, some wou nd ed. Am ong th em is Va lentin H e sp ies Siebel in the crowd which ha s assemb led to we lcome them home.

Scene 4, A Village Street.

Faust ha s returned to th e vi ll age, con cerned for Margu e ri te . As always, Mep hi sto phel es is b y his sid e. The d evi l is more sa rd onic than ever. H e sings an insulting ode , aimed a t Marguerite whi ch Valentin overhears. Angry and humiliated , Va lentin engages Faust in a duel. Howeve r, F au s t 's sword is guided b y Mep histopheles and nms Va lentin

through. Before he di es, however, Valentin curses hi s s is ter for blingin g di sgra ce to them.

Scene 5, Marguerite's Prison Cell.

Continuing h er downward sp iral, tota lly abandoned and losing touch with rea lity, Marguerite has drowned h er b ab y and , con sequ ently, has been sent en ce d to death. Faust ente rs with Mephistopheles and b egs he r to escape with them. But Margue rite slip s in and out of reality

When sh e finally sees the de vil , sh e regains her mind. Sh e rep ul ses both Faust and his m entor and begs Heaven to accep t h er so ul. Faust plead s with her to join them and Mephistop heles urges Faus t to forget her Marguerite is on the brink o f death , and Mephistopheles proclaim s that sh e is damned. But a celes tial cho ir ann ou nces the drawing of Ea ster. At th e moment o f h er death, Marguerites sins are forgiven an d h er soul is reborn m

- Co urtesy oj Opera News

A Devil of a Faust

"Faust, which as HoJmannsthal puts it, 'postulates music at every ste p, ' is th ereJore the archetypal opera. "t

Johann Wolfgang vo n Goethe (17491832) , who wrote the drama to which all subsequent treatments of the Faust legend-musical and otherwise-are ind ebte d , thought of mu sic as "the m ed iator of the ineffable. " H e believed hi s

Fau s t had much in co mmon with Don Giovanni and The Magi c Flute and wished Moz art had lived long enough to transform his monumental thea trical pi ece into opera

Twenty-seve n years after the great po et and dramatists death , Charles Gounod wo uld fullfil] Go eth e's dream with th e operatic mas terpie ce, Faust (1859 ). But n eith er Gouno d or Goethe we re th e fir st-or th e last-to b e fascinated b y the idea of exchanging one's soul for somethin g d eep ly desired.

Ho w far back do es th e "Faust legend " go) Well, what about th e saga of Adam and Eve) When Adam agreed to tast e the forbidd en fruit, wasn't h e making a d ea l with th e d evil to exch ange his soul for knowl edge and po we r ) Remember, th e appl e was from the Tree of Kno wled ge. If that 's too much of a stretch, come forward to the Middle Ages wh en records fir st ap p ea r of a legend abo ut a certain Fau s t wh o so ld hi s soul to the de vil foryo u guessed it-knowl ed ge and po we r I By then, the story had already becom e theatre; it playe d untold thousands of times as a puppet sho w at medie val fair s and m arke ts. The legend , in turn , ma y we ll h ave stemmed from th e pla ys presented on the steps of churches and cathedral s to teach Bible sto ries and Chris tian morality to an illit erate populace. Th ere was a real Dr. Johann Faust , circa 1480-1538 , a German magici an ,

alch emist and astro loger. Faust in its medie val form had be en aro und for a whil e b y th en , though ; Western civi liz ation was al rea d y well int o the Renais san ce.

Th e Tragica l History oj Dr. Faust (1588 ) by Christopher Marlowe , Sh akes peare's contempora ry, was one of the first rea l a ttempts to translate th e Faust legend into th ea tre as we kno w it. The entertainment el ement of Faust h ad b een evident from the ea rli es t tellin g of the tale-simi -

m ys tifyin g . Words may fail at expressing these extremes and the emotions the y can gen erate; wo rds amplified b y music can bridge th e cha sm.

The Devil , as the Commendatore , co ming from Don Giovanni s soul wou ld b e hokey wi th out Mozart s tran smogrifying music (1787) Von Weber 's Di e Freisc hu tz (1821) wi thout a sco re simply will not work as dark Kaspar, in league wi th the Devil , casts his magi c bulletsguided mi ss il es of the day, symbo ls of ultimate po we r.

Time s chan ge and the lege nd becomes Hector Berlioz ' Th e Damnation oj Faust (1828-46). Somewhere b etween a huge sym phony an d an opera , it reflects the tenants of the ea rl y Romantic era. Faust is the po et s tumping about on th e moors, d e tached , brood y, melodramti c and bored. H e barely notices Margu e rite . Mephistopheles is naught but a supplier of transportation and musi ca l di ve rsions

larl y, it s moral teaching capabiliti es With Marlowe- and definitely 220 yea rs later (1808) wh en Book I of Goethes Fau st appeared-the legend is trans form ed int o a powe r ful vehicle for the expression of ch anging human philosophi es and va lues. And, as th e yea rs have co ntinued to roll b y, Faust h as come to refl ect wid ely varying theatrical produ c tion conce pts.

As Go e the , Hofmanns th al and a ho st of othe r compos ers and libre ttists before , b e tween and after th em knew, the Fau st lege nd and mu sic were mad e for each othe r. Th e Simp les t explanation of why may b e that when a man , for whatever reason , gets in league with th e Lord of Evil , every as p ec t of life seem s to inten sify. The exotic b eco me s ero tic; the threatening becomes terrifyi n g The beautiful becomes ex quisite; the unu sua l totally

In Gounod s Faust (1859 ), based closelyo n Goethe's Faust Book I, th e protagonist is sick of knowledge and power. He wa nts youth and the love of a b ea utiful wo man . As wo m en enter the ring with th e Prince of Darkness , w h at was so mewhat idealiz ed de sire in Gounod s Faust b ecomes sexual obsession. Senta trades h er soul for her wei rd sailor in Wagners Th e Flying Dutch man ( 1841 ) Renata spends five ac ts of incredibl e mu sic inflamed and maddened by h er infernal lover in Sergei Prokofievs Th e Fie)) Angel (1923) Demoni c possession and h yste rical desire are everything in Krzysztof Penderecki s Th e Devils of London ( 1969 ).

And there's more : Eine FaustSymphoniC (1957) by Franz Liszt ; Mephistoph eles (1867) b y Arrigo Boito; the final ascent of Faust s sou l to heaven a t the conclusion of Gusta v Mahlers

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

www.MichiganOp e ra.org

The legend, in turn, may well have stemmed from the plays presented on the steps of churches and cathedrals to teach Bible stories and Christian morality to an illiterate populace.

Eighth Symphony (1907); Doktor Faust (1924) by Ferruccio Busoni

And we haven't eve n mentioned what th e movies with their words , music and, now, spectacular specia l effec ts have made of the old tal e. Nor can we but affirm that Faust, the opera, h as be en set in virtually every era from the Middle Ages to our own timesthe latest interpre t ation when the curt ain rises at the Detroit O p era House on Novem b er 13 ! m

- John Willett

t Peter Conrad: A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874-1929), supe rl ati ve German poet and librettist [or Richard Strauss' most famous operas.

WHERE MEMORY LIVES I N BEAUTY.

Nestled within White Chapel's pastoral splendor, one will discover the magnificent new Guardian Angel Niches. Providing permanent inurnment. they are the latest in a full range of options White Chapel offers, including mausoleum crypts and niches, traditional cemetery burial and cremation, all with interest-free terms.

Let us assist you in pre-planning and selection.

Call (248) 362-7670

Artist Profiles

SUZANNE MALLARE ACTON

Assistant Music Di rectorChorus Master (USA)

Conduc ting debut 1986, West Side stOl), Compa n y debut as c horus master, 1982

2004 Season: Chorus Master, Riga/etta, Faust

Rec ently : Pirates oj Penzance (Michigan Opera Theatre), Too Hot To Handel (Rackham Symphony Choir)

U pcoming : HoiocaL1St Cantata (Rackham Symphony Choir), I he OaLlghter oj the Regiment (Michigan O p era Theatre)

PAMELA ARMSTRONG

Soprano (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; TIle Maniage oj Figaro , 1997

2004 Se ason: Marguerite, Faust

Recently: Die Zaubeljlote (Mi n nesota Opera), La Boheme (Opera Colorado), La Rondine (New York City Opera)

Upcoming: Don Giovanni (Marseille), Der Rosenkavalier (Metropo li tan Opera)

BURAK BILGILI

Bass (Turkey)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Season: Sparafucile, Rigoletta

Re cently: Don Giovanni (Metropolitan Opera), Lucia di Lammennoor (Canad ian Opera Compan y), nBarbiere di siviglia

MARIO CORRADI

Stage Director (Italy)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; Carmen, 1996

2004 Season: Director, Rigal etta , Fa List

Re cently : Turandot (TOlino, ltaly) , Gioconda (National Opera or Ukraine, Kiev)

U p co ming : Dtaliana in Algeri (TOlino, ltaly), Macbeth (National Opera of Ukraine, Kiev)

MARK FLINT

Conductor (USA)

Michigan O pera Theatre debut; Cannen, 1977

2004 Season : Conductor, Faust

Recently : TI,e Pirates oj Penzance (Fort Worth Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (Nashville Opera), Candid e (lake George

GORDON HAWKINS

Baritone (USA)

Michigan Opera Thea t re debut; Porgy and Bess, 1998

2004 Sea son: Rigo letto, Rigoletta

Re ce ntly: I Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana (Manitoba Opera), La Boheme (Alizona Opera), Lohengrin (Seattle Opera)

Upcoming : Tosca (Opera Carolina), Aida (Houston G rand Opera), Luisa Miller (Dallas Opera)

FRANK HERNANDEZ

Baritone (USA)

Michiga n Opera Theatre debut; La Boh eme , 1996

2004 Season: Valentin, Faust

Opera)

Up coming : Der Fliegend e Hollander (H awaii Opera Theatre), Carmen (Nashville Opera) , Madama Buttel}ly (Augusta Opera)

ROBIN FOLLMAN

Soprano (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; Die FledennClus, 2003

2004 Sea s on : Margue rite, Faust

Recently: Tasca (Piedmont Opera), Otello (Hawaii O p era), Die FledennQLls (Michigan Opera T heatre)

Recently: Candide (Opera Pacific), La Boheme (Opera Carolina, Opera Omaha, Atlanta Opera)

U pco ming: The Magic Flute (Opera Carolina), La Boheme (Atlanta Opera)

VING HUANG

Soprano (China)

Michigan Opera Theatre debu t ; Werthe, ; 1999

2004 Sea son: Gilda, Rigoletta

Recently : Don Pasqual e (Arizona Opera), Don Giovanl1i (Santa Fe Opera), Rigoletta (Florentine Opera)

(Pittsb urgh Opera)

U pcoming : Tu ral1dot (Barcelona), Macbeth (Seattle Opera)

TORRANCE BLAISDELL

Tenor, (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; A Masked Ball, 2003

2004 Season: Borsa, Rigoletta

Recentl y : The CrL!cible (Toledo Opera), A Masked Ball, Madame Butte/jly (Michigan Opera Theatre)

WILLIAM BURDEN

Tenor (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; Lakme, 2002

2004 Season: Faust, Faust

Recently: Beatlice and Benedict (Santa F e Opera), The Pearl Fishe, -s (Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Company of Phi ladelphia), FaLlst (Opera Company of Phi ladelphia)

Up coming: Die Fledennaus (Ope ra Company of Philadelphia), Pelleas et Melisande (Metropolitan Opera), Die EntjUhrL!ngAus Oem serai! (Munich)

Upcoming : La Boheme (Opera Grand Rapids), The Men) Widow (Singapore Opera), La Boh eme (Florentine Opera)

MASSIMO GIORDANO

Tenor (Italy)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Sea son: Duke, Rigoletto

Recentl y : La Boheme (Dresden Opera), Verdi Requiem (Sydney Symphony Orchestra)

Upcoming : Romeo and Juliette

• (F rankfurt Opera), Don Giovanni (Turin Opera), Mignon (Opera Orchestra of New York)

KIRSTEN GUNLOGSON

Mezzo-soprano (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Sea s on: Siebel, FClLLst

Re ce ntly: Salome (Nashville Opera), Le Nozze di Figaro (Fres n o G rand Opera), Die FledermQLls (Saraso ta Opera)

Upcoming: Faust (Toledo Opera)

DONALD HARTMANN

Bass-baritone (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; Turandot, 1994

2004 Se as on: Monterone, Rigoletto

Recently : La Boheme (Toledo Opera)

U pcoming: Tasca (Opera Carolina), La Boh eme (Florentine Opera)

U pcoming: Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis), Oer Rosenhavalier (Danish National Opera)

LUKAS KARVTINOS

Conductor (Greece)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Season: Conductor, Rigaletto

Recently : II Ii-ovatore (Greek National Opera), NabLicco (Athens Festival), La Boheme (Salzburg Randestheater)

Upcoming: La Gioconda (Teatro Sociale , Rovigo)

KYLE KETELSEN

Bass-baritone (USA)

Mich igan Opera Theatre debut; La Boheme, 2000

2004 Sea son: Mephistopheles, Faust

Recentl y : The MQlTiage oj Figaro (New York City Opera), Carmen (Opera St. Louis), 0011 Giovanni (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Upcoming: The Maniage oj Figaro (Opera Pacific), The Magic Flute (Covent Garden)

ROSANA LAMOSA

Soprano (Brazil)

Michigan Opera Theatre de but

2004 Season: Gilda, Rigoletto

Rece ntly: L: Elisir d'Amore (Rio de Janeiro Opera), LinJedelta delusa (Sao Pau lo Opera)

Upcoming : Ring Cycle (Manaus Opera Festival) , The Pearl Fishers (Rio de Janeiro Opera)

TRACIE LUCK

Mezzo-soprano (USA)

Mich igan Opera Thea tre debut

2004 Season: Mad d elena, Rigole tto

Recently: The Magic Flute, Die Walniire (Virginia Opera)

Upcoming : Rigoletto (Virginia Opera)

MICHAEL MAYES**

B31i tone (USA)

Mich igan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Season: Mam llo, Rigoletta; Wagner, Faust

Recently : I Pagliacci (Opera Theat re Highland Park), Romeo and Juliette (Skylight Opera)

Upcoming: Tasca, Ma rgaret Gamel; TIle Daughtu oj the Regiment (Michigan Opera Theatre)

JAMES PATTERSON

Bass (Can ada)

Mich iga n Opera Theatre de b u t ; La Bohem e, 1995

2004 Season: Count Ceprano, Rigoletta

Rec ently: Don Giovanni (M ich igan Ope ra T heatre), Mozart's Solemn Vespers Qackson C h olare and Orches t ra)

Upcoming: Messiah (Rocheste r Sym p hony), Beethovans 9th Sym ph ony (Wyoming and Rochester Symphonies)

MARCO PELLE Movement Director ([taly)

Mich igan O p era Theatre debut:

A Mashed Ball

2004 Se ason: Rigaletta, Choreographer, Faust, Movement D irec tor

Recently : SZiget Festi val

\ (Bu d apest, Hungar y), Aida (Beirut, Leban on ), Cannen (Teatro Regio, Italy), Macbeth (Teatro Jesi, [taly)

SCOTT PIPER Tenor (USA)

Michigan Opera T heatre deb ut ; Mada me Butterfly, 1994

2004 Season: Duke, Rigoletta

Recently: Rigaletta (Virgin ia Opera)

Upcoming: LLlcia di

Laml11ermoar (Connecticut O pera), Madama Buttelfly (Vancouver Opera)

KATHLEEN SEGAR

Mezzo-soprano (USA)

Mi ch igan Opera Thea tre debut; Cannen, 1981

2004 Season: Ma rthe, Faust

Recently: The Crucible (Toledo Opera), Verdi ReqLliem (Toledo Symphony)

KRISTY L. SWANN**

Mezzo-sopran o (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Season: Giovan na, Countess Ceprano, Page

Recently : Oa k land Sym phony

Orchestra yo u ng artist co m petition winner, Learn ing at the Ope ra H ouse Opera Camp (Mich igan Opera Theat re)

Upcoming : Ma nhattan School o f Music

JEFFREY WELLS

Bass-ba ritone (USA)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut; TIle Haunted Castle, 1982

2004 Season: Mephisto p heles, FCIL!st

Recently: Gal a Concert (Nashville Opera), Don Giovanni (C levela n d Opera)

Upcoming: Luisa Milter (Da llas Oper a)

CHEN·YE YUAN

Bariton e (China)

Michigan Opera Theatre debut

2004 Season: Rigo letto, Rigoletta

Recentl y : Rigaletta (Sacramento Opera), Nixon in China (Opera Theatre o f Sa int Louis)

Upcoming: Rigaletta (Opera Theatre of Sai nt Louis), Nixon ill China (Ch icago Opera Thea tre)

**Denotes Ba r bara Gibson Young Artist App rentice

compose a solution?

Miller Canfield, of course.

Our commitment to the Detroit metropolitan community is centered around inte g rity and participation, We understand Detroit, We understand the business climate here. But most of all we appreciate that our success depends on the success of the communities where we work and live ,

D e troit Opera House

Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra

Violin I Viola Flute

Charlotte Merkerson, John Madison*t

Concertmaster* t Scott Stefankot

Velda Kellyt Kathleen Grimest

Carol Evanst Barbara Zmich t

Kevin Filewycht Jame s Greer

AndrewWu Julianne Zinn

Susan Mutter Timpani

Pamela Hill * t Tamara Kosinski Leonardo Soto*t

Laura Larson t

Oboe

Trumpet Percussion

David Kuehn * t John Dorsey*t

Kristen Beene*t Gordon Simmonst Dan Maslanka

Sally Pitu ch t David Taylor

Beth Kirton t Trombone

Jason Bendler Cello Clarinet

Maury Okun*t Keyboard

James Kujawski Nadine Deleury *t Brian Bowman * t Greg Neart Janis Neilson+

Ewa Uziel Diane Bredesen t

Minka Christofft

Violin II Rob ert Reedt

Victoria Haltom*t John latzko

Brooke Hoplarnazian

Molly Hughes t Bass

H enrik Karapetyan t Derek Weller*t

Anna Wellert Clark Suttlet

Bing Xiat Shawn Wood

Jane t Sullins

Julia Kurtyka

Diplomate American Board of Dermatolo!!y Clinical Assistant Professor

Suzanne Rozmary

Michael Tyrrell Mark HarJes+

Bassoon Tuba * Principal

Eric Varner Nea l Campbell t Michigan Opera Theatre

Tristan Rennie Phillip Sinder Orchestra + Guest artists wi th The Richard Beene Chris Blaha Nat ional Ballet of Canada

Horn Harp Detroit Federation oj

Kyle Mills*t Patricia Terry-Ro ss*t Musicians. weal #5, Carrie Banfield t Ameliean Federation oj Musicians.

Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus

Daniel Aggas

Christop h er Bauder

Kim Brooks

Alaina Brown

Fred Bucha lter

Patrick Clampitt

Victoria DeCarlo

Leah De x ter

Keith Dixon

Hyung-Sang Do

Dianna Dumpel

Jacqu eline Echols

Brandy Ellis

Vanessa Ferriol e

Louise Fisher

Kurt Frank

Yvonne Friday

Timothy Gardner

Janet Geisler

Rosa lin Guastella

Dorian Hall

Clarence Jones

Thomas Kabala

Jeffrey Krause

Jeffrey Krueger

Alexa Lokensgard

Anthony Lynch

Ann Marie MacFarlane

Miros lav Manovski

Anthony McGlaun

Kim Millard

Anthony Noto

Jennifer Oliver

Darren Orta

Monique Ricard

Matthew Schafer

Robert Schram

Kenneth Shepherd

Korland Simmons

Stephen Stewart

Lucy Th ompson

Dean Unick

Christopher Vaught

Justin Watson

Jim Wells

Tamara Whitty

Jason Wickson

Timothy Wolf

Anamaria Ylizaliturri

The Amel1can Guild oj Musical Artists is the official union oj the Michigan Opera Theatre vocal perJormers.

Administration & Staff

DAVID DICHIERA, General Director

DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS

Karen VanderKloo t DiChi era , Director oj

Community Programs

John Eckstrom , Director oj Administration

Roberto Mauro, Director oj Artistic

Administration

David W Osborne , Director oj Production

Mary Parkhill, Direc tor oj Development

Karen Tjaden, Director oj Fa ciliti es

laura R. Wyss , Director oj Communications

ADMINISTRATION

Caro l Halsted , Dance Coordinator

Bill Austin , Executive Assistant to th e Gen eral Director

Beverly A. Moore , Receptionist

COMMUNICATIONS

Michael Hauser, Marketing Manager

Kimb erly A. MOgielski , Patron and Ti cket Se rvi ces Manager

Jenise Collins , Group Sal es Coordinator

Kimberly Gray, Ticket Services Assistant Manager

Jan e Coe , Patron Services Coordinator

Dave Blackburn , Publi c Relations Coordinato r

Mitchell Carter, Website Coordinator

Bill Carro ll , Publi c Relations Volunt ee r

Crysta l G. Ratledge, Account Executiv e, So lom on F/iedman Advertising

Christopher Barbeau , Production Ph otography

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Mark Vondrak , Associate Dire ctor/Tour Manag er

Betty lane , OperatiOns Manag er

Do lores Tobis , Marketing Manag er

linda DeMers , Administrative Assistant

Betsy Bronson, Alaina Brown , Heidi Brown , Maria Cimarelli,] ennifer Ga le, Shawn

McDona ld , Steven McGhee, David

Gilliland , Kim Parr, Michael Parr, David

Pulice , Amanda Sabelhaus, Cynthia Seigle ,

Karl Schmidt, David Vaughn , Chris Vaught ,

Mark Vondrak, Karen White, Tamara

Whitty, Tour Artists

DEVELOPMENT

J essica Cheshire , Volunteer Manag er

Aim ee Argel , Corporate Campaign Manage r

Heather Hamilton , SpeCial Proj ects Manage r

Katherine Kuc harski , Memb ershi p Manag er

Matthew Ta lbot , Foundation and Gov ernm ent

Grants Manager

Jan e Westley, General Director's Circl e Campaign Manager

Detroit Opera House

Stephani Yates , Dan ce Patron Circle Campaign Manag er

Danielle DeFauw, BoutiqLle Manag er

FINANCE/COMPUTER SERVICES

Derrick Lewis , Controll er

Kimberly Burgess-Rivers , Rita Winters , Accountants

Joseph Rusnak , Systems Manag er Deleana Hill , Applications Sp ecialist

PRODUCTION

Administration

Elizabeth Anderson , Production Coordinator

Carolyn Geck , Assistant to Director oj Produ ction

Philip Schneidman , Ass istant Director

Nancy Krolikowski , Local Ii'ansportation Coordinator

Eugene Robelli , Prod uction Volunt ee r

Pat lewellen , Audition Volunt ee r

Music Department

David DiChiera , Music Director

Suzanne Ma llare Acton , Assistant Music Director, Chorus Mast er

Jean Schneider, Repetiteur , Reh earsal Accompanist

Diane Bredesen, Orches tra Perso nnel Manag er

Stage Managers

Ken Saltzman , Stag e Manager

J ennifer Paradis e, Sarah lin Warren , Assistant Stage Managers

Technical Staff

Kent Andel, Tec hnical Directo r

Monika Essen , Prop erty Master & Scenic Artist

Kenda ll Smith , Lighting Coordi nator

Dee Dorsey, Surtitl e Op erator

Dame l Dene, Recording Engineer

Keith Kalinowski , Tec hnical Assistant

Rudi lauermann , Assistant Reco rding

Engin ee r

Costumes

Suzanne M. Hanna , Cos tum e Coordinator

Margaret Bronder, First Hand

Alice Moss, Wardrob e Mistress

Genevieve Palczynski , Stitcher

Corey Globke , Stitcher

Mary Ell en Shindel , Fitting Assistant

Makeup & Hair

Joann e Weaver, Wigs & Makeup Designer

DeShawn Glosson , Angela Cruice, Sharnaee

News on, Klyetha Williams , Assistants

Stage Crew

Jo hn Kinsora , Head Carpenter

Robert Mesinar, Head El ect lician

Alan Bigelow, Head Prop erty man

Pau l Moraites , Head Sound

Robert Martin , Hea d Hyman

Gary Gilmore , Produ ctio n El ect/ician

Mary Ellen Shindel, Hea d oj Wardrob e

IATSE loca l #38 , Stage Crew

IATSE loca l #786 , Wardrobe

DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

Constance Wilson , Events Coordinator

Kyle Ketelhut, Concessions Manag er

Rock Monroe , Director oj Seculi ty

Nick Aubrey, Parking Garage Manager

Demetrius Barnes,]esse Carter, Building Engin ee rs

Calvin Will iams , Maintenance Supervisor

Karl Hubble, Maint enance Assistant

Lorraine Monroe, Andre Paige , Stage Door Secwity

MARYGROVE COLLEGE

Dwel.lJpUtj ymeratUJfU of Leaden in., Educati.tJft., .,. SocUtt WOyk, .,. BMUt.e.r .,. Ayt .,. MMiv .,.

www.marygrove.edu

"I can't measure how Marygrov e's comprehensive educational approach--academics and the values of giving and service--has contributed to the essence of who I am. I share these lesson s w ith school communities and organizations everyday "

Or Deborah Hunter-Har vill BA '77, MEd '86 Princip a l, McMichael Middle Tec hnological Academy

Board of Directors

Mr. R.jami so n Willia ms, j r., Clwirman

Dr. Dav id DiChiera , President

Mr. Ca meron B. Duncan , Treasurer

Mr. C. Thomas Toppin, SecretQlY

Mr. Roger W Ada ms

Mrs. Robert A. Allesee

Mrs. Dona ld C. Austi n

Mrs. Be ll a Marshall Barden

Mr. Lee Barthel

Mr ). Addison Bartus h

Mr. Richard A. Brodie

Mrs. William C. Brook s

Mrs. Frede ri ck Clark

Mrs. Pete r Cooper

Mr. Ta ri k S. Daoud

Ju lia Donovan Darlow

Mrs. Dod ie David

Mr. lawrence N. David

Mrs. Charles M. End icott

Mrs. Alex Erdeljan

Mr. Paul E. Ewing

Trustees

Mr. lSI Mrs. Roge r W Adams

Dr. lSI Mrs. Roger M. Aj luni

Mr. lSI Mrs. Robert A. Allesee

Mr. lSI Mrs. Douglas E Allison

Dr. Lourdes V Andaya

Mr. lSI Mrs. Thomas V Angott

Dr. lSI Mrs. Agustin Ar bulu

Dr. Haro ld M. Arrington

Dr. lSI Mrs. In gida Asfaw

Mrs. Dona ld). Atwood

Dr. lSI Mrs. Dona ld C. Austin

The Ha n lSI Mrs Edward Ava denka

Mr. lSI Mrs. Don H. Barde n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Lee Ba rth el

Mr. lSI Mrs. ). Add ison Bartush

Mr. lSI Mrs. Mark Alan Baun

Mr. lSI Mrs. Nicolas Behrmann

Mr. W Victo r Benjamin

Mr. lSI Mrs. Ara Berberian

Mr. lSI Mrs. Mandell Berman

Mr. lSI Mrs. john Boll

Mrs. Thomas Brigh t

Mr. lSI Mrs. john Broad

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richard A. Brodi e

Mr. lSI Mrs. William C. Brooks

Mr. lSI Mrs. Thomas Celani

Mr. lSI Mrs. Robert D. Cha rl es

Mr. lSI Mrs. Alfred Cheesebrough III

Mr. Dav id Clark

Mr. lSI Mrs. Frederick H Clark

Ms. Virg inia Clementi

Mrs. Margo Cohen

The Han. lSI Mrs. Avern LCohn

Mr. Thomas Coh n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Pe ter Coope r

Ms. Rosalind L Cooperman lSI Mr. Woody Robertson

Mr. lSI Mrs. Marvin I. Danto

Mr. lSI Mrs. Tarik S. Daoud julia Donovan Darlow lSI j ohn C. O'Mea ra

Mr. lSI Mrs. jerry P D'Ava nz o

Mr. lSI Mrs. Lawre nce N. David

Mrs. Margaret Demant

Mr. Kevin Denni s & Mr. je remy le itzer

Dr. Fernando G. Diaz

Dr. Davi d DiCh iera

Mrs. Karen VanderK loot Di Chi era

Th e Han lSI Mrs. j ohn Din ge ll

Ms. Mary jan e Doer r

Mr. &: Mrs. Camero n B. Duncan

Mrs. Char les M. Endicott

Mr. lSI Mrs. Alex Erde ljan

Dr. Fern R Espino lSI

Mr. Tom Short

Mr. lSI Mrs. Roland C. Eugenia

Mr. lSI Mrs. Paul E. Ewing

Mr. lSI Mrs. Stephe n Ewing

Dr. Haifa Fakhouri

Mr. lSI Mrs. Oscar Feldman

Mr. lSI Mrs. john Ferron

Mr. lSI Mrs. Alfred ). Fisher, j r.

Mr. lSI Mrs. Herbert Fisher

Dr. Marjorie M. Fisher

Mrs. Elaine L Fontana

Mr. lSI Mrs. Mitchell B. Foster

Barbara Fra nk el lSI Ron Micha lak

Mr. lSI Mrs. Herman Frankel

Mr. Marvin A. Frenkel

Mr. lSI Mrs. Dean Friedman , jr.

Th e Han Hilda Gage

Mr. lSI Mrs. j a mes Garavaglia

Mr. lSI Mrs. Law rence

Ga rberding

Mrs. Frank Germack,jr.

Dr. Marjorie M. Fi sher Barbara Fral1kel

Mr. Herman Fra nk el

Mr.james M. Garavaglia

Mrs. Lawrence Ga rberding

Mr. David Handleman

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart

Mr. Eugene Hartwi g

Mr. Ri chard j anes

Mr. Gary E. johl15on

Mr. Lawrence S. jones

Mrs. Charles Kess ler

Mrs. Ca rli ta E. Kilpat ri ck

Mr. Thomas M. Krikorian

Mr. A. C. Li eb ler

Mr. Harry A. Lo mason

Mr. Alpho nse S. Lucarelli

Mrs. jennifer Nasser

Dr. Charlone Podowski

Mrs. Ruth Rattner

Mr. Roy Roberts

Ms. Patricia Roclzik

Mr. William Sandy

Mr. Gregory Sc hwa r tz

Ms. Elham Sha yo ta

Mrs. Roger E Shennan

Mr. Ma rk Silverman

Mr. Fra nk D. Ste ll a

Mrs. Geo rge StfUmbos

Dr. Lorna Th omas

Mr. George C. Vincen t

Mr. Gary L. Wasserman

Mr. Richard C. Webb

Mr. Geo rge M. leltzer

Mrs. Dieter letsche

Di rectors Emeritus

Frank W Donovan

James H Gra m

Mrs. William john ston

Mr. Robert Vande rKl oot

Mr Mon Zieve

Mr. lSI Mrs. Yousif Gharfa ri

Mr. lSI Mrs Vito P Gioia

Mr. lSI Mrs. Ha rvey Grace

Mrs. Berj H Haidostia n

Mr. lSI Mrs David Handleman

Mr. lSI Mrs. Preston B. Happel

Mrs. Gail Hart

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart

Mr. lSI Mrs. Eugene Hartwig

Mrs Da vid B. Herme li n

Mr. lSI Mrs Patri ck E Hi ckey

The Han. lSI Mrs. joseph N. Impastato

Mr. lSI Mrs. Craig E. jackman

Mrs. David jack now

Mr. lSI Mrs. Darnell D. jack so n

Mr lSI Mrs. Richa rd janes

Mrs. Sybil jaqu es

Mr. Don j ense n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Gary E. johnson

Mr. lSI Mrs. Lawrence S. j ones

Mr. lSI Mrs. Ellio t j osep h

Mr. lSI Mrs. Maxwell jospe y

Mr. lSI Mrs. Mitchell i. Kafarski

Mr. lSI Mrs. William Kahn

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ohn Kap lan

Mrs. Charles Kessler

The Han. lSI Mrs. Kwame Kilpatrick

Mr. lSI Mrs. Eugen e L Klein

Mr. lSI Mrs. Robert Klein

Mr. lSI Mrs Mike Kojaian

Mr. lSI Mrs Thomas M. Krikorian

Mr. lSI Mrs. Wi lli a m Ku

Dr. lSI Mrs. Richard W Kulis

Mr. lSI Mrs. Angelo Lanni

Mr. lSI Mrs. Paul Lavins

Dr. lSI Mrs. Kim K. Lie

Mr. lSI Mrs. A. C. Li ebler

Dr. lSI Mrs. Robert P Li sa k

Mr. lSI Mrs. Harry A. Lomason

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ames H. LoPre te

Mr. Alph onse S. Luca relli

Ca rdinal Adam Maida

Ms. Flo rin e Mark

Mrs. Frank S. Marra

Dr. lSI Mrs. Ronald Martella

The Han. j ack lSI Dr. Be ttye

Arring ton-Ma rlin

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richard McBrien

Mrs. Wade H. McCree, j r.

Mr. lSI Mrs. Eugene A. Mi ll er

Mr. lSI Mrs j effrey Miro

Ms. Mon ica Moffat lSI

Me Pal rick McGuire

Dr. Ali Moiin lSI

Dr. William Kupsk y

Mr. lSI Mrs. Theodore Monolidis

Mr lSI Mrs. E. Clarence Mu laroni

Dr. lSI Mrs. Ste ph en Munk

Mr. lSI Mrs. E. Michael Mutchle r

Mrs. jennifer Nasse r

Mr. Ch ri sto pher ern

Mr. lSI Mrs. Harry Nosa nchuk

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ules L Pallone

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ames Pamel

Mr. lSI Mrs. Spe ncer Pa rt ri ch

Dr. Rober t E. L Perkins

Mr. Drew Peslar

Mr. lSI Mrs. Brock E. Plum b

Dr. Cha rl ot te lSI Mr. Char les

Podowski

Mrs. Da vid Pollack

Mrs. Heinz Prech ler

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ohn Rakoita , j r.

Mrs. Ruth Rattner

Mr. lSI Mrs. Anthon y Rea

Dr. Irvin D. Reid lSI Dr Pamel a Trotman Reid

Mr. lSI Mrs. j ames Rig by

Mr. lSI Mrs. Roy S. Roberts

Ms. Patricia H Radzik

Mr. lSI Mrs. Pete r Ronan

Mr. lSI Mrs. Irving Rose

Mr. lSI Mrs. Nor man Rose nfeld

Mrs. Carolyn L. Ross

Mr. lSI Mrs. Anthony Rugiero

Dr. Hershel Sandberg

Mr. lSI Mrs. Wi ll iam Sandy

Mrs. Linda Schafe r

Dr. lSI Mrs. Norman R. Sc hakne

Mr. lSI Mrs. Alan E. Sc hwartz

Mr. lSI Mrs. Gregory J Sc hwartz

Mr lSI Mrs. Donald E. Sc hwenclema nn

Mr. lSI Mrs. Merto n Segal

Mr. lSI Mrs. Mark Shaevsky

Mrs. Frank C. Shaler

Ms. Elham Shayota

Mr. lSI Mrs. Roger F Sherman

Mr. Mark Sil verma n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richard Sloan

Ms. Ph ylli s Funk Snow

Mr. lSI Mrs. David Snyder

Mr. lSI Mrs. Anthony L. Soave

Mr. Richa rd A. So nenklar

Dr. lSI Mrs. Sheldo n So nkin

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richa rd D. Starkweather

Mr. Frank D. Ste ll a

Ms Mary Ann Stella

Mr. lSI Mrs. Will iam Sto ne

Mr. lSI Mrs. Stephen Strome

Mr. lSI Mrs. George Stru mbos

Mr. Ronald E Switzer

Ms. judith Tappero

Mr. lSI Mrs. joel Tauber

Dr. lSI Mrs. Anthon y R Tersigni

Dr. Lorna Thom as

Mr. Sheldon lSI Dr. Roberta To ll

Mr. lSI Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Mr. lSI Mrs. Gary Torgow

Mr. lSI Mrs. George Torreano

Mrs. Lynn A. Tow nsend

Mr. james Trebilcott

Mr. & Mrs. RaYlllond J. Vecci

Mr. Steven VicLOr

Mr. lSI Mrs. George C. Vi nce nt

Mrs. Alvin Wasserma n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Gary L Wasserma n

Mr. lSI Mrs. Kennet h Way

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richard C. Webb

Mrs. Ameli a H. Wilhelm

Mr lSI Mrs Ted legouras

Mr. lSI Mrs. George M. le ltzer

Dr. lSI Mrs. Dieter le tsche

Dr. lSI Mrs. Morton lieve

Mrs. Pau l luckerman

Trustees Eme ri tus

Mrs. J ames Merriam Barnes

Dr. lSI Mrs. Robert Gerisch

Mrs. Aaron Gershenson

Mr &: Mrs. J ames Gram

Mrs. Katherine Gribbs

Mrs. Robert Ha mady

Mr. lSI Mrs. E. jan Hartmann

Mrs Walton Lewi s

Mrs . j esse Ma nn

Mrs. Ra lph Polk

Mr. lSI Mrs. Fred Sc hn ei dewi nd

Mrs. Mark C. Stevens

Mr. lSI Mrs. Robert Van derKloot

Founding Members

Mr. lSI Mrs. Lynn A. Townsend

Founding Chairmen

The Han. lSI Mrs. Avern L. Co hn

Dr. lSI Mrs. john DeCa rl o

Dr. lSI Mrs. Dalod DiChiera

Mr. lSI Mrs. Aaron H Gers henson

Mr. lSI Mrs. Donald C. Graves

The Han. lSI Mrs. Roman S. Gribbs

Mr. lSI Mrs. john C. Griffin

Mr. lSI Mrs. Harry L. jones

The Han. lSI Mrs. Wade McC ree,]r.

Mr. Harry J Nederlander

Mr. E. Harwood Ryd holm

Mr. lSI Mrs. Nei l Snow

Mr. lSI Mrs. Richard Stricha rtz

Mr. lSI Mrs. Robert C. VanderK loo t

Dr. lSI Mrs. Sam B. Will iams

Mr lSI Mrs Theodore O. Ynlema m

ONationwide Foundation

Dr. lSI Mrs. Ch ristophe r D. Wi lh elm

Mr. R.jamison Williams,jr.

Dr. lSI Mrs. Sa m B. Williams

Mrs. R. Alexan der Wrig ley

The Han. joan E. Young lSI

Mr. Thomas L. Sc hell en berg

Mr. lSI Mrs. j oh n E. Yo un g

Dr. Lucia Zamora no

Ensuring the Future

Ima gine a gift that outlives you - that touches future generation s in your absence - to experience and enj oy the world of Opera

That' s the goal of The Avanti Society, Michigan Opera Theatre 's Pl anned Gift Recognition Pro gram.

The Avanti Society represent s a de signated group of friends of Michi gan Opera Theatre who have made plans to include the organization in their estate plan s-whether by will , trust , insuran ce, or life income arran gement. Membership in The Avanti Society is open to all.

Members of The Avant i So ciety rece ive a beautifully de signed lapel pin, recognition at the annual Avanti Evening , invitation s to

THE AVANTI SOCIETY FOUNDING MEMBERS

Mrs Adele Amerman

Dr. Lourd es V Anda ya

M r. & Mrs. Agus tin Arbulu

Ches ter & Emeli a Arnol d

Mr. & Mrs. J. Ad di son Banush *

Mr. & Mrs. Brett Batterson

Mr. &: Mrs. A rt Blair

Roy E. &. lise Calcagno

Gladys Ca ldroney

Dr. Robert E. Co rncue*

Dr. & Mrs. Vie lOr j. Cervcnak

Mr. & Mrs. Tarik Daoud*

Mr & Mrs. Robert E. Dewar*

Ka ren Vand er Kl oo l DiChiera *

Mr. & Mrs. Cha rl es H. Duncan

Mrs. Charl es M. Endicott *

Mr. & Mrs. Herb Fi she r

Pamela R. Francis

Barbara Franke l &: Ron al d

Mi chalak *

Mr &: Mrs. Herman Frank el *

Mrs. Rem3 Fra nkel*

Dr. &: Mrs. Byro n P. Geo rgeso n

Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D. *

Mr. lawrence W Hall

Mr. & Mrs. J ero me Halperin

Mr. Dav id Hand leman*

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth E. Han

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Hart wig

Dr. Cindy Hung

Kris tin Ja ram ill o

Mr. Dona ld Jensen

Mr. & Mrs. Erwin H. Kl oprcr*

Misses Ph ylli s &. Se lma Korn

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Krolikowski

Mr. & Mrs. Sa lvador P Mascali

Mrs. Wad e H McCree

Ms. Jane McK ee

Drs. Orlando & Dorothy Miller

Mr. Ronald K Morri so n

Mr. Dal e J Pan go nis

Mr. Ric hard M. Raisin

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattn er*

Margueri te & James Ri gby

Ms. Pat ricia Rodz ik

Ms. Susa n Schoone r

Drs. Hei nz & Alice Piau Schwarz

Mrs. Fra nk C. Shal er

Ms. Mary Ell en Tappan*

Dona ld &: Margaret Th urber

Mr. Edward D. Tu sse t!

Mr. &: Mrs George Vincent

Mrs. Ameli a H Wilh elm *

Elizabeth &: Walter P. Work

Mr. &. Mrs. George M. Ze lt zer

MEMBERS

Mr. &: Mrs. Roben A. Aliesee*

Mr. &: Mrs. Man dell Be rm an

Dr David DiCh iera *

Ms. Mary Jan e Doe rr*

Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Freeman

Mr. & Mrs. Ste ph en Hago pi an

Mr. & Mrs Robert Klein*

Ms. Ka thl ee n Monroe

Dr. &: Mrs. Stephe n Munk

Mr. J os hu a Rest

Mr. Stanrord C. Stoddard

FULFILLED BEQUESTS

Mr. Allen B. Christman

Ms. Marjori e Adele DeV l ieg

Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Dewa r*

Mr. Jam es P Di amond

Mrs Charl ott e Bush Fa llin g

Mr. Edward P. Frohlich

Ms. Prisci ll a A. B. Goode ll

Mr. Ernest Goodma n

Mrs Robert M. Ham ad),

Mr. Bruce Hillman

Mr. Gordon V. Hoialmen

Mr. Carl J. Huss

Ms. Hel en Barbara Joh nsto n

Mrs Ella M. Montro y

Ms. Rut h Raw lin gs MOlt

Ms Clarice Odge rs Pe rcox

Mr. Th omas G. Poner

Mr. Mitc hell J Romanowski

Mr. Edward C. Stahl

Mrs Mary Ellen Tappan*

Mr. Ernes t J. Wilde

Touch the Future Donor/ Av anti Event Spon so rs

Mrs. Ade le Amer man

Mr. &: Mrs. Ri chard Starkweather

Mr. & Mrs. George Vincent

Ms. Phyllis Flin k Snow Avanti Logo & Pin De sig n

Mr & Mrs. Ric hard Starkwea the r Mon ica Morrat &. Pal McG uire

Mrs. Mark C. Slevens*

Jonathan Sw irt & Thomas A. *Av(l llli Society members \Vllo (Ire

St. Charl es als o TOUcJ l lll e Fli ll O'C dOllo rs.

Mr. Ronald F. Swilzer

special events and performances and are listed as member s in our Program Books throughout each season

AN AVANTI FOR TOMORROW

The growth of Michi gan Opera Theatre 's permanent Endowment Fund , ensures the growth and future vitality of one of the region 's greatest cultural asset s You are invited to create your own legacy - your Avanti - through Michi gan Opera Theatre.

You may use the enclo se d confidential reply card to indicate your gift , or contact Mary Parkhill at (31 3) 237-3438 , to di sc uss gift options that may benefit you , your heirs and Michi gan Op era Theatre.

Confidential Reply: Please re tu rn this form to Mary Parkhill, Michigan Opera Th eatre, 1526 Broadway, De troit , MI 48226 or em ail mparkhill @motop era. org

Name (s) ____

Address City ______ State __ Zip _ _

Phone (day) __ (eve)

Best tim e to call: _____

o Yes, pleas e send info n11a ti on r egarding p lanned gifts

o Vwe alrea d y qualify for Th e Avanti Society

Please b rie fl y d esc ribe the estate gift that qu alifies yo u fo r membership (all information su bmitted will be kept confiden tial):

In March 2004, Michigan Opera Theatre met the final benchmark for th e Touch th e Future campaign! As a result, $300,000 in matching funds was plac ed into MOTs endowment a t the Co mmunity Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. After this initial award, another $390,00 0 in bonus pool matching funds was added to that endowment. Another $ 100 ,000 in bonus opera ting funds was also awarded. Fundraising for the endowment will

continue until the bonus pool of matching funds is depleted. MOT is in competition with the lea d ers hip grantees to claim thos e matching funds on a firstcome , first -serve basis . If yo u are thinking about setting up a Charitable Gift Annuity or other qualifying pl ann ed gift for Tou ch th e Future , pleas e don 't h es i-tate to contact the planned giving office at (313) 237-3438

Michigan Opera Theatre thanks the followin g generous Touch the Future Donors , whose combin ed $2,100 ,000 in planned gifts h ave generated $690 ,000 in m atching funds:

Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Allesee

Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush

Mr. & Mrs. Mandell Berman

Dr Robert E. Cornette

Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Dewar

Dr. David DiChiera

Karen VanderKloot DiChi era

Mr. & Mrs. Tarik Daoud

Ms. Mary Jane Do err

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott

Barbara Franke l & Ronald Michalak

Mr. & Mrs Herman Frankel

Mrs. Rema Frankel

Mr. David Handleman

Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Kl ein

Mr. & Mrs Erwin Klopfer

Mrs Ruth Rattn er

Mrs . Mary Ellen Tappan

Mrs. John C. Stevens

Mrs. Amelia Wilhelm

Wh en you give to the endowment of your fa vorite charity, regardle ss of the amount , you do an incredible thing- you touch people 's lives for years to com e And the feeling you get from that is impossible to measure in dollars and cents. Find out more by contacting the Michigan Opera Theatre at (313) 237-3438 or the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan at 1-888-WE-ENDOW or www cfsem org

l Affairs Foun dalio n Louis &: Ne lli e Sieg

Tile Nutcrad?cl' Perfomlance Golf &: Tennis Outing Golf Bra vo Bravo Bricks and Opera Ball Sponsor Fo und atio n

Co-Sponsor Ball Sponsor Mortar Sponsor SIGNAL BENEFACTOR Oli ver Dewey Marcks Golf &: Tennis Outing Silver Clear Channel Entertainment

UAW-GM Center fo r Hum an Golf &: Tennis Outing Tee Commscope $100 ,000 + f ound atio n Sponsor

Reso urces Bravo Bravo Bricks ancl McGregor Fund Sage Found atio n Young Wo ma ns Hom e Dance Theatre of Harlem

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Sponsors Mortar Sponsor Shirley Sc hlafe r Dance Fund The Ma ry Thompson Associa ti o n Co merica Ins ura nce

Adopt-A-Schoo l Spo nso r Golf &: Tennis Outing Tee Co nsul tec h Co nstru ction La Bayadere Production Foundalion

Dear Friends, Its hard to believe that another summer has come to a close Now that we have completed our seventh season of Learning at the Opera House , we find ourselves

preparing for what is destined to be an extraordinary season of education and outreach programming.

Each year the Department of Community Programs tours one-act operas, musical revues and educational programs throughout Michigan, neighboring states and Ontario, Canada.

We perform for many adult groups at private parties, places of business, senior citizen centers, colleges and universities , houses of worship and community centers. We perforn1 for families at art fairs and festi vals.

Most of our performances are for schools where we develop and perform works that fit into The Michigan Curriculum Framework and Benchmarks These programs aid in teaching core curriculum studies, enabling students to learn about musical theater, opera, opera singers and healthy singing, while also learning about social studies, literature, science, math , etc.

This year, Michigan Opera Theatre has commissioned the creation of a new opera that fits beautifully into the social studies curriculum. Margaret Gamer is based on a true story about an enslaved woman who escapes with her family from Kentuck y to Ohio, only to be recaptured b y her "master" and a posse. To pre ve nt her children from returning to slavery Margaret Garner takes their lives and then kills herself.

Some older students will have an opportunity to see the opera. However, this compelling piece of American history suggested to us that our Department of Community Programs can concentrate

on presenting works that focus on the Core Democratic Values as outlined by the Michigan Department of Education Social Studies division.

Karen R. Todorov, Social Studies Education Consultant for the Michigan Department of Education, and a long time Michigan Opera Theatre season ticket holder, offered to help with curricular writing because of our shared conviction that much of opera actually is social studies. There is no doubt about it in this year dedicated to Margaret Garner and what her story can mean to us today

Ms. Todorov assembled a team of curriculum speCialists who attended three all-day "brain-storming" sessions, two writing review sessions and attended all of the Margaret Gamer lectures and tours presented in the 2004 Learning at the Opera House summer session. The team has written curriculum about the Ma rgaret Gamer opera, as well as curriculum about the core values presented in each of our tour programs.

For middle school and high school students as well as adults, a new work has been created by performers Oliver Pookram and Madelyn Porter called, "No Doubt! - A Commitment To The Principals OJ Equality, Justic e And Freedom." This 45minute-long piece uses musi c and poetry to chronicle the history of African Americans in the United States. and features the beautiful voice of Betty Lane.

For elementary students, we ha ve two offerings. One is Vigilance, an opera to be performed by children. The short piece, for which I wTOte the music and joan V Hill wrote the libretto, is about the Underground Railroad in Detroit and follows a wilderness, fur-trading family as they help an escaping slave family Vigilance may be perfonl1ed by itself, or serve as the finale of an assembly program with related recitations , songs and artwork created and presented b y other children in each participating school.

The other offering for children is The Araboolies OJ Liberty Street, with music by Ronald Perera to a libretto b y Constance Congdon. This opera is based on a book by the same name b y Sam Swope. When the boisterous Araboolie family and their

unusual pets move into a house on Liberty Street, the mean General Pinch and his wife are enraged! The children of Liberty Street love the Araboolies and carry out a plot that brings the story to a happy ending for everyone except the Pinches! (From The ABC'S, A Bibliography of Children's Books with Social Studies Themes *)

Our sincerest thanks to Karen R. Todorov and her distinguished team of curriculum writers! They are: jeannie Brousseau , Dr. Martin Herman , jo yce johnson, Barbara Martin, Kim Martin , Robert Martin, jr., Dorothy PopOvich, Ida Short, and Karen Williams.

Additional touring programs this season include our mini Hansel and Gretel. Whether in a school or any other facility, Hansel and Gretel is perfect entertainment for the winter holidays. Also, adults who enjoy our Broadway Revue (which we rewrite each yea r) may request their favOlite composerllyricist teams or their favorite songs to be included in the performance.

As always, we can send out lecturers to yo ur clubs or libraries to speak about Opera, Arts and Education, The History of Michigan Opera Theatre, Careers in the Arts, our dance and opera seasons, and many other topics.

To book programs or to request our tour brochure , contact Community Programs Marketing Manager, Dolore s Tobis at (313) 237-3429 or Email her at dtobis@motopera.org. If you have speCial programming requests, contact our tour manager, Mark Vondrak at (313) 2373404 or mvondrak@motopera.org.

We are excited about our tour programs this year and look forward to visiting old friends and making new friends for Michigan Opera Theatre!

Sincerely yo urs ,

Karen V DiChiera Director of Community Programs &: Learning at the Opera House

ment of education.

Detroit Opera House

Barbara Gibson Young Artist Apprentice Program

The launching of Barbara Gibsons career reads like a sCript from a Hollywood movie. She had been studying for three years with Maestro Sturani, w h en he invited a group of his Metropolitan Opera friends, including soprano Bidu Sayao, baritone Giuseppe Danise and te n or Giovanni Martine lli to h ear the 19year-o ld soprano. After the recital, Danise was so impressed that he was able to arrange an audition for Barbara with Arthur J udson of Columbia Artists Management Inc. That very day, it happened that th e producer of 'The Telephone Hour" had an appointment at Columbia, and he was persuaded to listen to the young coloratura. She was immediately sign ed to a Co lumbia Artists contract an d a debut on a national radio broadcast in September 1949. A recording contract with RCA soon fo ll owed as we ll as an appearance on th e "Vo ice of Firestone" broadcast simu ltaneously on radio and televisio n.

Ln 1952, she was c hosen by the legendary Arturo Toscanini to sing in the radi o broadcast of Glucks O/jeo ed Euri.dice. Soon a fter, she made her operatic debut with Cincinnati Opera Association as Gild a in Rigoletto. In 1954 she appeared with the San Francisco Opera as Rosina, Oscar and Zerlina. The following spring she was c h osen to partiCipate in a five-week cu ltural good will tour of Europe. After a triumphant performance with the Berlin Philharmonic, Der Tagesspiegal proclaimed, "Barbara Gibson brought back to life the great era of coloratura singing." Her second tour of Europe climaxed with the winning of first prize in the womans vocal division of

It aly's Giambattista Viotti contest. First prize had never been awarded in the vo ice division. Moreover, according to the Associated Press wire report [lashed around the world, Barb ara Gibson was the first Ame rican to win a first prize in any of the four contest divisions (voice, piano, violin, and composition.)

Returning after an exhaustive and extended national concert tour, sh e took the music wo rl d by surp rise when, at th e height of her vocal powers, she announced that she wou ld retire from the stage and dedicate herself to raising her young family in Detroit Michigan, bringing a premature end to a meteoric career.

In 1965, Dr. David DiChiera, who had committed himself to estab lishing an opera co mp any in Detroit, persuaded her to be the featured artist in the Overture to Opera Series, pe rforming the mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor in eight performances throughout the Metropolitan Detroit area. She b ecame a founding board member of the lledgling company, providin g constant artistic advice, and introduced DiChiera to many colleagues, including famous Italian basso Italo Tajo, who came to Detroit to s ing in n Campanella and direct the co mpanys first fu ll -length production, The Barber oj Seville.

Barbara Gibson's commitment to MOT has continued through the years, a nd in 2002, a generou s en dowment gift established the Barbara Gibson Young Artist Program, which will support Michigan Opera Theatres ongoing commitment to training and preparing the opera stars o f tomorrow.

Barbara Gibso n as Lucia in th e 1968 Overture to Opera Series

Michigan Opera Theatre 2004-20 05 Young Ar tist Apprentices

Michael Mayes DeRoy Testamentary Foundation Young Artist

Krysty L. Swann Joyce H. Cohn Young Artist

General Information

PHOTOGRAPHY Be RECORDING DEVICES Unauthorized cameras and recording devices are not allowed inside the lobby or theater at any time. The taking of photographs of the theater or any performance is strictly prohibited. As a courtesy to our guests , we ask that all paging devices , cell phones and alarm watches be switched to silent mode prior to the start of a performance.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Doctors and parents are advised to leave their seat location Oocated 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 safely A trained Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is on site during most events. Please see an usher or staff member to contact the EMT.

RESTROOMS Ladies ' restrooms are located off the Ford Lobby (Broadway street entrance), down the stairs and also on the third floor (Madison street entrance) - please press "3 R" on the elevator to reach this faCility. Gentlemens restrooms are located under the Grand Staircase and also on the third floor (Broadway street entrance) - please press "3" on the elevator to reach this faCility

Please note: All third-floor restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Unisex accessible restroom located in the GM Opera Cafe .

NO SMOKING The Detroit Opera House is a smoke-free faCility Ash receptacles 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 ushers , and they will contact management. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer usher, please call the usher hotline at (313) 237-3253.

LATE SEATING Latecomers will be seated only during an appropriate pause in the program and may view the program on the closed-circuit television monitor located in the Ford lobby until an appropriate program pause occurs Late seating poliCies are at the discretion of the production, not opera house management.

LOST Be FOUND Lost and Found is located in the Security Department. Please see an usher if you have misplaced an a rticle , or call (313) 961-3500 if you have already left the theater. Items will be h eld in Lost and Found for 30 days.

PARKING Parking for all events is available in the Opera House Garage, located directly across from the Detroit Opera House (on John R. and Broadway streets). Prepaid parking is available through the box office. Please call (313) 237 -SING for parking

information.

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

Assisted Listening Devices are available on a first-come, firstserved basis. Please see an usher 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. Please contact the Box Office, should you desire speCial consideration.

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 Please note that food and drinks are not allowed in the auditorium at any time. Coat check is located in the Ford lobby The cost is $1.00 per coat. Please note that the Detroit Opera House does not accept responsibility for any personal articles that are not checked at the coat check. Drinking foun t ains are located in the lobbies on floors one and three. Public pay phones are located in the vestibule of the Ford Lobby Patrons in wheelchairs can access pay phones outside the third-floor ladies ' restrooms

RENTAL INFORMATION

The Detroit Opera House is available for rent by your organization. Please call (313) 961-3500 and ask to be directed to the SpeCial Events Department.

TICKET INFORMATION

The Detroit Opera House Ticket Office hours are as follows: Non-performance weeks - Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Performance days - 10:00 a.m. through the first intermission of the evenings performance , except Saturdays and Sundays , when the Ticket Office will open two hours prior to curtain Tickets for all public events held at the Detroit Opera House are also available through all TicketMaster phone and retail outlets or at TicketMaster.com.

OPERA HOUSE TOURS Come join the Opera House

Ambassadors for a backstage tour of the De troit Opera House Learn about the history of the Opera House and its restoration. Meet the people behind the scenes, tour the stage and see how it operates. Tours are $10.00 per person For more information, please call (313) 237 -34 25. B

Be advised that, for purpo ses of Michigan Compiled Laws , Sectio n 28.4250(1)(0, this is an entertainment faCility that ha s a seating capaci ty of more than 2,500 individu a ls It is therefore against the law to carry a concealed pistol on the premises.

GIACOMO PUCCINI'S Tasca

April 9-17

2005 Opera Schedule

OPE

ATTENTION SINGLE TICKET BUYERS! Buy two of Michigan Opera Theatre1s 2005 Spring season operas and get one free. New subscribers only. Offer only good for orchestra and mezzanine seating. For more information call the Michigan Opera Theatre ticket office: (313) 237-SING

RICHARD DANIELPOUR

Margaret Garner

May 7-22

June 4-12

PERFORMANCE is a commitment to

With its commitment to excellence in every performance, the Michigan Opera Theatre enriches our community and the quality of our lives .

The MASCO family of companies proudly supports the Michigan Opera Theatre's great productions in its 2004-2005 season.

We believe a strong, supportive presence in the community where we live, work and do business is vital. It strengthens our dedication to excellence in all that we do.

Courtesy of Michigan Opera Theatre

Courtesy of Michigan Opera Theatre

National Ballet of Canada

October 7-10,2005

The 2004-2005 season begins in grand style with a highly-anticipated appearance by the National Ballet of Canada. In this celebrated first visit to the Detroit Opera House, The National Ballet of Canada will dance a program of two balletic favorites, The Firebird and The Four Seasons.

Featuring James Kudelka's stunning choreography, and set to Stravinsky's powerful score, The Firebird is a colorful and exotic fairy tale of a Prince and Princess whose love is saved by the powers of a magical Firebird. The ballet, with over 40 dancers and costumes and sets designed by Santo Loquanto, is the result of a unique collaboration between National Ballet of Canada, Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

The second half of this exciting program is The Four Seasons, an epic work based upon the lifetime journey of one man. The music, of course, is Vivaldi's brilliant score of the same name.

The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's premier dance company and ranks as one of the world's top international dance companies. Founded in 1951 by English dancer Celia Franca, the company was established as a classical company and it is still the only Canadian troupe to present a full range of traditional full-evening ballet classics.

The National Ballet of Canada

James Kudelka-Artistic Director Kevin Garland-Executive Director

200412005 ROSTER

THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA

Celia Franca, C.C., Founder

George Crum, Music Director Emeritus

JAMES KUDELKA

Artistic Director

ORMSBY WILKINS

Music Director & Principal Conductor

MAGDALENAPOPA

Principal Ballet Mistress

KEVIN GARLAND Executive Director

KARENKAIN

Artistic

Associate

ALEKSANDAR ANTONIJEVIC, VICTORIA BERTRAM, RYAN BOORNE, GUILLAUME COTE, JENNIFER FOURNIER, CHAN HON GOH, REX HARRINGTON, GRETA HODGKINSON, MARTINE LAMY, SONIA RODRIGUEZ, TOMAS SCHRAMEK*, HAZAROS SURMEYAN*, XIAO NAN YU

Stephanie Hutchison, Nehemiah Kish, Richard Landry, Patrick Lavoie, Stacey Shiori Minagawa, Heather Ogden, Rebekah Rimsay, Bumise Silvius, Piotr Stanczyk

Jean-Sebastien Colau, Julie Hay, Keiichi Hirano, Tanya Howard, Etienne Lavigne, Lisa Robinson, Je-an Salas, Avinoam Silverman, Jillian Vanstone

Laura Bolton, Kevin Bowles, Jordana Daumec, Krista Dowson, Tanya Evidente, Leonie Gagne, Alexandra Golden, Joshua Grant, Juri Hiraoka, Tamara Jones, Lise-Marie Jourdain, James Leja, Sophie Letendre, Tiffany Mosher, Daisuke Ohno, Andreea Olteanu, Alejandra Perez-Gomez, Louisa Rachedi, Erin Richardson, Kanako Sakamoto, Leslie Schroeter, Dong Hyun Seo, Adam Toth, Edward Tracz, Joseph Welbes, Aarik Wells

Apprentice Programme: Dallas Blagg, Elena Lobsanova, Jacob Niedzwiechi, Jenna Savella, Robert Stephen, Nan Wang

Assistant to the Artistic Director

PETER OTTMANN

Ballet Mistresses

LORNA GEDDES

MANDY-JAYNE RICHARDSON

Balanchine Repetiteur JOYSANNE SIDIMUS

Stage Managers

Rigoletto

Giuseppe Verdi

October 23-31, 2004

A masterful depiction of a father's love for his daughter, Verdi's dramatic tragedy spins the woeful tale of Rigoletto, the razor-tongued court jester. A paternal curse renders him powerless against his enemies who plot against him. Fooled into assisting in the abduction of his own daughter, Rigoletto's heart is pushed to the limit as he is forced to watch her suffer at the hands of his licentious master, the Duke of Mantua. Enraged, he plans the perfect revenge ... death for the Duke, and retribution for his daughter. As the plot twists, the power of the curse is realized and Rigoletto is left holding the broken shards of his sad life.

PERFORMED IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLE TRANSLATIONS

Sat. Oct.23 8:00PM

Sun. Oct. 24 2:00PM

Wed. Oct.27 7:30PM

Fri. Oct.29 8:00PM

Sat. Oct.30 8:00PM

Sun. Oct.31 2:00PM

Rigoletto: Gordon Hawkins

Gilda: Ying Huang

Duke: Scott Piper

Monterone: Donald Hartmann

Sparafucile: Burak Bilgili

Maddelena: Jesse Raven

Conducted by: Lukas Karytinos

Directed by: Mario Corradi

"The genius of Verdi was at its peak as the Master Composer penned the glorious and moving score of Rigoietto, which, along with Ii Trovatore and La Traviata, firmly cemented his position as the preeminent composer of his day. From the beloved "La donna e mobile," one of opera's most famous arias, to the exquisite "Caro nome," the immortal melodies of Verdi's first great masterpiece always leave us wanting more!"

- David DiChiera

Faust

Charles Gounod

November 13-20,2004

Is there any price too high for the promise of eternal youth? This timeless question is posed in Charles Gounod's classic tale of a man who makes a deal with the devil, selling his very soul for virility and lust. Aided by Mephistopheles, Faust deceives the beautiful and deeply pious Marguerite into giving herselfto him. Shamed by her sins, Marguerite falls into madness, before committing an unforgivable crime, and is sentenced to death. Faust masterfully captures man's struggle between good and evil.

PERFORMED IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLE TRANS LA TIONS

Sat. Nov 13 8:00PM

Sun. Nov. 14 2:00PM

Wed. Nov.17 7:30PM

Fri. Nov.19 8:00PM

Sat. Nov.20 8:00PM

Sun Nov.21 2:00PM

Faust: William Burden

Mephistopheles: Kyle Ketelsen

Marguerite : Pamela Armstrong, Robin Follman

Valentin: Frank Hernandez

Siebel: Kirsten Gunlogson

Conducted by: Mark Flint

"Second only to Bizet's Carmen as the world's most popular French Opera, Charles Gounod's Faust is replete with rich, erotic melodies, and features a host of famous arias, waltzes and choral ensembles. We are so excited to present this glorious grand opera for the first time in more than a decade."

- David DiChiera

Copyright 2010, Michigan Opera Theatre

GERARD POWERS

Tenor (USA)

2004 Season: Faust, November 14, 19 & 21

Michigan Opera Theatre debut: Carmen, 2001

Recently: Les Contes d 'Hoffmann (De Vlaamse Opera), La Boheme (Royal Albert Hall), La Rondine (New York City Opera)

Upcoming: Madame Butterfly (New York City Opera)

STEPHEN

ROSS, Lighting Designer

Michigan Opera Theatre debut: Don Giovanni, 1990

2004 Season: Faust

Recently: Don Pasquale

Upcoming: La Boh e me, Aladdin, I Puritani

JOANNE WEAVER, Wig and Makeup Designer

Michigan Opera Theatre debut: Tosca , 1995

2004 Season: The Magic Flute, The Pirates ojPenzanc e, The Pearl Fish e rs, Rigoletto, Faust

Recently: Des Moines Opera, Washington Opera, Baltimore Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Colorado, Florentine Opera, Wolf Trap and Opera Pacific

SUPERNUMERARIES

Bruce Davis

William Kupsky

Josh Madden

Ali Moiin

WIG AND MAKEUP CREW

Lorrie DiskilI

Elizabeth Geck

DeShawn Glosson

Shawn a Koloff

Jayda Rivers

Noel Vermander

Angela D. Williams Copyright