PROGRAM: The Cunning Little Vixen

SAT / MAY 11 / 7:30PM FRI / MAY 17 / 7:30PM SUN / MAY 19 / 2:30PM

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JULY 1, 2023— JUNE 30, 2024

CHAIR

Ethan D. Davidson

VICE CHAIR

Mary Kramer

VICE CHAIR

Denise J. Lewis

VICE CHAIR

Don Manvel

PRESIDENT & CEO

Patty Isacson Sabee

SECRETARY

Gene P. Bowen

TREASURER

Bharat C. Gandhi

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

R. Jamison Williams

Naomi André

Richard A. Brodie

James Ciroli

Kevin Dennis

Lisa M. DiChiera

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Enrico Digirolamo

Maria C. Duey

Marianne Endicott

Fern Espino

Paul E. Ewing

John P. Hale

John W. Ingle III

Barbara Kratchman

Dexter Mason

Ali Moiin

Donald Morelock

Allan Nachman

Ann Nicholson

Sara Pozzi

Paul Ragheb

Ruth Rattner

Irvin D. Reid

Pamela E. Rodgers

Evan D. Ross

Ankur Rungta

Terry Shea

Matthew Simoncini

Richard Sonenklar

Peter C. Stern

Lorna Thomas

Jesse Venegas

Gary L. Wasserman

Ellen Hill Zeringue

DIRECTORS

EMERITI

Elizabeth Brooks

Shelly Cooper

Marjorie M. Fisher

Herman Frankel

Dean Friedman

Jennifer Nasser

Charlotte Podowski

Audrey Rose

William Sandy

C. Thomas Toppin

Richard Webb

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JULY 1, 2023— JUNE 30, 2024

Lourdes V. Andaya

Naomi André

Harold Mitchell Arrington

Floy Barthel

Barbra Bloch

Gene P. Bowen

Richard Brodie

Charles D. Bullock

James & Elizabeth Ciroli

Lois Pincus Cohn

Thomas Cohn

Françoise Colpron

Peter & Shelly Cooper

Maureen D’Avanzo

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Cristina DiChiera

Lisa M. DiChiera

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Debbie Dingell

Mary Jane Doerr

Maria C. Duey

Kenneth & Frances Eisenberg

Marianne Endicott

Alex Erdeljan

Fern R. Espino & Thomas Short

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Margo Cohen Feinberg & Robert Feinberg

Oscar & Dede Feldman

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

Barbara Garavaglia

Yousif & Mara Ghafari

Toby Haberman

John & Kristan Hale

Derek Hodgson

John & Tara Ingle III

Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Kent & Amy Jidov

Jill Johnson

Ellen Kahn

Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Mary Kramer

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

Denise J. Lewis

Arthur & Nancy Liebler

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Mary Alice Lomason

Don Manvel

Jack Martin & Bettye Arrington-Martin

Dexter Mason

Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel

Phillip D. Minch

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Donald & Antoinette Morelock

E. Michael & Dolores Mutchler

Allan & Joy Nachman

Ann Nicholson

Juliette Okotie-Eboh

Linda Orlans

Spencer & Myrna Partrich

Margaret Pehrson

Sara Pozzi

Waltraud Prechter

Ted & Carrie Pryor

Paul & Amy Ragheb

John & Terry Rakolta

Ruth F. Rattner

Irvin D. Reid & Pamela Trotman Reid

Pamela E. Rodgers

Jacqueline Roessler

Audrey Rose

Evan & Kelsey Ross

Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Hershel & Dorothy Sandberg

Terry Shea

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Sheila Sloan

Richard A. Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

Mary Anne Stella

Peter C. Stern

Lorna Thomas

James G. Vella

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

Jeff & Amy Voigt

Bradley Wakefield & Meghann Rutherford

Gary L. Wasserman

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Mary Lou Zieve

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Agustin Arbulu

Lawrence & Dodie David

Dean & Aviva Friedman

Preston & Mary Happel

Robert & Wally Klein

Charlotte & Charles Podowski

William & Marjorie Sandy

Roberta Starkweather

C. Thomas & Bernie Toppin

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Lynn* & Ruth* Townsend

Avern* & Joyce* Cohn

John & Mardell* De Carlo

David* & Karen V.* DiChiera

Aaron* & Bernice* Gershenson

Donald* & Josephine* Graves

Roman* & Katherine* Gribbs

John* & Gwendolyn* Griffin

Harry* & Jennie* Jones

Wade* & Dores* McCree

Harry J. Nederlander*

E. Harwood Rydholm*

Neil & Phyllis* F. Snow

Richard* & Beatrice* Strichartz

Robert* & Clara* “Tuttie” VanderKloot

Sam* & Barbara* Williams

Theodore* & Virginia* Yntema

KEY

* Deceased

A message from Yuval Sharon

“I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

—John Muir

“From any spot within its border, the forest is just a possibility: the aggregate of possible acts of our which, when carried out, would lose their real value. The part of the forest immediately before us is a screen.”

—Jose Ortega y Gasset

Like a restless, wild animal, The Cunning Little Vixen dodges any attempt to tame it with too-easy explanations or symbolic interpretations. Staging The Cunning Little Vixen involves no shortage of delicate balances. The production must be playful without being childish, poetic without being heavy-handed, deeply compassionate but never sentimental, and highly imaginative in itself but always igniting the audience’s imagination first and foremost. Like the music, it must be fleet, direct, clear, and full of surprises. The extreme strangeness of the work must not be cloaked in a neutralizing naturalization, even though the speech rhythms and orchestral timbres might seem to spring Nature before our eyes like a pop-up book. Instead, the work’s singular strangeness must provoke wonder and astonishment—for this opera is as unconventional as it gets.

Initially conceived as an “opera with pantomime,” Janáček later described Vixen as a “forest idyll”—less driven by narrative and traditional character arcs and more an impressionistic journey through Nature’s cycle of life. In fact, it is the forest that plays the central character of the opera. Nature is a blank screen onto which we project our own fears, desires, and memories. The forest can be both a wise, silent teacher, whose lesson is life’s eternal renewal; and it can be a mirror, reflecting back only what we project onto it ourselves. Nature’s mystery stems from it offering us both objective reality and a repetition of our own subjectivity— we go into Nature hoping it will have an answer to a question of ours, but we read into it only what we want.

This production lets everyone involved be free. The animated sets and costumes let us move between literal and abstract realms with complete fluidity, never encumbered by clunky scenery. The singers are free from the physical burden of trying to convince us they are wild animals and instead focus on the essential delivery of the character with their most powerful expressive tools: their voices and their heads. And, most importantly, the audience is free to create their own interpretations on this strange and wondrous work.

Yuval Sharon Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director, Detroit Opera

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PHOTO BY THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA

A message from Patty Isacson Sabee

There’s a special magic to Detroit in springtime, and it’s not just the weather. This year, we present Janáček’s enchanting opera about nature’s cycle of life on the heels of last month’s NFL Draft, which brought more than 775,000 visitors to Detroit—some seeing the city for the first time in many years, or for the first time ever. That follows a season in which the Detroit Lions gained local and national fans, with more than half the country reportedly rooting for Detroit during the post-season.

Sports are just part of the lure of downtown Detroit. We’re smack in the middle of the city’s rich culture scene, and we love that Detroit Opera is part of the mix, whether it’s classical, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, or the outdoor Movement and Jazz festivals. You can easily go to an opera, theater, or concert performance during the day and watch a baseball game the same evening.

Spring is the time of year when we announce Detroit Opera’s upcoming season, and there’s magic there, too. We’ll open the season on October 19 with Verdi’s La traviata , directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Roberto Kalb. The dance season will open on November 2 with Mark Morris Dance Group performing The Look of Love , an homage to Burt Bacharach with musical collaborator Ethan Iverson. We’ll present the world premiere of Yuval Sharon’s futuristic new production of Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte , which could not be more timely as we ponder the role of artificial intelligence in today’s world. We will also present Anthony Davis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Central Park Five , conducted by Anthony Parnther, one of the foremost interpreters of Davis’s music. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo—one of the most captivating stage performers in all of opera—will sing the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo. In addition to Mark Morris Dance Group, five other top ballet and contemporary dance companies from around the world come to Detroit this season: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Malandain Ballet Biarritz.

After four months, it still gives me chills to be able to say, “President and CEO of Detroit Opera.” The magic is real. You can subscribe and learn more about our upcoming season at detroitopera.org.

Thanks for joining us this season, and we look forward to seeing you again in October!

Patty Isacson Sabee President & CEO, Detroit Opera

PHOTO

Animating

The Cunning Little Vixen is the first of Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s operas to be performed at Detroit Opera. Director Yuval Sharon and conductor Roberto Kalb recently spoke with Arthur White, Detroit Opera’s Director of External Affairs, about what makes this opera so special. Their discussion has been condensed and edited for space, but you can listen to the full conversation at Detroit Opera’s OperaHERE podcast, available via your favorite podcasting app.

Arthur White: This production of The Cunning Little Vixen began with the Cleveland Orchestra back in 2014. How did this project come about, and why is now the time to bring it to Detroit?

Yuval Sharon: The Cunning Little Vixen is an absolute masterpiece. Detroit Opera had never before performed the work of Leoš Janáček, and it felt like an enormous corrective was needed. Janáček's music is among the very best, most sumptuous, and also funny, strange and unique, in the entire operatic literature. I don't know any other composer who set operas based on things like comic strips, as in the case of The Cunning Little Vixen , or science-fiction stories, as with The Makropoulos Case. When I first

did The Cunning Little Vixen at the Cleveland Orchestra, the idea was more of a concert setup—some people call that semi-staged. But if you're going to do a little bit of staging, why not do all the staging? So I fully staged it. It is based on a comic strip, and all of its characters are members of the animal kingdom or the insect kingdom—the nonhuman population of a forest—so it made sense to go back to that original inspiration and think about a comic-strip approach with animation. This also spares our singers from needing to portray foxes and vixens and badgers and the like in ways that most often end up making the piece seem silly, when actually the piece is deep and carries so much life wisdom in it.

White: The opera will be sung in Czech, with English surtitles. Janáček's credo was that musical sounds should be derived from the pitches and the rhythms of speech.

Roberto Kalb: This piece is so colored by the language that it's difficult to translate. After the premiere in 1924, there was a German translation, but Janáček was hesitant about using it. He was never truly happy with any of the translations of his music. It just sings in a very different way in Czech. I'm really excited for our audiences to get to experience the color of that language.

Sharon: Janáček’s melodies come from the natural rhythms of Czech, and the scansion of the language is important. A character will state something in Czech with a folk melody, or create a rhythm, and then the orchestra picks it up and the whole rest of the scene is structured based on that.

White: Could you discuss the visual aspects of the production?

Sharon: The concept started with thinking about those photo stands you see at the beach where you put your head in and your body's transformed. It’s so charming—it’s your face, but you're in the body of a beetle or you're suddenly a surfer, because you put your head into this two-dimensional thing. The animation that Walter Robot created is all digitally created, but from handmade objects. It's got a new and old quality to it. It is very

difficult for us to look at nature and not anthropomorphize it; we always give human characteristics to animals. The opera jokes about that. There are many details that are so silly. When the Fox is courting the Vixen, he asks if she likes to smoke, and the Vixen says, “I'm a modern woman.” Of course foxes are not smoking tobacco! Maybe it's a deficit of our imagination that we can't imagine nature being different than us. On the other side of it, when we think of nature as a projection screen, as a projection of our fantasies and our desires and our fears, then we can learn about ourselves. That’s the journey that the Forester, the principal human character, really undertakes.

White: It seems that technology is becoming an important mechanism in so much of the work that's coming out now.

Sharon: Opera actually has always deployed the latest technologies. We sometimes think about opera as an old-fashioned way of telling stories, but from the earliest days of opera, there was almost a demand that there would be scenic spectacle. These theaters in Italy in the 17th century would be competing against each other for developing new technologies to astonish their audience and sell more tickets by doing this. There's a direct line from that to the works of Wagner and the like. The technologies we employ in the theater can create that sense of another world, and that’s an amazing thing about opera.

White: What are the challenges of Janáček's score?

Kalb: This is one of the hardest operas for orchestra musicians. It's especially difficult for the string players—Janáček loved to compose in flat keys, and to compose difficult music that at times was not completely idiomatic, just to create different sounds. Famously, the conductor who premiered the piece, František Neumann, threw the score to the ground during one of the orchestra rehearsals, told Janáček, “This is impossible to play,” and stormed out of the room. However, the sounds in this piece are unique and beautiful, and people who have never listened to a Janáček piece are in for a real treat. The piccolo has a substantial part; there are several parts where Janáček marked “like an ocarina,” this folk sound. Janáček uses five well-known folk tunes and you hear them clearly. In the first entrance of Harašta, he's singing a folk tune, and it’s obvious that it's a folk tune. In the bar scene, when the Forester is making fun of the Schoolmaster, you’ll be able to hear that little folk theme.

White: Roberto, could you talk about the cast?

Kalb: I think that we have the best cast for The Cunning Little Vixen anywhere in the world. I'm counting the days to start music rehearsals!

Sharon: This cast is going be as perfect as can be. I've been wanting to work with Mané Galoyan, who sings the Vixen, for so long.

Samantha Hankey, our Fox, I have admired so much. Our Forester, Michael Sumuel, completely commanded our attention when he was here for Xerxes, and I'm sure he's going to deliver an amazing final scene, the Forester's dream reflection on the cycle of life. This takes a singer with the kind of gravitas and beauty of tone that Michael possesses. The scene is so beautiful that Janáček chose it to be played at his funeral.

White: I guess death is another part of that natural cycle of life. The Forester experiences this at the end.

Sharon: I think about the Disney movie Bambi when I think about this opera. I remember seeing Bambi as a kid, and when Bambi's mother dies, as a kid it's really traumatic. The opera is different— there’s no sentimentality at all when the Vixen dies. It's an incredibly sudden thing. In opera, you expect some final aria for the Vixen, to be able to sing goodbye, but no, the opera moves on. As beautiful as nature is, there is something that's also a little merciless. Part of what is surprising, maybe shocking, about the opera is just how blunt it is about these things. There's a real wisdom to that, a real truth.

BY

Sponsors

These performances of The Cunning Little Vixen are presented by William Davidson Foundation

2023–24 SEASON SPONSOR with support from

BURTON A. AND SANDRA D. ZIPSER FOUNDATION

PHOTO

MUSIC AND LIBRETTO Leoš Janáček

BASED ON A STORY BY Rudolf Těsnohlídek

Performed in Czech with projected English surtitles

World premiere: November 6, 1924, National Theatre Brno

SAT MAY 11, 7:30PM

PRE-OPERA TALK @6:30PM WITH YUVAL SHARON

FRI MAY 17, 7:30PM

PRE-OPERA TALK @6:30PM WITH ROBERTO KALB AND TIM CHEEK

SUN MAY 18, 2:30PM

PRE-OPERA TALK @6:30PM WITH YUVAL SHARON, ROBERTO KALB, AND TIM CHEEK

No photography or video during the performance is allowed. Please silence all phones.

Leoš Janáček

Critical Edition by Jiri Zahrádka

Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, U.S. and Canadian agent for Universal Edition Vienna, publisher and copyright owner

DURATION: 1HR 30MIN - NO INTERMISSION

The Cunning Little Vixen Opera in Three Acts

DIRECTOR

Yuval Sharon

ANIMATION CREATION

Walter Robot Studios

PROJECTION & LIGHTING DESIGN

Jason H. Thompson

COSTUME DESIGN

Ann Closs-Farley

MASK DESIGN

Cristina Waltz

WIG & MAKEUP DESIGN

Joanne Middleton-Weaver

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Colter Schoenfish

ASSISTANT LIGHTING & PROJECTION DESIGN

Christian DeAngelis

STAGE MANAGER

Brett Finley

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS

Beth Krynicki, Tracy Hofmann

LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Brodrick Whittley

REPETITEUR

John Etsell

DICTION COACH

Timothy Cheek

Production created by The Cleveland Orchestra

CONDUCTOR .......................................................... Roberto Kalb

THE VIXEN (SLY LITTLE FOX) Mané Galoyan

FOX GOLDEN-STRIP (LIŠÁK) ...................... Samantha Hankey

THE FORESTER ................................................. Michael Sumuel

THE SCHOOLMASTER / THE MOSQUITO David Cangelosi

THE PARSON / THE BADGER ...................................... Alex Rosen

HARAŠTA Andrew Potter

THE ROOSTER ..................................................... Victoria Lawal

WOODPECKER / THE DOG (LAPÁK) .............. Lisa Marie Rogali

FORESTER’S WIFE / THE OWL ........................ Rehanna Thelwell

CHOCHOLKA (CHIEF HEN) / MRS. PÁSEK ..... Melanie Spector

FRANTÍK Lana Lanzanas *

PEPÍK ............................................................ Jonathan Crane *

THE CRICKET Maitri White

THE GRASSHOPPER .............................................. Lucia Flowers

THE FROG ......................................................... Lillian Fellows *

PÁSEK (THE INNKEEPER) River Guard

THE JAY ........................................................... Allison Wamser

VIXEN’S CHILD Aurora Haziri = Resident Artist * = Detroit Opera Youth Chorus

DETROIT OPERA CHORUS

Detroit Opera principal cast and choristers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists

CHORUS MASTER

Suzanne Mallare Acton

DETROIT OPERA CHORUS

Brandy Adams

Gregory Ashe

Cameron Barrett Johnson

Alaina Brown

Paige Chapman

Benton DeGroot

Brady DelVecchio

Marko Farion

Lucia Flowers

Michael Fowler

Kurt Frank

Anna Hart

Regis Haynes

Aurora Haziri

Paige Heidrich

Richard Jackson Jr.

Seth Johnson

Dean Joyce

Matthew Konopacki

Hillary LaBonte

Mimi Lanseur

Adrian Leskiw

David Magumba

David Moan

Anna Moore

Leslie Ann Naeve

Jennifer Noel

Paolo Pacheco

DETROIT OPERA YOUTH CHORUS

Ruhi Balaji

Varun Brijesh

Paula Casillas-López

Jonathan Crane

Addison Danke

Leah Dekutoski

Isabella Edmonds-Hogan

Olivia Emanuele

Lillian Fellows

Caitlin Juip

Lana Lanzanas

Norah Mason

Sophia Mason

Violet Procunier

Norah Procunier

Laila Robleh

Gracie Ross

Riley Roth

Jinho Park

Katya Powder

Kristina Riegle

Claire Ryterski

Diane Schoff

Kevin Starnes

Terrence Stewart

Allison Wamser

Justin Watson

Maitri White

Olga Yalovenko

Heidi Bowen Zook

Anna Schultz

Keara Schultz

Viraj Tathavadekar

Christine Thomas

Cordelia Thomas

Abigail Verok

Rosaleigh Wyman

DETROIT OPERA ORCHESTRA

Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local #5, of the American Federation of Musicians

VIOLIN I

Eliot Heaton* Concertmaster

Laura Leigh Roelofs* Assistant Concertmaster

Anna Bittar-Weller*

Bryan Johnston*

Beth Kirton*

Yuri Popowycz*

Jenny Wan*

Andrew Wu*

David Ormai

Ying-Li Pan

VIOLIN II

Emelyn Bashour* Principal

Emily Barkakati*

Molly Hughes*

Henrik Karapetyan*

Velda Kelly*

Daniel Stachyra*

Courtney Lubin

Judith Teasdle

VIOLA

John Madison* Principal

Jacqueline Hanson*

Scott Stefanko*

Joseph Deller

Catherine Franklin

James Greer

CELLO

Ivana Biliskov* Principal

Lauren Mathews*

Andrea Yun*

Jacob Macdonald

Robert Paddock

Sarina Zhang

BASS

Derek Weller* Principal

Clark Suttle*

Jean Posekany

Robert Stiles

FLUTE

Laura Larson* Acting Principal

Terri Sanchez

Francesco Leo / Piccolo

Caen Thomason-Redus / Piccolo

OBOE

Eli Stefanacci* Principal

Yuki Harding

ENGLISH HORN

Sally Heffelfinger-Pituch* Principal

CLARINET

J. William King* Acting Principal

Ryan King

BASS CLARINET

Benjamin Taylor

BASSOON

Daniel Fendrick* Principal

Gregory Quick*

Liam Jackson / Contrabassoon

HORN

Colin Bianchi* Principal

Carrie Banfield-Taplin*

Susan Mutter

Tamara Kosinski

TRUMPET

David Ammer* Principal

Mark Davis

Derek Lockhart

TROMBONE

Ian Maser

Acting Principal

Dustin Nguyen

BASS TROMBONE

Bryan Pokorney

TUBA

David Zerkel

TIMPANI

Andrew Nowak

Acting Principal

PERCUSSION

John Dorsey* Principal

HARP

Ellie Kirk

Acting Principal

CELESTE

John Etsell

*Detroit Opera Core Orchestra

Members of the violin sections occasionally rotate

PHOTO BY

SYNOPSIS

The story of The Cunning Little Vixen , courtesy of Glyndebourne Opera

ACT I

In the forest, animals and insects dance and play. A Forester enters and settles down for a nap. A playful Vixen cub startles a frog, who then jumps on the Forester, awakening him. The Forester captures the Vixen and takes her home as a pet. The Vixen, now a young adult, lives in the Forester’s courtyard along with an amorous old dog. Weary of captivity, she makes mischief and is tied up by the Forester. She dreams of herself as a young woman. At dawn, when the Rooster crows and begins bossing his hens around, the Vixen urges the hens to rebel. She manages to trick them all, as well as the Forester, and escape to freedom.

ACT II

Back in the forest, the Vixen commandeers a Badger’s home. At a village inn the Forester teases the Schoolmaster about his hopeless infatuation with Terynka. When the Schoolmaster in turn taunts the Forester over the runaway Vixen, he rushes out to find her. The Vixen follows the Schoolmaster and the Parson as they drunkenly stumble home from the inn. Mistaking the Vixen for Terynka, the Schoolmaster confesses his passion for her. The Parson laments a hopeless romance from his student days. The Forester spots the Vixen and fires two shots at her, but she escapes unharmed. In the forest, the Vixen meets a charming male Fox, and they are mutually smitten. They retire to the Vixen’s den, and soon they are obliged to marry. All the forest creatures gather to celebrate.

ACT III

In the forest, the Forester confronts the poacher Harašta, who boasts of his engagement to Terynka. The Forester sets a trap for the Vixen and leaves. The Vixen, the Fox and their brood of cubs emerge to play. They find the trap and mock the Forester’s ineptitude. Harašta haphazardly shoots and kills the defiant Vixen as her family scatters. At the inn, the Forester tells the Schoolmaster that he found the Vixen’s den empty. The Schoolmaster is dejected to learn that Terynka will marry Harašta that very day, wearing a new fox-fur muff that he has given her. The Forester returns to the spot in the forest where he first met the Vixen. He recalls his youth, marvels at the beauty of nature, and falls asleep, dreaming of the Vixen. A young frog reminds him of the wondrous cycle of nature.

ROBERTO KALB CONDUCTOR

Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb is Music Director of Detroit Opera. His 2023–24 season features house debuts at Santa Fe Opera (L’elisir d’amore) and Atlanta Opera (Rigoletto) and concerts with the Kansas City Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Additional performances this season include The Cunning Little Vixen and an Arias and Overtures concert at Detroit Opera, and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Season highlights in 2022–23 included performances at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Diego Opera, and San Francisco Opera. In 2019, Roberto concluded a five-year tenure as resident conductor and head of music at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he led the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s critically acclaimed run of Rigoletto in collaboration with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Opera News wrote of that Rigoletto, “The orchestra sounded sublime under the baton of Roberto Kalb, who buoyant conducting simultaneously led and followed the singers.”

Roberto has conducted at renowned opera companies including Opéra Orchestra National Montpellier, Florida Grand Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Detroit Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Maine, and Tulsa Opera. He has conducted performances with the Orquesta Carlos Chavez in Mexico City and the Orquestra Sinfonica da USP in São Paulo, and served as assistant and cover conductor for performances by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and the Louisville Orchestra.

Roberto holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and in 2021 was awarded the prestigious Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He is married to soprano Mané Galoyan.

Website: robertokalb.com

YUVAL SHARON DIRECTOR

Yuval Sharon has amassed an unconventional body of work that expands the operatic form. He is founder and Artistic Director of The Industry in Los Angeles and the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director of Detroit Opera. With The Industry, Yuval has directed and produced new operas in moving vehicles, operating train stations, Hollywood sound stages, and various “non-spaces” such as warehouses, parking lots, and escalator corridors.

From 2016 to 2019, Yuval was the first Artist-in-Residence at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating nine projects that included newly commissioned works, site-specific installations, and performances outside the hall. His residency culminated in a major revival of Meredith Monk’s opera ATLAS , making him the first director Monk entrusted with a new production of her work. The first American ever invited to direct at Bayreuth, Yuval distinguished himself with a boldly progressive Lohengrin in 2018, using subtle dramatic direction to completely overhaul the opera into a critique of entrenched power structures.

He is the recipient of the 2014 Götz Friedrich Prize in Germany for his production of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. He also directed a landmark production of John Cage’s Song Books at the San Francisco Symphony and Carnegie Hall; in March 2024 he directed Detroit Opera’s performances of Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4 at the Gem Theatre in Detroit. In 2017, Yuval was honored with a MacArthur Fellowship and a Foundation for Contemporary Art grant for theater.

Website: yuvalsharon.com

MANÉ GALOYAN

THE VIXEN (SLY LITTLE FOX)

Appearance made possible by Applebaum Family Philanthropy Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan is the Second Prize winner of the 2021 Operalia Competition, where she also won the Zarzuela Prize and the Rolex Audience Prize. Her current season includes Suor Angelica and Lauretta in a new production of Il Trittico with Donald Runnicles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Wiener Staatsoper, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Canadian Opera Company, Violetta in La traviata with Santa Fe Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Suor Angelica with the Bayerische Staatsoper. In concert, she will sing Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Swedish Radio Orchestra, and a holiday concert with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. In the 2022–23 season, Mané performed the title role in Luisa Miller with Oper Köln, Berthe in Le prophète with Aix-en-Provence Festival, Avis in The Wreckers with Houston Grand Opera, Donna Anna with Atlanta Opera, and Violetta with Deutsche Oper Berlin and Seattle Opera. She also performed The Bells with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Bard Festival, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Seattle Symphony, a concert of arias with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Plácido Domingo in Bad Hofgastein, Austria, and Taneyev’s cantata At the Reading of a Psalm (1915) with the American Symphony Orchestra. Mané holds two degrees from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory in Armenia, where she was named the 2013 winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize. She is married to conductor Roberto Kalb. Website: manegaloyan.com Instagram: @ manegaloyan

SAMANTHA HANKEY FOX GOLDEN-STRIP (LIŠÁK)

Appearance made possible by Barbara Walkowski

With “much elegance and youthful tone” (Financial Times), mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey is increasingly lauded for her powerful stage presence, paired with a voice admired for its “dusky focus and hypnotic allure” (The Times). Hankey’s 2023–24 season includes debuts in leading roles at the Royal Opera House (Dorabella, Così fan tutte), Detroit Opera (Fox, The Cunning Little Vixen), and Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Santuzza, Cavalleria Rusticana). She performs as soloist with Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette (Met Live in HD) and Opernhaus Zürich as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Last season, Hankey appeared in Ainadamar at Scottish Opera, made debuts at Santa Fe Opera (Mélisande, Pelléas et Mélisande) and Lyric Opera of Chicago (Hänsel, Hänsel und Gretel ), performed her Carnegie Hall recital debut, and starred as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at The Met (Live in HD). She held a Fest contract at the Bayerische Staatsoper from 2019 to 2021 and has performed at Den Norske Opera, Dallas Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Bard Festival, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She co-developed the lead roles in David Herzberg’s The Rose Elf and The Wake World. Hankey received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School. Her awards include multiple prizes at the Glyndebourne Cup and Operalia Competitions, a Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Grand Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. Website: samanthahankey.com Instagram: @ samantha.hankey

MICHAEL SUMUEL

THE FORESTER

American bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, lauded as having “vocals that are smooth and ingratiating” (Daily Camera), performs this season as Reginald in the Metropolitan Opera’s co-production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Houston Grand Opera. Concert dates include Mozart’s Requiem (New York Philharmonic, Music of the Baroque), Handel’s Messiah (San Francisco Symphony), Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (Les violons du Roy), Bach’s Magnificat (Music of the Baroque), Bach’s St. John Passion (Seattle Symphony), Fauré Requiem (National Symphony Orchestra), and Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (Washington National Cathedral). Recent performances include Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Metropolitan Opera), Elviro in Xerxes (Detroit Opera), Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Pittsburgh Opera), and concert performances of Mozart’s Requiem (Cincinnati Symphony), Bach cantatas BWV 61 and 140 (Handel and Haydn Society), and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (Pacific Chorale). Other recent highlights include Michael’s LA Opera debut as Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion , a semi-staged production conducted by James Conlon with choreography by the Hamburg Ballet, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro (Seattle Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Santa Fe Opera), the King in Massenet’s Cinderella (Metropolitan Opera), Leporello in Don Giovanni (Opera San Antonio) and Escamillo (Chicago Opera Theater). A native of Odessa, Texas, Michael is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and the Filene Young Artist program at Wolf Trap Opera. He resides in San Francisco with his wife and young son. Instagram: @ mbsum

DAVID CANGELOSI

THE SCHOOLMASTER / THE MOSQUITO

David Cangelosi made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2004 as Mime in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, conducted by James Levine, and has returned to the Met in multiple roles over the past 18 years. He has performed his signature role of Mime with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Opéra de Montreal, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he performed Mime in Das Rheingold and Wagner’s Siegfried with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and later recorded the same roles with the New York Philharmonic on the Naxos label. In the 2020–21 pandemic season, Cangelosi made a role debut as Loge in Das Rheingold at the famed Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Recent and upcoming engagements include The Nose (2023) with Chicago Opera Theater, Siegfried with Juneau Lyric Opera, a role debut as Eisenstein in a new production of Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus for Western Plains Opera, a role debut of Edrisi for Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger (2022), and a 2022 holiday run of The Magic Flute with the Metropolitan Opera. Having performed the roles of Mosquito/Schoolmaster in the original Cleveland Orchestra production of The Cunning Little Vixen in Cleveland and Vienna, David is delighted to make his debut with Detroit Opera in this highly acclaimed Yuval Sharon production. Website: davidcangelosi.com Instagram: @ djcangelosi

ALEX ROSEN

THE PARSON / THE BADGER

After completing his studies at the Juilliard School, American bass Alex Rosen made his international debut with Les Arts Florissants, under the direction of William Christie, in two tours of Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Acis and Galatea During the 2023–24 season, Alex joins Théâtre de Caen’s tour of David et Jonathas in Nancy, Paris, Luxembourg and Lille. Other engagements include a Japan/South Korea tour with Les Arts Florissants performing St. John’s Passion and Handel’s Messiah with Accentus. He performs the role of Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse and joins Detroit Opera for The Cunning Little Vixen as Parson/Badger. The 2022–23 season included Seneca/ Console in L’incoronazione di Poppea (Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opéra Royal at Versailles, and Palau de les Arts Fundacio de la Comunitat in Valencia), Haydn’s Die Schöpfung for Theater Basel, Purcell’s The Fairy Queen for Drottningholms Slottsteater as well as the role of Melisso in Alcina with Musiciens du Louvre on a tour of Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Alex was also a part of a European tour of Ariodante with Il Pomo d’Oro as well as concerts of Messiah with the Orchestre Opéra Royal de Versailles with Franco Fagioli conducting. Website: alexrosenbass.com Instagram: @alexrosenbass

ANDREW POTTER HARAŠTA

Bass Andrew Potter has garnered increasing demand across the country for his larger-than-life stage presence and voice to match. Opera Today hailed his recent performance in L’elisir d’amore : “With his huge, all-encompassing bass voice and precise comic timing he nearly stole the show.” Andrew’s current and recent performances include house debuts at Seattle Opera (Abimelech, Samson et Dalila , world premiere of Sheila Silver and Stephen Kitsakos’s A Thousand Splendid Suns), and Portland Opera (Vodnik, Rusalka). Other performances this season include Livermore Valley Opera (Belcore, Elisir d’Amore), Indianapolis Opera (Scarpia, Tosca), Opera Grand Rapids (Pirate King, Pirates of Penzance) and Pacific Opera Project (Superflute, a new take on Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte). Potter recently performed Simone (Gianni Schicchi , Tulsa Opera), Sarastro (The Magic Flute , Eugene Opera), Sparafucile (Rigoletto, Opera Orlando), Commendatore (Don Giovanni , Indianapolis Opera), and René (Iolanta , Pacific Opera Project). Concert engagements included Mozart’s Mass in C Major for Mid-Ohio Civic Opera, and Verdi’s Requiem for Michigan State University. Other roles include Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin), Poo-Bah (The Mikado), Sulpice (Daughter of the Regiment), Dr. Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), The Bonze (Madama Butterfly), Hunding (Die Walküre), Fafner (Das Rheingold ), and Colline (La bohème), Escamillo (Carmen), Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte , and Ferrando (Il trovatore). Website: awpotter.com Instagram: @awpotter

REHANNA THELWELL

FORESTER’S WIFE / THE OWL

Appearance made possible by Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell is quickly becoming known for her magnetic performances and expressive vocal power in a wide variety of repertoire. A recent graduate of the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist program, she made her mainstage debut at Washington National Opera performing the title role of Carmen during her final year in that program. During the 2023–24 season she sang the role of Katie Ellen in San Francisco Opera’s Omar and Hippolyta in Atlanta Opera’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Rehanna’s performances include her debut at Dutch National Opera as Girlfriend/Congregant 3 in Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s Blue , roles that she reprised at Washington National Opera. Recent performances includes a role debut as Dinah/Anna I in Madison Opera’s double-bill of Trouble in Tahiti/The Seven Deadly Sins and a debut with the Washington Chorus for Undine Smith Moore’s Scenes from the Life of a Martyr and the Duruflé Requiem , and Scenes from the Life of a Martyr with Exigence Ensemble (Detroit). She has performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Ruby/Sinner Woman in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, a role she premiered with Opera Theatre Saint Louis in 2019, for which Opera News praised her as a “standout” among the supporting cast. She made her debut with Opera Philadelphia as Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex . Website: rehannathelwell.wixsite.com/mezzosoprano Instagram: @ rehannathelwell

LISA MARIE ROGALI

WOODPECKER / THE DOG (LAP Á K)

Mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali, praised for her “nuanced voice” and “spontaneity” on the stage, is quickly establishing herself as a versatile performer of opera, musical theater, contemporary, and concert music. As a 2023–24 Detroit Opera Resident Artist, Lisa is a featured soloist in Arias and Overtures and Beyond the Pit concerts, sings Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and the Dog/Woodpecker in Janáček’s

The Cunning Little Vixen . This season she made her role debut as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with North Carolina Opera. During the 2022–23 season, she debuted the roles of Princess/Lucy/Fancy Doll #1 in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of Paola Prestini and Mark Campbell’s Edward Tulane and performed her first Hansel in Opera Birmingham’s production of Hansel and Gretel . This summer, she will return to the Glimmerglass Festival to sing Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette and Paquette in Candide. Lisa has performed with companies including Minnesota Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Saratoga. She has earned top accolades from competitions including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Jensen Foundation, Giulio Gari Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, American Traditions Vocal Collection, and Lotte Lenya Competition. Lisa holds a master of music degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati’s CollegeConservatory of Music and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Pennsylvania State University. Website: lisamarierogali.com Instagram: @lisamarierogali

RIVER GUARD

P Á SEK, THE INNKEEPER

Tenor River Guard, hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, boasts an impressive musical journey. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a master’s degree in opera from the University of Toronto Opera School, where he studied with Wendy Nielsen. River is a 2021 recipient of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance and Residency Program from the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Opera in the 21st Century program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Past roles include Lensky in Eugene Onegin (Highlands Opera Studio), Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Glenn Gould School), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Vocal Arts Institute/CVAI), and Miles in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Proving Up (Aspen Music Festival and School). River has covered the roles of Cavaradossi in Tosca and Sam Polk in Susannah at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. As a 2023–24 Detroit Opera Resident Artist, his cover roles include Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly and Dr. Richardson in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves. He performed as Soldat and Harlekin in Viktor Ullmann’s opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings in February 2024. In May, River will make his debut on the Detroit Opera mainstage in the role of Pásek in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. This summer, River will be a member of the Florentine Opera Summer Studio Ensemble before returning as a Detroit Opera Resident Artist for a second year in September. Instagram: @ riverguardtenor

VICTORIA LAWAL

THE ROOSTER

Hailed as “confident and charismatic” (Bachtrack), NigerianAmerican soprano Victoria Lawal enjoys a diverse repertoire, ranging from staple works of the canon to stage plays and world premieres. With a growing emphasis on Italian opera, Victoria most recently covered Norina in Don Pasquale at Festival Napa Valley as a Maria Manetti Shrem Fellow. Victoria also joined the Festival Orchestra Napa singing excerpts as Magda (La Rondine), Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro) and the title role of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia. Victoria makes her Detroit Opera debut as the Rooster in The Cunning Little Vixen directed by Yuval Sharon and conducted by Roberto Kalb. In the 2022–23 season, Victoria debuted the role of the High Priestess in Aida with Tulsa Opera; jumped in for opening-night and subsequent performances of Heartbeat Opera’s critically acclaimed Lady M; and joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the summer season, where she covered the roles of Despina (Così fan tutte), Mrs. Hayes (Susannah), and the title role of Treemonisha. In the 2021–22 season Lawal performed recitals with pianist Mark Robson in a program featuring songs by Julianna Hall, Respighi, Chabrier, Barber and Theodosia Roussos. On film, Victoria starred in The Knock, a world premiere, commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival. Hailed as “smooth-voiced yet strong” (New York Times), Lawal debuted the role of Marzelline (Marcy) in Heartbeat Opera's touring production of Fidelio She originated the role of Opal in the world premiere of The Body Female, commissioned by LA Opera. Website: victorialawal.com Instagram: @victorialawal

MELANIE SPECTOR

CHOCHOLKA, CHIEF HEN / MRS. PÁSEK

Praised for her “beaming soprano” by Operawire , Melanie Spector was born and raised in New York City. She is a second-year Resident Artist at Detroit Opera, where she made her debut as the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aida in 2022. Recent performances include Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Michigan’s Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Savannah Opera, Brahms’s Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52, Mozart’s “Vorrei spiegarvi, o dio,” K. 418 and Requiem with the Midland Symphony Orchestra, and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Wayne State Wind Symphony at Detroit Symphony’s Orchestra Hall. At Detroit Opera, she has covered the roles of Atalanta in Handel’s Xerxes and Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Fountain of Tears ( Ainadamar). This season, Melanie is a featured soloist in Detroit Opera’s Beyond the Pit concerts and John Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4, and sings the role of Chocholka in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen . Website: melaniespector.com Instagram: @ msoperageek

MAITRI WHITE THE CRICKET

Maitri White received her bachelor of music from the University of Michigan in vocal performance with a minor in performing arts management and entrepreneurship. Originally from Marquette, Michigan, Maitri has always recognized that the arts and social justice are intertwined. At the University of Michigan, she served as the executive director of Project SOAR, an educational outreach organization focused on the arts, and produced and performed in several recitals featuring composers of the African Diaspora. During the summer of 2021, she joined the Detroit Opera Chorus for Cavalleria Rusticana: In Concert, explored virtual performance as Third Wood Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka , and served as director of development for Opera NexGen. Instagram: @maitri.a.white

LUCIA FLOWERS THE GRASSHOPPER

Soprano Lucia Flowers, based in Michigan, has been seen on the Detroit Opera stage in recent productions including Aida , starring Angel Blue and Christine Goerke, Lileana Blain-Cruz’s Faust , and Ragnar Kjartansson’s creation, BLISS , re-staged by Yuval Sharon. Additional credits include soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Frasquita in Carmen (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Cunegonde in Candide (Syracuse Opera), Musetta in La bohème and Morgana in Alcina (University of Michigan), Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Marian Paroo in The Music Man (Western New York Chamber Orchestra), and Patience in Patience and Lady Larken in Once Upon a Mattress (College Light Opera Company). She returns to Detroit Opera in 2024 to perform the role of The Grasshopper in The Cunning Little Vixen

LANA LANZANAS FRANTÍK

Lana Lanzanas, a sophomore at Troy Athens High School, joined the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus in August 2023. She sang the role of Bard 2 in DOYC’s Odyssey performance at the Detroit Opera House on April 20, 2024. She also performed the role of Glinda (Good Witch) in Warren Civic Theatre’s Wizard of Oz in March 2022. She also was nominated for a Sutton Foster Award for her performance of A Tomb with a View at her school theater production at the Fisher Theatre in May 2023. Lana loves to sing, plays the piano and guitar, and writes her own songs. For the past several years she has performed as opening act at 2022, 2023 and 2024 concerts of Michigan- and Ohio-based Filipino-American artists. Lana received a scholarship to attend a three-week camp at the Interlochen Center for the Arts this summer. Lana is also a member of the swim team at Troy Athens High School.

JONATHAN CRANE PEPÍK

Jonathan is a treble singer from LaSalle, Ontario. The seventhgrader is very proud of his multi-ethnic Canadian, American, and South African heritage. Jonathan is completing his first year with the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus, during which he played First Mate in the Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke’s opera Odyssey in April. He is grateful for the experience and everything that he has learned this season. Jonathan is an anthemist for the Windsor Spitfires and Windsor Express and sings with his church choir. Jonathan has performed as Beagle in The Battle of Boat with the Singer’s Theatre. Jonathan studies voice with Lesley Andrew. He is looking forward to playing Pepík in Detroit Opera’s mainstage production of The Cunning Little Vixen. He was recently cast as Brian in Pistachio Pier and is NYC bound. He also enjoys playing piano, golf, and traveling. He wishes to thank his family, friends, and everyone who has supported and encouraged him.

LILLIAN FELLOWS

THE FROG

Lillian Fellows is a 17-year-old soprano with a sparkling coloratura and an unwavering passion for opera. She began her operatic journey with the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus in 2018 and has since starred in a series of performances at the Detroit Opera House. Her appearances include the Queen in The Maker of Illusions, Zelda in The Very Last Green Thing, and Poor Rabbit in The Secret World of Og. Additional performances include ensemble and understudy roles in La bohème , Hansel and Gretel , and The Grapes of Wrath

The Cunning Little Vixen will be Lillian’s eighth opera at the Detroit Opera House.

Here’s a fact that might surprise you: right here in Detroit there are more than 1,000 urban farms. From small backyard plots to acres of community farmland, there are many ways to appreciate the natural cycles. Here are just a few of the organizations reconnecting people in the city to our ecosystem.

Black to the Land Coalition

The mission of Black to the Land is “to enhance holistic relationships with nature and each other through nature-based, culturally relevant experiences; build equity in outdoor leadership for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.” Through group activities, educational workshops, and rooted ancestral practices, the coalition brings Detroiters back into community with their natural surroundings. Website: blacktothelandcoalition.com

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm (9227 Goodwin Street)

For more than a decade, against a backdrop of extreme poverty, the Oakland Avenue Farm has been a stabilizing force in Detroit’s historic North End. What was once vacant land has now become a six-acre farm in the heart of Detroit’s most musically important neighborhood—home to Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, John Lee Hooker, and techno label Submerge Records, among others. By growing healthy food, hosting educational programs, creating cultural gathering spaces and generating jobs, the farm will continue to benefit the neighborhood for decades to come. Website: oaklandurbanfarm.org

D-Town Farm (14027 West Outer Drive)

D-Town Farms, owned and operated by the Detroit Black Food Sovereignty Network (DBFSN), occupies more than seven acres inside the Meyers Tree Nursery in the City of Detroit’s Rouge Park. The farm is maintained by a small staff and volunteers who grow more than 30 different fruits, vegetables and herbs each year using sustainable, regenerative methods. The DBFSN is the organization behind the Detroit People’s Food Co-Op at 8324 Woodward Avenue, which opens this month. Website: dbcfsn.org

JESSE, A GARDEN STEWARD, AT OAKLAND AVENUE URBAN FARM. PHOTO BY AUSTIN RICHEY

WALTER ROBOT STUDIOS

ANIMATION CREATION

Walter Robot is the award-winning creative team of artist Bill Barminski and director Christopher Louie. They work in various mediums including film, animation, art and sculpture. Their work includes the animated short “Joel Stein’s Adventures” (2009 Sundance Film Festival), the animated music video for Death Cab for Cutie’s “Grapevine Fires” (2010), a interactive art show “This Side Up” in 2012 at the Berman Gallery in Santa Monica and POW Gallery in London (2012), and their collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra’s The Cunning Little Vixen (2014), directed by Yuval Sharon, with the story projected onto three 30x16-foot screens behind the orchestra, and backstage portal doors for the singers to open, pop their heads out and sing in place of the animated characters. In 2017, they were invited to stage the opera at Vienna’s Musikverein, one of the most highly regarded symphony halls in the world. Websites: christopherlouie.me / barminski.com

JASON H. THOMPSON PROJECTION / LIGHTING DESIGN

Jason H. Thompson designs for opera, dance, theater, theme parks, commercial, architecture, and corporate events. He recently received two LA Drama Critics Circle Awards for Revenge Song and Vietgone. Jason has also been awarded the Kinetic Lighting Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Design. He has received two Ovation Awards for Chavez Ravine and Venice. Key projects include: Lost Highway (Oper Frankfurt); Die Walküre (Karlsruhe, Germany); Tri Sestri (Vienna State Opera); Tarzan and Frozen Sing A-Long (Shanghai Disneyland); Twilight: Gods (Detroit Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago); A Trip to the Moon and Young Caesar (LA Philharmonic); Hopscotch, Invisible Cities, Crescent City (The Industry); Cage Songbooks (San Francisco Symphony, Carnegie Hall, New World Symphony), The Cunning Little Vixen (Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna). On Broadway: Baby, It's You! Additionally, Jason has worked at a number of New York and regional theaters including: the Public Theatre, Center Theatre Group, the Geffen Playhouse, the Guthrie, KC Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Signature Theatre in DC, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and many others. He’s also created four video installations for the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. Jason is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, and a company member of The Industry, an independent artist-driven company creating experimental productions that expand the definition of opera. He and his wife, Kaitlyn, co-founded PXT Studio, a company specializing in merging art and tech for opera, theater, and other live events. Website: pxtstudio.com

ANN CLOSS-FARLEY COSTUME DESIGN

Ann Closs-Farley has been designing for opera, theater, film and TV for more than 25 years. The diversity of her work and interest is where her talent lies. She loves all aspects of costume design: history, fashion, textiles, technology, mechanics, human reflection, spirit, and most of all, story. She is interested in discovering and learning new ways to re-invent and create transformative ways to make costumes speak to the imagination. In addition to her work in design and art, Ann passionately espouses ideas of using recyclable and thrift store materials in her work. She has a keen interest in current technologies and finds ways to incorporate them into all her creations. Website: annclossfarley.com

CRISTINA WALTZ

MASK DESIGN

Cristina Waltz is an independent makeup artist specializing in beauty and special effects. Her work often incorporates both elements to achieve detailed realism or creating colorful and elaborate character designs. Cristina mentored under Ve Neill and learned the ability to balance being a creative artist with the logistic thinking of a good department head. She got her start working with Ve’s longtime friend and client, Pee-wee Herman. Together, they worked to design the makeup for his re-envisioned stage show on Broadway and Los Angeles. From there, Cristina has developed a unique style to call her own. Over the years she has accumulated a diverse list of credits including department head ranging from film, television, commercial, music video, and stage. Cristina is a member of IATSE Local 706. Her Guild Awards include “Best Makeup for Feature Film” for Bombshell and “Best Commercial Makeup” for FX Networks’ American Horror Story Promo Campaigns. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on HBO's Pee-wee Herman Stageshow. Website: cristinawaltz.com

JOANNE MIDDLETON-WEAVER WIG / MAKEUP DESIGN

Born in England, Joanne Middleton-Weaver came to the United States in the late 1980s. She began apprenticing with Elsen Associates at what was then Washington Opera, now Washington National Opera. Joanne has since designed at many opera companies throughout the U.S. during her 30-year career: Glimmerglass Opera, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, to name a few. She has designed for Detroit Opera since 1995. Her credits there include La boh è me , The Passenger, Frida , Margaret Garner, Cyrano, Faust , and make-up design for X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X

SUZANNE MALLARE ACTON CHORUS MASTER

As Detroit Opera's Chorus Master, Suzanne Mallare Acton has more than 160 production credits covering seven languages. In addition to her chorus work, Suzanne has conducted over 35 productions for the company, including West Side Story, Il barbiere di Siviglia , Carmen , The Music Man , The Pirates of Penzance , The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, La traviata , A Little Night Music, a staged version of Carmina Burana with members of Cirque du Soleil, The Medium , A View from the Bridge , Les pêcheurs de perles, and Frida . She has conducted Dayton Opera, Artpark, Augusta Opera, Verdi Opera Theatre, El Paso Opera, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, BirminghamBloomfield Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Bach Festival, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. For 25 years, Suzanne was artistic director of Rackham Choir. She premiered Too Hot to Handel at the Detroit Opera House, Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, and the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.

Operetta Remix

25 - AUG 9, 2024 | 10AM-4PM

Operetta Remix is perfect for aspiring artists ages 13 to 18 who want to build their skills in singing, acting, stage movement, healthy vocal technique, and audition practice. Taught by experienced opera and theatre professionals, Operetta Remix will explore scenes and songs from your favorite operettas and musicals, and will culminate with a performance at the Detroit Opera House at 7:00PM on August 9, 2024.

Questions about summer programs?

Create & Perform

Ever wanted to write, compose, and star in your own production? Create & Perform lets you do it all! In this innovative two-week program, young artists create their own stories, dances, and music compositions, culminating in a performance at the Detroit Opera House. Participants in Create & Perform get to take part in all aspects of mounting a new production, and will build their skills as performers, composers, designers, directors, and crew members while they write and perform an original opera.

Contact Interim Director of Education, Branden Hood at bhood@ detroitopera.org or Associate Director of Education Mark Vondrak at mvondrak @ detroitopera.org Register today at DetroitOpera.org/learn/summer-programs

AGES 8-18

Come and Sing!

We are inviting young singers to audition for the 2024-2025 Detroit Opera Youth Chorus. The 2024-2025 season will start in September with rehearsals primarily on Monday evenings at the Detroit Opera House. DOYC is open to singers ages 8 through seniors in high school. DOYC will perform A Winter Fantasy Concert on December 15, 2024 and our spring youth opera, H.M.S. Pinafore, on March 8, 2025.

Audition Registration: bit.ly/DOYC-audition-registration Email TNash@ detroitopera.org for more information.

These programs are made possible by the Worthington Family Foundation, and The J. Addison and Marion M. Bartush Education Fund.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Detroit Opera Honor Roll

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous donors for their cumulative lifetime giving. Their support has played a vital role in the history of Detroit opera since being founded by Dr. David DiChiera as Michigan Opera Theatre in 1971 and the building of the Detroit Opera House in 1996. Their leadership plays an integral part in the company's viability, underwriting quality opera and dance performances as well as award-winning community and education programs.

$10,000,000 and above

The William Davidson Foundation

Ford Motor Company Fund

The State of Michigan

$5,000,000 and above

General Motors

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Stellantis

The Kresge Foundation

$2,000,000 and above

Mr.* & Mrs. Douglas Allison

Mr. Lee & Mrs. Floy Barthel

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto Dance Endowment and Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation

John S. & James L. Knight Foundation

Lear Corporation

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

Masco Corporation

McGregor Fund

The Skillman Foundation

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

$1,000,000 and above

AT & T

Bank of America

Mr.* & Mrs. John A. Boll Sr.

Compuware Corporation

Estate of Robert & RoseAnn Comstock Foundation

DTE Energy Foundation

The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family

Mrs. Margo Cohen Feinberg & Mr. Robert Feinberg

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Frankel*

General Motors Corporation

Hudson-Webber Foundation

JPMorgan Chase

Paul Lavins

Mandell L. & Madeleine H. Berman Foundation

Matilda R. Wilson Fund

Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

United Jewish Foundation

Dr. & Mrs. Sam B. Williams*

Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor names and gift levels. Should you find an error or omission, please contact Zach Suchanek at zsuchanek@detroitopera.org or 313.237.3427

KEY

* Deceased

Contributors to Detroit Opera

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges these generous corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors whose contributions to Detroit Opera were made between February 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. The generosity of our donors is vital to sustaining Detroit Opera’s position as a valued cultural resource.

Detroit Opera extends a special thank you to The Cunning Little Vixen guest artist sponsors who helped make these performances possible, including Applebaum Family Philanthropy, Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya, and Barbara Walkowski!

Foundations, Corporate & Government Support

$1,000,000 and above

William Davidson Foundation

The State of Michigan

$500,000-$999,999

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

National Endowment for the Humanities

$250,000-$499,999

The Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

Ford Foundation

$100,000-$249,999

Ford Motor Company Fund

General Motors Corporation

Gilbert Family Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation

$50,000-$99,999

Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Hotels Foundation

$25,000-$59,999

Applebaum Family Philanthropy

Hudson-Webber Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Matilda R. Wilson Fund

Worthington Family Foundation

$10,000-$24,999

C&N Foundation

Detroit Children’s Choir

DTE Energy Foundation

Geoinge Foundation

Honigman LLP

The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

Masco Corporation

MGM Grand Detroit

Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

Penske Corporation

Ralph L. and Winifred E. Polk Foundation

The Rattner and Katz Charitable Foundation

Ida and Conrad H. Smith Endowment for MOT

The Mary Thompson Foundation

Uniprop

Burton A. Zipser and Sandra D. Zipser Foundation

$5,000-$9,999

Gerson Family Foundation, Inc.

Huntington Bank

J N Grosfeld Foundation

Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund

Strum Allesee Family Foundation

The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation

$1,000-$4,999

ABM Janitorial Services

John A. & Marlene L. Boll Foundation

Joyce Cohn Young Artist Fund

Five Star Sheets, LLC

Flagstar Bank

FS Transportation, LLC

The Gilmour-Jirgens Fund

James & Lynelle Holden Fund

Josephine Kleiner Foundation

Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation

Pellerito Manzella Certa & Cusmano Family Foundation

Elmira L. Rhein Family Foundation

Rugiero Promise Foundation

Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation

Somerset Collection Charitable Foundation

Warsh-Mott Funds

Individual Support

$100,000 and above

Lee & Floy Barthel

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

Mr. G. Michael Golden*

Paul Lavins

Leslie Lazzerin*

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

Vivien McDonald*

David & Christine Provost

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

$50,000-$99,999

Richard & Mona* Alonzo

Don Manvel

Allan & Joy Nachman Philanthropic Fund

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

The Estate of Mr. David W. Schmidt

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

$20,000-$49,999

Mr. Joseph A. Bartush

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock*

Alex Erdeljan

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Mrs. Elaine Fontana*

Joseph Fontana

Ann Katz

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

James & Ann Nicholson

Susanne McMillan

Barbara Walkowski

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

$10,000-$19,999

Ms. Pamela Applebaum

Ms. Lisa S. Applebaum

Richard & Joanne Brodie

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Nina S. Drolias*

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak

Nancy B. Henk*

Denise Lewis

Ms. Mary C. Mazure

Donald & Antoinette Morelock

Mr. Cyril Moscow

Peter Oleksiak

William & Wendy Powers

Paul & Amy Ragheb

Dr. & Mrs. Samir Ragheb

Dr. Irvin D. Reid & Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid

Concetta V. Ross*

Lorna Thomas, MD

Prof. Michael Wellman

$5,000-$9,999

Michael & Adele Acheson

Dr. Harold M. Arrington

Richard & Susan Bingham

Gene P. Bowen

Ms. Violet Dalla Vecchia

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Marianne T. Endicott

Fern Espino & Tom Short

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Ms. Laurie R. Frankel

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

Ralph & Erica Gerson

James & Nancy Grosfeld

Samuel* & Toby Haberman

Kent & Amy Jidov

Mary Kramer

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Robert & Terri Lutz

The Hon. Jack & Dr. Bettye Arrington Martin

Mr. Stuart Meiklejohn

Phillip Minch

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Mrs. L. William Moll

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Mr. George & Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman

Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D.

Ms. Stephanie M. Prechter

Waltraud Prechter

Ms. Pam E. Rodgers

Janice Ross

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao

Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Stacey Simmons

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

The Strum Allesee Family Foundation

Barbara Van Dusen

Mr. Lewis Wagner

Ned & Joan Winkelman

Ellen Hill Zeringue

$3,000-$4,999

Nina & Howard Abrams

Paul & Lee Blizman

Bob & Rosemary Brasie

Beverly Hall Burns

Dr. Lynne Carter

Maurice & Carolyn Cunniffe

Walter & Lillian Dean

Marla Donovan

Yvonne Friday & Stephen Black

Arline Geronimus

Allan Gilmour & Eric Jirgens

Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Christine Hage

Mr. William Hulsker

Roberto Kalb & Mane Galoyan

John & Arlene Lewis

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Sharon Madison

Don Manvel

Ms. Mary McGough

Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD

Ms. Evelyn Micheletti

Xavier & Maeva Mosquet

Geoffrey Nathan & Margaret Winters*

Brock & Katherine L. Plumb

Magdalena Predeteanu*

Ted & Carrie Pryor

Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero

Mrs. Rosalind B. Sell

Lois & Mark Shaevsky

Laura Sias*

Susan A. Smith

Frank & Susan Sonye

Dr. Gregory E. Stephens, D.O.

Mark Stewart & Antonio Galaz

Samuel Thomas & Daniel VanderLey

Bret & Susanna Williams

Anonymous

$2,500-$2,999

Thomas & Gretchen Anderson

D.L. Anthony, Ph.D.

Ms. Nicole A. Boelstler

Dr. & Mrs. Ronald T. Burkman

Albert & Janette Cassar

John & Doreen Cole

Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons

Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh

Lisa DiChiera

Ms. Mary J. Doerr

Sally & Michael Feder

Michael Fisher

Dr. Glendon M. Gardner & Leslie Landau

Barbara Heller

Doreen Hermelin

Max Lepler & Rex Dotson

Mary B. Letts

Van Momon & Pamela L. Berry

Dr. & Mrs. Peter Nickles

Mr. Jonathan Orser

Hershel & Dorothy Sandberg

Mary Schlaff & Sanford Koltonow

Mrs. Phyllis F. Snow*

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Joel Tauber

Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Jeff & Amy Voigt

Stanley Waldon

$1,000-$2,499

Dennis Archer Jr.

Ms. Geraldine Atkinson

Dr. Alexandra Baracan

Dr. Mihaela Batke

John & Marilyn Belamaric

Peggyann & Ramon Berguer

Mr. Roger Basmajian

Mr. Stanislaw Bialoglowski

Eugene & Roselyn Blanchard

Constance Bodurow

Mr.* & Mrs. John A. Boll Sr.

Thomas & Sharon Butler

Mrs. Judith Christian

James & Elizabeth Ciroli

Ms. Lisa Cobbs

Tonino & Sarah Corsetti

Patricia Cosgrove

Dr. Myra Danish

Fred & Michele Doner

Linda Forte & Tyrone Davenport

Burke & Carol Fossee

Mr. William Fulton

Thomas M. Gervasi

Erin & John Gianopoulos

Linda & Roderick Gillum

Mr. Lawrence Glowczewski

Mr. Nathaniel Good

Joi & Korey Harris

Joya Harris-Sherron

Ms. Joyce Hayes-Giles

Mary Ellen Hoy & Jim Keller

Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Richard & Involut Jessup

Dr. Sahil Jindal

Dr. Charmaine D. Johnson

Victoria Lynn Johnson

Theodore & Pamela Jones

Ellen Kahn

Marc Keshishian & Susanna Szelestey

Gregory Knas

Jeff & Joanne Kukes

Meria Larson

Nancy & Bud Liebler

Mr. John Lovegren & Mr. Daniel Isenschmid

Mr. Loreto A. Manzo

Ms. Janet Groening Marsh

Mr. Dexter C. Mason

Kyle McCree & Camille Kroger-McCree

Patrick & Patricia McKeever

Eugene & Lois Miller

Pamela Moore

Cheryl Moore

Ms. Maryanne Mott

Ms. Shirley Moulton

Harold Munson & Libby Berger

Brian Murphy & Toni Sanchez-Murphy

Jeff Najor

Ms. Faye Alexander Nelson

George & Nancy Nicholson

Joshua & Rachel Opperer

Coleen Pellerito

Verne K. Perigord

Mark & Kyle Peterson

Michael & Charlene Prysak

Rip & Gail Rapson

Ms. Alice Rea

Dr. Boyd F. Richards & Mr. Joshua Ronnebaum

Marlo & Lauren Roebuck

Evan & Kelsey Ross

Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs

Kingsley & Lurline Sears

Anthony L Smith

Ms. Theresa Spear & Mr. Jeff Douma

Garry Spector

Gabriel & Martha Stahl

Cynthia Stephens

Dr. Abhishek Swami

Manuel Tancer & Claire Stroker

Esther Thomas

Margaret Trimer

Jill Veneable

Joseph & Rosalie Vicari

Deborah Wahl

Edward Weiss

Torben Winther & Linda Hall

Katina Zaninovich

John & Susan Zaretti

$750-$999

Marsha Bruhn

Frank & Jenny Brzenk

Mrs. LaDonna Leyva

John & Marie McElroy

Huel & Priscilla Perkins

Vanguard Charitable

Dennis & Jennifer Varian

Rita Winters

$500-$749

Dr. Antonia Abbey

Mr. David A. Agius

Robert & Catherine Anthony

Brian Atwater

Ms. Allison Bach

Julio Bateau

Martin & Marcia Baum

Henri & Anaruth Bernard

Ms. Fay Beydoun

Barbra Bloch

Ms. Terry P. Book

Marceline Bright

Ms. Joann C. Brooks

Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD

Ms. Susan Cameron

Jonathan Cohn & Daniela Wittmann

Debra DeBose

Mr. Leonard R. Dimsa

Mrs. Blondell Doughty

Tricia Edwards

Ms. Christine Estereicher

Daniel H. Ferrier

Carol Gagliardi & David Flesher

Mrs. Louise Giddings

John Gierak & Dona Tracey

Joseph & Lois Gilmore

Gil Glassberg & Sandra Seligman

Todd Gordon & Susan Feder

Larry Gray

Mr. Stuart Grigg

John & Kristan Hale

Mr. Gary M. Hawkins

Paul & Nancy Hillegonds

Beth Hoger & Lisa Swem

Kairi Horsley

Ms. Theresa Munger Howard

Ms. Jill Johnson

Geraldine & Jacqueline Keller

Ms. Lee Khachaturian

Justin & Joanne Klimko

Mr. Alex Koprivica

Gifts in Tribute

Ms. Cynthia Kratchman

William & Jean Kroger

Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky

John & Kimi Lowe

Mrs. Marsha Lynn

Lori Maher

Dr. Nahal Mazhari & Dr. Naser Tavaghi

Natasha Moulton-Levy

Ms. Lois Norman

Ms. Haryani Permana

Bertram & Elaine Pitt

Angela Porter, MD

Mr. Dennis C. Regan & Miss Ellen M. Strand

Adam D. Rubin, M.D, Lakeshore

Professional Voice Center

William & Marjorie Sandy

Linda Schlesinger

Dr. Andrew James Stocking

Norma Stone

John M. Toth

Barbara & Stuart Trager

Nicole M. Valentini

Dr. John Weber & Dr. Dana Zakalik

Richard & Lucinda Weiermiller

Ms. Janet Beth Weir

Meredith Weston-Band & Jeffery Band

Mr. James W. Wild

Dr. Ruth A. Worthington

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the families, friends, colleagues, businesses, and groups who generously made gifts to Detroit Opera in honor of or in memory of the special peoples in their lives, whose names are listed bold below.

IN HONOR OF

Andrew Berg

Anne & Robert Berg

Harriet Berg

Mr. Richard D. Cavaler

Laurence N. Shear

Mr. George* & Mrs. Eleanor Bodurow

Constance Bodurow

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Todd Gordon & Susan Feder

Herman Frankel

Laurie Frankel

John Etsell

Katina Zaninovich

Ellen Jacobowitz

Ann Conrad

Sandra A. Jacobowitz

Roberto Kalb

Barbara & Michael Kratchman

Sally Koh

Mr. Tony P. H. Tan

Barbara & Michael Kratchman

Anonymous

Jeff & Joanne Kukes

Dr. William J. Kupsky & Dr. Ali Moiin

Carolyn Demps & Guy Simons

Mary Jane & Jeff Kupsky

William & Elizabeth S. Kupsky

Joseph Locasio & Julia Sprangers

Ms. Mary E. Puls

Mary Kramer

Mark and Lois Shaevsky

Allan & Joy Nachman

Eliot & Elizabeth Bank

Ruth Rattner

Ann Katz

Lois Shaevsky

Everett & Margery Jassy

Yuval Sharon

Barbara & Michael Kratchman

Mali Sharon

Gary L. Wasserman

Rodger & Loree Wasserman

Dr. Shunbin Xu

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Lee Hsien Yang

Mr. Tony P. H. Ta

IN MEMORY OF

Bob Bochy

Anita Marie Salustro

Harry T. Cook

Ms. Susan Chevalier

David DiChiera

Richard & Mona* Alonzo

Karen DiChiera

Dennis Archer, Jr.

Mr. Luis Resto

Cameron “Sandy” Duncan

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles Kashner

Elva Ebersole

Ms. Brenda Shufelt

Elaine Fontana

Five Star Sheets, LLC

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Joseph Fontana

Deborah Logan

Bryan Pukoff

Robert Ruddy

Ms. Angela Smith

Diedre Turner

Louis & Elaine Fontana

John Reinhard

Barbara Frankel

Janet & Robert Epstein

James Grant

Bryan & Susan Ludwig

Layne Sakwa

Pauline Virgina Fucinari

Martha Chamorro & Fernando Peralta

Mr. Anthony Delsener

Dr. David & Mrs. Yvonne

Fucinari

Terese, Carole & Mary Louise Ireland

Marie Osborne

Paul & Kathy Schneider

Michael Sullivan

Karen Hodgson

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Dr. Devon Hoover

Michael Artman &

Anita Shagena

Richard A Berg

Mrs. Chris Bogojevich

Dr. Cynthia Browne, MD

Ms. Stacey Cassis

Patricia Cosgrove

Konstantin Elisevich & Candace Eliesevich

Delena A. Ickes

Mr. David Edward Laski

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Rozanne Paton

Thomas Quilter

DeAnne Spurlock

Mary Stewart

Dr. Andrey Volkov

Herbert Wendt

Dr. David Wu

The Physicians of Great Lakes Cancer Management Specialists

Stuart Itzkowitz & Larry Zimmerman

Mrs. Sharon Skorupski

Roberta Larson

Anne Lemke

Alphonse Lucarelli

John & Marilyn Belamaric

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Mrs. Judith Christian

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Stephanie M. Prechter

Waltraud Prechter

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Norma Stone

Dawn Minch

Dr. & Mrs. Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Daniel Pehrson

Larry Shulman

Irene Piccone

Teresa Gualtieri-Clark

Peter Polidori

Phyllis Pransky

Nancy Rade

Paula Lisa Cole

David Schon

Michael Schon

Dr. Charles B. Smith

Dr. Peggie J. Hollingsworth

Phyllis Snow

Lisa Gross

Carole Heinrich

Kathleen Kennedy

Lauren Woolery

Anne Stricker

Torben Winter & Linda Hall

William P. Vititoe

Stephen Economy

Beate M. Vreeken

Bradley & Rachel Benigni

Karen & Matthew Cullen

Sandra & John Morrow

Margaret Winters

Elizabeth Porter & Larry Hickman

David Delos Woodard

Ms. Dorothy Bennoune

Sarisa Zoghlin

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Every effort has been made to accurately reflect donor and honoree/memorial names for gifts received between February 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. Should you find an error or omission, please contact Zach Suchanek at zsuchanek@ detroitopera.org or 313.237.3427

KEY

* Deceased

THE DAVID D iCHIERA ARTISTIC FUND

In remembrance of our founder and long-term general director, the David DiChiera Artistic Fund has been established to support and honor his artistic vision.

The fund enables Detroit Opera to produce compelling opera, present innovative dance, and engage with thousands of students and members of our community through our educational and outreach programs. Most importantly, it allows Detroit Opera to preserve David's legacy and not only his dedication to the young people of southeast Michigan, but his support of young emerging artists from all over the country.

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous corporate, foundation, and individual donors whose gifts were made to the David DiChiera Artistic Fund before March 31, 2024.

INDIVIDUAL

Joe Alcorn (in memory of Joan Hill)

Richard & Mona* Alonzo

Carl Angott & Tom Ball

Pamela Applebaum

Hon. Dennis W. Archer & Hon. Trudy Duncombe Archer

Gordon & Pauline Arndt

Timothy & Linda Arr

Mr. Jeffrey Atto

Kenan Bakirci

Landis Beard

Virginia Berberian (in memory of Joan Hill)

Jere & Carole Berkey

Henri & Anaruth Bernard

Mr. Robert Hunt Berry

Ms. Christine Jessica Berryman

Martha & Peter Blom* (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mrs. Judith B. Boesky

Douglas & Rhonda Bonett

Ms. Priscilla Bowen

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Frank & Jenny Brzenk

Ms. Patricia Byrne

James & Susan Catlette

Mr. Richard D. Cavaler

Mrs. Judith Christian

Howard & Judith Christie

Mrs. Judith K. Christie

Hon. Avern Cohn* & Ms. Lois Pincus

Paula Lisa Cole

Mr. Martin Collica

Deborah L. Connelly (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Holly Conroy (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Carmen & Telman Constan

James & Diana Cornell

Patricia Cosgrove

Mr. John Craib-Cox

Geoffrey Craig (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mr. Stephen J. Cybulski

Gail Danto & Arthur Roffey

Dodie & Larry David

Walter & Lillian Dean (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Cristina DiChiera & Neal Walsh

Lisa DiChiera

Nicholas Dorochoff & Joe Beason

Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr.

Mr. Keith Otis Edwards

Ms. Elaine K. Ellison

Marianne T. Endicott

Daniel Enright

Ms. Sundra Michelle Epps

Beth Erman (in honor of Ruth Rattner)

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Sandra Fabris

Barbara Fisher & William Gould

Mr. Andrew D. Fisher

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Peter & Nancy Gaess

Lawrence & Ann Garberding

Wika Gomez

Mrs. Sylvia Graham

Mr. William Greene

William Greene & Peter McGreevy

Kristina K. Gregg

John & Kristan Hale

Stephen Hartle

Ms. Rhea Hill

Ms. Rita Hoffmeister

Ms. Anne M. Horner

William & Sarah Hufford

Patricia Jeflyn

Dirk A. Kabcenell (in memory of Joan Hill)

Mr. Martin Kagan

Mrs. Ann F. Katz, Ph.D (in honor of Ruth Rattner)

Ms. Francine C. Kearns-King

Mr. & Mrs. Gerd H. Keuffel (in memory of Joan Hill)

Colin Knapp

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Mr. Jacob Krause (in memory of Manya Korkigian)

Arthur & Nancy Ann Krolikowski

James & Ellen Labes

Chak & Beth Lai

Mado Lie*

Bryan R. Lind

William & Jacqueline Lockwood

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

James LoPrete

Stephen Lord

Ms. Renee Lounsberry

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

Mr. Evan R. Luskin

Ms. Jennifer Marling

Diana Marro Salazar

Ms. Alex May

Ms. Mary C. Mazure (in honor of Nadine DeLeury & Gregory Near)

Nadine & Haden McKay

Dr. Lisa Meils

Ms. Lynne M. Metty

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Mary Rose & Bill Mueller

Sarah Mumford

Katharine Nipper

Ms. Julia O'Brien

Mr. & Mrs. Ralph A. Orlandi

Mrs. Sally Orley

Bonnie Padilla (in honor of Joan Hill)

Charles & Mary Parkhill

Nicole Patrick

Christopher F. Patten

Mr. Michael Poris

Ms. Stephanie M. Prechter

Mr. Wade Rakes II

Rip & Gail Rapson

Ms. Deborah Remer

Ms. Marija D. Rich

Pamela Rowland

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Ms. Loretta W. Ryder

Barry & Deane Safir

Dmitriy & Svetlana Sakharov

William & Marjorie Sandy

Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Dr. Mary J. Schlaff & Dr. Sanford Koltonow

Mr. David Schon*

Yuval Sharon

Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao

Dorienne Sherrod

Peter & Mary Siciliano (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Ted & Mary Ann Simon

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Joe Skoney & Luisa Di Lorenzo

Hugh Smith & Marsha Kindall-Smith

Mr. Kendall Smith

Lee & Bettye Smith

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

Ms. Janet Stevens

Dr. Austin Stewart & Mr. Charlie Dill

Ronald Switzer & Jim McClure

Angela & Joseph Theis

Mrs. Beverly A. Thomas

Buzz Thomas & Daniel Vander Ley

Ms. Patricia A. Thull

Mr. Jason P. Tranchida

Jeffrey Tranchida & Noel Baril

Elliott & Patti Trumbull

Barbara & Mat Vanderkloot

Berwyn Lee Walker

William & Martha Walsh

Gary L. Wasserman & Charles A. Kashner

Kevin & Andrea Webber

Bradford J. & Carol White

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Peter Wilson (in honor of Nadine DeLeury)

Blaire R. Windom

Mary Lou Zieve

Corporations & Foundations

AOM, LLC

The Eugene & Marcia Applebaum

Family Foundation

J. Addison Bartush and Marion M. Bartush

Educational Fund

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

DeRoy Testamentary Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

MOT Orchestra Fund

Northern Trust Bank

Pal Properties, LLC

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

The Detroit Opera Board of Directors began the first phase of fundraising for the Detroit Opera House capital improvements in January 2020. This multiphase capital campaign grew from recommendations identified in the facilities master plan completed by Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. Scheduled facility improvements and upgrades will shape the patron experience at the opera house for years to come.

We extend heartfelt thanks to the following donors who made contributions that enabled capital improvements to begin.

Leadership Gifts

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

William Davidson Foundation

National Endowment for the Humanities

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Campaign Contributors

Naomi André

Michael Azar

Nancy Azizi

Lee & Floy Barthel

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Gene P. Bowen

Elizabeth Brooks

Mr. Elliott Broom

Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee

Mrs. Judith Christian

James & Elizabeth Ciroli

Hon. Avern Cohn* &

Ms. Lois Pincus

John & Doreen Cole

Mr. Adam Crysler & Dr. Oxana Crysler

Joanne Danto &

Arnold Weingarden

Ms. Julia Donovan Darlow &

Hon. John C. O'Meara

Kevin Dennis & Jeremy Zeltzer

Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

David & Carol Domina

Mr. Cameron B. Duncan*

Ms. Wendy L. Ecker

Mr. Michael Einheuser

Marianne T. Endicott

Alex and Lil Erdeljan Foundation

Fern Espino & Tom Short

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel

Samuel* & Toby Haberman

John & Kristan Hale

Dr. Devon Hoover*

Eleanor & Alan Israel

Robert Jesurum & Christine Petrucci

The Karen & Drew Peslar Foundation

Ms. Velda Kelly

Mary Kramer

Michael & Barbara Kratchman

Denise Lewis

Alphonse S. Lucarelli*

Don Manvel

Marvin, Betty & Joanne Danto

Family Foundation

McGregor Fund

Benjamin Meeker & Meredith Korneffel, MD

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Donald & Antoinette Morelock

Allan & Joy Nachman

Philanthropic Fund

James & Ann Nicholson

Peter Oleksiak

Ms. Linda Orlans

Penske Corporation

Mr. Shane Pliska

Prof. Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D.

Waltraud Prechter

Paul & Amy Ragheb

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Terry Shea & Seigo Nakao

The Skillman Foundation

Mr. Richard Slama

SOLO World Partners LLC

Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes

The State of Michigan

Lorna Thomas, MD

Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Toppin

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Listing reflects gifts and pledges as of March 31, 2024, in alphabetical order.

AVANTI SOCIETY MEMBERS

ENSURING THE

FUTURE

Imagine a gift that outlives you, allowing future generations to experience and enjoy the world of opera and dance. That's the goal of the Avanti Society, Detroit Opera’s planned gift recognition program.

The Italian word Avanti means “ahead,” or “forward.” Detroit Opera’s Avanti Society represents a designated group of friends who have made plans to include Detroit Opera in their estates—whether by will, trust, insurance, or life income arrangement. We are grateful for the generosity and foresight of those listed below who have chosen to declare their intentions and join the Avanti Society. Thank You Avanti Society Members!

Sarah Allison

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya§

Mr. & Mrs.Agustin Arbulu§

Mr.* & Mrs. Chester Arnold§

Dr. Leora Bar-Levav

Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel

Mr. & Mrs. Brett Batterson§

Mr. W. Victor Benjamin

Mr.* & Mrs. Art Blair§

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Bowlby

Mrs. Doreen Bull

Mr.* & Mrs. Roy E. Calcagno§

The Gladys L. Caldroney Trust

Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E.Carson

Dr.* & Mrs. Victor J. Cervenak

Father Paul F. Chateau

Mary Christner

Mr. Gary L. Ciampa

Ms. Virginia M. Clementi

Hon. Avern Cohn* &

Ms. Lois Pincus

Prof. Kenneth Collinson

Douglas & Minka Cornelsen

Dr. Robert A. Cornette§#

Mr.* & Mrs. Tarik Daoud§#

Mr. Randal Darby

Mr. Thomas J. Delaney

Walter & Adel Dissett

Ms. Mary J. Doerr#

Mrs. Helen Ophelia Dove-Jones

Mrs. Charles M. Endicott§#

Mr. Wayne C. Everly

David & Jennifer Fischer

Mr. & Mrs. Herb Fisher§

Mrs. Barbara Frankel* & Mr. Ronald Michalak§#

Mr. & Mrs. Herman Frankel§#

Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Freeman*

The Edward P. Frohlich Trust

Mrs. Jane Shoemaker French

Dr. & Mrs. Byron P. Georgeson§

Albert & Barbara Glover

Robert Green

Mr. Ernest Gutierrez

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Hagopian

Mr. Lawrence W. Hall§

Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Halperin§

Ms. Heather Hamilton

Charlene Handleman

Preston & Mary Happel

Mr. Kenneth E. Hart§

Mr. & Mrs. Eugene L. Hartwig §

Dr. & Mrs. Gerhardt A. Hein

Ms. Nancy B. Henk

Mrs. Fay Herman

Derek & Karen* Hodgson

Andrew & Carol Howell

Dr. Cindy Hung§

Eleanor & Alan Israel

Ms. Kristin Jaramillo§

Mr. Donald Jensen§

Mr. John Jesser

Mr. John Jickling

Maxwell & Marjorie Jospey

Mr. Patrick J.* & Mrs.

Stephanie Germack Kerzic

Josephine Kessler

Edward & Barbara Klarman

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein#

Mr. & Mrs. Erwin H. Klopfer§#

Misses Phyllis & Selma Korn§ *

Myron & Joyce LaBan

Mr. Max Lepler &

Mr. Rex Dotson

Linda Dresner & Ed Levy Jr.

Mr. Hannan Lis

Florence LoPatin

Mr. Stephen H. Lord

Ms. Denise Lutz

Laura & Mitchell Malicki

Ms. Jane McKee§

Bruce Miller

Drs. Orlando & Dorothy Miller§

Ms. Monica Moffat &

Mr. Pat McGuire

Drs. Stephen & Barbara Munk

Miss Surayyah Muwwakkil

Mr. Jonathan F. Orser

Ms. Julie A. Owens

Mr. Dale J. Pangonis§

Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Parkhill

Mr. Richard M. Raisin§

Mrs. Ruth F. Rattner§#

Ms. Deborah Remer

Dr. Joshua Rest

Mr. & Mrs. James Rigby§

Mr. Bryan L. Rives

Ms. Patricia Rodzik§

David & Beverly Rorabacher

Dulcie Rosenfeld

Concetta Ross*

Professor Alvin & Mrs. Harriet Saperstein

Ms. Susan Schooner§

Mark & Sally Schwartz

Drs. Heinz & Alice Platt Schwarz§

Mrs. Frank C. Shaler§

Ms. Ellen Sharp

Ms. Edna J. Pak Shin

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Siebert

Mrs. Loretta Skewes

Ms. Anne Sullivan Smith

Ms. Phyllis Funk Snow§

Mr.* & Mrs. Richard Starkweather§#+

Ms. Mary Anne Stella

Mr. Stanford C. Stoddard

Dr. Jonathan Swift* & Mr. Thomas A. St. Charles§

Mr. Ronald F. Switzer§

Lillie Tabor

Mary Ellen Tappan Charitable Remainder Trust

Peter & Ellen Thurber

Alice* & Paul Tomboulian

Mr. Edward D. Tusset§

Jonathan & Salome E. Walton

Susan Weidinger

Mrs. Amelia H. Wilhelm§#

Mrs. Ruth Wilkins

Mr. Andrew Wise

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Zangerle

We express profound thanks to these Avanti Society members whose planned gifts to Detroit Opera have been received.

Robert G. Abgarian Trust

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Allesee #

Serena Ailes Stevens

Mr. & Mrs. J. Addison Bartush§#

Mr. & Mrs. Mandell Berman

Margaret & Douglas Borden

Charles M. Broh

Milena T. Brown

Charlotte Bush Failing Trust

Mary C. Caggegi

Allen B. Christman

Miss Halla F. Claffey

Robert C. & RoseAnn B. Comstock

Mary Rita Cuddohy

Marjorie E. DeVlieg

Nancy Dewar

James P. Diamond

Dr. David DiChiera

Mrs. Karen V. DiChiera

Dr. & Mrs. Charles H. Duncan§

Mrs. Anne E. Ford

Ms. Pamela R. Francis§

Mrs. Rema Frankel

Barbara Lucking Freedman

The Priscilla A.B. Goodell Trust

Freda K. Goodman Trust

Priscilla R. Greenberg, Ph.D.§#

Maliha Hamady

Patricia Hobar

Mary Adelaide Hester Trust

Gordon V. Hoialmen Trust

Carl J. Huss

H. Barbara Johnston

Mrs. Josephine Kleiner

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Krolikowski§

Mr. Philip Leon

Dores & Wade McCree

Lucie B. Meininger

Helen M. Miller

Ella M. Montroy

Ronald K. Morrison

Ruth Mott

Elizabeth M. Pecsenye

Clarice Odgers Percox Trust

Thomas G. Porter

Mitchell Romanowski

Ms. Joanne B. Rooney

Mr. & Mrs. Giles L. & Beverly Ross

Ms. Merle H. Scheibner

Ms. Laura Sias

Mrs. Marge Slezak

Edward L. Stahl

Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis

Margaret D. Thurber

Mr. & Mrs. George & Inge Vincent§#

Herman W. Weinreich

J. Ernest Wilde Trust

Helen B. Wittenberg

Mr. & Mrs. Walter & Elizabeth Work§

Joseph J. Zafarana

Mr. & Mrs. George M. Zeltzer§

KEY § Founding Members

# Touch the Future donors

* Deceased members

Membership in the Avanti Society is open to all who wish to declare their intention for a planned gift to Detroit Opera. To learn more, call Juliano Bitonti Stewart at 313.965.4271.

REMEMBERING Phyllis Snow

Phyllis Snow, a cherished Detroit Opera Trustee and founding member of Detroit Opera (formerly Michigan Opera Theatre), passed away on March 19 at the age of 83. In this company’s early years, Phyllis supported David and Karen DiChiera’s drive to build an opera company for Detroit by volunteering 50 to 60 hours per week, serving in nearly every role, from receptionist to publicist. For five decades, she was a fixture at every mainstage rehearsal, fostering deep connections with countless artists, directors, and staff members. She will be remembered by many as the opera company’s greatest cheerleader, faithfully attending every performance, seated in “Box B” (house left), affectionately known as “Phyllis’s box” by the staff. Phyllis served as a founding member on the Board of Directors from 1974 to 1976, and as a dedicated Trustee from 1974 until 2024—a remarkable tenure of 50 years. From the formative years with founder David DiChiera’s Overture to Opera to the pivotal moments of establishing the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the completion of the Detroit Opera House, Phyllis’s influence and contributions to the success of Detroit Opera are immeasurable.

A celebration of Phyllis’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Phyllis’s family requests that you consider making a donation Detroit Opera. To attend a private celebration of Phyllis’s life, contact Lisa DiChiera at lisamdichiera @comcast.net .

On behalf of the entire Detroit Opera Family, we extend our deepest condolences to Phyllis's family. May her memory be a blessing.

Ethan D. Davidson Chairman of the Board

IN TRIBUTE: WAYNE S. BROWN

Wayne S. Brown succeeded David DiChiera as Detroit Opera’s President & CEO in 2014, leading the company for a remarkable 10 years until his retirement in December 2023. At the time of his appointment, Wayne pledged to find inspiring new artistic leadership for Detroit Opera. This charge was fulfilled with outstanding success, with the appointments of Yuval Sharon as the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director, Christine Goerke as Associate Artistic Director, and Roberto Kalb as Music Director.

Upon his retirement, Detroit Opera’s Board of Directors honored Wayne with the establishment of a tribute fund in his honor, to recognize his decade of leadership and achievements. Commemorated by the renaming of our stage door entrance as “Wayne’s Way,” gifts to the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund support a vital program that grew under his leadership: the Detroit Opera Resident Artist Program. Led by Christine Goerke and Nathalie Doucet, the Detroit Opera Resident Artist program has quickly gained national recognition, cultivating the next generation of opera talent. Gifts from the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund will provide necessary funds to name a Resident Artist position in his honor through the 2024-2025 season.

Detroit Opera gratefully acknowledges the generous donors whose gifts were made to the Wayne S. Brown Tribute Fund before April 1, 2024.

Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya

Barbra Bloch

Gene P. Bowen

Richard & Joanne Brodie

Philip Brunelle

James & Elizabeth Ciroli

Larry & Dodie David

Ethan & Gretchen Davidson

Enrico & Kathleen Digirolamo

Linda Dresner & Edward Levy Jr.

Marianne Endicott

Alex Erdeljan

Fern Espino & Tom Short

Paul & Mary Sue Ewing

Mary Lou Falcone

Carl & Mary Ann Fontana

Bharat & Lynn Gandhi

John & Kristan Hale

Ellen Hill Zeringue

Patty Isacson Sabee & David Sabee

Kent & Amy Jidov

Ms. Jill Johnson

Mary Kramer

Barbara & Michael Kratchman

Denise Lewis

Arthur & Nancy Liebler

Stephan & Marian Loginsky

Hon. Jack Martin & Dr. Bettye Arrington-Martin

Ali Moiin & William Kupsky

Allan & Joy Nachman

James & Ann Nicholson

Naomi Oliphant

William & Wendy Powers

Prof. Sara A. Pozzi, Ph.D

Waltraud Prechter

Ted & Carrie Pryor

Ruth Rattner

Irvin & Pamela Reid

Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs

Anthony & Sabrina Rugiero

Ankur Rungta & Mayssoun Bydon

Matthew & Mona Simoncini

Dr. Lorna Thomas

Jesse & Yesenia Venegas

R. Jamison & Karen Williams

Rita Winters

DETROIT OPERA ADMINISTRATION & STAFF

LEADERSHIP

Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO

Yuval Sharon, Gary L.Wasserman Artistic Director

Christine Goerke, Associate Artistic Director

Roberto Kalb, Music Director

DEPARTMENT HEADS

Andrew Berg, Chief Development Officer

Daniel T. Brinker, General Manager, Detroit Opera House & Parking Center

Branden Hood, Director of Education

Alexis Means, Director of Operations & Patron Experience

Rock Monroe, Director of Safety & Security, DOH & DOHPC

Shawn Rieschl Johnson, Director of Production

Samantha Teter, Chief Marketing Officer

Ataul Usman, Director of Human Resources

Arthur White, Director of External Affairs

ADMINISTRATION

William Austin, Executive Assistant

Christy Gray, Office Administrator

Laura Nealssohn, Board Liaison

Timothy Lentz, Archivist & Director, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library

Catherine Staples, Associate Archivist, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library

Bryce Rudder, Digital Asset Manager & Senior Librarian, Detroit Opera Archive & Resource Library

Michael Hauser, Curator of Architecture & History

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Alaina Brown, Program Coordinator

Mark Vondrak, Associate Director/Tour Manager

HOUSE OPERATIONS

Juan Benavides, Building Engineer

Kathie Booth, Volunteer Coordinator

Jennifer George-Consiglio, Manager of Venue Operations

Dennis Wells, Facilities Manager

Holly Clement, Senior Manager of Events & Rentals

FINANCE

Kimberley Burgess, Accountant

Rita Winters, Accountant

HUMAN RESOURCES

Josh Kozakowski, HR Coordinator

PATRON SERVICES

Development

Chelsea Kotula, Director of Institutional Giving

Valentino Peacock, Development Operations Coordinator

Zach Suchanek, Manager of Annual Giving

Juliano Bitonti Stewart, Director of Development

Katrina Fasulo, Associate Major Gifts Officer

Marketing/Public Relations

Jennifer Melick, Communications & Media Relations Manager

Austin Richey, Digital Media Manager & Storyteller

Anna Herscher, Lead Graphic Designer

Prynsess Partridge, Digital & Promotions Coordinator

Deirdre Michael, Website Administrator

Position is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

BOX OFFICE

Amy Brown, Senior Manager of Ticketing & Box Office Operations

Evan Carr, System Administrator

Ellen Smith, Group Sales Associate

Stephanie Stoiko, Assistant Box Office Manager

Emily Lange, Box Office Associate

ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT

Nathalie Doucet, Head of Music & Director of Resident Artist Program

Matthew Principe, Director of Media & Special Projects

Melany Janer, Administrative Assistant

DANCE

Jon Teeuwissen, Artistic Advisor for Dance

Kim Smith, Dance Coordinator

PRODUCTION

Administration

Elizabeth Anderson, Production Coordinator & Artistic Administrator

Kathleen Bennett, Production Administrator

Technical & Design Staff

Jeff Beyersdorf, Technical Director

Brodrick Whittley, Assistant Technical Director

Moníka Essen, Property Master

Kaila Madison, Technical Assistant

Music

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Assistant Music Director & Chorus Master

Molly Hughes, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Jean Posekany, Orchestra Librarian

Nan Luchini, Joshua Marzan, Score Readers

Costumes

Suzanne Hanna, Costume Director

Michaela Tanskley, Wardrobe Supervisor

Patricia Sova, First Hand

Mary Ellen Shuffett, Fitting Assistant

Maureen Abele, Dylan McBride, Paul Moran, Rachel Parrott, Lupe Vazquez, Stitchers

Wigs & Makeup

Elizabeth Geck, Local Crew Coordinator

Erika Broderdorf, Kaitlyn Denzler, Denitra Townsend, Wig & Makeup Crew

Vanessa Cassidy, Swing

Stage Crew

John Kinsora, Head Carpenter

Frederick Graham, Head Electrician

Gary Gilmore, Production Electrician

Pat McGee, Head Propertyman

Chris Baker, Head of Sound

Pat Tobin, Head Flyman

Dee Dorsey, Surtitle Operator

Justin Lang, Rehearsal Projection Operator

Mary Ellen Shuffett, Head of Wardrobe

IATSE Local #38 Stage Crew

IATSE Local # 786 Wardrobe

DETROIT OPERA YOUTH CHORUS

Suzanne Mallare Acton, Director

Twannette Nash, Chorus Administrator

Joseph Jackson, Accompanist

Jane Panikkar, Preparatory Chorus Conductor

Maria Cimarelli, Preparatory Chorus Accompanist

Stephanie Miltmore, DOYC Production Liaison

SAFETY & SECURITY

Lt. Lorraine Monroe

Sgt. Demetrius Newbold

Officer Gary Cabean

Officer A.M. Hightower

USHERS

Max Aghili, Christine Berryman, Ellen Bishop, Kathie Booth, Lori Burkhardt, Sharon Cardeccia, Randall Davis, Dianne Deinek, Suzanne Erbes, Pamela Fergusson, Erin Gaston-Doakes, Jo-Ann Hale, Marilyn Luberti, Sydney May, Myrna Mazure, Ennis Mcgee, Heddie O’Connor, Edna Rubin, Ida Vance

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Please observe the lighted exit signs located throughout the theater. In the event of an emergency, remain calm and walk, do not run, to the nearest exit. Ushers and security personnel are trained to assist. An emergency medical technician (EMT) is on-site during most events. Contact an usher or staff member if you need medical assistance.

GUEST SERVICES:

Vincent Lobby and Broadway Lounge

There are a variety of amenities for your comfort and use located in both guest services locations. Wheelchairs, booster seats*, earplugs, assisted listening devices, feminine hygiene products, basic first aid items, and more are complimentary and available for your convenience. Coat check is also available. The Vincent Lobby is located on the Madison Street side of the building and the Broadway Lounge is located on the Broadway Street side of the building.

*Limited quantity

PHOTOGRAPHY, RECORDING, AND CELL PHONE USE

Photography and/or recording during any performance is strictly prohibited. Photographs taken in the lobby areas, before or after a performance, and during intermission are welcome. As a courtesy to all guests, please turn off all electronic devices and refrain from use during the performance.

RESTROOMS

Women’s restrooms are located off the Ford Lobby (Broadway Street entrance) and down the stairs, and on third floor (Madison Street entrance). Men’s restrooms are located under the Grand Staircase and on the third floor (Broadway Street side). There are two sets of elevators or stairs available to access all third-floor restrooms. All third-floor restrooms are wheelchair accessible (women’s restroom, press 3R in the elevator). There are single-use unisex wheelchair accessible restrooms on the first floor of the Broadway Street side of the building and the Madison Street side of the building. There is also a wheelchair accessible women’s restroom on the Broadway Street side of the building.

NO SMOKING

The Detroit Opera House is a non-smoking facility. This includes e-cigarettes, vapes, and other “smokeless” products.

USHERS

Ushers are stationed throughout the building to assist patrons as needed. Please direct questions, concerns, and feedback to them during your visit. Enjoy volunteering? Please go to guest services or the Detroit Opera website, detroitopera.org/volunteers, for information on becoming a volunteer.

LOST AND FOUND

During the performance, lost and found is located in guest services. Unclaimed items are logged and taken to the Safety and Security office after each performance. To inquire about a misplaced or lost item, please call 313.961.3500. Items left over 30 days will be discarded or donated.

RECORDING IN PROGRESS

Entry and presence on the event premises constitute your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded, and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity in connection with Detroit Opera and its initiatives. By entering the event premises, you waive and release any claims you may have related to the use of recorded media of you at the event.

Detroit Opera is a proud member of

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