The Atlanta Opera: Pirates of Penzance January 2022

THE ATLANTA OPERA

PIRATES OF PENZANCE THE

GILBERT & SULLIVAN JAN 22 - 30, 2022

COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

2021-22 SEASON

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T H E P I R AT E S O F P E N Z A N C E

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F E AT U R E Production Note. . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Story by Julia Brown Simmons Photos by Jeff Roffman

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welcome

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Greetings and best wishes for the new year.

2022 is upon us, and at The Atlanta Opera we are optimistic that it holds our hopes in store much more than our fears.

We are grateful to have been able to present opera uninterrupted during this time—from the early dark days with our Big Tent Series to our triumphant return to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre last fall. We need stories now more than ever to help us navigate a tricky new time.

And, stories are headed your way in 2022. We’re delighted to present to you The Pirates of Penzance, which holds a record as the best-selling production in The Atlanta Opera’s history. It’s just the kind of escape we all need right now, and this cast is ready to impress.

Later this spring, we hope you will join us for Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and our new production of the contemporary treasure The (R)Evolution of Steve Jobs

by Mason Bates and Mark Campbell. The (R)Evolution of Steve Jobs will actually travel across the country beginning in Austin in February, then to Kansas City and finally back to its home in Atlanta for performances in late April and May. Plus, the Big Tent returns for our Discoveries Series in June. The tent is a great place to experiment with works both new to audiences (As One) and beloved for decades (Cabaret).

It feels great to think about our company’s future, despite the many challenges that continue to face the performing arts. We are looking forward to sharing a grand (epic, even!) 2022-23 season with you in March.

Please enjoy the performance, and stay safe out there.

Tomer Zvulun Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director

6 | sponsors

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Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is also supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agency—the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

THE ATLANTA OPERA DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Barnes Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney *Nancy & *Jim Bland Mr. David Boatwright Laura & Montague Boyd Dr. Harold Brody & Mr. Donald Smith Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. John & Rosemary Brown Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Ann & Frank Critz Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein *Martha Thompson Dinos Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Carl & Sally Gable Beth & Gary Glynn Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross John L. Hammaker

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Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks Mr. L. D. Holland Howard Hunter, Gramma Fisher Foundation Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough *Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Mary Ruth McDonald James B. Miller, Jr. Stephanie & Gregor Morela Talia & John Murphy Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mr. William E. Pennington Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Katherine Scott Mr. William F. Snyder Christine & Mark St.Clare Judith & Mark Taylor Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle *deceased

credits

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MUSIC Arthur Sullivan LIBRETTO William S. Gilbert FIRST PERFORMANCE December 31, 1879, New York, Fifth Avenue Theatre CONDUCTOR Francesco Milioto PRODUCTION DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER Seán Curran SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGNER James Schuette LIGHTING DESIGNER Robert Wierzel WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER David Zimmerman CHORUS MASTER Rolando Salazar FILMED MEDIA Felipe Barral & Amanda Sachtleben CAST MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY Curt Olds THE PIRATE KING Craig Irvin FREDERIC Santiago Ballerini MABEL Susanne Burgess* RUTH Katharine Goeldner SERGEANT OF POLICE Daniel Sumegi SAMUEL Sankara Harouna* EDITH Gretchen Krupp* KATE Eva Lukkonen Sullivan ISABEL Julia Metry QUEEN VICTORIA Corinne Scott MUSICAL PREPARATION Elena Kholodova ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Logan Souther ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Bruno Baker† PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Megan Bennett ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS Beth Goodill & Kristin Kelley ENGLISH CAPTIONS Opera Theatre of Saint Louis SUPERTITLES CALLED BY Meredith Morse Performed in English with English supertitles.

Approximate running time: two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.

This production of The Pirates of Penzance is an original production of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

The scenery was revised as a co-production of The Alanta Opera and Palm Beach Opera.

Costumes are the property of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. *Member of The Atlanta Opera Glynn Studio. The Glynn Studio Artists are supported by gifts from Beth & Gary Glynn and the Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation. †The Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg Young Artist Stage Director, given in honor of Tomer Zvulun **alumnus of The Atlanta Opera Studio

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Notes on the Production WRITTEN BY

Julia Brown Simmons PHOTOS BY

Jeff Roffman

Production photos of The Pirates of Penzance from The Atlanta Opera’s 2016 production at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Charles Dickens wrote in his novel Bleak House, “You have served your country and you know that when duty calls we must obey.” Dickens’s exploration—and frequent criticism—of “duty” in his 1852 novel responds to the sense of duty to queen and country that pervaded Victorian England. Dickens was not alone in his inclination to respond to this feature of Victorian life—Gilbert and Sullivan, too, picked it up in their Pirates of Penzance, an 1879 satiric operetta for which the alternative title is The Slave of Duty.

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10 | productionnote W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were a librettistcomposer duo who worked together on Englishlanguage comic operas from 1871-1896. These fourteen operas, known as the Savoy Operas after the theater built to stage them, show the height of each artist’s talents. Gilbert created absurd, fanciful worlds, filling his libretti with paradoxes and polysyllabic rhymes.

Sullivan’s orchestration, parodying composers like Verdi, Donizetti, Schubert, and Gounod, both matched the lightness and drew out the ironies in Gilbert’s libretti. The duo saw great success together, but tensions between them rose as their interests conflicted—in particular, Sullivan sought to pursue more serious operatic subjects, while Gilbert did not. They eventually separated over a disagreement concerning the Savoy’s finances.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s best-known works include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, and, of course, The Pirates of Penzance. The Pirates of Penzance arose from a piracy issue—just not the seagoing variety. Pirated versions of H.M.S. Pinafore were being performed in America in 1878-79, and Gilbert and Sullivan ultimately traveled to America to deal with that issue. They brought with them their new Pirates of Penzance, which premiered in New York City in December 1879, shortly before its premiere in London a few months later.

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At the core of The Pirates of Penzance is a satire of Victorian duty: in addition to absurd paradoxes and bizarre mistakes, an overly inflated sense of duty drives the plot of the opera. Frederic fulfills his training as a pirate (instead of a “pilot”) feeling duty-bound because of his promise of apprenticeship, which was to last through his 21st birthday. After realizing he was born on a leap day—and reaching the fallacious conclusion that he would not pass his 21st birthday for another 67 years—Frederic decides to surrender to his fate and swear loyalty to the pirates for the remainder of his days out of this same sense of duty. The pirates, after capturing the Major-General’s daughters, yield to the Major-General in Queen Victoria’s name. The characters in the opera become caricatures of figures in Victorian era British society. At a time of imperial expansion, particularly in Asia and Africa, and the height of the British Empire, this representation of blind Victorian pride and duty can be a biting critique of the pervasive imperialist mindset.

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12 | synopsis The music heightens this political satire, both in the style of the lyrics and in the orchestration. Gilbert’s “Major-General” song is a patter song, or a fast-paced song in which each syllable corresponds to one note, filled with rhymes and alliteration, turning it into a tongue-twister. This comedic performance adds to the parody of the educated, “modern” British officer. The orchestration, parodying other works like Gounod’s waltzes or Verdi’s Il trovatore, highlights the satirical tone of the opera.

The opera can be an absolute riot for the audience taken at face value, or it can take on a darker comedic tone when considering the underlying layers parodying the British Empire. As Dickens wrote in another of his novels, “Duty, my dear Doctor, before every consideration in the universe!” This is the mindset that ruled Victorian England—and the very mindset Gilbert and Sullivan were trying to lampoon in The Pirates of Penzance.

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14 | synopsis

COURTESY

Lyric Opera of Kansas City PHOTOS BY

Jeff Roffman

ACT I A rocky seashore on the coast of Cornwall, England (1873) The pirates are toasting Frederic, who has finished his apprenticeship and is now a full-fledged pirate.

Some years earlier, Ruth, Frederic’s nurse, accidentally bound him to serve a pirate instead of a pilot. Frederic abhors this occupation, but due to an absurdly overdeveloped sense of duty he refused to leave until his contractual obligation was met. Now he invites the pirates to return to civilization with him, but their King points out that piracy is comparatively honest when contrasted with respectability.

Frederic has never laid eyes on any woman other than the middle-aged and very plain Ruth who has remained by his side, and whom he thinks of as beautiful. He is soon met with reality when he spies the daughters of Major-General Stanley arriving for a picnic on the beach.

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16 | synopsis Frederic begs one of them to take pity on his lot and marry him. He finds a most willing accomplice to this plan in Mabel Stanley.

The pirates return, kidnap the girls, and declare their immediate intention of being “conjugally matrimonified,” a situation averted by the arrival of the Major-General.

Knowing one of the pirates’ weaknesses, he throws himself on their mercy, declaring that he is an orphan, and the tender-hearted pirates agree not to take away his daughters.

ACT II A ruined chapel by moonlight In the ruins of a chapel that the upwardly mobile MajorGeneral Stanley has purchased to boost a sagging family reputation, his daughters are trying to comfort him. He has a guilty conscience because he lied to the pirates about being an orphan and has brought shame upon his ancestors who lie buried in the nearby graveyard. Frederic, now associated with the MajorGeneral because of his alliance with Mabel, declares his intentions to exterminate the pirates, a change of view

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18 | synopsis that again stems from his sense of duty, this time to Mabel and her family and to society in general.

The Pirate King and Ruth return to tell Frederic that he must rejoin their band, because a slight error in calculation in his pirate apprenticeship was made and he is not yet free from his indentures. The wording in the contract that bound him to the pirates stipulates his 21st birthday, not his 21st year. Frederic was born on the 29th of February in a leap year, and will not reach his 21st birthday for another 67 years.

Mabel agrees to wait for him until he is once again free and resolves to lead the police expedition against the pirates herself, and against Frederic whose sense of duty has once again brought about a change of alliances. The police arrive and quickly lose a battle with the pirates; however, the pirates promptly surrender when the name of Queen Victoria is invoked by the police.

Ruth saves the day by revealing that the pirates are really misguided noblemen. Realizing the boost this could give to his social position, the Major-General urges the ex-pirates to resume their legislative duties and marry his large family on the spot, thus affecting a happy and tuneful reunion for all of the couples.

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20 | cast&creative Praised for his energy and integrity on the podium, the Chicago Tribune has said, “Milioto presided with Bernsteinesque bravura.” A rising star of his generation, he is forging a unique career as a versatile conductor and leader. Mr. Milioto is currently Music Director of OPERA San Antonio and Artistic Advisor to the Florentine Opera Company, while maintaining positions on the music staffs of both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Milioto is excited to return to The Atlanta Opera following his successful debut conducting The FRANCESCO MILIOTO Threepenny Opera in The Big Tent Series last spring.

Immediately following that production Mr. Milioto returned CONDUCTOR to San Antonio for performances of Lucia di Lammermoor ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT before heading to The Santa Fe Opera for Tchaikovsky’s THE THREEPENNY Eugene Onegin. The 2021-22 season began with his longOPERA, 2021 anticipated debut with the Florentine Opera Company in their postponed production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Mr. Milioto also made his debut in Charleston with Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera (HALO) conducting a new production of La traviata performed on the local baseball field. Following these performances in Atlanta, he will return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to serve as cover conductor for a production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Mr. Milioto will round out his season returning to OPERA San Antonio for their production of Rigoletto.

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JEFF ROFFMAN

Seán Curran’s career in the arts spans 35 years, beginning with traditional Irish step dancing as a child in Boston.

A sought-after choreographer and director for opera and theatre, notable projects include Salome (Opera Theatre of St. Louis, San Francisco Opera, Opera Montreal, San Diego Opera); Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for The Shakespeare Theater; Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Shalimar the Clown, Ariadne on Naxos, Nixon in China, and Daughter of the Regiment at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; NYC Opera SEÁN CURRAN productions of L’Etoile, Alcina, Turandot, Haroun and STAGE DIRECTOR the Sea of Stories, Capriccio, and Acis and Galetea; & CHOREOGRAPHER Shakespeare in the Park’s As You Like It; the Metropolitan Opera’s Romeo and Juliette; and on Broadway in James ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Joyce’s The Dead, Cymbeline, and The Rivals at Lincoln THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, Center Theater. A graduate of New York University, Curran 2009 now serves as Arts Professor and Chair of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dance. As a dancer, he is known for his early performance work with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, receiving a “Bessie” award for his role in Secret Pastures, and as an original New York City cast member of STOMP! His 30 choreographic works for his contemporary dance ensemble, Seán Curran Company, are characterized by collaborations across artistic genres and have toured to nearly 100 venues in the U.S., Europe and Asia with seasons in New York City at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dance Theater Workshop, The Joyce Theater, The Guggenheim Museum, New Victory Theater, 92nd Street Y/Harkness Dance Project, Danspace Project, Symphony Space, Central Park Summerstage, and Celebrate Brooklyn. Seán Curran Company’s highly regarded service to the field includes donation of performances and classes to the American Civil Liberties Union NYC Chapter, Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Residence (a safe house for LGBTQ youth), Dancers Responding to AIDS and the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

22 | cast&creative James Schuette’s work includes set designs for Time to Burn, Space, Berlin Circle, The Royal Family (Jeff Award) and Homebody/Kabul, as well as costume designs for Mother Courage, After The Quake, Purple Heart, and Time of Your Life (Steppenwolf); Julius Caesar at the American Repertory Theatre; Of Thee I Sing directed

by Tina Landau (Paper Mill Playhouse); Frank Galati’s Oedipus Complex (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Un ballo in maschera (Opera Colorado; Minnesota Opera; Boston Lyric Opera); Nixon in China directed by James JAMES SCHUETTE Robinson (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Minnesota Opera); Intimations for Saxophone directed by Anne SCENIC Bogart (Arena Stage); and Doug Varone’s Deconstructing & COSTUME DESIGNER English. Other opera credits include Giulio Cesare at ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Houston Grand Opera; La bohème, Drattell’s Lillith THE PIRATES OF and Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins at New York City Opera; PENZANCE, 2016 Rigoletto, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Hansel and Gretel, and Sweeney Todd at Opera Colorado; Carmen at Santa Fe Opera; La bohème at Glimmerglass Opera; and Joseph Merrick dit Elephant Man (The Minnesota Opera). His work has been seen at the Goodman Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, A.C.T., Long Wharf, Yale Rep, Prince Music Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, Glimmerglass Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, New York City Opera, and Santa Fe Opera.

Robert Wierzel has worked in opera, theater, dance, museums, and contemporary music. Opera credits include productions with the opera companies of Paris Garnier, Tokyo, Toronto, Bergen, Norway, Glimmerglass Festival, Seattle, Boston Lyric, Minnesota, San Francisco, Houston, Virginia, Chicago Lyric, Opera Theatre of Chicago, Montreal, Vancouver, Portland, Wolf Trap, NYCO, and San Diego. His dance work includes the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Broadway credits include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill starring Audra McDonald; Fela! (Tony ROBERT WIERZEL Award nomination), and David Copperfield’s Broadway debut, Dreams and Nightmares. Off-Broadway includes LIGHTING DESIGNER productions with the NYSF/Public Theater, The Signature ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Playwrights LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, Horizons. Robert’s extensive regional theater work 2011 includes productions at the Alliance Theatre (Atlanta); Goodman Theatre; A.C.T. San Francisco; Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.), Center Stage, Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Shakespeare Theatre (Washington, D.C.); Hartford Stage; Long Wharf Theatre; The Guthrie; Mark Taper Forum; Actors Theatre Louisville, and The Old Globe. He is adjunct faculty at N.Y.U.’s Tisch School and a guest lecturer at the Yale School of Drama.

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Mr. Zimmerman has worked with opera companies around the world. These Include The Metropolitan Opera (NYC), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Santa Fe Opera, Paris National Opera (France), Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Minnesota Opera, The Dallas Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, International Music Festival (Macau, China), Holy City Lyric Opera (Charleston, SC), and Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam). Mr. Zimmerman’s career extends to Broadway, as well, where he has worked with such shows as Wicked, Rocky Horror, Showboat, South DAVID ZIMMERMAN Pacific, and Evita. Some of his personal clients include Renee Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Patricia WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Racette, Martha Stewart, Olympia Dukakis, and Ricky ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Martin. He has also worked with DIFFA Fashion Runway, Dallas Fashion and Art, and Yelp.com Fashion Magazine.

Credits include spreads in Opera News, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. TV and Film credits are Glamour Magazine’s Women of the year, Margaret (starring Anna Paquin), and Hostiles (starring Christian Bale and Rosemund Pike)

Rolando Salazar was the Associate Conductor and Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera from 2017 through 2020. He has served as assistant conductor and pianist at the Bellingham Festival of Music, as assistant conductor at La Musica Lirica, and as coach/ conductor for the Harrower Opera Workshop. Rolando was seen most recently in performances with The Atlanta Opera, Madison Opera, Atlanta Concert Opera, the Rome Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Ballet, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Georgia State University ROLANDO SALAZAR Orchestra, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Ozark Family Opera, and the Permian Basin Opera. He keeps CHORUS MASTER an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for engagements LA TRAVIATA, 2013 with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. A student of Michael Palmer, he is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master of Music in orchestral conducting and an Artist Diploma in orchestra and opera. This production of The Pirates of Penzance marks his 25th production with The Atlanta Opera Chorus.

24 | cast&creative

JEFF ROFFMAN

With an active career in both opera and musical theatre, baritone Curt Olds has been seen in productions ranging from Don Pasquale and Die Zauberflöte to musicals such as Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, The Threepenny Opera, Broadway’s Riverdance and Cats. Hailed by Opera News as “A wonderful singing actor, as adept in pointing dialogue as in phrasing song,” Curt is best known for his portrayal of the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance and his signature role as Ko-Ko in The Mikado, for which he has some 22 productions to his credit. In January of 2019 CURT OLDS he joined the International Tour of The Phantom of the Opera as Andre which continued to hold performances MAJOR-GENERAL STANLEY throughout Asia until the Spring of 2021. Olds is also in ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT demand and has garnered international acclaim for his THE PIRATES OF creative portrayals of an array of characters in the operetta PENZANCE, 2016 repertoire. Career highlights include such performances as: Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore with Eugene Opera, Arizona Opera and Central City Opera; Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Central City Opera, Opera New Jersey, Arizona Opera, and Anchorage Opera; The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Edmonton Opera, Lake George Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Arizona Opera; Pangloss/Voltaire in Candide with the New England Conservatory; Falke in Die Fledermaus at Lake George Opera; Dick McGann in Street Scene at Central City Opera; Pangloss/Voltaire/Martin/Cacambo/Candide in Candide with Arizona Opera, Anchorage Opera, and in concert with the South Dakota Symphony; Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance with Intermountain Opera, Nashville Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Opera, among others; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Hawaii Opera Theatre; and Njegus in The Merry Widow for Utah Opera.

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26 | cast&creative

JEFF ROFFMAN

Baritone Craig Irvin brings a vibrant sound and commitment to character to each role he portrays.

Recent highlights include a concert appearance with the Utah Symphony for Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer; Orest in Elektra with Minnesota Opera; a reprise of his Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night with Utah Opera; Dan Packard in Dinner at Eight with the Wexford Festival and Minnesota Opera; Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night with Austin Opera; Valentin in Faust with Opera Omaha; Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the Portland Symphony; CRAIG IRVIN singing Dominik and covering Mandryka in Arabella with Canadian Opera Company; Handel’s Messiah with THE PIRATE KING the Jacksonville Symphony; Britten’s War Requiem with ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Music Worchester; Stubb in Moby Dick with Utah Opera; SILENT NIGHT, 2016 Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Orlando; and Frank in Die Fledermaus with Des Moines Metro Opera. Mr. Irvin originated the role of Lieutenant Horstmayer in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ new opera Silent Night with Minnesota Opera which brought subsequent performances with Opera Philadelphia, Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Atlanta Opera. He has sung Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles with Utah Opera, Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Des Moines Metro Opera, and while in residence with Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, was seen as Angelotti in Tosca, Zuniga in Carmen, Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sam in A Masked Ball, Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly, Doctor/ Professor in Lulu, and Ashby in La fanciulla del West.

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JEFF ROFFMAN

Argentinian tenor Santiago Ballerini is recognized as one of the leading tenors in the Bel Canto repertoire, having appeared at many of the major opera houses throughout North and South America. Following Ballerini’s debut as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with The Atlanta Opera, he will make two additional role debuts this season as Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with Opera San Antonio and as Alzaga in The Magic Opal at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. In the 2019-20 season, Ballerini made his Canadian Opera Company debut as Count Almaviva in SANTIAGO BALLERINI Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He began that season with his return to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires as Ernesto in Don STUDIO ARTIST ALUMNUS Pasquale, after which he returned to The Atlanta Opera as FREDERIC Count Almaviva. On the concert platform, the tenor sang Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra in ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Washington D.C. under Gianandrea Noseda, and he began ROMEO AND JULIET, 2016 the 2020-21 season in concert with the Porto Symphony Orchestra in Portugal. Highlights from previous seasons include Opera Saratoga debut as Tonio in La fille du regiment, Gualtiero in Bellini’s Il pirata opposite Angela Meade, Il Tenor Italiano in Der Rosenkavalier at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the Teatro Argentino, and Ernesto in Don Pasquale at The Atlanta Opera. He also covered the roles of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera. Before starting his professional singing career, Ballerini was a pianist for nine years and studied Music Therapy at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, specializing in addiction treatment.

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JEFF ROFFMAN

Susanne Burgess, British-American soprano, has been described as “a unique combination of precision and ) with “lyric splendor, and a rich, even wonder” ( legato” (Parterre Box). This is Susanne’s second season with The Atlanta Opera Glynn Studio Artists where she kicks off the year performing the leading role of Mabel in Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic The Pirates of Penzance, also joining the company for Handel’s Julius Caesar, covering Cleopatra.

In early 2022, Susanne travels to Bohéme Opera of NJ where she debuts the role of Gilda in a new production of SUSANNE BURGESS Verdi’s Rigoletto. Susanne advances to the Southeastern Regional of the Metropolitan Opera National Council GLYNN STUDIO ARTIST Auditions after being named Winner of the GA district in MABEL both 2021 and 2022. Later this spring, she travels to Opera Mississippi where she performs in the Winners Concert of ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT the John Alexander Competition. Susanne will then spend THE THREEPENNY the summer at Des Moines Metro Opera singing Helena OPERA, 2021 in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For the 2020-21 season, Susanne joined The Atlanta Opera for their Big Tent series singing Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera, covering Micaëla in The Threepenny Carmen and Nedda in Pagliacci.

Earlier in 2020, she performed the role of Violetta Valéry in La traviata, starring in eight performances of the US Tour with Teatro Lirico d’Europa. Susanne was scheduled to make many role debuts with Opera North, The Atlanta Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed these performances. In lieu of live theater during those difficult times, Susanne joined world-renowned artists with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to present a virtual festival of arias, ensembles, and masterclasses. Other notable appearances include La bohéme and Dear Erich with New York City Opera; and Soprano Solos in the Fauré Requiem and John Trotta’s The Seven Last Words of Christ; as well as Jubilate Deo and Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest New England Symphony at Carnegie Hall.

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Opera News calls her “a natural actress...with thrilling, laser-like focus” and “luminous tone.” Opera magazine praises her “stunningly rich mezzo.” With a career that takes her throughout the U.S. and Europe, mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner is recognized as one of today’s finest artists. Katharine returned to the stage of the Santa Fe Opera in their 2021 season, as Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, and presented two recitals with pianist Carol Anderson for the Santa Fe Wagner Society. She makes her Atlanta Opera debut as Ruth in The Pirates of KATHARINE GOELDNER Penzance. Next on the calendar is the role of Iris in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings at Opera RUTH Theatre of Saint Louis, followed by a concert performance ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT of the new opera Arkhipov by Peter Knell and Stephanie Fleischmann. Katharine’s performances in recent seasons include Annina in Der Rosenkavalier at The Metropolitan Opera; Amneris in Aida with the Utah Opera and Boston Youth Symphony; Berio’s Folk Songs with the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg; Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at the University of Iowa; Fricka in Die Walküre with Augsburg Staatstheater; and Brigitta in Die tote Stadt in Toulouse and Dublin. She created the roles of Jackie Onassis in JFK and Peggy Ophuls in Shalimar the Clown. For her performances as Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Katharine was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera by the St Louis Circle Awards and was honored with Michigan’s David DiChiera Award for Best Performance in an Opera.

Now in the third decade of his career, bass-baritone Daniel Sumegi has sung over one hundred operatic roles on many of the world’s major stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, and Seattle Opera, as well as at Opera Australia in his home country. He has also appeared in the opera houses of Bonn, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, as well as Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Houston, among many others.

He has participated in performances of The Ring Cycle DANIEL SUMEGI in New York, Los Angeles, Strasbourg, San Francisco, Cologne, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Seattle, Melbourne, and SERGEANT OF POLICE Adelaide, most notably as Hagen. He has performed ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Hunding in concert for the Hong Kong, Atlanta, Stuttgart, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. Additionally, he has bowed as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with Welsh National, Scottish, Melbourne Operas, San Francisco, and the Metropolitan Opera; Scarpia in Tosca in Washington, Wales, Adelaide, and Knoxville; Jochanaan in Salome in Washington, Hamburg, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, Leeds, and Sydney; Boris in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in Nantes and Sydney; and Klingsor in Parsifal in Hamburg, Barcelona, and Adelaide. The 2021-22 season features two company and role debuts for Mr. Sumegi: Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio with Irish National Opera and Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance with Atlanta Opera. Further information can be found at www.danielsumegi.com.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

30| cast&creative Baritone Sankara Harouna hails from the South Side of Chicago, and studied music at Kentucky State University.

He began his musical journey in the traditional arts of West African culture, music and drumming, and has had the opportunity to perform across the country singing different styles of music from jazz to gospel to classical.

For the 2021-22 season, Sankara premieres with The Atlanta Opera as a Glynn Studio Artist. In the summer of 2021, he portrayed the role of The Officer in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville with Cincinnati Opera where he SANKARA HAROUNA was slated to be a 2020 Young Artist, until the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sankara GLYNN STUDIO ARTIST also portrayed the role of Derrick Wheatt in Cincinnati SAMUEL Opera’s 2019 World Premiere of Blind Injustice by Scott Davenport Richards and David Cote. Sankara has also ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT performed numerous times with the Kentucky Opera, including performing the role of The Page in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in 2018, and the role of First Prison Guard in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in 2017. He was part of the 2018 inaugural class of Canto Vocal Programs singing the role of Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro, a lead jazz vocalist with the Avant-Garde Hip HOpera by David Boykin, and was a featured artist in the Six Degrees Women Composers Concert where he sang compositions by Regina Harris Baiocchi and Ann E. Ward. In the summer of 2022, he will return to Cincinnati Opera to be a part of the World Premiere production of Fierce by William Menefield and Sheila Williams.

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JEFF ROFFMAN

A Northern Virginia native, Gretchen Krupp, “a mezzo capable of searing delivery, powerful and ripe” (Opera Today) is gaining recognition in major competitions and festivals on the operatic scene. During the fall of 2021, she will appear as a featured soloist in concerts with Baltimore Concert Opera and The Dallas Opera. This past summer, she returned to Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist, where she performed in Boulogne’s L’Amant Anonyme and Viardot’s Cendrillon, in addition to her first performance of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. Her debut with The Dallas Opera in Don Carlo was GRETCHEN KRUPP unfortunately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gretchen was the mezzo soloist in Beethoven@250 with the GLYNN STUDIO ARTIST Cathedral Choral Society in Washington, D.C. Prior to the EDITH pandemic, she made her European debut at the Château de Versailles Spectacles as Samira in The Ghosts of Versailles, ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT a role she earlier debuted at The Glimmerglass Festival.

She was the recipient of the prestigious Georgina Joshi International Fellowship for vocal studies in Berlin. Other credits include the role of the Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Greensboro Opera, being a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions (newly renamed The Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition), and her Glimmerglass Festival debut singing Chocholka, Woodpecker, and Innkeeper’s Wife in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen opposite renowned bass-baritone, Eric Owens. Gretchen was also a finalist in the Houston Grand Opera 29th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition.

She is an alumna of programs at The Glimmerglass Festival, Wolf Trap Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Gretchen holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and she is in her first year as a Glynn Studio Artist at The Atlanta Opera.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

32 | cast&creative Eva Lukkonen Sullivan was most recently engaged as the Prince Charmant cover in Cendrillon with Opera Birmingham’s 2020 production (canceled due to COVID).

She was seen as Cherubino in Atlanta Concert Opera’s 2019 production of Le nozze di Figaro, a role she had previously performed under Maestro Harry Bicket with the Aspen Opera Theatre. She covered Béatrice in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict for the Aspen Opera Theatre that following summer, and she was set to return to ACO as Béatrice in Fall 2021 (postponed due to COVID). With EVA LUKKONEN SULLIVAN Capitol City Opera, she was in the 2018-19 season as Zita in Gianni Schicchi/Buoso’s Ghost, and she covered KATE Stephano in Roméo et Juliette in early 2020. In California, ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT she performed with regional companies such as Townsend Opera Players (Sally in Die Fledermaus) and West End Theatre (Edith in The Pirates of Penzance), and has sung with the Bakersfield Symphony in excerpts from Le nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) and Der Rosenkavalier (Octavian). Previous roles include Angelina in La Cenerentola, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Paquette in Candide, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Eva received her undergraduate degree in voice from the University of Southern California, masters degrees in voice and speech-language pathology from California State University Long Beach, and has been singing with The Atlanta Opera chorus since 2017.

33 American soprano Julia Metry made her European debut as Violetta Valery in her favorite opera La traviata with Mediterranean Opera Festival in Italy and returned to the role of Violetta Valery with Capitol City Opera in Atlanta.

A versatile performer, Julia most recently performed the role of Emma Crew in Jekyll and Hyde the musical and her other roles include Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles, Musetta in La bohème, Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chénier, Michaëla/Frasquita in Carmen, and Fantine/Éponine in Les misérables with Capitol City Opera. Julia made her NYC debut in concert at Carnegie Hall and performed the role JULIA METRY of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Manhattan Opera Studio.

Other recent performances include Estelle in the monologue ISABEL opera The Stronger and Lucy in The Telephone with Marble ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT City Opera; Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Harrower Opera; Clorinda in La Cenerentola with Festival of International Opera of the Americas in Brazil; Julie Jordan in Carousel with Opera Breve Vocal Institute; and Suor Genoveffa in Suor Angelica with Mediterranean Opera Festival. Julia teaches voice and music privately in the Atlanta area and has been a member of The Atlanta Opera Chorus since 2015.

CORINNE SCOTT

Growing up in Sewanee Tennessee, her first experience on stage was with a local ballet company and the occasional scout skit. Fast forward many years, she discovered the stage again joining local community theaters, Pumphouse Players, StageWorks, and TheatreExtreme, in Cartersville, Georgia, serving in various capacities: acting, directing, costuming, lighting, and board member. At The Grand Theatre she served as a house manager. Additionally, she is an active choir member in the local Episcopal church.

She is pleased to be back with The Atlanta Opera reprising her role of Queen Victoria.

QUEEN VICTORIA ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, 2016

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

34 | theatlantaoperachorus

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CHORUS MASTER Rolando Salazar CHORUS MEMBERS SOPRANO Ruth Brooks Kate Pendleton Doriot Nicole Lewis Julia Metry Tiffany Uzoije Erika Wuerzner

BASS Christopher S. Connelly Mitch Gindlesperger Samy Itskov Michael K. Lindsay, II Stephen McCool Iván Segovia

JEFF ROFFMAN

MEZZO SOPRANO Katherine Eckard Alvard Mayilyan Eva Lukkonen Sullivan Laurie Tossing Jessica Wax

TENOR Robert P. Banks Austin Cripe Travis Hall M. Grant Jones Daniel Weisman Lloyd White, V

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

theatlantaoperaorchestra

VIOLIN

CELLO

BASSOON

Peter Ciaschini The Loraine P. Williams Orchestra Concertmaster Chair

Charae Krueger* Principal

Debra Clark Grove Acting Principal

Hilary Glen Acting Principal

HORN

David Hancock Acting Assistant Principal

David Bradley Principal

Mary Kenney

Jason Eklund

Cynthia Sulko

TRUMPET

Alexis Lee†

Yvonne Toll Principal

Helen Kim* Assistant Concertmaster Anastasia Petrunina Acting Assistant Concertmaster Fia Durrett Principal Second Adelaide Federici* Assistant Principal Second Patti Gouvas Acting Assistant Principal Second

BASS Lyn DeRamus Principal

Adam Hayes† TROMBONE

Emory Clements

Richard Brady

Adam Bernstein†

Donald Strand

Felix Farrar

FLUTE/PICCOLO

TIMPANI

Robert Givens

James Zellers Principal

John Lawless Principal

Edward Eanes

Lisa Morrison Shawn Pagliarini

Kelly Smith-Bryant

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PERCUSSION

Virginia Respess-Fairchild

OBOE

Michael Cebulski

Patrick Ryan

Diana Dunn* Principal

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Angèle Sherwood-Lawless Jessica Stinson Rafael Veytsblum Kathryn Koch†

Christina Gavin Acting Principal CLARINET

Elonia Varfi†

David Odom Principal

VIOLA

John Warren

James Zellers *core musician on leave † non-core musician

William Johnston Principal Julie Rosseter Acting Assistant Principal Ryan Gregory Karl Schab Joli Wu Josiah Coe†

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

36 | communityengagement

The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour: The Pirates of Penzance WRITTEN BY

CANTRELL WILLIAMS

Jessica Kiger

Behind the scenes of

Did you know that over the past 40 years, more than

the TAO Film Studio

one million students throughout the state have been

filming The Atlanta

introduced to opera in their schools through The Atlanta

Opera Studio Tour

Opera Studio Tour? Founded in 1980, the tour is the

production of The

Opera’s longest-running educational initiative.

Pirates of Penzance at the Clayton County

After 18 months of being unable to offer in-school

Performing Arts Center.

performances, we are excited to announce that we’re back on the road. This season’s Studio Tour brings to life Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, as a special 40-minute version for students! Frederic, apprenticed to a band of tenderhearted pirates, leaves his cohorts on what he thinks is his 21st birthday and falls instantly in love with Mabel, the daughter of a modern Major-General. Their fate is tested through an adventure of hilarious hijinks and tonguetwisting patter songs, as romance blossoms, loyalty is put to the test, and mistakes are forgiven.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

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The Studio Tour will travel across the state of Georgia for 12 weeks with more than 80 performances. Also, in partnership with Clayton County Public Schools, The Atlanta Opera Film Studio will film the production at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center. This film will be offered as a virtual tour starting in January 2022.

Through our educational programs, we hope to inspire the next generation of artists and audiences. The power of music is deeper than notes on a page. It inspires, it ignites imagination, and it teaches lifelong lessons that go beyond academic outcomes, including social and emotional skill development and growth. When students are introduced to opera for the first time, they sit wideeyed and in awe of the power of the human voice. They leave with an energized confidence and open to new ideas that help them to succeed in the classroom. We can’t wait to get back out on the road and see students in person!

The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour production of The Pirates of

programs by visiting us at atlantaopera.org/education.

Penzance.

TAO FILM STUDIO

Learn more about the Opera’s education and community

38 | donorprofile Originally from Alabama, Don (L. D.) Holland moved to Atlanta after college to work for accounting firm PriceWaterhouse, now known as PwC. The insights he gained through his career empowered him to launch his own accounting and consulting firm.

When the time came for Don to retire, he vowed to give back to his community. Though his career focused on accounting and law firm consulting, music has been Don’s lifelong passion. He is an avid French horn player, a proud member of the Alpharetta City Band, and a member of the Roswell New Horizons Band.

Don enjoys opera’s unique confluence of dramatic theatricality, thrilling vocal performances, and beautiful orchestrations. For two decades, Holland has supported The Atlanta Opera with generous annual contributions, and he recently named The Atlanta Opera as a beneficiary of his Charitable Remainder Trust.

The funds from Don’s planned gift will support The L. Donald Holland Atlanta Opera Orchestra Horn Section Endowment Fund, thus ensuring that his love for opera and the French horn will endure for generations.

Planned giving can offer considerable tax savings while providing lasting income for The Atlanta Opera.

Legacy contribution vehicles such as bequests, trusts, life insurance, and retirement assets allow the Opera perpetually to enrich lives through the power of our art form.

We are grateful to receive generous support from our faithful legacy donors like Don Holland.

To find out how to become a member of the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society, contact Paul Harkins at pharkins@atlantaopera.org.

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

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ANNUAL GIVING We are grateful for the following donors’ generous support. This list reflects gifts and pledges to unrestricted operating expenses, special projects, and/or endowment made between Jul. 1, 2020 and Oct. 31, 2021.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $1,000,000+

PATRON’S CIRCLE $15,000+

John & Rosemary Brown *Martha Thompson Dinos

Elizabeth & Jeremy Adler Mrs. Phillip E. Alvelda Anonymous Mr. David Boatwright Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein The Gable Foundation, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Stephanie & Gregor Morela Clara M. & John S. O’Shea Mr. Milton J. Sams Slumgullion Charitable Fund Christine & Mark St.Clare The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland

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

$100,000+ Anonymous Laura & Cosmo Boyd Beth & Gary Glynn Mr. William F. Snyder Rhys T. & Carolyn Wilson

$50,000+ The Antinori Foundation Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks Mary Ruth McDonald Victoria & Howard Palefsky Mary & EP Rogers Foundation, Inc. Katherine Scott Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle

$25,000+ Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams Bryan & Johanna Barnes Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr. Connolly Family Foundation Mr. L. D. Holland Talia & John Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Paulhus Mr. William E. Pennington Judith & Mark Taylor

GOLD $10,000+ John & Wendy Anzalone Julia & Jim Balloun Dr. & Mrs. Asad Bashey Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard Dr. R. Dwain Blackston Mr. Mario Concha Dieter Elsner Mr. & Mrs. Paul Harkins Mrs. Roya Irvani Dr. & Mrs. David Kavtaradze Sandra & Peter Morelli Charles T. & Donna Sharbaugh Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund

SILVER $5,000+ Anonymous Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Dr. Florence C. Barnett Mr. & Mrs. Dante Bellizzi Dr. John W. Cooledge Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Ms. Ariana B. Fass Eda L. Hochgelerent, M.D. & Bruce A. Cassidy, M.D. Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey Mr. Ethan Garonzik

40 | giving&support Kevin Greiner & Robyn Roberts Judge Adele P. Grubbs Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin The Hilbert Law Firm Gail Johnson Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Klump Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Long Dr. & Mrs. James Lowman Mr. & Mrs. Steve Paro Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi Baker & Debby Smith Mr. & Mrs. Richard Sproul John & Yee-Wan Stevens Larry & Beverly Willson Mrs. Wadleigh C. Winship

BRONZE $2,500+ Jonathan E. Blalock Jean & Jerry Cooper Ms. Suzanne Mott Dansby Dr. & Mrs. Donald J. Filip Mr. James Flanagan Mr. Robert Grubert Jim & Virginia Hale Hills Family Foundation Mary & Wayne James Candy & Greg Johnson Ms. Salli LeVan Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III Mimi & Dan Maslia Belinda & Gino Massafra Peggy Weber McDowell & Jack McDowell John & Agnes Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III The Pamer Family Foundation Lynn & Kent Regenstein Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk Morton & Angela Sherzer Johannah Smith Gail & Barry Spurlock Lynne & Steven Steindel *Peter Stelling & Jody C. Weatherly George & Amy Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Nicholas Valerio III *Dr. & Mrs. R. Craig Woodward

FRIEND’S CIRCLE INVESTOR $1,000+ George & Gaby Adriaenssens Ms. Hope M. Barrett James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Ms. Mary D. Bray Ms. Martha S. Brewer Mr. Nelson C. Chu

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

John & Linda Cooke Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Croft III Mrs. Lavona Currie Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Curry Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly Jr. Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt *Col. & Mrs. Edgar W. Duskin Mr. Thomas Emch Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke Mr. Michael D. Golden James C. Goodwyne & Christopher S. Connelly Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Ms. Louise S. Gunn Mr. Joseph Gyengo Donna & Richard Hiller Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Howard Mr. & Mrs. David C. Huffman Ms. Brenda D. Jennings Mr. & Mrs. Gert Kampfer Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich Mr. & Mrs. Gedas Kutka Dr. Carlos E. Lopez Ross & Kristin Maiwand Samantha & William Markle Mrs. Erin Martin Mr. Stedman C. Mays , Jr. & Mr. Charles Bjorklund Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel *Mrs. Thespi P. Mortimer The Opera Guild for Atlanta Mrs. Polly N. Pater George Paulik Lucy S. Perry Mrs. Betsy Pittman The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Donald Reitzes Mr. James L. Rhoden Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Shreiber Adhishesh Sood Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Mr. Tarek Takieddini Ms. Virginia S. Taylor Mr. Johnny Thigpen & Mr. James Martin Ms. Betsy K. Wash Alan & Marcia Watt Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr. Ms. Kathy J. White Adair & Dick White Kiki Wilson

SUPPORTER $500+ Scott & Betsy Akers Paula Stephan Amis Ms. Teresa Bailey Colonel & Mrs. John V. Barson Ms. Jamie Barton Natalie & Matthew Bernstein

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Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Blumenthal Anne D. Burnett Mr. & Mrs. George Cemore Mr. & Mrs. Raymond H. Chenault Mr. Pete Ciaschini Dr. Lawrence Cohen T. Dennis Connally Ms Lillianette Cook & Ms. Carol Uhl Jim & Carol Dew Mrs. Anne J. Ederington Mr. & *Mrs. Leon C. Goldstein Mr. & Mrs. Sam Hagan George L. Hickman III Richard & Linda Hubert Mr. Walter Huff Irmgard S. Immel Mr. Rolf Ingenleuf Jeannie Kiger Allan & Vaneesa Little Dr. Jo Marie Lyons & Mrs. Betty C. Lyons Carol S. Niemi Christine & Jim Pack Mr. Darryl-Christopher Payne Mr. & Mrs. John H. Petrey Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence S. Phillips Mr. Lawrence F. Pinson Mr. James D. Powell Mr. Thomas Ramsay Dr. & Mrs. William M. Scaljon Daniel Shea Mr. Kurt A. Shreiner Mr. Fred B. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stansfield Mr. Paul Snyder Kay Summers Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Joel D. Todino Rae & George Weimer Ms. Parsla A. Welch Dr. & Mrs. David Wingert Sherrilyn & *Donn Wright Dr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Yuschok Dr. & Mrs. Ben Zinn Barbara Zellner

Mr. & Mrs. Harold T. Daniel Jr. Mr. James M. Datka & Ms. Nora P. DePalma Mr. Courtney Ellis & Dr. Amina Bhatia Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Engeman Sr. Mrs. Arnoldo Fiedotin Micah Fortson & Georgia Jarman Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich Ms. Sara Frooman Col. & Mrs. Donald M. Gilner Ms. Pat Godbee Dr. & Mrs. Martin Goldstein John Greer Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Grodzicki Tom Grose Mr. & Mrs. Steven Hart Dean & Vivian Haulton Ms. Sharon E. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Douglas M. Holly, Jr. Mrs. Catherine Hughes Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Johnston Mr. J. Carter Joseph Dr. Rose Mary Kolpatzki David & Kathy Linden Mr. M. Reynolds McClatchey Jr. *Mr. Frank M. Monger Barbara & Mark Murovitz Scott Novellas Mr. John Owens Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse *Sharon & Jim Radford Mrs. Frances G. Richards Keith Romich Weslyn A. Samson Anne Saravo, Ph.D. Mr. Karin Schwerd Dr. & Mrs. William E. Silver Mr. John W. Stephenson Carolyn & Robert Swain Mr. & Ms. Wolfgang Tiedtke Mr. & Mrs. T. A. Wessels Ms. Jone Williams & Ms. Barbara Robb

CONTRIBUTOR $250+ Atlanta Neurology Drs. Tatiana & Igor Bidikov Mr. Matt Blackburn Paul Brenner Stanford M. Brown Dr. & Dr. Keith Bruno Mr. Angelo A. Carusi & Ms. Janet Romanic Dr. & Mrs. Harold L. Chapman, Jr. Mrs. Jan W. Collins Carol Comstock & Jim Davis Mr. & Mrs. John Costello

*deceased

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42 | giving&support BARBARA D. STEWART LEGACY SOCIETY The Atlanta Opera established the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society to recognize donors who have designated The Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan. In honor of Barbara D. Stewart’s many contributions to The Atlanta Opera, our planned giving division, the Encore Society, has been renamed the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society.

Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams Anonymous (5) Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Mrs. Wallace F. Beard The Bickers Charitable Trust Mr. Jonathan Blalock Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Mr. Robert Colgin *Martha Thompson Dinos The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation Arnold & Sylvia Eaves *Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards Dieter Elsner Ms. Melodi Ford Carl & Sally Gable Ms. Anne Marie Gary Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman Ms. Judy Hanenkrat Richard & Fern Hartnig The Hilbert Family Trust Eda L. Hochgelerent, M.D.

& Bruce A. Cassidy, M.D. Mr. L. Don Holland Mr. Hilson Hudson *Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison Mr. J. Carter Joseph Gail Johnson *Mrs. Alfred D. Kennedy, Sr *Mrs. Isabelle W. Kennedy Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm Mr. Robert L. Mays Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Peggy Weber McDowell & Jack McDowell Mr. & Mrs. Craig N. Miller *Miss Helen D. Moffitt Mr. J. Robert Morring Clara M. & John S. O’Shea Mrs. Polly N. Pater Mr. James Paulk Mr. William E. Pennington *Mr. Bruce Roth

Ms. Hazel Sanger Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr. Anita & J. Barry Schrenk Katherine Scott Elizabeth N. Shapiro Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel Christine & Mark St.Clare *Ms. Barbara D. Stewart Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Mr. Tarek Takieddini Sandra & *Tom Teepen Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney *Mrs. Jane S. Willson Rhys T. Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. & Mrs. Mary Mitchell Yates *Mr. & *Mrs. Charles R. Yates, Sr. Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland *deceased

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

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

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

In Honor of Mr. John Brown Cathy & Mark Adams

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

In Memory of John Cox Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt In Honor of Mr. Rob Dean Mr. Bill Witherspoon In Memory of Sylvia Debenport Shelley McGehee In Memory of Mrs. Mot Dinos Anonymous Allison Fitcher & Phillip O’Brien In Honor of Mr. Robert G. Edge Mrs. Eleanor Crosby In Honor of Don & Janet Filip Daniel Shea In Honor of Jeff & Jeanette Hoopes Larry & Beverly Willson

atlantaopera.org | @theatlantaopera

In Honor of Stuart Jackson Ms. Kristie Cain In Memory of Mr. Chip Johnston & Mr. Frank Monger Mr. Johnny Thigpen & Mr. James Martin In Honor of Howard & Victoria Palefsky Donna C. Burchfield Mr. & Mrs. John Costello In Honor of Ms. Faye P. Popper Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse In Memory of Kay Quarterman Dr. & Mrs. Ferdinand K. Levy In Honor of Kylie Saunders Anne Saunders In Honor of Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Ms. Susanna Eiland Mr. Michael D. Golden

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CORPORATE PARTNERS $100,000+

$10,000+

$2,500+

The Coca-Cola Company The Home Depot Foundation

Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation Gas South WarnerMedia

The Hilbert Law Firm Montag & Caldwell, Inc National Distributing Co., Inc. Wallace Graphics

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

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

$50,000+ Atlanta Music Festival Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta The Halle Foundation Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc. J. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Charitable Trust Rich Foundation, Inc. Mary & EP Rogers Foundation, Inc. The Sara Giles Moore Foundation The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

$20,000+ Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation, Inc. Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc. New York, NY

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

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

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

GOVERNMENT $50,000+ National Endowment for the Arts Small Business Adminstration

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

44 | leadership BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Chair Mr. Rhys T. Wilson Immediate Past Chair Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams Vice Chair Mr. John L. Hammaker Vice Chair Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates Secretary Mr. Michael E. Paulhus Treasurer Ms. Bunny Winter MEMBERS Mrs. Elizabeth Adler Mrs. Wendy Anzalone Mr. Bryan H. Barnes Mr. Dante Bellizzi Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV Dr. Harold J. Brody Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Mr. Mario Concha Dr. Frank A. Critz Mr. Robert Dean Mr. Dieter Elsner Dr. Donald J. Filip Mr. Kevin Greiner Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mr. John Haupert Mr. Howard W. Hunter Mr. Andrew R. Long Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. Mrs. Stephanie Morela Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli Mrs. Talia Murphy Mr. Howard Palefsky Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr. Mr. William F. Snyder Mrs. Christine St.Clare Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr. Mr. William E. Tucker Mr. Tomer Zvulun, ex officio

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

*deceased

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encoreatlanta.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Board Chair Mr. Rhys T. Wilson

Development Chair Mr. Howard Palefsky

Immediate Past Chair Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Chair Mrs. Stephanie Morela

Vice-Chair Mr. John L. Hammaker Vice-Chair Mr. Charles “Charlie” R. Yates, Jr. Nominating & Board Engagement Chair Mrs. Talia Murphy

Investment Chair Mr. Frank H. Butterfield Artists Events Committee Chair Mr. Howard W. Hunter

Secretary Mr. Michael E. Paulhus

Strategic Planning Committee Chair Mrs. Christine St.Clare

Treasurer Ms. Bunny Winter

At-Large Member Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli

Audit Chair Mr. Bryan H. Barnes

Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director, ex-officio member Mr. Tomer Zvulun

Community Engagement Chair Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr.

ADVISORY COUNCIL Mr. Andrew J.M. Binns Mr. Kenny L. Blank Mrs. Inge Bledel Ms. Sally Bland Fielding Ms. Mary Calhoun Mrs. Beth W. Glynn Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Mrs. Erin Quinn Martin Mr. Paul Snyder

ARTISTIC ADVISORY COUNCIL Ms. Jamie Barton Mr. Kevin Burdette Mr. Michael Mayes Mr. Morris Robinson

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46 | staff EXECUTIVE Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun Managing Director Micah Fortson Executive Assistant Misty Reid ARTISTIC/MUSIC Carl & Sally Gable Music Director Arthur Fagen Artistic Administrator Meredith Wallace Artistic Operations Manager Meredith Morse Artistic & Studio Manager Madalyn Mentor Pianist/Coach Elena Kholodova PRODUCTION Director of Production Robert Reynolds Associate Director of Production Meggie Roseborough Technical Director Joshua Jansen Production Stage Manager Megan Bennett Assistant Stage Manager Beth Goodill Assistant Stage Manager Kristin Kelley Lighting Supervisor Marissa Michaels Properties Artisan Wanda Amanda Creech Assistant Lighting Designer Betsy Chester Head Carpenter Andrew Pharr* Head Electrician Matthew Peddie* Head Properties Cory Robertson* Head Sound Teddy Murray* Head Video Jay Holloway* Union Steward Peter Cocchiere*

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION Director of Community Engagement & Education Jessica Kiger Education Manager Cantrell Williams COSTUME Costume Director Joanna Schmink Cutter/Draper April Bonasera First Hand Fiona Leonard Stitchers Jordan Carrier Hauzia Conyers Lauren Dunlop Matt Mallard Megan Maude Wardrobe Supervisor Kelly Chipman Wardrobe Crew/Dressers Scott Bellomy Walter Dean Marianne Martin Jenn Rodgers Wig & Makeup Manager David Zimmerman Wig & Makeup Crew Rob Navarre Oran Wongpandid

* denotes members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - Local 927

† denotes members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - Local 859

staff

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DEVELOPMENT

MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Chief Advancement Officer Paul Harkins

Chief of Marketing & Audience Development Ashley Mirakian

Associate Director of Development – Leadership Giving Jessica Langlois

Director of Sales & Marketing Rebecca Brown

Associate Director of Development – Major Gifts Jonathan Blalock

Senior Manager, Ticketing Services Renee Smiley Guest Services Concierge Emily Crisp

Senior Institutional Giving Officer Elana Grossman

Creative Services Manager Matt Burkhalter

Development Operations & Annual Giving Coordinator Elizabeth Root

TAO FILM STUDIO

Campaign Manager Sandy Feliciano Database Manager / Data Analyst Roshni Arif FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Director of Finance Kathy J. White Controller Inga V. Murro Human Resources & Facilities Manager Kenneth R. Timmons Bookkeeper Ruth Strickland Risk Mitigation Coordinator Kylie Saunders

Director of TAO Film Studio Felipe Barral Film Associate Amanda Sachtleben GLYNN STUDIO ARTISTS Bruno Baker Susanne Burgess Sankara Harouna Gretchen Krupp William Meinert

48 | housepolicies CONCESSIONS Concession stands are located in the center of the lobbies on all three levels.

Food and beverage items are prohibited inside the theater. Thank you for your cooperation.

LOST & FOUND Lost and Found items are turned into the concierge desk on the day of a performance. To inquire about a lost item, please call the House Manager at 770-916-2828.

RESTROOMS Restrooms are located on house right and house left of all three lobbies. Family restrooms are also located on house right of all three lobbies. Mobility-impaired patrons may use any of our restrooms.

SMOKING Smoking is prohibited inside the building.

ATM There is one Synovus ATM located in the grand lobby.

Audio-clarification devices are available to our hearingimpaired guests at no charge. This is on a firstcome, first-served basis, or you may call the House Manager ahead of time to reserve one at 770-9162828.

COAT CHECK Coat check is available at the concierge desk.

EMERGENCY INFO In the event of an emergency, please locate the nearest usher who will direct you to the appropriate exit.

ELEVATORS Elevators are located on each side of the lobbies on all levels.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE Persons requiring access assistance are asked to contact the box office at 770-916-2850 for advance arrangements.

A limited number of booster seats are also available. All items require a form of identification to be held until the item is returned.

COBB ENERGY CENTRE RULES & REQUESTS • All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket in order to be admitted to the performance. Please be aware that not all performances are suitable for children.

• Infants will not be admitted to adult programs. Parents will be asked to remove children who create a disturbance.

•P lease turn off all cell phones prior to the beginning of each performance.

•P lease limit conversation during the performance.

•C ameras, audio, and video recording devices are strictly prohibited at all times.

• Leaving while the show is in progress is discourteous and we ask that you refrain from doing so.

•P lease unwrap all candies and cough drops before the performance.

YOUR SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY. Our safety policy was designed in consultation with leading experts in the fields of epidemiology, public health, workplace/industrial hygiene, and infectious diseases.

For the 2021-22 mainstage performances at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre: •M asks will be required upon entry to the lobby and must remain on at all times for the duration of time inside. Masks must be worn over the mouth and nose.

•T he Atlanta Opera will also require that all audience members show a negative test taken within 24 hours of arriving at Cobb Energy Centre or proof of vaccination.

Booster shots are highly encouraged. Proof of vaccine applies to audience members 12 and up. This information will be checked before individuals can enter the venue.

•T he Atlanta Opera will continue to monitor government policy changes, Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, government mandates, and public health notices and make changes as necessary or appropriate to ensure the safety of staff, artists, and the public.

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