SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Kelli Dill kelli@encoremagazine.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Robert Viagas robert@encoremagazine.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Tamara Hooks tamara@encoremagazine.com
DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
Jennifer Nelson jennifer@encoremagazine.com
hila@encorecharlotte.com
kelli@encorecharlotte.com
cover image: Erik Teague, 2024 for The Atlanta Opera
Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director
Welcome!
I’m so pleased to announce our mainstage productions for the 2025-26 season. In the next season, we mark a major milestone for the company as we complete our first RING cycle with Wagner’s Twilight of the Gods. In fact, throughout the upcoming season we amplify the idea of “twilight,” that is endings that herald new beginnings, with four masterpieces: La traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, Turandot, and Twilight of the Gods. Each of these operas captures the twilight of an era and the dawn of transformation, inspiring us to think about how even the most difficult transitions shape humanity.
Our Discoveries series announcement starts with the innovative Philip Glass/Jean Cocteau hybrid of film and opera, La belle et la bête. This romantic fantasy will be followed by our own masquerade party in the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre lobby. There will be even more news from the Discoveries series in the spring.
For the fall season, we present Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata. Verdi paints a poignant picture of the fleeting glamour of the demi-monde lifestyle in 19th-century Paris with some of opera’s most heartrending music. The spring season opens with The Marriage of Figaro in which W.A. Mozart agilely fans the flames of rebellion. The twilight of aristocratic dominance unfolds in a comedy of love and insubordination while exploring class dynamics and social change.
Next, Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot offers a magnificent tale of renewal and love triumphing over fear. Our new production features the brilliant Angela Meade as Princess Turandot and the internationally acclaimed tenor Piero Pretti as Calaf.
To close the season, Richard Wagner’s Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung), the awe-inspiring conclusion to the RING cycle, brings the ultimate transformation: the end of the gods and the rise of a new age for humankind. Wagner’s sweeping epic is a sublime meditation on power, love, and the cycles of destruction and rebirth.
Each of these works, timeless in their themes yet deeply rooted in their eras, resonates with our universal experience of change. They remind us that even in life’s most challenging transitions, there is hope for renewal and brighter days ahead.
We’re so glad that you are here with us for this performance of Macbeth and invite you to join us for the upcoming season at The Atlanta Opera. Let’s explore these stories together and experience their transformative power.
Tomer Zvulun
MACBETH An Opera in Four Acts
COMPOSER Giuseppe Verdi
LIBRETTISTS Francesco Maria Piave & Andrea Maffei
BASED ON THE PLAY BY William Shakespeare
FIRST PERFORMANCE March 14, 1847 at Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Italy
THIS PRODUCTION IS DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF Peter John Cocchiere
THIS PRODUCTION OF VERDI’S MACBETH IS SPONSORED BY Harold Brody & Donald Smith
VETERANS TICKET PROGRAM
DISCOVERIES SERIES
The Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM The Livingston Foundation
THE ATLANTA OPERA IS GRATEFUL FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT FROM
The Atlanta Opera receives support from the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and 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 programming is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
PROJECTED TITLES OPERATED BY Brendan Callahan-Fitzgerald
CONTENT GUIDANCE: This prouction contains haze, fog, and flashing lights. This is a new production by The Atlanta Opera. Costume Rentals from Seattle Opera. Additional sets built by Cincinnati Opera Scenic Studio.
*Member of The Atlanta Opera Studio. Significant support for The Atlanta Opera Studio Artist Program from the Donald & Marilyn Keough Foundation, John & Yee-Wan Stevens, and Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg.
Synopsis
WRITTEN BY Michelle Winters
A publicity image from The Atlanta Opera’s 1993 production of Macbeth with Timothy Noble as Macbeth and RoseMarie Freni as Lady Macbeth | The Atlanta Opera archives: photo by Keiko Guest.
Act 1
Act 1, Scene 1: As the opera opens, we see Macbeth in battle on a desolate heath. After a savage battle, Macbeth, a brave Scottish general, and his friend Banquo encounter three covens of mysterious witches. They prophesize that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and eventually the King of Scotland, while Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. Shortly after, Macbeth is informed that he has been made the Thane of Cawdor, confirming the witches’ first prophecy. This news ignites Macbeth’s ambition, and he begins to contemplate murder.
Scene 2: At the castle, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband about the witches’ prophecy and becomes determined to see Macbeth crowned king, even if it means committing murder. She convinces him to murder King Duncan, who is visiting their castle. Macbeth hesitates, but his wife encourages him to follow through with the assassination plan. Lady Macbeth’s aria, “Vieni! t’affretta!” (“Come! Hurry!”) urges her husband to act quickly and seize the crown.
Macbeth, alone in the dark, consumed by visions and doubts. He soliloquizes about his thoughts on murder in “Mi si affacia un pugnal?” (“Is this a dagger which I see
before me?”), where he imagines a floating dagger guiding him toward Duncan’s chambers. He murders the king and, in a panic, returns to his wife wracked with remorse. Lady Macbeth snatches the dagger and goes off to frame the guards for the crime, returning with bloody hands to her now guilt-stricken husband. Macduff, a Scottish nobleman, arrives at the castle early the next morning and discovers the murder. Duncan’s son, Malcolm flees for his life, suspecting he will be blamed for his father’s murder.
Act 2
Act 2, Scene 1: Despite achieving his ambition, Macbeth is consumed by guilt and fear. He is haunted by the witches’ prophecy about Banquo’s heirs, so he orders the murder of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Lady Macbeth senses her husband’s unease but is unable to comfort him. She revels in the excitement of coming to power in the aria “La luce langue” (“The light is fading”).
In Scene 2, Assassins hired by Macbeth attack Banquo and Fleance. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes.
Scene 3: At a banquet with his nobles, the newly crowned Macbeth is haunted by the ghost of Banquo, which only he can see, causing him to act erratically in front of his guests. Lady Macbeth tries to cover for his outbursts, but the scene is chaotic and unsettling.
Act 3
In Act 3, Macbeth, still wracked with paranoia, visits the witches again to learn his destiny. They show him three apparitions: the ghost of King Duncan, who warns him to beware of Macduff, the ghost of a child killed in battle who warns that no man born of a woman can harm Macduff, and a crowned child holding a tree, who predicts that Macbeth will not be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane. Macbeth believes he is invincible. Determined to eliminate all threats, Macbeth, encouraged by Lady Macbeth, orders the murder of Macduff’s family.
Act 4
Scene 1 opens with Macduff and a desperate group of refugees from Scotland who sing “Patria oppressa!” (“Opressed fatherland!”) as they grieve for their country. The aria “Ah, la paterna mano” (“Ah, the paternal hand”) is sung by Macduff as he learns of the brutal murder of his family, marking a moment of deep personal grief. Macduff joins forces with Malcolm, Duncan’s son, to raise an army
Macbeth (Brian Montgomery) and Lady Macbeth (Pamela South) surrounded by their courtiers,
The Atlanta Opera’s 1999 production of Macbeth. | The Atlanta Opera archives: photo by Alan Reiner.
against Macbeth. Malcolm urges the refugees to cut branches from Birnam Woods to disguise their advance on Macbeth.
Scene 2: Lady Macbeth is slowly descending into madness, tormented by guilt over her role in Duncan’s murder. In a sleepwalking scene, she attempts to wash the imagined blood from her hands, a haunting symbol of her inner torment, singing the aria “Una macchia è qui tuttora” (“A stain is still here”). Her mental breakdown culminates in her death.
Scene 3: Macbeth, now desperate, prepares for battle with Macduff. He believes his downfall is at hand. Soldiers announce that Birnam Wood is “moving” as Macbeth’s rivals are camouflaged but advancing steadily. To further fulfill the witches’ prophecies, Macduff reveals that he was surgically removed from his mother’s womb and so, not born “of a woman,” making him the one person who can kill Macbeth. In the final confrontation, Macduff kills Macbeth, and Malcolm is declared king, restoring peace to Scotland.
In the final moments of the opera, the chorus sings in triumph “La patria, il Re salvo; a lui onor, onor e gloria” (“The homeland, the King saved; to him honor, honor and glory”) to celebrate the end of Macbeth’s reign, the restoration of the rightful king, and peace in Scotland.
Notes on Macbeth
WRITTEN BY Julia Simmons
“This tragedy is one of the greatest creations of man! If we can’t do something great with it, let us at least try to do something out of the ordinary.” Through these words written to his librettist about their work on Macbeth, Giuseppe Verdi not only imparts the weight of adapting Shakespeare, but also reveals a motivation to do something distinctive with his adaptation.
When Verdi was commissioned to write an opera for Florence’s Teatro della Pergola, the two options on the table were operas based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Schiller’s Die Räuber. The subject would be determined by the available singers: a Shakespeare adaptation required a lead baritone, while a Schiller adaptation called for a tenor. When Verdi secured the baritone Felice Varesi for the
STEVEN C. KEMP
cast, the choice was made to move forward with Macbeth (Later, Verdi would also end up writing I masnadieri based on Die Räuber.)
Macbeth is Verdi’s first opera based on a play by Shakespeare, whose work Verdi had long admired. He approached the opera with great seriousness, working closely with his librettist to shape the text exactly as he envisioned and collaborating with the vocalists to guide their performances. Even after the success of its 1847 premiere, Verdi remained involved with subsequent revivals to ensure each production met his high standards.
This opera was just the beginning of Verdi’s operatic relationship with Shakespeare. He would later write Otello, based on Othello, and Falstaff, based on The Merry Wives of Windsor. Verdi also spent years attempting to produce an opera based on King Lear, carefully advising the creation of the libretto, though he was never able to complete the work.
In 1865, Verdi revisited Macbeth for a production in Paris. The Théâtre Lyrique requested a French libretto and additional ballet music, but Verdi took the opportunity to make substantial changes, including a new aria, duet, and chorus. Most companies today, including The Atlanta Opera, stage the revised version but with the Italian libretto—though Atlanta’s production excludes the ballet.
In keeping with his admiration for Shakespeare, Verdi’s opera largely adheres to the play’s storyline in both versions. The opera opens as Macbeth and Banquo encounter a chorus of witches who prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, and that Banquo will father kings. As the witches vanish, a messenger from King Duncan arrives, declaring that Macbeth has been named Thane of Cawdor. Shocked by the prophecy’s immediate partial fulfillment, Macbeth writes a detailed letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth. The letter inspires her to plan Duncan’s murder in order for Macbeth to seize power. She shares this plan with Macbeth upon his return, and, after initial hesitation, Macbeth murders Duncan during the night. The act closes as Duncan’s body is discovered the next morning.
With Duncan dead, Macbeth is crowned king, but he grows anxious about the witches’ prophecy regarding Banquo’s descendants. He orders the assassination
of Banquo and his son Fleance, but Fleance escapes. Distraught, Macbeth seeks further guidance from the witches. They warn him to beware of Macduff, Thane of Fife, and confirm that Banquo’s descendants will indeed become kings. Determined to eliminate all threats to his power, Macbeth resolves to kill Fleance, Macduff, and Macduff’s family.
Macduff, intent on avenging his family’s murder, allies with Duncan’s son Malcolm and an English army. Together, they plan to overthrow Macbeth and liberate Scotland. Meanwhile, Macbeth reflects on his spiraling violence, and Lady Macbeth takes her own life. When the troops arrive, Macduff kills Macbeth, and Malcolm is hailed as King of Scotland.
As most know, Macbeth centers on a violent seizure of power. However, unlike Hamlet or Othello, for example, where the bulk of the narrative builds up to the protagonists’ violent acts, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit their first murder early in the story. Duncan’s murder occurs by the end of Act I, leaving three acts to explore the horrific consequences of their actions. Friends and families are slaughtered; the Macbeths unravel psychologically; and Scotland ultimately finds liberation from tyranny.
It is in exploring the aftermath of the Macbeths’ violence that Verdi’s opera achieves something “out of the ordinary” for a Macbeth narrative. While Shakespeare’s play examines the effects of the regicide primarily within noble circles—Duncan’s family, Banquo’s family, Macduff’s family, and the Macbeths’ psychology— Verdi’s opera expands this scope. In Act 4, a chorus of Scottish refugees—men, women, and children—laments: “Oppressed land of ours! You cannot have the sweet name of mother now that you have become a tomb for your sons. […] My homeland, oh, my homeland!” This moment, which does not have a counterpart in Shakespeare’s play, forces the audience to confront how Scotland’s deteriorating leadership shatters not only the nobility but also the common people. This addition to the narrative underscores that the masses are just as devastated by Macbeth’s reign as the nobles.
In her 2023 book The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race, Farah KarimCooper writes, “Shakespeare’s plays are too immense
and powerful; they demand our active participation— they are a conversation, an invitation to imagine and interrogate, not simply to venerate and safeguard.” Verdi’s Macbeth embodies this principle: instead of fossilizing Shakespeare’s play in operatic form, Verdi created Macbeth the opera as an active engagement with the original text.
The Atlanta Opera’s production continues this tradition of engagement. Just as Verdi’s opera contended with Shakespeare’s play, The Atlanta Opera probes Verdi’s work. Audiences will experience Macbeth on a set inspired by Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, with 19th-century costuming that evokes Verdi’s era, and 21st-century LED technology to connect to today. Through this eraspanning staging, not only are Shakespeare’s play and Verdi’s work in conversation, but the audience is invited into the conversation, too.
Director’s Note
WRITTEN BY Tomer Zvulun
Producing Macbeth is a gut-wrenching, almost brutal experience. William Shakespeare gave us a story that serves as a direct mirror to the worst times in human history, times of war, ambition, superstition, and bloodshed. Giuseppe Verdi then shaped the story into his opera around the political chaos of his time that devastated his country, putting families and children through immense suffering and conflict. Our world is still shattered by conflicts and the anguish they bring. Shakespeare wrote his play Macbeth during a turbulent time, not unsimilar to our contemporary one: the world was reeling from pandemics—both cholera and the bubonic plague ravaged the population. Britain was experiencing a transition of political power as King James succeeded Queen Elizabeth. The Gunpowder Plot—a failed assassination attempt on the new king rattled the country.
Verdi’s powerful adaptation of Macbeth amplifies the political relevance that Shakespeare’s allegory holds for future generations. His version, like many of his early operas, focused on the struggle of the Italian nation against the tyranny of foreign powers. His work spoke directly to the hearts and ears of patriotic Italians immediately preceding the revolution of 1848. Just like many people, all over the world today, the citizens of Verdi’s Italy and Shakespeare’s Britain were thirsty to hear a message of unity, of solidarity against efforts meant to divide the spirit of their nation. The most chilling perspective that Verdi added to Shakespeare’s masterpiece happens toward the end of the opera: a group of refugees enter the stage and mourn the unimaginable losses they have experienced under the tyranny of Macbeth—their contemporary leader. They talk about the oppression and violence they have experienced, the loss of their loved ones. They are searching for the lost and wounded, the ones who were incarcerated and taken hostage. They are desperately looking for their relatives as they sing about their oppressed country. It is a spinechilling moment that brings to mind so many moments we are familiar with from our own times.
PHOTO: THE SINTOSES
Shakespeare’s genius lay in his ability to reflect his time and the struggles that the world experienced, including politics, while keeping his stories universal. Thus, he always managed to appeal to 100% of his audience because he never aligned himself too closely with the political issues of his day; instead, he placed the action in a timeless setting or distant history (with Macbeth supposedly taking place in the 11th century). Shakespeare realized that, as a producer and storyteller, taking a direct political stance would alienate many in his audience. Yet he still managed to tell universal stories that sparked associations with his current times. He did that by reflecting the human condition in the most crystalized way. The same approach was taken by the great Giuseppe Verdi in Italy in the 19th century. Verdi used his operas to reflect the struggles of his time without taking an overtly partisan stance. Like Shakespeare he ensured that universal ideas resonated deeply with his audiences.
We humbly take our cues from these masters.
Of course, we are here to entertain— to provide the magic of theatre and grand opera with stunning sets and costumes, incredible voices, brilliant orchestral playing, cutting-edge technology, and huge choruses. But we are also here to reflect the world we live in. The instability and suffering we are witnessing right now are not new; they have been felt throughout history. We mourn together for the innocent lives caught in the wake of power struggles around the world. The quote at the top embodies a value engrained in our company: an opera or theatre company that doesn’t engage with the world around it is meaningless. For me, opera theatre is not a pageantry that aims at entertainment. It requires courage to bring up collective issues that are on our mind: our own mortality, power conflicts, and above all the redeeming power of love. This production of Macbeth will undoubtedly strike a chord, as it brings home the painful truths of our time. This is our purpose, and we are committed to it.
“A theatre which makes no contact with the public is nonsense.”
— Bertolt Brecht
IVÁN LÓPEZ-REYNOSO CONDUCTOR
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
Iván López-Reynoso, conductor, is the Principal Director and Artistic Director of the Choir and Orchestra of the Bellas Artes Theater in Mexico City, and the Principal Guest Conductor of Oviedo Filarmonía. One of the most important musical directors of the new generation in Latin America, López-Reynoso regularly conducts opera and orchestras in Europe, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Japan. He is a regular conductor at leading opera houses including Rossini Opera Festival (Italy), Zurich Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Bilbao Opera ABAO, Oviedo Opera, State Theater Braunschweig (Germany), Oper am Steinbruch (Austria), Japan Belcanto Festival, Donizetti Festival in Bergamo (Italy), Royal Opera Muscat (Oman), Santa Fe Opera and Dallas Opera. His extensive operatic repertoire includes an array of titles including Aida, Rigoletto, Don Carlo, La traviata, Tosca, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, La clemenza di Tito, I Puritani, L’elisir d’amore, Le conte Ory, Il viaggio a Reims, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, Il turco in Italia, Werther, Carmen, The Flying Dutchman, and Hansel und Gretel. In recognition of his artistic career, he has been awarded the Diego Rivera State Arts Award presented by the congress of the state of Guanajuato. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, López-Reynoso pursued studies in violin, piano, singing, and orchestral conducting, graduating with honors.
TOMER ZVULUN PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, 2009
General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli-born Tomer Zvulun is also one of opera’s most exciting stage directors, earning consistent praise for his creative vision, often described as cinematic and fresh. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, the opera companies of Israel, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Montreal, Wexford, Glimmerglass, Houston, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, San Diego, Minnesota, Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University, and IVAI in Tel Aviv. Since taking the leadership in Atlanta one decade ago, he personally directed 30 of the company’s productions. He increased the operations of the company from three to six productions per season, while stabilizing the financials and in the course of his first decade tenure, secured Atlanta’s position as one of the top 10 opera companies in the U.S. Some of his noted achievements include launching the successful Discoveries series, creating the first young artist program in the company’s history, tripling the company’s annual fund raising, launching the company’s first Ring cycle, creating The Atlanta Opera Film Studio and building a theatre in a circus tent where performances were conducted safely during the pandemic. His work at The Atlanta Opera attracted international attention by earning numerous awards and prizes including two nominations of The Atlanta Opera for the International Opera Awards in London and the selection of his production of Silent Night as both the Irish Times and Atlanta Journal-Constitution production of the year. His focus on innovation led to an invitation to deliver a TED talk as well as a case study that is taught at Harvard Business School. His productions travel the world and bring wide exposure to the company. Next season his production of Rigoletto travels to Los Angeles Opera, his La bohème returns to The Dallas Opera, and his acclaimed production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs will make its Kennedy Center debut at the Washington National Opera.
GREGORY LUIS BOYLE STAGING DIRECTOR
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, 2016
Gregory Luis H. Boyle, Staging Director, is grateful to have lived and traveled all around the United States to pursue his passion for opera. He happily calls Philadelphia his home. Most recently, Boyle was the stage director for Tomer Zvulun’s production of La bohème as well as the associate director of Rigoletto. Boyle made his Atlanta Opera debut as the assistant director on Zvulun’s new production of Das Rheingold in 2023, which Boyle helped originate at the Dallas Opera, and he continued the journey on Die Walküre in the spring of 2024. He looks forward to the continuation of the RING cycle with Siegfried in spring 2025. In 2022, Boyle directed Don Pasquale for Inland Northwest Opera in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Other credits include associate director at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, revival director for Michael Shell’s The Barber of Seville at Austin Opera, director for a semi-staged Tosca for Opera Philadelphia’s outdoor series at the Mann Center, director of a new production of La Favorite at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and assistant director of Stephen Barlow’s new production of Don Giovanni at the Santa Fe Opera. Boyle has also worked with the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists at Central City Opera as a director working with young students. Boyle has also worked with young professionals at programs including at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Herndon Foundation of Emerging Artists of Virginia Opera. Previously, Boyle has held associate and assistant director engagements at companies including Opera Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera Association, the Dallas Opera, Central City Opera and Virginia Opera among others.
RAN ARTHUR BRAUN
LIVE ACTION DIRECTOR
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
DAS RHEINGOLD, 2023
Ran Arthur Braun is one of the world’s most sought-after stunt coordinators and action designers. He has worked on more than 350 live productions with most leading opera houses and festivals. Specializing in large-scale events led him to collaborate world-wide with major production companies, including venues in Asia and the Middle East. He also enjoys a long-standing collaboration with the Bregenz Festival, where he has worked for more than 20 seasons. Ran Arthur Braun has also made a name for himself as a director and set designer: he won the 2014 Music and Theatre Prize for Best Set Design and he was voted 2015 Director of the Year for his production of L’enfant et les sortilèges, both in Poland. He has been a member of Dmitri Tcherniakov’s production team since 2017. He teaches stage fighting at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo in Valencia, Bolshoi in Moscow, Opera Studio Warsaw and the Opera Studio in Amsterdam. Braun also manages Action Actors for film, television and stage projects, with recent work provided for Lucas Films, Disney, Amazon Prime, Play Station and Balich Wonder Studio. Winner of “Opernwelt” 2022 and 2023 award for production of the year, as a member of the artistic team of Christof Loy and Dmitri Tcherniakov. Known as the concierge of Action!, his network provides various services worldwide, including stunt gear, equipment and special effects.
STEVEN C. KEMP
SCENIC DESIGNER
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
CANDIDE, 2023
Steven C. Kemp is a set designer for opera, theatre, and events. Originally from Houston, Texas, he received his MFA from UC San Diego. He has designed for more than 40 opera companies and over 50 productions in NYC as well as for a multitude of regional theatres, cruise ships and international tours. His design for Candide at Des Moines Metro Opera recently won Honorable Mention at the 2021 Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design. Off-Broadway his designs include the revivals of Ordinary Days, Tick, Tick…Boom!, John and Jen and Marry Me a Little counted among 11 productions for Keen Company as well as designs for Second Stage Theater, The Duke on 42nd Street, York Theatre Company, Mint Theater Company, and The Playwright’s Realm. For Opera San Jose his 26 designs include the acclaimed production of Idomeneo presented by the Packard Humanities Institute as well as the West Coast Premieres of Anna Karenina, Silent Night, and the American premiere of Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella. His opera designs have been presented by more than 20 acclaimed opera companies in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Omaha, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Florida Grand Opera, and Utah Opera. His opera design for Falstaff was selected as a finalist in the World Stage Design 2017 exhibit in Taipei, Taiwan. His work was featured in the USA exhibit in the 2007 Prague Quadrennial and he was the 2008 USITT Rose Brand Scenic Design award winner. Steven has presented lectures at many universities and was the 2013 Live Design Broadway Master Class speaker for associate set design. He specializes in 3-D rendering, animation and previsualization.
ROBERT ISRAEL
COSTUME DESIGNER
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
Robert Israel is a legendary scenic and costume designer for theater and opera based in Los Angeles. Designing for professional companies since the 1970s, Israel has had work seen at the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, the national operas in London and Tokyo, Lincoln Center Theater, as well as major and regional companies around the world. Acclaimed for his artistry, his costume design drawings are in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He has designed the world premieres of four operas by Philp Glass and is the former chairman of the Theater Department at UCLA. His talent was recognized early as he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984 and Off-Broadway’s Obie Award in 1987 and was subsequently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
DRISCOLL OTTO LIGHTING & PROJECTION DESIGNER
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, 2022
Driscoll Otto creates lighting and projection design for opera and theater around the world. Recently Otto designed lighting for a new production of Aida at Oper Im Steinbruch in Austria, projections for a new production of Turandot in Bari Italy, lighting for the Encores! production of The Life (re-imagined and directed by Billy Porter), lighting and projections for Chicago Opera Theatre’s production of Becoming Santa Claus, lighting and projections for Houston Grand Opera’s Marian’s Song, lighting for Turandot at Oper Im Steinbruch (Austria), projections for The Flying Dutchman (Florence and Bologna), and lighting and projections for Iolanta and Becoming Santa Claus at Chicago Opera Theatre. Otto’s design work is seen frequently in NYC and in regional Theatre and Opera. His credits include The Huntington Theatre Company, The Old Globe Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Drury Lane Theatre, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Shakespeare, Trinity Repertory Company, Opera Omaha, Opera Philadelphia, Dallas Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Kansas City, and productions of Legally Blonde and Rock of Ages for Norwegian Cruise Lines. Highlights to his resume include projection design for Santa Fe Opera’s production of The Golden Cockerel and The Metropolitan Opera’s production of La Donna del Lago. He received his MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
MELANIE STEELE
WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE GOLDEN TICKET, 2011
Melanie Steele lives in Atlanta where she works with The Atlanta Opera, Fox Theatre, The Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, as well as working in film and television as a wig and makeup designer. Steele recently toured with the national Broadway tour of The Lion King. She has designed wigs and makeup for The Santa Fe Opera, Austin Opera, Central City Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Baltimore Opera, Kentucky Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Bard SummerScape, Opera Festival of new Jersey, Opera Pacific, Opera North Carolina, and Saratoga Springs Opera. Some of Steele’s work can be seen in Opera News, Makeup Artist Magazine, Seventeen, TIME, Newsweek, glamour, Voyage Atlanta, IMDB, and Texas Monthly Magazine.
Rolando Salazar, chorusmaster and assistant conductor, has an expansive operatic and symphonic repertoire, including over forty productions with The Atlanta Opera as conductor, assistant conductor, and/or chorusmaster. He recently made his Opera Columbus debut in 2023 conducting Astor Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, which he also assisted with at The Atlanta Opera. Conducting credits with The Atlanta Opera include Pagliacci, The Barber of Seville (Mainstage debut), Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins, and student matinees of La bohème and Don Pasquale. Salazar has also been featured as pianist in Love Letters to Atlanta, performing alongside singers Morris Robinson, Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, and Kevin Burdette. Recent conducting credits include Susannah and Die Zauberflöte with Atlanta’s Harrower Summer Opera, Ned Rorem’s Our Town with Georgia State University School of Music, Handel’s Messiah with the Atlanta Concert Opera, Le Nozze di Figaro with Red River Lyric Opera, Tosca with Permian Basin Opera, and other guest conducting engagements with the Georgia State University Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Ballet, Rome Symphony Orchestra, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, as well as collaborations with Opera Louisiana, Madison Opera, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As associate conductor and chorusmaster for The Atlanta Opera, he has studied and worked alongside his mentors Arthur Fagen and Walter Huff, in addition to a long and distinguished list of conductors and directors. He keeps an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for major engagements with orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Salazar is represented by Marvel Arts Management.
ELIO BUCKY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT THE BOHÈME PROJECT, 2024
Elio Bucky is an opera stage director and projection designer whose work celebrates plurality, truth, and innovation in the creative process. This season, Bucky joins The Atlanta Opera as the 2024-25 Studio Artists Stage Director. In February, Bucky directed The Seven Deadly Sins with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming projects include serving as projection designer for Ana Maria Martinez’s Noche Española recital at Rice University and Die Fledermaus at Binghamton University. In the 2023-24 season, Bucky directed new production of The Seven Deadly Sins at Wolf Trap Opera; and Puccini’s La bohème and Song Re-Imagined, a staged multimedia song recital at the Butler Opera Center. They designed projections for Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi at Binghamton University. As a champion for contemporary Opera, Bucky regularly collaborates with performers, composers, and librettists to present new work. Most recently, they served as the dramaturg for the piano-vocal workshop of The House of Yes, a new opera by Kamala Sankaram, Michael Kelly, and Kathleen Kelly (Wolf Trap Opera). Elio studied voice and opera performance at Northwestern University and opera directing at the Butler Opera Center. They have held prestigious directing followships at Wolf Trap Opera and the Music Academy of the West, and trained as a singer at the Chautauqua Institution.
WON WHI CHOI
MACDUFF, THANE OF FIFE
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
RIGOLETTO, 2023
Won Whi Choi, tenor, has been busy captivating and thrilling audiences worldwide with his lustrous and ringing voice, elegant musicianship, and sensitive artistry. In 2020, Choi made his Metropolitan Opera début as Alfredo in La traviata to rave reviews and was slated to return for productions of Maria Stuarda and Les contes d’Hoffmann Last season, Mr. Choi sang the Duke in Rigoletto in his début with The Atlanta Opera, he returned to Minnesota Opera as Rodolfo in La bohème, and he made his Australian début as Ruggero in La rondine with Victorian Opera. This season, in addition to his return to The Atlanta Opera to sing Macduff in Macbeth, he joins Hawaii Opera Theatre to sing Don José in Carmen, and he sings Verdi’s Requiem with The Dessoff Choirs. Choi recently returned to The Metropolitan Opera for both Rigoletto and Fedora, joined Seoul Metropolitan Opera to sing Roméo in Roméo and Juliette, and sang Alfredo in La traviata with Virginia Opera. Choi spent three seasons at Theater Erfurt in Germany, where he sang a variety of leading roles, including the Duke (Rigoletto), Don José (Carmen), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Hyllus (Hercules), Andres (Wozzeck), Il Cantatore (Giulietta e Romeo), and Prince Sou Chong in Lehár’s Das Land des Lächelns. Recent seasons’ engagements also included a role début as Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas with New York City Opera; Don José in Carmen for Minnesota Opera, Croatia National Theater, and in more than ten performances at the Domstufen Festival in Germany; Da-Ud in Die agyptische Helena with Odyssey Opera; the title role in Les contes d’Hoffman with Opera Tampa and Opera Orlando; and Rodolfo in La bohème with Croatian National Theatre in Osijek and The Metropolitan Opera (cover).
SARA GARTLAND
LADY MACBETH
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
Sara Gartland, soprano, is a passionate interpreter of opera, concert repertoire, and song, and she has firmly established herself as an artist with talents for dramatic storytelling and comedy. In the 2024-25 season, Gartland will return to The Dallas Opera for La traviata (Violetta), and she debuts at Opera Theater of Saint Louis for Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde), and Calgary Opera for a double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Bluebeard’s Castle (Nella and Judith). Last season, Gartland made her European debuts with Semperoper Dresden and Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Die tote Stadt (Marie/ Marietta). She debuted with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira) and returned to Des Moines Metro Opera for her first performances of the titular role in Strauss’ iconic Salome. In 22/23, she saw debuts at Pittsburgh Opera, Opera San Antonio, Minnesota Opera, and a return to DMMO for Bluebeard’s Castle
Additional career highlights include creating the role of Rose in the world premiere production of A Thousand Acres with libretto by Kristin Kuster and Mark Campbell for the 50th Anniversary season at the Des Moines Metro Opera, where she has also been seen in Rusalka and Jenůfa, Wozzeck, Queen of Spades, Roméo et Juliette, and Regina Gartland has also appeared with The Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera San Jose, Austin Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, and performing Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the Jacksonville Symphony. Gartland is a graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera where she was seen in numerous productions including in Carmen, the world premiere of Christopher Theofandis’ Heart of a Soldier, Die Walküre, Madama Butterfly, and Le nozze di Figaro, which was her San Francisco Opera main stage debut. Prior to becoming an Adler, Sara participated in the Merola Opera Program and was seen in L’amico Fritz (Suzel).
FOUR PERFORMANCES
APRIL 5 & 6
CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS
An enchanting fairy tale with heroes, heroines, and a daring rescue. The Magic Flute reimagined in a new production for kids of all ages, where Mozart’s timeless score takes you on a magical mission.
MICHAEL MAYES
MACBETH
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
SWEENEY TODD, 2018
Michael Mayes, baritone, enjoys a celebrated operatic career in both traditional and contemporary roles with theaters throughout the United States and Europe. After an explosive international debut as Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in 2018 with Teatro Real in Madrid opposite Joyce DiDonato, Mayes quickly established a prominent presence as a leading international baritone with multiple engagements in a wide range of roles with important theaters across the globe including Staatsoper Stuttgart, Houston Grand Opera, English National Opera, The Dallas Opera, and Bergen National Opera. In his 2024-25 season, Mayes makes returns to Houston Grand Opera for the company premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves (Councilman), Staatsoper Stuttgart as the title role in Johann Strauss and operetta Casanova, Utah Opera as the title role in Sweeney Todd, and Music of Remembrance for Tom Cipullo’s After Life (Picasso). Last season, Mayes debuted at Edinburgh International Festival in Bluebeard’s Castle (Bluebeard) and Staatstheater Kassel in Die Hamletmaschine (Hamlet III). Other season highlights included his returns to Houston Grand Opera for the world premiere production of Intelligence (Travis Biggs) by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, Seattle Opera for Das Rheingold (Alberich), Staatsoper Stuttgart for Nixon in China (Nixon) and Das Rheingold (Alberich), and his principal role debut at The Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere production of The Righteous (David) by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith. Now sought after for his mastery of dramatic vocal repertoire, notable recent engagements have included Il trovatore (Il Conte di Luna) with Seattle Opera, Central City Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival; Wozzeck (title role) with Des Moines Metro Opera; an acclaimed debut as Bluebeard in an innovative production by Theater of Sound (UK); and Rigoletto (title role) with Houston Grand Opera and Boston Lyric Opera. Mayes remains well known across the globe for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking across the world including Washington National Opera, New Israeli Opera, The Atlanta Opera, and many others. A native of Cut’n’Shoot, Texas, Michael graduated with a degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas. He currently resides in South Carolina.
AUBREY ODLE STUDIO ARTIST
LADY-IN-WAITING TO LADY MACBETH
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT RIGOLETTO, 2023
Aubrey Odle, mezzo-soprano, is a burgeoning talent with her powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Returning for her second year as a Studio Artist with The Atlanta Opera, she performs as Lady-in-Waiting in this season’s production of Macbeth, as well as having covered 2nd and 3rd Lady in The Magic Flute. This past summer, Odle performed as an Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera, where she covered the role of Marilyn in the World Premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous. Other credits include seasons with Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Knoxville Opera, and Utah Lyric Opera. Her roles have included Siegrune (Die Walküre), Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle), Carmen/Mercédès (Carmen), Flora (La traviata), Maddalena/ Giovanna (Rigoletto), and many others. In competition, she most recently won 2nd Place in both the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition and the Carolyn Bailey Argento Competition with the National Opera Association.
MORRIS ROBINSON BANQUO
ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT
AIDA, 2010
Morris Robinson, bass, is a Grammy Award-winning artist considered one the most interesting and sought after basses performing today. Robinson regularly appears at the Metropolitan Opera where he debuted in a production of Fidelio and has since appeared as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte (both in the original production and in the children’s English version), Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the Kingand the Pharoah in Aida, and in roles in Nabucco, Tannhäuser, and the new productions of Les Troyens and Salome. He has also appeared at the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Volksoper Wien, Opera Australia, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. His many roles include the title role in Porgy and Bess, Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Ramfis (Aida), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlos), Timur (Turandot), the Bonze (Madama Butterfly), Padre Guardiano (La Forza del Destino), Ferrando (Il Trovatore), Fasolt (Das Rheingold), Landgraf (Tannhäuser), Daland (Der fliegende Holländer), and King Marke in Tristan und Isolde. He also created the role of The Commander in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded at the Washington National Opera. Also a prolific concert singer, Robinson’s many concert engagements have included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (where he was the 2015-2016 Artist in Residence), San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Met Chamber Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and at the BBC Proms and the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, Cincinnati May, Verbier, and Aspen Music Festivals. He also appeared in Carnegie Hall as part of Jessye Norman’s HONOR! Festival. In recital he has been presented by Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Savannah Music Festival, the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. An Atlanta native, Mr. Robinson is a graduate of The Citadel and received his musical training from the Boston University Opera Institute and as a member of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera’ Lindemann Young Artist Program. He recently joined the Georgia State University School of Music as Artistin-Residence for 2024-2026.
DEMETRIOUS SAMPSON, JR MALCOLM, DUNCAN’S SON
ATLANTA
OPERA DEBUT
PORGY AND BESS, 2020
Demetrious Sampson, Jr., tenor, is a native of Albany, GA, and completed his undergraduate studies at the Georgia State University’s School of Music in May 2023. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Sarah and Ernest Butler Studio at the Houston Grand Opera. His 2023-24 season highlights included his role as the Third Esquire (Parsifal), the Studio Showcase, and the Giving Voice concert. Sampson is thrilled to return to The Atlanta Opera where he made his career debut, half a decade ago as an undergraduate in his first professional opera, as Crab Man in Porgy and Bess in 2020. In Summer 2023, he was selected for the prestigious Merola Opera Program, where he performed in their highly praised song recital, the scenes program, and the Merola Grand Finale on the War Memorial Stage at San Francisco Opera. Summer 2024 marked company and role debuts with Cincinnati Opera as Gastone (La traviata) and Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist portraying the Kronprinz (Silent Night by Kevin Puts). He was also excited to perform as soloist with the Eugene Concert Choir and Orchestra in Eugene, Oregon, in Handel’s Messiah, and the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2024-25 season. An accomplished competitor, Demetrious has received several national and international prizes and honors. In 2023 he won second place and Audience Choice Award in Houston Grand Opera’s 35th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition. He was also a Georgia District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, the second prize winner at the Opera Ebony Competition, the second prize winner at the Opera Grand Rapids Vander Laan Prize, a grand finalist for the Schmidt Vocal Arts Undergraduate Awards and was a finalists for several national competitions. Winning first place in the Southeast Region, Demetrious went on to become one of 10 Grand Finalists of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition for the 2023-24 season.
Studio Artist Program
This season, singers Aubrey Odle, Amanda Sheriff, and Jason Zacher return for a second year in the program, with Wayd Odle coming on as the only freshman singer. Joining the vocalists will be stage director Elio Bucky
Each of the Studio Artists is an early career professional with significant training and stage experience, some with lead performances and major concert appearances on their resumé. The program builds on The Atlanta Opera’s commitment to provide opportunities for performers at all stages in their careers.
Throughout the season, these artists will have the opportunity to work with established performers and coaches
to improve their skills in all aspects of their field. Master Vocal Teacher
Laura Brooks Rice has been part of the Studio Artist program since 2021 and is an acclaimed performer and voice teacher and acting coach.
An experienced group of coaches and clinicians, including Principal Guest Voice Teacher David Okerlund, are engaged in the training and support of the Studio Artists.
The Atlanta Opera is grateful for the support of the young artist program from the Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation, John and YeeWan Stevens, and Jerry and Dulcy Rosenberg.
AUBREY ODLE mezzo-soprano
ELIO BUCKY stage director
AMANDA SHERIFF soprano
WAYD ODLE tenor
JASON ZACHER bass-baritone
TOGETHER, LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR NATION’S HEROES
The Home Depot Founda tion is proud to partner with The Atlanta Opera to honor our U.S. militar y, veterans and their families.
CHORUSMASTER
Rolando Salazar
SOPRANO
Talia Marie Aull
Kaitlyn Costello-Fain
Jessica Crowell
Keli Jackson
Nicole Lewis
Blair Lipham
Laura Porlier
Samantha Rascle
Natalie Rogers
Tiffany Uzoije
Alexandra Watson
Erika Wuerzner
MEZZO-SOPRANO
Lar’Kara Betha
Madison Chambers
Isabella Chaney
Ebony Collier
Melissa Godbee
Kristin Hagan
Dayela Lima
Allison Nance
Liubov Shrivastava
Amber Tittle
Laurie Tossing
Jessica Wax
TENOR
Matthew Boatwright
Cleve Bosher
Patrick Galletta
Ethan Godfrey
William Green
Grant Jones
Cameron King
Eric Mask
Ethan Michel
José Montañez
Matthew Neylon
Timothy D. Parrott
BASS
John Arnold
David Champion
Maxwell Clements
Rick Latterell
Ben Longo
Stephen McCool
Jacob Thatch McDonald
Jason Royal
Stuart Schleuse
Brandon Stephens
Benjamin Varner
Charlie Wentz
VIOLIN
Peter Ciaschini
The Loraine P. Williams
Orchestra Concertmaster Chair
Helen Kim
Assistant Concertmaster
Fia Durrett
Prinicipal Second Violin
Adelaide Federici
Assistant Principal
Second Violin
Edward Eanes
Felix Farrar
Sally Gardner-Wilson
Robert Givens
Patti Gouvas*
Lisa Morrison
Shawn Pagliarini
Jessica Stinson
Virginia Respess-Fairchild
Patrick Ryan
Rafael Veytsblum
Kevin Chaney†
Chelsea Cline†
Kathryn Koch†
Elonia Varfi†
VIOLA
William Johnston
Principal
Catherine Allain
Assistant Principal
Ryan Gregory*
Julie A Rosseter
Karl Schab
Joli Wu*
Tania Maxwell Clements†
Meghan Yost†
CELLO
Charae Krueger
Principal
Emma Cary
Assistant Principal*
Mary Kenney
Acting Assistant Principal
David Hancock
Cynthia Sulko
Sarah Kapps† Yuliya Kim†
BASS
Daniel Tancredi
Principal
Emory Clements
Bailey Bennett†
Jarod Boles†
FLUTE
James Zellers Principal
PICCOLO
Kelly Bryant
OBOE/ENGLISH HORN
Christina Gavin Principal
Jessica Smithorn†
CLARINET
David Odom
Principal
John Warren
BASSOON
Debra Grove
Acting Principal
Sara Fruehe†
FRENCH HORN
David Bradley Principal
Jason Eklund
Eric Hawkins†
Mackenzie Newell†
TRUMPET
Yvonne Toll-Schnieder
Principal
Alexander Freund
TROMBONE
William P. Mann Principal
Donald Strand
Ed Nicholson†
BASS TROMBONE
Richard Brady
TIMPANI
John Lawless Principal
PERCUSSION
Michael Cebulski
Principal
Karen Hunt†
Jeff Kershner†
HARP
Susan Brady
PERSONNEL MANAGER
James Zellers
Musicians employed in this production are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. *Core Musician On Leave | †Non-Core Musician
Nicholas Valerio, Dorothy Sood, Benny Barciela, and William F. Snyder enjoying a moment together at an Opera intermission.
A Legacy of Loyalty
William Snyder’s Enduring Commitment
To learn more about the advantages of making a gift to the Opera from your IRA, contact Jonathan Blalock at jblalock@atlantaopera. org, or visit the Atlanta Opera’s planned giving website.
William “Bill” Snyder’s journey with opera began in Atlanta, where he first experienced The Metropolitan Opera’s annual week-long residency. This exposure ignited a passion that would shape his life and leave a lasting impact on The Atlanta Opera. Originally from Birmingham, Bill’s path led him to Atlanta after serving in the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor. He joined Coca-Cola as a warehouse administrator and simultaneously pursued his undergraduate degree at Georgia State. Over a remarkable 32-year career at CocaCola, Bill made significant contributions, notably leading the team that modernized computer systems, setting the stage for the company’s future growth.
His dedication to the art form led him to join The Opera Guild of Atlanta, where he served as president and spearheaded important initiatives, including an annual vocal scholarship competition for young artists. In 2017, Bill deepened his commitment by joining The Atlanta Opera board, serving tirelessly until 2022. For over four decades, he has been a loyal subscriber and attendee of every mainstage performance. Bill’s philanthropic support has been unwavering, with annual donations bolstered by Coca-Cola’s employee matching funds program.
Recently, Bill embraced a new way to support the Opera through his IRA. “This was a way to relieve my tax burden while investing in a wonderful organization. It made all the sense in the world,” Bill explained. He views his contributions as investments in the Opera’s future, supporting its growth and community outreach.
Bill’s legacy of loyalty and generosity exemplifies how early exposure to opera can foster a lifelong commitment. His planned giving through IRA donations ensures that his passion for opera will continue to impact The Atlanta Opera and its audience for generations to come.
ANNUAL GIVING
We are grateful for the following donors’ generous support. This list reflects gifts and annual pledges to unrestricted operating expenses, special projects, and/or endowment made between Jul. 1, 2023 and Jan. 6, 2025.
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
$200,000+
Harold Brody & Donald Smith†
John & Rosemary Brown†
Dr. Frank A. Critz & Dr. Ann Critz†
Beth & Gary Glynn
Mr. Howard W. Hunter - Gramma Fisher Foundation†
Disosway Foundation - Dudley & Carole Johnson
Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough
*Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr.†
*Peggy Weber McDowell & *Jack McDowell
Mr. James B. Miller, Jr.
Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg†
Katherine Scott
Thurmond Smithgall & the Lanie & Ethel Foundation
$100,000+
Connolly Family Foundation†
*Sylvia Halleck, MD
Mr. John Haupert & Mr. Bryan Brooks†
Alfredo & Beau Martin†
John & Yee-Wan Stevens†
Rhys & Carolyn Wilson†
$50,000+
Cathy & Mark Adams†
The Antinori Foundation†
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney†
Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein†
The Gable Foundation, Inc†
Mr. John L. Hammaker
Mary Ruth McDonald
Mr. & *Mrs. Robert L. Setzer
Mr. William F. Snyder†
Carol B. & Ramon Tomé†
Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle†
$25,000+
Mr. & Mrs. James Anderson
Bryan & Johanna Barnes†
Laura & Cosmo Boyd
Matt & Kate Cook
Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Mrs. Susanna Eiland
Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross†
Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas J. Hertz
Sandra & Peter Morelli†
Talia & John Murphy
Victoria & Howard Palefsky†
*Mr. William E. Pennington†
Mr. Peter Read
Judith & Mark Taylor
Mr. & Mrs. William E. Tucker
Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund
Mary & Charles Yates†
PATRON’S CIRCLE
$15,000+
*Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Bair
Julie & *Jim Balloun†
Mr. David Boatwright†
Mr. Frank H. Butterfield†
Barbara N. Croft & Thomas High
Dr. Donald J. & Janet Filip†
Mr. J. Carter Joseph
Ms. Elizabeth Klump
Slumgullion Charitable Fund†
Philip & Caroline Moïse
Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III†
Ms. Janine Brown & Mr. Alex J. Simmons, Jr.
Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor
Larry & Beverly Willson†
GOLD $10,000+
Shareef & Dee Dee Abdur-Rahim
Elizabeth & Jeremy Adler†
Mrs. *Phillip E. Alvelda†
*Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley
John & Wendy Anzalone†
Dr. & Mrs. Asad Bashey
*Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard
Mr. & Mrs. Dante Bellizzi
Natalie & Matthew Bernstein
Anonymous
Ms. Mary Calhoun
Dieter Elsner
Mr. Leroy & Mrs. Ariana Fass
Stephens Family Foundation
Alex Hertz
The Hilbert Law Firm
Donna & *Richard Hiller
Roya & Bahman Irvani
*Mary & *Wayne James
Gail G. Johnson
KaneTreadwell Law LLC
Dr. & Mrs. David Kavtaradze
Mimi & Dan D. Maslia
Mr. Mark & Mrs. Laura Miles
Stephanie & Gregor Morela†
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Paro†
Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Paulhus†
Lynn & Kent Regenstein†
Mr. James L. Rhoden
Ms. Ana M. Rountree & Mr. Mason Rountree
Mr. Milton J. Sams†
Thomas R. Saylor
Charles T. & Donna Sharbaugh†
Christine & Mark St.Clare†
Benny & Roxanne Varzi
Mr. Rashaun Williams & Mrs. LaNeah Williams
Wadleigh C. Winship Charitable Fund
SILVER $5,000+
Drs. Tatiana & Igor Bidikov
Catherine A. Binns
Dr. R. Dwain Blackston
Ginny & Charles Brewer
Drs. Eda Hochgelerent & Bruce Cassidy†
Mrs. Carol J. Clark
John W. Cooledge†
Jean & Jerry Cooper
Dr. Jeannette Guarner & Dr. Carlos del Rio
Mr. Trey Duskin & Ms. Noelle Albano
Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes†
Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge
Sally & Hank Fielding†
Mr. James & Mrs. Kathy Flanagan
Mr. Ellis & Mrs. Cathy Green
Kevin Greiner & Robyn Roberts
Judge Adele P. Grubbs
Gena & Joey Gyengo
Ms. Lynn Hanna
Mr. L. D. Holland†
Christopher & Joan Kell
Ms. Anne Morgan & Mr. James Kelley
Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Kurlander
Mrs. Dale Levert & Mr. George W. Levert
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Long
Dr. Jill Mabley†
Mr. Nicholas Marrone
Belinda & Gino Massafra
Robert & Creel McCormack
Clara M. & John S. O’Shea†
Mr. Ron Raitz
*Morton & Angela Sherzer
Baker & Debby Smith†
Lynne & Steven Steindel
George & Amy Taylor†
Dr. & Mrs. Nicholas Valerio III† Thurman Williams
BRONZE $2,500+
Scott & Betsy Akers
Mr. James L. Anderson
Mr. Edward S. & Mrs. Nese Berkoff
Mr. Jonathan Blalock
Susan Borrelli
Raphael Bostic
Sean & Amy Bowen
Ms. Alice Sue Claeys
Mr. & Mrs. Ron L. Cundy
Mr. James M. Datka & Ms. Nora P. DePalma
Jim & Carol Dew
Mr. Jon & Mrs. Lejla Dickson
Mr. Mark du Mas
Mr. Thomas Emch
Mr. & Mrs. Lance Fortnow
Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey
James C. Goodwyne & Christopher S. Connelly
Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr.
Atlanta Neurology
Douglas Hooker & Patrise Perkins Hooker
Dr. & Mrs. Jeffrey R. Hoopes
Mr. & Mrs. David C. Huffman
Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke
Red Eft Mapping
Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III
Bruno Lopes
Dr. & Mrs. Ellis L. Malone
Samantha & William Markle
Mrs. Linda McGinn
Rob McSwiney & Samantha Kirby
Mr. Steve & Mrs. Hala Moddelmog
Linda & Don Morris
Barbara & Mark Murovitz
Karen & Rick Murphy
Mrs. Agnes Nelson
Denis Ng & Mary Jane Panzeri Ng
Lisa Pate & Greg Barnard
Lucy S. Perry
Mr. Joshua Peyton
Mrs. Betsy Pittman
Mr. Marc Pollack
Patty & Doug Reid
Margaret & Bob Reiser
Mr. John & Mrs. Kathryn Richard
Mr. & Mrs. Diff Ritchie
Monet Jeanne Roberson
Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk
Dr. Edgar P. Simard & Dr. Emile C. Pinera
Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith
Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman
Mr. Tarek Takieddini
Mr. Johnny Thigpen & Mr. Clay Martin
Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr.
*Dr. & Mrs. R. Craig Woodward
FRIEND’S CIRCLE
INVESTOR $1,000+
Paula Stephan Amis
Mr. Paul Anderson, Jr.
Ms. Casey Armanino
Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Banker
Ms. Hope M. Barrett
Christine M. Beard
Mr. Albert E. Bender, Jr.
Jill Blair & Fay Twersky
Mr. Walter Carter Bland
Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Blumenthal
Ms. Martha S. Brewer
Anonymous, honoring Tracy McLendon, ABG
Mr. Nelson C. Chu
Mr. Bruce R. Cohen
Ms Lillianette Cook & Ms. Carol Uhl
John & Linda Cooke
Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Croft III
Mr. Robert & Mrs. Elizabeth Currie
Ann & Jim Curry
Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly Jr.
Eb & Sarah Daniels
Anonymous
Drs. Morgan & Susan Horton Eiland
Richard Franco MD
Mr. & Mrs. Ethan Garonzik
Spencer Gelernter & Sonya Kuropatwa
Mr. Douglas Gooding
Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Grodzicki
Enio P. Guerra
Ms. Louise S. Gunn
Robert & Ada Habl
George L. Hickman III
Mr. & *Mrs. Harry C. Howard
Richard & Linda Hubert
David Hughes
Mrs. Cecile M. Jones
Mr. & Mrs. Gert Kampfer
*Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich
Ms. Carla Knobloch
Ms. Carol Kranig
Anonymous
Mr. & Ms. Larry Anderson
Dr. & Mrs. Steven Marlowe
Mrs. Erin Martin
Charles Bjorklund & Sted Mays
Mr. M Sean Molley & Ms. Heidi C. Pritchett
Twinkle Nelson
Carol S. Niemi
Mr. Darryl-Christopher Payne†
Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence S. Phillips
Dr. & Mrs. Donald Reitzes
R.J. & D.G. Riffey, Jr.
Sidney & Phyllis Rodbell
Stewart & Mary Searle
Mr. Kenneth L. Shigley
Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Shreiber
Mr. Fred B. Smith
Anonymous
Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes
Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel
Gail & Barry Spurlock
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stansfield
Kay Summers
Stephen Swicegood & Ruth Ann Rosenberg
Dr. & Mrs. Michael Szikman
Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor
Ms. Virginia S. Taylor
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth O. Walkington Jr.
Ms. Betsy K. Wash
Alan & Marcia Watt
Rae & *George Weimer
Ms. Kathy J. White
Dr. & Mrs. Hamilton Williams
SUPPORTER $500+
Judith M. Alembik
Karyn Alexander
Colonel & Mrs. John V. Barson, D.O.
Mrs. Marilee F. Betor
Mr. Matt Blackburn
Ms. Mary D. Bray
Craig & Brenda Caldwell
Mr. & Mrs. Don S. Coatworth
Dr. Lawrence M. Cohen
Mr. David D’Ambrosio
Mr. & Mrs. John Drucker
Mrs. Anne J. Ederington
*Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Engeman Sr.
Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich
Linda Gabbard
Mr. Glen Galbaugh
Mr. Tim & Mrs. Linda Gartland
Dr. Richard Goodjoin
Mr. & Mrs. Sheffield Hale
Mr. Ronald L. Harris & Mrs. Jacqueline Pownall
Debra M. Hulsey
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Johnston
Ms. Lynne Elliott Jones
Matthew Katzmark
Dorothy Yates Kirkley
Joan & Arnold Kurth
Mr. Sidney E. Linton
Livvy Kazer Lipson
Allan & Vaneesa Little
Dr. Jo Marie Lyons
Jeanie & Albert Marx
Mr. M. Reynolds McClatchey Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel
John S. Metz
Jane Morrison
Terri & Stephen Nagler
Ms. Mollie W. Neal
Rita Omark
*Sharon & Jim Radford
Mr. Stephen L. Rann & Ms. Dytre Fentress
Sandra & Ronald Rousseau
Dr. & Mrs. William M. Scaljon
Ms. Regina Schuber
Dr. & Mrs. William E. Silver
Andrew J. Singletary, Jr.
Mr. Paul Snyder
Clayton & Holly Sparrow
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Stafford, Jr.
Melanie Steele
Steve & Christine Strong
Carolyn & Robert Swain
Mr. Stephen H. Thompson & Mr. Drew Mote
Mr. Joseph Usher
Ms. Brenda D. Jennings
Kiki Wilson
CONTRIBUTOR $250+
Dr. Catherine Allard
Christine Allen
Ms. Nancy H. Amato
Stephan & Laura Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. David S. Baker
Claire & Bryan Benedict
Mr. & Mrs. Sid Besmertnik
James & Nancy Bross
Beau F. Brummett
Dr. Keith & Dr. Christine Bruno
Mark & Peg Bumgardner
Mr. Jerald M. Byrd
Raymond Chinn
Carol Cookerly & Robert Beal
Carol Comstock & Jim Davis
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Dye
Mr. Devin Ehrlich
Mr. Courtney Ellis & Dr. Amina Bhatia
Ms. Ellen Evans
Allison Fichter & Phillip O’Brien
Julia Filson
Leigh Furrh
Ms. Pat Godbee
Vasily Goncharu
Ms. Susan Goodman
Drs. Nancy & Robert Griner
Ms. Laura Heery
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas M. Holly, Jr.
Ms. Jan W. Hughen
Mr. Rolf Ingenleuf
Susan Johnston & Shannon Motley
Mr. William Johnston
Mr. & Mrs. David Keller
Nancy Kritikos
Mr. Roy Locklear III
Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella
Michael McDaniel
Mr. Simon Miller
Berthe & Shapour Mobasser
Mr. William R. Mrs. Morrison & Elizabeth R. Clark-Morrison
Mr. & Mrs. George T. Munsterman
Mr. John Owens
Mr. William A. Pasch
Mr. & Mrs. John Payan
Mr. Lawrence F. Pinson
Catherine Popper & Noah Eckhouse in honor of Ms. Faye P. Popper
Misty Reid
Mr. Stephen & Mrs. Elizabeth Rhoden
Mr. Barry F. Ross & Mrs. Jane M. Rooks Ross
Harriet Ruskin
Ms. Anne Schneider
Dr. & Mrs. Stuart H. Silverman
Mr. Raymond A. Strikas
Dr. David E. Sutherland II & Mrs. Sarah F. Yates Sutherland
Barbara & Jon Swann
Ms. Nancy A. Thomas
Mr. & Ms. Wolfgang Tiedtke
Erica Walden
Ms. Susan Wall
Troy Wiley
Ann Williams
Ms. Jone Williams & Ms. Barbara Robb
Mr. Russell F. Winch
Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Zimmermann
Ben & Adrienne Zinn
†extraordinary donors who have committed to continue their annual giving for three years or more *deceased
CORPORATE PARTNERS
$200,000
The Home Depot Foundation
$100,000
The Coca-Cola Company Delta Air Lines, Inc.
$50,000+
Nelson Mullins
Price Waterhouse Coopers Rothschild & Co
Smurfit WestRock UPS
$25,000+
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation
Gas South KPMG LLP
$10,000
Accenture
BlackRock Cox Enterprises Deloitte
Eversheds Sutherland
The Hilbert Law Firm
Homrich-Berg, Inc.
PNC Financial Services Group Salesforce
SG Contracting Southern Company
The Varzi-Cohen Group, Merrill Lynch Truist
$5,000+
Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Carter CIBC
KaneTreadwell Law LLC
Anonymous
FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
FOUNDATIONS
$500,000+
The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Lettie Pate Evans Foundation
$225,000+
Mr. Howard W. Hunter - Gramma Fisher Foundation
$100,000+
Anonymous
The Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc.
The Coca-Cola Foundation
Connolly Family Foundation
Disosway Foundation - Dudley and Carole Johnson
The Halle Foundation
Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation
Knobloch Family Foundation
$50,000+
Atlanta Music Festival Association Fund of Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
The Gable Foundation
Livingston Foundation
Mary and EP Rogers Foundation, Inc.
The Sara Giles Moore Foundation
The Rich’s Foundation, Inc.
Truist Trusteed Foundations: Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund
The Zeist Foundation, Inc.
$20,000+
The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation
The Roy and Janet Dorsey Foundation
The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc.
J. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Charitable Trust
The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation
$10,000+
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The George M. Brown Trust Fund
The Stephens Family Foundation
$5,000+
Camp-Younts Foundation
The Robert and Polly Dunn Foundation
The Hills Family Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Hills, Trustees
$1,000+
The Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta, Georgia
The Opera Guild for Atlanta
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Cobb Travel & Tourism
Fulton County Arts & Culture
Georgia Council for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
BARBARA D. STEWART LEGACY SOCIETY
The Atlanta Opera recognizes donors who have designated The Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan as members of the Barbara D. Stewart Legacy Society. This society honors Barbara D. Stewart’s extraordinary legacy gift and her many contributions to The Atlanta Opera.
Cathy Callaway Adams & Mark Adams
Anonymous (5)
*Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley
*Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Bair
Mrs. *Wallace F. Beard
The Bickers Charitable Trust
Mr. Jonathan Blalock
*Jim & *Nancy Bland
Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV
Mr. Robert Colgin
*Martha Thompson Dinos
The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation
Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes
Arnold & Sylvia Eaves
* Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards
*Heike & Dieter Elsner
Ms. Melodi Ford
Carl & Sally Gable
*Ms. Anne Marie Gary
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman
Ms. Judy Hanenkrat
*Sylvia Halleck, MD
Caroline Hardin
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
Gail G. Johnson
Mr. J. Carter Joseph
*Mrs. Alfred D. Kennedy, Sr.
*Mrs. Isabelle W. Kennedy
*Donald & *Marilyn Keough
Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough
Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia
Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm
Mr. Robert L. Mays
Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel
Michael A. McDowell
*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 Pennington
*Mr. Bruce Roth
Ms. Hazel Sanger
Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr.
Anita & J. Barry Schrenk
Katherine Scott
*Mrs. Roberta Setzer
Elizabeth N. Shapiro
*Mrs. Lessie B. Smithgall
Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel
Christine & Mark St.Clare
*Ms. Barbara D. Stewart
*Mrs. Eleanor H. Strain
Mr. Tarek Takieddini
Sandra & *Tom Teepen
Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney
*Mrs. Jane S. Willson
Rhys & Carolyn Wilson
Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle
Mr and Mrs Robert G Woodward
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 Phillip Edward Alvelda
Mrs. Kay Alvelda
In Memory of Shepard B. Ansley
Dr. R. Dwain Blackston
Jonathan Blalock
John & Rosemary Brown
Sally & Hank Fielding
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman
Mary Ruth McDonald
In Memory of Helen Arnold
Ms. Susan Borrelli & Ms. Cindy Parker
In Memory of Eleonora M. Barson
Colonel John V. Barson, D.O. & Mrs. Gay L. Barson
In Memory of Duncan Beard
Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund
In Honor of Mr. Jonathan Blalock
Mr. Leroy & Mrs. Ariana Fass
Everett L. Long
In Honor of Dr. Hal Brody & Mr. Don Smith
Connor Howard
In Honor of John & Rosemary Brown
Mr. Barry F. Ross & Mrs. Jane M. Rooks Ross
In Memory of Kyle Burkhalter
Mr. Matthew Burkhalter & Mr. John Carey
In Memory of Anson Callaway
Dawn & Randall Romig
In Memory of Suzanne Claeys
Ms. Alice Sue Claeys
In Honor of Rebekah Clark Cooledge
Dr. John W. Cooledge
In Honor of Robert Dean & Robert Epstein
Linda & Don Morris
In Memory of Col. & Mrs. Edgar W. Duskin
Noelle Albano & Trey Duskin
In Honor of Sally & Hank Fielding
Ms. Nancy H. Amato
Ms. Anne Schneider
In Memory of Mrs. Phyllis A. Franco
Dr. Richard D. Franco
In Memory of Sam Hagan
Jonathan Blalock
William Frampton, III
Mr. Sheffield Hale & Mrs. Elizabeth M. Hale
Mr. Alfred Msezane
Mr. William O. Shropshire & Mrs. Patricia Shropshire
Wayne R. Vason & Lee Harper
Ms. Elizabeth Wilson & Ms. Susie Schklar
Ms. Roslyn S. Winston
In Memory of Mary & Wayne James
John & Rosemary Brown
In Memory of Patricia E. Johnston
Mr. Wayne Johnston
In Honor of Gloria Lin
Jonathan Blalock
Red EFT Mapping | Mr. Lawrence Knight
In Memory of George H. & Cecile G. Malone
Ms. Eleanor Malone
In Honor of Alfredo Martin
Jonathan Blalock
In Honor of Tracy McLendon, ABG
Anonymous
In Honor of Julie Meyer
Helen & Steven Kraus
In Honor of Talia & John Murphy
Lib & Neal Quirk
In Honor of Howard & Victoria Palefsky
Natalie & Matthew Bernstein
Virginia & Charles Brewer Family Foundation
Mr. Bruce R. Cohen
Patty & Doug Reid
In Honor of Jerome & Dulcy Rosenberg
Dr. & Mrs. William E. Silver
In Honor of Rolando Salazar & The Atlanta Opera Chorus
Ms. Pat Godbee
In Memory of Mrs. Roberta Setzer
Mr. Robert L. Setzer
In Memory of Suzette Snell
Mr. Robert & Mrs. Elizabeth Currie
In Honor of John & Yee-Wan Stevens
Jonathan Blalock
In Honor of Mr. William Tucker
Douglas Gooding
In Honor of Jason Walker
Erica Walden
In Honor of Paul Warshauer
Helen & Steven Kraus
In Memory of George Weimer
Dr. R. Dwain Blackston
Mr. Matthew Burkhalter & Mr. John Carey
Mary Ruth McDonald
In Memory of Marya Gabrielle Williams
Jone Williams & Barbara Robb
In Memory of Margaret Gwendolyn Williams
Thurman Williams
In Honor of Charlie & Mary Yates
Anonymous (24)
Carol Cookerly & Robert Beal
Douglas Gooding
Mr. Pitak Intrawityanunt
Mr. Stephen & Mrs. Elizabeth Rhoden
Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk
Dr. David E. Sutherland II & Mrs. Sarah F. Yates Sutherland
Mr. Joseph Usher
Dorothy Yates Kirkley
In Honor of Mr. Tomer Zvulun & Ms. Susanna Eiland
Sally & Hank Fielding
Ms. Elizabeth Klump
Bob & Cappa Woodward Charitable Fund
In Honor of The Atlanta Opera Staff
Rae & George Weimer
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Board Chair
Mr. Rhys T. Wilson
Vice-Chair
Mr. John L. Hammaker
Vice-Chair | Development Committee Co-Chair
Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr.
Treasurer | Finance Committee Chair
Ms. Bunny Winter
Secretary
Mr. Howard Hunter
Audit Chair
Mr. Bryan H. Barnes
Community Engagement Committee Chair
Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr.
Development Committee Co-Chair
Mrs. Talia Murphy
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair
Mrs. Stephanie Morela
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEMBERS
Mrs. Qaadirah Abdur-Rahim
Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams
Mrs. Susan M. Anderson
Mr. Bryan H. Barnes
Mr. Dante Bellizzi
Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV
Dr. Harold J. Brody
Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown
Mr. Frank H. Butterfield
Mrs. Kate Cook
Dr. Frank A. Critz
Mr. Clark Dean
Mr. Robert Dean
Dr. Carlos del Rio
Dr. Todd Ellis
Mr. Dieter Elsner
Dr. Donald J. Filip
Mr. Kevin Greiner
Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross
Facilities Task Force Chair
Mr. Howard Palefsky
Investment Committee Co-Chair
Mr. Frank Butterfield
Investment Committee Co-Chair
Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli
Nominating & Board Engagement Committee Chair
Mr. Kevin Greiner
Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Mrs. Christine St.Clare
At-Large Member, Immediate Past Chair
Mrs. Cathy Callaway Adams
At-Large Member
Mr. John Haupert
Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic
Director, ex-officio member
Mr. Tomer Zvulun
Mrs. Caroline Hardin
Mr. John Haupert
Mr. Jamael Hester
Mr. Andrew R. Long
Mr. Alfredo Martin
Ms. Kelly Mayhall
Mr. James B. Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Stephanie Morela
Mrs. Sandra S. Morelli
Mrs. Talia Murphy
Mr. Howard Palefsky
Mr. Michael E. Paulhus
Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg
Mr. Thomas Saylor
Mr. Alex Simmons, Jr.
Mrs. Christine St.Clare
Mr. William E. Tucker
Mr. Rashaun Williams
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Mr. Andrew J.M. Binns
Mr. Kenny L. Blank
Mrs. Inge Bledel
Ms. Mary Calhoun
Mrs. Lejla Dickson
Ms. Sally Bland Fielding
Ms. Julia Filson
Mr. Roger Fleming
Mr. Lance Fortnow
Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr.
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
Mr. J. Barry Schrenk
Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan
Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.
Mr. Mark K. Taylor
Mr. Thomas R. Williams
Mr. Robert G. Woodward
Mr. Douglas Hooker
Mrs. Erin Quinn Martin
Mr. Robert G. Pennington
Mr. Paul Snyder
THE ATLANTA OPERA STAFF
EXECUTIVE
Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director . . . . . Tomer Zvulun
Development Communications & Volunteer Coordinator Sasha Svirshch
FINANCE
Chief Financial Officer Christina Paloski
Controller Lawanda Coleman
Accounting Manager Britt Herring
Staff Accountant David Tubbs, Jr.
ADMINISTRATION
Chief Administrative Officer Kathy J. White
Director of Facilities Kenneth R. Timmons
HR Manager Winona Cobb
MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Director of Sales & Marketing Rebecca Brown
Creative Services Manager Matt Burkhalter
Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing Emily Crisp
Box Office Associate Justin Stanley
Box Office Associate Patty de la Garza
COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Director of Communications & Public Relations Michelle Winters
Communications & Marketing Manager Ashley May King
THE ATLANTA OPERA FILM STUDIO
Director of The Atlanta Opera Film Studio Felipe Barral
Short-Form Video Editor
THE ATLANTA OPERA STUDIO ARTISTS
Brittany Fontus
Stage Director Elio Bucky
Mezzo-soprano Aubrey Odle
Tenor Wayd Odle
Soprano Amanda Sheriff
Bass-baritone ..................................... Jason Zacher
.Teddy Murray
Andrew Van Eyechaner
Will Brunson
Brennon Jones
Jenn Rogers
THE MAGIC FLUTE LIVESTREAM
Additional Camera Operators Adam Khan, Kendra Johnson, Michelle Sanders, Valeriia Luhovska, Isaac Breiding
Sound Capture & Live Mixing Tim Whitehead
Sound Monitor Preston Goodson
Livestream Technical Operator
Livestream Technical Support
Switcher Operator
Gerald Griffith
Keelan Bearden
Felipe Barral-Secchi
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.
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.
PREPAID PARKING
On the performance page on the Cobb Energy Centre website there is a link to purchase parking in advance. Day of parking is available for $15 (credit or debit card only). There are 1,000 on-site parking spaces; 700 in a four-level deck and 300 more in a surface lot.
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.
LOST & FOUND
Items are turned into the Synovus Box Office on the day of a performance. To inquire about a lost item, please call Public Safety at 770-916-2911.
SMOKING
Smoking is prohibited inside the building.
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
Persons requiring access assistance are asked to contact the Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787 for advance arrangements.
Audio clarification devices are available to our hearing impaired guests at no charge. This is on a firstcome, first-served basis and are available at the main desk in the lobby.
Wheelchairs are available upon request. 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.
• There is no late seating allowed. Closed-circuit monitors are provided in the lobby as a courtesy to latecomers.
• Please turn off all cellphones prior to the beginning of each performance.
• Please limit conversation during the performance.
• Cameras (including use of cellphone camera) and 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.
• Please unwrap all candies and cough drops before the performance.
