Tosca at The Atlanta Opera

ocToBer 5, 8, 11, 13, 2013

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Features 8

Message from Tomer Zvulun

14 Behind The Curtain Q&A With Tomer Zvulun 16 Director's Note Tosca's Classic Hitchcock Story 42 Art & Opera What was once old is new again

Performance 10 Season Sponsors

38 Chorus

11 Cast & Crew

39 Orchestra

12 Synopsis

40 Historical Notes

20 Meet the Cast

Departments 44 Community Engagement

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TOMER DISCUSSES… 8

TOSCA

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FAUST & Barber of Seville

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Message FROm TOmER ZVULUN I feel the same way about Atlanta and opera. Such a culturally diverse and artistically engaged city deserves to be celebrated by the most exciting art form I know, the ultimate visual and musical expression of the human experience.

This season we will experience the intense drama of Puccini’s cinematic masterpiece, Tosca, engage in the ultimate battle between good and evil in Gounod’s Faust, and laugh at the absurdity of a man’s scheming to win his girl in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

Exciting plans are already under way for my first programmed season (2014-2015) as artistic director, as we bring The Atlanta Opera more fully into the community, engage with new audiences, and continue to raise the bar on the degree of artistry.

I know The Atlanta Opera can serve not only Atlanta, but the entire Southeast region as a pre-eminent cultural institution dedicated to the continued vitalization of this tremendous art form.

photo: Jeff Roffman

Dear Friends, Words cannot express how happy I am to be here with you for the Atlanta Opera’s seventh season at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and to be able to call such a beautiful, vibrant city as Atlanta my new home. My wife, Susanna, and I look forward to spending this season getting to know you, sharing ideas, and engaging with our new community.

The former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana Gioia, has said, “A great nation deserves great art.”

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We are poised to grow this company into something absolutely tremendous, guided by a dedicated board and a veritable army of supporters – you, our donors and our audience. Lend your hand to our growth by sharing your experiences with your friends, family and colleagues and letting them know about the transcendent experience that is waiting to be discovered at The Atlanta Opera.

Best regards,

Tomer Zvulun General & Artistic Director The Atlanta Opera

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The Atlanta Opera's 2006 production of Tosca.

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

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Tosca mUSiC Giacomo Puccini LibRETTO Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa from the drama by Victorien Sardou ThE CARL & SALLy GAbLE mUSiC DiRECTOR Arthur Fagen STAGE DiRECTOR Tomer Zvulun FiRST PERFORmANCE Rome, Teatro Costanzi, January 14, 1900 PREViOUS ATLANTA OPERA PERFORmANCES 1988, 1991, 1997, 2006 Sung in Italian with English supertitles Approximate running time: 2 hours, 24 minutes, including two intermissions casT FLORiA TOSCA Kara Shay Thomson mARiO CAVARADOSSi Massimiliano Pisapia bARON SCARPiA Luis Ledesma SACRiSTAN Tyler Simpson ANGELOTTi Jason Eck SPOLETTA Adam Kirkpatrick SCiARRONE Andrew Cummings JAiLER Mitchell Jones ShEPhERD Mitch Gerding SCENiC DESiGNER Andrew Horn LiGhTiNG DESiGNER Robert Wierzel COSTUmE DESiGNER Lena Rivkina WiG & mAkEUP DESiGNER Richard Jarvie ChORUS PREPARED by Walter Huff ChiLDREN'S ChORUS PREPARED by Jennifer Langley ENGLiSh CAPTiONS by Jonathan Dean ENGLiSh CAPTiONS FOR Tosca OWNED by Seattle Opera SUPERTiTLES OPERATOR Ellen Chamberlain COSTUmES PROViDED by Washington National Opera This production of Tosca is provided by Fort Worth Opera.

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synoPsis Tosca

GiACOmO PUCCiNi

acT i ThE ChURCh OF

SANT’ANDREA DELLA VALLE iN ROmE, 1800. NOON.

Angelotti, a political prisoner, has escaped from Castel Sant’Angelo and takes cover in the church where his sister, the Marchesa d’Attavanti, has left him the key to the family chapel. He is discovered by the painter Mario Cavaradossi, a liberal sympathizer, who is painting an altarpiece. His portrait of Mary Magdalena is inspired by the Marchesa, whom he has observed in prayer.

When the singer Floria Tosca, Cavaradossi’s lover, arrives, she recognizes the blue-eyed Magdalena as none other than the Marchesa herself. Tosca jealously insists that the figure be made to look more like her dark-eyed self, and leaves the church. Soon after, a cannon shot from the prison announces Angelotti’s escape and Cavaradossi hurries him away to hide in his country villa.

The Sacristan tells the choir of the reported defeat of Napoleon at Marengo, to be celebrated with a High Mass. Their jubilation is interrupted by Scarpia, the feared Chief of Police, who arrives with his men to search for Angelotti. Scarpia finds a fan with the Attavanti crest, part of a disguise left for Angelotti, as Tosca returns to tell Mario that she will sing for the Queen that night at the Palazzo Farnese.

Scarpia uses her jealousy to sow seeds of doubt about her lover and the Marchesa; as Iago used a handkerchief to manipulate Othello, he will trap Tosca with the Marchesa’s fan.

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The Atlanta Opera's 2006 production of Tosca featured Donnie Ray Albert as Scarpia and Cynthia Lawrence as Tosca, at the Atlanta Civic Center.

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

synoPsis acT ii SCARPiA’S APARTmENTS AT ThE FARNESE PALACE. ThAT EVENiNG. Scarpia desires Tosca, and hopes to use the arrest of her lover to force her to his will.

As he dines in his room, he hears Tosca’s voice rising from the celebrations below.

Spoletta arrives from Cavaradossi’s villa, having failed to find the escaped Angelotti.

He has, however, arrested Cavaradossi and brings him before Scarpia. Tosca, having been to the villa as well, knows that Scarpia was lying about Mario’s infidelity.

She also knows the hiding place of Angelotti, which she reveals when Mario screams under torture. Scarpia proposes a bargain to Tosca: If she will yield to him, he will spare Cavaradossi, and give them both safe conduct out of Rome. But, for political reasons, he first must hold a mock execution. Tosca agrees, and as Scarpia prepares to collect his reward, she offers him a deadly surprise.

acT iii ThE bATTLEmENTS OF CASTEL SANT’ANGELO, hiGh AbOVE ThE TibER. NEAR DAWN. Cavaradossi, awaiting execution, recalls his first night with Tosca – when the stars shone just as they do now. Tosca arrives with the safe-conduct, and describes how she obtained it. A carriage is waiting, and she has brought money and her jewels. She explains that Mario will have to feign death at the hands of a mock firing-squad, and coaches his acting. The firing-squad, however, is real; Scarpia has worked his evil from beyond the grave.

Pursued by Scarpia’s minions, who have discovered her deed, Tosca calls on her tormentor to meet her before the Throne of God, and leaps to her death.

- COURTESy OF OPERA ThEATRE OF SAiNT LOUiS 13

Behind The curTain

photo by Jeff Roffman

Q&a WiTh ToMer Zvulun As a child, Tomer Zvulun was fascinated by theater and cinema. He discovered opera in his teens, and when he did, it was the biggest revelation of his life.

Now, years later, he has cultivated a career in which he has directed and produced operas all over the world, and has brought his innovative vision to some of the world’s most notable stages, including Seattle Opera, Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Juilliard Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Buenos Aires Lírica Opera, Tel Aviv summer festival and, of course, The Atlanta Opera, where he directed three wildly popular and critically acclaimed productions including Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman in 2009, Mozart’s The Magic Flute (a collaboration with Indiana University, Cincinnati Opera and the Center for Puppetry Arts) in 2010 and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (a co-production with Seattle Opera and Opera Cleveland) in 2011.

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When the opportunity to apply for General & Artistic Director was presented, he accepted the challenge with open arms because he believes Atlanta audiences are accepting of and ready for new approaches to operatic production.

We sat down with Tomer, to get to know him a little better, and to find out what he has in mind for the future of The Atlanta Opera.

The ATlAnTA OperA: What excites you most about opera?

TOmer Zvulun: As a stage director, I’m always working to find what is new and exciting about the story we are telling – how it connects to our audience now.

Finding that excitement and then forging a connection with the audience so that we all viscerally experience the story together – that is the power of opera.

AO: What, to you, is the most frustrating thing about the current perception of opera?

Behind The curTain TZ: I’m constantly surprised by this perception of opera as a staid, elitist art form, when it’s the most exciting art form I know. The stories are universal, and each performance is a collaborative miracle. Fifty people in the orchestra pit, sixty people onstage and a design team of visual artists coming together to form a cohesive vision of a story buoyed by some of the greatest music ever written. Opera engages all of your senses in a visceral celebration of the human experience.

Opera should touch everybody, and that idea, that concept of an old-fashioned art form that is all about singing, deserves to be changed.

AO: How do you hope to change that perception with audiences in Atlanta?

TZ: Opera has to be exciting — not just a vocal event, but a theatrical, multimedia event. And it must be reinvented to tell the familiar stories in fresh ways. I hope to get back to four productions [per year] as soon as possible. Initially this will mean three productions at the Cobb Energy Centre and one piece in a more intimate setting – hopefully in collaboration with one of the many arts organizations in Atlanta – that is more modern or less familiar. If what we produce is fresh, innovative and new, and if we inspire people with creativity and build buzz around the artistic caliber of our productions and outreach initiatives, we will excite and engage far more people.

includes fundraising, board relations, and making major staffing decisions. As Artistic Director, I am responsible for implementing an artistic vision for the company – selecting the repertoire, making casting choices, and producing the operas for seasons going forward. These, of course, are just basic descriptions – what I do is very nuanced, and I do not do it alone. It is an intricate process that involves many working parts, and many people. Opera is planned years in advance and though I was slated to direct Tosca this season, the 2014-2015 season will be the first season I get to plan from beginning to end. I plan on directing up to two productions, and I am really looking forward to it.

AO: What excites you most about living and working in the city of Atlanta?

AO: Besides being the new General Director, you are also the Artistic Director. What does that mean, and what responsibilities do you have?

TZ: One of the things about being a good General Director is connecting with the audience and cultivating relationships.

When you’re stage directing, you stay in a city for a month [for one opera production], and then you move on, without getting to know a city or its people on a deeper level. With The Atlanta Opera, I have been lucky enough to stage three operas, and each time I connected with more people in the community and made more friends. I got to know the Chorus, Walter Huff, Arthur Fagen, the Orchestra, the staff and the Board really well, so the opportunity to build relationships further has been a real pleasure for me. The potential of The Atlanta Opera is phenomenal. It’s the right time for us to fulfill this potential, and Atlanta is the right city to do it in.

TZ: As General Director, I am responsible for the general business development strategy for the organization. This

My wife, Susanna, (who grew up in Birmingham, Ala.) and I are so excited to call this thriving metropolis our new home.

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direcTor's noTe

The Metropolitan Opera Company's 1968 production of Tosca with Gabriella Tucci as Tosca, singing “Vissi d’arte.”

Photo from The Metropolitan Opera Company, Tosca 1968 touring season program book / The Atlanta Opera archives)

Tosca's classic "hiTchcocK" sTory Tosca is the greatest Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never directed.

The most cinematic of Puccini’s operas, Tosca is a dramatic, visual tour de force that moves relentlessly forward from the first moment to the tragic conclusion.

Think about the story and how much it sounds like a Hitchcock thriller: escaped prisoner finding refuge in a church, an obsessed chief of police looking for him, an artist friend providing him refuge and the artist’s glamorous lover- an opera star - helping the prisoner to hide. The chief of police finds the artist, tortures him, and then tries to rape the girl; she stabs him violently and kills him, and running in too late to save her incarcerated lover (who is shot to death by firing squad) she commits suicide by jumping from a tower.

How intense... how unstoppable a story this is. Wouldn’t Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason be perfect as stars of this story in Hollywood?

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Tosca is not only one of the most intense thrillers I know, but also includes some of the greatest musical moments in opera: the passionate love duet between Tosca and Mario, the “Te Deum” sung by the obsessed villain in the middle of a religious procession, the intensely dramatic Act 2 culminating with a rape attempt, a murder and “Vissi D’arte” (one of the most celebrated arias ever written for a soprano) followed by the tragic Act 3, with the tenor’s melancholic aria, his execution and the heroine’s suicide.

The exquisite music juxtaposed against the suspense and violence of this masterfully crafted thriller creates an experience cinematic in scope, but the power of a live performance beats any experience on a flat screen. The truly visceral experience in Tosca is of the audience experiencing the story as the performers live it, and exemplifies why opera is the most powerful art form I know. ~TOmER ZVULUN

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WiTh

Under the baton of maestro huff, The Atlanta Opera Chorus has continually received national and international attention, cementing its position as one of the top opera choruses in the United States.

chorus MasTer, WaLTER HUFF

Join us in recognizing Walter huff's 25 years of dedication and many achievements by joining us for Gounod's faust, march 8, 11, 14 or 16, featuring The Atlanta Opera Chorus performing the familiar and rousing Vin ou biĂŠre and soldier's chorus.

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MeeT The casT arThur fagen CONDUCTOR

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: La TraviaTa, 2005 Arthur Fagen is in great demand as a conductor of symphony and opera both in Europe and the United States. He is a regular guest at the most prestigious opera houses, concert halls, and music festivals at home and abroad, and his career has been marked by a string of notable appearances including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Staatsoper Berlin, Munich State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and New York City Opera. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Fagen was invited regularly as Guest Conductor at the Vienna State Opera. On the concert podium, Mr. Fagen has appeared with internationally known orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, Munich Radio Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, RAI Orchestras of Turin, Naples, Milan, and Rome. A former assistant of Christoph von Dohnányi (Frankfurt Opera) and James Levine (Metropolitan Opera), he has served as Principal Conductor in Kassel and Brunswick, Chief Conductor of the Flanders Opera of Antwerp and Ghent, Music Director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra and as a member of the conducting staff of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. From 2002-2007, he was the Music Director of the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera; in 2008, he was appointed as Professor at the Indiana University in Bloomington, and, in 2010, The Atlanta Opera appointed Mr. Fagen as Music Director. Born in New York, he studied with Laszlo Halasz, Max Rudolf (Curtis Institute) and Hans Swarowsky. Mr. Fagen has an opera repertory of more than 75 works and has recorded for Naxos and BMG. The Naxos recording of Martinu˚’s works was awarded an Editor’s Choice in the March 2010 issue of Gramophone Magazine.

The statue from the Act III set of Tosca is modeled after the Archangel Michael statue on the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy.

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

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CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY MORROW, GEORGIA

CHRISTIANE KARG

NICHOLAS PHAN

JAMIE BARTON

Nicholas Phan, TENOR Myra Huang, PIANO

Christiane Karg,

Pre-concert Talk 7:15PM

PIANO

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 | 8:15PM | $46 Named one of National Public Radio’s Favorite New Artists of 2011, Nicholas Phan continues to distinguish himself as one of the most compelling young tenors appearing on the prestigious concert and opera stages of the world today.

“The voice is graceful, mellifluous and durable, but behind it lie sharp intelligence, poetic insight and a confident individuality” (The Sunday Times, London).

PROGRAM: Winter Words, a song cycle of eight poems by Thomas HARDY with music by Benjamin BRITTEN; English folk songs arranged by BRITTEN; and songs by Franz SCHUBERT.

Jamie Barton, MEZZO-SOPRANO

SOPRANO

Malcolm Martineu, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 3PM | $46 Pre-concert Talk 2PM

With acclaimed appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein and glowing reviews for her Frankfurt Opera triumph in Debussy’s Pélléas et Mélisande to her credit, brilliant Bavarian soprano Christiane Karg makes her American recital debut at Spivey Hall. “Her exquisite soprano voice and level of interpretative sensitivity were outstanding” (Opera News).

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 | 3PM | $46 Pre-concert Talk 2PM

Named the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Georgia native Jamie Barton is “a great artist, no question, with an imperturbable steadiness of tone, and a nobility of utterance that invites comparison not so much with her contemporaries as with mid-20th century greats such as Kirsten Flagstad” (The Guardian).

Program to include songs by Henry PURCELL, Johannes BRAHMS, Jean SIBELIUS, Charles IVES, and Sir Edward ELGAR, including his sumptuous Sea Pictures, Op. 37

TICKETS:

(678) 466-4200 For the complete 2013-2014 season schedule, visit www.SpiveyHall.org.

MeeT The casT ToMer Zvulun DiRECTOR

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: The fLying DuTchman, 2009

One of opera’s most exciting young stage directors, Tomer Zvulun has earned consistent praise for his creative vision, often described as cinematic and fresh. His work has been seen in prestigious opera houses around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, the opera companies of Seattle, Cleveland, Dallas, Cincinnati, Buenos Aires and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutions such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University, and the International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI) in Tel Aviv. Zvulun’s 2013 activities include his South American debut with a new Lucrezia Borgia at Buenos Aires Lirica (May), Don Giovanni for Cincinnati Opera (June), a new production of Falstaff for Wolf Trap Opera (August), Tosca for The Atlanta Opera (October) and a return to The Metropolitan Opera for Der Rosenkavalier (November). Upcoming debuts include a new production of Rigoletto with the Boston Lyric Opera, La bohème with the Pittsburgh Opera and Die Fledermaus at Kansas City Opera. Notable past engagements include a new production of La bohème for Seattle Opera, Madama Butterfly for New Orleans Opera, an exciting new production of Don Giovanni for Wolf Trap Opera, The Dialogues of the Carmelites for IVAI in Tel Aviv, Tosca at the Teatro Nacional in Panama, and a new double bill of L’heure espagnole and Gianni Schicchi at Juilliard Opera Center that was praised by The New York Times for its “witty, fastpaced staging” and “Felliniesque” directing style. At The Metropolitan Opera, Zvulun directed Tosca and Carmen and has worked on multiple new productions, most notably La rondine, La traviata, Manon, La fille du régiment, Iphigenie en Tauride, and Un ballo in maschera. For Seattle Opera, Zvulun mounted new productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and La bohème, and served as an associate director to Stephen Wadsworth for Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. The Seattle Times recently called his new production of La bohème “one of the major triumphs in Speight Jenkins’ three-decade tenure.” Highlights of Zvulun’s career include creating three separate new productions of Lucia di Lammermoor directed for Seattle Opera, Opera Cleveland and The Atlanta Opera, and a new interpretation of The Magic Flute, originally created as a co-production between The Atlanta Opera and Indiana University. Zvulun directed a remount of The Magic Flute for his Cincinnati Opera debut for which he was hailed “the finest director of the season” by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Born in Israel, Zvulun came to the United States after serving as a senior medic in the Israeli Army and studying arts and music at The Open University in Tel Aviv. He and his wife, Birmingham native Susanna Eiland, recently moved to Atlanta from New York City.

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MeeT The casT Kara shay ThoMson FLORiA TOSCA ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

Recognized for the natural beauty of her voice and her sense of dramatic insight, American soprano Kara Shay Thomson is proving herself a versatile and essential artist on the operatic and concert stages. Her 2012-13 season included Tosca with Kentucky Opera, Pensacola Opera and a debut with Portland Opera; the role of Becky Felderman in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star with Cincinnati Opera; Sieglinde in Die Walküre with Dayton Opera; Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera Delaware; Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with Opera Omaha; returning to Peoria Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Mozart’s A questo seno deh vieni, and Beethoven’s Ah, perfido; and a recital for Matinee Musicale, Cincinnati. Upcoming 2013-14 engagements include Tosca with the Florida Grand Opera and Dayton Opera, and an appearance with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Recent engagements include her return to Sarasota Opera in the title role of Vanessa, her debut with Opera New Jersey as Tosca, Santa Fe Opera for Tosca, soloist with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Quad City Symphony and at the Ravinia Festival. Recent successes include The Woman in Schoenberg’s Erwartung in a return to New York City Opera; Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana with Kentucky Opera; the title role in Tosca with Opera on the James; and soloist with the Cincinnati May Festival. Ms. Thomson received her Graduate Diploma in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. Tosca is her house debut with The Atlanta Opera.

MassiMiliano PisaPia mARiO CAVARADOSSi ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

Born in Turin, Massimiliano Pisapia emerged on the international opera scene interpreting Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera at the Opernhaus Leipzig under Riccardo Chailly’s baton. He has performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Opernhaus Zurich, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Teatro Colõn in Buenos Aires, Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Arena di Verona, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Teatro Regio in Parma and the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago.

Mr. Pisapia recently performed Roberto Devereux at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome; Luisa Miller at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich; Lucia di Lammermoor in Hamburg, Rovigo and in Pordenone; Dvor˘ák’s Stabat Mater in Trieste; Madama Butterfly, La bohème at the Teatro Regio in Turin; La traviata at the Festival Puccini in Torre del Lago; Poliuto in Zurich; La bohème at the Salzburg Festival Daniele Gatti conducting; Verdi’s Requiem in Moscow; La bohème in Salzburg, Venice, Hamburg, Dresden and Las palmas de Gran Canaria; Verdi’s Requiem in Moscow; Poliuto in Marseille; La traviata in Lecce; Rigoletto in Palermo; Madama Butterfly in Minorca; and Macbeth in Verona (Teatro Filarmonico).

Future engagements include Lucia di Lammermoor, I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata in Hamburg; and Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

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laws.reservations, Must be ofOpera legal call drinking age. ™"Arts indicates avisit trademark of Hilton Worldwide. ©2012 Hilton Worldwide. request "Atlanta Patron" rate or Centre Package" rate. *Service of alcoholic beverages subject to state and local For 678-460-2567or atlantagalleria.embassysuites.com.

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Offer subject toofavailability; availability; date restrictions and alength-of-stay length-of-stay requirements may ©2012 apply. Advance Advance reservations required, required, Offer subject to availability; daterate restrictions and length-of-stay requirements apply.beverages Advance subject reservations required, request "Atlanta Opera or Package" *Service alcoholic to and request "Atlanta Opera Patron" Patron" rate or "Arts "Arts Centre Centre Package" rate. rate. *Service of of may alcoholic beverages subject to state state and local local request "Atlanta Patron" age. rate or Centre Package" rate. *Service of alcoholic beverages subject to state and local laws. be legal ™ indicates a of Worldwide. ©2012 Hilton laws. Must Must be of ofOpera legal drinking drinking age. ™"Arts indicates a trademark trademark of Hilton Hilton Worldwide. ©2012 Hilton Worldwide.

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MeeT The casT luis ledesMa bARON SCARPiA ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

Born in Mexico City, Luis Ledesma has established himself as an international singer with powerful, yet refined vocal and theatrical gifts.

Winner of the Pavarotti International Voice Competition and Julian Gayarre Competition in Spain, Luis performs the title role of Macbeth next season with Palm Beach Opera; Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Santa Barbara; and Marcello in La bohème with Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico. His career already includes appearances in several International Opera houses around the world, including Teatro alla Scala (Luisa Fernanda), the Liceu in Barcelona (Alphonse in La favorite, Riccardo in I puritani and Marcello in La bohème), Klangbogen Festival in Vienna (Leoncavallo's La bohème), Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Escamillo in Carmen), Semperoper in Dresden (Marcello in La bohème), Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia), Bellas Artes in Mexico City (Marcello in La bohème), Macau Festival (Sharpless in Madama Butterfly), Graz Oper (Escamillo in Carmen), Marcello in La bohème in Lisbon, Portugal (Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos), and the Savonlinna Opera Festival (Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and Escamillo in Carmen).

Tyler siMPson SACRiSTAN

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: carmen, 2012 Bass-baritone Tyler Simpson is a compelling artist who has proven capable of transporting audiences with an easy command of sensitive musicianship and committed dramatic portrayals. The 2013-2014 season brings Tyler back to The Atlanta Opera as the Sacristan in Tosca, following his house debut as Zuniga in their 2012 Carmen. The season also brings his return to The Metropolitan Opera for the critically acclaimed The Enchanted Island and Richard Strauss’s masterpiece Die Frau ohne Schatten, and to Fort Worth Opera, where he will be seen as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. This marks Tyler’s fourth consecutive season at the Met, where he has worked on 15 productions and sung 44 performances thus far. In the 2012-2013 season, Tyler performed alongside Juan Diego Flórez and Nathan Gunn in Rossini’s hilarious Le comte Ory, and covered roles in Verdi’s Don Carlo and La traviata. In the 2012-2013 season, Tyler also made his European debut with Die Münchner Philharmoniker, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel, singing Benoit in La bohème. In the summer of 2013, Tyler debuted the role of Colline in La bohème with Ash Lawn Opera, followed by his French debut singing Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Lyrique en Mer, Belle-Île.

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MeeT The casT Jason ecK ANGELOTTi ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

Jason Eck (bass-baritone) was born and raised in Binghamton, NY and is very excited to be making his company debut here at The Atlanta Opera with this production of Tosca. Jason holds a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has just finished his Master’s degree studies at the Indiana University. While in school, Jason has been seen in such roles as Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Bartolo (The Barber of Seville), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Sid (Albert Herring), Leporello (Don Giovanni), and most recently Aye in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. Outside of school, Jason has participated in the Music Academy of the West (Colline in La bohème), Oberlin in Italy (Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro), and the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. This summer, Mr. Eck was seen as the Sergeant of Police in their production of the Pirates of Penzance. In 2011, Jason was the winner of the Indiana District and received an encouragement award in the Chicago regionals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Jason would like to thank everyone assisting him in making his company debut.

adaM KirKPaTricK SPOLETTA

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: The marriage of figaro, 2008

Dr. Adam Kirkpatrick, tenor, is head of the voice department at the Kennesaw State University School of Music. He recently performed the role of Le Remendado in Carmen with The Atlanta Opera, Count Almaviva in the Northwest Florida Symphony’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the tenor solo in Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Johns Creek Symphony. Kirkpatrick has sung operatic roles and concerts professionally in many theaters throughout the United States, singing with the Cincinnati Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Tri-Cities Opera (NY), Dayton Opera, Knoxville Symphony, Newton Symphony (MA), Tallahassee Symphony, Georgia Symphony, Atlanta Ballet, and more. Dr. Kirkpatrick is the inventor of a patented method for teaching the lower laryngeal position in singing using electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback and is the architect of the BioGraph Infinity voice training software suite.

Kirkpatrick is about to release his “Sing With The Best Voice” training mobile app for iOS and a companion book, “Sing With The Best: Workbook For Vocal Mastery.” Kirkpatrick holds a BM and MM in voice performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and earned his Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University.

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MeeT The casT andreW cuMMings SCiARRONE / SCARPiA, COVER ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

American baritone Andrew Cummings makes his Atlanta Opera debut in these performances of Tosca. Last season he performed the title role of Macbeth for Opera in the Heights and Kurvenal in Tristan und Isolde with the Bogota Philharmonic. Mr. Cummings made his 2010 Carnegie Hall debut in the title role in Rigoletto with New York Lyric Opera Theater at Weill Hall. In the 2011-2012 season, he was heard as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore for Opera in the Heights in Houston, Renato in Un ballo in maschera for Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis, and as baritone soloist in Ein deutsches Requiem with the Flint Symphony Orchestra. Other performances

by Mr. Cummings include the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with OperaDelaware, Ben in The Telephone for Natchez Opera, Mozart’s Figaro at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Germont in La traviata, Renato in Un ballo in maschera and Amonasro in Aida with New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, Scarpia in Tosca with Taconic Opera, Tonio in I Pagliacci with the Rockland Opera Society, Escamillo in La tragédie de Carmen with Hubbard Hall Opera Theater, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles with The Opera Company of Middlebury in Vermont, Il Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Dell’arte Opera Ensemble, and supporting roles for DiCapo Opera Theatre, Lake George Opera, and Metro Lyric Opera of New Jersey.

MiTchell Jones JAiLER ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT

Mitchell Jones is a member of The Atlanta Opera Chorus, having performed with them in Carmen and The Italian Girl in Algiers.

Mitchell has performed in numerous musical theatre productions and has been awarded Best Actor in the State in the GHSA OneAct Competition for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd. He won Best Actor for his portrayal of “Curly” in Oklahoma at the Shuler Hensley Awards, and was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of “Beast” in Beauty and the Beast. He represented his region every year of high school at State Literary Competition as a soloist, placing 2nd twice and 3rd once. He has studied voice extensively for several years, under the tutelage of Len Cariou, Bruce Sellers and Eric Gray. Mitchell would like to thank Walter Huff for his continuing efforts to help him find his path in music.

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Fortress by John westmark.

Acrylic and sewing patterns on canvas. 48" x 48"

Flight and Fancy A new exhibition of Art workS by

September 6 – October 26 85 Church Street • Marietta, GA 30060 • 404.355.6897

w w w . 2 r u l e S f i n e A r t . C o M Westmark’s work is exhibited widely and is held in collections around the world. He is the winner of the 2012 Factor Prize for Southern Art and is a Pollock-Krasner grant recipient.

MeeT The casT clay hilley CAVARADOSSi, COVER Georgia native Clay Hilley’s 2012-13 season included: Erik as cover (Der fliegende Holländer) with The Glimmerglass Festival and Steuermann with Indianapolis Opera; a Lincoln Center debut in the Verdi Requiem and Carnegie Hall debut in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein conducting; and North Carolina Opera’s all-Wagner program featuring him as Siegmund in selections from Die Walküre and as Walther (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg). He returns this season to the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall in the role of Gundelfingen in Strauss’s Feuersnot, the title role of Faust with Winter Opera St. Louis, Father Grenville (Dead Man Walking) with Madison Opera and Radames (Aida) with the Bob Jones University Opera Series. Prior engagements include: Royal Opera House, Muscat Oman as Ewart Dunlop (The Music Man); the cover roles of Manrico (Il trovatore), Radames (Aida) and Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with Arizona Opera; Don José (La tragedie de Carmen) and Don José (Carmen); and Froh (Das Rheingold). Hilley holds degrees from the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and received young artist training at The Glimmerglass Festival, Arizona Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Indianapolis, Central City, Chautauqua and the Opera Institute at Boston University.

laura Pedersen TOSCA, COVER American soprano Laura Pedersen’s 2014 season highlights will include returning to Carnegie Hall with the Opera Shorts Troupe for the fifth year in a row. She also will be returning to Reno as Nedda in I Pagliacci, and to Fresno as Tosca. 2013 marked her debut in Reno as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, as well as her debut in Fresno as Nedda. Her symphony appearances included a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth with Firelands Symphony Orchestra. Laura reprised the role of Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow, twice, once with OperaDelaware, and again with Cedar Rapids Opera Theater, which was broadcast live on Public Radio. Opera Panama welcomed her to the stage of the National Theatre with her first Mimì in La bohème, the success of which demanded her return just six months later as Tosca. She also has appeared with Indianapolis Opera, Cleveland Opera, Di Capo Opera, Opera Delaware, Florida Opera, Sacramento Opera, and spent four years in Bremen, Germany singing everything from Violetta to Susannah to Juliette to Rosalinda. She also has been a solo artist with the Cincinnati Pops and the Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival.

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MeeT The casT WalTer huff ChORUS mASTER ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: Tosca, 1988

Walter Huff has been Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera for 25 years. Along with his duties at The Atlanta Opera, Mr. Huff was recently appointed to the choral faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, serving as Associate Professor and Faculty Director of Opera Choruses. Mr. Huff studied piano with Sarah Martin, Peter Takacs and Lillian Freundlich. He has performed with singers throughout Europe and the United States and served as coach with the Peabody Opera Theatre and Washington National Opera. Mr. Huff also has performed in master classes given by renowned singers and pianists such as Sir Peter Pears, Licia Albanese, Eileen Farrell, Dalton Baldwin, Leon Fleisher, and Elly Ameling. In 1984, he received Tanglewood’s C.D. Jackson Master Award for Excellence, presented by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has been musical director for The Atlanta Opera Studio, Georgia State University Opera, and Actor’s Express. Mr. Huff was one of four Atlanta artists chosen for the first Loridans Arts Awards, given to Atlanta artists who have made exceptional contributions to the arts life of Atlanta. In 2008, The Atlanta Opera Chorus under Mr. Huff ’s direction sang critically acclaimed performances of Porgy and Bess at Opéra-Comique in Paris and on tour in Granada, Normandy, and Luxembourg. Mr. Huff also has served as chorus master for Faust and Der Rosenkavalier with San Diego Opera.

Jennifer langley ChiLDREN'S ChORUS mASTER

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: oTeLLo, 2001 Jennifer is happy to return as Children’s Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera after a two-year hiatus. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from Agnes Scott College and a Master of Music degree from Georgia State University. Having taught singing on elementary, secondary and collegiate levels, highlights of her teaching career include service at Woodward Academy, The Wesleyan School, Brenau University and Agnes Scott College. She served as Artistic Director of the Atlanta Youth Choir from 2000-2005 during which time the choir gained national recognition through an acclaimed performance on Public Radio International’s From The Top. She worked as the Children's Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera from 2001 to 2010 where her choruses consistently received outstanding reviews by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Over the last several years, Jennifer has been active as a consultant and clinician for children's and youth choirs and has served as the Director of Music Ministries at The Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church since early 2010.

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FALL 2013 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18 Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER OUT 2 D L mandolin ChrisO Thile,

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Estonian National Symphony Orchestra with Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello

SPRING 2014 FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 yMusic SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60 featuring Anat Cohen THURSDAY, FEBRUARY UT 20 O D Lang L piano OLang,

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FRIDAY, MARCH 28 Inon Barnatan, piano Alisa Weilerstein, cello

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! TICKET PRICES VARY. ARTS AT EMORY BOX OFFICE • 404.727.5050 ARTS.EMORY.EDU/CONCERTS PHOTO CREDITS (Top l to r) Philip Glass: anonymous; Tim Fain: Briana Blasko; Nikolai Aleksejev: Meelis Vind; Narek Hakhnazaryan: Ruth Crafer; yMusic: Kinan Faham. (Bottom l to r) Karrin Allyson: Reisig and Taylor Photography; Anat Cohen: Jimmy Katz; Lang Lang: © Peter Hönnemann; Inon Barnatan: Marco Borggreve; Alisa Weilerstein: © Jamie Jung.

MeeT The casT roBerT WierZel LiGhTiNG DESiGNER

ATLANTA OPERA DEbUT: Lucia Di Lammermoor, 2011

Robert Wierzel is happy to be returning to The Atlanta Opera, having recently designed Carmen. He has worked with artists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds in theatre, dance, contemporary music, museums and opera on stages throughout the country and abroad.

Other opera credits include productions with the opera companies of Paris-Garnier (Les Indes Galantes); Tokyo (Opera Chushingura); Toronto; Bergen, Norway; Folk Opera, Sweden; New York City Opera; Glimmerglass; Seattle; Boston Lyric; Minnesota; San Francisco; Houston; Virginia; Chicago Lyric; Opera Theatre of Chicago; Montreal; Vancouver; Portland; Wolf Trap; San Diego as well as Philip Glass’s Les Enfants Térribles (American Theatre Wing Award). Dance work includes 27 years with choreographer Bill T. Jones (Bessie Awards) including productions at the Lyon Opera Ballet; Berlin Opera Ballet; and Walking The Line at The Louvre Museum, Paris. Broadway credits include FELA! (Tony nomination; productions at the National Theatre, London, International & American Tours); David Copperfield’s Broadway debut Dreams and Nightmares. Off- Broadway includes productions with New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre; The Signature Theatre; The Roundabout; Playwrights Horizons. Extensive regional theatre work includes productions at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre Company; A.C.T. San Francisco; Berkley Rep; Center Stage; Arena Stage; Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Shakespeare Theatre DC; Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre; Westport Country Playhouse; Goodman Theatre; The Guthrie; Mark Taper Forum; Geva Theatre; Actors Theatre Louisville; The Old Globe. Wierzel holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama and is an adjunct faculty member at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Yale School of Drama.

Philip Webb as Mario Cavaradossi in the Atlanta Opera's 2006 production of Tosca.

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

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General Admission $20 Preferred Seating $40 Student/Senior $12

The aTlanTa oPera ChORUS chorus MasTer Walter Huff assisTanT chorus MasTer Rolando Salazar chorus Jayme Alilaw Lynnette Anderson Caitlin Andrews Sally Rose Bates Laura Anne Cotney Monica Dewey Melissa Godbee Jennye Guy Abigail Halon Christina Howell Keli Jackson Melissa Kelly Lara Longsworth Marcy Meredith Laura Porlier Teri Sawyer Rebecca Shipley Elizabeth Stuk Tislam Swift Laurie Tossing Allegra Whitney Lauren Wright Carrie Anne Wilson

Jacob Augsten Kyle Barnes Keith Blount John Burnett Christopher S. Connelly C. Augustus Godbee Will Green Chris Hawkins Mitchell Jones Grant Jones Ben Larkin Conrad Moore Marc Porlier Bryan Saxon Stuart Schleuse Jonathan L. B. Spuhler Greg Sterchi Billy Valentine

children's chorus MasTer Jennifer Langley children's chorus Jade Bacon Ryann Banks Annaliese Bauer “Mimi� Drabik Rachel Drury Carsten Dowdy Emma Dowdy 38

Mitch Gerding Alice Heranval Francesca Herrera Audry Holton Clara Marti-Garro Lucia Marti-Garro Lauren Smith

The aTlanTa oPera ORChESTRA violin Peter Ciaschini Concertmaster Helen Kim Assistant Concertmaster Adelaide Federici Principal Second Violin (Acting) Robert Givens Assistant Principal Second Violin (Acting) Fia Durrett Edward Eanes David Edwards Felix Farrar Patti Gouvas Alison James Barbara Careaga-Mitchell Lisa Morrison Lee Nicholson Shawn Pagliarini Patrick Ryan Deborah Schab Mayu T. Sommovigo Mimi Tam Elonia Varfi Rafael Veytsblum viola William Johnston Principal Elizabeth Derderian-Wood Assistant Principal Julie Rosseter Catherine Price Karl Schab Joli Wu

cello Charae Krueger Principal Mary Kenney Assistant Principal (Acting) Barney Culver Roee Harran David Hancock Cynthia Sulko Bass Lyn DeRamus Principal Christina Caterino Emory Clements Robert Henson fluTe/Piccolo James Zellers Principal Kelly Bryant Jeana Melilli oBoe Diana Dunn Principal (Acting) Barbara Cook Ann Lillya English Horn clarineT David Odom Principal John Warren Miranda Dohrman Bass Clarinet Bassoon Mike Muszynski Principal Debra Grove John Grove Contrabassoon

horn David Bradley Principal Anna Dodd Edward Ferguson Jason Eklund TruMPeT Yvonne Toll Principal Hollie Lifshey Kevin Lyons TroMBone Mark McConnell Principal Ed Nicholson Richard Brady Bass Trombone TuBa Donald Strand TiMPani John Lawless Principal Percussion Michael Cebulski Principal Jeff Kershner Karen Hunt Courtney McDonald harP Susan Brady Principal organ Steven Aguil贸-Arbues Personnel Manager Mark McConnell

*String sections are listed in alphabetical order 39

hisTorical noTes

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

Tosca: hisTorical facTs & MelodraMaTic ficTion Most of the operas of Giacomo Puccini are based loosely on novels and plays whose characters derive from a romantic spirit that easily evokes sympathy from audiences. Tosca, the composer’s fifth opera, on the other hand, employs the most melodramatic—and perhaps unsympathetic—plot of all his works.

However, the Puccinian melodies and arias in Tosca pluck at listener’s romantic heartstrings, even if the story is, at least in the oft-quoted assessment of literary critic Joseph Kerman, a “shabby little shocker.”

Undeniably, the melodrama in Tosca is classically and succinctly simple: heroine agrees to submit to villain’s carnal desires in exchange for promise villain won’t execute her lover; but heroine kills villain only to learn villain had previously arranged for lover’s execution; heroine, pursued by villain’s accomplices, has no choice but suicide.

This tortuous tale all started with Victorien Sardou, (1831–1908) a prolific French playwright who wrote La Tosca specifically for the most popular French actress of the day, Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923). After her initial performance in Paris on 24 November 1887, Bernhardt reprised the role throughout Europe and the United States for many years. Puccini was certainly impressed and inspired by seeing the 40

“divine Sarah” perform Floria Tosca in Milan, possibly in 1889, but definitely in Florence in October 1895, five years before the opera’s premiere.

The basic plot and chief characters in Sardou’s five act play—cut to three acts in the opera—were kept by Puccini’s librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. They, however, did eliminate over a dozen characters, some of whom were true historical personages. The dialogue was condensed and simplified to minimize the political and historical aspects and emphasize the love relationship between Floria Tosca and the painter, Mario Cavaradossi. Where Sardou was meticulously involved with historical accuracy, the librettists were less concerned, so long as Puccini was satisfied with dramatic development, albeit excessively melodramatic.

In the late seventeen nineties and early eighteen hundreds fate’s pendulum swung its short-lived glories of victory and defeat between the “republican” forces of Napoleon and the Italian monarchy of the Two Sicily’s. There is a glimpse of this political climate in the opera’s first act when the sacristan announces that “Bonaparte” was been defeated and that a gala celebration is planned that evening at the Farnese Palace where Tosca will sing a new cantata in honor of the event. Then in

Historical Notes the second act, after Mario is dragged out of the torture chamber, new word arrives that Napoleon, in fact, won the battle of Marengo, defeating the royalist forces of General Melas. This invigorating news propels Mario to sing his “Vittoria” aria.

The real battle of Marengo on 14 June 1800 was crucial because General Melas was initially winning, but later lost and asked the French for an armistice in that part of Italy. Coincidentally, at that particular time King Ferdinand and Queen Maria Carolina had just arrived in Livorno from Palermo, Sicily, after being transported on Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flagship. (Nelson had been having an affair with Lady Emma Hamilton, a close confidant of the queen and wife of Sir William Hamilton, English ambassador to Italy.) However, both the play and opera disregard the historical facts and place the queen at Farnese Palace where Tosca, in the early part of the second act, is heard singing offstage at the queen’s private gala.

During the second act, Scarpia dispatches Spoletta to capture Angelotti, who is hiding at Mario’s villa. Long before the act ends, Spoletta returns to announce Angelotti killed himself. Now, Mario’s suburban seaside villa used for his love trysts with Tosca—so lovingly recalled in Mario’s last aria, “E lucevan le stele”—(the stars shone brightly) was a reasonable distance from Rome’s Farnese Palace. Surely a round trip in a horse-drawn carriage would take more than an hour, at least.

In the first act Mario recognizes Angelotti as “the Consul of the defunct Roman Republic.” Because of the similarity of names, various critics have deduced that the character of Angelotti may have been based on either Luigi Angeloni (17591842) or Loborio Angelucci (1746-1811)

who were both consul members of the short-lived Parthenopian or Roman Republic of 1799, though both men lived beyond the troubled revolutionary period.

However, Angelotti hiding in a well and hanging himself may have stemmed from an actual incident when Italian Admiral Caracciolo, accused of treason, hid in a well before being caught and hanged under order from Admiral Nelson.

What is curiously more elusive is the genesis of characterization so effectively created by blending fact and fiction, especially as it may motivate some off-stage action.

In Sardou’s play Angelotti reveals to Mario that years before Angelotti had had a week-long affair in London with a teen age prostitute, Emily Lyon, who, after years of climbing the social ladder, eventually became Lady Emma Hamilton.

Consequently, with Angelotti now out of prison, Lady Hamilton, a confidant of Queen Maria Carolina, undoubtedly would want the queen to put pressure on Scarpia to recapture Angelotti before he might publicly reveal Lady Hamilton’s disreputable past. Hence, the opera’s action moves quickly as Scarpia cannot afford delaying Angelotti’s recapture.

One need not search so long and hard to separate fact from fiction regarding the background of Tosca. Opera goers need only to read the libretto or synopsis of the story—and preferably see the opera—to enjoy it as escapist melodrama, ennobled

by Puccini’s lush melodies. Puccini’s music stays with the listener longer than any inane nuances of plot. an excerpt from SynopSiS and Background to ten popular operaS: an introduction for new audienceS,

by Jack bona. available at Shop opera.

41

arT & oPera

Artist Matt Hughes puts the finishing touches on the original painting for Faust.

Photo by MattHughesArt.com

WhaT Was once old is neW again There used to be a time in which every opera production, concert, festival or other public event was promoted with a handdrawn poster and distributed as lithographs to a passionate and highly particular public.

These works would sometimes be just as famous as the production or performer they were promoting.

These rich and nuanced works of art influenced Matt Hughes, the artist who created the paintings used to promote the Atlanta Opera’s 2013-2014 season. We talked with Matt Hughes about his craft and reasons for bringing back the magic.

AO: Tell us about how you were introduced to The Atlanta Opera and how this project came to be.

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mh: Several years ago my wife, who was an opera major at the time, introduced me to the work of the Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. Since then, I have always had a deep appreciation for his talent, especially his posters of the actress Sarah Bernhardt. A little over a year ago, I received a mailing from The Atlanta Opera showcasing their upcoming season and was surprised at how much photography was now used. It dawned on me that the use of art for opera posters in the mid to late 1800s had originated from necessity, rather than a preference.

But today we have other means to convey this message; we have lost the connection that art once had. I took a chance and contacted the Opera to offer to produce original artwork for the 2013-2014 season, with the intention of expressing my love for the arts, and to hopefully bring back some of the magic that the earlier posters added to the experience.

AO: When asked to describe your work, what do you say? mh: I am a storyteller whose work requires a two-way communication with the viewer.

Both my paintings and my writing rely on the viewer’s ability to not only appreciate the exact moment depicted, but also to understand the story that leads to this moment. I attempt to allude to an idea that I hope the viewer develops internally. I predominantly use the human form in my work, which I believe is the most personal and universal symbol to the audience.

Because of this, my work is categorized as “Symbolist” or “Dark Romanticism.”

AO: How did you choose to focus on these particular themes from the three operas from the season? What inspired you about them?

arT & oPera mh: My work was focused on researching the history of each. I began with Tosca because I was the most familiar with this piece. I immediately focused on how previous artists had depicted work for the original posters, especially Adolfo Hohenstein’s famous Tosca poster from the late 1890s. I decided to focus on the moment in which Tosca has just murdered Scarpia – the adrenalin and almost animal fierceness still present on her face. I utilized the jewelry and costuming used for Maria Callas in her 1956 performance. The model for this piece was my wife, Hope Hughes. mh: With Faust, I very much wanted to focus on the moment when Méphistophélès appears to Faust with an offer, symbolized by an embrace and an outstretched hand, and illustrated by the internal struggle on Faust’s face.

The costumes that would be used in the production were available for reference, but the performers had not been finalized, so the models for the Faust piece were my friend David Powell and myself.

in The Barber of Seville piece. There is also a hidden Looney Tunes character in the jacket, that I enjoy watching people discover.

AO: What are some other projects you've worked on? mh: I have worked on numerous projects in my career. Some highlights would be work that I have done for the Tori Amos RAINN project, two art books of my work, several book and magazine covers, and gallery shows on both coasts. Earlier this year, I became a board member for the Callanwolde Fine Art Center here in Atlanta. I am also currently designing my third art book, which will not only showcase the Opera’s paintings and their development, but will also include my latest pieces and writings.

Matt Hughes' paintings will be auctioned at the 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini's Palazzo, Oct.26, at the St. Regis Atlanta.

Visit atlantaopera.org for more information.

For more inf ormation about the artist, visit matthughesart.com.

mh: The Barber of Seville was the last produced in the series. This opera has a far more lively, humorous feel, which led to a very different approach. For this piece, the costumes were also available for reference. The models used were also David Powell and my wife, Hope.

AO: What details do you love most about each painting? mh: For Tosca, I am very proud of the handle of the blade and the gloves, which strangely enough, were the easiest areas for me to do. On the Faust painting, I would have to say, my favorite detail is Méphistophélès’ hands. I am very fond of the costumes and the portrait of the Rosina

Concept sketch of Tosca

by Matt Hughes.

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coMMuniTy engageMenT The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour production of Stone Soup performing at King's Ridge Christian School in 2013.

Photo by Tayna Lamkin for King's Ridge Christian School

oPera... in your coMMuniTy For thirty-three years The Atlanta Opera has been committed to producing operas of the highest caliber and presenting to audiences throughout the metro Atlanta area. Today, our commitment to introducing and educating audiences to the opera art form remains an integral part of our organizational mission.

Through interactive performances and creative programs we provide many opportunities for both patrons and new audiences to explore and experience opera. We have several exciting programs in the works and are pleased to provide many opportunities to experience opera outside of the mainstage this season!

It’s already been a busy autumn, with opera performances at the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Museum 44

of Design Atlanta, Spelman College, and our ever-popular season preview concert, “Opera With an Edge," hosted by Atlanta Opera board member Bob Edge. Never a dull moment, on or off the stage, we are filled with momentum and have some other great opera-tunities still to come!

We are thrilled to celebrate National Opera Week here in Atlanta with our nationally recognized Atlanta Opera 24-Hour Opera Project. This Project brings together composers, lyricists, singers, and directors from all over the country to work collaboratively creating and performing short nano-operas – all in the span of 24 hours. The Project showcase is free and open to the public, and will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the 14th Street Playhouse. We will be

Dive in.

Just blocks from WooDruff Arts center At 1106 crescent Avenue 404.817.3650 | lure-atlanta.com | @lureAtl | facebook.com/lureatlanta

PRESENT YOUR TICKET STUB FOR 10% OFF YOUR MEAL!

coMMuniTy engageMenT partnering with the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum for a special three-concert series this season, which opens on Nov. 9 with a moving concert featuring music in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. The series continues this spring with concerts featuring music of Jewish composers.

Hundreds of thousands of students throughout the state have been introduced to opera in their schools through our company’s longest-running education initiative, The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour. We will continue the tradition this winter and spring with two touring operas. En Mis Palabras is a bilingual opera dealing with universal adolescent themes that will appeal

particularly to middle and high school students. Knightly News is a modern TV-themed mish-mash of traditional fairy tales that are sure to enchant younger elementary school audiences.

Look for both of these operas in venues throughout the metro Atlanta area, as we will produce community performances in several venues including the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center, Roswell Cultural Arts Center, Elm Street Cultural Arts Village, and Decatur High School.

For more information on our community and education programs, please visit our website, atlantaopera.org or contact us at 404-881-8883, or education@atlantaopera.org.

scene culTure sHock–HigH MuseuM of arT

46 Photos by jm photographics - jasonmeekphoto.com

Music by Jonathan Stinson • Libretto by Sarah Rogevich & Jonathan Stinson

NEWS FLASH AN OPERATIC, MIXED-UP, FAIRY TALE NEWSCAST COMING TO YOUR COMMUNITY THESE DATES: Roswell Cultural Arts Center - February 15, 2014 Decatur High School - March 30, 2014 Elm Street Cultural Arts Center - March 2, 2014 Southwest Arts Center - April 12, 2014 The Atlanta Opera Center - March 22, 2014

General admission tickets are $7. For details and tickets, visit atlantaopera.org.

mes Roger A Music by y Gilden

by Jeffre Libretto

A bilingual, multi-generational opera for families that everyone, no matter his or her cultural background, can relate to.

Southwest Arts Center - January 16, 2014 La Amistad-Peachtree Presbyterian Church - January 24, 2014 The Atlanta Opera Center - February 1, 2014

General admission tickets are $7. For details and tickets, visit atlantaopera.org.

volunTeers Volunteers are a vital component of the continued success and growth of The Atlanta Opera. We would like to acknowledge the many contributions offered in the past year by the individuals listed below. We appreciate everything they do for the Opera and the greater Atlanta community by nurturing this important cultural asset.

Are you interested in working behind the scenes? Our volunteers work in our offices, in the community, backstage and even on the stage as supernumeraries! We can use you wherever you feel your particular skill set can best benefit the company, whether as an artist ambassador, or stuffing envelopes, or marketing, or assisting with community events – there is a place for you in The Atlanta Opera family. Call Allison DeNiro at 404-591-2928, e-mail adeniro@atlantaopera.org or visit the “Support Us” section at atlantaopera.org to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

Jesse Leonard Beth Cooper Tatiana Shiferson Eleanor & Jim Strain Denise Anderson Polly Pater Virginia Lam

Sylvia Halleck Allison Brown Marianela Noya Willie Jones Peggy Lowman Ernie Braunschweig Fran Holland

scene VolunTeer recepTion

48 Photos by The Atlanta Opera

Tatiana Shiferson Denise Anderson Richard Dodder Nell Elis Allison Brown Vern Norris Ruth Vaught

Man took to flight when we believed.

Women won the vote when we believed.

Children will stop dying from preventable causes when you believe.

Every day, 19,000 children die of causes we can prevent.

We believe that number should be ZERO.

TAKE ACTION visit unicefusa.org

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annual fund The following names represent gifts from individuals, family foundations, The Atlanta Opera Board of Directors, staff, chorus and orchestra. We express our most sincere thanks and appreciation to every donor. The ongoing support you provide allows The Atlanta Opera to continue building on a tradition of excellence, and makes possible quality productions just like you are experiencing now! For a full list of donors visit us online at atlantaopera.org.

Listed on the following pages are friends who contributed $350 or more to The Atlanta Opera between July 1, 2012 and August 28, 2013.

DiamOnD $100,000+ Dr. & Mrs. James W. Bland, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Jane S. WIllson

Platinum (continued) John & Rosemary Brown Mr. Mario Concha* Heike & Dieter Elsner* Dr. Mary M. Finn Ms. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon Buttrey $25,000+ Carl & Sally Gable Mr. & Mrs. John L. Connolly Peg Simms Gary Martha Thompson Dinos Mr. William Hajjar* Candy & Greg Johnson* Mr. & Mrs. John Michael Hancock* Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough* Mr. Bert Huffman Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Keough Katie Hutchison in memory of Mr. & Mrs. Harmon B. Miller III* Dr. Kingsley Weatherly Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg* Mr. John O. King* Mary Ruth McDonald Platinum Peggy & Jack McDowell $10,000+ Mr. C. David Moody Jr.* Shepard & Boyce Ansley* Clara M. & John S. O'Shea* Julie & Jim Balloun* Polly N. Pater Mr. David Boatwright The Laura & Montague Boyd Foundation* Mr. & Mrs. Michael Paulhus* Mr. William E. Pennington* Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Gross* Mrs. Dale Levert & Mr. George W. Levert* Edward W. Phares* Mr. James D. Powell* Mr. James B. Miller, Jr. John & Barbara Ross Mr. William F. Snyder Mr. Charles Sharbaugh Mr. & Mrs. William E. Tucker* Baker & Debby Smith* Rhys & Carolyn Wilson* Triska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor Bob & Cappa Woodward* Thomas R. Williams Family* The Mary & Charlie Yates Family Fund Mrs. Charles R. Yates, Sr. $2,500+ Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori $5,000+ Dr. Florence C. Barnett Cathy & Mark Adams Jean & Jerry Cooper Mr. Bryan Barnes* Sally & Larry Davis Mrs. Elizabeth Tufts Bennett Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle Mr. & Mrs. Andy Berg* Col. & Mrs. Edgar W. Duskin R. Dwain Blackston

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Platinum (continued) Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge Mr. & Mrs. Harry L. Gilham Jr. Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Hantula Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Hardin Mr. & Mrs. Harry C. Howard Ann P. Howington Mr. Mike Hurdle Mr. & Mrs. Wayne James Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth D. Johnson Mrs. Joseph W. Jones James M. Kane & Andrea Braslavsky Kane Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Klump Dr. & Mrs. James Lowman Sally & Allen McDaniel Robert & Suzanne Minarcine Ms. Ann Owens Mr. & Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr. Mr. James L. Rhoden Mr. & Mrs. George P. Rodrigue Milton J. Sams Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry Schrenk Morton & Angela Sherzer Mrs. J. Lucian Smith Johannah Smith Mr. Peter James Stelling Yee-Wan & John Stevens Mr. & Mrs. George B. Taylor, Jr. Tom & Sandy Teepen* GOlD $1,000+ Ms. Joanna M. Adams Mr. Keith E. Adams

Lynn Harrell

Marietta Simpson

Christine Brewer

Robert Spano ASO Music Director

Stars Shine onShaw

Sylvia McNair

Don’t miss this star-studded musical celebration of the life and legacy of Robert Shaw. Christine Brewer, Lynn Harrell, Sylvia McNair, Marietta Simpson and ASO Music Director and pianist extraordinaire, Robert Spano, will join emcee Martin Goldsmith in a gala recital to honor the legendary ASO Music Director and Conductor Laureate.

Noted philanthropist, Lessie Smithgall, will serve as the gala’s Honorary Chair and author, Keith Burris, will sign copies of his new Shaw biography, ‘Deep River.’

Proceeds benefit the making of a landmark new film: Robert Shaw – Man of Many Voices co-produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting. For tickets, visit robertshawthefilm.com (Project News), or contact ASO ticketing services.

Atlanta Symphony Hall | Sunday, November 10, 2013 3:00 pm

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We treat voices like fine instruments.

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annual fund GOlD (continued) Mr. & Mrs. C. Duncan Beard Michael L. & Valerie W. Benoit Allison Krebs Bensch & Torsten Bensch Mr. & Mrs. Paul Blackney Mrs. Enrique E. Bledel Mr. Ron Breakstone Mr. Robert Bunker Dr. J. Bricker Burns Dr. & Mrs. W. Brantley Burns Mr. Hugh Cheek Mrs. Jan W. Collins Dr. John W. Cooledge Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly Jr. Mr. Robert S. Devins Miss Elaine Dyer Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards R. Derril Gay, Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. George Gundersen Ms. Sue Hall John L. Hammaker Harald Hansen Donna & Richard Hiller Mr. L. D. Holland Mr. & Mrs. James Horgan Mr. & Mrs. David C. Huffman Dr. & Mrs. Duke Jackson, Jr. Lou & Tom Jewell Mr. & Mrs. Gert Kampfer Mr. & Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich, Sr. Marsha & David King Mrs. Treville Lawrence Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III Donna & Trevor Lumb Jeanie & Albert Marx Dan D. Maslia Mr. William McDaniel Ms. Priscilla M. Moran Mr. & Mrs. Peter J. Morelli II Terri & Stephen Nagler Mr. & Mrs. John L. O'Neal Dr. & Mrs. Donald A. Paul Lucy S. Perry Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence S. Phillips Mrs. Betsy Pittman

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GOlD (continued) Dr. Michael F. Pratt & Nancy Peterman The Honorable Judge Dorothy A. Robinson Ms. Lorraine Russell Milton J. Sams Mr. Dustin B. Schneider Mr. Nicholas Shreiber Dr. & Mrs. Patton P. Smith Mr. Fred B. Smith Dr. Jane T. St. Clair & Mr. James E. Sustman Marty Stephens & Linda August Ms. Melinda R. Stuk Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton, Jr. Ms. Carol Uhl Dr. Nicholas Valerio III Alan & Marcia Watt Rae & George Weimer Larry & Beverly Willson Mrs. Wadleigh C. Winship Mr. Allen Yee Drs. Martin & Holly York

GOlD (continued) Sylvia Halleck, MD Mr. Michael D. Hastings Ms. Virginia S. Taylor Mr. George Hickman, III James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Richard & Linda Hubert Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Hughes Dr. Sidney T. Kellon Ms. Eleanor Kinsey Joan & Arnold Kurth Chris & Jill Le Dr. Jason Liebzeit Mr. & Mrs. J. David Lifsey Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella Dr. Carlos E. Lopez Dr. Jill Mabley Douglas W. & Sarah Mabry Stanley & Elaine Mager Dr. Robert & Judge Stephanie Manis Shelley McGehee Mr. & Mrs. John McMullan Mr. M. Sean Molley $500+ Mortimer Family Mr. & Mrs. C. S. Akers, Jr. John & Agnes Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Walter Bailey Ms. Beverley Paquette Mr. Joe E. Bates George & Libba Pickett Mrs. Wallace F. Beard The Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Kenny L. Blank Mr. David Pylate Ms. Tiffany Bloomer Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi Dr. Harold Brody Ms. Tandi Reddick Barbara S. Bruner, M.D. Lynn & Kent Regenstein Dr. Bruce Cassidy R.J. & D.G. Riffey, Jr. & Dr. Eda Hochgelerent Mary K. Roarabaugh Mrs. Carol J. Clark Ms. Heidi M. Rockwood Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Curry Sidney & Phyllis Rodbell Mr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal Platt Dr. & Mrs. Mark Rowles Jan Disney Mr. Dustin B. Schneider Mrs. William Elmore Ms. Salli LeVan Mr. & Mrs. William D. Duckworth Dr. Marilyn Stockton Mr. & Mrs. Mark Eden Mr. Robert P. Dean & Mr. Robert Epstein Judge & Mrs. Mike Stoddard Jim & Eleanor Strain Mr. & Mrs. John C. Ethridge, Jr. Steve & Christine Strong Dr. & Mrs. David J. Frolich Mr. Eric Taylor Mr. & Mrs. John Gam Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Jim Geiger

annual fund GOlD (continued) Mr. Richard Thio Mr. James Todd Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Tuller Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Ventulett III Mr. & Mrs. Leroy Walden Henry Waszkowski & Patty Thomas Ms. Lois M. Grant Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr. Ms. Linda D. Wickham William Wilkinson & Robert K. Bellinger Mr. Russell Williamson & Ms. Shawn Pagliarini Mrs. Frank Wilson, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. David Wingert Mr. Jerry Woodward $350+ Anonymous Ms. Teresa Aversa Mr. & Mrs. David S. Baker Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Banker Dr. & Mrs. John Barnes Dr. & Mrs. William Battles Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Betor Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Blumenthal Mrs. Stella M. Carlson Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Chapman Mr. & Mrs. Raymond H. Chenault

GOlD (continued) Mr. Michael Clutter Mr. Lawrence M. Cohen Mrs. June Crawford Maureen & Michael Dailey Dr. & Mrs. Albert De Chicchis Mr. & Mrs. Arthur R. Dugger Janice & Charles M. Edwards III Dr. G. Eichholz Judge Adele P. Grubbs Owen Halpern Mr. Ronald L. Harris & Mrs. Jacqueline Pownall Cristina & Carlos Herrera Pearlann & Jerry Horowitz Mr. & Mrs. Michael T. Hyatt Mr. Scott Ingram Ms. Annette Janowitz Cliff Jolliff & Elaine Gerke Ms. Jo. Elliott Jones Mr. & Mrs. Edward Katze Mr. & Mrs. Fred R. Keith Dr. Gail M. Kendall Lucy R. & Gary Lee, Jr. Livvy Kazer Lipson Mr. Thomas L. McCook Mr. & Mrs. Norman Miller Ms. Sharon Mills

GOlD (continued) Dr. Patricia S. Moulton Jane & Jim Murray Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Nicholas III The Honorable & Mrs. George A. Novak Ms. Marianela E. Noya Mr. Edward R. Nudd Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Henry C. Parrish III Mr. & Mrs. Guy Paschal Mr. Darryl C. Payne & Ms. Lisa C. Richardson Mr. & Mrs. Rezin E. Pidgeon, Jr. Mr. D. V. Pompilio & The Honorable S. L. Ingram Ms. Barbara Rivenbark Mr. Hervey S. Ross Mr. Robert Sidewater Dr. Susan Y. Stevens Mr. N. Jerold Cohen & Ms. Andrea Strickland Carolyn & Robert Swain Mrs. James B. Vaught Ms. Reba P. Welch Dr. & Mrs. Sam Williams Ms. Judith D. Wilson Sherrilyn & Donn Wright Mrs. Johnnie Zahler & Jeanette Zahler

* Donors who currently have three-year gift commitments as members of the Society for Artistic Excellence.

The Society of Artistic Excellence represents a minimum pledge of $20,000 over a three-year period.

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corPoraTe ParTners $100,000 The Coca-Cola Company

$5,000+ Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

$10,000+ Affordable Equity Partners, Inc. Lanier Parking Solutions

$2,500+ Anonymous

$1,000+ Atlanta Opera Guild

foundaTion & governMenT suPPorT FOunDatiOns $150,000+ The Goizueta Foundation $50,000+ Atlanta Music Festival Association Sara Giles Moore Foundation $25,000+ J. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Foundation The Zeist Foundation $15,000+ Ida A. Ryan Charitable Trust SunTrust Trusteed Foundations Wells Fargo Philanthropic Giving Program $10,000+ Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation

gifTs in Kind GiFts in KinD Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters Joel Crowe – Wallace Graphics Double Cross Vodka Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta National Distributing Company Jeff Roffman Photography

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$5,000+ Atlanta Foundation Camp-Younts Foundation John & Mary Franklin Foundation Fraser-Parker Foundation Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The Home Depot Foundation JBS Foundation Nordson Corporation Foundation Norfolk Southern Foundation $2,500+ Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta Hills Family Foundation Publix Super Markets Charities Frances Wood Wilson Foundation $1,000+ Bright Wings Foundation Herbert & Marian Haley Foundation Lois & Lucy Lampkin Foundation Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation

GOvernment FunDinG $20,000+ City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs $10,000+ National Endowment for the Arts

TriBuTes & MeMorials in memOry OF Dr. JOsePh Barnett Dr. Florence C. Barnett & Family Ms. Ann Bailey Fred D. Bentley Sr. & Family Fred D. Bentley Jr. & Family R. Randall Bentley Sr. & Family Emory Johns Creek Hospital Maria Jurado Kennesaw State University Foundation GA Neurosurgical Society Dr. Anthony Musarra Mr. & Mrs. W. A. Separk Dr. & Mrs. Edgar Vaughan Dr. & Mrs. Allison F. Williams in memOry OF JOhn COx Rae & George Weimer in memOry OF marGaret BOwDen reese ellis Dr. & Mrs. James H. Dew Jr. in hOnOr OF BernaDette FaBer Enid & Jerry Draluck in memOry OF riCharD Felner Mrs. Anna Beth Felner in memOry OF DiCK GallO Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny In Memory of Betsy Hansen Harald Hansen in hOnOr OF ChOrus master huFF & the atlanta OPera ChOrus Jane S. Willson in memOry OF raChel lehmann Jim & Eleanor Strain in hOnOr OF POlly Pater Mr. Brian D. Beem Mr. & Mrs. Charles Slick Mr. Tom Slick

in memOry OF hazel rOy Butler The Hazel Roy Trust in hOnOr OF sharOn silvermintz Ms. Elizabeth F. Meeker in memOry OF Dr. KinGsley weatherly Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Baxter Dr. & Mrs. James W. Bland, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Peter M. Candler Dr. & Mrs. William H. Chew Lynn Cochran Mr. & Mrs. R. Park Ellis P. Wesley Foster, Jr. Ms. Beatrice Garner Joan Gill Carolyn & Lem Hewes Jim & Mary Long Howard Katie Hutchison Mrs. Clay Kirk Mrs. T. Harvey Mathis, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Merritt Jr. Anne Groves Morris Mrs. Elizabeth Pritchett Dr. & Mrs. Newton Quantz, Jr. Richard Worrell General Agency, LLC. Hugh Richardson, Jr. Elizabeth & Dick Rubenoff Dr. Kathy Shands The Sunshine Committee Willou & Bill Smith Dr. & Mrs. Carter Smith, Jr. Ms. Susan Soper Margo & Buddy Stack The Sutton Family Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Tuller Mel & Hootie Zaher in memOry OF marya GaBrielle williams Ms. Marilon Jone P. Williams

in memOry OF lOuis PeneGuy Mr. William E. Pennington

in hOnOr OF Charlie yates, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin G. Bowen Mr. & Mrs. Mark Eden

in hOnOr OF william e. PenninGtOn Mrs. Martha Wilson

in memOry OF llOyD zaChary Stephen Fusco

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encore circle The Atlanta Opera established the Encore Circle to recognize donors who have designated the Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan. Gifts from these individuals ensure our progress for generations to come.

Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley Mr. & Mrs. Wallace F. Beard Mr. Montague L. Boyd Ms. Mary D. Bray Mr. Robert Colgin Martha Thompson Dinos Arnold & Sylvia Eaves Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards Mr. & Mrs. Dieter Elsner Carl & Sally Gable Rebecca & Sidney Guberman Ms. Judy Hanenkrat Mr. Hilson Hudson

Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison Mr. Alfred D. Kennedy Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia Mr. Louis L. Lawson Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm Mr. Robert Lee Mays Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel Mr. & Mrs. Jack C. McDowell Mr. & Mrs. Craig N. Miller Miss Helen D. Moffitt Mr. J. Robert Morring Mr. & Mrs. Bertil D. Nordin Clara M. & John S. O'Shea Mrs. Polly Pater

Mr. William E. Pennington Bruce A. Roth Mr. & Mrs. Paul Sanger Kevin J. Saunders Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Teepen Mr. Richard F. Tigner William E. Torres, M.D. Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael Doyle Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Yates, Sr. Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. & Mrs. Mary Mitchell Yates

suPPorT The aTlanTa oPera

suPPorT ToMorroW, Today!

Build a legacy WiTh The aTlanTa oPera The Atlanta Opera sincerely appreciates your generous support and belief in our mission of enriching lives through the power of opera. By building a legacy through the creation of a planned gift with The Atlanta Opera, you can help ensure that Atlantans are exposed to the highest quality opera for generations to come.

Developing an estate plan requires advice from a professional, so we suggest you consult your personal advisor to make sure your gift will accomplish the intended goals for both The Atlanta Opera and you. A member of our development team will be happy to meet with and assist you in exploring the options that are most beneficial for everyone involved. Your planned gift can make a tremendous difference and help preserve the future of The Atlanta Opera!

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Board of direcTors officers ChAiR EmERiTUS Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley ChAiR William E. Tucker, Tucker, Midis & Owen, LLC immEDiATE PAST ChAiR Mr. Gregory F. Johnson, Republic National Distributing Company, Inc. ViCE ChAiR Mr. John L. Hammaker ViCE ChAiR Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. TREASURER Mr. Rhys T. Wilson, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP SECRETARy Mr. Michael Keough, DMK International

MeMBers Ms. Cathy Callaway Adams, Federal Home Loan Bank Mr. Bryan H. Barnes, Deloitte & Touche, LLP Mr. Andy Berg, Homrich Berg Mrs. James W. Bland, Jr. Mr. Montague L. Boyd, III, UBS Financial Mrs. Rosemary Kopel Brown Ms. Sharon J. Byers, The Coca-Cola Company Mrs. John W. Calhoun, III The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler, Cathedral of St. Philip Mr. Mario Concha, Concha Consulting, LLC Ms. Martha Thompson Dinos Mr. Robert G. Edge, Alston & Bird Mr. Dieter Elsner, Roedl Langford de Kock, LLP Mr. Eli Flint, Flight Options Mrs. Joanne Chesler Gross Mr. William Hajjar Mr. John Michael Hancock Ms. Mary B. James Mr. John O. King, Breitland, LLC Mr. George Levert, Kinetic Ventures, LLC Mr. Harmon B. Miller, III, MillerZell, Inc. Mr. James B. Miller, Fidelity Bank Mr. David Moody, C. D. Moody Construction Mr. Michael Paulhus, King & Spalding Mr. William E. Pennington Mr. James D. Powell, KPMG, LLP Mr. Herbert J. Rosenberg III, National Distributing Company, Inc. Mr. Bruce A. Roth, Roth & Associates, Inc. Mr. Stewart A. Searle, Strategic Thought Partners Mr. Sachin Shailendra, S G Contracting Mr. Charles Sharbaugh, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP Mr. Timothy E. Sheehan, Mellon Private Wealth Management Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton Mr. Thomas R. Williams Jane S. Willson, Sunnyland Farms, Inc. Mr. Robert G. Woodward, King & Spalding

honorary MeMBers Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards Mr. Carl I. Gable Mr. John S. Gillfillan Mrs. Holcombe T. Green, Jr., WestPoint Stevens Mr. Carter Joseph, Empire Distributors

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Mrs. Jack C. McDowell Mr. Sam Olens, State of Georgia Mr. Mark K. Taylor, HT Group, LLC Mrs. John C. Wilson Ms. Bunny Winter

OPERA PERFORMANCES

FREE Admission November 2nd at 8:00 P.M. 14th Street Playhouse 173 14th Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA

Check atlantaopera.org for details on reserving your FREE seat!

scene la Belle soirÉe

Photos by Ben Rose Photography

sTaff The aTlanTa oPera Tomer Zvulun GENERAL & ARTiSTiC DiRECTOR

arTisTic & ProducTion Arthur Fagen CARL & SALLy GAbLE mUSiC DiRECTOR & CONDUCTOR Shawn Rieschl Johnson DiRECTOR OF PRODUCTiON Walter Huff ChORUS mASTER Michael Benedict PRODUCTiON mANAGER Lindsay Swann ARTiSTiC ASSOCiATE

arTisTic Planning & coMMuniTy engageMenT Cory Lippiello DiRECTOR OF ARTiSTiC PLANNiNG & COmmUNiTy ENGAGEmENT

develoPMenT Bert Wesley Huffman MPA CFRE DiRECTOR OF DEVELOPmENT Rae Weimer ASSOCiATE DiRECTOR OF DEVELOPmENT Kristin Boggs mAJOR GiFTS OFFiCER Greg Carraway FOUNDATiON & GRANTS mANAGER Rebecca Bowden ANNUAL FUND mANAGER Allison DeNiro EVENTS mANAGER & VOLUNTEER COORDiNATOR

finance & adMinisTraTion Mike Hurdle DiRECTOR OF FiNANCE Ashley Gilleland ACCOUNTiNG mANAGER Stephanie Cantillo ADmiNiSTRATiVE mANAGER Lene Sabin ExECUTiVE ASSiSTANT

MarKeTing & coMMunicaTions Cristina Vรกsconez Herrera mARkETiNG ADViSOR Matt Burkhalter CREATiVE SERViCES mANAGER Lindsay Smith PATRON SERViCES mANAGER Renee Smiley PATRON SERViCES COORDiNATOR

cosTuMe shoP Joanna Schmink COSTUmE DESiGNER/COORDiNATOR Patricia McMahon COSTUmE ShOP mANAGER Ken McNeil WARDRObE SUPERViSOR Brett Parker FiRST hAND Emoryann Childers STiTChER Bridgette K. L. Mont STiTChER

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sTaff Wig & MaKeuP sTaff Katrina Suhre DESiGN ASSiSTANT Christian Ellesmere Melanie Steele Christina Whitaker Moore Tracy Salazar Tiffany Davis

seasonal sTaff John Beaulieu TEChNiCAL DiRECTOR/mASTER CARPENTER Patricia Tuckwiller PRODUCTiON ELECTRiCiAN Steve Dubay PRODUCTiON ELECTRiCiAN Pamela Hickey PROPERTiES mASTER Allison Moritz ASSiSTANT DiRECTOR Erin Thompson-Janszen PRODUCTiON STAGE mANAGER Gregory Boyle ASSiSTANT STAGE mANAGER Jamie Hahn ASSiSTANT STAGE mANAGER

coBB energy PerforMing arTs cenTre Johannes Pikel TEChNiCAL DiRECTOR Michael Wolmer hEAD ELECTRiCiAN Nicholas Morganstern hEAD CARPENTER/RiGGER Brett Larson AUDiO ENGiNEER Jessica Coale PRODUCTiON mANAGER

Philip Webb's 2006 debut with The Atlanta Opera portraying Cavaradossi in Tosca with Donnie Ray Albert as Scarpia.

Photo by Tim Wilkerson

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house Policies concessions Concession stands are located in the center of the lobbies on all three levels. Food and beverage items are prohibited inside the theatre. 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.

ParKing There are 1,000 parking spaces available at a $6 charge per car. Valet service is available for $10. Please be sure to allow enough time for travel to the theatre and parking as there is no late seating. aTM There is one Bank of North Georgia ATM located in the grand lobby. coaT checK Coat check is available at the concierge desk. eMergency inforMaTion 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 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. sMoKing Smoking is prohibited inside the building.

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

Audio clarification devices are available to our hearing impaired guests at no charge.

This is on a first-come, first-served basis, or you may call the House Manager ahead of time to reserve one 770-916-2828. 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 • There is no late seating allowed. Closedcircuit monitors are provided in the lobby as a courtesy to latecomers • Please turn off all cell phones prior to the beginning of each performance • Please limit conversation during the performance • Cameras (including use of cell phone camera) and audio & 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

For an accounting firm that has earned a reputation for business sense and people sense, you want Warren Averett + GH&I. Audiences have been singing our praises for over 30 years.

Warren Averett + GH&I and The Atlanta Opera.

Experience matters.

For a close-up view, visit warrenaverett.com, or call 770-396-1100.

Outmaneuver cancer.

Navigating your cancer treatment can feel like a full-time job.

That’s why WellStar created the Nurse Navigator program.

From the start, your Nurse Navigator serves as your guide and liaison, working with WellStar oncologists, cancer surgeons, and other specialists to streamline your care and ease your mind. She can also connect your loved ones to resources throughout the community.

Your Nurse Navigator will manage coordination among your doctors, help you understand your treatment options, and simply listen to your concerns.

WellStar Nurse Navigators are available to all cancer patients and their families. To learn more about cancer treatment at WellStar, call 770-956-STAR (7827) or visit wellstar.org.

We believe you are stronger than cancer.

The vision of WellStar Health System is to deliver world-class healthcare through our hospitals, physicians and services. Our not-for-profit health system includes WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital), WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Medical Group; Health Parks; Urgent Care Centers, Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and WellStar Foundation.