The Long Walk

2016-17 UTAH OPERA SEASON UTAH OPERA SEASON

JEREMY HOWAR D BECK and STEPHANIE FLEISCHMANN’S

THE LONG WALK Based on the book The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows, by Brian Castner

Welcome

Dear Utah Opera friends and family,

Christopher McBeth Artistic Director

Welcome to the beautiful Jeanné Wagner Theatre and a special Utah Opera presentation. It was three years ago this June that I and several members of staff attended an opera conference in San Francisco during which was an event showcasing scenes from works currently being created and in various stages of incubation. When these showcases happen, there are minimal trappings of theater like costumes, lighting, or scenic elements. We see and hear music and words performed in a wonderfully bare fashion. It was an exciting event and several excellent examples of the art form were on display. However, there was one that struck a particular chord with those of us from Utah and with little discussion we were all in agreement that we wanted to support the project and share it with our audience.

Art in general and opera specifically can take many forms while representing the human condition.

Often, it is represented in the broadest sensibilities highlighting life and love in metaphorical contexts of historical figures and exotic locations. However, art can be equally powerful and resonant—perhaps even more so—when the context is deeply personal, familiar, and contemporary. The Long Walk is a potent example of the latter. Its story is intensely topical and representative of a journey many have to take.

No doubt you know someone on such a path. The music is powerful in its compelling representation of the text, emotion, and psychology of the story and obliges us as audience members to participate in the performance. To paraphrase the opera’s authors, The Long Walk helps us to understand the difficulties of a returning soldier and brings it all beautifully and terrifyingly close to home.

Thank you for joining us for this special and important performance.

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

The Long Walk

synopsis

ACT I A figure runs along the Niagara River in Buffalo, New York. It is Brian Castner, a former Explosive Ordnance Disposal Captain in the U.S. Air Force. As he runs, he is haunted by memories of Iraq. Brian’s wife, Jessie, recalls her grandmother’s prophecy: even if her husband returns from combat, the war will no doubt kill him at home. At dinner with his family, Brian is besieged by another memory of Iraq, imagining that soldiers are invading the Castner family kitchen. Brian’s son Martin asks his father to read him a bedtime story.

Later that night, Brian wakes in terror, and Jessie urges him to get help. The next morning, Brian struggles to get the kids ready for school. Longing to escape the challenges of the everyday, Brian flashes back to his Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training prior to his service in Iraq, and the fellowship he found in “the Brotherhood of the Crab.” That afternoon, at his son’s seventh birthday party, Jessie urges Brian to try to be present for the sake of the children. Brian struggles to connect with what’s happening all around him, and to remember minute details of his family’s past, and fails. He retreats to the garage, where he attempts to fortify the family minivan in order to keep his boys safe on their way to school. His son Martin finds him there. Brian takes off, attempting to outrun “the Crazy,” but is assaulted by a barrage of memories of Iraq, culminating in the moment he came close to shooting a cluster of keening Iraqi women. When the memories fade away, he finds himself back at home, staring into the mirror.

He mounts the stairs and then sits, rifle in hand, guarding his sleeping boys.

UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

ACT II Jessie appeals to Brian to seek help, giving him an ultimatum of sorts.

Brian descends into another horrific memory of Iraq, one which persuaded him to go home. Brian visits a shrink at the VA, who gives him a diagnosis.

Later, at the funeral of a fallen EOD man, Jessie mourns the loss of the man she married. Back at home, the boys sing about their father. The shrink asks Brian: Why is the war still in your house? At a yoga class for veterans, Brian, faced with yet another Iraq memory, manages to remain in the present. Some time later, Jessie and the boys are playing before Brian’s return from a trip. He panics at the airport and phones Jessie, who talks him down. Brian asks her to remind him of details of the family life he’s forgotten. They connect over their shared past. The shrink tells Brian he’s making progress. Brian accompanies his son to the Mite Hockey championship. Seeing his son suiting up, he breaks down, flashing back to the memory of one of his “brothers” suiting up to take the Long Walk. He then has another flashback: The men in their humvee are returning from a mission before dawn, when a lone pigeon lands on the humvee. Back in Buffalo, Brian runs along the Niagara River, through memories of war and present moments of peace, past his EOD brothers, towards his wife and children, and on, into the future.

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Production Sponsors Utah Opera gratefully acknowledges the following generous sponsors who have made this production of The Long Walk possible.

UTAH OPERA SEASON SPONSOR

OPERA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SPONSOR

EMMA ECCLES JONES FOUNDATION

ARTS IN SERVICE TO THE MILITARY CULTURAL FESTIVAL SPONSOR

PRODUCTION SPONSOR

TED AND CAROL NEWLIN

PERFORMANCE SPONSORS

DR. BRIAN AND JANICE RUGGLES DR. JUDY BRADY, L.C.S.W., D.S.W. AND COLONEL DREW W. BROWNING, U.S.A.F. (RETIRED)

In honor of her father Burns Watts, WW II U.S. Navy veteran and his father Pryor Eugene Browning, WW II U.S. Army veteran, and all of the courageous men and women who have served in the United States Armed Services whose resilience and commitment is an example for everyone.

PROPS SPONSOR

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

The Long Walk

program

The Long Walk March 31–April 1 | 7:30 pm Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center Based on the book: The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows, by Brian Castner Music by Jeremy Howard Beck Libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann Commissioned by American Lyric Theater Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director World Premiere: Opera Saratoga, July 10, 2015

Commission Underwriting and

COMPANY

Developmental Support for The

Brian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Belcher Jessie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Marino Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry Poppe Virgil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anthony Villanueva Sam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Yannelli Castleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christian Sanders* Ricky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Bakari Jeff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Scollin Iraqi Woman/Aunt Sarah/Shrink . . . . . . . . Abigail Rethwisch* Iraqi Woman/Perneatha/Yogini . . . . . . . . . . . . Donita Volkwijn Child Understudy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruben Reed

Long Walk has been provided

by OPERA America/The Opera Fund, The MAP Fund, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The ASCAP Foundation.

The Long Walk was developed under the auspices of the Composer Librettist Development Program at American Lyric Theater in New York City, which is made possible through lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

This production of The Long Walk is a co-production of Opera Saratoga and Utah Symphony | Utah Opera.

ARTISTIC STAFF Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steven Osgood Stage Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Schweizer Costume Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Leary Set Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mimi Lien Lighting Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Cavallaro Wig/Makeup Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Jacob Hill Assistant Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Spassov Children's Music Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melanie Malinka Principal Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Anderson Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jayme Castle Assistant Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ash Crystal Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emilio Casillas Rehearsal Pianist & Supertitle Musician . . . . . Timothy Accurso* *Current Utah Opera Resident Artist

The performance will last approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission.

UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

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The Long Walk

biographies

Jeremy Howard Beck’s (b. 1985 Huntington, NY) music— recently described as “sparse and haunting” by NPR’s Weekend Edition, and hailed by the American Composers Forum for its “thrilling aural twists and bends”—has been performed throughout the country: at Opera Saratoga, the Opera America National Conference, the Bang on a Can Marathon, Eastern Trombone Workshop, International Trombone Festival, the Norfolk and Bang on a Can Summer Festivals, and at venues throughout his native New York City, including NY Comic Con’s Super Week. He has received grants from The MAP Fund, NewMusicUSA, and JFund/American Composers Forum, as well as a residency at Yaddo (2014) and an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award (2011). His first opera, The Long Walk (libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, based on the book by Brian Castner, commissioned

by American Lyric Theater), opened in 2015 at Opera Saratoga to rave reviews: “The plot’s tension is set, taut as a drawn bow” (The New York Times Magazine). “This is what art does or should do: tell an intimate story that resonates universally. It shows us who we are” (The Times Union). “The Long Walk is a masterpiece… a piece like this brings out all the best aspects of opera” (Metroland). “… a remarkable achievement for any composer let alone one who had never written an opera… the crowd was rapt and at the end jumped to its feet with a roar of approval” (The Daily Gazette). Jeremy was a Resident Artist with American Lyric Theater and a Composer-in-Residence with the Guidonian Hand trombone quartet, whose recording of Awakening is now available on iTunes, Amazon, and bandcamp. He studied with John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse at The Juilliard School and with Mark Adamo and Deniz Hughes at NYU.

Stephanie Fleischmann’s opera libretti include The Long Walk, commissioned by American Lyric Theater (premiere: Opera Saratoga, 2015; Pittsburgh Opera, 2018); In a Grove, music by Chris Cerrone, Mahogany Opera Group’s Various Stages Festival, London ICA, 2017; The Property, music by Wlad Marhulets, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited (premiere: 2015); and After the Storm, music by David Hanlon, Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco, (premiere: 2016). Fleischmann has collaborated with composers Olga Neuwirth (Aldeburgh, Basel, Berlin, Vienna), Sxip Shirey, and Elspeth Brooke, among others. Music-theater works: Red Fly/Blue Bottle (HERE, NYC; EMPAC; Noorderzon, NL) and The Secret Lives of Coats (Red Eye; Playwrights Center/Playlabs), music by Christina Campanella; The 6

UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

The Long Walk

biographies

Sweetest Life, music by Saskia Lane, developed in collaboration with Julian Crouch, BRIClab; lyrics/dramaturgy: The Greeks and The Americans (Juilliard).

Her plays—Sound House, Eloise & Ray, Tally Ho, The Street of Useful Things, What the Moon Saw, and The World Speed Carnival—have been performed at venues including the Exit Festival (France), Roundhouse Studio (London), Synchronicity (Atlanta), Son of Semele (LA), Roadworks (Chicago), Hollywood Bowl, Ojai Festival, Act II (Philadelphia), Asolo Rep (Sarasota); and New Georges, Soho Rep, Mabou Mines/Suite, the Knitting Factory, and the Public in NYC. A 2015–16 New Georges Audrey resident, Fleischmann has received a Howard Foundation Fellowship and grants from Arts Council England, NYSCA (2 Individual Artist Commissions), NEA, NYFA, a Tennessee Williams Fellowship, the Frederick Loewe and Whitfield Cook Awards, and residencies at Macdowell, Hedgebrook, and HARP. Her work has been supported by: MAP Fund, Opera America, New Music USA, Greenwall Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Fund, Tobin Fund, Pew Charitable Trust, Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, LMCC Swingspace & NY State Music Fund. Ms. Fleischmann is a former American Lyric Theater Resident Artist and Playwrights Center Core Writer. She is an alumna of New Dramatists and earned her MFA at Brooklyn College. Published by: Play, A Journal of Plays; Playscripts.com; Smith and Krauss.

Brian Castner is a bestselling nonfiction writer and former Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer. He served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two as the commander of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq. His war memoir of that time, The Long Walk, was named an Amazon Best Book for 2012. Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times called the book “A candid and unflinching account … [that] warps the arc of the traditional coming-of-age story.” In his Fresh Air interview, Terry Gross said “Reading the book, I just kept thinking that you not only had one of the most nerve-wracking jobs imaginable…but it’s also the most gruesome job…. You need nerves of steel to do that kind of work.” Brian is also the co-editor of a collection of short stories from veteran writers titled The Road Ahead, and author of All the Ways We Kill and Die: An Elegy for a Fallen Comrade and the Hunt for his Killer. A contributing writer to VICE, his work has also appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Wired, Foreign Policy, Outside, Buzzfeed, Boston Globe, Time, The Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and on National Public Radio. He has twice received grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, to cover the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014, and to paddle the 1200 mile Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean in 2016. His new book, Disappointment River, will be published by Doubleday next year.

UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

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The Long Walk

biographies

ABOUT AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER Great Operas Don’t Just Happen. American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Edelson to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers and librettists, providing an incubator for their collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon. Many opera companies commission and perform new works, but ALT is the only company in the United States that offers extensive, full-time mentorship for emerging operatic writers. While the traditional company model focuses on producing a season, ALT’s focus is on serving the needs of composers and librettists, developing new works, and collaborating with larger producing companies to help usher those works into the repertoire. ALT is home to the Composer Librettist Development Program, a masters-level program for emerging opera composers and librettists, with a highly credentialed faculty led by Mark Adamo and Cori Ellison, and proven track record for developing the skills of gifted artists, incubating successful operas, and fostering lasting collaborations. Prominent alumni of the CLDP include composers Christopher Cerrone, Kamala Sankaram, and Jeremy Howard Beck; and librettists Royce Vavrek, Stephanie Fleischmann and Deborah Brevoort. Audiences around the country are enjoying operas developed through the CLDP and by CLDP alumni at a wide variety of venues, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Saratoga, Utah Opera, Tulsa Opera, The PROTOTYPE Festival, and many more. In 2012, ALT was the first company dedicated to artist mentorship rather than operatic production to be recognized by OPERA America as a Professional Company Member—a testament to ALT’s service to the field. For more information about American Lyric Theater, please visit www.altnyc.org.

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

The Long Walk

cast

Daniel Belcher (Missouri) Brian Most Recently at Utah Opera, The Merry Widow Recently: Silent Night, Michigan Opera Theatre; Dead Man Walking, Lyric Opera of Kansas City; The Scarlet Letter (world premiere), Opera Colorado Upcoming: The House Without a Christmas Tree (world premiere), Houston Grand Opera; Elizabeth Cree (world premiere), Opera Philadelphia Megan Marino (Colorado) Jessie Utah Opera Debut Recently: Rusalka, Metropolitan Opera; Il barbiere di Siviglia, Virginia Opera; Hänsel und Gretel, Lyric Opera of Kansas City Upcoming: Così fan tutte, Central City Opera; Thaïs, Metropolitan Opera Alex Yannelli (Utah) Sam Most Recently at Utah Opera, Carmen Recently: Chorister of The Madeleine Choir School; Noye’s Fludde, The Cathedral of the Madeleine; Tosca, Utah Opera Upcoming: International Performance Tour to London & Paris with The Madeleine Choir School: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, King’s College Cambridge, Notre Dame Paris

Henry Poppe (Utah) Martin Most Recently at Utah Opera, Carmen Recently: Chorister of The Madeleine Choir School; Noye’s Fludde, The Cathedral of the Madeleine; Tosca, Utah Opera Upcoming: International Performance Tour to London & Paris with The Madeleine Choir School: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, King’s College Cambridge, Notre Dame Paris

UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

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The Long Walk

cast

Anthony Villanueva (Utah) Virgil Most Recently at Utah Opera, Carmen Recently: Chorister of The Madeleine Choir School; Noye’s Fludde, The Cathedral of the Madeleine Upcoming: International Performance Tour to London & Paris with The Madeleine Choir School: St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, King’s College Cambridge, Notre Dame Paris Christian Sanders (Colorado) Castleman Most Recently at Utah Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor Current Utah Opera Resident Artist Recently: Manon, Des Moines Metro Opera; Aïda, The Merry Widow, The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Man of La Mancha, Utah Opera Upcoming: Billy Budd, A Little Night Music, Des Moines Metro Opera Martin Bakari (Ohio) Ricky Utah Opera Debut Recently: The Source, Los Angeles Opera and Beth Morrison Projects; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, Madison Opera; Le nozze di Figaro, Il postino, The Witches of Venice, Opera Saratoga Upcoming: The Summer King, Pittsburgh Opera; The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and The Little Match Girl Passion, Portland Opera Matthew Scollin (Pennsylvania) Jeff Utah Opera debut Recently: Candide, Opéra National de Bordeaux; Salome, Pittsburgh Opera; Falstaff, Des Moines Metro Opera Upcoming: Die Zauberflöte, Madison Opera; Ariadne auf Naxos, Austin Lyric Opera

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

The Long Walk

cast / artistic staff

Abigail Rethwisch (Iowa) Aunt Sarah/Iraqi Woman/Shrink Most Recently at Utah Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor Recently: Carmen, Utah Opera; La traviata, Chautauqua Opera; Sweeney Todd, Tri-Cities Opera Upcoming: Die Fledermaus, The Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera

Donita Volkwijn (South Africa) Perneatha/Iraqi Woman/Yogini Utah Opera Debut Recently: The Long Walk, American Lyric Theatre, Opera Saratoga; Porgy and Bess, Belgrade Philharmonic; Carmen, Tulsa Opera; La bohème, San Francisco Opera, Opera Memphis, Dicapo Opera Theatre; Le Villi, Dicapo Opera Theatre

Steven Osgood (New York) Conductor Utah Opera Debut Recently: Dead Man Walking, Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Flight, The Juilliard School; Breaking the Waves (world premiere), Opera Philadelphia Upcoming: L’Orfeo (Monteverdi/Respighi – US Stage Premiere), Don Pasquale, Hydrogen Jukebox, Chautauqua Opera David Schweizer (New York) Director Utah Opera Debut Recently: The Love Potion, Boston Lyric Opera; Giovanna d’Arco, Chicago Opera Theater; The Mines of Sulphur, New York City Opera; The Greater Good, Glimmerglass Festival Upcoming: Elizabeth Cree, Opera Philadelphia; The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare, Boston Lyric Opera

UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

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The Long Walk

artistic staff

Nancy Leary (Massachussetts) Costume Design Utah Opera Debut Recently: The Long Walk (world premiere), Opera Saratoga; La bohème, The Love Potion, The Magic Flute, Clemency, Boston Lyric Opera; Ariadne auf Naxos, Virginia Opera; The Messiah, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Upcoming: Vanessa, Mannes Opera Mimi Lien (New York) Set Design Utah Opera Debut Recently: Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812, Imperial Theater (Broadway); A 24 Decade History of Popular Music by Taylor Mac, St. Ann's Warehouse Upcoming: Pelleas et Melisande, Cleveland Orchestra; 4 Nights of Dream, by Moto Osada, Japan Society/Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Daniel Jacob Hill (Utah) Wig and Make-up Design Most Recently at Utah Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor Recently: Man of La Mancha, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Utah Opera; Madame Butterfly, Ballet West; Upcoming: Don Giovanni, Utah Opera

Michael Spassov (Canada) Assistant Conductor Most Recently at Utah Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor Recently: Capriccio, La fanciulla del West, The Santa Fe Opera; Roméo et Juliette, Atlanta Opera Upcoming: Don Giovanni, Utah Opera

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

Articles and Insights We hope you take this performance home with you in continued conversation with your friends, family and those who experienced this performance with you. Please enjoy the following articles and insights as a starting point for your conversations.

“Making the Crazy Sing” An article written by Cori Ellison, Dramaturg at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She had the pleasure of assisting in the development of The Long Walk as a core faculty member and mentor at American Lyric Theater.

Historical Context.

Dr. Mark I. Choate, Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, helped Utah Opera compile the resources for online learning about the history of American military in Iraq. These resources provide historical context for Brian Castner’s memoir The Long Walk, on which Beck/Fleishmann’s opera is based.

“Yes, This Is Opera.

Can You Handle the Truth?”

An article written by Michael Clive. Clive’s writing on music and the arts has appeared in publications throughout the U.S. and in the U.K., as well as on the Internet (for Classical TV.com and Classical Review) and television (for the PBS series Live From Lincoln Center). He is program annotator for the Utah Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony, and is editor-in-chief of The Santa Fe Opera.

“Guide to the Music” and “Explosive Ordinance Disposal— A Dangerous Discipline” Two articles by Dr. Carol Anderson, principal coach of the Utah Opera since 2003. Dr. Anderson spends her summers as a member of the music staff of The Santa Fe Opera and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in keyboard collaborative arts from the University of Southern California.

You can find these articles and insights at www.utahopera.org/16-17-season/the-long-walk UTAHOPERA.ORG / (801) 533-NOTE

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Members of the Utah Symphony VIOLIN Alexander Martin Julie Wunderle

FLUTE Sally Humphreys††

TROMBONE Mark Davidson Principal

CLARINET Erin Svoboda Associate Principal

VIOLA Carl Johansen CELLO Rainer Eudeikis Principal The J. Ryan Selberg Memorial Chair BASS Edward Merritt

Craig Moore†† PERCUSSION Keith Carrick Principal

HORN Brian Blanchard Llewellyn B. Humphreys

GUITAR Nate Ostermiller†† Nick Manning††

TRUMPET Travis Peterson Principal

PIANO Carol Anderson††

Kyra Sovronsky††

†† Substitute Member

2016-17 UTAH OPERA SEASON

INDULGE WITH ALL YOUR HEART

MOZART’S

DON GIOVANNI

MAY

13, 15, 17, 19, 2017 | 7:30 PM 21, 2017

| 2:00 PM

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre

He takes what he wants. And gets what he deserves.

Whether it’s an act of lust or an act of violence, Don Giovanni does whatever he wants, to whomever he pleases. You might be surprised by how much his angst and unrest resonate with you in this hypnotic tale of a man who refuses to change, damn the consequences.

DON GIOVANNI Joshua Hopkins UTAH OPERA CHORUS

MEMBERS OF THE UTAH SYMPHONY

CONDUCTOR Christopher Larkin DIRECTOR Kristine McIntyre

TICKETS FROM $18-89

801.355.ARTS (2787)

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U TA H O P E R A S E A S O N S P O N S O R :

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UTAH OPERA 2016–17 SEASON

Administration ADMINISTRATION Paul Meecham President & CEO David Green Senior Vice President & COO Julie McBeth Executive Assistant to the CEO 0PERA ARTISTIC Christopher McBeth Opera Artistic Director Michael Spassov Opera Chorus Master Carol Anderson Principal Coach Michelle Peterson Opera Company Manager Mandi Titcomb Opera Production Coordinator OPERA TECHNICAL Jared Porter Opera Technical Director Kelly Nickle Properties Master Lane Latimer Assistant Props Keith Ladanye Production Carpenter Travis Stevens Carpenter COSTUMES Verona Green Costume Director Melonie Fitch Rentals Supervisor Kierstin Gibbs LisaAnn DeLapp Rentals Assistants Amanda Reiser Meyer Wardrobe Supervisor Milivoj Poletan Tailor Tara DeGrey Cutter/Draper Anna Marie Coronado Milliner & Crafts Artisan Chris Chadwick Yoojean Song Connie Warner Stitchers Yancey J. Quick Wigs/Make-up Designer Shelley Carpenter Tiffanie Fe Daniel Hill Michelle Laino Wigs/Make-up Crew

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SYMPHONY ARTISTIC Thierry Fischer Symphony Music Director Anthony Tolokan Vice President of Symphony Artistic Planning Rei Hotoda Associate Conductor Barlow Bradford Symphony Chorus Director Lance Jensen Executive Assistant to the Music Director and Symphony Chorus Manager SYMPHONY OPERATIONS Jeff Counts Vice President of Operations & General Manager Cassandra Dozet Director of Operations Chip Dance Production & Stage Manager Jeff Herbig Properties Manager & Assistant Stage Manager Melissa Robison Program Publication & Front of House Manager Erin Lunsford Artist Logistics Coordinator DEVELOPMENT Leslie Peterson Vice President of Development Hillary Hahn Senior Director of Institutional Gifts Natalie Cope Director of Special Events & DVMF Community Relations Melissa Klein Director of Individual Giving Alina Osika Manager of Corporate Partnerships Lisa Poppleton Grants Manager Kate Throneburg Manager of Individual Giving Heather Weinstock Manager of Special Events Steven Finkelstein Development Coordinator MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Jon Miles Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations RenĂŠe Huang Director of Public Relations Chad Call Marketing Manager Mike Call Website Manager Aaron Sain Graphic Design & Branding Manager

Tyler Bloomquist Junior Graphic Designer PATRON SERVICES Nina Richards Starling Director of Ticket Sales & Patron Services Faith Myers Sales Manager Andrew J. Wilson Patron Services Manager Robb Trujillo Group Sales Associate Ellesse Hargreaves Patron Services Assistant Risa Bean Joshua Figueroa Jackie Seethaler Powell Smith Elliott Wood Sales Associates Nick Barker Christina Frena Mara Lefler Rhea Miller Ananda Spike Ticket Agents ACCOUNTING & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Steve Hogan Vice President of Finance & CFO Mike Lund Director of Information Technologies Jordan Wells Controller Alison Mockli Payroll & Benefits Manager Jared Mollenkopf Patron Information Systems Manager Julie Cameron Accounts Payable Clerk EDUCATION Paula Fowler Director of Education & Community Outreach Beverly Hawkins Symphony Education Manager Tracy Hansford Education Coordinator Kyleene Johnson Education Assistant Timothy Accurso Sarah Coit Markel Reed Abigail Rethwisch Christian Sanders Utah Opera Resident Artists

We would also like to recognize our interns and temporary and contracted staff for their work and dedication to the success of utah symphony | utah opera.

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2016/17 CULTURAL FESTIVAL

ARTS IN SERVICE TO THE MILITARY

Our 2016–17 cultural festival shines a spotlight on veterans and current military, focusing on ways our arts community can appreciate and support them. As part of this festival, many local arts organizations will present events on military themes and will also provide access for active and separated military personnel to a variety of arts performances. We will also draw attention to veterans’ active art-making as a means of self-expression.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

The Western US Premiere of The Long Walk by Utah Opera Guest writer events with Brian Castner, author of the memoir The Long Walk Performances and events based on military experiences, produced by Salt Lake Acting Company, Art Access, Ballet West, U of U Creative Writing, and more Annual Veterans Creative Arts Festival at the VA SLC Medical Center Free/discounted tickets to performances and other events for veterans and current military FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT

USUO.ORG/FESTIVAL