Minnesota Opera's The Italian Straw Hat

Page 1

JAN 26–FEB 3


October 5 – 11, 2019

Paris Grand Opera Tour Hosted by Craig Fields

kantorei Axel Theimer Artistic Director

IMAGES Saturday, May 4, 2019, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5, 2019, 4 p.m. 31ST SEASON GALA Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 7 p.m.

Tour details and registration at www.wittetravel.com/tours

Kantorei’s mission is to share a passion for lifelong singing, with an emphasis on distinctive and diverse choral literature. Ticketed events for the holidays, a winter gala, and spring concerts. For tickets and more information, please visit kantorei.net or call 612-21-SINGS

The Italian Cultural Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the best of Italian life and culture to all people in Minnesota. The ICC offers Italian language classes for adults and children at all levels of proficiency. Our instructors, born and raised in Italy, bring first-hand experience and cultural background of Italian life and current traditions to the classroom. The Center also sponsors cultural events, including an annual film festival. ICC Services

Language Classes | Educational Travel to Italy Cooking Classes | Wine Tastings | Lectures Conversation Opportunities

Vi aspettiamo! For more information, please visit

theitalianculturalcenter.org

Alliance Française, Your French cultural center, Your French community French Classes for children & adults Events celebrating French-speaking cultures French Library & Media Center

AllianceFrançaise Mpls/St Paul

afmsp.org


CANDIDe onde BERNSTEIN

+ Cuneg

xoxo

47TH SUMMER FESTIVAL JUNE 28 - JULY 21

LA BOHÈME CANDIDE starring Deanna Breiwick WOZZECK BON APPÉTIT!

DES MOINES METRO OPERA

repre sent

DESMOINESMETROOPERA.ORG 515-961-6221

For advertising in Minnesota Opera programs, or with other arts partners we represent: mary-kate@artsink.org 612.791.3629

PA R T N E R S

O R DWAY T H E S A I N T PA U L C H A M B E R O R C H E S T R A  SCHUB ERT CLUB A RTI S TRY M I N N E S O TA O P E R A CH A N H A SSEN DI N N ER TH E ATR E S CH I LD R EN ’ S TH E ATR E COM PA NY C A NT US TH E COW LE S CENTER H EN N EP I N T H E AT R E T R U S T ’ S S P OT LI G H T ED U C AT I O N M I N N E S OTA B OYC H O I R M I N N E TO N K A T H E AT R E + MORE!

The creative agency for the arts

artsink.org


MISSION Minnesota Opera changes lives by bringing together artists, audiences, and community, advancing the art of opera for today and for future generations.

VISION Minnesota Opera will sing every story.

VALUES Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, Purpose In November, the final orchestra workshop for The Fix was presented at the MN Opera Center. Based on the 1919 Chicago White Sox World Series cheating scandal, the opera will premiere on Saturday, March 16. © Theresa Murray

Members of our youth training program, Project Opera, and Voices of Opera, our program for singers 55+, came together for a joint intergenerational concert at the Ordway Concert Hall in December.

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

© RJL Photography

4

600,000 people are served annually by our opera productions, education programs, community engagement initiatives, and other special events.

© Dan Norman


WELCOME

RYAN TAYLOR PRESIDENT AND GENERAL DIRECTOR

W F E A T U R E S

elcome to the Minnesota Opera premiere of Nino Rota’s hilarious The Italian Straw Hat. Hopefully, this colorful and uproarious farce is a delightful burst of spring that goes a long way toward curing any winter blues. Looking ahead, we’re sure you’ll be as excited as we are when we announce our 2019–2020 season in just a few short weeks. It’s sure to be an epic season full of laughter, tears, thrills, and maybe even a surprise or two. As always, many thanks for your support and patronage. We are thrilled to share another season of opera with you!

CO N T EN TS

Meet the Artist: Andrew Stenson  •  17 Tenor and Rochester, MN native Andrew Stenson makes his MN Opera debut as The Italian Straw Hat’s harried husband-to-be.

Opera Education: Music Out Loud  •  18 Music Out Loud, our intensive after-school music curriculum, is spreading the joy of music to classrooms across the Twin Cities.

6

The Italian Straw Hat

8

Synopsis

9

Meet MN Opera

10

About the Opera

Cast and Creative Team

12

14

rchestra, Chorus, and O Supernumeraries

15

eet the Artist: M Andrew Stenson

16

Opera Education: Music Out Loud

17

Project Opera: Brundibár and The Gondoliers Preview

18

The Fix Preview

20

N Opera Board of Directors, M Staff, and Volunteers

21

Upcoming Events

21

MN Opera Information

22

Individual Giving

25

Special Giving

26

Institutional Giving

LARGE-PRINT AND BRAILLE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE PATRON SERVICES OFFICE.

The Fix Preview  •  20 Learn all about MN Opera’s brand new major league opera before its opening day this March.

@MNOPERA

F  L  X  :  I  I


MUSIC BY

LIBRETTO BY

Nino Rota

Nino Rota and Ernesta Rota

World Premiere at Teatro Massimo, Palermo, April 21, 1955 Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage

CAST

CREATIVE TEAM

Fadinard

Conductor, Ruth and John Huss Chair

A N D R EW ST ENS O N

Nonancourt

DA L E T RAVIS

Stage Director

Beaupertuis

PIET RO D I BIA N CO

Scenic and Costume Design

Vézinet

D E N N I S PET ERS EN

Lighting Design

LOR E N ZO C U TÙ L I

MARCUS DILLIARD

C H R I ST IA N T H URSTO N +

Hair and Makeup Design

Felice

ST EP H E N MART IN +

Choreographer

Elena

L ISA M A RIE RO G A L I +

Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master

DA N IEL L E BECKVERMIT +

La Baronessa di Champigny  MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

A N D R E A C I GN I

Emilio

Anaide

6

J ON ATHA N BR A N DA NI •

Stage Manager

Viscount Achille di Rosalba/ Guardsman  C HRIST IA N SAND ERS +

English Surtitles

A DA M DA R OS +

J E R RY K . SM I TH J ON ATHA N BU RTON

S I E N A FO REST •

Corporal

N IC H O L AS DAVIS +

Minardi

CO N O R O ' B RIEN

Pianist

A L L EN PERRIEL LO

A N D R E W W HI T F I E LD

M A RY BOX +, A L L E N P E R R I E L LO, A N D R E W SU N +

VICTORIA VARGAS •

Milliner

HE I D I SP E SA R D - N OBL E

Assistant Director  Répétiteurs

DAV I D Z I M M E R M A N

+MINNESOTA OPERA RESIDENT ARTIST •MINNESOTA OPERA RESIDENT ARTIST ALUM


SEASON SPONSOR

ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME

This production contains live gunshots and strobe lighting.

A HORSE, A H AT, AND A HUSBAND IN TROUBLE.

Scenery was created in collaboration with Fondazione Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. The appearance of Siena Forest is made possible, in part, by Vicki and Chip Emery.

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

WARNING

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

Estimated running time is two hours and 15 minutes. There is one intermission, occurring approximately 57 minutes into the opera.

7


SYNOPSIS

ACT I It is Fadinard’s wedding day in Paris. As he hurries home in his carriage to make sure that all the preparations are being carried out smoothly for his marriage to Elena, his whip gets entangled in a tree. While he is disentangling it, his horse passes the time with a little snack—a lady’s straw hat. Unfortunately, the lady who owns the straw hat is behind the tree, and even more

unfortunately for Fadinard’s smooth-running wedding day, she is a married lady called Anaide and she is with her lover Emilio. They arrive at Fadinard’s house. Anaide is anxious and upset, because the straw hat was bought for her in Florence by her jealous husband, who will ask very awkward questions if she goes home without it. Fadinard sends his servant out to buy a replacement hat and the wedding party arrives: the bride-to-be Elena, her grotesquely comic father Nonancourt, and guests who create confusion wherever they go. Fadinard’s servant is unsuccessful in his efforts to find another hat, and as Emilio threatens Fadinard with a duel if he does not replace it, Fadinard decides that he must go out and obtain one.

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

ACT II

8

Carrying the remains of the mistreated straw hat, Fadinard goes to a milliner’s shop where he learns that the last Italian straw hat has been sold to the Baronessa di Champigny. He rushes to her villa and is mistaken for Minardi, the famous violinist who is to give a recital and be the Baronessa’s guest of honor at dinner that evening. Fadinard is anxious to remain in the house and obtain the straw hat, so he does not correct the mistaken identity. The Baronessa says that she gave that hat as a gift to one of her friends, the wife of Beaupertuis, and when the wedding party arrives, causing trouble and confusion, Fadinard decides to make a quick getaway in pursuit of the Baronessa’s hat.

ACT III Fadinard’s luck continues to run out when he is told that Beaupertuis’ wife is not at home. Beaupertuis complains about his wife’s lateness; she went out that morning to visit her cousin and has not yet returned. Fadinard tells him his story and about his quest for the hat and begins to search the house thoroughly for the straw hat given by the Baronessa. Meanwhile, Nonancourt and the wedding party arrive, looking for the bridegroom, having consumed a great deal of the Baronessa’s champagne. Fadinard learns that Beaupertuis’ wife is actually Anaide, and Beaupertuis is so enraged that he grabs a pistol and runs off to look for his unfaithful wife.

ACT IV Everything is upset and it appears that the wedding of Fadinard and Elena will have to be called off. The wedding party has gotten lost in Paris and arrested; Beaupertuis still wants to kill his wife; Nonancourt wants to cancel the marriage and take Elena home. But a hat is discovered—the hat that the bride’s uncle, Vézinet, had brought as a wedding gift at the beginning of these events—and it is given to Anaide in time to convince her husband that, since she has a hat, she must be innocent. Fadinard is able to get free of the wedding party and other hindrances, and can begin to enjoy his life with Elena.

COSTUME RENDERING BY LORENZO CUTÙLI


MEET MN OPERA

JENN MAATMAN PROPERTIES MASTER

What I do: I am responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, and overseeing any props needed for a production. I also work closely with other members of the production team to make sure that the stage is dressed properly, any working lights are wired, all props work appropriately and fit into the set designer and director’s vision, and finally that the singers feel safe using any weapons required.

Why I’m excited for The Italian Straw Hat: I knew nothing of this show prior to its being slated for performance here, which is endlessly exciting for me. Not only am I excited to experience this production musically for the first time, but the set and props are fun, whimsical, and unusual. Being asked to build a six-foot wedding cake, giant fruit and vegetable bowls, and a huge chicken makes me giddy.

ANDREW WHITFIELD What I do: I hire the members of our (fabulous) chorus and prepare them for the first day of staging rehearsal. As assistant conductor, I am a second pair of ears for the conductor, and I see to the many musical details that go into putting on an opera.

Why I’m excited for The Italian Straw Hat: I fell in love with The Italian Straw Hat almost instantaneously upon first

hearing it. It is an explosion of energy from the overture all the way to the final ensemble, and a unique twentiethcentury take on the comedies of Rossini. Although quintessentially Italianate, it also incorporates an eclectic mix of twentieth-century styles—at times resembling Kurt Weill and Igor Stravinsky—but always within the context of Nino Rota's distinct musical voice.

AMANDA RODRIGUEZ MARKETING MANAGER

What I do: We are exposed to as many as 5,000 advertisements a day and my goal is to make MN Opera such a valuable part of our arts community that you notice us. I help the marketing and communications team devise strategy for marketing campaigns and then implement and maintain those plans in many ways, which include placing buys with advertising partners, project managing collateral, and drafting emails, among many other things.

I also work with Patron Services on administrative tasks and participate on our Diversity Council.

Why I’m excited for The Italian Straw Hat: I experienced my first opera here at MN Opera after I was hired. Since then, I have only been exposed to the drama and tragedy that the opera serves so deliciously. I am pumped to see a purely entertaining madcap comedy. I’m due for a laugh!

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR AND CHORUS MASTER

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

Meet MN Opera

Minnesota Opera’s dedicated staff of artists, craftspeople, and administrators are passionate about bringing world-class opera and opera education programs to Minnesota. Recently, we sat down with three of them to learn more about what they do at the Opera and why they’re excited for this production of The Italian Straw Hat.

9


ABOUT THE OPERA

O

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

pera has, from the earliest days of cinema, made its influence felt upon music composed for film. Film scores, from the early talkies through the Hollywood Golden Age and up to the blockbusters of the present, have often emulated a lush, romantic sound that owes much to nineteenthcentury opera. Operatic settings also regularly form the backdrop for seminal film scenes — think, for instance, of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere at the opera in Pretty Woman or the prisoners listening to The Marriage of Figaro over a loudspeaker in The Shawshank Redemption — while film scores are often peppered with operatic excerpts. But for one of the most famous of all film composers, Nino Rota, the relationship between opera and film music was an unusually symbiotic one: opera influenced his film scores, but film music also influenced his operas.

10

Rota is, of course, best remembered for his film music and in particular for his collaborations with Federico Fellini (including La dolce vita and Amarcord) and Francis Ford Coppola (the first two Godfather films), yet opera composition was also an important part of his career. He wrote 10 operas in all, between the 1940s and the 1970s, and his youthful output in the 1930s was dominated by chamber and orchestral works. Indeed, there was a widespread perception in Italy that Rota had 'sold out' when film music began to dominate his career after the Second World War. But those who devalued Rota for his concentration upon 'popular' music were blind to the fact that the cross-fertilization between musical genres was a deliberate strategy on Rota's part. Nino Rota was born in Milan in 1911 to a well-to-­do and highly musical family. His parents held musical soirées at the family home, which were attended by such musical luminaries as Puccini, Toscanini, Leoncavallo, and even

Stravinsky and Ravel. The young Rota started playing the piano at the age of four and composing at the age of eight; his first oratorio was premiered when he was 12. After studying in Milan with Ildebrando Pizzetti, a key figure in early Italian modernism, he moved to Rome in 1926 to study with Alfredo Casella. America beckoned and Rota transferred to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia from 1931–1932, where he became friends with Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber. The pieces that Rota composed upon his return to Italy were predominantly serious concert works, but the eclectic influences he had assimilated during his time in the United States soon began to make their mark upon his aesthetic. These influences ranged from popular song and jazz to the orchestral works of Tchaikovsky and Dvořák, then composers whose music was little known in Italy. Rota continued to write instrumental and orchestral music after the Second World War, although a growing gulf between his style and that of his Italian avant­-garde contemporaries, such as Luigi Dallapiccola and Goffredo Petrassi, led to accusations of anachronism. From 1942, however, Rota's career took an interesting new turn, when he signed a contract with the Lux Film Company, ushering in what was to become a stellar career as a film music composer. Rota reached the pinnacle of his productivity between the late 1940s and mid 1950s, when he wrote scores for most of the big-box-office Italian star vehicles of the era. It is from this busy period that Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze (The Italian Straw Hat) dates. Indeed, Rota's hectic schedule during this time of his life led to a prolonged hiatus in the opera's journey to the stage: he composed the opera in 1944–1945, but it would not be performed until a decade later. In the intervening years, Rota returned to the score on many occasions to make revisions, but had no firm plans for its performance and later claimed to have forgotten all

about the opera. He was, therefore, taken by surprise when the conductor Simone Cuccia (who had heard Rota play excerpts of the opera on the piano in the 1940s) assumed the directorship of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and announced the work for the 1955 season, without informing Rota. The composer recalled the panic of rummaging through his desk in a desperate hunt for the score. Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze was the fifth opera by Rota to be performed, but the first for which he gained international fame as an opera composer. Rota wrote his own libretto for the work, assisted by his mother, Ernesta. She was keen to encourage him in his operatic career, maintaining the opinion that her son's film scores were a trivial distraction from his work as a composer of 'serious' music. Rota himself, meanwhile, appreciated the creative freedom that opera composition allowed him, as it liberated him from the controlling hand of a film director. The literary source Rota chose on this occasion was a popular vaudeville play called Un chapeau de paille d'Italie (The Italian Straw Hat, 1851) by the nineteenth-century French writers Eugene Labiche and MarcAntoine-Amedee Michel (also known as Marc-Michel). A witty satire upon the conventionalism of the nineteenth­ century French bourgeoisie, the play had already been turned into a successful French silent film directed by René Clair, released in 1928. This filmic precedent is unlikely to have escaped Rota's notice. Given the snobbery about Rota's music in post-War Italy, the composer was surprised when Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze turned out to be a hit after its first performance in Palermo in 1955. The opera was programmed by Cuccia, alongside other works then regarded as curiosities, such as Monteverdi's Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Florinda and Mozart's II Schauspieldirektor — a bold move at an opera house that liked its repertory


works. But Sicilian audiences took to Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze without hesitation. The singer chosen for the role of Fadinard was Nicola Filacuridi, then a highly popular tenor in Italy, particularly well-­known from opera performances on Italian radio and television. The performance was conducted by Jonel Perlea, who had championed Rota's earlier radio opera I due timidi. This also was based on a play by Labiche and anticipates the musical language of Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze. Rota's opera was swiftly taken up elsewhere. It featured in the 1957–1958 and 1958–1959 seasons at the Piccolo Scala in Milan, directed by Giorgio Strehler and staged by Francesco Siciliani, and further performances were staged in Genoa in 1966 and Treviso in 1973. The work reached the United States in 1977, when it was performed at the Santa Fe Opera Festival. The first productions of Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze were staged in late nineteenth-century dress, all bustles, big hats, tight breeches and tailcoats. This was a world to which Rota and Italian opera audiences would have looked back with nostalgia: a world in which beautiful melodies—prohibited in serious musical circles by the midtwentieth century—had been embraced without the slightest embarrassment. The present production, directed by Andrea Cigni and designed by Lorenzo Cutùli, looks back a similar number of decades from the present day, with the action being transferred to what has become, in the contemporary imagination, a nostalgic era of lost innocence. Costumes, stage sets and props evoke a sentimental, picturepostcard image of 1950s Paris, a concept that is encapsulated by the fact that the stage itself is an enormous postcard. Characters take on the guise of actors in a film, an intertextual reference to Rota's day job. But the present production also strikes another chord. Since the turn of the new millennium, a noticeable trend has emerged in the staging of Italian comic operas. Works such as

Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore (set in the late eighteenth century), Verdi's Falstaff (set in the Elizabethan era) and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (set in the year 1299) are now routinely transplanted from their intended historical periods to the mid-twentieth century. The 1950s has become a reified decade in opera productions, just as it has more generally in contemporary popular culture. The current 1950s nostalgia might be attributed in part to the cozy childhood memories of a baby-boomer generation, yet what now strikes us as the kitsch qualities of the fashions and designs of the era also appeal to the current moment's fascination with all things 'retro'. 1950s-style opera productions, complete with Vespas, evoke a vision of mid-twentieth century Italy as filtered through the lens of classic cinema. The director Laurent Pelly, for instance, wrote of the influence of the film Amarcord, with its music by Nino Rota, upon his recent production of L'Elisir d'amore for the Royal Opera House. Given this current vogue in the staging of comic opera, the time seems ripe for a renewal of interest in Nino Rota's Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze. Here we have a bona fide 1950s Italian comic opera composed by the master of mid-twentieth century film music. There is an affinity between the ironic humor of Italian comic opera and a fantasized, filmic 1950s world that makes this interpretation of Rota's opera work perfectly. Alexandra Wilson is Reader in Music at Oxford Brookes University, where she leads the MA programme and co-directs the OBERTO opera research unit. She is the author of two books: The Puccini Problem: Opera, Nationalism, and Modernity (Cambridge University Press, 2007) and Opera: A Beginner's Guide (Oneworld, 2010). COSTUME RENDERING BY LORENZO CUTÙLI

Film scores, from the early talkies through the Hollywood Golden Age and up to the blockbusters of the present, have often emulated a lush, romantic sound that owes much to nineteenthcentury opera.


C A S T + C R E AT I V E T E A M

DANIELLE BECKVERMIT ANAIDE

KINGSTON, NEW YORK

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

PIETRO DI BIANCO BEAUPERTUIS PARIS, FRANCE

Minnesota Opera Debut The Italian Straw Hat, 2019

Past

La Rondine, Minnesota Opera

Gianni Schicchi, Opéra National de Paris

Falstaff, Crested Butte Opera

Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Opéra National de Paris

The Rake’s Progress, Mannes Opera

Il Campanello, Wexford Festival Opera

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera

Vanessa, Wexford Festival Opera

Future

La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

Falstaff, The Grange Festival

JONATHAN BRANDANI

MARCUS DILLIARD

LUCCA, ITALY

BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA

CONDUCTOR

Minnesota Opera Debut Tosca, 2016

Past

LIGHTING DESIGN

Minnesota Opera Debut Turandot, 1995

Past

La Bohème, Minnesota Opera

Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

Don Pasquale, Minnesota Opera

Thaïs, Minnesota Opera

Madama Butterfly, Daegu International Opera House

Florencia en el Amazonas, Madison Opera

Medea in Corinto, Teatro Nuovo

Moby Dick, Pittsburgh Opera

Future

Future

Il Bravo, Wexford Festival Opera

Don Giovanni, Palm Beach Opera

La bohème, Daegu International Opera House

Benevolence, Penumbra Theatre

L'elisir d'amore, Daegu International Opera House

A Little Night Music, Theater Latté Da

La bohème, Calgary Opera

ANDREA CIGNI

SIENA FOREST

BRESCIA, ITALY

LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA

STAGE DIRECTOR

Minnesota Opera Debut Tosca, 2016

Past

MILLINER

Minnesota Opera Debut Hänsel und Gretel, 2014

Past

Thaïs, Minnesota Opera

Dinner at Eight, Minnesota Opera

Tosca, Teatro Grande Brescia

Carmen, Mill City Summer Opera

La Traviata, Luglio Musicale Trapanese

The Shining, Minnesota Opera

Future Nabucco, Teatro Verdi Trieste Otello, Luglio Musicale Trapanese

Die Zauberflöte, Lakes Area Music Festival Rusalka, Minnesota Opera

Future

Il Viaggio a Reims, National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing)

Così fan tutte, Skylark Opera

LORENZO CUTÙLI

STEPHEN MARTIN

FERRARA, ITALY

ROCHESTER, MICHIGAN

SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN Minnesota Opera Debut Tosca, 2016

Past

Heroes and Villains, Out of the Box Opera

FELICE

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

Thaïs, Minnesota Opera

La Rondine, Minnesota Opera

The Italian Straw Hat, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Silent Night, The Glimmerglass Festival

Montezuma, Sao Carlos Theatre

La Traviata, Sarasota Opera

Carmen, Mégaron Concert Hall

Future Marco Polo, Teatro della Pergola

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

The Coffee Shop, Teatro Niccolini

12

NICHOLAS DAVIS

DENNIS PETERSEN

PETERSBURG, TENNESSEE

FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA

CORPORAL

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

VÉZINET

Minnesota Opera Debut Der fliegende Holländer, 1992

Past

La Rondine, Minnesota Opera

Das Rheingold, Minnesota Opera

Fellow Travelers, Minnesota Opera

Dead Man Walking, Minnesota Opera

Porgy and Bess, Seattle Opera

Das Rheingold, Arizona Opera

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

Das Lied von der Erde, University of Iowa

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera The Grapes of Wrath, Michigan Opera Theatre


C A S T + C R E AT I V E T E A M

CONOR O’BRIEN

CHRISTIAN THURSTON

DUBLIN, IRELAND

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

MINARDI

Minnesota Opera Debut Tosca, 2005

Past

EMILIO

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

The Grapes of Wrath, Minnesota Opera

Madama Butterfly, New Zealand Opera

Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

Le nozze di Figaro, Minnesota Opera

Das Rheingold, Minnesota Opera

Rigoletto, Minnesota Opera

Dead Man Walking, Minnesota Opera

Future St. John Passion, Bach Society of Minnesota

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

LISA MARIE ROGALI

DALE TRAVIS

HAWLEY, PENNSYLVANIA

PENNINGTON, NEW JERSEY

ELENA

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past La Rondine, Minnesota Opera

NONANCOURT

Minnesota Opera Debut Il barbiere di Siviglia, 2009

Past

Gianni Schicchi, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Tosca, San Francisco Opera

Zémire and Azor, Opera Saratoga

Tosca, Michigan Opera Theatre

Dialogues of the Carmelites, Penn State Opera Theatre

La Traviata, Dallas Opera

Orfeo ed Euridice, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Così fan tutte, Santa Fe Opera

Future

Silent Night, The Glimmerglass Festival

Future La Cenerentola, Atlanta Opera

Rigoletto, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Die Fledermaus, Seiji Ozawa Festival Japan

CHRISTIAN SANDERS

VICTORIA VARGAS

VISCOUNT ACHILLE DI ROSALBA/ GUARDSMAN WESTCLIFFE, COLORADO

Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Past

LA BARONESSA DI CHAMPIGNY NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Minnesota Opera Debut La Cenerentola, 2010

Past

Silent Night, Minnesota Opera

Rigoletto, Minnesota Opera

La Rondine, Minnesota Opera

Dead Man Walking, Minnesota Opera

West Side Story, The Glimmerglass Festival

Salome, Minnesota Orchestra

Silent Night, The Glimmerglass Festival

Carmen, Minnesota Opera

Carmen, Hawaii Opera Theatre

Future

Future Verdi Requiem, SUNY Fredonia

HEIDI SPESARD-NOBLE CHOREOGRAPHER SHELBYVILLE, ILLINOIS

Minnesota Opera Debut The Merry Widow, 2002

Past La Rondine, Minnesota Opera Thaïs, Minnesota Opera The Shining, Minnesota Opera Legally Blonde, Artistry Theater

Future The Fix, Minnesota Opera La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

ANDREW STENSON FADINARD

ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA

Minnesota Opera Debut The Italian Straw Hat, 2019

Past Der fliegende Holländer, Dallas Opera An American Soldier, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Così fan tutte, Lyric Opera of Chicago Candide, San Francisco Symphony Don Pasquale, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Future Die Zauberflöte, Utah Opera Murasaki's Moon, Onsite Opera

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

La Traviata, Minnesota Opera

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

The Fix, Minnesota Opera

13


ORCHESTRA, CHORUS, + SUPERNUMERARIES

MINNESOTA OPERA ORCHESTRA

VIOLA Emily Hagen* John+ and Nina Archabal Chair

OBOE Michael Dayton*

Allison Ostrander Concertmaster Natalia Moiseeva Asst. Concertmaster

CHORUS

Itai Agmon*

Alex Barnett Karen Bushby

Jeffrey Marshak

TIMPANI

Susan Janda

VIOLIN I

TUBA

Laurel Browne

CLARINET

Jenny Lind Nilsson

Karrin Meffert-Nelson*

Thomas Bandar

Nina Olsen

Kory Andry*

Erik Carlson Matthew Christoff Cecile Crozat Zawisza Jennifer Eckes

PERCUSSION

Brian Goldenman

Steven Kimball*

Melissa Krueger

Matthew Barber

Michelle Liebl

Julia Persitz

CELLO

BASSOON

David Mickens

Teresa Richardson* Connie and Lew Remele Chair

Coreen Nordling* Eric and Celita Levinson Chair

HARP

Chandler Molbert

Sally Gibson Dorer

Laurie Hatcher Merz

Min J. Kim*

Darrius Morton

Colin McGuire Angela Waterman Hanson

Joel Mathias

Alma Neuhaus

Heidi Amundson

Rebecca Arons

Jill Olson Moser

Diane Tremaine

HORN

CELESTE

Emilia Mettenbrink

Benjamin Osterhouse

Charles Hodgson*

Mary Box

Timothy Bradley

Victoria Pace

Anthony Potts Tyler Raad Cathryn Schmidt Carole Schultz Olivia Schurke Lindsay Sessing Quinn Shadko Ashley Sievers Pablo Siqueiros Jacob Sorrells Nickolas Swanson Phillip Takemura-Sears Colyn Tvete Eryn Tvete Clark Weyrauch

SUPERNUMERARIES Aiden Campbell

VIOLIN II

BASS

Laurie Petruconis*

John Michael Smith*

TRUMPET

Elizabeth Decker

Constance Martin

John G. Koopmann*

Melinda Marshall

Jason C. Hagelie

Jonathan Brandt

FLUTE

TROMBONE

Amy Morris*

Phillip Ostrander*

Hannah Peterson Green (double piccolo)

John Tranter

Seth Russell Brandon Sieck Zachary Steward

Elise Parker Huldah Niles Emily Saathoff David Block Carol Lebovic

KEY  *  principal  + in memoriam

Are You 21–45? Join Today! MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

Minnesota Opera’s Young Professionals Group.

14

TICKETS START AT $25 Tempo is for both new and seasoned opera-goers ages 21–45. This newly expanded program for the 2018–19 season is designed to give access to younger audiences and provide opportunities to socialize at unique, fun events.

mnopera.org/tempo


MEET THE ARTIST

MeettheArtist

ANDREW

STENSON A S FA D I N A R D

AS Determined, clever, and lucky.

What are some of the joys and challenges of performing this role? AS There is some gorgeous Italianate writing, but a LOT of text in addition to the fact that Fadinard is on stage for most of the show. Fortunately, I love this kind of a challenge and I would always prefer to be busy than bored!

What’s the best advice you received as a young singer? AS Everything you do should be in service of storytelling.

What’s the strangest or most surprising thing that has happened to you during a performance? AS When I was in Nordic Choir at Luther

College, we were doing a concert in Nauvoo, Illinois and singing this animated piece with a lot of stomping, which managed to wake up a bat in the little theater. We could all see it circling above our conductor until it zoomed towards us and you could see everyone in the middle of the choir freak out midperformance as it got close.

When did you first fall in love with opera?

Are you ready for January in the Twin Cities? Is there anything you’re excited to see or do?

AS I love telling this story! The first opera I ever saw was Carmen at MN Opera my freshman year of undergrad. I had wanted to be a music therapist, but plans changed during my first year. (Turns out I’m a terrible psychology student.) My voice professor, Karen Kanakis, suggested I go see an opera and that I should strongly consider a career in voice. I remember being totally enamored by the gorgeous music and the insane drama and I thought to myself, “This is the coolest

AS Since I’m from Minnesota, I love Minnesota winters and I’m thrilled to be home for a whole host of reasons! Many of my friends and family live in the area and I’m excited to not only spend more time with them, but also perform for them. My parents are probably more excited than I am that I’ll be performing in Minnesota and they’ve been gathering the troops. As far as I know, there is a large contingent coming up from my hometown of Rochester!

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

Describe Fadinard in three words?

thing I have ever seen; I have to do this,” and the rest is history!

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

We are so happy to have tenor Andrew Stenson making his company debut as Fadinard, a groom who spends his wedding day on the hunt for a special chapeau in Nino Rota’s The Italian Straw Hat. The Rochester, Minnesota native recently sat down with us to talk about Fadinard, falling in love with opera at the Ordway, and the excitement of performing for his hometown crowd.

15


O P E R A E D U C AT I O N

Music Out Loud is an intensive, long-term after-school music curriculum that utilizes the multimedia operatic art form as the foundation for learning. This program, its values, and teaching philosophy are influenced by El Sistema, a social development program that uses classical music as a means to teach teamwork, tenacity, and relationship building. Founded in Venezuela over 40 years ago, El Sistema is gaining momentum throughout the world as an effective, holistic, and creative approach to improving the lives of students and enriching their neighborhoods.

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

The founder of El Sistema in Venezuela, Jose Antonio Abreu, spoke eloquently and passionately about the social mission of these programs in a speech in acceptance of the TED Prize. He believes we are building a new era in the teaching of music where we are “no longer putting society at the service of art, and much less at the services of monopolies of the elite, but instead art at the service of society, at the service of

16

PHOTOS BY ERIC BROKER

the weakest, at the service of the children, at the service of the sick, at the service of the vulnerable, and at the service of all those who cry for vindication through the spirit of their human condition and the raising up of their dignity.” While hundreds of El Sistemainspired programs have successfully launched focusing on orchestral and choral music, Minnesota Opera is the first opera company in North America to use the operatic art form as the primary teaching tool. “Our approach is to deconstruct what opera education has traditionally looked like and engage students through the various components of the art form. This provides a wealth of opportunities to engage students in connecting with their passion and talents, whether it is music, design, visual art, theater, direction, composition, or production,” says MN Opera Chief Learning Officer Jamie Andrews.

He continues, “the curriculum is designed to allow all students to learn about every aspect of opera creation and production, then provide opportunities to dig deeper and hone specific skills that will prepare them for future studies and employment.” Music Out Loud is currently at Folwell Elementary School in Minneapolis, and St. Paul Music Academy in St. Paul. Classes meet 2–4 days a week for over an hour each day. Minnesota Opera is increasing the frequency of classes next school year and is looking to expand the program to additional sites throughout the Twin Cities. Music Out Loud is supported by Minnesota State Arts Board Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and Thomson Reuters. Please contact MN Opera Chief Learning Officer Jamie Andrews for more information about this wonderful program and learn how to get involved.


PROJ EC T O PE RA PRESENTS

AN D

FEB 8–9, 2019 AT THE LAB THEATER

Join us in celebrating the 15th season of Project Opera—Minnesota Opera’s youth training program—with performances of Brundibár and The Gondoliers.

Brundibár

The Gondoliers

Originally performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia, this opera portrays penniless Aninku and Pepicek who must overcome the evil organ grinder Brundibár to sing in the market square.

In Gilbert and Sullivan’s great satire of class distinctions, two young gondoliers must unexpectedly rule the kingdom until it can be determined which of them is the rightful king.

February 8, 2019 at 6pm February 9, 2019 at 11:30am and 1pm

February 8, 2019 at 7:30pm February 9, 2019 at 4pm and 6:30pm

MUSIC BY HANS KRÁSA LIBRETTO BY TONY KUSHNER

MUSIC BY ARTHUR SULLIVAN LIBRETTO BY WILLIAM SCHWENCK GILBERT

For tickets and more information, visit mnopera.org/project-opera Photos © Sigrid Redpath


Baseball s' greatest scandal ever.

M

arch 2019 brings the

owner. As tensions mount in

world premiere of The

the run-up to the World Series,

Fix, a new opera based

resentment, revenge, and

on the true story of baseball’s 1919

ambition gone awry lead eight

“Black Sox” scandal. Written by

players to conspire with gamblers

acclaimed composer Joel Puckett

in order to throw the Series to

and award-winning librettist Eric

the Cincinnati Reds. Rich with

Simonson (who also directs),

larger-than-life characters such

The Fix is the story of the 1919

as “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Ring

Chicago White Sox, who at the

Lardner, and Judge Kenesaw

time were arguably the best

Mountain Landis, The Fix is a

to be bringing this story to life with

team in the history of baseball.

tragic tale ripe with greed, power,

the amazingly supportive team at

However, they were also the most

romance, and redemption, all set

Minnesota Opera.”

poorly paid and constantly at

against the backdrop of America’s

odds with their penny-pinching

favorite pastime.

Chicago White Sox, 1918 © Heritage Auctions. From Wikimedia Commons

“It’s important to tell this incredible historic story of deception, heartbreak, and disillusionment. And I am thrilled

–Composer Joel Puckett

A N E W M A J O R L E AG U E O P E R A

MARCH 16–24 BUY TODAY Best seats and prices on Tuesday, Mar. 19.


VERDI’S

TO LIVE AND DIE FOR LOVE

MAY 4–19 BUY TODAY Soprano Nicole Cabell (pictured) returns to MN Opera as Violetta.

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

Photo © Cory Weaver for San Francisco Opera

19


B O A R D , S TA F F, + V O L U N T E E R S

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF F ICE RS Chair  |  H. Bernt von Ohlen President and General Director | Ryan Taylor Vice Chair | Nadege Souvenir Secretary | Sharon Bloodworth Treasurer | John Junek

Jeninne McGee Michael McNamara Fayneese Miller Leni Moore Kay Ness Jose Peris Bart Reed Mary H. Schrock Linda Roberts Singh David Smith Nadege Souvenir Gregory Sullivan Norrie Thomas Missy Staples Thompson Wendy Unglaub H. Bernt von Ohlen Craig Walvatne William White Margaret Wurtele

PR ES I D E N T ’ S COU NC I L Karen O. Bachman John A. Blanchard, III Rachelle D. Chase Burton Cohen Julia W. Dayton John Huss

Ruth Huss James E. Johnson Lucy Rosenberry Jones Kevin H. Smith Mary W. Vaughan

HONO RA RY D I REC TO R S Dominick Argento Philip Brunelle

VOLUNTEERS

ADMI N I ST RAT IO N

Nina Archabal

President and General Director | Ryan Taylor Creative Advisor | Dale Johnson Board Relations Director | Theresa Murray Chief Financial Officer | Steve Matheson Chief of Human Resources | Jen Thill Staff Accountant | Shannon Ratcliff Facility Manager | Steve Mittelholtz Systems Administrator | Tony Ngonekeo

Renee Brown-Goodell

AR T I ST IC

DIRECTORS Vanessa Abbe Rebecca Bernhard Sharon Bloodworth Shari Boehnen Alberto Castillo Jane Confer Jay Debertin Terrance Dolan Sidney W. Emery Maureen Harms Mary IngebrandPohlad Philip Isaacson J Jackson Diane Jacobson John C. Junek Christl Hutter Larson Mary Lazarus Robert Lee Natalie Volin Lehr

STAFF

Liz Kochiras

TEMP O L I A I SON Kara Eliason Dorsey

Chief Artistic Officer | Priti Gandhi Head of Music | Allen Perriello Company Manager | Roxanne Stouffer Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master | Andrew Whitfield Associate Conductor | Jonathan Brandani Resident Artists  |  Danielle Beckvermit, Mary Box, Adam Da Ros, Nicholas Davis, Stephen Martin, Lisa Marie Rogali, Christian Sanders, Andrew Sun, Wm. Clay Thompson, Christian Thurston

E DU C AT IO N Chief Learning Officer | Jamie Andrews Teaching Artist | Pablo Siqueiros Project Opera Music Director | Matthew Abernathy Project Opera Accompanist | Kathy Kraulik Music Out Loud Teaching Artists | Rebecca Blackwell, Sara Sawyer

DE V E LOPME NT Chief Development Officer  |  Carley M. Stuber Development Director | Mallory Roberts Institutional and Major Gifts Director | Diana Konopka Associate Events Director | Anthony Diaz Development Officer | Nickolas Sanches Development and Corporate Sponsorship Manager | Jeremie Bur Development Operations Coordinator | Jonathan Lundgren Development Coordinator | Charlotte Summers

MAR K E T ING /CO MMU NICAT IO NS Chief Marketing Officer | Darby Lunceford Marketing Director  |  Katherine L. Castille Associate Marketing Director | Kristin Matejcek Marketing Manager | Amanda Rodriguez Relationship Marketing Associate | Paige Reynolds Associate Communications Director | Eric Broker Design Manager | Kristin Backman Communications Manager | Rocky Jones Web and Digital Associate | Anthony Iverson Patron Services Director | Greg Campbell Patron Services Manager | Kevin Beckey Associate Patron Services Manager | Karl Annable Patron Services Representatives | Ronnie Allen, Emma Carpenter, Kianna Carter, Carol Corich, Henry Dykstal, Mara Lane, David Merz, Elijah Saiger

Michelle "Squeeky" Cadieux Aiden Campbell Ann Drivas Siri Drontle Judith Duncan David Earp Rihab FitzGerald Joan Gacki Diane Gerlach Ryan Gilmer Jessica Grams Merle Hanson Tim Jones Ryan Kantor Robin Keck Bebe Keith Kathleen Kitchen Alana LaBissioniere Mary Lach Jerry Lilquist Joyce Lilquist Tom Logeland Mary McDiarmid Barbara Moore Nicole Murray Doug Myhra Candace Osterkamp Heidi Pagano Pat Panshin Laura Schaubschlager Kari Shultz Mary Sheehy Wendi Sott Gina Weiner Barbara Willis

P R O DU CT IO N

TEMPO BOARD

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

OF F ICE RS

20

Chair  |  Kara Eliason Dorsey Vice Chair | Katie Eiser Secretary | Emily Engel Treasurer  |  Julia M. Wilcox Audience Development Chair | Sarah Fowler Programming Co-chair | Liz Brenner Programming Co-chair | Aimee Tritt

M EMBERS Carrie Anderson Liz Brenner Marjahn Golban Laura Green Chaffee Heber Gurrola Sarah Fowler Emily Engel Aimee Tritt

Kara Eliason Dorsey Julia M. Wilcox Katie Eiser Alison Jarzyna Luke Olson Kate Smith KT Thompson

Chief Production Officer | Karen Quisenberry Assistant Production Director | Julia Gallagher Production Stage Manager | Kerry Masek Stage Manager | Jerry K. Smith Assistant Stage Managers | Jake Fedorowski, Jamie K. Fuller Technical Director | Josh Peklo Properties Master | Jenn Maatman Lighting and Video Coordinator  |  Raymond W. Steveson Jr. Tech Lighting Assistant | Tony Stoeri Electrician | Andy Kedl Production Carpenter | JC Amel Scene Shop Foreman/Supervisor | Mark Maurer Master Carpenters  |  Nate Kulenkamp, Eric Veldey Staff Carpenter | Max Gilbert Carpenters | Connor Belting, Justin Parks, Jerry K. Smith, Madi Smith Lead Scenic Painter | Erica Zaffarano Scenic Painters | Sara Herman, Lynn Isaacson, Samantha Johns, Tina Yager Costume Director | Corinna Bohren Assistant Costume Director | Beth Sanders Tailor | Yancey Thrift Drapers  |  Katrina Benedict, Chris Bur First Hands  |  Helen Ammann, Rebecca Karstad, Kristen Weller Stitchers  |  Ann Friese, Sara Huebschen, Jadie Nelson, Brandi Mans Assistant Designer/Wardrobe Supervisor | Molly O’Gara Hair/Makeup Supervisors  |  Priscilla Bruce, Manuel Jacobo Hair/Makeup Crew  |  Lianna Colestock, Corrie Dubay

Minnesota Opera is a proud member of The Arts Partnership with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Schubert Club.


UPCOMING EVENTS

M I N N E S OTA O P E R A I N F O Minnesota Opera Patron Services 620 North First Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401 612-333-6669

Upcoming events Project Opera Presents The Gondoliers & Brundibár

Resident Artist Program Jukebox Live

FEB. 8–9

APR. 12

This season features two fully staged youth operas: The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan for our Giovani, and Brundibár by Hans Krása for the Ragazzi.

Experience a performance of opera highlights curated by the audience and sung by MN Opera Resident Artists. Come to the pre-show reception to vote for the arias of your choice in this one-ofa-kind concert! MNOPERA.ORG/COMMUNITY-EVENTS

Opera Insights Enjoy fun, free, and informative half-hour lectures, hosted by Minnesota Opera artistic staff in Ordway’s Target Atrium. Come early and get an overview of the characters and music, the historical and cultural context of the opera, and highlights to watch for during the show. MNOPERA.ORG/OPERA-INSIGHTS

Thaïs Broadcast MAR. 14, 8PM Tune in to Classical Minnesota Public Radio’s rebroadcast of 2018’s criticallyacclaimed Thaïs and listen as spiritual conviction meets earthly desire. Massenet’s sensual and melodic creation follows a devout monk seeking to convert Thaïs, a beautiful courtesan, only to have him realize his pious obsession is rooted in lust, not religion. Soprano Kelly Kaduce shines in the glamorous title role opposite baritone Lucas Meachem who smolders as the monk, Athanaël. CLASSICALMPR.ORG/LISTEN

Rigoletto Broadcast

Ticket Policies Tickets are not refundable. Subscribers may make exchanges for a different performance or opera up to one hour prior to curtain. Any ticket may be turned back for a tax-deductible donation up until curtain. Call Minnesota Opera Patron Services at 612-333-6669.

MAY 2, 8PM Verdi’s sinister tragedy returns as Classical Minnesota Public Radio rebroadcasts our 2018 production of Rigoletto, the time-honored tale of seduction and bitter revenge. Brimming with rich melodies and the famous aria “La donna è mobile,” Rigoletto tragically unfurls toward its devastating conclusion. Starring Icelandic baritone Olafur Sigurdarson as the jester Rigoletto, soprano Marie-Eve Munger as his daughter Gilda, and tenor Joshua Dennis as the dastardly Duke of Mantua. CLASSICALMPR.ORG/LISTEN

La Traviata MAY 4–19 To live and die for love. Boasting sumptuous, hummable melodies, this beloved opera is a timeless depiction of what it means to live and die for love. MNOPERA.ORG/LA-TRAVIATA

Parking Prepaid parking is available for opera patrons at the Lawson Commons Ramp. Call 612-333-6669 or visit mnopera.org to purchase passes. Accessibility For patrons with disabilities, wheelchairaccessible seats are available. Audio description will be available for select performances. Please call 612-333-6669 for details and indicate any special needs when ordering tickets. At the Ordway, accessible restrooms and other facilities are available, as well as Braille or large-print programs and infrared listening systems. For more information, please visit mnopera.org/access. Ordway Policies Ordway is a smoke-free facility. Latecomers will be seated at an appropriate break. Please have all cell phones and pagers turned to silent mode. Children under six are not permitted in the hall.

The Fix MAR. 16–24 Shoeless Joe and the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. An opera based on the notorious World Series scandal of 1919, and featuring legendary figures such as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ring Lardner, and Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. MNOPERA.ORG/THE-FIX

Cameras and recording equipment are strictly prohibited in the theater. Please check these items with an usher. Food and beverages are available for purchase prior to the show and during intermission. Water and other beverages are allowed in the theater (hot beverages require lids), but food is strictly prohibited. The phone number for emergencies is 651-224-4222. Please leave seat locations with the calling party. Lost and Found is located at the Stage Door. Call 651-282-3070 for assistance.

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

ONE HOUR PRIOR TO EACH PERFORMANCE

mnopera.org Visit mnopera.org to watch behind-thescenes videos, read synopses, browse digital programs, and more. Join our e-club to receive special offers and opera news.

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

MNOPERA.ORG/PROJECT-OPERA

Regular Hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm. Performances: Weekdays — phones open until curtain. Weekends — phones open at 2pm for evening performances and at 10:30am for matinee performances. Minnesota Opera staff will be available at the Ordway’s Box Office 90 minutes prior to curtain.

21


INDIVIDUAL GIVING

I T I S W I T H D E E P A P P R E C I AT I O N that Minnesota Opera recognizes individual donors who have made gifts to our Annual Fund, Fund-A-Dream, and Opera Innovate Now Campaign between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. Thank you for making this exceptional art come to life.

BEL CANTO CIRCLE The following lists donors who have made leadership gifts of $10,000+. For more information on Bel Canto Circle membership, please contact Diana Konopka, Institutional and Major Gifts Director, at 612-342-9565. PLATINUM Anonymous Patricia Beithon Susan S. Boren Darlene J. and Richard P. Carroll Family Fund of The Minneapolis Found Julia W. Dayton Vicki and Chip Emery William I. and Bianca M. Fine Charitable Trust Ruth and John Huss Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad

CAMERATA CIRCLE The following lists donors who have made gifts of $2,500 to $9,999. For more information on Camerata Circle membership, please contact Nickolas Sanches, Development Officer, at 612-342-9550.

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

GOLD Michael Birt Shari and David Boehnen Kenneth and Peggy Bonneville Maureen and Mike Harms Sharon Hawkins Miriam and Erwin Kelen Robert Kriel and Linda Krach Nadege J. Souvenir and Joshua A. Dorothy Julie Steiner Virginia L. and Edward C. Stringer Wendy and Paul Unglaub Natlie Volin Lehr Drs. Craig S. and Stephanie R. Walvatne

22

PATRON CIRCLE The following lists donors who have made gifts of $250 to $2,499. While space limitations allow us to list only those donors of $250 or more, we sincerely appreciate every gift. GOLD Anonymous (2) Emin and Britny Aklik Floyd Anderson Dr. and Mrs. Orn Arnar Ruth and Dale Bachman Christopher Beaudet Carl and Joan Behr Barbara S. Belk David Bjork and Jeff Bengston

Lucy Rosenberry Jones and James E. Johnson John and Kathleen Junek Mary Vaughan C. Angus* and Margaret Wurtele Wayne Zink and Christopher Schout

GOLD Anonymous Allegro Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation Alexandra Bjorklund Mary and Gus Blanchard Jane M. and Ogden W. Confer Terrance and Susan Dolan Sara and Jock Donaldson Mr. and Mrs. Philip Isaacson Mary Ash and Barry Lazarus Kendrick B. Melrose Donor Advised Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Leni and David Moore Jr./ Moore Family Fund for the Arts of The Minneap Kay Ness and Chris Wolohan Elizabeth Redleaf Jesse and Linda Singh

Missy Staples Thompson and Gar Hargens H. Bernt von Ohlen and W. Thomas Nichol Elaine J. Wold

SILVER Nina and John* Archabal Sharon Bloodworth and Barrett Johnson Will and Margee Bracken Ann and Glenn Buttermann Susan Calmenson and Vince Leo Ellie Crosby – The Longview Foundation Jay and Rebecca Debertin Robert L. Lee and Mary E. Schaffner Luis Pagan-Carlo and Joseph Sammartino Connie and Lew Remele Paul and Mary Reyelts BRONZE Karen Bachman Stephen and Margaret Blake Mrs. Susan DeNuccio Mr. and Mrs. William Frels

Judith Garcia Galiana and Alberto Castillo Beverly N. Grossman Jeannie Holmes Dorothy Horns and James Richardson Kimberly and George Hudachek Diane and Paul Jacobson Warren and Patty Kelly Margaret V. Kinney Dr. Tom Knabel and Kent Allin Kyle Kossol and Tom Becker Christl and Andrew Larson Kenyon S. Latham Eric and Celita Levinson Jeninne McGee Jose Peris and Diana Gulden Rehael Fund – Roger Hale/Nor Hall of The Minneapolis Foundation Mary H. and Christian G. Schrock Greg Sullivan and Annie Frazer Mr. John L. Sullivan Dr. Norrie Thomas Mrs. Joanne Von Blon William White The Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Foundation

SILVER Martha and Bruce Atwater Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation William Biermaier and David Hanson Jan Conlin and Gene Goetz Page and Jay Cowles Gail Fiskewold Dr. Richard Gregory Susanne Haas and Ross Formell Norton Hintz* and Mary Abbe Anna Kokayeff Ilo and Margaret Leppik Diana Lee Lucker Harvey Thomas McLain Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Moore Sandy and Bob Morris Sarah and Rolf Peters Margaret Poyner Galbraith Barton and Kimberly Reed Ken and Nina Rothchild Mahlon and Karen Schneider David Smith Dr. Andrew J. Thomas Stephanie C. Van D’Elden Charles Allen Ward Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation

BRONZE An Anonymous Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Anonymous (2) Richard Allendorf Dan and Martha Goldberg Aronson Thomas and Ann Bagnoli Michelle Blaeser Laurie Carlson and William Voedisch Rusty and Burt Cohen Gisela Corbett and Peter Hyman Thomas and Mary Lou Detwiler Ralph D. Ebbott Joyce and Hugh Edmondson Ann Fankhanel Patricia R. Freeburg Woessner Freeman Family Foundation Michele Harris and Peter Tanghe Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrison Linda and Jack Hoeschler Jean McGough Holten Dr. Arthur and Fran Horowitz J. David Jackson Hubert Joly Janet N. Jones Robert and Susan Josselson

Lyndel and Blaine King Robert and Venetia Kudrle David MacMillan and Judy Krow Dorothy and Roy Mayeske Velia R. Melrose Kay Phillips and Jill Mortensen Betty Myers From the Family of Richard C. and Elizabeth B. Longfellow Debra Paterson Sally and Thomas Patterson Mrs. William S. Phillips John and Sandra Roe Foundation Thomas D. and Nancy J. Rohde James and Andrea Rubenstein Janet and Bill Schaeder Frank and Lynda Sharbrough Ryan Taylor Jill and John Thompson Debra R. Ting Drs. Greg Weber and James Barnett Ellen M. Wells Nancy and Ted Weyerhaeuser David Wilson and Michael Peterman Carolyn, Sharon, and Clark Winslow

Ed and Mimi Bohrer Drs. Eli and Jan Briones Debra Brooks and James Meunier Stephen Bubul and Lee Lewis Scott Cabalka Joan and George Carlson Barb and Jeff Couture Mike and Stacey Crosby – The Longview Foundation Stephen Davis and Murray Thomas Jean Detrick and Eldon Feist Cy and Paula DeCosse Fund Charles M. Denny Jr. and Carol E. Denny Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Maureen and John Drewitz Joan Duddingston David Dudycha and Dorothy Vawter Laura and Tim Edman Holli and Stefan Egerstrom Rondi Erickson

Kathryn Fernholz Brian M. Finstad Salvatore Silvestri Franco Dayne and Ember Frank James and Teddy Gesell Heidi and Howard Gilbert Marsha and Richard Gould Mrs. Myrtle Grette Jennifer Gross Thomas and Mary Gross Bruce and Jean Grussing Bill Gullickson Roger and Karen Hale Marion and Donald Hall Anne Marie and Larry Halvorson Nancy A. Harris Don Helgeson and Sue Shepard Shirley Hogan Hod Irvine Barbara Jenkins Dale A. Johnson

Bryce and Paula Johnson Jane and Jim Kaufman Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Andrea M. Kircher Mrs. James S. Kochiras Constance and Daniel Kunin James and Gail LaFave Laurence and Jean LeJeune Natalie Levin and Stephen Gilberstadt Virginia Levy Benjamin Y. H. and Helen C. Liu William F. Long William Lough and Barbara Pinaire James W. Lund Carolyn Mayo Barbara McBurney Helen McCrossan Gina and Sean McDermott Eileen and Lester Meltzer James Meunier


OPERA THAT TRANSFORMS Minnesota Opera is excited to announce our new and improved Monthly Giving program! With your support at any level, MN Opera can continue its mission of creating great art on the stage and in the community. Last year alone, MN Opera donors made it possible for 19,000 children and retirees to participate in our engagement programs, brought 42,000 people to our mainstage performances, and served more than 600,000 people from Greater Minnesota. Here’s how you can support our artists through Monthly Giving:

$5

/ month

Provide sheet music for a singer

$10

/ month

Support a week of Music Out Loud for a student

$100

$25

/ month

$50

/ month

Bring a Teaching Artist into a school classroom for a day

Provide a month of voice lessons for a Resident Artist

/ month

Bring more than 120 students to a performance

With your support, we can reach beyond the stage and have a lasting impact in the community.

Visit mnopera.org/monthly to donate and view the many benefits of giving. Thank you to all MN Opera donors. You have made exceptional opera in Minnesota possible! La Bohème, 2017 © Dan Norman.


INDIVIDUAL GIVING

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

LaVonne Middleton Thomas P. Murtha and Stefanie A. Lenway Joan and Richard Newmark Brandon and Melissa Novy Ben and Lynn Oehler Derill Pankow James A. Payne Suzanne and William Payne Suzanne and Rick Pepin Milo Pinkerton Mary and Robert Price Sarah Rockler Leland T. Lynch and Terry Saario Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Christine Sagstetter Sampson Family Charitable Foundation Mahlon and Karen Schneider Fred and Gloria Sewell Gale Sharpe Cherie and Robert Shreck Stephanie Simon Kevin and Lynn Smith Daniel J. Spiegel Family Foundation Don and Leslie Stiles Dana and Stephen Strand Ruth Stricker Dayton Carley, Bill, Kirsten, and Carolyn Stuber Vern Sutton Jean Thomson Dorothy E. Vawter Neal Viemeister and Virginia Kirby G. Marc and Tracy Whitehead Jeff and Joe Wiemiller John W. Windhorst Jr.

24

SILVER Anonymous (3) Thomas O. Allen Arlene and Tom Alm Katherine Anderson Jane and Jamie Andrews Jean P Antonello August J. Aquila and Emily Haliziw Steve and Sharon Bachman Jo and Gordon Bailey Family Fund of the Catholic Community Foundation Rebecca D. Arons and Thomas J. Basting Jr. Bryan and Karin Bearss Mr. and Mrs. Judson Bemis, Jr. Gerald and Phyllis Benson John and Cindy Beukema Martin and Patricia Blumenreich Larry Brandts Cheryl Brown Thomas and Joyce Bruckner Juliet Bryan and Jack Timm Julie Bucknam Jimmy Burnett Margaret Carlson Ann Marie and Jim Collins Brenda Colwill Susan and Richard Crockett Helen and John Crosson Peter Davis and Pamela Webster Danny Della Lana and Steve Hall Bruce and Melanie Flessner William W. and Susan G. Gerberich Mark Gilberstadt Walt and Raeanna Gislason Billie Glade Ellen D. Grace Charles Hample Russell and Priscilla Hankins Elfrieda Hintze John Hogie Burton and Sandra Hoverson Ray Jacobsen Nancy Jones Erika Kahler

Beverly Kasper Mary L. Kenzie Foundation Carole and Joseph Killpatrick Robert and Barbara Kueppers Cynthia and Lawrence Lee William and Gloria Levin Jonathan and Lisa Lewis David and Anna Linder Ruth W. Lyons Donald and Rhoda Mains Stuart and Martha Mason Steve Matheson Laura McCarten Kris and Bill McGrath Deb and Jon McTaggart Judith and James Mellinger Steven J. Mittelholtz David E. and Judy L. Myers Lucia Newell and Steven Wiese Kathleen and Stephen Olsen Ruth and Ahmad Orandi Dede Ouren Lana K. Pemberton Jane M. Persoon Carol Peterson Marge and Dwight Peterson Walter Pickhardt and Sandra Resnick Karen Quisenberry Joel Rainville and Kyle Olson Lawrence M. Redmond Scott and Courtney Rile Bryn Roberts and Marcy Jefferson Ann M. Rock Bob Rose Liane A. Rosel Christopher Ross Enrique and Clara Rotstein Marian R. Rubenfeld and Frederick G. Langendorf Mary Savina Jon L. Schasker and Debbie Carlson Richard and Carol Seaberg Morris and Judith Sherman Bernie and Juliana Simmons Madeline Simon Rhonda Skoby Linda Soranno and Howard Bolter Jon Spoerri and Debra Christgau Sharon and Thomas Stoffel Warren Stortroen Craig and Janet Swan Michael Symeonides and Mary Pierce David and Jennifer Thomas Katharine E. Thomas Josephine Trubek Marcelo Valdes Kenneth and Kathryn Valentas Cindy and Steven Vilks Elaine Walker Susan Weinsheimer Elizabeth Wexler Deborah Wheeler Barbara White Frank and Frances Wilkinson John M. Williams Barbara and James Willis

BRONZE Anonymous (2) Paul and Val Ackerman Joy K. and J.C. Amel Joshua David Anderson Rolf T. Anderson Jerry Artz Kay C. Bach Susanne and Johan Bakken James and Gail Bakkom Jill and Thomas Barland Longine Beck Sharla and Mark Beithon Bender Vocal Studio Kenneth J. Berglund Sharon Bigot Neil and Tara Bizily

become a donor

David and Diane Blake William and Barbara Brauer Allen Brookins-Brown Roger and Ronnie Brooks Joan Broughton Renee Campion and David Walsh Alan E. and Ruth Carp Katherine L. Castille Laura Green Chaffee and Matthew Chaffee Shawna Clark Wanda and David Cline Herbert Colwill Michael Connaughton and Marya Dwyer Virginia and Marc Conterato Jeanne E. Corwin Shana Crosson and John Gisselquist James and Denise D’Aurora Mary Davidson Anthony Diaz Thomas Doran Kara and Sean Dorsey Sheryl Ebert Noah Eisenberg Leah and Ian Evison Craig Feathers and Amy Kolan George A Ferguson, III Charlie and Anne Ferrell Jinnet Fowles Terence Fruth and Mary McEvoy Family Fund of The Minneapolis Foundatio Carol and Mike Garbisch Greta and Paul Garmers Mark Giga James Glazier Richard and Susan Goldman Laura Green David Groth Andrew and Tina Grzeskowiak Laurie Hacking Kathleen Hannon John Heer Stefan and Lonnie Helgeson Rosmarie and John Helling Mary K. Hicks Arthur and Joan Higinbotham Clifton and Sharon Hill Andrew and Gary Whitford Holey Stuart Holland Mr. Darius Homayounphur Mark and Kathleen Humphrey David Ingbar Guillermo Irisarri Mark and Jeanne Jacobson Deborah and Ronald Jans Alison Jarzyna Clayton Jelinek Charlie Johnson Kristine Kaplan Ed and Martha Karels James and Kathleen Karges Michael and Sheue Keenan Scott and Michelle Kegler Barry and Cheryl Kempton Janice Kimes Dr. Daniel and Kerry Kincaid Amy Kolan Nathan Kulenkamp James and Gail LaFave Scott and Karla Lalim Beatrice H. Langford Jeanne and John LeFevre Daniel Lepow Darby Lunceford and Todd Wright Holly MacDonald and John Orbison Stuart MacGibbon Dr. Joan E. Madden Vaciela Manos Kristin and Jim Matejcek Sean McAleer Mary McEvoy

Ehren McGeehan Harry McNeely Sam Meals Laurel and David Mech Adele Mehta Curtis and Verne Melberg John L. Michel and H. Berit Midelfort Eldon and Anne Miller Virginia Miller James Miner Jodi and Michael Mooney Michael K Narusiewicz Mina Fisher and Fritz Nelson Merritt C. Nequette and Nancy Hartung Patricia A. O’Gorman Scott J. Pakudaitis Julia and Brian Palmer Kathy and Don Park Allen Perriello Carol Peterson Judith Pettit Anne and John Polta Bertrand and Nancy Poritsky Nicole and Charles Prescott Kevin Puts Dennis M. Ready Sara Reed Ann Richter Mallory A. Roberts David and J. Susan Robertson Robert E. Rocknem Ronald Roed Michael and Tamara Root Daniel Roth Nickolas Sanches Julia Sand Sandra Larson Terry Sandven Mischa Santora Kate Saumur Joan Semmer Beatrice C. Sexton Mary Shamrock Emily and Daniel Shapiro Kevin Shores and Kevin Winge Kathleen K. Simo Arthur and Marilynn Skantz Joseph and Susan Sorrentino Michael Steffes Dr. David M. Steinhaus Donna Stephenson Anne and Nick Stukas Susan Swanson Dan and Erika Tallman Joyce Thielen Robert and Barbara Thomasson Laura Thompson and Christopher Stewart Susan Truman Jessica Vanyo Catherine Vesley John Vilandre Harry Walsh David L. Ward Stephanie Wexler Greg and Ellen Weyandt John and Sandra White J. Andrew and Gary S. Whitford Holey Wendy Wildung James Wire Ron Zweber and Peter Scott * in remembrance

and bring innovative opera productions to life. Visit mnopera.org/support to give online.

THANK YOU!


SPECIAL GIVING

through their foresight and generosity, have included the Opera in their wills or estate plans. Anonymous (4) Norton Hintz* and Mary Abbe Paul and Val Ackerman Thomas Allen Cordelia Anderson and John Humleker Dr. and Mrs. Rolf Andreassen* Mary A. Andres Anonymous Karen Bachman Thomas and Ann Bagnoli Randolph G. Baier* Mrs. Harvey O. Beek* Patricia Beithon Barbara and Sandi Bemis* Dr. Lee A. Borah, Jr.* Susan S. Boren Al Bradley C.T. Bundy II Margaret M. Carasik Joan and George Carlson Robin J. Carpenter*

NAMED ENDOWMENT FUNDS The following endowment funds, created by visionary and generous donors, continue the work of Minnesota Opera for future generations. Barbara White Bemis Fund for Artistic Enhancement To enhance the quality of performances by providing funds to engage singers who have received awards through the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The appearances of Danielle Beckvermit, grand finalist; Siena

COMMEMORATIVE GIFTS The following lists donors who have made gifts in honor or in memory of a loved one between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 IN HONOR OF:

Matthew Abernathy Dale Borgeson Floyd R. Anderson Nina Archabal Karen Finseth

David Bjork and Jeff Bengston David W. Schwarz

Alexandra Bjorklund Elaine J. Wold

Corinna Bohren and the MN Opera Costume Department Anonymous

Shelli Chase Luis Pagan-Carlo and Joseph Sammartino

Jane Confer Ruth and John Huss Ann Friese Tess Habermann

Eric John Halvorson Sandra M. LeBlanc Dale A. Johnson Dawn M. Loven Jamie and Jane Andrews Lisa Butcher Mark Campbell Katherine L. Castille

Darlene J. and Richard P. Carroll Julia and Dan Cross Julia W. Dayton Charles M. Denny Jr. and Carol E. Denny George* and Susan Doty Rudolph Driscoll* Anne P. Ducharme Rondi Erickson and Sandy Lewis Ester Fesler Daniel Freeman Dr. Paul Froeschl Katy Gaynor Nettie Grabscheid* Robert* and Ellen Green Dr. Ieva M. Grundmanis* Michelle Hackett Russell and Priscilla Hankins Julia Hanna* Frederick J. Hey, Jr.* Elfrieda Hintze Jean McGough Holten Charles J. Hudgins* Ruth Jones* Charles and Sally Jorgensen Robert and Susan Josselson Charlotte* and Markle Karlen Mary H. Keithahn Warren and Patty Kelly Margaret Kilroe Trust*

Forest, Lisa Marie Rogali, Christian Sanders, Andrew Stenson, and Victoria Vargas, regional finalists; Stephen Martin and Christian Thurston, district finalists of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera Endowment Fund established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis.

Daniel E. Freeman Endowment Fund To support Minnesota Opera’s education programs.

Dolly Fiterman Fund for New Production Opera Design To support the creation of new productions by proving funds to engage designers and create new sets.

Rachelle Chase and John Feldman Sara and Jock Donaldson Karen Finseth Brenda A Harris Ruth and A. Huss Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Diane and Paul Jacobson Janice and William Kimes Robert and Venetia Kudrle Mary and Barry Lazarus Dawn M. Loven Kristin and Jim Matejcek Leni and David Moore Theresa and Jim Murray Kay Ness Jose Peris and Diana Gulden Joel Puckett Kevin Puts Barton and Kimberly Reed Andrea and James Rubenstein Nickolas David Sanches Mahlon and Karen Schneider Roxanne Stouffer Cruz Carley and Bill Stuber Jennifer Thill Bernt von Ohlen and Thomas Nichol Andy Wilkowske Lani Willis and Joel Spoonheim Margaret Wurtele Adriana J. Zabala

Kelly Kaduce Dan Morris

Winston Kaehler Peter and Anne Wildenborf

Velia Melrose Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation

Coreen Nordling Brian and Jane Grivna

Charlotte J. Prentice Dr. Azizollah Arabkhazaeli Faezeh and Khalid Effendi Carol Garcia

Lyndel and Blaine King Gretchen Klein* Sally and Bill Kling Gisela Knoblauch* Liz and Jim Krezowski Robert Kriel and Linda Krach Robert and Venetia Kudrle Helen L. Kuehn* Robert "Jim" J. Lawser, Jr. Jean Lemberg* Joyce and Jerry Lillquist Dawn M. Loven David Mayo Barbara and Thomas* McBurney Mary McDiarmid Mildred McGonagle* Mary Bigelow McMillan* Sheila McNally* Mrs. Walter Meyers* John L. Michel and H. Berit Midelfort Susan Molder* Edith Mueller* Kay Ness Richard and Joan Newmark Scott J. Pakudaitis Derrill Pankow Mrs. William S. Phillips Phyllis Price Brian and Trish Huberty Prokosch

Richard G.* and Liane A. Rosel Ken and Nina Rothchild Mary Savina Josef Schermann Frank and Lynda Sharbrough Robert Shearer and Joan Gustafson Drew Stewart Gregory Swinehart and Mitra Walter Anthony Thein Stephanie C. Van D'Elden Mary Vaughan H. Bernt von Ohlen and W. Thomas Nichol Jean C. Wirsig* Richard Zgodava* William White Philip Oxman and Harvey Zuckman

Founders Endowment Fund

Valerie and Paul Ackerman Endowment Fund

To support new and innovate opera performances that honor the spirit, energy, and creativity of the founders in the beginning days of the Center Opera.

Joan Jacobs Rubenfeld Memorial Fund To support the attendance of high school students at MN Opera performances.

Minnesota Opera Center Preservation Fund To support Opera Center building improvements. The Preservation Fund recognizes the legacies of Judson Bemis and Kevin Smith, who through their leadership created the Opera Center.

Mervyn and Margiolina Hough Reza and Suzette Foroozan Yazdani

Scott and Courtney Rile Sarah L. Irwin

Ryan Taylor Ruth and John Huss

Fr. Michael Tegeder Carol C. Dittberner

J. & I. Zerhusen Kirsten Zerhusen

IN MEMORY OF:

Connie Barnett Joan Knudtson

Arlene B. Bryant Maureen and John Drewitz

Dr. Nathan H. and Blanche Camm Barbara Leslie Camm

Maria M. Donovan Carolyn Mayo

Harold and Winnie Doran A. Brian Doran

Lucas Ernst George Ferguson

Edward Foreman, bass Dr. Gilliam Horrocks

Helen Hines Maureen and John Drewitz

Martha Kaemmer Cheryl Brown Art and Marther Kaemmer Fund of the HRK Foundation MAHADH Fund of the HRK Foundation Jeffrey Masco

* in remembrance

For more information on making estate plan arrangements, please contact Mallory Roberts, Development Director, at 612-342-9566.

To support the attendance of youth at Minnesota Opera performances.

Virginia L. Stringer Endowment of the Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program To support the Resident Artist Program. The appearance of the Resident Artists in this production is made possible this endowment fund.

William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education and Outreach Programs To support Minnesota Opera’s education and outreach programs

Herbert Kahler Nicholas Butler

Tim Leahy Pamela Brophy Mary Finstad Mary Flowers Annie Foley Rick Gilmore Daniel Hollihan Judith A. Johnson Dennis M. Leahy Paula Leahy Mark Mallander Edward Ophelan Laurel Pohtilla June Rodysill Gretchen Shanight

Jerry LeFevre Jennifer Gross

Sara Livshitz Mikhailenko Family

Minnesota Opera is a nonprofit charitable organization that relies on your support.  •  mnopera.org/donate

The following lists donors who,

Diana E. Murphy Emily Brower Sara and Jock Donaldson Miriam and Erwin Kelen Judy Lebedoff and Hugh Klein Mary Krska Edward Kuske Paul A. Magnuson United States District Court of Minnesota Mary Vaughan Dan Weiner Ann C. Williams

Jon L. Schasker Debbie Carlson

Audrey Stottler Lila Olson

Ruth Wallentine

THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT  2018–19

LEGACY CIRCLE

Maureen and John Drewitz

Ann M. Wilhelmy Anonymous

25


INSTITUTIONAL GIVING MINNESOTA OPERA G R A T E F U L LY A C K N O W L E D G E S ITS MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTERS: $ 1 0 0,0 0 0  +

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of the HRK Foundation THE ANDREW W.

MELLON FOUNDATION

$ 50,0 0 0   –  $ 9 9, 9 9 9

$ 2 5,0 0 0   –  $ 49, 9 9 9

$ 1 0,0 0 0   –  $ 24, 9 9 9

Rahr Foundation

Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation

MAHADH Fund of the HRK Foundation

MINNESOTA OPERA  MNOPERA.ORG

$5,0 0 0  – $9,999

26

The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc. Boss Foundation Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation Dellwood Foundation Ernst & Young Faegre Baker Daniels Anna M. Heilmaier Charitable Foundation Hutter Family Foundation

Hardenbergh Foundation

Mayo Clinic Rahr Corporation RBC Wealth Management Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner P.A. St. Paul Cultural STAR Thomson Reuters Travelers Foundation Twin Cities Opera Guild Xcel Energy

$ 2 , 50 0   –  $ 4, 9 9 9

$ 2 50   –  $ 2 , 49 9

Anonymous Amphion Foundation Kitselman Foundation Margaret Rivers Fund Peravid Foundation The Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation Tennant Foundation

Anonymous Ernst & Young LLP Enterprise Holdings Foundation Great River Energy McVay Foundation Onan Family Foundation Romanaggi Foundation USI Insurance Services

For more information about making a corporate or foundation contribution to Minnesota Opera, please contact Diana Konopka at dkonopka@mnopera.org or 612-342-9565.

MINNESOTA OPERA SPONSORS SEASON SPONSOR

OFFICIAL MAKE-UP PARTNER

OFFICIAL HOTEL OF MINNESOTA OPERA

IN-KIND

MEDIA PARTNER


Meet Russell Toscano: Former teacher of art & drama, former actor & director, currently the artistic director / floral mentor of Wisteria Design Studio. He refers to himself as a die-hard theater geek, home chef, travel enthusiast, and eyewear freak. We admit to being unrepentant enablers of his eyewear fetish.

See Different Love Can Tell A Million Stories

Uptown, New Brighton, Burnsville Center and Grand Avenue

B R O A D WAY 2 0 1 8 | 2 0 1 9 Love Can Tell A Million Stories

FEB 19–242019 Love

T H E L I N C O L N C E N T E R T H E A T E R P R O Can D U CTell TION OF

Love Can Tell A Million Stories

A Million Stories

APR 2–72019

JUN 12–232019 AN ORDWAY ORIGINAL

6 5 1 . 2 24 . 4 2 2 2 T T Y 6 5 1 . 2 8 2 . 3 1 0 0

Spamalot sponsored by

Broadway Series sponsored by

JUL 23–AUG 112019

Bat Out of Hell presented by

Generous support for 42nd Street is provided by Marcia L. Morris This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.


An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry and the Minnesota Orchestra

Sat Mar 9 8pm Sarah Hicks, conductor

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony Award-winning vocalist from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, as she performs original songs based on the poetry of Maya Angelou as well as a selection of Broadway standards.

TICKETS START AT $35

612-371-5656 / minnesotaorchestra.org / Orchestra Hall

#mnorch


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.