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CONTENTS
PROGRAM INFORMATION
8 A Coffin in Egypt 13 Frederica von Stade 14 Program Notes 16 Composer Ricky Ian Gordon 17 Librettist/Director Leonard Foglia 18 Artists Bios 21 Opera on the Mall 28 Composer in Residence 31 ANDY: A Popera Showcase is published by Kimmel Center, Inc. 1500 Walnut Street, 17th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-790-5800 / Fax: 215-790-5801 www.kimmelcenter.org
OPERA PHILADELPHIA GENERAL INFORMATION
4 Letter from the Chairman
5 Board of Directors 6 Welcome from the General Director 23 Leadership Support and Major Gifts 25 Annual Fund Support 30 Administration
For information about advertising in Showcase, contact Joe Ciresi at 215-790-5884. Photos: Lynn Lane for Houston Grand Opera
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FROM
THE CHAIRMAN Dear Friends, Welcome back to the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater and to the East Coast Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Leonard Foglia’s A Coffin in Egypt, based on the drama by legendary playwright Horton Foote. The Aurora Series has been the site of a number of firsts at Opera Philadelphia since it began in 2009, including the American Premiere of Henze’s Phaedra in 2011 and the launch of our American Repertoire Program in 2012 with Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters. This time next year, we will all gather here to enjoy the first Opera Philadelphia World Premiere in nearly 40 years, with Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD by composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette A. Wimberly. This month, we welcome the very first appearance on an Opera Philadelphia stage by the legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, who believed so strongly in A Coffin in Egypt that she was willing to be lured out of retirement to take on the tourde-force role of Myrtle Bledsoe. All of us at Opera Philadelphia have been enthusiastic about A Coffin in Egypt ever since Lenny Foglia, who directed Mr. Foote’s original play and pulls double duty as librettist and director of the opera, first brought it to our attention as a possible coproduction with Houston Grand Opera. It was fitting that the opera made its World Premiere in March, a mere hour away from Mr. Foote’s native Wharton, Texas, and in April it thrilled the West Coast as the first opera staged in the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. We are delighted that you are here with us to enjoy this third production from the American Repertoire Program, as we continue to mark more firsts in the Aurora Series. Best,
DANIEL K. MEYER, M.D. CHAIRMAN
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., Chairman David B. Devan*, President Frederick P. Huff, Vice Chair Joel M. Koppelman, Vice Chair Alice Strine, Esq., Vice Chair Scott F. Richard, Secretary Thomas Mahoney, Treasurer Stephen A. Madva, Esq., Chairman Emeritus
Benjamin Alexander
Ellen Berman Lee
Alice Strine, Esq.
Sandra Baldino
Gabriele Lee
Kenneth R. Swimm
F. Joshua Barnett, M.D., J.D.
Peter Leone
Maria Trafton
Willo Carey
Stephen A. Madva, Esq.
Charlotte Watts
Nicholas Chimicles, Esq.
Thomas Mahoney
Donna Wechsler
Ady L. Djerassi, M.D.
Daniel K. Meyer, M.D.
Ehab Hammad
Agnes Mulroney
Honorary Members
Mark Hankin
Scott F. Richard
Dennis Alter
Frederick P. Huff
Harold Rosenbluth
Alan B. Miller
Caroline Kennedy
Stephen G. Somkuti, M.D.
H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest
Joel M. Koppelman
Jonathan H. Sprogell
Beverly Lange, M.D.
James B. Straw
List as of April, 2014 *Ex officio
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WELCOME Dear Friends, One of the reasons the Perelman Theater is an ideal home for chamber opera is that it allows us to form a personal connection with great artistry. We are honored to present consummate artist Frederica von Stade as she creates a new role for the operatic canon in A Coffin in Egypt. That is the magic of the Aurora Series. Composer Ricky Ian Gordon and director-librettist Leonard Foglia have created an intimate score and an elegant setting that beautifully showcase Flicka, giving her the space and range to tell the story of Myrtle Bledsoe, a ninetyyear-old woman who is looking back on the events of her complicated life. We feel as though we are sitting on the porch next to Myrtle, sharing in her anger and resentment, reliving her triumphs and tragedies, and struggling right along with her to come to grips with all of it. It is a beautiful character study, and in the course of the 80-minute opera we are provided with a special opportunity to connect with one of the most revered singers of our time. Working with incredible artists like Flicka to create complex and compelling characters like Myrtle is the great joy of curating the Aurora Series. Through our American Repertoire Program, we continue to explore more opportunities to connect our audiences with artists on an intimate scale. This time next season, we’ll join the great tenor Lawrence Brownlee on this stage as he confronts the demons of a legendary musician in the World Premiere of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD by Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette A. Wimberly. None of these explorations with opera would be possible without generous “venture philanthropists” like The Wyncote Foundation, underwriter of the Aurora Series, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, underwriter of our Composer in Residence program (see story on page 28). We salute their leadership along with the generosity of supporters like Dr. Heidi L. Kolberg and Board member Dr. F. Joshua Barnett, underwriters of Frederica von Stade’s performance. Sincerely,
D AV I D B . D E VA N GENERAL DIRECTOR & PRESIDENT @ddevan
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OPERA PHILADELPHIA
A Coffin in Egypt A Chamber Opera in One Act Based on A Coffin in Egypt, a play by Horton Foote East Coast Premiere Approximate runtime is 80 minutes with no intermission
Music Ricky Ian Gordon Text Leonard Foglia
Conductor Timothy Myers*
Director Leonard Foglia* Set & Costume Design Riccardo Hernรกndez*
LIghting Design Brian Nason* Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden Wig & Makeup Design Glenna Williamson
The Aurora Series is underwritten by the Wyncote Foundation. Production underwritten in part by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.
*Opera Philadelphia debut
A Coffin in Egypt CAST THE
MYRTLE BLEDSOE Frederica von Stade* HUNTER BLEDSOE David Matranga* ELSIE/CLERK Carolyn Johnson* JESSIE LYDELL Kate Bianco* CAPTAIN LAWSON Ben Sheaffer* GOSPEL QUARTET Veronica Chapman-Smith Julie-Ann Green Taiwan Norris Frank Mitchell
*Opera Philadelphia debut
Frederica von Stade's performance is made possible by Dr. Heidi L. Kolberg and Dr. F. Joshua Barnett
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OPERA PHILADELPHIA ARTISTIC Assistant Director Director............... Keturah Stickann Assistant Conductor & Principal Pianist .......... Bénédicte Jourdois
Musical Assistant............... Linda Henderson Supertitle Operator............. Tony Solitro
PRODUCTION/TECHNICAL Technical Director .............. Christopher Hanes Costume Director ............... Millie Hiibel Stage Manager .................. Janet Neukirchner Properties Coordinator........ John Bryant Master Electrician ............. David Cecil Properties .......................... Paul Lodes Flyman .............................. John Damiani
Assistant Electrician ......... William Hennessy Technical Production Manager.......................... Drew Billiau Assistant Lighting Designer.......................... Chris Frey Assistant Stage Manager ... Sara Prince
Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Co-production with Houston Grand Opera and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Horton Foote's dramatic stage play A Coffin in Egypt Egypt, upon which the opera is based, is owned by Sunday Rock Corporation Projected surtitles written by Leonard Foglia Opera Philadelphia performs at the Academy of Music and the Perelman Theater, and is a Resident Company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. All photography and video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. A Commitment to Safety: The safety and comfort of visitors, artists, volunteers, and staff at the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts are of paramount importance. In the event of an emergency, audience members will be advised of appropriate procedures by usher and security staffs. At this time, please take note of the exit nearest you. A red, illuminated EXIT sign should be visible, with an arrow indicating the direction of the exit door. Should an emergency arise, you will be directed to leave the auditorium and further instructions will be provided as to the safest and quickest way to exit the building. Patrons who need special assistance should contact an usher.
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FREDERICA VON STADE Opera Philadelphia Debut Described by The New York Times as “one of America’s finest artists and singers,” Frederica von Stade continues to be extolled as one of the music world’s most beloved figures. Known to family, friends, and fans by her nickname “Flicka,” the mezzosoprano has enriched the world of classical music for four decades. Flicka began her career when Sir Rudolf Bing offered her a contract during the Metropolitan Opera auditions. Since her Met debut in 1970, she has sung nearly all of her great roles with that company. In January 2000, the Met celebrated the 30th anniversary of her debut with a new production of The Merry Widow specifically for her, and in 1995, as a celebration of her 25th anniversary, the Met created for her a production of Pelléas et Mélisande. She has appeared with every leading American opera company; new productions have been mounted for her at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera. Her repertoire encompasses bel canto (the heroines of La cenerentola and The Barber of Seville), the French mezzo roles (Mignon, Périchole, Marguerite, and Mélisande), and, of course, trouser roles (Octavian, Sesto, Idamante, and Cherubino). She has created a number of roles in new works, including
Tina in The Dallas Opera’s world premiere production of Dominick Argento’s The Aspern Papers (a work written for her), as well as the role of Madame de Merteuil in Conrad Susa’s The Dangerous Liaisons and Mrs. Patrick De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, both for San Francisco Opera. In 1998, she was awarded France’s highest honor in the Arts when she was appointed as an officer of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 1983 she was honored with an award given at The White House by President Reagan in recognition of her significant contribution to the arts.
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PROGRAM NOTES BY RICKY IAN GORDON AND LEONARD FOGLIA
W
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hen I read Horton Foote’s play A Coffin in Egypt, I thought it was kind of gothic. I loved the concept of this ninety-year-old woman, Myrtle Bledsoe, looking back on her life and trying to resolve all of her sorrow, regret, resentment, and anger. It felt immediately like the “stuff” of opera. As a reflection of her age, Myrtle keeps repeating things, and I knew that would be a good thing musically. I could repeat musical themes throughout the piece and sometimes mutate them as if a mind is playing with them. The gospel music element is integral to this work, and I knew pretty early that I wanted to write it myself. But I wasn’t sure how I wanted to handle it—perhaps record the music and then overlay it with the sound of the prairie, wind, and birds. One night I woke up at
around 4:00 in the morning—this is sort of the witching hour for me. I suddenly “heard” the opening of the piece, which is the gospel song “Step Back,” and I got up and went to the keyboard, and I wrote it down. As soon as I began writing, I realized that the gospel songs had to be live, and that’s when we added a gospel quartet. When HGO first approached me, this was to be a one-woman piece for Frederica von Stade, but Lenny decided to write actors into the show to take on the parts of family members. So now, with a gospel quartet and actors, the piece became bigger. We did a workshop last June, and Lenny and I thought we needed more gospel songs, so we wrote two more while we were there. Then, in December we came together again and a wonderful thing
happened. Lenny had written this beautiful little monologue for Flicka. He’d actually taken it from the play where she’s painting trees and talking about the trees she’s painting. During the workshop, Flicka was speaking the monologue, and I said, “You guys, don’t be mad at me, but I think that’s an aria.” They both agreed, so I went home and wrote it that night, and we put it in the next day. The orchestration is very transparent. The effect I was going for is almost an evanescent quality, like the piece is about to disappear the way the story is about to disappear in Myrtle’s head. I’ve heard Flicka’s voice since I was a child—she’s been singing since I grew to love singing—so it was easy for me to write for her. The piece fits her like a glove. There’s an aria towards the end of the piece when she sings, “If I could choose one day to do over, do you know what it would be? One of those clear spring days when I came here as a bride.” And when I heard her sing that in the workshop, I just started to cry. I wasn’t crying for Myrtle Bledsoe. I was happy because it felt to me at that moment that Lenny and I had created a beautiful vehicle for Flicka. —Ricky Ian Gordon, composer
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n a late fall afternoon, just before sundown, ninety-year-old Myrtle Bledsoe is trying to make peace with her long life. She has outlived her husband, daughters, and virtually everyone else in Egypt, Texas. In this
tale of adultery, deception, murder, and lost beauty, Myrtle is determined to finally free herself of all the resentment and hate that has ruled her life for so long and once again experience the remarkable beauty all around her. A Coffin in Egypt is based on Pulitzer Prize–winner Horton Foote’s play of the same name. I had the great privilege of working with Horton when I directed the play version of A Coffin in Egypt in 1998. It was an invaluable experience having him by my side as we explored the character of Myrtle Bledsoe and her need to find meaning in her long life. My most vivid memory of my time with Horton was the afternoon we spent recording hymns in an African-American church on Long Island, New York. The recording was to be used as off-stage sound cues in the play. I had never seen him so excited and moved as when that congregation burst into song. As their voices rang out with such abandon, we both wished the audience could experience them live as we were. For Horton, music was always an intrinsic part of the play. As I think back, that is probably when the seed was planted in my mind that this could be an opera. Over the years, whenever I thought of A Coffin in Egypt, my mind would always go back to that rainy afternoon in a church filled with music and Horton singing along with the best of them. —Leonard Foglia, librettist and director 15
RICKY IAN GORDON, COMPOSER Ricky Ian Gordon was born on May 15, 1956 in Oceanside, NY and raised on Long Island. After studying composition at Carnegie Mellon University, he settled in New York City, where he quickly emerged as a leading writer of vocal music that spans art song, opera, and musical theater. Mr. Gordon’s songs have been performed and/or recorded by such internationally renowned singers as Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Nathan Gunn, Judy Collins, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Nicole Cabell, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Frederica von Stade, Andrea Marcovicci, Harolyn Blackwell, and Betty Buckley, among many others. Mr. Gordon is very interested in musical theater and he has written many musicals including My Life with Albertine, Dream True, States of Independence, and Only Heaven. In 2010 a new musical, Sycamore Trees, debuted at the Signature Theater, for which it was written. Sycamore Trees was nominated for The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Play or Musical by The Helen Hayes Awards Organization, and won a Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble. His OBIE Award winning, hour-long song cycle in two acts, Orpheus and Euridice, was given a very well received stage debut as part of the Lincoln Center New Visions/American Songbook series. Other recent works include: and flowers pick themselves/Five Songs for High Voice and Orchestra on poems by e.e. cummings, Night Flight To San 16
Francisco, an operatic monologue for soprano and orchestra premiered by Renée Fleming, using Harper’s final monologue from Tony Kushner’s play “Angels in America,” and The Grapes of Wrath, a full-scale opera in three acts with a libretto by Michael Korie based on John Steinbeck’s celebrated novel of the same name. The Grapes of Wrath had its hugely successful premiere at the Minnesota Opera in 2007 in a production that traveled to Utah Opera. It has also been done at Carnegie Hall in a concert version with Jane Fonda narrating, and an all-star cast. The summer of 2008 saw the premiere of Gordon’s hour-long song cycle, Green Sneakers, for Baritone and String Quartet. This powerful piece, a setting of 14 poems by the composer, chronicles the final days of Gordon’s longtime partner, Jeffrey Grossi, who died of AIDS in 1996. Ricky Ian Gordon has recently been commissioned by both Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to compose Twenty-Seven, an opera about Gertrude Stein at 27 rue de Fleurus, for acclaimed mezzosoprano Stephanie Blythe, with librettist Royce Vavrek; and the Metropolitan Opera, with Pulitzer Prize/MacArthur Award winning playwright Lynn Nottage, to adapt her award winning play Intimate Apparel. He has just completed an operatic adaptation of Giorgio Bassani’s novel, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, with librettist Michael Korie (The Grapes of Wrath), and his Morning Star with a libretto by William M. Hoffman, will premiere at Cincinnati Opera in their 2015 season. His opera The Tibetan Book of the Dead, with a libretto by Jean Claude Van Itallie, which was commissioned by, and premiered at Houston Grand Opera in 1996, will have its West Coast Premiere with The Bay City Symphony in spring 2015. — from rickyiangordon.com
LEONARD FOGLIA, LIBRETTIST/DIRECTOR Leonard Foglia is a theater and opera director as well as librettist. His opera credits include the premieres of three operas by Jake Heggie: Moby-Dick (The Dallas Opera and in San Diego, Calgary, South Australia, and San Francisco Opera and was seen on PBS’s Great Performances); Last Acts (Three Decembers) (Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco, and Chicago); and The End of the Affair (Houston, Madison, and Seattle). His production of Heggie’s Dead Man Walking has been presented across the country. As a librettist his opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon), music by José “Pepe” Martinez had its premiere at Houston Grand Opera in 2010 and has been performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, San Diego Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. In March of this year he directed the premiere of A Coffin in Egypt at Houston Grand
Opera. His theater credits include the original Broadway productions of Master Class (also national tour and West End), Thurgood (also the Kennedy Center, where it was filmed for HBO), and The People in the Picture as well as the revivals of Wait until Dark and On Golden Pond. He directed Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy off-Broadway and on tour; it was also filmed for Great Performances. He has written five books with David Richards: the mystery novels 1 Ragged Ridge Road and Face Down in the Park and the thrillers that form The Sudarium Trilogy: The Surrogate, The Son, and The Savior. He will direct Cold Mountain, with music by Jennifer Higdon and a libretto by Gene Scheer, for its 2015 World Premiere at The Santa Fe Opera and 2016 East Coast Premiere with Opera Philadelphia.
OPERA PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
CORRADO ROVARIS, JACK MULRONEY MUSIC DIRECTOR VIOLIN I Barbara Sonies, Concertmaster
FLUTE Adeline Tomasone, Principal
VIOLIN II Emma Kummrow, Principal
CLARINET Joseph A. Smith, Principal
VIOLA Jonathan Kim, Principal
FRENCH HORN John David Smith, Principal
CELLO Priscilla Lee, Principal BASS Daniel McDougall, Principal
PIANO/CELESTE Laura Ward
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ARTISTS KATE BIANCO (Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania)
CAROLYN JOHNSON (Houston, Texas)
JESSIE LYDELL
ELSIE/CLERK
Opera Philadelphia debut.
Opera Philadelphia debut.
Recent Activities: Voice of Dimples Reagan, Death on the 16th Fairway, David Rainey; Evelyn, The Shape of Things, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Studio Theatre; Mrs. Laura West, The Embalmer, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Theatre-by-the-Grove. ELIZABETH BRADEN (Easton, Pennsylvania) CHORUS MASTER
2014 Don Giovanni 2006 Margaret Garner 2004 The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (Partial Listing)
Recent Activities: Director of Music, Wallingford Presbyterian Church; Chorus Master, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Curtis Opera Theatre; Chorus Master, Ainadamar, Opera Philadelphia. RICCARDO HERNANDEZ (Hamden, Connecticut) SET & COSTUME DESIGNER Opera Philadelphia debut. Recent Activities: The Library, New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater; King Lear, Theater For A New Audience; La traviata, Lyric Opera of Chicago.
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Recent Activities: Lin, The Great American Trailer Park Musical (world premiere), Stages Repertory Theatre; Vanessa Finn Adams, Close Up Space, Main Street Theater; Player Queen, Hamlet, Houston Shakespeare Festival. DAVID MATRANGA (Houston, Texas) HUNTER Opera Philadelphia debut. Recent Activities: Steve Baker/Max, Showboat, Houston Grand Opera; Mortimer Mortimer, Failure: A Love Story and Terry Helmer, Dollhouse, Stages Repertory Theatre; Henderson/Jim, You Can’t Take It With You and The Hollow, Alley Theatre. TIMOTHY MYERS (Raleigh, North Carolina) CONDUCTOR Opera Philadelphia debut. Recent Activities: Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, North Carolina Opera; A Coffin in Egypt, Houston Grand Opera and The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; Subscription concerts, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic.
ARTISTS BRIAN NASON (New York, New York)
GLENNA WILLIAMSON (Toronto, Ontario)
LIGHTING DESIGNER
WIG & MAKE-UP DESIGNER
Opera Philadelphia debut.
Recent Activities: Motown, National Tour; Independent Film A Christmas Horror Story, Toronto, Ontario. Hair & Make-Up Coordinator, Don Giovanni, Opera Philadelphia.
Recent Activities: Tyler Perry’s Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned, National Tour and DVD; A Coffin in Egypt, Houston Grand Opera and The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles; A Little Night Music, Houston Grand Opera. BEN SHEAFFER (Philadelphia, PA) CAPTAIN LAWSON Opera Philadelphia debut. Recent Activities: Rolf, The Sound of Music, Martin Beck Theatre; Simon, Corpus Christi, Manhattan Theatre Club; Harry/ Gerry, Cloud 9, The Wilma Theater.
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OPERA ON THE MALL PRESENTED BY PNC ARTS ALIVE RETURNS ON On Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m., Philadelphians will gather together to enjoy the opening of the cultural season with a FREE broadcast of the funniest of all comic operas. Opera Philadelphia’s season-opening performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville will be broadcast in high definition from the stage of the Academy of Music to a giant outdoor screen at Independence National Historical Park. Opera on the Mall will be presented by PNC Arts Alive, a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative of the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. The goal of PNC Arts Alive is to help area residents gain access to the arts and to help arts organizations expand and engage audiences. “Entering the sixth year of PNC Arts Alive, we continue to focus on making the arts more accessible and asked our region’s arts groups to help people experience art in new ways,” said Bill Mills, PNC regional president for Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. “The performing arts community has once again delivered on that goal, engaging audiences through a diverse array of innovative programs that showcase our region at its best.” Opera on the Mall is also made possible through the generous support of the William Penn Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.
F R E E T I C K E T S AVA I L A B L E S E P T E M B E R 3 VISIT OPERAONTHEMALL.ORG
Photo by Dominic Mercier
S AT U R D AY, S E P T. 2 7
THE CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL Opera Philadelphia’s Chairman’s Council is a passionate group of philanthropists committed to ensuring that the future of opera is right here in Philadelphia. The Council’s collective generosity underwrites more than half of Opera Philadelphia’s artistic expenses each season, including productions in the Academy of Music, the nationally lauded Aurora Series for Chamber
F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N ,
Opera at the Perelman Theater, our
C O N T A C T:
annual Opening Night HD broadcast at Independence National Historical Park, and our award-winning programs for children. Clockwise from top: Rita and Philip Harper. American Repertoire Council Director Nathan Gunn and Keith Straw. Kenneth B. and Pamela R. Dunn. Composer Kevin Puts, Opera Philadelphia Chairman Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., and Barbara Teichert. Nick and Kathleen Chimicles.
Annie Burridge, Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement at 215.893.5906 or at burridge@operaphila.org. ACADEMY HOUSE 1420 LOCUST STREET SUITE 210 P H I L A , PA
DAV I D T. L ITTL E , “ A T RUE 21 S T C E NTURY COMP OS ER,” J OI NS OP E RA P HIL ADELPHI A A S C O M P OSE R IN R E S I DEN C E
Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the program fosters tomorrow’s American operatic masterpieces through personalized creative development and intensive, hands-on composition opportunities for today’s most promising opera composers. Little was chosen from over 100 applicants for the position and now has the opportunity to follow a personalized development track focused on the advancement of his skills as an operatic composer, joining fellow Composers in Residence Lembit Beecher, Missy Mazzoli, and Andrew Norman. “I could not be more excited to join the roster of this esteemed and innovative program,” said Little, who holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and has studied under composer Osvaldo Golijov (Ainadamar). “Writing for the stage is one of my greatest joys as a composer, and I am excited to work with Opera Philadelphia, Gotham Chamber Opera, Music-Theatre Group, and my fellow Composers in Residence to explore the wide range of possible musico-dramatic forms available to us today, and to continuing to hone my compositional and dramatic craft.”
Photo by Merri Cyr
David T. Little, a composer, bandleader, and rock drummer “with a knack for overturning musical conventions” (The New York Times), has joined Opera Philadelphia as the fourth member of the Composer in Residence program.
The New Yorker has called Little, “one of the most imaginative young composers on the music-theatre scene.” His multi-media music theatre work, Soldier Songs, based on interviews with veterans of five wars, received its New York City premiere in January 2013 at the inaugural PROTOTYPE Festival. The New York Times cited Dog Days as one of two highlights of the season, stating that the work “proved beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future.” “David T. Little is a true 21st century composer with a unique voice. We were immediately taken with his musical insight, melodic textures, and unorthodox operatic structure,” said David B. Devan, General Director & President of Opera Philadelphia. “We believe his artistry will serve the opera world for years to come and we are excited to grant him this time and opportunity to develop his operatic voice even further.”
LEARN MORE AT OPERAPHILA.ORG/COMPOSERS
ADMINISTRATION David B. Devan General Director & President Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music Director
Mikael Eliasen Artistic Advisor
Nathan Gunn Director, American Repertoire Council
Gary Gansky Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President
Annie Burridge Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement
David Levy Senior Vice President, Artistic Operations
Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Programs
MUSIC Michael Eberhard Artistic Administrator Elizabeth Braden Chorus Master and Music Administrator J. Robert Loy Director of Orchestra Personnel & Orchestra Librarian Sarah Williams New Works Administrator Colleen Hood Music Staff Assistant Lembit Beecher Composer in Residence Missy Mazzoli Composer in Residence Andrew Norman Composer in Residence David T. Little Composer in Residence PRODUCTION Alexander Farino Production Manager Drew Billiau Technical Production Manager Christopher Hanes Technical Director Millie Hiibel Costume Director Elizabeth Larsen-Silva Production Coordinator 30
MARKETING Ryan Lewis Director of Marketing Lucy Clemens Director of Audience Services Karina Kacala Marketing Manager Michael Knight Assistant Director, Audience Services and Group Sales DEVELOPMENT Christina Deemer Director of Annual Giving Adele Betz Director of Events Derren Mangum Manager of Institutional Giving Jennifer Dubin Associate Director, Annual Fund & Development Services Rachel McCausland Manager, Leadership & Legacy Giving Sarah Johnson Donor Services Coordinator
COMMUNICATIONS Frank Luzi Director of Communications Katie Dune Multimedia Communications Coordinator ADMINISTRATION Ken Smith Assistant to General Director & Board Relations Coordinator Maurice Marietti Personnel Manager COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Adrienne Bishop Community Programs Assistant FINANCE Maureen McHale Senior Accountant COUNSEL Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads LLP General Counsel
THE BEARDED LADIES AND OPERA PHILADELPHIA TEAM UP ON WARHOL-INSPIRED ANDY: A POPERA The Bearded Ladies, Philadelphia’s experimental cabaret troupe, have embarked upon a new adventure in partnership with Opera Philadelphia: ANDY: A Popera. Inspired by the life, fame, and philosophy of Andy Warhol, this cabaret/opera hybrid will feature original music by Bearded Ladies resident composer Heath Allen and a cast of Opera Philadelphia and Bearded Ladies regulars. Through the lens of Andy’s life and art, they’ll ask the provocative question, “Is immortality worth dying for?” The artists of Bearded Ladies Cabaret are building the Popera in three stages over a 12-month period. “Our development process, itself, will be an exploration of Andy Warhol’s rise to pop-art popularity and the culture that coalesced around his work,” said John Jarboe, Artistic Director of The Bearded Ladies. “As we develop the Popera, it will grow in length and scope, from five-minute pieces to a fully-realized show, and from a small cast to an ensemble of as many as 30 people.”
return to The Wilma Theater from July 16–27 to present an hour-long cabaret version of the piece. The third and final stage will be the Popera in 2015. The development of ANDY: A Popera has been generously supported by a grant from the Knight Foundation.
Embracing the idea of pop in all its forms, the project is being developed in three stages. Stage 1 debuted in May as a series of short pop-up performances throughout the city, kicking off with an Art After 5 performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For Stage 2, The Bearded Ladies
S TAY U P T O D AT E AT OPERAPHILA.ORG/ANDY
Metamorphosis, an Hermès story
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