OEDIPUS REX + LILACS Program

ST R AV I N S K Y & WA L K E R

OEDIPUS REX + L I L AC S J A N U A RY 21 & 23, 2022

Verizon Hall Part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus

FEB 9–20 CO-PRESENTED BY

KimmelCulturalCampus.org

PROUD KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS SEASON SPONSOR

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

L I L AC S Music by George Walker Text by Walt Whitman Soprano Soloist

Tiffany Townsend

OEDIPUS REX Music by Igor Stravinsky Libretto by Jean Cocteau Oedipus Jocaste Créon and the Messenger Tiresias The Shepherd The Narrator

William Burden Rehanna Thelwell* Mark S. Doss Jonathan Lemalu* Ethan Burck* Charlotte Blake Alston

*Opera Philadelphia debut

Conductor Chorus Master Stage Manager

Corrado Rovaris Elizabeth Braden Gregory Boyle

Oedipus Rex + Lilacs runs approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.

Leadership support has been provided by Judy and Peter Leone.

Major support has been provided by Robert L. Turner.

Additional support has been provided by Ms. Robin Angly.

Support for the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus has been provided by Alice and Walter Strine, Esqs.

Maestro Corrado Rovaris’ engagement as the Jack Mulroney Music Director has been made possible by Mrs. John P. Mulroney.

The performances of William Burden and the Opera Philadelphia Chorus have been underwritten by Carolyn Horn Seidle.

Rehanna Thelwell's performance is underwritten, in part,

by Mr. Jeffrey P. Cunard and Ms. Mariko Ikehara.

Tiffany Townsend's performance is underwritten by Judith Durkin Freyer and Charles C. Freyer.

B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S OFFICERS Peter Leone | Chairman Charles C. Freyer | Vice Chair Caroline J. Mackenzie Kennedy | Vice Chair Dr. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. | Vice Chair Sandra K. Baldino | Secretary Thomas Mahoney | Treasurer David B. Devan | President (ex officio) Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. | Immediate Past Chair

MEMBERS

Sarah Marshall Taneise S. Marshall Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. Agnes Mulroney Carolyn Horn Seidle Jonathan H. Sprogell Dr. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. Barbara Augusta Teichert Kathleen Weir

Sandra K. Baldino Lawrence Brownlee Willo Carey Katherine Christiano Maureen Craig William Dunbar Carol S. Eicher Mikael Eliasen Charles C. Freyer Beth W. Glynn Alexander Hankin Valerie Harrison Frederick P. Huff Carole H. Johnson Caroline J. Mackenzie Kennedy Beverly Lange, M.D. Peter Leone Thomas Mahoney

HONORARY MEMBERS Dennis Alter Alan B. Miller H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest† Stephen A. Madva, Esq., Chairman Emeritus Alice W. Strine, Esq. Charlotte Watts

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F R O M T H E B OA R D C H A I R M A N Dear Friends, As you read this, we are privileged again to gather on Broad Street with Jack Mulroney Music Director Corrado Rovaris, our Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus, a group of extraordinary soloists, and with each other.

The last time Opera Philadelphia performed on Broad Street was February 2, 2020: Verdi’s Requiem. One headline in that day’s Inquirer was about concerns over an emergent virus. Since then, so much has changed.

So, too, at Opera Philadelphia. Our Spring 2020 Academy production, our Fall 2020 Festival, and Oedipus Rex—originally scheduled for January 2021— were postponed. Instead, our indefatigable Opera Philadelphia staff deployed new stratagems to offer you new compositions, repurposed pieces, and old favorites on the streets of our city, online, and outdoors at the Mann Center for Performing Arts.

We are now presented with two great and challenging 20th century works.

Each requires the audience to contribute their own understandings of the works’ underlying narrative and each invites us to consider the composers’ perspectives on that material. George Walker, a Black composer writing 130 arduous years after Abraham Lincoln’s death, used Whitman’s reflection on the assassination of Lincoln in his tribute to the late tenor Roland Hayes; Stravinsky collaborated with a Surrealist to neo-Classicize an ancient tale of Fate working through road rage to plague, suicide and self-mutilation. And we, in turn, regard Walker and Whitman, Stravinsky, and Cocteau and the events at Thebes—and perhaps each other—through different lenses than we would have as little as two years ago.

As always, we thank those gracious benefactors who make it possible to present these provocative works—including my Opera Philadelphia board colleagues Agnes Mulroney, Carolyn Horn Seidle, and Chuck Freyer and his wife Judy, along with former board member Alice Strine and her husband Walter. I would also like to thank Robin Angly, as well as Jeffrey Cunard and Mariko Ikehara, who besides helping to underwrite this production are generous supporters of opera in their home cities. Above all we thank you, our audience, and hope you enjoy our reunion on Broad Street.

With gratitude for your patronage,

Peter Leone

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S TA F F LEADERSHIP

COMMUNIT Y INITIATIVES

David B. Devan, General Director & President

Christa Sechler, Education Manager

Corrado Rovaris, Jack Mulroney Music Director

Kiamesso DaSilva, Community Initiatives Coordinator & Office Manager

Derrell Acon, Vice President of People Operations & Inclusion

D’quan Tyson, Lead Teaching Artist Evan Kassof, Teaching Artist

Veronica Chapman-Smith, Vice President of Community Initiatives

CodyRay Caho, Teaching Artist

David Levy, Vice President of Artistic Operations

Jessica Gruver, T-VOCE Accompanist

Rosemary Schneider, T-VOCE Conductor Dan Amadie, Backstage Pass Consultant

Frank Luzi, Vice President of Marketing Communications & Digital Strategy Jeremiah Marks, Chief Financial Officer

MARKE TING COMMUNICATIONS & GUEST SERVICES

Rachel McCausland, Vice President of Development

Michael Knight, Director of Guest Services

Ken Smith, Chief of Staff

Karina Kacala, Director of Advertising & Promotions

Lawrence Brownlee, Artistic Advisor

Shannon Eblen, Content Director

Mikael Eliasen, Artistic Advisor

Steven Humes, Manager of Audience Development

MUSIC

Jeffrey Mason, Guest Services Manager

Michael Eberhard, Director of Casting & Artistic Administration

Abby Weissman, Guest Services Associate Ali Haegele, Graphic Designer

Sarah Williams, Director of New Works & Creative Producer

DEVELOPMENT

Elizabeth Braden, Chorus Master & Music Administrator

Rebecca Ackerman, Director of Individual Giving & Advancement Services

J. Robert Loy, Director of Orchestra Personnel & Librarian

Derren Mangum, Director of Institutional Giving

Grant Loehnig, Head of Music Staff

Adele Mustardo, Director of Events

PRODUCTION

Eva James Toia, Director of Major Gifts

John Toia, Director of Production

Aisha Wiley, Director of Research

Drew Billiau, Director of Design & Technology

Michael Bolton, Individual & Planned Giving Officer

Stephen Dickerson, Technical Director

Rachel Mancini, Leadership Giving Administrator

Millie Hiibel, Costume Director Bridget A. Cook, Associate Director of Production

Catherine Perez, Development Services Coordinator COUNSEL Ballard Spahr, LLP, General Counsel 6

F R O M T H E G E N E R A L D I R E C TO R Dear Friends, It was nearly two years ago that we last gathered indoors, just down the street at the Academy of Music, for Verdi’s Requiem, unaware of the enormity of what our city and art form were about to undergo as Covid-19 swept the nation. The music didn’t stop—it continued digitally on the Opera Philadelphia Channel, outdoors in Dilworth Park, and from the stage at the Mann—but it is still a thrill to be back home on Broad Street.

As a resident company of the Kimmel Cultural Campus, we have enjoyed performing in the Academy of Music, as well as the Perelman Theater, for many years, and are excited to have the chance to perform in Verizon Hall with our orchestra, chorus, and Maestro Corrado Rovaris at the podium.

Oedipus Rex + Lilacs features a fantastic cast comprising several singers returning to Opera Philadelphia, as well as a few making belated company debuts. It is also a chance to feature, alongside Stravinsky, the work of composer George Walker, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music and a graduate of Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music.

I thank you for taking the necessary health precautions that make it possible for us to gather again for live performance, and for your support over the past many months as we worked to keep the music going. I hope you enjoy this concert and that you will join in our return to the Academy of Music this spring for Rigoletto.

David B. Devan General Director & President

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A R T I S TS CHARLOTTE BLAKE ALSTON Narrator Lansdowne, Pennsylvania

2021 The Drama of Tosca

Recent: Narrator, The Drama of Tosca, Opera Philadelphia; Narrator, Storyteller & Host, Sound All Around 2021-22 Series, Philadelphia Orchestra; Master Storyteller, Voices in the Landscape: Deeply Rooted, Longwood Gardens Next: Master Storyteller, Stories and Songs in the Oral Tradition, Spring 2022

ELIZABETH BRADEN Chorus Master

Easton, Pennsylvania

Recent: Conductor, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Three Oaks Opera; Conductor, Organ Stops, Opera Philadelphia; Chorus Master, The Drama of Tosca, Opera Philadelphia

2021 Organ Stops, An Evening of Vocal Fireworks: Amici e Rivali, The Drama of Tosca

Next: Chorus Master, Rigoletto, Opera Philadelphia

ETHAN BURCK The Shepherd Tenor | Aurora, Illinois Recent: Don Basilio Cover, Le Nozze di Figaro, Santa Fe Opera; Tito, La clemenza di Tito, Curtis Opera Theatre; Albert Herring, Albert Herring, Curtis Opera Theatre

Opera Philadelphia debut

Next: Ferrando, Cosi fan tutte, Curtis Opera Theatre

WILLIAM BURDEN Oedipus Tenor | Miami, Florida Underwritten by Carolyn Horn Seidle

2013 Silent Night, 2011 Phaedra, 2004 The Pearl Fishers

Recent: Piquilo, Songbird, Glimmerglass Festival; Captain Vere, Billy Budd, San Francisco Opera; Governor, Candide, Philadelphia Orchestra Next: Polonius, Hamlet, The Metropolitan Opera

MARK S. DOSS Créon and the Messenger Bass-baritone | Cleveland, Ohio Recent: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra; Rigoletto, Rigoletto, Welsh National Opera; William Daley, The Time of Our Singing, La Monnaie Brussel Next: Balstrode, Peter Grimes, Teatro La Fenice 8

1994 Romeo & Juliette

JONATHAN LEMALU Tiresias

Bass-baritone | Dunedin, New Zealand Recent: Don Fernando, Fidelio, Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Colline, La bohème, English National Opera; Rocco, Fidelio, West Australian Symphony Orchestra

Opera Philadelphia debut

Next: Banquo, Macbeth, Grange Festival

CORRADO ROVARIS Conductor

Bergamo, Italy Underwritten by Mrs. John P. Mulroney

Recent: Conductor, Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 & Beethoven Symphony No. 5, Orchestra di Cagliari; Conductor, Concert with Maddalena Crippa, Orchestra del Teatro Petruzzelli; Conductor, La bohème, Ópera de Oviedo at Teatro Campoamor

2021 An Evening of Vocal Fireworks: Amici e Rivali, The Drama of Tosca, 2020 Requiem

Next: Conductor, Rigoletto, Opera Philadelphia

REHANNA THELWELL Jocaste Mezzo-soprano | Avenel, New Jersey

Underwritten, in part, by Mr. Jeffrey P. Cunard and Ms. Mariko Ikehara

Opera Philadelphia debut

Recent: Aunt Lou, Highway 1, Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Featured Soloist, Come Home Concert, Washington National Opera; Alto Soloist, Messiah, South Florida Symphony Next: Ruby and Sinner Woman, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Lyric Opera of Chicago

TIFFANY TOWNSEND Soprano Soloist, Lilacs

Soprano | Jackson, Mississippi Underwritten by Judith Durkin Freyer and Charles C. Freyer Recent: Ines, Il trovatore, LA Opera; Katherine, Penny by Douglas Pew, Opera Grand Rapids; Léontine, L’Amant Anonyme, LA Opera

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2019 The Love for Three Oranges

CHORUS TENOR Colin Aikins Corey Don Bonar Sang B. Cho Matthew Coules Ricardo Diaz Colin Doyle Josh Eflin Gabriel Feldt Jason Garcia-Kakuk Christopher Hodson Samual Keeler A. Edward Maddison Nathaniel McEwen Toffer Mihalka Stephen Ng Ben Perri David Price

Kyle Rudolf George Ross Somerville Daniel Taylor Tyler Tejada Cory O’Niell Walker Steve Williamson BASS CodyRay Caho Gregory Cantwell Jeff Chapman Stephen Dagrosa Lucas DeJesus Steven Eddy Chris Drago Fistonich James O. Gwathney James C. Harris Mark Hosseini Steven Eugene Hyder

Christopher Hodges Mathew Maisano Mark Malachesky William Marshall John David Miles Michael Miller Frank Mitchell Robert Phillips Nicholas Provenzale John T.K. Scherch Tim Stopper D’quan Isaiah Tyson Jackson Williams List as of January 11, 2022

LIFE, on a Scale of You.

Foulkeways, a Quaker Life Plan Community, is rich in harmony. Visit or call us today to create your own unique rhythm. foulkeways.org | 215-283-7010 | 1120 Meetinghouse Rd, Gwynedd, PA

O R C H E ST R A VIOLIN 1 Meichen Liao Barnes, Concertmaster Tess Varley, Assistant Concertmaster Charles Parker Diane Barnett Gared Crawford Seula Lee Nina Vieru Zubaidi Rebecca Ansel Daniel Han Yoori Williams James Finegan Laura Park Chen Andrea Levine Eliza Cho Robert Vieira Arturo Samantha Crawford VIOLIN 2 Emma Kummrow, Principal Maya Shiraishi Paul Reiser Sarah DuBois Guillaume Combet Mary Loftus Yu-Hui Tamae Lee Joseph Kauffman Lisa Vaupel Alexandra Cutler-Fetkewicz Irina Schuck Michelle Bishop Carlos Rubio Meena Lee VIOLA Jonathan Kim, Principal Carol Briselli, Assistant Principal Ellen Trainer Elizabeth Jaffe Yoshihiko Nakano Ruth Frazier

Steven Heitlinger Hannah Nicholas Kathleen Foster Renee Warnick Meng Wang Meiching Huang CELLO Branson Yeast, Principal Vivian Barton Dozor, Assistant Principal Gretchen Gettes Brooke Beazley David Moulton Jasmine Pai Glenn Fischbach Rose Bart Ethan Brown Noelle Casella Grand BASS Miles B. Davis, Principal Anne Peterson Stephen Groat Daniel McDougall John Shank Brent Edmondson Tim Ressler Dominick Fiore FLUTE Patrick Williams, Principal Eileen Grycky Frances Tate Susanna Loewy OBOE Nick Masterson, Principal Erin Banholzer Evan Ocheret, English Horn CLARINET John Diodati, Principal Allison Herz Doris Hall-Gulati, E-flat Clarinet and Bass Clarinet 11

BASSOON Emeline Chong, Principal Colleen Hood Darryl Hartshorne, Contrabassoon HORN Jonathan Clark, Principal Angela Cordell Bilger Ryan Stewart Lyndsie Wilson TRUMPET Brian Kuszyk, Principal Frank Ferraro Thomas Cook Darin Kelly TROMBONE Robert Gale, Principal Edward Cascarella Jason Stein Jonathan Schubert, Bass Trombone TUBA Paul Erion, Principal HARP Rong Tan, Principal PIANO/HARPSICHORD/ CELESTA Grant Loehnig TIMPANI Martha Hitchins, Principal PERCUSSION Ralph Sorrentino, Principal Bradley Loudis Christopher Hanning David Nelson List as of January 11, 2022

A R T I S T I C & P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Principal Pianist ….................................................................................. Grant Loehnig Supertitles Author..................................……........................... Chadwick Creative Arts Supertitles Operator ............................................................................….. Tony Solitro Assistant Librarian…...........................................................................… Nathan Lofton Head Props .............................................................................................…. Paul Lodes Head Electrician ......................................................................................….. Ben Tilley Head Fly ......................................................................................................Steve Wolff Audio Description ................................................................................Nicole Sardella Production Assistant ................................................................................. Hunter Smith Oedipus Rex: By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.

Lilacs: by arrangement with Lauren Keiser Music Publishing.

Celeste and harpsichord courtesy of The Curtis Institute of Music.

Opera Philadelphia thanks the following labor organizations whose members, artists, craftsmen, and craftswomen greatly contribute to our performances: American Federation of Musicians / Local 77 American Guild of Musical Artists / The American Guild of Musical Artists, the union of professional singers, dancers, and production personnel in opera, ballet, and concert, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, represents the Artists and Staging Staff for all purposes of collective bargaining.

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees / Local 8 Theatrical Wardrobe Union / Local 799, I.A.T.S.E. United Scenic Artists / Local 829, I.A.T.S.E. Box Office and Front of House Employees Union / Local B29, I.A.T.S.E. Highway Truck Drivers and Helpers / Local 107, Teamsters

Download the LiveVoice app to connect to Audio Description

Enter Performance Code: 101991 | For more information, visit operaphila.org/ad Audio Description for the Opera Philadelphia 2021-2022 Season has been underwritten by

I N T R O D U C I N G D E R R E L L AC O N This month, Dr. Derrell Acon, an award-winning activist, arts administrator, and bass-baritone, joined the Opera Philadelphia team as Vice President of People Operations & Inclusion.

Formerly the Associate Artistic Director & Chief Impact Officer at Long Beach Opera, where he had led equity and engagement efforts since 2018, Acon brings over 15 years of experience in the equity, diversity, and inclusion space and senior-level experience in both human resources strategy and business analytics and impact to the management team.

A Fulbright scholar and co-founder of the Black Opera Alliance, Acon understands the power of the performing arts to foster human compassion and catalyze conversations on challenging subjects. He is known for his unique and provocative presentations, which often combine performance and scholarship. On stage, he created the role of Antron McCray in Long Beach Opera’s 2019 world premiere of Anthony Davis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, The Central Park Five, and curated and managed a series of community conversations about the opera.

Opera Philadelphia is committed to equity and inclusion practices and this newly created role is instrumental in holding the organization accountable to this work. Acon will encourage, model, and promote an anti-racist workplace culture as real-time situations arise, support conflict resolution and harm prevention and reduction strategies to promote, increase, and make paramount safe and structured opportunities for all staff, management, and the board of directors. He will support the evolution and formalization of practices related to the operation of the company’s Equity & Inclusion Team, ensuring it supports the organization in a sustainable way over the long term. He will also be accountable for all aspects of HR compliance and implementation for all members of the Opera Philadelphia team.

“I am absolutely thrilled to join the amazing Opera Philadelphia team. This company has emerged as one of the true leaders in the field not only for its superlative artistic boldness and innovation, but also a full-throated approach to substantive equity and inclusion work. It will be my genuine honor and pleasure to work under David Devan's powerful leadership and alongside brilliant colleagues to further realize the company’s clear vision for a more artistically and ethically compelling industry.” —Dr. Derrell Acon 13

G E O R G E WA L K E R & L I L AC S

By Abigail So

In 1996, George Walker became the first African American composer to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music for Lilacs. Written to honor renowned Black tenor Roland Hayes, Walker’s work utilizes several stanzas Photo courtesy of the Curtis Institute of Music from Walt Whitman’s poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, which reflects on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. A meditation on grief and remembrance, Lilacs introduces multiple symbols —a lilac, bird, and star— to recreate the power of Whitman’s verse, "Lilac and star and bird twined with a chant, my soul.”

Walker was born in Washington, DC in 1922 and began playing the piano at the age of five. At the young age of 14, Walker was already an accomplished musician; he was presented in his first public recital at Howard University before graduating from Dunbar High School. He went on to study the piano at Oberlin College, received the highest honors, and continued to do so at the Curtis Institute of Music as the first Black graduate of the prestigious Philadelphia conservatory.

After graduation, Walker won the Philadelphia Youth Auditions and played with the Philadelphia Orchestra, becoming the first Black instrumentalist to appear with the orchestra. He was also the first Black instrumentalist to be signed under National Concert Artists, a major management firm. In 1945 he began a classical tour across Europe, spanning Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and England. In 1946, he composed Lyric for Strings, which later became his most performed orchestral piece.

After his European tour, he taught as a professor at Dillard University for a

year and becoming the first Black student to earn a doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1955. His stunning accomplishments followed with a Fulbright Fellowship, a John Hay Whitney Fellowship, and faculty 14

Photo courtesy of the Curtis Institute of Music

appointments at top-tier universities. Walker married pianist Helen Hill in 1960 and they had two sons, Gregory and Ian Walker. Following in his father’s footsteps, Gregory Walker became a violinist and composer, while Ian Walker pursued playwrighting.

It comes as no surprise that every major orchestra in the United States and other countries have performed Walker’s pieces. His works cannot be categorized into a single musical style like jazz, folk, or even classical. In fact, he strived to create a style he could call his own. Reluctant to conform to a certain genre, he created works that pushed the bounds of songwriting and embedded challenges, such as altering meters and syncopation, and composed more than 90 works. Walker’s awards include the Harvey Gaul Prize, two Koussevitzky Awards, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the Mason Gross Memorial Award, and many more. In spite of his countless accomplishments, Walker faced racism and discrimination.

His own management company warned that obtaining concerts for him would be an “uphill battle” and discussed their inability to sell him as a Black composer. However, he proved National Concert Artists wrong and recovered even stronger than before with his Pulitzer win. Walker passed away in 2018 at the age of 96 and is survived by his two sons today.

Abigail So was the summer 2021 Marketing & Communications intern, and is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania.

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I G O R ST R AV I N S K Y Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, Russia, on June 17, 1882, and raised in St. Petersburg. His father, Fyodor, was a leading operatic bass and his mother, Anna, was a pianist.

Despite his musical upbringing, Stravinsky studied law at the University of Saint Petersburg, where he became friends with a classmate whose father was a celebrated composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Stravinsky began to study with him following his father’s death.

In 1906, Stravinsky married Catherine Nossenko, with whom he would have four children. In 1909, the founder of the Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev, invited Stravinsky to orchestrate a couple of Chopin works for his ballet Les Sylphides. That led to the commission of The Firebird, which turned Stravinsky into a household name upon its premiere in Paris in June 1910. That success was followed with Petrouchka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913).

In 1920, the family moved France and lived there for the next two decades.

During that time, his notable works included a comic opera, Mavra (1922), an opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex (1927) and the ballet Apollon Musagète (1928).

He continued his prolific output into the 1930s, composing such works as Symphony of Psalms, Persephone, Jeu de Cartes and Concerto in E-flat.

In 1939, following the deaths of his wife and a daughter from tuberculosis, Stravinsky visited the United States to deliver a series of lectures at Harvard University. In 1940 he married artist and designer Vera de Bossett and they settled in California. That year, Stravinsky also finished one of his most important works, Symphony in C. Stravinsky became a U.S. citizen in 1945 and went on to enjoy more successes with such operas as The Rake's Progress (1951) and Agon (1957). He was honored with the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal in 1954 and the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in 1963. After a period of decline in his health, Stravinsky died on April 6, 1971.

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SPRING AT THE MET

Don’t miss the continuation of the Met’s historic 2021–22 season this spring, featuring the company premiere of Brett Dean’s powerful contemporary adaptation of Hamlet (pictured), as well as gripping new productions of Verdi’s Don Carlos and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

Many of opera’s greatest singers also return in a rich selection of popular revivals.

Peter Gelb GENERAL MANAGER

Tickets start at $25 metopera.org 212.362.6000 Photo: ©Richard Hubert Smith / Glyndebourne Productions Ltd.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin JEANETTE LERMAN-NEUBAUER MUSIC DIRECTOR

O E D I P U S R E X , FAT E , A N D T H E C H O R U S

By Dr. Lily Kass

Oedipus Rex is about the inevitability of fate; the characters hope to escape their tragic ends, but their very actions bring those ends closer. Oedipus Rex does not build its sense of drama through surprise, but rather through the tragedy of watching the characters careen toward their foregone conclusions. It is thus fitting to begin with a short synopsis full of spoilers.

The story begins with the city of Thebes in the throes of a plague. The elders cry out to King Oedipus for help, certain he can rid the city of the plague.

Suddenly, his brother-in-law Créon appears with news: the oracle has decreed that the plague can only be eradicated once the murderer of Laius––the former King of Thebes, and former husband of Oedipus’s wife Jocaste––is found and banished. Before Oedipus can begin his search for the killer, the prophet Tiresius proclaims that Oedipus himself killed Laius! Shaken, Oedipus accuses Tiresius of treason, but Jocaste tries to soothe her husband, reminding him that oracles and prophets don’t always tell the truth. After all, oracles had predicted that Laius would be killed by his son, but he was instead killed by a stranger at the crossroads. This reassurance backfires when Oedipus admits that he himself killed someone at a crossroads while on his way to Thebes years before.

Fate closes in as Oedipus’s true lineage is revealed––He is the son of Laius and Jocaste. The denouement unravels quickly: Jocaste kills herself, and Oedipus, finding his wife (and mother) dead by her own hand, blinds himself with her pin. Oedipus the King has fallen.

Stravinsky’s music for Oedipus Rex intensifies the plot’s main theme of fate, especially through the creative use of a male chorus. Stravinsky was inspired by his source material, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, which was first performed in or around the year 429 B.C.E. Sophocles’ tragedy, like most pieces of Greek theater of the time, contained what we now know as a “Greek chorus.” Aristotle, in his Poetics (c. 335 B.C.E.), advised playwrights to “handle the chorus as one of the actors; it should be part of the whole and should contribute to the performance….” In other words, the chorus should not merely entertain or distract the audience. Instead, the chorus should contribute to the plot and enhance the drama.

The chorus in Oedipus Rex comprises the male elders of Thebes. Embedded in the community, they serve as a powerful indicator for how we, the audience, 18

Jessye Norman with the chorus in Oedipus Rex in 1982 at the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Photo by Trudy Lee Cohen

should react to the tragic events as they unfold. Stravinsky recalled that even in his initial conception of Oedipus Rex, the chorus was essential. He writes, “I saw the chorus first, seated in a single row across the stage and reaching from end to end of the proscenium…My first and strongest conviction was that the chorus should not have a face.”

But the “faceless” chorus still has the capacity to take on many different faces and voices. Sometimes the chorus participates in the action, as in the opera-oratorio’s first scene, in which the elders of Thebes call to Oedipus for help, alternately demanding (with strong rhythms and loud brass) and begging (sweetly, with string accompaniment). The chorus also comments on the action from a distance, as when it obsessively repeats the key word “trivium”–– “crossroads” –– as Jocaste insists that oracles lie. In the end, the chorus narrates the downfall of Jocaste and Oedipus, describing the violence taking place offstage.

The chorus always seems to know things it shouldn’t. If it is made up of ordinary elders of Thebes suffering from the plague, how do these men know that the crossroads are important? How do they happen to observe Jocaste’s death and Oedipus’s blinding? They seem to know they opera’s end as well as we do from the start, but they still must bear witness to the tragedy’s unfolding.

Oracles, prophets, the chorus, and even we the audience know what will happen.

Does this make Oedipus Rex boring? On the contrary: we are embroiled in the drama of the story along with the elders of Thebes, powerless to avoid the tragedy. The crashing chords from the opera’s first chorus reappear in its final, coming full circle as Oedipus meets his preordained fate. This time, the horror they accompany is not the plague, but Oedipus himself.

Dr. Lily Kass is Opera Philadelphia's 2021-2022 Scholar in Residence.

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Opera Philadelphia is deeply grateful to the members of our Opera family who have joined together to make this production possible.

Please consider making a gift to Opera Philadelphia today. In doing so, you’ll help ensure that we can look forward to season after season of groundbreaking opera.

To make a gift to Opera Philadelphia, text NEXTACT to 41444

operaphila.org/donate

THANK YOU Opera Philadelphia expresses our deepest gratitude to the individuals and institutions whose support allows us to bring you Oedipus Rex + Lilacs.

H.F. Lenfest Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation Mr. Thomas Mahoney Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation OPERA America PNC The Presser Foundation Scott F. Richard and Mamie Duff Dr. Renée Rollin Alice and Walter Strine, Esqs.

Robert L. Turner

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE Mrs. Sandra K. Baldino Disosway Foundation, Inc. Barbara and Amos Hostetter Judy and Peter Leone Mrs. John P. Mulroney Barbara Augusta Teichert Wyncote Foundation Anonymous Judith Durkin Freyer and Charles C. Freyer The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The William Penn Foundation

Ms. Robin Angly Mr. Peter A. Benoliel and Ms. Willo Carey Maureen Craig and Glenn Goldberg Cunningham Piano Company Carol S. Eicher Sonja E. Lopatynskyj † Eugene Garfield Foundation Linda and David Glickstein Mark and Helene Hankin Family Nancy and Al † Hirsig Ms. Caroline J. Mackenzie Kennedy Mrs. Sheila Kessler Donald and Gay Kimelman Joel and Sharon Koppelman Anne Leone and Daniel Ludwig Jacqueline Badger Mars Sarah and Brad Marshall Joan Mazzotti and Michael Kelly National Endowment for the Arts Ellen Steiner Vector Group Consulting Charlotte and Bob† Watts Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Wechsler

Beth and Gary Glynn PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage Carolyn Horn Seidle Jean and Gene Stark The Wallace Foundation Anonymous Mr. John R. Alchin and Mr. Hal Marryatt Katherine and Andrew Christiano David Haas Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL Mr. Allen D. Black and Mr. R. Randolph Apgar Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Huff Independence Foundation Dr. Heidi L. Kolberg and Dr. F. Joshua Barnett Dr. Beverly Lange and Dr. Renato Baserga

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GENERAL DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL Platinum Patron Al and Laura Myron and Sheila S. Bassman Mr. and Mrs. Julian A. Brodsky Connelly Foundation Christian Humann Foundation In memory of Joseph G. Leone The Samuel P. Mandell Foundation Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joe Neubauer David and Susan Rattner Katie Adams Schaeffer and Tony Schaeffer Drs. Richard and Rhonda Soricelli Truist Wells Fargo

PATRON PROGRAM Gold Patron Anonymous Stephen A. Block Dr. Robert N. Braun Dianne and Don Cooney Drs. Bruce and Toby Eisenstein Mr. James P. Macelderry and Ms. Marilyn S. Fishman Susan and Graham McDonald Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Ashley and Eli Wald Silver Patron Anonymous (3) Cynthia and George Balchunas The Director’s Grant Program of the Barra Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bergen Ms. Andrea Biondo The Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation Robert and Julie Jensen Bryan Mr. Jeffrey P. Cunard and Ms. Mariko Ikehara Dr. Lamberto and Barbara Donnelly Bentivoglio Deborah E. Glass Bonnie and Lon Greenberg Thomas S. Heckman and Mary Jo Ashenfelter Mr. Kenneth Klothen and Ms. Eve Biskind Linda Richardson Korman Charles B. Landreth Sylvia Lanka-Barone and William Barone Liddy and John Lindsay Dr. and Mrs. Michael B. Love The McLean Contributionship Mrs. Naomi Montgomery† Mr. and Mrs. R. Anderson Pew Harry and Kathryn Schaub Bud and Betty Shapiro Jordan and Eileen Silvergleid Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Smith Mr. and Mrs. James B. Straw Tolsma Productions Mr. Vince Tseng and Mr. Geoffrey Mainland Universal Health Services Victory Foundation Harriet and Larry Weiss Michael Zisman and Linda Gamble

Diamond Patron Anonymous Dennis Alter Ira Brind and Stacey Spector Mark and Peggy Curchack Ms. Joan DeJean Ady L. Djerassi, M.D., and Robert Golub, M.D. Allen R. and Judy Brick Freedman Venture Fund for New Opera Dr. Frank F. Furstenberg and Ms. Nina Segre† Glenmede Trust Company Gray Charitable Trust Feather O. Houstoun Ms. Lisa D. Kabnick and Mr. John H. McFadden Katherine and John Karamatsoukas Sylvia W. and Randle M. Kauders Foundation Stephen Klasko and Colleen Wyse William Lake Leonard, Esq. David J. Leone Carol and Howard Lidz Mr. William A. Loeb Dr. Stanley Muravchick and Ms. Arlene Olson Tom and Jody O'Rourke PECO Dr. Joel and Mrs. Bobbie Porter Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rollins Mr. and Mrs. Steve Sheller Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation Mr. Jonathan H. Sprogell and Ms. Kathryn Taylor Jeralyn Svanda Kathleen and Nicholas Weir Ms. Linda Wingate and Dr. William Liberi Ethel Benson Wister

Bronze+ Patron Joan and Frederick Cohen Mr. Kevin J. Dill, Esq and Dr. Rebecca A. Lewis Jim and Kay Gately Joan and William Goldstein Bruce and Robin Herndon 22

Ms. Rhoda K. Herrold Dr. and Mrs. Peter M. Joseph Anne Silvers Lee and Wynn Lee Robert V. Taglieri and Timothy J. Moir Carol A. Westfall Dr. Leah Whipple

MEMBERSHIP Partner Mr. John Aglialoro and Ms. Joan Carter Mr. George J. Ahern Sarah Alderfer Joseph T. Anderer and Virginia Benz Anonymous (5) Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson Karen Bedrosian-Richardson Ellen Berelson and Lawrence Franks Mrs. Joanne Berwind Susan Bienkowski Drs. Deidre and Michael Blank Dr. Claire Boasi Mrs. Elaine Camarda Mr. Leo M. Carey and Ms. Sonya D. Mouzon Rick and Flo Celender Ms. Rhonda Chatzkel and Mr. Michael B. Mann Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation Robert and Monica Driver Barbara Eberlein and Jerry Wind Ren Egawa and Eugenia Chang Mr. Robert A. Ellis John Erickson and Harry Zaleznik Facebook Georgyn G. Fest Dr. Garrett Fitzgerald Mr. Andrew R. Gelber in memory of Sylvia Gelber Mr. George Graham Dr. and Mrs. Henry J. Greenwood and Ms. Marilyn Greenwood Jerry and Marian Haag Mr. Donald A. Hamme, III and Dr. Christina Gregory Erica Harney David and Ann Harrison, Esqs.

Drs. Christina L. and Richard J. Herring Laura and Bernard Jacobson Dr. and Mrs. William Jantsch Eileen Kennedy and Robert Heim Theodore Kiefer Mr. Joseph H. Kluger and Ms. Susan E. Lewis M. Leanne Lachman Ms. Laura LaRosa Cheryl Lawson and Jennifer Higdon Mr. Joseph J. Leube, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David Levy Michael G. Lewis Susan M. Long & Andrew J. Szabo Mr. John Mastrobattista and Ms. Madeline Leone Susan McClary

Bronze Patron Lorraine Alexander Brett and Nan Altman Lydia Alvarez in memory of Isabelle Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Paul Anderson Anonymous (4) Ms. Susan Asplundh Eileen Baird Eugene and Virginia Beier Beaty Bock and Jonathan Miller Drs. Judith and Jeffrey Carpenter Mr. Mark Cornish Dr. Frank Craparo Tobey and Mark Dichter Mark Duckett and Stan Gaddy William and Fay Dunbar James R. Fairburn Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Fanelli, Jr. Mr. Arthur F. Ferguson Stephen and Susan Garza Ms. Phyllis S. Gitlin Stanley Goldfarb MD Ms. Juliet J. Goodfriend and Dr. Marc R. Moreau Avram Hornik/FCM Hospitality Ms. Lisa R. Jacobs Mady Jourdan Corey Kinger Terri and Thomas Klein Ellen Berman Lee Robert and Elizabeth Legnini Dwight and Christina McCawley The Marshall's Art Endowment Helen E. Pettit Mr. and Mrs. Bert Redgrave Dr. David J. Richards Dr. Joel Rosenbloom Mr. David Sacker and Ms. Darcy Hayes Joyce Seewald Sando The Sherrie R. Savett Family Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Curtis E. Sawyer Dr. and Mrs. Richard N. Taxin The Rev. and Mrs. Richard L. Ullman Dr. R.J. Wallner Peter J. Wender Mr. Robert Zimet

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Drs. Joseph and Jane McGowan Madelyn Mignatti Lynn H. Miller and James McClelland Mr. Benjamin F. Minick Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin R. Neilson Dr. and Mrs. A. H. Nishikawa Maris A. Ogg and Robert Smith Kate Olver and Jeremy Young Mr. and Mrs. Mario Palumbi Mrs. Zoë S. Pappas Clifford Pearlman and Lynn Marks W. Larz Pearson and Rick Trevino Ms. Jane G. Pepper Mrs. Louise H. Reed Drs. William C. and Susan H. Regli Dr. Rachel R. Reynolds Bill Robling and Deborah R. Kravetz Mark and Robin Rubenstein The Rev. Canon Dr. Alan K. Salmon Anne Faulkner Schoemaker Mr. and Mrs. Stuart A. Schwartz Henry and Yumi Scott Dr. Cecilia Segawa Seigle Susan and Paul Shaman George R. Smith Mr. Daniel Szyld and Ms. Kathleen Ross Mr. Joseph and Dr. Detta Tate Eva and John Toia Laurie Wagman in memory of Irvin J. Borowsky Robert Washburn, Esq. and Judith Drasin, Esq. Penelope and Thomas Watkins Arnold Weiss Kenneth and Susan Weiss Tom Woodward Joseph Zalewski and Laura Bartels Ms. Ana-Maria V. Zaugg and Mr. David W. Anstice

Mr. Will Sears Bricker, II Paula Burns Dr. Anthea Butler Pauline Candaux and Solomon Katz David and Jennifer Cardy Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas P. Cernansky Ms. Ilene Chester Peter Cline Jonathan Conant Mr. and Mrs. George T. Craven, Jr. Ann Csink and John Linck Thierry Danz Ms. Judith Dean and Mr. James D. Crawford Dr. Allitia DiBernardo Dave DiRentis Jonathan R Disegi and Grace H Kim Robert and Florence Dolceamore Robert and Jean Donato, in memory of Felice Donato Levy Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Dunn Dave R. Eder Emilio A. Emini and Janet G. Skidmore Thomas Faracco Louis N. Ferrero Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Fiorenza Barry Fisch Helen H. Ford Thomas K. and Julia H. Gaisser Eduardo Glandt and George Ritchie Bill and Julie Golderer Mrs. Criswell Gonzalez Ms. Cheryl Gunter and Mr. Paul A. Rabe Linda and Norman Gutzait George Hamilton Jane Hathaway Mr. and Mrs. Philip Hauser Kenneth C. and Nancy S. Hellendall Ms. Susan Henry Terry and Paul Hirshorn S. Kay Hoke and Dixon Brady Maureen Holland and Lisa Campbell Deborah and David Holloway Lee M. Huber F. John Hagele Mr. L.S. Illoway Michael Jacobson Joel and Marjorie Jensen Ms. Laura Johnson Ronald Mack Joseph Lynne and Edward Kaufman Alex Kelber Mr. and Mrs. Ken E. Kirby Mr. Michael Knight Mrs. Marcia Kowalski Laura A. Lane and David R. DeVoe Mr. and Mrs. Victor Lidz

Sustainer Janis and Robert Ackerman Scott Alexander Julie and Jim Alexandre Alan E. Ankeny Anonymous (8) Jean W. Arnold Marilyn P. Asplundh B-T Family Fund, in memory of Rocco Triolo Dr. Samer Badr and Mr. Joshua Lynn Ferris Mrs. Valerie Baselice Ms. Christina M. Bauers Frances and Michael Baylson Ying H Bi Helen Bickell Kathleen Black Carrie and Brad Boericke 24

Jessica Lofgren David and Emily Lowe Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Lukens Maurice and Charlene Marietti Meir and Haia Mazuz Mr. Robert J. McShea, Jr. and Mr. Bill Ward Jacob and Linda Merriwether Mr. Robert E. Mortensen Mr. and Mrs. William Mueller Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Munson Mark and Abigail Nestlehutt Dr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Palumbo Dr. Arthur S. Patchefsky and Mrs. Marilyn McHenry, Esq. Patricia Perfect Staff-Designated Grant Program of The Barra Foundation Johann A. Porisch Michael Presser Mr. Yves Quintin and Ms. Rosanne Loesch Merle Raab Dr. Saul D. Raw Mr. Philmore Robertson and Ms. Kathryn Caywood Mr. and Mrs. Daniel R. Ross Katherine Stein Sachs Mr. Walter Schlosser Jr.

Ms. Susan E. Sherman Dr. William H. Shoff and Ms. Jane Cooper Mrs. Elena E. Shomos and Mr. Zachary Smith Kathy and Bob Siwicki Mr. and Mrs. Corey R. Smith Mr. James L. Smith Janet Wilson Smith Kobie Smith SaraKay and Stanton Smullens Richard Soderquist and Cathy Nodgaard Dylan Steinberg & Amey Hutchins Mary Ann Strembo Ms. Judith Tannenbaum Monica Taylor Lotty and Brendan Lotty Cynthia Du Pont Tobias and Terrence A. Tobias Rosemary and Umit Turunc Evan Urbania Mrs. Peggy Wachs Mr. Edward Wagner Lisa Washington Dr. Steven and Janet Weinberger Wells Fargo Private Bank Joan P. Wohl Mr. Fred M. Wolfe Florence and Stephen Zeller List as of January 11, 2022

C O R P O R AT E C O U N C I L The Corporate Council generously supports Opera Philadelphia’s artistic and educational programming through contributions and in-kind donations.

SEASON SPONSORS

CORPORATE COUNCIL SPONSORS Affairs to Be Remembered, Inc. Ballard Spahr LLP CRW Graphics Exelon Business Services FCM Hospitality Garces Group Glenmede PECO Tolsma Productions Universal Health Services

Survey Hero is our online survey partner.

EITC Approved The Opera is a recognized Educational Improvement Organization, eligible for EITC contributions.

For more information, please contact Derren Mangum, Director of Institutional Giving, at 215.893.5924 or mangum@operaphila.org.

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L E GATO S O C I E T Y If you love the special magic of an Opera Philadelphia experience, consider including the Opera in your estate plans. In doing so, you will join a community of supporters that help to ensure great operatic memories for generations to come.

When you bequeath a gift of cash or stock, or make the Opera the beneficiary of your IRA or life insurance policy, you make a truly meaningful gift that costs nothing now, yet benefits the company later. Plus, estate gifts like these help the Opera weather unforeseen events like COVID-19.

Making a legacy gift admits you into the Legato Society, which brings you closer to the art you love and connects you to others who share your legacy goals.

We are proud to salute our Legato Society members in all Opera Philadelphia performance programs.

To learn more about making a planned gift or about the Legato Society, visit operaphila.org/legato, or contact Michael Bolton, Individual and Planned Gift Officer, at 215.893.5927 or bolton@operaphila.org.

Anonymous (6) Lorraine and Ben† Alexander Eleanor M. Allen† Mary Jo Ashenfelter and Thomas S. Heckman Eileen Baird Mr. Kenneth H. Barr Myron and Sheila S. Bassman Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bergen Ms. Jane A. Berryman Dr. Claire Boasi Dr. Rita B. Bocher Mr. Michael Bolton Mrs. Sheila Buckley Constance G. Burton† Ms. Willo Carey Dr. and Mrs. Peter Cassalia† Dr. Thomas A. Childers and Dr. John B. Hall Dr. Maria Elisa Ciavarelli† Miss Lucy Clemens Joan and Frederick Cohen Dianne and Don Cooney Mr.† and Mrs. Arthur Covello Ms. Ginny L. Coyle Mr. W. Kenneth Cressman and Mr. Lloyd Christy† Ms. Joan DeJean Ms. Virginia Del Sordo† Robert and Monica Driver Mrs. Antoinette DuBiel Dr. Bruce Eisenstein

Eddie and Rachel Eitches Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Fanelli, Jr. Ms. Joanne D. Fidler† Susan and Bill Firestone Aron and Joan Fisher Ms. Harriet Forman† Judith Durkin Freyer and Charles C. Freyer Mr. Timothy V. Gardocki Linda Dubin Garfield Ms. Sylvia Green† Dr. Mark H. Haller† Mrs. Dorrance H. Hamilton† Gail Hauptfuhrer Mr. Charles Head, Jr. and Mr. John Faggotti Stephen T. Janick Karl Janowitz Jeffrey R. Jowett Mrs. Sheila Kessler Gabrielle & Ernest Kimmel Mr. Michael Knight Mr. Tom Laporta Gabriele Lee† Anne Silvers Lee and Wynn Lee Marguerite and Gerry† Lenfest Mrs. Renee T. Levin† Karen† and Michael Lewis Carol and Howard Lidz Mr. William A. Loeb Sonja E. Lopatynskyj† Mr. Larry Thomas Mahoney 27

Drs. Joseph and Jane McGowan Eugene C. Menegon† Mrs. Lois Meyers Mrs. Ellen Cole Miller† Mr. Siddhartha Misra Mrs. Naomi Montgomery† Constance C. Moore Msgr. Felix M. O’Neill† Helen Pettit Mr. William Reily† David Rhody Dr. Scott F. Richard Mr. Laurence T. Robbins† Dr. Renée Rollin Jeffrey and Kendell Saunders Robert Schoenberg† Mr. Jonathan H. Sprogell and Ms. Kathryn Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Morton F. Steelman† Ms. Lee Steinberg† Ellen Steiner Mr. Kenneth R. Swimm Mr. Michael Toklish Charlotte Watts Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Wechsler Ester C. Weil† Mr. George P. White† Drs. Anne and Jim† Williamson Richard and Kelley Wolfington Ms. Karen A. Zurlo, Ph.D. † Deceased List as of December 20, 2022

This spring, opera meets cabaret for a fundraising soirée unlike any other. Think historical to hysterical; countertenor to counterculture.

Join Opera Philadelphia on Saturday, April 2, 2022, for an immersive evening featuring dinner, libations, and a genre-bending performance by Justin Vivian Bond, "the greatest cabaret artist of [their] generation” (The New Yorker), and Anthony Roth Costanzo, “the vocally brilliant and dramatically fearless countertenor” (The New York Times).

Named one of the Best Theater Experiences of 2021 after its premiere this fall at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York, Only an Octave Apart is "a playful, smart and unexpectedly moving evocation of unexpected connections in life and music" (The New York Times). The production will be adapted in partnership with Opera Philadelphia this spring for a label-defying fundraising experience.

SPONSORSHIPS ON SALE NOW Single tickets (limited availability) on sale February 15 OP ERA P HI L A .O RG/O C TAVE

Written in Stone Così fan tutte MARCH 5–25 | EISENHOWER THEATER

MARCH 12–26 | EISENHOWER THEATER

In English with Projected English Titles World Premiere

Music by Mozart / Libretto by Da Ponte In Italian with Projected English Titles WNO Production

Today’s most exciting artists offer four unmissable world premieres! Creative teams Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran, Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang, Kamala Sankaram and A.M. Homes, and Carlos Simon and Marc Bamuthi Joseph present intimate and interwoven works. Starring J’Nai Bridges and Rod Gilfry.

Kennedy-Center.org (202) 467-4600

Joining Ana María Martínez as Despina and Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Alfonso, a cast of opera’s rising international stars assembles to sing Mozart’s sublime music backed by an onstage orchestra.

Groups call (202) 416-8400 For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars Washington National Opera thanks Mrs. Eugene B. Casey for her extraordinary support Support provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

R I G O L E T TO

April 29­­–May 8 | Academy of Music We return to Philadelphia’s home for grand opera with Verdi’s unforgettable tragedy.

Anthony Clark Evans Rigoletto

Raven McMillon Gilda

Joshua Blue The Duke of Mantua

BUY NOW FOR THE BEST SEATS & PRICES OP ER A PHIL A .O RG | 215 . 732.8400

EXPERIENCE OPERA ON FILM like Soldier Songs, the first GRAMMY® nominee recorded for a streaming platform, and Svadba, premiering January 28 E N J OY W O R L D P R E M I E R E S like Rene Orth's TakTakShoo, Caroline Shaw's We Need to Talk, and Tyshawn Sorey's Save the Boys R E V I S I T STAG E D C L ASS I C S like La traviata and The Marriage of Figaro SA M P L E F R E E P R O G R A M S like Reflection & Re-Vision and Organ Stops S E E STA R S like Patricia Racette in the stunning film La voix humaine The Opera Philadelphia Channel has been made possible by the Disosway Foundation, Inc. and by Wyncote Foundation.

USE CODE LIL ACS TO SAVE 50% OFF AN ANNUAL STREAMING PASS ON THE OPERA PHILADELPHIA CHANNEL OPERAPHIL A .TV 31