2019–2020 Academy Series

Opera for All.

AC AD EM Y SE RIE S

Eri Nakamura is “a wonderfully characterful singer.”

Gramophone Wendy Bryn Harmer is “a bright-voiced” and “potent ” soprano.

The New York Times

Corrado Rovaris has “ presided over a striking evolution at Opera Philadelphia.”

Opera News

Barry Banks has “the same combination of tonal sweetness and pinging clarity that made Pavarotti famous.”

The Telegraph

Bryan Hymel has “a vibrant voice with a steely cutting edge.”

The Guardian

“ Daniela Mack’s outstandingly sung and acted Carmen anchored the whole production.”

Opera News Soprano Leah Crocetto has an “extraordinary display of sumptuous vocal tone, regal phrasing, and technical agility.”

San Francisco Chronicle

2019–2020 SEASON Academy of Music

The Love for Three Oranges Part of Festival O19

September 20, 22, 27 & 29, 2019

Verdi’s Requiem Special Concert Performances

January 31 & February 2, 2020

Madame Butterfly Puccini’s Masterpiece

April 24, 26 & 29, May 1 & 3, 2020

Perelman Theater

Semele

Part of Festival O19 September 19, 21, 24, 26 & 28, 2019

World Premieres

Denis & Katya

Let Me Die

Part of Festival O19

Part of Festival O19

The Suzanne Roberts Theatre

FringeArts

September 18 – 29, 2019

September 21 – 28, 2019

Recital Series

Curtis in Concert Part of Festival O19 Field Concert Hall | Curtis Institute of Music September 21, 22, 28 & 29, 2019

Need personalized assistance curating your Opera Philadelphia experience?

Please contact Guest Services at 215.732.8400 or visit operaphila.org/order.

Major support for Festival O19 has been provided by the William Penn Foundation.

THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES

C O M PA N Y P R E M I E R E

Academy of Music A favorite of Opera Philadelphia’s Music Director Corrado Rovaris, this rarely seen musical gem is a fun, fantastical farce. Opulent stage design, a kingdom of colorful characters, and some of Prokofiev’s most energetic, accessible music combine for a seriously funny opera about a melancholic prince and his cursed quest for love.

Music

adaptation of the play by

SERGEI PROKOFIEV

SEPTEMBER 20, 22, 27 & 29

Carlo Gozzi

Libretto

PERFORMED IN ENGLISH

Production of Maggio

SERGEI PROKOFIEV AND

WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES

Musicale Fiorentino

VERA JANACOPOULOS

The Academy Series is underwritten, in part, by Judy and Peter Leone.

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

A New Kind Of Comedy

#THREEORANGES

Based on Vsevolod Meyerhold’s

C A S T & C R E AT I V E T E A M The King of Clubs / Scott Conner*

Ninette / Tiffany Townsend*

Conductor / Corrado Rovaris

The Prince / Jonathan Johnson*

The Cook / Zachary James

Director / Alessandro Talevi*

Truffaldino / Barry Banks*

Smeraldine / Amanda Bottoms*

Scenic Design / Justin Arienti*

Fata Morgana / Wendy Bryn Harmer*

Pantalone / Will Liverman

Costume Design / Manuel Pedretti*

Princess Clarissa / Alissa Anderson*

Linette / Katherine Pracht

Lighting Design / Giuseppe Calabro*

Leandro / Zachary Altman

Nicolette / Kendra Broom*

The Magician Tchelio / Brent Michael Smith

Farfarello / Ben Wager

2 019

5

*Opera Philadelphia debut

VERDI’S REQUIEM

CONCERT PERFORMANCES

Academy of Music In celebration of Corrado Rovaris’s 20th anniversary with Opera Philadelphia, the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus take center stage in what NPR has called “a conductor’s dream come true”: Verdi’s Requiem.

Joining soloists Leah Crocetto (Don Carlo), Daniela Mack (Carmen), Evan LeRoy Johnson (Carmen), and In-Sung Sim are more than 80 instrumentalists and 100 choristers, resulting in a dramatic

#REQUIEM

the Roman Catholic mass for the dead.

JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Music GIUSEPPE VERDI

PERFORMED IN LATIN

A New Kind of Eulogy

exploration of the full range of human emotions experienced during

The Academy Series is underwritten, in part, by Judy and Peter Leone.

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

C A S T & C R E AT I V E T E A M Soprano / Leah Crocetto

Conductor / Corrado Rovaris

Mezzo / Daniela Mack

Chorus Master / Elizabeth Braden

Tenor / Evan LeRoy Johnson Bass / In-Sung Sim*

*Opera Philadelphia debut

2020

7

MADAME BUTTERFLY Academy of Music What sacrifices will one make in the name of love? Director Ted Huffman eloquently unravels Puccini’s 115-year-old musical masterpiece for today’s audiences, elevating what was once considered a period piece into a modern-day commentary on power dynamics and Western exploitation, set soaring with its achingly beautiful score.

Music

APRIL 24, 26 & 29,

GIACOMO PUCCINI

MAY 1 & 3, 2020

Libretto

PERFORMED IN ITALIAN

GIUSEPPE GIACOSA

WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES

AND LUIGI ILLICA

The Academy Series is underwritten, in part, by Judy and Peter Leone.

The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

A New Kind Of Classic

# M A DA M E B U T T E R F LY

Production of Opernhaus Zürich

C A S T & C R E AT I V E T E A M Cio-Cio San / Eri Nakamura*

Conductor / Corrado Rovaris

Pinkerton / Bryan Hymel

Director / Ted Huffman

Sharpless / Anthony Clark Evans*

Scenic Design / Michael Levine

Suzuki / Kristen Choi*

Costume Design / Annemarie Woods*

Goro / Julius Ahn

Lighting Design / Franck Evin*

Bonze / Wei Wu* Prince Yamadori / Takaoki Onishi*

2020

*Opera Philadelphia debut

9

SEMELE

C O M PA N Y P R E M I E R E

Perelman Theater Rife with themes of unbridled love, jealousy, and revenge, Handel’s 1744 opera Semele features some of the composer’s most glorious orchestral music and virtuosic vocal writing. You’ll love this company premiere starring some of your Academy favorites like mezzo Daniela Mack, who slayed the title role in 2017’s Carmen, tenor Alek Shrader (Alfredo in 2015’s La traviata), and soprano Sarah Shafer (Adina in 2016’s The Elixir of Love), alongside Grammy Award-winning soprano Amanda Forsythe in her company debut as Semele.

Co-produced with Opera Omaha

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

SEPTEMBER 19, 21, 24, 26 & 28

Libretto

PERFORMED IN ENGLISH WITH

WILLIAM CONGREVE

ENGLISH SUPERTITLES

After Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”

A New Kind Of Myth

#SEMELE

Music

Aurora Productions in the Perelman Theater are underwritten, in part, by the Wyncote Foundation at the recommendation of Frederick R. Haas.

The Perelman Theater is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

C A S T & C R E AT I V E T E A M Semele / Amanda Forsythe*

Conductor / Gary Thor Wedow

Jupiter, Apollo / Alek Shrader

Director / James Darrah

Juno, Ino / Daniela Mack

Scenic & Lighting Design / Cameron Mock* and Emily MacDonald*

Athamas / Tim Mead

Costume Design / Sarah Schuessler*

Cadmus, Somnus / Alex Rosen*

Projection Design / Adam Larsen

Iris / Sarah Shafer

*Opera Philadelphia debut

O 19

11

A New Kind of Tragedy

DENIS & KATYA

The Suzanne Roberts Theatre Composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman—the duo behind the awardwinning 4.48 Psychosis—team up once again on this powerful, ripped-from-theheadlines world premiere about the deaths of two 15-year-old runaways.

While in the midst of a standoff with Russian Special Forces, the couple broadcast themselves live on social media, creating a spectacle of realtime voyeurism, and have since become the Romeo and Juliet of internet clickbait. This multimedia production uses verbatim text to examine the vast public response to these events, what that reveals about our society, and what it means to make an opera out of it.

Major support for Denis & Katya has been provided by the William Penn Foundation.

P A R T O F F E S T I VA L O 1 9

A New Kind of Satire

LET ME DIE

P A R T O F F E S T I VA L O 1 9

FringeArts

Joseph Keckler brings his sharp wit and rich, versatile voice to this world premiere “aria-logue” interweaving snippets of famous death scenes from dozens of canonic operas with his own music and signature comedic storytelling. Sardonic in all the right ways, this biting commentary on the grim portrayal of the state of opera features video and piano accompaniment, in a nuanced and playful exploration of opera’s fascination with death.

Major support for Let Me Die has been provided by the William Penn Foundation.

F O R PE RFORM AN C E D AT ES & M ORE, T UR N TO THE LA S T PAG E .

O 19

13

CELEBRATE

20 YEARS WITH

MAESTRO ROVARIS Opera News says Corrado Rovaris has “presided over a

The 2019-2020 Season celebrates our Jack Mulroney

striking evolution at Opera Philadelphia.” Since making

Music Director on the 20th anniversary of his Opera

his U.S. debut with the company in Mozart’s The Marriage

Philadelphia debut. Corrado will conduct The Love

of Figaro in 1999, Maestro Rovaris has built an international

for Three Oranges in September, Verdi’s Requiem in

reputation for his fine musicianship and leadership.

winter, and the spring production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, all at the Academy of Music.

Festival O19 Celebration

H O N O R I N G M A E S T R O R OVA R I S

S AV E T H E DAT E Saturday,

SEPTEMBER

21 2019

Sponsorships now on sale at operaphila.org/O19Celebration Single tickets on sale May 15

Opera Philadelphia invites you to celebrate Festival O19 with a stunning evening in the Academy of Music in honor of Maestro Rovaris. Kick off another spectacular season with an array of talented O19 artists. The evening will feature a performance by a special guest artist and a seated dinner on the stage of the Academy of Music surrounded by the beautiful set of Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges.

O 19

15

With YOU the show WILL go on.

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Includes 3 Academy of Music performances: The Love for Three Oranges, Verdi’s Requiem, and Madame Butterfly

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SUNDAY 2

8:00 p.m.

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THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES

9/20/19

9/22/19

9/27/19

9/29/19

VERDI’S REQUIEM

1/31/20

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MADAME BUTTERFLY

2/2/20

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THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES MADAME

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VERDI’S

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DENIS & KATYA

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$48

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$165

$109

$69

$45

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$104

$72

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$24

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$56

$40

$17

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$32

Wednesday / Friday

ACADEMY

PERELMAN

SUZANNE ROBERTS

Sept. 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29

LET ME DIE

CURTIS IN CONCERT

Amphitheatre

ACADEMY

BUTTERFLY

REQUIEM

$240

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Sept. 21, 27, 28

$48

Sept. 22, 25, 26

$32

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$16

FRINGEARTS

CURTIS

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F E S T I VA L O 19 & S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 September

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Academy of Music

The Love for Three Oranges

8:00 p.m.

Perelman Theater

Semele

The Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Denis & Katya

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

FringeArts

Let Me Die

Field Concert Hall

8:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m

7:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m.

Curtis in Concert

2:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m.

Academy of Music

Festival O19 Celebration

January/February Academy of Music

Verdi’s Requiem

April/May Academy of Music

Madame Butterfly

7:00 p.m.

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Su

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8:00 p.m

2:00 p.m.

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29

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1

2

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8:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

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2:00 p.m.

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