BENJAMIN/CRIMP
WRITTEN ON SKIN
F E B R U A RY 9 , 1 1 M , 1 6 , 1 8 M , 2 0 1 8 ACADEMY OF MUSIC Part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
table of CONTENTS 02 Board of Directors 03 Letter from Board Chairman 05 Welcome from General Director & President 07 Written on Skin 09 Cast 10 Synopsis 12 Program Note 14 Composer
Written on Skin set design by Tom Rogers
16 19 20 21 22 24 26 33 35
Artists Bios Conductor Orchestra Artistic & Production Staff Leadership Giving Annual Giving Planned Giving Administration Up Next: Carmen
OnStage Publications, Advertising: 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966, korlowski@onstagepublications.com | onstagepublications.com This program is published in association with OnStage Publications, 1612 Prossser Avenue, Kettering, OH 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. JBI Publishing is a division of OnStage Publications, Inc. Contents Š 2018. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
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board of DIRECTORS officers
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Peter Leone Chairman of the Board Charles C. Freyer Vice Chair Caroline J. MacKenzie Kennedy Vice Chair Dr. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. Secretary Thomas Mahoney Treasurer David B. Devan* President
members
Benjamin Alexander Sandra K. Baldino F. Joshua Barnett, M.D., J.D. Willo Carey Katherine Christiano Ady L. Djerassi, M.D. Charles C. Freyer Alexander Hankin Frederick P. Huff Caroline J. MacKenzie Kennedy Beverly Lange, M.D. Gabriele Lee Peter Leone Thomas Mahoney Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. Immediate Past Chairman Agnes Mulroney Scott F. Richard Jonathan H. Sprogell Dr. Eugene E. Stark, Jr. William R. Stensrud Kenneth R. Swimm Maria Trafton Donna Wechsler Kelley Wolfington
honorary members
Dennis Alter Alan B. Miller H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest Stephen A. Madva, Esq. Chairman Emeritus Alice W. Strine, Esq. Charlotte Watts
from the BOARD CHAIRMAN Dear Friends, After five years of visionary leadership— and one month after our inaugural festival, O17, which The Washington Post called, “one of the most enjoyable additions to the fall calendar in years.”— Daniel K. Meyer, M.D., moved from Chair to Past Chair of Opera Philadelphia’s Board of Directors. It is my privilege to be the new Chairman in these exciting times for Opera in Philadelphia. O17 changed what is possible, creating new operas, new connections between audiences and artists, and a unique future for opera in Philadelphia. More than 30,000 tickets were issued during the festival, with opera fans and critics from across the globe coming to Philadelphia to experience some of today’s most important operatic work right here on our stages. Rave reviews appeared in more than 200 media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Toronto Star. Civic pride was evident. “Wherever I went, local people were speaking with pride about the company even if they had never attended a performance,” wrote renowned journalist Fred Plotkin (WQXR). “I felt like I was in Milan or Vienna.” Opera Philadelphia’s contributions to the canon are appearing all over the world: We Shall Not Be Moved was staged at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in October and premieres in Amsterdam in March; Elizabeth Cree makes its Chicago premiere this month; Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD was performed in London, Chicago, and Madison last year, and goes to Arizona Opera in the fall; and Breaking the Waves was performed in New York in 2017 and heads to Scotland in 2019. I became Chairman because I believe in the bold creative objectives at Opera Philadelphia: to produce compelling performances of both new and beloved repertoire for audiences; to help great artists shape the future of opera; and to represent our city and its people to the international opera world. Those objectives require resources, and I commend my fellow Board members and the many generous patrons listed in this program who have invested in this vision. We need more of you. The price of our tickets covers only 20 percent of the cost of staging an opera. Extraordinary artistry and innovation have required generous patronage since the dawn of creativity. There is an operatic movement happening here in the Academy of Music, in the Perelman Theater, and in the many nontraditional Philadelphia spaces enlivened by opera in recent years. I invite our entire community to rally behind the international success of our opera company and to join in me in establishing the financial foundation that will enable continued artistic achievement. This Philadelphia premiere of Written on Skin begins a spring season of five operatic happenings, continuing with a world premiere recital by Lawrence Brownlee, a new production of the beloved Carmen, and two co-presentations with our partners at Curtis Opera Theatre and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. I hope you enjoy all of these performances and this wonderful time to be an opera lover in Philadelphia!
Peter Leone Chairman
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from the GENERAL DIRECTOR Dear Friends, I first saw George Benjamin’s Written on Skin in 2012 at Dutch National Opera, and I was immediately struck by the expressive, passionate, and beautiful score as well as author Martin Crimp’s dramatic text. Here was a truly great work of 21st century opera, and audiences and critics throughout the world agreed. Written on Skin has been hailed as a contemporary classic, with performances at some of the world’s most important opera houses. A work like this truly becomes part of the operatic canon when new artists bring their interpretations to the piece. We are honored to present the opera’s first new staging in the U.S., with an original treatment from director William Kerley and designer Tom Rogers. They have assembled a stellar cast led by soprano Lauren Snouffer, making her company debut as Agnès, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo in a role debut as the Boy and First Angel, and baritone Mark Stone in his role debut as the Protector, a part seemingly tailor-made for his voice and acting skills. At Opera Philadelphia, we are laser-focused on authoring the future of opera. In the O17 festival, that meant presenting three world premieres and staging opera in new and exciting spaces like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation. This spring, that mission takes many forms: the creation of a new production of the beloved Carmen; supporting the stars of tomorrow in new productions from Curtis Opera Theatre at the Perelman; and commissioning a world premiere song cycle on what it means to be a black man in America in 2018, from operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee, composer Tyshawn Sorey, and lyricist Terrance Hayes. It all begins with the artists and encouraging them to do their most imaginative work that reflects the changing fabric of our world and our art form. Thank you for joining us to experience the Philadelphia premiere of this 21st century classic. The future of opera is indeed bright so long as opera lovers like you are supporting these incredible artists and their work.
David B. Devan General Director & President @DDEVAN
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OPERA PHILADELPHIA
WRITTEN ON SKIN New Production & Philadelphia Premiere Music / George Benjamin* Text / Martin Crimp* Conductor / Corrado Rovaris Director / William Kerley Set & Costume Design / Tom Rogers Lighting Design / Howard Hudson* Wig and Make-Up Design / David Zimmerman Stage Manager / Lisa Anderson* *Opera Philadelphia debut Production underwritten, in part, by Judy and Peter Leone and by the Wyncote Foundation at the recommendation of Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. Opera Philadelphia Orchestra underwritten by Alice and Walter Strine, Esqs., by Peter A. Benoliel and Willo Carey, and by Thomas Mahoney. The Written on Skin Creative Team has been generously underwritten by an anonymous donor. Maestro Corrado Rovaris' engagement has been underwritten by Dr. Beverly Lange and Dr. Renato Baserga.
CAST Agnès / Lauren Snouffer* performance underwritten by Dr. Heidi L. Kolberg and Dr. F. Joshua Barnett Protector / Mark Stone performance underwritten by Scott F. Richard and Mamie Duff First Angel & Boy / Anthony Roth Costanzo performance underwritten by Jean and Gene Stark Second Angel & Marie / Krisztina Szabó performance underwritten by Caroline J. Mackenzie Kennedy Third Angel & John / Alasdair Kent performance underwritten by Carolyn Horn Seidle *Opera Philadelphia debut
#WritteninPhilly
written on skin SYNOPSIS PART I Scene 1: Chorus of Angels
Scene 5: The Protector and the visitors, John and Marie
As winter comes, the Protector broods about a “Erase the Saturday car-park from the market place, change in his wife’s behavior. She hardly talks fade out the living, snap back the dead to life.” or eats, has started to turn her back to him in bed, and pretends to be asleep, but he knows A Chorus of Angels takes us back 800 years, she’s awake and can hear her eyelashes “scrape to a time when every book is a precious object the pillow/like an insect.” When Agnès’s “written on skin.” They bring to life two of sister Marie arrives with her husband, John, the story’s protagonists: the Protector, a she questions the enterprise of the book, and wealthy and intelligent landowner “addicted in particular the wisdom of inviting a strange to purity and violence,” and his obedient wife, Boy to eat at the family table with Agnès. his “property,” Agnès. One of the angels then The Protector emphatically defends both Boy transforms into the third protagonist, “the and book, and threatens to exclude John and Boy,” an illuminator of manuscripts. Marie from his property. Scene 2: The Protector, Agnès, and the Boy
Scene 6: Agnès and the Boy
In front of his wife, the Protector asks the Boy to celebrate his life and good deeds in an illuminated book. It should show his enemies in Hell, and his own family in Paradise. As proof of his skill, the Boy shows the Protector a flattering miniature of a rich and merciful man. Agnès distrusts the Boy and is suspicious of the making of pictures, but the Protector overrules her and instructs her to welcome him into their house.
The same night, when Agnès is alone, the Boy slips into her room to show her the picture she asked for. At first she claims not to know what he means, but soon recognizes that the painted image of a sleepless woman in bed is a portrait of herself, her naked limbs tangled with the covers. As they examine the picture together, the sexual tension grows until Agnès offers herself to the Boy.
Scene 3: Chorus of Angels The Angels evoke the brutality of the biblical creation story, “invent man and drown him,” “bulldoze him screaming into a pit,” and its hostility to women, “invent her/strip her/ blame her for everything.” Scene 4: Agnès and the Boy Without telling her husband, Agnès goes to the Boy’s workshop to find out “how a book is made.” The Boy shows her a miniature of Eve, but she laughs at it. She challenges the Boy to make a picture of a “real” woman, like herself, a woman with precise and recognizable features, a woman that he, the Boy, could sexually desire.
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PART II Scene 7: The Protector’s bad dream The Protector dreams not only that his people are rebelling against the expense of the book, but also, more disturbingly, that there are rumors of a secret page, “wet like a woman’s mouth,” where Agnès is shown “gripping the Boy in a secret bed.” Scene 8: The Protector and Agnès The Protector wakes up from the dream and reaches out for his wife. She, however, is standing at the window watching black smoke in the distance, as the Protector’s men burn enemy villages. She asks her husband to touch and kiss her, but he’s disgusted at being approached in this way by his wife and repels her, saying that only her childishness can excuse her behavior. She angrily refuses to accept the label “child,” and tells him that
Approximate running time of Written on Skin is one hour and 35 minutes with no intermission
if he wants to know the truth about her, he should go to the Boy: “Ask him what I am.” Scene 9: The Protector and the Boy The Protector finds the Boy in the wood “looking at his own reflection in the blade of a knife.” He demands to know the name of the woman who “screams and sweats with you/ in a secret bed,” is it Agnès? The Boy, not wanting to betray Agnès, tells the Protector that he is sleeping with Agnès’s sister, Marie, and conjures up an absurd scene of Marie’s erotic fantasies. The Protector is happy to believe the Boy, and reports back to Agnès that the Boy is sleeping with “that whore your sister.” Scene 10: Agnès and the Boy Believing that what her husband said is true, Agnès furiously accuses the Boy of betraying her. He explains he lied to protect her, but this only makes her more angry: it wasn’t to protect her, it was to protect himself. If he truly loves her then he should have the courage to tell the truth, and at the same time punish her husband for treating her like a child. She demands that the Boy, as proof of his fidelity, create a new, shocking image that will destroy her husband’s complacency once and for all. PART III Scene 11: The Protector, Agnès, and the Boy The Boy shows the Protector and Agnès some pages from the completed book, a sequence of atrocities that make the Protector increasingly impatient to see Paradise. The Boy is surprised: he claims that these are indeed pictures of Paradise here on earth; doesn’t the Protector recognize his own family and property? Agnès then asks to be shown Hell. The Boy gives her a page of writing. This frustrates Agnès because, as a woman, she hasn’t been taught to read. But the Boy goes, leaving Agnès and her husband alone with the “secret page.”
Scene 12: The Protector and Agnès The Protector reads aloud the page of writing. In it the Boy describes in sensuous detail his relationship with Agnès. For the Protector, this is devastating, but for Agnès it is confirmation that the Boy has done exactly as she asked. Excited and fascinated by the writing, indifferent to his distress, she asks her husband to show her “the word for love.” Scene 13: Chorus of Angels and the Protector The Angels evoke the cruelty of a god who creates man out of dust only to fill his mind with conflicting desires and “make him ashamed to be human.” Torn between mercy and violence, the Protector goes back to the wood, and, “cutting one long clean incision through the bone,” murders the Boy. Scene 14: The Protector and Agnès The Protector attempts to reassert control over Agnès. She is told what to say, what she may or may not call herself, and, sitting at a long dining table, is forced to eat the meal set in front of her to prove her “obedience.” The Protector repeatedly asks her how the food tastes and is infuriated by her insistence that the meal tastes good. He then reveals that she has eaten the Boy’s heart. Far from breaking her will, this provokes a defiant outburst in which Agnès claims that no possible act of violence, “not if you strip me to the bone with acid,” will ever take the taste of the Boy’s heart out of her mouth. Scene 15: The Boy/Angel 1 The Boy reappears as an Angel to present one final picture: in it, the Protector takes a knife to kill Agnès, but she prefers to take her own life by jumping from the balcony. The picture shows her as a falling figure forever suspended by the illuminator in the night sky, while three small angels painted in the margin turn to meet the viewer’s gaze.
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the sounds of past and future PROGRAM NOTE By Maria Ryan Since the very first operas in the early seventeenth century, composers have experimented with using different instruments to accompany singers. As opera has developed, certain traditions have evolved: at an opera, we may expect to hear violins and other string instruments, as well as woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments found in the orchestra. However, because opera is an inherently dramatic form, many composers look beyond the instruments of the orchestra for instruments that can create specific effects. In Written on Skin, composer George Benjamin uses a broad orchestral palette in ways that play upon and with the themes and narrative of the opera. Sounds of the Past In Written on Skin, we see the medieval world of the Protector and Agnès through the device of a group of angels retelling their story. The past and the ambiguous time of the angels collapse onto one another. Benjamin uses several instruments in the opera that may remind the audience of the sounds of the past, as well as the supernatural elements and temporal twists of the narrative. Written on Skin calls for a bass viol, an instrument that was popular in Europe from the early sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth century. The bass viol looks somewhat similar to a cello, but differs in some key aspects. The bass viol has six strings, is fretted, and has strings made of animal gut, which gives the bass viol a softer and earthier sound than the cello. We first hear the bass viol in Scene VI, as we find Agnès alone, narrating her own loneliness and desire. She is soon joined by the Boy, who shows her an illustrated page of a house in winter. Throughout this scene, we hear the bass viol playing in an idiom that belies its sixteenth-century origins. The solo bass viol winds around and between the Boy and Agnès’s lines, sometimes high in its tessitura, and sometimes very low, with frequent use of harmonics, and double stopping. The glass harmonica (also known as armonica), is also used in the opera. Invented by Philadelphia’s 12
own Benjamin Franklin in the eighteenth century, the instrument is a series of nestled glass bowls of various sizes that rotate through use of a pedal. It produces its sound by the player running dampened fingers over the rotating rims of the vibrating glasses, creating an otherworldly, piercing sound. The instrument has long been associated with madness. It was long rumored that the lead rims of the glasses caused the player to be poisoned, leading to hallucinations. The glass harmonica is famously used in the mad scene of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (1835). The glass harmonica is played throughout the opera, but is perhaps most arresting at the beginning of Scene XV, the final scene of the opera just after Agnès has tasted the Boy’s heart. In this scene Angel 1 describes a miniature of the Woman’s fall to her death. The disjunction between the illumination the Angel is describing and what the audience are seeing unfold on stage is reinforced by the unfamiliar and unearthly sonorities of the glass harmonica and bass viol harmonics, which accompany the Boy’s singing. The ambiguity of Agnès’s death is marked by temporal, spatial, and sonic strangeness. Found Objects In Written on Skin Benjamin extends his orchestra to include sounds that are created by things that are not designed as musical instruments. There is a long tradition of composers using found objects to create unusual sonic effects in their music and these found objects can be sourced from both the natural and the manmade world. From the latter category, a typewriter is among the percussion instruments used in the opera. Benjamin is not the first composer to use a typewriter in a stage work. One hundred years ago, the ballet Parade (1917), with music by Erik Satie, included noise-making instruments such as a typewriter, milk bottles, and even a siren. The typewriter can be heard in Scene XI when the Boy is showing the Protector several pages from the book. The typewriter accompanies the Boy singing about Marie at the shopping mall and John at the airport
Composer George Benjamin. Photo by Matthew Lloyd.
– contemporary experiences that are beyond the Protector’s experience. The score instructs the percussionist to do “fast, random typing,” perhaps to reinforce the Protector’s confusion and incomprehensibility of the technologies of the future. The percussion list for Written on Skin also instructs the percussionist to find “pebbles (2 pairs – small and large).” The smoothness and small size of pebbles means that they are ideal percussion instruments – easily held in the hand, and making a pleasingly sharp sound when struck against each other. By calling for two different sized pairs of pebbles, the percussionist can create both high and lower pitched sounds. The pebbles are heard in the climactic scene when the Protector forces Agnès to eat the Boy’s heart (Scene XIV). The pebbles sound in the instrumental section while Agnès is eating. The percussionist creates clacking sounds by striking the pebbles against each other, perhaps to imitate the grinding of teeth. At the same time cellos play col legno, creating a complementary dry percussive effect. Extending the Orchestra Although most of the instruments in the symphony orchestra developed in Europe, instruments from throughout the world share certain commonalities. In Written on Skin, Benjamin employs several instruments that are typically not used in an opera orchestra, thus extending the sounding possibilities of the opera.
In Written on Skin, Benjamin calls for two sets of three mini-tabla to be tuned very high. The tabla is a small pair of tuned hand-drums from South Asia. The tabla is a versatile instrument, as the performer uses the movements of his or her hands and fingers to change the pitch and tone color of the drum. The mini tablas are played at the end of Scene IX when the Protector narrates his delight in choosing to believe that the Boy is having an affair with Marie, not Agnès. Two percussionists play soft, insistent rhythms with their fingers, in contrast to the Protector’s spitting delusions. The mandolin is a small fretted instrument that is plucked with the fingers or a plectrum. Although it is rarely heard in orchestras, it has been popular for informal music making for the last 400 years. In Written on Skin, the two first violins double on mandolin. We first hear the mandolin in Scene II, as the Boy shows the Protector an example of his illumination. The mandolin is played at the same time as the harp. The mandolin can be distinguished by its particular “twangy” timbre, which sounds more metallic and piercing than the violin family or the harp. We hear the mandolin again at the beginning of Scene XI, when the Boy is once again showing the Protector a page from the manuscript. The sounding of the mandolin at the moments when the characters are looking at the book provides a sonic counterpart to the visual act of looking. Maria Ryan is a third-year musicology doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania 13
written on skin COMPOSER George Benjamin Opera Philadelphia debut Born in 1960, George Benjamin began composing at the age of seven. From 1973, he had lessons with Peter Gellhorn, then in 1976, he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study with Messiaen, after which he worked with Alexander Goehr at King’s College Cambridge. Ringed by the Flat Horizon was played at the BBC Proms by the BBC SO under Mark Elder when Benjamin was just 20. The London Sinfonietta under Simon Rattle gave the premiere of At First Light two years later. Antara was commissioned for the 10th anniversary of the Pompidou Centre in 1987 and his Three Inventions written for the 75th Salzburg Festival in 1995. The LSO under Boulez gave the premiere of Palimpsests in 2002 to mark the opening of ‘By George’, a season-long portrait at the Barbican which also included the first performance of Shadowlines under the fingers of its dedicatee Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Recent years have seen further retrospectives of his work in Lucerne, Aldeburgh, San Francisco, Ojai, Frankfurt, New York, Toronto and Dortmund. Benjamin’s first operatic work, Into the Little Hill, written with playwright Martin Crimp, was commissioned by the 2006 Festival d’Automne in Paris. It made its London premiere in the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House in 2009, in a new production by The Opera Group, directed by John Fulljames, with the London Sinfonietta under the composer’s baton. Benjamin and Crimp’s second collaboration, Written on Skin, had its premiere at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in July 2012 directed by Katie Mitchell, and since then has been scheduled by eighteen international opera houses. In 2012, the Southbank Centre presented a retrospective of George Benjamin’s work as part of the UK’s Cultural Olympiad. An honorary fellow of the Guildhall, the Royal 14
Academy and the Royal College of Music as well as King’s College Cambridge, he was awarded a CBE in 2010 and is an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society and a Commandeur dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Since 2001, he has been the Henry Purcell Professor of Composition at King’s College London. His works are published by Faber Music and are recorded on Nimbus Records.
next: Composer, Lessons in Love and Violence, Royal Opera House, London.
written on skin AUTHOR Martin Crimp Opera Philadelphia debut
Born in 1956 in Dartford, Kent, British playwright Martin Crimp has collaborated with composer George Benjamin on three operas: Into the Little Hill (2006), Written on Skin (2012) and the forthcoming Lessons in Love and Violence. Crimp’s plays include In the Republic of Happiness, Play House, The City, Fewer Emergencies, Cruel and Tender (written for Luc Bondy), Face to the Wall, The Country, Attempts on her Life, The Treatment, Getting Attention, No One Sees the Video, Play with Repeats, Dealing with Clair and Definitely the Bahamas. His translations of plays include Botho Strauss’s Gross und klein, Ionesco’s Rhinocéros and Les Chaises, Marivaux’s La Fausse Suivante and Le Triomphe de l’amour, Genet’s Les Bonnes, Koltès’s Roberto Zucco, Chekhov’s The Seagull and Molière’s Le Misanthrope. In the UK, his work has been produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Almeida, Young Vic, Complicite and Royal Court Theatre, where he was Writer in Residence in 1997. In New York, his work has been seen at Public Theater, Classic Stage Company, on Broadway, and at the Metropolitan Opera. Crimp’s work has been translated into many languages and produced at international venues including Piccolo Teatro, Milan, Sala Beckett, Barcelona, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Théâtre de la Ville, Schaubühne, Berlin, by the Berliner Ensemble and at the Festival d’Automne in Paris and the Vienna Festival. Crimp’s awards include the 1993 John Whiting Award for The Treatment and the 2005 Premio Ubu for the Fewer Emergencies trilogy.
next: Author, Lessons in Love and Violence, Royal Opera House, London.
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written on skin ARTIST BIOS ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO / First Angel and Boy
2011 Phaedra
countertenor (Durham, NC)
recent activities: Giulio Cesare, Giulio Cesare, Houston Grand Opera; Farnace, Farnace, Spoleto Festival USA; Akhnaten, Akhnaten, Los Angeles Opera next: Orfeo, Orfeo ed Eurydice, Florida Grand Opera
HOWARD HUDSON
lighting designer (London, United Kingdom) recent activities: Lighting Designer, Mansfield Park, Grange Festival Opera; Lighting Designer, Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo and Juliet, Garrick Theatre, West End; Lighting Designer, On The Town, Regents Park
Opera Philadelphia debut
next: Lighting Designer, The Barber of Seville, Grange Festival Opera
ALASDAIR KENT / Third Angel and John
2016 Cold Mountain
tenor (Fremantle, WA, Australia)
recent activities: Il Cavalier Giocondo, La pietra di paragone, Wolf Trap Opera; Lindoro, L’italiana in Algeri, Opéra de Montpellier; Lindoro, L’italiana in Algeri, Hungarian State Opera of Budapest next: Don Ramiro, La cenerentola, Portland Opera
WILLIAM KERLEY
director (London, United Kingdom)
recent activities: Director, Il barbiere di Siviglia, National Centre for Performing Arts, Beijing, China; Director, Carmen, Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari, Italy next: Director, The Mad Axeman, Boudica Films
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2013 Powder Her Face 2009 The Rape of Lucretia
LAUREN SNOUFFER / Agnès
Opera Philadelphia debut
soprano (Austin, Texas)
recent activities: Addie Mills, The House Without a Christmas Tree, Houston Grand Opera; Amour, Orphée et Eurydice, Lyric Opera of Chicago; Pamina, Die Zauberflöte, Seattle Opera next: Lulu, Lulu, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile
MARK STONE / Protector
2013 The Magic Flute 2010 La traviata 2009 Gianni Schicchi
recent activities: Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus, Welsh National Opera; Count, Figaro Gets a Divorce, Grand Théâtre de Genève; Prosdocimo, Il turco in Italia, Garsington Opera
(partial listing)
KRISZTINA SZABÓ / Second Angel & Marie
2013 Svadba – Wedding
baritone (London, United Kingdom)
next: Germont, La traviata, Longborough Festival Opera
mezzo-soprano (Toronto, Ontario)
recent activities: Messiah, Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Angelina, La cenerentola, Edmonton Opera; Dido, Dido and Aeneas, Toronto Masque Theatre next: World Premiere of George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
TOM ROGERS
2013 Powder Her Face
set & costume designer (London, United Kingdom)
recent activities: Set & Costume Designer, Big Fish – The Musical, The Other Palace, London; Set & Costume Designer, ‘Goat’ for Rambert, Sadlers Wells, London; Set & Costume Designer, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ - The Musical, Menier Chocolate Factory, London next: Set & Costume Designer, Moonfleet, Salisbury Playhouse, UK
DAVID ZIMMERMAN
wig & make-up designer (Mt. Pleasant, Texas) recent activities: Wig & Make-up Designer, The (R) evolution of Steve Jobs, Santa Fe Opera; Wig & Make-up Designer, Aida, Washington National Opera; Wig & Make-up Designer, The Shining, Minnesota Opera next: Wig & Make-up Designer, Don Pasquale, Minnesota Opera
2017 The Marriage of Figaro 2016 Cold Mountain 2015 Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD (partial listing)
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“In these divided times, we hope to create something that brings people together with mutual respect, understanding, and communication across races and generations.” — L AW R E N C E B R O W N L E E
Cycles of My Being
WORLD
PREMIERE
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 | 7 : 3 0 P. M . P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R TICKETS $25
Don't miss Cycles of My Being, a song cycle exploring the realities of life as a black man in America. Music by Tyshawn Sorey and lyrics by Terrance Hayes. Starring world-famous tenor and Opera Philadelphia Artistic Advisor, Lawrence Brownlee. Photography by Shervin Lainez
O R D E R N O W F O R T H E B E S T S E AT S OPERAPHILA.ORG | 215.732.8400 Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Unlimited: A Division of Lyric Opera of Chicago. Support for Cycles of My Being provided by the Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation. Support for Lawrence Brownlee provided by Ann Ziff and Beth and Gary Glynn. The Perelman Theater is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
written on skin CONDUCTOR Corrado Rovaris 2017 Elizabeth Cree 2015 Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD 2006 Cinderella (partial listing) Corrado Rovaris is the Jack Mulroney Music Director of Opera Philadelphia and Music Director of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, founded in 2011 by the Walton Arts Center. He also serves as principal conductor of the Italian chamber orchestra I Virtuosi Italiani, based in Verona, and leads the Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicale in concerts in Italy. In 2016, Rovaris was awarded the Abbiati Prize by the Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali. Born in Bergamo, Italy, Rovaris graduated from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan with degrees in composition, organ, and harpsichord. From 1992-1996, he was the assistant chorus master of the Teatro alla Scala and made his debut on the podium with Il filosofo di campagna by Galuppi in a production by Associazione Lirica e Concertistica Italiana. He was subsequently invited to conduct at the Teatro Comunale in Florence and at the Rossini Opera Festival, and soon began appearing as a regular guest in many of the major Italian houses such as La Scala, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Internationally he has led productions for the Opéra de Lyon, Théâtre Municipal de Lausanne, Oper Köln, Oper Frankfurt, Opéra Nationale de `Lorraine à Nancy, Bergamo Gaetano Donizetti Music Festival, and Japan Opera Foundation in Tokyo, among others.
leading to his appointment as music director in 2005. With the company, he has conducted new works like the world premiere of Daniel Schnyder’s Charlie Parker’s YARBIRD and the East Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain. He has also led productions at the Santa Fe Opera, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Glimmerglass Opera.
next: Conductor, A Quiet Place, Curtis Opera Theatre at the Perelman
Making his U.S. debut in 1999 with Opera Philadelphia in Le nozze di Figaro, Rovaris quickly became a company regular, eventually 19
written on skin ORCHESTRA violin 1
Dayna Anderson, Concertmaster Igor Szwec, Assistant Concertmaster Meichen Liao-Barnes Charles Parker Diane Barnett Donna Grantham Elizabeth Kaderabek Alexandra Cutler-Fetkewicz
violin ii
Emma Kummrow, Principal Sarah Dubois Paul Reiser Piotr Filochowski Yu-Hui Tamae Lee Joanna Thiagarajan
viola
Joseph A. Smith, Principal Allison Herz Doris Hall-Gulati Joshua Kovach
bassoon
Wade Coufal, Principal Emeline Chong
french horn
John David Smith, Principal Lyndsie Wilson Karen Schubert Ryan Stewart
trumpet
Brian D. Kuszyk, Principal Steven Heitzer Frank Ferraro Robert Skoniczin
Jonathan Kim, Principal Carol Briselli, Assistant Principal Julia DiGaetani Ellen Trainer Elizabeth Jaffe Steven Heitlinger
trombone
cello
tuba
Jennie Lorenzo, Principal Brooke Beazley David Moulton Dane Anderson Glenn Fishbach Elizabeth Thompson
bass
Miles B. Davis, Principal Anne Peterson Daniel McDougall Steven Groat
flute
Edward Schultz, Principal Eileen Grycky Kim Trolier
oboe
Nick Masterson, Principal Evan Ocheret
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clarinet
Robert Gale, Principal Edward Cascarella Bradley Ward Paul Erion, Principal
harp
Sophie Bruno, Principal
timpani
Martha Hitchins, Principal
percussion
Ralph Sorrentino, Principal Bradley Loudis Christopher Hanning David Nelson
mandolin
Patrick Mercuri Allen Krantz
glass harmonica Friedrich Kern
viola da gamba
Vivian Barton Dozor
artistic & production STAFF artistic & production team Assistant Conductor....................................................................... Elizabeth Braden Assistant Director............................................................................ Amanda Consol Fight Director..................................................................................J. Alex Cordaro Principal Pianist................................................................................. Grant Loehnig Properties Supervisor.............................................. Avista Custom Theatrical Services English Diction Coach.............................................................................Lynn Baker Supertitles Author............................................................................... Kelley Rourke Supertitles Operator...............................................................................Tony Solitro Assistant Stage Managers............................................ Gregory Boyle, Jennifer Shaw Wardrobe Supervisor...........................................................................Elisa Murphy Drapers.......... Kara Morasco, Althea “Nell” Unrath, Suzie Morris Barrett, Stephen Smith Dyer Painter........................................................................................ Julie Watson First Hands................................................................... Patrick Mulhall, Joy Rampula Stitchers.......................................... Susan Benitez, Catherine Blinn , Kathryn Calhoun Shopper........................................................................................ Hanna Hamilton Wig & Make-up Assistant............................................................ Glenda Williamson Assistant Lighting Designer........................................................................Chris Frey Master Electrician.................................................................................. Terry Smith Assistant Electrician....................................................................... Ali Blair Barwick Head Props........................................................................................... Paul Lodes Flyman.................................................................................................. Mike Ruffo Shop Technicians..........................Steve Wolff, Frank Grasso, Roland Reed, Mike Ruffo, Pete Mohan, Tom Devine, Paul Lodes Scenic Artists......................................... Keith Hockins, Jennifer Cole, Jonanna Dinella
supernumeraries Bobb Hawkey (Captain), Aaron Bell, Fadiagne Diao, Hanna Gaffney, Kristerpher Henderson, Emma D. Orr, Ebony Pullum, D’quan Tyson
FACILITIES A Commitment to Safety: The safety and comfort of visitors, artists, volunteers, and staff at the Kimmel Center, Academy of Music, and Merriam Theater are of paramount importance. In the event of an emergency, audience members will be advised of appropriate procedures by ushers and security staff. 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. Smoking is prohibited on the Kimmel Center campus. Accessibility: The Academy of Music is wheelchair accessible from the east lobby entrance on Broad Street. Seating is available on the Parquet and Balcony levels, with accessible restrooms located on the Canteen level. Assistive listening devices are available for loan. A limited number of ADA-compliant parking spaces are available in the Kimmel Center garage. Coat Check & Restrooms: A complimentary coat check is located on the ground floor of the Academy of Music. Restrooms are located on all levels of the Academy of Music. Food and Beverage: Concessions by Chef Jose Garces and Garces Group are available to Academy of Music and Merriam patrons at satellite bars located in the lobbies and upper levels. Water fountains are located on all levels of the Academy of Music.
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Clockwise from top left: Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe with her underwriter, Leadership Circle Member Agnes Mulroney. Soprano Christine Goerke with Leadership Circle member Barbara Augusta Teichert. Leadership Circle Members Eugene and Jean Stark with Immediate Past Chairman Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. General Director & President David B. Devan with Leadership Circle Member Sandra Baldino and Marc DeCroisset. Leadership Circle Member Frederick R. Haas with Rafael Gomez. Leadership Circle Members Hal Marryatt and John Alchin with General Director & President David B. Devan.
Leadership Giving Opera Philadelphia’s Leadership Circle and Chairman’s Council are comprised of passionate philanthropists committed to ensuring that the future of opera is right here in Philadelphia. Their collective generosity underwrites more than half of Opera Philadelphia’s artistic expenses each season, including productions in the Academy of Music, internationally-lauded chamber opera at the Perelman Theater, site-specific work, Opera on the Mall, and our award-winning programs for children.
For more information, contact Rachel McCausland, Director of Philanthropic Engagement, at 215.893.5909 or mccausland@operaphila.org.
General Director’s Council Members of the General Director’s Council play a pivotal role in the future of Opera Philadelphia. Council members may align their support with areas of special interest, such as sponsoring Emerging Artists, supporting community programming that furthers arts education, or funding Opera Philadelphia’s innovative new works. Members enjoy an enhanced connection to the art on our stages through private dinners with artists, cast parties, dress rehearsals, and exclusive opportunities to hear from leadership about Opera Philadelphia’s vibrant future plans. General Director’s Council membership begins with an annual gift of $10,000. We invite you to become an essential member of Opera Philadelphia’s donor family by joining the Council today!
For more information, contact Rebecca Ackerman, Director of Individual Giving and Advancement Services, at 215.893.5904 or ackerman@operaphila.org.
Patron Program The Patron Program is comprised of committed opera enthusiasts whose collective generosity provides vital support for Opera Philadelphia’s productions and community programs. Patrons enjoy access to VIP benefits in the opera house including intermission champagne receptions and a VIP coat check, as well as invitations to exclusive social events throughout the season and priority ticketing services. Join this passionate group of opera lovers with a gift of $2,500 or more today!
Official Sponsor, Patron Program
Top to bottom: Member and composer Jennifer Higdon with Chairman’s Council Member Allen Freedman at a reception for Cold Mountain. Member Benjamin Minick with 2014–2015 Emerging Artist Sarah Shafer. Members at the 2017 Emerging Artists Recital (photo by Ashley Magitz).
For more information, contact Rebecca Ackerman, Director of Individual Giving and Advancement Services, at 215.893.5904 or ackerman@operaphila.org.
Brenda Rae in Tancredi. (Photo by Kelly & Massa.
Memberships start at $100
Membership Even when we sell every seat in the house, we still require philanthropic support from our community to be able to present the dazzling blend of theatrical, orchestral, and vocal splendor that are Opera Philadelphia's performances. To play an active role in bringing great opera to Philadelphia while enjoying exclusive benefits that will enhance your opera experience, make a membership gift of $100 or more. M E M B E R S E N J OY: Early access and savings on ticket purchases Invitations to member-only recitals and lectures Behind-the-scenes events like dress rehearsals and backstage tours And much more!
28For more information, visit our information desk in the lobby, contact Guest Services at
215.732.8400 or membership@operaphila.org.
PLANNED GIVING SPOTLIGHT CHARLES & JUDITH FREYER My wife Judy and I have been Opera Philadelphia subscribers for 41 years, starting the year we moved back to Philadelphia from my U.S. Army service in Germany. Over the years, we have moved our seats in the Academy of Music from the Amphitheatre to the Parquet, and introduced our children to opera. We share many memories of glorious evenings in the Academy. One highlight we will never forget is the series of Pavarotti competitions in the 1980s, when he visited the Academy to judge auditions and then Opera Philadelphia cast the winners in its productions. More recently, the highlights have included coming to know the young Emerging Artists from the Curtis Institute of Music– who we now regard as family–and enjoying their first performances on the Academy and Perelman stages in Opera Philadelphia productions. These young singers are extraordinarily dedicated to their craft, and spend long hours every day honing and perfecting their skills. You have only to meet them to feel energized by their commitment, humility, and talent.
As we enter our 70s, and the end of 50+ year careers, we have given a lot of thought to what we want to accomplish with our estate plan. We have decided that we have a duty, after providing for our children, to do as much as we can to help ensure a promising future for opera and the opera stars of tomorrow. Judy and I have made a generous provision in our wills for Opera Philadelphia, and invite and strongly encourage you to do the same.
Charles C. Freyer Vice Chairman, Opera Philadelphia Board of Directors and Encore Society Chairman
Official Sponsor, Encore Society Above: Board Vice Chair and Encore Society Chairman, Charles C. Freyer, with soprano Rachel Sterrenberg and Encore Society Member Judith Durkin Freyer (photo by Elisa Gabor.)
To join or to receive more information, go to operaphila.org/encore or contact Mark Nestlehutt, Director of Planned Giving, at 215.893.5905 or nestlehutt@operaphila.org.
Corporate Council The Corporate Council generously supports Opera Philadelphia’s artistic and educational programming through contributions and in-kind donations.
2017–2018 Season Sponsors
Official Sponsor, Encore Society
Official Piano Service Provider
Reception Partner
Official Hotel
Brand Communications Partner
Official Make-up Partner
Season Media Partner
Season Media Partner
Official Sponsor, Patron Program
Official Piano
Corporate Council Sponsors Ballard Spahr LLP
PECO
Termini Bros. Bakery
Center City Film and Video
PNC
Universal Health Services
CRW Graphics
Saks Fifth Avenue
Exelon Business Services
Tiffany & Co.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Opera Philadelphia are collaborative partners in delivering the highest quality opera programs in world class venues for the benefit of regional audiences, international artists, and the broader community. EITC APPROVED The Opera is a recognized Educational Improvement Organization, eligible for EITC
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, EITC contributions, or to join Opera Philadelphia's Corporate Council, contact Nathan Schultz, Manager of Institutional Giving, at 215.893.5932 or schultz@operaphila.org.
opera philadelphia ADMINISTRATION leadership
David B. Devan General Director & President Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music Director Marita Altman Vice President of Development Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Initiatives David Levy Vice President of Artistic Operations Ryan Lewis Vice President of Marketing Frank Luzi Vice President of Communications Jeremiah Marks Chief Financial Off icer Lawrence Brownlee Artistic Advisor Kristy Edmunds Artistic Advisor Mikael Eliasen Artistic Advisor Ken Smith Assistant to General Director & Board Relations Coordinator
music
Michael Eberhard Artistic Administrator Sarah Williams New Works Administrator Elizabeth Braden Chorus Master & Music Administrator J. Robert Loy Director of Orchestra Personnel & Orchestra Librarian Grant Loehnig Head of Music Staff David Hertzberg Rene Orth Composers in Residence
Peggy Monastra Partnerships, New Productions, & Commissions Emily May Sung Assistant Orchestra Librarian
development
Rebecca Ackerman Director of Individual Giving & Advancement Services Rachel McCausland Director of Philanthropic production Engagement Drew Billiau Adele Mustardo Director of Design & Director of Events Technology Mark Nestlehutt Stephen Dickerson Director of Planned Giving Technical Director Aisha Wiley Millie Hiibel Director of Research Costume Director Derren Mangum Meggie Scache Associate Director of Production Manager Institutional Giving Lisa Anderson Anna Penchuk Production Stage Manager Major Gifts Manager Katie Foster Nathan Schultz Assistant Costume Manager of Institutional Director Giving Kelsey Burston Erica Weitze Artistic Operations Coordinator Development Operations Manager marketing & Rachel Mancini guest services Development Administrative Ernie D. DeRosa Assistant Guest Services Manager Karina Kacala community initiatives Marketing Manager Steven Humes Michael Knight Education Manager Marketing Operations Manager Veronica Chapman-Smith Siddhartha Misra Community Initiatives Lead Guest Services Associate Administrator Ashley Colabella RenĂŠe Drezner finance Leah Golub Brian Ramos Guest Services Associates Controller Bethany Steel communications HR & Operations Manager Katie Kelley Alison McMenamin Design Manager Senior Accountant The Karma Agency Brand Communications Partner counsel Ballard Spahr, LLP General Counsel 33
C U R T I S O P E R A T H E AT R E AT T H E P E R E L M A N in par tnership with Opera Philadelphia and the Kimmel Center for the Per forming Ar ts
Bernstein / Wadsworth
Weill / Brecht & Menotti
A Quiet Place
Mahagonny: Ein Songspiel & The Medium
MARCH 7, 9, 11M P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R
M AY 3 , 5 M , 5 , 6 P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R
C O N D U C T O R Corrado D I R E C T O R Daniel Fish
C O N D U C T O R Carlos Ă greda D I R E C T O R Emma Grif fin
Rovaris
With members of the Cur tis Symphony Orc hestra
With members of the Cur tis Symphony Orc hestra
A Quiet Place is sponsored in part by David and Sandy Marshall, BNP Paribas, and the Allen R. and Judy Brick Freedman Venture Fund for Opera. Mahagonny: Ein Songspiel & The Medium is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY. The Curtis Opera Theatre season is sponsored by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation. The Perelman Theater is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
O R D E R N O W F O R T H E B E S T S E AT S 34
operaphila.org
Daniela Mack returns in April to close out the season as Carmen CARMEN April 27–May 6, 2018 Academy of Music
The 2017–2018 Season at Opera Philadelphia is a good year for title roles starring Daniela Mack. The Argentinian-American mezzo opened the O17 festival making her company debut as Elizabeth Cree in the world premiere from composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell. She returns in April to close the spring season in a new production of Bizet’s Carmen directed by Paul Curran (2015’s La traviata). Described as “a singer with dark hued sultry tones” (Opera Today), Mack is a natural in the role of the irresistible Spanish gypsy. “Like Elizabeth Cree, Carmen is an extraordinary woman: strong and self-aware, multifaceted and yet surprisingly simple at heart. She is a woman who knows her own mind, who can walk into a room and command the attention of everyone and anyone without even trying,” Mack said.
With its twisting tale of romance, deceit, and disaster set to magnetic melodies, Carmen has become one of the world’s most popular operas. Everyone is drawn to Carmen – except Corporal Don José (Evan LeRoy Johnson). But even he soon succumbs to her seduction, fleeing a life in the military to join the gypsy world, all in Carmen’s name. When the famous bullfighter Escamillo (Adrian Timpau) begins to win her affection, however, a dangerous love triangle grows. Micaëla (Kirsten MacKinnon), Don José’s hometown sweetheart, attempts to wrest him from Carmen’s grasp, but to no avail – fate has already dealt its hand. This unforgettable story of runaway passions and dire consequences meets its match in Bizet’s intoxicating score in this bold new production from the team behind 2015’s stylish La traviata.
O R D E R N O W F O R T H E B E S T S E AT S operaphila.org | 215.732.8400
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THE NEXT TIME TO
Festival O
September 20–30, 2018
“One of the most enjoyable additions to the fall calendar in years.” – Th e Wa s h i n g t o n Po s t