PRESENTS
BY GEORGES BIZET FEBRUARY 12–27, 2022
OPERA SAN JOSÈ 2021–22 SEASON
OPERA SAN JOSÉ presents
Shawna Lucey GENERAL DIRECTOR & CEO
Joseph Marcheso MUSIC DIRECTOR
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Phyllis Bismanovsky
IRENE DALIS VOCAL COMPETITION May 21, 2022
SEMI-FINALS LIVESTREAM ON MAY 18
Mimi Carlson George Crow Jane Decker Julie Edgcomb Charles F. Hanes TREASURER Prof. John Heineke Peggy Heiman Jennifer A.R. Hsu SECRETARY N. Eric Jorgensen Michael H. Kalkstein VICE PRESIDENT Lawrence A. Kern Cathy R. Lazaru Shawna Lucey Jeanne McCann Pravesh Mehra Gillian Moran PRESIDENT Dr. H. Andrea Neves
EMERITUS COUNCIL Richard Dorsay Frank Fiscalini Glen Gould Rita Horiguchi Lee Rosen
SUBSCRIBER PRE-SALE FEBRUARY 15 On Sale to the Public March 1
Don Schmidek Gerald Seelig
Dazzlingly talented singers join the Opera San José
Jan Telesky
Orchestra to perform soaring arias in this heart-stopping
Melody Walsh
contest of unbridled operatic passion and vocal prowess.
Laurie Warner PRESIDENT Dick Whitney
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operasj.org • (408) 437-4450
FROM OUR GENERAL DIRECTOR TO MY NEW OSJ FAMILY, I am thrilled to be joining this gem of an opera company in the role of General Director & CEO. I was fortunate enough to have been a stage director here in the 17–18 season and cherished that experience. OSJ stands as a company where artists can do their best work — heartily embraced by this great OSJ family. In my fifteen years as a stage director of opera, my time at OSJ shone bright with fantastic artists onstage and engaged audiences in the theater. It is my great honor to serve this company in the footsteps of Irene Dalis, Larry Hancock and Khori Dastoor in this role. Their great examples have laid the groundwork for this phenomenal company and I am so excited to continue in their stead. Therefore, it is with great excitement we are bringing Bizet’s Carmen to the California Theatre in a classic production with a sizzling new staging. The most produced opera of all time, Carmen has been hailed as the perfect opera. In these challenging times when gathering together is not a simple experience, the power of Bizet’s music speaks more deeply than ever. The power of music to bring us together to collectively experience the greatest of human emotions has been denied us for so many months. Being in the theater together to experience the incredible power of music and narrative is a fundamental need of all humanity. Our joy is that we are here today with you. It is the great support from patrons like yourself that we are able to meet the challenges of this moment and our gratitude cannot be expressed in words. Only music can truly communicate our love and thanks for our OSJ family. When we think of what titles to bring to the stage, what the productions should be like, what we imagine they will communicate — we are thinking of you, our audience. Throughout the rehearsal process, we are dreaming of who will sit in the seats and live through the drama with us. We want to thrill and excite every person here and having the opportunity to do that with this production of Carmen means the world to us, and to me. I hope you’ll join me in raising a glass to our dedicated staff, orchestra, front of house team, our artists, production staff and crew, company members, volunteers, and community partners for making this production possible. Without their hard work and dedication, we couldn’t bring Carmen to life. We are thrilled to be back at the beautiful California Theatre ready to make music together. Here’s to many more delightful times together, full of song and passion, hope and joy, and every human emotion. Please enjoy the show! With gratitude,
SHAWNA LUCEY GENERAL DIRECTOR & CEO OPERA SAN JOSÉ 3
PRESENTS
OPERA IN FOUR ACTS
By Georges Bizet Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy First performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on March 3, 1875 Sung in French with English supertitles The performance will run approximately three hours with two intermissions.
CONDUCTORS Joseph Marcheso Christopher James Ray (February 25 & 27)
DIRECTOR Lillian Groag
CHOREOGRAPHER Jimmie Kay Ramos
SCENIC DESIGNER Giulio Cesare Perrone
LIGHTING DESIGNER Pamila Gray
COSTUME COORDINATOR Alyssa Oania
WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Christina Martin
PROPERTIES DESIGNER Lori Scheper-Kesel
CAST In order of vocal appearance MORALÈS MICAËLA ZUNIGA DON JOSÉ CARMEN FRASQUITA MERCÉDÈS ESCAMILLO EL REMENDADO EL DANCAÏRO
Peter Morgan Anne-Marie MacIntosh Leo Radosavljevic Noah Stewart Nikola Printz Teresa Castillo Stephanie Sanchez Eugene Brancoveanu Jared V. Esguerra Rafael W. Porto
Performances of Carmen are made possible in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose. 4 OPERA SAN JOSÉ
CHORUS
SUPERNUMERARIES
SOPRANOS
Jim Ballard (Amor Brujo), Desiree Jaimes (Little Carmen), Lawrence A. Kern (Priest), Lance LaShelle (Lillas Pastia)
Rachel Beninghof Jennifer Mitchell Deanna Payne Mel Mallory Catherine Williams Jessica Williams
COVERS William Lee Bryan (El Dancaïro) Jared V. Esguerra (Don José) Jennifer Mitchell (Frasquita) Leandra Ramm (Mercédès) Jeremy Ryan (El Remendado) Stephanie Sanchez (Carmen) Brendan Stone (Moralès)
ALTOS Taylor Dunye Jennifer Hartshorn Danielle Imai Brennah Kemmerly Leandra Ramm Amy Nasci Worden
PRODUCTION TEAM CHORUS MASTER
TENORS
Christopher James Ray
Michaël Kim Eric Mellum Andrew Metzger Jeremy Ryan Taylor Thomas-Thompson Nicolas Vasquez-Gerst
CHILDREN’S CHORUS MASTER Jose Chuy Hernandez
FIGHT DIRECTOR Dave Maier
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
BASSES
Jayme O’Hara
William Bryan James Cowing Andrew Fellows Joshua Hughes Michael Kuo Brendan Stone
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Tara Branham
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS Grace Owens Emi Komatsu
CHILDREN’S CHORUS*
MUSIC STAFF
Yaretzi Castro Dylan Cruz Jiménez Amalinaltzin De La Cruz Alexander Hernandez Lopez Leo Hernandez Wendy Jacobo Desiree Jaimes Victoria Márquez Emely V. Martínez Isabel V. Martínez Sarah Sanchez Medina Mia Perez
Veronika Agranov-Dafoe Victoria Lington
SUPERTITLE CREATOR Brett Finley
SUPERTITLE OPERATOR Chloe Koons
PERFORMANCES
FLAMENCO DANCERS
†
Damien Alvarez Jimmie Kay Ramos Bianca Rodriguez Aldo Ruiz
Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30pm Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 2pm Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:30pm Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 2pm Friday, February 25, 2022 at 7:30pm Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 2pm
* Members of CANTA Choir (José Chuy Hernandez, artistic director) † Dancers appear courtesy of The Flamenco Society of San José (Eddie Diaz, artistic director) This production features depictions of violence, the sound of a gunshot, and haze. OPERA SAN JOSÉ 5
OPERA SAN JOSÉ ORCHESTRA 1st VIOLIN
OBOE
Cynthia Baehr-Williams, Concertmaster Rochelle Nguyen, Assistant Concertmaster Matthew Szemela Valerie Tisdel Chính Lê Virginia Smedberg Josepha Fath Rachel Patrick
Patricia Emerson Mitchell, Principal Pamela Hakl Economos
ENGLISH HORN Pamela Hakl Economos
CLARINET Mark Brandenburg, Principal James Pytko
BASSOON
2nd VIOLIN
Deborah Kramer, Principal Iain Forgey
Claudia Bloom, Principal Ellen Flanagan, Assistant Principal Sue-Mi Shin Sergi Goldman-Hull Gulnar Spurlock Judith Kmetko Matthew Oshida
FRENCH HORN Meredith Brown, Principal Caitlyn Smith Franklin Eric Achen Erika Miras
TRUMPET
VIOLA Chad Kaltinger, Principal Janet Doughty, Assistant Principal Melinda Rayne Ivo Bokulic
William B. Harvey, Principal John Freeman
CELLO
TROMBONE Jon Brummel Colby Wiley
Isaac Pastor-Chermak, Principal Paul Hale, Assistant Principal Adelle-Akiko Kearns Saul Richmond-Rakerd
BASS TROMBONE
BASS
PERCUSSION
Andrew Butler, Principal William Everett, Assistant Principal
FLUTE/PICCOLO James Blanchard, Principal Mary Hargrove
C. L. Behrens
TIMPANI Arthur Storch Jim Kassis
HARP Chloe Tula
ABOUT OPERA SAN JOSÈ Opera San José is an opera company located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Maintaining a resident company of artists, OSJ presents four mainstage productions annually in San Jose’s historic California Theatre, while regularly broadcasting fully-produced productions from its state-of-the-art Heiman Digital Media Studio. Now in its 38th season, OSJ specializes in role debuts, serving as an artistic incubator for established and emerging artists alike, producing world-class operatic performances for diverse audiences throughout the Bay Area and around the globe.
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MUSIC DIRECTOR’S NOTE Since Carmen is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, it is also one that I’ve had a long relationship with. I’ve been conducting it regularly since the late 1990s and this is my third time conducting it at Opera San José, more than any other opera since I started working here fifteen years ago. In truth, every time I prepare for a production of Carmen, I tell myself that this is the last time I’m going to conduct this opera. Its buoyant, irresistible music, iconic characters, and dramatic sweep are very good at disguising how hard it is to pull off on its own terms. This is because the genesis and journey of Carmen from story to opera has created in it many contradictions, and those paradoxes are intrinsic and are in fact an essential element of its popularity. Mérimée’s Carmen first appeared as a mock journalistic report, sandwiched between actual reports in the biweekly travel journal, La Revue des deux mondes. The story concerns a French narrator who, while searching in Spain for an ancient battlefield, runs into Don José who tells him, retrospectively, more or less, the story of the opera. This slice-of-life tale then was shorn of the dispassionate perspective of the French narrator and told not from José’s perspective, but as a naturally unfolding story. This was the first significant, necessary change on its way to being made into an opera. If you believe that part of a story is how it is told, then this change already significantly alters the load-bearing structure of its dramaturgy. Beyond that, however, a subtler but, for our musical purposes, more significant challenge was added. For Carmen’s original audience in 1875 did not comprise patrons of the traditional Théâtre National de l’Opéra, where the famous Palais Garnier had finally been completed only a few months earlier, but was instead the middle-brow audience of the Opéra-Comique. Operas presented there were typically lighter in subject matter, and used a lot of spoken dialogue. And though they incorporated a greater diversity of musical styles such as cabaret, dance, and café music, the audiences were more bourgeois, family-oriented and, in matters of sexual propriety, more reactionary than audiences at the Opéra would have been. So, on top of all the transmutations through which Carmen had already gone, it would now have to be composed in a specific musical language palatable for an audience hostile to its intent. A mock travelogue turned into straightforward tragedy was then brought to life through the prism of a very particular musical sensibility not obviously conducive to it. There are very few straight lines in that evolution, and each of them are tightropes. Every performance is balancing on a hair’s breadth between tragic and comic, sexy and vulgar, cabaret and classical, spoken and sung, glamor and meaning. And while that guarantees that each performance will be exciting it also means that few will be totally successful. Carmen is like a bedsheet that doesn’t quite fit the bed: you pull over one corner and another flops out, you tuck in a side and the other side gets away, but every so often with some pluck and good fortune you can briefly cover all four corners as they vibrate and quiver against the sheet. That’s what a great performance of Carmen is like, an apparent impossibility that nevertheless is attainable through an alchemy that is unpredictable and unrepeatable. Every great performance of this opera is a unique experience between the artists and the audience. You could see all six performances of our run and come away with six distinct experiences. That tightrope dynamic is why Carmen is so popular and exciting but it is also why every time I prepare to do it, I tell myself that this is going to be the last time. Carmen requires a sense of abandon from everybody who undertakes it and until I get out there, put my first step on the rope and start the overture, it can seem like the most daunting thing in the world. My greatest hope is that you feel that same excitement from our performances, that you feel that you are there with us in the arena, walking the tightropes and subduing the bulls. Enjoy the show.
JOSEPH MARCHESO MUSIC DIRECTOR
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 7
DIRECTOR’S NOTE When certain operas become so familiar as to automatically blend into our culture, a curious thing happens: we assume a knowledge of them that is far from accurate. Directors are not immune to this syndrome. The plots of the handful of operas that form our main canon, through overexposure and indiscriminate production habits, become blurred and we end up with approximations of a story we actually don’t know all that well. Which brings us to our Carmen, based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella. Sold at 13 by her father to another Roma by the name of Garcia, who took her as wife, she would have joined the fate all other Roma women bought and sold as was the custom in that specific 19th century culture. Only that this one is different. Unwilling to become anyone’s property, she declares herself free from all ties and joins a band of thieves and smugglers, at first sight causing minimum damage and maximum fun, all while stamping out vague approximations of flamenco. And then she gets killed. Now this story clearly cannot be the one that created the scandal of its opening night. Mérimée’s troubling woman who runs about in ripped stockings and dirty red shoes in a black shabby dress (in Spain at that time, a daytime color reserved for prostitutes or women in mourning) is actually lethal—as Micaëla aptly notes—and anything but harmless. Now: why should we give our attention to this dismal story of Roma and “payos” (Romani for white folks)? Well, the music is fantastic. It has been called the perfect opera, and to many of us, it is. But there is also a very good yarn to hold it up. A volatile young man of good family (it’s Don José, after all) finds himself at a dilapidated garrison in a bad neighborhood of Seville, with a rank (equivalent to corporal) unworthy of his birth and station. There is a tobacco factory there and the brunes cigarières (so, mostly Roma) have means of income other than the making of cigars and cigarettes during factory breaks. What is this young man doing in an old military outpost so far from home in Navarre, across country up in beautiful Basque land? It turns out he’s run into trouble with the law already and has been presumably whisked away by his family in order to avoid incarceration or worse. His mother extends her forgiveness and a lifeline in the form of the lovely Micaëla, but there remains no doubt that José Lizarrabengoa is a violent man who, true to character, ends up hopelessly entangled with a woman on the criminal fringes of society. A typical story of sexual obsession and murder such as we see every night on tabloid TV. What’s so special about this one? Well…Carmen herself. At the last possible moment, and just like Don Giovanni, this basically unpalatable protagonist (with the great music) attains enormous stature by throwing down the gauntlet at Death’s feet, daring it to take her. Of course Death does. It always wins. But there is something about Carmen and Don Giovanni, in their final stands, that makes them impressive and complete and sums up their claims to total freedom (an impossibility in society and to no good end in either case) and touches on that very human demand for “more life”—or, as Philip Larkin puts it, “this multipetaled flower of being here.” Somehow, the naked recall of the Impossible battle we all ultimately lose rings true for us in all its futility. We love Cyrano and Quixote especially because they are doomed to lose, and perhaps the battle cry of the Romantics in the century that separates Don Giovanni and Carmen is as alive in the Romani street girl as in the libertine aristocrat, both of whom wanted the world to belong to them. They were wrong, of course, but aren’t they rather grand on their final face-off with the ultimate Enemy, mano a mano, in the empty space of that dusty Plaza de Toros or in the sumptuous dining room everyone else has fled, making a great big fuss, refusing to give an inch and going down fighting?
LILLIAN GROAG
8 OPERA SAN JOSÉ
SYNOPSIS
ACT I In a town square in Seville, a group of soldiers and townspeople. A young woman named Micaëla enters, looking for a corporal named Don José. The soldiers try to persuade the girl to stay with them until Don José returns, but she declines and leaves. Soon, Don José arrives just moments before the cigarette factory bell rings and a group of women, including Carmen, enter the plaza. The soldiers flirt with the girls and ask Carmen when she will love them. Her reply is given in the famous Habanera, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle.” All the soldiers are entranced, but for Don José, who seems oblivious. When Carmen sees Don José ignoring her, she tosses a flower at him. He finally notices her. Shortly thereafter, Micaëla returns bearing a letter from Don José’s mother, in which she asks her son to marry Micaëla. Don José promises his fidelity and love to her. Moments later, a fight breaks out in the cigarette factory between Carmen and another woman. Carmen injures the woman before she is restrained by Officer Zuniga. Zuniga commands Don José to take Carmen to prison. However, Carmen charms Don José into letting her go. When it is discovered that Don José has allowed Carmen to escape, he is thrown into jail for two months. INTERMISSION (15 MINUTES)
ACT II At Lillas Pastia’s Inn, Carmen and her friends, Mercédès and Frasquita, are entertaining several soldiers, including Officer Zuniga, when the celebrated bullfighter, Escamillo, arrives. During the Toreador song, “Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre,” Escamillo vividly describes the bull fight for the enthralled crowd, and then leaves, followed by the officers. As he departs, Zuniga tells Carmen that he will return to
the inn later to meet with her, but Carmen rebuffs him. A while later, after the crowd has dispersed, the smugglers El Dancaïro and El Remendado ask Carmen and her two friends to help them in a heist. Mercédès and Frasquita agree to help, but Carmen refuses, expecting the newlyreleased Don Jose to arrive at any moment. When he finally comes, Carmen dances for him. Her dance is cut short when a bugle sounds in the distance, signaling the soldiers to return to the barracks. Don José prepares to leave, but Carmen mocks his acquiescence and tries to persuade him to remain with her. Just then, Zuniga comes back. He orders Don José to leave, but the latter, in a fit of jealousy, defies his commander’s orders. A fight ensues, interrupted by Carmen and the smugglers, who take Zuniga prisoner. After this, Don José, having no choice, agrees to stay with Carmen. INTERMISSION (15 MINUTES)
ACT III Don José now finds himself at the smugglers’ mountain hideout with Carmen, who has begun to find him tiresome. They quarrel bitterly. Mercédès and Frasquita tell their fortunes with a deck of cards. For the two girls, the cards reveal a life of wealth, love, and luxury. For Carmen and Don José, they reveal only death. After discussing their plans, the smugglers and the girls leave, while Don José guards the hideout. Micaëla enters, intent on finding Don José. Hearing a gunshot, she hides. Escamillo, looking for Carmen, enters the hideout. Don José initiates a confrontation, interrupted by the smugglers’ return. Unperturbed, Escamillo invites Carmen and the others to his upcoming bullfight as he leaves. Micaëla is found in her hiding place, and tries to convince Don José to return home to his dying mother.
ACT IV Months later, on the day of a bullfight, Carmen and Escamillo arrive together during the procession of the toreros. Mercédès and Frasquita warn Carmen that Don José is in the crowd. While Escamillo enters the bullring, a desperate Don José confronts Carmen outside the arena. She tells him she no longer loves him and throws the ring he gave her to the ground. Don José, insane with rage, pulls his knife and kills her.
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 9
MEET OUR 2021-2022 RESIDENT COMPANY Eugene Brancoveanu Baritone
Theresa Castillo
Soprano
Tara Branham Director
Jared V. Esguerra
Tenor
Maya Kherani
Nikola Printz
Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano
Christopher James Ray Conductor
Efraín Solís Baritone
Nathan Stark
Noah Stewart
Bass-Baritone
Tenor
Tara Branham is sponsored, in part, by San José Opera Guild. Eugene Brancoveanu is sponsored by Elizabeth F. Adler. Maya Kherani is sponsored, in part, by Prof. John M. Heineke & Prof. Catherine R. Montfort. Christopher James Ray is sponsored, in part, by Michael McGinley. Efraín Solís is sponsored, in part, by Jan & Don Schmidek. Nathan Stark is sponsored by Mary & Clinton Gilliland. Opera San José’s mission has always been the development and support of emerging artists. By providing housing, professional development, and performance opportunities like few opera companies in America do, Opera San José keeps the artist at the very heart of its creative and administrative life. Deepen your connection to the artform by becoming a Resident Artist Sponsor. Contact development@operasj.org for more information.
OPERA SAN JOSÈ: FALL 2021 This fall saw OSJ return to live performances for the first time in more than two years, bid a fond farewell to Khori Dastoor at the Heiman Digital Media Studio’s first in-person production, and give a joyous welcome to our new General Director, Shawna Lucey.
Resident Artist Maya Kherani in concert in the California Theatre courtyard.
New year, new vibe: General Director Shawna Lucey and Music Director Joseph Marcheso.
OSJ made a triumphant return to the California Theatre stage with Dido and Aeneas, featuring Resident Artists Nikola Printz and Efraín Solís in the title roles.
Resident Artist Ashley Dixon performs at the Friends of Opera San José Saratoga Springs event.
Resident Artist Nathan Stark raised a final Parting Glass to outgoing General Director, Khori Dastoor, with the first in-person event at our new Heiman Digital Media Studio.
Sidney Outlaw and Simon Barrad in OSJ’s digital production of Mozart and Salieri.
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 11
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES NIKOLA PRINTZ
NOAH STEWART
CARMEN
DON JOSÉ
Mezzo-Soprano Hometown: Oakland, CA
Tenor Hometown: New York, NY
At OSJ: 2021/2022 Season Resident Artist. Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Isabella cover and Zulma (L’italiana in Algeri, 2014/2015 season)
At OSJ: 2021/2022 Season Resident Artist. Don José (Carmen, OSJ debut), Tony (West Side Story) , Greenhorn (Moby-Dick, 2018/2019 Season)
This Season: Dido and Aeneas, Carmen Career Highlights: Carmen (Shreveport Opera, Opera Modesto, West Bay Opera), Orfeo (West Edge Opera), Isabella (L’italiana in Algeri, Opera Memphis) Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Memphis) Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Memphis) Unsere Mama (Uksus, Erling Wold Productions) Lisa the Fox (Cunning Little Vixen, West Edge Opera), Schwabacher Debut Recitalist (San Francisco Opera, 2022), Merola Opera Program artist (2020–2022)
This Season: Soloist, Oakland Symphony Career Highlights: Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly); Don José (Carmen, Royal Albert Hall), Miss Fortune (world premiere: Bregenzer Festspiele; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden); Indian Queen (dir. Peter Sellars; English National Opera, Bolshoi Opera, Teatro Real Madrid); Number 1 debut solo album, Noah (Decca/Universal Records) www.NoahStewart.com
www.nikolaprintz.com
ANNE-MARIE MACINTOSH
EUGENE BRANCOVEANU
MICAËLA
ESCAMILLO
Soprano Hometown: Langley, BC, Canada
Baritone Hometown: Arad, Romania and Heidelberg, Germany
At OSJ: Debut This Season: Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera Career Highlights: Marzelline (Fidelio, San Francisco Opera), Diana (If I Were You world premiere, Merola Opera Program), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette, Calgary Opera), Mahler Symphony No. 4 (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra), Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program (2016-2018), Rebanks Family Fellow (2015-2016) www.annemariemacintosh.com
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At OSJ: Resident Artist, 2019– 2022. Leporello, Escamillo, Conte Almaviva, Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire), Starbuck (Moby-Dick), Eisenstein, Father (Hansel and Gretel), Conte di Luna, Love & Secrets, Schumann’s Dichterliebe, The Parting Glass This Season: Conte Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro, Stanford) Career Highlights: Marcello in La Bohème on Broadway (dir. Baz Luhrman, Tony Honor). Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, Ford (Falstaff, La piccola scala, Milan), Figaro (Rossini Festival, Pesaro), title role in Philip Glass’s Orphée, Salzburg Festival), Shostakovich’s Orango (LA Phil, cond. Esa-Pekka Salonen, dir. Peter Sellars, available on Deutsche Grammophon), Michael Tilson Thomas’s The Thomashefskys (Amazon Prime Video).
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES LEO RADOSAVLJEVIC
TERESA CASTILLO
ZUNIGA
FRASQUITA
Bass-Baritone Hometown: Chicago, IL
Soprano Hometown: Aurora, CO
At OSJ: Debut
At OSJ: 2021/2022 Season Resident Artist. Frasquita (Carmen, OSJ debut), Maria (West Side Story)
This Season: Belcore (L’elisir d’amore, Opera in Williamsburg), Adult (Triptych, Lyric Opera of Chicago), Colline (La bohème, Savannah Voice Festival), Bartolo cover (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Teatro Nuovo) Career Highlights: Orbazzano (Tancredi, Teatro Nuovo); Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro, Buffalo Philharmonic); Canadian Broadcasting Company recording of Telemann’s Die Tageszeiten; 3rd Prize, 8th Klaudia Taev International Competition; Regional Finalist, Metropolitan Opera National Council; 1st Prize, Marcella Sembrich Award; Bachelor and Masters in Voice with Scholastic Distinction, The Juilliard School.
This Season: Königin der Nacht (cover, Die Zauberflöte, Lyric Opera of Chicago), Circe/Siren (A Survivor’s Odyssey, White Snake Projects), Lucette (Silvain, Opera Lafayette), Amina (La Sonnambula, Teatro Nuovo) Career Highlights: Madame Mao (Nixon in China, The Princeton Festival), #1 (Transformations, Merola Opera Program), Lucia (cover, Lucia di Lammermoor, Virginia Opera), Tytania (cover, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Virginia Opera), Creusa (Medea in Corinto, Teatro Nuovo) www.teresacastillosoprano.com
www.leo-rado.com
STEPHANIE SANCHEZ
JARED V. ESGUERRA
MERCÉDÈS
EL REMENDADO
Mezzo-Soprano Hometown: Las Cruces, NM
Tenor Hometown: Chicago, IL
At OSJ: 2019/2020 Season Resident Artist. Prince Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Azucena (Il trovatore)
At OSJ: 2021/2022 Season Resident Artist. El Remendado (Carmen, OSJ Debut), Chino and Tony cover (West Side Story)
This Season: Featured recitalist (Austin Opera), Second Lady (cover) in Die Zauberflöte (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Third Lady in The Magic Flute (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis), The Mother in Coraline (West Edge Opera), Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos (Arizona Opera) Career Highlights: Il trovatore (Glimmerglass Festival), Das Rheingold (Arizona Opera), Ariadne auf Naxos (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis), 2021 Jensen Foundation Finalist and Audience Choice Prize, 2018 Igor Gorin Award Winner. Training: Rice University
This Season: Frank (Awakenings, Opera Theater of Saint Louis), Don José cover (Carmen, Opera Theater of Saint Louis) Career Highlights: Moby-Dick (Chicago Opera Theater), Falstaff (Crested Butte Music Festival), Scalia/ Ginsburg (Chautauqua Opera), West Side Story (Edinburgh International Festival) JaredVEsguerra.com
www.stephaniesanchezmezzosoprano.com
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 13
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES / CREATIVE TEAM RAFAEL W. PORTO
PETER MORGAN
EL DANCAÏRO
MORALÈS
Bass-Baritone Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Bass-Baritone Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
At OSJ: Debut
At OSJ: Debut
This Season: Sacristan (Tosca, Opera Naples), Pitkin (On the Town, Opera Naples), Opera Gala with Symphony (Amarillo Opera), Leporello (Don Giovanni, Aspen Music Festival), Dulcamara (Elixir of Love, Livermore Valley Opera)
This Season: The Colonel (The Falling and the Rising, Opera Carolina), Angelotti (Tosca, Lyric Opera of Kansas CIty), Zuniga (Carmen, The Glimmerglass Festival), Truffaldin (Ariadne auf Naxos, Arizona Opera)
Career Highlights: David Lang’s prisoner of the state (world premiere: New York Philharmonic), Florencia en el Amazonas (Florida Grand Opera), Jake Heggie’s If I Were You (world premiere: Merola Opera), Don Giovanni (Florida Grand Opera), Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Nashville Opera), La bohème (Glimmerglass)
Career Highlights: Louis XVI (The Ghosts of Versailles, L’Opéra Royal de Versailles), Ferrando (Il Trovatore, The Glimmerglass Festival), Sugar Dog (The Copper Queen, Arizona Opera) Chiron (Jason and the Argonauts, The Lyric Opera of Chicago) petermorganbassbaritone.com
www.rafaelwporto.com
JOSEPH MARCHESO MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR Joseph Marcheso is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of Opera San José. As part of OSJ’s digital initiative during the 2020/2021 season, he conducted Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna for a filmed trilogy titled Love & Secrets. Recent seasons at OSJ include Hansel and Gretel, Il trovatore, Madama Butterfly, and the company premiere of Heggie and Scheer’s Moby-Dick. Maestro Marcheso has conducted over 22 productions for OSJ, including The Flying Dutchman, the West Coast premiere of Puts and Campbell’s Silent Night, and the world premiere of Mark Weiser’s Where Angels Fear to Tread. As staff conductor at the San Francisco Opera, Maestro Marcheso has served on many productions, including Les Troyens, Jenůfa, Show Boat, Die Meistersinger, Partenope, the San Francisco premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China, and the world premieres of Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne, Bright Sheng’s The Dream of the Red Chamber, and John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West. In 2019/2020 he covered works as diverse as Wagner’s Die Walküre and Götterdammerung for the Ring, Roberto Devereux and Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Maestro Marcheso was on the conducting staff for Washington National Opera’s Manon Lescaut. He has conducted Hailstork’s Joshua’s Boots for the young artists of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Turandot and Il trovatore for Festival Opera. Previously, he was the Music Director for the Amato Opera in New York City. www.josephmarcheso.com
LILLIAN GROAG DIRECTOR Lillian Groag has directed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Mark Taper Forum’s The Taper, Too, New York City Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Center Stage, The People’s Light and Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory, Missouri Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Glimmerglass Opera, Asolo Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory, A.C.T. in San Francisco, The Juilliard School, Florentine Opera, Kentucky Opera, Arizona Opera, the Sundance Institute Playwrights’ Lab, the Virginia Opera, Opera San José, and the Company of Angels. As an author, her plays The Ladies of the Camellias, The White Rose (AT&T award for New American Plays), The Magic Fire (Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays), Menocchio, and Midons have been produced variously by the Old Globe Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Kennedy Center, Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory, Denver Center, Shaw Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Northlight Theatre, WPA Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Asolo Theatre, Wilma Theatre, The People’s Light and Theatre Company and The Shaw Festival. Lillian’s translations and adaptations of Lorca, Feydeau, Musset, Marivaux, and Molnár have been produced at the Guthrie,
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CREATIVE TEAM the Mark Taper Forum’s The Taper, Too, and Missouri Rep (now Kansas City Rep). Many of her plays are published by Dramatists Play Service. Lillian Groag holds Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University in Romance Languages and Literature, Theatre Thesis, and an Honorary Ph.D. from Lake Forest College.
JIMMIE KAY RAMOS CHOREOGRAPHER A native of San Antonio, TX, Jimmie Kay Ramos began her dance studies at the age of four with Ballet Folklorico de San Antonio (BFSA), then under the direction of Teresa Champion. The BFSA and San Antonio was a rich training ground with guest artists and teachers such as Jose Greco, Nana Lorca, Pilar Riojas, Maria Benitez, Chuni Amaya, La Chiqui and others. She began a professional career at age 14 and toured with the BFSA. She attended the Amor de Dios studio in Madrid, Spain, to train with legends such as La Tati, Paco Romero, and Pedro Azorín. In 1990 she became the Artistic Director of the BFSA. She continued her flamenco studies in Sevilla she continued to study with Manolo Marín and others. Moving to Sacramento in 1999, she began teaching locally, all the while continuing studies with visiting artists in CA (Carmen Ledesma, La Farruca, and Africa de La Faraona, to name a few) as well as trips to study in Spain, most recently to Jerez de La Frontera, where she studied with Carmen Herrera and Patricia Ibañez, among others. She is currently the resident Flamenco Instructor for the Flamenco Society of San José.
CHRISTOPHER JAMES RAY CONDUCTOR (FEBRUARY 25 & 27) AND CHORUS MASTER Christopher James Ray is a conductor with a background in both traditional and contemporary operatic works. Cited by Opera News as one who “leads with clarity and sensitivity,” he is currently Resident Conductor at Opera San José and an assistant with the San Francisco Symphony. In 2017, Christopher joined the music staff of the renowned Bayreuth Festival where he worked on productions of Der Fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Götterdämmerung, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Parsifal. Ray opened his 2021/22 season as assistant conductor to Kent Nagano in Festival Napa Valley’s production of Gianni Schicchi. He then conducts performances of Dido & Aeneas, Carmen, and West Side Story at Opera San José, and makes his conducting debut with the Lima Symphony Orchestra. In place of the previously planned 2020/21 season, Ray worked with Opera San José to create variety of filmed performances included Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, Tom Cipullo’s The Husbands. His other recent performances at Opera San José have included Il trovatore, Hansel and Gretel, Die Fledermaus, Heggie & Scheer’s Moby-Dick, and Pagliacci. Ray is native of Sumrall, Mississippi and is a graduate of Florida State University where he studied with Douglas Fisher and Carlisle Floyd. A sought-after interpreter of the late composer’s works, Ray recorded an album of Floyd’s songs with the celebrated mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer which is available through GPR Records on the Naxos label. www.christopherjamesray.com
JOSÉ CHUY HERNANDEZ CHILDREN’S CHORUS MASTER José Chuy Hernandez is a tenor, actor and guitarist with a musical background in Classical, Mariachi, Rondalla and Trio. At the age of eight, Jose became a member of the Xochiquetzal Boys Choir, headed by Father Salvador Barba Adame in Guadalajara Mexico, a renowned institution for half a century. For five years he was educated in and performed classical pieces by Mozart, Bach, Shubert, Beethoven and many operas such Carmen, Tosca, Turandot, Boheme, Carmina Burana and La Verbena de la Paloma. Since 2009, Jose has been studying and performing Mariachi music with local groups to include Mariachi Azteca, Mariachi Tapatio, Mariachi Mexicanisino and others. In 2015 he revisited his classical roots by training in the genre of opera once again. Former student at the David Gustafson Opera Studio and currently taking classes from Carlos Aransay, director of Coro De Madrigalistas of the Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City. José Chuy currently directs a Children’s Choir program named “Coro CANTA.” Since September 2017 he has also been teaching at Salinas Valley State Prison (CDCR) under ACTA (Alliance for the California Traditional Arts) a Mariachi/ Vocals class to the adult inmates at this institution. Jose Chuy has been in the cast for local Chicano theater company Teatro Vision in productions such as Macario in 2019 and Departera in 2021. Has also served as vocal director for other theater productions. In February 2021, José and his wife Rosalinda Sanchez opened the doors to the California Academy of Novel and Traditional Arts (CANTA), an arts academy that specializes in culturally relevant programming for the youth of Hollister.
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CREATIVE TEAM GIULIO CESARE PERRONE SCENIC DESIGNER Giulio Cesare Perrone is a playwright, set and costume designer as well as a stage director. He began his career in his native Italy where he directed and designed mainly for the theatre. Since his arrival in the United States in 1995, he has directed and designed for both the theatre and opera. He was the recipient of a 2000 Pew National Artists Residency grant with Dell’Arte International for his adaptation of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Giulio wrote, designed and directed two fully staged fragments of Paradise Lost before completing the third, and final, production in March 2002. Paradise Lost: The Clone of God went on tour in May 2002 to Croatia and Hungary. He has since received a 2002 Pew-Theatre Communications Group grant for his adaptation of The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova. Giulio graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti “Brera” in Milan in 1988, designing 28 productions for Italy’s most important festivals, resident and touring companies as well as directing Mourning Becomes Electra, Pentesilea, and André’s Mother before moving to the United States in 1995. His American design debut was the Laguna Playhouse production of Goldoni’s The Liar, for which he won a Dramalogue Award. Now a U.S. resident,Giulio has over 250 theatre and opera productions to his credit. He has worked for theatres and opera companies including the San Diego Repertory Theatre, the Alley Theatre, the San Jose Repertory Theatre, Festival Opera, Dell’Arte International, the ACT Academy, Opera San José, Foghouse Productions, California Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks, A Travelling Jewish Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre, and Denver Theatre Center.
PAMILA GRAY LIGHTING DESIGNER Pamila Gray has been designing lighting for Opera San José for multiple seasons, from the Montgomery Theatre to the California Theatre. Some favorites include Moby-Dick, Silent Night, and Hansel and Gretel, among many others. She has also spent her time designing musicals, plays, dance and industrials. Her designs have been seen in the San Francisco Bay area as well as Los Angeles, Sacramento, Portland, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Colorado Springs, Ft. Lauderdale, and Washington, DC. Her past work includes the West Edge Opera Festival at Cal Shakes this past summer, as well as world premieres of My Antonia, Kept, Baby Taj with TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, and the American premiere of The Three Musketeers for American Musical Theatre of San Jose. Ms. Gray is a graduate of Northwestern University and a member of United Scenic Artists.
ALYSSA OANIA COSTUME COORDINATOR Alyssa Oania has been designing and creating costumes for Opera San José since 2002. Recently she coordinated costumes for Opera San Jose’s digital content, including Mozart and Salieri, Love & Secrets, and Three Decembers. Alyssa’s costumes have also been seen in live productions of The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, La Cenerentola, Manon, La bohème, The Barber of Seville, Tosca, La voix humaine, Pearl Fishers, and Madama Butterfly. Other costume credits include Ballet San José, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, San José Repertory Theatre, and American Musical Theatre of San José.
CHRISTINA MARTIN WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Christina Martin has served as Opera San José’s resident Wig and Makeup Designer for multiple seasons, which included productions of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Puccini’s La rondine, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Verdi’s La traviata, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Silent Night, and Puccini’s La bohème. Most recently at OSJ, she designed the hair and makeup for Heggie’s Three Decembers and The Parting Glass.
THE FLAMENCO SOCIETY OF SAN JOSÉ The Flamenco Society is dedicated to sharing its passion for the art, music, and culture of Andalusia, Spain. They are known nationally for maintaining the ethnic richness of flamenco. They present flamenco in its traditional and modern forms to the Bay Area community through high-quality local, national, and international artists.
CANTA The California Academy of Novel and Traditional Arts is a community of artists, educators, administrators, and families dedicated to preserving arts, both traditional and technologically innovative, so that the awareness of heritage and culture is raised, but also transformed and reimagined. 16 OPERA SAN JOSÉ
PRODUCTION STAFF TECHNICAL DIRECTOR John Draginoff COSTUME DIRECTOR Alyssa Oania ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Matthew Vandercook PROPERTIES MASTER, SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST Lori Scheper-Kesel SCENE SHOP SUPERVISOR, PROPERTIES ARTISAN, SCENIC ARTIST Christopher Kesel MASTER ELECTRICIAN, CARPENTER, PAINTER Sean Kramer ASSOCIATE MASTER ELECTRICIAN Kelly Mack HOUSE ELECTRICIAN William Schroeter* ELECTRICIANS Rachel Katin Harris Meyers DECK STEWARD Lesley Willgohs* HEAD FLYRAIL OPERATOR Cindy Parker* HEAD AUDIO Tom Johnson* HEAD VIDEO Ryan Price* FOLLOW SPOT EMERITUS Bob Moreno* FOLLOW SPOT Kathleen Schumacher* Joe Ray Zaragoza* PROPERTIES RUNNER Alison Froke
STAGEHANDS Anthony Askew* Joseph DeJesus* Walker Havlice* Gregory Holmes Rachel Katin Bar Kimchi Scott White* Giuliana Zanutta SCENIC SHOP ADMIN VOLUNTEER Barbara Brosh CUTTERS / DRAPERS Marina Agabekov Stephanie Cooper Eithne Wilson COSTUME CRAFTS FIRST HANDS Larisa Zaiko STITCHERS Christine Huynh Allie Rones HEAD OF WARDROBE David Radosevich† WARDROBE CREW Andy Sandoval† Lily Cook† Sarah Bricksin†
OPERA SAN JOSÉ ADMINISTRATION GENERAL DIRECTOR & CEO SHAWNA LUCEY MUSIC DIRECTOR JOSEPH MARCHESO
ARTISTIC/MUSIC
MARKETING
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC OPERATIONS Monica Thakkar
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Pamela Sevilla
HEAD OF MUSIC STAFF Veronika Agranov-Dafoe ARTISTIC PROJECTS ADMINISTRATOR Andrew C. Elsesser PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Grace Owens ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER Evan Kahn ORCHESTRA LIBRARIAN Jay Stebley REHEARSAL PIANISTS Veronika Agranov-Dafoe Victoria Lington
PUBLICITY AND MARKETING PROVIDED BY Carla Befera & Co.
PATRON SERVICES PATRON EXPERIENCE MANAGER Kristina Miller PATRON SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE Johnny Villar
HAIR AND MAKEUP SUPERVISOR Y. Sharon Peng‡
ARTISTIC INTERN Chloe Kim
PRODUCTION/ TECHNICAL
HAIR AND MAKEUP CREW Denise Gutierrez‡ Leilani Norman Bianca Reynoso Sophia Smith‡
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR John Draginoff
*Denotes member of IATSE Local 134 † Denotes member of IATSE Local 784 ‡ Denotes member of IATSE Local 706
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION / CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER James Williams ACCOUNTANT Mike Monje
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
COSTUME DIRECTOR Alyssa Oania ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Matthew Vandercook PROPERTIES MASTER Lori Scheper-Kesel SCENE SHOP SUPERVISOR Christopher Kesel
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY Claire Padien-Havens BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE MANAGER Noritaka Okada
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 17
ANNUAL SUPPORT Opera San José extends our deepest appreciation for the generosity of the individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations whose annual support and partnership have brought this art form to life for Bay Area audiences for thirty-eight seasons. Please e-mail development@operasj.org to make a tax-deductible donation, or to learn more about the unique benefits our donors receive. The following listings reflect donations recorded as of January 20, 2022. Entries with an asterisk (*) note a deceased donor.
FOUNDATIONS, PUBLIC SECTOR, & OTHER ORGANIZATIONS $500,000+ The Packard Humanities Institute Shuttered Venue Operators
$100,000+ The Bouye 1977 Trust Carol Franc Buck Foundation The City of San Jose The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The Kieve Foundation The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
$50,000+ National Endowment for the Arts Wadhwani Charitable Foundation
$10,000+ California Arts Council Schlegel Living Trust Uta May 7, 1990 Lorraine and Gerard Seelig Foundation
$5,000+ The Callisto2 Fund Five Arts Foundation San Jose Opera Guild
$1,000+ Children’s Discovery Museum C.K. Family Foundation The Filippi Foundation (Frank & Olivia Filippi) The Greenside Foundation The Merrimac Fund Sternberg Foundation The Simon Strauss Foundation Eva Xu-Roy Wang Family Charitable Fund
UNDER $1,000 Amazon Smile Italian American Heritage Foundation King Charitable Fund KLA Foundation Larson Family Fund OPERA America Oscar Rex 2019 Fund Silicon Valley Creates Anonymous
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IATSE B-32 Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose Nova Vista Symphony Assn Phantom Group Rancho San Antonio Forum San Jose Museum of Art Association United Way of the Bay Area
CORPORATIONS $50,000+ The Applied Materials Foundation
$1,000+ Heritage Bank of Commerce IBM Corporation
MATCHING GIFTS Adobe Systems Incorporated Applied Materials Blue Shield of California Cisco Systems Foundation Google The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation IBM Corporation Intuitive Foundation Johnson & Johnson Netflix Nvidia Paypal Synopsys
INDIVIDUAL DONORS PRODUCERS CIRCLE $50,000+ Elizabeth F. Adler Anna M. Bagniewska* & Denis St. Jean Mimi & Eric Carlson George L Crow Mary & Clinton Gilliland Peggy Heiman Jim* & Pat Jackson Michael Kalkstein & Susan English Lawrence A. Kern Dr. H. Andrea Neves Jan & Don Schmidek Anonymous (2)
CONDUCTORS CIRCLE $20,000–$49,999 Tim & Tricia* Anderson Nola & Harvey Armstrong Elfi Berkowitz Charles F. Hanes Prof. John M. Heineke & Prof. Catherine R. Montfort Michael McGinley
ARTISTS CIRCLE $10,000–$19,999 Josef & Phyllis Bismanovsky Ann Brown Doris & Alan Burgess Jane H Decker Julie Edgcomb James Feit Glen Gould & Bunny Laden Katerina Hollblad-Fadiman & Jeffrey Fadiman Marjorie Johnson Eric Jorgensen Wanda Kownacki Cathy & Dick Lampman Cathy & Steve Lazarus Bernice Lindstrom Jeanne L. McCann Pravesh & Neeru Mehra D.G. Mitchell Ann Marie Mix Heidi Munzinger & John Shott Richard* & Hannelore Romney Dave Thompson Janice Toyoshima* Dr. Brian Ward* Anonymous
BACKSTAGE CIRCLE $5,000–$9,999 Richard & Clarice Anderson Jim Beatty Mario & Rose Belotti Pamela & Craig Carper Doris Davis Al & Kathy DiFrancesco John Dohner & Katherine Bazak Richard H Dorsay Jennifer & Matias Duarte John & Cecelia Eurich BenJoaquin Gouverneur & Khori Dastoor Mr. & Mrs. William H. Harmon, Jr.
Pat Janes William R Lambert Joseph Marcheso Dr. Jakob Nielsen & Hannah Kain Jim & Alice Orth Joy Sakai Joyce & Campbell Scott Richard & JoAnna Strawbridge Jan Telesky Mr. & Mrs. G. Terstiege Bradford Wade & Linda Riebel Melody Walsh Michael & Laurie Warner Dr. Herbert Weil & Dr. Anabel Anderson Imbert Mariquita West Dr. & Mrs. C. Whitby-Strevens Richard & Phyllis Whitney Dennis & Marianne Wilcox Stephen & Connie Zilles Anonymous (2)
DIRECTORS CIRCLE $2,500–$4,999 Richard J. Andrews Dr. Charlene Archibeque Dr. Janet Averett David Burke & Victoria BurtonBurke Mary Esther Candee Carolle J. Carter & Jess Kitchens John & Agnes Caulfield Paul & Marijane Chestnut Isabel Chiu, CPA Elena & Ron Danielson Mary Patricia Daoud James & Susan Dyer Drs. Lucia & Jack Gilbert Mel & Janice Goertz Lucy Grisetti Rita Elizabeth Horiguchi George Hume Warren & Judy Kaplan Bonnie Kellogg & Tim Cannard Anita Köhler Phil & Judy Livengood Philip & Margaret Ma Joan Mansour Kevin McGiboney & Nancy Lutzow Barbara Molony & Thomas Turley Gabriele Ondine Bob & Bonnie Peterson Randy Presuhn & Timothy Nguyen
ANNUAL SUPPORT Gayle Spencer Robert Strain Mary Wang Jean-Marie White & Bryan Rodriguez Drs. Robert & Antonette Zeiss Anonymous (2)
SHOWCASE CIRCLE $1,000–$2,499 Jeanne & Michael Althouse Shirley E. Bailey Dr. Alfonso Banuelos & Suzanne Wittrig Emily & Stephen Berman Gene Bernardini Ted Biagini Brenda Birrell Leon Bonner & Redge Meixner Judith Borlase James & Margaret Brady Dr. Anne-Catherine & Dr. Richard Bramley Barbara Brosh Scott Bruck & Raul Gorospe Elaine Cardinale Linda Cato Park & Joan Chamberlain Gloria Chiang William M. Conlon & Judith E. Schwartz Rose Crimi Antonia Cross Donald & Betty* D’Angelo Jimmie Dawson Dr. George Deabill Richard & Maureen DeBolt Arden Down Maureen Ellenberg Alice & Bob Fenton Rod Ferguson & Kathleen Egan Frank Fiscalini Kevin & Celeste Ford John Gerhardt & Janet Newman Sigi & Klaus Glimski Joseph & Honmai Goodman Helen & Dr. Glenn Hakanson Kathryn Hall Cheryl Holt Gloria Chun Hoo David G. Hough Randall & Carle Hylkema Mary Idso Ilene & Kenneth Imboden Homi Irani & Anna Yonemura Linda Izquierdo Pamela & Edward Jajko Jeraldine Johnson Dennis & Sheryl Johnson Derk & Mary Johnson Ray & Laurel Kaleda Kristine Kelly & Arthur Gleckler
Beverly & Craig Kemp Stephen Kociol Thomas Lane Rob & Lucinda Lenicheck Mark & Susan Levine Océane Li & Dr. Sofien Bouaziz Russell Lindgren Sylvia & Paul Lorton, Jr. Scott Lurndal Jonathan Lynam Jeanne Lyons Victor Ma Robert Mackenzie & John Thompson Tom MacRostie Maj. Bernard Magelky Robert McIntosh A. Kirk McKenzie Jay & Brigitte McKnight Donna Medeiros & Moe Gharahgouzloo Chris & Katie Metzger Barry & Rosemarie Mirkin Duncan Missimer Kathleen Montoya Janet Muscio & William McCraw Tony Nespole, MD Cynthia & Ken Newton John R. & Elsa Nimmo William Nowicki Ellen, Gerald Oicles Arlene N. Okerlund Ahmad & Ruth Orandi Kent Owen Pamela & David W. Packard Janice Paull Nedra Petty Jackie Pighini Joe Pon & George Duran Nancy Pyeatt Alice Ramsauer Rebecca Ranninger Owen & Marc Owen Stephen & Denise Rawlinson Arvo & Astrid Rehemets Mr. & Mrs. Joseph J. Rizzuto William L Robertson & Ieva K Zvargulis Lee & Shirley Rosen Bob & Terri Ryan Lucinda Sanchagrin & Dennis McLean Fred Saunders & Lynn Evans Robert Savoie Jack & Judy Schneider Marilyn Sefchovich Robert & Linda Selinske Colette A. Siegel Darby Siempelkamp & Michael Kresser J.H. Silveira M.D. Pieter & Jacqui Smith Todd & Sandy Smith
Rory & Linda Snyder T. Spencer Mr. & Mrs. Dan Staringer Kathy Stark & Christopher Aoki Jim Stauffer Laura Sternberg Mary C. Stradner H. James Tellefson David & Mary Alice Thornton Melita Wade Thorpe Dr. May Loo & Dr. William Thurston Jim Todd Nancy Valencia John Verbestel & Kyle Matthews Karlette Warner & Ward Hoffman Alice Weigel Lance & Mary Werthman Neil Wilhelm & Laura Hill Chip & Bonnie Williams Nate & Carolyn Wilson Fern Wollrich-Jaffe Ellen C. Wynn Susan Yost Cecily & Fernando Zazueta Anonymous (9)
SUPPORTERS CIRCLE $250–$999 Reza Ahmadi & Family Judith Aissen & James Clifford Jane Alejandro Salvatore Alini Joyce Allegro & Gerald Sheridan Marcia & Matthew Allen Daniel & Priscilla Amend Rober Anderson Shirlee Anderson Leslie & Richard Andrews Joseph & Frankie Armstead Patrick & Liega Arnett Jamie & Tony Arreola Catherine Atcheson & Christian Fritze Monica Bacon Proctor Zachary Baker Laima Baltusis David & Carola Bamberger Ray & Lynda Barbieri Teveia Rose Barnes Joyce Bartlett S Sayre Batton Betsy Bayha A. Bayman & M. Arlock David Beach Martha Beattie Candace J Behlendorf Asa Berger Roy Bergstrom Bill & Ginny Berner Hal & Beverly Berry Fred & Betty Bialek
Matthew W. Bien & Grace T. Lee Jim,Jessica Blanchard Joel & Paula Blank Rob & Letty Block Stephen Boisvert Ken Borelli David & Hildegard Borror Patti Bossert & Charles Chew LaVonne & Jean-Pierre Bouchez Roger Bourland & Daniel Shiplacoff Mark Brandenburg Larry & Sally Brandt John Brinck & Kit Lau Michaela Brody Scott Brown Steve & Vicky Brozovich Neil Brumberger Richard Bruner Joseph Buggy Carolyn Buszdieker Mary Buxton Sheila & Donald Caddes Dr. Edward & Marjorie Cahn Michael & Mary Calegari Rick Callison & Shauna Mika William & Mariemay Carlson Jane Carnoy Eric Carruthers Corinne Elliott Carter Judy Chamberlain Norine E. Chang Ellis M Chernoff Slatomir Christow Robert* & Diane Claypool JoAnn Close & Michael Good Richard Coencas Maggie & Mark Cogdill Lynn & Mary Lois Comeskey Elaine C Coombs Margie Cornehl Cal & Carla Cornwell Judy Coughlin Doug Crafts Jonathan R. & Anne W. Cross John & Lois Crowe Jan Cummins Lea Cuniberti-Duran S D’Addio Janet Dafoe John Daly Robert A. Davies III & Diane ChurchDavies Victoria L. Davis Jayne & Peter Davis John G. Day Breno de Medeiros Angela DeFrancesco Robert Dennis Irwin Derman
OPERA SAN JOSÉ 19
ANNUAL SUPPORT Lonnie Dickerson Joe & Carolyn Dickinson Meredith & Carl Ditmore Geoffrey Dottery Rose M Dougherty Eric Doughty S. Duff & S.Lantz Katherine Duffy Diana Dunckelman James Dunlay Eugene Dunsmore Jill Durkin Randy Earle Mary Jane Edwards Scott & Kassandra Edwards Brad Eggleston David & Liyuza Eisbach Marie Elich John & Tessa Ennals Bob Epstein Dolores Escobar Cameron Esfahani Rod & Rebecca Fallow Suzanne & John Farbstein Miluna Fausch Lars Figge Nikola Filby Jim & Lorrie Fitch Susan Fitzgerald, Rachel Heiman & Lynn Newman Georgiana Flaherty Cindy Folker Shirley J. Foreman & Alberta Brierly Ebe Frasse Bruce Friesen Laura Fujikawa & Leo Gelman Karen Gabrielson Anne v.d.L. Gardner Stephen & Theresa Garfink Monica C. Gavino Janet Geiger Eugene Gerwe David & Janice Gilman Natalia Gladilina Marie Godfrey Beatrice & Paul Gomory Chela Gonzalez Lynn Gordon & David Simon Susan Graham Veronica Gross Annette Grot Gryphon Financial Group, Inc. Robert Gumerlock Ayshe Guraydin Philip & Kathleen Gust Michael Guth Paul & Tressa Guth Jeanette Guthart Dana F. Haberland
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Blanca Haendler & Robert Cook Jim Hagan Peter & Tanya Hancock Newsom Harley Milledge Hart Lynn Hastings Lindy Hayes James Heagy Mitzi G. Henderson Anita Hendrickson Kristi & Larry Hernandez Robert Herriot Andy Hess Kali & Narada Hess Larry* & Betty Hinman Ida Holmes Wanda & Paul Holmes Jillian Holzgrafe DeForrest & Bonnie Home Enguerrand Horel Richard Horuk Gunnar Hovden Bella & Al Hughes Dr. & Mrs. Pearce Hurley James Ikehara Karole Ishida Klaus & Maria Jaeger Annette & Richard Jaffe Mary James & George Cook Stanley Jan Roxanne & Dan Janson Irene Jaworski James Jeffers Martha Johnson Glenda Jones & Dick Clark Jane & Dale Jordan Pora Ju Donald Keesey Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Keller Sheryl Kelly Mary M. & Harry Kelly Michael Kim Ellen B. Kimmel Femie King Sandra Kley Victoria Knox & Kalisa Beagle Yoko Kodama David A. Koerner Ruth Kohan Cheryl & Steve Kole Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Kondo Sava Krstic Paul & Jackie Kuckein Phil Kurjan Sundong Kwong & Yuet Lee Ann Lambrecht Thomas Laqueur Robert E. Larson & Susan R. Larson James P. Laumond, M.D.
Margaret & Robert Lawson Andrew Le Febvre Judy Leahy Shirley Leisses Alana Lemarchand Stuart Levy Trudy Levy & Mike Gutman Sybil Lewis Izzy Lewis & Phil Park Barbara Lingens Lucy Logan Sally & Tom Logothetti Claudia Löhner Joanne F Loomba Howard & Karen Loomis Don Lowry & Lynore Tillim Dana Lowy Thomas & Nancy Lucid Curt Luck Amalia A Lupu Cornea Nick & Barbara Lymberis Mr. & Mrs. Denis Lynch Paula & Norbert Maciel-Benecke Albert Macovski David & Karen MacQueen John Maier Martha Mangan Nubar & Carol Manoukian Abhijit Marathe Ernest March Cynthia Rae Margolin Judith E. Marlin James Marshall Irina Martineau Katherine Mason Curt & Arlene McClelland Sheila McGann-Tiedt Diane & Robert McGhee Chris & Nancy McKenna Penny & John McNeel Mr. & Mrs. Kirke Mechem Thales Mello Charles & Jean Platner Mendoza Barbara Messner Joe & Elena Metz Marty Miller Stephen & Janet Miller Amity Millhiser Judy C. Miner G Dan & Patricia Emerson Mitchell John Mitchem Victor F. Mockus Sunil Mohan & Debbie Sacks Sylvia A. Moore Josue Mora Lynn Morris Frances Morse Sarah Motter Coralie & Gerhard Mueller
David Muhlitner & Peggy Kilduff Nancy Nagel Masamichi Nakano Ronald & Irene Nakasone Jennifer Nance Ernesto Nassau Dr. Henry Nattrass Tony Nespole Randall & Debra Newcomb Richard Nichols Kirk Nichols & Miranda Abrahams Barbara Nicoara & George Lewis Paul Nissler Yevgeny Nyden Tom & Lorraine Olson Paul & Jo O’Neil Mary Anne J Padien Claire Padien-Havens & Jeremy Patfield Albert & Pam Palitz Richard Pardini Karen Parker Deena Patfield Joyce E Peloian & Gary McCrea Herb & Joan Pereyra Neil Pering Bill Perry Les Persson Peterson Wendy Sigi Pomposo Charles Pontious Stephen Powell Hazel & Jeffrey Powell Teresa Pusser Caron Rakich James Reber Ian Reddy Doreen Rettig Paula Reyes Sally Ricci Marilyn D. Richardson David & Carla Riemer Nancy Roberts Joel Robinson Richard & Genevieve Rolla Barbara Rose Jeffrey Harris Rudy Dr. & Mrs. Jonathan Russ Gloria Sakata George Salah Miguel Salinas Erin Samueli Rudolf Sandmeier Dave & Susan Sargent Antoinette & Edmund Sarraille Alice Schaffer Smith William Scharf Marylou Schoone Natalie Schutz
ANNUAL SUPPORT Benjamin Schwarz Christina Sciammas David & Linda Scott Judy & Barry Scott Scotland Settle Sayed Shafi Margaret Shainberg Marina M. Sheppard Ruth A Short Robert & Carmen Sigler Gerald Silva Scott Silveira, MD Alexandra Simonenko Darold Skerritt & Judy Lind Alice J. Sklar Tim Slater Regina L. Sleater & Dean K. Dunsmore
Donald & Barbara Snyder Sandra M. Sobie Betty Soennichsen Jim Sohre Steven J Sosnowski Usha Srinivasan Jane K. Starbird Joan & Michael Stauffer Julie Steury & Peter Reynolds Christy Stevens Anita Stewart & Kaj Rekola C. Strand Terri Stuart Lawrence Tartaglino Lynn Telford Michael Tessaro Catherine & Jeff Thermond
Paul & Noriko Thomas Emily & Chie Tieu Jason Tiller Jeanne Torre Margaret Trevisan Jolie Veltmann Gayatri Venkatesan Mary Vickrey Wells Wadleigh & Elizabeth Tsuji Lynn C. Waelde & Ashok N. Srivastava Wanda Waldera Bob & Gail Walker William & Judy Warren Dr. & Mrs. Saul* & Judith Wasserman Claire Weber Richard & Mary Jane Wegener Geri Weimers
Dr. George & Bay Westlake James Williams Brian & Linda Winter Bobbi Wolner Florence Wong Pamela Wright Lari Yamaguchi Cynthia Yao Earlene & Thomas Young Linda Yum Gretchen Zaballos Marilyn B Zelaya Trudi Zelikson Junjie Zhu Frank Zwart & Julia Armstrong-Zwart Anonymous (31)
DEDICATED GIFTS
IN-KIND DONORS
SPECIAL THANKS
In memory of Irene Dalis Dr. Janet Averett / Anonymous
10th Street Distillery Barbara Brosh Nancy Daniher Joseph George Wine Shop David Givens Half Moon Bay Winery N. Eric Jorgensen Jeanne L. McCann The Packard Humanities Institute Elizabeth M. Poindexter Quintessa Estate Joyce & Campbell Scot Telesky Financial Services Chip & Bonnie Williams Anonymous (2)
FRIENDS OF OPERA SAN JOSÉ
In honor of Khori Dastoor Barbara Brosh Peggy Heiman In honor of Sura & Mikhail Fishman Vladimir Fishman In memory of Fred Heiman Peggy Heiman Doris & Stan Katz Stuart Levy In memory of Larry Hinman Betty Hinman In memory of Patricia Ann Lane Thomas Lane
OPERA
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In honor of Shawna Lucey Peggy Heiman In honor of Jenta Shen, MD, PhD Isabel Chiu, CPA In memory of Dr. Jose L. Spencer T. Spencer In honor of Diane Squires Barbara Shufro In memory of Christina C. Stauffer Jim Stauffer In memory of Gerald Voerge Anonymous In memory of Brian Ward Peggy Heiman Muriel Fitzgerald Wilson In memory of Phil Yos Marsha & David Pollak Susan Yost
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LEGACY SUPPORT & PLANNED GIVING CENTURY CLUB The Opera San José Century Club celebrates our loyal donors who have surpassed $100,000 in cumulative giving to the company. We applaud your remarkable generosity and thank you for your continued investment in preserving the culture of our community and the continued health of Opera San José. We are deeply grateful to you. Bravissimo! Elizabeth F. Adler • Tim & Tricia* Anderson • Jim Beatty • Jean Brandt • Catherine Bullock • Mimi & Eric Carlson • George L Crow • Mary & Clinton Gilliland Peggy Heiman • Prof. John M. Heineke & Prof. Catherine R. Montfort • Doreen James • Marjorie Johnson • Mary Louise Johnson Michael Kalkstein & Susan English • Jeanne L. McCann • Ann Marie Mix • Dr. H. Andrea Neves • Pamela & David W. Packard Richard* & Hannelore Romney • Martha Sanford & Gary Hong • Jan & Don Schmidek • Roger & Isobel Sturgeon • Dave Thompson Michael & Laurie Warner • Richard & Phyllis Whitney • Anonymous (4)
IRENE DALIS LEGACY SOCIETY Members of the Irene Dalis Legacy Society are individuals who help ensure the future of Opera San José by remembering the company in their wills, retirement plans, trusts, or other estate plans. You can learn how these different vehicles of giving can benefit you, your loved ones, and the opera by contacting us at development@operasj.org for more information regarding charitable estate gifts. Cheryl Adams • Tim Anderson • Barbara Barrett • A. Bayman & M. Arlock • Ken Borelli • Diane Claypool • Rose Crimi • George L Crow • Doris Davis Wendy Dewell • Richard H Dorsay • James & Susan Dyer • M. M. Feldman & Rick Morris • Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Keller • Peggy Heiman Jeanne L. McCann • Kevin McGiboney & Nancy Lutzow • D.G. Mitchell • Heidi Munzinger & John Shott • Dr. H. Andrea Neves • Nancy Nielsen Elizabeth M. Poindexter • Lee & Shirley Rosen • Martha Sanford & Gary Hong • Jan & Don Schmidek • Joyce & Campbell Scott • Victoria Slichter Dr. Larry Stern • Roger & Isobel Sturgeon • Ms. Marilyn Taghon • Lawrence Tartaglino • Jan Telesky • Melita Wade Thorpe Dickson Titus • Albert J. Vizinho • Bradford Wade & Linda Riebel • Sheryl Walters • Michael & Laurie Warner • Dr. & Mrs. C. Whitby-Strevens Richard & Phyllis Whitney • Anonymous
OPERA SAN JOSÉ ENDOWMENT Gifts to the endowment ensure the continuation of Opera San José’s mandate to support the development of operatic talent for generations to come. Please email development@operasj.org to learn more about how to give an endowment fund gift of cash, stock, or through planned giving vehicles. Tim & Tricia* Anderson • Mimi & Eric Carlson • Jim* & Pat Jackson • The Kieve Foundation • Schlegel Living Trust Uta May 7, 1990 Estate of Janice Toyoshima • Bradford Wade & Linda Riebel • Anonymous
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FRIENDS OF OPERA SAN JOSÉ THE OFFICIAL VOLUNTEER AUXILIARY OF OPERA SAN JOSÉ FoOSJ offers time and talents, helping at lecture and fundraising events, holding outreach campaigns, supporting OSJ staff, and welcoming people into the Opera San José family. FoOSJ Board Members Bonnie Williams, President Marilyn Sefchovich, Vice President Barbara Brosh, Secretary Sheryl A. Kelly, Treasurer Jeanne Lyons Meera Prahlad Linda Riebel Suzanne Sarro Joyce Scott Jim Stauffer Brad Wade Julie Amato & Lee Boyce Didier Benoit Beverly & Hal Berry Phyllis Bismanovsky Judith Borlase Sara Bruce Mary Buxton Pamela Carper Judy Coughlin Elena Danielson
Nancy Daniher Pat Daoud Brenda Davis Jane Decker Randy Earle Marilyn Fordham Mike Gutman & Trudy Levy Dana F. Haberland Christopher Hall & Sandra Sarro Peggy Heiman Rita Elizabeth Horiguchi Coleen Kohtz William Lambert Cathy Lazarus Lucy Logan Kathleen Luich Denis & Mary Fran Lynch Kathleen McCabe-Martin Jeanne McCann Bernadette McCann Joanna McGrady Paul Michelow Tom Miller & Bobbie Wolner Jane Moorman
Brigid Moreton Arlene Okerlund Gabriele Ondine Phil Park Joy Sakai Delia Schizzano & Richard Zamar Campbell Scott Shirley Shoup-Howard Alissa, Bennett & Anneliese Soria Denis St. Jean John, Linda, & Savannah Swan Chie & Emily Tieu Nancy Valencia Jocelyn Vincent Laurie & Mike Warner Dennis & Marinne Wilcox Chip Williams Alinor Willis Fern Jaffe Wollrich
If you’d like to join other opera lovers, meet interesting new people, attend special events, and support Opera San José, please contact us at friends@operasj.org.
HEIMAN DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIO With gratitude to the individuals whose leadership gifts in memory of Fred Heiman made the development of our state-of-the-art studio possible:
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES & BOX OFFICE 2149 Paragon Drive San Jose, CA 95131 (408) 437-4450 Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm operasj.org
CALIFORNIA THEATRE BOX OFFICE Open 90 minutes prior to performance and when Opera San José is in residence.
GROUP SALES Groups of 10 or more receive special rates. Kristina Miller, Patron Experience Manager boxoffice@operasj.org
GUEST APPEARANCES Opera San José artists or speakers are available to community groups, corporations, and schools. Contact Patron Services at boxoffice@operasj.org or 408.437.4450.
LEAVING THE HOUSE OR LATECOMERS If, for any reason, you must leave during the performance, you will not be readmitted. Latecomers will be seated at House Management’s discretion, who reserve the right to refuse admittance to any performance. Latecomers may be asked to watch the performance on a television monitor in the lobby, should late seating not be possible.
LISTENING DEVICES Assisted listening devices are available at the coat check.
Peggy Heiman • George L. Crow Michael Kalkstein & Susan English • Jan & Don Schmidek ROMEO Club • Anonymous
RECORDINGS The use of cameras and all kinds of recording equipment is strictly prohibited.
EXITS The lighted exit sign nearest your seat is the shortest route out of the theater. In case of an emergency, please do not run; walk through the nearest exit.
Shawna Lucey, Joseph Marcheso, Dido and Aeneas (2021) / David Allen; Mozart and Salieri and concerts pp.11/Ian Fullmer; Carmen (2016) Courtesy of Opera San José Archives. Graphic design by Clean Line Design (www.cleanlinedesign.com).
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COMING UP NEXT AT THE CALIFORNIA THEATRE
April 16 – May 1 Live in the California Theatre
IRENE DALIS VOCAL COMPETITION May 21, 2022 SUBSCRIBER PRE-SALE FEBRUARY 15 On Sale to the Public March 1 operasj.org • (408) 437-4450