Carmen by Opera Theatre Company

Welcome Note Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and a very warm welcome to you all. It has been many years since Opera Theatre Company produced Bizet’s opera Carmen and we are delighted to bring this wonderful masterpiece on a tour which will visit thirteen theatres throughout the island of Ireland as we continue a long tradition of bringing refreshing and dynamic re-interpretations to the classics. Carmen was not deemed a success when it was first produced at the Opera Comique in Paris in 1875. It was considered vulgar and immoral. Thankfully this opinion changed over the years and it is now one of the most popular operas in the world today. This bright and colourful piece has dark and dangerous elements lurking beneath the surface and brings us into the exotic and mysterious world of the gypsies. The action is more down to earth and gritty than that of Bizet’s other famous opera The Pearl Fishers, set in ancient times in the Far East. Carmen is an opera that never wears out its welcome but sadly Bizet was destined never to know just how popular his opera would become. He died thinking he had produced a failure just a few months after the opera’s premiere and never experienced its triumphal progress to the top of the operatic firmament. This production, directed by Gavin Quinn, who makes a welcome return to OTC, is sassy and cutting edge. The excellent cast and ensemble will be conducted by OTC favourite Andrew Synnott and promises to be an exciting evening of wonderful music, sublime singing and thrilling drama, full of raw emotion and pathos but with joyful moments as well. Take note of the names of our young chorus members as many of them will be the stars of the future and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of our illustrious cast members.

Virginia Kerr Chairperson

OTC relishes its role as the roaming ambassador for opera across the island and, indeed, almost two thirds of the budget for each production is invested in taking opera to the people in the communities in which they live. None of Opera Theatre Company’s many successes could be achieved without the support of the Arts Council of Ireland. We are deeply appreciative of this support and commitment and that of our corporate sponsors, patrons, friends and audience members. We need your help in continuing this important work and we ask that you continue your support in whichever way you can. As a vital part of the OTC family, your views are extremely important to us, so please feel free to contact us either by phone or through the website. We are always delighted to hear from you. A special word of thanks must go to the hard working, dedicated, and talented members of the office team who work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure the success of our productions. Thank you for coming, I wish you a wonderful evening. Virginia Kerr Chair

Carmen: The Librettists Beginning in the late 1860s, the Opéra-Comique in Paris sought ways to reinvent itself. The tradition of opéra comiquethe operatic genre performed at this theatre-had once been vivacious, exploiting a variety of approaches to form, and teeming with satirical wit. By the middle of the 19th century, however, the genre had become stultified by reliance upon increasingly rigid conventions and trite, sentimental plots. The Opéra-Comique was considered “family theatre”: safe, predictable, boring. In an effort to pull the theatre out of its morass, Camille Du Locle was appointed to serve as co-director with the archconservative Adophe de Leuven in 1869. Du Locle sought composers who could revitalize opéra comique, among them Georges Bizet.

Camille Du Locle

Henri Meilhac

Bizet’s first commission from the Opéra-Comique produced Djamileh (1872), an Orientalist fantasy detailing a slave girl’s attempts to win the love of the sultan. The opera failed with both the critics and the audience. However, it appealed to Du Locle’s penchant for exoticism and Bizet was granted a second commission. Despite the criticisms, Bizet was confident, writing: “What gives me more satisfaction than the opinion of all these gentry is the absolute certainty of having found my path. I know what I am doing.” Upon granting Bizet the commission and marshalling the efforts of librettists Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac, de Leuven suggested three possible subjects. Bizet showed no interest in these and doggedly insisted on adapting Prosper Mérimée’s novella, Carmen. The collaborators had little trouble in convincing Du Locle (although he would come to regret his complicity) but approached de Leuven with trepidation. When told of the plan, de

Leuven reportedly exclaimed: “Carmen! The Carmen of Mérimée? Wasn’t she murdered by her lover? ...At the Opéra-Comique, the theatre of families, of wedding parties? You would put the public to flight. No, no, impossible.” Halévy promised that this would be a “softer, tamer Carmen,” that they would make various concessions to convention, and that they would work to diffuse the impact of the murder. Finally de Leuven consented yet still pleaded, “But I pray you, try not to have her die.” Although de Leuven agreed to allow the composition of the work, he never overcame his disgust with the plot and the resultant tension contributed to his resignation. The librettists, Halévy and Meilhac, were a successful team, writing for vaudeville and operettas and they clearly regarded Carmen as a sideline. Following the tradition of opéra comique, Carmen in its original form combined spoken dialogue, written by Meilhac, with lyrical pieces, the verses of which were written by Halévy. Ernest Guiraud prepared the version of the opera familiar to most audiences, in which the spoken dialogue is replaced by recitative, after Bizet’s death. Few documents from the period of collaboration survive thereby leaving scholars with a dearth of information regarding the opera’s genesis. There are two reasons for the absence of such material. First, the collaborators were in close daily contact and had little need to communicate via letters. Second, the letters and diaries of Bizet and his family including Halévy, a cousin of Bizet’s wife, were meticulously destroyed or defaced. In some cases, entire pages were cut out, and in other cases significant portions of text were blacked out. The reason behind this censorship remains

shrouded in mystery but it most likely resulted from the instability of the composer’s marriage at this time. However, the end result of their efforts survives in the score of the opera. Comparing the opera’s libretto to Mérimée’s novella, we can readily assess the alterations imposed during the process of adaptation. Some of the changes were clearly an attempt to bring the plot closer to the expectations of the audience of an opéra comique. These include the minimizing of Carmen’s criminal activities, demoting her from the leader of the bandits to merely a member, and the addition of Micaëla. The latter is modeled upon a stock character of opéra comique-pure, innocent and familyoriented-and serves as a foil to Carmen’s carnality. Other changes may owe their existence to the demands of stage adaptation and yet have a profound impact on our conception of the story. In the novella, we are introduced to Don José after he has joined the outlaws, whereas in the opera we are witness to his downfall. Furthermore, the narrator of the novella is eliminated, thus removing Mérimée’s framing device. Carmen is made more immediate. Her character, and more importantly her voice, becomes the central focus of the work. Without the narrative voice and the distance it provides, Carmen, with all of her overcharged sexuality, becomes more palpable and more dangerous.

Chadwick Jenkins, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, City College of New York

Synopsis ACT I Soldiers and townspeople mill around in a square in Seville. A young peasant girl, Micaëla, asks the soldiers if they have seen her sweetheart, Don José. Telling her he’ll be back soon, they try to persuade her to stay with them, but she declines. The relief soldiers, including Don José, arrive. Factory bells ring, and a group of cigarette girls emerges from the factory where they work, including the popular gypsy beauty, Carmen. She focuses her attention on Don José, who pretends not to notice. Before leaving, she seductively tosses a flower at him. Alone, Don José recovers the flower and reflects on Carmen’s charms. Micaëla finds him and delivers both a letter and a chaste kiss from his mother, who asks her son to marry Micaëla. Don José promises his love and fidelity to Micaëla, despite the temptations of Carmen. A ruckus erupts from the cigarette factory. Carmen has injured another woman, and the officer Zuniga commands Don José to jail Carmen. But Don José succumbs to her charms. He agrees to a rendezvous and lets Carmen escape.

ACT II At Lillas Pastia’s inn, Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercedes consort with Zuniga and other soldiers. A group of revelers arrives, celebrating Escamillo, the illustrious bullfighter. The crowd cheers as Escamillo boasts of his victories. He notices Carmen, but she remains indifferent. Zuniga, also smitten, tells Carmen that he plans to return to the inn later to visit her. When the crowd disperses, the smugglers Remendado and Dancaïro try to enlist the aid of Carmen, Frasquita, and Mercedes. Mercedes and Frasquita agree to help them smuggle contraband, but Carmen, expecting Don José, wants to stay at the inn. Don José arrives, and Carmen dances for him. But distant bugles signal him to return to his quarters and he prepares to leave. Carmen mocks his obedience and encourages him to run away with her and lead 04 04

the free gypsy life. Don José remains unconvinced until Zuniga returns to the inn seeking Carmen. In a jealous rage, Don José defies his officer’s orders to leave. As the smugglers pounce on Zuniga and escort him out of the inn, Don José has no choice but to remain with the gypsies.

ACT III At the mountain hideout of the smugglers, Don José longs for his mother, who still believes him an honest man. Carmen taunts him and urges him to leave, but he refuses. Frasquita and Mercedes tell their fortunes with a deck of cards. When Carmen takes her turn, the cards foretell death for her and Don José. The gypsies set off to smuggle contraband, leaving Don José behind to guard the camp. Micaëla arrives at the mountain hideout searching for Don José and hides among the rocks. Escamillo approaches the camp looking for Carmen. He and Don José exchange words and begin to fight. But the smugglers return in time to stop Don José from wounding Escamillo, who invites them all to the bullfight in Seville. Her hiding place discovered, Micaëla begs Don José to return home to his mother, who is dying. Despite his violent jealousy, Don José leaves with Micaëla.

ACT IV At the bullfight, a crowd gathers to watch the procession of toreadors. Escamillo and Carmen arrive together. Mercedes and Frasquita warn Carmen that Don José is lurking about. Carmen, unafraid, waits alone for Don José. He approaches and begs her to leave with him. She insists that their affair is over, that she does not love him anymore, and that she now loves Escamillo. As Don José’s demands become more desperate, Carmen throws at him the ring he once gave her. Don José murders Carmen, while the crowd inside the bullring cheers Escamillo.

Director’s Note Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who saw the opera in Paris a few months after its premiere said “Carmen is an absolute masterpiece [...] Bizet was an artist who was warmed by true feeling and inspiration.” This ‘true feeling’ has given the opera a timelessness that has made it one of the most frequently performed operas since its premiere in 1875. The story was adapted from a novella by Mérimée’s of the same title and in its time it seemed scandalous, with its gypsies, thieves, prostitutes and murder in the sleazy underbelly of Seville society. You could argue that Carmen was the first working class opera, and its anti-heroine remains a challenging and fascinating female role whose creativity of life begets disruptive responses. Through the opera we wonder about the nature of sexual jealousy; the struggle of lustful desire and sexual competition, each active enough to encourage a deep need for betrayal. Carmen is a complex portrait of female sexuality and metaphysical nihilism that, even now, raises exigent questions about sex and violence. Continuing to ask where Carmen’s enduring power lies, I am drawn to the simplicity and honesty of the characters. More than most, it is an opera that juxtaposes real relationships with the heightened drama of Bizet’s exquisite score. In this production this inversion is challenged further by contemporary playfulness within the dialogue, hopefully recapturing some of the surprise of the original.

Gavin Quinn Director

Bizet

Carmen Artistic Team

Chorus

Music Director Andrew Synnott Director Gavin Quinn Designer Aedín Cosgrove Costume Design Catherine Fay Repetiteur Roy Holmes Assistant Director Maeve Stone Assistant Designer Gemma McGuinness

Grace Bermingham (October) Robert Blake Margaret Bridge (May) Callan Coughlan Robert Duff Carolyn Holt Helene Hutchinson Maria Kelly Joey Murray Children’s Chorus – local to each venue

Cast Carmen Imelda Drumm Don José Michael Wade Lee Micaela Mairéad Buicke Escamillo Owen Gilhooley Frasquita Mary O’Sullivan Doncaïro/Morales Michael Dewis Zuniga Gerard O’Connor Mercedes Maria Hughes Remendado Ciarán Kelly

There will be a 20 minute interval after Act 2.

Orchestra Conductor Andrew Synnott Leader Bogdan Sofei Violin 2 Ingrid Nicola Viola Karen Dervan Cello Adrian Mantu Double Bass Caimin Gilmore Harp Aisling Ennis Flute Vourneen Ryan Oboe Rebecca Halliday Clarinet Ronan O’Sullivan Bassoon Patrick McErlean French Horn Brian Daly Trumpet Rick Cowen Percussion Maeve O’Hara

Production Team Production Manager Patrick McLaughlin Company Stage Manager Diarmuid O’Quigley Master Carpenter Conor Mullan Assistant Stage Manager Tom Mullan Wardrobe Assistant Louise Gambrill Hair & Make-up Val Sherlock Set Construction Ian Thompson Scenic Artist Liz Barker Tour Transport Trevor Price Graphic Design Clickworks Photography Kip Carroll

Thanks to: The Talbot Hotel Carlow, Margaret Dunne The Exchange, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Eimear at the Abbey Stores and all at The Lir.

Carmen composed by Georges Bizet After the novel by Prosper Mérimée Libretto Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy First performed 3 March 1875, the Opéra-Comique Paris. Orchestral Reduction Tony Burke © Pocket Productions English Translation Amanda Holden © 2001

Artistic Team ANDREW SYNNOTT MUSIC DIRECTOR Andrew Synnott has conducted many times for Opera Theatre Company. Recent productions for OTC include Monteverdi’s Orfeo and the Irish premier of Grigory Frid’s mono opera, The Diary of Anne Frank. In March of this year Andrew conducted For A Look Or A Touch by Jake Heggie, again an Irish premier, for the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Lir Academy. Other recent conducting engagements include Kurt Weill’s Street Scene for Zezere Arts Festival in Portugal and the sell-out Casta Diva shows in the National Concert Hall. Andrew’s first opera, Breakdown, written with librettist John Breen, has just been completed. Andrew’s compositions have been heard all over the world. He has written music for The Abbey Theatre, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Pan Pan Theatre, Team Theatre and RTÉ radio. Andrew has also played on stage for many theatre productions at home and abroad, including The Abbey Theatre and for Rough Magic Theatre Company. In 2006 he was musical director for the Brisbane Theatre Festival production of Johnno. Arrangements of operas and musicals have been a regular part of his work. He has arranged the Magic Flute and La bohème for touring productions in Ireland and the UK, and has arranged Sweeney Todd for Derby Playhouse and the Gate Theatre, and Company, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along and Oh What a Lovely War for Derby Playhouse. He is a founder and former artistic director of the Crash Ensemble and is a member of the WhistleBlast Quartet and the NCH’s outreach team. Andrew is also on the teaching staff of the vocal faculty of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and is completing a doctorate in the Dublin Institute of Technology.

GAVIN QUINN DIRECTOR Gavin is joint artistic director of Pan Pan, which he founded with Aedín Cosgrove in 1991. Selected productions include A Bronze Twist of Your Serpent Muscles by Gavin Quinn (winner of Best Overall Production, Dublin Fringe Festival, 1995), Cartoon (1997), Standoffish by Gavin Quinn (Best Production, Advertiser, Adelaide 2000), Deflowerfucked (2001), Mac-Beth 7 (2004),

One: Healing with Theatre (2005), The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge (in both Beijing and Dublin, in Mandarin and with a Chinese cast, 2006), Oedipus Loves You by Gavin Quinn and Simon Doyle (2006), The Crumb Trail by Gina Moxley (2009), The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane (Winner of Best Production and Best Set Design Irish Times Theatre Awards, 2010), All That Fall by Samuel Beckett, Project Arts Centre, BAM New York, (Winner of Best Sound Design and Best Lighting Design 2011), A Doll House (2012) Smock Alley, Powerhouse Brisbane, Everyone is King Lear in his own home (2012), Dublin Theatre Festival. Opera directing credits include: The 4 Note Opera (Tom Johnson, 2000) OTC, The Magic Flute, OTC and ETO and Hamelin for OTC (Ian Wilson, 2003), The Abduction from the Seraglio for ETO (Hackney Empire, London 2007), and Così fan tutte for Opera Ireland (2007).

AEDÍN COSGROVE LIGHTING DESIGN Aedín co-founded Pan Pan in 1991. Designs for Pan Pan include Standoffish, Cartoon, Mac-Beth 7, Oedipus Loves You, The Idiots, The Playboy of the Western World (Beijing), The CrumbTrail, The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane (winner of the Irish Times Theatre Best Set Design Award and Best Production 2010, also presented at The Skirball Theatre in NYU) and Do Di Zhu (Fight the Landlord) for Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Shanghai Expo, All That Fall by Samuel Beckett (winner of the Irish Times Theatre Best Lighting Design Award 2011) and A Doll House (2012). Aedín joined director Dylan Tighe to design lighting for No Worst There Is None and set and lighting for Record at Cork Midsummer Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival this year. Also recently Four Told at Project Cube, Man of Valor for Corn Exchange and lighting for Perve by Stacey Gregg at the Peacock and The Devils’ Spine Band for Galway Arts Festival, a collaboration between Composer Trevor Knight, Artist Alice Maher, and performers Gyohei Zaitsu and Olwen Fouere. Previous designs for Opera Theatre Company include Hamelin, The Four Note Opera, Pasquale and lighting for Così fan tutte.

CATHERINE FAY COSTUME DESIGN Catherine has most recently designed Quietly by Owen McCafferty at the Peacock Theatre. She designed Romeo and Juliet for Corcadorca. During Fringe 2012 she designed DOGS for Emma Martin Dance (winner Best Production/Best Design Fringe Festival 2012). Earlier in 2012 she re-costumed Fast Portraits for Liz Roche Company and Body and Forgetting. She has designed The Government Inspector, Macbeth, The Playboy of the Western World, Saved, Doubt, Doldrum Bay, Henry IV Part I (for which she received an Irish Times/ESB nomination), On Such As We and Chair (Operating Theatre) for The Abbey Theatre and It Only Ever Happens In The Movies (NAYD). Designs for Bedrock include Wedding Day at the Cro’Magnons, Roberto Zucco, Quay West, Night Just before the Forest, Wideboy Gospel and Massacre at Paris. Other work includes 5 Ways to Drown (Junk Ensemble), King Lear (Second Age), Mother Goose, Beauty and the Beast (Gaiety), Talking to Terrorists, Farawayan (Calypso), Pyrennes, Cruel and Tender, Love and Money (Hatch), Adrenalin (Semper Fi), Mushroom, The Red Hot Runaways, Antigone, Women in Arms (Storytellers), Lessness (Gare St Lazare Players, Kilkenny Festival and National Theatre, London). Catherine is a graduate of the National College of Art and Design.

Roy Holmes REPETITEUR Roy Holmes, (from Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim) worked on both OTC productions of Così fan tutte, the first production in 1987 and more recently in Spring 2013. While mainly teaching piano at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, he always maintained a practical connection with the operatic world. Most recently he conducted DIT’s production of Orpheus in the Underworld, which took place in the newly refurbished Gleeson Hall. He conducted DIT’s annual Opera Nights in the NCH, and was musical director of the DIT Opera Ensemble, performing Marian Ingoldsby’s one act opera, Hot Food with Strangers – a work that was originally commissioned by OTC. He also reworked staged performances of Carissimi’s oratorio Jephthe, transferring the ancient conflict between the Israelites and their neighbours into the even more ancient Northern Ireland. In 2011 Roy published a book on piano

technique – New Dynamic Finger Power www.originalwriting/ bookshop/nonfiction/educational/new-dynamic-finger-power/ which retrieves and validates the precise finger technique of Bach and his contemporaries, in an effort to counteract the technical prescriptions of Carl Czerny – prescriptions that, in his view, have led piano technique on a long, circuitous and, ultimately, best forgotten journey. Currently he is accompanist and coach at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Cast IMELDA DRUMM CARMEN Born in Laois, Imelda graduated with honours from DCU completing a BBS in 1992. Imelda is currently in her third year, pursuing a Doctorate of Music in Performance with Dr Veronica Dunne at the RIAM and DCU. Imelda has developed a highly successful international career forging strong relationships with both Glyndebourne Opera and Welsh National Opera. She was a principal mezzo at WNO for over a decade. The title role of Carmen is one of her signature roles and she performed this role to great acclaim at the Royal Albert Hall in London with Raymond Gubbay in 2002 and 2005. A winner of competitions at Feis Ceoil, including Contralto Solo and Margaret Burke Sheridan for Best Female Voice, Thomas Moore, German Government, Peter Tattan, Leider Prize and Percy Whitehead, Imelda was also finalist in the Veronica Dunne international singing competition. International Awards include the Esso and Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Glyndebourne Awards. Recordings include, Hansel Channel 4, Jenůfa with Sir Charles Makerras, Falstaff S4C with Bryn Terfel, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Dublin Choral Foundation. Imelda made her debut in the role of Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde for the new Irish company Wide Open Opera under the baton of Fergus Sheil in October 2012 and she successfully debuted another new role, that of Amneris, in Aïda at the Gaiety for Lyric Opera in November. Delighted to return to OTC, future work for 2013 includes Verdi Requiem for Wexford Sinfonia and Beethoven 9th with Wide Open Music.

MICHAEL WADE LEE DON JOSÉ Critics hail Michael Wade Lee as “that rarity among operatic tenors, a really good-looking, virile, well-built and gifted thespian with a wide-ranging voice to match.” He debuted internationally in 2007 to great acclaim with the Greek National Opera’s Carmen singing Don José opposite Denyce Graves. In quick succession, he sang eight more productions in the following three years. In the 2013-14 season, he will sing The Prince Rusalka and Lensky Eugene Onegin (Lyric Opera), and Alfredo (Wichita Grand Opera). This season he performed Radamès (Annapolis Opera and Lyric Opera, Dublin), Il Duca Rigoletto with Mark Delavan at Pittsburgh Opera, and Cassio in Opera North UK’s production of Verdi’s Otello. His many roles include Radamès Aïda, Manrico Il Trovatore, B.F. Pinkerton Madama Butterfly, Rodolfo La bohème, Cavaradossi Tosca, Turiddu Cavalleria rusticana, Il Duca Rigoletto, Nemorino L’elisir d’amore, The Prince Rusalka, Don José Carmen, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, the Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia, and Hoffmann The Tales of Hoffmann. He has performed worldwide with Staatstheatre Mainz (Germany), Lyric Opera Productions (Ireland), Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Opera Festival and Opera North (UK), Musica Viva (Hong Kong), San Francisco Opera, San Antonio Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Wichita Grand Opera, Chautauqua Opera, El Paso Opera, Opera in the Heights, Annapolis Opera, Dicapo Opera, Chelsea Opera. Recent Concert performances include the tenor solos in Mozart and Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the United States, Europe and China.

MAIRÉAD BUICKE MICAËLA Mairéad Buicke was born in Limerick and graduated with first class honours BA Performance Degree from the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she studied with Dr. Veronica Dunne, then subsequently at the National Opera Studio in London, where her roles included Fiordiligi Così fan tutte, Antonia Les contes d’Hoffmann, Violetta La traviata and Mimi La bohème. Mairéad

was a semi finalist and special prize winner of the Belvedere International Singing Competition in Vienna in 2004. Mairéad sang as a young associate artist with Opera Theatre Company in 2004 and also joined the young artist programme at the Aix en Provence Festival in 2005. Operatic engagements have included Marenka The Bartered Bride (Mid Wales Opera) and concert performances as Mimi La bohème and Gretel Hansel & Gretel with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the title role in Wallace’s Maritana with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Mairéad was on the young artists programme at English National Opera from 2007/2010 seasons, and roles there included Pamina and 1st Lady Die Zauberflöte, Sylvianne The Merry Widow, Paquette Candide, Karolka Jenůfa, 2nd Niece Peter Grimes and in Autumn 2010 she made her first guest debut as Musetta La bohème (ENO). July 2011 Mairéad made her debut in the title role Tosca (Grange Park Opera). She also performed Fiordiligi Così fan tutte (OTC). Concert engagements have included Mahler Symphony No. 8 and Symphony No. 4 with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Ravel Shéhérazade with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915 for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. Verdi Requiem (National Concert Hall, Dublin) and Messiah with the Orchestra of St Cecilia, Beethoven 9th Symphony with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Barbican Hall, London, and her debut in a series of Viennese Concerts for English Northern Philharmonia.

OWEN GILHOOLY Escamillo Owen Gilhooly is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and National Opera Studio, having studied in Ireland with Jean Holmes and Conor Farren. He is currently pursuing Doctoral Studies at the RIAM under the guidance of Virginia Kerr. He represented Ireland at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2007, and in 2009 he made his Viennese debut singing the title role in Conti’s Don Chisciotte in Serena Morena (Musikverkstatt Wien). Roles for OTC include Guglielmo Così fan tutte, Figaro Barber of Seville, Dandini La cenerentola, Marcello La bohème, Father Hansel and Gretel, Don Fernando Fidelio and Papageno The Magic Flute. Recent roles include Hirt Tristan und Isolde (Wide Open Opera), Ivan Kaschey the Immortal and Bailiff The Maiden

in the Tower (Buxton Festival), King Louis XV1 The Ghosts of Versailles and Lord Salt The Golden Ticket (Wexford Festival), Malatesta Don Pasquale (ETO), Rossini’s Figaro (Stanley Hall Opera), Albert Werther (Les Azuriales Opera), and the General in Luke Bedford’s Seven Angels (The Opera Group). He has sung in concert with the RTÉ NSO, Irish Chamber and Ulster Orchestras, the Bournemouth and Tokyo Symphony Orchestras, the Royal Liverpool and London Philharmonic Orchestras. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra he has sung Joseph and Polydorus in Berlioz l’enfance du Christ conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, La Poigne/ Waiter Margot la rouge and The Bridegroom The Vanishing Bridegroom, and for the BBC Proms Bill Bobstay HMS Pinafore and Janacek’s Osud. Future plans include Tippetts A Child of Our Time, Il Conte Le nozze di Figaro (Lismore Festival) and The Ferryman Curlew River (UK Tour).

MARY O’SULLIVAN Frasquita Mary studied at the DIT Conservatoire of Music, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, completing her studies at the International Opera Studio, Zurich Opera House. Mary performed the roles of Chloe Pique Dame (RNCM), Miss Wordsworth, and Emmy Albert Herring (Zurich Opernhaus), Donna Fulvia La pietra del paragone (Studiobuhne, ZO), Papagena Die Zauberflöte and Sylvain Die lustige Witwe (for DVD ZO), and Manuelita Pepito (Zurich Festspiel). Mary has performed Papagena and First Lady The Magic Flute, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro and Berta The Barber of Seville (OTC) and Gretel for OTC Educational Tour. Other roles include Nedda Pagliacci (Wexford Opera Festival), Donna Fulvia La pietra del paragone (Stanley Hall Opera), Queen of the Night Die Zauberflöte (Sarganz, Switzerland), First Lady (Opera Ireland), Maiden and Lubanara (Cover) Der Stein der Weisen (Garsington Opera), Norina Don Pasquale, Pepi Der Wienerblut and Tytania Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Blonde Die Entführung aus dem Serail (English Touring Opera), and Frasquita Carmen (Diva Opera). Equally at home on the concert and oratorio platform, Mary has performed Mozart C minor Mass, Mozart Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Faure’s Requiem,

a Celtic Woman US tour, and a Gala Opera concert of Die Zauberflöte (Diva Opera, Cap Ferrat, France). Mary has covered and performed the role of Nanetta Falstaff, performed Elvira, L’italiana in Algeri, Valencienne Merry Widow, several roles in the Five:15 Project and covered the role of Blonde Seraglio, and Dorinda Orlando (Scottish Opera).

MICHAEL DEWIS DancaÏro/Morales British baritone Michael Dewis studied on the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and at the National Opera Studio, where his credits include The Harold Rosenthal award for Opera and the Anna Wyburd prize for Lieder. His career has seen him perform the roles of Narumov Pique Dame, Flemish Deputy Don Carlos, Prince Afron Le Coq d’Or, The Narrator Paul Bunyan (Royal Opera House), Zurga The Pearl Fishers, cover Chou En-lai Nixon in China (English National Opera), Dr Falke, cover Figaro (Welsh National Opera), Renato Un ballo in maschera (Opera Holland Park), cover Giorgio Germont La traviata, Giacomo Giovanna d’Arco, Belcore L’elisir d’amore (Opera North), Sid Albert Herring (Longborough Festival Opera), and the title role Don Giovanni (Opera Project and Opera a la Carte). From 200408 Michael was a member of the ensemble at the Stadttheatre Bremerhaven, where his roles included Marcello, Valentin, Di Luna, Renato, Che and Papageno. Further international engagements have seen him perform Papageno and Jack Rance for Wexford Festival Opera. An experienced concert artist, he has performed all of the major choral works with orchestras such as the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, and Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and has recorded Tippett’s Child of Our Time and Purcell’s King Arthur under the baton of Tom Koopman. Recent opera and concert engagements have seen Michael give recitals for the Schubert Society of Great Britain, perform Papageno for Regents Opera and Il Conte Almaviva for Opera a la Carte.

OTC ON TOUR 2013 OTC’s Young Associate Artists Lunchtime Concert Series

If music be the food of love, play on… Margaret Bridge, Lynda-Jane Nelson and Gyula Nagy 8th Aug Gemma Ní Bhriain, Maria Hughes, Cormac Lawlor and Margaret Bridge 15th Aug Kelley Lonergan and Niall Gallagher 22nd Aug Guyla Nagy, Kelley Lonergan and Niall Gallagher 29th Aug National Concert Hall

Sing and Be Merry OTC’s Christmas Concert Conductor Andrew Synnott National Tour 4th – 21st Dec

Donizetti

L’elisir d’amore

Co-Production with NI Opera Conductor David Brophy Director Oliver Mears National Tour 25th Jan – 8th Feb

Britten

Albert Herring

Co-Production with Mid-Wales Opera Conductor Nicholas Cleobury Director Michael Barker Caven National Tour 9th – 31st May

GERARD O’CONNOR Zuniga Born in Co. Galway, Gerard O’Connor received a Music Degree at University College Cork. He later studied at the National Opera Studio. He has sung with companies including Opera Theatre Company, Opera Ireland, English National Opera, Opera North, Opera Monte Carlo, Singapore Lyric Opera, Garsington, Castelward, Opera Holland Park, Lyric Opera, as well as at the Edinburgh and Wexford Festivals, Lismore Opera, and the RTÉ Proms. His repertoire has included Abbott Curlew River, Raimondo Lucia di Lammermoor, Priam The Trojans, Zungia Carmen, Dikoi Kabanova, Cieco/Iris, Varlaam/Boris Godunov, Alidoro La cenerentola, Frank Die fledermaus, The Mayor Cherevichki, Marke Tristan und Isolde and Hunding Die Walküre. He has sung Bottom Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mephistopheles Faust, George Benton Dead Man Walking, Benoit-Alcindoro La bohème, Boris Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Croucher Silver Tassie, Sarastro Magic Flute, Gremin Eugene Onegin, Orlik Mazeppa, and Officer The Passenger.

Maria Hughes Mercedes A native of Co. Wexford, Maria began her music career as a traditional Irish singer. She recently completed the BMus programme at the Conservatory of Music DIT, studying under Mary Brennan and repetiteur Mairéad Hurley. Maria has previously been part of chorus’ with Lyric Opera, Opera Ireland, Glasthule Opera and DIT Ensemble. She has performed in operas such as Carmen, Lucia di Lammermore, Don Giovanni, Tosca, La bohème, L’Orfeo, Il trovatore, Madame Butterfly and Aïda. To date Maria has performed the roles of Flora La traviata and Third Lady in The Magic Flute with Glasthule Opera, the role of Speranza in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Yorke Trust, Public Opinion in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and most recently Miss Jessel in Britten’s Turn of the Screw (DIT Music and Drama Conservatory). She has also performed the role of Valencienne The Merry Widow with GMS and sang the role of The Mother

in extracts from Amahl and the Night Visitors. Maria is also a founding member of Dublin Youth Opera Company which is a youth opera company that tours self written Jukebox operas, raising money for Irish charities. Maria is currently a Young Associate Artist with Opera Theatre Company.

CIARÁN KELLY Remendado Ciarán Kelly, is a student of Lynda Lee at the Royal Academy of Music, Dublin. He has performed at the National Concert Hall on several occasions both as soloist, and as member of choirs. Ciarán has competed successfully in Dublin Feis Ceoil, Sligo Feis Ceoil, and Feis Doire Cholmcille. He made his opera debut at the RIAM in January 2007, singing Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro, and has gone on to sing with the Downpatrick Opera Fringe Festival, Opera Theatre Company and Lyric Opera, Dublin. A founding member of the choral ensemble, Stylus, Ciarán has also been an active member of renowned chamber choir Resurgam under the directorship of Mark Duley. In 2010, Ciarán sang as a soloist in the historic performance of Handel’s Messiah, a joint performance between St Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedrals in Dublin. In 2012 he travelled to Piacenza, Italy to perform the lead role in Nicolini’s Le due gemelle with singers from Italy, Japan, Korea and Armenia. Ciarán was also chosen to perform the lead role in a specially commissioned short opera in Derry for the arrival of the Olympic Torch Number Seven, composed by Seán Doherty. Most recently Ciarán undertook the narrator role in Monterverdi’s Il combattimenti di Tancredi e Clorinda.

Chorus GRACE BERMINGHAM Dublin born soprano Grace Bermingham attended St. Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School where she sang in the Girl’s Cathedral Choir at St. Patrick’s Cathedral under the tutelage of John Dexter and David Leigh. Having completed her BA Honours degree in English and Music at NUI Maynooth, Grace received a First Class Honours in Vocal Performance and went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she is currently studying with Virginia Kerr. A multiple prize winner in Feiseanna throughout Ireland, Grace’s professional experience includes both operatic and concert performances with Maynooth Chamber Choir, Resurgam, Degani Ensemble, Good Works Opera, Lyric Opera, Opera Ireland and Opera Theatre Company. Her television appearances include BBC religious programme Songs of Praise, and in 2011 she sang on the RTÉ programme Capital D to promote her local community arts festival. Her concert work includes Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, St. Matthew Passion, Fauré’s Requiem, Brahm’s Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass. Grace is a 2012/2013 member of the Opera Theatre Company Young Associate Artists Programme.

ROBERT BLAKE Robert Blake (baritone) is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin where he read music and philosophy. Currently undertaking a diploma in music performance and teaching, he studies full-time at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Kathleen Tynan. Previous operatic performances include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress as chorus member of the St Endellion Summer Festival (Cornwall, UK). As a passionate choral musician, Robert is a member of the Irish Youth Chamber Choir, he currently holds a choral scholarship at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, and was principal conductor of Trinity Singers 2012–13. Robert has worked with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, as a vocal tutor to the Junior Boys Choir, and returns to this post during the summer residential courses.

MARGARET BRIDGE Margaret Bridge is currently studying performance full-time in the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Virginia Kerr, having previously completed a degree in Music with first class honours in Trinity College Dublin. Concert appearances include Handel’s Messiah with DU Choral Society in 2012 and Margaret made her operatic debut as Lady Billows in RIAM production of Britten’s Albert Herring in January 2013. She has enjoyed a successful season at this year’s Feis Ceoil, where she won the Plunkett Green, came second in the Dermot Troy cup for Oratorio and was a finalist in the Dramatic Cup. Margaret is a member of Opera Theatre Company’s 2013 Young Associate Artists Programme.

Callan Coughlan A native of Limerick, Callan is a young tenor studying for a BA in Music Performance – Vocal Studies under the tutelage of Kathleen Tynan at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He is a member of Lyric Opera chorus with which he performed Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in February and is delighted to now be joining the chorus of OTC for Carmen. An experienced chorister, he currently sings with the gentlemen of the Palestrina choir and the Irish Youth Chamber Choir and has previously sang with New Dublin Voices and as a soloist with the Trinity College Singers.

Robert Duff Robert is a graduate of DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He has performed with numerous opera companies as a soloist and chorus member including Opera Ireland, Lyric Opera, Glasthule Opera and the Yorke Trust, Norfolk. Some of his favourite roles include; Papageno The Magic Flute, John Styx Orpheus in the Underworld, Dancaïro Carmen and Demetrius A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is also a regular competitor at the ESB Feis

Ceoil and in 2011 won the Baritone solo and went on to win the Count John MacCormack cup for best overall male. Robert is an original member of DYOC (Dublin Youth Opera Company) a student run opera company that tour Ireland with Jukebox opera productions to raise money for charity.

CAROLYN HOLT A student of Mary Brennan and repetiteur Dearbhla Collins, 20-year-old Carolyn Holt is from Kildare. She is currently a second year student on the BA in Vocal Studies degree course at the RIAM and lists amongst her achievements are many awards and prizes at the Arklow, Wesley, Kilcoole and Newpark feiseanna, as well as the ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil, and an RIAM High Achiever’s Award. She is a member of the Chorale in the RIAM and has participated in many of their performances. She has been accepted into the Schleswig-Holstein Choir Academy in Germany and will tour with them this Summer.

Helene Hutchinson Soprano Helene Hutchinson studied at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Edith Forrest and Colette McGahon-Tosh. Recent concert performances include soprano soloist in Haydn’s Stabat Mater, Pergolessi’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus both with the Orchestra of St. Cecelia and The Cambiata Chamber Orchestra. Opera roles include Pamina The Magic Flute, Donna Anna Don Giovanni (DIT), Frasquita Carmen, Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro (Glasthule Opera Company). Winner of numerous award’s and bursaries including overall winner in Sligo, and several first prizes in Feis Ceoil, she is a popular recitalist and has performed in many opera gala events.

MARIA KELLY Mezzo-Soprano Maria Kelly is currently studying for a Masters in Music Performance at the RIAM under Lynda Lee and repetiteur Andrew Synnott, having previously studied under Dr. Veronica Dunne. Works performed include Messiah (Handel), Nicolaimesse (Haydn), Die erste Walpurgisnacht (Mendelssohn), Frauenliebe und Leben (Schumann), Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Mahler). She has sung in the choruses of La traviata, The Merry Widow, and Lucia di Lammermoor (Lyric Opera), and has sung principal roles including Juno in Handel’s Semele and Sally A Hand of Bridge (RIAM 2012), with Opera Magazine saying of her performance as Juno: ‘We can expect to hear more from Maria Kelly’. Awards include Artlinks Emerging Artist Award 2012, Margaret-Burke Sheridan and Contralto cups in ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil, and the English Song Prize in the RIAM’s 2012 Irene Sandford Award Competition. Upcoming engagements include the role of The Mother in Stravinsky’s Mavra (RIAM).

JOEY MURRAY Joey Murray is currently studying for a degree in vocal performance at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama under the guidance of Stephen Wallace and Mary Scarlett. He started singing in chorus with Lyric Opera in 2010 and has since performed in; Lucia di Lammermoor, La traviata, The Merry Widow, Don Giovanni, Il trovatore, Madama Butterfly, La bohème and Aïda.

Support Opera Theatre Company Even with the fullest houses, box office takings only cover a small percentage of what it costs to stage high-quality opera and carry out Opera Theatre Company’s nationwide tours. Although OTC benefits from core funding from the Arts Council, as a charity we rely on support from a variety of private and public sources. Our sincere thanks go to the huge number of individuals, county and city councils, cultural organisations and businesses that support our activities each year. OTC Patrons and Friends Over 85 individuals are getting even more out of their love of opera by being part of Opera Theatre Company’s family of supporters. Getting involved as an Opera Patron or Friend provides the opportunity to participate in all kinds of special events, bringing our supporters closer to the Company. Young Associate Artists’ Programme Now in its 9th year, our Young Associate Artists’ Programme provides an excellent opportunity for individuals who wish to support the development of young singers. Benefactors will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are providing vital help for singers at the start of their careers. Business Partnerships Businesses throughout the country enjoy the opportunity to increase brand awareness, entertain clients, reward staff and develop staff skills through a range of sponsorship and hospitality packages. These are available at performances in prestigious venues, small-scale tours and a wide range of education and community projects. Legacies People who choose to make a commitment to Opera Theatre Company in their will are invited to join the OTC Directors Circle, allowing them to enjoy all the benefits of a closer relationship with the Company now, while knowing that their legacy will help audiences in the future to enjoy the wonder of opera. All legacies for the benefit of Opera Theatre Company will be invested in Opera Theatre Company Endowment Trust to help us stage more opera and to sustain our commitment to young artists and new work. Please contact the Fundraising & Sponsorship team if you would like to discuss supporting Opera Theatre Company. Telephone 01 679 4962 or email supportus@opera.ie

Young Associate Artists’ Programme 2013

Pictured: Kelley Lonergan mEZZO-Soprano, CormaC LAWLOR Bass-Baritone, LyndA-JANE NELSON SOPRANO,

OTC established the first programme for the professional development of young singers on the island of Ireland in 2004. The current intake of young artists includes, for the first time, a young conductor, Killian Farrell. We are delighted to expand the programme to include Killian this year, and will be on the look-out for similarly talented artists who would benefit from OTC’s Young Associate Artists Programme, (YAAP) a programme that bridges the gap between third level and the professional stage. Proof of the effectiveness of the Young Associate Artists Programme is in its alumni, who consistently go on to get placed in the most prestigious opera colleges and studios throughout Europe and the United States. Our most recent graduates include Patrick Hyland and Padraic Rowan, who are at Glyndebourne; Fearghal Curtis, who recently performed in Joe diPetro’s play The Last Romance; Jennifer Davis, who will be attending the National Opera Studio in London and Grace Bermingham, who will be performing in tonight’s production of Carmen, alongside YAAP alumna Mairéad Buicke. This year’s young artists have already received individual workshops from YAAP patron Ann Murray. The ongoing value of such workshops was affirmed by their response: our young artists spoke of seeing fresh the standard that is expected of them, of a renewed desire to work hard to meet and even exceed that expectation, and of feeling encouraged and supported to do so. OTC is very lucky to have a patron who gives as generously of her time as Ann Murray.

Young Associate Artists 2013 Ann Murray DBE Patron Brenda Hurley Vocal Consultant

, Maria Hughes MEZZO-Soprano, Gyula Nagy baritone, Margaret Bridge Soprano, gemma NÍ briain mezzo-soprano, Killian Farrell Conductor.

The company continues to recognize the importance of professional performance experience. A repertoire devised to celebrate opera as used in movie soundtracks has proved particularly popular and will be heard again in Killiney Castle on July 4 & 5 under the title Opera… As Heard in the Movies. Summer plans include European Opera Days in May, when Gyula, Gemma and Margaret, will perform under the direction of Conor Hanratty in Dublin Castle; and a series of lunchtime recitals in the National Concert Hall in August. Winter plans include the young artists participation in OTC’s Christmas concert Sing and Be Merry, with national tour dates to be announced, And both Maria Hughes and Margaret Bridge make their professional stage debut in this production of Carmen. see www.opera.ie

Killian Farrell Conductor Margaret Bridge Soprano Lynda-Jane Nelson Soprano Maria Hughes Mezzo-Soprano Kelley Lonergan Mezzo-Soprano Gemma Ní Bhriain Mezzo-Soprano Gyula Nagy Baritone

Erika Csibi, Manager, Young Associate Artists’ Programme

Cormac Lawlor bass-baritone 23 23

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