West Edge Opera Festival 2017 Brochure

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WEST EDGE FESTIVAL 2017

Oakland’s abandoned train station August 5 – 20 HAMLET Ambroise Thomas THE CHASTITY TREE Vicente Martín y Soler FRANKENSTEIN Libby Larsen

ARY N I D E OR H T .ORG M A O R R E F EOP RES G U D T R TE DEPA WES

With the success of last year’s festival, and 2017 looking altogether exciting, it could be satisfying to settle into a groove and leave it at that.

Truth be told, at West Edge we’re not good at staying in the same grooves; we need to break out, try something new, leap and hope there is a thin pad at the bottom of the cliff to break any fall. Too ambitious? Maybe.

Too risky? Maybe… but we hope not.

Music Director Jonathan Khuner and I spend a lot of time thinking about what an exciting, balanced season with different types and styles of opera means to us. The programs that surround the festival and fill out our yearly activity continue to confirm us as a company that is experimenting and pushing the envelope when it comes to this art form and its future.

Because of our commitment to contemporary opera, we have just inaugurated Snapshot, our new opera concert series showcasing the work of Northern California composers. We always try to have a mainstage production of an opera written in 1990 or later and in the future we plan to present operas that are even newer.

As part of that thin pad I mentioned, we are working hard to raise the money that will allow us to bring you these programs. Last year we threw a small party at the station as a fundraiser. It was a lot of fun and such a success that we decided to turn the small party into a big one. Evening @ The Station is described on the page facing this one. It happens the week before opening night and is a great time as well as a great way to support us. You are invited; please come!

We hope you will join us this summer and when you do, I hope you’ll track me down to say hello. One of the best things about my job is getting to meet so many new folks who are looking for a new opera experience. I’m always interested to hear your thoughts.

See you at the station!

-Mark Streshinsky

Evening @ The Station A fundraiser for West Edge Opera On July 30, one week before the Festival begins, join us for the opportunity to support West Edge in a relaxed atmosphere with music, Champagne, and friends. Plus, you get to be one of the first to see what we are creating this year!

Supporting West Edge couldn’t be easier or more fun.

Arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 to drink a glass of Champagne and mingle. Small groups will tour the station and learn about its history. Dessert will then be served and you will be treated to a recital by some of our Festival singers. After the performance we will have a live auction and fundour-stage event. The evening officially ends at 9:00 pm but feel free to stay, chat, and enjoy.

Entry to the event can be purchased with your ticket order using the form in this brochure, or you can order through our website or by calling 510-841-1903.

We look forward to seeing you there!

HAMLET

Ambroise Thomas Libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier In French with English surtitles

The Opera It may be the most famous play in the English-speaking world – the title role has proven irresistible for actors from Sarah Berndhardt to Olivier to Benedict Cumberbatch. For all that, Hamlet’s operatic incarnation is a rarity. In 1868 Ambroise Thomas gave the melancholy Dane lyrical life with sweeping romantic music and profoundly emotional moments.

The Artists Music Director/Conductor: Jonathan Khuner Stage Director: Aria Umezawa Hamlet: Edward Nelson Ophélie: Emma McNairy Gertrude: Susanne Mentzer Claudius: Philip Skinner Laërte: Daniel Curran The Ghost: Kenneth Kellogg

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CHASTITY TREE

(L’arbore di Diana) Vicente Martín y Soler Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte In Italian with English surtitles

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Opera If you know Vicente Martín y Soler at all, chances are good it’s from a tossed off quotation in Don Giovanni, but in their day, Mozart and Martín y Soler enjoyed equal renown in Vienna. Both set the brilliant words of da Ponte, who rated The Chastity Tree (L’arbore di Diana) the Spaniard’s best work. A smash hit in 1787, The Chastity Tree is a tale of purity, politics, a cross-dressing cupid, and one unusually judgmental plant. True to fashion, West Edge unearths a hidden gem in a startling, hilarious new production.

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Artists Music Director/Conductor: Robert Mollicone Stage Director: Mark Streshinsky Choreogerapher: Sarah Berges Diana: Nikki Einfeld Cupid: Christine Brandes Doristo: Malte Rosener Endimione: Kyle Stegall

FRANKENSTEIN Or The Modern Prometheus Libby Larsen In English with English surtitles

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The Opera New archetypes aren’t minted very often, but Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is certainly among them. Two hundred years after the publication of the novel, West Edge presents Libby Larsen’s operatic treatment with its resonant themes of ego, ambition, and the war between reason and emotion. West Edge brings to fruition the technological innovations suggested in this rich score that could only be hinted at in the work’s premiere in 1990. Frankenstein is the kind of work that has become West Edge Opera’s calling card.

The Composer Libby Larsen is one of America’s most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 500 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and over 15 operas. Grammy awardwinning and widely recorded, including over 50 CDs of her work, she is constantly sought after for commissions and premieres by major artists, ensembles, and orchestras around the world, and has established a permanent place for her works in concert repertory.

The Artists Music Director/Conductor: Jonathan Khuner Stage Director: Matthew Ozawa Video Designer: Jeremy Knight Victor Frankenstein: Samuel Levine Victor Frankenstein on the Ship: Daniel Curran Captain Walton: Josh Quinn Elizabeth: Chelsea Hollow

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REMEMBERING FESTIVAL 2016

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COME PICNIC WITH US! Once again we will create a pavilion on the grounds of the station, but this year it will double in size!

Box meals from Poulet will be available for pre-order and, as always, we will have free beer and wine. Bar donations are greatly appreciated and support our young technical apprentice program.

The grounds will open two hours before curtain.

Food may be ordered up to a week in advance through our website or by calling 510-841-1903.

Poulet’s Menu: #1 #2 #3 #4

Fried Chicken Sandwich with Kale Salad Roast Beef Sandwich with Potato Salad Seasonal Frittata with Side Salad and Roll (vegetarian) Trio of Seasonal Salads

The pavilion will also be the location for pre-opera talks and will be open at intermission and after every performance as a place to meet the artists and connect with friends.

Poulet was co-founded in 1979 by Marilyn Rinzler and Bruce Aidells. Inspired by Marilyn who was a single parent of two, Poulet began as take-out only, designed for people who didn’t have the time to cook and wanted to take home fresh, healthy, gourmet food. We have always had a simple philosophy, food is very basic, let’s enjoy it.

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Festival Calendar

Sunday July

30

Saturday Aug

5

Hamlet 8:00

Sunday Aug

6

The Chastity Tree 3:00

Saturday Aug

12

The Chastity Tree 1:00

Sunday Aug

13

Hamlet 3:00

Thursday Aug

17

Frankenstein 7:30

Saturday Aug

19

Hamlet 1:00

Sunday Aug

12

20

Evening @ The Station 7:00 – 9:00

Frankenstein 8:00

The Chastity Tree 8:00 Frankenstein 3:00

l is ts ies Fes tiv al Se r

Series A

Openings

Aug 5: Hamlet Aug 6: Chastity Aug 12: Frankenstein

Series B

Saturday Nights

Aug 5: Hamlet Aug 12: Frankenstein Aug 19: Chastity

Series C

Sunday Matinees

Aug 6: Chastity Aug 13: Hamlet Aug 20: Frankenstein

Series D

3 in 27 Hours

Aug 12: Chastity and Frankenstein Aug 13: Hamlet

Series E

3 in 27 Hours

Aug 19: Hamlet and Chastity Aug 20: Frankenstein

Series F

Make your own

Buy a series and save!

Gold Seats

(Reserved seating, please indicate your seating preference) $260 for three operas

Silver Seats

(General Seating) $154 for three operas

Youth/Senior Silver Seats $147 for three operas

Series tickets are up to 10% less than single tickets, which will be available June 1.

Gold Seating Perks More comfortable, padded chairs • Front section of the station Ability to choose your own seats if you order online

3 ways to order ONLINE: WestEdgeOpera.org• BY PHONE: 510-841-1903

BY MAIL: 1700 Shattuck Ave #312 Berkeley, CA 94709 using the form.

Getting There FROM THE SOUTH on I-880 take the 7th Street exit. Turn left on Wood Street and proceed to the 18th Street gate for parking.

FROM THE NORTH and Bay Bridge: Take the West Grand exit and continue on the frontage road to 7th Street. Turn left and then left again on Wood Street.

Proceed down Wood to the 18th Street gate for parking.

Security patrolled parking on the premises $10 – Plenty of free outside parking.

Make a gift to West Edge Opera Ticket sales account for only about 30% of the cost to mount these productions. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to West Edge Opera with your ticket order.

SEASON TICKETS

SERIES LETTER

Thank You!

HOW MANY

$ AMOUNT

EVENING@THE STATION

_______

x $100 =

______________

GOLD _______

x _______

x $260 =

______________

Fund Raising event

indicate seating preference __________________________ SILVER _______

x _______

x $154 =

______________

YOUTH/SENIOR SILVER _______

x _______

x $147 =

______________

TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFT TOTAL

(Please enclose check or credit card information on this sheet.)

______________ ______________

If you picked Series F, choose dates: __________________________________________

PAYMENT INFORMATION  check enclosed (made payable to West Edge Opera)

 pay by credit card (fill out information below)

Name ______________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________ City _______________________________________ State, Zip ________________ Email ______________________________________________________________ Phone ______________________________________________________________ Please charge my:  Visa

 Mastercard

Acct. # _________________________________ Exp. Date _____________________ Signature ______________________________________________________________ To pre-order and pay for Poulet meals please go to our website or call 510-841-1903

West Edge Opera • 1700 Shattuck Ave #312 • Berkeley, CA 94709

Mark Streshinsky, General & Artistic Director Jonathan Khuner, Music Director

ORDER NOW AND GET THE BEST SEATS! WWW.WESTEDGEOPERA.ORG © 2017 West Edge Opera • Photos by Cory Weaver • Design by SingerDesign.org