New Orleans Opera Association - Samson & Delilah 2024 Program
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Production Manager
Rosa Balaguer Arostegui
Production Designers
Ashley Pemberton, Czarlyn Ria Trinidad
Chief Executive Officer
Todd Matherne Copyright
WELCOME
Welcome to Samson and Delilah and the 131st anniversary celebration of this magnificent work’s premiere in New Orleans. Once in a great while, one finds a cast of performers simultaneously available who are so electrically talented, one wonders if the combined energies of their outpouring can be contained in within the confines of a building. When Raehann Bryce-Davis told me she was willing to make her role debut as the powerful seductress Delilah, and that her ideal opposite number was Limmie Pulliam, I knew we had to make it happen. The story of Samson and Delilah has had many iterations, but Saint-Saëns’ version began, like Händel’s, as an oratorio. With this wildly starry cast, we thought we’d enjoy the luxury of presenting in the oratorio manner, focused primarily on the music itself. As in many nineteenth century renderings of historic subjects, the perspective of this work is firmly rooted in that of the creatives of the nineteenth century. Whilst its drama and musical appeal are timeless, it’s important to emphasize the work is not intended to comment, condone or reference any current geo-political events. Programming operas typically takes place two to three years in advance, in order for the complex dance of budgets, international schedules, funding, and dream creative teams to align. So I’m very proud to announce that in addition to our scheduled slate of operas for this season, we will be offering up a miracle of rapid alignment in The Cook-Off, a premier performance of a brand new operatic morsel this December, presented with our partners The Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) as part of their twentieth anniversary celebrations. If Bake-Off or Masterchef get you going, this 50 minute opera (with a round of food related activities) by Shawn Okbebholo and Mark Campbell is going to be a chef’s kiss.
It’s so good to have you with us. Thank you for your support.
Lila Palmer, General and Artistic Director
Denise Villeré Schimek Fund for Women Artists
Denise Villeré Schimek
July 24, 1950 – August 29, 2024
In memory of beloved musician, guild member, and opera lover, the Denise Villeré Schimek Fund for Women Artists has been established.
Please consider making a donation in her memory.
WELCOME
Welcome to the New Orleans Opera’s production of Samson and Delilah. We are excited to present this great work, our only French opera this season. The beautiful soundscape that Saint-Saëns creates makes for a magical, dramatic, even sensual experience. One that I hope will carry you away from everyday concerns.
We are thrilled to present a great team of artists today – with new stars making their New Orleans debuts as well as some returning artists who have won rave reviews in prior seasons here and around the operatic world. We are fortunate indeed to have singers of this level on our stage.
Our extraordinary chorus, under the leadership of our revered Chorus Master, Carol Rausch truly shines in today’s opera. And Samson really showcases their work, as they range from the prayerful to the bacchanalian.
I am so pleased that you are here today, and I hope you enjoy the performance. The board of directors and I welcome you and want you to feel you belong at the opera. Whether this is your first opera or you are a long-time patron, we are happy you’re here. And we hope to see you back again for any of our concerts, our collaboration with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, The Cook-Off, or our spring presentation of The Elixir of Love.
Emmet Geary, Jr., Board President
NOOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr. Emmet Geary, Jr. President
Mrs. Mary Chapman Albert Vice President
Dr. Nicolas Bazan
Mr. Peter Brigandi
Mr. Joseph Bruno
Mr. Arthur A. Crais Jr.
Miss Babs Deacon
Ms. Laura Donnaway
Dr. Patrick J. Dowling
Dr. Constance Gistand
Mr. Bruce A. Gordon
Mr. James C. Gulotta, Jr.
Ms. Pauline Hardin
Ms. Sonya K. Moore Treasurer
Prof. Ronald J. Scalise, Jr. Secretary
Mrs. Adrea Heebe
Mrs. Rania Khodr
Mrs. Elizabeth Mahorner Landis
Mrs. Christine LeBlanc
Ms. Joanne Mantis
Mr. Edward F. Martin
Mr. Jonathan C. McCall
Ms. Norma Jean McClain
Dr. R. Ranney Mize
Dr. David W. Robinson-Morris
Ms. Ann Owens
Dr. Everett Robert
Dr. Rand Voorhies Development Officer
Mr. Dwayne O. Littauer
Immediate Past President
Mr. Gregory St. Etienne
Prof. Cynthia Samuel
Mr. Leopold Z. Sher
Mr. Kevin Sloan
Mrs. Harry C. (Claire) Stahel
Mr. Philip Straub
Mrs. Charlotte Throop
Ms. Phyllis Treigle
Ms. Catherine Burns Tremaine
Ms. Jessica Williams
Mr. Joseph Young
NOOA ADVISORY BOARD
Mr. Nathan Alvarez
Mrs. Virgene Biggers
Mrs. Margie Breeden
Ms. Elizabeth “Liz” Glaser Broekman
Ms. Michelle Butler
Dr. Mark Caldwell
Mrs. Eileen Capritto
Mrs. Kathy Christian
Ms. Rebeccka Coe
Ms. Joan Coulter
Mr. Georges Daou
Mrs. Thomas S. Davidson
Mrs. Monique R. Gougisha Doucette
Mrs. Betsy Dowling
Mr. Brooke Duncan
Dr. Charles L. Dupin
Mrs. Diane Dupin
Ms. Marlene Duronslet
Mr. Elroy W. Eckhardt
Mrs. Melissa Mason Gordon
Ms. Amanda Green
Mr. Douglas Grundmeyer
Mr. Michael Harold
Ms. Melissa Hess
Hon. Bernette J. Johnson
Ms. Givonna Joseph
Ms. Rose LeBreton
Ms. Lisa Leone
Ms. Ann Mahorner
Mr. Frank Maselli
Mrs. Gail McKenna
Dr. Jane Cagan Miller
Mrs. Susan Garic Mitchell
Mrs. Pat Murrell
Mr. Ernest L. O’Bannon
Prof. Amy Pfrimmer
Ms. Ashley Pradel
Dr. Alan E. Sheen
Mrs. Brittany Sloan
Mrs. Sonda Stacey
Ms. Diana Stieffel
Dr. Peter M. Tufton
Ms. Debby Hirsch Wood
presents
music by Camille Saint-Saëns
libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire
based on the book of Judges, chapter 16
Friday, November 8, 7:30pm Sunday, November 10, 2:30pm
Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
Samson and Delilah Camille Saint-Saëns(1835-1921)
Act I
A square in Gaza at night INTERMISSION
Act II
Delilah's retreat in the Valley of Sorek
Act III
In the city of Gaza
Scene I: A dungeon in Gaza
Scene II: In the temple of Dagon
This evening’s performance will last approximately 2 hours 15 minutes. Conductors for New Orleans Opera are generously sponsored by the Jerry W. Zachary and Henry Bernstein Fund for the New Orleans Opera Association.
The Student Night Out program is made possible with generous support from The Louise Baehr Martin Memorial Fund.
SAMSON & DELILAH
Opera in three acts
FEATURING
in order of appearance
Samson Limmie Pulliam
Abimélech Raymond Aceto
High Priest of Dagon Alfred Walker
An Old Hebrew Ivan Griffin
Delilah Raehann Bryce-Davis
The Philistine’s Messenger Juan Luis Williams
1st Philistine Nathaniel Richard
2nd Philistine Jacob Jenkins
ARTISTIC STAFF
Conductor Daniela Candillari
Lighting Designer Stephen Thurber
Chorus Master Carol Rausch
Production Manager Sarah McCall
Technical Director Stephen Thurber
Stage Manager Kate Bartels
Rehearsal Pianist Michael Borowitz
Supertitles Prompter Beth Rota
Supertitles by Cori Ellison
Hair and Makeup Artist Justice Moseley
In presenting Samson and Delilah , we at the New Orleans Opera Association wish to acknowledge its historical and biblical context. The opera explores themes of love, betrayal, and human struggles. While this opera portrays conflicts between historical groups, no position on contemporary issues is intended. Our goal is to present a work of art that prompts reflection and appreciation for its rich musical and historical origins. New Orleans Opera upholds the importance of our shared existence and rejection of any form of discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexuality or beliefs.
SOPRANO
Caroline Boudreaux
CHORUS
Margaret Branyon-Goodman
Layah Brown-Givens
Julie Condy
Lesley DeMartin
Carrie Deyo
Vicki Moran
Rebecca Ryan
Karina Valle
ALTO
Emily Adler Bode
Mirella Cavalcante
Claudia Copeland
Mia DiGiovanni
Olivia Solloa Garcia
Michelle Johnston Richards
Jennilee St. John
Juliana Starr
Jane Wear
TENOR
Carlo Barrera
Justin Blanchard
Seth Board
Alan Gandolfi
Thomas Lin
Randy Martono-Chai
Charles Mukaida
Nicholas Smith
Juan Luis Williams
BARITONE/BASS
Andrew Aceves
David Hinton
Richard Hofler
Jake Jenkins
Rafiq Mandal
Rahim Mandal
Gregor Rankine
Nathaniel Richard
PROGRAM NOTE
A bad haircut.
A toxic ex.
Parties with a whole lotta shakin’ going on. What could go wrong?
Before we continue, let’s get one thing out of the way: if you are, for instance, my parents, there is ABSOLUTELY NO S-X WHATSOEVER IN THIS STORY OR INDEED THE BIBLE ANYWHERE.
Now that we’ve managed that, and hopefully they’ve stopped reading, let’s pause to appreciate the librettist, Ferdinand Lemaire, for one little twist to the Biblical narrative: making Delilah Samson’s *ex*. Lemaire turns the psychological shading from grayscale to Technicolor. He goes on to give us a lurid cast of baddies who are fairly anodyne in the Bible; and an excuse for dancers and some magnificent parties. This is where the the line between oratorio and opera becomes interesting and why, ultimately, Lemaire thought this better for the stage.
Oratorio, for those who don’t spend their time immersed in the minutiae of genre classification, resembles opera very closely, and it would be easy to confuse the two if one listened to a recording. Because oratorio as we know it was normally presented in churches, in the penitential season of Lent, costumes and set were avoided so that there were no distractions from the already generally accepted story. But how could Lemaire write Delilah’s delicious seductions in such austere conditions? Instead he persuaded his cousin Camille that this would be much better as an opera, and we have such simply luscious arias as "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix.,” (My heart opens to your voice), as indelicately elegant as a song of lust could be.
Back to genre. Saint-Saëns had already set the structure, with the formal choruses familiar to those who know Händel or Mendelssohn well. Lemaire – who, by the way, was from a Creole family from Martinique, and had relatives in la Louisiane – mostly omits the Biblical account of Samson. Frankly, if I were Samson’s PR flack, I’d be after Lemaire for omitting all his achievements (going full Rambo with a donkey’s jawbone, slaying a lion, etc.) and making the whole storyline about Delilah.
What a character, though! Delilah’s opening salvo in reclaiming her former lover is to lure him with a dance in which the tambourine isn’t the only thing shaking; and then purring deep and throatily about flowers and spring. “But it is winter in my… heart.” She wafts off to her boudoir to await him; and when she’s there she has an excellent strut about her own power. Delilah knows exactly what she’s doing. It’s sort of an inverted Romeo and Juliet; he might be a star-crossed lover, but she’s plain mad and out for vengeance.
Yes, there’s a bass who wants to stop the action, but ol’ Samson isn’t listening with his ears. He turns up, looking noble and determined, to ‘bid farewell’ as he goes off to lead the revolution. One last kiss, though… well, it doesn’t go well for him. Nor in the end does it go well for anyone, with the whole house shaking a bit more than the Philistines anticipated.
Want a bit more?
This is one of many great operas to have its North American premiere in New Orleans, on January 4, 1893 – that’s right, just in time to finish before Carnival began!
Paramount Pictures bought the rights to the opera libretto and commissioned Cecil B. DeMille (who else?) to create epic film starring Hedy Lamar, Victor Mature, and Angela Lansbury. It’s exactly as bonkers as it should be.
Our old friend George Frideric Händel also wrote a Samson, intended as an oratorio which has been staged as an opera. I’m partial to the recording done by the English Concert in their Händel for All series. Famous arias include “Let the bright seraphim” and “Total eclipse.”
Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Gustav Doré, and van Dyck, among others, painted scenes of Samson and Delilah. The Rubens is particularly blush-worthy, but my favourite is by the Carravigisto Gerard van Honthorst, which hangs in the Cleveland Museum.
This is the thirteenth of Saint-Saëns’ operas, but the only one to have found a place in the repertoire. His uniquely magical compositional voice can also be heard in his violin concerti, Carnival of the Animals, Organ Symphony, piano concerti, and vast quantities of choral and keyboard music. Have a listen, particularly to Stokowski’s recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra!
SYNOPSIS
BACKGROUND: Forty years before the events of the opera, the Israelites lost a war with the Philistines. Since then, they have lived as slaves under Philistine rule.
ACT ONE
Gaza, 1050 BC. The square outside the Temple of Dagon
A group of Hebrews prays to God for relief from their bondage. Samson stands out from the crowd and encourages them to put their trust in God, saying that God will send a weapon to defeat their oppressors.
The Philistine commander Abimélech hears Samson and mocks the Hebrews and their God, threatening them with a sword. Samson, unarmed, challenges and kills Abimélech. Samson leads the mob away, realising that he is the weapon.
The High Priest of Dagon, discovering Abimélech’s death and furiously orders his soldiers to kill the Hebrews, who are now burning the Philistine fields. He curses Samson, the Hebrews, and their God.
Samson and his people return, giving thanks for their victory. The temple doors open and Delilah and her attendants appear, with flowers to crown the victors. Smoldering, Delilah recalls how Samson once conquered her heart and invites his return. Samson is tempted, despite the Old Hebrew’s warning to ignore her wiles. He cannot help but stare as the maidens dance, and Delilah tells him of the burning love she still feels for him.
ACT TWO
Delilah's retreat in the Valley of Sorek
At her home, Delilah calls on her gods to help her ensnare Samson. The High Priest unexpectedly enters, telling Delilah of Samson’s victories over the Philistines. With Samson at the head of the Israelite army, they have no hope of victory. He offers any price for her aid. She promises to defeat him that very night and refuses any reward, explaining that her hatred of Samson has already led her to attempt to learn the secret of his strength three times. Sure of their victory, the priest rushes away.
Delilah now fears Samson will not come, but in the darkness he appears. He tells Delilah that his passion has driven him to her. When he describes how God calls him to lead Israel, Delilah predicts he will yield to her more powerful god—love. As soon as he surrenders, she demands that he tell her the secret of his strength. When he refuses, she calls him a coward. Samson hears God’s warning in the thunder, but follows Delilah into her house. Learning his secret, Delilah drugs him and cuts his hair while he sleeps. She calls for the Philistine soldiers, who rush in, capture and blind him.
ACT THREE
Dungeon at Gaza/Temple of Dagon
Samson, blind and chained to an enormous mill wheel, implores God to take pity on his people, and to take his life instead. The Hebrews are heard lamenting in the background: “Samson sold us for the love of a woman.”
In the Temple of Dagon, the Philistines have gathered to celebrate their victory over the Hebrews. Led in by a child, Samson endures the mockery of the High Priest and Delilah. When the Priest challenges the God of Israel to prove his might by restoring Samson’s sight, the hero prays for a return of his strength.
The Priest commands the child to lead Samson to the altar between the main pillars of the temple. Praying again for strength, he pulls with all his might; the pillars snap, the roof falls, and Samson is crushed together with the Philistines.
THE COOK-OFF
“Mmph. Now hear me out. (munch, munch.) What if we wrote an opera on… mac’ n’ cheese?”
I don’t know for sure that this was the conversation between composer Shawn Okpebholo and librettist Mark Campbell; perhaps my inferior gifts for dramatisation have been applied to the tale as they both related it. But I hope that’s how it happened. In any case, it seems ideal that New Orleans, the historic gateway of new opera to the US and the food capital of America, should present this opera while the ink is still wet.
The piece is natural to its creators as is its setting here; Campbell, the Pulitzer - and Grammy - winning librettist, lived for several years in the French Quarter. Okpebholo is a “foodie” (or as we call it in New Orleans, “normal”) and Grammy-nominated several times for his recordings.
First, a sketch of the piece: we follow three contestants, Ivy, Kendra, and Álvaro, as they compete on everyone’s favourite fictional cooking show, AMERICA LOVES FOOD! Beryl, the award-winning cookbook-author judge, and Kenny Kincaid, the host, a Home Shopping Network/bargain-basement Bob Barker product placement specialist seek the best dish in every region of the country. In this case it’s Charlottesville, Virginia for the most American dish possible: macaroni and cheese, or mac n’ cheese, depending on one’s level of blue-box dedication. Our contestants will compete not only for glory but $100K – enough to change a life or make a dream come true. Every audience member will find a contestant whose story speaks to them; and there is, for sure, comedy both subtle and broad.
But what about macaroni and cheese? There’s a classical division between tragedy and comedy, and this could as easily have been a tragic cliffhanger as a lighthearted romp. Okpebholo spoke to this recently in conversation: “in the two years leading up I had just completed two works focused on Black pain, police brutality, and slavery.” The creative process is messy (in this case, literally. Cheese scraps everywhere!), and might have been an exploration of James Hemings’ dilemma in purchasing his freedom from Thomas Jefferson by teaching his brother to cook. It was Hemings, a chef trained in France while stationed there with Jefferson, who brought the creamy pasta-based cheese-laden concept to America. But Okpebholo “needed something lighter. And Mark [Campbell] said, ‘that tragedy isn’t for me to write. But what about… a game show??’ And this is Mark’s genius: he pulled it together, made the story light and funny, and you go away loving the characters, laughing at the jokes, and still learning something.”
Come and join us with our partners at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum on Sunday, December 8th for the piece’s New Orleans premiere! Details on both our websites.
Of Voices, Hearts and Ghosts
Saint-Saëns, ‘Mon
cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ (Dalila), “Samson et
Dalila”
Act II
Karen Henson
‘Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ (‘My heart opens at the sound of your voice) sings Dalila in the famous middle movement of her duet with Samson in Act II of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalil a (1877), though it is Dalila’s voice that we focus on for most of the movement, and her voice, and not so much her heart, that opens. Over an eerily divisi string figure, that voice initially ascends, stepwise, with the strings rising and falling around it (Ex. 1). In the refrain it then descends, langorously and partly chromatically, the length of a minor ninth (Ex. 2), only to ascend again in a trio of closing phrases that each begin with a leap of a seventh as Dalila asks Samson no longer for his voice but for ‘ivresse’ (ecstasy, intoxication, intense pleasure). In response, we finally get to hear from the Hebrew ‘muscleman’ (the word is Kevin Kopelson’s), with what Kopelson has described as an infantile-sounding ‘Je t’aime!’, a phrase that Samson has already used twice within the duet. This utterance also forms part of a ghostly duetwithin-a-duet, for Samson’s ‘Je t’aime!’ is sung in countermelody with a solo clarinet, one that repeats, molto espressivo , Dalila’s final phrase.
Commentators have long debated the sincerity of ‘Mon cœur’, or rather how Dalila’s expression in the movement can be so exquisite and seemingly heartfelt while she is at the same time engaged in an act of hate-fuelled manipulation. (As is well known, Dalila’s aim in the movement, as in the duet as a whole, is to get Samson to give up the secret of his powers, an aim she describes in the scene that precedes the duet in terms of ‘vengeance’ and ‘hatred’-though also in terms of ‘love’.) The debate has been inspired not only by the beauty of ‘Mon cœur’ itself, but also by the way the movement reuses material, and is itself musically reused, in other parts of the opera. The first of these reuses involves the accompaniment to the second strophe, a descending chromatic sextuplet figure for winds (Ex. 3). This figure has already been heard earlier in the act, in two passages of orchestral tone-painting
Ex. 1: ‘Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix’ divisi string figure
that precede and follow Dalila’s expression of her hatred, and its reappearance in ‘Mon cœur’ has been seen as a sign that the heroine’s sentiment here is no more than a show or ruse. The second reuse involves the scene in Act III when, after the Philistines’ orgiastic Bacchanale, the defeated Samson is brought onstage and Dalila taunts him with what Ralph Locke has described as a ‘brittle’ and ‘sarcastic’ reworking of elements of ‘Mon cœur’, in particular that langorous descending ninth. This reworking, in which the ninth is restated first as a comic-ironic accompaniment to Dalila’s taunts, and then as a climactic (and partly menacing) expression of her triumph is, Locke has argued, both chilling and strikingly modern, for it transforms one of the few moments of supposedly true feeling in the opera into bitter feminine assertiveness.
The sincerity debate is engaging, but it misses (or is perhaps too shy about) the degree to which ‘Mon cœur’ is about passion and, frankly, sex, and that an operatic character can be sincere about a desire for sex while also using that desire to manipulate. Indeed, with its legato and ever more chromatic and vocally far-reaching
Ex. 2: Dalila’s langorous descending ninth(s)
lines, the repetitiveness of the accompaniment, which ‘rubs up’ against the voice to produce a delicate but insistent tension, and the way in which Samson is gradually drawn into this texture—by the end of the second strophe, the movement has turned (briefly) back into a duet, Samson singing in countermelody and then in octaves with Dalila—’Mon cœur’ is one of the earliest examples of a nineteenth-century operatic heroine expressing heartfelt sexual longing. In that sense, Saint-Saëns’s reworking of the movement in Act III is doubly modern, for it shows a heroine throwing her longing and even the fact of a sexual act back in her lover’s face.
But the sincerity debate also misses the degree to which ‘Mon cœur’ includes a perhaps surprising number of other-worldly musical gestures. These gestures are located above all in the accompaniment, in the divisi strings and then in the descending sextuplets that, in the second strophe, Saint-Saëns lays over them. It is difficult to explain the effect of the strings exactly, but there is both a tentativeness and a fixity about them—the fact that the figure is passed among the different sections rather than played by the strings as a whole is also important—that suggests some thing both shadowy and uncanny. The descending sextuplets
Ex. 3: Descending chromatic sextuplet figure
(Ex. 3 again) of course exploit the chromaticism that by the 1870s had long been associated with the supernatural, and their use earlier, in what are in effect two nature interludes, makes their reappearance in ‘Mon cœur’ seem as if Dalila has summoned the natural world to her aid—or as if nature has heard her and of its own accord responded. The effect of both is to make ‘Mon cœur’ a moment of metaphysical invocation as much as physical longing and to suggest that Dalila, too, has powers—in her case perhaps those of a neo-classical sorceress, or even some kind of eroticised, cross-dressed Orpheus.
It may be relevant at this point to note that Saint-Saëns used to dress up and perform as a neo-classical sorceress—the figure in question was Gluck’s Armide, whose final monologue he used to sing at informal musical gatherings in the same period that he was completing Samson et Dalila . I would like to conclude, though, with a slightly less provocative performance connection: between the opera and the French mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot (Fig. 1). Viardot was a celebrated Orpheus and Alceste in revivals of the Gluck operas in the last years of her career, and around the same time she became a friend of the composer. By the end of the 1860s, Saint-Saëns had written the role
Ex. 4: Act III, reworkings of descending ninth (Do you remember our ecstacy!)
of Dalila with her in mind (he also dedicated the score to her), and she performed it in the second of two private performances that took place before the 1877 premiere. Like the soprano Giuditta Pasta before her, Viardot had ‘a long, multicoloured voice’ (the phrase is Susan Rutherford’s)—Saint- Saëns described it, at its prime, as ‘[having] enormous power [and] a prodigious range’--and that ninth, as well as the refrain’s ascending sevenths, seem unmistakably an attempt to exploit that length as well as, perhaps, the voice’s distinctive colour or changes of colour, a colour that Saint-Saëns likened to ‘the taste of bitter orange’. One could go further, for the ninth was one of the first passages of the opera that Saint-Saëns wrote, and therefore potentially puts Viardot at the conception not only of the role of Dalila but also of the entire opera.
The precise nature of the relationship between Viardot and Samson et Dalila has still to be investigated, though writers, including Saint-Saëns himself, have been keen to distance the mezzo from the larger dramatic and eroticised aspects of the work. Even as sympathetic a twenty-first century commentator as Kopelson has repeated what has been said about Viardot and the role of Dalila since Saint-Saëns’s own reminiscences, which is that if the singer was a model vocally, it is inconceivable that a woman who by the 1860s was a retired, forty-something mother of four could in a
larger sense have inspired or incarnated the exotic seductress. And yet that ninth, which seems very much about Viardot, while also being central to Dalila’s dramatic and erotic profile, suggests that there is more to be said on this subject. Whether written as a kind of ghostly engagement with Viardot in her prime, for the more mature figure she was in the 1860s and 1870s, or for some kind of combination, it suggests a new debate that we need to have about ‘Mon cœur’: about the mixture of the immaterial and the palpable that seems to characterise both the music of this movement and its performerly origins.
Fig. 1: Pauline Viardot in 1871 (courtesy of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris).
Limmie Pulliam
Rising dramatic tenor Limmie Pulliam has thrilled audiences with his captivating stage presence and his “stentorian, yet beautiful,” sound. The 2024-25 season will feature a combination of exciting debuts and returns for Mr. Pulliam, including his role debut as Calaf in Turandot for a special benefit concert for The University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, followed by further performances of the role in his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Søndergård. Also on the symphonic stage, he returns to the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, with additional performances at the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich. Following his successful 2022 Metropolitan Opera debut as Radamès in Aida, he joins the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the same role led by Music Director Jonathan Heyward, and collaborates again with Yannick Nézet-Séguin in his debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain for Bruckner’s Te Deum. Elsewhere during the season, he makes his role and house debut as Samson in Samson et Dalila with New Orleans Opera, house debuts with Austin Opera for Verdi’s Requiem and Arizona Opera as Radamès in Aida, and returns to Oberlin Conservatory for special performances of Rhiannon Giddens’ Omar
Raehann Bryce-Davis
Raehann Bryce-Davis has been hailed by The New York Times as a "striking mezzo-soprano” and by the San Francisco Chronicle for her "electrifying sense of fearlessness." In the 2024-25 season, Ms. BryceDavis makes her debut at Houston Grand Opera as Azucena in Il trovatore, and at the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Marfa in Khovanshchina, directed by Alejo Perez. She will return to the Dutch National Opera as Marina in a new Kirill Serebrennikov production of Boris Godunov under the direction of Vasily Petrenko. In concert, she appears at New Orleans Opera in her role debut in Samson et Dalila, and with the Winston-Salem Symphony to perform Verdi’s Requiem. Recent season highlights include her Metropolitan Opera debut as Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Aida at Oper im Steinbruch, and a return to Los Angeles Opera as Fricka in Das Rheingold, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. As a recording artist, she released her first single, “I Praise The Dance,” in collaboration with composer Rene Orth. Ms. BryceDavis holds a Master of Music and Professional Studies certificate from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Alfred Walker
This season Alfred Walker, bass-baritone, returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Don Fernando in Fidelio, the Metropolitan Opera for further performances of Enobarbus in Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, joins New Orleans Opera for the High Priest of Dagon in Samson et Dalila, returns to the title role in Der fliegende Holländer in his house debut with Irish National Opera, and sings Porgy in the suite from Porgy and Bess with the Cologne Philharmonie. Last season, he sang Enobarbus the European premiere of Antony and Cleopatra with Gran Teatre del Liceu, Orest in Elektra with Dallas Opera, returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette and Rambaldo in La rondine, and joined Vashon Opera for Iago in Otello. Mr. Walker recently joined San Francisco Opera as Enobarbus in the world premiere of Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Vater in Hänsel und Gretel, the Metropolitan Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni, Detroit Opera for Amonasro in Aida, and returned to Bard Summerscape for the title role in Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII. He also sang Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the LA Philharmonic under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, and joined the Boston Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
Raymond Aceto
American bass Raymond Aceto is a commanding presence on the international opera stage, known for his powerful performances with prestigious companies and orchestras. Recent engagements include Baron Scarpia in Tosca at Houston Grand Opera, where The Houston Chronicle praised his “suave villainy” and intelligent characterization. He has also appeared as the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and Nourabad in Les pêcheurs de perles at the Metropolitan Opera, Méphistophélès in Faust at Washington National Opera, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto at Dallas Opera. In the 2024-25 season, Aceto will perform as Abimélech in Samson et Dalila with New Orleans Opera, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. His recent festival appearances include Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande at the Santa Fe Opera and Warden George Benton in Dead Man Walking at the Metropolitan Opera. Internationally, Aceto has performed in Nabucco at Shanghai Grand Theater’s 20th Anniversary, and toured Japan with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, under Sir Antonio Pappano. He is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artist Development Program and a recipient of the Richard Tucker Career Grant.
Ivan Griffin
Bass-baritone Ivan Griffin has delighted audiences in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, and South Africa. Operatic engagements include Lawyer Frazier in Michigan Opera Theatre’s Porgy and Bess, a role that he was invited to reprise in Europe under the batons of maestros William Barkhymer and Kelly Kuo. He made his Spoleto Festival USA 2016 debut in Porgy and Bess, and as the King in the world premiere of Afram ou la Belle Swita by Edmund Thornton Jenkins. Additionally, he has appeared with the Detroit, New Orleans, Mobile, Buffalo Lyric, Western New York, and South Carolina Operas, and Opera Créole. Mr. Griffin has premiered several works written for his voice. They include Songs of Winter, a cycle for baritone and piano, and The Little Thieves of Bethlehem (Centaur Records), both by Rochester, New York composer Paul Stuart, and Requiem for the Innocent, an oratorio in five languages for baritone soloist, orchestra, and chorus written by Spanish composer Jorge Muñiz and premiered with the South Bend Symphony. Ivan’s 2018 debut album, Finding My Way Back To Me, is a tribute to his journey from the early years of growing up in Louisiana to the present day.
Daniela Candillari
Conductor Daniela Candillari brings her dynamic energy and “incisive leadership” (Wall Street Journal) to opera houses and concert stages across North America and internationally. In the 2024-25 season, she makes her debut at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen with Madama Butterfly and continues as Principal Conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, leading two world premieres: This House by Ricky Ian Gordon and Nina Shekhar’s Accordion Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She also debuts with the Kansas City Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and Tucson Symphony, and returns to New Orleans Opera for Samson and Delilah. In 2023-24, Candillari garnered acclaim for leading two world premieres: 10 Days in a Madhouse at Opera Philadelphia, praised for her “seamless” leadership (The New York Times), and Grounded at Washington National Opera. Other highlights include her debut at the New York Philharmonic, conducting Yo-Yo Ma in Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. A passionate educator, she leads productions at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music and is also a composer with works commissioned by leading orchestras. Fluent in German, English, Italian, Serbian, and Slovenian, Candillari holds degrees in musicology, jazz studies, and piano performance.
LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
The GRAMMY® Award-winning Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is pleased to perform with and support the New Orleans Opera in recognition of their shared commitment to the arts and our community. Both organizations are dedicated to providing high-quality performances that enrich the lives of people in New Orleans and beyond. The LPO is the only full-time professional orchestra in Louisiana, as well as the oldest musician-owned and collaboratively operated orchestra in the country. It has a long and distinguished history of serving as the torchbearer of orchestral music in the region and performs a wide variety of music, from the traditional canon to original contemporary collaborations. The LPO also offers a variety of educational and community engagement programs.
2024-2025 LPO Roster
Matthew Kraemer
Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin Principal Conductor and Music Director
Violins Vacant, Concertmaster
The Edward D. and Louise Levy Concertmaster Chair
Benjamin Hart, Associate Concertmaster
The LPO Volunteers Associate Concertmaster Chair
Hannah Yim, Assistant Concertmaster
The Ranney & Emel Songu Mize
Assistant Concertmaster Chair
Byron Tauchi, Principal Second Violin
The Helen W. Burns Principal Second Violin Chair
Hayoung Cho*, Assistant Principal Second Violin
Kurt Munstedt+, Assistant Principal Second Violin
Zorica Dimova
Rebecca Edge
Judith Armistead Fitzpatrick
Cassidy Franzmeier
Janeta Mavrova
Elizabeth Overweg
Gabriel Platica
Yaroslav Rudnytsky
Milena Rusanova
Yuki Tanaka
Benjamin Thacher
Kate Walter
Sarah Yen
Guangnan Daniel Yue
Violas
Richard Woehrle, Principal
The Abby Ray Catledge and Byrne
Lucas Ray Principal Viola Chair
Bruce Owen, Assistant Principal
Peter Ayuso
Amelia Clingman
Peter Dutilly
Sixto Franco
Rafael Gargate*
Catherine Matushek
Cellos
Jonathan Gerhardt, Principal
The Edward B. Benjamin Principal Cello Chair
Daniel Lelchuk, Assistant Principal
The Ellen and Stephen Manshel Assistant
Principal Cello Chair
Kyle Anderson
Geunseon Han*
Rachel Hsieh+
Jeanne Jaubert
Kent Jensen
The Paula L. Maher Section Cello Chair
David Rosen
Basses
David Anderson, Principal
William Schettler, Assistant Principal
Paul Macres
Russell Thompson
Benjamin Wheeler
Flutes
Ji Weon Ryu, Principal
The Mary Freeman Wisdom Principal
Flute Chair
Patti Adams, Assistant Principal
The Richard C. and Nancy Link Adkerson Flute Chair
Sarah Schettler
The Edward F. and Louise B. Martin
Second Flute Chair
Piccolo
Patti Adams
The Richard C. and Nancy Link Adkerson
Flute Chair
Oboes
Virginia McDowell, Principal
Jane Gabka, Assistant Principal
Casey Kearney
English Horn
Casey Kearney
Clarinets
Shaquille Southwell, Principal
Roy Park, Assistant Principal
John Reeks
E-flat Clarinet
Roy Park
Bass Clarinet
John Reeks
Bassoons
Michael Matushek, Assistant Principal
Hunter Gordon*
Contrabassoon
Hunter Gordon*
French Horns
Mollie Pate, Principal
The Jerry W. Zachary and Henry
Bernstein Principal Horn Chair
Josiah Bullach, Assistant Principal
The J. Robert Pope Assistant Principal
Horn Chair
Max Paulus
Jonathan Gannon
Kevin Winter
Trumpets
Alex Mayon, Principal
The Gauthier Family Foundation
Principal Trumpet Chair
Adrian Speyrer, Assistant Principal
Patrick Smithers
The Pete Wolbrette Section Trumpet Chair
Trombones
Austin Richardson, Principal
Matt Wright+
Jonathan McNeer*
Evan Conroy, Bass Trombone
Tuba
Robert Nuñez, Principal
Timpani
Meagan Gillis, Principal
Percussion
Aaron Smith, Principal
Michael Metz
Harp
Rachel Van Voorhees Kirschman, Principal
The string section of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is listed alphabetically and participates in revolving seating.
+denotes musicians that are on leave for the 2024-2025 season
* Acting Member
NOOA
Lila Palmer, General & Artistic Director
Artistic & Production
Stephen Thurber, Technical Director
Sarah McCall, Director of Production
Carol Rausch, Chorus Master/Music Administrator
Marketing & Development
Christopher Tidmore, Director of External Affairs
Emma Rothfield, Executive Assistant/Development Associate
Erica Halpern, Grant Writer
Caroline Johnson, Social Media Coordinator
Community Partnerships & Education
Tara Melvin, Director of Community Partnerships and Education
Patron Experience
Devin Johnson, Patron Services Manager
Monty Ramos, Guild Home Facilities Manager
IATSE STAFF
IATSE Local #39
Keith Christopher - President
Alan Arthur - Business Manager
Ashley Boudreaux - House Steward
Neil Ingles - Master Electrician
Al Davis - Head Fly
Erik Corriveau - Head Audio
Alan Arthur - Head Carpenter
Taneasha McDougald - Head Props
IATSE Local #840
Theatrical Wardrobe Union
Costumer/Wardrobe Lead - Lesly Davi
Sewing Lead - Stephanie Kuhn
H. LLOYD HAWKINS SCENIC STUDIO
Stephen Thurber - Technical Director
Nathan Arthur - Art Director
Jacob Gautier - Scenic Carpenter
Lexi Mancuso - Property Master
Alyx Jeffries - Technical Assistant
NOOA SUPPORT GROUPS
The Women’s Guild has been in existence since 1947, serving the mission of “Keeping Opera Alive” in New Orleans. The membership of the Women’s Guild is comprised of women who are dedicated to fostering and promoting the cultural aspects of opera & creating exciting fundraising and educational efforts in cooperation with the New Orleans Opera Association. The Women’s Guild also acts as the primary steward of the historic Guild Home, NOOA’s year-round home for operations and historical preservation.
FOUNDING SUSTAINERS
Thank you to our Founding Sustainers who have committed to making a monthly donation to support opera in New Orleans. Please visit our website to learn more about the benefits of being a part of the New Orleans Opera family. neworleansopera.org/enjoy-the-excitement-all-year
Mrs. Michele Beelman
Mrs. Xiomara Brewster
Mr. Anthony Currera
Ms. Joyce Dugais
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edmiston
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gandolfi
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Giaimo
Ms. Annie Glover
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Grumich
Ms. Sylvia Johnson
Dr. and Mrs. Christopher B. Merritt
Dr. Jane Cagan Miller & Mr. Bruce Miller
Ms. Rebecca Moseley
Ms. Mary Penn
Ms. Mary Scully
Ms. Hallie Sheck
Mr. and Mrs. Terrence Sims
Mr. Alan Smason
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Stacey IV
Ms. Deniz Ucar
Ms. Yvonne Vonderhaar
New Orleans Opera Association RECENT PROGRAMS & CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS
Masterclass with Reginald Smith Jr.
Baritone Reginald Smith Jr. recently led a masterclass with two standout college voice students, offering a behindthe-scenes look at the art of vocal performance. The session was a deep dive into technique, stage presence, and storytelling through music—perfect for anyone curious about the craft behind an opera singer’s journey. It was an inspiring, hands-on experience that brought together aspiring talent and seasoned expertise.
The Cartography Project:
Tosca Student Night Out
In Partnership with Washington National Opera New Orleans Opera joined forces with Washington National Opera for The Cartography Project, a cutting-edge collaboration fusing opera, music, and spoken word to address modern issues such as race, identity, and social justice. This project is breaking new ground by making opera a platform for contemporary voices and stories, pairing aspiring composers with librettists to create innovative, original operatic works.
As a continuation of our Student Night Out program, New Orleans Opera hosted a special performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca for 320 students and 4 volunteers. The event was designed to make this powerful, high-stakes opera more accessible to a younger crowd, sparking curiosity and making opera feel fresh and relevant for the next generation.
MASTERSIGNERS
Mastersigners are opera lovers committed to the financial stability of the New Orleans Opera. As major supporters, these contributors also receive benefits including invitations to exclusive private receptions, access behind the scenes to rehearsals, champagne receptions and more. This list reflects cumulative donations received from July 1, 2023, to the time of this program’s publishing
Première Circle:
$50,000- $99,999
Mr. Henry Bernstein
Anonymous
Mr.* and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen
Mr. Edward F. Martin
Drs. Emel Songu and Ranney Mize
Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer
Platinum Circle:
$25,000- $49,999
Mr. Arthur A. Crais, Jr.
Mr. Dwayne O. Littauer
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Priddy
Drs. Rand & Terry Voorhies
Maestro Circle:
$10,000- $24,999
Doug and Mary Albert
Drs. Nicolas and Haydee Bazan
Mr. Peter R. Brigandi Jr.
Mr. Emmet Geary, Jr.
Mr. Jay Gulotta and Ms. Susan Talley
Mr. and Mrs. Allain Hardin
Mrs. Meredith Hathorn and Mr. Rawley M. Penick III
Mr. Jonathan McCall
Mrs. Louise H. Moffett
Ms. Cynthia Molyneux
Ms. Sonya Moore
Prof. Cynthia A. Samuel
Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Stahel
Mrs. Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin
Mr. Joseph Young
Special acknowledgement to Mr. Joseph Young, Jr. for founding the Mastersigners in 1981.
Mastersigners:
$5,000 - $9,999
Ms. Jo-Ann C. Adams
Mr. Terence Blanchard and Ms. Robin Burgess
Prof. and Mrs. Kenneth Boudreaux
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Bruno
The Estate of Dr. Patricia Cook
Ms. Barbara Deacon
Ms. Laura Donnaway
Dr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Dowling
Mr. and Mrs. Roch Eshleman
Mr. Tim Fields
Prof. Robert Force
Dr. Constance Gistand
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Gordon
Ms. Rania Khodr
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Landis
The Estate of Mr. Robert E. Leake
Mr. and Mrs. V. Price LeBlanc, Jr.
Mr. Donald I. Levy
Ms. Joanne Mantis
Mr. Frank Maselli
Ms. Norma Jean McClain
Ms. Ann Owens
Ms. Nina and Mr. Lawrence Pugh III
Dr. Everett Robert
Mr. Gregory St. Etienne
Profs. Sally B. Richardson and Ronald J. Scalise Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Leopold Z. Sher
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Sloan
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Straub
Ms. Charlotte Throop
Mr. Christopher Tidmore and Ms. Barkley Rafferty
Mrs. Catherine Burns Tremaine
*in memoriam
Mary & Doug Albert, Co-chairs of the Mastersigner Program
Drs. Nicolas and Haydee Bazan, Co-Chairs, Maestro Circle
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
New Orleans Opera Association gratefully acknowledges the following individuals and family foundations for their generous support. This list reflects cumulative donations received from July 1, 2023 to the time of this program’s publishing.
To add your name to the roster of supporters, contact the Development Department at nooagiving@neworleansopera.org, visit neworleansopera.org, or send your check to New Orleans Opera Association, P.O. Box 52108; New Orleans, LA 70152; Attn: Development Office. Many companies will match employee and retiree gifts – ask your employer for a matching form to submit with your check. Contributions to the New Orleans Opera Association are tax-deductible as allowable by law (tax ID number 72-0272897). We are grateful for each contribution, and we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of these listings as of the printing/publishing deadlines. To make a correction to your listing for future printings or, if you believe you have been omitted from the donor list, please contact the Development Department.
Opera Club Circle: $2,500 - $4,999
Mrs. Ellen Frohnmayer
Mr. Robert Hammer
Mr. James Hyland
Ms. Leslie Keen
Ms. Lynette Myers
Mrs. Phyllis M. Taylor
Ms. Beth Terry
Mrs. Donna Vitter
Patrons: $1,000-$2,499
Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Adatto
Mr. Howard Bautsch
Ms. Valerie Besthoff
Mrs. Dale Biggers
Dr. Andrea S. Brown
Dr. Natalie Bzowej
Mr. Ralph Cadow
Dr. William Mark Caldwell
Mrs. Dianne L. Caverly
Mr. Kerry Cuccia
Ms. Robin and Mr. Gary Chapman
Mrs. Ann Duffy and Mr. John Skinner
Ms. Joan Hooper and Mr. Julien Feibelman Jr.
Ms. Ann Fishman
Ms. Joanna Giorlando
Michael Greene
Ms. Jessica Hack
Dr. Robert Hammer
Ms. Sharon Hayes-Roth
Dr. Bernard Jaffe
Dr. William Long
Ms. Kathleen Manning
Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer
Dr. And Mrs. Christopher Merritt
- Founding Sustainer
Mrs. Anna Maria Mitchell
Ms. Nell Nolan
Mr. Ernest L. O’Bannon
Mr. Anthony Rotolo
Consul Rodolphe Sambou
Mrs. Ann C. Scharfenberg
Ms. Mary Scully
– Founding Sustainer
Betty and Greg Speyrer
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Stacey IV
- Founding Sustainer
Mrs. Diana Stieffel
Ms. Anne Marie Thurber & Mr. Mark Belcher
Mr. Bernard Van der Linden
Ms. Kathleen Van Horn
Hon. Janis Van Meerveld
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Ward
Mr. Norton Wisdom
Mr. John Wettermark
Mr. and Mrs. Walter H. Weil III
Ms. Dina Zeevi
Mr. Adam Zuckerman
Patrons: $500- $999
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Arensman
Ms. Nicole Bellefeuille
Mr. Anthony Bentley
Dr. Martha J. Beveridge
Ms. Margie Breeden
Ms. Natalia Cascante and
Mr. Harry Hardin
Mr.* and Mrs. Edgar L. “Dooky” Chase III
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Christian
Mr. Donald M. Clement
Dr. Gerald Cohen
Mr. Anthony Currera
- Founding Sustainer
Mr. Brooke Duncan
Ms. Marlene Duronslet
Ms. Deborah Fallis
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Folse
Dr. and Mrs. J.M. Fortino
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Giaimo
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Linda Green
Hancock Whitney Bank
Ms. Sharon Hayes-Roth
Mr. Seth Harris and Ms. Julie Schwam Harris
Mr. Stuart Johnson
Ms. Sonia Kenwood
Mr. Travis Koerner
Mr. and Mrs. Edward F. LeBreton III
Marrero Land and Trust
Ms. Lisa McWhorter
Dr. Jane Cagan Miller and Mr. Bruce Miller
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Rebecca Moseley
- Founding Sustainer
Nathan Family Supporting Foundation
Ms. Julie Pfeffer
Hon. and Mrs. Steven R. Plotkin
Ms. Carol Rausch
Mr. Michael Grumich
- Founding Sustainer
Mr. Anthony Rotolo
Mr. Eric Simon and Ms. Cathy Lazarus
Mr. and Mrs. I. William Sizeler
Mr. Jay Smith
Ms. Bianca Spears
Mrs. Angela Speyrer
Ms. Diana Stieffel
Dr. Nia Terezakis
Mr. David S. Thomas Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Peter M. Tufton
Mr. Thomas Turnbull and Mr. Darrell Smith
Mrs. Katherine Vaughan
Mr. Raymond Washington
Mrs. Claire L. Whitehurst
Mr. Adam Zuckerman
Patrons: $250-499
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bonner
Ms. Cherry Bordelon
Ms. Georgia M. Bryant
Dr. Gerald Cohen
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Edmiston
Dr. Maria Falco
Ms. Jill B. Fatzer
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gandolfi
- Founding Sustainer
Dr. Mary Frances Gardner
Mr. Ernest Green
Mr. Seth Harris
Ms. Ellen Kellner
Ms. Rose Lebreton
Mrs. Helen Malachias
Mr. Michael Mancuso
Ms. Sophia Pappas
Dr. and Mrs. John T. Patterson
Ms. Francisca Sabadie
Mrs. Esther Shefsky
Mr. and Mrs. Terrence Sims
- Founding Sustainers
Mrs. Alma Slatten
Mrs. Dauphine Sloan
Mr. Joseph C. Smith
Mrs. Diana Stieffel
Mrs. Mihoko Strong
Ms. Yvonnne Vonderhaar
- Founding Sustainer
Dr. Robert Weilbaecher
Mrs. Rosemary Zuppardo
Patrons: $100-249
Ms. Amanda Gordon
Dr. and Mrs. David Simmons
Dr. Klaus Kallman
Dr. Lynn Neitzschman
Dr. Peter Tufton
Ms. Susan Canavello
Dr. Sarah Carter
Dr. & Mrs. Charles L. Dupin
Mr. Jonathan Starch
Mr. Alan Smason
- Founding Sustainer
Mr. and Mrs. John Ariail
Ms. Joyce Dugais
- Founding Sustainer
Mr. Chris Daigle
Mr. Donald Messer
Mr. Eric Nye
Mr. James Brown
Mr. James McCarty
Mr. James Wesner
Mr. Jeffrey Guy
Mr. Jeffrey Philabaum
Mr. John Arail
Mr. John Lombardo
Mr. Kim Navarre
Mr. Ravi Rau
Mr. Ron Domin
Mr. Wendell Eatherly
Mr. William and Dr. C. Murray
Mrs. Carol Marx
Mrs. Diane Fee
Mrs. Donna Howland
Mrs. Ellen McGlinchey
Mrs. Florence Brown
Mrs. Mary Costa
Mrs. Melissa Gordon
Mrs. Michele Beelman
- Founding Sustainer
Mrs. Michelle Schlafly
Mrs. Olivier Thelin
Mrs. Patricia Dunbar Murrell
Mrs. Rita Satawa
Mrs. Sandra Robert
Mrs. Thomas Davidson
Mrs. Tricia Lincoln
Mrs. Xiomara Brewster
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Annie Glover
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Barbara Heard
Ms. Bethlehem Andrews
Ms. Camille Durkin
Ms. Clara Green
Ms. Clare Burovac
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Claudia Baumgarten
Ms. Deniz Ucar
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Dolores Shank-Sam
Ms. Elizabeth Liu
Ms. Emily Stewart
Ms. Ina Davis
Ms. Jane Caruso
Ms. Janet Burch
Ms. Jean Loupe
Ms. Joan Oppenheim
Ms. Judith Doughty
Ms. Judith Wilks
Ms. Lisa Beyer
Ms. Lynn Kirby
Ms. Mary Penn
- Founding Sustainer
Ms. Michelle Goldfarb
Ms. Patricia Denechaud
Ms. Phyllis Treigle
Ms. Sally Schuermann
Ms. Sonya David
Ms. Stephanie Sheridan
Ms. Sylvia Johnson
- Founding Sustainer
Mr. Rhett Majoria
* deceased
ORGANIZATIONAL & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
New Orleans Opera Association thanks our business, foundation and government partners for their recent support! New Orleans Opera works with each business and community partner to create a sponsorship package that suits your company’s particular needs. Whether you seek opportunities to entertain your clients, corporate visibility at performances, marketing partnerships, or all of the above, New Orleans Opera can assist you. Your sponsorship supports the Opera while providing exclusive benefits and visibility for your company.
GOLD CIRCLE - $100,000+
Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation
Louisiana Economic Development
New Orleans Opera Endowment Fund
SILVER CIRCLE - $50,000
+
Erik F. Johnsen Family Foundation
Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Grand Opera Foundation
The Theresa Bittenbring Marque & John Henry Marque Fund
The Ranney and Emel Songu Mize Chamber Opera Series
Edward F. and Louise B. Martin Family Fund
New Orleans Opera Association Women’s Guild
New Orleans Theatre Association (NOTA)
BRONZE CIRCLE - $25,000+
City of New Orleans/Arts New Orleans
Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Arts Fund
Goldring Family & Woldenberg Foundations
OPERA America/Next Stage
National Endowment for the Arts
New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF)
Priddy Family Foundation
The Selley Foundation Fund
INTERMEZZO CIRCLE
$10,000+
Ella West Freeman Foundation
Entergy Charitable Foundation
V. Price LeBlanc Jr. Fund
Lexus of New Orleans
Louisiana State Arts Council/ Louisiana Division of the Arts
McCall Fund
New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund
Louise H. Moffett Family Foundation Wisdom-Benjamin Foundation
BENEFACTOR CIRCLE -
$5,000+
An Anonymous Foundation in support of Opera on Tap-New Orleans
Carol B. & Kenneth J. Boudreaux Foundation
Gauthier Murphy & Houghtaling, LLC
New Orleans Recreation and Culture Fund
Ruth U. Fertel Foundation
The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Hansen Fund for Arts Technical Assistance
WWOZ
AMBASSADOR CIRCLE -
$1,000+
City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy
Consul General of France
Fidelity Bank
Louisiana Society of Hearing Aid Specialists
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation
Peoples Health
Renaissance Publishing
Van der Linden Family Foundation
WWNO
We gratefully acknowledge matching and in-kind(*) gifts from the following institutions:
Applied Materials Foundation
Booth Bricker Fund
The Chicory House*
City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy*
ExxonMobil Foundation
French Market Coffee*
Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Foundation
The Garden District Book Shop
Hotel Henrietta*
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra*
Luzianne Iced Tea
Merck Foundation
New Orleans Museum of Art*
New Orleans Jazz Market*
Peoples Health
Shell Oil Company Foundation
Sully Mansion*
Windsor Court Hotel*
UBS Financial Services
PLANNED GIVING WITH NEW ORLEANS OPERA
Help build the future of opera in New Orleans through your planned gift.
When you include the New Orleans Opera Association in your estate plans, you play a significant role in the continued success of top-quality opera and opera education for generations to come. We are happy to assist you in identifying gift options that suit your financial and philanthropic goals – from a simple bequest in your will to a charitable trust or endowed fund.
Planned giving makes great art possible and helps sustain the activities of the Opera Association now and into the future. We thank the current Legacy Society members and invite you to join their ranks by notifying the Development Office that you have provided for the Opera Association in your estate plans. You can also request more information about the many kinds of gift options and underwriting opportunities you may choose to support.
Planned giving instruments can include:
· Outright charitable gifts
· Gifts of appreciated property
· Bequests
· Revocable trusts
· Life insurance
· Retirement benefits
· Charitable remainder trusts
JOIN US! Please consider joining the Legacy Society to help ensure the continued tradition of producing grand opera in America’s first city of opera.
Legacy Society Members
as of November 2023
Anonymous (2)
Drs. Stephen J. & Miriam
R. Bensman
Mr. Henry Bernstein
Dr. Patricia Cook
Dr. Maria J. Falco
Prof. Robert Force
Mr. Emmet Geary Jr.
Ms. Jacqueline Mae Goldberg
Mr. Dwayne O. Littauer
Robert Lyall
Louise* and Ted Martin
Drs. Emel Songu and Ranney Mize
Dr. Andrew Orestano
Ms. Meredith Hathorn Penick
Ms. Nina & Mr. Lawrence Pugh
Ms. Xenia Krinitzky Roff
Ms. Alma A. Slatten
Mr. Philip & Eleanor Straub
Mrs. Norton L. Wisdom (Susan)
Ms. Debby Hirsch Wood
MAJOR PLANNED GIFTS
2008-2023
Bequests & Endowed Funds
Garic K. Barranger
The Estate of Abby Ray Catledge, in memory of her father Bryne Lucas Ray
Rose Annette Chisesi
Norma Jean Gross
Lois and H. Lloyd Hawkins Jr.
Albert and Rea Hendler
Gerald Kendal
Victor Leglise
The Estate of Guillermo Náñez-Falcón
Mary Nell Porter Nolan
The Theresa Bittenbring Marque & John Henry Marque Fund
The Estate of James Robert Pope
Rachel Sainton
William M. Sholes
Lynette Askin Stillwell
James G. Viavant
Jerry Walker Zachary
For more information, or to add your name to this list, contact the Development Department at nooagiving@neworleansopera,org . All inquiries are confidential.
COMMEMORATIVE GIFTS
IN LOVING MEMORY
Dale C. Biggers
Mrs. Virgene Biggers
Mrs. Jeanne Bruno
Mr. Edward F. Martin
Elaine Calamia
Ms. Judith Clay
Edgar “Dooky” Chase III
Mr. Edward F. Martin
Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson
Mr. Edward F. Martin
Yvonne Coe
Mrs. Charles Kunz
IN HONOR OF
Lindsey Reynolds
Mrs. Mary Wilkins
Anne Heard
Ms. Alma Dunlap
Maestro Robert Lyall
Dr. William Cotton
Ms. Margaret Shields
Dr. Ricardo Martinez
Dr. and Mrs. Juan Gershanik
Josie Sacco Mathes
Cynthia Molyneux
Caryl Niehaus
Ms. Kathy M. Christian
Sonda Stacey
Ms. Elizabeth Liu
Dr. Carmen Pepper
Dr. Kristi Soileau
Mark Rausch
Carol Rausch
Denise Villeré Schimek
The Coe & Tober Families
Ms. Barbara S. Pyburn
Mr. Reginald H. Smith, Jr.
Ms. Barbara Bollinger
David & Dee Lawrence
Dr. Peter Kastl & Ms. Valerie Besthoff
Susan C. Wisdom
Mr. Norton L. Wisdom
Joanna Sternberg
Ms. Mary Ann Sternberg
THE COOKOFF
Presented at The Southern Food & Beverage Museum in partnership with New Orleans Opera PREMIERE | December 8 2024 Originally commissioned by Chicago Opera Theater’s Vanguard Initiative
Music by Shawn Okpebholo
Text by Mark Campbell
NEW ORLEANS OPERA SEASON CALENDAR 2024-25
NOVEMBER
2024
Friday, November 15th: Bingo, Bourbon, and Bubbles – Guild Home
DECEMBER
2024
Friday, December 6th: Eggnog Party – 2pm, Guild Home
Sunday, December 8th: The Cookoff by Shawn E. Okpebholo and Mark Campbell – Southern Food and Beverage Museum
Saturday-Sunday, December 14th-15th: Preservation Resource Center Guild Home Tours
Sunday, December 15th: Ma Maison: Christmas Concert – 4pm featuring Mark-Anthony Thomas and friends – Guild Home
JANUARY 2025
Saturday, January 11th: Murder Mystery Party – Guild Home
FEBRUARY 2025
Tuesday, February 13th: Ma Maison: Valentine’s Day Concert featuring Chauncey Packer – Guild Home
MARCH
2025
Friday, March 14th: Mad Hatters Luncheon – 10am, Higgins Hotel
Wednesday, March 19th: Opera on Tap – 7pm, Abita Brew Pub
Sunday, March 23rd: Opera 101: Elixir of Love – 4pm, Guild Home
Wednesday, March 26th: Opera on Tap – 7pm, The Domino
APRIL
2025
Friday, April 4th: Elixir of Love – 7:30pm, Mahalia Jackson Theater
Sunday, April 6th: Elixir of Love – 2:30pm, Mahalia Jackson Theater
Friday, April 11th: Lafayette Party – Guild Home
Sunday, April 13th: Ma Maison: Garden Concert – Guild Home
Wednesday, April 23rd: Opera on Tap – 7pm, The Domino
Wednesday, April 30th: Opera on Tap – 7pm, Abita Brew Pub
MAY
2025
Saturday, May 11th: Ma Maison: Mother’s Day Concert – Guild Home featuring Ivan Griffin and Ashley Milanese
