Performances Magazine | The Dallas Opera, March 2022/2023 Season

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2022 | 2023 SEASON MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
MARCH 24, 26, 29 & APRIL 1 Scan here to experience the digital interactive program
COSÌ FAN TUTTE

FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

Thank you for doing your part in our 65th Anniversary Season!

It is hard to believe that we have arrived at the final production in the 2022/2023 Season. I cannot think of a more fitting finale than Director Michael Cavanagh’s fresh take on Mozart’s romantic comedy. With a delightful score, an outrageous plot, and an extraordinary cast—what more could an opera lover ask for?

This production highlights two new and exciting artists on the Dallas Opera stage for their first time: Caitlin Gotimer and Kayleigh Decker, tackling the wily sister duo of Fiordiligi and Dorabella, respectively. We are also thrilled to welcome back Lucas Meachem, David Portillo, Rod Gilfry, and Diana Newman, all operatic veterans ready to show off their comedic chops.

I encourage you all to read the director’s note on page 8 to learn more about the production’s concept and his motivations for the piece. We are fortunate to welcome Michael Cavanagh’s unique vision for Mozart’s masterpiece to the Winspear.

It is heartening and inspiring to see so many new faces among the longtime supporters in the audience. Having just announced our 2023/2024 Season, we hope to see you back in October for another season of favorites, not to mention the world premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Please enjoy the show and see you in a few short months!

Please enjoy the show and see you in a few short months!

Welcome!

Friends,

Whether familiar or new to The Dallas Opera, I am thrilled to welcome you to this final production in the 65th Anniversary Season—you are in for a treat. Not seen on The Dallas Opera stage in more than 10 years, Così fan tutte, in a charming new production from San Francisco Opera, is a most celebratory way to end the mainstage season.

We set out at the beginning of the 2022/2023 Season with the hope of building new audiences, as well as bringing The Dallas Opera into the North Texas communities in fresh and exciting ways. Not only did we introduce accessible programming—The People’s Choice Concert, A Night Under the Stars at the Arboretum, and The Holiday Concert at Cathedral Guadalupe—but 30% of audiences at the Winspear and 60% of our digital audience have been new to The Dallas Opera this season.

There is much work yet to be done, but the future of The Dallas Opera looks bright thanks to your continued support.

I look forward to seeing you all at the newly announced 2023/2024 Season later this year!

PHOTOS: KYLE FLUBACKER, GITTINGS COVER: THOMAS YOUNG, BALLPARK BLUEPRINTS ANN STUART, PH.D. Board Chair IAN DERRER
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The Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO
3/2024 SEASON 202 Season Sponsor: Mary Anne Cree, in memory of Rosine Smith Sammons WORLD PREMIERE The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Romeo and Juliet dallasopera.org or 214.443.1000 OCT 13, 15, 18, 21, 2023 NOV 3, 5, 8, 11, 2023 FEB 9, 11, 14, 17, 2024 MAR 1, 3, 6, 9, 2024 SUBSCRIBE & SAVE UP TO 30% Subscription Renewals Available Now New Subscriptions on Sale April 19
PHOTO:
CORY WEAVER/LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITOR Shelby Homiston

ART DIRECTOR

Maya Rose Tweten

PUBLISHER

Jeff Levy

ART DIRECTOR

Carol Wakano

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Glenda Mendez

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Diana Gonzalez

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Walter Lewis

ACCOUNT DIRE CTORS

Kerry Baggett, Jan Bussman, Jean Greene, Tina Marie Smith

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Christine Noriega-Roessler

DIGITAL PROGRAM MANAGER

Audrey Duncan Welch

DIGITAL MANAGER

Lorenzo Dela Rama

BUSINESS MANAGER

Leanne Killian Riggar

MARKETING/PRODUCTION

MANAGER

Dawn Kiko Cheng

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Performances Magazine is published to serve performing-arts venues throughout the West.

© 2023 California Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States.

LAND AND PEOPLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Creating a place of belonging for everyone to experience this art form is a vital part of inspiring generations of opera lovers and honoring those who came before us. As an opera company, we are storytellers of the full human experience, and that includes the narratives we share about this land and its people.

We are on the original land of the Caddo, Wichita, and Comanche sovereign nations, whose people faced horrible treatment and policies that forced their removal from the land.

People were also stolen from their homes in Africa, enslaved, dehumanized, and forced to build Dallas through free labor.

While none of us created these conditions, we have the opportunity, responsibility, and honor to uplift these communities through truth-telling, greater connection, and holistic celebration.

Thank you for joining us in acknowledging this land and these peoples.

Welcome 1 Così fan tutte 4 Cast List 5 Beginner’s Guide 6 Synopsis 7 Director’s Note 8 About the Artists 9 Program Article 12 Donor Recognition 19 Staff Spotlight 24
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

Presenting Sponsors

Martha McCarty Wells

Betty and Steve Suellentrop

Supporting Sponsor

Ruth Bison, IN HONOR OF MARY ALLGOOD

The Eleanor Ford Penrose Mainstage Production Season Sponsor

MARY ANNE CREE, IN MEMORY OF ROSINE SMITH SAMMONS

THE DALLAS OPERA
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THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
PHOTO: CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

March 24, 26(m), 29, and April 1, 2023

This production of Così fan tutte is an original production of the San Francisco Opera Scenery construction and painting by the San Francisco Opera Scene Shop

presents

COSÌ FAN TUTTE

Opera buffa in Two Acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte

Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center

Costumes fabricated by the San Francisco Opera Costume Shop

CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

Ferrando

DAVID PORTILLO

Sung in Italian with English Titles

Approximate duration: 3 hours and 10 minutes including one intermission

Lucas Meachem is The Marnie and Kern Wildenthal Principal Artist

Michael Cavanagh is The Ann Stuart Stage Director

Originally premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria on January 26, 1790

The Dallas Opera is a proud member of OPERA America

Guglielmo

Don Alfonso

Fiordiligi

Dorabella

Despina

Conductor Director

Set and Projection Designer

Costume Designer

Original Lighting Designer

Revival Lighting Designer

Chorus Master

Wig and Make-Up Designer

Assistant Director

Stage Manager

Concertmaster

Assistant Conductor

Music Preparation

Supertitles

Assistant Stage Managers

Production Assistant

LUCAS MEACHEM

ROD GILFRY

CAITLIN GOTIMER*

KAYLEIGH DECKER*

DIANA NEWMAN

ELIZABETH ASKREN*

MICHAEL CAVANAGH*

ERHARD ROM

CONSTANCE HOFFMAN

JANE COX

JUSTIN PARTIER*

ALEXANDER ROM

DAVID ZIMMERMAN

FRANCES RABALAIS*

LISA MARIE LANGE

AMI CAMPBELL

ALDEN GATT

AURELIA ANDREWS

CHRISTOPHER DEVLIN

JERI SHAFFER

DANIELLE BREWBAKER*

MIRANDA WILSON

ALETHA SAUNDERS

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*The Dallas Opera debut

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO COSÌ FAN TUTTE

The original pairs: Guglielmo and Fiordiligi; Ferrando and Dorabella

The tricksters: Don Alfonso and Despina

The swapped pairs: Disguised Guglielmo and Dorabella; Disguised Ferrando and Fiordiligi

OPERA VOCAB

Opera: a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists

Voice Type: soprano (highest), mezzosoprano, contralto, countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass (lowest)

Aria: a piece for one voice in an opera (a song for a solo singer). It derives from the Greek and Latin ‘aer’, meaning ‘air’.

Bravo(a): an Italian term used to celebrate a standout performance

Libretto: the text of an opera

Conductor: a person who conducts an orchestra, chorus, opera company, or other musical group in a performance

QUICK FIRE SYNOPSIS

Deception, love triangles, epic meltdowns, bad disguises, and teenage weddings. Daytime television melodrama? No. More like a day in the life of sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella.

Don Alfonso wagers that he can prove to Ferrando and Guglielmo that all women (including their fiancés) are unfaithful. They take the bet and agree to go along with Alfonso’s schemes starting with pretending to be sent to war. After some melodramatic meltdowns and advice from their maid Despina, Fiordiligi and Dorabella are introduced to Don Alfonso’s “friends” (Ferrando and Guglielmo in disguise). When the girls refuse the advances of their new suitors, the mustachioed admirers pretend to drink poison. After the morning’s events, the girls agree to go on dates with their new beaus, only they pick the opposite man than they each started the day wanting to marry.

Ultimately, both girls accept the advances of their new suitors and agree to marry these strange new men, but not without being put through the wringer. As their knockoff notary (Despina in disguise) completes the marriage contract, the drums sound and the regiment returns from war. The men run away and reenter as their actual selves. Everyone reveals their deceptions from the day and sings a rousing chorus of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Do the lovers end up together? And in which pairs? Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything. The opera ends without answering any of these questions.

COSÌ FUN FACTS!

• Così fan tutte was written the year Mozart died.

• Beethoven hated the opera.

• The score is ambiguous as to how the couples end up.

• Mozart did not like the singer who premiered Fiordiligi.

• Mozart wrote his first opera at the age of 10.

OPERA TIP: A trip to the opera is the perfect place to find love! Disguises sold separately.

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Whether it’s your first visit or you consider yourself a “regular,” we’re so happy to welcome you! Now, what did you just sit down to watch?
THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
PHOTO: CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

ACT I

Don Alfonso is trying to enlighten Ferrando and Guglielmo as to the true nature of women. He places a bet that he can prove their fiancées, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, are not the icons of purity the young men believe them to be. Both sides are confident of victory within twenty-four hours, and during this period Ferrando and Guglielmo agree to do as they are told by Alfonso.

Sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella are celebrating the virtues of their lovers. Alfonso tells them that their men have been called up and must leave immediately for the “front lines”. The men feign a tearful farewell scene and “go off to war.” The women are devastated but their maid, Despina, tells them to look on the bright side and have a good time in their absence—in other words, behave exactly as men would do.

Don Alfonso enlists Despina in his scheme, and he presents two “Albanian” friends to the sisters. Neither Fiordiligi nor Dorabella recognize Guglielmo and Ferrando in disguise.

Offended to see the strange men, Fiordiligi and Dorabella are repelled by their advances. They declare fidelity to their lovers. The young men are delighted but Alfonso is still confident in his ultimate triumph.

The sisters continue to grieve for their men at the front. The two Albanians return and, despondent in the women’s rejection, swallow “poison” and collapse. The terrified girls call for Despina, who goes to find a doctor who claims to cure any illness by magnetism. The men revive and believing they are in heaven, demand a kiss from their “angels,” Fiordiligi and Dorabella. The sisters rebuff their advances once again.

INTERMISSION

ACT II

Despina persuades the sisters to befriend their new admirers. They decide on preferences: Dorabella chooses Guglielmo; Fiordiligi selects Ferrando. Each has instinctively chosen the other’s partner. Dorabella yields to Guglielmo, exchanging lockets as a pledge of fidelity. Meanwhile, Fiordiligi rejects Ferrando.

Ferrando and Guglielmo report on their progress. Ferrando is furious at the infidelity of his fiancée, Dorabella.

Despina and Dorabella put pressure on Fiordiligi to have fun. Fiordiligi decides she must run away to join Guglielmo at war, but Ferrando confronts her again and she finally yields. Agonized, Guglielmo witnesses it all. Don Alfonso has proven his point and won the bet.

Don Alfonso and Despina arrange for the new couples to be “married” by Despina, disguised as a notary. As the girls sign their names, a military band is heard, signaling that the soldiers have returned unexpectedly. In the confusion, the two men disappear, reemerging without their disguise. Shocked at the evidence of a wedding they swear vengeance on their rivals.

The entire plot is finally revealed. All four lovers’ certainties have been destroyed and no one knows quite what to believe, except that human nature is far more complex than they ever imagined.

Courtesy of San Francisco Opera

TDO PERFORMANCE HISTORY

The company has performed Così fan tutte four times in the following seasons: 1984/1985, 1992/1993, 2003/2004, and 2009/2010.

7 COSÌ FAN TUTTE SYNOPSIS COSÌ FAN TUTTE

This production of Così fan tutte was conceived as the middle chapter of a trilogy of operas dubbed The Great American House of Mozart-DaPonte. We [San Francisco Opera and I] set all three works by this masterful composerlibrettist team in the same place but spaced 150 years apart. The first piece, Le Nozze di Figaro, sees the construction of a mansion somewhere in the Northeastern US in the late 1780’s, shortly after the American Revolution. It is a story about hope and possibility and setting it amidst the building of a great house represents the beginning of a wonderful and challenging journey for the characters and their country. The final opera, Don Giovanni, is about finality and consequence. The time setting is the late 2080’s, a dystopian near future, and the great house (and the world) now sits in ruins. This is the result of the short-sighted pursuit of selfish and destructive goals, as personified by the title character, and it ends the trilogy on a cautionary note.

Così fan tutte belongs in the middle, and stands easily on its own merits, because it examines people, and a society, at a crossroads. The great house has changed hands many times in the 150 years since it was built. Now it stands at the peak of its form, repurposed as a luxurious country club in the late 1930’s. America, too, finds itself in an era of great transition. It has emerged from the Great Depression only to see the winds of war swirling once again in Europe. It is poised at a crossroads of its own, needing to decide between inwardlooking isolationism or a rightful place among the great nations on the world stage.

The two couples at the heart of the story, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about any of that. They care only about what they have and what they want. The men are

inexperienced, overconfident, privileged, and sheltered. This is the perfect set of pre-conditions for disaster when it comes to life choices. The sisters to whom they’re engaged share the same character flaws. With their inflated sense of self, poor impulse control, and immaturity, they’re also powerless to prevent their lives from spiraling out of control. Lucky for them, they have an ally to soften their fall and impart important life lessons along the way. But fall they do, and the fact that they and their fiancés are unwitting participants in a social experiment by an embittered elder doesn’t excuse their choices or behavior. That they’re unwilling or unable to consider the real consequences of their actions explains everything. So it is with societies, too.

If we focus solely on personal choices we’re doomed to fail as a community. An individual’s rights and freedoms are important, of course, but they must exist within a framework that supports and secures the common good. We all agree that no-one’s actions should threaten the safety, security, or sustainability of families, neighborhoods, or nations.

This, in big ways and small, is the lesson of Così fan tutte. The subtitle of the opera is “La scuola degli amanti” or The School for Lovers, and it has something to teach us all. We cannot (or should not) live our lives only in the moment, and only for ourselves. We should not live in a fantasy world, with an idealized version of our future. We must take a clear-eyed look at ourselves and those around us and carefully consider the consequences of our actions. This is the only way to survive and thrive, whether as a partner in a relationship, a member of a household, or even a nation like America within the world. The alternative leads, inevitably, to confusion, anxiety, disappointment, and distress...or worse. But, with Mozart and DaPonte as our teachers, there has never been a better or more enjoyable way to learn these all-important lessons.

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COSÌ FAN TUTTE

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

From: New York, New York

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: The 2022/2023 season marks several important mainstage debuts for Maestra Askren, including Des Moines Metro Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and Opéra de Dijon. She has recently collaborated with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Opéra de Paris’ Academy, and the Paris Philharmonic’s La Maestra competition, as well as The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors, of which she is both a proud alumna and Master Teacher. Her award-winning Transylvanian Opera Academy incorporates performance, personal development, and community outreach. She is also the creator of MaestraMagic!™, an edutainment series on thedallasopera.TV introducing children to music and the arts. Maestra Askren is regularly invited as a guest speaker and moderator. Her TEDx talk, “Why Classical Music is the Wave of the Future,” garnered 3000+ views in 24 hours. She is published in three languages, and is regularly featured in American and European media.

From: Winnipeg, Canada

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: Mr. Cavanagh is a Canadian opera stage director with a career spanning more than two decades. He has directed more than 140 productions at companies throughout North America and Europe. His 7 productions at San Francisco Opera include Nixon in China, which he also mounted in five cities including Dublin, Ireland and Stockholm, Sweden. In the United States, he has also directed for the opera companies of Philadelphia, Boston, Hawaii, Austin, Kansas City, Minnesota, and San Diego, among others. He is currently Artistic Director and Head of Opera at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, where he had a great success with his new Aida and recently opened a hugely successful production of Sweeney Todd

From: Seattle, Washington

Dallas Opera: La bohème (2018/2019, debut, Rigoletto (2022/2023), Das Rheingold (2022/2023)

Career highlights: Mr. Rom has designed settings for more than 250 productions and in 2015, he was named as a finalist in the designer of the year category for the International Opera Awards in London. His designs have frequently been featured in the Prague Quadrennial International Design exhibition, San Francisco Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Vancouver Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, and many more. In 2014, he designed the European premiere of Silent Night for the Wexford Festival. The Irish Times Theatre Awards named it audience choice and best opera production of 2014. Mr. Rom teaches design at Montclair State University.

From: Oakland, California

Dallas Opera: The Aspern Papers (2012/2013, debut)

Career highlights: Ms. Hoffman has designed costumes for opera, dance and theatre regionally, internationally, and in New York City. Her credits include collaborations with theatre artists such as Mark Lamos, Julie Taymor, Eliot Feld, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, opera directors Robert Carsen, David Alden, Christopher Alden, Keith Warner, and entertainer Bette Midler. Her work has been seen on many stages in New York City, including the Public Theatre, The New Victory Theater, The Second Stage, The Theatre for a New Audience, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Joyce, and The New York City Opera. On her Broadway debut, she earned a Tony nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her designs for The Green Bird, directed by Julie Taymor. Ms. Hoffman’s collaborations in opera have taken her to the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Paris Opera, the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and The Tokyo Opera Nomori, among others. In the United States, she has designed costumes for the San Francisco Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Minnesota Opera, the Portland Opera, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Lincoln Center Festival.

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Erhard Rom SET AND PROJECTION DESIGNER Constance Hoffman COSTUME DESIGNER

From: Dublin, Ireland

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: Ms. Cox is a lighting designer for theater, opera, dance and music. She has been nominated for two Tony awards, for her work on Jitney (2017) and on Machinal (2014). Ms. Cox has also been nominated for four Drama Desk awards and three Lortel awards, and in 2013, was awarded the Henry Hewes Design Award for her work on The Flick. In 2016, she was awarded the Ruth Morley Design Award by the League of Professional Theater Women, and a British What’s Onstage award for her work on Hamlet. Designs include The Marriage of Figaro at San Francisco Opera; Fefu and her Friends at Theater for a New Audience in NYC, directed by Princeton alumna Lileana Blain-Cruz; King Lear with Glenda Jackson on Broadway, directed by Sam Gold; a new musical adaptation of Secret Life of Bees (the design was nominated for a Drama Desk Award 2020); The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, directed by fellow faculty member John Doyle; a theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates book Between The World and Me, directed by Kamilah Forbes and a revival of True West on Broadway, directed by British director James McDonald.

From: New York, New York

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: Mr. Partier is currently the Lighting Director at San Francisco Opera. Recent designs include Carmen (Washington National Opera & San Francisco Opera), Boheme out of the Box, Fidelio, Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Adlers in Concert (Marin Civic Center) & Verdi Requiem Mass (San Francisco Opera), Postcard from Morocco (Merola Opera), Fascinating Rhythm, Shall We Dance (Transcendence Theater Company), Rich Girl (Florida Studio Theater), This Wonderful Life (Luna Stage) The Net Will Appear and The Clearing (59E59), Colored (Kyle Marshall Choreography/Actor’s Fund Theater), Mary Poppins, Kiss Me Kate, and Singin’ in the Rain (Merry Go Round Playhouse), Red (Arkansas Repertory Theater), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Schloss Werdenberg – Buchs SG, Switzerland), The Book of Mountains and Seas, PrEP or Blue Parachute, Getting There (New Conservatory Theater Center), and All the Rage (The Barrow Group). As Lighting Director: John Cameron Mitchell’s Origins of Love (National Tour), Aftermath (World Tour), and Trigger (US Tour). Member USA829

From: Dallas, Texas

Dallas Opera: The Barber of Seville (2006/2007, debut), 45 productions since 2006/2007

Career highlights: Mr. Zimmerman has worked with numerous opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, and those of St. Louis, Santa Fe, Paris, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minnesota, Santa Barbara, Amsterdam, and more. His career extends to Broadway, where he has worked with such shows as Wicked, Rocky Horror, Show Boat, South Pacific, and Evita. Some of his personal clients include Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Martha Stewart, and Ricky Martin. Mr. Zimmerman has also worked with DIFFA Fashion Runway, Dallas Fashion and Art, and Yelp.com Fashion Magazine; credits include spreads in Opera News, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. TV and film credits are Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year, Margaret (starring Anna Paquin), and Hostiles (starring Christian Bale and Rosemund Pike).

From: Kharkov, Ukraine

Dallas Opera: Chorus Master (1990/1991-present)

Career highlights: Chorus master for 33 Seasons, Mr. Rom graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory of Music with a master’s degree in choral conducting. He has been a coach at numerous companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the Cincinnati, Ravinia, and Savonlinna festivals. An Honorary Visiting Professor at Finland’s Sibelius Academy and the Helsinki Conservatory of Music, Mr. Rom was a Visiting Professor at the Savonlinna Opera Festival Music Institute for ten years. He also staged and musically prepared Eugene Onegin while in Finland. Mr. Rom was a founder of the Grace Choral Society of Brooklyn, New York, of which he was Music Director for 19 years.

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ORIGINAL LIGHTING
Jane Cox
DESIGNER
David Zimmerman WIG AND MAKE-UP DESIGNER Justin Partier REVIVAL LIGHTING DESIGNER Alexander Rom CHORUS MASTER

From: Malverne, New York

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: In the 2022/2023 season, Ms. Gotimer returns to Arizona Opera for her debut in the title role of Tosca. In seasons prior, Ms. Gotimer made main stage debuts in Carmen (Micaëla), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), and A Little Night Music (Mrs. Anderssen). During her tenure as a resident artist with Pittsburgh Opera, Ms. Gotimer appeared as the title role in Handel’s Alcina, Elettra in a reimagining of Mozart’s Idomeneo, and covered Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème With Crested Butte Opera Studio, Ms. Gottimer performed as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Musetta in La bohème. Other roles in her repertoire include the title role in Suor Angelica, Magda in La Rondine, Nedda in I Pagliacci, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte.

From: San Antonio, Texas

Dallas Opera: Don Giovanni (2017/2018, debut)

Career highlights: In the 2022/2023 season, Mr. Portillo returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Tamino in The Magic Flute, Nadir in The Pearl Fishers with Austin Opera, Tonio in Le fille du régiment with Minnesota Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni in Osaka, Japan, a reprisal of Mark Adamo’s latest work The Lord of Cries for a recording and performance with Boston’s Odyssey Opera, and Alfredo in La traviata with El Paso Opera, where Mr. Portillo was once a young artist. In concert, he performs the title role in Jephtha with Dame Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque in Chicago, a solo orchestral recital of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings and select opera arias with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and an outreach recital at the Mexican Cultural Institute under the auspices of Vocal Arts DC.

From: Woodstock, Maryland

Dallas Opera: debut

Career highlights: Ms. Decker recently finished as an ensemble member of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Plans for the 2022/2023 season include a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Isolier/Le Comte Ory, as well as to Cincinnati Opera as Alisa/Lucia di Lammermoor and Kate Pinkerton/Madama Butterfly. On the concert platform, Ms. Decker sings Ruggiero/Alcina with Les Violons du Roy under the baton of Jonathan Cohen. A passionate song interpreter, she was named one of Caramoor’s 2018 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and was a participant in the inaugural season of Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall. She has given recitals produced by the Cincinnati Song Initiative, and recently performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall and the Chicago Cultural Center.

From: Raleigh, North Carolina

Dallas Opera: Madame Butterfly (2016/2017, debut), OperaPops! (2020/2021), The Barber of Seville (2021/2022)

Career highlights: Mr. Meachem kicks off the 2022/2023 season as Don Giovanni at Ravinia Festival, followed by performances as Escamillo in Carmen with Canadian Opera Company and Opéra national de Paris, De Siriex in Fedora with the Metropolitan Opera, and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Los Angeles Opera. Other season highlights include guest soloist appearances with Atlanta Symphony and a return to Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at San Francisco Opera. Meachem’s recent performances include Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Royal Opera House, Marcello in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, and the title role in Nabucco at Oper im Steinbruch. In 2020, Lucas founded Perfect Day Music Foundation (PDMF) with his wife, pianist Irina Meachem. The foundation aims to represent inclusivity and diversity of people today by using classical music as a relevant medium to address current issues through a traditional art form. Mr. Meachem’s first solo album, Shall We Gather, featuring Irina at the piano, was released on Rubicon Records in September 2021.

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Lucas Meachem GUGLIELMO David Portillo FERRANDO Caitlin Gotimer FIORDILIGI Kayleigh Decker DORABELLA

From: Malibu, California

Dallas Opera: Die Zauberflöte (2019/2020, debut), Das Rheingold (2022/2023)

Career highlights: Ms. Newman begins her 2022/2023 season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony. In the 2021/2022 season, Newman made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, as well as covered the role of Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos She joined the Alabama Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and sang the leading role of Clara in The Light in the Piazza with Central City Opera.

Concerning the Conundrum of Così fan tutte

There’s no getting around it: Mozart’s musically sublime Così fan tutte is a conundrum—a comedy vexed with undercurrents of complexity and confusion.

On the surface, the farcical plot assumes that two charming sisters are too clueless to recognize their own fiancés when the guys poorly disguise themselves and attempt to woo each other’s sweethearts—all because a wise-guy bachelor bet they’d cheat if given the chance, saying “all women are like that” (cleverly quoting Basilio from Figaro’s ActOne trio, BTW). Really? Of course, it’s more complicated than that—and

From: Etiwanda, California

Dallas Opera: Così fan tutte (1992/1993, debut), 5 productions since 1992/1993

Career highlights: American baritone Rod Gilfry, two-time Grammy Award nominee, singer and actor, has performed in all of the world’s music capitals. His most recent Grammy Award nomination was for his performance in the title role of Messiaen’s monumental opera Saint François d’Assise in Amsterdam. Best-known as an opera singer, he is also an acclaimed recitalist and concert artist, and appears frequently in musical theater classics. Most recently, he originated the role of Walt Whitman in Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing in Boston, The Father in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice with LA Opera, Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet with Glyndebourne Festival, and David Lang’s the loser in New York City. In the 2022/2023 season, Mr. Gilfry will reprise the role of photographer Alfred Stieglitz in Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light, opposite Renée Fleming, with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Opera, Naples (FL) Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony and Eastman School of Music (with Nicole Cabell). He will also debut the role of Scarpia in Tosca with Houston Grand Opera, and reprise Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet with the Bayerische Staatsoper.

subversively, uncomfortably insightful about human nature.

We shouldn’t be surprised. In his brilliant operas created with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte—Le nozze di Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790), Mozart wrapped biting social commentary and over-the-top plots in superlative scores packed with gloriously memorable melodies. In these three extraordinary works “there are musical moments that, for many devotees, seem as if they’re worth a lifetime of waiting, moments that are now famous beyond all vagaries of operatic fashion,” declare Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker in A History of Opera. How right they are. You’ll know them when you hear them, even if for the first time.

“This great trio of collaborations are all battles of wits, words, and fidelity,” says Ian Derrer, general director. He acknowledges the “innate

challenges with Così concerning sexism, complicated relationships, and fidelity testing,” and thus is especially pleased to present a new-to-Dallas production by Michael Cavanagh that offers a fresh take on the romantically discordant story. Originally premiered at San Francisco Opera (SFO), this production, set in a posh country club in the northeastern U.S., circa 1930s, “really gives you the sense that the women have the upper hand, or at least advance knowledge of what’s going on, in a way that traditional staging’s don’t necessarily do. There are so many layers in this opera, and especially in this production.”

For director Cavanagh, Così’s central questions are, “What happens if we ignore the consequences of our actions? What’s the difference between what I think I’m supposed to be doing and what I really want? That’s what these characters go through…the push and pull between private desires

12 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
Diana Newman DESPINA
(cont’d)
Rod Gilfry DON ALFONSO

and public obligations,” Cavanagh observes (in an extended interview for SFO’s blog). He notes that the three Mozart-da Ponte operas are “connected—by satire, by clashing of classes, by misogyny.” The Count is held to account in Figaro, and Giovanni is felled (albeit unrepentantly) by the repercussions of his choices; Cavanagh says that “as a director and as a storyteller, you can present these things unflinchingly, knowing that, by the end of the narrative, balance will be restored in the world.”

In Così, however, “the boys never do pay the price for their misogyny, for their choices to humiliate these women,” Cavanagh continues. (Interestingly, it’s da Ponte’s only original story; others were adaptations of existing works.) This director’s choice is to give Così’s discomfiting “truths” a good twist. “I’m a steward of an old art form, but I’m also a citizen of today. My job is to make these pieces not just palatable; I want a modern audience to embrace all the complexities of what these incredible masterworks have to say.” [He’s staging the Mozart-da Ponte operas as a trilogy for SFO.]

The director hasn’t touched the libretto but has changed “the tone and

tenor of the piece” by empowering the women and making them “increasingly aware that there’s something weird going on,” Cavanagh says. “By the end, they’re in on it. They know what’s happening to them. And they are going to flip the script. I’m shining a brighter light on the feeling everybody has at the end, which is, ‘I need to go take a shower. Because that was—ew.’ We don’t buy it. It’s too perfunctory.” And also discomfortingly familiar. As Cavanagh notes, “People apologize for things and don’t really mean it. They say, ‘I’ll never do it again. I’ll change. Oh baby, I’ll change.’ It’s one of the oldest tropes in the dysfunctional playbook….But the damage is still done.”

In Mozart’s Women, conductor and musicologist Dame Jane Glover notes that the three Mozart-da Ponte collaborations “were all effectively portraits of the society in which they were both living, of the people who inhabited it, and of the ways in which these people treated one another and reacted to one another. In every possible way, this was truly contemporary opera” in its time. She adds that previous couple-swapping stories, including Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, relied on

THE DALLAS OPERA CHORUS

SOPRANO

Kristin Tallett Bittick

Megan Crews Cottle

Carelle Flores

Dana Francis Goodnuff

Cynthia Hackathorn

Stephanie Lynne Jennings

Tiffanny Lynne Lopez

Kristen Mata

Amanda O’Toole

Helen Dewey Reikofski

MEZZO-SOPRANO

Jessica Green

Lisa Huffaker

Shannon Moy

Silvia Paola Nuñez

Jennifer Mays Resendez

Denise Stom

CONTRALTO

Arielle Collier

Lisa Schlepp

TENOR

Dan Crowell

Joshua Friend

Jay Gardner

Zach Hess

Jerry Johnston

Samuel PJ Lopez

Mark Malloy

Rick Rainey

Brian Rosewell

Andrew Smathers

magic and the supernatural, unlike Così, which broke new ground.

“When da Ponte brought the idea to Mozart, the two composers realized that incomparable riches were to be gained by opening this Pandora’s box of emotion,” Dame Jane writes.

“For the story was much more than a lighthearted comedy put before a society eager for superficial gossip and anecdote. In a way, it was an encapsulation of an Enlightenment subject, concerning the traditional challenges to love, honor and duty. But the emotional chaos that such mischief engendered was potentially vast, and this was real grist to the combined mill of Mozart and da Ponte.” Glover notes that all the characters in Così fan tutte are drawn with masterful depth and detail by their creators, and “it is the women who benefit most from their penetrating understanding.”

Let the games begin!

Magda Krance is the former Director of Media Relations for Lyric Opera of Chicago. As a freelance journalist, she covered a variety of subjects for several national magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Spy. She now serves on the boards of two music organizations.

BARITONE

Christiön Dior Draper

Armon Golliday

Tracy Herron

Matt Woodbury

BASS

Kyle Logan Hancock

Christopher Harrison

Donald Jones

Travis Wiley McGuire

Brian Post

Quincy Roberts

Bobby L. Tinnion

13 COSÌ FAN TUTTE

THE DALLAS OPERA ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLIN

Ellen dePasquale

The Mary Anne Cree

Concertmaster, in memory of Rosine Smith Sammons

Ami Campbell

Associate Concertmaster

Grace Kang Wollett

Assistant Concertmaster

Florence Wang Conrad

Amy Faires

David Miles Wolcott

Junsoo Park

Paige Kossuth

Kathy Johnson^

Jane Escueta^

SECOND VIOLIN

Kristin Van Cleve

Principal

Sondra Brudnak

Assistant Principal

Suneetha D'Apice

Lisa Shields

Natalie Floyd

Minhee Bae

Jina Lee^

Samantha Bennett^

VIOLA

Liesl-Ann deVilliers

Principal

Katrina Smith

Co-Principal

Donna Hall

Paul Tullis

Colin Garner

Meghan Birmingham Vangeli

CELLO

Mitch Maxwell

The Catherine Brackbill

Principal Cello Chair

Shawna Hamilton

Assistant Principal

Eric Forman

Vilma Peguero

Sara Hood^

Craig Leffer^

BASS

William Gowen Principal

Michael Lelevich

Assistant Principal

Steve Brown

Kirby Nunez

FLUTE

Helen Blackburn Principal

Ebonee Thomas

PICCOLO

Ebonee Thomas

OBOE

Gina Ford The Eleanor Ford Penrose

Principal Oboe Chair

Stewart Williams

ENGLISH HORN

Stewart Williams

CLARINET

Kenneth Krause Principal

Danny Goldman

Forest Aten

BASS CLARINET

Forest Aten

BASSOON

John Searcy

Principal

Shannon Highland

HORN

Katie Wolber

The Linda VanSickle

Principal Horn Chair

Jackson Prasifka

Gerry Wood*

Stacie Mickens^

Shelby Nugent

TRUMPET

John Holt

Principal

Rick Bogard

TROMBONE

Ian Maser*

The Cece and Ford Lacy

Principal Trombone Chair

Tony Baker

Acting Principal

Jeremiah Umholtz^

Eric Swanson

BASS TROMBONE

Eric Swanson

TUBA/CIMBASSO

Jeff Baker

Principal

TIMPANI

Deborah Mashburn

The Joan S. Reisch

Principal Timpani Chair

PERCUSSION

Joe Ferraro

Acting Principal

Drew Lang^

HARP

Barbara Biggers

Acting Principal

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Brad Wagner

MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Shannon Highland

INTERIM MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Sara Hood

ASSOCIATE MUSICIANS

VIOLIN

Inga Kroll

Delmar Pettys

Lauren Haseltine

Amela Koci

Ellen Lovelace

Robert Gonzalez

Chuong Vu

Christine Rewolinski

FLUTE

Lance Sanford

BASSOON

Leslie Massenburg

HARPSICHORD

Christopher Devlin

14 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
^ 2022 | 2023 Season Substitute * On Leave 2022 | 2023 Season

ADMINISTRATION

Ian Derrer

The Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO

Emmanuel Villaume

The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director

Nicole Paiement

The Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTOR

Shelby Homiston, Director of Communications

Quodesia Johnson, Company Culture Consultant

Meghann Jones, Director of Tessitura Operations and Strategy

David Lomelí, Artistic Consultant

Thu Nguyen, Executive Assistant

Amy O’Neil, Social Media Manager

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

John Harpool, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Kevin Figg, CPA, Director of Accounting

Courtney Daggs, HR and Benefits Manager

Beverley Phillips, Accounting Clerk

DEVELOPMENT

Elisabeth Galley, Director of Development

Marie Facini, Institutional Giving Officer

Terry Han, Senior Donor Engagement Officer

Hannah Huddleston, Donor Engagement Officer

Georgia Lahr, Volunteer and Event Coordinator

Linda Lipscomb, Campaign and Planned Giving Officer

Malikha Mayes, Development Database and Membership Manager

Veronica Roan, Development Assistant

Eva Shvartcer, Development Manager

MARKETING, SALES & PATRON SERVICES

Cindy Grzanowski, Director of Marketing, Sales, and Patron Services

Daniel Acosta, Advertising and Sales Manager

Megan Anthony, Patron Services Coordinator

Sterling Arroyo, Marketing Coordinator

Valerie Bromann, Digital Marketing Manager

Jordan Hammons, Patron Services Assistant

Audrey MacNeil, Patron Services Coordinator

Sara Means, Patron Services Manager

Maya Rose Tweten, Graphic Designer

THE PEROT FOUNDATION EDUCATION & COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Kristian Roberts, Director of Education

Rebecca Britten, Education Program Coordinator

Ebonee Davis, Community Engagement Manager

Christopher A. Leach, Education Production Coordinator

OPERATIONS

Walker Beard, Director of Operations

Robert Derby, Director of Information Technology

Shannon Highland, Music Librarian

Jennifer Magill, Artistic Administration Manager

Josh Martin, Artist Services Coordinator

Erik McCullough, Technical Director

Devon Patch, Rehearsal Assistant

Jeri Shaffer, Production Manager

Katherine Spellmon, Associate Producer—Artistic Administration

Brad Wagner, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Caroline Walker, Operations Administrator

Kara Zotigh, Rehearsal and Planning Manager

COVID 19 Safety Officers:

Griffin Camacho

David Hess

Claudia Holm

Sara Newman

PRODUCTION STAFF

Stage Managers

Lisa Marie Lange

Angela Turner

Assistant Stage Managers

Danielle Brewbaker

Jonathan Campbell

Natalie Main

Caitlynn Sandoval

Aletha Saunders

Jennifer Shaw

Miranda Wilson

Production Assistant

Ben Kulwanoski

Resident Design Staff

Andrei Borges, Lighting Director

Tommy Bourgeois, Properties Designer and Costume Design Consultant

Madeleine Reid, Assistant Lighting Director

Oran Wongpandid, Wig and Make-up Assistant

David Zimmerman, Wig and Make-up Supervisor/Designer

Carpenters

Pat Spencer, Production Carpenter

Joey Barber

Keith Huston

Acreston Lockett

Sean Oakry

Robinson Parker

Enrique Ramirez

Damion Scales-Tarver

Anthony Woodard

Head Flyman

Glenn B. Boyd

Properties

David King Boyd, Production Property Master

Glenn Geaslin

Orchestra Properties

Cliff Chambers, Production

Orchestra Properties

Elfonso Hernandez

Electricians

Paris Gutierrez, Production Electrician

Richard Buckelew, Projectionist

Yevgeniya Dickson

Amanda Hackney

Dean Horan, Production Board Operator

Forrest Howard

Edward Ruiz

John Shelton

Audio

Brandon Arnold, Production Audio

Isaac Parker

Wardrobe

Ginger Boyd, Wardrobe Mistress

Denise Olemeda, Assistant Wardrobe Mistress

Costume Shop

Charlotte Golden, Costume Coordinator

Traci Hutton, First Hand

Kathy Kreuter, Costume Crafts

Susan Mayes, Painter/Dyer

Steven Smith, Assistant Costume Shop Manager

Georgia Wagenhurst, Costume Shop Manager

Stitchers

Jan Allison

Natalie Elizondo

Rosa Serrano

Nancy Steward

Fitter / Draper

John Ahrens

Roy Turpin

LEGAL

Armanino LLP, Auditor

Haynes and Boone, LLP, Legal Counsel

MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Graeme Jenkins

15 COSÌ FAN TUTTE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ann Stuart, Ph.D., Chair

Stephen B. L. Penrose, Treasurer

Susan Geyer, Secretary

Martha Allday

Michael Baker*

David Bauman

Ruth Bison

Randall C. Brown*

Julie Buschman

Tassio Carvalho, Ph.D.

Ian Derrer (ex officio)

Cindy Feld*

Cynthia Floyd*

David Genecov+

Mark Geyer (ex officio)

Linda W. Hart

Myra Barker Hull

Augustine Jalomo (ex officio)

Mark H. LaRoe

Thomas Maddrey*

Joy S. Mankoff

Holly Mayer*

Tom G. Mayer, M.D.

Tom H. McCasland, Jr.*

Edgar A. Morales

Marla C. Muns

Laurie Pan, Ph.D.

Michael E. Phillips

Helen Rivero

Quincy Roberts*

Martha Rochelle*

Stephen H. Sands

Enika Schulze

Richard Schulze*

Linda VanSickle Smith*

Darren Speir

Betty Suellentrop

Steve Suellentrop

T. Peter Townsend

John Ward

Bobbi Wedlan Weil

Martha McCarty Wells*

Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D.*

Marnie Wildenthal

Jill Winspear

Joseph A. I. Worsham

HONORARY DIRECTORS

Alice W. Bass

Susie Bell+

Cecile Bonte+

Diane Brierley

John T. Cody, Jr.

John W. Dayton

Patsy M. Donosky

James R. Erwin

Ruben E. Esquivel

Marilyn Halla

Davis Hamlin

Kaki Hopkins

Connie Klemow+

Richard Massman

Geraldine “Tincy” Miller

Joyce Mitchell

Pat Rosenthal

James R. Seitz, Jr.

Martin J. Weiland

Ann Williams

* Executive Committee Member + Deceased

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Karen Almond

Angela Bettinger

David Boddie

Roger Carroll

Milene Carvalho

Scott Chase

John Collins

Terry Connor

E. Anthony Copp

Linda Custard

Jane Degler

Robert Dupuy

Gary Glaser

Armon Golliday

Howard Hallam

Jerry Lee Holmes

Robert Hull

Emily Jefferson

Elizabeth Kimple

Ford Lacy

Paula Lambert

Jenny Lewis

Jani Lotz

Julie Machal-Fulks

Jay Marshall

Mitch Maxwell

Phyllis McCasland

C.H. Moore

Katie Myatt

Arlene Navias

Louis Navias

Darryl Pounds

Ella Prichard

Joan Reisch

Marion Rothstein

Abraham Salum

Carole Silverman

Ashley Anderson Smith

Jean Ann Titus

Sarah Titus

Kenneth Travis

Jane Wetzel

James Wiley

Debra Witter

Katie Wolber

16 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON

Preparing for the Future

In response to the cancellation of live performances for nearly two years due to the pandemic, TDO launched the New Vision Initiative in July 2020 to ensure a financially sustainable future for the Opera through new gifts, multiyear pledges, and audience development initiatives. Gifts to this effort support every aspect of the company—dynamic productions with phenomenal casts, efforts to attract new audiences, the expansion of TDO’s role in the community, and digital programming such as thedallasopera.TV.

As The Dallas Opera continues to focus upon reaching the goal of $30 million for the New Vision Initiative, it is now ready to embark upon Phase II of the campaign—a concerted effort to grow its ticket revenue and expand its audiences. You will begin to see many exciting changes over the next season as these efforts take shape.

To date, The Dallas Opera has raised $19.5 million in gifts and pledges. Commitments of $1 million and above include the Perot Family, the Eugene McDermott Foundation, and the late Mary Anne Cree, as well as gifts from other generous donors who are recognized in this program book. The O’Donnell Foundation has committed $3 million to the New Vision Initiative, which includes a matching gift challenge of $1.5 million to inspire new and increased contributions over a three year period. The Dallas Opera is most grateful to those donors who have made gifts during the campaign’s early phase, and we look forward to welcoming new supporters of our New Vision Initiative.

To learn more about this campaign and other fundraising initiatives, please contact Elisabeth Galley, Director of Development, at elisabeth.galley@dallasopera.org or 214.443.1057.

17
PHOTO: KYLE FLUBACKER COSÌ FAN TUTTE

THE DALLAS OPERA GUILD

We invite you to enrich your opera experience as a member of our energetic organization. You’ll join our mission to assist The Dallas Opera in bringing opera to the broader community.

2022 | 2023 BOARD

OFFICERS

Co-Presidents

Co-Presidents Elect

Reporting Secretary / Newsletter

Susan and Mark Geyer

Robert Maris

RuthAnn Becker

Don Warnecke

Treasurer Michael Watson

Corresponding Secretary

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Adopt-an-Artist

Development and Marketing

Directory

Education / Insights

Bylaws / Nominating

Hospitality / Guild Gatherings

Membership

Parliamentarian

Shop at the Opera

Trip Coordinator

Vocal Competition

Volunteers

CO-FOUNDERS OF THE DALLAS OPERA GUILD

Mrs. Nancy O’Boyle and Mrs. William A. McKenzie

Jan Clay

Marilyn Halla

Bob Brooks

RuthAnn Becker

Jana Irwin

Carroline Neeley

Mary Anne and Jim Strunc

James Clay

Mary Anne and Jim Strunc

Susan Fleming

Chris Salerno

Roger Carroll

Patsy and Bob Brooks

RuthAnn Becker

Susan Tanner

Nicole LeBlanc

Jana and Mac Irwin

Judy Begal

NEW VISION INITIATIVE GIFTS

$5 MILLION AND ABOVE

Margot B. Perot and the Perot Family

$1 MILLION – $4.99 MILLION

Estate of Mary Anne Cree

The Eugene McDermott Foundation

Martha Peak Rochelle

O’Donnell Foundation

Linda VanSickle Smith

$500,000 – $999,999

Linda and Mitch Hart

John Ford Lacy and Cece Smith Lacy

$100,000 - $499,999

Anonymous

Carol Franc Buck Foundation

Holly and Tom Mayer

Phyllis and Tom McCasland

Dr. Joan S. Reisch

James R. Seitz, Jr.

The Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

Martha McCarty Wells

$50,000 - $99,999

Martha Allday

John W. Dayton

David+ and Lisa Genecov

Winnie and Davis Hamlin

Hillcrest Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

Greg Swalwell and Terry Connor

Joanna L. and T. Peter Townsend

$25,000 - $49,999

Cindy and Charlie Feld

Dr. and Mrs. Mark S. Geyer

The Ruth LeVan Fund

Thomas Maddrey

Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Phillips

Ann Stuart, Ph.D.

Betty and Steve Suellentrop

Sarah L. Titus

+ Deceased

18 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON

FOUNDATION AND GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTORS

IMPRESARIO ($50,000+)

City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture

Hillcrest Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

Hoblitzelle Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

O’Donnell Foundation

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($20,000+)

Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

The Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation

The Ray H. Marr Foundation

The Priddy Foundation

The Rea Charitable Trust

The Rosewood Foundation

Stemmons Foundation

TACA – The Arts Community Alliance

Texas Commission on the Arts

VanSickle Family Foundation

GOLD CIRCLE ($10,000+)

Harry S. Moss Foundation

Texas Women’s Foundation

SILVER CIRCLE ($5,000+)

The Theodore and Beulah Beasley Foundation, Inc.

Mary Potishman Lard Trust

MEMORIAL AND HONORARIUM GIFTS

MEMORIALS

The Dallas Opera gratefully acknowledges the receipt of gifts made in memory of:

Robert Allday

Sylvester Blue

Cecile P. Bonte

Bill and Jean Booziotis

Wallace Todd Chapman

Gordon Cizon

Ted Coulter

Mary Anne Cree

Davetta Caughey Faria

Dales and Janet Foster

Frank H. Francis

David Genecov

Irl German

Helen Muñoz Gutierrez

Patricia Hutcheson

Plato Karayanis

Jerry and Sis Levin

Ray Marr

Mona Campbell Munson

Stuart Nelson

Pat Pace

Virginia Payne

Ester Raines

Mary Humason Santiago

Raisa Shcheglova

Mrs. Barbara McGrath

Stoddard

John Stuart III

Gerald Tate

Joanne D. Vinocur

Bryan Hobson Wildenthal

Elizabeth Wilson

Don Winspear

HONORARIUMS

The Dallas Opera gratefully acknowledges the receipt of gifts made in honor of:

Martha Allday

Larry and Dolores Barzune

Jon Herbert Burkman

Lisa Bury

Ian Derrer and Daniel James

Mrs. Joyce Dyll

Elena Fiat

Joel and Sydney-Reid Hedge

Bob and Myra Hull

Kelsey Korman

Julia Lansford

Erin McLinden

Morris Robinson

Alexander Rom

Norman Silverman

Jane Stringer

Jean Ann Titus

Sarah Titus and Matilda

Morris

Emmanuel Villaume

Dave and Tucean Webb

Kern and Marnie Wildenthal

Don and Ellen Winspear

Tsi Van Yu

19 COSÌ FAN TUTTE DUE TO PROGRAM BOOK PRINT DEADLINES, GIFTS LISTED REFLECT THOSE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1, 2023

CORPORATE PARTNERS

IMPRESARIO ($50,000+)

GOLD CIRCLE ($10,000+)

Ameriprise Financial

Ernst & Young LLP

H-E-B/Central Market

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Locke Lord LLP

SILVER CIRCLE ($5,000+)

Ben E. Keith Company

G Texas Custom Catering prototype:IT

BRONZE CIRCLE ($2,500+)

Dallas Stage Scenery, Inc.

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Far UV Technologies, Inc.

Gittings of Dallas

North Texas LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

Salum Restaurant

Ushio America, Inc.

For more information on corporate partnerships, please contact Marie Facini at 214.443.1061 or marie.facini@dallasopera.org.

20 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON DUE TO PROGRAM BOOK PRINT DEADLINES, GIFTS LISTED REFLECT THOSE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1, 2023
THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($20,000+)

The Orpheus Legacy Society is comprised of individuals who have made a planned gift by naming The Dallas Opera in their will or estate plan. When you join the Orpheus Legacy Society you make a lasting mark on your community.

Named for the mythological poet who charmed the gods with his music and was the subject of many early operas, the Orpheus Legacy Society honors those individuals who have made an investment in the future of our company through their wills or deferred gifts.

ORPHEUS LEGACY SOCIETY

Anonymous (4)

Martha Allday

Nancy Johnson Anderson

Rebecca and Michael Baker

G. Ward Beaudry

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Beitzel

Carole Braden

Diane and Hal Brierley

Ms. Mary M. Brinegar

Robert+ and Kay Carrel

Mr. Roger L. Carroll

The Carl L. Cerrato Family

Scott Chase and Debra Witter

Bruce Chemel

Annelies Christian

Patti and John Cody

Phyllis M. Coit

Betty Taylor Cox

Grady E. Coyle, DMA

Alice Cushman

Anne Davidson

Mac and Jana Irwin

Jo Kurth Jagoda

Emily A. Jefferson

Dorothy and Plato+ Karayanis

Judge James W. Kerr, Jr.

Kyle Kerr

Scott C. Kimple

John Ford Lacy and Cece Smith Lacy

Mrs. Robert I. Lansburgh

Ms. Carol J. Levy

Mrs. Mary Lysaught

Ms. Julie Machal-Fulks

Charles Mandernach

Joy and Ronald Mankoff

Pat Mattingly

Holly and Tom Mayer

Lynn McBee

Michelle Mew

Joyce and Harvey Mitchell

Ms. Renee Sterling

Ann Stuart, Ph.D.

John Dee Swope

Barbara and Bob Sypult

Jean Ann Titus

Sarah L. Titus

Mr. and Mrs. W. Bradford Todd

Nancy Abbott Torell

Dr. Robert S. Toth

Ms. Sandy Tucker

Jeremy D. Wance

Kathy and John Ward

Dona and Michael Watson

Mr. Martin J. Weiland

Martha Wells

Jane A. Wetzel

Jeanette and George Wharton

Elaine Wiant

For more information on the Orpheus Legacy Society, please contact Linda Lipscomb at 214.443.1086 or linda.lipscomb@dallasopera.org.

Arlene+ and John Dayton

Ms. Karen E. Keith and Mr. David A. Derr

Ian Derrer and Daniel James

Dr. James E. Elbaor

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Erwin

Susan G. Fleming

Mrs. Lee Ford

Dr. Gabriel and Monica Fried

Lee Gibson

Steven Gold and Merlene Walker

Joan L. Goltz

Ms. Gabriele Gruschkus

Mr. Mario A. Gutierrez

The Honorable Deborah Hankinson

Frederick Hoffman and Roy Joplin

Ms. Susan F. Holly

Myra Barker Hull

Robert L. Hull

Mr. and Mrs. Dwaine R. Moore III

Dr. Gary and Bette Morchower

Arnold R. (Andy) Mozisek, Jr.

Arlene and Louis Navias

Ms. Virginia G. Nerney

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Oliver

Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. O’Neil

Neil Douglas Oxford

Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Patterson

Kenneth Peck

Mr. Jonathan Pell

Randy D. Pierson

Ms. Pat Rosenthal

Marion Rothstein

Dr. Chris Salerno

Mark C. Scammel

Mrs. Enika Schulze

Mr. James R. Seitz, Jr.

Dr. B. Lynwood Simpson

Marnie and Kern Wildenthal

Samuel Williams

Rodney I. Woods

Donna and Joe Worsham

Cynthia E. Young

Gordon Young

+ Deceased 21 COSÌ FAN TUTTE DUE TO PROGRAM BOOK PRINT DEADLINES, GIFTS LISTED REFLECT THOSE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1, 2023

ANNUAL FUND DONORS

GRAND IMPRESARIO

($1,000,000+)

Margot B. Perot and the Perot Family

MAESTRO SOCIETY

($250,000+)

Estate of Marten F. Klop

Martha Peak Rochelle

PRODUCER SOCIETY

($100,000+)

Estate of Rosalie Alexander

Lisa and David Genecov Family Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation

Holly and Tom Mayer

Tom and Phyllis McCaslandCommunities Foundation of Oklahoma

Stephen B. L. Penrose

Richard and Enika Schulze Foundation

Betty and Steve Suellentrop

Marnie and Kern Wildenthal

DIRECTOR SOCIETY

($75,000+)

Linda and Mitch Hart

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Sands

GUARDIAN SOCIETY

($50,000+)

Diane and Hal Brierley

Mr. James F. Carey

John W. Dayton

Cindy and Charlie Feld

Joy S. and Ronald Mankoff

The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Family

Joanna L. and T. Peter Townsend

LEADERSHIP SOCIETY

($25,000+)

Martha Allday

Michael and Rebecca Baker

The Ruth LeVan Fund

Debra Witter and Scott Chase

Dr. and Mrs. Mark S. Geyer

Robert L. Hull and Myra Barker Hull

Dr. and Mrs. Willis C. Maddrey

Mr. James and Dr. Betty Muns

Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Phillips

Dr. Joan S. Reisch

Brian and Debbie Shivers

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Smith

Ann Stuart, Ph.D.

Sandy Tucker

Kathy and John Ward

Martha and Max+ Wells

DIAMOND CIRCLE

($15,000+)

Anonymous (2)

Deborah Mashburn and David Boddie

Mr. Roger L. Carroll

Mr. and Mrs. William A. Custard

Robert and Virginia Dupuy

Antony Francis

Mr. Timothy C. Headington

Emily A. Jefferson

Mike and Judge Barbara Lynn

Nesha and George Morey

Ms. Marla C. Muns

Mrs. Angela D. Paulos

Ms. Ella Prichard

Pat and Jed Rosenthal

Suzelle M. Smith

Greg Swalwell and Terry Connor

Karen and Jim Wiley

Jill and Malcolm Winspear

Raguet Worsham

PLATINUM CIRCLE

($10,000+)

Anonymous (2)

Terry Barrett and Krista Tinsley

Alice W. Bass

J. Andrew Brock

Kay Carrel

Parker Crook

Christine A. Miller & Gary H. Glaser Charitable Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. J. Davis Hamlin

Mr. and Mrs. Scott C. Kimple

Mr. and Mrs. John Ford Lacy

Ms. Paula S. Lambert

Ms. Julie Machal-Fulks

Richard and Bobbi Massman

Mary McDermott Cook

Joyce and Harvey Mitchell

Arlene and Louis Navias

Mr. and Mrs. Quincy Roberts

Marion Rothstein

Jennifer and Thomas Russell

Carole and Norman Silverman

Karen and Ken Travis

Jane A. Wetzel

Dr. A. Gordon Worsham

GOLD CIRCLE

($7,500+)

Anonymous (2)

James R. and Carole Erwin

Jenifer and Peter Flynn

Charles F. Foster and Bill Maina

Dr. and Mrs. John M. Haley

Joanna and John Hampton

Patricia and David May

Sarah R. Gannon and John Seddelmeyer

Kimberly and Brian Williams

Donna and Joe Worsham

SILVER CIRCLE

($5,000+)

Anonymous

Dr. Stephen Baker and Alberto Moreno

Mrs. Thomas P. Barton

Elaine and Bill Blaylock

Carole Braden

Mason Brown Family Foundation

Carol W. Byrd

Jean Tsao Chang and Kern Chang

Estate of Annelies Christian

Bonnie E. Cobb

Grover and Jacqueline Ellisor

Frances and David Ertel

Dr. and Mrs. James Forman

Mr. Eric Foster

Monica Gaudioso

Harriett and Chuck Gibbs

Fred and Jerri Grunewald

Mr. Brian Hackfeld

Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Haley

Fanchon and Howard Hallam

The Honorable Deborah Hankinson

Adrea D. Heebe

Robert and Frieda Hudspeth

Stephanie and Hunter Hunt

Jana and Mac Irwin

Jo Kurth Jagoda

Dorothy and Plato+

Karayanis

Steven and Margaret

Keirstead

Kenneth Killen

Dr. John and Mrs. Paulette

Krause

Tom Leatherbury and Patricia Villareal

Barbara Thomas Lemmon

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Morrill

Charlene and Tom Norris

Tom Norris Jr.

Ms. Danna Orr

Mr. and Mrs. David Pfeil

Caren Prothro

The Edward Rose III

Family Fund of the Dallas Foundation

The Honorable and Mrs. William F. Sanderson, Jr.

Mrs. David R. Stone

The Vice Family Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Walo

INNER CIRCLE

($3,000+)

Anonymous (2)

Rev. Lawrence Althouse and Ms. Katherine L. Freiberger

Dr. and Mrs. Randall Askins

The Baggett-Luna Family

Carol M. Barger and William D. Elliott

Mr. Carlos Barroso and Dr. Kay Colbert

RuthAnn Becker and Robert Maris

Selly and Joyce Belofsky

Bryan and Robin Benak

Encore Wire

Mr. Michael Blazin

Sheryl Fields Bogen

Carolyn Bradley

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony N. Briggle

Charles and Diana Briner

Mr. Joe B. Brooks

Patricia C. and Robert J. Brooks

Dr. Joseph and Barbara Buchman

Alicia Burkman

Jack and Mary Bush

Evangeline T. Cayton M.D.

Consuelo B. Chavez

Jan and James M. Clay

Mrs. Robert S. Coit

Paul Corley

Grady E. Coyle, DMA

Patricia Crocker

Ian Derrer and Daniel James

Richard and Nancy (Jagmin) Dickerman

Steven Engwall Advised Fund of The Dallas Foundation

Rosemary Enrico

Mr. and Mrs. Ruben E. Esquivel

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Exall

Susan G. Fleming, Ph.D.

Sarah Fry

Elisabeth and Dave Galley

Mr. Larry Gay

22 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON DUE TO PROGRAM BOOK PRINT DEADLINES, GIFTS LISTED REFLECT THOSE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1, 2023
THE
| 2022 | 2023
DALLAS OPERA
SEASON

Jacqueline and Michael George

Jason and Charlene Gladden

Mr. and Mrs. Don Glendenning

Dr. Agustín Arteaga and Mr. Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime

Tinsley Silcox and Joseph Guzman

Dr. Charles and Mrs. Marcia Haley

Mr. and Mrs. Ward Halla

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Halle

Kim and Greg Hext

Frederick Hoffman and Roy Joplin

Mrs. Suan Campbell Hughes

Jolie and Bart Humphrey

Melinda and James Johnson

Judge James W. Kerr, Jr.

W. David Klempin

Mr. and Mrs. Eric W. Laub

Will and Liza Lee

Dr. Max Spindler and Ms. Carol J. Levy

Robert and Susan Lorimer

Julie and Michael Lowenberg

Mr. Lloyd Lumpkins

Mary Lysaught

Nancy Wiener Marcus

Sara and David Martineau

Dr. James and Becky McCulley

Berlene and Jarrell Milburn

Don Montgomery, Jr.

William and Mary Moore

Dr. and Mrs. Gary C. Morchower

Ruth Mutch

Phillip Muth

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas O’Toole

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Palmer

Dr. Ya-hui Laurie Pan

Helene and Mark Parker

Dianne and Don Patterson

Mr. Jonathan Pell and Mr. Cleve Schneider

Janelle Pendleton

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Richter

Eileen and Harvey Rosenblum

Dr. Christopher A. Salerno and Dr. John Dixon

Mrs. George A. Shutt

Ms. Carla Siegesmund

Neal and Cherie Small

Mr. and Mrs. William T. Solomon

Dr. Stuart and Cindy Spechler

William and Jacqueline Stavi-Raines

Ms. Vivian Steinborn

Mr. and Mrs. Richard L.

Stevenson

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Stodghill

Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Stone

John Dee Swope

Mr. and Mrs. John R. Taylor, Jr.

Cynthia and Harry Tibbals

Mr. and Mrs. W. Bradford Todd

Jerre van den Bent

Inge and Sam Vastola

Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Warnecke

Dona and Michael Watson

Dr. and Mrs. David R. Webb, Jr.

Leigh and Robert Webb

Dr. and Mrs. George W. Wharton

Robert E. and Karina Woolley

John Zrno

BENEFACTOR ($1,000+)

Anonymous (3)

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Abraham

Greg and Christine Acker

Rosalie and James R.

Alexander Memorial Endowment Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation

Mr. David Baad

Delia Esther Banchs

Nancy and David Bauman

Mr. and Mrs. Jon Bauman

Joan A. Becker

Boeckman Family Foundation

Mr. Steve Bottum

Ms. Jeanne Campbell

Tassio and Milene Carvalho

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett W. Cervin

Iris Chang

Mr. Griffin Collie

Wendy Collini

Jess Corrigan

Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Cronin

Ms. Lee Cullum

Greg and Cynthia DeMars

Dr. and Mrs. Alexander

Douglass

Tom and Sally Dunning

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Finstrom

Ms. Ketty Fitzgerald

Dr. John G. Flores

Mr. and Mrs. James C.

Francis Jr.

Candace Faber and Andrew C. Frechtling

Richard and Gaile Gertson

Julia and Thomas Grace

Carlos Gracia

Mona and Bill Graue

Nicholas P.G. Greenko

Mr. and Mrs. John Hallam

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Harrison

Mr. Louis H. Harrison

Mr. and Mrs. Keith Harville

Jack W. Hawkins

Drs. Ted and Shannon Hayes MD

Roxanne Hayward

Mrs. Kathleen Muldoon and Dr. Robert Hendler

Dr. Virginia Hertenstein and Mr. Dean Hertenstein

Susan F. Holly

Kaki and Shelton Hopkins

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Hull

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Ivy

Mr. Mark E. Jacobs

Mr. Alfred Kelley

Mr. Jay Langhurst and Mr. Daniel Klingler

Mrs. Dorothy B. Leyrer

Fr. John Libone

Lind Family Foundation

Linda Lipscomb

John and Ramona Locke

Ms. Margaret McAllaster

Mr. and Mrs. J. Roddy McGinnis

Chris R. McIntyre

Geraldine “Tincy” Miller

Dr. and Mrs. William Morton

Eric Nadler and Ahn-Hong Tran

Kathy and Greg Nelson

Michael and Ann Ochstein

Mr. and Mrs. Mark O’Leary

Dr. and Mrs. German A. Oliver

Susan Partridge

Dr. and Mrs. R.V. Rege

Dr. Wilfredo Rivera and Veronica Diaz

Dr. Randall and Barbara Rosenblatt

Mary Jane Rutherford

Alan J. Savada and Will Stevenson

Mrs. Elizabeth A. Scott

Dr. and Mrs. James C. Scott

R.A. Seeliger and L.H. Harrison

Mr. James R. Seitz, Jr.

Ricki and Gabe Shapiro

Lewis and Janet Shaw

Tom and Dorothy Timmins

Dr. Martin and Judy Tobey

Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Upton

Mr. Robert G. Van Stryland, Jr.

Mr. Robert Webb

Bobbi and Larrie Weil

Andrea and Loren Weinstein

Donna M. Wilhelm

Mr. James W. Woodall

Dr. Muriel Yu

GUARANTOR ($500+)

Anonymous (3)

Sharon and Gerard Balsley

Dr. Barbara Baxter

Fr. Stephen Bierschenk

Mark Blaquiere and Cathey

Ann Fears

Mr. Donald W. Bonneau

Mel and Charlotte Booth

Ms. Diana Briner

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Browning

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Bush

John T. Carlo

Mr. and Mrs. Elliot R. Cattarulla

Stephen Chamblee

Mr. and Mrs. Lester Coleman

Lori and John Collins

Betty Taylor Cox

Mr. Michael Crow and Ms. Lorene Randall

Mr. and Mrs. Evan M. Cudd

Mr. Atlee Cunningham

Mr. Andre Desire

M. Dondero and R. Trammell

Beth Drewett

Ms. Teresita Dujon

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond A. Enstam

Ms. PJ Ericson

Robert A. and Catherine Estrada

Marsha Findlay

Myra Franke

Diana Gandy

Dee and Jim Genova

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Haggerty, Jr.

Ray Hambrick

Mr. John R. Harpool and Mr. Richard Gordon

(CONT’D) 23
ANNUAL FUND DONORS
COSÌ
FAN TUTTE DUE TO PROGRAM BOOK PRINT DEADLINES, GIFTS LISTED REFLECT THOSE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1, 2023

ANNUAL FUND DONORS (CONT’D)

Bob and Debby Harpool

Cindy Hauser

Mr. Philip C. Henderson

Mark and Susan Heymann

Dr. Christine Ho

Ms. Nancy Hodge and Mr. Douglas W. Orr

Mr. Carle Howell

Stephen Huff

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kaufman

Mr. Brad Kennedy

Ellen Lindsey Key

Mr. Christopher S. Klekar and Mr. Danny Frerich

Mr. Japheth Learn

Lesley Leuzinger

Ms. Elena V. Livingston

Mr. Jack Logan, Jr.

Peter and Lee Lorenzen

Dr. Robert C. Mann

Lynn and Allan McBee

Mr. George McDonald

Ms. Linda D. McKown

Mr. and Mrs. Gordon McWatt

Ms. Virginia Michalicek

Mr. C. H. Moore

Mr. Edgar Morales

Mr. Tim Morris

Sarah K. Naifeh

Mr. James Noonan

Ms. Elizabeth Norwood

Ronnie Pack

Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Paup

Mr. Bryan Peeler

Fred M. Penn and Dean Corbitt

Dr. Margaret Phillips

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Pickens

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Priest

Ray and Martha Quigley

Mr. Mauro D. Ravelo

Dick Rawlings

Mr. Rust E. Reid

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Remley

Ela and James Rix

Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Ross

Mr. Wayne Ruhter

Leif Sandberg

Mr. and Mrs. William Sandlin

Dr. Richard J. Schaar

Dr. Genie and Mr. Gary Short

Mrs. Tina T. Simpson

Ms. Nancy N. Smith

Dr. Rick Snyder

Dr. Mabelle Sonnenschein

Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Stoddard

Rev. Christopher Thomas

Cynthia S. Thomas

Ms. Heidi F. Verges

Karen and Howard J. Weiner

Ms. Marianne Wells

Ms. Karen L. Wiese

C.E. and Susan Wilson

Mr. and Mrs. David Yett

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: ALEXANDER ROM

After 33 Seasons with the company, Chorus Master Alexander Rom leaves The Dallas Opera following the final performance of Così fan tutte.

What does being a Chorus Master entail? An article could be written about my many duties. I want to single out, in my opinion, the most important one: to learn, no matter how difficult it is, to love, to understand the people you work with, to help them to achieve the best that they are capable of. I think I’ve been able to do this quite well.

How did you get your start? From age 7, I studied at the choral department, first at the Kharkov Music School for especially gifted children, and then at the St. Petersburg (Leningrad in the USSR) Conservatory. After immigrating to the U.S., I became one of the founders of the Grace Choral Society in Brooklyn, which I led for 19 years. Simultaneously,

I worked for about five years as a Russian opera coach for the Metropolitan Opera, which eventually led me to become the Chorus Master here at The Dallas Opera.

Any crazy opera stories? Yes, when I almost fell down a ladder at the third-floor level trying to conduct the chorus in B. Britten’s opera Billy Budd. The choristers could not see our Music Director Graeme Jenkins conducting, so I had to perform a very dangerous act of “Circus Equilibrium.” They were singing “Over the water, over the ocean” while I was nearly airborne. It all turned out to be a great, world-class production and singing.

Of course, I want to express my gratitude to my choristers, to whom I am infinitely indebted. I have a rare and friendly relationship with them, and we work together for the same purpose and goal—creating the best music we can. There is a lot of serious work, mixed with fun moments during our rehearsals, resulting in many first-class performances.

I am proud of my choristers and will miss them very much! They have been my second family for 33 years. Thank you all for everything!

Search Our Performance Archives

With over 300 productions and counting, fabled U.S. debuts from world-renowned artists including Dame Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé, Teresa Berganza, designer/director Franco Zeffirelli, director Sir David McVicar, and costume designer Peter J. Hall, and a commitment to both tradition and innovation, TDO’s past and present is now within reach.

Search our performance archives by your favorite artists, composers, operas, productions, and roles—get lost in the history and make your own when you visit us in-person or online.

24 THE DALLAS OPERA | 2022 | 2023 SEASON
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