Calgary Opera Otello program

November 17, 21 & 23, 2012

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PLAYHOUSE PUBLICATIONS LTD. The Calgary Opera program is published by Playhouse Publications Ltd. 950 Bell Tower, 10104-103 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5J 0H8 Ph: 780-423-5834 | Fax: 780-413-6185 www.playhousepublications.ca President & Publisher: Rob Suggitt Vice President: Stephen Kathnelson Art Director & Designer: Christine Kucher Advertising Sales: Barry Powis, Kerry Duperron Administration: Amber Grmek OTELLO 3

Marilyn Milavsky

Michael Crape

Chair

Director

Evan J. Hazell

Donald C. Edie, QC

Immediate Past Chair, Chair, Nominating

Director

Leo le Nobel

David H. Field, QC

Secretary

Director

Janice Woodward

Matias Grum

Treasurer

Director

Claudia Cattaneo

Richard Herbert

Chair, Impresario

Director

Brent Cooper

Christel Johansson

Director

Chair, Corporate Campaign

4 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

board of directors

Verne Johnson

Jim Reader

Chair, Major Gifts

Director

Lachlin McKinnon

Monica Sloan

Director

Chair, Endowment

Pat Menzies

Don Swystun

Chair, Advocacy

Director

Jerry Olynuk

John Torode

Director

Director

Ruth Ramsden-Wood

Sheila K. Wappel-McLean

Director

Chair, Special Events

OTELLO 5

W cardinal rule #3

Be Patient

B e c a u s e

i t

w o r k s.

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message from the

W

general director and ceo

Welcome to our 2012-13 Viva Verdi season!

It’s hard to deny the allure of Verdi. Whether his name is familiar or not, we’ve all heard his timeless music, even if you’ve never been to an opera house. Giuseppe Verdi is a man whose name has become synonymous with great opera. His works have been performed on every opera stage around the world and for his 200th birthday we are thrilled to be able to recognize his achievements with an all Verdi season.

We launch our season with one of Verdi’s most mature works, written near the end of his career, which is praised by musicologists as being one of Verdi’s foremost and vocally demanding operas. From a young age, Verdi had huge admiration for Shakespeare and his plays. It wasn’t until Arrigo Boito approached him with what Verdi saw as the perfect adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello that he consented to come out of retirement to compose Otello.

It has been 27 years since Otello was last seen in Calgary and we’re happy to have it back with a new set and projections designed by Calgary’s own Scott Reid. For this production I’m thrilled to welcome John Mac Master as Otello. It’s been seven years since he’s performed on our stage, and during that time he has performed in some of the greatest opera houses in the world, including the Met in New York.

Joni Henson will be making her debut with our company as Desdemona, adding a fresh young voice to our stage. As always, it is a pleasure to welcome back Gregory Dahl. He has matured exponentially as a singer since he first performed with Calgary Opera in 2003 to the extent that he can now fill a great baritone role such as Iago. Erin Lawson returns to our stage as well. As a graduate of the Emerging Artist Development Program, she made her mainstage debut in The Ballad of Baby Doe. To see our young artists come back as they mature and gain strength as performers is a genuine pleasure. Finally, we welcome back Uwe Dambruch who demonstrates the strength of our local artists.

Get ready for an evening of magnificent music and enjoy our Viva Verdi season.

General Director and CEO, W.R. (Bob) McPhee

Viva Verdi Season Sponsor

The Calgary Herald is committed to supporting the arts in Calgary. A vibrant arts community enriches lives, expands horizons, promotes learning and improves quality of living. Our arts and culture community places Calgary on the world’s stage and inspires our city to grow and flourish.

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message from the

chair

T

This season we celebrate Verdi, one of the greatest composers of all time, and a personal favourite of mine. It is interesting to look back on history and see how many of the great composers found their footing through the support of patrons of the arts. Verdi received financial help at a young age so he could have advanced musical training in Milan, a step without which he may never have achieved the greatness that he did.

Not only that, but Verdi’s masterpiece Aida would never have been composed had it not been for patron of the arts, Ismail Pasha of Egypt.

Even today, we continue to need the support of generous community and business leaders to help finance the work and programs we present for the community. I would like to thank many corporate leaders for their ongoing support and dedication to our art form including Talisman Energy, Cenovus, Enbridge, Nexen, the Calgary Herald, Otello production sponsor BMO Financial Group, and our Viva Verdi season sponsor, Husky Energy. We thank these and the many other companies and countless individual donors for recognizing the value of arts in our lives, and the lives of our friends and family.

Even though our mainstage season is focused on one of the greatest opera composers of all time, we are also interested in the future of this great art form. We kicked off our 2012-13 season with a community opera, What Brought Us Here, presented at the Arrata Opera Centre.

Based on the true stories of three immigrants to Canada, this important project brought these newest stories to life through the magic of opera. The power they had to

touch each and every audience member was a pleasure to behold and I’m proud that Calgary Opera was at the helm as a catalyst for such a moving work. We thank the Calgary Foundation, Calgary 2012, and the Rozsa Foundation for making the community opera possible.

Along with our dedicated sponsors and donors, I would also like to thank our government funders – Calgary Arts Development Authority, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Department of Canadian Heritage for their vital support of our art form.

Opera combines all art forms – theatre, music, voice, sets, costumes, movement, acting and story – into the grandest art form. It can tell the most complex story simply or give great emotional depth to the simplest narrative. I thank you for allowing us to bring the very best of opera to this city.

Chair, Marilyn Milavsky

corporate supporters key season sponsors Education

Community Outreach Program

Viva Verdi Season

Mainstage Media

production and program sponsors Otello

La Traviata

For Students Only Dress Rehearsal

Emerging Artist Program

Impresario Circle

School Tour Production

Opera for All Program

Opera Titles

40th Gala Supporters Presenting

key media partners

Event Supporters

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program notes Setting the Stage After a lifetime of creating stirring and dramatic opera works based on every conceivable subject and drawing on every major writer of the time, Verdi turned exclusively to the playwright that he admired most, William Shakespeare. In 1847, 40 years earlier, Verdi had composed Macbeth, which gained favourable acclaim at the time, but despite this and his deep admiration of the playwright, he hadn’t adapted a second Shakespearean play since.

Arrigo Boito changed this when his insightful adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello landed in the great composer’s hands. He had vowed that he would never work with the upstart writer, but once he finally read it (five years after receiving it) Verdi was seized by inspiration and composed one of the greatest achievements of his career.

ILLUSTRATION: TONY HEALEY/AGM

On the opening night of Otello, Verdi is quoted as saying, “My long career is now over,” and on the last performance night of Otello at La Scala he said, “Till midnight I am still Maestro Verdi, but then I return to being the peasant of Sant’ Agata.”

Otello was an instant success. The audience was ecstatic, surging to their feet to applaud Verdi’s work, and their enthusiasm didn’t end at the theatre. The party continued into the night, with shouts of ‘Viva Verdi!’ keeping the composer up until well into the small hours of the morning.

Appreciating the Music I have to admit that Otello has been my favourite opera since I first experienced it almost 25 years ago.

On first hearing it I was amazed by its sheer power and range of colour, and many years and productions later it never ceases to amaze and thrill me.

The sublimely beautiful cello solo and quartet at the end of Act 1 which leads to Otello and Desdemona’s love duet is unparalleled in its beauty. Is it an accident that Puccini writes a very similar passage in the beginning of Tosca’s third act 13 years later?

Otello is a masterpiece, the second to last of 28 operas written by Giuseppe Verdi, arguably the greatest operatic composer that Italy produced. This and Falstaff, his last opera, were the culmination of a composing career that spanned almost 60 years. Verdi spent his lifetime perfecting and furthering the art form of opera and no one contributed as much as he did to its growth and development. His vocal writing, while always remaining rooted in the Bel Canto tradition, stretched the limits of singers in new ways and created many incredible roles.

Otello demands a huge emotional output from its three main principal singers and takes really fine singing actors to do it justice.

We hear hints of Impressionism in Verdi’s shimmering music to the end of the first act and in Iago’s narrative about Cassio’s dream as well as harmonic progressions that look towards Wagner’s Tristan in the ‘kiss motive’ as well as in the great third act finale. What music could be more evil, brutal and angular than that of Iago’s Credo? Verdi’s use of the huge brass section in this, as well as in places like the duet of vengeance at the end of Act 2, created deeper and darker sonorities than had been heard before. On the opposite side of the colour spectrum we have the light scherzo-like music of the Act 3 handkerchief trio which looks towards Falstaff and the ethereal opening of Act 4 with its mournful cor anglais solo which sets the scene for Desdemona’s Willow Song & Ave Maria. Verdi’s choice of orchestration in the last act where Otello enters Desdemona’s dark bedroom to kill her is chilling. He writes a passage for four muted Double Basses starting on low E, the lowest note playable at that time. The violas join them with a nervous 16th note pattern, followed by the thud of the bass drum with the music building in violence as Otello nears her. This orchestration made such an impression on Richard Strauss that he incorporated it into his edition of Berlioz’s Treatise on Orchestration.

In Otello the music is continuous and always serves the expression of the drama. It was new, different and modern for its time though also having Verdi’s unmistakeable stamp; the power and passion of Rigoletto, the tenderness of La Traviata and the beauty and inventiveness of Aida and Il Trovatore.

From the first notes one is aware of entering a new musical world. It begins with an incredible blast from the orchestra, no prelude or overture, and we are catapulted head first into the storm and the throes of battle. Verdi moves between scenes seamlessly with music that is incredibly descriptive of both the action and the emotional state of the characters. Gone are the old ‘oom pah pah’ accompaniments of the past where the orchestra was a mere accompanist – here in Otello the orchestra is a vital character in the opera.

While it doesn’t have many pieces that are extracted for concerts, there is no shortage of gems within. The virtuosic Fuoco di gioia chorus and Iago’s drinking song move the plot along as well as having infectious melodies that audiences leave the theatre humming.

There has long been argument over which is greater, Falstaff or Otello, but that is like comparing apples and oranges as both are incredible and yet entirely different.

Now in this Viva Verdi season you can decide for yourselves by having the chance to see three of Verdi’s greatest works in one season! I am thrilled that you are here tonight to share in this amazing work. Enjoy!

Conductor, Robert Tweten

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education

What Brought Us Here Calgary Opera’s presentation of

What Brought Us Here – A New Community Opera took place on September 27, 28 and 29 to capacity crowds.

This unique new opera creation focuses on the poignant, tragic and uplifting true stories of three new immigrants to Canada from their home countries of Bosnia, Iran and Sudan. Librettist Clem Martini interviewed over 20 individuals, selecting three stories for the final opera.

Composer Arthur Bachmann then composed an opera score influenced by each of the contributing cultures and interweaving traditional folk instruments to create a unique musical experience.

“Ultimately art and music are a way that we can create and nurture community and learn to share the deeper emotional waters that run inside all of us – and this new opera does just that,” says stage director Onalea Gilbertson.

Calgary Opera thanks the following for their generous support of this project:

14 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

The ensemble cast of Emerging Artist alumni Michelle Minke, Krista de Silva, Rose-Ellen Nichols, and John Conlon as well as newcomers Joseph Angelo and Ryan Allen performed alongside Sudanese fluitest Fatma Ahmed, Iranian singer Mandana Kisomi, Bosnian accordion player Tanya Mahmutovic and traditional African drummer Brent Van Dusen in a distinctive blend of opera and traditional folk music.

“The strength of our arts scene is evident when one of the oldest and most established companies is a leader in innovation and community engagement,” says Mary Rozsa de Coquet, President of the Rozsa Foundation that contributed funds to the project. “A New Community Opera brings an amazing group of long-time Calgary artists together with the newest Calgarians to tell their stories of arrival. Not only is this a fine welcome, it captures what we are all about. It is a privilege to support such an initiative.”

by Giuseppe Verdi

Production sponsor

Conductor | Robert Tweten Stage Director | Kelly Robinson Set and Projections designed by | Scott Reid Lighting Designer | Harry Frehner Fight Director | J-P Fournier Assistant to the Director | Brenna Corner Assistant Lighting Designer | Kalyna Conrad Costumes supplied by | Malabar

CAST LISTED IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

Montano | Gene Wu Cassio | Colin Ainsworth Iago | Gregory Dahl Roderigo | Robert Clark Otello | John Mac Master Desdemona | Joni Henson Emilia | Erin Lawson Herald | Graham Paynter Lodovico | Uwe Dambruch Cast subject to change

Calgary Opera Chorus Chorus Director | Sandra Atkinson Accompanied by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Repetiteur | Christopher Mokrzewski Opera Titles | John Bouz Operatitles by Aria Nuova Presentations Stage Manager | Donna Sharpe Assistant Stage Manager | Nicole Bergen Assistant Stage Manager | Holly Clark Apprentice Stage Manager | Maddie Pauling Head of Wardrobe | Ansa Schau Head of Props | Waunita Simmons Head of Make-up | Gail Kennedy Head Wig & Hair Artist | Franca Vaccaro Director of Production | Bonni Baynton Sprague Technical Director | Murray Palmer Production Assistant | Claire Nicholson Head Scenic Carpenter | John Bouman Head Scenic Painter | Louis Beaudoin Calgary Opera is proud to work with the professional stage hands and artisans provided by IATSE Local 212 OTELLO 15

Cyprus, late 15th century

ACT I November 17, 21 & 23, 2012

synopsis

A tempest rages as the Moor Otello, general of the Venetian army and governor of the island, arrives in port. Iago, Otello’s ensign, discovers that Roderigo has pursued Desdemona to Cyprus in hopes of winning her heart from the general Otello.

Promising to help Roderigo, Iago says Desdemona should soon tire of her Moorish husband, adding in bitter jealousy that Otello passed him over for advancement, promoting Cassio instead. Iago proposes a toast; when Cassio declines any more drink, Iago says he cannot refuse to salute Otello’s new wife. Cassio consents and becomes more inebriated as Iago provokes Roderigo to a duel with Cassio. When Montano, Otello’s predecessor in command, tries to separate the two, Cassio attacks him as well. Otello comes out of the castle to restore order. When he sees Desdemona disturbed by the fray, he takes away Cassio’s recent promotion. Sending everyone home, Otello turns to his bride, and they recall how they fell in love. Leading her back into the castle, Otello kisses her.

ACT II Iago tells Cassio that by presenting his case to Desdemona he can be reinstated, because Otello is influenced by his wife.

As soon as Cassio is out of sight, Iago declares his belief that a cruel God created man wicked, and life has no meaning. Iago watches as Cassio approaches Desdemona in the garden, and when Otello comes in, the lieutenant makes casual remarks about Desdemona’s fidelity. Softened by his wife’s beauty,

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Otello greets her, but she brings up the question of Cassio’s demotion, annoying him. When she offers a handkerchief to wipe his brow, he throws it to the ground, where her attendant, Emilia, retrieves it. As Desdemona tries to calm Otello, Otello asks to be alone, and the others leave, except for Iago, who hangs back to observe Otello’s growing suspicion. To fan the flames, Iago invents a story about how Cassio spoke lovingly of Desdemona in his sleep. Then he mentions her handkerchief, saying he saw it in Cassio’s hand. Beside himself, Otello swears to have vengeance, and Iago joins in the oath.

ACT III In the armory, Iago tells Otello that more proof is forthcoming of his betrayal by his wife and Cassio.

Desdemona enters, and Otello speaks calmly until she revives the subject of Cassio. When Otello demands the handkerchief he gave her, she again pleads for Cassio. Otello calls the shocked woman a courtesan and dismisses her. He cries out that heaven could have afflicted him with anything but this, then hides as Iago returns with Cassio. Iago flashes the handkerchief he stole and leads Cassio on in banter in such a way that Otello overhears only fragments and thinks they

are talking about Desdemona. As trumpets announce dignitaries from Venice, Otello vows to kill his wife that very night. The Moor greets Lodovico, who recalls him to Venice and appoints Cassio to govern Cyprus.

Losing control at this news, Otello pushes his wife to the floor with insults. He orders everyone out and collapses in a seizure as Iago gloats over him, crying, “Behold the Lion!”

ACT IV As Emilia helps Desdemona prepare for bed, the frightened woman sings of a maiden forsaken by her lover. Startled by the wind, she bids Emilia an impassioned farewell and kneels in prayer before retiring.

As soon as she has dozed off, Otello enters and kisses his wife. This wakens her, but the jealous man, deaf to her protestations of innocence, strangles her. Emilia knocks with news that Cassio has killed Roderigo, and upon entering, she is horrified to find the dying Desdemona. Emilia’s summons brings Cassio and Lodovico as well as Iago, who quickly escapes when his wife reveals his treachery. Realizing his tragedy, Otello pulls out a concealed dagger and stabs himself, dying upon a final kiss.

a r a u c o u s n i g h t o f a r t s & c u lt u r e February 9, 2013 • glenbow.org/schman cy

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biographies Robert Tweten

Scott Reid

Conductor

Set and Projection Designer

Conductor Robert Tweten returns to Calgary Opera after conducting last season’s Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi.

This past season the Canadian native has conducted The Barber of Seville for Vancouver Opera, Fidelio for Edmonton Opera and Il Trovatore for Utah Opera as well as orchestral concerts with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Head of Music Staff for the Santa Fe Opera, Maestro Tweten has led five productions there as well as other companies including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sarasota Opera, Austin Lyric Opera and Opera Ontario. Also an active pianist, he has performed internationally with many of today’s foremost singers and chamber musicians.

Kelly Robinson Stage Director

Kelly Robinson is a director and choreographer whose career spans opera, theatre, film and television.

Mr. Robinson’s work has been seen at Opéra de Montréal, Minnesota Opera, The Dallas Opera, Melia Theatre in Havana, Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End, The Stratford and Shaw Festivals, and Mirvish Productions in Toronto. Currently Director of the Opera as Theatre Program and Theatre Arts at The Banff Centre, Mr. Robinson has a long history with Calgary Opera, best known for directing new works and new productions including both Filumena (2003) and Frobisher (2007).

For Calgary Opera he last directed The Inventor (2011).

18 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

Scott Reid is an award-winning Calgary-based designer. For Calgary Opera he designed The Inventor (projections), Little Women, Dead Man Walking, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Turtle Wakes.

Selected design credits include: The Clockmaker, East of Berlin, Half Life and numerous playRites Festivals (ATP), Mom’s the Word – For Crying Out Loud!, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Raisin in the Sun (Theatre Calgary), The Cunning Little Vixen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Banff Centre), and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Songs of a Wayfarer, Requiem (Alberta Ballet). Mr. Reid has also designed for numerous other companies in Calgary and across Canada.

Harry Frehner Lighting Designer

Harry Frehner has designed more than 40 productions for Calgary Opera dating back to 1992. In the past seven years, six of these productions have been nominated for Betty Mitchell Awards, of which two have won. He has lit productions for opera companies in Canada such as Edmonton Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Vancouver Opera, Opera Ontario, Manitoba Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria.

In the US he has lit productions for San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado, Arizona Opera, Utah Opera. As well, his work has been seen across the country at such companies as The Banff Centre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Stratford and Shaw Festivals, Ballet BC and Neptune Theatre.

Cast listed in order of appearance

J-P Fournier

Gene Wu

Fight Director

Baritone

Mr. Fournier heads up the Performance stream with the Department of Theatre at MRU and is the Maitre d’Armes of Fight Directors, Canada. He has worked extensively in theatre, television and film and taught at universities and colleges across Canada, England, Norway, Belgium, and the United States.

He has directed fights for more than 30 operas in Canada and the U.S. His fights for Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet revolutionized ballet fight choreography around the world.

Montano Calgary Baritone Gene Wu has performed across Canada in a wide variety of musical repertoire, most recently as Silvio in Pagliacci (Opera Lyra Ottawa), Mr. Gobineau in The Medium (Highlands Opera Studio) and Junius in The Rape of Lucretia (Opera on the Avalon). Highlights include Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Hamilton), The Mandarin in Turandot (Opera Lyra Ottawa), Duglas D’Angus in La Donna del Lago (Opera In Concert), Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Toronto Summer Music Festival as well as the Speaker in Vancouver Opera’s The Magic Flute, and Emilio Picariello in Filumena (The Banff Centre). Mr. Wu was last seen in The Barber of Seville for Calgary Opera (2009).

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biographies Colin Ainsworth Tenor

Cassio Commended for his “rock-solid technique, excellent diction, and a virile tone” (Globe and Mail), Mr. Ainsworth has performed with the Royal Opera House, Greek National Opera, Vancouver Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Pacific Opera Victoria, Edmonton Opera, Opera Atelier, and recently made his Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra.

His roles include Tonio (La fille du régiment), Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress), Orphée (Orphée et Euridice), Renaud (Armide), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Fenton (Falstaff), and Ferrando (Così fan tutte).

He was last with Calgary Opera for Moby-Dick as Greenhorn (2012).

Gregory Dahl Baritone

Iago Gregory Dahl has boldly staked his claim to a position of prominence among baritones of his generation with performances notable for richness of characterization and a remarkable vocal authority. He has been hailed in such roles as Count di Luna in Il Trovatore (Opéra de Montréal), Golaud in Pélléas et Mélisande and Jokanaan in Salome (Opera Theater of Saint Louis), Don Giovanni (Edmonton Opera/Pacific Opera Victoria), the title role in Macbeth (Pacific Opera Victoria), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (Vancouver Opera) and Ford in Falstaff (Manitoba Opera). Mr. Dahl was last with Calgary Opera for Ariadne auf Naxos (2009).

20 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

Robert Clark Tenor

Roderigo An alumnus of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Development Program, Mr. Clark made his mainstage debut as Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor with Calgary Opera. Other credits include Al in The Barber of Barrhead (Edmonton Opera and Calgary Opera), Sam Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and roles in L’enfant et les sortilèges, Le Nozze di Figaro, Gianni Schicchi, A Game of Chance, and Frobisher. Recent and upcoming engagements include Beppe in I Pagliacci (Edmonton Opera), Flask in Moby-Dick where he also covered the role of Ahab (Calgary Opera), Jaquino in Fidelio (Edmonton Opera), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Highland Opera Studio) and Macduff in Macbeth (Pacific Opera Victoria).

John Mac Master Tenor

Otello New Brunswick-born John Mac Master has been engaged worldwide for the dramatic tenor repertoire. Recent performances and recordings: Beethoven’s Ninth with Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra in London and New York, Florestan in Fidelio with Sir Colin Davis in London and with Valery Gergiev for Rotterdam’s White Nights Festival, Weber’s Euryanthe for the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw, Calaf in Turandot at Dresden’s Semper Oper; Tristan, (Metropolitan, Welsh National, Seoul), Bacchus (Vancouver, Melbourne), Canio (Glimmerglass, Metropolitan, Montreal, Vancouver, Kentucky), Otello (Quebec, Edmonton, Kentucky), Peter Grimes (Montreal, Michigan Opera), Herod, (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Vancouver, New Orleans, Montreal), Aegisth (San Francisco, Toronto). In concert: Mahler’s Symphony No 8 (Montreal), Glagolitic Mass (Carnegie Hall), Das Lied von der Erde (Vancouver) and Verdi’s Requiem (Opera Australia, New York and Québec City). He was last with Calgary Opera for Sweeney Todd (2004).

Joni Henson

Erin Lawson

Soprano

Mezzo-Soprano

Desdemona

Emilia

Joni Henson is one of Canada’s most thrilling young performers. Recent engagements include Leonora in Il Trovatore (Opera Hamilton), Senta in Flying Dutchman (Pacific Opera Victoria), Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, (Canadian Opera Company). In concert she has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Calgary Philharmonic, Hamilton Philharmonic and recently presented a debut recital for Music Toronto. Highlights of the upcoming season include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the Detroit Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra and a return to Pacific Opera Victoria for the title role in Tosca. This is her debut with Calgary Opera.

Possessing “…a beautiful lyric mezzo-soprano” voice (Opera Canada), and praised for her “dramatic flair and expressive vocal range” (Kitchener-Waterloo Record), Ms. Lawson is earning notice for performances on opera and concert stages across Canada. An alumni of both Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program and Pacific Opera Victoria’s Resident Artist Program, Ms. Lawson is using her “vivacious” (Edmonton Journal) stage presence to captivate audiences in repertoire ranging from Handel and Rossini to newly created works. Recent operatic highlights include Pitti-Sing with Edmonton Opera, Rosina with Jeunnesse Musicales Canada, 3rd Lady with Pacific Opera Victoria and Flora with Saskatoon Opera. She was last with Calgary Opera for Ariodante (2012).

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biographies Uwe Dambruch

Donna Sharpe

Bass-Baritone

Stage Manager

Lodovico Bass-Baritone Uwe Dambruch returns to Calgary Opera after critical acclaim as Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor) for Calgary Opera. He has performed with Frankfurt Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein Duesseldorf, Zuerich, Bayreuth Festival, Taiwan Symphony, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Edmonton Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Hamilton, North Carolina Opera Company, Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, Alberta Ballet and sang Wagnerian excerpts in the Cannes award-winning film Wahnfried. His repertoire includes Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor) Don Basilio (The Barber of Seville), Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Timur (Turandot), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Ramfis (Aida), Mefistophele (Faust), Daland (The Flying Dutchman) and many others.

22 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

Donna Sharpe enjoys working in both theatre and opera, and is grateful for the opportunities this work brings to her life. This is Ms. Sharpe’s 11th season with Calgary Opera, and her selected credits include Calgary Opera’s 2012/13 season, Aida, Moby-Dick, La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi, Pagliacci, as well as assistant stage managing Don Giovanni, Little Women, The Barber of Seville, Ariadne auf Naxos, Faust, Tosca, Rigoletto, Frobisher, Dead Man Walking, and Sweeney Todd. Ms. Sharpe enjoys being a stage management mentor and working with young artists in emerging artist programs.

She has stage-managed with Green Mountain Opera Festival (Vermont), Opera on the Avalon (Newfoundland), as well as the 2010 Winter Olympics (Whistler).

Nicole Bergen

Holly Clark

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager

Nicole Bergen works as a stage manager and assistant stage manager in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Recent shows include Don Pasquale and The Marriage of Figaro (SM, Saskatoon Opera), La Bohème, Moby-Dick, Aida, Ariodante, Lucia di Lammermoor, Manon, and The Barber of Seville (ASM, Calgary Opera), and Little Women, Turn of the Screw and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ASM, The Banff Centre). This year’s shows include What Brought Us Here (SM, Calgary Opera), Otello, Falstaff, and La Traviata (ASM, Calgary Opera). She also reads a lot and widely, walks a lot, and loves chocolate and cooking.

Get the

Holly Clark was born and raised in Calgary and is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management program. She has been very fortunate to be part of the Stage Management teams for the Edmonton and Calgary Opera companies as well as Opera NUOVA and the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.

This summer, she worked as Assistant Stage Manager to the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show and Assistant Technical Director at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. She has had a great time working on this show and hopes you enjoy it as much as she has.

Advantage

OTELLO 23

calgary philharmonic orchestra Music Director Roberto Minczuk FIRST VIOLINS

Diana Cohen - Concertmaster John Lowry - Associate Concertmaster Donovan Seidle - Assistant Concertmaster Janice Amsel Kathryn Stewart Corvino Olga Kotova  Theresa Kraucunas Minnie Min Kyung Kwon Bonnie Louie Robert Penner Laura Reid 

SECOND VIOLINS

Lorna Tsai * Stephanie Soltice-Johnson ** Judy Bessel Jeremy Gabbert Craig Hutchenreuther Theresa Lane Adriana Lebedovich  Lenora Leggatt Steven J. Lubiarz Richard Van de Geer * Principal

** Assistant Principal

VIOLaS

John Thompson * Marcin Swoboda ** Arthur Bachmann Peter Blake Carl Boychuk Michael Bursey Katerina Grigoriu Julie Westgate

CELLI

Philip Hansen * Susan Foulkes ** Rafael Hoekman Joan Kent Thomas Megee Tom Mirhady David Morrissey Karen Youngquist

BASSES

Charles Garrett * Sheila Garrett ** Nick Bobas Matthew Heller Graeme Mudd Patricia Bereti Reid *** Associate Principal

FLUTES

TRUMPETS

PICCOLO

TROMBONES

Sara Hahn * Gwen Klassen **

Adam Zinatelli * Howard Engstrom **†

Gwen Klassen

James Scott * Michael Thomson **

OBOES

Jean Landa * David Sussman **

BASS TROMBONE

ENGLISH HORN

TUBA

CLARINETS

TIMPANI

David Reid *

David Sussman

Michael Eastep *

Steve Amsel * Jocelyn Colquhoun **

Alex Cohen *

PERCUSSION

BASSOONS

Tim Rawlings *

Christopher Sales * Michael Hope **

HARP

Tisha Murvihill *

HORNS

LIBRARIAN

Robert McCosh * Jennifer Frank-Umana *** William Hopson ** Laurie Matiation ** Heather Wootton ** † Principal Emeritus



Rob Grewcock

PERSONNEL MANAGER Heather Haydu Tim Rawlings - Assistant

Leave of Absence

November 17,

reach your

21 & 23, 2012

Audience For advertising exposure in the 2012-13 Season of the Calgary Opera program, contact Barry Powis at 780.906.8846 or in_barry@telus.net Falstaff – February 2, 6, 8, 2013 La traviata – April 20, 24, 26, 2013 24 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

www.calgaryop era.com

Sandra Atkinson

Christopher Mokrzewski

AMY GLENN

Chorus Director

Repetiteur

CHORUS Repetiteur

calgary opera chorus SOPRANOS

Jess Collins Acacia Doktorchik Jamie Fortin* Jennifer Heidebrecht Melissa Jackson Kelty Latos Hannah Pagenkopf Irina Popescu Carolyn Dahl Rees Nicole Smithanik

MEZZOS

Nadine Cornelius Rosemary Van Dyk Jennifer Hutchison Karen Letch Lorraine Johns Laura Styler Jones Jonquil Koddo Heather Macnab Eswina Ngai Donna Romano

TENORS

Rejean Campbell David Fertal Michael Hardcastle Ned Leavitt Troy Lewis Thomas McDonald Stuart Miller Josh Paynter George Ross Al Weller

BARITONE/BASS Mark Hahle John Hallett Richard Taylor-Kerr Gavin Logan Tayte Mitchell Graham Paynter Marek Ratz Tim Vollhoffer Gordon Wright Jordan Wright

*appearing with permission of Canadian Actors Equity

Supernumeraries Bruce Fine Yannick Portauw Pedro Guerra Zuniga Chris Gieck Russell Hull Roger Steele

Otello Children’s Chorus Cantaré Children’s Choir Founder/Artistic Director Catherine Glazer-Climie Bronte Allegro Eric Bird Carling Brezinski Emma Cole Michayla Giesbrecht Marley Gillies

Sonja Kathol Elizabeth Lowe Lucy Sharpe Lauren Steinmann Grace Webber Maxwell Webber

in memorium Within our community

we have been fortunate enough to be gifted with rare individuals who embody the philanthropic spirit and inspire those around them to love the arts as they do. Sadly, this past year we lost four of these arts advocates.

Ruth Bullivant The Honourable Peter Lougheed Helen Thomson Dr. L.J. Roy Wilson

OTELLO 25

emerging artists In May of last season, Calgary Opera bid farewell to our graduating Emerging Artists. It was a tremendous season, with members of the ensemble performing in all three mainstage productions, adding their fresh young faces to the casts of Gianni Schicchi, Moby-Dick and La Bohème. Not only that, but mainstage veteran performers Elizabeth Turnbull, Sally Dibblee, John Fanning and Ben Heppner shared their wisdom through individual Masterclasses. These sessions are invaluable for our young artists as experienced singers are able to impart the detailed ins and outs of how to perform these roles, including working effectively with the director and conductor. These are skills over and above the musical instruction they receive.

Clarence Frazer brought waves of laughter to students in schools across Alberta with their personal renditions of the bird catcher Papageno.

Beyond the mainstage productions, our Emerging Artist ensemble performed the Opera in Schools Tour of The Magic Flute. An ideal choice for an Emerging Artist production, The Magic Flute proved to be a great ensemble piece that offered everyone a key role. A particular favourite of the kids, Mark Ellis Gough and

The Cathedral Church of the Redeemer November 21 Free noon-time concert

Adopt an Artist patrons Andrea Brussa Terence & Judith Dalgleish Marian Williams

We acknowledge the generous support of the Dr. R.G. (Bud) Williams Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund

26 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

Bringing the season to a close, Calgary Opera invited back Emerging Artist alumni Erin Lawson to perform with the ensemble in Handel’s Ariodante. Ann Hodges reimagined the classic melodrama in a 1930s setting, giving the opera a fun vintage flair.

This season, we are happy to introduce newcomers Lida Szkwarek, Maureen Ferguson, Heather Molloy and Tyler Fitzgerald and welcome back Jessica Strong, Michael Marino and Clarence Frazer. As an introduction, the Emerging Artist ensemble will perform at:

If you can’t make it for their first performance, there will be two encore performances on January 23rd and April 10th.

Supported by Emerging Artist Development Program Sponsored by

Working with our Emerging Artists throughout this season will be Tracy Dahl, one of Canada’s great sopranos, who is internationally known and respected. She has performed in numerous Calgary Opera productions over the years, including most recently Ariadne auf Naxos.

They will also work with critically acclaimed and highly regarded stage director, Glynis Leyshon, who last directed Calgary Opera’s modern interpretation of Don Giovanni, and returns this season to direct La Traviata. She will work with the Emerging Artists on integrating their musical skills with more traditional theatrical skills.

Jessica Strong Soprano

Lida Szkwarek Soprano

Maureen Ferguson MezzoSoprano

In addition, throughout the season Emerging Artists have opportunities for individual and group contact with mainstage guest artists including visiting directors, Kelly Robinson and Michael Cavanagh; conductors Robert Tweten, Robert Dean and Timothy Vernon, and singers John Fanning, Lyne Fortin, Marc Hervieux, John Mac Master, Joni Henson, Gregory Dahl, John Tessier, Gaétan Laperrière, James Westman and Phillip Addis.

If you would like to learn more about the Emerging Artist Development Program or the participants in the program, visit calgaryopera.com.

Heather Molloy MezzoSoprano

Michael Marino Tenor

Tyler Clarence Fitzgerald Frazer Baritone Baritone

2012-13 Emerging Artists OTELLO 27

corporate and community support Community Supporters

Alberta Community Development Alberta Foundation for the Arts Alberta Lottery Fund Calgary Arts Development Canada Council for the Arts Canadian Heritage Southern Alberta Opera Development Foundation

Education Sponsor Talisman Energy

Statoil Talisman Energy Taittinger Champagne Tinhorn Creek

Community Opera What Brought Us Here Supporters

Calgary 2012 Cultural Capital of Canada The Calgary Foundation The Rozsa Foundation

Corporate Donors

Community Outreach Sponsors Cenovus Energy

Canadian Natural Resources FirstEnergy TransCanada

Viva Verdi Season Sponsor

Media Sponsors

Husky Energy

Emerging Artist Development Program Sponsor Enbridge

Mainstage Media Sponsor The Calgary Herald

Performance & Program Supporters

BMO Financial Group Gowlings Imperial Oil Foundation Industrial Alliance Pacific KPMG Nexen Inc. PCL Construction Management Inc. RBC Financial Group through RBC Foundation

4oth Anniversary Gala Supporters TD Bank Group ATB Financial Deloitte Devour Catering Enbridge Gran Tierra Energy Highlander Wines & Spirits McKinsey & Co. McLean & Partners Nexen Pacific Wine & Spirits Philip Chong Flower Bar Snamprogetti Canada Inc.

Global Calgary Jack FM Lite 96 660 News Up! 97.7 Pattison Outdoor Playhouse Publications Swerve

Consulting Professionals Dr. Phillip Van der Merwe – Company Physician

Official Wine Supplier Kensington Wine Market

Official Florist Peaseblossoms

Official Piano Technicians of the Arrata Opera Centre Robert Moffatt & Sons

2012/13 Event Supporters Giuseppe’s Italian Market Fresh Kitchen Catering Richmond Hill Wines Lina’s Italian Market Devour Catering Crickle Creek Coffee Company

Individual Donors Naming Benefactor Arrata Opera Centre Said Arrata

28 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

Major Gift Donors F.R. Matthews Pyke Family

Voce Eterna Future Fund

We acknowledge the generous support of Dr. R.G. (Bud) Williams, Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund Brian Grasmuck

Impresario Circle Platinum

Andrea Brussa * Judith & Terence Dalgleish * Stewart & Eileen Ford David & Beverley Foy Diane Hobson * Marilyn Milavsky Mary Rozsa de Coquet Don Swystun Sheila Wappel-McLean & Brent McLean Marian Williams * * Denotes Adopt-an-Artist Donor

Gold

Carol Adamson Dr. Ken Blair Carolyn Dahl Rees Lilien Dobish Don & Joanne Edie Evan Hazell Christel & Ben Johansson Dawn and Verne Johnson Jim & Barbara Palmer Kathy & Richard Sendall Monica Sloan & John Evison Anthony Smith James M. Stanford

Silver

Maureen & Graham Davies M.A. Duggan Jane & Michael Evans Dan & Susan Ezinga David & Diane Field Cos & Eleanor Gabriele Evelyn & Sudhir Jain David & Joyce Keith Leo le Nobel Russell & Vickie McKinnnon Pat & Peter Menzies Patricia & J. Sherrold Moore James & Susan Reader C.A. Siebens

TransCanada Corporation Helen M. Wells Deborah Yedlin & Martin Molyneaux

Bronze

Anonymous George Baptist Alan D. Castle The Alan D. Castle Endowment for the Arts Margaret & Robert Fraleigh Eldon & Carlie-Jean Godfrey Dick & Lois Haskayne Glenn Johanson & Margaret Gibson Martin King & Jennifer Pemberton Juri & Helle Kraav Dr. Elena O’Connell Geri & Alan Moon Heather Peters Heinz & Cathey Schmitz Cynthia Sim

Core

Anonymous (3) Tunde Agbi Dr. Caroline Bain Irene Bakker Micheline Barbeau BKDI Architects Ioan Dobre and Claudia Cattaneo Walter & Gloria Chayka Judge & Mrs. Mary Jane Cioni Helen & Mark Cluett Marilyn Conley Brent Cooper David Daly Bill & Anne-Marie Duma David & Roxanne Dunlop Paul English & Marion Woodman Michael Fawcett Tibor & Livia Fekete Patricia Glenn and John Holgate Global Training Centre Joyce Gray David R. Haigh Stella Hall Michael & Carmen Hardcastle Judith Hepner Dr. Mark & Nancy Heule Henry & Johanna Heuver Richard D. & Phoebe Heyman Homes by Avi Carrol Jaques & Bob Loov Ryan Kalt Evelyn C. Kings

Kimberley & Paul Lloyd Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Jan & Clare Lyall Brian P. Mahoney Roger & Sandra Mapp Dennis & Maureen McConaghy Lachlin & Julianne McKinnon Denise McMullen Bob McPhee John & Susan McWilliams Helen Moore-Parkhouse Debbie & Jerry Olynuk Osten Victor Fund Bruce & Branca Pachkowski Jocelyn Daw & Bob Page Lorne & Beth Price Gail & Gerrard Protti Diane Rebryna & Anast Demitt Iris Richards Maggie Rigaux Marion Rogers Gordon W. Ross & Richard Cote Lyne & William Sattleger Gordon Sombrowski & Kevin Allen Tamra Stretch Arlene Strom & Colin Jackson Heather Treacy & Joe Nahman Kenneth Turnbull & Faye Larson Kees & Henriette Van Ittersum Dan & Molly Wares Chris Wells Andy & Krystyna Williamson Dr. Ian & Gunilla Winchester Janice Woodward Maurice & Anne Petrie Yacowar

Training Fund

Alberta Jubilee Society Cathie & Don Archibald Stephen Balogh John M. Beck Joan & Sean Booth Bruce N. Calvin Gina Campbell Geoffrey S. Cann Dana Q. Coffield A. Scott Dawson Kevin Dehod Franca & Bill Dejong Fred Dyment Martin Eden Joanne Cuthbertson & Charles Fischer Alison Freeborn Brian Grasmuck

Patrick Heinsen Mary M. Hetherington Craig Hiddleston Sam & Roberta Kaketsis Joyce & David Keith Peter Kruselnicki Lane Caputo Compensation Inc. David Lyons Jacqueline Nowak & Murray Malley Peter Martin Ann McCaig Alexandra McMeekin Anthony Meggs Marilyn Milavsky Rob & Connie Millar Jerry Olynuk Pacific Wine & Spirits Raechelle & Lorne Paperny Gail & Gerard Protti Gordon & Jill Rawlinson Diane Rebryna & Anast Demitt Marianne & Kevin Reinhart Scotiabank Barbara Klebanoff & Tony Settari Stephen Snyder Sheila Wappel-McLean & Brent McLean Jeff & Debbie Wigmore Mike & Dawn Wood Deborah Yedlin & Martin Molyneaux Blair Yorke-Slader

Festival Supporters

Anonymous (1) Walter & Gloria Chayka Romi Christie Myrna Clarke Morris & Ann Dancyger Maureen Eberts Brian Grasmuck Margaret Graw Val Grossman Beth Hedva & Harold Finkleman Rebecca Hotchkiss Michael Kaumeyer Madeleine King Leo le Nobel Ann & Tony Luppino William Penner Robert Peters Betty Ann Smith Brenda Smith Nora Stewart Mitzie Wasyliw W. Brett Wilson OTELLO 29

up close with

Kensington Wine Market

From the time Kensington Wine Market opened their doors twenty years ago as one of the

select few licensed private purveyors of alcohol in Alberta to the largest and most interactive web-marketing business of its kind, their mandate has always been excellence in service and selection. “People came through our doors 20 years ago pushing baby carriages and now those same children are old enough to apply here for a job – that is client loyalty,” relates founder and owner, Nancy Carten.

Behind the friendly neighbourhood storefront on Kensington Road is a bustling marketing department that ships orders city-wide from morning to night, servicing corporate Calgary with weekly deliveries as well as their giving and branding programs. But one of KWM’s most popular services is ‘Gift Club,’ where subscribers have a bottle of wine delivered each month as a gift. Philanthropically, Kensington Wine Market has supported numerous causes, including a five year commitment to Calgary Opera and has been named the “Best of Calgary” by both the Calgary Herald and Fast Forward year after year.

30 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

www.kensingtonwinemarket.com

corporate and community support

(continued)

Individual Donors $500 - $1,249

Anonymous (6) M. & P. Barnes Gwen & Ian Burgess David & Beverley Butler Edna M. Charchuk Ted & Yanka Cochrane Martha Cohen Andy Crichton & Michele Kalny Tony & Gillean Daffern Gizella Davis Mr. & Mrs. A.N. Edgington Tom & Dianne Ferguson Thomas J. Fishbourne John & Audrey Fry Chris Herman James Hughes Frank & Jeanette King Sandra & Jack Lee Robert & Linda Lesoway Susan Johnston D. Keith MacDonald Neil McDermid Helen Mitchell Janis & Bruce Morrison Jackie Palmer Don & Betty Plewes Trina Quickfall Greta Raymond Cam & Helga Schneider Lucinda M. Sheldon Richard & Shannon Tanner Deborah Taylor Rodney Touche Paul Vanderberg Jason Wordie Robert & Kathryn Worthingham

$250 - 499

Anonymous (5) John M. Andrews G. Carson Kirsten Cook-Zaba The Godards Robert & Linda Heidemann David Hills Rizwan Hirjee Myra & Eric Knight P. Kornacki Derek & Nancy Lee

John Martland Philip & Eleanor May Brian Mills & Susan Tyrrell Dr. Brian Norford Barry & Gail Pollock Sir Francis Price Elinor Rae Donna Riback Andrew Cook & Shannon Stevenson Greg Szuch Melanie Stapleton & Dale Voight Saida Vuk Penelope Weir Tatiana Willumsen Dr. L.J. Ray & Colleen Wilson Robert E. Woodrow Jerilyn Wright

$100 - $249

Anonymous (24) Jennifer Arko Lyne Audet David Baker Ms Barbara R. Beaton Rudy & Jeanette Berger John Boreta A.J. Brown & R.B. Beaty Katri Bruen Marion R. Burrus Dr. & Mrs. D. Butts Barbara Cairney S. & M. Cameron Anita Carey Jean Clow Frances V. Cormack Bonnie Costello Greg Coupal Anne-Marie Crawford Isabella Crossfield Stan & Jean Denesuk John & Mari Jo deWaal C. Morag Dornian Judy D. Dreeshen Denis & Pat Duke Edi J. Dygert Maureen Eberts Marva J. Ferguson Dr. Stephen & Miriam Field Barbara & Larry Fish Jean L. Fisher Edette GagnĂŠ Ingrid Geppert

John & Marilynne Gillespie Tom Goulding Ileen Hagen R. Harbich Dorothy Hawkes Kathy Hayward Justice Sandra Hunt McDonald Ms Mary Lou Higgins David Hobill Gerrit & Carla Hos Helen Isaac Tanya M. Jellicoe Brenda Kenny Sheila Kirkland Jane Lang Carolyn & Don Larsen Michael Lee Hing Angus & Theresa Leitch Dorothy M. Lomas Sandra Lucas Leslie J. McCawley Terry McColl Karen McCullough J.R. & Donna McDonald Catherine McGinley Ron & Sylvia McIntosh K. Millard Mrs. E. Milner Wendelin Fraser John & Jean Partridge A. Patterson Bernard Perron Justice Carolyn S. Phillips Erika Pochailo Phil & Arlene Ponting Maureen Poscente Drs. Carol & Joel Prager Marlene & Norm Raymond Chere Reilly Gloria Riva Burdett Hector Rose Johanna Roskey Vera A. Ross Salopek Consulting Laura Scott Robert & Tamara Seiler Doris & Gerard Sheilan Barbara Shellian Ken & Barbara Smith Penny Smith Doug Soeder Joanne Stalinski OTELLO 31

corporate and community support

(continued)

Douglas & Laurie Strother Carolyn & David Tavender Margaret Taylor Margot & Jim Thomson Tony Tiberio Nancy Tousley Cameron Val & Gerry Ward Joyce Watson Caroline Weisgerber Keith Wellon Jan Williamson Marj & Patrick Windle Albert & Frieda Zagorsky (Mrs) Herrat Zahner

Memorials

In Memory of Alan, Debra, Donald & Mark Blayney - Jean Blayney In Loving Memory of Ilse Grasmuck In Memory of Mrs. Margot Helenurm In Memory of Tom & Karen Jones Marjorie, in memory of Edward McCarthy

Calgary Opera wishes to thank the following individuals and companies for their support: 40th Anniversary Opera Gala Auction Donors

Achilles Foot Clinic All 4 You Limousine & Sedan Service Alloy Restaurant AON Reed Stenhouse Axis Contemporary Gallery Barbara, Rachel, committee Bellstar Resorts Birch, Randy Blus Womenswear Bondars Fine Furniture Broadway Across Canada Carrera Investments Corp.

Jackie Pyke Cowtown Opera Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Diva’s Gala Total Skin Care Centre Early Music Voices Concert Series Emily Forrest Personal Training Fishman’s Drycleaning

Fit Metabolism Fleur de Sel PR & Marketing Manager Gary Nissen East Winds Caribbean Limited Partnership Georges Rech Boutique Henry Singer Highland Executive Chauffeur Il Sogno c/o Collins Barrow c/o Calgary Opera Inspirati Fine European Linens Ltd. Isabelle Nagy Interior Design & Consulting Inc. Italinteriors Contract Jarvis Hall Fine Frames La Chaumiere Laurier Lounge Masters Gallery Melange for the Home Nas & Mary Hassanali Nathalie Boisvert NewZones Ooh La La Paul Hardy Design Paul Lavoie Interior Design Dr. Rachel Brager Goldenberg Rennaissance Wine Merchants Ric’s Grill Skintelligence Source Office Furnishings Stageworthy Style Re/Vamp Supreme Men’s Wear Susan Goldberg Design Swirl Art & Design Thermae Advanced Esthetics Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Vine and Dine Watch It! West Jet William and Lyne Sattlegger Willow Park Wines & Spirits

Event Supporters

Alan Chong Devour Catering Philip Chong Flower Bar Highlander Wines Pacific Wine & Spirits OneWest Events Inc Stardust Event Group Linens Etc.

32 CALGARY OPERA 2012-13 SEASON

2012 Committee

Barbara Klebanoff co-chair Sheila Wappel-MacLean co-chair Mavis Clark Margot Feldman Rachel Brager Goldenberg Matias Grum Lisa Itzcovitch Pat Menzies Rena Nathanail Jackie Pyke William Sattlegger Jocelyn Selby J’Val Shuster

California Wine Fair Auction Donors

Alberta Ballet Alberta Theatre Projects Bill Duma, Artist Bin 905 blink Restaurant C U Smile Dental Care Calgary Anti-Aging Spa Calgary Folk Fest Calgary Home Appliance Calgary Opera The Cellar Wine Store Cineplex Entertainment Civilized Adventures The Clayground The Cookbook Co. Cooks Cork Fine Wine, Liquor & Ale Cottonwood Golf & Country Club Cowtown Opera Company Dancap Productions Decidedly Jazz Danceworks The Driving Alternative Inc. Escurial Incorporated Fresh! Wellness Group Gabor Nagy, Artist Glenbow Museum Harmonia Wellness Heritage Park Historical Village Hope Smith, Artist Hotel Arts Janet Horbacio Photography Jim Norton, Glass Artist Kensington Fitness Studio Lisa Cerny, Glass Artist Little House of Hats

The Living Room Lyne & William Sattlegger The Old Trout Puppet Workshop Marcia Harris, Artist Mukwah Rafting Tours National Music Centre Quilts Charming Source Office Furnishings Spa Europa Stageworthy Supreme Men’s Wear Sunterra Markets Talisman Energy Theatre Calgary Tom Firth Vero Bistro The Wine Shop Yoga Mandala

Wine Donors

Antica Napa Valley Bogle Vineyards Cline Cellars

Conway Vineyards Domain Chandon Duckhorn Wine Company Eberle Ferrari-Carano Winery Gloria Ferrer Grgich Hills Cellar Heitz Wine Cellars Hess Honig Hope Family Wines J. Lohr Winery Kautz Family Vineyards Kenneth Volk Vineyards Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards Mendocino Wine Company Patz & Hall Wine Co. PEJU Quady Winery Rodney Strong Vineyards Schug Carneros Estate Winery Silver Oak Cellars St. Michelle Wine Estates

Terlato Wines International Trefethen Vineyards Trinchero Family Estates Vina Robles Wente Vineyards Whitehall Lane Winery Zaco Mesa

Special Thanks

Therapy Vineyards Hillside Estates Brian Grasmuck William Sattlegger Tanya Cropley Rick Slomka California Wines All of the participating wineries

Going to the theatre should be a great experience.

Here are some tips on how to make your night memorable without making a scene of your own. the lines at intermission by pre-ordering your 1 Skip refreshments at any of our concessions.

Make it true “High Def” by asking about infrared

2 listening devices and binoculars at Patron Services.

Take an extra long limo – Ride Public Transit.

3 It’s a great way to avoid traffic before and after the show.

Giving Props...

The Jube is proud to have Calgary Opera as one of its Resident Companies. With over four decades of stellar performances, Calgary Opera is committed to producing opera of the highest possible calibre and making their productions as accessible as possible in the community.

OTELLO 33

1

2

3

4

5

spo

6

h t g i l t SopranoS ‘n’ SaddleS July 29, 2012

Featuring Calgary Polo Club Sopranos ‘N’ Saddles, a unique pairing of polo and opera presented in cooperation with the Calgary Polo Club, as well as Equinox – a picturesque afternoon celebration of opera and art tucked away in rural Millarville.

SopranoS ‘n’ SaddleS

1. George Leitch, Mel Kirby, Kathleen McNally-Leitch at Equinox.

2. Emerging Artist alumni Gene Wu, Jennifer Sproule and Adam Fisher perform at Equinox.

3. Rosa Rosinski, George Sombrowski and Brian Grasmuck at Sopranos ‘N’ Saddles at the Calgary Polo Club.

4. Andrea Brussa, Marianne Ferkull, Dick Matthews and Guest at Equinox.

5. Michelle Minke performs at Sopranos ‘N’ Saddles.

6. Margaret Graw with Equinox host and creator Marilyn Milavsky.

MET OPERA LIVE ON SCREEN IN MOVIE THEATRES DEC 1 DEC 8 DEC 15

La Clemenza di Tito MOZART Un Ballo in Maschera VERDI Aida VERDI

ENCORE PERFORMANCES AT SELECT THEATRES. Transmission of The Met: Live in HD in Canada is made possible thanks to the generosity of Jacqueline and Paul G. Desmarais Sr.

Visit Cineplex.com/opera for tickets and participating theatres Cineplex Entertainment LP or used under license.

TM/速

MODERN STYLING • SOLID WOOD • TIMELESS APPEAL

403-259-1000 7300 - 11 Street S.E.

403-240-1000 5111 Northland Drive N.W.

(1 Block North of Heritage Drive)

(Northland Village)

Mon. - Fri. 10-9, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-5