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contents
4 Message from Richard Cook, Chair
6 Partners and Sponsors
9 Director’s Circle
10 Friends of Edmonton Opera
13 Endowment Fund
15 Composer Bio
Cast and Production Credits
16 Japan, the West and
20 Synopsis
the Image of Madama Butterfly
Administration Office: 15230-128 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5V 1A8 Ph: 780-424-4040 Fax: 780-429-0600 Email: info@edmontonopera.com www.edmontonopera.com
22 Program Notes
27 Artists’ Profiles
42 50th Anniversary
49 Planned Giving
52 Duchess Bake Shop
57 Rob Hood Fund
59 Edmonton Opera Chorus and
63 Edmonton Opera Board and Staff
66 Upcoming Events
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
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The Edmonton Opera magazine is published by Playhouse Publications Ltd. 10177 - 105 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E2 Ph: 780-423-5834 • Fax: 780-413-6185 • www.playhousepublications.ca
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GOVERNMENT & FOUNDATION SUPPORT
Message from
richard cook, CHAIR This season’s final performance is a landmark
one for Edmonton Opera as our 50th anniversary production of Madama Butterfly signals a half century of serving patrons with exciting performances. We continue to demonstrate our dedication to performances of opera and operetta within our financial capabilities, with the highest quality of productions, the greatest audience appeal and featuring predominantly Canadian talent.
Tales of Hoffmann. The season closes in full operatic fashion with death and madness. Under the direction of Brian Deedrick, Simone Osborne makes her role and company debut singing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor (April 18, 21 and 23, 2015). Spoiler alert: Lucia kills her unloved bridegroom Arturo, goes mad and then dies of presumed anguish while her real love, Edgardo, stabs himself. Ms. Osborne was the youngest singer to have won the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions since Teresa Stratas and recently received high praise for her performance of Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Canadian Opera Company. She also was the first winner of Jeunesses Musicales Canada’s new Maureen Forrester Award and includes Irving Guttman and Marilyn Horne among her mentors.
Next season will again challenge the finances and creativity of Edmonton Opera. To meet these challenges, we have outlined a season that appeals to both patrons and sponsors. Our opening production Thank you for continuing to support Edmonton Opera. Looking to of Rossini’s Barber of Seville (Oct. 25, 28 and 30, 2014) features an the future, our company is aligning our artistry and business practices innovative setting recently debuted by Vancouver Opera — a movie with the exciting prospect of having a new home better suited to live, studio backlot, the “barber”of the 21st century. Our production of unamplified opera and operetta performances in downtown Edmonton. Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Jan. 31, Feb. 3 and 5, 2015) features the Our 2014/15 subscription renewal campaign is also currently underway. Edmonton Opera debut of William his own FileEddins Name:conducting LOG09017_RM_AD_ArtsCutlure_7.25x4.625_0913 Subscriptions can be renewed or purchased online at edmontonopera.com, Trim: 7.25” x 4.625” Canadian Marketing Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in this accessible fairytale of forest 100 Yonge Street, 16 Floor Bleed: 0.125"the Safety: n/a Mech Res: 300dpi over the phone or in person at the box office. As each production magic and ethereal creatures. It also includes temperamental Toronto, ON M5C 2W1 Colours: CMYK requires its characters to perform clever and cunning exits, we are Queen of the Night, sung by Teiya Kasahara who recently thrilled thrilled to have you join us for the Great Escape of opera next season. Edmonton audiences with her portrayal of the mechanical doll in The th
d e r i p s n i my life e rts. by th a The Arts makes us better. It pushes us to develop new perspectives. To see the world in a different light. It inspires us to pursue our own passions. We get so much more back from the Arts than we could ever imagine – that’s why we support the Arts in Canadian communities as part of our Bright Future program.
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6 MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Opera al Fresco sponsor
SPONSORS
Official Supporters
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2013 GOLF CLASSIC SPONSORS
PUBLISHERS
Title Sponsor PCL Cart Sponsor Hemisphere Engineering Million Dollar Hole-in-One Sponsor Playhouse Publications Ltd. Breakfast Sponsor Miller Thomson LLP Cocktail Reception Sponsor Williams Engineering Canada
Hole Sponsors Angus Watt Advisory Group Bell Big Rock Brewery E & J Gallo Winery Jack & Esther Ondrack HSBC Canada ICI Minhas Micro Brewery Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Sleeman Transcontinental Printing Witten LLP
Media Sponsor Edmonton Journal Car Hole-in-One Sponsor Western GMC Buick Cash Hole-in-One Sponsor Investors Group Food Sponsors Fat Franks Canada Safeway Gift Bag Sponsor Colnuck Ltd.
Edmonton Opera is grateful for the support of these sponsors, suppliers and media partners. For more information about supporting the Edmonton Opera, please call 780.392.7837 or email development @edmontonopera.com. MADAMA BUTTERFLY 7
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The Director’s Circle recognizes those patrons whose significant financial support and ongoing commitment enable Edmonton Opera to continue to produce award-winning and compelling art in our community. Bravo and thank you! For more information about the Director’s Circle or to become a member, please call the donor services line at 780.392.7837.
Season SponsorS $250,000+ Dianne & Irving Kipnes Rob Hood Fund
$6,000+ Larry & Ellen Eberlein Frederic & Alma Gojmerac Dr. Christine Kyriakides Alan Rose & Judy Schroder Ed Wiebe & Marcia Johnson Die Fledermaus Production Sponsor $5,000+ David Berman Creekwood Mark & Nancy Heule Joan Lopatka & Bill Rutledge SALOME Arnold & Grace Rumbold Production Sponsor Steel Craft Door Prod. Ltd. $150,000 Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler TD Canada Trust Don Wheaton
David & Patricia Cassie Dr. Mary Chisholm Marian Clarke Elaine Coachman John & Judy Cosco Tracy Dawn Czuy McKinnon Heinz & Donna Feldberg Joseph and Pat Fernando Peter & Astrid Griep Linda Hamilton Karen & Pam Hofmann William Johnston & Mary Ritchie Brian Kucey & Elena Hernandez-Kucey Alan Kuysters Hilliard & Nancy Macbeth Stephen & & Lynn Mandel David & Pam Margolus Ashif & Zainul Mawji Visionaries Laurel Mckay PATRONS $50,000+ Carman & Averie McNary $4,000+ Michael & Mariette Meier Jim & Sharon Brown Pauline Alakija & Paolo Raggi Ken & Gerda Miller Shelley & Guy Scott Neil & Susan Miller James Archibald & Heidi Christoph Family Foundation Shauna Miller & James Gillespie Robert Bessette Risha Milo Richard S. Cook MaestroS Dr. Kyle & Colleen Murray Bertrand Malo John Oberg $20,000+ Eleanor Olszewski $3,000+ Sarah McLachlan Foundation Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff Branko & Jasna Calic $15,000+ James E. & Vivian Redmond Hans & Susanne Forbrich Tulane Rollingher Marianne & Andy Elder Steven & Day LePoole Marshall & Lisa Sadd $10,000+ Rod & Heleen McLeod Gabe and Connie Shelley Dr. Thomas & Melanie Nakatsui Margaret Slate | Slate Personnel Arliss Miller Katie Soles Russell M. & Marjorie Purdy Aline Pratch Eira Spaner David Steer & Larissa Whiting LEADERS BenefactorS Stella Varvis & Paul Grossman $8,000+ $1,750-$2,999 Wawanesa Robert A Wilson Jeffrey Jansen Tricia Abbott Bill & Paulette Winter Justice Darlene Acton Jack & Esther Ondrack Paola Zanuttini Rhonda Baker $7,000+ Gerhard & Inge Zmatlo Douglas K Bingham & Fath Group — O’Hanlon Paving Ltd. Sheila Janki-Bingham Cheryl & Gary Bosgoed Laurence Jewell Carol & David Cass Chris & Vivian Varvis madama butterfly 9
FRIENDS of Edmonton Opera Sincere thanks go to the following individuals who, through their gifts, have demonstrated their belief in making opera a vital part of our cultural community. To donate or for additional information, phone the donor services line at 780.392.7837 or email individual.giving@edmontonopera.com. SustainerS
Doug Goss Radhe & Krishna Gupta Ross Haffie Dave Hancock Andrew Hladyshevsky Douglas & Dorothy Hollands HUB International Canada West Hughes Petroleum Ltd Patricia Johnston Rob Jolley John Karvellas Karen & Thilo Kaufmann Kim & Jay Krushell Shawn & Jane Kubiski Peter & Jean Langford-Jones Rick LeLacheur Paul Leonard Liquor Stores Kelly MacFarlane & Christopher Mackay Devon J Mark & Allen Vander Well Denis & Ruth McGettigan Kevin & Lyn McKee Les Moss Lewis Nakatsui William Pechtel Fay Plomp Jason Portas Clarence & Elizabeth Preitz Dr. Dean Rokosh Michael Roulston Kathryn Sandilands Kelly Sheard Michael & Nance Smith Joe Tkalcic Frank & Suzanne Vani Paul & Norah Verhesen Knut Vik & Frank Calder Joan Welch Ralph James Wood Tim Yakimec
Steven Duong Jim Ebbels Noella Fagnan Martin & Peggi Ferguson-Pell Terry Fillmore David Finlay Kevin & Rachel Foster Randy Garvey Louise Gibson Paul & Stacey Gibson Crystal Graham John Greer Gabor Gyenes & Erika Mullner Kenneth & Jean Heavenor Paul Hobern Martin Hodgson Ben Horcica Dr. Jiri Hrazdil Prof Corp Nathan Isbister Christopher Jack Lesley Jacobson & Wynne Rigal Marcel Jakob Pavel & Sylva Jelen Shafin Kanji Sandra Kavanagh Taras J Keyko Loretta Klarenbach Wade Klimchuk Leslie Kozma Richard J. Lain Cody Lakevold Jean Langley & Tim Winton Craig Lazaruk Lloyd Lewis Franklin C Loehde Douglas Lynass Lowell & Donna Lyseng Brenda MacDonald Dave Majeski Mike Tighe & Rachel Mandel Mannarino CONTRIBUTORS Francesco Paul & Lori Martens ($250-$499) Julian Mayne SUPPORTERS Diana M. Bacon Grant Mccurdy ($500-$999) Brian Baker Linda Medland-Davis Jayson Barclay John Adria Dallas & Laura Miles Lucie & Armand Baril Tom & Sandy Allison Jim & Linda Mitchell Alan & Alice Bell Derek Alty Tereena Morelli Heidi Benoit Michael Bacchus Sally & Barry Munro Mareena Bobey Stella & Walter Baydala Maureen Nicholson Wesley Boe Joan Bensted Alfred Nikolai William A. Bowlen Bob Bowhay Mel Olmstead Colleen Brennan Jennifer Brown Aaron & Jean Oshry Henry & Debbie Bruinsma Robert & Helen Buck Alex & Kelley Pagnotta Gary Christenson Kathryn Buchanan Dr. Edward & Geri Papp Cameron Developments Donald & Nancy Cranston C.H. Parks Brenda Dale Doug Cannam Wes Patterson Peter & Kathleen Daly Janet Carle Marc Prefontaine Sheila Davidson Craig & Naomi Corbett Lisa Redmond Louis & Marcelle Desrochers Kathy Demuth Scott Reed Tom Diamond Robert Edmunds David Rees & Linda Miller Iris Diduck-Rudnisky Ivan & Ksenia Fedyna Mary Richardson Len Dolgoy Fiona Fjeldheim Clayton Rodney Brett Dravinskis Shirley & Jim Funk Michael Roma Sophie Drolet Bill Gielbelhaus Hilary & Robert Rose Dwayne Dufva Robert & Diane Gomes Carolynne E Ross ($1,000-$1,749) Richard Balan & Tracey Ripley Robert Balfour Michael Boire Dr. Lorraine Bray Greg Christenson Bernie Corry John & Ann Dea Stephen Dougans Dolores Eaton Donald S. Ethell Brent Fillmore Dr. Robyn Fowler Bill Grace Todd Grundy A.R. Grynoch & P.V. Sing Bruce Hagstrom Libuse Kuzel Simon Laroche Neil & Jean Lund Peggy Marko Alan Mather & Helgard Proft-Mather David McCalla Bob McNally Keith & Brenda McNicol Hugh Mcphail & Yolanda Van Wachem Mercer Bradley Kevin Neveu North West Crane Fred & Helen Otto Pals Geomatics Corp. Wesley M. Pedruski George & Teresa Pemberton Precision Drilling Corporation John Speirs Brian & Dawn Vaasjo Paul Verhesen C. Von Hohenbalken Ralph & Gay Young
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John M. Ross Jesse Rudge Orla Ryan Harvey Saskiw Alison Seymour R. & W. Sherbaniuk Anne Shillington Doug & Devika Short Gerry & Barbara Sinn Bill J. Smith Mike Staines Greg Steele Campbell & Rosalind Sydie Dave Tarkowski Michelle Taylor Karen Trace Donna Valgardson Ryan Vestby Andrew & Kirsty Wallace Brian Wallace Terry Whittingham Dr. Lorraine Wilgosh Brian & Joanne Wong Mark Zutz Wade Zwicker Christine & Gene Zwozdesky
Joyce Christenson George Christidis Chung Chu Stacey Claffey Clark Builders Janet M Clark Phyllis Clark Marta Collier Carole M Conrad Karin Conradi George & Heather Coon J.E. Cote Judy Coulombe Marcie Coutts Suzanne Cowles Dr. Diane Cox Robin Crane Gary & Sue Cutmore Miles Davis Shirley Day James & Gail Defelice Darrell Demchuk Dan & Lorna Dennis Frank W. Deys Dr. R.J. & Janet Dmytruk Maggie Dower Arthur & Heather-Belle Dowling MEMBERS Frank & Muriel Dunnigan ($100-$249) Lowell Eckert Jodi Abbott Tim Eckert J Lynn Adams Tom & Heather Etsell Brent Agerbak Leanne Eyo Barbara Allen Alfred & Coleen Falk Scott & Alma Allen Werner Fenske America Aznar Carmona Ferdinand Filiplic Jocelyn Bahrey Agnes Fisher Justin Barbour Jason Fjeldheim Raynmond & Roberta Baril Karin Fodor Erika Barootes Vanessa Gardner Vicki Barrow Phil Gaudreault William Bartelds Brent Gelland Mike & Tracy Bateman Justin & Kelty Germain Barbara Batoni Gordon & Colleen George Lola Baydala Elaine Gill Geraldine Bidulock F.S. & Margaret Golberg Marc R Bisson Jon Goor David Blackley Sherry Goudry Linda Bogdan Orest & Linda Gowda Jelena Bojic Garry Graham Dr. Grace Bokenfohr Laura Graham Blair Bondar Charles & Ann Grant Gordana Bosiocic Richard Groom Bill Boyd Brenda Gross Marion Boyd Wesley Gunderson Kathleen Brady Dr. Mary Ellen Haggerty Scott & Juanith Brattly Ulf-Hilmar Hahn Martha J Breithaupt Matthew Haley Aaron Breitkreuz Daniel Hamilton John Edmond Brick Wes & Joceylyn Hamilton Johnathan Charles John Hampson W. Calvert Jonathon Hancock Stephen & Alice Harrison Carolyn Campbell Zenia J Hawrysh Ken & Denise Cantor Dr. T Hayashi Maurizio Capano Ghislaine Hebert Alan M & Caroline Carroll Lesley Helppleston Donald Chisholm R & Barbara Henderson Kathryn Chisholm Jeremy & Elizabeth Herbert
Kevin Heselton Cathryn Heslep Ty & Tayne Hewer Dr. Judith Hibberd Leroy & Barb Hiller Candace Hills Dorothy Hollands Curtis Hollister Georgette Holyk Karla Horcica Stuart Houston Bonny Hubert Dr. Sheila L Hughes Bonnie Hutchinson Colleen Ilkiw Stewart & Juliette Inglis Investors Group Matc Erik & Franziska Jacobsen Susan Jaksich Keith Jansen Ben Jensen Christian Jonean Alan Jones Larry Judge Alison Kabaroff Ajeypal Kang Rene & Anna Kiens John Kim Debra King Shirley Kirkpatrick Vera Kornelsen Andrew Paul Kowalchyk David & Sandra Kraatz Greg Krischke J. Allen Kucay Lorraine & Stan Kucey Arthur S. Langner Ian Large Tara-Lee LaRose Mark LaRue Colleen Lathan David Leeworthy Karen Leibovici & Stephen Zepp Mary LeMessurier Steven Lenarduzzi Leo Levasseur Susan & Murray Lieberman Colin & Jennifer Linton John Little Dr. Laurie Litwinson Laurie Lodge Doug & Joan Longley David Lynch Richard Lyne Ian B. MacDonald Jessica MacDonald Kirby Mack Gordon Malic James Malkin Antoinette Marchand Hana Marinkovic Graeme Marr Joan H Marshall Jacob & Odette Masliyah John & Cathleen Matthews Jason Maurer Dwain May Karen Mazurek
Bruce Mccollum Chelsey Mclaughlan Roderick McLean Jan McMillan Mickey Melnyk Spencer Melnyk Marcio Mendes Nicole Merrifield Zoltan Meszoly Ronald & Carole Middleton Sandra A Mikalonis Janet Millar Paul Monson Renn Moodley Kevin & Robyn Mott Lindsay Munn-Price Alec & Irene Murray Tina Naqvi-Roth Chris Nicholas Ole & Marilyn Nielsen Andrey Niklevich
Michael O’Dell Dr. Thomas O’Leary Anthony Olivares David Parbery Jelena Pekez Homsanith Phetlathy William Pigden Barbara Prodor Brian Quinn & Havington Hail Paul Rachynski Carlos Raposo & Judy Strachan Eugene & Jeanne Ratsoy Trevor Reddekopp Terrie Reekie Yvonne Rekken Jordan Rice Janet Riopel Ron & Carol Ritch Kerry Rose
Donations made in memory of Dr. Lee Anholt: Laurence Jewell Donations made in memory of Dr. David Cook: Dr. Grace Bokenfohr
Susan & Greg Rosychuk Dr. E J Rudnisky Kathleen Ryks Kathleen L Savey Jelena & Dusan Savic Tom & Bev Sawyer Brian Scheerschmidt Wendy Schelske Jillian L Scherba Roger Schilf Don Schultz Anton & Marianne Schwabenbauer Tony Scozzafava Sheelagh & Andrew Semper Rod Shaigec Vaughn & Jennifer Shears Karen Sherlock Marshall & Debby Shoctor Jamey Singh Jim Sirup
Michael Skozakewich Cory Smith Michael Smith Howie Sniderman Thomas Snyder Lon Sokalski Ron Sorokin Sheila Steinhauer-Mozejko Lorenz & Theodora Stenger Alex Stenner Shawn D. Stevens G H & Isobel Stout Anne Strack Martin & Heike Stribrny Edwin Strimer Danny Sullivan Jean Sult Coady Summerfield Susie Sykes Frederick Tams Sonia O Tarabay
Donations made in honour of Dianne & Irving Kipnes: Jocelyn Bahrey Karen Leibovici & Stephen Zepp David Berman Shauna Miller & James Gillespie Geraldine Bidulock David & Pam Margolus Jim & Sharon Brown Jacob & Odette Masliyah Stephan & Carolyn Campbell Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler Ken & Denise Cantor Ron & Carol Ritch Craig & Naomi Corbett Shelley & Guy Scott Family Foundation Len Dolgoy & Catherine Miller Marshall & Debby Shoctor Joseph & Pat Fernando Marv & Donna Weisler Crystal Graham Bill & Paulette Winter Taras J. Keyko
Thank you to those who have previously donated in memory of Kimberly Heard and Dr. Robert J. Buck. Only 2013/14 season donations and/or pledges processed up to Feb. 27, 2014, are listed. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our donor information. If we have made an error or omission, please call the donor services line at 780.392.7837. We apologize for any inconvenience. Although space limitations allow us to list only charitable contributions of $100 or more, we gratefully acknowledge all donations. Each gift, regardless of size, helps to make Edmonton Opera performances possible. Thank you!
FRIENDS OF THE OPERA
benefits
MEMBER
Tax receipt Acknowledgment in Intermezzo magazine Complimentary poster from our current season
• •
Invitation for two to each dress rehearsal and VIP reception Two tickets at 30% off for each mainstage production Exclusive VIP event (per season) Two invitations to the exclusive DC Lounge VIP courtesy Jubilee parking during performances Backstage tour of a mainstage production Two complimentary Opera Brunch tickets Invitations to each Sitzprobe rehearsal Invitation to cast dinner Two complimentary mainstage subscriptions Recognition as a production or principal artist sponsor Access to private recitals
$250+
• •
$500+
• • •
$1,000+
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Randy Williams & Janice MacDonald Dan Wilson & Leah Margiotta Elaina M. Wisser John Womchlek Norine Woods Doug & Mary Wright Serene Yau Jim Yih Edward Yoo Leanne & Steve Young Kurt Zolmer Richard Zolmer
Donations made in memory of Dr. John Martin: Martha J. Breithaupt
Donations made in memory of Norah McKillop: Brenda Dale
Donations made in memory of Howard Irving: Kathryn Buchanan John Karvellas J.E. Cote Alec & Irene Murray Joseph & Pat Fernando Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler Richard Fraser Larry Judge Donations made in memory of Ernie LeMessurier: Sandra Gajic Louis & Mary Hyndman Dianne & Irving Kipnes Stephen & Lynn Mandel
Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler Hilary Rose
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE
CONTRIBUTOR SUPPORTER SUSTAINER BENEFACTOR
$100+
Mark & Sarah Taylor Louis Te Doug Thomas Glen & Ashley Tichkowsky Alison Toews William Tonn Colin Tooth John & Mandy Trapp Darcy Trufyn Melvin Tussman George Vailas Dennis Vance Terry Michele Veeman Trudy Velichka Joe & Sabrina Viana A.C. & Patricia Visman Alida Visscher Ian Wachowicz Matthew Walker Marv & Donna Weisler Jolanta Wiens
$1,750+
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PATRON
LEADER
$3,000+
$5,000+
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MAESTRO
VISIONARY
$10,000+ $50,000+
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Aria Legacy Help Edmonton Opera Sing Forever Edmonton Opera creates award-winning and compelling art, and strives to keep that art accessible for the Edmonton community. Aria Legacy is your opportunity to share that dream in a focused and personal way, with a gift to our endowment program that will last into perpetuity. Endowment gifts of any size are appreciated. For more information on how you can help sustain Edmonton Opera for generations to come, please call the donor services line at 780.392.7837.
Edmonton Opera
ENDOWMENT FUNDS Edmonton Opera’s Endowment Funds: Sam & Sonia Azer Family Fund Frederic & Alma Gojmerac Family Fund Canada Cultural Investment Fund Edmonton Opera Staff Contributions Fund Edmonton Opera Endowment Fund Irving Guttman Opera Endowment Fund The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Opera Fund John and Barbara Poole Family Fund Francis Price and Marguerite Trussler Family Fund Dwight Purdy Memorial Fund David Cook Fund for Edmonton Opera Oline and Roderick Markine Family Fund Arnold & Grace Rumbold Fund Cecilia Fund In Memory of Howard Irving: J.E. Cote Richard Fraser Larry Judge John Karvellas Alec & Irene Murray Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler
Edmonton Opera applauds the following visionaries for contributing to or establishing a legacy of support for the future of opera in our community. Many of these contributions have been matched by the Canada Cultural Investment Fund. Thank you. Endowment Donors & Aria Legacy Members John Adria Tricia Abbott Justice Darlene Acton Peter & Barbara Allen Rebecca Anderson Sam & Sonia Azer Alan and Alice Bell Robert Bessette Jelena Bojic Dr. Grace Bokenfohr Katherine Braun Erin Clyde Richard S. Cook Glenda Dennis Maggie Dower Marianne & Andy Elder Ivan & Ksenia Fedyna Laura Fitzgerald
Karin Fodor Sandra Gajic Fred & Alma Gojmerac Karen Good Jennifer Hinnell Andy Hladyshevsky John & Susan Hokanson Dorothy & Douglas Hollands Gwen Horvath W.H. Hurlburt Jeffrey Jansen Laurence Jewell Ha Neul Kim Debra King Betty Kolodziej Juri and Helle Kraav Tara-Lee LaRose
Franklin C. Loehde Brenda MacDonald Amanda MacRae Cameron MacRae Stephen & Lynn Mandel Devon J. Mark & Allen Vander Well Roderick & Oline Markine Peggy Marko Alan Mather & Helgard Proft-Mather Julian Mayne Jeff McAlpine Jeff McCune Rod & Heleen McLeod Bob & Bev McNally Mickey Melnyk
Arliss Miller Kyle & Colleen Murray Wesley M. Pedruski Barbara Poole Clarence & Elizabeth Preitz Francis Price Protostatix Engineering Consultants Russell & Marjorie Purdy Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP Robert & Asha Rock Clayton Rodney & Raymond Cameron Analee Roman Hilary & Robert Rose Arnold & Grace Rumbold
Kelly Sheard Katie Soles Michael Spassov Darren Staten Catherine Szabo Lauren Tenney Karen Trace Marguerite Trussler Chris & Vivian Varvis Stella Varvis Angus Watt Joan Welch Adrienne E. Wong Tim Yakimec Serene Yau Stacy Young Gerhard & Inge Zmatlo
Additional financial contributions from members of the Edmonton Opera Chorus. A generous endowment gift has been made by the Edmonton Opera Guild in honour of the Edmonton Opera Chorus. madama butterfly 13
Composer
Edmonton Opera presents
BIOGRAPHY
madama butterfly April 5, 8 & 10, 2014
giacomo puccini Born Dec. 22, 1858, in Lucca, Italy, Giacomo Puccini was the fifth child (of eight) and first son born to Michele and Albina Puccini. His family was musically inclined — in fact, members of his family had held the position of music director at the Cathedral of San Martino for decades. When his father died, the municipality of Lucca not only supplied his family with a small pension, but held the music director position until Puccini came of age. He was regularly exposed to opera, but it was upon seeing Verdi’s Aida that Puccini decided he wanted to compose for the art form. With the help of a grant from the Queen of Italy, he was able to attend the Milan Conservatory, and studied under Antonio Bazzini and Amilcare Ponchielli. One of Puccini’s first works, Le villi, did not place in a one-act opera competition, but captured the interest of Giulio Ricordi. This would begin Puccini’s lifelong association with Ricordi. Puccini’s mature works are considered to be La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Girl of the Golden West — all four works tell a moving love story, one that centres on the female protagonist and ends in a tragic resolution. After watching the play of Madame Butterfly, Puccini rushed backstage to acquire the rights to the work. The playwright, David Belasco, agreed immediately, and later remembered it was because “it was impossible to discuss arrangements with an impulsive Italian who has tears in his eye and both his arms around your neck.” Girl of the Golden West, which was commissioned when Puccini was visiting America to assist on a Metropolitan Opera production of Butterfly, is also one of Belasco’s plays. Puccini experienced both failures and successes during his lifetime, including the premiere of Madama Butterfly, which required the work to be adjusted before premiering again a few months later (and received a much better reception the second time). He did not work easily with librettists; at some point approximately seven librettists worked on Manon Lescaut. Puccini was obsessed with creating the perfect libretto and the perfect dramatic experience. At the time of his death, Turandot was incomplete. At its premiere, it was performed as it had been written, but by the second performance, Franco Alfano had written an additional two scenes based on Puccini’s notes and sketches. Puccini’s personal life was also dramatic — he lived with a married woman, Elvira Gemignani, and had a son with her, finally marrying her in 1904 when her first husband died. By 1901, he had been in two automobile accidents, and died at the age of 65 on Nov. 29, 1924, of a heart attack in Brussels, shortly after surgery for throat cancer. A funeral was held in Brussels before his body was moved to Milan, where there was a second funeral. He is buried with his wife and son in Torre del Lago.
Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica Premiere: Feb. 17, 1904 (La Scala, Milan), and May 28, 1904 (Theatro Grande, Brescia)
Conductor Director Assistant Director
Robert Tweten Tim Albery Amy DeFelice
The Cast
Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly) Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton Suzuki Goro Sharpless The Bonze Prince Yamadori/ The Imperial Commissioner Kate Pinkerton Registrar Mother Aunt Cousin Uncle Yakuside Sorrow
Anne Sophie Duprels Luciano Ganci Margaret Thompson John Kriter John Fanning Chad Louwerse Clarence Frazer Catherine Daniel Derek Beaton* Seang Youn Choi* Ann Parry* Janine Bamford* Greg Maluzynsky* Seah Ryu* and Hadley Phillips*
*non-equity member
with members of the Edmonton Opera Chorus and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Original Lighting Designer Revival Lighting Designer Set Designer Costume Designer Chorusmaster Repetiteur Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Apprentice Assistant Stage Manager
Peter Mumford Richard Moore Hildegard Bechtler Ana Jebens Peter Dala Leanne Regehr Ha Neul Kim Anna Davidson Betty-Lou Hushlak Jessica Parr
Scenery and costumes for Madama Butterfly are owned by Opera North. By arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes company, Sole Agent in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for Casa Ricord/Universal Music Publishing Ricordi S.R.I., publisher and copyright owner. There will be one 20-minute intermission between Acts 1 and 2. The performance is approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, including intermission. Edmonton Opera is a professional company operating within the jurisdiction of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Edmonton Opera is a member of the Professional Opera Companies of Canada and Opera America. madama butterfly 15
Japan, the West and The Image of
Madama Butterfly
In January 1902, Puccini wrote to his librettist, Luigi Illica, “I’ve now embarked for Japan and will do my best to represent it.” Eager to make his Japan authentic, he wanted to find Japanese melodies to incorporate into his score and even a Japanese woman on whom to model Cio-Cio-San. But in an age when international travel was restricted to the wealthy, few Japanese women ever visited the West, let alone any who fitted Westerners’ preconceptions of the exotic Orient.
Conversely, in Japan the wealthy and fashionable were wearing bustles and bonnets, dancing the waltz and quadrille and playing billiards. Unlike the rest of Asia and much of the world, the Japanese had managed to avoid being colonized — but they saw what had happened to India and China and were well aware of the danger. Their solution was to take on the clothes of the West, to try and persuade militaristic Western governments that they were “just like us.”
So it was a stroke of luck when, in April that same year, Sadayakko arrived in Italy on the last lap of her triumphal tour of Europe. She was Japan’s first actress (till then, women’s parts had been played by men) and the first to tour the West. She was also exquisitely beautiful and had been Japan’s most famous geisha — exactly the qualities Puccini was looking for.
At the 1901 Paris Expo, where Sadayakko performed, the Japanese government exhibited tubular boilers, blast furnaces, armour plate and guns. But Western visitors were more interested in the geisha. For, despite all the Japanese efforts to present themselves as modern and Western, Westerners then and now cling stubbornly to their image of Japan as quaint and olde worlde.
Puccini rushed to Milan and saw all the performances she gave there. Four days later, he wrote, “I’ve done the entrance of Butterfly and am pleased with it.” To announce Cio-Cio-San’s arrival, he used Sadayakko’s signature tune, “Echigo Jishi” (The Lion of Echigo Province), and again when Cio-Cio-San begins to tell her story. He also cut Madama Butterfly from three acts to two, inspired by the brevity and intensity of Sadayakko’s dramas. Italian critics wrote of Sadayakko as “child-like,” though her death scenes were “savage” — the two qualities which Westerners of the time expected of “primitive” (i.e. non-Western) peoples. In their libretto, Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa use the same adjectives for Cio-Cio-San. While Pinkerton is a unique, if unpleasant, individual, not a stereotypical American, Cio-Cio-San has only those two characteristics. She is “child-like,” “infantile,” then breaks into “savage” rage. Nobody seemed to realize that Sadayakko was acting, playing up to the image of Japan that Westerners expected to see. In public she was always sweet, demure and kimono-clad, but at home she wore Paris couture. She understood the West far better than the West did her. At the time in the West there was huge interest in all things Japanese. Monet, Van Gogh, Whistler, Toulouse-Lautrec and many other artists collected and were inspired by woodblock prints. Japanese art was the inspiration for Art Nouveau, with its focus on design. Arthur Lasenby Liberty filled his recently opened shop on London’s Regent Street with screens, lacquerware, blue and white porcelain, curved swords, netsuke and bonsai, while theatre-goers flocked to see Miss Marie Lloyd as “the Geisha” and Miss Evelyn Millard in David Belasco’s production of Madame Butterfly. 16 madama butterfly
Films like Lost in Translation show Japan as a country so foreign as to be virtually impenetrable. The effect is enhanced because there are no subtitles for the Japanese dialogue, only the most inadequate of verbal translation, giving the impression that what the Japanese are saying is somehow ridiculous — though, to those who understand Japanese, the joke is reversed. The novel Memoirs of a Geisha perpetuates another enduring myth of Japan — the submissive geisha, a myth that Westerners are loathe to abandon, no matter how often they hear that the reality is quite different. Today, Tokyo is one of the wealthiest and most spectacularly modern cities in the world. Along with Japan’s other great cities — Osaka, Kobe, even Fukuoka, across the bay from Madama Butterfly’s Nagasaki — it is full of new cars and magnificent glass and steel skyscrapers designed by the likes of Renzo Piano and Norman Foster. At Louis Vuitton there are queues around the block; everyone, not just the rich, wears Cartier and Tiffany as a matter of course. There is no vandalism and a very low crime rate. Trains and buses run to the timetable and even the subway stations are air-conditioned. Anyone visiting from another country thinks they’ve arrived in the 22nd century. Yet it’s still Japanese through and through. Beneath the surface Westernisation, Japan remains Japan. The Japanese seem perfectly comfortable being both Western and Japanese, modern and traditional. Teachers of tea ceremony, flower arrangement, haiku poetry, Zen and martial arts have no lack of students. While public spaces in Japan are mainly Western, most people go home to a Japanese house with sliding paper doors and tatami mats. Women, who belong more to the home than the public domain, are more likely than men to dress Japanese-
by Lesley Downer
style in kimono. And there are still geisha pattering down quiet back streets and presiding over teahouse parties in small wooden houses in Japan’s cities. Could there ever be a Madama Butterfly in today’s Japan? Truth be told, it’s unlikely there could really have been a Madama Butterfly in Puccini’s time. When Westerners arrived in Japan in the mid-19th century, they were seen as “red-haired barbarians stinking of butter” because of their dietary habits and strong odour (they ate meat, unlike the Buddhist Japanese). Japanese women screamed and ran when they saw them. Yet there is certainly a natural affinity between Japanese women and Western men. For some Japanese women, being with a Western man offers greater freedom than marriage to a Japanese man would. In Japan, a good percentage of marriages are still arranged and young people routinely defer to their parents on the question of marriage partner. In the past, a bride moved in with her husband’s parents and was effectively her mother-in-law’s servant — a situation that
continues more than one might expect, especially in the countryside. So there’s a certain attraction to marrying a Western man who might even help a little around the house — unlike a traditionally minded Japanese male. Furthermore, in Japan there is great pressure on women to marry. Many parents still expect their daughters to marry in their 20s and any unmarried woman over 30 is considered odd — a good reason why a Japanese woman of a certain age might end up marrying a Westerner rather than a Japanese man. But contrary to the image of Madama Butterfly — which Sadayakko unknowingly helped to create — Japanese women are more likely to be tough and self-reliant than helpless and submissive. And unlike Madama Butterfly and Miss Saigon, they do not come from a culture which is economically dependent on the West. If a modernday Pinkerton took a second wife, a modern-day Cio-Cio-San would probably take him to court.
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SYNOPSIS by Opera North
Act One Lt. Pinkerton of the United States navy has taken out a 999-year lease on a house in the hills above Nagasaki, where he intends to live with his bride-to-be, a geisha called Cio-Cio-San, or Madame Butterfly. The marriage broker, Goro, shows him the house while wedding preparations get underway. Pinkerton revels in the elasticity of Japanese marriage contracts, under which the husband’s absence, even for so short a time as a month, constitutes a divorce. He laughs off the attempts of the American consul, Sharpless, to warn him that Cio-Cio-San is taking the marriage seriously. Cio-Cio-San arrives with a crowd of friends and relations and shows Pinkerton her few treasured belongings. It emerges that she comes from a noble but poverty-stricken family and has had to earn her living as a geisha. Her father committed suicide on the orders of the emperor. The marriage ceremony takes place but the celebrations are interrupted by the arrival of Cio-Cio-San’s uncle, the Bonze, a Shinto priest who denounces her for converting to Christianity. Her family and friends turn on her and reject her. Cio-Cio-San is left alone with Pinkerton. She assures him that he is all that matters and rejoices in her love for him.
Act two Pinkerton has been gone for nearly three years and no word has been heard from him. Cio-Cio-San and her devoted servant Suzuki are still living in the house that he bought but have almost no money left. Scorning Suzuki’s doubts, Cio-Cio-San is convinced that Pinkerton will return and turns down the marriage offer of the wealthy Prince Yamadori. Sharpless has had a letter from Pinkerton, saying he is returning to visit Nagasaki, but does not want to see Butterfly. When she realises she has been abandoned, Butterfly shows Sharpless the child she has had by Pinkerton. As he leaves, Sharpless promises to let Pinkerton know. Suddenly the harbour cannon is heard, signalling the arrival of Pinkerton’s ship, the Abraham Lincoln. As night falls, Suzuki, the child and Butterfly settle down to wait. Dawn breaks and Cio-Cio-San is still waiting. Suzuki persuades her to go and rest. Sharpless arrives with Pinkerton and his new American wife, Kate. They have now decided to adopt the child. Pinkerton, belatedly realizing the extent of Cio-Cio-San’s devotion, rushes away, unable to face her. Cio-Cio-San wakes to find a strange woman in her house and finally understands the truth. She agrees to give up her child on condition that Pinkerton comes in person to fetch him. Left alone, she takes a last farewell of her son.
20 madama butterfly
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PROGRAM NOTES MADAMA BUTTERFLY giacomo puccini (1858-1924) Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was of course the opera that launched Edmonton Opera on its illustrious path 50 years ago. But the opera celebrated its own 110th birthday in February, a work so popular that the Met has given it 870 times since the company’s first New York performance in 1907 in the presence of the composer. It did not, though, start quite so happily, at La Scala on Feb. 17, 1904. To quote one observer, “The public laughed, interrupted, shouted and catcalled, without the slightest consideration… . The conclusion of the performance was even worse than the demonstration; an absolutely glacial silence!” Some of the audience also delighted in shouting out, mid-performance, that sections of the music sounded just like La Bohème. Part of the problem was that there was a claque out to get Puccini, whatever the opera. But public and critics were also somewhat bewildered by the strong social comment inherent in the work, dressed up as a lyric opera. Indeed, that original version was more hard-hitting, and worth hearing in its own right — at the end, Pinkerton’s shabby, self-aware remorse, combined with bravado, is unforgettable. Puccini was always supremely aware of what his audiences wanted, so within three months he had revised the opera to make it more sentimental. He turned the two acts into three, cut those Bohème echoes, and gave Pinkerton a new aria at the end (“Addio fiorito asil”). He continued to make small changes until the version we usually encounter today was presented (triumphantly) in Paris in 1907. The subject reflected a vogue for things Japanese that had been in full flow since Captain Perry’s pioneering American trade missions to Japan in 1853 and 1854, opening up the country to the West. Indeed, Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1885 Mikado had been a satire on the whole process. In the States “Japonaiserie” was exemplified by an 1897 story Madam Butterfly, by John Luther Long. This was inspired by an autobiographical novel (1887) by a French naval officer, based on his “marriage” to a Japanese geisha (“I took you in order to provide me with amusement…”). In 1900 David Belasco turned the Long story into a play, which Puccini saw that year in London. He immediately recognized
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exactly the type of subject he revelled in, with the kind of impassioned lovers —and love — that are so central to his operas. Moreover, he preferred situations where the lovers, through circumstance, background or priorities, are not on equal terms. Here, too, was the kind of an exotic setting he enjoyed (think of the Louisiana of Manon Lescaut, the Californian Gold Rush camp of The Girl of the Golden West or the China of Turandot). There were also a number of character pairings, with something in common but at the same time contrasting, that were such a stimulus to his musical characterizations: Pinkerton/ Sharpless, Butterfly/Suzuki, Butterfly/Kate. His trusted librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, drew on both the short story and the play for their libretto. Puccini himself took pains to discover as much authentic material as he could, listening to recordings of Japanese music, hearing the language (courtesy of a Japanese actress) and researching widely. The end result, of course, is the marvellously sentimental opera we now know, a handkerchief tear-jerker if there ever was one, with the pathos of mother and child at the end. The glories of the music, the fabulous passionate lines, the wonderful integration of exotic colour, the amazing power and impact of Butterfly’s predicament and ending, are lyric opera at its best. But therein lies a paradox, especially in our post-Colonial age. For underneath the beauty of the work is that social comment — and we know from Puccini’s first version that the composer was well aware of this layer. Behind the love story lies a horrendous clash of cultures, with the insidious assumption of the superiority of one society over another. Pinkerton justifies his ignorance of the other culture by that very superiority, and that ignorance allows him to use that culture and throw it away. Sharpless, who has taken the time and trouble to understand the people he lives among, is well aware of this, suggesting that we should be, too. Pinkerton also follows an exploration started in Tosca. Scarpia wants Tosca for carnal pleasure, and the power over her. Pinkerton may not be as evil, but underneath his motives are much the same — to use the woman — and Puccini can explore a different facet of a similar mould.
by Mark Morris For before we are totally seduced by the tenor’s singing, we should remember his words in Act I: “And life is not worth living if [the Yankee] can’t win the best and fairest in each country, and the heart of each maid.” And then sail on. One of the tragedies of Butterfly is that Pinkerton is attracted to a young girl (one year older than Juliet and one year younger than Manon), who, as the music so vividly portrays, quickly matures into a young woman, something that wasn’t in the American officer’s original scenario. In other words, Butterfly is at a meeting point of two traditions. On the one hand it is one of the last flowerings of the glorious tradition of 19th-century Italian opera, revelling in the beauties of the voice and the sumptuousness of the vocal art. On the other hand, it feels its way towards that 20th-century idea that opera is
not just about singing, but is also an art form that can profoundly comment on the human and social condition. It can be argued that Puccini’s 1907 rewrite was a little too successful in its populist aims, as our indulgence in the sentimentality masks the social message. Be that as it may, the “Japonaiserie” vogue was about to be shattered. A few months after the premiere of Butterfly the very modern Japanese battleship fleet annihilated the Russian fleet in the Battle of Tsushima, and the Western world woke up to a new era in the Pacific. So let us weep with Butterfly, one of the greatest roles in opera. But let us also remember what got her there.
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STYLUS
Artists’
PROFILES Robert Tweten Conductor
Conductor Robert Tweten returns to Edmonton Opera for Madama Butterfly after previous appearances leading Rigoletto, Tosca and Fidelio. His recent performances in Canada have included Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Tosca (Vancouver Opera) as well as Otello and Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi (Calgary Opera). Head of Music Staff for many years with the Santa Fe Opera, Robert has led five productions there as well as the 50th Anniversary Gala. An active conductor throughout the USA, he has also appeared with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Opera Pacific and Madison Opera. Also a pianist, Robert has performed internationally with many of today’s foremost singers and instrumentalists in venues including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Salzburg Festival. Performance of Robert Tweten sponsored by MNP
Tim Albery Director
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Tim Albery has directed operas including Billy Budd, Peter Grimes and Boris Godunov (English National Opera), Chérubin, The Flying Dutchman, Tannhauser (Royal Opera House), The Midsummer Marriage, Don Giovanni, La finta giardiniera, Katya Kabanova, Madama Butterfly, The Fortunes of King Croesus, Macbeth, Fidelio, Giulio Cesare, Otello (Opera North), Don Giovanni, The Ring and Fidelio (Scottish Opera), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merry Widow (Metropolitan Opera), Arabella and The Magic Flute (Santa Fe Opera), The Fortunes of King Croesus (Minnesota Opera), Otello and The Aspern Papers (Dallas Opera), War and Peace, Rodelinda, Gotterdammerung and Aida (Canadian Opera Company), Peter Grimes, Simon Boccanegra and Ariadne auf Naxos (Bayerische Staatsoper), Beatrice et Benedict and La Wally (Netherlands Opera) and La Wally (Bregenz Festival). Sponsored by Marianne & Andy Elder
Amy DeFelice
Assistant Director Amy has directed The Bear, La Serva Padrone, Der Schauspieldirecktor , The Telephone and Good Friday for Opera Nuova, Hansel and Gretel for Opera Buff and the world premiere of the play Adam Butterfly. She is the artistic director of Trunk Theatre, where she had directed Ashes to Ashes, A Number, Emphysema: A Love Story, Sailor’s Song and The Clean House. She has also worked with the Citadel Theatre, Workshop West Theatre, Shadow Theatre, Theatre Network, Theatre Nakai and One Yellow Rabbit. madama butterfly 27
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Artists’
PROFILES Anne Sophie Duprels
Margaret Thompson
Cio-Cio San | soprano
Suzuki | mezzo-soprano
Born in Paris, Anne Sophie Duprels’ recent and future engagements include Madama Butterfly (Scottish Opera, Opera Holland Park and Opera North)‚ Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande and Manon (Buenos Aires)‚ Thaïs (São Carlos‚ Portugal), Rusalka and Lisa in Pique Dame (Grange Park Opera) and Hilda in Sigurd (Geneva Opera). She made her U.K. debut as Violetta (Opera Holland Park) where she returned to sing Magda in La Rondine‚ Mélisande, Luisa Miller‚ Katya Kabanova and Jenufa. Further U.K. appearances include Violetta‚ Micaëla and Mimì (Opera North)‚ Mimì (Scottish Opera and Royal Albert Hall)‚ Thaïs (Grange Park)‚ Manon (Scottish Opera)‚ Malinka‚ Etherea and Kunka and The Excursions of Mr Broucek (Opera North and Scottish Opera). Performance of Anne Sophie Duprels sponsored by Dianne & Irving Kipnes
Margaret Thompson has graced the renowned stages of Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center and the historic Gewandhaus in Leipzig, among many others. Debuting at the Metropolitan Opera as Mercedes in Carmen, Margaret has since regularly performed at the Met. Last season, she made her debuts at both New Orleans Opera and Nashville Opera singing Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera for their productions of La Rondine and The Makropulos Case. Recent performances have included Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Washington National Opera), Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin (Los Angeles Opera) and Madama Butterfly, Parsifal, Two Boys and Die Frau ohne Schatten (Metropolitan Opera).
John Kriter
Luciano Ganci
Goro | tenor
B.F. Pinkerton | tenor Born in Rome, Luciano Ganci has studied with Otello Felici. He has performed in La Traviata (Palermo, Salzburg, Salerno and Firenze), La Bohème (Prague, Abu Dhabi and Zlìn), Madama Butterfly (Palermo, Trieste, Athens, Ancona), I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata (Milano), Cavalleria Rusticana (New Delhi), Il trovatore (Ravenna Festival and Piacenza), L’Amico Fritz (Trieste), Il Corsaro (Trieste, Budapest, Pecs and Banská Bystrica), Nabucco (Beijing and Firenze), Attila (Astana and St Petersburg) and in symphonic works of Verdi, Mozart and Beethoven. He has sung in concerts in Roma, Napoli, Milano, Parma, Praga, Budapest, Luzern, Astana, New Delhi, Jeosu and Montreal. Future engagements include Nabucco, Trovatore and Tosca.
John Kriter recently appeared with Edmonton Opera as the Second Jew in Salome, as well as Goro in 2004. Highlights with Canadian Opera Company include Spoletta (Tosca), Borsa (Rigoletto), Hotel Porter (Death in Venice), Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor), Emperor Altoum (Turandot), Bardolfo (Falstaff), Reverend Horace Adams (Peter Grimes), Red Whiskers (Billy Budd), Nick (La fanciulla del West), Ringmaster (The Bartered Bride), Tanzmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos), Gherardo (Gianni Schicchi) and Don Basilio/Don Curzio (The Marriage of Figaro). Other credits include Don Basilio/Don Curzio (Calgary Opera), Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus (Opera Hamilton) and Mr. Snarlygob in The Midnight Court (Queen of Puddings Music Theatre - Toronto and Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden).
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Artists’
PROFILES John Fanning
Sharpless | baritone John Fanning is a veteran of 10 seasons at the Metropolitan Opera where his roles included the Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Mr. Astley in The Gambler and John Plake in Sly. He recently debuted at the English National Opera as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and sang Germont père in La Traviata (Calgary Opera). He appeared at the San Francisco Opera in Louise and as Wotan in the Canadian Opera Company’s Das Rheingold, marking the official inauguration of the Four Seasons Centre. The Ontario native was also heard as Gunther in Die Gotterdammerung. Further credits include Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Iago in Otello (l’Opéra de Québec). John is a voice professor at the University of Montreal. Performance of John Fanning sponsored by Francis Price & Marguerite Trussler
Chad Louwerse
The Bonze | bass-baritone Chad Louwerse debuted in Europe as Bernadino in Benvenuto Cellini (Opéra National du Rhin, Strasbourg). In Canada, he has been heard from Quebec to British Columbia, performing with Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Philharmonic, the Lanaudiere Festival, Opera NUOVA, Montreal Opera, the Masterworks Festival, the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble and previously with the Edmonton Opera. He is a winner of both the CBC Westcoast Performance Pacific Spotlight competition and the Début competition and has given recitals broadcast on CBC Radio Two. He was named to the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques in 2005 and received the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold award.
Clarence Frazer
Prince Yamadori/The Imperial Commissioner | baritone Clarence Frazer is a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, after completing his musical studies at the University of Western Ontario in 2010 and finishing his second year with Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program in May 2013. Recent roles include Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (Canadian Opera Company), Uberto in La Serva Padrona (COC), Il Sergente and Schaunard cover in La Bohème (COC), Publio in La clemenza di Tito (COSI), Il Conte in Il segreto di Susanna (Calgary Opera) and Ramiro in L’Heure Espagnole (Calgary Opera). In addition to his opera and concert work he won the inaugural Lois Marshall Voice Competition and was a finalist in both the Palm Beach Opera’s International Voice Competition and Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition.
Catherine Daniel
Kate Pinkerton | soprano Catherine Daniel of Edmonton studied voice with coluratura soprano Tracy Dahl of the University of Manitoba. She was a member of the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and later became a member of the Opera Studio Nederlands. She returned home from Amsterdam in 2011. Career highlights include roles as Carmen in Tilburg, Dido/Sorceress in a European tour, playing Mercedes in Manitoba Opera’s Carmen, and collaborations with Elroy Friesen at the University of Manitoba. In January 2014, Catherine sang the role of Maria with Montreal Opera. Catherine recently released her first album entitled Songs Dear to my Heart, a collection of hymns and spirituals.
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Artists’
PROFILES Peter Mumford
Original Lighting Designer Opera: Werther, Madama Butterfly, Faust, Carmen, Peter Grimes, 125th Gala (The Met), The Soldier’s Tale (Chicago Symphony), Eugene Onegin (LA Opera/Royal Opera House) and The Midsummer Marriage (Chicago Lyric Opera). Recent theatre: Love and Information (NYTW), King Lear (BAM), King Kong (Global Creatures/Australia), The Seagull (Broadway), Cock (Duke Theater, NYC) and Stephen Ward, Ghosts, Old Times, Top Hat (West End). Peter is currently directing and designing a concert version of Der Ring des Nibelungen for Opera North. Awards include Olivier Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Dance (1995) and for Best Lighting (Bacchae, National Theatre, 2003), Knight of Illumination Award 2010 and Helpmann Award 2013 for Best Lighting for King Kong.
Richard Moore
Revival Lighting Designer Richard Moore studied performing arts at North Tyneside College and went on to work for NTC Touring Theatre Company based in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. He then worked for Live Theatre and Northern Stage, both based in Newcastle before moving to Leeds and working for Leeds Grand Theatre and then Northern Ballet Theatre, also based in Leeds. For the last nine years Richard has been working for Opera North, where he worked on this production of Madama Butterfly.
HILDEGARD BECHTLER Set Designer
Opera: The Makropulos Case (Edinburgh International Festival/Opera North), The Damnation of Faust (English National Opera/ De Vlaamse/Palermo), The Letter at Santa Fe Opera, Aida (Canadian Opera Company) plus other productions at Royal Opera House, La Scala Milan and Paris Opera. Winner of 2009 Australian Green Room Award for Best Opera Design for Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Sydney Opera House). Broadway/Off-Broadway: Arcadia, The Seagull, Hedda Gabler, Primo and My Name is Rachel Corrie. Recent West End shows include Top Hat (2012 Olivier Award nomination), Passion Play and Old Times. Winner of 2011 Olivier Award for Best Costume Design for After The Dance (National Theatre). Future work includes La Traviata (Glyndebourne Festival Opera) and The Exterminating Angel (Salzburg Festival).
Peter Dala Chorusmaster
Peter has worked for the Basel Ballet, Zurich Ballet, the Hungarian State Opera and the National Ballet of Hungary, with performances in Monte Carlo, Germany, Israel, New York, Spain and China. Highlights include performances of Don Giovanni and the ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Singapore and Hong Kong Festival of Arts. As Edmonton Opera’s chorusmaster from 1996 to 2012 and resident conductor from 2001 to 2012, he prepared the chorus for roughly 40 operas and conducted numerous mainstage productions. He also recently conducted Die Fledermaus for Edmonton Opera. In 2001 he began his affiliation with Alberta Ballet and was appointed music director in 2005. Upcoming performances include a recital with tenor Benjamin Butterfield for the Edmonton Recital Society and Alberta Ballet’s Giselle.
Leanne Regehr Repetiteur
Leanne Regehr is currently based in Edmonton where she serves on the faculties of the University of Alberta and The King’s University College. She has performed in music centres across North America, most recently as the soloist in a live recording of Victor Davies’ Mennonite Piano Concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Leanne has worked as a repetiteur with Shreveport Opera, Mercury Opera and Edmonton Opera. Her dedication to the development of young singers has been recognized through her work as a faculty member with Opera NUOVA, a staff pianist for Sherrill Milnes’ VOICExperience Program in Florida, as well as a Coaching Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. She is a soloist, vocal coach, recital partner and adjudicator, as well as the accompanist for the Richard Eaton Singers.
Ha Neul Kim Stage Manager
The 2013/14 season is Ha Neul Kim’s 12th season with Edmonton Opera. A graduate from the University of Alberta with her BFA degree in technical theatre production specializing in stage management, she has been the Edmonton Opera’s stage manager since 2007. She has been the assistant stage manager for many past Edmonton Opera and Manitoba Opera productions, as well as stage managing for the main stage during the Queen’s royal visit, field stage for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2005 World Masters Games, and has worked in theatres across Canada. Currently, she teaches opera stage management at the University of Alberta.
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Betty-Lou Hushlak has stage managed at theatres across Canada. Her favourite experiences include seasons at the Charlottetown Festival and Summer of My Amazing Luck at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Betty has been the assistant stage manager for Edmonton Opera productions of La Traviata, Hansel and Gretel and The Mikado. This season she coordinated a group of stage management students for The National Elevator Plays for Theatre Yes and taught at the University of Alberta. She will also stage manage Contractions for Northern Light Theatre.
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Anna is excited to be working at the opera again! Previous Edmonton Opera credits include The Mikado, The Barber of Barrhead, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, Salome and Die Fledermaus. In November 2012, she was the assistant stage manager for the Edmonton Opera’s co-production of Shelter with Tapestry New Opera. She has also worked as a stage manager for the Citadel Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, Shadow Theatre, Workshop West, Theatre Network, Concrete Theatre and L’Uni Theatre. Anna is a graduate of the theatre production program at MacEwan and the theatre performance program at Red Deer College.
Assistant Stage Manager
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We’re investing in the next generation of performing artists, and banking on some entertaining returns. Through the RBC Emerging Artists Project, we’re committed to helping emerging performing artists develop their skills and bring their visions to life. That’s why we’re proud to support the Edmonton Opera which helps provide opportunities for up and coming artists to launch their careers, keeping the vitality of the arts industry alive.
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Downtown Edmonton’s Best Location At 33 storeys, Fox Two is the final and taller phase of Langham Developments’ Fox Towers project. The first phase – Fox One – is currently under construction and almost sold out. Fox Two is modern architectural elegance personified, offering 171 residential units from 640 to 2,400 square feet, in 1 to 3 bedroom configurations. Downtown’s Neighbhourhood of Choice Edmonton’s 104 Street Promenade was one of 4 finalists on the 2013 list of Great Streets in Canada, and Fox Two – on the corner of 104 Street and 102 Avenue – is the last major tower to be built there. The Latest Project from Langham Developments Langham Developments is an Edmonton-based developer and is among Edmonton’s most experienced and reputable high-rise builders, having completed 3 outstanding downtown towers to date: Icon 1, Icon 2 and The Omega. Register for pre-purchase opportunity
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Gift of shares to Edmonton Opera On May 2, 2006, the federal government eliminated capital gains on gifts of publicly traded securities to registered charities and foundations. Publicly traded securities are all securities listed on Canadian and major international exchanges. Such securities include stocks, trust units, mutual funds, bonds, exchange-traded funds and warrants. The elimination of capital gains tax on such publicly traded securities donated to Edmonton Opera provides donors with a significant tax-saving opportunity.
Message from
When you make the donation it must be a direct transfer of the security itself, not the cash proceeds of a sale of the security. As a donor of the security itself, you will receive tax savings. This exemption can be applied to income tax returns up to five years after the gift has been made, as with any charitable contribution. This tax saving also applies to gifts designated in a will if the donor arranges for their estate to transfer securities instead of the cash proceeds. To explore this type of donation and the possible tax benefits, you can visit the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency website at cra-arc.gc.ca or contact Reynolds Mirth Richards and Farmer LLP for further assistance.
Irving Guttman To all my friends and supporters at the Edmonton Opera,
it fills me with joy and happiness to celebrate this very special monumental occasion of closing the 50th anniversary. Nearly 51 years ago we opened with Madama Butterfly and the rest is history, putting Edmonton Opera on the international opera scene. We produced debuts for many opera singers from around the world in Edmonton, creating a very solid foundation for the future. Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Huguette Tourangeau, Samuel Ramey, Montserrat Caballe, Ermanno Mauro, Anna Moffo, Carol Neblett, JosÊ Carreras, Louis Quilico, Teresa Stratas, Maureen Forrester, Judith Forst, Victor Braun, Heather Thomson, Tracy Dahl, Richard Margison and Beverly Sills — just to name a few. I want to thank everybody who has supported the Edmonton Opera, a very special company that has given an enormous
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contribution to the arts and the opera scene. You gave our artists a home, a plateau to establish new careers. Your dedication has been a big asset for the Edmonton Opera. Since my retirement I have received many phone calls, emails and letters from artists who remember Edmonton Opera as the most important part of their career. Edmonton gave them their start and they have never forgotten where it all happened. We have turned a new page, with new challenges and goals to meet. Opera is exciting, meaningful and entertaining. Edmonton Opera will continue to be a cultural organization connected to its community. Devotion and hard work will continue to keep the future of this precious art form alive. I am proud of my association with the Edmonton Opera; its longevity, history and many happy memories will forever be in my heart. I wish only the best for the future of the Edmonton Opera. My warmest, best wishes for another 50 years of great success. Dr. Irving Guttman C. M. O.B.C. (DLITT’09) Artistic Director Emeritus
ONE NATION UNDER THE ARTS
We live in a country with a rich and deep appreciation for arts and culture, and we’re committed to fund programs that enable Canadians of all means and backgrounds to enjoy the very best. Proud supporter of Edmonton Opera and proudly Canadian.
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PLANNED GIVING by SHELLY K. CHAMASCHUK It takes a lifetime to build up an estate, and yet it seems little time, in comparison, is spent to determine what should happen with an estate after passing. Everyone is encouraged to put a will in place to ensure that the distribution of their estate is properly planned. A basic will can be done, leaving your estate to your family and those who matter to you. However, you may also wish to consider the ability to continue to give back to the community by leaving a charitable gift in your will. A charitable gift leaves money or other assets to those organizations which have given you joy, such as the opera. This would be such a wonderful legacy to you and a thoughtful way to give back on your way out. There is also a significant tax benefit to charitable gifts.
W
hen you include Edmonton Opera in your estate plans, you provide a foundation for great opera in Edmonton to future generations. If you wish to know more about giving to the opera, you are welcome to contact Mickey Melnyk, Stewardship Officer, at 780.392.8719. Shelly K. Chamaschuk is a partner with the law firm of Reynolds Mirth Richards and Farmer LLP who practises in the area of estate planning. Shelly can be reached at schamaschuk@rmrf.com or 780.497.3364.
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HELPING YOUR BUSINESS HIT THE RIGHT NOTE EVERY TIME. The business world is a lot like an opera, with drama, intrigue and suspense held in a mysterious balance. To find out what happens next, contact one of MNP’s business advisors. Our professionals provide clear, straightforward business advice tailored to you and your operation. To find out how MNP can help you, contact James Gillespie, CA at 780.453.5380. MNP. Proudly supporting the Edmonton Opera 2013 / 2014 season.
From behind the counter of Duchess Bake Shop, Garner Beggs is often watching the reactions of people who come into the store, either for the first time or umpteenth time. “We get everything. We’ve had weddings, we’ve had first dates, we’ve had first dates that have gone into engagements,” said Beggs, who has co-owned Duchess with Giselle Courteau and Jacob Pelletier for four years. “We’ve seen the whole thing. I’ve had super regular customers that I’ve seen come in, I’ve seen them become pregnant, and then have their kids, and their kids are walking and talking now, and ordering things from the case with their mom. It’s awesome. I love that sense of continuity.” Beggs’ goal was to create a central community hub and to encourage people to experience their larger, greater city. More than that are certainly coming to the bakery — they have visitors from across Canada, including Calgarians who make it a day trip from southern Alberta. “We’ve become a place where people who are in the area and the neighbourhood and the city in general, they want to bring their out-of-town guests here, they want to show off what Edmonton has and [Duchess] gets a chance to be a part of that, which is really great,” he said. The sense of community — which Beggs noted has grown incredibly — extends past 124 Street as well, including to Edmonton Opera. After the final curtain of each opening night, Director’s Circle members and other invited guests gather at a post-show reception, with treats crafted by Duchess’ team of bakers. Partnerships often develop organically, Beggs said, adding that since he loves the opera, Duchess provides a way for him to be more involved than simply purchasing opera tickets. “With any involvement that we’ve done with any organization across the city — it’s along the lines of, do I think they’re doing a good job, is this something I can hold my head up high and say, ‘Yeah, I think these guys are great?’” Beggs asked. 52 madama butterfly
“I think the opera is a really great community builder,” he continued. “It relies on people getting together, working together in order for all of those things to happen, and I think that’s the best way it could be. So I’m happy to help out.” In the near future, Duchess will continue to build its community past the walls of the bakery itself. As Provisions — which stocks many of the ingredients used in Duchess’ recipes — is running nicely next door, they can turn their sights to other projects, including a cookbook that “is basically going to give away all of our secrets,” Beggs said with a laugh. “The cookbook is sort of a logical extension of what Provisions is, and the book will just basically be a very clear window into the kitchen, what it is we do every day,” he continued. “It’s not really holding anything back, which is tricky because you can’t give someone a commercial recipe with a yield of 362 croissants.” In any case, he expects the cookbook to start conversations and continue to draw people to Duchess. “The thing for us is that we want to continually raise that bar. So even as people hear about us and hear what it is we’re doing, when they come, I still want the reality of it to surpass the expectation.”
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Rob hood fund
The Edmonton Opera is the grateful recipient of a generous gift from the Rob Hood Fund. Mr. Hood’s direction was that these legacy funds be used to attract operatic singers of the highest calibre. The first gift from the Rob Hood Fund was an award to Metropolitan Opera stars Angela Brown and Carl Tanner, who were two of the lead singers in Aida. Our second gift is committed to renowned soprano Anne Sophie Duprels, appearing in the lead role of Madama Butterfly in April 2014. Butterfly was the first opera ever performed by Edmonton Opera in 1963 and part of its inaugural season, so this will be a most apt acknowledgement of the company’s legacy in its 50th anniversary season. Dr. Irving Guttman, artistic director emeritus of the Edmonton Opera, shares his memories of Mr. Hood.
“I first met Robert when he joined our chorus in 1965. Two things were clear between us, we both loved opera and while he was serious and dedicated about his singing, we agreed that it was important to pursue one’s passions but not necessarily aspire to singing on the Met stage. He contributed to Edmonton Opera as both a board and guild member. That said, I believe his work in our chorus was seminal to his fine appreciation of the power and presence of the human voice. With his personal experience as a bass, his respect grew for the voices of the operatic greats of the time. He liked to call it ‘fine singing!’ “Rob was very principled in his belief that there were certain ways to do things, which extended to being a rather private person, to dressing properly and to being immensely loyal to his friends and colleagues. “Aside from his avocation, Rob was well placed in his work with the Alberta government’s culture portfolio. He was always committed to high standards, personally and professionally, and I am certain those were valued qualities in his work, thus making him known and respected in the arts community in the province and beyond.”
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& edmonton opera Chorus SOPRANOs
Mezzo-sopranos
TENORs
Baritone
Janine Bamford Natasha Da Fonseca Camille Holland Jill Hoogewoonink Betty Kolodziej Krista Skwarok
Nora Abercrombie Sable Chan Seang Youn Choi Andrea Graham Krista-Marie Lessard Ann Parry Cristina Weiheimer Laura Winton Karen Zabinski
Adam Arnold Garreth Borgstrom Taylor Fawcett Mathew Glenn Raimundo Gonzalez Dave Kantor Robert Rock Daniel Rowley Kent Sutherland
Greg Maluzynsky
edmonton symphony orchestra William Eddins, Music Director Violin 1
cello
bassoon
Robert Uchida Eric Buchmann Virginie GagnĂŠ Broderyck Olson Richard Caldwell Joanna Ciapka-Sangster Alissa Cheung Anna Kozak Aiyana Anderson-Howatt Neda Yamach
Colin Ryan Sheila Laughton Ronda Metszies Gillian Caldwell Derek Gomez Victor Pipkin
Edith Stacey Diane Persson
Violin 2 Dianne New Susan Flook Heather Bergen ZoĂŤ Sellers Robert Hryciw Tatiana Warszynski Jim Cockell Kate Svrcek
Viola Stefan Jungkind Charles Pilon Clayton Leung Jeannette Comeau Mikiko Kohjitani Andrew Bacon
bass Jan Urke John Taylor Janice Quinn Rob Aldridge
flute
horn Allene Hackleman Megan Evans Gerald Onciul Donald Plumb
Percussion Brian Jones John McCormick Brian Thurgood
Harp Nora Bumanis
trumpet Robin Doyon Bill Dimmer Glenn Skelton
Personnel Manager
Shelley Younge Elizabeth Faulkner Jessica McMillan
Trombone
Oboe
Bass Trombone
Librarian
Christopher Taylor
Aaron Hawn
Lidia Khaner Paul Schieman Dan Waldron
John McPherson Kathryn Macintosh
Tuba
clarinet
Scott Whetham
Julianne Scott David Quinn
tIMPANI
Josh Iverson
Barry Nemish
Eric Filpula
Continuing to enjoy EDMONTON OPERA’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY presentations Timeless MADAMA BUTTERFLY WITTEN LLP | 2500 Canadian Western Bank Place | 10303 Jasper Ave., Edmonton, AB Phone: 780-428-0501 | Fax: 780-429-2559 | www.wittenlaw.com
Metro Cinema’s monthly series of productions from the Royal Opera House 2013/14 Cinema Series. Co-presented by the Edmonton Opera.
OPERA IN CINEMA
WAGNER
2 PM, FRIDAY APRIL 18 2014 $17 adults / $14 Students, Seniors & Kids For information & tickets call 780 425-9212 Metro Cinema at the Garneau 8712 109th Street|metrocinema.org
Metro Cinema receives ongoing support from these Arts Funders: Metro receives support from these Arts funders:
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A SeASon SponSor of the edmonton operA.
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edmonton opera board of directors 2013-2014 season
Richard Cook, Chair Francis Price, Vice Chair Ken Keenleyside, Treasurer Irv Kipnes, Past Chair Robert Bessette John Cameron Mary Clonfero
Craig Corbett Bertrand Malo Ashif Mawji
Melanie Nakatsui Bernie Robitaille Robert Rock
Katie Soles Stella Varvis
Irving Guttman, Artistic Director Emeritus
edmonton opera staff Executive
Production and technical
Tim Yakimec, General Manager
Clayton Rodney, Production & Technical Director Greg Brown, Head Scenic Carpenter & Shop Supervisor Deanna Finnman, Head of Wardrobe & Resident Wardrobe Designer Chantel Fortin, Head of Properties & Scenic Art Kathy Cooper, Assistant Head Scenic Carpenter Brenda Inglis, Wardrobe, First Assistant Michelle Warren, Wardrobe First Stitcher Danine Regenwetter, Wardrobe Stitcher Kathryn Neuman, Wardrobe Stitcher
Finance Debra King, Interim CFO Serene Yau, Senior Bookkeeper
Community Relations Jelena Bojic, Director of Community Relations & Assistant General Manager Rebecca Anderson, Development & Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Hinnell, Grants Officer Cameron MacRae, Creative Manager Mickey Melnyk, Stewardship Officer Catherine Szabo, Communications Coordinator
Box Office Tara-Lee LaRose, Box Office Manager Tonya Rae Chrystian, Box Office Supervisor
Artistic Administration Ha Neul Kim, Company Manager & Stage Manager
Nanc Price, Volunteer Photographer
Production and technical Stage Crew Danine Regenwetter, Head Wardrobe Dresser Pat MacKenzie, Wardrobe Dresser Judy Morley, Head of Wigs & Hair Marsha Scott, Wigs & Hair Cathy Nicoll, Head of Make-up Noreen Jani, Assistant Head Make-up Chantel Fortin, Head Properties Katie Hartfeil, Assistant Head Properties Geoff Bacchus, Head Stage Carpenter Greg Brown, Assistant Head Stage Carpenter Al Kliss, Head Fly Alison Hardy, Head Electrician Joseph Race, Assistant Head Electrician Jacquie Dawkins, Supertitle Cuer Stage crew courtesy of I.A.T.S.E. Local 210 madama butterfly 63
Sluggo’s offers a wide variety of popular brand products that can be uniquely customized for your team or business.
For GREAT service and GREAT prices call Natasha at 780.919.3193 email: natasha@sluggosfreekick.ca
Edmonton Opera Magazine is published four times per year by Playhouse Publications Ltd. The contents of Edmonton Opera Magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved by Playhouse Publications Ltd.
Inquiries should be made to: Playhouse Publications Ltd. • 10177 - 105 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E2 Ph: 780-423-5834 • Fax: 780-413-6185 • www.playhousepublications.ca PLAYHOUSE PUBLICATIONS LTD. President & Publisher: Rob Suggitt Art Director & Designer: Christine Kucher Advertising Sales: Barry Powis, Kerry Duperron Administration: Suzanne Peacock Edmonton Opera Magazine is a product of Playhouse Publications Ltd., an affiliate of Suggitt Publishers. President & CEO: Tom Suggitt • President & CFO: Rob Suggitt
Suggitt PUBLISHERS
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64 madama butterfly
The actors at the jube aren’t pixels – they’re real and they’re right in front of you. Here are just a few tips on how to make your night stand out.
1 Skip the lines at intermission! Pre-order your refreshments at any of our concessions. 2 Pump up the volume and zoom into the action! Ask about infrared listening devices and binoculars at Patron Services. 3 Get a room! Organizing a group outing? Talk to our staff about renting out a luxury suite. It comes stocked with food, drinks and its own bartender. Not to mention its very own washroom! Giving Props... The Jube is proud to have Edmonton Opera as one of its Resident Companies. With a proud 50 year history, Edmonton Opera is committed to producing opera of the highest possible calibre and making their productions as accessible as possible in the community.
Check out our new website at jubileeauditorium.com!
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April 18, 2014
Opera in Cinema, co-presented by Metro Cinema and Edmonton Opera, is screening Wagner’s Parsifal on April 18 at 2 p.m. from the Royal Opera House. Tickets and details are available at metrocinema.org.
June 12, 2014 The 2014 PCL Golf Classic will be held on June 12 at the Glendale Golf and Country Club. June 20, 2014 Celebrate the summer solstice during Opera al Fresco, with open-air performances and great food and wine at the Devonian Botanic Garden. Oct. 19, 2014 Featuring the artists of The Barber of Seville, the first brunch of the 2014/15 season will be at the Edmonton Petroleum Club. Oct. 25, 28 & 30 2014
The Barber of Seville: involving a few close shaves to get the girl, join us for an opera set on a movie studio backlot, with Rosina as a starlet on the silver screen, Bartolo as the studio owner and Figaro as a meddlesome hair stylist.
For more information or to purchase tickets to any of these events please call 780.429.1000 or visit edmontonopera.com.
66 madama butterfly
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