FORT WORTH OPERA
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Dutch Art IN A GLOBAL AGE
Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
NOVEMBER 10– FEBRUARY 9
Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is supported in part by Frost, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District.
Organized by Promotional support provided by
Jacob van Ruisdael, Rough Sea (detail), c. 1670, oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. William Francis Warden Fund, 57.4. Photograph
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
FORT WORTH OPERA presents
Directed by CLAIRE CHOQUETTE
KELLY GUERRA JO MARCH
MEGAN KOCH AMY MARCH
Conducted by TYSON DEATON
MARY FEMINEAR BETH MARCH
CHARLES CALOTTA LAURIE
CHRISTOPHER CURCURUTO FRIEDERICH BHAER
KASWANNA KANYINDA
BRIDGET CAPPEL MEG MARCH
ERIK EARL LARSON JOHN BROOKE
SETH EMMANUEL CLARKE GIDEON MARCH/DASHWOOD
CECILIA MARCH TWYLA ROBINSON ALMA MARCH
CATHERINE DIGRAZIA, COURTNEY PARNITKE, JORDAN RIEK, ISABELLA LOPEZ FEMALE QUARTET
Lighting Design by JAMIE MILLIGAN
Wig and Makeup Design by MARY MCGREW PONTO
SCENIC ELEMENTS CONSTRUCTED BY PITTSBURGH OPERA
COSTUMES PROVIDED BY SARASOTA OPERA ASSOCIATION, INC.
Little Women is 2 hours 20 minutes with 1 intermission.
Dear Friends of Fort Worth Opera,
It is a special joy to welcome you to our production of Little Women, a story with deep personal meaning for me and, I imagine, for many of you. My own journey with Little Women began as a young reader, when my grandmother passed her copy down to me, just as so many families do, connecting generations through the timeless tale of the March sisters’ courage, resilience, and enduring love.
Mark Adamo’s Little Women brings Alcott’s vision to life with freshness and fidelity. Since its 2005 Fort Worth Opera premiere, it has become a beloved American opera, moving audiences with its stirring music and emotional depth. We’re proud to bring it back to our stage to inspire a new generation.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate this enduring tale of family, friendship, and the complexities of growing up. We hope it speaks to you as it has to so many, inspiring laughter, tears, and perhaps a reminder of what truly matters. We look forward to welcoming you back throughout the season as we continue to share more inspiring stories that connect us all.
Warmest regards,
Angela Turner Wilson General and Artistic Director, Fort Worth Opera
COMPOSER’S NOTE
More than a century after its publication, Louisa May Alcott’s chronicle of growing up female in civil-war era New England remains a main dish in the smorgasbord of American popular fiction. Readers have devoured the adventures of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in more than one hundred languages. In our own land and tongue, Hollywood has had to film the piece once every 20 years or so to slake the recurring appetite. The applause that hailed Little Women in its own century echoes in its steadily rising prestige at the close of our own; writers as diverse as Simone de Beauvoir and Joyce Carol Oates have claimed Alcott as a literary ancestor.
I read the book as a child and loved it. And I recognized that Little Women itself solves certain problems for the opera composer. The novel itself as well as its young, lively characters in their antique locale reminded me of opera today: an art buzzing with new writing and thinking while still working with resources (the bel-canto trained voice, the acoustic orchestra) that stabilized one hundred years ago. I knew Jo’s wild imagination would free me musically to range between abstract and tonal, poetic and vernacular, song and symphonic forms.
The conflict of Little Women is Jo versus the passage of time. Adored by her family, she adores them in turn. She fights her own and her sisters’ growth because she knows deep down that growing up means growing apart. -Mark Adamo
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST
Kelly Guerra (Jo March) A versatile and passionate performer, mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra’s recent engagements include Il barbiere di Siviglia, María de Buenos Aires, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Zorro, Scalia/Ginsburg and the title role in Luisa Fernanda. In 2024 Ms. Guerra joins the Metropolitan Opera for Ainadamar and debuts as Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri with Anchorage Opera. She won kudos as the alto soloist in Messiah at David Geffen Hall.
Mary Feminear (Beth March) The New York Times describes Mary Feminear as showing “versatility [as Magdalene] in her sorrowing and in her transcendent joy”. Recent operatic roles have included The Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Omaha and Maryland Lyric Opera), Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen (Grand Théâtre de Genève), the title role in Floyd’s Susannah (Wichita Grand Opera), and Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff (Maryland Lyric Opera). As an avid performer of baroque repertoire, her credits include the title role in Handel’s Semele (Seattle Opera and Opera Omaha).
Bridget Cappel (Meg March) Praised for her “dazzling coloratura” and “supple, beautifully focused voice.” She was previously seen at FWO in concert with Jake Heggie and the Cliburn Foundation and in the world premiere of Zorro where she created the role of Toypurina. Recent professional engagements include Opera NEO (Eduige, Rodelinda), Painted Sky Opera (Alisa, Lucia di Lammermoor), and Shreveport Opera (Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Flora, La Traviata). Young artist programs include The Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Fort Worth Opera.
Megan Koch (Amy March) Featured with the Fort Worth and Illinois Symphonies in 2024. Last season, she debuted her Violetta in La traviata, and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, with Shreveport Opera. Formerly a Lesley Resident Artist, she performed
Annina in La traviata, covered Ana Maria in Zorro, produced Manon on the Move, based on the opera by Massenet, and appeared with FWSO’s America Strong on ABC. Megan won first place in 2022’s Classical Singer Competition.
Charles Calotta (Laurie) In 2024, tenor Charles Calotta sang Grimoaldo, (Rinaldo), Ferrando, (Così fan tutte), Antonio, (Le nozze di Figaro) and Laurie, (Little Women), with Opera Neo, Opera Ithaca, Sacramento Opera and Fort Worth Opera. Other major roles range from Die Zauberflöte, Il barbiere di Siviglia, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Fellow Travelers, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, Orpheus in the Underworld and Mitridate, Re di Ponto.
Erik Earl Larson (John Brooke) Erik Earl Larson is thrilled to return to Fort Worth Opera to sing alongside his wife, Bridget Cappel, in Little Women. This season, Erik Earl has been heard in Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico) at Painted Sky Opera, and La traviata (Baron Douphol) at The Dallas Opera. Recently, Erik Earl sang with Virginia Opera in Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro), the Memphis Symphony in Handel’s Messiah (Bass Soloist), and Carnegie Hall in Michael Glasgow’s Gloria (Baritone Soloist).
Christopher Curcuruto (Friederich Bhaer) Praised for his “satisfyingly rich” and “resonant” tone, Italian-Australian bass-baritone Christopher Curcuruto “simply owns the stage whenever he is on it”. Curcuruto is a former Fort Worth Opera Studio Artist (2019/20, 2020/21 seasons) and has performed broadly both internationally and across the United States. Recent role credits include Simone in Gianni Schicchi with Amarillo Opera, Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Nashville Opera, and Zweiter Soldat in Salome with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Seth Emmanuel Clarke (Gideon March/Dashwood) A local resident of Dallas, TX, Seth-Emmanuel Clarke, bassbaritone, completed a Performance Diploma
in Voice Performance at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in May 2024 under Professor Barbara Hill-Moore after having also completed his Master’s in May of 2023. Most recently, Seth was a vocalist for the 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors Showcase Concert in which he sang the role of Figaro in excerpts from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Kaswanna Kanyinda (Cecilia March) noted for her dramatic presence and vocal warmth, recently completed her second year as a Resident Artist at Fort Worth Opera. A Sullivan Foundation Career Development Grant winner and competition finalist, she’s performed with Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Finger Lakes Opera, and Detroit Opera. Recent roles include Carmen in The Tragedy of Carmen and Ms. Nolan in La Medium. She returns to Finger Lakes Opera and Fort Worth Opera this Fall 2024.
Twyla Robinson (Alma March) Her incisive musicianship has taken her to the leading concert halls and opera stages around the globe. She has been heard in performance with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle, The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, among others, and has recorded with Deutsche Grammphon, EMI, Decca, Telarc, and more. Ms. Robinson is
now an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Texas Christian University. Tyson Deaton (Conductor) Garnering critical acclaim in Opera News, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and other U.S. and worldwide publications. Known for his broad range of repertoire and versatility of style, he has earned a reputation for leading energetic and inventive performances at venues including the Kennedy Center, San Francisco Opera, Opera Omaha, Atlanta Opera, and Kentucky Opera, to name a few. No stranger to Fort Worth Opera, Tyson led the production of Cipullo’s Glory Denied in 2013.
Claire Choquette (Stage Director) An ward-winning stage director, Claire is an artistic force of nature whose concept for Strauss’ Salome won Opera America’s Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer prize in 2022 for an arresting cult-centric production. A quick up-and-comer on the American opera scene, Claire has been in high demand, having directed eight fully staged productions in her first year as a full-time stage director. Recently lauded by Opera Baltimore, “Choquette did a masterful job keeping the action flowing and devising set ups for comic elements.”
PRODUCTION
Milligan
McGrew Ponto
Bell
Kaitlin Hatton
Charlene Lotz
Kurt Howard
Kelly Hill
Freddie Watkins, Forever Photography
Thank you to The Welman Project, Kids Who Care, Chad Jung, Ra byn Taylor
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Robert Spano, Music Director, Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Chair
Kevin John Edusei, Principal Guest Conductor
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director Laureate
Michelle Di Russo, Associate Conductor, Rae and Ed Schollmaier Foundation Chair
John Giordano, Conductor Emeritus
VIOLIN I
Michael Shih, Concertmaster
Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair
Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair
Swang Lin, Associate Concertmaster
Ann Koonsman Chair
Eugene Cherkasov, Assistant Concertmaster
Mollie & Garland Lasater Chair
Jennifer Y. Betz
Ordabek Duissen
Qiong Hulsey
Ivo Ivanov
Nikayla Kim
Izumi Lund
Ke Mai
Kimberly Torgul
Albert Yamamoto
VIOLIN II
Adriana Voirin DeCosta, Principal
Steven Li, Associate Principal
Janine Geisel, Assistant Principal
Symphony League of Fort Worth Chair
Molly Baer
Matt Milewski
Gabriela Peña-Kim
Kathryn Perry
Tatyana Smith
Rosalyn Story
Andrea Tullis
Camilla Wojciechowska
VIOLA
DJ Cheek, Principal
Anna Kolotylina, Associate Principal
HeeSun Yang, Assistant Principal
Joni Baczewski
Sorin Guttman
Aleksandra Holowka
Dmitry Kustanovich
Daniel Sigale
CELLO
Allan Steele, Principal
Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair
Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair
Vacant Position, Associate Principal
Keira Fullerton, Assistant Principal
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation Chair
John Belk
Deborah Brooks
Shelley Jessup
Jenny Kwak
BASS
William Clay, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Bass Chair
Paul Unger, Assistant Principal
Jeffery Hall
Sean P. O’Hara
Julie Vinsant
The seating positions of all string section musicians listed alphabetically change on a regular basis.
FLUTE
Jake Fridkis, Principal
Shirley F. Garvey Chair
Gabriel Fridkis, Assistant Principal
Vaynu Kadiyali
PICCOLO
Vaynu Kadiyali
OBOE
Jennifer Corning Lucio, Principal
Nancy L. & William P. Hallman, Jr., Chair
Tamer Edlebi, Assistant Principal
Tim Daniels
ENGLISH HORN
Tim Daniels
CLARINET
Stanislav Chernyshev, Principal
Rosalyn G. Rosenthal Chair*
Ivan Petruzziello, Assistant Principal
Phillip Solomon°
E-FLAT CLARINET
Ivan Petruzziello
BASS CLARINET
Phillip Solomon°
BASSOON
Joshua Elmore, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair
Nik Hooks°, Assistant Principal
Nicole Haywood°
Cara Owens, on leave
CONTRABASSOON
Nicole Haywood°
HORN
Gerald Wood, Principal
Elizabeth H. Ledyard Chair
Alton F. Adkins, Associate Principal
Drs. Jeff and Rosemary Detweiler Chair
Kelly Cornell, Associate Principal
Aaron Pino
TRUMPET
Kyle Sherman, Principal
Cody McClarty, Assistant Principal
Dorothy Rhea Chair
Oscar Garcia
TROMBONE
Joseph Dubas, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. John Kleinheinz Chair
John Michael Hayes, Assistant Principal
Dennis Bubert
BASS TROMBONE
Dennis Bubert
Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair
TUBA
Edward Jones, Principal
TIMPANI
Seth McConnell, Principal
Madilyn Bass Chair
Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal
PERCUSSION
Keith Williams, Principal
Shirley F. Garvey Chair
Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal
Adele Hart Chair
Deborah Mashburn
Brad Wagner
HARP
Vacant Position
Bayard H. Friedman Chair
KEYBOARD
Shields-Collins “Buddy” Bray, Principal
Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn & Van Cliburn Chair
STAGE MANAGER
Wilson Armstrong
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER
Megan Brook
ORCHESTRA LIBRARIANS
Christopher Hawn
David Sterrett
*In Memory of Manny Rosenthal
°2024/2025 Season Only
The Concertmaster performs on the 1710 Davis Stradivarius violin.
The Associate Concertmaster performs on the 1685 Eugenie Stradivarius violin.
By bringing the arts into the lives of our residents, we connect on all levels using music as a key to successful and personalized dementia care.
As a not-for-profit organization, James L West has been providing expert care for those living with dementia and support for their caregivers for over 30 years. Until there is a cure, we are here to care.
WHERE YOUR FINANCIAL SUCCESS TAKES CENTER STAGE
FORT WORTH OPERA
Board of Trustees
RANDY SABBAGH Chair
HAYNE SHUMATE Vice Chair
NICOLE DUVALL Secretary JUDY BENNETT GARNER Governance
ALLIE BETH ALLMAN
JEN APPLEMAN
KEON ANDERSON, DDS
NELSON E. CLAYTOR, Ph.D.
ROBERT ESTRADA
ROBERT L. JAMESON
BARBARA JORDAN
TERESA CARTER KING
JOSEPH D. LESLEY
ASHLEY LACAMP MOORE Treasurer
JILL FISCHER Chair Emerita
GUY V. MANNING
MIKE R. MARTINEZ
JUSTIN NEWTON
SUSIE OLMOS-SOTO
SKYLAR BROGDON O’NEAL
MARY B. PENCIS
KATHERINE POLENZ
VERNON E. REW, JR.
EBONY ROSE
Fort Worth Opera extends heartfelt gratitude to the businesses and foundations whose generous support advances the Opera’s programming, outreach, and educational initiatives.
Ann L. & Carol Green Foundation
Rhodes Charitable Trust
Arts Fort Worth Bank of America
Barbara Ann Baldridge Foundation
William E. Scott Foundation
Pangburn Foundation
Fifth Avenue Foundation
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Garvey Texas Foundation
Kwedar & Co
Mary Potishman Lard Trust Foundation
Residence Inn by Marriott
Robert D. & Alma Moreton Foundation
The Rea Charitable Trust US Bank
Web Maddox Foundation
WORTH OPERA STAFF
You have the lead role in tomorrow’s biggest hit: YOUR FUTURE. Make it your best role yet with a move to The Stayton at Museum Way by Buckner, Fort Worth’s only senior living community that offers Life Care. Scan the QR code and complete the online form for more information.
North Texas Gives Here
Elia and Al Saenz
