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Sant’Andrea della Valle. Photo by Eric Melear
PLAN YOUR WOLF TRAP OPERA SUMMER F O R T I C K E T S , V I S I T W O L F T R A P. O R G / O P E R A MON
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SAT FOUR OF A KIND NOI+F POPS CONCERT
FOUR OF A KIND
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POP-UP @ UNION MARKET
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THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
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THE TOUCHSTONE
MAHLER’S FOURTH
THE TOUCHSTONE
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THE TOUCHSTONE
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THE TOUCHSTONE
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STUDIO SPOTLIGHT
ARIA JUKEBOX
MASTER CLASS WITH SIMON O’NEILL
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TOSCA
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CARMINA BURANA
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THE JUNIPER TREE & BASTIANELLO
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THE JUNIPER TREE & BASTIANELLO
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THE JUNIPER TREE & BASTIANELLO
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LISTEN, LISTEN, WILHELMINA! WILHELMINA!
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THE JUNIPER TREE & BASTIANELLO
WOLF TRAP OPERA NOW STREAMING ONLINE E n j o y Wo l f Tr a p O p e r a a n y w h e r e , a n y t i m e . A video stream of Florian Leopold Gassmann’s h i l a r i o u s s e n d - u p L’ O p e ra S e r i a , p e r fo r m e d a t T h e B a r n s a t Wo l f Tr a p i n s u m m e r 2 0 1 6 , i s n o w l i v e a t W O L F T R A P. O R G / S T R E A M I N G . CONTRIBUTORS KIM WITMAN Senior Director, Wolf Trap Opera & Classical Programming J o ANN L a BRECQUE Senior Director, Communications & Marketing MICHELLE PENDOLEY Director, Public Relations SARA SHAFFER Art Director GLENN DIXON Manager, Publications MIGUEL VELARDE Graphic Designer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS WOLF TRAP OPERA 201 7 WOLF TRAP FOUNDATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS W E LCO M E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 T O S C A .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 THE TOUCHSTONE ( L A P I E T R A D E L PA R AG O N E ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 DOUBLE BILL B A S T I A N E L LO & T H E J U N I P E R T R E E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 T H E S T U D I O T U R N S T E N .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 STUDIO SPOTLIGHT.......................................................27 U N T R A P P E D .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 FOUR OF A KIND WITH STEVEN BLIER..................................................... 32 A R I A J U K E B OX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 SIMON O’NEILL FILENE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE..................................... 34 A L U M N I M A K I N G WAV E S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6 YO U N G A R T I S T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8 C R E AT I V E T E A M S & S TA F F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 O R C H E S T R A.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 8 F I N E A R T S H I G H L I G H T S .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 0 CARMINA BURANA......................................................... 51 W I T H A P P R E C I AT I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2
SP ECI AL THANKS TO DAN AND GAYLE D’ANI ELLO, WOLF TRAP 2017 SEASON UNDERWRI T E RS
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WELCOME Great art moves us, often on a deeply personal level. Wolf Trap Opera’s 2017 season intersects with so many facets of my life, going all the way back to when I was a young boy, listening to my mother play arias on her Baldwin baby grand.
As someone who became hooked on opera at an early age, the children’s opera commission of Listen, Wilhelmina! gives me hope that a new generation will have the same opportunities as I did to fall in love with this great art form.
As an Italian-American, I am drawn to the magnificent work of the Italian greats. Puccini’s Tosca will have its company debut at the Filene Center, a space that is as grand and dramatic as the fiery heroine herself. Rossini’s comic genius and vocal acrobatics— qualities that simply delight me— will be on full display in the seldom heard The Touchstone (La pietra del paragone), a perfect opera for the intimate Barns.
I am grateful to the numerous devoted donors whose support enables Wolf Trap Opera to offer its biggest, most ambitious season yet. Philanthropy affords our young artists more opportunities to develop their craft and to delight us all. Thank you.
I also appreciate the wholly American works of Philip Glass: They are contemporary, forward-looking, and meticulous in intent, not unlike Wolf Trap Opera. This season, we are fortunate to experience not one but two of his works.
Welcome to the 2017 Wolf Trap Opera season. With five fully staged productions and events across the region, it is our most ambitious season yet. Performances at The Barns and the Filene Center are cornerstones of the rigorous program which has made WTO one of the most coveted summer residencies for young professional singers. But the chance to collaborate on new works and in new contexts is also a hallmark of the WTO experience. New this season is UNTRAPPED, an initiative which brings WTO and its artists to new places and unexpected spaces, pushing boundaries and giving its artists unparalleled opportunities for artistic growth. Through a new collaboration with Halcyon Stage, WTO will present site-specific works at Dock 5 @ Union Market while partnering with CityDance and the Inscape Chamber Orchestra. Also for the first time, WTO will join the National Orchestral Institute + Festival for two performances at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. And at our very own Children’s Theatre-inthe-Woods, WTO will present a new commission of a children’s opera, Listen, Wilhelmina!, in partnership with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, introducing the beauty and power of opera to children in a joyous natural setting.
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Sincerely,
DAN D’ANIELLO
Chairman Wolf Trap Foundation Board of Directors
This year marks the international celebration of visionary composer Philip Glass. As part of Glass@80, Wolf Trap Opera will contribute two productions to mark this musical milestone: a staging of The Juniper Tree, his exceptional collaboration with Robert Moran, and a one-night-only performance of The Fall of the House of Usher. Our program’s excellence and growth is only made possible through the generosity of Wolf Trap’s loyal patrons, donors, and volunteers. Thank you for the committed support.
Sincerely,
ARVIND MANOCHA President and CEO Wolf Trap Foundation
Enthusiastic Wolf Trap Opera audiences often remark that they appreciate the high quality of our productions, the fresh creative vibe of our company, and the truly outstanding level of vocalism we present. They are often surprised to learn that we occupy a unique niche in the opera world, and that the performances they enjoy here are really a fortunate by-product of our main mission: to identify, nurture, and promote the finest developing talent in the industry. For 10 to 12 weeks every year, Wolf Trap is the summer home of dozens of artists representing the best of the next generation. They create an artistic community of uncommon excellence and singleness of purpose, and the excitement it generates is palpable in every one of our productions. Our distinctive profile has its origins in our unique annual talent search process. Well over a thousand singers submit applications for each season, and each autumn we hear live auditions in seven different U.S. markets. After it’s all over, we choose roughly 3 percent of the applicants to form the next year’s roster. While other companies craft an opera season and then audition singers to fill specific roles, we engage in a beautifully reverse-engineered process. As we head out across the country with open minds and ears, we first identify the best singers of that year’s talent pool. Only then do we enter into the programming process, with the goal of finding operas and roles that fit these particular singers. It makes us a company with artists at the forefront of our operation and at the center of our hearts, and that in turn makes Wolf Trap Opera a highly desired summer engagement. Our 2017 season offerings are a reflection of the unique strengths of this year’s artist roster. These singers are particularly suited to making Rossini sparkle, infusing Puccini’s Tosca with passion and drama, and bringing gripping storytelling and refreshing laughter to three rare American operas. It’s a season that reflects the optimism, creativity, courage, and heart of a special group of people, and I am so glad you’ve decided to share it with us. Sincerely,
KIM PENSINGER WITMAN
Senior Director Wolf Trap Opera & Classical Programming
N ATI ON A L
TA L E N T SEARCH
2017 EDITION AU D I T I O N S WERE HELD IN
7 CITIES SEL EC TI ON RATE
3% 2017 YOUNG ARTISTS
WERE BORN IN
17 US STATES
6 FOREIGN COUNTRIES 1,054
ARIAS +
MONOLOGUES P E R FO R M E D
10,344 M I L E S TRAVELED
23,496 MG
OF CAFFEINE CONSUMED 5
WOLF TRAP FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mrs. Melania Trump Honorary Chair Mr. Daniel A. D’Aniello Chairman Mr. Arvind Manocha President and CEO Mrs. Hillary D. Baltimore Vice Chairman and Secretary Mr. C.E. Andrews Mrs. Patrice K. Brickman Mr. Nicholas E. Calio Ms. Teresa Carlson Mr. Enrico A. Della Corna Ms. Lynn R. Dillon Mr. Ric Edelman Mr. Vincent L. Ferraro Ms. Virginia McGehee Friend Mr. Gregory S. Gallopoulos Ms. Denise Grant Mr. Gil Guarino Mrs. Margaret Gupta Mrs. Janet Hill Mr. Frederick S. Humphries, Jr.
Mr. Donald Irwin, IV Mr. Richard Jeanneret The Hon. Broderick D. Johnson Mr. Tim Keating The Hon. Dirk Kempthorne Mr. John E. King Ms. Anne R. Kline Mr. Matthew Korn Ms. Nancy J. Laben Mr. David H. Langstaff Mr. John C. Lee, IV Mr. Mark C. Lowham Dr. Gary D. Mather Mrs. Terri McClements Mr. Thomas W. Minnick Ms. Ramona Mockoviak Dr. Mark G. Mykityshyn Mr. Christopher J. Nassetta The Hon. Sean O’Keefe Mr. Patrick S. Pacious Mr. Charles L. Prow Mr. Dion Rudnicki Mr. B. Francis Saul, III Mrs. Danielle O. Saunders
Mr. Fredrick Schaufeld Mr. Mark A. Simione Ms. Kimberly H. Stewart Mr. John B. Veihmeyer Ms. Kathy Warden Mr. Bruce D. Wardinski Mr. John B. Wood OTHER OFFICERS Ms. Beth Brummel V ice President, External Affairs Mr. Stephen D. Kahn General Counsel PRESIDENT EMERITUS Mr. Terrence D. Jones DIRECTOR EMERITUS The Hon. Norman Y. Mineta FOUNDER Mrs. Jouett Shouse (1896–1994)
FORMER CHAIRS OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Edward R. Carr (1969) Mr. I. Lee Potter (1970) Dr. Elizabeth May (1971) Mr. C.R. Smith (1972) The Honorable Melvin R. Laird (1973–74) Mr. J. William Middendorf, II (1975–76) Miss Barbara M. Watson (1977) Mr. Douglas R. Smith (1978–79) Mr. Edward B. Crosland (1980–81)
The Hon. Robert Keith Gray (1982–83) Mr. William F. Bolger (1984–85) Dr. John L. McLucas (1986–87) Mr. Earle C. Williams (1988–89) The Hon. Najeeb E. Halaby (1990–91) Mrs. James M. Beggs (1992–93) Mr. David A. Berenson (1994–95) Mr. Stuart C. Johnson (1996–97) Mr. K. David Boyer, Jr. (1998–99) Mr. Thomas W. Hoog (2000–01)
Dr. Edward H. Bersoff (2002–03) Mr. John C. Backus, Jr. (2004–05) Mr. Walter M. Oliver (2006–07) Mr. Gerald L. Kohlenberger (2008–09) Mr. Gary H. Tabach (2010–11) Mr. John C. Lee IV (2012–13)
WOLF TRAP ASSOCIATES BOARD Mrs. Dorothy McAuliffe Honorary Chair Ms. Kimberly H. Stewart Chair Mr. Kevin Robbins Vice Chair and Secretary
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Ms. Karen E. Avery Mr. Alan S. Berson Ms. S. Whitney Bowman-Zatzkin Mr. Enrico C. Cecchi Mrs. Karen Cleveland Mr. Jon D. Craver Mr. Steven Day Ms. Christina Gadrinab Ms. Glenda A. Harvey Mrs. Carolyn E. Howell
Mr. Loren B. Hudziak Mr. Richard Jackson, PT, OCS Mr. Tim Meyers Mr. Ryan Miller Mr. Reed W. Neuman Ms. Patricia Nicoson Mrs. Patricia Reed Mr. Kevin L. Rusnak Mr. Jonathan Shames Mr. Robert Van Hoecke
Photo by Eric Melear
TOSCA A NEW PRODUCTION
M U S I C BY G I ACO M O P U CC I N I L I B R E T TO BY G I U S E P P E G I ACO SA A N D L U I G I I L L I C A , A F T E R T H E P L AY LA TOSCA BY VICTORIEN SARDOU
N AT I O N A L S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A T H E WA S H I N G T O N C H O R U S C H I L D R E N ’ S C H O R U S O F WA S H I N G T O N J U LY 1 4 AT 8 : 1 5 P M FILENE CENTER SPECIAL THANKS TO V I R G I N I A M c G E H E E F R I E N D, PERFORMANCE SPONSOR 7
CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE Cesare Angelotti, former consul
Richard Ollarsaba
Sacristan
Anthony Robin Schneider
Mario Cavaradossi, a painter
Mackenzie Gotcher
Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer
Alexandra Loutsion
Baron Scarpia, chief of police
Kihun Yoon
Spoletta, police agent
Nicholas Nestorak
Sciarrone, policeman
Geoffrey Hahn*
Shepherd
Megan Mikailovna Samarin
Jailer Matthew Adam Fleisher* *Studio Artist
ORCHESTRA & CHORU S National Symphony Orchestra Christoph Eschenbach, Music Director The Washington Chorus Julian Wachner, Music Director Children’s Chorus of Washington Margaret Clark, Artistic Director
CREATIVE TEAM Conductor Grant Gershon Director Louisa Muller Scenic Designer
Erhard Rom
Video & Projections Designer
S. Katy Tucker
Costume Designer
David Woolard
Lighting Designer
Mark Stanley
Wig & Makeup Designer
James McGough
MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF
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Assistant Conductor
Jeremy Frank
Musical Preparation
Christopher Turbessi
Italian Coach
Nicolò Sbuelz
Assistant Director
Mo Zhou
Production Stage Manager
Jordan Braun
Assistant Stage Manager
Evelyn Rossow
Supertitle Coordinator
Lindsay Woodward
Ercole Ferrata, Angel With a Cross, Ponte Sant’Angelo, Rome, c. 1670. Photo by Eric Melear
Gaspar van Wittel, The Castel Sant’Angelo (Rome) from the South, 1690s.
ACT I Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, takes refuge inside a church, where he is harbored by the painter Mario Cavaradossi, a revolutionary sympathizer. The celebrated singer Floria Tosca is Cavaradossi’s lover, and when she arrives at the church, she believes she has heard him with another woman. Tosca’s jealousy is fueled when she recognizes the woman who has inspired Cavaradossi’s portrait of Mary Magdalene. A cannon signals that Angelotti’s escape has been discovered, and he and the painter flee to Cavaradossi’s home. As the clerics and choir are preparing a Te Deum to celebrate Napoleon’s recent defeat, they are silenced by the arrival of Baron Scarpia, chief of police. Scarpia is searching for Angelotti, and he suspects Cavaradossi is involved. Scarpia uses Tosca’s jealousy to trick her into leading his men to Cavaradossi’s home.
ACT II Scarpia learns that although Angelotti is still at large, Cavaradossi has been arrested, and he anticipates the pleasure of having Tosca in his power. The painter is brought in and interrogated. Scarpia sends for Tosca, and when she arrives, she hears Cavaradossi being tortured. Hearing his cries, Tosca reveals Angelotti’s hiding place. Word arrives that Napoleon has won the battle, a defeat for Scarpia’s side. Cavaradossi’s reaction to this news angers Scarpia, and he orders the painter’s execution. Alone with Scarpia, Tosca begs him to spare her lover. He says he would let Cavaradossi go free if she would submit to him, and she agrees. Scarpia orders that the execution be faked and prepares papers that will guarantee safe passage for the couple. But as he approaches to embrace Tosca, she exacts revenge.
ACT III At dawn, Cavaradossi awaits execution. Tosca arrives and tells him about the mock execution, and they
SUNG IN ITALIAN WITH PROJECTED TRANSLATIONS RUNNING TIME: 2.5 HOURS, INCLUDING TWO INTERMISSIONS PRE-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION ON THE FARMHOUSE LAWN AT 7:15 PM FIRST PERFORMED AT THE TEATRO COSTANZI IN ROME ON JANUARY 14, 1900 WOLF TRAP OPERA PREMIERE
imagine their future freedom. The firing squad shoots, and Cavaradossi falls. Tosca at first believes that he has played along with the pretense but soon realizes that Scarpia has committed the final betrayal.
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While the characters of Tosca are fictional, the locations and the historical events surrounding the plot are real. Puccini was notoriously a stickler for historical and geographical accuracy during the opera’s composition process, doing painstaking research into the smallest details and even spending a night in the Castel Sant’Angelo to discover exactly what could be heard from the ramparts when the bells of Rome’s many churches rang at dawn. The opera, like Victorien Sardou’s play on which it is based, takes place from midday June 17 to just after dawn on June 18, 1800, as news of the Battle of Marengo, in which Napoleon drove the Austrian army out of Italy, was just reaching Rome.
ART & LOVE IN THE CROSS HAIRS BY LOUISA MULLER DIRECTOR
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Yet for all its historical precision and an iconic production history that has generally skewed toward the faithful recreation of its original details, so much of Tosca feels contemporary to me. In turning a five-act melodrama, which Sardou wrote to the formula of the “well-made” play, into a tightly paced three-act opera, Puccini and his librettists expertly focused the drama and stripped the storytelling down to its essentials. The story of two artists caught in the web of a powerful man during a tumultuous period of political transition could certainly be transplanted into another time and place. Keeping its original setting intact, however, does nothing to dilute its immediacy or its relevance and allows us to explore the particular combination of religious and state power that gives Scarpia his authority. Our set design is heavily influenced by a recent trip I took to Rome, where I was struck by the omnipresence of the Roman Catholic Church even today, more than two centuries after the events of Tosca. Our two lovers have built a life together on their own terms dedicated to love, art, and beauty, but their freedom to live as they please is doomed from the moment they are caught in Scarpia’s crosshairs. While Cavaradossi is a revolutionary sympathizer himself and eagerly helps Angelotti for the sake of the cause, Tosca is a devout Catholic and not particularly political, being drawn into the situation only through her love for Cavaradossi and her unwillingness to compromise her integrity. “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,” Tosca sings in her famous Act II aria: “I lived for art, I lived for love.” Even in her darkest moments, she never quite loses hope that the beautiful life to which she has devoted herself is still possible. Ultimately, when that dream is shattered, she takes charge of her own destiny and seizes freedom in the only way she can.
Louis-Jean Desprez/Francesco Piranesi. The Girandola at the Castel Sant’Angelo, n.d., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
THE
OVER-THE-TOP
REALISM OF
TOSCA BY WILLIAM BERGER
You know the title character of Tosca, either personally or by hearsay. She’s opera’s version of that girl in school — the one they warn you about, whose company will cast doubt on your taste in friends. Yet everyone talks about her, and everyone wants something from her. No one ignores her, even if many denounce her baleful influence. This tragedy is straightforward enough on the surface: The revolutionary painter Cavaradossi and his lover, the tempestuous diva Tosca, are in a life-and-death struggle with the evil police chief Scarpia, who wants to kill him and possess her, all of it unfolding in 12 hours starting on the afternoon of June 17th, 1800, during Napoleon’s invasion of Italy. The source is a play written for the legendary Sarah Bernhardt by Victorien Sardou in five acts and elaborately prepared with backstory and corroborative detail. Much of that Gallic reason is swept away in the Italian opera’s three acts, with protagonists clashing in spontaneous explosions, propelling the plot to its climax. It’s so effective that Sardou himself thought the trimming was an improvement over his own work. (CONT.)
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THE OVER-THE-TOP REALISM OF TOSCA (CONT.)
There remains in Giacosa and Illica’s libretto the same copious supply of action, but presented in less time — and with less rational preparation on the part of the characters.
Paris in La bohème, Nagasaki in Madama Butterfly, and Gold Rush-era California in La fanciulla del West make the characters and situations in those operas possible and believable. But the city of Rome
THE SUPREME "BAD LUCK" OPERA The opera contains a fugitive chase, a torture scene, an attempted rape, a murder, an execution, and a spectacular suicide — but much of the context hovers offstage: the radical, dangerous nature of artists, the French Revolution (the Queen of Naples who remains unseen in Act II is the sister of Marie Antoinette), the Napoleonic Wars, and so forth. Puccini’s score was as lean and earthy as the libretto — from the loud, brash opening chords to the loud, brash chords at the end. The emotional impact is undeniable, if controversial. Some have found the opera manipulative and overwrought. Musicologist Joseph Kerman notoriously judged it a “shabby little shocker,” and composer Benjamin Britten called the score “sickening.” Reactions to the opera are sometimes more melodramatic than the opera itself. The frenzy goes beyond critics. Hugh Vickers’ Great Operatic Disasters, a classic trove of opera lore, cites Tosca as the supreme “bad luck” opera, a sort of operatic Macbeth (superstitious actors claim Shakespeare’s play is cursed). Vickers says that if your theater is going to burn to the ground, it will be during a performance of Tosca. Yet Tosca is pure Puccini, exhibiting everywhere the indelible stamp of the maestro of operatic realism, the creator of memorable commoners like Mimì in La bohème and Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly. Tosca, too, is a real woman, as some of her greatest portrayers have discovered (commentator Ira Siff famously said that Maria Callas’ searing performance made him think he “was watching the events upon which the opera Tosca was based”). How can both the opera and the woman be at once real and supernatural? We must remember the importance of setting to Puccini and his contemporaries:
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rules all, as it always does (being “Caput mundi,” the “head of the world”), and Rome itself is the reason Tosca reaches beyond melodrama to realism. The sites of each act (the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese, and the Castel Sant’Angelo/Hadrian’s Tomb) form a historical triad: Rome is the ancient world empire (which reached its largest extent under Hadrian), it is the bloody yet beautiful Renaissance city-state (the Farnese family was one of Cinquecento Rome’s most important and influential), and it is the place where God and his messengers directly intrude on human affairs (the namesake statue of the angel atop the Castel Sant’Angelo is a feature of most productions).
the Spider Woman of film and Broadway. She recalls the demon Lilith, the subject of a Sumerian hymn that tells us, “No mortal man could taste her kiss and live.” And in fact the only women we see Tosca interact with on stage are artistic depictions, the Madonna (in statuary form) and St. Mary Magdalene, the subject of Cavaradossi’s painting, both in Act I. The “realism” of Tosca lies in the truth that some women are much more than the girl next door. They are the centers of their own galaxies, radiating passion, devotion, and hatred and inspiring those in their orbit to do the same. They become embroiled in harrowing situations of gut-punching intensity. Is Tosca too much? Hardly. It’s a wonder it isn’t even more intense, brash, and over the top.
William Berger is a writer, producer, and radio commentator for the Metropolitan Opera, and a frequent lecturer on the arts and other subjects. He is the author of several books on opera, including Puccini Without Excuses by Vintage Books.
Rome is much else besides. It is queen of the arts, represented by erratic geniuses such as Caravaggio, whose name Cavaradossi’s suggests. It is the capital of the modern nation of Italy. It is the seat of the Church, which the bells at the beginning of Act III recall. (No visitor soon forgets the mighty campanone of Saint Peter’s, whose repeating low E becomes the bass pedal for Cavaradossi’s aria “E lucevan le stelle.”) Rome is also a labyrinth of secrets, with tunnels, hiding places, wells, dark garden paths, and torture chambers, the perfect setting for whispered Jesuit plots (indicated in an aside in Act II). This real woman of Rome, then, is also a force of nature, a creature of myth (think of the equally intense Anna Magnani in the films Roma, città aperta or Mamma Roma). She is a diva in the original sense — literally, a goddess. Tosca embodies forces that she herself can barely contain: Her kiss is fatal (“Behold the kiss of Tosca!” she tells Scarpia, as she plunges the knife into his chest), like that of the biblical Salome, Dvořák’s Slavic water spirit Rusalka, and
Adolfo Hohenstein, Poster for Tosca, 1899
Sebastiano Ricci, Medoro and Angelica, c. 1716, Brukenthal National Museum
TOUCH STONE A NEW PRODUCTION LA PIETRA DEL PARAGONE MUSIC BY GIOACHINO ROSSINI LIBRETTO BY LUIGI ROMANELLI
JUNE 23 AT 7:30 PM JUNE 25 AT 3 PM JUNE 28 AT 7:30 PM JULY 1 AT 7:30 PM THE BARNS AT WOLF TRAP SPECIAL THANKS TO ED AND ANDY SMITH, PERFORMANCE SPONSORS 13
CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE Pacuvio, a poet Shea Owens Fabrizio, a servant
Anthony Robin Schneider
Baroness Aspasia
Megan Mikailovna Samarin
Donna Fulvia
Summer Hassan
Macrobio, a journalist
Kihun Yoon
Giocondo, Asdrubale’s friend
Alasdair Kent
Clarice Zoie Reams Count Asdrubale
Richard Ollarsaba
Guests & Servants of the Count*
Ricardo Garcia, Sam Grosby,
Cory Gross, Senhica Klee,
Jonathan Bryan, Geoffrey Hahn, Michael J. Hawk, Matthew Adam Fleisher, Andrew Gilstrap *Studio Artists
CREATIVE TEAM Conductor Antony Walker Director E. Loren Meeker Scenic Designer
Erhard Rom
Costume Designer
Erik Teague
Lighting Designer
Robert H. Grimes
Wig & Makeup Designer
Anne Nesmith
Chorusmaster David Hanlon
MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF Musical Preparation
David Hanlon
Nicolò Sbuelz Lindsay Woodward
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Italian Coach
Nicolò Sbuelz
Assistant Director
Marcus Shields
Production Stage Manager
Michael Janney
Assistant Stage Manager
Madeline Levy
Supertitle Coordinator
K. Annie Brooks
Teatro alla Scala, 19th century
ACT I Count Asdrubale is a wise, wealthy, and generous man who is pursued by three women — Aspasia, Clarice, and Fulvia. The corrupt journalist Macrobio loves Aspasia, who pretends to favor him only so she can make Asdrubale jealous. The hack poet Pacuvio is attracted to Fulvia, but she’s just using him in her own scheme to snare Asdrubale. Giocondo is a true friend of Asdrubale’s, but he is secretly in love with Clarice, and she loves Asdrubale. Asdrubale cannot be sure if any of the women are motivated by love or simply by a desire for his money, and although he is attracted to Clarice, he doesn’t trust himself. He decides to test the sincerity of the women — and the friendship of the men — by using a “touchstone” (a test of purity or, in this case, loyalty) to reveal the true nature of their feelings. He pretends that he has been bankrupted and asks for their help. Believing him penniless, Aspasia and Fulvia congratulate themselves on avoiding marriage to a pauper, and both Pacuvio and Macrobio abandon him. Only Clarice and Giocondo stand by him, and when his fortune is “miraculously” saved, they have the last laugh.
ACT II Asdrubale invites all to a hunting party, which turns chaotic as a (typically Rossinian) storm erupts. Aspasia and Fulvia realize that they have been manipulated and are plotting revenge. Macrobio and Pacuvio promise that they will defend the ladies’ honor by challenging Asdrubale and Giocondo to a duel. After fictional reports of battlefield prowess and cowardice escalate, the gentlemen find themselves almost ensnared in an actual sword fight! Giocondo tells Clarice that he is torn between his love for her and his friendship with Asdrubale. Asdrubale overhears the two of them and misunderstands, believing that he has been betrayed. Clarice decides she will also play the touchstone trick to test Asdrubale’s affections. She appears disguised as her long-lost brother, who has come to take Clarice away, and Asdrubale will never see her again. This forces Asdrubale to expose his true feelings. Clarice reveals her identity, and the
SUNG IN ITALIAN WITH PROJECTED TRANSLATIONS RUNNING TIME: 3 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION INSIDE THE OPERA PRE-SHOW TALK BEGINS ONE HOUR BEFORE CURTAIN AT THE CENTER FOR EDUCATION AT WOLF TRAP BY ARRANGEMENT WITH HENDON MUSIC, INC., A BOOSEY & HAWKES COMPANY, SOLE AGENT IN THE U.S., CANADA AND MEXICO FOR CASA RICORDI/UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING RICORDI S.R.L., PUBLISHER AND COPYRIGHT OWNER FIRST PERFORMED AT THE TEATRO ALLA SCALA, MILAN, ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1812 WOLF TRAP OPERA PREMIERE
opera ends joyfully.
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The brilliant challenge of producing La pietra del paragone is to develop a concept that breathes dramatic life into Rossini’s magical score. With the help of a wonderful creative team I worked to unearth the true essence of the opera by delving into dramaturgical research. We started by translating and defining the title, which in English becomes “The Touchstone.” In the libretto, Count Asdrubale refers to his plan to test his love interests as various parts of “the touchstone,” but what does that really mean? The Oxford dictionary defines it as: 1. A piece of fine-grained dark schist or jasper formerly used for testing alloys of gold by observing the color of the mark which they made on it.
PUTTING ROSSINI TO THE TEST BY E. LOREN MEEKER DIRECTOR
2. A standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized. Further research uncovered an old Italian saying: “L’uomo ha la pietra di paragone per saggiare l’oro, ma l’oro è la pietra di paragone per saggiare gli uomini.” This translates to “Men use a touchstone to test gold, but gold is the touchstone to test men.” Instantly this phrase — which pits moral character against raw greed — offered insight into the dramatic arc of the piece, becoming a springboard that launched us toward the overall concept. It was clear that we needed to create an appropriate atmosphere in which this test for true love could play out, and there’s no better way to gain an understanding of an opera’s mood than through its music. Rossini’s score is quirky, full of passion, and it moves like a storm, with unexpected gales and bouts of turbulence. Buffeted about are librettist Luigi Romanelli’s characters, who span the social and financial spectrum, from wealthy elites to starving artists to servants desperately indulging the whims of their masters. His scenes flit from the gardens to various interior rooms to the forest. It all makes for a carnivalesque whirl of an opera, and the physical production is designed to embrace this, while clarifying the individuality of each character and his or her desires. We quickly embraced the original setting of the early 19th century. The fashion silhouettes from that era are stunning, and with a modern twist on fabric, color, and texture, the characters can spring to life in entirely delightful and surprising ways. The scenery also embraces visual references to the early 1800s, which again are given a modern spin. The stage will be filled with an asymmetric assortment of rotating columns that will allow us to create a never-ending series of nooks and crannies for each scene. Sometimes the columns evoke the feeling of a garden hedge maze, at other times they reveal a forest, and then they can astonish us by suddenly becoming interior settings that employ period wallpaper and imagery depicting the story of Angelica and Medoro, lovers from the epic poem Orlando Furioso who are referenced in the libretto. Our goal was to build a visual and aural rollercoaster that thrills the audience with the adventures of this captivating cast of characters and their search for true love. Enjoy!
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THE VIRTUES OF
VIRTUOSITY BY ROGER PINES
Terrific voices sailing through exhilarating coloratura present the aural equivalent of the most effervescent champagne. We experience these thrilling vocal acrobatics everywhere in the operas of Gioachino Rossini, including his first masterpiece, The Touchstone (La pietra del paragone). Coloratura passages sung cleanly and accurately are impressive in themselves, but how much more so when those passages are used to reveal the essence of particular characters, as Rossini surely intended. True vocal virtuosity in comic opera was essentially a new idea at the time of Pietra. In Italy the whole genre was, in fact, decaying until Rossini singlehandedly revitalized it. He already had six operas under his belt when Pietra was introduced at La Scala in 1812. It was his first commission at that most prestigious of Italian theaters, quite an achievement for a 20-year-old. The success, which made him famous overnight, actually led authorities in Milan to arrange for the young genius’ exemption from military service!
Portrait of Gioachino Rossini, 1820, International Museum and Library of Music of Bologna
Rossini composed Pietra with the zest and technical effortlessness that became his trademark. His unique wit and rhythmic drive are already dazzling here, as is the assurance with which he sculpts individual vocal lines and the brilliant construction of his complex ensembles. Even at this early stage Rossini knew how to tailor roles to particular artists, including the central duo of Pietra’s premiere — Marietta Marcolini (Marchioness Clarice) and Filippo Galli (Count Asdrubale). We owe Marcolini special gratitude: Apparently she was able to draw La Scala’s attention to Rossini’s burgeoning talent, prompting the theater’s director to offer him Luigi Romanelli’s delightful libretto. Marcolini was the first great artist associated with Rossini to exemplify a vocal category audiences had seldom encountered in the postcastrato era: the heroic female coloratura contralto. (CONT.)
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THE VIRTUES OF VIRTUOSITY (CONT.)
Clarice embodies elements of two rather more celebrated Rossini heroines: the moxie of Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri but also the gracious femininity of Angelina in La Cenerentola. Listen to Clarice’s entrance music during the charming scene in which Asdrubale echoes her from offstage. Her very first phrase presents vocal decorations that require both elegance and pinpoint control, projecting her stature as a composed, self-assured noblewoman. Most of the coloratura flourishes in the opening pages are marked “ad libitum”; Rossini lets the singer take her time with each little group of sextuplets to maximize their expressiveness. Clarice’s confidence is equaled by her impressive vocal range: Her first five minutes of music covers nearly two octaves, from low B to high A.
Pierre-Jean David d’Angers, Portrait medallion of Gioachino Rossini, 1829, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The composer’s familiarity with the voice of Marcolini (creator of roles in two of his previous operas) enabled Rossini to shape Clarice’s music flawlessly and with palpable affection.
baritones in other Rossini operas include the title characters of Il Turco in Italia and Maometto II, but Asdrubale is neither an exotic foreigner like the first nor a warrior sultan like the second. He’s simply a nobleman who most probably has been emotionally wounded by women in the past and now hesitates to believe in any woman’s fidelity. That he has already lost his heart to Clarice is obvious from the start — they are kindred spirits. In addition
Pietra’s two baritones — Pacuvio, the tiresome poet (who climbs to high G in his very first phrase), and Macrobio, the unethical journalist — have occasional vocal decorations. Rossini enlivens his portrayals of these literary men through virtuosity of a different kind: “sibilati” (patter) passages, requiring stupendously precise, rapid-fire articulation. Those moments are altogether appropriate, given this duo’s generally exaggerated, over-the-top responses to any situation. D e s p i te t h e i n d i v i d u a l vo c a l prowess on display, this is an ensemble work and its characterizations must cohere in performance. Pietra abounds in recitative, which means that characters should truly converse. Whether in those scenes or in the duets and ensembles, their interchanges can create a delectable sparkle. Yes, give-and-take tells the tale in Pietra, as it does in, say, the comedies of Oscar Wilde or Noël Coward, or in a film such as Gosford Park (like Pietra, a highly entertaining depiction of a house party). In
ROSSINI SINGLE-HANDEDLY REVITALIZED COMIC OPERA That initial scene gives us the alternation between legato and coloratura — between vigor and warmth — with which Rossini colors all of Clarice’s music, ultimately creating a genuinely captivating heroine. As she proceeds through the opera, Clarice reinforces her trust in her own feelings with one dazzling burst of coloratura after another. It is in her solo scene with the male chorus late in Act II that this blend of assertiveness (remember that the character is masquerading as her soldier brother!) and beguiling femininity comes most memorably to the fore. The bracing coloratura concluding this episode should convey the message that Clarice is unstoppable — her love will triumph in the end. Clearly, Rossini intended Clarice’s virtuosity to be matched by that of Asdrubale. Doubtless that was no problem for Galli, subsequently Rossini’s choice to create many other coloraturaheavy leading roles. Amorous bass-
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to repeating certain coloratura phrases of hers in their first scene, he also parallels her in boasting an imposingly wide range and an appealing combination of delicacy and forcefulness. In Asdrubale’s extended address to Clarice in Act II, the listener can delight in lovely sequences of descending sextuplets and turns, along with the vigor of the aria’s final pages. The florid element is less vital with other characters, although Donna Fulvia gets a bit in her brief Act II aria (sopranos sometimes crown it with excursions above high C, as if to emphasize this social climber’s overbearingly assertive nature). Passing frills decorate the tenor Giocondo’s ardent monologue in which he longs for Clarice — but nothing too flamboyant, in keeping with this poet’s innate refinement and restraint. Here Rossini was also surely responding to his first Giocondo, Claudio Bonoldi, basically a “baritenor” and not prone to stratospheric vocal flights.
other words, everyone’s character should emerge in detail and with real savoir faire. That, too, spells virtuosity in comic opera. When all the requirements are met onstage—matched, of course, by similar vitality and stylishness in the orchestra pit—Pietra takes its rightful place beside the other great Rossini comedies. Its arrival at Wolf Trap offers a real discovery for audiences and an occasion for rejoicing.
Champagne, anyone? Roger Pines, dramaturg at Lyric Opera of Chicago, writes regularly for major opera and recording companies, as well as for Opera News, Opera, and The Times (London). A panelist annually on the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts’ “Opera Quiz” since 2006, he has also been an adjudicator for the Met’s National Council Auditions for more than two decades.
BAS T I A N E L LO MUSIC BY JOHN MUSTO LIBRETTO BY MARK CAMPBELL
JUNIPER TREE MUSIC BY PHILIP GLASS & ROBERT MORAN LIBRETTO BY ARTHUR YORINKS BASED ON THE GRIMM FAIRY TALE
AUGUST 11 AT AUGUST 13 AUGUST 16 AT AUGUST 19 AT
7:30 AT 3 7:30 7:30
PM PM PM PM
THE BARNS AT WOLF TRAP
Jan Havicksz. Steen, Peasant Wedding, 1672, Rijksmuseum
A NEW PRODUCTION
THE JUNIPER TREE IS PART OF GLASS@80, WORLDWIDE CELEBRATIONS OF THE PHILIP GLASS’ 80 TH BIRTHDAY. SPECIAL THANKS TO ED AND ANDY SMITH, PERFORMANCE SPONSORS
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BAST I A N E LLO CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE In the tradition of Italian opera buffa, Bastianello shows different stages of married life, mostly in tatters. It is first and foremost a comedy, filled with goofy slapstick humor (including a man who can’t figure out how to put on his pants) and capped by a happy ending. But the deeper significance of the piece lies in its interplay of humor and melancholy. The story begins with narration by a young man in a tree outside Luciano’s farmhouse. He tells of a wedding, 20 years earlier, when the bride, Amadora, goes downstairs to bring up more wine for her celebratory dinner. Once she has opened the cask, her elation turns to depression as she realizes that this is the happiest moment
THE WEDDING Young Man (Bastianello the Younger) Jonas Hacker Bastianello, father of the bride Shea Owens Ortensia, mother of the groom Summer Hassan Luciano, the groom Richard Ollarsaba Amadora, the bride Zoie Reams
A FARMHOUSE Frediano Shea Owens Ettalina, his wife Summer Hassan
THE GATE OF A VILLAGE Stelladora, mother of the bride Zoie Reams Lambent, a horse Jonas Hacker Ippolito, the horse owner Shea Owens Eustacia, a bride Summer Hassan
of her life — and that everything will go downhill
A LAKE
from here. Soon the whole family is in tears.
Lino, a fisherman Shea Owens
When her new husband, Luciano, finds them, he explodes in rage and deserts his wife on their wedding night. Luciano vows that he will return only after he finds six people as foolish as his family. During his travels, he visits a hapless couple in another small farmhouse, another bride and groom outside the gate of a nearby village, and an elderly man near a lake. As he racks up his tally of fools and the comedy escalates, Luciano is led to a surprising conclusion.
USED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH SONGS OF PEER, LTD. PUBLISHER AND COPYRIGHT HOLDER FIRST PERFORMED BY THE NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG AT CARNEGIE HALL ON MARCH 11, 2008 WOLF TRAP OPERA PREMIERE
CREATIVE TEAM
DO UBL E BILL SUNG IN ENGLISH WITH PROJECTED TEXT RUNNING TIME: 2.5 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION INSIDE THE OPERA PRE-SHOW TALK BEGINS ONE HOUR BEFORE CURTAIN AT THE CENTER FOR EDUCATION AT WOLF TRAP
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Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya Director R. B. Schlather Scenic & Costume Designer Blake Palmer Lighting Designer Robert H. Grimes Wig & Makeup Designer Anne Nesmith Chorusmaster Joseph Li
MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF Musical Preparation David Hanlon Joseph Li K. Annie Brooks Assistant Director Marcus Shields Production Stage Manager Michael Janney Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Johnson Supertitle Coordinator Lindsay Woodward
THE J UN I P E R T R EE CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE Wife Summer Hassan Mama Bird Maria Brea* Husband Ben Edquist Son Megan Mikailovna Samarin Stepmother Annie Rosen Daughter Madison Leonard Goldsmith Andrew Gilstrap* Cobbler Michael J. Hawk* Miller Sam Grosby* Baby Birds* Lauren Feider Gretchen Krupp Amanda Lynn Bottoms Ashley Milanese Nicole Thomas Onadek Winan Village Folk* Matthew Adam Fleisher Jonathan Bryan Ricardo Garcia Cory Gross Geoffrey Hahn Senhica Klee *Studio Artist
Sometime in the past, in the countryside, a wealthy landowner lives with his wife. Though they lead a comfortable life, one relentless desire plagues them — to have a child. One wintry day, after accidentally pricking her finger, the landowner’s wife declares her wish for a child as red as her blood and as white as the snow. Her wish comes true. In the midst of her pregnancy she asks her husband to promise that when she dies he bury her beneath their juniper tree. Her husband dismisses her morose request and eagerly awaits the birth of their child. Several weeks later the landowner rejoices as he hears the cries of his newborn son. But joy turns to grief as his wife dies giving birth. Sadly, he buries her beneath the juniper tree. After some years pass, the landowner marries again, taking a second wife. They have a lovely daughter together. But something is amiss.
© COPYRIGHT: 1985 DUNVAGEN MUSIC PUBLISHERS INC. USED BY PERMISSION
The new wife begins to feel a great antipathy toward her stepson. She fears that he is actually the landowner’s first wife incarnate.
FIRST PERFORMED BY THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER ON DECEMBER 11, 1985
One day, in a fit of jealousy, she murders the
WOLF TRAP OPERA PREMIERE
The daughter, believing that she has killed her
boy and places the blame on her own daughter. brother, is beside herself. As her mother serves the boy to her unknowing husband as a stew, the sister collects her brother’s discarded bones
Out on the juniper tree, her brother’s spirit, as a beautiful bird, appears singing a song so marvelous that people from a nearby village are bird flies back to the landowner’s house and lets them fall from the sky … first a gold chain, then a pair of red shoes, then a millstone, which crushes the stepmother to bits. Upon her death, the son reappears and he and his sister and
© 2017 Arthur Yorinks
compelled to give it gifts. With these gifts, the
their father go to have a delicious dinner. Arthur Yorinks New York City, March 2017
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Meindert Hobbema, A Wooded Landscape, 1663, The National Gallery of Art, Washington
and buries them beneath the juniper tree.
The starting point was fairy tales, both in beginning a conversation with WTO Director Kim Witman about staging this double bill and in my own biography. As a kid I was obsessed with fairy tales. I loved that in their pages were supernatural animals, exotic foodstuffs, mysterious woods, and witches with magical powers. (As I am writing this, I find it funny that The Juniper Tree has almost all the elements that enchanted me as a child.) I was also enchanted by Philip Glass as a child. My mom introduced me to his music as film scores, and I understood immediately it was unlike anything else out there.
LEARNING FROM FAIRY TALES BY R. B. SCHLATHER DIRECTOR
Thirty or so years later, I’ve now directed a couple of Glass operas, and have even hung out with him a few times. I am also a married man, something I never anticipated when I was a child. And that came with a real learning curve! So I started with a deep emotional connection to these two operas, one a fable about a hot-headed bridegroom who rejects his bride as foolish then comes to know himself as the true fool, the other a fantastic story charting a boy’s heroic journey from birth to death to rebirth and reunion with his family. I initially experienced them as distinct works. One is a fable, and one is a fairy tale. One is light, one is dark. One is the world of adults, one is the world of children. One is short, one is long. But the more time I spend with them the more I am overwhelmed by the essential theme they share. They are both about family relationships. And both stories teach that the fears that can suddenly erupt, cruelly and violently, within a family dynamic can be overcome. And that one can profoundly recreate one’s self and in that renewal subjugate evil. This didactic metaphor is universal, uplifting for both an adolescent uncertain of adult responsibility and an adult who feels unsafe in a changing world. The starting point for the design became questioning how to make visible these tales in The Barns. What would be an extreme way to realize them, to express their musical difference, and also to present families onstage that are relatable despite being fictitious? A lot of Google image searches, cardboard, and velvet later, we’ve arrived: one space playful and comic for the rapid-fire yet profound Bastianello, the other lustrous and dreamlike for the dark and deeply human Juniper Tree. I think living in the world right now comes with a lot of fear. These two operas, in which people are led to violent acts because of deep fears about other people, and where fear is ultimately mastered and dissipated, are consoling and instructive. May these fairy tales teach us that we must go forward into the world with compassion not fear.
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SEEDS OF THE JUNIPER TREE BY ROBERT MORAN, COMPOSER In early 1983, I returned from a trip abroad to New York City to find an urgent voice mail from my friend Philip Glass. “Where are you? Call me. We’ve been asked to present a concert in a few days.” It was a benefit for the Third Street Settlement School, where Phil’s children had studied piano. We scrambled to prepare, but it all came off nicely. After the concert, I was approached by a patron of the school who wanted to commission an opera for children. I wasn’t sold.
Still, my creative curiosity soon got the better of me. Are there children’s stories that aren’t really for children at all? Short, but not necessarily sweet? “Why not have two one-act operas as a double bill and base them on fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel?” I asked. “Fairy tales usually contain many operatic elements,” I added, euphemistically. Did I know another composer to write the second opera? “Of course!” I replied. “Philip Glass.”
(CONT.)
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Eugène Bléry, Juniper Tree, 1840, The National Gallery of Art, Washington
“I write operas for everyone,” I protested. Having been raised on La traviata, Aida, and Carmen, I believe that those operas, written for adults, are the ones kids should get to know first. The second opera I ever saw was Il trovatore. Gypsies banging on anvils, thrilling swordplay, an old lady throwing a baby into a fire, brothers killing each other — and lots of great tunes! At 7 years old, I was hooked, an opera junkie for life.
SEEDS OF THE JUNIPER TREE (CONT.)
Phil and I talked over the proposal at a funky Italian place near his apartment in the East Village. He liked the idea of a double bill but wanted to push the collaboration further. “Why don’t we write one opera together? You take your favorite parts of a libretto, and I’ll take mine. It’ll be a chamber work with a small ensemble, a new opera for companies with limited funds who still want to present something fresh.” Now all we needed were a subject and a contract. An old friend knew just the person to get the ball rolling. “How about my friend Maurice Sendak? He knows more about fairy tales than anyone else. About 10 years ago, he illustrated a Brothers Grimm collection called The Juniper Tree.” Maurice loved the idea and wanted to write a libretto based on the title story. I felt The Juniper Tree was perfect — an over-the-top tale brimming with murder, deceit, and cannibalism — with a dash of redemption at the finale. Phil loved it too but was worried it might scare the kids. I remarked that his own children would devour this nightmare of a story. “It’s the parents who will probably turn green.” Unfortunately, Maurice’s internist was not amused. “With your health? Add this project and you’ll be looking for a new doctor.” Maurice suggested a friend of his, Arthur Yorinks. Phil and I were delighted when Arthur gave us his libretto, which purified the lurid happenings to their macabre and magical essence. We were ready to get started when I got a call from the Settlement School. They believed this production would be too expensive and would have to withdraw the commission. Phil was undeterred.
Maurice Sendak, The Juniper Tree, 1973. Used by Permission. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved
A TALE BRIMMING WITH MURDER, DECEIT, AND CANNIBALISM “They don’t want it? Let’s compose it anyway. We can all work on it this summer in Nova Scotia.” We set aside August 1984 for the creation of the opera and set about dividing up the scenes. I was hoping that Phil wouldn’t grab the ones I wanted — the evil stepmother making her dastardly plans, the daughter burying the remains of her stepbrother, and the finale with the family united under the juniper tree. Phil chose the prologue. I took over at the beginning of Act I, continuing through the introduction of the stepmother and right up to the horrific “dinner” for Dad. Phil composed the macabre comedy of the “stew” scene, and I took the final scene of Act I, with the daughter, the buried bones, and the appearance of the magical bird. Act II was easily divided: Phil took the opening scene with the villagers hearing the birdsong, and I composed the bridge, with the bird carrying the three presents home, continuing through to the finale.
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In an interview a few years after the premiere, Phil was asked how the division was made. “I took what I thought would be effective for me,” he said, “and Bob took the other sections, with the shocking violence, murder, and cannibalism. You know, he does that so well!” A few months after the opera was complete, Phil called me with great news. Bob Brustein at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge wanted to commission The Juniper Tree and give it 32 performances. Usually the commission comes before the writing, but not always! And so this opera premiered at A.R.T. in December 1984 with a wonderful double cast. Immediate future performances were scheduled for Houston Grand Opera, American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia, and Minnesota Opera. In the two decades since, The Juniper Tree has been revived in Germany, England, and Canada. It turns out that audiences everywhere, of all ages, love vengeance and mayhem. Not just kids.
FINDING OPERA IN A
FOLKTALE BY MARK CAMPBELL, LIBRETTIST There are many variations of the folktale that inspired my libretto for Bastianello — and in Italy there seem to be as many versions of it as there are of pasta. Nearly all of them involve a man who leaves home in search of people more foolish than those he is about to share his life with. Some are more farcical and preposterous than others; some end with a lesson about marriage and family, while others don’t. All are told in third person — in true folktale fashion — and many are only about a paragraph or two in length.
Thomas Gainsborough, Mountain Landscape with Bridge, c. 1783–1784, The National Gallery of Art, Washington
Among all these retellings, one version immediately stood out: the one in which a man mistakes the reflection of the full moon in a lake for the face of his wife, who had drowned there after the couple argued. That felt instantly and resonantly operatic to me, and it became my way into the story. It also helped establish a theme for the opera: A successful marriage often begins with the understanding that one’s partner is human and fallible. The writing of the libretto was driven by that theme — and also the exigencies of the original commission, which stipulated that the cast could number no more than five performers and that the opera would be performed in a concert hall (hence without a real set). However, necessity is the controlling, domineering, but ultimately liberating mother of invention. So, I created a narrator in Bastianello the Younger who helps guide us through the story — and, as we later learn, is actually a part of it. I also created distinct characters that would be easy to double- and triple-cast so the story would feel more populated; that concept, born out of necessity, also contributes to the narrative’s improvisatory nature, which evokes the commedia dell’arte. Of course, Bastianello is an opera. And any story in an opera is only as good as its music. John Musto’s music brilliantly gives voice to the loopy emotional landscape of the story and dances agilely with its comedy. But in that very moment of madness by the lake, the moment that engendered this opera, it stops and asks us to cherish love in our own lives.
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THE STUDIO In fall 2006, Wolf Trap Opera’s Kim Witman conceived of an idea to expand the training and educational opportunities offered by WTO. She turned it over to Artistic Fellow (and WTO alumnus) Joshua Winograde, who proposed a program that would provide 12 to 16 singers, all of them currently earning degrees in opera performance, with important career development opportunities to assist them in the transition from student to young professional. In 2007, Wolf Trap Opera Studio’s inaugural season featured productions of Volpone and L’étoile. Over the past decade, more than 100 young singers have benefitted from the Studio’s performance-oriented training, guest faculty expertise, individual mentoring, and seminars that demystify this unique profession. Alumni of the Studio are now performing all across the country, on main stages and in “big house” artist training programs including those at the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, and Washington National Opera. Others have transitioned to engagements abroad in Amsterdam, Geneva, Lisbon, Munich, Dresden, and beyond. Several Studio alumni have had the opportunity to return to Wolf Trap as Filene Young Artists. The list includes previous FYAs Catherine Martin, Tracy Cox, Sarah Larsen, and Amy Owens, and 2017 FYAs Ben Edquist, Shea Owens, and Megan Mikailovna Samarin. Other alumni have segued into important related work. Paul Hopper is now the Assistant Artistic Director for Houston Grand Opera. Tim Campbell is still singing in Los Angeles, but is perhaps better known as an award-winning audiobook narrator. And Chris Newcomer has performed on Broadway and around the world with CHICAGO The Musical. The Studio’s 10th Anniversary season will include a performance of staged opera scenes, the world premiere of a new children’s opera (Listen, Wilhelmina!), a pops concert with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, and appearances in supporting roles across WTO’s performance calendar. Join us in celebrating the work of these talented young singers and the important contribution the Studio makes to the opera world.
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“Whenever I have to recommend a program to a younger singer, I always, always recommend the Wolf Trap Studio. I am constantly using lessons that I learned at Wolf Trap.” — Aleksandra Romano (Washington National Opera, Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist)
“My summer in the Wolf Trap Opera Studio was truly a transformative experience.” — Paul Hopper (Assistant Artistic Director, Houston Grand Opera)
“The Wolf Trap Opera Studio allows artists to be hands-on. It encourages singers to be curious, learn, and grow. My time in the Studio was some of the most formative of my career.” – Nicholas Brownlee (Bassbaritone, Columbia Artists Management Inc.)
“I remember my time in the studio program as a collection of transformative experiences with some of the most committed, helpful, and skilled professionals I’ve ever met.” — Ian Koziara (Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist)
TURNS TEN STUDIO SPOTLIGHT
PROGRAM
In alphabetical order by composer
Program order will be announced at the performance
SATURDAY, JULY 8 AT 7:30 PM THE BARNS AT WOLF TRAP RUNNING TIME: 2.5 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION SUNG IN ORIGINAL LANGUAGES WITH PROJECTED TRANSLATIONS
STUDIO SPOTLIGHT CREATIVE TEAM & STAFF Emily Senturia Marcus Shields K. Annie Brooks Lindsay Woodward Inscape Chamber Orchestra Kristin Kelley
Conductor Director Pianist Pianist Stage Manager
Additional support provided by Wolf Trap Opera Technical and Costume Apprentices For a complete roster of 2017 Studio Artists, please see page 42.
Benjamin Britten | Billy Budd “William Budd, you are accused by Captain Vere” (Act II, Scene 2) Jonathan Bryan Matthew Adam Fleisher Andrew Gilstrap Sam Grosby Michael J. Hawk
Billy Budd has just inadvertently killed John Claggart. The captain and jury must decide his fate. George Frideric Handel | Giulio Cesare “Caro! Bella” (Act III Duet) Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen Giulio Cesare Ashley Milanese Cleopatra Cleopatra and Julius Caesar are reunited, and peace is returned to the land. Theodore Morrison | Oscar “A visitor, Mister Oscar” (Act II, Scene 6) Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen Maria Brea
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE REVA AND DAVID LOGAN FOUNDATION, 2017 YOUNG ARTIST SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
First Lieutenant Lt. Ratcliffe Sailing Master Captain Vere Billy Budd
Oscar Wilde Ada Leverson
Only three days remain of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment for gross indecency. His friend Ada Leverson visits him in the prison garden to talk about the arrangements for his return to freedom. (CONT.)
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STUDIO SPOTLIGHT (CONT.)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Così fan tutte “Andante là” (Act II, Scene 1)
Richard Strauss | Ariadne auf Naxos “Ich weiss nicht” (Prologue)
Lauren Feider Fiordiligi Ashley Milanese Despina Nicole Thomas Dorabella
Lauren Feider Primadonna Ricardo Garcia Tenor Cory Gross Tanzmeister Geoffrey Hahn Musiklehrer Nicole Thomas Komponist Onadek Winan Zerbinetta
Two sisters are being courted by mysterious newcomers; their maid, Despina, tells them that flirting is good, but to be cautious around strange men. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Don Giovanni “Eh via, buffone!” (Act II, Scene 1) Matthew Adam Fleisher Andrew Gilstrap Nicole Thomas
Leporello Don Giovanni Donna Elvira
Leporello has had enough of Don Giovanni’s shenanigans and threatens to leave his service. Giovanni offers a financial olive branch and then takes Leporello’s clothing in order to seduce Elvira’s maid more effectively. Elvira appears at the window, trying to quiet her tortured mind and heart … and Giovanni sees the opportunity to have a little fun at her expense. Giacomo Puccini | La bohème “Che?! Mimì! Tu qui?” (Act III Aria and Quartet) Maria Brea Mimì Ricardo Garcia Rodolfo Michael J. Hawk Marcello Ashley Milanese Musetta Mimì’s illness is becoming worse, and Rodolfo wants to leave her — not because he doesn’t love her, but because he hopes she could find someone with more resources to care for her. Mimì overhears him telling this to Marcello; the lovers decide that they’ll stay together until the spring, as Marcello and Musetta bicker. Maurice Ravel | L’heure espagnole “Il reste, voilà bien ma chance!” (Scenes 3–6) Amanda Lynn Bottoms Concepción Jonathan Bryan Ramiro Senhica Klee Gonzalve Concepción’s husband has left for work, and she’s waiting for her lover — the poet Gonzalve — to arrive for a midday tryst. However, Ramiro has (rather inconveniently) stopped by, hoping that Concepción’s husband could fix his watch.
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The casts of the serious opera Ariadne auf Naxos and Zerbinetta’s Italian comedy learn that they must perform their two works simultaneously. Ambroise Thomas | Hamlet “Allez dans un cloître, Ophélie” (Act III Trio) Geoffrey Hahn Hamlet Gretchen Krupp Gertrude Onadek Winan Ophélie Queen Gertrude and Ophélie find Hamlet shortly after he has learned of Polonius’ complicity in the King’s death. Gertrude tries to persuade Hamlet to marry Ophélie, but he refuses; and Ophélie returns the ring he had given her. After Ophélie leaves, Hamlet tries to force his mother into admitting her guilt, but she resists. Louis Varney | Les Mousquetaires au couvent “Parle, explique-toi” (Act I Trio) Jonathan Bryan Vicomte Narcisse de Brissac Andrew Gilstrap Abbé Bridaine Senhica Klee Gontran de Solanges Gontran de Solanges has fallen in love with the niece of the governor, and his fellow officer Brissac has sent for his friend’s old tutor, the Abbé Bridaine, to cure him of this.
The work that Wolf Trap Opera does on its home stages reflects its core mission: to discover and promote the finest emerging talent in the opera field. Whether inside at The Barns at Wolf Trap or on the big amphitheater stage of the Filene Center, the company relies on the venue’s resources to mount the quality productions that have become a hallmark of its training and reputation. But although the center of WTO’s programming remains on the Wolf Trap campus, the company is increasingly fortunate to be able to reach beyond these boundaries to touch new audiences and share new perspectives. These exciting additional performance opportunities are the essence of UNTRAPPED. UNTRAPPED performances take WTO artists into various communities in the larger D.C. area, bringing the thrill of live vocal music to unexpected places, nontraditional venues, and new audiences. SPECIAL THANKS TO VIRGINIA McGEHEE FRIEND, 2017 UNTRAPPED SERIES SPONSOR
UNTRAPPED: NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE + FESTIVAL In residence at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland each summer, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival (NOI+F) shares a common mission with Wolf Trap Opera: to advance the careers of talented young artists. Under the leadership of Richard Scerbo (recently named one of Musical America’s 2016 Innovators) NOI+F presents a summer season of orchestral concerts, and the Opera begins a new partnership with them in June 2017. POPS EXTRAVAGANZA — A NIGHT AT THE THEATER SATURDAY, JUNE 3 AT 8 PM | THE CLARICE Members of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio sing excerpts from opera and operetta at the opening NOI+F Pops concert, conducted by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra’s John Morris Russell. MAHLER’S FOURTH SATURDAY, JUNE 24 AT 8 PM | THE CLARICE Filene Young Artist Madison Leonard will appear as the featured soprano soloist in the NOI+F’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, conducted by Asher Fisch.
UNTRAPPED: COMMUNITY CONCERTS Not all music lovers can travel to live performances, so the Opera takes the gift of song to them. This summer, Wolf Trap artists will perform at multiple community locations, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, several senior communities, and local libraries.
MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS AT OPERA.WOLFTRAP.ORG/UNTRAPPED 29
Alfred Capel Cure, Montacute House near Yeovil, 1857–60, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
UNTRAPPED: HALCYON STAGE Partnership in all its varied forms is a cornerstone of great art, and Wolf Trap Opera is pleased to partner with Halcyon Stage and Union Market/Dock 5 in their inaugural season. Led by Artistic Director Septime Webre, Halcyon Stage @ Dock 5 is a partnership with EDENS and Union Market dedicated to spreading creativity across Washington, DC — offering immersive experiences and performances in unorthodox settings through our city.
HALCYON STAGE POP-UP @ UNION MARKET SATURDAY, JUNE 10 AT 12 PM | UNION MARKET WTO singers will perform a deconstructed recital beginning at noon at the main entrance of Union Market and continuing throughout the District. The concert is designed both to encourage audiences to find beauty in unexpected places and to increase the artistic spirit and feeling of community that defines Union Market and its surroundings.
HALCYON STAGE @ DOCK 5: THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER MUSIC BY PHILIP GLASS LIBRETTO BY ARTHUR YORINKS BASED ON THE STORY BY EDGAR ALLAN POE SATURDAY, JUNE 17 AT 8:30 PM DOCK 5 @ UNION MARKET FEATURING CITYDANCE AND INSCAPE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA RUNNING TIME: 90 MINUTES
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Wolf Trap Opera and Halcyon Stage present Philip Glass’ gothic chamber opera in a special one-night-only event. A new production directed by Septime Webre will take place at Dock 5 at Union Market and will be part of Glass@80 — a celebration of the acclaimed American composer. Roderick Usher, the reclusive heir to the Usher fortune, resides with his ill twin sister in their decaying ancestral home. When Roderick’s old friend visits, relationships are tested and secrets are unearthed.
CAST William Ben Edquist Roderick Usher Jonas Hacker Madeline Usher Madison Leonard Physician Nicholas Nestorak CREATIVE TEAM Conductor Joseph Li Director & Choreographer Septime Webre MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF Assistant Director Musical Preparation Production Stage Manager
Mo Zhou K. Annie Brooks Evelyn Rossow
UNTRAPPED: LISTEN, WILHELMINA! MUSIC BY DAVID HANLON LIBRETTO BY KATHLEEN KELLY WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 AT 10:30 AM THURSDAY, JULY 20 AT 10:30 AM CHILDREN’S THEATRE-IN-THE-WOODS OPENING PERFORMANCE BY WOLF TRAP TEACHING ARTIST MARY GRESOCK, PRESENTING LITTLE MISS MUFFET GOES TO THE OPERA! TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 40 MINUTES
In partnership with Wolf Trap Education, the Opera embarks on a brand new mini musical for young fans. Wolf Trap Foundation commissioned Listen, Wilhelmina!, to premiere as the featured event of Wolf Trap Institute’s Field Trip performances, and it returns in July as part of the 2017 Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods series. Wilhelmina, Wallis, and Winston the Wombats are ready for their very first concert at Wolf Trap! So many new things — The stage! The instruments! The maestro! But what is the audience supposed to do? With help from Ranger Nat, these three wombats learn how much fun music-making can be when they open their ears to listen. This interactive mini musical is a perfect way to introduce children to the concert experience. CAST Listen, Wilhelmina! is part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio, and it will feature current and former (^) Studio Artists in alternating casts. Wilhelmina Wallis Winston Ranger Nat
Amy Owens^, Onadek Winan Sarah Larsen^, Gretchen Krupp Josh Sanders^, Cory Gross Brandon Bell^, Jonathan Bryan
CREATIVE TEAM Major support of this program is provided by the Rubenstein Next Generation Initiative.
Conductor David Hanlon Director Mo Zhou Scenic and Costume Designer Valérie Thérèse Bart MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF Pianist/Coach Christopher Koelzer Production Stage Manager Evelyn Rossow
MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS AT OPERA.WOLFTRAP.ORG/UNTRAPPED 31
FO UR OF A KIND
4 SI NGER S, 4 HAN DS STEVEN BL I E R,
D I RE CTOR, PI ANIST & ARRANGER WITH J OS E PH L I , PI A NO MA D ISO N L EO NARD, SOP RANO A NN IE ROSEN , MEZZO-SOP RAN O J O N AS HAC KER , TENOR MI CHA EL J. HAWK* , BARITONE SAT URDAY, JUNE 3 AT 3 PM S UN DAY, JUN E 4 AT 3 PM T H E BA RN S AT WOLF T RAP
* ST UDIO ARTIST
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REPERTOIRE TO INCLUDE DVOŘÁK: Slavonic Dance No. 1, Op. 46 BRAHMS: Excerpts from Liebeslieder Waltzes PIAZZOLLA: “Fuga y misterio” (arr. Pablo Ziegler) GUASTAVINO & LÓPEZ BUCHARDO: Songs MILHAUD: Scaramouche (Third Movement) POULENC, MILHAUD, & TRENET: Songs GERSHWIN: “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” (arr. Grainger) GERSHWIN: Songs
RUNNING TIME
ARIA JUKEBOX
THE AUDIENCE GETS TO CHOOSE! SUNDAY, JULY 9 VOTING AND RECEPTION AT 2 PM PERFORMANCE AT 3 PM THE BARNS AT WOLF TRAP RUNNING TIME: 2.5 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
2 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
2017 FILENE YOUNG ARTISTS with Kim Pensinger Witman, piano
MUSIC & PRODUCTION STAFF
For a complete roster of 2017 Filene Young
Stage Director Musical Preparation Stage Manager
Mo Zhou Joseph Li Tammy Babich
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM BY STEVEN BLIER
I met pianist Joseph Li at my first day of rehearsal at Wolf Trap last summer. It is an understatement to say that he made a good impression on me. It was more like being swept up in a warm tropical breeze. Without any effort, he demonstrated a kind of competence and humanity that utterly disarmed me. I realized that Joseph and I shared a similar approach to making music. He too was an improviser, with one foot in the classical canon and the other in French popular song, Argentine tango, and the American songbook. “We should really do something together,” I thought to myself—and then it hit me: a song program in four sections, each introduced by a two-piano overture. It took me about 40 seconds to map it out in my mind. I broached the subject with Joe and saw the spark in his eye. All we needed was Kim Witman’s blessing, which she was quick to bestow. The four sections of the program—German, Argentine, French, and American—offer our singers a huge variety of showpieces. But they also get to sing as an ensemble. There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of opulent voices scaling back to create a magical hush. And there is no place I’d rather create that magic than The Barns at Wolf Trap, whose wooden walls and floor turn into a huge violin we can fill with song. I am thrilled to share the stage with this cast, and honored to introduce you to the very latest thing in piano duos: Blier-Li.
Artists, please see page 38.
The fun begins at 2 pm with a pre-show reception during which audience members select the program. Each singer lists four arias on their jukebox, and the selection with the most votes is included in the performance. The result is a one-of-a-kind concert encompassing a surprising range of styles and composers. The idea behind this interactive event grew out of Wolf Trap Opera’s 2010 production of Mozart’s unfinished opera Zaide. During intermission, Zaide patrons had an opportunity to vote for one of three possible endings to the opera. Ninety-two percent of the audience participated in selection process, and each of the endings was chosen at least once during the run of the show. Audience enthusiasm was high during the Zaide experiment, and it became obvious that having a stake in the outcome of the performance was a big factor in the production’s success. Of course, there is a limited pool of unfinished operas, so other options were considered, and the choose-your-ownadventure Aria Jukebox concert was born!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE REVA AND DAVID LOGAN FOUNDATION, 2017 YOUNG ARTIST SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE SPONSOR 33
THE WAGNERIAN TENOR OF HIS GENERATION Each summer, Wolf Trap Opera welcomes back one of its distinguished alumni to work with the company’s singers on both artistic and practical preparation for their careers. The 2017 Filene Artist in Residence is acclaimed heldentenor Simon O’Neill.
SIMON O’NEILL 2017 FILENE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
PUBLIC MASTER CLASS MONDAY, JULY 10 AT 7 PM CENTER FOR EDUCATION O’NEILL WORKS WITH WOLF TRAP OPERA’S YOUNG ARTISTS. FREE, NO RESERVATION REQUIRED
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE LINCOLN AND THERESE FILENE FOUNDATION, PROGRAM UNDERWRITER
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A native of New Zealand, O’Neill has established himself as one of the finest heldentenors on the international stage. He is a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Teatro alla Scala; and both the Bayreuth and Salzburg festivals. He has been described in the international press as “THE Wagnerian tenor of his generation.” O’Neill made his Bayreuth Festival debut in the title role of Lohengrin and returned as Parsifal. Other recent engagements include Siegmund in Die Walküre at La Scala and the Vienna State Opera; Siegmund in the celebrated Keith Warner Ring Cycle, Florestan in Fidelio, Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the title roles of Parsifal and Lohengrin at Covent Garden; the Tambourmajor in Wozzeck at the Metropolitan Opera; Erik in Der fliegende Holländer at Ravinia Festival; Otello at Houston Grand Opera; Cavaradossi in Tosca in Tokyo, Berlin, and Hamburg; and Florestan in Fidelio and Siegmund in Die Walküre at Houston Grand Opera and Hamburg Staatsoper. He has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras and on the stages of famed concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, National Symphony Orchestra, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Bayerischer Rundfunks Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo’s NHK Hall, and London’s Royal Festival Hall. His Grammy-nominated discography includes his award-winning debut solo album, Father and Son: Wagner Scenes and Arias, as well as recordings of Parsifal, Otello, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. O’Neill is an alumnus of the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, Manhattan School of Music, and Juilliard Opera Center. He is a Fulbright Scholar and was awarded the 2005 Arts Laureate of New Zealand.
Simon O’Neill in La clemenza di Tito at The Barns at Wolf Trap, 2003 Photo by Carol Pratt
SIMON O’NEILL BEGINS A BRILLIANT CAREER On a cold day in the winter of 2004, a young Simon O’Neill went to the Metropolitan Opera to audition for the role of the Armored Man in a new Julie Taymor production of The Magic Flute. After what he remembers as an undistinguished audition, he left the stage, only to be summoned back and asked, “Do you sing any Wagner?” Thanks to his previous summer at Wolf Trap, he was able to answer, “Yes, I do!”
with Thomas Lausmann, then a member of WTO’s music staff. Lausmann, a native German, is now Head of Music at the Vienna State Opera. He and O’Neill worked together at Wolf Trap to lay the foundation for his Wagner roles.
Siegmund’s aria “Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater” from Wagner’s Die Walküre. So, a few months later, when the audition panel at the Met asked if he had any Wagner, he was able to proudly and enthusiastically answer in the affirmative.
“I loved everything about my 2003 Wolf Trap experience in La clemenza di Tito,” remembers O’Neill. “Mozart was an important part of my development, and I still believe that tenors should warm up for Siegmund by singing Tamino. I came to Wolf Trap to sing Mozart — but I left singing Wagner.”
Wolf Trap Opera’s 2003 aria concert included in its audience one of the world’s greatest heldenbaritones, Thomas Stewart, and his soprano superstar wife, Evelyn Lear. Stewart and Lear were honorary grandparents of each year’s class of Filene Young Artists, and were wonderful friends and mentors during the years they lived in suburban Maryland. During that concert, Stewart’s ears pricked up when he heard true Wagnerian potential in a tenor named Simon O’Neill, and he took a keen interest in the young man.
While O’Neill was a Filene Young Artist, he made two critical connections that articulated the beginning of his international heldentenor career. That summer he had the chance to coach
O’Neill and Lausmann traveled to Bethesda to sing for Stewart at his home, and the veteran baritone became an important guiding force for the young singer. That summer O’Neill learned
That small role in The Magic Flute went to another tenor. But shortly afterward, O’Neill got the call that changed his life: “Mr. O’Neill, we would like you to understudy Plácido Domingo in the Met’s production of Die Walküre.” Domingo never had to withdraw from a performance during the time that O’Neill was his understudy, but the young tenor got in plenty of singing as a cover in highlevel rehearsals. That experience paid off a few years later when the Met tapped him for his own run of Siegmunds in their 2008 production of Die Walküre.
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ALUMNI MAKING WAVES Every year, Wolf Trap Opera’s former young artists leave an indelible mark on the classical music world — crushing competitions, winning awards, and defining a generation.
WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION Over the past year, WTO alumni dominated the top awards and competitions in the opera industry.
The Richard Tucker Award: Tamara Wilson
Operalia’s Birgit Nilsson Prize: Brenton Ryan
Beverly Sills Award: Jamie Barton
Marian Anderson Vocal Award: John Holiday
Belvedere International Competition First Prize: Nicholas Brownlee
Kim Witman met up with current and former Richard Tucker Award winners and WTO alumni Lawrence Brownlee, Ailyn Pérez, Tamara Wilson, and Jamie Barton at the 2016 Richard Tucker gala.
THREE WTO ALUMNI RETURN THIS SUMMER FOR CARMINA BURANA.
See p. 51 for details.
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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Here’s a sample of recent productions across the country that brought together multiple WTO alumni from several generations!
L’elisir d’amore at Houston Grand Opera — Nicole Heaston, Dimitri Pittas (not pictured: Michael Sumuel, Alicia Gianni)
Don Pasquale at San Francisco Opera — Lawrence Brownlee, Heidi Stober
The Crucible at the Glimmerglass Festival — Jamie Barton, Brian Mulligan (not pictured: David Pittsinger)
Götterdämmerung at Houston Grand Opera — Simon O’Neill, Christine Goerke (not pictured: Ryan McKinny, Jamie Barton)
FROM THE FOOTLIGHTS TO THE FRONT OFFICE The opera industry is fortunate that some WTO alumni use their onstage expertise to inform careers behind the scenes. WTO is particularly proud to have facilitated that switch for two former singers who are building national reputations in arts administration. Joshua Winograde (left) and Ryan Taylor spent two additional summers at Wolf Trap as Administrative Fellows when they transitioned from singing. This was a big year for both of them, as Winograde assumed the position of Associate Artistic Administrator at the Metropolitan Opera and Taylor took the helm as General Director of Minnesota Opera.
WIDE-REACHING IMPACT DURING THE 2016–2017 SEASON:
WTO ALUMNI SANG
133 ROLES
AT WORLD-RENOWNED
OPERA HOUSES
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WTO ALUMNI
WTO ALUMNI SANG
THE ROSTER
O P E R A CO M PAN I ES I N
WERE ON
O F
T H E
METROPOLITAN
OPERA
LEADING ROLES IN
17 COUNTRIES A R O U N D T H E WO R L D
Photo Credits | Top Left/Bottom Right: Lynn Lane/Houston Grand Opera. Top Right: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera. Bottom Left: Karli Cadel/Glimmerglass Festival.
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FILENE YO U N G ARTISTS
Emerging professionals just starting
to make their mark on the opera world, Filene Young Artists have recently finished graduate or professional degree
BEN EDQUIST, baritone^ Lake Jackson, TX
Husband (The Juniper Tree), William (The Fall of the House of Usher)
TRAINING: Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Wolf Trap Opera Studio, Rice University
HIGHLIGHTS: Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Houston Grand Opera), Kynaston in Prince of Players (Houston Grand Opera world premiere), Jigger Craigin in Carousel (Glimmerglass Festival and Houston Grand Opera), First Prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition
MACKENZIE GOTCHER, tenor
programs from the top music schools in
Philadelphia, PA
the country and have often participated
Cavaradossi (Tosca)
in yearlong young artist companies or
TRAINING: Academy of Vocal Arts, Opera
summer apprenticeships. Many of them
North, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Clearwater Christian College
have already won prestigious awards and
HIGHLIGHTS: Edgardo in Lucia di
are on their way to significant careers. This year’s Filene Young Artists represent the top two percent of applicants to the 2017 program. WTO
Lammermoor (Academy of Vocal Arts), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Southern Opera Theatre), Agustín Magaldi in Evita (Opera North), Diego Delarosa in Rose in Flames (Utah Festival Opera)
selected these singers before determining the season’s repertoire, and the season’s productions were chosen specifically to suit their talents. This artist-centric, tailored approach makes Wolf Trap Opera one of the most respected artist training programs in the country, and provides audiences with a variety of intriguing operas that play to the strengths of each season’s distinct mix of talented artists.
JONAS HACKER,
tenor*
Lake Delton, WI Bastianello the Younger/Lambent (Bastianello), Roderick (The Fall of the House of Usher), Four of a Kind with Steven Blier
TRAINING: Academy of Vocal Arts, Wolf Trap Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Central City Opera, Seagle Music Colony, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
HIGHLIGHTS: Jaquino in Leonore (Washington Concert Opera), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Academy of Vocal Arts), Ferrando in Così fan tutte (Annapolis Opera), Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finalist
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FILENE YOUNG ARTISTS (CONT.)
SUMMER HASSAN, soprano*
ALEXANDRA LOUTSION, soprano*
Donna Fulvia (The Touchstone), Ortensia/Ettalina/Eustacia (Bastianello), Wife (The Juniper Tree)
Tosca (Tosca)
Raleigh, NC
TRAINING: LA Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Conservatory
HIGHLIGHTS: Musetta in La bohème (Wolf Trap Opera), Daughter in Akhnaten and Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte (LA Opera), 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Semifinalist
Canonsburg, PA
TRAINING: Central City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Santa Fe Opera, University of Southern California, Ithaca College
HIGHLIGHTS: Title role in Turandot (Pittsburgh Opera), Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly (Wolf Trap Opera), Foreign Princess in Rusalka and Florencia in Florencia en el Amazonas (Arizona Opera)
ALASDAIR KENT, tenor*
NICHOLAS NESTORAK, tenor
Giocondo (The Touchstone)
Spoletta (Tosca), Physician (The Fall of the House of Usher)
Perth, Australia
Hillsdale, MI
TRAINING: Opera Philadelphia, Academy of Vocal Arts, Merola Opera Program, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
TRAINING: Glimmerglass Festival,
HIGHLIGHTS: Tamino in Die Zauberflöte
HIGHLIGHTS: Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro
(Academy of Vocal Arts), Rodrigo in Otello (LoftOpera), Ritornello in L’Opera Seria (Wolf Trap Opera), First Prize Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation Bel Canto Award
(Toledo Opera), Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd (Glimmerglass Festival), Spalanzani/ Nathanaël in The Tales of Hoffmann (Palm Beach Opera)
MADISON LEONARD,
RICHARD OLLARSABA,
soprano
Palm Beach Opera, University of Michigan, Hillsdale College
bass-baritone*
Coeur d’Alene, ID
Tempe, AZ
Daughter (The Juniper Tree), Madeline (The Fall of the House of Usher), Four of a Kind with Steven Blier, Mahler’s Symphony No. 4
Asdrubale (The Touchstone), Angelotti (Tosca), Luciano (Bastianello)
TRAINING: Merola Opera Program, Des Moines Metro Opera, Northwestern University, Pepperdine University
Tulsa Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, North Carolina School of the Arts, Cleveland Institute of Music
HIGHLIGHTS: Susanna in Le nozze di
HIGHLIGHTS: Fallito in L’Opera
Figaro (Amarillo Opera), Adele in Die Fledermaus (Opera Idaho), Monica in The Medium (Merola Opera Program), First Place Houston Grand Opera McCollum Competition
Seria (Wolf Trap Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Minnesota Opera), Angelotti in Tosca and the title role in Don Giovanni (Lyric Opera of Chicago)
TRAINING: Minnesota Opera,
*Returning for a second season as a Filene Young Artist
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FILENE YOUNG ARTISTS (CONT.)
SHEA OWENS, baritone*^ Scottsdale, AZ
Pacuvio (The Touchstone), Bastianello the Elder/Frediano/ Ippolito/Lino (Bastianello)
TRAINING: Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera, Central City Opera, Tanglewood Music Center, Rice University, Brigham Young University
HIGHLIGHTS: Schaunard in La bohème
MEGAN MIKAILOVNA SAMARIN, mezzo-soprano^ Whittier, CA
Baroness Aspasia (The Touchstone), Shepherd (Tosca), Son (The Juniper Tree)
TRAINING: Houston Grand Opera Studio, Glimmerglass Festival, Wolf Trap Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Manhattan School of Music
(Wolf Trap Opera and Utah Opera), Junius in The Rape of Lucretia (Wolf Trap Opera), Marcello in La bohème (Genève Opera), Colonel Ricci in Passion (Théâtre du Châtelet)
HIGHLIGHTS: Siebel in Faust, Olga in
ZOIE REAMS, mezzo-soprano
ANTHONY ROBIN SCHNEIDER, bass
Clarice (The Touchstone), Amadora/Stelladora (Bastianello)
Fabrizio (The Touchstone), Sacristan (Tosca)
TRAINING: Houston Grand Opera
TRAINING: Academy of Vocal Arts,
Studio, Glimmerglass Festival, Lawrence University, Louisiana State University
Glimmerglass Festival, University of Auckland
HIGHLIGHTS: Cece in Some Light
HIGHLIGHTS: Sarastro in Die
Emerges and Angel in It’s a Wonderful Life (Houston Grand Opera), Tituba in The Crucible (Glimmerglass Festival), Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri (LSU Opera)
Zauberflöte, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and Méphistophélès in Faust (Academy of Vocal Arts), 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Semifinalist
ANNIE ROSEN,
KIHUN YOON, baritone*
Stepmother (The Juniper Tree), Four of a Kind with Steven Blier
Macrobio (The Touchstone), Scarpia (Tosca)
TRAINING: Lyric Opera of Chicago,
TRAINING: LA Opera, Merola Opera
Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Yale University, Mannes College
Program, Aspen Music Festival, Han Yang University
HIGHLIGHTS: Ascagne in Les Troyens and
Schaunard in La bohème and Horemhab in Akhnaten (LA Opera), title role in Gianni Schicchi (Merola Opera Program), Delirio in L’Opera Seria (Wolf Trap Opera)
Chicago, IL
mezzo-soprano New Haven, CT
Wellgunde in Das Rheingold (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Mercédès in Carmen (Deutsche Oper Berlin), Eve in Rev. 23 (Beth Morrison Projects; upcoming)
Eugene Onegin, Johanna in Sweeney Todd and Sesto in Giulio Cesare (Houston Grand Opera), Marzia in Cato in Utica (Glimmerglass Festival)
Auckland, New Zealand
Seoul, South Korea
HIGHLIGHTS: Sciarrone in Tosca,
*Returning for a second season as a Filene Young Artist ^Former Studio Artist
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FELLOWS
MARCUS SHIELDS, Directing Fellow Charleston, SC
Director (Studio Spotlight) Assistant Director (The Touchstone, The Juniper Tree & Bastianello)
TRAINING: University of Cincinnati
Coaching Fellows and Directing Fellows are
junior members of Wolf Trap Opera’s music staff and directing teams. They are emerging professionals at a point in their careers similar
College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Northwestern University, Cincinnati Opera, Atlanta Opera, Crested Butte Music Festival
HIGHLIGHTS: Cincinnati Opera, CCM Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Neue Galerie, Lyric Opera of Chicago (Lyric Unlimited)
to that of Filene Young Artists. Coaching Fellows serve as rehearsal pianists, provide singer coachings, coordinate supertitle translations, and perform in Studio Spotlight. Directing Fellows serve as Assistant Directors for productions at The Barns and the Filene Center and provide stage direction for Studio Spotlight.
LINDSAY WOODWARD, Coaching Fellow Salt Lake City, UT
Coach/Assistant Conductor (The Touchstone), Coach/Pianist (Studio Spotlight) Supertitle Coordinator (The Juniper Tree & Bastianello, Tosca)
TRAINING: Minnesota Opera, Utah Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Manhattan School of Music, University of Utah, La Musica Lirica
HIGHLIGHTS: Minnesota Opera, Aspen Opera Center, Utah Opera, Contemporary Opera Ensemble, Institute for Young Dramatic Singers
K. ANNIE BROOKS,
MO ZHOU,
Coach/Assistant Conductor (The Fall of the House of Usher, The Juniper Tree & Bastianello), Coach/Pianist (Studio Spotlight) Supertitle Coordinator (The Touchstone)
Director (Listen, Wilhelmina!, Four of a Kind) Assistant Director (Tosca, The Fall of the House of Usher)
TRAINING: Aspen Summer Institute
Fellow (2016), The Juilliard School, Merola Opera Program, Glimmerglass Festival, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Festival, Columbia University, Bowdoin College
Coaching Fellow Seattle, WA
Opera Theater Center, SUNY Stony Brook, Mimir Summer Music, Western Washington University
HIGHLIGHTS: Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Stony Brook Opera, Providence Summer Music Festival, Wingate University
Directing Fellow Nanjing, China
TRAINING: Wolf Trap Opera Directing
HIGHLIGHTS: Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Simpson College Opera, Manhattan School of Music, Glimmerglass Festival, Poor Richard’s Opera, Disney Shanghai; OPERA America DirectorDesigner Showcase winner
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STUDIO ARTISTS
At a crossroads between academic
training and career-entry opportunities, Studio Artists are typically graduate students or high-level undergraduates. Their WTO summers encompass small roles, chorus assignments,
JONATHAN BRYAN, baritone* TRAINING: Indiana University (M.M. 2017), Louisiana State University (B.M. 2014) ROLE: Ranger Nat (Listen, Wilhelmina!) SCENES: First Lieutenant (Billy Budd), Brissac (Les Mousquetaires), Ramiro (L’heure espagnole) COVERS: Father (The Juniper Tree), Macrobio (The Touchstone)
ARYEH NUSSBAUM COHEN, countertenor TRAINING: Princeton University (B.A. 2015) SCENES: Oscar Wilde (Oscar), Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare) COVER: Son (The Juniper Tree)
cover/understudy opportunities, and featured work in a scenes program (Studio Spotlight).
Studio Artists receive instruction
and mentoring from WTO’s professional artistic staff as well as from visiting consultants and faculty.
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LAUREN FEIDER, soprano TRAINING: Florida State University (M.M. 2017), University of Minnesota (B.M. 2014) SCENES: Primadonna (Ariadne auf Naxos), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) COVER: Mother (The Juniper Tree)
AMANDA LYNN BOTTOMS, mezzo-soprano
MATTHEW ADAM FLEISHER, bass
TRAINING: The Juilliard School (B.A. 2014), SUNY Fredonia School of Music (B.A. 2014) SCENES: Concepción (L’heure espagnole) COVER: Stepmother (The Juniper Tree), Aspasia (The Touchstone)
TRAINING: University of Michigan (B.M. 2018) ROLE: Jailer (Tosca) SCENES: Lt. Ratcliffe (Billy Budd), Leporello (Don Giovanni) COVER: Luciano (Bastianello)
MARIA BREA, soprano*
RICARDO GARCIA, tenor
TRAINING: The Juilliard School (M.M. 2017), Manhattan School of Music (B.M. 2015) ROLE: Mama Bird (The Juniper Tree) SCENES: Ada Leverson (Oscar), Mimì (La bohème)
TRAINING: San Francisco Conservatory of Music (M.M. 2018), University of the Pacific (B.A. 2016) SCENES: Rodolfo (La bohème), Tenor (Ariadne auf Naxos) COVER: Giocondo (The Touchstone)
STUDIO ARTISTS (CONT.)
ANDREW GILSTRAP, bass
SENHICA KLEE, tenor
TRAINING: University of Houston (M.M. 2018, B.M. 2016) ROLE: Goldsmith (The Juniper Tree) SCENES: Sailing Master (Billy Budd), Abbé Bridaine (Les Mousquetaires au couvent), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni) COVER: Asdrubale (The Touchstone)
TRAINING: Rice University (M.M. 2018), University of Denver (B.M. 2013) SCENES: Gontran de Solanges (Les Mousquetaires au couvent), Gonzalve (L’heure espagnole) COVERS: Bastianello the Younger/ Lambent (Bastianello)
SAM GROSBY, tenor
GRETCHEN KRUPP,
TRAINING: Northwestern University (M.M. 2017), Eastman School of Music (B.M. 2015) ROLE: Miller (The Juniper Tree) SCENES: Captain Vere (Billy Budd)
mezzo-soprano TRAINING: Indiana University (M.M. 2017), University of North Carolina (B.M. 2015) ROLE: Wallis (Listen, Wilhelmina!) SCENES: Gertrude (Hamlet) COVER: Clarice (The Touchstone)
CORY GROSS, tenor
ASHLEY MILANESE, soprano
TRAINING: The Boston Conservatory (M.M. 2018), Rice University (B.M. 2016) ROLE: Winston (Listen, Wilhelmina!) SCENES: Tanzmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos) COVER: Spoletta (Tosca)
TRAINING: Curtis Institute of Music (M.M. 2017, B.M. 2015) SCENES: Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Despina (Così fan tutte), Musetta (La bohème) COVERS: Ortensia/Ettalina/Eustacia (Bastianello)
GEOFFREY HAHN, baritone*
NICOLE THOMAS,
TRAINING: Rice University (M.M. 2017), Columbia University (B.A. 2015) ROLE: Sciarrone (Tosca) SCENES: Musiklehrer (Ariadne auf Naxos), Hamlet (Hamlet) COVERS: Bastianello the Elder/ Frediano/Ippolito/Lino (Bastianello)
mezzo-soprano TRAINING: The Juilliard School (M.M. 2018), University of Nevada (B.M. 2016) SCENES: Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) COVERS: Amadora/Stelladora (Bastianello)
MICHAEL J. HAWK, baritone
ONADEK WINAN, soprano
TRAINING: Rice University (M.M. 2018), SUNY Fredonia School of Music (B.M. 2016) ROLE: Cobbler (The Juniper Tree) SCENES: Billy Budd (Billy Budd), Marcello (La bohème) COVER: Pacuvio (The Touchstone)
TRAINING: The Juilliard School (M.M. 2018, B.M. 2016) ROLE: Wilhelmina (Listen, Wilhelmina!) SCENES: Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Ophélie (Hamlet) COVER: Fulvia (The Touchstone)
*Returning for a second season as a Studio Artist
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GUEST ARTISTS
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VALÉRIE THÉRÈSE BART Scenic & Costume Designer — Listen, Wilhelmina! The Pearl Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company DC, UrbanArias, Yale Repertory Theatre
LOUISA MULLER Director — Tosca
STEVEN BLIER Artistic Director — Four of a Kind New York Festival of Song (Artistic Director), The Juilliard School, Steans Institute at Ravinia, San Francisco Opera, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
ANNE NESMITH
GRANT GERSHON Conductor — Tosca LA Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, San Francisco Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera
BLAKE PALMER
ROBERT H. GRIMES Lighting Designer — The Touchstone, Bastianello, The Juniper Tree The Barns at Wolf Trap, Melodrama Theatre, San Antonio Little Theatre, Arena Stage, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Wolf Trap Recordings (Grammy nomination)
ERHARD ROM
DAVID HANLON Composer, Conductor — Listen, Wilhelmina! Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera
R. B. SCHLATHER
KATHLEEN KELLY Librettist — Listen, Wilhelmina! Vienna State Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Arizona Opera, University of Michigan
EMILY SENTURIA
JOSEPH LI
MARK STANLEY
Conductor — The Fall of the House of Usher Pianist — Four of a Kind Houston Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, Minnesota Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Rice University, Baylor University
Lighting Designer — Tosca New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Paris Opera Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
JAMES M c GOUGH
S. KATY TUCKER
Wig & Makeup Designer — Tosca Virginia Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Video & Projections Designer — Tosca The Metropolitan Opera, Dutch National Opera, San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, Washington National Opera
E. LOREN MEEKER
ERIK TEAGUE
Director — The Touchstone San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Toulouse Théâtre du Capitole
Costume Designer — The Touchstone The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Center for Puppetry Art, 7 Stages, Gallaudet University
The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opera Queensland
Wig & Makeup Designer — The Touchstone, Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Saito Kinen Festival, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Philadelphia, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre
Scenic & Costume Designer — Bastianello, The Juniper Tree National Sawdust, La MaMa, Ars Nova, Columbia University, New York University
Scenic Designer — The Touchstone, Tosca San Francisco Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Seattle Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Royal Swedish Opera
Director — Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Gran Teatre del Liceu, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Bard Music Festival, National Sawdust, Curtis Opera Theatre
Conductor — Studio Spotlight Houston Grand Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Royal Academy of Music, Atlanta Opera
ANTONY WALKER
DAVID WOOLARD
Conductor — The Touchstone Washington Concert Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival
Costume Designer — Tosca Houston Grand Opera, Beijing National Theatre, Opera Philadelphia, Asolo Theatre
SEPTIME WEBRE
LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA
Director/Choreographer — The Fall of the House of Usher Halcyon Stage, The Washington Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Atlanta Ballet
Conductor — Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Opera Saratoga, Beth Morrison Projects, The Dallas Opera, Commonwealth Lyric Theater, Juventas New Music Ensemble
MUSIC STAFF JEREMY FRANK Assistant Conductor, Pianist/Coach — Tosca LA Opera, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera Center, The Juilliard School
GRANT LOEHNIG
DAVID HANLON Pianist/Coach — The Touchstone, Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Chorusmaster — The Touchstone Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera
JOSEPHINE RIGGS Pianist/Coach — Untrapped Washington Concert Opera, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Florida Grand Opera, New York City Opera
CHRISTOPHER KOELZER Pianist/Coach — Listen, Wilhelmina! Washington National Opera, Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland, Aspen Music Festival and School JOSEPH LI Pianist/Coach — Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Houston Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, Minnesota Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Rice University, Baylor University
Music Director, Wolf Trap Opera Studio; Head of Music Staff Opera Philadelphia, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, The Curtis Institute, Rice University
NICOLÒ SBUELZ Pianist/Coach, Italian Consultant — The Touchstone, Tosca Sarasota Opera, Merola Opera Program, Aspen Music Festival, Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, Opéra de Lyon CHRISTOPHER TURBESSI Pianist/Coach — Tosca Utah Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Houston Grand Opera, Virginia Opera, Castleton Festival, Opera Institute at Augusta University
PRODUCTION STAFF JORDAN BRAUN Production Stage Manager — Tosca Atlanta Opera, Opera Colorado, Ash Lawn Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Memphis MICHAEL JANNEY Production Stage Manager — The Touchstone, Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Palm Beach Opera
MADELINE LEVY Assistant Stage Manager — The Touchstone Harper Joy Theatre, Key City Public Theatre, Seattle Opera EVELYN ROSSOW Stage Manager — Listen, Wilhelmina!, The Fall of the House of Usher Assistant Stage Manager — Tosca Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Minnesota Opera, Pacific Music Works
SARAH JOHNSON Assistant Stage Manager — Bastianello, The Juniper Tree Opera Colorado, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Utah Opera, Nashville Opera Members of AGMA appear through the courtesy of the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.
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GUEST FACULTY DEBORAH BIRNBAUM Breath Technique Consultant The Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera
THOMAS LAUSMANN German Consultant Vienna State Opera, Bayreuth Festival, Komische Oper Berlin, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera
ELIZABETH BISHOP Voice Consultant The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Potomac Vocal Institute
ANDREA DORF McGRAY Acting Consultant Washington National Opera, Maryland Opera Studio, Ash Lawn Opera, Aspen Music Festival & School
JASON FERRANTE Voice Consultant New York City Opera, Wexford Festival, Bard Summerscape, Florida Grand Opera
AARON URBANEK Freelancing and Taxes Consultant Manhattan School of Music, Opera North Carolina, Chautauqua Festival, Verismo Inc., H&R Block
HOUSING HOSTS
We are grateful to the following individuals for hosting our Wolf Trap Opera 2017 artists in their homes.
Bill & Mary Aldacushion
Lee Corey
Ruth & Eugene Overton
Stephanie & Fernando
John & Caren Backus
Ellen Dykes & Alan McAdam
Ed & Andy Smith
Roland Blocksom
Hank & Shelley Hatch
Karen Sorenson & Peter Gaus
Paul & Pat Ward
David & Cathy Bobzien
Linda Kauss & Clark Hoyt
Sarah Spicer
Ron & Judy Wilgenbusch
Jerry G. Bridges & Sally Turner
Ann Jones
Judith Stehling &
Beth Brummel & Michael Beresik
Grace Jones
Jan Childress
Carlos & Maureen Mariño
Donna & Edward Stoker
Sheridan & Richard Collins
Sue Martin
Karen Van Lare
van Reigersberg
Edgar Ariza-Niño
Inspired by true events during the 12th century, La straniera tells the tale of a nobleman’s scandalous divorce and subsequent marriage to a mysterious foreign woman (“la straniera”) who is kept tucked away in a wooded cottage.
A classic love triangle with a tragic twist, Maria di Rohan follows a woman torn between the man she loves and the man to whom she is secretly married. Duels, love letters, underground tunnels and political intrigue ensue.
CONCERTOPERA.ORG 202-364-5826
ANTONY WALKER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
STAFF WOLF TRAP LEADERSHIP
TECHNICAL STAFF
DESIGN ASSISTANTS
ARVIND MANOCHA
BETH WHITE
MICHAEL KOHLER
President and CEO
Master Electrician
Video & Projections Programmer, Tosca
BETH BRUMMEL
GUS REDMOND
BLAKE MANNS
Vice President, External Affairs
Shop Foreman/Master Carpenter
SARA BEESLEY
KASEY HENDRICKS
Assistant Video & Projections Designer, Tosca
Senior Director, Program and Production
Props Master
MARTHA MOUNTAIN
BERNARD BERRY, III
PALLAS BANE
Assistant Lighting Designer, Tosca
Director, Ticket Services
Charge Artist
MELISSA SIBERT
CHRISTOPHER J. ECKERT
CAMILLE PETRILLO
Assistant Wig & Makeup Designer
Senior Director, Operations
Scenic Artist
GEORGIA GRENA
MARY GRANT
Senior Director, Finance
Carpenter
SARA P. JAFFE
DEANNA MECKEL
Senior Director, Development
Carpenter
SHANNON KELLY Director, Government Affairs
COSTUME STAFF
AKUA KOUYATE-TATE
SUE CHIANG
Senior Director, Education
Shop Manager
JO L a BRECQUE
KRISTEN AHERN
Senior Director, Communications and Marketing
Design Assistant
ELIZABETH SCHILL HUGHES
Design Assistant
Director, Human Resources
WOLF TRAP OPERA ARTISTIC & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF KIM PENSINGER WITMAN Senior Director
LEE ANNE MYSLEWSKI Director, Artistic Administration
MORGAN BROPHY Manager, Artistic Operations
ROBERT H. GRIMES Production Manager, The Barns at Wolf Trap
TIMOTHY M c CORMICK Assistant Production Manager and Technical Director
GARRY SIKORA House Manager
BRIAN BENJAMIN WEIGEL RACHEL SCHULDENFREI Draper
MICHELE MACADAEG First Hand
KIMBERLEE VANDENBERG First Hand
KATY KINCADE First Hand
COURTNEY WOOD First Hand
SABRINA CHIANG First Hand
MOYENDA KULEMEKA Wardrobe Head
ALYSSA MONIQUE CASIMIRO Wardrobe/Stitcher
APPRENTICES WTO Apprentices are part of Wolf Trap Foundation’s Internship and Apprenticeship program. Having honed their skills through academic training, they now receive hands-on experience in a professional setting, as well as mentorship from Wolf Trap Opera staff. TAMMY BABICH, Stage Management University of West Florida CLAUDIA BROWNLEE, Costumes University of Maryland MIKAELA BYRD, Technical Theatre North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University IAN GAMMARINO, Technical Theatre Radford University RACHEL HEMM, Technical Theatre Ball State University KAYLA HILL, Props Assistant Longwood University KRISTIN KELLEY, Stage Management Kansas State University ROBERT McGOWAN, Artistic Administration Rutgers University JESS PETINO, Scene Painting Montclair State University CHELSEA WEST, Communications Penn State University
RACHEL STANTON Company Manager
CATHY PONTON KING Assistant
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ORCHESTRA LA PIETRA DEL PARAGONE VIOLIN 1
CELLO
BASSOON
Doug Dube, concertmaster Christina Constantinescu Sarah Sherry Patty Hurd Simon Rundlett Laura Knutsen
Kerry van Laanen, principal Todd Thiel
Eric Dircksen, principal Jeff Ward
BASS
HORN
Jeff Koczela, principal
Geoff Pilkington, principal Chandra Cervantes
FLUTE/PICCOLO VIOLIN 2 Laura Miller, principal second Paula McCarthy Jennifer Himes Sonya Chung
David Lonkevich, principal Beverly Crawford
TRUMPET Joe Burgstaller, principal Kevin Gebo
OBOE Fatma Daglar, principal David Garcia
TIMPANI
CLARINET
PERCUSSION
Kathy Mulcahy, principal Annie Ament
John Spirtas
Bill Richards, principal
VIOLA Jennifer Rende, principal Cathy Amoury Tiffani Richardson
THE JUNIPER TREE & BASTIANELLO VIOLIN 1
FLUTE/PICCOLO
HORN
Reiko Niiya-Chow, concertmaster
David Lonkevich
Evan Geiger, principal Chandra Cervantes
VIOLIN 2
OBOE
Paula McCarthy
Fatma Daglar
VIOLA
CLARINET
Jennifer Rende
David Jones, principal
CELLO
CLARINET/BASS CLARINET
Lori Barnet
Jeremy Eig
BASS
BASSOON
Ed Malaga
Eric Dirckson
TRUMPET Tim White
BASS TROMBONE John McGinness
HARP Caroline Hudson
PERCUSSION Bill Richards, principal Danny Villanueva
BOTH OPERAS CONTRACTOR
LIBRARIAN
Phil Snedecor
Marcia Farabee
Steinway and Boston are the preferred pianos for Wolf Trap performances and education facilities. The musicians employed in these productions are members of and represented by D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-170.
48
A SEASON FUELED BY THE PASSION FOR HOME AND HEARTLAND
7 July 7 - August 22 | Cooperstown, NY Tickets start at $26 www.glimmerglass.org (607) 547-2255
Photo: Karli Cadel
PORGY AND BESS
OKLAHOMA!
XERXES
THE SIEGE OF CALAIS
july 7 - august 21
july 8 - august 22
july 15 - august 18
july 16 - august 19
Gershwin/Heyward
Rodgers/Hammerstein
Handel/Minato
Donizetti/Cammarano
THE BARNS AT WOLF TRAP 2017 HOUSE RULES 1. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket. 2. Patrons must sit in the seats for which they have tickets. 3. Resale of tickets on Wolf Trap Foundation property is strictly prohibited by Wolf Trap Foundation policy. 4. Outside food or beverages may not be consumed inside the facility.
8. Late arrivals are normally seated between movements, acts, or numbers at the discretion of management and at the request of the artist(s). 9. With the exception of service animals assisting disabled persons, pets are not permitted. 10. Patrons may not stand in or block aisles or sightlines at any time during performances.
11. 6. The Barns is a smoke-free facility. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is permitted only in the designated area 12. outside the main entrance. 5. Food is not permitted inside the theater. Beverages are permitted inside the theater.
7.
The use of recording equipment and cameras (with or without flash) during performances is prohibited unless coordinated through management and authorized by the artist(s).
Disturbing fellow patrons with loud conversation or inappropriate behavior is not permitted and may result in removal from the performance without a refund. All cell phones and electronic devices must be silenced during the performance.
13. Firearms are prohibited. 14. Violation of The Barns at Wolf Trap House Rules may result in removal from the performance without refund and/or prosecution.
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WOLF TRAP 2017 FINE ARTS PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS WOLF TRAP OPERA IS PART OF A FULL LINEUP OF FINE ARTS PERFORMANCES THIS SUMMER SEASON.
ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA WITH SARAH CHANG AUGUST 9 PILOBOLUS AUGUST 15 GUSTAVO DUDAMEL AND THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF VENEZUELA SEPTEMBER 9
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA EMIL DE COU, FESTIVAL CONDUCTOR HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE™ - IN CONCERT JULY 7 + 8 THE TENORS JULY 15 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SYMPHONY OF THE GODDESSES JULY 22 LA LA LAND IN CONCERT AUGUST 4 JURASSIC PARK™ - IN CONCERT © UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AUGUST 5 HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s17)
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CARMINA BURANA
Kicking off a weekend of events and performances that celebrate
National Symphony Orchestra music director Gianandrea Noseda’s first season, Wolf Trap and the NSO join forces for an extraordinary July 28 performance of Carmina Burana featuring Wolf Trap Opera alumni and a mass chorus of over 300 singers. The performance also features virtuoso pianist Seong-Jin Cho in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”).
The baritone soloist for Carmina Burana is Brian Mulligan (Filene
FRIDAY, JULY 28 AT 8:15 PM FILENE CENTER RUNNING TIME: 2 HOURS, INCLUDING ONE INTERMISSION
Young Artist 2004, 2005), who has recently appeared with the Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as with symphonies in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Soprano Heidi Stober ’s (Filene Young Artist 2006) recent
PRE-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION ON THE FARMHOUSE LAWN AT 7:15 PM
engagements include the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and the New York Philharmonic. Tenor Nicholas Phan (Filene Young Artist 2003, 2004) has performed recently with the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony.
D.C.’s choral community is also prominently featured in this
performance. Participating organizations include The Choral Arts Society of Washington, The Washington Chorus, City Choir of Washington, Washington Children’s Chorus, and members of other
Brian Mulligan
Nicholas Phan
Heidi Stober
choruses from across the area.
MAR K YO UR C A L EN DAR NOW FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENING! SPECIAL THANKS TO DEBORAH F. AND DAVID A. WINSTON, PERFORMANCE SPONSORS 51
WITH APPRECIATION Wolf Trap Foundation’s arts and education programs are made possible by philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government partners. Thank you to the following individuals and institutions for their annual gifts received between April 15, 2016 and April 15, 2017.
I N D IV IDUA L DO N ORS 201 7 S EASON UN DERW R I T ER S
$10,000 TO $ 1 4 , 9 9 9
Dan and Gayle D’Aniello
Anonymous Beth B. Buehlmann Michele Duell and Richard Duffy Shelly and Jack Hazel Clark Hoyt and Linda Kauss John and Tracie Jacquemin/ The Jacquemin Family Foundation Janet and Jerry Kohlenberger Charla and Howard Levine James and Cheryl MacGuidwin Ray and Colleen McDuffie Ann McPherson McKee, Gift in Remembrance of Burtt & Rebecca Gray McKee and Douglas & Ann McKee Seeley Patsy and Howard Norton Charles and Angela Prow Mrs. Norma Commons Ramsey Lola C. Reinsch/Dorchester Apartments and Towers on Columbia Pike, Arlington Dr. James Roth Gerry and Lynn Rubin Kevin L. Rusnak and Donald R. Dechow Jr. Theresa Thompson Bruce and Christine Wardinski Theresa and John B. Wood Greg and Janne Young Jake and Whitney Zatzkin
$ 250,000+ Shashikant and Margaret Gupta David M. Rubenstein Earle C.+ and June A. Williams
$ 1 00,000 TO $249,9 9 9 Hillary and Tom Baltimore Jacqueline B. Mars Gary D. Mather and Christina Co Mather Michael Saylor Karen and Fred Schaufeld
$ 5 0,0 00 TO $99,999 Jean and Ric Edelman Virginia McGehee Friend Sue J. Henry and Carter G. Phillips Anne R. Kline and Geoffrey Pohanka John C. Lee, IV and Cindy Lee Suzy and Bob Pence F. Chapman and Grace Taylor Robert and Lisa Van Hoecke
$ 25,0 00 TO $49,999 Anonymous Daniel and Karin Akerson Mark and Jennie Bishof The Scott and Patrice Brickman Family Foundation Calvin and Janet Hill Don and Angela Irwin Robert M. and Joyce A. Johnson John and Susie King Matt Korn and Cindy Miller Stephen and Betsy Mundt Diane and Tim Naughton Laura and Sean O’Keefe Frank Saul Ed and Andy Smith The Webber Family The Anthony and Beatrice Welters Family Deborah F. and David A. Winston Suzanne and Glenn Youngkin
$ 1 5 ,0 0 0 TO $24,999 Madeleine Abel/Herb VanHook John and Lynn Dillon Craig and Valerie Dykstra Kimberly Engel and Family James N. Glerum and Diane Morales Glerum Gil and Janice Guarino Tim and Ann Keating Gen. (Ret.) Lester L. and Mina Lyles Arvind Manocha and Gideon Malone Boofie and Joe O’Gorman Kevin and Kate Robbins Ranvir and Adarsh Trehan
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$5 ,000 TO $ 9, 9 9 9 Anonymous (12) Dr. and Mrs. Duane A. Adams Dr. Tonya Adams and Mr. Rodway Newman Ramon and Marissa Alcala Gary and Mary Ann Amstutz Louis Andors/Andors Real Estate Group Mrs. Benjamin P. Astley Marvin E. Ausherman Karen Avery and Richard Chapman Russel and Ann Bantham Richard Bates/The Walt Disney Company The Honorable and Mrs.+ James M. Beggs Thomas A. Belles and Carla Minosh David Borowski and Kerry Cadden Harlan W. and Mary M. Bowers Beth Brummel and Michael Beresik Mark and Nancy Burnette Shawn and Gail Cali Claudia Callaway and Steven K. Davidson Drew and Therese Caplan Marcia and Frank C. Carlucci III The Cates Family Brian and Allayne Chappelle The Chaskin Family Jay W. and Heidi A. Chesky Brian J. Christianson Karen and Jim Cleveland Cynthia A. and Robert A. Clohan III Kenneth W. Coan/Sevila Coan Financial Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Kathy and Jim Connor Jon and Patty Craver David Samuel Daley Dan and Bekki Danner Louis Delair, Jr. David L. Denny and Laurie Scott Tami and Jeff Dierman Dr. James and Diane Ecklund Mr. and Mrs. Dean S. Edmonds/ Dean S. Edmonds Foundation George and Karen Eichert Vincent Ferraro and Laura Forte Rachel and Bob Foster Russell Frey Drs. Ted and Linda Friehling J. H. Gaddis Greg Gallopoulos April Georgelas Cathy A. German Bonnie L. Goldschmidt and Michele Shimek Katherine Goudreau and Don Mesecher Denise Grant and Frank Raines William and Jacqueline A. Gravell Nancy J. Griffith Marge and Joe Grills Marlene and William Haffner Steve Hale Glenda and Stephen Harvey Robert H. and Brenda Hawthorne Peter J. Henry/Capstone Realty, LTD. Loren B. Hudziak Richard and Anna Jackson John and Diana Jaeger Lisa and Richard Jeanneret Eric and Heather Kadel Mr. and Mrs. Joel S. Kanter/ Kanter Family Foundation Ashok and Stuti Kaveeshwar Governor and Mrs. Dirk Kempthorne Laura, Jess, Mike, and Tim Kennedy Jonathan and Gayle Kosarin Nancy Laben and Jon Feiger David and Mary Beth Lane Sheri A. Layton Matt Lerner/Frederick Coin Exchange James Lintott and May Liang Patricia and Joseph Lonardo Gigi and Mike Louden and Dabney Hart James Lynch and Anne Woodard Lynch Clark and Kathleen Manning and Family Philip and Sandy+ Marcum Terri and Michael McClements Scott and Patricia McMullan Susan and David McMunn Kenneth and Sandy Metcalfe Susie and Josh Metz Tim and Sherry Meyers Scott Miller and Sharon Virts Robert T. and Angela C. Myers Chris and Paige Nassetta
CORPORAT E, FOUNDAT ION & GOVERNMENT PART N E R S Reed and Pat Menster Neuman Marcia L. Newbill Long Nguyen Patricia Nicoson Pat and Annie Pacious Christine and Gregory Parseghian Justin and Marcia Paulson Carol S. Popowsky Patricia and Craig Reed Dan Remaklus and Wendy Colestock Edgar and Lillian Rios/The R&R Foundation Jeannette E. Roach and Whitfield A. Russell David A. Robertson Patti and John Robertson Brenda and William Romenius T. Christopher Roth Karl and Susan Salnoske Jeff and Dawn Sanok Bernadette and Ed Saperstein Danielle O. and John H. Saunders Stan and Ruth Seemann John and Darcy Sekas Patrick and Kimberly Shanahan Craig and Christina Sharon Joan Sheppard Mark and Marcia Simione Jon and Pat Simons Tina and Albert Small, Jr. Joel K. and Martha L. Smith Arne and Ruth Sorenson Peter and Jennie Stathis Kim and Gary Stewart David L. Straus, Gift in Remembrance of Betty B. Straus Virginia and Alan Strauss Gregory D. Sullivan Susan B. Sutter Brad and Martha Taishoff Peter and Ann Tanous Mark Testoni Victoria Trumbower The Honorable Hans N. Tuch and Mrs.+ Tuch Sandra Tullius Richard J. Underwood Katherine Ann and Caroline Morris Van Kirk Richard and Mary Wall John and Gina Wasson Sue Irish and Kenn Weir Mary B. White, Esq. Lisa and Eric Wieman Sean and Nancy Willson William and Terry Witowsky Dr. and Mrs. Mark E. Wolken Howard and Gail Woolley Peggy and Otto Zipf Deceased
+
$25 0,00 0 + The Boeing Company Department of the Interior, National Park Service The PNC Foundation
$100,00 0 TO $ 249, 9 9 9 Anonymous Foundation County of Fairfax, Virginia iHeartMedia, Inc. Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation Microsoft Corporation Northrop Grumman Foundation
$5 0,000 TO $ 9 9, 9 9 9 Altria Client Services Inc. Booz Allen Hamilton Cox Communications General Dynamics Grant Thornton LLP Hilton Karin’s Florist Kenneth W. and Janice W. Freeman Family Foundation Lockheed Martin Corporation Mars Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Noblis Northrop Grumman Tickets.com The USAA Foundation Virginia Commission for the Arts WHITE64
$35 ,000 TO $ 49, 9 9 9 Amazon Web Services American Airlines The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Choice Hotels International Deloitte Double Wood Farm Hilton McLean Tysons Corner Sachiko Kuno Foundation NBC4 Park Hotels & Resorts
$17,5 00 TO $ 34 , 9 9 9 Accenture Airlines for America Arent Fox LLP Battelle Dorothy G. Bender Foundation, Inc. Capital One DLA Piper General Mills Foundation The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Hearst Foundation, Inc. The Home Depot IBM The Ithaka Foundation
KPMG The Reva and David Logan Foundation Marriott International MorganFranklin Consulting National Counseling Group Nauticon Imaging Systems PwC LLP SAP NS2 SPECTRUM, Inc. General Contracting Sport & Health Clubs Starr Hill Brewery Telos Corporation TTR / Sotheby’s International Realty U.S. Trust
$ 1 0,0 0 0 TO $ 1 7, 49 9 Alion Science and Technology Alston & Bird, LLP American Council of Life Insurers Applied Memetics LLC Arts Council of Fairfax County The Theodore H. Barth Foundation, Inc. BDO BIT Systems, Inc. Brown-Forman Corporation Charles Schwab Devils Backbone Brewing Company Dominion E. & J. Gallo Winery The Richard Eaton Foundation Enterprise Knowledge Entertainment Software Association Ernst & Young Evolver, Inc. Exxon Mobil Corporation FedEx Graduate Management Admission Council Hogan Lovells Host Hotels & Resorts K&L Gates LLP Kearney & Co. Nancy Peery Marriott Foundation, Inc. Olivera Music Entertainment Playa Hotels & Resorts PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. Reston Limousine Russell Reynolds Associates Service Distributing, Inc. Southern Company Strayer Education Inc. Tangible Security Venable Foundation, Inc. The Volgenau Foundation Washington Workplace Xerox Corporation
53
WOLF TRAP FOUNDATION NAMED ENDOWMENT FUNDS Wolf Trap Foundation is deeply grateful to the following individuals and organizations for their generous gifts to establish endowed funds of $100,000 or more. The perpetual support provided by these funds is helping to ensure Wolf Trap’s arts and education programs thrive for generations to come. Mary H. Beggs President’s Fund Bender Foundation, Inc., The Howard and Sondra Bender Family Fund for Education
Philip C. Marcum, The Sandy “Tanta” Marcum Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts Fund for Artistic Excellence in Honor of Audrey M. Mars
Robert M. Coffelt, Jr. in honor of Annetta J. and Robert M. Coffelt, The Coffelt Fund for Wolf Trap Opera and Education Cox Communications, The Cox Communications Fund for Education Initiatives in the Performing Arts Nancy K. Eberhardt, Howard and Dorothy Kahn Education Fund The Freed Foundation, The Freed Fund for Early Childhood Education in the Performing Arts The William H. Geiger Family Foundation, The Lee Anne F. Geiger Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts
John and Adrienne Mars/Jacqueline Badger Mars/Mars Foundation, Mars Fellowship Fund for Wolf Trap Opera Suzann Wilson Matthews, The Suzann Wilson Matthews Internship Fund Ann McKee Fund for Opera Linda B. and Tobia G. Mercuro, The Linda and Tobia Mercuro Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts The Mullaney Family, The Mullaney Family Fund for Education National Endowment for the Arts
General Dynamics, General Dynamics Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts/Packard Foundation, NEA Packard Challenge Fund
Shashikant and Margaret Gupta, Gupta Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts
The Terry Noack Master Teaching Artists in Dance Fund
Estate of Carol V. Harford, Carol V. Harford Fund for Wolf Trap Opera in Memory of Catherine Filene Shouse Hearst Foundation, Inc. The Jacquemin Family Foundation, The Jacquemin Family Fund for Master Teaching Artists
David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Packard Fund Catherine Filene Shouse Education Fund Catherine Filene Shouse Foundation, Kay Shouse Great Performance Fund Peter and Jennie Stathis, Peter and Jennie Stathis Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts
The Paula A. Jameson Fund for Wolf Trap Opera Mr. and Mrs. Stuart C. Johnson, Stuart C. and Nancy M. Johnson Fund for Wolf Trap
Estate of Arthur Tracy, “The Street Singer,” Arthur Tracy Fund for Wolf Trap Opera The Trojanger Fund for Wolf Trap
Terre and Polly Jones Endowed Fund for Artistic Initiatives Alan and Carol Kelly, Alan and Carol Kelly Fund for Education
Robert and Lisa Van Hoecke, Van Hoecke Family Fund for Technology in Education Earle C. and June A. Williams Fund for Wolf Trap
The King Family Fund for Early Learning Through the Arts
YOU H AVE THE P OW E R TO M AKE A WORLD OF D IFFE R E N C E . Your charitable donation to Wolf Trap Foundation will enrich lives by bringing premier performances to our community and arts-integrated learning to classrooms across the country.
WO L F T RAP.ORG/GIVE OR 703 .25 5 .1927 54
56 Wolf Trap Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
WOLFTRAP.ORG
1645 TRAP ROAD / VIENNA, VIRGINIA 22182