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March 2, 5, 8 & 10, 2013

Giuseppe Verdi’s

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Italian Girl in Algiers (pg. 7)

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SYNOPSIS 12

PrOgram NOteS 14

meet the CaSt 22

8 meSSage frOm BIll tuCker, ChaIrmaN Of the atlaNta OPera BOard Of dIreCtOrS

10 SeaSON SPONSOrS

11 CaSt & Crew

12 SYNOPSIS

14 PrOgram NOteS

22 meet the CaSt

40 COmmuNItY eNgagemeNt: the 24-hOur OPera PrOjeCt

42 the atlaNta OPera ChOruS

43 the atlaNta OPera OrCheStra

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46 the atlaNta OPera CeleBrateS: VerdI’S BIrthdaY

48 SOCIetY fOr artIStIC exCelleNCe

50 aNNual fuNd / INdIVIdual gIVINg

53 COrPOrate PartNerS

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55 trIButeS & memOrIalS

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Dear Fellow Opera Lovers,

Thank you for joining us for our 2013

production of Verdi’s beloved classic La traviata. Whether this is your first or fifty-

first time seeing La traviata, we hope you

will be touched by the exquisite music

and poignant drama of this romantic

tragedy. Our production coincides with

the celebration of the bicentennial year

of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth. As always, The

Atlanta Opera seeks to include many of

the opera industry’s finest singers, the

outstanding Atlanta Opera Orchestra and

the unparalleled Atlanta Opera Chorus.

We are happy to announce our 2013-2014

season as it promises to enthrall you with

the power of opera. We’ll open the season

with Puccini’s Tosca, followed by Gounod’s

Faust (not produced by The Atlanta Opera

for almost 20 years!), and close with the

Rossini favorite, The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia). We ask that you

consider renewing or becoming a season

ticket holder of The Atlanta Opera. Our

staff is available in the lobby to answer any

questions you may have.

Also, as we are looking to the future, we are

extremely pleased to provide an update on

our search for a new general director. We

are nearing the end of the search process,

and shortly after this production we will

be interviewing final candidates. We have

attracted a talented pool of candidates and

are confident that we will find a dynamic,

visionary leader for our beloved opera

company. We look forward to announcing

our choice to you in the very near future.

As always, I’d like to express my personal

gratitude for your heartfelt support of

The Atlanta Opera. You are the reason

we exist. We are deeply appreciative

of the commitment of our longtime

contributors and are overwhelmed by the

generosity of the many newcomers to this

passionate art form. Through all Opera

activities, we strive to transform lives by

the power of opera. We hope we have

done that in some way in your life.

On behalf of the entire Atlanta Opera

family, we hope you enjoy La traviata! If you do, please do us the favor of sharing

your experience with friends, family and

colleagues. Our last production of the

season, Rossini’s romantic comedy The Italian Girl in Algiers, is a wonderfully

lyrical, captivating work that is perfect for

either an introduction to opera or for the

seasoned opera veteran. We’d love your

help in creating more opera lovers!

Best regards,

Message frOm the ChaIrmaN

photo: Tim Wilkerson

William E. Tucker

Chairman The Atlanta Opera Board of Directors

2013-2014 SEASON | COBB eNergY CeNtre

exPerIeNCePoweroPera

the Of

Lies, lust and corruption turn a tale of love into a struggle for survival in Puccini’s Tosca. Amid the bloodshed of revolutionary Rome, the diva Tosca battles the treacherous police chief Scarpia for the life of her lover, Cavaradossi. Set to Puccini’s intensely passionate music, this gripping melodrama is quintessential opera!

Sung in Italian with Projected English Translations

OctOber 5, 8, 11, 13, 2013

In Gounod’s operatic retelling of the famous legend, an elderly scholar sells his soul to the devil Méphistophélès for a chance to seduce the beautiful Marguerite. Faust’s diabolical struggle between good and evil must surely end in tragedy. Or does it?

Sung in French with Projected English Translations

March 8, 11, 14, 16, 2014

The wily barber Figaro aids Count Almaviva in wooing the radiant maiden, Rosina. With hilarious antics, romance unfurls right under the nose of Dr. Bartolo, intent on marrying Rosina himself. Rossini’s delightful comedy The Barber of Seville has elicited peals of laughter from opera lovers for generations!

Sung in Italian with Projected English Translations

april 26, 29, May 2, 4, 2014

10

2012-2013 SeaSON SPONSOrS

artist sPonsors

marY duNleaVY Violetta Valéry Jerry & Dulcy Rosenberg

BOrIS rudak alfredo Germont Bob & Cappa Woodward

weStON hurt GiorGio Germont The Laura & Montague Boyd Foundation

marIa mCdaNIel flora BerVoix Shepard & Boyce Ansley

aShleY CurlINg annina John L. Hammaker

weSleY mOrgaN Gastone Mr. & Mrs. William E. Tucker

BreNt daVIS Baron douphol Cathy & Mark Adams

OPeNINg NIght PerfOrmaNCe SPONSOr The Coca-Cola Company

PrOduCtION SPONSOrS Martha Thompson Dinos Norfolk Southern Foundation

jOSePh reSCIgNO ConduCtor Candy & Greg Johnson

daVId gatelY staGe direCtor Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr.

Kitt Reuter Foss as Flora having her fortune told

by a gypsy in the Atlanta Opera’s 1998 production of

La traviata. (photo: J.D. Scott)

11

fIrSt PerfOrmaNCe Venice, Teatro la Fenice, March 6, 1853

PreVIOuS atlaNta OPera PerfOrmaNCeS 1980, 1989, 1998, 2005

Sung in Italian with English supertitles Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, including two intermissions

OrIgINal PrOduCtION BY Opéra de Montréal

SCeNerY deSIgNed BY Claude Girard & Bernard Uzan

Cast

VIOletta ValérY Mary Dunleavy

alfredO germONt Boris Rudak

gIOrgIO germONt Weston Hurt

flOra BerVOIx Maria McDaniel

aNNINa Ashley Curling

gaStONe Wesley Morgan

BarON dOuPhOl Brent Davis

marquIS d’OBIgNY Jason Hardy

dOCtOr greNVIl Adrian Smith

gIuSePPe William Green

meSSeNger C. Augustus Godbee

SerVaNt tO flOra Joshua Bartolotti

daNCer Tamara Merritt Irving

muSIC Giuseppe Verdi

lIBrettO Francesco Maria Piave Based on the novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas

CONduCtOr Joseph Rescigno

Stage dIreCtOr David Gately

ChOreOgraPher & aSSIStaNt dIreCtOr Seth Hoff

lIghtINg deSIgNer Chad R. Jung

COStumeS PrOVIded BY A.T. Jones and Sons Inc.

COStume COOrdINatOr Joanna Schmink

wIg & makeuP deSIgNer Richard Jarvie

ChOruS PrePared BY Walter Huff

aSSIStaNt CONduCtOr & muSICal PreParatION BY Rolando Salazar

SuPertItleS deSIgNer David Gately

SuPertItleS OPeratOr Ellen Chamberlain

PIaNOS PrOVIded BY England Pianos

La traviata the atlaNta OPera

12

aCt i SettINg: ParIS, 1850At a party in Violetta’s salon, Flora,

the Marquis and the Baron arrive late,

followed by Gastone and Alfredo.

Gastone introduces Alfredo to Violetta

and tells her that he visited her every

day that she was ill. Gastone asks

the Baron to propose a toast, but he

refuses, while Alfredo accepts. Music

is heard from another room and all are

invited to dance. As the guests leave the

room Violetta has a coughing attack.

Alfredo remains behind and expresses

his concern for Violetta’s health,

proclaiming that only he truly loves her.

Violetta can offer only friendship and

suggests that he won’t find it difficult to

forget her. As he starts to leave, Violetta

stops him and offers him a camellia

inviting him to come back when the

flower has faded. The guests re-enter and

bid good night. Confronted with the

power of his affection and commitment,

Violetta considers if it is possible for

someone like her to find true love. She

dismisses the idea as ludicrous and

proclaims she was meant for freedom

and enjoyment.

aCt iiAlfredo and Violetta have lived together

for three months in a country house

outside Paris. Alfredo’s satisfaction

comes from Violetta’s abandonment of

her former life to devote herself to him.

Violetta’s maid, Annina, greets Alfredo,

and he asks where she has been. Though

she has been sworn to silence, she

tells him she has been to Paris selling

Violetta’s possessions. Alfredo resolves

to fix the situation. He leaves, ordering

Annina not to reveal his departure

to her mistress. Violetta returns and

receives an invitation from Flora to a

party. Giuseppe then announces there

is a gentleman to see her. The visitor

reveals himself as Germont, Alfredo’s

father. He is concerned that his

daughter cannot marry into the family

she has chosen unless Alfredo gives up

this current life. Germont wants her to

give up Alfredo completely. She refuses,

explaining that she has no friends and

no relatives. She doesn’t have a lot of

time left. Eventually she gives in and

asks Germont not to allow Alfredo to

curse her memory and to tell him of

her sufferings.

photo: Tim Wilkerson

La TraviaTa SynopSiSLa TraviaTa SynopSiS

13

Violetta is writing a note as Alfredo enters.

She hides the letter and Alfredo reveals

that he is concerned that his father will

visit them. Violetta confirms Alfredo’s

love for her and runs out. Alfredo’s

contentment is later disturbed when it is

announced that Violetta has left for Paris

and a letter is given to him that Violetta

wrote earlier. He reads the letter and learns

of Violetta’s abandonment. As he turns

to leave he runs into his father. Germont

tries to comfort his son who is now full of

vengeance. He sees Flora’s invitation and

realizes where Violetta has gone.

Later, at a party in Flora’s salon, the

Marquis informs the Doctor and Flora

that Alfredo and Violetta have split and

that Violetta will be coming to the party

with the Baron. A group of party ladies

enter disguised as gypsies, singing about

telling the future. A group of men enter,

led by Gastone, disguised as matadors

and picadors. They sing of a brave

matador who faced five bulls in a single

day to win the heart of a young lady. All

are surprised as Alfredo enters. He starts

to gamble at cards. Violetta enters with

the Baron. The Baron sees Alfredo, points

him out to Violetta and warns her not

to talk to him. Violetta agrees. Alfredo

keeps winning at cards and recklessly

announces that with his winnings he will

go back to the country but not alone. The

Baron challenges Alfredo to a card game.

Alfredo wins. As supper is served, Violetta

stays behind and asks Alfredo to slip

away with her. She begs him to go away

because he is in danger — the Baron

might challenge him to a duel. He refuses

unless she comes with him. She refuses,

answering that she loves the Baron.

Alfredo calls all the guests and humiliates

Violetta by throwing the money he has

won at her. The guests turn on him.

Germont, who has arrived at the party

and seen this display, asks if this is his

son. Alfredo feels remorse immediately.

Finally, the Baron challenges Alfredo to

a duel for the offense as the other guests

comfort Violetta.

aCt iiiVioletta is ill in her deserted home.

When she awakens, she calls Annina,

who apologizes for sleeping. Violetta

wants to rise but she doesn’t have the

strength. The Doctor enters to check

on Violetta. He confides to Annina that

Violetta has only hours to live. Violetta

rereads a letter from Germont, which

reveals that the Baron was wounded in

a duel with Alfredo and that Germont

has told his son everything about the

departure of Violetta. Annina, hurrying

into the room, prepares Violetta for a

surprise. Violetta guesses the secret as

Alfredo enters. He is ready to take her

to the country. She gets up and starts

to dress but is too weak. The Doctor

enters, followed by Germont. Violetta

tells Germont and his son that they

have come too late. She then gives a

miniature to Alfredo in order that he will

remember her. Violetta has a moment of

remission — no pain, no heaviness and a

resurgence of strength. She collapses, and

as Alfredo holds her, she dies.

- Courtesy of opera ameriCa

La traviata SYNOPSIS Continued

14

notes on La traviata by Joseph resCigno

In many ways, Giuseppe Verdi is to

opera what Ludwig van Beethoven is

to symphonic literature: their works

are mainstays of their repertories; both

composers continued to grow and

develop musically throughout their

lives; and their numerous works may be

divided into three distinct periods. Also,

Verdi’s style is not unlike Beethoven’s,

characterized as it is by rhythmic

drive, sophisticated development and

counterpoint, and rock-solid architecture.

La traviata is the last of three enduring

Verdi works premiered in just the three

years 1851 to 1853 (the other two being

Rigoletto and Il trovatore). While some

people may disagree as to whether La

traviata is forward-looking enough to

be called the first verismo opera, it is a

break from classic bel canto opera. First,

the plot is modern; indeed, its heroine’s

lifestyle was considered too racy for a

contemporary setting, and for about four

decades after its premiere it was set in the

eighteenth century. The other modern

aspect of the opera is its extensive through-

composition; there are long stretches

of music where the bel canto composers

would have presented separate numbers

and left room for applause. Moreover,

the vocal ornamentation is supplied by

the composer and more restrained than

we hear in bel canto operas; singers bring

few, if any, personalized variations and

embellishments to La traviata.

Dabs of orchestral color are added by a

banda in both Acts I and III. This is a

group of musicians who play contrasting

music that is part of the story, sometimes

outside the pit (backstage, for example).

In La traviata, the banda plays during the

party of the first act and outside Violetta’s

window in the last act. Listen, too, for the

beautiful clarinet solo of Act II, Scene 1,

where Violetta writes her farewell letter

to Alfredo; it is almost certain that this

clarinet solo and the cello quartet of Verdi’s

later opera, Otello, served as inspiration for

PrograM notes

Joseph Rescigno, Conductor

15

PrograM notes Continued

Giacomo Puccini when he composed the

opening sections of Tosca’s Act III.

While using the same size orchestra

as Verdi’s other operas of that time,

this opera has a particularly light

orchestration and feeling. Not until his

last opera, Falstaff, would Verdi again

serve musical champagne in quite this

manner. After the entire orchestra bubbles

with the opening tune (ALLEGRO

BRILLANTISSIMO E MOLTO

VIVACE, a most brilliant allegro and very

lively), the composer reduces the orchestra

to just a few strings. In fact, depending on

the size and acoustics of the theater, this

passage can sound exquisite with just a

string quartet, which reasonably could be

playing at this kind of party.

The challenges in conducting La traviata

include cultivating this spirit of beauty

and delicacy. Even in the opera’s most

dramatic moments, it is imperative to

avoid heaviness. In the Act II, Scene

2 confrontation between Alfredo and

Violetta, for example, we can sustain

the drama but avoid excess by having

the strings play some of their repeated

notes using a light, bouncing, bowing

technique (such as the picturesquely

named “ricochet” technique).

Those repeated rhythmic figures in the

accompaniments, which are part of why

the orchestra can get heavy in this scene,

are more common in La traviata than in

Verdi’s other works of this period. They

are not like the repeated arpeggios in the

introduction to “Casta Diva” in Vincenzo

Bellini’s Norma, which sound delicate and

even ethereal. The figures used here play a

more percussive role, like the chords in the

rock-and-roll pianos of Chubby Checker

or Jerry Lee Lewis, or the bass instruments

in jazz and rock combos. When used by

today’s concert and opera composers, these

repeated figures are generally referred to as

ostinati (plural of ostinato, the Italian for

“stubborn”). In addition to hearing these

in the Violetta-Alfredo confrontation, we

encounter them when Germont sings of

his daughter in Act II, Scene 1; as Violetta

writes her farewell letter to Alfredo later

in that scene; during her final aria, “Addio

del passato” (Goodbye to the past); and at

the conclusion of the opera.

In La traviata, Verdi supplies indications

more liberally than earlier composers did,

a practice that would grow throughout

the romantic era and into our own

In 1998, soprano Brenda Harris sang the role of Violetta in La traviata with

The Atlanta Opera. (photo: J.D. Scott)

16

day. As is true in all music, however,

performing it requires thought about

dramatic purpose and imagination

in execution. For the conductor, the

preludes to Act I and the final act are a

particularly apt example. They look very

similar on the page. There is room to

treat them differently, however, without

any fundamental change in the music. In

the first prelude, the orchestra can portray

a struggle: Violetta’s refusal to accept

any limitations as expressed in the aria

“Sempre libera” that closes the act. In the

last act prelude, the same music played a

bit slower and softer and even calmer can

preview her acceptance of inevitable death

as expressed in that act.

The Act II finale is a model of its type,

masterfully portraying a complex tapestry

of emotion. It is constructed from basic

building blocks, and it is plain but elegant

in the manner of a square-cut diamond.

First, the three lead singers have similar

musical lines, differentiated in large

measure by articulation. Violetta’s music

is written almost entirely legato, in long

lines of connected notes. Germont has

some staccato marks, indicating that

the syllables should be clipped and

disconnected. Alfredo, remorseful after

his outburst, has many more staccato

marks than Germont over his notes,

probably to suggest sobbing. Where he

does not have staccato marks, he has a

great many notes of very short duration.

Second, this Act II finale is marked

LARGO, a slow tempo, with no changes

indicated for the remainder of the act. This

means no change in the tempo of a long

sequence that begins with the entrance

of Germont with “Di sprezzo degno”

(Worthy of scorn), continuing through

Alfredo’s remorse, “Ah si che feci?” (What

have I done?) and Violetta’s aside, “Alfredo,

Alfredo, di questo core” (Alfredo, Alfredo,

from this heart) and all of the onlookers’

comments. It requires a lot of discipline

to portray contrasting emotions for some

10 minutes with only the modest tempo

flexibility typical of 19th-century music,

but without any fundamental change

in the beating pattern. If we trust Verdi,

however, this consistency lends a unity

to the whole and produces a tremendous

cumulative impact.

In La traviata, Verdi told a story through

music that has captivated audiences for

more than 150 years, and even though

it no longer seems likely to provoke any

public debates about morality, it still

draws us in. The hardest part for modern

audiences to swallow may be the success

Germont has in bullying his son and, even

more, Violetta. However, prior to World

War I, conventions were very different

from today. If we imagine Germont as a

member of a strict religious community, we

can perhaps come closer to understanding

how his argument is possible and see that

the story is rooted in truth.

The opera’s greatest truths — love, loss,

and unintended consequences — are

timeless, of course. Great music, by

speaking directly to our hearts and even

our guts in addition to our brains, can lift

a story’s characters out of their specific

place and time and make them as real as

our neighbors.

PrograM notes Continued

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Trim 5 3/8”

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18

La traviata: MuLti-BiograPhiCaL assoCiations by JaCk bona

While on a stay in Paris, Giuseppe Verdi

attended Alexandre Dumas fils’ (son) play,

La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the

Camellias) with his mistress of several

years, Giuseppina Strepponi (1815-1897).

The Dumas play, based on his novel of

the same name, had opened only four

weeks earlier on 2 February 1852, but

Verdi quickly realized its potential as the

basis for an opera. Verdi’s 18th opera

premiered in Venice one year later as La

traviata — literally “a fallen woman.”

Dumas, Verdi and his librettist, Francesco

Maria Piave, modeled their characters

on actual contemporary individuals. The

play’s action ironically also takes place

about the time the play was produced,

a landmark in French theater. Verdi

also intended the action of the opera to

be similarly set, but restrictive rules of

Italian censorship prevented it. The opera

had to be set in 1700, and it finally was

performed in contemporary dress in Milan

in 1906 — a half-century after its debut.

Coincidentally, at the opera’s premiere on

6 March 1853 in Venice, a theater only a

few moments’ walk away, was presenting

an Italian translation of the play.

The young Dumas was 24 when he

published his first novel, La Dame aux

Camélias (1848), based on his real love

affair with Marie du Plessis. The author

admits in his opening paragraph, “Not

having yet reached the age when I can

invent, I have contended myself with

recounting.” Marie nicknamed Dumas

“A.D.” and it was no mere coincidence

that the novel’s male protagonist, Armand

Duval, shares the same initials.

Incidentally, Dumas’ transformation of

the novel to the stage served as a virtuoso

vehicle for some famous actresses in the

19th and 20th centuries: Sarah Bernhardt

played the heroine more than 3,000 times;

Eleonora Duse’s performance, according to

Henry James, “lives in the mind as a fine

vindication of the play.” There have been

more than 20 film versions beginning in

1907, starring a few outstanding actresses

and actors: Bernhardt in 1911; Nazimova

in 1921, with Rudolph Valentino in an

early supporting role as Armand; Norma

Talmadge and Gilbert Roland in 1927;

and Greta Garbo’s 1937 version, which

remains one of her most memorable roles

in a relatively short career.

PrograM notes Continued

photo: Tim Wilkerson

19

The “real” story began with Marie du

Plessis, whose true name was Alphonsine

Plessis, and came who from a chaotic

peasant family; her grandmother had been

part beggar and prostitute; her mother had

left her own debauched husband, who later

sold Alphonsine to some gypsies. At about

14, Alphonsine showed up in Paris and

began life as a grisette (a happy working

girl), not unlike Puccini’s Mimì, based on

Henri Murger’s Scenes de la vie bohème,

(1847-1849).

Marie’s exceptional attractiveness met

the eye of a young nobleman, thereby

launching her career among the dandies

of Parisian society. Though barely able

to write, Marie was both intuitive and

intelligent, and she successfully affected

the air of a great lady who could ride,

dance, and play the piano skillfully. Marie

charmed all who met her, including

composer Franz Liszt, who believed

corruption “never touched her heart.” Also

charmed was the young Alexandre. They

were both 20 years old, immediately fell in

love, and for several months lived modestly

in a country house outside Paris.

However, Marie must have longed for

the rich high life of Paris and decided

to leave her young lover. The breakup

prompted Alexandre to write a letter

that carries a cordially affectionate, yet

understanding tone:

I am not rich enough to love you as you

would wish, and not poor enough to be

loved as you would desire … You have too

much heart not to understand why I write

you this letter, and too much intelligence

not to be able to pardon me for it.

Marie later married Vicomte Edouard de

Perregaux, possibly to their mutual regret.

She died of consumption when barely

twenty-three years old and the funeral

was attended by her husband and too few

friends. Young Dumas had been abroad

at the time, but upon his return to Paris,

his remorse and nostalgia propelled his

writing the novel in barely a few days.

Although Armand Duval’s story

essentially parallels that of Dumas

himself, one principal difference lies

in the roles played by the fathers.

Alexandre Dumas pere (father), a bon

photo: Tim Wilkerson

PrograM notes Continued

20

vivant with an energetic libido who

kept several mistresses simultaneously,

never objected to his illegitimate son’s

lifestyle. The fictional George Duval, on

the other hand, self-righteously appeals

to Marguerite Gautier — Marie’s alter

ego — to break off her relationship with

his son to save the “honor” of the Duval

family name.

This appeal figures prominently in La

traviata. Piave’s libretto closely follows

Dumas’ novel and play, although he

eliminates minor characters and superbly

abridges much of the dialogue. In the

opera however, the character of the father,

Giorgio Germont, markedly deviates from

the play’s counterpart in the scene when he

enters Flora’s salon to reprimand his son’s

cruel public denouncement of Violetta.

This action seems inconsistent with Giorgio

Germont, a fastidious older gentleman,

who would not seriously think of appearing

at Flora’s party. Nonetheless, Verdi needed

Germont’s presence to heighten the tension

in the father and son relationship and for

a baritone voice to complement the scene’s

concluding ensemble.

Verdi himself had biographical associations

to this romantic melancholy tale. About

eight years after the premature death of his

wife and two children, the composer began

living with Giuseppina Strepponi, a retired

opera soprano he had met professionally

several years before, when she successfully

sang in Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco.

Strepponi had had her own too rapid,

short professional success that overtaxed

her energies and vocal resources midst her

strained love affairs and two illegitimate

children. At only 31, she had to resort

to teaching voice. This “fallen woman”

became first the mistress, then the

devoted wife for a half a century to Italy’s

supreme composer, revered public figure,

and austere private man.

In another parallel to the male protagonist

of La traviata, Verdi had a strained

relationship with his own father regarding

financial matters. Just as Dumas’ life

experiences enhance his novel and play, so

too do the events in Verdi’s life enhance

the creative energy that resulted in La

traviata. Furthermore, Dumas and du

Plessis lived together outside of Paris in the

summer of 1845. Three years later, Verdi

and Strepponi also lived together in Passy,

outside Paris. Each couple had sought their

bliss of love, peace, and reconciliation.

Thus we can sense the essence of the

real Marie du Plessis and Giuseppina

Strepponi, the novel’s Marguerite Gautier

and the opera’s Violetta Valéry as a fusion

of the idealized tragic heroine who

sacrificed her life for her lover.

The poignant romantic story of The Lady

of the Camellias was transformed into La

traviata and has remained a memorable

favorite opera. Its ever-melodious music and

realistic characterizations have continuously

entranced audiences for more than 150 years.

this artiCle appears as an

exCerpt from JaCk bona’s

new book, SynopSeS and Background to ten popular operaS: an IntroductIon for new audIenceS, published by

booklogix (winter 2013).

PrograM notes Continued

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22

JosePh resCigno CONduCtOratlaNta OPera deBut: I paglIaccI/carmIna Burana, 2006

Joseph Rescigno has conducted symphonies, concertos, operas, and oratorios for more than 50 companies on four continents. Since 1981, he has served as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the Florentine Opera Company of Milwaukee (Wis.), where he has conducted some of the company’s most challenging repertory. In his permanent and guest engagements, Joseph Rescigno has conducted symphonies and concertos from the baroque to the modern era —sometimes conducting from the keyboard in works from the earlier eras. In opera houses, Maestro Rescigno has conducted virtually all of the core Italian repertoire, including romantic, verismo, and bel canto operas; the standard French and German repertory, including the works of Wagner and Richard Strauss; and contemporary works, including the Florentine Opera’s first world premiere, Don Davis’s Río de Sangre, in 2010.

As a guest artist, Maestro Rescigno has conducted the New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Hungarian State Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Vancouver Opera, Teatro Bellini, l’Opéra de Marseille, and l’Opéra de Montréal, among others. The symphony orchestras he has conducted include the Montreal Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony, both of which he has conducted in their regular subscription series as well as in opera productions.

Don Davis’s Río de Sangre, recorded in performance, was released on CD by Albany Records in 2011. Maestro Rescigno’s discography also includes four recordings for Analekta of Canada with the Metropolitan Orchestra of Montreal: Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony plus incidental music to Egmont, with soprano Karina Gauvin; Brahms’s piano concertos with Anton Kuerti; Mendelssohn’s violin concertos with Angèle Dubeau; and soprano arias from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro plus Exsultate Jubilate with soprano Lyne Fortin. Also for Analekta, he recorded the highly regarded Verismo, featuring Diana Soviero, with the orchestra of the Montreal Opera. Having conducted the world and Japanese premieres, Maestro Rescigno recorded Minoru Miki’s Joruri with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra for Toei Video Disk.

This native New Yorker comes from a long line of musicians on both sides of his family, notably his uncle, prominent conductor Nicola Rescigno, a founder of both the Dallas and Chicago opera companies.

Meet the Cast

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Meet the Cast Continued

Joseph Rescigno is a graduate of Fordham University (Phi Beta Kappa) and the Manhattan School of Music. He studied with composer Nicolas Flagello and other distinguished teachers in the United States and Europe, including privately at l’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He went on to serve the time-honored, opera-house apprenticeship in the European manner with such influential conductors as Laszlo Halasz (founder of the New York City Opera), Bruno Maderna, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Carlo Moresco (the first director of the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company), and his uncle. Powerful influences also included pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, conductors Herbert von Karajan and Erich Leinsdorf, and Roberto Benaglio, the legendary chorus master of La Scala. Each one personally taught him something unforgettable.

A born teacher, Joseph Rescigno is a past faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music and currently serves as the Music Director of La Musica Lirica festival in Italy. He is working on his first book, The View From The Pit: Where Theater Meets Music. This is Joseph Rescigno’s third appearance with The Atlanta Opera, having conducted Madama Butterfly in 2008, and I Pagliacci and Carmina burana in 2006.

DaviD gateLy Stage dIreCtOratlaNta OPera deBut: cInderella, 2008

Stage director David Gately is known for his vivid storytelling and lively and clever productions. During the 2012-13 season he joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Angels in America, Fort Worth Opera for Ariadne auf Naxos, and Boston University’s Fringe Festival for Massenet’s Le Portrait de Manon. Recent seasons include Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Colorado, his highly successful “Wild West” production of Don Pasquale with San Diego Opera, Aïda with Vancouver Opera, Orfeo ed Euridice with Boston Baroque, Lysistrata with Fort Worth Opera, La bohème with The Atlanta Opera, both Hansel and Gretel and Little Women with Utah Opera, Faust with San Diego Opera, and Giulio Cesare with Fort Worth Opera. He has directed productions of L’elisir d’amore with Dallas Opera, Madama Butterfly with Seattle Opera, La bohème with Florida Grand Opera, Die Zauberflöte with Vancouver Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Washington National Opera, L’elisir d’amore with The Atlanta Opera, Simon Boccanegra for its premiere with l’Opéra de Montréal, and the World Premiere Production of Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera.

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26

Boris ruDak alfredO germONtatlaNta OPera deBut

Born in Belarus, Boris Rudak graduated from the Music College in

Molodechno and later studied at the Belorussian State Academy of

Music and the St. Petersburg State Conservatoire, where he studied

with Irina Bogacheva. At the Conservatoire, Rudak took part in many

of the Opera Studio’s productions, with roles including Tamino in

Die Zauberflöte, Remendado in Carmen, and Jesus in Beethoven’s

Christ on the Mount of Olives. Rudak is a member of the Young Artists’

Programme at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 2009, he performed

the role of Arbace in a concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo with

the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Rudin.

He made his debut at the Bolshoi Theatre as First Armed Man in Die

Meet the Cast Continued

Mary DunLeavy VIOletta ValérYatlaNta OPera deBut

American soprano Mary Dunleavy continues to receive critical and

popular acclaim for her performances with many of the world’s lead-

ing opera houses and orchestras. The artist’s 2012-13 season includes

a return to the Metropolitan Opera, to cover Donna Anna in Don

Giovanni; her role debut as Donna Elvira in Christopher Alden’s pro-

duction of Don Giovanni at Portland Opera; and Mimì in La bohème

with Fort Worth Opera. Mary Dunleavy appears in the 2012 Steven

Spielberg film Lincoln, singing music from Gounod’s Faust. In the

2011-12 season, the soprano performed Marguerite in a new produc-

tion of Faust with l’Opéra de Montréal. Mary Dunleavy’s 2010-2011

season included the lead soprano, Christine, in New York City Opera’s

revival of Strauss’ Intermezzo, the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s 9th

Symphony with the Richmond Symphony, a gala concert with the

Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and her first Marguerite in Faust with

Opera Birmingham, followed by further performances of the role

in North Carolina Opera’s inaugural season. Her gallery of operatic

heroines is led by her signature role, Violetta, seen thus far in more

than 60 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera,

Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City

Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the

Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, and others.

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Meet the Cast Continued

Zauberflöte and also sang Almeric in Tchaikovsky’s Iolantha. In 2010,

he made his debut as Lykov in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride and

in 2011 as Alfred in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. He also performed the

role of Gvidon in a new production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden

Cockerel. In 2011, he made his debut as Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata

with the Goettingen Symphony Orchestra. He will soon add some new

roles to his repertoire, such as Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco, the Prince

in Prokofiev’s The Love of Three Oranges and Italian Tenor in a new

production of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.

weston hurt gIOrgIO germONtatlaNta OPera deBut: madama Butterfly, 2008

This season, baritone Weston Hurt makes his debuts at both the

Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Boston Lyric Opera as Sharpless

in Madama Butterfly. He also makes his role debut in the title role

of Rigoletto with the Boston Youth Symphony. Other recent opera

engagements include Cecil in Maria Stuarda at the Canadian Opera

Company, Ford in Falstaff at the Seattle Opera, Sharpless in Madama

Butterfly at the New York City Opera, Schaunard in La bohème at the

Dallas Opera, Peter in Hansel and Gretel at the Portland Opera, Enrico

in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Arizona Opera and the Austin Lyric

Opera, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at the Michigan Opera Theater,

Frank in Die Tote Stadt at the New York City Opera, Baldassare in

L’arlesiana with the Opera Orchestra of New York, and a performance

of Der ferne Klang with the American Symphony Orchestra in Avery

Fisher Hall. Also a prolific concert singer and recitalist, Mr. Hurt has

performed in recitals sponsored by the prestigious Marilyn Horne

Foundation in the United States, and also has performed in concert

internationally, including a South American tour of performances of

the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem. Recent engagements have included

appearances with the Nashville Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, and

the Oratorio Society of New York in Carnegie Hall. A graduate of the

prestigious Juilliard Opera Center, Mr. Hurt has received many notable

vocal awards, including first place and the People’s Choice Award from

the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition and the Vienna Prize from

the George London Foundation.

30

Meet the Cast Continued

Maria MCDanieL flOra BerVOIxatlaNta OPera deBut: cold SaSSy tree, 2008

As the 2011 Grand Prize Winner in Women’s Voice of the National

Federation of Music Clubs, mezzo-soprano Maria McDaniel has

been delighting audiences with her captivating performances on the

recital, operatic and concert stage. Recent credits include performing

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra;

Bach’s Magnificat with Cobb Symphony Orchestra; a Gala Concert with

the Savannah Philharmonic; Love Letters, a debut recital featuring the

Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes with North Carolina Opera; and I SING

BEIJING, a pioneering new musical exchange program in China. A

house favorite with The Atlanta Opera, appearances there have included

Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and Myrtis in Cold Sassy Tree. Ad-

ditional operatic engagements have included Isabella in L’italiana in

Algeri with the Ludwig Symphony Orchestra; Meg in Little Women with

Peachtree Modern Opera; Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief

with Harrower Summer Opera; and Prima Sorella in Suor Angelica with

La Musica Lirica in Italia. She has performed frequently with Chautau-

qua Opera in such roles as Adalgisa (cover) in Norma, Mamma Lucia in

Cavalleria rusticana, La Voix in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Laura in La gio-

conda, Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire, Foster’s Wife in The Cunning

Little Vixen, and Mrs. Hildebrand (cover) in Street Scene. Ms. McDaniel

also is noted for her portrayals as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Charlotte

in Werther, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Dame Marthe in Faust, and

Meg Paige in Falstaff.

ashLey CurLing aNNINaatlaNta OPera deBut

Ashley Curling is a rising young American soprano who makes her

professional stage debut in these performances of La traviata. Additional

engagements this season include a reprise of the role of Micäela in Bizet’s

Carmen under the musical direction of Maestra Elaine Rinaldi, and

the title role of Angelica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with New York Lyric

Opera in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. Ms. Curling was a district winner

in the 2012-2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions,

and competed as a finalist in the New Orleans, La., regional auditions.

Last season Ms. Curling made two role debuts, as Mimì in Puccini’s La

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32

Meet the Cast Continued

wesLey Morgan gaStONeatlaNta OPera deBut: cold SaSSy tree, 2008

American tenor Wesley Morgan has been praised by conductors, stage

directors and audiences for his “ringing tenor” and “gift for suave

phrasing”(Greenville News), and “leaving the audience swooning” with his

“flawless performance” as described by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mr. Morgan made his international debut this past December as the

tenor soloist in Messiah for the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario.

The rising tenor is a former member The Atlanta Opera Studio, where

he starred in the company’s touring shows as Frederic in The Pirates of

Penzance. He has appeared on the Atlanta Opera mainstage as Mayor in

Cold Sassy Tree and 1st Priest in Die Zauberflöte. For St. Petersburg Opera’s

Emerging Artist program, Mr. Morgan has sung the roles of Count

Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. Other

roles include Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Jubal’s Lyre Opera), Rinuccio in

Gianni Schicchi (Capitol City Opera), Nanki Poo in The Mikado (Atlanta

Lyric Theatre & Greenville Light Opera Works), the title role in Candide

(Georgia State University Opera), and Rodolfo in La bohème for El Paso

Opera, where he returned this fall to sing Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus.

Last summer he sang the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte as a young

artist with Ash Lawn Opera, and this spring will make his West Coast

debut as Cassio in Otello with the Puget Sound Concert Opera, and

Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus for Vashon Opera.

bohème and Micäela in Bizet’s Carmen, both under the musical direction

of Maestra Elaine Rinaldi. She also was a featured artist in the V.O.I.C.E.

Workshop, a new young artists program developed by Sherrill Milnes

that is geared toward emerging professional artists. In previous seasons,

Ms. Curling sang the role of Desdemona in Act IV of Verdi’s Otello under

the baton and stage direction of Marilyn Mims at Palm Beach Atlantic

University, and sang with the Miami Chamber Orchestra under the baton

of Maestra Marlene Urbay in the concert series “Tutto Puccini” and “Tutto

Verdi.” Ms. Curling earned her bachelor’s degree in 2010 from the Jacobs

School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington. She previously

studied voice with Virginia Zeani, and currently resides in New York City

where she studies with Diana Soviero.

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34

Meet the Cast Continued

Jason harDy marquIS d’OBIgNYatlaNta OPera deBut: andrea chenIer, 1998

Last seen with The Atlanta Opera as Grandpa George/Mr. Beauregard

in The Golden Ticket, bass Jason Hardy recently returned to New York

City Opera in the highly acclaimed new production of Don Giovanni as

Leporello. Other recent operatic engagements include the title role in Le

nozze di Figaro with Michigan Opera Theater, Madison Opera, Opera

Cleveland, Opera Omaha, and Opera Birmingham; Don Alfonso in Così

fan tutte and the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte with The Atlanta Opera;

Brent Davis BarON dOuPhOlatlaNta OPera deBut: madama Butterfly, 2004

Brent Davis recently appeared as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with

Asheville Lyric Opera, Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with The

Atlanta Opera, and Marcello in La bohème with University of Georgia

Symphony Orchestra, where he also has performed Ford in Verdi’s

Falstaff. Recent concert appearances include a recital with Atlanta Vocal

Arts Society, soloist in Carmina burana with Michael O’Neal Singers,

and soloist with Governors Club Opera Guild. Davis has appeared

at the International Festival of the Aegean as soloist and as Il Barone

and Giorgio Germont cover in La traviata. Other productions include

the Atlanta Opera premieres as Horemhab in Akhnaten and Hosie in

Cold Sassy Tree with composers Philip Glass and Carlisle Floyd, Prince

Danilo in The Merry Widow with Asheville Lyric Opera, Schaunard in

La bohème with Mobile Opera, as well as Pélleas in Pélleas et Mélisande

and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Illinois Opera Theater. With

Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, he sang in

Der Rosenkavalier as Zweiter Lakai, and performed Dvorák’s Te Deum

with Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Davis received his Master of Music

from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with

John Wustman, Jerold Siena, and Eric Dalheim. He has been a finalist

in the Metropolitan Opera Southeast Region Competition and was the

competition guest soloist at Spivey Hall this past February. Mr. Davis

has worked with coaches Craig Kier and Walter Huff and studies with

Metropolitan Opera baritone Frederick Burchinal, Deutsche Oper Berlin

coach Kathryn Wright, and stage director Carroll Freeman.

36

Meet the Cast Continued

aDrian sMith dr. greNVIlatlaNta OPera deBut

Adrian Smith, bass-baritone, is a 2012 graduate of the Opera Institute

at Boston University, where he also earned the Master of Music degree

in 2010, studying with Dr. Jerrold Pope. Mr. Smith is a 2008 graduate

of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C,, where he earned a

B.A. in Voice Performance. Mr. Smith has been heard in roles such

as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Colline in La bohème, The

Doctor in Vanessa, and Frere Laurent in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

Roles in the 2011-12 season included the title role in Bartók’s Duke

Bluebeard’s Castle, Geronimo in Domenico Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio

segreto, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and the

title role in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Mr. Smith made his solo debut

at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2012 as a member of the Gerdine

Young Artist Program, singing the role of the Dodo in the U.S.

premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland. On the concert stage,

he has been heard in Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat and Mass

in B Minor, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Dvorák’s

Stabat Mater, and Handel’s Messiah and Dettingen Te Deum. Mr.

Smith made his Boston Symphony Hall debut in 2009 performing

Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor with the Boston University Symphony

and Cadmus/Somnus in Semele with Florentine Opera. Mr. Hardy has

been seen as Leporello with Orlando Opera and Connecticut Opera,

Colline with Nashville Opera, Berkshire Opera and Palm Beach Opera,

Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola with Connecticut Opera and Wolf

Trap Opera, Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Sparafucile in Rigoletto,

with Opera Birmingham, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Cleveland

Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd with

Wolf Trap Opera. He has been seen in recital under the auspices of the

Marilyn Horne Foundation and in concert for Verdi’s Requiem in Prague

and Haydn’s Creation in Montreal with the Berkshire Choral Festival,

and for Stravinsky’s Les noces with the New York City Ballet, and the

Los Angeles Philharmonic. Additional engagements for the 2012-2013

season include Magnifico in La Cenerentola with Nashville Opera,

Leporello with Portland Opera, and Figaro with Arizona Opera. In the

summer 2013, Mr. Hardy will make his Glimmerglass Opera debut in

Verdi’s Un giorno di Regno, as Baron Kelbar.

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38

Meet the Cast Continued

seth hoff ChOreOgraPher & aSSIStaNt dIreCtOratlaNta OPera deBut

A native of Madison, Wis., Seth Hoff recently worked as an assistant

director at Portland Opera (Tosca); Virginia Opera (Die Fledermaus);

Castleton Music Festival (A Little Night Music); Opera Theatre of

Saint Louis (Così fan tutte); Opera Company of Philadelphia (Manon

Lescaut); Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Turandot). He has choreographed

at the Portland Opera (Rigoletto), Opera Company of Philadelphia (Die

Fledermaus, A Masked Ball, Rigoletto), as well as multiple productions of

Singin’ in the Rain, a national tour of Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Jesus Christ

Superstar. Based in Chicago, Mr. Hoff is a dancer, fitness instructor,

assistant director, and choreographer.

ChaD r. Jung lIghtINg deSIgNeratlaNta OPera deBut

Chad R. Jung has designed more than 200 productions for theatre,

opera, music and dance. Opera credits include more than 30

productions for companies including Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera,

and Opera Pacific. Theatre credits include off-Broadway: Leonce &

Lena; NY Theater: Julia Pastrana, A Leopard Complains of Its Spots,

Shelf Life; international: The Bear at the Festival of Russian Drama

in Togliatti, Russia. Mr. Jung has designed for many other artists and

organizations including Ballet Austin, Bruce Wood, Caroline Calouche,

Casa Mañana, Dallas Museum of Art, Fort Worth Symphony

Orchestra, Lyle Lovett, Metropolitan Classical Ballet, Texas Ballet

Theatre and Willie Nelson. In addition to being the Lighting Director

for Fort Worth Opera, Mr. Jung is the Resident Lighting Designer for

Amphibian Stage Productions, Kids Who Care, and UNT Opera.

and Chorus. This fall, he was a Resident Artist with the Kentucky

Opera, where he performed The Master of Ceremonies in Massenet’s

Cendrillon. While with Kentucky Opera, he also performed the role of

Angelotti in a concert performance of Tosca with the Owensboro (Ky.)

Symphony Orchestra.

39

Meet the Cast Continued

waLter huff ChOruS maSteratlaNta OPera deBut: toSca, 1988

Walter Huff has been Chorus Master for The Atlanta Opera for 24

years. Along with his duties at The Atlanta Opera, Mr. Huff was

recently appointed to the choral faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs

School of Music, serving as Adjunct Associate Professor and Faculty

Director of Opera Choruses. Mr. Huff studied piano with Sarah Martin,

Peter Takacs and Lillian Freundlich. He has performed with singers

throughout Europe and the United States and served as coach with the

Peabody Opera Theatre and Washington National Opera. Mr. Huff also

has performed in master classes given by renowned singers and pianists

such as Sir Peter Pears, Licia Albanese, Eileen Farrell, Dalton Baldwin,

Leon Fleisher, and Elly Ameling. In 1984, he received Tanglewood’s

C.D. Jackson Master Award for Excellence, presented by Seiji Ozawa

and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has been musical director

for The Atlanta Opera Studio, Georgia State University Opera, and

Actor’s Express. Mr. Huff was one of four Atlanta artists chosen for

the first Loridans Arts Awards, given to Atlanta artists who have made

exceptional contributions to the arts life of Atlanta. In 2008, The Atlanta

Opera Chorus under Mr. Huff ’s direction sang critically acclaimed

performances of Porgy and Bess at Opéra-Comique in Paris and on tour

in Granada, Normandy, and Luxembourg. Mr. Huff also has served as

chorus master for Faust and Der Rosenkavalier with San Diego Opera.

The Atlanta Opera’s 1989 production of La traviata, and Walter Huff’s first season as Chorus Master. (photo: Chip Simone)

40

the 24-hour oPera ProJeCt

The third annual Atlanta Opera 24-Hour

Opera Project is officially in the books! It

was another success, with glowing feedback

from participants and audience alike.

The 24-Hour Opera Project, which has

received attention from media outlets

and opera companies all over the country,

is the first event of its kind in the opera

industry and has gotten stronger and

more successful each year. Participants

in the categories of composers, lyricists,

stage directors, and singers come from

all over the country for this crazy opera

science experiment!

The 24-Hour Opera Project launched

with a fun kickoff event at First

Presbyterian Church of Atlanta,

where the composers and lyricists

were randomly paired and the Project

theme was unveiled. Then it was time

to write! Composition teams worked

overnight to create an original opera for

the cast of singers they were assigned.

The stage and music directors, stage

managers, and singers went to work

early Saturday morning, turning the

new music into a work of art. The final

performance of the five operas took

place at The Atlanta Opera Center that

evening, where more than 250 were in

attendance and more than 700 watched

the performance live online.

The compositions were judged by a

team of industry experts and the live and

online audience also got to choose their

CoMMunity engageMent

photo: Kevin Hackshaw

photo: Jeff Roffman

41

CoMMunity engageMent Continued

photos: Jeff Roffman, Kevin Hackshaw, Matt Burkhalter

sCene 24 hour opera proJeCt

favorite performance. Area high school

students were selected to serve as video

production assistants with the

live webcast.

If you missed The Atlanta Opera

24-Hour Opera Project, you can still

view video highlights on our website at

atlantaopera.org.

The Atlanta Opera 24-Hour Opera

Project is made possible by generous

support from Turner Broadcasting

System, Inc. and Turner Voices.

We are also very grateful for support from

our friends at First Presbyterian Church of

Atlanta, Stevens Interactive Productions,

Inc., and all of the individuals who

supported the project on Power2Give.org.

photo: Jeff Roffman

42

the atLanta oPera ChOruS

Chorus Master Walter Huff

Chorus Jayme Alilaw

Lynnette Anderson

Caitlin Andrews

Kyle Barnes

Joshua Bartolotti

Charles Baugh

Lisa Brown

Megan Brunning

John Burnett

Darian Clonts

Christopher S. Connelly

Gabriel Couret

C. Augustus Godbee

William Green

Jennye Guy

Jennifer Hamilton

Christopher Hawkins

Zachary Heath

Christina Howell

Keli Jackson

Grant Jones

Adam Kissel

Lara Longsworth

Marcella Meredith

Brishelle Miller

Conrad Moore

J. Brandon Odom

Nadeen Paul

Laura Porlier

Marc Porlier

Mary Brooke Quarles

Bryan Saxon

Stuart W. Schleuse

Jonathan C.B. Spuhler

Elizabeth Stuk

Laurie Tossing

Trenton Tunnell III

Kristin Vienneau

Carrie Anne Wilson

The Atlanta Opera cast and chorus brighten the stage in the 2005 production of La traviata. Some of the chorus members pictured here are also in this season’s production. (photo: Tim Wilkerson)

43

vioLinPeter Ciaschini, Concertmaster

Helen Kim, Assistant Concertmaster

Shawn Pagliarini, Principal, Second Violin (Acting)

Angele Sherwood-Lawless, Assistant Principal, Second Violin (Acting)

Fia Mancini Durrett

Felix Farrar

Robert Givens

Patti Gouvas

Sheela Iyengar

Alison James

Jeanne Johnson

Steven K. Leonard

Michele Mariage-Volz

Lisa Morrison

Lee Nicholson

Patrick Ryan

Mayu T. Sammorigo

Mimi Tam

Elonia Varfi

Rafael Veytsblum

vioLaWilliam Johnston, Principal

Elizabeth Derderian-Wood, Assistant Principal

Allyson Fleck

Sarah Park

Karl Schab

Joli Wu

CeLLoCharae Krueger, Principal

Erin Ellis, Assistant Principal

David Hancock

Roy Harran

Mary Kenney

Cynthia Sulko

BassLyn DeRamus, Principal

Christina Caterino

Emory Clements

Rob Henson

fLute/PiCCoLoJames Zellers, Principal

Kelly Bryant

oBoe Dane Philipsen, Principal

Diana Dunn

CLarinetDavid Odom, Principal

Jeanne Heinze

BassoonMike Muszynski, Principal

Debra Grove

hornDavid Bradley, Principal

Ed Ferguson

Jason Eklund

Alan Brown

the atLanta oPera OrCheStra

truMPetYvonne Toll, Principal

Hollie Lifshey

troMBoneMark McConnell, Principal

Ed Nicholson

Richard Brady, Bass Trombone

CiMBassoDonald Strand, Principal

tiMPaniJohn Lawless, Principal

PerCussionMichael Cebulski, Principal

Jeff Kershner

harP Susan Brady, Principal

PersonneL ManagerMark McConnell

*String sections are listed in alphabetical order

44

the atLanta oPera VOluNteerS

The Atlanta Opera acknowledges and is grateful for the volunteers whose donations of

time and effort help to set the stage for the opera performances you experience. Are you

interested in working behind the scenes? Call Allison DeNiro at 404-591-2928 or visit the

“Support Us” section at atlantaopera.org to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

Denise AndersonKimberly AndersonAlishia AustinJoan BaskinSanford BaskinStacy BerryErnie BraunschweigAllison BrownCharley BurneyPaul BurnoreJessica CallahamEydie CastroRichard CherryNoreen ConortBeth CooperJean CornnKimberly DanielsLorie DavisChris DeutschlerKevin DewRichard DodderBrad DorfmanJanay DouglasChandrea DungyRabiah Elisa

Lance ElliottKatia EvansAnna FilardiPete FujimotoAnne Marie GaryMaxi GeorgeAaron GilliamElizabeth GoldsteinElliott GoldsteinSylvia HalleckSuzanne HayesLauren HayesAnne HayesBetty Ann HeddenJennifer HendricksFrances HollandDavid HuffmanCardine R. JohnsonKathy JohnsonJocelyn JohnsonNicolas JohnsonCorey JohnsonW.C. JonesJamey JonesAmanda Kautzer

Paula KocherAnie KogutkiewictPatty Kramer-LakeAlison KrtzertHelen KrausSteve KrausVirginia LamRyan LeeJesse LeonardPeg LowmanJames LowmanDiana LulushiMeigan ManisMary Ruth McDonaldRachael McDonaldLorrain MillsJoseph MillsCiara MontalboFatimah MustafaaJC NameNatalie LynchRobert NemoVernon NorrisMarianela NoyaKim Ong

Sonia OxmanPriya PatelPolly PaterGlenda PearsonMatthew PinnowVictor PrinceTandi ReddickNancy ReedMarie ReidZabrina Rios Catherine RobersonDiana RobinsonSuzanna SaiahCherylene SandsJohn SandsMartha SchallernCatherine SchatzJoyce SchechterCarol SchmiedGail ShattahAmanda ShearrowTatiana ShifersonDan ShumateVerna SladeAlisha Smith

Sheena SpencerMargaret A. StephenEleanor & Jim StrainBeth SuryanSandy TaffelLinda TaylorCarol ThurmanDonald ThurmanSuzanne TouchstoneRuth VaughtTricia VogelgesangMark VogelgesangAlice WadeAlana WalkerDorman WallaceHilary WayneHarold WhitneyBranalyn WilliamsLaura Chris WrightYilan XiangBarbara Zellner

A performance of the Atlanta Opera’s La traviata at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in 2005. (photo: Tim Wilkerson)

46

“I adore art... when I am alone with my notes, my

heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear.”

– giuseppe Verdi

photos: Kevin Hackshaw

sCene stone soup

verDi’s BirthDay

October 10, 2013, will mark the

bicentennial birthday of the great Verdi.

Opera houses worldwide, including

The Atlanta Opera, are celebrating

the occasion by presenting one of his

operas in the 2012-13 season. One

of the greatest composers of all time,

Verdi successfully conveyed himself

through today’s most popular operas

(such as Rigoletto, Il trovatore and today’s

presentation of La traviata) as well as

through deeper operas (such as Aida,

Otello and Falstaff). The diversity of his

operas shows his mastery of Italian opera.

We hope you enjoy La traviata — a true

expression of a composer’s adoration for art!

the atLanta oPera CeleBrateS

47photos: Jeff Roffman

sCene Carmen: opening night & afterparty

... a completely new approach to the atlanta opera annual Fund

Enhance your entire Atlanta Opera experience, not just your benefits.

· Along with existing benefits, new choices have been added.

· You will receive a tailored MyOpera portfolio which will include detailed information on your benefits.

· Starting at the Gold Level, you can choose your benefits from multiple level options.

· Starting at the Platinum Level, you will be partnered with a MyOpera Concierge to help you tailor a more personal Atlanta Opera experience.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Bowden at 404.881.1035 or visit atlantaopera.org.

48

Membership in the Atlanta Opera’s Society for Artistic Excellence represents a minimum

pledge of $20,000 over a three-year period. These vital gifts help The Atlanta Opera

improve its capacity both artistically and financially while building on a tradition of

world-class opera in the Atlanta area. Below is a list of patrons who currently have three-

year gift commitments.

All donors below are listed both here in the ARIA and online at atlantaopera.org.

For more information, contact Bert Huffman at bhuffman@atlantaopera.org.

New prOductiON patrON $300,000+Dr. & Mrs. James W. Bland Jr.Jane S. Willson

revival prOductiON patrON$150,000+Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr.

directOr patrON$75,000+Mr. & Mrs. Harmon B. Miller IIIJerry & Dulcy RosenbergBob & Cappa Woodward

artist patrON$45,000+The Laura & Montague Boyd FoundationThe John & Rosemary Brown Family FoundationDr. Alexander Gross & Mrs. Joanne Chesler GrossMr. & Mrs. William J. Hayes IIICandy & Greg JohnsonMr. William F. Snyder & Mr. Louis A. Peneguy*Mr. & Mrs. J. Barry SchrenkRhys & Carolyn WilsonThe Mary & Charlie Yates Family FundCharlie & Dorothy Yates Family Fund

cONductOr patrON$20,000+Shepard & Boyce AnsleyMr. & Mrs. Jim BallounBryan & Johanna BarnesMr. & Mrs. Andy BergMr. Mario ConchaHeike & Dieter ElsnerMr. William HajjarJohn L. HammakerMr. & Mrs. John Michael HancockMr. & Mrs. Michael L. KeoughMr. John O. KingMr. & Mrs. George W. LevertMr. & Mrs. C. David Moody, Jr. Clara M. & John S. O’SheaMr. & Mrs. Michael PaulhusMr. William E. PenningtonEdward W. PharesMr. James D. PowellMr. Charles SharbaughBaker & Debby SmithMr. & Mrs. William E. TuckerThomas R. Williams Family

additiONal Multi-year Gifts$15,000+Cathy & Mark Adams Mr. & Mrs. Timothy E. Sheehan

$10,000+Tom & Sandy Teepen

soCiety for artistiC exCeLLenCe

*deceased

The Woodruff Arts Center’s Alliance Theatre hosted the Atlanta Opera’s 1989 production of La traviata featuring Miguel Cortez as Alfredo and Susan Patterson as Violetta. (Photo: Chip Simone)

50

annuaL funDThe following names represent gifts from individuals, family foundations, The Atlanta

Opera Board of Directors, staff, chorus and orchestra. The ongoing support you provide

allows the Opera to continue building on a tradition of excellence, and makes possible

quality productions just like you are experiencing now. Thank you.

Listed on the following pages are friends who contributed $350 or more to the

Opera between July 1, 2011 and January 8, 2013. For a complete list of donors

visit atlantaopera.org.

platiNuM (continued)diaMONd $100,000+Mr. & Mrs. Donald KeoughMr. & Mrs. Carl W. Knobloch, Jr.Jane S. Willson

$25,000+Mr. & Mrs. John L. ConnollyMartha Thompson DinosMrs. Olga Casteleiro de Goizueta

platiNuM $10,000+Mr. David BoatwrightPolly N. Pater

$5,000+Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. AndersonMrs. Elizabeth Tufts BennettR. Dwain BlackstonNancy & Jim BlandCarl & Sally GablePeg Simms GaryGenuine Parts CompanyMr. Bert HuffmanMary Ruth McDonaldPeggy & Jack McDowellMr. James B. Miller, Jr.Dr. & Mrs. Richard M. RobinsonJohn & Barbara RossMr. Charles ScarboroughTriska Drake & G. Kimbrough Taylor

$2,500+Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. AntinoriDr. Florence C. BarnettChris Casey & Douglas WeissMrs. Jean Cooper

Sally & Larry DavisMr. Robert S. DevinsCol. & Mrs. Edgar W. DuskinMr. & Mrs. Robert G. EdgeDr. Mary M. FinnMs. Rebecca Y. Frazer & Mr. Jon ButtreyMr. & Mrs. Harry L. Gilham Jr.Dr. Thomas N. Guffin, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Douglas HantulaMr. & Mrs. Edward J. HardinMr. & Mrs. Harry C. HowardKatie Hutchison Mrs. Joseph W. JonesMr. & Mrs. Gert KampferJames M. Kane

& Andrea Braslavsky KaneMr. & Mrs. Michael A. KlumpLinda L. Lively & James E. Hugh IIIDr. & Mrs. James Lowman Sally & Allen McDanielRobert & Suzanne MinarcineMr. & Mrs. William A. Parker, Jr.Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence S. PhillipsMr. James L. RhodenMr. & Mrs. George P. RodrigueMilton J. SamsMorton & Angela SherzerMrs. J. Lucian SmithJohannah SmithYee-Wan & John StevensJudith & Mark TaylorMr. & Mrs. George B. Taylor, Jr.Ms. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael DoyleMr. W. C. Wyatt, Jr.

GOld$1,000+Mr. Keith E. AdamsMr. & Mrs. C. Duncan BeardMichael L. & Valerie W. BenoitAllison Krebs Bensch & Torsten BenschMr. & Mrs. Paul BlackneyMrs. Enrique E. BledelDr. J. Bricker BurnsMr. Hugh CheekMr. Lawrence ClarksonDr. & Mrs. William C. CollinsDr. John W. CooledgeMr. & Mrs. Stephen E. CrowleyDr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly Jr.Ms. Dorothy E. EdwardsDr. & Mrs. Arnoldo FiedotinMs. Jeanne R. FrazierR. Derril Gay, Ph.D.Mr. & Mrs. John W. Grant IIIMs. Sue HallJohn L. HammakerHarald Hansen Donna HillerJames E. Honkisz & Catherine A. BinnsMr. & Mrs. Hugh HoschAnn P. & Ezra F. HowingtonMr. & Mrs. David C. HuffmanMr. Mike HurdleMr. & Mrs. Wayne JamesLou & Tom JewellMr. & Mrs. Kenneth D. JohnsonMr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill KennyMr. & Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich, Sr.Marsha & David KingMrs. Treville Lawrence

Man took to flight when we believed.

Women won the vote when we believed.

Children will stop dying from preventable causes when you believe.

Every day, 19,000 children die of causes we can prevent. We believe that number should be ZERO.

TAKE ACTION visit unicefusa.org

ZeroDigestFull.indd 1 10/5/12 1:26 PM

52

annuaL funD ContinuedGOld (continued) GOld (continued) GOld (continued)Dr. Jill MableyJeanie & Albert MarxDan D. MasliaMr. William McDanielMr. & Mrs. Richard V. McPhail IIIMr. Gene Milner & Dr. Rhonda D. MilnerMr. Gene Moon & Mrs. Dorothy MoonTerri & Stephen NaglerMr. & Mrs. John L. O’NealVictoria & Howard PalefskyDr. & Mrs. Donald A. PaulLucy S. PerryDr. Michael F. Pratt & Nancy PetermanMs. Lorraine RussellMr. Dustin B. SchneiderSachin ShailendraMr. Nicholas ShreiberDr. & Mrs. Patton P. SmithMr. Fred B. SmithMr. Peter James StellingDr. Marilyn StocktonDr. Jane T. St. Clair

& Mr. James E. SustmanMr. & Mrs. Ben J. Tarbutton, Jr.Ms. Carol UhlDr. Nicholas Valerio IIIAlan & Marcia WattRae & George WeimerMs. Linda D. WickhamLarry & Beverly WillsonMrs. Wadleigh C. WinshipDrs. Martin & Holly York

$500+Mr. & Mrs. C. S. Akers, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Michael BarkerMr. & Mrs. Harris P. BaskinMr. Joe E. BatesMr. & Mrs. Wallace F. BeardMs. Tiffany BloomerMs. Martha S. BrewerDr. Harold BrodyDr. & Mrs. W. Scott BrooksBarbara S. Bruner, M.D.Mr. Robert Bunker

Dr. Bruce Cassidy & Dr. Eda HochgelerentMrs. Carol J. ClarkDr. Kristin R. CorganMr. Stuart CulpepperMr. & Mrs. Tom DeBraMr. Kevin Dew & Mr. Hal PlattMr. & Mrs. William D. DuckworthDr. & Mrs. H. Allen EckerMr. & Mrs. John C. Ethridge, Jr.Heather & Eli FlintDr. & Mrs. David J. FrolichMr. & Mrs. John GamDr. & Mrs. Joseph D. GiovincoThe Law Offices of Jason B. GodwinMr. & Mrs. Donald GoldsteinMr. & Mrs. George GundersenMs. Louise S. GunnSylvia Halleck, MDHarriet H. HarrisMr. Michael D. HastingsMr. George Hickman, IIIMr. L. D. HollandRichard & Linda HubertMrs. H.F. HunterMr. Francis M. JackDr. & Mrs. Duke Jackson, Jr.Mr. Speight JenkinsMr. Doyle P. JonesDr. Sidney T. KellonJoan & Arnold KurthChris & Jill LeMs. Salli LeVanDr. Jason LiebzeitMr. & Mrs. J. David LifseyDr. & Mrs. P. Mather LindsayRichard Lodise & Valerie JagiellaDonna & Trevor LumbDouglas W. & Sarah MabryStanley & Elaine MagerDr. & Mrs. Ellis L. MaloneDr. Robert & Judge Stephanie ManisShelley McGeheeMr. & Mrs. John McMullanMr. M. Sean Molley

Ms. Priscilla M. MoranMr. & Mrs. Peter J. Morelli IIMs. Melissa MortimerMr. & Mrs. Frank MucklerMr. & Mrs. Robert NemoMs. Beverley PaquetteGeorge & Libba PickettThe Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr. Mr. David PylateDiane & Nicolas I. QuintanaR.J. & D.G. Riffey, Jr.Mary K. RoarabaughMr. & Mrs. E. Gordon RobinsonThe Honorable Judge

Dorothy A. RobinsonMs. Heidi M. RockwoodSidney & Phyllis RodbellFred RodriguezDr. & Mrs. Mark RowlesDr. Michael SanseviroMr. Brenn SmithJudge & Mrs. Mike StoddardMr. N. Jerold Cohen

& Ms. Andrea StricklandSteve & Christine StrongMr. & Mrs. Frederick A. StuartMs. Melinda R. StukDr. & Mrs. Michael SzikmanMr. & Mrs. Hugh M. TarbuttonMs. Virginia S. TaylorMr. Eric TaylorMr. Richard ThioMrs. Newell B. TozzerMr. & Mrs. Leroy WaldenDr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr.Ms. Venette WilliamsMrs. Frank Wilson, Jr.Dr. & Mrs. David WingertMrs. Geraldine S. WoodwardMr. & Mrs. John Zellner

$350+AnonymousAtlanta Opera Orchestra

Players Association

53

annuaL funD ContinuedGOld (continued) GOld (continued) GOld (continued)Mr. & Mrs. Walter BaileyMr. & Mrs. David S. BakerMr. & Mrs. Robert O. BankerDr. & Mrs. John BarnesDr. & Mrs. William BattlesDaniel & Bethann BergerDr. & Mrs. Jerry BlumenthalMrs. Karen BunnDr. & Mrs. W. Brantley BurnsMrs. Stella M. CarlsonMr. & Mrs. Raymond H. ChenaultMr. Michael ClutterMr. Lawrence M. CohenLucy & John CookMrs. June Crawford Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. CurryMaureen & Michael DaileyDr. & Mrs. Albert De ChicchisMrs. William ElmoreMr. & Mrs. Arthur R. DuggerDebra & Greg DurdenJanice & Charles M. Edwards IIIDr. G. EichholzMr. John FischerMr. Glen GalbaughMs. Lois M. GrantJudge Adele P. GrubbsMr. & Mrs. Sam HaganOwen HalpernDean & Vivian HaultonHoneywell International CorporationPearlann & Jerry HorowitzJulie & Jason IngrahamMr. Scott Ingram

Cliff Jolliff & Elaine GerkeMs. Jo. Elliott JonesMr. & Mrs. Edward KatzeMr. & Mrs. Fred R. KeithMr. & Mrs. Michael L. KeoughMs. Eleanor KinseyLucy R. & Gary Lee, Jr.Livvy Kazer LipsonDr. Carlos E. LopezMr. Thomas L. McCookMr. & Mrs. Norman MillerMs. Sharon MillsMr. Martin A. MooreDr. Patricia S. MoultonJane & Jim MurrayMrs. Amy Wynn NormanMs. Marianela E. NoyaMr. & Mrs. Henry C. Parrish IIIMr. & Mrs. Guy PaschalMr. D. V. Pompilio

& The Honorable S. L. IngramMs. Barbara RivenbarkMr. Robert SidewaterDr. Susan Y. StevensJim & Eleanor StrainCarolyn & Robert SwainDr. & Mrs. Michael SzikmanMrs. Sarah TateRaymond C. TownsendMr. & Mrs. Charles D. TullerMrs. James B. VaughtMr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Ventulett IIIHenry Waszkowski & Patty ThomasMs. Reba P. Welch

Dr. & Mrs. Sam WilliamsEmily Willingham & Dixon AdairMs. Judith D. WilsonSherrilyn & Donn WrightMrs. Johnnie Zahler & Jeanette Zahler

sPeCiaL thanks

Special thanks to the following individuals who donated their time as supernumeraries

in the Atlanta Opera’s production of Carmen.

Roy BryanKim ChristopherRashuan CormierMichael Edwards

Jerry HunterJohn KingSamuel McAleeseMichael Mitchell

Sean SavageWalker ThomasSpiro WinsettRoque Marinho

54

$100,000 The Coca-Cola Company

$50,000+AT&TDelta Air Lines, Inc.

$10,000+Affordable Equity Partners, Inc.Flight OptionsLanier Parking Solutions

$5,000+Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

fOuNdatiONs$50,000+Atlanta Music Festival AssociationSara Giles Moore FoundationThe Zeist Foundation

$25,000+The Kendeda FundJ. Marshall & Lucile G. Powell Foundation

$20,000+Jim Cox, Jr. Charitable Trust

$10,000+Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz FoundationWells Fargo Philanthropic Giving Program

$5,000+The Arthur M. Blank Family FoundationCamp-Younts FoundationJohn & Mary Franklin FoundationFraser-Parker FoundationAnn & Gordon Getty FoundationThe Home Depot FoundationJBS FoundationNordson Corporation FoundationNorfolk Southern FoundationOPERA AmericaTurner Broadcasting System, Inc.

$2,500+Mary Brown Fund of AtlantaHills Family FoundationCharles Loridans FoundationPublix Super Markets CharitiesFrances Wood Wilson Foundation

$1,000+Bright Wings FoundationGeorgia Humanities CouncilHerbert & Marian Haley FoundationLois & Lucy Lampkin FoundationRay M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation

GOverNMeNt fuNdiNG$20,000+City of Atlanta Office of Cultural AffairsGeorgia Council for the Arts

Gifts iN KiNdBatdorf & Bronson Coffee RoastersJoel Crowe – Wallace GraphicsEngland Pianos – Official Piano Sponsor of The Atlanta OperaFederal Home Loan Bank of AtlantaEli Flint – Flight OptionsLanier Parking SolutionsNational Distributing, Inc. Jeff Roffman PhotographyTim Wilkerson Photography

$2,500+Anonymous

$1,000+Atlanta Opera Guild

From the 1998 Atlanta Opera production of La traviata, tenor

John Fowler performs as Alfredo.

(photo: J.D. Scott)

CorPorate Partners

CoMMunity Partners

55

triButes & MeMoriaLsiN MeMOry Of dr. JOseph barNettDr. Florence C. Barnett & FamilyMs. Ann BaileyFred D. Bentley Sr. & FamilyFred D. Bentley Jr. & FamilyR. Randall Bentley Sr. & FamilyEmory Johns Creek Hospital Maria JuradoKennesaw State University Foundation GA Neurosurgical Society Dr. Anthony Musarra Mr. & Mrs. W. A. SeparkDr. & Mrs. Edgar Vaughan Dr. & Mrs. Allison F. Williams

iN MeMOry Of MarGaret bOwdeN reese ellisDr. & Mrs. James H. Dew Jr.

iN MeMOry Of sylvia dabeNpartShelley McGehee

iN hONOr Of berNadette faberEnid & Jerry Draluck

iN MeMOry Of richard felNerMrs. Anna Beth Felner

iN MeMOry Of dicK GallOMr. Alfred D. Kennedy & Dr. Bill Kenny

iN MeMOry Of betsey G. haNseNHarald Hansen

iN hONOr Of JOseph lattaNziThe Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr.

iN MeMOry Of rachel lehMaNNJim & Eleanor Strain

iN hONOr Of pOlly paterMr. Brian D. BeemMr. & Mrs. Charles SlickMr. Tom Slick

iN MeMOry Of lOuis peNeGuyMr. William E. Pennington

iN MeMOry Of hazel rOy butlerThe Hazel Roy Trust

iN hONOr Of sharON silverMiNtzMs. Elizabeth F. Meeker

iN MeMOry Of dr. KiNGsley weatherly Mr. & Mrs. Gerald BaxterNancy & Jim BlandMr. & Mrs. Peter M. Candler Dr. & Mrs. William H. ChewLynn CochranMr. & Mrs. R. Park EllisP. Wesley Foster, Jr. Ms. Beatrice GarnerJoan Gill Carolyn & Lem HewesJim & Mary Long HowardKatie Hutchison Mrs. Clay KirkMrs. T. Harvey Mathis, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Merritt Jr.Anne Groves MorrisMrs. Elizabeth PritchettDr. & Mrs. Newton Quantz, Jr. Richard Worrell General Agency, LLC.Hugh Richardson, Jr.Elizabeth & Dick RubenoffDr. Kathy Shands The Sunshine CommitteeWillou & Bill Smith Dr. & Mrs. Carter Smith, Jr.Ms. Susan SoperMargo & Buddy StackThe Sutton FamilyMr. & Mrs. Charles D. Tuller Mel & Hootie Zaher

iN MeMOry Of Marya Gabrielle williaMsMs. Marilon Jone P. Williams

Raul Hernandez as Alfredo and Jan Grissom as Violetta in the Atlanta Opera’s 2005 production of La traviata. (photo: Tim Wilkerson)

56

enCore CirCLeThe Atlanta Opera established The Encore Circle to recognize donors who have

designated the Opera as a beneficiary in their estate plan. Gifts from these individuals

ensure our progress for generations to come.

AnonymousMr. & Mrs. Shepard B. AnsleyMr. & Mrs. Wallace F. BeardMr. Montague L. BoydMs. Mary D. BrayMr. Robert ColginArnold & Sylvia EavesMs. Dorothy E. EdwardsMr. & Mrs. Dieter ElsnerCarl & Sally GableRebecca & Sidney GubermanMs. Judy HanenkratMr. Hilson Hudson

Mrs. Joseph B. HutchisonMr. Alfred D. KennedyMs. Corina M. LaFrossiaMr. Louis L. LawsonMr. & Mrs. John G. MalcolmMr. Robert Lee MaysMr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDanielMr. & Mrs. Jack C. McDowellMr. & Mrs. Craig N. MillerMiss Helen D. MoffittMr. J. Robert MorringMr. & Mrs. Bertil D. NordinClara M. & John S. O’Shea

Mrs. Polly PaterMr. William E. PenningtonBruce A. RothMr. & Mrs. Paul SangerKevin J. SaundersMr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. TeepenMr. Richard F. TignerWilliam E. Torres, M.D.Dr. & Mrs. Harold WhitneyMs. Bunny Winter & Mr. Michael DoyleMr. & Mrs. Charles R. Yates, Sr.Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. & Mrs. Mary Yates

We at The Atlanta Opera sincerely appreciate your generous support and belief in our

mission of enriching lives though the power of opera. By building a legacy through

the creation of a planned gift with The Atlanta Opera, you can help ensure that future

generations are exposed to the highest quality opera for generations to come.

Developing an estate plan requires advice from a professional, so we suggest you consult

your personal advisor to make sure your gift will accomplish the intended goals for both

The Atlanta Opera and you. A member of our development team will be happy to meet

with and assist you in exploring the options that are most beneficial for everyone involved.

Your planned gift can make a tremendous difference and help preserve the future of The

Atlanta Opera! Please call 404-591-2926 or 404-343-7125 to discuss your planned gift.

suPPort toMorrow, toDay! BuiLD a LegaCy with the atLanta oPera.

suPPort the atLanta oPera

f&B ad

photos: Jeff Roffman

sCene the atlanta opera holiday ConCert

3630 Peachtree Road, N.E.404-254-1797 • fandbatl.com

would like to thank

58

BoarD of DireCtors

offiCersMrs. Shepard B. Ansley ChaIr emerItuS

William E. Tucker ChaIr Tucker, Midis & Owen, LLC

Mr. Gregory F. Johnson ImmedIate PaSt ChaIr Republic National Distributing Company, Inc.

Mr. John L. Hammaker VICe ChaIr

Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr. VICe ChaIr

Mr. Rhys T. Wilson treaSurer Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP

Mr. Michael Keough SeCretarY DMK International

MeMBersMs. Cathy Callaway Adams, Federal Home Loan BankMr. Bryan H. Barnes, Deloitte & Touche, LLPMr. Andy Berg, Homrich BergMrs. James W. Bland, Jr.Mr. Montague L. Boyd, III, UBS FinancialMrs. Rosemary Kopel BrownMs. Sharon J. Byers, The Coca-Cola CompanyMrs. John W. Calhoun, IIIThe Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler, Cathedral of St. PhilipMr. Mario Concha, Concha Consulting, LLCMs. Martha Thompson DinosMr. Robert G. Edge, Alston & BirdMr. Dieter Elsner, Roedl Langford de Kock, LLPMr. Eli Flint, Flight OptionsMrs. Joanne Chesler GrossMr. William Hajjar, JWTMr. John Michael HancockMr. William J. Hayes, Bain & Company, Inc.Mr. Douglas R. Hooker, Atlanta Regional CommissionMr. John Isakson, Jr., Williams Asset ManagementMs. Mary B. James

Mr. John King, Breitland, LLCMrs. Carl KnoblochMr. George Levert, Kinetic Ventures, LLCMr. Richard McPhail, The Home Depot, Inc.Mr. Harmon B. Miller, III, MillerZell, Inc.Mr. James B. Miller, Fidelity BankMr. David Moody, C. D. Moody ConstructionMr. Michael Paulhus, King & SpaldingMr. William E. PenningtonMr. James D. Powell, KPMG, LLPMr. Herbert J. Rosenberg III, National Distributing Company, Inc.Mr. Bruce A. Roth, Roth & Associates, Inc.Mr. J. Barry Schrenk, Taggarts’ Driving SchoolMr. Stewart A. Searle, Strategic Thought PartnersMr. Sachin Shailendra, S G ContractingMr. Charles Sharbaugh, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLPMr. Timothy E. Sheehan, Mellon Private Wealth ManagementMr. Baker A. Smith, BDO Consulting Corp. Advisors, LLCMr. G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr., Kilpatrick Townsend & StocktonMr. Timothy J. Walsh, Lanier Parking SolutionsMr. Thomas R. WilliamsJane S. Willson, Sunnyland Farms, Inc.Mr. Robert G. Woodward, King & Spalding

honorary MeMBersMs. Dorothy E. EdwardsMr. Carl I. GableMr. John S. GillfillanMrs. Holcombe T. Green, Jr., WestPoint StevensMr. Carter Joseph, Empire DistributorsMrs. Jack C. McDowellMr. Sam Olens, State of GeorgiaMr. Mark K. Taylor, HT Group, LLCMrs. John C. WilsonMs. Bunny Winter

One of Michael Stauffer’s set design sketches for Act I of La traviata from the Atlanta Opera’s inaugural season in 1980. (photo: The Atlanta Opera Archives)

59

StoneSoupStoneSoupStoneSoupStoneCOMMUNITY . DIVERSITY . FRIENDSHIP . MAGIC

In Your Community...

presents

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013PERFORMANCE FOR GIRL SCOUT DAY

9:30 a.m.

The Atlanta Opera Center1575 Northside Dr., NWBuilding 300, Suite 350Atlanta, GA 30318

Admission to Girl Scout Day is $10 per Girl Scout and $5 per adult.Please call 404-881-8883 for tickets.

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013PERFORMANCE AT 11:00 a.m.

Southwest Arts Center 915 New Hope Rd.Atlanta, GA 30331

Admission is $7 per person for each family performance.Please call 404-881-8885 or visit atlantaopera.org for tickets.

60

artistiC & ProDuCtion Arthur Fagen Carl & SallY gaBle muSIC dIreCtOr & CONduCtOrElecia Crowley artIStIC admINIStratOrWalter Huff ChOruS maSterMichael Benedict PrOduCtION maNagerShawn Rieschl Johnson COmPaNY/Stage maNagerEric Mitchko artIStIC CONSultaNt

Marketing & CoMMuniCationsCristina Vásconez Herrera dIreCtOr Of marketINg & COmmuNICatIONSLindsay Smith marketINg maNagerEmily Genetelli COmmuNICatIONS maNagerMatt Burkhalter CreatIVe SerVICeS maNagerAlan Strange tICketINg SerVICeS maNagerRenee Smiley tICketINg & grOuP SaleS aSSOCIate

seasonaL staffJohn Beaulieu teChNICal dIreCtOr/maSter CarPeNterPatricia Tuckwiller PrOduCtION eleCtrICIaNSteve Dubay PrOduCtION eleCtrICIaNPamela Hickey PrOPertIeS maSterGregory Boyle aSSIStaNt Stage maNagerJamie Hahn aSSIStaNt Stage maNagerKen McNeil wardrOBe maSter

CostuMe shoPJoanna Schmink COStume deSIgNer/COOrdINatOrPatricia McMahon COStume ShOP maNagerBrett Parker fIrSt haNdMary Cruz Torres StItCherBridgette K. L. Mont StItCherSylvia Otto COStume aSSIStaNt

wig & MakeuP staff Katrina Suhre deSIgN aSSIStaNtChristina Whitaker MooreTracy SalazarAida ScuffleTiffany DavisSelena Miller

finanCe & aDMinistrationMike Hurdle dIreCtOr Of fINaNCeAshley Gilleland aCCOuNtINg maNagerStephanie Cantillo admINIStratIVe maNager

DeveLoPMentBert Wesley Huffman MPA CFRE dIreCtOr Of deVelOPmeNtRae Weimer aSSOCIate dIreCtOr Of deVelOPmeNtKristin Boggs majOr gIftS OffICerGreg Carraway fOuNdatION & graNtS maNagerRebecca Bowden aNNual fuNd maNagerAllison DeNiro eVeNtS maNager & VOluNteer COOrdINatOr

CoMMunity engageMentEmmalee Iden Hackshaw dIreCtOr Of COmmuNItY eNgagemeNtAnne Stillwagon INterN Wade Thomas INterN

staff

61

Be part of the Excitement.September 14, 2013 • St. Regis – Atlanta

The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball

62

house PoLiCies

ConCessions

Concession stands are located in the center

of the lobbies on all three levels. Food and

beverage items are prohibited inside the

theatre. Thank you for your cooperation.

restrooMs Restrooms are located on house right

and house left of all three lobbies. Family

restrooms are also located on house right

of all three lobbies. Mobility-impaired

patrons may use any of our restrooms.

Parking There are 1,000 parking spaces available

at a $6 charge per car. Valet service is

available for $10. Please be sure to allow

enough time for travel to the theatre and

parking as there is no late seating.

atM There is one Bank of North Georgia

ATM located in the grand lobby.

Coat CheCk Coat check is available at the concierge desk.

eMergenCy inforMation In the event of an emergency, please

locate the nearest usher who will direct

you to the appropriate exit.

eLevators Elevators are located on each side of the

lobbies on all levels.

Lost & founD Lost and Found items are turned into the

concierge desk on the day of a performance.

To inquire about a lost item, please call the

House Manager at 770-916-2828.

sMoking Smoking is prohibited inside the building.

sPeCiaL assistanCePersons requiring access assistance are

asked to contact the box office at

770-916-2850 for advance arrangements.

Audio clarification devices are available to

our hearing impaired guests at no charge.

This is on a first-come, first-served basis, or

you may call the House Manager ahead of

time to reserve one 770-916-2828. A limited

number of booster seats are also available. All

items require a form of identification to be

held until the item is returned.

CoBB energy Centre ruLes & requests

• All patrons, regardless of age, must have

a ticket in order to be admitted to the

performance. Please be aware that not all

performances are suitable for children

• Infants will not be admitted to adult

programs. Parents will be asked to

remove children who create a disturbance

• There is no late seating allowed. Closed-

circuit monitors are provided in the

lobby as a courtesy to latecomers

• Please turn off all cell phones prior to

the beginning of each performance.

• Please limit conversation during the

performance

• Cameras (including use of cell phone

camera) and audio & video recording

devices are strictly prohibited at all times.

• Leaving while the show is in progress is

discourteous and we ask that you refrain

from doing so

• Please unwrap all candies and cough

drops before the performance.

For a close-up view, visit warrenaverett.com, or call 770-396-1100.

For an accounting fi rm that has earned a reputation for business sense and people sense, you want Warren Averett + GH&I.

Audiences have been singing our praises for over 30 years.

Warren Averett + GH&I and The Atlanta Opera.

Experience matters.

What’s keeping you awake?If your nights are spent tossing and turning instead of sleeping soundly, a sleep study with the experts at WellStar Sleep Medicine can help.

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia affect millions of people – children, teens and adults. How do you know if a sleep disorder is keeping you from getting the rest you need? Start with these questions.

If you answered “yes” to these questions, a sleep disorder may be the culprit. A sleep study can pinpoint what’s disrupting your sleep so that WellStar’s sleep specialists can develop a treatment plan to get you sleeping well – and restore your energy for your waking hours.

Our team includes both adult and pediatric sleep experts, so your whole family can sleep well and live well. For more information, call 770-420-2535.

• Do you snore? Or kick at night?

• Do you feel tired during the day despite sleeping through the night?

• Do you wake up frequently during the night?

• Do you sometimes doze off when inactive (watching television or reading)?