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LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor

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Elena Cicorella
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2016|17 SEASON Donizetti
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 2 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 6 From the General Director 8 From the President 10 Board of Directors 12 Women’s Board/Guild Board/ Chapters’ Executive Board/ Ryan Opera Center Board 14 Administration/Administrative Staff/ Production and Technical Staff 16 Bringing Untold Stories to Life 24 Tonight’s Performance 25 Synopsis 27 Cast 28 Artist Profiles 35 Opera Notes 38 Director’s Note 40 After the Curtain Falls 42 Musical Staff/Orchestra/Chorus 43 Backstage Life 44 Artistic Roster/Supernumeraries 45 Lyric and Social Media 47 Patron Salute 48 Production Sponsors 51 Aria Society 60 Breaking New Ground/ Look to the Future 62 Major Contributors – Special Events and Project Support 63 Lyric Unlimited Contributors 64 Lyric Unlimited Programs 65 Ryan Opera Center 66 Ryan Opera Center Alumni Around the World 67 Ryan Opera Center Contributors 68 Planned Giving: The Overture Society 69 Commemorative Gifts 70 Annual Corporate Support 71 Matching Gifts, Special Thanks and Acknowledgements 72 Annual Individual and Foundation Support 79 Facilities and Services/Theater Staff Table of Contents Community Created Performances, pp. 16-22 On the cover: “The Bride of Lammermoor,” oil painting by William Powell Frith, ca. 1852. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. ALBINASHAGIMURATOVAASLUCIA;PHOTOBYPAVELVAAN&LEONIDSEMENYUK IN THIS ISSUE Lucia di Lammermoor – pp. 24-40 JACOLYNSIMPSON
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 4 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Executive Editor Lisa Middleton Editor Roger Pines Associate Editor Magda Krance Administrative Offices: 20 North Wacker Drive Suite 860 Chicago, Illinois 60606 www.performancemedia.us | 847-770-4620 3453 Commercial Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 Gail McGrath Publisher & President Sheldon Levin Publisher & Director of Finance A. J. Levin Director of Operations Account Managers Rand Brichta - Arnie Hoffman - Greg Pigott Southeast Michael Hedge 847-770-463 Southwest Betsy Gugick & Associates 972-387-1347 East Coast Manzo Media Group 610-527-7047 Marketing and Sales Consultant David L. Strouse, Ltd. 847-835-5197 Cathy Kiepura Graphic Designer Lory Richards Graphic Designer Joy Morawez - Josie Negron Accounting Willie Smith Supervisor Operations Earl Love Operations Wilfredo Silva Operations Steve Dunn Web & Internet Development You can view this program on your mobile device. For advertising information call 847-770-4620. To see our Terms and Conditions relating to advertising orders, visit our website at www.performancemedia.us. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in any manner without written permission. © 2016 Performance Media & Gail McGrath & Associates, Inc. is a Woman Owned Business Since 1991
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 6 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 I have been a devoted admirer of the bel canto repertoire for all of my operagoing life. In introducing the two bel canto operas on Lyric’s schedule this season, an anecdote comes to mind. When I was in my early teens, in Harrod’s record department in London, I was wandering around and was suddenly transfixed by an amazing voice. I knew I’d never heard anything like this. It was Dame Joan Sutherland singing the heroine’s aria from Rossini’s Semiramide. That performance led me to investigate all the great works of the bel canto repertoire, which remains to this day one of my greatest enthusiasms in opera. For that reason, it is a particularly great pleasure for me that Lyric is presenting Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini’s Norma this season (coincidentally, two works closely associated with Dame Joan, who had so much to do with shaping my love of bel canto singing). These are arguably the greatest operas of both of these composers, each a supreme master of this style. The two operas celebrate the glory of great singing, uniting extraordinarily memorable melodies with vocal virtuosity within an intense romantic narrative. The two heroines are superbly contrasting examples of what makes bel canto repertoire so exciting. Each requires the ultimate in vocal technique, but also the ultimate in emotional investment. Lucia is the more lyrical of the two roles. Her music is crowned by the famous mad scene, one of the great vocal tours de force in all of opera – a high-wire act of vocal acrobatics and searing emotional impact. The role of Norma combines the requirement of stupendous vocal agility with a dramatic grandeur that makes her among the most challenging characters to sing and act in the entire operatic repertoire. Of course, these operas are not one-woman shows; each needs an exceptionally strong team of principal artists to fulfill the vocal and dramatic demands. Lucia’s Edgardo is one of bel canto’s most passionate and hot-blooded heroes, while Norma’s Pollione requires a heroic machismo that makes him unique in this repertoire. Adalgisa in Norma has much ravishing music to sing (including three of bel canto’s most rewarding duets), and the powerful dramatic thrust in music for Lucia’s nasty brother Enrico can raise the roof with excitement. For the two bass roles – Raimondo in Lucia, Oroveso in Norma – a singer of innate majesty is required. The two casts are both made up of very important artists, from whom you can expect sensational singing. Our leading ladies – Albina Shagimuratova (Lucia) and Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma), both previously triumphant at Lyric – have made a stupendous impact internationally in their roles. The return to Lyric of our Edgardo, Piotr Beczała, and the debuts of our Raimondo, Adrian Sâmpetrean, and our Pollione, Russell Thomas, are awaited with equal anticipation, as are two remarkable Ryan Opera Center alumni – Quinn Kelsey (Enrico) and Elizabeth DeShong (Adalgisa) and – and the return of longtime Lyric favorite Andrea Silvestrelli (Oroveso). Of course, neither of these operas can succeed without brilliance from the pit and from the production team. Our two debuting Italian conductors, Enrique Mazzola (Lucia) and Riccardo Frizza (Norma), have made bel canto a specialty in many major international houses. We can fully expect the performances to boast an authenticity of style that will hugely enhance our audiences’ experience of these pieces. Lyric is presenting them in productions by Graham Vick (Lucia) and Kevin Newbury (Norma) that will each bring provocative and illuminating new insights to these justly beloved masterpieces. Anthony Freud The Women’s Board Endowed Chair From the General Director STEVELEONARD
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 8 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 The 2016-17 season here at Lyric Opera of Chicago is going to be one of the most exciting in recent memory, and my wife and I are looking forward to every production. I expect you are, too. I’m particularly excited about the launch of the new Ring cycle with Das Rheingold. The first time I experienced the complete Ring, I wondered, as with many Ring neophytes, if this was just going to be four very long nights in a dark room! But I found that it is spellbinding, and that the longest of the operas seems to slip away in minutes. It’s a profound, transformative experience, and the fact that we’re creating a brand-new expression of the Ring makes me very proud of the artistic choices we’ve made at Lyric. It’s likely that the production you’re enjoying tonight is benefiting from an ambitious stage-improvement project, the first step of which was implemented over the summer. Three new stage lifts, a turntable, and 16 new point hoists (individual motorized lines that can lift sets or people in the air) are enabling us to present Das Rheingold, Les Troyens, and The Magic Flute. None of those new productions would have been possible were it not for that initial investment. Over the next two years we will see the second phase of the project, including additional stage lifts and point hoists, plus various other crucial technical capabilities. This will ensure our being able to present future productions exactly as our directors have imagined them, and in a safe, efficient manner. We’re exceedingly grateful to our Breaking New Ground campaign donors whose generosity has made this possible. Along with our investments backstage to enable these amazing productions, we are also investing in the front of the house to enhance your experience at Lyric. New concierge greeters in the lobby, additional ticket scanners to improve traffic flow, and better signage for our first-time guests are just a few of the changes you’ll be experiencing this season. We are looking for fresh ways to make your total Lyric experience a delight, from the moment you purchase your ticket until you depart after a wonderful performance. The future of opera and of Lyric is dependent not only on the loyalty of our longtime audience members, but also on our ability to cultivate the next generation. As we all know, “millennials” have many more opportunities for entertainment and cultural consumption than ever before. In achieving our goal of continually attracting and engaging younger audiences, we’ve embraced the types of media that they’re familiar with. Many of you who spend time online, particularly in social media, have noticed in the past year many more banner ads for Lyric productions or mentions and “likes” on Facebook and Twitter and photos on Instagram. I’m delighted to see social media channels bringing greater awareness of Lyric and its exciting offerings to a whole new audience. I use Lyric’s website on a regular basis, whether to provide background information for an upcoming production or to review the biography of an artist I don’t know. It’s not unusual for me to snap a picture of a current production banner and post it on my Facebook page! This season has so much to offer, from the Ring and Les Troyens to a new Magic Flute and star-studded productions of Carmen and Eugene Onegin. The richness and diversity of opera and the world-class quality of our orchestra, chorus, and artists remind us how valuable and exciting the Lyric experience is and how fortunate we are to have an opera company of this caliber in the city of Chicago. From the President TODDROSENBERG David T. Ormesher
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 10 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s The Honorable Bruce Rauner The Honorable Rahm Emanuel Honorary Chairmen of the Board Edgar D. Jannotta Co-Chairman Emeritus Allan B. Muchin Co-Chairman Emeritus David T. Ormesher President and Chief Executive Officer Lester Crown Chairman of the Executive Committee Anthony Freud General Director and Chief Operating Officer Sir Andrew Davis Vice President Renée Fleming Vice President James L. Alexander Vice President Shirley Welsh Ryan Vice President William C. Vance Vice President Donna Van Eekeren Secretary Paul J. Carbone Treasurer Mary Ladish Selander Assistant Secretary Roberta Lane Assistant Treasurer Life Directors Edgar Foster Daniels Richard J. Franke Edgar D. Jannotta George E. Johnson Robert H. Malott James J. O’Connor Gordon Segal Robert E. Wood II Directors Katherine A. Abelson * Whitney W. Addington, M.D. * James L. Alexander John P. Amboian Paul F. Anderson Larry A. Barden * Julie Baskes James N. Bay, Jr. Melvin R. Berlin Gilda R. Buchbinder Allan E. Bulley, III John E. Butler * Marion A. Cameron * Paul J. Carbone David W. Carpenter Timothy L. Christen Richard W. Colburn Michael P. Cole Vinay Couto * John V. Crowe * Lester Crown Marsha Cruzan * Andrew Davis † Gerald Dorros Alexandra Dousmanis-Curtis Ann M. Drake Allan Drebin John D. Edelman Stefan T. Edlis Lois Eisen W. James Farrell Mark E. Ferguson Michael W. Ferro, Jr. Matthew A. Fisher * Renée Fleming * Sonia Florian Mike Foley * Anthony Freud Kristine R. Garrett Ronald J. Gidwitz * Ruth Ann M. Gillis * Brent W. Gledhill Ethel Gofen * Howard L. Gottlieb Melvin Gray Maria C. Green * Dietrich M. Gross Mary Pat Hay Carrie J. Hightman Elliot E. Hirsch Eric L. Hirschfield * J. Thomas Hurvis Gregory K. Jones † Stephen A. Kaplan Kip Kelley II * Nancy W. Knowles † Fred A. Krehbiel * Josef Lakonishok † Robert W. Lane * James W. Mabie * Craig C. Martin Robert J. McCullen Blythe J. McGarvie Andrew J. McKenna Frank B. Modruson Robert S. Morrison * Allan B. Muchin * Linda K. Myers Jeffrey C. Neal Amélie Négrier-Oyarzabal Sylvia Neil † John D. Nichols Kenneth R. Norgan Sharon F. Oberlander * John W. Oleniczak Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, M.D. * David T. Ormesher * William A. Osborn Matthew J. Parr Jane DiRenzo Pigott Jose Luis Prado Don M. Randel * Anne N. Reyes J. Christopher Reyes Thomas A. Reynolds III † William C. Richardson, Ph.D. Collin E. Roche Ricardo Rosenkranz Edward B. Rouse Joseph O. Rubinelli, Jr. * Shirley Welsh Ryan * E. Scott Santi Claudia M. Saran Rodd M. Schreiber * Jana R. Schreuder Marsha Serlin * Brenda M. Shapiro * Eric S. Smith Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Pam Szokol Franco Tedeschi Mark A. Thierer Cherryl T. Thomas * William C. Vance * Donna Van Eekeren Mark Wagner Roberta L. Washlow Miles D. White William Mason General Director Emeritus * Indicates member of the Executive Committee † Indicates National Director
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 12 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Women’s Board † Mimi Mitchell President † Mrs. Christopher Murphy Vice President of Board Activities † Marilynn Thoma Vice President of Education † Mrs. Matthew A. Fisher Vice President of Fundraising † Betsy Bergman Rosenfield Vice President of Special Events Mrs. Anthony A. Antoniou Ms. Silvia Beltrametti Margot Stone Bowen Suzette B. Bulley Marie Campbell Mamie Biggs Case Mrs. Alger B. Chapman, Jr. Elizabeth O’Connor Cole Mrs. Gary C. Comer Mrs. Nancy Carrington Crown * Mrs. Lester Crown * Mrs. Richard W. Durkes Mrs. Anne M. Edwards * Mrs. W. James Farrell Mrs. Michael Ferro Regan Rohde Friedmann Mrs. Robert W. Galvin Lili Gaubin Mrs. Ronald J. Gidwitz † Keith Kiley Goldstein Annemarie H. Gramm Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel Mrs. King Harris Mrs. Julian W. Harvey Caroline T. Huebner Mrs. Philip E. Kelley † Rebecca Walker Knight Mrs. Frederick A. Krehbiel Mrs. Richard H. Lenny Mrs. Arthur C. Martinez * Mrs. Richard P. Mayer Florence D. McMillan Alison Wehman McNally Mrs. Susan H. Mesrobian Mrs. Christopher C. Milliken Mrs. Robert S. Morrison Mrs. Susan B. Noyes * Mrs. James J. O’Connor Mrs. William A. Osborn Mrs. Jerry K. Pearlman Mrs. Frederick H. Prince Mrs. James C. Pritchard M.K. Pritzker *† Mrs. J. Christopher Reyes Mrs. Ronald A. Rolighed Trisha Rooney * Mrs. Patrick G. Ryan Mrs. James L. Sandner † Mrs. E. Scott Santi † Nancy S. Searle Mrs. Alejandro Silva Mrs. John R. Siragusa Mrs. Lisbeth Stiffel Mrs. James P. Stirling * Mrs. Theodore D. Tieken Mrs. Richard H. Wehman Mrs. Robert G. Weiss Hon. Corinne Wood Mrs. Patrick Wood-Prince Life Members Paula Hannaway Crown * Mrs. A. Campbell de Frise * Jane Duboise Gargiulo * Mrs. Paul W. Oliver, Jr. Mrs. Jay A. Pritzker Mrs. Gordon Segal * Former President † Executive Committee Guild Board of Directors † James A. Staples President † Daniel T. Manoogian Vice President – Backstage Tours † Maggie Rock Vice President – Membership † Allison Alexander Vice President – Fundraising † Daria Lewicky Vice President – Benefit † Dorothy Kuechl Secretary † Marc Lacher Treasurer Julie Ann Benson Leslie Bertholdt *† Patrick J. Bitterman Minka Bosco Sarah Demet Frank De Vincentis Eben Dorros Mrs. Amanda Fox Mark Kozloff, M.D. Gwen Kuger Jonathan B. Lewis, Sr. * Ms. Martina M. Mead Craig R. Milkint Melissa Mounce Mithal Nathaniel W. Pusey † Ms. Christina M. Rashid Megan Burke Rovdebush David J. Seleb Mary Lynne Shafer Fay M. Shong Ilene Simmons Ms. Joan M. Solbeck * Oscar Tatosian Michael Tirpak Karianne Wardell Ms. Cathy Wloch Ms. Anne Zenzer Sustaining Members Mrs. John H. Andersen * Mrs. Gustavo A. Bermudez Mrs. Avrum H. Dannen * Robert F. Finke Mrs. William R. Jentes Chester T. Kamin * Kip Kelley John M. Kohlmeier Mrs. Robert E. Largay James G. McCormick * Ms. Britt M. Miller * John H. Nelson Mrs. Lisbeth Stiffel R. Todd Vieregg Chapters’ Executive Board † Mrs. Sherie Shapiro President † Mrs. Peggy Beata Vice President – Development † Mary Robins Vice President – Community Relations *† Mr. Jonathan Eklund Vice President – Membership † Ms. Ingrid Dubberke Vice President – Program † Mr. David Nellemann Treasurer † Laura Shimkus Secretary Ms. Judith A. Akers Mrs. Gerry Bellanca Ms. Marlene R. Boncosky Mrs. Linda Budzik Mrs. Robert C. DeBolt Mr. Joseph Ender Ms. Erika Erich Ms. Nancy R. Fifield Ms. Margie Franklin Rick Greenman Dennis C. Hayes Mrs. Mary Lunz Houston Virginia Jach Mrs. Jackie Knight * Ms. Kate Letarte Ms. Vee Minarich Mrs. Maria Rigolin Mrs. Carla Thorpe Ms. Claudia Winkler Sustaining Members * Ms. Julie Anne Benson Mrs. William Hamilton * Mrs. Jorge Iorgulescu * Ms. Dorothy Kuechl Lester Marriner Ms. Susan Miller * Ms. Jennie M. Righeimer Mr. and Mrs. Myron Tiersky Life Members * Mrs. Anthony Antoniou * Mrs. J. William Cuncannan * Mr. Roy Fisher * Mrs. Donald Grauer * Mrs. Patrick R. Grogan * Mrs. Merwyn Kind * Mrs. Jonathon R. Laing * Mrs. Frank M. Lieber * Mrs. Howard S. Smith * Mrs. William C. Tippens * Mrs. Dorothy V. Wadley * Mrs. Eugene E. White Chapter Presidents Barrington Mary Robins Evanston Barbara Eckel Far West Judy Marshall Flossmoor Area Ms. Sharon Gibson Glencoe Anne Ruzicka Hinsdale Joseph Ender Hyde Park/Kenwood Ms. Vee Minarich Lake Geneva Vivian Fabbro Keenan Near North Jackie Knight Northfield Ms. Margareta Brown Northwest Ms. Dorothy Kuechl Riverside Mary Kitzberger Wilmette Mrs. Nancy R. Fifield Winnetka Mrs. Julie McDowell Young Professionals Justin Breitfelder President Lisa DeAngelis Vice President Chris Hanig Secretary Jennifer Delagrange Events Chair Claudine Tambuatco YP Outreach Chair Martha Grant Member Engagement Chair Members at Large Ian Cundiff Lena Dickinson Evan Fry Fritzi Getz Laura Guili Amy O’Donnell Liliana Salazar Jaramillo Marne Smiley Tania Tawil JJ Williams Lauren Wood The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Board of Directors Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Honorary Co-Chairs John Nitschke President ^ Jane DiRenzo Pigott Vice President – Fundraising Philip G. Lumpkin Vice President – Fundraising Co-Chair ^ Janet Burch Vice President – New Initiatives ^ Joan Zajtchuk Vice President – Strategic Planning Juliana Chyu Vice President – Strategic Planning Co-Chair Debbie K. Wright Treasurer Roberta Lane Assistant Treasurer Richard W. Shepro Secretary Dan Novak Assistant Secretary * Katherine A. Abelson Nicole M. Arnold *^ Julie Baskes Marcus Boggs Heidi Heutel Bohn ^ Tanja Chevalier Tamara Conway Lawrence O. Corry * Allan Drebin Ms. Erika Erich Sally Feder Anthony Freud Melvin Gray Mrs. Thomas D. Heath Mary Ellen Hennessy Martha A. Hesse Loretta Julian Chester T. Kamin * Kip Kelley *^ Susan Kiphart Jeanne Randall Malkin Robert C. Marks Erma S. Medgyesy Frank B. Modruson Phyllis Neiman Susan Noel Michael A. Oberman Richard O. Ryan Nasrin Thierer * William C. Vance Donna Van Eekeren Mrs. Richard H. Wehman Jack Weiss Life Members * Mrs. Anthony A. Antoniou Mrs. James W. Cozad Bernard J. Dobroski Anne Gross Barbara Heil Howard * Keith A. Reed Orli Staley * Mrs. J. W. Van Gorkom Howard A. Vaughan, Jr. * Former President † Executive Committee ^ Team Chair
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 14 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Roberta Lane Chief Financial Officer Mary Ladish Selander Director of Development Anthony Freud, OBE General Director The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Sir Andrew Davis Music Director John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Endowed Chair Renée Fleming Creative Consultant Drew Landmesser Deputy General Director OFFICE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTOR Anthony Freud General Director The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Linda Nguyen Irvin Manager, Office of the General Director OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GENERAL DIRECTOR Drew Landmesser Deputy General Director Sarah Generes Producer of Classical and Crossover Programming ARTISTIC Andreas Melinat Director of Artistic Planning Cory Lippiello Deputy Director of Artistic Planning Evamaria Wieser Casting Consultant DEVELOPMENT Mary Ladish Selander Director of Development Brandi Hovizi Assistant to the Director of Development Kate Bollier Development Associate Lawrence DelPilar Deputy Director of Development Jonathan P. Siner Senior Director of Planned Giving Lynn Bennett Associate Director of Planned and Major Giving Kristin Atchison Director of Major Gifts Meaghan Stainback Associate Director of Individual Giving Daniel P. Moss Director of Institutional Partnerships Jenny Seidelman Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships Sarah Kull Associate Director of Foundation and Government Partnerships Rachel Peterson Administrative Coordinator – Planned and Individual Giving Pavitra Ramachandran Coordinator of Institutional Partnerships Leslie B. Mastroianni Deputy Director of Development Kate Later Director of Women’s Board Chelsea Southwood Associate Director – Women’s Board Leah Bobbey Women’s Board Administrative Assistant Deborah Hare Assistant Director of Donor Services and Special Events Allison K. Taylor Administrative Coordinator – Donor Services and Special Events Warren M. Davis Deputy Director of Development Amy Tinucci Director of Systems, Reporting, and Donor Records Ellen Barkenbush Director – Individual Giving and Chapters Scott Podraza Associate Director of Annual Giving Michelle Neuffer Manager of Donor Communications Hanna Pristave Manager of Operations and Data Analytics Sarah Geocaris Development Coordinator – Chapters Meghan Pioli Development Coordinator – Donor Stewardship Stephanie Lillie Senior Coordinator – Donor Records and Reporting Andrea Rubens Development Coordinator – Guild Board and Young Professionals Keyana Marshall Donor Records and Reporting Assistant FINANCE Roberta Lane Chief Financial Officer Brent Fisher Director of Finance Aaron Andersen Deputy Director, Budgeting and Forecasting April Krzeczkowski Accounting Supervisor Whitney Bercek Controller Teresa Hogan Payroll Supervisor Ralph Hicks Payroll Analyst Kirsten Alfredsen Payroll Accounting Assistant LeVora Martin Accounts Payable Coordinator Dan Seekman Staff Accountant HUMAN RESOURCES Elizabeth Landon Director of Human Resources Tiffany Tuckett Talent Manager, Administrative Staff Stephanie Strong Benefits Manager Anna VanDeKerchove Office Coordinator INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Will Raj Director of Information Technology Eric Hayes IT Operations Manager Rita Parida Database Administrator Nikoleta Aranassova Systems Administrator René Calvo Associate Systems Administrator Christina Bledsoe Systems Analyst Miles Mabry Technology Support Coordinator Nicole Sankowski Web Content Administrator LYRIC UNLIMITED Cayenne Harris Lyric Unlimited Director Mark Riggleman Director of Education Chapters’ Endowed Chair for Education Alejandra Boyer Director of Community Programs Will Biby Audience Education Manager Todd Snead School Engagement Manager Dana McGarr Lyric Unlimited Coordinator Drew Smith Education Coordinator Jacob Stanton Assistant to the Lyric Unlimited Director MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Lisa Middleton Director of Marketing Holly H. Gilson Deputy Director of Communications Roger Pines Dramaturg Magda Krance Manager of Media Relations Andrew Cioffi Digital Content Producer Kamaria Morris PR Specialist Tracy Galligher Young Deputy Director of Marketing Jennifer Colgan Senior Manager of Sales and Marketing Bailey Couture Marketing Partnership Manager Joel Friend Group Sales Manager Jocelyn Park Creative Project Manager Carrie Krol Graphic Designer Sam Fain Group Sales Associate Margaret Stoltz Marketing Associate Valerie Bromann Digital Marketing Coordinator Brent Fisher Director of Finance Cayenne Harris Lyric Unlimited Director Elizabeth Landon Director of Human Resources Nicholas Ivor Martin Director of Operations and Special Initiatives Andreas Melinat Director of Artistic Planning Lisa Middleton Director of Marketing Dan Novak Director, Ryan Opera Center The Ryan Opera Center Board Endowed Chair Will Raj Director of Information Technology Rich Regan General Manager, Presentations and Events Michael Smallwood Technical Director Allan and Elaine Muchin Endowed Chair
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 15 Stefany Phillips Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Amanda Reitenbach Social Media Coordinator Michael Musick Interim Web and E-Marketing Contractor Ticket Department Susan Harrison Niemi Deputy Director of Audience Services Alex Chatziapostolou (Demas) Sales Manager Laura Waters Customer Service and Call Center Manager Kelly Cronin VIP and Inventory Associate John Renfroe Tessitura Associate – Ticketing Donna Babonas Justin Berkowitz Cassandra Dixon Leigh Folta Harrah Friedlander Katie Galliart Martin Hughes Aleksa Kuzma Steven Landsman Katelyn Lee Benjamin Liupaogo Sara Litchfield LaRob Payton Karlos Piñero-Mercado Lindsey Raker William Roberts Adam Stubitsch Ivo Suarez Zachary Vanderburg Anna VanDeKerchove Mary Kate Von Lehn Tobias Wright Ticket Staff OPERATIONS Nicholas Ivor Martin Director of Operations and Special Initiatives Thomas Young Director of Music Administration Stephanie Karr Chorus, Orchestra, and Ballet Manager Tabitha Boorsma Administrative Coordinator – Operations Wendy Skoczen Chief Librarian Gretchen Eng Music Administration Coordinator Production and Rehearsal Staff Cameron Arens Director of Rehearsal Administration Katrina Bachus Daniel Ellis Jodi Gage Elise Sandell David Toulson Assistant Directors John W. Coleman Chelsea Antrim Dennis Rachel A. Tobias Stage Managers Kristen Barrett Jordan Braun Donald Claxon Rachel Henneberry Daniel Sokalski Peggy Stenger Amy Thompson Bill Walters Sandra Zamora Assistant Stage Managers Ben Bell Bern Rehearsal Scheduler Josie Campbell Artistic Services Coordinator Marina Vecci Rehearsal Associate Isabella Czyrnyj Jeremiah Smith Christine Wagner Rehearsal Assistants PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS Rich Regan General Manager – Presentations and Events Nora O’Malley Facility Operations Manager Sharon Lomasney Presentations and Events Manager and Producer Leslie MacLean Facilities Coordinator Eleanor Sanchez Presentations and Events Coordinator Stephen Dunford Chief Engineer Gregg Brody Box Office Manager Bernard McNeela Engineer Briette Madrid Stage Door Supervisor Nathan Tuttle Facilities Porter TECHNICAL Michael Smallwood Technical Director Allan and Elaine Muchin Endowed Chair April Busch Production Manager Michael Schoenig Technical Finance Manager Madeleine Borg Production Manager – Lyric Unlimited/Ryan Opera Center Scott Wolfson Assistant Technical Director Stephen Snyder Technical Coordinator Joe Dockweiler Master Carpenter Mike Reilly Head Flyman/Automation Jeffrey Streichhirsch Automation Assistant Chris Barker Matt Reilly Rigging/Automation Assistants Robert Barros Shop Carpenter Brian Grenda Layout Carpenter Drew Trusk Shop Welder Bruce Woodruff Layout Welder Richard “Doc” Wren Warehouse Coordinator Dan DiBennardi Ryan McGovern Justin Hull Assistant Carpenters Dan Donahue Robert Hull, Jr. John Ingersol Ray Schmitz Carpenters Chris Maravich Lighting Director Mary-Louis and James S. Aagaard Endowed Chair Heather Sparling Eric Watkins Assistant Lighting Designers Michael C. Reynolds Master Electrician Soren Ersbak Board Operator John Clarke, Jr. Joseph Haack Michael A. Manfrin Robert Reynolds Assistant Electricians Anthony Coia Jason Combs Gary Grenda Thomas Hull Daniel Kuh Jeremy Thomas Electricians Kevin Reynolds Surtitle Operator Joe Schofield Head Audio/Visual Technician Nick Charlan Matt Ebel Audio/Visual Maria DeFabo Properties and Scenic Art Coordinator Charles Reilly Property Master Michael McPartlin Properties Crew Head Phil Marcotte Prop Carpenter Bob Ladd Armorer Rachel Boultinghouse Upholsterer Thomas Coleman, Jr. Robert Hartge Richard Tyriver Assistant Properties Michael Buerger Joseph Collins Kevin Gac Gordon Granger Joe Mathesius John Miulli Michael O’Donnell, Jr. Properties Brian Traynor Charge Artist Tim Morrison Michael Murtagh Scenic Artists Scott Marr Production Design Director Kristi Wood Costume Project Coordinator Maureen Reilly Costume Director The Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Endowed Chair Lucy Lindquist Wardrobe Mistress Bradley Baker Jessica Doan Kate Keefe Cecylia Kinder Krystina Lowe Kathy Rubel Tony Rubino Joanna Rzepka Marguerite Scott Ewa Szylak Barbara Szyllo Maggie Zabieowski Wardrobe Staff Scott Barker Kelly Davis Kim Kostera Anna Krysik Ed Mack Wendy McCay John Salyers Isaac Turner Chris Valente Roger Weir Dressers Sarah Hatten Marlys Beider Wigmaster and Makeup Designer Endowed Chair Kathleen A. Evans Department Coordinator Brittany Crinson Chantelle Marie Johnson Robert Kuper Lynn Koroulis Claire Moores Staff Brook Carlson Lauren Cecil Anelle Eorio June Gearon David Grant Briette Madrid Helen Marchfield Lauren Marchfield Nelson Posada Jada Richardson Anita Trojanowski Daria Wright Wig and Makeup Crew
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 16 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 16 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 TODDROSENBERG BRINGING UNTOLD STORIES TO LIFE Lyric’s groundbreaking Chicago Voices initiative By Kamaria Morris
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 17October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 17 Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant, is the guiding spirit behind Chicago Voices, a two-year program encompassing performances and participatory events that celebrate the city’s highly diverse vocal scene. C hicago is renowned worldwide for its diverse and influential musical life. It’s the home of Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but it’s also, as noted by Rolling Stone magazine, a “central player in the history of American music, from the advent of blues, which was arguably the start of rock & roll.” Beginning in 1950, the legendary Chess Records (now the Blues Heaven Foundation) was making history here, with such spectacular musicians as Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and Chuck Berry creating their distinctive, pioneering interpretations of the blues. Artists as varied as Benny Goodman and Kanye West, Chaka Khan and Ramsay Lewis, Tom Paxton and Mavis Staples, were all born in Chicago. It’s the birthplace of house music and gospel, soul and jazz, each with an unmistakable “Chicago style” of its own. As a self-proclaimed “music fanatic,” Renée Fleming is attracted to every type of music that audiences can enjoy in Chicago. The internationally celebrated soprano is well aware of both the city’s rich musical heritage and Chicago’s continuing emergence as a vocal hotspot. It’s been the ideal city for Fleming to explore musical genres and the human voice over the past six years, in her extraordinary work as Lyric’s creative consultant. In 2013, Fleming developed and hosted American Voices, a week-long music festival for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., later seen as a documentary on the PBS series Great Performances. From that project came Fleming’s desire to take it another step, focusing the activities and lens exclusively on the vibrant musical life of Chicago. Lyric’s general director, Anthony Freud, had been a participant in one of the American Voices seminars. Fleming asked him, “Do you think we can do something like this in Chicago?” The idea appealed immediately to Freud, who was intrigued by its potential to accelerate Lyric’s engagement with communities across the city. “We were all really excited about this new idea, one that would prove to be the most ambitious community-engagement program we have ever taken on,” he says. After numerous discussions, much preliminary research, and two successful pilot programs, a plan materialized with Lyric Unlimited, Lyric’s education/community engagement division, providing the perfect launchpad for Chicago Voices. In January 2016 at The Hideout, a funky northside music venue tucked into Chicago’s Noble Square neighborhood, Chicago Voices was introduced, with Fleming as its guiding spirit. This is a multi-year program, celebrating the city’s vibrant, diverse vocal culture and exploring the untold stories of Chicago communities. There are four signature elements: • Community Created Performances; • a citywide celebration encompassing participatory events and performances; • an all-star, multi-genre gala concert; • expert panels and master classes. Renée Fleming with members of Blu Rhythm Collective, one of the pilot groups for Community Created Performances, at the January 7th launch event. KYLEFLUBACKER
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 18 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 To connect Chicago Voices with communities throughout the city, Lyric is partnering with Chicago Public Library, Chicago History Museum, and Columbia College on the initiative. It was important to both Fleming and Freud that Chicago Voices invite audiences to connect with the musical genres and styles that speak to them. Every aspect of the initiative is meant to celebrate the human voice, while also highlighting and amplifying the narratives of everyday Chicagoans. With those goals firmly in mind, Community Created Performances became Chicago Voices’ first major venture. Shortly after the launch, groups of Chicagoans were invited to submit stories based on their unique communities and what they’ve experienced within those communities. Specifically, Lyric hoped to bring to light parts of life in Chicago that may not appear on the news or in the papers. “We really wanted groups to apply from all backgrounds and skill levels,” says Cayenne Harris, director of Lyric Unlimited. “It was important for us that community members were able to share the stories that were significant and powerful to them.” The application process encouraged groups to define what community they were a part of, and what story their group hoped to tell. Applicants were also asked to utilize the Chicago Public Library 2016 One Book, One Chicago theme, “Chicago: The City That Gives,” to help frame the stories of their communities. From the applicant groups, semifinalists were chosen, after which the public had the opportunity to vote for the stories they found most compelling. The three groups receiving the largest number of votes went through a 16-week creative process to develop an original music-theater work, with the support of a Lyric-hired professional team and a $10,000 stipend. Groups turned their stories into fully- realized productions, which were presented to the public on September 24 in a free performance at the Harris Theater. As a world-class opera company, Lyric presents mainstage performances that are planned years in advance, cast with renowned artists, and rehearsed meticulously from top to bottom, controlled completely by a rigorous and well-travelled path from rehearsal room to stage. When it comes to presenting any production, no detail is overlooked. In contrast, Community Created Performances turns this model on its ear. “We wanted to put the creative control into the hands of communities to tell their own stories through song,” says Freud. “This is exciting for us, as we want to cast a spotlight on the untold stories of Chicagoans and the tremendous creativity that exists in our city.” In an ever-changing digital climate, technology shaped the Community Created Performances in numerous ways. Chicago Public Library (CPL), which in 2015 provided over 2.5 million free internet sessions to Chicago residents in their 80 branches citywide, played a vital role in introducing community members to Chicago Voices. Information sessions were held at 11 neighborhood branches to spread the word about the program, encourage participation, and address any lingering questions community members might have. Groups were able to utilize the library’s computers to apply for the program online. “The Chicago Public Library’s network A major project of Chicago Voices was Chicago SING!, which toured the city last summer to record Chicagoans singing their favorite songs! Harmony, Hope & Healing participants work with animateur Cheryl Coons to define their community’s story; HH&H community lead Marge Nykaza participating in a group story development activity; and Marcia Berry (left) and Wes Cline (right), Harmony, Hope & Healing participants, work together to create the story of A Circle of Hope. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.)
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 20 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 of branches and deep roots in every Chicago neighborhood, along with the free internet access they provide to the public, is invaluable to the success of Chicago Voices,” says Cayenne Harris. Once the application period was officially opened on January 7, many groups applied to tell their story, much to Fleming’s delight. “An amazing range of ensembles applied to be a part of the Community Created Performances,” she recalls. “The diversity and originality was fantastic, and so characteristic of Chicago.” Groups ranged from a spoken-word poetry slam team to a senior-citizen writing circle and an LGBTQ residential community, among others. With the help of a panel comprised of CPL employees, each applicant group’s submission was diligently reviewed and scored based on predetermined criteria, such as the group’s interest in creating a new work and performing it, their community’s story, and the connection to the One Book, One Chicago theme. Eight wonderfully gifted and imaginative groups were selected as semifinalists. Lyric created video profiles for all eight, and featured the profiles online for public voting. More than 16,000 votes were cast before the top three finalist groups emerged: Harmony, Hope & Healing; Kirin- Gornick Band; and Tellin’ Tales Theatre. Harmony, Hope & Healing (HHH) provides music-based programming to homeless and underserved communities, offering emotional and spiritual support to help them prevail daily over their struggles to achieve better lives. HHH works throughout many neighborhoods in south and west Chicago, training their more than 800 participants in holistic healing methods through music and the arts. Using the curative power of music, HHH offers participants the means to develop the inner resources to break the cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse. The story of the Kirin-Gornick Band (KGB) follows the lifelong collaboration of the group members, revealing how the rich history of traditional Eastern European tambura music impacts people’s lives in Chicago. This music is deeply integrated in the culture and community of the former Yugoslavia and has long been responsible for helping bring together people from disputing backgrounds. The band members have continued that pattern by maintaining their lifelong connections to both their Chicagoan and Croatian roots. They bring these connections to life by performing at many cultural events and celebrations across the city. Tellin’ Tales Theatre (TTT) provides unique opportunities for members, both with and without physical and mental disabilities, to perform together. Their group shares personal stories of their company members about the daily struggles of life, pointing out the ways in which our differences make us the same. TTT has successfully created a sense of community for its performers, while encouraging them to express their personal stories with the world in a theatrical setting. Starting in June 2016, the three groups embarked on the journey to bring their stories to the stage. “For the finalists, the creative process began the most exciting period, making their ideas come to life with professional support from Lyric,” says Fleming. “And it was thrilling for us, too, seeing authentic voices of Chicago’s communities take shape onstage.” Each group was supported in the process by an artistic team, including animateurs (facilitators), scriptwriters, songwriters, directors, and a production and costume designer. Groups met with their teams beginning in June for 4-6 hours per week in unique Members of Kirin-Gornick Band, one of the three winning groups in the Community Created Performances program: (top left) Julie Hughes playing the prìm as part of KGB’s work, Kumovi; (top right) participants in KGB read through their original work for friends and family; (bottom left)songwriter Mike Przygoda and director Jess McLeod, members of the artistic team, collaborating with KGB to create their work. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.) Visit the Chicago Voices Community Created Performances photo exhibit in the downstairs Opera Club at the Civic Opera House!
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 22 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 rehearsal settings that worked best for the participants. The three groups’ locations represent the southwest (KGB), west (HHH), and north (TTT) regions of Chicago. The groups, ranging from 10-25 individuals, including their creative teams, met in large spaces that allowed for group activities, such as theaters, churches, and community centers. During the first five weeks, each group utilized story-building exercises and activities, such as improvisation techniques and group storytelling. This helped the animateur and scriptwriter develop the group’s chosen story and assist them in producing an appropriate script. After the story’s building blocks were securely in place, the songwriter, with significant input from the group’s participants, helped turn elements of that story into a score accompanying the script. Once script and songwriting were complete, staging of each show began, led by the director, and the stories of each group began to emerge. “All of the HHH participants involved in this program have truly enjoyed the process of preparing to craft and perform the HHH Story,” says the group’s community lead, Marge Nykaza. “It has been a time of great introspection for individuals and a time of great joy for our community.” Sophie Wingland, who serves as animateur for KGB notes, “This project has the potential to build so many bridges between never-before-connected groups of people.” For scriptwriter Erin Austin of TTT, “My personal goal as scriptwriter is to help shape the group’s story in a way that conveys the issues and themes that are important to them, while celebrating the ideas of each member of the ensemble in one way or another.” Austin heard a TTT group member comment during the creative process, “Don’t assume if you don’t have a voice, you can’t speak. And if you can’t move, that doesn’t mean you can’t dance. Don’t ask if someone can or can’t do something. Instead, ask how they can do it.” The artistic teams worked with the groups to develop their stories into original songs and scripts that would become the performance presented to the public on September 24 as Chicago Voices Presents: Stories and Songs of Chicago at the Harris Theater. Before this final performance, the groups each presented portions of their work for public readings at venues in their own communities. The Community Created Performances program (which will be offered again in 2017) and the broader Chicago Voices initiative were created out of a desire for Lyric to expand the traditional role of an opera company within the community. In January and February of 2017, Chicago Voices will present a series of events geared to further highlight the city’s vocal culture. A planned set of talks and performances at the Chicago History Museum will explore musical styles with Chicago ties such as gospel, classical, and hip-hop. On the weekend of February 2-4, 2017, a multi-day series of expert panels and master classes will be presented in partnership with Columbia College Chicago. These events will coincide with the Chicago Voices Gala Concert, a special, one-night-only musical celebration featuring superstar artists from a variety of genres at Lyric’s legendary Civic Opera House on the evening of February 4, 2017. Performers include Fleming, John Prine, Matthew Polenzani, Shemekia Copeland, The Handsome Family, and others. “I believe that we’ve created something for everyone,” says Renée Fleming. “I’m truly fascinated by the many voices that make Chicago the city that it is. Whether you are an opera singer or someone who just sings in the shower, singing is a vital part of every culture. The voice is the musical instrument that each of us is born with – possibly our most elemental, personal form of artistic expression – and I believe it can help bring us together.” Kamaria Morris is Lyric’s public relations specialist. Tellin’ Tales Theatre community lead Tekki Lomnicki and participant Alexa Wohlfort create original music for FREEDOM out of order; songwriter Megan Elk leads a songwriting session with participants of Tellin’ Tales Theatre; Michael Herzovi and Molly Wiesman work on developing music for TTT’s work. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.) Chicago Voices is made possible by major support from J. Thomas Hurvis and Parent Power Chicago, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. This project is partially supported by The Chicago Community Trust, an IncentOvate Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, and the Eisen Family Foundation. Additional support for Chicago Voices Fest is provided by Bank of America.
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 24 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 TERRENCEMcCARTHY/SANFRANCISCOOPERA New-to-Chicago Production Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor PRODUCTION SPONSORS Stefan Edlis and Sylvia Neil and Gael Neeson Daniel Fischel
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 25 LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Synopsis In a feud between the Scottish families of Ravenswood and Lammermoor, Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor wrongfully holds the estates of Edgardo of Ravenswood. In addition, Enrico’s political activity against the king has placed him in a perilous situation, and he has resolved to reestablish his family’s position by marrying his sister Lucia to Lord Arturo Bucklaw. ACT ONE Scene 1. Normanno orders his henchmen to discover the identity of the man whom Lucia is secretly meeting each day before dawn. Enrico is frustrated because he cannot persuade his sister to accept a marriage that will save him politically, and Normanno tells him his suspicions concerning Lucia’s lover. Enrico’s outburst is interrupted by the return of his men confirming that Lucia’s lover is in fact his enemy Edgardo. Scene 2. Lucia awaits Edgardo in the woods by a fountain whose legend of a bloody phantom alternately fascinates and repels her. Edgardo arrives with the news that he must leave for Enrico (Ashley Holland) forces Lucia (Natalie Dessay) to sign the marriage contract: a tense moment from Act Two of Lyric's 2003-04 production. TIME: Early 18th century PLACE: Scotland ACT ONE Scene 1. The vicinity of Ravenswood Castle Scene 2. The grounds at Lammermoor Castle ACT TWO Scene 1. Enrico’s chambers Scene 2. The Great Hall of Lammermoor Castle Intermission ACT THREE Scene 1. The castle tower at Ravenswood Scene 2. The Great Hall of Lammermoor Castle Scene 3. The Ravenswood cemetery France. He tells Lucia that before departing he wishes to ask Enrico for her hand in marriage. Terrified of her brother’s reaction, Lucia begs him not to. She tries to calm him when he renews his vows of vengeance upon her family. They solemnly pledge their troth by exchanging rings and vows of eternal fidelity, promising to write during their separation. ACT TWO Scene 1. In his fury at his sister’s betrayal, Enrico has concluded marriage preparations for the union of his sister with Arturo. Despite his insistence, Enrico has failed to secure Lucia’s consent to this arranged marriage. Lucia remains obstinate even when presented with a letter, forged in Edgardo’s handwriting, announcing his marriage to another woman. Enrico explodes in rage against his sister. At Raimondo’s fervent pleading, the exhausted Lucia finally gives in. Scene 2. The wedding party has assembled and Lucia has scarcely signed the marriage contract when Edgardo bursts into the castle demanding an explanation. Upon seeing the contract with Lucia’s signature, he curses her and her family forever. Enrico finally places his sister’s hand in Arturo’s. ACT THREE Scene 1. In a tower of Edgardo’s gloomy castle, Enrico arrives at night to challenge him to a duel the next morning. Scene 2. The wedding celebration is in progress when Raimondo brings the terrible news that Lucia has slain her bridegroom and has gone mad. In her delirium, Lucia wanders into the hall and imagines a wedding ceremony with her beloved Edgardo. Enrico returns and finds his sister insane. He suffers remorse as she loses all reason while begging Edgardo to pray at her tomb. Scene 3. Unaware of all that has happened, Edgardo imagines Lucia’s happiness with Arturo and berates her for her infidelity. A party of mourners leaving the castle brings word of Lucia’s misfortune. As Edgardo sets off to see her one last time, Raimondo stops him with the news of Lucia’s death. In his grief, Edgardo stabs himself, hoping to be reunited with Lucia in heaven. Reprinted by permission of San Francisco Opera. DANREST
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 27 • Scenery realized by the Foundation of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Grand Théâtre de Genève. • Additional costumes by Seams Unlimited. • Projected English titles © 2003 by Francis Rizzo. • Lyric Opera of Chicago Broadcasts are generously sponsored by the Caerus Foundation, Inc., with matching funding provided by The Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum Family, The John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Foundation, and The Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Family. • Lyric Opera of Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support of the NIB Foundation Italian Opera Endowed Chair. • Lyric Opera of Chicago wishes to thank its Official Airline, American Airlines. • This season’s projected English titles are funded in part by a generous grant from the Lloyd E. Rigler- Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation. • The performance will last approximately three hours. New-to-Chicago Production Gaetano Donizetti LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Opera in three acts in Italian Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, after Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) First performed at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on September 26, 1835 First performed by Lyric Opera on November 15, 1954 Characters in order of vocal appearance: Normanno MATTHEW DiBATTISTA Lord Enrico Ashton QUINN KELSEY°° Raimondo Bidebent ADRIAN SÂMPETREAN* Lucia Ashton ALBINA SHAGIMURATOVA Alisa LINDSAY METZGER° Sir Edgardo of Ravenswood PIOTR BECZAŁA Lord Arturo Bucklaw JONATHAN JOHNSON° Conductor ENRIQUE MAZZOLA* Director GRAHAM VICK Set and Costume Designer PAUL BROWN Revival Production Designer ELENA CICORELLA* Lighting Designer CHRIS MARAVICH Chorus Master MICHAEL BLACK Wigmaster and Makeup Designer SARAH HATTEN Associate Director MARINA BIANCHI* Assistant Director DANIEL ELLIS Stage Manager RACHEL A. TOBIAS Stage Band Conductor STEVEN MOSTELLER* Musical Preparation KEUN-A LEE MARIO ANTONIO MARRA° STEVEN MOSTELLER* Fight Director CHUCK COYL Projected English Titles FRANCIS RIZZO * Lyric debut ° Current member, Ryan Opera Center °° Alumnus, Ryan Opera Center
P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 28 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 ALBINA SHAGIMURATOVA (Lucia Ashton) Previously at Lyric: Gilda/Rigoletto (2012-13). Iconic coloratura roles in 19th-century Italian opera have been central to the career of the internationally celebrated Russian soprano. She has triumphed as Lucia (Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, role debut in Houston), Violetta (Houston, Moscow), and Gilda (Lyric, San Francisco). This season Shagimuratova marks her return to Houston Grand Opera as Konstanze (she is a proud alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio), the Vienna State Opera as Donna Anna, and Covent Garden as Aspasia/Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto. Having attracted international attention as Gold Medal winner of Moscow’s 2007 Tchaikovsky Competition, Shagimuratova debuted in Europe under Riccardo Muti as the Queen of the Night (Salzburg Festival). Closely identified with that role, she has sung it at the Met, the Lucerne Festival, the Bolshoi, La Scala (DVD), Covent Garden, and the leading houses of Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. Recent successes onstage also include Konstanze (Met, role debut), Lyudmila/Ruslan and Lyudmila (Bolshoi), Donna Anna (Glyndebourne, also in Covent Garden’s production in London and for Japan tour), and Violetta (Bolshoi). Concert works have brought Shagimuratova to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Danish National Symphony. PIOTR BECZAŁA (Edgardo of Ravenswood) Previously at Lyric: Title role/Faust (2009-10). One of today’s most sought- after artists, the Polish tenor has triumphed as Edgardo at the Metropolitan Opera and in San Francisco, Vienna, and Zurich. Other starring roles at the Met include the Duke of Mantua (debut, 2006), Lensky, the Prince/Rusalka, Rodolfo, Romeo, Faust, and Des Grieux. In 2013 Beczała premiered the Met’s new Rigoletto, earning the ECHO Klassik “Singer of the Year” Award for its DVD release. Closely associated with the Zurich Opera House, Beczała is also a great favorite at the Salzburg Festival, and the state operas of Munich and Vienna. He has also starred with the major companies of Hamburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, Geneva, Bologna, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg. Among Beczała’s stage successes last season were his first Lohengrin (Dresden’s Semperoper) and a new production of Werther (Opéra National de Paris). Highlights this season include Beczała’s return to Zurich (The Land of Smiles), Barcelona (Werther), and Vienna (Un ballo in maschera). Beczała celebrated his 20th stage anniversary in 2012 with a concert at Warsaw’s famous Teatr Wielki. The tenor has documented his artistry in an exceptionally varied discography and videography, with new releases including Rusalka (DVD, Met) and his fifth solo album, entitled “The French Collection.” QUINN KELSEY (Enrico Ashton) Previously at Lyric: 15 roles since 2003-04, most recently Count di Luna/Il trovatore (2014- 15); Germont/La traviata (2013-14); Paolo/Simon Boccanegra (2012-13). The Hawaiian baritone’s Enrico has earned acclaim at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Oper Frankfurt. A Ryan Opera Center alumnus and 2015 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Award, Kelsey is in demand for Verdi, Puccini, and French roles internationally. Recent successes include debuts at Covent Garden (La traviata – he returns this season for Il trovatore) and the Opéra National de Paris (Rigoletto, new Claus Guth production). Last season Kelsey returned to the Met as Marcello/ La bohème, previously heard at Lyric and in San Francisco (where he returns as Rigoletto next spring). In addition to his celebrated Rigoletto (Toronto, London, new productions in Zurich, Oslo, Santa Fe), Kelsey’s achievements in Verdi include Falstaff (Saito Kinen Festival), Ezio/ Attila (San Francisco), Paolo/Simon Boccanegra (Rome), Amonasro (Bregenz, San Francisco), Count di Luna (Dresden, San Francisco), and Montfort/Les vêpres siciliennes (new Oper Frankfurt production). His operatic repertoire also encompasses Sancho/Don Quichotte (Toronto), Zurga/The Pearl Fishers (English National Opera), Athanaël/Thaïs (Edinburgh Festival), and the Forester/The Cunning Little Vixen (Saito Kinen Festival, Florence’s Teatro Comunale). Kelsey has presented recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall, and has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the San Francisco Symphony (CD, Grammy winner). ADRIAN SÂMPETREAN (Raimondo Bidebent) Lyric debut The Romanian bass, a native of Cluj-Napoca, studied at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in his home city under his father, bass Mircea Sâmpetrean. After earning awards in numerous major competitions, Sâmpetrean made his stage debut as Colline/ La bohème in his hometown’s National Opera, where he sang Donizetti’s Raimondo in 2007. That year Sâmpetrean joined the Opera Studio of Munich’s Bavarian State Opera. Guest engagements followed in Bologna, Monte Carlo, and with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf-Duisburg. The bass continues to return frequently to the latter company, where he has sung such major roles as Raimondo, Don Basilio/The Barber of Seville, Sparafucile/ Rigoletto, Oroveso/Norma, King Philip/Don Carlo, and Ramfis/Aida. In his still-young career Sâmpetrean has already earned successes at La Scala (title role/Verdi’s Oberto and Banco/ Macbeth), the Salzburg Festival (Ferrando/Il trovatore, Leporello/Don Giovanni – he has also sung the latter role at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and in Amsterdam), the Aix-en-Provence Festival (Selim/Il turco in Italia), and the state operas of Hamburg (Raimondo) and Berlin (Ferrando/Il trovatore). Sâmpetrean returned to Salzburg in August for concert performances of a rarely performed work, Otto Nicolai’s Il Templario. Highlights this season include return engagements at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Aïda, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Carlo. JONATHAN JOHNSON (Lord Arturo Bucklaw) Previously at Lyric: Six roles since 2014-15, most recently Innkeeper/Der Rosenkavalier, Raoul de St. Brioche/The Merry Widow, Don Curzio/The Marriage of Figaro (all 2015-16). A third-year Ryan Opera Center member and a native of Macon, Georgia, the tenor first appeared in Chicago in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias with the Civic Orchestra, before debuting at Lyric in Capriccio. His upcoming performances in the current season include Rodriguez/Don Quichotte (Lyric), Fenton/ Falstaff (San Diego Opera), and Frederic/The Pirates of Penzance (Lyric Opera of Kansas City). He recently debuted at Portland Opera as Lindoro/L’italiana in Algeri, with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic (with Grammy-winning trumpet player Chris Botti). His leading roles at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he received a master’s degree and a Professional Artist Certificate, included Ruggero/La rondine, Lechmere/Owen Wingrave, Azaël/Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue, and Fenton/The Merry Wives of Windsor. Other major performance credits include the “Beyond the Aria” series (Chicago’s Harris Theater), Ezekiel Cheever/The Crucible (Piedmont Opera), and the title role/Candide
P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 29 and Rev. Horace Adams/Peter Grimes (both at the Aspen Summer Music Institute). Jonathan Johnson is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. William C. Vance. LINDSAY METZGER (Alisa) Previously at Lyric: Second Noble Orphan/ Der Rosenkavalier, Second Peasant Girl/The Marriage of Figaro (both 2015-16). The Mundelein, Illinois native, a mezzo-soprano in her second year with the Ryan Opera Center, returns to the Lyric stage later this season as Garcias/Don Quichotte and Mercédès/Carmen. She spent two summers as an apprentice art- ist with Des Moines Metro Opera where she performed in such productions as La rondine, Eugene Onegin, and Don Giovanni. She is also a former studio artist with Milwaukee’s Floren- tine Opera (Giannetta/L’elisir d’amore). Among her recent portrayals are the title role/Cinder- ella (Lyric Unlimited’s community engage- ment program “Opera in the Neighborhoods”), Daphne/Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers (Chicago’s Haymarket Opera Company), Cherubino/The Marriage of Figaro (La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy), Nella/Gianni Schicchi (DuPage Opera Theatre), the title role/Ariodante, Béatrice/ Béatrice et Bénédict, and Beppe/L’amico Fritz (all at the University of Wisconsin-Madison). Metzger debuted with the Grant Park Symphony singing the soprano solo in Fauré’s Requiem. Among her numerous awards are the Paul Collins Fellowship from University of Wisconsin-Madi- son and the Virginia Cooper Meier Award from the Musician’s Club of Women. Lindsay Metzger is sponsored by an Anonymous Donor. MATTHEW DiBATTISTA (Normanno) Previously at Lyric: Faninal’s Majordomo/Der Rosenkavalier (2015-16); Servant/Capriccio (2014- 15); Third Esquire/Parsifal (2013-14). The Boston-born tenor earned critical acclaim last summer as the Dancing Master/Ariadne auf Naxos, his eighth role at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Other recent career highlights include the four Valet Tenors/Les contes d’Hoffmann (Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Colorado, Palm Beach Opera), Flute/A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Boston Lyric Opera), Camille Raquin/ Tobias Picker’s Thérèse Raquin (Long Beach Opera, Chicago Opera Theater), Curley/Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men (Tulsa Opera), and Flavio/Norma (Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood). The tenor recently joined the Metropolitan Opera roster for Romeo and Juliet. His repertoire at the Glimmerglass Festival has included Falstaff, Of Mice and Men, Central Park, and The Mother of Us All. Among his many other successes have been contemporary roles – Louis/Angels in America (Opera Boston), Steve Hubble/A Streetcar Named Desire (Virginia Opera), Jasper Vanderbilt/The Rivals (Skylight Opera Theatre, world premiere), the title role/The Good Soldier Schweik (Long Beach Opera), Eddie Fislinger/Elmer Gantry (Tulsa Opera) – and more familiar works including Tosca (Denver) and Pagliacci (New Orleans). ENRIQUE MAZZOLA (Conductor) Lyric debut The Italian conductor is artistic and music director of the Orchestre National d’Ile de France, resident orchestra of the Philharmonie, Paris’s newest concert hall. Greatly admired internationally in bel canto, Mazzola has conducted that repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera (L’elisir d’amore), Glyndebourne (last season’s company premiere of Poliuto, this season’s new production of The Barber of Seville), La Scala (Don Pasquale), the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (L’italiana in Algeri), the Bolshoi Theatre (La sonnambula), and the major houses of Strasbourg, Berlin, and Tokyo. Bel canto also highlights Mazzola’s operatic work this season, including performances at Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino) and the Zurich Opera House (I puritani, The Barber of Seville). Mazzola has inaugurated a Meyerbeer cycle at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, beginning with Dinorah (2014) and continuing with Vasco da Gama/L’africaine (2015). Other recent highlights include many highly successful orchestraldebuts,notablytheViennaSymphony, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Oslo Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Mazzola has earned acclaim at major European festivals, including those of Munich, Aix-en-Provence, Pesaro (Rossini Opera Festival), and Venice (Biennale), among others. The conductor is former artistic and music director of Montepulciano’s Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte. GRAHAM VICK (Director) Previously at Lyric: The Queen of Spades (2000- 01); Un re in ascolto (1997- 98); The Rake’s Progress (1994-95). Artistic director of Birmingham Opera Company, the British director has repeatedly undertaken pioneering work there that has consistently attracted extraordinary international attention. New productions directed by Vick this season include Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Royal Danish Opera), Death in Venice (Deutsche Oper Berlin), and Idomeneo (Göteborg Opera). His career has encompassed productions of Wagner works at the Royal Opera House, Chausson in Paris, Verdi at La Scala and Vienna, Mozart at the Salzburg Festival, Monteverdi in Bologna, Schoenberg and Shostakovich at the Metropolitan Opera, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev at the Mariinsky Theatre, zarzuela repertoire in Madrid, and Rossini in Pesaro. In addition to major stage works of Ravi Shankar, Jonathan Dove, and Karlheinz Stockhausen in Birmingham, Vick’s collaborations with living composers include operas by Luciano Berio (Un re in ascolto, London, Paris, Chicago; Outis, La Scala), Stephen Oliver (Timon Of Athens, English National Opera), and most recently Georg Friedrich Haas (Morgen und Abend, Royal Opera House). A past winner of the Italian music critics’ Abbiati Prize (six times), Britain’s South Bank Show Award for Opera (twice), and Spain’s Campoamor Prize, Vick is also a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s 2009 Birthday Honours List. (See Director’s Note, page 37.) PAUL BROWN (Set and Costume Designer) Previously at Lyric: Thaïs (2002-03). The Welsh designer is closely associated with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he debuted in 1991 with Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto directed by Graham Vick. Other ROH productions include collaborations with Vick (King Arthur, The Midsummer Marriage, Falstaff), Elijah Moshinsky (I masnadieri), and Jonathan Kent (Tosca, Manon Lescaut). Brown’s work has also been hailed at Glyndebourne (Lulu, Pelléas et Mélisande, The Turn of the Screw, The Fairy Queen, Don Giovanni, Hippolyte et Aricie) and English National Opera (The Flying Dutchman). Among his extensive European credits are Peter Grimes and Parsifal (Paris), Guillaume Tell
P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 30 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 (Pesaro), Mefistofele (Amsterdam), Tristan und Isolde (Berlin), and War and Peace, Elektra, and Die Frau ohne Schatten (St. Petersburg). This season he designs Vick’s new productions of Idomeneo (Göteborg) and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Copenhagen). American credits include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Moses und Aron (Metropolitan Opera) and Katya Kabanova and The Tempest (The Santa Fe Opera). He has worked with Jonathan Kent on many productions at the Almeida Theatre, including Coriolanus, Richard II, King Lear, The Tempest, and Platonov. Other designs include Man of La Mancha (Broadway) and Philip Haas’s films Angels and Insects and Up at the Villa. ELENA CICORELLA (Revival Production Designer) Lyric debut The Italian designer has been associated with many Italian companies, most recently for L’italiana in Algeri (revival production designer, Florence), the Ring cycle (costume design supervisor, Palermo), and Les contes d’Hoffmann (costume designer, Novara). She has worked with such acclaimed directors as Graham Vick (Lucia di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena, Ring cycle, Die Gezeichneten), Giorgio Marini (Lady in the Dark, The Turn of the Screw, Morte dell’aria, Il Cordovano, The Bear, Iolanta, L’Olimpiade, Orfeo), Marco Gandini (La traviata, Tancredi, Le due contesse, Il duello), Francesco Micheli (Il trovatore), Walter Sutcliffe (Otello), and film director Terry Gilliam (The Damnation of Faust), for such prestigious theaters as La Scala, Teatro Massimo, Teatro Real, and Teatro Regio Turin and Parma. Cicorella has designed for La Scala (Carillon), and non-operatic venues in Milan – among them the Verdi Theatre (Histoire du Soldat/Il violino, il soldato, il diavolo), CRT Theatre (Lo zero transparente), and Paolo Grassi Theater (La calandria). In the United States, Cicorella was revival production designer for Lucia di Lammermoor (San Francisco), and costume designer and head of costume department for Terra incognita in the Contemporary World Drama Festival. Other international experience includes Beijing (Samson et Dalila), Croatia (Tosca), Korea (Aida), Serbia, and Portugal (both Carmen). CHRIS MARAVICH (Lighting Designer) Previously at Lyric: The Merry Widow (2015- 16); Pepe Martínez and Leonard Foglia’s El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (world premiere, 2014-15). Currently Lyric’s lighting director, Maravich served in the same position from 2006 to 2012 at San Francisco Opera, where he has created lighting for many of the company’s productions, including The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Così fan tutte, Turandot, Cyrano de Bergerac, Il trittico, Tosca, Simon Boccanegra, Don Giovanni, Nixon in China, and Attila. Maravich has collaborated on the lighting designs for Doktor Faust at Oper Stuttgart, Tannhäuser for the Greek National Opera, and La fanciulla del West, The Makropulos Case, The Daughter of the Regiment, Il trovatore, Samson et Dalila, and Macbeth for San Francisco Opera. He has also designed lighting for Opera Colorado, San Diego Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Florida Grand Opera, Madison Opera, Cal Performances, and Opera San José. Chris Maravich is the Mary-Louis and James S. Aagaard Endowed Chair. MICHAEL BLACK (Chorus Master) Previously at Lyric: Chorus master since 2013- 14; interim chorus master, 2011-12. Lyric’s chorus master’s activities earlier this year, following the opera season, included continuing his association with the Grant Park Music Festival by preparing the chorus for Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust. Chorus master from 2001 to 2013 at Opera Australia in Sydney, Black prepared the OA chorus for more than 90 operas and many concert works. He has served in the same capacity on four continents. His work has been recorded and/or aired on ABC, BBC, PBS, and for many HD productions in movie theaters as well as on television. Among the distinguished organizations with which he has been associated are the Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Park Opera (London), and, in Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (including Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, led by Vladimir Ashkenazy), Philharmonia Choir, Motet Choir, and Cantillation chamber choir. He has been a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, of which he is an alumnus. Black also holds a master’s degree in musicology from the University of New South Wales. SARAH HATTEN (Wigmaster and Makeup Designer) Lyric’s wigmaster and makeupdesignerhasworked in a wide repertoire at Des Moines Metro Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Columbus Opera, Toledo Opera, the Cabrillo Music Festival, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has also worked at the Glimmerglass Festival and the major opera companies of Los Angeles, Omaha, Cleveland, Sarasota, and Central City, as well as at Wisconsin’s American Players Theatre and, in Los Angeles, the Pantages Theatre and the Geffen Playhouse. Hatten earned a B. A. in music at Simpson College. Sarah Hatten is the Marlys Beider Wigmaster and Makeup Designer Endowed Chair. MARINA BIANCHI (Associate Director) Lyric debut The director’s productions of a highly varied repertoire have been seen in many major houses throughout her native Italy. Among her most important credits are The Marriage of Figaro (La Scala), Falstaff (Teatro Regio in Parma, Teatro San Carlo in Naples), Carmen (Teatro Lirico in Cagliari), Hans Krása’s Brundibar (Opera di Firenze), and both Cavalleria rusticana and a rarity of French opera, Adolphe Adam’s Le Toréador (Palermo’s Teatro Massimo). Highlights this season include a revival of the director’s Dido and Aeneas production at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and Falstaff at Genoa’s Teatro Carlo Felice. Last season Bianchi served as assistant director for the highly successful new production of La traviata at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera (to be revived at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts this season) that marked film director Sofia Coppola’s operatic directorial debut. Supernumeraries (Lucia di Lammermoor) Dennis Delavara* Kenneth Giambrone* Michael C. Goode Ed Husayko* Joshua Lee Michael Lieberman* Henry “Hank” Mandziara Jeff Mariola Michael Ortyl* Kayhon Safavi* John Cameron Sharrock Mario Solis* James Stanis* William “Doc” Syverson Theo Vlahopoulos* Edward Voci * I. Ham Wagner Pete Walters* *Regular supernumerary
T H E Y T O O K YO U T O YO U R F I R S T P E R F O R M A N C E Honor them by naming a seat If your love for the arts was passed down by your parents or grandparents, what better way to honor that tradition than by naming a seat at the Civic Opera House in their honor? Starting at just $2,500, you can etch their name on an Ardis Krainik Theatre seat as a beautiful commemoration of an anniversary, a retirement, or even a way to memorialize your loved one. Call 312.827.5696 to learn more about this unique and special way to celebrate your shared love for the arts.
Lyric Opera and The Second City join forces once again to explore Richard Wagner and everyone’s favorite four-day, fifteen-hour opera, the Ring cycle. Note: Show may contain inaccurate German accents. Performed backstage in the William Mason Rehearsal Hall at Lyric’s Civic Opera House with cabaret-style seating, including table service. 6 PERFORMANCES ONLY! Thurs., Oct. 27 at 7pm Fri., Oct. 28 at 2pm + 7pm Sat., Oct. 29 at 2pm Sun., Oct.30 at 1pm + 4pm Generous support provided by
O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 33 G aetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott (1819), is the only opera still regularly performed among the dozens derived from Scott’s popular tales. Scott was a master of plot development and characterization informed by psychological insight and broad human sympathies. He generally avoided contemporary settings, preferring adventures set against historical backdrops such as the Crusades, the Norman conquest of England, and Highlander rebellions in Scotland. The popular appeal of his novels, amounting almost to a mania across much of 19th-century Europe, is easily understood. But to turn even the most appealing novel into an opera is a challenging enterprise. Why are so many more operas derived from plays (The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Norma, Ernani, Rigoletto, La forza del destino, Don Carlos, Otello, Falstaff, Tosca, Madama Butterfly) than from narrative fiction (Carmen, La bohème, Manon Lescaut)? A play doesn’t need to be dramatized, rendering adaptation vastly simpler. By contrast, a novel (Prosper Mérimée’s Carmen), short story (Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice), or narrative poem (Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin) demands a more elaborate reworking of the material to provide a suitable structure for opera. When drawing a libretto from a lengthy novel such as The Bride of Lammermoor or Cervantes’s Don Quixote, there is the additional requirement of extreme condensation: numerous episodes and characters, as well as long stretches of narration without dialogue, must be ruthlessly pared down to reach the librettist’s goal: a skeletal frame that will be brought to flesh-and-blood life by music. In this respect, the achievement of Lucia librettist Salvadore Cammarano is monumental. Cammarano directly addressed the difficulties in his preface to Lucia’s first published libretto. There he noted that in converting the novel from narrative to libretto, he had to surmount “numerous obstacles” by effecting changes to the story, including the omission of several important characters and altering Edgar Ravenswood’s death. These changes, Cammarano insisted, shouldn’t be seen as impertinent meddling with a great literary work, but as decisions made necessary by restrictions of the dramatic medium. In fact, there’s rather more to it: also involved are formal conventions of opera and the practical considerations of a busy theatrical season in 1830s Naples. Several episodes from the novel will illustrate these points. Edgar’s shocking arrival during Lucy’s wedding is presented in the third-to-last chapter of Scott’s novel. Having been deceived into believing that Edgar has broken his vow and abandoned her, Lucy reluctantly signs the marriage contract binding her to Arthur Bucklaw. Immediately after she places her signature on the document, Edgar intrudes, to everyone’s amazement, and demands an account of the goings-on. Up to this point, Cammarano’s libretto follows Scott to the letter, but then comes a striking divergence: in the novel a lengthy discussion ensues, with many characters taking part. Lucy’s brother insists on his right to challenge the intruder to a duel, and Arthur Bucklaw responds by insisting that it is he, Lucy’s husband, who should demand an accounting from Edgar. Then the officiating cleric cites a biblical passage (Numbers 30:5-6) to support the contention that Lucy’s previous vows to Edgar are not binding. Throughout this part of the conversation, Edgar insists that Lucy alone provide the explanation he seeks, but she contributes just five faltering words. Once Edgar examines the contract and is convinced that Lucy has willingly reneged on her vows to him, he seizes the gold piece he had given her as a pledge – along with the written counterpart to that pledge that Lucy’s mother had secured – and throws both items into the chimney fire before taking his leave. This is the source from which Cammarano devised the text for one of Donizetti’s most From Lucy to Lucia By Jesse Rosenberg Sir Walter Scott’s demure heroine, Lucy Ashton, depicted in an early edition of Scott’s novel. June Anderson in the mad scene at Lyric, 1990-91 season. TONYROMANO
If you have been thrilled by the operas you’ve seen, you may wish to consider making a charitable bequest to Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planned giving is a meaningful way to ensure Lyric will continue producing grand opera of the highest quality. A gift to Lyric creates a beautiful legacy that will be enjoyed by thousands for years to come. All Planned Givers become members of Lyric’s Overture Society, and enjoy exclusive benefits. If you would like further information, please contact Jonathan Siner, Lyric’s Senior Director of Planned Giving, at (312) 827-5677 or jsiner@ lyricopera.org or Lynn Bennett, Lyric’s Associate Director of Planned and Major Giving, at (312) 827-5688 or lbennett@lyricopera.org. “Don’t just dream about Lyric Opera! Help fortify Lyric’s endowment by designating your planned gift to the Breaking New Ground campaign. Call us to explore naming opportunities, including the Upper Balcony, Mezzanine Boxes, Dressing Rooms, Peacock Alley and Catwalk. Etch your name in Lyric’s history book, leaving your legacy for future generations. Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Quichotte Name Lyric in your estate plan.” KenHowardISanDiegoOpera
O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 35 O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 35 glorious musical accomplishments: the so-called “sextet” (Donizetti and Cammarano designated it a finale, and it’s actually laid out as a quartet with chorus, with two further solo roles merely doubling certain lines present in the ensemble). Cammarano realized that the prima donna’s part in this crucial scene couldn’t be limited to the five words she pronounces in the novel. Although Scott’s Lucy is too stunned to say more, she’s obviously feeling a great deal here. This scene naturally calls for a prominent vocal presence for Donizetti’s heroine, which in turn calls for words – that is, additional text. Given that the text is sung by the star soprano, it naturally dominates the musical texture. Cammarano also understood that while the novel’s various characters express their reactions in succession, Donizetti’s music could unite them simultaneously, gathering them into an imposing sonic mass to create maximum excitement. With this in mind, Cammarano crafted equivalent-length stanzas for each soloist as well as the chorus, guaranteeing that all parts could work together as a cohesive musical climax. It doesn’t detract from Donizetti’s genius to point out how dependent he was on the framework provided by Cammarano. To be sure, Donizetti took the ball, ran with it, scoring a touchdown – but he couldn’t have taken the ball in the first place had Cammarano not expertly passed it to him. The librettist’s savvy departure from Scott should be seen as the necessary precondition for one of the composer’s undisputed greatest hits. The mad scene likewise presents a notably expanded textual and vocal part for the operatic Lucia, in comparison with the corresponding passage in Scott’s novel. His Lucy barely articulates anything before the horrified onlookers: she merely “gibbered, made mouths, and pointed at them with her bloody fingers, with the frantic gestures of an exulting demoniac” – impressive enough in narrative fiction, but hopelessly inadequate for the final number of an operatic protagonist! Among the many new lines of text that Cammarano introduces at this point, several have clear musical implications. For example, Lucia refers to sounds that she imagines she is hearing. Although she has emerged from the room where she murdered her husband, she now claims that she has just been listening to “the sweet sound” of Edgardo’s voice – and Donizetti complies, brilliantly, by supplying a Scotland’s Fast Castle, considered by many the model for Wolf’s Crag, home of Edgar Ravenswood in both Scott’s novel and Donizetti’s opera. Painted by John Thomson of Duddingston (1778-1840), a minister who was also an accomplished landscape artist. Sir Walter Scott, a portrait painted by Sir Henry Raeburn, dating most probably from the early 1820s. Gaetano Donizetti (who went mad from the effects of syphilis), one of numerous portraits of the composer painted by a fellow Bergamo native, Giuseppe Rillosi. SCOTTISHNATIONALGALLERY The greatest of all French Romantic artists, Eugène Delacroix, in a portrait of himself attired as Scott’s Edgar Ravenswood. MUSÉENATIONALEUGÈNEDELACROIX
O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 36 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 reminiscence of the music she sang in Act One when describing the “muffled cry” of the ghost she had once come upon by a haunted well. The heroine’s disconnect from reality is thus brought home with shocking effectiveness. She then imagines that the ghost is before her once more, but this is followed by another musical reminiscence from Act One: the melody of farewell by which Lucia and Edgardo pledged eternal faithfulness, a musico-dramatic non sequitur that further underscores her madness. Throughout the mad scene, librettist and composer are working at such a deep level of reciprocal understanding that it becomes pointless to argue which one follows the lead of the other. For this scene, Cammarano needed something that Sir Walter Scott did not provide: extensive text for Lucia to sing to render her madness directly audible. Cammarano did this through lines indicating the disintegration of her grasp on reality, as she flies from one distorted memory to another without any logical connection between them. Through a combination of vocal and orchestral reminiscences, Donizetti fully realized the madness of Lucia which Cammarano had mapped out so astutely. Death is handled quite differently in the novel and the opera. Cammarano’s Arturo is killed by the mad Lucia, whom he has just married, whereas Scott’s Arthur recovers from his wounds and relocates abroad (a simple desire for greater shock value probably accounts for this modification). Another death, that of Edgar/Edgardo, happens in both the novel and opera, but in a radically different manner. Having agreed to fight a duel with Lucy’s brother, Edgar chooses a sword, mounts his horse, and races impetuously to the assigned location – so impetuously that he neglects to attend to the terrain. As a result, he and his horse fall into quicksand and thus meet their untimely end. There is shock value to spare here, but while the opera’s creators must have appreciated this episode, the impossibility of staging it convincingly was obvious. Edgardo would die, and what better way than suicide – the perfect expression of the despair that makes his life unbearable? These are a few aspects of Scott’s novel that, when compared with Donizetti, can illuminate the nature of opera itself. Two others should be mentioned. In the novel, Lucy’s formidable mother pressures her into a loveless marriage, a cruel function carried out in the opera by Lucia’s brother Enrico. Why the difference? The company of singers available during the autumn 1835 season at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, which had commissioned the opera, included only one female singer capable of a major role: the soprano Fanny Tacchinardi. There was, however, an outstanding baritone on the roster, Domenico Cosselli, whom Donizetti greatly admired – and this was enough to settle the matter. The primary villain whose machinations sabotage young love, leading to the tragic conclusion, had to be converted from a female role to a male one. Lucia’s plot involves the time-honored “star-crossed lovers” theme known though Romeo and Juliet and a hundred other stories: in the context of some ongoing conflict between families, countries, classes, or religions, a young man and a young woman, belonging respectively to the opposing sides, fall in love. But why are the Ashtons and the Ravenswoods such implacable enemies to each other? On this point, Cammarano’s libretto is mystifying; we learn virtually nothing about family history. Scott, in contrast, includes much background “Begone, you wretch,” declare the wedding guests to the despairing Edgardo (Giuseppe Filianoti, kneeling, center) in the 2011-12 Lyric production. DANREST
O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 37 NANCYSORENSEN(Callas);DAVIDH.FISHMAN(Sutherland);DANREST(Dessay) Three sopranos who made an indelible impression at Lyric as Donizetti’s heroine: (left to right) Maria Callas, the company’s first Lucia in 1954; Joan Sutherland, who debuted here in the role in 1961 and reprised it in 1975 (pictured here); and Natalie Dessay, who sang it in 2003-04. information regarding the rapid evolution of Scottish political society in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the strained relations between two religious currents (Presbyterianism, now gaining ascendancy and tactically supported by the Ashtons, and the Anglican rite still practiced by Edgar Ravenswood). Scott also devises several episodes presenting individual family members in personal conflicts that reflect these broader adversarial dynamics. In reading the novel, then, we understand why the families are enemies, and how unlikely it is that Lucy and Edgar will marry and live happily ever after. But in the opera, we know no more about the reasons behind the conflict than we know what the Montagues have against the Capulets. We hear only a few fleeting lines from Edgardo about the persecution and “usurpation” his family has suffered at the Ashtons’ hands. In short, we’re left with the bare fact of enmity, seemingly fixed and eternal, in the face of which the devotion of two young lovers doesn’t stand a chance. Why did Cammarano and Donizetti feel that the reasons for the enmity could be dispensed with? This may well be another case where practical decisions were paramount: in an opera, designed for performance onstage in a single evening, we lack the leisure time for an exposition of the many interesting historical details found in Scott’s novel. The only truly practical solution was to omit the backstory, but it may also be that the slashing of expository detail reflects a basic insight into enmity. It would be interesting to know why the Ashtons hate Edgardo, but it doesn’t matter. Once hatred takes root, nursed over the years through resentment and oaths of revenge, it becomes its own raison d’être. In Lucia di Lammermoor, the enmity between two families becomes something that it never was in The Bride of Lammermoor: the existential backdrop to a tragic destiny. Jesse Rosenberg, Clinical Associate Professor of Musicology at Northwestern University, is a specialist in 19th and 20th century Italian opera. It was 20 years ago in Florence when I directed this Lucia for my friend Mariella Devia. We had recently done I Puritani together in Venice, and the clarity of her sound and musicality had re- vealed to me how bel canto was completely rooted in classicism. So I approached this Lucia as a late-classical work, rather than the stirrings of melodramma italiana – although they are undoubtedly there. I chose to restore the period of the novel with all its 18th-century political calculation – emotion through the prism of the third eye. For all its wild remote setting and tale of doomed love, Lucia is not Romantic – we are not yet defying nature nor the gods – just each other. – Graham Vick Director
312.827.5600 | LYRICOPERA.ORGEXPERIENCE Delight in this heartwarming story told as never before, in a brand-new production told through the innocent and curious eyes of a child. A wonderful introduction to opera for all ages! PRODUCTION SPONSORS The NegauNee FouNdaTioN RaNdy L. aNd MeLviN R. BeRLiN RoBeRTa L. aNd RoBeRT J. WashLoW This holiday season, treat the whole family to Mozart’s sublime and magical masterpiece (DIEZAUBERFLÖTE) MOZART Performed in German with projected English translations BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY! Tickets start at just $39 for adults & $20 for children DECEMBER 10 – JANUARY 27
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 40 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 When the performance is over, you’ll want to discuss it with your companions and any other opera lovers you know! Continue your enjoyment of Lucia di Lammermoor for hours – even days – by exploring these topics: • What elements of the production, and what episodes in the music and drama, engaged you the most? • Do you think Lucia ever had a fair chance? Given the time period and circumstances, is there any way that the odds could have ended up in her favor? • Do you think anyone can be labeled the villain in this opera, if everyone was only following the obvious paths of action set by precedents of the time and place? • What similarities do you see between Lucia and Romeo and Juliet, or any another “rivaling families” stories? Lucia di Lammermoor: After the Curtain Falls To continue enjoying Lucia di Lammermoor, Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines suggests the following performances: • CD – Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Nicolai Ghiaurov; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, cond. Richard Bonynge (Decca) • CD – Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Rolando Panerai, Nicola Zaccaria; Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra, cond. Herbert von Karajan (EMI) • CD – Anna Moffo, Carlo Bergonzi, Mario Sereni, Ezio Flagello; RCA Italian Opera Orchestra, cond. George Prêtre (RCA) • DVD – Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczała, Mariusz Kwiecie´n, Ildar Abdrazakov; Metropolitan Opera, cond. Marco Armiliato, dir. Mary Zimmerman (Deutsche Grammophon) • DVD – Mariella Devia, Vincenzo La Scola, Renato Bruson, Carlo Colombara; La Scala, cond. Stefano Ranzani, dir. Pier’ Alli (Opus Arte) TODDROSENBERG TODDROSENBERG
ETCH YOUR NAMEIN LYRIC’S STORIED HISTORY $2 MILLION • Upper Balcony $1 MILLION • Opera Boxes Boxes 1, 3, 18 and 25 are named $500,000 • Stage Lifts • Principal Dressing Room • Children’s Chorus Room $300,000 • Theatre Catwalk Favorite stop along Student Backstage Tours Would you like to make an indelible mark on your beloved Ardis Krainik Theatre? Consider a Breaking New Ground naming opportunity and leave your legacy for all generations. Multi-year payment plans and stock transfer options are available. To learn more about Lyric's campaign to modernize the stage and to tour these spaces, contact Leslie Mastroianni at 312-827-5723 or Lmastroianni@lyricopera.org. Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 42 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Music Staff William C. Billingham Susan Miller Hult Matthew Piatt Noah Lindquist Jerad Mosbey Eric Weimer Keun-A Lee Grant Loehnig Mario Antonio Marra Francesco Milioto Steven Mosteller Robert Tweten Orchestra Violin I Robert Hanford, Concertmaster Mrs. R. Robert Funderburg Concertmaster Endowed Chair Sharon Polifrone, Assistant Concertmaster Alexander Belavsky Kathleen Brauer Laura Park Chen** Pauli Ewing Bing Y. Grant David Hildner Ellen Hildner Laura Miller Liba Shacht Heather Wittels Violin II Yin Shen, Principal John Macfarlane, Assistant Principal Bonita Di Bello Diane Duraffourg-Robinson Teresa Kay Fream Peter Labella Ann Palen Irene Radetzky John D. Robinson David Volfe Albert Wang Viola Carol Cook, Principal Terri Van Valkinburgh, Assistant Principal Frank W. Babbitt Patrick Brennan Karl Davies Amy Hess Melissa Trier Kirk Di Shi Cello Calum Cook, Principal Mark Brandfonbrener William H. Cernota Laura Deming Barbara Haffner Walter Preucil Bass Michael Geller, Principal Brian Ferguson, Assistant Principal* Andrew L. W. Anderson Ian Hallas Gregory Sarchet Timothy Shaffer** Collins R. Trier Flute Marie Tachouet, Principal Dionne Jackson, Assistant Principal Alyce Johnson Piccolo Alyce Johnson Oboe Judith Kulb, Principal Robert E. Morgan, Assistant Principal Judith Zunamon Lewis English Horn Robert E. Morgan Clarinet Charlene Zimmerman, Principal Linda A. Baker , Co-Assistant Principal Susan Warner, Co-Assistant Principal Bass Clarinet Linda A. Baker Bassoon James T. Berkenstock, Principal* Lewis Kirk, Acting Principal Preman Tilson Acting Assistant Principal John Gaudette** Contrabassoon Lewis Kirk Horn Jonathan Boen, Principal Fritz Foss, Assistant Principal/ Utility Horn Robert E. Johnson, Third Horn Samuel Hamzem Neil Kimel Trumpet William Denton, Principal Matthew Comerford, Co-Assistant Principal Channing Philbrick, Co-Assistant Principal Trombone Jeremy Moeller, Principal Mark Fisher, Assistant Principal David R. Becker** John Schwalm* Bass Trombone David R. Becker** John Schwalm* Tuba Andrew Smith, Principal Harp Marguerite Lynn Williams, Principal Timpani Edward Harrison, Principal Percussion Michael Green, Principal Douglas Waddell, Assistant Principal Eric Millstein Extra Musician Reed Capshaw, trombone Stageband Musicians Gabby Webster Mulcahy, horn Brian Goodwin, horn Jena Gardner, horn Adam Moen, trombone Terry Leahy, trombone Mark Fry, trombone Joel Cohen, percussion Librarian John Rosenkrans, Principal Personnel Manager and Stageband Contractor Christine Janicki *On leave, 2016-17 season **Season substitute Chorus Master Michael Black Howard A. Stotler Chorus Master Endowed Chair Regular Chorus Soprano Elisa Billey Becker Jillian Bonczek Patricia A. Cook-Nicholson Cathleen Dunn Janet Marie Farr Sharon Garvey Cohen Desirée Hassler Rachael Holzhausen Laureen Janeczek-Wysocki Kimberly McCord Heidi Spoor Stephani Springer Elizabeth Anne Taylor Sherry Watkins Mezzo Claudia A. Kerski-Nienow Marianna Kulikova Colleen Lovinello Lynn Lundgren Yvette Smith Marie Sokolova Maia Surace Laurie Seely Vassalli Pamela Williams Corinne Wallace-Crane Tenor Geoffrey Agpalo Jason Balla Timothy Bradley Hoss Brock William M. Combs John J. Concepcion Kenneth Donovan Joseph A. Fosselman Lawrence Montgomery Mark Nienow James Odom Thomas L. Potter Walton Westlake Bass Matthew Carroll David DuBois Robert Morrissey Kenneth Nichols Steven Pierce Robert J. Prindle Thomas Sillitti Craig Springer Jeffrey W. Taylor Ronald Watkins Nikolas Wenzel Core Supplementary Chorus Soprano Jill Dewsnup Carla Janzen Suzanne M. Kszatowski Kaileen Erin Miller Mezzo Sarah Ponder Michelle K. Wrighte Tenor Jared V. Esguerra Joe Shadday Dane Thomas Bass Claude Cassion Christopher Filipowicz Nicolai Janitzky Supplementary Chorus Soprano Elena Batman Katy Compton Joelle Lamarre Katelyn Lee Rosalind Lee Susan Nelson Brooklyn Snow Christine Steyer Kelsea Webb Mezzo Katie Ruth Bieber Robin Bradley Amy Anderson de Jong Hillary Grobe Adrienne Price Emily Price Amanda Runge Carolyn J. Stein Tenor Curtis Bannister Matthew Daniel Joseph Diehl Klaus Georg Tyler Samuel Lee Brett J. Potts Peder Reiff Chase Taylor Bass Michael Cavalieri Carl Frank Kirk Greiner John E. Orduña Wilbur Pauley Douglas Peters Martin Lowen Poock Dan Richardson Vincent P. Wallace, Jr.
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor
LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor

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LiBRETTO LOCANDINA CHICAGO Lucia di Lammermoor

  • 2. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 2 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 6 From the General Director 8 From the President 10 Board of Directors 12 Women’s Board/Guild Board/ Chapters’ Executive Board/ Ryan Opera Center Board 14 Administration/Administrative Staff/ Production and Technical Staff 16 Bringing Untold Stories to Life 24 Tonight’s Performance 25 Synopsis 27 Cast 28 Artist Profiles 35 Opera Notes 38 Director’s Note 40 After the Curtain Falls 42 Musical Staff/Orchestra/Chorus 43 Backstage Life 44 Artistic Roster/Supernumeraries 45 Lyric and Social Media 47 Patron Salute 48 Production Sponsors 51 Aria Society 60 Breaking New Ground/ Look to the Future 62 Major Contributors – Special Events and Project Support 63 Lyric Unlimited Contributors 64 Lyric Unlimited Programs 65 Ryan Opera Center 66 Ryan Opera Center Alumni Around the World 67 Ryan Opera Center Contributors 68 Planned Giving: The Overture Society 69 Commemorative Gifts 70 Annual Corporate Support 71 Matching Gifts, Special Thanks and Acknowledgements 72 Annual Individual and Foundation Support 79 Facilities and Services/Theater Staff Table of Contents Community Created Performances, pp. 16-22 On the cover: “The Bride of Lammermoor,” oil painting by William Powell Frith, ca. 1852. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. ALBINASHAGIMURATOVAASLUCIA;PHOTOBYPAVELVAAN&LEONIDSEMENYUK IN THIS ISSUE Lucia di Lammermoor – pp. 24-40 JACOLYNSIMPSON
  • 3. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 4 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Executive Editor Lisa Middleton Editor Roger Pines Associate Editor Magda Krance Administrative Offices: 20 North Wacker Drive Suite 860 Chicago, Illinois 60606 www.performancemedia.us | 847-770-4620 3453 Commercial Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 Gail McGrath Publisher & President Sheldon Levin Publisher & Director of Finance A. J. Levin Director of Operations Account Managers Rand Brichta - Arnie Hoffman - Greg Pigott Southeast Michael Hedge 847-770-463 Southwest Betsy Gugick & Associates 972-387-1347 East Coast Manzo Media Group 610-527-7047 Marketing and Sales Consultant David L. Strouse, Ltd. 847-835-5197 Cathy Kiepura Graphic Designer Lory Richards Graphic Designer Joy Morawez - Josie Negron Accounting Willie Smith Supervisor Operations Earl Love Operations Wilfredo Silva Operations Steve Dunn Web & Internet Development You can view this program on your mobile device. For advertising information call 847-770-4620. To see our Terms and Conditions relating to advertising orders, visit our website at www.performancemedia.us. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in any manner without written permission. © 2016 Performance Media & Gail McGrath & Associates, Inc. is a Woman Owned Business Since 1991
  • 4. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 6 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 I have been a devoted admirer of the bel canto repertoire for all of my operagoing life. In introducing the two bel canto operas on Lyric’s schedule this season, an anecdote comes to mind. When I was in my early teens, in Harrod’s record department in London, I was wandering around and was suddenly transfixed by an amazing voice. I knew I’d never heard anything like this. It was Dame Joan Sutherland singing the heroine’s aria from Rossini’s Semiramide. That performance led me to investigate all the great works of the bel canto repertoire, which remains to this day one of my greatest enthusiasms in opera. For that reason, it is a particularly great pleasure for me that Lyric is presenting Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini’s Norma this season (coincidentally, two works closely associated with Dame Joan, who had so much to do with shaping my love of bel canto singing). These are arguably the greatest operas of both of these composers, each a supreme master of this style. The two operas celebrate the glory of great singing, uniting extraordinarily memorable melodies with vocal virtuosity within an intense romantic narrative. The two heroines are superbly contrasting examples of what makes bel canto repertoire so exciting. Each requires the ultimate in vocal technique, but also the ultimate in emotional investment. Lucia is the more lyrical of the two roles. Her music is crowned by the famous mad scene, one of the great vocal tours de force in all of opera – a high-wire act of vocal acrobatics and searing emotional impact. The role of Norma combines the requirement of stupendous vocal agility with a dramatic grandeur that makes her among the most challenging characters to sing and act in the entire operatic repertoire. Of course, these operas are not one-woman shows; each needs an exceptionally strong team of principal artists to fulfill the vocal and dramatic demands. Lucia’s Edgardo is one of bel canto’s most passionate and hot-blooded heroes, while Norma’s Pollione requires a heroic machismo that makes him unique in this repertoire. Adalgisa in Norma has much ravishing music to sing (including three of bel canto’s most rewarding duets), and the powerful dramatic thrust in music for Lucia’s nasty brother Enrico can raise the roof with excitement. For the two bass roles – Raimondo in Lucia, Oroveso in Norma – a singer of innate majesty is required. The two casts are both made up of very important artists, from whom you can expect sensational singing. Our leading ladies – Albina Shagimuratova (Lucia) and Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma), both previously triumphant at Lyric – have made a stupendous impact internationally in their roles. The return to Lyric of our Edgardo, Piotr Beczała, and the debuts of our Raimondo, Adrian Sâmpetrean, and our Pollione, Russell Thomas, are awaited with equal anticipation, as are two remarkable Ryan Opera Center alumni – Quinn Kelsey (Enrico) and Elizabeth DeShong (Adalgisa) and – and the return of longtime Lyric favorite Andrea Silvestrelli (Oroveso). Of course, neither of these operas can succeed without brilliance from the pit and from the production team. Our two debuting Italian conductors, Enrique Mazzola (Lucia) and Riccardo Frizza (Norma), have made bel canto a specialty in many major international houses. We can fully expect the performances to boast an authenticity of style that will hugely enhance our audiences’ experience of these pieces. Lyric is presenting them in productions by Graham Vick (Lucia) and Kevin Newbury (Norma) that will each bring provocative and illuminating new insights to these justly beloved masterpieces. Anthony Freud The Women’s Board Endowed Chair From the General Director STEVELEONARD
  • 5. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 8 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 The 2016-17 season here at Lyric Opera of Chicago is going to be one of the most exciting in recent memory, and my wife and I are looking forward to every production. I expect you are, too. I’m particularly excited about the launch of the new Ring cycle with Das Rheingold. The first time I experienced the complete Ring, I wondered, as with many Ring neophytes, if this was just going to be four very long nights in a dark room! But I found that it is spellbinding, and that the longest of the operas seems to slip away in minutes. It’s a profound, transformative experience, and the fact that we’re creating a brand-new expression of the Ring makes me very proud of the artistic choices we’ve made at Lyric. It’s likely that the production you’re enjoying tonight is benefiting from an ambitious stage-improvement project, the first step of which was implemented over the summer. Three new stage lifts, a turntable, and 16 new point hoists (individual motorized lines that can lift sets or people in the air) are enabling us to present Das Rheingold, Les Troyens, and The Magic Flute. None of those new productions would have been possible were it not for that initial investment. Over the next two years we will see the second phase of the project, including additional stage lifts and point hoists, plus various other crucial technical capabilities. This will ensure our being able to present future productions exactly as our directors have imagined them, and in a safe, efficient manner. We’re exceedingly grateful to our Breaking New Ground campaign donors whose generosity has made this possible. Along with our investments backstage to enable these amazing productions, we are also investing in the front of the house to enhance your experience at Lyric. New concierge greeters in the lobby, additional ticket scanners to improve traffic flow, and better signage for our first-time guests are just a few of the changes you’ll be experiencing this season. We are looking for fresh ways to make your total Lyric experience a delight, from the moment you purchase your ticket until you depart after a wonderful performance. The future of opera and of Lyric is dependent not only on the loyalty of our longtime audience members, but also on our ability to cultivate the next generation. As we all know, “millennials” have many more opportunities for entertainment and cultural consumption than ever before. In achieving our goal of continually attracting and engaging younger audiences, we’ve embraced the types of media that they’re familiar with. Many of you who spend time online, particularly in social media, have noticed in the past year many more banner ads for Lyric productions or mentions and “likes” on Facebook and Twitter and photos on Instagram. I’m delighted to see social media channels bringing greater awareness of Lyric and its exciting offerings to a whole new audience. I use Lyric’s website on a regular basis, whether to provide background information for an upcoming production or to review the biography of an artist I don’t know. It’s not unusual for me to snap a picture of a current production banner and post it on my Facebook page! This season has so much to offer, from the Ring and Les Troyens to a new Magic Flute and star-studded productions of Carmen and Eugene Onegin. The richness and diversity of opera and the world-class quality of our orchestra, chorus, and artists remind us how valuable and exciting the Lyric experience is and how fortunate we are to have an opera company of this caliber in the city of Chicago. From the President TODDROSENBERG David T. Ormesher
  • 6. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 10 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s The Honorable Bruce Rauner The Honorable Rahm Emanuel Honorary Chairmen of the Board Edgar D. Jannotta Co-Chairman Emeritus Allan B. Muchin Co-Chairman Emeritus David T. Ormesher President and Chief Executive Officer Lester Crown Chairman of the Executive Committee Anthony Freud General Director and Chief Operating Officer Sir Andrew Davis Vice President Renée Fleming Vice President James L. Alexander Vice President Shirley Welsh Ryan Vice President William C. Vance Vice President Donna Van Eekeren Secretary Paul J. Carbone Treasurer Mary Ladish Selander Assistant Secretary Roberta Lane Assistant Treasurer Life Directors Edgar Foster Daniels Richard J. Franke Edgar D. Jannotta George E. Johnson Robert H. Malott James J. O’Connor Gordon Segal Robert E. Wood II Directors Katherine A. Abelson * Whitney W. Addington, M.D. * James L. Alexander John P. Amboian Paul F. Anderson Larry A. Barden * Julie Baskes James N. Bay, Jr. Melvin R. Berlin Gilda R. Buchbinder Allan E. Bulley, III John E. Butler * Marion A. Cameron * Paul J. Carbone David W. Carpenter Timothy L. Christen Richard W. Colburn Michael P. Cole Vinay Couto * John V. Crowe * Lester Crown Marsha Cruzan * Andrew Davis † Gerald Dorros Alexandra Dousmanis-Curtis Ann M. Drake Allan Drebin John D. Edelman Stefan T. Edlis Lois Eisen W. James Farrell Mark E. Ferguson Michael W. Ferro, Jr. Matthew A. Fisher * Renée Fleming * Sonia Florian Mike Foley * Anthony Freud Kristine R. Garrett Ronald J. Gidwitz * Ruth Ann M. Gillis * Brent W. Gledhill Ethel Gofen * Howard L. Gottlieb Melvin Gray Maria C. Green * Dietrich M. Gross Mary Pat Hay Carrie J. Hightman Elliot E. Hirsch Eric L. Hirschfield * J. Thomas Hurvis Gregory K. Jones † Stephen A. Kaplan Kip Kelley II * Nancy W. Knowles † Fred A. Krehbiel * Josef Lakonishok † Robert W. Lane * James W. Mabie * Craig C. Martin Robert J. McCullen Blythe J. McGarvie Andrew J. McKenna Frank B. Modruson Robert S. Morrison * Allan B. Muchin * Linda K. Myers Jeffrey C. Neal Amélie Négrier-Oyarzabal Sylvia Neil † John D. Nichols Kenneth R. Norgan Sharon F. Oberlander * John W. Oleniczak Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, M.D. * David T. Ormesher * William A. Osborn Matthew J. Parr Jane DiRenzo Pigott Jose Luis Prado Don M. Randel * Anne N. Reyes J. Christopher Reyes Thomas A. Reynolds III † William C. Richardson, Ph.D. Collin E. Roche Ricardo Rosenkranz Edward B. Rouse Joseph O. Rubinelli, Jr. * Shirley Welsh Ryan * E. Scott Santi Claudia M. Saran Rodd M. Schreiber * Jana R. Schreuder Marsha Serlin * Brenda M. Shapiro * Eric S. Smith Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Pam Szokol Franco Tedeschi Mark A. Thierer Cherryl T. Thomas * William C. Vance * Donna Van Eekeren Mark Wagner Roberta L. Washlow Miles D. White William Mason General Director Emeritus * Indicates member of the Executive Committee † Indicates National Director
  • 7. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 12 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Women’s Board † Mimi Mitchell President † Mrs. Christopher Murphy Vice President of Board Activities † Marilynn Thoma Vice President of Education † Mrs. Matthew A. Fisher Vice President of Fundraising † Betsy Bergman Rosenfield Vice President of Special Events Mrs. Anthony A. Antoniou Ms. Silvia Beltrametti Margot Stone Bowen Suzette B. Bulley Marie Campbell Mamie Biggs Case Mrs. Alger B. Chapman, Jr. Elizabeth O’Connor Cole Mrs. Gary C. Comer Mrs. Nancy Carrington Crown * Mrs. Lester Crown * Mrs. Richard W. Durkes Mrs. Anne M. Edwards * Mrs. W. James Farrell Mrs. Michael Ferro Regan Rohde Friedmann Mrs. Robert W. Galvin Lili Gaubin Mrs. Ronald J. Gidwitz † Keith Kiley Goldstein Annemarie H. Gramm Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel Mrs. King Harris Mrs. Julian W. Harvey Caroline T. Huebner Mrs. Philip E. Kelley † Rebecca Walker Knight Mrs. Frederick A. Krehbiel Mrs. Richard H. Lenny Mrs. Arthur C. Martinez * Mrs. Richard P. Mayer Florence D. McMillan Alison Wehman McNally Mrs. Susan H. Mesrobian Mrs. Christopher C. Milliken Mrs. Robert S. Morrison Mrs. Susan B. Noyes * Mrs. James J. O’Connor Mrs. William A. Osborn Mrs. Jerry K. Pearlman Mrs. Frederick H. Prince Mrs. James C. Pritchard M.K. Pritzker *† Mrs. J. Christopher Reyes Mrs. Ronald A. Rolighed Trisha Rooney * Mrs. Patrick G. Ryan Mrs. James L. Sandner † Mrs. E. Scott Santi † Nancy S. Searle Mrs. Alejandro Silva Mrs. John R. Siragusa Mrs. Lisbeth Stiffel Mrs. James P. Stirling * Mrs. Theodore D. Tieken Mrs. Richard H. Wehman Mrs. Robert G. Weiss Hon. Corinne Wood Mrs. Patrick Wood-Prince Life Members Paula Hannaway Crown * Mrs. A. Campbell de Frise * Jane Duboise Gargiulo * Mrs. Paul W. Oliver, Jr. Mrs. Jay A. Pritzker Mrs. Gordon Segal * Former President † Executive Committee Guild Board of Directors † James A. Staples President † Daniel T. Manoogian Vice President – Backstage Tours † Maggie Rock Vice President – Membership † Allison Alexander Vice President – Fundraising † Daria Lewicky Vice President – Benefit † Dorothy Kuechl Secretary † Marc Lacher Treasurer Julie Ann Benson Leslie Bertholdt *† Patrick J. Bitterman Minka Bosco Sarah Demet Frank De Vincentis Eben Dorros Mrs. Amanda Fox Mark Kozloff, M.D. Gwen Kuger Jonathan B. Lewis, Sr. * Ms. Martina M. Mead Craig R. Milkint Melissa Mounce Mithal Nathaniel W. Pusey † Ms. Christina M. Rashid Megan Burke Rovdebush David J. Seleb Mary Lynne Shafer Fay M. Shong Ilene Simmons Ms. Joan M. Solbeck * Oscar Tatosian Michael Tirpak Karianne Wardell Ms. Cathy Wloch Ms. Anne Zenzer Sustaining Members Mrs. John H. Andersen * Mrs. Gustavo A. Bermudez Mrs. Avrum H. Dannen * Robert F. Finke Mrs. William R. Jentes Chester T. Kamin * Kip Kelley John M. Kohlmeier Mrs. Robert E. Largay James G. McCormick * Ms. Britt M. Miller * John H. Nelson Mrs. Lisbeth Stiffel R. Todd Vieregg Chapters’ Executive Board † Mrs. Sherie Shapiro President † Mrs. Peggy Beata Vice President – Development † Mary Robins Vice President – Community Relations *† Mr. Jonathan Eklund Vice President – Membership † Ms. Ingrid Dubberke Vice President – Program † Mr. David Nellemann Treasurer † Laura Shimkus Secretary Ms. Judith A. Akers Mrs. Gerry Bellanca Ms. Marlene R. Boncosky Mrs. Linda Budzik Mrs. Robert C. DeBolt Mr. Joseph Ender Ms. Erika Erich Ms. Nancy R. Fifield Ms. Margie Franklin Rick Greenman Dennis C. Hayes Mrs. Mary Lunz Houston Virginia Jach Mrs. Jackie Knight * Ms. Kate Letarte Ms. Vee Minarich Mrs. Maria Rigolin Mrs. Carla Thorpe Ms. Claudia Winkler Sustaining Members * Ms. Julie Anne Benson Mrs. William Hamilton * Mrs. Jorge Iorgulescu * Ms. Dorothy Kuechl Lester Marriner Ms. Susan Miller * Ms. Jennie M. Righeimer Mr. and Mrs. Myron Tiersky Life Members * Mrs. Anthony Antoniou * Mrs. J. William Cuncannan * Mr. Roy Fisher * Mrs. Donald Grauer * Mrs. Patrick R. Grogan * Mrs. Merwyn Kind * Mrs. Jonathon R. Laing * Mrs. Frank M. Lieber * Mrs. Howard S. Smith * Mrs. William C. Tippens * Mrs. Dorothy V. Wadley * Mrs. Eugene E. White Chapter Presidents Barrington Mary Robins Evanston Barbara Eckel Far West Judy Marshall Flossmoor Area Ms. Sharon Gibson Glencoe Anne Ruzicka Hinsdale Joseph Ender Hyde Park/Kenwood Ms. Vee Minarich Lake Geneva Vivian Fabbro Keenan Near North Jackie Knight Northfield Ms. Margareta Brown Northwest Ms. Dorothy Kuechl Riverside Mary Kitzberger Wilmette Mrs. Nancy R. Fifield Winnetka Mrs. Julie McDowell Young Professionals Justin Breitfelder President Lisa DeAngelis Vice President Chris Hanig Secretary Jennifer Delagrange Events Chair Claudine Tambuatco YP Outreach Chair Martha Grant Member Engagement Chair Members at Large Ian Cundiff Lena Dickinson Evan Fry Fritzi Getz Laura Guili Amy O’Donnell Liliana Salazar Jaramillo Marne Smiley Tania Tawil JJ Williams Lauren Wood The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Board of Directors Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Honorary Co-Chairs John Nitschke President ^ Jane DiRenzo Pigott Vice President – Fundraising Philip G. Lumpkin Vice President – Fundraising Co-Chair ^ Janet Burch Vice President – New Initiatives ^ Joan Zajtchuk Vice President – Strategic Planning Juliana Chyu Vice President – Strategic Planning Co-Chair Debbie K. Wright Treasurer Roberta Lane Assistant Treasurer Richard W. Shepro Secretary Dan Novak Assistant Secretary * Katherine A. Abelson Nicole M. Arnold *^ Julie Baskes Marcus Boggs Heidi Heutel Bohn ^ Tanja Chevalier Tamara Conway Lawrence O. Corry * Allan Drebin Ms. Erika Erich Sally Feder Anthony Freud Melvin Gray Mrs. Thomas D. Heath Mary Ellen Hennessy Martha A. Hesse Loretta Julian Chester T. Kamin * Kip Kelley *^ Susan Kiphart Jeanne Randall Malkin Robert C. Marks Erma S. Medgyesy Frank B. Modruson Phyllis Neiman Susan Noel Michael A. Oberman Richard O. Ryan Nasrin Thierer * William C. Vance Donna Van Eekeren Mrs. Richard H. Wehman Jack Weiss Life Members * Mrs. Anthony A. Antoniou Mrs. James W. Cozad Bernard J. Dobroski Anne Gross Barbara Heil Howard * Keith A. Reed Orli Staley * Mrs. J. W. Van Gorkom Howard A. Vaughan, Jr. * Former President † Executive Committee ^ Team Chair
  • 8. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 14 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Roberta Lane Chief Financial Officer Mary Ladish Selander Director of Development Anthony Freud, OBE General Director The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Sir Andrew Davis Music Director John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Endowed Chair Renée Fleming Creative Consultant Drew Landmesser Deputy General Director OFFICE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTOR Anthony Freud General Director The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Linda Nguyen Irvin Manager, Office of the General Director OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GENERAL DIRECTOR Drew Landmesser Deputy General Director Sarah Generes Producer of Classical and Crossover Programming ARTISTIC Andreas Melinat Director of Artistic Planning Cory Lippiello Deputy Director of Artistic Planning Evamaria Wieser Casting Consultant DEVELOPMENT Mary Ladish Selander Director of Development Brandi Hovizi Assistant to the Director of Development Kate Bollier Development Associate Lawrence DelPilar Deputy Director of Development Jonathan P. Siner Senior Director of Planned Giving Lynn Bennett Associate Director of Planned and Major Giving Kristin Atchison Director of Major Gifts Meaghan Stainback Associate Director of Individual Giving Daniel P. Moss Director of Institutional Partnerships Jenny Seidelman Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships Sarah Kull Associate Director of Foundation and Government Partnerships Rachel Peterson Administrative Coordinator – Planned and Individual Giving Pavitra Ramachandran Coordinator of Institutional Partnerships Leslie B. Mastroianni Deputy Director of Development Kate Later Director of Women’s Board Chelsea Southwood Associate Director – Women’s Board Leah Bobbey Women’s Board Administrative Assistant Deborah Hare Assistant Director of Donor Services and Special Events Allison K. Taylor Administrative Coordinator – Donor Services and Special Events Warren M. Davis Deputy Director of Development Amy Tinucci Director of Systems, Reporting, and Donor Records Ellen Barkenbush Director – Individual Giving and Chapters Scott Podraza Associate Director of Annual Giving Michelle Neuffer Manager of Donor Communications Hanna Pristave Manager of Operations and Data Analytics Sarah Geocaris Development Coordinator – Chapters Meghan Pioli Development Coordinator – Donor Stewardship Stephanie Lillie Senior Coordinator – Donor Records and Reporting Andrea Rubens Development Coordinator – Guild Board and Young Professionals Keyana Marshall Donor Records and Reporting Assistant FINANCE Roberta Lane Chief Financial Officer Brent Fisher Director of Finance Aaron Andersen Deputy Director, Budgeting and Forecasting April Krzeczkowski Accounting Supervisor Whitney Bercek Controller Teresa Hogan Payroll Supervisor Ralph Hicks Payroll Analyst Kirsten Alfredsen Payroll Accounting Assistant LeVora Martin Accounts Payable Coordinator Dan Seekman Staff Accountant HUMAN RESOURCES Elizabeth Landon Director of Human Resources Tiffany Tuckett Talent Manager, Administrative Staff Stephanie Strong Benefits Manager Anna VanDeKerchove Office Coordinator INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Will Raj Director of Information Technology Eric Hayes IT Operations Manager Rita Parida Database Administrator Nikoleta Aranassova Systems Administrator René Calvo Associate Systems Administrator Christina Bledsoe Systems Analyst Miles Mabry Technology Support Coordinator Nicole Sankowski Web Content Administrator LYRIC UNLIMITED Cayenne Harris Lyric Unlimited Director Mark Riggleman Director of Education Chapters’ Endowed Chair for Education Alejandra Boyer Director of Community Programs Will Biby Audience Education Manager Todd Snead School Engagement Manager Dana McGarr Lyric Unlimited Coordinator Drew Smith Education Coordinator Jacob Stanton Assistant to the Lyric Unlimited Director MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Lisa Middleton Director of Marketing Holly H. Gilson Deputy Director of Communications Roger Pines Dramaturg Magda Krance Manager of Media Relations Andrew Cioffi Digital Content Producer Kamaria Morris PR Specialist Tracy Galligher Young Deputy Director of Marketing Jennifer Colgan Senior Manager of Sales and Marketing Bailey Couture Marketing Partnership Manager Joel Friend Group Sales Manager Jocelyn Park Creative Project Manager Carrie Krol Graphic Designer Sam Fain Group Sales Associate Margaret Stoltz Marketing Associate Valerie Bromann Digital Marketing Coordinator Brent Fisher Director of Finance Cayenne Harris Lyric Unlimited Director Elizabeth Landon Director of Human Resources Nicholas Ivor Martin Director of Operations and Special Initiatives Andreas Melinat Director of Artistic Planning Lisa Middleton Director of Marketing Dan Novak Director, Ryan Opera Center The Ryan Opera Center Board Endowed Chair Will Raj Director of Information Technology Rich Regan General Manager, Presentations and Events Michael Smallwood Technical Director Allan and Elaine Muchin Endowed Chair
  • 9. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 15 Stefany Phillips Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Amanda Reitenbach Social Media Coordinator Michael Musick Interim Web and E-Marketing Contractor Ticket Department Susan Harrison Niemi Deputy Director of Audience Services Alex Chatziapostolou (Demas) Sales Manager Laura Waters Customer Service and Call Center Manager Kelly Cronin VIP and Inventory Associate John Renfroe Tessitura Associate – Ticketing Donna Babonas Justin Berkowitz Cassandra Dixon Leigh Folta Harrah Friedlander Katie Galliart Martin Hughes Aleksa Kuzma Steven Landsman Katelyn Lee Benjamin Liupaogo Sara Litchfield LaRob Payton Karlos Piñero-Mercado Lindsey Raker William Roberts Adam Stubitsch Ivo Suarez Zachary Vanderburg Anna VanDeKerchove Mary Kate Von Lehn Tobias Wright Ticket Staff OPERATIONS Nicholas Ivor Martin Director of Operations and Special Initiatives Thomas Young Director of Music Administration Stephanie Karr Chorus, Orchestra, and Ballet Manager Tabitha Boorsma Administrative Coordinator – Operations Wendy Skoczen Chief Librarian Gretchen Eng Music Administration Coordinator Production and Rehearsal Staff Cameron Arens Director of Rehearsal Administration Katrina Bachus Daniel Ellis Jodi Gage Elise Sandell David Toulson Assistant Directors John W. Coleman Chelsea Antrim Dennis Rachel A. Tobias Stage Managers Kristen Barrett Jordan Braun Donald Claxon Rachel Henneberry Daniel Sokalski Peggy Stenger Amy Thompson Bill Walters Sandra Zamora Assistant Stage Managers Ben Bell Bern Rehearsal Scheduler Josie Campbell Artistic Services Coordinator Marina Vecci Rehearsal Associate Isabella Czyrnyj Jeremiah Smith Christine Wagner Rehearsal Assistants PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS Rich Regan General Manager – Presentations and Events Nora O’Malley Facility Operations Manager Sharon Lomasney Presentations and Events Manager and Producer Leslie MacLean Facilities Coordinator Eleanor Sanchez Presentations and Events Coordinator Stephen Dunford Chief Engineer Gregg Brody Box Office Manager Bernard McNeela Engineer Briette Madrid Stage Door Supervisor Nathan Tuttle Facilities Porter TECHNICAL Michael Smallwood Technical Director Allan and Elaine Muchin Endowed Chair April Busch Production Manager Michael Schoenig Technical Finance Manager Madeleine Borg Production Manager – Lyric Unlimited/Ryan Opera Center Scott Wolfson Assistant Technical Director Stephen Snyder Technical Coordinator Joe Dockweiler Master Carpenter Mike Reilly Head Flyman/Automation Jeffrey Streichhirsch Automation Assistant Chris Barker Matt Reilly Rigging/Automation Assistants Robert Barros Shop Carpenter Brian Grenda Layout Carpenter Drew Trusk Shop Welder Bruce Woodruff Layout Welder Richard “Doc” Wren Warehouse Coordinator Dan DiBennardi Ryan McGovern Justin Hull Assistant Carpenters Dan Donahue Robert Hull, Jr. John Ingersol Ray Schmitz Carpenters Chris Maravich Lighting Director Mary-Louis and James S. Aagaard Endowed Chair Heather Sparling Eric Watkins Assistant Lighting Designers Michael C. Reynolds Master Electrician Soren Ersbak Board Operator John Clarke, Jr. Joseph Haack Michael A. Manfrin Robert Reynolds Assistant Electricians Anthony Coia Jason Combs Gary Grenda Thomas Hull Daniel Kuh Jeremy Thomas Electricians Kevin Reynolds Surtitle Operator Joe Schofield Head Audio/Visual Technician Nick Charlan Matt Ebel Audio/Visual Maria DeFabo Properties and Scenic Art Coordinator Charles Reilly Property Master Michael McPartlin Properties Crew Head Phil Marcotte Prop Carpenter Bob Ladd Armorer Rachel Boultinghouse Upholsterer Thomas Coleman, Jr. Robert Hartge Richard Tyriver Assistant Properties Michael Buerger Joseph Collins Kevin Gac Gordon Granger Joe Mathesius John Miulli Michael O’Donnell, Jr. Properties Brian Traynor Charge Artist Tim Morrison Michael Murtagh Scenic Artists Scott Marr Production Design Director Kristi Wood Costume Project Coordinator Maureen Reilly Costume Director The Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Endowed Chair Lucy Lindquist Wardrobe Mistress Bradley Baker Jessica Doan Kate Keefe Cecylia Kinder Krystina Lowe Kathy Rubel Tony Rubino Joanna Rzepka Marguerite Scott Ewa Szylak Barbara Szyllo Maggie Zabieowski Wardrobe Staff Scott Barker Kelly Davis Kim Kostera Anna Krysik Ed Mack Wendy McCay John Salyers Isaac Turner Chris Valente Roger Weir Dressers Sarah Hatten Marlys Beider Wigmaster and Makeup Designer Endowed Chair Kathleen A. Evans Department Coordinator Brittany Crinson Chantelle Marie Johnson Robert Kuper Lynn Koroulis Claire Moores Staff Brook Carlson Lauren Cecil Anelle Eorio June Gearon David Grant Briette Madrid Helen Marchfield Lauren Marchfield Nelson Posada Jada Richardson Anita Trojanowski Daria Wright Wig and Makeup Crew
  • 10. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 16 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 16 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 TODDROSENBERG BRINGING UNTOLD STORIES TO LIFE Lyric’s groundbreaking Chicago Voices initiative By Kamaria Morris
  • 11. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 17October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 17 Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant, is the guiding spirit behind Chicago Voices, a two-year program encompassing performances and participatory events that celebrate the city’s highly diverse vocal scene. C hicago is renowned worldwide for its diverse and influential musical life. It’s the home of Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but it’s also, as noted by Rolling Stone magazine, a “central player in the history of American music, from the advent of blues, which was arguably the start of rock & roll.” Beginning in 1950, the legendary Chess Records (now the Blues Heaven Foundation) was making history here, with such spectacular musicians as Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and Chuck Berry creating their distinctive, pioneering interpretations of the blues. Artists as varied as Benny Goodman and Kanye West, Chaka Khan and Ramsay Lewis, Tom Paxton and Mavis Staples, were all born in Chicago. It’s the birthplace of house music and gospel, soul and jazz, each with an unmistakable “Chicago style” of its own. As a self-proclaimed “music fanatic,” Renée Fleming is attracted to every type of music that audiences can enjoy in Chicago. The internationally celebrated soprano is well aware of both the city’s rich musical heritage and Chicago’s continuing emergence as a vocal hotspot. It’s been the ideal city for Fleming to explore musical genres and the human voice over the past six years, in her extraordinary work as Lyric’s creative consultant. In 2013, Fleming developed and hosted American Voices, a week-long music festival for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., later seen as a documentary on the PBS series Great Performances. From that project came Fleming’s desire to take it another step, focusing the activities and lens exclusively on the vibrant musical life of Chicago. Lyric’s general director, Anthony Freud, had been a participant in one of the American Voices seminars. Fleming asked him, “Do you think we can do something like this in Chicago?” The idea appealed immediately to Freud, who was intrigued by its potential to accelerate Lyric’s engagement with communities across the city. “We were all really excited about this new idea, one that would prove to be the most ambitious community-engagement program we have ever taken on,” he says. After numerous discussions, much preliminary research, and two successful pilot programs, a plan materialized with Lyric Unlimited, Lyric’s education/community engagement division, providing the perfect launchpad for Chicago Voices. In January 2016 at The Hideout, a funky northside music venue tucked into Chicago’s Noble Square neighborhood, Chicago Voices was introduced, with Fleming as its guiding spirit. This is a multi-year program, celebrating the city’s vibrant, diverse vocal culture and exploring the untold stories of Chicago communities. There are four signature elements: • Community Created Performances; • a citywide celebration encompassing participatory events and performances; • an all-star, multi-genre gala concert; • expert panels and master classes. Renée Fleming with members of Blu Rhythm Collective, one of the pilot groups for Community Created Performances, at the January 7th launch event. KYLEFLUBACKER
  • 12. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 18 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 To connect Chicago Voices with communities throughout the city, Lyric is partnering with Chicago Public Library, Chicago History Museum, and Columbia College on the initiative. It was important to both Fleming and Freud that Chicago Voices invite audiences to connect with the musical genres and styles that speak to them. Every aspect of the initiative is meant to celebrate the human voice, while also highlighting and amplifying the narratives of everyday Chicagoans. With those goals firmly in mind, Community Created Performances became Chicago Voices’ first major venture. Shortly after the launch, groups of Chicagoans were invited to submit stories based on their unique communities and what they’ve experienced within those communities. Specifically, Lyric hoped to bring to light parts of life in Chicago that may not appear on the news or in the papers. “We really wanted groups to apply from all backgrounds and skill levels,” says Cayenne Harris, director of Lyric Unlimited. “It was important for us that community members were able to share the stories that were significant and powerful to them.” The application process encouraged groups to define what community they were a part of, and what story their group hoped to tell. Applicants were also asked to utilize the Chicago Public Library 2016 One Book, One Chicago theme, “Chicago: The City That Gives,” to help frame the stories of their communities. From the applicant groups, semifinalists were chosen, after which the public had the opportunity to vote for the stories they found most compelling. The three groups receiving the largest number of votes went through a 16-week creative process to develop an original music-theater work, with the support of a Lyric-hired professional team and a $10,000 stipend. Groups turned their stories into fully- realized productions, which were presented to the public on September 24 in a free performance at the Harris Theater. As a world-class opera company, Lyric presents mainstage performances that are planned years in advance, cast with renowned artists, and rehearsed meticulously from top to bottom, controlled completely by a rigorous and well-travelled path from rehearsal room to stage. When it comes to presenting any production, no detail is overlooked. In contrast, Community Created Performances turns this model on its ear. “We wanted to put the creative control into the hands of communities to tell their own stories through song,” says Freud. “This is exciting for us, as we want to cast a spotlight on the untold stories of Chicagoans and the tremendous creativity that exists in our city.” In an ever-changing digital climate, technology shaped the Community Created Performances in numerous ways. Chicago Public Library (CPL), which in 2015 provided over 2.5 million free internet sessions to Chicago residents in their 80 branches citywide, played a vital role in introducing community members to Chicago Voices. Information sessions were held at 11 neighborhood branches to spread the word about the program, encourage participation, and address any lingering questions community members might have. Groups were able to utilize the library’s computers to apply for the program online. “The Chicago Public Library’s network A major project of Chicago Voices was Chicago SING!, which toured the city last summer to record Chicagoans singing their favorite songs! Harmony, Hope & Healing participants work with animateur Cheryl Coons to define their community’s story; HH&H community lead Marge Nykaza participating in a group story development activity; and Marcia Berry (left) and Wes Cline (right), Harmony, Hope & Healing participants, work together to create the story of A Circle of Hope. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.)
  • 13. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 20 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 of branches and deep roots in every Chicago neighborhood, along with the free internet access they provide to the public, is invaluable to the success of Chicago Voices,” says Cayenne Harris. Once the application period was officially opened on January 7, many groups applied to tell their story, much to Fleming’s delight. “An amazing range of ensembles applied to be a part of the Community Created Performances,” she recalls. “The diversity and originality was fantastic, and so characteristic of Chicago.” Groups ranged from a spoken-word poetry slam team to a senior-citizen writing circle and an LGBTQ residential community, among others. With the help of a panel comprised of CPL employees, each applicant group’s submission was diligently reviewed and scored based on predetermined criteria, such as the group’s interest in creating a new work and performing it, their community’s story, and the connection to the One Book, One Chicago theme. Eight wonderfully gifted and imaginative groups were selected as semifinalists. Lyric created video profiles for all eight, and featured the profiles online for public voting. More than 16,000 votes were cast before the top three finalist groups emerged: Harmony, Hope & Healing; Kirin- Gornick Band; and Tellin’ Tales Theatre. Harmony, Hope & Healing (HHH) provides music-based programming to homeless and underserved communities, offering emotional and spiritual support to help them prevail daily over their struggles to achieve better lives. HHH works throughout many neighborhoods in south and west Chicago, training their more than 800 participants in holistic healing methods through music and the arts. Using the curative power of music, HHH offers participants the means to develop the inner resources to break the cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse. The story of the Kirin-Gornick Band (KGB) follows the lifelong collaboration of the group members, revealing how the rich history of traditional Eastern European tambura music impacts people’s lives in Chicago. This music is deeply integrated in the culture and community of the former Yugoslavia and has long been responsible for helping bring together people from disputing backgrounds. The band members have continued that pattern by maintaining their lifelong connections to both their Chicagoan and Croatian roots. They bring these connections to life by performing at many cultural events and celebrations across the city. Tellin’ Tales Theatre (TTT) provides unique opportunities for members, both with and without physical and mental disabilities, to perform together. Their group shares personal stories of their company members about the daily struggles of life, pointing out the ways in which our differences make us the same. TTT has successfully created a sense of community for its performers, while encouraging them to express their personal stories with the world in a theatrical setting. Starting in June 2016, the three groups embarked on the journey to bring their stories to the stage. “For the finalists, the creative process began the most exciting period, making their ideas come to life with professional support from Lyric,” says Fleming. “And it was thrilling for us, too, seeing authentic voices of Chicago’s communities take shape onstage.” Each group was supported in the process by an artistic team, including animateurs (facilitators), scriptwriters, songwriters, directors, and a production and costume designer. Groups met with their teams beginning in June for 4-6 hours per week in unique Members of Kirin-Gornick Band, one of the three winning groups in the Community Created Performances program: (top left) Julie Hughes playing the prìm as part of KGB’s work, Kumovi; (top right) participants in KGB read through their original work for friends and family; (bottom left)songwriter Mike Przygoda and director Jess McLeod, members of the artistic team, collaborating with KGB to create their work. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.) Visit the Chicago Voices Community Created Performances photo exhibit in the downstairs Opera Club at the Civic Opera House!
  • 14. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 22 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 rehearsal settings that worked best for the participants. The three groups’ locations represent the southwest (KGB), west (HHH), and north (TTT) regions of Chicago. The groups, ranging from 10-25 individuals, including their creative teams, met in large spaces that allowed for group activities, such as theaters, churches, and community centers. During the first five weeks, each group utilized story-building exercises and activities, such as improvisation techniques and group storytelling. This helped the animateur and scriptwriter develop the group’s chosen story and assist them in producing an appropriate script. After the story’s building blocks were securely in place, the songwriter, with significant input from the group’s participants, helped turn elements of that story into a score accompanying the script. Once script and songwriting were complete, staging of each show began, led by the director, and the stories of each group began to emerge. “All of the HHH participants involved in this program have truly enjoyed the process of preparing to craft and perform the HHH Story,” says the group’s community lead, Marge Nykaza. “It has been a time of great introspection for individuals and a time of great joy for our community.” Sophie Wingland, who serves as animateur for KGB notes, “This project has the potential to build so many bridges between never-before-connected groups of people.” For scriptwriter Erin Austin of TTT, “My personal goal as scriptwriter is to help shape the group’s story in a way that conveys the issues and themes that are important to them, while celebrating the ideas of each member of the ensemble in one way or another.” Austin heard a TTT group member comment during the creative process, “Don’t assume if you don’t have a voice, you can’t speak. And if you can’t move, that doesn’t mean you can’t dance. Don’t ask if someone can or can’t do something. Instead, ask how they can do it.” The artistic teams worked with the groups to develop their stories into original songs and scripts that would become the performance presented to the public on September 24 as Chicago Voices Presents: Stories and Songs of Chicago at the Harris Theater. Before this final performance, the groups each presented portions of their work for public readings at venues in their own communities. The Community Created Performances program (which will be offered again in 2017) and the broader Chicago Voices initiative were created out of a desire for Lyric to expand the traditional role of an opera company within the community. In January and February of 2017, Chicago Voices will present a series of events geared to further highlight the city’s vocal culture. A planned set of talks and performances at the Chicago History Museum will explore musical styles with Chicago ties such as gospel, classical, and hip-hop. On the weekend of February 2-4, 2017, a multi-day series of expert panels and master classes will be presented in partnership with Columbia College Chicago. These events will coincide with the Chicago Voices Gala Concert, a special, one-night-only musical celebration featuring superstar artists from a variety of genres at Lyric’s legendary Civic Opera House on the evening of February 4, 2017. Performers include Fleming, John Prine, Matthew Polenzani, Shemekia Copeland, The Handsome Family, and others. “I believe that we’ve created something for everyone,” says Renée Fleming. “I’m truly fascinated by the many voices that make Chicago the city that it is. Whether you are an opera singer or someone who just sings in the shower, singing is a vital part of every culture. The voice is the musical instrument that each of us is born with – possibly our most elemental, personal form of artistic expression – and I believe it can help bring us together.” Kamaria Morris is Lyric’s public relations specialist. Tellin’ Tales Theatre community lead Tekki Lomnicki and participant Alexa Wohlfort create original music for FREEDOM out of order; songwriter Megan Elk leads a songwriting session with participants of Tellin’ Tales Theatre; Michael Herzovi and Molly Wiesman work on developing music for TTT’s work. (Photos by Jaclyn Simpson.) Chicago Voices is made possible by major support from J. Thomas Hurvis and Parent Power Chicago, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. This project is partially supported by The Chicago Community Trust, an IncentOvate Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, and the Eisen Family Foundation. Additional support for Chicago Voices Fest is provided by Bank of America.
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  • 16. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 24 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 TERRENCEMcCARTHY/SANFRANCISCOOPERA New-to-Chicago Production Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor PRODUCTION SPONSORS Stefan Edlis and Sylvia Neil and Gael Neeson Daniel Fischel
  • 17. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 25 LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Synopsis In a feud between the Scottish families of Ravenswood and Lammermoor, Enrico Ashton of Lammermoor wrongfully holds the estates of Edgardo of Ravenswood. In addition, Enrico’s political activity against the king has placed him in a perilous situation, and he has resolved to reestablish his family’s position by marrying his sister Lucia to Lord Arturo Bucklaw. ACT ONE Scene 1. Normanno orders his henchmen to discover the identity of the man whom Lucia is secretly meeting each day before dawn. Enrico is frustrated because he cannot persuade his sister to accept a marriage that will save him politically, and Normanno tells him his suspicions concerning Lucia’s lover. Enrico’s outburst is interrupted by the return of his men confirming that Lucia’s lover is in fact his enemy Edgardo. Scene 2. Lucia awaits Edgardo in the woods by a fountain whose legend of a bloody phantom alternately fascinates and repels her. Edgardo arrives with the news that he must leave for Enrico (Ashley Holland) forces Lucia (Natalie Dessay) to sign the marriage contract: a tense moment from Act Two of Lyric's 2003-04 production. TIME: Early 18th century PLACE: Scotland ACT ONE Scene 1. The vicinity of Ravenswood Castle Scene 2. The grounds at Lammermoor Castle ACT TWO Scene 1. Enrico’s chambers Scene 2. The Great Hall of Lammermoor Castle Intermission ACT THREE Scene 1. The castle tower at Ravenswood Scene 2. The Great Hall of Lammermoor Castle Scene 3. The Ravenswood cemetery France. He tells Lucia that before departing he wishes to ask Enrico for her hand in marriage. Terrified of her brother’s reaction, Lucia begs him not to. She tries to calm him when he renews his vows of vengeance upon her family. They solemnly pledge their troth by exchanging rings and vows of eternal fidelity, promising to write during their separation. ACT TWO Scene 1. In his fury at his sister’s betrayal, Enrico has concluded marriage preparations for the union of his sister with Arturo. Despite his insistence, Enrico has failed to secure Lucia’s consent to this arranged marriage. Lucia remains obstinate even when presented with a letter, forged in Edgardo’s handwriting, announcing his marriage to another woman. Enrico explodes in rage against his sister. At Raimondo’s fervent pleading, the exhausted Lucia finally gives in. Scene 2. The wedding party has assembled and Lucia has scarcely signed the marriage contract when Edgardo bursts into the castle demanding an explanation. Upon seeing the contract with Lucia’s signature, he curses her and her family forever. Enrico finally places his sister’s hand in Arturo’s. ACT THREE Scene 1. In a tower of Edgardo’s gloomy castle, Enrico arrives at night to challenge him to a duel the next morning. Scene 2. The wedding celebration is in progress when Raimondo brings the terrible news that Lucia has slain her bridegroom and has gone mad. In her delirium, Lucia wanders into the hall and imagines a wedding ceremony with her beloved Edgardo. Enrico returns and finds his sister insane. He suffers remorse as she loses all reason while begging Edgardo to pray at her tomb. Scene 3. Unaware of all that has happened, Edgardo imagines Lucia’s happiness with Arturo and berates her for her infidelity. A party of mourners leaving the castle brings word of Lucia’s misfortune. As Edgardo sets off to see her one last time, Raimondo stops him with the news of Lucia’s death. In his grief, Edgardo stabs himself, hoping to be reunited with Lucia in heaven. Reprinted by permission of San Francisco Opera. DANREST
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  • 19. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 27 • Scenery realized by the Foundation of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Grand Théâtre de Genève. • Additional costumes by Seams Unlimited. • Projected English titles © 2003 by Francis Rizzo. • Lyric Opera of Chicago Broadcasts are generously sponsored by the Caerus Foundation, Inc., with matching funding provided by The Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum Family, The John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Foundation, and The Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Family. • Lyric Opera of Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support of the NIB Foundation Italian Opera Endowed Chair. • Lyric Opera of Chicago wishes to thank its Official Airline, American Airlines. • This season’s projected English titles are funded in part by a generous grant from the Lloyd E. Rigler- Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation. • The performance will last approximately three hours. New-to-Chicago Production Gaetano Donizetti LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Opera in three acts in Italian Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, after Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) First performed at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on September 26, 1835 First performed by Lyric Opera on November 15, 1954 Characters in order of vocal appearance: Normanno MATTHEW DiBATTISTA Lord Enrico Ashton QUINN KELSEY°° Raimondo Bidebent ADRIAN SÂMPETREAN* Lucia Ashton ALBINA SHAGIMURATOVA Alisa LINDSAY METZGER° Sir Edgardo of Ravenswood PIOTR BECZAŁA Lord Arturo Bucklaw JONATHAN JOHNSON° Conductor ENRIQUE MAZZOLA* Director GRAHAM VICK Set and Costume Designer PAUL BROWN Revival Production Designer ELENA CICORELLA* Lighting Designer CHRIS MARAVICH Chorus Master MICHAEL BLACK Wigmaster and Makeup Designer SARAH HATTEN Associate Director MARINA BIANCHI* Assistant Director DANIEL ELLIS Stage Manager RACHEL A. TOBIAS Stage Band Conductor STEVEN MOSTELLER* Musical Preparation KEUN-A LEE MARIO ANTONIO MARRA° STEVEN MOSTELLER* Fight Director CHUCK COYL Projected English Titles FRANCIS RIZZO * Lyric debut ° Current member, Ryan Opera Center °° Alumnus, Ryan Opera Center
  • 20. P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 28 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 ALBINA SHAGIMURATOVA (Lucia Ashton) Previously at Lyric: Gilda/Rigoletto (2012-13). Iconic coloratura roles in 19th-century Italian opera have been central to the career of the internationally celebrated Russian soprano. She has triumphed as Lucia (Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, role debut in Houston), Violetta (Houston, Moscow), and Gilda (Lyric, San Francisco). This season Shagimuratova marks her return to Houston Grand Opera as Konstanze (she is a proud alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio), the Vienna State Opera as Donna Anna, and Covent Garden as Aspasia/Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto. Having attracted international attention as Gold Medal winner of Moscow’s 2007 Tchaikovsky Competition, Shagimuratova debuted in Europe under Riccardo Muti as the Queen of the Night (Salzburg Festival). Closely identified with that role, she has sung it at the Met, the Lucerne Festival, the Bolshoi, La Scala (DVD), Covent Garden, and the leading houses of Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston. Recent successes onstage also include Konstanze (Met, role debut), Lyudmila/Ruslan and Lyudmila (Bolshoi), Donna Anna (Glyndebourne, also in Covent Garden’s production in London and for Japan tour), and Violetta (Bolshoi). Concert works have brought Shagimuratova to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Danish National Symphony. PIOTR BECZAŁA (Edgardo of Ravenswood) Previously at Lyric: Title role/Faust (2009-10). One of today’s most sought- after artists, the Polish tenor has triumphed as Edgardo at the Metropolitan Opera and in San Francisco, Vienna, and Zurich. Other starring roles at the Met include the Duke of Mantua (debut, 2006), Lensky, the Prince/Rusalka, Rodolfo, Romeo, Faust, and Des Grieux. In 2013 Beczała premiered the Met’s new Rigoletto, earning the ECHO Klassik “Singer of the Year” Award for its DVD release. Closely associated with the Zurich Opera House, Beczała is also a great favorite at the Salzburg Festival, and the state operas of Munich and Vienna. He has also starred with the major companies of Hamburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, Geneva, Bologna, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg. Among Beczała’s stage successes last season were his first Lohengrin (Dresden’s Semperoper) and a new production of Werther (Opéra National de Paris). Highlights this season include Beczała’s return to Zurich (The Land of Smiles), Barcelona (Werther), and Vienna (Un ballo in maschera). Beczała celebrated his 20th stage anniversary in 2012 with a concert at Warsaw’s famous Teatr Wielki. The tenor has documented his artistry in an exceptionally varied discography and videography, with new releases including Rusalka (DVD, Met) and his fifth solo album, entitled “The French Collection.” QUINN KELSEY (Enrico Ashton) Previously at Lyric: 15 roles since 2003-04, most recently Count di Luna/Il trovatore (2014- 15); Germont/La traviata (2013-14); Paolo/Simon Boccanegra (2012-13). The Hawaiian baritone’s Enrico has earned acclaim at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Oper Frankfurt. A Ryan Opera Center alumnus and 2015 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Award, Kelsey is in demand for Verdi, Puccini, and French roles internationally. Recent successes include debuts at Covent Garden (La traviata – he returns this season for Il trovatore) and the Opéra National de Paris (Rigoletto, new Claus Guth production). Last season Kelsey returned to the Met as Marcello/ La bohème, previously heard at Lyric and in San Francisco (where he returns as Rigoletto next spring). In addition to his celebrated Rigoletto (Toronto, London, new productions in Zurich, Oslo, Santa Fe), Kelsey’s achievements in Verdi include Falstaff (Saito Kinen Festival), Ezio/ Attila (San Francisco), Paolo/Simon Boccanegra (Rome), Amonasro (Bregenz, San Francisco), Count di Luna (Dresden, San Francisco), and Montfort/Les vêpres siciliennes (new Oper Frankfurt production). His operatic repertoire also encompasses Sancho/Don Quichotte (Toronto), Zurga/The Pearl Fishers (English National Opera), Athanaël/Thaïs (Edinburgh Festival), and the Forester/The Cunning Little Vixen (Saito Kinen Festival, Florence’s Teatro Comunale). Kelsey has presented recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall, and has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the San Francisco Symphony (CD, Grammy winner). ADRIAN SÂMPETREAN (Raimondo Bidebent) Lyric debut The Romanian bass, a native of Cluj-Napoca, studied at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in his home city under his father, bass Mircea Sâmpetrean. After earning awards in numerous major competitions, Sâmpetrean made his stage debut as Colline/ La bohème in his hometown’s National Opera, where he sang Donizetti’s Raimondo in 2007. That year Sâmpetrean joined the Opera Studio of Munich’s Bavarian State Opera. Guest engagements followed in Bologna, Monte Carlo, and with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf-Duisburg. The bass continues to return frequently to the latter company, where he has sung such major roles as Raimondo, Don Basilio/The Barber of Seville, Sparafucile/ Rigoletto, Oroveso/Norma, King Philip/Don Carlo, and Ramfis/Aida. In his still-young career Sâmpetrean has already earned successes at La Scala (title role/Verdi’s Oberto and Banco/ Macbeth), the Salzburg Festival (Ferrando/Il trovatore, Leporello/Don Giovanni – he has also sung the latter role at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and in Amsterdam), the Aix-en-Provence Festival (Selim/Il turco in Italia), and the state operas of Hamburg (Raimondo) and Berlin (Ferrando/Il trovatore). Sâmpetrean returned to Salzburg in August for concert performances of a rarely performed work, Otto Nicolai’s Il Templario. Highlights this season include return engagements at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Aïda, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Carlo. JONATHAN JOHNSON (Lord Arturo Bucklaw) Previously at Lyric: Six roles since 2014-15, most recently Innkeeper/Der Rosenkavalier, Raoul de St. Brioche/The Merry Widow, Don Curzio/The Marriage of Figaro (all 2015-16). A third-year Ryan Opera Center member and a native of Macon, Georgia, the tenor first appeared in Chicago in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias with the Civic Orchestra, before debuting at Lyric in Capriccio. His upcoming performances in the current season include Rodriguez/Don Quichotte (Lyric), Fenton/ Falstaff (San Diego Opera), and Frederic/The Pirates of Penzance (Lyric Opera of Kansas City). He recently debuted at Portland Opera as Lindoro/L’italiana in Algeri, with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic (with Grammy-winning trumpet player Chris Botti). His leading roles at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he received a master’s degree and a Professional Artist Certificate, included Ruggero/La rondine, Lechmere/Owen Wingrave, Azaël/Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue, and Fenton/The Merry Wives of Windsor. Other major performance credits include the “Beyond the Aria” series (Chicago’s Harris Theater), Ezekiel Cheever/The Crucible (Piedmont Opera), and the title role/Candide
  • 21. P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 29 and Rev. Horace Adams/Peter Grimes (both at the Aspen Summer Music Institute). Jonathan Johnson is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. William C. Vance. LINDSAY METZGER (Alisa) Previously at Lyric: Second Noble Orphan/ Der Rosenkavalier, Second Peasant Girl/The Marriage of Figaro (both 2015-16). The Mundelein, Illinois native, a mezzo-soprano in her second year with the Ryan Opera Center, returns to the Lyric stage later this season as Garcias/Don Quichotte and Mercédès/Carmen. She spent two summers as an apprentice art- ist with Des Moines Metro Opera where she performed in such productions as La rondine, Eugene Onegin, and Don Giovanni. She is also a former studio artist with Milwaukee’s Floren- tine Opera (Giannetta/L’elisir d’amore). Among her recent portrayals are the title role/Cinder- ella (Lyric Unlimited’s community engage- ment program “Opera in the Neighborhoods”), Daphne/Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers (Chicago’s Haymarket Opera Company), Cherubino/The Marriage of Figaro (La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy), Nella/Gianni Schicchi (DuPage Opera Theatre), the title role/Ariodante, Béatrice/ Béatrice et Bénédict, and Beppe/L’amico Fritz (all at the University of Wisconsin-Madison). Metzger debuted with the Grant Park Symphony singing the soprano solo in Fauré’s Requiem. Among her numerous awards are the Paul Collins Fellowship from University of Wisconsin-Madi- son and the Virginia Cooper Meier Award from the Musician’s Club of Women. Lindsay Metzger is sponsored by an Anonymous Donor. MATTHEW DiBATTISTA (Normanno) Previously at Lyric: Faninal’s Majordomo/Der Rosenkavalier (2015-16); Servant/Capriccio (2014- 15); Third Esquire/Parsifal (2013-14). The Boston-born tenor earned critical acclaim last summer as the Dancing Master/Ariadne auf Naxos, his eighth role at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Other recent career highlights include the four Valet Tenors/Les contes d’Hoffmann (Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Colorado, Palm Beach Opera), Flute/A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Boston Lyric Opera), Camille Raquin/ Tobias Picker’s Thérèse Raquin (Long Beach Opera, Chicago Opera Theater), Curley/Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men (Tulsa Opera), and Flavio/Norma (Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood). The tenor recently joined the Metropolitan Opera roster for Romeo and Juliet. His repertoire at the Glimmerglass Festival has included Falstaff, Of Mice and Men, Central Park, and The Mother of Us All. Among his many other successes have been contemporary roles – Louis/Angels in America (Opera Boston), Steve Hubble/A Streetcar Named Desire (Virginia Opera), Jasper Vanderbilt/The Rivals (Skylight Opera Theatre, world premiere), the title role/The Good Soldier Schweik (Long Beach Opera), Eddie Fislinger/Elmer Gantry (Tulsa Opera) – and more familiar works including Tosca (Denver) and Pagliacci (New Orleans). ENRIQUE MAZZOLA (Conductor) Lyric debut The Italian conductor is artistic and music director of the Orchestre National d’Ile de France, resident orchestra of the Philharmonie, Paris’s newest concert hall. Greatly admired internationally in bel canto, Mazzola has conducted that repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera (L’elisir d’amore), Glyndebourne (last season’s company premiere of Poliuto, this season’s new production of The Barber of Seville), La Scala (Don Pasquale), the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (L’italiana in Algeri), the Bolshoi Theatre (La sonnambula), and the major houses of Strasbourg, Berlin, and Tokyo. Bel canto also highlights Mazzola’s operatic work this season, including performances at Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino) and the Zurich Opera House (I puritani, The Barber of Seville). Mazzola has inaugurated a Meyerbeer cycle at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, beginning with Dinorah (2014) and continuing with Vasco da Gama/L’africaine (2015). Other recent highlights include many highly successful orchestraldebuts,notablytheViennaSymphony, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Oslo Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Mazzola has earned acclaim at major European festivals, including those of Munich, Aix-en-Provence, Pesaro (Rossini Opera Festival), and Venice (Biennale), among others. The conductor is former artistic and music director of Montepulciano’s Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte. GRAHAM VICK (Director) Previously at Lyric: The Queen of Spades (2000- 01); Un re in ascolto (1997- 98); The Rake’s Progress (1994-95). Artistic director of Birmingham Opera Company, the British director has repeatedly undertaken pioneering work there that has consistently attracted extraordinary international attention. New productions directed by Vick this season include Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Royal Danish Opera), Death in Venice (Deutsche Oper Berlin), and Idomeneo (Göteborg Opera). His career has encompassed productions of Wagner works at the Royal Opera House, Chausson in Paris, Verdi at La Scala and Vienna, Mozart at the Salzburg Festival, Monteverdi in Bologna, Schoenberg and Shostakovich at the Metropolitan Opera, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev at the Mariinsky Theatre, zarzuela repertoire in Madrid, and Rossini in Pesaro. In addition to major stage works of Ravi Shankar, Jonathan Dove, and Karlheinz Stockhausen in Birmingham, Vick’s collaborations with living composers include operas by Luciano Berio (Un re in ascolto, London, Paris, Chicago; Outis, La Scala), Stephen Oliver (Timon Of Athens, English National Opera), and most recently Georg Friedrich Haas (Morgen und Abend, Royal Opera House). A past winner of the Italian music critics’ Abbiati Prize (six times), Britain’s South Bank Show Award for Opera (twice), and Spain’s Campoamor Prize, Vick is also a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s 2009 Birthday Honours List. (See Director’s Note, page 37.) PAUL BROWN (Set and Costume Designer) Previously at Lyric: Thaïs (2002-03). The Welsh designer is closely associated with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he debuted in 1991 with Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto directed by Graham Vick. Other ROH productions include collaborations with Vick (King Arthur, The Midsummer Marriage, Falstaff), Elijah Moshinsky (I masnadieri), and Jonathan Kent (Tosca, Manon Lescaut). Brown’s work has also been hailed at Glyndebourne (Lulu, Pelléas et Mélisande, The Turn of the Screw, The Fairy Queen, Don Giovanni, Hippolyte et Aricie) and English National Opera (The Flying Dutchman). Among his extensive European credits are Peter Grimes and Parsifal (Paris), Guillaume Tell
  • 22. P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 30 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 (Pesaro), Mefistofele (Amsterdam), Tristan und Isolde (Berlin), and War and Peace, Elektra, and Die Frau ohne Schatten (St. Petersburg). This season he designs Vick’s new productions of Idomeneo (Göteborg) and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Copenhagen). American credits include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Moses und Aron (Metropolitan Opera) and Katya Kabanova and The Tempest (The Santa Fe Opera). He has worked with Jonathan Kent on many productions at the Almeida Theatre, including Coriolanus, Richard II, King Lear, The Tempest, and Platonov. Other designs include Man of La Mancha (Broadway) and Philip Haas’s films Angels and Insects and Up at the Villa. ELENA CICORELLA (Revival Production Designer) Lyric debut The Italian designer has been associated with many Italian companies, most recently for L’italiana in Algeri (revival production designer, Florence), the Ring cycle (costume design supervisor, Palermo), and Les contes d’Hoffmann (costume designer, Novara). She has worked with such acclaimed directors as Graham Vick (Lucia di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena, Ring cycle, Die Gezeichneten), Giorgio Marini (Lady in the Dark, The Turn of the Screw, Morte dell’aria, Il Cordovano, The Bear, Iolanta, L’Olimpiade, Orfeo), Marco Gandini (La traviata, Tancredi, Le due contesse, Il duello), Francesco Micheli (Il trovatore), Walter Sutcliffe (Otello), and film director Terry Gilliam (The Damnation of Faust), for such prestigious theaters as La Scala, Teatro Massimo, Teatro Real, and Teatro Regio Turin and Parma. Cicorella has designed for La Scala (Carillon), and non-operatic venues in Milan – among them the Verdi Theatre (Histoire du Soldat/Il violino, il soldato, il diavolo), CRT Theatre (Lo zero transparente), and Paolo Grassi Theater (La calandria). In the United States, Cicorella was revival production designer for Lucia di Lammermoor (San Francisco), and costume designer and head of costume department for Terra incognita in the Contemporary World Drama Festival. Other international experience includes Beijing (Samson et Dalila), Croatia (Tosca), Korea (Aida), Serbia, and Portugal (both Carmen). CHRIS MARAVICH (Lighting Designer) Previously at Lyric: The Merry Widow (2015- 16); Pepe Martínez and Leonard Foglia’s El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (world premiere, 2014-15). Currently Lyric’s lighting director, Maravich served in the same position from 2006 to 2012 at San Francisco Opera, where he has created lighting for many of the company’s productions, including The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Così fan tutte, Turandot, Cyrano de Bergerac, Il trittico, Tosca, Simon Boccanegra, Don Giovanni, Nixon in China, and Attila. Maravich has collaborated on the lighting designs for Doktor Faust at Oper Stuttgart, Tannhäuser for the Greek National Opera, and La fanciulla del West, The Makropulos Case, The Daughter of the Regiment, Il trovatore, Samson et Dalila, and Macbeth for San Francisco Opera. He has also designed lighting for Opera Colorado, San Diego Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Florida Grand Opera, Madison Opera, Cal Performances, and Opera San José. Chris Maravich is the Mary-Louis and James S. Aagaard Endowed Chair. MICHAEL BLACK (Chorus Master) Previously at Lyric: Chorus master since 2013- 14; interim chorus master, 2011-12. Lyric’s chorus master’s activities earlier this year, following the opera season, included continuing his association with the Grant Park Music Festival by preparing the chorus for Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust. Chorus master from 2001 to 2013 at Opera Australia in Sydney, Black prepared the OA chorus for more than 90 operas and many concert works. He has served in the same capacity on four continents. His work has been recorded and/or aired on ABC, BBC, PBS, and for many HD productions in movie theaters as well as on television. Among the distinguished organizations with which he has been associated are the Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Park Opera (London), and, in Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (including Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, led by Vladimir Ashkenazy), Philharmonia Choir, Motet Choir, and Cantillation chamber choir. He has been a lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, of which he is an alumnus. Black also holds a master’s degree in musicology from the University of New South Wales. SARAH HATTEN (Wigmaster and Makeup Designer) Lyric’s wigmaster and makeupdesignerhasworked in a wide repertoire at Des Moines Metro Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Columbus Opera, Toledo Opera, the Cabrillo Music Festival, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has also worked at the Glimmerglass Festival and the major opera companies of Los Angeles, Omaha, Cleveland, Sarasota, and Central City, as well as at Wisconsin’s American Players Theatre and, in Los Angeles, the Pantages Theatre and the Geffen Playhouse. Hatten earned a B. A. in music at Simpson College. Sarah Hatten is the Marlys Beider Wigmaster and Makeup Designer Endowed Chair. MARINA BIANCHI (Associate Director) Lyric debut The director’s productions of a highly varied repertoire have been seen in many major houses throughout her native Italy. Among her most important credits are The Marriage of Figaro (La Scala), Falstaff (Teatro Regio in Parma, Teatro San Carlo in Naples), Carmen (Teatro Lirico in Cagliari), Hans Krása’s Brundibar (Opera di Firenze), and both Cavalleria rusticana and a rarity of French opera, Adolphe Adam’s Le Toréador (Palermo’s Teatro Massimo). Highlights this season include a revival of the director’s Dido and Aeneas production at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and Falstaff at Genoa’s Teatro Carlo Felice. Last season Bianchi served as assistant director for the highly successful new production of La traviata at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera (to be revived at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts this season) that marked film director Sofia Coppola’s operatic directorial debut. Supernumeraries (Lucia di Lammermoor) Dennis Delavara* Kenneth Giambrone* Michael C. Goode Ed Husayko* Joshua Lee Michael Lieberman* Henry “Hank” Mandziara Jeff Mariola Michael Ortyl* Kayhon Safavi* John Cameron Sharrock Mario Solis* James Stanis* William “Doc” Syverson Theo Vlahopoulos* Edward Voci * I. Ham Wagner Pete Walters* *Regular supernumerary
  • 23. T H E Y T O O K YO U T O YO U R F I R S T P E R F O R M A N C E Honor them by naming a seat If your love for the arts was passed down by your parents or grandparents, what better way to honor that tradition than by naming a seat at the Civic Opera House in their honor? Starting at just $2,500, you can etch their name on an Ardis Krainik Theatre seat as a beautiful commemoration of an anniversary, a retirement, or even a way to memorialize your loved one. Call 312.827.5696 to learn more about this unique and special way to celebrate your shared love for the arts.
  • 24. Lyric Opera and The Second City join forces once again to explore Richard Wagner and everyone’s favorite four-day, fifteen-hour opera, the Ring cycle. Note: Show may contain inaccurate German accents. Performed backstage in the William Mason Rehearsal Hall at Lyric’s Civic Opera House with cabaret-style seating, including table service. 6 PERFORMANCES ONLY! Thurs., Oct. 27 at 7pm Fri., Oct. 28 at 2pm + 7pm Sat., Oct. 29 at 2pm Sun., Oct.30 at 1pm + 4pm Generous support provided by
  • 25. O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 33 G aetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott (1819), is the only opera still regularly performed among the dozens derived from Scott’s popular tales. Scott was a master of plot development and characterization informed by psychological insight and broad human sympathies. He generally avoided contemporary settings, preferring adventures set against historical backdrops such as the Crusades, the Norman conquest of England, and Highlander rebellions in Scotland. The popular appeal of his novels, amounting almost to a mania across much of 19th-century Europe, is easily understood. But to turn even the most appealing novel into an opera is a challenging enterprise. Why are so many more operas derived from plays (The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Norma, Ernani, Rigoletto, La forza del destino, Don Carlos, Otello, Falstaff, Tosca, Madama Butterfly) than from narrative fiction (Carmen, La bohème, Manon Lescaut)? A play doesn’t need to be dramatized, rendering adaptation vastly simpler. By contrast, a novel (Prosper Mérimée’s Carmen), short story (Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice), or narrative poem (Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin) demands a more elaborate reworking of the material to provide a suitable structure for opera. When drawing a libretto from a lengthy novel such as The Bride of Lammermoor or Cervantes’s Don Quixote, there is the additional requirement of extreme condensation: numerous episodes and characters, as well as long stretches of narration without dialogue, must be ruthlessly pared down to reach the librettist’s goal: a skeletal frame that will be brought to flesh-and-blood life by music. In this respect, the achievement of Lucia librettist Salvadore Cammarano is monumental. Cammarano directly addressed the difficulties in his preface to Lucia’s first published libretto. There he noted that in converting the novel from narrative to libretto, he had to surmount “numerous obstacles” by effecting changes to the story, including the omission of several important characters and altering Edgar Ravenswood’s death. These changes, Cammarano insisted, shouldn’t be seen as impertinent meddling with a great literary work, but as decisions made necessary by restrictions of the dramatic medium. In fact, there’s rather more to it: also involved are formal conventions of opera and the practical considerations of a busy theatrical season in 1830s Naples. Several episodes from the novel will illustrate these points. Edgar’s shocking arrival during Lucy’s wedding is presented in the third-to-last chapter of Scott’s novel. Having been deceived into believing that Edgar has broken his vow and abandoned her, Lucy reluctantly signs the marriage contract binding her to Arthur Bucklaw. Immediately after she places her signature on the document, Edgar intrudes, to everyone’s amazement, and demands an account of the goings-on. Up to this point, Cammarano’s libretto follows Scott to the letter, but then comes a striking divergence: in the novel a lengthy discussion ensues, with many characters taking part. Lucy’s brother insists on his right to challenge the intruder to a duel, and Arthur Bucklaw responds by insisting that it is he, Lucy’s husband, who should demand an accounting from Edgar. Then the officiating cleric cites a biblical passage (Numbers 30:5-6) to support the contention that Lucy’s previous vows to Edgar are not binding. Throughout this part of the conversation, Edgar insists that Lucy alone provide the explanation he seeks, but she contributes just five faltering words. Once Edgar examines the contract and is convinced that Lucy has willingly reneged on her vows to him, he seizes the gold piece he had given her as a pledge – along with the written counterpart to that pledge that Lucy’s mother had secured – and throws both items into the chimney fire before taking his leave. This is the source from which Cammarano devised the text for one of Donizetti’s most From Lucy to Lucia By Jesse Rosenberg Sir Walter Scott’s demure heroine, Lucy Ashton, depicted in an early edition of Scott’s novel. June Anderson in the mad scene at Lyric, 1990-91 season. TONYROMANO
  • 26. If you have been thrilled by the operas you’ve seen, you may wish to consider making a charitable bequest to Lyric Opera of Chicago. Planned giving is a meaningful way to ensure Lyric will continue producing grand opera of the highest quality. A gift to Lyric creates a beautiful legacy that will be enjoyed by thousands for years to come. All Planned Givers become members of Lyric’s Overture Society, and enjoy exclusive benefits. If you would like further information, please contact Jonathan Siner, Lyric’s Senior Director of Planned Giving, at (312) 827-5677 or jsiner@ lyricopera.org or Lynn Bennett, Lyric’s Associate Director of Planned and Major Giving, at (312) 827-5688 or lbennett@lyricopera.org. “Don’t just dream about Lyric Opera! Help fortify Lyric’s endowment by designating your planned gift to the Breaking New Ground campaign. Call us to explore naming opportunities, including the Upper Balcony, Mezzanine Boxes, Dressing Rooms, Peacock Alley and Catwalk. Etch your name in Lyric’s history book, leaving your legacy for future generations. Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Quichotte Name Lyric in your estate plan.” KenHowardISanDiegoOpera
  • 27. O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 35 O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 35 glorious musical accomplishments: the so-called “sextet” (Donizetti and Cammarano designated it a finale, and it’s actually laid out as a quartet with chorus, with two further solo roles merely doubling certain lines present in the ensemble). Cammarano realized that the prima donna’s part in this crucial scene couldn’t be limited to the five words she pronounces in the novel. Although Scott’s Lucy is too stunned to say more, she’s obviously feeling a great deal here. This scene naturally calls for a prominent vocal presence for Donizetti’s heroine, which in turn calls for words – that is, additional text. Given that the text is sung by the star soprano, it naturally dominates the musical texture. Cammarano also understood that while the novel’s various characters express their reactions in succession, Donizetti’s music could unite them simultaneously, gathering them into an imposing sonic mass to create maximum excitement. With this in mind, Cammarano crafted equivalent-length stanzas for each soloist as well as the chorus, guaranteeing that all parts could work together as a cohesive musical climax. It doesn’t detract from Donizetti’s genius to point out how dependent he was on the framework provided by Cammarano. To be sure, Donizetti took the ball, ran with it, scoring a touchdown – but he couldn’t have taken the ball in the first place had Cammarano not expertly passed it to him. The librettist’s savvy departure from Scott should be seen as the necessary precondition for one of the composer’s undisputed greatest hits. The mad scene likewise presents a notably expanded textual and vocal part for the operatic Lucia, in comparison with the corresponding passage in Scott’s novel. His Lucy barely articulates anything before the horrified onlookers: she merely “gibbered, made mouths, and pointed at them with her bloody fingers, with the frantic gestures of an exulting demoniac” – impressive enough in narrative fiction, but hopelessly inadequate for the final number of an operatic protagonist! Among the many new lines of text that Cammarano introduces at this point, several have clear musical implications. For example, Lucia refers to sounds that she imagines she is hearing. Although she has emerged from the room where she murdered her husband, she now claims that she has just been listening to “the sweet sound” of Edgardo’s voice – and Donizetti complies, brilliantly, by supplying a Scotland’s Fast Castle, considered by many the model for Wolf’s Crag, home of Edgar Ravenswood in both Scott’s novel and Donizetti’s opera. Painted by John Thomson of Duddingston (1778-1840), a minister who was also an accomplished landscape artist. Sir Walter Scott, a portrait painted by Sir Henry Raeburn, dating most probably from the early 1820s. Gaetano Donizetti (who went mad from the effects of syphilis), one of numerous portraits of the composer painted by a fellow Bergamo native, Giuseppe Rillosi. SCOTTISHNATIONALGALLERY The greatest of all French Romantic artists, Eugène Delacroix, in a portrait of himself attired as Scott’s Edgar Ravenswood. MUSÉENATIONALEUGÈNEDELACROIX
  • 28. O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 36 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 reminiscence of the music she sang in Act One when describing the “muffled cry” of the ghost she had once come upon by a haunted well. The heroine’s disconnect from reality is thus brought home with shocking effectiveness. She then imagines that the ghost is before her once more, but this is followed by another musical reminiscence from Act One: the melody of farewell by which Lucia and Edgardo pledged eternal faithfulness, a musico-dramatic non sequitur that further underscores her madness. Throughout the mad scene, librettist and composer are working at such a deep level of reciprocal understanding that it becomes pointless to argue which one follows the lead of the other. For this scene, Cammarano needed something that Sir Walter Scott did not provide: extensive text for Lucia to sing to render her madness directly audible. Cammarano did this through lines indicating the disintegration of her grasp on reality, as she flies from one distorted memory to another without any logical connection between them. Through a combination of vocal and orchestral reminiscences, Donizetti fully realized the madness of Lucia which Cammarano had mapped out so astutely. Death is handled quite differently in the novel and the opera. Cammarano’s Arturo is killed by the mad Lucia, whom he has just married, whereas Scott’s Arthur recovers from his wounds and relocates abroad (a simple desire for greater shock value probably accounts for this modification). Another death, that of Edgar/Edgardo, happens in both the novel and opera, but in a radically different manner. Having agreed to fight a duel with Lucy’s brother, Edgar chooses a sword, mounts his horse, and races impetuously to the assigned location – so impetuously that he neglects to attend to the terrain. As a result, he and his horse fall into quicksand and thus meet their untimely end. There is shock value to spare here, but while the opera’s creators must have appreciated this episode, the impossibility of staging it convincingly was obvious. Edgardo would die, and what better way than suicide – the perfect expression of the despair that makes his life unbearable? These are a few aspects of Scott’s novel that, when compared with Donizetti, can illuminate the nature of opera itself. Two others should be mentioned. In the novel, Lucy’s formidable mother pressures her into a loveless marriage, a cruel function carried out in the opera by Lucia’s brother Enrico. Why the difference? The company of singers available during the autumn 1835 season at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, which had commissioned the opera, included only one female singer capable of a major role: the soprano Fanny Tacchinardi. There was, however, an outstanding baritone on the roster, Domenico Cosselli, whom Donizetti greatly admired – and this was enough to settle the matter. The primary villain whose machinations sabotage young love, leading to the tragic conclusion, had to be converted from a female role to a male one. Lucia’s plot involves the time-honored “star-crossed lovers” theme known though Romeo and Juliet and a hundred other stories: in the context of some ongoing conflict between families, countries, classes, or religions, a young man and a young woman, belonging respectively to the opposing sides, fall in love. But why are the Ashtons and the Ravenswoods such implacable enemies to each other? On this point, Cammarano’s libretto is mystifying; we learn virtually nothing about family history. Scott, in contrast, includes much background “Begone, you wretch,” declare the wedding guests to the despairing Edgardo (Giuseppe Filianoti, kneeling, center) in the 2011-12 Lyric production. DANREST
  • 29. O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O October 15 - November 6, 2016 | 37 NANCYSORENSEN(Callas);DAVIDH.FISHMAN(Sutherland);DANREST(Dessay) Three sopranos who made an indelible impression at Lyric as Donizetti’s heroine: (left to right) Maria Callas, the company’s first Lucia in 1954; Joan Sutherland, who debuted here in the role in 1961 and reprised it in 1975 (pictured here); and Natalie Dessay, who sang it in 2003-04. information regarding the rapid evolution of Scottish political society in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the strained relations between two religious currents (Presbyterianism, now gaining ascendancy and tactically supported by the Ashtons, and the Anglican rite still practiced by Edgar Ravenswood). Scott also devises several episodes presenting individual family members in personal conflicts that reflect these broader adversarial dynamics. In reading the novel, then, we understand why the families are enemies, and how unlikely it is that Lucy and Edgar will marry and live happily ever after. But in the opera, we know no more about the reasons behind the conflict than we know what the Montagues have against the Capulets. We hear only a few fleeting lines from Edgardo about the persecution and “usurpation” his family has suffered at the Ashtons’ hands. In short, we’re left with the bare fact of enmity, seemingly fixed and eternal, in the face of which the devotion of two young lovers doesn’t stand a chance. Why did Cammarano and Donizetti feel that the reasons for the enmity could be dispensed with? This may well be another case where practical decisions were paramount: in an opera, designed for performance onstage in a single evening, we lack the leisure time for an exposition of the many interesting historical details found in Scott’s novel. The only truly practical solution was to omit the backstory, but it may also be that the slashing of expository detail reflects a basic insight into enmity. It would be interesting to know why the Ashtons hate Edgardo, but it doesn’t matter. Once hatred takes root, nursed over the years through resentment and oaths of revenge, it becomes its own raison d’être. In Lucia di Lammermoor, the enmity between two families becomes something that it never was in The Bride of Lammermoor: the existential backdrop to a tragic destiny. Jesse Rosenberg, Clinical Associate Professor of Musicology at Northwestern University, is a specialist in 19th and 20th century Italian opera. It was 20 years ago in Florence when I directed this Lucia for my friend Mariella Devia. We had recently done I Puritani together in Venice, and the clarity of her sound and musicality had re- vealed to me how bel canto was completely rooted in classicism. So I approached this Lucia as a late-classical work, rather than the stirrings of melodramma italiana – although they are undoubtedly there. I chose to restore the period of the novel with all its 18th-century political calculation – emotion through the prism of the third eye. For all its wild remote setting and tale of doomed love, Lucia is not Romantic – we are not yet defying nature nor the gods – just each other. – Graham Vick Director
  • 30. 312.827.5600 | LYRICOPERA.ORGEXPERIENCE Delight in this heartwarming story told as never before, in a brand-new production told through the innocent and curious eyes of a child. A wonderful introduction to opera for all ages! PRODUCTION SPONSORS The NegauNee FouNdaTioN RaNdy L. aNd MeLviN R. BeRLiN RoBeRTa L. aNd RoBeRT J. WashLoW This holiday season, treat the whole family to Mozart’s sublime and magical masterpiece (DIEZAUBERFLÖTE) MOZART Performed in German with projected English translations BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY! Tickets start at just $39 for adults & $20 for children DECEMBER 10 – JANUARY 27
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  • 32. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 40 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 When the performance is over, you’ll want to discuss it with your companions and any other opera lovers you know! Continue your enjoyment of Lucia di Lammermoor for hours – even days – by exploring these topics: • What elements of the production, and what episodes in the music and drama, engaged you the most? • Do you think Lucia ever had a fair chance? Given the time period and circumstances, is there any way that the odds could have ended up in her favor? • Do you think anyone can be labeled the villain in this opera, if everyone was only following the obvious paths of action set by precedents of the time and place? • What similarities do you see between Lucia and Romeo and Juliet, or any another “rivaling families” stories? Lucia di Lammermoor: After the Curtain Falls To continue enjoying Lucia di Lammermoor, Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines suggests the following performances: • CD – Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Nicolai Ghiaurov; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, cond. Richard Bonynge (Decca) • CD – Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Rolando Panerai, Nicola Zaccaria; Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra, cond. Herbert von Karajan (EMI) • CD – Anna Moffo, Carlo Bergonzi, Mario Sereni, Ezio Flagello; RCA Italian Opera Orchestra, cond. George Prêtre (RCA) • DVD – Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczała, Mariusz Kwiecie´n, Ildar Abdrazakov; Metropolitan Opera, cond. Marco Armiliato, dir. Mary Zimmerman (Deutsche Grammophon) • DVD – Mariella Devia, Vincenzo La Scola, Renato Bruson, Carlo Colombara; La Scala, cond. Stefano Ranzani, dir. Pier’ Alli (Opus Arte) TODDROSENBERG TODDROSENBERG
  • 33. ETCH YOUR NAMEIN LYRIC’S STORIED HISTORY $2 MILLION • Upper Balcony $1 MILLION • Opera Boxes Boxes 1, 3, 18 and 25 are named $500,000 • Stage Lifts • Principal Dressing Room • Children’s Chorus Room $300,000 • Theatre Catwalk Favorite stop along Student Backstage Tours Would you like to make an indelible mark on your beloved Ardis Krainik Theatre? Consider a Breaking New Ground naming opportunity and leave your legacy for all generations. Multi-year payment plans and stock transfer options are available. To learn more about Lyric's campaign to modernize the stage and to tour these spaces, contact Leslie Mastroianni at 312-827-5723 or Lmastroianni@lyricopera.org. Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
  • 34. L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 42 | October 15 - November 6, 2016 Music Staff William C. Billingham Susan Miller Hult Matthew Piatt Noah Lindquist Jerad Mosbey Eric Weimer Keun-A Lee Grant Loehnig Mario Antonio Marra Francesco Milioto Steven Mosteller Robert Tweten Orchestra Violin I Robert Hanford, Concertmaster Mrs. R. Robert Funderburg Concertmaster Endowed Chair Sharon Polifrone, Assistant Concertmaster Alexander Belavsky Kathleen Brauer Laura Park Chen** Pauli Ewing Bing Y. Grant David Hildner Ellen Hildner Laura Miller Liba Shacht Heather Wittels Violin II Yin Shen, Principal John Macfarlane, Assistant Principal Bonita Di Bello Diane Duraffourg-Robinson Teresa Kay Fream Peter Labella Ann Palen Irene Radetzky John D. Robinson David Volfe Albert Wang Viola Carol Cook, Principal Terri Van Valkinburgh, Assistant Principal Frank W. Babbitt Patrick Brennan Karl Davies Amy Hess Melissa Trier Kirk Di Shi Cello Calum Cook, Principal Mark Brandfonbrener William H. Cernota Laura Deming Barbara Haffner Walter Preucil Bass Michael Geller, Principal Brian Ferguson, Assistant Principal* Andrew L. W. Anderson Ian Hallas Gregory Sarchet Timothy Shaffer** Collins R. Trier Flute Marie Tachouet, Principal Dionne Jackson, Assistant Principal Alyce Johnson Piccolo Alyce Johnson Oboe Judith Kulb, Principal Robert E. Morgan, Assistant Principal Judith Zunamon Lewis English Horn Robert E. Morgan Clarinet Charlene Zimmerman, Principal Linda A. Baker , Co-Assistant Principal Susan Warner, Co-Assistant Principal Bass Clarinet Linda A. Baker Bassoon James T. Berkenstock, Principal* Lewis Kirk, Acting Principal Preman Tilson Acting Assistant Principal John Gaudette** Contrabassoon Lewis Kirk Horn Jonathan Boen, Principal Fritz Foss, Assistant Principal/ Utility Horn Robert E. Johnson, Third Horn Samuel Hamzem Neil Kimel Trumpet William Denton, Principal Matthew Comerford, Co-Assistant Principal Channing Philbrick, Co-Assistant Principal Trombone Jeremy Moeller, Principal Mark Fisher, Assistant Principal David R. Becker** John Schwalm* Bass Trombone David R. Becker** John Schwalm* Tuba Andrew Smith, Principal Harp Marguerite Lynn Williams, Principal Timpani Edward Harrison, Principal Percussion Michael Green, Principal Douglas Waddell, Assistant Principal Eric Millstein Extra Musician Reed Capshaw, trombone Stageband Musicians Gabby Webster Mulcahy, horn Brian Goodwin, horn Jena Gardner, horn Adam Moen, trombone Terry Leahy, trombone Mark Fry, trombone Joel Cohen, percussion Librarian John Rosenkrans, Principal Personnel Manager and Stageband Contractor Christine Janicki *On leave, 2016-17 season **Season substitute Chorus Master Michael Black Howard A. Stotler Chorus Master Endowed Chair Regular Chorus Soprano Elisa Billey Becker Jillian Bonczek Patricia A. Cook-Nicholson Cathleen Dunn Janet Marie Farr Sharon Garvey Cohen Desirée Hassler Rachael Holzhausen Laureen Janeczek-Wysocki Kimberly McCord Heidi Spoor Stephani Springer Elizabeth Anne Taylor Sherry Watkins Mezzo Claudia A. Kerski-Nienow Marianna Kulikova Colleen Lovinello Lynn Lundgren Yvette Smith Marie Sokolova Maia Surace Laurie Seely Vassalli Pamela Williams Corinne Wallace-Crane Tenor Geoffrey Agpalo Jason Balla Timothy Bradley Hoss Brock William M. Combs John J. Concepcion Kenneth Donovan Joseph A. Fosselman Lawrence Montgomery Mark Nienow James Odom Thomas L. Potter Walton Westlake Bass Matthew Carroll David DuBois Robert Morrissey Kenneth Nichols Steven Pierce Robert J. Prindle Thomas Sillitti Craig Springer Jeffrey W. Taylor Ronald Watkins Nikolas Wenzel Core Supplementary Chorus Soprano Jill Dewsnup Carla Janzen Suzanne M. Kszatowski Kaileen Erin Miller Mezzo Sarah Ponder Michelle K. Wrighte Tenor Jared V. Esguerra Joe Shadday Dane Thomas Bass Claude Cassion Christopher Filipowicz Nicolai Janitzky Supplementary Chorus Soprano Elena Batman Katy Compton Joelle Lamarre Katelyn Lee Rosalind Lee Susan Nelson Brooklyn Snow Christine Steyer Kelsea Webb Mezzo Katie Ruth Bieber Robin Bradley Amy Anderson de Jong Hillary Grobe Adrienne Price Emily Price Amanda Runge Carolyn J. Stein Tenor Curtis Bannister Matthew Daniel Joseph Diehl Klaus Georg Tyler Samuel Lee Brett J. Potts Peder Reiff Chase Taylor Bass Michael Cavalieri Carl Frank Kirk Greiner John E. Orduña Wilbur Pauley Douglas Peters Martin Lowen Poock Dan Richardson Vincent P. Wallace, Jr.