Advance Program Notes Ash Lawn Così Fan Tutte Thursday, June 30, 2016, 7:30 PM

These Advance Program Notes are provided online for our patrons who like to read about performances ahead of time. Printed programs will be provided to patrons at the performances. Programs are subject to change. Ash Lawn Opera Così Fan Tutte Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte

Melinda Whittington as Fiordiligi Steven Jarvi, conductor Cassandra Zoe Velasco as Dorabella Andrea Dorf McGray, stage director Joshua Dennis as Ferrando Joseph Hodge, assistant conductor Andrew Garland as Guglielmo Emily Cuk, assistant director Kristopher Irmiter as Don Alfonso Adam Liston, scenic designer Mireille Asselin as Despina Gustavo Araoz, lighting designer André Chiang*, Michael Colman*, Anthony Jennifer L. Baker, costume/hair/makeup designer Heinemann*, Katherine Henly*, Kara Mulder*, and Katherine Oates Small*, ensemble

Ash Lawn Opera Board of Directors

Martha Redinger, president Virginia Cenedella, vice president Robert C. Vaughan III, treasurer Debbie Scott, secretary

Lynn Brown Joan C. Huntley Sue Ann Sarpy Judy S. Campbell Cheri A. Lewis Anya Scott Johannah Castleman Anne J. Logan Stewart Searle Janis Chevalier Marita P. McClymonds Richard Shank Carol Cooper John L. Mitchell Thatcher A. Stone Pat Davis David Newkirk Peter Sushka Lucille H. Digges Victoria F. Norwood W. McIlwaine Thompson Anne L. Fife David Preston Cynthia Tremblay Allen Hench Lady Blanka Rosenstiel Kurt Wassenaar

Ash Lawn Opera Staff Michelle Krisel, artistic director Kevin O’Halloran, executive director Lydia Zodda, operations manager Jackie Newton, finance manager

* indicates young artist Director’s Note Ash Lawn Opera Così Fan Tutte Andrea Dorf McGray, director The title of our opera today comes from a line in an earlier Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte work, Le nozze di Figaro (). Don Basilio, the music teacher, sings, “Così fan tutte le belle! Non c’è alcuna novità.” (“So do [i.e. cheat] all the beautiful women! This is nothing new.”)

In Così, it is the philosopher Don Alfonso who asserts that all women cheat; he is even willing to bet on it. The drive to then test the fidelity of two particular women results in the various characters struggling to understand the very nature of love and its relationship to faithfulness.

Is love only meant to be, as Despina, the maid, asserts, “pleasure, convenience, enthusiasm, joy, fun, a way to pass the time, happiness”? Or is love much, much more complex than that, as embodied in Fiordiligi’s agonized cry, “I love! And my love is not only for Guglielmo”? For me, the implementation of the men’s bet leads to one fundamental question: why does fidelity matter?

Our choices and our actions, especially in concerns of the heart, can have such enormous ramifications. Fidelity, so championed at the beginning, is dashed to pieces on the rocks of seduction, and the pain-filled consequences of the experience promise to echo down the years.

In this dramma giocoso (merry drama), it’s all fun and games (and bets!), until someone loses… not an eye, but the ability to see what matters clearly. Program Notes ACT I

Very early in the morning in a coffee house, two military officers, Guglielmo and Ferrando, are in the midst of an argument with their friend, Don Alfonso. The latter declares that all women cheat and makes a wager that, in one day’s time, he can prove that the officers’ beloveds, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are as unfaithful as the rest of them. The men accept the bet and agree to do whatever Don Alfonso tells them to do for the next 24 hours.

Don Alfonso finds the sisters at home and announces that their suitors have been called off to war. Ferrando and Guglielmo arrive to say farewell. Alfonso and the sisters, brokenhearted over the departure, watch as the men leave. Upon encountering the sisters’ desolation, Despina, their maid, mocks them for being so sad. She proposes that Fiordiligi and Dorabella should enjoy themselves while their men are away, saying that they should not expect the men to be faithful either.

Alfonso re-appears and bribes Despina into helping him introduce two would-be lovers to the girls. Soon after, Guglielmo and Ferrando arrive in disguise. Despite Despina’s efforts to smooth the way, the sisters are horrified to discover strange men in their house. The two men immediately try to seduce the women, saying they were “led by love” to the sisters’ home, but the women do not give in. After they leave, Ferrando praises his love, thinking victory is at hand.

Alfonso, Despina, and the men continue the attempted seduction. The “strangers,” blaming the sisters’ rejection, pretend to poison themselves. Despina, disguised as a doctor, revives them and enlists the sisters to help them to recover. Ferrando and Guglielmo, suffering from “hallucinations,” demand to be kissed, but Fiordiligi and Dorabella refuse once more.

ACT II

Despina encourages the sisters to return the strangers’ affections. When she leaves, Dorabella confesses to her sister that she is tempted, and the two agree that simply flirting with the strangers would be harmless. Dorabella pairs off with Guglielmo, still in disguise, and allows him to replace her locket, a memento of her love for Ferrando, with a heart-shaped medallion. Ferrando, once again unable to seduce Fiordiligi, is enraged when he sees his friend with Dorabella’s locket. Guglielmo does not know what to say to comfort him.

Dorabella confesses to Despina and Fiordiligi that she has succumbed to Guglielmo’s advances. Fearing her own feelings for the stranger who has tried to woo her, Fiordiligi decides to disguise herself as a soldier and join the man to whom she is committed on the front lines. Ferrando interrupts her before she can leave, and she gives into his renewed advances. A now victorious Alfonso encourages the despondent men to forgive their loves.

Fiordiligi and Dorabella decide to marry the strangers in a double wedding. Despina, now disguised as a notary, acts as officiate. As soon as the women have signed the marriage contract, all hear the sounds of a military procession. Alfonso warns the couples that Ferrando and Guglielmo will return at any moment. The men go to “hide,” and soon after return, no longer disguised. They express consternation and outrage as they discover the notary, who reveals herself to be Despina, and the wedding contract. Much to the sisters’ confusion and horror, Don Alfonso directs the men to the room where the strangers went to hide. The men return dressed half in disguise and half as themselves, and the sisters, and Despina, realize that they have been tricked. Don Alfonso declares that the deception was only a means to undeceive the men of their prior notions and invites them all to laugh, as he has done and will continue to do. Biographies PRINCIPAL ARTISTS

MIREILLE ASSELIN, Despina Mireille Asselin is a Canadian soprano in the midst of an exciting career. In December 2015 she made waves by jumping in as Adele for opening night of Die Fledermaus at the Metropolitan Opera. The critics raved that she “stole the show” with her “crystalline voice” and “abundant charm,” hailing it as one of New York’s “most enchanting performances of 2015.” This marked Asselin’s third season at the Met, where she debuted as Poussette in Manon in March 2015. Asselin made her European operatic debut in 2014 singing Andromède in Lully’s Persée at the Palace of Versailles, where she will return in 2017 for Charpentier’s Médée. As a respected interpreter of early music, she appears regularly with Opera Atelier in Toronto and the Boston Early Music Festival, where her most recent roles have included Celia (Lucio Silla), Morgana (Alcina), Minerva (Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria), and Euridice (Orfeo). She also sang the title role in Berenice at the 2016 Göttingen International Handel Festival. Closer to home, she has performed with Wolf Trap Opera in the roles of Thérèse/ Tiresias (Les Mamelles de Tirésias), Nannetta (), and Frasquita (Carmen); Servilia (La Clemenza di Tito), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and Semele (studio show) with the Canadian Opera Company; and Phénice/Lucinde in Armide with the Glimmerglass Festival. Asselin’s recent concert credits include Carmina Burana and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Calgary Philharmonic, Messiah with the Edmonton Symphony, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, in addition to a recital at Carnegie Hall with The Song Continues.

JOSHUA DENNIS, Ferrando

Possessing a tenor voice the New York Times declared is filled with “youthful ardor,” tenor Joshua Dennis (Ferrando) sings his first performances of Roy Dexter in the American premiere of Arizona Lady with Arizona Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Michigan Opera Theater, and Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Columbus and Opera Idaho in the 2015-2016 season. He also joins Dallas Opera for the company’s commission of Heggie’s Great Scott and returns to the Santa Fe Symphony for Handel’s Messiah. His future engagements include a return to Arizona Opera for Bern Venters in the world premiere of Bohmler’s Riders of the Purple Sage and debuts with Minnesota Opera as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette and with Kentucky Opera as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Last season, Dennis sang his first performances of Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte with Opera Naples and joined the Santa Fe Symphony for Handel’s Messiah, as well as a concert of opera favorites. He returned to Santa Fe Opera for its production of Rigoletto, where he sang the role of Jaquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio during the 2014 season, and joined Gotham Chamber Opera for its double bill of Martinů’s Alexandre Bis and Comedy on the Bridge. Biographies, continued ANDREW GARLAND, Guglielmo

Andrew Garland, baritone, “had the crowd in his hands,” said the Boston Globe of his recent performance as Papageno in with Boston Baroque. This season, Garland joined Boston Lyric Opera for La Bohème, Dayton Opera in a world premiere prequel to Carmina Burana, Bob Jones University as Dandini in La Cenerentola, and the Colorado Symphony for performances of Messiah. Last season was highlighted by his return to Seattle Opera as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos. Past performances include Dandini with Opera Philadelphia and Fort Worth Opera, the title role in Galileo Galilei by Philip Glass at Cincinnati Opera, Papageno at Boston Lyric Opera, and Riolobo (Florencia en el Amazonas) and Schaunard (La Bohème) at Seattle Opera. Next season he performs world premieres with Minnesota Opera (William Bolcom) and the Houston Symphony (Gabriela Lena Frank and Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz). Garland is widely recognized as a leader in recital work. Warren Jones, Marilyn Horne, Steven Blier, a number of American composers, and several major music publications all endorse him as a highly communicative singer, leading the way for the song recital into the 21st century, and he was the cover story on the May issue of Classical Singer magazine. Garland brings his highly communicative style to the concert stage with orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, Houston Symphony, Boston Baroque, Handel and Haydn Society, Albany Symphony, Boston Youth Symphony, National Philharmonic, Washington Master Chorale at the Kennedy Center, and National Chorale at Lincoln Center.

KRISTOPHER IRMITER, Don Alfonso Bass-baritone Kristopher Irmiter (Don Alfonso) has performed over 100 roles with more than 60 opera companies in his critically acclaimed career. Of a recent performance in the title role of Der fliegende Holländer, theSalt Lake Tribune wrote, “Irmiter brought a sense of vulnerability to the cursed Dutchman, whose quest had previously met with disappointment. His focused baritone allowed him to resonate above the orchestra.” This season’s engagements included performances of Angelotti in Tosca at San Diego Opera, Le Comte de Gormas in Le Cid at Odyssey Opera, and the title role of Don Pasquale at Florida Grand Opera. Next season, he will star in a new world premiere opera presented by Arizona Opera as Bishop Dyer in Riders of the Purple Sage and will return to Michigan Opera Theatre as Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night. Irmiter performs in many of the country’s top houses, such as Lyric Opera of Chicago in his début as Scarpia in Tosca, San Francisco Opera in his début as Escamillo in Carmen, and San Diego Opera as the Fifth Jew in Salome, Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, Masetto in , and Second Priest in Pizzetti’s Assassinio Nella Cattedrale (an operatic adaptation of the T.S. Eliot play, Murder in the Cathedral). Recent engagements also include the title role of Der Fliegende Holländer with Michigan Opera Theatre, as well as Daland in the same opera with Opera Carolina and Athanaël in Thaïs with Florida Grand Opera. Biographies, continued MELINDA WHITTINGTON, Fiordiligi Soprano Melinda Whittington (Fiordiligi) is a former resident artist of the Academy of Vocal Arts, where she sang the roles of Marguerite in Faust and Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte. During her two summers at Wolf Trap Opera, she sang Marie Antoinette in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles and Micaëla in Carmen. In the 2015-2016 season, she made debuts with Arizona Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Kentucky Opera as the Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro. She also joined the Charlotte Symphony for excerpts of Roméo et Juliette, she was presented by Opera Birmingham in a solo recital, and she appeared in a recital with the nearby Heifetz Institute. Next season, Whittington will return to Arizona Opera for her debut in the title role of Rusalka, will reprise the role of Micaëla with Greensboro Opera, and will cover Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her other previous performances include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Green Mountain Opera Festival), Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi (Opera Carolina), Violetta in La Traviata, and the title role in Alcina (Brevard Music Center). She is the first place winner of the 2015 Opera Birmingham competition, third place winner of the 2016 Fort Worth Opera McCammon competition, a semi-finalist of the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, winner of the Charlotte Opera Guild Competition, and an encouragement award winner in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition. She is a former participant in the prestigious Merola Opera Program in association with San Francisco Opera. She holds a master of music degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a bachelor of music degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is now based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

CASSANDRA ZOE VELASCO, Dorabella A recent graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at the Los Angeles Opera, mezzo-soprano Cassandra Zoe Velasco (Dorabella) is considered one of Mexico’s rising stars of opera. Velasco was a semi-finalist of the 2012 edition of the Operalia competition. Additionally, she represented Mexico at the Monserrat Caballé Competition (Spain), the Competizione dell´Opera (Germany), and the Teatro Colón Competition (Argentina). Velasco has starred in productions in Mexico City, including La Scala di Set, L’Ocassione fa il Ladro with ProOpera, Angelina in La Cenerentola and Isolier in Le Comte Ory with Mexico National Opera Company, Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri with Arpegio Productions, and Charlotte in Werther with Festival Frances. She made her Opera de Bellas Artes debut as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, followed by Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Engagements for the 2014-2015 season included Laura in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta in her Metropolitan Opera debut, de Falla’s El Amor Brujo in Poland, Vivaldi’s Salve Regina in México, Philomène in Bohuslav Martinů’s Alexandre Bis with Gotham Chamber Opera, and her debuts with San Diego Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago as Isabel/Dolores in El Pasado Nunca Se Termina, as well as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Princeton Festival. The 2015-2016 season brought her return to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Madama Butterfly and Simon Boccanegra, as well as her Carnegie Hall debut singing Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. Upcoming engagements include a debut with Opera San Jose as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and a return to the Metropolitan Opera. Biographies, continued YOUNG ARTISTS

ANDRÉ CHIANG

“Vocally commanding” baritone André Chiang brings his lyrical voice to repertoire spanning from Handel to Glass. Past season highlights include Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd and Barone Douphol in La Traviata, both with Virginia Opera; Falke in Die Fledermaus, Ford in Falstaff, Yamadori/Registrar in Madama Butterfly, Maximillian/ Captain in Candide, Young Galileo/Salviate in Galileo Galilei, and Argante in Rinaldo, all with Portland Opera; Masetto in Don Giovanni and El Gallo in The Fantasticks, both with Shreveport Opera; Guglielmo in Così Fan Tutte with the Washington Idaho Symphony; Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata and Marco in Gianni Schicchi with Mobile Opera; and Il Conte in Le Nozze di Figaro and Falke with the Manhattan School of Music. Chiang is also a graduate of several prestigious apprenticeships, having spent summers as a Gerdine Young Artist at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and with the Glimmerglass Festival, covering Nathan Gunn as Lancelot in Camelot, as well as performing the role in their Young Artist Matinee. Chiang was a regional finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, winner of the Grand Concours de Chant for French song, and winner of the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition for Voice at the Manhattan School of Music. Upcoming engagements include Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore with Opera Birmingham. Chiang returns to Ash Lawn Opera, where he was a 2015 Young Artist and performed the roles of Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, he covers Guglielmo and performs in the ensemble of Così Fan Tutte.

MICHAEL COLMAN

Bass-baritone Michael Colman recently completed his training in the opera programs of Baylor University and the University of Kansas. While pursuing his degrees, he performed many roles, including Mozart’s Figaro, the Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, the Judge in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, and Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. As an apprentice artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Colman made his professional debut as the Commissioner in Madama Butterfly and went on to sing in many of their productions. With the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, Colman performed one of his dream roles, Leporello in Don Giovanni. Most recently, Colman debuted with Opera Fayetteville and entertained hundreds of area children as the Pilot in their outreach performances of The Little Prince. Awards and honors include first prize at the Kansas City Music Clubs Competition, the Patroness Award at the SAI Regional Music Competition, the Nicholas Raimondi Award at the Casa Italia Vocal Competition, finalist at the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition, and multiple first place awards in the Texoma NATS Regional Competition. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, Colman covers Don Alfonso and sings in the ensembles of Così Fan Tutte and South Pacific.

ANTHONY HEINEMANN

Anthony Heinemann, a St. Louis-based tenor, just finished a busy season touring the Midwest with Opera for the Young as Tamino in The Magic Flute, singing Lorenzo in Bolcom’s Lucrezia with Gateway Opera, and competing in the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition. In the past, Heinemann has collaborated with the St. Louis Symphony (Aida), Union Avenue Opera (Borsa in Rigoletto, Gastone in La Traviata, and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly), Gateway Opera (The Impresario and The Boor), Winter Opera St. Louis (Nanki Poo cover in Mikado, Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Spoletta in Tosca), and Dance St. Louis. He was also the young artist in residence with the Bach Society of St. Louis during their 2014-2015 season. Outside of Missouri, Heinemann has performed with Madison-based Opera for the Young (Almaviva in The Barber of Seville) and Quincy’s Muddy River Opera (Curzio in Figaro). He also successfully competed in the final round of the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition. This August Heinemann will return to Union Avenue Opera as the Second Man in Douglas Cuomo’s new opera, Doubt, starring soprano Christine Brewer. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, Heinemann covers Ferrando and sings in the ensembles of Così Fan Tutte and South Pacific. Biographies, continued KATHERINE HENLY

Originally from Oradell, New Jersey, soprano Katherine Henly has performed with Virginia Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the New York International Fringe Festival, the O’Neill National Music Theater Conference, and the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. She was also a young artist with Utah Festival Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. As a soloist, Henly has performed with Utah Lyric Opera, Utah Valley Symphony Orchestra, The Ramsey Wind Symphony, Palisades Virtuosi, Worcester Symphony Orchestra, and in concert at Mechanics Hall and Carnegie Hall. She made her off-Broadway debut as Elsa in Sheldon Harnick’s Dragons at the York Theatre Company and can be heard on the studio recording with Tony Award- winner Michael Cerveris. She is a graduate of Ithaca College (bachelor of music) and Brigham Young University (master of music). Next season will see her on tour with the Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Candide and performing at the Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse and Opéra National de Bordeaux in France. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, Henly covers Despina and sings in the ensembles of Così Fan Tutte and South Pacific.

KARA MULDER

Kara Mulder is a soprano from Philadelphia. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music in 2015, Mulder went straight to the University of Michigan, where she is now going into her second year as a master’s student. In 2014 Mulder attended the Brevard Music Festival. Past musical theatre roles include Anna in The King and I and Maria in The Sound of Music. Most recently on the operatic stage, Mulder has performed as Lady Billows in Albert Herring, Conception in L’heure Espagnole, and Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, Mulder covers Fiordiligi and sings in the ensembles of Così Fan Tutte and South Pacific.

KATHERINE OATES SMALL

Mezzo-soprano Katherine Oates Small has performed leading roles to much acclaim with the Capitol City Opera, the Atlanta Opera Studio Tour, Peach State Opera, Georgia State University, Opera Breve, Harrower Summer Opera Workshop, and Florida State University. Full operatic roles include Charlotte (Werther), Dorabella (Così Fan Tutte), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Jo (Little Women), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Elizabeth Proctor (The Crucible), Papagena (The Magic Flute), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Mayor (Stone Soup), and Gertrude McFuzz & Sam I Am (A Seussome Twosome). At Georgia State University, Small was the recipient of the Atlanta Opera Guild Scholarship Award, selected as a 2015 Brumby Concerto Competition winner, and competed as a finalist in the Advanced Women category of the 2015 Southeast NATS competition. She is also a co-director of the Atlanta chapter of Opera on Tap. Since receiving a master’s degree, Small founded Small Opera, a compact touring company bringing nomadic vocal drama to the southeast. Upcoming engagements include the role of Pitti Sing in The Mikado with Capitol City Opera and the title role of Carmen in Capitol City Opera’s popular Dinner and a Diva series. This season at Ash Lawn Opera, Small covers Dorabella and sings in the ensembles of Così Fan Tutte and South Pacific. Biographies, continued ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF

GUSTAVO ARAOZ, lighting designer Gustavo Araoz is the lighting supervisor at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech. Araoz moved to the region in 2013 to work with the Moss Arts Center, having spent the previous 10 years living and working in New York City. His previous experience includes serving as master electrician for the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at the Juilliard School; lighting supervisor for the Paul Taylor Dance Company; consultant for the Teatro del Lago in Frutillar, Chile; and master electrician for the Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival in Castleton, Virginia.

JENNIFER L. BAKER, hair/makeup and costume designer Jennifer L. Baker is a costume and scenic designer, as well as production designer and scenic charge artist based in Norfolk, Virginia. She is the resident costume shop manager and designer for Old Dominion University Theatre and Film. Her works for theatre, opera, dance, film, and interactive projects have appeared across the country, both professionally and academically, for the past 15 years. She has functioned in many capacities for Ash Lawn Opera in the past five years, ranging from costume designer, assistant scenic designer, scenic charge artist, technical director, assistant technical director, and more. She is the recipient of multiple Excellence in Faculty Design Awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region IV.

EMILY CUK, assistant stage director Emily Cuk is currently studying at Eastman School of Music for a master of music in opera directing and is assisting for the Eastman Opera Theatre. At Eastman, she has directed Barber’s Hand of Bridge and various opera scenes. She has also assistant directed for Eastman’s mainstage productions of Philip Glass’s Hydrogen Jukebox, Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Giordano’s Mese Mariano. Her past assistant directing credits include Strauss’s Capriccio with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos with Utopia Opera, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with Bronx Opera, Handel’s Alcina with Whitebox Sound Lounge, Bizet’s Carmen with Wolf Trap Opera, Britten’s Turn of the Screw and the world premiere of Shawn Jaeger’s Payne Hollow with Bard College’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, Sergey Taneyev’s Oresteia with Bard SummerScape, and John Corigiliano’s Ghost of Versailles with Manhattan School of Music. In 2015 Cuk directed and designed a semi-staged concert of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with the American Symphony Orchestra and visited as a guest stage director for Bard’s undergraduate opera program, directing Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and a fully- staged performance of opera scenes. Additional directing projects include Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and La Migraine, an original pastiche comprised of art songs. Cuk is a graduate of Bard College, where she studied music with an emphasis on opera production and vocal performance.

JOSEPH HODGE, assistant conductor Joseph Hodge currently serves as the music director of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Hartford Opera Theater. Guest conducting engagements bring him to Texas each year to work with the Abilene Opera Association. Hodge graduated from the Hartt School of Music in 2012, where he studied conducting with Edward Cumming and was the assistant conductor of the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. Also a graduate of the University of Virginia, he has worked with orchestras in Virginia, including the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, Youth Orchestra of Central Virginia, and the Wintergreen Academy Chamber Orchestra. He has previously studied conducting with Christopher Zimmerman, Kate Tamarkin, Kenneth Kiesler, and Joseph Gifford. This is his fifth summer at Ash Lawn Opera as assistant conductor. Biographies, continued STEVEN JARVI, conductor, Così Fan Tutte

Steven Jarvi has been praised for his “uncommonly expressive and detailed” performances by the Miami Herald and described as an “eloquent and decisive” conductor by The Wall Street Journal. He is the former resident conductor of the St. Louis Symphony and former music director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and Winter Opera Saint Louis. Jarvi also previously served as the associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, as conducting fellow with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, and as an associate conductor for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. In 2005 as the Seiji Ozawa Tanglewood Conducting Fellow, Jarvi studied with James Levine and Kurt Masur and was personally selected by Plàcido Domingo to be the first conductor to join the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera. As the music director of Winter Opera St. Louis for five seasons, production highlights included performances of Tosca, Falstaff, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Ballad of Baby Doe, and La Traviata. Recent orchestral engagements include performances with the St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Orlando Philharmonic, and Elgin Symphony. Operatic appearances include the world premiere performances of An American Soldier and Approaching Ali with Washington National Opera, along with the Virginia Opera production of Phillip Glass’ Orphée. Now in his sixth season with Ash Lawn Opera, Jarvi previously conducted Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, La Bohème, Susannah, and Madama Butterfly.

ADAM LISTON, scenic designer Adam Liston is a director and designer currently based in Chicago, where he works the rest the year with a number of equity and educational theatres. This will be his seventh season and 17th production with Ash Lawn Opera.

ANDREA DORF MCGRAY, stage director Andrea Dorf McGray is a freelance stage director, whose current season has included directing a 50-minute version of Don Giovanni for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Don Giovanni for Maryland Opera Studio, and American Opera Initiative: 20 Minute for Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. During the fall she taught Arias: Inside Out, an undergraduate opera workshop course for the University of Maryland’s School of Music. Upcoming productions include a semi-staged Vanessa for Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Middlemarch in Spring for Ash Lawn Opera. McGray received a bachelor of arts in English, magna cum laude, from Amherst College; studied with the Shakespeare Programme in London; holds a master of fine arts in directing from Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music; and is a graduate of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. McGray returns to Ash Lawn Opera this season, where she has directed Amahl and the Night Visitors for the past four winters, as well as a semi-staged Candide in the spring of 2014.

SHELBY RHOADES, principal coach/accompanist Ohio native Shelby Rhoades returns to Ash Lawn Opera for her eighth season as principal coach. She also currently works as principal coach and director of the emerging artists program at Virginia Opera, based in Norfolk, Virginia. Rhoades was previously based in New York City, where she was a member of the Vocal Arts Faculty at the Juilliard School. Other previous engagements include coach fellow for the Aspen Music Festival Opera Theater and music staff for Seattle Opera/Young Artists Program. Rhoades has prepared singers for premieres by composers Jake Heggie, Peter Maxwell Davies, and Elliot Carter, and she has worked with renowned singers such as Isabel Leonard and Anthony Roth Costanzo. Her experience with conductors includes Julius Rudel, George Manahan, and Steven Jarvi. Rhoades holds degrees in piano performance, chamber accompanying, and vocal performance. In addition to her faculty tenure at Juilliard, she also previously served as faculty for the University of Washington/Seattle, Pacific Lutheran University, and Anderson University. In the Galleries

YOUNG ARTISTS HOME May 19-July 3, 2016 Ruth C. Horton Gallery In partnership with Giles County Public Schools (GCPS), the Moss Arts Center presents a collection of works created by students in grades 4-7 in a series of in-school workshops coordinated by Amber Nelson, GCPS art teacher, and Meggin Hicklin, exhibition program manager for the Moss Arts Center. This iteration of Young Artists is an exploration of place, perspective, and creative potential in rural areas and an exercise in collaboration and creating opportunities between the Moss Arts Center and our neighboring communities and organizations.

P. BUCKLEY MOSS SOWING SEEDS June 2-August 7, 2016 Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen ‘71 Reception Gallery Dubbed “the people’s artist,” P. Buckley Moss is a household name, her work sold and shown in over 200 galleries nationwide. While she has enjoyed significant commercial success, the foundation of her work is and always has been an unwavering commitment to art education. Moss’ life, through her action and example, is a validation of the transformative power of the arts. Selected works from the Moss family private collection highlight the work and passion of the artist and Moss Arts Center namesake.

STEVEN WHITE 100 PORTRAITS June 30-August 14, 2016 Francis T. Eck Exhibition Corridor Known in Blacksburg as “Sketchy Steven,” manically-prolific sketch artist and painter Steven White presents selections from his recent and ambitious project, 100 Portraits. In 2015 White challenged himself to paint, in oils, one portrait a day using reference images from his sketchbooks and “Sktchy,” a photo-sharing app. This installation chronicles White’s struggles, revelations, and artistic development throughout the project and engages with artmaking as a daily discipline, with a focus on practice and process.

DIANA COOPER HIGHWIRE, 2016 On view through spring 2018 Grand Lobby GALLERY HOURS Tuesday-Friday, 10 AM-6 PM Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM-4 PM