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NEWS

EMBARGOED for publication January 17, 2006

FIRST ANNUAL ARTIST AWARD

AT THE METROPOLITAN GIVEN TO

The first annual Beverly Sills Artist Award for young singers at The has been given to 35-year-old Nathan Gunn. The new award of $50,000 was recently established by an endowment gift from Agnes Varis, a managing director on The Met board, and Karl Leichtman, her husband, in honor of Ms. Sills. It is the largest award of its kind in the .

In announcing the choice of Mr. Gunn as the award’s first recipient, Ms. Sills said, “When Agnes

Varis’ gift of one million dollars as the foundation for this Award was first announced, it was made clear that she, Nathan Leventhal and I would be the judges choosing the annual winner. After we had seen

Tobias Picker’s new opera “An American Tragedy” at the Metropolitan Opera in mid-December, we knew we had found our choice in baritone Nathan Gunn, who sang the leading male role. I congratulate him not only on his past performances, but I am convinced that this is only the beginning of a brilliant future career.

I hope this Award will be of help to him in his endeavor to perfect his craft. I also want to express my gratitude again to my friend Agnes Varis for having had the idea to establish this Award in my name, because she has known for a long time of my interest in young singers.”

Agnes Varis adds, “Karl and I are very pleased to honor our dear friend Beverly Sills with this

Award, created to celebrate her legacy as both a legendary opera singer and humanitarian. The choice of

Nathan Gunn as the first recipient is particularly appropriate because of his superb musicianship and charismatic stage presence. We congratulate Nathan and look forward to seeing his career continue to blossom at The Met and on opera stages throughout the world.”

Mr. Gunn said, “I’m overwhelmed by this honor. The Metropolitan is my operatic home. Knowing that this award comes from an artistic institution with a such a celebrated history, and also that it carries the name of Beverly Sills, will encourage me to pursue artistic excellence with renewed inspiration and an even greater passion.”

Press Department/Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center/New York, NY 10023 (212) 799-3100/Fax: (212) 870-7606 Press Department/Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center/New York, NY 10023 (212) 799-3100/Fax: (212) 870-7606

Nathan Gunn recently sang the leading role of Clyde Griffiths in the world premiere of Tobias

Picker’s “An American Tragedy” at The Metropolitan Opera. He is to sing his first Papageno in Mozart’s

“Die Zauberflöte” in the season premiere of that work at The Met on January 21 at 1:30 p.m., a performance that will be broadcast over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio

Network.

The Beverly Sills Artist Award is specifically designated for singers between the ages of 25 and 40 who have already appeared in featured solo roles with The Metropolitan Opera. Its purpose is to aid recipients in career enhancement, including funding for voice lessons, vocal coaching, language lessons, related travel costs, and other important career help.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Mr. Gunn began his association with The Metropolitan Opera as a winner of the 1994 Met National Council Auditions. Subsequently, he was invited to join the Met’s

Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and made his company debut as a Trader in John

Corigliano’s “The Ghosts of Versailles” on April 3, 1995. Among the eleven roles he has sung at The Met are Demetrius in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Harlekin in “,” Schaunard in “La Bohème,” Mercutio in “Roméo et Juliette,” and Guglielmo in “Così fan tutte.”

In addition to The Met, Mr. Gunn has appeared with leading opera companies around the world including Covent Garden, the Paris Bastille Opera, the , Houston

Grand Opera, , , Opera, Brussels’ Théâtre de la

Monnaie, , Glimmerglass Opera, and the Glyndebourne Festival. His many roles include

Figaro in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” Prince Andrei in “,” Zurga in “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” the title role in Thomas’ “,” and the title role of Benjamin Britten’s “,” a part for which he is particularly well known.

Mr. Gunn is equally at home on the concert and recital stages, and has appeared with the New

York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh

Symphony, London Symphony, and the Rotterdam Symphony. He has given recitals at Alice Tully Hall as part of Lincoln Center’s Art of the Song series, at Weill Recital Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, and the

92nd Street Y, among others. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Illinois and resides with his wife, Julie, and their five children in Champaign, Illinois.

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January 16, 2006

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