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Home , Amon Miyamoto, Baltimore Opera Company, Justino Diaz, Le Villi, Mese mariano

MESE MARIANO Music by by Salvatore di Giacomo LE VILLI Music by Libretto by Sung in Italian with English supertitles First Performances Mese Mariano: March 17, 1910; , Palermo, Italy Le Villi: May 31, 1884; Teatro dal Verme, , Italy

College of Charleston Sottile Theatre May 25, 27, 29, and 31; June 2, 4, and 7 at 7:00pm

SPONSORED BY BMW MANUFACTURING CO. Conductor Maurizio Barbacini Director Stefano Vizioli Set Designer Neil Patel Costume Designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno Lighting Designer Matt Frey Choreographer Pierluigi Vanelli CAST (in order of vocal appearance) MESE MARIANO Superiora Linda Roark-Strummer Suor Pazienza Ann McMahon Quintero Carmela Jennifer Rowley Suor Cristina Yanzelmalee Rivera Suor Celeste Allison Faulkner* Suor Maria Nicole Fragala* La Contessa Shari Perman* Suor Agnese Anne Marie Stanley* Don Fabiano Justin Su’esu’e* Supernumeraries Kathleen Lushman*, Allison Miller* Children’s Chorus Julian Ford, Olivia Gould, Adelaide Harper, Jillian Hethcox, Emma Joyce, Simone Kavarana, Natasha Kavarana, Alexandra Key, Maggie McKay, Meagan Mims, McKenna Simmons, Davis Varnado, Dorothy Yaun

*Members of the Westminster Choir LE VILLI Guglielmo Levi Hernandez Anna Jennifer Rowley Roberto Dinyar Vania Fairies Caroline Abbott, Maggie Bailey, Ashley Padgett, Alexis Temkin, Jennifer Altman, Kristen Burgsteiner, Stephanie Bussell, Renee Mattson, Ann Davis Moore, Starla Wood Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Westminster Choir Assistant Conductor Sergei Pavlov Assistant Director Pierluigi Vanelli Vocal Coach Diane Richardson Musical Preparation Bénédicte Jourdois Choral Preparation Joe Miller Children’s Choral Preparation Amanda Castellone Production Stage Manager Becca Eddins Dancefx Charleston Jenny Broe Supertitles Chadwick Creative Arts Costume Construction Sartoria Farani di Roma 29 OPERA MESE MARIANO | LE VILLI

ANN MCMAHON QUINTERO’S (mezzo- JENNIFER ROWLEY (, Carmela, soprano, Sour Pazienza, Mese Mariano) Mese Mariana and Anna, Le Villi), winner 2012–13 season includes the roles of Mary of the 2012 Richard Tucker Career Grant, in Der fliegende Holländer with Boston burst onto the international scene as a Lyric Opera; Mistress Quickly in Verdi’s last-minute replacement in the title role Falstaff with Virginia Opera; Amneris in of Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan at the 2010 with Annapolis Opera; and with Caramoor International Music Festival. She Boston Baroque. Career highlights include followed with successes at the Norwegian Azucena in Il trovatore with Opéra Royal de National Opera as Musetta in La bohème Wallonie; Old Lady in with Portland Opera; Hippolyta (released on DVD), and at the Savonlinna Opera Festival as Donna in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Boston Lyric Opera; Verdi’s Anna. Other recent engagements include her Carnegie Hall debut; Requiem with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; La Haine in Gluck’s her Opera debut as Queen Orasia in Telemann’s Armide; Marquise Melibea in Il viaggio a Reims with New Israeli Orpheus; and a return to Savonlinna as Lucifer in Free Will. She Opera; Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Angers Nantes joined the roster of the this season and will Opéra; Auntie in Peter Grimes, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, and Third make her debut there as Musetta next season. She will also return Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Washington National Opera; Olga to Savonlinna this summer to make her role debut as Violetta in Olsen in Street Scene with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Isabella , and she is engaged to perform at Covent Garden in in L’italiana in Algeri with Palm Beach Opera; Glasa in Kátyá future productions. Kabanová with The ; the title role in Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans with Boston Baroque; and Beethoven’s DINYAR VANIA’S (, Roberto, Le Symphony No. 9 with the Columbus Symphony. Villi) career highlights include Pinkerton in with Pensacola Opera and YANZELMALEE RIVERA (soprano, Suor Knoxville Opera; Don Jose in with Cristina, Mese Mariano) is a graduate of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Duke in Conservatory of Music of and with Opera Grand Rapids and Knoxville the University of Illinois. She has participated Opera; Rodolfo in La bohème with New York in master classes with Montserrat Caballé, City Opera, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Justino Díaz, Sherill Milnes, and Joan Dayton Opera, Madison Opera, and Knoxville Dornemann. With the University of Illinois Opera; Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with Sacramento Opera; Opera, she has sung Susanna from Le nozze Alfredo in La traviata with Opera Cleveland; Edgardo in Lucia di di Figaro, Despina from Così fan tutte, Lammermoor with Syracuse Opera; Cavaradossi in with and Beatriz from Daniel Catán’s La hija de Rappaccini. After her Dallas Opera, Sacramento Opera, and Toledo Opera; and a concert recent debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte through the Martina with Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Vania was named Syracuse Arroyo Foundation Young Artist Program in New York City, The Opera’s “Artist of the Year,” won first place in the Giulio Gari New York Times praised her as “a lush-sounding soprano.” During International Vocal Competition, won second prize in the Licia this past season, Rivera was a resident artist of Teatro Nacional Albanese-Puccini Competition, and was a semi-finalist in Placido Sucre in Quito, Ecuador, and in 2012 she sang the soprano solo Domingo’s Operalia. In 2013–14 he makes his debut with Virginia in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the National Symphony Opera as Don Jose in Carmen. Orchestra of Ecuador. MUSIC STAFF LINDA ROARK-STRUMMER (soprano, Superiora, Mese Mariano) has sung roles BÉNÉDICTE JOURDOIS (musical that include Abigaille in and preparation) is a graduate of the Lindemann Lucrezia in I due Foscari with the Teatro alla Young Artist Development Program at the Scala; the title role in Tosca with the Arena Metropolitan Opera and is currently on di Verona; Odabella in Attila and Lina in faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music and Stiffelio with the Teatro La Fenice; Leonora the Manhattan School of Music. An active in Il trovatore with the ; festival musician, Jourdois has been working Minnie in and Herodias at the Chautauqua Institution Summer in with ; Lady in Macbeth program since 2008 and at the Castleton with the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, the Teatro Municipal Festival and Spoleto Festival USA since 2011. Jourdois has in Santiago, and L’Opéra de Montréal; the title role in Giovanna performed both as a soloist and collaborative pianist in numerous d’Arco in Verona; the title role in with Portland Opera; venues in Europe and in the United States, including Alice Tully the title roles inTosca and Jenůfa with Opernhaus Zürich; and the Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, and has worked in such major Mother Abbess in with Tulsa Opera. Roark- North American opera houses as the Pittsburgh Opera and the Strummer has also appeared in concert with The Philadelphia Houston Grand Opera. Born in Paris, Jourdois holds degrees Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Orchestre Métropolitain, the Nashville from the Conservatoire National de Region de Saint-Maur, the Symphony, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon, Mannes Symphony Orchestra. College, and The Juilliard School.

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of ; Madama Butterfly at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; Suor ROBERTA GUIDI DI BAGNO (costume Angelica and at the Opera Theatre of Saint designer) has a worldwide reputation as a Louis; Rigoletto at Parma’s Verdi Festival; at The set and costume designer. She has worked Santa Fe Opera; Vivaldi’s Montezuma at the São Carlos National for many major opera houses and ballet Theatre in Lisbon; Samson et Dalila at the St. Galler Festpiele; companies around the world, including Rigoletto at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; Teatro alla Scala, , Teatro Il barbiere di Siviglia at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse; Acis and dell’Opera di Roma, Spoleto Festival USA, Galatea at the Macao International Music Festival; andI Lombardi Royal Albert Hall, Lyric Opera of Chicago, alla prima crociata at Teatro Colon in . Among his Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco many activities dedicated to social work, Vizioli has directed Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Houston Ballet, Deutsche Oper Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in the Pagliarelli prison. Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Chorégies d’Orange, Opéra de Nice, Royal Danish Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Sydney MATT FREY (lighting designer), designer for Spoleto Festival Entertainment Centre, and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. In 1997, USA’s 2012 production of Feng Yi Ting, has designed lights for Guidi di Bagno was awarded the Leonide Massine Prize for ballet theater, opera, multimedia performances, and dance. Recent for her artistic achievement. Other credits include Don Pasquale, work includes The Rite of Spring with Ridge Theater and The conducted by Riccardo Muti; ; L’incoronazione di Poppea; Philadelphia Orchestra; Appropriate, directed by Gary Griffin, and ; La belle Hélène; Nabucco; John Cranko’s Gnit, directed by Les Waters, with Actors Theatre of Louisville; starring Roberto Bolle; The Taming of the Shrew; Don Quixote; Dog Days, directed by Robert Woodruff, with Peak Performances; The Nutcracker; Sleeping Beauty; Afternoon of a Faun starring The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian with the San Francisco Rudolf Nureyev; and Cinderella. Symphony; What Rhymes With America, directed by Daniel Aukin, with Atlantic Theater Company; Golden Child, directed by Leigh PIERLUIGI VANELLI (choreographer and Silverman, with Signature Theatre; and Long Day’s Journey Into assistant director) studied dance in Florence, Night, directed by Les Waters, with Actors Theatre of Louisville. London, Paris, and New York, and has Frey has also collaborated with Brooklyn Academy of Music, worked in Italy as a dancer, choreographer, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, and teacher. He was a member of the Carla The Corn Exchange in Dublin, Steppenwolf, Soho Rep, Playwrights Fracci Ballet Company for two years, dancing Horizons, Naked Angels, The New Group, Manhattan Class at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Gran Teatro La Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Second Stage Theatre, Fenice in Venice, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Paper Mill Playhouse, as well as many other regional and in Florence, and Teatro Massimo in Palermo. international theaters. Vanelli was also a soloist at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania for 18 years. As choreographer and assistant director, he has worked NEIL PATEL (set designer) is an award- in Italy, Spain, Korea, and Slovenia. His productions include La winning designer practicing in disciplines bohème, Madama Butterfly, , La traviata, Un ballo in including theater, opera, dance, film, maschera, Rigoletto, Tosca, Turandot, Nabucco, Lakmé, I puritani, television, and live events. He is best Adriana Lecouvreur, and , among others. In 2002, known for developing new work and bold he worked for Opera Company with their productions interpretations of classic texts. Past credits of Rigoletto and Lakmé. He is an esteemed ballet teacher and has include Side Man for Broadway, London’s won several awards for his choreography. West End, and The Kennedy Center; Dinner with Friends in New York and on national CAST tour; the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Madame Mao at The Santa Fe Opera; Amon Miyamoto’s production of Cos� fan tutte at LEVI HERNANDEZ (, Guglielmo, the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, which earned a Japanese National Le Villi) is a sought-after artist on the operatic Art Festival Award; production design for HBO’sIn Treatment; and stage, having been seen with the Lyric Opera Pilobolus Dance Theatre’s Shadowland in Europe. He has twice of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and Los been recognized with an Obie Award for sustained excellence and Angeles Opera. In the 2012–13 season, has been the recipient of the Helen Hayes Award and numerous Hernandez returned to the Metropolitan Henry Hewes and Drama Desk nominations. He is a graduate of Opera for Carmen, sang Sharpless in Madama Yale College and the University of California at San Diego. Butterfly for Nashville Opera, appeared with Opera Memphis as Marcello in La bohème, and sang Handel’s Messiah with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. Other recent highlights include a reprise of Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with both Minnesota Opera and Intermountain Opera; Tobias Mill in La cambiale di matrimonio with Opera Omaha; his European debut as Tomski in Pique Dame with Komische Oper Berlin; and his South American debut as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Ecuador. He also sang with Houston Grand Opera and Virginia Opera as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, as well as the role of Leporello in with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

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THERE WILL BE ONE INTERMISSION.

Additional support is provided by the Brand Foundation of New York, Inc.

Opera programming is endowed by the Arthur and Holly Magill Foundation.

These performances are made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.

Mese Mariano is performed by arrangement with Theodore Presser Company, agents for Casa Musicale Sonzogno, publisher and copyright owner. Le Villi is performed by arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes company, Sole Agent in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for Casa Ricordi/Universal Music Publishing Ricordi S.R.L., publisher and copyright owner.

SYNOPSES CREATIVE TEAM

MESE MARIANO MAURIZIO BARBACINI (conductor) On a Sunday morning in May at an orphanage in , children is one of today’s most sought-after opera sing for the countess, the patron of the orphanage, and receive conductors. In a distinguished career, he presents. As they take the gifts back to their rooms, Carmela has appeared with New York’s Metropolitan enters the orphanage with a cake for her son who has been living Opera, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State there. Carmela asks Suor Pazienza if she can see him and, unable Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the to shoulder her guilt alone any longer, tells her how her son came Komische Oper Berlin. In addition, he has to live there: as a young girl, she was seduced by a man, became held positions as principal conductor of pregnant, and was then deserted to raise her baby alone. When the Finnish National Opera and the Opera she married, her new husband would not allow another man’s child Company of Philadelphia. Engagements in recent seasons include in his house, so she was forced to send her son to the orphanage. Madama Butterfly with Semperoper Dresden; Il turco in Italia, While Carmela prays alone in the chapel, Mother Superior learns Madama Butterfly, Don Pasquale, and Un ballo in maschera with that her child has died the night before, but decides to tell her that Bavarian State Opera; La traviata and Don Pasquale with Komische he is rehearsing for the Mary’s Month celebration and cannot be Oper Berlin; Turandot with Opera Company of Philadelphia; La summoned. Carmela leaves in tears. bohème and Carmen with New National Theatre, Tokyo; The ©2013 Leah Harrison Rape of Lucretia and with Oper Frankfurt; Il trovatore with Teatro Verdi Trieste; Lescaut and La LE VILLI bohème with Paris Opera; La traviata and Aida with Deutsche Villagers are celebrating the engagement of Roberto and Anna, Oper Berlin; La traviata and L’elisir d’amore with the Metropolitan daughter of the head forester, Guglielmo. Roberto is about to Opera; Tosca, L’elisir d’amore, and Il barbiere di Siviglia, with San leave the village to collect an inheritance. Anna brings him a posy Francisco Opera; and Falstaff with Cincinnati of forget-me-nots to keep him mindful of their vows (“Se come Opera; Il turco in Italia with Bavarian State Opera; and Rigoletto voi piccina”). In their duet (“Tu dell’infanzia mia”), he tells her to with Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Barbacini has made a number of doubt the existence of God himself rather than his own constancy. recordings, including a disc of opera arias with Denyce Graves and All join in a prayer (“Angiol di Dio”) to send him on his way. the Munich Radio Orchestra, which is available on the RCA Red At the beginning of the second scene, a verse of poetry describes Seal label. Before becoming a conductor, he enjoyed a successful how Roberto has fallen into the clutches of a siren and during the career as a singer and sang the role of Gaston in ’s first intermezzo (“L’abbandono”), we see the desperation of the film of La traviata. forgotten Anna, who has gone mad with grief. A second intermezzo (“La tregenda”) depicts the Willis, avenging spirits of maidens forsaken by their lovers. Outside his cottage, STEFANO VIZIOLI (director), an Guglielmo grieves for his daughter and inveighs against her internationally recognized opera director, faithless lover (“Anima santa della figlia mia”). Roberto returns debuted at the Opera Barga Festival penniless and devoured by remorse, recalling his love for Anna with Domenico Sarro’s L’impresario delle (“Torna ai felici dì”). After seeing Anna and the ghosts of the isole Canarie in 1979. Collaborating with abandoned women, guilt drives Roberto to his death. outstanding artists and designers, he takes Based on an entry in Oxford Music Online by Julian Budden a special interest in contemporary opera, unknown baroque masterpieces, and producing opera for wider audiences. Vizioli directed the first Italian performances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night, Douglas Moore’s The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Dominick Argento’s Casanova’s Homecoming. His production of Il barbiere di Siviglia with Ferrara Musica conducted by Claudio Abbado and Don Pasquale with Teatro alla Scala conducted by Riccardo Muti are still performed all over the world. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati, Indiana University’s School of Music, and the University of Texas in El Paso. His work in recent seasons includes Rigoletto at the Lyric Opera

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JOE MILLER (choral preparation) is THE WESTMINSTER CHOIR is composed of students conductor of two of America’s most at Westminster Choir College, a division of Rider University’s renowned choral ensembles—the Westminster College of the Arts in Princeton, New Jersey. Setting Westminster Choir and the Westminster the standard for choral excellence for 92 years, it has been Symphonic Choir. As director of choral the chorus-in-residence for Spoleto Festival USA since 1977, activities at Westminster Choir College performing both in concert and as the opera chorus. In addition to of Rider University, he also oversees an its residency at the Festival, the ensemble’s 2012–13 season has extensive choral program that includes included a concert tour of the upper Midwest, two performances eight ensembles. In addition to their annual at the American Choral Directors Association’s National residency at Spoleto Festival USA, Miller’s 2012-13 season with Convention, a recording project and performances and broadcasts the Westminster Choir included a concert tour of the upper at its home in Princeton. The Westminster Choir has released two Midwest, several national radio broadcasts, performances at the recordings with Maestro Joe Miller. Noël, a collection of French American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Christmas music and sacred works, also features Westminster Dallas, concerts in Princeton, a new recording project. He will also alumna Jennifer Larmore, the most recorded mezzo-soprano conduct the Westminster Symphonic Choir and the Westminster of our era, and organist Ken Cowan. The recording was the Festival Orchestra in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah centerpiece of the PRI Radio broadcast “Noël – A Christmas from in Princeton. As conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Paris,” hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. The choir’s debut recording Choir, Miller has collaborated with some of the world’s leading with Maestro Miller, Flower of Beauty, received four stars from orchestras and conductors, earning him critical praise. After a Choir & Organ magazine and earned critical praise fromAmerican performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection” with Record Guide, which described the Westminster Choir as “the the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst, The New York gold standard for academic choirs in America.” The Symphonic Times wrote, “Joe Miller’s Westminster Symphonic Choir was Choir’s 2012–13 season included a performances of Verdi’s subtle when asked and powerful when turned loose.” Miller is Requiem and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with The Philadelphia also founder and conductor of the Westminster Chamber Choir, Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Berg’s a program that offers professional-level choral and vocal artists with the London Philharmonia conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen; the opportunity to explore challenging works for two weeks each and Villa-Lobos’s Chôros No. 10 and Estévez’s Cantata Criolla with summer on the Westminster campus in Princeton. Additionally, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela conducted he leads the annual Westminster Choral Festival, which welcomes singers and conductors to study and perform a major choral by Gustavo Dudamel. work with orchestra. In demand as a guest conductor and clinician, his recent residencies have included Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music, Temple University, and the Berlin Radio Symphony Chorus.

DIANE RICHARDSON (vocal coach) received degrees in music from Oberlin College and Columbia University. She continued her professional training at The Juilliard School, where she studied piano with Adele Marcus and vocal repertoire with Sergius Kagen and Robert Starer. She also trained abroad at the Mozarteum in Saltzburg and L’Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy. Skilled in operatic and lieder repertoire, Richardson has toured extensively with leading artists throughout the United States and Europe. For more than a decade, she was an assistant conductor with New York City Opera and subsequently taught at the Yale School of Music. She also served as assistant conductor for the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, and has been associated with Spoleto Festival USA since its first season. Richardson holds concurrent faculty appointments at The Juilliard School and Binghamton University.

THE SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA appears at the Festival in many different configurations, performing in opera, symphonic, choral, chamber, and contemporary music performances. Formed anew each year through nationwide auditions, the orchestra is largely comprised of young professionals or players in advanced degree programs. Alumni of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra are on the rosters of leading orchestras throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, among others.

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