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Home , Adrian Noble, Graciela Araya, Les Talens Lyriques, Michael Chance, Pierre Audi, The Second Mrs Kong

Brooklyn­ 30 LaFayette Avenue Communications Department Academy Brooklyn NY 11217- 1486 Sandy Sawotka of Telephone: 718.636.4111 Melissa Cusick Music Fax: 718 .857.2021 Fateema Jones Tamara Mccaw Kila Packett ' 718.63 6.4129 [email protected] News Release BAM Announces 2002 Season, Featuring Complete Cycle of Monteverdi's Three - II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea, and Or/eo­ Performed by French, Dutch, and American Companies

Les Arts Florissants returns to BAM with U.S. premiere of acclaimed Aix-en-Provence production of II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, conducted by William Christie and directed by Adrian Noble

Dutch National Opera, joined by in its U.S. debut, performs U.S. production premiere of L 'incoronazione di Poppea, conducted by and directed by Pierre _Audi

Chicago Opera Theater makes its New York debut with , conducted by Jane Glover and directed by Diane Paulus

The Monteverdi cycle has been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation with additional leadership grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Alberto Vilar and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Brooklyn, November 19, 2001 (updated December I 0)- As part of its 2002 Spring Season , Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) presents all three of Claudio Monte verdi ' s extant operas in dramatically different interpretations by companies from , The Netherlands , and the United States . A contemporary of , Monteverdi (1567- 1643) was a pioneer in the then-new art form of opera . His body of dramatic or semi-dramatic work included 21 pieces , of which three complete operas remain. This rare presentation of the complete Monteverdi opera cycle begins with world-renowned conductor William Christie and his -ba sed Baroque music ensemble Les Arts Florissants in the U.S . premiere of the highly praised 2000 Aix-en-Provence Festival production of fl Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria , directed by Royal Shakespeare Company N Arti stic Director Adrian Noble. Next , harpsichordist and Baroque music expert Christophe Rousset leads the Dutch National Opera (DNO) ,joined by Les Talens Lyriques in its U.S. debut , in the U.S. production premiere of L 'incoronazione di Popp ea, directed by DNO Art istic Director . 0 The cycle concludes with Monteverdi 's first opera , Orfeo, which will be performed by Chicago Opera Theater in its New York debut , with respected musicologist and conductor Jane Glover and 0 members of the Newberry Consort , directed by off-Broadway theater director Diane Paulus. Leadership grants from The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation , BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Alberto N Vilar , and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation have made this historic event possible.

SpringSeaso n more ... Monteverdi cycle, 2

"BAM consistently provides innovative, high quality opera experiences for New Yorkers ," said Norman L. Peck, president of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and BAM Endowment Trust board member. "We are delighted to provide the support that allows them to present this unprecedented Monteverdi cycle in April. "

The Monteverdi cycle is part of BAM 's 2002 Spring Season , sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. Six performances of II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton Street)­ April 7 at 3pm and April 8, 11, 13, and 14 at 7:30pm ; April 10 at 8pm (Spring Season gala performance)-with tickets priced at $35, 80, 120 (gala tickets range from $250- 5000 and are available by calling 718 .636.4182). Three performances of L'incoronazione di Poppea will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Avenue)-April 16 and 19 at 7pm and April 21 at 2pm-with tickets priced at $30, 65, and 95. Four performances of Orfeo will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater - April 22, 24, 26, and 27 at 7:30pm­ with tickets priced at $30, 55, and 80. Opera subscription tickets-priced at $76, 160, and 236- are available now by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 . Single tickets will go on sale Februa ry 4 via BAM Ticket Services , 718.636.4100; Ticketmaster , 212 .307.4100 ; or BAM 's web site, www.bam.org.

II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria U.S. premiere Les Arts Florissants and the Aix-en-Provence European Academy of Music A production of the Aix-en-Provence Festival

Conducted by William Christie Directed by Adrian Noble Scenery and costume design by Anthony Ward Lighting design by Jean Kalman Choreography by Sue Lefton Co-produced with Bordeaux Opera , the Lausanne Opera , the Opera Comique of Paris, and the Caen Theatre

BAM Harvey Theater Apr 7 at 3pm ; Apr 8, 11, 13 & 14 at 7:30pm; Apr 10 at 8pm (Spring Season gala performance) Performed in Italian with English surtitles Tickets : $35, 80 & 120 (gala tickets , $250-5000)

Leadership support for BAM French programs is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation.

The hit of France's 2000 Aix-en-Provence Festival , this production of fl Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria (1641) was declared "an unequivocal triumph .. . ravishingly beautiful ," by The Sunday Times (U.K.) , which went on to say that, "[conductor William] Christie achieves something approaching Monteverdian nirvana. " Royal Shakespeare Compan y (RSC) Artistic Director Adrian Noble uses a simple , evocative staging to tell Homer 's well-known story of Ulysses ' return to Ithaca after a long absence , and of his wife , Penelope 's, constanc y. The stage is framed by two walls on either side of a blue backdrop , representing sea and sky, and is covered in sand . The only furnishings consist of Grecian pottery and pillows . Christie conducts his renowned ensembl e Les Arts Florissants on period instruments , drawing a "limitless variety of colour and suggestive weight from his seemingl y austere band, j ust fourteen-strong ," according to The Financial Times (U .K.). The young cast is led by Croatian Kresimir Spicer (Ulisse) and Yugoslavian mezzo- Marijana Mijanovic (Penelope) in their U .S. debuts.

Les Arts Florissants , founded by William Christie in Paris two decades ago, takes its name from a three­ centur y-old work by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Les Arts Florissants is internationally renowned for its crystalline renditions and reconstructions of operas and scores by largely French , Italian , and English seventeenth and eighteenth-century Baroque composers , such as Lully , Monteverdi , and Purcell. Since 1989, Christie and Les Arts Florissants have performed five operas and six concerts at BAM, including Atys (l 989 and 1992), Medee (1994) , Orlando (1996) , Hippoly te et Aricie (1997) , and Theodora (2000) , as well as concerts in 1991, 1993, 1995 , 1996, 1997, and 1999 .

more ... Monteverdi cycle, 3

WilliamChristie (born 1944 in Buffalo, New York) studied piano, harpsichord, and organ. After graduating from Harvard and Yale , he settled in France in 1971. Since founding Les Arts Florissants in 1979, he has contributed immensely to the burgeoning interest in music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and has won citations for musical excellence. He has collaborated with renowned stage directors and choreographers on numerous productions, and regularly guest conducts orchestras and lectures on early music. He was the first American to become a professor at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris (1982), was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur in 1993, and is now a French citizen.

Director Adrian Noblejoined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1980 as an assistant director, becoming an associate director almost immediately. His first production for the RSC was Ostrovsky 's The Forest, which transferred first to the Warehouse and then to the Aldwych and was named best revival in the 1981 Drama Awards. In 1988 he was appointed artistic director of the RSC 's Stratford season and in 1989 went on to be artistic director of the RSC season. In 1989, Noble left the RSC to pursue an independent career and directed The Art of Success at the Manhattan Theatre Club and Chekhov 's at the Gate Theatre (Dublin) and Royal Court Theatre . ln 1991, Noble returned to the RSC as overall artistic director, and has since directed highl y successful productions of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, The Thebans, The Winter's Tale (BAM , 1994), , Travesties, , , Travesties, A Midsummer Night's Dream, , The Cherry Orchard, Little Eyolj; Cymbeline (BAM, 1998), Twelfth Night, The Tempest, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Family Reunion (BAM, 2000), and The Secret Garden. His film of A Midsummer Night 's Dream was released in 1996. Outside of his work with the RSC , Noble has directed Don Giovanni for Kent Opera , The Duchess of Malji in a circus tent in Paris , The Faerie Queen for the Company at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and a Japanese production of Twelfth Night.

L 'incoronazione di Poppea U.S. premiere Dutch National Opera and Les Talens Lyriques

Conducted by Christophe Rousset Directed by Pierre Audi Set design by Michael Simo n Costume design by Emi Wada Lighting design by Jean Kalman

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Apr I 6 & 19 at 7pm ; Apr 21 at 2pm Performed in Italian with English surtitles Tickets: $30, 65 & 95

This program is generously supported by the Netherlands Culture Fund

L 'incoronazione di Poppea (1642) was Monteverdi's last opera , and many consider it his crowning achievement. Based on historical events, Poppea fuses an allegory of love with the politically charged world of the Roman Empire under Nerone (Nero). The music mirrors the mercurial emotio ns of the emperor and the ambition of Nerone 's adored mistress, Poppea, as she plots to replace the Empress Ottavia and avoids attempts on her life by her rejected lover , Ottone. Led by acclaimed harpsichordist and conductor Christo phe Rous set and directed by Dutch National Opera (DNO) Artistic Director Pierre Audi , DNO's production of Poppea is set amid vast, stark land scapes and dramatic lighting , which create a sense of the vapidity of court intrigue. Trouw (The Netherlands) says" .. . Poppea is carried by the phenomenal vocal performances by all singers ," who include American soprano Cynthia Haymon (Poppea); French soprano Brigitte Baileys (Nerone) ; and American Michael Chance (Ottone). Rousset 's acclaimed Les Talens Lyriques continua ensemble performs on authentic instruments. Dutch National Opera (ONO) aims to present first-rate , internationally recognized opera in Het Muziektheater, located on Amsterdam 's Waterlooplein. The company regularly perform s pieces from the existing operatic repertoire, while continually striving to expand the standard repertoire with new works . DNO 's

more ... Monteverdi cycle, 4 internationaltours have includedan engagementof Louis Andriessenand 's Writingto Vermeer at the 2000 Lincoln Center Festival and performances of 11Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria at BAM in 1993.

Avignon native Christophe Rousset 's early interest in the harpsichord was developed at the Schola Cantorum in Paris , where he was awarded a diploma with special distinction. From 1980 to 1983 he studied at the Royal Conservatory at The Hague, going on to win first prize at the International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges immediately after graduating. He thereupon embarked on an international career , appearing as soloist with ensembles such as The Academy of Ancient Music , Musica Antiqua of Cologne , and La Petite Bande. His recording for Decca of the Pieces de clavecin by Rameau won both the 1992 Gramophone Award for the best Baroque non-vocal release and the Belgian Cecilia Prize . Rousset ' s interest in continuo playing has led him to direct various ensembles devoted to the performance of Baroque music; in 1991, he formed his own ensemble , Les Talens Lyriques , with which he has since specialized in the performance of Baroque opera. Since 1993, he and Les Talens Lyriques have performed Monteverdi 's L 'incoronazione di Poppea , Handel ' s , and a serie s of performances of La Fee Urge le by Favart. He recorded the soundtrack of the 1994 movie Farinelli II Castrato , which won a Golden Globe Award .

Lebanese -born , Paris-raised , and Oxford-educated director Pierre Audi founded London ' s , a center for theater and music devoted to internationalism and innovation , in 1979. Since his 1988 appo intment as artistic director at the Dutch National Opera , Audi 's work has ranged from the very old to the very new, and from the most popular to the least well known of the operatic repertoire. His current work for DNO includes the Schoenberg Trilogy (Die gluckliche Hand , Von Heute auf Morgen , and Erwartung) and the Netherlands ' first complete cycle of Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelungen , which began in the 1997- 98 season. His commitment to new opera is balanced by his desire to revisit the classics , both from the standard repertoire and from rarely seen works.

Orfeo New York premiere Chicago Opera Theater New York compan y debut

Conducted by Jane Glover Directed by Diane Paulus Set design by Scott Pask Costume design by Meg Neville Lighting design by Michael Chybowski English supertitles by Sonya Friedman Chicago Opera Theater 's production of Orjeo at BAM is in association with One World Foundation , Inc .

BAM Harve y Theater Apr 22, 24, 26 & 27 at 7:30pm Performed in Italian with English supertitles Tickets : $30, 55 & 80

The cycle concludes with Monteverdi 's first opera , Orfeo (160 7). Created for Monteverdi ' s employer, the Gonzaga court of Mantua, Orfeo is based upon the Greek myth of a musician who pursues his true love into the underworld after her sudden death. In this Chicago Opera Theater (COT) production , director Diane Paulus (best known for her off-Broadway hit The Donkey Show) re-imagines Orfeo (tenor Laurence Dale) as a bad-boy musician . The opera opens as Orfeo ' s beloved (soprano Valerie Maccarthy) has finally agreed to marry him. In thi s production , their nuptial celebration is a stylish , modern -dress masked societ y ball. The festive mood quickl y changes when a messenger delivers news of Euridice 's untimel y death to Orfeo , and the party ' s elegant white drawing room is transformed into a disturbing vision of Hades as the hero sets out to retrieve his bride . Jane Glover, a respected musicologist , leads the COT and members of the Newberry Consort on period instruments in a reading of her own edition of Monteverdi's score . The Chicago Tribune said of this production , "Glover's conductingbreathed with the singers, dancedand wept with the drama.It was as if she and her colleagues were creating the opera on the spot, and we were the original Gonzaga cowt. "

more ... Montev erdi cycle, 5

Since its inception in 1974, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) has staged 23 American operas, given 30 Chicago professional premieres, and reached an audience of hundreds of thousands through its mainstage performances , regional tours, outreach programs, and telecasts on PBS . American operas have been a key component in the company's success, from The Mother of Us All in 1976 through Akhnaten in 2000. COT also is committed to bringing operatic premieres to Chicago, introducing area audiences to works such as Orfeo, Menotti's The Consul, Floyd ' s Susannah, and many others. American performers also are central to the company's mission. In 1999, COT underwent a major internal reorganization , resulting in the appointment of Brian Dickie as general director. Dickie comes to COT with more than 30 years ' experience in opera , including five years as general director of the Canadian Opera Company and seven years as general director of the world-renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera in . He will lead the company's move to its first-ever permanent home as the lead tenant in the 1500-seat Chicago Music and Dance Theatre , set to open in Mi llennium Park in downtown Chicago in 2004. For this production , COT and conductor Jane Glover collaborated with the Chicago-based Newberry Consort. This period-instrument ensemble plays concerts throughout the Chicago area , combining scholarship and entertainment as members introduce their unique instruments and describe the history of their music. Newberry Consort founder and Baroque music expert Mary Springfels will be featured in the orchestra .

British conductor Jane Glover , who was artistic director of the London Mozart Players from 1984-1991 , has conducted the Royal Philharmonic , London Philharmonic , London Symphony , Royal Scottish National , Royal Liverpool Symphony , Halle Orchestras, all of the BBC orchestras , English Chamber Orchestra , and Northern Sinfonia. She has conducted throughout Europe and is the principal guest conductor of the Huddersfield Choral Society ; she also regularly records with the BBC Singers. In opera, Glover mostly has been associated with the Glyndebourne , and was the musical director of the Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1981 to 1985. She has worked with at Covent Garden , (ENO) , the Orchestra of St. Luke ' s, and Glimmerglass Opera, as well as with opera companies and orchestras in New York , Boston, St. Paul, and Miami. Recent engagements have included at New York City Opera , and Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Australia , Mark Morris' staging of L 'Allegro, ii Penseroso ed ii Moderato for the ENO, and Hippolyte et Aricie with Opera Theater of St. Louis . Glover currently is conducting Le nozze di Figaro for the ENO and future plans include with New York City Opera , Le nozze di Figaro with Cincinnati Opera, and a new production of Cosifan tutte with Chicago Opera Theater. Previous conducting engagements at BAM include the critically acclaimed Glimmerglass production of L 'incoronazione di Poppea , directed by Jonathan Miller , in 1996 and Morris ' staging of L 'Allegro during the dance group ' s twentieth anniversary season at BAM in 2000.

Diane Paulus is the director/creator of The Donkey Show, the critically acclaimed modern interpretation of Shakespeare 's A Midsummer Night' s Dream. Other current projects include a stage musical based on the screenplay of Dirty Dancing for Dodgers Theatricals; The Karaoke of Errors (Comedy of Errors set in a karaoke lounge) , commissioned by the Ambassador Theater Group in London; and Cosifan tull e for Chicago Opera Theater in February 2002 . Last spring , Diane directed the Obie-award winning Eli 's Comin, featuring the music and lyrics of Laura Nyro , at the Vineyard Theater. For the adventurous Music-Theatre Group , she directed the Obie award-winning jazz opera Running Man, written by composer Deidre Murray and poet Cornelius Eady . A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize , Running Man has been presented at the Duffin Theater in Lenox, Massachusetts , the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, and the HERE Arts Center in New York City . She has been commissioned by the Music-Theater Group to create a new, autobiographical work , Swimming with Watermelons. Diane Paulus founded Project 400 Theater Group with Co-Director Randy Weiner in 1993. Together they have created more than 30 projects , including The Donkey Show. Other projects include Turandot (a professional wrestling adaptation) , Lohengrin (a hip-hop opera), Frankenweiner (a burlesque operetta) , The Baron of Luvf(a musical of the Phaedra story) , and Prospero 's Revenge (a rock musical of The Tempest). Paulus was the 1999 recipient of the Peter Ivers Visiting Artist Fellowship at Harvard University (her alma mater) , and is the recipient of a Directing Fellowship from the Drama League.

more ... Mont everdi cycl e, 6

Monteverdi symposium

On Saturday , April 13 in the lobby of the BAM Harvey Theater, BAM Education & Humanities hosts a complementary symposium about the operas of . At I :30pm , the first of two sessions , Mont everdi and the Development of Italian Baroque Opera, will feature a discussion among writers , scholars, and critics about Monteverdi 's role in the aesthetic development of the opera in his time. At 3:30pm , a discussion entitled The Artists: Exploring Monteverdi Today will feature selected conductors and directors , including William Christie (I! Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria) , Pierre Audi (L 'incoronazione di Poppea) and Diana Paulus ( 01:feo) as they talk about their creative partnerships and the challenges of interpreting Monteverdi 's work. Admission is $8 per session ($4 for Friends of BAM) ; for tickets and information, call 718.636.4100 or visit www .bam .org . (For press information about BAM Education & Humanities programming , please contact Fateema Jones , 718.636.4129 x4 or fjones @bam.org.)

Credits

BAM 's 2002 Spring Season is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. The Monteverdi cycle has been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional leadership grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Albe1to Vilar and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Leadership support for BAM French programs is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation . L 'incoronazione di Poppea is generously supported by a grant from the Netherlands Culture Fund, the program set up by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education , Culture & Science to strengthen the Netherlands ' international cultural relations. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by the Howard Gilman Foundation. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is supported and endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation . Leadership support for BAM Opera is provided by Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher ; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation , Inc.; and The Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation , Inc . Major support is provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Credit Lyonnais , and Morgan Stanley . Additional support is provided by Anne H. , The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust , The Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation, Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation , and The Vincent Astor Foundation . BAM ' s official broadcast sponsor is Bloomberg Radio AM 1130. The BAM marquee sponsor is Citigroup. New York Marriott Brooklyn is the official hotel for BAM . BAM ' s official piano is Baldwin. The BAM facility is owned by the City of New York and is funded , in part , with public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council and the Brooklyn Borou gh President.

Gen eral information

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas , BAMcafe , and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the main buildin g at 30 Lafayette Avenue (Lafayette and Ashland) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn . BAM Harvey Theater is located at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn . BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn 's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming . J.A.M Catering Service s provides food and beverages at BAMcafe , which features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music on Thursda y, Friday , and Saturday nights as well as Sounds of Prais e (live gospel music with a soul -food buffet) on selected Sunda y afternoons . A package including dinner in BAMcafe and a movie ticket to BAM Rose Cinemas is available for only $30 (at the box office only) . BAMcafe is open Thursday - Saturday from 5-10:30pm and Sunday s from noon- 8pm . Addi tionally, dinner is served from 5- 7:30pm on all Monda y-Wednesday mainstage performance nights.

Subw ay: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q Local (formerly D), and Q Express (formerly Q) to Atlantic Avenue W (formerl y B), M , N , R to Pacific Street ; G to Fulton Street ; C to Lafayette A venue Train : Long Island Railroad to Flatbush A venue Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM .

For ticket and BAMbus information , call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 , or visit www .bam.org .

#### Brooklyn 30 LafayetteAvenue CommunicationsDepartment Academy Brool1lyn NY 11217 - 1486 Sandy Sawotka of Telephone: 718.636.4111 Me lissa Cusick Music Fax:718.857.2021 FateemaJones Tamara McCaw Ki/a Packett 718.636.4129 [email protected] NewsRelease BAM Presents the Return of the Dutch National Opera (DNO), Joined by Les Talens Lyriques, in the U.S. Production Premiere of L 'incoronazione di Poppea, Conducted by Christophe Rousset and Directed by Pierre Audi, DNO's Artistic Director

Critically acclaimed opera is second production of BAM's Monteverdi Cycle, presented as part of 2002 Spring Season

The Monteverdi Cycle has been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation with additional leaders hip grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Alberto Vilar and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation . L 'incoronazione di Poppea is generously supported by the Netherlands Culture Fund.

Dutch National Opera

Les Talens Lyriques Conducted by Christophe Rousset Directed by Pierre Audi Set design by Michael Simon Costume design by Emi Wada Lighti ng design by Jean Kalman

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Apr 16 & 19 at 7pm; Apr 21 at 2pm Performed in Italian with English surtitles Tickets: $30, 65 & 95

Monteverdi symposium Apr 13 at 1:30 and 3:30pm BAM Harvey Theater lobby Tickets: $8 ($4 for Friends of BAM)

N Brooklyn, March 21, 2002- Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) continues its presentation of Claudio Monteverdi 's three extant operas with the U.S. premiere of Dutch National Opera (De 0 Nederlandse Opera , or DNO)'s acclaimed production of L 'incoronazione di Poppea , led by harpsichordist and Baroque music expert Christophe Rousset and directed by DNO Artistic Director Pierre Audi. This rare presentation of the complete Monteverdi opera cycle is part of BAM 's 2002 0 Spring Season , sponsored by Philip Morris Compa nies Inc . N

SpringSeaso n more ... l 'incoronazione di Poppea, 2 Three performances of L 'incoronazion e di Poppea will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 LafayetteAvenue)-April 16 and 19 at 7pm and April 21 at 2pm. Tickets-priced at $30, $65 and $95-may be purchased by ca lling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or Ticketrnaster at 212.307.4100 , or visiting www.bam .org .

L 'incoronazione di Poppea (1642) was Monteverdi 's last opera, and it his crownin g achievement. Based on historical eve nts, Poppea fuses an allegory of love with the politically charged world of the Roman Empire under Nerone (Nero). The music mirror s the mercurial emotions of the emperor and the ambition ofNerone ' s adored mistress, Poppea , as she plots to rep lace the Empress Ottavia and avoids attempts on her life by her rejected lover , Ottone . DNO ' s production of Poppea is set amid vast, stark landscapes and dramatic lighting , mirroring the vapidity of court intrigue. Trouw (The Netherlands) says " .. .Poppea is carried by the phenomenal vocal performance s by all singers ," who include American soprano Cynthia Haymon (Poppea); Swiss mezzo-soprano Bri gitte Baileys (Nerone); and Briti sh countertenor Michael Chance (Otto ne). Rousset 's acclaimed Les Talens Lyriques continuo ensemble performs on period instruments .

About the ait ists

Dutch National Opera (DNO) - known in The Netherlands as De Nederlandse Opera-was founded in 1946 as a repertory touring company with a permanent ensemb le; it performed approximately 200 engagements each year in the four major Dutch cities and in the provinces . In 1964, the company, renamed the Nederlandse Operastichting , adopted the "stagione " syste m of contracting specific singers for each production . Nederlandse Operastichting was based in the Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg (Municipa l Theater) but also gave performance s in other cities. In 1986, to mark the move to Het Muziektheater on Amsterdam's Waterlooplein , the company was renamed De Nederlandse Opera (Dutch National Opera). The company regularly performs pieces from the existing opera tic repe,toire , whi le continuall y striving to expand the standard repertoire with new works. DNO 's international tour s have included an engagement of Louis Andrie sse n and Peter Greenaway ' s Writing to Vermeer at the 2000 Lincoln Center Festival and performance s of fl Ritorn o d 'Ulisse in Patria at BAM in 1993.

Leba nese-born, Paris-raised , and Oxford-educated director Pierre Audi founded London's Almeida Theatre , a center for theater and music devoted to internationalism and innovation , in 1979. Since his 1988 appointment as aitistic director at the Dutch National Opera , Audi's work has ranged from the very old to the very new , and from the most popular to the least well known of the operatic repertoire . His current work for DNO includes the Schoenberg Trilogy (Die gliickliche Hand , Von Heute auf Morgen, and Erwartung) and the Net herland s' first complete cycle of Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelu ngen, which began in the 1997-98 season . His commitment to new opera is balanced by his desire to revisit the class ics, both from the standard repertoire and from rarely seen works.

Avignon nativ e Christophe Rousset 's early interest in the harpsichord was developed at the Schol a Cantorum in Paris , where he was awarded a diploma with special distinction. From 1980 to 1983 he studied at the Roya l Conservatory at The Hague, go ing on to win first prize at the International Harpsichord Co mpetition in Bruges immediately after graduatin g. He thereupon embark ed on an international career , appearing as soloist with ensembles such as The Academy of Ancient Music , Musica Antiqua of Cologne, and La Petite Bande . His recording for Decca of the Pieces de clavecin by Rameau wo n both the 1992 Gramophone Award for the best Baroque non-vocal release and the Belgi an Cec ilia Prize . Rousset 's interest in continua playing has led him to direct various ensembles devoted to the performance of Baroque music ; in 1991, he formed his own ensemble , Les Talens Lyriques. Since 1993, he and Les Talens Lyriques have performed Monteverdi ' s L 'incoronazione di Poppea , Handel's Scipione, and a series of performance s of La Fee Urgele by Favart. He recorded the sou ndtrac k of the 1994 movie Farinelli II Castrato, which won a Golden Globe Award.

The internati onal Baroque ensemble Les Talens Lyriques was founded in 1991 by Rousset. The group, which is made up of up-and-c omin g Baroque specialists , takes its name from a work by Rameau , and is an hom age to music of the eig hteenth century. The ensemble's repertoire consists of operatic works by Monteverdi, Handel , Cimarosa , Jommelli , and Mozart , in addition to motet s by Dumont and Daniel is, by Clerambault , Bro ssard, and Monteclair , and airs de cour by Dumont , Lambe1t , and De la Barre . Les Talens Lyriques has collaborated with stage directors Jean-Marie Villegier , Philippe Lenael , Jean-Claude Berutti, Pierre Audi, and others.

Mezzo-soprano Graciela Araya (Ottavia, role debut ) studied in South America , the United States , and Europe . She has sung the title role in in many of the world's most prominentopera houses.Her repertoireranges from Monteverdi to Schnittk e. She has sung at Deutsche Oper Berlin in a production of Matthus ' Die Wiese van Liebe und Tod des Cornets

more ... l 'incoronazione di Popp ea, 3 Christoph Rilke (directed by Maximilian Schell) , where she also performed the leading role in Graun ' s Montezuma (directed by Herbert Wernicke). Engagements in Aken and in Dusseldorf followed , and she appeared in at the Opera Bastille in Paris and at the in New York (both times as Maddalena in Rigole tto), the Grand Theatre de Geneve (Amastris in Xerxes) , Teatro La Fenice in Venice (Charlotte in ), the Munt in Brussels (Carmen) , the Stadttheater St. Gallen (Komponist in Ariadne aufNaxos), the Stadttheater Basel (title roles in Carmen and Giulio Cesare), and in Stuttgart , Berlin , Cologne , Zurich , London and Antwerp. As a member of the en semble of the Wiener Staatsoper , Araya has sung Carmen , Octavian (Der Rosenkavali er), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Varvara (Kata Kabanova), Lola (Cavalleria rusticana) , Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Siegrune (Die Walkiire), Geschwitz (), and Enrichetta (I purit ani, conducted by Placido Domingo) . At the Wiener Volksoper , she sang Han sel in Hansel und Gretel and Orlo vsky in Die Fledermaus (Wiener Festwochen 1994). Previous DNO engagements include performances in II ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria , Reves d 'un Marco Polo and Capriccio .

Swis s mezzo-soprano Brigitte Baileys (Nerone) made her debut in 1987 at the Wiener Staatsoper as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Erich Leinsdorf ; she sang the same role again in Zurich in a production conducted by Nikolau s Harnoncourt. More "trouser " roles followed, including Octavian (Der Rosenkavali er), Idamante (Idomeneo) , N icklausse (Tales of Hoffmann) , and Fragoletto (Les brigands) in various European opera house s- including La Bastille in Paris and La Fen ice in Venice . Concert and lieder repertoire includes Berg's Altenberglieder and Friihe Lieder ; Reger 's An die Hojfnun g . Mahler ' s Kindertotenlieder, Das Knaben Wunderhorn, and Das Lied von der Erde; Berlioz ' s Les 11Uits d 'ete, Wagner ' s Wesendonk-lieder , Ravel ' s Sheherezade , and Britten ' s Phaedra. Baile ys, who specializes in 20th -century repertoire , has worked with conductors Claudio Abbado , Vladimir Ashkenazy , Philippe Herreweghe , Fabio Luisi, and Jesu s Lopez-Cobos , among others . Her recording of Les 11Uitsd'et e with Philippe Herreweghe has received several awards. Previous DNO productions include Les brigands and L 'Orfeo.

British countertenor Michael Chance (Ottone) made his operatic debut at the Buxton Festival in Ronald Eyre 's staging of Cavill i' s Giasone, after which he embarked on a busy international opera career that includes performances at the Sydney Opera House , Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires , and La Scala in Milan , among many others . Chance 's English engagements include performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden , Glyndebourne , and the English National Opera. He has had roles written specially for him by Sir (The Second Mrs Kong) and (Night at the Chinese Op era). He recentl y has performed at festivals including Edinburgh , Aix -en-Provence , BBC Prom s in London , and Salzburg. Chance has performed oratorios and recitals in concert halls around the world , including New York ' s Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam ' s Concertgebouw , and Berlin ' s Philharmonie. He has given recitals in Frankfurt , Vienna , Amsterdam , Israel , New York , and London with a variety of repertoire ranging from Elizabethan lute songs to new works commissioned for him . Chance ' s recordings include Handel ' s for Deutsche Grammophon with and (for which he won a Grammy) . He also has recorded frequently with , including the Bach Passions and Cantatas, B minor mass, Monterverdi ' s Orfeo and L 'Incoronazione di Poppea, and Handel ' s Jeptha, , and Agrippina . On his recently released CD for Deutsche Grammophon , Michael Chance , the Art of Counter-tenor, he sings solo cantatas by Vivaldi with Trevor Pi1rnock and the English Concert. Recent engagements have included a new production of Popp ea for the English National Opera , A Midsummer Night ·s Dream at Glyndebourne , and the St. John Passion at . Upcomin g engagements include St John Passion with the City of Birmingham Symphony and the Berlin Philharm onic, both with Sir Simon Rattle , European and South American tours with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment , Popp ea and in Munich. Michael Chance is a visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music .

American soprano Cynthia Haymon (Poppea) made her debut at the Virginia Opera in the title role in Thea Musgrave ' s Harri et, A Woman Called Moses. She then app eared in the roles of Micaela in Carmen (San Francisco), and as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Liu in Turandot (Seattle). Her European debut came in 1986 as Bess in the Glyndebourne production of Porgy and Bess . She then sang Lii:1in a Covent Garden touring production in the Far East , and later at the Royal Opera Hou se (ROH) in a production that was televised throughout Europe . Also at the ROH Covent Garden , she has sung Bess (Porgy and Bess) and Mimi (La boheme). Elsewhere in Europe she has sung Litt (Hamburg and Munich) , Amore in O,f eo ed Euridice (Brussels) , Pamina in Die Zauberjlote (directed by Robeti Wilson at the Bastille Opera) , Micaela in Carmen (directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle , with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta) , and Co retta Scott King in the musical King (with Simon Estes in London) . On the concert stage , she has performed with the Israel Philharmoni c Orchestra , London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) , Cleveland Orchestra , and the Boston Symphon y Orchestra for the world premiere of Ned Rorem ' s Swords and Plowshar es. She recently san g the role of Bess in the Roya l Albe1i Hall during the BBC Proms . Her recordings include Tippett ' s A Child of Our Time (with conductor Richard

more ... l 'incoronazione di Poppea, 4 Hickox and the LSO), a solo CD entitled Where The Music Comes From: American Song , Porgy and Bess (which won a Grammy Award), and La boheme. Current and future engagements include Le't'la in The Pearl Fishers (San Diego) , Bess in Porgy and Bess ( and Madrid) , Euridice in (Leipzig) , and Bernstein's Kaddish (Rome). Past performances with DNO include La boheme.

About the Monteverdi Cycle

The Monteverdi opera cycle begins with world-renowned conductor William Christie and his Paris -based Baroque music ensemble Les Arts Florissants in the U.S . premiere of the highly praised 2000 A ix-en-Provence Festival production of JI Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria , directed by Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Adrian Noble (April 7- 14). Following BAM 's presentation of L 'incoronazione di Poppea, the cycle concludes with Monteverdi ' s first opera, Orfeo, which will be performed by Chicago Opera Theater in its New York debut , with respected musicologist and conductor Jane Glover and members of the Newberry Consort , directed by off-Broadway theater director Diane Paulus (April 22- 27). (For more information about these productions, please contact Sandy Sawotka or Melissa Cusick, 718 .636.4129 or press @ bam .org .)

Monteverdi symposium

On Saturday , April 13 in the lobby of the BAM Harvey Theater, BAM Education & Humanities hosts a complementary symposium about the operas of Claudio Monteverdi. At l :30pm, the first of two sessions, Monteverdi and the Development of Italian Baroque Opera, will feature a discussion among writers, scholars, and critics about Monteverdi's role in the aesthetic development of the opera in his time. At 3:30pm , a discussion entitled The Artists: Exploring Monteverdi Today will feature selected conductors and directors , including William Christie (fl Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria) , Pierre Audi (L 'incoronazione di Poppea) and Diane Paulus ( Orfeo) as they talk about their creative partnerships and the challenges of interpreting Monteverdi's work. Admission is $8 per session ($4 for Friends of BAM); for tickets and information , call 718.636.4100 or visit www .bam.org. (For press information about BAM Education & Humanities programming , please contact Fateema Jones , 718.636.4129 x4 or fjones @bam.org.)

Cred its

BAM 's 2002 Spring Season is sponsored by Philip Morri s Companies Inc. The Monteverdi Cycle has been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional leader ship grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Albe1io Vilar and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. L 'incorona ::ione di Poppea is generously supported by a grant from the Netherlands Culture Fund, the program set up by the Mini strie s of Foreign Affairs and Education. Culture & Science to strengthen the Netherlands' international cultural relations. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by the Howard Gilman Foundation. Major support for this program is provided by Fleet. Additional support is provided by The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust and The Ne therland -America Foundation . Leadership support for BAM Opera is provided by Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc .; The Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation , Inc. ; The Gladys Krieble Delma s Foundation; and The Isak and Ro se Weinman Foundation with additional support from the Anne and Gordon Getty Fou ndation and The Vincent Astor Foundation. BAM 's official broadcast spon sor is Bloomberg Radio AMI 130. The BAM marquee sponso r is Citigro up. New York Marriott Brooklyn is the official hotel for BAM. BAM 's official piano is Baldwin. The BAM facility is owned by the City of New York and is funded , in part , with public fund s provided throu gh the New York City Department of Cu ltural Affairs with support from the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council and Brooklyn Borou gh Pre sident Mart y Markowitz .

General information

BAM Howa rd Gilman Opera Hou se, BAM Ro se Cinema s, BAMcafe , and Shakespeare & Co. BAM shop are located in the main building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (Lafaye tte and Ashland) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harve y Theater is located at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell) in Fort Greene , Brooklyn. BAM Ro se Cinemas is Brookl yn's only movie hou se dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertor y programming . J.A.M Catering Services provide s food and beverage s at BAMcafe , which features an eclectic mix of spo ken word and live music on Thursday , Friday, and Saturday night s as well as Sou nds of Praise (live gospel music with a soul-food buffet) on selected Sund ay afternoo ns. A package including dinner in BAMcafe and a movie ticket to BAM Ro se Cinemas is available for only $30 (at the box office only). BAMcafe is open Friday-Saturday from 5- 10:30pm and Sundays from 2- 8pm. Additionally , BAMcafe is open from 5-7:30pm on all mainstage performance night s and two hour s prior to curtain for all mainstage matinee performances.

Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q Local , and Q Express to Atlantic Avenue W (fo rmerl y B), M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street ; C to Lafayette Avenue Tra in: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Car: Co mmercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM.

For ticket and BAMbu s information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit www.bam.org.

#### Pierre Audi was born in Beirut in 1957 and educated there , in Paris, and at Oxford University - Exeter College (1975- 78) where he studied Histor y. He became a British citizen in 1988. He founded the Almeida Theatre and its festival of contemporary music in London , which he ran as its artistic director between 1979 and 1989. In 1988 he was appointed artistic director of the-DNO in Amsterdam. Productions for the Almeida Theatre include many contemporary plays and operas (mostly first performances or British premieres). For DNO his productions include all four operas by Monteverdi (II Ri torno d 'Ulisse in Patria was presented at BAM in 1994 as well as the Los Angeles Opera in 1997 and the Sydney Festival in 1999); Wagner 's Ring cycle (the first to be produced in the Netherlands) and Lohengrin ; Harrison Birtwistle 's ; Morton Feldman 's Neither ; Mozart ' s Mitridate , 11Re pastore , and Die Zaube rflote ; Schoenberg 's three one-act operas: Erwartung , Die Gliickliche Hand , Von Heute auf Morgen ; Gluck 's ; Puccini 's La Boheme; Claude Vivier 's Reves d'un Marco Polo ; and world premieres of operas by composers Theo Loevendie , Guus Jansen , Param Vir, and . As a guest he has directed plays by Shakespeare (Timon and Measure for Measure) , Racine (Berenice) , and (The Oedipus plays) , for the two leading drama companies in Holland: Toneelgroep Amsterdam and Zuidelijk Toneel. For opera , he staged the British premiere of Verdi ' s Jerusalem for Opera North in the U.K., the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze ' s Venus and Adonis for the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich (a production later presented in Genoa and in Mannheim) , Handel 's Tamerlano for the Drottningholm Court Theatre in Sweden, and Cimarosa 's 11 Matrimonio Segreto for the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris. Many of his productions have been filmed for television including the full Monteverdi and Ring cycles. He recently directed his first feature film, For Birth or Death ?, an adaptation of two Canticles by Benjamin Britten for Dutch television . Audi received the Lesley Boosey Award for his services to British musical life in 1989. He was awarded the Dutch Theatre Critics ' Prize for his Shakespeare and Monteverdi productions in 1996. He was knighted in 2000 in the Order of the Dutch Lion for his contribution to culture in Holland . Last year he was named Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur and received the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Theatre Prize for his work as a director and artistic director of DNO. Future plans include the world premiere of 's new opera Tea for the Suntory Hall in Tokyo and DNO, and new productions of Mozmi 's La Clemenza di Tito and Berlioz ' s Les Troyens for Amsterdam . He returns in 2003 to Drottningholm for a new production of Handel 's .

4.15.02 Brooklyn 30 Lafayette Avenue Communications Department Academy Brooklyn NY 11217-1486 Sandy Sawotka of Telephone: 718 .636 .4111 Melissa Cusick Music Fax: 718 .857 .2021 Fateema Jones Tamara Mccaw Kila Packett ; 718 .636.4129 [email protected] News Release BAM Celebrates the U.S. Premiere of Les Arts Florissants' and Aix­ en-Provence Festival's Production of Monteverdi's II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria with Spring Season Gala on April 10

Jean-Marc Moriani to serve as gala chairman, Alberto Vilar as BAM Opera honorary chairman, and Robert J. Baker and Sarah G. Miller & Frank L. Coulson, Jr. as gala vice chairs

The Monteverdi Cycle bas been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation with additional leadership grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Alberto Vilar and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Leadership support for BAM French programs is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation.

Brooklyn, March 13, 2002-Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) announces its 2002 Spring Season Gala in celebration of the return of Les Arts Florissants, the critically lauded French baroque music ensemble. Led by Artistic Director William Christie. Les Arts Florissants performs the United States premiere of the Aix-en-Provence Festival's acclaimed production of II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, directed by Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Adrian Noble­ presented as part of BAM's .Afonteverdi C)cle . The gaJa ev.eniug begins with dinner at 6pm in BAM's architecturally dramatic Lepercq Space followed by an 8pm performance of Ulisse in the BAM Harvey Theater. The gala evening concludes with a post-performance reception in the Lepercq Space with the artists . Gala tickets, priced from $250- 5000, are available hy calling BAM Patrol) Services at 718.636.4182. The BAM Spring Season Gala is sponsored by Credit Lyonnais .

The evening will be catered by J.A.M Catering Services, which provides eclectic food and beverages at BAMcafe. For the gala, designer Peter Cunningham of Absolutely Wild Floral Events and Decor will transfonu the Lepercq Space into an interpretive ancient Mediterranean seascape . Proceeds from this event will benefit Brooklyn Academy of Music . // Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria is part of BAM's 2002 Spring Season. The 2002 Spring Season is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc.

Jean-Marc Moriani, chief executive officer of Credit Lyonnais Americas , serves as the gala N chairman. Alberto Vilar is the honorary chairman of BAM Opera. The gala vice chairmen are Robert J. Baker-president of Bowne Enterprise Solutions-and Sarah G. Miller, BAM trustee 0 and executive vice president of ClearShot Communications and her husband Frank L. Coulson, Jr., partner/managing director of Goldman Sachs & Co . BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins 0 and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo will co-host the gala with Alan H. Fishman president and chief executive officer Independence Community Bank Corp. and chairman of the board of N BAM . SpringSeason more ... 2002 Spring Season Gala 2 Event information

Wednesday , April 10, Brooklyn Academ y of Music, Brooklyn, NY ; Fes tive attire o 6pmPre-performance dinner, BAM LepercqSpace , 30 LafayetteAvenue • 8pm II Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street • 11:30pm Post-show reception with the artists , BAM Lepercq Space, 30 Lafayette Avenu e

Tickets start at $250 for the performance and reception or $1000 for dinner, the performance , and reception. Tables of ten at the dinner start at $10 ,000 . Call BAM Patron Services at 718 .636.4182 for tickets.

About II Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria

A contemporary of William Shakespeare, Monteverdi (156 7-1643) was a pioneer in the then-new art form of opera. His body of dramatic or semi-dramatic work included 21 pieces , of which three complete operas remain. The hit of France ' s 2000 Aix-en-Provence Festival , this production of fl Ritorn o d'Uli sse i11 Patria ( 1641) was declare d "an unequivocal triumph .. . ravishingly beautiful," by The Sunday Times (U .K .), which went on to say that, ''(conductor William] Christie achieves something approaching Monteverdian nirvana ." Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Adrian Noble uses a simple , evocative staging to tell Homer's well-known story of Ulysses' return to Ithaca after a long absence, and of his wife Penelope ' s constancy. The stage is framed by two walls on either side of a blue backdrop , representing sea and sky, and is covered in sand. The only furnishings consist of Gre cian pottery and pillows.

Christie conducts his renowned ensemble Les Arts Florissants on period instruments, drawing a "li mitless variety of colour and suggestive weight from his seem ingly austere band , just fourteen-strong ," according to The Financi al Times (U.K .). The young cast-led by Croatian tenor Kresimir Spicer as Ulisse and Yugoslavian mezzo-soprano Marijana Mijanovic as Penelope in their U.S. debuts-includes Cyril Auvity , Rachid Ben Abdeslam , Bertrand Bontoux, Rob ert Burt, Bertrand Churberre, Joseph Cornwell, Andreas Gisler , Marcia Soares Holanda, Genevieve Kaemmerlen. Katalin Karolyi , Christophe Laporte, Rebecca Ockenden, Olga Pitarch, Eric Raffard , Zachary Stains, and Paul-Henry Vila.

The Monteverdi Cycle is part of BAM's 2002 Spring Season, sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. Six performances of II Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater ( 651 Fulton Street)-April 7 at 3pm ; April 8 at 7:30pm; April 10 at 8pm (Spring Season gala performance); and April l L 13, and 14 at 7:30pm. For tickets-priced at $35, $80, and $120-call BAM Ticket Services at 718 .636.4100 or Ticketm aster at 212 .307.4100, or visit www .bam.org (gala tickets range from $250-5000 and are available by calling 718.636.4182) . (For more information about Ulisse, please contact Melissa Cusick, 718.636.4129 x2 or [email protected]. )

About the A1onteverdi Cvcle

Following BAM's presentation of II Ritorno d 'Ulisse in Patria, harpsichordist and Baroque music expert Christophe Rous set leads the Dutch National Opera (DNO), joined by Les Tai ens Lyriques , in the U .S. product ion premiere of L 'incorona::io11edi Poppea, directed by DNO Artistic Director Pierre Audi (April 16-21 ). The cycle concludes with Monteverd i's first opera, O,feo, which will be performed by Chicago Opera Theater in its New Yor k debut , with respected musicologist and conductor Jane Glover and members of the Newberry Consort, directed by off-Broadway tht:!ai.erdirector Diane Paulus (April 22-27) . (For more information about these productions, please contact Sandy Sawotka or Melissa Cusick, 718.636.4129 or press @bam.org.)

Credits

BAM's 2002 Spring Season is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. The Afontel'erdi Cycle has been made possible by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional leadership grants from BAM Opera Honorary Chairman Alberto Vilar and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Leadership support for BAM French programs is provided by The Florence Gould Foundation. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is supported and endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The BAM 2002 Spring Season Gala is sponsored by Credit Lyonnais. Leadership support for BAM's Spring Season is provided by Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher: The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The Starr Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Nonnan and Rosita Winston Foundation. Inc.; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Additional

more.. . 2002 Spring Season Gala 3 support for// Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria is provided by Anne H. Bass . BAM 's official broadcast sponsor is Bloomberg Radio AM 1130. The BAM marquee sponsor is Citigroup . New York Ma1Tiott Brooklyn is the official hotel for BAM . BAM 's official piano is Baldwin. The BAM facility is owned by the City of New York and is funded, in part, with public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz .

General information

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas , BAMcafe. and Shakespeare & Co . BAMshop are located in the main building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (Lafayette and Ashland) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn . BAM Harvey Theater is located at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn . BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. J.A.M Catering Services provides food nnd beverages at BAMcafe, which features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sounds of Praise (live gospel music with a soul-food buffet) on selected Sunday afternoons . A package including dinner in BAMcafe and a movie ticket to BAM Rose Cinemas is available for only $30 on Friday and Saturday evenings (at the box office only). BAl'v1cafeis open Friday-Saturday from 5-10 :30pm and Sundays from 2-8pm. Additionally, BAMcafe is open from 5-7 :30pm on all mainstage performance nights and two hours prior to curtain for all mainstage matinee perfonnances.

Subway: I, 2. 4, 5, Q Local, and Q Express to Atlantic Avenue W, M to Pacific Street ; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Tra in: Long 1sland Railroad to Flatbush A venue Car : Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM .

For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718 .636.4100, or visit www .bam.org .

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