CARMEN CARMEN Saturday 12 August 7.30pm Federation Concert Hall Hobart Marko Letonja Conductor Teddy Tahu Rhodes Escamillo Elena Schwarz Assistant Conductor Emma Pearson Micaëla June Tyzack Chorusmaster Shane Lowrencev Zuniga 4 SPECIAL HOBART Elizabeth Hill Staging Samuel Dundas Moralès/Le Dancaïre Ingrid Rahlén Stage Manager Kathryn Radcliffe Frasquita Phoebe Briggs Music Preparation Sally-Anne Russell Mercédès With a long and rich Elena Maximova Carmen Jonathan Abernethy Le Remendado relationship spanning Marcelo Puente Don José TSO Chorus more than a decade, The20 are proud to be Opéra comique in Four Acts by Georges Bizet to a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Helévy, after Prosper Mérimée’s novel. First performed at the creative collaborators Opéra-Comique, Paris, 3 March 1875. with the cultural icon Act I Act III that is the Tasmanian A public square in Seville; a tobacco A rocky place near Seville at night. Symphony Orchestra. factory on the right faces a guardroom on Duration 36 mins the left with a covered gallery in front. Duration 47 mins Act IV Outside the bullring in Seville. Act II Duration 21 mins Lillas Pastia’s tavern. Duration 36 mins INTERVAL Performed in French with surtitles. Duration 20 mins This concert will end at approximately 10.30pm. Presented in association with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra concerts are broadcast and streamed throughout Australia and around the world by ABC Classic FM. We would appreciate your cooperation the20.com.au Cover image: Elena Maximova as Carmen © ROH. Photographer Catherine Ashmore in keeping coughing to a minimum. Please ensure that your mobile phone is switched off. 1 Marko Letonja Elena Schwarz June Tyzack Elena Maximova Marko Letonja is Chief Conductor Australian and Swiss conductor Elena June Tyzack is a graduate of the Tasmanian Elena Maximova studied singing at Moscow’s and Artistic Director of the Tasmanian Schwarz studied at the Geneva University and Sydney Conservatoriums and London’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory. She went on Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of Music in the class of Laurent Gay, Trinity College of Music. Her career with to join the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich- of the Orchestre Philharmonique de subsequently specialising in contemporary singers has included the Tasmanian Opera Danchenko Music Theatre, where her roles Strasbourg. Born in Slovenia, he studied at performance with Arturo Tamayo at the Company, Opera Australia, the Opera Studio included Rosina (The Barber of Seville), the Academy of Music in Ljubljana and the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana. She of the Sydney Conservatorium, Belvoir Isabella (The Italian Girl in Algiers), Carmen, has benefited from the advice of Bernard Vienna Academy of Music. He was Music Street Theatre, Sydney Philharmonia Massed Olga, Siébel (Faust), Nicklausse (The Tales of Haitink, Neeme Järvi, Peter Eötvös and Hoffmann), Charlotte (Werther), Paulina (The Director of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choirs and Pacific Opera. She became Matthias Pintscher. A member of Symphony Queen of Spades), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) Orchestra from 1991 to 2003 and Music Chorusmaster of the TSO Chorus in 2001. Services International’s Conductor and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus). She Director and Chief Conductor of both the Under her direction, the TSO Chorus has Development Program since 2013, she has made her debut at the Bavarian State Opera Symphony Orchestra and the Opera in given performances in Hobart and regional participated in conducting courses with in 2005 as Maddalena in Rigoletto and has Basel from 2003 to 2006. He was Principal Tasmania, and performed with Sydney Christopher Seaman, Asher Fisch, Johannes returned there to sing Federica (Luisa Miller), Guest Conductor of Orchestra Victoria in Philharmonia Choirs, Adelaide Festival Fritzsch and Giordano Bellincampi, and Carmen, Olga and Suzuki. For Vienna State 2008 and made his debut with the TSO Chorus, West Australian Symphony Orchestra with the Tasmanian and West Australian Opera her roles include Carmen, Maddalena, the following year. He took up the post of (WASO) Chorus and in Hong Kong with the Symphony Orchestras and the Auckland Eboli (Don Carlos), Rosina and Marfa Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Philharmonia. Elena Schwarz won first prize WASO Chorus and Hong Kong Philharmonic. (Khovanshchina). Engagements elsewhere the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at the at the Princess Astrid Competition with the As chorusmaster of the Australian include Carmen for La Scala, Milan, Berlin start of 2012. He has worked with many Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (Norway) International Symphony Orchestra Institute State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Finnish orchestras in Europe including the Munich and second prize at the 2015 Jorma Panula she has prepared Mahler’s Second and Third National Opera and in Palermo, Eboli for competition in Vaasa, Finland. In 2016 Symphonies and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Berlin Finnish National Opera, Leonora (Donizetti’s she was selected as one of three young Psalms, and in 2009 was chorusmaster and Radio Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra La Favorite) and Marguerite (La Damnation conductors supported by Adami, the conductor for the Australian Intervarsity and the Orchestra Filarmonica della de Faust) for St Gallen Festival, Preziosilla Scala, Milan. He has also worked in many French Performers’ Association. Recent Choral Festival. In 2014 she was assistant to engagements include the Martha Argerich (The Force of Destiny) in Florence, Giulietta renowned opera houses such as the Vienna the conductor for the production of Handel’s Festival in Lugano, where she conducted (Tales of Hoffmann) and Olga for the State Opera, Berlin State Opera, La Scala Orlando for Hobart Baroque. In recent Alban Berg’s Chamber Concerto with Metropolitan Opera, Charlotte in Tokyo Milan, Semper Oper Dresden, and the seasons she has devised cutting-edge TSO soloists Renaud Capuçon and Nicholas and Paulina for Rome Opera. She made her Grand Théâtre de Genève. Additionally, Chorus programs for a number of festivals, Angelich, and a portrait concert of Olga Royal Opera debut in 2013 as Olga (Eugene including a program in the Speigeltent for he has conducted at the Arena di Verona. Neuwirth’s music with the Lucerne Festival Onegin) and has since returned to sing Recent and future engagements include Academy. In 2017, in addition to the joint Ten Days on the Island, Mona Foma, Dark Carmen. Elena Maximova performs regularly the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Berlin assistantship between the Tasmanian and Mofo, Synaesthesia and Synaesthesia+. Last in concert with Russian orchestras including Radio Orchestra, Bavarian State Opera West Australian Symphony Orchestras, year she was Director for Bach’s St Matthew the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, in Munich and Wagner’s Der Ring des Elena Schwarz will assist Mikko Franck at Passion during the Festival of Voices, National Philharmonic of Russia, Hermitage Nibelungen for the Royal Swedish Opera the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio including overseeing the English translation Chamber Orchestra and the St Petersburg with Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde. France in Paris. and design of surtitles for the performance. Philharmonic. 2 3 Marcelo Puente Teddy Tahu Rhodes Emma Pearson Shane Lowrencev Argentine tenor Marcelo Puente is rapidly With an international career on the opera Principal artist at the Hessian State Theatre, In 2016, Shane Lowrencev sang Escamillo gaining recognition as an important “lirico- stage and concert platform, Teddy Tahu Wiesbaden, from 2005-2014, Emma’s (Carmen) and Schaunard (La bohème) for repertoire included the title roles in Lucia di spinto” tenor at such theatres as the Rhodes has performed with the San Opera Australia and appeared as Hunding Lammermoor, Lulu and La Calisto, as well Deutsche Oper Berlin, Stuttgart State Opera, Francisco Opera, Washington National (Die Walküre) for the Adelaide Symphony as Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute), Opera, Metropolitan Opera (New York), Orchestra. In 2017, he sings Scarpia (Tosca), Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Teatro de la Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Jenny (The Bavarian State Opera, at the Théâtre du Escamillo and Schaunard for Opera Australia Zarzuela in Madrid, State Opera Prague, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny), Châtelet (Paris), and at Welsh National and several others. Recent engagements Nanetta (Falstaff), Woglinde, Gerhilde and and is soloist with the Melbourne and Opera and Scottish Opera, among others. have included Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly Woodbird (Wagner’s Ring cycle), Sophie (Der West Australian Symphony Orchestras. He had notable success as Stanley in Previn’s at Hamburg State Opera, Royal Opera Rosenkavalier), and Norina (Don Pasquale). After studies in Melbourne and London, he Streetcar Named Desire in Sydney, Vienna House Covent Garden, New National On departing she was the youngest joined Opera Australia as a principal artist. and Chicago, and in Jake Heggie’s Dead singer to be awarded the honorary title of His roles have included the title roles in Theatre Tokyo and at Brussels’ La Monnaie; Man Walking. Recent roles have included “Kammersängerin”. Recent engagements The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, Cavaradossi in Tosca at Deutsche Oper am Don Giovanni, Escamillo in Carmen, Scarpia have included Beethoven’s Missa solemnis Scarpia, Escamillo, Schaunard and principal Rhein, Düsseldorf, and Don José in Carmen in Tosca, Emile De Becque (South Pacific) (Bratislava) under Bertrand de Billy,