Edition 3 | 2018-2019

WHAT'S INSIDE Welcome From the General Director & CEO �� 5

Soldier Songs Sponsors �� 6 Composer’s Note �� 7 Opera ATX �� 8 Staff �� 12 Board �� 13 Title Page �� 15 Cast List �� 16 Synopsis �� 17 Cast �� 18 Creative Team �� 19 Postlude ��27 Austin Opera Guild ��28 Past Productions ��29

Thank you to our Donors Leadership Giving ��33 Patron Program ��34 Partner Program ��35 Endowment Fund ��37 Bravo Society ��38 Donor Spotlight ��39 Partnerships ��43 Corporate Support ��45

This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, ADVERTISING 1612 Prosser Avenue, Kettering, OH 45409. This program may not be Onstage Publications reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 publisher. JBI Publishing is a division of Onstage Publications, Inc. e-mail: [email protected] Contents © 2019. www.onstagepublications.com All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 3

WELCOME

Welcome to the launch of Opera ATX–Austin Opera’s new production initiative taking opera beyond the walls of our home at the Long Center to iconic locations throughout Austin. With Opera ATX we expand our offerings to include innovative and unexpected operatic experiences designed to meet the demand of our adventurous loyalists and to invite new Austinites to experience our incredible art form.

I first encountered composer David T. Little in Philadelphia (my former operatic home) where he was one of our inaugural Composers in Residence. We presented scenes from one of his first operas, Dog Days, and I spent the entire performance on the edge of my seat with my jaw in my lap. The Los Angeles Times recently described David as an artist “who goes for the gut,” and I couldn’t agree more. The range and versatility of his music is remarkable, but his ability to connect with the most primal elements of our shared humanity is what makes his work extraordinary.

The launch of Opera ATX is an enormous undertaking for the Austin Opera team, and I’m extremely grateful to my colleagues for the dedication, grit, and ingenuity they bring to the office every day. Special thanks go to our Director of Artistic Operations, Nathan DePoint, who has served as champion and mastermind of this initiative, and Director of Production Vince Herod, whose creativity and commitment make it all possible.

We wouldn’t be here this evening without six local philanthropists who made significant investments to transform Opera ATX from an idea to a reality–Patrick and Judy Cantilo, Ken and Paula Smith, and Jeff and Gail Kodosky. Their underwriting support of this initiative–agreed to more than a year ago–made tonight’s performance possible.

Thank you so much for joining us!

Annie Burridge General Director & CEO

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 5 PRESENTS Soldier Songs By David T. Little

PRODUCTION SPONSORS Judy and Patrick Cantilo Ken and Paula Smith Jeff and Gail Kodosky Thom Brooks

WINE & SPIRIT SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR HOSPITALITY SPONSOR

AUSTIN OPERA IS A MEMBER OF OPERA AMERICA, INC.

6 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org COMPOSER’S NOTE

In 2004 I was invited to a career day at my former high school to speak with students about being a composer. I shared the stage with an old friend, Justen Bennett, who had just returned from Iraq, where he had been a field medic and had been among those who stormed Saddam Hussein’s palace. The contrast between Justen’s job and mine was striking.

Exiting the auditorium, I saw a display case, which I remembered the school using to celebrate student achievements: a victory for the football team or marching band, or photos from the musical that had happened the previous week. Now it showed photos of soldiers: alumni currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, driving tanks and carrying machine guns. Here, in the same case where their prom photos might have been only a few years prior.

I remembered our days together in class, debating the ethics of Vietnam or the Gulf War. I reflected upon my attitude at the time: the simplistic view of an adolescent, that war was always wrong. I just didn’t understand why someone would enlist. But here, a decade later, my friends were defusing land mines in Iraq.

I considered my own family. My generation was the first in nearly a century not to serve in the military. My uncles were in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. My grandfathers were both in World War II, and my great-grandfather was in WWI. My third great-grandfather was killed in Tennessee fighting for the Union. In a way, I had descended from this thing I had previously dismissed. Cracks began to form in my absolutist position, and questions began to arise.

To find my own answers, I called family and friends who had served—and who were not on active duty at the time—and asked them to speak with me about their experience. It was from their stories that Soldier Songs began to emerge. Our recorded conversations feature prominently both as the basis for the libretto, and in the electronic component of the score.

What struck me most was that, in nearly every conversation, it was the first time the veterans had shared their experience, even though some had left active duty decades ago. “I’ve never talked about this with anybody” became a common refrain. This became central to the piece—what, for me, this piece is about: the difficulty or impossibility of the telling.

I am often asked if Soldier Songs is an anti-war piece, but it’s not that simple. I never intended for it to prove a point, or even to deliver a specific message. I selected and edited these conversations more as a way of sharing than as a way of convincing. I hope that Soldier Songs conveys what I gained by writing it: recognition of the soldier’s plight and a due measure of compassion.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 7 OPERA ATX: THE ORIGIN STORY

Tonight’s performance is the first in Austin Opera’s new series Opera ATX. The development of Opera ATX has been a lot like Austin itself—quirky, fast-paced, innovative, and fueled by many a brainstorm session over tacos.

When General Director & CEO Annie Burridge arrived at Austin Opera in 2016, she had a vision for bringing new and different kinds of works to Austin. Influenced by her time at Opera Philadelphia—one of the American opera companies at the vanguard of producing new operas in new spaces—Burridge knew she wanted to unlock Austin Opera’s creative potential.

“One of the things that most intrigued me about Austin Opera was its possibility for growth,” she says. “The company was in such a unique position to engage in new ways with the fascinating demographics of Austin, and that excited me.”

After settling in to Austin life and building out her team, including the key hire of Nathan DePoint as Director of Artistic Operations, Burridge channeled that excitement and led the organization through a methodical process of strategic planning to see if her vision would align with the company’s history and mission—and with the needs and desires of Austin’s audiences.

“Austin is such a fabulously diverse city, and we really wanted to harness its roots in live music, its burgeoning tech industry, and its creative spirit,” says Burridge. Overlaying her background in data-driven market research with the results of the new strategic planning process, her team found a perfect match of mission and audience, and Opera ATX was born.

The goal of Opera ATX is to stretch the boundaries of what audiences consider as opera. “For the adventurous opera enthusiast, we want to add another experience for them,” Burridge explains. “And for those who have never been to opera, we want to add an enticing entry point for them.”

“We are so fortunate to have such a great home in the Long Center, and they have been incredible partners in our productions of traditional opera,” Burridge stresses. “But to fully unlock opera’s potential to connect with new and different audiences; we needed options for more intimate spaces to produce different kinds of works. The Paramount—such an iconic theater in Austin’s history—was the perfect place to start this new endeavor.”

The inaugural production of Opera ATX was an easy choice. Opera seasons are usually planned two years in advance or more, but Burridge and DePoint had to plan the launch of Opera ATX much more nimbly. They soon zeroed in on the composer David T. Little, with whom they had both worked before on new commissions. And the composer’s Solider Songs had an innovative production by Beth Morrison Projects that seemed tailor-made for the Paramount. Plus, baritone David Adam Moore, who originated the role at this production’s premiere, was available, and he already had a following in Austin after his electrifying performance in Austin Opera’s The Manchurian Candidate in 2016. (As a bonus, he was already cast in the company’s Silent Night, which was performed at the Long Center this past January.)

8 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org “With Beth and both Davids on board, we were good to go!” says Burridge.

Collaboration and partnership will continue to be the core values of Austin Opera, and Opera ATX allows Burridge and her team to add to their growing roster of key allies. In addition to our longstanding relationship with the Long Center and our new partnership with the Butler School of Music, we have been so proud to work with the Paramount, Camp Mabry, the Texas Military Forces Museum, and so many other veterans groups in realizing Soldier Songs. In the future we also hope to work with presenters like the Fusebox Festival and SXSW, to tap into their communities and show how opera can be a great conduit for the ideas they are exploring.”

Burridge is proud that other organizations are also seeing the potential of Austin as a lab for new opera experiences. “There are great organizations in town like One Ounce Opera and LOLA that are out there pushing boundaries, and we champion their efforts alongside our own,” she says. “This spring, there are five weekends in a row when new opera will be presented here. Austin is really the next hotbed of operatic innovation.”

As for the future of Opera ATX, Burridge knows the works will have a unique and engaging subject matter and will strive to include the latest cutting-edge technologies like projection mapping and virtual reality. Her hope is to commission more work from living—and local— composers. “Austin is a great city for creative people, and we want composers to use Austin as their lab,” Burridge says. “From indie rock to lieder, we want Opera ATX to be a showcase for Austin’s vibrant musical scene.”

by Michael Solomon

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 9

STAFF

Annie Burridge, General Director & CEO ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION EDUCATION Nathan DePoint Debra Erck Director of Artistic Operations Director of Education Timothy Myers Artistic Advisor FINANCE Vincent E. Herod Eva Kuhlman Director of Production & Technical Director Director of Finance Rebecca J. Graham-Forbis Company Manager INFORMATION SYSTEMS Beverly Frittelli Holton Johnson Orchestra Manager Technology and Database Administrator Cina Crisara Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor MARKETING Nyle Matsuoka Melysa Rogen Principal Coach & Pianist Director of Marketing & Communications Dianne van Hulle AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE Patron Services Manager Julie Fiore Laura Carrisosa Director of Audience Experience Communications Associate DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Basten Chief Development Officer Angela M. Bonnici Director of Individual Giving Rhanda Luna Director of Strategic Partnerships Chrissy Nanton Grants Manager Miranda Schultz Development Intern

Austin Opera Stage Employees are represented by IATSE LOCAL 205

12 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org BOARD

OFFICERS Jeff Kodosky James D. Green, Jr. Kevin A. Kaylakie Chair Secretary Special Funds Chair Stephen S. Jeffrey Susanne Tetzlaff Endowment Board Chair President Legal Counsel Polly Barbaro Elisabeth Juen Waltz Connee B. Sullivan Development Chair Past Chair Finance & Audit Chair Brian H. Powell Michael Erspamer Tina Barrett, Ph.D. Trustees Chair President-Elect Education Chair

TRUSTEES

Ernest Auerbach Colleen Halbrook Kenneth W. Smith Mary Ellen Borgelt Andrew Heller Jay B. Stewart Christopher H. Cheever David Jabour David N. Tobey Jr., M.D. Curby Conoley William W. Krumpack Steven Tyler Paula Damore Carol Logan Joni K. Wallace, D.D.S. Dennis J. Eakin Carlos Lowenberg, Jr. Stephen R. Watson John English Michael S. Metteauer Jim Whorton Laura Gutiérrez-Witt Rosy Moore Eva Womack Rob Hagelberg Jonathan Sessler Cornelia Foster Wood

ADVISORY TRUSTEES

Ray Benson Thomas B. Martin Andrew Schwartz William B. Mitchell

TRUSTEES EMERITUS

Frederick S. Addy Nell Dale, Ph.D. H. Robert Powell Ada Anderson Harvey Evans, D.D.S. Gay Ratliff Sandy Ball Doyle M. Fellers Harriet Rutland Philip W. Barnes David Harrington Katharine Shields Amelia Bullock Lloyd Lochridge Suzanne Shore Paul Burns, M.D. Susan Lubin R. Clint Smith Tana Christie Robert Mettlen, Ph.D. Connie Webb Suzannah Cox Ambassador Lyndon Olson, Jr. Catherine Wildermuth, Ph.D. William B. Paddock

Special thanks to Dr. David N. Tobey, Jr. for his services as company physician.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 13

PRESENTS Soldier Songs

An opera in 1 act Music and Text by David T. Little Film by Bill Morrison Directed by Ashley Tata Conducted by Todd Reynolds Featuring David Adam Moore Commissioned by Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble Produced by Beth Morrison Projects

Sung in English PERFORMANCE TIMINGS Approximately 75 minutes

#OperaATXSoldierSongs #DavidTLittleATX #ATXOperaSoldierSongs

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 15 Presents Soldier Songs An opera in 1 act Music and Text by David T. Little Film by Bill Morrison Commissioned by Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble Produced by Beth Morrison Projects CAST Soldier...... David Adam Moore Chamber Ensemble ��Newspeak* Clarinet �� Eileen Mack Piano...... James Johnston Percussion �� Owen Weaver Percussion �� Peter Wise Violin ��Hajnal Pivnick Flute �� Kelli Kathman Cello ��Brian Snow

CREATIVE TEAM Music & Text ��David T. Little* Film...... Bill Morrison* Conductor ��Todd Reynolds* Stage Director ��Ashley Tata* Lighting Designer �� Christopher Kuhl* Sound Designer ��Garth MacAleavey* Lighting Engineer �� Devin Cameron* Video Engineer ��Lacey Erb* Production Stage Manager ��Lissy Barnes-Flint*

*Austin Opera Debut Commissioned by Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble Film commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and the Holland Festival. This production was made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

The film footage depicted in “Old Friends With Large Weapons” is from “Vietnam War home movie of Subic Bay, Philippines re-supply trip, 1966-67”, used with permission of the filmmaker, Gregg Arthur.

The film depicts D company 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division. The 26th Marines fought on Iwo Jima in WWII, and at Khe Sanh in Vietnam. Footage was shot by Gregg Arthur, using a Super8mm Canon film camera, 1966-67.

16 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org SYNOPSIS

PERFORMANCE TIMINGS WARRIOR Approximately 75 minutes The boy is now a modern-day soldier. As technology has changed Soldier Songs contrasts the perceptions the tools and language of war, it and realities of a soldier from the has also changed the experience of age of six through sixty-six. Based combat. The soldier creates his own on interviews with veterans, and the soundtrack: piping heavy metal into culmination of 9 years of work by ear buds, he recreates the feeling of composer David T. Little, Soldier Songs the video game, shooting abstract is constructed in three sections: Child, enemies that appear as pixels on a Warrior, and Elder, yet the movements screen. But the game becomes too flow seamlessly from start to finish. real, and the brutality of war sets in. Images of death, destruction and CHILD killing that may have been exciting in A boy first encounters war through action movies back home, now play toys and games, playing with action out with horror before his eyes. He figures available with an arsenal seeks refuge from incoming ordinance; of accessories. As he grows, video an unbearable experience that he games replace these dolls. These knows will stay with him for the rest games offer an immersive, combat- of his life. like experience in which the player kills countless “enemies,” and where ELDER the only consequence of the player’s The stories diverge. Veterans reflect death is a brief wait while the game on their experiences in combat, or reloads. As the boy becomes a young discuss the challenges of reintegration adult, the game becomes more real. into civilian life. One man reflects on He registers for the draft at age the futility of an endless war. Another eighteen. Reflecting on the highly confronts the bereavement team sent randomized selective service process to notify him of his son’s death in from the Vietnam War, he counts combat. The opera concludes with each day with a passing dread at the recorded interviews—the composer’s thought of combat. Once deployed, he family and friends: the soldiers who counts the days again, but differently: inspired this work—as our soldier down from 365, hoping he makes it opens his mouth to tell his story. to one. By David T. Little

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 17 CAST

DAVID ADAM MOORE Soldier baritone (Marshall, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: Papageno, Die Zauberflöte (2011) Previously at Austin Opera: Lieutenant Audebert, Silent Night (2019) Sergeant Raymond Shaw, The Manchurian Candidate (2016) Recently: Eugene Onegin, Eugene Onegin (Atlanta Opera); Colonel Alvaro Gomez, The Exterminating Angel (Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden & The Salzburg Festival); Count, Le nozze di Figaro (Palm Beach Opera); Starbuck, Moby Dick (Utah Opera) Upcoming: Stanley Kowalski, A Streetcar Named Desire (Teatro Colón); Prior Walter, Angels in America (Neue Oper Wien)

NEWSPEAK NEWSPEAK, named after the thought-limiting language in George Orwell’s 1984, is a powerhouse ensemble that became an early standout within New York’s “indie- classical” scene. The current line-up—David T. Little (composer), Mellissa Hughes (voice), Eileen Mack (clarinet), Caleb Burhans (composer/violin), Taylor Levine (guitar), Brian Snow (cello), James Johnston (piano), and Peter Wise (percussion), and Owen Weaver (drums)—began performing together in 2008, and has been featured as part of the Tune-In Festival with eighth blackbird at the Park Avenue Armory, the Ecstatic Music Festival in NYC, on New Sounds Live, at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, and on the 25th Anniversary Bang on a Can Marathon. They have headlined on the MATA Festival, shared bills with The Fiery Furnaces as part of Wordless Music, and performed as part of John Zorn’s Full Force Festival and the Holland Festival at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam.

Actively committed to the music of its time Newspeak has commissioned and premiered work by David T. Little, Caleb Burhans, Corey Dargel, Oscar Bettison, Ted Hearne, Judd Greenstein, Missy Mazzoli and many others. “You could call this punk classical,” Lucid Culture wrote, “fearlessly aware…[and] resolutely defiant.” New Sounds host John Schafer called them “important players on the new music scene here in New York.” Newspeak has released three critically acclaimed albums, sweet light crude (2010, New Amsterdam), Soldier Songs (2013, Innova) and their most recent, David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s opera Dog Days (2016, National Sawdust Tracks)—and are currently mixing their fourth, featuring music by Frederic Rzewski and David T. Little.

18 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org CREATIVE TEAM

DAVID T. LITTLE David T. Little is “one of the most imaginative young composers” on the scene (The New Yorker), with “a knack for overturning musical conventions” (The New York Times). His operas Dog Days, JFK, and Vinkensport (librettos by Royce Vavrek), and Soldier Songs have been widely acclaimed, “prov[ing] beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future” (The New York Times). Other recent works include the earthen lack (London Sinfonietta/BGSU), The Conjured Life (Cabrillo Festival/ Cristian Macelaru), Ghostlight—ritual for six players (eighth blackbird/The Kennedy Center), AGENCY (Kronos Quartet), and dress in magic amulets, dark, from My feet (The Crossing/ICE). Little is currently composing a new opera with Royce Vavrek, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theater new works program, and the music-theatre work Artaud in the Black Lodge with poet Anne Waldman (Beth Morrison Projects). This season, the Miller Theatre spotlights Little on its renowned Composer Portrait series, presenting the New York premiere of AGENCY alongside Haunt of Last Nightfall, performed by ACME and Third Coast Percussion, respectively. JFK makes its European debut at Staatstheater Augsburg, and Soldier Songs receives its German premiere in Saarbrücken. Little’s music has been presented by the LA Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, LA Opera, the Park Avenue Armory, Holland Festival, BAM Next Wave, and Opéra de Montréal. He has previously served as Executive Director of MATA and on the board of directors at Chamber Music America, and currently chairs the composition program at Mannes—The New School. From 2014–2017, he was Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia and Music-Theatre Group. The founding artistic director of the ensemble Newspeak, his music can be heard on New Amsterdam, Innova, and National Sawdust Tracks labels. David T. Little is published by Boosey & Hawkes.

BILL MORRISON Bill Morrison’s films often combine rare archival material set to contemporary music. His most recent feature, Dawson City: Frozen Time (120’, 2016), was named on over 100 international critics’ lists of the best films of 2017, and was honored with a Critics’ Choice Award for most innovative documentary. The Great Flood (68’, 2013) won the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award of 2014 for historical scholarship. Decasia (64’, 2002) was the first film of the 21st century to be selected to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. Morrison has collaborated with the some of the most celebrated muscians and composers of our time, including John Adams, Gavin Bryars, Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Kronos Quartet, David Lang, Steve Reich and Julia Wolfe, among many others. A mid-career retrospective of more than 30 titles of his work was mounted at the Museum of Modern Art in 2014-2015.

TODD REYNOLDS Soldier Songs conductor, Todd Reynolds, is a contemporary music mainstay, having collaborated as a performer, composer, and conductor with some of the most highly regarded modern artists and groups including Steve Reich, Bang on a Can, Meredith Monk, Ridge Theater, filmmaker Bill Morrison, Luke Dubois, and as a founding member of the string quartet Ethel. He has conducted the music of Steve Reich both in performance and on the Nonesuch recording of “The Hindenburg” and was music director and conductor of Giovanni Sollima’s “Ellis Island,” which received its premiere at Palermo, Sicily’s Teatro Massimo in 2003. He resides in Northwestern Massachusetts, the home of Bang on a Can’s Summer Institute, where he provides teaching and coaching residencies for soloists and chamber music groups, offers workshops on self-expression, entrepreneurship, and technology, and scores music for film, dance, and theater. He is thrilled to be once again visiting and performing in Austin. His relationship with the area began during the time of his 2011 solo release, Outerborough, on Innova Recordings, when he and Graham Reynolds shared a home in that label. Since that time, the two Reynolds’ have shared much music making and friendship through work with Forklift Danceworks, Golden Hornet (Mozart:Undead) and on Graham’s ballet and film scoring projects.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 19 CREATIVE TEAM

ASHLEY TATA Ashley Tata is a director of multi-media works of theater, contemporary opera, performance, live music and immersive experiences. Her work has been presented in venues and festivals throughout the U.S. and internationally including LA Opera, The Miller Theater, Mass MoCA, National Sawdust, The Kitchen, EMPAC, Dixon Place, Roulette Intermedium, HERE Arts Center, PROTOTYPE Festival, The Crossing the Line Festival, the Holland Festival, The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and the Bard Fisher Center. She earned her MFA at Columbia University and has taught or guest taught at Harvard University, MIT, Marymount Manhattan College, Colgate College, Bard College, LIU Post and NYU. She is the recipient of the Lotos Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award in Arts and Sciences and a winner of the 2017 Robert L. B. Tobin Director/Designer grant. Recently: Found Sound Nation’s Mosaic International (Big Ears Festival); David T. Little’s Soldier Songs (LA Opera); Kate Soper’s Ipsa Dixit (Miller Theater); and Associate Director of Oklahoma! (St. Ann’s Warehouse). ashleytata.com

CHRISTOPHER KUHL Lighting Designer (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Home (BAM, Edinburgh International Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival); Living Female Respondent or 53 Yakshi (Los Angeles County Museum of Art); John Cage's Europeras 1&2 (Los Angeles Philharmonic) Upcoming: Untitled Showing, Collaboration with Emily Mast and L.A. Dance Project (Luma Foundation, Arles, France); Halfway to Dawn (Contemporary Art Center New Orleans); Hunger (Abbey Theatre, Ireland)

GARTH MACALEAVEY Sound Designer (Marin County, California) Austin Opera Debut Recently: p r i s m (LA Opera/Prototype Festival); Soldier Songs (Fargo Opera/ LA Opera); Nick Cave’s “The Let Go” (Park Ave Armory) Upcoming: Brooklyn Youth Chorus “Lovestate” (New Victory Theater); Opening Ceremony for Classical Next Rotterdam with National Sawdust, Michael Gordon’s Acquanetta Bard.

DEVIN CAMERON Lighting Engineer (Loomis, California) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland); The King’s Winter Masquerade (Sleep No More NYC); Dream Machine (Free Play NYC) Upcoming: Madcap Motel (Free Play LA); A Walk into Slavery (Billie Holiday Theatre), Mayfair (Sleep No More NYC)

LACEY ERB Video Engineer (Boulder, Colorado) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Projection design, Chasing the New White Whale (La Mama, NY); associate projection designer, Head Over Heels (Broadway, Designer: Andrew Lazarow); associate projection designer, Life After (Alliance Theatre, GA, Designer: Sven Ortel); projection design, JJ’s Place (Duderstadt Center, Ann Arbor, MI) Upcoming: Projection design, Monet (York Theatre, NY); associate projection designer, Ever After (Old Globe Theatre, CA, Designer: Sven Ortel)

20 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org CREATIVE TEAM

BETH MORRISON PROJECTS Since 2006, Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) has been an industry disruptor and tastemaker at the forefront of musical and theatrical innovation by commissioning, developing, producing and touring the groundbreaking new works of living composers and their collaborators, which take the form of opera-theatre, music-theatre, and vocal-theatre. BMP encourages risk-taking and the result is provocative works that represent a dynamic and lasting legacy for a new American canon.

The 2014 bi-coastal expansion to Los Angeles sprang from growing partnerships and relationships with institutions such as LA Opera, the LA Phil, Ford Theatres, Center Theatre Group and RVCC. During the last five years alone, BMP has produced works in 43 venues in 22 cities around the world. BMP’s commitment to cutting edge musical expression has created “its own genre” (Opera News) of originality. In 2013, Beth Morrison Projects and HERE Arts Center co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival, which showcases contemporary opera-theatre and music-theatre projects over ten days each January. The New Yorker recently wrote that the festival is “Essential to the evolution of American Opera,” and The New York Times called the festival “Bracingly innovative… a point of reference.”

Always on “the edge of innovation” (Opera News), BMP has developed a trailblazing program, BMP: Next Generation, to identify and foster the next generation of opera composers. This crucial initiative is a prime example of the transformative and boundary-shattering programming for which BMP has been known for over a decade. Other current and upcoming projects include works by composers Mohammed Fairouz, Ricky Ian Gordon, Ted Hearne, Mary Kouyoumdjian, David T. Little, Zhou Long, Elvis Perkins, Ellen Reid, Huang Ruo, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Du Yun, and more, with directors Michael Counts, James Darrah, Lee Sunday Evans, Patricia McGregor, Michael Joseph McQuilken, Lydia Steier, and Ashley Tata.

BMP is generously funded by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Allen R. and Judy Brick Freedman Venture Fund for Opera, The Amphion Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), the BMI Foundation, Inc., Dr. David M. Milch Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jana Foundation, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, The Howard & Sarah Solomon Foundation, The Linda and Isaac Stern Charitable Foundation, MAP Fund/Creative Capital, The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc., The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, OPERA America, Seniel and Dorothy Ostrow Foundation, and The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. BMP is a National Sawdust Artist in Residence. bethmorrisonprojects.org prototypefestival.org

Beth Morrison, president and Board of Directors creative producer Frederick Peters, BOARD CHAIR Jecca Barry, executive director Lynn Loacker and Nancy Sanders, Noah Stern Weber, director of VICE-CHAIRS development Sue Bienkowski, TREASURER Mariel O’Connell, associate producer Judy Brick Freedman, SECRETARY Christopher Mode, associate producer Miles Benickes, Sarah Brown, Ashley Peters, finance associate Ralph Dandrea, Pamela Drexel, Julie Hurley, company manager Nicholas Firth, David Gindler, Jane Gullong, Dr. Michael Siegal, Raymond Steckel

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 21

24 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org

Postlude Hannah Bronson, MT-BC Neurologic Music Therapist Creative Forces: The NEA Military Healing Arts Network

Music has the power to comfort us, to move us to tears, to communicate what can’t be explained in words, to celebrate with us, and to heal our deepest pain. Research even shows that music has the ability to create new neural pathways, aiding in developmental processes or healing after a brain injury. As a board-certified music therapist, I have the honor and privilege of assisting active duty service men and women in accessing these experiences every day. The arts are increasingly being utilized in clinical settings to help service members recover from the invisible wounds of war: traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Through 1Creative Forces: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Military Healing Arts Network, community arts organizations such as the Austin Opera play an important role in bridging the gap between clinic to community, assisting service members with reintegration. I am excited to take part in this initiative, as well as the ever growing arts community in Austin that supports military personnel.

The Austin Opera has recognized the value of the military community, a unique and important demographic of Austin and Central Texas. Productions such as Soldier Songs not only tell important stories, they showcase the strength and resilience of the individuals themselves, and give voice to what might not be expressed through words alone. We all desire the experience of feeling “heard”, and opera is one of many dynamic ways to do that through musical and artistic expression.

No one says it better than a service member, himself a singer, who speaks on his experiences in music therapy, performance, and his own transformation, 2“I feel like singing or even whistling means that there is some kind of happiness in me, and it’s not all dark…Music therapy is like God answering my prayers. A light in the darkness, and a reassurance that while I have experienced horror, I am not the cause of it all.”

1Creative Forces™: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and the state and local arts agencies. This initiative serves the special needs of military patients and veterans who have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions, as well as their families and caregivers. Administrative support for the initiative is provided by Americans for the Arts.

2Vaudreuil, R., Bronson, H., Bradt, J. (2019). Bridging the clinic to community: Music performance as social transformation for military service members. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(119). 28 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org PAST PRODUCTIONS

Inaugural Production 1997-1998 Season 2008-2009 Season January 9-11, 1987 Andrea Chénier, Giordano La Cenerentola, Rossini Die Zauberflöte, Mozart Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci, Rigoletto, Verdi Mascagni/Leoncavallo Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1987-1988 Season Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini Poulenc Roméo et Juliette, Gounod Un ballo in maschera, Verdi 1998-1999 Season 2009-2010 Season Festival of Stars 1988 Otello, Verdi La bohème, Puccini Salome, R. Strauss L’étoile, Chabrier 1988-1989 Season Tosca, Puccini Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck La traviata, Verdi Die Fledermaus, J. Strauss II 1999-2000 Season 2010-2011 Season Festival of Stars 1989 Don Giovanni, Mozart Man Who Mistook His Wife Candide, Bernstein for a Hat, Nyman 1989-1990 Season Aïda, Verdi La traviata, Verdi Carmen, Bizet L’italiana in Algeri, Rossini Madama Butterfly, Puccini 2000-2001 Season Flight, Dove La Cenerentola, Rossini Madama Butterfly, Puccini Cold Sassy Tree, Floyd 2011-2012 Season 1990-1991 Season Die Walküre, Wagner Die Zauberflöte, Mozart Il trovatore, Verdi Carmen, Bizet Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Don Giovanni, Mozart Turandot, Puccini Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini 2001-2002 Season Faust, Gounod 2012-2013 Season 1991-1992 Season A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn Pagliacci, Leoncavallo Aïda, Verdi La fanciulla del West, Puccini Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart La bohème, Puccini Rigoletto, Verdi Faust, Gounod La pietra del paragone, Rossini 2002-2003 Season 2013-2014 Season 1992-1993 Season La traviata, Verdi Don Carlo, Verdi Fidelio, Beethoven Dead Man Walking, Heggie Tosca, Puccini Tosca, Puccini La bohème, Puccini L’Elisir d’Amore, Donizetti Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart 2003-2004 Season 2014-2015 Season Turandot, Puccini A Masked Ball, Verdi 1993-1994 Season Cosi fan tutte, Mozart Roméo et Juliette, Gounod Turandot, Puccini Der fliegende Holländer, Don Giovanni, Mozart Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart Wagner Don Pasquale, Donizetti 2015-2016 Season 2004-2005 Season Strauss/Wagner Concert 1994-1995 Season Tosca, Puccini Aïda, Verdi Faust, Gounod Elektra, R. Strauss Of Mice and Men, Floyd Rigoletto, Verdi Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini Madama Butterfly, Puccini 2005-2006 Season 2016-2017 Season 1995-1996 Season Il trovatore, Verdi The Manchurian Candidate, Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Puts and Campbell Tannhäuser, Wagner Shostakovich Der fliegende Holländer, La traviata, Verdi Don Giovanni, Mozart Wagner 1996-1997 Season La fille du Régiment, Donizetti 2006-2007 Season Die Zauberflöte, Mozart Madama Butterfly, Puccini Madama Butterfly, Puccini The Ballad of Baby Doe, Moore Waiting for the Barbarians, Glass 2017-2018 Season La bohème, Puccini Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini Carmen, Bizet 10 Year Anniversary Gala Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss 2007-2008 Season La traviata, Verdi Simply the Best Concert Carmen, Bizet The Bat, J. Strauss II

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 29

Leadership Giving

The Board of Trustees, artists, and staff of Austin Opera gratefully acknowledge Austin Opera’s leadership giving donors, whose generous annual contributions provide the necessary support for Austin Opera’s continued artistic excellence.

GRAND Mike & Patty Erspamer + ‡ CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE UNDERWRITER’S Andrew & Mary Ann Heller + $10,000 TO $14,999 CIRCLE $100,000+ Jeff & Gail Kodosky + Mary Bakatsa & Anonymous Lowenberg Group, LLC and Clark Wilkinson Austin Opera Guild Carlos & Marianna Paul & Clara Bancroft + Bloomberg Philanthropies Lowenberg + Tina & Michael Barrett + Neil & Nancy Schaffel and Thom Brooks UNDERWRITER’S CIRCLE Murar Foundation, Inc. + Amelia Bullock & $75,000 TO $99,999 Ken & Paula Smith Bill Krumpack + Elisabeth Juen Waltz + ‡, Dr. Eric Tiblier & Gail Commagere Steffen Waltz + ‡, and Susanne Tetzlaff Mr. & Mrs. John English Robert W. Garrett + Sandra & Alan Williams Laura Gutiérrez-Witt + Eva & Marvin Womack + Margery & Mack Lindsey* DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Sissi & Gerard O’Reilly PRODUCER’S CIRCLE $15,000 TO $24,999 Peter Schram* $50,000 TO $74,999 Toni & Paul Burns* Jonathan Sessler Patrick & Judy Cantilo Dr. & Mrs. Stuart Damore + Cornelia & John Wood + Christopher H. Cheever Marilyn T. Gaddis, Ph.D. & John & Marcy Melanson + George C. Carruthers + OPERA America Hoisington Investment *Founding Donors of Management Co. and Austin Opera FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Van & Jeanne Hoisington $25,000 TO $49,999 Mr. & Mrs. Brian H. Powell + +Includes special Martha P. Rochelle gifts in support of Polly & Steve Barbaro + Whorton Insurance Artistic Excellence David Booth Services and Sarah & Ernest Butler Mr. & Mrs. Jim Whorton + ‡Members of the Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Eakin Maestro Society support Austin Opera’s Artistic Planning Cycle with Multi-Year Pledges

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 33 Patron Program

Austin Opera is proud to acknowledge the individuals and foundations that generously support our productions and education programs. We extend our deepest gratitude to members of the Sponsor’s Circle, Chairman’s Forum, and President’s Council who provide essential funding for our productions.

SPONSOR’S CIRCLE Cindy & Gerald Stone* PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL $5,000 TO $9,999 Connee & Kent Sullivan + ‡ $2,000 TO $3,499 Anonymous (2) Dr. David N. Tobey, Jr. & Anonymous Maureen Alexander, M.D. + Dr. Michelle Berger* + Karen Artzt + Ronny & Valerie Armstrong + Steven Tyler Bonnie Bain, Jeanette & Ernest Auerbach + ‡ Eileen Vanderlee In Memory of Ann McKain Sandy Ball + Dr. Joni K. Wallace Mary C. Bohls Peter Bay & Donald R. Wertz* Keith & Sheryl Brown + Mela Sarajane Dailey Sandra & Walter Wilkie + Dr. & Mrs. G.G. Cloyd Laurence Bjorkman + ‡ Suzannah Cox* Frances E. Blank CHAIRMAN’S FORUM Jill A. Davis Mary Ellen & Roger Borgelt + $3,500 TO $4,999 Bill Dickson Martha A. Boyd Sheila & Dan Beckett Claude & Susan Ducloux Marvin Brittman Richard Boner & Susan Pryor* + Angela & Steven Eisert Joe & Tana Christie Suzanne Breitbach Zeina El-Azzi & Kenneth Loyde + Bonnie & Jerry Claiborne Pierre & Nancy Bulhon Don Elledge Curby Conoley + Annie Burridge & Paul Richichi Chris & Carol Elms Peter G. Dorson Dr. & Mrs. Hugh Collins Martha & Cliff Ernst Dr. William David George Marilyn Davis + Dr. Harvey Evans & Gloria Evans* + Elena & Everardo Goyanes Dr. William Deaton & Gail A. Findlay Jim & Jo Green *+ Mrs. Cecilia Neuhaus Deaton + Joe & Carol Fisher Rob & Meri Hagelberg + Kenneth W. Egan Bill Gaston, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. James G. Debra & Marc Erck Alice Glasco Halbrook, Jr. + Julia & Paddy Flanagan The William J.J. Gordon Karen Hansen Michael Garza & Roger Kahlbau Family Foundation Richard Hartgrove & Dianne Smith Goggan Foundation Manuela Gutt Gary Cooper Scott & Cathy Harris Marion & Joe Haas Mari & Dudley Houghton Karl Henion Joe S. Ham & Florence S. Ham Stephen & Lauren Jeffrey + Col. Harry Jaffers Charitable Trust Mr. & Mrs. Loren F. Kahle, Jr.* & Bryce M. Johnson Robert L. Hardgrave The Kahle Foundation, Inc. Drs. Kenneth & Judy & David Harris Kevin Kaylakie + JoAnn Hunter Johnson The Hebel Family Allen Kemp & Jo Carol Snowden Carol & Kelley Knutson E. Stephen & Joyce Hunt King Family, Dr. Hootan Khatami & Daryl Fox Dana & Dennis Jakubowicz In Memory of Alfred & Ellen King* Diane Lipsitz Ida Jeppesen & Ken Zink Dr. Tadd S. Lazarus Drs. Rodney & Cathy Nairn Evonne Jones Carol Angela Logan + Mr. & Mrs. William Paddock* Mark W. Kernan Amy McCaffrey Craig & Cynthia Pence Mary Kevorkian Mr. & Mrs. Michael Metteauer + Wanda A. Reynolds + William Lanagan Ambassador & Mrs. Lyndon L. Emily Rhea Mike Don Miguel Le Burkien Olson, Jr.* Alyce & Terry Richardson Linda & Leonard Leff Mr. & Mrs. Charles J. Parker Mike & Delia Russell Eric Leibrock Fran & George Ramsey Dr. David W. Sloan Melanie Lewis + Charitable Fund* Mary Jane Steele M&H Machining, Inc. and Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Shields + Bruce Stuckman, Ph.D. Diane & Hudson Ingram Jay & Sherrie Stewart + David & Catherine Wildermuth* Ren & Flo MacNary

34 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org Partner Program

Anthony & Andrea Makridis The Riebe Pumo Group, Diane & Dick Trabulsi Julia M. Marsden Stephen D. Riebe, ChFC, & Peggy & Don Ugent + Jacqueline Towns McCall UBS Financial Services James Valdes Dr. & Mrs. John McFarlane* Amalia Rodriguez-Mendoza + Stephanie & Bill Whitehurst* Colonel & Mrs. Andrew J. Mike & Delia Russell Rose Betty & Allan Williams* McVeigh, III Robert G. Rutishauser* Cynthia Wilson Karen Neeley Edward Z. Safady Janice L. Wilson Cathy & Don Neville Dean & Nell Dale Sanders + Custis Wright* Gai & Gerry Newkirk Ronald A. Seeliger Mr. & Mrs. Mark Nodine Colette & John Sirhal *Founding Donors of The Honorable & Evonne & Tom Smith Austin Opera Mrs. Raymond L. Orbach Drs. Sharon & David Sneed +Includes special gifts in support The Pacey Family Foundation Dr. Laura Starks of Artistic Excellence Debbie & Jim Parish Jeff Straathof & Mafalda Tan Sam R. Perry Judith Streett & Douglas Gullickson ‡Members of the Maestro Marcia Raff Sarah & Matthew Streif Society support Austin Opera’s Dr. & Mrs. Paul E. Stubbs Artistic Planning Cycle with Marcia & Anthony Toprac Multi-Year Pledges

Austin Opera is grateful to members of the Partner Program for their annual contribution. Thank you for your partnership in bringing thrilling performances and engaging programs to our community!

BENEFACTOR Leslie Thomas Sara Jarvis Jones $1,000 TO $1,999 Hardy & Susan Thompson Dr. & Mrs. Craig Kuglen A Friend* Mr. & Mrs. Luis Lidsky Jennifer Basten GUARANTOR $750 TO $999 Annette S. Lucksinger Teresa Lyson, M.D. & Aimee & Aaron Borders Reed & Heather Arnos Krys Lyson, M.D. Douglas Bower & Dana Blanton Dr. & Mrs. William E. McCaleb* Bonny Gardner, Ph.D. Wilhelmina & Exalton Delco Prof. A.P.D. Mourelatos* Mrs. Ronald K. DeFord* Mr. Thomas H. Edwards Ryan Schooler The Fruchter Family Fund Margaret Furse Jean C. St. Clair Cass Haecker Floylee Hemphill Goldberger, John C. R. Taylor, III & Mr. Mark Gagnon & In Memory of Peter Flagg Maxson Ms. Teresa Walden Dr. Joseph H. Goldberger William K. Wallace Gerald Gilligan Polly & Jay Westbrook Michael & Phyllis Herman Richard & Sherry Wilkison David & Leslie Wolff James M. Hicks, M.D. & SUSTAINER $500 TO $749 Julie A. Nelson Hilary Young Jesus Alcantar Mr. & Mrs. Roger Kintzel Dr. & Mrs. Richard R. Anderson Paul & Karen Leeke CONTRIBUTOR $250 TO $499 Tom & Nan Anson* Linda & Leonard Leff Anonymous (2) Emily & Kenneth Ashworth Rex & Roberta Ling Mr. Antonio Alfau Mr. Phillip Auth Ms. Catherine Lizcano Thomas J. Ashbaugh The Brunetti Foundation Mr. Adriel Meditz Ms. Madeleine Aubry Mr. Philip Cochran Mr. Phillip Muth Sam & Carol Barclay Dr. Stanley I. Fisch Mr. George Schaefer John & Heather Beliveau Wendy Logan George Stephen & Dale Sonnenberg Brian & Mary Berwick Bob & Judy Belle Horick Kristi & Blake Stanford Daniela Bini Mrs. Robert C. Howe Michelle T. Strawn Jim & Rosalie Boldin

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 35 Partner Program Con’t

Mr. & Mrs. Steven M. Bowman Vicky Spradling Ms. Priscilla Jarvis Dorothy Brown Jeanette & Brad Sprague Mr. Todd J. Jermstad Evan & Janis Carton Mrs. Jeannie Strange Ms. Jacqueline Johnson K.C. Cerny & Karen Kerkering Ms. Gwen Vu Jack & Juanita Josel Ms. Jyl Cole Mr. Michael Walters Charles & Alicean Kalteyer* Mr. & Mrs. W.L. Denson Louise & Steven Weinberg Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Lapham Ms. Ruth Dyar Anne & George Welder Mr. & Mrs. Chong S. Lee Becky & Jim Engle Mrs. Carol Wood Mary McDonald Rosemary W. Estes Paul & Lucia Woodruff Mrs. Joan E. Miller Jill B. Fatzer Mr. & Mrs. Joe A. Young Milton Miller, II Ms. Diana Ferguson Gail Minault Dr. Sergey Fomel DONOR $150 TO $249 Ms. Jennifer Moser Michael & Barbara Gentry Martin & Armida T. Aleman Mr. & Mrs. William C. Nelson Mr. Scott Gill Mr. Donald Gene Anderson Dr. William Nethercut Ms. Suzanne Gonzalez Mr. Sam Barclay Ms. Michelle S. O'Brien Lino & Carolyn Graglia Maxine & Mark Barkan Lisa Pallmeyer Ms. Sue Ann Hoke Mechthild Bernhard Ms. Ada G. Pewitt John Hrncir Mrs. Sue M. Breuer Debbie Pike Orion & Jan Knox William Blanchard Harriet I. Rutland* Christopher Colvin & Behice Kutay Mrs. Sandra Bosley Robert & Sondra Ryan Roy & Amanda Leatherberry Mr. Mark Campbell Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Sansom Marilyn Lindgren Mr. Frank Cardenas Mr. Paul Scripko Georgia Lochridge Ms. Ruth Casarez Mrs. Carolyn Shelley Mr. Peter Lohman & Dr. Michael Casey John Sharp Ms. Sonda Lomax Scott & Cheryl Christians John Sheafe Mr. Reid Long Mrs. Cheryl Christians Judy Shipway & Leon Grizzard Mr. Noah A. Longley Ms. Julianna D. Chung Kent & Peggy Stewart Linda Masters Jack & Susan Clagett Ms. Kim Stewart Doris & Jim Mohler Debbie Volker & Doris Coward Carole Stockton Susan & Michael Mullan Dr. Delora Deans Renee & Eugene Sutton Mr. Clint Nesmith Mr. & Mrs. Michael Debner Ms. Carolyn Trigg & Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Niemiec Dr. & Mrs. F. Ellsworth Peterson Mr. Joe Haggard Cmdr. James F. O'Leary Rev. James L. Empereur Mr. Bryan Uecker Pete & Betty Paul Ms. Patricia Fernos Mr. Robert Wald Dr. & Mrs. F. Michael Pestorius Ms. Sheila Fitlin Ms. Judith Walther David N. Pollack Mr. Perry Fleckman Dr. Robert Warren Drs. Linda G. & James A. Prentice Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Folk, Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. James West Wayne & Marlette Rebhorn Patricia & James Hadden Handy & Barbara Williamson Joanne & Hamilton Richards Lt. Col. & Mrs. Russel Hain Sharon M. Wilson Peter Rieck Frances & Daniel Hamermesh Peter & Anne Wood Susan & Bryan Roberts Melissa & Stefan Hardie Mr. & Mrs. Peter Roll Mr. & Mrs. David P. Harris FRIEND UP TO $149 Mr. Jeffrey Serra Ms. Ann Marie Harrison A special thank you to the nearly Mr. Clemens Sialm & Mrs. Wei Li Mr. & Mrs. Larry Hearn 400 Central Texan households Ms. Sandra P. Sigman Loretta L. Hughes who have made a gift to Austin Mrs. Tacy Draper Slade Pat & John Ireland Opera at the Friend level. Mr. & Mrs. Chris Sneden

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy; however, if we have not listed you correctly, please call 512-610-7688.

List as of March 18, 2019.

36 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org Endowment Fund

We are especially honored to be able to recognize those members of the Austin Opera family who have made a special commitment to the Endowment Fund, in addition to their annual patronage, to ensure that Austin Opera continues to bring the joy of great opera to future generations of audiences.

$1,000,000 OR MORE $25,000 OR MORE The Marilyn Addy Endowment for Artist Excellence Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Mr. & Mrs. Frederick S. Addy Amelia Bullock & Bill Krumpack Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Davis The Sarah and Ernest Butler Artistic Director Alfred & Ellen King Society Dr. & Mrs. Ernest C. Butler Mr. & Mrs. William B. Mitchell Estate of Edythe Rose Schmidt Kruger The Kodosky Family Endowment for Artistic Excellence Estate of Willa Stewart Setseck Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey L. Kodosky In Memory of Helen G. Smith, Richard Tucker, & Aaron Kruger $150,000 OR MORE Chair of the Concertmaster & Performing Young Artists Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus Mr. & Mrs. Brian Kushner David N. Tobey Jr., M.D.

$100,000 OR MORE $10,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Martin Jo A. & Billie Jo Graves Family Foundation Van & Jeanne Hoisington $50,000 OR MORE William Henry Kirchner, III Mr. & Mrs. Howard W. Parker Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Brenda & Larry Smith Gordon & Loretta Dancer & Family Estate of Aneta S. Mitchell Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus Estate of Mary Perry Taylor James C. Armstrong Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus Jo Anne Martin Christian Memorial Fund Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey L. Kodosky Friends of Jo Anne Christian Austin Opera General Endowment Fund honoring $5,000 OR MORE La Noche de Opera Curby Conoley Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Alfred & Ellen King Dr. & Mrs. Craig Lubin Joanne M. Ravel Peter Schram Estate of Charlotte Schumacher

To learn more about supporting Austin Opera’s Endowment Fund, please call Jennifer Basten, Chief Development Officer, at 512-610-7671.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 37 Bravo Society

The Bravo Society honors the many friends who have helped provide for our future by remembering Austin Opera in their estate plans. Planned gifts help ensure the continuance of great music on the stage for generations to come. If you have already included Austin Opera in your plans, please let us know so that we may thank you and invite you to become a member of this special group.

We take this opportunity to thank and recognize the members of the Bravo Society:

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick S. Addy Olly & Bob Modersohn Lissa Anderson Mrs. W. A. Morrison Andrea & Jack Angelo Jeanette & Ferris Nassour* Jeanette & Ernest Auerbach Joanne Ravel* Suzannah Cox Barnebey Carol & Charles Reynolds Charles Edward Cooper* Frances & George Ricker Dr. Bill Crouch* Peter Schram, Jr. Dr. Harvey Evans & Gloria Evans Charlotte E. Schumacher* Eve Everett Fish* Willa Stewart Setseck* Drs. Dee & Ben*Fruchter Sally Strawn Rudd* Anne N. Gibbs* Mary Perry Taylor* Jeanette M. Goodfriend Reeta Wadzeck Andrew & Mary Ann Heller John Whisenhunt* Ellen & Alfred King* David & Catherine Wildermuth William Henry Kirchner, III* Ruth Gracy Wise Edythe Rose Schmidt Kruger* Raymond D. Woods* Eva Kuhlman Mike Don Miguel Le Burkien Aneta S. Mitchell* *Deceased For more information about how you can support Austin Opera through a planned gift, please contact Jennifer Basten, Chief Development Officer, at 512-610-7671.

Double Your Donation!

Did you know that over 18 million individuals work for companies that offer matching gift programs, and that an additional $2–$3 billion is donated through matching gifts annually?

Many companies in Austin have matching gift programs – contact your company’s personnel office to find out if your donation can be matched, you’ll make your gift go twice as far while receiving additional donor benefits! •3M •Chevron •Google •Microsoft •Apple •Cirrus Logic •Hewlett- •National •Applied •Cisco Packard Instruments Materials •Dell •IBM •Pfizer •AT&T •Exxon •Johnson & •Silicon Labs Johnson

38 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org Donor Spotlight: Ken and Paula Smith Ken and Paula Smith planned a special vacation to NYC in the fall of 2015 which included a Broadway show and their first opera, Puccini’s Turandot at The Metropolitan Opera. Later, when conversing with neighbors and Austin Opera attendees Ernest and Jeanette Auerbach about their trip, the couple encouraged them to check out opera in Austin and that same season Ken and Paula purchased a subscription. Ken states, “We already had an interest and then met the Auerbachs. The juxtaposition of two unexpected things can sometimes get you over the barrier.” In the short amount of time since their first opera they’ve seen almost 20 live performances! Ken and Paula’s favorite operas so far have been new works, The Manchurian Candidate and Silent Night. Ken and Paula grew up 20 miles from each other in North Central Texas and were together in a class of only 28 high school students. Having grown up in a rural area, their exposure to the arts was limited, however, as their sons began to develop creative interests, their knowledge and exposure to artists and the arts greatly expanded. Both sons are very supportive of their choice to fund the arts, especially that of new works. Their son Stephen is a musician and composer. The Smiths have jumped in with both feet when it comes to Austin Opera. Ken joined the Board of Trustees in 2018 and since then they have attended everything they possibly can. In addition to the performances, they attended the Patron Trip to the Glimmerglass Festival last summer, Opera Preview events, backstage tours and rehearsals, and more! Ken’s engineering background contributes to him being as interested in seeing how opera is produced as in seeing the actual performances. As a former teacher, Paula finds that learning opportunities are very important to her. “I enjoy the masterclasses. You appreciate the difficulty, the hours and hours of practice that go into singing. These experiences help me to appreciate their performances that much more.” Ken chimes in: “We go to everything!” The Smiths chose to become founding underwriters of Opera ATX because they love contemporary music and stories and want them to be presented in accessible venues. “Opera has been evolving for 400+ years and it’s a pretty good bet that it will be around for another 400 years. The evolution of opera will draw more people to the art form. That is what excites us about Opera ATX. Supporting Opera ATX is a way to vote for contemporary opera.” They believe contemporary opera is a great way to get people interested in opera and bring new audiences to the art form.

Austin Opera is grateful to Ken and Paula for their outstanding philanthropic leadership in underwriting Austin Opera’s new artistic initiative, Opera ATX.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 41

Partnerships

This season, Austin Opera commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I and honors our Central Texas soldiers and veterans with our productions of Silent Night and Soldier Songs. We would like to express deep gratitude for the following partners who have joined our efforts to engage and honor our military community.

Texas Military Forces Museum Camp Mabry Fort Hood Songwriting with Soldiers Veterans Guitar Project at the Armstrong Community Music School One Ounce Opera LOLA (Local Opera Local Artists) Mint Juleps Harry Ransom Center University of Texas: OLLI SAGE Program Alamo Drafthouse Mexic-Arte Museum

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 43 44 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org Corporate and Foundation Support

Educational Outreach Support

In-Kind Support

Public Support

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

AUSTIN OPERA 2018-19 SEASON 47 48 AUSTIN OPERA austinopera.org