Dallas-Fort Worth Companies April 27-May 2, 2020

There is so much to do in Dallas and Fort Worth that becomes a chore to decide exactly what to offer in the short time we have. After all, we are there for three and should allow time absorb what these two companies are offering. A few possibilities are discussed in this letter. Dallas has great restaurants, and we will sample only a couple. Fort Worth is a cow town and we will taste samples from this philosophy.

Dallas is a gigantic city with no city center as we always look to for guidance when moving around a city; however, Dallas is a city with amazing architecture from world famous personalities as Phillip Johnson, I.M. Pie, Tom Mayne (Perot Museum of Nature and Science), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Renzo Piano (Nasher Sculpture Garden, Zaha Hadid, Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert A.M. Stern Norman Foster and a host of others. That is the focus of tours, offered by The Dallas Architecture Design and Exchange, for the Guild’s day in Dallas Fort Worth’s amazing Kimbell Museum has one of the great collections in the country. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, who also provided funds for a new building to house it. The building was designed by architect Louis I. Kahn and is widely recognized as one of the most significant works of architecture of recent times. It is especially noted for the wash of silvery natural light across its vaulted gallery ceilings. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was first granted a Charter from the State of Texas in 1892 as the "Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery", evolving through several name changes and different facilities in Fort Worth. The mission of the museum is "collecting, presenting and interpreting international developments in post-World War II art in all media." The current building, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando was opened to the public on Saturday, December 14, 2002. The Museum currently showcases up to 150 works of art in its 53,000 square feet (4,900 m2) of gallery space. The majority of works in the collection are dated in between 1945 and present.[2] The "Modern" is located in the city's Cultural District, adjacent to the Kimbell Art Museum, designed by Louis I. Kahn, and near the Amon Carter Museum, designed by Philip Johnson. The building features five long pavilions set into a reflecting pond. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth maintains one of the foremost collections of international modern and contemporary art in the central United States. Various movements, themes, and styles are represented, including abstract expressionism, color field painting, pop art, and minimalism, as well as aspects of new image painting from the 1970s and beyond, recent developments in abstraction and figurative sculpture, and contemporary movements in photography, video, and digital imagery. The Permanent Collection includes more than 3,000 works with pieces by Pablo Picasso, Philip Guston, Anselm Kiefer, Robert Motherwell, Susan Rothenberg, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol.[1] These contemporary works are displayed in Ando’s, a concrete and glass building surrounded by a reflecting pond.

And don’t forget the three operas. In performance in both cities:

Fort Worth Opera Festival:

The festivities convene in the heart of the Camp Bowie District at the historical 240 seat Ridglea Theater, with the world premiere of composer-librettist Hector Armienta’s swashbuckling opera Zorro. Based on the pulp fiction novels of writer Johnston McCulley, this explosive new opera, led by renowned director Octavio Cardenas, is filled with romance, danger, and suspense. A scholarly student named Diego (stunning Mexican-born tenor César Delgado) returns to the place of his birth in Alta, California, to find his destiny. There he encounters an old flame, the beguiling Carlotta (stunning mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz), the passionate Ana Maria (soprano Gabriella Enríquez), the villainous Moncada (Mexican Óscar Velázquez), and a grave evil like none he has faced before. Donning a black mask to conceal his true identity, Zorro is born, and he wields his sharp sword to fight for the oppressed. The opera is written in Spanish and English and will thrill viewers and listeners of all ages. The Festival offers a free pre-show discussion one hour earlier, location in the theater to be determined.

Johann Strauss wrote his sparkling operetta Die Fledermaus (German for “The Bat”) about smart people behaving foolishly - something we can all identify with! With its scintillating music and the effervescence of champagne, everyone’s questionable behavior is swept away by morning with the magic of Strauss waltzes. Fort Worth Opera pops the cork and pours the bubbly in the company’s final production of the season, Die Fledermaus. Johann Strauss II’s uproarious operetta is directed by Fort Worth audience favorite David Gately (, Cinderella). Acclaimed soprano and Fort Worth native Vanessa Becerra (With Blood, With Ink) returns home to perform the role of the cunning chambermaid Adele. She is joined by a remarkable cast of some of opera and theater’s hottest stars, including 2018 McCammon winner Abigail Levis as Prince Orlofsky, Broadway’s Curt Olds as Gabriel von Eisenstein, baritone Weston Hurt as Eisenstein’s notary friend Doctor Falke, and mesmerizing soprano Devon Guthrie – who has garnered rave reviews at Santa Fe Opera and English National Opera – as his clever wife, Rosalinde. Featuring a magnificent masked ball and soaring orchestral waltzes, this riotous tale of mistaken identities and mischievous mayhem proves that revenge is a delicious dish best served with a glass of champagne! At Bass Performance Hall, downtown Fort Worth. In Italian with Spanish and English supertitles with a pre-show discussion on the lower gallery. I have read on the website that it is in Italian and another time in English. We will see.

Dallas Opera at the Winspear Opera House:

The dancing chandelier in the Winspear Opera House puts the Met to shame and it dances up and down until it disappears in the ceiling to music usually composed by music students in the Dallas area.

Love is in the air – but there’s also a whiff of trouble! Who’s the guy you can call when your love life’s in shambles? It’s Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! – the indomitable barber of Seville, who’s a master of disguises, surprises, and deceptions. If you’ve got the money, he’s got the time for even the most difficult case! Enter Count Almaviva, who’s smitten with the lovely Rosina. But her grumpy old guardian has her under lock and key because he intends to marry her himself! Not to worry, though, because Figaro has more offensive and defensive moves than The Dallas Cowboys, and true love triumphs in the end. The Opera Company presents an amazing cast: Pretty Yende as Rosina, Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva, Lucas Meachem as Figaro, Renato Girolami as Dr. Bartolo, Alan Lau as Don Basilio, and Margaret Gawrysiak as Berta. (Remember Pretty Yende and Larry Brownlee in the concert versions of La Sonnambula in Zurich last May,) Scenery and Properties designed by Allen Moyer. Scenery and properties for this production are jointly owned by Minnesota Opera, Washington National Opera and Opera Omaha and were constructed by Minnesota Opera Shops.

The Guild for Washington Concert Opera offers these dates for the trip to Fort Worth-Dallas.

Interesting and stimulating tours of Fort Worth and Dallas are in the planning stages as well as visits to an Arlington, TX, and a Dallas collectors’ home.

Monday, April 27 Arrive Fort Worth. Welcome dinner. Sheraton Fort Worth Tuesday, April 28 ZORO 6:30 p.m. Pre show discussion Ridglea Theater ZORO 7:30 p.m., Ridglea Theater, Fort Worth. By Bus Wednesday, April 29 The Barber of Seville 6:30 p.m. Pre show discussion Winspear Opera House, Dallas 7:30 p.m. The Barber of Seville Windspear Opera House Dallas. By Bus Dinner provided near opera hosue Thursday, April 30 Free day Tour of Dallas by bus: Architectural tour of Dallas Perot Museum of Nature and Science (for its architecture) Lunch provided Private collections visits Dallas Art Museum; Nasher Sculpture Park, etc. Dinner provided near AT&T Performing Arts Center. By Bus May 1, Friday Die Fledermaus 6:30 p.m. Pre Show Discussion Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth. 7:30 p.m. Die Fledermaus Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth. Walk May 2, Saturday Departure

Dallas-Fort Worth Opera Festivals April 27 to May 2, 2019

Monday April 27 Arrive Fort Worth. Welcome dinner. Tuesday April Fort Worth City Tour ZORO 7:30 pm Ridglea Theater, 6025 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth Camp Bowie District at the historical Ridglea Theater, with the world premiere of composer-librettist Hector Armienta’s swashbuckling opera Zorro. Music and libretto by Hector Armienta. In Spanish and English with Spanish and English supertitles

Wednesday April 29 Visit local collector home between Fort Worth and Dallas Dinner near opera house Barber of Seville 7:30 pm Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street, Dallas. Love is in the air – but there’s also a whiff of trouble! Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Cast: Lucas Meachem, Figaro; Pretty Yende, Rosina; Lawrence Brownlee, Count Almaviva; Renato Girolami, Doctor Bartolo; Adam Lau, Don Basilio; Margaret Gawrysiak, Berta.

Thursday, April 30 Free day Tour of Dallas Private ceramics collection Architectural tour of Dallas, arranged with the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Perot Museum of Nature and Science (for its architecture) Lunch location to be determined Dallas Art Museum; Nasher Sculpture Park; Dinner with an unknown bel canto tenor possible

May 1 Friday Fledermaus 7:30 Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St, Fort Worth. Party Like It's 1929 Die Fledermaus, Music by Richard Strauss II, Libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée. In English with English and Spanish supertitles

May 2 Saturday Departure

Application for deposit for Dallas-Fort Worth Operas April 27- May 2, 2019

_____ We are/I am a Guild member. ______We are/I am not a Guild member. Please indicate your interests and return the application form with a check for a deposit of $375 ($425 for non- members) made out to Guild for Washington Concert Opera by January 17. ($200 tax exempt donation to Washington Concert Opera). You may confirm your reservation by email and follow up with a check and the application form. Mail check to Guild for WCO and application form to: Guild for WCO Ingrid Meyer 9520 Sagamore Spring Road Great Falls, VA 22066 703-759-3259 [email protected]

Please indicate your choice of hotel accommodations.

Room choice; King bed ______2 beds sharing a room ______

TOTAL DEPOSIT $ ______

NAME(S) ______

Address______

City State ZIP

Email: ______

______I/We will not be staying with the group.

Allergies or religious preferences for food: ______

Preferred for contact: Telephone: Home______Cell______

Highly recommend purchase of travel insurance.

For Guild use only: Date check received: ______Check number ______

We need at least 15 participants to make this itinerary work. Once we have 15 confirmed guests, I shall confirm at hotel in Fort Worth.