08 MAY 2019 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: EMILY DOYLE MOORE | [email protected] | 505-986-5908
FIRSTS AND FAVORITES IN 2020 AT THE SANTA FE OPERA
ROSSINI’S THE BARBER OF SEVILLE AND MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE OPEN THE 64TH SEASON ON JULY 3 & 4
COMPANY PREMIERES & NEW PRODUCTIONS OF WAGNER’S TRISTAN UND ISOLDE AND DVOŘÁK’S RUSALKA
HUANG RUO AND DAVID HENRY HWANG’S M. BUTTERFLY HAS ITS WORLD PREMIERE AUGUST 1
IN BRIEF The Santa Fe Opera’s 2020 Season, running July 3 through August 29, presents 37 performances of five operas, including the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s M. Bu erfly, two company premieres (Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Dvořák’s Rusalka), Steven Barlow’s inven ve new produc on of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, the revival of Tim Albery’s much-loved produc on of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and two Appren ce Scenes performances. The 64th Season celebrates the inclusion of works new to the world stage alongside audience favorites by Rossini and Mozart, and features some of opera’s most exci ng talent. Diversity in me period and language is also represented, with pieces and perspec ves da ng from 1791 to 2020, sung in Czech, English, German and Italian. The future season perfectly fits the me-tested programming model pioneered by Santa Fe Opera founder John O’Hea Crosby: a balanced and varied repertory of new, rarely performed and standard works portrayed in a new light.
2020 SEASON TICKETS ON SALE MAY 8, 2019 | VISIT SANTAFEOPERA.ORG OR CALL 800-280-4654
Page 1 of 12 SANTA FE, NM — The Santa Fe Opera’s General Director Robert K. Meya today announced repertory and cas ng for the company’s exci ng 64th Season in 2020. On the panel joining Meya for the announcement were the President of the Board of Directors Susan G. Marineau, Andrea Fellows Walters, Director of Community Engagement, and Cori Ellison, the company’s first, recently appointed Dramaturg.
THE 2020 SEASON The Santa Fe Opera’s 2020 Season, running July 3 through August 29, presents 37 performances of five operas, including the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s M. Bu erfly, two company premieres (Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Dvořák’s Rusalka), Steven Barlow’s inven ve new produc on of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, the revival of Tim Albery’s much-loved produc on of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and two Appren ce Scenes performances. The 64th Season celebrates the inclusion of works new to the world stage alongside audience favorites by Rossini and Mozart, and features some of opera’s most exci ng talent. Diversity in me period and language is also represented, with pieces and perspec ves da ng from 1791 to 2020, sung in Czech, English, German and Italian. The future season perfectly fits the me-tested programming model pioneered by Santa Fe Opera founder John Crosby: a balanced and varied repertory of new, rarely performed and standard works portrayed in a new light.
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE The 2020 Season opens with Rossini’s most popular comedy, The Barber of Seville, in a new produc on whose playful energy springs directly from his ebullient music. In Stephen Barlow’s wi y new produc on, Seville and Santa Fe, and 18th and 21st centuries, meet and merge in a sunny and whimsical world where anything can happen.
Based on Le Barbier de Séville (1775), the first play of the ‘Figaro Trilogy’ by the French Revolutionary-era author Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais, Rossini’s opera traces the efforts of clever Figaro to win for his master Count Almaviva his chosen bride. But Figaro meets his match in that cra y would-be bride, Rosina, who is already plo ng to escape her guardian Dr. Bartolo.
“Napoleon is dead,” wrote Stendhal, Rossini’s first biographer, “but a new conqueror has already shown himself to the world!” By the me he was 21, Rossini had already become an opera c idol. Three years later, he dashed off the brilliant Il barbiere di Siviglia within a mere three weeks and was well on his way to domina ng and defining Italian opera for the first half of the 19th century.
Corrado Rovaris presides over 11 performances by an accomplished young cast that includes Emily D’Angelo (Rosina), former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce Jack Swanson (Count Almaviva) and Audun Iversen in his company debut (Figaro).
THE MAGIC FLUTE Is it a fanciful fairy tale or an arcane allegory? A dreamy romance or an ac on adventure? Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the second show to open in 2020, is all of these things and more. In this revival of Tim Albery’s acclaimed
Page 2 of 12 produc on, originally seen on the Santa Fe Opera stage in 2006 and revived in 2010, the clowns of popular Viennese musical theater mingle with the noble protagonists of Italian serious opera, the earthy peasants of opera buffa and the magical wizards of folk fantasy, in a seamless synthesis of Mozart’s life’s work.
“In Tim Albery's penetra ng staging,” wrote the Santa Fe Reporter, “The company brings a Midas touch to Mozart's mythic valedic on in one of the warmest, truest and most affec ng shows in its history.”
Music Director Harry Bicket conducts nine performances of this revival starring Joélle Harvey (Pamina) and James Creswell (Sarastro) in their company debuts, Joshua Hopkins (Papageno), and former Santa Fe Opera Appren ces Audrey Luna (Queen of the Night) and Ma hew DiBa sta (Monostatos). Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ces Eric Ferring (Tamino) and Erik Van Heyningen (Speaker) will also make company debuts.
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, a company premiere and the first piece by Richard Wagner to be seen on the Santa Fe Opera stage in over 30 years, will be presented in a new produc on. Debu ng director Zack Winokur conjures a mesmerizing produc on of eloquent, elemental simplicity which emphasizes character, emo on and ideas. “Opera is the field where all disciplines collide,” he observes, “…and I want to smash these different methods of performance and expression together to produce a thing of power, meaning, ma er and beauty.”
Wagner wrote Tristan und Isolde under the twin influences of Arthur Schopenhauer and his gloomy philosophy, and of Mathilde Wesendonck, his married lover — both of whom taught him a thing or two about unfulfilled longing. The composer now had no use for plot-driven roman c opera, preferring to create a metaphysical reverie on the very nature of existence. He conveyed his musings on love, sex and death in intensely chroma c music of deferred resolu on, conveyed in dal waves of full-throated singing and lush orchestral sound.
James Gaffigan returns to the podium for Wagner’s masterpiece to lead a stellar cast that includes Simon O’Neill (Tristan) in his company debut, Tamara Wilson (Isolde) in her company debut, Jamie Barton (Brangäne), Ryan McKinny (Kurwenal) and Eric Owens (King Marke).
Tristan und Isolde will be only the second opera by Wagner ever to be produced by the Santa Fe Opera, with the first being The Flying Dutchman last presented in 1988. Its prelude’s opening sound, the famous yearning “Tristan chord,” is o en cited as the birth of modern music, unleashing an unstoppable wellspring of musical possibility. Its unprecedented chroma cism, tonal ambiguity and stunning orchestral color changed every composer who came a er, impac ng everything from Expressionism to film music to Heavy Metal.
In order to best accommodate audiences, all performances of Tristan und Isolde will begin at 8:00 pm.
RUSALKA An electrifying new produc on of Rusalka, directed by David Pountney, will be the first-ever piece by Dvořák to grace the Santa Fe Opera stage. Dvořák began wri ng Rusalka late in his career, when he had turned his a en on almost exclusively to mythical themes. With echoes of Hans Chris an Andersen’s The Li le Mermaid, the opera weaves the tale of a water nymph who pays the highest price for the chance to love a human being. Page 3 of 12 Responding with sharply contras ng vocal styles and sound worlds for the opera’s mortal and supernatural characters, Dvořák vividly portrays the impossibility of merging the two worlds and the despair of the individual caught between them.
Santa Fe Opera Music Director Harry Bicket conducts Ailyn Pérez in the tle role of Rusalka, accompanied by Alexandra LoBianco (Foreign Princess), Michaela Martens (Witch), Eric Cutler (Prince) and James Creswell (Vodnik).
The tle character’s well-known “Song to the Moon” provides a mere taste of Rusalka’s vast musical riches. The opulently scored Rusalka has o en been called Dvořák’s most Wagnerian work, not only for its equal treatment of orchestra and voices and for its subtle use of leitmo fs, but also for its shimmering, nearly impressionis c instrumenta on, evoking the lapping of waves on water, nocturnal forest sounds and even the reflec on of moonlight on the lake.
M. BUTTERFLY Rounding out the Santa Fe Opera’s 2020 Season will be Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s new opera, M. Bu erfly, based upon Hwang’s Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer-Prize finalist Broadway play of the same name. The opera is the Santa Fe Opera’s 17th world premiere, further building upon the company’s legacy of commissioning new works. Both the opera and the play on which it is based were inspired by the true story of a French diplomat who carried on a 20-year love affair, with an astonishing secret at its heart, with a star of the Peking Opera. The story’s many parallels with Puccini’s well-known Madama Bu erfly are echoed in the new opera’s music.
Libre st David Henry Hwang writes, “When Huang Ruo and I began looking for our next project together, it seemed me to finally embark upon my dream of bringing M. Bu erfly back to the world of opera, which in many ways strikes me as its most natural home. I am grateful to the Santa Fe Opera for inves ng the me, resources and ar s c support necessary to develop and realize this work. Because opera is the most theatrical of stage forms, one which most effec vely facilitates an audiences’ suspension of disbelief, Huang Ruo and I believe it will allow this story to take wing, more beau fully and powerfully than ever before.”
The Santa Fe Opera is especially pleased to present this new work on the heels of the composer/libre st team’s tremendous success with the 2018 world premiere of An American Soldier, which received unanimous cri cal acclaim at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. M. Bu erfly will be staged by the same crea ve team that prepared the Santa Fe Opera’s widely praised American premiere of Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 2014 under the direc on of James Robinson. The Santa Fe Reporter wrote, “The Santa Fe Opera’s produc on of Dr. Sun Yat-sen marks the company’s finest venture thus far into 21st century opera. Musically and visually, it ranks high among all the many contemporary operas mounted here. These performances offer a stunning demonstra on of Ruo’s skill in molding Eastern and Western modali es into a successful theatrical synthesis.”
With M. Bu erfly, conductor Xian Zhang, Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, becomes the third female conductor in the Santa Fe Opera’s history, following Carolyn Kuan in 2014 and Speranza Scappucci in 2015.
Page 4 of 12
2020 DEBUTS
DAVID BIZIC (BARITONE); JAMES CRESWELL (BASS); ANDREW D. EDWARDS (SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN); GREG EMETAZ (PROJECTION DESIGN); ERIC FERRING+ (TENOR); JOÉLLE HARVEY (SOPRANO); HOWARD HUDSON (LIGHTING DESIGN); CHARLAP HYMAN & HERRERO (SCENIC DESIGN); ERIK VAN HEYNINGEN+ (BASS-BARITONE); AUDUN IVERSEN (BARITONE); FABRICE KEBOUR (LIGHTING DESIGN); KANGMIN JUSTIN KIM (COUNTER-TENOR); MARIE-JEANNE LECCA (COSTUME DESIGN); ALEXANDRA LOBIANCO (SOPRANO); SIMON O’NEILL (TENOR); HERA HYESANG PARK (SOPRANO); DAVID POUNTNEY (DIRECTOR); CARLOS SOTO (COSTUME DESIGN); JOHN TORRES (LIGHTING DESIGN); TAMARA WILSON (SOPRANO); XIAN ZHANG (CONDUCTOR)
RETURNING ARTISTS WITH MOST RECENT OR UPCOMING SANTA FE OPERA APPEARANCE
SINGERS JAMIE BARTON (FAUST, THE LAST SAVAGE, 2011); KEVIN BURDETTE (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, CANDIDE, 2018); SCOTT CONNER (THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, 2018); ERIC CUTLER (THE PEARL FISHERS, 2012); EMILY D’ANGELO (COSÌ FAN TUTTE, 2019); JOSHUA DENNIS+ (THE THIRTEENTH CHILD, 2019); MATTHEW DIBATTISTA+ (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, MADAME BUTTERFLY, 2018); JOSHUA HOPKINS (DIE FLEDERMAUS, 2017); DAVID LEIGH+ (THE THIRTEENTH CHILD, 2019); AUDREY LUNA+ (THE MAGIC FLUTE, 2010); MICHAELA MARTENS (SALOME, 2015); RYAN MCKINNY (DOCTOR ATOMIC, 2018); ERIC OWENS (WOZZECK, 2011); AILYN PÉREZ (ROMÉO ET JULIETTE, 2016); JACK SWANSON+ (THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, 2018)
CONDUCTORS HARRY BICKET (COSÌ FAN TUTTE, 2019); JAMES GAFFIGAN (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, 2018); CORRADO ROVARIS (THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, 2018)
DIRECTORS TIM ALBERY (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, 2018); STEPHEN BARLOW (TOSCA, 2012); JAMES ROBINSON (VANESSA, 2016); ZACK WINOKUR (CHOREOGRAPHER, LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, 2017)
DESIGNERS CHRIS AKERLIND (VANESSA, 2016); TOBIAS HOHEISEL (ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, 2018); ALLEN MOYER (DIE FLEDERMAUS, 2017); JAMES SCHUETTE (VANESSA, 2016); LESLIE TRAVERS (SALOME, 2015)
CHOREOGRAPHERS NICOLA BOWIE (DON GIOVANNI, LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, ROMÉO ET JULIETTE, 2016)
CHORUS MASTER SUSANNE SHESTON (2019 SEASON)
+Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 5 of 12
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE MUSIC BY GIOACHINO ROSSINI LIBRETTO BY CESARE STERBINI PREMIERED FEBRUARY 20, 1816, TEATRO ARGENTINA, ROME
11 PERFORMANCES — JULY 3, 8, 11, 17 & 24; AUGUST 4, 10, 15, 21, 25 & 29, 2020 SUNG IN ITALIAN WITH OPERA TITLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH A NEW SANTA FE OPERA PRODUCTION LAST PERFORMED BY THE SANTA FE OPERA IN 2005
CREATIVE TEAM CONDUCTOR: CORRADO ROVARIS STAGE DIRECTOR: STEPHEN BARLOW SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN: ANDREW D. EDWARDS* LIGHTING DESIGN: HOWARD HUDSON* CHORUS MASTER: SUSANNE SHESTON
CAST ROSINA: EMILY D’ANGELO COUNT ALMAVIVA: JACK SWANSON+ FIGARO: AUDUN IVERSEN* DOCTOR BARTOLO: KEVIN BURDETTE DON BASILIO: SCOTT CONNER
THE SANTA FE OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 6 of 12
THE MAGIC FLUTE MUSIC BY WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART LIBRETTO BY EMANUEL SCHIKANEDER PREMIERED SEPTEMBER 30, 1791, THEATER AUF DER WIEDEN, VIENNA
9 PERFORMANCES — JULY 4, 10 & 15; AUGUST 3, 8, 13, 17, 22 & 28, 2020 SUNG IN GERMAN WITH OPERA TITLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ENGLISH DIALOGUE BY TIM ALBERY PRODUCTION REVIVAL, LAST PERFORMED BY THE SANTA FE OPERA IN 2010
CREATIVE TEAM CONDUCTOR: HARRY BICKET STAGE DIRECTOR: TIM ALBERY SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN: TOBIAS HOHEISEL CHORUS MASTER: SUSANNE SHESTON
CAST PAMINA: JOÉLLE HARVEY* QUEEN OF THE NIGHT: AUDREY LUNA+ TAMINO: ERIC FERRING*+ MONOSTATOS: MATTHEW DIBATTISTA+ PAPAGENO: JOSHUA HOPKINS SARASTRO: JAMES CRESWELL* SPEAKER: ERIK VAN HEYNINGEN*+
THE SANTA FE OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 7 of 12
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE MUSIC AND LIBRETTO BY RICHARD WAGNER LIBRETTO BASED ON TRISTAN BY GOTTFRIED VON STRASSBURG PREMIERED JUNE 10, 1865, KÖNIGLICHES HOF- UND NATIONALTHEATER, MUNICH
6 PERFORMANCES — JULY 18, 22 & 31; AUGUST 6, 12 & 18, 2020 SUNG IN GERMAN WITH OPERA TITLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH A NEW SANTA FE OPERA PRODUCTION AND COMPANY PREMIERE PRODUCTION SUPPORT GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY SARAH BILLINGHURST SOLOMON AND JEAN & GENE STARK ADDITIONAL ARTISTIC COSTS ARE UNDERWRITTEN BY THE WAGNER SOCIETY OF SANTA FE
CREATIVE TEAM CONDUCTOR: JAMES GAFFIGAN STAGE DIRECTOR: ZACK WINOKUR SCENIC DESIGN: CHARLAP HYMAN & HERRERO* COSTUME DESIGN: CARLOS SOTO* LIGHTING DESIGN: JOHN TORRES* CHORUS MASTER: SUSANNE SHESTON
CAST ISOLDE: TAMARA WILSON* TRISTAN: SIMON O’NEILL* BRANGÄNE: JAMIE BARTON KURWENAL: RYAN MCKINNY KING MARKE: ERIC OWENS (JULY 18, 22, 31; AUGUST 6 & 12) DAVID LEIGH+ (AUGUST 18)
THE SANTA FE OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 8 of 12
RUSALKA MUSIC BY ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK LIBRETTO BY JAROSLAV KVAPIL, BASED ON THE FAIRYTALES OF BOŽENA NĚMCOVÁ AND KAREL JAROMÍR PREMIERED MARCH 31, 1901, THE NATIONAL THEATRE, PRAGUE
6 PERFORMANCES — JULY 25 & 29; AUGUST 7, 11, 20 & 27, 2020 SUNG IN CZECH WITH OPERA TITLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH A NEW SANTA FE OPERA PRODUCTION AND COMPANY PREMIERE
CREATIVE TEAM CONDUCTOR: HARRY BICKET STAGE DIRECTOR: DAVID POUNTNEY* SCENIC DESIGN: LESLIE TRAVERS COSTUME DESIGN: MARIE-JEANNE LECCA* LIGHTING DESIGN: FABRICE KEBOUR* CHOREOGRAPHER: NICOLA BOWIE CHORUS MASTER: SUSANNE SHESTON
CAST RUSALKA: AILYN PÉREZ PRINCE: ERIC CUTLER VODNÍK: JAMES CRESWELL JEŽIBABA: MICHAELA MARTENS FOREIGN PRINCESS: ALEXANDRA LOBIANCO*
THE SANTA FE OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 9 of 12
M. BUTTERFLY MUSIC BY HUANG RUO LIBRETTO BY DAVID HENRY HWANG BASED ON THE STAGE PLAY “M. BUTTERFLY” BY DAVID HENRY HWANG A WORLD PREMIERE, COMMISSIONED BY THE SANTA FE OPERA
5 PERFORMANCES — AUGUST 1, 5, 14, 19 & 26, 2020 SUNG IN ENGLISH WITH OPERA TITLES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH DEVELOPED WITH ASSISTANCE FROM AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER, LAWRENCE EDELSON, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR COMMISSIONING AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION PRODUCTION SUPPORT GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE ARETÊ FOUNDATION
CREATIVE TEAM CONDUCTOR: XIAN ZHANG* STAGE DIRECTOR: JAMES ROBINSON SCENIC DESIGN: ALLEN MOYER COSTUME DESIGN: JAMES SCHUETTE LIGHTING DESIGN: CHRIS AKERLIND PROJECTION DESIGN: GREG EMETAZ* CHORUS MASTER: SUSANNE SHESTON
CAST RENE GALLIMARD: DAVID BIZIC* SONG LILING: KANGMIN JUSTIN KIM* COMRADE CHIN/SHU FANG: HERA HYESANG PARK* MANUEL TOULON/JUDGE: KEVIN BURDETTE MARC: JOSHUA DENNIS+
THE SANTA FE OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Appren ce
Page 10 of 12
2020 SEASON INFORMATION PERFORMANCE START TIMES July 3 — August 1, 8:30 PM | August 3 — August 29, 8:00 PM All performances of Tristan und Isolde will begin at 8:00 PM
APPRENTICE SCENES Fully-staged scenes from the opera c repertory showcasing the remarkable talent of Santa Fe Opera Appren ce Singers and Technicians will be presented on two consecu ve Sunday evenings, August 16 and 23, 2020.
FAMILY NIGHTS Special performances of all five produc ons during the season are designated Family Nights, providing opportuni es for families to a end mainstage performances. Prices for both adults and accompanying children are greatly discounted from regular cket prices for select produc ons. 2020 Family Nights dates and prices are TBA.
2020 TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS Tickets and Subscrip ons for the 2020 Season go on-sale May 8, 2019 at 11:15 AM (MDT). Learn more or purchase online at santafeopera.org, by telephone at 505-986-5900 (toll-free at 800-280-4654), or in person at the Box Office.
The Santa Fe Opera wishes to thank the following for their wonderfully generous support of the 2020 Season:
THE WYNCOTE FOUNDATION
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE SARAH BILLINGHURST SOLOMON JEAN & GENE STARK THE WAGNER SOCIETY OF SANTA FE
M. BUTTERFLY
AND THE ARETÊ FOUNDATION
Page 11 of 12
Melville Hankins Family Foundation THE MELVILLE HANKINS FAMILY FOUNDATION IS THE PRINCIPAL EDUCATION SPONSOR OF THE SANTA FE OPERA
The mission of the Santa Fe Opera is to advance the opera c art form by presen ng ensemble performances of the highest quality in a unique se ng with a varied repertory of new, rarely performed, and standard works; to ensure the excellence of opera’s future through appren ce programs for singers, technicians, and arts administrators; and to foster an understanding and apprecia on of opera among a diverse public.
DISCOVER MORE: SANTAFEOPERA.ORG CONNECT: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
###
Page 12 of 12