COMPOSER LIBRETTO ALICE GOODMAN

PRE-CONCERT TALK THURSDAY 17 + SATURDAY 19 MARCH GREAT HALL, AUCKLAND TOWN HALL 6.45PM

PRESENTED BY AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA AND NEW ZEALAND OPERA

IN ASSOCIATION WITH WITH SUPPORT FROM PRESENTED BY AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA AND NEW ZEALAND OPERA

GREAT HALL, AUCKLAND TOWN HALL

THURSDAY 17 MARCH + SATURDAY 19 MARCH 7.30PM 2 HOURS 50 MINS WITH INTERVALS

AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND OPERA PHILHARMONIA New Zealand Opera is delighted ORCHESTRA to be partnering with our sister arts companies Auckland Arts Much like Nixon’s historic Festival and Auckland encounter with Mao Zedong in Philharmonia Orchestra to 1972, a performance of John bring John Adams' epic Nixon in Adams’ Nixon in China truly is China to the Auckland stage. an event in itself.

In these 'interesting' economic The Auckland Philharmonia times collaboration is the name Orchestra is proud to be a of the game. New Zealand presenting partner in this event, Opera is passionate about the first time the opera has been bringing opera to as wide an performed in New audience as possible and Zealand. Adams’ score is collaborations such as this remarkable; more than 1,000 provide us with a thrilling way to pages of music will be brought continue to deliver interesting, to life tonight by the APO and an challenging and varied exceptional cast. repertoire for our audiences.

We thank the Auckland Arts We applaud the vision of Festival and New Zealand Auckland Arts Festival in Opera for joining us on Nixon’s programming this iconic work flight and hope you all enjoy the and look forward to continuing ride. our performing relationship with

the glorious APO...this time Barbara Glaser actually onstage. Chief Executive Auckland Philharmonia Stuart Maunder Orchestra General Director New Zealand Opera AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL

Nau mai haere mai ki Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Makaurau.

I first attended a performance of Nixon in China in 2000 at the London Coliseum. It blew away all my conceptions of opera and the memory of the work remained with me for a long time.

When I began programming the 2016 Festival Nixon in China was at the front of my mind as I thought about historical moments that impacted on our lives. The world has changed a lot since 1972 when Nixon was the first American President to visit China – in fact it seems hardly recognisable.

The now iconic work premiered in 1987, 30 years ago, yet we in New Zealand have never had the opportunity to hear this opera, one of the greatest of the last century. I am delighted that the Auckland Arts Festival is able to premiere it. I thank our partners the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the New Zealand Opera who agreed with alacrity when we suggested it to them. And a huge thank you to the wonderful creative team, cast, orchestra and crew who are breathing life into the libretto and score for this performance.

Carla van Zon Artistic Director Auckland Arts Festival

PHOTOGRAPH: NBCNEWS..COM . President Richard Nixon at a banquet in Shanghai with China's Premier Zhou Enlai on February 28, 1972. ACT I 15 MINUTE INTERVAL ACT II 5 MINUTE PAUSE ACT III

CONDUCTOR JOSEPH MECHAVICH

DIRECTOR SARA BRODIE

CHORUS DIRECTOR JOHN ROSSER

ORCHESTRA AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

REPETITEUR DAVID KELLY

SET DESIGNER JOHN VERRYT

AUDIO-VISUAL DESIGNER LOUISE POTIKI BRYANT MATT GILLANDERS (FOR ACT 2, SCENE 2 THE REVOLUTIONARY BALLET)

LIGHTING DESIGNER AND OPERATOR BRENDAN ALBREY

SOUND DESIGNER AND OPERATOR JIM ATKINS

STAGE MANAGER KATE MIDDLETON-OLLIVER

‘ENGINE ROOM’ DIRECTING INTERNS BENJAMIN HENSON, AHI KARUNAHARAN

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS MIRIAM EMERSON, FRANCES MOORE, GABRIELLE VINCENT CAST CHOU EN LAI CHEN-YE YUAN

RICHARD NIXON BARRY RYAN

PATRICIA NIXON MADELEINE PIERARD

MAO ZEDONG (CHAIRMAN MAO) SIMON O’NEILL

CHIANG CH’ING (MADAME MAO) HYE JUNG LEE

HENRY KISSINGER ANDREW COLLIS

FIRST SECRETARY SALLY-ANNE RUSSELL

SECOND SECRETARY DIMITY SHEPHERD

THIRD SECRETARY EMILY BAUER-JONES

DANCERS WU CHING HUA AMELIA CHONG HUNG CHANG CHING CLINTON FUNG YIK ENSEMBLE VALENTINO MALIKO, BEN MITCHELL, EMILY MOORE, GEMMA SCOTT

CHORUS FREEMASONS NEW ZEALAND OPERA CHORUS

MEDIA/RED ARMY GUARDS AND CITIZENS OF BEIJING

These performances of Nixon in China by John Adams with libretto by Alice Goodman are given by permission of Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, exclusive agents for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd of London. JOHN ADAMS’ NIXON IN CHINA. Notes by EMERITUS PROFESSOR NICHOLAS TARLING Nixon in China was the brainchild of . In 1983 the young Harvard student was at the Monadnock Music Festival in south-west New Hampshire, directing a revival of Haydn’s Armida. So was the not quite-so-young John Adams, returning to his home state after study and teaching in San Francisco, in order to hear his piece, Shaker Loops. They met. “Peter already knew several of my early pieces”, Adams recalls in his autobiography (1), “and he wasted little time in proposing that we collaborate on making an opera. He even knew what to call it: Nixon in China, a wry and was revealed as “a frail, trembling mischievous title, like a pop-art mangling of octogenarian, barely able to rise out of his Iphigenia in Tauris.” Adams questioned the chair long enough to endure a photo op idea of basing an opera on a with the grinning president”. That was to contemporary subject. He had never provide the opening scene in the opera. written an opera, but his idea of it was Adams told Sellars that his preference “something that had to do with classical would be for “a libretto by a real poet. The archetypes or myths. What I didn’t realise artifice of verse might lift the story and its was that Nixon in China was just exactly characters, so numbingly familiar to us from that – only that the myths, the archetypes, the news media, out of the ordinary and were famous political people of our own onto a more archetypal plane”. Sellars time”. mentioned a Harvard classmate. This was Alice Goodman, who was then in England writing a thesis on Thomas Nashe at Cambridge University. The three began work on the opera in December 1985. There was little in Goodman’s curriculum vitae that suggested she could compose a libretto, Adams recalled, but she “turned out to have everything one could want in a librettist and then some: a natural feel for rhythms of vernacular American speech, an uncanny ear that February 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon arrived in Beijing, which is the US embraced everything from the creaking president's first visit to People's Republic of China . solipsisms of White House speechmakers to After Kissinger’s preparatory the gnomic utterances of Mao Zedong”. diplomacy, designed to utilise the China She herself has suggested that writing a factor as a means both of exerting pressure libretto is “an odd skill – nobody and on its Communist rival, Russia, as well as to nothing can train or help you. It is simply a help bring the Vietnam war to an end, matter of striking in”. Nixon had reversed the US policy towards “Everyone should have a voice”, the PRC and visited Beijing in 1972. At the Goodman decided. “It would be a heroic time Adams was working for “a disreputable opera – that would be the character of the import company” in San Francisco, and it work – and an opera of character – that was in an apartment on Telegraph Avenue had become inevitable – and the heroic he had watched on a tiny black-and-white quality of the work as a whole would be TV the landing of Air Force One at Beijing determined by the eloquence of each and the emergence of Richard and Pat character in his or her own argument.” Nixon to be greeted at the bottom of the ramp by Chou En Lai. The Great Helmsman Kissinger was the only character she ended heavy on brass and winds and further up disliking: “it’s fitting that he’s a buffo padded by the addition of four bass. Madame Mao? Well, she’s the Queen saxophones”. The score was “burly beyond of the Night, isn’t she?” Most people belief, requiring amplification of the voices assumed it would be a satire, poking fun at in order to be heard above the din coming the by then disgraced President and his from the pit”. For the ballet his goal was to naïve wife. But Adams, Sellars and write music “that would sound as if it had Goodman agreed that it would not be “a been composed not by a single composer political hatchet-job”. but by a committee”. He had noticed that “Among Peter’s first impulses upon the agitprop ballets were not danced to conceiving the opera was to stage one of Chinese music, but to “very bad imitations the lurid, agitprop ballets that Madame of Russian and French ballet music”. Mao had sponsored in the hope of creating The premiere was at Houston Grand a new genre of people’s art”. The Nixons Opera in October 1987 with James had been treated to a performance of The Maddalena as Nixon, Sanford Sylvan as Red Detachment of Women. Act 2 of the Chou, Carolann Page as Pat, and John opera “climaxes with a surrealist re- Duykers as Mao, and John DeMain enactment”. Pat Nixon notices a conducting. Mark Morris choreographed resemblance between the tyrant “his own take” on the ballet. landowner and Henry Kissinger. Madame The critical response to the premiere Mao starts screaming stage directions, and was, as Adams says, “not exactly a slam then sings her coloratura aria, “I am the wife dunk”. “Minimalist mush”, said Martin of Mao Zedong”. Bernheimer. “It was as if the opera’s In the third act, the characters appear principal creators had decided against a alone, lost in their thoughts, their political cartoon but then had no idea of reminiscences. Chou En Lai, “the introvert, where to go, and so resorted to touching the only one of the leaders who appears to on every possible permutation of have a grasp of the human cost of history”, interpretation without ever settling on any”, sings the final elegiac words. “How much of wrote Edward Rothstein. But Michael what we did was good? Everything seems Fleming gushed. “Is this, then, the Great to move beyond our remedy. Come, heal American Opera?” In any case it was a this wound. At this hour nothing can be popular success, and Adams followed up done”. with The Death of Klinghoffer, which was “What kind of music would best presented in Auckland at the Festival in describe the psyche of Richard Nixon?” 2009.

Adams asked himself: “white big-band (1) Adams, John. Hallelujah Junction: Composing an music from the Swing Era.” So a big band American Life. 2008. Farrar Straus & Giroux, New York. became the nucleus of the score, “a sound CONDUCTOR DIRECTOR JOSEPH MECHAVICH SARA BRODIE Regarded as a Sara is a freelance conductor of authority director and and warmth, Joseph choreographer whose Mechavich is known work spans opera, for his exceptional theatre, dance, artistry and infectious musical theatre and energy which he brings to every performance interdisciplinary productions. as well as the personal and career‐defining relationships he has forged with a number of Opera credits include: Don Giovanni (New opera companies and orchestras. Of his Nixon in Zealand Opera), Ainadamar (New Zealand China at San Diego Opera, Broadway World Arts Festival), the premiere of Hohepa (New extolled “The expertise in 21st-century operatic Zealand Opera and NZ International Arts repertoire that conductor Joseph Mechavich Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NZ demonstrated in 2012’s Moby-Dick has surely School of Music), Fatal Desire (Asia Pacific Arts increased exponentially as portrayed in his Festival). She has directed all nine operas for rendering of John Adam’s complex score. Opera in a Day’s Bay Garden, most recently Mechavich showed great command and Handel’s Agrippina and developed new works sensitivity throughout, both controlling and such as Gao Shan Lui Shui (High Mountain supporting the orchestra in their task of Flowing Water) which premiered in New performing parts that were most difficult and Zealand prior to performances in Beijing, China intricate”. in 2014.

Maestro Mechavich presided over Jake Diverse projects range from creating Fault Heggie’s highly acclaimed opera, Moby-Dick, Lines, a dance-theatre production about for both San Diego Opera and Calgary Opera earthquakes with the Leshan Song and Dance as well as productions of Il barbiere di Siviglia for Company of Sichuan, China for the Melbourne The Washington National Opera, Porgy and Bess and Christchurch Arts Festival’s (which has for Deutsche Oper Berlin and Roméo et Juliette most recently toured to Montreal, Fujian for Florida Grand Opera. Engagements for the province and Australia) to Tracing Hamlet – a 2015-16 season include Heggie’s Great Scott for community based immersive deconstruction of San Diego Opera, Nixon in China for Auckland Hamlet (Wanaka Festival of Colour, Erupt Philharmonia Orchestra, Florencia en el Festival Taupo).

Amazonas for Arizona Opera, Turandot for For Capital E National Theatre for Children, she Nashville Opera as well as both Macbeth and co-wrote, with Teina Moetara, and directed Showboat for Kentucky Opera. Hear To See (which received a Chapman Tripp

In past seasons Maestro Mechavich has Award for most Original Production in 2011), conducted highly recognised productions for Kia Ora Khalid and Skydancer featuring the NZ Calgary Opera, Utah Opera, The Aspen Music Symphony Orchestra to introduce young Festival, Tulsa Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, people to the symphony.

Dayton Opera, Madison Opera, New England She has also taught actors, singers and Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Opera Theatre, dancers, in the UK and New Zealand. She Opera Saratoga and Virginia Opera. specialises in Laban Movement Analysis for In 2010, Maestro Mechavich was named performers. In 2015 Sara became a New Principal Conductor of Kentucky Opera. Zealand Arts Laureate. Previously, he held the position of Principal Conductor for Opera Birmingham from 2004- Productions in 2016 include Die Zauberflöte for 2010 and Director of Music for Orlando Opera New Zealand Opera and The Curious Incident from 1998‐2000. A native of Long Lake, of the Dog in the Night-Time for the Auckland Minnesota, he studied at the Oberlin College Theatre Company. Conservatory of Music and the Yale University School of Music. FULL BIO: http://ada-artists.com/artist- roster/joseph-mechavich/ CHORUS DIRECTOR AUDIO VISUAL JOHN ROSSER DESIGNER Associate Conductor LOUISE POTIKI and Chorus Director for BRYANT (Kāi Tahu, Kāti New Zealand Opera, Mamoe, Waitaha) John has prepared Louise is a more than 50 operas for choreographer, the Company and dancer, and video conducted four. He has artist. She has also led well-known Auckland chamber choir choreographed award-winning works for Viva Voce, which he founded in 1985, in over Atamira Dance Company and has also 300 concerts, broadcasts and recordings. Both choreographed for The New Zealand Dance inaugural and current Chair of the New Zealand Company and Black Grace Dance Company.

Choral Federation’s Governance Board, John is Louise has a strong body of solo and Artistic Director of Sing Aotearoa, chairs The Big collaborative works including NOHOPUKU, Sing and devised and directed the Rugby World TUMUTUMU, a collaboration with taonga puoro Cup 2011 National Anthems venture. authority Dr Richard Nunns and KIRI - a collaborative performance work with clay artist Paerau Corneal. SET DESIGNER JOHN VERRYT As well as designing video for her own dance John Verryt has enjoyed works Louise has designed video for many an extensive career music, dance and theatre productions. She designing for live has created several music videos and short performance in all dance films including a music video for Ngāi disciplines, working with Tahu singer/songwriter Ariana Tikao’s song TUIA many of New Zealand’s which was awarded ‘Best Music Video’ at the foremost companies, ImagineNATIVE film festival in Toronto, Canada. directors, choreographers, musicians, designers, Louise has been awarded several residencies dancers and actors. including The Ngāi Tahu Artist in Residence at The Otago Polytechnic School of Art, a Wild Creations Residency - a partnership between Creative New Zealand and The Department of Conservation, the Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance 2014 at the University of Otago and most recently Louise was awarded the Harriet Freidlander New York Residency by The Arts Foundation of New Zealand supporting Louise to live in New York City this year, for a six month period of choreographic and artistic inspiration.

LIGHTING DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER AND OPERATOR AND OPERATOR BRENDAN ALBREY JIM ATKINS Brendan is a theatrical Jim Atkins’ recent work and concert lighting includes sound design designer whose work has and operation for been seen throughout Victorian Opera’s trio New Zealand, the United of Sondheim musicals Kingdom, Europe, Asia (Sunday in the Park and South America. In with George, Into the 2013 he was touted by New York based Live Woods, Sweeney Todd) plus productions of The Design magazine as a “young designer to Riders, The Flying Dutchman, Nixon in China watch”. and Maria de Buenos Aires.

Theatrical highlights include That Bloody Woman Other recent productions; Chroma (The (Christchurch Arts Festival); Enlightenment Australian Ballet); Songs From the Middle (Auckland Theatre Company); The Gloaming; (Eddie Perfect/ANAM); Acoustic Life of Sheds, Nano-Girl (Auckland Arts Festival); Anything Namatjira (Big hART); En Masse (Genevieve Goes; Glorious; The Seagull; Don’t Mention Lacy); Pleasure Gardens sound installation Casablanca; Cabaret; Side by Side by (Sydney Festival/Genevieve Lacy/Jan Bang), Sondheim; Much Ado About Jeff Mills and Derrick May (Melbourne Nothing and Shepherd (Court Theatre); All Symphony Orchestra). Future productions Together Now (Isaac Theatre Royal); The History include Banquet of Secrets (Victorian Opera) Boys (Peach Theatre Company); Avenue and the 2016 Ring Cycle (Opera Australia). Q (Fortune Theatre); I didn’t always live here (Finborough Theatre, London); Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (Kings Head Theatre, London); Assembly Gala (Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

Other credits include Paloma Faiths’ Symphonic Grace (Barbican Concert Hall, London); The Bootleg Beatles (Royal Albert Hall and touring); Rhys Darby’s This Way To Spaceship and Mr Adventure (New Zealand and UK tours), Terence Siufay and Justin Lo’s Connected Tour and The Big Laugh: Friends of the Earth (Hammersmith Apollo); Museum of Doubts (Royal College of Art, London); Dave Dobbyn; Kiwi Soul and A Night of Dance with The Royal New Zealand Ballet (Christchurch Symphony Orchestra).

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

CHOU EN LAI RICHARD NIXON CHEN-YE YUAN BARRY RYAN BARITONE BARITONE Baritone Chen-Ye Yuan Australian baritone developed his craft at Barry Ryan graduated institutions including the with honours from the Sydney Studio and San Francisco Conservatorium of Opera’s Merola Program. Music in 1981. His He has since been invited back to the Houston many awards for singing include the Shell Aria, Grand Opera Studio to sing roles including the the New York Metropolitan Auditions, Marten title role in Rigoletto, Escamillo in Carmen, Bequest for Singing, the Vienna State Opera Marcello in La Bohème, Enrico in Lucia di Award and the Green Room Award. Lammermoor, Silvio in I Pagliacci, and Bhaer in Barry Ryan has performed with Europe’s Little Women. leading opera companies including the Royal The 2014-2015 season saw Mr. Yuan’s debut Opera Covent Garden, La Scala Milan, the with San Diego Opera as Chou En Lai in Nixon Opera Comique in Paris, the Paris Opera in China, his return to the National Center for Bastille, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein the Performing Arts in Beijing as Escamillo in Düsseldorf, the Flemish Opera Antwerp, the Carmen, Amonasro in Aïda with Zubin Metha Komische Oper Berlin, Basel Opera and the conducting, and Carlo Gerard in NCPA's new Otono Festival Opera Madrid. He was a production of Andrea Chenier with Sir David principal artist with the Cologne Opera from McVicar directing. Additionally, he joined the 1988 to 1992 and in 1993 made his Australian Xi'an Symphony Orchestra and the GuiYang Opera debut in Die Meistersinger von Symphony Orchestra as Giorgio Germont in La Nürnberg. Traviata and the Guang Zhou Symphony Barry Ryan is also a lecturer in Voice and Orchestral for Penderecki’s Three Chinese Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Songs with Maestro Penderecki conducting. In 2007, he became a fulltime soloist with Upcoming engagements include his debut Opera Australia and has since sung Marcello with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as (La Bohème), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Chou En Lai in Nixon in China, Enrico in Lucia di Amonasro (Aida), Alex in the World Premiere of Lammermoor with the Central Conservatory of Bliss, Sonora in La Fanciulla del West and Music in Beijing, and as Wolfram in Tannhäuser George Milton in Bruce Beresford’s new for Beijing’s National Center for the Performing production of Of Mice and Men. Arts. In 2013, Barry Ryan sang the title role in Nixon in Recently, Mr. Yuan made his debut with Santa China for Victorian Opera - for which he Fe Opera in the role of Mr. Umeya in the world received Green Room and Helpmann Award premiere of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Other recent nominations. He also received the Medal of engagements for Mr. Yuan include Marcello in the Order of Australia for his service to music. La Bohème with the Hang Zhou Philharmonic Orchestra and Chou En Lai in Adams' Nixon in In 2014, he sang Sharpless for Opera Australia in China, for the San Francisco Opera and the Sydney, Nixon in Dublin, Ireland and Scully in Culture Center in Hong Kong. FULL BIO: http://ada- the World Premiere Production of The Riders for artists.com/artist-roster/chen-ye-yuan/ Victorian Opera. FULL BIO: http://barryryanopera.com/

IMAGE: ROBERT CATTO IMAGE: ROBERT PATRICIA NIXON MAO ZEDONG MADELEINE PIERARD SIMON O’NEILL

SOPRANO TENOR Lyric soprano New Zealand tenor Madeleine Pierard Simon O’Neill is one of

excels in adventurous the finest helden-tenors repertoire, ranging on the international

from baroque and FRASER HARDING IMAGE: stage. He is a principal bel canto artist with the masterpieces to 20th century Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, and contemporary compositions. A native New Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala and the Zealander, she studied at the Royal College of Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals, appearing Music and the National Opera Studio, garnering with conductors including James Levine, numerous awards including the Lexus Song Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Quest, Lies Askonas and Royal Overseas League Pappano, Daniel Barenboim, Pietari Inkinen, prizes, and was subsequently awarded a Pierre Boulez, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Colin coveted place on the Jette Parker Young Artists Davis, Daniele Gatti, Edo de Waart, Fabio Luisi, Programme at The Royal Opera House, Covent Donald Runnicles, Thomas Hengelbrock and Garden. She is a New Generation Artist with the Christian Thielemann. Arts Foundation of New Zealand and studies Performances include Siegmund, Walther von with Yvonne Kenny. Stolzing, Lohengrin, Florestan and Parsifal For The Royal Opera, Ms Pierard has sung the (Royal Opera), Parsifal and Lohengrin roles of Contessa di Folleville (Il Viaggio a (Bayreuth Festival), Parsifal (Vienna State Reims), Musetta (La Bohème), Lisa (La Opera, Teatro Real, Madrid, Covent Garden), Sonnambula), Sandmann (Hänsel und Siegmund (Metropolitan Opera, New York, Gretel), Sacerdotessa (Aida), Noémie Hamburg State Opera, La Scala, Milan, Berlin (Cendrillon), Wood Nymph (Rusalka) and State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Munich Costanza in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata in Festival, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Covent Hobart, Tasmania. Also for The Royal Opera, she Garden), Das Lied von der Erde (Carnegie Hall has covered the roles of Violetta, Donna Anna with Levine), Missa Solemnis (Carnegie (Don Giovanni), Marfa (The Tsar’s Bride) and Hall), Cavaradossi (Hamburg, Tokyo Deutsche Leila (Les Pêcheurs de Perles). She featured in Oper Berlin), Florestan (Salzburg Festival, the BBC's landmark television series Maestro at Washington in concert and Houston), Otello the Opera in association with The Royal Opera and Max in Der Freischütz (LSO with Colin House, singing the roles of Rosalinde, Donna Davis), Gurre-Lieder (BBC Proms), Mao in Nixon Anna and Musetta. in China (San Francisco Opera) and Otello (New Zealand Opera and Houston Grand Ms Pierard is in demand on the concert Opera). platform. Recent appearances include Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Poulenc's Upcoming engagements include Das Lied von Stabat Mater with the London Philharmonia at der Erde in San Francisco and at Carnegie Hall the Royal Festival Hall, Haydn's Creation with the with the San Francisco Symphony, and with NZSO, Handel's Messiah and a tour of China with the London Symphony Orchestra, Mahler the NZSO, a summer concert with the Symphony No.8 in Tokyo, Florestan in Fidelio Symphonique de Bretagne in France and with Pappano conducting the Accademia di Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Stroma. FULL Santa Cecilia, Die Walküre with Barenboim at BIO: http://www.madeleinepierard.com/ the Berlin Staatsoper and with the Berlin Philharmonic under Rattle, and Gurrelieder with Runnicles. He returns to Houston for Götterdämmerung, Turandot and Tannhäuser with Patrick Summers. FULL BIO: http://www.simononeill.com/grace/ Simon_ONeill.html CHIANG CH’ING HENRY KISSINGER HYE JUNG LEE ANDREW COLLIS SOPRANO BASS-BARITONE Korean Soprano Hye A member of Cologne Jung Lee is quickly Opera between 1993 and emerging as one of 2007, Andrew Collis has the top young also performed with some coloratura sopranos of the world’s other with a silvery voice leading opera companies and expressive dramatic stage presence. including Frankfurt Opera, San Diego Opera and During the 2011-2012 season, she made a "show Opera Australia and in festivals including the -stopping" debut with San Francisco Opera, as Vienna, Hong Kong, Perth and New Zealand Madame Mao in Michael Cavanagh's Festivals, including his participation in the award production of Nixon in China, led by Lawrence -winning recording of Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg for Renes. EMI.

Her 2012-2013 season included her house and Andrew has received particular praise for his title role debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and roles in Don Pasquale and The Marriage of Figaro, Lisa in La Sonnambula with Florida Grand Schaunard and Colline (La Bohème), Hobson Opera, directed by Renata Scotto. She then (Peter Grimes), Speaker (The Magic Flute), and made her role debut as Olympia in Laurent Leporello (Don Giovanni). Other major roles Pelly's new production of Les Contes include Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), d'Hoffmann with San Francisco Opera, under Marquis (Dialogue of the Carmelites), Angelotti the baton of Patrick Fournillier. According to (Tosca), Mr Flint (Billy Budd), Monterone

Opera News, "Hye Jung Lee may well be the (Rigoletto), and Zuniga (Carmen). reigning Olympia of her generation; the soprano Andrew also has an extensive list of concert retained her effortless projection, laser focus and oratorio performances to his credit, and sweet tone to the top of her high E-flats including St Matthew Passion, St John Passion, and beyond. (She added a couple of high Fs to Magnificat, Coffee Cantata and Mass in B her ornamentation). Lee, in a silvery gown, minor of Bach, Messiah, Samson and Semele came onstage harnessed to a crane, which, by Handel, Die Schöpfung, Stabat Mater and timed to her vocal leaps, repeatedly hoisted her Masses by Haydn, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 into the stratosphere. It was an aptly jaw- and Missa Solemnis and Mozart’s Requiem. dropping appearance, which she topped by gliding around the stage on in-line skates". Recent engagements include Basilio and Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro) for West Performances from the 2013-2014 season Australian Opera, Bonze (Madame Butterfly) at include Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Perth Festival, Colline (La Bohème) for Opera Theater Kiel, her role debut as Queen of the Queensland, Don Magnifico (La Cenerentola) Night in Die Zauberflöte with Dayton Opera, for New Zealand Opera, Haydn’s Carmina Burana and Poulenc's Gloria with Harmoniemesse (Tasmanian Symphony Tucson Chamber Artists, and a gala concert Orchestra), and St John Passion (Sydney with Theater Kiel. In fall 2015 she joined the Philharmonia Choirs). ensemble of Theater Kiel for a 2-year Fest contract; and she also performed promotional 2016 engagements include Simone (Gianni concerts with Philharmonie Südwestfalen. Schicchi) for West Australian Opera, St. John FULL BIO: http://www.hyejungleesoprano.com/ Passion with West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St Matthew Passion for Melbourne Bach Choir, Bonze (Madame Butterfly), Dr Bartolo (The Barber of Seville) for

Opera Queensland, and Valens (Theodora) for

Pinchgut Opera.

FULL BIO: http://www.artsmanagement.com.au

FIRST SECRETARY She has appeared extensively for Victorian SALLY-ANNE RUSSELL Opera where her performances include the MEZZO SOPRANO Second Secretary in Nixon in China, a Award winning Australian Greenroom Award-winning Cherubino in The Mezzo Soprano Sally-Anne Marriage of Figaro, Nireno in Julius Caesar, Russell has performed in Arsamene in Xerxes, Orphee in Orphee & concerts and operatic Eurydice, Flora in La Traviata, The Beggar performances in over Woman in Sweeney Todd and Lucy in The fifteen countries. She has Threepenny Opera, for which she received a also been nominated as Young Australian of the Helpmann Award nomination. For Victorian Year and Young Achiever of the Year (Arts). Opera she has also created the roles of Alice in As a lyric coloratura mezzo she has over 60 Through the Looking Glass, Jazz in How to Kill operatic roles in her repertoire ranging from Your Husband, Clara Johnson in Midnight Son Handel, Purcell to Rossini heroines. She is a and, most recently, Rose in its 2016 premiere regular guest with all the Australian opera season of Banquet of Secrets. companies, Symphony orchestras, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva, Australian String Quartet and for all the major Festivals and THIRD SECRETARY Choral Organisations. International highlights EMILY BAUER JONES include Bruckner’s Te Deum at the Musikverein CONTRALTO Emily Bauer-Jones studied at in Vienna, Oper der Stadt Köln, Washington the Royal Academy of Music Opera (DC), a 10-year association with the in London and the Royal Carmel Bach Festival in California, Spoleto College of Music in Festival Italy and festivals in Canada, Japan and Manchester. most recently in Austria. In the UK and Europe her Recent performances include a national tour of roles have included Genevieve in Debussy's the Voyage to the Moon (Musica Viva and Peleas & Melisande, Zenobia in Radamisto, The Victorian Opera), Handel’s Messiah Third Lady in The Magic Flute and Suzuki in (Melbourne and New Zealand Symphony Madame Butterfly and Waltraute in Die Orchestras), and Mozart arias and Walkure for Scottish Opera. She has also Requiem (Tasmania Symphony Orchestra). appeared in the world premiere production of Sally-Anne’s upcoming concerts include with Param Vir's opera, Ion, for Opera du Rhin in

West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Strasbourg. Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Bach Choir, In Australia, her roles for Victorian Opera and internationally in the UK, Malaysia and include Nancy in Albert Herring, Stella in Elliott Canada. Carter’s opera What Next, and The Third Secretary in Nixon in China. SECOND SECRETARY DIMITY SHEPHERD MEZZO SOPRANO Dimity Shepherd is one of Australia’s most versatile opera and concert artists. Her roles have included Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Australia, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Stephano in Romeo & Juliet and Tisbe in La Cenerentola, all for Opera Queensland, and both Rosina in The Barber of Seville and Carmen for Opera Australia’s Oz Opera. WU CHING HUA AMELIA CHONG DANCER Originally from Singapore, Amelia is a third year dance studies student at the University of Auckland, and had various dance trainings in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap and Hip Hop. Upon graduation, she intends to keep her options open, continuing her passion in performance and education, both locally and internationally.

John Adams. Photograph: Margaretta Mitchell

IMAGES USED IN THE VIDEO DESIGN INCLUDE:

Spirit way, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing. 25 November 2010, Kimon Berlin (http:// www.flickr.com/photos/kimon/).

Early Autumn, 13th century, Ink and colours on HUNG CHANG-CHING paper, Qian Xuang. Detroit Institute of Arts (http:// CLINTON FUNG YIK www.dia.org/the_collection/overview/ viewobject.asp?objectid=57885). DANCER Clinton Fung is a Malaysian- The struggle of all the people in the world against American imperialism will be victorious! Quan shijie born Baritone who is currently renmin fandui Mei diguo zhuyide douzheng studying under the tutelage of bisheng! (全世界人民反对美帝国主义的斗争必胜！1965, Dame Malvina Major. He September. Landsberger Collection. Renmin meishu chubanshe. gained his Bachelor of Music from the University of Otago IMAGES USED IN ACT 2, SCENE 2 THE REVOLUTIONARY BALLET and later his Honours at the University of Auckland. He was the second Fight the anti-revolutionists! Poster presented on 5 runner-up in the Christchurch Aria and Dunedin February 1967 at Shan Xi (Northern China).

Aria competitions. His recent operatic roles Praise Mao Zedong’s philosophy and the great red include Waikato (This Other Eden, Otago Arts flag. Poster presented on 14 February 1967 (1pm) at Shanghai’s Revolution Square. Festival), Custom Official (La Bohème, NZ Opera) and Papageno (Die Zauberflöte, Any kind of wrongful thinking, unloyal person (literal translation as ‘poisonous grass”) and two faced Otago University). Clinton will be performing person (literal translation as “cow ghost snake the role of Dulcamara in NZ Opera’s schools god”?), all needs to be punished. Punish all the tour of Elixir of Love. Clinton has also appeared unloyals! Behave! Poster was presented on April 1967. on the television series Shortland Street as Prison Guard and on Forensics as Xiao Zhen. Revolution rebels art exhibition—We would die to protect Chairman Mao’s road to revolution. Poster Clinton is excited for his first dance role as Hung presented on 8 February to 28 March 1967 at Chang-Ching in Nixon in China. Shanghai People’s Cultural Centre.

Untranslated image

Chairman Mao taught us: Come together as a nation and take down the anti revolutionists. Poster presented 1966 in Shanghai.

AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

MUSIC DIRECTOR CELLOS Giordano Bellincampi β Eliah Sakakushev-von Bismarck + David Garner CONCERTMASTER # James sang-oh Yoo Andrew Beer Liliya Arefyeva Katherine Hebley ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER You Lee Tee Khoon Tang ˜Jacky Siu

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER BASSES Miranda Adams β Gordon Hill + Annabella Zilber FIRST VIOLINS # Evgueny Lanchtchikov # Artur Grabczewski Matthias Erdrich Mark Bennett Michael Steer Elzbieta Grabczewska Ainsley Murray FLUTES Alexander Shapkin β Emma Gerstein Satomi Suzuki + Kathryn Moorhead Lucy Qi Zhang Caroline von Bismarck PICCOLO Yuri Cho * Jennifer Seddon-Mori Charmian Keay OBOES SECOND VIOLINS β Bede Hanley β Dianna Cochrane +Camille Wells +Xin (James) Jin # William Hanfling COR ANGLAIS = Rae Crossley-Croft *Martin Lee Sarah Hart Jocelyn Healy CLARINETS Rachel Moody + Bridget Miles (Bass Clarinet) Milena Parobczy + James Fry (Eb Clarinet) Ewa Sadag Katherine Walshe BASSOONS β Ingrid Hagan VIOLAS β Alexandra Eastley β Robert Ashworth + Yang Rachel Guan Ebbett + David Samuel #Christine Bowie CONTRABASSOON # Anne Draffin * Ruth Brinkman Helen Bevin Ping Tong Chan HORNS Gregory McGarity β Nicola Baker Susan Wedde * Emma Eden # Carl Wells # Simon Williams David Kay TRUMPETS FREEMASONS NEW ZEALAND β Huw Dann + Norman McFarlane OPERA CHORUS

TROMBONES SOPRANOS β Douglas Cross Chelsea Dolman # Mark Close Fiona Li Morag McDowell BASS TROMBONE Katherine McIndoe * Timothy Sutton Jessica Duirs Emma Sloman TUBA * Tak Chun Lai MEZZOS Kayla Collingwood TIMPANI Helen Kim Curt Armbruster Glenn Meade Catherine Reaburn PERCUSSION Jessica Wells β Eric Renick Vanessa Withy # Jennifer Raven Shane Currey TENORS Ewen Griffiths HARP David Hwang * Rebecca Harris Arie Hoeflak Patrick Kelly GUEST MUSICIANS Filipe Manu Naomi Lee – Violi Matthew Wilson Abby Oliver – Violin Emma Dann – Viola BARITONES Paul Mitchell – Cello Callum Blackmore Donald Nichols – Clarinet Jarvis Dams Robert Sims – Trumpet Clinton Fung Michael Jamieson – Saxophone Rhys Hingston Hayden Sinclair – Saxophone Mark Rosser Mark Hobson – Saxophone John Rosser Martin Kay – Saxophone David Kelly – Piano John Wells – Piano Samuel Jury – Synth

COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE Karlo Margetić

β Section Principal = Section Leader Emeritus * Principal + Associate Principal # Sub-Principal ˜ Manchester Fellow

WITH SUPPORT FROM MEDIA/RED ARMY GUARDS AND CITIZENS OF BEIJING

Mei Burns Amelia Sirimanne

Audrey Chan Heidi Tam

Long Yue (Hamish) Chen Minette Tan

Xiu Yin Chen Danny Jing

Iris Cheng Rose To

Helena Fang Mariana Tsun

May Goldsworthy Challen Wilson

Ji Hong Rosita Wong

Lauren Karl Connie Wong

Helen Kim An Jing Xuan

Chen Xi Li Lin Xiao Qin

Dan Li Li Na Yang

Othmar Lichtnecker Li Min Yang

Sophie Lin Luna Zhang

Susan Liu Yi Feng Zhang

Ryan Lu Carole Zhang

Ju Fang Lu Bi Xue (Lucy) Zheng

Sandy Morris Xiao Yan Zhu

Jinna Qian Tian Bao Zhu NEW ZEALAND OPERA AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA GENERAL DIRECTOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Stuart Maunder APO BOARD CHAIRMAN Carla van Zon EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Geraint A. Martin CHIEF EXECUTIVE Jane Clarke DEPUTY CHAIR David Inns HEAD OF ARTISTIC Penelope Peebles SENIOR PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATION BOARD MEMBERS MANAGER Jude Froude Leigh Auton Tama Waipara CHORUS DIRECTOR Richard Ebbett VOLUNTEER SUPPORT John Rosser Neil Haines Aroha Rawson CHORUS MANAGER Kieran Raftery TICKETING MANAGER Glenn Meade Eric Renick Karen Cartwright PRINCIPAL AND CHORUS Julian Smith MARKETING AND PUBLICITY REPETITEUR David Kelly CHIEF EXECUTIVE Thierry Pannetier, Meredith TECHNICAL MANAGER Barbara Glaser McGrath, Frances Moore, Orrin Steve Crowcroft BOARD CHAIRMAN Riley, Louise Bartle, Mei-Lin TECHNICAL ASSISTANT/PROPS Geraint A. Martin Hansen, Roanne Ward, Hayley Hemi Wipiti DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC Kim HEAD CARPENTER PLANNING PROGRAMME NOTES Jan Ubels Ronan Tighe Nicholas Tarling STAGE MANAGER DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS COSTUMES COURTESY OF Kate Middleton-Olliver SERVICES Libby Hill at Victorian Opera, COMPANY MANAGER Natasha Wheeler Melbourne Miriam Emerson DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS HEAD OF WARDROBE PARTNERSHIPS AND MARKETING Elizabeth Whiting Stuart Angel WARDROBE SUPERVISOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Sophie Ham Laura Dee WARDROBE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Gayle Jackson John Ure HEAD OF MARKETING DIRECTOR OF APO Charlotte Rosier CONNECTING BOX OFFICE MANAGER Rachael Brand Julie Bird