May no fate willfully misunderstand me And half grant what I wish and snatch me away Not to return. Earth's the right place for love: I don't know where it's likely to go better. I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree, And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more, But dipped its top and set me down again. at would be good both going and coming back. One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. — Robert Frost H IN MEMORIAM H T V S (Tom), age 82, passed away on June 9, 2016, at his home in St. Louis, Missouri. He was born on July 27, 1933, in Peoria Illinois. As Senior Minister of Union Avenue Christian Church (1986 – 1999), Tom was devoted to his congregation as well as to various community outreach initiatives, including opening the doors of the church to Food Outreach, which fed men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Later he was instrumental in welcoming youth groups from all over the country to stay in the Urban Mission Inn and serve in various outreach ministries in St. Louis. Tom supported one of the most stellar choirs in any congregation, and he welcomed and encouraged a young university graduate to begin the Union Avenue Opera in 1995. He was a founding creator of the Interfaith Sidebar (Film and Faith) of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Tom was an avid photographer, golfer, and a lover of Labrador retrievers. He was a patron of the arts in many forms, including photography, painting, sculpture, music, cinematic arts, theater, opera, and poetry. Few men have possessed so fully that appreciative quality that tells the rapture of communion with the rare and beautiful. e congregation of Union Avenue Christian Church joins his family and friends in mourning his loss. One could do worse, indeed, than be a swinger of birches. ARTS GROUP of UNION AVENUE supporting UNION AVENUE OPERA for 22 seasons Visit the GRETCHEN BRIGHAM GALLERY for these exhibits: THE ART of PAPER FOLDING by Sugi Taylor during the run of THE MIKADO INTENSITY by Ann D. Croghan & Janice Schoultz Mudd lyrical, abstract painting, mixed media, and collage during the run of TOSCA DOUBT a juried art show sponsored by the Arts Group of Union Avenue during the run of DOUBT The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. michelangelo union-avenue.org/arts | [email protected] from the Artistic Director… Dear Friends, Welcome to Season 22! We open with a new look at Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular collaboration, e Mikado. I’m very pleased to have stage director Eric Gibson making his UAO debut with this hilarious production. I hope you’ll enjoy his vision for this work as much as we’ve enjoyed making it happen. Listen carefully and you’ll hear several funny St. Louis references interjected amongst the clever updates. Tosca returns to the UAO stage aer a fourteen-year hiatus. It’s wonderful to have veteran singers Mathew Edwardsen (Cavaradossi) and Neil Nelson (Scarpia) back in St. Louis, and UAO welcomes soprano, Elena O’Connor in her UAO debut as Tosca. Stage director, Jon Truitt, returns for his third production, and those of you who follow UAO very closely will remember conductor Stephen Hargreaves from many years ago when he led our Halloween opera on the piano. Every couple of years we embark on a bigger, more modern project and this year that opera is Douglas Cuomo’s Doubt. I rst started talking to Christine Brewer a few years ago about the work and how well she thought it was written, aer she premiered it at Minnesota Opera. I’m extremely proud to bring this challenging work to St. Louis audiences and to welcome Christine Brewer to our stage. Tim Ocel returns to work his magic as the stage director of this production and leads the rest of the stellar cast in this powerful and troubling story. Finally, I want to dedicate this season to the memory of Rev. omas V. Stockdale who passed away in June. Tom was the minister of Union Avenue Christian Church when I rst started working here and told him of my idea to start an opera company. Tom’s vision for how the church and the arts should work hand in hand and his unending, welcoming support in those early years meant so much to me personally and to the growth of this company. We will miss you. Sincerely, Scott Schoonover UNION AVENUE OPERA STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS O A A P Artistic Director | Scott Schoonover Jack Swanson Administrative Director | Emily DePauw E V P Orchestra Manager | Julie Krieckhaus Scott Schoonover Facilities Manager | Ron Lindsey S Anna Roach Bookkeeper | Marian Flowers T Business Manager | Kathryn Fischer Jerey Bewley Payroll Services | Eric Johnson D Box Oce Manager | Adrienne Stockley Douglas Allebach Volunteer Coordinator | Brooklyn Lovelace Margaret Gilleo Administrative Marketing Intern | Deborah Rookey Brandyn Jones P Mark Holly Technical Director | Jon Hisaw Jack LaBarge Production Manager | Tony Anselmo Melissa Payton Master Electrician | Tony Anselmo Marilyn Sheperd Master Carpenter | omas Stevenson Carolyn Hewes To Supertitle Translation Editor | Philip Touchette Suzanne Webb Wardrobe Manager | eresa Loebl H D Costume Assistant | Nicola Loebl Carole Buck Chorus Rehearsal Accompanist | Cathy Benton Joe Lintzenich Season Photographer | John Lamb Program Cover Art | Ron Lindsey Program Layout and Design | O. Dan Smith UNION AVENUE OPERA FIND US ON… 733 Union Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63108 314.361.2881 www.unionavenueopera.org For ticket information contact: [email protected] VENUE NOTES • In case of emergency, exit through the rear doors of the theater (Union Boulevard doors) or through the Enright Lobby doors. • Silence all beepers, phones, watches, and other devices. • Only authorized video recording, photography, and audio recording are allowed during performances. • Restrooms — Restrooms are accessible from the main oor only. Women — located on the first, second, and lower oors. Men — located on the second and lower oors. • No food or beverages are permitted inside the theater. • Union Avenue Christian Church is a non–smoking facility. • Anyone creating a disturbance or distraction to other patrons will be asked to leave the venue and ushered out of the building without the option of re-entering the performance venue — No refunds will be given. • Please recycle your program following the performance. • If there is anything that we can do to make your opera experience more enjoyable, please speak to an usher, or contact a representative at the UAO box oce, located in the Enright Lobby. Know Before You Go…Educational Lecture Series 7:00 pm Each Friday Night Before the Performance in the Grecthen Brigham Gallery Join Union Avenue Opera and Glen Bauer, Ph.D. for our Friday Night lecture series. Dr. Bauer will discuss the opera’s historical importance, guide you through the (sometimes convoluted) plot line, and oer a sneak peek of the music to come. Dr. Bauer earned a Bachelor of Music in Music History from the University of Missouri–Columbia and a Ph.D. in Musicology from Washington University in St. Louis. He is the Director of Graduate Studies and the Associate Chair with the Department of Music at Webster University. Dr. Bauer also has worked with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Opera eatre Saint Louis to present music lectures and educational presentations. Free lectures start at 7:00 pm and are open to the public. Have General Admission Tickets? Don’t worry! Visit our box office for a special placard to place on your seats to reserve them before the lecture. The Mikado Composer — Sir Arthur S. Sullivan Librettist — Sir William S. Gilbert Premiered in London, Savoy Theatre, March 14, 1885 Sung in English with English subtitles July 8, 9, 15, & 16 ACT I 1920’s cocktail hour in an English gentleman’s club group of English nobles revel in their characteristic staunchly traditional and arrogant behaviors. Nanki-Poo, still masquerading as a musician, returns to Titipu eagerly seeking Yum-Yum, as he has heard that Ko-Ko Awas condemned to death for conspicuous and agrant irting that is counter to society’s established norms. He introduces himself, and, to his dismay, he learns from Pish-Tush that although Ko-Ko was indeed to have been executed, he was reprieved at the last moment and appointed to the post of Lord High Executioner instead. As the ‘criminals’ must be executed in order, and Ko-Ko was next to be executed, no one else can be executed until Ko-Ko executes himself. For a small fee, Pooh-Bah, representing a ponderous aggregation of conicts of interest, reveals that Yum-Yum is on her way home from school and will be wed to Ko-Ko this very aernoon. e nobles herald the appearance of Ko-Ko, and Ko-Ko appears to explain how he became the Lord High Executioner. He is full of ideas for his rst ocial victim. He discusses with Pooh-Bah the plans for his forthcoming marriage. A procession of school girls arrives, followed by Yum-Yum and her sisters, Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo. Yum-Yum greets her betrothed, decidedly less enthusiastically than she does Nanki-Poo. Ko-Ko introduces Pooh-Bah, who reluctantly greets the girls. ey respond teasingly. Taking advantage of a few minutes alone with Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo declares his love and shares with her the secret of his true identity. Because of the excessive ‘moral’ laws against irting, Yum-Yum urges him to stay away from her. Nanki-Poo devises a plan to irt by considering what they could do if it weren’t for such an unfair law that condemns their unconventional relationship.