Fall 2014 CUES Job Number: 56433 A1 C1-1 Date: 09/11/14 Client: LOU Advertiser: LOU Dtp: Color: Cs: Acct: Client
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OPERAVolume 55 Number 02 | Fall 2014 CUES job number: 56433_A1_C1-1 date: 09/11/14 client: LOU advertiser: LOU dtp: color: cs: acct: client: please contact thelab at 212-209-1333 with any questions or concerns regarding these materials. job number: 56433_A1_C1-1 date: 09/11/14 client: LOU advertiser: LOU dtp: color: cs: acct: client: please contact thelab at 212-209-1333 with any questions or concerns regarding these materials. SM IAH © 2014 United Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Inc. Airlines, © 2014 United Proud to be the Official Airline of Houston Grand Opera. Job Number 4UA022 Headline IAH-friendly Publication HGO 2014 English Event Language 8.375 x 10.875 Vertical/Portrait [email protected] Client United Trim Horizontal/Landscape Art Director DC Bleed 8.625 x 11.125 16858 Royal Crest CMYK RGB B&W SPOT (PMS) Houston Texas 77058 Copywriter UA Safety/Live 7.875 x 10.275 281-480-3660 Traffic BG Ad Style SMILE Full page bleed 1/23/2014 OTELLO OCTOBER 24, 26, NOVEMBER 1, 4, 7 COSÌ FAN TUTTE OCTOBER 31, NOVEMBER 2, 8, 13, 15 PATRICK SUMMERS PERRYN LEECH ARTISTIC & MUSIC DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR MARGARET ALKEK WILLIAMS CHAIR ADVERTISE IN OPERA CUES Opera Cues is published by Houston Grand Opera Association; all rights reserved. Opera Cues is produced by Houston Grand Opera’s Communications Department, Judith Kurnick, director. Director of Publications Laura Chandler Art Direction / Production Pattima Singhalaka Contributors Carl Cunningham Brittany Duncan Kelly Finn Perryn Leech Patrick Summers For information on all Houston Grand Opera productions and events, or for a complimentary season brochure, please call the Customer Care Center at 713-228-OPERA (6737). Houston Grand Opera is a member of OPERA America, Inc., and the Theater District Association, Inc. Find HGO online: HGO.org facebook.com / houstongrandopera twitter.com / hougrandopera Readers of Houston Grand Opera’s Mobile: HGO.org Opera Cues magazine are the most desirable prospects for an advertiser’s message. LOYAL: 51 percent of readers have been reading Opera Cues for more than three years. DEDICATED: 42 percent of readers read the magazine from cover to cover. EDUCATED: More than 90 percent are college-educated, and 57 percent hold graduate degrees. SOCIAL: 44 percent patronize downtown restaurants when they go to a performance at Houston Grand Opera. For more information on advertising in Opera Cues, call Matt Ross at 713-956-0908. 4 | Opera Cues Fall 2014 www.HGO.org Internet at the speed of whoa. XFINITY® Internet delivers the fastest and most reliable in-home WiFi for all rooms, all devices, all the time. To learn more call 866-620-9714 or visit comcast.com Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Features and programming vary depending on area and level of service. WiFi claims based on April and October 2013 study by Allion Test Labs, Inc. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Reliably fast speed based on February 2013 FCC Broadband Report. Call for restrictions and complete details. ©2014 Comcast. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. CONTENTS THE PROGRAM DEPARTMENTS 42 VERDI: OTELLO 8 A Message from Patrick Summers and 46 WHo’s WHo: OTELLO Perryn Leech 14 Production Funders 54 MOZART: COSÌ FAN TUTTE 24 News & Notes 59 WHo’s WHo: 70 HGOco COSÌ FAN TUTTE 72 HGO Studio FEATURES 74 Impresarios Circle 81 Special Events: 28 A VERY IMPORTANT Opera Ball 2014 DATE Spotlight don’t be late for “Giving 87 Tuesday,” december 2! 91 HGO Donors OPERA AT ITS GREATEST 32 Calendar Otello represents 101 the best of Verdi and 103 Your HGO Shakespeare. 38 A test oF Love…AnD 104 Out of Character: MUSIC John Cox Mozart’s music makes Così fan tutte more than Cover designed by the sum of its commedia Pattima Singhalaka dell’arte characters. 62 UNSUNG HEROES Archivist Brian Mitchell is the keeper of HGO’s past. 65 AN EXCELLENT FIT Meet Bradley Moore, HGO’s new head of music staff. 68 WORKSHOPPING AN OPERA-IN-PROGRESS Peek through the keyhole as HGOco workshops O Columbia, a new opera coming in October 2015. A Message from the Artistic & Music Director and the Managing Director Welcome, and thank you for coming to celebrate with us as we begin our 60th Anniversary Season. We couldn’t begin on a more exciting note. Dramatic tenor Simon O’Neill, this year’s Lynn Wyatt Great Artist, appears with us twice this season in iconic roles. First, he takes the title role in our season-opening production of Verdi’s Otello, and then he returns in the spring in one of his signature roles: Siegmund in Die Walküre. Simon was mentored in the role of the Moor of Venice by one of the world’s definitive Otellos—Plácido Domingo, who sang it at HGO during the 1988–89 season. We can’t wait to experience this searing and beautiful opera again Patrick Summers with Simon and the rest of a top-notch cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez and baritone Marco Vratogna in their HGO debuts. We also welcome back Otello director John Cox, who commands his craft with extraordinary intelligence and inventiveness. Mozart’s Così fan tutte could almost be described as two operas in one—on the one hand an almost bawdy comedy and on the other a more serious look at human relationships and the nature of love. It is sophisticated comedy rather than farce, and the loose ends are not neatly tied up for us by the end of the opera. Instead, Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, leave us at the final curtain with some unanswered questions, just as in life. It’s this humanity that makes the opera all the more engaging. Così fan tutte is in the hands of the distinguished Mozartean director Harry Silverstein and a marvelous ensemble cast. We welcome them all. Perryn Leech As we enter the final months of our capital campaign, Inspiring Performance—The Campaign for Houston Grand Opera, we want to thank all of our loyal supporters for bringing us within reach of our $165 million goal. We are almost there! To help us make it to our goal by the December 31 deadline, we have set aside Tuesday, December 2, as Giving Tuesday. (Details about Giving Tuesday may be found on pp. 28–29.) There is no better time to consider making a gift to HGO that will ensure the quality of our work for future generations. Thank you once again for joining us. We hope you enjoy the performance. Patrick Summers Perryn Leech Artistic and Music Director Managing Director Margaret Alkek Williams Chair 2015 MARCH P.S. Be sure to save the date for our 60th Anniversary Gala 19 Concert featuring Joyce DiDonato! 8 | Opera Cues Fall 2014 www.HGO.org Patrimony Small Model Self-winding mechanical movement Calibre 2450 Q6 m hehourlounge.co t w. vacheron-constantin.com - ww w. ww 9 OperaCues_VC13152_PatrimonySmallModel.indd 1 9/10/14 1:15 PM Board of Directors 2014–15 John Mendelsohn Mrs. Robert J. Bruni Janet Langford Kelly Gloria M. Portela Chairman of the Board Chair, Special Events Committee Chairman, Houston Grand Opera David Powell Endowment, Inc. Lynn Wyatt Martha Carnes Vice Chair, Finance Committee Doug Lawler Vice Chairman of the Board Albert Chao Jack A. Roth Alfred W. Lasher III Beth Madison Neil Chapman Mark R. Spradling Senior Chairman of the Board Chair, Finance Committee Perryn Leech General Counsel and Secretary; Vice Chair, Audit Committee Glen A. Rosenbaum Donna Josey Chapman Richard A. Lydecker Jr. Chairman Emeritus Harlan C. Stai Mrs. Bobbie-Vee Cooney Frances Marzio Richard Agee Vice Chair, Studio and Training Patrick Summers Albert O. Cornelison Jr. Robin Angly Committee Ignacio Torras Vice Chair, Development Franci Crane Brucie Moore John G. Turner Committee James W. Crownover Sara Morgan Chair, Studio and Training John S. Arnoldy Dan Domeracki Committee Chair, Governance Committee Terrylin G. Neale David Duthu Senior Chairman, Houston Grand Margaret Alkek Williams Marcia Backus Larry Faulkner Opera Endowment, Inc. Philip Bahr Chair, Development Committee Ward Pennebaker HONORARY DIRECTORS Shahzad Bashir Chair, Marketing & Steve Fulgham Samuel Ramey Astley Blair Communications Committee Ellen R. Gritz Frederica von Stade Chair, Audit Committee Cynthia Petrello Robert C. Hunter Pat Breen Chair, HGOco Committee Houston Grand Opera Association Chairs 1955 – 58 1977 – 79 1997 – 99 Elva Lobit Searcy Bracewell Dennis R. Carlyle, M.D. Susan H. Carlyle, M.D. 1958 – 60 1979 – 81 Stanley W. Shipnes Robert Cizik 1999 – 2001 Archie W. Dunham 1960 – 62 1981 – 83 William W. Bland Terrylin G. Neale 2001 – 03 Harry C. Pinson 1962 – 64 1983 – 84 Thomas D. Anderson Barry Munitz 2003 – 04 James T. Hackett 1964 – 66 1984 – 85 Marshall F. Wells Jenard M. Gross 2004 – 07 John S. Arnoldy 1966 – 68 1985 – 87 John H. Heinzerling Dr. Thomas D. Barrow 2007 – 09 Robert L. Cavnar 1968 – 70 1987 – 89 Lloyd P. Fadrique John M. Seidl 2009 Gloria M. Portela 1970 – 71 1989 – 91 Ben F. Love James L. Ketelsen 2009 – 2011 Glen A. Rosenbaum 1971 – 73 1991 – 93 Joe H. Foy Constantine S. Nicandros 2011 – 2013 Beth Madison 1973 – 74 1993 – 95 Gray C. Wakefield J. Landis Martin 2013 – present John Mendelsohn 1974 – 75 1995 – 97 Charles T. Bauer Robert C. McNair 1975 – 77 Maurice J. Aresty 10 | Opera Cues Fall 2014 www.HGO.org Trustees Samuel Abraham Mary D’Andrea Richard Husseini Marion Roose Pullin ‡ Sharon M. Adams Mary Davenport Joan B. Johnson T. Ray Purser Mrs. Anthony G. Aiuvalasit ‡ Danny David Marianne Kah Gary Reese Thomas Ajamie Joshua Davidson Stephen M. Kaufman Todd Reppert Edward H. Andrews III Darrin Davis John Keville Jill Risley Denise Bush Bahr Sasha Davis Carolyn Landen Jean B.