FALL 2018 OPERA SEASON B R AVO Renée Fleming SEPTEMBER 29 Eugene Onegin OCTOBER 13-21 The Barber of Seville NOVEMBER 10-18 2018 Fall Opera Season Sponsor ENGAGED IN THE ARTS. COMMITTED TO CULTURE. IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan proudly supports the Michigan Opera Theatre as part of our mission to assist organizations creating a lasting, positive impact on our region. CFSEM.org 313-961-6675 Fall 2018 BRAVO Contents Opera Season ON STAGE The Official Magazine of Michigan Opera Theatre FEATURE STORY: Michigan Opera Theatre’s 2018-19 Season Celebrates Great Books! ............................................... 6 Renée Fleming in Concert ............................................................................ 8 Erica Hobbs, Editor Eugene Onegin ................................................................................................10 Publisher: Echo Publications, Inc. Profiles from the Pit ......................................................................................19 Royal Oak, Michigan The Barber of Seville .....................................................................................20 www.echopublications.com Tom Putters, President MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE Physicians’ services provided by Henry Ford Medical Center. Boards of Directors and Trustees .............................................................. 4 Welcome ............................................................................................................. 5 Steinway is the official piano of the Detroit Opera House and Michigan Administration and Staff .............................................................................24 Opera Theatre. Steinway pianos are Michigan Opera Theatre Contributors ..................................................25 provided by Steinway Piano Gallery General Information .....................................................................................29 of Detroit, exclusive representative for Steinway and Sons in Michigan. Comet Interactive is the official media production company of the Detroit Opera House. Michigan Opera Theatre is a nonprofit cultural organization, whose activities are supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other individuals, corporations, and foundations. Michigan Opera Theatre is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Michigan Opera Theatre www.MichiganOpera.org BRAVO • Fall 2018 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017-2018 July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 R. Jamison Williams Margaret Allesee Michael Einheuser Ali Moiin DIRECTORS EMERITUS Chairman Pernilla Ammann Marianne Endicott Nora Moroun Shelly Cooper Lee Barthel Paul E. Ewing Peter Oleksiak Marjorie M. Fisher Wayne S. Brown Richard A. Brodie Jennifer Fischer Charlotte Podowski Jennifer Nasser President and CEO Elizabeth Brooks Barbara Frankel Sara Pozzi Audrey Rose Enrico Digirolamo Robert Brown Herman Frankel Paul Ragheb William Sandy Chair, Finance James Ciroli Dean Friedman Ruth Rattner Richard Webb Committee Françoise Colpron Richard G. Goetz Bernard Rubin Joanne Danto John P. Hale Ankur Rungta Cameron B. Duncan Julia Donovan Darlow Devon Hoover Terry Shea Treasurer Ethan Davidson Danialle Karmanos Matthew Simoncini Kevin Dennis Barbara Kratchman Richard Sonenklar C. Thomas Toppin David DiChiera Thomas M. Krikorian Lorna Thomas Secretary Shauna Ryder Diggs Alphonse S. Lucarelli Jesse Venegas Sonal Dubey Donald Manvel Ellen Hill Zeringue BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2017-2018 July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 Kenn and Liz Allen David DiChiera Gary and Gwenn Johnson Spencer and Myrna Inge Vincent Robert and Margaret Karen V. DiChiera George Johnson Partrich Christopher and Susan Allesee Douglass Diggs and Jill Johnson Daniel and Margaret Wilhelm Sarah Allison Shauna Ryder Diggs Ellen Kahn Pehrson R. Jamison and Karen Daniel and Pernilla Enrico and Kathleen Peter and Danialle Brock and Katherine Williams Ammann Digirolamo Karmanos Plumb Joan Young and Thomas Lourdes V. Andaya John and Debbie Dingell Stephanie Germack Kerzic Charles and Charlotte L. Schellenberg Harold Mitchell Arrington Mary Jane Doerr Michael and Barbara Podowski Mary Lou Zieve Jonathan and Paula Autry Dilip and Sonal Dubey Kratchman Sara Pozzi Ellen Hill Zeringue Beverly Avadenka Cameron B. Duncan Thomas and Deborah Waltraud Prechter Lee and Floy Barthel Michael Einheuser Krikorian Paul and Amy Ragheb TRUSTEES EMERITI Mark and Caprice Baun Kenneth and Frances Melvin A. Lester John and Terry Rakolta Marcia Applebaum Ginny Berberian Eisenberg Linda Dresner Levy and Ruth F. Rattner Agustin Arbulu Debra Bernstein-Siegel Marianne Endicott Edward Levy Roy and Maureen Roberts Marvin A. Frenkel Joseph and Barbra Bloch Alex Erdeljan Mado Lie Patricia H. Rodzik Preston and Mary Happel John and Marlene Boll Fern R. Espino and Arthur and Nancy Liebler David and Jacqueline E. Jan and Pat Hartmann Gene P. Bowen Thomas Short Stephan and Marian Roessler Robert and Wally Klein Richard and Gwen Bowlby Paul and Mary Sue Ewing Loginsky Audrey Rose William and Marjorie Betty J. Bright Margo Cohen Feinberg Mary Alice Lomason Dulcie Rosenfeld Sandy Richard and Joanne and Robert Feinberg James and Marion LoPrete Carolyn L. Ross Roberta Starkweather Brodie Oscar and Dede Feldman Alphonse S. Lucarelli Bernard and Donna Rubin Paul and Janet Victor William and Elizabeth David and Jennifer Fischer Denise Lutz Anthony and Sabrina Amelia H. Wilhelm Brooks Marjorie M. Fisher Donald Manvel Rugiero Robert and Geraldine Ford Carl and Mary Anne Florine Mark Ankur Rungta and FOUNDING MEMBERS Brown Fontana Ronald and Zvezdana Mayssoun Bydon Mr.† & Mrs.† Lynn A. Wayne S. Brown and Elaine Fontana Martella Hershel and Dorothy Townsend, Founding Brenda Kee Barbara Frankel and Ron Jack Martin and Bettye Sandberg Chairman Charles D. Bullock Michalak Arrington-Martin Donald and Kim Schmidt Mr. & Mrs.† Avern L. Cohn Thomas and Vicki Celani Herman and Sharon Florence McBrien Alan Schwartz Dr. & Mrs. John H. DeCarlo Michael and Mary Chirco Frankel Benjamin Meeker and Mark and Lois Shaevsky Dr. & Mrs. David DiChiera James and Elizabeth Ciroli Dean and Aviva Friedman Meredith Korneffel Arlene Shaler Mr.† & Mrs.† Aaron H. Gloria Clark Barbara Garavaglia Eugene and Lois Miller Terry Shea Gershenson Avern and Lois Cohn Yousif and Mara Ghafari Phillip D. and Dawn Minch Matthew and Mona Mr. & Mrs. Donald C. Thomas Cohn Richard and Aurora Goetz Monica Moffat Simoncini Graves Françoise Colpron Carolyn Gordon Ali Moiin and William Sheila Sloan Mr.† & Mrs.† John C. Griffin William and Kelly Connell Reva Grace Kupsky William H. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Harry L. Jones Peter and Shelly Cooper Samuel and Toby Donald and Antoinette Phyllis F. Snow The Hon.†& Mrs.†Wade H. Joanne Danto and Arnold Haberman Morelock Anthony L. Soave McCree, Jr. Weingarden Alice Berberian Haidostian Manuel and Nora Moroun Richard A. Sonenklar and Mr. Harry J. Nederlander Helen Daoud John and Kristan Hale E. Michael and Dolores Gregory Haynes Mr. E. Harwood Rydholm† Julia D. Darlow and John Eugene and Donna Mutchler Mary Anne Stella Mr. & Mrs. Neil Snow C. O’Meara Hartwig Allan and Joy Nachman Ronald F. Switzer and Jim Mr. & Mrs. Richard Jerry and Maureen Doreen Hermelin Irving Barbara Nusbaum F. McClure Strichartz D’Avanzo Derek and Karen Hodgson Juliette Okotie-Eboh Lorna Thomas Mr.† & Mrs.† Robert C. Lawrence and Dodie Devon Hoover Peter Oleksiak C. Thomas and Bernie VanderKloot David Alan and Eleanor Israel Linda Orlans Toppin Dr.† & Mrs.† Sam B. Williams Ethan and Gretchen Una Jackman Graham and Sally Orley James G. Vella Mr.† & Mrs.† Theodore O. Davidson Don Jensen and Leo Richard and Debra Jesse and Yesenia Yntema Kevin Dennis and Jeremy Dovelle Partrich Venegas Zeltzer Kent and Amy Jidov Marilyn Victor 4 BRAVO • Fall 2018 www.MichiganOpera.org † Deceased Michigan Opera Theatre WELCOME elcome to the Detroit Opera House, home of n my opinion, opera is the best way to experience the David DiChiera Center for the Performing a story: music, the orchestra, costumes, sets, live WArts, and to the 48th Season of Michigan Opera Iactors and the energy of hundreds of people sharing Theatre. Through the breadth of the opera and dance the same performance. It is a full sensory experience performances that we produce and present, it is our goal that brings the characters to life onstage. to provide audiences with masterworks of the repertoire But oftentimes these operas are not original stories; as well as new discoveries reflective of our time. Under they are based on novels with detailed worlds that the artistic direction of MOT Principal Conductor Stephen explore specific aspects of the human experience. Lord, in collaboration with the MOT Orchestra, Chorus, This season, we are proud to celebrate great literature and leading performers from with an opera series based on around the globe, MOT maintains literary masterworks including its commitment to artistic Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene excellence. Onegin and Pierre MOT’s education and Beaumarchais’s The Barber of community programs have been Seville in the fall. crucial to our mission since Outside of Russia, Eugene initiated by Karen Vanderkloot Onegin is considered among DiChiera 40 years ago, and we the top literary Russian remain committed to increasing masterworks, and Pushkin arts exposure and education in considered the most revered the region. This season, we are proud to expand these author in Russian literature. It is a story of squandered programs through new community partners.. romance and tragic