2014 –15 Lectures and Community Engagement About the Metropolitan Opera Guild The Metropolitan Opera Guild serves the opera-loving community through arts and music education, special events, custom travel packages, the publication of Opera News magazine, and other programs in support of education and audience cultivation for this beloved art form. Arts education is crucial to every child’s development and provides lifelong engagement, yet many schools lack the resources to provide sufficient instruction. The Metropolitan Opera Guild works to fill this gap by providing high-quality arts education that uses opera in connection with existing school curriculum. These programs are supported by the generosity of government agencies, private foundations, and individuals. For more information on these opera-based educational programs for schools, please call 212.769.7023. More information on the Guild and its activities can be found online at metguild.org. Information and archives of Opera News can be found online at operanews.com. How to Use This Booklet This brochure presents the 2014–15 season of Lectures and Community Programs grouped into thematic sections, including programs that emphasize specific Met performances and productions, courses on opera and the art form’s history and culture, and editorial insights and interviews presented by our colleagues at Opera News. Our courses of study are arranged chronologically and learners of all levels are welcome. To place an order, please call the Guild’s ticketing line at 212.769.7028 (Mon–Fri 10:0 0 aM – 4 : 0 0 pM ). COVER: Eli¯na GaRanCˇ a in CArmen PhOtO: KEn HowaRd / MEtropolitan opera 2 2014 –15 Lectures and Community Engagement Welcome At the MetropolitAn operA Guild, we believe that the beauty of opera goes well beyond the stage. Since 1935, the Guild has been committed to presenting programs aimed at engaging our community’s passion for the lyric arts both inside and outside of the opera house. Our educational and community programs reach more than 500,000 young people and adults annually, helping to foster a love of opera and a lifetime involvement with the musical arts. With pre-performance lectures, artist interviews, seminars, and more, we provide relevant, engaging, and enriching experiences to a community of all ages. We are proud to present yet another season of opportunities to immerse yourself in this exciting art form. Come explore the world of opera—on stage and behind the scenes—through our education programs. Whether your enthusiasm for opera is lifelong or newly formed, I am certain that you will find our programs enjoyable and enlightening. We are thrilled to have you join us for another unforgettable journey into all that opera has to offer. Sincerely, Richard J. Miller, Jr. president Table of Contents 4 Presenters, Panelists, Artists, and Staff 5 Summer HD Festival Pre-Screening Talks 6 Insights on the 2014–15 Metropolitan Opera Season The met: Live in HD Mettalks: new Production Panel discussions Opera Outlooks: Pre-Performance lectures 12 Opera News Presents The Singers’ Studio: Casual Conversations 14 Masterly Singing: Master Classes and Workshops 16 Musical Chairs: Conversations on a Life in Music 18 Score-Desk Tickets 19 Backstage Tours 22 Guild Membership and Ordering Information 24 Courses of Study Opera Boot Camp: Fall and Spring Saturday Morning Score Readers: Crash Courses Verdi Baritones a Guide to 20th-Century Opera listening the Evolution of French Vocal writing Prima donnas: the Great women of Opera inside look: interviews with Metropolitan Opera artisans and Staff 35 Biographies of Lecturers, Presenters, and Teachers 39 Calendar of Events 44 Metropolitan Opera Guild Board of Directors 45 Map of Event Locations Presenters, Panelists, Artists, and Staff Stuart Holt Paul Gruber John J. H. Muller Director of School Programs & Executive Director, Program Professor of Music History and Community Engagement Development Graduate Studies thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild thE JuilliaRd SChool Thomas Allen Louise T. Guinther Steven Osgood Baritone Senior Editor Conductor Opera NewS Naomi Barrettara Harlow Robinson, Ph.D. Program Development Consultant Nimet Habachy Matthews Distinguished thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Lecturer, Writer, and Broadcaster University Professor NorthEaStern university William Berger Kyle Homewood Author, Radio Host, and Community Engagement Fellow W. Anthony Sheppard, Commentator thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Music James Conlon Simon Keenlyside williams COllege Conductor Baritone Music Director Ira Siff Los angeles Opera Jeffrey Langford, Ph.D. Director, Vocal Coach, and Music Director Broadcaster Professor and Chair, Music thE RaVinia FestiVal History Assistant Dean of Doctoral Diana Soviero Elspeth Davis Students Soprano Community Engagement Manhattan SChool of MuSiC Coordinator Rebecca Sullivan thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Jay Lesenger Community Engagement Assistant Director thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Plácido Domingo General/Artistic Director Chautauqua Opera Tenor Lacey Upton Community Engagement Manager F. Paul Driscoll Željko Lučić thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Editor-in-Chief Baritone Opera NewS Dona D. Vaughn Jane Marsh Stage Director Jane Eaglen Soprano Artistic Director of Opera Soprano Artistic and Program Consultant Programs thE MEtropolitan Opera Guild Manhattan SChool of MuSiC Lauren Flanigan Artistic Director PORTopera Soprano Desirée Mays Author and Lecturer Adam Wasserman Peter Gelb Online Editor General Manager Angela Meade Opera NewS thE MEtropolitan Opera Soprano Denyce Graves Mezzo-soprano 4 Summer HD Festival Pre-Screening Talks This series presents ten lectures on ten consecutive days, coinciding with the Met’s Summer HD Festival, which offers free open-air screenings of Live in HD productions on Lincoln Center Plaza. all pre-screening talks are held at the Opera learning Center, on the 6th floor of the Samuel B. and david Rose Building on 65th Street between Broadway and amsterdam avenue, from 5:30 to 6:30PM. tickets are $12 including a reserved seat to the evening’s HD screening. in case of changes to the schedule or inclement weather, lecture dates will follow Met screening dates. For up-to-date information, visit metguild.org. if a screening is canceled due to weather conditions, tickets will be refunded. Puccini verdi MaSSenet La Bohème Falstaff Werther SaT auG 23 8pM Wed auG 27 8pM Sun auG 31 8pM Ranzani; Opolais, Levine; Oropesa, Altinoglu; Oropesa, Phillips, Grigolo, Meade, Blythe, Koch, Kaufmann, Cavalletti, Carfizzi, Johnson Cano, Fanale, Bižić, Summers Gradus, Maxwell Maestri, Vassallo 2 hOuR 15 Minutes approx. 2 hOurs approx. 2 hOurs approx. tchaikovSky Borodin dvorˇ Ák Eugene Onegin Prince Igor Rusalka Mon Sep 1 7:45pM Sun auG 24 7:15pM Thu auG 28 7:45pM Gergiev; Netrebko, Noseda; Dyka, Nézet-Séguin; Volkova, Beczala, Rachvelishvili, Fleming, Magee, Kwiecien, Tanovitski Semishkur, Abdrazakov, Zajick, Beczala, Relyea 2 hOuR 40 Minutes approx. Petrenko, Kocán 2 hOurs 40 Minutes approx. 3 hOurs 10 Minutes approx. donizetti ShoStakovich L’Elisir d’Amore The Nose Fri auG 29 8pM Mon auG 25 8pM Benini; Netrebko, Smelkov; Popov, Polenzani, Kwiecien, Lewis, Szot Maestri 2 hOurs approx. 2 hOurs approx. verdi donizetti Simon Boccanegra Don Pasquale Tue auG 26 8pM SaT auG 30 8pM Levine; Pieczonka, Levine; Netrebko, Giordani, Domingo, Polenzani, Kwiecien, Morris Del Carlo 2 hOurs 20 Minutes approx. 2 hOurs 10 Minutes approx. 5 The Met: Live in HD 2014–15 Season The Met’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series of live performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world continues for its ninth season, featuring ten live broadcasts. Live in HD productions are seen on 2,000 screens in 67 countries. Don’t miss the chance to experience the Met live at your local movie theater! For more information, visit metopera.org/HDlive. verdi LehÁr Macbeth The Merry Widow Saturday, October 11, 2014 Saturday, January 17, 2015 12:55 pM Eastern Time 12:55 pM Eastern Time Mozart offenBach Le Nozze di Figaro Les Contes d’Hoffmann Saturday, October 18, 2014 Saturday, January 31, 2015 12:55 pM Eastern Time 12:55 pM Eastern Time Bizet tchaikovSky Carmen Iolanta Saturday, November 1, 2014 Bartók 12:55 pM Eastern Time Bluebeard’s Castle Saturday, February 14, 2015 rossini 12:30 pM Eastern Time Il Barbiere di Siviglia Saturday, November 22, 2014 rossini 12:55 pM Eastern Time La Donna del Lago Saturday, March 14, 2015 Wagner 12:55 pM Eastern Time Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Saturday, December 13, 2014 MaScagni 12 pM Eastern Time Cavalleria Rusticana LeoncavaLLo Pagliacci Saturday, April 25, 2015 12:30 pM Eastern Time The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, The Neubauer Family Foundation. Global corporate sponsorship of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg. The HD Broadcasts are supported by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder.™ 6 MetTalks New Productions of the 2014–15 Season Directors and stars of the Met’s 2014–15 new productions discuss the challenges and rewards of bringing their visions to the stage. All events are held at the Metropolitan Opera House, unless otherwise noted. $25 general public / $20 Met Subscribers / $15 Guild Members and students (discounts available for advance sale only.) Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro Tue Sep 16 7PM Lehár’s Merry Widow Wed dec 10 5:30PM the following Mettalks will be held at the Bruno walter auditorium and are available to members of the Metropolitan Opera Patron Program only. Please call 212.870.4502 to reserve your tickets. Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer (Met Premiere) WED OCT 15 6PM Bruno Walter auditoriuM Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (Met Premiere) & Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle WED JAN 21 6PM Bruno Walter auditoriuM Rossini’s La Donna del Lago (Met Premiere) Wed Feb 11 6PM Bruno Walter auditoriuM Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci WED APR 8 6PM Bruno Walter auditoriuM 7 Opera Outlooks Pre-Performance Talks Take a closer look at these operas in the Met’s 2014–15 season.