Photo © Philip Newton Photo JAMIE BARTON & ANGELA MEADE IN CONCERT PREMIERES OCT. 30, 7 PM THE ELIXIR OF LOVE PREMIERES NOV. 13, 7 PM FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR FROM THE PRESIDENT Photo © Sunny Martini © Sunny Photo Photo © Philip Newton Photo Welcome to the second half of our fall 2020 season, which starts with a special recital Welcome to two original Seattle Opera productions: a recital featuring soprano Angela featuring two operatic stars: Angela Meade and Jamie Barton. It is our pleasure to bring Meade and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton along with pianist John Keene, and Donizetti’s you this duo of world-renowned artistry on Friday, Oct. 30, in a program dedicated to The Elixir of Love, both from the stage of McCaw Hall. First, Jamie and Angela will light up Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Then on Friday, Nov. 13, we invite you to partake in Donizetti’s comic your home with their startlingly powerful voices. Lucky for us, since they appear in recital, love story, The Elixir of Love. We hope these performances brighten your day, make you we can really focus on pure, uncut voice, voice, voice! Hold on to your armchair! laugh, and relax you for a few hours. But why go through all the challenges of creating Then, the season’s on-stage opera adventure begins. We are thrilled to bring Donizetti’s something new? I’ve been asked this question a few times. Why not just hold out until delightful comedy, the first of our staged-just-for-streaming operas, to your home. things get better? As promised in my last letter, we at Seattle Opera are working tirelessly to bring you the Seattle Opera is a community of artists driven by human desire, creativity, and curiosity. maximum opera experience possible within the restrictions that will keep us all safe. While “Holding out” was never an option we considered. We believe that humans are hard wired we are excited about sharing with you the deliciousness we are finding in our productions, to create and seek the new. Neuroscience confirms this. “When we fail to seek, we fail to we recognize that what Seattle Opera can offer during a pandemic is different from what live, and we diminish our own happiness,” says Jaak Panksepp, a noted psychobiologist. any of us had planned. During the past several months, you’ve probably experienced the same phenomenon, assembling puzzles, testing new bread recipes, planting gardens, or even tackling a home This is a crisis and an opening. We are actively using this period as an opportunity to move improvement project or two. Sitting idly—passing time with no particular purpose, reason, ahead. We are harnessing today’s video, editing, and virtual streaming technologies to or foundation—is not the way most of us want to spend our lives. showcase the artistry of outstanding singers, musicians, and technicians. As you will see in Elixir, we are learning a lot about recording and streaming operas! For artists the desire to create is magnified. “If you’re an artist, there are always new modes of expression, new things to create and communicate. The world isn’t fixed, it’s always Another example is our signature gala event, the Big Opera Party, that will morph into an changing, so that means you have to create anew in light of the changes,” says philosopher engaging online opera celebration—The Big Online Opera Party. We are looking forward to and cognitive scientist Evan Thompson. Putting the pieces of this production together was coming together with you and everyone across the globe with internet access to celebrate not only good for our minds; it was good for our souls. What’s more, being back in McCaw Seattle Opera at the end of February. Plus, you get to wear your fuzzy slippers for it! Hall to sing and make music was an emotional thrill for all of us. We hope it thrills you, too. Very fun! Online streaming is not the way we intended to present these productions when we Finally, let me share one more way that this season is unique. Every season, donated announced them a year ago; however, they are the same title and the same recital. But support makes up the majority of SO’s revenue. But this season, a significant source of we’ve adapted them in creative and innovative ways in order to bring them to you safely. revenue—ticket sales for live performance—is simply not available. This season, financial Nevertheless, the music, sets, costumes, lighting, and staging are designed for you, our contributions are absolutely essential. This is not hyperbole; it is plain fact. subscribers, to enjoy. Your financial support is crucial to the future of Seattle Opera. Your donations allow us to Angela and Jamie will present an engaging and fun mix of selections, including works sustain current operations. To create original productions for these unusual times. And, by Verdi, Bellini, and Irving Berlin! And our production of Elixir features tenor Andrew most of all, to launch a renewed Seattle Opera. Without your contributions, none, not one, Stenson, sopranos Tess Altiveros and Madison Leonard, baritone Michael Adams, as well of these is possible. as bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi all singing under conductor Carlo Montanaro. The libretto Thank you so much for your loyalty and generosity. For all you have done; for all you combines sharp comedy and heartfelt pathos, making it one of the most beguiling and will do. timeless narratives created in the nineteenth century. For now, join us for two fabulous evenings! Set up the big screen, order a pizza (or two), So grab your favorite beverages and snacks, get comfortable, and immerse yourself in pop a bottle of Chianti (or two), and enjoy Meade & Barton and Elixir! this wonderful music. Christina Scheppelmann Lesley Chapin Wyckoff, President A DEDICATION TO RUTH BADER GINSBURG JAMIE BARTON & ANGELA MEADE WITH JOHN KEENE, PIANO “Our very first duo recital together took place at Stage Director................................................................................................................David Gately the Supreme Court in November 2015, where Film Director...................................................................................................................Kyle Seago we performed at the invitation of Supreme Court Lighting Designer.............................................................................................................Connie Yun Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Production Stage Manager.........................................................................................Yasmine Kiss Assistant Stage Manager..................................................................................Adrienne Mendoza We were deeply honored to be asked and elated to have a chance to share with her how her work had impacted our lives. “Oh, rimembranza” from Act I of Norma .....……...……...….……... Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835) That experience immediately became—and has remained—one of the high points in each Angela Meade and Jamie Barton of our careers. “Morrò, ma prima in grazia” from Un ballo in maschera .....……. Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) In this moment, we are mourning the tremendous loss that so many of us are feeling at Angela Meade Justice Ginsburg’s passing. And the timing is hitting home for us in a deeply personal way. “O don fatale” from Act IV of Don Carlo ....……....……........……...….…….….……….….………… Verdi One of her great loves in this life was music, and her support for us as artists was palpable Jamie Barton and humbling. That we are now able to sing publicly for the first time in more than half a year, just as she has departed, makes this poignant moment even more meaningful to us. “Sisters” from White Christmas ......……...…..….………….….....……….. Irving Berlin (1888–1989) Angela Meade and Jamie Barton In gratitude for the life, work, and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who worked so tirelessly to make the world a better place for all, we dedicate this recital to her. Peace be upon her.” “Dio, che mi vedi in core” from Act II of Anna Bolena ....…... Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) Angela Meade and Jamie Barton – Jamie Barton and Angela Meade “Acerba voluttà” from Act II of Adriana Lecouvreur ....….......... Francesco Cilèa (1813–1901) Jamie Barton “Ich ging zu ihm” from Act II of Das Wunder der Heliane .......... Erich Korngold (1897–1957) Angela Meade “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun .....…..................................................... Berlin Jamie Barton “Mira, o Norma” from Act II of Norma ................................................................................. Bellini Angela Meade and Jamie Barton EVERY PERFORMANCE IS A GIFT, THANKS TO YOU! Giving to Seattle Opera matters, especially now. This season your contributions will keep SEATTLE us singing. We have reduced operations significantly, scaling down our normal budget from nearly $24 million to $12 million due to the loss of ticket revenue. We estimate that nearly seventy-five percent of our revenue will be from donations. When you give to Seattle OPERA Opera, you support: Employing artists performing this fall Investing in future performances Supporting technology upgrades to bring you opera in new ways Your gift today will determine the future of opera in Seattle, Washington State, and the Pacific Northwest. Contributions of every amount matter. Our viability is dependent on the passion and generosity of you, lovers of music, drama, and the power of the human voice. THANK YOU! THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS INDUSTRY RESIDES IN THE THROATS OF ITS SINGERS. WE CAN HAVE ALL THE SETS, COSTUMES, LIGHTS, AND ORCHESTRA WE COULD WANT AND 2020/21 EXPENSES YET, WITHOUT THE CORE OF THE HUMAN VOICE, IT IS NOT OPERA. THE GRANDNESS OF OPERA IS IN THE VOICE. THANK TOTALING $12 MILLION YOU, SEATTLE OPERA, FOR ALLOWING ME THE CHANCE TO TELL A STORY AND USE MY VOICE. Staffing $2,785,393 Artists $3,808,835 —ALEXANDRA LOBIANCO, DRAMATIC SOPRANO AND PERFORMER IN CAVALLARIA RUSTICANA HIGHLIGHTS RECITAL SEPTEMBER 2020 Fundraising $1,032,017 Subscriber and Donor Communications and Engagement Costume, Sets, $813,998 Lighting, and Technical $1,437,779 Community and School Programs McCaw Hall $759,400 and Opera Center $1,316,659 Photo © Elle Logan © Elle Photo ADD YOUR VOICE AT WWW.SEATTLEOPERA.ORG/DONATE PREMIERES FRIDAY NOV.