10 Message from the President Paul Helfrich, President & CEO of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Welcome to the Schuster Center and the Dayton Opera’s presentation of Strauss’s Salome! We’re glad you’re here. We’ve come to the final performances in this year’s Opera season, and that means the 58th season of Dayton Opera—and the seventh season of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance—is nearing its end. With that in mind, I would like to offer a special thank-you to my colleague Thomas Bankston, now in his 23rd year as Artistic Director of Dayton Opera. Tom is one of our great treasures in the Dayton arts scene, and it is an honor and privilege to work with him to bring fantastic operatic performances to the stage. My congratulations and thanks as well to the members of the Dayton Opera Chorus and their chorus master, Jeffrey Powell, whose efforts provide such wonderful enhancement to our productions. Thanks as well to the dedicated professional musicians of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, for all they do. I am in awe of the musicianship I hear in our orchestra—whether in concert or supporting the Opera and Ballet from the pit, our musicians are amazing, and I am very grateful to them for their artistry and commitment. It is an inspiration for all of us. Speaking of inspiration, here’s a special salute to Nancy Farkas and all the dedicated volunteers of the Opera Guild of Dayton. Their work helps win new friends for opera, in the concert hall and in classrooms around the Miami Valley. Brava! Our Board of Trustees and Community Advisors are worthy of special mention. They represent the community in the business of the Alliance and give the Alliance a voice in the community. They support everything we do, help provide resources, and set our course for the future. My thanks to each and every one of them! Finally, I thank the tireless and dedicated staff of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. The accomplishments of the Alliance rest on the foundation they build through their work, every single day. I could not ask for a better team, and I’m honored to work with them. I’m looking forward to this production, and I’m also looking forward to the next Dayton Opera season. The five performances it includes will offer the full range of operatic experiences. First, there’s the Season Opening Spectacular, produced as a stunning collaboration with Dayton Ballet and Dayton Philharmonic, in which the forces of these three magnificent art forms will join together to present Haydn’s Creation in a bold, groundbreaking style. Fully staged productions of Puccini’s beloved La bohème and Rossini’s operatic presentation of the classic fairy tale La Cenerentola (Cinderella) follow in November and February. In March 2020, next season’s Star Recital brings us a Metropolitan Opera star and protégé of Plácido Domingo, soprano Angel Blue. The season closes with a glorious tribute to the Baroque composers, who started the art form of opera as it is known today, with Going for Baroque! In addition to the Opera season, Dayton Ballet will offer a variety of innovative programs, including ballet versions of opera fan favorites Carmen and Madame Butterfly. The Philharmonic Masterworks season will celebrate Beethoven on the occasion of his 250th birthday, as well as recognizing our own Neal Gittleman for 25 years with the orchestra. There’s also a brand-new series of films live with orchestra, including Apollo 13, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Putting the new season together with my amazing colleagues is one of my favorite parts of my job. I invite you to pick up a brochure in the lobby and check out all that we have to offer. It is an honor indeed to work with our fantastic artists in bringing such great experiences to the community, and it’s an honor to have your support and patronage. If you have comments you wish to share or questions you wish to ask, please contact me at [email protected]. Enjoy the performance! With my hearty greetings, Paul A. Helfrich 11 12 Message from the Board Chair John Beran, Chair, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Board of Trustees Dear Citizens of the Miami Valley, My last two letters reflected on the direction embarked on by the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance through its Strategic Plan and its purpose to be our community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera and orchestral music. I think we clearly demonstrated our commitment to that purpose through the outstanding performances you have enjoyed thus far and will continue to enjoy throughout this spring, ranging from Ryan Speedo Green to Sleeping Beauty to Salome to Mozart and Mahler. The quality and diversity of our programming exemplifies our ability to leverage the unique artistic structure of our Alliance, as well as our commitment to community service and education. Now I would like to focus on another goal of our plan that is necessary to help achieve our vision “to transform lives through the power of music and dance.” But first, let me ask you a question: Do you believe the performing arts and the DPAA matter to Dayton? If you answer the question with a resounding yes, then try to imagine a Dayton without the performing arts. This then brings me to the goal of sustainability through the power of philanthropy. The term “philanthropy” is a combination of two ancient Greek works: philos, meaning “love” in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing and enhancing; and anthropos, meaning “human being” in the sense of our common humanity. Thus, “philanthropy” means “the love of humanity.” There is a belief held by many about the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance—that the subscription and ticket sales are enough to cover the cost of performances as well as education and community outreach. This is simply not true. In fact, they represent less than 40% of the expenses necessary to support our performances and programming. That is why private philanthropy is needed. No longer is philanthropy just about wealthy individuals making huge gifts that make headlines. The reality is that all donations count. When you give, no matter what amount, you are part of a community that has decided it wants to support the arts and education in the Dayton community. Because we know how the arts touch people’s lives and improve our community, private philanthropy is a powerful enabler of the DPAA. As you consider my comments, I would like you to reflect on the following: • How have the performing arts and the Alliance impacted your life and those around you? • Have you ever experienced an art form other than the one you subscribe to? Go on and give it a try! • Are you familiar with our Education and Community Outreach Programs? And how we touch the community beyond the stage? • If you are a business owner or corporate executive, how do you want our community to be perceived? • Have you told your friends/family about the quality and beauty of our performances? Invite them to join you. • How will you help the Alliance and the performing arts grow and fulfill its mission to our community? • Can you imagine a Dayton without the performing arts? In closing, I want to thank you for your support in helping us keep our mission alive through your subscriptions and annual giving and in appreciating how the power of philanthropy, personally and collectively, will help sustain the performing arts in Dayton for generations to come. 14 Thomas Bankston Artistic Director, Dayton Opera We close our 2018–2019 Vistas Season with Salome, the amazing work of the great German opera composer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Richard Strauss. This is the only work of Richard Strauss presented by Dayton Opera in its 58-year history, with one performance in each of the 1968–1969 and 1978–1979 seasons. So it is certainly time, after 40 years, that we again bring this monumental work to our company and to you, our audience. One does not undertake a production of Salome without having assembled the significant forces it takes to realize this very difficult and challenging score. For the orchestra it is truly a tour de force, and the members of the Dayton Philharmonic under Neal Gittleman’s leadership are more than up to the technical hurdles of Strauss’s demanding orchestral writing. In addition, on the vocal side I know that our cast, led by the role-debuting Salome of Dayton Opera favorite soprano Kara Shay Thomson, will rise to the high bar that Strauss has set, both vocally and dramatically, in this dauntingly complex opera. So hold on to your seats for an exciting journey and the operatic ride of your life. The exciting ride that Salome is certain to be would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors from the community. We begin with our season-long DPAA Innovation Partner, the DP&L Foundation—Powering Innovation in the Performing Arts. Our Principal Sponsors are the Jesse and Caryl Philips Foundation and the Harry A. Toulmin, Jr., and Virginia B. Toulmin Fund of The Dayton Foundation; our Leadership Sponsors are Emerson Climate Technologies and the Bill and Jackie Lockwood Family Foundation, and Associate Sponsor support is provided by Mr. Donald Hoffman. Orchestral Music Provider is The Jesse and Caryl Philips Foundation, Surtitle Provider is the Opera Guild of Dayton, and our cast party host is Salar Restaurant.