WORLD PREMIERE The House without a Christmas Tree MUSIC BY RICKY IAN GORDON LIBRETTO BY ROYCE VAVREK HOUSTON GRAND OPERA BRADLEY MOORE Live Recording HOUSTON GRAND OPERA The Wortham Theater Center Contents Track Information 8 Houston Grand Opera 9 Cast 10 Composer’s Biography 14 Librettist’s Biography 16 Conductor’s Biography 18 A Note from Gail Rock 20 Synopsis 21 Libretto 24 Acknowledgments 66 HGO Company Credits 67 American Operas Series 68 Premium Sound and Outstanding Artists 70 Addie’s Dad (Daniel Belcher) relives his last Christmas with his wife, Helen (Heidi Stober). 4 5 The House without a Christmas Tree A Chamber Opera in One Act Based on The House without a Christmas Tree, a book by Gail Rock Music by Ricky Ian Gordon | Libretto by Royce Vavrek Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera Premiered by Houston Grand Opera, December 2017 The Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Juvenile Chorus Bradley Moore, Conductor James Robinson, Director Allen Moyer, Set Designer James Schuette, Costume Designer Christopher Akerlind, Lighting Designer Karen Reeves, Juvenile Chorus Director Kirill Kuzmin, Music Preparation Jonathan Gmeinder, Music Preparation Addie (Lauren Snouffer) sits in bewildered silence as her father, James (Daniel Belcher) demands that she get rid of the Christmas tree she won at school. 7 The House without a Christmas Tree Houston Grand Opera A Chamber Opera in One Act With its first season in 1955–56, without a Christmas Tree was HGO’s 1 Prologue 4.51 Houston Grand Opera (HGO) set 64th world premiere. 2 Scene 1 7.38 the tone for its future, staging two 3 Interlude 1: Snowballs 2.23 performances each of the still- Houston Grand Opera’s ongoing 4 Scene 2: After Dinner 13.04 shocking Salome and the repertoire mission is to advance the operatic 5 Scene 3: Caroling 4.16 staple Madame Butterfly. From that art form to serve an ever-evolving 6 Scene 4: Best Friends 2.24 modest beginning, HGO has become audience. The company continues to 7 Scene 5: School Christmas 6.04 one of the largest, most innovative, present standard repertoire in fresh, 8 Interlude 2: Journey of the Christmas Tree, Part 1 1.42 and most highly acclaimed opera new ways and also to produce new 9 Piano Interlude 1 0.31 companies in the United States. It is works that inspire future generations 10 Scene 6: The House with a Christmas Tree 10.31 jointly led by Patrick Summers, artistic of opera lovers, both in the diverse city 11 Piano Interlude 2 0.23 and music director, and Perryn Leech, of Houston and also globally through 12 Scene 7: Gentle Wisdom 4.36 managing director. technology. 13 Interlude 3: Journey of the Christmas Tree, Part 2 2.40 14 Scene 8: A Gift, Not Charity 2.29 HGO is perhaps best known as the The company is the recipient of a Tony 15 Scene 9: Nativity 3.32 record-holder among opera companies Award, two Grammy Awards, and 16 Piano Interlude 3 0.30 for commissioning and premiering new three Emmy Awards, and is the only 17 Scene 10: A Surprise for Addie 5.42 works as a means of creating a young, opera company in the world to win all American voice in opera. The House three honors. Total playing time: 73.27 8 9 Cast (in order of vocal appearance) Houston Grand Opera Juvenile Chorus Adelaide Mills/Miss Thompson/Helen Mills Karen Reeves, Juvenile Chorus Director Heidi Stober Solomon Alhakeem “Addie” Mills Alina Dong Lauren Snouffer Emily Hansen Jackie Hickman Grandma Mills Sean Holshouser Patricia Schuman Aidan Leake Elisabeth Leone Carla Mae Maximillian Macias Megan Mikailovna Samarin Christian Mathews Antonio Teodoro Billy Wild Riley Vagis Maximillian Macias Mallory Williams Gloria Cott Elisabeth Leone James Addison Mills III (“Dad”) Daniel Belcher 10 11 Houston Grand Opera Orchestra Violin Denise Tarrant, Concertmaster Sarah and Ernest Butler Concertmaster Chair Natalie Gaynor, Principal Second Violin Carrie Kauk, Assistant Principal Second Violin Viola Eliseo Rene Salazar, Principal Cello Barrett Sills, Principal Double bass Dennis Whittaker, Principal Flute Christina Medawar, Acting Principal Oboe Elizabeth Priestly Siffert, Principal Clarinet Sean Krissman, Principal Eric Chi Bassoon Amanda Swain, Principal French horn Sarah Cranston, Principal Kimberly Penrod Minson Trumpet Aaron Schuman, Acting Principal Trombone Thomas Hultén, Principal Percussion Richard Brown, Principal Harp Joan Eidman, Principal Piano Jonathan Gmeinder Music Librarian Aspen McArthur Addie (Lauren Snouffer) appears as the Angel in her school Christmas pageant. 12 13 Ricky Ian Gordon, composer American composer Ricky Ian Gordon Signature Theatre; The Grapes of has composed two previous operas Wrath (libretto by Michael Korie), for HGO: A Coffin in Egypt, written for premiered by the Minnesota Opera in Frederica von Stade (2014, with libretto 2007 and a new version premiered by by Leonard Foglia, also performed at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2017; The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Green Sneakers: for Baritone, String Performing Arts, Opera Philadelphia, Quartet, and Empty Chair (libretto Chicago Opera Theatre, and Lincoln by the composer), a theatrical song Center), and The Tibetan Book of the cycle premiered by the Miami String Dead (1996, with Jean Claude van Quartet; the song cycle Orpheus Itallie). Gordon’s catalog also includes and Euridice for Lincoln Center; My Morning Star (libretto by William Life with Albertine (with Richard Hoffman) for the Cincinnati Opera, Nelson) for Playwright’s Horizons; with a new version that premiered Night Flight to San Francisco and in March 2018 for On Site Opera; 27 Antarctica (for Renée Fleming), (libretto by Royce Vavrek) for Opera both set to text from Tony Kushner’s Theatre of Saint Louis and also Angels in America; Dream True performed in a new choral version (with Tina Landau) for the Vineyard commissioned by Master Voices at City Theatre; States of Independence Center in New York; Rappahannock (also with Landau) for the American County (libretto by Mark Campbell) for Music Theatre Festival; and Only the Harrison Opera House; Sycamore Heaven for Encompass Opera. Trees (libretto by composer) for The 14 15 Royce Vavrek, librettist Royce Vavrek is a Grande Prairie, (Naamah’s Ark). Vavrek is co-artistic Canada–born, Brooklyn-based director of The Coterie, an opera- librettist and lyricist whose opera theater company founded with Angel’s Bone with composer Du Yun Tony-nominated soprano Lauren was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Worsham. The company is currently Music. He made his HGO debut in 2015 developing a series of short films that with HGOco’s world premiere of will operatically adapt Aaron Teel’s O Columbia (composer Gregory novella-in-flash Shampoo Horns into Spears). He is also known for his six installments, each composed diverse collaborations with composers by a different composer, a project Ricky Ian Gordon (27); David T. Little supported by the Canada Council (Dog Days, Am I Born, JFK); Missy for the Arts’ New Chapter program. Mazzoli (Song from the Uproar, He holds a BFA in filmmaking and Breaking the Waves, Proving Up); creative writing from Concordia Joshua Schmidt (Midwestern Gothic); University, Montreal, and an MFA from Paola Prestini (Yoani, The Hubble the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Cantata); Matt Marks (A Song for Program at New York University. Wade [This is Not That Song], Strip He is an alumnus of American Mall); Ellen Reid (Knoxville: Summer Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist of 2015); Mikael Karlsson (Diana Development Program. Vreeland); and Marisa Michelson 16 17 Bradley Moore, conductor Conductor, coach, and pianist Bradley Festival, Paris Opera, Canadian Opera Moore was HGO’s associate music Company, and Los Angeles Opera, director from 2015 to 2018. While at among others. Moore has performed HGO, he conducted performances with mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton at of La traviata (2017); HGOco’s world the Toronto Summer Music Festival, premiere of Some Light Emerges Carnegie Hall, Frankfurt Opera, the (2017); The Little Prince (2015); and Kennedy Center, and other venues; performances of The Elixir of Love they also joined Angela Meade in (2016), Tosca (2015–16), and The Magic recital at the U.S. Supreme Court. Flute (2014–15). He also served as Moore has collaborated with Renée pianist for HGO’s Eleanor McCollum Fleming and Susan Graham at Competition Concert of Arias. He Carnegie Hall and on several national conducted The Cunning Little Vixen, tours, and enjoys partnerships with Dead Man Walking, and The Crucible Christine Goerke, Alice Coote, Eric at the Miami Music Festival; he has Cutler, Eric Owens, and clarinetist conducted Madame Butterfly at the Julian Bliss. TV appearances include Castleton Festival and The Barber of performing live on A Prairie Home Seville at Opera Colorado and has Companion with Renée Fleming and worked on the music staffs of the Yo-Yo Ma. Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg 18 19 A Note from Gail Rock Synopsis Author of the book The House without a Christmas Tree PROLOGUE to put on their snowsuits and play When I wrote about a childhood I’ve been an opera fan for years, and It is the holiday season. Adelaide Mills, outside, where a snowball fight breaks memory in 1972 for a TV special, I I know how extraordinary the entire a writer living in New York, happens out between the boys and the girls. could not have imagined that my House without a Christmas Tree cast upon a Christmas-themed department story would become an opera 45 years is. Bravo all! store window that transports her back SCENE 2 later. Houston Grand Opera Artistic to her hometown in Nebraska and a Addie has decided to ask Dad and Music Director Patrick Summers I also know what a heroic effort HGO special Christmas 20 years before. one more time if they can have a had remembered The House without Managing Director Perryn Leech Christmas tree, so at Grandma’s a Christmas Tree from his childhood and the staff made to create a new SCENE 1 suggestion, she waits until after and set the wheels in motion.