people wto - Wolf Trap

SUMMER 2014
ROSTER
THE
PEOPLE
OF
WTO
Eric Owens returns to
Wolf Trap as Artist in
Residence............page 11
Matthew Ozawa
discusses his two
leading ladies....page 8
Maya Layhani explores
her relationship with
Carmen...................page 4
iOPERA
INSIDE THE ROSTER
Summer Calendar........................... 17
GRAND OPERA
Carmen: Operascape......................3
She and I...............................................4
OPERA AT THE BARNS
Finding Julius Caesar......................5
Dramatic & Absurd..........................7
Tales of Two Women.......................8
From Page to Pit...............................8
SONG & CONCERT
Tuning into Les Six...........................9
Houseful of Song..............................9
Vocal Colors........................................9
Aria Jukebox.......................................11
Beethoven’s 9th................................. 17
OUR SINGERS
Alumni Updates...............................10
Homecoming: Eric Owens............11
Filene Young Artists....................... 12
Studio Artists..................................... 15
Studio Spotlight............................... 15
BEHIND THE SCENES
Language of L’amour.................... 16
Backstage Left.................................. 16
LEARN MORE!
Instant Opera!....................................6
Master Class &
Artist Panel................ Back Cover
OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
Housing Hosts................................... 18
A Lasting Legacy............................. 18
Introductions Are in Order!......... 18
Donor Appreciation....................... 19
We live in an age of customization. It’s been 15 years since iTunes launched
us on the current trend of tailoring our music, our devices, and our
experiences to our own tastes. You’ll be happy to know that Wolf Trap
Opera was (not surprisingly, of course!) ahead of this curve, for we’ve been
customizing our seasons to showcase the unique strengths of our singers
for decades. The singers we heard in last fall’s audition tour inspired us
to program an iconic Baroque work, a searingly sexy grand opera, and an
evening of French one-acts in which the dramatic meets the absurd—a
fascinating recipe for Summer 2014.
Carmen features three returning artists: Maya Lahyani in the title role,
Norman Garrett as Escamillo, and Ryan Speedo Green as Zuniga. The
abundance of Baroque sensibility and countertenor/mezzo-soprano
representation from our audition tour led to Handel’s Giulio Cesare,
featuring returning artists Ying Fang and Carolyn Sproule. Poulenc’s Les
mamelles de Tirésias has been on our wish list for a quite a few years, and
the return of Mireille Asselin gives us a rare chance to give this one-act
opera its Wolf Trap premiere. We pair it with another opera new to The
Barns—Milhaud’s Le pauvre matelot, featuring another returning soprano,
Tracy Cox.
Ten new singers complete the Filene Young Artist roster, and 16 talented
conservatory and university students form the Studio Artist group (featured
in its own scenes program and in Tirésias). Steven Blier crafts another
debut recital (Houseful of Song) for The Barns, our artists explore the
relationship between music and visual art in Vocal Colors concerts at The
Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and a quartet of singers bring their
own interpretations to Beethoven’s 9th symphony with The Philadelphia
Orchestra.
And, as has become our custom, the audience will also personalize its
own program in Aria Jukebox. This year, the choose-your-own concert
features a special appearance by bass-baritone Eric Owens, our 2014 Artist
in Residence. A Wolf Trap Opera alumnus who has starred at the Met and
other internationally recognized houses, Eric is thrilled for the chance to
return to WTO to mentor, encourage, and inspire a new generation of young
artists.
Visit wolftrap.org/opera to create your own vocal music heaven. Summer
has never sounded better!
Kim Pensinger Witman
Senior Director
Wolf Trap Opera & Classical Programming
wolftrap.org/opera • wolftrapopera.org/blog
2
GRAND OPERA
at the Filene Center
CARMEN
Georges Bizet
Friday, July 25 at 8:15 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
New Operascape production
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
In French with supertitles in house
Approximate running time 2 hours 30 minutes
Pre-Performance Discussion on the Old Farmhouse Lawn at 7:15 pm
OPERASCAPE:
A LANDSCAPE FOR OPERA
This summer’s Carmen marks our fourth outing with the
Filene Center production model we call Operascape.
Read on for a bit of history and some context!
Components of Operascape
Video Projections: The biggest
component of the visual production
comes from a 60-foot-wide projection
screen built for the Filene Center. A
video projections designer (a relatively
recent and fascinating career track)
works with the director and design
team to knit together still and video
images that help tell the story in our
large venue.
National Symphony Orchestra: The
Filene Center is the second largest
theatrical stage in the country, and
that means that we can share it with
the amazing NSO. Our singers revel
in a collaboration that’s a high point
of their careers to date, and the
audience hears the score played by
the best musicians in the area.
Continued on following page
Full Staging: Cast members
spend a full-length rehearsal
period (about 4 weeks)
preparing a completely
staged treatment of the
opera.
Costumes: A designer creates
a new look just for our
production, and costumes are
built in our shop.
CAST
Carmen.............................Maya Lahyani
Don José..................................Kevin Ray
Escamillo..................... Norman Garrett
Micaëla ............. Melinda Whittington
Zuniga................. Ryan Speedo Green
Moralès........................... Joo Won Kang
Frasquita.......................Mireille Asselin
Mercédès....................... Virginie Verrez
Le Remendado ...........Robert Watson
Le Dancaïre ...................................Tobias
Greenhalgh
The Washington Chorus
Julian Wachner, Music Director
Alexandria Choral Society
Children’s Chorus
Kevin Carr, Music Director
PRODUCTION
Conductor.....................Grant Gershon
Director ........................... Tara Faircloth
Video Projection
Design........................... S. Katy Tucker
Costume Design......... Rooth Varland
Lighting Design..............Mark Stanley
Hair/Makeup
Design..................... Elsen Associates
Language Consultant............................
Marie-France Lefebvre
Special thanks to Carmen
Production Underwriters
Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello, and
Performance Sponsors Ed and
Andy Smith. Additional support
provided by Virginia M. Friend.
2013 Operascape: La traviata
3
GRAND OPERA at the Filene Center (continued)
Continued from previous page
Microphones: This may be the deal
breaker for some, for the naked
unassisted human voice is one
of the salient features of opera.
Nevertheless, amplification is a
reality in large outdoor venues,
and our colleagues across the
country (Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia,
Tanglewood, Met in the Parks) join
us in accepting the presence of
microphones as an essential tool for
being able to bring opera outdoors.
The Birth of Operascape
This approach was born from
several years of brainstorming
and problem-solving in the wake
of difficulties with the previous
process of renting large sets for
the Filene Center stage. Many may
fondly remember the Hockney
Magic Flute and the Sendak Love for
Three Oranges, among many others.
Sadly, by the early 2000s, the
number of rental productions that
could fill our stage; remain in good
condition, not compromised by
decades in a warehouse: and rent,
ship, load in, and run affordably
at the Filene Center had dwindled
away to almost nothing. A new
model was in order—one that would
allow us to bring popular operas to
the Filene Center audience and give
our singers a chance to experience
the large stage—and Operascape
was born.
—Kim Witman
SHE AND I
Carmen and I have spent quite some
time together, on and off, in the last
few years. It’s been a roller coaster.
Quite appropriate, since she never
stays in one relationship too long.
I first sang a few scenes at school,
the quintet and the card trio. Then I
performed the final duet in a concert
in Israel with a fantastic tenor who
later became known for his wonderful
Don José. The seguidilla duet came
afterward at the Merola program, and
later the finale again in concert as
an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco
Opera. It’s interesting that the most
famous aria, the “Habanera,” came
very last, only when I finally prepared
the complete role as a cover at San
Francisco Opera. Here I was, an Israeli,
playing a Spanish Gypsy, in a French
opera, sung in English. Confused? I
was, too!
After only a few days of rehearsals,
as I was examining the multiple
bruises on my body, it was clear to
me that we are a very good match!
So who is she?
“A Gypsy child who has no law,
and who must be forever free as
air…” She is wild, passionate, smart,
uncompromising, strong, proud,
honest, confident, physical, playful,
tough, and yet very feminine. She
knows who she is, what she wants,
and how to get it!
However, I realized there is
something very exhausting in
constantly trying to break free from
anything that might bind you. Isn’t
she actually trapped in her own idea
of freedom?
She is also one of the most
physically demanding roles I’ve
played. I had to run, dance, jump on
4
Maya Lahyani, mezzo-soprano
and off tables, and lay down; I was
tied, grabbed, thrown, shoved down
the stairs, and stabbed—all while
singing! This summer there will be a
new challenge: performing outdoors!
It’s going to be hot and steamy—
quite perfect for this opera.
Wolf Trap was an incredible
experience for me last summer; one
of my most beautiful, memorable, and
fulfilling summers of music making.
Carmen is challenging and, like any
title role, it’s a big responsibility.
However, it’s going to be a joy being
surrounded by the wonderful Wolf
Trap family, and an honor and great
pleasure to share the stage with so
many of my friends who also happen
to be the most talented group of
young singers out there. Add to the
mix a fantastic conductor, a brilliant
director, and the National Symphony
Orchestra! What else can I ask for?
So, I have a few months to check
where we stand, she and I; we meet
again after we’ve grown a little, and
we’ve definitely experienced more in
life. I know everyone has their own
ideas of who she is, and how she
should be. However, she’s a free bird
who can’t be tamed, so I’m just going
to let her be. It’s going to be a wild
ride, and I’m inviting you to join me.
HANDEL at The Barns
GIULIO CESARE
George Frideric Handel
Friday, June 27 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, June 29 at 3 pm
Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30 pm
New production at The Barns at Wolf Trap
In Italian with supertitles
Approximate running time 3 hours 15 minutes
Inside the Opera preshow talk begins one hour before curtain at
the Center for Education
FINDING JULIUS CAESAR
Producing Baroque opera is not for the faint of heart, and
shepherding a Handel opera from the page to the stage requires
serving many masters. But it’s a rewarding process for those of
us who are thrilled by the particular beauty that results from the
collision of formal structure and unbridled passion.
Vocal Variety
Judicious Trimming
Baroque operas were written for
specific singers, and our method of
customizing the repertoire according
to the available talent is a wonderfully
parallel process. Of Giulio Cesare’s
six featured roles, four are written for
voices in the mezzo-soprano range.
At the 1724 premiere, two of these
were sung by male castrati, and two
were sung by women. Part of casting
this opera is finding variety within
the abundance of music in that vocal
range. This year, we solved that
problem with our discovery of two
compelling new countertenors and
a rare contralto combined perfectly
with the return of a lyric mezzosoprano. In our production, those four
roles will be inhabited by four very
different personalities with unique
and varied vocal timbres.
Casting is only the beginning. The
issue of musical cuts is never far
behind, as Cesare in its entirety
runs over four hours without any
intermissions. Even though we
know that some opera fans relish
the opportunity to experience every
note that Handel wrote, there are
places—both in the live theatre and
CAST
Giulio Cesare..................John Holiday
Cleopatra...............................Ying Fang
Tolomeo............................. Eric Jurenas
Cornelia........................... Renée Rapier
Sesto............................Carolyn Sproule
Achilla.........................Jeongcheol Cha
Nireno.................................. Kara Sainz*
Curio....................................Alex Rosen*
Ensemble...................Members of the
Wolf Trap Opera Studio
*Studio Artists
PRODUCTION
Conductor....................Antony Walker
Director...............Chas Rader-Shieber
Scenic Design...................Judy Gailen
Costume Design................Paul Carey
Lighting Design....................Robert H.
Grimes
Hair & Makeup
Design........................... Anne Nesmith
Language Consultant..............Franca
Gorraz
Continued on following page
Set design model by Judy Gailen.
5
HANDEL at The Barns (continued)
Continued from previous page
on recording—where one can still find an uncut performance
of a Baroque opera. Our goal for this production at The Barns
is to craft an evening of theatre and music that feels right to
21st-century audiences, while retaining the original shape and
proportion of the opera.
The composer’s original intentions are the starting point, but
they are often muddied by the many revisions made over the
course of the first few performances or productions. The initial
trajectory of Giulio Cesare was no exception. There is evidence
that Handel and his librettist Haym originally conceived of
Tolomeo as a tenor and Cornelia as a soprano. Within the first
year after the premiere, Sesto was rewritten for a tenor. And
over the first few years, more than a dozen arias were dropped,
replaced, and inserted. In his exhaustive Handel’s Operas books,
musicologist Winton Dean allots over 20 pages to listing the
various ambiguities and alterations found in the manuscript
sources!
Wielding the scissors and trimming Cesare down to three
hours involves a delicate calculus of architecture, proportion,
and storytelling. The architecture of Baroque opera has at
its foundation the da capo aria—an “ABA” form that makes a
musical statement, progresses to a new section (kind of like
a bridge in popular music), then returns to the first theme
and allows the performers to ornament and vary the original
material. One of the ways to reduce performance time is to
keep the original, main musical statement (the “A” section) and
cut the rest. It’s a satisfying way to retain some of the most
compelling tunes, but too much of this approach can wreak
havoc with one of the genre’s defining characteristics.
Other benchmarks are the number, type, and order of
arias given to each character. When eliminating entire
pieces, it’s critical not to allow any particular singer to bear a
disproportionate burden of what falls on the cutting room floor.
This is especially critical for a resident ensemble company like
WTO.
Finally, if the tweaking of the storyline isn’t done with care,
the process can backfire. You could end up with an opera that
is shorter when measured in minutes, but actually seems longer
because it feels fragmented.
Conductor Antony Walker and director Chas Rader-Shieber,
both veterans of many a Baroque opera, will fine-tune our version
in the rehearsal room in early June. We have worked diligently to
create the best version of Cesare for our Summer 2014 artists and
audience, and we look forward to sharing it with you!
—Kim Witman
6
INSTANT OPERA!
Sketch Comedy Meets Great Singing
July 1 & 2 at 10:30 am
Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods
Opera is too long, too loud, and too expensive
for kids, right? We beg to differ!
Imagine: you’ve stepped out of your car, and
you and your child or grandchild follow a stream
of youngsters down a winding path. You cross
over a footbridge and marvel at the fish in the
stream. You follow the sounds of music and
laughter until you reach a small, rustic theatre.
As you find your seats, a pianist onstage pleads
for the audience’s help in first finding his cast of
opera singers, and subsequently in assembling
an original opera on the spot. The characters,
the plot, and the musical choices are all made by
your youngster and the other children. Within
a short time, there’s a story about Bugs Bunny
and George Washington sailing the Potomac;
or maybe the story is about a princess saving
Darth Vader and going dancing. Maybe Harry
Potter will make an appearance!
Instant Opera! has been introducing children
and adults to opera in a fun, interactive way
for almost 10 years. Members of the Wolf Trap
Opera Studio (soprano Evan Kardon, mezzosoprano Anna Engländer, tenor Joshua Sanders,
baritone Michael Adams, and bass Alex Rosen),
along with fellowship pianist Michael Sherman,
will improvise storylines and recitative on the
spot, and craft an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind
story. Join us at the Children’s Theatre-in-theWoods to make some musical memories with
your little ones!
FRENCH ONE-ACTS at The Barns
LE PAUVRE MATELOT
Darius Milhaud
LES MAMELLES DE TIRÉSIAS
Francis Poulenc
Friday, August 8 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 10 at 3 pm
Saturday, August 16 at 7:30 pm
New production at The Barns at Wolf Trap
In French with supertitles
Approximate running time 2 hours 15 minutes
Inside the Opera preshow talk begins one hour before curtain at
the Center for Education
FROM THE DRAMATIC
TO THE ABSURD
Le pauvre matelot
(The Poor Sailor)
Les mamelles de Tirésias
(Terry’s Breasts*)
Are you the kind of person who does
his or her opera homework? Do you
search for the synopsis, skim the
libretto, and try to memorize the
characters? Normally we would not
dissuade you from doing your due
diligence, but in this case we might
encourage a different approach.
Although we’re sure you would enjoy
Tirésias even if you were to approach
it “cold,” we won’t extend that advice
for this second half of our double
bill. Poulenc’s 55-minute opera can
be enjoyed on a superficial level, but
there is also much to be gained from
coming to the theatre with some prior
information.
In our well-intentioned attempts
to drink in all that opera has to offer,
we are too often robbed of one of
the essential assets of the theatre:
enjoying the pleasure of seeing a
story unfold. The characters in this
35-minute opera are few and easy
to sort out. There’s the sailor (the
matelot), his wife, his friend,
and his father-in-law. It’s a
gripping short story with
colorful and dramatic music.
Consider coming to Le
pauvre matelot uninitiated,
and let us know what you
think!
The title character is a feminist who
changes her sex (freeing herself of
her breasts—hence the title) in order
to escape the oppression of men. Her
husband then takes on the burden of
childbearing (40,049 of them). There
are drunken gamblers, an easily duped
Set design model by William Boles.
CAST
Le pauvre matelot
Le matelot.................... Robert Watson
Sa femme ...............................Tracy Cox
Son ami ...................... Norman Garrett
Son
beau-père ....... Ryan Speedo Green
Les mamelles de Tirésias
Thérèse..........................Mireille Asselin
Mari ........................ Tobias Greenhalgh
Directeur/
Gendarme ................. Joo Won Kang
Lacouf................................. Eric Ferring*
Presto.......................... Michael Adams*
Le Fils................................ Martin Clark*
La Marchande......... Megan Samarin*
Journaliste............Michael Anderson*
Une Dame.......................Evan Kardon*
Un Monsieur
Barbu......................Matthew Turner*
Une Grosse
Dame......................G. Thomas Allen*
*Studio Artist
PRODUCTION
Conductor ................... Timothy Myers
Stage Director.......... Matthew Ozawa
Scenic Design................ William Boles
Costume
Design .................Amanda Seymour
Lighting
Design...................Robert H. Grimes
Hair/Makeup
Design..................... Elsen Associates
Language
Consultant......Marie-France Lefebvre gendarme, and a mysterious fortuneteller. It’s free-wheeling, non-linear, and
wonderfully entertaining!
*In a fit of creative translation (and in
a departure from the typical Tirésias’s
Breasts translation), we have tried to
reflect the fact that the Tirésias of the
title was a man who was transformed
into a woman.
7
FRENCH ONE-ACTS at The Barns (continued)
TALES OF TWO WOMEN
I was over the
moon when
Kim Witman
approached
me about
these operas!
I’m obsessed
Stage Director
with Poulenc
Matthew Ozawa
and love
Milhaud’s orchestral writing. Modern
music is my sweet spot; my parents
took me to a performance of
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring when I was
8 years old, and I was rapt—didn’t
move a muscle.
I’ll be honest: initially, I was
terrified of exploring the surrealism
of Les mamelles de Tirésias. There’s
a strong duality between reality and
illusion, which is difficult to portray
onstage—what’s real, what’s not real?
But I find a lot of my own work being
influenced by duality, and in digging
in, I found that each opera has a
strong center on which I can hang the
story: the women.
In Le pauvre matelot, the Femme is
that central character. She has been
waiting 15 years for her husband
to return home. She’s poor and her
business is slowly failing, yet she
remains chaste and faithful. The desire
for her husband’s return has put her
into a no-man’s-land where reality
and illusion are blurred. The more she
dreams of his return, the more she
creates a construct of her husband
that hasn’t changed; and in fact, when
he does return, that mental image is
so different that she doesn’t recognize
him. Her one constant is the fantasy of
waiting for him and dreaming of what
he’s doing where he is.
There’s a huge physical contrast
between Milhaud’s Femme and
Poulenc’s Thérèse; the latter has an
intense desire for self-liberation and
isn’t waiting around for anything.
In her world, traditional roles are
clean-cut, and she decides that she’s
not buying into those gender roles.
She takes complete authority and
frees herself; she changes her role
and takes on a new name—Tirésias. In
Greek mythology, Tirésias is the blind
man who sees everything, including
the future. Having freedom as men
have, she’s going to lead, control, and
dominate.
FROM THE PAGE TO THE PIT
Thus far in my
career, I have
conducted a
large range
of repertoire
in both the
opera and
Conductor Timothy Myers
symphonic
genres. My innate sense of curiosity has
served me well in responding to these
opportunities, so learning something
like the Milhaud/Poulenc double bill is
very exciting.
When conducting something by
Mozart, Verdi, or Puccini, I have an
existing framework by which to ingest
the piece. Preparing something from
the “fringe” of the repertoire is a
different experience. This pair of pieces
presents a particular challenge, so I’ve
8
had to better my knowledge of the
composers’ entire output. Early in my
career I was Julius Rudel’s assistant
for a production of Dialogues des
Carmélites, a piece that couldn’t be
more opposite than Tirésias! The most
important thing is to get inside the
head of the composer and librettist,
understanding the world in which they
were writing.
Orchestra rehearsals are one of my
favorite parts of the process. In working
with the orchestra, I am prepared to
give very specific technical information
in order to quickly get us “in the
groove” stylistically. For example, how
does one accomplish the French style
of string playing? How is the use of
the bow different? What is the style
of vibrato in both string and wind
playing? How do you encapsulate
stylistic use of texture and harmonic
movement? Excellent players like
those who make up the WTO orchestra
respond beautifully to these ideas.
Both pieces are quite accessible
melodically. Milhaud became
intoxicated with jazz music during a
visit to America in 1922, and this, in
addition to his existing love of Brazilian
popular music, is an undeniable
influence. Poulenc’s music has a
sassy and irreverent quality that can’t
help but engage the listener, often
reminding one of the Parisian music
halls. It’s hard for me to imagine that
after hearing the entr’acte of Les
mamelles des Tirésias, one couldn’t be
excited to hear more!
SONG
TUNING INTO LES SIX
Fine Tuning with Jeremy Frank
Sunday, July 27 at 3 pm
The Center for Education at Wolf Trap
Free concert, no tickets required
One aspect of true fine dining is that small scoop of sorbet or sip of liqueur
after the main course; it cleanses the palate, allowing the diner to approach
the next course without old tastes lingering on the tongue. This year, WTO
is offering a musical palate cleanser! Strategically positioned after the feast
of Carmen, this Les Six concert will focus on a salon of French composers:
Milhaud, Poulenc, Honegger, Durey, Auric, and Tailleferre. Representing six
varied viewpoints on life, art, and music, these composers nevertheless
have complementary aural worlds and have influenced idioms from art song
to film soundtrack. Pianist Jeremy Frank leads this journey and is capably (if
not coincidentally) assisted by six Studio Artists. Admission is free.
HOUSEFUL OF SONG
Songs for Every Room of Your Home
Steven Blier, pianist and host
Saturday, July 19 at 3 pm
Sunday, July 20 at 3 pm
The Barns at Wolf Trap
Limited capacity, in an intimate in-the-round setting
Approximate running time 90 minutes
Ying Fang, soprano
Renée Rapier, mezzo-soprano
Eric Jurenas, counter-tenor
Robert Watson, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Steven Blier’s brainstorming process must be something to behold. The
combustion resulting from his artistic sensibility, robust personal library,
and encyclopedic knowledge has brought dozens of satisfying recitals to
The Barns.
The cast of Houseful of Song will deliver songs for (almost) every room
of your home! The program will likely include elegant French music for your
salon (you do have one, right?); music for the kitchen (perhaps Bernstein’s
“Tavouk Guenksis” and Brourman’s “Love and Takeout”); and bedroom
songs encompassing both romance (Chausson’s “La nuit”) and wry humor
(Bacewicz’s “I Have a Headache”). And possibly, because we may not be able
to resist it, “Singin’ in the Bathtub.”
There will be two performances in the new intimate setup inaugurated
during last summer’s Wonders To Wander To.
VOCAL COLORS—
DOUBLED!
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Tickets available at phillipscollection.org
Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 pm
Tracy Cox, soprano
Robert Watson, tenor
Stephanie Rhodes, piano
Thursday, July 31 at 6:30 pm
Melinda Whittington, soprano
Carolyn Sproule, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Li, piano
Wolf Trap Opera returns to The Phillips
Collection in Washington, D.C. for
two evenings of artistic synergy! This
year, the singers will draw exclusively
from Made in the USA, which is the
most comprehensive presentation of
the museum’s American art collection
undertaken in nearly 40 years.
On June 19, soprano Tracy Cox and
tenor Robert Watson will perform with
pianist Stephanie Rhodes. A wholly
different program will be offered on
July 31 by soprano Melinda Whittington,
mezzo-soprano Carolyne Sproule, and
pianist Joseph Li. Tickets for these events
are quite limited, and are only available
for purchase through the museum’s
website.
As an additional bonus, if you visit
The Phillips Collection this spring,
you’ll be able to hear Wolf Trap Opera
alumna (2012, 2013) Andrea Carroll’s
interpretation of Ricky Ian Gordon’s
“Troubled Woman” from his cycle Genius
Child as part of the audio tour. The
recording is paired with “Panel 11” from
The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence.
phillipscollection.org
9
FOLLOWING FORMER TRAPPERS
FIRST, WOLF TRAP; NEXT, THE WORLD!
WTO Artists make a huge and distinctive contribution to the opera world. More than 200
of them sang at opera companies all over the world last season—67 were on the 2013–2014
Metropolitan Opera roster and 82 of them sang abroad.
Prize Winners
• The 2013 Cardiff Singer of the World is our
own Jamie Barton (2009)! She was only the
third singer in their history to be awarded
both the Song Prize and the Main Prize.
Jamie will be featured in recital this fall at
The Barns.
• Plácido Domingo’s 2013 Operalia
Competition was stormed by recent Filene
Young Artists Ben Bliss (2013) and Tracy
Cox (2013, 2014), who were respectively
awarded the Zarzuela Prize and the Birgit
Nilsson Prize.
• Former Studio Artist Rafael Moras was a
2014 National Finalist of the Metropolitan
Opera National Council Auditions.
• The 2014 George London Foundation
winners included Tracy Cox, Ryan Speedo
Green, and Norman Garrett.
• The 2014 Sullivan Foundation Competition
awarded one of its top prizes to Ying Fang.
Coming Back to the D.C. Area
If you were lucky, you heard Christine Goerke in this spring’s
Celebrating Richard Strauss at 150 anniversary concert
with the National Symphony Orchestra. Christine is quickly
becoming the go-to Strauss soprano of this generation; she
received rave reviews for her portrayal of the Dyer’s Wife in
this season’s Metropolitan Opera’s production of Die Frau
ohne Schatten. You’ll be able to see her with Washington
National Opera this September singing the title role in Daniel
Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas. Joining her in that cast are
two recent Filene Young Artists (soprano Andrea Carroll and
baritone Norman Garrett)—and one veteran performer (bass
David Pittsinger, WTO 1987).
Washington National Opera’s 2014–2015 roster contains
eight more WTO graduates! La bohème will feature Alyson
Cambridge, Corinne Winters, and Steven Labrie and will be
conducted by Timothy Myers of this summer’s French double
bill conductors at The Barns. Eric Owens and Alan Held share
performances of the title role in The Flying Dutchman, joined
by Peter Volpe as Daland. Alan also appears in Poulenc’s
Dialogues of the Carmelites, David Portillo is the Prince in
Rossini’s La cenerentola, and Ailyn Peréz (of WNO’s 2013
Elixir of Love) returns for a recital. In addition to those former
FYAs on the mainstage, WNO will welcome former Studio
Artist Aleksandra Romano into the Domingo-Cafritz Young
Artist Program.
Summer Festivals 2014
Jamie Barton
On Disc
If you’re looking for a new CD, consider Lawrence
Brownlee’s Spiritual Sketches, his second release
in as many years—a real accomplishment in the
current recording environment!
10
Many of you make trips to some of the country’s finest summer
opera festivals. If you’re on the road this summer, you can see WTO
alums at Santa Fe (Erin Morley, Kevin Burdette, Corinne Winters),
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (Stephanie Blythe), Central City
(Robert Orth, Anna Christy, Michael Sumuel) and Glimmerglass
(Andrea Carroll, Ryan McKinny, Christine Goerke, Catherine
Martin). Chicago’s Ravinia Festival features Tamara Wilson and
Ailyn Pérez in Le nozze di Figaro, Alexandra Deshorties appears in
concert, and Dawn Upshaw sings with The Knights.
“
HOMECOMING: ERIC OWENS
My time at Wolf Trap Opera, to this day, continues to be two of the
best summers of my life, if not the very best! Wolf Trap’s Filene Young
Artist residency was then, as it is now, the most coveted summer
program into which any aspiring young singer can be accepted. I
am honored and thrilled to be part of the 2014 Filene Young Artists’
experience by being the first Wolf Trap Opera Artist in Residence.
”
—Eric Owens, WTO 1994, 1995
About a year ago, we began discussing the
possibility of creating an Artist in Residence
program featuring the alumni of Wolf
Trap Opera. To that end, I had a series of
conversations with six different former Filene
Young Artists, one of whom was bassbaritone Eric Owens. When we realized that
an Artist in Residence was a real possibility
for the 2014 season, we also learned that Eric
was free for a large portion of this summer
(not a common thing!) and had a keen desire
to help us inaugurate the program.
Eric’s singing career is the strongest it’s
ever been, with recent triumphs at the Met
as Sarastro in The Magic Flute (a role he sang
at Wolf Trap in 1994) and Alberich in Das
Rheingold (for which The New York Times
proclaimed, “Mr. Owens proved an Alberich
for the ages”). His 2013–2014 season also
included performances with the Lyric Opera
of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company, the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin
Philharmonic.
It’s astonishing that within the fabric of a
thriving international career, Eric seeks out
opportunities to mentor the next generation
of artists. His Wolf Trap residency is preceded
by last winter’s participation in Renée
Fleming’s American Singers’ Opera Project
at the Kennedy Center and an appointment
as a Community Ambassador for Lyric Opera
of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited program. This is
a man with a strong commitment to helping
young artists find their way and unflagging
enthusiasm for making sure that the magic of
live music is available to everyone.
ARIA
JUKEBOX
Choose Your
Own Operatic
Adventure!
Wolf Trap Opera Soloists
with special guest
Eric Owens and
Kim Pensinger Witman,
pianist
Sunday, July 13
at 3 pm
The Barns at Wolf Trap
Eric will work formally with our young
artists in both group and individual sessions,
and he will spend six weeks on campus. His
desire is to become a familiar part of our
company’s fabric so that our artists feel free
to ask him anything and to take advantage
of his experience and expertise in many
different ways.
Our patrons will also have several chances
to participate in the excitement! Eric will
appear with the Filene Young Artists as a
special guest, singing arias of your choice
in the July 13 Aria Jukebox concert. Come
for the aria-choosing fun one hour before
curtain, and participate in a silent auction
that will choose Eric’s selections. He will also
present a public master class with several
of this summer’s singers and preside over
a panel discussion (see page 20 for more
information).
—Kim Witman
“Artistry of such gentility is rare,
the more so from a voice whose
nature wants to be big and burly,
but whose owner has other plans.”
Come one hour before
the show starts and
bring your quarters (and
bills…we won’t complain)
to stuff the jukeboxes
while you enjoy a
complimentary wineand-cheese reception.
Each singer offers four
of his/her favorite arias,
and the pieces that net
the highest $$ total
are the ones that get
sung onstage! Artist in
Residence Eric Owens
joins the fun and offers
his arias for auction.
Special thanks to the
Lincoln and Therese
Filene Foundation, 2014
Artist in Residence
Program Underwriter.
—Opera News
11
FILENE YOUNG ARTISTS
Don Pasquale (Don Pasquale,
The Juilliard School) WTO
2014: Achilla (Giulio Cesare)
Mireille Asselin, soprano
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada Training: Canadian
Opera Company, Glimmerglass
Festival, Yale University, Royal
Conservatory of Music, BrittenPears Young Artist Programme
Recent Roles: Persée
(Princesse Andromede, Opera
Atelier), Nannetta (Falstaff,
Wolf Trap Opera), Servilia (La
clemenza di Tito, Canadian
Opera Company) WTO 2014:
Frasquita (Carmen), Thérèse
(Les mamelles de Tirésias)
I’m a 50–50 kind of gal. I’m
half-Canadian, half-American.
I grew up in a household
where we spent half our time
speaking French and the other
half speaking English. I feel 50
percent urban and 50 percent
rural; I thrive in the bustle of
a big city, but I find my center
by camping or by joining my
partner for the harvest on his
family farm on the Canadian
prairie.
Jeongcheol Cha,
bass-baritone
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Training: The Juilliard School,
Bard College Conservatory,
Seoul National University
Recent Roles: Yamadori
(Madama Butterfly,
Metropolitan Opera),
Watchman (Die Frau ohne
Schatten, Metropolitan Opera),
12
I like to cook fusion Korean
food—and then eat it! I love
to observe people, and I enjoy
studying movie characters and
getting inspiration for operatic
characters from them. I used to
want to be an actor, but since
I realized how much I love
music, I decided to become an
opera singer.
Tracy Cox, soprano
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Training: Los Angeles Opera
Domingo-Thornton Young
Artist Program, Music Academy
of the West, Wolf Trap Opera,
UCLA Recent Roles: Alice Ford
(Falstaff, Wolf Trap Opera),
Female Chorus (The Rape of
Lucretia, LA Opera), Pisana (I
due Foscari, LA Opera) WTO
2014: Femme (Le pauvre
matelot), Beethoven’s 9th, Vocal
Colors
Originally from Dallas, I’ve
spent the last 10 years in Los
Angeles. I’m a visual artist of
several different mediums,
including paint/mixed media,
drawing, and graphic design. I
also dabble in jewelry design
and millinery, so if I’m wearing
something weird, chances are I
made it. I can spot Richard Kerr
earrings and Bakelite bangles
from 50 feet away, but I strive
to use that power for good and
not evil.
Ford (Falstaff, Wolf Trap
Opera) WTO 2014: Escamillo
(Carmen), Ami (Le pauvre
matelot)
Ying Fang, soprano
Hometown: Ningbo, China
Training: Metropolitan Opera
Lindemann Young Artist
Development Program, The
Juilliard School, Shanghai
Conservatory Recent Roles:
Madame Podtochina’s
Daughter (The Nose,
Metropolitan Opera), Contessa
di Folleville (The Journey to
Reims, Wolf Trap Opera),
Pamina (Die Zauberflöte,
Aspen Opera Theater Center)
WTO 2014: Cleopatra (Giulio
Cesare), Houseful of Song
I love cooking, eating, and
everything about food. I cook
a lot at home, and I enjoy it
very much. I love cats, dogs,
and flowers. I’ve recently
gotten into beading and have
found it’s fun to make my own
jewelry!
Norman Garrett, baritone
Hometown: Lubbock, Texas
Training: Washington National
Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young
Artists Program, Glimmerglass
Festival, Academy of Vocal
Arts, Philadelphia Center City
Opera, Kentucky Opera BrownForman Artist, Cincinnati
College-Conservatory
of Music Recent Roles:
Papageno (Die Zauberflöte,
Washington National Opera),
Captain Gardiner (Moby Dick,
Washington National Opera),
I was born in Chicago, but
raised in Lubbock, Texas. I love
watching movies to unwind
and taking long drives in my
20-year-old red BMW wagon!
I started college with lifelong
dreams of being an aerospace
engineer and working for
NASA, Boeing, or Lockheed
Martin. I fold origami at a very
advanced level, and was the
slam-dunk champion at Texas
Tech until I graduated.
Ryan Speedo Green,
bass-baritone
Hometown: Suffolk, Virginia
Training: Metropolitan Opera
Lindemann Young Artist
Development Program, Opera
Colorado Young Artist, Florida
State University, University of
Hartford Recent Roles: Second
Soldier (Salome, Boston
Symphony), Bonze (Madama
Butterfly, Metropolitan Opera),
Don Profondo (The Journey
to Reims, Wolf Trap Opera)
WTO 2014: Zuniga (Carmen),
Beau-père (Le pauvre matelot),
Beethoven’s 9th
Speedo is my actual middle
name. I grew up in a trailer
park in Virginia, which is quite
different from my apartment
in New York City. I love to lift
heavy objects at the gym, and
my favorite actor is Arnold
Schwarzenegger. I am afraid of
heights, even though I tower
over most people. I love to
cook BBQ, but my favorite
food is cheese. I know I love
it because I am lactoseintolerant, and I can’t live
without it.
American Bach Soloists) WTO
2014: Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare),
Houseful of Song
John Holiday, countertenor
Tobias Greenhalgh,
baritone
Hometown: Rochester, New
York Training: Palm Beach
Opera Young Artist Program,
The Juilliard School, Opera
Theatre of St Louis Young
Artist Program Recent Roles:
Leo Stein (27, Opera Theatre
of Saint Louis), Samuel (Pirates
of Penzance, Opera Theatre of
Saint Louis), Dr. Malatesta (Don
Pasquale, The Juilliard School)
WTO 2014: Dancaïre (Carmen),
Mari (Les mamelles de Tirésias)
I love traveling and
experiencing different cultures.
I grew up playing soccer
and basketball in Rochester,
New York, and I have trained
in distance running and
bodybuilding. I cowrote an
opera for kids called Operation
Superpower. It’s a superherothemed motivational show
where my Juilliard buddies
and I go into schools to
sing and to teach kids how
to discover their very own
“superpowers”—their talents
and passions.
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Training: The Juilliard School,
University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of Music,
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
Program, Southern Methodist
University Recent Roles: Sposo
(La sposa dei cantici, Ars
Lyrica Houston), Radamisto
(Radamisto, Juilliard Opera),
First Cardinal & First Oracle
(Galileo Galilei, Cincinnati
Opera) WTO 2014: Cesare
(Giulio Cesare)
As a young child, I was a
member of a boys choir, and
I love to sing gospel and
jazz music and have done so
professionally. In my spare
time I am a flight-simulator
enthusiast, and I fly the 777200 or CRJ2. Often, you’ll see
me flying on pilotedge.net
under the call sign N763BR.
I’m a proud native Houstonian,
and my husband and I are
moving back to Texas with our
beautiful cockapoo, Grace!
Eric Jurenas, countertenor
Hometown: Annandale,
Virginia Training: The Juilliard
School, University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of
Music Recent Roles: Nireno
(Giulio Cesare, Michigan
Opera Theatre), Serse (Serse,
University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of
Music), Polinesso (Ariodante,
I have a healthy obsession with
bacon. BBQ is my kryptonite.
I don’t enjoy cooking, but
anybody who serves me food
is my friend. When I’m not
eating, I am usually playing
my near-vintage N64 game
console with my like-minded
buddies. My idea of a romantic
evening is a good zombie
movie. I enjoy traveling,
crossword puzzles, playing
poker, and listening to Bach
(my other healthy obsession).
Joo Won Kang, baritone
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Training: San Francisco Opera
Center Adler Fellowship
Program, Florida Grand Opera,
Manhattan School of Music,
Yon-sei University Recent
Roles: Hermann (Les contes
d’Hoffmann, San Francisco
Opera), Germont (La traviata,
Florida Grand Opera), Marullo
(Rigoletto, San Francisco
Opera) WTO 2014: Moralès
(Carmen), Directeur/Gendarme
(Les mamelles de Tirésias)
Maya Lahyani,
mezzo-soprano
Hometown: Hod-HaSharon,
Israel Training: San Francisco
Opera Adler Fellowship
Program, San Francisco Opera
Merola Program, Seattle Opera
Young Artist Program, Mannes
College of Music Recent Roles:
Kate Pinkerton (Madama
Butterfly, Metropolitan Opera),
Marchesa Melibea (The Journey
to Reims, Wolf Trap Opera),
Page (Salome, Canadian Opera
Company) WTO 2014: Carmen
(Carmen)
I was born and raised in
Israel, with a childhood full of
summer days by the beach,
hiking, cats and dogs, bike
rides, soccer games, ballet
classes, and singing, of course.
I love art, and I’ve started
my own little collection.
The perfect day will include
avocado for breakfast, good
coffee, sun, sea, a good book,
and a great soundtrack. I give
my best concerts in the car.
I love showers. And I believe
that beauty is everywhere.
I have a beautiful family, and
my son and daughter look
just like me. Spending time
with them is the most fun
and important part of my life.
Photography is a hobby of
mine, and I also love to cook.
I am not a professional chef,
but I am trying! I am looking
forward to cooking for friends
and taking a lot of beautiful
photos while I have a fantastic
time at Wolf Trap.
13
FILENE YOUNG ARTISTS
Renée Rapier,
mezzo-soprano
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Training: San Francisco Opera
Adler Fellowship Program,
Los Angeles Opera DomingoThornton Young Artist Program,
University of Northern Iowa
Recent Roles: Meg Page
(Falstaff, San Francisco Opera),
Pantalis (Mephistopheles, San
Francisco Opera), Lucretia (The
Rape of Lucretia, LA Opera)
WTO 2014: Cornelia (Giulio
Cesare), Houseful of Song
I grew up in the beautiful
cornfields of Iowa, but was
always craving the city life.
When I was 17, I went to London
to audition for an acting school
and was rejected; a turn of
events for which I am still very
grateful. I am an animal lover
and served a brief stint as a vet
assistant. When I’m not in opera
mode, I love trying new recipes
in the kitchen, editing photos,
and devouring podcasts as fast
as I can get them.
Kevin Ray, tenor
Hometown: Cornwall, New
York Training: Houston Grand
Opera Studio, Curtis Institute
of Music, Oberlin College
Conservatory Recent Roles:
Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus,
Houston Grand Opera), Don
José (Carmen, Festival de BelleÎle), Peter Grimes (Peter Grimes,
14
Chautauqua Opera) WTO 2014:
Don José (Carmen)
Le Matelot (Le pauvre matelot),
Beethoven’s 9th, Vocal Colors
I’m from West Point, New
York, where my folks were
both military musicians. I
originally thought I would be
a saxophonist like my dad, but
ended up studying singing
at school. I’m marrying the
love of my life just two weeks
before arriving at Wolf Trap
this summer! I’m also a massive
football (that’s soccer here in
the States) fan and am looking
forward to watching nearly
every match of the World Cup!
If I wasn’t a musician, I would
definitely want to produce
public radio. I love shows like
Radiolab and 99% Invisible.
I’m also a huge history buff
and have a specific love for art
history. I got into opera after
switching majors from musical
theatre the second week of my
freshman year at my teacher’s
persuasion. I also enjoy classic
cinema and foreign films,
literature, and a good cup of
coffee.
Carolyn Sproule,
mezzo-soprano
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec,
Canada Training: Houston
Grand Opera Studio, San
Francisco Opera Center
Merola Program, Aspen Music
Festival, Rice University, The
Juilliard School Recent Roles:
Countess Charlotte (A Little
Night Music, Houston Grand
Opera), Maddalena (Rigoletto,
Houston Grand Opera), Meg
Page (Falstaff, Wolf Trap Opera)
WTO 2014: Sesto (Giulio
Cesare), Vocal Colors
I love food—both cooking it
and eating it! I spent a summer
as a kid at a culinary academy
learning to cook French food
and have had a passion for
cooking ever since. In my spare
time I practice yoga, learn
languages, and watch foreign
films. My absolute favorite
activity is hiking and generally
being in nature. On most of
my free days, I can be found
exploring whichever state park
is nearest to me.
Virginie Verrez,
mezzo-soprano
Hometown: Saint Denis de
la Réunion, France Training:
The Juilliard School Recent
Roles: Lola (Cavalleria
Rusticana, Opera d’Avignon),
Zenobia (Radamisto, The
Juilliard School), Beatrice, (Le
donne curiose, The Juilliard
School) WTO 2014: Mércèdes
(Carmen), Beethoven’s 9th
When I was little I wanted
to be a doctor, but I soon
realized I was scared of blood!
Then I tried to be a literature
teacher, but I could not read
fast enough! All that time I
kept singing opera arias in my
shower, never thinking it could
be more than a distraction. I
love the life of an opera singer:
discovering new places, new
people, new costumes, new
food, and making people
dream.
Robert Watson, tenor
Hometown: Kansas City,
Kansas Training: San Francisco
Opera Center Merola Program,
Opera Santa Barbara, San
Francisco Conservatory,
Oklahoma City University
Recent Roles: Cavaradossi
(Tosca, Opera Santa Barbara),
Henry Cox (Dolores Claiborne,
San Francisco Opera), Male
Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia,
Merola Opera Program) WTO
2014: Remendado (Carmen),
Melinda Whittington,
soprano
Hometown: Knoxville,
Tennessee Training: Academy
of Vocal Arts, San Francisco
Opera Center Merola Program,
University of North Carolina
Recent Roles: Lauretta (Gianni
Schicchi, Opera Carolina),
Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte,
Academy of Vocal Arts), Donna
Elvira (Don Giovanni, Green
Mountain Opera) WTO 2014:
Micaëla (Carmen), Vocal Colors
I love performing jazz, musical
theatre, and pop music.
I grew up playing guitar
and drumset, but didn’t
experience symphony or opera
until college. I enjoy yoga,
photography, cooking, and
planning my next adventure.
I’ve taken a zydeco tour of
the Bayou, driven across the
country, backpacked and
camped in national parks. Next
on my list is a brewery tour of
Oregon and Washington!
STUDIO ARTISTS
Michael Adams,
baritone
Academy of Vocal Arts
Texas Christian
University, B.M. 2013
Annalise Dzwonczyk,
soprano
University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory of
Music, B.M. 2014
G. Thomas Allen,
countertenor
University of California,
Irvine
Morgan State University,
B.A. 2013
Anna Engländer,
mezzo-soprano
Rice University, M.M.
University of Colorado
at Boulder, B.M. 2012
Eric Ferring,
tenor
Drake University, B.M.
2014
Michael Anderson,
tenor
Manhattan School of
Music, B.M. 2014
Nicolette Book,
soprano
Oakland University, B.M.
2014
Martin Clark,
tenor
University of North
Texas, B.A. 2015
Harry Greenleaf,
baritone
University of Cincinnati
College-Conservatory
of Music, M.M.
Michigan State University, B.M. 2014
Evan Kardon,
soprano
San Francisco
Conservatory, M.M.
Rice University, B.M. 2013
Liv Redpath,
soprano
Harvard College, B.A.
2014
Alex Rosen,
bass-baritone
Peabody Conservatory,
B.M. 2014
Kara Sainz,
mezzo-soprano
The Juilliard School, B.M.
2014
Megan Samarin,
mezzo-soprano
Houston Grand Opera
Studio
Manhattan School of
Music, B.M. 2014
Joshua Sanders,
tenor
University of WisconsinMadison, B.M. 2015
Matthew Turner,
bass
University of Kentucky,
B.M. 2014
STUDIO SPOTLIGHT
Thursday, August 14 at 7:30 pm
The Barns at Wolf Trap
By invitation
This year’s Studio Artists were selected from a group
of 369 applicants representing the strongest collegiate
singers in the country. While they’ll get quite a bit of stage
time this summer—singing chorus in our mainstage shows
and making cameos as comprimario roles—it is our great
pleasure to be able to feature them this summer in an
evening all their own. Studio Spotlight is a night of scene
work: we assign smaller bites of large operatic works to
the singers, which allows them the opportunity to explore
characters, musical styles, and ensemble work that they
otherwise wouldn’t until they have the opportunity to
perform the role for the first time.
I’ll let you in on a secret: this is one of our favorite
evenings to plan. It allows us, in casting and programming,
to imagine where these promising talents might end up,
and to give them a first taste. It also allows us to tailor the
repertoire to pieces that are both in the standard operatic
canon and well outside it. Imagine yourself with a group
of able and willing young talents and the majority of the
operatic canon to choose from—pretty heady stuff! This
season you’ll hear a vast range of repertoire, from Gluck’s
Orfeo ed Euridice to Dove’s Flight, with Mozart, Debussy,
Tchaikovsky and Rossini in between. The evening will be
directed by Alison Moritz and conducted by Stephanie
Rhodes.
Wolf Trap members at the Soloist level and above will
receive invitations to this special performance. Write
[email protected] with questions.
Lee Anne Myslewski
Director, Wolf Trap Opera Studio
15
BEHIND THE SCENES
THE LANGUAGE
OF L’AMOUR
I was born in the middle
of the woods, in a very
small town northwest of
the province of Québec,
called Ville-Marie, in
Témiscamingue. My mother
played some piano and my
sisters also played. I wanted
to start lessons when I was
Marie-France Lefebvre,
five, but the nuns said I
French coach
was too small. I tried again
until they took me at seven. I was a bit of a nerd, I
guess, always practicing before going to school and
immediately after school until dinner.
I played solo piano for a long time. Then I got lonely,
and since I could not play solo like Martha Argerich, I
thought I could try chamber music. People sought my
help with French. Italian was my next area of passion—
for the language and the repertoire. I love German,
but I don’t speak it: I work on it a lot and play a good
amount of German repertoire.
When I learn a new work, there is fascination at
every corner, getting familiar with the text and the
orchestration (if it’s an opera), and discovering the
fun harmonic surprises. When I rework an opera or
any other musical work, I often use a different score
in order to to look at it with new eyes. It is so different
when returning: all the acquired experience, repertoire,
and accumulated knowledge influences the return to
old territory. And of course all that is theoretical until
there are live, breathing singers! Then other ideas are
triggered by their singing and their personalities.
The most gratifying part of the job is seeing people
evolve and gain expertise with the language. For
instance, after working on a complete role with young
singers, it is gratifying to hear them start to use the
text to communicate the subtleties of their character,
mold it with their personality, and feel they can express
themselves artistically.
16
BACKSTAGE LEFT
Ever since I was a child, I was
irresistibly drawn to the theatre,
to the inner workings backstage.
In the theatre, creative, brilliant,
talented risk-takers surround me.
I live vicariously through them. I
am inspired by them.
It wasn’t until I graduated
college with a degree in theatre
Valerie Wheeler,
that I was dragged kicking and
Stage Manager
screaming into opera. I believed I
already knew everything I needed to know about theatre.
At the “sing-through” of my first opera, my blinders came
off. I was, quite literally, blown away by the cast of La
bohème; I had to scoot my chair back because the voices
were so big, so pure. I had no idea that real people could
do what those singers were doing. I immediately felt
exposed for a fraud. I didn’t have that talent—the skills that
only come from years of immersion in music.
I do, however, have other skills to offer. I’m hyperorganized, confident under pressure, and a clichéd multitasker. I get excited about well-prepared paperwork, and I
have an affinity for neon-colored office supplies, as stage
managers do.
Stage management is trickier and more delicate
than most might think. As cheesy as this might sound,
caring is really at the heart of stage management. I care
about the quality and integrity of the show. I care about
the artists involved in the production. I care about the
audience getting the experience it deserves. I want to
inspire confidence, security, and trust in the performers,
and support the production team in achieving the artistic
vision of the designers and director.
Every show has its challenges. Some are technically
difficult with multiple scenic elements to manage, while
others are musically challenging with intricate scores to
follow. I’m thrilled to be working on a Baroque opera in
The Barns. While the score will be something to conquer,
I know that the people at Wolf Trap will be a group of
brilliant, talented risk-takers I can consider myself lucky to
be a member of, if only for the duration of the production.
THE
PHILADELPHIA
ORCHESTRA
JUNE
SAVE THE DATE
Beethoven’s 9th
Special thanks to
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Performance Sponsors
Deborah F. and David A. Winston
17
18
VOCAL
COLORS
6:30 PM
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
GIULIO
CESARE
7:30 PM
BEETHOVEN’S
GIULIO
CESARE
INSTANT
OPERA!
10:30 AM
3
4
5
INSTANT
OPERA!
30
10:30 AM
9TH
8:15 PM
JULY
7:30 PM
AUGUST
Touring orchestras and opera
companies used to be a
perennial feature of the summer
music festival scene, but over the
last decade or two, that dynamic
has changed. In light of this
trend, Wolf Trap is particularly
thrilled to welcome The
Philadelphia Orchestra back for
their first concert at the Filene
Center since 1999. The June 28
performance of Beethoven’s
9th Symphony will have special
significance for Wolf Trap Opera:
it will feature four Filene Young
Artists as soloists. Speedo, Tracy,
Virginie, and Robert will also
have the privilege of traveling
to Philadelphia on June 27 and
appearing with The Philadelphia
Orchestra at the Mann Center.
(On the same day that we open
Giulio Cesare at The Barns…It’ll
be a busy weekend!)
16
GIULIO
CESARE
3 PM
Saturday, June 28 at 8:15 pm
Bramwell Rovey, Conductor
Filene Center
15
6
7
8
9
10
11
ARTIST
PANEL
3 PM
ARIA
JUKEBOX
3 PM
14
15
16
17
18
HOUSEFUL
OF SONG
3 PM
HOUSEFUL
OF SONG
3 PM
21
22
23
24
CARMEN
8:15 PM
26
LES SIX
3 PM
28
29
30
VOCAL
COLORS
6:30 PM
1
2
MASTER
CLASS
3 PM
4
5
6
7
MILHAUD
POULENC
7:30 PM
9
MILHAUD
POULENC
3 PM
11
12
13
STUDIO
SPOTLIGHT
7:30 PM
15
MILHAUD
POULENC
7:30 PM
INSIDE THE OPERA
PRESHOW TALKS
Center for Education at Wolf
Trap, next door to The Barns
Free, one hour before operas
at The Barns
CARMEN PRE-PERFORMANCE
DISCUSSION
Wolf Trap National Park for the
Performing Arts on the Old
Farmhouse Lawn
Free, Friday, July 25 at 7:15 pm
Tickets and more information at wolftrap.org/opera
17
OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
HOUSING HOSTS
We first hosted Heidi
Lauren Duke, a stage
management intern, in
2001. We had attended
some performances and
saw a story in a local
paper about Housing
Hosts. We had both done
summer stock in college
Housing Hosts
and remembered the
Andy and Ed Smith
annual scramble to find
local housing. A neighbor of one of the summer
group houses, Henry, would drop by the theatre
to perform random acts of kindness during the
season. This seemed like a fun way we could
help out and pay it forward.
We try to make the visiting artists feel at
home. With each new guest, we provide a written
welcome note with information about various
things in the house (Wi-Fi password, what goes
in the dishwasher and what doesn’t, etc.), how
to find local stores and services, and how to
operate the burglar alarm. One evening, however,
we came home late and found a police car in the
driveway. Our singer had forgotten how to disarm
the burglar alarm. When the police showed
up, he presented a Wolf Trap program with his
picture to prove his identity. The officers chuckled
as they told us this happens from time to time.
We were surprised about how little we saw the
artists. They live and work in another time zone—
opera time, where you need to be at your peak
at 8 pm. Post–Wolf Trap, we follow their careers
and catch their performances when we can.
We’ve also enjoyed many fun times around the
kitchen table: exotic meals, competitive Scrabble
(in multiple languages), barbershop quartet tag,
learning about a singer’s father’s collection of
Paleolithic stone tools recovered from his farm
fields after plowing—a wealth of surprising and
fun experiences! If you’re considering becoming a
Housing Host, our advice is to just do it—you will
have a blast.
18
A LASTING LEGACY
Wolf Trap Opera mourns
the loss of two great
friends, Keith and Barbara
Severin.
We have grown so
accustomed to seeing
them at performances
Keith and Barbara, Switzerland 1957
and dress rehearsals. We’ll
struggle this summer, looking for them in the audience or in the
lobby, waiting for a story from Keith or a warm greeting from
Barbara. They had been annual supporters of Wolf Trap since its
beginnings and generously gave to the Capital campaign, were
underwriters for the commission and premiere of The Inspector,
were charter members of the Legacy Circle, and religiously
attended classical music programming at Wolf Trap, including
The Discovery Series, the National Symphony Orchestra
performances, and the Opera. Many of our patrons were friends
of Keith and Barbara, and speak highly of them because of the
value and love the Severins had for our organization. Perhaps
more than anything, Keith and Barbara loved the people
involved with Wolf Trap, made time to talk, and always had
encouraging words for artists and staff.
We considered Keith and Barbara an integral part of our Wolf
Trap Opera family, and we will forever miss their kindness, their
care, and their unwavering support.
INTRODUCTIONS
ARE IN ORDER!
There is a new face around the Opera
this summer. We are pleased to
welcome Morgan Brophy to Wolf Trap
Opera! Morgan joins us as the Manager
of Artistic Operations and is part of
Morgan Brophy,
our full-time staff. Morgan comes to us
Manager of Artistic
Operations
from Ash Lawn Opera in Charlottesville,
Virginia. She’s also worked with Chicago Lyric Opera and
Washington National Opera. She is a former stage manager
who now lives in Arlington with her husband and two cats.
When you see her, please introduce yourself and say hello!
WTO DONORS
Wolf Trap Opera would like to thank the following contributors for
their support of the 2014 season with a gift of $1,250 or more:
Anonymous (4)
Virginia McGehee Friend
Jason M. Nicholson
Anonymous Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. James N.
Glerum
Alan and Marsha Paller
The Theodore H. Barth
Foundation
The Honorable and Mrs.
James M. Beggs
Ms. Diane S. Bronfman
Mark and Nancy Burnette
Doris M. Carter Family
Foundation
Donald T. Cyr
Glenda and Stephen Harvey
Shelly and Jack Hazel
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J.
Husson
Ann Jones and John
Dawson
Anne R. Kline and Geoffrey
Pohanka
Lola C. Reinsch and J.
Almont Pierce
Alan J. Savada and Will
Stevenson
Susan Sawyer
Keith and Barbara Severin
Joel Atlas Skirble: Equipo
Atlas
Ed and Andy Smith
2014 Housing Hosts
Karen Albert & Shawn Kelley
Mary Astley
John & Caren Backus
Patty Beneke
David & Cathy Bobzien
Jerry G Bridges & Sally
Turner
Lee Corey
John Dawson & Ann Jones
Ellen Dykes & Alan McAdam
Barbara Gardner
Dallas Morse Coors
Foundation for the
Performing Arts
Dave and Tammy Kramer
Theresa Thompson
Nancy Peery Marriott
Foundation
Rick R. Treviño and Larz
Pearson
John and Linda Daniel
Mars Foundation
Alton P. and Alice W. Tripp
Anna Lueje & Bill Wagner
Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello
Judith and Glenn Marshall
William Malone
Dimick Foundation
Maud Mater
The Honorable Hans N.
Tuch and Mrs. Tuch
Carlos & Maureen Marino
Eddie Eitches/American
Federation of
Government Employees
Local 476 (U.S.
Department of Housing
and Urban Development)
Ann McPherson McKee, Gift
in Remembrance of Burtt
& Rebecca Gray McKee
and Douglas & Ann
McKee Seeley
Wendell and Karen
Van Lare
Merle Mulvaney
Darcy Lynn Walker
Ellen Peebles
Mary B. White, Esq.
Laura Peebles & Ellen
Fingerman
Kevin and Maureen Feeney
National Endowment for
the Arts
Lincoln and Therese Filene
Foundation
Barbara and Ward Morris
Dick and Maiju Wilson
Deborah F. and David A.
Winston
The Paula A. Jameson Fund
for the Wolf Trap Opera
Company
Estate of Carol V. Harford,
Carol V. Harford Fund
for the Wolf Trap Opera
Company in Memory of
Catherine Filene Shouse
John and Adrienne Mars/
Jacqueline Badger Mars/
Mars Foundation, Mars
Fellowship Fund for
the Wolf Trap Opera
Company
Fund for Artistic Excellence
in Honor of Audrey M.
Mars
Linda Kauss & Clark Hoyt
Ruth & Eugene Overton
Ed & Andy Smith
Karen Sorenson & Peter Gaus
Sarah Spicer
Support for Wolf Trap Opera is also provided by the following
Endowed Funds:
Robert M. Coffelt, Jr. in
honor of Annetta J.
and Robert M. Coffelt,
The Coffelt Fund for
Wolf Trap Opera and
Education
Grace Jones
Ann McKee Fund for Opera
David and Lucile Packard
Foundation, Packard
Fund
Judith Stehling & Edgar
Ariza-Niño
Donna & Edward Stoker
Barbara & Howard Stowe
Nora Super & Len Nichols
Theresa Thompson
Wendell & Karen Van Lare
Catherine Filene Shouse
Foundation, Kay Shouse
Great Performance Fund
Stephanie & Fernando van
Reigersberg
Estate of Arthur Tracy, “The
Street Singer,” Arthur
Tracy Fund for the Wolf
Trap Opera Company
Ron & Judy Wilgenbusch
Your support makes a difference! To learn more about how you can
support Wolf Trap Opera and its young artists, please contact the
Wolf Trap Foundation Development Office at 703.255.1927,
[email protected], or visit us at wolftrap.org/give.
Paul & Pat Ward
William & Sheila Woessner
2014 Volunteers
John Feather
Fred Mushinski
Sandra Saydah
As of April 15, 2014
19
ERIC OWENS MODERATES ARTIST
PANEL AND OFFERS MASTER CLASS!
This summer, Artist in Residence Eric Owens will be your host for two exciting public events.
Admission is free, and the location is the Center for Education at Wolf Trap, located near The
Barns. Don’t miss this chance to learn about the artistic and business sides of opera from the
perspective of an internationally renowned singer!
Recitative: Plain Talk about the Future of Opera
Saturday, July 12 at 3 pm
Several industry colleagues will join Eric for a panel discussion focusing on issues of concern
to young artists. He’ll moderate an afternoon seminar on topics including artist management,
new media, career development, competitions, and surviving life on the road.
Master Class with Eric Owens
Sunday, August 3 at 3 pm
Eric will work with several young artists on style, performance enhancement, language,
stagecraft, and more!
Updates on these opportunities and more
at wolftrap.org/opera.
Go Green with Wolf Trap! Printed on recycled paper.
Wolf Trap Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.