2011 Festival Season
2010-08-31
Tickets are now on sale through the Box Office, call 505-986-5900 or 800-280-4654.
View the 2011 Festival Season performance calendar or season brochure now.
Note: Online ticketing begins in late September.
2011 SEASON
Gounod,
Faust
. New Production. First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera
Puccini,
La Bohème
. Revival
Vivaldi,
Griselda
. First Major U.S. Production
Menotti,
The Last Savage
. New Production. First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera
Berg,
Wozzeck
. Revival
Five productions will be offered in The Santa Fe Opera’s 2011 festival season, three of which are being presented for the first time. Details were announced today by General Director Charles MacKay. Heading the list is the first major U.S. production of Vivaldi’s opera, Griselda. Also featured are Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Last Savage, marking the centennial of the composer’s birth, and Gounod’s beloved masterpiece, Faust. Returning are the 2007 production of Puccini’s La Bohème and the acclaimed 2001 staging of Berg’s Wozzeck.
“The 2011 season is in the best Santa Fe Opera tradition, staying true to its mission of presenting a mix of repertory with a rarity in Menotti’s The Last Savage, a premiere -- in this case something very old that is new -- Vivaldi’s Griselda written in 1735, and a major 20th century masterpiece, Berg’s Wozzeck, along with Faust and La Bohème,” MacKay said in his announcement.
“One of my programming goals is to expand the Company’s repertory by introducing standard works that have never been performed here and Faust is surely in that category. From the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, Faust was the number one opera in the world. There were performances everywhere and it still is in the repertory of many major opera companies. And why not? The opera is full of stunning melodies.”
“We all know that in these difficult economic times many companies are finding it necessary to make compromises. The Santa Fe Opera is determined to keep broadening the repertory, and not to be timid about the operas it presents. Plans for forthcoming seasons are already well under way and there are a number of important operas on the list. By planning further ahead, we are more likely to enter in co-productions with other opera companies both in this country and abroad. Sharing resources makes sense and joint ventures allow much broader exposure to lesser known works. Szymanowski’s rarely performed opera, King Roger, a huge hit in Europe and features Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role, is on our list for 2012, and a new commission is in the works for 2013 featuring David Daniels,” MacKay said.
The Santa Fe Opera presented Gian Carlo Menotti’s Help! Help! The Globolinks in 1969 with the composer as director. The Last Savage, written in 1963, received its American premiere the following year at the Metropolitan Opera. It has rarely been seen since. “The composer described the work as an opera buffa in the style of Mozart and Rossini, and a gentle satire on contemporary life. It needs to be seen and heard again,” observed MacKay.
Griselda marks the return of countertenor David Daniels, and Peter Sellars as director. “Everyone who loves Vivaldi’s Four Seasons will love Griselda,” remarked MacKay. “It may be just a coincidence, but three Italian composers whose works are associated with beautiful melodies --Puccini, Menotti and Vivaldi -- are all on our roster in 2011.”
“2011 offers a record twenty-two debuts,” said MacKay. “Following The Santa Fe Opera tradition, some of the brightest young singers from this country and abroad who are making names for themselves will have an opportunity to be seen and heard in important roles. David Robertson, Music Director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will conduct Wozzeck. He is one of the country’s busiest conductors and I am pleased he will join us. Conductor Grant Gershon who has had a long affiliation with the Los Angeles Opera is also new this season. Other debuts include tenors Bryan Hymel, David Lomeli, and countertenor Yuriy Mynenko, second prize winner in the 2008 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, in his American opera debut, bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, the young Italian soprano Nicola Beller Carbone in her American operatic debut, and Richard Paul Fink in Wozzeck’s title role.”
DEBUTS
SINGERS: Jamie Barton, Nicola Beller Carbone, Robert Brubaker, John Del Carlo,
Richard Paul Fink, Bryan Hymel, David Lomeli, Christopher Magiera,
Amanda Majeski,Yuriy Mynenko, Daniel Okulitch, Eric Owens,
Sean Panikkar, Ailyn Pérez, Stuart Skelton, Matthew Worth, Jennifer Zetlan
CONDUCTORS: Grant Gershon, David Robertson
DIRECTOR: Ned Canty
SCENIC DESIGNER: Benoit Dugardyn
COSTUME DESIGNER: Sue Willmington
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Mark McCullough
RETURNING ARTISTS
SINGERS: Meredith Arwady, Anna Christy, David Daniels, Mark Doss, Paul Groves, Thomas Hammons,
Jennifer Holloway, Isabel Leonard, Ana María Martínez, Corey McKern, Keith Phares,
Dimitri Pittas, Patricia Risley, Heidi Stober, Christian Van Horn
CONDUCTORS: Frédéric Chaslin, George Manahan, Robert Spano
DIRECTORS: Paul Curran, Stephen Lawless, Peter Sellars, Daniel Slater
SCENIC DESIGNERS: Gronk, Robert Innes Hopkins, Kevin Knight, Allen Moyer
COSTUME DESIGNERS: Robert Innes Hopkins, Kevin Knight, Allen Moyer, Dunya Ramicova
LIGHTING DESIGNERS: Rick Fisher, James F. Ingalls, Duane Schuler
CHOREOGRAPHER: Seán Curran
* Debut
+ Former Apprentice
- - - - - - -
FAUST
Charles Gounod
First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera
Sung in French
July 1, 6, 9, 15; August 1, 8, 15, 20, 24, 27
| CONDUCTOR |
Frédéric Chaslin |
| STAGE DIRECTOR |
Stephen Lawless |
| SCENIC DESIGNER |
Benoit Dugardyn* |
| COSTUME DESIGNER |
Sue Willmington* |
| LIGHTING DESIGNER |
Mark McCullough* |
| |
|
| FAUST |
Bryan Hymel*
(July 1-August 1) |
| |
Dimitri Pittas+
(August 8-27) |
| MARGUERITE |
Ailyn Pérez* |
| MÉPHISTOPHÉLÈS |
Mark Doss+ |
| VALENTIN |
Matthew Worth*
(July 1-August 1) |
| |
Christopher Magiera*
(August 8-27) |
| SIÉBEL |
Jennifer Holloway+ |
| MARTHE |
Jamie Barton* |
Goethe’s classic story, Faust, is well-known in Gounod’s 1859 operatic setting. Having traded his soul to the Devil in order to regain his youth, the aged philosopher discovers that he has given up much more than he gained. Long one of the world’s most popular operas, it was chosen to inaugurate the newly built Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1883. Newly appointed Chief Conductor Frédéric Chaslin, who led La Traviata in 2009, returns to lead this new production directed by Stephen Lawless, who staged the popular Elixir of Love in the 2009 season. New to Santa Fe is the design team of Benoit Dugardyn, Sue Willmington and Mark McCullough. The title role will be shared by Bryan Hymel and Dimitri Pittas, who sang the role of Nemorino in the 2009 Elixir of Love. Hymel, a native of New Orleans, began his career at nineteen at the Aspen Music Festival. He was a recent finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Faust marks his Company debut. Marguerite will be sung by Ailyn Pérez, also making her Santa Fe Opera debut. A native of Chicago, she has won a number of important vocal competitions, including the 2006 Operalia Competition and the George London Foundation Competition, and has appeared with American opera companies. Mark Doss is Méphistophélès. He last appeared in Santa Fe as Mustafà in the 2002 production of The Italian Girl in Algiers. Jennifer Holloway , who sings the trouser role of Siébel, was Prince Charming in the 2006 production of Cinderella. Pittas, Doss and Holloway are former apprentices. Jamie Barton, who will also appear in The Last Savage, was featured in the February 2010 issue of Opera News.
- - - - - - -
LA BOHÈME
Giacomo Puccini
Revival of the 2007 Production
Sung in Italian
July 2, 8, 13, 22; August 2, 6, 10, 13, 16, 23, 26
| CONDUCTOR |
Robert Spano |
| DIRECTOR |
Paul Curran |
| SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGNER |
Kevin Knight |
| LIGHTING DESIGNER |
Rick Fisher |
| |
|
| MIMÌ |
Ana María Martínez |
| RODOLFO |
David Lomeli* |
| MUSETTA |
Heidi Stober |
| MARCELLO |
Corey McKern+ |
| SCHAUNARD |
Keith Phares |
| COLLINE |
Christian Van Horn |
| BENOIT/ALCINDORO |
Thomas Hammons+ |
A perennial favorite, La Bohème features Ana María Martínez and David Lomeli as the star-crossed lovers, Mimì and Rodolfo. Martínez returns to The Santa Fe Opera for the first time since 2005, when she appeared as Rosina in The Barber of Seville. David Lomeli, a Mexican tenor, is making his company debut. Lomeli was the first singer from that country to win top prize in the Plácido Domingo Operalia Competition which he won in 2006. Heidi Stober, who captivated Santa Fe audiences in the 2007 production of Platée, is Musetta. Former apprentices Corey McKern, reprising his role as Marcello from 2007, and Thomas Hammons, Dr. Dulcamara in the 2009 Elixir of Love, will also appear. Conductor Robert Spano, music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, leads the production. He last appeared in Santa Fe in 2002, conducting the American premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin.
- - - - - - -
GRISELDA
Antonio Vivaldi
First Major U.S. Production
Sung in Italian
July 16, 20, 29, August 4, 9, 19
| CONDUCTOR |
Grant Gershon* |
| DIRECTOR |
Peter Sellars |
| SCENIC DESIGNER |
Gronk |
| COSTUME DESIGNER |
Dunya Ramicova |
| LIGHTING DESIGNER |
James F. Ingalls |
| |
|
| GRISELDA |
Meredith Arwady |
| ROBERTO |
David Daniels |
| COSTANZA |
Isabel Leonard |
| OTTONE |
Amanda Majeski* |
| CORRADO |
Yuriy Mynenko (American Opera Debut)* |
| GUALTIERO |
Paul Groves |
Antonio Vivaldi, long admired for the beauty and variety of his many concertos and chamber works, was also the composer of 49 operas which were performed with great success during his lifetime. General Director Charles MacKay, who has been exploring Vivaldi operas for a number of years, believes that Griselda is one of the composer’s crowning achievements. When he approached countertenor David Daniels about singing the role of Roberto, Daniels was enthusiastic about returning to Santa Fe and in a “new” baroque opera. In discussions with MacKay, director Peter Sellars also expressed great interest in putting Griselda on the stage. This collaboration has resulted in the first major American stage production. The opera tells the story of a queen, scorned by her subjects because of her lowly birth, who gains their love and fidelity by her courage and endurance.
David Daniels, one of the world’s most acclaimed countertenors, made his Santa Fe Opera debut in 2008 in the title role in Handel’s Radamisto. Meredith Arwady appeared as the mother in the 2007 Daphne, and Isabel Leonard as Cherubino in the 2008 Marriage of Figaro. Making his American opera debut in this production is Yuriy Mynenko, a young countertenor from Ukraine. Also debuting is conductor Grant Gershon. Currently the music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he also is the chorus master and associate conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. From 1994 to 1997 he was assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Peter Sellars has directed in Santa Fe three times, most recently staging the 2008 American premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater. He is one of the world’s most versatile directors, leading acclaimed theater and opera productions on three continents. Costumes will be designed by Dunya Ramicova who created the costumes for The Santa Fe Opera world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Emmeline in 1996.
- - - - - - -
THE LAST SAVAGE
Gian Carlo Menotti
First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera
Sung in English
July 23, 27; August 5, 11, 18, 22, 25
| CONDUCTOR |
George Manahan |
| DIRECTOR |
Ned Canty* |
| SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGNER |
Allen Moyer |
| CHOREOGRAPHER |
Seán Curran |
| |
|
| ABDUL |
Daniel Okulitch* |
| KITTY |
Anna Christy |
| SARDULA |
Jennifer Zetlan* |
| MAHARANEE |
Jamie Barton* |
| KODANDA |
Sean Panikkar* |
| MR. SCATTERGOOD |
John Del Carlo* |
| |
|
Gian Carlo Menotti wrote his opera, The Last Savage in Italian; it was premiered in French in October, 1963, at the Opéra Comique, Paris, and received its American premiere, sung in English, at the Metropolitan Opera three months later. The composer directed the Metropolitan production; George London headed an all-star cast as Abdul (the savage). The most recent performances of The Last Savage took place at the Spoleto Festival in Italy in 1984.
The Santa Fe Opera production will be conducted by George Manahan, who led 21 productions here between 1980 and 1996. Director Ned Canty is making his mainstage debut, having directed Apprentice Scenes in 2009. His list of opera productions is extensive, covering a wide range of repertory. The role of Abdul will be sung by the young Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch. First seen in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of La Bohème, he has subsequently appeared with opera companies here and abroad in both the standard and contemporary repertory. He received national attention in The Fly by Howard Shore, premiered by the Los Angeles Opera in 2008. Anna Christy, last seen in Santa Fe in Lucio Silla in 2005, made her Metropolitan Opera debut that same season as Papagena in The Magic Flute, and has since sung in major opera houses and concert halls in Europe and this country.
- - - - - - -
WOZZECK
Alban Berg
Revival of the 2001 Production
Sung in German
July 30; August 3, 12, 17
| CONDUCTOR |
David Robertson* |
| DIRECTOR |
Daniel Slater |
| SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGNER |
Robert Innes Hopkins |
| LIGHTING DESIGNER |
Rick Fisher |
| |
|
| WOZZECK |
Richard Paul Fink* |
| MARIE |
Nicola Beller Carbone* |
| DOCTOR |
Eric Owens* |
| MARGRET |
Patricia Risley |
| DRUM MAJOR |
Stuart Skelton* |
| CAPTAIN |
Robert Brubaker* |
Considered a modern masterpiece, Wozzeck, Berg’s searing study in madness, is a classic in the operatic repertory. The scenic design by Robert Innes Hopkins, first seen here in 2001, conveys the claustrophobic atmosphere that permeates the opera. Both he and British-born Daniel Slater, the director of the original production, are returning. Debuting in the title role is Richard Paul Fink, one of the busiest singers today. He has sung with virtually every major opera company in Europe and the United States, distinguishing himself in the Wagner repertory. Four other singers are also making Santa Fe Opera debuts. Nicola Beller Carbone, in her American operatic debut, was born in Germany and grew up in Spain. Since 1991 she has been appearing with opera companies throughout Germany and Italy, and in major houses in Spain, England and Switzerland. American bass-baritone Eric Owens has appeared in John Adams’s Dr. Atomic and A Flowering Tree since their inception, including the 2009 Metropolitan Opera production of Dr. Atomic. Australian Stuart Skelton has won world-wide acclaim for his Wagner and Strauss roles. American tenor Robert Brubaker has sung in major opera houses across Europe and on American stages as well. In 2011 he will also appear in Nixon in China at the Metropolitan Opera directed by Peter Sellars. Patricia Risley sang the role of Miranda in the American premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest in 2006.
Tickets for the 2011 season go on sale July 2, 2010 at The Santa Fe Opera box office, and by calling 505 986 5900, toll free 800 280 4654. Online sales begin September 13, 2010.
The Santa Fe Opera receives funding from the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax, New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, New Mexico Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. American Airlines is the Company’s official airline. Opening Nights are sponsored by Encantado – an Auberge Resort.
Tickets are now on sale through the Box Office, call 505-986-5900 or 800-280-4654.
View the 2011 Festival Season performance calendar or season brochure now.
Note: Online ticketing begins in mid-September.
CONTACT: Joyce Idema, Cindy Layman
press@santafeopera.org
Return to News