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Q & A with Rebecca A Herman ..... tenors Derek Taylor and Chris Carr, and bass Evan Boyer. We hope this is the first
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Welcome From the Board Chair ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9 From the General Director & CEO ������������������������������������������������������������������11 Spotlight on Timothy Myers ����������������������������������������������������������������������������34 Postlude from Mayor Steve Adler ������������������������������������������������������������������� 51

Otello Title Page ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 7 Otello Sponsors ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 Cast List ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Synopsis ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 12 Some Observations on the Music of Otello �������������������������������������������������� 13 Q & A with Rebecca A. Herman �������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Cast ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Creative Team ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������22 Chorus ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24 Orchestra ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25 Staff ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Board ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������27 Opera Essentials ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������29 Beyond the Opera House ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31 Austin Opera Guild ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47

Thank you to our Donors Leadership Giving ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35 Patron Program ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36 Partner Program ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 Endowment Fund ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 39 Bravo Society ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������40 Memorial ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 41 ADVERTISING Onstage Publications 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 e-mail: [email protected] www.onstagepublications.com

This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, 1612 Prosser Avenue, Kettering, OH 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. JBI Publishing is a division of Onstage Publications, Inc. Contents © 2018. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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PRESENTS

Otello A festive staged concert event

An opera in 4 acts Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Arrigo Boito Based on Shakespeare’s tragedy Sung in Italian with projected English titles PERFORMANCE TIMINGS Part One: 90 Minutes Intermission: 25 Minutes Part Two: 60 Minutes Total: Approximately 3 Hours

#OtelloFestiveConcert #VerdiATX #OtelloATX

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PRESENTS

Otello

A festive staged concert event

By Giuseppe Verdi SPONSORS

Polly and Steve Barbaro Michael and Patty Erspamer WINE & SPIRIT SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

HOSPITALITY SPONSOR

AUSTIN OPERA IS A MEMBER OF OPERA AMERICA, INC.

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FROM THE BOARD CHAIR Dear Friends, On behalf of the Board of Trustees, let me welcome you to Austin Opera’s 2018-2019 Season. Our opera company is proud to present a varied and exciting season, aimed at connecting with you, our loyal patrons, and many Austinites who may be new to opera. I have been a Trustee of Austin Opera for many years, and now I have begun my first year as Board Chair. It still impresses me that creating an opera season is such a herculean task. From our amazing artists and our outstanding staff to our dedicated board and guild, it truly takes a large community of opera lovers to make all this happen. Although I do not have enough space to thank everyone here by name, I must thank our General Director & CEO Annie Burridge, whose enthusiastic leadership and innovation serve as inspiration to all of us. When Annie first arrived in Austin, she spoke repeatedly about the power of opera and opera companies to inspire a city, to shape a city, and to serve a city. Ideally, this works both ways. Austin can shape and inspire opera, and this opera company. And, in fact, it has. We announced the formation of Opera ATX earlier this year, and now this season formally launches Opera ATX in April with David T. Little’s Soldier Songs at the historic Paramount Theatre. The Opera ATX series will bring some of the most sought-after and celebrated living composers, artists, and creative teams to Austin to celebrate the city’s spirit of innovation. You won’t want to miss it! Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to you, our patrons and donors, not only for your incredible generosity, but also for being faithful, adventurous and enthusiastic members of our opera community. The camaraderie of the Austin Opera family is actually what drew Gail and me to opera in the first place. Thank you for your continued warmth in embracing newcomers to this beautiful art form. I look forward to enjoying the season alongside you. Cordially,

Jeff Kodosky Chair

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Otello

A festive staged concert event An opera in 4 acts Sung in Italian with projected English titles Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Arrigo Boito

CAST (In order of vocal appearance) Montano........................................................................................................ Matthew Arnold Cassio.................................................................................................................Derek Taylor* Iago.................................................................................................................Michael Chioldi Roderigo ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Chris Carr* Otello............................................................................................................ Issachah Savage Desdemona.......................................................................................... Marina Costa-Jackson Emilia..............................................................................................................Elise Quagliata* Araldo...............................................................................................................Austin Siebert^ Lodovico ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Evan Boyer*

CRE ATIVE TE A M Conductor ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Steven White Concert Stage Director ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� Rebecca A. Herman Lighting Designer ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Thomas Hase Audio Designer �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Bill Mester Production Stage Manager ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Kathleen Edwards Assistant Stage Manager ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Lisa Goering Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor ��������������������������������������������������������������� Cina Crisara Principal Coach & Pianist �������������������������������������������������������������������������������Nyle Matsuoka Projected English Titles ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Karl W. Hesser *Austin Opera Debut ^Spotlight Artist

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WELCOME Welcome to Austin Opera’s 2018-2019 Season! Whether this is your first time with us, or whether you have been with us for all of our 32 seasons, we are thrilled to have you here. We are proud to present some of the most outstanding operatic talent in the world in our season-opening presentation of Verdi’s Otello. We welcome back conductor Steven White and baritone Michael Chioldi, who will leave immediately after the final performance to fly to the Metropolitan Opera to begin rehearsals for their production of Otello. Marina Costa-Jackson, who won the Austin Critic’s Table Award for best vocal performance of the year as Violetta in our production of La traviata, returns for the tour-de-force role of Desdemona. Verdi’s Desdemona gets considerably more stage time than Shakespeare’s, and we’re thrilled to once again let Ms. Costa-Jackson loose on the Long Center stage. Tenor Issachah Savage has built an impressive career around Verdi’s works: he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Ernani and was last seen at Austin Opera in Aïda. We are honored to present his American role debut as Otello. We are also excited to introduce a number of outstanding artists to Austin for the very first time: mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata, tenors Derek Taylor and Chris Carr, and bass Evan Boyer. We hope this is the first of many appearances with us. As we celebrate Austin Opera’s love for Austin, Texas, it seems fitting that so many Austin artists will take center stage in our season opener as members of the Austin Opera Chorus and Orchestra. It is a privilege to work with these extraordinary musicians throughout the season, and their passionate dedication to Austin Opera makes it possible for us to return season after season to provide you with the most thrilling operatic experiences we can conjure up. Thank you again for joining us, and I look forward to seeing you out on the terrace after the performance! Warmest regards,

Annie Burridge General Director & CEO

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SYNOPSIS PERFORMANCE TIMINGS Part One: 90 Minutes Intermission: 25 Minutes Part Two: 60 Minutes Total: Approximately 3 Hours While a storm rages, the people of Cyprus await the arrival of Otello, their leader. Roderigo confides to Iago, Otello’s ensign, that he is in love with Desdemona, Otello’s wife; Iago assures Roderigo that Desdemona will soon tire of her husband. Iago orchestrates a fight between Cassio, Otello’s Captain, and Roderigo; the conflict soon escalates to a general riot. Otello, furious, demotes Cassio. As the people disperse and the storm clears, Otello and Desdemona sing of their love. Iago encourages Cassio to ask Desdemona to intercede for his pardon and reinstatement. As Cassio approaches Desdemona, Iago, aside, articulates his own misanthropic beliefs. When Otello glimpses Cassio with his wife, Iago fans the flames of his jealousy. People of the island surround Desdemona, praising her beauty and purity; but Otello begins to be undone with jealous doubt. Desdemona asks Otello to pardon Cassio and he responds in anger. Emilia, Iago’s wife, retrieves a handkerchief of Desdemona’s after it is cast aside. Iago obtains the handkerchief and later describes it to Otello, telling him he saw it in Cassio’s hand.

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Desdemona again brings forward Cassio’s case. Otello demands she produce the handkerchief described by Iago. When she cannot, he accuses her of being unchaste, and her denials only feed his fury. While Otello watches, Iago leads Cassio to produce Desdemona’s handkerchief, which Iago had planted in his room. Based on this “evidence” of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness, Iago advises Otello to strangle her; he also pledges to take care of Cassio. In return, Otello names Iago his new Captain. Desdemona, preparing for bed, is seized with foreboding. After Emilia leaves her alone, Otello confronts his wife, who protests her innocence, but then starts when her husband tells her Cassio is already dead. Taking her reaction as proof of her guilt, Otello smothers Desdemona. Emilia arrives with the news that Cassio has killed Roderigo. The dying Desdemona protests her unjust accusation; as others enter the room and begin saying what they know, it becomes clear to Otello that he was tricked by Iago. In despair and remorse, Otello stabs himself and dies beside Desdemona’s body. – Kelley Rourke

SOME OBSERVATIONS on the Music of Otello by Steven White Verdi’s Otello may very well be the greatest of all Italian Romantic operas. From the pedigree of its source material to the unrivaled quality of its libretto, Otello breathes out importance and artistic accomplishment at every turn. But it is Verdi’s music, of course, that gives eternal immediacy to Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy and searing poignancy to Boito’s fluent script. The degree to which the music of Otello is symbiotic with its drama cannot be exaggerated. The orchestra is the storm that rips open the curtain with titanic fury to begin the opera. Nowhere in musical art is nature depicted with more elemental aggression. Verdi’s relentless cauldron of sound makes the humans who fight against it seem the weak mortals they are, right up until the moment Otello strides ashore victorious. Sculpted in the indomitable key of C-sharp Major, his opening Esultate! is a phrase of stentorian heroism and nobility. It defines who he is and gives luster to the glorious heights from which he so precipitously plummets. There is always a sense of inevitability to Verdi’s musical thrust. It’s evident in the way in which Iago’s first-act drinking song spirals headlong into the boisterous brawl that rouses Otello’s righteous indignation. Just as Gounod twenty years earlier used a cello quartet to symbolize the depth of Roméo and Juliette’s ardor, so Verdi uses the same instrumentation to draw us into the ineffable beauty of Desdemona and Otello’s love. The second act begins with a “germ motive” of Beethovenian compactness—a four-note turn of a phrase that represents the abject evil of Iago. While it finds its apotheosis in his blasphemous Credo, this little phrase continues to metastasize throughout the body of the drama and proves to be malignant as Otello begins to descend into the anguish brought on by his mistaken jealousy. The astonishing speed with which Otello is driven to his erroneous assumption is rendered plausible to the audience only by virtue of the persuasiveness of the music. The third-act finale is an achievement no less impressive than the great comparable scenes in Aida and Don Carlo. Here Verdi manages to capture the brilliant radiance of Mediterranean courtly pageantry as well as the devastating weight of the public/private grief and bewilderment that have so disabled Otello and Desdemona. The expansive writing for orchestra, chorus and soloists is marked by a disarming transparency that belies the density of its forces. It all amounts to one great and tragic Lacrimosa. The atmospheric music that opens the final act evokes a lonely melancholy similar to “Der Abschied” of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. After the simple nostalgia and foreboding of Desdemona’s “Willow Song,” her Ave Maria leads us into a translucent realm of spiritual and emotional poignancy unmatched in all of opera. The composer’s string writing in this moment is abject perfection, continuing without a break to the entrance of Otello. Here the solo string basses play a passage that grows from utterly pallid bleakness to barely containable violence. The rest of the opera plays out like a nightmare, with the near-cacophonous ferocity of the murder to the empty bars of unaccompanied recitative when Emilia confronts Otello with the truth. In the end, Otello can’t bear the truth. For the audience, too, the emotional weight is heightened as Otello takes fleeting note of the glory and love that now lie wasted. The “kiss motive,” so rapturously beautiful in the first act duet, returns with devastating tragedy, swelling and retracting as Otello expires at Desdemona’s side. A U ST I N O P E R A

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Q&A WITH REBECCA A. HERMAN, Concert Stage Director What about Otello lends itself to a staged concert version? I think there are two main elements that make Otello exciting to present as a staged concert. The first is Verdi’s music. Verdi was such a master of orchestration and theater, his music creates the entire world that this story inhabits, from the external storm that starts the opera to the inner turmoil and unease of Desdemona as she prepares for bed at the top of Act IV. The orchestra is really a whole character in and of itself and to feature the Austin Opera Orchestra on stage for the audience to see as part of the drama is thrilling. The second reason is that Otello, at its heart, is a psychological drama of manipulation, jealousy, and love. Those larger themes come across in a staged concert just as well as a traditionally staged production. With world class singing actors like Marina Costa-Jackson, Michael Chioldi, and Issachah Savage, I know the drama will grab hold of the audience and keep them on the edge of their seat for the whole night. What is the process you used to develop the staging? I am very lucky to be collaborating with Maestro Steven White on this production. He has already done a staged concert version of Otello and his knowledge and experience has provided a wonderful resource for me to use as a jumping off point. From there it’s all about studying the score and the text just like I would any other production and really figuring out what each character is trying to accomplish in each scene and with each line. The conversations I have with the artists will be very similar to what I would have in a traditional setting. One of the more interesting challenges is figuring out what few hand props might enhance the performance. For example, the handkerchief is so integral to the show and symbolic of all three of the big themes (manipulation, jealousy, and love) that it seems worth having. But even though there is a big drinking scene, giving the singers drinks and props becomes sloppy and distracts from the drama. Finding the right balance is key. What are some directing principles to live by, especially when directing a staged concert? I think the biggest “principle” I live by as a director, whether the production is in a small intimate setting, a big hall like the Long Center, or a staged concert is the idea of active listening. I always approach characters and operas by humanizing the roles – so we can recognize and connect to them in some way. At the heart of it, acting is all about listening to the line before yours and then responding. What are you most excited about? Austin Opera has done an amazing job casting this show from top to bottom. I feel very lucky to be working with such a top-notch cast of singers who I know are going to pour their heart and soul into every moment of the process. I am also looking forward to collaborating with Thomas Hase as the lighting designer for this show. Lighting is such an amazing tool for creating the mood of the drama and giving focus and clarity to a stage picture. Thinking about how we enhance and support the human psychological drama through the lighting design has been an unexpected treat. Do you have a particular favorite aria or scene from Otello? There are so many to choose from, honestly. And if you asked me next week, my answer will be different. But today, I’ll say the love duet from Act I, “Giá nella notte densa s’estingue ogni clamor”. It serves to solidify the lovers in our mind and makes us root for them even as we know the inevitable outcome of the story. Other close seconds are Iago’s “Credo” which is such an amazing tour de force for any baritone as well as the “Ave Maria” for Desdemona. A U ST I N O P E R A

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C AST ISSACHAH SAVAGE Otello tenor (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Austin Opera Debut: Radamès, Aïda (2015) Recently: Don Riccardo, Ernani (Metropolitan Opera); Bacchus, Ariadne auf Naxos (Seattle Opera); Narraboth, Salome (Los Angeles Opera) Upcoming: Manrico, Il trovatore (Seattle Opera); Bacchus, Ariadne auf Naxos (Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse France); Messenger, Aïda (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) MARINA COSTA-JACKSON Desdemona soprano (Sandy, Utah) Austin Opera Debut: Violetta, La traviata (2018) Recently: Desdemona, Otello (Savolinna Festival & Bolshoi Opera); Fiordiligi, Cosi fan tutte (Seattle Opera); Violetta, La traviata (Oper Köln) Upcoming: Juliette, Village of Romeo and Juliette (Concertgebouw, Amsterdam); Elisabetta, Don Carlo (Grange Park Opera); Tatiana, Eugene Onegin (Seattle Opera) marinacostajackson.com MICHAEL CHIOLDI Iago baritone (New York, New York) Austin Opera Debut: Rodrigo, Don Carlo (2013) Previously at Austin Opera: Renato, A Masked Ball (2014); Sharpless, Madame Butterfly (2017); Giorgio Germont, La traviata (2018) Recently: Carlo Gérard, Andrea Chenier (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Scarpia, Tosca (Opera de Puerto Rico); Giorgio Germont, La traviata (Washington National Opera) Upcoming: Miller, Luisa Miller (Gran Teatre del Liceu) @michaelchioldi DEREK TAYLOR Cassio tenor (Los Angeles, California) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Roméo, Roméo et Juliette (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Samson, Samson et Dalila (Virginia Opera); Calaf, Turandot (Oper Leipzig) Upcoming: Pollione, Norma (Theater St. Gallen); Vodemont (cover), Iolanta (Metropolitan Opera); Don José, Carmen (Plano Symphony Orchestra) derektaylortenor.com ELISE QUAGLIATA Emilia mezzo-soprano (Jersey City, New Jersey) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Minskwoman, Flight (Des Moines Metro Opera); Zosia, Out of Darkness: Two Remain (Atlanta Opera); Maria, Maria de Buenos Aires (Des Moines Metro Opera) Upcoming: Carmen, Carmen (Chattanooga Symphony & Opera) @madametreuiller Elise Quagliata Treuiller

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C AST EVAN BOYER Lodovico bass (Louisville, Kentucky) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Don Basilio, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Opera North); Truffaldino, Ariadne auf Naxos (Kentucky Opera); Warden Benton, Dead Man Walking (Kentucky Opera) Upcoming: Bass Soloist, Mozart’s Requiem (Louisville Orchestra) Evan Boyer Bass CHRIS CARR Roderigo tenor (Quasqueton, Iowa) Austin Opera Debut Recently: Cavaradossi, Tosca (Opera on the Avalon); Nick, La fanciulla del West (Virginia Opera); Scaramuccio, Ariadne auf Naxos (Berkshire Opera Festival) Upcoming: Tamino, The Magic Flute (Dubuque Symphony) @theoperacarr MATTHEW ARNOLD Montano bass (Covington, Georgia) Austin Opera Debut: 2nd Commissioner, Dialogues des Carmélites (2009) Previously at Austin Opera: Doctor Grenvil, La traviata (2010); A Mandarin, Turandot (2012); Baron Douphol, La traviata (2018) Recent: Doctor Grenvil, La traviata (Opera San Antonio); Zuniga, Carmen (Opera San Antonio) Upcoming: British Major, Silent Night (Austin Opera); Bass Soloist, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Valley Symphony Orchestra) AUSTIN SIEBERT Araldo/Iago (cover), Spotlight Artist baritone (Austin, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: Corporal, Daughter of the Regiment (2017) Previously at Austin Opera: Imperial Commissioner/Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly (2017); Morales, Carmen (2017); Wig Maker, Ariadne auf Naxos (2018) Recently: Bass Soloist, Haydn Stabat Mater (Chorus Austin) Upcoming: Bass Soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Austin Symphony Orchestra); German Soldier #1/Lt. Audebert (cover), Silent Night (Austin Opera); Custom’s House Officer/Marcello (cover), La bohème (Austin Opera) austinsiebertbaritone.com

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CREATIVE TEAM STEVEN WHITE Conductor Praised by Opera News as a conductor who “squeezes every drop of excitement and pathos from the score,” Steven White is one of North America’s premier conductors of both symphonic and operatic repertoire. Among the many orchestras he has conducted are the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra for a CHANDOS recording of arias featuring his wife, soprano Elizabeth Futral. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut in 2010, conducting performances of La traviata starring Angela Gheorghiu. Since then he has conducted a number of Metropolitan Opera performances of La traviata with such stars as Natalie Dessay, Hei-Kyung Hong, Plácido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, Matthew Polenzani, and the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky. This season’s engagements include Rigoletto with San Diego Opera, Faust with Opera Omaha, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Roanoke, and a return to the Metropolitan Opera to participate in their productions of La bohème and Die Zauberflöte. REBECCA A. HERMAN Concert Stage Director (Austin, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: Dialogues des Carmélites (2009) Previously at Austin Opera: Daughter of the Regiment, Madame Butterfly, Carmen (2017); Ariadne auf Naxos, La traviata (2018) Recently: Director, La Clemenza di Tito: A Retelling (LOLA Austin); Director, Iolanta (Queen City Opera); Assistant Director, Flight (Des Moines Metro Opera) Upcoming: Director, Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Portland State University); Assistant Director, Silent Night (Austin Opera); Director, Der Freischütz (Queen City Opera) THOMAS HASE Lighting Designer (Madison, Wisconsin) Austin Opera Debut: Waiting for the Barbarians (2007) Recently: Resident Lighting Designer & Lighting Director 1997-2018 Seasons (Cincinnati Opera); Lighting Designer, Der Freischütz (Vienna State Opera); Lighting Designer, The Demon (Gran Teatre el Liceu) Upcoming: Lighting & Projection Design, Ice (Finnish National Opera); Lighting Designer, The Demon (l’Opéra National de Bordeaux); Lighting Designer, A Little Night Music (Nederlandse Reisopera) haseltd.com

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CREATIVE TEAM BILL MESTER Audio Designer (Austin, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: Salome (1999) Previously at Austin Opera: Daughter of the Regiment, Madame Butterfly, Carmen (2017); Ariadne auf Naxos, La traviata (2018) Recently: ATX Television Festival; High Fidelity with John Cusack; ASO 4th of July Upcoming: Nutcracker (Ballet Austin); ASO Pops; Blanton Museum of Art 2019 Gala KATHLEEN EDWARDS Production Stage Manager (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) Austin Opera Debut: Il trovatore (2005) Previously at Austin Opera: Daughter of the Regiment, Madame Butterfly, Carmen (2017); Ariadne auf Naxos, La traviata (2018) Recently: Production Stage Manager, La traviata (Opera San Antonio); Production Stage Manager, Pirates of Penzance (Intermountain Opera Bozeman) Upcoming: Production Stage Manager, Silent Night & La bohème (Austin Opera); Stage Manager/Assistant Director, Dialogues des Carmélites (Oberlin Conservatory) CINA CRISARA Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor (Austin, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: Carmen (2017) Previously at Austin Opera: Ariadne auf Naxos, La traviata (2018) Upcoming: Silent Night, La bohème (Austin Opera)

NYLE MATSUOKA Principal Coach & Pianist (Austin, Texas) Austin Opera Debut: A Masked Ball (2014) Previously at Austin Opera: The Flying Dutchman (2016); Daughter of the Regiment, Madame Butterfly, Carmen (2017); La traviata (2018) Upcoming: Silent Night (Austin Opera); Guest Soloist (Magic Valley Symphony); La bohème (Austin Opera)

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CHORUS SOPRANO Carol Brown Lexie DeAnda Trejo Jeanette Franz Veronica Gonzalez Lena Hill

Elise Leung Kotara Alyssa Muir Myrna Peralez Rebekah Smeltzer Staley Jamieson Taylor

Nicole L. Taylor Sandra Villwock Julia Watkins-Davis Jasmine Warner Samantha Wood

MEZZO-SOPRANO Bethany Ammon Brigid Becker Kimberly Clemons Patricia Combs Layla Edwards

Cheryl Kaderli Allyssa Kemp Rosa Mondragon Harris Jenny Ohrstrom Keely J. Rhodes

Julie Silva Megan Sherrod Rachel Silvers Sarah Steele Jasmine Williams

TENOR Brendan Boyle Danny Castillo Garrett Cordes Carey Dietert Michael Kelley Dixon

Andy Fleming Albert Garcia Holton Johnson Jeffrey Jones-Ragona Robbie LaBanca

Brian Minnick Zachary Thomas Newman Paul Patinka Jason Spradley Bailey Turner

BASS Brenham Sean Adams Bruno César Barbosa Jake Jacobsen Robert LeBas

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Stephen Maus Ryan Parseghian Jeff W. Phillips Robert Veihman

Steve Williams Jay Young Gil Zilkha

ORCHESTRA VIOLIN I Joseph D. Smith, Concertmaster Eugene Gratovich, Associate Concertmaster Vincent Frittelli, Concertmaster Emeritus Patrice Calixte Bruce Colson Ashley Cooper Audrey Lee Christabel Lin Changming Li* Leigh Wallenhaupt* VIOLIN II Elizabeth Douthit, Acting Principal Steve Merson, Acting Assistant Principal* Risa Ando Georgeann Dubell-Shockley Leigh Mahoney Sha Zhu Helen Bravenec Cooper* Yi Ching Fong* VIOLA Ames Asbell, Principal Daniel Gee, Assistant Principal Sara Driver Vincent Marks Mary Powers Tim Washecka CELLO Douglas Harvey, Principal Muriel B. Sanders, Assistant Principal Colin Ferguson Sara Nelson Dr. Shawn Sanders BASS David Dawson, Principal Jonathan Rouse, Assistant Principal Christopher R. Flores David Milburn*

FLUTE Adah Toland Jones, Principal Beverly Frittelli, Assistant Principal Adrienne Inglis* PICCOLO Beverly Frittelli OBOE Ian Bruce Davidson, Principal Julianne Webner, Assistant Principal Rebecca Haskins* ENGLISH HORN Julianne Webner CLARINET Vanguel Tangarov, Principal Valerie Bugh, Assistant Principal BASS CLARINET Amanda Witt* BASSOON William D. Lewis, Principal Daniel Chrisman, Assistant Principal Amanda Pierce* Pearson Altizer*

ANTIPHONAL TRUMPET Andrew Gignac* Matthew G. Harper* TROMBONE Brenda Sansig Salas, Principal Owen Homayoun, Assistant Principal Philip Arno TUBA Brian Edwards, Principal TIMPANI Hsueh-Yung Shen, Principal PERCUSSION Genaro Gonzalez, Principal Tony Edwards, Assistant Principal HARP Carly Nelson, Acting Principal* Rachel Browne, Acting Assistant Principal* ORCHESTRA MANAGER Beverly Frittelli ORCHESTRA ASSISTANT Adam “Flash” Graves

HORN Thomas Hale, Principal Jill Smith Rodriguez, Assistant Principal Margaret Ayer Roger Simmons

LIBRARIAN William D. Lewis

TRUMPET Robert Cannon, Principal Tim Shaffer, Assistant Principal Joe Cooper* Kyle Koronka*

A special thank you to the Austin Symphony Orchestra for graciously providing some of the instruments you see on stage tonight!

*Extra Musician

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STAFF Annie Burridge, General Director & CEO ARTISTIC & PRODUCTION Nathan DePoint Director of Artistic Operations Timothy Myers Artistic Advisor Vincent E. Herod Director of Production & Technical Director Rebecca J. Graham-Forbis Company Manager Beverly Frittelli Orchestra Manager Cina Crisara Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor Nyle Matsuoka Principal Coach & Pianist

DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Basten Chief Development Officer Angela M. Bonnici Director of Individual Giving Rhanda Luna Director of Strategic Partnerships Chrissy Nanton Grants Manager Miranda Schultz Development Intern

AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE Julie Fiore Director of Audience Experience

FINANCE Eva Kuhlman Director of Finance

INFORMATION SYSTEMS Holton Johnson Technology and Database Administrator

MARKETING Melysa Rogen Director of Marketing & Communications Dianne van Hulle Patron Services Manager Laura Carrisosa Communications Associate

EDUCATION Debra Erck Director of Education

PRODUCTION STAFF FOR OTELLO: A FESTIVE STAGED CONCERT EVENT C.J. Swinburn Light Board Operator Rachel Magee Property Master Kathy Lang Wardrobe Supervisor Trinka Withers Lead Dresser Wendy Sanders Wig & Makeup

Doug Gessaman Shane Smith Master Carpenters Patrick Crowley Richard Nance Assistant Carpenters Rick Tatum Master Flyman Ryan Gallagher Master Electrician

Karl W. Hesser Supertitles Translator David Grant Supertitles Coordinator Jon Vickers Lead Jessica Dunbar Rick Tatum Spotlight Operators

Austin Opera Stage Employees are represented by IATSE LOCAL 205

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BOARD OFFICERS

Jeff Kodosky Chair Stephen S. Jeffrey President Elisabeth Juen Waltz Past Chair Michael Erspamer President-Elect James D. Green, Jr. Board Secretary

Susanne Tetzlaff Legal Counsel Curby Conoley Vice President Community Programs Jay B. Stewart Vice President Advocacy Connee B. Sullivan Vice President Finance & Audit

Tina Barrett, Ph.D. Vice President Education Kevin A. Kaylakie Vice President Special Funds Endowment Board Chair Polly Barbaro Vice President Development Brian H. Powell Vice President Trustees

TRUSTEES Ernest Auerbach Mary Ellen Borgelt Paula Damore Dennis J. Eakin John English Laura Gutiérrez-Witt Rob Hagelberg Colleen Halbrook Andrew Heller

David Jabour William W. Krumpack Carol Logan Carlos Lowenberg, Jr. Michael S. Metteauer Rosy Moore Jonathan Sessler Kenneth W. Smith

David N. Tobey Jr., M.D. Steven Tyler Joni K. Wallace, D.D.S. Stephen R. Watson Jim Whorton Sandra Wilkie Eva Womack Cornelia Foster Wood

ADVISORY TRUSTEES Ray Benson Thomas B. Martin

William B. Mitchell

Andrew Schwartz

TRUSTEES EMERITUS Frederick S. Addy Ada Anderson Sandy Ball Suzannah Cox Barnebey Philip W. Barnes Helen Baxter Amelia Bullock Paul Burns, M.D. Tana Christie

Nell Dale, Ph.D. Harvey Evans, D.D.S. Doyle M. Fellers David Harrington Lloyd Lochridge Susan Lubin Robert Mettlen, Ph.D. Ambassador Lyndon Olson, Jr. William B. Paddock

H. Robert Powell Gay Ratliff Harriet Rutland Katharine Shields Suzanne Shore R. Clint Smith Connie Webb Catherine Wildermuth, Ph.D.

Special thanks to Dr. David N. Tobey, Jr. for his services as company physician

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OPERA ESSENTIALS

A Quick Guide to Otello CHARACTERS OF THE OPERA

Otello (oh-TELL-oh): A Moor, general of the Venetian army, who is passionately in love with and jealous of his wife. Desdemona (dez-DAY-moh-nah): Otello’s Venetian wife, an innocent victim of Iago’s evil plot. Iago (YAH-goh): An ensign in Otello’s army, who carries out his evil plan to ensure the destruction of both

Otello and Cassio. (KAH-see-oh): Otello’s Venetian captain, an honest young soldier who has no idea of the passions swirling around him. Emilia (eh-MEEL-yah): Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s maid, who is torn between loyalty to her evil husband and her mistress. Lodovico (loh-doh-VEE-koh): An ambassador of the Venetian Republic. Montano (mohn-TAHN-oh): Otello’s predecessor as Governor of Cyprus. Roderigo (roh-deh-REE-goh): A Venetian gentleman. Araldo (ah-RAHL-do): A herald

Cassio

COMPARISON BETWEEN SHAKESPEARE’S OTHELLO AND VERDI’S OTELLO

•Shakespeare’s Othello is a play in 5 acts written in 1603.

◦ Based on a short story Un Capitano Moro (“A Moorish Captain”), by Giraldo Cinthio, published in 1565.

•Verdi’s Otello is an opera in 4 acts written in 1887.



◦ Librettist Arrigo Boito knew and loved the works of Shakespeare and kept much of Shakespeare’s language. Anyone who knows a little about the play will recognize some of the phrases. •The opera eliminates the entire first act of Shakespeare’s play which was set in Venice, concentrating the action in Cyprus and compressing the drama. •3,500 lines in Shakespeare’s play were condensed to 800 vocal lines in the opera. ◦ But wait! Othello’s lines rescued from Act I of the play form the core of the opera’s gorgeous love duet: She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. A SHOWCASE FOR GREAT MUSICIANS

An Opera is not a play; our art lives by elements unknown to spoken tragedy. An atmosphere that has been destroyed can be created all over again. Eight bars are enough to restore a sentiment to life; a rhythm can re-establish a character; music is the most omnipotent of all the arts – it has a logic all its own – both freer and more rapid than the logic of spoken thought, and much more eloquent. -Boito in a letter to Verdi, October 1880, during work on the libretto for Otello. •Demands a large orchestral force to perform this big romantic score, with its depth of emotion, sensuality, and its sonic thunderbolts. •The role of Otello is notorious for being one of the most difficult roles in opera. It requires a dramatic tenor with a heavy, heroic sound, strong top notes, great stamina, and impressive acting ability. •Desdemona is a great lyric soprano part that needs a beautiful voice. Desdemona is innocence incarnate, the singer must convey warmth, purity, dignity, desolation, and complete devotion to her husband. •Iago is a big sing as well and a fabulous acting role. It takes a real actor to make this character more than one-dimensional. He must be smart and nimble yet reveal darkness and hypocrisy.

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PAST PRODUCTIONS Inaugural Production January 9-11, 1987 Die Zauberflöte, Mozart 1987-1988 Season Roméo et Juliette, Gounod Un ballo in maschera, Verdi Festival of Stars 1988 1988-1989 Season La traviata, Verdi Die Fledermaus, J. Strauss II Festival of Stars 1989 1989-1990 Season Carmen, Bizet Madama Butterfly, Puccini La Cenerentola, Rossini 1990-1991 Season Il trovatore, Verdi Don Giovanni, Mozart Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini 1991-1992 Season Aïda, Verdi La bohème, Puccini La pietra del paragone, Rossini 1992-1993 Season Fidelio, Beethoven Tosca, Puccini Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart 1993-1994 Season Turandot, Puccini Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart Don Pasquale, Donizetti 1994-1995 Season Faust, Gounod Rigoletto, Verdi Madama Butterfly, Puccini 1995-1996 Season Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Tannhäuser, Wagner La traviata, Verdi 1996-1997 Season Die Zauberflöte, Mozart The Ballad of Baby Doe, Moore La bohème, Puccini 10 Year Anniversary Gala

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1997-1998 Season Andrea Chénier, Giordano Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci, Mascagni/Leoncavallo Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini

2008-2009 Season La Cenerentola, Rossini Rigoletto, Verdi Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc

1998-1999 Season Otello, Verdi Salome, R. Strauss Tosca, Puccini

2009-2010 Season La bohème, Puccini L’étoile, Chabrier Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck

1999-2000 Season Don Giovanni, Mozart Candide, Bernstein Aïda, Verdi

2010-2011 Season Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Nyman La traviata, Verdi L’italiana in Algeri, Rossini Flight, Dove

2000-2001 Season Madama Butterfly, Puccini Cold Sassy Tree, Floyd Die Walküre, Wagner Carmen, Bizet 2001-2002 Season Faust, Gounod A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn La fanciulla del West, Puccini Rigoletto, Verdi

2011-2012 Season Die Zauberflöte, Mozart Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Turandot, Puccini 2012-2013 Season Pagliacci, Leoncavallo Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart Faust, Gounod

2002-2003 Season La traviata, Verdi Dead Man Walking, Heggie La bohème, Puccini

2013-2014 Season Don Carlo, Verdi Tosca, Puccini L’Elisir d’Amore, Donizetti

2003-2004 Season Turandot, Puccini Cosi fan tutte, Mozart Der fliegende Holländer, Wagner

2014-2015 Season A Masked Ball, Verdi Roméo et Juliette, Gounod Don Giovanni, Mozart

2004-2005 Season Tosca, Puccini Elektra, R. Strauss Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart 2005-2006 Season Il trovatore, Verdi Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Shostakovich Don Giovanni, Mozart 2006-2007 Season Madama Butterfly, Puccini Waiting for the Barbarians, Glass Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini 2007-2008 Season Simply the Best Concert Carmen, Bizet The Bat, J. Strauss II

2015-2016 Season Strauss/Wagner Concert Aïda, Verdi Of Mice and Men, Floyd Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini 2016-2017 Season The Manchurian Candidate, Puts and Campbell Der fliegende Holländer, Wagner La fille du Régiment, Donizetti Madama Butterfly, Puccini 2017-2018 Season Carmen, Bizet Ariadne auf Naxos, R. Strauss La traviata, Verdi

Beyond the Opera House George Bernard Shaw, writing under the pseudonym “Corno di Bassetto,” once quipped, “The truth is that instead of Otello being an Italian Opera written in the style of Shakespeare, Othello is a play written by Shakespeare in the style of an Italian Opera.” To further explore the worlds of Italian opera and Shakespearean drama, consider these books and recordings. For those who wish to start with the source, the Oxford Shakespeare edition of William Shakespeare’s Othello includes an introduction to the text, as well as explicatory footnotes throughout. Written in an engaging and accessible style, William Berger’s Verdi with a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera provides an overview of the composer’s life and the cultural context in which he worked, along with plot descriptions, commentaries, and recommended listening for individual operas. In Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, Harold Bloom argues that Shakespeare not only codified but modified human nature through the ideas and actions set forth in his plays. In addition to considering the Bard’s oeuvre as a whole, the book includes a separate chapter on each play. Shakespeare & Co., by Stanley Wells, is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the theater industry in Shakespeare’s day. The author brings the Shakespeare’s contemporaries – actors and playwrights – vividly to life for the reader. In the three-volume The Operas of Verdi, Julian Budden offers a comprehensive composition history and musical analysis of each of Verdi’s operas, complete with musical illustrations. Gary Schmidgall’s Shakespeare in Opera considers Shakespeare’s plays and the operas they inspired, arguing that Shakespeare’s work is especially well suited for the operatic form. Will in the World, a biography by Stephen Greenblatt, follows the path of a young man from a small provincial town on his journey to become the most important playwright of all time. In Shakespeare and Music: Afterlives and Borrowings, Julie Sanders considers the many ways in which music has been intertwined with Shakespeare’s work – in ballets, musicals, operas, and film. Peter Conrad’s Verdi and/or Wagner considers two cultural giants of the 19th century: “a native son attached to the soil versus a wandering exile; a tribune of the people versus a dictatorial aesthete; a man of progress versus an atavistic myth-maker; a spokesman for afflicted humanity versus a creator of gods, giants, dragons, dwarves, and fairies.” For a night in reading up on Otello/Othello be sure to listen to one of the recordings recommended by Maestro Steven White and General Director & CEO Annie Burridge. The Herbert von Karajan recording with the Vienna Philharmonic starring Mario del Monaco and Renata Tebaldi. The live recording from La Scala with Carlos Kleiber conducting Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni. The recording of Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Leo Nucci with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

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SPOTLIGHT ON TIMOTHY MYERS One new face you are sure to see around town during the 2018-2019 Season is Timothy Myers, who recently joined Austin Opera as its Artistic Advisor. In this capacity, Maestro Myers assists General Director & CEO Annie Burridge on casting, season planning, and orchestra administration to ensure the continued artistic excellence of the company. Myers will also conduct Austin Opera’s production of the opera Silent Night in January and February 2019. Myers has already hit the ground running, working to fill key orchestra vacancies in the spring and helping round out the singers cast in the season’s upcoming productions. He looks forward to working with the gifted musicians of the Austin Opera Orchestra and is particularly excited about bringing Silent Night to Austin. “It’s such a fantastic piece,” he says. “Audiences will love how lush and melodic the music is, and what a moving and inspiring story it tells. It’s not what most people expect from contemporary opera.” He should know – Myers is an experienced collaborator in the creation of new works, having conducted world premieres at Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Opera Africa, to name a few. After leading the performances of Silent Night in Austin, he will head to Minnesota Opera to conduct the world premiere of The Fix, composer Joel Puckett and librettist Eric Simonson’s new opera about the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal. He is also currently involved in the development of Intimate Apparel, Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage’s new commission for the Metropolitan Opera. Myers recently concluded his nearly decade-long tenure as the Artistic and Music Director of North Carolina Opera, where he was credited for raising the level of the orchestra to new heights and for adding many significant works to its repertory, including a milestone presentation of many Wagner classics, a first for the region. While Myers will continue to keep his base of operation in Raleigh, his burgeoning international career will take him the world over in coming seasons, including a debut next summer leading The Pearl Fishers at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera. Fortunately, his wife Christina and young daughter Lilla often join him on the road. “I love having my family with me when I’m working,” he says. “They keep me busy and remind me there is life to enjoy beyond the score!” Another thing sure to keep Myers busy during his time in Austin: food. “I am a passionate foodie,” he admits. “If I didn’t go to conservatory I would have surely gone to culinary school.” Myers looks forward to exploring the city’s famous restaurant scene and to bringing the creativity of local chefs into his own work into the kitchen. “I love being inspired by local chefs and how they interpret a city’s unique flavors in their dishes. Chefs and conductors are a lot alike in that way!” The food world’s loss is certainly the opera world’s gain, as Austin is about to discover. – Michael Solomon

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Leadership Giving The Board of Trustees, artists, and staff of Austin Opera gratefully acknowledge the donors of the premier giving programs, whose generous annual contributions provide the necessary support for Austin Opera’s continued artistic excellence.

GRAND UNDERWRITER’S CIRCLE $100,000+ Austin Opera Guild Bloomberg Philanthropies UNDERWRITER’S CIRCLE $75,000 TO $99,999 Elisabeth Juen Waltz + ‡, Steffen Waltz + ‡ and Robert W. Garrett + Eva & Marvin Womack + PRODUCER’S CIRCLE $50,000 TO $74,999 Patrick & Judy Cantilo John & Marcy Melanson + OPERA America

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE $25,000 TO $49,999 Polly & Steve Barbaro + David Booth Sarah & Ernest Butler Christopher H. Cheever Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Eakin Mike & Patty Erspamer + ‡ Andrew & Mary Ann Heller + Jeff & Gail Kodosky + Lowenberg Group, LLC and Carlos & Marianna Lowenberg + Neil & Nancy Schaffel and Murar Foundation, Inc. + Ken & Paula Smith Sandra & Alan Williams DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $15,000 TO $24,999 Toni & Paul Burns* Dr. & Mrs. Stuart Damore + Marilyn T. Gaddis, Ph.D. & George C. Carruthers + Hoisington Investment Management Co. and Van & Jeanne Hoisington Mr. & Mrs. Brian H. Powell + Martha P. Rochelle Whorton Insurance Services and Mr. & Mrs. Jim Whorton +

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE $10,000 TO $14,999 Paul and Clara Bancroft + Tina & Michael Barrett + Amelia Bullock & Bill Krumpack + Mr. & Mrs. John English Laura Gutiérrez-Witt + Peter Schram* Jonathan Sessler Cornelia & John Wood + *Founding Donors of Austin Opera +Includes special gifts in support of Artistic Excellence ‡Members of the Maestro Society support Austin Opera’s Artistic Planning Cycle with Multi-Year Pledges

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Patron Program Austin Opera is proud to acknowledge the individuals and foundations that generously support our productions and education programs. We extend our deepest gratitude to members of the Sponsor’s Circle, Chairman’s Forum, and President’s Council who provide essential funding for our productions.

SPONSOR’S CIRCLE $5,000 TO $9,999 Anonymous Maureen Alexander, M.D. + Ronny & Valerie Armstrong + Jeanette & Ernest Auerbach + ‡ Mary Bakatsa & Clark Wilkinson Sandy Ball + Laurence Bjorkman + ‡ Frances E. Blank Mary Ellen & Roger Borgelt + Martha A. Boyd Thom Brooks Joe & Tana Christie Bonnie & Jerry Claiborne Gail Commagere Curby Conoley + Dr. William David George Elena & Everardo Goyanes Jim & Jo Green *+ Rob & Meri Hagelberg + Mr. & Mrs. James G. Halbrook, Jr. + Karen Hansen Mari & Dudley Houghton Stephen & Lauren Jeffrey + Mr. & Mrs. Loren F. Kahle, Jr.* & The Kahle Foundation, Inc. Kevin Kaylakie + Allen Kemp & Jo Carol Snowden King Family, In Memory of Alfred & Ellen King* Dr. Tadd S. Lazarus Carol Angela Logan + Mr. & Mrs. Michael Metteauer + Ambassador & Mrs. Lyndon L. Olson, Jr.* Mr. & Mrs. Charles J. Parker Fran & George Ramsey Charitable Fund* Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Shields + Jay & Sherrie Stewart + Cindy & Gerald Stone* Connee & Kent Sullivan + ‡ Dr. Eric Tiblier & Susanne Tetzlaff

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Dr. David N. Tobey, Jr. & Dr. Michelle Berger* + Steven Tyler Dr. Joni K. Wallace Donald R. Wertz* Sandra & Walter Wilkie + CHAIRMAN’S FORUM $3,500 TO $4,999 Sheila & Dan Beckett Richard Boner & Susan Pryor* + Suzanne Breitbach Marvin Brittman Pierre & Nancy Bulhon Annie Burridge & Paul Richichi Dr. & Mrs. Hugh Collins Marilyn Davis + Dr. William Deaton & Mrs. Cecilia Neuhaus Deaton + Kenneth W. Egan Debra & Marc Erck Michael Garza & Roger Kahlbau Dianne Smith Goggan Foundation Scott & Cathy Harris Richard Hartgrove & Gary Cooper Karl Henion Col. Harry Jaffers Bryce M. Johnson Drs. Kenneth & JoAnn Hunter Johnson Dr. Hootan Khatami & Daryl Fox Margery & Mack Lindsey* Diane Lipsitz Amy McCaffrey Arnold R. Mozisek, Jr. Drs. Rodney & Cathy Nairn Mr. & Mrs. William Paddock* Debbie & Jim Parish Craig & Cynthia Pence Wanda A. Reynolds + Alyce & Terry Richardson Dr. David W. Sloan Mary Jane Steele Bruce Stuckman, Ph.D. Eileen Vanderlee David & Catherine Wildermuth*

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL $2,000 TO $3,499 Anonymous Karen Artzt + Bonnie Bain, In Memory of Ann McKain Mr. & Mrs. Larry Barnebey* Mary C. Bohls Keith & Sheryl Brown + Dr. & Mrs. G.G. Cloyd Jill A. Davis Bill Dickson Peter G. Dorson Claude & Susan Ducloux Angela & Steven Eisert Zeina El-Azzi & Kenneth Loyde + Don Elledge Chris & Carol Elms Martha & Cliff Ernst Dr. Harvey Evans & Gloria Evans* + Gail A. Findlay Joe & Carol Fisher Bill Gaston, Inc. The William J.J. Gordon Family Foundation Manuela Gutt Marion & Joe Haas Joe S. Ham & Florence S. Ham Charitable Trust Robert L. Hardgrave David and Judy Harris The Hebel Family E. Stephen & Joyce Hunt Dana & Dennis Jakubowicz Ida Jeppesen & Ken Zink Evonne Jones Mark W. Kernan Mary Kevorkian Carol & Kelley Knutson William Lanagan Mike Don Miguel Le Burkien Eric Leibrock Melanie Lewis + M&H Machining, Inc. and Diane & Hudson Ingram Ren & Flo MacNary Anthony & Andrea Makridis

Partner Program Julia M. Marsden Jacqueline Towns McCall Dr. & Mrs. John McFarlane* Colonel & Mrs. Andrew J. McVeigh, III Karen Neeley Cathy & Don Neville Gai & Gerry Newkirk Mr. & Mrs. Mark Nodine Eva & Ray Orbach The Pacey Family Foundation Sam R. Perry Emily Rhea The Riebe Pumo Group, Stephen D. Riebe, ChFC & UBS Financial Services

Amalia Rodriguez-Mendoza + Mike & Delia Russell Robert G. Rutishauser* Edward Z. Safady Dean & Nell Dale Sanders + Ronald A. Seeliger Colette & John Sirhal Drs. Sharon & David Sneed Kristi & Blake Stanford Dr. Laura Starks Judith Streett & Douglas Gullickson Sarah & Matthew Streif Dr. & Mrs. Paul E. Stubbs Diane & Dick Trabulsi Marcia & Anthony Toprac Peggy & Don Ugent +

James Valdes Stephanie & Bill Whitehurst* Rose Betty & Allan Williams Cynthia Wilson Janice L. Wilson Custis Wright* *Founding Donors of Austin Opera +Includes special gifts in support of Artistic Excellence ‡Members of the Maestro Society support Austin Opera’s Artistic Planning Cycle with Multi-Year Pledges

Austin Opera is grateful to members of the Partner Program for their annual contribution. Thank you for your partnership in bringing thrilling performances and engaging programs to our community! BENEFACTOR $1,000 TO $1,999 A Friend* Jennifer Basten Aimee & Aaron Borders Douglas Bower and Bonny Gardner, Ph.D. Mrs. Ronald K. DeFord* Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Flanagan The Fruchter Family Fund Cass Haecker Gerald Gilligan Michael & Phyllis Herman James M. Hicks, M.D. & Julie A. Nelson Paul & Karen Leeke Linda & Leonard Leff Rex & Roberta Ling Ms. Catherine Lizcano Mr. Adriel Meditz Mr. Phillip Muth Stephen & Dale Sonnenberg Michelle T. Strawn Leslie Thomas Hardy & Susan Thompson GUARANTOR $750 TO $999 Reed & Heather Arnos Dana Blanton

Mr. Thomas H. Edwards Floylee Hemphill Goldberger, In Memory of Dr. Joseph H. Goldberger Polly & Jay Westbrook SUSTAINER $500 TO $749 Jesus Alcantar Dr. & Mrs. Richard R. Anderson Tom & Nan Anson* Emily & Kenneth Ashworth Mr. Philip Cochran Wilhelmina & Exalton Delco Margaret Furse Mr. Mark Gagnon Wendy Logan George Bob & Judy Belle Horick Mrs. Robert C. Howe Sara Jarvis Jones Dr. & Mrs. Craig Kuglen Mr. & Mrs. Luis Lidsky Teresa Lyson, M.D. & Krys Lyson, M.D. Dr. & Mrs. William E. McCaleb* Prof. A.P.D. Mourelatos* Jean C. St. Clair William K. Wallace Richard & Sherry Wilkison David & Leslie Wolff Hilary Young

CONTRIBUTOR $250 TO $499 Anonymous (2) Mr. Antonio Alfau Thomas J. Ashbaugh Ms. Madeleine Aubry Sam & Carol Barclay John & Heather Beliveau Brian and Mary Berwick Daniela Bini Jim & Rosalie Boldin Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. Bowman Dorothy Brown Evan & Janis Carton K.C. Cerny & Karen Kerkering Ms. Ruth Dyar Becky & Jim Engle Rosemary W. Estes Jill B. Fatzer Ms. Diana Ferguson Dr. Stanley I. Fisch Dr. Sergey Fomel Michael & Barbara Gentry Lino & Carolyn Graglia Ms. Sue Ann Hoke John Hrncir Orion & Jan Knox Christopher Colvin & Behice Kutay Roy and Amanda Leatherberry Marilyn Lindgren Georgia Lochridge A U ST I N O P E R A

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Partner Program Con’t Mr. Peter Lohman & Ms. Sonda Lomax Mr. Noah A. Longley Annette S. Lucksinger Linda Masters Doris & Jim Mohler Susan & Michael Mullan Mr. Clint Nesmith Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Niemiec Cmdr. James F. O'Leary Pete & Betty Paul Dr. & Mrs. F. Michael Pestorius Wayne & Marlette Rebhorn Joanne & Hamilton Richards Peter Rieck Susan & Bryan Roberts Mr. Jeffrey Serra Mr. Clemens Sialm & Mrs. Wei Li Ms. Sandra P. Sigman Mrs. Tacy Draper Slade Mr. and Mrs. Chris Sneden Vicky Spradling Jeanette & Brad Sprague Mrs. Jeannie Strange John C. R. Taylor, III & Peter Flagg Maxson Ms. Gwen Vu Mr. Michael Walters Louise & Steven Weinberg Anne & George Welder Mrs. Carol Wood Paul & Lucia Woodruff Mr. & Mrs. Joe A. Young

DONOR $150 TO $249 Martin & Armida T. Aleman Mr. Sam Barclay Maxine & Mark Barkan Mechthild Bernhard William Blanchard Mrs. Sandra Bosley Mr. Frank Cardenas Ms. Ruth Casarez Scott & Cheryl Christians Mrs. Cheryl Christians Ms. Julianna D. Chung Jack & Susan Clagett Debbie Volker & Doris Coward Rev. James L. Empereur Ms. Sheila Fitlin Mr. Perry Fleckman Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Folk, Ph.D. Mr. Scott Gill Patricia & James Hadden Lt. Col. & Mrs. Russel Hain Frances & Daniel Hamermesh Melissa & Stefan Hardie Mr. and Mrs. David P. Harris Ms. Ann Marie Harrison Loretta L. Hughes Ms. Priscilla Jarvis Mr. Todd J. Jermstad Ms. Jacqueline Johnson Jack & Juanita Josel Charles & Alicean Kalteyer Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Lapham Mr. & Mrs. Chong S. Lee Mr. Reid Long

Milton Miller, II Gail Minault Ms. Jennifer Moser Dr. William Nethercut Ms. Michelle S. O'Brien Lisa Pallmeyer Ms. Ada G. Pewitt Debbie Pike David N. Pollack Mr. & Mrs. Peter Roll Harriet I. Rutland* Robert & Sondra Ryan Mr. George Schaefer Mr. Paul Scripko Mrs. Carolyn Shelley John Sharp Judy Shipway & Leon Grizzard Kent & Peggy Stewart Carole Stockton Renee & Eugene Sutton Ms. Carolyn Trigg & Mr. Joe Haggard Mr. Robert Wald Mr. & Mrs. James West Handy & Barbara Williamson Peter & Anne Wood FRIEND UP TO $149 A special thank you to the nearly 400 Central Texan households who have made a gift to Austin Opera at the Friend level.

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy; however, if we have not listed you correctly, please call 512-610-7688. List as of September 25, 2018.

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Endowment Fund We are especially honored to be able to recognize those members of the Austin Opera family who have made a special commitment to the Endowment Fund, in addition to their annual patronage, to ensure that Austin Opera continues to bring the joy of great opera to future generations of audiences. $1,000,000 OR MORE The Marilyn Addy Endowment for Artist Excellence Mr. & Mrs. Frederick S. Addy The Sarah and Ernest Butler Artistic Director Dr. & Mrs. Ernest C. Butler The Kodosky Family Endowment for Artistic Excellence Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey L. Kodosky $150,000 OR MORE Chair of the Concertmaster & Performing Young Artists Mr. & Mrs. Brian Kushner $100,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Martin $50,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Gordon & Loretta Dancer & Family Estate of Aneta S. Mitchell Estate of Mary Perry Taylor Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey L. Kodosky Austin Opera General Endowment Fund honoring La Noche de Opera Curby Conoley

$25,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Amelia Bullock & Bill Krumpack Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Davis Alfred & Ellen King Society Mr. & Mrs. William B. Mitchell Estate of Edythe Rose Schmidt Kruger Estate of Willa Stewart Setseck In Memory of Helen G. Smith, Richard Tucker, & Aaron Kruger Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus David N. Tobey Jr., M.D. $10,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Jo A. & Billie Jo Graves Family Foundation Van & Jeanne Hoisington William Henry Kirchner, III Mr. & Mrs. Howard W. Parker Brenda & Larry Smith Wesley Tobey Memorial Fund for the Chorus James C. Armstrong Jo Anne Martin Christian Memorial Fund Friends of Jo Anne Christian $5,000 OR MORE Austin Opera General Endowment Fund Alfred & Ellen King Dr. & Mrs. Craig Lubin Peter Schram Estate of Charlotte Schumacher

To learn more about supporting Austin Opera’s Endowment Fund, please call Jennifer Basten, Chief Development Officer, at 512-610-7671.

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Bravo Society The Bravo Society honors the many friends who have helped provide for our future by remembering Austin Opera in their estate plans. Planned gifts help ensure the continuance of great music on the stage for generations to come. If you have already included Austin Opera in your plans, please let us know so that we may thank you and invite you to become a member of this special group. We take this opportunity to thank and recognize the members of the Bravo Society:

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick S. Addy Lissa Anderson Andrea & Jack Angelo Jeanette & Ernest Auerbach Suzannah Cox Barnebey Dr. Bill Crouch* Dr. Harvey Evans & Gloria Evans Eve Everett Fish* Drs. Dee & Ben* Fruchter Anne N. Gibbs* Jeanette M. Goodfriend Andrew & Mary Ann Heller Ellen & Alfred King* William Henry Kirchner, III* Edythe Rose Schmidt Kruger* Eva Kuhlman Mike Don Miguel Le Burkien Aneta S. Mitchell* Olly & Bob Modersohn

Mrs. W.A. Morrison Arnold R. (Andy) Mozisek, Jr. Jeanette & Ferris Nassour* Joanne Ravel* Carol & Charles Reynolds Frances & George Ricker Sally Strawn Rudd* Peter Schram, Jr. Charlotte E. Schumacher* Willa Stewart Setseck* Mary Perry Taylor* Reeta Wadzeck John Whisenhunt* David & Catherine Wildermuth Ruth Gracy Wise Raymond D. Woods* *Deceased

For more information about how you can support Austin Opera through a planned gift, please contact Jennifer Basten, Chief Development Officer, at 512-610-7671.

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Memorial IN MEMORY OF ROY E. BUSH Cindy & Gerald Stone IN MEMORY OF STEPHEN LEWIS DAVIS Jim & Jo Green Cindy & Gerald Stone IN MEMORY OF MARTHA DEATHERAGE Mr. & Mrs. Steven M. Bowman IN LOVING MEMORY OF JEANETTE F. NASSOUR Catherina Lizcano Cindy & Gerald Stone IN MEMORY OF JANE SWITZER PARKER Fred & Kay Andrews Curby Conoley Iris & John Foster Francie’s Maj Girls (Debbie Pike) Betty & Loren Kahle Gail & Jeff Kodosky Katharine & Gregory Shields Cindy & Gerald Stone IN MEMORY OF MARGARET PERRY Cindy & Gerald Stone IN LOVING MEMORY OF JEAN & LES READY Cindy & Gerald Stone IN MEMORY OF DAN ROBERTSON Margaret Miller Gifts received from April 1, 2018 to September 25, 2018. Memorial contributions are a meaningful way to mark an important occasion or celebrate the passing of someone to whom Austin Opera was an important part of their lives. If you would like to make a gift, which will be recognized in our upcoming program, please call Angie Bonnici, Director of Individual Giving at 512-610-7668. You will receive an acknowledgement of your gift, and the recipient’s family will receive a card telling them of your thoughtful remembrance.

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PROTECTING THE WILDEST JUNGLES ON THE PLANET.

MAIN STREET. PRESCHOOL. THE PLAYGROUND. The environment isn’t just some far off place. It’s the lawn beneath our feet, the food on our plate, and the air we breathe. And it’s why the Natural Resources Defense Council is working to protect the most important places on Earth. Whether it’s the rainforest, the arctic, or your living room. To learn more, go to NRDC.org. And help protect the jungle creatures in your backyard. Because the environment is everywhere.

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