2013 OPERA HIGHLIGHTS - Manhattan School of Music

120 Claremont AvenueNew York, New York10027–4698917 493 4469 tel212 749 7561 faxwww.msmnyc.eduOffice of PublicRelationsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate: August 30, 2012Contact: Debra KinzlerPhone: 917 493 4469 (office)Email: dkinzler@msmnyc.eduMANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC announces 2012 - 2013OPERA HIGHLIGHTSMANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC OPERA THEATERTHAȈSMusic by Jules Massenet; Libretto by Louis GalletGEORGE MANAHAN, conductor; RENAUD DOUCET, director and choreographerDecember 5, 7 and 9AUFSTIEG UND FALL DER STADT MAHAGONNY(“THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY”)Music by Kurt Weill; Libretto by Bertolt BrechtKYNAN JOHNS, conductor; DONA D. VAUGHN, directorApril 24, 26 and 28MSM SENIOR OPERA THEATERORPHÉE AUX ENFERS (“ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWOLRD”)Music by Jacques OffenbachFrench text by Ludovic Halévy, later revised by Hector-Jonathan CremieuxJORGE PARODI, conductor; DONA D. VAUGHN, directorMarch 27, 28, 29 and 30August 30, 2012 – The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Dona D. Vaughn, ArtisticDirector, announces the productions that will be taking place for the 2012-2013 season. Recognizedas one of the foremost opera training programs in the world, Manhattan School of Music’s OperaProgram attracts some of the most talented young singers from the United States and more than fortycountries. Students in the program refine their technique and develop artistry under the guidance ofa faculty of eminent artist-teachers while gaining exposure before New York City audiences throughperformances in opera scenes, community outreach programs, and two fully-staged productions eachyear.The Manhattan School of Music Opera Program has a long and proud tradition of producingsome of the finest operatic artists in America and abroad. The School’s opera pro¬ductions have beenpraised as a significant contribution to operatic life in New York City, and many students have goneon to major careers. Among notable alumnae are sopranos Pamela Armstrong, Elaine Alvarez, AlexandraDeshorties, Lauren Flanigan, Olivia Gorra, Kathleen Kim, Catherine Malfitano, Tonna Miller,Laquita Mitchell and Dawn Upshaw; mezzo-sopranos Kate Aldrich, Beth Clayton, Jennifer Dudley,Susan Graham, and Dolora Zajick; countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo; tenors Matthew Chellisand Brandon Jovanovich; and baritone Scott Altman. Margaret Juntwait, the first woman announcerwho is the voice of the Metropolitan Opera broadcast, is also a graduate.

Manhattan School of Music announces 2012-2013 opera highlights, Page 3Bios:George Manahan, conductorGeorge Manahan begins his third year as Manhattan School of Music’s Director of Orchestral Activities as well as his third year asMusic Director of the American Composers Orchestra. He has had an esteemed career embracing everything from opera to the concertstage, the traditional to the contemporary. As the former Music Director of New York City Opera for thirteen seasons, Mr.Manahan is especially known in the opera world for his musical guidance of diverse productions including productions ofLa Faniculla del West, Daphne, Ermione, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Cendrillon, Die Tote Stadt. He has toured Japan with NYCO’sproduction of Little Women. His guest appearances include with the symphonies of Atlanta, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Indianapolis,Charlotte, and New Jersey, where he served as Acting Music Director for four seasons, as well as the National Symphony, Juilliard,Manhattan School of Music, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen Music Festival. He is a regularguest conductor with the opera companies of Santa Fe, Portland, and Glimmerglass Opera, and has also appeared with the operacompanies of Seattle, Chicago, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera National du Paris, Teatro de Communale de Bologna, the BergenFestival (Norway), the Casals Festival (Puerto Rico) and Minnesota Opera, where he was Principal Conductor. As Music Directorof the Richmond Symphony (VA) from 1987-98, he was honored four times by the American Society of Composers and Publishers(ASCAP) for his commitment to 20th-century music. George Manahan received his formal musical training at Manhattan School ofMusic, studying conducting with Anton Coppola and George Schick.Renaud Doucet, director and choreographerBorn in France, Renaud Doucet started his performing career as a solo dancer, ballet master, coach and choreographer in internationaldance companies. He has appeared as an actor in a number of films and TV series. As a choreographer and baroque gesturespecialist, he has coached such singers as Alfredo Kraus, Jaime Aragall, Raina Kabaivanska and Mirella Freni. His directing careerbegan in 2000 with L’Incoronazione di Poppea at l‘Opéra de Montréal, and includes staging such works as La Bohème, Aida, Lespêcheurs de perles, Die Fledermaus, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Tosca, Carmen, L’elisir d’amore, La Traviata, La Belle Hélene, Ilbarbiere di Siviglia, Les dialogues des Carmélites, The Tempest, and Turandot in the U.S. and Canada. Since 2000, he has been workingclosely with André Barbe on productions including Cendrillon at the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, l’Opéra de Marseille,the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, New York City Opera and l’Opéra de Montréal, Fauré’s Pénélope and Adam’s Si j’étais roi atthe Wexford Festival Opera (winner of the Irish Theatre Award 2005), the Viennese premiere of The Sound of Music, Turandot at theVienna Volksoper, Thaïs at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, l’Opéra de Montréal, Palm Beach Opera and the Boston Lyric Opera,Benvenuto Cellini and Iphigénie en Aulide in Strasbourg, Pelléas et Mélisande and The Rape of Lucretia at l’Opéra de Montréal, Les Contesd’Hoffmann at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Colorado, Samson et Dalila at the Royal SwedishOpera in Stockholm, Manon at the Scottish Opera, and at the Florida Grand Opera Miami included Lucia di Lammermoor, Pagliacci,Suor Angelica, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Carmen. Their most recent productions include Rusalka at the Vienna Volksoper, Les Contesd’Hoffmann at the Florida Grand Opera, La Cenerentola at the Hamburg State Opera and Turandot as a coproduction with five USopera houses.André Barbe, set and costume designerBased in Montreal, André Barbe received a bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Concordia University then studied at the NationalTheatre School of Canada under the tutelage of designer François Barbeau. He has designed more than 300 productions for theatre,television and opera. He received the Irish Times Irish Theater Award 2005 for best designer for the production of Pénélope at theWexford Festival Opera as well as the 2011 Rolf-Mares Prize for best sets and costumes for the production of La Cenerentola at theHamburgische Staatsoper. Opera America, the national service organization for opera, presented an exhibition of his productiondesigns in New York in 2008.In 2000 Barbe joined forces with director and choreographer Renaud Doucet after they met at the Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari,Italy. Their work as a team gained recognition with new productions of Massenet’s Cendrillon at l’Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourgand l’Opéra de Marseille, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, New York City Opera and l’Opéra de Montréal, the Viennese premiereof The Sound of Music,Turandot and Rusalka at the Volksoper Wien; Fauré’s Pénélope and Adam’s Si J’étais roi for the WexfordFestival Opera; Benvenuto Cellini and Iphigénie en Aulide at l’Opéra National du Rhin; Pelléas et Mélisande and The Rape of Lucretiafor l’Opéra de Montréal; Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Colorado; Samsonet Dalila at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm; Manon at the Scottish Opera; as well as the entire 2009-2010 season of Miami’s FloridaGrand Opera. Their upcoming productions include Wagner’s Die Feen in co-production with the Oper Leipzig and Bayreuther Festspielefor the Wagnerjahr 2013, Turandot at Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, The Adventures of Pinocchio by Jonathan Dove inco-production with the Oper Bonn and Volksper Wien and La Belle Hélène at the Hamburgische Staatsoper.

Manhattan School of Music announces 2012-2013 opera highlights, Page 4Wednesday, April 24 and Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.Sunday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m.AUFSTIEG UND FALL DER STADT MAHAGONNY(“RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY”)Music by Kurt Weill; Libretto by Bertolt BrechtKYNAN JOHNS, conductor; DONA D. VAUGHN, directorKurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny) is set to a German libretto by BertoltBrecht. Weill’s score, composed when he was in his twenties, is a cornucopia of different musical styles – from jazz and ragtimeto formal counterpoint. Kurt Weill (1900 – 1950) and Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) are better known for their ThreepennyOpera, that received its premiere in 1928 and was as a huge success. Mahagonny, written as a political satire on Americanconsumerism, is set in the fictional city Mahagonny, where pleasure and profit are the ultimate pursuits, and anyone can dowhatever they desire. Brecht’s libretto explores the “Do your own thing, with no limits to the extreme.”Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny received its premiere on March 9, 1930 in Leipzig, Germany. It received its first Berlinperformance in December 1931 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm conducted by Alexander von Zemlinsky. Lotte Lenyaperformed the role of Jenny, Trude Hesterberg was Begbick and Harald Paulsen sang the role of Jimmy. In 1933, the operawas banned by the Nazis and was not heard in a significant production in Europe until the 1960s. In 1963, it was mounted inLondon at Sadler’s Wells Opera conducted by Sir Colin Davis, and in 1977 it was produced in Berlin by the Komische Oper.Mahagonny’s first U.S. performance took place in 1970 with an off-Broadway staging starring Barbara Harris as Jenny and EstelleParsons as Begbick. In 1974, a fully staged version was performed by the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut,and in November 1979, the Metropolitan Opera staged a production by John Dexter conducted by James Levine. Thecast included Teresa Stratas as Jenny, Astrid Varnay as Begbick, Richard Cassilly as Jimmy, Cornell MacNeil as Moses, RagnarUlfung as Fatty and Paul Plishka as Joe. Other notable productions included the Los Angeles Opera Jonathan Miller productionfrom 1989; in June 1990 in Florence by the Maggio Musicale Fiorentiono; a 1998 production at the Salzburg Festivalthat featured Catherine Malfitano as Jenny, Gwyneth Jones as Begbick and Jerry Hadley as Jimmy followed in November 1998by the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The DVD for the Los Angeles Opera’s 2007 production directed by John Doyle and conductedby James Conlon with Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone and Anthony Dean Griffey was the winner of the 2009 GrammyAward for “Best Classical Album” and “Best Opera Recording.”Mahagonny first appeared in the late 1920s as Mahagonny-Songspiel, a concert work composed for voices and small orchestra,commissioned by the Deutsche Kammermusik Festival in Baden-Baden. It was considered both a success and a scandal at itspremiere on July 18, 1927. The ten numbers from this work (by Weill and Brecht) including “Alabama Song” and “BenaresSong,” were all incorporated into the opera.Borden Auditorium; April 24 and 26, 7:30 p.m.; April 28, 2:30 p.m. Tickets $30; $15 seniors and studentsBios:Kynan Johns, conductorResident Conductor to Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta at the new Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofia,” Valencia, Spain (2006-2010),Maestro Johns has established a reputation throughout Europe, Australia, Israel and America. Major prize winner in the prestigiousDmitris Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition, finalist in the Maazel/ Vilar International conducting competitionand semi-finalist in the 49th Besancon International Conducting competition, Johns has conducted orchestras and opera companiesthroughout the world including, among others, the Israel Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, NetherlandsRadio Symphony and Chamber Orchestras , Philharmonica della Scala, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony,New Zealand Symphony and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. Johns has worked at La Scala, conducting Maazel’s opera 1984,

Manhattan School of Music announces 2012-2013 opera highlights, Page 7zlin’ Shakespeare), the Wolf Trap Opera Studio, the Young Artist Programs of Ash Lawn Opera and Opera North, ArtSounds at theKansas City Art Institute, Exilkabarett (NYC), Wintergreen Summer Music Festival in northern Virginia, Union Station in KansasCity, the Children’s Theatre of Maine, as well as assistant work with Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Michigan OperaTheatre, Fort Worth Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Virginia Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, Opera North (US), and PORTopera.He received his Bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory, his Master’s from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, andan Artist’s Diploma from the University of Missouri- Kansas City. He has worked with directors Dona D. Vaughn and Baayork Lee,and with Leon Major while a Directing Fellow at Wolf Trap Opera. Upcoming directing projects include Gianni Schicchi with theAsh Lawn Opera Young Artist Program and Jorge Sosa’s liturgical drama Tonatzin with the Santa Fe Concert Association.The Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal CompetitionApril 18, ThursdayManhattan School of Music will be holding the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition for a fourth year. This competitionhas been made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Ades to encourage and foster the most promising and deserving young singersat MSM. The, $20,000 first place cash award, $10,000 second place cash award, and $5,000 third place cash award are givento provide career-entry funding for graduating singers of outstanding professional potential in opera who do not plan to pursueadditional degree or diploma programs for the next two years. In addition, they must be ready to launch a professional career.The funding may be used to support career advancement in any area including private instruction (vocal technique, coaching,diction, movement, acting, audition prep); physical conditioning; creation of a recording demo or debut CD; accompanist’sfees; agent’s fees; professional travel; living expenses during professional internship; and wardrobe.Past recipients of the first place award have included soprano Lori Guilbeau (2010), baritone Joo Won Kang, mezzo-sopranoSamantha Korbey and baritone Robert Mellon in a three-way tie (2011) and soprano Andrea Carroll (2012).The judges for the 2012 Ades Vocal Competition included F. Paul Driscoll, editor-in-chief of Opera News, conductor StevenOsgood and soprano Lauren Flanigan.Ades Performance Space, 4:00 p.m.* * * * *Master ClassesOctober 3, WednesdayDiana SovieroGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.November 7, WednesdayPablo BasualdoMiller Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.January 30, WednesdayDeborah PolaskiGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.February 20, WednesdayMarilyn HorneBorden Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Manhattan School of Music announces 2012-2013 opera highlights, Page 8March 19, TuesdayThomas HampsonStreamed live at www.dl.msmnyc.edu/liveGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.April 10, WednesdayRon RainesGreenfield Recital Hall, 4:00 p.m.* * * * *TicketsTickets, priced at $30; $15 for students/seniors are required for the main stage productions of Massenet’s Thaïs and Weill’s Riseand Fall of Mahagonny. The Opera Scenes program and the Senior Opera Theater production requires a ticket priced at $12;$7 for students/seniors. For information please visit www.msmnyc.edu., or call 917 493 4428. Manhattan School of Music islocated on the northwest corner of Broadway and 122nd Street and is easily reached by public transportation.Opera StudiesDona D. Vaughn, Artistic DirectorGordon Ostrowski, Assistant Dean/Opera ProducerDaniel Benavent, Opera Studio Manager/Associate ProducerAnne Shikany, Assistant to the DirectorWilliam Tracy, Head CoachMark Janas, June Murano-Murray, LeAnn Overton, Scott Rednour, and Elizabeth Rodgers, Vocal CoachesJorge Parodi, Vocal Coach and Music Director of Senior Opera TheaterVoice FacultyMaitland Peters, Chair; Edith Bers, Joan Caplan, Mignon Dunn, Hilda Harris, Cynthia Hoffmann,Marlena Kleinman Malas, Spiro Malas, Catherine Malfitano, Patricia Misslin, Mark Oswald, Joan Patenaude-Yarnell, AshleyPutnam, Neil Rosenshein and Lynn Owen (voice faculty emeritus)* * * * *