Richard Wagner's THE FLYING DUTCHMAN. Press Kit. Giacomo Puccini's LA RONDINE. Press Kit

Transcription

1 Richard Wagner's THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Giacomo Puccini's Press Kit LA RONDINE Press Kit

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3 PRESENTS THE FLYING DUTCHMAN OPERA IN THREE ACTS Music and libretto by Richard Wagner First performed January 2, 1843 at the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. SUNG IN GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES. Performances of The Flying Dutchman are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Packard Humanities Institute and by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San José. PRESS CONTACT Bryan Ferraro Communications Manager Office (408) Mobile (408) ferraro@operasj.org operasj.org For additional information go to

4 CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Steersman Mason Gates Daland Gustav Andreassen The Dutchman Noel Bouley Senta Kerriann Otaño Mary Nicole Birkland Erik Derek Taylor Covers Kevin Gino, Steersman Kirk Eichelberger, Daland Trevor Neal, Dutchman Katharine Gunnink, Senta Gwendolyn Kuhlmann, Mary Dane Suarez, Erik 4 Opera San José

5 ARTISTIC TEAM CONDUCTORS Joseph Marcheso Andrew Whitfield 2/23 & 2/25 Performances STAGE DIRECTOR Brad Dalton SET DESIGNER Steven C. Kemp COSTUME DESIGNER Johann Stegmeir LIGHTING DESIGNER David Lee Cuthbert PROJECTION DESIGNER Ian Wallace WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER Christina Martin PROPERTIES MASTER Lori Scheper-Kesel TECHNICAL DIRECTOR John Draginoff ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Pálína Jónsdóttir PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Jimmy Marcheso ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS Emi Komatsu Hannah Thrasher MUSIC STAFF Veronika Agranov-Dafoe Victoria Lington SUPERTITLE CUEING Victoria Lington The Flying Dutchman Press Kit 5

6 1ST VIOLIN Cynthia Baehr, Concertmaster Alice Talbot, Assistant Concertmaster Matthew Szemela Valerie Tisdel Chin Le Virginia Smedberg Daniel Flanagan Rochelle Ngyuen 2ND VIOLIN Claudia Bloom, Principal Susan Stein, Assistant Principal Sue-Mi Shin Elizabeth Corner Sergi Goldman-Hull Carol Kutsch Gulnar Spurlock VIOLA Chad Kaltinger, Principal Janet Doughty, Assistant Principal Melinda Rayne Ivo Bokulic CELLO Lucinda Breed Lenicheck, Principal Evan Kahn, Assistant Principal Nancy Kim Dina Weinshelbaum BASS Andrew Butler, Principal William Everett, Assistant Principal FLUTE Mary Hargrove, Principal Laurie Camphouse PICCOLO Leslie Chin 6 Opera San José

7 ORCHESTRA OBOE Patricia Emerson Mitchell, Principal Pamela Hakl ENGLISH HORN Pamela Hakl CLARINET Mark Brandenburg, Principal Ann Lavin HARP Daniel Levitan, Principal ORCHESTRA MANAGER Mark Veregge ORCHESTRA LIBRARIAN Tim Spears BASSOON Deborah Kramer, Principal Carolyn Lockhart FRENCH HORN Deborah McCracken, Principal Meredith Brown Caitlyn Smith Eric Achen Glen Swarts, Assistant TRUMPET William B. Harvey, Principal John Freeman TROMBONE Kathryn Curran, Principal Thomas Hornig C.L. Behrens TUBA Forrest Byram TIMPANI Mark Veregge, Principal PERCUSSION Stan Muncy The Flying Dutchman Press Kit 7

8 ACT I On his homeward journey bound for Oslo, the sea captain Daland is forced by stormy weather to seek refuge near Sandwike in southern Norway. Anxious to see his daughter Senta again, Daland is frustrated that he must seek shelter while just seven miles from home. He leaves the helmsman on watch and he and the sailors retire. The helmsman falls asleep. The ship of the Flying Dutchman arrives making land very close to Daland s boat. The Dutchman laments his fate, as he is cursed by Satan to roam the sea forever without rest. There is hope however. An angel brought to him the terms of his redemption: every seven years the waves will cast him upon the shore; if he can find a wife who will be true to him until death, he will be released from his curse. Daland wakes up and meets the stranger. The stranger hears that Daland has an unmarried daughter named Senta, and he asks for her hand in marriage, offering a chest of treasure as a gift. Tempted by gold, Daland agrees to the marriage. The south wind blows and both vessels set sail for Daland s home. Intermission (20 minutes) ACT II A group of local girls sing as they work at their sewing and spinning in Daland s house. Senta, Daland s daughter, dreamily gazes upon a picture of the legendary Dutchman that hangs in the room; she is infatuated with his suffering and desires to save him. Against the will of Mary, the family housekeeper, she sings to her friends the story of the Dutchman. She vows to save him by her true and faithful love even if it means her death. The huntsman Erik, Senta s childhood friend who hopes to be her fiancé, arrives and is angered by her passionate singing about the Dutchman; the girls depart, and the huntsman, who loves Senta, warns her by telling her of his dream, in which Daland returned with a mysterious stranger who carried her off to sea. She listens with ecstasy, and Erik flees in despair. 8 Opera San José

9 SYNOPSIS Daland arrives with the stranger; he and Senta stand gazing at each other in silence. Daland is scarcely noticed by his daughter, even when he presents his guest as her betrothed. In the following duet, which closes the act, Senta agrees to marry the Dutchman and swears to be true to him forever. ACT III Later in the evening, the local girls bring the sailors food and drink. They invite the crew of the strange vessel to join in the merry-making, but in vain. After the girls leave unsettled, the sailors mock the Dutchman s crew when suddenly ghostly forms emerge from the vessel. Daland s men retreat terrified. Senta enters, followed by Erik, who reproaches her for deserting him. When the Dutchman enters and hears Erik, he believes Senta has betrayed him and is overwhelmed with despair. He reveals to Senta that the many women who have been unfaithful to him are condemned to Hell for breaking their marriage vow. To protect her and all women, he vows to never come to port again. As the Dutchman sets sail, Senta restates her vow of fidelity unto death and throws herself into the sea to prove it. The spectral ship disappears and Senta and the Dutchman are joined in eternity. The Flying Dutchman Press Kit 9

10 CAST BIOGRAPHY Gustav Andreassen BASS HOMETOWN: MILWAUKIE, OREGON Daland Norwegian-American singer Gustav Andreassen makes his Opera San José debut as Daland in The Flying Dutchman. Mr. Andreassen has performed with major opera companies and orchestras throughout North America and Europe, including the Bonze in Puccini s Madama Butterfly and Osmin in Mozart s Abduction from the Seraglio, both with Kentucky Opera. The season saw his debut with Glyndebourne to cover Osmin in Abduction from the Seraglio, a return to Boston Baroque as Sarastro in Mozart s The Magic Flute, Verdi s Requiem with Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, and Osmin with The Israeli Opera. Other career highlights include the roles of Sourin in Tchaikovsky s Pique Dame and Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin) with San Francisco Opera, and Daland in Wagner s The Flying Dutchman, Truffaldino in Strauss s Ariadne auf Naxos and the King in Verdi s Aida, all with Utah Opera. With Arizona Opera he has sung Daland, Leporello in Mozart s Don Giovanni, Blitch in Floyd s Susannah, and Sarastro in Mozart s The Magic Flute. Internationally, he has appeared with Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Hamburgishe Staatsoper, De Vlaamse Opera, and in Lucca, Italy. 10 Opera San José

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12 CAST BIOGRAPHY Nicole Birkland MEZZO-SOPRANO HOMETOWN: MOORLAND, IOWA Mary Former resident artist Nicole Birkland returns to Opera San José as Mary in Wagner s The Flying Dutchman. Other engagements include the role of Maid Servant 3 in Strauss s Elektra in Fall 2017 and Schwerleite in Wagner s Die Walkure, both with San Francisco Opera. She will also cover the roles of Erda in SFO s productions of Das Rheingold and Siegfried in Summer Recent engagements for Ms. Birkland include covering the roles of the Third Lady (Mozart s The Magic Flute) and Mary (Wagner s The Flying Dutchman) for the Metropolitan Opera, and covering the role of Erda (Wagner s Das Rheingold and Siegfried) for Washington National Opera and appearing as Suzuki (Puccini s Madama Butterfly) for Fargo- Moorhead Opera. While a member of OSJ s resident ensemble, Nicole Birkland appeared as Dame Quickly (Falstaff), Gertrud (Hansel and Gretel), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Azucena (Il trovatore), the Principessa (Suor Angelica), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi). 12 Opera San José

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14 CAST BIOGRAPHY Noel Bouley BARITONE HOMETOWN: HOUSTON, TEXAS Dutchman - Noel Bouley makes his Opera San José debut, appearing in the title role of The Flying Dutchman. Roles performed recently include Don Alfonso in Mozart s Così fan tutte, Sharpless in Puccini s Madama Butterfly, Monterone in Verdi s Rigoletto, and Donner in Wagner s Das Rheingold, as well as covering the title role in a new production of Wagner s The Flying Dutchman, all as an ensemble member at Deutsche Opera Berlin. Upcoming performances with that company will feature him as Amonasro in Verdi s Aïda, Enrico in Donizetti s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Zuniga in Bizet s Carmen. On the concert stage, Mr. Bouley has performed many works including Vaughan-Williams 5 Mystical Songs with the Lexington Philharmonic, Orff s Camina Burana, Stravinsky s Pulcinella, Requiems by Mozart, Fauré, and Duruflé, the Copland Old American Songs, Handel s Messiah, and Bach s Mass in B minor. Mr. Bouley was the winner of the 2013 Shreveport Opera s Singer of the Year Competition and a finalist in the Houston Grand Opera s Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Dallas Opera Guild s Vocal Competition. 14 Opera San José

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16 CAST BIOGRAPHY Mason Gates TENOR HOMETOWN: SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA Steersman Mason Gates, a member of Opera San José s resident company, appears as the Steersman in The Flying Dutchman, and Gastone in Verdi s La traviata. He recently appeared as Prunier in Puccini s La rondine and will appear as Gastone in Verdi s La traviata. Last season, Mr. Gates performed the role of Jonathan Dale in Puts and Campbell s Silent Night, and made his company debut as Don Curzio in the production of The Marriage of Figaro. Other roles performed recently include the title role in Albert Herring, El Remendado (Carmen), The Man with Old Luggage (Postcard from Morocco), Spoletta (Tosca), Grigori (Boris Godunov), Rodolfo (La bohème), (Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte), and Edwin the Defendant (Trial by Jury). 16 Opera San José

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18 CAST BIOGRAPHY Kerriann Otaño SOPRANO HOMETOWN: WADING RIVER, NEW YORK Senta - Kerriann Otaño debuts with Opera San José as Senta in The Flying Dutchman. Roles performed recently include the Witch in Humperdinck s Hansel and Gretel and Mary Custis Lee in Phillip Glass s Appomattox, both with Washington National Opera. In Summer of 2015, she was chosen as a Filene Young Artist and made her debut with Wolf Trap Opera singing the countess in Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro at The Barns and High Priestess in Verdi s Aïda at the Filene Center. Other performances include a return to Fort Worth Opera Festival in her role debut as Micaëla in Bizet s Carmen, and company debuts with Opera Memphis and Amarillo Opera as the countess in The Marriage of Figaro. She also returned to Washington National Opera to sing Kitty Hart in Heggie s Dead Man Walking and Donna Elvira in Mozart s Don Giovanni. For the season, she returns to WNO as Berta in Rossini s The Barber of Seville. Ms. Otaño is a 2016 National Semi-Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a recent graduate of the Domingo- Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera. 18 Opera San José

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20 CAST BIOGRAPHY Derek Taylor TENOR HOMETOWN: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Erik Derek Taylor makes his company debut as Erik in The Flying Dutchman. Career highlights have included Cavaradossi in Puccini s Tosca, Jacopo in Verdi s I Due Foscari, Enzo Grimaldi in Ponchielli s La Gioconda, Hagenbach in Catalani s La Wally, the Duke in Verdi s Rigoletto, Gustavo in Verdi s Un Ballo in Maschera, Foresto in Verdi s Attila, Edgardo in Donizetti s Lucia di Lammermoor and Ruggero in Puccini s La rondine. He has appeared with such opera houses as Theater St. Gallen, Theater Basel, Theater Würzburg, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, Theater Mönchengladbach, Los Angeles Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Baltimore Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Virginia Opera, Central City Opera, El Paso Opera, Manitoba Opera, Phoenix Metropolitan Opera, and The Santa Fe Opera, to name only a few. 20 Opera San José

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23 CONTENTS OF USB DRIVE OSJ The Flying Dutchman Calendar Release OSJ The Flying Dutchman News Release OSJ The Flying Dutchman Press Kit OSJ The Flying Dutchman Program California Theatre History Richard Wagner Bio Headshots Production Images For additional information go to The Flying Dutchman Press Kit 23