M E R C U RY O P E R A R O C H E S T E R P R E S E N T S

J A N U A RY 1 6 & 1 8 , 2 0 0 9

E A S T M A N T H E AT R E

G I A C O M O P U C C I N I ’ S

T O S C AT O S C A

presents

Giacomo Puccini’s

T O S C ALibretto by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica based upon the drama by Victorien Sardou

Benton HessArtistic Director & Conductor

David BartholomewStage Director

With the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

Set Design by Robert LittleLighting Design by Nic MinetorCostume Design by Paul Favini

Set & Costumes courtesy of Tri-Cities Opera Co., Inc.

There will be two intermissions.

SCeneRome, Italy, in 1800

SynOpSiSAct I – The church of Sant’ Andrea della Valle

Cesare Angelotti, a political prisoner who has just escaped from the jail at Castel Sant’ Angelo, seeks refuge in the church. The painter Mario Cavaradossi is at work on his painting, admitting that his inspiration is his beloved Floria Tosca, a famous Roman opera singer. Angelotti hides when Tosca enters the church. She suspects Cavaradossi of talking to another woman, but he reassures her, and the pair agree to meet that evening at Cavaradossi’s villa. With Tosca gone, Cavaradossi leaves with Angelotti to hide him at his villa.

The choir rehearses for a special performance that evening celebrating a defeat of Napoleon; Tosca will be the soloist. The Roman chief-of-police, Baron Scarpia, arrives searching for Angelotti. Scarpia suspects that Cavaradossi has aided Angelotti’s escape. Tosca returns, and Scarpia convinces her that Cavaradossi has fled with another woman, instigating her jealousy. He hopes Tosca will lead him to Cavaradossi and thus to Angelotti. He orders his spies to follow her as she leaves the church, swear-ing he will capture not only the painter, but Tosca as well.

~ 15-Minute Intermission ~

Act II – Scarpia’s quarters at Palazzo Farnese Scarpia is dining alone in his quarters. His henchman Spoletta appears and reports that Tosca has led Scarpia’s spies to a remote village, and though Angelotti was not to be found, they had arrested Cavaradossi. The painter is brought in. Tosca, who has been summoned by Scarpia, is shocked to see Cavaradossi. Scarpia tries to get the location of Angelotti’s hiding place from her, but she insists that she knows nothing. When Cavaradossi is tortured in the next room, she reveals the secret, asking for Cavaradossi’s freedom in return. Scarpia orders his men to the villa.

Word arrives that the earlier report of Napoleon’s defeat at Marengo was incorrect. Instead, Napoleon was the victor. Cavaradossi cries out with joy and is dragged to prison. Tosca pleads for her lover’s life, and Scarpia offers her an exchange: if she will give herself to him, he will give Cavaradossi back to her. In despair, she agrees. Scarpia tells Tosca there must be a mock execution, and circuitously orders preparations for a real one. He then prepares a safe-conduct pass for Tosca and Cavaradossi and comes to claim his prize. She grabs a knife from the table and stabs him, then takes the pass and flees the room.

~ 10-Minute Intermission ~

Act III – The terrace of Castel Sant’ Angelo prison Cavaradossi is brought in for his execution, which is an hour away. He bribes the jailer with a ring for permission to write a farewell letter to Tosca. She hurries in, explaining that there is to be a mock execution in which he is to pretend to have been shot. She also tells him about Scarpia’s murder and of the safe-conduct pass that will get them out of Rome before the murder is discovered. The lovers ecstatically plan for the future.

As the firing squad advances and takes aim, Tosca retires with a final word to Cavaradossi about how to fall realistically. The soldiers fire and Cavaradossi falls. She hurries to Cavaradossi and is horri-fied to discover that he is dead and that the execution was real after all. Distant shouts announce that Scarpia’s murder was discovered. As soldiers rush in to seize Tosca, she climbs to the fortress parapet and leaps to her death.

CASTFloria Tosca, a celebrated opera singer .................................................... Jill GardnerMario Cavaradossi, painter ........................................................................Dinyar Vania Baron Scarpia, Chief of the Police .......................................................... Jake GardnerCesare Angelotti ...........................................................................................John BuffettThe Sacristan .................................................................................................. John DaviesSpoletta, Police Agent ..............................................................................Robert StraussSciarrone, Gendarme ............................................................................... Michael RoddyThe Jailer ......................................................................................................... John DaviesA Shepherd Boy ........................................................................................... Lauren Iezzi

Chorus – Soldiers, Peasants, Ladies, Nobles & Nuns Sheila Buck, Holly Corcoran, Tyler Coughlan, Max Denler, Danielle Frink, Pat Fussell,

Nicholas Gerling, Bill Hearne, Lindsay Holmes, Robert Holmes, Craig Larson, Zach Ligas, Mary Menzie, Julia Natoli, Becki Boyanski Place, Lori Romaniw, Lisa Rosenbauer, Dennis Rosenbaum, Holley Shafer, Catherine Siniscalco, Laura Szymanowicz, Michael Thering

Children – Members of the Bach Children’s Chorus at Nazareth CollegeMaddie Brown, Briannamarie Burrhus, Ffion Collinsworth, Jenna D’Angelo,

Briana Faringer, Tressa Johnson, Andrew LaFavor, Julia Larson, Katya Lyubomirsky, Melanie Mashner, Melissa Mashner, Bethany McLean, Mayra Rodriguez, Maria Rogers,

Sarah Rosati, Elizabeth Stansbury, Ian Stewart

Supernumeraries – Cardinal, Executioner, Guards, Thugs, Judge & ScribeTyler Coughlin, Max Denler, Peter Elliott, John Herron, Craig Larson, Zach Ligas,

Charles Palella, Michael Thering

ArTiSTiC & prOduCTiOn STAffArtistic Director & Conductor................................................................................... Benton HessStage Director ...................................................................................................David BartholomewStage Manager ................................................................................................................Ken Saltzman Production Manager /Technical Director ..........................................................Matthew ScheidtSet Designer ....................................................................................................................Robert LittleLighting Designer ............................................................................................................Nic MinetorCostume Designer ..............................................................................................................Paul FaviniCostume Coordinator ...................................................................................................Nellica RaveWig & Make-up Design .............................................................................................Molly Weinreb Assistant Conductor & Pianist ..............................................................................Richard MastersProps Manager ................................................................................................................... Lynn ZicariChorusmaster .................................................................................................................Dean EkbergAssistant Director ................................................................................................... Rebecca PickettAssistant Stage Manager ...........................................................................................Lindsay ChasséAssistant Lighting Designer ..................................................................................... Dan O’DonnellBach Children’s Chorus Artistic Director ...........................................................Karla KrogstadFight Choreographer .................................................................................................. Steve VaughanChorus Accompanist ....................................................................................................Jason HolmesSet & Costumes Courtesy of .................................................. Tri-Cities Opera Company, Inc.Wigs Courtesy of ...................................................................................................Elsen AssociatesHair Dressers.......................................................................Sue Harrison & Danielle LetourneauCostume Assistant .............................................................................................Claudette HerculesMake-up Assistant ............................................................................................................. Leslie BushLight Board Operator ............................................................................................. Jenny KleinhenzSurtitle Translation ..................................................................................Stephan Holden-CorbettSurtitle Operator .............................................................................................Dominick RodriguezTicket Service ........................................RPO Box Office, Kate Wahl – Patron Relations Mgr.House Manager & Ushers .................................................................David Meyer & Gerry Maar

Violin IJuliana Athayde, ConcertmasterThe Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair, Funded in perpetuityWilfredo Degláns, Associate ConcertmasterShannon Nance, Assistant ConcertmasterPerrin YangTigran VardanyanEllen RathjenJanice MacisakWilliam HuntSabina SlepeckiKenneth LangleyLise StoddardJoanna OwenChristine Hauptly Annin *An-Chi OuYangMargaret Leenhouts

Violin IIDavid Brickman, PrincipalDaryl Perlo, Assistant PrincipalPatricia SunwooJohn SullivanLara SipolsNancy HuntBoris ZapesochnyLiana KotevaJeremy HillAinur ZabenovaLee WilkinsJames Dumm

ViolaMelissa Matson, PrincipalMichael Larco, Assistant PrincipalMarc AndersonElizabeth SekaOlita PoveroMichail Verba Linda KirkwoodDavid HultSidney KillmerThomas Dumm

CelloStefan Reuss, PrincipalThe Clara and Edwin Strasenburgh Chair, Funded in perpetuityKathleen Murphy Kemp, Assistant PrincipalLars KirvanBenjamin KrugMary Ann WukovitzDon Reinfeld *Patricia GarveyIngrid Bock Melissa Burton Anderson

BassColin Corner, PrincipalThe Anne Hayden McQuay Chair, Funded in perpetuity

Michael Griffin, Assistant PrincipalJack StauberRobert ZimmermanGaelen McCormickJeff Campbell +Eric Polenik

FluteRebecca Gilbert, PrincipalThe Charlotte Whitney Allen Chair, Funded in perpetuityJoanna BassettJan Angus +Diane Smith

PiccoloJoanna BassettJan Angus + OboeErik Behr, PrincipalThe Dr. Jacques M. Lipson Chair,Funded in perpetuityAnna SteltenpohlAnna Petersen StearnsPriscilla Brown

English HornAnna Steltenpohl ClarinetKenneth Grant, + PrincipalThe Robert J. Strasenburgh Chair, Funded in perpetuityRobert DiLutisRamon Ricker + *Andrew BrownAlice Meyer

E-flat ClarinetRobert DiLutis

Bass ClarinetRamon Ricker + *Andrew Brown

BassoonAbraham Weiss, PrincipalCharles BaileyMartha Sholl

Contra-BassoonCharles Bailey

HornW. Peter Kurau, + PrincipalThe Cricket and Frank Luellen Chair,Funded in perpetuityMatthew Annin *Alex Rosenfeld, Assistant PrincipalJennifer BurchDavid AngusStephanie Blaha

TrumpetDouglas Prosser, + PrincipalThe Elaine P. Wilson ChairWesley NanceHerbert SmithPaul Shewan

TromboneMark Kellogg, + PrincipalThe Austin E. Hildebrandt Chair, Funded in perpetuityMark SalatinoAndrew Chappell TubaW. Craig Sutherland, Principal

TimpaniCharles Ross, PrincipalThe Harold and Joan Feinbloom Chair, Funded in perpetuityJim Tiller, Assistant Principal

PercussionJim Tiller, PrincipalBrian StotzJohn McNeillRobert PattersonJillian Pritchard HarpGrace Wong, PrincipalThe Eileen Malone Chair, A Tribute by Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt M. Sylvester, Funded in perpetuityBarbara Dechario

KeyboardsJoseph Werner, PrincipalThe Lois P. Lines Chair, Funded in perpetuityCary Ratcliff

Personnel ManagerJoseph Werner

Principal LibrarianKim Hartquist

Stage ManagerCurtis Bradley

Artistic OperationsJ. Andrew CassanoNana Stotz

* On Leave+ Full time faculty at the East-man School of Music

rOCheSTer philhArmOniC OrCheSTrA

prOgrAm nOTeSAs early as May of 1889, Giacomo Puccini asked his publisher, Ricordi, to secure the rights necessary to turn the play, La Tosca, by Victorien Sardou into an opera libretto. The play had been written as a vehicle for the great actress Sarah Bernhardt, and Puccini, who had seen her in it, recognized this immediately as prime operatic material. Sardou was not quick to give his consent; Puccini at that time was a little-known composer who had had only one successful opera to his credit at that point (Manon Lescaut). Ricordi persisted, however. The playwright ultimately agreed, and the librettists, Giocosa and Illica, began the arduous work of transforming the play into singable material. While all of this was being negotiated, Puccini became interested in yet another project, a project which did not have Signor Ricordi’s wholehearted approval: La Bohème. Another composer, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, was already at work on an opera based on the Bohème story, so Ricordi, hoping to keep peace in the ranks, kept trying to convince Puccini to drop that idea and get to work on Tosca. Puccini’s reticence angered Ricordi, who withdrew the Tosca libretto and turned it over to yet another composer, Alberto Franchetti, but not before offering it to none other than Giuseppe Verdi! Verdi declined, citing his advanced age, although he had yet to write his master-piece, Falstaff. After seeing the premiere of Puccini’s La Bohème in 1896, old man Ricordi realized what a terrible mistake he had made, and knew that Puccini was absolutely the right composer for Tosca. Ricordi called in Franchetti, told him he had reconsidered the Tosca project, had decided the plot was much too violent and salacious for the public, and that he would refuse to publish it. Franchetti had no choice but to turn over the libretto, at which time it was given back to Puccini, who started work immediately. Puccini’s Tosca was first performed at Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900.

Mercury Opera’s production of Tosca brings an interesting dynamic to the proceedings. The soprano singing the title role and the baritone singing the role of her would-be rapist, Baron Scarpia, are in real life husband and wife, Jill and Jake Gardner. What a fascinating journey this rehearsal process has been for all of us involved! Mr. and Mrs. Gardner are both highly intelligent, experienced artists, who bring to the table powerful, well-thought-out ideas of their own (they are both Scorpios). Add to the mix an equally thoughtful singing actor as Cavaradossi, New York City Opera tenor Dinyar Vania, and a brilliant director in the person of David Bartholomew, both of whom are making their Mercury Opera debuts with this production, and the potential for flares of temper would seem unavoidable. Wrong! All of these remarkable artists have worked together to create the most interesting and captivating Tosca with which I have ever been affiliated. Every moment of the score, every situation of the drama has been put under the microscope. Every scene has been tried in just about every way it’s possible to play it, and the result is riveting. Enjoy!

Benton HessArtistic Director and Conductor

BiOgrAphieSBenton Hess, Artistic Director/Conductor After training at the New England Conservatory as a pianist, Benton Hess served as assistant conductor for several regional opera companies before taking the podium himself in 1970 for a Boston production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, replacing conductor James Levine on a week’s notice. Since then he has conducted hundreds of performances for dozens of opera companies in America, Europe, and the Middle East. Local audiences will remember his work with the Opera Theatre of Rochester from the middle 1970s through the

1980s. Hess has presided over many world and important regional operatic premieres and has assisted numerous composers in presenting their works: David Amram, Carlisle Floyd, Lee Hoiby, Karel Husa, Libby Larsen, Daniel Pinkham, Greg Sandow, and Conrad Susa, to name but a few. He has also served on the faculties of several prestigious institutions: Boston University, Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, Mannes College of Music in New York City, the Hartt School of Music, Rutgers University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro among them. Since 2001 Maestro Hess has been Distinguished Professor of Voice and Musical Director of Eastman Opera Theatre. As one of New York City’s most respected and sought-after vocal coaches, his clientele reads like a “Who’s Who” in opera, from Nicolai Gedda and Eleanor Steber at the ends of their careers to Renée Fleming at the beginning of hers. Benton Hess appears regularly as conductor, pianist/accompanist, and master class clinician throughout the United States and abroad. Besides his responsibilities at Eastman and with Mercury Opera, Hess is Artistic Director of “Si parla, si canta,” an Italian language program for young singers and coach/accompanists in Urbania, Italy, and conductor for the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel. Maestro Hess conducted Mercury Opera Rochester’s productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors last month, and Don Giovanni, Norma, and Madama Butterfly in the Company’s previous seasons.

David Bartholomew, Stage Director A native Texan, David Bartholomew received a Masters Degree in piano performance from Boston’s New England Conservatory and concertised extensively in the New England area in both solo recital and chamber music. Following graduate study in opera production, he was awarded the prestigious Frank Huntington Beebe Foundation grant for a full year of study in Europe, after which he accepted a position as chairman of opera studies at the Boston Conservatory. He began his professional career directing productions of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Don

Giovanni at Harvard and Hansel and Gretel for San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater. Mr. Bartholomew has served as head of opera studies at The New England Conservatory and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln as well as guest stage director at Boston University, University of Colorado (Boulder), and the University of Puget Sound. He has directed for various professional companies around the country including Affiliate Artists Opera Company, Boston Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia, Mobile Opera, Eugene Opera, Colorado Music Theater Festival, Western Plains Opera and Nevada Opera. Productions include The Rake’s Progress, The Magic Flute, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Balcony (Robert di Domenico), Paradiso Choruses (Donald Martino), Wozzeck (Berg), Jonny spielt auf (Krenek), A Month in the Country (Hoiby), Così fan tutte, La Clemenza di Tito, Werther, Die Fledermaus, Carmen and world premiere performances of Medea by Rockefeller Competition winner Ray Luke, Thomas Pasatieri’s Signor Deluso, and The Pied Piper of Hameln by Carol Sams. Mr. Bartholomew is the Principal Guest Stage Director with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera and was Principal Stage Director and Artistic Director for Tacoma Opera from 1993 to 2004. He is currently Artistic Director for Opera Southwest in Albuquerque, NM. This production marks Mr. Bartholomew’s debut with Mercury Opera Rochester.

John Buffett, Angelotti Baritone John Buffett, a native of Ohio, is returning to Mercury Opera after making his debut last season as Schaunard in La Bohème. Currently a candidate for the Masters Degree at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Robert Swensen, Mr. Buffett can be seen on the Eastman Opera Theatre stage as Golaud in Pélleas et Melisande at the end of this month, and as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro in April. This summer, he will make his debut with the Boston Early Music Festival in their production of Graupner’s Antiocus und Stratonica. His favorite

roles at Eastman include Count Carl Magnus in A Little Night Music, Le Roi in Cendrillon, Liberto in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Carnival in Le Carnival and as a member of the Ensembles in Sweeney Todd, Susannah, and La Rondine. Recently, Mr. Buffett won Eastman’s concerto competition and performed Ravel’s Don Quichotte á Dulcinée with the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra. He also placed second in the 2008 Jessie Kneisel Lieder competition. Mr. Buffett has sung in Masterclasses with Christian Gerhaher, Håkan Hagegård, Mira Zakai, Thomas Muraco, and Darren Woods. Other professional engagements include performances with Ohio Light Opera, Apollo’s Fire, and various Cleveland and Rochester area groups.

John Davies, Sacristan and Jailer John Davies returns to Rochester in a singing role in Tosca, after being Stage Director for Mercury Opera’s recent production of The Barber of Seville, and his debut onstage as Leporello in the Company’s production last season of Don Giovanni. A distinguished American bass-baritone, Mr. Davies is a ubiquitous presence on operatic stages across the country, esteemed for his insightful and individual interpretations of the basso buffo roles of Donizetti, Mozart and Rossini and his accomplished characterizations in the operettas of Strauss and Sullivan, as well as his

remarkable forays into the more dramatic works of Beethoven, Menotti and Floyd. Highlights of recent seasons include his return to Indianapolis Opera (directing Die Zauberflöte), his return to Syracuse Opera as Baron Zeta in their production of The Merry Widow and yet another new rôle to his active repertoire: Captain Kadd in Peter Schickele’s The Abduction of Figaro in a rare concert performance with the New York Chamber Orchestra. Past appearances include engagements with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Mr. Davies has appeared in recital for the BBC Wales and recorded The Consul for Newport Records. He made his mainstream stage directing début with Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the Opera Theatre at Wildwood in 2003 and later directed Knoxville Opera’s La Fille du Régiment. Mr. Davies takes an active interest in the performing arts for young people, spending part of each year writing, narrating and hosting educational programs for opera companies, symphony orchestras and children’s museums across the United States, and has written several popular opera librettos for young people including The Three Little Pigs (W.A. Mozart) and The Night Harry Stopped Smoking (Ross Dabrusin).

Jake Gardner, Scarpia Boasting a career which includes performances with major opera companies and orchestras throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, bass-baritone Jake Gardner remains one of the opera world’s most sought-after singing actors. Recent engagements include the roles of DeBritigny in Manon for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for Florida Grand Opera, Baron Zehta in The Merry Widow with Los Angeles Opera, Horace Tabor in Central City Opera’s historic revival production of The Ballad of Baby Doe, Sharpless in Renata

Scotto’s production of Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera and the roles of Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Fredrik in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Michele and Gianni Schicchi in Il trittico and Scarpia in Tosca at Hawaii Opera Theatre. In the summer of 2007 he returned to

Glimmerglass Opera as Jupiter in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Mr. Gardner also sang Scarpia in his recent debut with Syracuse Opera and sang Sharpless with Cleveland Opera and New York City Opera. Known for the diversity of his repertoire, Mr. Gardner was for many seasons principal baritone with the Cologne Opera, where he appeared in a vast and varied number of operas, including Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, and the title role in Gianni Schicchi; Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and La Traviata; Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Così Fan Tutte, Die Zauberflöte, La Finta Giardiniera, and Le Nozze di Figaro; Bizet’s Carmen; Handel’s Agrippina; Rossini’s L’Occasione Fa il Ladro and La Scala di Seta; Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore; Britten’s Billy Budd and Peter Grimes; Janacek’s From the House of the Dead; Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann; Shostakovich’s The Nose; Strauss’s Die Fledermaus; Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Beethoven’s Fidelio. Throughout the United States and Canada, he has frequently performed with the opera companies of Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Houston, Michigan, Boston, Montreal, Winnipeg, Central City, Omaha, Virginia, Utah, Grand Rapids, New York City, and many others. Born in Oneonta, New York, Mr. Gardner is a successful voice teacher and is co-founder of A Singing Actor’s Studio in Binghamton, NY. He made his debut with Mercury Opera as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly in the Company’s first season.

Jill Gardner, Tosca Soprano Jill Gardner is emerging as one of today’s young singing actresses of exceptional promise. Noted for her “effortlessly produced, rich voice” (Opera News), the Syracuse Post-Standard recently states of her performance in The Merry Widow that “Jill Gardner’s Hanna, the title character, stood head and shoulders above all the rest. She is a powerhouse yet often touching soprano, who moves as if she is floating and acts with more nuance than most opera singers.” Recent and upcoming engagements include her debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago

as Nedda in I Pagliacci, her debut with Hawaii Opera Theatre as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Marguerite in Faust with Madison Opera, Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza at Piedmont Opera, and Brahms’ Requiem with the Binghamton Philharmonic. In the 2007-08 season Ms. Gardner made several company debuts including Florida Grand Opera in the role of Musetta in La Bohème and Boston Lyric Opera as Mimi in La Bohème, a role which she was recently called last-minute to cover at Lyric Opera of Chicago where she will make her debut the following season. A former member of the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera, Ms. Gardner returned as a principal artist in 2007 in the role of Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld. As a Young Artist in 2006, she created the role of Madame Loiseau in the world premiere of Harke’s The Greater Good, which was recorded by the Naxos Record Label. She has also appeared with Syracuse Opera (The Merry Widow), New York Opera Projects (Susannah), Piedmont Opera Theater (Mimi/La Bohème), Tri-Cities Opera (Countess/Le Nozze di Figaro, Violetta/La Traviata, Cio-Cio San/Madama Butterfly) and in concert with Opera Omaha, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Gardner made her debut with Mercury Opera last season when she was called in as a last minute replacement in the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, followed by her spectacular performance as Mimi in La Bohème.

Lauren Iezzi, Shepherd Boy Lauren Iezzi, mezzo-soprano, from the Philadelphia area, is currently a senior at the Eastman School of Music majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Education. This past summer Ms. Iezzi participated in Lake George Opera’s Young Artist Program as a Studio Artist. In June 2007 she attended “Si parla, si canta” in Urbania, Italy under the direction of Maestro Benton Hess. She has received first prize in the Civic Morning Musicals Voice Competition in two different divisions. Recent roles include Petra (A Little Night Music) and Maybelle/Peggy (L. Hoiby’s This is the Rill Speaking).

Michael Roddy, Sciarrone Michael Roddy, baritone, is looking forward to making his professional debut with Mercury Opera. A recent graduate of Nazareth College, Mr. Roddy has performed many operatic, dramatic, and musical theater roles including Geronimo (Il Matrimonio Segreto), The Judge (Trial By Jury), Major General Stanley (Pirates of Penzance), The Narrator and Mysterious Man (Into the Woods), John (selected scenes of John & Jen), John Proctor (Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible), and The Monsieur in the New York State premier of Benton Hess’ opera Felice. Some of his other

performances include bass soloist for Bach Cantatas 11 and 109, the Saint–Saëns Christmas Oratorio, Pergolesi’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers, and Stravinsky’s Mass. In addition to his singing, Mr. Roddy is an accomplished bagpiper, and recently gave the premiere of a piece he composed for uilleann pipes, bagpipes, and orchestra at a concert with the Mohawk Valley Choral Society.

Robert Strauss, Spoletta Tenor Robert Strauss is pleased to be returning to the stage with Mercury’s production of Tosca, and for the opportunity to show his darker side. Although praised also for his sense of comic timing, he has shown his dramatic versatility in roles such as Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw) and Cardinal Richelieu in a staged reading of Raise Your Sword. Other favorite operatic roles include Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Kaspar (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Mayor Upfold (Albert Herring), and Federico in L’Amico Fritz with the Centro Studi

Italiani Opera Festival. His concert performances have included the tenor solos in Messiah, The Creation, St. Nicolas (Britten), Christmas Oratorio (Saint-Saens), The Christmas Story (Schütz), and the Requiems of Pinkham and Mozart. Also comfortable on the musical theatre stage, Strauss has portrayed Jack Point (The Yeomen of the Guard), Tony (West Side Story), Anthony Hope (Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Archibald Craven (The Secret Garden) and most recently Simeon/Butler in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, for which he learned to play the accordion. In collaboration with local performers Chandra Downs and Don Kot, Strauss was featured last fall in the premiere of the musical theatre revue, Finding a Way Back. As a recitalist, he is praised for his attention to musical and textual nuance, as demonstrated in the programs The Recital That Dare Not Speak Its Name and Seasons in Song, both with pianist Benton Hess, and Inner Voices, for mezzo-soprano and tenor, which had its premiere in North Carolina in 2007. Strauss currently teaches at Nazareth College and the Eastman Community Music School, having also served on the faculties at SUNY Fredonia and the University at Buffalo. He is the Interim Artistic Director of the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus.

Dinyar Vania, Cavaradossi Dinyar Vania is rapidly emerging as one of the America’s most exciting new talents, whose attributes include a rich lyric voice of astonishing power and beauty. He has performed as Rodolfo in La Bohème at New York City Opera, Opera Roanoke, Knoxville Opera and Madison Opera, Meleagros in Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata at New York City Opera, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Syracuse Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca at Dallas Opera, Nevada Opera Theatre and Sacramento Opera, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre.

He made his debut with Opera Delaware in a Gala Concert followed by his first Alfredo in La Traviata at Opera Cleveland, then again with Metro Lyric Opera under the baton of Anton Coppola. He was a featured soloist in the New York City Opera in the Parks concert series. At the prestigious International Vocal Arts Academy in Tel Aviv (Israel), he performed excerpts from Lucia di Lammermoor under the baton of Maestro Paul Nadler and the New

Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Vania celebrated his Carnegie Hall debut as tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, as part of a Pakistani Earthquake Relief Concert, and sang the same part with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed holiday concerts with the Naples Philharmonic, Verdi Concerts with the Jasksonville Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and Verdi Requiem with Dayton Symphony Orchestra. The beauty of Mr. Vania’s voice has garnered him the Artist of the Year Award from Syracuse Opera, First Place in the important Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Second Place in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition, and as a semi-finalist in Placido Domingo’s Operalia in Madrid (Spain). This is his debut with Mercury Opera Rochester.

Dean Ekberg, Chorusmaster Dean Ekberg earned the BA degree in Applied Music from SUNY Fredonia and the MM degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where his studies continue. He has served on the production staff of the Chautauqua Opera Association, Opera Theatre of Rochester, Eastman Opera Theatre, Rochester Opera Factory and a number of community theater organizations. His theatrical work has included stage management, musical preparation, stage direction and conducting. During his tenure as Choral Director at Gates Chili High School, Mr. Ekberg also directed their dramatic productions and was music director for their annual musical theater productions. In addition to his work at Gates Chili and in musical theater, he has been director of the Nazareth College Children’s and Youth Choirs, and has served in leadership roles for the Monroe County School Music Association, New York State School Music Association, and American Choral Directors Association, and is a member of the board of directors for Madrigalia. Mr. Ekberg is currently coordinator for voice adjudicators for NYSSMA, Director of Music at Gates Presbyterian Church, Music Director of the Rochester Cathedral Choir School, and an Adjunct Instructor for Mansfield (PA) University. He was the recipient of the 2001 Rochester Philharmonic Musicians’ Award for Outstanding Music Educators in Choral music, and has twice been listed in Who’s Who in American Education. In March of 2002, he was honored by the music students of Gates Chili High School by induction into Tri-M Music Honor Society as an honorary life member.

Karla M. Krogstad, Director of the Bach Children’s Chorus at Nazareth College Karla Krogstad earned degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Connecticut, and the Eastman School of Music. She is an active arranger of music for children’s voices and received the 1995 “Friend of Foreign Language” and 1996 “Culture Through the Arts” awards from the NYS Association of Foreign Language Teachers. Founded by Ms. Krogstad in 1989, the Bach Children’s Chorus maintains a very busy performance schedule. Ms Krogstad has conducted the Chorus in such diverse works as Britten’s War Requiem, Orff‘s Carmina Burana, the Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and Mahler’s Symphony #3. She led the Chorus to its current “home” in residence at Nazareth College in 2001. Ms. Krogstad lives in Rochester with her husband Bob, and daughter Ingrid.

Richard Masters, Assistant Conductor & Pianist Praised by critics as “extraordinary” (The DCist), Richard Masters is an avid recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral pianist based in Rochester, New York. As an opera coach, Mr. Masters prepared singers for the world premiere of Lee Hoiby’s newly-orchestrated opera, This is the Rill Speaking in New York, and currently serves as a coach with the Eastman School of Music opera department. Recent performances include Marilyn Horne Foundation recitals with soprano Hanan Alattar and collaborations with Juilliard String Quartet violinist Earl Carlyss, NYU professor of voice Jane Olian, and performances in Virginia and Washington D.C. of Benjamin Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw under the baton of Lorin Maazel. He recently conducted performances of Jake Heggie’s opera, For a Look or a Touch, and Francis Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias at the Eastman School of Music, where he is completing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree. Mr. Masters helped to prepare Mercury Opera’s recent performances

of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Other performances include solo recitals in New York and Colorado, as well as chamber and vocal performances on the East Coast and in Northern Italy.

Nic Minetor, Lighting Design Nic Minetor is a full-time lighting designer/director for theatre, film and TV. At Eastman Opera Theatre he has been resident designer for more than 40 productions, including Candide, La Boheme, The Medium, The IOU Wedding, The Consul, Postcards from Morocco, Dialogue of the Carmelites, The Mother of Us All, Suor Angelica, The Breasts of Tiresias, The Rape of Lucretia, Falstaff, Passion, The Marriage of Figaro, Turn of the Screw, Patience, Transformations, Albert Herring, L’Elisir D’amoure, A Waterbird Talk, Tartuffe, Cosi Fan Tutte, Xerxes. Sweeney Todd, She Loves Me, The Coronation of Popea, Trouble in Tahiti, East/West, La Rondine, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Suzannah, Tartuffe, The Turk in Italy, Transformations. Designs for Opera Theatre of Rochester include The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Faust, Hansel and Gretel, Otello. For Geva Theatre Center he has designed the lighting for Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee, The Mystery of Irma Vep, I’m Not Rappaport, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, and six years of A Christmas Carol. His work is also seen at NTID, SUNY Brockport, Elmira and Nazareth Colleges. He lit the Smithsonian Institution-sponsored film of Beckett’s End Game. This is his 10th production with Mercury Opera Rochester.

Nellica Rave, Costume Coordinator Nellica Rave is pleased to be working with Mercury Opera Rochester for her 11th production. Ms. Rave has been designing costumes nation-wide for fifteen years. She has her MFA in Costume Design from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Favorite projects include designing West Side Stories for New World Theater, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges for Eastman Opera Theatre, and costume shop manager for the Paralympics Opening Ceremonies in 2002. She has worked locally for the JCC, Eastman Opera Theatre, RIT, Irondequoit Theatre Guild, Roberts Wesleyan College, and TYKES. Ms. Rave and her husband are the very proud parents of 2-year-old, red-haired Ramonda.

Ken Saltzman, Stage Manager Ken Saltzman returns to Rochester directly from stage managing his 9th Yuletide Celebration with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Mr. Saltzman stage managed Michigan Opera Theatre’s world premiere of Cyrano, La Sonnambula, La Traviata, and the return engagement of MOT’s world premiere, Margaret Garner, with Denyce Graves. He then brought Garner to the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago (during election week!), marking the return of opera to that great hall after a 60 year absence. Upcoming engagements include L’Elisir d’Amore, Carmen, A Little Night Music and Nabucco with Michigan Opera Theatre. Last summer, Mr. Saltzman enjoyed returning to his musical theatre roots, stage managing The Music Man with our nation’s 2nd largest theatre, Kansas City Starlight Theatre. He and his partner, Duane Prill, make their home on Lamoka Lake in the Finger Lakes region.

Molly Weinreb for Elsen Associates, Hair and Makeup Design Molly Weinreb represents Elsen Associates, Inc., resident hair and makeup designers for numerous opera companies in North America, including Connecticut Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, New Jersey Opera, Opera Boston, Opera Ontario, Syracuse Opera, Tampa Opera, Washington National Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera. Broadway productions include The Merchant of Venice, Jelly’s Last Jam, Two Trains Running, Angels in America, The Wild Party, and Caroline, or Change. Off-Broadway productions include Twelfth Night (NYSF Central Park), Sondheim Celebration (Kennedy Center), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tanglewood), and Oedipus Plays (Athens Festival). Educational affiliations include Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, and Carnegie Mellon University. For more information visit www.elsenassociates.com.

Corporate Donors

Major Underwriter$10,000 and aboveConstellation Brands

Corporate Patron $1,500 to $4,999Harter Secrest & Emery LLPLeyerle Publications Nixon Peabody LLPRBC Dain Rauscher

Business Patron $500 to $999B&L Wholesale SupplyCanandaigua National BankRochester Lumber Company

Individual andFoundation Support

Gold$10,000 to $24,999Ron & Jane FondillerThe Gouvernet Arts FundNYS Council on the ArtsNYS Legislature – Sen. Jim AlesiNYS Legislature – Sen. Joseph Robach The Rainbow Fund

Silver$5,000 to $9,999The Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation The Guild of Mercury Opera RochesterRose-Marie B. KlipsteinCraig & Susan LarsonMary K. MenzieNYS Legislature – Assemblyman Joseph MorelleCity of RochesterRochester Area Community FoundationThe Haskell Rosenberg Memorial Fund for Opera

Maestro$2,500 to $4,999Agneta D. Borgstedt, MDSarah H. CollinsLawrence Martling

Sunny RosenbergJoel & Friederike Felber SeligmanThe Theatre Development Fund

Prima Voce$1,000 to $2,499James & Catherine AquavellaArthur & Jeanette AxelrodNancy & Alan CamerosMargaret J. CarnallJohn & Carol CondemiPeter & Suzanne DurantHarold & Joan FeinbloomDavid & Linda FriedmanBenton HessBob & Lindsay HolmesJack & Gail LangerakJames & Jane LittwitzJoseph J. ManciniMary E. McNamaraBarbara Reifler & Charles UnisonJudith & Ramon RickerNellie RosenbergDr. Kyu H. ShinThomas SmithHelga & Alexander StrasserPeggy Weir

Impressario$500 to $999Eric M. DreyfussMaria DunphreyGerard & Joan FlorianoRob W. GoodlingWilliam & Deven HearneKeith & Kathy JacksonBarbara LaneBarbara McIver & Robert WasonSimi & Leonard SingerSteven C. Webber

Comprimario$250 to $499James & Jacquie AdamsWarren & Mary Elaine AldorettaWilliam & Marcia CaseyWilliam & Carol CroccaDean & Judy EkbergKaren Harkenrider & John HerringBejan & Sharon IranpourKristen Kessler & Michael WilliamsKonar FoundationDr. Leo & Charlotte LandhuisChuck Lundeen & John Williams

Katharine M. McNallyWilliam & Elizabeth PowellSuzanne H. RodgersLisa RosenbauerPhilip & Ettie RubensteinEugene Schneider, MD & Gloria Baciewicz, MDMaxine SmithJune M. StornelliWilliam & Barbara SullivanGeorge & Marsha TillsonJohn WhiteJesse P. WoodwardRoger ZaengleinLynn Zicari & Chris Kralles

Coro$100 to $249Edwin AustinRuth & George BeedeIrene & Robyn Belyakov-Goodman Mort & Maxine BittkerDonald & Joyce BogdanskiGail & Vincent BossoBeverly T. BowenJosephine BuckleyEileen BuholtzSue BurggraaffRosalie CavallaroThomas ChristianJ. Richard & Natalie CicconeNorinne ColeLillian CourtheouxLouise CreaturaTimothy & Karen CroweLinda Wells DaveyPeter & Mary Jane DavidsonDaniel & Janet DaviesRosalie DiPasqualeThomas DonnanDana & Leaf DrakeAlec DrummondMarcia L. ElwittGeorge M. EwingJoseph & Maria FinettiMargaret FreemanHarry & Marion FulbrightAnn & Tim FulreaderRufus FulreaderJohanna M. GambinoAndy & Jacquie GermanowEvelyn & Wesley GhyzelTeresa Giuliani-ImburgiaCoral T. Glassman

COnTriBuTOrS

Beverly & Bernard GordonElaine GreeneHelen & George H. GreerAnn HarkenriderSally A. HarperKathleen Holt & Stephen LurieErnest & Roberta IerardiRobert & Maria IsgroMartin & Phyllis KornJohn & Janet KucabaRobert & Denise LaRossaDavid & Dorothy LeidigWerner & Sandra LemkeJennifer Lloyd & Connie GatesRoberta Majka & Patti FollansbeeDavid & Rose ManciniMaxine ManjosStephen MatkowskiRobert & Chita McKinneyTerry MeloreHarry & Linda MessinaMona MillerSanford & Jill MillerLee & Brenda MossJohn & Annabel MuenterPhilip S. NashMichael Nazar & Catherine CalleryJohn C. Ninfo & Judith RanalettaJohn O’Brien & Patricia ProvidenzaDorothy PitlickAndrea PopeDavid RakovThaddeus ReszelDanforth RogersRichard & Beatrice RosenbloomDavid & Susan RothenbergEleanor SantoBarbara SassanoGeorge Scharr & Linda RiceJustin & Kelly RunkeConrad SchegArthur & Kathryn SchusterPaul SchuttAnthony & Gloria SciolinoPaul & Jean SeidelDavid SharkeyCharles SpeirsBarbara StaropoliMuriel SteinbergRobert & Carol StilesRobert & Sally Jo StookeyDonald I-Chung SunSydney SutherlandFrank & Rose SwiskeyRobert TerhorstHarry & Pamela TurnerGary & Marie VanGraafeiland

Lorraine Van Meter-Cline & Douglas ClinePaul & Joan Van NessMargaret VanasStephen & Linda VenutiRev. Joseph VersageKaren WalrathMargaret WebberBob Weeks & Pam GoodPamela S. Wilkens WhiteJean Grant WhitneyEd & Wilma WierengaMary Alice & Bob WolfGeorge & Caroline WuSigne & Bob ZaleJay & Hanna Zukoski

Gifts In KindAIDS Community Health CenterRichard A. Kroll. AttorneyLeyerle PublicationsMark IV EnterprisesParachute GraphicsShaheen ManagementSoundown, Inc.Temple B’rith Kodesh

Additional Special ThanksBethlehem Lutheran ChurchSteve Daigle & Eastman Opera TheatreEastman School of MusicBob KlieGino Marcello & Sleep CityFr. Mike Mayer & Saint Andrew’s ChurchDon MessinaMount Carmel Church & Catholic Diocese of RochesterJack Petricelli & Kids Helping KidsHolley ShafferArlene VanHoff & Craft Antique Co-OpCarl Wager

Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list, occasional errors & omissions occur. Please contact Mercury Opera Rochester at 473-6567 with any changes or corrections. This list reflects do-nors of record at the Coro level and above (minimum of $100 donation) as of Jan. 8, 2009.

Tribute & Honorary GiftsTribute and Honorary Gifts are a special way to remember loved ones or commemorate special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, births, or graduations.

In Memory of Patricia Carr AtwaterSuzanne & Peter Durant

Planned Giving & BequestsPlease consider leaving Mercury Opera Rochester in your estate plans, whether by will, trust, in-surance, life income arrangement, or through current income gifts. Your concern and appreciation for Mercury Opera Rochester will extend far beyond your own lifetime.

This production is funded in part by grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Legislature. Open captioning is being provided in part by a grant from Theatre Develop-ment Fund’s TAP Plus pro-gram in partnership with the NYS Council on the Arts.

Many thanks to the Guild of Mercury Opera Rochester and to the many volunteers who

enable us to produce world-class opera in Rochester.

1600 N. Clinton AvenueRochester, NY 14621

585-473-6567www.mercuryoperarochester.org

Artistic Directors

Gerard Floriano

Benton Hess

Executive Director

Kristen Kessler

Board of Directors

Craig Larson,President

C. Gavin StrakoshVice President

William HearneTreasurer

Justin RunkeSecretary

Arthur Axelrod

Agneta Borgstedt

Sarah Collins

Steven Daigle

Peter Durant

Ronald Fondiller

David Friedman

Jack Langerak

Douglas Lowry

Mary McNamara

Mary Menzie

Judith Ricker

Sunny Rosenberg

Friederike Seligman

Thomas Smith

Helga Strasser

Greg Weber

Anne Wells

Operations Manager

Lynn Zicari

Interns

Stephan Holden-Corbett

Andrew Smith

“Mercury…did exactly what an opera issupposed to do — dazzle!”

John Pitcher, D&C January 2006

September 20, 2008

Dear Mercury Opera Supporter:

The National Endowment for the Arts has a slogan: Agreat nation deserves great art. We think they’ve got itwrong. Any nation without great art is just pretending tobe a great nation. Ancient Rome presumably hadimpressive military campaigns, but what we admire aboutthat civilization is the great art it left behind.

How fortunate we all are to be living in a great countrythat has great art! Furthermore, we live in a city blessedby the presence of many vibrant arts organizationsrepresenting a myriad of artistic disciplines…the visualarts, dance, chamber music, orchestral music, choralmusic, theater, and of course, opera.

Opera, however, is the art form that encompasses all of

the other arts. The joy of the experience begins with ourears as the conductor lifts his baton and the orchestrabegins to play. Then, the curtain rises and our eyes jointhe artistic feast as we see the beautiful scenery andcostumes, all enhanced by the wonderful lighting. Thedancers begin to dance. The chorus and the soloists startto sing, but they’re not only singing, they’re acting, too,telling us a story…sometimes funny, sometimes tragic,

but always touching. This is a feast for the eyes, theears…and the soul.

Mercury Opera Rochester, now in its fourth season,retains its commitment to bringing our city the bestoperatic experience possible. But this comes at highfinancial cost, and we need your help. Won’t you, please,make your tax-deductible contribution to Mercury OperaRochester today and continue supporting what the

Democrat and Chronicle called “the crown jewel” ofRochester’s artistic life?

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Benton Hess & Gerard FlorianoArtistic Directors

Mercury Opera Rochester is now in its fourth season of fully staged operas and opera education programs for

young people and adults. Our first three seasons have proved popular with both audiences and music critics, as we have gained experience and community support in these initial years. Our mission is to provide diverse repertoire of professional opera productions of the highest artistic quality for a growing, appreciative audience. We are committed to providing a vigorous educational and outreach program to help more people love opera, and we are determined to maintain fiscal responsibility in carrying out our mission.

Ticket sales do not begin to cover the expenses of opera, so we depend heavily on contributions from friends like you. If you enjoy our performance and agree with our goals, please support our future. Consider a donation to continue professional opera performances and to reach out to future opera lovers in Rochester. Tax-deductible donations are gratefully accepted by Mercury Opera Rochester, 1600 North Clinton Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14621, and on our website at www.mercuryoperarochester.org.

For more information about our upcoming performances, donor opportunities, and educational programs, call 585-473-6567 or check our website. We keep our patrons informed of our activities via mail and email. If you would like to be added to our private mailing list or would like to receive our newsletter, please let us know.

Future Events

Performances:You’re Invited! – The Mercury Opera Chorus performs a semi-staged concert version of party scenes from various operas on Friday, May 8 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, May 10 at 2:00 PM at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairport. Free admission – donations accepted.

Guild Activities:Lectures at Brighton Memorial Library (Mondays at 7 PM) – no charge but call 784-5300 to reserve a seatJanuary 19 – Exotic Lands and Mythic Realms: an Operatic TravelogueJanuary 26 – The Grand French Opera of ParisFebruary 2 – Operatic DuetsFebruary 9 – Verdi and Shakespeare

Beat the Blahs – The Haskell Rosenberg Memorial Video Series Short introductory lecture and viewing of videos of operas in the current Met Opera season shown at Temple B’rith Kodesh (Sundays at 1 PM) - $9 admission to cover refreshments. Call Agneta Borgstedt (334-2323) for more information.January 25 – Dvorák’s RusalkaFebruary 1 – Ponchielle’s La Gioconda

Dinner and Metropolitan Opera HD TelecastSaturday, February 7 – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at the Regal Eastview Cinema at 1 PM, followed by dinner nearby at Biaggi’s Restaurant, $65 for the package. Call Helga Strasser (586-2274) for more information.