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Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 4, 2014

Washington National Opera Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director

announces its

2014-2015 SEASON

Including three company premieres,

a new production of opera’s most beloved classic,

a popular Wagner opera in anticipation of WNO’s 2016 Ring cycle,

and two works perfect for young people and families

Florencia in the Amazon

La bohème

The Little Prince

Dialogues of the Carmelites

The Flying Dutchman

Cinderella

Plus, the third season of the American Opera Initiative,

including the world premiere of Penny, continues

WNO’s commitment to expanding the American repertory

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Washington National Opera (WNO), led by Artistic Director

Francesca Zambello, today announced its 2014-2015 season. It includes the company premiere

of Daniel Catán’s Spanish-language Florencia in the Amazon, a brand-new production of

Puccini’s classic La bohème, the company premiere of Rachel Portman’s family opera The Little

Prince, an English-language production of Poulenc’s 20th-century drama Dialogues of the

Carmelites, a revival of Wagner’s epic The Flying Dutchman, and an acclaimed new-to-

Washington staging of Rossini’s Cinderella. A third season of the American Opera Initiative,

including the world premiere of Penny by two alumni of the program, continues WNO’s efforts

to commission new works and expand the American repertory. Highlights from the 2014-2015

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season will be performed by the WNO Orchestra and special guests at a free preview concert on

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 6 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Opera House.

“Our 2014-2015 season is eclectic, inspiring, intellectually engaging, wildly funny, and

something that cannot be seen in any other opera house in America,” said WNO Artistic Director

Francesca Zambello. “We are trying to bring our audiences the best mix of rising American

singers, including those from our Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, with the biggest

international stars. The result is a season that provides a compelling overview of opera for both

passionate fans and newcomers alike.”

Fall season includes a company premiere and opera’s most beloved classic

WNO’s 2014-2015 season opens with the late Mexican-American composer Daniel

Catán’s mesmerizing opera Florencia in the Amazon, September 20-28, 2014 in the Opera

House. Inspired by the magical realism of Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel

García Márquez, Florencia was the first-ever Spanish-language commission by major American

opera companies and was an instant success when it premiered in Houston in 1996. Starring in

the title role as a famous opera singer returning to her homeland is two-time Grammy Award®-

winning soprano Christine Goerke, who was last seen at WNO as Chrysothemis in Elektra

(2008) and who is much in demand in the world’s leading opera houses. WNO Artistic Director

Francesca Zambello, who directed the world premiere, revisits her original staging for the work’s

Washington premiere, which will be conducted by Carolyn Kuan, the music director of the

Hartford Symphony Orchestra, in her WNO debut. This is the first Spanish-language work WNO

has presented in 10 seasons.

Puccini’s classic La bohème returns to the Opera House for the first time in seven

seasons in a brand-new production directed by acclaimed British director Jo Davies, November

1-15, 2014. A sweeping tale of young bohemians struggling to fulfill their artistic dreams, find

love, and stay warm through a harsh Parisian winter, La bohème is one of the world’s most

beloved operas and will be presented at WNO in a traditional and opulent new production,

featuring sets by Lee Savage and costumes by Jennifer Moeller, two young American designers

new to WNO’s ranks. The WNO Orchestra will be led by WNO Music Director Philippe

Auguin; Timothy Myers, artistic director and principal conductor of North Carolina Opera, will

conduct select performances in his company debut. The cast features an array of fresh faces new

to WNO, plus many returning favorites.

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A special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance of La bohème is presented in

the Opera House on Friday, November 14, 2014 and features current singers and alumni of

WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Complete casting for this special performance

will be announced in the coming months.

Once again, WNO presents a winter season anchored by American opera

The winter season of WNO again takes on a decidedly American flavor, beginning with

the third season of the American Opera Initiative, WNO’s commissioning program for

emerging composers and librettists. WNO presents an evening featuring the world premieres of

three 20-minute operas on Friday, November 21, 2014 in the Terrace Theater. Each opera

focuses on a contemporary American theme, and once again the composers and librettists will

work with a trio of mentors: conductor Anne Manson, composer Jake Heggie, and librettist Mark

Campbell. The cast includes members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. More

information about the composer-librettist teams selected for the American Opera Initiative will

be announced in the coming months.

Continuing its tradition of family opera during the holiday season, WNO is proud to

present the company premiere of The Little Prince, December 19-21, 2014 in the Terrace

Theater. Featuring a score by Academy Award® winner Rachel Portman (Emma), an English-

language libretto by playwright Nicholas Wright (His Dark Materials), and direction by WNO

Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, this family-friendly opera is based on the beloved

children’s book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The cast includes members of the Domingo-

Cafritz Young Artist Program and also features the return of the WNO Children’s Chorus, which

was seen in the 2013-2014 season’s sold-out world premiere of the holiday family opera The

Lion, the Unicorn, and Me.

WNO’s winter season concludes with another world premiere under the auspices of the

American Opera Initiative: Penny, an hour-long opera by composer Douglas Pew and librettist

Dara Weinberg, January 23 and 24, 2015 in the Terrace Theater. Pew and Weinberg are

returning alumni of the American Opera Initiative; their 20-minute work A Game of Hearts had

its world premiere during the program’s first season in November 2012. Penny is an original

story developed by Weinberg about a woman with a disability who discovers her voice and her

talent for music, and the ensuing conflict with her family as she grows more independent. Penny

will be conducted by Anne Manson and directed by Alan Paul, the Associate Director of

Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company.

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Spring season includes three European classics

Following a winter season of new American work, WNO’s spring season features three

classics from the operatic canon. First is the company premiere of Poulenc’s mid-20th century

masterpiece Dialogues of the Carmelites, February 21 to March 10, 2015 in the Opera House.

Inspired by actual events, the opera concerns an order of Carmelite nuns who refuse to renounce

their beliefs in the wake of the French Revolution, with tragic consequences. The cast includes

the WNO debuts of two rising sopranos, Layla Claire and Leah Crocetto, as well as the return of

American mezzo-sopranos Dolora Zajick (in her role debut as Madame de Croissy) and

Washington favorite Elizabeth Bishop (Tristan and Isolde, 2013). This WNO production,

originally seen at Opéra National de Paris, is directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca

Zambello and the WNO Orchestra is led by renowned maestro Patrick Summers, who returns to

WNO for the first time since 1997. The opera will be performed in an English-language

translation approved by the composer.

In anticipation of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle during the 2015-2016 season, WNO presents

the composer’s early masterwork The Flying Dutchman, March 7-21, 2015 in the Opera House.

This revival of WNO’s striking production, directed by Stephen Lawless and last seen at WNO

in 2008, features leading American bass-baritone Eric Owens in his first staged performances as

the Dutchman. The cast also features powerhouse American tenor Jay Hunter Morris (the

Metropolitan Opera’s Ring cycle), German soprano Christiane Libor, and Estonian bass Ain

Anger in their WNO debuts. Returning WNO favorites Alan Held and Peter Volpe will sing

select performances. The WNO Orchestra will be led by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin,

who continues his exploration of the Wagnerian repertoire at WNO in anticipation of WNO’s

Ring cycle. Eric Weimer, who has prepared 13 different productions of Wagner’s Ring cycle,

makes his WNO debut conducting two performances.

Concluding the 2014-2015 season is a new-to-Washington production of Rossini’s

Cinderella (La Cenerentola), May 9-21, 2015 in the Opera House. A perfect springtime treat for

the entire family, this clever romantic comedy adapts the familiar fairy tale in new ways:

bracelets replace glass slippers, a philosophical tutor stands in for the fairy godmother, and six

adorable dancing rats serve as a makeshift Greek chorus. The thrilling cast features 2013 Richard

Tucker Award winner Isabel Leonard, one of today’s most in-demand mezzo-sopranos, who

makes her WNO debut with this production. Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught also makes her

WNO debut singing select performances. Gifted Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci makes her

company debut leading the WNO Orchestra in Rossini’s captivating bel canto score. The

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imaginative and bright production from the Barcelona-based theater group Els Comediants,

designed by Joan Guillén and staged by Joan Font in their WNO debuts, has been a hit with

audiences in Houston, Cardiff, Barcelona, Geneva, Brussels, Toronto, and Seattle.

Special vocal concerts round out the season

Throughout the season, WNO offers special performances to complement the main works

of the season. Kicking off the season is An Evening with Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez,

Wednesday, September 10, 2014 in the Terrace Theater. Husband and wife duo, frequent co-

stars, and Richard Tucker Award winners tenor Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez, who star

together in the current season’s production of The Elixir of Love, present an evening of operatic

love duets and arias, as well as stories from their life on the road as opera’s most in-demand

“love couple.”

Prior to his performance in The Flying Dutchman, bass-baritone Eric Owens takes the

Terrace Theater stage for An Evening of Jazz Standards with Eric Owens, Saturday, February

28, 2015. Owens shows another side of his vocal talents and sings a program of jazz standards,

including songs made famous by Billy Eckstine and Johnny Hartman.

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists continue their new annual tradition in a special

program of scenes and arias from favorite operas in Stars of Tomorrow: The Domingo-Cafritz

Young Artists in Concert, Friday, March 20, 2015 in the Opera House. Taking a break from his

role in The Flying Dutchman, Eric Owens offers his vocal mentorship to WNO’s rising stars—

and also showcases his first-rate skills as the conductor of the WNO Orchestra in this exciting

concert.

Two months before she makes her WNO debut in the title role of Cinderella, acclaimed

mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard joins multiple Grammy®

-winning guitarist Sharon Isben in an

intimate recital of music by Spanish composers including Manuel de Falla, Enrique Madriguera,

Joaquín Rodrigo, and many others. An Evening with Sharon Isben and Isabel Leonard,

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 in the Terrace Theater, is part of the Kennedy Center’s Iberian Suite:

arts remix across continents and Fortas Chamber Music Concerts.

Season preview concert

WNO presents highlights from the 2014-2015 season in a free preview concert as part of

the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage series on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 6 p.m. in the

Opera House. Featuring members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, special guest

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artists, and the WNO Orchestra led by Portland Symphony Orchestra and Winston-Salem

Symphony Music Director Robert Moody, the concert will introduce the dynamic characters and

unforgettable music from next season’s repertoire.

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program continues its artistic growth

As a cornerstone of WNO’s commitment to the future of opera, the Domingo-Cafritz

Young Artist Program is dedicated to cultivating successful careers for its young artists and

sharing their talents with audiences around the world. Under the leadership of program director

Michael Heaston, the 12 young artists in the program (10 singers and 2 collaborative pianists)

participate in vocal and dramatic coaching sessions, voice lessons, daily intensive language

classes, and master classes with renowned artists. This season’s visiting artists have included

Artist in Residence Deborah Voigt, as well as voice teachers Diana Soviero and William Stone,

guest master teacher Peter Kazaras, and visiting vocal coach Kathleen Kelly. Auditions for

places in the program’s 2014-2015 season were held throughout the fall of 2013 in San

Francisco, Washington, New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago. More details on next season’s

young artists and guest coaches will be announced in the coming months.

In addition to their traditional Young Artist Performance in the Opera House (La bohème,

Friday, November 14, 2014) and free performances on the Millennium Stage, members of the

Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program will be very visible in every WNO production at the

Kennedy Center and across the Washington region throughout the season. A highlight of their

performance schedule is the second annual Stars of Tomorrow: The Domingo-Cafritz Young

Artists in Concert with the WNO Orchestra on Friday, March 20, 2015.

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program will also continue its annual exchange

program with the Bolshoi Young Artists Opera Program and welcome several Russian young

artists to Washington for a two-week period in 2015.

Free Opera Insights before every performance

WNO presents a free pre-performance learning event prior to every performance in the

Opera House. These Opera Insights may include conversations with members of the production

staff and lectures by WNO artistic staff members. These pre-performance events begin one hour

prior to curtain and last approximately 25 minutes.

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A special series of Opera Insights features lectures by noted musicologist Saul

Lilienstein. These programs begin one hour and 15 minutes prior to curtain and last

approximately 40 minutes:

Florencia in the Amazon: September 26, 2014

La bohème: November 13, 2014

Dialogues of the Carmelites: March 5, 2015

The Flying Dutchman: March 19, 2015

Cinderella: May 21, 2015

Patrons can also go behind the scenes of WNO’s productions at special Artist Q&A

sessions following select performances of each opera. All Q&A events are free with any ticket to

the production being discussed.

Florencia in the Amazon: September 22 and 28, 2014

La bohème: November 2, 9, and 10, 2014

Dialogues of the Carmelites: February 23 and March 8, 2015

The Flying Dutchman: March 9 and 15, 2015

Cinderella: May 11 and 17, 2015

WNO will continue to offer free preview performances of its productions on the

Millennium Stage. Dates for these and other Millennium Stage performances will be announced

in the coming months.

MyTix program continues access to opera

Several of the 2014-2015 season’s opera performances will be part of the Kennedy

Center’s MyTix program, which offers those 18-30 years old and active duty members of the

armed services free and discounted tickets to a wide variety of performances. Eligible patrons

can visit www.kennedy-center.org/mytix to register and receive MyTix member benefits

including a biweekly newsletter and ticket alerts, discounts on food and beverage service,

discounts at Kennedy Center Gift Shops, and much more.

Opera education and outreach programs

For more than 40 years, the Kennedy Center has provided arts and arts education

experiences for students, teachers, families, and the general public in the Washington, D.C.

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metropolitan community and throughout the nation. The Kennedy Center’s Education

Department directly serves more than 11 million people with a variety of programming.

Opera-related programs include:

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is a leading resident-training program for

artists on the verge of international careers. Each season, exceptionally promising professionals

are selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants through a competitive audition process. The

program provides intensive study with renowned vocal and drama coaches and offers voice

lessons, language classes, career guidance, and master classes with WNO staff and guest artists.

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists also have the opportunity to perform in WNO productions,

in the American Opera Initiative commissions, and in recitals across the Washington region and

around the world.

Each year, the Young Artists sing a fully staged performance with orchestra in the

Kennedy Center Opera House as part of the WNO season. Past productions have included La

traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Così fan tutte, and Don Giovanni. In the

2014-2015 season, they will perform La bohème on Friday, November 14, 2014.

Graduates of the program have gone on to successful careers that include appearances at

the world’s leading opera houses. More information is at www.kennedy-

center.org/wno/mto/YAPProgram.

WNO Opera Institute

High school-aged singers from across the nation are selected for this intensive three-week

summer program, which will be held June 23 to July 12, 2014 on the campus of American

University in Washington, D.C. Serious classical singers thrive on Opera Institute’s intense and

focused curriculum which prepares students for college performance programs and beyond.

Students receive personalized vocal instruction as well as training in opera history, acting, Italian

diction, and movement. A taste of “real life” as an opera singer is offered in master classes and

seminars with professionals in the business. Past master class presenters include Harolyn

Blackwell, Denyce Graves, and Richard Stilwell, along with other opera professionals presenting

topics such as vocal health, breath support, and audition preparation. The Institute culminates in

performances of art songs and complete opera scenes at American University and on the

Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

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For the second year, the young singers in the program will be able to compete in a

Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition that awards several cash prizes to the top students. The

competition will be held at American University on Saturday, June 21, 2014. Past adjudicators

and master clinicians include Sherrill Milnes, Cynthia Lawrence, and Nicholas Muni.

WNO’s Opera Institute is the only summer program for high school-age students

supported by a major opera company. More information is at www.kennedy-

center.org/wno/edu/operainstitute.

Opera Look-In

WNO’s Opera Look-In program has been charming young audiences in the Washington

region for more than 20 years. This 55-minute program is the perfect way to introduce students

to opera. A special Look-In performance of La bohème will be presented in November 2014.

Members of WNO’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, accompanied by the WNO

Orchestra, will perform fully-staged scenes from the opera in a presentation designed to

creatively engage young audiences. Students will discover the behind-the-scenes magic of opera,

including lighting design, scene changes, stage tricks, musical themes, and much more. Students

also receive study materials and resources aligned to national standards and local curricula.

Opera is a naturally multi-dimensional and multimedia art form, and by presenting its

many facets, the Opera Look-In program creates a dynamic experience for students in grades 4-

8. Designed specifically to academically and creatively engage young people, this experience

leaves students enchanted and singing for more. More information is at http://www.kennedy-

center.org/wno/edu/schoolprograms/operalookin.cfm.

Student Dress Rehearsal Program

The Student Dress Rehearsal Program invites middle and high school students to

experience opera in a performance setting by giving them the opportunity to attend the final

rehearsals of select WNO productions. Prior to the performance, classes receive Cuesheets,

student study guides designed to help them prepare for the opera by providing information on the

composer, the story of the opera, and tips on what to look and listen for during the performance.

Information is at http://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/edu/schoolprograms/dressrehearsal.cfm.

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The Conservatory Project

The Conservatory Project is an initiative of the Kennedy Center’s Performing Arts for

Everyone program. Twice each year, outstanding college and university performers from the

nation’s top music conservatories and opera programs are showcased on the Kennedy Center’s

Millennium Stage. These performances are also streamed live online and archived for future

viewing. The Conservatory Project creates an ongoing performance platform for our nation’s

exceptional young talent and introduces Washington audiences to young musicians destined to

have important careers. More information is at www.kennedy-center.org/

programs/millennium/conservatory.html.

Kids Create Opera Partnership

Elementary students in four Montgomery County, Maryland, schools take on the roles of

artists, writers, and technical staff as they write, produce, and perform their own original operas.

Based on the Creating Original Opera curriculum originally developed by the Metropolitan

Opera, this program integrates the arts, core subjects, and 21st century skills such as critical

thinking and collaboration. Students tour the WNO Costume Shop, the Kennedy Center Opera

House, and receive classroom visits from WNO artists and staff. More information is at

www.kennedy-center.org/education/community.

WNO and the District of Columbia Public Schools

The Kennedy Center works in partnership with 20 District of Columbia public and

charter schools to support arts education inclusive of professional development for teachers,

artist residencies, and Kennedy Center performances and events. Partnership schools engage in

WNO education programs including the Opera Look-In and the Student Dress Rehearsal

Program, and participate in opera-focused residencies. More information is at www.kennedy-

center.org/education/community.

TICKET INFORMATION

Subscription renewals and new subscriptions to WNO’s 2014-2015 season will be available

soon. To purchase a subscription, patrons should call the Subscription Office at (202) 416-8500

or go to www.kennedy-center.org/subscriptions. Subscriptions may be purchased in advance of

general on-sale dates, which will be announced soon. Groups of 20 or more may contact the

Kennedy Center Group Sales office at (202) 416-8400.

Artists and performances are subject to change.

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The 2014-2015 Season

Florencia in the Amazon Music by Daniel Catán

Libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain

September 20–28, 2014

Two-time Grammy Award®-winning American soprano Christine Goerke stars as a famous

opera singer who embarks upon an enchanted riverboat journey in late Mexican-American

composer Daniel Catán’s mesmerizing opera. Returning after 20 years to her South American

homeland of Brazil, Florencia Grimaldi boards the El Dorado in disguise and heads up the

Amazon to sing at an opera house in the capital. Along the way, she hopes to track down her

long-lost lover, a butterfly hunter who has disappeared in the jungle. Beset by storms and a

cholera outbreak, Florencia and her fellow travelers are carried deeper into the rain forest, while

Ríolobo, a mystical river creature, guides them to life-changing revelations.

Inspired by the magical realism of Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel García

Márquez (100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera), Florencia in the Amazon was

the first-ever Spanish-language commission by major U.S. opera companies, and an instant

audience smash when it premiered in 1996 under the direction of Francesca Zambello. WNO’s

Artistic Director now brings this fantastical opera to Washington, eager to revisit the production

with fresh insight as part of her commitment to present a major American work each season.

Company Premiere

WNO Co-Production with LA Opera,

originally produced by Houston Grand Opera

and Cincinnati Opera

In Spanish with projected English titles

Premiered at Houston Grand Opera on

October 25, 1996

Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, September 22, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, September 26, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 28, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Opera House

Cast:

Florencia Christine Goerke

Melody Moore * (9/24)

Ríolobo Norman Garrett ±

Rosalbo Andrea Carroll*

Arcadio Patrick O’Halloran ‡

Paula Nancy Fabiola Herrera*

Álvaro Michael Todd Simpson

Captain David Pittsinger

Production Team:

Conductor Carolyn Kuan*

Director Francesca Zambello

Set Designer Robert Israel

Costume Designer Catherine Zuber

Lighting Designer Mark McCullough

Choreographer Eric Sean Fogel

* Washington National Opera debut

‡ Member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

± Alumnus of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

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La bohème Music by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

November 1–15, 2014

Deep in the heart of Paris’s Latin Quarter—through jealous breakups and rekindled romances,

rowdy celebrations and tender tears—six friends fight to keep their passions burning bright,

hoping spring will cure a tragic illness looming in their midst.

Puccini’s sweeping tale of young bohemians struggling to fulfill their dreams, find love, and stay

warm through a harsh Parisian winter returns to the Opera House in a brand-new production by

director Jo Davies. The City of Light’s snowy streets, drafty tenements, and nightclub diversions

come to life in a production certain to linger in the memory long after its final heartrending scene.

New Production

In Italian with projected English titles

Premiered in Turin on February 1, 1896

Saturday, November 1, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 7, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Monday, November 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 14, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. †

Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Opera House

Cast for November 1, 4, 7, 9, 12, and 15m:

Rodolfo Saimir Pirgu

Mimì Corinne Winters*

Marcello John Chest*

Musetta Alyson Cambridge

Colline Joshua Bloom*

Schaunard Steven LaBrie*

Benoit/ Alcindoro Donato DiStefano

Cast for November 2m, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 15e:

Rodolfo Alexey Dolgov

Mimì Tatiana Monogarova*

Marcello Trevor Scheunemann ±

Musetta Leah Partridge*

Colline Musa Ngqungwana*

Schaunard Christian Bowers ‡

Benoit/ Alcindoro Donato DiStefano

Production Team: Conductor Philippe Auguin

Timothy Myers

(11/13, 14†, 15m)

Director Jo Davies*

Set Designer Lee Savage*

Costume Designer Jennifer Moeller*

Lighting Designer Bruno Poet*

Choreographer Ben Wright*

† Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance, casting to be announced

* Washington National Opera debut

‡ Member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

± Alumnus of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

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The Little Prince Music by Rachel Portman

Libretto by Nicholas Wright

Based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

December 19–21, 2014

For its annual family-friendly opera over the winter holidays, WNO brings to life all the joy and

wonder of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic illustrated storybook. On his tiny home planet, a

young boy spends his days protecting his only friend—a rose—from miniature volcanoes and

ravenous baobab trees. When loneliness sets in, he begins a mystical quest across the cosmos to

find new companionship. During his journey, he encounters several other intergalactic

inhabitants—among them a delusional king, a rich businessman, a dancing kazoo player, and a

wearied lamplighter—before meeting a pilot on Earth who has crash-landed in the Sahara

Desert. The two become unlikely friends, learning lessons from the desert’s many creatures

until the prince realizes just how special his rose really is.

Featuring a beautiful, tuneful score by prolific film composer Rachel Portman—an Academy

Award® winner for Emma and a nominee for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat—this opera

showcases current and former Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists alongside other emerging stars

and the WNO Children’s Chorus. Originally staged by WNO Artistic Director Francesca

Zambello in 2003 and recorded for the BBC the following year, The Little Prince finally comes

to Washington in performances not to be missed.

Company Premiere

New production

In English with projected English titles

Premiered in Houston on May 31, 2003

Cast:

To be announced, including current singers

and alumni of the Domingo-Cafritz Young

Artist Program

Friday, December 19, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Production Team:

Director Francesca Zambello

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Dialogues of the Carmelites

Music by Francis Poulenc

Libretto by the composer, after the play by Georges Bernanos

Sung in composer’s approved English translation by Joseph Machlis

February 21–March 10, 2015

Faith is put to the ultimate test in Poulenc’s powerful 1957 opera about an order of Carmelite

nuns who refuse to renounce their beliefs in the wake of the French Revolution. With social

unrest rippling through Paris, a timid young woman leaves her aristocratic family to seek refuge

at a convent in northern France. She strives to make a life in the monastery with her fellow

sisters, who soon discover they must either abandon their monastery or face certain execution.

Their act of defiance in the face of fear becomes a gripping, emotional story of loyalty,

redemption, and sacrifice.

At turns hymnal and haunting, Dialogues of the Carmelites soars with exquisite harmonies, a

sublime a cappella “Ave Maria,” and wrenching twists including a chilling final tableau.

Performing an English translation approved by the composer, the stellar cast includes the WNO

debuts of two fast-rising sopranos: Leah Crocetto as steadfast leader Madame Lidoine and Layla

Claire as impressionable new nun Blanche de la Force.

Legendary mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick (Adalgisa in WNO’s Norma) makes her role debut as

Madame de Croissy, the ailing prioress of the monastery, while mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop

(Brangäne in WNO’s Tristan and Isolde) portrays martyrdom-driven Mother Marie. Directed by

Francesca Zambello, the production also features the return of renowned maestro Patrick

Summers, who has not conducted at WNO since 1997.

Company Premiere

WNO Production, originally produced by

Opéra National de Paris

Premiered in Milan on January 26, 1957

In English with projected English titles

Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, February 23, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 27, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Opera House

Cast:

Madame Lidoine Leah Crocetto*

Blanche de la Force Layla Claire*

Madame de Croissy Dolora Zajick

Mother Marie Elizabeth Bishop

Sister Constance Ashley Emerson

Marquis de la Force Alan Held

Chevalier de la Force Shawn Mathey

The Chaplain Robert Baker

Production Team: Conductor Patrick Summers

Director Francesca Zambello

Set Designer Hildegard Bechtler*

Costume Designer Claudie Gastine

Lighting Designer Mark McCullough

* Washington National Opera debut

15

The Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer)

Music by Richard Wagner

Libretto by the composer

March 7–21, 2015

In Wagner’s retelling of the nautical legend, formidable bass-baritone and two-time Grammy

Award® winner Eric Owens—one of the most in-demand American opera stars of our day—

returns to WNO to make his stage debut as the Flying Dutchman. Condemned to wander the seas

upon a ship of ghosts, he can only venture ashore once every seven years to seek his salvation: a

woman’s unconditional love. When Senta, the beguiling daughter of a sea captain, pledges to be

faithful to him forever, it seems the ancient curse might finally be broken. But her jealous

huntsman suitor poses just one of many obstacles in a tale where greed, fidelity, and misfortune

collide in full force.

Director Stephen Lawless tells the Flying Dutchman’s story with arresting stage images,

including a stunning ship of blood-red sails that places the opera’s dramatic action in bold relief.

A trio of bright stars—German soprano Christiane Libor, Estonian bass Ain Anger, and

American tenor Jay Hunter Morris—make their WNO debuts in performances conducted by

WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin and Eric Weimer.

WNO Revival

In German with projected English titles

Premiered in Dresden on January 2, 1843

Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, March 9, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 13, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Opera House

Cast:

Senta Christiane Libor*

Jennifer Root* (3/11)

The Dutchman Eric Owens

Alan Held (3/11)

Erik Jay Hunter Morris*

Daland Ain Anger*

Peter Volpe (3/19, 21)

Production Team: Conductor Philippe Auguin

Eric Weimer* (3/19, 21)

Director Stephen Lawless

Set Designer Giles Cadle

Costume Designer Ingeborg Bernerth

Lighting Designer Joan Sullivan-Genthe

* Washington National Opera debut

‡ Member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

16

Cinderella (La Cenerentola)

Music by Gioachino Rossini

Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti

May 9–21, 2014

Rossini’s popular retelling of the beloved Cinderella story adds a few fabulous twists to the

traditional fairy tale, a perfect springtime treat for the entire family. In this bright and whimsical

production by Spanish director Joan Font and his performance troupe Els Comediants, a

kindhearted girl named Angelina dreams of one day escaping her impoverished stepfather’s

castle. When the prince announces he will choose his bride at a glamorous ball, she seizes the

opportunity to escape the tyranny of her vain stepsisters and take control of her own destiny.

Audiences of all ages will delight in this clever romantic comedy that features bracelets instead

of glass slippers, a philosophical tutor in place of a fairy godmother, and six adorable dancing

rats that serve as a makeshift Greek chorus. Considered one of his finest vocal works, Rossini’s

opera glows with captivating bel canto singing and ornate ensemble passages performed by a

thrilling cast of young talents, including performances by American mezzo-soprano and 2013

Richard Tucker Award winner Isabel Leonard in her WNO debut. Gifted Italian conductor

Speranza Scappucci makes her WNO debut leading the orchestra in a dazzling production that

has enchanted audiences from Houston to Barcelona to Seattle with its witty characterizations,

rainbow-bright costumes, and rags-to-riches ending that celebrates the power of love and

forgiveness.

Production from Houston Grand Opera

In Italian with projected English titles

Premiered in Rome on January 25, 1817

Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, May 11, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, May 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

All performances take place in the

Kennedy Center Opera House

Cast: Production Team: Angelina Isabel Leonard

* (5/9, 13, 16, 19, 21) Conductor Speranza Scappucci

*

(Cinderella) Tara Erraught* (5/11, 15, 17m) Director Joan Font

*

Don Ramiro Maxim Mironov* (5/9, 13, 16, 19, 21) Set and Costume Joan Guillén

*

David Portillo*

(5/11, 15, 17m) Designer

Dandini Simone Alberghini Lighting Designer Albert Faura*

Don Paolo Bordogna* (5/9, 11, 13, 16, 19, 21) Choreographer Xevi Dorca

*

Magnifico Valeriano Lanchas ± (5/15, 17m)

Alidoro Shenyang*

Clorinda Jacqueline Echols ‡

Tisbe Deborah Nansteel ‡

* Washington National Opera debut

‡ Member of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

± Alumnus of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program

17

ABOUT WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

Washington National Opera (WNO) is one of the leading opera companies in the United States.

Founded in 1956 and now an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the

company boasts numerous artistic highlights, including world premieres, commissioning of new

works and new productions, international tours, and performances by some of opera’s most admired

artists. WNO productions have been heard around the world, through radio and television

broadcasts on WETA-FM, NPR, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and PBS, as well as through audio and

video recordings.

In 2012, WNO launched the American Opera Initiative, a comprehensive new commissioning

program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering and developing the

talents of new American composers and librettists. WNO contributes to the future of opera through

two other signature artist-development programs: the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is a

leading resident-training program for artists on the verge of international careers, and the WNO

Opera Institute nurtures the ambitions of high school-age singers and pianists from across the nation

during an intensive three-week summer program.

WNO’s education and access initiatives include year-round programs in public schools

throughout the region; Generation O, a popular discount-ticket initiative for young people; and a

variety of lectures and discussions for every production on the season calendar. Among the most

popular of WNO’s community programs is M&M’S® Opera in the Outfield, which brings free, live

simulcasts of opera to Nationals Park for thousands of opera fans as well as new audiences.

FUNDING CREDITS:

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO, and provide major

support for MyTix and educational programs at the Kennedy Center through the Rubenstein Arts

Access Program.

General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of WNO’s 2014-2015 Season.

Generous support for WNO Italian opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.

La bohème is a production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series.

The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is made possible through the generous support of

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

Generous support for the American Opera Initiative is provided by

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Student Dress Rehearsal Program and the Opera Institute are made possible in part by

the generous support of the U.S. Department of Education.

Support for Opera Look-Ins is provided by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

18

The Conservatory Project is made possible by Michael F. and Noémi K. Neidorff and the

Centene Charitable Foundation.

The Millennium Stage is brought to you by Target and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott

Foundation, and was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs to make

the performing arts accessible to everyone in fulfillment of the Kennedy Center's mission to its

community and the nation. Additional funding is provided by DC Commission on the Arts and

Humanities, The Isadore and Bertha Gudelsky Family Foundation, Inc., Jaylee M. Mead†, The

Meredith Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr.

Jan A.J. Stolwijk, U.S. Department of Education, and the Millennium Stage Endowment Fund.

The Millennium Stage Endowment Fund was made possible by James A. Johnson and Maxine

Isaacs, Fannie Mae Foundation, James V. Kimsey, Gilbert† and Jaylee† Mead, Mortgage

Bankers Association of America, and other anonymous gifts to secure the future of the

Millennium Stage.

Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by Bank of America. Additional support

for Performances for Young Audiences is provided by Adobe Foundation; The Clark-Charitable

Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; Macy’s; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation;

Park Foundation, Inc.; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation;

Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major

gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.

The Presenting Underwriter of Iberian Suite: arts remix across continents is the

HRH Foundation, with major support provided by David and Alice Rubenstein.

The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts are supported by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas

Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe

Fortas.

Education and related artistic programs are also made possible through the generosity of the

National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the

Arts.

International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the

Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

For more information about Washington National Opera,

visit www.kennedy-center.org/wno.

Visit www.facebook.com/WashingtonNationalOpera for behind-the-scenes news, special offers,

advance notice of events, and other related Kennedy Center Facebook pages.

Follow @dcopera on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news, offers, and more.

# # # # #

PRESS CONTACT*: TICKETS & INFORMATION:

Michael Solomon (202) 467-4600; (800) 444-1324

(202) 416-8453 www.kennedy-center.org masolomon@kennedy-center.org *Please do not publish this contact information