The Dallas Opera to Present Frederica von Stade in Concert, 1/31

DALLAS, TX, December 8, 2015 - The Dallas Opera will present opera legend Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano, for another magnificent performance in The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Art Song Recital Series. The one-time-only recital will be presented Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at City Performance Hall (a 749-seat venue located at 2520 Flora Street in the Arts District, Dallas, TX 75201). Also featured at the exclusive event will be Jake Heggie, composer (Great Scott, Moby-Dick) and accomplished pianist, who has had a long-standing artistic collaboration with Miss von Stade.

The program titled "A Life In Song" is a compilation of autobiographical pieces personally chosen by Miss von Stade. It will feature art songs (works composed for a single voice with piano accompaniment) by composers; William Bolcom, Aaron Copland, Jake Heggie, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Ravel, Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomsonand others. The recital series was created about three years ago to showcase well-established artists in programs dedicated to preserving the fine art of art song.

Described by the New York Times as "one of America's finest artists and singers," Miss von Stade continues to be extolled as one of the music world's most beloved figures. Known to family, friends, and fans by her nickname "Flicka," the mezzo-soprano has enriched the world of classical music for four decades. She has created the roles of Winnie Flato, to critical acclaim in the world premiere production of Heggie's Great Scott, and Tina in The Aspern Papers (a work written for her) both for The Dallas Opera, and Mrs. Patrick De Rocher in Heggie's Dead Man Walking for San Francisco Opera.

Jake Heggie is one of the most in-demand American composers in classical music today who recently premiered Great Scott at The Dallas Opera (Terrence McNally, librettist) and will premiere It's a Wonderful Life for the Houston Grand Opera in 2016. He is the composer of the operas Moby-Dick (The Dallas Opera premiere 2010), Dead Man Walking, Three Decembers, The End of the Affair and more. He has also composed more than 250 art songs, as well as concerti, chamber music, choral and orchestral works. He frequently collaborates with some of the world's most loved singers including Ms. von Stade and sopranos Renée Fleming, Ailyn Pérez, and Kiri Te Kanawa.

"Jake Heggie's extraordinary new opera Great Scott that premiered in October in Dallas made an extremely positive impression on our patrons, and Miss von Stade dazzled all of us with her creation of the role of Winnie Flato. This Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Art Song Recital is a spectacular opportunity to experience Flicka's vocal artistry and Jake's sensitive accompanying in an intimate setting," says Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny.

We are extremely grateful to the Titus family for its incredible generosity in continuing to bring these magnificent recitals to North Texas. This the third in the series that began with tenor Ian Bostridge in 2014, and Matthew Polenzani last January."

Seating is limited, but through the generosity of the Titus Family, the ticket prices are $20 or $40 each. Seating is reserved and all tickets will be held at Will Call. Student tickets are available at $10 each.

"Heading into our third year, The Dallas Opera has exceeded our expectations. This year's recital brings together two exceptionally gifted artists, Frederica von Stade and Jake Heggie, who could not illustrate the uniqueness of art song better. The intimacy of a singer and pianist on stage is unlike any other art form. We look forward to many more recitals and the growing Dallas audience to share these experiences with. As a way to celebrate and honor our parents, my sister Amy and I continue to look forward to the future of this series with The Dallas Opera," says Dallas Opera Executive Committee Member Sarah Titus.

Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased either online at www.dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly professionals in The Dallas Opera Ticket/Patron Services Office at 214.443.1000.

FREDERICA VON STADE BIOGRAPHY

Miss von Stade's career has taken her to the stages of the world's great opera houses and concert halls. She began at the top, when she received a contract from Sir Rudolf Bing during the Metropolitan Opera auditions, and since her debut in 1970 she has sung nearly all of her great roles with that company. In January 2000, the company celebrated the 30th anniversary of her debut with a new production of The Merry Widow specifically for her, and in 1995, as a celebration of her 25th anniversary, the Metropolitan Opera created for her a new production of Pelléas et Mélisande. In addition, Miss von Stade has appeared with every leading American opera company, including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera. Her career in Europe has been no less spectacular, with new productions mounted for her at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera. She is invited regularly by the finest conductors, among them Claudio Abbado, Charles Dutoit, James Levine, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas, to appear in concert with the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Washington's National Symphony, and the Orchestra of La Scala.

With impressive versatility, she has effortlessly traversed an ever-broadening spectrum of musical styles and dramatic characterizations. A noted bel canto specialist, she excelled as the heroines of Rossini's La cenerentola and Il barbiere di Siviglia and Bellini's La sonnambula. She is an unmatched stylist in the French repertoire: a delectable Mignon or Périchole, a regal Marguerite in Berlioz' La damnation de Faust, and, in one critic's words, "the Mélisande of one's dreams." Her elegant figure and keen imagination have made her the world's favorite interpreter of the great trouser roles, from Strauss' Octavian and Composer to Mozart's Sesto, Idamante and - magically, indelibly - Cherubino. Miss von Stade's artistry has inspired the revival of neglected works such as Massenet's Cherubin, Thomas' Mignon, Rameau's Dardanus, and Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria. Her ability as a singing actress has allowed her to portray wonderful works in operetta and musical theater including the title role in The Merry Widow and Desirée Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. Her repertoire is continually expanding with the works of contemporary composers. She also created the role of Madame de Merteuil in the Conrad Susa's Dangerous Liaisons for San Francisco Opera.

Frederica von Stade is the holder of honorary doctorates from Yale University, Boston University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (which holds a Frederica von Stade Distinguished Chair in Voice), the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and her alma mater, the Mannes School of Music. In 1998 Miss von Stade was awarded France's highest honor in the Arts when she was appointed as an officer of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 1983 she was honored with an award given at The White House by President Reagan in recognition of her significant contribution to the arts.

JAKE HEGGIE BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Heggie's operas, most created with the distinguished writers Terrence McNally and Gene Scheer, have been produced on five continents. Dead Man Walking has received more than 40 productions worldwide since its San Francisco Opera premiere in 2000 and has been recorded live twice (Erato Records in 2000 and Virgin Classics in 2011). Moby-Dick has received six international productions since its 2010 premiere at The Dallas Opera and was telecast nationally in 2014 as part of Great Performances' 40thAnniversary Season. Moby-Dick received its East Coast premiere at the Kennedy Center in February 2014 with the Washington National Opera; a production from the San Francisco Opera has been released on DVD (EuroArts). It is also the subject of a book by Robert Wallace titled Heggie & Scheer's Moby-Dick - a Grand Opera for the 21stCentury (UNT Press).

Mr. Heggie was recently awarded the prestigious Eddie Medora King prize from the UT Austin Butler School of Music. A Guggenheim Fellow, he served for three years as a mentor for Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative. He is also a frequent guest artist and master teacher at universities and conservatories including Boston University, Bucknell, Cornell, The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, University of Northern Iowa, University of North Texas, University of Colorado, USC's Thornton School, Vanderbilt University, and at festivals such as SongFest at the Colburn School, Ravinia Festival, and VISI in Vancouver.

Mr. Heggie frequently collaborates as composer and pianist with some of the world's most loved singers including the afore mentioned sopranos, mezzo-sopranos Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, and Jamie Barton; Broadway stars Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald; tenors William Burden, Stephen Costello and Jay Hunter Morris; and baritones Nathan Gunn, Morgan Smith and Bryn Terfel. Directors who have championed his work include Leonard Foglia, Joe Mantello and Jack O'Brien. All of Mr. Heggie's major opera premieres have been led by conductor Patrick Summers; he has also worked closely with John DeMain, Joseph Mechavich and Nicole Paiement.

In addition to two new operas, upcoming works include The Work at Hand: Symphonic Songs for mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and cellist Anne Martindale Williams (Carnegie Hall and the Pittsburgh Symphony); new songs for Susan Graham (Vocal Arts DC); a new orchestration of the song cycle Camille Claudel: Into the Fire for mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and the Berkeley Symphony led by Joana Carneiro; and Stop This Day and Night With Me for The King's Singers, the 2015 Brock Commission for the American Choral Directors Association Conference.

For more information please visit www.jakeheggie.com.

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