Dallas Opera Launches New Art Song Series Today

The Dallas Opera has announced that, through the generosity of The Titus Family, a brand-new recital series has been created to showcase well-established singers in programs dedicated to preserving the fine art of "art song."

The series launch will take place tonight, January 4, 2014 in Dallas City Performance Hall(2520 Flora Street, Dallas) at 7:30 p.m. with the Dallas Opera debut of one of the classical music world's most exciting singing stars: English tenor Ian Bostridge, who will be performing a program that will include the original twelve-song version of Franz Schubert's Winterreise as well as selections by Benjamin Britten, Charles Ives, Noel Coward and Cole Porter.

Mr. Bostridge will be accompanied in recital by a celebrated young Canadian pianist, Miss Wenwen Du.

"In my own musical work as a pianist and accompanist," says Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, "I have always particularly enjoyed working with singers on art song and lieder.

"Imagine my delight, then, with this extraordinary Titus Family gift, which allows the Dallas Opera to engage the finest interpreters of this repertoire to perform right here in North Texas.

"We are thrilled to inaugurate this new series with one of the world's leading performers in this repertoire, tenor Ian Bostridge. The Dallas Opera is already making plans to host a series of gifted artists in coming seasons and I can foresee the day when this unique series is as eagerly anticipated as the main stage Dallas Opera season itself."

Ian Bostridge, created a CBE in the 2004 "New Year's Honours," has forged major careers on the world's finest opera and concert stages, as well as in the recording studio.

In the opera world, Bostridge has performed the roles of Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Jupiter (Semele), and Aschenbach (Death in Venice) at English National Opera; Quint (The Turn of the Screw), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Caliban (The Tempest) for the Royal Opera; Don Ottavio in Vienna and Nerone (L'Incoranazione di Poppea), Tom Rakewell (The Rake's Progress) and Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) in Munich, and the role of Aschenbach in Brussels, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.

The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Bostridge sings as if from inside the music, as if he has found a way to produce pure, disembodied emotion."

He has a host of award-winning recordings (both Grammy and Gramophone) and has dazzled concert audiences at the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and New York Philharmonic Orchestras.

The always brilliant Mr. Bostridge has played a significant role in the 2013 Britten Centenary celebrations from the Salzburgh Festival to London's Barbican to New York's Carnegie Hall.

Opening the "Britten 100 Festival" last week, "Bostridge brought his distinctive voice, with its combination of sensual allure and choirboy purity to a performance of all five (Britten) Canticles," wrote New York Times Classical Music Critic Anthony Tommasini, "The audience withheld applause until the end. Once it started, it went on and on."

"The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Art Song Recital Series," explains Dallas Opera Executive Committee Member Sarah Titus "was created by our family to honor my parents' lifetime commitment to the arts in Dallas, as well as their history of giving to the Dallas Opera. My parents' commitment to the organization dates back to its inception in the late 1950s.

"This particular art form has been a lifelong passion of my mother's, so, endowing an annual recital featuring world-class artists and accompanists seemed a natural fit.

"Speaking for the entire family, we are excited to be bringing this glorious music to Dallas audiences; and we commend Keith Cerny's responsible leadership of-and vision for-the Dallas Opera."

Due to the desire to create a more intimate (and breathtaking) musical experience, the Dallas Opera will present this extraordinary recital in the 750-seat Dallas City Performance Hall, already winning high praise for its lovely acoustic and design.

Tickets, priced at $15 to $25, go on sale today, November 4th and are expected to go fast. They may be purchased at dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly customer service professionals in the Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000.

KEY BIOS:

IAN BOSTRIDGE (Tenor)

Ian Bostridge's international career includes the world's major concert halls and the Edinburgh, Munich, Vienna, Aldeburgh, Salzburg and Schubertiade Festivals, including artistic residencies at the Konzerthaus Vienna, Carnegie Hall New York, Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Barbican, the Wigmore Hall, and Laeiszhalle Hamburg.

In opera he has performed the roles of Tamino, Jupiter (Semele) and Aschenbach (Death in Venice) at English National Opera; Quint (The Turn of the Screw), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Caliban (The Tempest) for the Royal Opera; Don Ottavio in Vienna and Nerone (L'Incoronazione di Poppea), Tom Rakewell (The Rake's Progress) and Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) in Munich. He has sung Aschenbach in Brussels, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.

Ian Bostridge's award-winning recordings include "Schubert with Graham Johnson" (Gramophone Award 1996), "Tom Rakewell with Gardiner" (Grammy Award 1999), "Schumann with Julius Drake" (Gramophone Award 1998), The Turn of the Screw (Gramophone Award 2003) and Billy Budd (Grammy Award 2010) with Harding and Ades' The Tempest (Gramophone Award 2010). He has recorded recitals of Schubert, Wolf and Britten with Antonio Pappano.

Ian Bostridge's concert engagements include the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and New York Philharmonic orchestras under Rattle, Davis, Ozawa, Rostropovich and Harding. He sang Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with Angelika Kirchschlager and H.K. Gruber in Vienna and the world première of Henze's Opfergang with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and under Antonio Pappano.

For the 2013 Britten Centenary celebrations, Ian Bostridge has a major presence world-wide, with appearances at the Aix-en-Provence, Brighton, Aldeburgh and Salzburg Festivals; Britten residencies at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Philharmonie Cologne, New York's Carnegie Hall, London's Barbican, Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Moscow Conservatoire (including the Moscow premiere of Death in Venice under Rozhdestvensky). He performs in the Berlin Philharmonie on Britten's birth date and has appearances with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Roberto Abbado, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra and Antonio Pappano, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski (in London and the Vienna Musikverein) and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and Andris Nelsons.

In 2001 he was elected an honorary fellow of Corpus Christi College and in 2003 he was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by the University of St Andrews. He was created a CBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours.

WENWEN DU (Accompanist)

Hailed as "exceptional" by Opera Canada magazine, Wenwen Du is an accomplished young pianist. Excelling in both the solo and collaborative ?elds, Miss Du is in high demand both in Canada and abroad.

Originally from China, Ms. Du received a Bachelor of Music (Performance) and an Artists Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music.

Ms. Du has participated in numerous international masterclasses, including the Shanghai International Piano Masterclass, Gold Country Piano Institute - Masterclass in Interpretation (Nevada City, California, USA), Festival Orford (Montreal, Canada), The International Holland Music Session (Holland, Netherlands) and the Warsaw Piano Workshop - International Piano Course in Interpretation (Warsaw, Polland). These masterclasses were held by many renowned professors, including Paul Badura-Skoda, Boris Berman, Mikhail Voskresensky, Dimitri Bashkirov, Thomas Ungar, Jerome Rose, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Peter Donohoe.

Miss Du has also performed solo piano recitals in China, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Holland, the United States, and Canada. She is the winner of many National and International Piano Competitions, including "The Third Proko?ev International Piano Competition" (Ukraine), and "The Third Wiesbaden Piano Competition" (Germany).

Wenwen received the Opera Coaching Fellowship from the Atlantic Music Festival (USA) in 2012, spending five weeks coaching with Dr. Arlene Shrut while coaching and accompanying 18 singers through performances of opera, lieder and song. Wenwen then participated in the 2012 Oxford Lieder Festival (UK), lead by Wolfgang Holzmair. There she took masterclasses with Mr. Holzmair, Roger Vignoles, Martyn Hill, and Michael Dussek. She was also Music Director of Envision Financial's benefit concert A Night on Broadway.

She attended the 2013 Britten Song course at the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme (UK), lead by Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake. Prior to attending the course, she was awarded the Loewen Prize from the Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation, a scholarship given to a leading Canadian pianist attending a Britten-Pears training course. During the course, Mr. Bostridge invited Wenwen to perform with him in the final concert. She also attended the 2013 Franz-Schubert-Institut (Austria), lead by Dr. Deen Larson and Elly Ameling.

DALLAS CITY PERFORMANCE HALL

Located at the intersection of Routh and Flora, Dallas City Performance Hall is a multi-disciplinary gateway to the Arts District, presenting a broad range of cultural performances and events by a growing group of small and midsize cultural organizations representing all artistic disciplines and the diverse heritages of the Dallas community.

This lyrical and elegant addition to the Dallas Arts District promises to be a unique and delightful "village for the arts" for Dallas audiences. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP - one of the world's leading architecture, urban design, engineering, and interior architecture firms - the newly completed Phase I of the design includes a state-of-the-art, 750-seat, multi-purpose theater specifically designed to accommodate a wide variety of performance needs as well as an expansive front lobby capable of accommodating small performances and events for up to 200 people. The dynamic features of these two spaces encourage social and cultural interaction from the street to the stage, from pre-show cocktails to post-show conversation and offer both artists and audiences the opportunity to engage with all forms of performance, from the outsized spectacle of epic theatre to the smooth elegance of a jazz quartet. City Performance Hall is the place discover our next generation of great arts organizations and be captivated by the energetic and multifaceted creative spirit of Dallas artists!

EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Ticket Information for the 2013-2014 Dallas Opera Season

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Season subscriptions are on sale, starting at just $76. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions will remain on sale following the close of Carmen. Family performances are $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at http://www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2013-2014 SEASON INFORMATION

The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Seventh International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

CARMEN by Georges Bizet

October 25 (special time, 8:00 p.m.), October 27(m), 30, November 2, 8 & 10(m), 2013

The most irresistible bad girl in opera-How can you possibly say "non"?

An opera in four acts first performed in Paris on March 3, 1875

Text by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée

Time: 19th century

Place: Seville, Spain

Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

Stage Director: Chris Alexander

Scenic Design: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

Costume Design: Peter J. Hall

Lighting Design: Thomas Hase

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Children's Chorus Master: Melinda Cotten

Starring: Clémentine Margaine**(Carmen), Brandon Jovanovich (Don José Oct. 25, 27, 30), Bruno Ribeiro* (Don José Nov. 2, 8, 10), Mary Dunleavy (Micaëla), Dwayne Croft (Escamillo), Danielle Pastin*(Frasquita), Audrey Babcock*(Mercédès), Kyle Albertson*(Zuniga), Steven LaBrie (Le Dancaïre), William Ferguson* (Remendado), John David Boehr*(Moralès).

DEATH AND THE POWERS by Tod Machover

February 12, 14, 15 & 16(m), 2014

Science fiction and poignant family drama combine in a major regional premiere!

An opera in one act first performed in Monte Carlo, Monaco at the Salle Garnier on September 24, 2010.

Text by Robert Pinsky, based on a story by Pinsky and Randy Weiner

Time: Unknown time in the future

Place: Earth, the home of billionaire Simon Powers

Conductor: Nicole Paiement

Stage Director: Diane Paulus*

Associate Director: Andrew Eggert*

Scenic Design: Alex McDowell*

Costume Design: David Woolard*

Lighting Design: Don Holder

Choreography: Karole Armitage*

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Starring: Robert Orth (Simon Powers/Robot One), Joélle Harvey (Miranda/Robot Four), Patricia Risley(Evvy/Robot Three), Hal Cazalet*(Nicholas/Robot Two), Frank Kelley*(The United Way), David Kravitz*(The United Nations), Tom McNichols*(The Administration).

DIE TOTE STADT ("THE DEAD CITY") by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

March 21, 23(m), 26, 29 and April 6(m), 2014

The Hitchcock-like tale of one man's dark obsession with the woman he loved and lost.

An opera in three acts first performed in Hamburg & Cologne, Germany on December 4, 1920

Text by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Paul Schott based on a novel by Georges Rodenbach, Bruges la morte

Time: End of the 19th century

Place: The city of Bruges in northwestern Belgium

Conductor: Sebastian Lang-Lessing*

Stage Director: Mikael Melbye

Scenic Design: Mikael Melbye*

Costume Design: Dierdre Clancy*

Video Design: Wendall Harrington*

Lighting Design: Mark McCullough

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Choreography: Matthew Ferraro*

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Anne Petersen**(Marietta) , Jay Hunter Morris (Paul), Morgan Smith (Fritz), Weston Hurt (Frank), Katherine Tier*(Brigitta), Andrew Bidlack (Albert), Jan Lund**(Victorin), Jennifer Chung (Juliette), Angela Turner Wilson (Lucienne).

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini

March 28, 30(m), April 2, 5, 11 & 13(m), 2014

Figaro, a scheming barber and jack-of-all-trades plots to release a headstrong girl from her gilded cage!

An opera in two acts first performed in Rome on February 20, 1816

Text by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, from his comedy Le Barbier de Séville

Time: 18th century

Place: Seville, Spain

Conductor: Giuliano Carella*

Stage Director: Herb Kellner

Original Production: John Copley

Scenic Design: John Conklin

Costume Design: Michael Stennet

Lighting Design: TBD

Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Nathan Gunn (Figaro), Isabel Leonard*(Rosina), Alek Shrader*(Count Almaviva), Donato DiStefano (Dr. Bartolo), Burak Bilgili*(Don Basilio), Nathan De'Shon Myers (Fiorello), Christian Teague*(Ambrogio).

DALLAS OPERA FAMILY PERFORMANCES

Jack and the Beanstalk: October 26, 2013 and April 5, 2014

Family Concerts: November 3, 2013 and February 1, 2014

The Elixir of Love: November 9, 2013 and April 12, 2014

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.

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