Seattle Opera Announces 2011/12 Season, Opens with PORGY AND BESS in July

Seattle Opera today announced its captivating 2011/12 season, featuring an American treasure, the greatest French opera, the company premiere of a work by Verdi, one of opera's fundamental love stories, and a beloved Puccini tragedy. The season opens with Porgy and Bess in July, followed by Carmen in the fall and Attila, Orphée et Eurydice, and Madama Butterfly in 2012.

"The 2011/12 season explores the passion that defines opera," says General Director Speight Jenkins. "Whether it's the love of Porgy for Bess, the desire of Orpheus to bring back his love, the mistaken love of Attila or the all-consuming obsession of Don José and Butterfly, this season gives audiences flamboyant and unforgettable emotions."

Often considered the greatest American opera, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess kicks off the 2011/12 season. Featuring instantly recognizable music-including the songs "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So"-Porgy and Bess depicts life, death, love, and hope in an African-American community in 1920s South Carolina. The sounds of Catfish Row will come to life under the baton of John DeMain, who also conducted Porgy and Bess in 1987 and 1995 for Seattle Opera. Whereas those earlier presentations involved a touring company, in 2011 Seattle Opera presents its own cast, chorus, and staging. Director Chris Alexander twice won Seattle Opera's Artist of the Year Award (for Ariadne auf Naxos and The Tales of Hoffmann); among his many company credits are The Italian Girl in Algiers, Elektra, and (upcoming) The Magic Flute. Seattle favorite Gordon Hawkins (Il trovatore, the Ring) returns to the company in the role of Porgy, with soprano Lisa Daltirus (Il trovatore, Aida) as Bess, the woman he loves. The cast also includes the Seattle Opera debuts of Michael Redding as Crown, Jermaine Smith as Sportin' Life, Angel Blue as Clara, and Donovan Singletary as Jake. Former Seattle Opera Young Artist Mary ElizaBeth Williams (Il trovatore) returns as Serena. Porgy and Bess runs July 30 through August 20, 2011.

The season then travels from South Carolina to Spain: Carmen, Bizet's fiery tale of passion and jealousy, runs from October 15 through 29, 2011. Bernard Uzan directs Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili in her Seattle Opera debut as the seductive Carmen, with Joseph Calleja as Don José, the soldier tormented by his love for her. Former Young Artist Michael Todd Simpson returns as Escamillo, the handsome toreador who catches Carmen's eye. Malgorzata Walewska, who will appear later this season as Dulcinea in Don Quixote, returns as Carmen in the Sunday/Friday cast, with Mexican tenor Fernando de La Mora making his company debut as Don José. Also making his Seattle Opera debut is conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi.

New to Seattle Opera this season is Verdi's Attila. This drama about the struggle between Italian patriots and invading Huns is presented from January 14 through 28, 2012, with acclaimed bass-baritone John Relyea (Bluebeard's Castle) portraying the fearsome Attila. Relyea will also appear in February 2011 as Don Quixote. Venezuelan soprano Ana Lucrecia García (Aida) takes on the role of Odabella, who fearlessly stands up to the King of the Huns, and Antonello Palombi (Il trovatore, Pagliacci) portrays her lover, Foresto. Marco Vratogna makes his company debut as Roman general Ezio. Bernard Uzan directs, with Carlo Montanaro conducting.

From February 25 through March 10, 2012, Seattle Opera presents Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice (in the revised French version of 1774). Tenor William Burden, who last thrilled Seattle audiences as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, returns as the devoted Orphée, who journeys all the way to the Underworld to rescue his beloved Eurydice (Davinia Rodríguez) from death. Last fall, Rodríguez received acclaim for her debut as Lucia in the Sunday/Friday cast of Lucia di Lammermoor. Former Young Artist Julianne Gearhart (Der Rosenkavalier, the Ring) appears in both casts as Amor. José Maria Condemi (Il trovatore, La bohème) directs Orphée, which is mounted by Seattle Opera for only the second time in company history. Choreographer Yannis Adoniou makes his Seattle Opera debut and Gary Thor Wedow, who conducted Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride for Seattle Opera in 2007, returns.

The 2011/12 season closes with the popular East-meets-West tragedy of love and honor, Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Peter Kazaras, Artistic Director of the Young Artists Program, directs the production, with Julian Kovatchev making his Seattle Opera debut as conductor. Kazaras also directed the 2010/11 season opener Tristan und Isolde, and directs the upcoming Barber of Seville. Soprano Patricia Racette, who sang Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera with "strength, taste, and emotional generosity" (New York Times), is Cio-Cio-San, who gives herself to Pinkerton, the callous U.S. Naval officer portrayed by Stefano Secco. In the Sunday/Friday cast, Lithuanian soprano Ausrine Stundyte and American tenor Nathaniel Peake make their Seattle Opera debuts as Cio-Cio-San and Pinkerton. Both casts feature Brett Polegato (Iphigénie en Tauride) as American consul Sharpless and former Young Artist Jennifer Hines (the Ring) as Suzuki. Madama Butterfly runs from May 5 through May 19, 2012.

In addition to this compelling lineup of operas on the mainstage, the 2011/12 season includes another exciting offering: as part of an innovative new partnership between Seattle Opera and the University of Washington, in March and April 2012, Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program will present Donizetti's Don Pasquale on the UW campus, at Meany Hall. A tuneful bel canto comedy about an old man who unwisely takes a young bride, Don Pasquale is an ideal Young Artists Program opera. For the first time, tickets are available as an add-on to Seattle Opera's subscription package. A creative response to economic pressure stimulated Seattle Opera and the School of Music at the University of Washington to develop this mutually advantageous partnership: Seattle Opera's presence on campus will provide benefits to the School of Music and the location will make it possible for a larger audience to attend these critically-acclaimed productions. Since 1998, the annual Young Artists Program productions have been performed at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, in Bellevue, WA. Seattle Opera is committed to maintaining a strong presence on the Eastside through public talks, performances, and other educational and community engagement programming.

To learn more about the 2011/12 season, including ticket information and full artist biographies, visit seattleopera.org/operas. Following are fact sheets, ticket information, and instructions for accessing Seattle Opera's Image Library.

Seattle Opera's 2011/12 Season
Microsoft is the 2011/12 season sponsor

PORGY AND BESS

Music and Libretto by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin
In English with Captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Performances: July 30 - August 20, 2011

Approximate Running Time: 3 hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission
July 30 Opening night performance begins at 6:30 pm; other evenings at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2 pm.

Premiere: Alvin Theater, New York, New York, October 10, 1935
Previous Seattle Opera Performances: 1995, 1987

Artists
Porgy: Gordon Hawkins
Bess: Lisa Daltirus
Crown: Michael Redding†
Sportin' Life: Jermaine Smith†
Clara: Angel Blue†
Jake: Donovan Singletary†
Serena: Mary ElizaBeth Williams
Maria: Gwendolyn Brown†
Robbins: Michael Austin†

Conductor: John DeMain
Stage Director: Chris Alexander
Set Designer: Michael Scott†
Costume Designer: Christina Giannini†
Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler
Choreographer: Kabby Mitchell III†

Sets and Costumes: New York Harlem Theatre

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† Seattle Opera debut

Mary ElizaBeth Williams is a former Seattle Opera Young Artist.

CARMEN

Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
In French with English captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Performances: October 15 - 29, 2011

Approximate Running Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2:00 pm.

Premiere: Opéra-Comique, Paris, France, March 3, 1875
Previous Seattle Opera Performances: 1964, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1995, 2004

Artists
Carmen: Anita Rachvelishvili†/Malgorzata Walewska*
Don José: Joseph Calleja/Fernando de La Mora†*
Escamillo: Michael Todd Simpson
Micaëla: Norah Amsellem/Caitlin Lynch†*
Zuniga: Donovan Singletary

Conductor: Pier Giorgio Morandi†
Stage Director: Bernard Uzan
Set Designer: Keith Brumley
Costume Designer: James Schuette
Lighting Designer: Donald Thomas
Choreographer: Peggy Hickey

Sets: Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Costumes: Seattle Opera

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† Seattle Opera debut
* Sunday/Friday cast

Michael Todd Simpson and Caitlin Lynch are former Seattle Opera Young Artists.

ATTILA

Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Temistocle Solera
In Italian with English captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Performances: January 14 - 28, 2012

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one intermission
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2:00 pm.

Premiere: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy, March 17, 1846
Seattle Opera Premiere

Artists
Attila: John Relyea/Mika Kares†*
Foresto: Antonello Palombi/Arnold Rawls*
Odabella: Ana Lucrecia García/Anna Shafajinskaia†*
Ezio: Marco Vratogna†
Leone: Michael Devlin

Conductor: Carlo Montanaro
Stage Director: Bernard Uzan
Set Designer: Charles Edwards†
Costume Designer: Melanie Taylor Burgess
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun

Sets: The Israeli Opera
Costumes: Seattle Opera

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† Seattle Opera debut
* Sunday/Friday cast

ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE

Music by Christoph Willibald Gluck
Libretto by Pierre-Louis Moline, after Ranieri de' Calzabigi
In French with English captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Performances: February 25 - March 10, 2012

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2:00 pm.

Premiere: Opéra, Paris, France, August 2, 1774
Previous Seattle Opera Performance: 1988

Artists
Orphée: William Burden
Eurydice: Davinia Rodríguez
Amore: Julianne Gearhart

Conductor: Gary Thor Wedow
Stage Director: José Maria Condemi
Set Designer: Phillip Lienau†
Costume Designer: Heidi Zamora†
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Choreographer: Yannis Adoniou†

Sets and Costumes: Seattle Opera

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† Seattle Opera debut

Julianne Gearhart is a former Seattle Opera Young Artist.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
In Italian with English captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Performances: May 5 - 19, 2012

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2:00 pm.

Premiere: Teatro Grande, Brescia, Italy, May 28, 1904
Previous Seattle Opera Performances: 1966, 1970, 1977, 1982, 1989, 1995, 2002

Artists
Cio-Cio-San: Patricia Racette†/Ausrine Stundyte†*
Pinkerton: Stefano Secco†/Nathaniel Peake†*
Consul Sharpless: Brett Polegato
Suzuki: Jennifer Hines

Conductor: Julian Kovatchev†
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras
Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler

Sets and Costumes: TBA

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† Seattle Opera debut
* Sunday/Friday cast

Jennifer Hines is a former Seattle Opera Young Artist.

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM PRODUCTION:

DON PASQUALE

Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Giovanni Ruffini
In Italian with English captions

Meany Hall, University of Washington
4 Performances: March 31, April 1, 6, and 7, 2012

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, with two intermissions
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm, matinee at 2:00 pm.

Premiere: Théâtre Italien, Paris, January 3, 1843
Previous Seattle Opera Performances: 1981, 1986, 2003

Artists
Singers' names will be announced at a later date.

Conductor: Brian Garman
Stage Director: Peter Kazaras

Sets and Costumes: Seattle Opera

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Seattle Opera Ticket Information

Subscriptions on Sale Now

Five-Opera Renewal Subscription Ticket Prices: $213 to $3,533*
Five-Opera New Subscription Ticket Prices: $239 to $3,533*
Seattle Opera Ticket Office: 206.389.7676/800.426.1619
Online Orders: www.seattleopera.org
All performances take place at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm (except for opening night of Porgy and Bess, which begins at 6:30 pm), with matinees at 2:00 pm
*Prices include a $2-per-ticket facility fee and (in some locations) a preferred seating donation.

 

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