Music Executive Updates

• Soprano Patricia Racette becomes the Artistic Director of the Opera Theater of St. Louis in October, 2025, succeeding James Robinson, who is now the artistic and general director of Seattle Opera. 
• Gillian Fox becomes CEO and Executive Director of Caramoor, effective June 9, 2025.

Recently appointed:

• Ryan Fleur to the Philadelphia Orchestra, commencing April, 2025
• Gary Ginstling appointed CEO of the Houston Symphony, commencing Feb. 3, 2025
• Terry D. Loftis appointed CEO of the New Jersey Symphony, commencing March, 2025
• Matias Tarnopolsky to the NY Philharmonic, commencing January 1, 2025

Open positions:

• Minnesota Orchestra, following Michelle Miller Burns's move to Dallas. (Brent Assink is currently acting CEO of the orchestra.)
• Cincinnati Symphony, following the retirement of Jonathan Martin in February, 2025
• St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, after Jon Limbacher retires next year

Seattle Opera 2025-26

McCaw Hall Theater

Uncredited; courtesy of McCaw Hall web site

Like certain other opera companies –– ahem, probably all of them, but definitely San Francisco Opera –– Seattle Opera has announced a short, very short, season, consisting of one operetta, two fully staged operas, and concert performances of another opera. I'm cutting a lot of marketing prose from the below. For casting details, see the Seattle Opera web site.

The Pirates of Penzance

Music by Arthur Sullivan

Libretto by W.S. Gilbert

October 18–November 1, 2025

Daphne in Concert

Music by Richard Strauss

Libretto by Joseph Gregor

January 16 & 18, 2026

Fellow Travelers

Music by Gregory Spears

Libretto by Greg Pierce

February 21–March 1, 2026

Carmen

Music by Georges Bizet

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

May 2–17, 2026

(Sasha Cooke and J'nai Bridges are splitting the title role. I dunno, neither strikes me as the kind of alluring firebrand you ideally want in this role.)

Patricia Racette will also sing a cabaret evening. The company is offering some classes, in subjects like 21st c. opera and queerness in opera.

Seattle Opera 2023-24

Seattle Opera announced its 2023-24 season the other day, and it looks like a retrenchment of some kind: there are only four operas, plus a holiday chorus concert and a concert celebrating the company's 60th anniversary.

• Wagner, Das Rheingold, Minnesota Opera production directed by Brian Staufenbiel, conducted by Ludovic Morlot. August 12-20, 2023. This is not the start of a new Ring, alas.
• Handel, Alcina. October 14-28, 2024.
• Holiday Chorus Concert, December 8-10, 2023.
• Davis, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.  February 24-March 9, 2024.
• Rossini, The Barber of Seville, May 4-19, 2024.
• 60th Anniversary Concert, May 11, 2024.

The Secret Life of Scenic Elements

The 1998 Seattle production of Tristan und Isolde, by Francesca Zambello, had an astonishingly beautiful Act II, in which Jane Eaglen and Ben Heppner were set afloat in the night sky during the love duet. Here's a screen shot showing the set after King Marke and his men show up; Michelle De Young, who sang Brangäne, is on top of the glass hut:

This production was done once in Seattle and once in Chicago, also with Heppner and Eaglen, in maybe 2001. It was supposed to be staged by San Francisco Opera in 2006, but the company wound up using David Hockney's production instead. (My bet: the Seattle production would have cost too much to fit to the War Memorial Opera House stage, or maybe it was not in good enough condition. Seattle Opera used a different production for their most recent staging as well.)

Here's a screen shot I took from the promotional video for the upcoming Lyric Opera of Chicago Ring; the scenic element in the middle must be Valkyrie Rock and the scene must be Siegfried Act III:

(Yes, I am debating a trip to Chicago in the spring....)

Seattle Opera, 2018-19

Aaaaand season announcement season arrives with Seattle Opera's announcement:

• Porgy & Bess, Gershwin. August 11-25, 2018. John Demain; Alfred Walker/Kevin Short, Angel Blue/Elizabeth Llewellyn, Lester Lynch, Mary Elizabeth Williams, and others. Zambello production.
• The Turn of the Screw, Britten. October 13-17, 2018. Constantin Trinks; Elizabeth Caballero, Ben Bliss, Maria Zifchak, Marcy Stonikas, Soraya Mafi. No Miles announced.
• Il Trovatore, Verdi. January 12-26, 2019. Carlo Montanaro (not good news). Leonora Leah Crocetto (Jan. 12, 16, 20, & 25)/Angela Meade* (Jan. 13, 19, 23, & 26); Manrico Issachah Savage (Jan. 12, 16, 20, & 25) Martin Müehle* (Jan. 13, 19, 23, & 26) Azucena Elena Gabouri (Jan. 12, 16, 20, & 25) Nora Sourouzian* (Jan. 13, 19, 23, & 26) Di Luna Lester Lynch (Jan. 12, 16, 20, & 25) Michael Mayes* (Jan. 13, 19, 23, & 26) Ferrando Adam Lau Inez Nerys Jones* Ruiz John Marzano*
• The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Bates. Feb. 23-March 9, 2019. Nicole Paiement (GOOD NEWS). Steve Jobs John Moore Laurene Powell Jobs Emily Fons* Steve Wozniak Garrett Sorenson* Kōbun Chino Otogawa Adam Lau Chrisann Brennan Madison Leonard* Paul Jobs Morgan Smith.
• Carmen, Bizet. May 4-18, 2019. Giacomo Sagriponti. Carmen Ginger Costa-Jackson (May 4, 8, 12, & 17) Zanda Švēde* (May 5, 11, 15, & 18) Don José Adam Smith* (May 5, 11, 15, & 18) Escamillo Rodion Pogossov Micaela Vanessa Goikoetxea* (May 4, 8, 12, & 17) Emily Dorn* (May 5, 11, 15, & 18) Le Remendado John Marzano Frasquita Madison Leonard Mercédès Sarah Coit

I Called It.

This past January, I ran a blog post speculating a bit about future San Francisco Opera productions. Here's part of what I said:

Santa Fe Opera has commissioned an opera by Mason Bates called The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Bates is a popular guy in San Francisco, with SF Symphony commissions and a Beethoven/Bates Festival to his name, not to mention, a Grammy-nominated CD.

If I were the general director of a prominent opera company that is situated at the north end of Silicon Valley, in a city overrun with young (and not so young) nerds who work for companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, and, yes, Apple, and I had an interest in attracting more young, well-off audience members, well, I would be chatting with Santa Fe about doing the second bring-up of an opera about the loved and hated founder of Apple. Note: as announced, it also has a smallish cast, which, in these economic times, is always welcome.

As I noted at the time, I had and have absolutely no inside information about this, but I did call this one. Here's the press release I just got, announcing dates and also the news that SFO has signed on as a co-commissioner along with Santa Fe and Seattle. Co-produced with Indiana U and with support from Cal Performances, too.

I'd previously noted the small cast. One act with a prologue and 19 scenes sounds like the opera tops out at two hours, max, so, less rehearsal times, etc.

That bit about his confidant, Steve Wozniak?? Woz designed the first couple of Apple models and is also an iconic figure. And I spotted him in the audience at the Berlioz Requiem last week.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA TO PRESENT THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS,

AN ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC OPERA BY MASON BATES

WITH A LIBRETTO BY MARK CAMPBELL

SCHEDULED FOR THE 2019–20 SEASON, WAR MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE

NEW OPERA IS A CO-COMMISSION WITH SANTA FE OPERA AND SEATTLE OPERA,

WITH SUPPORT FROM CAL PERFORMANCES AND CO-PRODUCED WITH

INDIANA UNIVERSITY’S JACOBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC

SANTA FE OPERA TO GIVE THE WORLD PREMIERE JULY 22 – AUGUST 25, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO (May 9, 2017) – San Francisco Opera today announced its participation as a co-commissioner of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs—the first full-length opera written by Bay Area composer Mason Bates and set to a libretto by Mark Campbell—joining Santa Fe Opera and Seattle Opera, with support from Cal Performances. The new work is a co-production with Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and will have its world premiere beginning July 22, 2017 at Santa Fe Opera. San Francisco Opera will present the Bay Area premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs during the Company’s 2019–20 repertory season at the War Memorial Opera House. Bates’ electro-acoustic opera is composed in one act and is comprised of a prologue and 19 scenes.

The creative team is led by director Kevin Newbury, who previously staged the world premiere of Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (2013) and a new production of Norma (2014) for San Francisco Opera. In their Company debuts, the designers include scenic artist Victoria “Vita” Tzykun, costumes by Paul Carey, lighting by Japhy Weideman, projection design by London-based 59 Productions and choreography by Chloe Treat. Casting and conductor for San Francisco Opera’s presentation will be announced at a later date.

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock said: “This is a profoundly moving new opera that I am excited to bring to Northern California audiences. Steve Jobs was an iconic figure in contemporary life whose genius has impacted the very way in which we engage with the world. But he was also a real person and a member of our immediate community. Mason’s new opera is a deeply layered, moving portrayal of a man grappling with the complex priorities of life, family and work. Like all great operas, I have been so impressed by how it speaks to the universality of the human condition. This is not just an opera about one man. It is an opera about all of us.”

Composer Mason Bates added, “Jobs’ search for inner peace is the story of the opera, which is about a man who learns to be human again.” Together, Bates and Mark Campbell have fashioned an opera that traces the development of Jobs’ spirituality through his relationships with five major figures in his life: his wife Laurene, his confidant Steve Wozniak, his girlfriend Chrisann, his spiritual advisor Kobun and his father Paul. The past informs the present along this deeply emotional journey, during which Steve Jobs never leaves the stage. Bates has established distinct musical idioms for each character and notes that “as they interact, their music will blend almost like on a DJ rig.”

According to scenic designer Victoria Tzykun: “The products and experiences that Steve Jobs dreamed up with his teams defied expectations and provided a sense of wonder. That sense of wonder is what is very important for us to capture in this production. In order to provide that for modern audiences, we are harnessing cutting-edge technology and fusing it with traditional stagecraft in a way that will create a world that has never yet been seen on an operatic stage: a visually minimal physical environment that can morph in an endless variety of ways through physical movement, video and light. The scenic units will glow from within and be projected on as they move about the stage, seamlessly blending the different mediums.”

Since its inception in 1923, San Francisco Opera has embodied a spirit of innovation. From the building of the iconic War Memorial Opera House in 1932 to the creation of the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowships, San Francisco Opera continues to be an industry leader in the opera world. The Company has also had a long history of presenting world and United States premieres including a new work by John Adams, Girls of the Golden West, scheduled to open November 21, 2017.

Seattle Opera Season 2017-18

I noted a couple of weeks ago that Seattle will have Berlioz's Beatrice et Benedict next season, but I didn't write up the rest of the season.

I also want to point out that next month they've got what looks like a strongly-cast Kat'ya Kabanova, by Janacek. Cast includes Melody Moore and Corinne Winters in the title role; Victoria Livengood as Kabanicha; Joseph Dennis and Scott Quinn as Boris (Quinn was Steva in last season's shattering Jenufa in SF); Maya Lehyani as Varvara.

Here's Seattle for 2017-18; you probably know who wrote all of these, so I left out composer names:

Madame Butterfly
Performances: August 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 2017
Cio-Cio-San Liana Haroutounian* (Aug. 5, 9, 13, & 18) [So if you missed her here....]
Alexia Voulgaridou* (Aug. 6, 12, 16, & 19)
Pinkerton Alexey Dolgov* (Aug. 5, 9, 13, & 18)
Dominick Chenes* (Aug. 6, 12, 16, & 19)
Sharpless Weston Hurt (All dates)
Suzuki Renée Rapier (All dates)
Director Kate Cherry*
Conductor Carlo Montanaro
Production Design Christina Smith*
Lighting Design Matt Scott*
* Company Debut

The Barber of Seville
Performances: October 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 2017
Rosina Sofia Fomina* (Oct. 15, 18, 21, & 28)
Almaviva Matthew Grills* (Oct. 14, 20, 22, & 25)
Andrew Owens (Oct. 15, 18, 21, & 28)
Figaro John Moore (Oct. 14, 20, 22, & 25)
Will Liverman (Oct. 15, 18, 21, & 28)
Dr. Bartolo Kevin Glavin (All dates)
Don Basilio Daniel Sumegi (All dates)
Director Lindy Hume
Conductor Giacomo Sagripanti
Production Design Tracy Grant Lord*
Lighting Design Matthew Marshall*

Così fan tutte
Performances: January 13, 14, 17, 20, 24, 26, 27, 2018
Fiordiligi Marina Costa-Jackson* (Jan. 13, 17, 24, & 27)
Marjukka Tepponen* (Jan. 14, 20, & 26)
Ferrando Ben Bliss* (Jan. 13, 17, 24, & 27)
Tuomas Katajala* (Jan. 14, 20, & 26)
Dorabella Ginger Costa-Jackson* (Jan. 13, 17, 24, & 27)
Hanna Hipp (Jan. 14, 20, & 26)
Guglielmo Craig Verm (Jan. 13, 17, 24, & 27)
Michael Adams* (Jan. 14, 20, & 26)
Despina Laura Tatulescu (All dates)
Don Alfonso Kevin Burdette (All dates)
Original Stage Director Jonathan Miller
and Production Design
Conductor Paul Daniel*


Beatrice & Benedict!!!!!!
[Yes, I am unusually enthused about this. Hen's teeth, etc.]
Music by Hector Berlioz
Libretto by Berlioz and Shakespeare. Singing translation by Amanda Holden.
In English with English captions [This might sound odd to you but in email Rob Gordon gave me some background about the opera that makes it sound like a good choice.]
Performances: February 24, 25, 28, March 3, 7, 9, 10, 2018
Beatrice Daniela Mack* (Feb. 24, 28, Mar. 7, & 10)
Hanna Hipp (Feb. 25, Mar. 3, & 9)
Benedict Alek Schrader (Feb. 24, 28, Mar. 7, & 10)
Andrew Owens (Feb. 25, Mar. 3, & 9)
Hero Laura Tatulescu (All dates)
Ursule Avery Amereau* (All dates)
Somarone Kevin Burdette (All dates)
Claudio Craig Verm (All dates)
Don Pedro Daniel Sumegi (All dates)
Director John Langs*
Conductor Ludovic Morlot* [He is MD of the Seattle Symphony and darned good in French music.]


Aida
[If this cast, production, and director look familiar, well.....]
Performances: May 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 2018
Aida Leah Crocetto* (May 5, 11, 13, 16, & 19)
Alexandra LoBianco (May 6, 9, & 12)
Amneris Milijana Nikolic* (May 5, 11, 13, 16, & 19)
Elena Gabouri* (May 6, 9, & 12)
Radames Brian Jagde* (May 5, 11, 13, 16, & 19)
David Pomeroy* (May 6, 9, & 12)
Amonasro Gordon Hawkins (May 5, 11, 13, 16, & 19)
Alfred Walker (May 6, 9, & 12)
Ramfis Daniel Sumegi (all dates)
Director Francesca Zambello
Conductor John Fiore
Scenic Concept RETNA*
Set Design Michael Yeargan
Costume Design Anita Yavich*
Lighting Design Mark McCullough
Choreographer Jessica Lang*

First Out of the Gate: It's Seattle Opera!

Season announcement season for summer 2015 and 2015-16 started today with Seattle Opera's announcement of their 2015-16 season. This is being billed as the first with Aidan Lang's imprint, but this is the moment when I have to mention that David Gockley, who retires as SF Opera's general direction at the end of the 2015-16 season, is planning all or most of the two seasons past his retirement. This was also the case when Pamela Rosenberg left SFO. Considering that there is a commission, which must have been arranged at least two years ago, you should probably not base your opinion of Aidan Lang's programming on the upcoming season.

Except for the commission, which is from Jack Perla, it's a middle-of-the-road season:

• Verdi, Nabucco
• Wagner, The Flying Dutchman
• Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro
• Donizetti, Maria Stuarda
• Bizet, The Pearl Fishers
• Perla, An American Dream

Full casting is here; press release is here. 

Seattle Opera Names Aidan Lang to Succeed Speight Jenkins

Breaking news: Seattle Opera has named Aidan Lang to succeed Speight Jenkins upon the latter's retirement next year.

Jenkins is a legend in the opera biz, after 30 years of leading the company, where he has successfully produced several Ring cycles and launched any number of important careers, as well as overseeing the complete renovation of the opera house. He announced a couple of years back that he would be retiring, and the company started the search for the next general director. (Planning is a good thing. Yes, I'm looking at you, Met Opera.)

Lang comes with a deep operatic background: he is a director who has worked at Glyndebourne and the Welsh National Opera; he was the artistic director of the Buxton Festival, and he is currently General Director of the New Zealand Opera. He directed the first Ring production at the tiny Teatro Amazonas in Manaus.

Seattle Opera will present some challenges; the company has had financial difficulties and has cut back on productions. Given the renaissance at the Seattle Symphony, perhaps Lang can spark a comeback at the Opera. Welcome!

Season Announcement Season: Seattle Opera

Seattle Opera was actually first out of the gate, a couple of weeks ago. Their 2012-13 season, with the vague theme of varieties of love, will be:

• Turandot
• Fidelio
• La Cenerentola
• La Boheme
• Suor Angelica/La Voix Humaine

Lots of Puccini, with whom I guess opera companies feel they cannot go wrong; also, the summer of 2013 will include the last bring-up of the Wadsworth Ring, which of course is expensive. If I lived in Seattle, I'd be buying plane tickets instead of opera tickets....except for the Ring.

Proofreaders Wanted, at Several Musical Organizations

No, this is not a want ad. It's a plea for sanity.

• San Francisco Opera's E-Opera email newsletters have twice referred to Simon Boccanegra as "highly prized." It's pretty clear, from context, that they mean highly-praised.
• "Gut grabbing vocal heft" - is that the best possible description of Dmiti Hvorostovsky's voice?
• Seattle Opera's web site currently refers to operas being performed in January through May, 2009, as the "Spring 2008" operas, here and here. Oops! After I clicked a link in email I received from Seattle, I thought I'd somehow missed a program I would like to see.
• The page for Erwartung and Bluebeard's Castle says "By Bela Bartok" at the top of the page. Scroll down and you do find Arnold Schoenberg's name, but why should you have to scroll?
• Yes, I did email the Seattle Opera webmaster about those little gaffes.
• Printed matter from the San Francisco Symphony is unclear on how to style one of Schubert's symphonies. I've ranted about this before: that rather long symphony is not The Great Symphony. It is the Symphony No. 9, "Great C Major," or "Great" C Major. In context, it probably should have been styled The Great C Major Symphony, but two mailings from the SFS are wrong in two different ways! The idea is to distinguish it from the "Little" C major symphony, a shorter work from the composer's youth.
• Lastly, I got a beautiful printed brochure in the mail last week from one of the Bay Area's major concert presenters. The type is largely 6 point sans serif white on black or mauve backgrounds. Please, have pity on those of us who never had 20/20 vision to start with.