Meet the artists of Romeo and Juliet
Meet the artists of Don Giovanni
Meet the artists of The Scarlet Letter
ROMEO AND JULIET by Charles Gounod
Robert Wood, Conductor (Opera Colorado debut)
Conductor Robert Wood has enjoyed considerable success since his debut with the San Francisco Opera in 2004. Primarily an opera conductor, he has made a notable impression with his interpretations of bel canto works, garnering praise for his stylish and elegant conducting. Recently, Robert launched a contemporary opera company in Washington, DC, called Urban Arias. Its mission is to highlight short, new, accessible operas, and its first festival season commenced in April 2011. Upcoming conducting engagements include his return to the San Francisco Opera to conduct the Merola Program Grand Finale – Schwabacher Summer Concert. Mr. Wood has conducted productions with Minnesota Opera, Vancouver Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Indiana University Opera, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera San José, and held the position of Chorus Master at The Santa Fe Opera from 2001-2004.
Bill Murray, Director (Opera Colorado debut: Rusalka, 2011)
Possessing a doctoral degree in music from the University of Minnesota, Bill Murray leads a rich and varied career throughout North America and Europe. Starting out as a singer, he appeared in lead roles in The Marriage of Figaro, Gianni Schicchi, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Carmen, notably at the Minnesota Opera, Nautilus Music Theater, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Now associated with the Minnesota Opera as an administrator and stage director, he is also one of the administrators and artistic advisors for the Minnesota Opera’s New Work Initiative, a major program aimed at promoting and producing new opera commissions. Other companies have also benefited from his management skills, including the Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Opera Colorado.
Heidi Stober, Juliet (Opera Colorado debut: The Magic Flute, 2006)
American soprano Heidi Stober is currently a principal artist at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she made an enormous impression with her sterling lyric soprano voice, appealing good looks, and incisive stage personality in her house debut in fall of 2008 as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. She has since appeared there in a variety of leading roles, including Micaëla in Carmen, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, and Nanetta in Falstaff. She was recently hailed by the press as having “… almost stolen the show as a feisty Atalanta, with an ample, agile, gleaming soprano” in Handel’s Xerxes (with Susan Graham in the title role) for the Houston Grand Opera. Recent highlights include her Metropolitan debut as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel and performances with San Francisco Opera and Santa Fe Opera, as well as concert performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Her most recent performance with Opera Colorado was the role of Leїla in The Pearl Fishers. For more information, visit her website.
Giuseppe Varano, Romeo (Opera Colorado debut)
Acclaimed Italian tenor Giuseppe Varano made his American debut in 2011 with Madison Opera in La Traviata after many years of performances throughout Italy and Europe. Recent career highlights include performances with the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Mikhailovsky Theatre (St. Petersburg), Savolinna Opera Festival (Finland), Symphonic Orchestra of Milan, among numerous others. Performances include productions of Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Trovatore, La Bohème, Faust, Macbeth, Rigoletto, and concert productions of Verdi’s Requiem, Donizetti’s Requiem, and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater. For more information, visit his website.
Kevin Langan, Friar Laurent (Opera Colorado debut: Aїda, 1986)
American bass Kevin Langan is one of the most sought-after artists in opera and concert. His “deep, toffee-smooth voice and convincing interpretive abilities” (The New York Times) have made him a favorite with virtually all of the leading North American opera companies. His career spans 34 years and almost 1300 performances covering a vast repertoire of over 80 roles from early Baroque through 20th Century works, with the majority of his work in Handel, Mozart and Verdi operas. Mr. Langan has been a leading bass for thirty years with the San Francisco Opera. He recently became the first artist in the 88 year history of the company to reach the lofty level of 300 career performances in leading roles with the company. Mr. Langan has also been a leading bass for 11 seasons with The Lyric Opera of Chicago giving over 125 performances of 13 different productions, as well as 14 seasons with The Santa Fe Opera giving over 165 performances of 20 different productions. Mr. Langan was most recently heard on Opera Colorado’s stage as The Capitán in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas.
Daniel Belcher, Mercutio (Opera Colorado debut: Cinderella, 2011)
Winner of a 2011 Grammy Award, baritone Daniel Belcher is described as having a voice “of beautiful melting sweetness…” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and the theatrical talent “to create a first-rate portrayal that drew the listener more and more into the hopes and despair of his character” (The Houston Chronicle). Mr. Belcher is a recipient of a Robert Jacobson Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, a Sullivan Foundation Award, as well as awards from the Santa Fe Opera and Central City Opera. Recent and upcoming highlights include performances with Spain’s ABAO-OLBE Bilbao, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, De Nederlandse Oper, Houston Grand Opera, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Florentine Opera, and Central City Opera. For more information, visit his website.
Stephen Morscheck, Capulet (Opera Colorado debut)
Bass-baritone Stephen Morscheck is widely respected for the dignity he brings in concert and opera performances. “Stephen Morscheck’s Leporello was genuinely funny, as well as solidly sung. His catalogue aria was almost too effective, drawing applause before its conclusion,” says Opera News of a recent Don Giovanni performance. The Boston Globe said he is “solid, and reliable, estimable qualities not to be taken for granted.” In 1995, he was awarded the Richard Tucker Career Grant. Recent and upcoming performances include productions with Lyric Opera Baltimore, Florida Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Florentine Opera, and concerts with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Kammerphilharmonie, and the Santa Fe Symphony.
John McVeigh, Tybalt (Opera Colorado debut)
Acclaimed for his “fresh-toned and touching portrayal” by Opera News and lauded by the New Orleans Times-Picayune for his “rich lyrical tenor, fabulous top notes, and striking good looks,” John McVeigh recently returned to the Metropolitan Opera roster for Das Rheingold and to Arizona Opera for Turandot, as well as performances with Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. Other recent engagements include performances at the Macau International Music Festival, at the Kennedy Center with the Mark Morris Dance Group, and with the Dallas Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque, Music of the Baroque, Arizona Music Festival, and the Portland Symphony.
Brenda Patterson, Stephano (Opera Colorado debut)
Described by the New York Times as “a voice you want to hear and, even more, an artist you want to follow”, mezzo-soprano Brenda Patterson made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2008 as a Wood Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka. She has participated in most of the major American music festivals, and has sung leading roles with Glimmerglass Opera, Berkshire Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and others. She is also a regular guest at the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival and the Greenwich Music Festival. Other projects have included a solo show with the Gotham Chamber Opera and the Armitage Gone! dance troupe entitled Ariadne Unhinged, in which Opera Today described her as “electric,” and performing regularly in the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Handel & Haydn Society’s Cantatas in Context Bach Series, for which the New York Sun praised her as “a treasure among musicians.” For more information, visit her website.
Marcia Ragonetti, Gertrude (Opera Colorado debut: Il Trovatore, 1985)
DON GIOVANNI by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ari Pelto, Conductor (Opera Colorado debut)
With performances that have been called poetic, earthy, vigorous and highly individual, conductor Ari Pelto is in demand at elite opera houses, ballets, symphonies and conservatories throughout the United States. Since his 2004 début at New York City Opera with Verdi’s La traviata, Mr. Pelto has been engaged as a regular guest there, returning for Madama Butterfly (“to die for” according to the New York Sun), La bohème, and Carmen. Recent highlights and upcoming opera house engagements include La bohème with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the St. Louis Symphony, The Cunning Little Vixen at Chautauqua Opera (where he “led a taut, rakish, and, at the right times, sentimental reading of this tricky score,” according to Opera Today), Rusalka and La bohème at Boston Lyric Opera, Romeo et Juliet at Minnesota Opera, The Magic Flute, Le nozze di Figaro, and Hansel and Gretel at Portland Opera, as well as Carmen and Hansel and Gretel at Utah Opera, and Don Pasquale and Il barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Memphis. For more information, visit his website.
Kevin Newbury, Director (Opera Colorado debut: Eugene Onegin, 2002)
Kevin Newbury is a theatre and opera director based in New York City. His productions have been presented by many top American and international opera companies and symphonies including the Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, l’Opéra de Montréal, Bard Summerscape, Portland Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, the Virginia Arts Festival and the Wexford Festival in Ireland. He has also directed many new plays in New York including the award-winning Candy & Dorothy. Upcoming engagements include new productions with San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera and Central City Opera. For more information, visit his website.
Christopher Magiera, Don Giovanni (Opera Colorado debut)
American baritone Christopher Magiera is currently an ensemble member of Semperoper Dresden where he has been heard in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, L’italiana in Algeri, and a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. Mr. Magiera recently returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis to portray the Captain in The Death of Klinghoffer, receiving critical acclaim from The New York Times: “Among a uniformly outstanding cast, Christopher Magiera, a handsome baritone, stands out as a warm, brave and sympathetic Captain.” Additional recent and upcoming performances include productions with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series. Highly decorated by international competitions, Mr. Magiera is a 2008 National Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, a finalist in Placido Domingo’s World Opera Competition, and 2009 Grand Prize winner of the Sullivan Foundation. For more information, please visit his website.
Matthew Treviño, Leporello (Opera Colorado debut)
A former member of the San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola program, and recent recipient of the Best Singer Award by the 2011 Austin Critics’ Table for his performance in The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Matthew Treviño is proving to be one of today’s most sought-after young basses. Of recent performances as Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, The San Francisco Chronicle commented, “Matthew Treviño was a sonorous and neatly malevolent Don Basilio,” and The New York Times praised his “delightfully unctuous portrayal.” Upcoming engagements include his role debut as Don Giovanni with Opera Naples, Timur in Turandot at Austin Lyric Opera, the King in Aїda for the Arizona Opera, Baron Douphol in La traviata at the Nashville Opera, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with the Opera Theatre Company in Ireland. For more information, visit his website.
Ellie Dehn, Donna Anna (Opera Colorado debut)
American soprano Ellie Dehn has appeared in many of the world’s leading opera houses including The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francicso Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Rome, Santa Cecilia, Geneva, Bologna, San Diego Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. Recently, Miss Dehn made debuts with the San Francisco Opera and the Houston Grand Opera as Contessa in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Musetta in La Bohème. She also performed Meyerbeer’s L’africaine with the Opera Orchestra of New York and debuted Teatro dell’ Opera in Rome as Musetta. Other recent engagements include her Teatro alla Scala debut as Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Donna Elvira in the new production of Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, her return to San Francisco Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, her return to the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome as Helena in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a return to the San Diego Opera as Donna Anna. In 2012 she will also return to La Scala as Musetta in a new production of La Bohème. For more information, visit her website.
Melody Moore, Donna Elvira (Opera Colorado debut)
Melody Moore, one of America’s exciting new talents, had the honor of portraying Susan Rescorla in the World Premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Heart of a Soldier at San Francisco Opera, which opened on the eve of the ten year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. After having successfully debuted as Rita Clayton in Stephen Schwartz’s, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Melody returned to New York City Opera in early 2012 to sing the leading role of Régine Saint Laurent in the American debut of Rufus Wainwright’s new opera, Prima Donna. Other recent and upcoming highlights include singing the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Atlanta Opera and First Lady in The Magic Flute on the San Francisco Opera stage, as well as performances with English National Opera, Opera Cleveland, and Los Angeles Opera. For more information, visit her website.
Jonathan Boyd, Don Ottavio (Opera Colorado debut)
Tenor Jonathan Boyd continually performs throughout Europe, North America and South America. Upcoming and recent engagements include his Seattle Opera debut as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, his San Diego Opera debut in Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick as Ishmael, his Atlanta Opera debut as Edgardo in Lucia Di Lammermoor, the title role of Candide at the Portland Opera, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Arizona Opera, Tamino in a concert version of Die Zauberflöte with Baltimore Symphony and Sam in Susannah with Florentine Opera. Noted engagements over the past few seasons include debuts at Opéra de Nice and Opéra de Toulon, performances with Teatro Colón, Opera Royal de Wallonie, Le Grand Théâtre de Limoges, Dallas Opera, Utah Symphony & Opera, Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Cleveland, and Arizona Opera. For more information, visit his website.
Maria Lindsey, Zerlina (Opera Colorado debut)
During the summer of 2012, soprano Maria Lindsey performed with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, covering the role of Micaëla in Carmen and singing the role of the Rat Juror in Alice in Wonderland. In 2011, she completed her second year as an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera, where she covered the role of Sardula in The Last Savage and sang Semele in the SFO Apprentice Opera Scenes. Also in 2011, Ms. Lindsey appeared as Gretel in Opera Omaha’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Maria received her Master’s Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she performed the title role in Susannah, Julie in Carousel, and Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, as well as Adina in The Elixir of Love with the Loveland Opera Theater. In the spring of 2010, Maria made her Opera Omaha debut as Barbarina in Le Nozze Di Figaro. She was an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera in 2009, covering Coryphèe in Alceste, and singing Juliette from Roméo et Juliette in SFO’s Apprentice Opera Scenes.
Christian Bowers, Masetto (Opera Colorado debut)
Baritone Christian Bowers is currently a second year resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA. This summer, he returns to Santa Fe Opera to sing the role of Sciarrone in Tosca. Last summer Mr. Bowers covered the role of Abdul in Menotti’s The Last Savage with Santa Fe Opera. Mr. Bowers is currently preparing Belcore for the Academy of Vocal Arts production of L’elisir d’amore in April. Mr. Bowers recently won second prize in the Mario Lanza vocal competition. He was also a district winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition in Philadelphia the last two years. During the 2010 Winter Season he was a young artist with Sarasota Opera, and he has performed numerous times as a Studio Artist in Opera Delaware’s Studio Artist Series.
Richard Wiegold, Commendatore (Opera Colorado debut)
Richard Wiegold has a rapidly developing international career as a bass singer in opera and concert, with performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Salzburg Easter Festival, the Canadian Opera, the ABAO in Bilbao, Le Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Prague State Opera, the Verbier Festival, the Estonian National Opera, with the Berlin Philharmonic and with companies and festivals in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria and China. Since 2008, Richard has sung under some of the world’s preeminent conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, Richard Bonynge, John Mauceri and Jan Latham-Koenig and alongside some of the world’s greatest singers, including Renée Fleming, Angela Gheorgiu, Anna Netrebko, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Deborah Voigt, the late Elizabeth Connell, Emily Magee, Hanna Schwarz, Nelly Miricioiu, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Leo Nucci, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Thomas Hampson, James Morris, Simon Keenlyside, Joseph Calleja, Russell Braun, Sir John Tomlinson, Robert Lloyd and Siegfried Jerusalem. Richard has forthcoming débuts at Le Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Welsh National Opera and L’Opéra de Limoges. Born in South Wales, Richard was a professional cellist for nearly a decade before returning to the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, to study voice 1999-2003. For more information, visit his website.
THE SCARLET LETTER by Lori Laitman
Dean Williamson, Conductor (Opera Colorado debut: Don Giovanni, 2003)
Dean Williamson is widely known throughout the United States for his perceptive and commanding conducting. His ambitious and versatile career in standard and contemporary repertoire earns the conductor worldwide acclaim. The Washington Post says “a brilliantly directed, beautifully sung and endlessly funny Barber of Seville…the orchestra, which played the sparkling overture and the vivid storm music with grace and color under the expert baton of Dean Williamson.” The Seattle Times says “Williamson keeps a sure, steady hand on the singers and the orchestra…realizing the shimmering and otherworldly textures of the score.” Upcoming engagements and recent highlights include La Fanciulla del West at the Nashville Opera, La Bohème with Opera Santa Barbara, performances with Seattle Opera, Opera Colorado, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Minnesota Opera, Nashville Opera, the New England Conservatory, Wolf Trap Opera, and the San Francisco Opera Merola young artists. For more information, visit his website.
Beth Greenberg, Director (Opera Colorado debut)
Beth Greenberg is a veteran director of classic opera and has been associated with the New York City Opera for over twenty years. For City Opera at Lincoln Center she has directed original mainstage productions of Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Turandot, and revivals of Der Rosenkavalier, La Traviata, Intermezzo, La Boheme, and Tosca. Her production of Hoffmann was singled out by critic Terry Teachout as one “directed with spectacular flair.” Her original productions have also been seen worldwide, represented by her staging of Carmen in Toyko, and Tosca in Lima, Peru. In America she has staged Aїda for the Utah Festival Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Pasquale for the Pittsburgh Opera Center, and Eugene Onegin for Opera Delaware. With a curious imagination about new possibilities for 21st-century opera and its productions, Greenberg focuses on new American work and the challenge of redefining where and how opera can be performed, earning a solid reputation for her collaborations with American opera composers. She has been involved in all phases of new work, from libretto development and workshop readings to fully-staged premieres and has collaborated with many American composers including Elliot Goldenthal, John Musto and Mark Adamo.
Elizabeth Futral, Hester Prynne (Opera Colorado debut: La Traviata, 2004)
American soprano Elizabeth Futral has established herself as one of the leading coloratura sopranos in the world today. With her stunning vocalism and vast dramatic range, she has embraced a repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to world premieres by the leading contemporary composers. She joined the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and won the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in 1991. Ms. Futral was catapulted to stardom with critically acclaimed performances of Delibes’ Lakmé at the New York City Opera in 1994. Career milestones soon followed, cementing her star status: a win in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition, the title role in Rossini’s Matilde di Shabran in Pesaro, her debut at the San Francisco Opera as Stella in the world premiere of André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, and her Metropolitan Opera debut in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor. She has notable relationships with the Washington, Houston, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, New York City, Vancouver, and Minnesota opera companies. For more information, visit her website.
Morgan Smith, Roger Chillingworth (Opera Colorado debut: La Bohème, 2010)
Since his professional debut in 2001 at the Seattle Opera, Morgan Smith has established himself as one of the most exciting young baritones in the opera world today. He is known in particular for the musical versatility, athleticism and dramatic intensity that he brings to his performances. Smith was recently heralded for his creation of first mate Starbuck in the “triumphant” world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby Dick at the Dallas Opera. Critics praised his portrayal of Starbuck as “superb,” “intelligent,” “handsomely portrayed,” – a “standout performance.” Recent performances include La Bohème, Lortzing’s Der Waffenschmied, and the world premiere of the new version of Jake Heggie’s dramatic chamber work, For a Look or Touch, with the Seattle Men’s Chorus. For more information, visit his website.
James Valenti, Arthur Dimmesdale (Opera Colorado debut)
American tenor James Valenti has been hailed for having a voice of Italianate beauty, for his handsome stage presence, ardent singing and for his elegant musicianship in performances with the leading opera companies of the world. He studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and made his professional debut at the age of 25 as Rodolfo in La bohème (Rome Opera). Other performances include Alfredo Germont in La traviata (Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Japan Tour with Anna Netrebko, Simon Keenlyside and Antonio Pappano, Metropolitan Opera New York with Angela Gheorghiu and Thomas Hampson, Canadian Opera Company Toronto, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Salzburg Festival), Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (Maggio Musicale Florence, Dallas Opera, Palm Beach Opera), and Rodolfo (La Scala Milan with Gustavo Dudamel, Dresden Semperoper, Miami, Santander Spain, Tokyo Japan), among many others. Considered one of the brightest rising stars of his generation, James was the winner of the prestigious 2010 Richard Tucker Award and 2009 Maria Callas Award. For more information, visit his website.
Catherine Cook, Mistress Hibbons (Opera Colorado debut: Rusalka, 2011)
American mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook has excelled in a wide range of roles with leading companies throughout the United States. The Cincinnati Post wrote that she “more than once recalled the great mezzo Marilyn Horne: her luxurious voice showed remarkable flexibility.” Her exciting characterizations garner acclaim as well. Following recent performances of La Cenerentola, the San Francisco Chronicle exclaimed, “As Tisbe, the younger of the two stepsisters, mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook continued her seemingly endless streak as one of the company’s great underused treasures, combining forceful singing and sly comic charm into an irresistible package.” Recent engagements include performances with Houston Grand Opera (Il barbiere di Siviglia), San Francisco Opera (Le nozze di Figaro, Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Faust, The Bonesetter’s Daughter), and Rusalka with Opera Colorado.
