Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
THE DALLAS OPERA PRESENTS
THE LONG-AWAITED TEXAS PREMIERE OF
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD’S
1920 MASTERPIECE
DIE TOTE STADT
(“THE DEAD CITY”)
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CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO SEBASTIAN LANG-LESSING
IN HIS TDO DEBUT
STAGED AND DESIGNED BY THE RENOWNED MIKAEL MELBYE
STARRING MARDI BYERS AND JAY HUNTER MORRIS
AND A PHENOMENAL ENSEMBLE CAST: MORGAN SMITH, WESTON HURT,
KATHARINE TIER, ANDREW BIDLACK AND JAN LUND IN HIS U.S. DEBUT
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ONLY FIVE PERFORMANCES!
MARCH 21, 23(m), 26, 29 & APRIL 6(m), 2014
IN THE MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
AT THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
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DIE TOTE STADT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY:
MARNIE AND KERN WILDENTHAL
SEASON SUPPORT FROM
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION
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DALLAS, MARCH 5, 2014 – The Dallas Opera is proud to present the third production
of the company’s 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s
late-Viennese style masterpiece, DIE TOTE STADT (“The Dead City”) which received an
unprecedented two-city world premiere in 1920.
DIE TOTE STADT will open on Friday, March 21, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot
and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts
District. This hauntingly beautiful Dallas Opera production was originally created for the Danish
National Opera by Mikael Melbye.
Before Alfred Hitchcock filmed the James Stewart / Kim Novak classic, “Vertigo,” Erich
Wolfgang Korngold created Die tote Stadt, the tale of one man’s dark obsession with the woman
he loved and lost. Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell recently wrote
“No opera ever composed has music more gorgeous, more sumptuous.”
Featuring state-of-the-art projections and composed by a prodigy in his early twenties
who evolved into one of the great masters of music for the Golden Age of Cinema (“The
Adventures of Robin Hood,” “Deception,” “The Sea Hawk,” “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and
Essex”), Die tote Stadt features an extraordinary cast that includes tenor Jay Hunter Morris in
the role of Paul, fresh from his triumphs as Ahab in the San Francisco Opera revival of MobyDick and as Siegfried in the Met’s new Ring Cycle; soprano Mardi Byers as Marie/Marietta;
and baritone Morgan Smith, the poignant voice of reason in TDO’s world premiere production
of Moby-Dick, as Fritz.
Other principal singers include Australian mezzo-soprano Katherine Tier in her TDO
debut as Brigitta; baritone Weston Hurt (La bohème) as Frank and tenor Andrew Bidlack (The
Lighthouse) as Albert; with Jennifer Chung as Juliette, Angela Turner Wilson as Lucienne,
and Danish tenor Jan Lund in his American debut as Victorin.
Production underwriters for Die tote Stadt are Marnie and Kern Wildenthal.
"As part of The Dallas Opera's ongoing commitment to programming a wide range of
operatic repertoire, including ‘evergreen’ classics, 20th and 21st century works, new
commissions, and neglected gems,” explains Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith
Cerny, “we are thrilled to present Korngold's masterwork, Die tote Stadt.
“This work is a personal favorite, and I am delighted to bring it to the Winspear for its
Texas debut. I'm confident that audiences will love the opera's magnificent compositional style
and orchestration, and the production and associated video content will be sure to delight our
patrons."
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Jay Hunter Morris has been conquering the opera world, one production at a time.
About his performance in the San Francisco revival of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s MobyDick, Mercury News critic Richard Scheinin wrote: “He sang with a pressurized fury that
practically shook the seats of the War Memorial Opera House. Think Old Testament. Think
King Lear.” As Siegfried in the Metropolitan Opera’s new Ring, Morris “found his own way to
sing this heldentenor role with a lighter yet athletic and youthful sound. His clarion top notes
projected nicely over the orchestra” (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times).
Praised by Opera News for her Bolshoi Theater performances as Marie in Wozzeck,
“coloring phrases with a fine expressive sense;” and by The New York Times for her
“memorable” characterizations and for “singing with a wealth of vocal colors,” Colorado-born
soprano Mardi Byers (who now resides in Switzerland) has a repertoire that includes Wagner,
Verdi, Puccini and Richard Strauss – as well as Korngold. This production will mark her TDO
debut.
Morgan Smith made an indelible impression on Dallas audiences in the world premiere
production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick. Critic Joshua Kosman of The San
Francisco Chronicle felt that same depth of humanity in Smith’s recent recap of the role: “The
real star of the cast was baritone Morgan Smith, whose Starbuck joined vocal splendor, moral
authority and deep empathy in a phenomenal combination.”
Maestro Sebastian Lang-Lessing, the music director of the San Antonio Symphony,
will conduct in this, his Dallas Opera debut. Writing about a concert appearance in Portland,
Oregon, critic James McQuillen noted that “under the direction of…Lang-Lessing, who led with
sweeping gestures and never missed an opportunity for a fortissimo punch at the close, the
orchestra sounded superb.”
This production is both staged and designed by director Mikael Melbye, the acclaimed
former baritone who has gone on to forge a second distinguished career in opera, with video
projections designed by Wendall Harrington. The duo have earned the applause of critics for
their designs of ballets as well as operas, prompting Lisa Jo Sagolla of backstage.com to observe:
“Melbye’s and Harrington’s designs hug the space with gorgeous period video images…making
it look like the characters are actually in a setting, as opposed to a stage set.” It “also allows the
dream-like narrative to jump-cut from ballroom to boudoir,” adds Louise Levene of The
Telegraph (U.K.) “with a flick of a switch.”
Costume design is by Deirdre Clancy (TDO debut); with lighting design by Mark
McCullough; choreography by Assistant Director Matthew Ferraro and chorus preparation by
Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom.
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Paul’s fierce grip on the memory of his dead wife will be challenged by an equally
determined young woman. Can he let go of his obsessive fantasy—trapped in his perpetual
“Dead City”—in order to live again? This production of a too-long-neglected twentieth-century
masterpiece will leave you wondering “Where has this opera been all my life?”
DIE TOTE STADT will be sung in the original German with English language
translations projected above the stage. Additional performances are planned for March 23(m),
26 and 29, concluding with a final Sunday afternoon matinee on April 6, 2014 in the
magnificent Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Single tickets range from $19 to $250 (box seats may be higher for select performances).
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DIE TOTE STADT (“The Dead City”) - SYNOPSIS
Act I
Paul is in the home he shared with his late wife, Marie, mourning her loss. The decaying city
around him serves as a constant reminder of the past. Paul has transformed one of his rooms into
a “temple of memories” in which he has enshrined relics and reminders of his life with Marie,
including a treasured braid of her hair. He is in an excitable state when his friend, Frank, comes
to visit and Paul tells him of a young woman he just met. Marietta, a dancer, bears an uncanny
resemblance to Marie and he has invited her to his home in an effort to bring new life into this
place of grief and death. When the girl arrives, Paul is so overwhelmed that he attempts to
embrace her on the spot. Marietta pulls away, and in the ensuing “play,” she accidentally reveals
a portrait of his late wife. Hearing friends singing in the street on their way to rehearsal, she
departs, while Paul agonizes over his conflicting emotions: loyalty to his dead spouse and desire
for her living double. An apparition of Marie steps from her portrait, counseling Paul to choose
the living as she morphs into an image of the dancer.
Act II
Weeks later, Paul continues to struggle with the boundary between fantasy and reality. He tells
his friend Frank about his agony, tormented by guilt. He sees his housekeeper, Brigitta, who left
his service due to his perceived “infidelity” to the dead Marie, and Frank, after his well-meant
help, is no longer perceived as a friend, but rather a contender for Marietta’s charms. Marietta
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and her friends approach as Paul steps into the shadows to secretly observe her. She begins to
rehearse a scene she is performing in the ballet Robert le diable, in which her character rises
from the tomb. Paul confronts her, outraged at this mock resurrection and she sends her friends
away. Paul angrily denounces Marietta and claims her only attraction is her resemblance to his
dead wife. Marietta refuses to believe this and seduces Paul, suggesting they spend the night at
his home in order to banish the ghost of Marie, once and for all.
Act III
The following morning, Marietta stands gazing at Marie’s portrait, triumphant. A religious
procession passes by and the couple watch from the window until Paul, seeing the bishop, falls to
his knees. Marietta is put off by Paul’s piety and she attempts to distract him. They begin to
quarrel, with Paul trying to defend himself while Marietta denounces him as a hypocrite and
weakling. She begins to dance erotically, taunting him, and drapes Marie’s braid around her
neck. Seized with rage, Paul strangles Marietta and is horrified as he watches her turn into Marie
in death. After a restless and exhausted sleep, Paul suddenly awakes and realizes that none of
this actually occurred: the braid is in place and the housekeeper announces Marietta’s return for
her umbrella and the roses she left behind when she hastily departed. She suggests to Paul that
perhaps she should stay with him; however, Paul is noncommittal. After Marietta leaves, Frank
tries to convince him to abandon Bruges—this city of death—forever. The past is gone and with
it, the love of his life.
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KEY BIOS:
Sebastian Lang-Lessing (Conductor) German conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing makes his Dallas
Opera debut with this production. Lang-Lessing regularly appears on the podiums of the world’s preeminent
opera houses, including the Paris Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Bordeaux Opera, and in Oslo, and
Stockholm, as well as in the United States at the San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the
Washington National Opera. Among his recent opera engagements was a highly acclaimed new production of
Wagner’s Rienzi with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the DVD of which was released by Unitel. Other recent
engagements include Falstaff at Washington National Opera and Porgy and Bess at Norwegian National Opera
in Oslo. Later this season he conducts a tour by the Teatro San Carlo of Naples to the Royal Opera House
Muscat in Oman,featuring Rossini's The Barber of Seville and a Verdi Gala concert. Renée Fleming's new
album Guilty Pleasures, conducted by Maestro Lang-Lessing was recently released on Decca. Sebastian Lang-Lessing
began his career at the Hamburg State Opera while still in his twenties, and his other previous positions
include eight years as resident conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and chief conductor and artistic director of
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the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy for seven years. Equally renowned for his work on the
concert stage, Lang-Lessing has led performances with major orchestras across the globe, including the
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre
de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Toulouse, Orchestre de Bordeaux and the
top orchestras in Australia. He has been the music director of the San Antonio Symphony since 2010–11
Season.
Mikael Melbye (Stage Director /Scenic Designer) Following a distinguished career as a baritone at
some of the world’s foremost opera companies, Copenhagen born Mikael Melbye made a successful career
transition in 1994, when he began to work as a director and designer. That year, he designed and directed Così
fan tutte at the Royal Danish Opera, followed by Turandot for the same company. He was later appointed the
first director/designer for this house, creating many productions, including Arabella, Capriccio, Salome, Die
Zauberflöte, La bohème, Il trovatore, and Rigoletto. He was invited to design Aida for the opening of The New
Royal Danish Opera in 2005, and returned in 2006 to direct and design Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Among
Melbye’s other works are the sets, costumes, and lighting for San Francisco Ballet’s Giselle, the direction, sets
and costumes for Houston Grand Opera’s Arabella, direction and scenic design for Rigoletto at Santa Fe
Opera, and direction, sets and costumes for The Nutcracker at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. As a singer, his
success as Papageno in Achim Freyer’s famous production of Die Zauberflöte launched an international career.
Melbye sang regularly at the Paris Opera, La Scala di Milano, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden,
Rome Opera, San Carlo in Naples. He made his American debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte in 1984 at the
Dallas Opera and returned in 1988 for Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and later sang at the Metropolitan Opera
and for several seasons with the Santa Fe Opera. Mikael Melbye recorded Die Zauberflöte with Sir Colin Davis
and Carmen under the baton of Herbert von Karajan. Upon the 25th anniversary of his career in 2000, he
retired from singing to concentrate on stage direction and design, as well as his long time passion, painting
(see his web site: www.mikael-melbye.com). In 1995 he was bestowed a Knighthood by HRM Queen
Margrethe II of Denmark, and in 2006 a peerage.
Deirdre Clancy (Costume Designer) Costume designer Deirdre Clancy is the recipient of the two
highest honors in British theater, the Olivier Award for Best Stage Costume Design (which she has won
twice) and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Costume Design (for Mrs Brown featuring Dame Judi Dench and
Billy Connolly in 1996.) From her first successes with the world premiere of D. H. Lawrence’s Trilogy at the
Royal Court in 1966, Ms. Clancy has worked on over 140 productions in Europe, North America, Japan and
Australia. She has designed 18 productions at The Royal National Theatre and worked with many major
directors including Adrian Noble in his inaugural production as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare
Company. Among Ms. Clancy’s many successes are costumes for Kiri Te Kanawa in Cosí Fan Tutte at the
Metropolitan Opera New York, Ian McKellen in Wild Honey at the National Theatre, and Glenda Jackson in
Strange Interlude in the West End and on Broadway. More recently Clancy’s production design for A Doll’s
House helped Janet McTeer to win the Olivier & Tony awards for Best Actress. Between 2009 and 2013 Ms.
Clancy was the designer in residence for the Shakespeare Festival at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. She
is the author of several books on costume and has taught at Birmingham Institute of Art And Design and
The Motley School, as well as giving talks and workshops on the history and the social history of costume.
Wendall Harrington (Video Designer) Ms. Harrington, who designed the projections for this
production, is making her debut with the Dallas Opera. She is the recipient of the Drama Desk, the Outer
Critics Circle and the American Theatre Wing Award for The Who's Tommy. Her Broadway credits include
Annie, Driving Miss Daisy, Grey Gardens, Putting it Together, Freak, Ragtime, The Capeman, Company, Having Our Say,
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My One and Only ,Will Rogers Follies, and They’re Playing Our Song. Her off-Broadway credits include Angels in
America, Merrily We Roll Along (four times!) and Hapgood. Her opera productions include Werther, Mourning
Becomes Electra, Tristan und Isolde, La fanciulla del West, Brundibar, Rusalka, Nixon in China, The Grapes of Wrath, A
View from the Bridge, Transatlantic and The Photographer. For various ballet companies she has designed Serata
Ratmansky (La Scala), Don Quixote(Joffrey), The Firebird, Ratmansky’s Anna Karenina, Lubovich’s Othello, and
Doug Varone’s Ballet Mecanique. Among the concert projects she has designed are productions for The
Talking Heads, Pete Townshend, Simon and Garfunkel, and Chris Rock. Ms Harrington lectures widely on
projection design and heads the projection design concentration at the Yale School of Drama.
Peter Kaczorowski (Lighting Designer) Mr. Kaczorowski is making his Dallas Opera debut with this
production of Die tote Stadt. He has designed dozens of operas for most of America’s leading regional
companies including Seattle (The Ring Cycle with director Stephen Wadsworth), San Francisco Opera , Los
Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe, Minnesota and Opera Theatre of St.
Louis. He has also lit productions for the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera as well as
London’s Royal Opera, Scottish Opera, Canadian Opera, Opera North, Bonn, Lisbon, the Maggio Musicale
in Florence, Venice’s La Fenice, and at the Arena di Verona. He also continues to work for most of the
leading regional theatre companies in the United States, as well as New York’s Lincoln Center, Roundabout,
Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public, Playwrights, Signature, 2nd Stage and Encores! This season on
Broadway he is lighting productions of No Man’s Land and Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick
Stewart, and Beautiful, the Carole King musical. Other Broadway credits include The Assembled Parties, Breakfast
at Tiffany’s, Nice Work if You Can Get It,, Wit, The Road to Mecca, Venus in Fur, Anything Goes, A View from the
Bridge, Waiting for Godot (with Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin), Grey Gardens, The Producers, Kiss Me Kate, Contact and
Steel Pier. He is the recipient of the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Hewes awards.
Mardi Byers (Marie/Marietta ) American soprano Mardi Byers is making her Dallas Opera debut with
these performances. She has already made her mark on international opera and concert stages including
appearances with the Hamburg State Opera, the Bregenz Festival, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, Opera
Frankfurt, Finnish National Opera and at the New York City Opera. Her triumphant opera debut as Floria
Tosca at Theater Lübeck in 2003 earned her both critical and public acclaim, prompting invitations from
leading opera houses to sing such roles as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra at the Hamburg State Opera, Aida at
Finnish National Opera, with the Warsaw National Opera on tour in Muscat, with Opera Toulon, as well as
in Graham Vick's production for the Bregenz Festival, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for Opera Frankfurt and
with the New York City Opera directed by Harold Prince, Giorgetta and Suor Angelica Il trittico for New
Orleans Opera, Tosca at Austin Lyric Opera, Elisabetta in Don Carlo for Theater Basel directed by Calixto
Beito, Marietta in Die tote Stadt, the title role of Tosca, and Elisabeth Tannhäuser at the Nürnberg State Theater.
In 2011 she was nominated for Russia’s most prestigious theater award, “The Golden Mask” for her portrayal
of Marie in the Dmitri Tcherniakov’s celebrated production of Wozzeck with the Bolshoi Theater conducted
by Teodor Currentzis. She has also sung the first soprano in Mahler’s monumental Eighth Symphony with
the BBC orchestra in a Proms concert under Jiří Bělohlávek.
Jay Hunter Morris (Paul ) Texas-born tenor Jay Hunter Morris returns to Dallas Opera after appearances
with the company as Alfredo in La traviata, Steva in Jenufa and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos. He began the
2013-14 Season with his debut as Calaf in Turandot at Hawaii Opera Theatre, and joined Calgary Philharmonic
Orchestra for concert performances of Cavaradossi in Tosca. Later this season he appears as Don Jose Carmen
at Opera Colorado. He closes the season returning to the title role in Wagner’s Siegfried in Budapest for the
prestigious Wagner Days Festival at the Palace of Arts under the baton of Adam Fischer. In 2011, he made
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his debut as Siegfried at the San Francisco Opera under the baton of Donald Runnicles, and then went on to
sing the role at the Metropolitan Opera in the complete new Ring cycle staged by Robert Lepage, broadcast
live to cinemas worldwide and televised in the United States on PBS. Other recent appearances include
Captain Ahab in Jake Heggie’s celebrated opera, Moby-Dick, at San Diego Opera and at the San Francisco
Opera (also broadcast on PBS), Erik in Der fliegende Holländer at Glimmerglass Festival and at Los Angeles
Opera, his debut at Vienna’s Konzerthaus under the baton of Kent Nagano for performances of
Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder; and concert performances as Tristan in Tristan und Isolde at Palau de les Arts Reina
Sofia, Valencia under the baton of Zubin Mehta.
Morgan Smith (Fritz) American baritone, Morgan Smith, made his Dallas Opera debut in 2010 as
Starbuck in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's Moby-Dick, a role he subsequently performed with the San Diego
Opera and at the San Francisco Opera, which was recently televised on PBS. A member of the ensemble at
Oper Leipzig since 2009, he has appeared there in such roles as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia , Papageno in Die
Zauberflöte , Marcello La bohème and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte . Mr. Smith sang in the world premiere of
composer Jake Heggie’s dramatic chamber work, For a Look or a Touch, which premiered in Seattle in April,
2011, and was subsequently recorded for the Naxos label, and which will have a multi-city European tour in
June 2014. Adept in all kinds of contemporary repertoire, Morgan Smith created the role of Ted Steinert in
Thomas Pasatieri's Frau Margot in the world premiere at Fort Worth Opera and on the recording released by
Albany Records. He inaugurated the role of "Harry or Larry" in the New York premiere of Elliot Carter's
What Next? He also created the title role in the Tony Kushner/Maurice Sendak adaptation of Hans Krasa's
children's opera, Brundibar, recorded by Naxos. A regular on the concert stage, Mr. Smith recently made his
Dallas Symphony debut in Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
Weston Hurt (Frank ) Baritone Weston Hurt returns to the Dallas Opera for this production of Die tote
Stadt. Earlier this season he made his debuts at the Virginia Opera as Ford in Falstaff and Opera Grand
Rapids as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, returned to Portland Opera as Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor, and
appeared in concert with Dallas Symphony. Other recent opera engagements have included his role debut at
the title role in Rigoletto with the Boston Youth Symphony, Germont in La traviata at the Seattle Opera and
Atlanta Opera, Ford at the Seattle Opera and Portland Opera, Sharpless at the Boston Lyric Opera, Lyric
Opera of Kansas City, New York City Opera and Atlanta Opera, Enrico at the Arizona Opera and Austin
Lyric Opera, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at Michigan Opera Theater, and Frank in Die tote Stadt at the New
York City Opera. He made his Dallas opera debut as Schaunard in La bohéme in 2009. Also a concert singer
and recitalist, Mr. Hurt has performed recitals sponsored by the prestigious Marilyn Horne Foundation in the
United States, and has toured South American with performances of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem.. A
graduate of the prestigious Juilliard Opera Center, Mr. Hurt has received many notable vocal awards,
including First Place and the People’s Choice Award from the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition
and various awards from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Competition, Liederkranz
Foundation, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and two career grants conferred by The Santa Fe
Opera.
Katharine Tier (Brigitta) Australian Mezzo-soprano Katharine Tier, who is making her Dallas Opera
debut with these performances, has sung with Opera Australia, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the San Francisco
Opera, the Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Western Australia Symphony and the American
Philharmonic. The 2013-2014 Season sees Ms. Tier undertaking significant projects in Germany including a
reprise of Mrs. Sedley in Peter Grimes, Kitty Oppenheimer in Dr. Atomic, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus
at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. The 2012-2013 Season in Karlsruhe included the title role in Carmen
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and Waltraute in Die Walküre, along with the 2nd Norn in Götterdammerung. Other roles with the company
comprise Didon in Les Troyens and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Ms. Tier has performed Frau Mary in
Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman for State Opera of South Australia, Annina, Erda, the Third Lady and
Flosshilde at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and was Herodias’s Page in Salome for Japan’s Saito Kinen Festival
under the direction of Seiji Ozawa. A graduate of the distinguished Adler Fellowship program of the San
Francisco Opera, Ms. Tier made her mainstage debut with the company as the Third Lady in Mozart’s Die
Zauberflöte and performed Brigitta in their production of Die tote Stadt. Cover assignments with the company
included Flosshilde in Das Rheingold, Polinesso in Ariodante, Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Dalila in Samson et
Dalila and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.
Andrew Bidlack (Albert) Tenor Andrew Bidlack made his Dallas Opera debut in Peter Maxwell Davies’
The Lighthouse in 2012. Recent successes include his role debut as Rodrigo in Rossini’s Otello at Opera
Southwest, the tenor solos in Händel’s Messiah with the Lexington Philharmonic and Tamino in Die
Zauberflöte at Florida Grand Opera. He appeared at Carnegie Hall for his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago
as The Young Collector in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire with Renée Fleming, a role he also
sang in Chicago. He has also appeared as Tonio in La fille du régiment with PORTopera, and Damon in Acis
and Galatea at the Macau International Music Festival. Highlights of previous seasons include his New York
City Opera debut as Baron Lummer in Intermezzo, and his return to Florida Grand Opera as Don Ottavio in
Don Giovanni as well as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In 2010 he made his South American debut
as Oronte in Alcina at Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. At the Spoleto Festival in Italy, he appeared in
The Saint of Bleecker Street, which was recorded and released on the Chandos label. As an Adler Fellow at San
Francisco Opera, he made his debut in The Little Prince and went on to appear as Arturo in Lucia di
Lammermoor, Count Albert in Die tote Stadt, the Simpleton in Boris Godunov and Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus
dem Serail.
Jan Lund (Victorin) Danish tenor Jan Lund makes his Dallas Opera debut with this production of Die tote
Stadt. He has performed with all the Danish opera companies, including performances with the Royal
Danish Opera (most recently as Monostatos in Mozart’s The Magic Flute) and the Danish National Opera
(including performances of Victorin in a new production in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt.). His repertoire
includes a wide selection of character, comic and lyric tenor roles such as Count Almaviva in The Barber of
Seville, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Goro in Madame Butterfly. In contemporary repertoire he has appeared as
the Vicar in Peter Maxwell Davies’ Resurrection at Wiener Taschenoper/Transparant Muziektheater in
Belgium, Holland and Great Britain, and as Houdini in Houdini the Great at Den Anden Opera and in New
York. He has also sung the tenor part in Kurt Weill’s Berlin to Broadway at Det Nordyske Opera. He has a
huge concert repertoire and has performed with symphony orchestras and ensembles throughout Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain and Holland. Among his many recordings are Saint-Saëns’ Christmas
Oratorio, Carl Nielsen’s Third Symphony and Songs as well as Delius’s Songs from the Norwegian with the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic.
Jennifer Chung (Juliette) Jennifer Chung returns for her eighth season with The Dallas Opera in this
production of Die tote Stadt . After winning the 2001 Marguerite McCammon voice competition, she made
her debut with the Fort Worth Opera as Micaëla in Carmen. She made her Dallas Opera debut as “Cefisa” in
Rossini’s Ermione in 2003 and also appeared that season as Zerlina in school matinee performances of Don
Giovanni. Other roles with the company include Prilepa in The Queen of Spades, Annina in La traviata, Frasquita
in Carmen, Jano in Jenufa, and Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos. She has also sung leading roles with opera
companies across the country and in Europe, including performances at Arizona Opera, Augusta Opera,
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Kentucky Opera, Opernhaus Zurich, the Orchestra of St. Gallen, and the Ash Lawn Summer Opera Festival.
Most recently, Miss Chung stepped in on very short notice for a performance of Dallas Opera’s family series
as Laurette in Bizet’s Dr. Miracle. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Philippe, and young daughter,
Charlotte, as well as working part-time for renowned plastic surgeon Michael A. Bogdan, MD, FACS, in
Southlake, Texas.
Angela Turner Wilson (Lucienne) Angela Turner Wilson. who made her Dallas opera debut as the
Sandman and Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel, has sung the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor and Leila in Les
Pêcheurs de perles for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, as well as Norina in Don Pasquale, Lisette in La rondine and
Yum-Yum in The Mikado at the New York City Opera. For the Washington National Opera she has sung
Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Infanta in Le Cid (as seen on PBS) and Adina
in L'elisir d'amore, Other roles include Musetta in La bohème for the Dallas Opera, New York City Opera and
Boston Lyric Opera. She has also sung Norina for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Portland Opera and
Connecticut Opera and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Connecticut Opera and Eugene Opera. On the
concert stage, Ms. Wilson has appeared as featured soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Alabama
Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony at the Vail Valley
Music Festival. Ms. Wilson has appeared at the Clinton White House as a featured soloist for a state dinner
honoring the Prime Minister of Italy and for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
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Single tickets for The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 Season start at just $19 and are available
by visiting www.dallasopera.org or by consulting with TDO’s ticket office professionals at
214-443-1000.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “FEBRUARY AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
To arrange an interview
Or for additional information
Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director Media & Public Relations
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season
Is Sponsored by Texas Instruments Foundation
THE DALLAS OPERA WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERS:
AMERICAN AIRLINES – OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
LEXUS – OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
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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. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and Flex Subscriptions are on sale starting
at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The
Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2013-2014 SPRING 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 begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at
every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera
Talk begins one hour prior to curtain at most performances.
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.
Libretto 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
Original Direction: Diane Paulus*
Stage Director: Andrew Eggert*
Production Design: Alex McDowell*
Costume Design: David C. Woolard*
Lighting Design: Donald Holder
Sound Design: Chris Full*
Choreography: Karole Armitage*
Wig & make-up Supervision: David Zimmerman
Starring: Robert Orth (Simon Powers), Joélle Harvey (Miranda), Patricia Risley(Evvy), Hal Cazalet*(Nicholas),
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: Mardi Byers*(Marie/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).
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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: Gary Marder
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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