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WELCOME NOTEDear Friends,

I am delighted to welcome you to the 13th installment of VOX, New York City Opera’s Contemporary American Opera Lab. For over a decade, VOX has been one of the country’s most prestigious annual opera showcases, featuring new works by emerging and established composers and librettists, performed by the New York City Opera Orchestra and soloists.

Since 1999, VOX has presented excerpts from over 100 new operas, of which more than 40 have gone on to full professional productions. As an example, just last month, a 2010 VOX opera— David Little’s Dog Days—received glowing reviews from The New York Times at its world premiere full staging. Tonight, we will present excerpts from six new operas that span a huge stylistic range,

making manifest the wide scope of contemporary opera.

This year, we have forged a new and happy partnership between VOX and OPERA America’s

New Works Forum, which promotes the expansion of contemporary American opera. We extend

a special welcome to the participants of the New Works Forum, some of the foremost opera

producers, artists and publishers, who have come to New York from around the country to hear

and discuss new work.

VOX remains a vital part of New York City Opera’s artistic life, and we are proud and excited to

share with you this newest installment. Thank you for your presence and support, which help pave

the way to a bright future for new music and further the mission of New York City Opera.

Yours,

George Steel

General Manager and Artistic Director

New York City Opera

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GRANTS AND AWARDSMario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Prize, Serenade for Solo Guitar, Venice, 1973South Dakota Composer of the Year, Music Teachers National Association, 1975Meet The Composer, Golden Nugget Casino, Atlantic City, NJ, 1982Margaret Jory Copying Grant, American Music Center, 2003

JAMES STEPLETON, composerBirthplace: Muncie, IndianaCurrent place of residence: Long Island City, New York

PREVIOUS WORKS FOR STAGE Johnnie, Muncie, Indiana, 1959It Happened Here , Washington, D.C., 1968For Those Who Will Say Yes, Washington, D.C., 1969The Prodigal Son, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1969The Awakening, Madewood Plantation, Louisiana, 2010The Awakening “Scene One”, New York City Opera, VOX 2003

COMMISSIONSFive Sonnets of Michelangelo , South Dakota Symphony/Minnesota Public Radio, 1975

ANDREW JOFFE, librettistBirthplace: Englewood, NJCurrent Residence: Columbia County, NY

PREVIOUS WORKS FOR STAGE Diamond Street with Harold Farberman, Hudson Opera House, 2010 The Song of Eddie with Harold Farberman, Bard College, 2000 Medea in Exile with Douglas, Anderson, American Chamber Opera Co., 2000 She Stoops to Conquer with Marjorie Rusche, American Chamber Opera Co., 1999 Beast and Superbeast with Jorge Martin, American Chamber Opera Co., 1994Adaptations: “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Blue Carbuncle”

ARTISTSComposer: James StepletonLibrettist : Andrew JoffeConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: William Barto Jones

Edna: Kerri MarcinkoRobert: Alex RichardsonThe Sea: Kelvin Chan

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SynopsisAct I. In late 19th-century New Orleans, Edna Pontellier is trapped in marriage to a prosperous financier who expects her to promote his social standing, but shows no interest in her needs or desires. Unfulfilled as conventional wife and mother, she experiences a sexual awakening during a tenta-tive romance with Robert Lebrun, who leaves town rather than act on his feelings. During her husband Léonce’s long absence on business, Edna attempts independence, sending the children to her in-laws and moving into a cottage near their house. At a dinner party there on Robert’s return, he finds Alcèe Arobin, a polished womanizer, as one of three guests. Angry, he departs, escorting the other guest. Alcèe stays and seduces Edna.

Act II. Warned that she is ruining her reputation, Edna nevertheless defies Léonce’s demand that she return home. Robert tells Edna his dream that Léonce frees her so that she can be his. Edna confesses she loves him but refuses to become his possession; she now gives herself where she chooses. Robert departs in shock. Feeling abandoned, Edna returns to Grand Isle, where her awakening began. Alone on the beach, she strips naked and swims far out to sea.

FROM THE COMPOSERIn 1975, as a young college teacher with big compositional dreams and some compositional credits, I discovered Kate Chopin’s classic American novel The Awakening. The story resonated deeply. I immediately determined to set it as an opera. Now, 35 years later, I have. Why so long? Arriving in New York with no connections when the music world was absorbed in atonality, I couldn’t find a place. Moving to Plan B, I parlayed a one-semester exposure to computer music into a 20-year IT career on Wall Street.

Wall Street taught me two important lessons. First, the world belongs to those who know what they want. Second, what I wanted more than anything was to write an opera based on The Awakening.

Tonight, at age 71, with this reading of The Awakening’s final scene, I have achieved that goal. Now, what I want is a full production.

WHY WRITE OPERA?Opera is bold, succinct, attention-grabbing musical storytelling, touching on universal themes in clear, direct forceful terms with unforgettable passion.

As a composer who aims high and thinks big, opera is my natural outlet. When all the elements are working – words, movement, spectacle and music fused together as one – opera captures truths at the core of our being. That’s what I aim for. It gets me up in the morning

FROM THE LIBRETTISTAfter the premiere of Beast and Superbeast, James Stepleton came to me with his long cherished project of turning Kate Chopin’s classic American work into an opera. I’m eternally grateful that he did.I saw in the original story something more than the standard feminist reading. The Awakening is about the tragedy of the individual at odds with her times and her society. Edna’s particular tragedy is that she cannot identify her discontent, and if she could, wouldn’t have the strength to remedy it, and if she had, still the society she lives in would contrive to crush her. She is overwhelmed by the conventions of the world around her, just as she is physically overwhelmed by the waters that drag her to her end.

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Evan Meier, composerBirthplace: Long Beach, CACurrent place of residence: College Park, MD

PREVIOUS WORKS FOR STAGE“She is in the Sea” (monodrama for soprano and piano), Opera from Scratch in Halifax, Nova Scotia, August 2012The Last Act of Revolution , University of Maryland Opera Studio, February 2012 COMMISSIONSSeamless Symphony commissioned by Capital City Symphony for Atlas Theater’s Intersections 2013 Festival“Fantasy and March” for harp ensemble, commissioned by Peabody Prep Harp Department

GRANTS AND AWARDS2012/2013 Minnesota Composers Institute Participant

Luke Richmond, librettistBirthplace: Long Beach, CACurrent place of residence: Los Alamitos, CA

PREVIOUS WORKS FOR STAGE“She is in the Sea” (monodrama for soprano and piano), Opera from Scratch in Halifax, Nova Scotia, August 2012

ARTISTs Composer: Evan MeierLibrettist: Lucas RichmondConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: William Barto Jones

Ulrike: Kerri MarcinkoGudrun: Charlotte DobbsAndreas: Joshua Jeremiah

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Synopsis:The Last Act of Revolution is a one-act chamber opera based on historical events surrounding the suicide of Ulrike Meinhof, a left-wing journalist and key member of the militant RAF (Red Army Faction,) a terrorist group which rocked West Germany with violence in the early 1970s. The RAF, dubbed the “Baader-Meinhof Group” by the German press, staged bombings and shootings against civilian and government targets in pursuit of an ambiguous agenda, hoping to topple a West German government they saw as a dressed up remnant of the Nazi Reich and an apparatus of American imperialism. After their capture, Meinhof and RAF leaders Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader were imprisoned for years before being brought to trial, during which time Meinhof became increasingly alienated from the rest of the group. Set in prison during the final hours of Meinhof’s life, The Last Act of Revolution explores the psychological dimension of political violence as Meinhof struggles to reconcile her conscience and ideals with the violent path her revolution has taken, a path her embittered compatriots are more comfortable with than ever.

FROM THE COMPOSER:I first thought of the idea to write an opera about the Red Army Faction after seeing the film, The Baader-Meinhof Complex. I was drawn to Ulrike Meinhof, and saw her life as a potential character study. A prominent left-wing journalist in West Germany, she abandoned her life and family to go underground with the RAF. This is a decision with disastrous consequences, one that ultimately leads to her imprisonment and suicide. I was interested in writing a chamber opera that used minimal forces and staging, so that the character’s psychological states could be brought to the forefront.For musical inspiration, I turned to Brecht’s Die Maßnahme, which the members of the RAF quoted from liberally. Brecht’s frequent collaborator, the composer Hanns Eisler, wrote several songs for this play. Eisler’s stringent, austere melodies have heavily influenced my musical style, lending some passages a distinctly ‘socialist’ flavor.

WHY WRITE OPERA?As a composer, I am drawn to opera’s unique ability to inte-grate a multitude of artistic forms into a cohesive dramatic experience, all the while provoking a profound aesthetic reaction in the listener. I have always been interested in composing music that is both dramatic in scale yet also engaged in the discussion of concrete political, societal, and philosophical ideas. For me, opera is an ideal mode of expression to engage these ideas musically.

FROM THE LIBRETTIST:While Evan Meier and I wanted to collaborate on an opera for several years, it was not until Evan came across the unusual story of Ulrike Meinhof that we found a subject we could agree on. Meinhof was a successful and well-known far-left German journalist who decided in early 1970 to make the leap from revolutionary rhetoric to revolutionary violence. Her character contained a clashing mix of sincere compassion, chronic moral indignation, and intellectual stubbornness that led her fitfully down the brutal path to terrorism and the deliberate murder of the defenseless masses for whose sake she believed herself to fight. By setting the narrative of The Last Act of Revolution during her final days in prison, I hoped to examine Meinhof’s deepest motivations, force a psychological confrontation between reality and her un-falsifiable worldview, and present one possible path of personal realization that might have led her to eventual suicide.

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OSNAT NETZER, composer/librettistBirthplace: Haifa, Israel Current place of residence: Boston, MA PREVIOUS WORKS ten songs of yesno with David Salsbery Fry, bass, New York, NY. Taksim with Ivana Bilic , Appleton, WI. Common Ground with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston, MA.

COMMISSIONS Firebird Ensemble, Boston, MA Jerusalem Music Center, Israel Zenas Kim, South Korea Doctor Faustus, New York, NY

RESIDENCIES One-year residency in Berlin, Germany, Beebe Fund Foundation Tanglewood Music Center Bowdoin International Music Festival Klezkanada Festival of Jewish Culture

ARTISTsComposer and Librettist: Osnat NetzerConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: Susan Woodruff Versage

Mauritzia: Kathryn GuthrieChutner: Jesse Blumberg

AWARDS Choral Art Festival Jihlava Competition, Czech Republic Zeltsman Marimba Festival Composition Contest Morton Gould ASCAP Young Composer Award

GRANTS America-Israel Cultural Foundation New Music USA MetLife Creative Connections

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SYNOPSIS Mauritzia is adored by Chutner, who tirelessly awaits her and woos her despite her indifference. The only man she welcomes into her bed is her lover Jorge. When she and her companion Poomptz swap homes for a month with Madagaskar and her companion Hotchks, Madagaskar’s own nuisance suitor, Laxner, comes along. Laxner and Chutner become rivals for what little attention Mauritzia is willing to provide. By both swapping their identities and adopting other disguises, the two suitors do everything in their power to win Madagaskar’s heart, with no success. When Mauritzia and Madagaskar return to their own homes at the end of the month, Mauritzia confuses Chutner with Jorge, as they are wearing the same wig. Chutner, aware of his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be with Mauritzia, declines her offer, in order to cling to his fantasy of the ideal “Wondrous Woman Within.”

FROM THE COMPOSER/LIBRETTIST:I began working on my opera in 2008. My first step was to devour and digest all of Hanoch Levin’s plays. Known for extremely harsh, grotesque, farcical and highly political comedies, his play The Wondrous Woman Within Us leapt out at me as one that could be enjoyed and appreciated outside the boundaries of Israeli culture. It is tame enough to be enjoyed by the faint of heart, but bawdy enough to be enjoyed by the strong of loin. The farce centers on sexual-ity and the social power struggle; the story could take place anywhere and in any culture.

Setting Levin’s text to music is a great delight for composers, since he himself often wished for the incidental music in his productions to be in opposition to the drama. He would instruct his composers that harsh, bitter admonishments could be delivered over sweet, compassionate music, and earnest moments in the text could be broken by mocking incidental music. In a stage play, the music can be an occasional commentary. In an opera, the ubiquity of music gives the composer the opportunity to always explore the fine line between earnestness and cynicism, and to render caricature-stock characters a more believable quality as living, breathing individuals, worthy of our compassion or disdain. I am a stylistic omnivore. I draw inspiration from all types of music around me; nothing is taboo. For me, contemporary classical music has the potential to be the

largest umbrella in the musical world, under which all styles and compositional techniques are welcome to live in harmony and disharmony with each other. In my opera I incorporated elements of Jewish folk music, American and Latin pop, Broadway, microtonal, polymodal, atonal and good old antiquated Classical music. This endless variety binds my music into one hectic but coherent universe.

WHY WRITE OPERA?Opera has been around since the 17th century and quickly developed into a genre popular with aristocrat and commoner alike. Its ability to combine highbrow and lowbrow sensibilities while being a blatantly fun spectacle fascinates me and sparks my imagination. While at times I feel that so much has already been said and done in abstract music, opera is still changing and evolving rapidly; it gives artists the freedom to explore new grounds and further evolve the genre, while providing a fascinating petri dish of collaboration for artists of different fields.

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moto osada, composer/librettistBirthplace: Tokyo, JapanCurrent place of residence: New York City

Previous works for stage:Four Nights of Dream, opera in four scenes Premiered July 2008, Vadstena Opera Festival, SwedenPadre Organtino (2000), opera in one actYoung Eugene, theater play Premiered May 1998, Provincetown Playhouse, New York City

notable performances:InterHarmony Internationales Musik-Festival, Bavaria, Germany, 2012The Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, New York City, 2009VAKA - Music of Moto Osada, Stockholm, Sweden, 2008Downtown NYC River to River Festival, New York City, 2007OK Mozart Festival, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 2006Double Exposure by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, 2005

Commissions:New opera (title TBD), Vadstena Academy and the Swedish Arts Council, scheduled premiere July 2015Duo for cello and percussion, Sumire Kudo and Haruka Fujii, 2009Four Nights of Dream, Vadstena Academy, the Japan Foundation, and the American Composers Forum, 2008Sylvan Lay and Pastoral Air for marimba solo, Makoto Nakura, 2007Porcine Go-go for flute, violin, cello, and piano, the Peärls Before Swïne Experience, 2007

Residencies:Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Study and Conference Center, Italy, 2006Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Woodside, CA, 2006

Grants and Awards:Winner, Brave New Works 2009 Call for ScoresSpecial Mention of Excellency, Kuhmo Festival International Composition Competition, Finland, 2008The S&R Washington Award, S&R Foundation, 2006American Composers Forum/ The Jerome Fund for New Music, 2003

ARTISTSComposer and Librettist: Moto OsadaConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: Susan Caldwell

Female Narrator/Female Chorus I: Charlotte DobbsSamurai/Male Chorus I (Son): Joshua JeremiahFemale Chorus II/Woman: Audrey BabcockShotaro/Male Chorus II: Jesse BlumbergKen-san/Father: Daniel CurranMale Chorus III: Kelvin Chan

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SynopsisFour Nights of Dream consists of four independent scenes. Each scene relates a story in the form of a dream. Three excerpts from three different scenes will be presented.Excerpt 1 The Samurai is engaged in Zen meditation, trying to understand the meaning of Nothingness, and thus attain enlightenment. Earlier, the priest has mocked his inability to attain enlightenment. The Samurai is determined to attain enlightenment by the next hour, and exchange his enlight-enment for the priest’s head. He vows, if he can’t do so, he will kill himself, for a samurai should not live beyond humili-ation. He struggles to find the answer, and is consumed with rage. As Nothingness remains out of his reach, the clock finally strikes the hour.Excerpt 2 Shotaro is a dreamy young man who sits all day by the fruit shop staring at the women passing by. The Woman appears and buys the largest fruit basket, which Shotaro offers to carry home. They arrive at a steep cliff. The Woman tells Shotaro to jump down or be licked by a pig. Shotaro loathes pigs, but he refuses to jump. He ends up having to hit countless pigs to avoid being licked by them. This quirky action is described by Ken-san and the Female Narrator who narrate the scene. Exhausted, Shotaro is finally licked by a pig and collapses.Excerpt 3 The Father is walking with his son on his back. The Son is blind, and possesses the voice of an adult and an uncanny ability to foresee things. The Father thinks that the boy might bring him bad fortune and decides to abandon him somewhere. Before he can carry out his scheme, the Son reveals that the Father murdered him one hundred years ago.

FROM THE COMPOSER/THE LIBRETTISTFour Nights of Dream is adapted from the Japanese author Soseki Natsume’s work, Ten Nights of Dream. This collection of ten short stories is related by the telling of surreal dreams, many of which deal with our existential uneasiness. My op-era is based on four of these stories; one for each scene. The stories have no specific relation to one another; each scene is an independent story. Three excerpts from different dreams are presented tonight.

The first excerpt, The Samurai and Zen, is about a Samurai’s struggle to attain spiritual enlightenment (satori); sometimes the biggest obstacle facing you when you strive for some-thing is yourself. The second excerpt, Shotaro and Pigs, is a tricky one. It is full of ambiguous and quirky symbolism (in true Japanese fashion), so I will leave it up to the audience to come to their own conclusions. The third excerpt, The Father and the Son, evokes my innermost fear. Somewhere in the depths of my subconscious, I have a horrible feeling that I might have committed an irredeemable sin so long ago that I don’t remember it, and this sin will eventually come back to haunt me and ruin my life.

Soseki’s Ten Nights of Dream is a work I’ve read many times since my first encounter with it when I was a teenager. By the time I embarked on the compositional work for the opera, these stories were already in my flesh and bones. My goal was to simply let the characters and the events in the stories inspire me to come up with the right music for them, rather than let any extraneous factors influence my deci-sions.

Four Nights of Dream was premiered during the 2008 Vadstena Opera Festival in Sweden. Tonight is the first time that excerpts of this opera will be performed in the United States.

WHY WRITE OPERA?Opera imitates life and life sometimes imitates opera.A great opera scene extracts the very essence of the defining moment or the most beautiful moment in life. It magnifies and amplifies it, and then exhibits it on stage so poignantly. Harnessing this power of emotion, opera can bring you closer to the brightest moments and darkest depths of humanity. Wozzeck and Peter Grimes warned me of the dangerous temptations of society. I learned the true meaning of redemption and compassion from Jenufa. In the words of the English opera administrator Nicholas Payne, operas “set ideals for eternity.” We need opera.

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CHRISTOPHER WEISS, composerBirthplace: Portsmouth, New HampshireCurrent place of residence: New Hampshire

NOTABLE PERFORMANCESLancaster Symphony OrchestraVirginia Arts FestivalBassoon concerto with Daniel Matsukawa, Philadelphia OrchestraFlute concerto with Maron Anis Khoury of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

COMMISSIONSBoston Chamber OrchestraCurtis Institute of MusicHuntsville Symphony OrchestraJacksonville Symphony OrchestraMusic from Angel Fire

S. O’DUINN MAGEE, librettistBirthplace: Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCurrent place of residence: Central Florida

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONSBook: The Composite Novel , MacMillan 1995Articles re composite structure/interdisciplinarity, 1986-2003Presentations: University of London ,1991; University of Kent, Canterbury. 1989Scholar-Lecturer, Florida Endowment for the Humanities, 1988

ARTISTSComposer: Christopher WeissLibrettist : S. O’Duinn MageeConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: Susan Caldwell

Elaine/Elena: Kerri MarcinkoLance: Jesse BlumbergMidge: Audrey BabcockJohannes/Jackie Bananas: Alex Richardson

RESIDENCIESMusic from Angel Fire, 2008Yaddo, 2013 Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, 2013

GRANTS AND AWARDSTheodore Presser Foundation Career Grant, 2007

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SynopsisIn a Mirror, Darkly is a full-length opera in three acts, but it is also a composite opera—three individual one-act operas that are thematically interrelated. Each act foregrounds a woman in crisis, a mirror, and a choice, but the three acts are set in different places and eras (medieval Camelot, 1890s Paris, post-WWII Manhattan).

In “The Lady of Shalott” (Act I) the Lady Elaine is cursed to live imprisoned in a shadow-world reflected in her mirror. She defies the curse and chooses freedom, even though it will mean her death. While her boat carries her downriver, Elaine sings an aria of joy, then dies. At Camelot, while the sorceress Morgana smirks and hovers, Lancelot and Brother Johannes praise Elaine’s courage and mourn her death.

In “That Dame” (Act III) Elena sees an aging actress reflect-ed in her mirror. When she realizes that her fiancé-producer Lance will cast her in his Broadway play The Lady of Shalott as the Evil Queen rather than the Lady Elaine, Elena sings an aria of agonized indecision. Then she goes to the docks where she confronts Lance, his mistress Midge, and his mobster-partner Jackie Bananas.

FROM THE COMPOSERI became interested in writing a theatrical work while study-ing Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shalott” as a high school senior. Since I had only recently begun composing, I was completely unprepared to undertake such a large project… but Tennyson’s work continued to inspire me.

The idea stayed with me throughout my undergraduate pro-gram. Later, while studying in Philadelphia, my friend (and eventual librettist) S. O’Duinn Magee came to me with ideas for a composite opera, one wherein the first story is based on Tennyson’s poem and serves as a springboard for the second and third.

The musical language of In a Mirror, Darkly varies from act to act. I think that a wide range of styles is particularly effective in theatrical works. Thus, each story evokes sounds

of its time and place, from medieval folk music and lyrical ballades to 1940s jazz and film music-esque underscore.

WHY WRITE OPERATwo reasons to write opera come to mind, the first of which is the desire to tell a story. Most of my music has a strong narrative impulse. Writing a work where story, character, conflict, resolution, and (most importantly) emotion are literally onstage is an incredibly attractive idea.

The second reason is to challenge myself. Opera, in my opinion, is the pinnacle of musical creativity, and the most difficult in which to succeed. Creating an effective theater work requires every creative and collaborative skill a composer possesses. I simply wanted to see if I could do it.

FROM THE LIBRETTISTIn a Mirror, Darkly features three complete one-act operas, each with its own story and narrative arc: “The Lady of Shalott,” “A Woman Scorned,” and “That Dame.”

Each act tells the story of an artist who also happens to be a woman. Elaine in Act I is a Weaver; Linette in Act II is a Painter; Elena in Act III is an Actor. Each wants the free-dom to create, but each is stymied. By the time of the final curtain, the audience realizes that the three artists’ stories are one story, that though artistic expression may require sacrifice, the true artist will never deny her talent and her passion.

Our opera was inspired by composite novels and composite films that display remarkable depth and resonance because of their palimpsestic structures. This depth and resonance is what Christopher Weiss and I wanted to capture in our opera.

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JOHN ZORN, composer/librettistBirthplace: New York, NY Current place of residence: New York, NY

PREVIOUS WORKS FOR STAGE La machine de l’être, NYC Opera, 2011.Astronome Rituals

GRANTS AND AWARDSWilliam Schumann Award from Columbia UniversityMacarthur FellowshipAcademy of Arts and LettersNational Foundation for Jewish Culture

ARTISTSComposer and Librettist: John ZornConductor: Julian WachnerMusical Preparation: Susan Woodruff Versage

Abby FischerKirsten SollekMartha CluverJane SheldonMellissa Hughes

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FROM THE COMPOSER/LIBRETTIST A Mystery Play in 11 strophes concerning the life, work and philosophy of 12th Century composer, healer and visionary mystic Hildegard von Bingen. With original texts in Latin, based on her ideas, it may be presented as a concert work or staged preferably in a church-type setting.

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2000Democracy Music by Scott Wheeler, Libretto by Romulus Linney

Haroun and The Sea of Stories Music by Charles Wuorinen, Libretto by James Fenton

The Highway Music and Libretto by Jeremy Beck

Last Leaf Music and Libretto by Michael Remson

Muhammad Ali Music by John Duffy

My Kinsman, Major Molineux Music by Bruce Saylor, Based on a poem by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nicholas and Alexandra Music by Deborah Drattell, Libretto by nicholas von hoffman

Romeo and Juliet Music by Lee Hoiby, adapted by mark shulgasser from the play by william shakespeare

Sacco and Vanzetti Music and Libretto by Anton Coppola

Tess of the D'Urbervilles Music by Matthew Harris, Based on a novel by Thomas Hardy

The Thief of Love Music and Libretto by Sheila Silver

With Blood, With Ink Music by Daniel Crozier, Libretto by Peter M. Krask

1999Blood on the Dining Room Floor Music by Jonathan Sheffer, Based on a story by Gertrude Stein

Dora Music by Melissa Shiflett, Libretto by Nancy Fales Garrett

The Noblest Game Music by David Diamond, Libretto by Katie Louchheim

Pope Joan: An Operatic Heresy Music by John Musto, Libretto by Denise Lanctot

Welfare: The Opera Music by Lenny Pickett

Little Women Music and Libretto by Mark Adamo

For the past 13 years, New York City Opera’s VOX has showcased new works by American composers and librettists in orchestra readings that are open to the public. To date, VOX has presented excerpts from more than 100 new operas, with more than 40 of those going on to full productions — six at NYC Opera, and the remainder at companies including Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and Santa Fe Opera. To learn more about any of the operas featured in VOX listed here, visit nycOpera.com/VOX.

VOX timeline

La Machine de l’Être, 2011

Séance on a Wet Afternoon, 2011

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2001All My Sons Music by James Legg, Based on the play by Arthur Miller

Androcles and the Lion Music and Libretto by Philip Hagemann

The Cows of Apollo or The Invention of MusicMusic by Chris Theofanidis, Libretto by William M. Hoffman

Dreaming of Wonderland Music and Libretto by Manly Romero

Henry and Clara Music by Jorge Martin, Libretto by Peter M. Krask

Hit & Run Music and Libretto by Michael Abels

The Lost Childhood Music by Janice Hamer, Libretto by Mary Azrael

Lysistrata or The Nude Goddess Music and Libretto by Mark Adamo

Mrs. Satan music by Victoria Bond, libretto by Hilary Bell

to scratch an angel music and libretto by Ari Frankel

www.love music by Kevin March, libretto by kim yaged

2002Apollo 14: A Space Opera Music and Libretto by David Meckler

Della’s Gift Music by Dan Welcher, Libretto by Paul Woodruff

Dum Dee Tweedle Music and Libretto by David Del Tredici

The Firmiana RainMusic and Libretto by May-Tchi Chen

FloridaMusic by Randall Eng, Libretto by Donna DiNovelli

Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations) Music and Libretto by Michael John LaChiusa

Life is a Dream Music by Lewis Spratlan, Libretto by James Maraniss

Madame Mao Music by Bright Sheng, Libretto by Colin Graham

Merlin Music by Ezequiel Viñao, Libretto by Caleb Carr

The Newport Rivals Music and Libretto by Kirke Mechem

The Rape of the Lock Music and Libretto by Deborah Mason

2003All Quiet on the Western Front Music and Libretto by Nancy Van de Vate

The Awakening Music by James Stepleton, Libretto by Andrew Joffe

Belladonna Music by Bernard Rands, Libretto by Leslie Dunton-Downer

Borgia Infami Music by Harold Blumenfeld, Libretto by Charles Kondek

Inferno of Dante: Canto VMusic by Patrick Soluri

Frankenstein Music by Greg Sandow, Libretto by Thomas M. Disch

The Old Majestic Music by Robert X. Rodríguez, Libretto by Mary Medrick

Strange FruitMusic by Chandler Carter, Libretto by Joan Ross Sorkin

Twelfth Night Music by Joel Feigin, Based on a play by William Shakespeare

Young Caesar Music by Lou Harrison, Libretto by Robert Gordon

2004Dream President Music and libretto by Jennifer Griffith

Glory Denied Music and Libretto by Tom Cipullo

Inspiration Music by Donald Hagar, Libretto by John Burns

Korczak’s OrphansMusic by Adam Silverman, Libretto by Susan Gubernat

Margaret GarnerMusic by Richard Danielpour, Libretto by Toni Morrison

The Reverend Jim JonesMusic by John Eaton, Libretto by James Reston, Jr.

Summer and All it BringsMusic by Daniel Felsenfeld, Libretto by Ernest Hilbert

Waking in New York Music by Elodie Lauten, based on the poetry of allen ginsberg

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2007Airline IcarusMusic by Brian Current, Libretto by Anton Piatigorsky

Crossing the HorizonMusic by Chris Lastovicka, Libretto by E.M. Lauricella

Elegy for a Prince Music by Sergio Cervetti, Libretto by Elizabeth Esris

Elmer Gantry Music by Robert Aldridge, Libretto by Herschel Garfein

the endings Music and Libretto by Jenny Olivia Johnson

The Fisher King Music and Libretto by Marc Lowenstein

In the Father’s GardenMusic by David Kirtley, Libretto by Mark Kirtley

La Machine de l’être music by John Zorn

Nannan music and libretto by Wang Jie

The Rat LandMusic by Gordon Beeferman, Libretto by Charlotte Jackson

Río de SangreMusic by Don Davis, Libretto by Kate Gale

With Such Friends…Music by Tom Schnauber, Libretto by Jeff Duncan

2008Charlie Crosses the Nation Music and Libretto by Scott Davenport Richards

CriseydeMusic by Alice Shields, Libretto by Nancy Dean

Dice Thrown Music and Libretto by John King

Dylan and CaitlinMusic by Robert Manno, Libretto by Gwynne Edwards

EleniMusic by Cary Ratcliff, Libretto by Cary ratcliff with Robert Koch

Jeanne Music and Libretto by Justine F. Chen

The Mortal Thoughts of Lady MacBethMusic by Veronika Krausas, Libretto by Tom Pettit

The Officers Music and Libretto by Steve Potter

Our Giraffe Music by Sorrel Hays, Libretto by Charles Flowers

Soldier Songs Music and Libretto by David T. Little

2006BlakeMusic by H. Leslie Adams, Libretto by Daniel Mayers

California Fictions Music and Libretto by Mason Bates

Crescent City Music by Anne LeBaron, Libretto by Philip Littell

Frau MargotMusic by Thomas Pasatieri, Libretto by Frank Corsaro

Harmony Music by Robert Carl, Libretto by Russell Banks

A Letter to E. 11th Street Music by Martin Hennessy, Libretto by Mark Campbell

Leaving Santa Monica Music and Libretto by Jenny Olivia Johnson

The Maiden Tower Music and Libretto by Justine F. Chen

Messer Marco Polo Music by Max Stern, based on the novel by Donn Byrne

Paradises LostMusic by Stephen Andrew Taylor, Libretto by Kate Gale

Red Azalea Music by William Kraft, Libretto by Christopher Hawes

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Music and libretto by Herschel Garfein, based on the play by Tom Stoppard

Margaret Garner, 2008

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2009ArmideMusic by Jonathan Dawe, Libretto by Heather Raffo

A Bird in Your Ear Music by David Bruce, Libretto by Alasdair Middleton

Car Crash Opera Music by Michaela Eremiásová and Jairo Duarte-López, Libretto by Skip Battaglia

Crescent CityMusic by Anne LeBaron, Libretto by Douglas Kearney

Invisible Cities Music and Libretto by Christopher Cerrone, based on the novel by italo calvino

Katrina Ballads Music and Libretto by Ted Hearne

Mosheh Music and Libretto by Yoav Gal

No Easy Walk to Freedom Music and Libretto by Chandler Carter

The Rat Land Music by Gordon Beeferman, Libretto by Charlotte Jackson

Séance on a Wet Afternoon Music and Libretto by Stephen Schwartz

2010AcquanettaMusic by Michael Gordon, Libretto by Deborah Artman

Dog DaysMusic by David T. Little, Libretto by Royce Vavrek

Evangeline RevisitedMusic by Julian Wachner, Libretto by Alexis Nouss

InventoryMusic by Brian Current, Libretto by Anton Piatigorsky

Oceanic VersesMusic and Libretto by Paola Prestini

Revolution of FormsMusic by Anthony Davis and Dafnis Prieto, Libretto by Alma Guillermoprieto and Charles Koppelman

Song from The UproarMusic and Libretto by Missy Mazzoli

A Star Across the OceanMusic and Libretto by Scott Davenport Richards

With Blood, With InkMusic by Daniel Crozier, Libretto by Peter M. Krask

ZolleMusic and Libretto by Du Yun

2011All Three Acts of a Sad Play Performed

Haroun and the Seven Seas, 2004_

Entirely in BedMusic by Dag Gabrielsen, Libretto by Julie Larios

The BeachMusic by Andrew Gerle, Libretto by Royce Vavrek

Blood RoseMusic and Libretto by Hannah Lash

De DeoMusic by Paola Prestini, Libretto by Donna Di Novelli

dr. sun Yat–Sen Music by Huang Ruo, Libretto by Candace Chong

FaustineMusic by Arlene Sierra, Libretto by Lucy Thurber

Maren of VardoMusic by Jeff Myers, Libretto by Royce Vavrek

Mary ShelleyMusic by Allan Jaffe, Libretto by Deborah Atherton

Three WeeksMusic by Yoav Gal, Libretto by Reuven Namdar

VinkensportMusic by David T. Little, Libretto by Royce Vavrek

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Julian Wachner, conductor. Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA. NYC Opera: composer of Evangeline Revisited, and conductor for Zolle and With Blood, With Ink at VOX 2010. Career High-lights: currently the inaugural Director of Music and the Arts at Trinity Wall Street; guest appearances with the Philadel-phia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, the Handel and Hadyn Society, Glimmerglass Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, New York City Opera, and the Boston Pops. A Baroque specialist, he was the founding Music Director of the Boston Bach Ensemble and the Bach Académie de Montréal, besides serving as Artistic Director of International Bach Festivals in Boston and Montreal. Upcoming engagements: conducting with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Turandot at Hawaii Opera Theatre, Elijah with Washington Chorus, Messiah with Trinity, Wall Street Choir.

Kelvin Chan, baritone. Birthplace: Elmhurst, NY. NYC Opera debut. Career Highlights: Goong-Goong in Courtside at Houston Grand Opera, Yamadori in Madama Butterfly with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera, Shi-Yin in RedDust with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. Other Engagements: Hollywood Songbook on Opera Moderne’s Red Scare series; soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Duruflé’s Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and Lord Nelson Mass, and Mozart’s Requiem; former Artisitic Co-Director of Cantus, an all-male chamber vocal ensemble. Upcoming Engagements: Der Lautsprecher in Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Opera Moderne, a recital on Trinity Church’s Concerts at One Series featuring Joélle Harvey.

Audrey Babcock, mezzo-soprano. Birthplace: Hollywood, CA. NYC Opera debut. Career Highlights: title role in Carmen with Nashville Opera, Utah Opera Festival, Opera Naples, San Antonio Opera and Toledo Opera, Erika in Vanessa at Sarasota Opera, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Tulsa Opera, The Poe Project with the American Lyric Theater, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Virginia Opera and the Florentine Opera, Jo in Little Women with Utah Opera and Syracuse Opera, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte for the Spoleto Festival, USA, and the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul with Opera New Jersey. Upcoming Engagements: Maddalena in Rigoletto with Saratoga Opera, title role in Carmen with Florentine Opera, Mercedes in Carmen with Dallas Opera.

artists

Jesse Blumberg, baritone. Birthplace: Summit, NJ. NYC Opera debut. Career Highlights: Mr. Lockwood in Wuthering Heights with Minnesota Opera, Poliferno in Niobe, Queen of Thebes with the Boston Early Music Festival, his debut with the New York Festival of Song, the Celebrant in Bernstein’s Mass at London’s Royal Festival Hall (led by Marin Alsop), and Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos with Boston Lyric Opera; Connie Rivers in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath with the Minnesota Opera, Utah Opera and Pittsburgh Opera. Upcoming Engagements: Britten’s War Requiem with Oratorio Society of New York, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro with Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Die schöne Müllerin and Die Winterreise with Martin Katz, and a return to American Bach Soloists for their annual Messiah.

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Daniel T. Curran, tenor. Birthplace: Roseville, CA. NYC Opera: Ferrando in Così fan tutte (cover). Career Highlights: Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby at Aspen Opera Theater, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Merola Opera Center, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Opera North’s Young Artist Program; Tenor 5 (Hunter) in Conrad Susa’s Transformations, First Commissioner in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Arnalta in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Gonzalve in L’heure espagnole and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi , all at Julliard. Awards/Honors: Higley Scholarship at The Julliard School, Steven Dunham Scholarship at Chapman University, Edgar Sholund Award at Chapman University. Upcoming: Electrician in Powder Her Face at NYC Opera (cover), First Policeman in The Gospel of Mary Magdalene at San Francisco Opera.

Charlotte Dobbs, soprano. Birthplace: Hamilton, MA. NYC Opera debut. Career Highlights: Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna; Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, Jesi, Teatro dell’Aquila, Fermo; Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims at Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro; Servilia in La clemenza di Tito at Chicago Opera Theater; Governess in Turn of the Screw with Chateauville Foundation; Amina in La Sonnambula, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, title role in Iolanta, Nuria in Ainadamar, Countess in Le nozze di Figaro all at Curtis School of Music: Iphigenie in Iphigenie en Aulide, Elettra in Idomeneo, Juno in La Calisto all at Julliard. Other Engagements: performances with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque (Chicago), and Alabama Symphony. Upcoming: Governess in Turn of the Screw at NYC Opera (cover).

Martha Cluver, soprano. Birthplace: Janesville, WI. NYC Opera debut. Career Highlights: Noted performances in concert versions of Neither by Morton Feldman with the Janáccek Philharmonic in Ostrava, CZ, Into the Little Hill by George Benjamin with Prague Modern in Prague, and La Douce by Emmanuel Nunes (world premiere) with Remix Ensemble in Porto, Portugal. Martha currently sings with the Trinity Wall Street Choir, Roomful of Teeth, and the Antioch Chamber Ensemble Upcoming Engagements: a new work by Caleb Burhans with Fifth House Ensemble and itsnotyouitsme, and a residency with composer Jeff Myers and the JACK Quartet.

Abby Fischer, mezzo-soprano. Birthplace: Hanover, NH. NYC Opera: Ted Hearne’s Katrina Ballads, VOX 2009. Career Highlights: Song from the Uproar (a VOX 2010 selec-tion) with the NOW Ensemble at The Kitchen, Angelina in La cenerentola with Union Avenue Opera, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro with Opera North, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with New Jersey State Opera, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at The Eastman School. Other Engagements: record-ings and performances with Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Boston Pops, American Opera Projects, and premiered works by Elliot Carter, John Zorn, Nico Muhly, Lee Hoiby, and Bang on a Can. Upcom-ing Engagements: the title role in The Rape of Lucretia with Opera Memphis, Handel’s Messiah with Virgina Symphony, the opening concert for the San Francisco Girl’s Chorus season with American Bach Soloists, and a performance/recording of the Lord Nelson Mass with Boston Baroque.

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Kerri Marcinko, soprano. Birthplace: Cleveland, OH. NYC Opera: Micaela in Carmen, Régine Saint Laurent in Prima Donna (cover), Christine Storch in Intermezzo (cover), title role in Vanessa (cover). Career Highlights: Leonora in Il Trovatore with San Antonio Opera and Toledo Opera, Smaragda in The Masterbuilder (sung in Greek) with Greek National Opera, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Frasquita in Carmen with Los Angeles Opera, Verdi’s Requiem with the Richmond and Missoula Symphony Orchestras, Micaela in Carmen with the Westfield Symphony Orchestra and San Antonio Opera, title role in Tosca with Opera East Texas, Alice Ford in Falstaff and Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with Festival Lyrique en Mer (France), Mimi in La Bohème with Nashville Opera, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Bellingham Festival of Music and Spokane Opera. Upcoming engagements: Opera Gala Evening with the Kyrenia Opera.

Mellissa Hughes, soprano. Birthplace: Boston, MA. NYC Opera debut. collaborations with Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Steve Reich and premiered works written expressly for her by Caleb Burhans, Missy Mazzoli, Ted Hearne, Corey Dargel, and Frederic Rzewski; the world premieres of David T. Little’s Am I Born with Alan Pierson and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Alex Temple’s Liebeslied for the opening of the SONiC Festival; Jonathan Berger’s Theotokia at Stanford Lively Arts with the St. Lawrence String Quartet and Pedja Muzijevic, Mohammed Fairouz’s Tahwida with clarinetist David Krakauer at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. Upcoming Engagements: David Coll’s Position, Influence and Matt Marks’s The Little Death, Vol. II for the MATA Festival, and a tour to Amsterdam and Ireland with Alarm Will Sound.

Joshua Jeremiah, baritone. Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania. NYC Opera: Junior in A Quiet Place (cover), Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (cover), Baritone soloist in Who Are You New York: The Songs of Rufus Wainwright, VOX 2011 participant. Career highlights: Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas at Mostly Mozart Festival with Mark Morris Dance Group, Athanaël in Thaïs at Opera Company of Middlebury, Cap-tain Lutte in Noel Coward’s Bitter Sweet at Bard Summer-Scape, Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Glimmerglass Opera, Harlequin in Ariadne auf Naxos, La Rocca in Un giorno di Regno, world premiere of John Mustro’s Valpone in the title role with Wolf Trap Opera (Opera Grammy Nominee), Silvio in I Pagliacci with Spokane Opera, Young Man in The Last Romance in his stage debut with the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. Upcoming: “ A Goyishe Christmas” with New York Festival of Song.

Kathryn Guthrie, soprano. Birthplace: Alexandria, VA. NYC Opera: Marie in Prima Donna by Rufus Wainwright. Career Highlights: Romilda in Xerxes with CT Early Music Festival/Arcadia Players, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and La Feé in Cendrillon with MetroWest Opera, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Chesapeake Concert Opera, Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera del West, First Witch in Dido and Aeneas and Clorinda in La cenerentola (cover) with Glimmerglass Opera. Other Engagements: Pierrot in Pierrot lunaire with Peabody Cantata. Awards/Honors: Winner of Astral Artists 2012 National Auditions, 3rd Place in Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mid-South Region 2010; Hous-ton Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition finalist, Ravinia Festival Steans Institute Program for Singers, 2012. Upcoming Engagements: excerpts from Joseph Summer’s Hamlet (Parma Records).

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Jane Sheldon, soprano. Birthplace: Belmont, NSW, Australia. Career Highlights: performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Pinchgut Opera, Boston Camerata, Boston’s Firebird Ensemble, and Synergy Percussion. Highlights of this season include Gérard Grisey’s Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil with Boston’s Sound Icon, Beat Furrer’s FAMA with Ekemeles and Talea Ensemble, and a staged performance of Giya Kancheli’s Exil for Sydney Chamber Opera (Australia). Awards: Performance of the Year at the Australian Art Music Awards for The Origin Cycle at The Australian Museum. Upcoming Engagements: include the launch of a new album, North + South, with Acacia Ensemble and harpist Genevieve Lang (Australia).

Alex Richardson, tenor. Birthplace: Las Cruces, NM. NYC Opera: André in Prima Donna (cover). Career Highlights: the title role in Werther at Washington National Opera (cover), Cavaradossi in Tosca at Opera Western Reserve, Vaudémont in Iolanta at Dicapo Opera Theater. Other En-gagements: Beethoven Choral Fantasy with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bullfighter in Ainadamar with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Recordings: Five Borough Songbook, GPR Records; Colors of the Diaspora, “Regina Resnik Presents”. TV Performances: Great Performances”Tanglewood 75th Anniversary Celebration”. Awards/Honors: Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Finalist; Encouragement Award, Licia Albanese Pucinni Foundation. Upcoming: Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby at Emmanuel Music (Boston and Tanglewood), Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer at Princeton Festival.

Kirsten Sollek, contralto. Birthplace: Seattle, WA. Kirsten Sollek has been featured with conductors Jane Glover, Andrew Parrott, Helmuth Rilling, and Masaaki Suzuki, and with ensembles Tafelmusik, Minnesota Orchestra, Bach Collegium Japan, and New York Collegium. She has performed and recorded works by Steve Reich extensively with Alarm Will Sound and Signal. She has premiered music by John Zorn in New York, Milan and Paris. Opera roles in-clude covering the title role in Handel’s Rinaldo for Glynde-bourne, Juno in Handel’s Semele, Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina, and Beauty in Blood Rose by Hannah Lash. 2012/13 highlights: Vivaldi’s Gloria with Seattle Baroque Orchestra, the role of Rosmira with Boston Baroque’s production of Handel’s Partenope, and Handel’s Messiah with Kansas City Symphony and Musica Sacra.

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FIRST VIOLINYevgenia StrengerConcertmaster

SECOND VIOLINEllen PaynePrincipal

VIOLADaniel Panner PrincipalLaurance Fader Asst. Principal

CELLOElizabeth Anderson PrincipalRobert LaRue Asst. Principal

BASSLewis PaerPrincipalGail KruvandAsst. Principal

FLUTEBart FellerPrincipal

OBOERandall WolfgangPrincipal

CLARINETLaura FlaxPrincipalMitch Kriegler

BASSOONJeffrey MarchandPrincipal

SAXOPHONEAllen WonPrincipal

HORNRichard HagenPrincipal

TRUMPETDonald BatchelderPrincipal

TROMBONEThomas HutchinsonPrincipal

PERCUSSIONMichael OsrowitzPrincipalMontgomery HatchJames ThomaHARPJune Han, Principal

ACCORDIONWilliam Schimmel

PIANOSusan CaldwellWillian Barto JonesSusan Woodruf- Versage

LIBRARIANMichael Martin

George Steel General Manager and Artistic DirectorAndrea Nellis Managing Director

ARTISTIC Vincent J. Madonna Company Manager Steven Blier Kevin Murphy Casting AdvisorsDavid Titcomb Orchestra ManagerMyra Huang Head of Music StaffCharles Frederic Prestinari Chorus Master

EDUCATION Erika Rauer Director of EducationMelissa Wozniak School Program Administrator

DEVELOPMENTJulia Lazarus Director of Development

new york cityopera ORCHestra

new york city opera administrative staff

Individual Giving Chantel Foretich Development Officer Caryn Kerstetter Reeves Development Officer Oliver Pattenden Associate Manager of Membership Mark Roper Manager of Stewardship and Board Relations

Institutional GivingMichael Gary Director of Institutional Gifts Development CommunicationsMark Moorman Director of Development Communications Special EventsMarie Masters Manager of Special EventsRyan Brodlieb Special Events and Patron Services Associate Donor InformationFrances O’Connell Database Administrator

EXECUTIVE OFFICEAulden Kaye Assistant to the General Manager and Artistic Director FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIONStephanie Jernstrom Director of Finance Megan Marshall Budget Manager Leah Johnson Payroll Administration Edgar Donoso Accounts Payable Manager

MARKETING Bill Updegraff Director of Marketing Kyle Fox Marketing Coordinator

Creative Services Victor-John Villanueva Art Director

Ticket Services Maura Leahy Ticket Services Manager Katie Lawton Matthew Macri Account Executives Retail Operations and Volunteer Services Eric Hagmueller Director of Retail Operations and Volunteer Services Jay Thompson Thrift Shop Manager

PRODUCTION Barbara Wohlsen Director of Production Michelle Gilligan Production Coordinator

Peggy ImbrieVOX Stage Manager Scenery Chuck Giles Technical Director Lighting Tess James Lighting Director Dan Gallagher Assistant Lighting Director Properties Karin M.White Properties Director Wardrobe Bettina Bierly Wardrobe Director Ginger Blake Russ Vogler Costume Supervisors Maria L. Merino Workroom Supervisor

Hair & Makeup Suzy Alvarez Director of Hair and Makeup Tom Molinelli Makeup Supervisor Supertitles Lisa Jablow Supertitles Associate

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VOX 2012 is made possible

with leadership support

from The Andrew W.

Mellon Foundation.

Major support is provided

by The Aaron Copland

Fund for Music, Inc.,

The Francis Goelet

Charitable Lead Trusts,

and The Helen F.

Whitaker Fund.

Additional support is

provided by The Amphion

Foundation, Inc. and the

Virgil Thomson

Foundation, Ltd.

Thank you to Joan

and Larry Sorkin for

sponsoring the VOX 2012

launch reception.

Public support is

provided by the New York

city Department of

Cultural Affairs and the

New York State Council

on the Arts.

A PROGRAM OFNEW YORK CITY OPERA BOARD

Charles R. Wall Chairman

HRH Princess Alexandra of Greece

Susan L. Baker John E. Baumgardner, Jr. John H. Biggs Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg* James C. Marlas Caroline Cronson Mary Sharp Cronson Jennie DeScherer* Brooke Hayward Duchin Edmée de M. Firth Michael E. Gellert Joan Granlund Susan Zises Green Nizam P. Kettaneh Hon. Kate D. Levin* Helen Little Lynn J. Loacker Mark W. Newhouse Roy G. Niederhoffer Martin J. Oppenheimer Charles I. Petschek Marc Powell Matt Ringel Elliott K. Slade III Mrs. James C. Slaughter Alair A. Townsend* Herbert M. Wachtell Emilie Roy Corey

*ex officio

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The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU’s mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center’s mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.nyuskirball.org

INVEST IN THE FUTURE:The Skirball Center’s ability to continue providing affordable ticket prices, presenting high-quality and innovative performances, supporting exciting young artists and developing new audiences for the future of live performance relies on the generous support of our friends.

Consider making a gift today, become a Friend of the Skirball Center and influence the future of the performing arts. Contributions are welcome through our website or checks made out to ‘NYU Skirball Center’ can be mailed to 60 Washington Square, Suite 503, NY, NY 10012.

NYU SKIRBALL CENTER:Executive Producer: L. Jay OlivaSenior Director: Michael HarringtonExecutive Assistant to Dr. Oliva: Patrice FealyOperations Director: Amy CoombsAssistant Director, Marketing and Communications: Donald WebsterProduction Manager: Jason AdamsManager, Ticket Services: Lori MooreInterim Manager, Ticket Services: Ellen HoltBusiness Manager: Liz OlsonDevelopment Communications Manager: Kimberly OlstadFront of House Manager: Ian TabatchnickAssistant Box Office Manager: Jason StuartAdministrative Coordinator: Barbara EspinozaHead Audio Technician: Ethan BadeHead Lighting Technician: Jeffrey CollierHead Stage Technician: Erik FulkAssociate Audio Technician: Alan BuschAssociate Lighting Technician: Stephanie ShechterCompany Manager: Erin Hopkins*

Assistant House Managers: Adam Kreiselman*, Yvonne Rigby*, Molly Roberson*, Kelly Strandemo*

Head Ushers: Karen Hashley*, Ashley Horton*, Arielle Siegal*, Mindy Baucicot*, Shawn Belpanno*, Josh Blye*, Grayson Brannen*, Evelyn Cruzatte*, Amara Dieter*, Chelsea Garbell*, Ryan Hamelin*, Coleen Jasinski*, Meagan Kensil*, Rebecca Kostell*, Michelle Kuchuk*, Katelyn Manfre*, Jennie McGuinness*, Justin Pifer*, Stephanie Plachy*, Paul Sanguino*, Ari Schrier*, Spencer Young*Ushers: Adam Carey*, Shelby Coleman*, Jonathan Crevier*, Julia Deutsch*, Mahliesia Douglas*, Samantha Garlock*, Danielle Gimbal*, Elena Glass*, Lucas Green*, Alison Holcomb*, Jamie Kingston*, Blaine Miller*, Justice Nnanna*, Addie Ogunfowora*, Cindy Raphael*, Jefferson Reardon*, Julie Regula*, Karla Romero*, Daniel Seth*, Dustin Smith*, Mallika Bhargava*, Julian Cloutier*, Deena Fink*, Katie Meade*, Stephanie Polanco*, Le Zhang*

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Administrative Assistants: Hannah Klein*, Lauren Lawson*, Jamie Lutz*, Amanda McLoughlin*, Michelle Nicotera*, Jane Whitty*

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NEW YORK UNIVERSITY:President: John SextonProvost: David McLaughlinExecutive Vice President: Michael AlfanoExecutive Vice President, Operations: Alison LearyVice President, Auxiliary Services: Robert Kivetz