May 4–19, 2024 | McCaw Hall
In This Program
- Welcome
- Cast
- Artists, Orchestra, Chorus
- Celebrating 60 Years!
- Barber (as Remembered by its Creators)
- Barber’s Mix & Match
- Thank You, Professor!
- Print Edition
- More about Seattle Opera
Welcome
From the General Director
Welcome to Gioachino Rossini’s wildly funny and exceedingly popular The Barber of Seville. Full of wit, whimsy, and mistaken identity, this comic masterpiece is among opera’s most rewarding titles. And if this is your first Barber, you will fall in love with the infectious tunes, vocal pyrotechnics, and precise comic acting. You’ll want to see it again and again!
Rossini’s The Barber of Seville is performed every year by companies around the world. However, his adaptation of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’s play is not the first. That honor goes to another Italian composer, Giovanni Paisiello. Paisiello penned another popular version 35 years earlier. So out of respect to Paisiello, Rossini originally titled his opera Almaviva, or The Useless Precaution. When Rossini’s Barber premiered in Rome, the audience was packed with Paisiello fans who heckled and jeered the performance. But by the second night, the troublemakers were silenced, and Rossini’s Barber was on the way to being the great comic work that we keep adoring today and beyond.
In tonight’s production, stage director Lindy Hume’s colorful imagination is on full display—the sets, costumes, and staging exemplify her sense of humor and creativity. Our singers are exceptional! Among them are returning Duke Kim (Count Almaviva), Taylor Raven (Rosina), and Kevin Burdette and Ashraf Sewailam (Doctor Bartolo). And we are happy to welcome two new Figaros—Luke Sutliff and Sean Michael Plumb—making their Seattle Opera debuts. Megan Moore (Rosina), César Cortés (Count Almaviva), and Deanne Meek (Berta) are the other singers appearing in McCaw Hall for the first time. All in all, the artistry in this production is extraordinary. Outstanding music performed by very funny singers is the perfect combination for an opera buffa.
The Barber of Seville has many memorable moments. Two stand out for me. The duet “All’idea di quel metallo” in Act I is one. It captures the mercenary relationship between Count Almaviva and Figaro, who eagerly signs up to help Almaviva win Rosina when promised a substantial reward. The deal has a hefty price; Figaro is a businessman who likes money. Another moment I adore is the fast movement of the Act 1 finale. The chaos and frenzy—everyone frantically trying to figure out what is going on—is an exhilarating ending to the first half of the story.
As we begin this performance, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Naomi André, who ends her term as Seattle Opera’s inaugural Scholar in Residence this season. For the past five seasons, Naomi has shared her vast knowledge of the art form with you through her program articles, podcasts, and conversations with artists and others. She also has been a trusted adviser and friend to members of the staff. Thank you, Naomi, for your enthusiasm for opera and your dedication to Seattle Opera.
One last thing before the overture starts. My time as Seattle Opera’s General Director is coming to an end. I am humbled to have led this incredible organization. It is not easy to leave this impressive staff. Every team member is highly professional and greatly skilled. I am confident that they will continue their dedicated work under the next General Director. I will miss all of them. And, of course, I will miss you—our passionate audience members, closest supporters, and dearest friends. It seems like only months ago when I stood in front of the stage as your General Director for the first time. You welcomed me into to your community with open arms. So, whether I am nearby or far away, Seattle is part of me. Being a member of this extraordinary body of music lovers has shaped me deeply. I will always cherish and honor my time here with you.
Thank you,
Christina Scheppelmann
First: Seattle Opera Board President Lesley Chapin Wyckoff seen here with outgoing General Director Christina Scheppelmann, who has been appointed General and Artistic Director of La Monnae/De Munt in Brussels, Belgium. Second: General Director Christina Scheppelmann discusses technical aspects of the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns with Afghan film and stage director Roya Sadat and Seattle Opera’s Director of Production Doug Provost. Third: Christina Scheppelmann, Seattle Opera General Director, approaches the pitcher’s mound T-Mobile Park, where she threw the Ceremonial First Pitch in 2022.
From the President
Welcome to The Barber of Seville, culminating our 60th anniversary season on the McCaw Hall stage with a burst of spring color!
What a season! An entirely new experience of Das Rheingold with the orchestra right on stage. Alcina, truly magical: both the story of enchantment and the ravishing singing. The groundbreaking success of X: The Life and Times of Malcom X. A 60th Anniversary gala concert featuring a constellation of vocal star power. Now The Barber of Seville!
None of this would be possible without you, our audience. We are grateful for the many ways you support Seattle Opera: purchasing tickets, bringing friends, spreading the word. And for so many, supporting us with your generosity. Please note that this program is truly hefty! It includes a listing of all those who have recently donated $50 or more, including tributary donations to honor others. Won’t you join them? We value every gift and every gift-er.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
More thanks! To the astounding artists, on stage and off, who delight us with every production. To our brilliant and passionate staff. To every one of my fellow board members for all you do for Seattle Opera. And a special shout out to the dedicated committee searching the world for our next General Director, ably led by Chair Jonathan Rosoff. In addition, a huge round of applause to our season’s sponsors, Maryanne Tagney and the late David Jones. To our audience, 50,000-plus strong, especially our avid, loyal subscribers.
Finally, an operatic-sized thank you to our General Director, Christina Scheppelmann, who assumes the position of General and Artistic Director of La Monnae/De Munt in Brussels, Belgium, after this crowning season in Seattle. I know I speak for the board, staff, and audience as we salute her tenure at Seattle Opera, both on and off stage.
Christina arrived in Seattle in the summer of 2019. She hit the ground running, introducing new initiatives, new directions for staff, and planning her first artistic season while skillfully implementing the announced mainstage season.
And then, almost immediately…COVID. Our stage was dark, our audience was in quarantine, and Christina faced unprecedented challenges. Yet the circumstances revealed Christina’s extraordinary attributes, qualities that continued to reveal themselves throughout her tenure.
First of all, courage. When the world was wide-eyed and flailing, Christina immediately took command. Through digitally streamed recitals and full-length operas, she delivered the promised season and more to our loyal subscribers. She even presented extra programming, including online educational events, libretto writing workshops, and the Path with Art Veterans Choir. Behind the scenes, she carefully worked with the staff to pave a way towards a post-pandemic future.
Christina’s flexibility and inventiveness during COVID was the result of deep international experience in the field. Season after season, she has delighted us with new talent, introducing more than one hundred new artists to Seattle for company debuts, with nearly fifty coming from abroad.
Her experience has also been invaluable in curating new operatic experiences for Seattle with contemporary works like Blue, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, Bound, last season’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, and next season’s Jubilee. A Thousand Splendid Suns generated global media attention and was nominated for an International Opera Award. Surprising fresh takes on the standard canon sparked creativity and innovation. Programs like the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab, the Resident Artist program, and the Seattle Arts Fellowship, all launched during her tenure, pointed prospective talent toward creative fields and arts administration.
And Christina’s vision for outreach is not relegated to audience development, as important as that is. Under her leadership, artistic development is combined with good citizenship, to the advantage of both. The company has built relationships that benefit our community while also expanding opera’s reach and accessibility. As examples, Seattle Opera has supported food and supply drives, aided at free health clinics, hosted community blood drives, offered free outdoor performances, hosted an artist’s market, and initiated Sensory Friendly Performances. Each of these efforts reached people new to Seattle Opera. Not coincidentally, single ticket sales are growing.
Courage, flexibility, inventiveness, experience, vision. With those characteristics, it is no wonder Christina’s accomplishments have been many, and her supporters more.
Christina, we reluctantly bid you a very fond farewell, confident that you will have enormous success in Brussels. Know that you will always have a home in Seattle, and we are counting on seeing you back soon.
We thank you, Christina: visionary, leader, and friend.
Lesley Chapin Wyckoff, President
Seattle Opera Board of Directors
The Barber of Seville
Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Cesare Sterbini
Premiere: Teatro Argentina, Rome, Italy, February 1816
Seattle Opera Premiere: September 1966
Performed at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall:
May 4, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, 18, & 19
Evening Performances: 7:30 PM
Matinees: 2:00 PM
Act I: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Intermission: 25 minutes
Act II: 47 minutes
In Italian with English captions
CONDUCTOR
Valentina Peleggi†
DIRECTOR
Lindy Hume
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER
Daniel Pelzig
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Tracy Grant Lord
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Matthew Marshall
WIGS, HAIR, AND MAKEUP DESIGNER
Ashlee Naegle
CHORUS MASTER
Michaella Calzaretta
ENGLISH CAPTIONS
Jonathan Dean
Cast
(in order of vocal appearance)
FIORELLO
Michael J. Hawk†*
COUNT ALMAVIVA
Duke Kim (May 4, 10, 17, & 19)
César Cortés† (May 5, 12, 15, & 18)
FIGARO
Sean Michael Plumb† (May 4, 10, 17, & 19)
Luke Sutliff† (May 5, 12, 15, & 18)
ROSINA
Megan Moore† (May 4, 10, 17, & 19)
Taylor Raven† (May 5, 12, 15, & 18)
DR. BARTOLO
Kevin Burdette (May 4, 10, 17, & 19)
Ashraf Sewailam (May 5, 12, 15, & 18)
AMBROGIO
Marc Kenison/Waxie Moon
BERTA
Deanne Meek†
DON BASILIO
William Guanbo Su†
AN OFFICER (SERGEANT)
Zachary Martin†
NOTARY
James Galbraith
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Philip A. Kelsey
MUSICAL PREPARATION
Philip A. Kelsey
David McDade
Jay Rozendaal
STAGE MANAGER
Adrienne Bader
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Sandra Moore, Quinn Chase
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Amanda Balter
† Seattle mainstage debut
* Cover artist
A co-production between Opera Queensland, Seattle Opera, and New Zealand Opera.
Opera presentation and production © Seattle Opera 2024. Copying of any performance by camera, audio, or video recording equipment, and by any other copying device, and any other use of such copying devices during the performance is prohibited.
The Story
ACT I
Outside the house of Dr. Bartolo in Seville. Accompanied by the servant Fiorello and a group of hired musicians, Count Almaviva serenades his beloved Rosina from beneath her window. Along comes Figaro—barber, doctor, matchmaker, and self-styled “factotum” to all of Seville. Figaro informs the Count, his former employer, that Rosina is the ward of old Dr. Bartolo. In a second serenade, the Count fabricates an identity as a poor student named “Lindoro” (since he wants to be loved for himself, and not his riches). After observing Dr. Bartolo make plans to marry Rosina himself, the Count and Figaro plot to foil Bartolo’s plans. In order to get the Count into Bartolo’s house, Figaro will disguise the Count as a drunken soldier to be billeted there.
Inside the house, Rosina declares her intention to have the man she wants. Don Basilio, Rosina’s singing teacher, warns Dr. Bartolo that Count Almaviva has designs on Rosina, and Basilio suggests that slander would be the best way to get rid of him. Bartolo insists they draw up his marriage contract to Rosina immediately. Figaro, who overhears their plot, warns Rosina, promises to deliver a note from her to “Lindoro,” and departs. The suspicious Dr. Bartolo deduces that Rosina has written someone a letter and heckles her. The Count bursts into the house in his drunken soldier disguise and insists that he is to lodge there, despite Dr. Bartolo’s strenuous objections.
Their ensuing quarrel becomes a public disturbance.
INTERMISSION
ACT II
Later that afternoon. Having gotten rid of the drunken soldier, Dr. Bartolo opens his doors to the Count—disguised this time as Don Alonso, Don Basilio’s substitute music teacher. “Don Alonso” allays Dr. Bartolo’s suspicions by giving Dr. Bartolo the letter Rosina wrote to “Lindoro,” and describes his plan to slander Lindoro, who is clearly pursuing women on the Count’s behalf. At her singing lesson, Rosina sings an aria from The Useless Precaution, her favorite opera. Meanwhile Figaro, who is giving Dr. Bartolo a shave, manages to steal a key to the house. Don Basilio enters suddenly, beginning a quintet; but the others quickly boot him out the door, and quintet becomes quartet. Dr. Bartolo finally discovers the lovers’ plot and kicks the Count and Figaro out of his house. Dr. Bartolo asks Don Basilio to fetch the notary so Bartolo can marry Rosina at once.
Bartolo shows Rosina her letter and tells her that her “Lindoro” is really wooing her on behalf of another man, Count Almaviva. Rosina’s faith in Lindoro is shattered.
During a storm, Figaro and the Count, using the stolen key, enter with the intention of liberating Rosina. When Rosina refuses to go with them, “Lindoro” reveals his true identity. Basilio is threatened and bribed into witnessing the marriage of Almaviva and Rosina. Bartolo concedes defeat and blesses the lovers.
Artist Bios
KEVIN BURDETTE
Doctor Bartolo
Bass (Knoxville, TN)
Seattle Opera Debut: Mustafà, The Italian Girl in Algiers (’06)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Dr. Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (’22); Somarone, Beatrice and Benedict (’18); Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte (’18); Masetto, Don Giovanni (’07)
Engagements: Stefano, The Tempest (Teatro alla Scala); Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd (Austin Opera); The Police Officer, Boris Godunov (Metropolitan Opera); Voltaire/Pangloss, Candide and Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Atlanta Opera); Papinou, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Dallas Opera)
MICHAELLA CALZARETTA
Chorus Master (Muscatine, IA)
Seattle Opera Debut: The Elixir of Love (’22)
Michaella Calzaretta made her Seattle Opera debut in 2022 as the company’s new chorus master and head of music staff. Acclaimed for her high standards and superb preparation skills, Calzaretta oversees all musical activities at the company and prepares the chorus for main stage productions. This January, the chorus embarked on their immensely successful first-ever tour to Mt. Vernon and Vashon Island. Recent praise includes “Her chorus was one of the stars... the voices were radiant” (Bachtrack) and “... the singers are both zesty and accurate (they’re also extremely nimble)” (The Seattle Times). Calzaretta is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at Indiana University.
CÉSAR CORTÉS
Count Almaviva
Tenor (Cali, Colombia)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Fundació Òpera a Catalunya); Ernesto, Don Pasquale (Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf); An Italian Singer, Der Rosenkavalier (Irish National Opera); Belmonte, The Abduction from the Seraglio (Orchestra Cuidad de Granada); Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Rossini Festival in Wildbad); Count Ory, Count Ory (Teatro Comunale de Bologna)
MICHAEL J. HAWK
Fiorello
Baritone (Fredonia, NY)
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut
Resident Artist 2023/24
Engagements: Papageno, The Magic Flute (Buffalo Philharmonic); Bass Soloist, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Ophémon, The Anonymous Lover, Speaker, The Magic Flute, and Schaunard, La bohème (LA Opera); Demetrius, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Fe Opera)
LINDY HUME
Stage Director (Sydney, Australia)
Seattle Opera Debut: Count Ory (’16)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Cinderella (’19); Rigoletto (’19); The Barber of Seville (’17)
Engagements: Carmen (Oper Leipzig); Così fan tutte (New Zealand Opera); La bohème (Staatsoper Unter den Linden); Winterreise (Musica Viva Australia); Rigoletto (Opera Philadelphia); Cinderella (Gewandhaus Leipzig)
DUKE KIM
Count Almaviva
Tenor (Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Seattle Opera Debut: Alfredo, La traviata (’23)
Engagements: Faust, Faust (Irish National Opera and Berkshire Opera Festival); Alfredo, La traviata (Pittsburgh Opera); Romeo, Romeo and Juliet (Washington National Opera, Florentine Opera, and Opera San Antonio); Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera); Tenor Soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Teatro Colón); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Atlanta Opera)
MARC KENISON (WAXIE MOON)
Ambrogio
Bass (Seattle WA/ Columbia, SC)
Seattle Opera Debut: Ambrogio, The Barber of Seville (’17)
Engagements: Ambrogio, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera); Spirit of Fluidity, SHe Said (Broadway Performance Hall); Waxie Moon, Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas (Theatre Off Jackson). As Waxie Moon, they have performed at Key Arena, The Moore Theatre, Seattle Rep, and other venues.
TRACY GRANT LORD
Production Designer (Auckland, NZ)
Seattle Opera Debut: The Barber of Seville (’17)
Engagements: Sceneographer, The Unruly Tourists, The Marriage of Figaro, Semele, and Turn of the Screw (New Zealand Opera); Semele and Dangerous Liaisons (Queensland Ballet); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal New Zealand Ballet)
MATTHEW MARSHALL
Lighting Designer (Perth, Western Australia)
Seattle Opera Debut: The Barber of Seville (’17)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Cinderella (’19)
Engagements: Lighting Designer, the Ring cycle and La bohéme (Opera Australia); The Marriage of Figaro (New Zealand Opera); Askungen (Royal Swedish Opera); Carmen (Oper Leipzig); Tchaikovsky (Tulsa Ballet)
ZACHARY MARTIN
An Officer (Sergeant)
Baritone (Federal Way, WA)
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut
Previously at Seattle Opera: Beau, Chop Chop (’23); Teacher/Driver, Earth to Kenzie (’22, ’23)
Engagements: Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love (San Francisco Opera Guild); Chorus, Lohengrin and Il trovatore (San Francisco Opera); Father, Hansel and Gretel (University of British Columbia Opera)
DEANNE MEEK
Berta
Mezzo-Soprano (Richland, WA)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Older Woman, Flight (Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera); Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar (Florentine Opera); Amore, Orfeo (Atlanta Opera); Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Teatro alla Scala); Regina, Regina (Utah Opera); Herodias, Salome (Toledo Opera)
MEGAN MOORE
Rosina
Mezzo-Soprano (Cincinnati, OH)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Dorabella, Così fan tutte (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); La Zelatrice and La Ciesca, The Puccini Duo: Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi (San Diego Opera); Little Prince and Princess Miaoyin, Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion (Seattle Symphony); Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni (Berkshire Opera Festival); Ino, The Lord of Cries (Santa Fe Opera)
ASHLEE NAEGLE
Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer (Las Vegas, NV)
Seattle Opera Debut: Hair and Makeup Intern, Julius Caesar (’07)
Ashlee Naegle made a name for herself early on in her career by mastering the art of wig building. She created and designed for several companies in Seattle until Seattle Opera created an in-house Hair and Makeup Designer position for her in 2017. During her time as the in-house Hair and Makeup Designer, she has built a sizable wig collection, built a department, and set high standards for wigs, hair, and makeup. With each production, her designs are custom-built for the performers and their characters to create a believable façade for the audience as well as complement the costumes and production as a whole.
VALENTINA PELEGGI
Conductor (Florence, Italy)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Carmen, La bohème, and Orpheus in the Underworld (English National Opera); Count Ory (Garsington Opera), Rigoletto (Teatro Verdi Trieste); María de Buenos Aires (Opéra National de Lyon)
DANIEL PELZIG
Associate Director & Choreographer (New York, NY)
Seattle Opera Debut: Salome (’01)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Cinderella (’19); Rigoletto (’19); The Barber of Seville (’17)
Engagements: Professor of Theatre and Dance (Boston Conservatory at Berklee); Director, Holiday Inn (Musical Theatre West); Stage Director, Merrie England and The Doctor in Spite of Himself (Odyssey Opera, Boston); Director, The Mikado (Kentucky Opera); Choreographer, Romeo and Juliet (Huntington Theatre)
SEAN MICHAEL PLUMB
Figaro
Baritone (Lawrence, KS)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Harlekin, Ariadne auf Naxos and Schaunard, La bohème (Metropolitan Opera); Albert, Werther (Houston Grand Opera); Maximilian, Candide (Opéra de Lyon); Figaro, The Barber of Seville and Papageno, The Magic Flute (Bayerische Staatsoper)
TAYLOR RAVEN
Rosina
Mezzo-Soprano (Fayetteville, NC)
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut
Previously at Seatle Opera: Hannah After, As One (’16)
Engagements: Charmian, Antony and Cleopatra (Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera); Diana/Giove in Diana, La Calisto (Glimmerglass Festival); Sesto, La clemenza di Tito (Pacific Opera Victoria); Wowkle, La fanciulla del West (The Cleveland Orchestra); Fatima, Omar (San Francisco Opera); Flosshilde, Das Rheingold (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
ASHRAF SEWAILAM
Doctor Bartolo
Bass-Baritone (Cairo, Egypt)
Seattle Opera Debut: Colline, La bohème (’07)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Hakim/Driver A Thousand Splendid Suns (’23); Colline, La bohème (’21); Leporello, Don Giovanni (’14)
Engagements: Mustafà, The Italian Girl in Algiers (Portland Opera); First Priest, The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera); Ferrando, Il trovatore (Pittsburgh Opera); Mr. Costello, Ghosts (San Diego Opera); The Daughter of the Regiment (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (New Orleans Opera)
WILLIAM GUANBO SU
Don Basilio
Bass (Beijing, China)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Speaker of the Temple, The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera); Olin Blitch, Susannah (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Basilio, The Barber of Seville and Cesare Angelotti, Tosca (Austin Opera); Colline, La bohème (Boston Lyric Opera); First Nazarene, Salome (Houston Grand Opera)
LUKE SUTLIFF
Figaro
Baritone (Denver, CO)
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Demetrius, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Atlanta Opera); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (North Carolina Opera); Baritone Soloist, Mahler’s 8th Symphony (NHK Symphony Orchestra); Silvio, Pagliacci (Lyric Opera of Kansas City)
Orchestra
Violin I
Helen Kim, Concertmaster
Eduardo Rios, Asst. Concertmaster
Jennifer Bai
Timothy Garland
Leonid Keylin
Jeannie Wells Yablonsky
Ilana Zaks
Elizabeth Phelps
Violin II
Kathleen Boyer, Principal
Gennady Filimonov, Asst. Principal
Natasha Bazhanov
Linda Cole
Artur Girsky
Andrew Yeung
Viola
Timothy Hale, Principal
Olivia Chew, Asst. Principal
Sayaka Kokubo
Rachel Swerdlow
Allison Farkas
Kayleigh Miller
Cello
Efe Baltacıgil, Principal
Eric Han, Asst. Principal
Katherine Audas
Vivian Gu
Bass
Joseph Kaufman, Principal
Will Langlie-Miletich, Asst. Principal
Sam Casseday
Flute/Piccolo
Demarre McGill, Principal
Bridget Pei
Oboe
Mary Lynch VanderKolk, Principal
Dan Williams
Clarinet
Emil Khudyev, Principal
Laura DeLuca
Bassoon
Luke Fieweger, Principal
Paul Rafanelli
Horn
Mark Robbins, Principal
Jenna Breen
Trumpet
David Gordon, Principal
Christopher Stingle
Percussion
Jonathan Wisner
Matthew Decker
Harpsicord
Philip A. Kelsey, Principal
Guitar
Michael Partington, Principal
Personnel Manager
Liz Kane
Assistant Personnel Manager
Keith Higgins
Rotating members of the string section are listed alphabetically.
The Orchestra is composed of members of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Chorus
Soprano
Jennifer Campbell
Karen Early Evans
Lyndee White
Alto
YeonSoo Lee
Elizabeth Peterson
Heidi Vanderford
Tenor
Nathan Barnes
Andrew Etherington
James Galbraith
Anthony James
Tim Janecke
Eric Jeffords
German Mendoza
Stephen Wall
Baritone/Bass
Craig Grayson
Zach Martin
Michael Monnikendam
Micah Parker
Julian Reisenthel
Jonah Spool
Nathaniel Voth
Supernumerary
Jacob Thorpe
Celebrating 60 Years!
Comedy at Seattle Opera
Opera isn’t always tragedy and death. It can also be funny! Over the years, Seattle Opera has produced many comic memories and laugh-out-loud moments. Here are a few of our favorites:
Barber (as Remembered by its Creators)
...and overheard by Jonathan Dean
the author of the 1775 french play, le barbier de séville, and composer of the 1816 italian opera, il barbiere di siviglia, are discovered standing in line to get a burger...
BEAUMARCHAIS: I can’t believe posterity will know my plays better as operas—yours, and the one by that little Austrian.
ROSSINI: You said it yourself: if it’s too stupid to say, then sing it!
BEAUMARCHAIS: I didn’t say that! That’s Figaro’s line.
ROSSINI: But Figaro is really you. Come on, everybody knows that. They called you fils Caron when you were a boy, apprenticing in your father Père Caron’s watch shop, and the name stuck. And since you French never pronounce your final consonants, it sounded like they were saying “Fi-Caro,” Figaro.
BEAUMARCHAIS: With that logic, you probably thought Rosina was named after you.
ROSSINI: No, no! I have them spell her name in my opera, so everyone can hear the difference. She has only one S, I have two. We Italians pronounce every letter. I am Gioachino Rossini, proud son of Giuseppe Rossini.
BEAUMARCHAIS: I thought your father was called “Vivazza.”
ROSSINI: His nickname, yes, with two Vs and two Zs! A lively fellow: town crier, also inspector of public slaughterhouses. And he played the trumpet.
BEAUMARCHAIS: All at the same time?
ROSSINI: No; but if your slaughterhouse was filthy, pretty soon everyone in Pesaro had heard about it. He had to work three jobs because none of them paid very well. Papa was lucky to bring in two and half francs a day. Me? My fee for The Barber of Seville was 1200 francs. It took me thirteen days to write that opera. So, for those two weeks, I made almost 100 francs a day—forty times my father’s salary!
BEAUMARCHAIS: As Figaro says: “the thought of money transforms my mind into a volcano exploding with genius.”
ROSSINI: When it comes to writing operas, my favorite part is getting paid. Once they raised a fortune to build a statue of me. I told them, “Give me the money and I’ll stand on the pedestal myself.”
BEAUMARCHAIS: At the Comédie Française they were always trying to weasel out of paying me. But The Barber of Seville was so popular, and so much money was at stake, I got them to change the copyright laws.
ROSSINI: Good to know the king, eh?
BEAUMARCHAIS: Fat Louis? Hardly. What a flip-flopper. Least decisive man I ever met. One day he’s presenting my new play; the next he’s throwing me in jail. He wanted to help the American colonies when they broke with Great Britain, but he was too wishy-washy. So I did it. I set up a fake shipping company to smuggle guns and supplies to General Washington. Come to think of it, the United States still owes me millions.
ROSSINI: Forget it—you’ll never see that money. Those Puritans know how to pinch a penny. Too bad they can’t appreciate music, food, love, or life. But tell me this: why would you—a French watchmaker, spy, lawyer, and, I guess, gun-runner—write a play about a Spanish barber?
BEAUMARCHAIS: Well, I was in Madrid. (To rescue my sister from a seducer, as a matter of fact. But that’s another story.) I saw a charming after-dinner show about a self-satisfied barber, and another one about a skeezy priest. I thought it might be funny if those two idiots were involved in your classic comic plot about a young lover rescuing a girl from an old man. And the critics said my Barber of Seville had no plot, no unity, no real characters, and no humor.
ROSSINI: Rough. Opening night of my Barber flopped, too. They started booing in the serenade scene and never really stopped. It got worse when my Basilio stepped on a loose board and it hit him in the face. Nose wouldn’t stop bleeding. Singing made it worse.
BEAUMARCHAIS: I heard you had a cat onstage?
ROSSINI: That damn cat got more applause than the singers. But the worst thing was, our producer had just died a few days earlier. The audience yelled, “This opera killed him!”
BEAUMARCHAIS: I doubt it helped. Why bother making a new Barber of Seville opera at all? Paisiello’s version was still popular.
ROSSINI: It needed a reboot! We called it Almaviva. (Elton John didn’t even bother changing the name when he rewrote Aida.) That also helped because our tenor, Manuel García, wanted to play the title role and sing the most impressive aria. But when García moved on and Paisiello died, people started calling mine The Barber of Seville.
BEAUMARCHAIS: What happened to the tenor’s big aria?
ROSSINI: Oh, the Rosina stole it, the minute his back was turned.
BEAUMARCHAIS: Thief! Wasn’t your overture stolen, too? I love that overture—love what that rascally rabbit did with it.
ROSSINI: That rabbit stole it from me! I stole it from an earlier opera of mine. Whatever works! I ran out of time. Overtures should be written the night before the premiere, when everyone is breathing down your neck for it and tearing out their hair. Have you ever seen an Italian opera producer with hair?
BEAUMARCHAIS: Speaking of tearing out your hair, this line is taking forever. Are you sure this burger is worth it?
ROSSINI: Perhaps we should dine chez moi tonight instead. We’ll start with prosecco and strawberries—a “Rossini,” the bartenders call it—before moving on to Tournedos Rossini served with risotto Rossini. That’s filet mignon fried in butter, topped with foie gras. And the risotto is cooked with champagne. And beef tongue. And more foie gras.
BEAUMARCHAIS: I’m beginning to understand why, as Almaviva puts it, “You look so well-fed.”
ROSSINI: “That’s poverty for you!” No, mon ami, appetite is for the stomach what love is for the heart. The stomach is the conductor who rules the grand orchestra of our passions and rouses it to action. The bassoon grumbling its discontent, or the piccolo shrilling its longing, represent the empty stomach. But a full stomach—there you have the triangle of enjoyment or the timpani of joy.
BEAUMARCHAIS: Bon appétit.
Barber’s Mix & Match
By Glenn Hare
This opera brings three distinct personalities to center stage—a jack of all trades, a master of disguises, and a damsel in distress who is the smartest person in the house. Read what our singers have to say about the characters they’re portraying.
Count Almaviva
Duke Kim
Good guy or bad guy? I think the Count is a good guy at heart, because the reason behind his hiding his identity is not malicious. Of course, it would have been better to be completely honest, but considering his social status, it makes sense for him to want to see if Rosina likes him for who he is, and not for his money.
César Cortés
My best self: No disguises or trying to be someone else for me. Every day, I pretend to be the best version of myself, both spiritually, personally, and ultimately professionally. I’m constantly working on these three things in my life and having this wonderful job.
Figaro
Sean Michael Plumb
Gig worker or entrepreneur? Figaro is a factotum—he does everything! He is a hustler, but not in a negative sense. He is skilled and takes pride in his work…and his reputation. Being known as the “go-to guy” means more to him than anything else! Matchmaker, yes or no: Ha! No, I’m certainly not known as a matchmaker, but I can fake it well enough on stage.
Luke Sutliff
Public servant or savvy hustler? I would characterize Figaro as a “Renaissance man” or a “jack of all trades.” He always finds a way to get what he wants. Figaro’s a charmer who always figures how to fix people’s problems and get them what they want. But he doesn’t do any of his work without payment! I would say he is a savvy street hustler.
Rosina
Megan Moore
More than a pretty face: Rosina is undeterred, inventive, and even maintains her sense of humor in the face of oppressive treatment. Despite the loveless home into which she finds herself thrust, she remains open to reciprocal love and friendship.
Taylor Raven
The right choice: Rosina creates choice where there is none. While her love and admiration for Lindoro is sincere, I believe she chooses herself from her very first aria to the wedding celebration. She knows that she deserves the love of her life. She refuses to be forced into a life she doesn’t want. I think the love of Rosina and the Count serves the larger goal of victory over tyranny.
Thank You, Professor!
Naomi André, PhD has served as Seattle Opera’s Inaugural Scholar in Residence since 2019. Widely recognized for her research, commentary, and love of opera, at Seattle Opera Naomi has contributed program articles, participated in podcasts, and moderated panel discussions. She has been a trusted adviser and friend to members of the staff and Board of Directors. We deeply appreciate her insightful and informative counsel.
NAOMI, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
NaomiAndré is the David G. Frey Distinguished Professor in Music at the University of North Carolina and a 2022/23 Fellow at the National Humanities Center. She is the author of Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement and co-editor of Blackness in Opera and African Performance Arts and Political Acts.
Upcoming Events at Seattle Opera
CLASSICAL KING BROADCASTS
THRU MAY
Join our 60th Anniversary celebration by listening to historic recordings from across the decades throughout May. Tune to Classical KING 98.1 for each broadcast on the radio or listen on your electronic device at ClassicalKING.org.
Of Mice and Men (1976), Fri., May 10, 8:00 PM
Rusalka (1990), Fri., May 17, 8:00 PM
Boris Godunov (2000), Fri., May 24, 8:00 PM
The Flying Dutchman (2016), Fri., May 31, 8:00 PM
MONKEY AND FRANCINE IN THE CITY OF TIGERS
JUNE 8–9
OPERA CENTER
Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers is a 45-minute opera perfect for youth audiences. With music by Kamala Sankaram and libretto by David Johnston, this family-friendly production fuses folktales from India, China, and West Africa together to tell the story of Monkey and his brainy sister, Francine. The siblings must learn to cooperate to escape a hungry crocodile and outwit the greedy Lord of the Tigers. Combining multiple styles of music from Bollywood, Ethiopian jazz, Latin, and classical, the opera shares the timeless message that we all have different strengths, but when we work together, anything is possible. Sunday, June 9, at 11:00 AM will be a sensory-friendly performance. A sensory-friendly performance can be enjoyed by all patrons, but we also include extra supports for our patrons with neurodiverse needs.
SEATTLEOPERA.ORG/MONKEY
18 AND UNDER: $10; ADULTS: $25; 1 FLEX PASS credit
OPERA TIME
ONGOING THRU JUNE
OPERA CENTER & SEATTLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Read together and sing together at this interactive musical storytime. Opera Time supports language, literacy, and socio-emotional development for children ages 2–5. Children and their parents/guardians move through a progressive curriculum that explores opera and the arts through songs, stories, and creative play.
SEATTLEOPERA.ORG/OPERATIME
PAY WHAT YOU WISH, SUGGESTED CONTRIBUTION $5
SEATTLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION
DIVO TO DIVA: ANITA SPRITZER IN RECITAL
JUNE 27, 7:30PM
OPERA CENTER
With big wigs, over-the-top looks, and comedic charm, local drag star Anita Spritzer brings her live one-woman show to Seattle Opera. Watch her dazzle us with her bold personality and marvelous tenor voice—one that might sound familiar, as this fierce diva is in fact Seattle Opera favorite and local tenor John Marzano! Ms. Spritzer will bring you to your feet as she embarks on a musical journey from past to present with selections from the musical theater and operatic worlds alike. Join us for this very special Pride Week spectacle!
SEATTLEOPERA.ORG/ANITA-SPRITZER
General Public: $39; Subscribers: $34; 1 Flex Pass Credit
SUMMER CAMPS
JULY 8–12 & 22–26
OPERA CENTER
Explore opera and musical theater in Seattle Opera’s fantastically fun camps and workshops for kids and teens. Develop skills and knowledge about the performing arts and find friends who share your interests. No experience necessary and financial assistance is available.
Artful Explorers & Maestros:
July 8–12, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
For ages 7–13, our campers will have the opportunity to create original opera stories, learn songs from actual operas, and put it all together into their very own opera performance to be presented for friends and family at the end of the week.
Teen Performance Workshop:
July 22–26, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
For teen performers, we’re offering a weeklong vocal intensive in which participants will receive individual voice lessons and learn scenes and songs from the vast classical repertoire. No prior musical or theatrical experience is necessary.
SEATTLEOPERA.ORG/CAMPS
FEE: $385, SLIDING SCALE
OPERA CENTER FALL OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21
Save the date!
Sponsors
2023/24 Season Sponsors
Maryanne Tagney & David Jones
Principal Singer Season Sponsor
Joan Watjen – In Memory of Craig M. Watjen
Production Sponsors
Tom McQuaid
ArtsWA
We are deeply grateful to you, Seattle Opera’s 3,600+ Annual Fund Donors. Your passion for opera and contributions at every dollar amount inspire great performances in McCaw Hall, and support engaging activities at the Opera Center and throughout Washington State all season long.
Thank you!
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