Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

For the past four decades, Christopher Alden has been busy producing opera around the globe, consistently committed to keeping the art form challenging and vital.

In the 2015-16 season, Christopher Alden staged the Canadian world premiere production of Pyramus and Thisbe at the Canadian Opera Company. He then revived his successful production of Norma for the English National Opera, followed by his directorial debut of a new Tristan und Isolde at Staatstheater Karlsruhe. He returned to Seattle Opera to direct his famous production of Der fliegende Holländer and staged a new production of Sweeney Todd for the Glimmerglass Festival in the summer of 2016.

Recently, Mr. Alden returned to San Francisco Opera for Handel’s Partenope, Opera North in Leeds for a double-bill of La

vida breve/Gianni Schicchi, and Opéra National de Bordeaux for Norma. He also staged a new production of The Rake’s Progress at Theater Braunschweig. Mr. Alden returned to the English National Opera for two productions in the 2013-14 season (Die Fledermaus and Rigoletto). He revived his highly-acclaimed Norma in Chemnitz and staged Cosi fan tutte for the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel conducting. He also directed a new production of Il turco in Italia for Aix- en-Provence which was then seen at Teatro Regio in Torino.

Mr. Alden opened the 2012-13 season with a new production of Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus for the Canadian Opera Company, where he returned later in the season for another new production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. In the fall of 2012, Portland audiences had the opportunity to see his highly-acclaimed production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In the spring of 2013, Mr. Alden returned to New York City Opera to direct a new production of Offenbach’s La Périchole, followed by a newly- staged production of Le nozze di Figaro for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in collaboration with Gustavo Dudamel and Paris set/costume design team Jean Nouvel and Azzedine Alaia. Mr. Alden finished the season in Europe, where he directed a production of Britten’s Peter Grimes for Staatstheater Karlsruhe.

Born in New York City, Mr. Alden’s long and varied career has included many directorial engagements in North America and abroad, where he works regularly with the most distinguished companies in the United States. Past highlights of his career include Norma (Opera North); Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni and A Quiet Place (New York City Opera); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (English National Opera and Stanislavsky Theatre, Moscow); Les contes d’Hoffmann (Santa Fe Opera); Partenope (English National Opera and Opera Australia); Les contes d’Hoffmann, L’incoronazione di Poppea, I vespri siciliani, and Das verratene Meer (San Francisco Opera); La clemenza di Tito (Chicago Opera Theater); Der fliegende Holländer, Le nozze di Figaro and Wozzeck (Dallas Opera); La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, and Harvey Milk (Houston Grand Opera); Aida (Deutsche Oper Berlin); The Makropulos Case (Prague National Theatre); Idomeneo (Grand Théâtre de Genève); and Djamileh (Opéra National de Lyon).

Mr. Alden’s production of Handel’s Partenope has been awarded the prestigious Olivier Award for Best UK opera production of 2008/09 as well as Australia’s prestigious Helpmann award for Best Opera in 2011. His production of Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stanislavsky Theater in Moscow) won the Golden Mask Award for best Russian opera production in 2012.

The music of American composer Mark Grey has been performed in such venues as the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Barbican Centre in London, Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Philharmonie Hall in Warsaw, UNESCO Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Royce Hall in Los Angeles, as well as at the Ravinia, Cabrillo, OtherMinds, Perth International, and Spoleto festivals.

Mr. Grey has been commissioned by The National Opera of Belgium La Monnaie | de Munt Opera to write an evening length grand opera to premiere during the 2018/19 season in Brussels. The subject of the opera is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – to commemorate the novel’s 200 year anniversary. A 35-minute symphonic version of the opera, titled FRANKENSTEIN SYMPHONY, has been commissioned and premiered by the Atlanta Symphony and co-commissioned by the Berkeley Symphony, with performances spring 2016.

San Francisco Chronicle picks FRANKENSTEIN SYMPHONY in top five classical music choices for 2016.
Other highlights in 2016 – a solo violin work for Jennifer Koh which premiered at the New York Philharmonic’s Biennial.

Recent commissions include works for The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Leila Josefowicz, Paul Dresher Ensemble, The California EARUnit, and Joan Jeanrenaud (former Kronos Quartet cellist), and several others.

During a two month period in the spring of 2011, Mr. Grey received three world premieres in three of the world’s great concert halls. The first work was for soprano Jessica Rivera and The MEME Ensemble, titled Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels), a Carnegie Hall, Cal Performances and Meet The Composer co-commission, which premiered at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall. The libretto for this work was created by poet Niloufar Talebi. The second work, titled Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon), for violinist Jennifer Koh, The Los Angeles Master Chorale, and chamber orchestra premiered at The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Finally, Mr. Grey was commissioned by The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to write a fanfare for orchestra celebrating Robert Spano’s Tenth Anniversary as Music Director and Donald Runnicles’ Tenth Anniversary as Principal Guest Conductor.

Grey was The Phoenix Symphony’s Composer In Residence for their 2007/08 season. He composed a 70-minute oratorio, Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio, for baritone, chorus of 130 singers, and full orchestra, which premiered in February 2008. The work was recorded and released on Naxos Records.
Grey was listed by the The Los Angeles Times – Faces to Watch 2006, Classical Music Section, by Mark Swed.

Grey’s music can be heard on Naxos (Enemy Slayer), Joan Jeanrenaud’s debut CD Metamorphosis on New Albion Records, NPR/Nonesuch Records/Carnegie Hall radio series Creators at Carnegie, and Warner Classics (Josefowicz, San Andreas Suite).

As a sound designer for three decades, Mark Grey has collaborated with such artists and organizations as John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, Boosey & Hawkes, and made history as the first sound designer for The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall (On the Transmigration of Souls, 2002) and The Metropolitan Opera (Doctor Atomic, 2008, Nixon in China, 2011, Death ofKlinghoffer, 2014, The Merry Widow, 2015, Bluebeard’s Castle/Iolanta, 2015, L’Amour de Loin, 2016). His sound design creations have been seen and heard throughout most major concert halls, HD simulcast theatres and opera houses worldwide.

https://markgreymusic.com

Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo began performing professionally at the age of 11 and has since appeared in opera, concert, recital, film, and on Broadway.

This season, Mr. Costanzo makes his debuts at the Los Angeles Opera as the title role in Phillip Glass’ Ahknaten, the Finnish National Opera in Kaija Sariaaho’s Only the Sound Remains, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in performances of Messiah, and with both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic as Prince Go-Go in performances of Le Grand Macabre, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and directed by Peter Sellars. He also produces and stars in his critically acclaimed show, Orphic Moments, at the Landestheater in Salzburg and stars as Farnace in Vivaldi’s opera of the same name at the Spoleto Festival.

Mr. Costanzo has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as both Ferdinand and Prospero in the world premiere of The Enchanted Island, as well as Prince Orlofsky in a new production of Die Fledermaus after making his debut as Unulfo in Rodelinda. He made his European debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in Rinaldo and has since appeared at the English National Opera in Indian Queen and Ahknaten. He has also appeared in recent seasons with San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro Real Madrid, Dallas Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Palm Beach Opera, The North Carolina Opera, and as a guest with Juilliard Opera.

In concert, Mr. Costanzo appeared in the New York Philharmonic’s acclaimed production of Le Grand Macabre, performed Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Orff’s Carmina Burana with The Cleveland Orchestra, and sang Messiah at Carnegie Hall. He has also appeared in concert with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) at both the Mostly Mozart Festival and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with Jordi Savall in Barcelona, Paris, and Versailles, with Ian Bostrdige and Julius Drake at the Teatro Real, and at the Spoleto Festival USA. In addition he has been a featured soloist with the orchestras of Indianapolis, Alabama, Detroit, Denver, Seattle and with the National Symphony Orchestra. He has also been presented in recital in Vancouver, Princeton University Concerts, Duke Performances, and at the Morgan Library in New York.

A champion of new work, Mr. Costanzo recently created roles in the world premieres of Jimmy Lopez’ Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Jake Heggie’s Great Scott at the Dallas Opera. He has also premiered works written for him by Matthew Aucoin, Paola Prestini, Gregory Spears, Suzanne Farrin, Bernard Rands, Scott Wheeler, Mohammed Fairouz, and Steve Mackey. In the spring of 2017 will premiere a new work by Nico Muhly in Boston.

Mr. Costanzo is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, and recently helped create two unique presentations of The Tales of Genji with sold-out runs in Kyoto that incorporated traditional Kabuki, Noh actors, dancers and western music. He also created a pasticcio about castrati in collaboration with choreographer Karole Armitage and filmmaker James Ivory which was chronicled by the documentarian Gerardo Puglia. The subsequent film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, qualified for an Academy Award, and aired on PBS affiliates. Mr. Costanzo played Francis in the Merchant Ivory film, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and Simon in Brice Cauvin’s De particulier a particulier. Working with composers, choreographers, directors and performance artists, he has appeared in New York venues such as Le Poisson Rouge, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Joe’s Pub, The Park Avenue Armory, The Guggenheim Museum, and Merkin Concert Hall.

In 2012, Mr. Costanzo won first place in Placido Domingo’s international competition Operalia. He is also a 2009 Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He won a George London Award, received a career grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and became the first countertenor to win First Place in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCullom competition, where he also won the audience choice prize. He received a Sullivan Foundation Award, and won First Place in the Opera Index Competition, the National Opera Association Vocal Competition, and the Jensen Foundation Competition.

Mr. Costanzo graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University where he was awarded the Lewis Sudler Prize for extraordinary achievement in the arts and where he has returned to teach both a course and master classes. He received his Masters of Music at Manhattan School of Music and won the Hugh Ross Award for a singer of unusual promise. In his youth, he performed on Broadway and in Broadway National Tours including A Christmas Carol, The Sound of Music, and Falsettos. He began his operatic endeavors playing Miles in The Turn of the Screw, and with an appearance alongside Luciano Pavarotti.

https://anthonyrothcostanzo.com

Davóne Tines, deemed a “…singer of immense power and fervor…” by The Los Angeles Times and a “…charismatic, full- voiced bass-baritone…” by The New York Times, is building an international career commanding a broad spectrum of opera and concert performance. The 2015-16 season offered breakout performances on both sides of The Atlantic: the Dutch National Opera presented his company debut starring opposite French counter tenor Philippe Jaroussky in the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Only the Sound Remains directed by Peter Sellars and The Los Angeles Times exalted Davóne Tines as “the find of the season,” for performances of Caroline Shaw’s By & By with the Calder Quartet and Kaija Saariaho’s Sombre with members of ICE at the Ojai Music Festival.

Performances of the present season include John Adams’ El Niño under the composer’s baton with the London Symphony Orchestra in London and on tour in France as well as with Grant Gershon conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bruckner’s Te Deum with Christopher Warren-Green and the Charlotte Symphony, and the Paris premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s True Fire with the Orchestre national de France. On the opera stage, Davóne Tines makes his debuts at Lisbon’s Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in a new production of Oedipus Rex led by Leo Hussain and at the Finnish National Opera reprising the roles he created at the Dutch National Opera in Saariaho’s Only the Sound Remains directed by Peter Sellars. National Sawdust brings to the stage Requiem for: A Tuesday, a ceremony of music and dance created and administered by Davóne Tines with his collaborator, Helga Davis, during which the audience is invited to witness and face collective and individual engagements of mortality and fear in the context of racialized police brutality. Requiem for: A Tuesday is reprised during the season in further performances across North America.

Highlights of the recent past include the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s opera, Crossing, directed by multi Tony Award- winning director Diane Paulus, for which The Wall Street Journal called him a “glowing bass-baritone” and the Stylus Music Journal said he “…brought the house down with his eloquent and painful singing” in the leading role of Freddie Stowers. Davóne Tines also premiered the one-man chamber opera, American Gothic, for which Details applauded his “…lush voice” and stated that “each section of the work benefits from Tines’ heartbreakingly rendered supplications…”

Mr. Tines performed with the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood where he was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow. He has given performances of La bohème at the Royal Opera House Oman, La fanciulla del West with the Castelton Festival and on tour in Spain, as well as Otello all under the baton of Lorin Maazel.

Canadian soprano Ambur Braid is quickly establishing herself as an artist to watch and can “deliver the trifecta of crystalline high notes, blissfully graceful vocal cadenzas and deep emotional intensity” in the dramatic coloratura soprano roles she portrays (Toronto Star).

In the 2016-2017 season, Ambur Braid returns to the Canadian Opera Company as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte conducted by Bernard Labadie and Dalinda in Richard Jones’s production of Ariodante conducted by Johannes Debus. She also makes her German debut as the Queen of the Night at Oper Frankfurt. Ms. Braid recently made her UK debut as a formidable Queen of the Night in Simon McBurney’s production of The Magic Flute at the English National Opera, a role she also sang for Calgary Opera. She debuted at Teatro de São Carlos in Lisbon as Anne Truelove in a new production of The Rake’s Progress conducted by Joana Carneiro.

Ms. Braid recently performed a series of recitals featuring Rachmaninov and Sibelius songs as well as a world premiere commissioned for her by Canadian, Erik Ross called The Living Spectacle.

Ms. Braid debuted the role of Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Opéra Atelier and Violetta in La traviata at Arizona Opera in recent seasons. She has covered the role of Elisabetta in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux and the title role in Semele at the Canadian Opera Company. In her final season as a member of the ensemble at the Canadian Opera Company, Ms. Braid was seen in Christopher Alden’s new production of Die Fledermaus as Adele in which the Toronto Star called her “sexy, sparky, sensational.” and performed the role of Vitellia in the Ensemble Studio performance of La clemenza di Tito.

Other recent performances include the role of Stella in Les contes d’Hoffmann and she sang the title role in Handel’s Semele in the COC Ensemble Studio performance. She covered the role of Clémence in Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin at the Canadian Opera Company and sang Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Opéra Atelier. Other recent appearances with the Canadian Opera Company include Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice, The Greek Woman in Iphigénie en Tauride, and the Danish Lady in Death in Venice.

A believer in all forms of collaborative art, Ambur has performed with Dragonette, Broken Social Scene, The Arkells, Austra and The Sam Roberts Band. Ms. Braid received degrees from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has studied with Donna Sherman, Wendy Hillhouse, Marlena Malas, Timothy Noble, Wendy Nielsen, Sheri Greenawald and, most recently, Marina Krilovici in Athens.

Her awards include the East Bay Opera Competition, San Francisco Conservatory Competition, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Louis Quilico Foundation. She was nominated by The Canadian Opera Company for the Stella Maris Competition in 2013. In 2012 she was a fellow of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute and a Crear scholar in 2015.

Terese Wadden is a Brooklyn, NY-based costume designer. Currently she is designing Il Farnace (Spoleto Festival USA), Dr. Atomic (Curtis Institute), and Oklahoma (St. Ann’s Warehouse and Bard Summerscape). Recent opera credits include David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion (Perez Museum, Miami and Jack Shainman Gallery at The School, Kinderhook, NY), Philip Glass’s In The Penal Colony (Boston Lyric Opera), Pyramus and Thisbe (Canadian Opera Company), Kat’a Kabanova (Spoleto Festival USA), and the Handel operas Orlando and Alcina (WhiteBox Art Center). Her work has be seen in Sweeney Todd (Glimmerglass Festival), 1776 (Encores! at NY City Center), Who Left This Fork Here? (Barishnikov Art Center), and Arthur Miller’s The Price (Mark Taper Forum). She has designed The Source (Brooklyn Academy of Music, LA Opera at RedCat, and San Francisco Opera), Eternal (Incubator Arts Project and touring), House For Sale (Transport Group), Lizzie Borden (Boston Lyric Opera and Tanglewood), New Work for the Desert (NYLA), and Dialogues of the Carmelites (Curtis Institute/Opera Philadelphia). Past projects include A Florentine Tragedy & Gianni Schicchi (Canadian Opera Company), Cosi Fan Tutte (New York City Opera), Don Giovanni (New York City Opera and Portland Opera), La Clemenza di Tito (Canadian Opera Company and Chicago Opera Theatre), and Elliot Carter’s only opera, What Next?(The Miller Theatre at Columbia University). She has also collaborated with the architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the exhibit, How Wine Became Modern, at the San Francisco MoMA. Terese is a graduate of the Motley Theatre Design Course in London, UK and Vassar College.