Under the leadership of Artistic Di- rector Thomas Bankston, Dayton Op- era will present Gian Carlo Menotti’s gripping opera The Consul for the first time on the opera’s stage in October. The Consul delivers a punch as powerful and as timely as its subject matter: the struggle for freedom against oppression and the maddening nature of unrelenting bureaucracy. Set in a large central Eu- ropean city in the present, Menotti’s first full-length opera played Broad- way for eight months, winning the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 1950 New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best Musical. Returning to Dayton Opera to di- rect The Consul is Gary Briggle, who Fall 2017 From the President 2 News & High Notes 3 Membership Notes 4-5 Remembrance Fund 5 Red Book Changes 5 Where Are They Now? 6 Menotti Work Won Pulitzer Music Prize The Consul, opening October 20, tells the story of a political dissident fleeing the secret police and the indifference of his country's government in the face of his suffering. e University of Dayton’s “Menotti and More” recital will provide a wonderful opportunity to hear familiar Gian Carlo Menotti opera selections, to experience new ones, to be introduced to related works and to prepare for Dayton Opera’s October performances of e Consul. e event, sponsored by the Graul Endowed Chair in Arts and Languages, is open to the public. In addition to selections from Menotti’s 1950 work e Consul, the recital will highlight other Menotti operas, including Amahl and the Night Visitors, e Saint of Bleek- The Consul Premiers on Opera Stage See CONSUL page 6 University of Dayton Recital Highlights Range of Gian Carlo Menotti Operas See RECITAL page 7 THE CONSUL October 20, 22 Director: Gary Briggle Philharmonic Conductor: Patrick Reynolds "MENOTTI AND MORE" September 29, 7:30 p.m. University of Dayton/Sears Recital Hall Jesse Phillips Humanities Building Contact: Dr. Sharon Davis Gratto (Graul Chair), [email protected], 937/229-3968
Transcript
Under the leadership of Artistic Di-rector Thomas Bankston, Dayton Op-era will present Gian Carlo Menotti’s gripping opera The Consul for the first
time on the opera’s stage in October.
The Consul delivers a punch as powerful and as timely as its subject matter: the struggle for freedom against oppression and the maddening nature of unrelenting bureaucracy. Set in a large central Eu-
ropean city in the present, Menotti’s first full-length opera played Broad-way for eight months, winning the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 1950 New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best Musical.
Returning to Dayton Opera to di-rect The Consul is Gary Briggle, who
Fall 2017From the President 2News & High Notes 3Membership Notes 4-5Remembrance Fund 5Red Book Changes 5Where Are They Now? 6
Menotti Work Won Pulitzer Music Prize
The Consul, opening October 20, tells the story of a political dissident fleeing the secret police and the indifference of his country's government in the face of his suffering.
The University of Dayton’s “Menotti and More” recital will provide a wonderful opportunity to hear familiar Gian Carlo Menotti opera selections, to experience new ones, to be introduced to related works and to prepare for Dayton Opera’s October performances of The Consul. The event, sponsored by the Graul Endowed Chair in Arts and Languages, is open to the public.
In addition to selections from Menotti’s 1950 work The Consul, the
recital will highlight other Menotti operas, including Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Saint of Bleek-
The Consul Premiers on Opera Stage
See CONSUL page 6
University of Dayton Recital Highlights Range of Gian Carlo Menotti Operas
See RECITAL page 7
THE CONSUL
October 20, 22Director:
Gary BrigglePhilharmonic
Conductor: Patrick
Reynolds
"MENOTTI AND MORE"September 29, 7:30 p.m.
University of Dayton/Sears Recital HallJesse Phillips Humanities Building
Contact: Dr. Sharon Davis Gratto (Graul Chair), [email protected], 937/229-3968
OPERA GUILD OF DAYTON MISSIONThe Opera Guild of Dayton encourages and promotes opera in the Greater Dayton area and supports
Dayton Opera through fundraising, marketing and educational activities.
from the president
The Opera Guild Board of Directors met on Monday, August 14, for an energizing and informative annual retreat. With 25 in attendance, the dedicated group interacted with each other, sharing ideas and listening to presentations regarding our plans for the upcoming year.
Amber Rose, development director for the Dayton Per-forming Arts Alliance, joined the group and shared our new collaborative initiative regarding corporate fundraising. Penny Wolff, the Guild’s newly appointed vice president of development, is an important piece of this new collabora-tion and will be working closely with Amber and Georgie Woessner, the new development director of the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association, to find a mutually ben-eficial way of approaching and nurturing corporate relation-ships. Carole Endres, president of the DPVA, also attended the retreat, demonstrating her support for this initiative.
We reviewed the mission and purpose of the Guild and then discussed how to build a competent and fully engaged board by reviewing the Guild’s commitment agreement. Everyone was presented with a comprehensive packet con-taining important Guild documents and forms. Next on the agenda was a review of the programs of each of the Guild’s managing divisions.
Dolores Anderson, treasurer, spoke about our forms and explained how to understand the annual budget and month-ly financial statements.
Kathy Brown, vice president of education, spoke about the Marionettes, the Children’s Traveling Opera and the High School and College Vocal Competitions.
Suzanne Crippen, vice president of marketing, spoke about Opera Notes, social media, the Guild’s website and proofing requirements.
Margarete Jennings, vice president of membership, spoke about membership recruitment and retention, mentoring and orientations.
Jane Reynolds, assistant vice president of fundraising, spoke briefly about our upcoming fundraising events and then introduced each of the event chairs.
Barbara Bostick, 2017 BRAVO! Fashion Show chair, gave us an update on this year’s exciting show, “The Art of Fashion,” which took place on Friday, September 8, at Sinclair Community College’s Ponitz Center. Get Dressed!
Guild Launches New Year at Retreat
Nancy Farkas
“The retreat was
truly a wonderful
opportunity
for everyone to
learn, share and
enjoy the many
things that the
Opera Guild does
in its mission
to support
Dayton Opera
and promote
opera in our
community.”
See RETREAT page 7
OPERA NOTES Fall 2017 | 3operaguildofdayton.org
BRAVO! Emcee Shaun Yu invit-ed attendees to raise their glasses and toast the BRAVO! Champagne Brunch and Fashion Show for its 30th anniversary on September 8 at the Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center by paraphrasing the Carly Simon hit “Nobody Does It Better.” That held eminently true as Tracey Schumann, owner of Get Dressed! Boutique in Oakwood, and show producer Jackie Doss proved on the runway. The fashions were chic, ap-pealing and wearable by diverse ages and body types.
The guests had ample opportunity to shop in the Boutique before and after the Show. Holland “Captain H” Makupson, a romantic balladeer, sang during the social hour and lunch. Dancer Marlayna Locklear enlivened the audience with a dazzling, high-en-ergy performance. The clear tenor voice of Dr. David Sievers from the University of Dayton brought back memories with his renditions from My Fair Lady and South Pacific.
The festivities concluded with the
announcement of the community model who had gathered the most online votes at $5 each over the past month. This year’s winner was Diane Buchanan Johnson, followed by Fran Duntz and Ramon Gaitan. Other participants were Lisa Hanson, Stacy Thompson Speare-Hardy and The Reverend Fr. Benjamin E. K. Speare-Hardy. They raised more than $8,000 for their efforts, and the Guild sincerely appreciates their support.
The 2017 BRAVO! was chaired by Barbara Bostick. Her committee
consisted of Dolores Anderson, Sam Bennett, Karen Brown-Fallings, Kathy Brown, Suzanne Crippen, Nancy Farkas, Barbara Haller, Linda Harrison, Kathy Hedges, Ann Herr, Betty Holton, Valerie Jones, Helen Jones-Kelley, Dana Kane, Patricia Langford-Finley, Amy Lombardo, Belinda Mathews-Stenson, Stepha-nie Norwood, Brenda Phillips, Geri Prada, Carol Prewitt, Jane Reynolds and Penny Wolff. Special thanks to the committee and to our sponsors, supporters and attendees.
BRAVO! Brunch: After 30 Years, ‘Nobody Does it Better’NEWS & HIGH NOTES
Dayton Firefighters Local 136 sell raffle tickets.
Favorite community model Diane Buchanan Johnson and second runner-up model Ramon Gaitan.
Attendees toast the Opera Guild’s 30th annual BRAVO! Champagne Brunch and Fashion Show, held at Sinclair Community College's Ponitz Center.
4 | OPERA NOTES Fall 2017 operaguildofdayton.org
Round one of the 2017 Gourmet on the Go events has been extreme-ly popular, and several events have sold out. Thanks to all the hosts and hostesses for creating unique expe-riences: Bob and Diane Johnson for the Anne Kearney cooking class; Mike Houser and Steve Wargo for their elegant dinner; Jerry and Mar-tha Ann Reaper for their evening of dinner and song; Suzanne and Pat-rick Crippen for the Italian wine and food pairing; and Charlotte Brown for the Afternoon Tea.
Round two is being planned with more creative options to wine, dine and just have fun. Details will be coming soon regarding a cooking class with Chef David Glynn of Dayton Country Club in November. Bob and Jean Beecher are working with David to make this event one to remember. Sandra Benevento is planning an evening with an Hispan-ic flair at El Meson. Betty Holton and Toni Sprinkel are organizing the details of a Game Day. Stay tuned.
In Review: Gourmet on the Go Guests Ready for More
MEMBERSHIP NOTES
Top photo, left to right: Dick and Myrna Cunningham, Nancy Farkas, Barbara Bostick,
Mike Houser, Robert Bostick. Bottom photo: Chef Anne Kearney, back center, gives cooking tips to
guests at the home of Robert and Diane Johnson.
Let’s Get Digital!Log on to operaguildofdayton.org to access the electronic edition of Opera Notes.
OPERA NOTES Fall 2017 | 5operaguildofdayton.org
RED BOOK UPDATES: NEW MEMBERS, CHANGES & CORRECTIONS
New Member
Laurie Verson7179 Hunters Creek DriveDayton, OH 45459Home: 937/353-4165Cell: 615/[email protected]
REMEMBRANCE FUND DONATIONSThe Remembrance Fund helps
support the Guild’s High School and Tri-State College Vocal Competitions.
A gift to honor a birthday, an anni-versary or a loved one or to promote an event helps the dreams of talented young people come true. To contrib-ute, call Evie Lewis, 937/299-4825.
In memory ofBruce KlinePaul & Dolores AndersonJames & Sue FalterDana KaneWilliam & Carolyn (Toni) Winger
The Opera Guild of Dayton
Bill LockwoodJack & Betty DarstLois Sutherland
In honor ofLinda Rountree (Bravo Award)William & Carolyn (Toni) Winger
Toni Winger (Membership Luncheon)The Opera Guild of Dayton
Penny Wolff (Opera Ball Chair)The Opera Guild of Dayton
Guild members are out and about in the community support-ing a variety of initiatives and organizations. We are proud to acknowledge recognition they receive for their efforts.
Long-time board member and former Guild President Toni Winger has received Oakwood High School’s Distinguished Alumni Award for her philanthropic endeavors. In the last 50 years she has supported such organiza-tions as Dayton Opera, the Sigma Beta Sorority, the National Kidney Foundation, the Oakwood Schools and Education Foundation, Dayton History, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Culture Works, The Dayton Art Institute, Victoria Theatre Association and the Oakwood Business and Professional Association.
Board member Dr. Hyacinth Paul Dey has been named a Woman of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the world’s largest voluntary agency dedicated to curing blood cancer. Hyacinth and the other seven honorees raised more than $386,000 for the cause.
Board member Dr. Sharon Davis Gratto has been named the new Graul Chair in Arts and Languages at the University of Dayton. She succeeds Dr. Richard Chenoweth and is the first woman to hold the position. Among her proposed initiatives is making sure students who study abroad have some basic training in the conversational language of the country they visit.
Board member Jenell Ross is one of three winners of the 2017 Everest Award pre-sented by the West Chester-Liberty Chamber Alliance. This award recognizes leaders who have made a significant and positive impact on business, the community and/or the qual-ity of life in the Interstate 75 Growth Corridor. She was recognized at a July 27 event for her contributions and accomplishments.
MINI NOTESOn the beautiful, sunny Sunday af-
ternoon of August 19, opera devotees gathered to honor past Opera Guild and Dayton Opera board mem-bers at the Opera Emeriti Picnic, at the homes and in the backyards of Mike Houser and Steve Wargo. The hard-working supporters of Dayton Opera and the Opera Guild social-ized and enjoyed great food, wine
and other beverages while toasting many fundraising, hospitality and production successes. Soprano Olivia Yokers entertained the crowd with operatic arias and popular songs, with accompaniment by Jeffrey Powell.
Bruce Kline, the long-time organiz-er of this event, was sorely missed but remembered most fondly.
MEMBERSHIP NOTES
Luncheon Honors Past Guild Leaders
6 | OPERA NOTES Fall 2017 operaguildofdayton.org
CONSUL continued from page 1
has tackled some of Dayton Opera’s most challenging productions, includ-ing Stella Sung’s The Book Collector combined with Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in May 2016, as well as the groundbreaking Dayton premiere of Dead Man Walking in February 2015.
Conducting the Dayton Philhar-monic Orchestra for this production is Patrick Reynolds. Now in his 20th season with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Reynolds conducted past Dayton Opera productions of La Traviata, Roméo et Juliette and Die Zauberflöte.
Soprano Kara Shay Thomson returns to Dayton Opera for the lead
role of Magda Sorel in The Consul. The New York Times praised Kara’s presence and vocal prowess with this recent review: “From the first phras-es sung by Kara Shay Thomson, a compelling American soprano with a plush, vibrant, powerful voice, you do not know whether to pity or fear her.”
Making her Dayton Opera debut in the impassioned role of the Mother is mezzo-soprano Cindy Sadler, an artist who has been heralded as much for her rich, satiny voice as for her impeccable characterizations.
Returning to Dayton Opera in other pivotal roles in this moving drama are some of Dayton Opera’s favorite
artists, including baritone Tyler Ales-si, mezzo-soprano Layna Chianakas, bass-baritone Kenneth Shaw, tenor Robert Norman, bass-baritone Thom-as Hammons and baritone Alexander Harper.
Dayton Opera also welcomes back three Dayton-area artists: soprano Andrea Chenoweth Wells, soprano Minnita Daniel-Cox and mezzo-so-prano Ryu-Kyung Kim.
Want to learn more about The Con-sul? Come to the Mead Theatre one hour prior to the performances to hear pre-performance talks by University of Dayton Music Professor Dr. Sam Dorf.
The Guild’s Tri-State College Vocal Competition is a launching pad for the careers of many operatic students; however, not all choose to tour and perform regularly on stage.
For example, mezzo-soprano Dr. Julie Cross from Oberlin Conserva-tory of Music and winner of the 1999 competition continued her studies, earning a master’s degree in voice performance at the Manhattan School of Music and earning her doctor of musical arts in voice performance from the University of Michigan in
2002. Dr. Cross
has performed in a variety of venues, includ-ing the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, Chautauqua
Institution, Lake Chelan Bach Festival and the Ann Arbor Art Song Festival. She also has been an active member of
the International Alliance for Wom-en in Music, has performed at many IAWM events and has published CDs on the organization’s behalf.
Her passion is the promotion and performance of new music, and she has served on the faculty at such revered institutions as the Seattle Conservatory of Music, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Barry Univer-sity and Florida International Univer-sity. Dr. Cross is now on the faculty of SNJ Studio of Music in Omaha, Nebraska.
Where Are They Now? Dr. Cross Shines Academically
Dr. Julie Cross
3Live in HDThese local cinemas will present The Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-2018 season on the big screen.
Huber Heights 167737 Waynetowne Blvd.
Dayton, OH 45424
Dayton South 16195 Mall Woods Drive
Dayton, OH 45449
Hollywood Stadium 20/Fairfield Commons with IMAX2651 Fairfield Commons Blvd.
Beavercreek, OH 45431
OPERA NOTES Fall 2017 | 7operaguildofdayton.org
RETREAT continued from page 2
Boutique in The Shoppes of Oakwood provided the fashions for the show, while Simply Hyacinth at the Dayton Mall provided the apparel for the fe-male community models and Linwood Men’s Specialty Shoppe in downtown Dayton provided apparel for the male models. Bostick encouraged everyone to vote online for their favorite models and make their donations to the Guild.
Carolyn Szoke, the incoming vice president of fundraising and chair of Gourmet on the Go, spoke about the upcoming classic tea at 10 Wilmington Place and told the group that the new season will be just as exciting as the last. Due to their enormous popularity, many of the events are on the schedule
again next season.Next on the agenda was an exciting
announcement regarding the 2018 Opera Ball. We have a new chair, Kathy Thornburg, who is a new board member, and we are pleased to an-nounce that we also have an exciting new venue, the recently reopened Dayton Metro Library. We all are looking forward to that special event, which will be held on April 28, 2018. In addition, we have a chair and venue for the 2018 Garden Party, which will be held at the home of Barbara Haller and chaired by Bernadine Greenwood, our new executive vice president. The final announcement regarding our up-coming fundraisers was that Hyacinth
Paul, also a brand new board member, will be chairing the 2018 BRAVO! Fashion Show.
The retreat was truly a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn, share and enjoy the many things that the Opera Guild does in its mission to support Dayton Opera and promote opera in our community.
RECITAL continued from page 1
er Street, The Medium and The Old Maid and the Thief. Excerpts from Samuel Barber’s Vanessa will illus-trate Menotti’s skill in writing opera libretti. Soloists on the program will include Dayton Opera cast members Kara Shay Thomson, soprano; Tyler Alessi, baritone; Minnita Daniel-Cox, soprano; Andrea Chenoweth Wells, soprano; and Ryu-Kyung Kim, mezzo soprano, along with tenor David Sievers. Daniel-Cox, Wells, Kim and Sievers are full-time voice faculty members at the University of Dayton.
John Benjamin and Jeffrey Powell will collaborate with the singers at the piano, and Patrick Reynolds, conduc-tor of The Consul performances, will provide recital narration.
The Consul is this year’s Human-ities Commons first-year experience for all of UD’s entering students. This large student group will attend the afternoon performance on Sunday, October 22. The theme for the Hu-manities Commons course is “Hos-pitality—Welcoming the Other”; the opera’s setting in a consular section
of an embassy in an unidentified European totalitarian country also connects well to America’s immigra-tion issues today. Two selections on the recital by other composers relate to this theme—an excerpt from Alan Louis Smith’s song cycle “Vignettes: Ellis Island” and Gene Scheer’s “At Howard Hawks’ House” from Voices of World War II. The “Ellis Island” song cycle is based on oral histories collected from the Ellis Island Oral History Project for the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
NORMABelliniOctober 7, 12:55 p.m. October 11, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
3Live in HDMark your calendars for the first three performances of The Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-2018 on-screen series.
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTEMozartOctober 14, 12:55 p.m. October 18, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
THE EXTERMINATING ANGELThomas AdèsNovember 18, 12:55 p.m. November 29, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
NEW GUILD EVENT CHAIRS2018 Garden PartyBernadine Greenwood
2018 BRAVO! Fashion ShowHyacinth Paul
2018 Opera BallKathy Thornburg
Working to win new friends for opera.
COMING EVENTSOctober 20, 8 p.m.October 22, 3 p.m.THE CONSULThe Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center1 West Second St.Dayton, OH 45402
March 2, 2018, 8 p.m.March 4, 2018, 3 p.m.THE BARBER OF SEVILLEThe Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center1 West Second St.Dayton, OH 45402
May 18, 2018, 8 p.m.May 20, 2018, 3 p.m.TURANDOTThe Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center1 West Second St.Dayton, OH 45402
126 North Main St., Suite 210Dayton, OH 45402'937/224-3521, x1099operaguildofdayton.org
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2018 Membership Luncheon Thursday, February 8, 2018 For information contact Margarete Jennings: [email protected]
Opera Ball Saturday, April 28, 2018 Dayton Metro Library – Main Branch For information contact Jane Reynolds: [email protected]
BRAVO! Friday, September 7, 2018 Ponitz Center, Sinclair Community College For information contact Jane Reynolds: [email protected]
