An American Dream Playbill_i

an american dream

LOBERO THEATRE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023

2:30PM & 7:30PM

FROM THE ARTISTIC & GENERAL DIRECTOR and BOARD CHAIR

Dear friends:

Welcome to the California premiere of An American Dream. We are proud to be presenting for the first time in California a work that has received nationwide acclaim with seven productions since its premiere in 2015. At Opera Santa Barbara we believe that producing contemporary works drawn from the American experience is an essential part of our mission. An American Dream has special importance, as so many in our own community will relate with its story.

The Santa Barbara Independent recently published a cover story about Roke Fukumura, a Santa Barbara-born Japanese American and local baseball star who with his family experienced incarceration during World War 2. Nina Yoshida Nelsen, who premiered the role of Hiroko and is portraying her today, is another Santa Barbara native whose grandparents were incarcerated at that time. These are only two of the countless Santa Barbara and Central Coast residents whose families lived through the events An American Dream narrates, and we are humbled to tell their story.

We originally scheduled only one performance of An American Dream However, in view of strong ticket sales, regional interest, and the endorsement of this project by the National Endowment for the Arts, we felt that it was important to add a second performance so that as many people in our city and our region could experience it. The community response to An American Dream confirms our belief that the appeal of opera reaches far beyond a handful of beloved classics, and it is our duty to continuously seek new ways to connect with our community.

We have two more productions left in our 2022-23 season: The Light in the Piazza at Center Stage Theater in March, and The Valkyrie at the Lobero in April. As we write this message more than half of the tickets to those performances are already sold. We strongly recommend that you purchase your tickets now. Additionally, a presale is now open for single tickets to see Carmen at the Granada this fall, starring Nina Yoshida Nelsen in the title role.

Thank you for being here today, and we hope to see you at many more performances to come!

Kostis Protopapas Nicholas Burlett Artistic & General Director Board Chair

STAGE DIRECTOR

AN AMERICAN DREAM revolves around the relationship between two American families and a house in the Pacific Northwest in the 1940s . We approach the production with an eye towards realism and wishing to honor the narrative we employ a minimalistic aesthetic affording us to dually focus on and open up the dialogue of American values. We choose to present the structure of the house simply, allowing primary focus to be on a home’s intrinsic qualities of safety and comfort. With this in mind we also ensure opportunities to expand and contract when the story calls for more conceptual ideas or “magical realism”.

The parallels between the two families at first seem uncanny. But as each character’s history unfolds we become enveloped in their narrative and consequently discover similarities in our own inheritances as we begin to grapple with definitions of ownership and identity.

With a banner proclaiming I AM AN AMERICAN flying behind her Setsuko Kobayashi asks this question: “Don’t you recognize me?”

Do we?

Richard Gammon

Stage Director

presents JACK PERLA AND JESSICA MURPHY MOO

AN AMERICAN DREAM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023 AT 2:30 AND 7:30 • LOBERO THEATRE

CAST

Jim Crowley Ben Lowe

Eva Crowley Audrey Babcock

Mama, Hiroko Kobayashi .......................................................................... Nina Yoshida Nelsen

Setsuko Kobayashi Janet Szepi Todd º

Papa, Makoto Kobayashi Paul Chwe MinChul An º

FBI Agent 1

Matthew Peterson+

FBI Agent 2 Robert F. Adams

PRODUCTION

CONDUCTOR

Eiki Isomuraº

STAGE DIRECTOR

Richard Gammonº

SCENIC AND PROJECTION DESIGN

Yuki Izumihara

LIGHTING DESIGN

Helena Kuukka

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

Kourtni Dale-Noll Mitchiner

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Brynn Jonesº

SUPERTITLES

English Captions by Emmy Ulmer

English

WIG/MAKEUP DESIGNER AND SUPERVISER

Heather Sterling

COSTUME DESIGNER

Stacie Logue

PROP DESIGN AND SET DRESSING

T. Theresa Scarano

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Helena Kuukka

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Todd Jared

PRINCIPAL PIANIST

Timothy Accurso

AN AMERICAN DREAM SPONSORS

SEASON SPONSOR

Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation

PRODUCTION SPONSOR

Mosher Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

SEASON PRODUCTION SPONSORS

Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts

Zegar Family Foundation

CONDUCTOR

Hiroko Benko

ARTISTS

Audrey Babcock–Joan Rutkowski

Nina Yoshida Nelsen–Sally & Farrokh Nazerian

Benjamin Lowe–Shuji and Yuki Nakamura

STUDENT MATINEE

Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation

John C. Mithun Foundation

Music Performance Trust Fund

Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation

YOU DECIDE TICKETING

Walter and Holly Thomson Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee

SUPERTITLES

Bella Domani

WINE

Deep Sea Winery

BECOME A SPONSOR THIS SEASON!

Production sponsorships are one of the most important ways opera lovers can help bring works like this to the stage. Under normal circumstances, ticket sales and other earned income typically cover less than 35% of production costs. Sponsors help underwrite these costs allowing us to present hiqh quality operas while keeping ticket prices affordable.

For more information about becoming a sponsor or artist host, contact Amy Marshall, Director of Development at amy@operasb.org.

Please turn off all cell phones, electronic devices, and watch alarms. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house management. Members of the audience who leave during the performance will not be shown back into the theater until the next intermission. The use of camera and recording equipment is strictly prohibited. Your use of a ticket acknowledges your willingness to appear in photographs taken or videos filmed in public areas of the Granada Theatre, and releases the theater and its lessees and others from liability resulting from use of such photographs or video footage.

TERMINOLOGY

Densho is a Japanese term meaning “to pass on to the next generation,” or to leave a legacy. The legacy Densho.org offers is American stories with ongoing relevance: during World War II, the United States government incarcerated innocent people solely because of their ancestry.

Words Matter: Since the 1970s, Japanese Americans, historians, educators, journalists, and others have increasingly advocated for the use of terminology that more accurately represents this history. Rather than repeat the euphemisms used by the U.S. government and other defenders of WWII incarceration, we encourage individuals to think critically about the impact of words like “internment,” “relocation,” and “evacuation.”

Forced Removal vs. Evacuation: In early 1942, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from the West Coast and forbidden to return. The government called this an “evacuation,” implying the forced move was a precaution for Japanese Americans’ own safety, as in a natural disaster. In reality, this was a targeted exile of a single ethnic minority enforced by lawmakers and elected officials, and motivated, in part, by a desire to reap economic gains from the farmland and property Japanese Americans were forced to leave behind.

Incarceration vs. Internment: The commonly used term “internment” fails to accurately describe what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII. “Internment” refers to the legally permissible, though morally questionable, detention of “enemy aliens” in time of war. This term becomes a misleading, othering euphemism when applied to American citizens detained by their own government; yet two-thirds of Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII were U.S. citizens by birth and right.

Although “internment” is a recognized and widely used term, we encourage the use of “incarceration,” except in the specific case of Japanese Americans detained by the Army or DOJ. “Detention” is used interchangeably.

Japanese American vs. Japanese: Media outlets and other sources often refer to the more than 120,000* people of Japanese descent imprisoned by the U.S. government during WWII as simply “Japanese”—but this both erases their American identity and conflates Japanese Americans with Japanese citizens in Japan. The wartime government employed this strategy itself, inventing the orwellian term “non-alien” to describe Japanese American citizens in public documents.

The Nisei (“second generation”) were U.S. citizens born to Japanese immigrant parents in the United States. Their Issei parents were forbidden by discriminatory law from becoming naturalized American citizens, but by the 1940s most had lived in the United States for decades. Most had no plans of returning to Japan, and would have become naturalized citizens if allowed. By birth or by choice, Japanese Americans were just that—American.

Issei: Term for Japanese immigrants originating from the Japanese language term for “first generation.” In the American context, the term is generally understood to apply to those who migrated prior to the cessation of Japanese immigration to the US under the dictates of the Immigration Act of 1924, the bulk arriving after 1885.

Nisei: Term for the children of Japanese immigrants, originating from the Japanese language term for “second generation.” In the American context, the term is generally understood to apply specifically to the American-born—and thus US citizen—children of Japanese immigrants who arrived prior to the Immigration Act of 1924.

Website Credit: Densho.org

AN AMERICAN DREAM SYNOPSIS

COMPOSER

Jack Perla

LIBRETTIST

Jessica Murphy Moo

SUNG IN ENGLISH

SUPERTITLES IN ENGLISH

WORLD PREMIERE AT SEATTLE OPERA IN 2015

RUN TIME: 70 MINUTES WITH NO INTERMISSION

AMERICA, THE 1940S

March 1942, On a Puget Sound island: An American veteran, Jim Crowley, and his wife, Eva, a German Jewish refugee, have come to buy a farmhouse. Inside a Japanese-American family has heard that the FBI is arresting people of Japanese descent, and are burning precious Japanese belongings to avoid arrest. The FBI arrives and tells the father Makoto that they found some old dynamite in the shed and he is under arrest. Under pressure Makoto sells the house to Jim for a fraction of its worth. Makoto and his teenage daughter, Setsuko, promise to meet back at the house after the war.

Two months later: As Setsuko and her mother Hiroko are leaving house, the postman delivers a letter. It is from Germany for a woman named Eva. Angry that she is being forced to leave her home, Setsuko steals the letter.

A few weeks later: Jim and Eva move into their new home designating a room for Eva’s parents, who are trying to escape Germany. Eva finds a HinaMatsuri doll hidden beneath a floorboard, and asks Jim about the previous owners. Jim tells her that they were “Japs”, and to throw away the doll. In spite of Jim’s wishes, Eva decides to keep the doll’s and return it to its owner after the war.

May 1945: Jim and Eva hear on the radio of Germany’s surrender. Eva, who has located the Kobayashi family, writes to Setsuko about the doll.

Later that month: While still incarcerated, Setsuko receives Eva’s letter. She tells her gravely ill mother that it is from her father, telling them that the war is nearly over.

August 1945, Puget Sound: Jim intercepts a letter from Setsuko. President Truman announces the dropping of the atomic bomb.

September 1945: Setsuko arrives at the home and confronts Jim. When Eva gives Setsuko the doll back, Setsuko gives Eva the old letter from Germany. Eva collapses when she reads in the letter her parents’ fate. While Setsukp finishes reading the letter to her, Makoto arrives at the front door.

(via Seattle Opera)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF JAPANESE

AMERICAN INCARCERATION

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt cited military necessity as the basis for incarcerating over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Two thirds of those incarcerated were American citizens.

For nearly a decade prior to the outbreak of war, various federal agencies had been conducting surveillance in Japanese American communities in anticipation of a possible war with Japan. The general consensus of those agencies was that the Japanese American community as a whole posed little threat to the U.S. should war with Japan take place. They also put together custodial detention lists of those who would be arrested at that time . These lists allowed the government to begin rounding up what were now “enemy aliens” within hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. For the most part, those apprehended were male immigrant community leaders who were suspected because of the positions they held. Among those arrested were over 300 individuals from Santa Barbara County.

Despite the swift arrest and detention of all whom prewar surveillance had identified as suspects, calls for stronger measures soon came from West Coast political leaders, who drew upon five decades of anti-Japanese sentiment. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066—which granted the Secretary of War and his commanders the power of forced mass removal and incarceration. While no specific group or location was mentioned in the order, it was quickly applied to virtually the entire Japanese American population on the West Coast, who without due process were deemed a threat to national security.

The army’s Wartime Civil Control Administration (WCCA) quickly created fifteen “assembly centers” and two “reception centers” to house the Japanese Americans. The “assembly centers” utilized existing facilities such as fairgrounds and horse racing tracks located near the areas where Japanese Americans were being removed. The WCCA efficiently removed Japanese Americans neighborhood-by-neighborhood over the spring and summer of 1942 in a series of 108 exclusion orders. Residents of the area defined by each order were given about a week to tie up their affairs and report for their own exile.

After short stays in temporary detention centers, men, women, and children of Japanese descent were moved to one of ten concentration camps run by a newly created federal agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Located in desolate desert or swamplands throughout the West and in Arkansas, these “relocation centers” were surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers, and were still being completed when the first inmates began

to arrive. Many Japanese Americans from Santa Barbara County were sent to the Gila River camp in Arizona.

Inmates lived in blocks of barracks with communal bathrooms, laundry facilities, and dining halls. Many cited extreme weather, dust storms, the lack of privacy, and inadequate food as among the many travails of living behind barbed wire.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) was organized on March 23, 1943 to form a segregated Japanese American army combat unit. The Unit #39’s motto was “Go for Broke”.

The 442nd Regiment is the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history. The unit earned more than 18,000 awards in less than two years, including more than 4,000 [5] Purple Heart and 4,000 Bronze Star Medals.

Resistance to this forced incarceration took many forms, including three major legal challenges by Minoru Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Fred Korematsu. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Japanese Americans, in part because the government withheld information about the lack of military necessity of its actions. During the 1980’s, these men were able to reopen their cases and have their convictions overturned.

The postwar silence about traumas of incarceration took a toll on the Japanese community, and younger Japanese Americans inspired by 1960s social movements began to press for a true reckoning of their wartime experiences and, eventually, reparations for their incarceration. What would become known as the “Redress Movement” took flight in the 1970s and led eventually to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided a presidential apology and $20,000 payments to surviving former prisoners.

In the post-redress period, Japanese Americans have sought to make their wartime experiences better known in order to try to prevent such governmental abuses from happening again to other groups.

Information compiled and edited by

Nina Yoshida Nelsen Founder of the Asian Opera Alliance

Russell Endo University of Colorado

For more information about this experience, please visit www.densho.org

Named in recognition of the support of Sarah and Roger Chrisman, the Chrisman Studio Artist Program began in 2007 with the purpose of identifying and developing talented young opera performers. For more than a decade, the program has provided singers, as well as coaches, with high-level performance opportunities and valuable training. These performers work with top industry directors, conductors, and coaches in masterclasses, coachings, and public performances including cover and mainstage role assignments. Studio Artists Alumni are in high demand and have performed at companies around the US including the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, and abroad with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Regio, Opernhaus Zürich, Bregenzer Festspiele, Hong Kong Opera, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

2022/2023 CHRISMAN STUDIO ARTISTS

Meet our California-based 2022-2023 Chrisman Studio Artists who you will see throughout the season in our mainstage productions and concerts throughout our community.

OPERA SANTA BARBARA

ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN

Samuel Fischer, Concertmaster

Colleen Coomber

VIOLA

Diane Gilbert CELLO

Christopher Ahn

BASS

Zach Hislop

FLUTE/ PICCOLO

Gary Woodward

OBOE

Catherine Del Russo

CLARINET

Lawrence Hughes

BASSOON

Duncan Massey

HORN

Katie Faraudo

Preston Shepard

TRUMPET

John Ernest

TIMPANI/PERCUSSION

Jon Nathan

HARP

Ellie Choate

PIANO

Timothy Accurso

CONDUCTOR

Eiki Isomura

PRINCIPAL PIANIST AND MUSIC ADMINISTRATOR

Timothy Accurso

MUSIC STAFF

ORCHESTRA MANAGER

Colleen Coomber

SUPERTITLE OPERATOR

Kaitlyn Griswell

THE LOBERO THEATRE STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

David Asbell

ADMINSTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Marianne Clark

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Todd Jared

TICKETING SERVICES DIRECTOR

Genevieve Rhiger

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Gina Graham

ASSISTANT BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Josh James

Opera Santa Barbara’s Orchestra musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians, Local 308. Stage employees supplied by I.A.T.S.E. 442 Santa Barbara Tri Counties. All editorial materials © Opera Santa Barbara, 2021. The opinions in this program do not necessarily reflect those of Opera Santa Barbara.

RICHARD GAMMON

Stage Director

HOMETOWN: Brunswick, Maine

LIVES IN: Cedar Falls, Iowa

OSB DEBUT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Wolf Trap Opera), Gianni Schicchi/Buoso’s Ghost (Detroit Opera), Madama Butterfly (Virginia Opera)

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Rocking Horse Winner (Opera Maine Studio), An American Dream (Indiana University)

EIKI ISOMURA

Conductor

HOMETOWN: New York, NY

LIVES IN: Houston, TX

OSB DEBUT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: The Raven, Hosokawa, Opera Philadelphia; Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky, Opera in the Heights; Madama Butterfly, Puccini, Pacific Opera Project

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Rigoletto, Verdi, Opera in the Heights; Albert Herring, Britten, Harrower Summer Opera; Tosca, Puccini, Opera Orlando

NINA YOSHIDA NELSEN

Mama Hiroko Kobayashi

HOMETOWN: Santa Barbara, CA

LIVES IN: Bloomington, IN

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: Madama Butterfly, The Consul, The Crucible, Amor Brujo/Il Tabarro

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Mama/An American Dream/ Lyric Opera of Chicago, Suzuki/Madama Butterfly/ New York City Opera, Phuon Tran/Written in Stone/ Huang Ruo/Washington National Opera Kennedy Center

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Suzuki/Madama Butterfly/New Orleans Opera, Fricka/The Valkyrie/ Opera Santa Barbara, Khanh/Bound/HuangRuo/ Seattle Opera Carmen/Carmen/Opera Santa Barbara

ARTISTS

PAUL CHWE MINCHUL AN

Papa Makoto Kobayashi

HOMETOWN: New York City

LIVES IN: Los Angeles

OSB DEBUT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Sun Tzu in Rev23, PROTOTYPE Festival; Colline, La Boheme, Nashville Opera; Chelsias in Susanna, (Handel,) Trinity Wall Street Baroque Orchestra

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Bass Soloist in Atlas, (Monk,) Lyric Opera of Chicago; Commander in Ga Sho, (Wyer,) Dox Centre in Prague, Czech Republic; Bass Soloist in Indra’s Net, (Monk,) Holland Festival, Netherlands

JANET SZEPEI TODD

Setsuko Kobayashi

HOMETOWN: Melbourne, Australia

LIVES IN: Los Angeles, CA

OSB DEBUT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Pacific Opera Project, Zelmira in Haydn’s Armida, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Opera Australia

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Chorus in Verdi’s Otello at Los Angeles Opera, Soprano Soloist in outreach tour with composer, Eric Genuis.

AUDREY BABCOCK

Eva

HOMETOWN: Hollywood, CA

LIVES IN: Los Angeles

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: Carmen in The Tragedy of Carmen, 2020, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, 2019, Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, 2019

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Carmen, New York City Opera, Yardbird, Seattle Opera, Maria de Buenos Aires, San Diego Opera

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Carmen in Carmen Anchorage Opera, Amneris in Aida, Utah Opera, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town Utah Opera

ARTISTS ARTISTS

BEN LOWE

Jim Crowley

HOMETOWN: Anchorage, AK

LIVES IN: Culver City, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: Sacristan / Jailer in Tosca 2022, Talpa in Il Tabarro 2021.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, OperaBuffs 2021. Owen Heart in Dead man Walking and The Learned Judge in Trial By Jury, OperaDelaware. New York debut in Matt Aucoin’s opera, Crossing Wintereise OperaDelaware and Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series.

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Barone, and Germont (Cover) La Traviata, OperaDelaware

YUKI IZUMIHARA

Scenic+Projection Design

HOMETOWN: Shimonoseki City, Japan

LIVES IN: Los Angeles, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: Projection Design for Semele, Scenic+Projection Design for Tosca

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Scenic Design: Les Enfants Terribles, Capulets and Montagues Opera Omaha, Production Design: Desert Inn, The Fall of House of Usher at Boston Lyric Opera, Content Creator: Cardi B x Art Basel, Hasan Minhaj The King’s Jester

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Scenic Design: Unrival, Boston Court, Menstruation: A Period Piece Big Little Theater Company, Projection Design Beethoven Dreams Ensemble Theatre Company

KOURTNI DALE-NOLL MITCHINER

Production Stage Manager

HOMETOWN: Plano, TX

LIVES IN: Camarillo, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: La Scala di Seta

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Celebrating my 10th year at OSB!

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Production Stage Manager, The Light in the Piazza, Opera Santa Barbara; Production Stage Manager, The Valkyrie, Opera Santa Barbara

BRYNN JONES

Assistant Stage Manager

HOMETOWN: Santa Cruz, CA

LIVES IN: Los Angeles, CA

OSB DEBUT

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stage management and production teams at LA Opera, Music Academy of the West, the Wiltshire Ebell Theater, and others. As an actor, she has worked with Chicago Dramatists, Constellation Stage, and workshops for several Broadway and off-Broadway playwrights and composers.

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Brynn will be returning to LAO in March for Moses

HELENA KUUKKA

Lighting Designer and OSB Director of Production

HOMETOWN: Helsinki, Finland

LIVES IN: Santa Barbara, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: The Barber of Seville, Eugene Onegin, El Amor Brujo/Il Tabarro, Semele, As One, Tosca, La Scala di Seta

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Aida, Vancouver Opera; Carousel, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Dracula, Ballet Memphis

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS : Into the Woods, Tulsa Opera; The Prom, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Carmen, OSB.

TIMOTHY ACCURSO

Principal Pianist & Music Administrator

Director of the Chrisman Studio

HOMETOWN: Glen Lyon, PA

LIVES IN: Santa Barbara, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: With OSB since Fall 2018

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Artistic Director, Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus; Pirates of Penzance, Utah Opera April 2022; All of my work with OSB!

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus Concert, May 22, Santa Barbara First United Methodist Church; The Valkyrie, OSB

STACIE LOGUE

Costume Designer

HOMETOWN: Pasadena, CA

LIVES IN: Ventura, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: 2004 - present Costume Dept: coordinator, designer, manager

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: original costume design 2022 Semele, 2021 Rheingold, 2020 Don Pasquale

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: OSB Season 2022/23

T. THERESA SCARANO

Prop Design and Set Dressing

HOMETOWN: Roswell, NM

LIVES IN: Southern California

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB :Tosca, La Traviata OSB seasons since 2017

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS : Resident Prop Designer/ Rubicon Theatre Company 16 seasons, Scenery Rental Manager/Designer San Bernardino CLO and The Set Company,

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: Prop Design/Set Dressing An American Dream and The Valkyrie OSB, Co-Producer New Works Project

ARTISTS

HEATHER STERLING (Wig/Makeup Designer and Supervisor)

HOMETOWN: Salinas, Ca

LIVES IN: San Jose, Ca

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: La Scala Di Seta 2022, Tosca 2022 and La Traviata 2022

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera San Jose); Manon (Opera Santa Barbara); Madame Butterfly (The Atlanta Opera)

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: The Consul (San Francisco Conservatory of Music); The Valkyrie (Opera Santa Barbara); L’enfant et les sortileges (SFCM)

TODD A. JARED

Technical Director

HOMETOWN: Hollywood, CA

LIVES IN: Carpinteria, CA

PREVIOUSLY AT OSB: Multiple productions since the company’s birth in 1993.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Technical Director for The Lobero Theatre since 1992.

Wagner’s

TH E

vALKyr i E

LOBERO TH E ATRE

SUNday, APRIL 23 , 2023 2pm

tickets: operasb.org

Bizet’s

granada TH E ATRE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2023

MARCH 23-26

CENTER STAGE THEATER

TICKETS: OPERASB.ORG

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OPERA SANTA BARBARA

FOUNDERS

Marilyn Gilbert & Nathan Rundlett

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nicholas Burlett, Chair

Sandra L. Urquhart, 1st Vice Chair

Robert Weinman, 2nd Vice Chair

Patricia Dixon, Secretary

Monica Williams, Treasurer

Dan Reicker, Member at Large

Mary Tonetti Dorra, Member at Large

Rodney Baker

Barbara Burger

Tanner Cassidy

Sarah Chrisman

Brian Galura

Christine Holland

Daniel Hone

Karen Knight

Gregory McMurray

Duncan Mellichamp

HONORARY BOARD

Herb Kendall+

Duncan Mellichamp

Richard Aberle+

Pat Andersons

Rodney Baker

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At Casa Dorinda, we work to foster a culture of understanding, acceptance of individual differences, and respect throughout our community. We recognize and embrace the diversity of our residents, their families, our team members, and Board members, while sharing a common goal of cultivating inclusion and collaboration.

Joan Rutkowski

Eric Small

Judith Smith

Simon Williams

Torben Von Staden

Fred Sidon

Sarah Jane Lind+

EMERITUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Denise DeBellefeuille

George DeRado+

Nick DiNapoli

James Ballantine*

Britt Beauvoix

Marlyn Bernard Bernstein+

Sue Birch

Cynthia Brittain

Jim Burkemper+

Bonnie Corman*

Marilyn Crawford

Roger Davidson

Jon DuPrau

Léni Fé Bland+

Kenneth Fitzpatrick

Louise Gaylord

Steve Gilbar

Nancy Golden*

Mary Hampson

William Jones

Sarah Jane Lind+

Jayne Menkemeller

Carolina Montgomery

A.C. Moore

Martin Moskovits

Eric Oltmann

Mary Penny

David Peri

Paksy Plackis-Cheng

William Ramsay+

Ida Rickborn

Jean Rogers

J. Gordon Schontzler*

Linda Van Buren

Joann Younger

OPERA SANTA BARBARA

TEAM OSB

ARTISTIC & GENERAL DIRECTOR

Kostis Protopapas

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Helena Kuukka

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Amy Marshall

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Laura Teague

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Irene Hoffman

Karen Kowalski

Ruben Mislang

Philip Newton

James Van Arsdale and Jinhee Hwang

CONDUCTOR

Eiki Isomuraº

STAGE DIRECTOR

Richard Gammonº

SCENIC AND PROJECTION DESIGN

Yuki Izumihara

LIGHTING DESIGN

Helena Kuukka

PRINCIPAL PIANIST & DIRECTOR OF THE CHRISMAN STUDIO

Timothy Accurso

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR

Kaitlyn Griswell

ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL DIRECTOR

Christina Ramsey+

CONSULTANTS

PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHIC DESIGN

Zach Mendez

EVENTS

Marylove Thralls

PRODUCTION STAFF

PRODUCTION

STAGE MANAGER

Kourtni Dale-Noll Mitchiner

ASSISTANT

STAGE MANAGER

Brynn Jonesº

HAIR/MAKEUP DESIGN

Heather Sterling

COSTUME DESIGNER

Stacie Logue

MARKETING

Joyce Familiara

Max Potter

AUDIO RECORDING

Opus 1 Mobile Recording

PROPS MASTER

T. Theresa Scarano

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Helena Kuukka

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Todd Jared

PRINCIPAL PIANIST

Timothy Accurso

GRAND IMPRESARIO

($25,000 & ABOVE)

Anonymous

Bella Domani

Dan and Meg Burnham

Roger and Sarah Chrisman

Christopher Carroll Endowment

Diane Dodds* and David Reichert

Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation

Fred and Nancy Golden

The Herbert and Elaine Kendall Foundation

John Mithun and Mercedes Millington (John C. Mithun Foundation)

Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp

Mosher Foundation

Joan Rutkowski

Dan and Romy Reicker

Maya Smidt, Smidt Family Foundation

Robert and Sandy Urquhart

Walter and Holly Thomson Foundation

Dr. Robert Weinman

Dana White

PLATINUM IMPRESARIO

($24,999 - $10,000)

Anonymous

Susan Aberle

Fred and Roxana Anson

Eve Bernstein

Nicholas Burlett and Jessie Dove

NancyBell Coe and William Burke

Josepha DiRado

Mary Tonetti Dorra

Robert and Mercedes

Eichholz Foundation

Louise Gaylord

Cheryl and Michael Goldberg

Greenhills Software

Christine & Michael Holland

Dan and Donna Hone

Lillian Lovelace

Richard and Marilyn Mazess

Dr. Peter Morris

John C. Mithun Foundation

Farrokh and Sally Nazerian

National Endowment for the Arts

Eric Oltmann and Susan Van Abel

Performing Arts

Scholarship Foundation

Jean Rogers

Lee and Linda Rosenberg

Eric Small

Marc and Pauline Sylvain

Carol Vernon and Robert Turbin

Brooke and Monica Williams

Drs. Fred and Linda Wudl

Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts

The Williams Corbett Foundation

Zegar Family Fund

GOLD IMPRESARIO

($5,000-$9,999)

Margaret Arvey

James and Lisa Ballantine

Barbara H. Burger

Denise and Ian Burrows

Patricia B. Dixon and Howard J. Smith

Dr. Gerhart Hoffmeister

Chris Lancashire

Dr. and Mrs. Ron Latimer

David Mason

Dylan Minor

Robert Montgomery

IMPRESARIO CIRCLE

Jean Nell

Music Performance Trust Fund

Dr. and Mrs. Keith Schofield

Arthur Swalley

Dr. and Mrs. Simon Williams

Joann Younger

SILVER IMPRESARIO

($2,500-$4,999)

Richard and Kathy Abbott

Robert Adams and Nancy Caponi

Todd and Allyson Aldrich

American Riviera Bank

Marilyn Gilbert

Mrs. Donald Hamister*

Natalia and Michael Howe

Sue Larsen

Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfield

Leslie and Carlos Lopez

Shuji and Yuki Nakamura

Christine and Stefan Riesenfeld

Robert E. Ronus

Merlin Rossow

Montecito Bank and Trust

Seniel Ostrow Foundation

Anitra Sheen

Judith Smith

Valley to the Sea Winery

Torben and Lauren von Staden

Takako Wakita

IMPRESARIO

($1,500-$2,499)

American Riviera Bank

Debbie and Greg Armstrong

John and Caron Berryhill

Deep Sea Winery

Convox

Dr. Bonnie Corman

Linda DiFiore

Monica Eiler

Brian and Jena Galura

Pamela Gunter

Joy Holman

Karen Knight

Sue Larsen

Anthony and Revae Moran

Tracy and Vicki Noll

Donley and Valerie Olson

Christina Omdahl

Mel Sahyun

Steve and Jackie Sereboff

Owen Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Tunberg

Mort and Judy Weisman

Isabel Wendt

Parmele Williams

*Deceased

Listings reflect cumulative donations from Januray 1, 2021-Januray 15, 2023. Kindly notify the Opera office of any errors or omissions.

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PATRONS OF THE OPERA

AFICIONADO

($500-$1,499)

Aviation Maintenance Support, Inc.

Henry and Gwen Baker

Rodney Baker and Robert Ooley

Peter Bonner

Chris Brock

Mike and Debbie Bruce

Paula Yurkanis Bruice

Suzanne D. Bucy

Trudi Carey

Tanner Cassidy

Layna Chianakas and Ellie Haddad

Mary Collier

Jim Craviotto

Joan Davidson

Greg and Traci Davis

Meg DiNapoli

Miss Daisy’s Consignment and Auction House

Melody DuPrau

Mark Evans

Brooks and Kate Firestone

Betty Fussell

James and Erin Graffy de Garcia

Robert and Mary Gates

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gilmore

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Giordano

Roberta Griffin and Michael Annese

Gary and Susan Gulbransen

Dr. and Mrs. Alan Heeger

Leonard Himelsein

Barbara Hirsch

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Hume

James Hurst

Pamela and John Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kennelly

Mahri Kerley

George Konstantinow and Helene Segal

James & Elinor Langer

Dough and Martha Lorch

Gail Lucas

David and Elise McKee

Martin G. McKenzie

Greg McMurray

Lori Kraft Meschler

Miller Family Fund

Yako and Richard Meyers

Sara and Ryan Mills

Priscilla Peale

Mary Penny

Hon. and Mrs. Steven Perrin

Michele Profant

Kostis Protopapas

Jane Ramsay

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Reid

Staci Richard and David Lea

Laurel Rose

Nancy B. Schlosser

Mr. and Mrs. Jennings Schmidt

Dale and Judy Seborg

Jill and Scott Seltzer

Charles and Diane Sheldon

Halina W. Silverman

Monique Stephanson-Adams

Katie Szopa

Jane Thomas

Marylove Thralls and Michael Hackett

Rachel Tierney

Robert Tuler

Charles Weis

John Whitehurst

Carol Wilburn

Stephanie Ziemer

SUSTAINER

($250-$499)

Carla Amussen

Miguel Avila

Mary Biamonte

Richard Banks

Ed Bookin

Dr. Stuart Braverman and Angela Moloney

Vince and Jane Buck

Mr. and Mrs. M. Peyton Bucy

PATRONS OF THE OPERA

Patricia Carver

Joseph H. Connell

Greg and Traci Davis

Edward De Loreto

Steve Epstein

Bill and Ellie Freudenstein

Mary Furner

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gates

Daniel Gira

Cassandra Grant

Michael and Elaine Gray

Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Jackson, Jr.

Karin Jacobson

Mel Jahnke

Nir and Gaja Kabaretti

Joon Kang

Lois Kaplan

Sally Kinney

Bruce Klores

Kathryn Lawhun and Mark Shinbrot

Mr. and Mrs. Donald McCall

Peggy Merizalde

D. G. Mitchell

Susan Renfrew

Jairo Mazariegos and Robert Ridenour

Rodger Rindge

Amy Robinson

Sybil Rosen

Zach Rosen

Dr. Paula Rudolph

Drs. Michael and Beverly Steinfeld

Robert and Irene Stone

Mary Jo Swalley

Alex and Lori Weathers

Gary Yencich

CONTRIBUTOR

($100-$249)

Anonymous

Marie Abara

Cahterine Albanese

Hillary Allen

Pat Andersons

Michele Andina

David Asbell

Dr. and Mrs. Mounir Ashamalla

Minos and Tracey Athanassaidis

Katrina Baxter

Isabel Bayakdarian

Mashey Bernstein

Dr. Stuart Braverman & Angela Moloney

Benjamin Brecher

Larry & Sue Browne

Marvin & Ria Carlis

Mr. & Mrs. John Carter

Nan Cisney

Stephen Cloud

Gerald Corrigan

Ilene Dennis

Charles Donelan

Marilyn Dove

Jon DuPrau

Beatriz Flores

Jonathan Fox and Greg Roper

Bill and Ellie Freudenstein

Mr. and Mrs. David Gersh

Jerry Gothe

Bill and Gloria Hallier

Cheryl Hamilton

Robert Hanrahan

Carolyn Holmquist

Brian Hotchkin

Betty Iliff

Elaine Janson

Eliot Jacobson

Losi Kaplan

Harry Kazali

Susan Keller & Myron Shapero

Lynette Klawon

Alex Kowblanksy

Sharon Landecker

Gillian Launie

Kate Leary

Mr. & Mrs. Fima Lifshitz

Mr. & Mrs. Russ Lombardo

PATRONS OF THE OPERA PATRONS OF THE OPERA

MacFarlane Faletti & Co, LLP

Jack Martin

Kimi J. Matar

Lyndon Meyer

Kerry Mistretta

Robert Nicholas

Dr. Carol Pattillo

Pauline Paulin

Mr. and Mrs. David Peterson

Marla Pleyte and Ryan Oprea

Phillip Plough

Judy Pochini

Lynne Ramsey

Scott Reed

Kathleen Rees

Judith Rice

Raymond Riezman

Dr. Daniel Rimkus

Roger and Dory Rindge

Cordelia Roberts

Adele Rosen

Dr. Paula Rudolph

Nino Sanikidze

Steven Siegel and Joan Tapper

Debra Stewart

Danae Theofanous

Drs. Jack Tiethof and Anita Sy

Arthur Turnier

Jeanne Ullom

Helen Vick

Ron Vogel

Elizabeth Westby

Dr. and Mrs. Kipp Young

FRIENDS

(UNDER $100)

Mr. and Mrs. Ted Anagnoson

Yuki Anzai

Andres Assadourian

Ryan Baird

Zachary Beasley

Liseth Bejar

Doris Binion

Ashley Brocco

Dr. and Mrs.David Chernof

Ryan Childs

Annemarie Claydon

Sharon Crane

Carolyn Creasey

Irene Cunningham

Tamara de la Vega

Steve Dinkelaker

Barbara Dixon

Josefina Espinosa

Anna Fencsik

Phyllis Fleschler

Maureen Fletcher

Catherine Genender

Lisa Claudette Gilinger

Donald Gillies

Annette Goena

Barbara and Jon Greenleaf

Louise Gupta

Joan Hazell

Richard Hughes

Joan Julius

Myra Kaelin

Rita M. Kern

Karen Kolehmainen

Mary Krueger

Anita Lampert

Letty Ward Lauffer

Sizhuang Liang

Joshua Lives

Mr. and Mrs. Irving Margol

Virginia Mariposa

Anne Maxwell

Ryan McDaniel

Maureen McFadden

Art & Della McKinster

Lisa Medlen

Ann Millican

Eileen Monahan

Anaiya Mussolini

Monica Nelson

Larry Nowlin

Ana Papakhian

Adriana Perez

Lucio Ribeiro

Amanda Ryvkin

Florence J. Sanchez

Mary Lou Schmidt

Sierra Shaw-Bowdish

Amy Smiley

Gillian Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Smith

Alfred Souma

Ken Steiner

Suzette Tautrim

Raymond and Ursula Tracy

Evangelia Tsiapali

*Deceased

Niki Van Buren

John Wagner

Mr. and Mrs. John Warnock

Jinny Webber

Judy Weirick

Heather Weitzel

John Wilner

Fr. Vaughn Winters

Garrett Wiseman

Charles Wylie

Leah Young

Katherine Zeiss

Listings reflect cumulative donations from Januray 1, 2021-Januray 15, 2023. Kindly notify the Opera office of any errors or omissions.

Over the last year we have made some changes to our ticket pricing and policies. Some of our new practices differ from those of other arts organizations, and depart from longestablished industry norms. Some patrons have expressed confusion or curiosity about how we do things now, and the reasons behind our decisions. Here are some frequently asked questions and the answers.

Q: How much do tickets to Opera SB cost?

A: Anywhere between $25 and $249, depending on the manner and time of purchase, and seating preference.

Q: What are “YOU DECIDE!” Tickets?

A: These are name-your-own-price tickets. A minimum price of $25 applies. Over time we increase the minimum price, and You Decide! Tickets are usually discontinued about 10 days before the show. YOU DECIDE! Tickets are available online only.

Q: Who can buy YOU DECIDE! Tickets?

A: Anyone! There are no restrictions. We want everyone who wants to attend the opera to be able to make their own decision about the dollar value of the experience, according to their interest and circumstances.

Q: Why should anyone buy fully-priced tickets?

A: Patrons should buy Fully-priced tickets if:

• They want premium seats (Loge and Boxes at the Granada, and Premium Orchestra at both Granada and Lobero)

• Want to select their own seats. (YOU DECIDE! patrons are seated at the discretion of Team OSB and the Box Office.)

• Fully-priced tickets are available online, by phone, or inperson at the Granada and Lobero Box Offices.

Q: Do you have senior, student, group, and Community tickets?

A: No. The YOU DECIDE! Tickets have replaced all those programs. However, we do offer free tickets to students 8-18. Please email info@operasb.org to inquire.

Q: Can I buy $25 tickets on the day of the show?

A: No. Our ticket prices go up as the day of the show approaches. Please make your plan early to lock in the best prices.

THANK YOU TO OUR HOUSING DONORS

Todd Aldrich

Jared Darlington

Betsy Gallery

Rodney Baker and Robert Ooley

Christine and Michael Holland

Colleen Kelly

Lori Meschler

Marilyn and Richard Mazess

Robert Ramey

Marilyn Zellet

SPECIAL THANKS

National Endowment for the Arts

Santa Barbara-Toba Sister Cities Organization

Santa Barbara Public Library

Sushi Teri Restaurant

Takako Wakita

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Alan Blakeboro John Busby Mark Carney

Robert Forouzandeh Diana Jessup Lee Kevin R. Nimmons

Michael Pfau Daniel Reicker Andrew Simons

Russell Terry Timother Trager Fernando Velez, Jr.

Reicker Pfau congratulates Opera Santa Barbara on An American Dream

Reicker Pfau congratulates Opera Santa Barbara on La scala di seta.

Opera Santa Barbara is proud to announce the return of our free STUDENT OPERA MATINEE SERIES thanks to generous support by:

John C. Mithun Foundation

Music Performance Trust Fund

Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation

Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation

To learn more about bringing your students to our upcoming matinee for An American Dream on February 17, 2023, contact: Tim Accurso at tim@operasb.org or call 805.898.3890

T h e B r a v o S o c i e t y w a s e s t a b l i s h e d f o r i n d i v i d u a l s w h o w a n t t o l e a v e a l a s t i n g l e g a c y t o e n s u r e o p e r a w i l l f l o u r i s h i n

S a n t a B a r b a r a f o r f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s .

W e t h a n k t h e f o l l o w i n g B r a v o S o c i e t y m e m b e r s f o r t h e i r c o m m i t m e n t t o a t h r i v i n g o p e r a c o m m u n i t y :

J e a n R o g e r s

J o a n R u t k o w s k i J u d i t h S m i t h D r R o b e r t W e i n m a n J o i n O p e r a S a n t a B a r b a r a ' s

n V a n A b e l

Learn more about Bravo Society membership and benefits at operasb org/support or contact Amy Marshall, Director of Development at amy@operasb.org