FELLOW TRAVELERS
MARCH 7, 11, 13, 15, 2026
Seattle Opera production photography courtesy of Sunny Martini (pages 6-11, 22) and David Jaewon Oh (page 28).
FELLOW TRAVELERS
Composed by GREGORY SPEARS
Libretto by GREG PIERCE
Based on the 2007 novel by THOMAS MALLON
Produced by PORTLAND OPERA and UP UNTIL NOW
Premiered JARSON-KAPLAN THEATER, ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS, CINCINNATI, OHIO, MAY 7, 2016
Portland Opera Premiere MARCH 7, 2026
CREATIVE TEAM
Director KEVIN NEWBURY
Conductor NICHOLAS FOX
Associate Director/Intimacy Director SARA E. WIDZER
Set Designer VICTORIA “VITA” TZYKUN
Costume Designer DEVARIO D. SIMMONS *
Lighting Designer THOMAS C. HASE
Associate Ligthing Designer JOE BEUMER
Hair & Makeup Designer ASHLEE NAEGLE *
Original Production Costume Designer PAUL CAREY*
Stage Manager LAUREL MCINTYRE *
Assistant Stage Manager QUINN CHASE *
Assistant Stage Manager ERIN JOY SWANK
Producer JECCA BARRY*
Production Manager BRIAN FREELAND *
Fellow Travelers was originally developed and co-commissioned by G. Sterling Zinsmeyer and Cincinnati Opera. Original production directed by Kevin Newbury. Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Helicon Music Corporation, New York, publisher and copyright owner. Projected English surtitles written and produced by Cincinnati Opera.
THE CAST
(in order of vocal appearance)
Hawkins Fuller JOSEPH LATTANZI *
Timothy Laughlin ANDY ACOSTA *
Senator Potter’s Assistant JEREMY WEISS *
Tommy McIntyre RANDELL MCGEE *
Senator Charles Potter KYLE PFORTMILLER *
Miss Lightfoot VANESSA BECERRA *
Mary Johnson AMBER MONROE *
Bookseller JEREMY WEISS *
Estonian Frank MARCUS DELOACH *
General Arlie KYLE PFORTMILLER *
Party Guest JEREMY WEISS *
Lucy ELISA SUNSHINE *
Interrogator MARCUS DELOACH *
Technician JEREMY WEISS *
Bartender KYLE PFORTMILLER *
Senator Joseph McCarthy MARCUS DELOACH *
Priest JEREMY WEISS *
with the PORTLAND OPERA ORCHESTRA
*Portland Opera Debut
There will be one intermission.
Total running time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Portland Opera Association, Inc. receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts Portland Opera is a member of OPERA America.
FELLOW TRAVELERS ORCHESTRA
Violin I
JAMES M. MCLENNAN, Acting Concertmaster
JANET GROH DUBAY, Acting Assistant Concertmaster
LUCIA ATKINSON
Violin II
JENNIFER ESTRIN, Acting Principal
AROMI PARK, Acting Assistant Principal
MARGARET BICHTELER
Viola
ANGELIKA FURTWANGLER, Acting Principal
SHAUNA KEYES, Acting Assistant Principal
Cello
DYLAN RIECK, Principal
KATHERINE SCHULTZ, Acting Assistant Principal
Bass
CLINTON O’BRIEN, Principal
Flute
GEORGEANNE RIES, Principal
Oboe
KELLY M. GRONLI, Principal
Clarinet / Bass Clarinet
RICKY SMITH, Acting Principal ^
Trombone
GREGORY SCHOLL, Acting Principal ^
DAVID BRYAN
Piano
CLAIRE FORSTMAN, Principal ^
ˆdenotes substitute musician
Orchestra Musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 99. Chorus, Principal singers, dancers, and staging staff are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists.
Production designers are represented by United Scenic Artists 829 (a subsidiary of International Alliance of Theatre and Stage Employees).
Stage crew provided by IATSE Local #28. Admission staff provided by IATSE Local #B20.
SINGING WHAT WAS SILENCED
There are moments in our nation’s history when we have witnessed what happens when government systems fail to protect all citizens equally, and when some communities experience marginalization and hostility. In such times, those affected often face difficult choices; to speak out and face consequences, or to carefully construct an intricate camouflage in order to survive. The characters in Fellow Travelers move between these poles throughout the opera, navigating love, ambition, fear, and courage against the backdrop of the Lavender Scare of the 1950s. Their journeys illuminate both the cost of silence and the risk of resistance.
I am profoundly proud that Portland Opera is staging this brave and historic work. Fellow Travelers does not look away from a painful chapter in American history; it asks us to confront it with honesty and humanity. It reminds us that the struggle for dignity and equality is neither abstract nor distant but lived intimately in the hearts of individuals who long to belong and to love openly.
The Lavender Names Project, a collaboration between the American LGBTQ+ Museum and Up Until Now Collective (producers of Fellow Travelers ) seeks to recover and memorialize the thousands of LGBTQ+ federal employees who were investigated, dismissed, or forced to resign from their jobs. By restoring their names and stories to the historical record, the project reminds us that behind every policy are real people whose lives were irrevocably changed. In presenting Fellow Travelers ,
we participate in that act of remembrance. The opera gives voice to those who were silenced and deepens our understanding of the human cost of prejudice.
Portland Opera has a long history of bringing socially relevant and stimulating content to the stage. We have embraced new works, contemporary perspectives, and narratives that reflect the fullness and complexity of our community. Productions like Fellow Travelers are possible because of the generosity of those who believe this art form matters.
KEEP PORTLAND OPERATIC. Save our song. Secure our future.
The next act begins now and it depends on you! Your immediate support sustains an art form like no other, and ensures that Portland Opera continues to inspire, educate, and strengthen our community in the Pacific Northwest. When you give, you make it possible to bring courageous, resonant works like Fellow Travelers to the stage — now and for generations to come. Please join us in shaping what comes next.
May this beautiful production move you, challenge you, and remind you of the enduring power of love and our shared humanity.
KREGG ARNTSON President, Portland Opera Board of Directors
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SYNOPSIS
by Alexis Hamilton
SCENE 1: PARK IN DUPONT CIRCLE
Naïve young journalist Timothy Laughlin sits on a park bench hastily scribbling notes on the story he is covering—the wedding of Senator Joseph McCarthy. A handsome stranger seats himself beside Timothy and strikes up a conversation, eventually introducing himself as Hawkins Fuller, “Hawk” to his friends. There is a moment of hesitation as they both feel the pull of attraction, then Hawk takes his leave and heads back to work at the State Department.
SCENE 2: SENATOR CHARLES POTTER’S OFFICE
Timothy arrives at the office for an interview with Senator Potter but is told that the senator is still in a hearing. Tommy McIntyre intervenes, explaining that Hawk Fuller recommended Timothy for a job as Potter’s speechwriter. Tommy immediately puts the young man to the test writing remarks for Potter to deliver that afternoon. Timothy gets to work, but his thoughts drift towards Hawk. Senator Potter enters and is impressed by Timothy’s work. Timothy gets the job.
SCENE 3: HAWKINS’ OFFICE
Miss Lightfoot and Mary, assistants in Hawk’s office, chat while elsewhere Timothy Laughlin shops for a thank you gift for Hawk. Miss Lightfoot gossips maliciously about a recently fired colleague, apparently dismissed for homosexuality. Mary is appalled both by the firing and by Miss Lightfoot’s callousness.
Timothy arrives with the book he purchased for Hawk, but is told that he isn’t in. Timothy leaves his sentimentally inscribed book with Mary and leaves. Miss Lightfoot snatches the book and reads the inscription, speculating on the nature of Timothy and Hawk’s new friendship.
SCENE 4: TIMOTHY’S APARTMENT
Timothy is cooking supper and writing a letter to his sister Francie, when Hawk arrives unexpectedly. Timothy is flustered, but Hawk confidently takes control of the situation, seducing Timothy with a kiss. The two fantasize about taking a trip to Bermuda together.
SCENE 5: ST. PETER’S CHURCH
Timothy sits in a pew reveling in his memories of his evening with Hawkins, wondering whether his love is a sin, but ultimately thanking God for sending Hawk to him.
SCENE 6: THE WASHINGTON HOTEL
At a State Department function, the chatter is all about another firing for alleged homosexuality. Mary expresses her concern to Hawk, who brushers her off. She flirts with an Estonian activist, while Tommy McIntyre and Timothy discuss the impending confrontation between Senator McCarthy and the Army during the latest HUAC hearings. Hawk finds Timothy and suggests that they leave together. Their intimate conversation is overheard by Miss Lightfoot, whose suspicions seem confirmed.
SCENE 7: INTERROGATION ROOM
Hawkins Fuller has been reported on suspicion of homosexuality and summoned for interrogation. He is subjected to a battery of “tests” to determine the truth of the accusation.
SCENE 8: TIMOTHY’S APARTMENT
Timothy and Hawk discuss the McCarthy hearings and Hawk’s interrogation. Hawk gifts Timothy with a pair of his own cufflinks and tells Timothy about a steamy encounter he once had with a clarinet player.
INTERMISSION
SCENE 9: MCCARTHY’S OFFICE
Timothy, Tommy McLaughlin, Senator Potter, and Senator McCarthy discuss the latest developments in the hearings and potential implications of new evidence. McCarthy is visibly intoxicated. Tommy takes Tim aside and reveals that he has dirt on Senator Potter. There seems to be an implicit threat in the revelation.
SCENE 10: MARY’S KITCHEN/TIMOTHY’S APARTMENT
Mary tries to warn Timothy about Hawk’s romantic track record, but Timothy dismisses her concerns, saying, “He’s wonderful.”
Later, Hawkins suggests that Timothy and he bring a third young man into their relationship. Horrified and hurt, Timothy tells Hawk to get out.
SCENE 11: ROOF OF THE OLD POST OFFICE
Weeks have passed. Timothy, obviously still distraught, tells Hawk that he is joining the army to get over their relationship, and asks Hawk not to write.
SCENE 12: HAWKIN’S OFFICE
Mary resigns, telling Hawk she cannot stay. Hawk confesses that he misses Timothy.
SCENE 13: TIMOTHY IN FRANCE/HAWK IN CHEVY CHASE
Two years later. Through a series of letters, we learn that Hawkins has married Lucy but is eager to rekindle his relationship with Timothy when Tim returns from Europe.
SCENE 14: BRICK HOUSE
Timothy has returned to D.C. and despite his marriage, Hawk has rented a house as a love nest for romantic rendezvous. Timothy is jealous and hurt by Hawk’s relative contentment in his marriage. Hawk reflects that he cannot be the partner that Timothy wants.
SCENE 15: MARY’S KITCHEN/BRICK HOUSE/INTERROGATION ROOM
Mary is packing up her apartment when a disheveled Hawk arrives. He confesses to Mary that rather than recommend Timothy for a job, he outed Timothy to officials, making him unemployable in the government. Hawk wants Mary to tell Timothy what he has done so that Timothy will hate him, making it easier for Timothy to forget their relationship.
SCENE 16: DUPONT CIRCLE
On the bench where they met, Timothy tells Hawk he is leaving D.C. Both know they will never see each other again, but they part without saying goodbye.
CAST & CREW BIOS
KEVIN NEWBURY
Pronouns: he/they
Role: Director
Portland Opera Debut: Nixon in China (2006)
Kevin Newbury is an opera, theatre, and film director. Career highlights: three PBS Great Performances Broadcasts: Bernstein’s MASS (Ravinia Festival), Doubt (Minnesota Opera) & Bel Canto (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Liz Phair’s 2023 Exile in Guyville National Tour; dozens of world premieres, including Kansas City Choir Boy (with Courtney Love, Prototype Festival/National Tour), GRAMMY-winner The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Santa Fe, Seattle, San Francisco Operas), GLAAD Media Award Winner Candy & Dorothy (NYC), and five operas with composer Gregory Spears, including Fellow Travelers , Castor & Patience (Cincinnati Opera) and The Righteous (Santa Fe Opera). Co-Founder: Up Until Now Collective.
NICHOLAS FOX
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Conductor
Portland Opera Debut: Conductor, The Elixir of Love ( 2015)
Described by Oregon Arts Watch as “…a flipping genius,” conductor Nicholas Fox has served as Assistant Conductor, Chorus Master, and now Associate Music Director at Portland Opera since the fall of 2013. During his tenure at Portland Opera, he has conducted six mainstage productions, numerous chamber opera performances, and countless concerts, in repertoire ranging from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice to Philip Glass’ In The Penal Colony . In 2019, Fox stepped in at the last moment, without rehearsal, to lead a triumphant opening night performance of Portland Opera’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly . In addition to his local engagements, Fox made his debut at New Orleans Opera in April 2025 conducting Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love .
JOSEPH LATTANZI
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Hawkins Fuller
Portland Opera Debut
Baritone Joseph Lattanzi established himself as a major artist in the current opera landscape with his portrayal of Hawkins Fuller in the world premiere and many subsequent runs of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers The New York Times said, “Joseph Lattanzi was splendid as Hawk, his buttery baritone luxuriant and robust.” His ever-growing repertoire includes leading roles ranging from the classic to the contemporary; Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Rossini’s Figaro to Bates’ Steve Jobs and Aucoin’s Orpheus. Lattanzi has enjoyed many seasons on the Metropolitan Opera roster and has performed at many major houses including San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and Atlanta.
ANDY ACOSTA
Pronouns: he/they
Role: Timothy Laughlin
Portland Opera Debut
Andy Acosta is a Cuban-American tenor and luxury real estate expert based in San Diego, seamlessly blending two world-class careers. As an internationally recognized opera singer, Andy has performed on major stages, including The Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, the Ravinia Festival, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, and San Diego Opera, earning wide acclaim for his powerful voice and magnetic acting. He has performed leading roles in contemporary world premieres and classic repertoire alike, most known for his performances of Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers , Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas , and Tony in West Side Story .
JEREMY WEISS
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Senator Potter’s Assistant/Bookseller/Party Guest/Technician/Priest
Portland Opera Debut
With a “heart wrenchingly beautiful” (Interludes) voice possessing an “indigo tinged sensuousness” (Opera News), baritone Jeremy Weiss channels his training as an actor into his work as a
musician, bringing human stories to life in performances that are radically open-hearted. His career spans two continents with recent credits including L’Opéra National de Paris, The Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L’Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole, and The Brooklyn Academy of Music. This season will bring house premieres with Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and San Diego Opera. His original opera Infinitesimal , co-composed with Nicole Brancato, will have performances in London, Italy, and Paris in Fall 2026. He was the third prize winner in the 2025 Handel Aria Competition and the 2022 Lotte Lenya Competition.
RANDELL MCGEE
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Tommy McIntyre
Portland Opera Debut
Randell McGee is thrilled to join Portland Opera for their 2026 season! A baritone opera singer from Saint Louis, MO, Randell is a passionate opera performer. Randell has performed in a wide range of operas, including A Tragedy of Carmen (Escamillo), Amahl and the Night Visitors (King Melchior), The Righteous (covering Jacob), Madame Butterfly (Imperial Commissioner), Castor and Patience (covering West, Watchman, Cato), Fire Shut up in my Bones (Adult James, Lay About Man), and The Marriage of Figaro (covering Antonio). Randell is grateful to perform with Portland Opera and is looking forward to many more performances to come!
KYLE PFORTMILLER
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Senator Charles Potter/ General Arlie/Bartender
Portland Opera Debut
Kyle Pfortmiller has been heard at the Metropolitan Opera as Marquis d’Obigny in Verdi’s La Traviata as well as in Andrea Chénier, Faust , La fanciulla del West , The Magic Flute , and as Brian’s father in the New York Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys Recent roles include a reprise of Mr. XE in the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Angel’s Bone with the Beijing Festival and Father in Rima Fand’s Precipice at Prototype Festival 2026 in NYC. TV credits include “Food That Built America” and “Evil Lives Here”. Born in Elgin, Illinois, he resides in New York City with his wife.
VANESSA BECERRA
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Miss Lightfoot
Portland Opera Debut
Peruvian and Mexican-American soprano Vanessa Becerra has been acclaimed for her “emotional and vocal prowess” (Chicago Tribune), “full, beautifully focused” instrument (Wall Street Journal), and “charismatic and eloquent” presence (San Francisco Chronicle) on stages across the nation. Most recently she debuted with Chicago Opera Theater as the title role in Leonora followed by a return to LA Opera as Nuria in Ainadamar. Next season she looks forward to role and house debuts as Violetta in La Traviata with the Berkshire Opera Festival, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Seattle Opera, as well as her return to Chicago Opera Theater.
AMBER MONROE
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Mary Johnson
Portland Opera Debut
Recognized as “a crystalline lyric soprano and a superb singing actress”, Amber R. Monroe’s 2025–2026 season sees her role debut in the title role of Francesca Zambello’s production of Aida with Washington National Opera, as well as her European debut in the same role with Theater St. Gallen in a new production. Ms. Monroe also makes her house debuts with Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, and Portland Opera singing Mary Johnson in Fellow Travelers , and covers the role of Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with San Francisco Opera. Concert work includes Handel’s Messiah with the Chattanooga Symphony.
MARCUS DELOACH
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Estonian Frank/Interrogator/Senator Joseph McCarthy
Portland Opera Debut
Marcus DeLoach received critical acclaim for his creation of the roles of Senator Joseph McCarthy in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers at Cincinnati Opera and the Minister in Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves at Opera Philadelphia. In 2007, he was hailed as “powerfully convincing” in his Opera Ireland (Dublin) debut
as Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking . He was a principal artist at New York City Opera from 2000-2006 and has appeared in leading roles with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Opera, Utah Opera, and many others.
ELISA SUNSHINE
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Lucy
Portland Opera Debut
Celebrated for her “blend of vocal sparkle and theatrical charisma” by the San Francisco Chronicle, American soprano Elisa Sunshine’s 2025-2026 season brings a return to San Francisco Opera as the Page and Gilda cover in Rigoletto and a Flower Maiden and Squire in Parsifal , as well as her Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and San Diego Opera debuts as Lucy in Fellow Travelers . She also makes her debut with The Santa Fe Symphony for Handel’s Messiah and looks excitedly ahead to future collaborations with The Santa Fe Opera, the Sag Harbor Song Festival, and the Santa Rosa Symphony.
SARA E. WIDZER
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Associate Director/Intimacy Director
Portland Opera Debut : Show Boat (2015)
Sara is a consent-forward theatre-artist and socialjustice practitioner dedicated to making impactful and community-building art. In addition to Fellow Travelers , Sara is the Intimacy Director at LA Opera. Selected Intimacy Direction includes West Side Story, La Bohème, Ainadamar, Roméo et Juliette , and La Traviata (LA Opera); La Traviata (San Diego Opera); La Bohème (WNO). Selected Stage Direction includes Into the Woods (OIO); touch (World Premiere-Opera Birmingham); Madame White Snake (Beth Morrison Productions); The Marriage of Figaro and Semele (Opera Santa Barbara); JUANA (World Premiere-Opera UCLA), ProvingUp (UC Boulder); Carmen (Opera Orlando), The Flying Dutchman (Hawaii Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera) and The Music Man (Royal Opera House, Muscat).
VICTORIA “VITA” TZYKUN
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Set Designer
Portland Opera Debut: Winterreise (2018)
Vita Tzykun is an internationally acclaimed director, designer, and transdisciplinary artist. Her wideranging work—from art direction for Lady Gaga to productions for the Norwegian Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Bolshoi Theatre— bridges opera, film, and immersive installations. As co - founder of GLMMR with David Adam Moore and a frequent advisor to leading arts organizations, she drives innovation at the intersection of technology, design, and performance. Vita was named to the XLIST 2025 of the world’s top 100 creative visionaries and nominated for Designer of the Year by the International Opera Awards.
DEVARIO D. SIMMONS
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Costume Designer
Portland Opera Debut
Devario D. Simmons is an American Costume Designer; his credits include but are not limited to Broadway: Thoughts of a Colored Man ; Off-Broadway: The White Chip, Bees and Honey, TUMACHO, Between the Bars, EMERGENCY! and P.S. Additionally, Simmons has had the pleasure of being a guest artist at: Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera and Opera St. Louis. His regional credits include The Geffen Playhouse, Clarence Brown Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Asolo Rep., TheatreSquared, Geva Theatre, The Williamstown Festival, Bucks County Playhouse, The Long Wharf Theatre, Jean’s Playhouse, Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage. Other credits include RUSTIN (Netflix), three seasons of AMC’s television show TURN , the 2nd National Touring production of In the Heights and two seasons of PBS television series Mercy Street .
PAUL CAREY
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Original Costume Designer
Portland Opera Debut
Carey has designed the costumes for The Odyssey , The Winter’s Tale , and The Tempest (Public Theater’s Public Works Initiative at the Delacorte Theatre). Further New York and regional credits include Kansas City Choir Boy (PROTOTYPE Festival, U.S. tour), City Of (Playwright’s Realm), Bad Jews (Long Wharf), Trouble in Mind (Yale Rep), A Kind of Alaska (New York Live Arts), the U. S. premiere of The Tender Mercies (One Year Lease), Three Days of Rain (Amphibian), and three productions for New York University/ Atlantic Acting School. Collaborations with director Kevin Newbury have included Doubt (Minnesota Opera, world premiere), Bernstein’s Mass (Philadelphia Orchestra), El Niño (San Francisco Symphony), and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Eurydice and Green Sneakers (Urban Arias).
THOMAS C. HASE
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Lighting Designer
Portland Opera Debut : Faust (2006)
In the United States: Company on Broadway, New York City Opera, BAM Next Wave Festival. Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera and 30 Seasons for Cincinnati Opera.
Outside the US: Disney/Stage Entertainment; The Vienna State Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, The Barbican and Sadler’s Wells in London, Riverdance in Dublin, The Gran Teatre de Liceu, Göteborg and Malmö Operas, The Dutch, Finnish and Columbian National Operas; The Helikon Opera Moscow, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Opéra de Marseille; Canadian Opera Company; Singapore Arts Festival, and Tokyo Metro Arts Center.
ASHLEE NAEGLE
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Hair & Makeup Designer
Portland Opera Debut
Ashlee Naegle is the in-house Wigs, Hair and Makeup Manager and Designer at Seattle Opera, where she
created the position in 2017. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, she is known for her imaginative wig design and transformative artistry. Her work spans beloved classics such as The Pirates of Penzance, Tosca, The Magic Flute, La Traviata, Das Rheingold , and Alcina , as well as world premieres including Jubilee and A Thousand Splendid Suns . Her work was featured on the cover of Opera America’s Winter 2024 issue, recognizing her contributions to the art of operatic design.
LAUREL MCINTYRE
Pronouns: she/they
Role: Stage Manager
Portland Opera Debut
Laurel McIntyre (she/they) (Stage Manager) is pleased to bring her tiny table and support of artists to this fabulous production of Fellow Travelers . She travels regularly and enjoys working for a variety of companies across the country but especially enjoys new opera. Other opera stage management credits include Grounded, Die Tote Stadt, The Shining, Glory Denied, Trade/ Mary Motorhead, Hometown to the World, This Little Light of Mine, Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun , and Roméo et Juliette . She would like to thank her family for their ongoing support.
QUINN CHASE
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Assistant Stage Manager
Portland Opera Debut
Quinn Chase is a stage manager and technical theatre artist from the east coast currently based in Seattle and is grateful to be part of Fellow Travelers in both Portland and Seattle. Quinn has worked with various Seattle companies, most notably 16 mainstage productions at Seattle Opera since 2021. Other companies include: The 5th Avenue Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Union Arts Center, (formerly known as ACT Theatre) Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Triple Door, and BookIt Repertory Theatre. Quinn is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists.
ERIN JOY SWANK
Pronouns: she/her
Role: Assistant Stage Manager
Portland Opera Debut : Falstaff (2025)
Erin Joy Swank (she/her) returns to Portland after La Bohème and Falstaff last season. In 2025, she stagemanaged the internationally nominated revival of Douglas Moore’s Pulitzer-prize winning Giants in the Earth , resurrected by South Dakota Symphony after a 50+ year hiatus of performances. As a Denver-based freelancer, her recent credits include dance (Sacramento, Texas, and Nevada Ballets), theatre (Curious, Human Race), a Star Wars burlesque parody; a hybrid opera/circus (Opera North); contributing to two stage management books; and hosting a popular industry blog. Her favorite cast members ever remain the three adorable camels in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. www.erinjoyswank.com
THOMAS MALLON
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Author
Mallon’s eleven books of fiction include Henry and Clara , Fellow Travelers , Watergate (a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award) and Up With the Sun . He has also written volumes of nonfiction about plagiarism ( Stolen Words ), diaries ( A Book of One’s Own ), letters ( Yours Ever ), and the Kennedy assassination ( Mrs. Paine’s Garage ), as well as two books of essays ( Rockets and Rodeos and In Fact ). A collection of his personal journals, The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983–1994 , was published by Knopf in June 2025. Mallon’s work appears in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, and other publications. Honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, for distinguished prose style. He has been literary editor of Gentlemen’s Quarterly and deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and in 2012 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
G. STERLING ZINSMEYER
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Original Commissioner
G. Sterling Zinsmeyer is a veteran producer of films and stage productions. His interest has been to tell the stories of our gay community. His film production credits include The Deception , which premiered at the 2015 Santa Fe Film Festival, and Latter Days , which was released to wide acclaim in 2004. After reading Thomas Mallon’s novel Fellow Travelers , Mr. Zinsmeyer enlisted his friend Kevin Newbury to help him bring this story to the stage as a chamber opera. Together they brought Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce aboard as composer and librettist. The opera premiered in Cincinnati in 2016 to rapturous reviews and was named by The New York Times as one of the ten best classical music events of that year. Mr. Zinsmeyer is currently the Acting Director of the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM.
UP UNTIL NOW
Producer (New York, NY)
Up Until Now is a group of artists and thought leaders co-founded by Kevin Newbury, Jecca Barry, and Brandon Kazen-Maddox to develop and produce inter-disciplinary work that helps build new structures for artistic creation across all art and media platforms. UUN creates inclusive, expansive collaborative spaces that center stories of empathy, intimacy, and connection. Up Until Now Collective aims to affect as many people as it can in the most positive way possible. Projects include SOUL(SIGNS): Making Music Visible (PBS/WNET/ All-Arts); Unholy Wars (Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Philadelphia O Festival); Georgia (Times Square Midnight Moment); SOUL(SIGNS): OPERA (Reel Abilities Film Festival); Global Citizen 2022 Pride Video Campaign; midair for some tim e (Center for Performance Research). Up Until Now received funding in support of Fellow Travelers from Allen & Judy Brick Freedman Venture Fund for New Music, Andrew D. Zacks Foundation, Annette Vass, Anonymous, Brad Rubenstein, David & Bette Fitts, Hargrove Pierce Foundation, James Tibbs & Philip Anderson, Jill & Bill Steinberg, John Kander, Karen Schuiling, Kathy Grace Gallo, Lynn Loacker, Michael & Emilie Corey, Michael Burak, Michael Young & Debra Valentine, Milo Depew, Roseanna DeMaria & Allan Dinkoff, Russell Schrader, San Francisco Foundation, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon, Seniel & Dorothy Ostrow Foundation, Susan Bienkowski, Ted Snowdon & Duffy Violante, and The Briarcombe Institute.
COMMUNITY, ACTIVISM AND OPERA: A DECADE OF FELLOW TRAVELERS
by Kevin Newbury, Director
On June 12, 2016, forty-nine LGBTQ+ people were killed at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. That same night, I was enjoying a drag show at Oz, a Queer nightclub in downtown Cincinnati, with a dozen cast and crew members of the Fellow Travelers , which was scheduled to premiere six days later. The next morning, as news of the tragedy spread through the Cincinnati Opera company, we felt a sense of collective mourning and reflection: What if some of us hadn’t survived our trip to Oz the previous night? It was a poignant moment in the history of this opera.
But I should back up first. In 2007, my dear friend, producer G. Sterling Zinsmeyer, handed me a copy of Fellow Travelers , a new novel by Thomas Mallon that had been published months before, proclaiming: “This must be an opera, and you need to direct it.” I tore through the book and fell in love with the protagonists, Timothy and Hawkins, while learning about a painful chapter of LGBTQ+ history for the first time. Sterling was right. It needed to be an opera.
We got right to work, securing the rights from Tom and bringing on a brilliant writing team: composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce. Cincinnati Opera offered to host a workshop of the opera in 2013 and, upon experiencing the finished work, the company offered to present the world premiere. Cincinnati Opera’s support of Fellow Travelers was unwavering and courageous, especially since Cincinnati was perhaps best known, at least in Queer circles, for the force with which it censored Robert Mapplethorpe’s “obscene” gay photographs in 1990. The thought of premiering an opera that featured two gay men singing an achingly beautiful love duet while simulating sex onstage felt like cosmic restitution.
GAY IN SMALL TOWN MAINE
In 1996—my senior year of high school—I wrote a thesis on photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, the National Endowment for the Arts, obscenity laws, and Queer artmaking at the height of the AIDS crisis. Our assignment was to write about someone who had shaped culture. My first instinct was to write about Madonna, but my English teacher, Mrs. Ackerman, suggested that my knowledge of Madonna’s trajectory was, perhaps, already encyclopedic. Was there another subject that might really challenge me? While writing about Mapplethorpe and the 1990s culture wars, I was simultaneously terrified that I would die of AIDS, coming out of the closet, and grateful that the local public library in my hometown of Auburn, ME, had a copy of Mapplethorpe’s “Perfect Moment,” a retrospective catalog, on the shelves—flowers, phalluses, and all. I must have renewed that book at least three times.
As a closeted teenager, I never could have imagined that I would forge a career directing LGBTQ+ stories, especially an opera. In the decade since our premiere, Fellow Travelers has had sixteen productions from America’s biggest cities to her heartland. It’s become part of the operatic canon and served as a catalyst for connecting thousands of audience members from many disparate backgrounds, across many generations. Without fail, dozens of audience members congregate in the lobby after each performance, hugging, crying and sharing their stories until the theater’s curfew.
A NEW COMING OUT
The Fellow Travelers Project, a series of performances taking place over the next two years, is a sort of new coming out of this opera. It coincides with our nation’s semi quincentennial. And the opera has become a symbol of resistance to the moment we are in, as we see a dramatic rise in systemic attacks on the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the US and deliberate attempts to erase our history. Conservative federal and local governments are policing gender expression and free speech, abandoning HIV research, challenging the ban on conversion therapy, and hijacking our cultural institutions in Washington D.C.
Alongside the production we are launching The Lavender Names Project, a collaboration with the new American LGBTQ+ Museum, which officially opens in New York City in Fall, 2027 in a collaboration with The New York Historical. The Lavender Names Project is a grassroots archival research/community outreach initiative, which will uncover and collect photos and stories of victims of the LGBTQ+ community who were systematically discriminated against, fired, and mistreated by federal and local governments, from the ban on gay soldiers serving in World War II to the beginning of the ”Lavender Scare” in 1953 to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the 1990s, and all the way to today. The photos themselves are a part of an ever-growing visual archive that appears onstage at the end of each performance as a living memorial to the many Queer people who suffered—and are suffering—the decadeslong persecution. The collected names and photos archives will eventually find a home in the American LGBTQ+ Museum. We invite all audiences in Portland to contribute to this archive leading up to and throughout the performances.
Despite our government’s efforts to erase LGBTQ+ history, our legacy is everywhere I look and that legacy is a groundswell. More than ever, I feel driven to honor the generations of Queer folks who came before us and I am also looking to them for guidance, for blueprints.
I recently unearthed my Mapplethorpe thesis in a filing box in my parents’ basement labeled “Kevin: High School.” Reading it for the first time in almost thirty years, the 1990s culture wars now feel like a mere harbinger of much worse things to come. The very next day, Florida officials, under the cover of night, painted over the rainbow crosswalk memorial honoring the Pulse nightclub victims in Orlando. But no one is going to erase us. And no one is going to erase the living, singing memorial that is the Fellow Travelers opera. We will be performing all over this country, our country, throughout next year and beyond. Please find me in the lobby after the show to share your own story.
STAFF
INTERIM GENERAL DIRECTOR
Tracy Wenckus
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Damien Geter
ARTISTIC AMBASSADOR
Karen Slack
ARTISTIC & MUSIC
Alfrelynn Roberts, Artistic Director
Alexis Hamilton, Associate Director of Education Outreach
Nicholas Fox, Associate Music Director
Ethan Cope Richter, Music Administrator and Librarian
Quinn Kun Liu, Music Assistant
Jasmine Johnson, Civic Engagement & Partnerships Manager
Amrit-Sadhana Boyd, Artistic Administrator
Sherrie Van Hine, Shane Magargal, AGMA Delegates
Lisa Neher, Chorus Secretary
Michael Hettwer, Orchestra Manager
Jessica Crawford, Supertext Coordinator
Claire Forstman, Rehearsal Pianist
DEVELOPMENT
Beth Lewis, Director of Development
Carleena Manzi, Development Manager
Alexis Walker, Donor Benefits Coordinator
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Alexander Chester, Director of Finance
Paul Lovincey, HR & Operations Manager
Michael Martinez, Senior Accountant
MARKETING
Christina Post, Director of Marketing & Communications
Lizzie Adelsheim, Marketing Project Manager
Ervanny Astari , Social Media Manager
PATRON SERVICES
Magdalena Travis, Patron Services Manager
Chris Kim, Patron Services Supervisor
Jordan Catmull, Patron Services Representative
PRODUCTION
Anna B. Labykina, Director of Production
Kyle Spens, Technical and Production Director
Ivy Thompson, Costume Shop Manager
Sara Beukers, Wig and Makeup Supervisor
Cindy Felice, Properties Director
Carl Faber, Lighting Supervisor
Pascaline LeFèbvre, Production Coordinator
Eric Adams, Production Carpenter
Iain Chester, Warehouse Head
Addison Nuttbrock, Events Coordinator / Production & Office Assistant
Morgan Reaves, Wardrobe Supervisor
Lisa Jubera, Foreman, WMU Principal Makeup Artist
Helen Hart, WMU Principal Makeup Artist
Daniel Wilson, Claudie Fisher, Audrey Goldfarb, Properties Assistants
Mark M. James, Production Electrician
Jenessa Raabe, Pre-Production Electrician
FOR BROADWAY IN PORTLAND
Tracy Wenckus, General Manager, Broadway
Ella Black, Broadway Ticketing & Database Manager
Sophie Stebbins, Broadway Group and Customer Service Supervisor
Rachel Allred, Customer Service Rep
Liz Allred, Customer Service Representative
Bradford Johnson, Technical Liaison
Kelsey Wenckus, Marketing Assistant
FOR THE NEWMARK THEATRE
Tim McGarry, Head Carpenter
Danny Cook, Head Flyman
Lorin Sly, Head Electrician
Duane Rodakowski, Head Soundman
Brian Keith, Head Propertyman
PORTLAND OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Kregg Arntson, PRESIDENT; Director, Community Impact | Executive Director, PGE Foundation
Carole Morse, PAST PRESIDENT; Past President, PGE Foundation
Linda Brown, VICE PRESIDENT; Owner, Brown’s Blueberries
Christine Lewis, VICE PRESIDENT; Metro Councilor, District 2
Larry D. Roper, TREASURER ; Emeritus Professor of Language, Culture and Society, Oregon State University
Carol Turner, SECRETARY; Civic Volunteer
MEMBERS
Nichole Anglin, Attorney, Innova Legal Advisors PC
Mayra Arreola, Chief Shared Prosperity Officer, Port of Portland
Regena Frieden, Chief Administrative Officer, Providence Health Plan
Laura Howe, Accounting Manager, On Point Community Credit Union
Ayaka Jones, Senior Account Executive, FINN Partners
Vanessa Valencia, Vice President of Financial Planning, On Point Community Credit Union
PORTLAND’5 CENTERS FOR THE ARTS
Portland’5 Centers for the Arts includes the Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Antoinette Hatfield Hall, comprising the Newmark Theatre, Dolores Winningstad Theatre, and Brunish Theatre. All are public facilities owned by the City of Portland and managed by Metro through the Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission. Each year approximately one million people attend more than 1,000 performances in these facilities.
METRO
Lynn Peterson, Metro Council President
CITY OF PORTLAND
Keith Wilson, Mayor
METROPOLITAN EXPOSITIONRECREATION COMMISSION
Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, Chair
Damien Hall, Vice-Chair
Deidra Krys-Rusoff, SecretaryTreasurer
Dañel Malán-González
Chris Oxley
Deanna Palm
David Penilton
Craig Stroud, Visitor Venues General Manager
PORTLAND’5 CENTERS FOR THE ARTS
Rachael Lembo, Executive Director
Stephanie Torres De Los Santos, Director of Events
Stephanie Viegas Dias, Director of Ticket Services
Ruby Joy White, Director of Culture and Community
Nancy Strening, Director of Operations
Heather Wilton, Director of Programming, Booking, and Marketing
Dave Woodman, Levy Director of Operations
PORTLAND’5 CENTERS FOR THE ARTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Greg Brown
Jim Brunberg
Gus Castaneda, Chair
Elisa Dozono
Heather Kmetz
Jessica Lagunas
Antonio Lara
Chariti Montez
Ombrea Moore
Brian Sanders
Daniel A. Sullivan
Richard Wattenberg
Steve Wenig
PORTLAND OPERA MISSION & AUDIENCE STATEMENT
We gather and inspire audiences, artists, and collaborators to create shared opera experiences that enliven and connect us all, enhancing the cultural landscape of the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
We are proud to be Portland’s opera, and to share inclusive opera experiences. Our commitment to cultural equity continues to inform our audience policies and experiences. When we gather, it must be with respect and with care for the entire community.
Let us be clear: there is no place for bigotry, discrimination, hate, harassment, or intolerance at Portland Opera.
Behaviors that are disrespectful, discriminatory, or not aligned with our policies for attendance (including health and safety and firearm policies) will not be tolerated, and audience members may be asked to leave the premises and/or be prohibited from returning in the future.
THANK YOU DONORS
Portland Opera would like to recognize the following donors of $100 or more for their generous contributions and support for the 2025/26 season. To learn more about giving to Portland Opera or for any corrections to your listing, please contact Giving@PortlandOpera.org.
Contributions received between 1/1/2025 and 2/5/2026:
Kay and Roy Abramowitz
Katherine Alderson
Anonymous
Joseph Alexander and Janine Clayton
Farouk Al-Hadi
Robert Amundson and Sully Taylor
Donald Andersen
Daniel Anderson and Joy Strand
Christopher Andrews
Sona Karentz Andrews
Nichole Anglin
Claire Ankrum
Elizabeth and Stephen Arch
Margaret and Scott Arighi
Iain Armstrong
Kregg Arntson and Ted Fettig
Annette Arrieta
Ron Attrell and Michael Oard
Nancy Babka and Michael Morgan
Liz Bacon Brownson
Robert Barham and Brad Jefferson
Jaime Barnard
Julia and Mark Barnes
Brent Barton
James and Kathryn Bash
Barbara A. Bass, in Memory of Sydney Bass
Anonymous
Wayne Bautista and Alfredo Pedroza
Phyllis L. Beemsterboer
Kate Beland
Richard and Myra
Bennett
Sharlen Bennett
John and Dyann
Bernatz
Jonathan Betlinski
Maryka Biaggio and Deborah Zita
Alene and Bruce Bikle
Elaine Blatt
Helen and Brian Blum
Barry Bolding
Liz Bonnett
Kathryn Bork
TM Boulton
Bobbie Bowser
The Breunsbach Family
William Bridge
Verlea Briggs
Frances Britt, In Memory of Maryann Dutton
Lily M. Brodrick
Jennifer Brooks
Matt and Marian Brouns
Doug and Deb Brown
Linda and Marcia
Brown
Gregory Brumfield and Roberta Riportella
James Brunberg
Judy Brunner
Sherman Bucher
Kevin Bumatay
Virginia V. Burgess
Zoe Burke
Melissa Buxton
Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., DMA
James Callan
Anonymous
Laurie Campbell-Leslie
Maurine and Paul Canarsky
Ross Carey
Len Carpenter
Dr. Carlos CastroPareja and Lori Dunkin*
Joanna E. Ceciliani and Douglas G. Beckman
Shelly Chabon
Kevin Chan
Gagandeep Choudhary and Aprajita Jagpal
David Christopher
Sarah L. Claiborne
Ann Marie and David Coghill
Bradley Coiteux and Robert Halberg
Heather Coleman-Cox
Kristine Connolly
Tim and Tammy Cooper
Evelyn H. Couser
Berlioz the Cat
Lauri Noell Crocker
Stacy Cross
Janet Cruz*
Robert J. Currier
Tracy Curtis and Rick Nagore
Triston Dallas
Eloise Damrosch and Gary Hartnett
May D. Dasch
Joseph and Carol Davids
Katherine De La Forest and Zach Reichert
George and Barbara Dechet
David DeMoss and Geoffrey Wren
Anonymous
Florence M. DiLoreto
Susan C. Dixon
William and Suzanne Dolan
Christopher Domschke
Kate Donovan
In honor of Beverly Downer
Patricia Dresler
Shari L. Dunn
Susan Dunn
Dr. David Dunning
Michael A. Duvall
Ryan Dyson and Louise Hoover
In Honor of Dolores King
Se-ah-dom Edmo
Roger Edwards and Carol La Brie
Eleanor Lieber
Auditions Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation
Laura Engle
Anonymous
Angelica Espinosa
Matthew and Emmanuella Essieh
Carl and Christine Farrington
Dr. Marilyn Farwell and Catherine King
Anonymous
Richard and Anne Feeney
Edward and Jeanette Feldhousen
Lynn Ferguson
Anonymous
Nicole Forbes
Anne Francis
Regena Frieden
Anonymous
Emilie F. and Don C. Frisbee Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
Theresa Fritchle
Anonymous
Paul Gehlar
Larry and Marlis
Gilman
Mark Greenfield
Diane Greenman
Nancy Greiff
Stephen L. Griffith
John Grigsby
Ed Gronke*
Marsha Gulick
Paul Gunderson
Anton Haas Jr.
Larry Hacek
Patrick G. Hager and Alessandra
Capperdoni
Lois Haley
Kirk Hall
In Memory of Karyn
Halloran - Tim Halloran
Mary Ellen Hamilton
Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland
Charlene Hannibal
Dr. Richard Harper
Katharine Hart
Laura Hassell
Judith A. Heath
Emily Hebbron
Fred and Harriet Hegge
Andrea and Ted Heid*
Wendy and Eric Hein
Jean Herrera
James S. Heuer
Marsh Hieronimus
Dr. Sharon M. Higgins
Glenda Hill
Gaynor Hillsand Greg Fleming
Andrew and Karina Hoan
Tom and Jane Hogan
Maryanne and David Holman
Anita Holser
Kimberly Howard
Carol and Tom Hull
Jennifer Humphreys
Romeo Ilie-Nicolof
Dan and Elsa Impens
In Memory of Marie Colasurdo - Marita
Ingalsbe
Robina Ingram-Rich and Tim Rich
Nancy Jerrick
In Memory of Donald R. Ebert
Cheryl Johnson
Annette Jolin and Richard U’Ren
Becky and Jarrett Jones
Carina Juarez Estrada
Marge and Stephen Kafoury
Carole S. Keefer
Judith and Martin† Kelley
Christopher Kemper
Douglas and Dena Keszler
Suhail and Aisha Khan
Anita Klock
Bradley Alan Knotts
Anonymous
Debbie Koreski
Nagamani and Subramania
Krishakumar
James Laden and Representative
Robert Nosse
Leroy Landers
Grethe Larson and James Mullins
Drs. Fred and Catherine Lauritsen
John Lebens and Dory Kanter
Katherine Lefever
Brandon Lenzi
Dolores Leon, M.D.
Will Lesh
Julie and Nathan Leverenz
Joan Levers and David Manhart
Beth Lewis
Christine E. Lewis and Michael Selvaggio
Amy Light
Jane and Robert Lightell
Jason Lim
S. Anne Lince
Marjorie Lindblom
Craig and Anne Lindsay
Lisa K. Lipton
Adrienne Livingston
Henry Louderbough
Michael Louzao and Brandi Tuck
Paul Lovincey
Malaya N. Lualhati
Rob and Theresa Lusardi
Josh Lyons
Jerome Magill
Bill and Mary Mainwaring
Julia Marchesoni
The M. and L. Marks Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation
Christina Marraccini
Joe A. Marrone
Wendy Martel Vilkin
Victoria L. Martusheff
Katsiaryna Masalava
Julie Mathews
Jessica MaxwellAnderson
William Mayclin & Murray Dunlap
Oscar and Mary Mayer
Joe McFerrin
Cleo A. McLeod*
Andrew and Heather McStay
Steve and Anna Mench
Charles Meshul and Maureen Ober
Melody Mikkelsen
Sandra and Gary Miller
David and Sierra Modro
Karl and Betty Moore
Douglas and Malinda Moore
Susan D. Morgan, VMD
J. Michael Morrison
Carole Morse
Mueller-Crispin
Cultural and Environment Fund
Martin Muller
Nancy Murray
Anonymous
Yooy and Joey Nelson
John and Ginger Niemeyer
Franco Nieto
Donna G. Noonan
Norris Dermatology & Lasers NW
Richard and Beverly North
Nancy H. Oberschmidt
Barbara and Sebastian Obrzut
John Ogden
Heather Ohta
Kris Oliveira
Anonymous
Janet Olson
Liz Olufson
Anonymous
Anonymous
Rodney and Sandi Page
Sujata Pagedar
Callie Pappas and John Winner
Daniel Mueller and JoAnn Pari-Mueller
James Parker
Jane S. Partridge
Anonymous
John and Jollee Patterson
Janet and Donal Pedersen
Pete Perry
David and Karen Petersen
Martha Peterson
Kathleen Petrucela
Laura Polich
Frances Portillo
Phillip Potestio and Sally Hudson
Scott and Tamara Prater
Ian and Alicia Preddy
John and Debbie Purcell
Sohyon Rahe
Russell Ramsey
Andrew Recinos
Mary and Russell Reid
W. W. & Linda Reid
Haley Reviere
Shannon Reynolds
Mrs. Charles Rhyne
Woody and Rae Richen
In Memory of Gerry Allen - Stephen and Leslie Robinson
Lynne Diane Roe, M.D.
Charlene Rogers
Terence Rokop
Larry D. Roper and Dina Lindquist
Carol Rose
Richard and Mary
Rosenberg
Stuart and Holly Rosenblum
Marguerite Russell
Anonymous
Roger Sabbadini
Bunny and Jerry Sadis
Steven Saftig
Adam Gregory Salazar
Steve and Chris Satterlee
In Honor of Larry Roper - Tom and Cesie Scheuermann
Anonymous - (In memory of Mayer D. Schwartz)
Sarah Schwarz
Members of the Portland Opera Chorus
Hal and Diana Scoggins
Mary Seitz
Anonymous Anonymous
Robyn Shuey
Darsein and Gary Shull
Brandon Arends and Anne Sires
Caren Smeltzer and Herman Migliore
Cathleen L. Smith
Robert and Patricia
Smythe
Sue and Drew Snyder
Neil Soiffer and Carolyn Smith
William Space and Allen Brady
Bob Speltz
Dr. Jessica Spies
Alice Spitzer
Robert and Melanie
Spitzer
Charles and Karen Springer
Rakesh Sridharan
Beverly and Larry St. Clair
David Staehely
Michelle Stark
John and Carol Steele
In Memory of Garry Stensland
Barbara A. Stephens
Kristin Sterling and Lorin Wilkerson
N. Robert and Barre Stoll
Petar Stoyanov
Eric and Cyndi Strid
Rebecca Sudduth
L. Susan Sullivan
In Memory of Richard E Swart
Hank Swigert and Marlene Koch
Laszlo Szidonya
Charles Talbot
Krista Tappan
Claudia Taylor, M.D.
Anna Taylor-Richter
Rick and Carol Terrell Charitable Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
Kenneth Thrasher
In Honor of Sue DixonAndrea Tichy
Dr. Matti and Najla Totonchy
Jo Ann and Ric Tower
Homero Trevino Lopez
Su Tunney and James DePew
Tara Turnbull
David and Carol Turner
Russell Turner and Urszula Iwaniec
Rose Etta Venetucci
Dave and Christine Vernier
Julie Vigeland
Jessica Virnig
Helen Ann Volpe
Jeanette Waddle
Mark Ward
Wendy Ware and Dan Gleason
John Weisensee
Tracy Wenckus
Michael and Lisa Wenzlick
Anonymous
Claire Westdahl
Anonymous
The Estate of Ben and Elaine Whiteley
Priscilla Bernard Wieden
Andrew Wilson and Ronnie-Gail Emden
Julie Wilson
Katherine and Keith Wilson
Ana Winner
Athanasia I. Winner
Stephen Winter
Dr. and Mrs. David S. Wisdom
CP Wise
Linda M. Wood
Anne Workman
Clark Worth and Leslie Lehmann
Dr. Greg Zarelli and Mr. John Bush*
Katherine Zeller and David Hill
Kathryn Zerbe
John and Nancy Zernel
Thank you to our wine sponsor for Fellow Travelers. Please bring your program to their tasting room for a complimentary flight.
*Denotes a Monthly Gift to Portland Opera
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
We gratefully acknowledge the ongoing philanthropic support from our generous donors and funders.
The Herbert A. Templeton Foundation
PGE Foundation
Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation
Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust
Roundhouse Foundation
Utopia Vineyard & Winery
Wildhorse Foundation
Wyss Foundation
IN-KIND SPONSORS
200 Market
Argyle Winery
Audacy, Inc.
Botanica Floral Design
Classic Pianos
Elk Cove Vineyards
Et Fille Wines
Internetworks
Mark Spencer Hotel
Nossa Familia Coffee
Ovum Wines
Portland Wine Storage Inc.
Remy Wines
Résonance Wines
Steven Smith Teamaker
ABOUT THIS SEASON’S ARTIST
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Samantha Yun Wall immigrated to the United States as a child and comes from a multiracial background. Operating from within this framework, her artwork embodies the experience of navigating transcultural identity. Wall’s art is characterized by her unique approach to traditional techniques combined with a contemporary vernacular that reflects her understanding of the world.
Samantha’s work has been featured in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and on the cover of the Sleater-Kinney album Path of Wellness . She has exhibited globally at galleries and museums including the Frye Art Museum in Seattle and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Featured in the Black Artists of Oregon exhibit at Portland Art Museum, her work is now in their permanent collection. Samantha has recently openedher most extensive solo exhibition to date at the Seattle Art Museum.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Building upon the success of our 60th anniversary collaboration with illustrator Lisa Congdon, Portland Opera is excited to continue forming annual partnerships with Portland-based fine artists.
These wonderful reciprocal relationships enhance both the artist’s and the opera’s oeuvres, but most importantly contribute to the support and revitalization of our city’s fine and performing arts landscape. Learn more at portlandopera.org.
The Lavender Names Project is a grassroots, nation-wide archival research/community outreach initiative that aims to collect photos and stories of members of the LGBTQ+ community who were systematically discriminated against and fired by federal and local governments in the United States.
Submit a story and photo americanlgbtqmuseum.org/lavender-names-project
VERDI’S REQUIEM
Keller Auditorium
