San Francisco Opera Presents The Gershwins® Porgy And Besssm ...
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA PRESENTS THE GERSHWINS®
PORGY AND BESSSM STARRING ERIC OWENS AND LAQUITA MITCHELL
JUNE 9-27 AT THE WAR MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT 415.864.3330 OR SFOPERA.COM
SAN FRANCISCO (May 21, 2009) – San Francisco Opera presents George and Ira Gershwin’s
Porgy and Bess, based on the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, June 9-27 at the War Memorial
Opera House. Bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Laquita Mitchell headline the cast as Porgy and
Bess, an unlikely couple who manage to find love amidst the squalor of Catfish Row. San Francisco
Opera Artistic Adviser Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed production, previously presented by
Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Chicago Lyric Opera, is conducted by John
DeMain.
A turbulent story of love found and lost, Porgy and Bess is a quintessentially American
masterpiece highlighted by almost a dozen of Gershwin’s most recognizable melodies, including
“Summertime,” “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’,” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Zambello’s production brings
to life the hardships, hopes and resiliency of a troubled community through the story of Porgy, a
crippled beggar, and Bess, the beautiful and headstrong woman he loves. General Director David
Gockley, whose long association with Porgy and Bess has made it a mainstay of the operatic
repertoire, brings Gershwin’s beloved opera to San Francisco for the first time in more than a decade.
American bass-baritone Eric Owens and 2002 Merola Opera Program alumna Laquita Mitchell
both make their role debuts as Porgy and Bess. Owens’ previous appearances at San Francisco Opera
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include Lodovico in Otello, Don Fernando in Fidelio, and most recently as the King of Scotland in
Ariodante. He also created the role of General Leslie Groves in the world premiere of John Adams’
Doctor Atomic, a role he subsequently sang at Netherlands Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the
Metropolitan Opera. Soprano Laquita Mitchell makes her San Francisco Opera mainstage debut with
this production. This season, she also made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Clara in Porgy and
Bess, a role she has also sung at Los Angeles Opera and Washington National Opera and will reprise
this summer on the Opéra Comique European tour.
Baritone Lester Lynch sings the role of Bess’ womanizing, gambling boyfriend Crown, a role
he has also performed to great acclaim at Lyric Opera Chicago, Los Angeles Opera and Washington
National Opera. Former Adler Fellow Karen Slack, who has recently appeared with the Metropolitan
Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia and Lyric Opera of Kansas, returns to San Francisco Opera in
her role debut as Serena, a widow mourning the loss of her late husband. The colorful drug-dealing
pimp Sportin’ Life is sung by tenor Chauncey Packer, who has garnered rave reviews for his portrayal
of the role in performances with Atlanta Opera, Opera Pacific, Tulsa Opera, and the Nashville
Symphony. Baritone Eric Greene is a fisherman named Jake, a role he also performed this season at
Lyric Opera Chicago, Baltimore Opera and the Grand Théâtre Luxembourg; soprano Angel Blue
makes her role debut as his cautious wife Clara, who attempts to soothe their baby with the memorable
lullaby “Summertime.” Mezzo-soprano Alteouise deVaughn sings the role of Bess’s spunky friend
Maria.
George Gershwin originally conceived Porgy and Bess as an “American folk opera” and hoped
it would have its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera, a suggestion that was refused because the
of the controversial nature of the subject matter. Porgy and Bess was consequently reworked as a
musical theater piece and opened on Broadway in 1935 with a cast of all African-American artists–an
extremely bold move given the segregationist views of the era. The work enjoyed more than 40 years
in the musical theater repertoire, with several significant revivals and a film version starring Sydney
Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in the title roles. Houston Grand Opera (HGO), under the leadership of
David Gockley and conducted by John DeMain, presented Gershwin’s original operatic version for the
very first time in 1976. The production established Porgy and Bess as one of the greatest American
operas and earned HGO a Tony Award, a Grammy Award and the Grand Prix du Disque. San
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Francisco Opera presented the HGO production in 1977, with subsequent performances in 1987 and
1995.
San Francisco Opera Guild presents an Insight Panel Discussion featuring members of the cast
and production team on Wednesday, June 3 at 6 p.m. in the Herbst Theatre. Insight panels are free for
Opera members and $5 for the general public; tickets can be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to
the discussion
Sung in English with English supertitles, the seven performances of Porgy and Bess are
scheduled for June 9 (8 p.m.), June 12 (8 p.m.), June 14 (7:30 p.m.), June 18 (7:30 p.m.), June 21 (2
p.m.), June 24 (7:30 p.m.) and June 27 (8 p.m.), 2009. San Francisco Opera’s Summer 2009 Season
will also include Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (June 2-26) and Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata (June 13-
July 5).
Tickets and Information
Tickets for Porgy and Bess range from $15 to $290 each and may be purchased online at
www.sfopera.com or from the San Francisco Opera Box Office either in person or by phone at (415)
864-3330. Standing Room tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on the day of each performance; tickets are $10
each, cash only.
All performances will feature an informative Opera Talk by educator and education consultant
Dr. Marcia Green. Talks begin fifty-five minutes before each performance in the orchestra section of
the War Memorial Opera House and are presented free of charge to patrons with tickets for the
corresponding performance.
The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street. Patrons
are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War
Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART station and near
numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For more public transportation
information, visit www.bart.gov and www.sfmuni.com.
For further information about Porgy and Bess and San Francisco Opera’s 2008-2009 Season,
please visit www.sfopera.com.
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# # # # # # #
This production is made possible, in part, by Company Sponsors John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn, and
the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund. San Francisco Opera is sponsored, in part, by the Ann
and Gordon Getty Foundation, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn, Franklin and Catherine Johnson, Mrs.
Edmund W. Littlefield, Bernard and Barbro Osher and Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax
Fund. Wells Fargo is San Francisco Opera's Season Sponsor. San Francisco Opera is proud to recognize its
corporate partners: United Airlines, the Official Airline of San Francisco Opera, and Chevron, fueling great
performances everywhere.
2008–09 Season Sponsor
- SFO -
This press release and downloadable 2008–09 Season photographs are available at www.sfopera.com/press.
For further press information, please contact:
Jon Finck 415.565.6472 / jfinck@sfopera.com
Julia Inouye 415.565.6430 / jinouye@sfopera.com
Robin Freeman 415.565.6451 / rfreeman@sfopera.com
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THE GERSHWINS® PORGY AND BESSSM: PRODUCTION INFORMATION
All performances take place at the War Memorial Opera House.
* San Francisco Opera Debut
THE GERSHWINS® PORGY AND BESSSM
Production new to San Francisco Opera
by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward,
June 9 (8 pm), 12● (8 pm), 14● (7:30 pm), 18● (7:30
and Ira Gershwin
pm), 21 (2 pm), 24 (7:30 pm), 27 (8 pm), 2009
Washington National Opera production
War
Memorial
Opera
House
First performance: New York, October 10, 1935
Approximate running time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Sung in English with English supertitles
Cast:
Production Team:
Porgy
Eric Owens
Conductor
John DeMain
Bess
Laquita Mitchell* Director
Francesca Zambello
Crown
Lester Lynch*
Associate
Director Rita D’Angelo Tikador*
Serena
Karen Slack
Choreographer
Denni Sayers
Sportin’ Life
Chauncey Packer* Set
Designer
Peter J. Davison*
Clara
Angel Blue*
Costume Designer
Paul Tazewell*
Jake
Eric Greene*
Chorus Director
Ian Robertson
Maria
Alteouise deVaughn*
Lighting Designer Mark
McCullough
Opera Guild Insight Panel Discussion
Wednesday, June 3, 6 p.m.
Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
● OperaVision Performance. San Francisco Opera introduced OperaVision in 2007 as an innovative way to give balcony
audiences a better view of the stage. OperaVision screens, hung from the ceiling of the balcony section, provide close-up
and mid-range ensemble shots in high-definition video. Supertitles are shown at the bottom of each screen.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
American soprano LAQUITA MITCHELL (Bess) makes her San Francisco Opera debut this season. She is a
2002 alumna of the Merola Opera Program, where she sang the role of Mimì (La Bohème), and she presented a
Schwabacher Debut Recital in 2007. Ms. Mitchell has performed the role of Clara (Porgy and Bess) in recent
and upcoming performances with Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, at Paris’s Opéra Comique,
and on tour in Luxembourg. Career highlights include Mimì at Cincinnati Opera; Leonora (Il Trovatore) with
Nashville Opera; Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with Florentine Opera and Portland Opera; Micaëla (Carmen)
with Opera Pacific and New York City Opera; and Alice Ford (Falstaff) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at
Wolf Trap Opera. As a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she created the roles of Orquidea (Daniel
Catán’s Salsipuedes), Myhrrine (Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata), and the Water (Rachel Portman’s The Little
Prince), and she sang the roles of Valencienne (The Merry Widow) and Javotte (Manon). Ms. Mitchell has
performed in concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, and the Princeton Symphony
Orchestra; she also made her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Wynton
Marsalis’s All Rise. In 2003 she won first prize at the Vienna Chamber Opera’s Hans Gabor Belvedere
Competition, making her the first American to win in more than twenty years. She is a former winner of the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Sara Tucker Award, both in 2004.
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ERIC OWENS (Porgy) made his San Francisco Opera debut as Lodovico (Otello) in 2002. He returned to the
Company as Don Fernando (Fidelio) and the King of Scotland (Ariodante), and he created the role of General
Leslie Groves in the 2005 world premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. Owens recently toured Vienna, San
Francisco, Berlin, and London as the Storyteller in Adams’s The Flowering Tree, a role written expressly for
him. Other Adams performances include The Wound Dresser at the BBC Proms and with the American
Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; El Niño with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; and Leslie Groves at
Netherlands Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Opera. Recent credits include Oroveso
(Norma) at Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Ghost of Hector (Les Troyens) in concert with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. Owens has appeared throughout Europe in roles such as Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte) at
Opera Angers in Nantes; Lodovico in Geneva; Oroveso at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; and Zebul in
Handel’s Jephtha at the Salzburg Festival. He is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and former
winner of the 1999 ARIA award, the 2003 Marian Anderson Award, the Operalia Competition, the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition.
The bass-baritone can be heard on disc with Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the
Mozart Requiem (Telarc) and as Aristotle Onassis in the Houston Grand Opera world premiere of Jackie O
(Argo).
American baritone LESTER LYNCH (Crown) makes his San Francisco Opera debut in a role he has performed
at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Washington National Opera,
Houston Grand Opera, and New York City Opera. His recent engagements include Count di Luna (Il Trovatore)
with the Minnesota Opera, Nashville Opera, and Kentucky Opera; Giorgio Germont (La Traviata) with the
Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Opera Cleveland; Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) with
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Tonio (Pagliacci) with Pittsburgh Opera; and the title role of Macbeth with
Dayton Opera. Other career highlights include Marcello (La Bohème) with New York City Opera and Opera
Theatre of Saint Louis; Count di Luna with Deutsche Oper am Rhein and Seattle Opera; Flint (Billy Budd) with
Canadian Opera Company; the title role of Rigoletto with the Dayton Opera; The Bartender in Conrad Susa’s
Black River with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Paolo Albiani (Simon Boccanegra) with the Santa Fe Opera;
and Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera) with Michigan Opera Theater. Lynch is the recipient of many distinguished
awards, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the George London Vocal Competition,
and the Sullivan Awards, and his work with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis earned him the prestigious Richard
Gaddes Award.
CHAUNCEY PACKER (Sportin’ Life) makes his San Francisco Opera debut in a role he has performed at
Atlanta Opera, Opera Pacific, and Tulsa Opera. He sings the role of Mingo in Porgy and Bess with Paris’s
Opéra Comique and on tour with that company in Caen and Luxembourg. Packer was recently engaged by Utah
Festival Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, and Des Moines Metro Opera in such roles as Pinkerton (Madama
Butterfly), the title role of Werther, Pong (Turandot), Sam (Susannah), Ruggero (La Rondine), Dr. Blind (Die
Fledermaus), Tamino (Die Zaberflöte), Arturo (Lucia Di Lammermoor), and Beppe (Pagliacci). The tenor has
also performed concerts with Edmonton Opera, Baton Rouge Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Gulf Coast Opera,
Shreveport Opera, and Pensacola Symphony in such works as Haydn’s Mass in C Major, Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Schubert’s Mass in G Major and Handel’s Messiah. Mr. Packer
received his bachelor’s degree from University of Mobile and pursued his master’s degree from University of
New Orleans.
American soprano ANGEL BLUE (Clara) makes her San Francisco Opera debut this season. She is currently a
second year member of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera. Ms. Blue has
performed the roles of Musetta (La Bohème) and Suzy (La Rondine) with that company. She recently made her
orchestral debut with the Redlands Symphony. Other career highlights include the tile role of Sour Angelica; the
Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors); Jenny (The Threepenny Opera); Helena and Oberon (A Midsummer
Night’s Dream); Giulietta (The Tales of Hoffmann); Belinda and Dido (Dido and Aeneas); and Ruggiero
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(Alcina). Recent and upcoming engagements include Suor Osmina (Suor Angelica) and Micaëla in student
performances of Carmen at Los Angeles Opera.
Baritone ERIC GREENE (Jake) makes his San Francisco Opera debut in a role he has performed at Opera
Company of Philadelphia, Washington National Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. He has performed Ping
(Turandot) with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Opera Carolina as well as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly)
with Eugene Opera. Other career highlights include Escamillo (Carmen) with Virginia Opera and Amarillo
Opera, and the roles of Marcello (La Bohème), King Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Count Almaviva
(La Nozze di Figaro), Samuel (Un Ballo in Maschera) and Angelotti (Tosca). Mr. Green won first place in the
NAACP ACT-SO Competition and received the Maryland State Scholarship, the Gluck Foundation Scholarship,
and the Highly Grant. Recent and upcoming engagements include roles at Paris’s Opéra-Comique, the Granada
International Festival in Spain, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Baltimore Opera, and Luxembourg Opera.
A former Adler Fellow and Merola Opera Program alumna, KAREN SLACK (Serena) has previously appeared
with San Francisco Opera as Agnés Sorel (The Maid of Orleans) and Henrietta M. (The Mother of Us All). Ms.
Slack’s recent career highlights include the title role of Luisa Miller at the Metropolitan Opera, which was
broadcast nationally. She recently returned to the Met for their production of Turandot and made her Carnegie
Hall debut with the Collegiate Chorale in a concert performance as Agnés Sorel. Other credits include
Desdemona (Otello) with the Melbourne Symphony; Clara (Porgy and Bess) with Opera Company of
Philadelphia; and the title role of Aida at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. She has apprenticed with the Santa Fe
Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia, where she sang Pamina (The Magic Flute). Ms. Slack is a former
winner of the Jose Iturbi Competition, the Portland Lieber Award, and the Florida Grand Opera Competition.
Recent and upcoming engagements include a debut with Michigan Opera Theater as Cinna (Margaret Garner)
and the Verdi Requiem with the Madison Symphony.
Mezzo-soprano ALTEOUISE deVAUGHN (Maria) makes her San Francisco Opera debut this season. She
made her professional debut with the Rochester Philharmonic and later at Carnegie Hall as the alto soloist in
Handel’s Messiah. Career highlights include Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Atlanta Symphony
and Orfeo and Euridice at Opera Theater of St. Louis, as well as appearing in New York City Opera’s nationally
televised production of Carmen. She has also performed roles with Houston Grand Opera, Washington National
Opera, Virginia Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, and Cincinnati Opera. Ms. deVaughn is a
former winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, the George London Career Grant
Silver Medal, the Stanley Tausend Award, and the Leontyne Price Award.
JOHN DeMAIN made his San Francisco Opera debut as conductor and chorus master for Porgy and Bess in
1977 and returned to lead the work in 1987. During his distinguished tenure as music director and principal
conductor at Houston Grand Opera, he led a history-making production of Porgy and Bess, which he
subsequently recorded for RCA, and won the Grammy Award, Tony Award, and France's Grand Prix du
Disque. DeMain currently serves as artistic director of Madison Opera and music director of the Madison
Symphony. For ten years, he also served as artistic director for Opera Pacific. He is a regular guest conductor at
Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and New York City Opera and has
also conducted productions for the State Opera of South Australia, Opera Queensland, Aspen Music Festival,
Baltimore Opera, the Bregenz Festival, Cleveland Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florentine Opera Company of
Milwaukee, Glimmerglass Opera, Edmonton Opera, Juilliard Opera Center, Teatro Belles Artes of Mexico
City, Opera de Nice, Opera Omaha, Opera Theater of St. Louis, San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, and the
Wexford Festival. Notable recent engagements include productions at Lyric Opera of Chicago (Porgy and
Bess); Los Angeles Opera (Porgy and Bess, A Little Night Music, and The Merry Widow); New York City Opera
(Dead Man Walking, Tosca, and Porgy and Bess); State Opera of South Australia (Dead Man Walking); Rome’s
Festival Euro Mediterraneo (Candide); and Washington National Opera and Portland Opera (A View from the
Bridge). Upcoming productions include a debut with Vancouver Opera (Nixon in China), Madison Opera (Der
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Fliegende Hollander, Carmen, The Turn of the Screw) and concerts with the Madison Symphony and Dayton
Philharmonic.
San Francisco Opera Artistic Adviser FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO (Original Director) began her long
association with the Company in 1983 as assistant stage director for Ariadne auf Naxos and has since been
involved in seventeen productions here. The Company produced the first installment of her “American” Ring
cycle, Das Rheingold, this past summer and will present Die Walküre in 2010 and the complete cycle in 2011.
Among Zambello’s most recent operatic productions are the world premiere of An American Tragedy, Cyrano,
and Les Troyens for the Metropolitan Opera; Porgy and Bess, Siegfried and Die Walküre for Washington
National Opera; La Bohème at London’s Royal Albert Hall; The Fiery Angel for the Bolshoi Theatre; Salome at
Lyric Opera of Chicago; Carmen and Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; and Boris Godunov,
War and Peace, Billy Budd, and William Tell at the Paris Opera. Zambello was awarded the title of Chevalier
des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for her contribution to French culture and the Russian
Federation's medal for service to culture. Recent musicals include Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Broadway;
Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall; The Little House on the Prairie, by Rachel Portman and
Rachel Sheinkin at the Guthrie Theater; and the world premiere of Rebecca at Vienna’s Raimund Theater. She
directs The First Wives Club, a musical by Rupert Holmes and the Motown Kings, later this year at San Diego’s
Old Globe Theater.
RITA D’ANGELO TIKADOR (Associate Director) assisted Francesca Zambello on the original Washington
National Opera production of Porgy and Bess in fall 2005 and its subsequent appearances at Los Angeles Opera
and Lyric Opera of Chicago. A veteran of over two-hundred performances of Porgy and Bess throughout
Europe, she currently serves as a production stage manager for both Orlando Opera and Disney Creative
Entertainment. For Disney, she supervises and trains stage management to take over and maintain Disney's long-
running theatrical productions. While not in rehearsal, she and her husband run A Better Life-Pet Rescue—a
non-profit, no kill animal rescue located in Orlando, Florida.
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