HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
AND
DAVID GOCKLEY
GENERAL DIRECTOR
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA OPENS 1999-2000 SEASON WITH
THE ACCLAIMED PIER LUIGI PIZZI PRODUCTION OF
VERDI'S QUINTESSENTIAL EPIC
AIDA
Cast to feature Marquita Lister, Walter Fraccaro and Larissa Diadkova
HOUSTON, TX - Verdi's Aida returns to Houston Grand Opera (HGO) to open the 1999-2000
(millennium) season. Beloved by millions when it was broadcast over PBS as the inaugural
production of the Wortham Theater Center in 1987, the Pier Luigi Pizzi production will be directed
by Brenda Nuckton.
American soprano Marquita Lister will sing the title role, while Italian tenor Walter Fraccaro and
Russian contralto Larissa Diadkova make their HGO debuts as Radames and Amneris. American
baritone Gregg Baker and Australian bass Daniel Sumegi round out the cast as Amonasro and
Ramfis. African-Belgian soprano Isabelle Kabatu and a quartet of Americans, including mezzo
soprano Catherine Keen, tenor Patrick Denniston, baritone Mark Doss, and bass Eric Owens, will
sing the roles of Aida, Amneris, Radames, Amonasro and Ramfis in the alternate cast
performances.
Aida opens on Friday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m.* Further performances are on October 24m, 27,
30m (alternate cast), 30 and November 2, 4 (alternate cast), 5, 7m, I I (alternate cast) and 13
(alternate cast) at 7:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. (* Note early curtain for season opening.)
Roberto Abbado returns to Houston to conduct the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. Richard
Bado will conduct the alternate cast performances. With sets and costumes by Pier Luigi Pizzi,.4ida
is lit by Tony Award-winning lighting designer Ken Billington and choreographed by Sandra Organ.
About the opera:
Aida is a tragic love triangle revolving around Aida, an Ethiopian princess who is now a slave,
Radames, an Egyptian military commander, and Amneris, the daughter of the Pharaoh who also
loves Radames. When Radames is chosen to lead the Egyptian armies against Ethiopia, Aida finds
herself torn between her love for Radames and her love for her homeland. Featuring majestic
choruses and elaborate sets and costumes, Aida is the most often performed opera in the standard
repertoire and has a wealth of instantly recognizable melodies including the Triumphal March,
Radames' tribute "Celeste Aida," Aida's lament "O patria mia"
and the lovers' final duet "O terra addio." Aida was first performed at the Cairo Opera House on
December 24, 1871.
About the artists:
Marquita Lister, who made her HGO debut as the Priestess in the Wortham Theater Center's
inaugural production of Aida while a member of Houston Opera Studio, has attracted interest
around the world as an important young artist. Ms. Lister has won critical and popular acclaim at
HGO as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Micaela in Carmen, and Bess in
Porgy and Bess which toured throughout the United States and to La Scala, Paris and Tokyo. Ms.
Lister sang the title role of Aida for San Francisco Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and Utah Opera, Alice
Ford in Falstaff and Elisabeth in Don Carlo for Portland Opera and Nedda in Pagliacci for Opera
Pacific. Outside of the U.S., Ms. Lister has appeared as Bess at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and
Bregenz Festival, as Nedda at the Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City and as Musetta in La
Bohime at the Arena di Verona
Italian tenor Walter Fraccaro makes his HGO debut as Radames. Mr. Fraccaro recently made
his San Francisco Opera debut as Radames in Aida and his Metropolitan Opera debut as
Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. He was re-engaged at San Francisco as Don Josd in Carmen,
which he sang to rave reviews. In Europe, Mr. Fraccaro opened the Hamburg State Opera's
1997-98 season in a new production of Macbeth, where he returned in Madame Butter)?y and
Carmen. Mr. Fraccaro has been engaged to sing leading roles in Aida for Deutsche Oper Berlin
and Luxor, Un Ballo in Maschera in Dallas, Tosca and La Boheme in Vienna, and Aida and
Mefistofele in Pittsburgh.
Larissa Diadkova joined the Kirov Opera in 1984 and made her professional debut as Valya in
Glinka's Ivan Susanin. As a member of the Kirov, Ms. Diadkova participated in many tours under
Music Director Vatery Gergiev, notably in Germany, Italy, France, the United States, and the
United Kingdom. At the Bolshoi, she was invited by Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich to join him in
the long-awaited return of Khovanschina. Last season the Russian contralto sang the Verdi
Requiem in Hong Kong under Maestro Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra, followed by
performances at the Metropolitan Opera of Il Trovatore and Khovanschina She also performed
with the Orchestre National de France under Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony under
Maestro Rostropovich, and the Cleveland Orchestra under Maestro Temirkanov.
Besides making her HGO debut, this season sees Ms. Diadkova singing at the Teatro Comunale di
Firenze, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Wigmore Hall.
Following his HGO performances as Amonasro this season, American baritone Gregg Baker will
sing Escamillo in Carmen in Verona, Jochanaan in Salome and Scarpia in Tosca in Philadelphia.
Last season Mr. Baker returned to the Metropolitan Opera for performances of Carmen and Aida,
where he has also been heard as Silvio in Pagliacci, the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, Donner in
Das Rheingold, and Belcore in L'Elisir d'amore. Other credits include Vancouver Opera as Count
di Luna in Il Trovatore and Salome, Opera Pacific and Arena di Verona in Carmen, Michigan
Opera Theatre as the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, and the title role in Don Giovanni at Tulsa
Opera. Mr. Baker made his HGO debut as Crown in the 1987 production of Porgy and Bess.
Daniel Sumegi returns to HGO as Ramfis. Houston audiences first saw the Australian bass as
Banquo in HGO's 1997 production of Macbeth. Mr. Sumegi has sung at the Metropolitan Opera,
Paris' Opera Bastille, San Francisco Opera, State Opera of Australia in roles as varied as Sarastro
in The Magic Flute, Mephistofele in Faust and Colline in La Boh@me. This season Mr. Sumegi will
sing Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier at Welsh National Opera, Giorgio in I Puritani at
Washington Opera, and Fiesco in Simon Bocconegra at Australia Opera.
The October 30m, November 4, 11 and 13 performances will feature African-Belgian soprano
Isabelle Kabatu as Aida, and quartet of Americans including tenor Patrick Denniston as Radames,
mezzo-soprano Catherine Keen as Amneris, baritone Mark S. Doss as Amonasro and former
UGO Studio member bass Eric Owens as Rarnfis. Ms. Kabatu, who is making her HGO stage
debut, sang Bess in the company's 1996-97 touring production of Porgy and Bess including
performances at La Scala and the Opdra Bastille. Mr. Denniston sang Erik in HGO's 1998 season
opening production of The Flying Dutchman. Both Ms. Keen and Mr. Doss are making their HGO
debuts. While a member of HGO's Studio, Mr. Owens was heard as Sarastro in The Magic Flute
and Angelotti in Tosca and created the role of Aristotle Onassis in the world premiere of Michael
Daugherty's Jackie 0.
Houston Grand Opera Studio members, soprano Tiffany Jackson, tenor Scott Scully, and bass
Oren Gredus will sing the supporting roles of Priestess, Messenger and King of Egypt for all
performances.
Conductor Roberto Abbado, who made his HGO debut in 1996 conducting Norma, is the latest
musical force to emerge from the Italian dynasty that stretches back over three generations. He is
internationally in demand for both concert and opera engagements, including the Metropolitan
Opera, Carnegie Hall, Paris' Opdra Bastille, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Milan's La Scala and
Tokyo's Suntory Hall. Maestro Abbado has made successful debuts at Vienna Staatsoper, La
Fenice, Zurich Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and in the opera houses of Florence, Rome and
Bologna. He made his North American debut in 1991 conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's at
Lincoln Center, followed by a highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut in 1994.
Houston Grand Opera's Head of Music Staff and Chorus Master, Richard Bado will conduct all
the alternate cast performances of Aida. Maestro Bado made his professional conducting debut in
1989 leading HGO's acclaimed production of Show Boat at the newly restored Cairo Opera
House in Egypt. He has conducted may HGO productions in Houston and abroad including
Susannah, Carousel, My Fair lady, Annie Get Your Gun, and Porgy and Bess. An accomplished
pianist, Maestro Bado has appeared in recital with Cecilia Bartoli, Rende Fleming and Marcello
Giordani.
Brenda Nuckton makes her HGO directorial debut with Aida, the first opera she assisted on for
the company in 1992. Ms. Nuckton has directed The Marriage of Figaro for Dorian Opera
Theater, The Merry Wives of Windsor for Kitsap Peninsula Opera as well as the world premiere
of Barricade for Rice University, for which she won first place in the National Opera Association's
Opera Production Competition. Ms. Nuckton spent several seasons as an assistant director at
HGO and the Metropolitan Opera. Future engagements include remounting Robert Falls'
production of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah for Washington Opera.
Lighting designer Ken Billington, who has lit over 25 productions for HGO, was the winner of
the 1997 Tony and Drama Desk awards for his 70'h Broadway production, Chicago. Mr.
Billington also received Tony nominations for The Visit, Foxfire, End of the World, Working, and
Sweeney Todd. Other credits include 20 seasons of Radio City Music Hall's Christmas and Easter
spectaculars, Stars on Ice, Disneyland's Fantasmic!, Sea World of Florida's newest thrill ride
Journey to Atlantis, 65 operas around the world and superstar nightclub acts.
Choreographer Sandra Organ, who choreographed the world premiere production of Tod
Machover's Resurrection, was a soloist with Houston Ballet and its first African-American
ballerina. She left the ballet after 45-seasons to develop the Sandra Organ Dance Company, a
contemporary ballet ensemble, and to work as a guest artist and choreographer. She has
choreographed works for Kingwood Ballet Theatre, City Ballet of Houston and Houston Ballet
Academy.
Opening Night Gala:
Houston Grand Opera will kick off its 1998/99 season with an Egyptian-themed opening night
gala, Treasures of Luxor - A Night of Egyptian Splendor, celebrating the company's popular
production of Verdi's Aida. The gala will honor Irving W. (I.W.) and Shelly Ann Marks for their
years of service to, and support of, Houston Grand Opera. This event will be held in Bayou Place's
Aerial Theater, after the opening of Aida on Friday, October 22. Sylvia and John Sullivan will chair
the opening night gala. Gala individual tickets begin at $200. Tables are available for $3,000,
$5,000, and $10,000. For information, call (713) 546-0242.
All performances of Aida are held at in the Wortham Theater's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith.
Aida is sung in Italian with English surtities, English translations projected over the stage,
underwritten by Compaq Computer Corporation.
The Southwestern Bell Pre-Curtain Lecture Series takes place thirty minutes before each
performance. Guest speakers present a twenty-minute infon-nal lecture on the sixth floor of the
Grand Foyer. These lectures, free and open to all ticket holders, are intended to the enhance
audience's enjoyment by preparing them for the production they are about to attend.
The Wortham Theater Center features easy wheelchair access to both theaters, with a choice of
seating locations and ticket prices. An infrared listening system, generously underwritten by
Pennzoil-Quaker State Company, is available and free of charge at all performances. Please call
HGO Subscriptions at (713) 546-0246 or 1 (800) 346-4462 for details. Descriptive services for
persons with vision loss are available with 48-hour advance reservations. Please call HGO
Education and Outreach at (713) 546-0231 for details.
Single tickets for Aida, priced from $22 to S 182, go on sale September 20. Tickets are available
by telephone at (713) 227-ARTS, out of town at I (800) 828-ARTS, in person at the Wortham
Ticket Center located in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center, or on the website at
http://www.houstongrandopera.org. Ticket prices include all city surcharges.
Subscription packages are available by calling (713) 546-0246 or on the website at
http://www.houstongrandopera.org.
Student and senior citizen rush tickets are $26 (one ticket per ID) and go on sale at noon (I 2:00
p.m.) the day of performance, subject to availability. To check availability, please call (713)
227-ARTS or 1 (800) 828-ARTS.
Call Houston Grand Opera at (713) 546-0200, during business hours, for general information.
Conoco is the guarantor for Aida
Houston Grand Opera in association with Los Angeles Music Center Opera Association presents
Aida originally conceived by Pier Luigi Pizzi..
Since its inception in 1955, Houston Grand Opera has swiftly moved from a small regional
organization into the fifth-largest opera company in the United States. With David Gockley as its
general director, HGO has widened its circles, both in repertoire and in reach. The company has an
international reputation for commissioning and producing new works (24 world premieres and six
American premieres since 1973) as well as a reputation for reaching out to new audiences. HGO
has toured extensively, including trips to Japan, Italy, Egypt and France, and the company is the
only one in the United States to win a Tony, two Grammys and two Emmy awards. HGO has an
eye on the future of opera too, launching not only the acclaimed Houston Grand Opera Studio (a
program designed to train young singers for major careers) but also the Community Connections
Initiative (a multi-pronged program aimed at educating and developing new audiences). For its
1999-2000-season, Houston Grand Opera's budget is $18.9 million.
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All performances of Houston Grand Opera's production of Verdi's Aida are held in the Wortham
Theater's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith, Houston, TX.
Sung in Italian with English subtitles
Performance Dates
Friday, October 22, 1999 at 7:00 p.m.*
Sunday, October 24, 1999 at 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 27, 1999 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 30, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. (alternate cast) and 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 2, 1999 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 4, 1999 at 7:30 pm. (alternate cast)
Friday, November 5, 1999 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 7, 1999 at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 11, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. (alternate cast)
Saturday, November 13, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. (alternate cast)
(*Note early curtain for season opening)
Ticket Information:
• Single tickets for Aida priced from $22 to $182 (inclusive of all city surcharges) go on sale
September
• Single tickets are available by telephone at (713) 227ARTS, out-of-town at I (800) 828-ARTS,
in person at the Wortham Ticket Center located in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center, or on
the website at http.-//www.houstongrandopera.org.
• Call (713) 546-0200 during regular business hours for general information.
• Subscription packages are still available by calling (713) 546-0246 or on the website at
http://www.houstongrandopera.org.
• Student and senior rush tickets are $26 (one per ID) and go on sale at Noon (12:00 p.m.) the
day of performance, subject to availability. Call (713) 227-ARTS or I (800) 828-ARTS the day of
perfon-nance to check on availability.
• Disabled access: (713) 546-0246 or 1-800-346-4462; TDD: (713) 546-0246 or I (800)
346-4462; Descriptive Services: (713) 546-0231.
• Or information or tickets for the opening night gala, Treasures of Luxor- A Night of Egyptian
Splendor, please call (713) 546-0242.