HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
510 Preston Street Houston, Texas 77002 - 1594
Tel. 713-546-0200
Fax 713-228-4355

David Gockley, General Director

Electrifying American Diva CATHERINE MALFITANO is back in Houston Grand Opera’s Production of Janacek’s

KATYA KABANOVA

Houston, Tx - One of the world’s greatest singing actresses, American soprano Catherine Malfitano, returns to Houston Grand Opera in the title role of Janacek’s drama of human relationships, KATYA KABANOVA. A true masterpiece of the twentieth - century operatic repertory, Katya Kabanova is a psychologically gripping exploration of desire and guilt set to transcendentally beautiful and powerful music.

American mezzo-soprano Katherine Ciesinski, a favorite of Houston audiences who was last seen as Aunt Cecilia in HGO’s 1999 - 2000 production of Little Women, portrays Katya’s sadistic and jealous mother-in-law Kabanicha. American tenor Neil Rosenshein plays Katya’s ineffectual husband Tikhon and Austrian tenor Kurt Schreibmayer makes his HGO debut as Katya’s lover Boris Grigorjevic. American mezzo - soprano Zheng Cao debuts and American tenor Gordon Gietz debuts as Dikoy’s clerk Kudrjas. Rounding out the cast are American mezzo-soprano Debra Alons as Glasha and HGO Studio artists Barbara Quintiliani and Chen-Ye Yuan as Feklusha and Kuligin, respectively.

Israeli conductor Asher Fisch, Music Director of the Vienna Volksoper and Artistic Advisor to the New Israeli Opera, makes his HGO debut leading the Houston Symphony. The Houston Grand Opera Chorus, prepared by Chorus Master Richard Bado, joins this outstanding cast and orchestra. Visionary stage director David Alden and designers Charles Edwards (sets and lighting) and Jon Morrell (costumes) create a vividly expressionistic representation of the psychologically nightmarish Kabanov household.

KATYA KABANOVA opens on Friday, October 27 at 7:30pm. Further performances are on October 29m and November 1, 4, 7, 10 and 12m at 7:30pm and 2pm.

ABOUT THE OPERA:

KATYA KABANOVA explores the external and internal conflicts that arise in human relationships - domination versus submission, tradition versus liberalization, duty versus desire, and one generation versus the other. Trapped in the claustrophobic household of her tyrannical mother-in-law Kabanicha, the young Katya is torn between her marital duty to her inattentive husband Tikhon and her attraction to the handsome Boris Grigorjevic. Succumbing to Boris, Katya’s conflicting emotions of love and guilt rage inside her like a thunderstorm, finally bursting forth in a public confession and a tragic resolution. The music of Katya Kabanova exploits the full tonal palette of the modern symphony orchestra, yet incorporates many traditional melodies and tuneful figures of simple Czech folk music. Dramatically gripping and musically rich, Katya Kabanova is a masterpiece of the modern operatic repertory.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

New York native Catherine Malfitano (Katya Kabanova) is acclaimed for her commanding vocalism, superb musicianship, elegant stage presence and riveting dramatic abilities. Renowned as a unique music theater performer, Ms. Malfitano has appeared at all the world’s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Vienna Staatsoper, La Scala, Paris Opera, London’s Covent Garden, Berlin’s Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper, and the Salzburg Festival. Her Emmy - award winning portrayal of Tosca, broadcast live from the actual Roman settings of the opera, was seen by more than one billion viewers worldwide. Her stage repertoire of more than sixty roles spans the entirety of operatic history. A champion of twentieth century music, she has created roles in the world premieres of Carlisle Floyd’s Bilby’s Doll, Conrad Susa’s Transformations, Thomas Pasatieri’s Washington Square, and William Bolcom’s McTeague and A View From The Bridge. Her previous HGO appearances include Masha in Thomas Pasatieri’s The Seagull, the title roles of Le Perichole and Manon, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Doll Bilby in Bilby’s Doll, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Violetta in La Traviata and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.

The New York Times has called Katherine Ciesinski (Kabanicha) “a singer of rare communicative presence, and a musician of discrimination and intelligence.” This accomplished American mezzo-soprano pursues a fully integrated career, exploring the world of today’s composers as well as the established classics of the lyric stage. Major operatic credits include Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle and Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Metropolitan Opera); Cassandre in Les Troyens (Covent Garden); Laura in La Gioconda, Waltraute in Der Ring des Nibelungen, and Dulcinee in Don Quichotte (San Francisco Opera); and Mere Marie in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Adelaide in Arabella (Houston Grand Opera). She has appeared in world premieres of Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Tod Machover’s Resurrection, Dominick Argento’s The Aspern Papers and The Dream of Valentino, Maurice Ohana’s La Celestine, Girolamo Arrigo’s Il Ritorno di Casanova and Parim Vir’s Snatched by the Gods. Ms. Ciesinski is currently Coordinator of the Voice Department at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.

The versatile American tenor Neil Rosenshein (Tikhon) is known equally for his memorable stage portrayals and his thoughtful musicianship. He has captured critical and popular acclaim throughout the world in repertoire by composers from the Baroque to the twentieth century. Leading roles performed at the Metropolitan Opera include Alfredo in La Traviata, Alfred and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Leon in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Don Jose in Carmen, the Prince in Rusalka and the title roles of Faust, Werther, and Peter Grimes. Mr. Rosenshein has also appeared at such leading opera houses as Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Hamburg Staatsoper, Zurich Opera, Geneva’s Grand Theatre, Netherlands Opera and Australian Opera. Previous roles at HGO include Alfredo Germont in La Traviata, the Prince in Rusalka, Don Jose in Carmen and Herod in Salome.

Austrian tenor Kurt Schreibmayer (Boris Grigorjevic) has been a member of the Vienna Volksoper since 1978 and the Vienna Staatsoper since 1992. He has appeared at the Bayreuth Festival in Tannhauser, Das Rheingold, Parsifal and Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg. His repertoire includes Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Don Jose in Carmen, Max In Der Freischutz, Sergey in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and the title roles in Lohengrin and Peter Grimes. Mr. Schreibmayer’s guest appearances have taken him to important opera houses in Munich, Hamburgh, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Brussels and Zurich and to the festivals of Glyndebourne and Bregenz. He is making his HGO debut.

Zheng Cao (Varvara) was personally chosen by Maestro Seiji Ozawa to sing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Japan. The young mezzo-soprano has made Suzuki in Madame Butterfly her calling card, peforming this role with the San Francisco Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Washington Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Pacific, Opera de Lyon and the Grand Theatre in Geneva. Other major appearances have included Zerlina in Don Giovanni with the Los Angeles Opera, Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust at Japan’s Saito Kinen Festival and Rosina in Il barbiere de Siviglia with Washington Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre. Ms. Cao is a former Adler Fellow of the San Francisco Opera. She is making her HGO debut in Katya Kabanova.

Gordon Gietz (Kudrjas) is one of the most promising young tenors of his generation. His career is focused equally on operatic and concert repertoire, encompassing a wide range of musical styles. Recent highlights include Mr. Gietz’s debut with the Washington Opera singing Chevalier de Danceny in Conrad Susa’s Dangerous Liaisons; the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto in Beijing, China and Vietnam; the Journalist in Les Mamelles de Tiresias at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan; a London debut with John Eliot Gardiner in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the BBC Proms Concerts; and Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Company of Philadelphia. Future engagements include debuts with Geneva’s Grand Theatre as Sam Polk in Susannah and with Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Lysander in a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Gietz is making his HGO debut.

In the past several seasons the renowned Hungarian bass Jozsef Gregor (Dikoy) made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Doctor Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, which was followed by performances of the Old Priest in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Dulcamara in L ‘Elisir d’amore. A Liszt Prize winner, he was awarded the title “Eminent Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic” in 1983. In his vast repertoire are most of the great Italian bass roles (Fiesco, Attila, Philip, Henry VIII), some of the finest Mozart parts (Osmin, Leporello, Don Alfonso, Sarastro) and many buffo characters (Don Pasquale, Dulcamara, Basilio, Varlaam). Rave reviews greeted Mr. Gregor’s American debut with Houston Grand Opera as Varlaam in the 1986 - 1987 season production of Boris Godunov. A profile recording artist, he has contributed to more than 30 Hungarian recordings. In addition to Zuniga in HGO’s Katya Kabanova, Mr. Gregor also appears in CARMEN at HGO and Jenufa in Geneva’s Grand Tehatre during the 2000 - 2001 season.

Houston Grand Opera Studio members, soprano Barbara Quintiliani and baritone Chen - Ye Yuan sing the supporting roles of Feklusha and Kuligin. American mezzo-soprano Debra Alons portrays the Kabanov’s maid Glasha.

Championed by Daniel Barenboim, conductor Ascher Fisch is a regular visitor at the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. Born in Jerusalem, he is currently Music Director of the Vienna Volksoper and Artistic Advisor to the New Israeli Opera. Mr. Fisch has frequently conducted at the Vienna Staatsoper, including acclaimed performances of Parsifal, La Traviata, and Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and had tremendous success at the Bavarian Staatsoper with Don Giovanni. He has also conducted leading works of the operatic repertoire at Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Danish Opera, Hamburg Staatsoper, Leipzig Opera, Los Angeles Opera and the National Opera, Tokyo. In the next two seasons Mr. Fisch makes his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Opera Bastille in Paris, and the Detusche Oper, Berlin. He is making his HGO debut.

Director David Alden got his start at HGO during the 1975 - 1976 season, serving as production assistant for Bilby’s Doll and Faust and as director for Don Giovanni. He returned to HGO in 1979 as director of Werther. That same year he made his Metropolitan Opera debut staging Alban Berg’s twentieth - century masterpiece Wozzeck, which he subsequently directed at the Scottish Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Edinburgh Festival and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Alden has directed a wide variety of repertoire at the Bavarian Staatsoper, English National Opera, Vienna Volksoper, Netherlands Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto USA, Wolf Trap and the Aldeburgh Festival. His staging of L’Incorronazione di Poppea at the Welsh National Opera won several awards including the 1999 London Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Opera Production. Mr. Alden has also directed a Verdi documentary for the BBC and produced the world tour of the Pet Shop Boys. His work was last seen at HGO in the 1997 - 1998 Macbeth.

British set and lighting designer Charles Edwards has created the scenery for many respected companies and festivals, including Lyric Opera of Chicago (The Makropulos Affair and Wozzeck), New Israeli Opera (Werther), Opera North (Love Life, Il Trovatore), Royal Danish Opera (La Forza del Destino), English Touring Company (Rigoletto, Orpheus and Eurydice), Grand Theatre de Bordeaux (The Marriage of Figaro) and Ireland’s Wexford Festival (Zampa, Il piccolo Marat). He has served as a lighting designer for the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Welsh National Opera and Opera North. He made his American debut at Long Beach Opera as the set and costume designer for The Marriage of Figaro. Future design projects include Billy Buddy for Lyric Opera of Chicago and Il Pirata for the Metropolitan Opera. He was the designer for HGO’s 1997 - 1998 production of Macbeth.

British costume designer Jon Morrell has worked extensively in opera, ballet, and theater on both sides of the Atlantic. His designs for The Two widows for the City of Birmingham Touring Opera received a rave review from the “Sunday Times” of London: “This brilliant piece of design and the sumptuous costumes are the work of Jon Morrell whose good taste is urgently needed in British Opera today.” Operatic credits include The Marriage of Figaro for Staatstheater Darmstadt, Attila for Strasbourg’s Opera National du Rhin, Arabella for Opera North, Norma for the Liceu in Barcelona and Geneva’s Grand Theatre, and The Picture of Dorian Gray for Opera de Monte Carlo. Mr. Morrell’s designs were last seen at Houston Grand Opera in the 1993 - 1994 production of Lucia di Lammermoor.

All performances of Katya Kabanova are held in Wortham Center’s Brown Theater, Texas at Smith. Katya Kabanova is sung in Czech with English surtitles - English translations projected over the stage.

The Southwestern Bell Pre-Curtain Lecture Series takes place thirty minutes before each performance. Guest speakers present at twenty minute informal lecture on the sixth floor of the Grand Foyer. These lectures, free and open to all ticket holders, are intended to enhance the 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 713-546-0708 for details.

Single tickets for Katya Kabanova, priced from $22 to $200 are now on sale. Tickets are available by telephone at 713-227-ARTS, out of town at 1-800-828-ARTS, in person at the Wortham Ticket Center located in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center, or on the website (after September 25) at www.houstongrandopera.org. Ticket prices include all city surcharges.

Subscription packages are available by calling 713-546-0246 or on the website at www.houstongrandopera.org.

Student and Senior Citizen rush tickets are $25 and $10 (depending on seat location - one ticket per ID) and go on sale 90 minutes before curtain time on the day of performance, subject to availability. To check availability, please call 713-227-ARTS or 1-800-828-ARTS the day of the performance. For weekend performances call the Friday before the performance to check availability.

Call Houston Grand Opera at 713-546-0200, during business hours, for general information.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

All performances of Houston Grand Opera’s production of Janacek’s Katya Kabanova are held in the Wortham Center’s Brown Theater, Texas at Smith, Houston, Tx.

Sung in Czech with ennglish surtitles.