Dallas Opera Announces Single Ticket Sales for 60th Season, 7/11; EUGENE ONEGIN, MADAME BUTTERFLY and More!

The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce that single tickets for its eagerly-anticipated 2016-2017 "60th" Season and popular Family Performances Series will go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 11, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.

The upcoming season features both fully-staged operas and concert performances. These include classic productions of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin from the Israeli Opera Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and Puccini's Madame Butterfly-in a production new to Dallas-designed by Michael Yeargan for San Francisco Opera.

The 2016-17 Season also marks the return of the hugely successful 2010 Dallas Opera world premiere, Moby-Dick by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer; as well as TDO's first-ever productions of Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw (a Jonathan Kent production from Glyndebourne Opera) and Vincenzo Bellini's Bel Canto masterpiece, Norma.

The Dallas Opera will also present a special, one-night-only concert event: Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer's Everest-Friday, May 5, 2017-with stars from the original cast and video projections designed by Elaine J. McCarthy.

Single tickets start at the low price of $19 and may be purchased, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org or by calling our friendly Ticket Office professionals at 214-443-1000 (during regular business hours).

Each opera features some of the greatest music of all time, captivating sets and costumes, orchestra, chorus, technological embellishments and world-class performers! All Dallas Opera productions display English translations projected above the stage enabling patrons to easily follow the action.

Mainstage performances take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2403 Flora Street, in the Dallas Arts District.

Ticket buyers may also take advantage of substantial savings off the regular ticket price and other benefits by subscribing. Full subscriptions (five productions) begin at the incredibly low price of just $95; Flex subscriptions (three productions) start at just $75. Four opera packages are also available upon request. Benefits include optimal seat selection, ticket exchange privileges, discounted parking, free ticket replacement, payment plans, invitations to exclusive events and promotions.

Highlights of the landmark 60th Season of The Dallas Opera:

· EUGENE ONEGIN features the late-Romantic music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in this episodic opera. Ukranian baritone Andrei Bondarenko portrays a jaded Russian aristocrat in the title role. Russian soprano Svetlana Aksenova makes her North American debut as the smitten Tatyana, Estonian mezzo-soprano Kai Rüütel makes her American debut as Olga, and tenor Stephen Costello, a Dallas Opera favorite, portrays Lensky. Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director EmManuel Villaume conducts, whileJean-Claude Auvray makes his TDO debut directing. (Oct. 28, The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance, Oct. 30(m), Nov. 2, 5, 2016)

· MOBY-DICK by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer is back by popular demand after its highly successful Dallas Opera world premiere in 2010! The seafaring drama, based on the novel by Herman Melville, stars tenor Jay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab-a man obsessed with capturing the great, white whale. Stephen Costello reprises his role as Greenhorn, and Morgan Smith returns as Starbuck. Conducted by Music Director EmManuel Villaume and staged by Director Leonard Foglia, one of the creators of this production.

(Nov. 4, 6(m), 9, 12, 18 and 20(m), 2016)

· MADAME BUTTERFLY is Giacomo Puccini's heart-wrenching tale of love, misunderstandings, and inconsolable loss, conducted by Donato Renzetti and staged by directorJohn Copley-who made his Dallas Opera debut in 1972. A naïve Japanese girl, Cio-Cio-San (Chinese soprano Hui He) marries a callous American naval officer, Lt. B.F. Pinkerton (Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova), stationed temporarily in Nagasaki. Appearing as Butterfly's confidante, Suzuki, is Italian mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer, with baritone Lucas Meachem singing the role of the American Consul, Sharpless. (Mar. 10, 12(m), 15, 18, 24, 26(m), 2017)

· THE TURN OF THE SCREW is composer Benjamin Britten's atmospheric work based on the novella by Henry James. A Governess is tormented by strange visions and stranger suspicions while caring for two mysterious children. British soprano Emma Bell stars as the Governess, tenor William Burden sings the dual roles of the Prologue and Peter Quint, and dramatic mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick makes her long-awaited TDO debut as Mrs. Grose. This 20th century masterpiece will be conducted by Nicole Paiement, the Martha R. and Preston A. Peak Principal Guest Conductor and directed by Francesca Gilpin in her company debut. (Mar. 17, 19(m), 22, 25, 2017)

· NORMA is a Bel Canto gem by Vincenzo Bellini set in Roman Gaul. South African soprano Elza van den Heever returns in the title role of the betrayed priestess, YongHoon Lee is her lover Pollione, Australian soprano Nicole Car, another Dallas Opera favorite, portrays the young rival, Adalgisa. Music Director EmManuel Villaume conducts this passionate score staged by director Nic Muni. (Apr. 21, 23(m), 26, 29 & May 7(m), 2017)

· EVEREST in Concert is a revival of the 2015 Dallas Opera world premiere-in concert form-by composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer. This critically acclaimed new opera depicts two days in 1996 that ended in a tragic loss of life on Mount Everest. Conducted by Music Director EmManuel Villaume and staged by Director Leonard Foglia, this one-night-only special event also features video projections by Elaine J. McCarthy. Returning original cast members include tenor Andrew Bidlack as Rob Hall, bass-baritone Kevin Burdette as Beck Weathers, and Julia Rose Arduino as Meg Weathers.

(May 5, 2017)

"Our 60th Season offers something for everyone! We believe audiences will be captivated by the spectacular music, intriguing storylines and unique settings of these five operas. As always, we have cast world-class artists in principal roles-as well as engaging conductors, directors and designers of the highest caliber," notes Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. "While we believe this music is some of the greatest ever written, opera is a tremendous form of entertainment that delights the eye and mind, as well as the ear. We hope everyone in North Texas will wish to take advantage of our magnificent offerings this season!"

Tchaikovsky's EUGENE ONEGIN kicks off the season with a bittersweet story about love, pride and regrets. Set in 19th century Russia, a naïve young country girl Tatyana, becomes smitten with an aristocrat, Onegin. Tatyana (soprano Svetlana Aksenova) confesses her love in a letter to the arrogant Onegin (baritone Andrei Bondarenko) who rejects her affections. Pride and jealousy lead to a confrontation between Onegin and his friend Lensky (Stephen Costello), who is in love with Tatyana's sister Olga (Kai Rüütel), resulting in a fatal duel. Internationally acclaimed conductor EmManuel Villaume will lead The Dallas Opera Orchestra in this beautiful Israeli Opera production directed by the renowned Jean-Claude Auvray in his company debut.

MOBY-DICK, a Dallas Opera world premiere, has been met with thunderous applause and both popular and critical acclaim in six years of traveling the globe. Composer Jake Heggieand librettist Gene Scheer based their riveting new opera on the epic novel by Herman Melville. Moby-Dick explores the danger, tensions, and exhilaration of life aboard the Pequod, a 19thcentury whaling vessel, as it spins the tale of a sea captain (Jay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab) determined to be avenged on Moby-Dick after the great white whale took his leg and his ship on a previous voyage. Dallas favorite Stephen Costello reprises his role as Greenhorn, and Morgan Smith returns as the voice of reason, Starbuck. Dallas Opera Music Director EmManuel Villaume conducts this eagerly-anticipated revival, directed by Leonard Foglia.

MADAME BUTTERFLY is the perfect introduction to the art form. This classic, turn-of-the-century Italian opera, with unforgettable melodies by Giacomo Puccini, is loosely based on true events in Nagasaki, Japan. A trusting young Japanese girl, Cio-Cio-San (nicknamed Butterfly) portrayed by Hui He, marries a callous American naval officer, Lt. B.F. Pinkerton (Gianluca Terranova). She is deeply in love and committed for life, while the groom intended only a "marriage of convenience." Even as Butterfly bears his son and remains blindly devoted to the officer who has abandoned her, Pinkerton commits an even more shocking betrayal. Renowned Italian conductor Donato Renzetti conducts this quintessential production staged by esteemed British director John Copley.

Based on the ghostly novella by Henry James, THE TURN OF THE SCREW is the dark and gripping story of a Governess (Emma Bell) who takes a new position caring for two mysterious children on a remote English country estate. After seeing what she believes is a ghost (William Burden in the dual roles of the Prologue and Quint) and witnessing the children's bizarre and troubling behavior, the Governess must decide whether to stay and fight the forces of darkness. Martha R. and Preston Peak Principal Guest Conductor Nicole Paiementconducts English composer Benjamin Britten's enthralling 20th century score which uses a haunting twelve-note "Screw" theme, mixing tonality and dissonance. In a much-awaited debut,Dolora Zajick, portrays the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. Francesca Gilpin directs the Jonathan Kent production from Glyndebourne in this, her Dallas Opera debut.

NORMA is a grand, mid-19th century period piece that centers on a high priestess who is betrayed by her lover, who fathered their two children. Set during the Roman occupation of Gaul in 50 B. C., a passionate love triangle threatens to turn deadly after Norma discovers Pollione, (YongHoon Lee) has fallen for a young priestess, Adalgisa (Nicole Car). Amidst the turmoil of the occupation and impending revolution, Norma is driven to despair and the brink of insanity-the consequences of which could prove fatal. EmManuel Villaume leads The Dallas Opera Orchestra in one of Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini's most magnificent operas, known for its ornate Bel Canto score. Nic Muni directs this dramatic production designed by John Conklin.

"The Dallas Opera is presenting a fantastic array of programming this season at affordable prices. Our tickets start at only $19, yet Audience members will get to enjoy unforgettable music and drama, renowned singers, superb sets and costumes, exciting technological elements, The Dallas Opera Orchestra and Chorus and much more!

"It's a tremendous entertainment value!" adds Dallas Opera Marketing Director Carrie Ellen Adamian.

Principal Singers making highly-anticipated Dallas Opera debuts this season include:

· Svetlana Aksenova, soprano, stars as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. "The care with the interpretation of the text, from which you can extract contrasting and rare beauty effects, was the mark of...(Tatyana) Svetlana Aksenova." (Estadao)

· Musa Ngqungwana, bass, debuts as Zaretski in Eugene Onegin. Mr. Ngqungwana "...impressed with a rich, glowing voice and elegant legato..." (The New York Times)

· Kai Rüütel, mezzo-soprano, makes her TDO debut as Olga in Eugene Onegin. According to Seen and Heard International, the statuesque Rüütel performed with "warmth, dramatic conviction and a pleasing hint of sensuality."

· Jacqueline Echols, soprano, portrays the pants role Pip in Moby-Dick. "Jacqueline Echols' Pip soared gracefully over Heggie's orchestra, soloists and chorus for most of the first act." (Opera Today)

· Hui He, soprano, makes her TDO debut as Butterfly/Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly. "The debut of Hui He in the role of Butterfly was sensational...her big voice, her wonderful technique and her marvelous timbre...a deep and emotional interpretation. The best Butterfly that you can wish," (Wiener Zeitung, Austria).

· Gianluca Terranova, tenor, appears as Lt. B.F. Pinkerton, in Madame Butterfly. His "youthful, heroic and clear voice perfectly suggests the poetic, dreamy nature of the character...but it can also just as beautifully convey the later anguish and troubled self-awareness..." (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

· Lucas Meachem, baritone, portrays Sharpless in Butterfly. "A natural on stage, he...dazzled the audience with the power and beauty of his voice," (Broadway World).

· Emma Bell, soprano, stars as the Governess in The Turn of the Screw. "Emma Bell...by vocal and dramatic means brought the character to frightening life," (Opera)

· Dolora Zajick, soprano, portrays Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw. "Zajick's voice, acting, and sheer presence carry the audience to a higher level of emotional truth than anything in the show." (DC Theatre Scene)

· Ashley Emerson, soprano, performs the role of the child Flora in The Turn of the Screw. "...Ashley Emerson was eerily child-like. Her voice was very pretty, flexible, and youthful." (The Opera Tattler)

· YongHoon Lee, tenor, stars in Norma as Pollione, Norma's lover and father of her children. "YongHoon Lee gave a full-blooded, dramatically intense and vocally elegant performance..." (The New York Times)

Many internationally acclaimed artists will be returning to The Dallas Opera:

· Andrei Bondarenko, baritone, stars in the title role of Eugene Onegin. "Andrei Bondarenko is perfect for the role of Onegin...with such allure as to make clear why such a ripe and ready girl as Tatyana would fall so helplessly in love." (MusicOMH)

· Stephen Costello, tenor, begins the season portraying the role of Onegin's friend Lensky and then reprises the role of Greenhorn that he successfully created for Moby-Dick. "Tenor Stephen Costello was a bright-toned and sympathetic Greenhorn..." (San Francisco Chronicle)

· Jay Hunter Morris stars as Captain Ahab, which has become a signature role for the Texas native. "...he sang with a pressurized fury that practically shook the seats...of the Opera House." (San Jose Mercury News)

· Manuela Custer, Italian mezzo-soprano, performs the role of Butterfly's confidante, Suzuki. "This role is more than the usual comprimario...Custer sang (her aria) with huge aplomb and brought the house down with it." Ian Graham regarding her role as Emma in Zelmira

· William Burden, grammy-award winning tenor, sings the dual roles of Prologue and Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw. His "subdued emotional intensity permeates every line of Mr. Burden's elegant singing." (The New York Times)

· Elza van den Heever, South African soprano, stars in the title role of Norma. "...her voice takes wings and slowly soars with indelible beauty. It's like a white dove slowly opening its wings and rising towards the sky." (BachTrack)

· Nicole Car, Australian soprano, portrays Adalgisa "the other woman" in Norma. A review of that role for Victorian Opera stated "Nicole Car was without doubt the star of the show. Her voice is at once rich, sweet, crystalline, moving, focused, and her onstage presence superb." (Limelight Magazine)

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The Dallas Opera's 2016-2017 Family Performance Series offers three wonderful productions that will delight the young as well as the young at heart! Each is performed by professional singers in the spectacular Winspear Opera House. The lobby opens at 12:30 p.m. with a variety of hands-on activities for the children. Single tickets are just $5 each and may be purchased at the door, by calling our friendly Ticket Office at 214-443-1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org/family. The subscription price for the three Family Performances is $12.

The Dallas Opera Family Performance Series is proudly presented by Texas Instruments, and made possible with additional generous support from the Betty and Steve Suellentrop Educational Outreach Fund and LockheEd Martin.

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS - Based on scenes and music from operas by W.A. Mozart, this production is an operatic version of the beloved children's fairy tale, with adaptations by John Davies. As constructive as it is instructive! Performances at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 23, 2016 and Sunday, February 26, 2017 at the Winspear Opera House.

VERDI AND COMPANY - A delightful production that introduces families to the most popular hits of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by 2015 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors Fellow, Anna Skryleva (at the podium for the fall performance) and by renowned Principal Guest Concert Master Peter Manning (spring performance). Audiences will recognize magnificent pieces from the Italian composer's brilliant operas: La traviata, Rigoletto and Aida, sung by Metropolitan Opera baritone Yunpeng Wang (fall performance), Santa Fe Opera star Tim Mix (spring performance), Merola Program alumnus Elizabeth Baldwin and local favorite, tenor Don O'Neal LeBlanc. This captivating presentation also features the acclaimed Dallas Opera Orchestra and a charismatic narrator who highlights fascinating facts about Verdi! Performances at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 13, 2016 and Sunday, March 5, 2017at the Winspear Opera House.

BASTIEN AND BASTIENNE - One of Mozart's earliest works, written at age twelve, Bastien and Bastienne is a one-act comic opera that tells the tale of a pretty young shepherdess, Bastienne, and her boyfriend, Bastien. Bastienne believes her beau has fallen in love with a wealthy girl from the big city. The heart-broken girl encounters Colas, the town "magician," who has a few ideas of his own on how to reunite the young couple. Performances at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 19, 2016 and Saturday, April 22, 2017.

TDO Family Performances are a part of the

Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs

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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT "FALL 2016 AT THE DALLAS OPERA"

IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7

VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS

Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at celeste.hart@dallasopera.org.

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Ticket Information for the 2016-2017 Dallas Opera Season

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and will be availableJuly 11, 2016. Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now starting at $75. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2016-2017 FALL SEASON INFORMATION

The Dallas Opera celebrates its Sixtieth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.

EUGENE ONEGIN by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

October 28, 30(m), November 2, 5, 2016

A tumultuous and lush romantic opera!

Libretto by K.S. Shilovsky, after Pushkin

Time: Late Nineteenth Century

Place: Czarist Russia

Conductor: EmManuel Villaume

Stage Director: Jean-Claude Auvray*

Costume Designer: Maria Chiara Donato

Lighting Designer: Laurent Castaingt

Choreographer: Cooky Chiapalone

Wig & Make-up Designer:

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Andrei Bondarenko (Eugene Onegin), Svetlana Aksenova (Tatyana), Stephen Costello (Lensky), Kai Rüütel** (Olga), Mikhail Kazakov (Prince Gremin), Elizabeth Batton (Larina), Meredith Arwady (Filipievna), Greg Fedderly (Triquet), Musa Ngqungwana* (Zaretski)

A classic, period production originally created for the Israeli Opera Tel-Aviv-Jaffa!

MOBY-DICK by Jake Heggie

November 4, 6(m), 9, 12, 18, & 20(m), 2016

Back by Popular Demand!

Libretto by Gene Scheer

Time: Nineteenth Century

Place: Whaling Ship on the High Seas

Conductor: EmManuel Villaume

Stage Director: Leonard Foglia

Set Designer: Robert Brill

Costume Designer: Jane Greenwood

Lighting Designer: Gavan Swift

Projections Designer: Elaine J. McCarthy

Wig and Make-up Designer:

Chorus Master: Alexander Rom

Starring: Jay Hunter Morris (Captain Ahab), Stephen Costello (Greenhorn), Morgan Smith (Starbuck), Musa Ngqungwana* (Queequeg), David Cangelosi (Flask), Jacqueline Echols* (Pip), Peter McGillivray* (Stubb)

Our internationally acclaimed production!

* Dallas Opera Debut

** American Debut

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