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event on April 6, 2002, bringing the one and only Luciano Pavarotti to Wichita. It was a night to remember and was an auspicious beginning for a fledgling opera company, eager to bring the world’s most captivating art form and an array of prominent artists to the prairie. And now, seven years later, we look back on our rich history and the many great artists who followed in Pavarotti’s footsteps at the Wichita Grand Opera; including Placido Domingo, Samuel Ramey, Joyce DiDonato, Hector Santoral, Marcello Giordanni, Larisa Yudina, Vladimir Moiseev, Sherrill Milnes Veronica Villaboral, Analisa Raspigoli, Leone Magiara, the Russian State Opera and the Russian National Ballet Theatre to mention a few. With a lot to live up to, the 2009-2010 season is sure to not disappoint.
Our season is grand and ambitious, bringing life and music to a once empty stage, and beauty and wonder to the hearts of our beloved audiences of all ages. Tender, beautiful, and is brimming with desire, love, and merriment; tragedy, loss, and scorn. The upcoming season offers the essence of all that is opera and grand ballet. Opening the season is the high spirited hi-jinks of the 80 members of the Ukrainian National Dance Company, which the New York Times acclaimed as “Astonishing.” The power and precision of this mesmerizing production will leave the audience breathless.
Next up is Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic smash hit, The Mikado, with a superb cast will be led by the distinguished American Bass-Baritone Rodney Miller in the title role (Dean of the Fine Arts at WSU) and the superb baritone John Tedeshi will return from New York as KoKo. As this British opera favorite parodies grand opera with over-the-top musical hilarity and pokes fun at Victorian courtship and the Japanese Feudal system, it will bring everyone to the edge of their seats… with laughter.
One of the most performed operas, Verdi’s masterwork Rigoletto, hits the WGO stage in January. Hear the magnificent voice of Vytautas Jouzapaitis, star baritone of the Lithuanian National Opera, in the title role. In this heartfelt tale, as the wrath of a vengeful father comes to a tragic end, the audience will be left teary-eyed.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, the WGO’s new production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love will awaken new hope for romance. This charming romantic comedy tells the story of a young man’s misguided belief that true love can be bought in the bottle of a charlatan’s magic “love potion” as he pursues the heart of a flirtatious young lady. Unbeknownst to him, he has already won her heart, but her taunting leads to frustration before he finally knows the truth. For Elixir of Love, we are proud to have signed the acclaimed International Trio of Artists: Maestro Martin Mazik, principle conductor of the Slovakian National Opera; Acclaimed Spanish Director Basso-Buffo Carlos Condi; and the American Debut of Viennese Tenor Otokar Klein as Nemorino.
We are delighted to have rising star tenor Richard Crawley, making his debut with the Wichita as he sings the role of the love-struck soldier, Don José, who renounces his military duty to join the unbridled life of a seductress gypsy woman in Bizet's wildly popular, Carmen on March 27th. But when she leaves him for a famous matador, his jealous heart becomes enraged and he spirals out of control. Crawley also joins the rosters of the Metropolitan Opera, the Chicago Lyric and will be returning to the San Francisco Opera this year, among others. In the title role is rising American diva Audrey Babcock, in her WGO debut. The role of Carmen is her signature role, and she sings it in major American and European Opera Houses. Internationally celebrated Maestro Steven Mercurio also makes his WGO debut conducting this production.
Concluding the season is the 2nd Annual Family Night with the Moscow Festival Ballet portraying the folkloric story about a doll so life-like it reunites two broken hearts in Coppélia. For anyone who likes the Nutcracker, they will love this popular classical ballet.
In these difficult times, we hope to maintain our quality and sustain the identity of our company through our finest artistic examples. Wichita has weathered periods of economic strife and disappointments in the past, but relied upon the excellence of its artistic community to persevere, recover, and soar to even greater heights in each instance. We hope that Wichita Grand Opera will continue to grow, prosper, and present the outstanding productions for which it is already so well known nationally. We can celebrate the resilience of the spirit of the opera and the artists who passionately entertain our audiences.
It is a season of unforgettable opera and ballet that you won’t want to miss! If you are not already a subscriber, join us now and experience why music lovers from around the state and beyond return to us season after season. We look forward to seeing you at the Opera.
Yours truly,
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