Carol Vaness (Santuzza)

The illustrious career of American soprano Carol Vaness has encompassed regular appearances at all of the world’s major opera houses; collaborations with today’s foremost conductors in operatic and symphonic repertoire; a distinguished catalogue of recordings; and frequent television broadcasts in Europe and North America.  Her interpretations of Mozart’s dramatic heroines (Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Elettra in Idomeneo, among others) have been hailed as “definitive” in virtually every important theater in the world.  However, she commands a repertoire of exceptional breadth and versatility, performing roles ranging from Handel’s Alcina to Barber’s Cleopatra, Verdi heroines such as Leonora in Il trovatore, Elena in I vespri Siciliani, Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera and Desdemona in Otello.  Ms. Vaness is especially identified with the role of Floria Tosca (a role she reprised opposite Luciano Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004, and will be performing in Madrid and Hamburg) and has also won exceptional praise in the Classic and Bel Canto repertoires in the title roles of Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride, Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, and Bellini’s Norma.  Future plans include a return to Amsterdam for the role of Santuzza and San Francisco, where she will appear as Minnie in La fanciulla del West.

Brandon Jovanovich (Turiddu)

Brandon Jovanovich continues to prove himself one of the most accomplished singing actors of his generation.  He opened last season with his La Scala debut in the title role of Les contes d’Hoffmann.  Mr. Jovanovich returned to the Bordeaux National Opera to sing his first Cavaradossi in Tosca, immediately followed by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Aquitaine National Orchestra under the direction of Hans Graf.  He debuted with Lyric Opera of Boston in a reprise of his critically acclaimed role as Bill in Jonathan Dove’s Flight (after making his debut with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in the American premiere of the work) and he concluded the season by returning to St. Louis to sing Robert Devereux in a new Colin Graham production of Gloriana.  Future projects include his Stuttgart Opera debut as Pollione in Norma; Sergei in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for Austin Lyric Opera; The Pirates of Penzance with Opera Pacific; and a return to Santa Fe Opera as Leukkipos in Strauss’s Daphne.  Other career highlights include his highly acclaimed Pinkerton in New York City Opera’s Madama Butterfly, his Glimmerglass Opera debut as Boconnion in Bennett’s The Mines of Sulphur, and his much applauded Narraboth in Salome.  A native of Billings, Montana, Brandon Jovanovich was twice named a New York City district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.  He was a founding member of the Seattle Young Artists program (1998) and a member of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice program.  In addition to the Anna Mackay Case Award, Mr. Jovanovich won the Crawley Award from the Young Patronesses of the Opera/Florida Grand Opera Voice Competition and in 2004 was honored with the prestigious ARIA Award.

Jeffrey Kneebone (Alfio/Tonio)

Jeffrey Kneebone has been acclaimed as one of opera’s new generation of significant interpreters of the dramatic baritone repertoire.  He began his career with New York City Opera where he sang the roles of Scarpia in Tosca, Germont in La traviata, Ezio in Attila, Marcello in La bohème, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (the American premiere of the original 1904 version) and as Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles.  Recent engagements include the role of Tonio for Arizona Opera; Jochanaan in Salome and the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann for Baltimore Opera; Renato in Un ballo in maschera with Lyric Opera of Kansas City; the High Priest in Samson et Dalila with Opera Carolina; and concerts including the title role in Bruch’s Odysseus with the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and with North German Radio in Hannover (a live recording released on Koch International).

Antonello Palombi (Canio)

Italian tenor Antonello Palombi recently made his American debut in the role of Dick Johnson in Seattle Opera’s La fanciulla del West to overwhelming critical acclaim.  Other recent career highlights include portraying Calaf in Turandot (Cagliari and Genoa) and Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut (Munich and Frankfurt).  Mr. Palombi has performed with many notable conductors and outstanding companies from Copenhagen to London’s Royal Albert Hall.  Upcoming European engagements include Radames in Aida with the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Ismaele in Nabucco in Rome, La Wally in Berne; Des Grieux in Munich; Otello in Melbourne; and La forza del destino and Andrea Chenier in concert in Germany.  On this side of the Atlantic, Mr. Palombi will make his Michigan Opera Theatre debut as Radames in Aida; his return to Seattle Opera as both Radames and Canio; and his Austin Lyric Opera debut as Manrico in Il trovatore.  His recordings include Falstaff, Verdi’s Requiem, Il trittico in concert with Dino Menichetti, Puccini’s  Messa di gloria, and Berlioz’ Les Troyens.

Maria Kanyova (Nedda)

American soprano Maria Kanyova has been praised by The New York Times for her “smooth and sweet voice,” and by the New York Daily News as a “powerful singing actor” in her debut as Mimi in La bohème at New York City Opera.  This critically acclaimed performance was telecast live on PBS and Ms. Kanyova was awarded both the Betty Allen Prize (the company’s most prestigious award) and the Richard F. Gold Career Grant for her achievements.  Last season, Ms. Kanyova continued her collaboration with New York City Opera, appearing in the title role of La traviata.  She also made her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin conducted by Stephen Lord and directed by James Robinson, and her role debut as Susanna in Opera Colorado’s Le nozze di Figaro, before concluding her season in the title role of Madama Butterfly at Central City Opera (Colorado).  Other recent highlights include her Opera Theater of St. Louis debut in a highly praised new production of Nixon in China, excerpts of which were also performed at the 2004 Ravinia Festival, and her acclaimed work with Lyric Opera of Chicago in the world premiere production of William Bolcom’s A Wedding and in the title role of Madama Butterfly.

Donato Renzetti (Conductor)

Donato Renzetti is music director of the Macerata Opera Festival and principal conductor of the Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo.  Born in Abruzzi, Italy, Maestro Renzetti studied conducting and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan.  The winner of top prizes in prestigious conducting competitions, including the “Respighi” in Siena, the “Ernest Ansermet” in Geneva and the “Guido Cantelli” in Milan, Renzetti attracted even more attention when one of his first recordings – Schumann’s Manfred with Orchestra della Scala, won the Italian Critics’ Award.  Maestro Renzetti regularly conducts at Teatro comunale in Florence, Teatro massimo in Palermo, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, La Fenice in Venice and the Rome Opera House.  Principal conductor at the Arena di Verona until 1995, he conducted Aida in both Verona and Luxor, Egypt.  A frequent guest of the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, he made his 1982 American debut conducting Marilyn Horne in the opening concert of Carnegie Hall’s Rossini series in La donna del lago.  The maestro was immediately invited to Chicago to conduct Ernani, the first of many appearances at Lyric Opera.  He made his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting La bohème and his San Francisco Opera debut with L’italiana in Algeri.  Dallas audiences know Maestro Renzetti from his 1986 company debut conducting  Rigoletto, as well as later productions of Semiramide (1992), La bohème (1994), Turandot (1997), and La traviata (2000).  He has also conducted the London Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, the RIAS Orchestra of Berlin and at the Salzburg Festspielhaus and his most recent engagements have taken him all the way to Tokyo.

Stephen Lawless (Stage Director)

Stephen Lawless was Director of Production for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1986 to 1991, when his work culminated in an immensely successful production of Death in Venice, subsequently recorded by the BBC for television and video release.  The production was revived at the 1992 Glyndebourne Festival.  Mr. Lawless made his debut with the Kirov Opera, staging Boris Godunov, the first ever live telecast of an opera from the Soviet Union to the United Kingdom.  His numerous productions include Boris Godunov for Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, and La Fenice in Venice; Così fan tutte in Chicago and Carmen for the New Israeli Opera.  In recent seasons, Stephen Lawless has directed L’elisir d’amore, a co-production for Los Angeles and Geneva (later revived in Madrid), which received tremendous acclaim; La clemenza di Tito for The Dallas Opera, Minnesota Opera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Le nozze di Figaro and La bohème for Lyric Opera of Chicago; La finta semplice in Potsdam; Salome and the Ring Cycle in Nuremberg; Falstaff in Los Angeles; Simon Boccanegra at the New Zealand Festival; Le nozze di Figaro for Glimmerglass Opera; Der fliegende Holländer and Daphne for New York City Opera; Die Fledermaus for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and an acclaimed production of Don Giovanni at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.  Current engagements include Il trovatore for the Canadian Opera, Capriccio for New York City Opera, Falstaff for Los Angeles Opera and Ascanio in Alba for the Buxton Festival.

Ashley Martin-Davis (Production Designer)

Ashley Martin-Davis trained at Central School of Art and Design, Motley Theatre Design and Riverside Studios.  After designing a season of plays for the National Theatre Studio, Mr. Martin-Davis went on to work for many of the world’s leading theater and opera companies.  His credits include the Ring Cycle and Manon (Manaus, Brazil); Daphne for New York City Opera; Carmen (Opera 80); Don Giovanni (Opera North); Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci (Sao Paolo, Brazil); Eugene Onegin (New Israeli Opera); I due foscari and The Magic Fountain (Scottish Opera); The Gondoliers (Chichester Festival Theatre); Scaramouche Jones (Dublin Festival and U.K. tour); Twelfth Night (Royal Shakespeare Company); Macbeth (Bristol Old Vic and tour); The Beau (Theatre Royal Bath and West End); The Comedy of Errors (Gorky Theatre, Berlin) and many other prestigious productions and venues.  He is currently designing Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba for the 2005 Buxton Festival in July, as well as a New York City Opera production of Richard Strauss’ Capriccio and a new play by Edward Kemp about Guy Fawkes and the infamous Gunpowder Plot, entitled “5/11.”  This production marks Mr. Martin-Davis’ Dallas Opera debut.

Wolfgang Goebbel (Lighting Designer)

Wolfgang Goebbel is an internationally renowned lighting designer who also has taught lighting design at the Theatre Academy of Munich.  His current and upcoming projects include Flammen for Vienna’s Klangbogen Festival in 2006; Don Giovanni for both the Klangbogen Festival and Copenhagen, directed by Keith Warner; Maskarade at the Bregenz Festspiele 2005 and the Royal Opera House; the Ring cycle for Netherlands Opera; and Die Tote Stadt for the Salzburg Festival, Vienna State Opera, Netherlands Opera and in Barcelona, directed by Willy Decker.  Among Mr. Goebbel’s recent career highlights are productions of Giulio Cesare in Hamburg; Les Troyens for English National Opera, directed by Richard Jones; Bloch’s Macbeth for the Klangbogen Festival of 2003 and Frankfurt in 2004; La cenerentola, The Enchantress and Wonderful Town for Grange Park Opera 2004; The Tempest by Thomas Ades for Strasbourg, Copenhagen and the Royal Opera; Madama Butterfly, Ariodante and Arianna in Creta for National Reisopera in the Netherlands.