Cincinnati Opera's Remarkable 2008 Season Saw Critical Acclaim, Audience Ovations, And New Partnerships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2008
Contact: Jennifer Bellin
Telephone: (513) 768-5504

CINCINNATI OPERA’S REMARKABLE 2008 SEASON SAW CRITICAL ACCLAIM, AUDIENCE OVATIONS, AND NEW PARTNERSHIPS

All four leading ladies triumph in Music Hall

Community programming and partnerships expanded audience

Balanced budget projected by leadership for 19th consecutive year

August 7, 2008, Cincinnati–Cincinnati Opera’s critically acclaimed 2008 Summer Festival concluded its thrilling season on July 27 with the final performance of a stunning world premiere production of Verdi’s La Traviata. The season saw a series of artistic successes with four amazing productions, including all new-to-Cincinnati productions, and four star-quality leading ladies, two of which stepped in as replacements.

“Our efforts to reach a broad spectrum of the community continue to prove successful,” says Patricia K. Beggs, general director & CEO. “This season we saw more diversity in our audience, an increasing number of young professionals, and student-rush lines that, once again, extended down Elm Street. From the spontaneous eruptions of applause at the end of performances and the results from our audience surveys, it is clear that audience members—both new and long-term—experienced performances they will remember for the rest of their lives and that will compel them to return to Cincinnati Opera next season.”

“I am particularly pleased that in the face of two major cancellations we were able to introduce Cincinnati audiences to two rising stars of the opera world—Shu-Ying Li in Madame Butterfly and Eglise Gutiérrez in La Traviata,” says Evans Mirageas, artistic director. “The stunning new production of La Traviata proved once again that one need look no farther than Music Hall for grand opera of international quality.”

Four Outstanding Divas and Productions

Madame Butterfly
The 88th Summer Festival opened with New York City Opera’s acclaimed production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Replacing soprano Liping Zhang, who cancelled a few months out due to a scheduling conflict, was Chinese-American soprano Shu-Ying Li who “made this an evening to remember” with her “vocal splendor and excellent characterization of the geisha” (Cincinnati Enquirer). Joining her with stellar performances were tenor Frank Lopardo as Pinkerton,
baritone John Hancock as Sharpless, mezzo-soprano Mika Shigematsu as Suzuki, and tenor Steven Cole as Goro. At the podium was Edoardo Müller.

Lucia di Lammermoor
The much-anticipated return of the amazing soprano Sarah Coburn was realized in the title role of the French version of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Ms. Coburn, whose performance elicited a number of ovations and cheers of brava, presented a “voice . . . so breathtaking, so thrilling for its sheer beauty and power, you feel lucky to witness it” (Cincinnati Enquirer). The impressive cast members who joined Ms. Coburn were tenor Mark T. Panuccio as Edgard, baritone Gaétan Laperrière as Henri, bass Alain Coulombe as Raymond, and tenor John McVeigh as Arthur. Jean-Marie Zeitouni returned to conduct.

Florencia en el Amazonas
Daniel Catan’s Spanish opera, Florencia en el Amazonas, offered an entrée for another memorable debut, soprano Alexandra Coku, who made her role and company debut as Florencia. Ms. Coku sang her arias “with radiance and emotion” (MusicinCincinnati.com). Other standouts of the ensemble cast included baritone Nmon Ford as Riolobo, Soprano Shana Blake Hill as Rosalba, tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Arcadio, baritone Carlos Archuleta as Alvaro, mezzo-soprano Emily Golden as Paula, and bass Burak Bilgili as Capitan. Steven Mercurio conducted.

La Traviata
Closing the season was the world premiere of a million-dollar La Traviata production by Bliss Hebert and Allen Charles Klein with stunning sets, 74 marvelous new costumes, and the Cincinnati Opera debut of soprano Eglise Gutíerrez. Ms. Gutierrez stepped in to learn the role of Violetta a few weeks before rehearsals began when Hei-Kyung Hong cancelled due to a serious family illness. Cincinnati CityBeat writes that her performance “embodies the spirit, the beauty and the tragedy of Verdi’s Violetta.” Tenor Richard Leech was Alfredo, baritone Philippe Rouillon was Giorgio, and tenor Brendan Tuohy was Gastone. Edoardo Müller conducted.

Subscription and Ticket Sales
2008 subscription renewals exceeded projections with a renewal rate of 82%. Total ticket income was $1.53 million, achieving 92% of projected income. Attendance reached 90% of the goal with a total of 25,072 attending over ten performances. Cincinnati Opera continues to be an attraction for opera lovers throughout the U.S. with attendees traveling from 33 states to attend performances this season.

Community Events
The company continues to develop new ways to bring opera to the community and welcome diverse groups to Music Hall. This season include the following events:

·         May 30–June 1— Daniel Catán’s Rappaccini’s Daughter, the first major collaborative project between Cincinnati Opera and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) though The Corbett Foundation Opera Fusion Program.
·         June 23—The third annual “Opera Goes to Church!” concert, in partnership with Allen Temple A.M.E. Church and sponsored by Barbara Gould and Ginger Warner, was sold out with 1,200 in attendance.
·         June 26—The second annual GLBT Night at the Opera (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender/transsexual), including a special reception before the opening performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, was a success.
·         June 29—Cincinnati Opera provided special music in Spanish for a Sunday service at St. Charles Borromeo Church.
·         July 10—The Hispanic community was invited to special reception with composer Daniel Catán prior to the opening of Florencia en el Amazonas.
·         July 17—With the help of Barbara Gould, Cincinnati Opera presented world-renowned soprano Angela Brown at NAACP National Conference’s Spingarn Awards Dinner.
·         July 21—The 18th annual Community Open Dress Rehearsal allowed a number of diverse community groups to experience opera for the first time.
·         July 27—Violetta’s Champagne & Shoes, which took place prior of the final performance of La Traviata, generated more than 150 clothing donations for Dress for Success.

Balanced Budget in 2008
Cincinnati Opera projects 2008 year-end revenue and expenses of $6.46 million. The company also projects a modest operating surplus for the 19th consecutive year due to ticket sales, fundraising success, and careful management of expenses.