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News and Reviews from La Traviata Weekend

What a weekend!

First, we announced our new general director, Kathryn Smith:

Then, we put on Verdi’s La Traviata:

    And lastly, our 50th anniversary gala on Saturday night was a huge success. The evening opened with the Art of Opera Glasses Auction and music by Anthony and Leslie Cao. Dinner was accompanied by a tribute to Madison Opera’s past, present, and future, with a very special appearance by founder Roland Johnson, as well as performances by the former Madison Opera Showcase Singers, the MO High School Apprentices, and the MO Chorus with Donnie Ray Albert. The evening concluded in spectacular fashion on the Overture Hall stage, with desserts and entertainment by the inimitable Robin Pluer:

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    Keely Futterer

    Rosina, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Dover, AR
    Madison Opera Debut: Léontine, The Anonymous Lover (2024)

    Recently: Anna Sørenson, Silent Night (Wolf Trap Opera); Musetta, La Bohème; Armida, Rinaldo; Charlene, Service Provider; Jazz Trio, Trouble in Tahiti (Minnesota Opera);
    Armida, Rinaldo; Vanderdendur, Candide; Angostura, Tenor Overboard (Glimmerglass Festival);
    Rodelinda, Rodelinda (Hudson Hall); Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Opera Memphis);

    Upcoming: Marcellina, Leonora (Chicago Opera Theater);
    Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Virginia Opera); Verdi Requiem (Erie Philharmonic)


    Weston Hurt

    Baritone, Opera in the Park

    Hometown: Spring, TX
    Madison Opera Debut: Germont, La Traviata (2019)

    Recently: Sharpless, Madama Butterfly (Houston Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera);
    Britten's War Requiem (Opera Roanoke); Scarpia, Tosca (Arizona Opera);
    Germont, La Traviata (Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Nabucco, Nabucco (Seattle Opera)

    Upcoming: Rigoletto, Rigoletto (English National Opera)

    Joshua Sanders

    Tenor, Opera in the Park

    Hometown: Plain, WI
    Madison Opera Debut: Giuseppe, La Traviata (2011)
    Also at MO: Tobias Ragg, Sweeney Todd; Inmate, Dead Man Walking; Ensemble, Acis and Galatea

    Recently: Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville; Romeo, Romeo and Juliet (Opera San José);
    Tamino, The Magic Flute (Nashville Opera); Sam Clay, The Amazing Adventures of
    Kavalier & Clay
    workshop (Metropolitan Opera)

    Upcoming:  Victorin, Die tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

    Sachie Ueshima, wearing black in front of a stone staircase.
    Sachie Ueshima

    Zerlina, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Wakayama City, Japan
    Madison Opera Debut
    Former Madison Opera Studio Artist

    Recently: Cio-Cio-San, Madama Butterfly (Virginia Opera); Violetta, La Traviata;
    Krystyna Zywulska, Two Remain (UW-Madison)

    Upcoming: Cio-Cio-San, Madama Butterfly (Kentucky Opera)


    David Walton

    Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Twin Cities, MN
    Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2017
    Also at MO: Belmonte, The Abduction from the Seraglio

    Recently: Ferrando, Così fan tutte (Princeton Festival); Ramiro, La Cenerentola (Toledo Opera);
    Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (North Carolina Opera);
    Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance (Opera San Antonio); Filippo, Deceit Outwitted (Sarasota Opera)

    Upcoming: Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Minnesota Opera); Candide, Candide (South Florida Symphony);
    Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Livermore Valley Opera)

    Emily Fons

    Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
    Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2012
    Also at MO: Opera in the Park 2024; Rosina, The Barber of Seville (2015)

    Recently: Nicklausse, The Tales of Hoffmann (Palm Beach Opera);
    Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Cincinnati Opera, Santa Fe Opera);
    Woman, Ghosts (San Diego Opera); Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro (Canadian Opera Company);
    Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (New Orleans Opera)

    Upcoming: Princess Irene, Tamerlano (Haymarket Opera)


    Kanopy Dance

    María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: Madison, WI
    Madison Opera Debut: Acis & Galatea (2013)
    Recently at MO: Florencia en el Amazonas; Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins


    Lisa Thurrell

    Choreographer, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: Madison, WI
    Madison Opera Debut: Florencia en el Amazonas (2018)
    Recently at MO: The Anonymous Lover, Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins
    Co-Artistic Director of Kanopy Dance

    Recently: Director and Choreographer, Winter Fantasia: Reimagined; Polaris + Revelations;
    The Next Generation;
    Confluence: A Prelude; Graham: In Her Voice; Shades of Light (Kanopy Dance);
    Choreographer, Bluebeard's Castle (Des Moines Metro Opera)

    Upcoming: Director and Choreographer, Inner Passages (Kanopy Dance);
    Choreographer, The Cunning Little Vixen (Des Moines Metro Opera)


    Kirstin Chávez

    El Duende, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Albuquerque, NM
    Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2006

    Recently: Glenda, We Shall Not Be Moved (Pittsburgh Opera); Verdi's Requiem (Pensacola Symphony);
    Carlotta de Obragón, Zorro (Fort Worth Opera); Suzuki, Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera);
    Mozart's Requiem (Paducah Symphony); Carmen, Carmen (St. Barth's Music Festival)

    Upcoming: Carmen, Carmen (Kentucky Symphony Orchestra); Carmen, Carmen Inside Out (the film)


    Ryan Nash

    Sergeant, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
    Madison Opera Debut
    Madison Opera Studio Artist

    Recently: Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi (American Gothic Performing Arts Festival); Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance (Madison Savoyards);
    Mercurio, La Calisto; Gastone, La Traviata; Albert Herring, Albert Herring (UW Madison Opera);
    Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi (La Musica Lirica USA); Alfred, Die Fledermaus; Monostatos, The Magic Flute (UMass Opera)

    Upcoming: Tamino, The Magic Flute (Opera for the Young)


    John DeMain

    Conductor: Opera in the Park, The Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Youngstown, OH
    Madison Opera Debut: The Magic Flute (1995)
    Recently at MO: Candide, Tosca, Trouble in Tahiti / The Seven Deadly Sins, Salome


    Rebecca Herman

    Stage Director, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Austin, TX
    Madison Opera Debut

    Recently: Carmen (Austin Opera); Don Giovanni (Opera Colorado, Cincinnati Opera);
    Un Cuento de Luces y Sonmbras
    (LOLA); La Bohème (Glimmerglass Opera);
    The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Utah Opera, Calgary Opera)

    Upcoming: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Washington National Opera); New Opera Workshop, We Might be Struck by Lighting (LOLA)


    Fenlon Lamb

    Stage Director, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Princeton, NJ
    Madison Opera Debut:
    La Traviata (2019)
    Recently at MO: Lucia di Lammermoor

    Recently: La Fanciulla del West (Central City Opera); The Elixir of Love, Così fan tutte (Palm Beach Opera);
    The Marriage of Figaro
    (Portland Opera); Carmen (Opera Santa Barbara);
    Charlie Parker's Yardbird (Dayton Opera); La Bohème (New Orleans Opera); Mozart and Salieri (Opera San Jose)


    Kamna Gupta

    Conductor, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: St. Genis-de-Puilly, France
    Madison Opera Debut

    Recently: The Pearl Fishers (Vancouver Opera); In Our Daughter's Eyes (LA Opera / BMP);
    Number Our Days (Perelman Performing Arts Center); Glory Denied (Cleveland Institute of Music);
    Rocking Horse Winner (Tapestry Opera); The Rip Van Winkles (Glimmerglass Festival)

    Upcoming: Ruinous Gods (Spoleto Festival USA)


    Frances Rabalais

    Stage Director, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: New Orleans, LA
    Madison Opera Debut: Tosca (2023)

    Recently: Macbeth (Resonance Works); Hansel and Gretel (Opera Birmingham);
    The Magic Flute (North Carolina Opera); The Barber of Seville (Pensacola Opera)


    Charles Eaton

    Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Storrs, CT
    Madison Opera Debut: Moralès, Carmen (2017)
    Recently at MO: Count Malcolm, A Little Night Music

    Recently: Ponchel, Silent Night; Brother, The Seven Deadly Sins (Wolf Trap Opera); Schaunard, La Bohème;
    Sam, Trouble in Tahiti; Masetto, Don Giovanni; Argante, Rinaldo (Minnesota Opera);
    Fedorov, The Christmas Spider (Opéra Louisiane, Marble City Opera);
    English Ambassador, The Ghosts of Versailles (Royal Opera Versailles);
    Marcello, La Bohème (Imperial Symphony Orchestra)

    Upcoming: Mercutio, Romeo & Juliet (Minnesota Opera);
    Silvio, Pagliacci (Pensacola Opera)


    Jeremiah Sanders

    Leporello, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Marian, IN
    Madison Opera Debut

    Recently: Marcello, La Bohème; Beau, Service Provider; Jazz Trio, Trouble in Tahiti;
    Hortensius, The Daughter of the Regiment; Mago, Rinaldo;
    Abilenes's Father / Bryce's Father, Edward Tulane (Minnesota Opera);
    Colline, La Bohème (Lyric Opera of the North); Lackey, Ariadne auf Naxos (Lakes Area Music Festival);
    Charlie, Three Decembers (South Bend Lyric Opera); The Villains, The Tales of Hoffmann (Union Avenue Opera)


    Ashraf Sewailam

    The Commendatore, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Cairo, Egypt / San Francisco, CA
    Madison Opera Debut:
    Captain, Florencia en el Amazonas (2018)

    Recently: Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera, Seattle Opera);
    Dr. Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (New Orleans Opera); Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Opera San Jose);
    Giove, La Calisto (Opera Memphis)

    Upcoming: Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (Lyric Opera of Kansas City);
    Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love (New Orleans Opera)


    Andrew Stenson

    Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Rochester, MN
    Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2021

    Recently: Pong, Turandot (Metropolitan Opera); Bill, Flight; The Steersman, The Flying Dutchman (Dallas Opera);
    Pang, Turandot (Houston Grand Opera); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Seattle Opera);
    Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Florentine Opera);
    Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville (Opera Colorado, Garsington Opera);
    Nikolaus Sprink, Silent Night; Tamino, The Magic Flute (Utah Opera);
    Fadinard, The Italian Straw Hat (Minnesota Opera); Danny Chen, An American Soldier (Opera Theatre of St. Louis)

    Headshot of Hailey Cohen
    Hailey Cohen

    Berta, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Edgemont, NY
    Madison Opera Debut: Dorothée, The Anonymous Lover (2024)
    Also with MO: Paquette, Candide
    Madison Opera Studio Artist

    Recently: Zita, Gianni Schicchi (Finger Lakes Opera); Hattie, American Gothical (Cedar Rapids Opera);
    Sally, The Boy Who Wanted to be a Robot; K., Would You Eat Me? (Thompson Street Opera)


    Lifan Deng

    Fiorello, The Barber of Seville
    Masetto, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Shenzhen, China
    Madison Opera Debut
    Madison Opera Studio Artist

    Recently: Voce 2, Il Nostro Posto nel Mondo (Thompson Street Opera Company);
    The Police Agent / Mr. Kofner, The Consul (Third Eye Ensemble);
    Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte; Kaiser Overall, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Northwestern Opera Theater);
    Old Adam Goodheart, Ruddigore; Carpenter's Mate, H.M.S. Pinafore (The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company);
    Olin Brett, The Music Man (Metropolis Performing Arts Centre)

    Upcoming: Papageno, The Magic Flute (Opera for the Young)


    Laureano Quant

    El Payador, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia
    Madison Opera Debut

    Recently: Schaunard, La Bohème (Wolf Trap Opera); Foreman, Jenufa; Dancaïre, Carmen;
    Count of Lerma, Don Carlo (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Escamillo, Le tragedie de Carmen;
    Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (The Opera Next Door); Betto, Gianni Schicchi (Ópera de Colombia);
    Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Captain / Ragotsky, Candide (Orquestra Filarmónica de Bogotà)

    Upcoming: Belcore, The Elixir of Love (New Orleans Opera);
    Bill, Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahgonny (Staatsoper Stuttgart)


    Kelly Guerra

    María, María de Buenos Aires

    Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
    Madison Opera Debut

    Recently: María, María de Buenos Aires (Kentucky Opera); Lupita, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna;
    Carlotta de Obragón, Zorro (Opera Santa Barbara); Renata, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (West Edge Opera);
    Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Princeton Festival); Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Scalia/Ginsburg (Chautauqua Opera);
    Luisa Fernanda, Luisa Fernanda (Opera Hispánica, Opera Williamsburg)

    Upcoming: Una Niña, Ainadamar (Metropolitan Opera); Jo, Little Women (Fort Worth Opera);
    Isabella, L'Italiana in Algeri (Opera in the Heights); Mrs. Fox, Fantastic Mr. Fox (Opera Omaha)


    Alex Taylor

    Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Beloit, WI
    Madison Opera Debut: Mother, The Seven Deadly Sins (2023)

    Recently: Green Shirt Guy, Mel Rides the Bus Alone (Pittsburgh Opera);
    Sarastro, The Magic Flute; Dr. Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro (Carnegie Mellon University)


    Levi Hernandez

    Dr. Bartolo, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: El Paso, TX
    Madison Opera Debut: Papageno, The Magic Flute (2006)
    Recent at MO: Alvaro, Florencia en el Amazonas; Opera in the Park 2018

    Recently: Diego Rivera, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego (Opera Omaha);
    Tonio, Pagliacci (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Dandini, La Cenerentola (Boston Lyric Opera);
    Peter, Hansel and Gretel (Opera San Antonio); Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (North Carolina Opera)

    Upcoming: Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (Washington National Opera); Benoit/Alcindoro, La Bohème (Lyric Opera of Chicago);
    Alvaro, Florencia en el Amazonas (North Carolina Opera)


    Benjamin Taylor

    Figaro, The Barber of Seville

    Hometown: Waldorf, MD
    Madison Opera Debut:
    Silvio, Pagliacci (2018)

    Recently: Bello, La Fanciulla del West (Bayerische Staatsoper); Moralès, Carmen (Metropolitan Opera);
    Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (Princeton Symphony); Jan Nyman, Breaking the Waves (Detroit Opera);
    Silvio, Pagliacci (Austin Opera)

    Upcoming: Marcello, La Bohème (Arizona Opera); Jake, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera);
    Schaunard, La Bohème (Charleston Opera Theater)


    Katerina Burton

    Donna Anna, Don Giovanni

    Hometown: Ocean City, MD
    Madison Opera Debut: Opera in the Park 2024

    Recently: Mimì, La Bohème; Verna/Young Lovely/Evelyn, Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); JFK: The Last Speech
    (National Symphony Orchestra); Britten’s War Requiem (Strathmore Music Center);
    Russian Chamber Art Society; Postclassical Ensemble Concert (The Kennedy Center); Girlfriend 2, Blue;
    Micaëla, Carmen (Washington National Opera); Alice Ford, Falstaff (Aspen Music Festival);