In case you haven’t noticed, Madison Opera is sporting a new look! After almost 25 years, we’ve decided to update our logo for the 50th anniversary season. Additionally, we’ve transformed our website into a much more user-friendly and attractive space. If you haven’t done so already, take a minute to explore. Perhaps the best new feature for our patrons is the option to order subscriptions online.
Back story
The icon of our new logo features a wave-like M inside a red O. The curves of the M are inspired by the ceiling in Overture Hall, our performance home, while the colors are retained from the logo’s previous incarnation. The new font is modern, elegant, and sleek, with a hint of Frank Lloyd Wright, who’s aesthetic (not to mention history) permeates Madison.
Credit
Michael Martin Design created our new logo and designed our 2010-2011 season brochure. Makin’-Hey Communications developed our new website.
In the coming weeks and months, don’t be alarmed if our old logo still pops up now and then. This is a transitional time for us, as we conclude our 2009-10 season with Opera in the Park 2010 and begin promoting our exciting 50th anniversary season.
It was a great weekend for Madison Opera. From audience responses to critical reaction to the stream of letters and e-mails we are receiving today, it seems we presented our first Wagner opera at exactly the right time, with a very special cast, chorus, and production crew. Here is some of what’s being said:
The Isthmus: “Congratulations are due for this milestone achievement by Madison Opera…”
Channel3000: “Madison Opera conquers ‘The Flying Dutchman’…”
Culturosity: “‘The Flying Dutchman’ successfully takes Madison Opera in yet another new direction…”
And if you weren’t there, here are some scenes from the Overture Center on opening night:
The Flying Dutchman, Madison Opera’s Wagner debut, opens tonight at 8 p.m. in Overture Hall! Get your tickets here or at the door. Before you go, check out these previews from the Madison press:
77 Square: “Flights of Fancy: Madison Opera brings Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman to Overture”
The Isthmus: “Ghost Ship: Madison Opera at last stages Wagner”
The Onion A.V. Club: “The Flying Dutchman isn’t the only one who’s obsessed”
Julia Faulkner as Mary and Turid Karlsen as Senta.
The Madison Opera Chorus.
The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner. Opens tomorrow night, April 9, at 8 p.m. in Overture Hall. Get your tickets now. Photos by Jim Gill (final dress rehearsal, 4/7/10).
Brad Garvin (The Dutchman), Turid Karlsen (Senta), and director Michael Scarola discuss Madison Opera’s production of The Flying Dutchman:
Conductor’s notes with John DeMain, featuring rehearsal footage and commentary on performing Wagner:
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
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 tragediedeCarmen;
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);
