[NEohioPAL]Classic Romance Ignites Valentine's Day Weekends at Cleveland Opera

Tue Jan 10 10:17:05 PST 2006

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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p>
January
10, 2006  …. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>. 
Cleveland Opera celebrates Valentine’s Day with Charles Gounod’s
classic
interpretation of tragic love, Roméo et
Juliette.  Performances are February
10, 12, 17, and 18, 2006 at the State Theatre in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
 w:st="on">Playhouse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Square</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> with Friday
and
Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.  Tickets range from $25 to $130 and may be
purchased online at clevelandopera.org, by phone at Tickets.com
216/241-6000 or
800/766-6048 or at the State Theatre Box Office, <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
 w:st="on">1519 Euclid Avenue</st1:address></st1:Street>. 
Discounts are available for students, seniors
and groups of 10 or more.  Roméo et
Juliette will be sung in French
with English “subtitles” projected above the stage.<o:p></o:p>
<><o:p> </o:p></>
<></>
<>Roméo et Juliette opened to rave reviews in 1887
at the
Théâtre-Lyrique in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Paris</st1:City>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>.  The three act opera, closely based on
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, follows the star-crossed lovers of
the
Montague and Capulet families from their first fleeting encounter to
their
untimely deaths.  Set in 14th
Century <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Verona</st1:place></st1:City>,
Gounod’s graceful tribute to forbidden love promises to capture the
hearts of Clevelanders
young and old this Valentine’s Day.<o:p></o:p></>
<><o:p> </o:p></>
<></>
<>Conducting
for the first time at Cleveland Opera is celebrated Maestro
Gerhardt Zimmerman, who
is currently celebrating his 25th year as music director of
the
Canton Symphony Orchestra.  Award-winning
director Nicholas Olcott also makes
his Cleveland Opera debut, as well as directing Roméo et
Juliette for the first time.  “I find it
delightful to be coming to this
work for the first time from the operatic perspective,” said Mr. Olcott.  “This story is so perfectly suited to the
opera – it is pure, unadulterated romance.”<o:p></o:p></>
<><o:p> </o:p></>
<></>
<>Soprano
Laura Pedersen, a <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">Rocky River</st1:place></st1:City> native and celebrated
artist,
leads a large ensemble cast in the role of Juliette.  Ms.
Pedersen returns to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>
<o:p></o:p></><o:p></o:p><>Opera’s
stage following her critically acclaimed performance as Donna Elvira in
Don Giovanni in 1997. 
Her Roméo, tenor Gran Wilson,
is also an alumnus of Cleveland Opera, last seen in The
Pearl Fishers in 2000.  Fenlon
Lamb, another <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>
favorite, will step into the pants of
Stephano (the soprano).  Michelle
Rice, making her Cleveland
Opera debut as Gertrude, has performed previously many acclaimed
theaters
including Opera Vivente and Annapolis Opera. 
Baritone Daniel Narducci, last
seen in 2005’s Sweeney Todd , returns
as Mercutio, Roméo’s right-hand man.  Todd
Boyce, who has appeared with The
Cleveland Orchestra and Oberlin Opera Theater, will debut as Juliette’s
betrothed, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:City>.  A Cleveland Opera favorite, William
Powers, returns as Capulet
after last being seen in 2000’s The
Barber of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seville</st1:place></st1:City>.  Baritone David
Evitts, as Friar Laurence, also returns to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City> having last been seen in
1994’s Madame Butterfly.  Jonathan
Stinson (Gregorio) and W. Matthew
Winslow (The Duke), each performed with Cleveland Opera last in
2005, in Madame Butterfly and Eugene
Onegin, respectively.  Tenor
Nicholas Houhoulis (Tybalt) and tenor A.
Scott Bromagen (Benvolio) are making their Cleveland Opera debuts.<o:p></o:p></><><o:p> </o:p></>
</div>
<>The 2005-2006 Season is sponsored by The
Cleveland Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, MBNA, The Plain Dealer,
Cleveland
Magazine, and WCLV.<o:p></o:p></>
<><o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p></>
The
Cast<o:p></o:p>


<>Laura
Pedersen, Juliette,
brings to
opera houses and to concert halls an exciting lyric
soprano voice, beauty, and a rare ability to make each role come alive
onstage.  In 2005, Ms. Pedersen’s schedule
included performances of Rosalinda in Die
Fledermaus with Maestro Timm Rolek in <st1:State w:st="on">Nevada</st1:State>;
an engagement in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Kaliningrad</st1:City>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place>
as the
soprano soloist in the world premiere of Jeffrey Prater’s Veni
Creator Spiritus, and her third appearance at the Blossom
Music Festival with The Cleveland Orchestra Blossom Festival Band.  Ms. Pedersen made her Carnegie Hall debut in
2004, as the soprano soloist in Schubert’s Mass
in G Major for Mid-America Productions. 
She spent three years as a soloist with the Bremen Opera in <st1:country-region
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
appearing in such diverse roles as Maria in Bernstein’s West
Side Story and Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale.  Ms. Pedersen
sang the leading role of Marie Laurencin in the world premiere of The Banquet composed by Maestro Marcello
Panni.  Other engagements in <st1:country-region
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>
include
performances of Le Nozze di Figaro, Così
fan tutte, Carmen, and Die
Fledermaus.  Upon Ms. Pedersen’s
return to <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>
she
repeated a role she first sang in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>,
Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni,
with Cleveland Opera.  Her Violetta in La Traviata with Indianapolis Opera drew
immediate attention from both the press and the public, as she went on
to an
immediate re-engagement with them to sing Juliette in the company’s
first
production of Roméo et Juliette.  In
her debut as Juliette, she gave a
“dramatic interpretation blended with <o:p></o:p>passion, humanity,
intelligence, and depth,” according to the Indianapolis Star.  An <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iowa</st1:place></st1:State>
native, Ms. Pedersen earned a Master’s Degree in Voice from the
Cleveland
Institute of Music.<o:p></o:p></>

Gran
Wilson,
Romeo, a
native of <st1:City w:st="on">Bessemer</st1:City>, <st1:State
 w:st="on">Alabama</st1:State>, has sung in opera houses and on concert
stages throughout North America, Europe and <st1:country-region
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  Mr. Wilson has appeared with the New York City
Opera, San Francisco Opera, Boston  Symphony,
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Houston Grand Opera to name but a few.  He has been seen on PBS in "Live From Lincoln
Center" with Dame Joan Sutherland, and heard often on NPR. 
He has recorded with the Seattle Symphony, and his Tamino in
Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Australian Opera may be seen
on Kultur Video.  In recent seasons Mr. Wilson
has established himself as a leading interpreter of the French
repertoire.  He has sung the role of Roméo for
the <o:p></o:p>New
Orleans Opera, L'Opéra de Toulon, Vlaamse Opera, Baltimore Opera,
Central City Opera, and with Ms. Pedersen, for Indianapolis Opera.  Mr. Wilson made his Cleveland Opera debut in
another leading French role as Nadir in Bizet's <o:p></o:p>Les
Pêcheurs de Perles.  While maintaining an active performing schedule, he
is currently on the Voice faculties of the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Maryland</st1:PlaceName> and <st1:place
 w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Towson</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
 w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.  Mr.
Wilson resides in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:place></st1:City>
with his wife, choreographer Kimberly Mackin, and their daughter Cate.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>Fenlon Lamb, Stephano,
is emerging as a young artist who consistently
performs with great vocal skill and excellent style to high critical
acclaim.  Described as “sweet voiced” and
“alluring,” Ms. Lamb enjoyed high marks for her recent title role
portrayals.  Comfortable in opera, operetta, and
on the
concert stage, Ms. Lamb has performed throughout <st1:place w:st="on">Northern
Ohio</st1:place>.  She made her concert
debut with The Cleveland Orchestra as Angelina in La
Cenerentola, followed by Kate in Pirates of Penzance with
Cleveland Opera, and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd for
Toledo Opera.  Her recent engagements include
Dorabella in Così fan Tutte for the Caramoor
International Music Festival; <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Charlotte</st1:place></st1:City>
in Werther and Mrs. Grose in Turn of the
Screw for Opera Vivente; the
title role of Iolanthe, Beggar Woman
in Sweeney Todd, and Martha in Faust
all for Cleveland Opera.  Born in <st1:State
 w:st="on">New York</st1:State>,
Ms. Lamb received her training at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
 w:st="on">California</st1:PlaceName>
at <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Santa Cruz</st1:place></st1:City>.  She also apprenticed with several of the
finest young artist programs in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> including
Seattle
Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Baltimore Opera.<o:p></o:p>
<></>
Michelle Rice, Gertrude, has performed to great acclaim
in such
roles as Carmen in the Constant/Brook adaptation of Bizet’s masterpiece
Le
tragédie de Carmen, Clara Schumann in the world premiere of
Convery’s Clara,
Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Mrs. Grose in Britten’s Turn
of
the Screw, Serse and Arsamene in Händel’s Serse, Mère Marie
in
Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Irene in Händel’s Tamburlaine,
Albina in Rossini’s La donna del lago, Madame de la Haltière in
Massenet’s Cendrillon, and Mrs. Olsen in Weill’s Street
Scene,
with companies including Washington Concert <o:p></o:p><><o:p></o:p>Opera,
<st1:City w:st="on">Annapolis</st1:City> Opera, Opera Vivente, and the <st1:place
 w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Maryland</st1:State></st1:place> Opera
Studio.
Concert works have included Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s Lieder
eines
fahrenden Gesellen, Mozart’s Krönungs-Messe,
and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with
ensembles such as the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Maryland</st1:PlaceName> and <st1:place
 w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
 w:st="on">Wisconsin</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>
symphony orchestras.<o:p></o:p></>

Nicholas Houhoulis,
Tybalt, has
performed many
roles with Maryland Opera Studio including Rodolfo in La
Bohème, Peter Quint in The
Turn of the Screw, Ludwig Schumann in Clara
(World Premier), Cochenille Pittichinaccio in Les
Contes d’Hoffmann, and Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto.  Mr. Houhoulis is
currently earning his Master of Music degree in Opera Performance from
the
University of Maryland, and has appeared at Westminster Opera Theater
as Kaspar
in Amahl and the Night Visitors and Brack Weaver in Down
in the Valley.  He was part of the
Chorus-in-Residence with
the 1999-2000 Spoleto Festival.  Mr.
Houhoulis holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Westminster
Choir
College of Rider University.<o:p></o:p>

A. Scott Bromagen,
Benvolio, completed
his
college studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and was an
Associate
Artist with Cleveland Opera and Cleveland Opera on Tour. 
He has performed such supporting roles as
Giuseppe in La Traviata, the
Philistine Messenger in Samson et Dalila,
and Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette for
Cleveland Opera’s mainstage, as well as singing in the Cleveland Opera
Chorus
for the past eight years.  Mainstage
credits from other companies include Tamino in The Magic
Flute, Aeneas in Dido
and Aeneas, Mr. Angel in The Impresario,
and Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro. 
Mr. Bromagen has also been seen in such roles
as Manrico, Faust, Ferrando, Rodolfo, and Ramiro.  His
musical theater experience includes Jesus
and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar,
Jean Marc in the premiere of If Only Once,
Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, and The Russian
in Chess. 
Mr. Bromagen and his wife, soprano and current Cleveland Opera
Associate
Artist Jennifer Bromagen, are proud to be raising two beautiful
daughters on <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City>’s
far west
side.<o:p></o:p>
Daniel Narducci, Mercutio,
is renowned for his versatility as a performer, being equally at home
on the
operatic, musical theater, and concert stages. 
On the operatic stage, Mr. Narducci has portrayed countless
characters
including Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di
Figaro, Marcello in La Bohème,
Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia,
Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and
Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore.  He
has appeared in these principal roles with
the opera companies of <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State>,
Central
City, <st1:City w:st="on">Palm Beach</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:State>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Nashville</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Chattanooga</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Indianapolis</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Columbus</st1:City>, and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:State>. 
Since his professional debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra,
Mr.
Narducci has appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious
orchestras in a
variety of programs, ranging from the music of Rogers and Hammerstein
to
Rossini.  Mr. Narducci also played the
role of Lancelot during two national tours of Camelot,
most notably opposite Robert Goulet’s King Arthur, and
portrayed Old Deuteronomy
in the 10th Anniversary production of Cats
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Hamburg</st1:State></st1:place>.  Mr. Narducci is a graduate of the Indiana
University
School of Music.<o:p></o:p>
<></>
Todd Boyce, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
 w:st="on">Paris</st1:City></st1:place>,
performed
the role of Gregorio in Roméo et Juliette with Opera
Theatre St.
Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program. 
After completing his engagement with OTSL in June 2005, he was
honored
with the Founders Award from the Richard Gaddes Fund for Young Singers.  He will be returning as a Gerdine Young
Artist again in the summer of 2006 to sing Fiorello in The
Barber of Seville, and to sing George Jones in Street
Scene and cover Peter in Hansel and Gretel.  Mr. Boyce’s other operatic performances
include the roles of Count Almaviva in Le
Nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Così
fan tutte, Vicar in Albert Herring,
and Masetto in Don Giovanni, all with
the Oberlin Conservatory.  Mr. Boyce is
also active in the concert repertoire, performing frequently with The
Cleveland
Orchestra.  Since 2004, he has appeared
on the Severance Hall stage well over a dozen times performing such
diverse
repertoire as the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah, Stravinsky’s
Requiem
Canticles, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia
on Christmas Carols, and Fauré’s Requiem;
and in the role of Der Pfelger in a concert production of Strauss’ Elektra. 
Mr. Boyce is a recipient of first-prize awards in the Oberlin
Conservatory Concerto Competition after which he performed Poulenc’s Chansons Villageoises with the Oberlin
Orchestra.  He also received first prize
in the Dayton Opera Guild's Annual College Vocal Competition along with
their
Audience Favorite Award, and the Cleveland Singers Club S. Livingston
Mather Scholarship
Competition.  Mr. Boyce received his
Bachelors in Music with honors from Oberlin Conservatory in December of
2005.<o:p></o:p>
Jonathan
Stinson, Gregorio, currently
resides in <st1:City w:st="on">Bloomington</st1:City>, <st1:State
 w:st="on">Indiana</st1:State>
where he has recently completed a Master’s Degree in Voice from <st1:place
 w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Indiana</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
 w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.  While
at IU, Mr. Stinson performed seven
leading roles for IU Opera Theater including the title role in Eugene Onegin, Lescaut in Manon, John
Brooke in Little Women, Ned Keene in Peter
Grimes, and Harry in the North
American premiere of Sven-David Sandström’s Jeppe.  He is no stranger to the <st1:City w:st="on">Cleveland</st1:City>
area, having been a company member of the Ohio Light Opera from 2001-03
and
having attended Oberlin Conservatory prior to his move to <st1:State
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Indiana</st1:place></st1:State>. 
Recently, he performed the role of Papageno in Die
Zauberflöte with the Lafayette Symphony and again with Battle
Creek Symphony.  <o:p></o:p>
<>William Powers, Capulet, returns to Cleveland Opera as
Juliet’s
feuding father.  A veteran of many
Cleveland Opera productions, Mr. Powers has been heard here as
Mephistopheles
in Faust, Sparafucile in Rigoletto,
Mustafa in Italian Girl, Basilio in The
Barber of Seville, The Four Villains
in The Tales of Hoffmann, The
Archbishop in Holy Blood and Crescent
Moon, Don Pizarro in Fidelio, and
the title role of Falstaff, over a
span of twenty Cleveland seasons.  In
other venues, Mr. Powers has offered Baltazar in La
Favorite for the Opéra Comique Thèâtre Nationale, Le Bailli in Werther for the Klangbogen Festival of
Vienna, Baron Scarpia in Tosca for
Portland Opera, Friar Lawrence in I
Capuleti e I Montecchi for<o:p></o:p> Lisbon
Opera, and the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim in the world-premier production
of The Great Gatsby at the Metropolitan <o:p></o:p></><></>Opera
in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State></st1:place>.  Mr. Powers’ solo CD entitled “Rogues and
Villains” (on the Centaur label) is soon to be followed by the
just-recorded
second collection of evil-doers entitled “The Worst of William Powers.”  Mr. Powers is the husband of renowned mezzo-soprano
Jennifer Larmore, and the walker of Sophie, their miniature schnauzer.<o:p></o:p>
David
Evitts, Friar
Laurence, has enjoyed a wide-ranging career as both an orchestral
and
operatic soloist.  In recent seasons his
appearances have taken him from <st1:City w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City>
and <st1:City w:st="on">Philadelphia</st1:City> to <st1:City w:st="on">Monte
Carlo</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Paris</st1:City>, and <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
 w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:City>.  Since
his 1994 Metropolitan Opera debut as
the Sacristan opposite Luciano Pavarotti and Sherrill Milnes in Tosca, Mr. Evitts has appeared each
season on the Met stage including new productions of La
Traviata and The Merry
Widow.  He has also joined the
company on tour in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and sang Bartolo in the Met’s 1998 Summer Parks Concerts in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.  Mr. Evitts
performed the role of Friar
Laurence in Boston Lyric Opera’s Roméo et
Juliette in 1999, and returned in 2000 for Leporello in Don
Giovanni.  He has performed with opera
companies across
the country including Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City,
Colorado
Opera Festival, <st1:City w:st="on">Tulsa</st1:City>, <st1:City
 w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Memphis</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Anchorage</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Knoxville</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Milwaukee</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Mobile</st1:City>
and <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Little Rock</st1:place></st1:City>.<o:p></o:p>
W.
Matthew Winslow, The
Duke, studied at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Indiana</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> under
Roger
Havranek and Georgio Tozzi.  Since having
won the prestigious Richard F. Gold Career Grant for opera singers in
1995, Mr.
Winslow has shown great versatility and has given recitals across the <st1:country-region
 w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  He has also performed with regional opera
companies across the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
including <st1:State w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:State>, <st1:City
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cincinnati</st1:place></st1:City>, and
Sarasota Operas with several
concerts with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.  Equally
comfortable in the operatic, musical
theater, and sacred genres of music, Mr. Winslow has given freely of
his time
to perform for such charitable organizations as the Arthritis
Foundation and
the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  He
also performed in the PBS Special “A Grand Night for Singing” with
notable
operatic artists Frederica von Stade and Sylvia McNair. 
Mr. Winslow holds Bachelor and Master of
Music Degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, and a
Performer’s
Diploma from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Altenburg</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">International</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
 w:st="on">Music</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Academy</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.  His professional performances include Antonio
in Le Nozze di Figaro, Deputy in
Kentucky Opera’s Don Carlo, and Eugene
Onegin.<o:p></o:p>
Gerhardt
Zimmermann, Conductor,
became
conductor laureate of the North
Carolina Symphony in September 2003 after having served as music
director and
conductor since 1982. He currently holds posts as Music Director of the
Canton
Symphony Orchestra (OH) and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colorado</st1:place></st1:State>’s
Breckenridge Music Institute. As guest-conductor, Maestro Zimmermann
has led
the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony,
Atlanta
Symphony, and National Symphony with soloist André Watts in a highly
acclaimed
all-Beethoven Festival at The Kennedy Center. The <st1:State
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>
Post, under the <o:p></o:p><><o:p></o:p>headline "Seventh Heaven at Opening of NSO's Beethoven
Festival,"
wrote of his collaboration with the National Symphony, "The full power
of
the National Symphony Orchestra -- a sound Beethoven never heard in his
lifetime but surely longed for with all of this soul -- arrived
gravely,
magnificently under Maestro Zimmermann's guidance.”   This
is Maestro Zimmermann’s Cleveland Opera
debut.<o:p></o:p></>

<><o:p></o:p>Nick
Olcott,
Director, is
making his Cleveland Opera debut.  Recent
credits include Boston Lyric Opera (The Daughter of the
Regiment) and Wolf
Trap Opera (The Impresario/Viva la mamma
with his own libretto, linking the Mozart and Donizetti one-acts into a
single
opera).  At Ash Lawn Opera Festival, he
has directed The Magic Flute, The Barber
of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seville</st1:City></st1:place>,
and
Madame Butterfly.  A faculty
member of the Maryland Opera Studio,
his credits there include The Turn of the
Screw, Monsieur Choufleuri, Così fan tutte, and Le
nozze di Figaro.  Theater
credits include Arena Stage, the Delaware Theatre Company, the
Philadelphia
Theatre Company and The John F. <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Kennedy</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType> for the Performing Arts.<o:p></o:p></>
<><o:p> </o:p></>
<></>
<>Hernando Cortez, Choreographer,
is Artistic Director of Cleveland’s Verb Ballets.  As
a popular freelance choreographer, Mr.
Cortez recently created dances for American Ballet Theatre’s Studio
Company,
the Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Sands Hotel in <st1:City
 w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Atlantic City</st1:place></st1:City>.  He has served on numerous panels, most
recently as an advisor for the National Endowment for the Arts.  Mr. Cortez has been on the faculties of
Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, The Boston Conservatory, The
Joffrey
Ballet School, and the school of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.  He is the founding director of Dancers
Responding to AIDS (DRA), a fundraising subsidiary of Broadway
Cares/Equity
Fights AIDS (BC/EFA).  In connection with
his work with DRA, Mr. Cortez was the recipient of a New York Dance and
Performance
Award and a Dance Magazine award.<o:p></o:p></>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Amy Pawlukiewicz
Public Relations Associate
Cleveland Opera
1422 Euclid Avenue
Suite 1052
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Phone: (216)575-0903 ext. 215
Fax: (216)575-1918
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.clevelandopera.org">www.clevelandopera.org</a></pre>
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