The WFMT Radio Network
The WFMT Radio Network
The San Francisco Opera
The WFMT Radio Network continues our American Opera series with the SAN FRANCISCO OPERA - 10 operas from their past season hosted by Elaine Warner and Dianne Nicolini. Performed in the War Memorial Opera House, their home since October 1932, these operas will enhance our opera offering during the hiatus of the Metropolitan Opera. This year's series will include Puccini's Turandot; Mozart's Don Giovanni and Marriage of Figaro; Bizet's Carmen; the world premiere of Heart of a Soldier by Christopher Theofanidfis; Gounod's Faust; Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia; Handel's Xerxes; John Adams' Nixon in China and Verdi's Attila.
Now the second largest opera company in North America, the San Francisco Opera was founded by Gaetano Merola and incorporated in 1923. The company's first performance (La Boheme) took place on September 26th, 1923 in the city's Civic Auditorium, with Queena Mario and Giovanni Martinelli, and conducted by Gaetano Merola himself. Nine years later, the company moved into its new home, inaugurating the newly built War Memorial Opera House with a performance of Tosca on October 15, 1932 with Claudia Muzio, Dino Borgioli, Alfredo Gandolfi, and conducted by Merola.
Following Gaetano Merola's death in 1953, the San Francisco Opera was led by Kurt Herbert Adler until 1981; by Terence A. McEwen until 1988; by Lotfi Mansouri until 2001 and by Pamela Rosenberg until 2005. They are now under the exciting direction of David Gockley!
The San Francisco Opera has presented the United States debut performances of numerous artists including Vladimir Atlantov, Inge Borkh, Boris Christoff, Marie Collier, Sir Geraint Evans, Mafalda Fevero, Tito Gobbi, Sena Jurinac, Mario del Monaco, Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne and Margaret Price, Leonnie Rysanek, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Giulietta Simionato, Ebe Stignani, Renata Tebaldi and Ingvar Wixell; conductors Gerd Albrecht, Valery Gergiev, Sir Georg Solti and Silvio Varviso; and directors Francis Ford Coppola, Harry Kupfer and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle.
For more information about this free series of American Operas, please contact Tony Macaluso at 773-279-2114, email: tmacaluso@wfmt.com or Carol Martinez at (773) 279-2112, e-mail: cmartinez@wfmt.com.
General Information:
- For complete cast and other information visit the San Francisco Opera website.
- Where to Listen: National Carriage List
- Chicago Broadcast Information
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Broadcast Schedule — Summer/Fall 2012
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-01
RELEASE: August 18, 2012
OPERA: TURANDOT (in Italian)
COMPOSER: Giacomo Puccini
CAST:
Turandot Iréne Theorin
Calaf Marco Berti
Liù Leah Crocetto
Timur Raymond Aceto
Ping Hyung Yun
Pang Greg Fedderly
Pong Daniel Montenegro
Emperor Altoum Joseph Frank
A Mandarin Ryan Kuster
CONDUCTOR: Nicola Luisotti
STAGE DIRECTOR: Garnett Bruce
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 15 minutes
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-02
RELEASE: August 25, 2012
OPERA: DON GIOVANNI (in Italian)
COMPOSER: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CAST:
Don Giovanni Lucas Meachem
Donna Anna Ellie Dehn
Donna Elvira Serena Farnocchia
Leporello Marco Vinco
Don Ottavio Shawn Mathey
Zerlina Kate Lindsey
Masetto Ryan Kuster
The Commendatore Morris Robinson
CONDUCTOR: Niccola Luisotti
STAGE DIRECTOR: Gabriele Lavia
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 25 minutes
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-03
RELEASE: September 1, 2012
OPERA: CARMEN (in French)
COMPOSER: Georges Bizet
CAST:
Carmen Anita Rachvelishvili
Don José Thiago Arancam
Micaëla Sara Gartland
Escamillo Paulo Szot
Frasquita Susannah Biller
Mercédès Cybele Gouverneur
Le Dancaïre Timothy Mix
Le Remendado Daniel Montenegro
Moralès Trevor Scheunemann
Zuniga Wayne Tigges
Lillas Pastia Yusef Lambert
CONDUCTOR: Niccola Luisotti
STAGE DIRECTOR: Jose Maria Condemi
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 35 minutes
PLEASE NOTE: There is a LANGUAGE ADVISORY for this program. We'll be flagging them for you with a notice of where they are and what is being said, and this information will be emailed prior to its release!!!!
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-04
RELEASE: September 8, 2012
OPERA: HEART OF A SOLDIER (in English)
(WORLD PREMIERE)
COMPOSER: Christopher Theofanidis
LIBRETTO: Donna Di Novelli
MUSIC: Christopher Theofanidis
CAST:
Rick Rescorla Thomas Hampson
Daniel J. Hill William Burden
Susan Rescorla Melody Moore
Juliet, Barbara Nadine Sierra
Cyril Henry Phipps
Imam Mohannad Mchallah
Tom, Ted Michael Sumuel
Lolita, Bridesmaid Susannah Biller
Pat, Ann Sara Gartland
Kathy, Bridesmaid Maya Lahyani
Omaha, Robert Ta'u Pupu'a
Dexter, Dex Daniel Snyder
Joseph, Joe Trevor Scheunemann
Sam, Wesley Wayne Tigges
Buddy Koa, The Golden Retriever
CONDUCTOR: Patrick Summers
STAGE DIRECTOR: Francesca Zambello
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 2 hours 25 minutes
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-05
RELEASE: September 15, 2012
OPERA: FAUST (in French)
COMPOSER: Charles François Gounod
CAST:
Faust Stefano Secco
Mephistopheles John Relyea
Marguerite Patricia Racette
Wagner Austin Kness
Siebel Daniela Mack
Valentin Brian Mulligan
Marthe Catherine Cook
CONDUCTOR: Maurizio Benini
STAGE DIRECTOR: Jose Maria Condemi
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-06
RELEASE: September 22, 2012
OPERA: LUCREZIA BORGIA (in Italian)
COMPOSER: Gaetano Donizetti
CAST:
Lucrezia Borgia Renee Fleming
Muffio Orsini Elizabeth DeShong
Gennaro Michael Fabiano
Alfonso d'Este Vitalij Koaliow
Rustighello Daniel Montenegro
Jepo Liverotto Christopher Jackson
Oloferno Vitellozzo Brian Jagde
Apostolo Gazello Austin Kness
Astolfo Ryan Kuster
Ascanio Petrucci Ao Li
Gubetta Igor Vieira
CONDUCTOR: Riccardo Frizza
STAGE DIRECTOR: John Pascoe
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-07
RELEASE: September 29, 2012
OPERA: XERXES (in Italian)
COMPOSER: George Frideric Handel
CAST:
Xerxes Susan Graham
Romilda Lisette Oropesa
Arsamenes David Daniels
Atalanta Heidi Stober
Amastris Sonia Prina
Ariodates Wayne Tigges
Elviro Michael Sumuel
CONDUCTOR: Patrick Summers
STAGE DIRECTOR: Nicholas Hytner
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 4 hours
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-08
RELEASE: October 6, 2012
OPERA: NOZZE DI FIGARO
COMPOSER: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CAST:
Figaro Hermann Prey
Susanna Lucia Popp
Dr. Bartolo KevinLangan
Marcellina Laura Brooks Rice
Cherubino Faith Esham
Count Almaviva Tim Krause
Don Basillio Jonathan Green
Countess Almaviva Helena Dose
Don Curzio Robert Tate
Antonio Gregory Stapp
Barbarina Kathryn Gamberoni
Peasant girl Shelley Seitz
CONDUCTOR: Silvio Varviso
STAGE DIRECTOR: Sonja Frisell
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-09
RELEASE: October 13, 2012
OPERA: NIXON IN CHINA (in English)
COMPOSER: John Adams
CAST:
Richard Nixon Brian Mulligan
Pat Nixon Maria Kanyova
Mao Tse-tung Simon O'Neill
Chiang Ch'ing
(Madam Mao Tse-tung) Hye Jung Lee
Chou En-Lai Chen-Ye Yuan
Henry Kissinger Patrick Carfizzi
Nancy T'ang Ginger Costa-Jackson
Second Secretary Buffy Baggott
Third Secretary Nicole Birkland
Wu Ch'ang-Ch'ing Bryan Ketron
CONDUCTOR: Lawrence Renes
STAGE DIRECTOR: Michael Cavanagh
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
PROGRAM #: SFO 12-10
RELEASE: October 20, 2012
OPERA: ATTILA (in Italian)
COMPOSER: Giuseppe Verdi
CAST:
Attila Ferruccio Furlanetto
Odabella Lucrecia Garcia
Foresto Fabio Sartori
Foresto Diego Torre
Ezio Quinn Kelsey
Pope Leo I Samuel Ramey
CONDUCTOR: Nicola Luisotti
STAGE DIRECTOR: Gabriele Lavia
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
CHORUS DIRECTOR: Ian Robertson
APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
