J O H N A DA M S

Isabel Bayrakdarian

Dawn Upshaw

In association with Minnesota Public Radio • Minnesota Opera • The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra • VocalEssence

Michael Schade, tenor and Hannelore Auer, pianoFriday, June 10 • 8 P.M.

Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano and Warren Jones, pianoSaturday, June 11• 8 P.M.

New York Festival of Song: “Latin Lovers”Steven Blier, piano, Hugh Russell, baritone,

Jennifer Aylmer, soprano, Jeffrey Picón, tenorTuesday, June 14 • 8 P.M.

Bejun Mehta, countertenor and Kevin Murphy, pianoFriday, June 17 • 8 P.M.

Dawn Upshaw, soprano and Gilbert Kalish, pianoSaturday, June 18 • 8 P.M. • SOLD OUT

THE SPCO CENTER • HAMM BUILDING

408 ST. PETER STREET • SAINT PAUL

Gallery 205 • Landmark Center

— Recital — Maria Jette, soprano

Wednesday, June 15 • 8 P.M.(with Michael Jorgensen, baritone & Esther Wang, piano)

— Master Classes — Cynthia Munzer, soprano • Monday, June 13 • 3 P.M.Bejun Mehta, countertenor • Thursday, June 16 • 3 P.M.Dawn Upshaw, soprano • Friday, June 17 • 3 P.M.

Sunday, June 12 The Schubert Club Bandstand, Raspberry Island

Co-sponsored with MPR

Strolling Song Picnic • Noon to 3 P.M.VocalEssence Ensemble Singers • 3 P.M.

Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director

Art Song Recitals

Public Concert • Free

Landmark Center • Free

The Schubert ClubSaint Paul

Summer SongFestival

June 10 – 18, 2005 • Saint Paul, Minnesota

Beautiful Singing � Intimate SettingDowntown Saint Paul

Single Tickets: $30.00Season Tickets: All five concerts for $120

To Order: Please call 651-292-3268 and/orVisit our web site: www.schubert.org

�SPONSORED BY:

Ecolab Foundation • Frauenshuh CompaniesKatherine B. Andersen Fundof the Saint Paul Foundation

Lowry Hill Private Wealth ManagementF. R. Bigelow Foundation

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Contents

The Minnesota OperaPresident & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

Chair, Board of Directors John A. Blanchard, III

The Minnesota Opera, 620 North First Street

Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 333-2700

www.mnopera.org

The Minnesota Opera

is a member of OPERA America.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State ArtsBoard through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. This project is

supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

May 2005

The Minnesota Opera Programis published by Arts & Custom Publishing Co., Inc.

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Todd HydeAssoc. Publisher/Director of Production Marsha Kitchel

Senior Account Executives Liesl Hyde, Yvonne Christiansen Creative Designer Michael Gutierres

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Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services O∑ce

The Minnesota Opera Sta∂ and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Notes from the Leadership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2005 – 2006 Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Nixon in China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Background Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

John Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Artist Interview: Antony Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Director’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Young Professionals Group Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cafe,Bakery,Wine & Pizza Bar

850 Grand Avenue,St Paul 55105651-224-5687 www.cafelatte.com

Keri Picket

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Minnesota Opera StaffPresident & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

Welcome to today’s production of Nixon inChina. For more than four decades TheMinnesota Opera has enriched the culturallife of our community by producingoutstanding and innovative operas thatinspire and entertain.

U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2004– 2005 season. We are proud of our 20+year relationship with The Minnesota Operaand of our sponsorship at this great settingof the Ordway in St. Paul.

At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams,great art and great arts organizations. Theyenrich the community with vibrancy,creativity, and excellence. As the sixthlargest bank in America today, U.S. bank isthe only major bank headquartered inMinnesota, and we’re deeply committed togiving back in this community.

Thank you for coming and enjoy theperformance.

Jose A. Peris, Senior Vice President, RegionManager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group,and Minnesota Opera board member

ArtisticArtistic Administrator . .Roxanne Stou∂er CruzArtistic Associate . . . . . . Floyd AndersonCommunity Education Director . . . . . . . . .

Jamie AndrewsDramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . David SanderProduction Stage Manager . . . Alex FarinoAssistant Stage Managers . . .Kristen E. Burke,

Katie PreissnerHead of Music . . . . . . . . . . .Bruce StasynaResident Artist Assistant

Conductor . . . .Christopher ZemliauskasResident Artist Coach/

Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . .Korey BarrettResident Artist Singers . .Raymond Ayers,

Jonathan Carle, Theodore Chletsos, Anna Jablonski, Seth Keeton

RAP Faculty . . .Allysum Tai Chi Center,Nancy Boler, Peter Robinson

Teaching Artist . . . . . . . . .Angela KeetonKIDS . . . . . .Lloyd Clausen, Paul Cochran,

Mario Diaz-Moresco, Andrew Penning,

Sara SawyerChildren’s Chorusmaster . . .Janice KimesArtistic Intern . . . . . . . . . . . .Matt Bluem

CostumesCostume Director . . . . . . . .Gail BakkomAssistant Costume Director . . .Beth SandersDrapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Bur,

Yancey Thrift First Hands . . . . . . . . .Helen Ammann,

Valerie Hill, Stephanie VogelStitchers . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rebecca Ballas,

Jennifer Dawson, Christine Richardson Wig/Makeup Supervisor . .Charles LapointeWig/Makeup Assistants . . . . . Sarah Opstead

Emily Rosenmeier, Ashley Ryan

SceneryProduction Administrator . . Holly CarpenterTechnical Director . . . . . . . . . . . Mike McQuistonAsst. Technical Director/

Lighting Coordinator .Marc D. JohnsonSound Consultant . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew MayerProperties Master . . Stanley Dean HawthorneProperties Assistant . . . . . . . . Mike LongProduction Carpenter . . . . . . . . J.C. AmelScene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . Rod AirdMaster Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Rovie Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Veldey

AdministrationFinance Director . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ CoutureOperations/Systems

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . Steve MittelholtzHR/Accounting Manager . . Jennifer ThillExecutive Assistant . . . . . Theresa MurrayReceptionist/Finance Assistant . .Jill Pawelak

DevelopmentDevelopment Director . . .Patrick DewaneIndividual Gifts Director . . . . .Dawn LovenInstitutional Gifts Director . . Linda JohnsonInstitutional Gifts Associate/

Gala Coordinator . . . . . . .Kelly ClassenIndividual Gifts Associate . . . . . . . . . . .

Megan StevensonDevelopment Director Assistant . . . . . .

Kelly Clemens

Marketing/CommunicationsMarketing Director . . . . . . . . . . .Carl LeeCommunications Director . . . Lani WillisTicket O∑ce Manager . . . . Andrea CorichMarketing & Communications Assistant/

Volunteer Coordinator . . . . .Reid TuengeTicket O∑ce Assistant . . . .Carol Corich

Minnesota Opera VolunteersThe following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera.

Harry Swepston

(Volunteer Chair)

Ann Albertson

Gerald Benson

Colleen Boyer

Jim Brownback*Sue Brownback

Jerry Cassidy

Joann Cierniak

Tricia Clarke

Susan Cogger

Caroline

Coopersmith

Lindsay Craig

Beverly Dailey*Jeanette Daun

Lee Drawert

Judith Duncan

Sally Economon

Hazel Francois

Jane Fuller

Joan Gacki*Christine A. Garner*Juhi Gupta-Gulati

Mark Gustin

Mary E. Hagen

Lucinda Hallet

Merle J. Hanson

John Harris*

Anne Hesselroth

Alisandra Johnson

Karen Johnson

Nancy Johnson

Steve Johnson

Jeannie Johnston

Robin Keck

Eleanore Kolar

Lucinda Lamont

Shirley Larson

Jerry Lillquist

Joyce Lillquist

Abby Marier

Margery Martin

Joan Masuck

Mary McDiarmid*

Beth McGuire

Verne Melberg

Irma Monson

Barbara Moore

Doug Myhra

Pam Nielsen

Dan Panshin

Pat Panshin

Liliana Payne

Megan Pelka

Sydney Phillips

Bill Phillips

Julia Porter

John Rosse

Florence Ruhland

John Sauer

Michael Silhavy

Wendy Silhavy

Angie Solomon

Wendi Sott

Dawn Stafki

Dave Terwilliger

Doris Unger

Carolyn Wahtera

Mary Weitz

Barbara Willis*

*Lead volunteer

Welcome to the Twin Cities premiere of

Nixon in China.The Minnesota Opera is proud to con-

clude this season with this powerful and

entertaining work, particularly in this

first new staging since its 1987 pre-

miere. This is a coproduction with

Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Portland

Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Chicago Opera Theater and

Opera Colorado. It is a thrill to be a part of a movement

reinvigorating this work, and are confident you will enjoy

the bold and dynamic staging by James Robinson and de-

signers Allen Moyer and James Schuette.

The Minnesota Opera has a 42-year history rich with

contemporary work and commissions, and Nixon in Chinais the latest part of that legacy. Next season, we will pro-

duce two American premieres – Petitgirard’s Joseph Mer-

rick, the Elephant Man, which opened to great success in

Prague in 2002; and Mercadante’s thriller, Orazi e Curiazi,a Romeo and Juliet-style love story which is not contem-

porary, but rather a neglected bel canto opera like this sea-

son’s Maria Padilla. And of course, next season wouldn’t

be complete without a familiar favorite or two, and our

picks are Puccini’s Tosca and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Sub-

scriptions are the still best way to guarantee yourself a

great seat at the opera, and they are on sale now (see p. 8).

We hope you enjoy this performance and that we will

see you next season at the opera!

Kevin Smith

President & CEO

Welcome to the final performances of the 2004-2005 sea-

son. We are pleased that you are here to enjoy one of the

most important works of the 20th century.

John Adams broke ground in an unexpected way, drama-

tizing one of the most significant political events of the last

century. But he didn’t do it in a vacuum – the practice of

putting politics on the opera stage was used by Mozart,

Puccini, and especially Verdi.

It’s the way Adams and librettist Alice Goodman created this opera that

makes it special. Instead of the traditional dramatic arc, this opera paints six

vignettes, using the actual historical events as frames and filling them with

vivid character portraits of the Maos, the Nixons, Chou En-lai and Henry

Kissinger. With the exception of the latter, who is almost a caricature; these

are poetic treatments of these larger-than-life personalities. We’re given a

glimpse of the real power of the first ladies, and we hear the leaders’ preoccu-

pation with how they are being viewed worldwide during their well-choreo-

graphed dance with the media.

Adams pioneered a new genre of post-modern musical theater with Nixon inChina that resulted in “docudramas” for the opera stage such as his later work

The Death of Klinghoffer, Malcolm X by Anthony Davis, Harvey Milk by Stewart

Wallace and Michael Korie, and Adams’s own upcoming Dr. Atomic (which is

about Robert Oppenheimer).

Some opera buffs are resistance to modern music, especially when words like

“minimalist” are used to describe it. Maestro Walker has some insights into

the score on page 14. Adams is a consummate opera composer who writes not

only for characters, but for voices, and in Nixon in China sets Goodman’s po-

etry with grace and clarity. My advice is to sit back, listen and simply let the

music in. Enjoy the show.

Dale Johnson

Artistic Director

Board of DirectorsOfficersJohn A. Blanchard,

III, ChairRolf Engh

Vice ChairLynne E. Looney

SecretaryThomas J. Foley

TreasurerKevin Smith,

President & CEO

Directors EmeritusBurt Cohen

Julia W. Dayton

Mary W. Vaughan

Legal CounselJames A. Rubenstein,

Moss & Barnett

Honorary DirectorsDominick Argento

Philip Brunelle

Elizabeth Close

Dolly Fiterman

Charles C. Fullner

Norton M. Hintz

Donald W. Judkins

Liz Kochiras

Jevne Pennock

Patricia H. Sheppard

DirectorsKaren Bachman

Susan S. Boren

Nicky B. Carpenter

Richard P. Carroll

Jane M. Confer

Susan J. Crockett

Sara Donaldson

Brad F. England

John G. Forsythe

Steve Fox

Sharon Hawkins

Karen Himle

Ruth S. Huss

Heinz F. Hutter

Paula R. Johnson

Lucy Rosenberry

Jones

Michael F. Kelly, Jr.

Elizabeth “Becky”

Malkerson

Thomas R.

McBurney

Brian E. Palmer

Jose Peris

Steve Rothschild

Stephanie Simon

Catie Tobin

H. Bernt von Ohlen

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Notes from the Leadership

from the Artistic Director

from the President

Serious journeys require serious guides.Successful journeys don’t just happen.

They require discipline. They require

expert guidance. Often they require years

of both. The same is true for investing.

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Since 1895. Member SIPC and NYSE. PC 5/04-1517 piperjaffray.comPIPER JAFFRAY CONTRIBUTES 5% OF PRE-TAX EARNINGS TO OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGH DIRECT CONTRIBUTION, IN-KIND SERVICES AND VOLUNTEERISM.

Piper Jaffray is proud to supportthe arts in our community.

the premiere.

Bloomington952 921-7900

Edina952 848-8040

Minneapolis612 303-5800

St. Paul651 298-1616

Stillwater651 439-7000

Wayzata952 476-3939

The dreamthe rehearsalsthe scriptthe rehearsalsthe directionthe rehearsalsthe encouragementthe rehearsalsthe trust the rehearsals

AT&T Foundation is the national corporate sponsor of Nixon in China.This production received funding from OPERA America’s opera fund.The opera fund, launched by The National Endowment for the Arts, is

funded by the Helen F. Whitaker Fund, The Andrew W. MellonFoundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The William and

Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James S. and John L. KnightFoundation, The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation,

and Lee Day Gillespie. Nixon in China is also sponsored by a grantfrom the City of St. Paul Cultural STAR Program.

Nixon in China is co-produced in association with Opera Theatre of SaintLouis, The Minnesota Opera, Portland Opera, Houston Grand Opera,

Chicago Opera Theater and Opera Colorado.

The Minnesota Opera would like to recognize Paul Vershbow, associatevideo Designer/programmer, David Bieding, motion graphics, and Susan

Hormuth, image research, for their work on this prodution. Video excerpts courtesyof the following: nbc News Archives; National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan,

Republic of China; © 2004 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ars, NewYork; American Gothic by Grand Wood, Friends of the American Art Colletion, all

rights reserved by The Art Institute of Chicago and vaga, New York, ny.

By arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes company, publisher and copyright owner.

The appearances of Angela Fout and Simon O’Neill, national finalists, and AnnaJablonski and Helen Todd, regional finalists of the Metropolitan Opera National

Council Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera EndowmentFund established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis.

Performances of Nixon in China are being taped for delayed broadcast on MinnesotaPublic Radio, ksjn 99.5 in the Twin Cities.

A note on amplification in Nixon in China: John Adams specifically scored Nixon in China for amplified voices and amplified instrumentation.

The Minnesota Opera season is sponsored by U.S. Bank, Private Client Group.

Rogers & Hollands is the O∑cial Jeweler of The Minnesota Opera.

Intermission receptions sponsored by Lowry HillPrivate Wealth Management.

Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial forLutherans.

The appearances of the 2004–2005 season conductorsare underwritten by SpencerStuart.

The 2004–2005 Camerata Circle Dinners aresponsored by Rider Bennett.

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A s we recently bid farewell to a former

president, America’s focus was decidedly

on Ronald Reagan’s accomplishments rather

than his shortcomings. Much of the same

can be said of Richard Nixon (who, dying in

1994, skipped the state funeral because he

never felt welcome in Washington) when

one recalls his diplomatic coup, the first

visit of a sitting American president to the

People’s Republic of China. The event was of

such significance as to warrant the writing

of an opera 15 years later by one of this

country’s leading composers.

Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Antony WalkerStage Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James RobinsonChoreographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seán CurranSet Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allen MoyerCostume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James SchuetteLighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul PalazzoVideo Designer . . . . . . . . . . . .Wendall K. HarringtonWigs and Makeup . . . . . . .Tom Watson & AssociatesAssistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . .Kevin Lee NewburyChorusmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bruce StasynaProduction Stage Manager . . . . . . .Alexander Farino

The Cast

Richard Nixon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carlos ArchuletaPat Nixon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Angela FoutMao Tse-tung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Simon O’NeillChiang Ch’ing (Madame Mao Tse-tung) . .Helen ToddChou En-lai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Raymond AyersHenry Kissinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew WilkowskeNancy T’ang, First Secretary to Mao . .Anna JablonskiSecond Secretary to Mao . . . . . . . . . .Angela KeetonThird Secretary to Mao . . . . . . . . . . .KrisAnne WeissPrincipal Dancers . . . . .Kimberly Jewart, Sun Ho Kim

Members of the Chinese army, navy, air force, media,Red Women’s Militia, guards, factory workers,

farmers, waiters, people of Peking

Setting: Peking; February 21 – 27, 1972

Music by John AdamsLibretto by Alice Goodman

World premiere at Houston Grand OperaOctober 22, 1987

May 14, 17, 19, 21 and 22, 2005Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Sung in English with English captions

Background Notes by David Sander

One can appreciate the value of this endeavor when re-

calling how the relationship between the two countries had

deteriorated. After the communist takeover in 1949, the

United States had broken o∂ all contact with mainland

China, instead favoring the Nationalists who had sought

refuge on the nearby island of Taiwan. The Chinese involve-

ment in the Korean War didn’t help the hostile situation,

nor did the regime’s apparent alignment with the ideology

of the Soviet Union during the height of

the Cold War. From the start, Richard

Nixon had been closely involved in anti-

communism, serving on the House Un-

American Activities Committee, which

provided a model for Senator Joseph

McCarthy’s hearings on the same sub-

ject in the early 1950s. For his part,

Nixon managed to flush out at least one former State De-

partment o∑cial, Alger Hiss, who was accused of leaking

information to the Soviets.

By the late ’60s, however, it became apparent China was

just as estranged from Russia. Nixon seemed to have

changed his opinion as well, realizing China was a force

with which to be reckoned. As early as 1967 he made a

passing reference in an article published by Foreign A∂airs:“… we simply cannot a∂ord to leave China forever outside

the family of nations, there to nurture its fantasies, cherish

its hates and threaten its neighbors.” Two years later, just a

week into his presidency, Nixon directed his Assistant for

National Security, Henry Kissinger, to make China a prior-

ity. As there existed no diplomatic relations between the

two countries, subtle attempts were made to court Chinese

emissaries uno∑cially, including a “chance” meeting at a

fashion show hosted at the Yugoslavian embassy in Warsaw.

Another serendipitous opportunity occurred in March

1971, at the World Table Tennis Championship in Nagoya,

Japan. Later dubbed “Ping Pong Diplomacy,” members of

the Chinese team invited their American counterparts for a

visit to their native soil. A reciprocal in-

vitation to America soon followed.

To show a friendly face, Nixon re-

laxed travel restrictions and eliminated

an existing trade embargo. Using Pak-

istan as an intermediary for concealed

communic at i on s , Ch ina fina l ly

confirmed it would welcome a visit

from a high ranking American representative. There was

much to discuss – the recognition of Taiwan as the “o∑cial”

China remained a thorny issue, as well as America’s in-

volvement in the Vietnam War and its overall military

presence in the Asian community. Still, China needed a

counterbalance to the Soviet military stockpile along the

northern border – there had already been several skirmishes

between the two nations. A bond between the world’s most

populous nation and its most powerful one would also serve

the Americans, as the Soviets had been evasive with regard

to arms reduction talks.

All contact had to remain top secret in case the endeavor

would bear no fruit. Rather than using his Secretary of State

“… we simply cannot afford toleave China forever outside the fam-ily of nations, there to nurture itsfantasies, cherish its hates andthreaten its neighbors.”

—Richard Nixon

Continues on page 20

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Chinese communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong with Richard Nixon (AFP) Chinese communist leader Chairman Mao Zedong with Richard Nixon (AFP)

Production photos by Ken Howard, courtesy of Opera Theatre of St. Louis

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act iScene one – The airport outside Peking Richard and Pat Nixon

disembark from The Spirit of 76 and are greeted by Premier

Chou En-lai. As introductions are made, Nixon ponders

the magnitude of this momentous event. Henry Kissinger

quietly informs the President that Chairman Mao wishes

to meet with him immediately.

Scene two – Chairman Mao’s study Mao and Nixon exchange

pleasantries as press photographs are taken. Mao brings up

the key issues at stake – Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan – and

compliments Kissinger’s diplomacy. Mao’s strength is phi-

losophy, and Kissinger notes that his teachings (which he

promotes to his students at Harvard) will last a thousand

years. The merits of Marxism, Capitalism and Confucian-

ism are then discussed in Maoist apothegms, echoed by

Chou and the secretaries. As the visit comes to a close, the

Chairman abstractly emphasizes a notion stated earlier,

“Founders come first, then profiteers.”

Scene three – The Great Hall of the People At the state dinner

that evening, Pat and Dick trade some initial observations

with one another. Chou raises a toast to his guests and

Nixon returns the gesture. All celebrate the glowing mu-

tual goodwill between the two countries.

– Intermission –

act iiScene one – Mrs. Nixon views China Accompanied by the

press, Pat Nixon is shown the efficiency of glass factory

workers, then tours the Evergreen People’s Commune,

which boasts of its model swine-rearing factory. On the

other side of luxury, she is escorted to the Summer Palace

and the exquisite Ming Tombs. At the Gate of Longevity

and Goodwill, she extols the prophetic nature of her over-

seas voyage.

Scene two – The Peking Opera Dick and Pat attend the

evening’s entertainment with Premier Chou and Mao’s

wife, Chiang Ch’ing. They observe a politically motivated

ballet orchestrated by Madame Mao, The Red Detachment ofWomen, which represents the oppression of Ching-hua by

her tyrant landlord, Lao Szu. Pat objects to the depiction of

Ching-hua’s brutal treatment, and the Nixons are drawn

into the drama as a result.

As the dance continues, the Red Women’s Militia en-

ters, and Party Representative Hung invites Ching-hua to

join her fellow workers. She is presented with a rifle, and

she and her new comrades perform the Target Practice and

Bayonet Dance. At the home of Lao Szu, serving girls (re-

ally the Red Women’s Militia) are coerced to dance for the

tyrant and his guards. Ching-hua’s anger overcomes her,

and she draws a pistol. At the height of the drama,

Madame Mao intercedes to deliver a stirring patriotic dia-

logue.

– Intermission –

act iiiThe last night in Peking All parties are exhausted, except

Chairman Mao who appears as energetic as his youthful

propaganda poster depicts. He and his wife dance and re-

call the past. Pat and Dick also reminisce, thinking of their

impoverished early days, while Chou considers the merits

of revolution and what still remains to be accomplished.

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Nixon Mao Pat Nixon Kissinger Madame Mao Red Militia peasant old woman

Costume designs by James Schuette

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John Adamsb Worchester, ma, February 15, 1947

One of America’s most admired and

frequently performed composers,

John Adams was born in Worchester,

Massachusetts. After graduating from

Harvard University in 1971, he moved

to California, where he taught and con-

ducted at the San Francisco Conserva-

tory of Music for ten years . His

innovative concerts led to his appoint-

ment first as contemporary music ad-

viser to the San Francisco Symphony

and then as the orchestra’s composer-in-

residence between 1979 and 1985, the

period in which his reputation became

established with the success of such

works as Harmonium and Harmonielehre.Recordings on the New Albion and

ecm labels were followed in 1986 by an

exclusive contract with Nonesuch

Records, an association that continues

today.

In 1985 Adams began a collaboration

with poet Alice Goodman and stage di-

rector Peter Sellars that resulted in two

operas, Nixon in China and The Death ofKlingho∂er, worldwide performances of

which made them among the most per-

formed operas in recent history. A third

stage work, I Was Looking at the Ceilingand then I Saw the Sky, a “song play”

with libretto by the poet June Jordan,

was also staged in more than 50 perfor-

mances in both the United States and

Europe. His most recent stage project,

El Niño, a further collaboration with

Peter Sellars, was premiered in Paris in

December 2000, and further perfor-

mances took place in San Francisco in

January 2001.

Adams’ works have received numer-

ous awards, among them the 1994 Royal

Philharmonic Society Award for his

Chamber Symphony, and the 1995 Grawe-

meyer Award for his Violin Concerto. In 2002 Adams composed On the

Transmigration of Souls for the New

York Philharmonic, a work written in

commemoration of the first anniversary

of the World Trade Center attacks.

This work received the 2003 Pulitzer

Prize for Music.

Adams’ most recent work is My Fa-ther Knew Charles Ives, a musical self-

portrait of the composer’s childhood in

Concord, New Hampshire, where he

played in marching bands with his fa-

ther and first heard live jazz in the

summer dance hall owned by his

grandfather. The work was premiered

in April 2003 by Michael Tilson

Thomas and the San Francisco Sym-

phony.

In April and May 2003, Lincoln

Center presented a festival entitled

“John Adams: An American Master,”

the most extensive fest ival ever

mounted at Lincoln Center devoted to

a living composer.

Among the significant events of the

2003 season has been the unveiling of

a new filmed version of The Death ofKlingho∂er, Adams’ second opera, di-

rected by Penny Woolcock for Channel

Four. The film, shot on location in the

Mediterranean and on board a cruise

liner, breaks new ground in the pre-

sentation of opera on film. The com-

poser conducts the London Symphony

Orchestra in this film, which had its

American premiere at the Sundance

Festival and played at other interna-

tional festivals in Rotterdam, Buenos

Aires, San Francisco and New York.

In September 2003, Adams suc-

ceeded Pierre Boulez as Composer-in-

Residence at Carnegie Hall. Among

his activities there will be the planning

and directing of concerts in the new

600-seat Zankel Hall.

Adams is the subject of two docu-

mentary films, one by Tony Palmer,

entitled Hail Bop! (1998) and a more

recent one by David Je∂cock (2003).

After a successful run of Nixon in Chinaat the English National Opera in

2000, a new film of that opera, di-

rected by Peter Sellars, is to be made in

January 2004.

Future projects include The Dharmaat Big Sur (composed for Los Angeles

Philharmonic and the opening of Dis-

ney Hall in Los Angeles in October

2003); a new opera, working title: Doc-tor Atomic, based on the life of Robert

Oppenheimer, commissioned by the

San Francisco Opera for premiere in

September 2005, and a new orchestral

work for Simon Rattle and the Berlin

Philharmonic, due in early 2006.In celebration of a fifteen-year part-

nership, in 1999 Nonesuch Records re-

leased The John Adams Earbox, a

10-compact disc compilation compris-

ing almost all of the composer’s music

over a 20-year period.

Adams continues to conduct regu-

larly, appearing with the world’s great-

est orchestras, and with programs

combining his own works with com-

posers as diverse as Debussy, Stravinsky

and Ravel to Zappa, Ives, Reich, Glass

and Ellington. In recent seasons he has

conducted the Chicago and San Fran-

cisco Symphonies, the Los Angeles

Philharmonic, the Cleveland, Montreal

and Philadelphia Orchestras, The St.

Paul Chamber Orchestra and New

York Philharmonic. European engage-

ments have included performances

with the Deutsche Kammer-Philhar-

monie, Ensemble Modern, Oslo Phil-

harmonic, Deutsches Symphonie

-Orchester Berlin, Concertgebouw,

Santa Cecilia and London Symphony

Orchestra. He is a regular guest at the

bbc Proms concerts and performed

there with pianist Hélène Grimaud

during their 2003 season. Future ap-

pearances include concerts with the

Seattle Symphony, the bbc Symphony,

the Hessischer Rundfunk and the

Finnish Radio Orchestra.

John Adams

phot

o by

Deb

orah

O’G

rady

reprinted courtesy of www.earbox.com

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Artist Interview: Antony WalkerAn interview by Lauren Rico

Broadcast Host Lauren RicoFor the last 15 years, Lauren Rico has been able to combine her love of music with her passion for

public radio. A longtime student of the French horn, Lauren holds a Master’s degree from George

Mason University. She has worked at numerous radio stations in cities across the country including

Tampa, Washington dc, New York City and Charlotte. Lauren has been on the sta∂ of Classical 24,

Minnesota Public Radio’s national classical music service since 1999. In 2001, she received the Gra-

cie Allen Award for Best National Radio Special from the Association of Women in Radio and Tele-

vision for Instrumental Women: Orchestrating Change, a series on the role of women in American

orchestras. She has served as host and producer of The Minnesota Opera broadcasts since 2001.

15•

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Director’s NoteBy James Robinson

Minneapolis, Minnesota 1988As a graduate student in Composition

and Theory at the University of Min-

nesota, I was part of an unforgettable

discussion in the composition seminar

that followed the first television broad-

cast of Nixon in China. We were an opin-

ionated and serious lot, usually found

lazily agonizing over the merits of the

twelve-tone system versus Neo-Roman-

ticism or trying to outdo each other

with clever excuses for skipping perfor-

mances of landmark 20th-century works

or newer compositions that would

doubtless enhance our knowledge and

prospective careers. The day after the

Nixon broadcast, however, was di∂erent:

the conversation was fresh and biting,

fists pounded the table, the air was elec-

tric with opinion and yes, even a few

tears were shed. In short, it was a won-

derfully polarizing event that made me

realize how relevant a new opera can be –

and how quickly it can transform our

view of the world. It was also the day I

realized that a life dedicated to composi-

tion was (mercifully) just not in my fu-

ture, but a life working in opera and

music theater (hopefully) might be.

After class that day, everyone agreed that

the best place for a composer to make

his mark was in the opera house and that

this thing called “minimalism” might

just be where it’s at. One professor, how-

ever, when asked about minimalism

smiled and sang “I hate it, I hate it, I

hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it” all

the way back to his office.

Claremore, Oklahoma 1972As a 10-year-old child in front of a

large walnut-grain stereo console televi-

sion, I still vividly recall watching (al-

beit with reluctance) as our president,

Richard Nixon, visited China in Febru-

ary 1972. Clearly it was a momentous

occasion for it preempted many of my

favorite programs, and it piqued my cu-

riosity about Richard Nixon and Com-

munism. At that time, I only knew that

Communism was a scary and terrible

thing, and God save you if you turned

into one. I knew even less about our

president. Try as they might, my patient

parents could not quite convey the im-

portance of Nixon’s trip to China, but it

did make me acutely aware that our

smart walnut-grain stereo console tele-

vision had become not just a gathering

place for discussion, meals or sibling

warfare, but a place where a quickly

changing, frightening and exciting

world was increasingly commanding

my attention. Later in front of that same

TV, I shrugged when Nixon resigned

and groaned when the endless Water-

gate trials forced me to actually go out-

side and play with the other kids on the

block.

Brooklyn, New York 2004As a director who has been working

almost exclusively in opera for the past

twelve years, I still recall the day that

Colin Graham called to invite me to

mount a new production of Nixon inChina for Opera Theatre of St. Louis

and the absolute delight I felt at the

prospect. I have taken on many new or

newer works over the years (and con-

tinue to do so), but most of them have

been in the “neglected but interesting”

category or (as was the case with MissHavisham’s Fire) have needed some re-

construction or revision. For me Nixonwas the perfect modern opera: smart,

relevant, fresh and complete. And

Adams’s music, still curiously labeled

“minimalist,” soared with lyrical

beauty and shimmered with dazzling

orchestration. It was also an opera hap-

pily married to a marvelous first pro-

duction by a director whose work I

admire to this day. “How can such a

legendary event be challenged?” I

asked myself. My initial enthusiasm

gave way to despair. But after a lively

discussion with my design colleagues

during which we talked about every-

thing from American politics to Mao’s

poetry to our memories of our families’

televisions, renewed excitement pulled

me from an abyss of insecurity. We

agreed that our shared experiences in

viewing Nixon’s historic trip on televi-

sion, and the perspective we have

gained from the event as it has im-

pacted not just our country but the

world, were shaping our vision of

Adams’s opera. So with this new pro-

duction of Nixon in China, we present a

lyrical fantasy-journey, a collision of

East and West and a theatrical history

basking in the romantic bluish glow of

the television screen.

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The Artists For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

Raymond AyersChou En-Lai

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlyCarmen; Maria Padilla, Madame Butterfly, Minnesota OperaFiddler; Faust; Susannah; Roméo et Juliette, Chautauqua OperaMirandolina; Madame Butterfly; The Seagull,

Manhattan School of MusicBach Cantata No. 80, Princeton Symphony OrchestraApprentice Artist – Académie Internationale d’Eté de Nice

UpcomingMadame Butterfly, Nagasaki SymphonyTosca; Don Giovanni, The Minnesota Opera

Anna JablonskiNancy T’ang

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlyCarmen; Maria Padilla; The Magic Flute; Passion; Rigoletto;

The Handmaid’s Tale; La traviata; The Flying Dutchman; The Merry Widow, The Minnesota Opera

Chautauqua Opera Young Artist ProgramSea Pictures (Elgar), The Allegro SinfoniaLe nozze di Figaro, The Astoria Music FestivalIl barbiere di Siviglia, Portland SummerFestLa Cenerentola, Portland State UniversityAlbert Herring; others, Bel Canto nw

Simon O’NeillMao Tse-tung

Minnesota Opera DebutRecentlyLe roi Arthus, BBC Symphony OrchestraOf Mice and Men; The Magic Flute, New York City OperaLa clemenza di Tito, Wolf Trap Opera Company

UpcomingThe Bartered Bride, Royal Opera House – Covent GardenThe Magic Flute, Salzburg FestivalParsifal, New Zealand Symphony OrchestraSusannah, Wexford FestivalLohengrin, Bard Festival (New York)

Angela KeetonSecond Secretary

Minnesota Opera DebutLucrezia Borgia, 2004

RecentlyMadame Butterfly, The Minnesota OperaKiss Me Kate, Brevard Music CenterJeppe; Little Women; Manon; Faust; Bach Mass in B Minor;

Mozart Mass in C Major; Vivaldi Magnificat,Indiana University

Into the Woods, Bloomington Music WorksHandel Messiah, Our Lady of Grace ChurchTeaching Artist – The Minnesota Opera

KrisAnne WeissThird Secretary

Minnesota Opera DebutRecentlyCarmen, Duluth-Superior Symphony OrchestraMadame Butterfly; Così fan tutte, Fargo-Moorhead OperaThe Chocolate Soldier, North Star OperaCold Sassy Tree, Opera OmahaL’italiana in Algeri; Gabriel’s Daughter, Central City OperaLes contes d’Hoffmann; The Dangerous Liaisons;

The Merry Wives of Windsor; Eric Hermannson’s Soul; Die Fledermaus; Dialogues of the Carmelites,University of Minnesota Opera Theatre

Seán CurranChoreographer

Minnesota Opera DebutRecentlyJames Joyce’s The Dead, BroadwayHaroun and the Sea Stories; Turandot; Alcina; L’étoile, NYC OperaMuch Ado; Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare TheaterMy Life with Albertine, Playwright’s Horizon

UpcomingSeán Curran Company (Artistic Director), The Joyce Theater (New York); College of St. Benedict (Minnesota)The Rivals, Lincoln CenterRoméo et Juliette, Metropolitan Opera

Angela FoutPat Nixon

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

La traviata; Le nozze di Figaro; Carmen; The Magic Flute, New York City Opera

La bohème; Carmen, Palm Beach OperaThe Turn of the Screw, Aspen Music Festival

Die Fledermaus; Così fan tutte, Annapolis OperaCosì fan tutte, Spoleto USA

Street Scene; Xerxes; Le nozze di Figaro, Wolf Trap Opera

UpcomingDon Giovanni, Austin Lyric Opera; Vancouver Opera

Kimberly JewartPrincipal Dancer

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Nixon in China, Opera Theatre of St. LouisTurandot; Haroun and the Sea of Stories,

New York City OperaUn ballo in maschera, Pittsburgh Opera

Artistic Director – Orquidea DanceDancer – hjw/Dimensions; Proving Grounds

Movement; ClancyWorks; labco Dance

Sun Ho KimPrincipal Dancer

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Eugene Onegin, Boston Lyric OperaNixon in China, Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Sun Ho Kim and Dancers, CASA ASIA (Barcelona); The Joyce Soho (New York)

Les Troyens, Metropolitan OperaDaphne; Haroun and the Sea of Stories; Turandot, NYC Opera

Director – Boston Dance CollectiveDancer – Prometheus Dance; Boston Pops; Boston,

Frostburg & Harvard Universities; Boston Liturgical Dance

Helen ToddChiang Ch’ing

Minnesota Opera DebutLa traviata, 1997

RecentlyThe Handmaid’s Tale, Canadian Opera Co.; Minnesota OperaLucia di Lammermoor, Opera Illinois; Il turco in Italia, Cleveland

Roméo et Juliette, Sugar Creek Symphony & Song; ShreveportRegina, Baltimore Opera; Barber, Athena Grand Opera

The Magic Flute, Cleveland, New York City, Tulsa OperasLa traviata, Asheville Lyric Opera; Bohème Opera Co.

Rigoletto, Calgary Opera; Annapolis OperaLe nozze di Figaro, Abilene Opera; Connecticut Opera

Of Mice and Men, Arizona Opera; Cleveland Opera

Andrew WilkowskeHenry Kissinger

Minnesota Opera DebutTransatlantic, 1998

RecentlyDon Pasquale, San Francisco Opera Merola Program

Maria Padilla; The Magic Flute; Passion; Lucrezia Borgia;The Merry Widow; La traviata, others, Minnesota OperaGuest Soloist – Minnesota Orch.; St. Paul Chamber Orch.

The Magic Flute, Virginia OperaLa bohème; The Barber of Seville, Lyric Opera of San Antonio

UpcomingPortrait of Manon; Death in Venice, Glimmerglass Opera

Carlos ArchuletaRichard Nixon

Minnesota Opera DebutLucia di Lammermoor, 2001

RecentlyLuisa Fernanda; Il trovatore, Washington Opera

The Magic Flute; others, The Minnesota OperaLa fanciulla del West, Utah Opera

La vida breve, Dallas Opera

UpcomingThe Barber of Seville, Lyric Opera of San Antonio

The Magic Flute, Utah OperaL’elisir d’amore, Washington National Opera

17•

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The ArtistsFor more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

James SchuetteCostume Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutTransatlantic, 1997

RecentlyRigoletto; Le nozze di Figaro, Opera ColoradoOf Thee I Sing, Papermill PlayhouseTime of Your Life, Seattle Repertory TheaterOedipus Complex, Oregon Shakespeare FestivalGiulio Cesare, Houston Grand OperaCarmen, Seattle Opera

UpcomingAfter the Quake, Steppenwolf

Kevin Lee NewburyAssistant Director

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Assistant Director – Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Boston Lyric Opera; Opera Colorado; NY City Opera

Director – Young Playwrights; Ensemble Studio Theatre; American Theatre of Actors; New York City

Fringe Festival; Atlantic Theater School; NYU

UpcomingCandy and Dorothy, Off-Broadway (Director)

Turandot, Santa Fe Opera (Assistant Director)Nixon in China, Portland Opera (Director)

Wendall K. HarringtonVideo Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutTransatlantic, 1997

RecentlyThe Nutcracker, San Francisco Ballet

The Good Body, BroadwayManon Lescaut, Washington Opera

Anna Karenina, Royal Danish BalletA View from the Bridge (Bolcom), Metropolitan Opera

UpcomingDon Quixote, San Francisco Ballet (Paris tour)

The Turn of the Screw, Royal Danish Opera

James RobinsonStage Director

Minnesota Opera DebutTurandot, 1995

RecentlyEugene Onegin, Boston Lyric Opera

Giulio Cesare; Salsipuedes, Houston Grand OperaCarmen, Cincinatti Opera; Così fan tutte, Santa Fe OperaLucia di Lammermoor; La bohème, New York City Opera

UpcomingNorma; The Abduction from the Seraglio, Opera Colorado

Street Scene, Opera Theatre of St. LouisNorma, San Francisco Opera

Allen MoyerSet Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutNorma, 1991

RecentlySalsipuedes, Houston Opera; Reckless; 12 Angry Men, BroadwayAgrippina, Santa Fe Opera; Carmen, Seattle OperaThe Mother of Us All, San Francisco OperaSylvia, Mark Morris with the San Francisco BalletIl trittico; La bohème, New York City Opera

UpcomingThe Constant Wife, BroadwayThe Grapes of Wrath, The Minnesota Opera

Paul PalazzoLighting Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutTosca, 1991

RecentlyLa bohème; Giulio Cesare, Opera ColoradoThe Abduction from the Seraglio, Houston Grand OperaHansel and Gretel, Los Angeles OperaIl trovatore; Barber; Pagliacci/Carmina, Minnesota OperaEugene Onegin; Rigoletto, Boston Lyric OperaBeatrice and Benedict, Manhattan School of MusicCosì fan tutte, Wolf Trap Opera CompanyLa fanciulla del West, Utah Opera

Dr. Stan Hill, Artistic Director

Joann Usher, Executive Director

Thurs.—Sat., June 23–25, 20058 p.m.Ted Mann Concert Hall612.624.2345www.tcgmc.org

PRIDE Week Concert!

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•18

The Artists For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

(952) 814-9400 (952) 285-1200 (952) 544-6100 (952) 946-9800 (651) 639-3900Mall of America Southdale Center Ridgedale Center Eden Prairie Center Rosedale Center

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The Minnesota Opera holds auditions annually in Min-

neapolis to complete casting for roles and chorus. Other au-

ditions are generally through

management only. Most princi-

pal roles are typically cast well

in advance of the general audi-

tions, and supporting roles are

most often cast locally or from

the Resident Artist Program;

however, nonresident singers

are welcome to audition for fu-

ture season consideration.

Auditions are by appointment only and must be scheduled

in advance. All appointments are on a first-come, first-served

ba s i s . P l e a s e c a l l

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Bring a current résumé and

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Opera Auditions May 24, 25 and 26, 2005

Bruce StasynaChorusmaster

Minnesota Opera DebutDer Rosenkavalier, 2000

RecentlyCarmen; Maria Padilla; others, The Minnesota Opera

Madame Butterfly; La Cenerentola, Des Moines Metro OperaFidelio, Minnesota Orchestra

Die ägyptische Helena, American Symphony OrchestraThe Barber of Seville; Tito; Don Pasquale, Wolf Trap Opera

UpcomingSweeney Todd, Murder and Mayham, The Latest Word, Wolf TrapTosca; Don Giovanni; Orazi e Curiazi, Minnesota Opera

Antony WalkerConductor

Minnesota Opera DebutLe nozze di Figaro, 2000

RecentlyOrlando, New York City OperaIl ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Pittsburgh Opera TheaterLa donna del lago; Roberto Devereux, Wash. Concert OperaMadame Butterfly; The Handmaid’s Tale; others, Minn. Opera

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Thomas Hampson

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Angelika Kirchschlager,mezzo-soprano

& Barbara Bonney,soprano

November 15, 2005

Thomas Hampsonbaritone

January 17, 2006

Leif Ove Andsnespiano

April 27, 2006

Maxim Vengerovviolin

May 24, 2006

Emerson String Quartet

& Leon Fleisher,piano

October 26, 2005

All Concerts are at 8:00 P.M. • The Ordway Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota

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(years later he still feared leaks), Nixon

chose his National Security Advisor for

the cove r t mis s ion. On Ju ly 1 ,

Kissinger began a public tour of Asia,

which included a stop in Pakistan. To

elude the press, he feigned a stomach

ache after a state dinner hosted by

President Yahya Khan and was put up

at the government’s mountain retreat

in order to recuperate. There he was se-

cretly taken to the airport and whisked

across the border for 17 hours of

hushed meetings with Chinese Pre-

mier Chou En-lai.

Upon Kissinger’s return, things ap-

peared to be in place, and Nixon made

a public announcement on July 15 that

shocked the world. Not wanting to

show either side as being too eager or

conciliatory, the language was selected

with care: “Knowing of President

Nixon’s expressed desire to visit the

People’s Republic of China, Premier

Chou En-lai, on behalf of the govern-

ment of the People’s Republic of

China, has extended an invitation to

President Nixon to visit China. Presi-

dent Nixon has accepted the invitation

with pleasure.” The Taiwanese embassy

was understandably upset and the

Japanese were equally unenthused.

Conservatives griped that the president

was bowing to a yoke of world com-

munism and the Soviets were likewise

rattled – four days later they scheduled

the postponed salt talks for May, three

months after Nixon’s proposed visit.

The lasting potential of the journey

was guarded. It was highly unlikely

diplomatic relations would be immedi-

ately resumed – Mao’s communists be-

lieved in one China, which included

the island of Taiwan. As long as there

was a Taiwanese embassy in Washing-

ton, there would be no return visit.

Though the communists had achieved

a small triumph at the United Na-

tions, which had recently voted to oust

Taiwan in favor of Mao’s administra-

tion, the United States had voted

against the resolution. The ultimate

goal of the visit was to issue a world-

wide communiqué detailing both

countries’ positions in Asia – under-

standing (and possibly resolving) those

di∂erences would be the first step to-

ward normalization between China and

the United States. Kissinger began to

negotiate the details with Chou during

a second visit in October, but the exact

language of this document became a

troublesome issue throughout the en-

tire process.

Nixon arrived in Peking on February

21, 1972. It was intended to be an

especially telling gesture for the

President to deplane unescorted (other

than his wife Pat) and immediately

shake the Premier’s hand (Chou had

been very publicly snubbed by then-

Secretary of State John Foster Dulles in

Geneva back in 1954). During the

entire trip, the president’s retinue

o r che s t r a t ed h i s a c t i on s v e ry

purposefully – key moments, such as

the arrival and subsequent state

functions and banquets were prime

t imed for l ive broadcast on the

morning network television and the

evening news. Television was Nixon’s

preferred medium and was quite

successfully employed to enhance the

visibility of his high profile visit,

which came about quite nicely during

an election year. Chinese o∑cials were

initially hesitant to allow any reporters,

but eventually admitted 87 American

journa l i s t s who were c a r e fu l ly

controlled, sent out to cover tourist-

type excursions with Pat and glitzy

pub l i c e v en t s r a the r than any

diplomatic talks. One reporter later

recalled, “To keep us out of mischief,

the Chinese organized bus tours for the

journalists to go to the Great Wall, or

the Ming Tombs … the food was

absolutely sensational, the toasts and

the dancing girls … all that was

terrific. But try to find out what was

really going on, and you were in the

dark (Stanley Karnow).”

Meanwhile Chou and Nixon met for

a series of four-hour private talks (re-

cently declassified and available online

at the National Security Archive), dis-

cussing all of the vital issues at hand –

Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Japan – and

briefly, the content of the joint com-

muniqué, which would be ironed out

by Kissinger and his Chinese counter-

1919 Chou En-lai comes to national prominenceduring the May Fourth movement when heled a raid on a local government officeduring the student protests against thehumiliating Versailles Treaty.

1920 Chou moves to France and becomes amember of the French Communist Party;he spends the next few years traveling inEurope, returning to China in 1926.

1923 Mao Tse-tung is elected to the ThirdCongress of the Communist Party ofChina.

1927 Mao barely escapes execution for his rolein the Autumn Harvest Uprising.

1934 The long march begins – Mao and hisCommunist guerrillas move through themountains to evade Nationalist troops;Mao meets Chiang Ch’ing, later tobecome his fourth wife; Chou throws hisentire support behind Mao.

1938 Japan invades China.

1945 World War II comes to a close; theJapanese are repelled; civil war in Chinaensues.

1949 The Communists are victorious andestablish the People’s Republic of Chinawith Chou En-lai as premier, and Mao Tse-tung as chief of state and CommunistParty chairman; the Nationalists, led by

Chiang Kai-Shek, retreat to Taiwan.

1950 The Korean War begins as China and theUnited States fight on opposite sides.

1958 Mao initiates the Great Leap Forward inan attempt to industrialize his nation; it islater deemed a failure.

1964 Nixon declares that the Vietnam conflictis a de facto war between the U.S. andChina: "A United States defeat in Vietnammeans a [Chinese] Communist victory."

1966 Former l y a l l i ed w i th t he Ch inesegovernment, the Soviet Union amassestroops along the Sino-Soviet border; Maoinitiates the Cultural Revolution and

Richard and Pat Nixon at the Great Wall of China

Tim

e &

Life

Pic

ture

s p

hoto

by

John

Dom

inis

Cou

rtesy

of G

etty

Imag

es

part, Deputy Foreign Minister Ch’iao Kuan-hua.

As Nixon remained ever distrustful of the State

Department, William Rogers, Secretary of State

and his close personal friend, was left out of the

inner circle. This action would create di∑culties

in the trip’s final days.

John Adams’s opera begins with Nixon’s ar-

rival, and Alice Goodman’s adaptation of the

visit is an e∂ective recreation of this major event.

One of the highlights of the summit was the

president’s one-hour visit with the ailing Chair-

man Mao shortly after touchdown, during which

the librettist attempts to recreate actual dialogue

from the meeting in scene two. Scene three

nicely captures the essence of Chou and

Nixon’s friendship toasts at the first ban-

quet, and in Act ii, Goodman neatly bowd-

lerizes Pat Nixon’s various outings, also

managing to incorporate a few of her his-

toric diplomatic quips (in particular her

comment at the Gate of Longevity and

Goodwill, which becomes her aria “This is

prophetic”). Counterpoised to moments of

real history are those of fantasy – Kissinger

and the Nixons are drawn into the perfor-

mance of Madame Mao’s Red Detachment of

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Continues on page 24

Chiang Ch’ing assumes a leading role;China explodes its first hydrogen bomb.

1969 In his inaugural address, President Nixonhints at changes in United States foreignpolicy: “After a period of confrontation,we are entering an era of negotiation;”Nixon’s Secretary of State William Rogersasks Pakistani chief of state Yahya Khanto feel out the Chinese on expanded talkswith the United States.

1970 In a Time magazine interview, PresidentNixon notes, "If there is anything I wantto do before I die, it is to go to China."

1971 A friendly table tennis tournament inJapan leads to a visit of the American

team to China; prev ious ly only 12Americans had been permitted inside itsborders since 1950; the Chinese teamvisits America later that year; in July,Henry Kissinger makes a secret visit toChina to meet with Chou En-lai.

1972 Nixon makes his historic trip in February;in June five men are caught trying to bugthe offices of the Democratic NationalCommittee at the Watergate hotel andoffice complex; Nixon is reelected inNovember.

1973 The Watergate hearings begin in May.

1974 Richard Nixon resigns from office to avoidimpeachment proceedings.

1976 Chou and Mao both die; Chiang Ch’ing isarrested with the rest of her “Gang ofFour,” for atrocities committed during theCultural Revolution.

1979 Formal relations between the UnitedStates and China are established.

1982 An opera based on Nixon’s China trip isconceived by director Peter Sellars.

1987 John Adams’s Nixon in China is premieredin Houston.

1991 Chiang Ch’ing commits suicide in prison.

1994 Richard Nixon dies.

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The Minnesota Opera OrchestraViolin I Kristen Christensen

concertmasterJulia Persitz

David Mickens

Judy Thon-Jones

Andrea Een

Kari Giles

Violin II Laurie Petruconis

Elizabeth Decker

Stephan Orsak

Melinda Marshall

Carolin Kiesel Johnson

Margaret Humphrey

ViolaAnnette Caruthers

Laurel Browne

Jenny Lind Nilsson

Susan Janda

Cello Jim Jacobson

Adriana LaRosa Ransom

Thomas Austin

Sally Dorer

Bass John Michael Smith

Constance Brown

FluteMichele Frisch

(double piccolo)Amy Morris

(double piccolo)

OboeMarilyn Ford Michael Dayton

(double English horn)

ClarinetSandra Powers

(double E-flat clarinet)Nina Olsen

(double bass clarinet)Karrin Me∂ert-Nelson

(double bass clarinet)

Saxophone David Milne

(soprano and alto)Jared Ziegler

(alto)

David Karr

(tenor and alto)Bruce Thornton

(baritone and tenor)

TrumpetJohn G. Koopmann

Christopher Volpe

Craig Hara

Trombone Philip Ostrander

Sue Roberts

David Stevens

PercussionMatthew Barber

Keyboard Korey Barrett

Christopher Zemliauskas

Bruce Stasyna

Personnel Manager Steve Lund

The Minnesota Opera ChorusKaren Bushby

Michael Cain

Jonathan Carle

Theodore Chletsos

Julie Conzemius

Steve Dahlberg

Tracey Gorman

Katherine Haugen

Michelle Hayes

Robin Heggen

Sandra Henderson

Ben Johnson

Mark Josephsen

Seth Keeton

Dale Kruse

Paula Lammers

Elizabeth Longhurst

Mary Monson

Bill Murray

Matthew Neil

Steve Sandberg

Joy Scheib

Bob Schmidt

Bryan Shih

Sandy Schoenecker

Anne Storlie

Eric Vollen

Karin Wolverton

DancersNicholas Duran,

dance captainPenelope Freeh

Kimberly Jewart

Matthew Keefe

Sun Ho Kim

Megan McClellan

SupernumerariesJennifer Dawson

Storrie Havlina-Madsen

David Mehl

Benjamin Westphal

Artists covering principal roles

Jonathan Carle —

Richard Nixon

Theodore Chletsos —

Mao Tse-tung

Seth Keeton —

Henry Kissinger

Karin Wolverton —

Pat Nixon

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Upcoming EventsAre you a 20- or 30-something who’s curious about opera? Looking forsomething new and fun to look forward to? Join other young professionals forthe hottest ticket in town — The Minnesota Opera’s Young ProfessionalsGroup!

The low-cost YPG membership (only $30 per season) entitles members togreat seats at the Opera for rock-bottom prices, as well as post-opera cocktailparties and special events throughout the season.

Join before the May 21 Opera Night Out for $30 and receive membershipbenefits for Nixon in China AND the 2005 – 2006 season!

Opera Nights Out: Nixon in China, May 21

To join, visit www.mnopera.org or email us atypg@mnopera.org.

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Women, which is punctuated by an outburst by the Chair-

man’s prickly fourth wife (another opportunity for an aria),

of whom Nixon described as “unpleasantly abrasive and ag-

gressive.” An ideological extremist, she had not been in

favor of Nixon coming to China.

Madame Mao returns for the opera’s final scene in an-

other wonderful concoction, as she and her husband recall

younger days and the summer of their romance. The ex-

hausted Nixons are equally nostalgic, while the aging Chou

ponders the outcome of revolution and the magnitude of

what is left undone. There is an eerie sense of irresolution as

Adams’s lyrically minimalist, artfully orchestrated score

reaches its conclusion.

Nixon’s China trip similarly had a bittersweet ending.

The tactfully crafted 1,500 word communiqué, its initial

drafts so diametrically opposed, yet eventually hammered

out to the satisfaction of both sides, won the approval of

China’s Politburo, but had to go through some eleventh

hour editing after the State Department sta∂ finally had a

look at it – Taiwan had been excluded from the section de-

voted to mutual defense treaties. As the message repre-

sented the ultimate success of the mission, Chou broke

protocol, dropping in on Secretary Rogers unannounced in

order to smooth over the rough spots. The final version in-

cluded some cunningly tactful, vaguely opposed statements:

There are essential differences between China andthe United States in their social systems and foreign

policies. However, the two sides agreed that countries,regardless of their social systems, should conducttheir relations on the principles of respect for the sov-ereignty and territorial integrity of all states, nonag-gression against other states, noninterference in theinternal affairs of other states, equality and mutualbenefit, and peaceful coexistence … The UnitedStates acknowledges that all Chinese on either side ofthe Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China andthat Taiwan is a province of China. The United Statesdoes not challenge that position. It reaffirms its inter-est in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question bythe Chinese themselves. With this prospect in mind, itaffirms the ultimate objective of the withdrawal of allU.S. forces and military installations from Taiwan.

The resolution was greeted with some hostility, and opin-

ion of the trip’s cumulative success was sharply divided –

many felt the United States had conceded too much. Re-

gardless, Nixon would only enjoy this personal triumph for

a short while. In June, reports of a robbery in the o∑ces of

the Democratic National Committee, situated in the Wa-

tergate hotel and o∑ce complex, would lead to the presi-

dent’s political downfall. Diplomatic relations with the

People’s Republic of China finally would be in place during

the Carter administration, and with the passing of the gov-

ernment’s old guard, Taiwan has managed to maintain its

tenuous existence to this day.

Background Notes continued from page 21

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The Minnesota Opera Annual FundIndividual Giving

Gold $5,000-$9,999Anonymous (1)Eric and Tracy AanensonJane M. and Ogden W. ConferSusan and Richard CrockettDavid and Vanessa DaytonSally J. EconomonRolf and Nancy EnghMr. and Mrs. John ForsytheConnie Fladeland and

Steve FoxN. Bud and Beverly Grossman

FoundationAlfred and Ingrid

Lenz HarrisonSharon and Bill HawkinsKaren and John HimleConstance and Daniel KuninIlo and Margaret LeppikMs. Becky MalkersonTed and Roberta Mann

FoundationMary Bigelow McMillanDiana and Joe MurphyElizabeth Musser Trust—

Fir Tree FundAlbin and Susan NelsonNelson Family FoundationTimothy and Gayle Ober

Brian and Julia PalmerMr. and Mrs. Steven

RothschildKevin and Lynn SmithVirginia L. and

Edward C. StringerGregory C. SwinehartCatie Tobin and Brian NaasCharles Allen Ward Fund of

The Saint Paul FoundationEllen and Fred Wells

Silver $2,500-$4,999Anonymous (2)Chloe D. AckmanMartha and Bruce AtwaterDr. Ford and Amy BellDavid Hanson and William BiermaierAlexandra O. BjorklundRachelle Dockman ChaseCleveland FoundationDr. James E. and

Gisela CorbettJohn and Arlene DaytonMary Lee DaytonThomas and

Mary Lou DetwilerKate Ellis and John HarrerChip and Vicki Emery

Rondi Erickson and Sandy Lewis

Tom and Lori FoleyLeslie and Alain FreconMr. and Mrs. R. James GesellMr. Denver GilliandMeg and Wayne GisslenBill and Eleanor GoodallThe Hackensack Fund of the Saint

Paul FoundationDorothy J. Horns, M.D., and

James P. RichardsonJay and Cynthia IhlenfeldDale A. JohnsonJacqueline Nolte JonesRobert and Susan JosselsonStan and Jeanne KaginSamuel L. Kaplan and

Sylvia Chessen KaplanErwin and Miriam KelenMichael F. and Gretchen G. Kelly and

the Kelly Family FoundationMrs. James S. KochirasSid and Diane L. LevinDavid MacMillan and

Judy KrowMary K. Mahley

Family FoundationRoy and Dorothy Ann Mayeske

James and Judith MellingerRichard and Nancy Nicholson –

Nicholson Family FoundationDwight D. OppermanWilliam and Barbara PearceMarge and Dwight PetersonJames J. Phelps and

Nancy McGlynn PhelpsMr. and Mrs. William PhillipsPaul and Mary ReyeltsLois and John RogersKen and Nina RothchildE. Elaine and Roger SampsonKay Savik and Joe TashjianFred and Gloria SewellDrs. Joseph and

Kristina Sha∂erFrank and Lynda SharbroughMr. and Mrs. James SwartzTanrydoon Fund of The Saint Paul

FoundationWilliam Voedisch and

Laurie CarlsonBernt von Ohlen and

Thomas NicholNancy and Ted Weyerhaeuser

Camerata Circle

Bel Canto Circle$10,000 and aboveAnonymous (2)Karen BachmanRebecca Rand and

E. Thomas BingerMary and Gus BlanchardRod and Susan BorenMrs. Thomas B. CarpenterDarlene J. and

Richard P. CarrollRusty and Burt CohenEllie and Tom Crosby, Jr.

Julia W. DaytonCy and Paula Decosse Fund of

The Minneapolis Foundation The Denny Fund of

The Minneapolis FoundationSara and Jock DonaldsonBrad and Diane EnglandDolly J. FitermanJohn and Ruth HussHeinz and Sisi HutterBryce and Paula JohnsonLucy Rosenberry Jones

The Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund ofHRK Foundation

Warren and Patricia KellyPeter J. KingLynne LooneyPatricia LundThomas and Barbara McBurneyHarvey T. McLainMrs. Walter MeyersEstate of Edith J. MuellerBruce and Sandy NelsonMrs. George T. Pennock

Jose Peris and Diana GuldenElizabeth and Andrew RedleafConnie and Lew RemeleStephanie Simon and

Craig BentdahlRobert and Barbara StruykMary W. Vaughan Fund of

The Minneapolis FoundationC. Angus and Margaret Wurtele

$1,000-$2,499Anonymous (4)Paula AndersonKim A. AndersonLowell Anderson and Kathy Welte Jamie Andrews and

Jane Kolp-AndrewsJohn Andrus, IIICheryl Appledorn and

Thomas SchnettlerMartha Goldberg Aronson and

Daniel AronsonMr. and Mrs. Edmund P. BabcockDr. Thomas and Ann BagnoliPatricia and Mark BauerSue A. BennettJohn and Jennifer Bernstein

Mr. and Mrs. Paul G. BoeningJan and Ellen BreyerJudith and Arnold BrierConley Brooks FamilyElwood F. and Florence A. CaldwellBruce and Deanna CarlsonJoan and George CarlsonJoe and Judy CarlsonBruce Coppock and Lucia MayDr. Stephen and Beth CragleMrs. Thomas M. Crosby, Sr.Ruth and Bruce DaytonAmos and Sue DeinardMona Bergman Dewane and

Patrick Dewane Mrs. Sia DimitriouMr. and Mrs. Carl B. Drake, Jr.

Ekdahl Hutchinson Family Fund ofThe Minneapolis Foundation

Susan Engel and Arthur EisenbergEster and John FeslerHenry and Anice FleshSalvatore S. FrancoPatricia R. FreeburgBradley A. Fuller and

Elizabeth LincolnDavid and Kathy GalliganChristine and W. Michael GarnerLois and Larry GibsonHoward and Heidi GilbertPaul and Margot GrangaardMrs. Myrtle GretteRosalie He∂elfinger Hall Fund of

The Minneapolis Foundation

Marthajane HapkeDon HelgesonJohn S. and Rosmarie HellingNancy and Doug HeltneCli∂ton K. Hill and Jody RockwellBill and Hella Mears HuegMr. and Mrs. Thomas HullMr. and Mrs. Philip IsaacsonMr. and Mrs. James L. JelinekCharlotte and Markle KarlenJessie L. KellyLyndel and Blaine KingE. Robert and Margaret V. Kinney

Fund of The Minneapolis FoundationKenneth Kixmoeller and Kim OtnessMr. and Mrs. William KlingLisa C. Kochiras

Artist Circle

It is with deep appreciation that The Minnesota Opera recognizes and thanks all of the individual donors whose annual

support helps bring great opera to life. It is our pleasure to give special recognition to the following individuals whose

leadership support provides the financial foundation which makes the Opera’s artistic excellence possible.

For information on making a contribution to The Minnesota Opera, please call Dawn Loven, Director of Individual Gifts, at 612-342-9567.

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The Minnesota Opera Annual FundIndividual Giving

These lists are current as of March 1, 2005, and include donors who gave gifts of $500 or more to The Minnesota Opera Fund since January 1, 2004. If your name is not listed appropriately, please accept our apologies, and call Megan Stevenson, Individual Gifts Associate at 612-342-9569.

Anonymous (2)Mary A. AndresMr. and Mrs. Rolf AndreassenKaren BachmanMark and Pat BauerBarbara and Sandy Bemis (†)Dr. and Mrs. Richard CarrollJudy and Kenneth (†) DaytonMrs. George DotyRudolph Driscoll (†)

Sally EconomonPaul FroeschlRobert and Ellen GreenIeva Grundmanis (†)Charles HudginsDale and Pat JohnsonRobert and Susan JosselsonDr. and Mrs. Markle KarlenSteve KellerBlaine and Lyndel King

Gretchen Klein (†)Bill and Sally KlingMr. and Mrs. James KrezowskiRobert Kriel and Linda KrachRobert Lawser, Jr.Gerald and Joyce LillquistMargaret L. and Walter S. (†) MeyersEdith Mueller (†)Scott PakudiatisSydney and William Phillips

Mary SavinaFrank and Lynda SharbroughAndrew H. Stewart, Jr.Barbara and Robert StruykStephanie Van D’EldenMary VaughanDale and Sandra Wick

$500-$999Fred Amram and Sandra BrickFloyd AndersonQuentin and Mary AndersonWoodbury H. and Cynthia AndrewsGenevive AntonelloRuth and Dale BachmanJames and Gail BakkomMrs. Harvey O. BeekThomas and Joyce BrucknerC.D.F. FoundationDaniel and Christine BussJoann M. D. CierniakBill and Kate CullenJoe Dowling and Siobahn ClearyRuth D. DrakeJohn G. DrozdalAndrew and Lucia Du∂Joyce and Hugh EdmondsonHerbert and Betty Fantle

William T FogartyIris C Freeman and Warren WoessnerTerence Fruth and Mary McEvoy Family

Fund of The Minneapolis FoundationDr. Stanley M. and Luella G.GoldbergDeanne and John GrecoSarah GreenMarjorie and Joseph GrinnellBruce and Jean GrussingRuth E. HanoldDrs. Greg and Angie HatfieldMrs. Dorothy HillJoe and Nancy HolmbergJohn and Jean McGough HoltenElizabeth A. HueyDiane and Paul JacobsonAndrzej and Urszula JaworskiDr. and Mrs. Charles R. JorgensenJane and Jim Kaufman Fund of

The Minneapolis FoundationMichael W. Kienlen

Steve and Jolie KlapmeierRoy and Mary LetourneauJoan E. MaddenC. S. McCrossanSheila McNallyL. David MechSheila and Paul MeginnisWilliam MesserliJames Meunier and Debra K. BrooksCharles and Victoria MogilevskyTheresa A Murray and Jim MurrayPaul C. MuzioJoan and Richard NewmarkLowell and Sonja NoteboomLuis Pagan-CarloPaula PatineauKern and Kathryn PetersonLawrence M. RedmondThomas D. Rohde and

Nancy J. RohdeJames and Andrea Rubenstein

Jim ScarpettaMahlon and Karen SchneiderBill and Althea SellThe Harriet and Edson Spencer Fund

of The Minneapolis FoundationJohn SpokesKeith and Catherine StevensonDaniel Stolfa and Swenson

Financial Advisory GroupWarren StortroenDana and Stephen StrandEmily Anne and Gedney TuttleAllan Valgemae and Robert HardingWill and Li VolkDavid M. and Mary Ann

Barrows WarkJames and Sharon WeinelFrank and Frances WilkinsonLani Willis and Joel Spoonheim

Patron Circle

The Minnesota Opera thanks the following donors who, through their foresight and generosity, have included the Opera in

their wills or estate plans. We invite you to join other opera-lovers by leaving a legacy gift to The Minnesota Opera. If you

have already made such a provision, we encourage you to notify us that so we may appropriately recognize your generosity.

For more information on possible gift arrangements, please contact Dawn Loven, Director of Individual Gifts, at

612-342-9567. Your attorney or financial advisor can then help determine which methods are most appropriate for you.

Estate and Planned Gifts

Maria KochirasRobert L. Kriel and Linda E. KrachHelen L. KuehnAnita KuninMark and Elaine LanderganBarry Lazarus and Mary DearingRobert L. Lee and Mary E. Scha∂nerCarl Lee and Linda Talcott LeeClinton and Judith LeeSusan LentheStefanie Lenway and Tom Murtha Michael and Diane LevyJerry and Joyce LillquistMr. and Mrs. B. John Lindahl, Jr.

Benjamin Y. H. and Helen C. LiuBill LongDawn M. LovenMr. and Mrs. Donald LuckerMargery MartinSamuel D. and Patricia McCulloughDrs. Mary and Joseph MelandMr. and Mrs. Edward L. MillsThe Honorable and Mrs. Walter MondaleSandy and Bob MorrisMrs. John H. MyersSusan OkieKelly and Michael PalmerAllegra Parker

Karen B. PaulWilliam and Suzanne PayneJodi and Todd PetersonMary Ingebrand PohladJames and Connie PriesRobert and Mary PriceTim and Elin RaymondFrances and George ReidKit Reynolds and Mike SchwimmerJohn and Sandra RoeMrs. John C. RowlandLeland T. Lynch and Terry Saario Fund

of The Minneapolis FoundationPatty and Barney Saunders

Dr. and Mrs. Richard J. SchindlerStanislaw and Krystyna SkrowaczewskiJe∂ and Helene SlocumJulie Jackley SteinerDon and Leslie StilesJames and Susan SullivanHenry and Virginia SweattMichael SymeonidesMr. and Mrs. George H. TesarLois and Lance ThorkelsonMr. and Mrs. Philip Von BlonMs. Wendy Wenger

Artist Circle (continued)

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Corporations and Foundations

Minnesota Opera Sponsors

Bel Canto $10,000+3MAllianz Life Insurance of North AmericaAmerican Express Minnesota Philanthropic

ProgramAndersen FoundationAnn and Gordon Getty FoundationAnna M. Heilmaier Charitable FoundationThe Bush FoundationCargill FoundationDeloitteDeluxe Corporation FoundationDorsey & Whitney FoundationEcolab FoundationGeneral Mills FoundationLowry Hill Private Wealth ManagementThe MAHADH Fund of HRK FoundationThe McKnight FoundationThe Medtronic FoundationOPERA America’s Opera FundPentair, Inc.Piper Ja∂rayRider Bennett Rogers & Hollands JewelersSpencerStuartSt. Paul TravelersSUPERVALU Stores, Inc.Target FoundationThrivent U.S. Bancorp FoundationU.S. Bank, Private Client GroupValspar FoundationWells Fargo Foundation MinnesotaWenger Foundation

Gold $5,000-$9,999Alice M. O’Brien FoundationAT&T FoundationBemis Company FoundationBriggs and MorganFaegre & BensonGerman-American Heritage FoundationJostens, Inc.Lindquist & VennumOnan CorporationR. C. Lilly FoundationRahr Foundation

RBC Dain Rauscher FoundationTwin Cities Opera GuildU. S. Trust Company Xcel Energy Foundation

Silver $2,500-$4,999Arts & Custom Publishing Co., Inc.Beim FoundationBoss FoundationBuuck Family FoundationDellwood FoundationHutter Family FoundationMargaret Rivers FundMary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke

FoundationPeregrine Capital ManagementSchwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, PATennant FoundationTozer FoundationWest Group

Artist Circle $1,000-$2,499Alliance Capital ManagementBrock-White Co., LLCThe Burdick-Craddick Family FoundationCharles B. Sweatt FoundationCurtis L. Carlson Family FoundationDigital Excellence, Inc.GREC, LLCGunkelmans Interior DesignHammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc.Hogan & HartsonHorton, Inc.The C. A. Jackley FoundationLawrence M. and Elizabeth Ann O’Shaughnessy

Charitable Income TrustLe Jeune Investment, Inc.Leonard, Street & DeinardMaslon, Edelman, Borman & BrandMayo ClinicMcVay FoundationThe Elizabeth C. Quinlan FoundationRobins, Kaplan, Miller & CiresiSecurian FoundationThe Southways FoundationSt. Croix Foundation

Season SponsorU.S. Bank, Private Client Group

Production SponsorsMadame Butterfly, U.S. Bank, Private Client GroupMaria Padilla, National Endowment for the ArtsCarmen, American Express Minnesota

Philanthropic ProgramNixon in China, AT&T Foundation, OPERA

America’s Opera Fund, City of St. Paul’s CulturalSTAR Program

Production Innovation SystemGeneral Mills

Opening Night Gala SponsorU.S. Bank, Private Client Group

RAP Teaching ArtistsWenger Foundation

Camerata DinnersRider Bennett

Conductor AppearancesSpencerStuart

Evening Intermission SponsorLowry Hill Private Wealth Management

Promotional SupportMinnesota Monthly

Official Jeweler of The Minnesota OperaRogers & Hollands Jewelers

Opera InsightsThrivent Financial for Lutherans

$10,000 – $24,999

$25,000 – $49,000

$50,000 – $99,000

$100,000 +

The Minnesota Opera gratefully acknowledges

its major corporate supporters:

The Minnesota Opera Annual FundInstitutional Giving

GovernmentCity of Saint Paul’s Cultural STAR ProgramMinnesota State Arts Board

National Endowment for the Arts

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Good listening {TAKES PRACTICE.}

Nancy Meeden651.282-9650

Amy Sperling651.282-9615

Crocus Hill Office

www.spencerstuart.com

spencer stuartis proud to support The Minnesota Opera

we are pleased to present guest conductor

maestro antony walker in the minnesota

opera’s production of nixon in china.

Make the Most of Your Gift!

When you make your annual

contribution, remember that

your employer may match

your charitable gift. Many

corporations have gift pro-

grams that will even match

contributions made by re-

tirees, spouses and former di-

rectors. Matching your gift is

easy. Contact your human re-

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proper matching gift form

and send it along with your

contribution. For more infor-

mation on matching gifts,

p l e a s e c o n t a c t M e g a n

Stevenson at 612-342-9569.

NEW in 2005 We are Going Quarterly and

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Fri. May 6, 2005, 8pm

Sat. May 7, 2005, 8pm

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

presents The Lark Ascending

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Joe Lovano, saxophone

Ruggero Allifranchini, violin

May 14, 17, 19, 21, & 22, 2005

The Minnesota Opera presents

Nixon in China by John Adams

Highlighting the clash of Eastern

and Western rituals, John Adams'

Grammy-winning opera electrified

audiences at its premiere and has

been sparking debate every since.

$30 - $95

Fri. May 27, 2005, 10:30am & 8pm

Sat. May 28, 2005, 8pm

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

presents Concertmaster's Collection

Steven Copes, director, violin

Stephen Prutsman, composer/piano

Gary Bordner, trumpet

Sat. & Sun. June 4 -5, 2005

Ordway Center Presents

2005 Flint Hills

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The much anticipated annual Festival

highlights the best performing artists

for children from around the world.

Plus, the FREE World Party in Rice Park.

June 28 - July 10, 2005

Ordway Center presents

Peter Pan

(Performance times vary)

Audience favorite Cathy Rigby's

farewell performance!

Main Hall $38 - $60

Aug. 16 - Aug. 28, 2005

Ordway Center presents

Dr. Dolittle: The Musical

(Performance times vary)

An American premiere of this

fanciful tale that captivates children

and adults alike!

Main Hall $38 - $60

ORDWAY CENTER651-224-4222 ordway.org

THE MINNESOTA OPERA651-224-4222 mnopera.org

THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA651-291-1144 thespco.org

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA612-371-5656 minnesotaorchestra.org

THE SCHUBERT CLUB651-224-4222 schubert.org

On stage atOrdway Center

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