Music by Leonard Bernstein

• Born: August 25, 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
• Died: October 14, 1990 in New York City.

Lyrics by Richard Wilbur

• Born: March 1, 1921 in New York City.
• Died: October 14, 2017 in Belmont, Massachusetts.

• Work Composed: 1956
• Work Premiered: Pre-Broadway tryout at Boston’s Colonial Theatre beginning on October 29, 1956 before the show opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City on December 1, 1956.
• Instrumentation: narrator, 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, 3 tenors, 3 baritones, mixed chorus, 2 flutes (incl. piccolo), oboe (incl. English horn), 2 clarinets (incl. E-flat clarinet and Bass clarinet), bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets (incl. cornet), 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, bongo drums, castanets, chimes, cowbell, cymbals, glockenspiel, gong, gourd, hand drum, maracas, ratchet, snare drum, steel drum, suspended cymbals, tambour de basque, tenor drum, triangle, whip, wood block, xylophone, harp, strings
• May Festival Notable Performances: This is the first May Festival performance of the work.
• Duration: approx. 110 minutes

François Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778) was the leading figure of the French Enlightenment and one of the 18th century’s most vitriolic intellectual iconoclasts. He railed throughout his long career against absolutism and persecution and dogmatism, extolling rationalism and skepticism as the proper foundations for human society. Among the best-known of his vast number of writings is the “philosophical novel” Candide of 1759, a swift and pointed satirical finger in the eye of unthinking convention that flattens the notion that “this” (whenever and wherever “this” is) is “the best of all possible worlds.” One such less-than-best world was created in the United States in the early 1950s by Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose ideological witch-hunt targeted some of the country’s most creative and independent personalities. Among those who became ensnared in McCarthy’s machinations was the writer Lillian Hellman, who had visited Russia in the 1930s and been involved with Communist activities during the following decade. In 1951, her lover, mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, was called before the congressional committee, refused to answer its questions, and was sentenced to prison. Hellman was subpoenaed, wrote to the committee that she would testify about her politics but no one else’s, and was allowed to remain silent, though she was blacklisted for a time by Hollywood. She vented her rage in an anti-establishment adaptation of The Lark by Jean Anouilh, based on the story of Joan of Arc, for which the young composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein supplied some incidental music. Hellman’s next artistic reaction to her political harassment was a theatrical rendering of Voltaire’s Candide.

Hellman conceived a contemporary stage version of Candide as early as 1950, but it was not until 1956 that the project materialized. She originally intended the piece to be a play with incidental music, which she asked Bernstein to compose, but his enthusiasm for the subject was so great after re-reading Voltaire’s novel that the venture swelled into a full-blown comic operetta; Tyrone Guthrie was enlisted as director and Richard Wilbur wrote most of the song lyrics (after that task had passed through several other hands). Candide was first seen in a pre-Broadway tryout at Boston’s Colonial Theatre on October 29, 1956 (just days after Bernstein’s appointment as co-music director of the New York Philharmonic had been announced for the following season), and opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on December 1st. Reviews in both cities were mixed. All agreed that the production, designed by Oliver Smith, was opulent and attractive, but that the show itself was disjointed and clumsy. (“Three of the most talented people our Theatre possesses—Lillian Hellman, Leonard Bernstein and Tyrone Guthrie—have joined hands transforming Voltaire’s Candide into a really spectacular disaster,” wrote Walter Kerr in the New York Herald Tribune.) Bernstein’s music, however, received nothing but praise, which Guthrie neatly summarized in his autobiography: “Bernstein’s facility and virtuosity are so dazzling that you are almost blinded … if ever I have seen it, the stuff of genius is here.” Though the show closed after just 73 performances, Godard Lieberson of Columbia Records produced a splendid original cast album that won for Candide, or at least for Bernstein’s score, an inextinguishable following.

An occasional brave production was mounted during the following years, but it was not until director Harold Prince took the piece in hand in 1973, stripped it of Hellman’s proselytizing text, and gave it a riotous new book by Hugh Wheeler based more faithfully on Voltaire’s novel (and with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) that Candide at last became a popular success, though at the expense of the loss or reshuffling of some of Bernstein’s music as well as the submerging of the dramatic structure and ethical core of the original work. In 1982, conductor John Mauceri, a Bernstein protégé, revised Candide for performance at the New York City Opera, restoring several cuts, enlarging the orchestration and reworking Wheeler’s book into the conventional two acts. For a Scottish Opera production in 1988, Mauceri prepared with John Wells yet another version of Candide, which included virtually all the music Bernstein had written for the show over the years and reassigned numbers to their original intended characters and situations. Bernstein used this Scottish Opera version, with a few additional revisions and restorations, for his London concert performances and his Deutsche Grammophon recording in 1989, just a year before his death. Candide, like its title character, had made a long journey before reaching its “final, revised” state.

In the concert version of the score, the following editor's note is printed:

The contemporary references in the narration should be updated as the passage of time dictates. This is easily done by "plugging in" the current fascist, current action movie star, etc. Local references may be substituted if appropriate; U.S.-specific references in the narration may be changed for performances outside the U.S. Changes, however, should not be made to soften the political commentary.

ACT I

The story begins in Westphalia, at Schloss Thunder-ten-Tronck. Candide, the illegitimate nephew of the Baron Thunder-ten-Tronck, is treated as a social inferior but is nevertheless in love with the family’s beautiful daughter, Cunegonde, who seems to return his affection (Life is Happiness Indeed). All the young people are happy, even Paquette, the pretty young serving maid, because they have been taught to be happy by their tutor, Doctor Pangloss (The Best of All Possible Worlds). Candide and Cunegonde declare their love and dream of married joys (Oh, Happy We). The Baron and his family are outraged. How dare the inferior Candide love the daughter of a Westphalian Baron? Candide is expelled from Schloss Thunder-ten-Tronck (It Must Be So). He is pressed into the Bulgar Army and tries to desert, but is recaptured and made to run the gauntlet. The Bulgars declare war on Westphalia, and everyone at Schloss Thunder-ten-Tronck is massacred. Among the ruins, Candide searches for Cunegonde’s body (Candide’s Lament).

Alone in the world, Candide gives his few coins to a wretched beggar—who turns out to be Pangloss, miraculously restored to life, and with his faith unshaken (Dear Boy). They both get work with a merchant sailing to Lisbon, where they find thousands killed by a volcano when they arrive. Pangloss still argues that everything must be for the best in this best of all possible worlds. They are arrested as heretics and brought to face the Grand Inquisitor (Auto-da-fé). Pangloss is hanged and Candide flogged, but he still believes that his tutor was right (It Must Be So).

Meanwhile in Paris, Cunegonde, alive once again, is making her way in the world as the mistress of two men, a rich Jew and the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris (The Paris Waltz). She makes the best of her lot (Glitter and Be Gay). Candide, having arrived by happy coincidence in Paris, recognizes Cunegonde (You Were Dead, You Know). Their reunion is interrupted by Cunegonde’s companion, the Old Lady, who warns them of the approach of the Jew and the Cardinal. Candide inadvertently stabs them both to death. During their escape to Cadiz, the Old Lady tells them her life story (I Am Easily Assimilated). With the French police in pursuit, Candide accepts a commission to fight for the Jesuits in South America, with a free passage for Cunegonde and the Old Lady (Quartet Finale).

ACT II

Candide, Cunegonde and the Old Lady arrive in Buenos Aires just as Maximilian and Paquette—again restored to life—also turn up, disguised as slave-girls. The Governor of Buenos Aires falls in love with Maximilian, but discovers his mistake and instead proposes to Cunegonde (My Love). Candide, still wanted by the police, flees into the jungle. Candide, accompanied by a faithful half-caste, Cacambo, stumbles onto the Jesuit encampment (The Pilgrims’ Procession/Alleluia). By another amazing coincidence, the Father Superior is Maximilian, and the Mother Superior is Paquette. Candide inadvertently stabs Maximilian to death. Back in the Governor’s Palace in Buenos Aires three years later, Cunegonde and the Old Lady are sharing those miseries experienced only by the very rich and privileged (Quiet).

Candide and Cacambo, lost and starving in the jungle, discover a country surrounded by impenetrable mountains: the fabled Eldorado. Although he has finally come to Pangloss’ dreamland, Candide is not happy without Cunegonde and wants to leave, taking with him some of Eldorado’s priceless golden sheep in order to ransom her (The Ballad of Eldorado). All but two sheep perish during the trek across the dizzying mountains, and Candide, thinking himself still wanted for murder in Buenos Aires, sends Cacambo back with one of the sheep to ransom Cunegonde. He will meet them in Venice. Candide travels on to Surinam and meets Martin, a professional pessimist. Candide tries to argue with him, quoting Pangloss, but Martin refuses to be convinced (Words, Words, Words). A local Dutch outlaw, Vanderdendur, offers to take Candide to Venice in exchange for his one remaining golden sheep. The people of Surinam gather to wish them a safe journey (Bon Voyage). The ship sinks, and Martin and Vanderdendur are drowned. Reunited with his golden sheep in mid-ocean, Candide boards a raft and meets five deposed kings. The raft is rowed by a pathetic galley slave: Pangloss, again miraculously returned to life. The kings have learned their lesson: if they ever reach land they will live humbly, serving God and Man (The Kings’ Barcarolle). The raft arrives in Venice at Carnival time. The kings scamper off to the simple life at the casino (Money, Money, Money). Candide, clutching his sheep, goes to search for Cunegonde.

Paquette is the reigning prostitute of Venice, and Maximilian, alive once again, is the corrupt Prefect of Police. Cunegonde and the Old Lady, in Carnival masks, are employed to encourage the gamblers and fix the games (The Venice Gavotte). Candide and Cunegonde are amazed to find each other again (Nothing More Than This), but soon become disillusioned by the vagaries of life (Universal Good). After many days of silence to consider the situation, Candide asks Cunegonde to marry him and live with him in the new, real world they have learned to know through their own pain and love (Make Our Garden Grow).

©2022 Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Katharina Wincor, conductor

Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor is a rising, charismatic talent.

She made her critically acclaimed Dallas Symphony Orchestra subscription debut in 2021, performing works by Mendelssohn, Schubert and Anna Clyne. Recent and upcoming appearances include the Grafenegg and Gstaad festivals, as well as debuts with Bruckner Orchester Linz, Phoenix Symphony and the Amarillo Symphony. At the invitation of Laurence Equilbey, Wincor will serve as the chorus master for two performances of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the orchestra of the Opéra de Rouen Normandie.

Wincor received third prize at the 2020 Mahler Competition. Her participation in masterclasses and competitions has allowed her to work with world renowned orchestras, such as the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Bamberger Symphony, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. She was one of just four conductors invited by Iván Fischer for a masterclass with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and subsequently was engaged as his assistant conductor for special projects with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Other mentors include Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Muti and David Zinman.

At the 2017 Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Katharina received the prestigious Neeme Järvi Prize.

Hugh Dancy, narrator

Hugh Dancy is currently starring in the critically acclaimed reboot of Law and Order with Jeffrey Donovan and Anthony Anderson and will also star in the upcoming season of Downton Abbey. He most recently wrapped an episode for Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch’s series Roar, starring opposite Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo and Issa Rae for AppleTV. A past Emmy nominee, Dancy is recognized and known for his role as Will Graham in the critically praised series Hannibal on NBC, which earned him two Critics’ Choice Award nominations. 

Previously, Dancy starred in Tanya Wexler’s Hysteria opposite Felicity Jones and Maggie Gyllenhaal. In film, Dancy has starred in Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed by Sean Durkin; Adam, directed by Max Mayer; and Confessions of a Shopaholic opposite Isla Fisher. He has also starred in the Broadway production of Venus in Fur, for which he was praised by The New York Times for his performance, and can also be seen in the miniseries Deadline Gallipoli opposite Sam Worthington. Dancy was a series regular on the critically acclaimed Hulu series The Path opposite Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan. He recently starred in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Apologia and can also be seen in Nisha Ganatra’s feature Late Night opposite writer and co-star Mindy Kaling. Hugh Dancy can currently be seen in both the final season of Homeland for Showtime, and in a major arc on CBS All-Access’ The Good Fight opposite Christine Baranski and Audra MacDonald.

Aaron Crouch, Candide

Originally from Bowie, Maryland, tenor Aaron Crouch is a recent graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

During the 2021–22 season, Crouch joins the Cincinnati May Festival to debut in the title role in Candide, reprises the role of The Son in Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s award-winning opera Blue at both Detroit Opera and Pittsburgh Opera, and joins Tri-Cities Opera as Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola.

Crouch’s 2022–23 season features several exciting company debuts—all centered on works by Gioachino Rossini— including Gondolier (also covering the title role) in Otello with Opera Philadelphia, Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri with Tulsa Opera, and Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florentine Opera. He also joins Washington National Opera as The Son in Blue; the commercial recording, featuring Crouch in the same role, was recorded at WNO and released on Pentatone in March 2022.

Recently, Crouch returned to the Glimmerglass Festival to debut the role of Tamino in Kelley Rourke’s storybook adaptation of The Magic Flute and was seen as Jupiter in Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Händel’s Semele. He also appeared with Caramoor for the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars Concert; with the New York Festival of Song for Myths to Live By, co-created by Steven Blier and Julia Bullock; as a soloist with the New World Symphony for their Ravel Journey concert; and in an all-Bernstein concert with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey for Bernstein’s centennial in 2019.

Meghan Picerno, Cunegonde

Handpicked by theatre legend himself, Hal Prince, Meghan Picerno returned as Phantom’s leading lady, Christine Daaé, for its historic Broadway reopening, where she was recently nominated as Broadway Replacement of the Decade (Broadway World). Previously, she delighted audiences to critical acclaim as Christine on the World Tour of Phantom, and in the U.S. Premiere/first national tour of Love Never Dies. A rising star in both the worlds of Broadway and of Opera, she has become one of the most sought-after Cunegondes world-wide in Bernstein’s musical masterpiece, Candide. Off-Broadway/NY she starred as Cunegonde in Candide (NYCO). Regional and opera credits include Marian (The Music Man), Amalia (She Loves Me), Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Eliza (My Fair Lady), Violetta (La traviata), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann). Concert appearances have included Royal Albert Hall, San Francisco Symphony, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Theatro Municipal de São Paolo and the Beijing Center of Performing Arts. Follow her on Instagram @meghanpicerno, on Facebook @meghanpicernocoloratura, and at meghanpicerno.com.

Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, The Old Lady

Mezzo-soprano Leann Sandel-Pantaleo has maintained a multi-decade international career, performing with such theaters as Teatro alla Scala in Milan and Staatsoper Berlin (Siegrune in Die Walküre), The Metropolitan Opera (Flora in La traviata, Siegrune in Die Walküre), Lyric Opera of Chicago (the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel), and Houston Grand Opera (Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

She has performed her signature role of Bizet’s Carmen with Utah Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Tulsa Opera and Opera Omaha, among others. Additional career highlights include The Old Lady in Candide (Chautauqua Opera), Amneris in Aida (Portland Opera, North Carolina Opera, Sarasota Opera), the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story with Palm Beach Opera (in which she created the role of Tamara), and Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi under the baton of Oleg Caetani.

David Garrison, Dr. Pangloss/Martin

David Garrison, best known as Steve Rhoades on television’s Married with Children, began his career as a member of the resident company at Tony Award-winning Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. His Broadway credits include Serge B. Samovar in A Day in Hollywood/A Night in Ukraine, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama-Logue Award, J. Bruce Ismay in the Tony-winning Titanic, the Wizard of Oz in Wicked, and Sandor in the Faith Prince revival of Bells are Ringing, as well as C. Edgar Sloan in Strike Up the Band (City Center Encores!), Arnold Beckoff in Torch Song Trilogy, the Sergeant in The Pirates of Penzance, and David in Christopher Durang’s A History of the American Film. His Off-Broadway credits include the 30th Anniversary revival of I Do! I Do!, for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination; Geniuses; Terrence McNally’s It’s Only A Play; The Torch-Bearers; The Family of Mann and New Jerusalem. He won a Helen Hayes Award for his work as Charlie in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at Arena Stage, and he has been featured in prestigious regional productions of Die Fledermaus (Santa Fe Opera), Tom Stoppard’s Travesties (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and as the Devil in the world premiere of Randy Newman’s Faust (La Jolla/Goodman). He played Nathan Detroit and the Wizard of Oz, respectively, in the first national tours of Guys and Dolls and Wicked.
Garrison’s other television credits include Norman on It’s Your Move and Stan on Working It Out, as well as guest appearances on Law and Order, The West Wing, The Practice, NYPD Blue, Without a Trace, Everybody Loves Raymond, Judging Amy, Murphy Brown, Murder She Wrote, Ed, L.A. Law, Tom Clancy’s Op Center, and the PBS Great Performances presentations of On the Town with the London Symphony and Ira Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall.
In addition to the cast albums of Hollywood/Ukraine, Titanic, Bells Are Ringing, the 30th Anniversary revival of I Do! I Do!, and On the Town, Garrison’s many recordings include Songs of New York, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, Of Thee I Sing/Let ’Em Eat Cake, Girl Crazy, You Never Know, Tell Me More, Oh! Lady! Lady!!, George and Ira—Standards and Gems, and Dawn Upshaw Sings Rodgers and Hart (guest artist). He is a summa cum laude graduate of Boston University’s School of Theater Arts and the recipient of its Distinguished Alumni Award.

Timothy McDevitt, Maximillian/Captain/Stanislaus

American baritone Timothy McDevitt has established himself among the industry’s most versatile young performers. His unique ability to thrive in the worlds of both opera and musical theatre is clearly represented by his diverse schedule throughout the United States and abroad.

This season includes his debut in Germany as Harry Easter Street Scene at Oper Köln, Maximillian in Candide with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Call Me Madam with NY City Center Encores, Bruce Ismay in Titanic in Greenville, Ferrand in Love Sick at National Sawdust, and a return to Ravinia for the revival of Bernstein’s MASS with the Chicago Symphony.

The 2017–18 season included Riff in West Side Story with Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra, Bernstein’s MASS with the Chicago Symphony, Brigadoon for the New York City Center Gala, Happy in La fanciulla del West at New York City Opera, Kate Soper’s new opera Romance of the Rose for Wet Ink Music Productions, Me and My Girl for Encores at NY City Center, Alice with the Manhattan Contemporary Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, and the title role in Dear Edvard at National Sawdust, Arena Stage, and the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse. 2018 also saw the release of two albums: Bernstein’s MASS (Deutsche Grammophon), and Brigadoon (Ghostlight Records).

Highlights from the 2016–17 season include Lt. Cable in South Pacific at Ash Lawn Opera, The New Yorkers for Encores at NY City Center, Colonel Picquart in The Dreyfus Affair at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jonathan Dawe’s Nero and the Fall of Lehman Brothers with Ensemble Echappe, Thou Swell with the New York City Ballet, and Enrico in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata with the American Classical Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall.

Notable credits from previous seasons include the role of Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias at both the Theatre de La Monnaie de Munt in Bruxelles and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Bernstein’s MASS with The Philadelphia Orchestra (album released on Deutsche Grammophon), Lt. Wright in The Secret Garden at Baltimore Center Stage and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Lady Be Good for Encores at NY City Center (album released on Sh-k-Boom Records), the Emmy-nominated production of Carousel with the NY Philharmonic/Live from Lincoln Center, Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion for NPR, Guys and Dolls at Carnegie Hall, Paul in Les enfants terribles with North Carolina Opera, Allazim in Zaide with the New World Symphony, St. Plan in Four Saints in Three Acts with the Mark Morris Dance Group at BAM, various appearances with Steve Blier and the New York Festival of Song, and apprenticeships with Central City Opera and Wolf Trap Opera.

Timothy McDevitt has been recognized as a New York District Winner of The Metropolitan Opera Competition, a finalist in the Competizione dell’Opera at the Bolshoi in Moscow, the Lys Symonette Prize winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, and twice as a finalist for the Atelier Lyrique at the Paris Opera (Opéra Bastille). A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, McDevitt holds both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School.

Simone McIntosh, Paquette

Vancouver-born mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh graduated from the San Francisco Opera’s distinguished Adler Fellowship in 2021, where she performed the Second Woodsprite in Rusalka while also covering Dorabella, Cherubino, Hansel, Rosina, Stéphano and Mercédès. She will appear as Anna in Maometto II with Teatro Nuovo at Lincoln Center in the summer of 2022 and joins the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich during the 2022–23 season, performing Arsamene in Händel’s Serse, Siegrune in Die Walküre, and Flora in La traviata on the mainstage.

McIntosh has sung the title role in La Cenerentola with Vancouver Opera, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi with Festival Napa Valley, and the Second Witch and Second Lady in Dido and Aeneas with Canadian Opera Company.

She was recently awarded the Manetti-Shrem Vocal Prize and won second prize with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition. McIntosh also won the Wirth Vocal Prize Competition, Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio’s Centre Stage Competition, and Ottawa Choral Society’s New Discoveries Competition.

McIntosh is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and has participated in the Merola Opera Program, Songfest, Toronto Summer Music Program, and Banff Centre of the Arts. She holds an MMus degree from McGill University and a BMus degree from the University of British Columbia.

Alex Mansoori, Governor/Vanderdendur/Croupier

Called “outstanding” and “hilarious” by critics, tenor Alex Mansoori has been hailed as “solid and convincing” and “smartly characterized” by The New York Times. Specializing in character tenor roles, Mansoori’s varied repertoire runs the gamut from Handel and Mozart to Bernstein and Sondheim. In the 2017–2018 season, Mansoori returned to Opera Naples in his role debut as Goro in Puccini’s iconic Madama Butterfly and made his company and role debut as Dr. Caius in Falstaff for Opera Colorado. He also made his Opera Tampa debut in the dual roles of Don Basilio and Don Curzio in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. In the summer of 2018, Mansoori debuted at The Tanglewood Festival in multiple roles in Bernstein’s Candide. The production was originally presented with Orlando Philharmonic under director Alison Moritz and was also heard at Tanglewood in 2020 with the Brooklyn-based chamber orchestra The Knights. In the 2018–19 season, Mansoori made his Dallas Opera debut as Bardolfo in Falstaff, joining an all-star cast led by Riccardo Frizza. He also returned to Opera Orlando for his role debuts as Beppe in Pagliacci and the Four Servants in Les contes d’Hoffmann. This season, Mansoori returns to the New York Festival of Song as a soloist for multiple performances.

Recently, he appeared as Monostatos in the Orlando Philharmonic’s staged concert of Die Zauberflöte and was also part of the rebirth of Opera Orlando, singing Monsieur Vogelsang in The Impresario and Lacouf, le Fils, and le Journaliste in Les mamelles de Tirésias. In the 2016–2017 season, he was heard as Pang in Turandot and Monostatos with Opera Naples under the baton of Artistic Director Ramón Tebar. He was also seen as Pirelli in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd for Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Past seasons have seen him as Nika Magadoff in The Consul with Seattle Opera, as Bastianello and Lorenzo in the double bill of Bastianello/Lucrezia with UrbanArias in Washington D.C., and a return to the Ravinia Festival as Monostatos in a concert production with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Conlon. He also appeared in the same role in Peter Brook’s Une flûte enchantée which toured Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Morocco and Russia. It also was in residence at Brook’s home theatre Theatres des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.

Appearances also include Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with Santa Fe Opera, Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro with Glimmerglass Opera, Monostatos with Chicago Opera Theatre, and the Aspen Music Festival, where he was also heard as Lenia in the North American premiere of Cavalli’s Eliogabalo. Other roles include Flute in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Seattle Opera), Remendado in Carmen (Aspen Music Festival), and the Stage Manager in the New York premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town (The Juilliard School). He has also appeared on the Musical Theatre stage as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls and Igor in Young Frankenstein.

Mansoori has a long relationship with the Steven Blier and New York Festival of Song, most recently appearing in A Modern Person’s Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up. He has also appeared with NYFOS for tributes to Harold Prince, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer and is a favorite at their annual seasonal concert, “A Goyische Christmas to you!”

Mansoori has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and New York’s famed Rainbow Room, and he has appeared in Candide in Concert with The New York Philharmonic, which was also broadcast on PBS and later released on DVD.

Benjamin Krumreig, Merchant/Inquisitor/Charles Edward

Originally from Cleveland, tenor Benjamin Krumreig received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois School of Music. A versatile performer, Krumreig iswell versed in opera, operetta and musical theatre. Some of his previous roles include Arcadio in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Marco in The Gondoliers, Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Pluto in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and the title role in Bernstein’s Candide. Coming up this summer, Krumreig will return to Ohio Light Opera, where he can be seen portraying Harold von Reckenburg in Franz Lehár’s The Mock Marriage and the title role in Sigmund Romberg’s operetta The Student Prince. This fall, Krumreig will conceive and direct an original Gilbert & Sullivan revue titled Innocent Merriment; or, an Evening with Gilbert and Sullivan! for Gamut Theatre Group in Harrisburg, PA.

Benjamin Krumreig lives in Harrisburg with his partner, Eric, and their retired racing greyhound, Jasper.

David Margulis, lchemist/Achmet/Grand Inquisitor/Señor

Tenor David Margulis has established himself as a strong lyrical singer and actor on domestic and international opera stages alike. He has been called “radiant voiced” and has been praised for his “clear, pleasing tenor.”

In 2022, Margulis makes his Carnegie Hall debut in a program with the National Opera Chorus. He also features in A Streetcar Named Desire in his house debut with Florida Grand Opera, revisits Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with The FF Collective in San Diego, and returns to Arizona Opera as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2020, he was scheduled to perform as Almaviva with Opera on the James (Covid-19), and was featured as Alfred in Opera Orlando’s innovative production of Die Fledermaus. Margulis has performed leading roles both domestically and abroad, including Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Arizona Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Cleveland Opera Theater), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Arizona Opera), Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Opernhaus Zürich, Arizona Opera), and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Verbier Festival, Palm Beach Opera).
Margulis is a former member of the prestigious Internationales Opernstudio with Opernhaus Zürich. In addition, he is an alumnus of some of the finest training programs in the country, including Santa Fe Opera, the Wolf Trap Opera Filene Young Artist Program, and the Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio.

Craig Irvin, Doctor/Junkman/Inquisitor/ Hermann Augustus/Señor

During the 2021–22 season, versatile American baritone Craig Irvin delights audiences as The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance at both Atlanta Opera and Utah Symphony and Opera. On the concert platform, he joins Orchestra Iowa for Handel’s Messiah and New West Symphony for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The 2018–19 season brought a revival of his Dan Packard in Dinner at Eight with the Wexford Festival, Lt. Horstmayer in Silent Night with Austin Opera, Valentin in Faust with Opera Omaha, and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the Portland Symphony. The 2017–18 season included singing Dominik and covering Mandryka in Arabella with Canadian Opera Company, Handel’s Messiah with the Jacksonville Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem with Music Worchester, Stubb in Moby Dick with Utah Opera, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Orlando, and Frank in Die Fledermaus with Des Moines Metro Opera. Other recent engagements include one of his signature roles, Lieutenant Horstmayer, in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ new opera Silent Night with Minnesota Opera and subsequent performances with Opera Philadelphia, Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Atlanta Opera. On the concert platform, he has performed Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Portland Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, New West Symphony, and many others.

Tyler Putnam, Bearkeeper/Judge/Tsar Ivan

Tyler Putnam’s recent performances include The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Opera Tampa, Colline in La bohème with Gulfshore Opera, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with St.  Petersburg Opera Florida, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Geneva Light Opera, and Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers with Winter Opera St. Louis. This fall, Putnam will premiere the role of Marduk/Commander Mard in Cosmic Cowboy, a new work by Cerise Lim Jacobs and Elena Ruehr. Originally from Chebeague Island, Maine, Tyler Putnam is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Stephanie Klapper (CSA), Casting Director

Stephanie Klapper is a New York- based, award-winning casting
director who has been in the business for over 25 years. Her work is frequently seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, on television, film, and on many streaming platforms. She and her exceptional team are known for their limitless imagination and creativity, and for their work on a wide range of projects. Klapper and her team at Stephanie Klapper Casting are dedicated to con-tinuing to expand and champion diversity, equity and inclusion in the business.
Connecting creative, caring people to each other to make extraordinary things happen is among her greatest joys. With the return of live theatre, recent projects include Islander: A New Musical (Theatre 46); The Daughter-in-Law (Mint); Grace, the Musical (Ford’s Theatre); The Volt Festival celebrating the plays of Karen Hartman—The New Golden Age, The Lucky Star, and Goldie, Max & Milk (59 E 59th); ElfQuest (audio movie); and Rooted (Cincinnati Playhouse, where she continues her role as NY Casting Director, as she has for the past 10 seasons). For The Philadelphia Orchestra, she and her team cast the 100th Birthday Celebration performances of Bernstein’s MASS, West Side Story and Candide.
Klapper is passionate about arts education and working with creative teams to develop and expand the scope of established and new works. She teaches for NYU’s New Studio on Broadway, University of Oklahoma and USC, and she is a frequent guest lecturer at many colleges and universities. She is a mentor with NYU Women’s Mentorship Program as well as Fordham High School for the Arts in the Bronx, and she is a member of the National Board of the Casting Society and Casting Society Cares. Klapper is co-host and co-creator of the podcast Someone’s Thunder, about creators and artists sharing their thunder-stealing moments.

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS

ROBERT PORCO, Director of Choruses
Matthew Swanson, Associate Director
of Choruses
Heather MacPhail, Accompanist
Matthew Swope, Conducting Fellow
Kathryn Zajac Albertson,
Chorus Manager
Bryce Newcomer, Chorus Librarian

The May Festival Chorus has earned acclaim locally, nationally and internationally for its musicality, vast range of repertoire and sheer power of sound. The Chorus of 125 professionally trained singers is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival as well as the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. Throughout a typical season the chorus members collectively devote more than 40,000 hours in rehearsals and performances.
Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere. The annual Festival, now under the artistic leadership of Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena, boasts the May Festival Chorus—with choral preparation by Robert Porco—and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as anchors, hosts an international array of guest artists and presents two spectacular weekends of dynamic programming. James Conlon, who in 2016 brought to a close an unprecedented 37-year tenure as May Festival Music Director, was named Music Director Laureate upon his retirement. Many important choral works have received their World and American premieres at the May Festival, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi and Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louis Langrée Music Director

With a legacy dating back 127 years, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is considered one of America’s finest and most versatile ensembles. Led by Louis Langrée since 2013, the CSO’s distinguished roster of past music directors includes Leopold Stokowski, Eugène Ysaÿe, Fritz Reiner, Max Rudolf, Jesús López Cobos and Paavo Järvi. Matthias Pintscher is the Orchestra’s Creative Partner, and previous artistic partners have included Lang Lang, Philip Glass, Branford Marsalis and Jennifer Higdon. The Orchestra also performs as the Cincinnati Pops, founded by Erich Kunzel in 1977 and currently led by John Morris Russell with Damon Gupton serving as Principal Guest Conductor. The CSO further elevates the city’s vibrant arts scene by serving as the official orchestra for the Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Ballet.

The CSO has long championed the composers and music of its time and has given historic American premieres by Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartók, William Grant Still and other prominent composers. It has also commissioned many works that ultimately became mainstays of the classical repertoire, including Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. The Orchestra continues to actively commission new work, amplifying new voices from a diverse array of backgrounds, most recently with the Fanfare Project, a series of solo instrument works written for CSO musicians to mark a moment in time during the Covid pandemic.
Deeply committed to inclusion, relevance, and enhancing and expanding opportunities for the children of Greater Cincinnati, the Orchestra works to bring music education, in its many different forms, to as broad a public as possible. In 2020, the CSO was one of the first American orchestras to create a Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer position to ensure the absorption of best DE&I practices into every facet of the organization. The CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship, a nationally recognized program in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, provides a graduate degree-level education with performance and professional development opportunities for extraordinary young string players from populations historically underrepresented in American orchestras. The CSO is also an incubator for and partner to NIMAN, a consortium of American orchestras, professional musicians and educators established to address the lack of racial equity in the classical music field by aligning resources and collaborating to strengthen the trajectory of classical instrumentalists of color at all stages of their pre-careers.

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

Soprano

Natalie Badinghaus, 1
Tracy Bailey, 21
Karen Bastress, 23
A. Maris Bernard, 18
Laurel Boisclair Ellsworth, 17
Dawn Bruestle, 17
Renee Cifuentes, 5
Ally Clifton, 1
Kathy Dietrich, 8
Jennifer Dobson, 5
Rachel Dummermuth, 3
Sarah Evans, 7
Anita Marie Greer, 33
Melissa Haas, 4
Gaynelle Hardwick, 6
Dana Harms, 14
Mary Wynn Haupt, 20
Lauren Steiger Hess, 26
Carolyn Hill, 11
Sara Hook, 1
Hyejung Jun, 4
Alexandra Kesman, 7
Lisa Koressel, 22
Judith C. LaChance, 44
Hilary Landwehr, 33
Julia Lawrence, 2
Julia Marchese, 1
Audrey Markovich, 1
Alison Peeno, 3
Zohar Perla, 3
Lauren Peter, 18
Kristi C. Reed, 11
Beth Roberts, 16
Justine Samuel, 4
Julia H. Schieve, 27
Yvon F. Shore, 10
Sam Walker, 1
Patricia Wilkens, 1
Rosie Wilkinson, 1
Samantha Zeiger, 1

Alto

Alaina Diane Arwood, 3
Robin Bierschenk, 11
Erika Emody, 15
Kathy Falcon, 18
Sarah Fall, 1
Amanda Gast, 1
Jean Graves, 12
Sally Vickery Harper, 51
Beth Huntley, 3
Spence B. Ingerson, 32
Karolyn L. Johnsen, 50
Jenifer Klostermeier, 3
Sue Kozlowski, 1
Julie Laskey, 18
Megan Lawson, 7
Tiffany Lin, 1
Katherine Loomis, 2
Elaine P. Lustig, 12
Kathy Mank, 17
Teri McKibben, 14
Ashlinn Meechan, 1
Jennifer Moak, 8
Amy M. Perry, 10
Amanda Schwarz
Rosenzweig, 1
Karen Scott-Vosseberg, 5
Sarah Stoutamire, 5
Megan Weaver, 9

Tenor

Lawrence Adams, 1
Avery Bargasse, 4
David Bower, 1
Douglas Easterling, 7
David Gillespie, 1
Robert Henderson, 3
Tyler Johnson, 4
Fansheng Kong, 1
Kevin Leahy, 4
Robert Lomax, 4
Andrew Miller, 1
Jason Ramler, 20
Larry Reiring, 13
Adam Shoaff, 9
Jeffrey Stivers, 12
Matthew Swanson, 10
Matthew Swope, 1
Stephen West, 1
Barry Zaslow, 38

Bass

Mark Barnes, 5
Jim Baxter, 31
Nathan Bettenhausen, 1
Andrew L. Bowers, 6
Scott Brody, 7
Douglas J. Bruestle, 13
Darren Bryant, 1
Christopher Canarie, 28
Lawrence Coleman, 20
Steven L. Dauterman, 40
Steve France, 17
Mark Hockenberry, 1
Takuya Konishi, 1
Jim Laskey, 12
DeRon McDaniel, 1
John McKibben, 4
Daniel Parsley, 5
Justin Peter, 18
James V. Racster, 40
Mitch Radakovich, 1
Brian Reilly, 1
Joseph Taff, 3
Joshua Wallace, 15
Mark Weaver, 16
Paul Wessendarp, 2
Tommy Wessendarp, 1

Numbers behind chorus members’ names signify their years of service. Those celebrating anniversaries of five-year increments are honored with lapel pins they proudly wear with their May Festival uniforms.

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

LOUIS LANGRÉE, CSO Music Director
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, Pops Conductor
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Matthias Pintscher, CSO Creative Partner

Damon Gupton, Pops Principal Guest Conductor

François López-Ferrer, CSO Associate Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Associate Conductor

Wilbur Lin, Pops Assistant Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Assistant Conductor

FIRST VIOLINS

Stefani Matsuo
Concertmaster
—Anna Sinton Taft Chair

Charles Morey
Acting Associate Concertmaster
—Tom & Dee Stegman Chair

Philip Marten
First Assistant Concertmaster
—James M. Ewell Chair++

Eric Bates
Second Assistant Concertmaster
—Serge Shababian Chair

Kathryn Woolley
—Nicholas Tsimaras–Peter G. Courlas Chair++

Anna Reider
—Dianne & J. David Rosenberg Chair

Mauricio Aguiar§

Minyoung Baik

James Braid
—Marc Bohlke Chair given by Katrin & Manfred Bohlke

Michelle Edgar Dugan

Rebecca Kruger Fryxell
Clifford J. Goosmann and Andrea M. Wilson Chair

Gerald Itzkoff
—Jean Ten Have Chair

Lois Reid Johnson
—Anne G. & Robert W. Dorsey Chair++

Sylvia Mitchell
—Jo Ann & Paul Ward Chair

Luo-Jia Wu

SECOND VIOLINS

Gabriel Pegis
Principal
—Al Levinson Chair

Yang Liu*
—Harold B. & Betty Justice Chair

Scott Mozlin**
—Henry Meyer Chair

Kun Dong

Cheryl Benedict

Evin Blomberg§

Rachel Charbel
—Ida Ringling North Chair

Elizabeth Furuta†

Chika Kinderman

Hyesun Park

Paul Patterson
—Charles Gausmann Chair++

Stacey Woolley
—Brenda & Ralph Taylor Chair++

VIOLAS

Christian Colberg
Principal
—Louise D. & Louis Nippert Chair

Paul Frankenfeld*
—Grace M. Allen Chair

Julian Wilkison**

Rebecca Barnes§

Christopher Fischer

Stephen Fryxell
—Melinda & Irwin Simon Chair

Caterina Longhi

Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera

Joanne Wojtowicz

CELLOS

Ilya Finkelshteyn
Principal
—Irene & John J. Emery Chair

Daniel Culnan*
—Ona Hixson Dater Chair

Norman Johns**
—Karl & Roberta Schlachter Family Chair

Matthew Lad§
—Marvin Kolodzik Chair

Susan Marshall-Petersen
—Laura Kimble McLellan Chair++

Hiro Matsuo

Theodore Nelson
—Peter G. Courlas–Nicholas Tsimaras Chair++

Alan Rafferty
—Ruth F. Rosevear Chair

BASSES

Owen Lee
Principal
—Mary Alice Heekin Burke Chair++

James Lambert*
—Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair

Matthew Zory, Jr.**+
—Trish & Rick Bryan Chair

Boris Astafiev§

Ronald Bozicevich
—Donald & Margaret Robinson Chair

Rick Vizachero

HARP

Gillian Benet Sella
Principal
—Cynthia & Frank Stewart Chair

FLUTES

Randolph Bowman
Principal
—Charles Frederic Goss Chair

Henrik Heide*†

Haley Bangs
—Jane & David Ellis Chair

PICCOLO

[OPEN]
—Patricia Gross Linnemann Chair

OBOES

Dwight Parry
Principal
—Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Chair

Lon Bussell*
—Stephen P. McKean Chair

Emily Beare

ENGLISH HORN

Christopher Philpotts
Principal
—Alberta & Dr. Maurice Marsh Chair+

CLARINETS

Christopher Pell
Principal
—Emma Margaret & Irving D. Goldman Chair

Joseph Morris*
Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet
—Robert E. & Fay Boeh Chair++

Ixi Chen
Vicky & Rick Reynolds Chair in Honor of William A. Friedlander

BASS CLARINET

Ronald Aufmann

BASSOONS

Christopher Sales
Principal
—Emalee Schavel Chair++

Martin Garcia*

Hugh Michie

CONTRABASSOON

Jennifer Monroe

FRENCH HORNS

Elizabeth Freimuth
Principal
—Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

[OPEN]*
—Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer Chair

Molly Norcross**
Acting Associate Principal
—Sweeney Family Chair in memory of Donald C. Sweeney

Lisa Conway
—Susanne & Philip O. Geier, Jr. Chair

Duane Dugger
—Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair

Charles Bell

TRUMPETS

Robert Sullivan
Principal
—Rawson Chair

Douglas Lindsay*
—Jackie & Roy Sweeney Family Chair

Steven Pride
—Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair++

Christopher Kiradjieff

TROMBONES

Cristian Ganicenco
Principal
—Dorothy & John Hermanies Chair

Joseph Rodriguez**
Second/Assistant Principal Trombone

BASS TROMBONE

Peter Norton

TUBA

Christopher Olka
Principal
—Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair

TIMPANI

Patrick Schleker
Principal
—Matthew & Peg Woodside Chair

Michael Culligan
Acting Associate Principal

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

PERCUSSION

David Fishlock
Principal
—Susan S. & William A. Friedlander Chair

Michael Culligan*

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

Marc Wolfley+

KEYBOARDS

Michael Chertock
—James P. Thornton Chair

Julie Spangler+
—James P. Thornton Chair

CSO/CCM DIVERSITY FELLOWS

Maalik Glover, violin

Mwakudua waNgure, violin

Tyler McKisson, viola

Javier Otalora, viola

Max Oppeltz-Carroz, cello

Luis Parra, cello

Samantha Powell, cello

Luis Celis Avila, bass

Amy Nickler, bass

LIBRARIANS

Christina Eaton
Acting Principal Librarian
—Lois Klein Jolson Chair

Elizabeth Dunning
Acting Associate Principal Librarian

Adam Paxson
Interim Assistant Librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Brian P. Schott

Phillip T. Sheridan

Daniel Schultz

Andrew Sheridan

§ Begins the alphabetical listing of players who participate in a system of rotated seating within the string section.

*  Associate Principal

**  Assistant Principal

† One-year appointment

‡ Leave of absence

+ Cincinnati Pops rhythm section

++ CSO endowment only

~ Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation