National Endowment for the Arts FY 2017 Fall Grant Announcement

exploration of what may have transpired in the life and mind of the American icon as he met his end. The
creative team may include director Kevin Newbury, conductor Andreas Mitisek, set designer Alan E. Muraoka,
lighting designer Dan Weingarten, baritone Justin Ryan, and soprano Suzan Hanson. A co-production with
Chicago Opera Theater, as many as three performances will occur at the Terrace Theater in the spring of 2017.
Los Angeles Opera Company (aka LA Opera)
$65,000 Los Angeles, CA
To support performances of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann"("The Tales of Hoffmann") by composer Jacques Offenbach
and librettist Jules Barbier. The work is based on three stories of love and loss by E.T.A. Hoffmann, who is also
the protagonist of the opera. Obsessed with a prima donna, Hoffmann is aided by his muse and travels on a
fantastical journey through his three ill-fated loves, and finally steers away from his doomed pursuit of romance
and back to his true love of poetry. The creative team may include conductor Placido Domingo and director
Marta Domingo. The cast may include soprano Diana Damrau, tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Christophe Mortagne,
and bass-baritone Nicolas Teste. A co-production with Washington National Opera and the Mariinsky Theater
(St. Petersburg, Russia), as many as six performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion will occur in early 2017.
Lyric Opera of Chicago (aka Lyric Opera or Lyric)
$65,000 Chicago, IL
To support performances of "I Puritani" by composer Vincenzo Bellini. Set during the English Civil War of the
1600s amidst violent conflicts between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, the story centers upon Elvira and
her fiance Cavalier Arturo on the eve of their wedding. Chicago audiences have not seen a production of the bel
canto masterpiece for nearly 26 years. The cast may include tenor Lawrence Brownlee, bass-baritone Christian
Van Horn, and soprano Albina Shagimuratova. As many as six performances will take place at the Civic Opera
House in early 2018 and additional audiences will be reached through live national radio broadcasts and webstreaming.
Madison Opera, Inc.
$20,000 Madison, WI
To support a production of "Charlie Parker's Yardbird" by composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette
Wimberly. The opera focuses on legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, Jr., also known as "Bird," who died at
the age of 34. Set on the day of Parker's death as his body lays unclaimed in a New York City morgue, Bird
returns in spirit to Birdland, the famed jazz club named in his honor, where he composes a final masterpiece and
is visited by people from his past. The creative team may include conductor John DeMain, director Ron Daniels,
tenor Joshua Stewart, sopranos Angela Brown, Angela Mortellaro, and Rachel Sterrenberg, and baritone Will
Liverman. A wide range of engagement activities including collaborations with local jazz professionals, schools,
and community groups, will be held in the months leading up to the performances. As many as two
performances will occur at the 1,081-seat Capitol Theater in early 2017.
Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc. (aka The Met, Met Opera)
$90,000 New York, NY
To support a new production of "Rusalka" by composer Antonin Dvorak. Set in a nature-filled fairytale world,
juxtaposed by a contrastingly stark and corrupt human world, Rusalka (a water nymph) falls in love with a
human prince and wishes to become mortal. Although her wish is granted and the Prince initially embraces her,
he later rejects her for a foreign princess. Realizing his mistake, the Prince rushes back to Rusalka risking his own
life to restore her immortality. The creative team may include director Mary Zimmerman, set designer Dan
Ostling, costume designer Mara Blumenfeld, and conductor Mark Elder. The cast may include soprano Kristine
Opolais in the title role, tenor Brandon Jovanovich, and bass-baritone Eric Owens. Outreach activities will
Some details of the projects listed are subject to change, contingent upon prior Arts Endowment approval. Information is current as of
December 7, 2016.