Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta Opera’s reimagined ‘Carmen’ is delightfully dramatic
NEWS ARTICLE
April 20, 2021
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NEWS ARTICLE
April 20, 2021
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Cathy Callaway Adams
& Mark Adams
Anonymous (5)
Mr. & *Mrs. Shepard B. Ansley
Mrs. Wallace F. Beard
The Bickers Charitable Trust
Mr. Jonathan Blalock
*Jim & *Nancy Bland
Mr. Montague L. Boyd, IV
Mr. Robert Colgin
*Martha Thompson Dinos
The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation
Mr. Richard H. Delay
& Dr. Francine D. Dykes
Arnold & Sylvia Eaves
* Ms. Dorothy E. Edwards
*Heike & Dieter Elsner
Ms. Melodi Ford
Carl & Sally Gable
*Ms. Anne Marie Gary
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney W. Guberman
Ms. Judy Hanenkrat
*Sylvia Halleck, MD
Caroline Hardin
Richard & Fern Hartnig
The Hilbert Family Trust
Eda L. Hochgelerent, M.D.
& Bruce A. Cassidy, M.D.
Mr. L. Don Holland
Mr. Hilson Hudson
*Mrs. Joseph B. Hutchison
Gail G. Johnson
Mr. J. Carter Joseph
*Mrs. Alfred D. Kennedy, Sr.
*Mrs. Isabelle W. Kennedy
*Donald & *Marilyn Keough
Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Keough
Ms. Corina M. LaFrossia
Mr. & Mrs. John G. Malcolm
Mr. Robert L. Mays
Mr. & Mrs. Allen P. McDaniel
*Peggy Weber McDowell
& *Jack McDowell
Mr. & Mrs. Craig N. Miller
*Miss Helen D. Moffitt
Mr. J. Robert Morring
Clara M. & John S. O’Shea
Mrs. Polly N. Pater
Mr. James Paulk
*Mr. William Pennington
*Mr. Bruce Roth
Ms. Hazel Sanger
Mr. D. Jack Sawyer, Jr.
Anita & J. Barry Schrenk
Katherine Scott
Elizabeth N. Shapiro
*Mrs. Lessie B. Smithgall
Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel
Christine & Mark St.Clare
*Ms. Barbara D. Stewart
*Mrs. Eleanor H. Strain
Mr. Tarek Takieddini
Sandra & *Tom Teepen
Dr. & Mrs. Harold Whitney
*Mrs. Jane S. Willson
Rhys & Carolyn Wilson
Ms. Bunny Winter
& Mr. Michael Doyle
Mr. Charles R. Yates, Jr.
& Mrs. Mary Mitchell Yates
*Mr. & *Mrs. Charels R. Yates, Sr.
Mr. Tomer Zvulun
& Mrs. Susanna Eiland
General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is also one of opera’s most exciting stage directors, earning consistent praise for his creative vision, often described as cinematic and fresh. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, the opera companies of Israel, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Montreal, Wexford, Glimmerglass, Houston, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, San Diego, Minnesota, Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University, and IVAI in Tel Aviv.
Since taking the leadership in Atlanta a decade ago, he personally directed thirty of the company’s productions. He increased the operations of the company from three to six productions per season, while stabilizing the financials and in the course of his first decade tenure, secured Atlanta’s position as one of the top 10 opera companies in the US. Some of his noted achievements includes launching the successful Discoveries series, creating the first young artist program in the company’s history, tripling the company’s annual fund raising, launching the company’s first RING cycle, creating The Atlanta Opera Film Studio, and building a theatre in a circus tent where performances were conducted safely during the pandemic.
His work at The Atlanta Opera attracted international attention by earning numerous awards and prizes including the nomination of The Atlanta Opera for the International Opera Awards in London and the selection of his production of Silent Night as both the Irish Times and Atlanta Journal-Constitution production of the year. His focus on innovation led to an invitation to deliver a TED talk as well as a case study that is being taught at Harvard Business School. His productions travel the world and bring wide exposure to the company. Next season his productions of Rigoletto travel to Los Angeles Opera, his La bohème returns to The Dallas Opera, and his acclaimed production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs will make its Kennedy Center debut at the Washington National Opera.
Arthur Fagen has been the Carl and Sally Gable music director at The Atlanta Opera since 2010, and continues to be in great demand as a conductor of symphony and opera both in Europe and the United States. He is a regular guest at the most prestigious opera houses, concert halls, and music festivals at home and abroad, and his career has been marked by a string of notable appearances including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Staatsoper Berlin, Munich State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and New York City Opera.
From 1998 to 2001, Fagen was invited regularly to be guest conductor at Vienna State Opera. On the concert podium, Fagen has appeared with internationally renowned orchestras, including Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Munich Radio Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, and RAI Orchestras of Turin, Naples, Milan, and Rome. From 2002 to 2007, he was the music director of Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera. He serves as Chair and Professor, Department of Orchestral Conducting at Indiana University in Bloomington.
A former assistant of Christoph von Dohnanyi (Frankfurt Opera) and James Levine (Metropolitan Opera), he served as principal conductor in Kassel and Brunswick, as chief conductor of Flanders Opera of Antwerp and Ghent, as music director of Queens Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the conducting staff for Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Fagen was born in New York and studied with Laszlo Halasz, Max Rudolf (Curtis Institute) and Hans Swarowsky. Fagen has an opera repertoire of more than 75 works and has recorded for Naxos and BMG. His Naxos recording of Bohuslav Martinůs works was awarded Editor’s Choice in the March 2010 issue of Gramophone Magazine.
