SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Education Materials SWEENEY TODD

SWEENEY TODD

PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES Brian Mulligan (Sweeney Todd) American baritone Brian Mulligan made his San Francisco Opera debut as Marcello (La Bohème) in 2008 and has since returned as Valentin (Faust), Albert (Werther), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), the title role in Nixon in China, and the Kingʼs Herald (Lohengrin). He returned in 2014 as Count Anckarström (Un Ballo in Maschera) and Marcello, and he appeared as Chorebus (Les Troyens) in summer 2015; in the Company's 2015-16 season he appears in the title roles of Sweeney Todd, Debussy's La Chute de la Maison Usher, Getty's Usher House, and as Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor). Recent engagements include Prospero (Adèsʼs The Tempest) with Frankfurt Opera; Yeletsky (The

Queen of Spades) with Zurich Opera; André Thorel (Massenetʼs Thérèse) at Wexford Festival Opera; the Father (Hänsel und Gretel) with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Enrico with Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington National Opera; the title role of Hamlet with Minnesota Opera; and Balstrode (Peter Grimes) at the Aspen Music Festival. Career highlights include Valentin at the Metropolitan Opera; the title role of The Death of Klinghoffer with Opera Theater of St. Louis; Enrico and Sharpless with English National Opera; Prometheus (Die Vögel) at Los Angeles Opera; Marcello at Houston Grand Opera and New York City Opera; Ford (Falstaff) at Japanʼs Saito Kinen Festival; and the title role of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Grand Opera, and at the Ravinia Festival. Orchestral appearances include engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Stephanie Blythe (Mrs. Lovett) Considered to be one of the most highly respected artists of her generation, Stephanie Blythe made her San Francisco Opera debut in 2009 as a soloist in the Verdi Requiem and returned that year as Azucena (Il Trovatore); she previously performed with San Francisco Opera at the 2007 Stern Grove Festival. Blythe has sung in many of the renowned opera houses across the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera; Seattle Opera; the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Paris Opera; and Los Angeles Opera. Her broad repertoire includes the title roles of Carmen, La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein, Tancredi, Mignon, Orfeo, and Giulio Cesare; Frugola, the Princess, and Zita (Il Trittico); Dalila (Samson et Dalila); Fricka in both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre; Ulrica (Un Ballo in

Maschera); Baba the Turk (The Rake's Progress); Jocasta (Oedipus Rex); Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites); Isabella (L'Italiana in Algeri); Mistress Quickly (Falstaff); Ježibaba (Rusalka); and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus). Recent and upcoming engagements include creating the role of Gertrude Stein in the world premiere of Gordonʼs 27 with Opera Theater of St. Louis; Fricka (Der Ring des Nibelung) with the Met and Seattle Opera; Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), Amneris (Aida), Eduige (Rodelina), and Baba the Turk (The Rakeʼs Progress) with the Met; Ulrica (Un Ballo in Maschera) with Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Diego Opera; and Ino and Juno (Semele) with Seattle Opera. Equally active on the concert stage, she has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, among several others. Blythe's most recent solo recordings include a collection of pieces by Mahler, Brahms, and Wagner as well as an album of Handel and Bach arias—all released on the Virgin Classics label. She was recently named Musical America's Vocalist of the Year for 2009; her other awards include the 2007 Opera News Award and the 1999 Richard Tucker Award.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Education Materials SWEENEY TODD

Heidi Stober (Johanna) made her San Francisco Opera debut in 2010 as Sophie (Werther) and has since returned as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Atalanta (Xerxes), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Nannetta (Falstaff), Magnolia Hawks (Show Boat), and Oscar (Un Ballo in Maschera). The American sopranoʼs recent engagements include Pamina with the Metropolitan Opera; Pamina, Susanna, Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Adina (LʼElisir dʼAmore), and Micaëla (Carmen) with Deutsche Oper Berlin; and Zdenka(Arabella) with the Santa Fe Opera. A recent principal artist with Deutsche Oper Berlin, her other engagements with that company have included Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Oscar (Un Ballo in Maschera), Ninette (L'Amour des Trois Oranges), Ascagne (Les Troyens), and Roggiero (Tancredi). Stober is a

graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, and her credits there include Musetta (La Bohème), Atalanta, Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Norina (Don Pasquale), Susanna, The Rose (Portmanʼs The Little Prince), and La China in the world premiere of Catánʼs Salsipuedes. Other career highlights include Gretel with the Metropolitan Opera; La Folie and Thalie (Platée), Tigrane (Radamisto), Musetta, and Ada Leverson in the world premiere of Morrisonʼs Oscar with the Santa Fe Opera; Poppea (Agrippina) with New York City Opera; Morgana (Alcina) in Santiago, Chile; Aminta (Il Re Pastore) with Opera Theatre of St. Louis; and Leïla (Les Pêcheurs de Perles) at Opera Colorado. Recent and upcoming engagements include Oscar with the Metropolitan Opera; Gretel, Pamina, Ninette, and Adina with Deutsche Oper Berlin; Sandrina (La Finta Giardiniera) with the Santa Fe Opera; and Ada Leverson with Opera Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Futral (Beggar Woman) Since her San Francisco Opera debut creating the role of Stella Kowalski in André Previnʼs A Streetcar Named Desire in 1998, American soprano Elizabeth Futralʼs other Company successes include the title role of La Traviata (2009) and originating the role of Vera Donovan in Tobias Pickerʼs Dolores Claiborne (2013). Recent career highlights include creating the role of Alice B. Toklas in Ricky Ian Gordonʼs 27 at Opera Theatre of St. Louis; the title role of Saariahoʼs Émilie at the Lincoln Center and Spoleto USA Festivals; Violetta at Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and San Diego Opera; the title role of The Merry Widow with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Zdenka (Arabella) Minnesota Opera; Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) with Washington National Opera; the title

role of Thaïs in Athens and Santiago, Chile; and the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at Portland Opera. No stranger to contemporary opera, she created the role of Laura Jesson in Previnʼs A Brief Encounter at Houston Grand Opera in 2009, and in 2006 she originated the role of Princess Yueyang in Tan Dunʼs The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera. The Louisiana nativeʼs other notable engagements include the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvira (I Puritani), and Princess Eudoxie (Halévyʼs La Juive) at the Metropolitan Opera; Adina (LʼElisir dʼAmore) and Gilda (Rigoletto) at Barcelonaʼs Gran Teatre del Liceu; Thaïs at English National Opera; Violetta and the title role of Handelʼs Partenope at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Gilda at La Monnaie in Brussels; Nannetta (Falstaff) and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) in Munich; and the title roles of Semele, Daphne, and The Ballad of Baby Doe at New York City Opera. Futralʼs extensive discography includes Meyerbeerʼs LʼEtoile du Nord (Marco Polo); A Streetcar Named Desire, and LʼEnfant et les Sortilèges (DG); Glassʼs Hydrogen Jukebox (Euphorbia); Rossiniʼs Otello and Zelmira as well as Paciniʼs Carlo di Borgogna (Opera Rara); Gordonʼs Orpheus and Euridice (Ghostlight); also Lucia di Lammermoor and a solo recital recording entitled Great Opera Arias (Chandos). Upcoming engagements include Mimì (La Bohème) with Opera Birmingham; Elle (Poulencʼs La Voix Humaine) and Nedda (Pagliacci) with Opera Columbus; and Miss Hedgehog (Pickerʼs The Fantastic Mr. Fox) with Opera San Antonio.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Education Materials SWEENEY TODD

Elliot Madore (Anthony Hope) A winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Canadian baritone Elliot Madore makes his San Francisco Opera debut as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd. His engagements in the 2014–15 season include Pelléas (Pelléas et Mélisande) with Munichʼs Bavarian State Opera and Croatian National Opera, Prince Hérisson de Porc-Epic (Chabrierʼs Lʼétoile) at Dutch National Opera; Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos) in Zurich, and Adario (Rameauʼs Les Indes Galantes) with Les Arts Florissants in Paris. As an ensemble member with Zurich Opera, his roles with that company have included Valentin (Faust), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Schaunard (La Bohème), Andrei (Eötvösʼs Three Sisters),

Silvio (Pagliacci), Silvano (Un Ballo in Maschera), and Germano (La Scala di Seta). Other career highlights include the title role of Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, the Glyndebourne Festival, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Lysander (The Enchanted Island) with the Met; Ramiro (LʼHeure Espagnole) and the Cat/Grandfather Clock (LʼEnfant et les Sortilèges) at the Glyndebourne and Saito Kinen Festivals; and Schaunard with Opera Colorado. In addition to the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Madore was the recipient of the 2010 George London Award for a Canadian Singer from the George London Foundation, a finalist in the 2010 Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers in Houston and the recipient of the ARIAS Emerging Young Artist Award from Opera Canada. He was also the winner of the 2009 Palm Beach Vocal Competition.

Matthew Grills (Tobias Ragg) A winner of the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Lotte Lenya Competition, American tenor Matthew Grills made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2013 as Nathanaël (Les Contes dʼHoffmann) and returned later that year as Count Almaviva (The Barber of Seville for Families). He has been a member of the young artist programs at the Seagle Music Colony, Portland Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera, where he performed the role of Frank Harris in a workshop of Theodore Morrisonʼs new opera Oscar. In 2013 he was presented in recital with Vocal Arts D.C. and the Washington Performing Arts Society at the Kennedy Center. His repertoire includes the roles of Goffredo

(Rinaldo), Spoletta (Tosca), Jeník (The Bartered Bride), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Prunier (La Rondine), and Prince Charming (Cendrillon). Recent engagements include Fenton (Falstaff) with Wolf Trap Opera and a year of study at Munichʼs Bavarian State Opera last fall through a scholarship awarded by the Opera Foundation.

Wayne Tigges (Judge Turpin) made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2011 creating the roles of Sam and Wesley in the world premiere of Heart of a Soldier as well as singing the roles of Ariodates (Xerxes) and Zuniga (Carmen). He returned in 2013 to create the role of Joe St. George in the world premiere of Dolores Claiborne. The American bass-baritoneʼs recent engagements include Willy Wonka in the European premiere of Peter Ashʼs The Golden Ticket at the Wexford Festival; Escamillo (Carmen) and Leporello (Don Giovanni) at the San Diego Opera; Jochanaan (Salome) with Arizona Opera; Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) with Opera Colorado and Lyric Opera of Chicago; Donner (Das Rheingold), Escamillo, Zuniga (Carmen), and the Bonze

(Madama Butterfly) with Los Angeles Opera; the Vicar (Albert Herring), Basilio, Hercules (Alceste), and Nourabad (Les Pêcheurs de Perles) with the Santa Fe Opera; Escamillo at the Glyndebourne Festival; Kolenatý (The Makropulos Case) with Paris Opera; and Achilla (Giulio Cesare) with the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. A graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicagoʼs Ryan Opera Center, Tiggesʼs other roles with that company include the title role of Le Nozze di Figaro, Capulet (Roméo et Juliette), Angelotti (Tosca), Sam (Un Ballo in Maschera), and the Bonze; he also created the role of Snook in Bolcomʼs A Wedding.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Education Materials SWEENEY TODD

John Easterlin (Adolfo Pirelli) made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2006 as Don Curzio (Le Nozze di Figaro). His recent engagements include creating Andy Warhol in the world premiere of Glassʼs The Perfect American in Madrid and London; Larry King in the U.S. premiere of Turnageʼs Anna Nicole with New York City Opera; the Scrivener (Khovanschina) and Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte) with the Metropolitan Opera; Andres (Wozzeck) and Prince Nilsky (The Gambler) with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Misail (Boris Godunov) at Madridʼs Teatro Real; Jack O;Brien and Toby Higgins (The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and in Madrid; Herod (Salome) with the Vienna

State Opera; and Squeak (Billy Budd) and the Hunchback Brother (Die Frau ohne Schatten) with Paris Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. His CD and DVD catalogues include appearances on PBS Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Alice Tully Hall, as well as a telecast of the Los Angeles Operaʼs acclaimed production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, which 2008 Emmy and Peabody Awards, and 2009 Grammy Awards for “Opera Recording of the Year” and “Classical Album of the Year.” Easterlin moved from a career as a Broadway theater performer where he was seen as Giuseppe in the national tour of The Most Happy Fellow, the title role of Candide at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C., the first national tour of Chicago, and in the Broadway production of Band of Brothers.

Tenor A.J. Glueckert (Beadle Bamford) is a former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow hailing from Portland, Oregon who made his Company debut as a Preacher and a Follower in the world premiere of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene in 2013. Other Company appearances include Mr. Knox in Dolores Claiborne, the Steersman in Der Fliegende Holländer, Ambrogio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and The Barber of Seville for Families, Flavio in Norma, Elder Gleaton in Susannah,and a Judge in Un Ballo in Maschera. Glueckert is an alumnus of the 2012 Merola Opera Program, where he performed Mr. Owen in Argentoʼs Postcard from Morocco. As a resident artist with Minnesota Opera, he was heard as Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor) and also created the role of the Crown Prince in the world premiere of Putsʼs Silent Night with Opera Philadelphia. He is also

a graduate of the young artists programs at Santa Fe Opera and Utah Opera. A two-time winner of the regional Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, he holds a degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and he appeared as the Drum Major (Wozzeck) with Opera Parallèle in San Francisco.