TEVYE’S DAUGHTERS

LEARN HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE FUTURE
OF TEVYE’S DAUGHTERS
AND READ THE SHORT STORY UPON WHICH THE OPERA IS BASED

Thank you for joining us for our workshop reading of Alex Weiser and Stephanie Fleischmann’s Tevye’s Daughters. Our workshop this winter has been a very important step on the journey of this opera to the stage, and we are thrilled that you could join us. Based on what Alex and Stephanie learned during the workshop period, the ALT artistic team will continues to support Alex and Stephanie by providing them with the resources they need to make revisions to the libretto and score, and to move the piece from the page to the stage.

As we like to say at ALT, great operas don’t just happen. The average cost of developing a new opera - from start to finish - is over $200,000. This includes the artists’ commission fees; libretto, piano/vocal, and orchestral workshops; and at least 3 years of mentorship from some of the leading artists working in the opera field. We cannot bring great operas to the stage without you. We hope you will consider investing in the future of Tevye’s Daughters.

MEET THE ARTISTS

Baritone Gideon Dabi (TEVYE) continues to receive great acclaim, delivering "powerfully felt, beautifully performed and articulated" (Newsday) performances across a wide array of genres and styles. His "earnest interpretations" have thrilled audiences throughout the United States, to Israel, Italy, and back. In recent seasons, Gideon has sung the role of Max Weinreich in The Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language, Tevye in Tevye’s Daughters, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Columbus, as well as the studio recording of Gerald Cohen's Steal a Pencil For Me which he premiered with Opera Colorado. He was a featured singer on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee as well as Magnetosphere (a Toronto Film Festival entrant) and has done multiple engagements with American Lyric Theater. He has also performed with Jerusalem Opera, Chautauqua Opera, American Opera Projects, Dallas Opera, Sarasota Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Tulsa Opera, Merola Opera Company, and Annapolis Opera.

Mary-Hollis Hundley (GOLDE), soprano from Louisville, KY, kicked off her 25/26 season with her Opera Omaha debut as Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and was later seen on the concert stage in Mahler's Fourth Symphony and Mendelssohn's Elijah. Her 24/25 season included Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Opera Orlando, Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel with the Helena Symphony, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Dayton Opera, and the soprano soloist in a concert of "Beethoven Vocal Rarities" with the Amadeus Chamber Ensemble. Some of her other notable principal engagements have included covering in The Metropolitan Opera's Dead Man Walking, The Knock at Cincinnati Opera and Central City Opera, Taking Up Serpents at The Glimmerglass Festival, and Das Rheingold at Dayton Opera, Hänsel und Gretel at Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera), and Don Giovanni at the Arizona Opera, among others.

Mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson (KHAVE), hailed by Opera News as “a dramatic singer in the truest sense,” has earned acclaim on opera and concert stages nationwide. She has a special history with American Lyric Theater, creating the role of Jessie in the world premiere of The Long Walk by Jeremy Howard Beck and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann. Recent highlights include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Sarasota Opera), Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été (Wintergreen Music Festival), Jan Arnold in Everest (Austin Opera), Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti (Boston Lyric Opera), Laura in Luisa Miller (Metropolitan Opera), and the title role in Rossini’s Tancredi (Baltimore Concert Opera, Opera Southwest). At the Met, she debuted as a Flower Maiden in Parsifal. Johnson also appeared in the world premieres of Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus (Dallas Opera) and Fierce Grace: Jeannette Rankin (Library of Congress).

Geoffrey McDonald (CONDUCTOR) is a dynamic presence at the forefront of America’s contemporary opera scene, known for his “original and flexible musical imagination” (Observer). His command at the podium encompasses a wide repertoire, evidenced by productions at Opera Philadelphia (Sky On Swings), Seattle Opera (Lucidity), Minnesota Opera (Flight), Utah Opera (The Shining), Curtis Opera Theatre (Sweeney Todd), Chicago Opera Theatre (Elizabeth Cree), Opera Saratoga (Hänsel und Gretel), and multiple productions at Wolf Trap Opera (including Idomeneo, Dialogues of the Carmelites), Toledo Opera (including Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana), Mannes Opera (Alcina), and performances with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.  McDonald served as the Music Director of On Site Opera from 2015 to 2024, demonstrating a unique ability to marshal performances of the highest musical standard in a variety of immersive settings. A dedicated researcher and educator, McDonald earned his Ph.D. dissertation in music psychology in Freiburg, Germany, and is currently on the faculty of Mannes College. 

“A standout soloist” and “vocally protean” (The Wall Street Journal), Gina Peregrino’s (BEYLKE) artistry blends tradition with the unconventional. She has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Philadelphia, The Atlanta Opera, The Dallas Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Ópera de Guatemala, OperaDelaware, and Central City Opera. This season, she appears with American Lyric Theater in both their 20th Anniversary Gala and reprises the role of Beylke in Tevye’s Daughters. She joins Serafin Ensemble for multiple concerts, sings the alto solo in Mozart’s Requiemwith the Savannah Philharmonic, and makes her title-role debut as Mélisande in Opera Baltimore’s Pelléas et Mélisande.  Drawn to poignant works old and new, she has collaborated with authors including Salman Rushdie and Khaled Hosseini to bring their literary works to the stage. Though trained primarily in opera, she is deeply rooted in the folk music of Mexico and Latin America, with original Spanish-language songs forthcoming on the Global Music Partnership label.

American tenor Hayden Smith (ARONTSHIK) was praised for his recent performance as Elvino in L’elisir d’amore, showing “glorious phrasing” (HoustonPress). During the 2024-2025 season, Mr. Smith made house debuts with both Annapolis Opera and Indianapolis Opera as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and joined The Lean Ensemble Theatre as Tony in Master Class. On the concert stage, Mr. Smith joined the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana and as Father in Seven Deadly Sins. He also sang as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Syracuse Orchestra. Upcoming engagements include Le Prince Charmant in Viardot’s Cendrillon with Opera Modesto, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia with Opera Baltimore, and a role debut as Alfredo in La traviata with Fargo-Moorhead Opera.

Elizabeth Sutphen (ROSE/SHPRINTSE), soprano, is recognized for her sparkling coloratura, expressive artistry, and vibrant stage presence. She has appeared with leading companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Detroit Opera, Opera San Antonio, and the Glimmerglass Festival, as well as internationally at Glyndebourne, Oper Frankfurt, and the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. Her signature roles include Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. Recent highlights include Papagena with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and soloist in Fauré’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, as well as performances of Uranie/Venus in Rameau’s Les Surprises de l’Amour. An accomplished concert artist, she has appeared with orchestras including the Milwaukee Symphony and LA Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she is an alumna of Oper Frankfurt’s Opernstudio and a recipient of awards from the Sullivan Foundation and the George London Foundation.

With a passion for new music and international recognition for being “persuasive and powerful” and a “tour de force," soprano Jennifer Zetlan (TSEYTL) has been seen in numerous world premieres in the last two decades.  Zetlan is a veteran of New York institutions ranging from the Metropolitan Opera to Broadway; a list that also includes New York City Opera, Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic, and American Lyric Theater. Other highlights include Cincinnati Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Opera, and Stuttgart Opera.  Zetlan is a sought after concert and chamber music soloist having performed with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Talea Ensemble, Musica Sacra, and Oratorio Society of New York, among others.  Her debut album, Your Clear Eye, includes world premiere recordings of works by Ricky Ian Gordon, with Gordon at the piano. Zetlan is the Director of Programs and Operations for ALT, and is also on the voice faculty at Mannes.