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Dear friends,

We are delighted to have you here with us!

OC fan tutte has been a labor of love for Salastina for over 3 years. (COVID curtailed the scheduled premiere performances in June of 2020.) To finally be able to share Mozart’s stunning score and Vid Guerrerio’s ingenious adaptation with you is beyond fulfilling.

As instrumentalists as well as concert producers, it’s also been a thrill to bring together so many artists of such gobsmacking and varied talents. It’s not every day we cavort with — or present the work of — brilliant lyricists, neuroscientist-soprano-directors, Broadway starlets, Paris-based opera divas… to be in a position to bring them together and share their collective work with you is an honor, and SO much fun.

A few notes:

  • Please remember to keep your mask on at all times (with the exception of the Athenaeum’s outdoor courtyard), regardless of vaccination status.

  • Please stick around after the concert to say hello. We love chatting with you!

  • Feel free to take photos before or after the show and share them on social media, tagging @salastinala. We request that there be no audio or video recordings of any kind during the performance.

Thank you for being here, and we hope you enjoy tonight’s performance as much as we will!

Program

OC fan tutte, or A Question of Faith

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arranged for chamber ensemble by James and Kathy McMillen
Libretto by Vid Guerrerio, based on the libretto for Così fan tutte by Lorenzo Da Ponte

  • Run time: 2 hours 30 minutes, including intermission

  • Instrumentation: Piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet

  • Fun fact: OC fan tutte is a modern adaptation of Così fan tutte, a 232 year old opera whose music holds up way better than its storyline. (Spoiler alert: the original plot is about the fickleness and superficiality of women.) Enter Vid Guerrerio and his lovingly irreverent red pen.

  • Want more? Vid has given all three Mozart/Da Ponte operas makeovers. He calls it Living Revolution: A Mozart Trilogy for the Next America. Le nozze di Figaro is ¡Figaro! (90210), which premiered in 2014 to critical acclaim; Don Giovanni is Don Giovy, which has yet to be performed. OC fan tutte is the second piece in the trilogy.

About the Artists

Cast
Joanna Ceja, soprano, as Felicia (Fiordiligi)
Ali Ewoldt, soprano, as Briella (Dorabella)
Kangmin Justin Kim, countertenor, as Queen Thespina (Despina)
E. Scott Levin, bass-baritone, as Alonzo (Don Alfonso)
Chris Hunter, tenor, as Frankie (Ferrando)
David Castillo, baritone, as Will (Guglielmo)

Instrumentalists
Maia Jasper White and Kevin Kumar, violinists and Co-Artistic Directors
Meredith Crawford, Resident Violist
Yoshika Masuda, Resident Cellist
Stephen Pfeifer, guest double bass player
Benjamin Smolen, Resident Flutist
Chris Stoutenborough, guest clarinetist
HyeJin Kim, Resident Pianist

Creative Team
Vincent Womack, music director
Indre Viskontas, director

Special Thanks To:

  • Vid Guerrerio, for entrusting us with the premiere of this work

  • Our cast and creative team for the talent, time, and passion they’ve brought to bringing this piece to life

  • Our family of Donors, Members, and Corporate and Community Sponsors for making the entirety of our work possible

  • Samantha Sisk at the Athenaeum, Cindy De Mesa and Glenn Price at Caltech Performing and Visual Arts, Jessica Ewing at Colburn, and Linda Sullivan and Rob Rudolph at the Broad

  • Dr. Thanh H. Neville, Nurse Sherry Xu, and all our Vital Sounds partners at UCLA

  • Ann Horton, for commissioning instruments from Mario Miralles for Maia’s, Meredith’s, and Yoshi’s future use

  • Salastina’s musicians and staff for their tireless and passionate work

  • You, for being here — especially our dear Members who traveled from out of state for the occasion!

Like What You’ve Heard Tonight?

Our music does more.

  • Our music heals

  • Our music teaches and inspires

  • Our music connects you to incredible and diverse art and artists

Salastina is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, Tax ID 83-4248512.
All donations are fully tax-deductible.

We are immensely grateful for donations of any amount.

Salastina is a proud member of Chamber Music Los Angeles, a consortium of six chamber music presenting organizations based in (you guessed it) LA. While all of our partner’s seasons have already concluded, check our website regularly for upcoming concerts:

www.chambermusic.la