2004-2005 Season A Message from
Valery Ryvkin,
Artistic Director and
Principal Conductor

Dear Opera Santa Barbara Patron,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Opera Santa Barbara's 11th season. This season is especially exciting because for the first time Opera Santa Barbara will be presenting two full staged productions of operas which have never been performed in Santa Barbara: Gounod's grandest and most famous opera, Faust, and what I believe is Rossini's wittiest and most beautiful opera, L'Italiana in Algeri. Faust is a very romantic French take on Goethe's immortal story of the man who sells his soul to the Devil to regain his youth. Filled with rapturous and lyrical music, Faust is the quintessential operatic drama, exploring universal themes of love, desire, and the ultimate conflict between innocence and evil. On the lighter side, L'Italiana in Algeri. (The Italian Girl in Algiers) sparkles with fun, joy and laughter. The main character of Isabella was one of the signature roles of world-renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. "L'Italiana's" combination of irresistible melodies, spectacular coloratura, high spirits, and comic timing make it one of opera's all-time favorites. As in seasons past, we have assembled for you some of the most talented young singers on their ways to major international careers. We have also assembled world-class design teams who will once again create the elegant, classical productions which have become the standard at Opera Santa Barbara. We seek to create productions which respect the beloved and time-honored traditions of our art form, and yet are fresh, inventive, and enjoyable for today's audiences. If those were not sufficient reasons to purchase your subscription today, I am happy to tell you that this year we have many extra benefits for season subscribers. Some of these great benefits include guaranteed preferential seating, free ticket exchange, 20% discounts on our other activities, and 15% discounts on subscriptions purchased by August 31st. The best benefit of subscribing today, however, is making sure that you will not miss either of these two thrilling and delightful operas. I look forward to seeing all of you at the opera. Valéry Ryvkin

With warm regards,

Valery Ryvkin, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor