A native of St. Petersberg (Leningrad), Maestro Valéry Ryvkin has conducted with Opera Santa Barbara since 1995, and has served as our Artistic Director since 1999. Maestro Ryvkin has conducted 23 of OSB's 27 operas and has been an integral part of the organization's artistic growth. In 2004, Maestro Ryvkin was also named Artistic Director of Greensboro Opera. He has also worked with the Sarasota Opera, Portland Opera, Mississippi Opera, San Diego Opera and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and as a member of the conducting staff of the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Veronon Hartman now resides in Kintersville, PA. His was previously seen with Opera Santa Barbara as Scarpia in our 1997 production of Tosca. Recent activities include Twisted Sisters (an evening of Mad Scenes) with the Kentucky Symphony; Rigoletto with Greensboro Opera; and Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi with Teatro Bramante, Urbania, Italy. Upcoming Activities include Tosca with the Rockford Symphony; Carmen with the Fox Valley Symphony; and La bohòme with the West Virginia Symphony.

Adina: Susan Holsonbake

Nemorino: Robert McPherson

Belcore: Nicolai Janitzky
Dulcamara: Michael Wanko
Gianetta: Erika Bucholz

Production Manager: Melissa Somrack
Chorus Master: John Ballerino
Set Designer: Jean Francois Revon
Lighting Designer: Mark Somerfield
Costume Designer: Miller James

Soprano, Susan Holsonbake made her Houston Grand Opera debut this past season in the roles of Alecto and Dika in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Lysistrata. Other highlights of the 2005-2006 season included her portrayals of Susanna in Greensboro Opera's Le Nozze di Figaro and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Amarillo Opera. Ms. Holsonbake recently created the role of Nora in the world premiere of Marga Richter's Riders to the Sea, which she will record this spring for the upcoming release by Leonarda Records. In the 2006-2007 season she returned to Amarillo Opera as Nanetta in Falstaff and also appeared as Lisette for Lyric Opera San Diego's production of La Rondine and Entfhrung aus dem Serail. With Pittsburgh Opera Ms. Holsonbake has sung the roles of Papagena in Die Zauberflote and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. She was recently seen as Peep-Bo in Opera Pacific's production of The Mikado. With such companies as Orange County Opera, the Palisades Symphony, and Guild Opera of Los Angeles, Ms. Holsonbake performed a number of leading roles including Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Laurie in The Tender Land, and Musetta in La Boheme.

Robert McPherson, a tenor committed to the bel canto repertoire has been rapidly earning international recognition. He made his international debut in Avignon, France as Rodrigo in Rossini's La Donna del Lago, a role he reprised in Genoa, Italy and La Coruna, Spain. Genoa also marked his Italian debut as Count Libenskof in Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims. Earlier this season made his debuts with Washington National Opera as Don Ramiro in Cenerentola, Sacramento Opera as Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, and Intermountain Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Mr. McPherson's versatility and range have led to success in a variety of roles, including Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L'Italiana in Algeri, Don Narciso in Il Turco in Italia. Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Tonio in La Fille du Regiment, Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress, Sam in Susannah, Curley in Of Mice and Men, and Il Duca in Rigoletto. He has appeared with Dallas Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Santa Barbara, Pacific Opera Victoria, Greensboro Opera, Opera Memphis, and was a resident artist at Opera San Jose. He had the honor of inaugurating a new opera company, New York's Henry Street Opera Company (now Gotham City Opera), singing the eponymous role in Mozart's rarely performed Il Sogno di Scipione. In June of this year he performed the role of "The Italian Singer" in San Francisco Opera's stellar production of Der Rosenkavalier, for which he received rave reviews.

Baritone Nicolai Janitzky is a native of California. He recently appeared with San Diego Opera in their productions of Boris Godunov, La Traviata, and Katya Kabanova. As an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, he took on the title role in Eugene Onegin on short notice to high critical acclaim. Other roles he has sung include the title role in Pelleas et Melisande, Valentin in Faust, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, and Marcello in La Boheme. He is also an active recitalist, and has performed in such venues as Carnegie (Weill) Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Cleveland Institute of Music Art Song Festival. He is the winner of several competitions including the George London Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, and Opera Index Foundation. He has also been a finalist in the Operalia (Placido Domingo) Vocal Competition. He has studied at the Yale University Opera Program and the Music Academy of the West.

Baritone Michael J. Wanko is unique in his ability to sing not only the major buffo and comedic roles, but also the dramatic baritone roles, which require bel canto singing. In spring 2001, Mr. Wanko made his New York City Opera debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni. He repeated the role for New York City Opera in the spring of 2002. Mr. Wanko participated in their "Showcasing American Composers" Series. He returned to the company in the fall 2002 as Bartolo in Nozze di Figaro, Marco in Gianni Schicchi (while also covering the title role) and again as Leporello in Don Giovanni. Mr. Wanko has performed with Lake George Opera singing Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'Amore. In 2005 he made a "show stealing" debut with the Anchorage Opera as Leporello and debuted with the New Jersey Symphony as the Sacristan in Tosca. In 2001 he sang his first Gianni Schicchi for Longview Opera in Texas. He returned to The Utah Symphony and Opera as Ko-Ko in The Mikado and the Sacristan in Tosca at the New York City Opera. Mr. Wanko's European debut took place in Lucca, Italy, as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentolal. Mr. Wanko debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble.

The action takes place in and around a village in Campania, near Naples, circa 1860.

Adina, wealthy owner of a local farm, her friend Giannetta and a group of peasants are resting beneath a shade tree on her estate. At a distance Nemorino, a naive, gullible yet handsome villager, laments he has nothing to offer Adina but love. The peasants urge Adina to read them a story  how Tristan won the heart of Isolde by drinking a magic love potion. No sooner has Adina done so than Sgt. Belcore swaggers in with his troop of red-shirted soldiers. The soldier's conceit amuses her, but he is not dissuaded from asking her hand in marriage. Saying she will think it over, she orders refreshments for his comrades. When Adina and Nemorino are left alone, he awkwardly declares his love. She tells him his time would be better spent looking after his ailing uncle than mooning over her, for she is fickle as a breeze.

In the town piazza, villagers hail the arrival of the traveling salesman Dr. Dulcamara, who at some length dazzles crowd with encomiums for his patent medicines. Nemorino,remembering the tale of Tristan and Isolde, asks Dulcamara if he sells that particular "elixir of love." Pulling out a bottle ordinary Bordeaux, the quack guarantees that this is the very draught which, if drunk, will take effect the next day (allowing time for escape!). Though it costs him his last coin, Nemorino buys the wine and hastily drinks it. Adina enters to find him already tipsy; brashly confident of his irresistibility, Nemorino feigns indifference. First perplexed, then exasperated, Adina makes a play for Belcore, promising to marry him "in six days' time". As Nemorino insouciantly laughs this off, Belcore receives his marching orders and hastily convinces Adina to marry him that very day. . Horrified, Nemorino begs Adina to wait just one more day, but she ignores him and invites the entire village to her wedding feast.

The pre-wedding banquet is in progress and the Notary arrives, but Adina stalls for a few hours since Nemorino is nowhere to be found, and her practical joke is pointless without his presence. Dulcamara, self-appointed master of ceremonies, suggests that Adina join him in a barcarole about a gondoliera and her wealthy suitor. As Adina leaves with Belcore to sign the marriage contract; the guests disperse. Remaining behind, Dulcamara is joined by Nemorino, who begs for another bottle of elixir; his pleas are rejected, because he has no money. Belcore returns, annoyed that Adina has postponed the wedding until nightfall; he spies Nemorino and asks why he is so sad. The youth explains his financial plight, whereupon the sergeant persuades him to join Garibaldi's army and receive a bonus awaiting all volunteers. Belcore leads the perplexed Nemorino off to sign him up, enabling him to buy more elixir.

Peasant girls, gathered in the square, hear from Giannetta that Nemorino's uncle has died and willed him a fortune. When the youth reels in, giddy from a second bottle of wine, they besiege him with attention; unaware of his new wealth, he believes the elixir finally has taken effect. Adina and Dulcamara arrive in time to see him leave with a bevy of beauties, and she, angry that he has sold his freedom to Belcore, grows doubly furious. Hoping to sell Adina a bottle of elixir, Dulcamara claims that Nemorino's popularity is due to the magic potion. Adina replies she will win him back through her own charms. Reentering alone in a pensive mood, Nemorino takes heart because of a tear he has seen on Adina's cheek, but when she appears, he acts disinterested. She confesses she bought back his enlistment papers because she loves him.

Back in the piazza, Belcore marches in to find Adina affianced to Nemorino; declaring that thousands of women await him, he accepts the situation philosophically. Attributing Nemorino's happiness and inheritance to the elixir, Dulcamara quickly sells more bottles before making his escape.

Courtesy of Opera News