Like most websites, we use cookies to give you the best experience. By continuing to use our website without changing your settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Our acclaimed digital production is available to watch for a limited time.
LA Opera proudly presents The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme),an unjustly neglected 1780 chamber opera byJosephBologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a pioneering Black composer who was a contemporary of Mozart and subject of the recent acclaimed film Chevalier.
Thecomic romancetells the story of Léontine, a beautiful young widow who has become disillusioned with love. Much to her surprise, she receives a steady stream of letters and giftsfrom an unknown man professing his undying passion. This amusesher friend Valcour, who also claims to have no interest in romance. But now, after hiding his true feelings for years, Valcour works up the courageto reveal that he himself is thedevoted secret admirer. Will his (inevitably awkward) confession sway a womansworn to resist all affairs of the heart?
Directed by Bruce A. Lemon, Jr., in a socially distanced stage setting that blends both modern film and traditional opera staging, the performance will be streamed online, to reach a wide audience, with the cast and musicians performing at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall. Bologne's brilliant score is conducted by Music Director James Conlon, leading the LA Opera Orchestra in a separately recorded session.
Click hereto read James Conlon's program note on The Anonymous Lover.
Click here to read a note from director Bruce A. Lemon, Jr.
Want to dig deeper into the world of Joseph Bologne? Click here for your one-stop shop to all things The Anonymous Lover.
"Sparkling originality...astonishing musical and dramatic complexity...razor-sharp comic precision"
Swipe for More
Tiffany Townsend as Léontine in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Robert Stahley as Valcour, the title character in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Robert Stahley as Valcour, the title character in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Alaysha Fox as Dorothée in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Michael J. Hawk as Ophémon in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Michael J. Hawk as Ophémon in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Tiffany Townsend as Léontine in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Tiffany Townsend as Léontine in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Tiffany Townsend as Léontine in "The Anonymous Lover"
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Alaysha Fox as Dorothée
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Alaysha Fox as Dorothée, Michael J. Hawk as Ophémon, Tiffany Townsend as Léontine, Robert Stahley as Valcour, Jacob Ingbar as Colin and Gabriela Flores as Jeannette
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Tiffany Townsend (left) as Léontine and Robert Stahley (right) as Valcour, with dancers Andrea Beasom and Daniel Lindgren
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Gabriela Flores as Jeannette and Jacob Ingbar as Colin
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Gabriela Flores (left) as Jeannette and Jacob Ingbar (right) as Colin, with dancers Daniel Lindgren and Andrea Beasom
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Dancers Daniel Lindgren and Andrea Beasom
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Dancers Daniel Lindgren and Andrea Beasom
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
Dancers Daniel Lindgren and Amanda Beasom
Larry Ho
Swipe for More
James Conlon conducts the LA Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal of "The Anonymous Lover"
From: Jackson, Mississippi. LA Opera: Léontine in The Anonymous Lover (2020, debut); Ines in Il Trovatore (2021); Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Voice of God 1 in Moses (2023). She joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in the 2019/20 season.
In the 2022/23 season, in addition to her LA Opera appearances, Tiffany Townsend performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Other engagements of the season include the role of Idleness in the world premiere of Kate Soper's The Romance of the Rose with Long Beach Opera, the Verdi Requiem with the Bakersfield Symphony, and Fauré’s Requiem and George Walker's Lilacs with the New Jersey Symphony.
In the summer of 2023, she will reprise Lilacs with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival at Wolf Trap, as well as perform the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Wolf Trap Opera.
She recently returned to Opera Philadelphia as the featured soloist in George Walker's Lilacs and she also performed Strauss's Four Last Songs with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra.In the summer of 2022, she was a Filene Artist with Wolf Trap Opera.
In the spring of 2021, she performed the role of Katherine in Douglas Pew's Penny with Opera Grand Rapids.
She started the 2019/20 season as Princess Ninette in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges with Opera Philadelphia. In February 2020, she appeared with Long Beach Opera in the Dream Variation concert.
In 2019, she performed Brenda in Rene Orth’s Empty the House, a co-production with the Curtis Opera Theatre and Opera Philadelphia.
At Millsaps, she was seen as Lucy Lockit in Benjamin Britten's The Beggar's Opera and performed Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte in scenes. At Juilliard she covered the role of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. She also performed George Crumb’s Winds of Destiny at Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble. At the Chautauqua Institution, Ms. Townsend performed the First Lady inThe Magic Flute.
At Curtis she performed lead roles such as the Female Chorus inThe Rape of Lucretia, Tatyana inEugene Onegin,and Donna Anna inDon Giovanni.She was a winner of the 2019 New Orleans District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She then received an Encouragement Award in the 2019 Gulf Coast Regionals.
She holds a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera from the Curtis Institute of Music, a Master of Music from the Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Millsaps College.
From: Groveland, Massachusetts. LA Opera: Parpignol in La Boheme (2019); First Armored Man in The Magic Flute (2019); Apollo/Fileno in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Valcour in The Anonymous Lover (2020); Shepherd in Oedipus Rex (2021); Walther von der Vogelweide in Tannhäuser(2021). He is an alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2019-22)
In the summer of 2022, he will be a Filene Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, where he will appear as Max in Der Freischütz and Sam Polk in Susannah. In the 2022/23 season, he will make his Dallas Opera debut as Froh in Das Rheingold and perform Melot in Tristan und Isolde with the LA Philharmonic.
In the summer of 2021, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, creating the role of the Captain in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's The Lord of Cries. For Santa Fe Opera's cancelled 2020 season, he had been contracted to return as a second-year Apprentice Artist and to sing the roles of the First Armored Man in The Magic Flute and Melot in Tristan und Isolde. He had also been contracted to sing the role of Narraboth in Salome with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra.
Recent performances include the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Lynn Philharmonia and the tenor soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.
Previous performances include William Marshall in Regina with Opera Theater of Saint Louis, scenes as Lenny in Of Mice and Men and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with the St. Louis Symphony, and Pang in Turandot with the Kentucky Symphony. He also appeared as Trajan in a workshop of Rufus Wainwright’s new opera Hadrian with the Canadian Opera Company, and was the tenor soloist in Schubert's Mass in A-flat with CCM choirs. He has been a studio artist with Wolf Trap Opera where he covered the roles of Rodolfo in La Boheme and the Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia. Other significant roles include the title roles in Candide and Idomeneo, the Schoolmaster in The CunningLittle Vixen, Charlie in Mahagonny-Songspiel, the Lamplighter and the Drunk in The Little Prince, Sam Kaplan in Street Scene, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Hubert Humphrey in Dark River.
Mr. Stahley was the winner of the 2019 Wagner Society of New York Competition, was a third prize winner in the 2018 Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition, placed first in the 2017 Piccolo Vocal Competition, and was a finalist in the 2018 Mildred Miller Competition. He completed his Artist Diploma and Masters at the College Conservatory of Music. He has bowed with opera companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Arbor Opera Theater, Palm Beach Opera, and Cincinnati Opera.
From: Fredonia, New York. LA Opera: Prince Arjuna in Satyagraha (2018, debut); title role in Moses (2019); Caireles in El Gato Montés (2019); Schaunard in La Bohème (2019); Speaker in The Magic Flute (2019); Hebros/Fury/Charon in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Sir Walter Raleigh in Roberto Devereux (2020); Ophémon in The Anonymous Lover (2020); Pontius Pilate/Pharisee in The Three Women of Jerusalem (2022); soloist in St. Matthew Passion (2022). He is an alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2018-22).
He is the 2021 Los Angeles District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
In the summer of 2022, he performs the title role of Don Giovanni and Ford in Falstaff (opposite Bryn Terfel in the title role) with Aspen Opera Theater. His engagements for the 2022/23 season include a recital with pianist Sandra Leary at SUNY at Fredonia's Rosch Recital Hall, a role debut as Dr. Buchanan in Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke at Hillman Opera, and a role debut as Papageno in The Magic Flute with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta.
In the summer of 2021, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2019, he made his role debut as Escamillo in Carmen with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also appeared in Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony and in the U.S. premiere of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane with the Bard Music Festival.
Other recent appearances include the First Officer and Croupier in Candide at Santa Fe Opera; the Cobbler in Philip Glass's The Juniper Tree at Wolf Trap Opera; Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Professor Bhaer in Mark Adamo's Little Women, Curio in Giulio Cesare and Betto in Gianni Schicchi with the Shepherd School Opera; the Reverend Olin Blitch in Susannah and Dandini in La Cenerentola with the Hillman Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni and Sam in Trouble in Tahiti with the WNY Chamber Orchestra.
He received his master’s degree in May 2018 from Rice University, where he studied with Stephen King. In 2018, he was a finalist in Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias; in the summer of 2018, he joined the Apprentice Singer Program at Santa Fe Opera, where he covered the title role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the new production John Adams' Doctor Atomic, directed by the librettist Peter Sellars. In the summer of 2017, he joined the Wolf Trap Opera Studio, covering the role of Pacuvio in Rossini's La Pietra del Paragone and singing in Four of a Kind, a recital with Steven Blier and Joseph Li.
From: New York City, New York. LA Opera: Maenad in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Dorothée in The Anonymous Lover (2020); Priestess in Aida (2022); Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Zipporah in Moses (2023). She joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in 2019.
She began the 2022/23 season covering the role of Elisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the summer of 2023, she will perform the role of Lady Clarence in Camille Saint-Saëns' rarely performed Henry VIII at Bard SummerScape.
Engagements for the 2021/22 season include the leading role of Giorgetta in Il Tabarro with Opera Santa Barbara. In the summer of 2021, she was an Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, where she performed the role of a Bridesmaid in The Marriage of Figaro. She was recently seen as the First Maiden in Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen with the LA Philharmonic.
Some previous credits include Camelot with the Lincoln Center Theater, Kathleen Battle’s Underground Railroad recital, the First Lady in The Magic Flute, Lady Macbeth in Bloch's Macbeth, the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, and the title role of Penelope. She was a featured artist in Lee Mingwei’s exhibit Sonic Blossom with MetLiveArts.
Ms. Fox has been honored with several awards including grand finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, first place winner of the Joan Taub Ades Vocal competition, semi-finalist in the Elizabeth Connell dramatic soprano competition, and the Lotte Lenya emerging artist award.
An alumna of the Chautauqua Opera and Opera Saratoga young artist programs, Ms. Fox holds Bachelor and Master degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.
From: Xalapa, Mexico. LA Opera: Aurora and Calliope in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Jeannette in The Anonymous Lover (2020); Tisbe in Cinderella (2021); Love in The Three Women of Jerusalem. She is an alumna of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2019-22).
In September 2019, Mexican mezzo-soprano Gabriela Flores sang the title role in Carmen with Universidad de Xalapa and Armado Mora Producciones in Xalapa.
She studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia with Bill Schuman. There she made her debut as Azucena in Il Trovatore under the baton of Christofer Macatsoris. At AVA she has also performed such roles as Erda in Das Rheingold, Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos, Annina in La Traviata, the Mistress of Novices in Suor Angelica, the Third Wood Sprite in Rusalka, Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette.
Prior to her performances in Philadelphia, she performed in renowned theaters in Mexico including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where she sang Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore, Maddalena in Il viaggio a Reims, and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor. Other roles she has performed include Amastre in Xerxes with Oberlin in Italy, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with Mexico’s National Conservatory, the Monitor in Suor Angelica with Artescenica, Carmelita in Jimenez Mabarak’s Misa de seis with the Oaxaca Symphony Orchestra, Baucis in Haydn’s Philemon und Baucis, and Rosita in Derbez’s La Creciente in its world premiere at the Festival Internacional Cervantino, both with Estudio Ópera de Bellas Artes.
Ms. Flores’ concert appearances include Handel’s Messiah with the Politecnico Nacional Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with Celaya Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s Die sieben letzten worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze with Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with Xalapa Symphony Orchestra, and the opera gala “Voces del Siglo XXI” conducted by Srba Dinic at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
She was a finalist in the renowned Mexican competition “Concurso Nacional de Canto Carlo Morelli” in 2012, also she is an encouragement award winner in the Middle Atlantic Regional Auditions of Metropolitan Opera National Council.
Ms. Flores started her vocal studies under Professor Armando Mora and earned a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Veracruz. She was also a resident artist at Estudio Ópera de Bellas Artes (2014-2016) and at SIVAM (2016-2017).
From: Minneapolis, Minnesota. LA Opera: Mercury in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Colin in The Anonymous Lover (2020); soloist in the Digital Short The Five Moons of Lorca (2020); Angel in The Three Women of Jerusalem. He is an alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2020-22).
American countertenor Jacob Ingbar made his professional debut at age ten as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and has performed throughout North America and Europe ever since.
In 2023, he will make his San Francisco Opera debut as Leonardo in El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz.
In 2020, Jacob was slated to debut at the Glimmerglass Festival as Il mago cristiano in Handel’s Rinaldo and with the NDR Radiophilharmonie as Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Hanover, Germany. Recently, he was the alto soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the Capella Regio Polona in Warsaw.
Jacob has performed at the Aldebugh Festival, Minnesota Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Guthrie Theatre, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Polish National Opera, among other venues. He can be heard as the alto soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms on the album Psalms and Songs featuring the Exultate Choir and Orchestra.
He is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program, the Glimmerglass Opera Young Artist Program and Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artists Vocal Academy. He pursued his graduate studies at Rice University under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen King and previously received scholarship support from the George London and Gerda Lissner Foundations.
James Conlon has been LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director since 2006.
Since his debut that year with La Traviata, he has conducted 66 different operas and more than 435 performances to date with the company. Highlights of recent seasons include the 2020 company premiere of The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme) by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the 2021 company premiere of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, and the 2022 company premiere of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
(Click here to visit James Conlon's Corner, where you can find essays, videos and conversations he has created especially for LA Opera.)
One of today’s most versatile and respected conductors, James Conlon has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire. He has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra since his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974. He has conducted more than 270 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. Through worldwide touring, an extensive discography and videography, numerous essays and commentaries, frequent television appearances and guest speaking engagements, Mr. Conlon is one of classical music’s most recognized interpreters.
In September 2021, he became Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
He has been Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Torino, Italy (2016–20); Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera (1995–2004); General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Germany (1989–2003), simultaneously leading the Gürzenich Orchestra and the Cologne Opera; and Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1983–91).
Mr. Conlon has served as the Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony (2005–15), and is now Music Director Laureate of the Cincinnati May Festival―the oldest choral festival in the United States―where he was Music Director for 37 years (1979–2016), marking one of the longest tenures of any director of an American classical music institution. As a guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, he has led more than 270 performances since his 1976 debut. He has also conducted at leading opera houses and festivals including the Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, La Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Mariinsky Theatre, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
As LA Opera's Music Director since 2006, Mr. Conlon has led more performances than any other conductor in the company’s history—to date, over 420 performances of more than 60 different operas by over 20 composers. Highlights of his LA Opera tenure include conducting the company’s first Ring cycle, recently re-aired in a marathon webcast celebrating the performances’ tenth anniversary; initiating the groundbreaking Recovered Voices series, an ongoing commitment to staging masterpieces of 20th-century European opera that were suppressed by the Third Reich; and spearheading Britten 100/LA, a city-wide celebration honoring the centennial of that composer’s birth. During the period in which Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was closed due to the pandemic, Mr. Conlon conducted LA Opera’s live-streamed, socially distanced production—staged at the Colburn School—of The Anonymous Loverby Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a prominent Black composer in 18th-century France. The performance was presented as an online-only event in fall 2020 and marked the work’s West Coast premiere. The Pavilion reopened in June 2021 with Mr. Conlon conducting the company premiere of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, with which LA Opera became the first major American opera company to perform live in its own theater since the coronavirus outbreak. The performance was subsequently released online for at-home viewing. During LA Opera’s 2021/22 season, Mr. Conlon conducts three operas long absent from the company’s repertory: Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which opens the season; Wagner’s Tannhäuser; and Verdi’s Aida. He also conducts John Neumeier’s ballet adaptation of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, performed at LA Opera for the first time.
Mr. Conlon’s first season as Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra includes three weeks of concerts, starting with an October 2021 program of music by historically marginalized composers. The featured works are Alexander Zemlinsky’sDie Seejungfrau (The Mermaid), which is the piece that sparked Mr. Conlon’s interest in suppressed music from the early 20thcentury, and William Levi Dawson’sNegro Folk Symphony, which reflects a theme that will recur throughout Mr. Conlon’s advisorship—the bringing of attention to works by American composers neglected due to their race. He returns in February 2022 for performances including Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony and the final scene of Wagner’sDie Walküre, with guest artists Christine Goerke and Greer Grimsley. The BSO season concludes in June 2022 with Mr. Conlon conducting an orchestra co-commission from Wynton Marsalis, Rachmaninoff’sRhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniwith Beatrice Rana, and Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony (“Leningrad”). As Artistic Advisor, in addition to leading these performances, Mr. Conlon will help ensure the continued artistic quality of the orchestra and fill many duties off the podium, including those related to artistic personnel—such as filling important vacancies and attracting exceptional musicians.
Additional highlights of Mr. Conlon’s season include Bach’sSt. Matthew Passionat Rome Opera, Wagner’sThe Flying Dutchmanat New National Theatre, Tokyo, the Paris Opera’s Gala lyrique with Renée Fleming, and concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Dawson’sNegro Folk Symphonyand works by Beethoven and Bernstein), Gürzenich Orchester Köln (Sinfoniettas by Zemlinsky and Korngold), Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra (works by Shostakovich and Zemlinsky), and at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Mr. Conlon’s 2021/22 season follows a spring and summer in which he was highly active amidst the re-opening of many venues to live performance. These engagements included concerts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and RAI National Symphony Orchestra. He also led a series of performances in Spain scheduled around World Music Day (June 21). In Madrid, over a period of two days, he conducted the complete symphonies of Schumann and Brahms in collaboration with four different Spanish orchestras: the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE). He subsequently conducted JONDE at the Festival de Granada and Seville’s Teatro de la Maestranza. Additional summer 2021 engagements included the Aspen, Napa, Ravello, and Ravinia Festivals.
In an effort to call attention to lesser-known works of composers silenced by the Nazi regime, Mr. Conlon has devoted himself to extensive programming of this music throughout Europe and North America. In 1999 he received the Vienna-based Zemlinsky Prize for his efforts in bringing that composer’s music to international attention; in 2013 he was awarded the Roger E. Joseph Prize at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for his extraordinary efforts to eradicate racial and religious prejudice and discrimination; and in 2007 he received the Crystal Globe Award from the Anti-Defamation League. His work on behalf of suppressed composers led to the creation of The OREL Foundation, an invaluable resource on the topic for music lovers, students, musicians, and scholars; the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School; and a recent virtual TEDx Talk titled “Resurrecting Forbidden Music.”
Mr. Conlon is an enthusiastic advocate of public scholarship and cultural institutions as forums for the exchange of ideas and inquiry into the role music plays in our shared humanity and civic life. At LA Opera, he leads pre-performance talks, drawing upon musicology, literary studies, history, and social sciences to contemplate—together with his audience—the enduring power and relevance of opera and classical music in general. Additionally, he frequently collaborates with universities, museums, and other cultural institutions, and works with scholars, practitioners, and community members across disciplines. His appearances throughout the country as a speaker on a variety of cultural and educational topics are widely praised.
Mr. Conlon’s extensive discography and videography can be found on the Bridge, Capriccio, Decca, EMI, Erato, and Sony Classical labels. His recordings of LA Opera productions have received four Grammy Awards, two respectively for John Corigliano’sThe Ghosts of Versaillesand Kurt Weill’sRise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.Additional highlights include an ECHO Klassik Award-winning recording cycle of operas and orchestral works by Alexander Zemlinsky; a CD/DVD release of works by Viktor Ullmann, which won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik; and the world-premiere recording of Liszt’s oratorioSt. Stanislaus.
Mr. Conlon holds four honorary doctorates and has received numerous other awards. He was one of the first five recipients of the Opera News Awards, and was honored by the New York Public Library as a Library Lion. He was named Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic. He was also named Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture and, in 2002, personally accepted France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur, from then-President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac.
Bruce A. Lemon, Jr., is a storyteller born and raised in Watts.
As a child, his father made him write stories and read them aloud in the hallway as punishment for lies and mischief. He’s still in trouble.
An actor, writer, director, producer and creative collaborator, he is the host of 89.3 KPCC In-Person’s UnheardLA, the Artistic Director of Watts Village, and Associate Artistic Director/Ensemble Member with Cornerstone Theater Company and an Illyrian Player.
Hobbies include: Holding a mirror up to America, rabble rousing, chasing dreams, working for the reimagining of his community, and listening to the kids.
Dr. Ariane Helou, who makes her LA Opera debut with The Anonymous Lover (2020), is a dramaturg, translator, and scholar of early modern drama and music.
She has been a company member of the Santa Cruz Shakespeare festival since 2012, where she served as dramaturg on Henry VI Part 1, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, The Liar, and The Mandrake. Other regional dramaturgy credits include Gunshot Medley: Part 1 at Rogue Machine Theatre (Los Angeles) and Master Class at The Jewel Theatre (Santa Cruz). Dr. Helou was a faculty member at UCLA (French & Francophone Studies) and UC Santa Cruz (Theater Arts, Classical Studies, and French); has held fellowships from the Huntington Library, the Mellon Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies, among others; and has published research on Shakespeare and early modern Italian drama and music. She is also a performing artist whose background spans early music, theater, and opera. She is Associate Artistic Producer of the Los Angeles-based choral ensemble Artes Vocales and Dramaturg/Producer of the theater company Collaborative Artists Bloc.
From: Seoul, South Korea. LA Opera: Wonderful Town (2016).
Hana Kim is a projection and set designer with experience in film and graphic design.
Her design works have been seen across the country including productions for the Public Theater in New York City, A.C.T in San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony, LA Opera, Geffen Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Opera Colorado and South Coast Rep. Video Art installations have been shown at the Annenberg Space of Photography in Los Angeles and Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.
She is a recipient of a Princess Grace Award in Theater Design, Richard Sherwood Awards from CTG, Kinetic Lighting Award for distinguished achievement in theatrical design from LA Drama Critics Circle, and a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. Her designs won Helen Hayes Award, Stage Raw Awards, StageSceneLA Awards and Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Awards. Her designs also received multiple nominations from Ovation Awards and Theater Bay Area Awards.
Recent projects include Magdalene at the Prototype Festival in New York, Sweet Land with the Industry Opera in Los Angeles, an Emerging Voices Concert with Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and On the Other Side with Marike Splint.
From: Virginia Beach, Virginia. LA Opera: The Anonymous Lover (2020, debut).
Misty Ayres has been artistically designing and creating new worlds from a very early age. Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the daughter of a naval officer and the niece of a professional costume designer, Ms. Ayres has interwoven her early multicultural experiences into the fabric of her life. While still an undergraduate at University of Cameron, Ms. Ayres was uniquely selected to design the shows Private Eyes and Medea,prompting a lifelong passion of integrating her artistic skills and sharp business mind. Ms. Ayres carried her BA in Costume Design Education all the way to Los Angeles for the opportunity to showcase her gifts for global audiences: The World Goes 'Round for Chance Theater andSon of Semele for The Tower, to name a few. Ms. Ayres is most proud to have been able to call LA Opera "home" for the last 16 years.
Through this symbiotic relationship, Ms. Ayres has been afforded to fully utilize her gifts and expression in numerous opportunities, such as, representingLA Opera's highly sought-after expertise abroad in distinguished theaters across Europe and Asia. Although Ms. Ayres is frequently hand selected by world-renowned costume designers for her ability to fabricate creative visions into stage life, she feels equally zealous in her development of LA Opera EducationalDepartment'sOpera Tales, Figaro’s American Adventure, Brundibarand The Prospector. Ms. Ayresis so excited to once again be part of the continuation of the untold story of the human heart in this profound and innovative production of Tannhauser.
From: Chiapas, Mexico. LA Opera: prism (2018, debut); The Anonymous Lover (2020, LAO On Now); Breaking the Waves (2021, LAO On Now); Omar (2022).
Pablo Santiago is a Mexican-American lighting designer. He is the winner of the Richard Sherwood Award and Stage Raw Award and a four-time Ovation Award nominee. Pablo is proud to have long standing collaborations with many great artists such as James Darrah, Jose Luis Valenzuela, Ellen Reid, Missy Mazzoli, Karen Zacarias, Bill Rouch, Patricia McGregor, Ted Hearne, Christopher Rountree, Francois-Pierre Couture, Adam Rigg, Adam Larsen and Yuval Sharon.
Pablo has designed for companies such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, LA Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Opera Omaha, Center Theater Group Music Academy of The West, Broad Museum and Beth Morrison Projects. Some of the amazing venues he has worked at include Teatro Municipal Sao Paulo, the Goodman Theater, Disney Concert Hall, Davies Hall, Mark Taper Forum, Kennedy Center and Arena Stage in DC, La MaMa in NYC, Skirball Center, Paramount Theater, Huntington Theater and Majestic Theater in Boston, and BAM-Harvey Theater.
Recent highlights include The Fall of The House of Usher (feature film for Boston Lyric Opera); The Anonymous Lover (digital content for LA Opera); Pulitzer Prize-winner p r i s m (LA Opera, Sao Paulo, Prototype Festival), Macbeth and Mother Road (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage); Place (BAM-LA Philharmonic-Beth Morrison Projects), Proving Up (ONE Festival/Opera Omaha and Miller Theater); Valley of the Heart and Zoot Suit (Mark Taper Forum); Threepenny Opera, Norma (Boston Lyric Opera); Destiny of Desire (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage); War of the Worlds (Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Industry); Breaking the Waves (Opera Philadelphia and Prototype Festival); Pelleas et Melisande (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra); Flight, Pagliacci and Madama Butterfly (Opera Omaha); On the Town (San Francisco Symphony); Skeleton Crew and The Cake (Geffen Playhouse).
Pablo obtained a BA in Visual Arts at UCSD (Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society) and his MFA in Lighting Design at UCLA, where he obtained Magna Cum Laude honors and won the Cirque du Soleil Grant. Instagram: @pablosdesign
From: Los Angeles. LA Opera: choreographer of The Anonymous Lover (2020, debut). Onstage credits include Lolo in The Merry Widow (2007, soloist debut); a dancer in La Traviata (2006); ensemble member in Candide (2018).
Raved as a “standout” who “turned heads” by DC Theater Scene and "excellent vocally" by the Los Angeles Daily News, she has appeared Off Broadway with Encores! @ New York City Center and Pasadena Playhouse with Tony Award-winning directors and choreographers. She also regularly guests as the soprano soloist for the Cornerstone Chorale in NYC.
In addition to being a classically trained singer, Andrea has danced professionally with Alonzo King's Lines Ballet Studio, Pasadena Dance Theater and with numerous opera companies domestically and internationally. Some highlights include her work as a principal dancer with LA Opera, Dallas Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glimmerglass Festival, Hawaii Opera Theater, Royal Opera House of Muscat, and Washington National Opera. In addition to her theatrical credits, she has appeared in commercial industrials for Sony, Puma, Moncler, Microsoft and in the film The One That I Want.
Andrea has associate directed and choreographed for the renowned opera director Francesca Zambello in her productions of The LittleMatch Girl Passions at The Glimmerglass Festival, La Traviata at Atlanta Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Jacobs School of Music, and Kansas City Opera, and the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori's The Lion, The Unicorn & Me at the Kennedy Center. Throughout her dance career she has won awards for both ballet and choreography.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), was born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the son of an enslaved woman of Senegalese origin and a French plantation owner.
From the age of eight, he was educated in France. In 1757, his father was named Gentleman of the King's Chamber, serving as a personal assistant to King Louis XV. At the age of 17, Joseph was made an officer of the king’s guard and given the title “Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges.”
He first came to fame as the best fencer in France. He is only known to have lost one match.
Little is known of his training as a violinist or as a composer. He began his professional career as a musician with Les Concerts des Amateurs. He made a sensational debut as a soloist with that orchestra in 1772, playing two violin concerti of his own composition. In 1773, he was named the conductor of the orchestra. Under his leadership, it became regarded as the finest orchestra in Paris and one of the finest in all Europe. In 1781, finances forced the orchestra to disband, and Bologne became director of the newly formed orchestra Le Concert Olympique. Queen Marie Antoinette, an accomplished musician herself, frequently attended its concerts. Under Bologne's baton, the orchestra notably premiered Haydn's six "Paris Symphonies" in 1786 with the queen in attendance. Throughout this decade, he composed string quartets, violin concertos, symphonies concertantes, and other works.
During his tenure with Les Concerts des Amateurs, the music directorship of the Paris Opera became vacant, and Bologne submitted a bid for the position. But after three of the company's leading sopranos wrote to the queen, stating their unwillingness to work for a man of mixed race, Bologne withdrew his application. Despite the setback, he turned his attention to composing operas. His first opera, Ernestine, premiered at the Comédie-Italienne in 1777. Bologne's score was praised, but the libretto by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, author of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, was not, and the opera was only given one performance. His second opera, La Partie de Chasse (The Hunting Party), premiered in 1778 at the same theater and met with greater success than his first.
His third opera, L'Amant Anonyme (The Anonymous Lover), premiered in 1780 in the private theater of the Marquise de Montesson, wife of the Duke of Orléans, who appointed him music director of her theater and gave him a residence in the ducal palace. (Bologne also served as the Duke's Lieutenant of the Hunt.) The libretto was adapted from a play by the celebrated writer Madame de Genlis, who was governess and tutor to the Duke's children. It is the only one of his operas that survives in complete form.
When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, he joined the National Guard in Lille. In 1791 he was appointed the colonel of the newly created Légion Franche de Cavalerie des Américains (American Free Legion of Cavalry), which was comprised mostly of men of color; it soon became known as the Légion Saint-Georges. Bologne served on the front lines, successfully driving back an attack by Austrian forces. Even though he was a war hero, his close ties to the aristocracy made him the object of suspicion. He was jailed without a trail in 1793, on false charges of misusing public funds, for nearly a year.
After his release, having unsuccessfully attempted to return to his command, he is believed to have traveled to Saint-Dominingue (present-day Haiti). In 1797, after returning to Paris, he became director of a new orchestra, Le Cercle de l'Harmonie, which performed in the former residence of the Duke of Orléans. He died in 1799, at the age of 53.
Stéphanie-Félicité Ducrest de Saint-Aubin, Comtesse de Genlis (1746-1830), was a popular, prolific and influential French writer during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Known as "Madame de Genlis," she is remembered as a novelist, playwright and innovative educator. Largely self taught, she became governess and instructor to the daughters and later (unusually, for a woman) the sons of the Duke of Chartres (later the Duke of Orléans).
In 1793, when her husband and the Duke were both guillotined during the French Revolution, Madame de Genlis went into exile in England, Switzerland and Germany. She returned to France in 1799, continuing to support herself through her writing.
Her career as a writer spanned five decades and her works were read widely throughout Europe. Her writings include several volumes of plays for children, and numerous essays and journals. Her many novels include the wildly popular Adèle et Théodore, and her plays include L'Amant Anonyme (The Anonymous Lover). The latterwas adapted by François-Georges Fouques Deshayes (known as “Desfontaines“) into the libretto for an opera of the same name by composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Act One Valcour has been hopelessly in love with Léontine, a beautiful young widow, for years(aria: “Depuislongtemps”—“For a long time”).With the help of his trusted accompliceOphémon, Valcour has been showering Léontinewith astream of gifts, flowers and love letters.He has done so anonymously;Léontinehad been betrayed by her late husband, and Valcour is certain that she has no interest now in pursuing romance with anyone. To help cover up his secret, Valcour has told Léontine that his heart is closed to love too. Valcour tellsOphémonthat he has lost all hope of winning her affections, whileOphémonresponds that it is time for Valcour to reveal his secret(duet: “Tant de constance, tant d’amour” — “Such constancy, such love”).
Léontine asks Valcour to settle a dispute she is having withher friend Dorothée. The Anonymous Lover has sent Léontine a bouquet of flowersalong with a letter asking her to carry it at a wedding later that day; if she doesn’t, he will take it as a sign that he should stop sending gifts and leave her alone. Dorothée thinks that it would do no harm for Léontine to accept the flowers.Léontinedoesn't want to hurt her secret admirer’s feelings (ariette: “Son amour, sa constance extreme” — “His love, his extreme constancy”), but doesn’t want to lead him on either.Valcour convinces Léontine to carry the bouquet.
Jeannette and Colin, the young couple about to be married, arrive and express their thanks to Léontine(chorus: “Cantons, célébrons notre dame” — “Let us sing, let us celebrate our lady”)for making their wedding possible.They hope that everyone mightbe as filled with love and joy(chanson: “Jouissez de l’allégresse” — “Enjoy the happiness”) as they are.
When Léontine and Dorothée are alone, Léontine recallsher heartachewhen her late husband's love grew cold during their brief time together, and how Valcour’s friendship helped her get through it.
Dorothée, who has been separated from the man she loves, reflects on the unhappiness that love has brought her (scenainterpolated fromBologne‘s operaErnestine: “Dorothée [originally "Ernestine"], que vas-tu faire?” — “Dorothée, what will you do?”), while dreaming for a happy reunion in the future.
Valcour tells Léontine that the Anonymous Lover might very well be watching them nearby at that very moment. He convinces her to call out to her mysterious suitor and ask himto reveal himself. When she does so, Valcour overdramatically—and clumsily—answers that he himself is the tormented Anonymous Lover...a declaration that makes Dorothée laugh at Valcour’s “joke” but leaves Léontinestrangely confused. Valcour and Ophémon quickly try to convince Léontine that it was all in jest, while Jeannette and Colin are sympathetic to Léontine’s obvious emotional distress(quintet: “Que de maux mon coeurressnet” — “My heart feels such pain”).
Act Two Alone, Léontinelaments that Valcour is unlikelyto understand her feelings (recitative: “Enfinunefoule importune” — “At last this unwelcome crowd”) but she wishes that she could unburden her heart to him, since he has been such a trusted friend.Ophémon arrives with news that he has spoken to the Anonymous Lover, andLéontine presses him for details (duet: “Ah, finissez de grâce” — “Ah, go on please”) while Ophémon resists, prolonging the conversation while gleefully watching her attempt to conceal her eagerness. Finally, Ophémondescribes how the Anonymous Lover worries that it would be impossible for Léontine to love him (aria: “Aimer sans pouvoir le dire” — “To love without being able to admit it”), but that he wishes to reveal his identity anyway. Léontine agrees to the meeting, but her obvious reluctance convinces Ophémon that she is in love with someone else: Valcour.
As she awaits the arrival of her secret admirer, Léontine reflects that her heart is now full of passion (ariette: “Du tendre amour” — “Such is the power of tender love”),something she never expected. When Valcour shows up, explaining that he’s just there to be her supportive friend, Léontine desperately tries to get him to leave before the Anonymous Lover’s arrival (duet: “Non, je ne puisrien entendre” — “No, I can’t listen anymore”).As Ophémon listens outside the door, Léontine and Valcour finally confess their love for each other as Valcour reveals that he himself is the Anonymous Lover (trio: “Ah, quel trouble” — “Ah, such confusion”).
Léontine tells an astonished Dorothée everything, and they all join Jeannette and Colin for what is now a double wedding(chorus: “Deux nocesà la fois” — “Two weddings at once”). The two couples celebrate their happiness with songs and dances (quartet: “Aimons-nous sans cesse” — “Let us love one another”).
Sung in French (subtitled in English), with dialogues spoken in English translation.
Estimated running time: one hour and 45 minutes, including one 10-minute intermission.
Production made possible with generous support from the Colburn Foundation.
Special production support from Lawrence A. Kern.
The singers in the cast are all members of the company's young artist program.
LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program is generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation, Eugene and Marilyn Stein, and Richard and Lenore Wayne.
The Anonymous Lover is produced and streamed in partnership with the Colburn School, which will concurrently and collaboratively engage in a performance-based exploration of the works and legacy of Joseph Bologne.
By arrangement with Opera Ritrovata, publisher and copyright owner; engraving and editing byGeorge N. Gianopoulos, Stephen Karr, Leila Núñez-Fredell, and Mishkar Núñez-Fredell.
For additional cast and production credits, click here.
{{ item.display_day_month }} at {{ item.display_time }}