PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO'S TENURE AS GENERAL DIRECTOR OF WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA got off to a spectacular start on November 9, 1996, with the opening night of Gomes' Il guarany. Following that performance, Tim Page of The Washington Post wrote, "Domingo's “presence has already brought new excitement and heightened international attention to Washington National Opera.”
Bringing years of experience to his post.
The world-renowned tenor and conductor officially took over the artistic helm of the company as Artistic Director on July 1, 1996, for an initial term of four years.
Mrs. William T. Hunter, former Chairman of the Executive Committee of Washington National Opera, who announced the appointment in June of 1994, commented on the unanimous and positive response to the hiring of Maestro Domingo. “Our board was genuinely overwhelmed.... He is a marvelous person to work with. Let’s face it, everybody loves Plácido.”
In an interview with Washington’s WETA-TV, Maestro Domingo revealed that when he received the offer, the proximity of D.C. to the Metropolitan Opera in New York made the proposition an attractive one. “I have also had invitations from different places in Europe. I always said it was too early. But when Washington came across, I said, ‘Well, I think it’s the right place.’”
With Domingo at the helm, Washington continues to see top international opera stars as well as new, upcoming talent. Maestro Domingo commented, “[An opera company] has to be a combination of everything. There is not an opera house that could survive without certain names. But there’s also an incredible amount of young talent around.”
Creative Vision with Increased Responsibilities
In May 2003, Maestro Domingo accepted the post of General Director. In this position, Maestro Domingo selects the repertory and casting and oversees all stages of the creative process. As General Director, he plays an essential role in promoting Washington National Opera’s mission to bring the highest quality opera to the widest possible audience. Two key areas of Maestro Domingo’s unique vision as General Director are his support for the preservation and development of American opera, as well as his strong commitment to training and advancement of the next generation of opera artists, administrators, and audiences. Yet, Maestro Domingo also continues his international singing and conducting career while serving as General Director.
Indeed, Washington National Opera audiences do not expect their General Director to remain entirely behind the scenes. “Somebody asked me at the press conference the first day [in 1994], ‘Maestro Domingo, do you intend to perform?’ I said, ‘Listen, I have to bring to Washington whatever is the best around the world.... As long as I am performing, I would love to perform in Washington. That doesn’t mean I always have to perform. But probably I should be on stage once every season.”
Maestro Domingo’s first performance with the company was in 1986, when he appeared in the title role of Menotti’s Goya, a Washington National Opera commission created for the renowned tenor by the composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Following his appointment as Artistic Director in 1996, Maestro Domingo now performs regularly with the company. Celebrated appearances include Count Loris Ipanov opposite Mirella Freni in Fedora (1998), Rodrigue in Le Cid (1999), the title role of Parsifal (2000), Idomeneo (2002) with Anna Netrebko, and Siegmund in Die Walküre (2003). Recently, he won acclaim for his performance in Washington National Opera’s Trilogy production in fall 2005 and his appearance as Vidal Hernando in Luisa Fernanda (2004).
In addition to his other duties, Maestro Domingo also conducts at Washington National Opera, making his company debut on the podium with Samson et Dalila during the 1998-1999 season. Since then, he has conducted Otello during the 1999-2000 season as well as Il trovatore and a special performance of the Verdi Requiem during 2000-2001. He conducted performances of Bizet's Carmen, and Verdi's Un ballo in maschera in 2002. During the company’s Golden Anniversary season in 2005-2006, he conducted Verdi’s I vespri siciliani in addition to performing in Trilogy, the second production of the season. In the 2006-2007 season, Maestro Domingo conducted performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in fall 2006 and will appear as Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre in spring 2007.
Steering the Opera into the future.
Maestro Domingo defined his general plans for his seasons. “Every year there should ideally be some Verdi, some Puccini, an American work and a rarity.” He added German opera and Mozart to that list and called commitment to American opera “a duty.”
In March 2002, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program was created to support the artistic development of talented young opera singers, coach-accompanists, and, for the first time last season, directors and conductors. Maestro Domingo spoke proudly of the company's continuing support of developing young artists, adding that he was impressed by Washington audiences. “The public has accepted younger artists from many places around the world. These young singers are the future of opera.”
In Feburary 2006, Maestro Domingo renewed his contract with Washington National Opera, extending his tenure as General Director through June 2011.
Years of accomplishments.
Plácido Domingo’s accomplishments stagger the imagination. Acclaimed on the cover of Newsweek as “The King of Opera,” he is a star of every important opera house in the world. So far he has sung 123 different roles, more than any other tenor in history. He has made well over 100 recordings, of which 93 are full-length operas (often recording the same work twice or three times) and for which he has won nine Grammy Awards plus two in the newly created Latin division. He has made three movies, Otello, La traviata, and Carmen, and more than 50 of his roles have been preserved on video. More people have seen him perform than any tenor in history; for instance, when he sang Tosca from the authentic settings in Rome in 1992, the production was broadcast in 119 countries to an estimated audience of 1.5 billion. As a conductor, he has led opera companies in the world’s greatest theatres, from Covent Garden to the Met to Los Angeles Opera. He has also conducted purely symphonic concerts and has made recordings as conductor.
In 1993 Maestro Domingo inaugurated Operalia, a yearly worldwide singing competition for young singers, and was a 2000 Kennedy Center Honoree. In 2002, Maestro Domingo was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was granted the title of Honorary Knight of the British Empire, and received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University for his substantial contributions to music and the arts. As an administrator, Mr. Domingo was Music Director of the Seville World's Fair and was also one of the founders of Los Angeles Opera. In 2000, he became Artistic Director of Los Angeles Opera in addition to his position in Washington. He has raised millions of dollars through benefit concerts for the 1985 Mexican earthquake victims and is one of the most decorated entertainers before the public today. He is, in the words of Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, “A true renaissance man in music.” |
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