[Press release from Trinity Lyric.  Strange as it may seem, this may
well be the first time "Nixon" is produced in the state - there have
been numerous concert performances (including the initial "workshop
presentation" I saw in Herbst Theater lo these many years ago - 23?!),
but not a fully staged one.]

   Who: *Trinity Lyric Opera
   
   What: *The California Premiere of John Adams'  */Nixon in
   China/*/, Trinity Lyric Opera's 2008 Season/
   
   When: *July 18  and 25, at  8:00PM, and July 20 and 27, at
   2:00PM
   
   Four performances of this most successful and rarely-heard
   gem by John Adams, with libretto by Alice Goodman are
   scheduled for mid-July, 2008, in the Company's continuing
   tradition of innovative programing.  This California premiere
   follows on the heels of its critically-acclaimed performances
   of Copland's "/The Tender Land/," and Vaughan Williams'
   "/The Pilgrim's Progress/," the Company's inaugural production,
   and also a US West Coast premiere in 2006.
   
   A pre-performance lecture by John Kendall Bailey,  TLO's
   newly-appointed Music Director and Chorus Master, will be
   offered to patrons free of charge, one hour prior to each
   performance.
   
   Opera patrons are invited to attend a free post-performance
   question-and-answer discussion session with the Cast and
   Staff immediately following the second Sunday matinee
   performance.
   
   Where: * Castro Valley Center for the Arts, 19501, Redwood
   Road, Castro Valley,  California 94546.
   
   Tickets: * Tickets will go on sale the week of January 21,
   through the Box Office of the Castro Valley Center for the
   Arts, as well as the Castro Valley Adult School.
   
   Bargain seating rates will be available on the Friday, July
   25th performance, enabling patrons to enjoy a professional
   opera performance at discount rates.
   
   Trinity Lyric Opera, the Bay Area's most innovative opera
   company, based in Castro Valley, will present four performances
   of John Adams' first opera as it enters its third season
   of performances. Veteran singers from our area and abroad
   are slated to perform in all four performances, supported
   by TLO's superb orchestra and a 30 voice chorus.
   
   Olivia Stapp returns to TLO this year as Stage Director,
   as do Pat Brandon, Set Designer, and Michael Oesch, Lighting
   Designer.  Patrick Kroboth will design the intricate costumes
   involved, as well as the Company's event Poster.  TLO's
   newly-appointed Music Director, John Kendall Bailey, conducts.
   
   Maestro Bailey commented in a recent interview: "Trinity
   Lyric Opera already has two wonderful and critically acclaimed
   productions under its belt.  We figured that for our third
   production, we should really pull out all the stops, by
   producing a major contemporary American opera that has,
   surprisingly, not yet been  performed in California."
   
   Trinity Lyric Opera's Founder and Executive Director, Alan
   Thayer, adds: "I am thrilled as we begin work on what has
   been termed the most significant opera of the late 20th
   Century.  What an opportunity for us to do what we do best,
   bringing rarely-heard masterpieces to our Bay Area audiences.
   And along with the contributions of the magnificently
   talented staff that we have assembled, we are going to come
   up with another magnificent staging this time, and once
   again, another California premiere.  This Company is truly
   taking its place among the best of our Bay Area opera
   companies, and to think that we can even contemplate doing
   something like '/Nixon in China/' in our third year of
   productions is tremendously exciting."  Thayer adds: "This
   is also a Presidential  election year, and with the opening
   of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing scheduled less than two
   weeks after the curtain falls on our final performances,
   what better timing could we experience?  That plus the fact
   that last year was the 20th anniversary of the work's world
   premiere in Houston, makes it an irresistible choice for
   us this year."

   With music by John Adams and libretto by Alice Goodman,
   "/Nixon in China/" chronicles the first-ever visit to
   mainland China  by a sitting American President.  The work
   captures the wonder of the occasion, and reveals a soft
   human touch on the part of all the big players in this
   event, that had families across America glued to their TV
   sets for days.  We see at once the presidential, yet deeply
   personal side of Richard Nixon in February, 1972, four
   months before the Watergate break-in. We also see a regal,
   almost heroic side of First Lady Pat Nixon, and a rare
   glimpse into the personalities of Chairman Mao, Chou En-Lai,
   and the ever stoic Henry Kissinger.  The libretto is
   masterfully crafted in rhymed couplets, which, set to Adam's
   minimalist score, provides a deeply stirring look into one
   of the most stunning diplomatic coups ever witnessed in the
   international arena.  The opera is engaging, enigmatic,
   stirring, and brings history to life in a most compelling
   way.  Don't miss Trinity Lyric Opera's presentation of
   "Nixon in China," July 18-27 at the Castro Valley Center
   for the Arts.

Janos Gereben
www.sfcv.org
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