Boundless Beauty

In his 30th season as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO), Grammy and Tony Award-winning conductor John DeMain is noted for his dynamic performances on concert and opera stages throughout the world. American composer Jake Heggie assessed the conductor’s broad appeal, saying, “There’s no one like John DeMain. In my opinion, he’s one of the top conductors in the world.” In January 2023 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association, the NOA’s highest award.

During his three decades in Madison as the MSO music director, DeMain has consistently raised the quality of the orchestra by introducing blind auditions and continuously expanding the repertoire to encompass ever more challenging and virtuosic works, including the highly-acclaimed performances of the complete symphonies of Gustav Mahler. DeMain also oversaw the move into the world-class Overture Hall and expanded the subscription season to triple performances.

His active conducting schedule has taken him to the stages of the National Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the symphonies of Seattle, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Columbus, Houston, San Antonio, Long Beach, and Jacksonville, along with the Pacific Symphony, Boston Pops, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of Seville, the Leipzig MDR Sinfonieorchester, and Mexico’s Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional.

Prior engagements include visiting San Francisco Opera as guest conductor for General Director David Gockley’s farewell gala, Northwestern University to conduct Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, and the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center in D.C. to conduct Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars. In 2019, he conducted the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson’s Blue at the Glimmerglass Festival to critical acclaim — he “drew a vibrant performance from an orchestra of nearly 50 players; the cast was superb.” (The New York Times) He was also planning to conduct the premiere of Blue at the Washington National Opera in March 2020.

DeMain also serves as artistic director for Madison Opera and in their 2023–2024 season conducts Tosca, The Anonymous Lovers, and Candide. He has been a regular guest conductor with Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center and has made appearances at the Teatre Liceu in Barcelona, New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Virginia Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Aspen Music Festival, Portland Opera, and Mexico’s National Opera.

During his distinguished 17-year tenure with Houston Grand Opera, DeMain led a history-making production of Porgy and Bess, winning a Grammy Award, Tony Award, and France’s Grand Prix du Disque for the RCA recording. In spring 2014, the San Francisco Opera released an HD DVD of their most recent production of Porgy and Bess, conducted by John DeMain.

DeMain began his career as a pianist and conductor in his native Youngstown, Ohio. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The Juilliard School and made a highly-acclaimed debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. DeMain was the second recipient of the Julius Rudel Award at New York City Opera and one of the first six conductors to receive the Exxon/National Endowment for the Arts Conductor Fellowship for his work with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

DeMain holds honorary degrees from the University of Nebraska and Edgewood College and he is a Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. He resides in Madison and his daughter, Jennifer, is a UW–Madison graduate.

Beverly Taylor, Director

American soprano Alexandra LoBianco, whom the Seattle Times exclaimed, “gave an impassioned performance” as the title role in Aida at Seattle Opera, has established herself as a dramatic soprano of unequaled versatility, musicality, and consistency. An international presence, Ms. LoBianco recently stepped in for an ailing colleague as Leonore in Fidelio for her debut with the Wiener Staatsoper while under contract for the title role in Turandot. Subsequent appearances with the Wiener Staatsoper have included performances as Helmwige in Die Walküre, as well as the cover of Brünnhilde, while on tour in Japan.

In the 2021-2022 season, Ms. LoBianco will debut the role of Brünnhilde in a concertante performance with Seattle Opera, joined by colleagues Angela Meade, Eric Owens, and Brandon Jovanovich. She will also make her debut with Portland Opera as the title role in Tosca, return to North Carolina Opera to reprise Leonore, perform the title role in Turandot with Maryland Lyric Opera, and sing the Overseer and Confidante in Elektra at the Metropolitan Opera. Last season, Ms. LoBianco joined Seattle Opera for two filmed productions, first as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and then as the title role in Tosca.

Margaret Gawrysiak holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Western Illinois University, and is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Glimmerglass, Wolf Trap Opera and Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program.

Her 2022-23 season engagements include a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Auntie in Peter Grimes, the role of the Marquise de Berkenfield in Minnesota Opera’s production of La fille du régiment, and an appearance with Madison Opera for Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro.

During the 2021-2022 season, Ms. Gawrysiak returned to her home company of Seattle Opera for performances of Marcellina, joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for the first time, covering Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, bowed with the Boise Philharmonic for Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 130 and appeared as a soloist in Madison Opera’s popular annual Opera in the Park concert. Notable operatic engagements for Margaret Gawrysiak include multiple appearances with Seattle Opera as Marcellina, The Older Woman in Flight, Vera Boronel in The Consul, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia; the Old Lady in Candide with The Knights at Tanglewood Music Festival and the Ravinia Festival; Mistress Hibbons in The Scarlet Letter (world premiere) and Marcellina with Opera Colorado; Madame Larina with Atlanta Opera; Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld, The Witch and Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and Emma Jones in Street Scene with Virginia Opera; Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Marcellina with Lyric Opera of Kansas City; the Marquise in La fille du régiment with Arizona Opera; Mrs. De Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Dayton Opera; Ježibaba in Rusalka with North Carolina Opera; Frugola in Il tabarro with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with Crested Butte Music Festival; and Dame Quickly in Falstaff, Baba the Turk and Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and La Mère d’Antonia in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Wolf Trap Opera.

On the concert stage, she has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood under Maestro Lorin Maazel and also with the Seattle Symphony, Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiel with the Seattle Symphony, Stravinsky’s Les noces with the New York City Ballet, Dessau’s Haggadah shel Pesach with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Mozart’s Requiem and Verdi’s Requiem with the Springfield Symphony, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Tenor Jonathan Burton is engaged to sing the most demanding roles in the tenor repertoire including Cavaradossi in Tosca, Calaf in Turandot, Dick Johnson in Fanciulla del West, and Radames in Aida. He regularly receives rave reviews for his “…bright, heroic tone, [and] clarion power…”. For his performance as Cavaradossi with Opera Omaha, one reviewer said: “Tenor Jonathan Burton was revelatory as the painter and revolutionary sympathizer. His voice never faltered through the demands of the role and his tortured humanity was palpable.” 

In the 2022-2023 season, Burton will sing the Prince in Rusalka and Manrico in Il trovatore at Pittsburgh Opera, des Grieux in Manon Lescaut at North Carolina Opera, Canio in Pagliacci at Opera San Antonio, and both Calaf in Turandot and Paul in Die Tote Stadt at Opera Colorado.

 In the 2021-2022 season, Burton joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for the first time for their production of Turandot, sang Don Jose in Carmen for Palm Beach Opera, and was heard as Calaf with Maryland Lyric Opera. Expected performances in 2020 and 2021 included his German debut as Radames for Deutsche Oper am Rhein and his London debut as Cavaradossi with English National Opera. Additionally, he was to have been heard as Calaf with the Saint Louis Symphony alongside Christine Goerke.

Previous performances saw Burton as Calaf for Austin Opera, Pollione in Norma for Boston Lyric Opera, and Hermann in Pique Dame for Des Moines Metro Opera. Additionally, he returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago for their production of Luisa Miller, making his Civic Opera House debut on short notice, and Maryland Lyric Opera as Luigi in Il tabarro. Other performances include his return to Opera Omaha as the tragic clown Canio in Pagliacci, Dick Johnson with Maryland Lyric Opera, Calaf with Sarasota Opera, and Utah Opera where he made his role debut as Pollione in Norma. He was also heard in concert for Florentine Opera, with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and in Newport, RI. Additionally he has been heard as Calaf with Des Moines Metro Opera, Dayton Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Knoxville Opera; Gustavo in Un ballo in maschera for Florida Grand Opera; his UK debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for Welsh National Opera; and in his role debut as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with Austin Opera. 

Performance credits also include the roles of Don Jose in Carmen, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Manrico in Il trovatore. He has appeared with Royal Opera House Muscat, Dubai Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Utah Opera, Kentucky Opera, Nashville Opera, and Virginia Opera, among others. A protégé of Lorin Maazel, Mr. Burton sang with the famed maestro in multiple productions at the Castleton Festival, concerts in Washington, D.C., and in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the reopening of Teatro La Fenice. 

“Far and away the most commanding performance was that of bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello.  He has a naturally beautiful, superbly trained voice, rich and clear at the low end, smooth and flexible in the middle range and effortless at the top.  Good as his sound was, his acting was better.  Ketelsen fully realized the role.  He was rewarded at the curtain-call by an uninhibited outburst of cheering and a standing ovation.” (Opera News)

American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen is in regular demand by the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras for his vibrant and handsome stage presence and distinctive vocalism.

In the 2022/23 season, Mr. Ketelsen returns back to The Metropolitan Opera for the world premiere of Richard in The Hours opposite Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Joyce DiDonato, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, which would be televised live in HD. He returns to Wiener Staatsoper in the title role in Don Giovanni. His concert engagements include his first performances of Mendelssohn’s, Elijah with the Utah Symphony under the baton of Thierry Fischer. Mr. Ketelsen will return to the Los Angeles Opera as Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande conducted by James Conlin and directed by Sir David McVicar.