
The Barber of Seville 1959
Rosina’s elopement with Count Almaviva…
…over the objections of her guardian, Doctor Bartolo, is engineered by the wily barber, Figaro, in Rossini’s rollicking and melodic opera buffa.
Synopsis
Act I
During a visit to Seville, the young and dashing Count Almaviva glimpsed a beautiful young girl whose name was, he discovered, Rosina. Now he has come, with a group of musicians, to serenade her, and to win her heart. The Count hides when Figaro, the barber, bounds in, boasting of his busy life as the neighborhood factotum. Figaro recognizes the Count as a former employer, and tells him that Rosina is kept a virtual prisoner in the house as the ward of a certain Dr. Bartolo who plans to marry her himself. Figaro agrees to help Almaviva win the hand of Rosina. The conversation is interrupted by the appearance of Dr. Bartolo, and no sooner has he left when Almaviva launches into a second serenade, describing himself as the poor student, Lindoro. Rosina attempts a reply, but is interrupted. Figaro suggests that Almaviva disguise himself as a drunken soldier in order to gain access to the house, and as the Count dwells on his love, the barber happily anticipates his reward.
Alone, Rosina resolves to oppose Bartolo, and to have her way with the young student who has touched her heart. Dr. Bartolo having heard of Almaviva’s interest in his ward, is told by Don Basilio, Rosina’s music teacher, that the Count has been seen in the neighborhood. To drive the Count away, Basilio suggests a campaign of slander, but Bartolo is afraid it will take too long. Figaro overhears the plot. Warning Rosina that Bartolo plans to marry her the following day, the barber promises to deliver a note which she has written to Lindoro. Berta, the maid, answers a violent knocking at the door. It is Almaviva, disguised as a drunken soldier seeking a night’s lodging. During a long argument with Bartolo, Almaviva slips a love note to Rosina. Figaro rushes in to warn that a crowd, attracted by the sounds of argument, has gathered in the street. Police arrive to quiet the disturbance. As the officer in charge is about to arrest the drunken soldier, Almaviva reveals his identity.
Act II
Pleased to be rid of Almaviva, Bartolo greets a young music teacher, ‘Don Alonzo’ (again Alma viva in disguise), who claims to be a substitute for the ailing Basilio. Rosina, quickly recognizing her suitor, begins her singing lesson as Bartolo dozes in his chair. Figaro arrives to shave the doctor, and is shortly followed by Basilio. Bribed by Almaviva, the music teacher feigns illness, and departs. Figaro shaves Bartolo while Rosina and Almaviva plan their elopement. The lovers are overhead by the suspicious doctor, who drives Figaro and Almaviva from the house, and Rosina to her room.
Bartolo persuades Rosina that the young man in disguise is really a servant of Almaviva who plans to turn her over to the Count. After a violent storm Almaviva and Figaro climb in through a window to fetch Rosina. At first, the girl rebuffs ‘Lindoro’, but when he reveals that Lindoro and Almaviva are the same person, she falls joyously into his arms. As they are about to leave, they discover that the ladder has been removed from the window. Basilio enters with a Notary. Although he had been summoned to wed Rosina and Bartolo the official is instructed to marry her instead to Almaviva. Rushing in too late, Dr. Bartolo bestows his blessing on the married couple.
Artists

Peter Binder
Baritone
Figaro (July 22 - 24)
Peter Binder
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
SFO Debut:
Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly, 1957
Past Seasons:
Dandini, Cinderella, 1960
Germont, La traviata, 1960 (July 20 – 30)
Giuseppe Palmiere, The Gondoliers, 1960
Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (July 22 – 24)
Prince Yamadori, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Rochford, Anna Bolena, 1959
Eisenstein, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Dandini, Cinderella, 1958
Ford, Falstaff, 1958
Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, 1958
Harlequin, Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957
Joash, The Tower, 1957
Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Guglielmo, Così fan tutte, 1957

Robert Trehy
Baritone
Figaro (August 1 - 17)
Robert Trehy
Hometown: New York, NY
SFO Debut:
Marcello/ Schaunard, La bohėme, 1958
Past Seasons:
Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
Marcello, La bohėme, 1961
Horace Tabor, The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1961
Luiz, The Gondoliers, 1960 (June 22 – July 1)
Duke of Plaza-Toro, The Gondoliers, 1960 (July 16 – August 19)
Germont, La traviata, 1960 (June 29 – July 8)
Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Dr. Falke, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Sharpless, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 25 – August 12)
Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (August 1 – 17)
Oscar Hubbard, Regina, 1959
The Count, Capriccio, 1958
Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights, 1958

Maria Ferriero
Soprano
Rosina
Maria Ferriero
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
SFO Debut:
Madame Butterfly, Madame Butterfly, 1957 (July 3 – 12)
Past Seasons:
Countess Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro, 1961 (August 5 & 11)
Mimi, La bohėme, 1961
Anna Bolena, Anna Bolena, 1959
Rosina, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Countess, Capriccio, 1958
Mimi, La bohėme, 1958

Charles Anthony
Tenor
Count Almaviva (July 22 - 24)
Charles Anthony
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
SFO Debut:
Alfred, Die Fledermaus, 1959 (June 24 – July 3)
Past Seasons:
Rodolfo, La bohėme, 1961
Pinkerton, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 8 – 17)
Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (July 22 – 24)

Nico Castel
Tenor
Count Almaviva (August 1 - 17)
Nico Castel
Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal
SFO Debut:
Fenton, Falstaff, 1958
Past Seasons:
John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld, 1985
Don Curzio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1985
John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld, 1983
A Notary, Don Pasquale, 1983
First Jew, Salome, 1967
Don Basilio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Alfred, Die Fledermaus, 1959 (August 7 – 18)
Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (August 1 – 17)
Pedrillo, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
An Italian Tenor, Capriccio, 1958
Joseph, Wuthering Heights, 1958

Andrew Foldi
Bass-baritone
Bartolo
Andrew Foldi
Hometown: Budapest, Hungary
SFO Debut:
Doctor Bartolo, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Past Seasons:
Speaker, The Magic Flute, 1980
A Struggling Soul, Die Jakobsleiter, 1980
Schigolch, Lulu, 1979
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
Schigolch, Lulu, 1974
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1968
Director, La bohėme, 1964
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1963
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1961
Benoit, La bohème, 1961
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
Baron d’Houdoux, News of the Day, 1961
Don Magnifico, Cinderella, 1960
Master Spinelleccio, Gianni Schicci, 1960
Tiresias, Oedipus Rex, 1960
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Henry VIII, Anna Bolena, 1959
Osmin, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Doctor Bartolo, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Benoit/Alcindoro, La bohème, 1958
Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte, 1958
Pistol, Falstaff, 1958
Don Magnifico, Cinderella, 1958
Uberto, La serva padrona, 1957
Truffaldin. Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957

Joan Caplan
Mezzo-soprano
Berta
Joan Caplan
Hometown: New York, NY
SFO Debut:
Suzuki, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 25 – August 12)
Santa Fe Opera Apprentice: 1958
Past Seasons:
Suzuki, Madame Butterfly, 1968 (August 15 – 31)
Beroe, The Bassarids, 1968
Berta, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Addie, Regina, 1959

Rolf Sander
Tenor
Fiorello
Rolf Sander
Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany
SFO Debut:
Bardolf, Falstaff, 1958
Past Seasons:
Valzacchi, Der Rosenkavalier, 1961
Alcindoro, La bohėme, 1961
Basilio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
Shepherd, Oedipus Rex, 1961
Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi, 1960
Basilio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Shepherd, Oedipus Rex, 1960
Spoletta, Tosca, 1960
Lord Harvey, Anna Bolena, 1959
Fiorello, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Dr. Blind, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Goro, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Monsieur Taupe, Capriccio, 1958

Roy Lazarus
Bass
Basilio
Roy Lazarus
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
SFO Debut:
Frosch, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Past Seasons:
Selim Pasha, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Bonze, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Horace Giddens, Regina, 1959
Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville, 1959

Robert Baustian
Conductor
Robert Baustian
Hometown: Storm Lake, IA
SFO Debut:
The Barber of Seville, 1957
Past Seasons:
Die Jakobsleiter, 1980
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1977
The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
The Cunning Little Vixen, 1975
Così fan tutte, 1975 (July 30)
La vida breve, 1975
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1975
The Magic Flute, 1974
Le Rossignol, 1973
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1973
The Marriage of Figaro, 1973
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1972
The Marriage of Figaro, 1971
The Magic Flute, 1971
The Marriage of Figaro, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1969
The Magic Flute, 1969
Die Jakobsleiter, 1968
Perséphone, 1968
The Elixir of Love, 1968
The Magic Flute, 1968
The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Boulevard Solitude, 1967
The Barber of Seville, 1967
Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1966
Don Giovanni, 1966
Cinderella, 1966
The Marriage of Figaro, 1965
The Stag King, 1965
Lucia di Lammermoor, 1965
The Marriage of Figaro, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1963
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1963
Don Giovanni, 1963
Mavra, 1962
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1962
La traviata, 1962
Così fan tutte, 1962
The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1961
The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Cinderella, 1958
Falstaff, 1958
Così fan tutte, 1958
The Tower, 1957

Robert Ackart
Director
Robert Ackart
Hometown: Wilmington, DE
SFO Debut:
Così fan tutte, 1957
Past Seasons:
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Anna Bolena, 1959
Capriccio, 1958
Così fan tutte, 1958
Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957 (also Major-Domo)
La Serva Padrona, 1957

Patton Campbell
Costume Designer
Patton Campbell
Hometown: Omaha, NE
SFO Debut:
Madame Butterfly, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Past Seasons:
Tosca, 1969
Così fan tutte, 1969
Der Rosenkavalier, 1968
The Barber of Seville, 1967
The Rake’s Progress, 1966
The Barber of Seville, 1965
Così fan tutte, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
La bohème, 1961
The Rake’s Progress, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
Regina, 1959
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction From the Seraglio, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Madame Butterfly, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Anna Bolena, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Die Fledermaus, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Capriccio, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Cinderella, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Wuthering Heights, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Falstaff, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La bohème, 1958 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Tower, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La serva padrona, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Barber of Seville, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Rake’s Progress, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)

Henry Heymann
Designer
Scenery
Henry Heymann
SFO Debut:
The Barber of Seville, 1959 (Scenic Designer)
Past Seasons:
Salome, 1967 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Marriage of Figaro, 1967 (Costume Designer)
Don Giovanni, 1966 (Costume Designer)
Rigoletto, 1966 (Costume Designer)
La traviata, 1965 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Marriage of Figaro, 1965 (Costume Designer)
La bohème, 1964 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Daphne, 1964 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Gianni Schicchi, 1964 (Costume Designer)
L’enfant et les sortilèges, 1964 (Scenic Designer)
Carmen, 1964 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Marriage of Figaro, 1964 (Costume Designer)
Rigoletto, 1964 (Costume Designer)
L’enfant et les sortilèges, 1963 (Scenic Designer)
Le Rossignol, 1963 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1963 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Don Giovanni, 1963 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Die Fledermaus, 1963 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Rake’s Progress, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Tosca, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Perséphone, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Oedipus Rex, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Renard, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Mavra, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Le Rossignol, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
La traviata, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Salome, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
News of the Day, 1961 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Marriage of Figaro, 1961 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
La bohème, 1961 (Scenic Designer)
Carmen, 1961 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Perséphone, 1961 (Scenic Designer)
Oedipus Rex, 1961 (Scenic Designer)
The Marriage of Figaro, 1960 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Tosca, 1960 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Rake’s Progress, 1960 (Scenic Designer)
Oedipus Rex, 1960 (Scenic Designer)
Gianni Schicchi, 1960 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Cinderella, 1960 (Scenic Designer)
La traviata, 1960 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
The Gondoliers, 1960 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Regina, 1959 (Scenic Designer)

Robert L. Benson
Lighting Designer
Robert L. Benson
Hometown: Abilene, TX
SFO Debut:
La bohėme, 1958
Past Seasons:
Carmen, 1961
Der Rosenkavalier, 1961
La bohėme, 1961
The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
News of the Day, 1961
Oedipus Rex, 1961
Perséphone, 1961
The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1961
Cinderella, 1960
Gianni Schicchi, 1960
The Gondoliers, 1960
La traviata, 1960
Oedipus Rex, 1960
The Rake’s Progress, 1960
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Regina, 1959

Margaret Hillis
Chorus Master
Margaret Hillis
Hometown: Kokomo, IN
SFO Debut:
Chorus Master, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Past Seasons:
Conductor, Regina, 1959
Chorus Master, Anna Bolena, 1959
Chorus Master, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Chorus Master, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Chorus Master, The Barber of Seville, 1959
The Barber of Seville 1959
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