Conductor Timothy Myers Makes Santa Fe Opera Debut With The Pearl Fishers

Conductor Timothy Myers

Conductor Timothy Myers is set to make his Santa Fe Opera debut this weekend as he leads the cast and crew during The Pearl Fishers. The opera is part of opening weekend for the company on June 29.

Other dates for the performance are July 5, 10 and 30, and August 8, 16 and 23. Sung in French with opera titles in English and Spanish, this is a revival of Santa Fe Opera’s 2012 premiere production.

The Opera

In The Pearl Fishers, the then 25-year old Bizet blended the best elements of grand opera — including extensive use of the chorus and a plush orchestration — with extraordinarily lyrical arias and duets. The story is set in ancient times on the shores of Ceylon, where Zurga (Anthony Clark Evans), ruler of the pearl fishers, is reunited with his long-lost comrade Nadir (Ilker Arcayürek). Their famous duet, which recounts a mutual passion for the heavenly Leïla (Corinne Winters), is one of the finest expressions of friendship in music. Both men renounced her to save their bond, but her unexpected return soon traps them again in “the accursed snares of love.”

Robert Pomakov will be Nourabad. This will be a Santa Fe Opera debut performance for both Evans and Arcayürek. Arcayürek will also make his American Operatic Stage debut.

The Denver Post called the SFO’s 2012 production: “'The Pearl Fishers' is a post-apocalyptic costume party...this is what opera could be across the U.S. if audiences were more adventurous and companies had just a little more nerve."

For details and tickets, visit the Santa Fe Opera’s website.

Timothy Myers

Praised by Opera News: “Conductor Timothy Myers shaped the performance incisively and showed great care for the score’s nuances, drawing consistently poised, colorful playing from the orchestra.”

Timothy Myers enjoys a career that encompasses a wide breadth of repertoire and iconic projects, and demonstrates a commitment to quality long-term relationships with artists and institutions.

In the 18/19 season Myers makes his Santa Fe Opera debut conducting The Pearl Fishers, conducts the world premiere of The Fix (Joel Puckett/Eric Simonson) for his debut at Minnesota Opera, leads Silent Night for his debut at Austin Opera where he also acts as artistic advisor, debuts at Opera Omaha conducting I pagliacci, and leads the Winston-Salem Symphony as a music director candidate, conducting a program of Jennifer Higdon, Missy Mazzoli, Ravel and Tchaikovsky.

In 2016 Myers made his European debut with a highly acclaimed production of Barber’s Vanessa at Wexford Festival Opera, where he returned in 2017 to lead a highly anticipated new production of Jacopo Foroni’s rediscovered Margherita, the first performances since 1852.

Also in the 17/18 season Myers continued his long affiliation with Houston Grand Opera conducting a new production of Bernstein’s West Side Story for the Bernstein centennial; debuted with Florida Grand Opera leading his first Salome; conducted Samson et Dalila in concert for his return as a guest conductor at North Carolina Opera; led a double-bill of I pagliacci and Gianni Schicchi for his debut with Utah Symphony & Opera; and conducted Sweeney Todd for his debut at Atlanta Opera.

Other noteworthy recent engagements have included concerts with the North Carolina Symphony and Baltimore Symphony, Adams’ Doctor Atomic and R. Strauss’ Capriccio with Curtis Opera Theatre, a Lyric Opera of Chicago debut conducting Rising Stars in Concert, and the workshop of Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage’s commission for the Metropolitan Opera, Intimate Apparel.

With the close of the 16/17 season, Myers concluded his tenure as the Artistic & Music Director of North Carolina Opera, where his work inspired a precipitous rise in the performance standard and the forging of collaborations with multiple local and national organizations. Repertoire highlights from his tenure include Das Rheingold, Act II of Tristan und Isolde and Act I of Die Walküre, Eugene Onegin and Rusalka.

An experienced collaborator in the creation of new works, Myers has conducted world premieres at Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Opera Africa.

A protégé of Lorin Maazel, Myers was the first associate conductor of the Castleton Festival, where he led multiple symphonic and opera performances over his tenure. Myers has conducted the American, Jerusalem, Beijing NCPA, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Portland (ME), Toledo, Chautauqua, Tulsa and Palm Beach symphony orchestras, the Malaysian, Johannesburg and Brooklyn philharmonic orchestras, and appeared at the Wolf Trap, Central City, Castleton and Music Academy of the West festivals.