The Bozeman Symphony presents An Evening with Mark S. Doss
Bozeman, April 2016 – An Evening with Mark S. Doss is a delightful evening of arias performed by Grammy award winning bass-baritone Mark S. Doss. Mark is a world-renowned opera superstar. Having performed in all the major opera houses of the world, Mark is one of the biggest names in the business; Mark is a powerhouse. An Evening with Mark S. Doss will take place on April 6 at the beautiful Ellen Theater in downtown Bozeman. Mark has graciously offered this special concert as a fundraising event for the Bozeman Symphony and promises to be a night you’ll never forget. Special thank you to concert sponsors Bruce Jodar and Kimberlie Birdwell.
An Evening with Mark S. Doss will feature many of your favorite arias from popular operas such as Mefistofele, Show Boat, Boris Godunov, The Tales of Hoffmann, The Flying Dutchman, Lost in The Stars, Paint Your Wagon, Porgy and Bess, plus many more.
This event boasts both general and premium seating. General admission tickets for $28 allow ticketholders into the concert at the Ellen Theater beginning at 7:30 PM. A limited amount of premium tickets for $60 allow ticketholders into the concert, and grant access to the pre-concert reception beginning at 6 PM at the Legacy Gallery located at 7 W. Main Street, next door to The Ellen. Premium and general tickets can be purchased for this event online at theellentheatre.com; for questions or inquiries please call (406) 585-9774 or info@bozemansymphony.org.
Join us in celebrating this world-class performer, by playing “Who is Mark S. Doss?” In select local restaurants, you will find oversized playing cards depicting Doss in costume as some of the most well-known operatic characters of his career. Hints are printed on card backs to help you guess which character Doss is playing. You are encouraged to write your answer or best guess in the blank spaces provided. Play the game by visiting local businesses in March or by visiting bozemansymphony.org.
Who is Mark S. Doss? “As Mefistofele, Mark S. Doss is so charismatic he may change your mind about an ultimate destination in the afterlife. In total command, Doss raises hell with his raven-black voice and titillates with his balletic presence . . . ,” published London Financial Times writer Larry L. Lash.
“[S]tentorian bass-baritone Mark Steven Doss gave the most sensitive and attentive interpretation of the text of the quartet,” wrote Natasha Gauthier of the Ottowa Citizen.
Who is Mark S. Doss? “Leading the field among the four principals is Mark S Doss as Amonasro – a thrilling stage performer who wastes no opportunity to advance his character and sings with vehemence, he is the star of the show,” published The Stage.
Mark Steven Doss has sung with the major orchestras of Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Toronto, while additionally performing 87 roles with more than 60 major opera companies around the world, including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Canadian Opera Company.
The 2014-15 season began with Mr. Doss as the Colonial Soldier in Nicholas Lens’ World Premier of Shell Shock at the Théâtre de la monnaie in Brussels. Afterwards, he returned to Chicago for Händel’s Messiah – where he was featured in a Chicago Sun Times article and appeared on FOX and AB 7 TV. Subsequently, was Mark’s debut as the bass-baritone soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Ottawa Symphony.
The 2013-14 season included Mark as Amonasro in Aida at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, and the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffmann with the New National Theatre in Tokyo. He travelled to Chicago and Princeton, New Jersey where he performed as a bass-baritone soloist in Messiah and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony respectively (the latter soon to be released on CD under the Westminister Choir College label); then Simone in Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie with Turin’s Teatro Regio, the bass soloist in Bach’s St John Passion with the National Symphony in Costa Rica, Pizarro in Fidelio and Amonasro (Aida) at the Dorset Opera Festival, and Jochanaan in Salome with the Theatro Municipal in São Paulo, Brazil.
Highlights of Doss’ career include: his title role in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and one of his most acclaimed roles, Escamillo in Carmen, with the Teatro Regio in Turin, double bill performances of Premysl (Sarka) and Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana) with the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, the Dutchman at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna (soon to be released on DVD), Amonasro with the San Diego Opera, the Dutchman with the Dorset Opera Festival, Méphistophélès in Santa Fe Opera’s Faust, and successful debuts at the Vienna State Opera as Amonasro and the Berlin State Opera as Jochanaan (Solome).
Future performances include Doss as Germont in La Traviata with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan, Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida with Turin’s Teatro Regio, and Méphistophélès in Faust in Oviedo, Spain.
Mark is known for both his musical and humanitarian achievements. In 2011, Mark was awarded the prestigious Entertainment Award from Planet Africa to commemorate his volunteer work and community fundraising efforts.
Joining Mark for this special performance will be pianist Susan Stubson. Susan began her formal piano studies at age eight. Her first public recital at age eleven began her long and varied career as a performing artist and collaborator. She received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, during which time she won the hallowed Fiske Competition an unprecedented four consecutive years. Susan received a Masters of Music Degree in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Following her stint at Eastman, Susan moved to New York City where she worked as a freelance pianist for the Orchestra of Saint Lukes and as an audition pianist for various classical music organizations and record labels. She worked extensively as a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist at the Aspen Music Festival, Juilliard School of Music in the Vocal Arts Department and then served as an assistant to tenor Nico Castel at the Metropolitan Opera.
A Westerner to her core and unhappy with city living, Susan eventually returned to Wyoming where she performs regularly throughout the Rocky Mountain region both as a soloist and as a collaborative pianist with visiting artists.
Susan believes deeply in public service and celebrating the West’s rich cultural heritage. In 2011, she was appointed by Governor Matt Mead to the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund where she now serves as Chairman. A strong voice for the arts, she is a frequent contributor to the Writers from Wyoming series as well as a speaker on issues of women in leadership as well as arts advocacy.
When she’s not practicing piano, Susan practices law at Crowley, Fleck, PLLP. She is married to Tim Stubson, also an attorney at Crowley Fleck, who is currently running for the U.S. House of Representatives. They have two boys, Huck and Finn, and a cow dog Lillie Roosevelle.
