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San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Versailles Royal Opera to visit Wine Country in one-of-a-kind cultural exchange
The Versailles Royal Opera makes its home in one of history's most famous settings: the Palace of Versailles. Just 12 miles outside Paris, the grand estate houses a strikingly beautiful concert hall completed for King Louis XV in 1770, once the largest performance venue in Europe. So it's only fitting that the esteemed opera company, embarking on its first this summer, would want to play somewhere with comparable beauty for its North American debut. The Versailles Royal Opera is slated to bring its acclaimed production of Gaetano Donizetti's 'La Fille du Régiment' to Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena on Friday, July 18. The evening is expected to be one of the highlights of this year's Festival Napa Valley, which kicked off on July 5 and continues through July 20, with classical concerts, film screenings and more at various Wine Country locales. But it's not just opulence that connects Versailles and Napa. Stage director Jean-Romain Vesperini, who mounted 'Fille' in France this spring, was referred to the historic company for this production by Festival Napa Valley's co-founder, vice president and director of artistic planning, Charles Letourneau. That introduction sparked a years-long international collaboration that ultimately made it possible to adapt the production for a California vineyard. 'You couldn't produce an opera like this in the U.S.,' Letourneau told the Chronicle via Zoom call from his New York office, explaining how the effort to bring 'Fille' had to start overseas. 'So many elements are so particular to France and Versailles.' Vesperini, who lives in Paris but has worked with Festival Napa Valley for the past six years, was primed to serve as ambassador. On a separate Zoom call from Liège, Belgium, where he was in rehearsal for another opera, the director described how this production of 'Fille' is rooted in historical accuracy and a very specific time and place. First and foremost visually are the period costumes by renowned fashion designer Christian Lacroix, which evoke the early 19th century Napoleonic era, when Donizetti's comic two-act opera is set. There's also the orchestra playing on period instruments, tuned lower than standard modern pitch — as they would have been heard at the opera's 1840 premiere. But fidelity to the past doesn't mean this production can't also come alive for 21st century audiences. 'I often say, it is not necessary to have contemporary costumes or set design to make a contemporary staging,' explained Vesperini. To this end, much of his directing has focused on letting the singers behave and react more like people in 2025, which adds humor and helps modern audiences identify with the characters. Letourneau praised the updates that Vesperini and the rest of the artistic team have carried out in this spirit. 'They were clever and rewrote some of the dialogue to make references to what's happening today in America, like TikTok,' he noted. 'They're young, they're hip, they're fun and they're motivated.' You might even say there's a tradition of ingenuity at Versailles. Designers equipped the opera house in 1770 with stage techniques so advanced they remained in wide use across Europe and much of the Western world for the next 200 years. Those practices — large painted backdrops, sliding scenery flats and action that shifted between the forestage and full stage — were established before the French Revolution, when the venue was shuttered. (It underwent restoration in the 1950s and reopened in its present form in 2009 following a safety retrofitting.) Many modern productions there, including 'Fille,' embrace this history by continuing to feature painted backdrops. But adapting everything for a differently sized outdoor stage in Napa required further innovation. Vesperini revealed that the company took photos of the sets in Versailles, digitized them and then built a model on a computer. What the festival audience will see are digital projections of these original sets — just one solution to the challenge of transporting a full-scale production across an ocean and a continent. Letourneau acknowledged that when he and his colleagues first discussed hosting a Versailles opera in Napa about seven years ago, it was 'one of those crazy ideas that seemed ridiculous and out of reach.' But he persisted, in part because of the parallels he saw between the two cultural retreats. Versailles, he explained, is 'very much of a similar mindset to what we do in Napa — which is creating these extraordinary artistic experiences and finding ways to pay for them.' A lunch in New York City with Gerret and Tatiana Copeland, owners of Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa and supporters of the festival since its beginning nearly two decades ago, led to solid backing. In addition to 'Fille,' presented on the annual opera series underwritten by San Francisco philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem, the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra is scheduled to play a second program of Baroque favorites on Saturday, July 19, at Copeland Olive Hill Estate in Carneros. It's a cultural exchange that everyone can get excited about. Festival Napa Valley's pay-what-you-can pricing means that tickets for 'Fille' can be purchased for as little as $5; general admission and lawn seats are otherwise fixed at $35. For an experience that would normally require a trip to Versailles, that's a bargain. 'This is a happy story about countries and cultures collaborating together,' Letourneau said. 'We need more of that.'
Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Pawtucket police release edited videos in shooting of mentally disabled man with a toy gun, raising more questions
It's also the only video the city released that shows the shooting. The footage from Letourneau's body-worn camera was edited to show only 4 minutes and 2 seconds after the shooting occurred. That clip begins with Letourneau handcuffing James Dean, a resident who was tackled by police as he yelled at officers not to shoot Yidana. It is labeled 'redacted' and does not show the shooting itself. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Footage from the body-worn camera of Pawtucket Police Officer Thomas Letourneau on June 8, 2025, shows his actions after he shot Sebastian Yidana. Advertisement Letourneau can be heard trying to catch his breath and cursing. Another officer walks him to a cruiser and tells him to take a seat inside. 'F--k. My body camera's on, f--k,' Letourneau says and throws his sunglasses on the dashboard. 'Don't talk to anybody, all right?' a third officer tells him soon after. 'Take a breath.' The other videos captured the chaotic aftermath, as swarms of officers responded in seconds to Letourneau's call about 'shots fired.' Officer Matthew Levasseur jumped out of his cruiser with his gun drawn, shouting at Dean, a resident who was shouting at police as he stood with Yidana. 'Get out of the way so we can help him!' Levasseur shouted. Advertisement Levasseur was the first officer to reach Yidana. He called for a rescue and yelled for gloves, and asked the fallen man's name. 'I might die,' Yidana answered softly, barely audible under James' screams. 'I hope I die.' Video from the body camera worn by Pawtucket Officer Matthew Levasseur on June 8, 2025, shows the aftermath of the shooting of Sebastian Yidana. 'You're not gonna die, buddy,' Levasseur responded. He pulled on gloves and put pressure on Yidana's bleeding wound. 'Was it an officer who did this?' Levasseur asked, several times. 'Yes,' Yidana said. Dean had his hands in the air, screaming, 'Toy gun!' as Officer Andrew Dutra drew his gun and shouted for him to get on the ground. Letourneau tackled Dean to the pavement, and as the officers handcuffed him, Dean kept asking, 'Why am I getting arrested?' One officer picked up the camouflage-colored, orange-tipped, plastic toy gun that Yidana dropped when he was shot. When Officer Nicholas Dadona saw it, he sounded confused. 'That's not the gun,' Dadona can be heard saying on the video from his body-worn camera. 'Where's the real gun?' In body-camera video footage released by officials, a Pawtucket police officer holds the toy gun 28-year-old Sebastian Yidana, a mentally disabled man, was holding when he was shot by Pawtucket Police Officer Thomas Letourneau on June 8. (Pawtucket Police Department) Pawtucket Police Department Yidana had been playing with the toy gun as he stood at the corner of Goff Avenue and Broad Street, outside his apartment building at 10 Goff Ave. 'He's been doing that with the gun the last couple of days, out here, going up to people's cars,' a woman was overheard telling another officer on one of the videos released by the police department. Scott Fontes, Advertisement The bullets also struck a parked vehicle and the front of the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program building on Goff Avenue. Scott Fontes points to bullet holes in the Blackstone Valley Community Action Program building on June 27, 2025. Fontes said those bullets came from a Pawtucket police officer who shot at a mentally disabled man holding a toy gun on June 8, 2025. Amanda Milkovits/Globe Staff Yidana's family said the videos do not explain why he was shot. 'Please, please release all of the videos right now,' implored Yidana's mother, Regina Socree. 'I don't understand why they are playing this game. Release them so we can see what actually happened. This is a human being we are talking about.' Yidana was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia when he was in his late teens; his mother said the police are aware of his mental illness. From his bed at Rhode Island Hospital, Sebastian Yidana recovers at Rhode Island Hospital after being shot by Pawtucket Police Officer while carrying a toy gun. (Regina Socree) Regina Socree The city of Pawtucket has been slow to release any information about the police shooting over the last three and a half weeks. Aside from statements at the scene, Police Chief Tina Goncalves has not answered questions about the shooting. After The city hasn't responded to a public-records request made two weeks ago for the police radio and dispatch calls from the shooting. Although arrest reports are made public within 48 hours under state law, the department didn't respond to the Globe's request for Yidana's until June 25, after the Globe appealed to Grebien and the attorney general's office. Advertisement The 18-page report showed someone had called about a man with an Airsoft gun with an orange tip — indicating that the gun was a toy. Two other officers reported that someone had called about a man with a BB gun. The city still hasn't released a written narrative from Letourneau. City Solicitor Frank Milos told the Globe on June 26 that Letourneau had not yet written one. Video from the body worn camera of Pawtucket Officer Andrew Dutra shows Officer Thomas Letourneau being walked to a police cruiser. Letourneau was placed on administrative leave after the shooting. A video from the body worn camera of Pawtucket Officer Andrew Dutra shows him being walked to a police cruiser after the shooting. A spokesman for the attorney general's office said prosecutors and the state police are continuing to investigate the shooting with Pawtucket police, as is protocol for officer-involved shootings in Rhode Island. Over the last 20 years, Pawtucket police officers have fatally shot seven people and wounded one other person. Each incident was deemed justified by a grand jury. The attorney general's office told the Globe it had no objection to Pawtucket releasing the videos once all the witnesses were interviewed. Other police departments generally release the videos of police shootings that include the incident. Pawtucket's release of edited videos 'was pointless, really,' said Choice McDonnough, Yidana's older sister. 'It doesn't answer what took place prior to the shooting. It just shows a bystander or witness defending Sebastian who is being arrested for no reason.' Pawtucket State Representative Cherie Cruz (left) comforts Regina Socree on Friday as she spoke about her son Sebastian Yidana, who was shot and wounded by a Pawtucket officer on June 8. (Amanda Milkovits/Globe Staff) Amanda Milkovits/Globe Staff The Pawtucket police did not charge Dean or Fontes, who were merely bystanders. However, the police lodged two felony charges against Yidana for allegedly carrying a device that resembled a firearm and pointing it at Letourneau on June 8 and another, unnamed person on June 7. Advertisement Those charges cost Yidana his housing. Pawtucket state representative Cherie Cruz criticized how the Pawtucket police have handled the shooting, saying that it undermined any trust from the community. 'Residents have to live in fear that they have no rights or protection from police violence. Who holds police accountable when they do commit crimes against residents, police themselves?' Cruz told the Globe. 'It will not happen when police police themselves.... a panel of cops will never hold other cops accountable for their lawlessness, crime, and violence.' Amanda Milkovits can be reached at
Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Dean Letourneau, the Bruins' top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, works toward big-time bounce-back season for BC
But with the intriguing pivot making the sizable jump from the prep level to the gauntlet of Hockey East last season at Boston College, the Bruins expected Letourneau to have a few missteps as a freshman. Advertisement It ended up being far more than just a couple of simple stumbles for the 18-year-old forward. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Significant growing pains,' Don Sweeney said of Letourneau's first season with BC. 'Making a very big jump from the level of hockey he was the year before, to the demands of college.' Related : Initially, Letourneau was expected to take a smaller step by playing the USHL for a season before matriculating to college. But after Eagles star Will Smith left school to join the Sharks later in the summer, Letourneau opted to accelerate his timeline. It led to plenty of frustration for several parties this past winter. 'I think we all would have agreed that maybe a full year of the USHL would have been the best path,' Sweeney said. 'Physically, he was able to play at the college level, and again, that opportunity presented a bit of a unique fashion. Advertisement 'I think everybody was sort of with the understanding that, hey, physically, he was ready to do it. Now, whether or not you can carry that over in the highest level, because that's what the expectations at BC are, and be successful from a production standpoint, you know, that's a leap.' Related : Despite playing in 36 games with the Eagles in a bottom-six role, Letourneau failed to score a single goal — finishing with just three assists. Boston was expecting a long-term project in Letourneau, but the frustration was evident for all involved — namely the player whose track record of stuffing the stat sheet came to an abrupt halt in the collegiate ranks. 'I mean, obviously the numbers weren't where I wanted them to be,' Letourneau said at Boston's Development Camp. 'It definitely weighed on me a little bit that the chances weren't going in. I had a couple of chances in the Beanpot … hit a couple crossbars, a couple posts. So usually when those don't go [in], you get a little frustrated.' Letourneau added that he was hindered by a broken hand for the first half of the season. He went under the knife around the holidays. Even if his health improved down the stretch, it still didn't lead to any tangible results on the scoresheet. But as the dissatisfaction continued to build, fellow Advertisement 'He just kept his head down and worked hard,' Gasseau, a 2021 seventh-round selection, said of Letourneau. 'He's someone who is willing to go on the ice. And when there's free ice, when the gym's open, we go on the ice a lot during free ice, if we have time before practice. 'I know he spent a couple weeks here before coming to this camp. So he's really committed. And like Seemingly bent on working on his shot, Dean Letourneau let one fly at Warrior Arena. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff Bruins player development coordinator Adam McQuaid echoed the message about how Letourneau navigated a season where the positives were few and far between. 'He honestly handled it really well,' McQuaid said. 'Like there were days of disappointment where he felt like he could and wanted to impact more. … At the end of the year, he was like, 'I'm going back to BC. I'm going to compete for a spot.' Nothing's going to be given to you. 'He knows that, and it says a lot about him. So [I] learned a lot about his character. Adversity at a young age — a lot of these guys haven't seen it. So for him to go through it now, there's always going to be critics and adversity faced. And for him, being here in Boston probably magnifies it a little bit. He's handled it really well.' Related : Letourneau will likely be placed in the same bottom-six role with the Eagles in 2025-26, especially with Hagens and fellow Advertisement After learning to play more of a hard-nosed, checking role this past year, Letourneau wants to return to his strengths as an offensive playmaker — rather than try to augment his skillset based on where Letourneau might need plenty of seasoning in the collegiate ranks before setting his sights on the pro game. But he believes he has the means to put last season in the rearview mirror. 'I just took some time off. Kind of reflected on the season. … Trying to be more focused on my skill, trying to get my confidence back,' Letourneau said. 'And I feel I kind of have as the summer has [gone] on.' Conor Ryan can be reached at
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' Dean Letourneau, a no-goal freshman year and the first-rounder's way back
BRIGHTON, Mass. — Dean Letourneau knows there are reasons he has yet to score his first NCAA goal. The 2024 first-round pick of the Boston Bruins arrived at Boston College as an 18-year-old freshman out of Canadian prep school hockey. He played half the year with a broken hand that required surgery in December. The 6-foot-7, 221-pounder was playing a support role behind, among other players, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, who advanced to the NHL as soon as their sophomore seasons concluded. Ex-NHLer Brian Boyle, a 6-foot-6 forward who scored five goals as an 18-year-old BC freshman and logged 871 career games, is a case of a behemoth who needed time to adjust to Hockey East. Advertisement But zero goals is zero goals. It is a difficult output to consider for a player with 61 tucks the previous season for St. Andrew's College, the Aurora, Ontario, program with a limited history of sending graduates to the NHL. 'Definitely a frustrating year,' said the right-shot forward, who had three assists in his 36 BC games. 'Going forward, just knowing that if you just stick through it and work hard, good things will come. So definitely a good learning experience.' On Monday at Warrior Ice Arena, Letourneau began his second development camp since being drafted No. 25 in 2024. It is a friendly setting for NHL hopefuls to incorporate the on- and off-ice fundamentals required for making a living in hockey. The players are not here to win jobs. But Letourneau is using the week as a serious step in repairing the fractures of an unexpected freshman season. He is trying to discover who he thinks he can be as a BC sophomore: an offensive play-driver instead of depth checker. 'Mental mindset. Just trying to be more focused on my skill, trying to get my confidence back,' he said. 'I feel like I kind of have as the summer's gone on. Just seeing more skill, more of what I'm used to, what my game is. I'll always have that hard-checking role I was put into in my back pocket so it won't leave. But trying to focus on skill and getting my confidence back.' The Bruins took Letourneau because of his size and offensive potential. Initially, Letourneau intended to spend 2024-25 with Sioux Falls in the USHL before joining the Eagles this fall as a 19-year-old. Letourneau appeared in two games for Sioux Falls in 2023-24. But Letourneau and BC accelerated the plan. On May 28, 2024, Will Smith signed his entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Smith's one-and-done decision opened the door for Letourneau to arrive ahead of schedule. Advertisement It was a hasty decision. 'In hindsight, I think we all would agree that another year in the USHL, a full year in the USHL, would have been the best path,' said general manager Don Sweeney. 'Physically, he was able to play at the college level. That opportunity presented in a bit of a unique fashion. I think everybody was under the understanding that physically, he was ready to do it. Now, whether or not you can carry that over to the highest level — because that's what the expectation of BC is — and be successful from a point-production standpoint? That's a leap.' Initially, the pace, competitiveness and professionalism of college hockey smacked Letourneau in the face. In his first game, for example, Michigan State rolled out 23-year-old defenseman Nicklas Andrews. Letourneau was playing against men. So was James Hagens, his fellow Bruins prospect. But Hagens, also an 18-year-old, had the advantage of coming from the U.S. National Team Development Program. Hagens had the reps of playing with and against the best 2007-born players. The Under-18 team regularly played college and USHL opponents. Hagens also represented Team USA in the World Juniors. 'Coming from Canadian prep school to college is a huge jump,' BC coach Greg Brown said. 'I'm sure a lot of the time Dean was hoping for better, wanting to make more of an impact. But one, it's a huge jump to play against the older players in college. Also, it seems that guys who are that tall, their development is a longer path.' By the second half of last year, Letourneau found traction in BC's bottom six at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. He was satisfied to add those traits to his toolbox. He also generated more scoring chances. But none of them went in. It got to him. 'Definitely weighed on me a little bit as the chances weren't going in,' Letourneau said. 'I had a couple chances in the Beanpot game that wouldn't fall. Hit a couple crossbars, a couple posts. Usually when those don't go in, you get a little frustrated. Not having any goals and not falling in definitely hurts a little more.' Advertisement Letourneau still considers himself an offensive presence. He is viewing this week as a platform upon which to handle pucks and generate chances. He is still learning how to apply his strength toward puck protection and shooing away checkers. Brown has not determined Letourneau's role. The BC coach said the 19-year-old will have opportunities following the departures of Leonard and Perreault. Time will tell whether his offseason reset produces NCAA results in 2025-26. 'When players have had success and put up points their entire careers,' Sweeney said, 'and all of a sudden it's like, 'Hold up, this is a lot harder,' it's deflating to a degree. But talking him through it, he'll be fine. He'll earn his opportunity to work his way back up the depth chart and start to produce like he has. I don't look it as a setback. I just look at it as a reality slap in a lot of ways.'
Boston Globe
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Five players to watch this week at Bruins Development Camp
Here are five players to keep tabs on during Development Camp: James Hagens, C The crown jewel of a revamped Bruins prospect pipeline, Hagens could assuage the pain drawn from a miserable 2024-25 season if he develops into a legitimate franchise pivot. Despite dropping from his standing as the projected No. 1 pick entering the 2024-25 campaign, Hagens is a skilled playmaker whose skating ability, slick hands, and transition game should translate well to hockey's highest level. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement Another year at Boston College will benefit Hagens, giving him time to fill out his 5-foot-11-inch frame. But this week could offer Bruins fans longing for high-end talent a glimpse at what's to come when Hagens puts on a black-and-gold sweater full-time. 'I don't think it's an alarming thing for us at all,' Bruins director of amateur scouting Ryan Nadeau said of Hagens' 37-point freshman season at BC. 'James helped drive a lot of play. Love the way that he can play with pace and attack with pace. Controlled pucks offensively. Just a real exciting player for us.' Related : Hagens headlines an intriguing Advertisement Will Zellers, LW One of the top prospects acquired in Boston's Related : Dean Letourneau, C All eyes might be fixated on Hagens next season, but BC is expected to feature six Bruins prospects on its roster: Hagens, Moore, Dean Letourneau, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, and Kristian Kostadinski. And while Hagens might alleviate some pressure on Letourneau, this is shaping up to be a critical year for the Eagles' pivot. Selected in the first round last year (No. 25), Letourneau was viewed as a project by Boston — with the 6-7 center's size and skill painting the picture of a potential matchup nightmare. But after spending most of his draft year dominating at the prep level (127 points in 56 games at St. Andrew's College), Letourneau opted to make the jump to Hockey East rather than spending a year in the USHL. 'I think we all would have agreed that maybe another year of the USHL [or] a full year of the USHL would have been the best path,' Bruins general manager Don Sweeney acknowledged Wednesday. The 2024-25 campaign was a struggle for Letourneau, who had zero goals and three assists over 36 games. At this stage, the Bruins might welcome a scenario where Letourneau develops into a bottom-six ace like the 6-7 Brian Boyle. But the Bruins need to see more assertiveness on the ice — especially given Letourneau's imposing frame. Advertisement Albin Boija, G The Bruins will have one drafted goaltender in Development Camp in Providence College's Philip Svedebäck (2021 fourth-round pick). But as they try to find a young netminder to pair with Jeremy Swayman for the long haul, fellow Maine Black Bear Boija is worth keeping tabs on. A camp invite, Boija is expected to be one of the top undrafted college free agents next season after helping Maine to its first Hockey East championship since 2004. The 21-year-old won 23 games last season, sporting a .928 save percentage. With the futures of Michael DiPietro and Brandon Bussi, Boija could be an intriguing add for Boston next spring. Chris Pelosi, C/W One of the more under-the-radar prospects in Boston's system, Pelosi had a strong freshman season at Quinnipiac. He had 13 goals and 24 points in 38 games for the Bobcats, with 19 points over the final 23 games of the season. A third-round selection by the Bruins in 2023, Pelosi is a high-motor, physical forward who was noticeable in last year's camp. He might be more of a third-line player if he reaches the NHL, but Pelosi's sandpaper style could make him a useful asset. Advertisement Conor Ryan can be reached at
