Mark your calendars for March 8, 9 and 10 when Opera San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly's Student Opera Theater collaborate in a production of opera scenes and Puccini's Suor Angelica. Artistic Director Brian Asher Alhadeff, OperaSLO Artistic Adviser and Cal Poly faculty member Jacalyn Kreitzer and Executive Director Sharon Dobson have proposed that the joint production become an annual event, giving young artists the opportunity to perform with a professional opera company. This represents a major expansion of OperaSLO's artistic and educational mission.
OperaSLO Artistic Advisor Kreitzer created and directs the Cal Poly Student Opera Theater. She explains that the newly established "Co-opera" will provide hands-on and learn-by-doing experience for the students. "They will be working side by side with the OperaSLO chorus and soloists, an orchestra and other professionals, while providing emerging student singers, stage management, set and costume design for OperaSLO," said Kreitzer. Furthermore, "students also benefit from the rigors and challenges of preparing performances for a paying audience."
This year's co-production will include scenes from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma, Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, the "Mad Scene" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, followed by the complete opera Suor Angelica, by Puccini.
Karen Dunn
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Suor Angelica is one of three short operas by Puccini, known collectively as Il Trittico (the other two being Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi). The story is that of a nun, Sister Angelica, who has been forced to enter a convent after having had a child out of wedlock. Angelica's aunt, The Princess, comes to the convent and demands that Angelica sign away her share of her parents' inheritance. The younger sister is to be married and the money is needed for a dowry. When Sister Angelica asks about her child, the Princess reveals that he has died. Stricken, Angelica agrees to give up her inheritance. Soon thereafter she brews a poisonous drink and takes it. She repents her rash deed, and as she expires a chorus of angels appears with the Virgin Mary, who holds Angelica's son by the hand.
Cecilia Lopez
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Lead roles will be performed by Karen Dunn, who lives in Morro Bay, and Cecilia Violetta Lopez, who makes her professional debut with Opera San Luis Obispo. Dunn, who will sing the role of the Princess in Suor Angelica, has performed with OperaSLO many times. Among her roles have been Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Mercedes in Carmen, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, and The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. She has also performed with the Coastal Valleys Symphony, the Santa Maria Symphony and the Tolosa Strings.
Lopez, who will sing the role of Sister Angelica, discovered her passion for music when a young child. She was encouraged by her mother, who introduced her to mariachi music; by age 12 she was already singing with mariachi bands. Classical training began at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, mainly under the tutelage of Dr. Tod Fitzpatrick. While at UNLV she has performed various important roles in opera, choral and chamber music. Lopez is also an alumna of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Most recently she was a winner in the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Utah district.
Performances will be given in Cal Poly's Pavilion on Thursday and Friday, March 8 and 9 at 7:30pm, and at 3:00pm on Saturday, March 10. Admission is $10 general, $6 seniors and students.
The MET Live In HD – 2012-2013 Season
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its "Met Live in HD" series for 2012-2013. The season is rich in its offerings of mainstream Italian opera, particularly Verdi and Donizetti. Additional works by Handel, Mozart, Berlioz, Wagner, Thomas Ades and Riccardo Zandonai are also on the list.
Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore
A new production of a comic gem. Features the brilliant Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani and Mariusz Kwiecien
Verdi: Otello
Verdi's towering masterpiece. Cast led by Johan Botha in the title role, with Renee Fleming as Desdemona and Falk Struckmann as Iago.
Thomas Ades: The Tempest
British composer Thomas Ades will conduct his own opera The Tempest, which has been widely praised as a modern masterpiece. Simon Keenlyside sings the role of Prospero, with Isabel Leonard as Miranda, Audrey Luna as Ariel and Alan Oke as Caliban.
Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito
Mozart's final Italian opera, really an opera seria in the Baroque manner. Baroque specialist Harry Bicket will conduct. Giuseppe Filianoti stars as the Roman Emperor Titus, Barbara Frittoli is Vitellia, who plots to assassinate Titus.
Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera
A new production of Verdi's vivid drama of jealousy and vengeance, featuring Karita Mattila as Amelia, Marcelo Alvarez as Gustavo III and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Anckarstrom.
Verdi: Aida
Verdi's iconic opera stars powerhouse Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, making her Met debut. Olga Borodina sings the role of Aida's rival Amneris and Robert Alagna is the hero Radames.
Berlioz: Les Troyens
Berlioz's Trojan War epic has Marcello Giordani in the role of the hero Aeneas, Deborah Voigt as the Trojan prophetess Cassandra, and Susan Graham as Dido, Queen of Carthage.
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda
One of Donizetti's three operas about Tudor history. Joyce DiDonato sings the title role of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elza van der Heever makes her Met debut as Mary's formidable rival Queen Elizabeth I.
Verdi: Rigoletto
A new production with Zeljko Lucic in the title role, Diana Damrau as Gilda, and Piotr Beczala as the Duke of Mantua.
Wagner: Parsifal
Jonas Kaufmann makes his Met role debut as the title character in Parsifal. The cast also includes Katarina Dalayman as Kundry, Peter Mattei as Amfortas, and Rene Pape as Gurnemanz.
Riccardo Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini
Zandonai's early 20th century melodrama stars Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role of a noblewoman who is tricked into marrying the brutal Gianciotto, sung by Mark Delavan, instead of her true love Paolo, sung by Marcello Giordani.
Handel: Giulio Cesare
A new production of one of Handel's masterpieces. David Daniels sings the role of Caesar, opposite Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra. The cast also includes Alice Coote, Patricia Bardon, Christopher Dumaux and Guido Loconsolo.
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