Calendar of Events
May 20, 2012
2012 Season Preview on CET’s “Showcase”
Barbara Kellar hosts Showcase with Barbara Kellar, a new arts and cultural series airing on CET Arts. The monthly series, produced by CET, highlights the hottest theatrical shows; important artists, musicians, and creative directors; and not-to-be missed exhibits at local museums and art galleries. The series will offer unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to art organizations in Greater Cincinnati.
This month, Barbara speaks with Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, about the upcoming 2012 Summer Festival. The program also features performances by soprano Jacqueline Echols, who will appear as Clara in the company’s production of Porgy and Bess.
“How Porgy Came to Be” on 90.9 WGUC
Tune in to WGUC (90.9 FM or www.wguc.org). Cincinnati Opera’s Evans Mirageas presents a one-hour program on the creation of Porgy and Bess. Discover the story behind the great American opera! Evans Mirageas, the Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, explores the personalities that created Porgy and Bess in an hour-long, music-filled program. Cincinnati Opera will present The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess for the first time ever in June and July 2012.
June 3, 2012
2011 Season Broadcast: Rigoletto
Tune in as 90.9 WGUC broadcasts our 2011 season on Sunday evenings in June!
This tragic tale of hubris follows the jester Rigoletto’s futile attempts to protect his daughter, Gilda, from the corruption surrounding him at the Duke of Mantua’s court. But a father cannot know every corner of a young girl’s heart, or what love might drive her to do.
Cast:
Gilda … Sarah Coburn
Duke of Mantua … Rodrick Dixon
Rigoletto … Stephen Powell
Maddalena … Stacey Rishoi
Sparafucile … Gustav Andreassen
Count Monterone … Nathan Stark
Marullo … Tyler Alessi
Matteo Borsa … Wesley Lawrence
Count Ceprano … Timothy Bruno
Creative Team:
Conductor … Jean-Marie Zeitouni
Stage Director … Linda Brovsky
Scenic Designer … Robert Dahlstrom
Costume Designer … Marie Anne Chiment
Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
Chorus Master … Henri Venanzi
Choreographer … Joseph Nygren Cox
Original Choreography … Victoria Morgan
June 10, 2012
2011 Season Broadcast: A Flowering Tree
Tune in as 90.9 WGUC broadcasts our 2011 season on Sunday evenings in June!
Based on a folktale from India, John Adams’s latest opera is “alive with innocence and magic” (The New York Times). Inspired by Mozart’s The Magic Flute, A Flowering Tree is the story of an enchanted maiden, a besotted prince, and a love that prevails through trickery, jealousy, and betrayal.
Cast:
Kumudha … Jessica Rivera
Prince … Russell Thomas
Narrator … Eric Owens
Creative Team:
Conductor … Joana Carneiro
Stage Director … Brian Robertson
Scenic Designer … David Centers
Costume Designer … Rebecca Senske
Video Designers … Jennie Chacon & Paula Rakestraw
Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
Chorus Master … Henri Venanzi
Choreographer … Devon Carney
June 14, 2012
Pagliacci | Gianni Schicchi
The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal.
The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal.
American tenor Frank Porretta leads the cast of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, bringing his “thrilling high notes” (Los Angeles Times) to the role of the cuckolded clown Canio. Soprano Kelly Kaduce, who “sings with bell-like purity and silvery sweetness” (Opera News), makes her Cincinnati Opera debut as the duplicitous Nedda. Hailed as an “impressive young baritone” (Cincinnati Enquirer) for his work in Don Carlo (2009), Croatian baritone Ljubomir Puskaric returns to Cincinnati Opera as Silvio, and internationally renowned baritone Roberto de Candia rounds out the cast as the fool, Tonio.
The young lovers of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi will be portrayed by a handsome pair of rising young European singers. Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi, who won Cincinnati audiences with her heartbreaking turn as Desdemona in Otello (2010), returns to the Music Hall stage as Lauretta. Her swain, Rinuccio, will be sung by Lithuanian tenor Edgaras Montvidas, who makes his company debut with a “sumptuously lyric tenor” (Le Figaro, Paris). Baritone Roberto de Candia sings the title role, and mezzo-soprano Catherine Keen will be featured as the scheming aunt, Zita. Bass-baritone Thomas Hammons returns to the stage as Simone, and mezzo-soprano Stacey Rishoi brings her “lustrous voice” (The Washington Post) to the role of La Ciesca. Alain Gauthier, hailed for his skillful work in recent Cincinnati Opera comedies Così Fan Tutte (2007) and L’Étoile (2006), will direct the production. The orchestra will be led by Richard Buckley, who last appeared with Cincinnati Opera for Don Carlo (2009)The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal..
June 16, 2012
Pagliacci | Gianni Schicchi
The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal.
The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal.
The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal.
American tenor Frank Porretta leads the cast of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, bringing his “thrilling high notes” (Los Angeles Times) to the role of the cuckolded clown Canio. Soprano Kelly Kaduce, who “sings with bell-like purity and silvery sweetness” (Opera News), makes her Cincinnati Opera debut as the duplicitous Nedda. Hailed as an “impressive young baritone” (Cincinnati Enquirer) for his work in Don Carlo (2009), Croatian baritone Ljubomir Puskaric returns to Cincinnati Opera as Silvio, and internationally renowned baritone Roberto de Candia rounds out the cast as the fool, Tonio.
The young lovers of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi will be portrayed by a handsome pair of rising young European singers. Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi, who won Cincinnati audiences with her heartbreaking turn as Desdemona in Otello (2010), returns to the Music Hall stage as Lauretta. Her swain, Rinuccio, will be sung by Lithuanian tenor Edgaras Montvidas, who makes his company debut with a “sumptuously lyric tenor” (Le Figaro, Paris). Baritone Roberto de Candia sings the title role, and mezzo-soprano Catherine Keen will be featured as the scheming aunt, Zita. Bass-baritone Thomas Hammons returns to the stage as Simone, and mezzo-soprano Stacey Rishoi brings her “lustrous voice” (The Washington Post) to the role of La Ciesca. Alain Gauthier, hailed for his skillful work in recent Cincinnati Opera comedies Così Fan Tutte (2007) and L’Étoile (2006), will direct the production. The orchestra will be led by Richard Buckley, who last appeared with Cincinnati Opera for Don Carlo (2009)The 92nd season opens with a double bill of two very different works, the verismo tragedy Pagliacci and the masterful comedy Gianni Schicchi, presented in an ingenious production from the Opéra de Montréal..
June 17, 2012
2011 Season Broadcast: Eugene Onegin
Tune in as 90.9 WGUC broadcasts our 2011 season on Sunday evenings in June!
Returning after a 27-year absence from the Music Hall stage is Tchaikovsky’s wistful 1879 masterpiece Eugene Onegin. Beautifully rendered vignettes portray a young woman’s awakening to love, the poet Onegin’s arrogant indifference, and his belated realization of the true depth of his feelings.
Cast:
Tatyana … Tatiana Monogarova
Olga … Edyta Kulczak
Eugene Onegin … Nathan Gunn
Lensky … William Burden
Madame Larina … Stacey Rishoi
Filippyevna … Mika Shigematsu
Prince Gremin … Denis Sedov
Monsieur Triquet … Steven Cole
Zaretsky … Thomas Dreeze
A Captain … Tyler Alessi
Creative Team:
Conductor … Vasily Petrenko
Stage Director … Mark Streshinsky
Scenic Designer … Robert O’Hearn
Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
Chorus Master … Henri Venanzi
June 18, 2012
SOLD OUT! Opera Goes to Church™!
Opera Goes to Church! ™, a summer evening of gospel, sacred, jazz, and classical music, is a collaborative partnership between Cincinnati Opera and selected churches in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. These special community concerts feature internationally acclaimed artists from Cincinnati Opera’s mainstage summer season, dynamic congregational choirs, local youth performers, and some of the hottest jazz musicians in the region and the country.
Opera Goes to Church!™ has become one of the most anticipated summer events for Cincinnati Opera’s partner congregations and beyond. Each concert has been a one-of-a-kind, uniquely crafted event where the audience and artists find inspiration in the power of music to bring people together and create collective joy.
Please note: This performance is SOLD OUT.
June 24, 2012
2011 Season Broadcast: The Magic Flute
Tune in as 90.9 WGUC broadcasts our 2011 season on Sunday evenings in June!
Steeped in mysticism and magic, Mozart’s majestic and playful 1791 opera follows Prince Tamino on a quest to rescue his beloved, the beautiful princess Pamina. With the wily birdcatcher Papageno by his side, Tamino endures trials of heart and mind to prove his worth and win her hand.
Cast:
Pamina … Nicole Cabell
The Queen of the Night … Audrey Luna
Tamino … Shawn Mathey
Papageno … Brett Polegato
Sarastro … Oren Gradus
Monostatos … Steven Cole
Papagena … Meghan Tarkington
First Lady … Jacqueline Echols
Second Lady … Audrey Walstrom
Third Lady … Davia Bandy
First Spirit … Melissa Harvey
Second Spirit … Alisa Jordheim
Third Spirit … Hilary Ginther
The Speaker … Nathan Stark
First Man in Armor … Wesley Lawrence
Second Man in Armor … Timothy Bruno
Creative Team:
Conductor … Bernard Labadie
Stage Director … Tomer Zvulun
Scenic & Costume Designer … C. David Higgins
Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
Chorus Master … Henri Venanzi
June 28, 2012
Porgy and Bess
For the first time, Cincinnati Opera will present Gershwin’s great American opera Porgy and Bess on the Music Hall stage. Filled with recognizable tunes, a touching story of perseverance in adversity, and the triumph of love over all obstacles, the company will recreate Catfish Row with a realistic production from Houston Grand Opera.
