This week the Young Artists headed to Lawton Elementary School in Seattle for the first week of Opera Goes to School. The students performing in Siegfried and the Ring of Fire spent a few days with teaching artists Vanessa Miller and RJ Tancioco—Miller directs the production and Tancioco plays the role of Father Rhine and leads the student orchestra—before the Young Artists arrived. The cast then spent the next day of rehearsal working together to put the finishing touches on their production before performing for students, teachers, and their families on Thursday afternoon.
Opera Goes to School had been to Lawton two years ago with Theft of the Gold, an adaptation of Das Rheingold. "Many of the 5th grade students remembered seeing Theft," said Justina Schwartz, Education Events Manager. "It was nice that they were now able to see the continuation of the story."
At a post-performance Q&A session yesterday, the children in the audience were full of questions. They were curious if Siegfried’s sword and Wotan’s spear were real (that must have been some excellent sword fighting by our Siegfried and Wotan, Michael Krzankowski and Erik Anstine!), expressed some concern about scary Wotan, and wanted to know if Siegfried and Brünnhilde actually kissed. The kissing, and the whole concept of "love" got a huge reaction from the audience, said Schwartz. Some were cheering and giving thumbs-ups, several kids were chatting, and there were many "eeewww!" reactions, as well.
"The week was great," Schwartz said "And it was a great way to start our five-week program."
Next week, Opera Goes to School heads up to Cottonwood Elementary School in Yakima for another fun-filled session.
Hi, I’m Jonathan Dean, author of the supertitles at Seattle Opera’s Il trovatore, and I wanted to answer on this blog a question asked at our post-show Q&A the other night: why is there no title for Di Luna’s final line, “E vivo ancor!” The fact is, I’ve left out, or translated very loosely, much of what is actually, all things considered, a very fine libretto by Salvatore Cammarano for what I consider one of the greatest of all operas. Those last 45 seconds of Il trovatore in particular, from Leonora’s death to the end, are as chillingly powerful as any 45 seconds of theater that I know. Here’s the music, plus the titles I put up above the stage in our prodution:
DI LUNA: Kill him! MANRICO: Mother, mother, farewell! AZUCENA: Manrico! Where is my son? DI LUNA: About to die. AZUCENA: Stop! Hear me... (The soldiers kill Manrico; Di Luna and Azucena each make expostulations. Then, drumroll, and:) AZUCENA: He was your brother. (Di Luna expostulates and looks horror-struck.) AZUCENA: You are avenged, mother.
Now, here’s the actual words they’re singing in Italian, with a more literal translation: DI LUNA: Sia tratto al ceppo! (Let him be dragged to the chopping-block!) MANRICO: Madre, ah, madre, addio! (Mother, ah, mother, farewell!) AZUCENA: Manrico! Ov’è mio figlio? (Manrico! Whither is my son...?) DI LUNA: A morte corre. (To death he runs.) AZUCENA: Ah, ferma!... M’odi... (Ah, stop! Hear me...) DI LUNA: Vedi? (Do you see?) AZUCENA: Cielo! (Heavens!) DI LUNA: È spento! (He is spent!) AZUCENA: Egli era tuo fratello! (He was your brother!) DI LUNA: Ei!...quale orror!... (He! How much horror!) AZUCENA: Sei vendicata, o madre! (You are avenged, o mother!) DI LUNA: E vivo ancor! (And I live still!)
The distractingly old-fashioned language of many operas’ libretti never makes it up onto the titles screen without very good reason. I don’t feel justified ripping your eyes off the stage to confirm your suspicion that yes, Di Luna just told Azucena that Manrico was dead, or that her little cry of “Cielo!” means “Heaven!” (If you’re relying on my titles, you have no idea how many times in Il trovatore Leonora threatens to faint.)
But to answer the question posed at the Q&A, the real reason to omit Di Luna’s final line, here, is that the only real reason for that utterance is poetic form: he’s rounding out the rhyming couplet, as mandated by the rules of Italian verse. The last two lines of the poem are split, Azucena/Di Luna, Azucena/Di Luna; and he rhymes “orror” with “ancor”, ending the opera with a reference to the same rhyme that concluded Azucena’s great narrative in Act Two Scene One, “Condotta ell’era,” which ended with Manrico’s cry of “Qual’orror...” (How horrible) followed by Azucena’s tormented “Sul capo mio le chiome sento drizzarsi ancor” (‘I feel the hairs on my head standing up again,’ or, in my very loosely translated title, ‘The agony begins in me again’). Musically the rhyme, and the way the baritone and the mezzo both cadence onto the same downbeat, he rising up on “ancor” and she falling down on “madre”, is part of the extraordinary power of the passage. But the sense of his utterance, which is all I can really give you on the titles screen, doesn’t really contribute any new information you need to know: so he doesn’t get a title there.
By the way, if the final scene seems stilted in the Italian text of the libretto, it’s still a vast improvement on the ending of Gutierrez’s original play, written in verse in Spanish:
NUÑO (DI LUNA): Ven, mujer infernal...goza en tu triunfo. (Come, woman of hell...rejoice in your triumph.) Mira el verdugo, y en su mano el hacha (Look at the executioner, he has in his hand the axe) Que va pronto á caer... (Which is about to fall...)
AZUCENA: ¡Ay! ¡Esa sangre! (Ah! That blood!)
NUÑO: Alumbrad á la víctima, alumbradla. (Shine lights on the victim, illuminate him!)
An interview with Il Trovatore stage director José María Condemi is featured in William Burnett's "Rising Stars" series on Opera Warhorses today. He spoke with Burnett about the Seattle production -- why he's fascinated by the opera and its characters, how he handles a plot that many find to be convoluted, and the parallels he sees in today's world.
Malgorzata Walewska once received a piece of performing advice from a Finnish stage director that still sticks with her: “Don’t play, just be.” She admits that this concept of imagining herself in her characters’ situations is a bit difficult when playing Azucena—the gypsy woman in Il Trovatore—but it is no less important.
“It is hard to imagine witnessing your mother being burnt at the stake or throwing your own child into the fire,” she said of the gypsy’s backstory. “That is why it is also clear to me that after such experiences as these, you go crazy.”
With director José María Condemi and conductor Yves Abel, Walewska analyzed her character’s lyrics, her motivations, and her interactions with the other characters to create a believable Azucena. “You have to be a credible actor,” she said. “Of course, my Azucena is still in development—I am not as experienced in this role as I am with Amneris or Carmen. In each performance I discover something new, something I can do better.”
The singing, of course, is important too, and one of the reasons she loves Azucena. “To sing this role is a big challenge,” she said. “This is not the kind of singing where you can cover imperfections with a personal charm.”
It’s been a busy year for the Polish mezzo-soprano. “I was visiting my house only as a guest,” Walewska joked. “I was there only to change suitcases.” She’s looking forward to having some downtime this year and even taking a vacation to Egypt with her family, where she “will be doing absolutely nothing and I will enjoy it very much.” She has several upcoming concerts, a Carmen in Krakow, and a new CD called Farny to promote before returning to McCaw Hall next February as Dulcinea in Don Quixote, where she’ll be reunited with her Bluebeard’s Castle co-star John Relyea. “Bluebeard’s Castle was a magical performance,” Walewska said of her Seattle Opera debut last February. “John Relyea was a great partner—wonderful singing and he never stepped on my 7 foot-long train!”
She loves Seattle audiences and is eager to return for Don Quixote. “I feel great in Seattle…and I come back with a great joy” she said. “Birds migrate south to warm countries in the wintertime, but I migrate to the rainy Northwest.”
Soprano Lisa Daltirus loves to sing Verdi’s heroines—especially Leonora, the role she is currently performing in Seattle Opera’s Il Trovatore. “I enjoy her journey: from girlish and naïve and in love to desperate and willing to sacrifice her life for the one she loves,” Daltirus said. Of course, singing Verdi’s beautiful and challenging music is part of the fun, as well. “I enjoy conquering the vocal demands of this role,” she said. “It’s pure Verdi!”
And how does she put her own stamp on a role that’s been sung by some of opera’s greats? “I make it my own by delving into the soul of the character and finding the colors and intentions in the music that Verdi penned,” she said.
The days before opening night were trying for Daltirus, to say the least. During dress rehearsal week, her father passed away. Her husband also lost family members in the Haitian earthquake. Even so, the performances have gone well, Daltirus said. “I have truly been leaning on my faith in God.”
This is only her second Leonora (she previously performed the role at Connecticut Opera), and she is pleased to be making her sophomore outing at Seattle Opera. Although she is from the Philadelphia area, returning to Seattle Opera “feels like coming home,” said Daltirus, who has been seen here in the title roles in Verdi’s Aida and Puccini’s Tosca. “Speight Jenkins and the wonderful audience and people of Seattle have been amazingly supportive of me and I am so very grateful. I look forward to great productions in the future with the company.”
You only have two more chances to catch Daltirus in Il Trovatore before it closes on Saturday (this cast also performs tonight; the alternate cast performs on Friday). Daltirus’s next stop is Washington National Opera, where she makes her company debut as Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in March.
For tenor Antonello Palombi, returning to Seattle Opera always feels like a homecoming of sorts. And this trip is particularly special because it marks his role debut as Verdi’s heroic troubadour Manrico.
“I thought: ‘this is a role that has to be in my repertoire’…and where else could I do this if not in Seattle? A city I love a lot, a city that gave me my birth in the U.S., in a way,” he said, referring to his 2004 U.S. debut as Dick Johnson in Puccini’s Fanciulla del West at Seattle Opera.
Although this is his first Manrico (two previous engagements to sing Il Trovatore were canceled for various reasons), he has been working on the role for awhile—and that work doesn’t stop after opening night.
“For me, rehearsals are not finished after dress rehearsal,” he said. “I’m always researching, finding a way to do it better. Manrico’s not yet fully in Antonello because this is my first time performing it.”
Not only he is happy to finally be performing Manrico, but he’s enjoying the company as well. He’s reuniting with his Aida co-star Lisa Daltirus, and also Mary Elizabeth Williams, who he met earlier this season during Tosca at New Orleans Opera. “She’s a new friend to me,” he said of Williams. “She’s a great artist, being so young with such a great voice…and we have established a good relationship.” That rapport will surely be helpful when the pair heads to Atlanta for Aida after Trovatore closes.
Palombi loves his job, but one of the definite downsides is the constant absence from his family back in Italy. He’s grateful, however, that he can keep in touch with his wife and two daughters, ages 6 and 12, via the internet. “I can help my older daughter with her homework, I can see my family every day, and they don’t miss out on my presence,” he said.
Because the separation is difficult, Palombi appreciates the familiarity of Seattle.
A few days ago, he said he came out of McMenamin’s restaurant with his wife, Gabriella, and stopped to take in the scene. Seeing the Space Needle high above McCaw Hall, Palombi turned to Gabriella and said: “’You know, it’s strange, this city is always the same as when I go home,’” he recalled. “Seattle has a special place inside of me. Whenever I know that I have to go to Seattle, I say: ‘I’m going home’.”
Join us 7 pm, Tuesday February 2, to discuss political issues including nationalism and globalism in the operas of Verdi and Wagner. Hosted at Seattle University's Wyckoff Auditorium. For a full list of programming in this free series, click here.
If you can name all the locations in our lavishly-produced video trailer here, you get in free! (As does everybody else...)
Meet Mary Elizabeth Williams. The young singer is currently making her Seattle Opera debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore (Sundays/Fridays), though you may also remember her from the 2000/01 Young Artists Program. Here she tells us a bit about why she loves singing Leonora, how she prepares for a performance, and how she's been spending her free time in Seattle.
You were a Young Artist here, but this is your mainstage debut at Seattle Opera. How did it feel to take the stage at McCaw Hall? It has been fabulous so far! I'm looking forward to the next two performances of the silver cast Trovatore at McCaw. The acoustics are very fun to sing in, and I love the expansive feeling of the hall. It's a huge honor for me to have been asked to perform in a principal role at Seattle Opera, and I am enjoying every minute of the process.
How did the Young Artists Program benefit you as an artist? The Seattle Opera YAP was the first young artist program I was chosen for, and it helped me begin my journey as a student artist. The years immediately following school are so important, especially for larger, slower-to-mature voices like mine. I needed a place to learn and grow with positive guidance and opportunities to hone my stagecraft—all while keeping in mind that I was only 23 and had a great deal of growing up to do, musically, artistically, and vocally—and that's exactly what I got from Seattle Opera.
How many times have you sung Leonora? This is my third time singing the role, and my fourth time being involved in a production. My first experience with Il Trovatore was covering Sondra Radvanovsky as Leonora when I was a young artist at the Opéra National de Paris. Every time I am involved in the production of this opera, I marvel at the beauty and the power of this music. Verdi has given us something new to discover every time we open the score.
Why is Leonora a role you enjoy? Well, I think the primary reason I enjoy singing Leonora has to be the aforementioned genius of the composer. I just love this music, and I feel transported to a different realm when I sing it. I also enjoy the difficulty level of this opera—it's just difficult enough to sing that it keeps me on my toes all the time, but it's not impossible! It's like taking a hard test on a subject that you have loved studying.
How do you make it your own? Over the six years that I have been studying and performing this role on and off, I have enjoyed learning the intricacies of the score—the dialogue (even in the scenes that I'm not in!), the colors of the orchestra, the dynamic markings...the list is endless. The more I know it and sing it, the more I absorb it organically. It's that organic understanding that allows me, finally, to put aside all that I have studied and trust myself, in the moment, to react to the other characters and musicians around me. That, I think, is when it really gets fun—both for me and for the audience.
How have performances gone so far? I can't complain! Luckily, I am not a perfectionist. My goal, each night, is to give the best performance I can that day. So far, I think I've done that. I, of course, find things I'd like to do differently, and that's why I'm so grateful that singing Leonora will be a career-long adventure. I have time to experiment.
Do you have any opening night or pre-performance rituals? Well, I try not to have any hard and fast rules because I've found that when I do, the cosmos invariably breaks my rules for me! In general, I like to have a good, centering work-out, which wakes up my body. I like to eat food that will give me lots of energy, like protein and salad. I drink lots of fluids. I warm up my voice slowly and generously. Right before I go onstage, I think about my Daddy, who passed in 2001 and never really got to see me perform at this level. I like to think that he is in the hall with me, listening and smiling.
What do you like to do in Seattle when you’re not performing? When I'm working away from home, I have a tendency to go to many movies because it makes me happy to sit in the dark with popcorn and get lost in a story. I have done a little sightseeing here in Seattle; my mother came for Christmas, and we went up in the Space Needle. She's coming back for the last show and I'm planning a ferry ride for us. I have also done a little dating, believe it or not!
What’s coming up next for you? I am heading to Atlanta right after this production ends to do my first Aida with the Atlanta Opera. To be honest, I'm a little nervous—but it's comforting to know that Antonello Palombi [currently performing as Manrico in Trovatore] is my Radames. Besides the fact that I admire enormously his talent onstage, we are good friends offstage, too! I know we'll have great fun.
Here’s what some members of the press have to say...
About the music: “The music is a stunning collection of gorgeous tunes, like the Anvil Chorus, recognizable even by most opera rookies.” —Maggie Larrick, Queen Anne News “Yves Abel is an excellent conductor. He conducted with panache, sympathy and even fire when called upon to do so.” —R.M. Campbell, The Gathering Note
About Lisa Daltirus (Leonora on Saturdays and Wednesdays): “Her lovely, well-controlled high notes become in her hands, or throat, versatile tools—she can float them ethereally or set them ablaze.” –Gavin Borchert, Seattle Weekly
About Mary Elizabeth Williams (Leonora on Sundays/Fridays): “Her voice has weight but is intensely lyrical. It is also warm and rounded. She has a beautiful line, finesse and an arsenal of colors which she uses with great discretion.” —R.M. Campbell, The Gathering Note
About Antonello Palombi (Manrico on Saturdays and Wednesdays): “The way Palombi sang Manrico’s two most tender love songs…expressed to perfection just how much this thoughtful troubadour was torn between romantic passion and filial duty.” —Sumi Hahn, The Seattle Times
About Gordon Hawkins (Count di Luna on Saturdays and Wednesdays): “Baritone Gordon Hawkins just gets better and better. His tortured Count di Luna…is no clichéd villain.” —Maggie Larrick, Queen Anne News
About Malgorzata Walewska (Azucena on Saturdays/Wednesdays): “Mezzo-soprano Malgorazta Walewska embraced the wickedly complex character of the gypsy Azucena with gusto…[she] scaled the wild vocal demands, and swept the audience into the gypsy’s dark mindset.” —James Bash, Northwest Reverb
Join the young opera lovers of Seattle Opera’s BRAVO! Club high “Above the Smoldering Ashes” at the Space Needle for a party celebrating Il Trovatore and the company’s Young Artists. The club’s annual Winter Ball and Auction is January 21, and as always, all proceeds benefit the Young Artists Program.
"Young Artists often perform at BRAVO! events, and because the members of both organizations are about the same age and at the same point in their careers, these interactions are a great way to engage the BRAVO! constituents," says Aubrey Bergauer, Online/Audience Development Manager. “In order to thank the Young Artists for supporting our club by sharing their talents, we want to support them in return.”
The evening begins with a silent auction—where items range from a Wii console to a private screening at Magnolia Audio Video’s state-of-the-art theater—and also includes a performance by Young Artists Erik Anstine and Vira Slywotzky (who’s currently performing as Inez in Il Trovatore), plus dancing and the opportunity to check out the Observation Deck of the Space Needle for a beautiful 360 degree view of Seattle.
And you don’t have to be a BRAVO! member to attend. Bergauer encourages anyone who’s curious about the club or about opera to check out the party. “A BRAVO! Club event is a perfect way to get an easy, laid-back, non-intimidating introduction to opera,” she says. “Most of our members are just like that—people who don’t know a ton about opera and who want to explore it and add a little culture to their lives.”
Plus, she adds, “free wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres is always a good reason to go to a party.”
Visit BRAVO! online for more details or to RSVP for the party.
Listen to this live recording of Il Trovatore's opening night post-show Q&A session with Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins. Speight hosts a free Q&A session shortly after each and every opera performance inside the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall.
Earlier today, New York classical radio station WQXR hosted Anne Midgette, who covers classical music for The Washington Post, to discuss which opera companies are handling the recession well and the reasons behind their success.
Midgette recognizes Seattle Opera several times; first among opera companies that "keep sight of their vision and of their artistic mandate," and later mentions the upcoming new production of Tristan und Isolde(August 2010).
Listen to the full interview below or on the WQXR site here. Thank you, Anne!
Returning to the title role in Siegfried and the Ring of Fire comes pretty naturally for baritone Michael Krzankowski. “It’s kind of like riding a bike, everything comes back easily,” said the Young Artist, who sang the role in the Opera Goes to School workshops last season.
The weeks spent with the Opera Goes to School program are some of Michael’s favorite of each season. “I love singing for kids, because they’re very honest with their reactions,” he says. Plus the kids—both the performers and the audience—really get into it. He remembers hearing audible excitement during the sword fights and, “Afterward they'd be acting out the fights and arguing about who was cooler—Siegfried or Wotan.” And the oft-heard reaction to Siegfried and Brünnhilde's kiss? "Ewwwww!"
Since last year was a “workshop” year, they’ve done some fine-tuning to the production based on their experiences. “We’re exploring what the show was last year, thinking about what worked, and adding extra layers, which makes it that much better,” Michael says. Along with Michael, Alex Mansoori (Mime/Loge), Vira Slywotzky (Brünnhilde cover), and Megan Hart (Forest Bird/Valkyrie) were involved in the production last year. Working with the newcomers—Jenni Bank (Erda and others) and Erik Anstine (Wotan/Fafner)*—brings a whole new dynamic. “There’s a different energy, it’s a different show,” Michael says. “And it’s good because it keeps it fresh for everyone who’s already done it.”
*Update: I had the casting for Brünnhilde backwards - this season Marcy Stonikas sings Brünnhilde and Vira Slywotzky covers the role. Also, Bray Wilkins, who was in the Young Artists Program last year but didn't perform in Siegfried is covering Mime/Loge this season, and will perform the role in Yakima.
See highlights from Verdi's hot-blooded melodrama Il Trovatore, including the famous "Anvil Chorus" and Antonello Palombi singing "Di quella pira." The video preview also features Lisa Daltirus, Gordon Hawkins, and Malgorzata Walewska.
To watch more videos or learn more about Seattle Opera's production of Il Trovatore, visit the Seattle Opera website.
General Director Speight Jenkins joins Peter Kazaras to discuss how Falstaff is different from so many of Verdi’s other operas. Footage includes previous performances of Stephanie Blythe and Peter Rose.
To watch more videos or learn more about Seattle Opera's upcoming production of Falstaff, visit the Seattle Opera website.
A reminder that at the next Seattle University education event (Tuesday, January 19, 7:00pm) we will be hosting Seattle Opera's first book club, The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa.
During the evening we'll spend the first part looking at the risorgimento, that period in the mid 1800's that led to the independence and creation of the country of Italy and Verdi's role in the unification of Italy, both in his personal life and in his artistic creations.
The second part of the evening will be a discussion of the book, The Leopard, as it relates to this era of Italian history. Don Fabrizio, the protagonist of the story, is a man of larger than life appetites but he must learn to adjust as the society he knows disappears around him. This is a beautifully written story that completes the picture of Italy's unification from the perspective not of the patriotic artist, like Verdi, but from the nobility whose days are numbered.
There is also a wonderful film version of this story in both Italian and English directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Burt Lancaster. If you have time you should watch it for it's lush depiction of mid-19th century Italy, particularly that of Sicily.
If you haven't picked up your copy of Lampedusa's Leopard yet you can still get a copy at Amusements, Seattle Opera's gift shop. They can be reached at 206.774.4990. Hope to see you there!
We’re honored that some of our recent productions have made it onto several “Best of 2009” lists. Dave Stabler from The Oregonian liked our double bill of Bluebeard’s Castle with Erwartung and Seattle Magazine thought our “Confessions of a First-Time Operagoer” project was among the Best Arts Outreach Ideas of the year. The Ring made it onto the “Best of” lists of Joshua Kosman at the San Francisco Chronicle, Zach Carstensen of The Gathering Note (who also picked Bluebeard/Erwartung), and Gina Young at The Stranger’s music blog “Line Out.” Thanks everyone!
The Young Artists returned for their spring session on Monday, and they jumped right into preparing for Opera Goes to School. This program takes the Young Artists to local elementary schools, where they—along with teaching artists—work with students to create an opera to perform for their school.
For the second season, Opera Goes to School will feature Siegfried and the Ring of Fire, an hour-long, kid-friendly adaptation of Wagner’s Siegfried. Created by Jonathan Dean, Seattle Opera’s Education Artistic Administrator (and frequent blogger!), the opera features the Young Artists in the leading roles of the gods and goddesses with students at each school playing Valkyries, fire spirits, and forest birds. Students also play musical instruments and create costumes and props.
This year, Opera Goes to School heads to Lawton Elementary School and St. Benedict School in Seattle, Cottonwood Elementary in Yakima, Lakeland Hills Elementary in Auburn, and Evergreen School in Shoreline. Have any of you seen one of the Opera Goes to School productions or have students who’ve been involved in the fun?
At Tuesday night's Seattle Opera Adult Education event, hosted at Seattle University, the fantastic Ruth Richert of the Washington Academy of Languages taught attendees enough basics of Italian pronunciation, grammar, and the relevant vocabulary to enable them to detach from the supertitles at upcoming performances of Il trovatore and understand key words and phrases in the libretto as the singers sing it. We learned how to pronounce all the words and sing along to some of Il trovatore's greatest tunes, including the Anvil Chorus, the Troubadour song "Deserto sulla terra", and of course "Di quella pira". Click here for the language lesson cheat sheet to Il trovatore.
Washington Academy of Languages and Seattle Opera have been partners for several years now; in addition to events like this one, faculty from WAL have taught classes in French, German, and Italian to the singers of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program, and of course many in the Seattle Opera audience have studied foreign languages at WAL, which is located on the south shore of the Lake Washington Ship Canal near Seattle Pacific University. If you're looking to study a foreign language (ANY foreign language, not just those sung on the opera stage), or to brush up your skills in a language you once studied, or join in a conversational class at any level, check out what WAL has to offer at www.wal.org.
We’ve announced the operas in our 2010/11 season: next year at McCaw Hall you’ll see a Wagnerian masterpiece, a dark tragedy, a hilarious romp, a poignant retelling, and a magical fantasy. The season kicks off in July with Wagner’s intense tale of longing, Tristan und Isolde. In October, we present Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, featuring the Seattle Opera debut of Aleksandra Kurzak. Next comes Rossini’s rollicking comedy, The Barber of Seville—a production directed by Peter Kazaras and featuring Lawrence Brownlee. February marks the company premiere of Massenet’s Don Quixote, starring John Relyea and Malgorzata Walewska. The season closes with Mozart’s beloved fairy tale The Magic Flute, directed by two-time Artist-of-the-Year recipient Chris Alexander.
Check the website for photos, synopses, artist bios, and more. We’re looking forward to the 2010/11 line-up, how about you? What (or who!) are you most intrigued by or excited to see next season?
At a post-performance Q&A session yesterday, the children in the audience were full of questions. They were curious if Siegfried’s sword and Wotan’s spear were real (that must have been some excellent sword fighting by our Siegfried and Wotan, Michael Krzankowski and Erik Anstine!), expressed some concern about scary Wotan, and wanted to know if Siegfried and Brünnhilde actually kissed. The kissing, and the whole concept of "love" got a huge reaction from the audience, said Schwartz. Some were cheering and giving thumbs-ups, several kids were chatting, and there were many "eeewww!" reactions, as well. 
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