OPERA AT THE AC ADEMY
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“Opera’s road to the future just might start in Philadelphia.” THE DENVER POST
Photograph by Ali Doucette
2018–2019 SEASON Opera at the Academy
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Part of Festival O18 September 21–30, 2018
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM February 8–17, 2019
LA BOHÈME
April 26–May 5, 2019
This season we present three operas that you very likely know and love. (We certainly do.) But along with this invitation to enjoy the finest the canon has to offer comes a promise to stage each in a way that will make you fall in love anew. We hope you will join us.
For personalized assistance curating your Opera Philadelphia experience, contact Guest Services at 215.732.8400 or visit operaphila.org/order.
La bohème
“ V I S U A L LY I N V E N T I V E AND COLORFUL.” OPERA NEWS
SEA
A S U P E R L AT I V E
Three beloved classics offer a fresh lens on today's world
Photographs by Kelly & Massa and Patrick Berger
Lucia di Lammermoor
“ BR E NDA R A E I S A HIGH OC TA NE LU C I A . ” B R O A D WAY W O R L D
SON “A S H O W T H A T ’ S S O M U C H F U N . ” T H E G UA R D I A N
A Midsummer Night's Dream
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR A seductively beautiful, deeply disturbing tale of love unhinged. Often considered the Scottish take on Romeo & Juliet, Lucia di Lammermoor explores the depths of passion and despair that overtake its heroine, who is used as a political pawn by her family. When forced to marry a man she does not love—rather than her beloved Edgardo, the mortal enemy of her brother—Lucia is driven to derangement, escalating to one of the most haunting mad scenes in all of opera.
A WOMAN TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS Returning to the Opera Philadelphia stage for the first time in more than two decades, this operatic classic takes a dreamlike, ethereal turn courtesy of “A-plus director” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Laurent Pelly, who was named Best Director at the 2016 International Opera Awards. Coloratura soprano Brenda Rae showcases her “consummate musicality and killer technique” (Financial Times) in the title role. Baritone Troy Cook brings his “dynamic elegance” (Opera News) to the role of her brother, Enrico, alongside tenor Michael Spyres, known for his “limitless grace and vocal purity” (The Guardian), in his company debut as Edgardo. Maestro Corrado Rovaris, familiar with the Donizetti tradition having likewise hailed from Bergamo, Italy, leads the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus.
NEW PRODUCTION
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
CAST & CREATIVE CONDUCTOR Corrado Rovaris
SEPTEMBER 21, 23, 26, 28, 30
Music Co-produced by Opera Philadelphia and Wiener Staatsoper
LUCIA
Brenda Rae
DIRECTOR
Laurent Pelly*
GAETANO DONIZETTI Libretto
SALVADORE CAMMARANO
EDGARDO
Michael Spyres*
ENRICO Troy Cook
SET DESIGN
Chantal Thomas*
The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
RAIMONDO
Christian Van Horn*
COSTUME DESIGN Laurent Pelly*
PERFORMED IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES
LIGHTING DESIGN Duane Schuler
*Opera Philadelphia debut
#PHLUCIA
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Having toured the world for over a quarter century, Robert Carsen’s celebrated staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream finally makes its way stateside. This jovial adaptation of Shakespeare’s popular comedy follows a throng of characters as they get tangled in complicated love triangles, mistaken identities, and alarming transformations. THE BUCOLIC BEDLAM OF FAIRYLAND Hailed as “a show that’s so much fun” (The Guardian), this much-traveled production features “beguiling orchestration and melodic invention that will enchant and entice” (English National Opera). Leading the cast as Oberon and Tytania are Tim Mead—praised for his “seductive and commanding” interpretation (The Guardian)—and the “sexy and flirty” (The Wall Street Journal) soprano Anna Christy. “Suave and refined” (Opera News) Brenton Ryan, “show-stealing coloratura” (The New York Times) Georgia Jarman, and Curtis Institute of Music graduate Matthew Rose—coined the “top of the Bottoms” by The Times (London) for his “funny and touchingly endearing” performance (The Guardian)— round out the colorful operatic cast, complemented by the “richest of speaking voices and fearless tumbling skills” (Bachtrack.com) of Miltos Yerolemou as Puck.
U.S. PRODUCTION PREMIERE
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
CAST & CREATIVE LYSANDER Brenton Ryan
CONDUCTOR Corrado Rovaris
Music
Based on the play by William Shakespeare
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
FEBRUARY 8, 10, 15, 17
Production of the Festival d’Aix-enProvence & Opera National de Lyon
Libretto
PERFORMED IN ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES
OBERON
Tim Mead*
TYTANIA
Anna Christy*
DEMETRIUS
Johnathan McCullough
DIRECTOR
Emmanuelle Bastet*
BENJAMIN BRITTEN & PETER PEARS
PUCK
Miltos Yerolemou*
THESEUS
Evan Hughes*
HIPPOLYTA
The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Georgia Jarman*
Allyson McHardy*
ORIGINAL DIRECTION Robert Carsen*
HELENA
BOTTOM
Matthew Rose
SET & COSTUME DESIGN Michael Levine
FLUTE
Miles Mykkanen*
LIGHTING DESIGN Robert Carsen* and Peter Van Praet*
*Opera Philadelphia debut
#BRITTEN ONBROAD
LA BOHÈME A chance encounter on a winter night changes everything for Mimì and Rodolfo, sending them into a deep, passionate whirlwind romance in the heart of Paris, living among other young bohemians who are making art and falling in love. This popular revival of Puccini’s romantic blockbuster features sets inspired and enlivened by masterpieces from the Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. OPERA’S GREATEST LOVE STORY When first staged by Opera Philadelphia in 2012, this “visually inventive and colorful” (Opera News) production was deemed “an absolute success, full of fine singing and acting, and eye-filling stage direction” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). In this much-anticipated revival, soprano Vanessa Vasquez—known for “melting all hearts” (Chicago Tribune)— makes her Opera Philadelphia debut as the shy seamstress Mimì alongside Evan LeRoy Johnson’s Rodolfo. Baritone Troy Cook returns to the role he had in 2012, during which he offered “a strong, well-rounded portrayal of Marcello” (Opera News).
B E LOV E D R E V I VA L
Music
LA BOHÈME
CAST & CREATIVE SCHAUNARD Will Liverman
CONDUCTOR Corrado Rovaris
Production of the Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofía” in Valencia, Spain, in 2012
RODOLFO
Evan LeRoy Johnson
COLLINE
Peixin Chen
MIMÌ
Vanessa Vasquez*
APRIL 26, 28, MAY 1, 3, 5
Libretto
PERFORMED IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES
LUIGI ILLICA AND GIUSEPPE GIACOSA MARCELLO Troy Cook
BENOIT & ALCINDORO Kevin Burdette
DIRECTION & SET DESIGN Davide Livermore
GIACOMO PUCCINI
COSTUME DESIGN
Davide Livermore and Palau de Les Arts
The Academy of Music is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
AUDIOVISUAL D-Wok
*Opera Philadelphia debut
#PHILABOHEME
F E S T I VA L O 18 T H I S C I V I C E X P E R I M E N T , C O M P R I S E D O F E L E V E N DAY S O F O P E R A A N D C I T Y W I D E EVENTS, TRANSFORMS PHIL ADELPHIA I N T O A N U R B A N S TAG E W H E R E D I V E R S E AU D I E N C E S GAT H E R TO S H A R E A N EXPERIENCE AND A M P L I F Y H U M A N C O N N E C T E D N E S S .
SKY ON SWINGS
September 20–29 World Premiere starring Frederica von Stade and Marietta Simpson
NE QUITTEZ PAS
September 22–30 A reimagined La voix humaine starring Patricia Racette
GLASS HANDEL
September 22–30 An immersive, multimedia experience starring Anthony Roth Costanzo (World Premiere)
QUEENS OF THE NIGHT
September 24–28 Cabaret nights featuring Stephanie Blythe and Martha Graham Cracker
F R I D AYS AT F I E L D
September 21 & 28 A recital series featuring Opera Philadelphia Emerging Artists
“ O N E O F T H E M O S T E N J OYA B L E A D D I T I O N S TO THE FALL C ALENDAR IN YEARS. ” T H E WA S H I N G T O N P O S T
To add Festival performances to your Academy of Music subscription, call 215.732.8400 or visit operaphila.org/order.
CURTIS OPERA THEATRE AT THE PERELMAN Curtis Opera Theatre at the Perelman unites the exceptional young singers at the Curtis Institute of Music with an opera company committed to nurturing young talent and an ideal venue for opera—the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. This series reunites the three organizations, which previously teamed up for nine seasons of annual co-presentations, hailed as “must-see events for serious operagoers” by Opera News. See today’s most promising young voices resonate in opera on the edge, with imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre.
D O N G I OVA N N I
New Production
MUSIC Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart LIBRETTO Lorenzo Da Ponte MARCH 7–10, 2019 PERFORMED IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES
CONDUCTOR Karina Canellakis DIRECTOR R. B. Schlather R. B. Schlather, the “edgy and imaginative young director” (The New Yorker) behind O17’s The Wake World and the Curtis Opera Theatre’s Doctor Atomic, brings his distinctive vision to Mozart’s classic opera, led by Karina Canellakis, part of an exciting new generation of female conductors.
EMPTY THE HOUSE
New Production
MUSIC Rene Orth LIBRETTO Mark Campbell MAY 2–5, 2019 PERFORMED IN ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES
A composer who "breaks new ground" (Opera News), Rene Orth is a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and an Opera Philadelphia Composer in Residence. Her 2016 opera Empty the House is a poignant exploration of the complex nature of forgiveness with a libretto by Mark Campbell (Elizabeth Cree, Silent Night). The Perelman Theater is part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
2 018 – 2 019 S U B S C R I P T I O N S All prices reflect a 20% subscriber savings per ticket.
OPERA AT THE AC ADEMY A C A D E M Y O F M U S I C | Includes three productions
FRIDAY 1 8:00 PM
SUNDAY 1 2:30 PM
WEDNESDAY/ FRIDAY 8:00 PM
FRIDAY 2 8:00 PM
SUNDAY 2 2:30 PM
9/21/18
9/23/18
9/26/18
9/28/18
9/30/18
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
2/8/19
2/10/19
2/8/19^
2/15/19
2/17/19
L A BO H È M E
4/26/19
4/28/19
5/1/19
5/3/19
5/5/19
PACKAGE
LU C I A D I L AMMERMOOR
^ As there is no Wednesday performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, subscribers to the Wednesday/Friday series will see the production on Friday, 2/8/19.
PACKAGE PRICE
À LA CARTE
ZONE
SUNDAY
WEEKDAY
SUNDAY
WEEKDAY
1
$723
$663
$241
$221
2
$555
$495
$185
$165
3
$387
$327
$129
$109
4
$243
$207
$81
$69
5
$147
$135
$49
$45
CURTIS OPERA THEATRE AT THE PERELMAN P E R E L M A N T H E AT E R | Includes two productions
D O N G I OVA N N I
MARCH 2019
EMPT Y THE HOUSE
M AY 2 0 1 9
ZONE
PACKAGE PRICE
À LA CARTE
1
$160
$80
2
$120
$60
3
$80
$40
S E A S O N PA S S NEW
OPERA À LA CARTE
The ultimate package with eight offerings
Mix and match any two or more
across the 2018–2019 Season.
operas for total flexibility.
$1,400 Includes Opera at the Academy, Festival O18, and Curtis Opera Theatre at the Perelman.*
$40–$241 PER TICKET
S AV E 2 0 %
S AV E U P T O 2 5 %
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GUEST SERVICES 1 4 2 0 L O C U S T S T R E E T, S U I T E 2 1 0 P H I L A D E L P H I A , PA 1 9 1 0 2 M O N D AY – F R I D AY, 9 : 0 0 A . M . – 5 : 0 0 P. M .
Explore detailed seating charts at operaphila.org/seating. Seating priority is based on current donor level, number of years as a donor, number of years as a subscriber, package type, and date order is received. Casting, program, schedule, and pricing subject to change without notice. Deposited checks or charges do not guarantee seating availability. *Subject to availability **5-month payment plan available through May 18, 2018
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