The monumental company première of a masterpiece of music theatre, Met audition-winner Simone Osborne in a role début, an inventive new Barber of Seville and the grandest of grand operas are just four highlights of Vancouver Opera’s 52nd season.
VO’s 2011-2012 season will include Leonard Bernstein’s beloved West Side Story (October 22 – 29, 2011), Charles Gounod’s romantic Roméo et Juliette (November 26 – December 3, 2011), Gioachino Rossini’s rollicking and effervescent The Barber of Seville (March 17 – 25, 2012) and Giuseppe Verdi’s triumphant Aida (April 21 – May 3, 2012).
“I am very excited about our lineup for the 2011-2012 season,” said VO General Director James W. Wright. “Each production will showcase the high musical and production standards that our audiences demand, and will convey the heightened emotion that makes opera such a compelling and versatile art form.”
Added Wright, “I am especially excited to be bringing West Side Story to Vancouver audiences. It has been staged by several opera companies throughout the world but to my knowledge, never by a Canadian opera company. Our production will be big and bold and new, using the original Jerome Robbins choreography that we all love, colourful sets and costumes, and a thirty-piece orchestra, all in service of Bernstein’s timeless and riveting music.“
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
WEST SIDE STORY
A masterpiece of music theatre
VO’s 2011-2012 Season will open with a treat for Vancouver audiences: West Side Story the way it was meant to be seen, in a full-scale, Broadway-style production that takes full advantage of the large Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the highly-skilled VO Orchestra.
The cast of VO’s West Side Story includes some of Canada’s most talented triple threats - young stars who can sing, dance and act to the highest musical and theatrical standards.
28-year-old Italian-Canadian soprano Lucia Cesaroni sings Maria. Her voice has been described as “thrilling…replete with a seductive vibrato throughout” (Classical 96.3FM). Tenor Colin Ainsworth, last seen on the VO stage in the world première of Lillian Alling, sings Tony. Mr. Ainsworth has been praised by the Toronto Star for his “magnetic stage presence that [is] the ideal embodiment of a romantic lead”.
Ontario native Cleopatra Williams, who recently performed in Toronto productions of We Will Rock You and Jersey Boys, sings Anita. Dani Jazzar sings Bernardo, a favourite role of the many he has performed. “Dani Jazzar as the Sharks’ fiery, possessive captain Bernardo, hostile recipient of a thousand sneers, is excellent, effortlessly stylish” praised the Edmonton Journal. Mr. Jazzar has danced for the Europe MTV Video Music Awards, performed in several stage productions, and acted in several commercials. Scott Augustine, last seen on the VO stage in the Canadian première of Nixon in China, sings Riff.
Associate Conductor and Chorus Director Leslie Dala will conduct the VO Orchestra in this colourful new expanded co-production with Central City Opera.
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
French opera at its most romantic
Canadian soprano Simone Osborne makes her company and role début as Juliette in Gounod’s romantic Roméo et Juliette. A winner of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions and the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition in 2008, she has been praised for her “sweet and clear sound, sensitive phrasing and gleaming sustained high notes" (New York Times).
Singing alongside her will be dashing Canadian tenor Gordon Gietz as Roméo. “Gordon Gietz has one of the most gorgeous tenor voices heard in some time, as full as it was sweet,” raves the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.
Montreal mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne, who charmed VO audiences as Cherubino in 2010’s The Marriage of Figaro will sing Stéphano. “Her voice has both sweetness and bite, with hints of darker and deeper notes to come, all boding well for meatier roles down the line,” praises the Globe and Mail.
Jacques Lacombe returns to VO to conduct this emotional and exquisite production.
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
The greatest comic opera of them all
Rossini’s irresistible masterpiece of comedy returns to VO in a brand-new incarnation. In a 1940s Seville movie backlot, starlet Rosina must fend off slimy agent and studio owner Bartolo and find a way to hook up with star-struck nobleman Almaviva. With the help of studio hairstylist Figaro, this delightful production injects new sparkle into a beloved classic.
Boston-native mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy sings Rosina. Ms. Eddy was highly praised in VO’s acclaimed The Italian Girl in Algiers: "Blessed with physical beauty and a luxurious voice…[Ms. Eddy] was completely believable as a woman who could tame a mob of testosterone-rich men with a single glance,” raved The Georgia Straight. The New York Times has also praised this "... swan-necked mezzo with fine technique, a range of colors from honeyed to bright and charm to burn.”
Baritone Joshua Hopkins sings Figaro, a role that has won him acclaim as “an authoritative barber who sang with robust sounds and had both vocal and stage tricks up his sleeve.”(Opera Today)
Robert Tweten conducts the VO Orchestra, returning for the first time since 2007’s Tosca.
AIDA
The grandest of grand operas
Verdi’s masterpiece returns to the VO stage after 10 years. Visually stunning and musically magnificent, this exciting production exudes the grandeur that characterizes Verdi’s monumental work.
Mlada Khudoley returns to the VO stage to sing Aida. Ms.Khudoley sang the title role in 2009’s Salome to great acclaim: “Russian soprano Mlada Khudoley’s voice is big and compelling, her performance style all-or-nothing intensity,” raved the Vancouver Sun.
Amneris will be sung by mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas, a winner of the 2008 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms. Karanas has been praised for her “capacious power” and “a voice lustrous and exciting” (San Francisco Chronicle). Bass Burak Bilgili returns to VO to sing Ramfis, following his impressive performances as Raimondo in 2010’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Bass Ilya Bannick sings the King of Egypt.
VO Music Director Jonathan Darlington conducts the VO Orchestra.
Subscriptions for Vancouver Opera’s 2011-2012 Season are now on sale at the VO Ticket Centre, 604-683-0222. Renewing subscribers can renew by mail, fax, telephone or in person.
The on-sale for non-subscription tickets to all performances of the four mainstage productions will be announced soon. Visit www.vancouveropera.ca or call 604-683-0222.
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