San Diego Opera 2018-2019 Season Opener: Le nozze di Figaro

This is a truncated press release from the San Diego Opera

San Diego Opera’s 2018-2019 Season Opens with Mozart’s Beloved The Marriage of Figaro

Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee makes anticipated Company debut as Figaro

 

Mezzo-sopranos Emily Fons (Cherubino) and Susanne Mentzer (Marcellina) make welcome returns to the Company

 

New production to San Diego Opera audiences

 

These performances made possible by Lead Production Sponsor Darlene Marcos Shiley

 

San Diego, CA – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s boisterous romantic comedy The Marriage of Figaro opens San Diego Opera’s 2018-2019 season on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 7 PM for four performances at the Civic Theatre. Additional performances are October 23, 26, and 28 (matinee), 2018.  Assembled for the opening opera of the season is an exciting young cast including the house debut of American bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee as Figaro. He will be joined by baritone John Moore as Count Almaviva and soprano Caitlin Lynch as the Countess, both in exciting Company debuts. Soprano Sarah Shafer makes her welcomed San Diego Opera debut as Susanna. Returning mezzo-sopranos Emily Fons, last heard as Zerlina in 2015’s Don Giovanni, returns to sing Cherubino and Susanne Mentzer, last heard as Octavian in 1992’s Der Rosenkavalier returns to sing the role of Marcellina. Rounding out the cast is returning bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam, last heard as Alidoro in 2016’s Cinderella, as Dr. Bartolo; returning tenor Joseph Hu, last heard as Goro in 2016’s Madama Butterfly, as Basilio and Don Curizo; returning bass-baritone Scott Sikon, last heard as Marquis D’Obigny in 2017’s La traviata; and soprano Lisa Frisque as Barbarina. John Nelson conducts the performances and Stephen Lawless stages the action in this production. The Marriage of Figaro is a co-production between San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Philadelphia, and Palm Beach Opera.

 

Performed in Italian with English translations above the stage, The Marriage of Figaro was last performed by San Diego Opera in 2007. This will be the sixth time the opera has been performed by the Company with additional performances in 1998, 1992, 1986, and 1973.

 

The scenery and costumes of The Marriage of Figaro are designed by Leslie Travers. The choreographer is Eric Sean Fogel. The Lighting Designer is Thomas C. Hase.

 

The Marriage of Figaro will have a radio broadcast on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 8 PM on KPBS radio, 89.5 FM (97.7 FM Calexico) and online at www.kpbs.org

 

These performances of The Marriage of Figaro are made possible by the Lead Production Sponsor, Darlene Marcos Shiley.

 

Pre-production photos can be found online at: https://sandiegoopera.smugmug.com/San-Diego-Opera-2018-2019-PreProduction-Artwork/

 

Performance Schedule

Saturday           October 20, 2018          7 PM

Tuesday            October 23, 2018          7 PM

Friday               October 26, 2018          7 PM

Sunday             October 28, 2018          2 PM

 

Get Connected

 

Pre-Opera Lectures

These 30-minute informative lectures for the main stage operas take place in the Civic Theatre one hour prior to every performance and offer wonderful insights into the production audience members are about to see. These lectures are free to all ticket holders.

 

Post-Opera Talkbacks

Join the cast, crew, musicians and artists right after the performance of the main stage operas for an engaging, entertaining and informative Q&A session moderated by a San Diego Opera staff member. These lectures are held in the Civic Theatre and are free to all ticket holders. 

 

San Diego Opera Podcast Series

Get to know the artists and operas of the 2018-2019 Season. These insights into the singers and productions can be enjoyed by opera fans as well as those who are new to the art form. Casual and fun, this is a great way to learn about our artists and the operas they star in. Watch online at http://www.sdopera.org/Company/Education/Podcasts. These videos are also available on our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/SanDiegoOpera

 

San Diego Opera on Twitter

Get frequent updates about San Diego Opera and opera in general by following us on Twitter. Follow tweets from backstage during a performance and learn about special offers and contests before anyone else by following us @SDOpera.

 

San Diego Opera on Facebook

San Diego Opera’s Facebook page offers a place for fellow opera fans to discuss performances, opera news, connect with other fans and get up-to-date information on upcoming events. Look for “San Diego Opera” at https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoOpera/

 

San Diego Opera on YouTube

Now viewers can watch a large portion of San Diego Opera’s programming at their convenience on YouTube. Archived versions of OperaTalk!, Stars in the Salon, Opera Spotlight, our video podcast series and much more can be found on the San Diego Opera channel at: http://www.youtube.com/SanDiegoOpera

 

San Diego Opera on Instagram

A picture is worth a thousand words! Take a look at what happens backstage and in the office on San Diego Opera’s Instagram page. http://instagram.com/sandiegoopera

 

Purchasing Tickets

Subscriptions to the 2018-2019 season are now on sale. Single tickets are on sale in the summer.

 

Single tickets start at $49 for all mainstage performances. Single tickets start at $35 for all dētour Series operas. Children prices exist, please visit www.sdopera.org or call 619.533.7000 for more information.

 

Senior citizen discounts of 15% are available to the Main Stage series on Tuesday and Friday subscription packages. Senior citizen discounts of 15% are available to the dētour Series on Saturday subscription packages.

 

Military discounts (active and retired) of 50% are available to the Main Stage series on Tuesday and Friday subscription packages. Military discounts of 50% are available to the dētour Series on Saturday subscription packages. 

 

For information about tickets please visit www.sdopera.org or call 619.533.7000

 

San Diego Opera 2018-2019 Season

The Marriage of Figaro                                      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart                 October 20, 23, 26, and 28 (mat), 2018

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914          Peter Rothstein                                     December 7, 8, and 9 (mat), 2018

Rigoletto                                              Giuseppe Verdi                                    February 2, 5, 8, and 10 (mat), 2019

Three Decembers                                                Jake Heggie                                         March 8, 9, 10 (mat), 2019

Carmen                                                               Georges Bizet                                      March 30, April 2, 5, and 7 (mat) 2019

One Amazing Night –Stephen Powell and Stephen Costello                                           May 15, 2019

Guest Announcement: San Diego Opera Listening Tour Series

San Diego Opera Announces Listening Tour Series

 

Tour will see San Diego Opera’s General Director, David Bennett, engaging the community to explore how the Company can best serve San Diegans

 

San Diego, CA – San Diego Opera is proud to announce a listening tour series that will bring the Company’s General Director, David Bennett, out into the community to explore how the Company can best serve its citizens as it looks towards its next 50 years. These interactive conversations will take place in four different regions of San Diego County – Central (at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park), North County (at the Museum of Making Music), La Jolla (at The Scripps Institute Research Center) and South Bay (at the Chula Vista Masonic Temple). Using smartphone technology, these multi-media conversations will allow participants to respond to questions in real time and drive the conversation about the future of San Diego Opera.

 

“What is opera? What do you like about opera? What might you want to see different? Is opera too long? Too expensive?  If you were General Director of San Diego Opera, what would you do to ensure the Company was thriving fifty year from now? These are just some of the questions I will engage the community in during this listening tour,” shares David Bennett. “What made San Diego so attractive to me is that the community had taken an active role in the opera’s future, having saved it in 2014. The diversity of San Diego is what makes this city so wonderful, and it is my goal to make San Diego Opera an organization that serves the community. To do this, we are going to do something the Company has never done before: listen to you.”

 

The listening tours are free and open to the public but registration is required and can be made at: http://www.sdopera.org/engage/listen. Refreshments and wine will be served. Participants can also win opera tickets and other prizes. Participants should attend the listening tour with a fully charged smartphone, tablet, or laptop capable of internet access through a cellular network to interact with the questions and real time polls that will be part of the program. In order to better evaluate aggregated responses, participants will be sent a short, confidential questionnaire from our market research partner Q2 Insights to be completed before attending the event.

 

Dates and locations for the San Diego Opera Listening Tour are:

 

Central: Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 6 PM – The Nat (in the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater). 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101.

 

La Jolla: Thursday, April 28 at 6 PM – The Auditorium at The Scripps Research Institute.  10620 John J Hopkins Dr., San Diego, CA 92121.

 

North County: Thursday, May 19 at 6 PM - The Museum of Making Music. 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008

 

South Bay: Thursday, June 16, at 6 PM – The Chula Vista Masonic Lodge. 732 3rd Ave, Chula Vista, CA 91910

 

The San Diego Opera Listening Tour is made possible with support from Q2 Insights. For more information visit us online at: http://www.sdopera.org/engage/listen.

 

The 2015-2016 International Season

René Barbera in Recital                                                                    September 19, 2015

Patricia Racette “Diva on Detour”                                                   November 14, 2015

Tosca                                                   Giacomo Puccini                  February 13, 16, 19 and 21 (mat), 2016

Ferruccio Furlanetto in Concert                                                       March 5, 2016

Madama Butterfly                                Giacomo Puccini                  April 16, 19, 22 and 24 (mat), 2016

Great Scott                                          Jake Heggie                          May 7, 10, 15 and 15 (mat), 2016

Guest Announcement: San Diego Opera 2016 events

San Diego Opera Announces Opera Exposed 2016 Roster and Event

 

Audience Engagement Ensemble from the Company’s University Partnership Program to Present Free Community Concerts

 

San Diego, CA - San Diego Opera is pleased to announce the 2015-2016 Opera Exposed artists and events. Opera Exposed is a touring opera ensemble comprised of students from San Diego Opera’s University Partnership Program which currently includes vocal arts students from SDSU and Point Loma Nazarene University. All of the participants have auditioned into the program and represent San Diego Opera in recitals throughout the communities and neighborhoods of San Diego County, with a focus on underserved neighborhoods. In return, the students receive master classes with principal artists from San Diego Opera mainstage productions, meetings with senior staff, internships to bolster their resumés, in-and-out privileges for staging rehearsals and complimentary tickets to performances. This partnership offers young singers ample opportunities to hone their performance skills, while at the same time giving them a better idea of the processes of producing opera on a professional level.

 

“Last year, in the first season of Opera Exposed, we performed in neighborhoods and venues where San Diego Opera had not been before, like City Heights and Barrio Logan,” shares Dr. Nicolas Reveles, San Diego Opera’s Director of Education and Community Engagement. “This year will bring our first foray into the Diamond Neighborhood, the Malcolm X Library, as well as return visits to some of the venues where we performed last year. It’s tremendously exciting to bring opera to communities that haven’t yet experienced it, especially with these wonderful, enthusiastic young singers!”

 

All Opera Exposed recitals are free and are open to the public. Performance selections will vary from recital to recital but will include a selection of familiar opera arias, duets and ensembles from composers such as Puccini, Gounod, Mozart, Rossini, Leoncavallo, and Copland, among others.

 

The 2015-2016 Opera Exposed artists are:

 

San Diego State University

Alvin Almazan, tenor

Rachel Rothman, soprano

Lisa Parente, soprano

Ivan Ochoa, tenor

Amanda Olea, soprano

Nicholas Newton, baritone

Radames Gil, baritone

 

Point Loma Nazarene University

Kiana Bell, mezzo soprano

Carina Kazmierowicz, soprano

Jack French, baritone

Krista Wilford, soprano

Jonathan Lacayo, tenor

McKenna Slack, soprano

Kelsey Kammeraad, soprano

 

A list of currently scheduled Opera Exposed recitals is below. As recitals are added they can be found online at http://www.sdopera.com/Education/SDOU

 

August 15, 3:00pm                 Malcolm X Library

                                                5148 Market Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92114

                       

August 30, 3:30pm                 Carlsbad Music Festival

                                                Magee Park, 258 Beech Street

                                                Carlsbad, CA 92008

                                               

September 30, 6:00pm          Weingart/City Heights Performance Annex

                                                3795 Fairmount Avenue

                                                San Diego, CA 92105

 

October 10, 7:00pm               Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Concert    

                                                First Unitarian Universalist Church

                                                4190 Front Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92103

 

October 18, 2:00pm               Central Library Downtown

                                                330 Park Boulevard

                                                San Diego, CA 92101

 

October 25, 2:00pm               Hope United Methodist Church

                                                16550 Bernardo Heights Parkway

                                                Rancho Bernardo, CA 92128

 

November 22, 2:00pm           El Cajon Public Library

                                                201 E. Douglas

                                                El Cajon, CA 92020

 

January 20, 11:30am             LGBT Center

                                                3909 Centre Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92103

 

The 2015-2016 International Season

René Barbera in Recital                                                                    September 19, 2015

Patricia Racette “Diva on Detour”                                                   November 14, 2015

Tosca                                                   Giacomo Puccini                  February 13, 16, 19 and 21 (mat), 2016

Ferruccio Furlanetto in Concert                                                       March 5, 2016

Madama Butterfly                                Giacomo Puccini                  April 16, 19, 22 and 24 (mat), 2016

Great Scott                                          Jake Heggie                          May 7, 10, 15 and 15 (mat), 2016

Opera Concert on the Civic Center Concourse

In San Diego and have free hours during lunch time on Thursday (Jan 29th)? Pack a picnic lunch and cycle down to San Diego Civic Center Concourse (where City Hall and the Civic Theater are) to catch Opera on the Concourse!

It's a free concert given by local voice students and artists. There are three free concourse concerts scheduled this opera season:

• La bohème: Thursday, January 29, 2015, Noon
  Featuring Opera Exposed/University Partners Artists


• Don Giovanni: Thursday, February 19, 2015, Noon
  Featuring Don Giovanni Artists


• Nixon in China: Thursday, March 19, 2015, Noon
  Featuring Nixon in China Artists

 And two more performances of Puccini's La Boheme, of course! Check out www.sdopera.com for info and tickets!

Guest Announcement: San Diego Opera Tickets Now Selling!

San Diego Opera Single Tickets Are Now On Sale

 

Board President Carol Lazier Shares Update on Company

 

Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates Have Been Engaged to Secure Long-Term Artistic Leadership for the Company

 

San Diego, CA – San Diego Opera is delighted to announce single tickets are now on sale to all performances of the San Diego Opera 2014-2015 season including La bohème, Don Giovanni, Nixon in China, the new mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca se Termina (The Past is Never Finished), the Company’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration Concert at Copley Symphony Hall, and Stephanie Blythe and Craig Terry’s recital, We’ll Meet Again – The Songs of Kate Smith. Single tickets start at $30. A full listing of performances date and times can be found at the bottom of this release.

Here are some of the changes and accomplishments in only five months since the Board of Directors announced the continuation of San Diego Opera:

 

• An executive search committee has been formed to secure long-term artistic leadership for the Company. Arts consultants Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates have been engaged to lead the committee.  

 

• The Company has moved its administrative offices next door from its old location to the Center City Building at 233 A St., Suite 500. The reduction in office space from 15,000 square feet to just over 7,000 square feet results in an annual savings of $400,000. The Company was also able to open a store front box office at 237 A St. that is open for walk-ins from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.

 

• The newly reconstituted board of directors currently stands at 26 members. The board just completed a two-day board retreat that focused on issues of governance, board legacy, and future long-term planning.

 

• The current fundraising goal for the 2014-2015 season, which was $6.5 million of the Company’s approved $11 million budget, now stands at $1.2 million needed to be raised by June 30, 2015 with $5.3 million already raised.

 

• Subscription sales continue to trend upward with 89% of all households renewing. The Company has also seen a 377% increase in new subscribers and a 286% increase in lapsed subscribers (former subscribers that did not attend the 2014 season).

 

• The Company opened the season last month with a sold-out recital presented by Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez at the Balboa Theatre.

 

• The Company continues to explore new venues and partnerships, with performances at The Balboa Theatre and Copley Symphony Hall.

 

• San Diego Opera’s Education department has announced Opera Exposed a new touring ensemble comprised of the top vocal students from the Company’s University Partnership Program (USD, SDSU, and Point Loma Nazarene University) that will present free concerts around the community, as well as provide the students with professional training.

 

• The Company’s Education department has developed an in-classroom residency based on the Common Core State Standards. It involves visits to the classroom by singers, designers, costumers, wig & make-up specialists and technical theatre artisans who will give students a close-up view of opera from the inside. The number of school residencies for the 2014-2015 have more than doubled from previous seasons.

 

• Students attending the Student Night at the Opera final dress rehearsal can now watch the entire performance. Previously they were required to leave at the first intermission. San Diego Opera will continue to pay for transportation to these performances. Included in this year’s lineup, in addition to La bohème, Don Giovanni and Nixon in China, is the mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca se Termina.

 

• The Company has hired John Gabriel as the Director of School Programs to oversee and further develop the Company’s education efforts.

 

• The Company has planned and casted the 2016 season and is currently finalizing repertory and contracts for the 2017 season.

 

“San Diego Opera’s 50^h Anniversary Season is off to a tremendous start!  Our new direction of programming innovative as well as traditional works, and presenting exciting exceptional performances accessible to diverse audiences, is our future,” shares San Diego Opera Board President, Carol Lazier.

 

Purchasing Tickets

Single tickets for all operas are on sale. Single ticket prices start at $30 and can be purchased by calling (619) 533-7000 or online at www.sdopera.com.

 

Subscriptions range from $105 for a three-opera series to $1405 for a full season package (Orchestra level subscription and the 50^th Gala Anniversary Concert at the Jacobs Music Center - Copley Symphony Hall, the two recitals, and the mariachi opera). Some Saturday and Sunday subscriptions are slightly higher. Subscriptions can be purchased by calling (619) 533-7000 or online at www.sdopera.com.

 

The 2014-2015 International Season

Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez in recital                                      September 5, 2014

Stephanie Blythe and Craig Terry: The songs of Kate Smith            December 11, 2014

La bohème                                           Giacomo Puccini                  January 24, 27, 29 and Feb. 1(mat), 2015

Don Giovanni                                      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  February 14, 17, 20 and 22 (mat), 2015

Nixon in China                                    John Adams                          March 14, 17, 20 and 22 (mat), 2015

50^th Anniversary Celebration Concert                                              April 18 and 19, 2015

El Pasado Nunca se Termina               José “Pepe” Martinez            April 25 at 2 pm and 7 pm, 2015                       

 

General Information

San Diego Opera announced its 2014-2015 season and 50th Anniversary on May 19, 2014, after nearly two months of careful deliberations and analysis since the Company announced it was going to close at the end of the 2014 season.  During this time, the Company launched a crowd funding campaign that resulted in an unprecedented $2.2 million in public donations, of which 48% were first time donors from 6 countries and 36 States. The outpouring of public support, the unified vision expressed by the company’s management, staff, partners and contractors, and the expert advice of Opera America and the many General Directors of U.S. opera companies who weighed in with encouragement, logistical assistance and statements of solidarity, led the Board of Directors, headed by Carol Lazier, to confidently rescind the original vote to close.  The Company appointed former Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director, William Mason, as Artistic Advisor in May and has begun a search for permanent leadership to lead the Company as it reinvents itself to better serve the diverse San Diego community.

 

www.sdopera.com

Guest announcement: San Diego Opera & Dallas Opera Co-Producing Heggie's Great Scott

Below is a guest announcement from the San Diego Opera:

THE DALLAS OPERA AND SAN DIEGO OPERA

ARE VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT

SAN DIEGO OPERA WILL

CO-PRODUCE GREAT SCOTT

~~~~

THE FIRST OPERA BY COMPOSER JAKE HEGGIE AND LIBRETTIST TERRENCE MCNALLY SINCE THEIR ACCLAIMED DEAD MAN WALKING (2000)

 

            SAN FRANCISCO, JUNE 20, 2014 – The Dallas Opera proudly welcomes a co-producer, San Diego Opera, to the first major project in fourteen years by critically acclaimed American composer Jake Heggie (Moby-Dick) and Tony Award-winning playwright and librettist Terrence McNally (Master Class). 

            GREAT SCOTT will star world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato in her eagerly anticipated Dallas Opera debut.  The world premiere performances in Dallas, with support from The Eugene McDermott Foundation, The Hoblitzelle Foundation and The Carol Franc Buck Foundation, will be staged by Broadway legend Jack O’Brien (former Artistic Director of San Diego’s Old Globe Theater) and conducted by one of the fastest-rising young artists at the podium today: Maestro Evan Rogister.

            GREAT SCOTT opens the Dallas Opera’s 2015-2016 Season with five performances scheduled from October 30, 2015 through November 15, 2015 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  Additional performances in San Diego will follow in the 2016-17 Season.

            Composer Jake Heggie shared the big news today in San Francisco at the Opening Session of OPERA America’s Opera Conference 2014.

            “I’m very honored and touched,” said Mr. Heggie, “to be a part of this magical, remarkable occasion.”  Word of San Diego Opera’s commitment to the piece was followed by the first public performance of an aria from GREAT SCOTT by acclaimed American lyric soprano Heidi Stober, a principal artist at Deutsche Oper Berlin and a sought-after guest artist in opera houses around the world.

            Previous co-commissions and co-productions by the two companies include the tremendously successful adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, brought to the opera stage in 2010 by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer and seen in Canada, San Francisco, Australia and, most recently, in Washington, D.C.; as well as an earlier world premiere production of Thérèse Raquin by composer Tobias Picker and Mr. Scheer.

 

            “For months now, the San Diego Opera saga has been the most closely watched story in the western opera world,” says Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny.  “It is incredibly gratifying to be able to welcome the company as a partner in this exhilarating project.  San Diego Opera’s involvement sends a powerful message to our industry—and the message is this: San Diego Opera is here to stay and planning for an exciting future!

            “We have tremendous confidence in the leadership exhibited by Carol Lazier and the San Diego Opera Board, as well as William Mason, the Company’s new artistic advisor, and we are certain that San Diego Opera will play a vital and productive role in bringing Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s original concept to life for the enjoyment of audiences everywhere.”

 

            “Jake Heggie is no stranger to San Diego Opera,” shares San Diego Opera Board President Carol Lazier. “After his wildly successful Moby-Dick in 2012, when we heard that Jake was working on a new opera we knew we had to be part of it. At its heart, Great Scott asks ‘What is worth fighting for?’ a question that resonates with us here in the San Diego community.

“This opera also gives us the opportunity to work again with The Dallas Opera, who have been champions for our continued survival since day one, offering advice and logistical support during these transitional times. They are a great partner to work with, having been co-producers on Moby-Dick, co-commissioners on Thérèse Raquin, and partners on productions of Madama Butterfly and Aida over the years. Our participation in Great Scott is a show of support for Jake and The Dallas Opera, a commitment to the future of great American opera, and a statement to let the world know that San Diego Opera is still here and we are not going anywhere.”

 

            “It is extremely gratifying to learn about this co-production of Jake and Terrence’s next opera,” wrote Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America.  “The collaboration of these artists promises to add another important work to the American opera repertoire.  It is equally exciting that The Dallas Opera and San Diego Opera will work together as co-producers of the piece, demonstrating that bold artistic plans that include new American operas can and should be part of a an opera company’s strategy for long-term success.”

 

            “What a triumph on every level,” said Jake Heggie.  “I couldn’t be more grateful to all parties involved.”

            “At the heart of GREAT SCOTT are big questions about artistic and personal sacrifice, picking our battles and the kind of cultural legacy we want to leave for the future, as well as our personal responsibility in that legacy.  How appropriate that the Dallas Opera and San Diego Opera—two companies that have recently triumphed over adversity—have now become two of the standard bearers in this challenging dialogue!  Loyal audiences, staffs and highly motivated leadership are embracing artistic collaborations to keep these companies vital—eyes on the horizon—as  they construct a future based on fresh ideas, new works and different perspectives.”

 

~~~~

Terrence McNally and Jake Heggie have set GREAT SCOTT in "an important American city" that boasts a respected but struggling opera company and a thriving football team.  Arden Scott, the hometown girl who has become an international opera star, has returned to her roots to help save the company.  She has chosen not a standard classic or a new work, but a long-lost bel canto opera she recently discovered: Vittorio Bazzetti's Rosa Dolorosa, Figlia di Pompeii, which has been gathering dust ever since its composition in 1835.

By chance, the opera company is set to give the world premiere the same night the local football team, the Grizzlies, will play in their first Super Bowl across town—an event that will be telecast to 100 million viewers.  The owner of the team is married to the opera company's founder, Winnie Flato.  Success on the field is no less important than Arden's and Maestro Bazzetti's in the opera house.  No wonder Arden finds herself is in a state of personal crisis over the career and life she has chosen as every conceivable disaster seems to await the company.

With a large cast and chorus, two mad scenes, an erupting volcano and a difficult unknown score, will mere human resources be equal to the opera's inhuman demands?  And a defeat at the Super Bowl could be end of Winnie's opera company as well.

 

Heggie also remarked, “What an incredibly fun challenge for a composer!  To create the sounds of an American opera company as they rehearse a never-heard Italian bel canto opera—and to throw in a fight song for the local football team, as well.  I think this is a story we can all relate to!”

~~~~

 

            Joyce DiDonato, “probably the most in-demand lyric coloratura mezzo in the world” (Opera News), will sing the title role of opera singer Arden Scott for the world premiere performances in Dallas.  Miss DiDonato triumphed in recent seasons in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Maria Stuarda, as well as in the Met’s 2011 world premiere of The Enchanted Island, prompting Anthony Tomassini of The New York Times to write, “She commanded the stage from her first showcase scene…singing with cool control, then bursting into fearless flights of passagework.” 

            Last spring, she dazzled audiences in London as Elena in La Donna del Lago at the Royal Opera House.  Michael Church of The Independent raved: “…words fail.  No other singer could match what this blonde bombshell from Kansas does, marrying coloratura with the serene liquidity of birdsong to an expressiveness of heart-stopping beauty.  Go, listen, and marvel.”

            Just weeks ago, Ms. Di Donato received an Honorary Doctorate from Juilliard where she also delivered the commencement address at the 109^th Commencement Ceremony.  Additionally, Ms. DiDonato was instrumental in the early stages of the “Save San Diego Opera” campaign, encouraging her fans through social media to support the Company’s fight for survival.

 

            For additional information or to arrange interviews, please contact San Diego Opera Director of Public Relations Edward Wilensky at 619-384-7636 or Dallas Opera Director of Media and Public Relations Suzanne Calvin at 817-995-1687 on site in San Francisco.

~~~~

About San Diego Opera:

San Diego Opera announced its 2015 season and 50^th Anniversary on May 19, 2014, after nearly two months of careful deliberations and analysis since the Company announced it was going to close at the end of the 2014 season.  During this time, the Company launched a crowd funding campaign that resulted in an unprecedented $2.2 million in public donations, of which 48% were first time donors from 6 countries and 36 States. The outpouring of public support, the unified vision expressed by the company’s management, staff, partners and contractors, and the expert advice of Opera America and the many General Directors of U.S. opera companies who weighed in with encouragement, logistical assistance and statements of solidarity, led the Board of Directors, headed by Carol Lazier, to confidently rescind the original vote to close.  The Company appointed former Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director, William Mason, as Artistic Advisor last month and has begun a search for permanent leadership to lead the Company as it reinvents itself to better serve the diverse San Diego community.

About the Dallas Opera:

 

More than half-a-century of artistic excellence, technical innovation and community engagement have enabled The Dallas Opera to make a major contribution to the international cultural reputation of Dallas and add significantly to the economic impact of the performing arts across North Texas.  The Dallas Opera has presented a host of international stars in their American debuts, including Dame Joan Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé, Jon Vickers, and Plácido Domingo, as well as designer-director Franco Zeffirelli.  A champion of new work, The Dallas Opera has presented the American premieres of five operas and additional world premieres.  Most recently, the company commissioned composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer to create a tremendously successful new opera based on Herman Melville’s 19^th century novel “Moby-Dick,” as well as forthcoming new operas by British composer Joby Talbot (“Everest”), Heggie and Terrence McNally (“Great Scott”), and American composer Mark Adamo (“Young Santa Claus”), all slated to take centerstage in 2015.  The Dallas Opera has pioneered classical music simulcasts in North Texas at locations ranging from Klyde Warren Park to AT&T (formerly Cowboys) Stadium and continues to seek new ways to engage the entire community and bring the thrill of opera to people of all ages, educational levels and backgrounds.

 

~~~~

San Diego Opera 2014-2015 International Season Performance Schedule

Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello in Recital

Balboa Theatre

Friday                   September 5, 2014            7:00pm

Stephanie Blythe and Craig Terry Presents We’ll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith

Balboa Theatre

Thursday             December 11, 2014           7:00pm

La bohème

Giacomo Puccini

San Diego Civic Theatre

Saturday                             January 24, 2015                              7:00pm

Tuesday                              January 27, 2015                              7:00pm

Thursday             January 29, 2015                              7:00pm

Sunday                 February 1, 2015                              2:00pm

 

Don Giovanni

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

San Diego Civic Theatre

Saturday                             February 14, 2015             7:00pm

Tuesday                             February 17, 2015              7:00pm

Friday                   February 20, 2015             7:00pm

Sunday                February 22, 2015              2:00pm

 

Nixon in China

John Adams

San Diego Civic Theatre

Saturday                             March 14, 2015                 7:00pm

Tuesday                              March 17, 2015                 7:00pm

Friday                   March 20, 2015                 7:00pm

Sunday                 March 22, 2015                 2:00pm

 

50^th Anniversary Gala Concert

Jacobs Music Center - Copley Symphony Hall

                              Saturday             April 18, 2015                  7:00pm

Sunday                 April 19, 2015                  2:00pm

 

El Pasado Nunca se Termina (The Past is Never Finished)

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán / Leonard Foglia / José “Pepe” Martinez

San Diego Civic Theatre

Saturday                              April 25, 2015                 2:00pm

Saturday                               April 25, 2015                 7:00pm

 

Purchasing Tickets

Subscriptions range from $105 for a three-opera series to $1405 for a full season package (Orchestra level subscription and the 50^th Gala Anniversary Concert at the Jacobs Music Center - Copley Symphony Hall, the two recitals, and the mariachi opera). Some Saturday and Sunday subscriptions are slightly higher. Subscriptions can be purchased by calling (619) 533-7000 or online at www.sdopera.com.

 

For information about single tickets please visit www.sdopera.com. Single ticket prices will be announced in the winter.

 

 

www.sdopera.com