Passions Ignite as Bizet's Carmen Opens the 2012-2013 Season
October 26 & 28, 2012 | Uihlein Hall, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
MILWAUKEE, Wis.—March 25, 2011— General Director William Florescu announces the Florentine Opera’s 2012-2013 season: from the fiery passion of Bizet’s Carmen, to the heartwarming Italian love songs of That’s Amore!, to the playful humor of Britten’s Albert Herring, and the comedic innuendo rampant in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro – The Florentine Opera will offer you one of its most widely diverse seasons. “My goal as we planned the next season was to combine some of the hottest, crowd- pleasing audience favorites and newer works,” noted Mr. Florescu. “I strongly feel that re-visiting established classics like Carmen and The Marriage of Figaro with stunning casts of young opera stars in combination with the highest quality, lesser performed operas like Albert Herring can allow the diverse beauty of the art form to engage audiences.”
The season opens in Uihlein Hall at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on October 26 and 28, 2012 with Carmen, Bizet’s final work, which contains some of opera’s best-known melodies. Mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock returns to Milwaukee as the rebellious Carmen, sharing her ‘unmatched’ chemistry with rising international star Noah Stewart in his Florentine debut as Don José. Rena Harms returns as Micaëla, on the heels of her ‘show-stopping’ performance as Liù in Turandot. Keith Phares (of the Grammy Award-winning Elmer Gantry, 2010) returns as the macho bullfighter, Escamillo. Maestro Joseph Rescigno conducts the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as Stage Director Dean Anthony (Tosca, 2009) leads this dynamic cast to a powerful performance.
On February 8, 9 and 10, 2013 in Vogel Hall at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the Florentine Opera Studio Artists perform That’s Amore! – The intimate surroundings of Vogel Hall frame our ‘affair of the heart’ that is certain to inspire ‘amore’. “Our Studio Artists will serenade audiences with classic love songs for an unforgettable evening. Our Studio Artist program will enter its fifth year in the 2012-2013 Season,” notes Florescu. “I think it very appropriate that our subscription programming showcases these extremely talented young artists that participate in our artist residency program. It’s inspiring to offer our audiences a glimpse of the up-and-coming singers that are the future of the opera art form.”
On March 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 17, 2013, the season continues with a new production of Britten’s Albert Herring – On the centennial of Britten’s birth, the Florentine Opera presents this 20th-century comedic British masterpiece for the very first time. Endlessly witty, poignant, and beautifully layered, this comic opera highlights the misadventures of a lonely shop boy in a small English village that is teeming with colorful and wickedly amusing characters. Abigail Nims (Nancy) makes her Florentine Opera debut, while mezzo-soprano Kathryn Leemhuis (Florence Pike), tenor Rodell Rosel (Albert), and local favorite soprano Kathy Pyeatt (Lady Billows) return to the Florentine stage in a new production directed by William Florescu, conducted by Christopher Larkin, and designed by Noele Stollmack.
On May 10 and 12, 2013, at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the season concludes with The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s beloved comic opera – Written in Italian, this tale of deceptions and counter-deceptions unfolds as skirt-chasing and bullying run rampant in the palace of the Count Almaviva. Set in Spain, The Marriage of Figaro is a continuation of the plot of The Barber of Seville focusing on the debauchery that unfolds during a single ‘day of madness’ in a grand folly of aristocratic courtship. The Florentine brings you a highly energetic production of Mozart’s melodies featuring a critically acclaimed cast. Grammy winner Daniel Belcher reprises his role as Figaro from the Florentine’s The Barber of Seville, Adriana Zabala brings her critically acclaimed interpretation of Cherubino, and audience favorites baritone Craig Verm and tenor Frank Kelley return as Count Almaviva and Basilio for this light-hearted, hilarious romp directed by Candace Evans and conducted by Maestro Joseph Rescigno.
ARTIST INFORMATION / INTERVIEWS:
For additional artist biography information or to schedule an interview, please contact Richard Clark, Marketing Manager, by telephone at 414-225-1949, or via email.
TICKETS / SEASON SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION:
Subscriptions to the Florentine Opera’s 2011-2012 season range in price from $94 to $307. Single tickets start at just $30. For more information on ordering your tickets, click for call 414-292-5700 ext. 224.