cincinnati opera 2010 summer festival
Anniversary Season
3 MaGICAL Operas
th
and a spectacular concert on June 19 Buy Tickets Today! (513) 241-2742
Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi makes her U.S. debut this summer as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello. It’s a role she has sung at the Salzburg Festival and Rome Opera. (513) 241-2742
Come celebrate. Romance and passion, exhilaration and magic, delight and longing. World-class singers in the extraordinary acoustics and ambience of Music Hall. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the powerful Cincinnati Opera Chorus, led by renowned conductors. Lavish costumes, breathtaking sets, and evocative lighting. This is Cincinnati Opera. For 90 years Cincinnati Opera has presented the best of grand opera. This season, we invite you to experience the thrill of live opera at Music Hall. Come celebrate with us.
cincinnati opera
Our Otello, Antonello Palombi, at La Scala, where he once leapt to the stage from the audience to save an Aida performance.
Opera Now praised Ailyn Pérez’s “exquisite voice and natural charm.” She debuts as Mimi in La Bohème.
Met opera star Hei-Kyung Hong, shown here in Central Park, returns to celebrate Cincinnati Opera’s 90th birthday.
James Johnson in front of Berlin’s Deutsche Oper, where he appeared as Hans Sachs in February. He’s our Sachs this summer.
(513) 241-2742
Experience some of the most thrilling voices in the world.
“One of the brightest rising U.S. stars,” (London’s Sunday Times), Stephen Costello debuts as Rodolfo in La Bohème.
For complete schedule, cast, and production information, visit www.cincinnatiopera.org.
Evans Mirageas, who has served as The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director since 2005, stands before Cincinnati Opera’s home, Music Hall. Renowned for its grandeur and acoustics, Music Hall will be the focus of much-needed revitalization efforts in the coming months.
(513) 241-2742
Order your tickets right away—performances can sell out quickly!
June 19
Gala Concert
satu rday, J U N E 19 at 8 P M
Presenting Sponsor
The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
90th Anniversary Gala Concert Honoring Louise Dieterle Nippert
Cincinnati Opera invites you to its 90th birthday celebration—a grand, gala concert with opera stars, special hosts, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, the May Festival Chorus, dancers from Cincinnati Ballet, and the Allen Temple A.M.E Church Choir. Conductors Edoardo Müller, Steven Reineke, and Henri Venanzi lead from the podium.
Gala Dinner Join us for a sparkling Gala Dinner before the concert! Tickets are $500 or $750 and include an elegant dinner, a premium seat at the concert, and the post-concert celebration. For more information, call (513) 768-5520.
After-Party
Tickets start at $35. Don’t miss the spectacular celebration.
Christine Brewer
Angela Brown
Denyce Graves
Hei-Kyung Hong
Richard Leech
Sherrill Milnes
Join us for the post-concert celebration with desserts, live music, dancing, and a cash bar. $35 per person. Call (513) 241-2742.
Edoardo Müller
(513) 241-2742
Antonello Palombi
Celebrate 90 years of grand opera!
DIE MEISTERSINGER June 23 and 26
von n端RNberg
New Production
DIE Meistersinger by Richard Wagner
Wagner’s uplifting masterpiece The story A young knight falls in love
with a fair maid, but she is to be betrothed to the winner of a singing contest. The plot follows the knight’s attempts to win the contest with the wise help of the cobbler and poet Hans Sachs. The opera Die Meistersinger is an
extraordinary opera, requiring enormous musical and stagecraft resources. Its impact is equally enormous: part charming romance and part profound celebration of the arts and humanities. the cast American baritone James
Johnson leads the cast as the wise and generous Hans Sachs, a role he has performed at the Met and at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper. Canadian Richard Margison, one of the world’s leading heroic tenors, sings–for the first time–the role of Walther. John Keenan, assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and regular collaborator with James Levine, will conduct soloists, chorus, and the full force of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
(513) 241-2742
June 23 and 26 at 6:00 p.m. Eva Twyla Robinson Magdalena Maria Zifchak Hans Sachs James Johnson Walther von Stolzing Richard Margison Beckmesser Hans-Joachim Ketelsen David Norbert Ernst Fritz Kothner John Del Carlo Veit Pogner Johann Tilli Kunz Vogelgesang John Christopher Adams Balthasar Zorn David Ekström Augustin Moser Ric Furman Hans Foltz Kenneth Shaw Hermann Ortel Thomas Hammons Konrad Nachtigall William McGraw Hans Schwarz David Michael A Night Watchman Morris Robinson Ulrich Eisslinger Brendan Tuohy Conductor John Keenan Director Chris Alexander Scenic Designer Günther Schneider-Siemssen Costume Designer Inge Diettrich Lighting Designer Thomas C. Hase Chorus Master Henri Venanzi Production Underwriter Anonymous Production Sponsor The John C. Griswold Foundation Performance Sponsors In Memory of Jock Lawrence Ohio National Financial Services Procter & Gamble Sung in German with projected translation.
There‘s no contest about where to be on June 23 and 26!
July 7 and 10
OTELLO
New Production
Breathtaking jealousy the opera Otello, Giuseppe Verdi’s penultimate opera, is the culmination of a lifetime of opera masterpieces and his swan song in the tragic genre. Keeping closely to Shakespeare’s play, Otello follows the tragedy of the Moorish general’s love for his beautiful wife Desdemona, his deception by the incomparably evil Iago, and the terrifying consequences of doubt and jealousy. the cast Joining us for this regal
production is Italian tenor Antonello Palombi as Otello. “Here is a tenor with that exciting, emotion-stirring, headturning Italianate sound,” writes The Seattle Times. The stunning Italian soprano Maria Luigia Borsi is Desdemona in her U.S. debut. On the podium is acclaimed maestro Robert Spano, music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra who possesses, according to The New York Times, “that great skill in a conductor of making every performance radiate joy.”
OTELLO
by Giuseppe Verdi July 7 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. Desdemona Maria Luigia Borsi Otello Antonello Palombi Iago Carlo Guelfi Emilia Catherine Keen Cassio Russell Thomas Lodovico Denis Sedov Roderigo Gregory Turay Montano Nathan Stark Conductor Robert Spano Stage Director Bernard Uzan Scenic Designer Allen Charles Klein Lighting Designer Thomas C. Hase Chorus Master Henri Venanzi Production Underwriter The Cincinnati Opera Guild Performance Sponsors Elizabeth M. Stites and Kevin C. Randall Otello Consortium Sung in Italian with projected translation.
(513) 241-2742
Love your opera...wisely and well.
July 21, 23, and 25m
LA Bohème
A NEW CO-Production with English National Opera
Ah, l’amour, l’amour the opera He’s a starry-eyed poet, and
she’s his quiet neighbor. Alone together for the first time, the two begin to talk—a conversation in the dark as they wait for the moon to rise above the snow-covered rooftops. He touches her hand, and sparks fly. La Bohème is the most loved of all Italian operas. With soaring melodies and a tender love story that has inspired movies from Moonstruck to Moulin Rouge, it’s the very definition of radiant beauty and romantic heartache. See it with someone you love. the cast We welcome a pair of rising
young stars who are also newlyweds as Rodolfo and Mimi: dashing tenor Stephen Costello and lovely soprano Ailyn Pérez, both making their Cincinnati Opera debuts. Marco Caria, who brought down the house as Rodrigo in last season’s Don Carlo, will sing the role of Marcello. Metropolitan Opera regular and Cincinnati resident Thomas Hammons appears in the comic role of Benoit. John Keenan will conduct. (513) 241-2742
LA BOHèME
by Giacomo Puccini July 21 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. July 25 at 3:00 p.m. Mimi Ailyn Pérez Musetta Georgia Jarman Rodolfo Stephen Costello Marcello Marco Caria Colline Denis Sedov Schaunard Christopher Schaldenbrand Benoit Thomas Hammons Alcindoro Kenneth Shaw Conductor John Keenan Stage Director Jonathan Miller Scenic and Costume Designer Isabella Bywater Lighting Designer Thomas C. Hase Chorus Master Henri Venanzi Production Underwriter Paul Flory in memory of Carolyn Flory Performance Sponsors Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Hasl The William and Mary Jane Helms Foundation The Manuel D. & Rhoda Mayerson Foundation The Rendigs Foundation The Sheakley Group of Companies Sung in Italian with projected translation.
Opera lets your soul take flight.
on opera-go ing... 1. Any advice?
Sure! Here are a few quick tips: Dress up, but only if you feel like it • Come early for the best parking and a talk about the evening’s opera • Savor chocolates and cham pagne at intermission • Expre ss yourself vocally—where else can you yell “Bravo!”? 2. Where should I sit?
For the best blend of Music Hall’s famous acoust ics: the gallery. Best visuals and leg room: the orchestr a level. Most intense experi ence: the front row of the orc hestra. Best value: balcony sides and center gallery.
Season Presenting Sponsor
Season Presenting Co-Sponsors
3. How long are
operas?
Most operas are be tween two and three hours long. The epic (and excell ent!) Die Meistersinger clo cks in at six hours with interm issions. 4. Where are pe rforman
ces? Cincinnati Opera pe rforms at Cincinnati Music Ha ll, one of America’s most opulent venues for seeing op era, located at 1241 Elm Street in downtown Cinc innati. 5. But I don’t sp eak Ita
lian... Not to worry. All per formances feature translations projected above the stage in sync with what’s being sung. You’ll know when to laugh and when to cry.
2010 SPonsors The 2010 season is also made possible with support from the Fine Arts Fund, The National Endowment for the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, and many generous foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Supertitles are sponsored by Macy’s. Seta Music is the Official Piano Supplier of the 2010 Summer Festival Season. James Free Jewelers is the Official Jeweler of the 2010
Summer Festival Season. Art Direction and Copy Christopher Milligan; Design and Illustrations Aimee Sposito Martini; Photos Maria Luigia Borsi: Carlo Roncancio; Antonello Palombi: Dave Yoder; Ailyn Pérez, Stephen Costello: Dario Acosta; Hei-Kyung Hong: Marty Umans; James Johnson: Robert Millard; Evans Mirageas: Philip Groshong; Denyce Graves: Devon Cass.
buying tickets
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We can help with all of your questions— where to park, running times for performances, favorite seats, handicapped accessibility, and much more.
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(513) 241-2742 www.cincinnatiopera.org BOX
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BOX
ORCHESTRA
Gala Concert
Meistersinger
Otello & Bohème
Orchestra l Box l Front Orchestra l Front Orchestra Aisle l Mid Orchestra l Back Orchestra
$ 170 $ 250, $130 $ 250 $ 90 $ 60
$ 212 $ 146 $ 212 $ 108 $ 65
$ 157 $ 108 $ 157 $ 80 $ 48
Balcony l Dress Circle l Preferred Balcony l Side Balcony
$ 170 $ 100 $ 70
$ 212 $ 127 $ 84
$ 157 $ 94 $ 62
Gallery l Center Gallery l Mid Gallery l Side Gallery (limited view)
$ 70 $ 50 $ 35
$ 93 $ 62 $ 35
$ 69 $ 46 $ 26
Note: Operas, dates, and casts subject to change.
M–F 9:30–5:00
CALL (513) 241-2742 or www.cincinnatiopera.org cincinnati opera
Season Presenting Sponsor
– Cincinnati Enquirer, 2009
NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CINCINNATI, OH PERMIT #6737
The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund
“A triumph of singing”
– Cincinnati Enquirer, 2009
“Mesmerizing”
–Cincinnati Enquirer, 2009
“Powerful, beautifully crafted”
Season Presenting Co-Sponsors
www.cincinnatiopera.org
Tickets as low as $26!
La Bohème July 21, 23, and 25m
Otello July 7 and 10
Die Meistersinger von nürnberg June 23 and 26
90th Anniversary Gala Concert June 19
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Music Hall 1243 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45202
Patricia K. Beggs, General Director & CEO Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director
cincinnati opera