Chicago Opera Theater Announces Cast for 2010 Spring Festival Season

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) General Director Brian Dickie has completed casting principal roles for COT's 2010 Spring Festival Season: Gioachino Rossini's Moses in Egypt (Mosè in Egitto) starring Andrea Concetti; Francesco Cavalli's Jason (Giasone) starring Franco Fagioli; and Jake Heggie's Three Decembers starring Frederica von Stade in her final opera performances in Chicago before retirement.

Chicago Opera Theater's 2010 Spring Festival Season runs April 17 through May 16 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

"I am thrilled with many of the stunning singers we have coming to the city this spring, many of them making their Chicago, and some their North American, debuts with Chicago Opera Theater," said Brian Dickie. "And I am honored to have my dear friend and colleague Frederica von Stade making her Chicago Opera Theater debut before ending one of the most successful operatic careers in history."

The 2010 Spring Festival Season opens April 17th with Rossini's Moses in Egypt with Andrea Concetti (bass) in the title role making his Chicago debut. He has performed with La Scala, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Berlin State Opera, and the Minnesota Opera.

Manuela Bisceglie (soprano) sings the role of Elcia in her North American debut. In the past two seasons, Ms. Bisceglie has sung in a number of Italian opera houses including in Florence, Bologna, and Trieste. Singing the role of Faraone is Tom Corbeil (bass), who sang at Santa Fe Opera this summer and will sing with Florida Grand Opera and Ft. Worth Opera this season. Taylor Stayton (tenor), who will sing Osiride, makes his debut later this month in Franco Zeffirelli's new production of Falstaff at Teatro dell'opera di Roma.

Cavalli's Jason opens April 24th and stars Franco Fagioli (countertenor) making his North American debut in the title role. General Director Brian Dickie discovered Fagioli when traveling to Argentina during auditions of the Bertelsmann Foundation's Neue Stimmen Competition. It marked the first time a countertenor made the finals of this prestigious singing contest, and Mr. Fagioli went on to win the top prize. Since then, he has begun an international career, most notably at the Bonn Opera, Teatro Colon, and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as in the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare in Zurich, Oslo and Karlsruhe.

Singing the role of Medea is Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano). Ms. Cooke starred as Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adams' Doctor Atomic, and sang this past November in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Grazia Doronzio (soprano), who sings Isifile, made her Metropolitan Opera debut last season as Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto, and recently sang with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Mozart Requiem. Ms. Cooke and Ms. Doronzio are recent graduates of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Program. The role of Egeo will be sung by Vale Rideout (tenor), whose upcoming engagements in 2010 also include the Boston Lyric Opera (Turn of the Screw), Florentine Opera (Elmer Gantry) and Nashville Opera (The Fall of the House of Usher). Returning to Chicago Opera Theater this season is Andriana Chuchman (soprano) as Alinda and Andrew Funk (bass) as Besso. Ms. Chuchman sang Dorlinda in COT's 2008 production of Orlando. The Chicago Tribune said she "sang with winning freshness, sparkle and charm; you didn't want to take your eyes off her." Mr. Funk returns to COT after singing Commendatore in COT's 2008 production of Don Giovanni. His previous COT appearances were Noah's Flood (2002) and Orfeo (2000), which went on to the Brooklyn Academy Of Music.

Jake Heggie's Three Decembers opens May 8th and stars Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) in her Chicago Opera Theater debut, and in her last operatic performances in Chicago before retirement. In a role written for her by Heggie, Ms. von Stade plays Madeline, a famous actress struggling with her relationships with her two grown children, sung by Matthew Worth (baritone) and Sara Jakubiak (soprano).

Frederica von Stade is described by The New York Times as "one of America's finest artists and singers." The mezzo-soprano has enriched the world of classical music for over three decades and her career has taken her to the stages of the world's great opera houses and concert halls. Notable Chicago performances include Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (1987 & 1991) and Rosina in IL Barbiere di Siviglia (1989 & 1994) - both at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Matthew Worth (baritone) returns to COT after singing the title role in 2009's Owen Wingrave. "Matthew Worth was at once noble and touching as Owen, his bright, firm baritone filling out the vocal lines with deep understanding and sensitivity," said the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Worth also sang Claudio in COT's 2007 production of Bèatrice et Bènèdict.

Brian Dickie has also selected most of the 2010's Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists. (A current list of singers is below.) The Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists Program is a performance-based training program for young singers. The intention is to provide an artistic benchmark for young artists as they commence their careers, recognizing performance experience in fresh stagings of standard and new repertoire as an essential training element. Young Artists receive individual coaching from COT Director of Musical Studies Scott Gilmore, and take part in master classes with accomplished singers, coaches, conductors and teachers.
Chicago Opera Theater performs at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park - 205 East Randolph Drive.

Season Subscriptions for the 2010 Spring Festival Season range from $90-$345 which include a ticket to all three operas. Single tickets go on sale February 26 (online) and March 1 (in person or by phone). COT also offers a 50% discounted student rate in most sections. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 312.704.8414. For more information, go to ChicagoOperaTheater.org.

2010 Spring Festival Season

Gioachino Rossini
MOSES IN EGYPT (Mosè in Egitto)
April 17, 21, 23 at 7:30pm; April 25 at 3pm

Conductor: LEONARDO VORDONI
Director: ANDREW EGGERT
Production Designer: Anka Lupes
Lighting Designer: Keith Parham
CAST (Alphabetical):

Elcia MANUELA BISCEGLIE
Moses ANDREA CONCETTI
Faraone Tom Corbeil
Amaltea Kathryn LeeMHUIS
Mambre SAMUEL READ LEVINE
Aronne JORGE PREGO
Amenofi Emily Grace RIGHTER
Osiride TAYLOR STAYTON
Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Francesco Cavalli
JASON (Giasone)
April 24, 28, 30 at 7:30pm; May 2 at 3pm

Conductor: CHRISTIAN CURNYN
Director: JUSTIN WAY
Set Designer: Anka Lupes
Costumer Designer: KIMM KOVAC
Lighting Designer: Keith Parham
CAST (Alphabetical):
Demo JULIUS AHN
Oreste EVAN BOYER
Alinda ANDRIANA CHUCHMAN
Medea Sasha Cooke
Isifile GRAZIA DORONZIO
Giasone FRANCO FAGIOLI
Besso Andrew Funk
Delfa TYLER NELSON
Egeo Vale Rideout
Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

 

Jake Heggie
THREE DECEMBERS
May 8, 12, 14 at 7:30pm; May 16 at 3pm

Conductor: STEPHEN HARGREAVES
Original Production by: Leonard Foglia
Costume Designer: CESAR GALINDO
Lighting Designer:
(Original) Brian Nason

Lighting Designer: Keith Parham
CAST (Alphabetical):
Bea SARA JAKUBIAK
Madeline Frederica von Stade
Charlie Matthew Worth
Sung in English with English supertitles.

Three Decembers, An Opera in Two Acts. Music by Jake Heggie. Libretto by Gene Scheer. Based on "Some Christmas Letters", an original play by Terrence McNally. Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera & San Francisco Opera. Premiered by the Houston Grand Opera, Feb. 29, 2008.

Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists - 2010
Leila Bowie, Rabihah Davis, Catalina Cuervo, Darik Knutsen, Benjamin LeClair, Samuel Read Levine, Rebecca Luttio, Jorge Prego, Emily Grace Righter, Nikolas Wenzel, Martin L. Woods