Bronx Opera to Ring in the New Year with ALBERT HERRING, 1/10

The Bronx:

Lehman College's Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, Bronx, NY

Saturday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, January 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Manhattan:

The Sylvia & Danny Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 695 Park Ave, NYC
Saturday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m.

The Bronx Opera - now in its 48th year - presents Benjamin Britten's comic opera about a town's discovery that their hunt for a virtuous soul amongst the masses provides only one name - the title character, ALBERT HERRING.

The 1947 British comic opera focuses on a small town's unorthodox May Queen festivities - crowning a May King. Seems the ONLY virtuous soul is Albert Herring - innocent son of a shopkeeper. Not thrilled with this "honor," Albert, sets out with his prize money to change his station in life. The opera - through clever prose and music - casts a wink & nod on the hypocrisy of social mores.

The cast features Eric Ackerman, Erik Bagger, Yiselle Blum, Joseph Michael Brent, Helena Brown, Danielle Buonaiuto, Noah Cadime-Gonzalez, Julie De Vaere, Steven Eddy, Steven Fredericks, Hannah Fuerst, Kristina Gaschel, Halley Gilbert, Christopher Grundy, Amy Maude Helfer, Chad Kranak, Stan Lacy, C. David Morrow, Andrew Oakden, Gilad Paz, Rachel Policar, Nina Riley, Heather Roberts, Leslie Swanson, Caroline Tye, and Terina Westmeyer.

Conductors: Michael Spierman (1/11, 17, 18); Michael C. Haigler (1/10)
Director: Rod Gomez

Set Designer: Meganne George
Costume Designer: Peter Fogel
Lighting Designer: Joshua Rose
Production Stage Manager: John P. Hunter
Production Manager: Scott H. Schneider
Assistant Stage Director: Desiree Alejandro

Throughout its two score and eight year history, The Bronx Opera has succeeded in presenting works that explore topics that still resonate today. We've seen class wars with Orpheus in the Underworld, the price of art in The Impresario, even identity theft in Die drei Pintos and The Rivals. BxO has always adhered to color-blind casting; providing opportunities to emerging artists; and always presenting their works in English - happily Albert Herring started out that way. The season concludes in May with Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at Lehman's Lovinger Theatre, May 2 - 9.

Presented with the generous support of the NYS Council on the Arts; NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz; and City Councilmembers Fernando Cabrera, Andrew Cohen and Andy King, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Fund for the City of New York, The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The Victor Herbert Foundation, The Wallace Fox Foundation and The Bronx Rotary Club.