Diana Damrau Sings the Title Role in Bellini's LA SONNAMBULA at the Met, Beg. Tonight

Diana Damrau will add a new role to her extensive repertory when she sings her first-ever performances of Amina, the title character in Bellini's bel canto showpiece La Sonnambula. Last season, Damrau made an acclaimed role debut as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata in a sold-out series of performances at the Met. La Sonnambula, which opens tonight, March 14 in a revival of Mary Zimmerman's 2009 production, will be conducted by Marco Armiliato and also star rising Mexican tenor Javier Camarena as Elvino and Italian bass Michele Pertusi as Rodolfo.

Diana Damrau made her Met debut in 2005 as Zerbinetta in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos. She has sung at the Met in every subsequent season, in such roles as Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Aithra in Strauss's Die Ägyptische Helena; Pamina and the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail; the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor; Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto; Marie in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment; Countess Adèle in the Met premiere of Rossini's Le Comte Ory; Adina in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore; and Violetta in La Traviata. Next season, she sings her first company performances of the title role in Massenet's Manon.

Javier Camarena made his Met debut as Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 2011. He has sung Elvino at the Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Paris Opera. His other performances this season include Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Salzburg Festival; Count Almaviva at San Francisco Opera; and Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte at Zurich Opera.

Michele Pertusi sang Rodolfo in the 2009 premiere of Mary Zimmerman's production. His other roles at the Met have included Alidoro in Rossini's La Cenerentola, the Tutor in Le Comte Ory, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and both Count Almaviva and the title character in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. In April, he will sing his first Met performances of Giorgio in Bellini's I Puritani.

Marco Armiliato has conducted more than 300 Met performances in a wide variety of operatic styles, including the company premieres of Wolf-Ferrari's Sly, Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, and Donizetti's Anna Bolena. Later this season, he will conduct Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Next season, he leads performances of both Verdi's Aida and La Traviata.

The March 14 opening performance of La Sonnambula will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 74, as will the performances on March 18 and 29. The March 14 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's website, www.metopera.org.

The March 29 matinee performance will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

For more information on this season's performances of La Sonnambula, visit the Met's website at www.metopera.org.

Pictured: Diana Damrau sings Amina in Bellini's "La Sonnambula." Photo by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.

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