Lyric Opera of Kansas City to Present THE CAPULETS AND THE MONTAGUES, Feat. Joyce DiDonato, 9/21-29

Lyric Opera of Kansas City opens its 56th season with a Company premiere and new production of Vincenzo Bellini's The Capulets and the Montagues September 21, 25, 27 and 29, 2013 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Based on Renaissance legend (rather than Shakespeare's play), a longstanding political feud drives the drama in Bellini's opera, adding a fascinating layer to this Bel Canto masterpiece. Bel Canto, which means beautiful singing in Italian, is a classic form of opera which is rarely performed. The score's vocal fireworks are tempered by elegant and luminously beautiful duets illustrating Bellini's passionate love affair with the human voice. The production will be sung in Italian with English and Italian titles.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler stated, "We have created our own new production of this Bel Canto masterpiece with a cast that brings world class singing to Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kauffman stage." She continued, "And, we place this talent in a theatrical environment which illuminates man's eternal conflicts, leading to war and its consequences on the lives of its everyday citizens. Our Romeo and Juliet deal with the struggle of "Love in a War Zone" - which can happen anywhere and anytime. It happened centuries ago and continues in the present."

Kansas City beloved native and Grammy award-winning superstar Joyce DiDonato, who last appeared with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in 2004 (Cinderella), will make her debut in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, playing the 'trouser role' of Romeo. The 'trouser role' literally means a role in which a female performer puts on a male costume and plays a male character. DiDonato, widely recognized in the opera community as the pre-eminent mezzo-soprano, has performed on stages around the world. Opera News raved of her performance in this role with San Francisco Opera, writing that "DiDonato's voice is a marvel - tender and expressive in Bellini's long-breathed melodies, mercurial in the opera's most intricate passagework - and her ornamentation is focused and flawless." David Littlejohn, cultural critic forThe Wall Street Journal, wrote that "As Romeo, Joyce DiDonato created a new world every time she sang. The basic tone of her voice was pure gold. Her control, nuance and range-shifts were impeccable, from her lowest tenor tones to her highest trills-at every instant she was acting with her voice."

Singing alongside DiDonato is internationally acclaimed soprano Nicole Cabell who will be making her Lyric Opera debut as Giulietta. She recently sang the role at the San Francisco Opera with Joyce Di Donato to great critical acclaim. The Times (London) wrote of Cabell's voice, "It's a voice that wraps itself around you...long, sinuous phrasing, warm tone and a sophistication that touches everything she sings." Along with performances at the Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House, she won the 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

The pair was lauded for their beautiful duets, which many consider some of the most difficult in operatic literature. In Classical Review, Lisa Hirsch said, "Both have the vocal agility, range, and breath control to make Bellini's long lines and florid outbursts sound easy to sing."

Joining DiDonato and Cabell and making his debut with Lyric Opera of Kansas City is tenor William Burden , whose voice has been described as, "honest, expressive and clear" by The New York Times. Burden, who has garnered an outstanding reputation in a wide- ranging repertoire through Europe and North America, has sung at acclaimed opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. In concert, Burden has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and with Les Arts Florissants at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. In addition, Stephen Morscheck will sing the role of Capellio and Julien Robbins will sing the role of Lorenzo.

Kevin Newbury will direct this evocative opera. The New York Times raved of one of Newbury's productions writing that it was "...directed with imagination and emotional nuance..." This will be Newbury's Lyric Opera company debut, as well as his debut with this opera. Newbury has directed at major opera houses including San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Santa Fe Opera and will direct upcoming performances at Lyric Opera Chicago and Canadian Opera Company.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City is proud to debut an all-new production of The Capulets and the Montagues, with sets and costumes designed byVictoria (Vita) Tzykun. Tzykun has worked as a production designer on several operas, many of which were praised for their originality. Tzykun worked in close collaboration with acclaimed director Kevin Newbury to design a production which allows the audience to reflect on the personal nature of conflict between the two families as well as the high cost of war. Tzykun has worked in a variety of arts forms: operas, ballets, film, commercials, and television including art direction for Lady Gaga's television special, "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving." She has designed for opera companies such as Boston Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Dallas Opera and the Kennedy Center.

The production will be conducted by Lyric Opera of Kansas City Artistic Director Ward Holmquist.

Holmquist stated "This Company premiere is a brilliant ensemble of talent, the likes of which Kansas City audiences rarely get an opportunity to see locally." He continued, "This rarely seen opera with luscious and achingly beautiful vocal lines is an absolute joy to conduct."

Ticket availability varies by performance. To purchase tickets, call Ticketing & Patron Services (816) 471-7344 or 1-800-OPERAKC (673-7252). Patrons can select their own seat and print their tickets at home by visiting www.kcopera.org. Limited student rush tickets are available for $15, cash only, one hour before the performances, with a valid student ID.

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