Opera Columbus Debuts Collaboration With Juilliard School, MISSION: SERAGLIO, 1/25-29

Opera Columbus puts a bold, new twist on Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio in its own original, James Bond-themed spectacular,Mission: Seraglio. With action as bold as Bond, music as magnificent as Mozart, and wit as dry as the best martini, Mission: Seraglio will be the first production under the umbrella of Opera Columbus' new artistic collaboration with The Juilliard School. As such, Juilliard artist Myles Mykkanen will perform the role of suave and sophisticated secret agent Belmonte who accepts a mission of exotic espionage to rescue his true love and fellow agent Constanze from the villainous Pasha Selim. Backed by agents Pedrillo and Blonde, Belmonte battles to outwit the vindictive vizier, win back his sweetheart, and save the world. Will they survive or be left to die another day?

Opera Columbus presents Mission: Seraglio at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.). There will be a preview performance on Wednesday, January 25, at 1 pm with additional performances on Friday, January 27, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, January 29, at 2 pm. Sung in German with English dialogue and English surtitles, this production is in partnership with The Ohio State University School of Music and accompanied by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets are $25-$88 (preview tickets are $10-30) at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, andwww.ticketmaster.com. To purchase by phone, call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. Young people aged 13-25 may purchase $5 All Access tickets while available. For more information, visit www.GoFor5.com.

About Opera Columbus' Artistic Collaboration with The Juilliard School

In 2015, Opera Columbus' entered into an artistic collaboration with The Juilliard School's Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and its Artist Diploma in Opera Studies (ADOS) program. The ADOS program is an intensive, two-year curriculum of advanced opera studies for highly gifted and experienced singers at the post-master's level, selected through a comprehensive audition process. As part of the new collaboration, Opera Columbus Artistic Director Peggy Kriha Dye, herself a graduate of Juilliard, observes the artists' development as they work through the ADOS program. Dye and Juilliard's Director of Opera Studies Stephen Wadsworth collaborate to determine what roles best suit each artist and what operas best suit upcoming Opera Columbus seasons. Selected ADOS artists are then contracted by Opera Columbus to perform in an upcoming, main stage production beginning with the 2016-17 season.

About ADOS Artist Myles Mykkanen (Belmonte)

Tenor Miles Mykkanen has garnered recognition on the world's concert and operatic stages for his "focused, full-voiced tenor" (The New York Times). Of his performances in Eugene Onegin at The Juilliard School, Opera News wrote, "Mykkanen was a knockout as Lensky. The lyric intensity of his singing made each moment count, and the duel-scene aria was a stretch of sheer vocAl Gold." The Sullivan Foundation recently named Mykkanen as winner of the 2016 Sullivan Foundation Award. He has also received prizes from The Gerda Lissner Foundation's 2016 Song Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions, where he will advance to the Regional Competition in February 2017. Currently in Juilliard's esteemed ADOS program, Mykkanen also earned his bachelor's and master's degree there. He was a 2009 youngARTS Gold Winner in Voice, and Juilliard has distinguished him as a winner of the 2016 Juilliard Honors Recital, as a Toulmin Foundation Scholar, and with the Joseph W. Polisi Award for exemplifying the school's values of the "artist as citizen."

www.MylesMykkanenTenor.com

Directed by Michael Cavanagh and conducted by Jason Hiester, additional roles will be performed by Carla Huhtanen (Constanze), John Shuffle (Osmin), Chris Bozeka (Pedrillo), Ashly Neumann (Blonde), and David R. Bahgat (Pasha Selim).

(Photo Credit: Jennifer Toole)

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