dell'Arte Opera Ensemble Announces August 2016 Season: 'Violetta & Her Sisters'

dell'Arte Opera Ensemble presents the company's August 2016 Season - Violetta & her Sisters - featuring Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, Jules Massenet's Manon, a semi-staged Scenes from the demi-monde, featuring excerpts from Puccini's La Rondine and Leoncavallo's La bohème, and a recital featuring the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, with settings by Debussy, Fauré, Duparc, Vierne, d'Indy, Loeffler and others.

Violetta & her Sisters will be performed in The Rose Nagelberg Theater at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, with 14 performances from August 13-28, 2016. La traviata will be performed on August 13-14, 25, and 27 at 7:30pm, and August 20-21 at 2pm; Manon on August 20, 22, 24, 26 at 7:30pm and August 28 at 2pm; Scenes from the demi-monde on August 19 and 23 at 7:30pm and a very special recital Chansons de Baudelaire August 27 at 2pm.

"This season promises to be our very finest, as we institute a new Opera Leaders Mentorship Program, through which our young stage directors, stage managers, designers, conductors, and pianists will receive expert guidance 'on the job,'" said Chris Fecteau, artistic director of dell'Arte Opera Ensemble. "Our vocal artists will enjoy a larger orchestra and more generous coaching allotments than in previous years. We know our audiences will feel the difference."

Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata (libretto by Francesco Maria Paive)will be conducted by Desiree Alejandro and directed by John Spencer IV featuring Bonnie Frauenthal, Margaret Newcomb, Jeremy Brauner, Jose Heredia, Jeremiah Johnson, Paul Khoury, Magda Gartner, Hillary Grobe, Natasha Nelson, Ileana Santamaria, Ting Li, Chris Lilley, Nobuki Momma, Timothy Owen Di Fiore, Kofi Hayford, Nick Webb, and Brian McQueen; Jules Massenet's Manon (libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille) will be conducted by Chris Fecteau and directed by Victoria Crutchfield, featuring Olivia Betzen, Victor Starsky, Stan Lacy, Nick Webb, Ting Li, Nobuki Momma, Kristina Malinauskaite, Perri Sussman, Magda Gartner, and Kofi Hayford; Scenes from the demi-monde will be directed by Joule Voelz and conducted by David Stech. Scenic design for the season by Courtney Nelson, costume design by Carly Bradt (Traviata) and Nina Bova (Manon), and lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins.

The gap between academic training and a flourishing career is wide, and few singers can bridge it without the kind of assistance that dell'Arte Opera Ensemble has been providing in New York City at no cost to singers for the past twelve years. The company's dual mission is to nurture emerging opera artists through rehearsal and performance opportunities, seminars, and master classes, and to attract new audiences by offering them high-quality opera presentations featuring exciting young artists at little-or no-cost. Our emphasis is on 'learning by doing,' backed by the philosophy that only superior craft creates great art. dell'Arte is committed to the essential building blocks of opera: great singing, great music, and great acting. Singers working with dell'Arte range from those who have just exited school to those pursuing regional careers and even to those performing on the roster of The Metropolitan Opera. Participating singers attend master classes, receive private coaching, enjoy the support of enthusiastic and talented colleagues, and collaborate with professional instrumentalists, culminating in a highly enriching performance experience. Audiences enjoy the fresh excitement of experiencing role debuts and witnessing important landmarks in each singer's artistic process. For more, go to www.dellarteopera.org.

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