Florida Grand Opera Presents EUGENE ONEGIN, Today

From January 28 through February 4, 2017, Florida Grand Opera presents, Tchaikovsky's best loved opera, Eugene Onegin, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. This run is followed by performances on February 9 and 11 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Au-Rene Theater in Fort Lauderdale.

This production marks the first time Eugene Onegin has been staged at Florida Grand Opera in seventeen (17) years.

Tchaikovsky's brooding romantic drama, based on the famous novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin, had its premiere in 1879. It has become the most popular of all Russian opera - a genuine romantic classic. It tells the story of Tatyana, a shy, bookish young Russian girl who falls in love with the self-absorbed and aloof Eugene Onegin. When he tells her he is unable to return her love, he sets off a shocking chain of events that leads him to kill his best friend, the poet Lensky, in a duel. Years later, Onegin and Tatyana meet again, in one of the most haunting and painful final scenes in all of opera.

Onegin has been portrayed by many of the world's most exciting baritones, including Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Thomas Hampson, Thomas Allen, and Mariusz Kwiecien. The role of Tatyana has been memorably played by a distinguished list of sopranos, including Galina Vishnevskaya, Mirella Freni, Karita Mattila, and Renée Fleming. Its music is intensely romantic and melancholy, with Tatyana's impassioned Letter Scene in Act One and Lensky's anguished aria in Act Two being the most famous highlights.

"We are honored to present the greatest of all romantic Russian operas, Eugene Onegin, for the South Florida community," said Susan T. Danis, General Director and CEO of FGO. "We are thrilled by the caliber of our cast: from Franco Pomponi to Dina Kuznetsova and Lyubov Petrova to Denyce Graves. Guided by our Maestro, Alexander Polianichko and our stage director, Jeffrey Marc Buchman, Florida Grand Opera has created a beautiful Onegin that is not to be missed."

All the casting and performance dates are listed below.

PLOT SUMMARY | Eugene Onegin

The landowner Madame Larina has two daughters: the quiet, introspective Tatyana and the outgoing Olga. When Tatyana meets Eugene Onegin, she falls in love with him and confesses her feelings in a letter to him. When Onegin rejects her, Tatyana is devastated. At a ball, Onegin flirts with Olga, provoking the jealous rage of his best friend, the poet Lensky, who challenges Onegin to a duel. Onegin fatally wounds Lensky, and spends the rest of his life in torment, trying to overcome his reckless past.

Florida Grand Opera has assembled an impeccable cast, shared by two world-class Russian sopranos. Dina Kuznetsova, who has triumphed at leading international theaters, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House in London, Berlin Staatsoper, Vienna Staatsoper and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Of equal distinction, Lyubov Petrova is well known in the United States for her successful appearances at the Met, Glimmerglass Opera, and Washington National Opera.

The role of Onegin is shared by Franco Pomponi, whose resume includes leading roles at Paris's Théâtre du Chatelet, the Teatro Real de Madrid, and the Metropolitan Opera; and John Brancy, praised by Opera News as "an ideal Papageno," who recently made his debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos. The tragic, impulsive Lensky is portrayed by both Chad Johnson, whose repertoire ranges from Kevin Puts's Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night (Michigan Opera Theatre, Fort Worth Opera) to Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Boston Lyric Opera) and by Uruguayan tenor Martin Nusspaumer, a former member of Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Program.

In the key role of Filipievna, Tatyana's devoted nurse, Florida Grand Opera has cast the acclaimed star mezzo Denyce Graves, one of the most famous Carmens of her generation. Graves appears on January 28, 31 and February 4 and 9; Melissa Fajardo assumes the role on January 29, February 2 and 11.

Adding a welcome dose of authenticity to FGO's production is conductor Alexander Polianichko, invited by Valery Gergiev in 1989 to join the conducting roster of the Marjinsky (Kirov) Theater. Polianichko made his London debut conducting Eugene Onegin in 1994 at English National Opera, and has also led productions of other noted Tchaikovsky works, including Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades and The Tsarina's Slippers, both at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Eugene Onegin's stage director is Jeffrey Marc Buchman, hailed by Opera News as "a formidable talent" and known to Florida Grand Opera audiences for conducting productions of The Magic Flute and Andy Vores's No Exit.

SCHEDULE | Eugene Onegin

Sung in Russian with projected titles in English and Spanish

MIAMI ♦ Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Ziff Ballet Opera House
Saturday, January 28, 2017 7pm
Sunday, January 29, 2017 2pm
Tuesday, January 31, 2017 8pm
Friday, February 3, 2017 8pm
Saturday, February 4, 2017 8pm

FORT LAUDERDALE ♦ Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Au-Rene Theater
Thursday, February 9, 2017 7:30pm
Saturday, February 11, 2017 7:30pm

CAST | Eugene Onegin

Tatyana	.........................................................................	Dina Kuznetsova ♦
		Jan 28, 31, Feb 4, 9
	.........................................................................	Lyubov Petrova ♦
		Jan 29, Feb 3, 11
Eugene Onegin	.........................................................................	Franco Pomponi
		Jan 28, 31, Feb 4, 9
	.........................................................................	John Brancy ♦
		Jan 29, Feb 3, 11
Lensky	.........................................................................	Chad Johnson ♦
		Jan 28, 31, Feb 4, 9
	.........................................................................	Martin Nusspaumer ♦
		Jan 29, Feb 3, 11
Olga	.........................................................................	Courtney Miller
Prince Gremin	.........................................................................	Alex Soare
Madame Larina	.........................................................................	Robynne Redmon
Filipievna	.........................................................................	Denyce Graves
		Jan 28, 31, Feb 4, 9
	.........................................................................	Melissa Fajardo ♦
		Jan 29, Feb 3, 11
Monsieur Triquet	.........................................................................	Dominick Corbacio
Zaretsky	.........................................................................	Calvin Griffin ♦
A Captain	.........................................................................	Benjamin C. Taylor
Conductor	.........................................................................	Alexander Polianichko ♦
Director	.........................................................................	Jeffrey Marc Buchman
	♦ = FGO Debut

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ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season in 2016-17. The mainstage operas of the season include: Georges Bizet's Carmen, November 12-December 3, 2016; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, January 28-February 11, 2017; Jorge Martín's Before Night Falls, March 18-25, 2017; and Giuseppe Verdi's A Masked Ball (Un Ballo in Maschera), April 29-May 13, 2017.

FGO is currently accepting subscription renewals, new subscriptions, and single ticket purchases online or at FGO's offices. FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Center on 8390 NW 25 Street, Miami Fl 33122, and is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Season tickets may also be purchased by phone at (800) 740-1010. For more information on supporting our work through donation, or to make a pledge, please contact Individual Advancement Officer Carlton Ford at (305) 403-3320 or cford@fgo.org.

Founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and later merging with The Opera Guild, Inc. in 1994, FGO presents a mixture of standard repertoire and contemporary works as well as commissions and new productions - all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. FGO is recognized for funding by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding is also provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Program support is provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program and the Cultural Arts Council. Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and a member company of OPERA America. Interncontinental Miami is the Official Hotel and Steinway & Sons is the Official Piano of Florida Grand Opera.