Madison Opera Will Perform COSÌ FAN TUTTE This April
Performances scheduled for April 24 and 26 at 335 W. Mifflin St., Madison, WI
Two sisters, two suitors, and a drunken wager about the nature of fidelity – what could possibly go wrong? Madison Opera concludes its 2025/26 mainstage season with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte, the company's first production of this romantic comedy in seventeen years. Performances are on April 24 at 7:30pm and April 26 at 2:30pm in Overture Hall.
Set in 18th century Naples, Così fan tutte is a romantic comedy that begins when the cynical Don Alfonso bets his friends Ferrando and Guglielmo that he can prove their fiancées, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will be unfaithful to them. The two men take the bet, and various schemes and disguises are put into action, as each man attempts to woo the other's fiancée. Flirtations in the moonlight ensue, and each individual finds themselves drawn to a new partner, with emotions ending in a tangle when all is revealed.
The third and final collaboration between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, Così fan tutte premiered in 1790 in Vienna. As with the two men's previous operas, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, the piece is full of humor and humanity, with genuinely comic situations meeting real emotions. Mozart's score is sublime, full of showpiece arias, playful duets, sparkling ensembles, and one of the most beautiful trios in all opera.
“Così fan tutte is a truly delightful opera,” says Kathryn Smith, Madison Opera's General Director. “I think of it as the most youthful of Mozart's operas, in many ways. Its premise – that young people in love do foolish things – is the premise of every romantic comedy since the dawn of time, and Mozart's gorgeous score heightens the humor, the drama, and the real consequences of it all. It's the perfect piece for springtime and will be a pleasure to share with our audiences for the first time in many years.”
Madison Opera's cast of youthful singers features both debuts and returning artists. Making their Madison Opera debuts as sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella are Sarah Tucker and Sun-Ly Pierce. Returning as the sisters' suitors, Ferrando and Guglielmo, are Martin Luther Clark (Candide in Candide) and Laureano Quant (El Payador in María de Buenos Aires). Emily Treigle (Opera in the Park 2025) returns as Despina, the sisters' maid. Andrew Wilkowske (Senator Potter in Fellow Travelers) sings Don Alfonso, the cynical friend of Ferrando and Guglielmo who sets the entire plot in motion.
Haley Stamats directs this traditional production in her Madison Opera debut. Emily Senturia, also making her debut with the company, conducts the production, complete with the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra.
The opera will be sung in Italian, with projected English translations.
Related event details as well as cast and production information are enclosed. To request photos, schedule artist interviews, or for more information, please contact Marketing Manager Julia Simpson at simpson@madisonopera.org or 608.238.8085.
Madison Opera's production of Così fan tutte is generously sponsored by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, Kay & Martin Barrett, Martha & Charles Casey, Chun Lin, Patricia & Stephen Lucas, Kato & David Perlman, Hurley Burish, S.C., Thompson Investment Management Inc., David Flanders & Susan Ecroyd, Sally & Mike Miley, Amy & Jerry Nickles, The Ann Stanke Fund, and Wisconsin Arts Board.
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