Austin Shakespeare to Present World Premiere Workshop of New Opera VERDICT OF LOVE

Austin Shakespeare will present the world premiere workshop of Verdict of Love, a new opera drawn from Nathaniel Hawthorne's final novel, The Marble Faun, September 11-12 at Austin Opera's Butler Performance Space.

The new work features a score by Jeff Britting and a libretto by Austin Shakespeare Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella.

Set against a heightened, Romantic vision of Belle Époque Rome, Verdict of Love follows three young American artists who are drawn into the orbit of a spirited young Italian whose charm recalls the ancient sculpture of a faun. As the group travels through Rome and the surrounding countryside, a mysterious figure from the past shadows them, culminating in a murder that changes their lives.

The workshop will unfold in two parts. Part One will be sung-through with piano accompaniment, while Part Two will be presented as a staged reading featuring actor Y.A. Oza. The production will feature costumes by Aaron Kubacak and projections by Lowell Bartholomee.

The cast includes Yuxin Liu, soprano; Paige Patrick, mezzo-soprano; Lucas Hickman, tenor; Zhanqi Wang, bass; and Piye Qin, baritone. Vakhtang Zaalishvili will serve as music director and pianist.

Britting previously composed words and music for Ayn Rand's Anthem, which was presented Off-Broadway in 2013 in a production staged under the auspices of Austin Shakespeare.