Berkshire Opera Festival Announces Third Season, ft. Verdi's Rigoletto

Berkshire Opera Festival (BOF) is proud to present Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece, Rigoletto for its third season, with performances August 25, 28, and 31 at the historic Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. The production is conducted by Artistic Director Brian Garman and directed by General Director Jonathon Loy. As with the first and second seasons, there will also be accompanying recitals and outreach events around the local Berkshire community.

A timeless story of love, betrayal, and vengeance, Rigoletto tells the story of the young Gilda suffering at the hands of self-entitled and abusive men - a theme never more relevant than in our present day. The production follows BOF's acclaimed first two seasons, which featured Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.

Starring in the title role is Romanian baritone Sebastian Catana who is highly in demand in this country and abroad for his interpretations of the great Verdi baritone roles. Soprano Maria Valdes sings the role of Gilda, Rigoletto's beautiful but naïve daughter. The wily and power-hungry Duke of Mantua is sung by Jonathan Tetelman. Bass-Baritone Joseph Barron portrays the opportunistic assassin, Sparafucile, and Maya Lahyani sings the role of his sister, Maddalena. John Cheek will be singing the pivotal role of Count Monterone, and Joshua Sanders and Nicholas Martorano will sing Borsa Matteo and Marullo respectively. All performances will feature the Berkshire Opera Festival Orchestra and Berkshire Opera Festival Chorus.

Rigoletto will be sung in Italian with projected English translations. Tickets are priced from $20 to $99. All tickets will go on sale January 15, 2018. For more information, please visit www.berkshireoperafestival.org.

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