Chris Trakas To Sing Title Role In BENJAMIN BUTTON at Symphony Space 6/15

Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO), a celebrated arts organization dedicated to the creation and performance of contemporary American opera, closes its 27th season with a groundbreaking world premiere presentation of John Eaton's opera The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on June 15, 2010 at Symphony Space. The opera opens the annual American Composers Alliance Festival.

Following his success with the hilarious stage opera Pumped Fiction (2007), MacArthur Genius Grant recipient John Eaton brings F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved tale The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to operatic life on the stage of the Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space. Baritone Chris Trakas sings the title role, alongside soprano Linda Larson, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Roderer, tenor Tony Boutté and Bass-Baritone Dominic Inferrera. Karl Kramer conducts the Pocket Opera Players in this fully staged presentation directed by Marco Capalbo. John Eaton's Pocket Opera Series features a unique use of the performers - The Players of the musical instruments also participate in the acting out of the drama, in a sort of gesamtkunstwerk, or all-embracing art form.

"It was that dramatic line that attracted me to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the first place," says Mr. Eaton. "The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, always remembered to keep the surface level of his writing engaging and amusing. The story of Benjamin Button is full of surprises, hilarious incidents, and completely ironic situations that keep you on the edge of your seat. So often in theater experiences, and especially in opera, you find yourself wondering if the author really asked himself if anything was happening on the stage - to paraphrase the composer-critic Virgil Thomson. The first scene of my opera is taken almost verbatim from the Fitzgerald story. There is so much movement and excitement in this production, almost all taken directly from the original story."

WHEN: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:00 PM

WHERE: The Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space | 2537 Broadway at 95th St, NYC

PROGRAM: John Eaton: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2010) *World Premiere*

TICKETS: Individual $30; Members, Students, Seniors $20; Day of Show $32; to purchase, contact the Symphony Space Box Office at 212.864.5400 or visit www.symphonyspace.org.

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