Cincinnati Opera's 2022 Summer Festival Concludes With CASTOR AND PATIENCE, AIDA, And MORRIS AND FRIENDS

Cincinnati Opera concludes its 2022 Summer Festival July 21-31 with two powerful opera productions and one star-studded concert event.

First is the world premiere of the touching and topical new opera Castor and Patience (July 21, 23, 24, 28, 30; SCPA's Corbett Theater), with music by Gregory Spears and libretto by Tracy K. Smith, followed by Giuseppe Verdi's epic romance Aida (July 22, 26, 29, 31; Cincinnati Music Hall).

Also featured is Morris and Friends (July 27; Cincinnati Music Hall), an evening of gospel and opera hosted by world-renowned bass Morris Robinson.

World premiere opera!

CASTOR AND PATIENCE

Music by Gregory Spears

Libretto by Tracy K. Smith

Thursday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 23, 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 24, 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 28, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.

SCPA's Corbett Theater, 108 West Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45202

A long overdue family reunion finds two African American cousins at odds over the fate of a historic parcel of land they have inherited in the American South. Castor is eager to sell the land to pay off his crushing debt, but Patience is determined to fight off overzealous investors and preserve her family's legacy. Deeply relevant to ongoing calls for racial justice, Castor and Patience probes historical and continuing obstacles to Black land ownership in the U.S.

With powerful, soaring music by Gregory Spears, composer of our acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and an original libretto by Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith, this timeless and topical premiere explores the meaning of home and the power of memory.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:

Patience ... Talise Trevigne

Castor ... Reginald Smith Jr.

Celeste ... Jennifer Johnson Cano

Wilhelmina ... Victoria Okafor

West ... Benjamin Taylor

Judah ... Frederick Ballentine

Ruthie ... Raven McMillon

Clarissa/Ensemble ... Amber Monroe

Jane/Ensemble ... Zoie Reams

Nestor/Ensemble ... Victor Ryan Robertson

Cato/Ensemble ... Phillip Bullock

Second Man/Ensemble ... Earl Hazell

Composer ... Gregory Spears

Librettist ... Tracy K. Smith

Conductor ... Kazem Abdullah

Stage Director ... Kevin Newbury

Scenic Designer ... Vita Tzykun

Costume Designer ... Jessica Jahn

Image Designer ... Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Projection Designer ... S. Katy Tucker

Lighting Designer ... Thomas C. Hase

Wig and Makeup Designer ... James Geier

Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.

 

AIDA

Music by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni

Friday, July 22, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 31, 3:00 p.m.

Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Experience the grandest of all grand operas in this lavish production that evokes the opulence and splendor of Ancient Egypt. As war rages between enemy nations, a forbidden love burns brightly between Radamès, an Egyptian warrior, and Aida, his captive. But Aida's keeping a secret of her own-she's the daughter of the Ethiopian king and deeply devoted to her people. Will she betray Radamès to save her nation or risk everything to follow her heart?

From its star-crossed lovers to its thunderous "Triumphal March"- featuring more than 100 artists onstage-Aida is the very definition of epic and a passionate romance for the ages.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:

Aida ... Mary Elizabeth Williams

Amneris ... Tichina Vaughn

Radamès ... Gregory Kunde

Amonasro ... Gordon Hawkins

Ramfis ... Morris Robinson

High Priestess ... Jennifer Cherest

King of Egypt ... Peixin Chen

Messenger ... Houston Tyrrell

Conductor ... Christopher Allen

Stage Director ... Crystal Manich

Scenic Designers ... Claude Girard and Bernard Uzan

Costume Designer ... Claude Girard

Lighting Designer ... Thomas C. Hase

Wig and Makeup Designer ... James Geier

Chorus Master ... Henri Venanzi

Choreographer ... Michael Pappalardo

Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, and the Cincinnati Opera Chorus

Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.

MORRIS AND FRIENDS

Wednesday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.

Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

World-renowned bass and Cincinnati Opera Artistic Advisor Morris Robinson hosts and curates a special, one-night-only concert of opera and gospel on the Music Hall stage. Experience the power of some of today's top opera singers and musicians who have gospel music roots and are making their mark across the performing arts world.

FEATURING:

Morris Robinson, bass

with

Jacqueline Echols, soprano

Tichina Vaughn, mezzo-soprano

Lawrence Brownlee, tenor

Will Liverman, baritone

Reginald Smith Jr., baritone

Russell Thomas, tenor

Damien Sneed, piano

Kazem Abdullah, conductor

With the Cincinnati United Choir and HBCU Collective and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.