Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Rossini's CINDERELLA to be Presented as Part of Kentucky Opera's 70th Anniversary Season

Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven performs the role of Angelina, as Cinderella is known in the opera, opposite tenor David Walton as the prince, Don Ramiro.

Rossini's CINDERELLA to be Presented as Part of Kentucky Opera's 70th Anniversary Season

Kentucky Opera's 70th Anniversary Season will bubble over with the comedic genius of Rossini's Cinderella at The Brown Theatre this February. One of the oldest fairy tales, with many variations, Cinderella will be performed Friday, February 24 at 8pm and Sunday, February 26 at 2pm. Single tickets for Cinderella are available now, with discounts for students and groups, and additional financial assistance for patrons, by visiting KYOpera.org or by calling 502.584.4500.

Cinderella is the rags to riches story that shows once again that love conquers all, but the road to happily ever after is fraught with chaos and hijinks. While there's no glass slipper or pumpkin carriage in this version, Cinderella defies her evil stepfather and mean-girl stepsisters to win the heart of her Prince Charming. Quirky 18th century silhouettes fill the set, designed by Tony Fanning, with costumes by Glenn A. Breed and lighting by Connie Yun, for this retelling of a fairy tale that exceeds child-like fantasy.

Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven performs the role of Angelina, as Cinderella is known in the opera, opposite tenor David Walton as the prince, Don Ramiro. Performing one of his signature roles, Armando Contreras brings the chaos to the stage as Dandini, the valet in disguise. Japanese bass-baritone Hidenori Inoue performs the role of the evil stepfather Don Magnifico. Playing his daughters that audiences will love to hate are Sandford Studio Artists Victoria Okafor and Georgia Jacobson (The Gift of the Magi). The philosopher Alidoro, who makes sure everyone is in the right place at the right time, is performed by Sandford Studio Artist Jason Zacher (La bohème, The Gift of the Magi).

Conductor Joseph Mechavich (La bohème, Carmen) returns to conduct members of the Louisville Orchestra in a fun and frenzied score. Canadian stage director Brenna Corner makes her Kentucky Opera debut with a fresh perspective on Cinderella. "There are so many variations on the Cinderella story, and how it's told. Who the characters are can change the lesson we learn. I'm inspired by the idea of 'the true story' to make this opera of happily ever after one audiences will remember forever," Corner explains. Cinderella features the men of Kentucky Opera's chorus, under the direction of Lisa Hasson.

"Whether you're 9 or 90, you're going to laugh out loud at the comedic physicality of these performers," Kentucky Opera General Director Barbara Lynne Jamison says. "This is going to be a fun and colorful show."

Kentucky Opera's production will be performed over two hours and thirty minutes in two acts with one intermission, and will be sung in Italian with English captions. Families with children are encouraged to consider the length of the performance when deciding to attend. There are student rates available, and per regulations set by Kentucky Performing Arts, lap seating is not permitted.

Performance Details:

Cinderella (La Cenerentola)
Composer: Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by: Jacopo Ferretti
Premiered: January 27, 1817 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, Italy
Last performed by Kentucky Opera 2005

Current Production
February 24 & 26, 2023
The W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre

Conductor: Joesph Mechavich
Director: Brenna Corner
Chorus Master: Lisa Hasson
Music Preparation: Johanna Kvam & David Mamedov

Angelina (Cinderella): Taylor Raven
Don Ramiro (The Prince): David Walton
Dandini (the Prince's valet): Armando Contreras
Don Magnifico (Cinderella's stepfather): Hidenori Inoue
Clorinda: (Cinderella's stepsister): Victoria Okafor
Thisbe (Cinderella's stepsister): Georgia Jacobson
Alidoro (a phiolosopher): Jason Zacher

Set Designer: Tony Fanning
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Costume Designer: Glenn A. Breed
Hair & Makeup Designer: Cass Brake
Properties Coordinator: Kate Winegarden
Production Stage Manager: Peter Nictakis
Assistant Stage Managers: Emily Holter & Kate Winegarden

About Kentucky Opera

Kentucky Opera was founded in 1952 and designated the State Opera of Kentucky in 1982. Kentucky Opera seeks to reach and reflect our entire region through opera, promoting a more empathetic, compassionate, and just community through the power of the arts. Follow Kentucky Opera on Facebook and Instagram. The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Kentucky Opera with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.



The Greek National Opera Pays Tribute To Maria Callas On Her Centennial Anniversary Photo
The Greek National Opera today announced its events honoring Maria Callas, the greatest soprano of the 20th century with a series of tributes curated by the Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera Giorgos Koumendakis, taking place from April to December 2023. 

Catapult Opera to Host Virtual Screening of WHEN ALL I KNEW CHANGED & Q&A With Cel Photo
 Catapult Opera will host a virtual screening of When All I Knew Changed, the company’s new opera from multi-hyphenate performer, Celisse, tonight, Tuesday, March 21st at 8:00PM EST.

Metropolitan Opera Names 20 Semifinalists in 2023 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition Photo
The 20 opera singers who have won regional auditions across the United States, Canada, and Mexico will compete in the semifinal round of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition on Monday, April 17, beginning at 10AM ET.

Cape Town Opera Brings Rossinis STABAT MATER To Paarl Toringkerk Photo
This Easter, on Sunday 8 April 2023, Cape Town Opera brings Rossini's Stabat Mater to the beautiful Toringkerk in Paarl.


More Hot Stories For You


THE ARTWORK OF THE FUTURE World Premiere Opera To Run At Fresh Squeezed Opera, May 13-19THE ARTWORK OF THE FUTURE World Premiere Opera To Run At Fresh Squeezed Opera, May 13-19
February 28, 2023

A new opera by composer Eric Moe and librettist Rob Handel, The Artwork of the Future, will have its world premiere in a production by Fresh Squeezed Opera in five performances at HERE Performing Arts Center in SoHo on May 13, 14, 16, 18, and 19, 2023. The 70-minute work, scored for four singers and instrumental septet, is a lighthearted science-fiction opera that looks at the purpose of art in challenging times through the lens of comedy.

OPERA America Awards Opera Grants For Women Stage Directors And ConductorsOPERA America Awards Opera Grants For Women Stage Directors And Conductors
February 22, 2023

OPERA America has announced the first-round recipients of the 2023 Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors. 

Opera Saratoga Names New General And Artistic Director Mary BirnbaumOpera Saratoga Names New General And Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum
February 13, 2023

Opera Saratoga's board of directors has announced that Mary Birnbaum has been named the company's new general and artistic director. She succeeds former General and Artistic Director Lawrence Edelson, whose eight year tenure concluded at the end of the 2022 season. Birnbaum is the tenth general director in the Opera Saratoga's celebrated history.

OPERA America Awards The 2023 IDEA Opera Residencies To Three New-To-Opera Creators Of ColorOPERA America Awards The 2023 IDEA Opera Residencies To Three New-To-Opera Creators Of Color
February 6, 2023

OPERA America has announced the recipients of the 2023 IDEA Opera Residencies program (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access), an initiative that provides New York City-based composers and librettists of color an opportunity to explore opera as an expressive medium.

Works & Process at The Guggenheim Presents CHAMPION, An Opera By Terence BlanchardWorks & Process at The Guggenheim Presents CHAMPION, An Opera By Terence Blanchard
February 6, 2023

Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents Champion-an opera by Terence Blanchard, with a libretto by Michael Cristofer-featuring performances by members of the cast and a moderated discussion about the work's forthcoming company premiere at the Metropolitan Opera.