Opera Star Marisol Montalvo Premieres New Show 'Mad Scene' at Joe's Pub

Internationally renowned opera star Marisol Montalvo will bring her acclaimed show Mad Scene to Joe's Pub for its New York premiere on January 5, 2020. The show was co-written and directed by Jeffery Roberson (aka Varla Jean Merman) and features Grant Wenaus at the piano. For tickets and information, please visit https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/ or call 212 967-7555.

Mad Scene tells the comic and dramatic story of a former beauty queen turned opera singer, Marisol Montalvo, who claws her way to the top of the classical music world with only her raw talent to guide her after flunking out of music school. Relying on blind ambition, she rises from her Puerto Rican roots, to the stages of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, before ending up on an operating table without a voice or a job. Her determined rise back to the top is an inspirational tale to any artist in any medium who has ever questioned the importance of laying the groundwork before beginning a career. Featuring the music of Mozart, Donizetti, Gounod, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe.

Marisol Montalvo made her Carnegie Hall debut with Christoph Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has recently performed the role of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier opposite Renee Fleming with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Other recent engagements include Knoxville: Summer of 1915 at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and performances at the Salzburg Festival in 2018. She has worked with many of today's leading composers, including Matthias Pintscher, Olga Neuwirth, and Wolfgang Rihm, Peter Eötvos, Pascal Dusapin, and Marco Stroppa. Her affinity for contemporary music has led to regular engagements with ensembles including Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Intercontemporain, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Ensemble Remix and Ensemble Modern. She will return to the Salzburg Festival for concerts in the summer of 2019. Marisol is especially associated with the title role of Berg's Lulu. Following her debut in the part at the Opéra National de Paris, Le Monde described her performance as "a true revelation: The American soprano possesses real stage and vocal presence, and executes the exhausting role with incredible intensity." She has since performed the role at premier houses including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Teatro de la Maestranza, Theater an der Wien, Komische Oper Berlin, and at Theater Basel.

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