Ridgefield Playhouse to Screen the Met's L'ELISIR D'AMORE

Be there when Pretty Yende debuts a new role at the Met with her first Adina opposite Matthew Polenzani, in a live simulcast of The Metropolitan Opera performance of L'Elisir D'Amore on the big screen in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, February 10 at 12pm. Domingo Hindoyan conducts one of the most popular operatic comedies for almost two centuries! This production is directed by Bartlett Sher and is part of Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings Live in HD & Classical Series with support from The Ridgefield Press & Whistle Stop Bakery and underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Lori & John Berisford, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin.

The story of L'Elisir D'Amore deftly combines comic archetypes with a degree of genuine character development rare in works of this type. Its ending is as much a foregone conclusion as it would be in a romantic comedy film today-the joy is in the journey, and Donizetti created one of his most instantly appealing scores for this ride. South African soprano Pretty Yende has risen to the top of the opera world with unparalleled speed. Born in 1985 in the small remote town of Piet Retief, about three hundred miles from Johannesburg, Yende was initially introduced to singing in a manner familiar to many South Africans - in her church choir. She studied at the South African College of Music in Cape Town with Professor Virginia Davids, the first black woman to appear on opera stages during the apartheid years in South Africa, and at La Scala in Milan, where she made her stage debut in 2010. In the same year she won first prizes at the Leyla Gencer Voice Competition and Concours International de Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini. American tenor Matthew Polenzani is one of the most gifted and distinguished lyric tenors of his generation. His elegant musicianship, innate sense of style, dramatic commitment, and timeless artistry have established his continued presence at leading operatic, concert, and recital venues worldwide. Opera News glows when describing Polenzani. "Few singers today command the sheer beauty of timbre and dynamic control of Matthew Polenzani...almost impossibly beautiful pianissimo." and The New York Times states "Mr. Polenzani has it all, refinement, sweep, passion and power." The Metropolitan Opera is a vibrant home for the most creative and talented singers, conductors, composers, musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists, choreographers, and dancers from around the world.

The Ridgefield Playhouse offers free tickets to The Met Opera in HD series to students 18 and younger as a way for parents to introduce their children to the arts. FREE tickets are also available to students 18 and younger for Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossings Live in HD screenings of The Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre of London.

For tickets ($25), Members and Seniors ($20), Students ($15) or FREE for students 18 and under call or visit the box office, 203-438-5795 or go online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

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