Angels Vocal Art Presents IL TRITTICO lL TABARRO, SUOR ANGELICA, and GIANNI SCHICCHI

July 5-6 and 26-27, Angels Vocal Art (AVA) will present Puccini's three-part opera Il Trittico: Gianni Schicchi on July 5-6, Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica on July 26-27. Il Trittico is cast from the Emerging Professional and Studio Artist Programs from the 2019 Angels Vocal Art Opera Intensive.

Opera Potpourri supports AVA programming with two spectacular evenings of beloved scenes, featuring ensembles from Mozart to modern-day composers.

AVA Artistic Director Kristof Van Grysperre conducts, with staging by acclaimed director Mark LaManna.

Il Trittico is a trilogy of one-act operas that represent the classic dramatic archetypes: the tragic, the lyric, and the comic. Puccini chose from three contrasting social dimensions of his time: the Parisian proletariat in 1900, the aristocracy of the 17th century, and the world of small landowners in Florence in 1299. "Trittico," a word of Greek origin, was used originally to describe a painting or a sculpture divided into three parts. The term was used later in other forms of art as a synonym for trilogy.

The first of the three, Il Tabarro (The Cloak), is a brooding Grand Guignol drama based on Didier Gold's play La Houppelande. Considered one of Puccini's darkest operas, it is a classic tale of jealousy, betrayal, and murder set on the river Seine in Paris.

The sentimental Suor Angelica was Puccini's favorite of the operas of the Trittico, with its emphasis on gentle lyricism over dramatic thrust. This tale of guilt and redemption centers on a young woman who bears a child out of wedlock and is sent to a convent to repent for her sins.

Inspired by the commedia dell'arte theatrical tradition, Gianni Schicchi is Puccini's only comic opera and features the well-known soprano aria "O mio babbino caro." The story of the opera is derived from a passage in the 30th canto of Dante's Inferno. After a man leaves his entire fortune to a monastery, his greedy family seeks the help of Gianni Schicchi to remedy the situation.

These three works are often presented separately; simultaneously rendering each opera's uniqueness while staying true to the unity of the entire work as Puccini intended is considered a daunting task. But while each opera stands alone, the three come together to create a sense of a complete event, rich in contrasting textures and musical forms.

Angels Vocal Art is an annual six-week summer opera training program, housed at Cal State Los Angeles, that attracts students both nationally and internationally. Students receive training from conductor Kristof Van Grysperre and AVA's world-class faculty.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kristof Van Grysperre, Angels Vocal Art gives young artists the opportunity to perform with seasoned professionals and helps emerging professional singers realize their dream of becoming opera singers. "Angels Vocal Art is committed to nurturing emerging young talent and giving them the opportunity to perform in fully staged opera productions with a professional orchestra. We strive to promote the art form among the general public, and to broaden the definition of opera by staging modern productions of the finest quality," says Van Grysperre. The 2018 season included a fully-staged production of Candide, a song recital program featuring the songs of Bernstein entitled Carried Away, and Opera Potpourri, a selection of opera's most popular scenes. Previous Angels Vocal Art productions include Adam Gorb's ANYA17 and Verdi's La Traviata.

Angels Vocal Art was founded by Anna & Melvin Lin in 2006 to invite legendary tenor Carlo Bergonzi to Pasadena, CA for a series of master classes. In the following years, the master classes were extended internationally to China and vocal competitions in honor of Bergonzi were organized in over 30 major Chinese cities.

Angels Vocal Art's mission is to commemorate and celebrate the life of Bergonzi and to continue his teaching passion by offering education and performance opportunities of the highest caliber to young talented singers.

Tickets range from $29 to $69 and can be purchased online at http://angelsvocalart.org/tickets/. Student Rush tickets for $15 will be available, space permitting.

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