Nashville Opera Presents Andrea Chenier 10/7, 10/9

Nashville Opera presents the first production of its 30th Anniversary Season, Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier. Directed by John Hoomes and featuring a new set by renowned designer Kris Stone, the production includes the Nashville Symphony conducted by Maestro Jerome Shannon. The international cast of principal opera singers includes tenor Roy Cornelius Smith in the title role, soprano Lori Phillips as Maddalena di Coigny; baritone Luis Ledesma as Carlo Gérard, tenor Jeffrey Halili as L'Incredible/L'Abate; baritone Eric Dubin as Roucher/Fléville, mezzo-soprano Dawn Pierce as Bersi/Madelon; bass Matthew Treviño as Mathieu/Schmidt, and Belmont University faculty member, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Coleman as Countess di Coigny. Amy Tate Williams, Chorusmaster/Accompanist, leads the Nashville Opera Ensemble. Tickets range in price from $19 to $95, and the company also offers its unique Pay-What-You-Can option which carry a suggested minimum donation of $5 per seat.

Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier - Thursday, October 7 at 7 pm and Saturday, October 9 at 8 pm. Andrew Jackson Hall at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center - 505 Deaderick Street. Tickets are available by calling Nashville Opera at (615) 832-5242, TPAC Box Office (615) 782-4040, or online at www.nashvilleopera.org. The opera is sung in Italian with projectEd English translations. Patrons are invited to attend the free Opera Insights discussion led by John Hoomes one hour prior to curtain in the theatre. More information about the opera and a formal study guide are available at www.nashvilleopera.org.

Set against the roiling backdrop of the French Revolution, Giordano's sweeping love story of an opera was even more popular than
La bohéme at its premiere. The work spins a fictitious story about a very real poet, André de Chénier, and his dangerous ideas. Poignant vignettes paint the heartrending story of the revolutionary and his dear Maddalena, whose tender hopes for a better world are extinguished at the guillotine.

About Nashville Opera
Nashville Opera, Tennessee's largest professional opera company, is dedicated to creating legendary productions and programs. Among the most successful regional companies in the United States of America, Nashville Opera has presented three different world premiere operas since its inception in 1981. Main stage performances are presented at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and play to over 17,000 people annually. Nashville Opera's extensive education and outreach touring program reaches over 30,000 students throughout Middle Tennessee. These projects are supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.