Tenor Anthony Kearns to Reprise Lead Role in Charles Gounod's Faust at Opera Naples, 2/24

Tenor Anthony Kearns takes the title role in Opera Naples [FL]'s production of Charles Gounod's, Faust – tonight, Friday, Feb. 24 – at 7:30 p.m. This is Mr. Kearns third appearance with Opera Naples, where he previously performed, with much acclaim, as "Romeo" in Romeo and Juliet: Then and Now and as "Edgardo Di Ravenswood" in Lucia di Lammermoor.

Charles Gounod' masterpiece, Faust, premiered in Paris in 1959. It is a story about love, eternal youth, and redemption. It will premier at Opera Naples on Friday, February, 24, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and hold an encore performance on Sunday, February 25, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts Hall of Gulf Coast High School. The Opera will be performed in French with English translations. For tickets: http://operanaples.tix.com/

"Faust is a powerful opera  – with high soaring notes of love and romance, but there's also a dark side that takes the audience on an emotional journey," said Kearns.  Kearns previously performed the role of "Faust" with Opera Ireland -- nominated for best production by the Irish Times Theater Awards in 2006.

The production will be conducted by Maestro Paul Nadler, who has led over 60 performances with the Metropolitan Opera, conducting stars such as Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. In addition to Kearns, it will feature top performers including: Lina Tetriani as "Marguerite," Gary Simpson as "Mephistopheles," Luis Ledesma as "Valentin," Misty Bermudez as "Siebel,"Evan Thomas Jones as "Wagner," and Melissa Vitrella as "Marthe."

Kearns' other opera credits include performing as "Alfred" in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss Jr., with the Emerald City Opera; as "Don Ottavio," in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Lismore Music Festival; as "Don Jose" in the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Glasthule Opera Company's 2010 production of Georges Bizet's Carmen; as the lead tenor in the Royal Dublin's Society performance of The Lily of Killarney (part of "The Irish Ring" trilogy); as "Fenton" in Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff (in Montepulciano,Italy), and many others.

Mr. Kearns is also the original founding member of the world-wide sensation, The Irish Tenors, with whom he has 10 CDs. He has performed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world and has collaborated with many of the finest orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the Chicagoland Pops, and the Czech National Orchestra.