Virginia Opera: La Traviata at Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Featuring one of the most demanding, sumptuous, and recognizable scores of all time, Virginia Opera concludes its season with Giuseppe Verdi’s tour de force La Traviata. Set amidst the pleasure-loving and decadent French aristocracy of the 19th century, Verdi’s three-act tragic and romantic opera follows a sophisticated courtesan, Violetta, who falls in love with a man she cannot have, Alfredo Germont. With spectacular party scenes; poignant, intimate moments; gripping emotion; and the gorgeous soprano aria “Sempre Libera,” La Traviata will hold you spellbound from the first to last note. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

This remounting of the production from the 2014-2015 Season will be conducted by Artistic Director Adam Turner with direction by Tara Faircloth, praised in Opera News for her work’s “unstoppable momentum. . . .entertaining the amateur and the opera aficionado alike.” Hailed by The New York Times for her “warm, ample voice,” “ravishing performance,” and “distinctive earthy coloring,” soprano Brandie Sutton appears as the heroine Violetta in her Virginia Opera mainstage debut. Also making his mainstage debut, tenor Won Whi Choi is featured as Alfredo, a role he triumphantly performed in his Metropolitan Opera debut. Grant Youngblood reprises the iconic role of Germont, having been last seen on our stages in the same role (La Traviata, 2005). Several of Virginia Opera’s Emerging Artists perform in the production, including the mainstage debut appearance of tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica as Gastone.