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Florida Grand Opera Season opens with a new production of Verdi’s La traviata November 15, 2008
Debuts include Latina sopranos Eglise Gutiérrez & Ailyn Pérez, celebrated tenors Stephen Costello & Leonardo Capalbo
October 14, 2008 - Miami, FL – Florida Grand Opera (FGO) will open its 68th season of grand opera on November 15, 2008 with a new production of Verdi’s La traviata, directed by Bliss Hebert with sets and costumes designed by Allen Charles Klein, whose production of Verdi’s Aïda opened FGO’s inaugural season at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in October 2006.
La traviata, based on the Alexandre Dumas play La dame aux camellias, tells the story of Violetta Valéry, a courtesan who finds true love and is then forced to make a terrible sacrifice by an unforgiving society. Alternating in the role of Violetta Valéry are sopranos Eglise Gutiérrez and Ailyn Pérez. Opera News recently reviewed her performance of Violetta Valéry for Cincinnati Opera’s production of La traviata in July, 2008, saying, “It was impossible to believe these were Gutiérrez’s first Violettas: hers was a radiantly assured interpretation that many a more seasoned soprano would envy.”
Ms. Gutiérrez is a rising star of the international opera world only four years after making her professional debut as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in Bogotá, Colombia. Last season she sang Amina in La sonnambula at Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York, made her Seattle Opera debut as Elvira in I puritani, her Baltimore Symphony debut in Handel’s Messiah, returned to Michigan Opera Theatre as Amina in La sonnambula, and made her debut at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City as Lucia.
Previous engagements include Gilda in Rigoletto for the Teatro Verdi di Trieste and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Liù in Turandot with Michigan Opera Theatre, and the title roles in Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan and Lucia di Lammermoor for the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland. Future seasons bring the soprano to Teatro Real in Madrid as Elvira in I puritani opposite Juan Diego Flórez, to Seattle Opera as Violetta in La traviata and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and to Hamburg State Opera and Vancouver Opera as Gilda in Rigoletto. Ailyn Pérez has been praised by Opera News as “. . . a magnificently assured artist, with ample vocal resources and a magnetic stage presence.” Her vocal luster has made her one of the most promising and exciting young artists today. Most recently, she made her debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Violetta in La traviata and with Boston Lyric Opera as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. She has recently sung with Los Angeles Opera as Amor in the world premiere of Lee Holdridge’s Concierto para Mendez, with Opera Carolina as Gilda in Rigoletto, and she sang in a 7- city tour of the United States and Mexico with Andrea Bocelli.
She joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in the 2007-08 season for The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel and Gretel and this past summer, performed Juliette in Roméo et Juliette at the 2008 Salzburg Festival. Future engagements include Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Michigan Opera Theatre, Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles with the Teatro Municipal in Chile, and Marguérite in Faust with Opera Carolina and San Diego Opera.
Tenor Stephen Costello, who was recently seen at the Metropolitan Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, will make his FGO debut as Alfredo in La traviata. Companies around the world have moved quickly to engage this 26-year-old Philadelphia-born tenor. He recently performed the role of Christian in David DiChiera’s new opera Cyrano with Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Cassio in a new production of Otello at the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Riccardo Muti. Future engagements include the Duke in Rigoletto with Deutsche Oper Berlin, a debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Camille in The Merry Widow with Dallas Opera, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles with the Teatro Municipal in Chile, and Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with Baltimore Opera. Mr. Costello returns to London in 2008 for another recital with Ailyn Pérez on the Rosenblatt Series.
Also making his FGO debut in the role of Alfredo is young Italian-American tenor Leonardo Capalbo, who is quickly establishing himself as a leading tenor with performances at New York City Opera, Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, and the Dresden Semperoper. Of a Holland Park performance of Verdi’s Macbeth in London, the Independent reported, “All eyes and ears, though, should be on the young tenor Leonardo Capalbo. It’s not often Macduff steals the show, but Capalbo did it with his one number. Star quality, no question.”
Baritones Luis Ledesma and Mark Walters will alternate singing the role of Germont. Mr. Ledesma has sung with companies including Houston Grand Opera, Portland Opera, Connecticut Opera, Opera Pacific, Minnesota Opera and New York City Opera, among others. Recent engagements include Scarpia in Tosca for Palm Beach Opera, tours with Andrea Bocelli (and soprano Ana María Martínez), and performances at Madison Square Garden. Mr. Ledesma concludes this season with concerts for Washington National Opera conducted by Plácido Domingo. Hailed as an outstanding singing actor, baritone Mark Walters has performed with companies including Baltimore Opera, Opera Memphis, Nashville Opera and Anchorage Opera, among others.
Italian Maestro Aldo Sisillo will make his FGO debut as conductor for La traviata. Mo. Sisillo serves as director of the Teatro Comunale di Modena and has been a guest conductor for the Rome Opera, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and many others. He has composed incidental music for theatrical performances presented at the Venice Biennale, the World Festival of Nancy, and the Festival of Santarcangelo. He has recorded for the Fonit Cetra, Naxos, and Hermitage labels.
This new production of La traviata is made possible by a generous gift in honor of Audrey Love from the Audrey Love Charitable Foundation.
2 Ticket Information Season tickets for Florida Grand Opera start at $40. Single tickets for main stage performances range from $10 to $250. For tickets, call 1-800-741-1010 or visit www.fgo.org.
About Florida Grand Opera Florida Grand Opera was formed in June 1994 by the merger of Greater Miami Opera, founded in 1941, and The Opera Guild Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1945. Celebrating its 68th season of continuous performances, Florida Grand Opera stands as one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Florida. In addition to producing standard repertoire, Florida Grand Opera also presents lesser known operas, as well as commissions and produces new operas. Annually, performances are attended by over 110,000 people, and education and outreach programs serve over 50,000 students. FGO offers several highly successful outreach and educational programs, including its internationally-recognized Young Artist Studio. Founded in 1984, the program attracts young singers who train and enhance their professional skills during a 35- week Miami residency.
Florida Grand Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for this organization is provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Additional support is provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners. Program support is provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council. Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts and a member company of OPERA America.
Florida Grand Opera Cast List *= Debut; ◘ = Former Young Artist; ♦Current Young Artist
La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi Sung in Italian with English and Spanish surtitles *New Production
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County November 15 at 7 p.m. – Opening Night November 19, 21, 22, 25, at 8:00 p.m. November 23 matinee at 2:00 p.m.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts December 4 & 6 at 8 p.m.
Conductor...... Aldo Sisillo* Director ...... Bliss Hebert Set Designer ...... Allen Charles Klein Costume Designer ...... Allen Charles Klein Lighting Designer...... Thomas Hase* Co-Production ...... Florida Grand Opera & Cincinnati Opera Violetta...... Eglise Gutiérrez* (November 15, 21, 23M, December 6) Violetta...... Ailyn Perez* (November 19, 22, 25, December 4) Alfredo ...... Stephen Costello* (November 15, 21, 23M, December 6) Alfredo ...... Leonardo Capalbo*(November 19, 22,25, December 4) Germont ...... Luis Ledesma* (November 15, 21, 23M, December 6) Germont ...... Mark Walters* (November 19, 22, 25, December 4)
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