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THEATREWORKS SILICON VALLEY AND SAN JOSÉ OFFER WORLD PREMIERE Hershey Felder, PUCCINI Featuring baritone Nathan Gunn, Charles Castronovo, and sopranos Gianna Corbisiero and Ekaterina Siurina Livestream 5pm, Sunday, March 14 (Plus streaming on-demand through March 21)

SAN JOSE, CA (8 March 2021) – Two leading Bay Area arts organizations, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and Opera San José, will offer viewers the World Premiere livestream of Hershey Felder, PUCCINI, a new work by and starring virtuoso pianist/performer Hershey Felder, with opera guest stars baritone Nathan Gunn, tenor Charles Castronovo, and sopranos Gianna Corbisiero and Ekaterina Siurina. Presented by Hershey Felder Presents Live from Florence, Hershey Felder, PUCCINI tells the story of a young musician captivated by the world of opera, particularly by Giacomo Puccini’s immortal works La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. When, through a series of unusual circumstances, the young musician meets the musical master himself, secrets are revealed that open a whole new world for the young man. Filmed and performed on location in Lucca, Italy, in the very home where Giacomo Puccini was born, Hershey Felder, PUCCINI promises theatre, music, and opera audiences an exciting new adventure created by one of the world’s top musical storytellers.

Hershey Felder, PUCCINI will be streamed live 5pm PST, Sunday, March 14, 2021 (with streaming on-demand access through March 21). To buy tickets ($55 per household) or find more information, the public can visit TheatreWorks.org or Operasj.org. Ticket sales directly benefit the arts organization through which they are purchased.

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

This sumptuously filmed world premiere gives home audiences a front row seat as Felder presents another masterwork, this time delving into Puccini’s life and music. Felder is joined in this production by four internationally renowned opera stars: baritone Nathan Gunn, soprano Gianna Corbisiero, tenor Charles Castronovo, and soprano Ekaterina Siurina. Hershey Felder, PUCCINI is directed by Felder & Stefano Decarli, with associate direction by Trevor Hay. Production design is by Hershey Felder. Film production and live editing is by the DeCarli Live film company. Live broadcast and sound design production are by Erik Carstensen. Line producer is Annette Nixon. Meghan Maiya is the Director of Development . Costumes and Hair are by Camilla Saccardi.

Hershey Felder (Writer & Performer). Named to Time Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 Plays and Musicals, Hershey Felder has played over 6,000 performances of his self-created solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theatres, consistently breaking box office records. American Theatre Magazine has said, “Hershey Felder is in a category all his own.” His shows include: George Gershwin Alone (Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre, West End’s Duchess Theatre); Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven; Maestro (Leonard Bernstein); Franz Liszt in Musik; Lincoln: An American Story; Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin; Our Great Tchaikovsky; and A Paris Love Story. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra. Hershey is the adaptor, director and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music The Pianist of Willesden Lane with Steinway artist Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical Louis and Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara, directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for Flying Solo, featuring opera legend Nathan Gunn. Hershey has operated a full-service production company since 2001, and in 2020 created a new brand, Live From Florence, that operates a “theatre at home broadcast company,” based in Florence, Italy. Previous broadcasts have included Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin; Hershey Felder, Beethoven; Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone; Hershey Felder, Backstory – The Story Behind the Creation of Berlin, Gershwin & Bernstein; and Cooking French in Florence with Jeff Thickman & Hershey Felder. The Hershey Felder Presents - Live from Florence 2020-21 Season of broadcasts include: Hershey Felder as Claude Debussy in A PARIS LOVE STORY; Hershey Felder, TCHAIKOVSKY; Hershey Felder as Sholem Aleichem in BEFORE FIDDLER; Hershey Felder as PUCCINI; and Hershey Felder as Sergei

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

Rachmaninoff in ANNA & SERGEI. Hershey has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female Prime Minister of Canada.

Felder has become an enormous favorite among South Bay Area audiences through his appearances at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, where his stage productions have smashed box office records, including the regional premieres of Our Great Tchaikovsky and Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, and the World Premieres of Hershey Felder as Claude Debussy in A PARIS LOVE STORY and Hershey Felder: Beethoven. The Tony award-winning theatre has partnered with Hershey Felder Presents Live from Florence to offer its 2020-21 Season of broadcasts to its audiences.

Hershey Felder, PUCCINI will feature guest stars from the world of opera including acclaimed baritone Nathan Gunn, who has performed many of opera and musical theatre’s greatest roles on the world’s most prestigious stages, including the , the , , Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Royal Opera in London, Paris Opéra, Bavarian State Opera Munich, Theater an der Wien Vienna, Madrid, and Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie Brussels. He has been seen and heard on television, radio, video, and live simulcast performances, including the first ever Met in HD broadcast (), in which he sang Papageno, one of his signature roles. Nathan has reinterpreted other classic roles such as Billy Budd, Figaro, and , garnering awards including the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording (Billy Budd) and the Metropolitan Opera’s first ever Beverly Sills Award. Gunn has also been widely acclaimed for his ability to cross over into musical theatre, including performances with the New York Philharmonic in Carousel and Camelot, the televised celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, and collaborations with musical theatre stars including Mandy Patinkin, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald, and Kristin Chenoweth. Gunn’s one-man autobiographical show Flying Solo, produced and written by Hershey Felder, has been lauded as a “riveting autobiographical musical [that] is a stunner both with its touching, relatable, family-centric narrative and Gunn’s entertaining, charismatic performing style “ (Broadway World).

Another luminary to join this production is soprano Gianna Corbisiero. Declared “luminous” by Opera News, Corbisiero has performed the title roles in Tosca, La Bohème, ,

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

Pagliacci, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, Carmen, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and at major opera houses throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, under the baton of conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano, and Charles Dutoit. She has performed with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming, and Marcelo Alvarez. For Bravo Canada she recorded episodes of television’s “Opera Easy” performing excerpts from La

Bohème, La traviata, Tosca, and Norma, and made her cinema debut singing "O mio babbino caro" in the film “Elephant Song,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Corbisiero’s many honors and awards include a special prize from the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition, Top Prize in the Canadian Music Competition, and First Prize from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.

Also guest starring in the production is Charles Castronovo, acclaimed internationally as one of the finest lyric of his generation. Castronovo has sung at most of the world’s leading opera houses, including San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, . Royal Opera House Covent Garden, , , , Bavarian State Opera Munich, Theatre Royale de la Monnaie Brussels, and many others. He starred in the title role of Daniel Catan’s opposite Placido Domingo in the work’s World Premiere in Los Angeles, as well as in Paris and Santiago. His repertoire spans from the great Mozart tenor roles in Don Giovanni, Cosi Fan Tutte and Die Zauberfloete, to Edgardo in , Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Alfredo in La traviata. In recent seasons Castronovo won wide acclaim for his performances as the title role in , Romeo in Romeo et Juliette, the Duke in , Rodolfo in La Bohème and Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress.

Established as one of the leading sopranos of her generation, Ekaterina Siurina performs at many of the top opera houses across the world including House Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Opera de Paris and Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Siurina made her professional role debut as Gilda in ’s Rigoletto singing opposite of renowned baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Other performances include performing as soloist including the title role of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, Rimski-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden, and again appearing as Gilda in Rigoletto and a co-production at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Finland. Prominent solo debuts include appearances as Giulietta in I Capuleti e Montecchi at the Opera de Montpellier, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, I Puritani at the Opera de Monte-Carlo, and also Adina in Elisir d'Amore at the Berlin State Opera and Hamburg State Opera. Significant role

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected] debuts have included Gilda at the Royal Opera (Covent Garden), Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Bordaux Opera Servilia; in Mozart's at the Paris Opera Garnier, also available on DVD. Ms. Siurina made her Metropolitan Opera debut in October, 2006 singing the role of Gilda with Juan Pons. She was invited back to the Metropolitan in November 2007, to sing the role of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, performing with Bryn Terfel, who sang his final Figaro during these performances. Ms. Siurina’s Italian debut was as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at Teatro alla Scala, Milano. Following her Italian appearance was Elisir d'Amore with the Paris Opera, Bastille, and Ilia in Idomeneo recorded live for the Decca label on DVD at the 2006 , commemorating Mozart’s 250th birthday. Recently, Ms. Siurina added to her current season role debuts, performing as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera and Mimi in La bohème at The Royal Opera (Covent Garden). She also made her debut as Gilda at Arena di Verona in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Siurina’s future engagements include performances as Mimi, Donna Anna, Antonia and Gilda in many of the world's leading opera houses.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Led by Artistic Director Tim Bond and Executive Director Phil Santora, the Palo Alto-based theatre company serves more than 100,000 patrons per year and has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. The company’s 51st season has been postponed in accordance with global efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), with TheatreWorks currently scheduled to resume in-person performances in October 2021.

Opera San José is a professional, regional opera company, led by General Director Khori Dastoor. Maintaining a resident company of artists and supporting emerging talent in role debuts, Opera San José specializes in showcasing the finest young professional singers in the nation. In addition to mainstage performances, Opera San José maintains extensive educational programs in schools and in the community at large and offers preview lectures and Introduction to Opera talks for all mainstage productions. Opera San José is currently offering on-demand streaming for its all-new, fully-staged production of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, which was

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

hailed as “a buoyant, strikingly resourceful creation” by San Francisco Chronicle and called “a major achievement” by Musical America.

For Calendar Editors:

WHAT: Two leading Bay Area arts organizations, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and Opera San José, will offer viewers the World Premiere livestream of Hershey Felder, PUCCINI, a new work by and starring virtuoso pianist/performer Hershey Felder, with opera guest stars baritone Nathan Gunn, tenor Charles Castronovo, and sopranos Gianna Corbisiero and Ekaterina Siurina. Presented by Hershey Felder Presents Live from Florence, Hershey Felder, PUCCINI tells the story of a young musician captivated by the world of opera, particularly by Giacomo Puccini’s immortal works La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. When, through a series of unusual circumstances, the young musician meets the musical master himself, secrets are revealed that open a whole new world for the young man. Filmed and performed on location in Lucca, Italy, in the very home where Giacomo Puccini was born, Hershey Felder, PUCCINI promises theatre, music, and opera audiences an exciting new adventure created by one of the world’s top musical storytellers.

DATES: Livestreamed at 5pm PST, Sunday, March 14, 2021 with streaming on-demand access available through March 21, 2021.

WHERE: Patrons who purchase a ticket to the event will be emailed a link to stream the program at home on their computer, SmartTV or other device.

TICKETS: $55 per household

INFO: For information or to order tickets visit TheatreWorks.org or Operasj.org. Ticket sales directly benefit the arts organization through which they are purchased.

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PRESS: Contact Carla Befera & Co. [email protected] [email protected]

PHOTOS: Downloadable high-res photos are available here: http://www.cbpr.co/press/HersheyFelderPUCCINI

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

______TheatreWorks MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Goldfarb, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]

OPERA SAN JOSÉ MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Albin, CARLA BEFERA & CO. Email: [email protected]