FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Joyce Linehan, 617-282-2510, [email protected] OPERA BOSTON PRESENTS NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE OF DONIZETTI’S MARIA PADILLA STARRING BARBARA QUINTILIANI Performances coincide with the 2011 OPERA America conference; hundreds of opera professionals from all over the world come to Boston for their annual meeting. (BOSTON) Opera Boston presents the New England premiere of Donizetti’s late-career opera Maria Padilla , a historical melodrama receiving its third American staging since its 1990 premiere. Soprano Barbara Quintiliani stars as Maria, reprising her triumphant performances from the 2009 Wexford Festival (Ireland) as the woman who secretly marries King Pedro of Castile, despite his politically-motivated impending marriage to another. She will be joined by her Wexford co-star, Welsh tenor Adriano Graziani , making his United States debut as Don Ruiz di Padilla, Maria’s father. The strong ensemble cast also includes Laura Vlasak Nolen, DongWon Kim, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Young Bok Kim. Stage director Julia Pevzner returns to direct; her last engagement here was The Nose in 2009. The performances coincide with the 2011 OPERA America conference, co-hosted by Opera Boston and Boston Lyric Opera. Hundreds of opera industry professionals and VIPs from around the country, and from worldwide affiliates, will gather in Boston May 7-11. Performances take place May 6 and May 10 at 7:30 p.m. and May 8 at 3 p.m. Sung in Italian with English titles. Ticketing information has changed for 2010-11. Tickets are now available online through www.AEStages.org or by calling the Emerson College box office at 617-824-8000. Box office hours are 10 a.m.—6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information visit www.operaboston.org or call 617-451-3388. Soprano Barbara Quintiliani , a native and resident of Quincy, returns to Opera Boston in the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Padilla . She has been a great favorite of the company’s audiences, performing the role of Elvira in Ernani (2008), and the title roles in Lucrezia Borgia (2006) and Luisa Miller (2004). In 2009, she received rave reviews for her Ireland debut in the title role in Maria Padilla with the Wexford Festival Opera: “the evening belonged, thrillingly and unequivocally, to Barbara Quintiliani as Maria. … She has a remarkable range of colors at her disposal, her coloratura is superbly executed, and she possesses an immaculate trill. She also has one of the rarest qualities: an innate understanding of how to build this music to a thrilling climax, with fearless high notes” ( Opera News ). Quintiliani recently made two major role debuts: Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos for Toledo Opera in October 2010, and the title role of Norma for Chautauqua Opera in July 2010. Welsh tenor Adriano Graziani makes his United States debut as Don Ruiz di Padilla, Maria’s father. Recent international appearances have included the role of Edmondo in Manon Lescaut and Leicester in Maria Stuarda for the Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena with repeat engagements of both roles in Piacenza. American mezzo-soprano Laura Vlasak Nolen makes her company debut as Ines, Maria’s sister. Nolen’s recent highlights include Adalgisa in Norma for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Fenena in Nabucco for Palm Beach Opera, and Mercédès in Carmen and Waltraute in Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera. She also appeared at the 2009 Wexford Festival, as Samira in The Ghosts of Versailles. Korean baritone DongWon Kim returns to Opera Boston as Don Pedro, the King of Castile and Maria’s lover. Kim made his Opera Boston debut as Orbazzano in Tancredi in 2009. Kim is completing an Artist Diploma in Opera at New England Conservatory, and his future engagements include a return to Korea for a gala concert appearance in Rigoletto . Korean bass Young Bok Kim returns to Opera Boston as Don Ramiro, his first engagement with the company since appearing as Silva in Ernani in 2008. Kim’s most recent season included two appearances with Sarasota Opera, as Sarastro and as Colline, and appearances as Bonze in Madama Butterfly for Opéra de Montreal and Austin Lyric Opera. Armenian tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan returns to Opera Boston as Don Luigi for his sixth engagement with the company since 2003-04. His most recent appearance was as Ivan the Lackey in The Nose in 2009. Manucharyan has since appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in Armida in 2009-10 and in the current season. Manucharyan has also recently appeared with Opera Orchestra of New York in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride and with Tulsa Opera as Rodolfo. Director Julia Pevzner received critical acclaim after her direction of Opera Boston’s 2009 production of The Nose. She takes special interest in new opera and musical theatre works and has staged a number of Israeli new operas. Her recent works include La Serva Padrona and Der Schauspieldirektor in Israel, Nabucco at the Greek National Opera, and Eugene Onegin at the Virginia Opera. In the 2011-12 season, she will make her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut with Boris Godunov . Russian-born Israeli scenic designer Alexander Lisiyansky returns to Opera Boston for his first engagement since The Nose in 2009. His recent work includes Eugene Onegin at Virginia Opera, Crocodile (Dostoyevsky) at Moscow Rosovsky Theatre, and Otello at the Israeli Opera. Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan just completed his fourteenth season as resident costume designer for The Sarasota Opera . Noted productions include The Crucible , Die Fledermaus , Attila , Les pêcheurs de perles , Hansel and Gretel , and L'elisir d'amore . Lighting Designer Christopher Ostrom ’s career at Opera Boston spans 14 seasons and over 37 productions, most recently Cardillac in 2011. Ostrom has many credits at Chautauqua Opera (Stiffelio , Gianni Schicchi , and more), and at theatre and opera productions around Boston and New England. Opera Boston’s presentation of Maria Padilla coincides with the Opera America conference, being held May 7-11 at various Boston locations. Approximately 400 opera professionals from around the world will attend the conference, which is co-hosted by Opera Boston and Boston Lyric Opera. About Opera Boston Opera Boston presents rarely-staged repertory in all-new productions. Founded in 1980, the company has presented more than 70 operas, including 34 regional and two world premieres. In addition to its critically acclaimed, award-winning mainstage productions, Opera Boston offers a range of programs, including a chamber opera festival, a popular cabaret series and an educational program in Boston-area schools. For more information about Opera Boston, visit www.operaboston.org . -30- .