Friday, April 6, 2012

Big Opera is Back! Announcing our 2012-2013 Season


Opera Omaha Announces 2012/2013 Season

Opera Omaha is pleased to announce their 2012/2013 season.  This will be the 55th year that Opera Omaha has brought world-class opera to the Omaha Metro area.  Premiere performances, collaboration, and classic grand opera will be the hallmarks of what will prove to be a very exciting year for the company and its audience members.  All three main-stage operas will be presented in the historic Orpheum Theater.  This season brings glorious music, poignant romance, chilling mystery, and stunning, magnificent visual art.

“I’m delighted to announce the details of Opera Omaha’s bold new season,” says General Director Roger Weitz.  “La Traviata is one of the most beloved operas of all time; our dynamic cast is in expert hands with director Jim de Blasis and conductor Joseph Rescigno.  Jun Kaneko’s stunning new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute must be seen to be believed; this opera will be a major event in the community.  The season finishes with Hal France returning to Opera Omaha to conduct Bartok’s powerful opera, Bluebeard’s Castle, with the legendary Samuel Ramey in the title role.  It’s a season not to be missed.”

Season Subscriptions will be on sale starting April 9; tickets to individual operas will go on sale after Labor Day.  Season Subscriptions can be purchased by phone: 402-346-4398.

Details about the season:

La Traviata
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
October 5 and 7, 2012

Verdi’s tragic tale of a beautiful Parisian courtesan named Violetta and her young lover from a respectable provincial family is the first production of the Opera Omaha 2012/2013 season.  Based on the Alexandre Dumas play “The Lady of the Camellias”, which also inspired the legendary Greta Garbo film “Camille”, this classic and touching tale of love and sacrifice written in 1853 has some of Verdi’s best-loved music.  This production will evoke the world of 18th century Paris and the demimonde lifestyle of its main character.

Director James de Blasis returns to Opera Omaha, furthering a long history with the company including Lucia di Lammermoor with Beverly Sills in 1975.  Conductor Joseph Rescigno is another returning artist, having led Jun Kaneko’s Madama Butterfly for the company in 2010.

Conductor:                  Joseph Rescigno
Director:                      James de Blasis

Role                             Cast
Violetta                       Inna Dukach
Alfredo                       Joshua Kohl
Germont                      Jake Gardner
Flora                            Leah Wool
Barone Douphol          Kirk Vaughn Robinson        


The Magic Flute
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
February 22 and 24, 2013
New Production

The exciting centerpiece offering of the new Opera Omaha season, The Magic Flute, will be designed by Omaha’s own visual artist Jun Kaneko whose talent in opera design is recognized from coast to coast; Opera Omaha is a co-producer with four other leading opera companies including San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera in Washington, DC.  The Magic Flute is a lighthearted tale of love and adventure, charmingly fantastical, utterly unique, and perfect for the entire family.  Jun Kaneko’s newest creation promises to be a truly spectacular event for the Omaha Metro area.

Conductor:                  Nicholas Cleobury
Director:                      Garnett Bruce
Designer:                     Jun Kaneko

Role                             Cast
Papageno                     Corey McKern            
Pamina                         Monica Yunus
Sarastro                       Tom McNichols


Bluebeard’s Castle
Music by Bela Bartok
Libretto by Bela Balazs
April 19 and 21, 2013
New Production


The captivating story of Duke Bluebeard, his new wife, Judith, and a castle containing seven mysterious doors.  The secrets that lie behind them are revealed one by one through rich, haunting music.  Hal France returns to Opera Omaha to conduct this complex work featuring brilliant orchestral writing.  Mr. Samuel Ramey, one of the music world’s foremost interpreters of bass and bass-baritone operatic and concert repertoire will return to Omaha to perform the title role.

Opera Omaha will collaborate with several local arts organizations in bringing this story to life.  Their participation in the production will help reveal the mysteries of the seven doors and demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of opera. 

Conductor:                  Hal France
Director:                      Andrew Eggert

Role                             Cast
Bluebeard                    Samuel Ramey
Judith                          Kara Shay Thomson

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