Praised as “Nearly Flawless” and “this holiday’s red hot ticket” by the Naples Daily News, Opera Naples‘ production of the timeless Puccini Classic La bohème, was well received by critics and audiences alike. The story follows a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher living in the Paris slums in the mid to late 17th century. After a fateful knock on the door by leading soprano Mimí, Rodolfo falls desperately in love, only to find out that she is gravely ill and his bohemian lifestyle will not be enough to provide her.
Photographer — Ivan Seligman
Dreamseminar (Dromseminarium) was a project presented in conjunction with Foundry Arts and the Trondheim Sinfonietta in Trondheim, Norway. Artists from around the world worked together to create a 75 minute piece which highlighted devised opera by Ellen Lindquist and the poems of Tranströmer. The piece was staged in 8 days and presented in fully produced workshop at the TSO Rehearsal Hall.
Photographer — Robert Signom
On November 8th and 10th, 2019, Opera Columbus presented Laura Kaminsky’s As One at the Southern Theatre. The chamber opera involves two voices; Hannah before (baritone) and Hanna after (mezzo-soprano.) Through fifteen songs comprising the three-part narrative, the audience follows Hannah’s journey from her upbringing in a small town to her college years and eventually, when she travels to a new country where she makes new strides in self-discovery. Utilizing empathy and humor, the 75-minute chamber opera portrays Hannah’s internal struggle between how she views herself and how others view her. As One’s rich story is inspired by the life experiences of Kimberly Reed herself and uses striking melodies to make it an extraordinary piece.
Photographer —- Terry Gilliam
Tri-Cities Opera presented their first opera of the season, Tosca by Puccini, at the Forum Theater on October 20th, 2019. Jill Gardner lit up the stage with her powerful voice and an invigorating presence which “[drew] the lines of her character with a double rainbow of colors- girlish delight, cajolery, jealousy, religious fervor, passionate love and hatred, [and] anguish” (Strichman). This thrilling and lethal opera kept the audience captivated with its tale of politics and romance. Both internationally acclaimed conductor Andrew Bisantz and highly esteemed stage director JJ Hudson returned to Tri-Cities for this electrifying production of this opera.