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MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE’S SPRING OPERA SEASON
OPENS WITH THE COMPANY DEBUT OF BELLINI’S
LA SONNAMBULA
March 29 - April 6, 2008
At the Detroit Opera House
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Stage Director Renata Scotto and Conductor Richard Bonynge to Host Free La Sonnambula “Talk Back” on March 16!
DETROIT, Michigan, February 29, 2008…Michigan Opera Theatre opens its 2008 Spring Opera Season with the company’s first-ever production of Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula, a haunting tale of love, betrayal and redemption, with five performances, March 29-April 6, 2008. This exciting company premiere marks the first time La Sonnambula has been presented in Detroit in the 37-year history of Michigan Opera Theatre. The 2008 spring season at Michigan Opera Theatre is sponsored by the Chrysler Foundation.
“We are excited to bring a Bellini masterpiece to Detroit audiences for the first time. It’s such a thrill to be able to present this beautiful production with such an illustrious production team that includes such well-known names in the opera world as Renata Scotto and Richard Bonynge,” says Michigan Opera Theatre General Director David DiChiera.
On March 16 at 6:30 p.m., a free “Talk Back” session on La Sonnambula will be hosted by stage director Renata Scotto and conductor Richard Bonynge. Guests will be treated to strolling hors d'oeuvres followed by a question and answer portion with the artists and a preview of the 2008-09 opera season. This extraordinary event is free and open to the public.
La Sonnambula takes place during a time when innocence, feudal lords and superstition reign over the hearts and minds of townspeople at an inn in an 1830’s Swiss Village. Amina, a sleepwalker mistaken for a ghost in her nocturnal wanderings, unwittingly enters the room of mysterious stranger, Count Rodolfo. When her fiancé Elvino finds his bride-to-be sleeping in The Count’s room, he immediately claims infidelity and calls off the marriage. All ends well however, when the Count’s hidden identity is exposed, the truth is awakened within Elvino, and the two lovers are safely reunited.
Michigan Opera Theatre’s debut production of La Sonnambula features a production team of opera superstars. Bellini’s mesmerizing score is brought to life by acclaimed Australian conductor Richard Bonygne, who returns to Michigan Opera Theatre for the first time since conducting Norma in 1989. Making her Michigan Opera Theatre debut is opera heavyweight Renata Scotto, one of the most renowned stage directors in the world, known for her highly successful career as a leading soprano.
The impressive cast of La Sonnambula includes two sopranos alternating in the role of Amina, including Russian soprano Ekaterina Siurina, making her Michigan Opera Theatre debut, and Cuban-American soprano Eglise Gutierrez, who made her MOT debut as Liu in Turandot in the spring 2007 season. Charles Castronovo, who made his company debut as Rodolfo in La Bohéme in 2005, alternates the role of Elvino with Andrea Cesare Coronella, an Italian tenor making his U.S. opera debut. Andrew Gangestad, a Korean-American bass who made his Michigan Opera Theatre debut in the 2006 production of Cinderella, will alternate in the role of the mysterious Rodolfo with returning Polish bass Daniel Borowski.
TICKETS for Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of La Sonnambula at the magnificent Detroit Opera House range from $28-$120, and are available at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48226), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464) and online at www.MichiganOpera.org <http://www.michiganopera.org/> . Tickets are also available at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at (248) 645-6666 or online at www.TicketMaster.com.
The Joffrey Ballet
presents
GISELLE
Friday, March 14, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.
At the magnificent Detroit Opera House
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