AVA Opera Blog

An Inside Look at AVA's 2017/2018 Opera Season

Welcome to the start of the Academy of Vocal Arts' 2017/2018 Opera season! To kick off this season, let's peel back the curtain and take an inside look at the stories that we can expect to see on the AVA stage in the coming months...

First up, Il trovatore! 

 

Gypsies, mysterious troubadours and hidden identities are just a few of the treats that this Verdi work offers up. Count di Luna is infatuated with the beautiful Leonora, who does not return his affections. Instead, she falls in love with the Count's rival, a troubadour who serenades Leonora and keeps his identity a secret. This rivalry sets in place a plot full of murder, mystery, and of course, tragic love. 

Angela Meade performed Leonora at the Metropolitan Opera in February 2016. Luis Ledesma sang the role of Count di Luna at Teatro de Bellas Artes in 2013. Indra Thomas as Leonora with the Arizona Opera and Austin Lyric Opera.

This production of Il trovatore will be conducted by Maestro Christofer Macatsoris and staged by Michael Scarola, who previously staged an AVA production of Anna Bolena.

Now that you are sufficiently enticed, come check out Il trovatore, opening on November 4th and running through the 28th! Performances in Center City, Buck's County (November 21 at Central Bucks South High School), and Haverford (November 28 at the Haverford School's Centennial Hall). 

 

Next up is the Wagner's iconic Das Rheingold! 

Since it's 1869 premiere, Wagner's Ring Cycle has been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest operatic works every composed. Join the crowd of Wagner enthusiasts that will descend upon the Helen Corning Warden Theatre in January 2018 to see this masterpiece! 

A story of gods, dwarfs, and Rhine maidens, Das Rheingold is a cautionary tale about the price of too much power. Rumored to have influenced J.R.R Tolkien's massive franchise The Lord of the Rings, Wagner's opera paints a picture of a dwarf named Alberich, who manages to come into possession of the Rhine gold, a ring that enables it's bearer to rule the world, but at a terrible cost. 

Many AVA Alumni have performed Das Rheingold over years, such as:

Nicole Piccolomini has performed the roles of Flosshilde, and Erda at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Oper Leipzig, respectively. Michael Fabiano has performed the role of Froh. 

Luke Housner will accompany the Resident Artists on piano.

 

Opening in February 2018 is Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss! 

This Strauss favorite tells the story of two troupes of musicians who arrive at a dinner party to be told that they must perform each of their acts simultaneously. The result is a colorful and mystical tale of Ariadne and how she meets and falls in love with the god Bacchus. 

Conductor David Aronson will be making his Philadelphia debut conducting the AVA Opera Orchestra in February and March of 2018! The last AVA Performance of Ariadne auf Naxos was during the 1992-1993 season, however many AVA Alumni have performed these roles throughout the years! Joyce DiDonato sang the role of Composer at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011. Richard Troxell performed as the Wig Master/Brighella. Daniel Mobbs has performed the role of Harlequin.

Prepare your wine glasses for the arrival of Ariadne auf Naxos in February 2018!

 

Closing out our AVA season will be Verdi's La traviata! 

Running from April 21-May 1, 2018, La traviata has endured the years as an opera classic. Plagued by sickness, Violetta finds love in Alfredo, but before long they are torn apart by betrayal. A "fallen woman", she is forced to abandon her lover, until the truth comes out and they are reunited, if only for a moment. 

This season Jeffrey Marc Buchman will return as stage director with Maestro Christofer Macatsoris leading the AVA Opera Orchestra. You may remember Mr. Buchman from his direction of recent AVA productions such as Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte. 

AVA Alumni are no stranger to these roles...

Stephen Costello and Michael Fabiano have sung Alfredo in productions at the Metropolitan opera. 

Daniel Mobbs sang the role of Baron Doupol in the 2015 Opera Philadelphia production, with current AVA Resident Artist Roy Hage.

Eric Dubin sang Il barone Doupohol in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's 2010 production.

 

AVA's season also includes annual favorites, such as the Giargiari Bel Canto competition, Russian Romances and Jubilate! 

There you have it, folks! AVA has a wonderful season lined up, so if you haven't already subscribed, what are you waiting for? Subscriptions are available now, and single tickets will be on sale starting Tuesday, September 5th! We look forward to seeing you at the opera! 

 

About the author: Caitlin McCarthy is the Administrative Associate at the Academy of Vocal Arts.  

Meet AVA's New Resident Artists!

Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Cześć!

AVA is very excited to welcome our seven new Resident Artists! These singers are coming to us from near and far, from the good old U.S of A to Québec, Mexico, Poland, and New Zealand. We know everyone is waiting anxiously to witness these new talents firsthand, so let's start some introductions! 

 

First up we have Alexandra Razskazoff, coming to AVA from New Brighton, Minnesota. Alexandra is a soprano who holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Peabody Conservatory and a M.M. in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School. 

Previous roles include Musetta, La bohème; Miss Alden, Dinner at Eight, Britomarte, L'arbore di Diana, Wellgunde, Das Rheingold, all with Minnesota Opera; First Lady, Die Zauberflöte, Music Academy of the West and Juilliard Opera Theater; Contessa Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, Juilliard Opera Theater; Suor Angelica, Suor Angelica, The Amalfi Coast Summer Music Festival; Blanche de la Force, Dialogues des Carmélites, Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, Abigail Williams, The Crucible, and L’Écureuil, L'enfant et les sortilèges, all with Peabody Conservatory Opera Theater.

Alexandra has also competed in competitions, taking 3rd Place in HGO's Eleanor McCollum Competition (2016), and 1st Place in Sylvia Green Voice Competition (2014)! 

We are thrilled to have Alexandra joining the soprano forces here at AVA, and can't wait for all of you to meet her! 

Next we have Gabriela Flores, mezzo-soprano, joining us from Mexico! Gabriela has performed many times with the Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, including roles such as Alisa, Lucia di Lammermoor; Maddalena, Il viaggio a Reims, and Gianetta, L'elisir d'amore.

Also coming to us from Mexico, meet Daniel Gallegos! Daniel is a baritone who hails from Chihuahua, Mexico, where he studied at the Conservatorio de Música de Chihuahua, Taller de Ópera de Sinaloa and Sociedad Internacional de Valores al Arte Mexicano. 

Previous roles for Daniel include Mr. Nohlan, The Medium; Baron Douphol, La traviata; Betto, Gianni Schicchi; and Papageno, Die Zauberflöte. 

¡Bienvenido Gabriela y Daniel! 

 

Meet Brent Michael Smith, bass, who is from Owosso, Michigan! Brent holds a B.M. from Hope College, and a M.M. from University of Northern Iowa. Brent has performed many roles in his career, including The Commentator, Scalia/Ginsburg, Ariodate, Serse, both at The Glimmerglass Festival; Ashby, La fanciulla del West, Friedrich Bhaer, Little Women, and Colline, La bohème, all with Michigan Opera Theatre; Dr. Grenvil, La traviata with Owensboro Symphony (KY) and Lafayette Symphony (IN); Harry Hopkins, A Woman in Morocco with Kentucky Opera. Coming up he will perform the God of Evil/Procrustes, Hercules vs Vampires with Arizona Opera. He also earned First Place in the Opera Grand Rapids Competition (2012).

 

Hailing from Pultusk, Poland, let's meet Lukasz Zientarski! A baritone who studied at The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Lukasz has perfomed as Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola at the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. He has also competed and received First Degree Laureate in Salut International Performing Arts Web Competition, and Second Prize at III National Vocal Competition in Drezdenko. 

Witamy, Lukasz! 

Oliver Sewell is a tenor from Christchurch, New Zealand. He holds a B.M. from the University of Canterbury, and an M.M. from Manhattan School of Music. Oliver is no stranger to competitions; he is the Gerda Lissner Grant Award Winner (2017), Stan Sesser Career Award Winner (2016), Alan M. and Joan Taub Vocal Competition Finalist (2016), Lexus Song Quest Finalist (2015), and Kiri Te Kanawa Grant Recipient. 

Previous roles for Oliver include Ramiro, La Cenerentola, ARE Opera; Gastone, La traviata, New Jersey Festival Orchestra; Benoit, Le Roi l'a Dit, Danceny, The Dangerous Liaisons, Tamino, Die Zauberflöte, all with Manhattan School of Music Opera Studio; Ernesto, and Don Pasquale, Crested Butte Music Festival.

 

And last, but certainly not least, meet Pascale Spinney! A mezzo-soprano, Pascale is originally from Montréal, Québec, and has a B.M. and M.M. both from McGill University in Montreal. 

Previous roles for Pascale include Ruggiero (cover), Alcina, Santa Fe Opera; Cherubino, Le nozze di Figaro, Vancouver Opera; Hansel, Hansel and Gretel, Vancouver Opera; Clairon (cover), Cappriccio, Santa Fe Opera. She has participated in competitions such as the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where she was a National Semi-Finalist (2017), the Mrs. Edgar Tobin National Award (2017), and the Vancouver Opera Foundation Kurt Sickert Scholarship (2016).

Bienvenue à l'Académie Pascale! 

 

There you have it folks, the new faces of AVA! Want to meet them in person? Join us at the New Artist Recitals on September 19th, and 21st to welcome them!

 

 

 About the author: Caitlin McCarthy is the Administrative Associate at the Academy of Vocal Arts.