Chris Cox, Company’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Shares Line-Up and a Few Words
By George B. Parous
Pittsburgh Opera today announced their plans for the company’s 84th season, with the list of works to be done encompassing the Baroque, classical, and modern eras. Italian, English, Czech – and a little Russian – will be the languages heard in the following, all with the customary English supertitles:
Rusalka (Music by Antonín Dvořák, to a libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil) (Pittsburgh Opera Premiere)
Benedum Center for the Performing Arts – September 17, 20, 23, 25, 2022
The Marriage of Figaro (Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte)
Benedum Center for the Performing Arts – November 5, 8, 11, 13, 2022
Ariodante (Music by George Frideric Händel, to a libretto based on a work by Antonio Salvi) (Pittsburgh Opera Premiere) Pittsburgh CAPA School Theater – January 21, 24, 27, 29, 2023
Il Trovatore (Music by Giuseppe Verdi, to a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano)
Benedum Center for the Performing Arts – March 25, 28, 31, April 2, 2023
Denis & Katya (Music by Philip Venables, to a libretto by Ted Huffman) (Pittsburgh Opera Premiere)
Bitz Opera Factory, 2425 Liberty Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s Strip District – May 6, 9, 12, 14, 20, 2023
We Shall Not Be Moved (Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, to a libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph) (Pittsburgh Opera Premiere) August Wilson African American Cultural Center – May 13, 16, 18, 19, 21 2023
For the time being, full production details are available as an announcement on the Pittsburgh Opera website, and, as usual, we will have more detailed information as each production draws near. As well as providing the season line-up, Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications for the company, took the time to share some comments on what we can look forward to, beginning in September.
“We are thrilled to return to a full, six-opera season. The operas span the full range of eras and styles that make opera such a vibrant art form, from the Baroque to the contemporary. It’s fair to say that Rusalka is highly anticipated. It will be our first time performing it. It was originally scheduled for the fall of 2020 and because of COVID, had to be rescheduled twice. But the third time’s the charm!”
I agree heartily regarding the Dvořák work. If someone had asked me five years ago to name ten operas I’d like to see staged in Pittsburgh, but never expected to experience, Rusalka would have made the list. Anyone who remembers soprano Ekaterina Siurina in her debut with the company, a few years ago in The Elixir of Love, will be pleased to hear that she returns to sing the title role. And Marianne Cornetti may be counted on to make much of Ježibaba, the voice-stealing witch.
“The casting we’ve lined up for these shows is amazing,” Mr. Cox added. “A veritable embarrassment of riches! Personally, I’m most excited for the return of Natasha Te Rupe Wilson. She was in the midst of a stellar first year here as a Resident Artist when COVID hit and she had to return to her native New Zealand. At the time, I thought ‘well, she’ll be back in a few months once all this COVID stuff blows over’. Little did I know! Anyone who saw her as Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas, or as Morgana in Alcina, will be ecstatic to learn she’ll be singing Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro this fall.”
I vividly remember Natasha as an amazingly gifted singer in both operas Chris mentioned, and it was a genuine thrill to hear that she will return. In the same “Figaro” production, Nicole Cabell returns to sing the Countess, after making her first appearance with the company a few seasons back as Mimì in La Bohème. Other eye-catching names included Alexandra Loutsion as Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, an opera not heard here in years; Jonathan Burton, Gregory Kunde and many others. While glancing quickly over the notes I was given, it was – as it always is – a pleasure to see the name of Conductor Antony Walker. This man uses a magic wand instead of a baton. He and the instrumentalists who follow that wand consistently turn in stellar performances.
For production details and complete cast information, as is available at this time, visit Pittsburgh Opera. While you’re there, be sure to note that special events, such as the 67th annual Diamond Horseshoe Ball, Fashion Show and Maecenas XXXVIII return, as do the many free, low-cost and other events. Last and least (for the time being), please note that for the present time COVID protocols remain as they have been; whether they can be “adjusted” by September remains to be seen.
Pittsburgh Opera truly is, as our friend Chris would say, “an embarrassment of riches.”
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