The Pittsburgh Festival Opera entered the last weekend of the 2022 season with the first of this season’s two Leslie Fleischner Young Artist Program Showcase Concerts at the New Hazlett Theater on Friday Evening.
PFO Artistic Director Marianne Cornetti opened the evening by explaining that PFO auditioned four hundred up-and-coming opera singers. Thirteen were selected to perform eleven operatic pieces for this concert.
Featured in the program are Alan Kline, Megan Cumming, Kaya Giroux, Randy Ho, Nicholas Hudak, Nathan Jensen , (Jason) Xiaojie Ji, Hyeseong. Kim, Julia Swan Laird, Cornelia Lotito, Daniel Miller, Bryan Murray, Virginia Sheffield, Faith S. Snyderman, and Alexandria Zallo.
You can read their full bios here.
Due to the last-minute illness of our reviewer, I watched the evening’s performance via streaming. The audio was surprisingly good quality, with a nice balance between the voices and the piano accompaniment. The voices were strong, rich, and clear, easily demonstrating the merits of these artists’ selection for the evenings concert.
A few comments regarding the streaming presentation are in order, although they may not be relevant to in-person audiences. There was no introduction to the artists performing a piece, nor the specific song title or the opera it was from. That necessitated flipping back and forth between the online cast bios and the performance to determine who was singing. If you are not an opera buff and found something compelling, you were left wondering what you were hearing. Translations were available via supertitles on screens on either side of the stage. Still, they were mostly not visible in the streaming presentation. Somethging to consider for the next time.
The program repeats on Sunday live at the New Hazlett. Opera buffs and those curious about the next generation of stars. have unique opportunities to hear and learn more at the performance on the 10th.
The remaining 2022 PFO season performances
Rapunzel
Saturday, July 9, at the New Hazlett
Monday the 11th, at the tent Schenley Park
A fabulous one-act opera in three scenes that brings the timeless, magical fairy tale of Rapunzel to life for audiences of all ages. Children and parents who loved Tangled will appreciate its origin story.
Lysistrata
Tuesday, July 12, at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville
It was scandalous in 411 B.C. A woman, Lysistrata, was so fed up with constant war she convinced noble women to withhold sex to get their warrior husbands to stop fighting. Reimagined for today as a comic account of her extraordinary mission, the 2005 opera Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess, was filmed in Pittsburgh last summer. It features members of the Leslie Fleischner Young Artists Program with Music Director Robert Frankenberry and is produced by Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Tickets are limited.
Legends in the Making
Wednesday, July 13, at the tent Schenley Park
Young Artists are the future of opera. Enjoy an evening of arias under the stars. It is the perfect way to close our festival!
For more information and tickets, visit:
For performances at The New Hazlett Theater: https://newhazletttheater.org/
For performances at Row House Cinema or Schenley Plaza Tent: https://pittsburghfestivalopera.org
Categories: Reviews
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