In a whirlwind of performances, the SUMMER OPERA LYRIC THEATRE (SOLT) finishes with the presentation of three operas by Handel, Mozart and Puccini. Between July 26 and August 4, performances of Xerxes, Idomeneo and La Boheme will showcase opera artists at differing stages of career development.
SUMMER OPERA LYRIC THEATRE offers opera professionals a summer of master classes, rehearsals, discussions, lectures, and more. The experience culminates with performances that put newfound knowledge to work.
SOLT and Research Centre was founded in 1986 with a goal of promoting education in the musical and dramatic arts. Emerging vocalists, students, professionals and teachers at all levels participate in the program.
The Operas
Georg Frideric Handel: Xerxes (Performed in English) | July 27 & 30, August 3 & 4
Sae Hae Bae, Music Director and Pianist
One of Handel’s best-known melodies appears in the opening aria for this opera based quite loosely on the life of Persian monarch Xerxes I, who lived around 470 BC. That opening aria is titled “Ombra mai fu”, and is sung by Xerxes to a plane tree. Handel’s opera in three acts premiered in London on April 15, 1738. The story combines elements of both comedy and drama, and ends with a happy resolution.
- Cast on July 27 / Aug 3: Mia Robles; Jordan Baldwin; Josephine Raffaele; Austin Larusson; Stella Christine; Anastasia Pogorelova; Joseph Ernst
- Cast on July 30 / Aug 4: Hannah Piercey; Marcus Tranquilli; Zoe Clarke; Gennady Grebenchuk; Patricia Wrigglesworth; Anastasia Pogorelova; Austin Larusson
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Idomeneo (Performed in Italian with English surtitles) | July 27, 28, 31 & August 2
Suzy Smith, Music Director and Pianist
The Italian libretto for the story about the King of Crete was adapted from a French play, originally set to music 1712. Mozart’s version was commissioned in 1780 by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria for a carnival in his court. It premiered January 29, 1781 in Munich, Germany. The style is influenced by the French original, and the libretto is characterized by its poetic language.
- Cast: July 27 / July 31: Julianna Collevecchio; Mike Fan; Arushi Das; Nicole Katerburg; Lucas Kuipers; Luca McCauley; Austin Larusson
- Cast July 28 / Aug 2: Anne Jean; Mike Fan; Arushi Das; Leah Bondy; Luca McCauley; Lucas Kuipers; Austin Larusson
Mike Fan sings the title role:
Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme (Performed in English) | July 26 & 31, August 1 & 3
Jo Greenaway, Music Director and Pianist
Puccini’s opera consistently ranks in top ten lists, perhaps because of its theme: the artistic life of Paris in the belle epoque era. It premiered in Turin on February 1, 1896, although it wasn’t a success at first. Its story about young artists living in the fast lane focuses on the characters of Rodolfo and his neighbour Mimì and their struggles.
- Cast July 26 / Aug 1: Marcel van Helden; Cassandra Amorim; Handaya Rusli; Ashley Carpenter; Joseph Ernst; George Ossipov; Marcus Tranquilli; Gennady Grebenchuk; Everly Conrad-Baldwin
- Cast July 31 / Aug 3: Jeremy Scinocca; Sarah Richardson; Brian Dearden; Catherine LaForest; Joseph Ernst; George Ossipov; Gennady Grebenchuk; Marcus Tranquilli; Everly Conrad-Baldwin
Performances take place at the Alumnae Theatre; tickets and more information [HERE].
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