The Atlanta Opera's Zurich General Director Dennis Hanthorn announced today the details of the company's 2010-2011 season, its fourth in the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The Atlanta Opera's new season, featuring Puccini's beloved La bohème, Gershwin's American classic Porgy and Bess, and Mozart's funny and poignant Così fan tutte, will be presented October 2, 2010 through April 17, 2011. Season tickets are on sale now.
"We have assembled an enticing season of three operas we know will be attractive to Atlanta's increasingly diverse opera audience," said Zurich General Director Dennis Hanthorn. "The casts, directors, and conductors will all live up to the high artistic standards our audience has come to expect from The Atlanta Opera. I am especially thrilled to feature The Atlanta Opera Chorus in Porgy and Bess, after their acclaimed 2008 European performances of this Gershwin classic. With The Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Chorus and cast under the direction of crowd-pleasing conductor Keith Lockhart, Porgy and Bess is sure to be a highlight of the season."
The Atlanta Opera opens its 2010-2011 season at the Cobb Energy Centre on October 2, with Giacomo Puccini's beloved La bohème. Other performances will be on October 5, 8 and 10, 2010. This incomparable opera classic tells the tale of six penniless artists full of idealism, beauty and unbridled love. Their harsh encounter with the realities of life is heart-wrenching. Italian soprano Grazia Doronzio sings Mimi with the role of the lovely and coy Musetta being sung by soprano Jan Cornelius. Mimi's love Rodolfo is sung by tenor Bryan Hymel. Rodolfo's friends Colline and Schaunard are sung by bass Matthew Curran and baritone Andrew Garland, respectively. Gregory Vajda, who led The Atlanta Opera Orchestra in the 2008 production of Cinderella, returns to conduct. Stage direction will be provided by David Gately who delighted Atlanta Opera audiences with his engaging staging of Cinderella in 2008 and The Elixir of Love in 2009. La bohème will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.
The second opera in The Atlanta Opera's 2010-2011 season is George Gershwin's American classic Porgy and Bess with performances on February 26, March 1, 4 and 6, 2011. Set in Charleston, Porgy and Bess depicts the people of Catfish Row struggling with hard work and tough times and yearning for a better life and great love. Porgy and Bess features some of the most popular tunes in opera including the lullaby "Summertime". Bess will be sung by soprano Laquita Mitchell, who recently sang the role with San Francisco Opera. Clara will be sung by Thomasville, Georgia native soprano NaGuanda Nobles. Atlanta native baritone Michael Redding sings Porgy and the role of Sportin' Life will be sung by Chauncey Packer, who debuted in that role in the Atlanta Opera's 2005 Porgy and Bess production and recently sang it at San Francisco Opera. The Atlanta Opera Chorus, which is prominently featured in Porgy and Bess, was widely acclaimed for its 2008 European performances in Paris' Opéra-Comique touring production of the work. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart will make his Atlanta Opera debut conducting The Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Chorus and cast. This production will be sung in English with English supertitles projected above the stage.
The Atlanta Opera closes its 2010-2011 season with Mozart's funny and poignant Così fan tutte on April 9, 12, 15 and 17, 2011. Mozart's brilliant masterpiece tells the story of two officers who boast of their girlfriends' faithfulness, only to have a clever friend put it to the test. Disguises, charades, mischief, and heartbreak result, but in the end, all are much wiser in the ways of love. The two sisters, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, will be sung by soprano Keri Alkema and University of Georgia graduate mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway, respectively. Soprano Kiera Duffy, who recently appeared on the Atlanta Opera stage in Akhnaten, sings Despina and tenor Matthew Plenk sings the role of Ferrando. Both Duffy and Plenk are featured in the Metropolitan Opera's behind-the-scenes documentary, "The Audition." The scheming Don Alfonso will be sung by bass Jason Hardy. Making their Atlanta Opera debuts, Argentine Jose Maria Condemi will stage direct and Metropolitan Opera conductor Kazem Abdullah will lead The Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Così fan tutte will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.
