AUSTIN OPERA’S 29TH SEASON SHOWCASES BREADTH OF OPERATIC EXPERIENCES
Company Announces a Diverse and Dramatic 2015-16 Season
AUSTIN – February 6, 2015 – Austin Opera will open its 29th season for the first time with an operatic Gala Concert at the Long Center on September 26, 2015. The company’s subscription season then begins with Giuseppe Verdi’s popular Aida; followed by the Austin Opera premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s classic American opera, Of Mice and Men; and closes with Gioachino Rossini’s razor-sharp comedic opera, The Barber of Seville. The 2015-16 Season will run through May 1, 2016.
“We’re thrilled to share so many different facets of opera this coming season, while bringing a few firsts to our community at the same time. We’re joining in the opening of Austin’s cultural arts season in September with a new annual concert that will expand our season, featuring selections from beloved German operas rarely performed in Austin. The season will bring back Aida back for the first time in 15 years; present the company premiere of Of Mice and Men, one of the most embraced American operas; and will close with one of the most memorable comic operas, The Barber of Seville,” said Austin Opera General Director, Joseph Specter. “In the 2014-15 Season we changed our name to better reflect the sophisticated opera experience we bring to the community, and our 2015-16 Season continues to build on that experience while showing the range of this powerful art form.”
Overseeing the artistic vision and integrity of the 2015-16 Season is renowned maestro, Richard Buckley, Austin Opera’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. The 29th season marks Buckley’s 12th with the company.
“The 2015-16 Season is special because we’re presenting four very distinct musical styles and dramatic ways of approaching opera, with stories of lush romanticism, tragedy, comedy, and spiritualism,” Buckley said. “The Gala Concert is also giving people a completely different musical and visual experience than they are used to. We’re highlighting the Austin Opera Orchestra’s abilities and putting them directly on the stage versus in the pit, which allows the audience to see and hear them in a way they haven’t before, performing an operatic repertoire we don’t typically perform.”
Wagner and Strauss: Season Opening Gala Concert
On September 26, 2015, Austin Opera will open its season with a Gala Concert that highlights the music of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, featuring dramatic soprano Heidi Melton, whose ascending career has brought her debuts at some of the world’s great stages, including the Metropolitan Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin. Rachele Gilmore and Liz Cass will join Melton in selections from Tristan und Isolde, Der Rosenkavalier, Salome, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and others. The concert marks the first expansion of programming by Austin Opera since its residency at the Long Center began in 2008.
Aida: The Grandest of Grand Operas
Famous for its triumphal march and soaring arias, Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida is one of opera’s most popular works. This grand opera makes its first return to Austin Opera’s stage in 15 years, with performances on November 7, 12, and 15, 2015. Set in ancient Egypt, Aida follows the intimate love triangle of enemies at war, torn between public duty and private passions. Graced with some of Verdi’s best known music, it’s a tour de force of choral scenes, dance, epic sets and vocal power. Karen Slack will bring her admired interpretation of the title role, alongside tenor Issachah Savage as Radames. Both Slack and Savage are making their Austin Opera debuts with this production. Aida will be performed in Italian with projected English translations.
Of Mice and Men: A Timeless American Drama
Based on John Steinbeck’s novella, Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men is a riveting and visceral opera that has withstood the test of time in the American operatic canon. Premiering in Austin on January 23, 28, and 31, 2016, Of Mice and Men vividly captures the characters’ lives, the feel of the era, the depressed economy, and ultimately, Lenny’s tragic story. Maestro Buckley performed Of Mice and Men 48 times between 1976 and 1982 throughout the US, and this production will mark his first performances of the piece in Austin. Corey Bix and Matthew Burns will portray Lenny and George, following acclaimed performances of those roles at Utah Opera. Of Mice and Men will be performed in English with projected libretto.
In partnership with numerous local cultural and educational organizations, including the University of Texas Humanities Institute, Blanton Museum of Art, Austin ISD, Round Rock ISD, Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, and the Paramount Theater, Austin Opera will explore the relevance of Steinbeck’s classic novella through a series of events during the season. Visit www.austinopera.org/ofmiceandmen for a complete list of Austin Opera educational activities surrounding this iconic work.
The Barber of Seville: One of the Most Popular Comedic Operas
Gioachino Rossini’s musical wit glints through every scene of The Barber of Seville, one of opera’s cherished comic works. The opera takes to the stage on April 23, 28, and May 1, 2016, with the dazzling charm and vocal fireworks of Ginger Costa-Jackson as Rosina, Troy Cook as Figaro, and Patrick Carfizzi as Dr. Bartolo. Returning to Austin Opera’s stage is Jamie Offenbach as Don Basilio, following his celebrated performances as Mephistopheles in Austin Opera’s Faust in the 2012-13 Season. The Barber of Seville will be performed in Italian with projected English translations.
Additional Austin Opera Experiences
Throughout the season, music-lovers can enjoy additional opera experiences around Austin: Opera Previews take place a few weeks prior to each production at Chez Zee American Bistro; Opening Night Dinners hosted by the Austin Opera Guild are held in the Kodosky Lounge at the Long Center on the Saturday night of each production; Opera Overtures—pre-curtain lectures free to ticket holders—begin one hour before each performance at the Long Center; and Matinee Music Camps are offered for children ages 4-10 each Sunday while parents take in the opera performance in the theater.
The Season Opening Gala Concert and three subscription operas all take place at the Long Center, of which Austin Opera is a Founding Resident Company. Season tickets are on sale now, and tickets can be purchased by calling 512-472-5927 or at www.austinopera.org.
About Austin Opera
Founded in May 1986 as Austin’s first professional opera company, Austin Opera has become a cultural touchstone for the fine arts community in the Central Texas region and has gained national acclaim as a producer of great opera. Austin Opera is committed to producing and promoting outstanding opera that will entertain, enrich and educate the central Texas community. Austin Opera is a cultural destination for the community that delivers an extraordinary experience; is a creative environment that challenges the misconceptions of the art form; enables lifelong learning; and celebrates the diversity that makes Austin unique. Austin Opera productions consistently garner national and international praise for production value, vocal artistry, repertoire selection, and the leadership of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Richard Buckley. For more information about Austin Opera, please visit AustinOpera.org.