Two Italian Operas Feature UMD Singers in First Roles for Maryland Opera Studio

Works by Mozart & Donizetti at Clarice Smith Center Nov. 19-24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Andrew Zender, azender@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151

Friday, November 06, 2009 — College Park, MD. — Kicking off Maryland Opera Studio's 2009-2010 season at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center are two Italian operas, Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera and Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. The two works will be presented in rep in the Ina and Jack Kay Theatre Thursday - Tuesday, Nov. 19-24 (see showtimes below). Mozart's work is directed by Pat Diamond and conducted by Justina Lee; the Donizetti's opera is directed by Nick Olcott and conducted by Michael Ingram.

The operas will also feature several second-year UM grad students in their first full roles for Maryland Opera Studio, along with returning program singers who have graduated to professional careers. Both works are staged as “white operas” – a Maryland Opera Studio tradition so named for the minimal staging and the versatile white outfits adapted to represent differing eras and styles. These annual presentations place the emphasis on vocal performance and the singers’ development their roles, rather than on lavish sets and costumes.

La Finta Giardiniera, (translated as "gardener girl") is an opera buffa in three acts that tells the elaborate tale of a woman in disguise searching for the lover who mistakenly believes he has killed her. Upon the opera's premiere in 1775, an eighteen year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote to his mother, "my opera…was such a success it is impossible for me to describe the applause."

Described by All Music Guide as "a delicious opera that bubbles with vitality and confidence," La Finta Giardiniera exploits the dramatic potential of a woman disguised as a man and the complications arising when other female characters fall in love with the handsome young "man," a plot twist common among early comic operas. Cast members include Gabrielle DeMers as Marchioness Violante Onesti; Adrienne Webster as Ramiro; Peter Burroughs as Don Anchise; Andrew Adelsberger as Roberto; Amelia Davis as Serpetta; Madeleine Miskie as Arminda; and Nicholas Houhoulis as Count Belifore.

Based on the libretto "Le Philtre" by Eugène Scribe, L'elisir d'amore (translated as "The Elixir of Love") brings to life the comic story of a simple peasant who buys a supposedly magic potion to woo the beautiful and wealthy girl whom he loves. A melodrama giocoso in two acts, L'elisir d'amore was written by Gaetano Donizetti in a mere six weeks, coming on the heels of the dismal failure of Ugo, Conte di Parigi. It was premiered in 1832 to lavish praise from critics and the Italian public, its first run lasting 33 performances. Cast members in this production include Amanda Opuszynski as Adina; Andrew Owens as Nemorino; Colin Brush as Belcore; Jarrod Lee as Doctor Dulcamara; and Amy Davis as Giannetta. A 13-member ensemble chorus will also be featured.

Showtimes of La Finta Giardiniera include:

• Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.
• Monday, November 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Showtimes of L'elisir d'amore include:

• Friday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Both operas will be performed in Italian with English supertitles, are fully staged with minimal production and feature only piano accompaniment, placing the focus on the young singers in their first complete roles in Maryland Opera Studio. Tickets to either performance are $21 for the general public and $9 for full-time students with I.D. Tickets are available by visiting www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).

In support of state employees during these trying economic times, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center has joined the Maryland Citizens for the Arts’s Step Up program with a special ticket offer. The Center's Step Up offer will allow state employees to purchase two tickets per ID to any performance in our 2009-2010 season at a 20% discount, with no limit on the number of performances. Online and phone purchases will be held at will call. Use promotional code STEPUP and present a state ID when picking up tickets.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is located at the intersection of University Boulevard (Route 193) and Stadium Drive in College Park, on the campus of the University of Maryland. A parking garage is located across the street from the Center.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional support is provided through generous grants from the Leading College and University Presenters Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and from The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.