The Virginian-Pilot Jan 23, 2016– Virginia Opera has announced its plans for the 2016-17 season, which include the next step in its five-season Puccini cycle and the continuation of its First of Firsts series.
The season will begin Sept. 30 with a seldom-seen pairing: Kurt Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.”
In keeping with the company’s First of Firsts series, “The Seven Deadly Sins” is a fresh production of the opera and is new to the company’s repertory. Weill specialist Ute Gfrerer will sing the lead role in her American operatic stage debut. “The Seven Deadly Sins” will be sung in English with English supertitles.
After intermission, the classic revenge piece “Pagliacci” will be presented, starring soprano Kelly Kaduce, in her Virginia Opera debut, and Michael Chioldi.
Performances will be Sept. 30, Oct. 2 and 4 at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk; Oct. 8 and 9 in Fairfax; and Oct. 14 and 16 at the Carpenter Theatre in Richmond.
The next performance will be more lighthearted: Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” with Virginia Beach native Will Liverman, a graduate of Virginia’s Governor’s School for the Arts, starring in his Virginia Opera debut.
Performances will be Nov. 11, 13 and 15 at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk; Nov. 18 and 20 at the Carpenter Theatre in Richmond; Dec. 3 and 4 in Fairfax.
The opera company will perform another work for the first time, “Der Freischütz (The Magic Marksman),” with a new English translation commissioned specifically to revitalize this piece, which is rarely done in this country, and make it more accessible.
The production will star heldentenor Issachah Savage, recently called one of the “Stars of Tomorrow” by The Washington Post and winner of the 2014 Seattle International Wagner Competition.
Performances will be Jan. 27, 29 and 31, 2017, at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk; Feb. 4 and 5 in Fairfax; and Feb. 17 and 19 at the Carpenter Theatre in Richmond.
The season finale will be “Turandot” by Giacomo Puccini, presenting the second stage in the company’s Puccini Cycle that launched this season with “La Bohème” and will end in the 2020 season.
“Turandot,” with one of opera’s most famous arias, will be performed by an internationally known cast, including Kelly Cae Hogan and Roger Honeywell in his Virginia Opera debut.
The dates are March 17, 19 and 21 at Harrison Opera House in Norfolk; March 25 and 26 in Fairfax; and March 31 and April 2 at the Carpenter Theatre in Richmond. Subscription tickets start at $66 for all 4 productions, and are on sale for performances in Norfolk and Richmond.
For tickets and information visit vaopera.org or call 866.673.7282.