Harvard College Opera Celebrates 25 Years of Performance with LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

Tickets are now on sale for Harvard College Opera's production of Mozart's classic Le Nozze di Figaro. Performances will take place on February 1st, 3rd and 4th at 7:00 PM, with an additional matinee on February 5th at 2:00 PM. Performances are at Agassiz Theater on the Harvard University campus (10 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA). Tickets ($10-$20) may be purchased through the Harvard Box Office (1350 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA boxoffice.harvard.edu - 617.496.2222) or at the door pending availability. Tickets to the opening night performance on February 1st will be free.

About the Opera - Music directed by Sasha Scolnik-Brower '17 and stage directed by Joule Voelz '17, Harvard College Opera (HCO) is excited to bring to life this masterpiece of the opera buffa canon and pinnacle of Mozart's musical genius. With more salon drama than a whole season of Downtown Abbey, this comedy takes place in one uproarious day as Figaro attempts to wed his beloved Susanna. Mistaken identities, disregarded morals, and failed plots drive this upstairs/ downstairs story about the intersection between love and class.

About the Artists - Le Nozze di Figaro features an entirely undergraduate cast, production staff, and orchestra of over fifty students from Harvard College, Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. In the lead roles are tenor Hunter York (Figaro), soprano Arianna Paz (Susanna), and soprano Christina Bianco (Countess Almaviva).

Music Director Sasha Scolnik-Brower '17 has conducted multiple orchestras during his time at Harvard including the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra, Mozart Society Orchestra, and the Bach Society Orchestra. As a cellist, Scolnik-Brower is currently enrolled in the dual degree program of Harvard University and the New England Conservatory in the studio of Paul Katz.

Stage Director Joule Voelz returns to Harvard College Opera to direct her second production with the company. Most recently, she stage directed HCO's spring 2016 production of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and assistant directed the New York dell'Arte Opera Ensemble's summer production of Massenet's Manon.

The Harvard College Opera Society, formerly the Dunster House Opera Society, was founded in 1992 by Dunster House students as the premier undergraduate opera company dedicated to making opera more accessible to the greater Harvard community. Harvard College Opera presents one full-length opera each February with an entirely undergraduate cast and production team. Throughout the academic year, HCO hosts a variety of smaller-scale events, from opera screenings to free recitals of songs, arias, and opera scenes. 2017 marks Harvard College Opera's fourth year performing in the historic Agassiz Theater after leaving its residency in Dunster House in 2013. This year the company will also celebrate its notable 25th anniversary.