Opera Saratoga Announces Fundraiser Pasta And Puccini: Celebrating CARNIVAL IN VENICE

On Thursday, March 27, the Opera Saratoga Guild presents the annual fundraiser dinner and concert, "Pasta and Puccini: Celebrates Carnival in Venice". For over 20 years, "Pasta & Puccini" has been a sold out highlight of the season.

For nearly 25 years, the event, established by the former Friends of Opera Saratoga, has served up delicious Italian food mixed with an evening of fine music, featuring great Italian opera composers such as Pucccini, Rossini, Verdi and more.

According to this year's Event Chair Carol Markley, "Pasta & Puccini has always been a fun, affordable event for opera fans, and this year's theme revolves around the Venetian Carnival. Patrons are encouraged to bring a traditional mask (but don't worry, we will have some on hand, as well)."

Music for the event is being programmed by Mary Birnbaum, Opera Saratoga's General & Artistic Director, and features a group of young talented singers, all of whom are currently appearing in the company's Educational Tour, which brings opera to over 10,000 school children in the Capital District. Performances will be accompanied by the Education Tour music director Parker Konkle. According to Birnbaum, "In addition to the traditional Italian rep, the singers will be performing several pieces from this year's summer festival, which includes Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne and the Bock & Harnick musical She Loves Me, and introducing some fun lesser-known arias that are sure to be a hit with the crowd."

The menu for the event features a choice of Salmon, Beef Tenderloin and Risotto, as well as a robust appetizer selection, limoncello cake for dessert, and a cash bar. Tickets are available for $115, with discounts available for Opera Saratoga Guild Members.

ABOUT OPERA SARATOGA:

Opera Saratoga, formerly known as Lake George Opera, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230. The Company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually. Opera Saratoga celebrates its 60th Anniversary this season. The company serves the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack and New York State Capital areas by providing access to world-class opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public to experience opera in both our home theater and non-traditional venues that leverage and embrace the unique cultural, historic, and natural resources of the area. To date, the company has performed 108 different fully staged works by 69 different composers, including 44 works by American composers and 15 premiere productions. Opera Saratoga's staff includes General and Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum, Executive Director Amanda Robie and the Head of Music Staff and Festival Artist Program, Laurie Rogers. For more information, visit www.operasaratoga.org

ABOUT MARY BIRNBAUM:

Mary Birnbaum is a New York based director of opera and music theater. In 2024, she directed critically acclaimed productions of Rigoletto (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Guys and Dolls (Opera Saratoga), and ÉMIGRÉ (World Premiere, New York Philharmonic). Other credits include new productions of La bohème (Santa Fe Opera), Dido and Aeneas (Juilliard, Opera Holland Park, Opéra de Versailles), L'Orfeo (Juilliard, NYTimes "Best of Classical Music 2021"), Otello (National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan), L'elisir d'amore (National Theater of Costa Rica) and many more. In demand for her skills as a collaborator on new work, Birnbaum has directed world premieres by contemporary artists including Jeremy Denk and Steven Stucky (The Classical Style at Ojai and Carnegie Hall), Frank London and Elise Thoron (Hatuey at Montclair Peak Performances), Mark Campbell and Kristin Kuster (Kept at Virginia Arts Festival). She directed the premiere of Chris Cerrone and Stephanie Fleischmann's In a Grove at Pittsburgh Opera in 2022, which will play at the Prototype Festival in Jan 2025. On the faculty of The Juilliard School since 2011, Birnbaum serves as the Dramatic Advisor to the MMGD program. She coaches at the Lindemann Young Artists Program at The Metropolitan Opera. In 2023, she became the General and Artistic director of Opera Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, New York. A graduate of Harvard College, Mary Birnbaum trained professionally in physical theater at L'École Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

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