Savannah VOICE Festival to Present LA BOHEME

The ninth annual Savannah VOICE Festival, staged Aug. 8 - 22 in and around the Hostess City, will include a condensed production of the famous Puccini opera La Bohème on Saturday, August 21, with renowned stage director Fabrizio Melano and Maestro Andrew Bisantz.

"Bohème" will be presented twice, in an abridged, timeless adaptation that takes the giant work and tells the story in 75 minutes. Presented at Asbury Memorial Church, which is located on 1008 E. Henry Street, show times are 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this production are $50 for premium seats, and $32.50 for standard seating. The 5 p.m. showing is graciously sponsored by Marjorie and B.H. Levy and the 7:30 showing by Carolyn Donovan.

Savannah Opera was launched by the Savannah VOICE Festival in 2018, on the heels of its sixth season. This brand is the daughter organization of the Savannah VOICE Festival and the VOICExperience Foundation. Savannah Opera continues with the work of the SVF in staging high quality productions scaled to the size of the city of Savannah, GA.

"'La Bohème' is one of the most frequently performed Italian operas and we are thrilled to say that The Savannah VOICE Festival and Savannah Opera are back LIVE with this piece." says the Founder and Executive Director of the Festival, Maria Zouves. "This is one of the most romantic pieces ever written and in this version, the melodies we all love are in there, but we move the story along in one continuous segment. We've done this before with several operas and found that today's audience responds well to an abridged version. I hope veteran opera lovers and newcomers to the genre alike will come experience this music, especially now as we are in great need of live sound."

Puccini's "La Bohème" premiered Feb 1, 1896, at the Teatro Regio in Italy as a four-act opera, set in 1830s Paris, France. Based on Henri Murger's "Scenes de la vie de bohème," the story portrays four struggling artists finding their way, but facing the harsh realities of life through love and loss. Melano's production brings a timelessness to the piece that aims to stimulate your mind, touch your heart, and expand your horizons.

Tenor Peter Lake and soprano Liz Lang portray the lovers Rodolfo and Mimì, who meet by candlelight. Soprano Angela De Venuto and baritone Jean Carlos Rodriguez portray the on-again, off-again lovers Musetta and Marcello, with baritones Leo Radosavljevic and Mariano Gladić rounding out the cast of bohemians as Colline and Schaunard, respectively.

For a full lineup of all Savannah VOICE Festival concerts, performances, master classes and other events, to become a VOICE Member, or to purchase tickets for La Bohème and other events, please call 855.766.7372, email info@savannahvoicefestival.org or visit www.savannahvoicefestival.org.

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