Chicago Opera Theatre Presents 'A Flowering Tree'

Chicago Opera Theater is proud to present the Midwest premiere of John Adams' latest opera on May 14, 2008 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. John Adams will conduct the first two performances on May 14 and 17. 
 
"I was at the world premiere of A Flowering Tree in Vienna in November of 2006, and believe our audience will be thrilled to discover a new masterpiece." said COT General Director Brian Dickie.
 
In celebration of A Flowering Tree, Chicago Opera Theater presents India Blooms in Chicago, a month-long festival (April 18-May 25) exploring the art of storytelling across genres – film, dance, folk tale traditions, psychoanalysis, poetry, music and hip hop – to provide a lens into the rich and vibrant culture of India.
 
"We developed a wonderful relationship with John Adams when we presented the Chicago premiere of his opera Nixon in China in 2006, and much of that was due to the many events we built around it—so we are at it again with India Blooms in Chicago," continued Dickie.
 
Renowned for his geo-political operas, John Adams' newest opera turns away from contemporary events toward stories from long ago.  Based on a southern Indian folk tale, A Flowering Tree is about a beautiful but poor girl who falls in love with a handsome prince—and has the magical gift of transforming herself into a flowering tree. The story was translated by the late A.K. Ramanujan, a University of  Chicago scholar of South Asian language and culture. John Adams and Peter Sellars used Ramanujan's translation of this story along with other Indian poetry as the basis for their libretto. Adams modeled A Flowering Tree on the themes found in Mozart's The Magic Flute.
 
John Adams conducts the first two performances A Flowering Tree. and has created some of the most important classical works of the 20th and 21st centuries including El Niño, Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, On the Transmigration of Souls, and Doctor Atomic. Joana Carneiro conducts the last three performances on May 20, 23 and 25. Carneiro is the Assistant Conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic working closely with Esa-Pekka Salonen and is a Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon, as well as an official guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra.
 
The production is directed Nicola Raab, who staged Chicago Opera Theater's 2007 production of Béatrice et Bénédict. Raab's more recent productions were seen in Vienna: the baroque opera Artaxerxes by Leonardi Vinci, and the double bill of When She Died–Death of a Princess and 8 Songs For a Mad King. Future engagements include directing a new opera by Isidora Zebeljan for Bregenz Festival and Neue Oper Wien. Renato Zanella choreographs the substantial dance element of the piece. Former director of the Vienna State Opera Ballet, he is now a freelance choreographer.
 
The design team comprises production designer George Souglides, who will design Otello at the Salzburg Festival this summer; lighting designer Aaron Black, who is designing all 3 operas in COT's 2008 Spring Season, has designed for Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Bilbao, and Opera Pittsburgh; and sound designer Mark Grey has worked with such artists and organizations as John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Kronos Quartet and The Paul Dresher Ensemble.
 
The cast is led by soprano Natasha Jouhl as Kumudha whose upcoming engagements include Angelica in Orlando for Opera Theatre Company in Dublin and Micaela in Carmen for Glyndebourne Touring Opera. Tenor Noah Stewart sings the Prince—he recently performed as Macduff in San Francisco Opera's Macbeth and as T. Morris Chester in the world premiere of Appomattox. Baritone Sanford Sylvan, who sings the role of the Storyteller, originated the role of Chou En-Lai in John Adams' Nixon in China as well as the title role in Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer.
 
The cast also includes twenty-four choristers and nine dancers. 

Chicago Opera Theater presents A Flowering Tree for 5 performances on May 14, 17, 20, 23, and 25, 2008. The 2008 Spring Season concludes with Handel's Orlando, May 28 through June 8.
 
Chicago Opera Theater performs at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park--205 East Randolph Drive.
 
Individual tickets are now on sale and range from $35-$120 (prices subject to change). COT also offers a 50% discounted student rate in most sections. Tickets may be purchased online at ChicagoOperaTheater.org and by phone at 312.704.8414. Tickets may also be purchased at the HarrisTheaterChicago.org or by phone at 312.334.7777.