City Lyric Opera Presents Verdi's LA TRAVIATA in May

Celebrating its first opera staged at a proscenium theater in its seven-year history, City Lyric Opera (CLO) presents one of the world's most beloved operas, Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata (The Fallen Woman), which has captivated audiences for more than 150 years with its beautiful melodies, dazzling party scenes, and heart-wrenching tragedy. A woman-founded and run opera company, CLO seeks to highlight under-represented voices and perspectives within both contemporary and canonical repertoire. The 2022-23 season examines women's stories and the stories that society would dictate for them, first with Lori Laitman and Leah Lax's Uncovered- which made its New York premiere at the HERE Arts Center in November 2022- and now with La Traviata.

CLO's Artistic and Music Director Michelle Rofrano helms the production from the podium. Her passion for Verdi's work stems directly from her Italian-American heritage. "I grew up listening to and loving Giuseppe Verdi's operas. Over the years I have grown to realize that although there wasn't vocabulary for it at the time, Verdi was essentially a feminist. He was known for respecting the women in his life as equals and for creating works that feature strong female characters. In La Traviata, despite society's preconceived notions about women whom society deems as 'morally flawed,' Verdi writes Violetta as the only truly honorable character in the opera; a woman who deserves love, happiness, and security, but who unfortunately exists in a world that refuses to allow it."

Set against a backdrop of the hypocritical underbelly of upper-class Parisian society, La Traviata chronicles the ill-fated love story of the courtesan Violetta and the bourgeois Alfredo Germont. This fully-staged production centers Violetta's personal struggle during her last year on earth, offering an examination of the patriarchal system that treats her not only as morally "fallen," but also as disposable. CLO's fully-staged production takes strong imagery from the play and novel upon which the opera was based, La Dame aux Camélias.

La Traviata reunites Michelle Rofrano and Stage Director Rebecca Lee Kratzer, who first worked together on Telemann's Don Quichotte at Camacho's Wedding at Opera Saratoga in 2021. Michelle and Rebecca share a passion for rigorous interrogation of classic operas and pushing the boundaries of interpretation to highlight urgent themes and overlooked details.

CLO has a history of being a launchpad for young up-and-coming operatic talents. Headlining the performances are three exciting singers making their role debuts. Playing the lead role of Violetta is soprano Laura Soto-Bayomi, who returns to CLO after her acclaimed performance as Alice in CLO's 2022 production of The Garden of Alice. Opera News cited: "Laura Soto-Bayomi showed a refined soprano with a velvety tone; her overall expressiveness and excellent diction were a highlight." The romantic Alfredo Germont is played by Juilliard masters student Colin Aikins. This marks his professional debut. Playing Alfredo's controlling father Georgio Germont is baritone Sejin Park.

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