Tickets for Opera on the Mall's Free Broadcast of NABUCCO Available 8/28

FREE tickets to Opera Philadelphia's HD broadcast of Nabucco will be available to the public starting this Wednesday, August 28. You can score your free tickets to Opera on the Mall beginning at 10 a.m. at www.operaonthemall.org. Everyone who registers will be entered to win an Opera Philadelphia subscription for two to the entire 2013-2014 Season.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, at 7:00 p.m., Philadelphians will gather together to enjoy Verdi's landmark Italian opera about the struggle for independence while surrounded by the physical landmarks of our own nation's successful bid for independence. The season-opening performance from the stage of the Academy of Music will be broadcast in high definition to a giant outdoor screen, in the shadow of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

On its surface, the opera is about the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar (or Nabucco), who conquered Jerusalem and exiled the Jews in the sixth century BC. But, when it debuted in 1842, the Italians identified the captivity of the Israelites in the opera with their own dominance by Austrian rule. The patriotic chorus "Va, pensiero" quickly became a national anthem of sorts, and Verdi involuntarily became a leading figure in the movement toward a free, united Italy. Learn more in this Nabucco News Release

This is the third year Opera Philadelphia will launch its season with a free broadcast at Independence National Historical Park. Last year, nearly 3,000 guests enjoyed the broadcast of Puccini'sLa bohème from their picnic blankets and chairs.

Event information is available at www.operaonthemall.org or by calling 215.732.8400.

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