Washington National Opera Adds Diana Damrau to Celebrity Concert Lineup 4/8

Washington National Opera presents German soprano Diana Damrau in recital as part of its Celebrity Concert Series on Monday, April 8 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Accompanied by harpist Xavier de Maistre, Damrau will perform selections from Schubert, R. Strauss, Hahn, Chausson, Duparc, and more. Both artists make their WNO debuts with this performance.

Diana Damrau will perform in recital on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $40 and are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324, or online at www.kennedy-center.org.

Following their recital in Washington, Ms. Damrau and Mr. de Maistre will embark on a 10-city European tour, including stops at the Palais Garnier in Paris, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and Wigmore Hall in London.

Hailed as the one of the leading coloratura sopranos in the world, Diana Damrau continues to amaze audiences with her brilliant voice and arresting stage presence. She recently completed a heralded run as Gilda in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Rigoletto, which was broadcast live to movie theaters worldwide. Also this season at the Met she makes her eagerly anticipated role debut as Violetta in La traviata.

Complementing her operatic engagements in 2013, concerts and recitals take her to Paris, Geneva, Lyon, London, Reykjavik, Hamburg, Vienna, Bad Kissingen, and Gstaad. A regular performer at the most renowned opera houses and concert halls, she was awarded the title "Bayerische Kammersängerin" in 2007 and was named "Singer of the Year" by Opernwelt magazine in 2008.

Ms. Damrau began working with Mr. de Maistre in 2006, forging a unique partnership in their exploration of the world of art song. Their early collaboration led to Ms. Damrau appearing on Mr. de Maistre's 2008 Sony debut release Nuit d'étoiles, singing a selection of Debussy melodies. Since then, they have performed a variety of concert programs to great acclaim in England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Canada.

WNO continues its 2012-2013 season with Patricia Racette in her role debut as Manon Lescaut (through March 23), a new production of Norma starring Angela Meade in her role debut and Dolora Zajick as Adalgisa (through March 24), and the company premiere and new production of the classic American opera Show Boat, directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, opening May 4. On Saturday, May 18, Show Boat will be simulcast live, free of charge, to thousands of fans at National Park as part of M&M'S Opera in the Outfield. In June, WNO will also present the world premiere of Approaching Ali as part of the American Opera Initiative, its new commissioning program for young American composers and librettists.

Washington National Opera (WNO) is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. Founded in 1956 and now an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the company boasts numerous artistic highlights, including world premieres, commissioning of new works and new productions, international tours, and performances by some of opera's most admired artists. WNO productions have been heard around the world, through radio and television broadcasts on WETA-FM, NPR, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and PBS, as well as through audio and video recordings.

This season, WNO launches the American Opera Initiative, a comprehensive new commissioning program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering and developing the talents of new American composers and librettists. WNO contributes to the future of opera through two other signature artist-development programs: the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program is a leading resident-training program for artists on the verge of international careers, and the WNO Opera Institute nurtures the ambitions of high-school-age singers and pianists from across the nation during an intensive three-week summer program.

WNO's education and access initiatives include year-round programs in public schools throughout the region; Generation O, a popular discount-ticket initiative for young people; and a variety of lectures and discussions for every production on the season calendar. Among the most popular of WNO's community programs is M&M'S Opera in the Outfield, which brings free, live simulcasts of opera to Nationals Park for thousands of opera fans as well as new audiences.

For more information about Washington National Opera, visit www.kennedy-center.org/wno.

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