Opera Orlando Presents 2021-22 OPERA ON THE TOWN Series

Opera Orlando's 2021-22 Viva Verdi! season goes into overdrive this spring as the Company launches its "On the Town" series with two very different but equally compelling productions. Make it a date night in March for Verdi's comic King for a Day, presented at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, and then in May, delve into the psychological thriller Lizbeth, a contemporary work by composer Thomas Albert and librettist Lindé Hayen Herman, exploring the life of Lizzie Borden, aligned with the Orlando International Fringe Festival at Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre. For a limited time save 10% when you purchase tickets for both productions via the Opera Orlando website, using the promo code SAVE10.

"2021-22 has already been a momentous season for Opera Orlando with our crowd-pleasing original take on La Traviata and the world premiere of our first commissioned work, The Secret River," states general director Gabriel Preisser. "As we look forward to moving into Steinmetz Hall this April, we are equally excited to step out across Central Florida with our Opera on the Town series. Opera fans will definitely not want to miss my turn as Belfiore in Verdi's first comedy, King for a Day."

Set in the stunning Venetian Ballroom at Universal Orlando's Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Verdi's King For a Day (Un giorno di regno) gives audiences a front row seat to a hilarious wedding day gone wrong, with an updated English translation by stage director Andrew Nienaber. Travel back to the 1930s for a glamorous old-Hollywood wedding of mismatched lovers, featuring the Opera Orlando debut of Metropolitan Opera soprano Kirsten Chambers and the Company's own Grammy Award-winning baritone Gabriel Preisser. Keith Chambers returns to Opera Orlando as conductor and musical director, leading a truly spectacular cast. Food and drink are included in this immersive production, and as a special treat, audiences on Saturday, March 5 will get to enjoy a special Venetian Appetizer musical program presented in partnership with the University of Florida. Students from the UF opera program will sing Neapolitan art songs and opera favorites from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and then stay after the performance for a post-show reception, where audiences can meet the cast and keep the party going.

King for a Day at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

5601 Universal Boulevard | Orlando, FL 32819

Friday | March 4, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday | March 5, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Presented during the 2022 Orlando International Fringe Festival at Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre, Lizbeth is a contemporary one-act opera in English about accused axe-murderer Lizzie Borden. Stage director Eve Summer returns to Orlando to direct this nightmarish exploration of Lizbeth's family life and potential motivations, joined by Israeli conductor Noam Aviel, making her Company debut leading the orchestra. Internationally-acclaimed mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero also makes her Opera Orlando and role debut performing this complex and enigmatic character study of who Borden might have been. She is joined by a wonderful local cast of singers, including Opera Orlando favorites, baritone Chadley Ballantyne and mezzo-soprano Sarah Purser, portraying the roles of Borden's father and stepmother respectively.

Lizbeth at Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre

600 N Lake Formosa Drive | Orlando, FL 32803

Friday | May 20, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday | May 22, 2022 at 2 p.m.

In addition to the Opera on the Town series, Opera Orlando will close its 2021-22 MainStage season this spring making history onstage at Steinmetz Hall. Verdi's Rigoletto will be the first opera to grace the new acoustically perfect hall, and audiences will be on the edge of their seats for this riveting masterwork. The production features the Opera Orlando debuts of Korean baritone SeungHyeon Baek in the title role, Metropolitan Opera soprano Lindsay Ohse as Gilda, Rigoletto's secret daughter, and leading tenor Kirk Dougherty as the nefarious Duke of Mantua. This original and thrilling production is led by Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter and directed by international stage director Katheleen Belcher, also making their Opera Orlando debuts. Rigoletto is an intense work with complex characters, an action-packed plot, and unforgettable music, including opera's most famous quartet and one of opera's greatest arias, "La donna è mobile." This timely and all too real portrait of a divided court moves seamlessly between the sparkling social scene of the glitterati and the squalor of those who struggle under its corrupt regime. The production will be sung in Italian with English supertitles and feature musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opera Orlando Chorus, and dancers from Orlando Ballet.

Rigoletto at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts | Steinmetz Hall

445 S Magnolia Drive | Orlando, FL 32801

Friday | April 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday | April 24, 2022 at 2 p.m.

As the Viva Verdi! season comes to a close, celebrate another incredible year with the Opera at their annual gala, Viva L'Opera!, on May 21 at The Alfond Inn. Get your tickets for the party of the season online at www.OperaOlrando.org.

Keeping safety as its first priority in the presentation of its 2021-22 season, Opera Orlando continues to monitor the development of COVID-19 and vaccination plans relating to the virus. The Company will continue its consultation with its health partners and venues to implement an appropriate and comprehensive plan, to continue to protect and reduce the risk of infection for audience members, cast and production teams, staff, and volunteers.

Stay up to date with Opera Orlando's season online at www.OperaOrlando.org, and use the promo code SAVE10 to take advantage of 10% off "On the Town" subscriptions now through January 30. Individual tickets for both King for a Day and Lizbeth are also available via the Opera's website or by calling (407) 512-1900.

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