Cincinnati Opera's 2022 Summer Festival Concludes With CASTOR AND PATIENCE, AIDA, And MORRIS AND FRIENDS
The world premiere of the touching and topical new opera Castor and Patience will run July 21, 23, 24, 28, 30 at SCPA's Corbett Theater.
By: A.A. Cristi Jul. 15, 2022
Cincinnati Opera concludes its 2022 Summer Festival July 21-31 with two powerful opera productions and one star-studded concert event.
First is the world premiere of the touching and topical new opera Castor and Patience (July 21, 23, 24, 28, 30; SCPA's Corbett Theater), with music by Gregory Spears and libretto by Tracy K. Smith, followed by Giuseppe Verdi's epic romance Aida (July 22, 26, 29, 31; Cincinnati Music Hall).
Also featured is Morris and Friends (July 27; Cincinnati Music Hall), an evening of gospel and opera hosted by world-renowned bass Morris Robinson.
World premiere opera!
CASTOR AND PATIENCE
Music by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Tracy K. Smith
Thursday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 23, 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 24, 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 28, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.
SCPA's Corbett Theater, 108 West Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45202
A long overdue family reunion finds two African American cousins at odds over the fate of a historic parcel of land they have inherited in the American South. Castor is eager to sell the land to pay off his crushing debt, but Patience is determined to fight off overzealous investors and preserve her family's legacy. Deeply relevant to ongoing calls for racial justice, Castor and Patience probes historical and continuing obstacles to Black land ownership in the U.S.
With powerful, soaring music by Gregory Spears, composer of our acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and an original libretto by Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith, this timeless and topical premiere explores the meaning of home and the power of memory.
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Patience ... Talise Trevigne
Castor ... Reginald Smith Jr.
Celeste ... Jennifer Johnson Cano
Wilhelmina ... Victoria Okafor
West ... Benjamin Taylor
Judah ... Frederick Ballentine
Ruthie ... Raven McMillon
Clarissa/Ensemble ... Amber Monroe
Jane/Ensemble ... Zoie Reams
Nestor/Ensemble ... Victor Ryan Robertson
Cato/Ensemble ... Phillip Bullock
Second Man/Ensemble ... Earl Hazell
Composer ... Gregory Spears
Librettist ... Tracy K. Smith
Conductor ... Kazem Abdullah
Stage Director ... Kevin Newbury
Scenic Designer ... Vita Tzykun
Costume Designer ... Jessica Jahn
Image Designer ... Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Projection Designer ... S. Katy Tucker
Lighting Designer ... Thomas C. Hase
Wig and Makeup Designer ... James Geier
Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.
AIDA
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni
Friday, July 22, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 29, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 31, 3:00 p.m.
Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Experience the grandest of all grand operas in this lavish production that evokes the opulence and splendor of Ancient Egypt. As war rages between enemy nations, a forbidden love burns brightly between Radamès, an Egyptian warrior, and Aida, his captive. But Aida's keeping a secret of her own-she's the daughter of the Ethiopian king and deeply devoted to her people. Will she betray Radamès to save her nation or risk everything to follow her heart?
From its star-crossed lovers to its thunderous "Triumphal March"- featuring more than 100 artists onstage-Aida is the very definition of epic and a passionate romance for the ages.
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Aida ... Mary Elizabeth Williams
Amneris ... Tichina Vaughn
Radamès ... Gregory Kunde
Amonasro ... Gordon Hawkins
Ramfis ... Morris Robinson
High Priestess ... Jennifer Cherest
King of Egypt ... Peixin Chen
Messenger ... Houston Tyrrell
Conductor ... Christopher Allen
Stage Director ... Crystal Manich
Scenic Designers ... Claude Girard and Bernard Uzan
Costume Designer ... Claude Girard
Lighting Designer ... Thomas C. Hase
Wig and Makeup Designer ... James Geier
Chorus Master ... Henri Venanzi
Choreographer ... Michael Pappalardo
Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, and the Cincinnati Opera Chorus
Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.
MORRIS AND FRIENDS
Wednesday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
World-renowned bass and Cincinnati Opera Artistic Advisor Morris Robinson hosts and curates a special, one-night-only concert of opera and gospel on the Music Hall stage. Experience the power of some of today's top opera singers and musicians who have gospel music roots and are making their mark across the performing arts world.
FEATURING:
Morris Robinson, bass
with
Jacqueline Echols, soprano
Tichina Vaughn, mezzo-soprano
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Will Liverman, baritone
Reginald Smith Jr., baritone
Russell Thomas, tenor
Damien Sneed, piano
Kazem Abdullah, conductor
With the Cincinnati United Choir and HBCU Collective and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Tickets start at $35. To order, call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.
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