Connecticut Virtuosi To Celebrate Centennial Of Puccini With Beloved Opera LA BOHEME

Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Adrian Sylveen, is marking the 100th anniversary of the legacy of the legendary Italian composer Giacomo Puccini with two performances of his most beloved and romantic opera, La Bohème. 

 

The Virtuosi/Greve Opera Academy production, originally performed at the 2024 Greve Festival in Italy, will be presented in collaboration with Teatro Lirico D'Europa. This unforgettable performance will feature a starry international cast drawn from vocalists from the storied Metropolitan Opera and award-winning vocalists, young artists from the 2024 Greve Opera Academy from the United States, Korea, and Armenia. The sumptuous Puccini score will be performed by the Nutmeg State's premier chamber orchestra, The Connecticut Virtuosi.

 

Puccini's La Bohème is a poignant opera capturing the essence of Bohemian life in Paris. It narrates the tragic romance between Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimì, a seamstress, set against a backdrop of poverty and artistic aspiration. The opera, with its memorable arias, is celebrated for its emotive power and lush melodies. La Bohème remains a staple in the opera world, resonating with audiences for its portrayal of love, friendship, and the bitter-sweetness of life.

 

The cast includes Armenian soprano Gayane Ghambaryan as Mimi, American tenor Daniel Juarez as Rodolfo, Korean baritone Cheoncho Lee as Marcello, American soprano Hannah Wolfe as Musetta, American bass Gregory Sheppard as Colline, and American bass Stefan Szkafarowsky as Benoit/Alcindro. The production features direction by Carlos Conde-González (Puerto Rico) with costumes and sets by Teatro Lirico d'Europa. Ghambaryan, Lee and Wolfe are all featured Young Artists from the 2024 Greve Opera Academy, a highly-competitive program that invites promising vocalists to train and perform in fully-staged operas in Greve-in-Chianti and Florence, Italy. Maestro Adrian Sylveen, who will be conducting La Bohème, is the artistic director of Greve Opera Academy.

 

Performances of La Bohéme will be Sunday, November 17 at 3pm at the Santo Fragilio Performing Arts Center (200 LaRosa Lane, Middletown) and Thursday, November 21 at 7:30pm at The Bushnell @ First Presbyterian Church (136 Capitol Avenue, Hartford). Tickets for the Middletown performance are $20-$75; tickets for the Hartford performance are $39.50. More information and tickets are available at thevirtuosi.org. Both performances will be in Italian with English supertitles.

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