Heartland Opera Will Present Puccini's SUOR ANGELIA and GIANNI SCHICCHI

Heartland Opera Theatre announces new productions of Puccini's Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, presented as a double bill on March 6th at 7pm and March 8th at 2pm. Both performances will take place at Joplin Memorial Hall in the heart of Joplin, Missouri.

The beloved comic masterpiece, Gianni Schicchi, will feature Christian Bester in the title role, Sarah Kuhlmann as Lauretta and Stephen Ash as Rinuccio. Puccini's enduring drama, Suor Angelica, stars Kelli Van Meter as Suor Angelica and Kayla Siembieda as La Zia Principessa. Rachel Harris is directing and designing the new production, and Tim Kennedy is designing the costumes.

Andy Anderson makes his company debut as the conductor. He expressed particular ethusiasm about the organization's trajectory: "Heartland Opera Theatre's location gives the organization quite an advantage. The company can use the Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma/Arkansas areas for audience development, and can also draw upon the rich cultural heritage of this region to recruit artists. The past few years have seen tremendous growth within the company, and their future is very exciting. As the company grows, so do its operas. This double bill of Sour Angelica and Gianni Schicchi will be one of the largest physical productions in the company's history. We have artists from NYC, Kansas City, Little Rock, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and of course, Joplin. Heartland Opera Theatre is a small company with a HUGE passion for opera!"

More information for the Heartland Opera performance are available at http://www.heartlandoperatheatre.com/