Joseph Mechavich Will Conduct THE BARBER OF SEVILLE At Minnesota Opera

Joseph Mechavich conducts The Barber of Seville at Minnesota Opera November 9 - 17.

Joseph Mechavich returns to his home state to conduct Rossini's The Barber of Seville at Minnesota Opera. He has previously conducted the comedic favorite with Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center in 2009. A native of Long Lake, Minnesota, Mechavich studied at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Yale University School of Music. For the first five years of his career, he served on the music staff of Minnesota Opera. Since that point, he has achieved a distinguished reputation, leading orchestras and singers in numerous respected opera houses, including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Auckland Philharmonia, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Florida Grand Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Calgary Opera and many others. His return to the Twin Cities to lead an exceptional cast including Daniela Mack and Alek Shrader marks a career milestone for maestro Mechavich and an auspicious event for The Minnesota Opera. Other highlights for Mr. Mechavich's 2019-2020 season include Everest for Austin Opera, Macbeth for Florentine Opera, Die Zauberflöte for North Carolina Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage for Arizona Opera, and Carmen for Kentucky Opera, where he currently serves as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

Through decades of dedication, Mechavich has gained a firm grasp on nearly all of the beloved operas in the standard repertoire. Beyond his expertise of the classics, he is also known for his deep commitment to American opera. He is a champion of the music of Carlisle Floyd and Jake Heggie. He has conducted productions of Floyd's Susannah, Of Mice and Men, and Cold Sassy Tree and recorded Wuthering Heights, which is the first recording in a multi-year project to record Floyd's unrecorded operas. Maestro Mechavich has conducted highly acclaimed productions by Jake Heggie such as Moby-Dick, Great Scott, Out of Darkness: Two Remain, and Dead Man Walking. In an interview with Classical Singer Magazine Heggie enthuses, "Joey is the very best kind of opera conductor...A real theater man who understands that dramatic pacing is absolutely everything. He's a wonderful storyteller with baton in hand. He loves singers, loves words, loves the stage, loves the orchestra, and forces collectively to tell compelling stories..."

In past seasons Maestro Mechavich has conducted for Utah Opera, The Aspen Music Festival, Tulsa Opera, Arizona Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Dayton Opera, Madison Opera, New England Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Opera Theatre, Opera Saratoga, Virginia Opera, the Florida Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, Virginia Symphony and the Sarasota Orchestra.

Full cast and production details for the Minnesota production of The Barber of Seville are available at https://mnopera.org/season/2019-2020/the-barber-of-seville/

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