LA Opera professional artists will once again collaborate with more than 300 amateur members of the Los Angeles musical community to present two performances of Benjamin Britten's Noah's Flood this spring at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Conducted by LA Opera Music Director James Conlon, the performances will take place at 7:30pm on Friday, March 6, and at 7:30pm on Saturday, March 7.
Thanks to generous longtime support from the Dan Murphy Foundation, LA Opera's Education and Community Engagement Department is able to produce Noah's Flood and offer it free of charge as a special gift to the greater Los Angeles community. LA Opera has presented annual community productions at the Cathedral led by Mr. Conlon since 2007; this year's presentation of Noah's Flood will be the fifth time that Britten's opera has been produced in that venue.
Noah's Flood is a colorful pageant where children play all the animal roles, parading two-by-two into the ark. Regarded as Britten's most lovable work, the opera is based on one of the famous medieval Chester mystery plays, dating back to the 15th century. Scored for a combination of both student orchestra musicians and a professional chamber ensemble, the opera features inspired and delightful musical innovations; for example, the raindrops are represented by the sound of a series of mugs of varying sizes slung on string and struck by wooden spoons.
Two leading soloists with LA Opera-baritone Jonathan Michie and mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic-will perform the roles of Noah and Mrs. Noah. Actor Jamieson K. Price will be heard as the Voice of God. The orchestra will include musicians from the LA Opera Orchestra performing alongside the Classical European Music Academy Los Angeles, East Los Angeles Performing Arts Magnet Orchestra, Hamilton High School Academy of Music Orchestra, Colburn String Orchestra and the Celebration Ringers of Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena. The performers will include singers from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Choir, the East Los Angeles Performing Arts Magnet, the Music Center Usher Choir, the Holy Family Filipino Chorale and Children's Concert Chorus, Pueri Cantores San Gabriel Valley Choir, the Sacred Heart School Choir and Schola Cantorum, CASA 101, Hollenbeck Palms and participants in LA Opera's Zarzuela Project.
The stage director will be Eli Villanueva. The creative team also includes scenic designer Carolina Angulo, projection designer Alisa Lapidus, costume designer Paula Higgins, lighting designer Tantris Hernandez and sound designer Jon Gottlieb.
Noah's Flood is part of LA Opera's Off Grand initiative, dedicated to presenting a wide variety of artistic exploration throughout a broad geographical area. To learn more, please visit
LAOpera.org/OffGrand.
The Cathedral is located at 555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Advance tickets are required for admission; there will be a $1 per ticket handling fee and a four-ticket limit per household. Tickets will be available at 10am on Wednesday, February 11, and can be reserved online at
LAOpera.org.
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