Madison Opera's THE TALES OF HOFFMANN Airs on WPR Today

Madison Opera partners with Wisconsin Public Radio to present recorded broadcast of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann today, May 21. The broadcast begins at 1pm and listeners can tune into WPR on 88.7FM or stream online at www.wpr.org/listen-live.

Each spring, two operas from Madison Opera's season are presented by Wisconsin Public Radio to let listeners re-live the season. These broadcasts cap off the end of the season of live radio broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera that run from December through May on WPR's News & Classical Music Network.

Today, May 21 at 1pm, the broadcasts conclude with Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. As he sits in a tavern, the poet Hoffmann recounts the stories of his three loves: a doll, a singer, and a courtesan. Offenbach's masterpiece moves in a fantasy world, with showpiece arias for the bravura cast, the gorgeous barcarolle, and a truly moving tribute to what it means to be an artist. Critic John Barker called Madison Opera's April 2016 production "an absolute triumph."

Madison Opera's cast features Harold Meers as Hoffmann, Sian Davies as Antonia / Giulietta / Stella, Jeni Houser as Olympia, Morgan Smith as The Villains, Adriana Zabala as The Muse / Nicklausse, Jared Rogers as The Servants, Thomas Forde as Luther / Crespel, and Robert Goderich as Spalanzani. John DeMain conducts, featuring the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra. The broadcast includes intermission features with Meers, Davies, Smith, and DeMain, interviewed by WPR's Lori Skelton.

Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1961, the company grew from a local workshop presenting community singers in English-language productions to a nationally recognized organization producing diverse repertoire and presenting leading American opera singers alongside emerging talent. A resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts, Madison Opera presents three productions annually in addition to the free summer concert Opera in the Park and a host of educational programming.