Met Opera Live in HD to Bring Bellini's NORMA to Warner Theatre

The Warner Theatre's 2017-2018 Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Season opens on Saturday, October 7 at 12:55 pm in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre with a new production of Vincenzo Bellini's Bel Canto tragedy, NORMA. A complimentary 45 minute pre-opera lecture by Nunzio DeFilippis will be offered in the Studio Theatre Lobby two hours before the broadcast.

Sir David McVicar's evocative production sets the action deep in a Druid forest where nature and ancient ritual rule. Sondra Radvanovsky stars as the Druid priestess title role, which she has sung to acclaim at the Met in 2013 as well as at the Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Gran Theatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago - making her one of the world's leading interpreters of the iconic title character. Co-stars include Joyce DiDonato as Norma's archrival, Adalgisa - a casting coup for Bel Canto fans and tenor Joseph Calleja as her unfaithful lover, Pollione. Carlo Rizzi conducts.

Half and Full-Season Subscriptions are available. To purchase a Season Subscription or tickets, call the Warner Box Office at 860-489-7180 or visit warnertheatre.org.

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Season is sponsored by Viron Rondo Osteria. The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD Lecture Series is sponsored by Mitchell Auto Group.

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat Studio Theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit www.warnertheatre.org.

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