Met Slates THE BARBER OF SEVILLE as 2015 Holiday Presentation

Continuing a tradition inaugurated in 2006, the Met offers a holiday presentation sung in English with special discount pricing for families this December and January. This year's production, Rossini's madcap comedy The Barber of Seville, opens December 16 and stars Isabel Leonard and Ginger Costa-Jackson as Rosina; David Portillo and Taylor Stayton as Count Almaviva; Elliot Madore and David Pershall as Figaro; Valeriano Lanchas as Dr. Bartolo; and Robert Pomakov as Don Basilio. Antony Walker conducts all nine performances of the opera, which runs through January 2.

On Wednesday, December 30, all ticket holders for the matinee are invited to a pre-performance open house event held on the Grand Tier level of the Met lobby beginning at 11 a.m. Met artists and craftspeople will lead a variety of hands-on activities and demonstrations designed for families with children, including a "dress-up" station featuring child-friendly costume pieces; an instrument show-and-tell with members of the orchestra; a live demonstration by the Met scenic artists, who create props and set elements for all of the company's productions; and a lighting display by the Met's electrics department.

The Barber of Seville is part of the Met's "Holidays at Half Price" promotion, which allows fifty percent off tickets for children under 18 when purchased with a full-price.

Artist Biographies

Isabel Leonard first sang Rosina in the 2011-12 season and reprised the role the following season. She made her Met debut as Stéphano in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette followed by roles as Zerlina in Verdi's Don Giovanni, Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Miranda in Adès's The Tempest, and Blanche de la Force in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites. She can be seen at the Met in the spring reprising the role of Cherubino, in addition to singing Ada Monroe in Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain at Opera Philadelphia, Arden Scott in Jake Heggie's Great Scott at the San Diego Opera, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Santa Fe Opera.

Ginger Costa-Jackson makes her role debut as Rosina. As a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she made her Met debut as Myrtale in Massenet's Thaïs in 2008, and since then, she has sung roles such as Lola in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Rosette in Massenet's Manon, Mercédès in Bizet's Carmen, and Smaragdi in Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini. She will reprise the role of Lola at the Met later this season, in addition to reprising the role of Rosina at Austin Opera and singing the title role in Carmen at the Santa Fe Opera.

David Portillo makes his Met debut after previously singing the role of Count Almaviva at the Vienna State Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Palm Beach Opera. Previous credits with other companies include singing Don Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Washington National Opera, Andres in Berg's Wozzeck at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Don Gaspar in Donizetti's La Favorite at the Salzburg Festival. He can be seen later this season as Ernesto in Donizetti's Don Pasquale at the Palm Beach Opera, as well as David in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Taylor Stayton has previously sung Count Almaviva at the Norwegian National Opera, Opéra de Lille, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Nashville Opera, and Opera Philadelphia. After replacing a sick colleague at the last minute, he made his Met debut as Lord Percy in Donizetti's Anna Bolena in 2011, a role he reprised earlier this season. He also sang the role of Elvino in Bellini's La Sonnambula with the company. Stayton can be seen as Idreno in Rossini's Semiramide with the Washington Concert Opera and Arturo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden later this season.

Elliot Madore has previously sung the role of Figaro at the Tanglewood Music Festival. A 2010 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he made his Met debut in the 2011-12 season as Lysander in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island and later sang the Novice's friend in Britten's Billy Budd. He will reprise Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Belcore in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette at the Santa Fe Opera later this season.

David Pershall makes his company debut as Figaro and has previously sung the role at the Vienna State Opera and the Florida Grand Opera. This season, he sings Schaunard in Puccini's La Bohème and Cecil in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with the company.

After singing Dr. Bartolo at the Teatro de Bellas Artes de Bogotá and Ópera de Colombia, Valeriano Lanchas makes his Met debut. Recent credits with other companies include singing the roles of Bernardino in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Gherardo in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola at the Washington National Opera.

Robert Pomakov has previously sung Don Basilio at the English National Opera. He made his company debut as Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto followed by Mathieu in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Dr. Bartolo in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, an Innkeeper in Massenet's Manon, and Frate in Verdi's Don Carlo. This season, Pomakov reprises the role of Monterone in Rigoletto and can be seen as Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro at the Canadian Opera Company and Banquo in Verdi's Macbeth at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Antony Walker made his Met debut conducting Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in 2011. In addition to being the Music Director of the Pittsburgh Opera, he is the Artistic Director of the Washington Concert Opera and the Co-Artistic Director of Pinchgut Opera in Australia. He has conducted over 200 operas and symphonic and chamber works around the world with opera houses such as the Rome Opera, English National Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Santa Fe Opera. He will conduct performances of Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and the National Council Finals at the Met later this season.

Holiday Presentations

The Met will offer two holiday presentations this December and January with special discounted pricing. The holiday presentation for families, The Barber of Seville, will run throughout December and January, concurrently with the first holiday presentation geared toward adults, Johann Strauss, Jr.'s sparkling operetta Die Fledermaus.

The Barber of Seville performance on December 30 will include a pre-show "open house" with special child-friendly activities on the Grand Tier. Doors open at 11 am for a 12:30 pm curtain.

From Thanksgiving through December 30, audience members 18 and younger pay half price for all holiday performances (with purchase of a full-price ticket, subject to availability). The Holidays at Half Price promotion is available by calling (212) 362-6000 or in person at the Met Opera Box Office.

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