Nashville Opera's LA BOHEME Set for 10/9 & 11

Rodolfo, a writter, shares a small garret in Paris with Marcello, a painter, Schaunard, a musician, and Colline, a philosopher. The four Bohemians are living in poverty, and yet still find plenty of humor in the situation. On Christmas Eve, their neighbor, a seamstress named Mimi?, knocks on the door because her candle has blown out and she asks Rodolfo for assistance. When he takes her hand, Rodolfo instantly falls in love - and opera has never been the same. With its thrilling, beautiful music and its mixture of high comedy and touching drama, the opera sweeps the viewer away into a world of young love, romance, and ultimately, bittersweet longing. With La Bohe?me, Puccini wonderfully captures just what it means to be young and alive through a brilliant mixture of lightness and darkness, all set to some of the most romantic music ever written.

"La Bohe?me is the best example of an intensely romantic and passionate Italian opera," says John Hoomes, General and Artistic Direc- tor of Nashville Opera. "Puccini's brilliantly lush orchestral score reveals new subtle nuances with each hearing, and this production, featuring new sets designed specifically for the Nashville Opera, will make the opera come alive in never-before seen ways. Whether you've had the chance to experience La Boheme before, or if this is your first operatic experience, this special production will offer something new and exciting for everyone."

The world-renowned cast includes baritone Craig Verm as Marcello, mezzo-soprano Heather Buck as Musetta, and making their Nash- ville Opera debuts, tenor Noah Stewart in the lead role of Rodolfo, and soprano Danielle Pastin as Mimi. All four are leading artists who have sung in critically-acclaimed productions with some of the most prestigious opera companies, including New York's Metropoli- tan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Santa Fe Opera.

Noah Stewart began doing voice-overs for Sesame Street and television school specials, and won first place in the New England Music Competition in Boston. Stewart attended Fiorello LaGuardia High School, where he performed his first opera (La Costanza in amor vince l'inganno). He also sang back-up vocals for pop artists such as Hootie and the Blowfish and Coolio. During this time, Stewart developed a passion for opera, languages, art song, oratorio, musical theater and concert repertoire, and committed himself to pursuing an operatic career. He was recommended by his mentor, the great soprano Leontyne Price, to attend The Juilliard School, where he was awarded a full scholarship. By the end of his senior year at Juilliard, Stewart was already receiving attention from the professional classical community and was unable to attend his own graduation due to his casting in the title role in Acis and Galatea on tour with The Bach Society of Columbia in Germany. Mr. Stewart's 2012 debut album, Noah, for DECCA became a major success in the United Kingdom, topping the classical charts for 7 weeks.

Nashville Opera's production of La Bohe?me will feature a brand new set from renowned theatrical designer, Peter Harrison, with lighting and visual effects design from Barry Steele. It will offer Nashville audiences a stunning representation of Giacomo Puccini's Paris of the 1820's. As one of the most in-demand designers in theater, Mr, Harrison has worked with performing arts companies all over the world including the Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Juilliard Opera. Recent credits include Horton Foote's The Roads to Home, off-Broadway with Jean Stapleton and Owen Wingrave for Chicago Opera Theater. TV designs include Sizwe Bansi Is Dead for PBS and John Leguizamo's Emmy-winning Mambo Mouth for HBO. He has been nominated for the American Theatre Wing Design Award and

the Barrymore Award.

Nashville Opera will offer performances on Thursday, October 9 at 7 PM, and Saturday, October 11 at 8 PM in the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall, located at 505 Deaderick Street in Downtown Nashville. La Bohe?me is directed
by John Hoomes, Maestro Jerome Shannon will conduct the Nashville Opera Orchestra, and Amy Tate Williams will lead the 42-person Nashville Opera Ensemble. Tickets start at $26 and are available by calling Nashville Opera at (615) 832-5242, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center Box Office at (615) 782-4040, or online at www.nashvilleopera.org. Si desea comprar entradas para eventos en el TPAC y necesita ayuda en espan?ol, por favor llame al 1-800-664-8941. A limited number of "pay-what-you-can" seats may be purchased directly from Nashville Opera's main offices at the Noah Liff Opera Center in Sylvan Heights for a minimum suggested donation of $5. Mr. Hoomes will present the popular Opera Insights presented by Hilton Downtown Nashville discussion one-hour prior to curtain on the Orchestra Level and admission is free to all ticket holders. La Bohe?me will be sung in Italian with easy-to-read projected English supertitles. The performance has an approximate running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, including two intermissions.

The Nashville Opera Guild will host a La Bohe?me themed dinner prior to the Saturday October 11th performance at the Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis offices in the Nashville City Center at 511 Union Street. Reservations are available by calling Nashville Opera at (615) 832-5242. In addition, members of Nashville Opera's Young Professionals group, FORTE, will host a reception on the Balcony Level of the Andrew Jackson Theater lobby with complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 PM on the same night. To join FORTE, please call Nashville Opera's Community Relations Department at (615) 832-5242.

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