On Site Opera Announces Cast Update for THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

On Site Opera (OSO) announces today that soprano Jeni Houser has been added to the cast of the North American premiere of Marcos Portugal's The Marriage of Figaro (1799). Making her New York City debut in the role of Susanna, Jeni Houser replaces Ashley Emerson, who has withdrawn due to an injury. The production is the latest installment of The Figaro Project, in which OSO is staging lesser-known operatic adaptations of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais' (1732-1799) famed trilogy of Figaro plays. It is presented in partnership with The New School's Mannes School of Music and The Portuguese Consulate in New York, and will take place at 632 on Hudson, a stunning triplex in the West Village that will serve as Count Almaviva's summer palace.

Jeni Houser's "extraordinary soprano" (The Capital Times) has been praised by Opera News as "commanding and duplicitous, yet also vulnerable. She has a bright future above the staff." As a member of Minnesota Opera's Resident Artist Program in 2015-2016, she performed Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, and Mrs. Grady in the world premiere of Paul Moravec's The Shining. In 2016, Ms. Houser also returned to Madison Opera to perform Amy in Adamo's Little Women and Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann. She has also recently appeared with the Glimmerglass Festival, Fort Worth Opera, Virginia Opera, and Opera Saratoga. In future seasons, Ms. Houser joins the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Die Zauberflöte and performs a leading role for her debut with Austin Opera.

Of working with Houser, Eric Einhorn, OSO's General & Artistic Director, says, "We're excited to welcome Jeni to the cast! Her work in just the first few days of rehearsal clearly shows that Portugal's Susanna is a great fit for her musically and dramatically. Jeni is an incredibly talented artist, and we are thrilled to be presenting her to New York audiences for the first time."

Just four years into its existence, On Site Opera has established itself as one of New York City's most imaginative and nimble opera companies by doing more than simply staging musically and dramatically rich works outside of the opera house. OSO's team of Einhorn, Music Director Geoffrey McDonald and Executive Director/Producer Jessica Kiger have pushed the boundaries of operatic storytelling, producing operas in locations that allow singers and audiences alike to immerse themselves in the narrative. Reviewing the first chapter of The Figaro Project, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote, "This visionary company could be on to something big." He noted that the "space proved ideal for the intrigues of the opera." The Figaro Project will conclude with the U.S. premiere of Darius Milhaud's The Guilty Mother (1966) in the summer of 2017.

Performances of The Marriage of Figaro will take place June 14-16 at 7:30 pm and June 17 at 6:30pm and 9:00pm. Tickets for the run are sold out, but a waiting list is available at www.osopera.org or by phone at 866.811.4111. Running time is approximately 100 minutes. Sung in English in a translation by Gilly French and Jeremy Gray, with dialogue adapted by Joan Holden.

Portuguese composer Marcos Portugal's (1762-1830) prolific catalog of over 70 dramatic works - including 40 operas, and more than 140 sacred works - earned him international success in 18th-century Europe. He secured a special place in Portuguese musical history by composing the first official national anthems of Portugal and Brazil. Portugal's La pazza giornata o sia il matrimonio di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro),with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi, was written for Carnival season of 1800 at the Teatro San Benedetto - just 13 years after Mozart's Figaro. This North American premiere production gives New York audiences a rareopportunity to hear Portugal's vibrant music - with its beautiful melodies, buoyant comedy and moving pathos -in an inventive new chamber orchestration by guitarist José Luis Iglésias and OSO's Geoffrey McDonald, based on the new critical edition of the score edited by David Cranmer. From the moment the doors open, audience members will be surrounded by the world and characters of the opera. Before the opera begins, patrons can visit the many rooms of 632 on Hudson to see the world of the opera already in progress. The performance itself features singers and audience members moving throughout multiple stories of the venue as the opera progresses.

The Marriage of Figarowill be conducted by On Site Opera's Music Director, Geoffrey McDonald, and directed by the company's General & Artistic Director, Eric Einhorn. In addition to Houser, the accomplished cast includes Jesse Blumberg (baritone) as Figaro, David Blalock (tenor) as Count Almaviva, Camille Zamora (soprano) as Countess, Melissa Wimbish (soprano) as Cherubino, Margaret Lattimore (mezzo-soprano) as Marcellina, Ryan Kuster (bass-baritone) as Don Basilio, David Langan (bass-baritone) as Don Bartolo, Ginny Weant (soprano) as Cecchina, and Antoine Hodge (bass-baritone) as Antonio/Gusmano. The production features costume design by Haley Lieberman and lighting design by Shawn Kaufman.

2016 marks continuation of a growing partnership between On Site Opera and New School's Mannes School of Music. As part of the partnership, OSO will be in residence at Mannes during rehearsals for Portugal's The Marriage of Figaro. Opportunities for Mannes students are created within OSO productions, on- and offstage. In addition to Mannes School of Music, On Site Opera is excited to partner with the Portuguese Consulate in New York to welcome this opera to New York.

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