Pittsburgh Opera to Present Puccini's TOSCA This Fall

Pittsburgh Opera opens its 79th season with Puccini's powerful Tosca, at the Benedum Center October 7th -15th.

Set in Rome, and taking place over the course of 24 hours in June of 1800, Puccini's Tosca is the ultimate in opera melodrama. Tosca combines political intrigue, love, loyalty, betrayal, and murder with powerful music to create an unforgettably operatic experience.

We are thrilled to present Leah Crocetto in the title role of Tosca. Perennial favorite Mark Delavan sings the role of Scarpia, one of the great villains not just in opera, but in the canon of Western storytelling. Tenor Thiago Arancam returns to Pittsburgh Opera after his sizzling debut in March as Prince Calaf in Puccini's Turandot.

Police chief Scarpia is hunting escaped political prisoner Cesare Angelotti. Angelotti is aided by artist Mario Cavaradossi, who is dating opera star Floria Tosca. Scarpia imprisons and tortures Cavaradossi to force Tosca to reveal Angelotti's hiding place, and has even more sadistic intentions as well. Will Tosca submit? Will Scarpia keep his end of the bargain? See for yourself why Tosca is one of the most powerful operas ever written.

Music Director AnTony Walker conducts the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and Chorus in this traditional 19th-century production.

Tosca features a superlative cast, including three returning favorites:

Leah Crocetto (Floria Tosca) is making her role debut. Crocetto, who sang the role of Mimi in Pittsburgh Opera's La bohème in 2014 to great acclaim, was a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Lauded for singing "with incredible agility and gleaming high notes" at Glimmerglass Festival 2017's The Siege of Calais, she will be singing the title role of Verdi's Aida with Washington National Opera this fall.

Mark Delavan (Police Chief Scarpia) is sought after throughout the United States and Europe for the most demanding roles in his operatic repertoire. His most recent Pittsburgh Opera performance was the title role of Verdi's Nabucco in 2015, and he also sang Scarpia the previous time Pittsburgh Operaperformed Tosca, in 2012. A Metropolitan Opera veteran, Delavan is hailed for his "rich, resonant voice," with "impressively clear high notes."

Thiago Arancam (Mario Cavaradossi) returns to Pittsburgh Opera after his sizzling debut in March as Prince Calaf in Puccini's Turandot. Called "one of the greatest voices of the century", the award-winning Italian-Brazilian graduate of La Scala wowEd Pittsburgh with his performance of the Nessun dorma both on the set of Pittsburgh Today Live and at the Benedum.

On stage October 7, 10, 13 & 15, Tosca is an unforgettable way to open the opera season. Tickets start at just $12 and are available online.

Fun facts about Tosca

The opera is based on a play which starred Sarah Bernhardt, who Biography called "perhaps the most famous actress of all time." Ms. Bernhardt injured her leg during her leap at the end of the opera, and eventually had to have it amputated.

Pittsburgh Opera will be using painted backdrops designed by Ercole Sormani representing locations in Rome as part of the production's set. These amazing pieces of vintage stagecraft were painstakingly restored by Seattle Opera to their full glory, as seen in this video on their YouTube channel.

Fourteen members of the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus (PYC) will appear as child choristers in Act 1. This continues Pittsburgh Opera's strong partnership with PYC, Pittsburgh's premier choral organization for young voices. PYC members most recently appeared in Turandot in March of this year.

Tickets to all performances of Tosca start at $12. All performances are at the Benedum Center, 7th Street and Penn Avenue, in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. To purchase tickets, call 412-456-6666, visit the Theatre Square Box Office, or buy online at opera.culturaldistrict.org/production/51747/list_performances. Group discounts are available. For discounted group tickets (6 or more), contact Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912, x 213.

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