Tickets for RIGOLETTO at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts  On Sale This Friday, November 26

Opera Orlando's 2021-22 Viva Verdi! season on the MainStage concludes with the long-awaited move into Steinmetz Hall.

Audiences can get their tickets this Friday, November 26, for Verdi's masterpiece Rigoletto, an original take on this operatic standard that will make history as the first opera presented in Dr. Phillips Center's new acoustic hall. To sweeten the deal, Opera Orlando will be offering a Black Friday special discount this weekend only. Use the promo code GILDA to receive 15% off, available Friday, November 26, through Monday, November 29.

"It truly is momentous to be able to produce our operas in this stunning hall designed specifically for acoustic performances, especially opera," states general director Gabriel Preisser. "We have been building up to this over the past seasons, with our MainStage series moving from the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater into the Walt Disney Theater, and now finally finding a home on the stage of Steinmetz Hall. I can't think of a better show to mark this milestone. Verdi is one of opera's greatest composers, and his Rigoletto promises to be thrillingly action-packed, featuring powerhouse voices and familiar melodies, all accompanied by the incredible Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra."

Rigoletto is a compelling depiction of the callousness of the ruling class at the expense of those who serve them, as the cavalier and nefarious Duke of Mantua sets his sights on an embittered servant's innocent daughter, while her overprotective father will stop at nothing to exact revenge on his powerful boss. This timely and all -too-real portrait of a divided society moves seamlessly between the sparkling social scene of the glitterati and the squalor of those who struggle under a corrupt regime, led by Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter and directed by Metropolitan Opera and La Scala stage director Katheleen Belcher, both making their Opera Orlando debuts.

Additionally, audiences are in for a real treat as Korean baritone SeungHyeon Baek, praised for his "gorgeous tone" and "rich artistry," will be making his Company debut as he takes on the title role of Rigoletto. He will be joined by the spectacular and Grammy Award-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones singing the role of Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda, and tenor Kirk Dougherty singing the role of the dastardly Duke, both in their Opera Orlando debuts. Bass Andrew Potter returns to Orlando as the villainous assassin, Sparafucile. His towering presence will be familiar to Orlando audiences who last saw him as the hilarious Klingon Osmin in the 2017 production of The Abduction from the Seraglio. Members of the Opera Orlando Chorus and dancers from Orlando Ballet round out this exceptional cast.

Rigoletto will be sung in Italian with English supertitles and will run approximately two and a half hours with one intermission.

Keeping safety as its first priority in the presentation of its 2021-22 season, Opera Orlando continues to monitor the development of COVID-19 and the vaccination plans relating to the virus. The Company has remained in consultation with its health partners and Dr. Phillips Center to implement an appropriate and comprehensive plan centered on reduction of the risk of infection and the protection of audience members, cast and production teams, staff, and volunteers. Updated health and safety guidelines for Dr. Phillips Center can be found at www.drphillipcscenter.org.

Stay up to date with Opera Orlando's upcoming season online at www.operaorlando.org, and follow and like the Opera's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Individual tickets for Rigoletto and The Secret River are on sale now through the Dr. Phillips Center's Bill & Mary Darden Box Office (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.drphillipcscenter.org, or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0. Take advantage of the Black Friday Deal this weekend, and see YOU at the Opera!

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