Lyric Opera Presents THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT 2/19-2/27

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City continues its 53rd season with Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. The Daughter of the Regiment will be performed in English. This will be the Company's final season in the Lyric Theatre. Beginning in the fall of 2011, the Lyric Opera will perform at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

"The Lyric Opera last performed The Daughter of the Regiment in 1988 when we performed all opera in English," notes Lyric Opera General Director Evan Luskin. "We are pleased to present this comic Donizetti gem, which honors our ‘Opera in English' roots as we continue our final season in the Lyric Theatre."

"I am excited that we have again paired director Dorothy Danner and soprano Nili Reimer" (who worked together on The Pirates of Penzance in 2009), reflects Lyric Opera Artistic Director Ward Holmquist. "Ms. Reimer's comedic timing works perfectly with Ms. Danner's signature staging -- a beat of music doesn't go by without precisely choreographed movement."

Director Dorothy Danner states, "This will be a very physical production. Everything about it: the wonderful score, the comical plot and the outrageous characters just beg for physicality. It is the work I have directed the most in my career so I have been able to continually improve and refine my interpretation over the years. The recent Metropolitan Opera production featuring Natalie Dessay has inspired me to think of the production a bit differently, and I look forward to bringing these new ideas to life."

Emerging soprano Nili Reimer will play Marie, a big-hearted orphan adopted by a regiment of French soldiers. Ms. Reimer received rave reviews from Paul Horsley of The Independent for her portrayal of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance in 2009; "Nili Reimer's silver-bell coloratura was a delight to the ear." The Ithaca Journal gushed Ms. Reimer "appears to have been born to sing the title role" of The Daughter of the Regiment in a review of the production at Tri-Cities Opera.

Up-and-coming American tenor Victor Ryan Robertson will sing Tonio. He has performed around the globe including at Deutsch Oper Berlin, Edinburgh Festival, LA Opera and Royal Albert Hall (London). For his performances in London, The Guardian noted that Mr. Robertson's voice "offers an appealing well-defined tenor with plenty of energy."

Legendary mezzo soprano Joyce Castle returns to the Lyric Opera as the Marquise of Berkenfield following her last celebrated appearance with the Company as Mrs. Bertram in The End of The Affair (2008). During Ms. Castle's 40 year tenure as a professional singer she has performed at most of the major U.S. houses including performances with Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Seattle Opera. She is on the Board of Directors at New York City Opera and is a Professor of Voice at the University of Kansas.

Audience favorite baritone John Stephens returns to the Lyric Opera to portray Sulpice, having last been seen in The Pirates of Penzance (2009). Mr. Stephens has performed across the country including performances with Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera and Glimmerglass Opera. He is also a professor of voice at the University of Kansas.

Kansas City comedic actors Robert Gibby Brand and Deb Bluford take on the two non-singing roles: Hortensius and Duchess of Krackenthorp. Mr. Brand has appeared at the Lyric Opera in many productions including most recently The Pirates of Penzance (2009) and HMS Pinafore (2009) for which he received much critical acclaim. Ms. Bluford will make her Lyric Opera debut (and debut in the opera genre) with this production. She is known for her comedic portrayals and performs regularly at The American Heartland Theatre, Quality Hill Playhouse and The New Theatre Restaurant.

Director Dorothy Danner returns to the Lyric Opera to direct after receiving widespread acclaim for her signature choreographic staging style of The Pirates of Penzance in 2009. Robert Trussell of The Kansas City Star noted, "Director Dorothy Danner brings a wacky sense of humor to an already giddy amusement and in the process captures some first-rate comic performances."

Guest conductor Joe Walsh will make his Lyric Opera debut conducting members of the Kansas City Symphony. Mr. Walsh is the Associate Artistic Director and Associate Conductor for Virginia Opera. In addition to conducting at Virginia Opera for over 17 years, he has conducted across the globe, including at GMU International Summer Music Festival in Seoul, Korea and Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy.

The Daughter of the Regiment was composed by Gaetano Donizetti with the libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-Francois-Alfred Bayard. The opera is about a loveable tomboy, Marie, who gives a regiment of French soldiers who raised her a scare when she falls in love with a man outside the infantry. Meanwhile, her noble birthright haunts her when she is taken away from the men in her life to have a "proper" upbringing. Alas, at the end of the day love prevails over privilege.

The Daughter of the Regiment will be sung in English with English subtitles projected above the stage at the Lyric Theatre, 11th and Central, Downtown Kansas City.

Performance dates are as follows:

Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 25, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 2 p.m.

Ticket availability varies by performance. Limited student rush tickets are available for $10, cash only, one hour before curtain, with a valid student ID. Single tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit www.kcopera.org, or call Patron Services at (816) 471-7344 or 1-800-OPERAKC (673-7252).

Audience members are invited and encouraged to attend a free opera preview in the Lyric Theatre Auditorium one hour before curtain, presented by the Lyric Opera Guild. The 25-minute talks will be lead by Lyric Opera Guild presenter Richard Byrum.

The Daughter of the Regiment "At Ease with Opera" Presentations:

At Ease with Opera is presented free of charge by the Lyric Opera Guild.

The Unsung Story From Backstage
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 7:00 p.m., at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library. Tracy Davis, Lyric Opera Director of Production, will present numerous stories from her experiences backstage at the Lyric Opera.

Opera Buffa: It's a Laughing Matter
On Monday, January 31, 2011 at 7:00 p.m., at the Kauffman Foundation, Guild speaker Richard Byrum will discuss comic opera.

Son of a Gun! It's The Daughter of the Regiment!
On Monday, February 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m., preview speaker Debra Karr will take a close look at The Daughter of The Regiment including video and audio excerpts at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library.

The Bohemians: Young Friends of the Lyric Opera

The Bohemians is the Lyric Opera organization for young professionals (age 21-40). The Bohemians offer great opportunities to get involved in the community, meet other young adults and learn a little something about opera, too! Bohemians enjoy discounted tickets, monthly Third Friday Happy Hour gatherings at local hot spots and special invitations to exclusive events. In addition to attending the Saturday night performance of The Daughter of the Regiment on February 19, 2011 at 8 p.m., the Bohemians gather for dinner prior to the Saturday night performance of each opera at the restaurant partners of the Lyric Opera where members receive discounted meals. To learn more, email bohemians@kcopera.org.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City was founded in 1958; it is one of the nations' premier regional opera companies and brings high quality live operatic performances to the people of the Kansas City area and a five-state region. Repertoire choices encompass original language performances of standard repertory as well as contemporary and American operas. The Company seeks to mount productions that enrich the community it serves, as well as reflect the highest artistic standards of the profession. The Lyric Opera offers innovative and award-winning programs designed to further music and arts education both in schools and in the community and serves over 18,000 students and educators each year.

On November 4, 2010 the Lyric Opera of Kansas City announced a capital campaign for the renovation of property on 18th and Charlotte in the Kansas City Crossroads Arts District for its new Opera Center.

The Opera Center complex will consist of two buildings: a Production Arts building and an Administrative building with set rental inventory storage. The Production Arts building will include a rehearsal space that will match the footprint of the stage of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The Production Arts building also will house a full wig, costume and set construction shop and facilities for educational and community outreach programs. Such an integrated and dedicated production facility does not exist in Kansas City; the Company envisions the Production Arts building becoming a resource for other local performing arts companies.

The second building on the property will be adjacent to the Production Arts building. It would provide the Company with set rental inventory storage, parking lots and outside green spaces for the Opera Center, and house the administrative staff.

In the summer of 2011, the production and administrative offices of the Lyric Opera will be moving from its home of 40 years at the Lyric Theatre to a temporary home in downtown Kansas City at 1616 Broadway. The production and administrative offices will move to the headquarters on 18th Street when construction is completed in 2012.

Opera lovers can be fans of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City on Facebook or follow us @kcopera on Twitter.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City is a member of OPERA America, and this production is made possible with funding from Bank of America, Frontier Airlines, The National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Arts Council and the Arts KC Fund.

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