LA Opera Presents Verdi's RIGOLETTO Conducted by Matthew Aucoin

Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's Eli and Edythe Broad General Director, has announced final details about the company's spring presentation of Rigoletto, the classic tragedy by Giuseppe Verdi.

"I can think of no opera that better demonstrates the power of deeply emotional music melded with incredibly gripping drama," said Mr. Domingo. "I have seen countless performances of this opera over the years and it remains a shattering emotional experience each time. Unusually for us, we have two different trios of International Artists performing the principal roles, and I'm looking forward to experiencing each distinguished grouping."

Rigoletto will be presented from May 12 through June 3 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012).

About Rigoletto
An unforgettable tale of a father's rage and a daughter's shame, Rigoletto has long been one of the most popular works in the entire operatic repertoire. It features several of opera's best-known arias-including Rigoletto's passionate denouncement "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata," Gilda's dreamy "Caro nome" and the Duke's instantly recognizable "La donna è mobile." A timeless tragedy of sacrifice, betrayal and revenge, it was first performed in 1851, and was the first of the extraordinary "middle-period" trio of Verdi masterpieces that also includes La Traviata and Il Trovatore.

The Performers
The first three performances (May 12, 16, 19) will feature a cast led by Spaniard Juan Jesús Rodríguez, a distinguished Verdi baritone making his LA Opera debut. He is joined by two returning company favorites as Gilda and the Duke of Mantua-soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, both of them Operalia winners.

The later performances (May 27, 31; June 3) will feature the Rigoletto of Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri, who made an unforgettable company debut last year as Scarpia in Tosca.Opposite him, last year's top Operalia winner, soprano Adela Zaharia, makes her U.S. debut as Gilda, and tenor Michael Fabiano makes his company debut as the Duke of Mantua after his recent performance in the November concert celebrating Mr. Domingo's 50 years in Los Angeles.

The cast (for all performances) also includes bass Morris Robinson as Sparafucile, bass-baritone Craig Colclough as Count Monterone and mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson in her company debut as Maddalena. Four members of LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program will be featured: soprano Liv Redpath as Countess Ceprano, tenor Joshua Wheeker as Borsa, baritone Juan Carlos Heredia as Marullo and mezzo-soprano Michelle Siemens as the Page. Contralto Sharmay Musacchio will perform the role of Giovanna and bass Gabriel Vamvulescu will perform the role of Count Ceprano.

The Creative Team
Matthew Aucoin, LA Opera's Artist in Residence, is the conductor of Rigoletto. Mr. Aucoin made his LA Opera mainstage conducting debut with Akhnaten last season, and he also conducted his own score for the classic film Dracula at the Theatre at Ace Hotel. He will conduct concert performances of his own opera, Crossing, at The Wallis on May 25 and 26.

The stage director is Mark Lamos, whose production was last presented by LA Opera in 2010. The striking scenery (designed by Michael Yeargan) and elaborate period costumes (designed by Constance Hoffman) were inspired by the unsettling, abandoned cityscapes and sun-swept landscapes of the Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio De Chirico (1888-1978), whose dreamlike works inspired such surrealist artists as Joan Miró, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí. Robert Wierzel makes his LA Opera debut as lighting designer. The chorus is directed by Grant Gershon.

Performance Dates and Times
There will be six performances of Rigoletto presented by LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012):

• Saturday, May 12, 2018, at 7:30pm
• Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, May 19, 2018, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, May 27, 2018, at 2pm
• Thursday, May 31, 2018, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, June 3, 2018, at 2pm

Tickets
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets begin at $24 and can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012). For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

For additional information about this presentation, visit LAOpera.org/Rigoletto.

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