Pacific Opera Project Announces 2021-2022 In-Person Season, Including Four Fairytale Themed Operas

Pacific Opera Project has announced its 2021-2022 season, featuring four fairytale-themed operas - La Cenerentola, Hansel and Gretel, Iolanta, and Into the Woods. The in-person season follows an unprecedented year and a half, in which Pacific Opera Project presented wildly popular watch parties, drive-in U.S. premieres, and the first in-person performance to return in all of LA County.

On Friday, August 27, 2021 at 8:00pm, the season opens with POP's return to The Ford Amphitheatre for La Cenerentola, Rossini's charming take on the Cinderella story. In partnership with the LA Philharmonic, the opera will be sung in Italian with English subtitles and a 25-piece orchestra led by Kristin Roach. In this version of the fairytale, the wicked stepmother is a stepfather, Don Magnifico (E. Scott Levin), and Cenerentola (Stephanie Doche) is forced to serve as the maid in her own home. Prince Ramiro (Arnold Livingston Geis) is looking for a bride so he disguises his valet Dandini (Joel Balzun) as a beggar and Cenerentola shows him kindness, proving her good heartedness. After refusing to fall for the wiles of Cenerentola's step-sisters and stepfather, Ramiro wins her heart with a matching bracelet and they marry. The cast also includes Andrew Allan Hiers as Alidoro, Meagan Martin as Tisbe, and Chelsea Lehnea as Clorinda.

POP returns to one of its favorite venues, Forest Lawn Glendale for an outdoor, family-friendly production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 5:00pm; Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 5:00pm; Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 5:00pm; and Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 5:00pm. Sung in English, with orchestra, the Grimm brothers-inspired fairytale will feature Erin Alford as Hansel and Emily Rosenberg as Gretel. With a 2-hour runtime and a 5:00pm curtain, this is the perfect introduction to opera for children and families. Table seating available for picnicking before and during the show.

Tchaikovsky's Iolanta comes to the 800-seat Aratani Theatre on Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 3:00pm; Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 3:00pm with a 32-piece orchestra led by Isaac Selya, of Queen City Opera. Cristina Jones, dubbed The Blind Soprano, stars in the opera's title role about a princess who is unaware that she is blind. The cast also includes POP favorites Andrew and Megan Potter as King René and Martha and Adam Cioffari as Ibn-Hakia. POP will partner with low-sight organizations for this production to encourage awareness and to amplify their efforts. Iolanta will be POP's first opera presented in Russian and the Los Angeles staged premiere of the opera.

The season closes with Sondheim's Into the Woods in May 2022 with specific dates and venues to be announced. What better show to end a fairytale season than the one that brings all the characters together? Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical takes favorite fairytale characters and brings them together for a timeless, yet relevant piece.

Performance Information

La Cenerentola, in Partnership with the LA Philharmonic

Friday, August 27, 2021 at 8:00pm
Ford Amphitheatre | 2580 Cahuenga Blvd E. | Los Angeles, CA 90068
Tickets: $20-80
Link: http://bit.ly/POPCenerentola

Rossini - La Cenerentola
Sung in Italian with English subtitles

Cast:
Stephanie Doche, Cenerentola
E. Scott Levin, Don Magnifico
Arnold Livingston Geis, Prince Ramiro
Joel Balzun, Dandini
Andrew Allan Hiers, Alidoro
Meagan Martin, Tisbe
Chelsea Lehnea, Clorinda
Josh Shaw, Director and Designer
Kristin Roach, Conductor

Hansel and Gretel

Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 5:00pm
Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 5:00pm
Friday, November 19, 2021 at 7:00pm
Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 5:00pm
Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 5:00pm
Forest Lawn Glendale | 1712 S Glendale Ave | Glendale, CA 91205
Tickets: Available August 27; Table and regular seating.
Link: www.pacificoperaproject.com/hansel-gretel

Humperdinck - Hansel and Gretel
Sung in English with projected subtitles

Cast:
Erin Alford, Hansel
Emily Rosenberg, Gretel
Josh Shaw, Director and Designer

Iolanta

Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 3:00pm
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 3:00pm
Aratani Theatre | 244 San Pedro St. | Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets: Available August 27
Link: www.pacificoperaproject.com/iolanta

Tchaikovsky - Iolanta
Sung in Russian with projected English subtitles

Cast:
Cristina Jones, soprano
Andrew Potter, King René
Megan Potter, Martha
Adam Cioffari, Ibn-Hakia
Josh Shaw, Director and Designer
Isaac Selya, Conductor

Into the Woods

May 2022
Link: www.pacificoperaproject.com/intothewoods

Sondheim - Into the Woods
Sung in English

Learn more at www.pacificoperaproject.com.

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