Palm Beach Opera Announces 19-20 Season, Includes New Delray Beach Opera

Palm Beach Opera revealed the 2019-2020 season at its annual season reveal event on Feb. 4, announcing three mainstage operas and an added production starring the company's artists in residence to be performed in Delray Beach.

For the 19-20 season, Palm Beach Opera will present "Turandot," "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" and "Eugene Onegin" at the Kravis Center, as well as the family-favorite opera "Hansel and Gretel" at Delray Beach's Crest Theatre at Old School Square.

As part of its commitment to bring world-class opera to South Florida and train the next generation of opera stars, Palm Beach Opera is excited to feature their artists in residence in a fully-staged production of "Hansel and Gretel" at a new location.

"We are thrilled to bring 'Hansel and Gretel' to Delray Beach's intimate Crest Theatre, and present our rising artists in residence, who often go on to sing at opera houses around the world, to another lively and arts-thriving community in South Florida," said General Director Daniel Biaggi." "This opportunity also provides our artists in training with an additional on-stage experience, further preparing them for successful careers and fulfilling our mission to support new voices in opera."

Based on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Palm Beach Opera's production of "Hansel and Gretel" will feature the company's Benenson Young Artists and Apprentice Artists, a full orchestra, and an imaginative set made entirely out of paper. Sung in English with English supertitles above the stage, "Hansel and Gretel" is ideal for audiences of all ages and will run at Crest Theatre Dec. 6-8 this year.

On Jan. 24-26, Palm Beach Opera will present Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot" as its first mainstage opera of the season. Featuring an adventurous musical score and one of the most iconic opera arias of all time, "Nessun Dorma," "Turandot" is a sweeping story of passion, perseverance, and peril.

Sopranos Alexandra Louitsion and Alexandra LoBianco (Jan. 25) will share the starring role of Turandot, tenors Stefano La Colla and Hovhannes Ayvazyan (Jan. 25) will perform as Calaf, and soprano Leah Crocetto will perform as Liù. Crocetto, LoBianco and La Colla will all mark their Palm Beach Opera debuts in this production. "Turandot" will be conducted by the company's chief conductor David Stern and directed by Keturah Stickann in another company debut.

For the second mainstage opera of the season, Palm Beach Opera will present Gioachino Rossini's popular masterpiece of comedy, "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" on Feb. 28-March 1. Complete with twists and turns and a famed overture, this traditional production will also be conducted by Stern and directed by Joshua Major in a Palm Beach Opera debut.

Soprano Daniela Mack will star as Rosina alongside baritone Andrew Manea as Figaro, both marking their first performances with the company. Count Almaviva will be played by tenor Taylor Stayton, and baritone Misha Kiria will also sing with Palm Beach Opera for the first time as Dr. Bartolo. "Children's Performance: The Barber of Seville," a 60-minute abridged family-friendly version of the opera, will be presented on Feb. 29 at 1 p.m.

Plush orchestrations and a heart-stopping duel mark the company's final production of the season, "Eugene Onegin," Pyotr Tchaikovsky's deeply moving opera of love, rejection, and a reversal of fortune. "Eugene Onegin" will run March 27-29.

Michael Chioldi, who was last seen at Palm Beach Opera in "Tosca," returns to star as Onegin. Soprano Svetlana Aksenova will sing the role of Tatiana, and Dmitry Korchak will sing Lensky, both in debut performances. Director Tomer Zvulun will lead the cast and conductor Mikhail Tatarnikov will guide the orchestra, both also working with Palm Beach Opera for the first time.

"Turandot" and "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" will be sung in Italian and "Eugene Onegin" will be sung in Russian, all with English supertitles projected above the stage. Current subscribers may renew their seats by calling the box office at 561-833-7888. Subscriptions for the 19-20 season will be made available to the public on March 15 and start at $60. Single tickets for all productions will be available to purchase in September. For more information, visit pbopera.org or call the box office.

Palm Beach Opera is dedicated to producing live opera at an international standard of excellence and to enriching the life of the communities it serves with a diverse offering of educational programs. Founded in 1961, the fully professional Palm Beach Opera presents main stage performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach and is a proud member of OPERA America and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

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