New Jersey Lyric Opera to Return To Kelsey Theatre For Summer Opera Festival

New Jersey Lyric Opera will return to Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre for a second year with a weekend of opera favorites on MCCC's West Windsor Campus, July 26-28, during the Summer Opera Festival.

Set with a wide range of emotions and melodies, the festival weekend features presentations by talented artists from the tri-state region and beyond. The weekend includes the presentation of three opera's, plus the Gala Spectacular, a showcase of opera favorites.

The opera weekend kicks off with Rigoletto (Friday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.), the tragic story of the unprincipled Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. It's a cautionary tale of love, jealousy and a shocking finale with famous melodies La donna è mobile and Caro Nome. The performance stars Christopher Connelly in the title role, nuanced soprano Amanda Simms as Gilda, and acclaimed tenor John Villemaire as The Duke of Mantua.

The Summer Opera Festival continues with the Puccini opera Tosca (Saturday, July 27, 2 p.m.), the tale of famous singer Floria Tosca, who tries to save her love, painter Mario Cavaradossi, from a corrupt government and police chief Scarpia. Soprano Stacey Canterbury returns to Kelsey Theatre as Floria Tosca, warm-voiced tenor Nikhil Krushna as Cavarodossi, and robust baritone Chris Drago Fistonich as Scarpia.

The Gala Spectacular (Saturday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.) features a visually-stunning, immersive program with live, on-stage performances including opera favorites The Pearlfisher Duet, The Queen of the Night, Nessun Dorma, Pilgrim Chorus and the Ghost Scene from Don Giovanni, all paired with rare opera gems. A one-of-a-kind performance starring tour-de-force bass Timothy Kjer, versatile mezzo Brittany Griffith, and velvet-voiced soprano Emily Woodruff returns from last year's La Traviata.

The Summer Opera Festival concludes with Elixir of Love (Sunday, July 28, 2 p.m.), an exhilarating romantic comedy set in a modern day shopping mall. This entertaining escapade tells the story of lovelorn Nemorino who asks for a magic love potion, tricked by celebrity vendor Dr. Dulcamara - only to find out the fake potion might actually work. Starring tenor Sebastian Armendariz as Nemorino, Izaya Perrier as the eccentric Dulcamara, Robert Flora as the charismatic Belcore, Natalie Pica as the animated Gianetta and Theresa Carlomagno as Adina, who made her European debut at the Herodion in Athens, Greece, this past summer alongside Joyce El-Khoury and has shared the stage with luminaries like Andrea Bocelli and Mario Frangoulis.

Tickets start at $25 and may be purchased online at KelseyTheatre.org or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333.

Kelsey Theatre is located on the MCCC campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor Township. The theater is wheelchair accessible with free parking adjacent to the venue. Assisted listening devices are available upon request. For a complete listing of events, visit the Kelsey website at www.KelseyTheatre.org.

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