Princeton Symphony Orchestra Announces 2023 Princeton Festival Opera

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) will present a new production of Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) as the centerpiece of its Princeton Festival to be held June 9-25, 2023. Rossen Milanov, Edward T. Cone Music Director and artistic head of the Princeton Festival, will conduct the opera which will receive a three-performance run.

"I am thrilled to continue to celebrate the Festival's opera origins with a fresh production of Rossini's great work in the opera buffa tradition," says Milanov. "Il barbiere di Siviglia is perhaps the most popular of all comic operas, and will appeal to anyone who loves a good laugh and great singing!"

The four-act comic opera includes the iconic character of Figaro, a barber turned valet, who assists Count Almaviva in wooing the beautiful Rosina away from her lecherous guardian, Dr. Bartolo. The story of Figaro was originally conceived by the French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais in his eponymous Le Barbier de Séville, the first in a series of three plays chronicling the character's escapades. The opera is considered the prequel to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), likewise inspired by Beaumarchais' plays.

This season's Princeton Festival will once again take place primarily on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden. Plans are underway to install an even larger performance pavilion with upgraded seating offering optimal sight lines.

PSO Executive Director Marc Uys says, "The 2022 Princeton Festival was a huge success, bringing a central, outdoor destination venue to Princeton for the first time. In 2023, we look forward to making the most of the surrounding grounds, continuing to offer delightful opportunities for socializing and enrichment between high quality performances of opera, musical theater, and concerts featuring top guest artists."

2023 Princeton Festival ticket packages will be available in January. To keep tabs on plans for the opera and other Festival events, bookmark princetonsymphony.org/festival.

Founded in 2004, the Princeton Festival quickly established a reputation for artistic excellence and innovative programming in the performing arts. Every year in June, thousands of people from the mid-Atlantic region and beyond come to the Festival to enjoy the quality and variety of its programs. Offerings include opera, musical theater, jazz, and a constantly evolving selection of other genres, including dance, world music, orchestral pops, choral concerts, country music, chamber recitals, and an annual piano competition. The Festival has long-standing partnerships with public libraries and local churches, and promotes life-long learning in the arts through free educational lectures presented to a wide and diverse community.

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