Castleton Festival Announces Casting & Programs for 2011
By: Gabrielle Sierra Feb. 23, 2011
Artistic Director, Lorin Maazel, and Administrative Director, Dietlinde Turban Maazel, of the Castleton Festival have announced casting and concert program details for this summer's festival that will bring together young talent with experienced professionals for 20 opera and concert performances over four weeks, Saturday, June 25 through Sunday, July 24.
As previously announced, new productions will be staged of Puccini's La Bohème, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges, and Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins in addition to concerts featuring excerpts from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess and Bizet's Carmen and four orchestral concerts. Returning Castleton productions include Puccini's Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi, de Falla's Master Pedro's Puppet Show and Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale.
In 2011 the Castleton Festival will extend beyond the two venues located at the Maazels' Castleton Farms in Rappahannock County, Virginia to the 1,121-seat Merchant Hall at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia and to the inaugural BlackCreek Summer Music Festival at the 14,000-seat Rexell Centre in Toronto, Canada. Two post-festival concerts will be given under the auspices of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing's famous Opera House known as "the Egg". (Full performance schedule and calendar follow.)
One of the hallmarks of the Castleton Festival, now entering its third season, is the quality of the performances and productions that Maestro Maazel says are worthy of any established international festival. Of last year's festival, Gramophone magazine wrote: "Not only does the Maestro bring out the best in these young musicians, they bring out the best in him. And ultimately, that's what makes Castleton so special; young artist-fuelled summer programs abound, but where else can they learn from the undisputed best?"
Maestro Maazel says, "Our festival's heart lies in identifying and nurturing stars of the future - singers, musicians, conductors and stage directors - and I am delighted that this year's festival will see many of the singers who are now singing in major opera houses around the world return to Castleton to perform roles they excelled in last year, and in new roles to delight our audiences."Soprano Joyce El-Khoury and baritone Corey Crider will both reprise their acclaimed roles in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi for a performance on Thursday, July 14 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Reviewing Ms. El-Khoury's performance of the aria "O mio babbino caro" last year, the Washington Post described her as "...floating out the gorgeous tune with aplomb". In this year's festival, Maestro Maazel has given Ms. El-Khoury the leading role of Mimi for four performances of La Bohème that he will conduct. Maestro Maazel comments: "Joyce is a winner!"
Corey Crider's portrayal of Gianni Schicchi was described as "delightfully dastardly" by Gramophone magazine with the Baltimore Sun saying he "...sang the title role in robust voice and acted up a storm." In addition to reprising this role, he will sing Marcello in La Bohème for three performances. Baritone Michael Anthony McGee will perform Marcello on Saturday, July 16 and the roles of Musetta and Rodolfo will be performed by Suzanne Vinnick and Brian Jagde respectively, with Diego Silva singing Rodolfo on July 16. Michael Anthony McGee and tenor René Barbera will perform a recital called "Stars of the Future" on Monday, July 11 at the Theatre at Washington in the nearby town of 'Little' Washington, VA.
Other singers returning this year include: soprano Jessica Klein, described as having a "lustrous, resonant voice" by the Financial Times, as Giorgetta in Il tabarro, a role she will reprise; soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke, whose performance in Gianni Schicchi was described by American Record Guide as being "...reminiscent of Kathleen Battle in her Glory Days"; baritone Paul LaRosa and tenor Tyler Nelson, who will reprise their roles in Master Pedro's Puppet Show; and Dominic Armstrong, who previously performed roles in Castleton's Britten chamber opera productions, and who this year will sing Luigi in Il tabarro and take on new roles in Seven Deadly Sins and L'enfant et les sortilèges.
New productions that will introduce new faces and voices to Castleton audiences are: Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins that will feature Kate Mangiameli in the lead role of Anna; Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges featuring Cecelia Hall as L'enfant, Sungji Kim as Le feu and Alex DeSocio as L'horloge comtoise; and a concert of excerpts from Porgy & Bess featuring Patrick Blackwell as Porgy, Reyna Carguill as Bess, John Fulton as Crown and Chauncey Parker as Sportin' Life.
The festival's rising talent will be augmented by guest appearances of internationally acclaimed artists including mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, who will perform excerpts from Bizet's Carmen at the first orchestral concert on Sunday, June 26 with tenor Richard Troxell. Ms. Graves will also perform songs by Stephen Foster at a concert commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) at the Hylton Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, July 21. Both concerts will be conducted by Maestro Maazel. Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair will present her one-woman show called "Subject to Change!" at the Theatre at Washington on Monday, July 18.
In addition to the singers selected by audition by Maestro Maazel and the Castleton Festival's General Manager Nancy Gustafson for key roles in the festival productions, the festival also runs the Castleton Artists Training Seminar (CATS) that this year has more than doubled in size to 40 participants. At the 2011 festival, CATS participants will comprise the chorus for La Bohème and will participate in L'enfant et les sortilèges. They will perform opera scene recitals throughout the festival and also be responsible for covering roles in the festival's opera productions while receiving vocal coaching and intense training in performance skills, art songs, three European languages and career management.
All of the music for the staged performances and concerts will be performed by members of the Castleton Festival Orchestra that Maestro Maazel describes as "a group of carefully vetted young virtuosos who put their prowess at the service of their art, lovingly mentored by established artists, including myself." The 87 musicians selected for the orchestra by Maestro Maazel come from the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, China, Russia, Germany and Canada as well as from the United States. Repertoire for the 2011 festival's concerts is made up of works by Bernstein, Bizet, Copland, Chabrier, Stephen Foster, Gershwin, Grofé, Maazel, Prokofiev and Ravel. (Full concert program details follow.)
On Sunday, July 17 violinist Jennifer Koh will perform Maestro Maazel's Music for Violin and Orchestra with the Castleton Festival Orchestra led by Maestro Maazel. Ms. Koh will also feature in three performances of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale, which she performed last year. Pianist Kevin Cole will be the soloist for Gershwin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue on Sunday, July 3 and Marouan Benabdallah will perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 on Sunday, July 24.
At the conclusion of this year's festival, the Castleton Festival Orchestra will travel with Maestro Maazel to Beijing to perform concerts on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30 at the state-of-the-art concert hall at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). These concerts mark the beginning of a partnership between the festival and the NCPA that will continue in 2012 with a new Castleton production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville that will be premiered in Beijing in November 2011 and that will open the 2012 Castleton Festival.
During the festival three Associate Conductors, Levi Hammer, Matthieu Mantanus and Blake Richardson, will share the podium with Maestro Maazel. A new partnership with the prestigious Copenhagen-based Malko Competition for Young Conductors will see the 2009 competition winner, Joshua Weilerstein, make his Castleton Festival debut leading Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story at the 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas concert on Thursday, July 21.
All Castleton Festival productions are directed by Castleton's Resident Stage Director, William Kerley, with sets and costumes by Nicholas Vaughan and lighting by Rie Ono. Productions at Castleton Farms are performed in the intimate 140-seat Theatre House that was custom-built on the property, and the Festival Tent. This year's 'tent' will be a new permanent structure that will seat 400 people and that is insulated, providing patrons with a more comfortable, air-conditioned experience.
Castleton Festival at the Hylton
Il tabarro & Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini
Venue: Merchant Hall, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA
Thursday, July 14, 8:00 p.m. - one performance only
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Il tabarro
Cast:
Michele Andrew Stuckey
Giorgetta Jessica Klein
Luigi Dominic Armstrong
Talpa Sam Handley
Tinca Diego Silva
Frugola Margaret Gawrysiak
Vend. di Canzoni Tyler Nelson
Un amante Brian Jagde
Un amante Tharanga Goonetilleke
Gianni Schicchi
Cast:
Lauretta Joyce El-Khoury
Rinuccio René Barbera
Gianna Schicchi Corey Crider
Zita Margaret Gawrysiak
Nella Tharanga Goonetilleke
Ciesca Lacey Jo Benter
Marco Michael Weyandt
Betto Sam Handley
Simone Tyler Simpson
Gherardo Tyler Nelson
Guccio Alex DeSocio
Notario Benjamin Bloomfield
Tickets: $60, $45, $30, hyltoncenter.org, 703-993-7759
Buy all three festival concerts for $135, $101.25, $67.50 and Save 25%
(This special offer for all three concerts is available in person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office or by phone at 703-993-7759)
Castleton Festival Production Team:
Castleton Resident Director William Kerley
Sets & Costume Design Nicholas Vaughan
Lighting Rie Ono
Castleton Festival Orchestra Concerts
Venue: Festival Tent, Castleton Farms, Rappahannock County, VA
Sun June 26, 7:00 p.m.
Concert 1: All-Bizet Program, feat. excerpts from Carmen
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano
Richard Troxell, tenor
Tharanga Goonetilleke, soprano
BIZET Symphony in C
BIZET L'Arlésienne (excerpts)
BIZET Excerpts from Carmen
Sun July 3, 4:00 p.m.
Concert 2: All-Gershwin Program
Lorin Maazel, conductor
*Levi Hammer, conductor
** Blake Richardson, conductor
Kevin Cole, piano
GERSHWIN Cuban Overture*
GERSHWIN Concerto in F
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue*
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
Tickets: $60, castletonfestival.org, 202-857-1473
Sun July 17, 4:00 p.m.
Concert 3: Chabrier, Maazel & Ravel
Lorin Maazel, conductor
* Matthew Mantanus, conductor
** Blake Richardson, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
CHABRIER Espagne*
MAAZEL Music for Violin & Orchestra
RAVEL Rapsodie Espagnol**
RAVEL Bolero
Tickets: $60, castletonfestival.org, 202-857-1473
Sun July 24, 4:00 p.m.
Concert 4: Finale Concert
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Marouan Benabdallah, piano
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
PROKOFIEV Excerpts from Romeo & Juliet
Castleton Festival at the Hylton
Excerpts from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess
Venue: Merchant Hall, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA
Intro; Summertime; I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'; It Ain't Necessarily So; My Man's Gone Now; A Woman is a Sometime Thing; A Red Headed Woman; Bess, You is My Woman Now; O Lawd, I'm On My Way
Cast:Porgy Patrick Blackwell
Bess Reyna Carguill
Crown John Fulton
Sportin' Life Chauncey PackerTickets: $60, $45, $30, hyltoncenter.org, 703-993-7759
Buy all three festival concerts for $135, $101.25, $67.50 and Save 25%
(This special offer for all three concerts is available in person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office or by phone at 703-993-7759)
Castleton Festival at the Hylton
Sesquicentennial Concert: 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run)
Venue: Merchant Hall, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle
Manassas, VA
Lorin Maazel, conductor
* Joshua Weilerstein, conductor
Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano
GROFE On the Trail (from Grand Canyon Suite)
COPLAND Appalachian Spring
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story*
Stephen Foster Songs featuring Denyce Graves
Tickets: $60, $45, $30, hyltoncenter.org, 703-993-7759
Buy all three festival concerts for $135, $101.25, $67.50 and Save 25%
(This special offer for all three concerts is available in person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office or by phone at 703-993-7759)
Family Day & Fireworks
Saturday, July 2
Celebrate the Fourth of July weekend with a special Family Day at Castleton Farms. Admission includes:
2:00 p.m. Master Pedro's Puppet Show performance
3:00 p.m. Children's puppet workshop with The Puppet Kitchen
5:00 p.m. Cabaret performances at the Castleton Café
7:00 p.m. Bluegrass concert followed by fireworks display
Tickets: Adults $30; Child $15; Family Pass (up to two adults) $45, castletonfestival.org, 202-857-1473
Recitals at The Theatre at Washington, VA
Monday, July 11, 7:00 p.m.
The Castleton Festival Presents "Stars of the Future"
Michael Anthony McGee, baritone
René Barbera, tenor
(Program tba)
Tickets: $20, castletonfestival.org, 202-857-1473
Monday, July 18, 7:00 p.m.
Sylvia McNair "Subject to Change!"
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Ted Taylor, piano
Two-time Grammy Award winner and regional Emmy winner, Sylvia McNair lays claim to a stellar, 25 year career in the musical realms of opera, oratorio, cabaret and musical theater. In this intimate concert she will present songs from the Great American Songbook including songs by Gershwin, Porter, Bernstein, Sondheim and more.
Tickets: $20, castletonfestival.org, 202-857-1473
Other Castleton Festival Orchestra Concerts
______________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, June 29, 8:00 p.m.
BlackCreek Summer Music Festival
Venue: Rexell Centre, York University, Toronto, ON
Lorin Maazel conducts the Castleton Festival Orchestra in "Music Inspired by Shakespeare" with Shakespeare's verses performed by Academy Award winners, Dame Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons.
blackcreekfestival.com
Friday, July 29 & Saturday, July 30
National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China
chnpa.org
Events By Date
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FT Festival Tent, Castleton Farms
TH Theatre House, Castleton Farms
CC Castleton Café
HPAC Hylton Performing Arts Center
TW Theatre at Washington
6:00 p.m. La Bohème & Opening Night Gala FTSunday, June 26
2:00 p.m. Double Bill: A Soldier's Tale & Master Pedro's Puppet Show TH
7:00 p.m. Concert 1: Bizet FT
Friday, July 1
7:30 p.m. La Bohème FT
Saturday, July 2 - FAMILY DAY & FIREWORKS
2:00 p.m. Master Pedro's Puppet Show TH
3:00 p.m. Special workshop for children with members of The Puppet Kitchen TH
5:00 p.m. Cabaret performance CC
7:00 p.m. Bluegrass Concert followed by Fireworks FT
Sunday, July 3
4:00 p.m. Concert 2: Gershwin FT
Thursday, July 7
8:00 p.m. Porgy & Bess in Concert HPAC
7:30 pm Double Bill: Seven Deadly Sins & L'enfant et les sortilèges FTSaturday, July 9
7:00 p.m. Double Bill: A Soldier's Tale & Master Pedro's Puppet Show THSunday, July 10
7:00 p.m. La Bohème FTMonday, July 11
7:00 p.m. 'Stars of the Future' in Recital TW
Thursday, July 14
8:00 p.m. Il Tabarro & Gianni Schicchi HPAC
7:30 p.m. Double Bill: Seven Deadly Sins & L'enfant et les sortilèges FTSaturday, July 16
2:00 p.m. Double Bill: A Soldier's Tale & Master Pedro's Puppet Show TH
7:00 p.m. La Bohème FTSunday, July 17
4:00 p.m. Concert 3: Chabrier, Maazel & Ravel FT Monday, July 18
7:00 p.m. Sylvia McNair 'Subject to Change' TW
Thursday, July 21
8:00 p.m. 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Manassas Concert HPAC
2:00 p.m. Double Bill: Seven Deadly Sins & L'enfant et les sortilèges FTSunday, July 24
7:00 p.m. Concert 4: Finale Concert FT
______________________________________________________________________Castleton Farms is located at 663 Castleton View Road, Castleton, VA 22716, about 60 miles southwest of Washington, DC (approx 80 minutes drive); approx two hours drive from Richmond and Baltimore; and approx five hours drive from New York City.The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University's Prince William Campus, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, VAThe Theatre at Washington is at 291 Gay Street, Washington, VAFull driving directions to Castleton Farms as well as accommodation recommendations and a guide to the Rappahannock County area are available at:
castletonfestival.org
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