Opera Orlando presents CINDERELLA!

What if Cinderella never met her Prince Charming? What if the whole story of the wicked sisters and their abused stepsister never happened?

As suggested in the libretto of Gioachino Rossini's Cinderella (La Cenerentola), Opera Orlando's March 21-25 Dr. Phillips Center performances of the opera make it the stuff of dreams; a nighttime revelry of a young woman seeking release from her day-to-day reality.

The concluding opera in the Dr. Phillips Center Series for Opera Orlando's 2017-2018 Love Lost and Found season will transport Rossini's 1817 comedic masterpiece into an intriguing universe of bold imagery and delightful fantasy as the company plays with theatrical reality.

"Like so many of us, Cinderella dreams herself away from her difficult life and into a fairy tale in which virtue, inner beauty, and honesty conquer all," stated Ophelie Wolf, who will be making her Opera Orlando debut as Cinderella's stage director. "In this colorful, gothic dream-situated somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and The Addams Family-she sees herself as she really is and sees what and who she is capable of being. It may only be a dream, but it is a reminder that the world is a place of endless possibilities for those who dare to live their dreams."

Wolf brings an impressive résumé to the production, including extensive experience in European opera houses and at the Juilliard School in New York City. "Ophelie has already become a force in the opera world" said Gabriel Preisser, artistic and executive director of Opera Orlando. "We love that we're able to match her with Eric Jacobsen who will conduct our Cinderella."

Jacobsen, music director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, will be making his Opera Orlando debut when he conducts his orchestra and the company's principals and chorus in the four scheduled performances of Cinderella.

"I'm so thrilled to collaborate in one of the greatest opera fairy tales ever created," said Jacobsen. "Rossini wrote Cinderella in one of his most creative and prolific years. It is both clever and whimsical as well as moving and rich. As a composer and a renowned chef, Rossini was all about experimenting with flavors, colors, and tastes. This opera, in particular, feels like a beautiful meal served with every last garnish you could ever want. I can't wait to jump into this production with Opera Orlando at the Dr. Phillips Center."

Metropolitan Opera mainstays Charles Caine, costume designer, and Steven Horak, hair and makeup designer, will be making their company debuts to help realize Wolf's "fantastical" vision for Rossini's comic masterpiece. "These gentlemen are both legends in the industry, and we're honored to have them here in Orlando," said Preisser.

Continuing in their roles for the entire 2017-2018 season, Opera Orlando's production director Grant Preisser will design Cinderella's set, and Jon Whiteley will be the lighting designer. Robin Jensen, the company's music and education director, will prepare the Opera Orlando Chorus.

For all of the opera's principal performers, Rossini has laid down a demanding gauntlet that requires beautiful and rhythmically rollicking singing and an animated, almost cartoon-like theatrical bearing. Mezzo soprano Amanda Crider, a nationally renowned company favorite who specializes in coloratura roles, will realize the title role. Internationally renowned tenor Javier Abreu, who donated his services for 2016's One Voice Orlando: A Celebration in Song, is Cinderella's Prince Ramiro. Baritone Jonathan Beyer, a veteran of leading opera houses and concert halls around the globe, portrays the prince's co-conspiring valet Dandini.

The Rossini version of the classic fairy tale includes some gender switches. The "magic" in the opera is courtesy of court philosopher Alidoro, sung by young rising star Calvin Griffin, a bass-baritone. In addition, Rossini has a vain and pompous stepfather, not a jealous stepmother, standing in the way of Cinderella's happiness. The role of Don Magnifico, the stepfather, is sung by bass-baritone Tony Dillon, who has had a long and storied career in the United States, Latin America, and Russia. For Cinderella's conceited stepsisters, Opera Orlando is delighted to feature two Central Florida professionals, soprano Samantha Barnes Daniel and mezzo-soprano Sarah Purser as Clorinda and Tisbe respectively.

Celebrate Cinderella!, a series of lead-up events to the opera, will take place starting in late February. An additional press release will detail each event. Opera Orlando wishes to acknowledge our Platinum (Fairwinds Credit Union, Sunburst Shutters, and Sundance Printing and Marketing) and Gold (Orlando Health, Disney, Mix Network, and CNP) sponsors for the 2017-2018 season.

The opera's arias and ensembles will be sung in Italian and the recitatives will be sung in English. English supertitles will be employed for all. Additional information on the production, creative team and principals is available by visiting www.operaorlando.org.

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