Learn more about the lineup here!
Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts has announced their upcoming 2023/2024 opera season. The season, which is AVA's 89th, kicks off with a stunning production of Gaetano Donizetti's masterwork Anna Bolena, followed by Benjamin Britten's hauntingly beautiful The Rape of Lucretia and ending with Gioachino Rossini's beloved comic masterpiece, Il barbiere di Siviglia ("The Barber of Seville"). Also returning this season is the annual Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, New Artists Recital, Winter Recital, and Farewell Recital.
"We are incredibly excited to present this remarkable lineup to our audiences," said Scott Guzielek, President and Artistic Director. "The combination of Donizetti's passionate tragedy, Britten's deeply introspective work, and Rossini's uproarious comedy offers a diverse and captivating experience for all."
Prior to the official launch of the new season, AVA singers can also be heard in concert with several other organizations.
Ocean City Pops' "Opera Superstars of Tomorrow"
Join Maestro Vince Lee and the Ocean City Pops for a dazzling concert along the shoreline, featuring AVA singers Jenny Anne Flory and Angel Raii Gomez.
Live opera will once again fill the air in Milford, PA on August 27, 2023 in a free Opera! Pike! Park! concert on the lawn of the Ann Street Park in Milford Borough. Classic arias, Neapolitan songs, and Broadway tunes will be performed by AVA singers.
Opera Philadelphia's O23 Festival
AVA returns to Opera Philadelphia's O23 Festival, with the "Afternoon at AVA" series. This year's recitals will take place at AVA's Helen Corning Warden Theater on:
Singers and repertoire to be announced later this summer.
Located in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, AVA's student body is intentionally small and admission is highly competitive. More than 200 singers from across the globe audition each year for the fewer than eight spots available in each class. The program is limited to fewer than 30 total Resident Artists, who are immersed in a uniquely intensive and highly personalized program where they learn from world-renowned faculty. They receive training in voice, vocal repertoire, acting, stage combat, opera history, several languages, and each year are presented in fully-staged opera productions accompanied by the professional AVA Opera Orchestra. They are cast in leading roles that they will in all likelihood continue to perform for the rest of their careers.
No other opera training program in the world rivals AVA's success in developing individual artists whose extraordinary voices inspire millions on international stages. Numerous AVA alumni have won the Richard Tucker Award, five of the thirteen Beverly Sills Artist Awards presented by The Metropolitan Opera, and multiple alumni are Grammy Award winners.
AVA proudly counts among its alumni such distinguished international stars as Stephen Costello, Ellie Dehn, Joyce DiDonato, Joyce El-Khoury, Michael Fabiano, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Luis Ledesma, Angela Meade, Latonia Moore, James Morris, Corinne Winters, Stuart Neill, Ailyn Pérez, Ruth Ann Swenson, Taylor Stayton and Richard Troxell, and currently making their mark in the opera world, recent graduates Dominick Chenes, Scott Conner, Marina Costa-Jackson, André Courville, Othalie Graham, Alasdair Kent, Zachary Nelson, Musa Ngqungwana, Nicole Piccolomini, and Vanessa Vasquez.
Subscriptions to the 2023/24 season will be available to the general public soon, and single tickets will be available September 7, 2023 by phone and web.
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