Bodhi Tree Concerts Presents New Production of DIDO AND AENEAS at Bread & Salt

Bodhi Tree Concerts presents a new, fully staged production of Henry Purcell's iconic opera, Dido and Aeneas, playing for three performances on September 23, 24, and 25 at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights.

First performed in 1689 at Josias Priest's girls' school in London, Dido and Aeneas is based on a portion of Book IV of Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid (29-19 BC). The 55-minute opera recounts the tale of love of Dido, the widowed Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, a great Trojan warrior, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Rounding out the cast of characters are a sorceress, witches, and a band of sailors. This brand-new production marries the ancient, the baroque and the present-day, inviting audiences to relive the tale through 21st-century eyes and ears.

Directed by Vanessa Dinning and conducted by Brendan Nguyen, the production uses a mixture of live and recorded music, traditional baroque, and electronic instruments, blending different musical styles with classical operatic, musical theatre, and choral voices. The creative team also includes Michael Mizerany (choreographer and assistant director), Jennifer Edwards (lighting designer), Marcene Drysdale (costume designer), and Jerry DeLane (set designer).

In keeping with Bodhi Tree Concerts' mission of hiring only local artists, the cast includes Victoria Mature (Dido), Evan White (Aeneas). Walter DuMelle (Sorceress), Katherine Polit (Belinda), Danielle Perrault (1st Witch/Woman), Timmy Simpson (Sailor/2nd Witch) and DeAndre Simmons (Mercury).

Tickets are $40 General Admission and are available online at bodhitreeconcerts.org

Profits from these performances will be donated to Summit for Stem Cell Foundation, whose mission is to support, educate and raise awareness about the development of today's and tomorrow's evidence-based regenerative medical therapies focused on Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

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