San Francisco Opera presents Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola (Cinderella) in six performances November 9-26. French mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes makes her San Francisco Opera debut in the title role of Angelina (Cinderella), the gentle servant girl who catches the eye of a handsome prince. American tenor René Barbera makes his Company debut as the dashing prince Don Ramiro, Mexican-American baritone Efraín Solís makes his role debut as the prince's valet Dandini and Spanish baritone Carlos Chausson is Cinderella's evil stepfather. Based on one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, La Cenerentola sparkles in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's charming and heartwarming production, directed by Gregory Fortner and conducted by esteemed Spanish conductor Jesús López-Cobos.
Soprano Karine Deshayes has previously appeared as Angelina with great success throughout her native France, including at Paris Opera, Opera de Tours, Bordeaux National Opera and Nantes Opera. Lauded by the New York Times for her "emotional depth and vibrant, beautiful sound," Deshayes' recent career highlights include Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Romeo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi and the title role of L'incoronazione di Poppea at Paris Opera and Fenena in Nabucco at Orange Opera in France. This season she will also appear as Nicklausse/the Muse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Metropolitan Opera as well as the title role of Offenbach's La Belle Hélène at Toulon Opera.American tenor René Barbera makes his San Francisco Opera debut as Cinderella's prince, Don Ramiro. Barbera has previously performed the role to great acclaim at Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera and West Palm Beach Opera. "Sensational as Don Ramiro," Barbera "negotiated his intricate fioratura with a golden elegance, never forcing, and suddenly pounced on a phrase or high note with an added vibrancy (Orange County Register)." Later this season the Merola Opera Program alumnus (2008) revisits another of his signature roles, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Los Angeles Opera, and in 2015 he returns to San Francisco Opera as Iopas in Berlioz's Les Troyens.
Spanish baritone Carlos Chausson appears at San Francisco Opera for the first time as Cinderella's manipulative stepfather Don Magnifico. In demand for his portrayal of comedic buffo parts, Chausson's signature roles include Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Le nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso in Cosí fan tutte, and the title role of Don Pasquale. He has sung Don Magnifico around the world with companies such as Zurich Opera, Paris Opera, Milan's Teatro alla Scala, and Madrid's Teatro Real as well as in Seville, Dresden, Bilbao and Nice.Adler Fellow Efraín Solís returns as Don Ramiro's valet Dandini after making his Company debut this summer as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly and appearing as Christian in Un Ballo in Maschera this fall. As a participant of the 2013 Merola Opera Program, he sang Junius in The Rape of Lucretia and covered Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro. Chosen as a finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the 2013 Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition, Solís holds degrees from Chapman University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he performed the title role of Don Giovanni, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and the title role of Gianni Schicchi.
Spanish conductor Jesús López-Cobos, who previously has held music director posts at Madrid's Teatro Real, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Nacional de España, returns to lead the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus for the first time since the 1974 production of Verdi's Otello. Gregory Fortner makes his San Francisco Opera debut directing Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's iconic production.All performances will feature an informative Opera Talk by conductor, composer and educator Giancarlo Aquilanti. Talks begin fifty-five minutes before each performance in the orchestra section of the War Memorial Opera House and are presented free of charge to patrons with tickets for the corresponding performance.Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the six performances of La Cenerentola are scheduled for November 9 (2 p.m.), November 13 (7:30 p.m.), November 16 (2 p.m.), November 18 (7:30 p.m.), November 21 (7:30 p.m.) and November 26 (7:30 p.m.), 2014.
Presented by San Francisco Opera Education Department, Exploration Workshops: All About Cinderella! is an interactive, multi-generational workshop based on the themes, story, characters and music of La Cenerentola (Cinderella). The workshops will take place 10-11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m on Saturday, November 1 and 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 16 in the Chorus Room of War Memorial Opera House. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased online in advance. At this time the November 16 workshops are sold out.
Tickets for performances of Rossini's La Cenerentola at the War Memorial Opera House are priced from $25 to $370 and may be purchased at sfopera.com or through the San Francisco Opera Box Office [301 Van Ness Avenue (at Grove Street), or by phone at (415) 864-3330]. Standing Room tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on the day of each performance; tickets are $10 each, cash only.
The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street. Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART station and near numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For more public transportation information, visit bart.gov and sfmuni.com.
Casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change. For further information about La Cenerentolaand San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 season, please visit sfopera.com.
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