Puccini’s final masterpiece Turandot opens Union Avenue Opera’s 17th season under the baton of Artistic Director Scott Schoonover. This passionate opera tells the tale of Princess Turandot whose cruelty masks her fear of love as she subjects her would-be suitors to answer three impossible riddles. Failure to answer means death, until the brave and noble Calàf falls in love with Turandot and attempts to beat her at her own dangerous game.St. Louis audiences last saw Turandot onstage here at UAO in 2004. Mark James Meier's production scored a critical and box office success for the company. Soprano Lise Lindstrom, the leading lady, went on to make the title role a staple of her repertoire, and in 2009 made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the ice princess. Click here for a full synopsis of the opera.
Singing the title role, Soprano Alexandra LoBianco (pictured at right \ Photo: Ron Lindsey) returns to the Union Avenue Opera stage after her critically-lauded 2009 company debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore as well as an appearance in UAO's 2010 Gala Concert. She recently debuted as Turandot with West Bay Opera in Palo Alto, CA and looks forward to singing the role once again. Fresh from an engagement with the Metropolitan Opera on Tour in Japan, Tenor Adam Herskowitz makes his UAO debut as Prince Calàf. Bass Aaron Stegemöller, another artist making his UAO debut, sings the role of Timur, deposed King of Tartary. Last seen in her company debut as Desdemona in 2008's Otello, Soprano Christia Starnes sings the role of Timur's devoted slave girl Liù.
(L to R: Todd von Felker, Clark Sturdevant & Andrew Papas as Ping, Pang & Pong \ Photo: Ron Lindsey)Baritone Todd von Felker, seen last summer as The Pirate King (Pirates of Penzance) and Count Tomsky (Pikovaya Dama), will appear as Ping. After his company debut as Major-General Stanley in Pirates last season, Baritone Andrew Papas sings the role of Pong. UAO veteran Tenor Clark Sturdevant, who sang the role of The Emperor in the 2004 production, returns to sing the role of Pang. Click here to see Ping, Pang and Pong in action. Tenor Jon Garrett, who most recently sang the role of Major-Domo in Pikovaya Dama, will appear as The Emperor. Baritone Nathan Ruggles sings the role of Mandarino.
Operatic Saint Louis interviewed Mark James Meier on his directorial vision of the production. Last week, UAO Artistic Director/Conductor Scott Schoonover, Alexandra LoBianco and Adam Herskowitz sat down with Steve Potter of Cityscape on 90.7 KWMU to discuss Turandot as well as the upcoming season. Click here to listen (interview located on July 1st archive, Segment A). Ms. LoBianco spoke with Sarah Bryan Miller for a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on the characters of Turandot and Liù. Patricia Rice also interviews both leads in a recent St. Louis Beacon article.
Dr. Glen Bauer of Webster University will be giving an Opening Night Lecture on the opera. The lecture begins at 7pm Friday, July 8th, one hour before curtain, in the Fellowship Hall of Union Avenue Christian Church. This lecture is free to the public.
Turandot opens Friday, July 8 and will run for three more performances on July 9, 15 & 16. All performances begin at 8pm and take place at Union Avenue Christian Church located at 733 N. Union Blvd in St. Louis. Sung in Italian with projected English supertitles.
Tickets range $30-52. Student Rush Tickets are $15 with valid Student ID (cash only) for any remaining seats available 15 minutes before curtain. To purchase Tickets or find more information about Union Avenue Opera, please call 314.361.2881 or visit http://www.unionavenueopera.org/
You have shared good information on this opera. Recently, arranged the annual meeting of my company at the finest event space Chicago. Different delegates from different parts of the country made this event a grand success. Had good time.
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