Union Avenue Opera's "La Traviata" Opens Tomorrow

Riccardo Iannello & Zulimar López-Hernández
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014 | All Rights Reserved

Union Avenue Opera commences its 20th Anniversary Season this Friday with Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, presented by Raymond James and running July 11, 12, 18 & 19. Puccini's story of love, loss and longing returns to the Union Avenue Opera stage after its last production in 2002.

Zulimar López-Hernández
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014
All Rights Reserved

Set to Verdi's classic score and Francesco Maria Piave's libretto based upon the play and novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, La Traviata tells the story of a worldly courtesan, Violetta, who decides to leave her life of glamour and frivolity behind for the love of one man, Alfredo. Returning to Union Avenue Opera after twelve years, La Traviata depicts the ultimate operatic life, one filled with grand parties, grander sacrifices, and some of Verdi's most memorable music, including the toast song "Libiamo" and Violetta's virtuosic "Sempre libera." Both long time opera lovers and first-timers will be captivated by this irresistible classic.

THE CAST

Three artists make their UAO debut. Soprano Zulimar López-Hernández sings the role of Violetta, Tenor Riccardo Iannello sings the role of Alfredo and Baritone Phillip Bullock sings the role of Marquis d'Obigny.

Riccardo Iannello
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014
All Rights Reserved

Several UAO veterans return for the production. Four of them appeared in last season's Madama Butterfly: Baritone Robert Garner (Germont), Mezzo-Soprano Debra Hillabrand (Flora), Tenor Anthony Heinemann (Gastone) and Soprano Debby Lennon (Annina). Also appearing are Baritone Robert Reed (Dottore Grenvil), Bass Mark Freiman (Baron Douphol) and Tenors Jon Garrett and Philip Touchette as Giuseppe and a Messenger, respectively.

THE CREW

UAO Artistic Director and Conductor Scott Schoonover leads the orchestra. Stage Director Tim Ocel returns after staging UAO's critically-acclaimed Dead Man Walking in 2011. MK Jacobi serves as Stage Manager with Claire Stark as Assistant Stage Manager. The design team includes Set Designer Patrick Huber, Lighting Designer Maureen Berry, Costume Designer Teresa Doggett and Production Manager Sean Savoie. Pianist Vera Parkin serves as repetiteur.

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE SERIES

Glen Bauer, Ph.D., Associate Chair of the Webster University Music Department, will give a lecture one hour before each Friday performance (July 11 & 18) in the Fellowship Gallery of Union Avenue Christian Church. Lectures are free and open to the general public; no ticket to the performance required. 

Debra Hillabrand & Phillip Bullock
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014 | All Rights Reserved

OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION

Want a chance to eat, drink and be merry with cast and crew of La Traviata on Opening Night? UAO hosts an Opening Night Reception on July 11th after the performance at Tavern of Fine Arts. Click here for more information.

Anthony Heinemann
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014
All Rights Reserved

"LA TRAVIATA" IN THE MEDIA

Steve Potter chats with Zulimar López-Hernández, Riccardo Iannello and Scott Schoonover on a recent episode of Cityscape on St. Louis Public Radio.

STL TV interviews Scott Schoonover on the upcoming season.

Sarah Bryan Miller of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on UAO's 20 year milestone, interviews longtime supporter and chorister Douglas Allebach and discusses the opera with stage director Tim Ocel.

Gerry Kowarsky and Bob Wilcox of Two on the Aisle interview Tim Ocel and Zulimar López-Hernández.

Deborah Sharn and Scott Miller of Break a Leg on KDHX interview Scott Schoonover about Traviata and the 20th Season.

Chris King of The St. Louis American interviews Zulimar López-Hernández.

____________________

La Traviata opens July 11 and runs July 12, 18 & 19 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in Italian with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.

Opera Preview: 'Porgy and Bess' at the Muny

Photo: Michael J. Lutch

Although George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" is now widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of 20th century opera, it took (to quote one of the opera's lyrics) "a long pull to get there".

With a book by DuBose Heyward (based on his own original novel and play) and music and lyrics by the Brothers Gershwin, the original 1935 Theatre Guild production was a financial failure, and critical reaction was mixed and, from a contemporary standpoint, clueless. New York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson dismissed it out of hand, and the paper's music critic, Olin Downes, found the mix of vernacular musical elements and sophisticated symphonic form completely baffling (a position which he would later recant).

Despite revivals of interest in the 1940s and 1950s, Porgy and Bess remained an essentially marginal work until a 1976 production of the complete score by the Houston Grand Opera (which played the Muny in 1977)—one that restored nearly an hour of music that had been cut from earlier productions—demonstrated conclusively that Gershwin's crowning achievement was also a great work of musical art. "Seen alongside the humanity in the music and text of Porgy and Bess", wrote Leighton Kerner in 1989, "other American operas seem slight".

Photo: Michael J. Lutch

That said, the piece is still a major challenge for any opera company. The cast is large, the music complex, and the demands of the staging can be daunting. Low voices—bass/baritones and baritones—dominate the leading male roles, making projection a potential issue, as does Gershwin's penchant for polyphonic choral writing. Add in the fact that the opera runs, in its original uncut version, over three and one-half hours with intermission (closer to four if you do it in three acts), and you have a project guaranteed to give any producer nightmares.

Some have dealt with the opera's challenges by simply re-writing it. Before the Houston production reclaimed "Porgy" for the operatic world, it was routinely sliced and diced in ways that made it look more like a conventional Broadway musical—usually by replacing Gershwin's recitatives with spoken dialog and cutting scenes and characters. The co-production by Union Avenue Opera and the Black Rep back in 2007, for example, used an edited version, although they did at least retains some of Gershwin's more innovative ideas, most notably the Act II "storm" sequence in which six completely independent vocal lines slowly merge with the chorus to produce the spiritual "Oh, de Lawd shake the Heavens".

Photo: Michael J. Lutch

The "Porgy and Bess" at the Muny this week is not a local production but rather a national tour of a musical titled "The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess" that was originally directed by Diane Paulus for the American Repertory Theatre and then moved to Broadway in 2011. "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" takes revision "one step beyond," with wholesale re-writes of Hayward's libretto by playwright Susan-Lori Parks and similar radical surgery on Gershwin's music by cellist/composer Deidre Murray. New scenes have been added, including backstories for the characters that were not part of the original work. All of which means that, although prepared with the cooperation of the Gershwin and Hayward estates, "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess," might (as Stephen Sondheim observed in a caustic letter to the New York Times) more accurately be called "Diane Paulus's Porgy and Bess."

Will it work? I haven't seen it yet, so your guess is as good as mine. The New York premiere certainly stirred up some strong feelings, both pro and con. Writing in the New Yorker, for example, Hilton Als defended the revisions as "politically radical and dramaturgically original" and suggested that Mr. Sondheim was just being racially insensitive. "[T]he stories he tells involve white characters", wrote Mr. Als, "and his professional world is a white one." Ben Brantley, in his New York Times review, struck something of a middle ground, praising Audra McDonald's Bess more than the show itself. "Ms. McDonald's Bess," he wrote, "is — in a word — great; the show in which she appears is, at best, just pretty good."

The only way to know who's right, of course, is to see the show yourself. "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" is certainly shorter than the original opera (which hasn't been seen on the Muny stage since 1988), clocking in at around two and one-half hours, so if you go you'll be on your way home before 11 PM. Performances begin at 8:15 PM through Sunday, July 13, on the outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.com.

UAO Profile: Zulimar López-Hernández

Zulimar López-Hernández 

Union Avenue Opera welcomes Soprano Zulimar López-Hernández to its stage for La Traviata, in which she sings the role of the courtesan Violetta Valery. Zulimar comes to us from Puerto Rico to make her UAO debut.

Zulimar's vocal studies began in Puerto Rico and continued in the U.S. at Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts. Over the past seasons, she has performed as a Young Artist with Glimmerglass Opera, followed by engagements in principal roles with Syracuse Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Memphis, Dayton Opera and Opera Santa Barbara. This year, she will sing Micaëla in Carmen for Knoxville Opera and makes an important debut at London's Royal Albert Hall as Musetta in La Bohème.

Below is a video of Zulimar singing "Deh vieni non tardar" from Le Nozze di Figaro. You may learn more about her at www.zulimarlopez.com

La Traviata opens July 11th and runs July 12, 18 & 19 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Tickets can be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.

UAO Profile: Robert Garner

Robert Garner

Union Avenue Opera welcomes back Baritone Robert Garner for La Traviata, in which he sings the role of Giorgio Germont, Alfredo's father. Robert returns to St. Louis from New York City after singing Sharpless in last season's Madama Butterfly. In past UAO seasons, he has sung Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Ford in Falstaff, the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Mr. Garner's career has taken him all over the country in a variety of opera companies including Opera Colorado, Mississippi Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Dayton Opera and Anchorage Opera. For several seasons, Robert has been a long-standing member of the Metropolitan Opera associate chorus (both in New York and on tour in Japan), performing in Aida, Don Carlo, Billy Budd and Götterdämmerung among many other operas.

Below is a video of Robert singing Germont's Act Two aria "Di Provenza il mar" from La Traviata.

La Traviata opens July 11th and runs July 12, 18 & 19 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Tickets can be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.

UAO Profile: Riccardo Iannello

Riccardo Iannello

Union Avenue Opera welcomes Italian-Canadian Tenor Riccardo Iannello to the stage for the season opener La Traviata, in which he sings the role of the love-struck Alfredo Germont. Riccardo comes to St. Louis for the first time from Toronto and is excited to make his debut with Union Avenue Opera.

A student of singing from a very young age in his native Canada, Riccardo's studies have brought him to Austria, France, Rome and Boston. Before his current engagement with UAO, he has performed with Opéra de Montréal, the Banff Centre, Pacific Opera Victoria and Canadian Opera Company, among others. Later this year, he will perform with Wexford Festival Opera in Wexford, Ireland.

Below is a video of Riccardo singing Alfredo's Act Two aria "De' Miei Bollenti Spiriti" from La Traviata. You can see more videos at his YouTube page and learn more about him at www.riccardoiannello.com

La Traviata opens July 11th and runs July 12, 18 & 19 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Tickets can be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.

STL Public Radio's "Cityscape" to Feature "La Traviata" Artists

Soprano Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez & Tenor Riccardo Iannello

Tomorrow (June 27th) at Noon, Union Avenue Opera will be featured on St. Louis Public Radio's Cityscape. Host Steve Potter welcomes UAO Artistic Director and Conductor Scott Schoonover, Soprano Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez (singing the role of Violetta) and Tenor Riccardo Iannello (singing the role of Alfredo) to discuss UAO's upcoming La Traviata and the rest of the 20th Anniversary Season.

Cityscape airs on KWMU 90.7 at Noon-1pm on Friday, June 27th and will be repeated at 10pm that night. You may also listen to archived audio of the program on http://www.stlpublicradio.org/

Tickets for upcoming UAO productions start at $30 and are available online at http://www.unionavenueopera.org/ or by calling the box office (open M-F, 10am-3pm) at 314-361-2881.

Union Avenue Opera: 20th Anniversary Season

Union Avenue Opera celebrates 20 years of bringing compelling, vibrant performances of opera to the St. Louis community from the sanctuary of Union Avenue Christian Church. UAO's 20th Anniversary Festival Season is full of excitement: the sets will be grander, the costumes more opulent, and our largest chorus to date will grace the stage as the company returns to a three opera summer to mark this milestone year. This season is not to be missed! Join us for the romance and tragedy of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata presented by Raymond James, the passionate family drama of Andre Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire and the heroic adventure of Siegfried, the third part of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. On November 8th, Union Avenue Opera will celebrate 20 years and toast its friends, patrons, supporters and cheerleaders with a 20th Anniversary Concert featuring international opera singers Lise Lindstrom and Jordan Shanahan.

THE REPERTOIRE

La Traviata, one of the most beloved tragedies in opera, tells the story of a worldly courtesan, Violetta, who decides to leave her life of glamour and frivolity behind for the love of one man, Alfredo. Returning to Union Avenue Opera after twelve years, La Traviata depicts the ultimate operatic life, one filled with grand parties, grander sacrifices, and some of Verdi's most memorable music, including the drinking song "Libiamo" and Violetta's virtuosic "Sempre libera." Both long time opera lovers and first-timers will be captivated by this irresistible classic. La Traviata will be performed in Italian with projected English supertitles on July 11, 12, 18 & 19 at 8:00pm.

Desire is taking on a new rhythm as Tennessee Williams' play sizzles onto the stage in the St. Louis Premiere of André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire. Set against the backdrop of steamy New Orleans, this scintillating Streetcar adds a new level of drama and excitement to Williams' enduring portrait of sex, class and secrets. Southern belle Blanche DuBois moves to her sister's cramped apartment, creating all the wrong kinds of sparks with her brutish brother-in-law Stanley. When dark truths about her past begin to emerge, Blanche's world comes apart at the seams in a spiral of violence and madness. A Streetcar Named Desire will be performed in English with projected English supertitles on August 1, 2, 8 & 9 at 8:00pm.

Wagner's epic Ring Cycle continues with the penultimate opera, Siegfried. Swords are re-forged, dragons slain, a sleeping maiden awakened, treasures reclaimed, and justice dispensed as the power of the gods continues to dwindle. The fearless hero Siegfried, grandson of Wotan, is destined for greatness as he faces a multitude of challenges, including winning the love of Brünnhilde. Siegfried is a wonderful fairytale with the requisite happy ending ... for the moment at least. Siegfried is reduced and adapted by English composer Jonathan Dove. His masterful cuts condense the opera in length to under three hours and will be enhanced by video projections befitting the magnificent grandeur of the Ring Cycle. Siegfried will be performed in German with projected English supertitles on August 22, 23, 29 & 30 at 8:00pm.

20th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Mark your calendar to join us on November 8th, when UAO alumni Lise Lindstrom and Jordan Shanahan return to our stage in a 20th Anniversary Concert. Since her debut as Turandot with UAO in 2004, Lindstrom has performed the role in over 30 productions world-wide and has sung leading roles in most of the world's great opera houses including: Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, The Metropolitan Opera, De Nederlandse Opera, Royal Opera House, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera and many more. She will be joined onstage by Baritone Jordan Shanahan, an emerging international singer whose roles at Union Avenue Opera include Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking and Alberich in 2012's Das Rheingold and this season's Siegfried. Soloists and a chorus will be backed by UAO's orchestra, whom has graciously donated its time and services to perform on this momentous occasion.

BEFORE THE FOOTLIGHTS

Union Avenue Opera welcomes back artists from seasons past:

La Traviata: Robert Garner (Germont), Debra Hillabrand (Flora), Mark Freiman (Barone Douphol), Robert Reed (Dottore Grenvil), Anthony Heinemann (Gastone), Jon Garrett (Giuseppe) and Philip Touchette (Messenger). A Streetcar Named Desire: Jimmy Stevens (Young Collector). Siegfried: Marc Schapman (Mime), David Dillard (The Wanderer), Jordan Shanahan (Alberich), Nathan Whitson (Fafner), Alexandra LoBianco (Brünnhilde), Cecelia Stearman (Erda) and Kate Reimann (Forest Bird).

Several artists make their UAO stage debut:

• Soprano Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez (Violetta)
• Tenor Riccardo Iannello (Alfredo)
• Baritone Phillip Bullock (Marquis D'Obigny).
• Soprano Lacy Sauter (Blanche DuBois)
• Baritone Bernardo Bermudez (Stanley Kowalski)
• Soprano Katherine Giaquinto (Stella Kowalski)
• Tenor Anthony Webb (Harold "Mitch" Mitchell)
• Mezzo-soprano Johanna Nordhorn (Eunice Hubbell)
• Tenor Robert Norman (Steve Hubbell)
• Mezzo-soprano Natanja Tomich (Flower Woman)
• Tenor Clay Hilley (Siegfried)

Twenty artists--local professional singers and members of UAO's Crescendo young artist program-- comprise the chorus of La Traviata.

IN THE PIT AND BEHIND THE SCENES

UAO Artistic Director and Conductor Scott Schoonover is set to conduct La Traviata and Siegfried this season. Guest Conductor Kostis Protopapas, who last conducted 2010's La fille du Régiment, returns to conduct A Streetcar Named Desire. Stage director Tim Ocel, who last staged Union Avenue Opera's critically-acclaimed Dead Man Walking in 2011, returns to stage La Traviata. Accomplished actor, theatre teacher and stage director Christopher Limber makes his UAO debut staging A Streetcar Named Desire. Stage director Karen Coe Miller, who helmed last season's Die Walküre, returns to stage Siegfried. MK Jacobi (Traviata), Claire Stark (Streetcar) and Allyson Ditchey (Siegfried) serve as Stage Managers. Sean Savoie serves as UAO Production Manager. The company welcomes back several designers to collaborate on the 2014 season including Patrick Huber (set, Traviata; set and lighting, Siegfried), Teresa Doggett (costumes for entire season) and Michael Perkins (projections, Siegfried).

Designers making their UAO debut: Maureen Berry (lighting, Traviata), Kyra Bishop (set, Streetcar) and Sean Savoie (lighting, Streetcar).

TICKETS & INFORMATION

La Traviata runs July 11, 12, 18 & 19 at 8:00pm. A Streetcar Named Desire runs August 1, 2, 8 & 9 at 8:00pm. Siegfried runs August 22, 23, 29 & 30 at 8:00pm. Our 20th Anniversary Concert takes place on November 8th. All performances take place in the sanctuary of Union Avenue Christian Church at 733 Union Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108. Single tickets and Season tickets (at discounted prices) are available by calling the UAO Box Office at 314-361-2881 or visiting unionavenueopera.org