Triple-Sec/The Medium
GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS EVENT.
Curtis Opera Theatre presents a new filmed double bill of Marc Blitzstein’s (’26) Triple-Sec and The Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti (’33). This exclusive world premiere will take place on Saturday, February 10 by invitation only.
Triple-Sec
Marc Blitzstein, music
Ronald Jeans, libretto
The Twenties come roaring back to life in Marc Blitzstein’s virtuosic Jazz Age farce, Triple-Sec. First performed in 1929 at the Bellevue-Stratford Ballroom in Philadelphia, this bitingly witty satire pops the cork and pours the bubbly with a fizzy blend of opera and cabaret, viewing the madcap action through the heavy-lidded eyes of an intoxicated audience. As the martinis flow and the absurdity mounts, characters are doubled and tripled, and the dark past of a married man comes back to hilariously haunt him.
The Medium
Gian Carlo Menotti, music and libretto
Gian Carlo Menotti’s gripping operatic thriller, The Medium, follows the tragic tale of a ruthlessly exploitative spiritualist named Madame Flora (“Baba”), her daughter Monica, and her silent servant Toby. One fateful night, as the charlatan psychic extorts another bereaved client through one of her fraudulent séances, she feels a ghostly hand upon her throat, and the lines between reality and the paranormal begin to blur. As the tension builds and secrets are revealed, this uncanny encounter leads to a shocking turn of events.
Artists
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Conductor Joseph Mechavich’s passion and commitment to excellence in the art form has helped to forge lasting and career-defining relationships with numerous opera companies, composers and orchestras in the United States and abroad. Maestro Mechavich has presided over productions of Porgy and Bess for Deutsche Oper Berlin, Nixon in China for Auckland Philharmonia/New Zealand Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia for The Washington National Opera, Madama Butterfly for New York City Opera, and Dead Man Walking for Atlanta Opera. The Miami Herald lauded Mechavich’s artistry in a recent production of Werther at Florida Grand Opera: “An astute conductor realizes that Massenet’s music must be as emotive and expressive as the action on stage. Joseph Mechavich brings out the French Romantic’s lilting emphasis on strings and woodwinds in the opening strains and throughout the first act, and pushes his orchestra to full throttle for the tumultuous, dark, and dissonant third and fourth acts. Onstage the tug of war between duty and desire continues to build, while in the orchestra pit, the music heightens the tension.” His 2019-2020 season includes Il barbiere di Siviglia for Minnesota Opera, Everest for Austin Opera, Macbeth for Florentine Opera, Die Zauberflöte for North Carolina Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage for Arizona Opera, and Carmen for Kentucky Opera.
In addition to his impressive command of the standard operatic repertoire, Maestro Mechavich is also known for his deep commitment to American opera. Of his Nixon in China at San Diego Opera, Broadway World extolled “The expertise in 21st century operatic repertoire that conductor Joseph Mechavich demonstrated in 2012’s Moby-Dick has surely increased exponentially as portrayed in his rendering of John Adam’s complex score. Mechavich showed great command and sensitivity throughout, both controlling and supporting the orchestra in their task of performing parts that were most difficult and intricate.” Mo. Mechavich is a champion of the music of Carlisle Floyd and Jake Heggie. He has conducted productions of Floyd’s Susannah, Of Mice and Men, and Cold Sassy Tree and recorded Wuthering Heights. Mo. Mechavich has conducted highly acclaimed productions by Jake Heggie such as Moby-Dick, Great Scott, Out of Darkness: Two Remain, and Dead Man Walking.
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American tenor Alek Shrader has developed an outstanding reputation both for his beautiful lyric vocalism and his expressive characterizations.
He has appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Canadian Opera Company, Opera de Oviedo, Bayersische Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Opera de Lille, Opera National de Bordeaux, Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals. His many roles include Alfredo in La Traviata, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L’Italiana in Algeri, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Tonio in La Fille du Regiment, Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Oronte in Alcina, Jupiter & Apollo in Semele, Emilio in Partenope, David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Camille in The Merry Widow, Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, the title roles in Candide and Albert Herring, Tony in West Side Story, and Ferdinand in Ades‘ The Tempest.
As a concert singer, Mr. Shrader has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Also an avid recitalist, Mr. Shrader has been presented by Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Performances, the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA, Oberlin College, and at the Wigmore Hall in London.
Mr. Shrader has recently ventured into the world of stage directing, making his directorial debut with a production of Dido & Aeneas as part of the Green-wood Cemetery’s acclaimed performance series “Concerts in the Catacombs”. He also co-wrote and co-directed Mercy, a film based on Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito which will be released by the Curtis Institute of Music in the fall of 2021. He also recently partnered with the Arizona Opera to create a graphic novel of Carmen.
Mr. Shrader was a winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was the recipient of a Sarah Tucker grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation. He is also an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Adler Fellowship Program. During the 20/21 season, Mr. Shrader will be a member of the Atlanta Opera’s Company players where he will be appear in various opera productions, concerts, and educational outreach events.
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Through visionary productions, bold concepts, and compelling narratives, the artists of Curtis Opera Theatre prepare to become stars of the world stage. The combination of key elements of artistry—music, acting, singing, and design—allows these student-artists to create a lasting connection with audiences.