Curtis Opera Theatre Opens 2019–20 Season with The Barber of Seville November 21–24

PHILADELPHIA—November 13, 2019—The Curtis Opera Theatre presents Rossini’s The Barber of Seville November 21 through 23 at 7:30 p.m. and November 24 at 2:30 p.m. at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. Resident Stage Director Chas Rader-Shieber and conductor Christian Capocaccia lead the new production.

Gioachino Rossini’s comic masterpiece finds new energy through the performers of the Curtis Opera Theatre. The barber of Seville does it all—whether a shave, a scheme, or a secret wedding. Figaro dreams up daring plans to unite the beautiful Rosina with a nobleman in disguise. Their budding romance infuriates the couple’s adversaries, who are no match for the ever-resourceful barber. The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia) overflows with farcical twists and sparkling arias. This production is the first mounted under the new leadership of the directors of vocal studies and the Curtis Opera Theatre: Danielle Orlando, who also holds the Hirsig Family Chair in Vocal Studies, and Eric Owens.

Conductor Christian Capocaccia makes his Curtis Opera Theatre debut, leading the cast, members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and harpsichordist Miloš Repický in this fully-staged opera, sung in Italian with English supertitles. Chas Rader-Shieber, who has directed over 30 productions for the Curtis Opera Theatre, returns as stage director. Scenic and costume design is provided by Jacob Climer, with lighting design by Christopher Ostrom. The Curtis Opera Theatre season is sponsored by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.

Three-production subscriptions to the 2019–20 Curtis Opera Theatre season for $84–180 are available through the Curtis Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Opera. Single tickets for $20–75 are available through the Kimmel Center Box Office at (215) 893-1999 or KimmelCenter.org.

The Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Under the artistic direction of Danielle Orlando and Eric Owens, promising young singers work alongside established professional directors and designers, resulting in fresh interpretations of standard repertoire and contemporary works. All of Curtis’s 26 students in vocal studies are cast regularly throughout each season, receiving a rare level of performance in fully staged productions, in recitals at Field Concert Hall, and as soloists with Curtis on Tour and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Curtis’s educational approach opens professional opportunities for Curtis graduates, who sing with top opera companies across the United States and Europe, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.

CURTIS OPERA THEATRE: THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia

Christian Capocaccia, conductor
Chas Rader-Shieber, stage director
Jacob Climer, scenic and costume designer
Christopher Ostrom, lighting designer
Miloš Repický, harpsichord

ROSSINI         Il barbiere di Siviglia

Cast (in singing order)
This production is double-cast

Fully staged production members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, sung in Italian with English supertitles

3-production subscription: $84–180, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office, Curtis.edu/Opera, or (215) 893-7902.

Single tickets: $20–75, sold by the Kimmel Center Box Office, KimmelCenter.org, or (215) 893-1999.

The Curtis Opera Theatre season is sponsored by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.

# # #