Curtis Opera Theatre Presents Mozart’s Così fan tutte March 3–6

Director Eve Summer returns for Curtis’s first in-person opera production in two years

PHILADELPHIA, PA—February 24, 2022—The Curtis Opera Theatre presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Così fan tutte March 3 through 5 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Film Center. Leading the new production are director Eve Summer, who directed Curtis’s last opera production of Albert Herring in March 2020, and conductor George Manahan.

With a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, Così fan tutte is one of Mozart’s opera masterpieces. In this uproarious fiancée-swapping romantic comedy, brothers Guglielmo and Ferrando scheme to test the fidelity of their betrothed, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella. With the help of their friend Don Alfonso and the mischievous maid Despina, the two brothers put their love to the test.

Conductor George Manahan, the director of orchestral activities at the Manhattan School of Music and a frequent collaborator with the Curtis Opera Theatre, returns to lead the cast and members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in this fully staged opera, sung in Italian with English supertitles. Stage director Eve Summer returns for her second Curtis Opera Theatre production. Scenic designs are by Cameron Anderson, costume designs are by Whitney Locher, lighting designs are by Steve Shack, hair and make-up designs are by Brittany Rapisse, and Craig Napoliello serves as the scenic design associate.

Single tickets start at just $19 and are available for purchase at Curtis.edu. Curtis also offers flexible create-your-own subscriptions by choosing any two performances in the Winter/Spring 2022 season, starting at just $38. Learn more and purchase at Curtis.edu/Subscribe or email tickets@curtis.edu for information. The Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.

The Curtis Opera Theatre returns to the Philadelphia Film Center on Thursday, May 5 and Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. for a production of The Dangerous Liaisons by Conrad Susa and Philip Littell. On April 29 at 8 p.m. the Curtis Symphony Orchestra takes to the stage of Verizon Hall for a performance conducted by Robert Spano of Bartók’s ferocious Second Piano Concerto, featuring soloist Yefim Bronfman, and Tchaikovsky’s brooding Fifth Symphony. To learn more about these performances, as well as the Student Recital Series, Ensemble 20/21 concerts, and more, visit Curtis.edu/Calendar.

The Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Under the artistic direction of 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 25 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.

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a “learn by doing” philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies and they enter the profession free from educational debt. In a typical year, Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings in Philadelphia and around the world. Learn more at Curtis.edu.

 


 

CURTIS OPERA THEATRE: COSÌ FAN TUTTE

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte

Thursday, March 3 at 7:30 P.M.
Friday, March 4 at 7:30 P.M.
Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 P.M.
Sunday, March 6 at 2:30 P.M.

 

Philadelphia Film Center
1412 Chestnut Street

George Manahan, conductor Steve Shack, lighting designer
Eve Summer, stage director Brittany Rapisse, hair and make-up designer
Cameron Anderson, scenic designer Craig Napoliello, scenic design associate
Whitney Locher, costume designer

 

CAST

March 3, 5 March 4, 6
Fiordiligi Sophia Hunt Emily Damasco
Dorabella Ruby Dibble Lucy Baker
Ferrando  Joseph Tancredi Ethan Burck
Guglielmo  Ben Schaefer Patrick Wilhelm
Despina Lindsey Reynolds Sarah Fleiss
Don Alfonso Thomas Petrushka Evan Gray

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

2-concert create-your-own-subscriptions begin at $38 at Curtis.edu/Subscribe or email tickets@curtis.edu.

Single tickets start at $19 at Curtis.edu.

All guests five years of age and older will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into the Philadelphia Film Center. Adults 18 years and older will be required to show photo identification with their vaccination proof. Masks are required at all times except when eating or drinking in the theater.

The Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.

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Press Contact
Patricia K. Johnson
Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs
(215) 717-3190

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