Guests should bring blankets or lawn chairs for the show. Wine, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for members of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and students.
American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) wrote more than 300 compositions in all genres of music, but only one opera. Though she composed Cabildo in 1932 for a libretto written by her friend, playwright Nan Bagby Stephens, it did not have its first professional premiere until May 1995 at Lincoln Center in New York.
In the opera, a town barker leads a group of tourists to the Cabildo, the old Louisiana´s governor´s mansion in New Orleans and into the cell of the notorious pirate Pierre Lafitte, who was imprisoned there during the war of 1812. One of the tourists, Mary, stays in the cell when the others leave and falls asleep. She dreams of Lafitte, his beloved Lady Valerie, and Lafitte´s escape from prison.
At Bayou Bend, the cast will include Michael Walsh as the town barker, mezzo-soprano Shelley Auer as Mary, tenor Daniel Buchanan as Dominique You, and soprano Lynelle Rowley as Lady Valerie. Casting for pirate Pierre Lafitte is to be announced. The Opera Vista Chorus will perform as tourists and prisoners. A small orchestra ensemble will provide accompaniment.
Bayou Bend, the former home of visionary philanthropist and collector Miss Ima Hogg (1882-1975) and now the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is a particularly fitting backdrop for the opera. Music was one of Miss Hogg´s many passions. She was a concert pianist and a founder of the Houston Symphony, and frequently hosted symphony performances at her home. For Cabildo, the house itself is a suitable prop as its design is reminiscent of antebellum New Orleans architecture.
Opera Vista was founded in 2007 with the mission of presenting modern and contemporary works in innovative, interactive performances. Staff includes founder and artistic director Viswa Subbaraman, formerly assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France, a Fulbright Scholar, and Edward C. Lynch Fellowship recipient; and stage director Chuck Winkler, director of the Opera to Go! Program at Houston Grand Opera and a long-standing member of the HGO chorus.
"Bayou Bend and Opera Vista share an enthusiasm for finding ways to invite area residents to try something new," said Bonnie Campbell, director of Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. "Opera at Bayou Bend is a first, and we believe the combination will be an unforgettable evening. Given her love of music, I am sure Miss Hogg would welcome the idea of this casual outdoor performance in her vast Diana Garden."
"Opera is an art form with great potential for growth and development outside the traditional confines," said Jerry Gibson, executive director of Opera Vista. "This performance of Cabildo contains elements that will surprise longtime opera fans and those sampling the art form for the first time." -- www.mfah.org
