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The cast includes: soprano Nili Riemer as Rosina (Minnesota Opera, Florida Grand Opera); tenor Grant Knox as Almaviva (Ohio Light Opera, Lyric Opera of Atlanta); baritone Soon young Park as Figaro (Glimmerglass Opera, Eugene Opera); baritone Jeffrey Seppala as Fiorello; and basso-cantante Todd Robinson as Dr. Bartolo.
About Tri-Cities Opera
Tri-Cities Opera (TCO) has been the cultural centerpiece of the Southern Tier of New York for over 50 years. Founded in 1949 by Peyton Hibbitt and the late Carmen Savoca, this regional opera company enjoys an exceptional reputation in the opera world for its artist training program, beautiful sets and costumes and outstanding opera productions.
In addition to their remarkable talent, Savoca and Hibbitt are the only two artistic directors in America to have actively led a single professional opera company for 49 continuous years. They have conducted and directed in major regional opera houses in the U.S. and Europe, have been honored by the National Board of Directors of Opera America, have received the President's Medal from Binghamton University and have been awarded the prestigious New York State Council on the Arts Governor's Award.
About the Artists
Peyton Hibbitt, Co-Founder/Artistic Director Emeritus
Hibbitt was the Conductor and Music Director for TCO and vocal coach for the Resident Artist Training Program for the company's first 50 seasons. He continues to conduct and teach for TCO. Completely American trained, he attended both the Philadelphia Conservatory and the Philadelphia Music Academy. He was the founder of the New York State Opera League and served in the U.S. delegation to the International Conference on the Education of the Young Singer in Bulgaria. Hibbitt made his European debut at the Teatro Regio in Parma, Italy, conducting the Arturo Toscanini Symphony Orchestra.
Duane Skrabalak, Senior Artistic Director and Director of Music
Skrabalak was chosen years ago by Co-Founders Carmen Savoca and Peyton Hibbitt to be the person to bring the company into its second half century and the new millennium. In addition to his duties as Artistic Director and Conductor, he is also Choral Director for TCO and Music Director of Opera-Go-Round (the touring educational program of TCO). Skrabalak joined TCO as a singer and pianist in 1970. He soon became choral director and eventually crossed the footlights to concentrate on conducting. He made his conducting debut in 1974 with Gounod's Faust. Since then he has conducted more than 60 productions. His conducting credits include appearances with the Atlanta Civic Opera, the Jerusalem Symphony for the Israel Festival, and the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh.
Peter Sicilian, Artistic Director and Director of Resident Artists
Sicilian, in his 29th season, is committed to teaching the philosophy of TCO to the students of the Resident Artist Training Program and the members of the Masters of Music program through his work as a voice teacher and stage director. Among his numerous directing credits, Sicilian received critical acclaim for his direction of the 2003 National Opera Association Award-winning production of Rigoletto. Sicilian is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice at Binghamton University. Sicilian graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Music Education and in 1978 came to TCO to study as a bass. He has sung over 40 roles, including leading roles in The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and Rigoletto. Sicilian has performed with Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Syracuse Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Rome Opera Festival in Italy.
Complimentary Pre-performance Insights: Figaro Redux: The Barber of Seville
Featured Speaker: Lian Farrer, Vice President for Education, State Theatre
Saturday, May 10, 2008, 7pm
Location: United Methodist Church
All seats: Free Admission
Based on the first play in the trilogy that also inspired Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Rossini's Barber of Seville shows us what Figaro was up to before he tied the knot. Like its predecessor, this broadly comic opera is full of elaborate schemes, outlandish disguises, and misunderstood motives, all of which are carefully explicated in the Insight. Led by the State Theatre's Vice President for Education, Lian Farrer, the presentation includes an exploration of the music, with a focus on the lyrical, technically challenging style known as bel canto. -- www.statetheatrenj.org
Posted May 5th, 2008 by ruzik_tuzik
