Figaro! Figaro! Fi-GAH-ro!!! Opera Coming Soon To Clinton!

A message from the Opera Theater of Connecticut:

Opera Theater of Connecticut, the state’s oldest professional opera company, is thrilled to announce that this summer it presents, on its MainStage, the most popular of opera comedies, Rossini’s effervescent The Barber of Seville. The opera will be sung in English with projected supertitles to fully appreciate the comic wit of the vibrant libretto set to “The Master’s” funny and furious score filled with climactic crescendos and celebrated ensembles. It even has a gloriously happy ending! As a response to recent seasons’ sold-out performances, Opera Theater of Connecticut will again present four performances of affordable opera in an intimate setting at the air-conditioned Andrews Memorial Theater/Town Hall, 54 East Main St. in Clinton. The opera is fully-produced and accompanied with orchestra, and make an evening not to be missed.

From the first notes of its familiar overture, audiences are captivated by Rossini’s romantic comedy The Barber of Seville. The music, now part of our popular culture does not fail to make most people smile. It’s a rollicking adventure of disguises, dodges and mistaken identities. Plans are delayed, plots are thwarted and all to the eventual triumph of young, joyful love.

Under the leadership of General Director Kate Ford, Opera Theater of Connecticut’s artistic team of Production Director Alan Mann and Music Director Kyle Swann will work with one of the finest musical and comedic ensembles brought together in the state for this special presentation.

This stellar opera features a wondrous blend of voices including Matt Morgan as the young romantic hero, Count Almaviva, who is in love with the beautiful Rosina, sung by Meredith Ziegler, who is the ward of the over-protective and miserly Dr. Bartolo, performed by Laurentiu Rotaru, all of whom fall under the spell and machinations of David Pershall’s wily and brilliant Figaro, the barber of Seville himself, with the support of Stephanie Gilbert as Rosina’s governess Berta and David Olsen appearing in two comedy turns, all accompanied by Opera Theater of Connecticut’s wonderful orchestra and chorus.

Meredith Ziegler (mezzo-soprano), Rosina, has impressed critics and audiences alike with her warm lyric mezzo-soprano voice and her engaging characterizations. Recent engagements found Ms. Zeigler performing as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Opera Company of Middlebury, Dorabella in Così fan tutte for Cape Cod Opera, and Mallika in Lakmé for Connecticut Concert Opera in 2009. She also performed as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti for Connecticut Concert Opera, Dorabella in Così fan tutte for Granite State Opera, Dido in Dido & Aeneas for Connecticut Lyric Opera in 2008, Hänsel in Hänsel & Gretel for Opera Theater of Connecticut, and Meg Page in Falstaff for Opera North in 2007. Ms. Ziegler was the recipient of a 2008 Encouragement Award from the prestigious Sullivan Foundation. She was a 2007 Regional Finalist in the New England Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as well as a 2006 2nd place prize winner at the Connecticut Opera Guild Scholarship Competition. She received 2nd prize from the 2007 Amici Vocal Competition (Young Professional Division). Ms. Ziegler is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.

Matt Morgan (tenor), Count Almaviva, has had the distinction of making debuts at three of the four theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center. His New York debut came as Don Gomez in Weber’s Die drei Pintos with the American Symphony Orchestra; his New York City Opera debut occurred in the world premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. He has performed at New York City Opera for three consecutive seasons in a variety of repertoire ranging from Rameau’s Platee to works of the 20th century. Most recently he appeared in their production of The Pirates of Penzance. Among his many appearances at Lincoln Center his other New York successes include Britten’s anti-hero in Gotham Chamber Opera’s production of Albert Herring. Mr. Morgan debuted with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah.

Most recently he was seen as Ruggero in La Rondine with the Opera Company of Middlebury after previously appearing with the company as Nadir. Additional recent engagements include Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance with Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Syracuse Opera. Mr. Morgan debuted in the title role of Faust with Opera Idaho, Hamlet in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with AOP and a return to New York City Opera as Tapioca in L’étoile. In previous seasons, he debuted at Opera Colorado as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Greenwich Music Festival as Der Soldat in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Sacramento Opera as Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance. After successes as Laurie in Little Women, he returned to Dayton Opera as Camille in The Merry Widow.

David Pershall (baritone), Figaro, has, this year, performed and recorded Don Pedro in Donizetti’s Maria Padilla with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra as part of the annual Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw. He performed Robert Baker in Bernstein’s Wonderful Town with the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra di Milano. Mr. Pershall’s upcoming performances for the 20011-2012 season include the title role of Grigory Smirnov in William Walton’s The Bear at Carnegie Hall, Baritone Soloist in Vaughn Williams’ Sea Symphony with Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Baritone Soloist in Carmina Burana with Hartford Symphony Orchestra and a return to the Beethoven Easter Festival to record and perform Manfredo in L’amore dei tre re with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

He has won many prestigious vocal competitions including 1st Prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, 1st Prize in the Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, 1st Prize in the Hugo Kauder Competition for Voice, the Presser Music Foundation Award, and the Thomas Stewart Award for Vocal Excellence. Other awards include prizes in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the George London Foundation, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, the David L. Kasdon Memorial Prize for the Outstanding Singer in the Yale School of Music, and an Artist Grant Award from the National Bel Canto Vocal Competition. He is a graduate of the Yale Opera Program where he recently performed the title role of Don Giovanni

Laurentiu Rotaru (bass-baritone) Dr. Bartolo, is a native of Romania currently residing in Connecticut. He performed with The National Opera of Bucharest and as a soloist in numerous ensembles in Bucharest, Romania, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Canada and The United States. In October 2004 Mr. Rotaru made his Carnegie Hall debut, performing in a concert with Connecticut Lyric Opera. Other venues where he performed include Opera Theater of Connecticut, Mississippi Opera, Valley Lyric Opera in Pennsylvania, St. Bonaventure Quick Center for The Arts in New York, Raleigh Opera of North Carolina, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Boston Festival Orchestra, Shreveport Opera of Louisiana, and others. His operatic repertoire encompasses roles such as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Don Basilio and Dr Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Méphistophélès in Faust, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliettte, Gremin in Eugene Onegin and Geronte in Manon Lescaut. He won numerous competitions such as NATS and The Connecticut Guild Opera Competition, Metropolitan Opera Guild – New England Region, Gerda Lissner and Verismo Competition.

Performances and Tickets: The performances begin on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7:30 pm (followed by our traditional opening night reception, sponsored by Viña Concha y Toro) and continue on Thursday August 11 and Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 pm, with a final performance on Sunday, August 14 at 6 pm. Tickets are $40.00 for Regular; $38.00 for Seniors and $34.00 for Students.

For more information and to reserve your tickets, call Opera Theater of Connecticut at 860-669-8999 or visit the website, www.operatheater-ct.org.

This opera is funded in part by our supporters, Viña Concha y Toro, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

Opera Theater also features Opera Talk, an informal, informative talk about the evening’s opera and composer, by Artistic Director Alan Mann starting one hour and a half before each performance. Opera Talk tickets are $5.00.

Boxed Suppers Al Fresco Style from Chips Pub III are available through the Opera Theater of Connecticut office for $15.00 and need to be reserved 48 hours in advance.

Production Director........... Alan Mann

Music Director........... Kyle Swann

Count Almaviva........... Matt Morgan

Dr. Bartolo........... Laurentiu Rotaru

Rosina........... Meredith Ziegler

Figaro........... David Pershall

Don Basilio........... Daniel Hague

Berta........... Stephanie Gilbert

Fiorello/Officer........... David Olsen