19 March 2009 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA: San Francisco Lyric Opera (www.sflyricopera.org) performs Rigoletto, one of Verdi's most popular and appealing works, a dark and haunting story with an extraordinary score. Running April 17 -- 26 at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, each production of Rigoletto will be led by artistic director and conductor, Barnaby Palmer, and guided by the celebrated Hungarian stage director, Attila Béres who is placing the action in Chicago of the late 1920s. Tickets are now on sale at (415) 345-7575.
This production, sung in Italian with English supertitles, blends an award-winning and diverse cast, including some of the most talented emerging opera stars of today’s generation. Featured are David Cox, baritone, as Rigoletto; Rebecca Sjöwall, soprano, as Gilda; Jesús León, tenor, as Duke of Mantua; the powerful bass, Sergey Zadvorny as Sparafucili; Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano, as Maddalena; and Corrine Wallace, mezzo-soprano, as Giovanna. Rigoletto is Verdi’s setting of Francesco’s libretti based on the play Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo.
"Our goal is to unite the highest level of talent and poise throughout the orchestra, cast and production crew, bringing a superb opera experience to all," said Barnaby Palmer, Artistic Director for the San Francisco Lyric Opera. "We like to say that San Francisco Lyric Opera is opera that soars at prices that don’t. What more could you wish for during these challenging economic times: beautiful and affordable music."
Tickets for Rigoletto are $34 for adults, $20 for students, and children under 12 are admitted free. All tickets may be purchased by visiting www.fortmason.org/boxoffice or by phone at (415) 345-7575. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Cowell Theater Box Office, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11am-5pm or 60 minutes prior to each show.
The Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center is located between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge on San Francisco Bay, and is the middle Pier, behind the Herbst Pavilion. The entrance to Fort Mason Center is at the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, in the Marina district. Please note that there is no street address. Fort Mason Center offers easy access by MUNI and BART (Muni Lines 10 Townsend, 22 Fillmore, 28 - 19th Avenue, 30 Stockton, 47 Van Ness, 49 Van Ness/Mission). Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Lyric Opera performances. For additional information on directions and parking, please visit www.fortmason.org/directions.
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Below are some reviews from previous productions:
“San Francisco Lyric Opera’s ambitious production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, heard Sunday afternoon at the Cowell Theater in Fort Mason, owes much to Romania. Two outstanding singers from that country led the accomplished cast of this beloved classic: Eugene Brancoveanu as Don Giovanni and Razvan Georgescu as his sidekick, Leporello . . ...San Francisco Lyric Opera deserves praise for bringing Mozart’s magnificent music movingly alive.” Anna Carol Dudley, San Francisco Classical Voice
In his review of the San Francisco Lyric Opera’s 2002 production of La Bohème, George Jellinek, Music Director Emeritus and Metropolitan Opera Panelist, acknowledged artistic director and conductor Barnaby Palmer, in his success at securing a “rousingly resonant and sensitive response from the chamber orchestra…the production was excellent, and the cast was well-chosen from professionals of high caliber. I left with deep admiration for the entire ensemble.”
Johshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, wrote in June, 2000 about SFLO’s production of Turn of the Screw: "Intimacy and precision are the hallmarks of San Francisco Lyric Opera's splendid production of the opera…Conducted with exemplary care by Artistic Director Barnaby Palmer and sung by a uniformly fine cast, Sunday's matinee performance allowed the audience to witness the work's magic right up close, without flinching or cheating..."
About the Artists:
DAVID COX (Rigoletto) has received high praise for his performance of leading baritone roles with opera companies in the United States and the Far East. He has appeared with Opera San Jose, Nevada Opera Association, Eugene Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera, Music From Bear Valley, Sorg and Whitewater Operas and many other regional opera companies and music festivals. For Sakai-City Opera in Japan he has sung the title Role in Rigoletto, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, and the Emperor of China in Stravinskys Le Rossingol. He has also recorded Rossinis Petite Messe Solennelle for Polygram of Japan and Belgium. Mr. Cox has recently specialized in the great comedic roles to critical and audience acclaim. These include Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Don Pasquale, and the Bel Canto buffos: Bartolo, Dulcamara and Don Magnifico.
REBECCA SJÖWALL (Gilda) makes her San Francisco Lyric Opera debut in the role of Gilda in Rigoletto. Recent roles include Micaëla (Carmen) with West Bay Opera, Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with the New Operafestival di Roma and Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) with Opera UCLA. She has appeared with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, Angeles Chorale and UCLA Philharmonia, and her voice can be heard on the award-winning video game BioShock. She is a two-time District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Winner of the American Jenny Lind Competition and the Long Beach Mozart Festival, and Second Place Winner in the Palm Springs Vocal Competition. She received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from UCLA last June.
JESÚS LEÓN (Duke) a native of Hermosillo, Mexico, recently covered Cavaradossi in Tosca and Don José in Carmen and sang in seven “Classical Spectacular” concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London, England. He was an inaugural member of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program with LA Opera, participated in Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program, the Solti Accademia di bel Canto, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the prestigious Boston Opera Institute. Opera roles performed include Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Il Duca (Rigoletto), Alfredo (La Traviata), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Rodolfo (La Boheme).
SERGEY ZADVORNY (Sparafucile / Monterone) was born in the Ukraine and graduated with a Gold Medal and Honors from the Odessa State Conservatory. His repertoire includes roles such as Pimen, Boris Godunov; Gremin, Eugene Onegin; Inquisitor, Fiery Angel; Old Gypsy, Aleco; Khan Konchak, Prince Igor; DonBasilio, Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola; Don Bartolo, Le Nozze di Figaro; Colline, La Bohème; and bass roles in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Schumann’s Das Glück von Edenhall, and Handel’s Acis and Galathea. He is a laureate winner of twelve international competitions and has performed on the most well-known opera stages in Europe. He made his U.S. debut with the New York City Opera, and recently won an honor to sing a recital at the Carnegie Hall next season. Sergei also holds a Master’s Degree in mathematics.
KINDRA SCHARICH (Maddalena) makes her San Francisco Lyric Opera debut singing Maddalena in Rigoletto. This spring Ms. Scharich will be performing Suzuki in West Bay Opera’s Madama Butterfly, Cherubino in Mission City Opera’s Le nozze di Figaro, and Rosina in Pocket Opera’s The Barber of Seville. Ms. Scharich also regularly appears in Bay Area concerts with the Athena Trio and has performed as alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah and the great choral works of J.S. Bach. A native of Michigan, Ms. Scharich holds a BM and MM in vocal performance from the University of Michigan. Ms. Scharich also attended the Eastman School of Music and holds a post-graduate degree in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
JEFF BENNETT (Count Ceprano) is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and College where he studied vocal repertoire and technique with Daune Mahy as well as composition, music technology, early music and theatre production. He has performed with Oberlin Opera Theatre, Oberlin Collegium Musicum, and in solo roles with Seattle Pro Musica and Seattle Men's Chorus. Jeff has sung with the chorus of San Francisco Lyric Opera in a number of recent productions and also sings with Artists' Vocal Ensemble.
BARNABY PALMER (Artistic Director & Conductor) has conducted in the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic and San Francisco Lyric Opera’s productions of Das Rheingold, La Traviata, Die Walküre, Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, Così fan tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Pasquale, L’elisir d’Amore, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, Un Ballo in Maschera, Carmen, Abduction from the Seraglio, Tosca, The Rape of Lucretia, Il Trovatore, Die Zauberflöte, Romeo & Juliet, Lucia di Lammermoor, Tales of Hoffman, La Bohème, The Turn of the Screw and Aida. He has served locally as guest conductor for Opera San José and Livermore Opera. In April 2008 Mr. Palmer was Music Director for Opera San Jose’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. He has studied conducting with Alan Gilbert, Rossen Milanov, Larry Rachleff and most recently Michael Morgan.
ATTILA BÉRES (Stage Director) was born in Romania, later moved to Budapest, and is now a Hungarian citizen. He is currently the main director at Operetta Theater, Budapest. He has been director at the National Theater in Pécs, Hungary, and at Gardonyi Géza Theater in Eger. Productions directed include Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne, Lehar: Gypsy Love, Nagy: Ibusar, Brecht and Weil: Threepenny Opera, Lehar: Merry Widow, Hamvai - Rejtö - Varrö - Darvas: Quarantine in the Grand Hotel, Huszka: Baroness Lili, Faydeau: The Fools, Dostoevsky: The Evil, Albee: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Jávori: Wedding Dance, Molnár: Carousel, Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Chekhov: Platonov, Lerner-Loewe: My Fair Lady, Stein - Bock -Harnick: Fiddler on the Roof, Shakespeare: As You Like It, László: The Shop on the Corner. Mr. Béres holds a PhD in theater from Targu-Mures, Romania and a masters degree in directing from University of Theater, Film, and Television, Budapest.
