THE PEOPLE'S OPERA IN BRYANT PARK

 

Ashley Galvani Bell, Victor Starsky, Tatev Baroyan, Maestro Joseph Rescigno, Irina Rindzuner, Todd Thomas, and Woo Young Yoon

What a grand night for singing! Last night was the centenary of the death of Giacomo Puccini. What a grand way to celebrate his life and his 42 year career of composing some of the world's best loved operas! The crowd filled Bryant Park from end to end and side to side. We would be surprised if anyone noticed that we were sitting in a canyon of skyscrapers. We would be delighted to learn that some members of the audience were new to opera and became converts. 

If they did, perhaps they were enchanted by Puccini's melodic vocal lines or perhaps it was the quality of the singing (although difficult for our ears to appreciate due to electronic amplification, necessary because of the venue). What we mostly appreciated was the fact that there were representative arias (or duets, or ensembles) from every single opera the master ever wrote--performed in chronological order so that one might appreciate his evolution over a period of four decades. It was an interesting novelty for which we thank the venerable New York City Opera .

The program began with an ensemble from Puccini's 1884 Le Villi, which we had never heard. Similarly, an aria from Edgar, performed by stellar soprano 

Ashley Galvani Bell, was new to our ears. One definitely got a sense of a major compositional artist in the making and Puccini needed only a fine librettist to make a major impact.

We very much appreciated being introduced to two singers we had not heard before. Dramatic soprano Irina Rindzuner  made a fine Manon and a powerful Tosca. Even better was her Minnie in the tension driven card game scene from La fanciulla del West. Her Jack Rance was played by baritone Todd Thomas who was as chilling as he was singing Scarpia in the Tosca.

What we appreciated even more was reconnecting with artists whose earliest years were noted and admired by us. For example, the sweet lyric tenor of Woo Young Yoon first impressed us nine years ago when he was a student at Manhattan School of Music. We noted his artistry not too long thereafter in a master class with Prelude to Performance when he dazzled us with his Rodolfo.  How fitting that he sang the first act duet from La Bohême with Ms. Bell, whom we will get to shortly. That is truly his signature role, leading to an award from Opera Index. We also heard his award winning performance of some Mozart and Donizetti at a Marcella Sembrich competition. What a great pleasure to witness his artistic development!

We have similar feelings for Ms. Bell. We became acquainted with her artistry through a number of productions by Divaria Productions, every one of which was unique and elicited different aspects of her artistry. Her performance of "Un bel di" last night recalled her performance of Cio-Cio San with New York Opera Collaborative in which she appeared in full Japanese dress. Her involvement in the role has only gotten deeper.

Similarly, we have witnessed Victor Starsky's artistic development since 2015 when he sang Don Jose with New York Opera Exchange and later when he sang Rodolfo with Bare Opera, a role he revisited recently at a gala. Last night he let out all the stops in "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. These moments are precious to us. Future engagement will be even more so!

Soprano Tatev Baroyan has been on our radar for a short period of time. Just a month ago at the Gerda Lissner Award Recital, we noted her fine performance of Liu's aria from Turandot, the same aria she performed last night. It was quite affecting and we hope to hear it again soon (unamplified). 

It was a most successful evening and we are already looking forward to NYCO's production of a fully staged Tosca in Bryant Park on August 23rd and 24th. 

© meche kroop

ACTION FOR ARTISTS

 Emma Luyendijk, Jihye Seo, Chantal Freeman, and Dina Pruzhansky

It is always a great pleasure for us to find organizations that share our goal of helping young artists on their way--including, among others, Classic Lyric Arts and Career Bridges. Yesterday we were introduced to the very exciting Action for Artists, helmed by vocal coach and collaborative pianist William Hicks, whom we have listened to and admired for several years. His new project will award grants to emerging artists with, as they say, no strings attached. The six month grant will help with whatever the young singer, pianist, or composer needs and will be renewable for up to 2 years-- as long as the artist shows progress.

After a welcome by Mr. Hicks, the charming director Carol Castel. shared some words of wisdom from her late husband Nico Castel which was followed by an hour-long concert of beloved classics performed by some remarkable young artists and a reception. 

We have loved the compositions of Dina Pruzhansky for some time now, having heard her at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd St. Y. We heard two of her compositions last night, both excellent, with one of them highlighting what a gifted composer can do with the English language. We go numb when we hear deathless prose set to unmelodic music, but when we hear humorous text given a setting that highlights tha rhythm of the words and phrases, we feel fizzy with delight.

Sung by the splendid soprano Chantal Freeman, we heard "I am a Singer" from Ms. Pruzhansky's Heroes of New York. In this song (lyrics by singer Brianna Hunter), we are introduced to the exhausting life of a young singer with all of its trials and tribulations; Ms. Freeman captured the humorous mood perfectly, as did Ms. Pruzhansky's music.  In a second piece "Puzzling it Out" (lyrics by Mary Moore Easter) we made note of a lovely vocalise by Ms. Freeman.

The versatile soprano Jihye Seo was joined by the South African collaborative pianist Emma Luyendijk for two very different arias. In "Egli non riede ancora ...Non so le tetre immagini" from Verdi's Il Corsaro, the ill-fated Medora gives voice to her fearful premonitions as her beloved pirate Corrado will be going out to sea. Although you may not have ever seen the opera you would surely have recognized this gorgeous aria in 3/4 time which gave Ms. Seo the opportunity to show off a lovely legato, dynamics put to good expressive use, and an impressive messa di voce. Excellent breath control made possible an exquisite pianissimo.

Later in the program, she brought Pamina to life in "Ach, ich fühls" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. This sorrowful aria shows the character at her lowest moment as she fears abandonment by Tamino.

The third singer on the program was tenor Victor Starsky who excelled as an ebullient Rodolfo in "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Bohême. Mr. Starsky has a pleasing tonal quality and impressive acting chops, convincing us that he was an ardent young man out to win the affection of his modest neighbor. He acted just like any young man on a first date with someone for whom he feels intense attraction and wishes to impress.

He also sang "Je suis seul...Ah, fuyez, douce image" from Massenet's Manon. He surely conveyed the anguish of the abandoned Chevalier des Grieux as he, in spite of his clerical intentions, longs for his lost love. Mr. Starsky excels at using gesture and facial expression to limn his character, but he was most successful at drawing us into his grief and longing in the pianissimo phrases.

We were sorry when the singing ended. As much as we love bubbly, finger food, and socializing with the denizens of Planet Opera (and the room was filled with notables), we would have happily sacrificed that to hear more singing. Dear Reader, you have probably figured out by now that we were completely enchanted. Cheers to a worthy new organization which deserves our support.

© meche kroop

OPERA, FUN, AND FASHION

Liana Guberman, Eric Lindsey, and Kirsten Scott

We were there at Bare Opera Company's birth and get a special thrill from watching them flourish. Their interest in immersive opera has taken them to some very interesting venues and has led to some productive partnerships with artists from other disciplines.

Last night, in celebration of Valentine's Day, they joined forces with Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York for the third time at the Kosciuszko Foundation. It was a very special evening. Costumes were devised by designer Taylor Mills, whose company Taylor Catarina has launched a line of clothing suitable for singers and dedicated to comfort and flexibility. So we got a fashion show along with our recital of opera standards.

The arias and ensembles were almost all chosen from among the more well-known and accessible operas, which was just fine with us and very suitable to an audience that may not be as familiar with opera as are regular opera goers. In place of titles, the program included brief synopses of each piece. 

The opening was a real stunner. Although British Airways has done everything to make a cliché of  the "Flower Duet" from Léo Delibes' Lakmé , it's melodic and harmonic beauty refuse to be trivialized. With Kaleigh Rae Gamaché's crystalline soprano paired with Kirsten Scott's creamy rich mezzo-soprano, we felt as if we were discovering it for the first time.

This may be a good time to point out that Bare Opera was co-founded by Ms. Scott and Maître de Chant Laetitia Ruccolo, whose artistry at the piano ensured that we never missed the orchestra. What colors this beautiful young woman can produce on those 88 keys!

All of the young artists are prize-winners and have sung in several opera companies around the country, as well as taking assignments abroad.

Baritone Suchan Kim, a Bare Opera regular, is the possessor of a very fine instrument that he employs with superb technique.  Moreover, his extensive repertoire allows him to slip into a very wide selection of roles with every gesture and facial expression intact--but always appearing spontaneous. That's a wonderful skill! We loved his interpretation of Doctor Malatesta describing the potential wife he has found for Don Pasquale in the Donizetti opera of the same name. "Bella siccome un angelo" is an old favorite for the baritone fach but we seemed to be hearing it anew.

Later in the program, he performed a duet from the same opera with the superb soprano Liana Guberman. In "Pronto io son", Malatesta is coaching Norina in how to fool Don Pasquale into thinking she is a shy convent girl. Ms. Guberman was unfailingly funny as well as musical.

She was contrastingly serious in "Dis moi que je suis belle" from Massenet's Thaïs, the one aria on the program that was of the less familiar category. It was delivered dramatically and poignantly, leading us to wonder why it isn't performed more regularly.

Bass-baritone Eric Lindsey is another singer we have come to admire in a great variety of roles. He made a dashing Don Giovanni in duet with Ms. Gamaché as the peasant girl Zerlina, all too willing to be seduced in "La ci darem la mano". From the same opera, he gave a different spin to the role of Leporello in the famous "Catalogue Aria". We have seen and relished Mr. Lindsey's performance of the role of the Don in a Dell'Arte production, and if we were casting the Mozart opera we wouldn't hesitate to put him in either role!

We also enjoyed two selections from Bizet's Carmen.  In the "Habanera", Ms. Scott captured all of Carmen's fickleness with her expressive dusky mezzo. Tenor Victor Starsky, in a later scene, tries to appease Carmen's anger with "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée".

Ms. Gamaché wowed the audience with the challenging aria "Glitter and Be Gay" from Bernstein's Candide. As if we were not already dazzled, she threw in a high F, taking the audience to the heights, as it were.

Puccini's La Bohême also made an appearance on the program with the aria from Act I ("O soave fanculla") in which Mimi (Ms. Guberman) and Rodolfo (Mr. Starsky) fall in love and decide to spend Xmas Eve together. Later, in a scene which opens the last act, Rodolfo (Mr. Starsky) and Marcello (Mr. Kim) torment each other with reports of having seen their estranged lovers. The two men are unable to concentrate on their writing and painting but the two singers were able to deliver artistically.

Our favorite trio is from Mozart's Cosi van tutte. In "Soave sia il vento", Fiordiligi (Ms. Guberman), Dorabella (Ms. Scott), and Don Alfonso (Mr. Lindsey) are watching Ferrando and Guglielmo sail away. The women are bereft but Don Alfonso is laughing up his sleeve. The harmonies are gorgeous and the singing just perfect. Ms. Ruccolo's piano created the sea for our eager ears.

The evening ended with the Finale of Act I from Rossini's La Cenerentola in which all six cast members participated. Rossini's froth is the perfect way to end a satisfying program of opera.

Bare Opera's next venture will be Astor Piazzola's tango opera Maria de Buenos Aires.  Stay tuned for details.

(c) meche kroop

NEW YORK OPERA COLLABORATIVE

Suchan Kim, Seung Hyeon Baek, Michael Fennelly, Victor Starsky, Ashley Bell, Augusta Caso, Jordan Pitts, Nicole Guberman, and Jason Tramm

There can never be too many small opera companies in New York City and we felt privileged to attend the stunning debut of New York Opera Collaborative at The National Opera Center last night. A collaboration between Host and Co-Producer Andrea DelGiudice (herself a renowned spinto soprano, voice teacher, and Vocal Director of the Narnia Festival) and Artist Manager and Co-Producer Peter Randsman (whom we recently met judging a vocal competition), this venture brought in such a large audience that extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd. Somehow, good news travels fast on Planet Opera.

Most of the cast was known to us and we expected to hear some fine performances in this concert version of Puccini's beloved masterpiece Madama Butterfly. We were not disappointed. Voices were glorious all around and the Italian diction perfectly clear--a good thing when there are no titles to read. Each singer created a believable character--there was nothing generic in any performance.

New York Opera Collaborative shares our mission of keeping opera alive; it was created to sponsor and mentor young artists and to give them a chance to try out new roles in a safe environment. Several of the young artists will go on to perform these roles with other companies like Heartbeat Opera (one of our favorite companies) for example, or as a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera. We found ourselves wishing that the cast had committed the roles to memory since being on the book presents a barrier between fellow artists and between artist and audience. The dramatic skills each brought to the role was in evidence but a bit difficult to sustain, what with the glancing and page turning.

Soprano Ashley Bell wore the role of Cio-Cio San as well as the kimono and tabi she sported. The intensity of her "Un bel di" was shattering and she brought every skill in her armamentarium to bear on her delivery. The remainder of her performance was marked by a bright clear tone, excellent phrasing, and a wide palette of colors. She convinced us as a naive and hopeful 15-year-old, a deluded bride, an angry woman when challenged, and a resolute and noble figure who refuses to live without honor. It was a bit difficult to imagine her motherly feelings without a child present but the colors of her voice did the trick.

In the thankless role of the arrogant US Naval Lieutenant Pinkerton, tenor Victor Starsky played his role to the hilt. He sang with a lovely legato. Our wish for him is the same as our wish for most tenors--that they learn that sometimes less is more--singing high doesn't mean singing loud. Mr. Starsky sounded the best in the tender passages at a pianissimo level. His transformation to a place of anguish and remorse at the end of the opera was quite moving.

As Suzuki, mezzo-soprano Augusta Caso sang with a lovely rich tone and was quite believable as the voice of reason, whether she was comforting or confronting Butterfly. We have heard Ms. Bell and Ms. Caso sing together on a prior occasion and find them extraordinarily well matched. Their duet was a true high point of the evening.

Our favorite character in the opera is Sharpless--he is the one with "eagle vision", able to predict but helpless to forestall the coming trainwreck. Baritone Seung Hyeon Baek, recently so astonishingly effective in Cardona Opera's Cav&Pag, was able to capture the dignity and humanitarian nature of the man, while producing his customary burnished sound that falls so pleasantly on the ear. Significantly, he sang off the book and more credit to him.

In what amounts to a cornering of the baritone market by Koreans, Suchan Kim did double duty as the angry Bonze and the suitor Yamadori, whom he wisely portrayed as a serious suitor, avoiding all the silly kitsch that has become a boring accretion to the role. In this case, we know that Butterfly does not reject him because he's a fool but because she is faithful to her Pinkerton and still believes he will return to her.

In the role of Goro, we heard Jordan Pitts whose sweet tenor fell on the ear like warm butterscotch. He too avoided overplaying the part and we were able to focus on his mellifluous sound. It is still sounding in our ear.

Soprano Nicole Guberman is new to us and, since Kate Pinkerton has few lines to sing, we can only say that we very much want to hear more of her.

Conductor Jason Tramm, sitting off to the side, was totally immersed in his conducting and seemed to be breathing along with the singers. We always enjoy that kind of involved conducting.

At the piano, we had Michael Fennelly whom we have heard countless times but not in a full length opera. He is so noticeably involved with both the score and the singers that there was never a lapse of support. He seemed to know exactly when to exert full power on the keyboard and when to lighten up and give the singers plenty of room. We were able to hear subtleties in the score that we never noticed with a full orchestral reading. Such nuance is appreciated.

In spite of the music stands, this was one of the most affecting performances of Madama Butterfly we have heard. What an auspicious debut! We count ourself in for this company's future performances.

(c) meche kroop

BEST. CARMEN. EVER.

Avery Amereau and Victor Starsky

We realize that calling New York Opera Exchange's Carmen the best Carmen ever is quite an extravagant statement. But this is the first time we have been totally absorbed in a production from the opening note of the overture until Carmen dies in the arms of her lover and murderer Don José. We have seen and heard this opera dozens of time and are usually quite restless by Act IV and have been known to mutter sotto voce "Kill her already!"

Let us first give credit where credit is due. To begin with, the role of the eponymous heroine was brilliantly sung and acted. Mezzo-soprano Avery Amereau has a thrillingly dark instrument and employs it so effectively that one is never aware of the technique, only aware that she is completely in the moment and giving 110%. After the first couple minutes we forgot that her fine-featured face looks nothing like that of a gypsy. The way she used her body embodied the free-spirited and rebellious nature of the character in a way never before seen by us. It surely came from a deep inner place and was not, as with most Carmens, a case of "acting sexy".

Secondly, we credit the director Matt Dickson who, surprisingly, is new to the world of opera. He apparently applied everything he knew from the world of theater without interfering with the singers' ability to function vocally. There were countless examples of stage business that supported the interactions of the characters and also served to establish the cultural milieu in which the characters were interacting.

This was an authentic Carmen, true to time and place. (We loathed the Carmen set in the 1950's and had no use for the one set in Franco's Spain.) In this corner of Seville, in this particular production, there was tension between the townspeople and the military; they tolerated one another but there was the feeling that a simple confrontation could erupt at any moment into a conflagration. This atmosphere of tension reflected and contributed to the tension between the characters.

Thirdly, we credit the superlative conducting of Alden Gatt. The full-sized orchestra was placed in front of the audience and during the prelude we had a moment's concern about the volume but Maestro Gatt wisely balanced the sound so that it supported the singers and never drowned them out. The flute and oboe solos were particularly lovely.

Tenor Victor Starsky made a fine Don José who grew in dimension as the story progressed. He began as a rather buttoned-up fellow with his future already determined. As Carmen wove her spell upon him he became expressive, conflicted, passionate, and insanely jealous. By Act IV, he had completely decompensated--wild-eyed, wild-haired and desperate. His Act II aria "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" was stellar.

The role of Micaëla, the sweet innocent girl whom Don José is supposed to marry, was winningly performed by soprano Kaley Lynn Soderquist whose bright lovely instrument was perfect for the role. Her Act III aria "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" was a convincing blend of terror, courage and faith.

Bass-baritone Kian Freitas sang the role of Escamillo and sang it well but could have used more arrogance in his voice and in his body language. We had the same observation of one of the last Escamillos we saw at the Met. We want to see a torero who struts around with shoulders back and head held high, signalling confidence.

As Carmen's two friends Frasquita and Mercedes, we were very pleased with the performances of NYOE favorite Nadia Petrella who has a fine bright soprano just right for the part of Frasquita and mezzo Kate Farrar who made an excellent Mercedes. For some reason, Costume Designer Taylor Mills, who did a splendid job on all the other costumes, dressed these two singers in hideous short satin skirts and street shoes, even as they trekked up the mountains. Give those girls some boots!

We further enjoyed tenor James Grandjean as Le Remendado and baritone Andrew Luzania as Le Dancairo. The Act II ensemble when these smugglers are making their plans with the women "Nous avons en tête une affaire" was excellently harmonized.

Bass Costas Tsourakis made a suitably repellent Zuniga with a nice booming sound and baritone Jonathan Christopher was fine as Morales.

The chorus of townspeople contributed to the proceedings and managed to distinguish themselves as individuals, thanks to the good stage direction. The children's chorus had only one young man and it was a bit strange to see a group of female children imitating soldiers.

The set by Gabriel Firestone was simple but effective and was lit by Kimberlee Hurley.

Georges Bizet composed Carmen in 1875 with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy for the Opéra Comique in Paris. It had spoken dialogue and was presented as music theater. It was considered scandalous because of the sexuality and violence. It later came to be considered grand opera with the addition of accompanied recitativi by Ernest Guiraud. It has been a favorite in the canon ever since.

It was brave of NYOE to tackle such a work but we were thrilled with the intimacy and never missed the parade of picadors in Act IV or the mountains in Act III. With acting and singing this good, the imagination supplies the rest.  We have watched NYOE grow over the past few years; the quality keeps improving. We have seen the future of opera in New York City and it's looking great.

(c) meche kroop

A VALIANT VIOLETTA

Nadia Petrella (photo by John Solis)

We do a lot of sitting on benches in chilly industrial spaces and on hard wooden pews in churches and on uncomfortable metal bridge chairs; the payoff is getting to hear some wonderful voices of young artists on the way up.  These young artists are not jaded and don't fly in from Europe or Russia to do their thing and leave.  They work hard as an ensemble and manifest the freshness and enthusiasm that we so greatly admire.

Last night we were privileged to attend the latest entry by New York Opera Exchange which has had a most successful season.  The production was of Verdi's La Traviata and the thrill came from two cast members who nailed their roles.

Soprano Nadia Petrella turned in a heartfelt performance in the title role.  She has an exciting instrument that seems to do her bidding without effort; the fioritura never seemed to be done for effect but rather seemed to come out of her emotions. Her "Ah, fors'è lui" was so compelling that the audience burst into applause before she could continue with "Sempre libera".  This arresting cabaletta left no doubt about her ambivalence.  Will it be love or frivolous fun?

It was all there--diction, phrasing, accuracy--in sum, a memorable performance.  This is a character who loves life and must go through all the stages of grief--denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  Ms. Petrella's dramatic gifts revealed them all; impressively her vocal output never wavered.

Baritone Roberto Borgatti was equally impressive as Germont, especially since this was the first time he sang a role he was born to sing.  He has a substantial voice, great technique and dramatic chops to match.  His arias in Act II were so fine!  In "Pura siccome un angelo" he must convince Violetta to give up Alfredo.  In "Di Provenza il mar, il suol" he must console his son and persuade him to return to his family.  He succeeded on both counts.
 
We particularly enjoyed his interpretation.  He did not come across as a mean man, just one who is protective of his family. He limned the character's growth from disapproval to empathy in a way that made perfect dramatic sense.  We loved the scene in which he shames his son for his ugly behavior toward Violetta.

The role of Alfredo was sung by tenor Lindell O. Carter and, sorry to say, his portrayal missed the mark.  It would not have stood out as disappointing were the other principals not so superb.  We wondered whether he may have been cast at a later time than the others because there was a lack of connection.  In the first act the lack of chemistry between him and Violetta made us wonder why she would prefer him to the Baron.  An enormous suspension of disbelief was necessary to imagine him as an infatuated young man.

His acting was wooden and his intonation was not always accurate.  He gave the impression of insecurity.  In the third act he was much more convincing in his bitterness and anger.  For the most part however, he seemed to be staring off into space, or perhaps watching the conductor for cues, rather than connecting with the other singers.

We go along with the saying that "There are no small roles".  Indeed, soprano Kendra Berentsen turned in a most believable performance as Annina, devoted servant of Violetta.  Tenor Victor Starsky did a fine job as Gastone and mezzo Ann Louise Glasser was just about perfect as Flora.  Her scenes with Violetta were utterly convincing.

Bass-baritone Colin Whiteman made a sympathetic Dr. Grenvil and bass-baritone  Javier Ortiz portrayed the Marchese with style.  Baritone Nicholas Wiggins was commanding as the Baron.  These are all singers we look forward to hearing in upcoming productions.

Alden Gatt was Music Director and Conductor David Leibowitz put the large orchestra through their paces without ever drowning out the singers, even though there was no pit for the orchestra.  The acoustics of the church hall made the force of the brass section rather intense.  We heard a gorgeous oboe solo in the "Addio del passato bei sogni ridenti".

Co-directors Jennifer Bushinger and Justin Werner had a "concept" that almost worked.  The 19th c. Parisian setting envisioned by Verdi was updated to the 1940's and the locale changed to Italy.  Violetta was supposed to be an aristocrat who has become a courtesan to support herself.  Germont père et fils were transmogrified into members of the U.S. military.

What did NOT work were the disjunctions between libretto and titles and the anachronisms.  Let us consider a few.  There were no duels in Italy in the 20th c.  American soldiers did not come from Provence.  When the chorus (a superb chorus we might add) sings the rowdy songs of Carnevale and the titles say that they are celebrating the end of World War II, we feel duped.  Perhaps if you had never seen the opera and didn't know Italian you may not have noticed it.

Sadly, we confess that we are not color-blind.  It would not have disturbed us if Germont and Alfredo were both portrayed by African-American singers.  But it did bother us that father and son were, well, so unalike.  Others may not have noticed. And if there were still Italian aristocrats in the 1940's who retained their titles, we do not think they would be black.

What we DID like about the direction was the opening tableau vivant during the overture in which the major characters enact the same scene we will see at the close of the opera.  And we liked the scenes of Annina helping Violetta dress for the party.  It revealed a great deal about the feelings the two women had for each other that justified the tender nursing care received by Violetta in the final act.  The death scene brought tears to our eyes and that is always a good sign!

Set Design by James McSweeney was minimalistic--a fireplace, a couch and an escritoire.  Costume Design by Taylor Mills was apropos and effective.

There will be one more performance, a matinée on Sunday, very worth your while.  We are already marking our calendars for the next season when NYOE will be presenting Johann Strauss' delightful Die Fledermaus, Donizetti's Lucia i Lammermoor and Bizet's Carmen--happily, all done in the original language.

© meche kroop