Florida Grand Opera Comes to Midtown with TANGO and MARÍA DE BUENOS AIRES Double Bill, 3/21-24

The work premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires in May 1968, drawing on Piazzolla's famous nuevo tango style - a distinct incorporation of jazz and other Western elements into traditional tango, typically instrumented by a quintet composed of a bandoneón, violin, piano, guitar, and double bass - that has made this composer a definitive master of tango. María de Buenos Aires also follows a tradition of incorporating dance as an integral part of an operatic performance, making this an instrument to draw the audience further into the intriguing story. It was recently produced in January 2012 by Long Beach Opera and again in July 2012 by Cincinnati Opera, where the critic from Cincinnati.com fell under the production's "magical spell" and enjoyed "Piazzolla's haunting and wonderfully inventive score."

The leads - Colombian soprano Catalina Cuervo, singing as María, and Mexican baritone Luis Alejandro Orozco in the role of El Duende - are once again under Condemi's stage direction, having last performed in this operetta together with the Cincinnati Opera. The Chicago Tribune praised Cuervo for "her ability to articulate tango rhythm while singing long, sensuous lines" and called her "a marvel to behold." Orozco was said to sing "with emotion and added a gentle aura that caught the sadness of María's tale," by Cincinnati.com.

This work is being presented in a slightly abridged version that runs for 70 minutes and sung in Spanish.

CAST

Tango
Tenor
Matthew Newlin ♦

María de Buenos Aires
El Duende

Luis Alejandro Orozco *
María

Catalina Cuervo *

[Both Productions]
Participating Young Artists

Cynthia Cook ♦

Adam Lau ♦

Hye Jung Lee ♦

Carla Jablonski ♦

Ryan Milstead ♦

Lacy Sauter ♦
Conductor

Ramon Tebar
Director

José Maria Condemi *
Set Designer

Erin Turner
Costume Designer

Camilla Haith
Lighting Designer

Heather Sparling

* = FGO Debut ◊ = Former Young Artist ♦ = Current Young Artist

Performances are being held at The Stage (170 Northeast 38th St., Miami, FL 33137) on March 21 through March 24, 2013. The evening's program is as follows:

8:00 p.m. - Doors Open
9:00 - 9:30 p.m. - Pre-show with live band
9:30 - 10:00 p.m. - Tango
10:00 - 10:15 p.m. - Intermission
10:15 - 11:15 p.m. - María de Buenos Aires

General admission, standing-room tickets are $25 per person; recommended for ages 18 and older. Tickets may be purchased in advance through the Florida Grand Opera Box Office by phone at (800) 741-1010 and online at www.FGO.org. Tickets will also be sold at the door the day of the event. FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Center on 8390 NW 25 St., Doral, FL 33122, and is open to the public from 10am to 4pm, Mondays through Fridays, during the season.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge is a $40 million effort to bring South Florida together through the arts.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organizations in Florida, celebrates its 72nd year of continuously producing grand opera during the 2012-2013 season, which features: Puccini's La bohème, Nov. 17 through Dec. 8; Mozart's The Magic Flute, Jan. 29 through Feb. 23; Bellini's La sonnambula, Feb. 9 through Feb. 17; and Verdi's La traviata, Apr. 20 through May 5. Subscriptions for all four operas of the season start at $36 and single tickets start as low as $11. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (800) 741-1010 or online at www.FGO.org.

Founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and later merging with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994, FGO presents a mixture of standard repertoire and contemporary works as well as commissions new productions - all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. FGO, recognized for funding by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding is also provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Program support is provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council. Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and a member company of OPERA America. American Airlines is the Official Airline, Intercontinental Miami is the Official Hotel and Steinway & Sons is the Official Piano of Florida Grand Opera.

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