Florida Grand Opera Starts New Year with THE MAGIC FLUTE and LA SONNAMBULA, Opening 1/26 & 2/9

Related: Florida Grand Opera, The Magic Flute, La sonnambula

Debuting the role of Amina, FGO features Rachele Gilmore, a young talent The Boston Herald calls "the whole package." This season's Morgan P. and Evelyn R. Gilbert Artist, awarded to a former FGO Young Artist returning in a primary role, Gilmore is known for her dynamic stage presence, silvery timbre, and effortless high register. In January 2012, she had her debut with Milan's famed Teatro alla Scala in Les contes d'Hoffmann, where her Olympia was described as having "roulades, trills, ascending and descending scales, glissandi available without trouble. The high notes are bright lightning," according to OperaClick. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the same role in 2009, astonishing the audience by singing A-flats above high C, resulting in a "show-stopping" performance, according The Classical Source.

The part of her fiancé is sung by Michele Angelini, a tenor voice the Dallas Morning News described as having "silken loveliness as well as graceful agility." He recently performed the roles of Lindoro in L'italiana in Algeri in Bilbao and returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Armida. Last seen at FGO in 2011 as Leporello in Don Giovanni, bass-baritone Tom Corbeil returns home as the mysterious Count Rodolfo. The former FGO Young Artist and Barihunks regular dedicated the 2011-2012 season to touring with the first national tour of The Addams Family Musical in the role of Lurch, continuing to showcase a "low, rumbling, deeply rich, operatic bass," according to The Theater Mirror.

Celebrated soprano Renata Scotto, who made a specialty of singing the title role, directs La sonnambula for FGO once again. Scotto, famous for her portrayals of Verdi, Puccini, and bel canto heroines at major opera houses worldwide, made her directorial debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1986 with Madama Butterfly and first directed for FGO in 2001's Tosca. The orchestra will be under the direction of Maestro Ramon Tebar. A two-time winner of FGO's Henry C. Clark Award and recently appointed Artistic Director of the Palm Beach Symphony, Tebar has been said to "... achieve perfect pitch and harmony from all parts of the orchestra and, with involved and passionate action, direct the tempo with perfection to motivate the entire orchestra, making poetry ...," according to a review by the Dominican newspaper Hoy Digital following a concert that the critic called "a magical night and one of the greatest musical moments in the country's history." [translated from Spanish]

SCHEDULE

**Sung in Italian with English and Spanish projected translations**

MIAMI - Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
/ Ziff Ballet Opera House
February 9, 2013, at 7 p.m. - Opening Night;
February 12 & 15, 2013, at 8 p.m.;
February 17, 2013, matinee at 2 p.m.

CAST

Amina - Rachele Gilmore ◊
Elvino - Michele Angelini *
Rodolfo - Tom Corbeil ◊
Lisa - Hye Jung Lee ♦
Teresa - Cynthia Cook ♦
Alessio - Adam Lau ♦
Notary - Matthew Newlin ♦
Conductor - Ramon Tebar
Director - Renata Scotto
Set & Costume Designer - Carlo Maria Diappi
Light Designer - Donald Edmund Thomas

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

About Florida Grand Opera

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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