North Carolina Opera is thrilled to announce the repertoire for the 2011-2012 season which includes Carmen by Georges Bizet, The Fall of the House of Usher by Philip Glass, and Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi. The season runs from October 2011 through April 2012 with performances in Raleigh and Chapel Hill. More information and tickets are available at www.ncopera.org or by calling 919-792-3850.
“I’m tremendously excited about our 2011-2012 season, which promises to be another year of fantastic music and theater.” said General Director Eric Mitchko. “It has a great mix of the traditional and the new, all with first-class singers and vivid productions. We’re bringing back Carmen, one of the most popular operas, are presenting Verdi’s great Il Trovatore for the first time, and are celebrating one of America’s greatest living composers with the local premiere of Philip Glass’s The Fall of the House of Usher.”
The season opens with Carmen by Georges Bizet on October 14 and 16 at Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh. Carmen, one of the most popular operas of all-time, is set in Spain (and sung in French with English supertitles) and tells the riveting story a soldier with a past who is seduced by a gypsy woman who cares only about her own freedom. Featuring some of the best-known tunes in music, including the “Habanera” and “Toreador Song.”
Up next is The Fall Of The House Of Usher by Philip Glass January 19, 20 and 22, 2012 at the Fletcher Opera Theater in the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh. This English-language opera based on the spooky story by Edgar Allan Poe tells the tale of a man visiting from afar to try to help a sick old friend and his sister who live in a mysteriously haunted house. Glass’ gripping music sets the mood for this production which features innovative video projections and is timed to celebrate the composer’s 75th birthday.
The grand finale to the season is Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi on April 27, 2012 at the Meymandi Concert Hall in the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh and on April 29, 2012 at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill. This semi-staged production sung in the original Italian (with English supertitles) has everything we love about Italain opera. It is filled with ardent lovers, jealous rivals, crazed gypsies and a wealth of great melodies, including the famous “Anvil Chorus.”
Season subscriptions start at just $66 and are on sale now by calling the North Carolina Opera Box Office at 919-792-3850 or filling out the form available at www.ncopera.org. Single tickets for individual operas start at $25 and will go on sale in September 2011.
About North Carolina Opera:
North Carolina Opera was formed in 2010 from the merger of Capital Opera Raleigh and The Opera Company of North Carolina. It is dedicated to presenting operatic performances at the highest level throughout the Triangle. We also have a robust education program that brings opera to schools across Wake County and surrounding counties. North Carolina Opera brings international level artists to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and also engages the best in local Triangle talent.
(This season announcement has been provided by North Carolina Opera.)
