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North Carolina Opera (NCO) will present Giuseppe Verdi’s classic Italian masterpiece, La Traviata, on Friday, October 27 and Sunday, October 29 in downtown Raleigh. The production kicks off NCO’s highly-anticipated 2023/24 season, for which it has sold the most subscription packages in company history.
The audience-favorite production is led by returning conductor Joseph Mechavich (Don Giovanni, La Bohéme), with stage direction by Nashville Opera’s John Hoomes. “The combination of Verdi’s brilliant music being performed by incredible artists while telling a truly compelling story will thrill opera newbies and longtime fans alike,” says Eric Mitchko, NCO General Director.
Meet the Performers
“From early rehearsals I can already tell you that this show will feature some of the finest singers we have ever had in Raleigh,” Mitchko states. Singing the role of Violetta is soprano Vanessa Vasquez. Vanessa won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2017, and has since sung leading roles with Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company. Tenor Jonathan Johnson takes on the role of Alfredo, her lover. Jonathan is a graduate of UNC School of the Arts, and also studied at the Ryan Opera Center for young artists at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Romanian-American baritone Andrew Manea will perform the role of Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father. The former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow now resides in Durham, North Carolina. Local North Carolina vocalists also include Jason Karn as Gastone, Lawrence Hall as Baron Douphol, Jacob Cortes as the Marquis d’Obigny, Christian Blackburn as Dr. Grenvil, Erica Jackson as Flora Bervoix, and Gretchen Bruesehoff as Annina.
The Fallen Woman
In the glitzy world of Paris, a naive young man falls head over heels for a glamorous party girl. Together they trade the fast life for an idyllic escape far from the city…until an unexpected visitor threatens to tear them apart.
La Traviata (“The Fallen Woman”) is based on the life of Marie Duplessis, who rose from poverty to become one of 19th-century Paris’s most celebrated courtesans before dying at the age of 23 from tuberculosis. Writer Alexandre Dumas fils (one of her many lovers) based his romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias on their all-too-brief fling. He subsequently adapted it into a hugely successful play, upon which Verdi based his opera.
Marie’s tragically short life has also inspired filmmakers from the silent era to modern times. Notable screen adaptations of the story include the 1936 Greta Garbo classic Camille, the 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman that made Julia Roberts a superstar, and the 2001 musical Moulin Rouge! with Nicole Kidman.
Performance Information
There will be two performances of La Traviata presented by North Carolina Opera at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh:
Friday, October 27, 2023 at 7:30PM
Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 2:00PM
The performance will last approximately two hours and forty-five minutes with two intermissions, and will be performed in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.
NC Opera General Director Eric Mitchko will present a pre-opera talk prior to the Friday evening performance at 6:30PM. All ticket holders for the performance are welcome to attend the talk, which will take place in the Carolina Room downstairs from Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
Ticket Information
Tickets for both performances are available now. Tickets begin at $25 and can be purchased online through NCOpera.org or Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 919.792.3853, or in person at the NC Opera Box Office (612 Wade Ave., Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27605). College student tickets are available at the door for $15 with student ID.
For accessible seating options or questions call 919.792.3853 or email boxoffice@ncopera.org.
Audio Description services by Arts Access will be available at the Friday, October 27th performance.
For additional information about North Carolina Opera’s presentation of La Traviata visit ncopera.org/2023-2024-season/la-traviata.
About North Carolina Opera
North Carolina Opera is a professional, non-profit opera company based in Raleigh, NC, and was formed in 2010 from the merger of The Opera Company of North Carolina and Capital Opera Raleigh. Guided by a diverse and committed Board of Directors, NCO is dedicated to presenting operatic performances at the highest level throughout the Triangle. In addition to bringing internationally-renowned artists to perform in the area, NCO also employs the best in local Triangle talent, and provides an opera education program to students and classrooms across the region.
Funding Credits
This production of La Traviata is generously underwritten by Ross Lampe, Jr.
North Carolina Opera is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission.
This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Later this Season
Completing the 2023/24 North Carolina Opera season are Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (February 2 & 4, 2024 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium) and the company premiere of Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West (April 21, 2024 at Meymandi Concert Hall), which will be performed in concert.
The February 2 performance of The Barber of Seville will be NCO’s 3rd Annual HBCU Night at the Opera. Visit NCOpera.org for more information about upcoming performances.
