Hubbard Hall Opera Theater (HHOT) will present Verdi’s most popular opera, La Traviata, in six performances February 7 to 17 in the GE Theater at Proctors, 432 State Street, Schenectady, NY. Performances are fully costumed and staged, sung in Italian with supertitles and feature a 22 piece orchestra and live singers in front of a fifty foot hi-definition screen with stunning projection design by Caite Hevner.
La Traviata is partially sponsored by the Golub Foundation and will be conducted by Maria Sensi Sellner and directed by Heidi Lauren Duke. This dream team is responsible for taking HHOT’s 2011 production of Don Pasquale to second place in the American Prize – a national competition for performing arts, http://www.theamericanprize.org/, and is back with us by popular demand.
The GE Theater at Proctors, which allows popcorn and cola to be consumed during the performance as all good movie theaters should, as well as champagne, as only the best do, will open its doors on Thursday, February 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 pm and February 10 and 17 at 2 pm. Tickets are a steal: $40 for general admission, $30 for HHP members, children and students and may be obtained online at http://www.proctors.org or by calling the box office at 518-346-6204. On Friday, February 1, there is an open piano dress rehearsal at Hubbard Hall, 25 East Main Street, Cambridge, NY, at 8 pm. You may reserve tickets for the piano dress online at www.hubbardhall.org.
HHOT Artistic Director Alix Jones called La Traviata “a classic opera romance” and “a perfect choice for bringing opera down off of its ivory tower.” She said, “People often see opera as this art form that is untouchable and set in stone, but by scaling it back down to a human level the audience can really experience the vibrancy that comes with being so close and in touch with the emotions of these young singers and the raw power of their voices.”
Heidi Lauren said, “It is this famous untouchable piece and what we do is to pop the bubble with these unexpected elements of modernity. It’s really a lot of fun!”
Verdi’s poignantly tragic La Traviata chronicles the ill fated romance of Violetta Valéry and Alfredo Germont. Forced to decide between a tenuous independence and her true love, Violetta aims for the fairy tale romance. However, Alfredo’s father brings a dose of sobering reality to the party, which puts the faith of both lovers to the ultimate test.
Boston-based soprano, Rachele Schmiege, has sung throughout the United States and Europe and makes her debut here as Violetta Valéry. Chris Lucier, who travels to us from Connecticut, has been lauded by the New York Times as a “standout” tenor voice. He comes to us as Alfredo Germont freshly having won the 2012 Amici Vocal Competition Professional Division. Robert Aaron Taylor, originally from Chattanooga, TN, brings his sonorous bass-baritone to the role of Giorgio Germont, the disapproving father. Taylor has performed leading roles in houses across the country and critics have lauded him as a voice not to be missed.
Hubbard Hall is an historic opera house located at 25 E. Main St. in Cambridge, NY. For more information, visit www.hubbardhall.org/opera.