In its eighth summer season, Hubbard Hall Opera Theater (HHOT) presents Verdi’s masterpiece, Rigoletto– a tragedy of the first-order and a must-see on the level of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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The performance will be directed by Kirk Jackson, a revered actor in his own right and resident instructor at Bennington College who directed Gianni Schicchi for HHOT last summer to sold-out crowds and rave reviews. His verismo directing style is refreshing for audiences looking for an opera experience that is more than just spectacle. Jackson will be updating this production to a 1930s circus which is a perfect fit for this tale of arrogant and corrupt power, off kilter love, and vengeance gone awry.
Pittsburgh-based conductor, Maria Sensi-Sellner, who is the first three time winner of the coveted American Prize in conducting, returns to HHOT this summer to lead the 21 piece resident ensemble through one of her favorite operas which she says “is not only Verdi at the peak of his creativity but also a spectacular theatrical thriller jeweled with some of opera’s best loved arias.”
The Rigoletto cast is a star-studded ensemble featuring many up and coming singers with big credits to their names. Benjamin Bloomfield who served as a cover artist with the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 and with the New York City Opera in 2012 will lead the cast in the title role of the cursed clown. Christopher Lucier who has been praised as a “stand-out” tenor by the NY Times, and who performed a stunning rendition of Alfredo in La Traviata at Proctors with HHOT in 2012 will return to sing the philandering Duke. Completing the triangle of misguided love is Meghan Picerno, whose “attractive soprano voice” has been lauded in the NY Times, and who will be making her role debut of the innocent Gilda here after competing as a finalist in London for Placido Domingo’s prestigious international Operalia competition.
Running on alternating nights and doubling up on Saturdays with Rigoletto is Menotti’s Old Maid and the Thief presented with piano and cello in English and running just over an hour: a perfect complement for new audiences who want some lighter fare. Menotti, who is best known for Amahl and the Night Visitors, had this work commissioned as a radio play for NBC, so the music must tell its own story. In this dark comedy, a lonely woman and her equally lonely housekeeper struggle to conceal an innocent hitchhiker (whom they believe is a thief) in order to keep him safe from the authorities. In their quest to entertain their guest and entice him to stay the two desperate ladies ultimately become thieves themselves. Director and mezzo-soprano Julia Mintzer elaborates, “Old Maid presents a cast of quintessentially American small-town characters each struggling to carve out a piece of happiness any way they can.” Mintzer, who has just returned to the States from a two year contract with the Semperoper Dresden cannot think of a better setting for this than in the real life small-town of Cambridge, NY.
The Hall seats not more than 120 people and tickets may be obtained in advance by visiting www.hubbardhall.org or by calling 518-677-2495.
Rigoletto: $35 general, $10 students, August 12 pay what you will, 8 pm; August 14 and 15 at 8 pm; August 20, 22 and 23 at 2 pm.
Old Maid and the Thief: $20 general, $5 students, August 13 pay what you will, 8 pm; August 15 and 16 at 2 pm; and August 19, 21, and 22 at 8 pm. Saturdays include pre-show talks and farm-to-table dinners between performances.
Founded in 2008, HHOT has presented eight critically acclaimed summer seasons. HHOT strives to give young artists opportunities to perform key operatic roles in a nurturing environment alongside seasoned professionals through mainstage productions, the conservatory student training program and outreach performances. HHOT also engages and builds rural audiences for opera through offering affordable, intimate, high-quality musical and theatrical performances.
Hubbard Hall is an historic opera house located at 25 E. Main St. in Cambridge, NY. For more information, visit www.hubbardhall.org.[/private]