"This is genius!" -- Madison Opera Blog
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Tuesday, May 22 at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, 6:00pm
Tuesday, May 22 at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, 6:00pm
Wednesday and Thursday, May 23 and 24 at
Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, 7:30pm
Don Pasquale is re-envisioned, not as an elderly bachelor, but as a married man who would throw over his aging Signora and make the beautiful, much younger Norina his trophy wife. As honored guests, you will be served wine and refreshments and invited to behave like snooping house guests, following the action into various spaces including verdant courtyards for the serenade scene.
The lead singers will be Amelia Watkins, soprano (Norina); Nils Neubert, tenor (Ernesto); Matthew Singer, baritone (Malatesta); Peter Castaldi, baritone (Don Pasquale); and Juliana Valente/Lauren Alfano (Notary). Designers: Nikki Black, set; Kia Rogers, lighting; Edgar Cortes, costumes. Directed by Gina Crusco.
The lead singers will be Amelia Watkins, soprano (Norina); Nils Neubert, tenor (Ernesto); Matthew Singer, baritone (Malatesta); Peter Castaldi, baritone (Don Pasquale); and Juliana Valente/Lauren Alfano (Notary). Designers: Nikki Black, set; Kia Rogers, lighting; Edgar Cortes, costumes. Directed by Gina Crusco.
For an intimate house-party experience on May 22 at Casa Italiana, guests will be limited to 50 and the opera will have piano accompaniment. On May 23-24 at Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium, a 9-piece orchestra performing a new reduction by Anthony Barrese will accompany the singers. The opera will be conducted by Domenico Boyagian.
"Music that is first rate and with performances which could be put in any of our important opera houses" -- Opera L blog.
Who's Who in the production
Domenico Boyagian (Conductor), makes his New York debut conducting UPO's Don Pasquale. Born and raised in Bologna, Italy, Mr. Boyagian has been described as "a conductor for whom the music is the sole point of standing before musicians." In October 2011 Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer called his production of King Roger by Karol Szymanowski "a triumph." In 2010 Mr. Boyagian made his Canadian debut with La Traviata in Toronto. He currently is Assistant Conductor of Opera Southwest, where he worked on productions of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, while recently he conducted the Opera Southwest Orchestra in Puccini's Suor Angelica andGianni Schicchi. Mr. Boyagian's tenure as Music Director of the Ohio Philharmonic in Cleveland began in 2011, and in May 2012 he will make his recording debut conducting the orchestra in works by Grieg with Italian pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi. During the 2009-2010 season he was featured on the podium of the world renowned Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.
 Peter Castaldi, baritone (Don Pasquale), is a Paris-born baritone who was raised in Milan and finished his education in New York, where he earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, majoring in composition. Mr. Castaldi's engagements include Gotham Chamber Opera's production of Montsalvatge's "El gato con botas" directed by Moises Kaufman and Mahler's Eighth Symphony in the Sydney Opera House. Mr. Castaldi was featured in the spring of 2010 singing the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto with Florentine Opera. In 2008 and 2009 he sang the title role of Falstaff for Opera Roanoke. 
Amelia Watkins, soprano (Norina), has been described as having "a rich, glowing lyric sound destined for the heights" by Opera News. She has appeared in leading venues such as the Estates Theatre (Prague), the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, the Verbier Festival (Switzerland), the Gewandhaus (Germany), the National Arts Center in Ottawa, in concert in Hong Kong, and New York City Opera's VOX contemporary opera showcase. Ms. Watkins appeared with Underworld Productions as Dafne in Handel's Apollo & Dafne and created the role of Susan Hoerchner in Clarence & Anita by Ben Yarmolinsky.
Nils Neubert, tenor (Ernesto), earned his M.A. from Columbia University, Teachers College and B.M. at the Juilliard School. He has studied at the Mozarteum, Festival de Musica Clasica in Spain, and Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci in Italy. Mr. Neubert's awards include First Prize, 2010 Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition; Award recipient, 2010 Gerda Lissner; 2009 Friday Woodmere; and 2005 Puigcerda International Vocal Competitions. The New York Times praised his performance in Underworld Productions Opera's Pygmalion thus: "...his attractive tenor, beautifully controlled vibrato and amusing, flexible portrayal of Pygmalion carried the evening." The East Hampton Star noted his "clear, effortless high register."
Matthew Singer, baritone (Malatesta), has performed all over the United States singing such roles as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Tonio in I Pagliacci, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Danilo in The Merry Widow, Marcello and Schaunard in La Boheme, Guglielmo and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan Tutte, Grovesnor in Patience, Mr. Bluff in The Impresario, Yamadori in Madame Butterfly, Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore, Presto in Les Mamelles des Tiresias, as well as the title role in Rossini's buffo opera Il Signor Bruschino.
Juliana Valente, soprano (Signora Pasquale/ Notary), is originally from Spring, Texas. Her opera roles include Fanny in Sapho, Manonin inManon (Massenet), Musetta and Mimi in La Boheme (Puccini), Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutti and Rosalina in Die Fledermaus. This summer she will be singing Violetta in La Traviata with Festa Lirica Italiana in Ischia, Italy. Juliana teaches voice, drama, and musical theater technique in Montclair, NJ and NYC.
Lauren Alfano, soprano (Signora Pasquale/Notary), has soloed in Monteverdi'sVespers of 1610, Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, Bach's Mass in B-minor and Magnificat, Poulenc'sGloria, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, and in Alessandro Scarlatti's Stabat Mater with ARTEK. She has sung operatic roles with Satori Opera, and upcoming roles include Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare.
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Ticketing Information:
$45.00 General Seating / $40.00 Students, Seniors
Ticket price includes refreshments.
For our May 22, 2012 performance at 6:00pm at Casa Italiana,
performed with piano accompaniment and limited to 50 guests: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/236646
There will be no tickets at the door.
performed with piano accompaniment and limited to 50 guests: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/236646
There will be no tickets at the door.
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò: 24 West 12th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues) NYC
For our May 23 and 24, 2012 performances with orchestra at 7:30pm at Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/236666
Cash only at the door, if available.
Cash only at the door, if available.
Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium: 417 East 61st Street (between 1st & York Avenues) NYC
For further information: 212-304-1472
http://www.underworldprod.com/ underworldprod@gmail.com
*Photo by Jonathan Slaff at Casa italians Zerilli-Marimò at NYU
Peter Castaldi (Don Pasquale) and Amelia Watkins (Norina)
