Center City Opera Theater’s 2011-12 Season at the Prince

Nov 21, 2011 by admin

Center City Opera Theater’s 2011-12 Season at the Prince
An east-coast premiere and a world premiere by the new Prince Theater resident company

Philadelphia, Pa. -  Andrew Kurtz, General and Artistic Director of Center
City Opera Theater, announces the production schedule for the company’s 2011-2012 season.
Characterized by a worldly mix of contemporary premieres and beloved classics, CCOT’s 13th
season is crafted, more than ever, to fulfill the company’s mission of reaching new audiences in
the Greater Philadelphia area.

Center City Opera Theater is proud to begin its first season as a resident company of the Prince
Music Theater, where all four 2011-2012 season productions will take place along with several
concerts and events. Prince Music Theater is located on the Avenue of the Arts in Center City
Philadelphia, on Chestnut Street between Broad and 15th Streets.
Center City Opera Theater’s season opens with an Opera Caberet Series which features singers
from CCOT’s Young Artist Program. The first concert of the series “Great Duets in Opera”
will take place Saturday, November 12 at 8pm at the Prince Music Theater. The second concert
of the series is a “21st Century Art Songs Competition” on Saturday, March 10 at the Ethical
Society of Philadelphia, in which the audience will have the chance pick the winner of the best
new art song among compositions submitted to CCOT by a pool of aspiring opera composers.

Two productions will be “Young Artist Productions” with casts assembled entirely from CCOT’s
Young Artist Program, a year-long post-graduate professional training experience for dynamic
young singers and opera professionals. CCOT’s English-translated production of Mozart’s
The Marriage of Figaro will be February 4 and 5;

La Bohème, in Italian, has performances
scheduled April 13-15. Both operas are fully-staged, costumed, and performed with chamber
orchestra at the Prince Music Theater.

Il Postino, based off the award-winning Italian film and composed by the Mexican-born Daniel
Catán, makes its east-coast premiere with CCOT May 17, 19 and 20 at the Prince Music Theater.
CCOT’s performance of Il Postino marks the first Philadelphia performance of a Spanishlanguage
opera by a Hispanic composer and performed by a professional company. The opera
is based on the life of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and was commissioned and premiered by
LA Opera last September with Placido Domingo as the role of Neruda. CCOT is the first to
perform the opera since the passing of Daniel Catán and received an NEA grant to commission
an orchestral reduction of the score. Il Postino was Catan’s last completed opera work before he
shocked the opera world with his sudden death in April 2011. CCOT’s east coast premiere of the
work will be performed in his honor.

In June 2012, CCOT will present the world premiere of its latest Creative Development Project
titled Slaying the Dragon with music by Michael Ching and original libretto by Ellen Frankel.
Based on the book Not by the Sword by Kathryn Watterson, Slaying the Dragon is inspired by
the true story of a Grand Dragon Klansman who abandons a life of hatred for one of tolerance
through a relationship with a rabbi and his wife. Slaying the Dragon came to fruition through
CCOT’s Creative Development Projects, an ongoing series of workshops which guides and
facilitates the production of new opera works from conceptions to fully-staged productions.

Workshops for Slaying the Dragon include music workshops September 17 and 18 as a part
of the Philadelphia Live Arts Fringe Festival and staged workshops in January and February
2012. This story of redemption, transformation, forgiveness, and brotherly love premieres at
the Prince Music Theater June 7 and 9 during the Opera America Conference, which is held in
Philadelphia this season. Performances at the Academy of Vocal Arts are June 14, 16, and 17.

Center City Opera Theater will continue its commitment to community engagement and
education by offering free public performances throughout the opera season. “Opera 4-D”
will integrate live ‘pop-up’ opera performances into public spaces, spreading the joy of opera
to intimate corners of Philadelphia. “After Hour Arias” will transform bars and pubs into
the “ultimate opera karaoke,” giving bar-hoppers a chance to sing along to familiar tunes from
the opera world. All events are free to the public and provide a chance to meet the artists and
staff and to learn more about the company.

Tickets and information on all performances and events can be found on Center City Opera
Theater’s website: OperaTheater.org. Tickets for all performances and season subscriptions will
go on sale mid-October.

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Center City Opera Theater’s mission is to present opera productions of the
highest professional quality with a focus on new work and education, recruiting
new audiences through intimacy and affordability of performances and providing
opportunities for emerging opera professionals. Now in its 13th season, CCOT
remains the only professional opera company in the United States whose primary
mission is the development and production of new opera works.
PRESS RELEASE SUMMARY
WHAT: Center City Opera Theater announces 2011-2012 Season
WHO: Center City Opera Theater
WHEN: September 2011-June 2012
WHERE: Philadelphia, PA
COST: $39-79 all season
Tickets available online by visiting www.OperaTheater.org