Minnesota Opera’s 50th Anniversary Season opens with the company’s first presentation of Nabucco

Sep 24, 2012 by admin

Verdi’s monumental opera, led by Music Director Michael
Christie and a powerful trio: Brenda Harris, Jason Howard and John Relyea
What: Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco
Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage.
Where: Ordway, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102
When: Saturday, September 22, 8pm Tuesday, September 25, 7:30pm
Thursday, September 27, 7:30pm Saturday, September 29, 7:30pm
Sunday, September 30, 2pm
Tickets: $20 – $200. Call the Minnesota Opera Ticket Office at 612.333.6669,
Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm, or purchase online at mnopera.org.
Media: An online press kit (available now on Dropbox at bit.ly/mnoperapressroom) includes
full bios, artist headshots, design renderings, production photos and other useful resources.
Contact Communications Manager Daniel Zillmann to take advantage of the following
interview, photo and video opportunities at dress rehearsals at Ordway:Wednesday,
September 19, 7:30pm and Thursday, September 20, 7:30pm.
Preview: Minnesota Opera hosts its first Social Media Preview Night of the season for bloggers
and tweeters, including a reception with Minnesota Opera’s new Music Director
Michael Christie and exclusive access to the dress rehearsal on Thursday, September
20, 5pm. Email Daniel Zillmann to R.S.V.P.
Minneapolis–Verdi’s monumental opera follows the plight of the Jews as they are conquered and exiled
from their homeland by King Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco).With its soaring choruses, triumphant arias
and bold drama, Nabucco established Verdi’s reputation as an operatic icon and national hero. The opera’s
infamous chorus, “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (also known as the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”), was
considered an anthem for the patriots who sought to unify their country during the Italian Risorgimento
of the mid-nineteenth century.
American stage director and scenic designer Thaddeus Strassberger makes his Minnesota Opera
debut with this beautiful new production that evokes the notorious Italian opera house, La Scala, where Nabucco premiered. According to Opera Now, he is a director/designer who “… manages to straddle the sometimes very
different worlds of European and U.S. opera production seamlessly … Strassberger’s productions are fresh and thoughtful,
and he often presents us with modern parallels without being contrived.” Baritone Jason Howard (Salome) stars in the
title role with soprano Brenda Harris (Roberto Devereux, Mary Stuart) as his supposed daughter Abigaille. One of
today’s finest bass-baritones, John Relyea makes his company debut as the Jewish high priest Zaccaria. Members of
Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artist Program complete the cast: mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas (Wuthering
Heights) is the king’s true daughter Fenena; tenor John Robert Lindsey (Silent Night) is Ismaele, her lover and the
nephew of the King of Jerusalem; bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba debuts as the High Priest of Baal; and soprano
Christie Hageman debuts as Anna, Zaccaria’s sister. Michael Christie (Madame Butterfly) begins his tenure with the
company as Music Director conducting the Minnesota Opera Orchestra.
To learn more about Nabucco …
Please visit mnopera.org/season. There you will find casting updates, artist biographies, synopses, background notes,
audio and video clips, suggestions for further reading and listening, ticketing services and other company information.
The Minnesota Opera season Nabucco are sponsored by Ascent Private Capital Management of U.S. Bank.
Minnesota Opera combines a culture of creativity and fiscal responsibility
to produce opera and opera education programs that expand the art form, nurture artists,
enrich audiences and contribute to the vitality of the community.
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Nabucco, p. 2
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Christie
Stage Director and Scenic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thaddeus Strassberger*
Choreographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heidi Spesard-Noble
Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mattie Ullrich*
Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAX Messenger*
Original Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark McCullough
Wig and Makeup Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Allen and Ronell Oliveri
Associate Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joel Ivany*
Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Ellis*+
Assistant Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Breid*+
THE CAST
Zaccaria, High Priest of the Hebrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Relyea*
Ismaele, nephew of the King of Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Robert Lindsey+
Fenena, younger daughter of Nabucco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Vargas+
Abigaille, older daughter of Nabucco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brenda Harris
Anna, Zaccaria’s sister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christie Hageman*+
Nabucco, King of Babylon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Howard
High Priest of Baal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Ollarsaba*+
Abdallo, Nabucco’s officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Thomas Olson
*Minnesota Opera Debut, +Minnesota Opera Resident Artist