FIGARO, FIGARO, FI-GA-RO!
The Barber of Seville
Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Cesare Sterbini
Premiered February 20, 1816, Teatro Argentina (Rome, Italy)
Opera Colorado kicks off the 2019-20 season with this laugh-out-loud comedy, featuring some of the most memorable tunes in all opera—including Figaro’s famous “Largo al factotum,” Rosina’s “Una voce poco fa,” and more. Packed with punchlines, this rapid-fire prequel to The Marriage of Figaro features the mischievous barber Figaro at his most cunning, in a whimsical Art Deco production.
November 2, 5, 8, 10 | 2019
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Performing Arts Complex
Performed in Italian, with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat
Estimated Length: Three hours, including one 20-minute intermission
Sets and costumes from Pacific Opera Victoria
Want to learn more about The Barber of Seville? Visit our informative and entertaining Barber of Seville 101 blog post!
Cast
American lyric tenor Andrew Stenson, praised by The Wall Street Journal for a “vivid tenor” that is “both beautiful and full of raw feeling,” is one of the most sought-after vocalists of his generation. A graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, Stenson left an indelible impression as Danny Chen in the world premiere of An American Soldier with Opera Theater of St. Louis, a performance that The New York Times listed as one of the best of 2018.
Mr. Stenson earned acclaim for his recent performances of Candide, Così fan tutte and The Magic Flute, starring on the stages of The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The San Francisco Symphony, The Glimmerglass Festival and many other renowned companies.
In 2019, Stenson returns to Utah Opera in 2020 for his role debut as Nikolaus Sprink in Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell, and he also joins The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, along with future engagements with Portland Opera and Seattle Opera.
In addition to singing, Andrew regularly enjoys a passion for fine wine and spirits. He holds the credential of Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and he is an avid whiskey and wine collector.
Opera Colorado debut
Megan Marino is praised by Opera News as “a gifted actress with a strong, appealing voice graced by a rich lower register.” In the 2018-19 season, she makes company debuts with Dallas Opera as Meg Page in Falstaff, Atlanta Opera as Olga in Eugene Onegin, and Opera Idaho as Anita in West Side Story. She returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Laura in Iolanta and the Nursing Sister in Suor Angelica and to Utah Opera as Stephano in Roméo et Juliette. Recent highlights include debuts at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Der Rosenkavalier) and Opéra national de Paris (Parsifal); her return to Santa Fe Opera; and performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florida Grand Opera, Kentucky Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Virginia Opera. (Madama Butterfly). Future seasons also include her debut with the Opéra national de Bordeaux and returns to the Opéra national de Paris and Metropolitan Opera.
Bruno Taddia, born in Pavia, Italy, began his musical training with the violin. After his stage debut at the prestigious Rossini Opera Festival in Il viaggio a Reims (Don Alvaro) he began to collaborate with many of the top musical institutions in the world. Recently, he starred in Iphigénie en Tauride, Winterreise, The Daughter of the Regiment, L’Elisir d’amore, Don Pasquale, and made a role debut in Falstaff. He also sang Gianni Schicchi at the Puccini Festival in 2020; The Barber of Seville (Figaro) at Grand Theatre de Geneve; Italiana in Algeri (Taddeo) and Der Vampyr (Lord Ruthven) at Hungarian State Opera Budapest; The Barber of Seville (Figaro) and La bohème (Marcello) at Teatro La Fenice di Venezia; Le gare generose (Bastiano) at the Giovanni Paisiello Festival; and debuted the title role in Don Pasquale at Opera Montpellier in 2019. He also appeared in the new recording of Vivaldi edition’s Tamerlano as Bajazet, under the baton of Ottavio Dantone. His interpretations combine a wide range of characters in the baroque, classical, and contemporary operatic repertoire as well as in the symphonic and vocal chamber music.
Stefano de Peppo is one of opera’s busiest singing actors sought for Italian character bass parts. Notable roles include the title role in Don Pasquale, Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore, Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Mustafa in L’Italiana in Algeri, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Leporello in Don Giovanni, the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Alphonso in Così fan tutte. Theaters in which he has appeared include the Finnish National Opera, Estates Theater in Prague, Teatro Argentina, Jerez de la Frontiera, Gran Teatro de Cordoba, and Tenerife, Teatro Colon, Teatro Bellas Artes, Teatro Aquascalientes, Monterrey, Mexico, National Theater of Costa Rica, New Israeli Opera, Royal Albert Hall (London), Opera Hamilton, Los Angeles Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Memphis, Minnesota Opera, Opera New Jersey, Palm Beach Opera, San Diego Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Tampa, and Washington National Opera. A native Italian, Mr. de Peppo began his musical career as a member of the Children’s Chorus of Teatro alla Scala of Milan for seven years, after which he undertook vocal studies at Civic School of Music in Milan.
Creative Team
Appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director, Ari Pelto’s “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La Traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera, and La Voix Humaine at Chicago Opera Theater. Here in Denver, he has led many acclaimed performances, including this season’s La Traviata. Opera Colorado is pleased to announce an extension of Pelto’s contract through the 2023-24 season.
Israeli director Omer Ben Seadia has quickly established herself as one of the fresh new voices in opera to watch. Upcoming productions include Ariadne auf Naxos at Cincinnati Opera, The Barber of Seville at Opera Colorado, and Utah Opera’s short opera project. Previous productions include: Elektra at the Canadian Opera Company, Amahl and the Night Visitors with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Steal a Pencil for Me (world premiere) at Opera Colorado, Idomeneo at Wolf Trap Opera, Tosca at Houston Grand Opera (revival), Yardbird at Atlanta Opera, Faust at Tulsa Opera, La Bohème, L’italiana in Algeri, and A Streetcar Named Desire at Opera Santa Barbara, Considering Matthew Shepard with Cincinnati Opera, L’elisir d’amore at Naples Opera, Don Pasquale, St. John Passion at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Così fan tutte at the University of Michigan, and Roméo et Juliette at the International Vocal Arts Institute. Ms. Ben Seadia has also taught and directed scenes programs at Santa Fe Opera, Merola Opera Program, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.