{"id":503261,"date":"2010-04-01T21:20:44","date_gmt":"2010-04-02T01:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chicagopressrelease.com\/?p=27198"},"modified":"2010-04-01T21:20:44","modified_gmt":"2010-04-02T01:20:44","slug":"cot-announces-their-2011-spring-festival-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/503261","title":{"rendered":"COT Announces Their 2011 Spring Festival Season!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contact<\/strong>: Colleen Flanigan Director of Marketing and Public Relations 312.704.8420 ext. 225 cflanigan@chicagooperatheater.org<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nRELEASE DATE: THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

CHICAGO OPERA THEATER ANNOUNCES THEIR 2011 SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON!<\/h1>\nFeaturing the Midwest Premiere of Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers<\/em>,<\/strong> The Chicago Premiere of Charpentier’s Medea<\/em>,<\/strong> And \u201cHE\/SHE\u201d Featuring <\/strong> Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared<\/em><\/strong> and Schumann\u2019s A Woman\u2019s Love and Life<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\nCHICAGO, IL \u2013 On March 25, 2010, General Director Brian Dickie announced Chicago Opera Theater’s (COT)<\/a> 2011 Spring Festival Season<\/strong>:\u00a0 the Midwest Premiere of Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>, the Chicago Premiere of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Medea <\/em><\/strong>(M\u00e9d\u00e9e<\/em>), and \u201cHE\/SHE\u201d featuring Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared <\/em><\/strong>(Z\u00e1pisn\u00edk zmizel\u00e9ho<\/em>) and Robert Schumann’s A Woman\u2019s Love and Life <\/em><\/strong>(Frauenliebe und Leben<\/em>).<\/p>\nChicago Opera Theater\u2019s 2011 Spring Festival Season runs April 2 through May 13 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.<\/p>\nDeath and the Powers<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is a new opera by Tod Machover<\/strong>, premiering in Monaco the fall of this year.\u00a0 Developed at the MIT Media Lab<\/a> <\/strong>in creative partnership with Chicago Opera Theater<\/strong> and Harvard\u2019s American Repertory Theatre<\/a><\/strong> (A.R.T.), and with the support of Futurum Association<\/strong> (Monaco), this groundbreaking production will use specially designed technology including a chorus of robots, a Musical Chandelier, and a set that expressively “comes alive.”<\/p>\nThe libretto by former U.S.<\/strong> Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky<\/strong>, from a story by Randy Weiner<\/strong>, explores what we leave behind for the world and our loved ones, as told through an eccentric patriarch, Simon Powers (who “downloads” himself into The System), and his family and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe music is by Tod Machover<\/a><\/strong>, whose genre-bending work is celebrated for its arching melodic lines, richly nuanced textures, and propulsive rhythms. He is also a pioneer in inventing new technologies for music, including Hyperinstruments that have been used by artists from Yo-Yo Ma to Prince, and for videogames Guitar Hero<\/em> and Rock Band<\/em>, which grew out of his Lab.<\/em>\u00a0 His most recent opera was the acclaimed Skellig<\/em> – based on the famous children’s novel by David Almond – which premiered at The Sage Gateshead (UK) in 2008.\u00a0 Mr. Machover is also the composer of the stunning Resurrection<\/em>, which premiered in 1999 at Houston Grand Opera.<\/p>\n“It is always enormously exciting to be involved in the creation of a brand new work.” said COT General Director Brian Dickie.\u00a0 “And it is a huge joy for the company to be working with someone with the genius and charisma possessed by Tod Machover.”<\/strong><\/p>\nDiane Paulus<\/a><\/strong> returns to Chicago Opera Theater, after staging the hugely successful Broadway production of Hair<\/em>, which won the Tony Award\u00ae for Best Musical Revival<\/strong>, and earned Ms. Paulus her first Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.\u00a0 Conductor Gil Rose<\/a><\/strong> makes his Chicago Opera Theater debut.\u00a0 In 1996, he founded the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the foremost professional orchestra dedicated exclusively to performing and recording music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.<\/p>\nDeath and the Powers<\/em><\/strong> will be designed by Alex McDowell<\/strong>, production designer of such films as Tim Burton\u2019s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory<\/em> and Corpse Bride<\/em>, and Steven Spielberg\u2019s Minority Report<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\nFor more on Death in the Powers<\/em><\/strong> go to: http:\/\/opera.media.mit.edu\/projects\/deathandthepowers\/<\/a> \u00a0 Next in Chicago Opera Theater\u2019s 2011 Spring Festival Season is the Chicago premiere of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Medea <\/em><\/strong>(M\u00e9d\u00e9e)<\/em>.\u00a0 This marks the second opera in COT\u2019s baroque “trilogy” that is devoted to the exploration of three operas with Medea as a central character.\u00a0 COT presents Cavalli’s Jason <\/em><\/strong>(Giasone)<\/em> next month, and will present Teseo<\/em> <\/strong>by George Frideric Handel in 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n“Surprisingly no opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier has ever been produced by a Chicago company.\u00a0 We are happy to remedy that with Medea<\/em>, a defining opera by a great French composer of the baroque period,” said Brian Dickie.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nNever has there been such a complicated figure as Medea, whose emotions run the gamut from passion to rage to vengeance.\u00a0 Watch her evil unfold during the telling of this love quadrangle between Medea, her husband Jason, Princess Cruesa, and Prince Oronte of Argos.\u00a0 Her fury reaches its climax in the final scene, where she commits the ultimate revenge against Jason, ensuring he will die a lonely and heartbroken man.<\/p>\n

Christian Curnyn<\/strong>, a rising star in the field of early music, will conduct all three operas of the baroque “trilogy.” \u00a0<\/strong>In April of last year he conducted performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas<\/em> at the English National Opera.<\/em>\u00a0 Mr. Curnyn makes his New York City Opera debut on April 3rd with Handel\u2019s Partenope<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nChicago’s own Baroque Band<\/a><\/strong> will be the orchestra for Medea<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 This period-instrument orchestra has been hailed by critics and audiences and has gained a reputation as one of the most exciting period-instrument ensembles in the United States.<\/p>\nJustin Way<\/strong>, who is directing Jason<\/em><\/strong>, returns to COT in 2011 to direct Medea<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 His other work with COT was the critically triumphant Orlando<\/em><\/strong> in 2008 and the audience favorite Abduction from the Seraglio<\/em><\/strong> in 2006.\u00a0 Mr. Way just finished a run of La boh\u00e8me<\/em> at the Minnesota Opera and earlier this year directed Carmen<\/em> at the Canadian Opera Company.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe final production of the 2011 Spring Festival Season is called \u201cHE\/SHE\u201d and includes two dramatic song cycles about obsessive love:\u00a0 Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared <\/em><\/strong>(Z\u00e1pisn\u00edk zmizel\u00e9ho<\/em>) and Robert Schumann’s A Woman\u2019s Love and Life <\/em><\/strong>(Frauenliebe und Leben<\/em>).<\/p>\nThe 2011 People\u2019s Opera winner, Shostakovitch’s Moscow, Cheryomushki<\/em><\/strong>, will be postponed to the fall of 2011, and will be a part of Chicago Opera Theater\u2019s 2011-12 Season, which will include one opera in the fall and two operas in the spring.<\/p>\n“COT, in common with so many performing arts companies, must adjust to some harsh economic realities.\u00a0 We are therefore postponing the production of Shostakovich\u2019s Moscow, Cheryomushki<\/em> to September of 2011.\u00a0 It will be replaced in the spring of 2011 with a fascinating double header,” said General Director Brian Dickie.\u00a0 “I believe that it will be most intriguing for music lovers to see these two masterpieces of the song repertoire fully staged.\u00a0 The evening promises to be a passionate night at the theatre.”<\/strong> The Diary of the One Who Disappeared<\/em> <\/strong>will star Joseph Kaiser<\/a><\/strong>, last seen to rave reviews in Chicago Opera Theater’s B\u00e9atrice et B\u00e9n\u00e9dict<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 The New York Times <\/em>observed of his Metropolitan Opera debut in Rom\u00e9o et Juliette<\/em> that, “Mr. Kaiser has an ardent, youthful and warm tenor voice. His performance was enriched by his keen musical intelligence and elegantly stylish phrasing. Tall, handsome and agile, he has an appealing stage presence.”\u00a0 This summer he will be singing Admete in Gluck\u2019s Alceste<\/em> at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.<\/p>\nThe production will be directed by Lillian Groag<\/strong>, returning to Chicago Opera Theater after acclaimed productions of Dido and Aenas<\/em><\/strong> (2006), La Resurrezione<\/em><\/strong> (2005), and Agrippina <\/strong><\/em>(2003).\u00a0 The Chicago Tribune<\/em> said of Dido and Aeneas<\/em><\/strong>, “Lillian Groag is back at Chicago Opera Theater, once more proving that old opera can, in the right hands, deliver a bracing shock of the new.”<\/p>\nThe pianist for both pieces is the distinguished accompanist Craig Terry<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 He has performed with such esteemed vocalists as Sir Thomas Allen, Christine Brewer, Eric Cutler, Joyce DiDonato, and Patricia Racette.<\/p>\nDesigner Peter Harrison<\/strong> returns to COT after his acclaimed work on Owen Wingrave<\/em><\/strong> in 2008.\u00a0 He also designed the exquisite Death in Venice<\/em><\/strong> for Chicago Opera Theater in 2005.<\/p>\nChicago Opera Theater performs at The Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park – 205 East Randolph Drive.<\/strong><\/p>\nSeason Subscriptions for the 2011 Spring Festival Season, which include a ticket to all three operas, range from $85-$310 for new Subscribers and $76-$295 for current 2010 Subscribers who renew by July 30, 2010.\u00a0 COT also offers a 50% discounted student rate in most sections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nSubscriptions are available now by phone at 312.704.8414.\u00a0 They will be available online at ChicagoOperaTheater.org<\/a> starting in mid-April. Individual tickets to each production will go on sale in early 2011.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n2011 Spring Festival Season<\/span><\/p>\nTod Machover DEATH AND THE POWERS <\/span> April 2, 6, 8 at 7:30pm; April 10 at 3pm<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\nConductor:<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nGil Rose<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nDirector:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nDiane Paulus<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nDesigner:<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nAlex McDowell<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nSung in English.<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nMarc-Antoine Charpentier MEDEA (M\u00e9d\u00e9e)<\/span> April 23, 27, 29 at 7:30pm; May 1 at 3pm<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\nConductor:<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nChristian Curnyn<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nDirector:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nJustin Way<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nSung in French with English supertitles.<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\nHE\/SHE<\/span> May 7, 11, 13 at 7:30pm; May 8 at 3pm<\/em><\/p>\nLeo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s The Diary of One Who Disappeared<\/strong> (Z\u00e1pisn\u00edk zmizel\u00e9ho)<\/span> Sung in Czech with English supertitles.<\/em><\/p>\nRobert Schumann\u2019s\u00a0 A Woman\u2019s Love and Life <\/strong>(Frauenliebe und Leben)<\/span> Sung in German with English supertitles.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\nPiano:<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nCraig Terry<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nDirector:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nLillian Groag<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nDesigner:<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nPeter Harrison<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nDeath and the Powers<\/em> is a creative partnership with MIT Media Lab and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) with generous support provided by the Monaco-based Futurum Association. <\/span><\/p>\n###<\/p>\n

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Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services<\/a><\/p>\n

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Contact: Colleen Flanigan Director of Marketing and Public Relations 312.704.8420 ext. 225 cflanigan@chicagooperatheater.org RELEASE DATE: THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010 CHICAGO OPERA THEATER ANNOUNCES THEIR 2011 SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON! Featuring the Midwest Premiere of Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers, The Chicago Premiere of Charpentier’s Medea, And \u201cHE\/SHE\u201d Featuring Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-503261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}