From the City of Havre de Grace Office of Tourism:
Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8 pm, OPERAtunity Maryland in conjunction with the Harford Choral Society will present Cavalleria Rusticana, an Opera in One Act by Pietro Mascagni in support of the Havre de Grace Opera House Foundation and the renovation of the historic 1871 Opera House on Union Avenue. The performance will be presented at the Havre de Grace United Methodist at 101 South Union Avenue, just doors away from the Opera House itself. Tickets are $25 for show only and $30 for the show plus reception package to meet the performers and Foundation members.
This one night event will headline local and regional singers well-known to the opera community. Suzanne S. Chadwick, who started OPERAtunity Maryland has been the dynamic force behind gathering this independent group of musicians. In addition to Ms. Chadwick, featured singers include Aurelio Dominguez, Patricia Portillo, Jose Sacin, and Catrin Davies. Piano accompaniment will be provided by Erika Knepp. In addition, the Harford Choral Society, directed by Dr. William Spencer, will the choral backdrop to the production.
The love triangle story of Cavalleria rusticana is a 75-minute opera composed by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play and short story written by Giovanni Verga. In the spirit of Opera House renovation, this opera premiered in Italy in 1890. Its first American premiere was in 1891 at the Grand Opera House in Philadelphia and then later at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The production in Havre de Grace will be performed in its original Italian with English translation provided in the program. (Trivia note: the intermezzo music from this opera was added to the scores of two popular movies: Raging Bull and The Godfather Part III.)
Tickets for the event can be purchased in person at the Havre de Grace Visitors’ Center, 450 Pennington Avenue, Havre de Grace, MD 21078 (410-939-2100), Preston’s Stationary, 319 South Main Street, Bel Air, MD 21014 (410-838-5858) or with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Tickets may also be purchased online at TicketLeap.com/Cavalleria. If the event is not sold out, “Show Only” tickets will be available at the door but reservations are recommended. Show only tickets are $25. The Show/Reception package ($30) includes complimentary refreshments, a meet and greet with the performers, and a free raffle ticket with a chance to win a sponsorship of a commemorative chair inscribed with a personalized bronze plaque, valued at $1000. Show/Reception tickets must be purchased in advance. Throughout the evening, silent auction items will be on display.
Commemorative chair sponsorships are one of the primary ways in which the Foundation is raising funds to match corporate funds already promised. In addition to chairs, other “naming” opportunities include the 200-seat theatre space, the downstairs 50-seat “black box theatre,” and the main floor gallery. For more information about supporting the Opera House Foundation, contact chair, William Price, III at info@operahousefoundation.org.
Suzanne Chadwick is a resident of Havre de Grace and American Mezzo-Soprano, whose career features opera, oratoria and other concert work. She will be featured again with Washington National Opera 2014-2015 season as a Carmelite Nun in Dialogue of the Carmelites. Her roles include Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera, Dido in Dido and Aeneus, Jade Boucher in Dead Man Walking, Meg Page in Falstaff, Giovanna in Rigoletto, Queen Enrichetta in I Puritani, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rose in Lakmé, Hata in Prodaná nev?sta, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Wowkle in Fanciulla del West, Dritte Magd in Elektra, Annina in La Traviata; Mrs. Herring (‘Mum’) in Albert Herring; and Pitti-Sing in Mikado. She was also featured with The Baltimore Symphony, The Baltimore Opera Company, Lyric Opera of Baltimore, Frederick Orchestra, and Annapolis Opera. She will next appear as Alto Soloist with Harford Choral Arts in their December concert, Handel’s Messiah. Bios of performers available upon request. For more information about Suzanne Chadwick and OPERAtunity Maryland, visit www.suzanneschadwick.com.
The Harford Choral Society The Harford Choral Society, Inc. is a non-profit, community chorus located in Harford County, Maryland. Its membership consists of approximately 40 voices drawn from Harford, Cecil and Baltimore counties. Founded in 1954 by Joseph Victor Laderoute, an operatic tenor and music instructor at Peabody Conservatory and the first Director, the Society’s first holiday performance was Handel’s MESSIAH. It was performed December 1955 at the Lyric Opera House along with the BSO, and was telecast by WMAR and broadcast by WBAL radio. Founded with the goal of providing quality choral music, the Society now presents two major concerts each season. The Harford Choral Society is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive, and by the Harford County Government through the Harford County Cultural Arts Board. The Opera House Foundation is appreciative of the support from this well-known institution in Harford County.
So excited about this production. This is the arts event of the season! Package tickets (include reception, meet & greet, and complimentary refreshments) are going fast!
What a waste of tax payer funds. That old building should be sold to a private company and let them fix it.