Toledo, OH— Toledo Opera announces plans to return to the Valentine Theatre for 2022-2023 performance season. Beginning in October, the season will feature three main-stage productions.
The 64th season will begin with operatic drama and end with two lighthearted celebratory pieces. It is a chance for Toledo Opera to welcome back the loyal opera audience and the opportunity to welcome in new audiences. Opening on October 14 with a double-bill of Suor Angelica and Cavalleria Rusticana, the season will also feature The Merry Widow. The season will conclude with Celebrazione del Coro – a celebration of the Toledo Opera Chorus.
For Executive Director Suzanne Rorick, it is the variety of music and drama that will make the season unforgettable. “Opera has a well-earned reputation for grandeur. Grand opera achieves a kind of dramatic intensity unlike any other art form, and its one the things that keeps us coming back year after year. Yet grandeur is only one part of what gives opera its enduring hold over our imaginations. The richness of our tradition also lies in its ability to join spectacle with tenderness; passion with playfulness; and timelessness with contemporary relevance. This year, we’re showcasing the breadth of what opera can do,” Rorick said.
Toledo Opera’s Co-Artistic Director and Head of Music Preparation Kevin Bylsma, added, “With everything from dark brooding dramas to effervescent comedies, Toledo Opera’s 2022-23 season truly offers something for everyone!”
Three-show subscriptions and single tickets are available now at toledoopera.org. For those purchasing a new subscription, a ticket to the highly anticipated production of Blue, postponed until August 26 and 28 due to the COVID-19 surge in early 2022 may be added on at a discount of 20%. All previously purchased tickets to Blue will be honored.
2022-23 Season Schedule
Suor Angelica & Cavalleria Rusticana
October 14 & 16, 2022
Valentine Theatre
Not seen by Toledo Opera audiences since 1982, Puccini’s Suor Angelica makes its triumphant return to the Valentine stage this fall paired with Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Set in a convent in 17th century Italy, Suor Angelica deals with the hardship and social constructs placed on women who do not conform to the rules of society and religion in their everyday lives. Also dealing with societal and religious repression, Cavalleria Rusticana centers around the tempestuous relationship between villagers Santuzza, Turridu, Lola, and Alfio. Mascagni’s work is set in a 19th century Sicillian Village. Both of these one-act operas end in tragedy and are conducted by Maestro Geoffrey McDonald and staged by director Keturah Stickann.
Suor Angelica stars soprano Jill Gardner as Angelica and contralto Lauren Decker as the Principessa. Cavalleria Rusticana stars soprano Jill Gardner as Santuzza, tenor Brian Cheney as Turridu, baritone Corey Crider as Alfio, and mezzo soprano Lauren Decker as Mama Lucia.
The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár (in English)
February 10 & 12, 2023
Valentine Theatre
Just in time for Valentine’s Day! The Merry Widow dances into our hearts with its beautiful melodies and witty storyline. Hanna Glawari is a vastly wealthy young widow from the small and poverty-stricken Balkan province of Pontevedro. Ambassador Baron Zeta is anxious that when Hanna re-marries, it is to a Pontevedrian and not a Frenchman, to keep her money in the country and save them all from ruin. J. Ernest Green conducts this bubbly delight while Jamie Offenbach and James M. Norman bring the light-hearted comedy to life. Starring as the merry widow is Alyson Cambridge (Toledo Opera’s Carmen) and BGSU voice professor Keith Phares as Count Danilo.
Celebrazione del Coro
April 21 & 23, 2023
Valentine Theatre
Toledo Opera will present Celebrazione del Coro, a concert of Great Opera Choruses with conductor Kevin Bylsma leading the renowned Toledo Opera Chorus and soloists accompanied by orchestra. The Toledo Opera Chorus is at the heart of Toledo Opera’s musical activity and in this concert, we feature them. The Toledo Opera Chorus members are involved in almost every production, performing as everything from priests and nuns, to townsfolk and milk maids to courtesans and everything in between! Highlights will include famous choruses and arias from popular operas by Bizet, Verdi, Puccini, Bernstein, Wagner, and much more.
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