Singing and More

Click http://www.cincinnatiopera.org/webisodes for what you can expect at Cincinnati Opera’s “Lucie de Lammermoor,” to be presented by Cincinnati Opera at 7:30 p.m. June 26 and 28 at Music Hall.

Butterfly season at Cincinnati Opera. The netted mountain moth, native to Scotland

Who could be more netted than Lucy, the bride of Lammermoor? Poster image for Cincinnati Opera's "Lucie de Lammermoor"

The pipes are coloratura soprano Sarah Coburn’s, who sings the leading role in Donizetti’s all-time favorite, this time sung in its 1839 French version.  Paris was mad for opera in the 19^th century and demanded that “Lucia di Lammermoor,” a runaway hit in Italian, be re-worked in French.  Donizetti obliged.  The opera will be sung in French with English supertitles.

   Singing Lucie’s true love Edgard – unfortunately from the wrong family, kind of like Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet” – is Cincinnati tenor Mark Panuccio.  Henri, her brother, is baritone Gaetan Laperriere, with tenor Jeremy Cady as the scheming Gilbert (Normanno in the 1835 Italian original, ratcheted up to be truly evil), tenor John McVeigh as the luckless Arthur (stabbed by Lucie on their wedding night) and bass Alain Coulombe as the chaplain Raymond who just wants everyone to get along.

   Jean-Marie Zeitouni will conduct, with stage direction by Mark Streshinsky.  The production is by John Conklin for New York’s Glimmerglass Opera and Boston Lyric Opera.

   Tickets are $25-$147 and can be purchased at the Cincinnati Opera box office in Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., call (513) 241-2742, or order online at www.cincinnatiopera.org.

   Hear opera artistic director Evans Mirageas in a pre-performance discussion at 6:30 p.m. both nights.  June 24 is also GLTB Night at Cincinnati Opera.  For information visit www.cincinnatiopera.org

Soviet tank in Tallinn, Estonia, scene from "The Singing Revolution"

Hear – and see – how singing can change the world at Cincinnati World Cinema’s presentation of the 2007 documentary “The Singing Revolution.”  Screenings are 7 p.m. June 24-26 at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

   The film tells the true story of the tiny nation of Estonia and how it was able to gain its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

   Re-gain, that is, since Estonia was an independent republic from 1920-41, when it was invaded by Soviet forces pursuant to a secret deal between Josef Stalin and Adolph Hitler.

Song Festival grounds, Tallinn, Estonia (taken by Ants Liigus of Eesti Postimees at 2004 National Song Festival)

Playing a central role in the country’s re- assertion of its identity was its national song festival, Laulupidu (Estonian for “song festival”) held every five years in the capital city of Tallinn.The film has been showing to amazed audiences throughout the U.S. where the history of the Baltic nations, locked behind the Iron Curtain for half a century, is relatively unknown.

   Admission is $7, at the door, or visit www.cincyworldcinema.org

 Calling all Trekkies:  The Cincinnati Pops presents "Star Trek: The Music," to be led by Pops conductor Erich Kunzel at 8 p.m. June 28 at Riverbend Music Center.
    Making guest appearances will be John DeLancie (Q from "Star Trek: The Next Generation") and Robert Picardo (the doctor from "Star Trek: Voyager").  Hear themes from both the television and film versions of the popular series about life in the Greater Universe.  Come as  your favorite Star Trek character and the Pops says it will "beam you up" on stage.
   Tickets are $26-$36 for the pavilion, $18 for the lawn, children 12 and under free to the lawn when accompanied by a ticketed adult.  Call (513) 381-3300 or order at www.cincinnatipops.org

Robin Guarino

News of music in Cincinnati:

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music has announced the appointment of Robin Guarino as J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera effective Sept. 1, 2008.

   A member of the opera faculty at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, she succeeds Sandra Bernhard, who left CCM in 2007 to take a position with Houston Grand Opera.

   Ms. Guarino, a native of Bronxville, New York, earned her master of fine arts degree from Bard College.  She worked with opera great Jean-Pierre Ponnelle at Munich State Opera and has been a stage director at New York’s Metropolitan Opera since 1992.

   Co-advisor of the Juilliard Opera Theater, Guarino has directed for Glimmerglass Opera, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Virginia Opera, and Chautauqua Opera.  She has also worked with the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York.

   A champion of new works, Guarino directed “Six Ten-Minute Operas I & II” for the Eos Orchestra in New York, including the world premieres of chamber operas by Jake Heggie (“Again”) and Mark Adamo (“Avow”), and the world premiere of David del Tredici’s monodrama “Dracula,” also with Eos.

   A filmmaker as well as an opera director, Guarino has produced and directed four independent films, including “Crossing the Atlantic,” shown on PBS’ “Independent Focus.”

   Future projects include “Aida” at Seattle Opera (this summer), “Don Giovanni” at Canadian Opera in October and a multi-media oratorio “Arjuna’s Dilemma” by Douglas Cuomo at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s “Next Wave” Festival in November.