PASSIONATE PAGLIACCI FESTIVAL FINALE
Due to circumstances involving sudden cast conflicts, BONJ has changed the opera that will close the festival August 10 Two one-act operas will now be featured, closing with one of opera's most beloved and passionate works: Ruggiero Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. The music is dynamic, beautiful and unforgettable, as are the characters ripped from the headlines of real life. The most famous musical phrase of all opera is sung by Canio at the end of Act 1 as he sings of having to perform and provide entertainment while his heart is breaking.
Photos from recent Eastern Opera Company production of I Pagliacci featuring Dmitri Zigrino, Peter Lewis and Karole Lewis.
Leoncavallo's verismo classic will be preceded by a fun modernized operatic adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. With libretto and music by Maestro Robert W. Butts, the opera is set in a contemporary New York apartment. The music represents Maestro Butts at his most melodic with several memorable arias and ensembles - including a celebrated toast to great wines and the ironic "Maria in Madrid." In plot structure, The Cask of Amontillado complements I Pagliacci, except here it is the wronged wife tho seeks revenge rather than the enraged husband.
The Cask of Amontillado stars Peter Lewis as John, the philandering husband; Karole Lewis as Anne, the long suffering first wife; Emily Thompson as the second suffering wife; and Brenda Belohoubek as the new young interest, Lisa the wine girl.
I Pagliacci stars Peter Lewis as Canio, Ted Dougherty as Silvio, Ira Barth as Beppe, Karole Lewis as Nedda, and Dmitri Zigrino as Tonio as well as the acclaimed Eastern Opera Chorus.
Both operas will be in English, in costume and semi-staged.
I Pagliacci and The Cask of Amontillado will be performed in place of the originally schedule performance of Rossini's The Barber of Seville.
Great Guest Artsts Appear at
The 2014 BONJ Summer Music Festival - August 3-10, 2014
The 2014 BONJ Summer Music Festival features a week of exciting musical opportunities, including keyboard recitals at Grace Church which can be heard Monday-Friday at 12:15 PM.
August 3, 3:00 PM, Dolan Hall, The College of Saint Elizabeth - 2014 Pearl & Julius Young Music Competition Winner Violinist Tristan Siegel, Polish soprano Dominika Zamara and Vatican composer/conductor Monsignor Marco Frisina for a program of music of Mozart, Paisiello and Frisina.
August 8, 7:30 PM, Grace Church - chamber music featuring Arioso Consorte and Amite Trio plus a special performance of Antonin Dvorak's romantic masterpiece Piano Quintet in A Major, let by violinist Agnes Kwasniewska and featuring pianist Paul Zeigler.
August 9, 7:30 PM, Grace Church - Cabaret Night featuring music from Broadway and Opera with special guests Emily Thompson, Noelle Arteche and Don Sheasley. Performance is in Grace Hall, patrons are encouraged to bring refreshments and enjoy the artists in table-seating arrangement.
August 10, 3:00 PM, Dolan Hall, The College of Saint Elizabeth - Robert w. Butts's The Cask of Amontillado and Ruggiero Leoncvallo's I Pagliacci.
Thank you for sharing your time with us!
Please visit our websites for breaking news and announements.
