LES FÊTES DE THALIE

A Ballet en Musique by Jean-Joseph Mouret at the Kennedy Center May 3rd and 4th and a NYC premier in NYC May 7th.

Join us for the modern premiere of an opéra-ballet that broke the mold for its time by putting contemporary characters on stage.

True to its innovative roots, this present-day retelling cleverly swaps the original muses' debate over the qualities of comedy and tragedy for composers, librettists, and choreographers debating which of their art forms garners the best reviews!

With renowned conductor Christophe Rousset on the podium and Catherine Turocy directing, this witty, joyful, female-centric tale will have you laughing and cheering until the end. Thalie promises to uphold Opera Lafayette’s reputation as "one of the most creatively game and artistically sound operations in the business."(The Washington Post).

Thalie features a diverse and talented cast of American singers including Jonathan Woody (Opera Lafayette Artistic Associate), Angel Azzarra, Pascale Beaudin, Scott Brunscheen, Jean Bernard Cerin, Patrick Kilbride, Margot Rood, John Taylor Ward, and Ariana Wehr. The production also includes eight dancers led by choreographers Anuradha Nehru and Pragnya Thamire, Julian Donahue and Julia Bengtsson, and Caroline Copeland.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Terrace Theater

Washington, DC

Friday, May 3, 2024, 7:30pm

Saturday, May 4, 2024, 7:30pm

Pre-show discussion begins at 6:30pm both nights.

El Museo del Barrio

New York, NY

Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 6:00pm

Pre-show discussion begins at 5:00pm at El Café.

Purchase Tickets at Kennedy Center

Buy Tickets now for NYC

Free Zoom Lecture:

The Battle

of the Muses

Wednesday, March 20, 2024,

6 PM EST

With musicologist Rebecca Harris-Warrick, stage director Catherine Turocy, and tenor Patrick Kilbride

Les Fêtes de Thalie, one of the rare instances of comic opera performed at the Paris Opéra during the reign of Louis XIV, was a product of a changing urban environment, not of the court of Versailles, which by 1714 was becoming less and less relevant to French cultural life.

Librettist Joseph La Font and composer Jean-Joseph Mouret, both newcomers to the operatic stage, set the work’s three irreverent stories in their own time, surrounding them with a frame in which the Muses argue over the merits of comedy in opera.

Scholar Rebecca Harris-Warrick presents the historical and aesthetic contexts that gave rise to this anomalous work; director Catherine Turocy discusses her concepts for staging it today; and Patrick Kilbride provides a preview of the comic roles he is singing within it.

Free Registration link

Photos: Caroline Copeland, Sarah Edgar, Catherine Turocy and James Richman

Dancers: Julia Bengtsson and Patrick Pride

Dancer: Lil' Buck and Catherine Turocy

We, Brynt and Brittani, are a brother and sister team. We have created Singing Heart Retreats as a space to share the tools that have helped us on our own ongoing journeys toward wholeness. Naturally intuitive, we have been called by life to ground ourselves in the study of an array of healing modalities and self work. It is our hope that our experience will be of benefit to you. The road to wellness can often be an intimidating one. We have years of experience navigating it. We offer this retreat as an eternal flame, illuminating your path home.

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