Purchase Opera will present the Mozart classic “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) March 12 through 14 in the Recital Hall, Purchase College Performing Arts Center. A global favorite for centuries, the four-act comic opera will be fully staged with accompaniment by the Purchase Symphony Orchestra.
“Figaro” will feature the talents of students in the Purchase College Conservatory of Music’s Opera Performance and Vocal Studies department, a highly selective program designed to train and mentor students in professional classical singing. The program is taught by faculty members who have experience as successful performing artists. Alumni have performed with the Metropolitan Opera and other leading companies.
According to Jacque Trussel, stage director of Purchase Opera and head of Opera Performance and Vocal Studies, “ ‘Figaro’ is a highly entertaining opera but also very challenging to perform, with brilliantly crafted arias and intricate ensemble pieces. We are thrilled to give our students the opportunity to rise to this performance challenge—and also provide the community with a world-class opera experience in a local venue.”
“Le Nozze di Figaro,” composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, premiered in Vienna in 1786. One of Mozart’s most beloved masterpieces, “Figaro” is a witty yet profound tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness.
“ ‘Figaro’ provides a perfect vehicle for the dual purpose of Purchase Opera – to give our students a chance to gain invaluable experience on stage and to enlighten and entertain audiences,” Trussel says. “We first performed Figaro 10 years ago, and this encore performance is highly anticipated by both our students and opera lovers.”
In addition to public performances of opera scenes, art song evenings, solo recitals, and choral works, the Purchase College Opera Performance and Vocal Studies program presents two operas a year on the main stage, cast with young opera students. These productions have been acclaimed for inventiveness and a high level of professional quality, winning 10 prestigious National Opera Association – Best Opera of the Year awards.
The opera is a co-production with the Conservatory of Theatre Arts, with designs and production executed by the Theatre Design/Technology program. It is made possible through a generous donation from the Emily Grant Opera Performance and Production Fund.
Performances will be held Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 14 at 1 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, with discounts available for senior citizens and members of the campus community. To order tickets, visit www.artscenter.org or call 914-251-6200. – edited by Georgette Gouveia
