We are delighted to present the principal cast for our new production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas on January 20, 22, 24 2005 at the Peter G. Norton Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy/Thalia Theater. The production will be directed by Ira Siff and conducted by the company's Artistic Director Lucy Arner.
The title role of Dido will be sung by Elizabeth Batton http://www.elizabethbatton.com, fresh from the Wexford Festival in Ireland as Zuzka in Forster's opera Eva for which she received rave reviews. Recent engagements include a Los Angeles Opera debut as Nicklausse and the Muse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Hermia in Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream for the Pittsburgh Opera, a critically acclaimed Charlotte in Massenet's Werther for Indianapolis Opera, and the title role of Carmen with the China Philharmonic. She has appeared at the Macau Festival and the Beijing International Music Festival as DIe Dritte Dame in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Olga in Eugene Onegin for Opera Pacific and Opera North, and sang the role of Iras in Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra at Carnegie Hall. Ms Batton appears in the American Symphony Orchestra's recording of Die Ägyptische Helena and in Bruckner's Mass in F Minor at Avery Fisher Hall.
This coming season Ms. Batton will appear with the Boston Lyric Opera as Olga, Suzuki with Washington National Opera, Carmen with the Guangzhou Symphony in China and the Southwest Florida Symphony under the baton of Paul Nadler. Ms. Batton appeared in the August edition of Opera News as a featured singer on "Opera Watch."
Baritone Richard Byrne joins the cast as Aeneas. Mr. Byrne's career highlights include Schaunard in La Bohème and Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with the Metropolitan Opera, Schaunard in La Bohème wuth Houston Grand Opera, Taddeo in L’italiana in Algieri, Fritz in Die Tote Stadt, Ramiro in L’heure espagnol, Peter Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra, and Ping in Turandot with New York City Opera, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Washington Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Silvio in Pagliacci and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Le Grande Théâtre de Genève, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Olivier in Capriccio, and Malatesta in Don Pasquale with L’Opéra de Nice, Marcello in La Bohème with Opéra Marseille, Dandini in La Cenerentola and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf); Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with the Teatro Municipal (Santiago), Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with San Diego Opera, Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore with Dallas Opera, Ford in Falstaff with Opera Ireland, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with Minnesota Opera. Concert highlights have included Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Chautauqua Symphony. His discography includes Ulrich Eislinger in Die Meistersinger von Nűrenberg conducted by Sir Georg Solti with London/Decca Records.
Soprano Karen Frankenstein joins the Chamber Opera in the pivotal role of Belinda. Ms. Frankenstein joined the New York City Opera roster as the cover for Lisette in Puccini's La Rondine. She received a rave review for her first Violetta in La Traviata last summer, shortly after making her Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in the Mozart Requiem and in John Rutter’s Gloria. She recently appeared with Tulsa Opera as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and at the Festival Lyrique en Mer in France as Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohéme and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto She has also performed Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Greta Fiorentino in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene and Adèle in Die Fledermaus with Central City Opera. Other roles include a televised performance of Norina in Don Pasquale, as well as Alexandra in Marc Blitzstein’s Regina, and Blonde in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. Ms. Frankenstein's solo CD was released in February 2003, and she was subsequently featured as Artist of the Month by the French magazine Classica.
Mezzo-soprano Dulce Manzini returns to the Chamber Opera as the Sorceress after her acclaimed perforamnces as Emily in last season's Fortunes Favorites by Seymour Barab. Ms. Manzini has an impressive list of credits, including several seasons with the New York City Opera, including a national telecast on PBS’ acclaimed series, Live From Lincoln Center, Austin Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, Staadttheater Giessen, and Minnesota Opera. Her concert work includes numerous appearances in Carnegie Hall, among other prestigious venues. Career highlights include an appearance as Dalila, hailed by Opera News as “playing second fiddle to none of today’s Dalilas”, when she stepped in at a moment’s notice to replace an ailing Dolora Zajick.
Kyle Church Cheseborough is a welcome addition to the growing number of fine countertenors, with a voice of exceptional range and power. He began his opera career as a youth with the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, and is a prolific oratorio soloist with a special affinity for the Baroque era, notably Bach and Handel. In the field of new music, his Canadian debut was a world premiere of Christos Hatzis' Three Songs on Poems by Sappho for New Music Concerts and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Toronto's Globe and Mail wrote: "The vocal sensation of the evening was New York countertenor Kyle Church Cheseborough." He has appeared with Ira Siff and La Gran Scena Opera here in New York, and in Heidelberg, Hannover, Amsterdam, Brisbane, London, Madrid, Uruguay, and finally, in Barcelona at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Mr. Cheseborough made his solo recital debut in London for St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. He has attended the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music.
Terence Wood makes his operatic debut with this production. Highlights of his extensive oratrorio career have included a performance as the Alto Soloist in Mozart's Requiem for a 9/11 memorial, the Soprano Soloist in J.S. Bach's Selig ist der Mann with the Clearwater Bach Society in Florida and the Soprano Soloist in Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with the Summit Chorale in New Jersey. He has studied with Drew Minter, Gianna D'Angelo and Paul Elliott. Mr. Wood holds degrees in Voice and Russian Language and Literature from Indiana University.
