ARIA SERIOUS?

The duet may seem to be a pretty simple musical form featured in opera that really doesn't need any explanation, right? But there's a little more to it than just "this person sings, then that person sings, then they sing together!" Dr. Nic Reveles, the Geisel Director of Education & Outreach for San Diego Opera, lets you in on what kinds of duets exist in opera and how they communicate the feelings of the characters using the love duet from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, A Masked Ball. Enjoy!

...and we've all heard the comment, "I've heard that opera before, seen it many times, I don't need to go again." But it's a different cast, maybe a different production, a different night...that's what is so exciting about live theatre, live opera! Let Dr. Nicolas Reveles, our Director of Education & Outreach set you straight, using as an example the climactic phrases from "Vesti la giubba", Canio's aria in Leoncavallo's opera, Pagliacci. You may start re-thinking how you approach an opera season that may contain one of those 'standard' operas!

Now that our 2014 season has been announced, let's take a look at some of the artists in our 2014 season to see where they are up to right now. Tenor Carlo Ventre who returns  to sing Canio in PAGLIACCI is spending the summer at Arena di Verona singing Radames in AIDA and Manrico in IL TROVATORE.   Soprano Adina Nitescu who will make her Company debut as Nedda in PAGLIACCI just wrapped up performances of Cio-Cio San in MADAMA BUTTERFLY.   Baritone David Adam Moore who returns to us to sing Silvio in PAGLIACCI just finished spending some time at the Lyric Opera of Chicago singing Stanley Kowaliski in A STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE and Jud Fry in OKLAHOMA. While there, he took in a baseball game.   Soprano Tatiana Lisnic will make her American debut when she sings Aidna in THE ELIXIR OF LOVE. She is currently singing Marguerite in FAUST with the Hamburg State Opera. Tenor Giuseppe Filianoti makes his Company debut as Nemorino in...

Continuing our 'summer school series' on opera basics, today we explore the aria, moving very quickly from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo to Verdi's A Masked Ball ( Un ballo in maschera ). Nicolas Reveles, Director of Education & Outreach for San Diego Opera explains it all for you in a fun and informative way. Enjoy!