JOSHUACOLLIERANDDAVIDSAWICKI COFOUNDERS,OPERABRITTENICA OPERABRITTENICA@GMAIL.

COM (6173903935)

OperaBrittenicaAnnouncesItsInauguralSeason
Cambridge,MA(July2013)OperaBrittenicaispleasedtoannounceitsinauguralseason,tocoincide withtheworldwidecelebrationofthecentennialofthebirthofBenjaminBritten.The2013/2014Opera BrittenicaSeasonincludes:TheRapeofLucretia,acontroversialandprovocativemasterpiece,onOctober 18,20,22&28,2013withperformancesattheCambridgeYMCATheatreinCambridge,MAandTheNew Theatreon45thSt.inNewYorkCityA(Britten)ChristmasCarol,astudyinmodernchoralpolyphonyfor theseasonofAdventinDecember2013attheAllSaintsParishinBrookline,MAandaspringproduction ofTheBurningFieryFurnaceinApril2014,alsoattheAllSaintsParishinBrookline,MA.Opera BrittenicasinauguralseasonperformancesarePayWhatYouWill,withasuggesteddonationof$10.00per guest.Ticketscanbereservedonlineatwww.operabrittenica.com. Ourmissionistwofold,saysJoshuaCollier,MAinVocalPerformance,tenorandExecutiveDirectorof OperaBrittenica.WewanttoenrichBostonsalreadyexceptionalcultureofmusicalperformanceandalso provideopportunitiesforlocalartiststogetinvolvedachancetobringtolifethemagnificentmusicofBritten withoutthepretenseassociatedwithstereotypicalopera. Wereincrediblyexcitedaboutthisendeavor,addsDavidSawicki,MAinLinguistics,ArtisticDirectorof OperaBrittenica,andassistantmusicaldirectorfortheBroadwayNationalTourofEvita.Notonlyarewe producinghighqualityperformances,butwearealsoincorporatinganumberofunconventionalaspects whichwillmakeourproductionveryunique.Forexample,wehavepartneredwithaNewYorkbased choreographerinordertocofeatureballetalongsidethedramaofourfirstproductionacollaborationthatis almostunheardofintheoperacommunity. TheseasonopenerTheRapeofLucretiawasinspiredbyaFrenchplaybyAndrObey,andbasedon Shakespeare'sepicpoemofthesamename.Composedin1946,ithassincebeenwidelyrecognizedas oneofhismostcontroversialandintriguingoperaspartiallyduetoitsstarkandseeminglysimple presentationanditsedgylibrettobyRonaldDuncan.Inacollectionofbriefsceneswithanachronistic commentaryfromatwovoicedchorus,theoperadepictstherapeofthewifeofaRomansoldier(Lucretia) bytheEtruscanPrinceofRome(Tarquinius),inadditiontothemotivationsandeffectsofhisimpulses.Her subsequentsuicidespurstheRomanstorevoltandtooverthrowtheEtruscanrulership.Althoughtheopera takesplacefivehundredyearsbeforethebirthofChrist,thesolotenor(MaleChorus)andsoprano(Female Chorus)viewthestory,andrelayittotheaudiencethroughadecidedlyChristianperspective. OperaBrittenicasTheRapeofLucretiawillstarmezzosopranosSophieMichauxandErikaMitchellin thetitleroleColinLevinandAdrianRosales,baritones,asPrinceTarquiniusandZacharyBallardand RaShaunCampbell,baritones,astheRomansoldiersJuniusandCollatinus,respectively.Portraying LucretiasHandmaidens,sopranosKristinYoungandKatelynParkerBraywillsharetheroleofLucia,and mezzosopranosAlexandraAleneDietrichandStephanieBenkertwillportrayBianca.TheMaleandFemale

Choruses,whocommentthroughoutandprovideinsightintothethoughtsoftheothercharacters,willbe playedbysopranosAlianaDeLaGuardiaandEmilyMichikoJensen,andtenorsJonathanPriceand JoshuaCollier. Guestconductor,GeoffreyPope(geoffreypopemusic.com)willconduct(fromthepiano,perBrittens request)achamberorchestracomprisedofthirteenprofessionalinstrumentalistsfromtheBostonarea. Performancesareasfollows: 10/18/13CambridgeYMCATheatreCambridge,MA 10/20/13CambridgeYMCATheatreCambridge,MA 10/22/13CambridgeYMCATheatreCambridge,MA 10/28/13TheNewTheatreon45thSt.NewYorkCity,NY OperaBrittenicassecondproduction,A(Britten)ChristmasCarol,willfeaturetwomajorworksbyBritten fortheadventseasonincludingtheeverlovedACeremonyofCarols,andararelyproduced,8part unaccompaniedvocalworkentitledABoyWasBorn.Theseworks,willbeperformedalongsidethe doublechorusedAHymntotheVirgin. Thespringproduction,withConductorEmeritusoftheBostonCecilia,MaestroDonaldTeeters,willbe BrittenssecondchurchparableTheBurningFieryFurnace.Writtenin1966,immediatelyfollowinghis CurlewRiver,Brittenusessimilarvocalandorchestralforces(withtheadditionofthealtotrombone)forthe FieryFurnace,butaccordingtohisownwordsissomething much less sombre, an altogether gayer affair. The story is that of NebuchadnezzarandthethreeIsraelites,Ananias,MisaelandAsarias(the correspondingBabylonianandpossiblymorerecognisablenamesbeing:Shadrach,Meshachand Abednego),whowerethrownintoafurnacefortheirrefusaltoworshipNebuchadnezzarsgoldenidol. However,GodsavesthemfromdeathinatrueandliteralDeusexMachinaasthevoiceofanangeljoins theIsraelites,praisinggod.

A(Britten)ChristmasCarolandTheBurningFieryFurnacewillbothbeperformedatAllSaintsParishat 1773BeaconSt.inBrookline,MA,andwillconcludeour20132014season.

### ABOUTOPERABRITTENICA OperaBrittenica,ledbyArtisticDirectorsJoshuaCollierandDavidSawicki,isBostonsnewestmusical organization,devotedtoexploringandperformingthevariedworksofBenjaminBritten.Thecompanys missionistwofold:tosignificantlyenrichthecultureofmusicalperformancethatcurrentlyexistsinBoston, andtoprovidetheopportunityforlocalartistsattheprofessionalandpreprofessionalleveltopresentthe vastrepertoireofBrittensmagnificentmusictoallofBostonandthesurroundingcommunities,withoutthe pretenseassociatedwithstereotypical"opera."Formoreinformationonourupcominginauguralseason pleasevisitourwebsiteatwww.operabrittenica.com.