COSÌ FAN TUTTE
Copeland Hall at the Grand
October 28 I 7:30 p.m.
October 30 I 2:00 p.m.
When loyalty is tested by a foolhardy bet, the paths of two young couples are forever changed in this classic Mozart comedy full of charm, cheek, and costume changes. Emboldened by a jaded mentor (Don Alfonso) two young men are convinced that the fidelity of their fiancées is in question, and the pair quickly embark on a slapstick charade to test the bonds of devotion. The women, deceived by this jest, are buoyed by the feisty maid Despina who is perhaps as jaded as Don Alfonso when she warns that “fickle breezes are more stable than men!”
Will the lovers reunite, or will they choose a new path? Who will come out on top in this battle of the sexes? Join OperaDelaware for two thrilling performances of Così fan tutte in Copeland Hall at The Grand on October 28 and 30!
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Fully staged production with the OperaDelaware Orchestra & Chorus
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
Sunday Spotlight
Ethel L. Sayre Recital Hall at the OperaDelaware Studios
November 20 | 2 p.m. - Marie Engle with Aurelien Eulert
December 11 | 2 p.m. - Andrew Bidlack with Aurelien Eulert
January 22 | 2 p.m. - Ben Lowe with Aurelien Eulert
Get up close and personal with some of opera’s brightest stars at these intimate, artist-curated recitals.
Marie Engle, mezzo-soprano
An American lyric mezzo-soprano based in New York. Her operatic roles include Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Wichita Grand Opera), Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera (Juilliard Opera), Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Chautauqua) and Mercédès in Bizet’s Carmen (Chautauqua). She will make her debut as Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte in 2022. Marie studied at the Chautauqua Institution during the summers of 2018 and 2019 and was a young artist at OperaDelaware in 2020. Marie produces and performs chamber music recitals around the US, Canada and Austria, including tours of Jake Heggie’s The Deepest Desire, for mezzo-soprano, flute and piano, and the 2021 debut of her musical autobiography, From a Bulb: Regrowth after Loss, a chamber concert-drama featuring diverse repertoire and self-written monologues. She continues her concert career with recitals in Delaware in November 2022 and in Nova Scotia in January 2023.
Andrew Bidlack, tenor
Featured by Opera News as one of their ‘25 Rising Stars’ (October 2015), tenor Andrew Bidlack’s recent highlights include his 2016 Metropolitan Opera debut as Beppe I Pagliacci, performances he was invited to repeat in 2018; the principal tenor role in Iain Bell’s world premiere In Parenthesis at Welsh National Opera with performances at Covent Garden in 2016; and the role of Sprinck in Kevin Puts’s Nobel Prize winning Silent Night at Arizona Opera. Other recent successes include his performances as Tony in West Side Story at Atlanta Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, Latvia; the role of Lyonnel Le Roi Arthus at Bard Summerscape; and the role of Rob Hall in Joby Talbot’s celebrated Everest, a role he inaugurated at Dallas Opera and sang at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Calgary Opera, Austin Opera, Chicago Opera Theater—a concert recording is scheduled with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at London’s Barbican Theatre in a future season.
Ben Lowe, baritone
Heralded for his “stentorian voice” by Singerpreneur, Mr. Lowe has quickly become a household name in the opera world in Southern California and abroad. A highly sought-after operatic performer and concert soloist, Lowe made his European concert debut last season in Siena and Florence, Italy as the Bass soloist in the Verdi Requiem with Unione Corale Senese “Ettore Bastianini”. Returning to Pacific Opera Project in their production of La Bohème as Marcello concluded a jam-packed 2018 season. 2018 included a debut performance of Marcello opposite Joshua Guerrero and Julianna Di Giacomo at The Colburn School of Music, reprising the role of Dulcamara in l’elisir d’amore, and a workshop of a new, one-act opera for LA Opera. Mr. Lowe made his New York debut performing in the east coast premiere of Matt Aucoin’s opera Crossing and performed his one-act opera Second Nature in 2017. 2019 began with a recital at Dorthy Chandler Pavillion and being faculty for a new youth opera program with the Palm Springs Opera Guild. Then, Mr. Lowe joined OperaDelaware as a Young Artist for their inaugural season, performing leading roles in Dead Man Walking and Trial by Jury.
Aurelien Eulert, Head of Music Staff
Hailing from Alsace, France, Aurelien Eulert made his U.S. house debut in 2014 with Palm Beach Opera as diction coach for their production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann and head coach for the Young Artist Program. Since then, he has been on the music staff of Charlottesville Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Roanoke, Palm Beach Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, USC Thornton Opera, UCLA Alpert School of Music, Pacific Opera Project and the Los Angeles Opera Education department. Aurelien has played for acclaimed singers such as Marilyn Horne, Phyllis Curtin, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade and Rod Gilfry. He has assisted and performed under conductors such as James Conlon, Robert Spano and John Williams. In 2019, Aurelien was named Head of Music Staff at OperaDelaware and was instrumental in launching the company’s Young Artist Program. He had previously held the position of Chorus Master and Principal Pianist since 2017. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he was instrumental in OperaDelaware’s switch to digital and outdoor performances and continues to manage the acclaimed Pop-Up Opera program with outdoor presentations on the company’s mobile stage. Aurelien’s 2021/22 season included a return to the theatre stage with OperaDelaware’s productions of Don Pasquale, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, and a debut with Opera Southwest for Pelléas et Mélisande. His 2022/23 season includes debuts with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Baltimore and Intermountain Opera Bozeman. Aurelien holds degrees from the Conservatoire National de Strasbourg, Syracuse University and the University of Southern California, and attended the Tanglewood Music Center in the summer of 2010.
A VALENTINE CABARET
Presser Black Box Theater at the OperaDelaware Studios
February 12 | 2 p.m.
February 14 | 7:30 p.m.
Grab your Valentine and join acclaimed soprano Toni Marie Palmertree and pianist Aurelien Eulert for an enchanting program of amore-themed favorites by Britten, Porter, Weill, and more.
Toni Marie Palmertree is an American soprano praised for her tender, expressive voice (SF Examiner). Most recently, appearing in the title role of Luisa Miller, Ms. Palmertree made her house and role debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Chicago Herald wrote, " Palmertree's artistic approach to this challenging role, thoughtful and professional presentation of her vocal part, and the natural beauty of her voice touched everyone's heart." This season, Ms. Palmertree looks forward to debuting the role of Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Delaware Opera in addition to joining the roster of The Metropolitan Opera. Previous roles include Tosca, Violetta, (La Traviata), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Giorgetta (Il Tabarro) and Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica).
LA TRAVIATA
Copeland Hall at The Grand
March 31 | 7:30 p.m.
April 2 | 2 p.m.
Verdi’s La traviata tells the tale of a bold and fearless courtesan (Violetta) who longs for freedom above all else. That is, until she encounters the young romantic (Alfredo) who awakens in her a desire for love and companionship beyond the lust of men. As the pair flee to the countryside to bask in young love, a darkness looms over their future, and family demands and social expectations threaten to tear the two apart. Join OperaDelaware for Verdi’s vibrant masterpiece taking center stage at The Grand for two performances on March 31 and April 2.
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Fully staged production with the OperaDelaware Orchestra & Chorus
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
FEARLESS
A Workshop Presentation
Ethel L. Sayre Recital Hall at the OperaDelaware Studios
April 16 | 2 p.m.
From the composer and librettist of the acclaimed opera Scalia/Ginsburg comes a new music drama inspired by Hazel Ying Lee, trailblazing aviator of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Join us for a workshop presentation of this important new American work celebrating women in aviation, unsung heroes, and positive social change.
Music and libretto by Derrick Wang
Performed in English with English supertitles
