Vancouver Opera 2010 2011

The Vancouver Opera has announced its 2010 2011 season, and as can be expected, the four opera’s being offered each have a seriously cool twist to them. The newly commissioned work Lillian Alling, which COMMANDOpera announced here will not only feature the acclaimed mezzo soprano Miss Judith Forst, but will offer the vocal talent of rising soprano Miss Frederique Vezina. The Lucia di Lammermoor? Miss Eglise Gutierrez. But the HUGE and stunning development is the participation of this man in the run.

Lillian Alling

Music by John Estacio and Libretto by John Murrell
Sponsored by Teck
In English with SURTITLESTM

October 16, 19, 21, 23, 2010. All performances 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
In 1927, young Lillian Alling arrives at Ellis Island, New York from Russia in desperate
search of Jozéf. Penniless, she walks across North America and into the wilds of
northwestern BC, following Jozéf’s elusive path. During her brave trek, she is embraced
by a Norwegian farming community in North Dakota, incarcerated in Oakalla Prison
Farm near Vancouver, and loved by Scotty, a lineman along BC’s ‘telegraph trail’.

Principal Cast
Lillian: Frédérique Vézina
Irene: Judith Forst
Scotty: Aaron St. Clair Nicholson
Kristian: Colin Ainsworth
Directed by Kelly Robinson
Set and costume design by Sue LePage
Co-produced with The Banff Centre

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
Sponsored by BMO Financial Group
In Italian with English SURTITLESTM

December 4, 7, 9, 11, 2010. All performances 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Ancient clan hatred leads to madness and murder in Donizetti’s thrilling masterpiece of
melodic beauty and psychological depth. Lucia loves Edgardo, her family’s enemy. With
cruel deception, Lucia’s brother forces her to marry another man to save the family from
financial ruin. The consequences are devastating: three innocent people die and the
bitter feud lives on.

Principal Cast
Lucia: Eglise Gutiérrez
Edgardo: Michael Fabiano
Enrico: Gregory Dahl
Raimondo: Burak Bilgili
Conducted by Jonathan Darlington
Directed by Amiel Gladstone
Set design by Gerard Howland
Co-produced with San Francisco Opera

La Clemenza di Tito by W. A. Mozart
Sponsored by the Vancouver Opera Guild
In Italian with English SURTITLESTM

February 5, 8, 10, 12, 2011. All performances 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Roman Emperor Titus’s compassionate nature is severely tested when Vitellia, daughter
of the deposed emperor, conspires to have Titus assassinated because he has passed
her over as his wife. When the plot fails and the assassin is charged, Titus does not
waver from his noble principles, even when Vitellia, now Titus’s intended bride,
confesses to the crime.
835 Cambie Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6B 2P4, 604-682-2871, fax 604-682-3981

Principal Cast
Tito: John Tessier
Vitellia: Wendy Neilsen
Servilia: Kathleen Brett
Sesto: Krisztina Szabó
Conducted by Jonathan Darlington
Directed by Chas Rader-Shieber
Set and costume design by David Zinn

La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Sponsored by Mission Hill Family Estate
In Italian with English SURTITLESTM
April 30, May 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 2011. All performances 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Parisian courtesan Violetta leads a life of wild indulgence until she discovers the love of
Alfredo, a true and good-hearted man. When their relationship threatens to disgrace his
well-placed family, Alfredo’s father privately pressures Violetta to leave, and the couple
is torn apart. After bitterness and misunderstanding, they are reunited in forgiveness,
but tragically it is too late: Violetta’s precarious health fails and Alfredo is left alone.

Photo Credit: Larry Lapidus

Principal Cast
Violetta: Erin Wall
Alfredo: David Pomeroy
Germont: James Westman
Conducted by Jacques Lacombe
Directed by Sir Jonathan Miller
Set and costume design by Isabella Bywater
Co-produced with Glimmerglass Opera