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WICHITA, (November 17, 2009) – Wichita Grand Opera continues its eighth exciting season as it starts the New Year with one of the most performed operas of all time, Verdi’s masterwork Rigoletto, on Friday January 15, 2010 at 7pm at Century II. Known for being lavishly adorned with a collection of Verdi’s greatest known arias and duets, Rigoletto will be sung in Italian with English Supertitles.
Rigoletto tells a timeless story of the struggle between good and evil. Seduction, betrayal, and vendetta abound in the court of 16th Century Mantua as the careless flirtations by the womanizing Duke of Mantua and the actions of his vengeful court jester, Rigoletto, end in the tragic death of Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda.
This performance is a production of the World Classical Performing Arts Society. Starring in the title role as Rigoletto is Vytautas Jouzapaitis, star baritone of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mr. Jouzapaitis’s artistic distinctions include “Golden Disk” Prize of the Lithuanian Musicians Association, “Golden Cross of the Stage,” Best Singer of the Year in 2003 and a finalist at the international Luciano Pavarotti competition. His repertoire includes all of the principal baritone roles in operas by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, and he has performed in opera houses all across the globe, such as in Germany, Spain, Russia, Italy, France, Japan, and the United States, among many others. His festival credits include the famous Salzburg Festival, the Savonlinna Festival and the Czech National Opera Festival.
Starring opposite Jouzapaitis in the role of the Duke is Mexican Tenor Mauricio Trejo. Trejo, a student of the acclaimed Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes of Mexico City has performed throughout the world, including at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Sarasota Opera, Der Rosenkavalier with the New Israeli Opera, and appeared with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall and Austria’s famous Bregenz Festival. In addition to his stage career, his discography includes The American Tenors, a program aired nationwide on PBS with both CD and DVD produced by Sony Classical, La Voz del Amor and a DVD of Der Rosenkavalier on the EMI Classical label, recorded live at the Zurich Opera House.
Bulgarian Soprano Snejana Dramcheva, recipient of the Grand-Prix in Pamploa, Spain; the first-prize in Pavia, Italy and the Audience-Grand Prix at the Giuseppe Verdi Competition in Parma, Italy; takes on the role of Gilda, Rigoletto’s daughter. She has performed leading roles in opera houses throughout Europe, such as Milan, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Paris, Munich, and Zurich.
Russian Bass Mikhail Kolelishvili stars in the role of the assassin Sparafucile. He is a member of the Kirov Opera, where he has performed all of the bass roles in the Mozart and Verdi operas as well as Khan Koncha in Borodin's Prince Igor, King Rene in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and the Tsar in Rimski-Korsakov's The Tale of Tsar Saltan. He made his American debut in 2006-2007 in the roles of Sparafucile in Rigoletto, the Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflote.
Austrian trained Maestro Krassimir Topolov will conduct the performance of Rigoletto. He will be making his WGO debut in this performance. He is a frequent guest conductor throughout Europe and the United States.
Season Subscriptions are available for the following productions until February 10, 2010 saving up to 14%: Rigoletto – Jan. 15; Elixir of Love – Feb. 13 & 14; Carmen – Mar. 27; and Coppélia – Apr. 27 until February 10, 2010 saving up to 14%. Single tickets for this production are $35, $58, and $85; however, special discount prices are available for groups of 10 or more.
For season subscriptions, single tickets or group discounts:
- Visit WGO Box Office, 3rd Floor of Century II Concert Hall at 225 W. Douglas, Wichita,
KS between the hours of 9am and 5pm
- Call the Box Office at 316.262.8054
- Visit any local Select-A-Seat outlet at local area Dillons stores.
- Order online at www.selectaseat.com
For more information about this performance or the remainder of the 2009-10 season, visit the website at www.WichitaGrandOpera.org.
This production is sponsored in part by The Garvey Kansas Foundation, Mrs. Carolyn A. Dillon, and Mr. & Mrs. William L. Oliver, Jr.
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