Opera in NYC: Cendrillion at City Lyric Opera
Live performance at A.R.T. New York, 502 West 53rd Street, NY, NY
New York Premiere of all-female production in English
One of New York City’s most innovative opera companies, City Lyric Opera (CLO), has chosen Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon (Cinderella) to open the company’s sixth season. Celebrating its New York premiere, Cinderella is an enchanting, accessible chamber-opera that retells the well-loved story of Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, Cinderella, with wit and imagination. For an ensemble of seven, small chorus, and 11-piece chamber orchestra, CLO casts Peruvian soprano Shaina Martinez-Azzopardi (2021 Met Council semifinalist) as Cinderella, and tenor Nicholas Huff (Florida Grand Opera) as the Prince.
Date & time: Thursday-Saturday, Dec 16-18 @ 7:30 p.m. EST + Saturday, Dec 18 @ 2:00 p.m. EST
Venue: A.R.T. New York, 502 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Tickets: Adults $25. Children $15 (Ages 7+) https://www.citylyricopera.org/cendrillon
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According to Megan Gillis, co-founder of City Lyric Opera, this marks the company’s first live, in-person production since November of 2019. “On behalf of City Lyric Opera’s staff, I cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are to be returning to live, staged performances. Our all-female production team has been anticipating this day for a long time. Surprisingly, the fully-staged version of Viardot’s Cinderella has never been shared with New York audiences before. We look forward to returning to the stage with the resurrection of this operatic gem.”
In Paris in retirement, Viardot presided over a salon where she wrote compositions for pupils. In 1904 at the age of 83, she premiered her final opera Cendrillon. A feather-light work composed in an operetta style combining musical numbers and dialogues, it was perfect entertainment for an evening’s salon. The plot follows roughly that of Rossini’s opera with extra twists. Instead of a step-mother, this story has the foolish Baron de Pictordu, with his two vain daughters, Maguelone and Armelinde, that are both after the Prince. Cinderella reads about a fairy-tale prince at the beginning, and her father is revealed to be a former grocer with a dubious past.
CLO’s most recent production was an online performance of Weill and Brecht’s musical comedy The Threepenny Opera. Hailed for its groundbreaking adaptation, critics agreed that it was a vivid manipulation of virtual life. “Rigotti and CLO’s inventive design team and cast offered spirited, creditable work. CLO hit its ambitious targets with exuberance and technical bravado.” (Opera News)
About City Lyric Opera
Founded in 2016, City Lyric Opera (CLO) provides a one-of-a-kind experience for audience members by welcoming them to the operatic art form free of judgment, expectation, or financial burden. CLO is built on four pillars: championing the unheard voices within opera; forming and nurturing a community for New York City artists; making opera relevant; and making opera affordable and accessible for everyone.
Pauline Viardot: Cendrillon (Cinderella)
Composer/Librettist: Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)
English Translation: Rachel M. Harris
Cinderella: Shaina Martinez-Azzopardi (soprano)
Fairy Godmother: Yejin Lee (soprano)
Armelinde: Linda Collazo (mezzo-soprano)
Maguelonne: Allie Altieri (soprano)
Barigoule: Corey Don (tenor)
Le Baron de Pictordu: Joseph Parrish (baritone)
Prince: Nicholas Huff (tenor)
Chorus Members: Denique Isaac (soprano), Mithuna Savaraman (soprano), Erin Rosales (mezzo-soprano), Brian Jeffers (tenor), Ramon Gabriel Tenefrancia (tenor)
Director: Rose Freeman
Producer + CLO Co-Founder: Megan Gillis
Music Director: Michelle Rofrano
Pianist: Dmitry Glivinskiy
Date & time: Thursday-Saturday, Dec 16-18 @ 7:30 p.m. EST + Saturday, Dec 18 @ 2:00 p.m. EST
Venue: A.R.T. New York, 502 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Tickets: Adults $25. Children $15 (Ages 7+)
BUY TICKETSStay in the know about future events by subscribing to ARTS-NY newsletter Subscribe