Nadine Sierra*
Soprano
WHAT: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Boston Lyric Opera will immerse opera and art lovers in a magical world of sleep, night and extravagant dream at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Rising opera sensation Nadine Sierra, who makes her BLO debut as Tytania in Midsummer, performs alongside actress Jennifer Ellis to breathe life into the theme, presenting an evocative collage of selections – ranging from Handel to Cole Porter, Ovid to Ogden Nash – against a backdrop of stunning images from the MFA’s collection.
WHEN: SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011 from 2 to 3 PM.
WHERE: Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston
TICKETS: On sale through the MFA Box Office; $18 for BLO subscribers, MFA members, students and seniors. $22 for non-members, general admission. A Signature Reception will be held following the discussion, during which guests can mingle with performers and BLO’s creative team. Reception tickets are $50 and can be purchased by calling 617.542.4912 x229 or emailing Events@blo.org.
BUZZ: This presentation is part of BLO’s ongoing collaboration with the MFA to employ different art forms, including film, visual arts, theater and music, to highlight a theme in each of BLO’s 2010-2011 Season operas. The partnership began last season, and attendance has increased steadily. The presentation is paired with a casual reception for guests and artists.
ABOUT THE OPERA:William Shakespeare’s magical play and Benjamin Britten’s luminous and witty score combine to question love, loyalty and reality in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The comedic, surreal work – conducted by BLO’s new Music Director David Angus – closes BLO’s critically acclaimed 2010-2011 Season. It is also a featured performance of OPERA America’s 2011 conference, which BLO is co-hosting. The opera follows the challenges and misadventures of a group of hormonally charged young lovers and a band of amateur actors, as they weave in and out of each other’s dreams and consciousness’s in a magical night forest filled with fairies. Together, the imaginative visual world and luminous, witty score will immerse the characters and audience in a continually shifting dreamscape, in which all are infected with Britten’s mysterious spell…a dream? Or a seductive nightmare?
Performances are April 29, May 1m, 4, 6, 8m, and 10 at The Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – www.BLO.org – at Boston Lyric Opera April 29 – May 10, 2011