Fri, May 12, 2023 | 7:30 pm
The Connecticut Virtuosi and the Connecticut Lyric Opera come together to perform Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Mozart’s outrageous comedy tells the tale of an incorrigible young playboy who blazes a path to his own destruction in a single day. Based on the story of Don Juan, Don Giovanni follows an irresistible (yet irresponsible and amoral) youth who is loved by women almost as universally as he loves them.
Cast and prod:
Don Giovanni: Robert Garner
Il Commendatore: Steven Frederiks
Donna Anna: Jurate Svedaite-Waller
Donna Elvira: Rebecca Almeida
Don Ottavio: Errin Brooks
Leporello: Nathan Resika
Masetto: Jeremy Griffin
Zerlina: Stephanie Foster
Zerlina: (Elie McCormick, cover)
Adrian Sylveen, Artistic Director, Conductor
Giorgio Lalov, Stage Director
Chorusmaster, Dara Blackstone
ABOUT CONNECTICUT LYRIC OPERA:
Connecticut Lyric Opera (CLO) is the only full-season professional opera company in Connecticut. From standards such as “La Boheme”, “La Traviata”, “Carmen” and “Le Nozze di Figaro”, to lesser performed but no less wonderful operas like “Otello”, “Eugene Onegin”, “Faust” and “Susannah”, CLO’s Artistic Director Adrian Sylveen creates “moments of opera magic” with every new production. Since the company’s founding, productions have been performed in New London and in New Britain, with additional Waterbury and Middletown performances beginning in 2009 and Hartford performances beginning in 2014.
Established in 1997, the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra is Connecticut’s premier professional chamber orchestra, based in the Greater New Britain area and dedicated to presenting both traditional and contemporary works to the public. As artists, the Virtuosi strive to be cultural leaders and teachers and to inspire our audiences to recognize the beauty and quality of classical music in any form. The orchestra, led by founder and artistic director Adrian Sylveen, currently presents approximately 30 performances a season in New Britain, Hartford, New London, Middletown, New York, and Waterbury. The organization consists of approximately 27 professional musicians representing many nationalities. The mission of the VIRTUOSI has been to preserve and perpetuate the great traditions of chamber orchestral music through the expansion of the public performance season, and educational programs, and by showcasing the excellence of regional and international talent.
Adrian Sylveen (Artistic Director, CLO, Virtuosi, Conductor) enjoys a performing career in the United States and Europe. He serves as Artistic Director of the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Connecticut Lyric Opera, and the Classical Orchestra of Pila in Poland. He is also a frequent guest conductor with several leading Polish orchestras. An active violin soloist, as well as conductor, he has performed concerts and recitals in Poland, Switzerland, Germany, the former Soviet Union, and the United States. Sylveen graduated with distinction from the Paderewski Music Academy in Poznan, Poland, and holds Master’s and post-masters degrees from the Yale University School of Music. He is a winner of prizes and awards at competitions in Poland and in the United States and has participated in several international Festivals such as Weimar, Lancut, and others. Sylveen was awarded several prestigious scholarships and awards, including the “Primus Inter Pares” Award given by the President of the Republic of Poland. He was awarded permanent United States residency for “Extraordinary Abilities in the Arts.”
Baritone Robert Garner was praised for his “beautiful and rich sounding color” (Charles Coleman). Mr.Garner received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama.
He was a New York City district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, was a winner of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Prize for Vocal Performance and the Giulio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition.
His career highlights include: Marcello (La Boheme) and Ford (Falstaff) for Mississippi Opera, Valentin (Faust) and Germont (La Traviata) for Opera Colorado, Papageno (The Magic Flute) for Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Falke (Die Fledermaus) for Dayton Opera, Ping (Turandot) with Anchorage Opera, Mercutio (Romeo et Juliette) for Opera Carolina and Connecticut Opera. Other roles include: Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, Silvio (Pagliacci), Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos).
Concert highlights include: Carmina Burana for Carolina Ballet, and the Faure Requiem for his Carnegie Hall debut, Honneger’s La Danse des Morts, and Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri with Metamorphoses Orchestra and the Hudson Valley Singers under the baton of Eugene Sirotkin.
Current and upcoming engagements: summer opera concerts with Queens Symphony at the invitation of Eve Queler and the role of Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro for his debut at Geneva Light Opera.