Opera di Concertisti
..e Meraviglie
A Vancouver-based Opera Company
SINCE 2012
AIDA
Aida ReImagined
Opera Di Concertisti is excited to present highlights from Aida this season at Minoru. Aida was composed by Giuseppe Verdi and premiered in Cario in 1851. It is a story of jealousy, treachery, death, love and transformation. The characters in this production include Aida, Amneris, Radames, and Amonasro. Amneris and Aida are both the princesses of their respective lands. The opera starts with the break out of war. Aida is captured by the Egyptians. As the prize for victory, Radames is promised to Amneris by her father, the Pharaoh. Like the sides of the pyramids, the work is built on triangles, well love triangles. The work hinges on the fatal love triangle between Aida, Amneris, and Radames.
Aida is torn between her love of country, family, and for Radames.
Radames has been promised to Amneris by her father the King, but is secretly in love with Aida. Amneris suspects and sets traps for the lovers. Aida is the first to be caught. Meanwhile, Amonosro, Aida’s father, plots to save his country by tricking Radames into treason using his love Aida as bait. The guards rush in and Radames is condemned to death. The opera closes with Aida and Radames in the tomb, with their love escaping into the afterlife, while Amneris finally calls for forgiveness.
Times and Locations
Richmond
April 6th, 2pm/7pm
Minoru Chapel
6540 Gilbert Road -
Next to the Hospital and Gateway Theatre
Tickets
604-687-7068
CAST
AIDA -
ELIZABETH LEWIS CELESTE, SOPRANO
ELIZABETH LEWIS CELESTE was awarded Most Promising Young Artist at the Eastern Washington MET competition, 1999. Her roles include title roles in La Traviata, Arabella, La Fille du Regiment, and include Gilda, Ophelia (Hamlet), Countess in the Marriage of Figaro, and Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte. Other competitions include Semi-finalist at the New York Oratorio Competition, and Frederick Shorr International competition and winner at the district NATS competions (sophomore and senior categories). She holds a B. Mus from McGill University and a Graduate Performer Diploma from Indiana University, and studied at Britten-Pears in a Masterclass with Dame Joan Sutherland.
AMNERIS-
LEAH GISELLE FIELD,
MEZZO April 6 & 23rd
Mezzo soprano Leah Giselle Field is a past winner of the Western Canada District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a finalist for the Jeunesse Musicales Maureen Forrester Award Tour, and a semifinalist in the Marcello Giordani Foundation International Vocal Competition. She is a recent graduate of the DMA program in Voice and Opera from the University of British Columbia, and holds a MMus in Literature and Performance- Voice from the University of Western Ontario and a BMus in Opera from UBC. Leah is looking forward to singing with Vancouver Opera as a 2016/17 member of the the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program.
AMONASRO -
ANDREW GREENWOOD,
BARITONE
Recent engagements include: the role of Amonasro in Aida for the Stadttheater Hildesheim; Zuniga in Carmen and The Doctor in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa for Pacific Opera Victoria; the title role in Rigoletto for the Stadttheater Hildesheim, and the Stadttheater Wolfsburg, Germany; the roles of Prince Yamadori and The Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly for Vancouver Opera; the title roles in Macbeth, and Nabucco, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Germont in La Traviata for Vancouver’s Opera Pro Cantanti; the role of the Emperor in Der Kaiser von Atlantis for City Opera Vancouver; the role of Count Almaviva in the 2006 Okanagan Vocal Arts Festival’s production of Le nozze di Figaro; Marcello in La bohème for UBC Opera, the 2005 Okanagan Vocal Arts Festival, and for Vancouver Island Opera; Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Vancouver Island Opera; Danilo in The Merry Widow for Burnaby Lyric Opera; and guest appearances with UBC Opera in the title roles of Falstaff and Eugene Onegin.
RADAMES -
MARTIN SADD,
TENOR
Having obtained his Masters Degree in interpretation from University of British Columbia, the tenor Martin Sadd was a member of the 2006 Pacific Opera Victoria’s Young Artist Program, then of the 2010/2011 Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program. In 2010, he was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Competition. Martin’s roles include Rodolfo from La Bohème, Werther in Werther, and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Duke in Rigoletto and Pollione in Norma with Vancouver Island Opera.
Recently : Borsa, Rigoletto (Vancouver Concert Opera Society); Rodolfo, La Bohème (Burnaby Lyric Opera ) and Nanki-Poo with the Calgary Opera.
AMNERIS -
KATIE MILLER,
MEZZO (April 16th)
Katie Miller studied opera performance at the University of British Columbia. With the UBC opera ensemble, Katie performed Dorabella in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Nicklausse in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann. In August 2013 Katie won first place in the vocal category at the Canadian National Musicand the young artist's encouragement award at the Metropolitan Opera Western Canadian District Auditions. Katie performed the role of La Zia Principessa in Puccini´s Suor Angelica with Opera Guadalajara and Adalgisa from Bellini's Norma with Vancouver Island Opera. Most recently Katie has performed with the Jeunes Ambassadeurs of Theatre L20 in Montreal, QC, securing future engagements for the 2016/2017 season.
Piano -
Georgina Williams
Georgina Williams is an award winning multi genre performing artist who continues to perform pop, rock, R & B, classical & gospel music nationally and internationally. She has performed and/or composed music in over 10 languages including, English, French, Latin, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, German, Turkish, Spanish, & Chinese.
Georgina holds a Master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Alberta and as a singer has a five octave range. She composed the National Anthem for Grenada’s anniversary of Independence, produced ‘The Dare’ Concert featuring ‘All Genres in One Night’ at the Bell Centre for the Performing Arts, and appeared an actor on feature films & Television shows including ‘Untold Stories of the ER’ and
‘The Jack Bull’ starring John Cusack & John Goodman. In addition, Georgina plays for the GOH Ballet in Vancouver, is currently signed to two music labels. For more information about Georgina go to www.ginawilliams.com