The Washington National Opera has announced its 2018-19 season showcasing five productions and a number of vocal events.
Main Stage
The season opens with Verdi’s “La Traviata” starring Venera Gimadieva in her WNO debut and Jacqueline Echols sharing the role. Joshua Guerrero and Mario Chang share the role of Alfredo, both making company debuts. Lucas Meachem also makes his debut as Germont, sharing the role with Michael Chioldi. Renato Palumbo conducts the new production by Francesca Zambello.
Performance Dates: Oct.6 -21, 2018
Tomer Zvulun directs the WNO premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera “Silent Night.” A co-production with Glimerglass the opera will star Raquel González, Alexander McKissick, Michael Adams, Aleksey Bogdanov, Norman Garret, Patrick Cook, Kenneth Kellogg, Hunter Enoch, Christian Bowers and Timothy J. Bruno. Nicole Paiement conducts the monumental work.
Performance Dates: Nov. 10-25, 2018
Anna Nechaeva, Alexey Dolgov and Igor Golovatenko lead Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” in Robert Carsen’s acclaimed production. The opera comes back after 30 years and also stars Eric Halfvarson and Elena Zaremba. Robert Trevino conducts.
Performance Dates: March 9-29, 2019
Keri-Lynn Wilson leads Gounod’s “Faust” in Garnett Bruce’s production. Erin Wall stars alongside Benjamin Bernheim in the title role and company debut. Joshua Hopkins plays Valentin while Raymond Aceto is Méphistophélès.
Performance Dates: March 16-30, 2019
Puccini’s “Tosca” returns to the stage with Keri Alkema and Latonia Moore sharing the title role. Speranza Scappucci conducts the cast that also includes company debutantes Riccardo Massi and Robert Watson as Cavaradossi. Alan Held is the villanous Scarpia in Ethan McSweeny’s production.
Performance Dates: May 11-25, 2019
The season concludes with the Washington National Opera: Domingo Cafritz Young Artists in Concert. The concert will include the complete first act and closing fugue of Giuseppe Verdi’s final masterpiece “Falstaff,” as well as other ensembles from the world’s most witty and comical operas.
Performance Date: May 24, 2019
Alternate Stages
Washington National Opera’s 2018 Marian Anderson Vocal Award Winner Ryan Speedo Green will be showcased in Concert with a program to be announced later.
Performance Date: Oct. 4, 2018
For the WNO’s Holiday Family Opera the company will present Jeanine Tesori’s “The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me.” Francesca Zambello directs a production that will include James Lowe conducting and members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and the WNO Children’s Chorus.
Performance Dates: Dec. 14-16, 2018
As part of the American Opera Initiatives the company will present “Taking Up Serpents” by Kamala Sankaram and award-winning librettist Jerry Dye. The opera will be conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya, Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater in her WNO debut.
Performance Dates: Jan. 11-13, 2019
The company will also present three New 20-Minute Operas as part of the American Opera Initiative Festival. The three world premiere short operas will be staged in a concert performance, accompanied by a small chamber orchestra and followed by a Q&A with the artists and creative team.
Performance Date: Jan. 12, 2019
