Everything You Need to Know About Arizona Opera’s 2017-18 Season
By Francisco SalazarThe Arizona Opera has announced its 2017-18 season.
The company announced that it will present five operas and will open the season with “Hercules Vs. Vampires.” The opera will star Arizona opera’s 201617 studio artist Katrina Galka, Stephanie Sanchez, and Zachary Owen. The show will combine operatic singing and 1960’s pop culture, synchronizing live music with the 1961 cult classic film. There will be three performances, one in Tuscon on Oct. 15 and two in Phoenix on Oct. 21 and 22.
In November, Puccini’s “Tosca” will be showcased five times in Tuscon and Phoenix. Kara Shay Thomson and Marcy Stonikas will alternate the title role with Marco Cammarota and Rafael Davila alternating the role of Cavaradossi. Gordon Hawkins and Aleksey Bogdanov will portray the villainous Scarpia. Tuscon performances will be showcased on Nov. 11 and 12 while Phoenix audiences get to see the opera on Nov. 17, 18 and 19.
In January, five performances of Bernstein’s beloved “Candide” will be shown for the work’s 100th anniversary. The cast includes Catherine Cook, Katrina Galka and Andrew Stenson. Joseph Colaneri will conduct the operetta. “Candide” premieres in Tuscon on March 3 and 4 before getting three presentations in Phoenix on March 9, 10 and 11.
Next up is Rossini’s timeless classic “The Barber of Seville.” The five performances in March will star Taylor Stayton, who made his Metropolitan Opera debut last season, Katrina Galka, Anthony Ciaramitaro, Joo Won Kang, Jared Bybee and Stephanie Lauricella. Audiences get a shot to enjoy the masterwork on Jan. 27 and 28 in Tuscon and Feb. 2, 3 and 4 in Phoenix.
The season concludes with Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.” Mark Delavan brings his acclaimed Wotan to the company after singing it at the San Francisco Opera and he will sing alongside Wagnerian bass Richard Paul Fink, who takes on his arch-nemesis Alberich. Rounding out the cast are Katrina Galka as Woglinde, Stephanie Sanchez as Flosshilde, Dana Beth Miller as Erda and Rodell Rosel as Loge. The opera will be showcased for five performances in April with Phoenix audiences getting a shot to see the work first when it opens on April 6, 7 and 8. Those in Tuscon have to wait until April 14 and 15.