The Lyric Opera of Orange County will present Ethel Smyth’s “Fête Galante” at the Chance Theater in Anaheim, California, March 8 – 10, 2024.

This production starring Jessica Mammey, Christopher Walters, and Julia Behbudov will be the West Coast premiere of the opera with a live orchestra. Valerie Langfield’s orchestration also includes the addition of Smyth’s song cycle for mezzo-soprano. Emily Border in the added role of the Woman in Pants performs the three pieces, “The Clown,” “Possession,” and “On the Road” throughout the one-act opera. Doris Lang Kosloff conducts.

Lyric Opera of Orange County’s founding artistic director and the production’s stage director Diana Farrell says in a press release, “I’ve been a huge fan of Smyth’s work for about 15 years, really starting to delve into her music when I first started programming recitals featuring women composers. I’ve been hoping to produce this work for almost 8 years and I finally felt the company has grown enough to really do the work justice.”

The production will be performed in the original English with English & Spanish supertitles.