On July 12, tenor Andrew Lunsford sang Puccini’s “Nessun dorma” to help close the annual Opera Highlights concert. With the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra behind him, Lunsford vibrantly sustained the final high A, while the audience wildly applauded the Apprentice Artist’s talent.
At 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater, the students of the Music School Festival Orchestra and the Voice Program will transform the pillared walls of the venue into the South of France as they perform Puccini’s tale of fervid love, loss and deceit: La Rondine.
At 4:15 p.m. today at the Hall of Christ, three Young Artists will be performing at the last Artsong recital of the season.
The nine Apprentice Artists in the Opera Company’s Young Artists program have been, recently, performing supporting roles in Madam Butterfly, rehearsing daily for the Ballad of Baby Doe and watching their fellow Studio Artists sing in revues and recitals from the audience chairs.
Economic hardship translates to programmatic caution for many opera companies. Desperate for dependable revenue, they cling to the old favorites, hoping to re-enter the black. The frequent programming of La Traviata, Madama Butterfly and La Bohème has become redundant and creatively stale.
In programming his company’s second operatic production, Chautauqua Opera’s Artistic and General Director Jay Lesenger took a risk, avoiding the chestnuts but looking to the tree. At 7:30 p.m. tonight, Norton Hall hosts the opening production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. A second performance will be heard on Monday evening.
The Chautauquan Daily 