Thursday, August 26, 2010

The New York Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD will present 12 live transmissions during the 2010-11 season, including six new productions and the start of a new Ring cycle—all featuring the world's greatest opera stars and all offered close to home at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Lumina Theater.

Sponsored by UNCW's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and Department of Music, the season begins Saturday, Oct. 9 with a new production of Wagner's Das Rheingold. This is the Metropolitan Opera's fifth season offering the Peabody Award-winning series, which features live high definition transmissions to big screens throughout the United States and Canada. Until last year, when UNCW began offering Met Opera: Live in HD, Wilmington area opera fans had to travel to Raleigh or Myrtle Beach to view these live programs. UNCW is the first university in North Carolina to provide this opportunity to the community.

"We have been absolutely overwhelmed with the popularity of the Met Opera: Live in HD programs," said Amy Keith, coordinator of the program at UNCW. "There is an active community of opera lovers in the Cape Fear area who have been thrilled with the opportunity to view the broadcasts so close to home. Attendance has been phenomenal, and we look forward to introducing more of the community to high-quality opera productions this season."

The 2010-11 season schedule is as follows. Performances are at 1 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
• Saturday, Oct. 9: Das Rheingold by Wagner; maestro James Levine and director Robert Lepage join forces to create a groundbreaking new Ring for the Met
• Saturday, Oct. 23 at Noon: Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, with Rene Pape in one of opera's greatest bass roles
• Saturday, Nov. 13: Don Pasquale by Donizetti; Anna Netrebko revives her sensational turn in this sophisticated bel canto comedy
• Sunday, Dec. 12 at 12:30 p.m.: Don Carlo by Verdi, with director Nicholas Hytner making his Met debut
• Saturday, Jan. 8: La Fanciulla del West by Puccini; all-American diva Deborah Voigt sings the title role of the "girl of the golden west"
• Saturday, Feb. 12: Nixon in China by Adams; baritone James Maddalena stars
• Saturday, Feb. 26: Iphigénie en Tauride by Gluck; Susan Graham and Plácido Domingo reprise their starring roles in a nuanced and elegant interpretation of this primal Greek myth
• Saturday, March 19: Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti , featuring Natalie Dessay
• Saturday, April 9: Le Comte Ory by Rossini; Juan Diego Flórez stars in the title role of this Met premiere production
• Saturday, April 23, Capriccio by Strauss; Renée Fleming dazzles in this wise and worldly meditation on art and life
• Saturday, April 30, Il Travatore by Verdi; James Levine leads this revival
• Sunday, May 15 at Noon, Die Walküre by Wagner; a stellar cast comes together for this second installment of Robert Lepage's new production of the Ring cycle

Individual tickets for each Live in HD performance are $20 for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members, $25 for non-members and $15 for students. Season tickets are $240 for OLLI members and $300 for non-members. Met Opera members can purchase tickets beginning Aug. 27, OLLI members on Sept. 3. General public ticket sales start Sept. 7.

OLLI memberships start at $30 for the semester. Membership benefits include discounts on all programs, invitations to members-only programs, Randall Library privileges and updates on special UNCW events. Visit www.uncw.edu/olli for more information on membership levels.

In addition to the broadcast of opera performances, OLLI is offering three preparatory classes that will appeal to first-timers and seasoned opera-goers alike.

Ask a Diva – Opera for Beginners with Nancy King, UNCW music faculty
Saturday, Oct. 2 • 9 a.m.–Noon • $29 member; $49 non-member
Demystify opera through live musical presentations from UNCW students in the UNCW Opera Outreach Program (UNC-WOOP).

Introduction to Wagner – The Ring and "Leitmotifs" with Jerry Nolan
Thursday, Oct. 7 • 6–8 p.m. • $19 member; $39 non-member
Better understand Wagner's Ring cycle by learning how he changed opera with the Leitmotif system.

Puccini's Cross-Cultural Compositions
Thursday, Jan. 6 • 6–8 p.m. • $19 member; $39 non-member
Explore the Italian composer's passion for placing his operas in exotic locations: La Boheme in Paris, Madame Butterfly in Japan and Turandot in China.

For more information about Met Opera: Live in HD go to www.uncw.edu/metopera. Call 910.962.3195 for individual or season tickets or to purchase an OLLI membership.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu