Maryland Opera’s fifth season comes to its exciting climax with “Bravissimo Bel Canto” featuring fully staged and costumed scenes from operatic gems of the Bel Canto era on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer on Charles Street in North Baltimore.  Tickets are $50.

The program features selections from Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, and I Puritani including Lucia’s harrowing Mad Scene and the unforgettable Norma Finale.  All selections will be staged in the acoustically and visually exquisite sanctuary at Church of the Redeemer.

Joining us is an internationally acclaimed cast including sopranos Christine Lyons and Rochelle Bard, mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh, tenor Yi Li, baritone Trevor Scheunemann, and bass Ben Wager.

Stage and musical direction for all selections is by Maryland Opera’s Artistic Director James Harp, long known for excellence in operatic performances and musical outreach in the Mid-Atlantic area.

“Our commitment to providing high-quality opera in our community continues with this magnificent presentation celebrating the glory of Bel Canto, where the human voice is shown in all its technical and expressive beauty,” said Harp.  “Our renowned singers will bring this immortal music to life with trills, roulades, cadenzas and all the pyrotechnical elements that make this music so unforgettable.  The beautiful performance space will be transformed into a Scottish castle and a Druid forest as we savor these timeless stories that illuminate the full spectrum of life and passion.  Please join us as we celebrate great music and look forward to a future of even more elaborate grand opera productions!”

Tickets are $50 and are available on Maryland Opera’s website, marylandopera.org, or by calling 484-678-6041, and at the door on the day of the performance.  Seating is limited, though, so advance orders are recommended.  Free parking is available in the Church of the Redeemer parking lot adjacent to the building and across Melrose Avenue.

COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS 

The program will be accompanied by Maryland Opera Artistic Director James Harp and a chamber orchestra. 

Bravissimo Bel Canto 

Friday, April 15, 2023 7:30pm

Church of the Redeemer

5603 North Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21210

Program: 

I Puritani 

Suoni la tromba

Lucia di Lammermoor 

Love Scene

Marriage Scene

Wolfscrag Intermezzo

Mad Scene

INTERMISSION

Norma 

Finale of Act 1

Prelude to Act 2

Finale of Act 2

James Harp, Artistic Director

Maryland Opera Chorus & Orchestra

Christine Lyons, soprano

Rochelle Bard, soprano

Madison Marie McInstosh, mezzo-soprano

Yi Li, tenor

Trevor Scheunemann, baritone

Ben Wager, bass

About Maryland Opera 

Maryland Opera offers quality opera performances, innovative artistry, support for social awareness and change, education and outreach programming, commitment to underserved communities, and a vehicle for talented young vocalists to follow their dreams.  Maryland Opera builds on Baltimore’s century-old opera tradition that garnered critical acclaim for grand productions that featured opera’s greatest celebrities.

Maryland Opera is passionately invested in bringing the excitement and beauty of live opera–traditional programming as well as innovative and modern approaches–to diverse audiences, including historically underserved audiences throughout Maryland.  They do so through numerous outreach programs, including Opera-to-Go, Opera Cares and Opera Camp.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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