American Opera Series

Saturday's at 12 noon

Hosted by Peter van de Graaff

The WFMT Radio Network is proud to make the American Opera Series available to our affiliates. The American Opera Series is designed to complement the Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, filling in the schedule to complete the year. This year the American Opera Series features great performances by the Lyric Opera of Chicago,Operas from the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union, LA Opera, San Francisco Opera, Opera Delaware, and Opera Southwest We hope you’ll join us!

Highlights of the American Opera Series include:

Lyric Opera of Chicago, Part I

May 12 Orphée et Eurydice / Gluck

May 19 Rigoletto / Verdi

May 26 Die Walküre / Wagner

June 2 The Pearl Fishers / Bizet

June 9 Turandot / Puccini

June 16 I puritani / Bellini

Operas from the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union

June 23 Lessons in Love and Violence / G. Benjamin / Royal Opera

June 30 Macbeth / Verdi / Royal Opera

July 7 The Return of Ulysses / Monteverdi / Royal Opera & Roundhouse

July 14 Eugene Onegin / Tchaikovsky / Scottish Opera

July 21 Un ballo in maschera / Verdi / Opera North

July 28 Lohengrin / Wagner / Royal Opera

August 4 Pelléas et Mélisande / Glyndebourne

Lyric Opera of Chicago, Part II

August 11 Così fan tutte / Mozart

August 18 Faust / Gounod

August 25 Das Rheingold / Wagner

Sept 1 Bel Canto / J. López

LA Opera

Sept 8 Carmen / Bizet

Sept 15 Nabucco / Verdi

Sept 22 Norma / Bellini

Sept 29 Gianni Schicci & Pagliacci / Puccini, Leoncavallo

October 6 Moby Dick / J. Heggie

San Francisco Opera

October 13 Andrea Chénier / Giordano

October 20 Barber of Seville / Rossini

October 27 Don Pasquale / Donizetti

November 3 Dream of the Red Chamber / B. Sheng

November 10 Usher House & La chute de la maison Usher / Getty, Debussy

Opera Delaware

November 17 Semiramide / Rossini

Opera Southwest

November 24 William Tell / Rossini

The Lyric Opera Of Chicago:Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto

Airs Saturday, May 19, 2018, at 12 noon. Our opera season continues this summer the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi starring Matthew Polenzani as the Duke of Mantua; Mario Rojas as Borsa; Whitney Morrison as Countess Ceprano; and Quinn Kelsey as Rigoletto. This production also features Takaoki Onishi, Alan Higgs, Todd Thomas, Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Rosa Feola, Lauren Decker, Diana Newman, Kenneth Nichols, and Zanda Švēde. E.

The Lyric Opera Of Chicago: Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Die_Gartenlaube_(1887)_b_757.jpg — Ernst Keil's Nachfolger / This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.

Airs Saturday, May 12, 2018, at 12 noon. Our opera season continues this summer with a new season from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, opening the broadcast season with Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, starring Dmitry Korchak as Orphée and Andriana Chuchman as Eurydice, with Lauren Snouffer as Amour. This production is conducted by Harry Bicket who leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus. John Neumeier is the stage director and Michael Black is the chorus master.

Arizona Opera: Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage

Airs Saturday, November 26, 2017, at 12 noon. This week the American Opera series from WFMT continues with a production by the Arizona Opera of Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage starring Karin Wolverton as Jane Withersteen; Morgan Smith as Lassister; Joshua Dennis as Bern Venters; Amanda Opuszynski as Bess; Kristopher Irmiter as Bishop Dyer; Keith Phares as Elder Tull; and Hugo Vera as Judkins. The stage director is Fenlon Lamb, chorus master is Henri Venanzi, and the Arizona Opera Chorus and Orchestra is under the direction of Joseph Mechavich.

Opera Southwest: Franco Faccio's Amleto

Airs Saturday, November 19, 2017, at 12 noon. This week the American Opera series from WFMT continues with a production by Opera Southwest of Franco Faccio's Amleto starring Alex Richardson as Amleto and Shannon De Vine as Claudio, with Matthew Curran as Polonio, Joseph Hubbard as Orazio, Paul Bower as Marcello, Javier Gonzalez as Laerte, Abla Lynn Hamza as Ofelia, and Caroline Worra as Geltrude. This production also features Jeff Beruan, Paul Bower, Jonathan Charles Tay, Heather Youngquist, Jeffrey Beruan, and Matthew Curran.

Opera Southwest: Gioacchino Rossini's Tancredi

Airs Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 12 noon. The American Opera Series from WFMT continues with Opera Southwest and a production of Gioacchino Rossini's Tancredi starring Heather Johnson as Tancredi, Lindsay Ohse as Amenaide, Heath Huberg as Argirio, Matthew Curran as Orbazzano, Madelyn Wanner as Isaura, and Chelsea Duval-Major as Roggiero. Stage direction provided by David Bartholemew with Kristin Ditlow as chorus master and the Opera Southwest Orchestra and Chorus are under the direction of Anthony Barrese.