In partnership with the Washington Nationals, WNO will present a free Opera in the Outfield simulcast of The Magic Flute to Nationals Park in May 2014. New pre-show events before every performance in the Opera house will expand the WNO experience and help educate new audiences. Highlights from the 2013-2014 season will be performed by the WNO Orchestra and special guests at a free preview concert on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 6 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Opera House.
"I'm excited to bring you my first season as Artistic Director, in which I have been able to bring together and create so much of the casting and programming," said Ms. Zambello. "You'll begin to discover many developments designed to make Washington National Opera broaden its reach. We will have more events in a variety of Kennedy Center venues, we will be emphasizing American works and American singers, expanding our education and outreach programs before every performance, and adding more events with our members of the Domingo- Cafritz Young Artist Program. I hope these initiatives will continue to entice both new and returning audiences to the Kennedy Center to experience our wide range of thrilling performances."
A celebration of Wagner and Verdi
WNO's 2013-2014 season opens with a celebration of the bicentenary of two of opera's most important and beloved composers-Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. First is Wagner's classic story of the glorification of love, Tristan and Isolde, which runs September 15-27, 2013 in the Opera House. The opera is widely regarded as containing some of the most sublime, romantic music ever composed. The starry international cast is led by American soprano Deborah Voigt, one of the most important Wagnerian singers of her generation, as Isolde and Ian Storey as the dashing knight Tristan. The production, new to Washington, is directed by acclaimed Australian theater director Neil Armfield and is conducted by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin.
Verdi's The Force of Destiny returns to the Opera House for the first time in nearly 25 years in a bold new production by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, October 12-26, 2013. This rarely performed epic drama features a young international cast full of fresh talent. The rising young American sopranos Adina Aaron and Amber Wagner make their WNO debuts sharing the role of Leonora, one of the most difficult roles in the repertory. Chilean tenor Giancarlo Monsalve and Puerto Rican tenor Rafael Davila share the role of Don Alvaro. Italian baritone Luca Salsi and Spanish baritone Àngel Òdena share the role of Don Carlo. The cast also features Georgian mezzo-soprano Ketevan Kemoklidze as Preziosilla, Colombian tenor Valeriano Lanchas as Fra Melitone, and Italian bass Enrico Iori as Padre Guardiano. The WNO Orchestra is led by Chinese American conductor Xian Zhang, who recently completed her tenure as Assistant Conductor at the New York Philharmonic, in her WNO opera debut.
Richard Wagner's
Tristan and Isolde
Libretto by the composer
Production from Opera Australia
Tristan and Isolde
Libretto by the composer
Production from Opera Australia
Tristan: Ian Storey
Isolde: Deborah Voigt
Brangäne: Elizabeth Bishop
Kurwenal: James Rutherford
King Marke: Wilhelm Schwinghammer
Conductor: Philippe Auguin
Director: Neil Armfield
Set Designer: Brian Thomson
Costume Designer: Jennie Tate
Lighting Designer: Toby Sewell
Performed in German with English supertitles. Supertitles may not be visible from the rear of the orchestra.
Isolde: Deborah Voigt
Brangäne: Elizabeth Bishop
Kurwenal: James Rutherford
King Marke: Wilhelm Schwinghammer
Conductor: Philippe Auguin
Director: Neil Armfield
Set Designer: Brian Thomson
Costume Designer: Jennie Tate
Lighting Designer: Toby Sewell
Performed in German with English supertitles. Supertitles may not be visible from the rear of the orchestra.