Production honors the 100-Year anniversary of composer Giacomo Puccini’s death
Featuring high-voltage drama and a sensuous score, all set against the backdrop of real-life locations in Rome, Palm Beach Opera opens its highly-anticipated 2024 Season with Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca,” 100 years after that great composer’s death in November 1924. Performances are set for Friday, January 26 through Sunday, January 28 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
“One of the greatest operas in the repertoire, ‘Tosca’ continues to captivate audiences around the world year after year,” said General & Artistic Director David Walker. “It is both modern in its fast-paced 24-hour storyline and timeless in the romantic passions and masterful score—we are thrilled to open our mainstage season with this iconic opera.”
In a tale of love, betrayal and political intrigue, the celebrated singer Tosca is made to question her love for the artist Cavaradossi by the corrupt police official, Scarpia, who will stop at nothing to have Tosca for himself.
Palm Beach Opera Chief Conductor David Stern will lead the orchestra in the score that features three Puccini touchstones, Tosca’s “Vissi d’arte” (I lived for art), Cavaradossi’s “E lucevan le stelle (The stars were shining brightly) and the dramatic “Te Deum.”
Israeli director Omer Ben Seadia makes her company debut and was praised for a 2022 production of the opera by Utah Arts Review which reported, “…many excellent choices [Omer] Ben Seadia made that kept the opera true to the plot and its gritty Verismo roots. Characters’ movements were natural and motivated by their needs and wants in the moment.”
Soprano Anastasia Bartoli (“a rising star on the Italian and European opera scene” – OperaWire) makes her U.S. debut in the role of Tosca as Guatemalan tenor Mario Chang (“a born bel canto tenor” – New York Times) returns in the role of Cavaradossi after being last seen at the company as Nemorino in the critically acclaimed “The Elixir of Love.” Making his company debut as Scarpia is Wagnerian singer Greer Grimsley (“Grimsley’s performance across three nights has been remarkable not only for its individual splendours but for the assurance with which he has traced that long dramatic arc” – San Fransico Chronicle).
An equally star-studded cast performs the roles on January 27 with Caitlin Gotimer, who has been praised for her “full, focused soprano,” makes her company debut opposite Jonathan Burton (“an engaging all-around singer with a powerful, full-bodied sound” – Opera News) who, as Cavaradossi, marks his seventh performance with the company and who was last seen as Pinkerton in Palm Beach Opera’s “Madama Butterfly.” Ukrainian-born Aleksey Bogdanov (“star quality in every way” – Opera News) makes his company debut as Scarpia.
Performing at Palm Beach Opera for the first time since 1999, Grammy® Award-winning baritone Adelmo Guidarelli portrays Sacristan and is joined in the cast by Palm Beach Opera resident artists Edward Bland, Devin Eatmon, David Wolfe and Jacob O’Shea.
“Tosca” will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage. Performances will be held Friday, January 26 and Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 28 at 2 p.m. Single tickets start at $25 and season subscriptions start at $60.
Palm Beach Opera offers two ways to add to the enjoyment of “Tosca.” An informative and insightful Lunch & Learn exploring the production will be offered Thursday, January 17 at noon at the National Croquet Center and a limited number of seats are available for the Opening Night Dinner on January 26 at the Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center.
Tickets to “Tosca” and the two special events are available for purchase online at pbopera.org or by calling the box office at 561-833-7888.
The Opera’s 2024 Season continues with Jacques Offenbach’s fantastical “The Tales of Hoffmann” March 1-3 and Vincenzo Bellini’s cherished “Norma” April 5-7 at the Kravis Center.
Palm Beach Opera is dedicated to producing live opera at an international standard of excellence, enriching the lives of the communities it serves with a diverse offering of educational programs, and training the next generation of opera stars. Founded in 1961, the fully professional Palm Beach Opera presents main-stage performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach and is a proud member of OPERA America and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
