Fresno Famous

August 2nd Sunday at 2 PM Suor Angelica (Puccini) * Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)

SHAGHOIAN CONCERT HALL * 2770 East International Avenue (Willow & International in NE Fresno)

Suor Angelica is the second installment in Puccini's triptych of one-act operas commonly known as Il trittico. The 1918 opera chronicles the fall, redemption, and final transfiguration of its central character, Sister Angelica (Soprano Samantha Knjoi of Huntsville Alabama), who has taken the veil in repentance for bearing a child out of wedlock. Angelica has lived in the peace of the convent for seven years. Her aunt, the princess (Opera Director Roberta Wain-Becker), visits her and tells her that the child has died. Angelica later prays and seemingly in answer to her prayer, the Virgin Mary and her son appear in a vision. The libretto, by Giovacchino Forzano, was immediately appealing to the composer, whose sister Igenia was Mother Superior of the convent at Vicepelago. It contains some of Puccini's most adventurous writing -- the musical language at times even flirts with polytonality -- Angelica's aria Senza mamma (Without your mother), one of the most poignant moments in any of Puccini's works, has remained a favorite. Local and International singers complete an all female cast of ages 6 to 60.

Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo's Opera in Two Acts, cultivated a late 19th-century new Italian literary movement style called verismo, meaning realism or truthful. The story follows actors’ loves and jealousies, which spill over into their stage performances. It is explained that the dangers of love will be presented on stage but actors are human too, and have real feelings. Canio (the Pagliaccio portrayed by California Tenor Zachary Sheely) says that stage and life are quite different, but that if his Nedda (portrayed by Fresno Soprano Stephanie Hower) deceived him in real life, he would avenge such treachery. The central figure Canio (Pagliaccio) sings his famous self-pitying lament… laugh Pagliaccio, laugh! In the end La commedia è finita! (The comedy and central figures are finished.) Conducted by the great Fresno Opera Association founder Nicola Iacovetti, with chorus director Dan Bishop, and special appearance by CSU Fresno professor Anthony Radford as Sylvio and Fresno’s mystical miming magician Tony Blanco, the performance will represent an all-star feature of Fresno’s own greatest operatic and stage talents.

Bring the kids, friends, and family. Support these international artists arriving from around the world and our own local talent learning their craft and performing for YOU - share Fresno's hospitality and culture through your attendance! Dress comfortably for all the summer opera events. Enjoy the opera-tune-ity to try something new and learn more about this treasured classical and evolving contemporary art form!!! Celebrate with us our 10th year of summer opera in Fresno!

Festival Events are Free with donations welcome at the door in order to promote a greater interest in, exposure to, and attendance of opera in Fresno -made possible, in part, through the Community Enrichment Program of the Fresno Arts Council, the Bonner Family Foundation, Exxon Mobile, Bank of the West, Fred Schlotthauer Memorial Education Fund, AZCAL Management, and Pure Sense, among other individual and corporate sponsors of the Annual International Vocal Competition, and the Festival Finale performances! For more information, please see http://www.calopera.org/opera_events.html

Location: SHAGHOIAN CONCERT HALL, 2770 East International Avenue, Fresno
Starts: 2009 Aug 2 - 2:00pm
Ends: 2009 Aug 2 - 4:00pm
Website: http://www.calopera.org