Opera Orlando is back On the Town in the 2023-24 All for Art season, this time at the Art and History Museums of Maitland. Tickets for the Opera’s site-specific production of Dvořák’s Rusalka are on sale Friday, July 28, and audiences will want to act fast to get their seats for this exclusive event.
“Rusalka is a dark, heartbreaking story of the pull between family loyalty and the power of romantic love,” says Opera Orlando’s general director Gabriel Preisser. “Set in the inspiring art and architecture of the Art and History Museums of Maitland, this production will be an unforgettable journey for audiences through a mythical Florida glade filled with incredible sights and sounds along the way”
Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Little Mermaid,” Dvořák’s version is a stunningly romantic tragedy of love, sacrifice, and rejection. At the edge of a Florida everglade, the swamp nymph Rusalka falls in love with a human. With the help of a witch, she defies her father—giving up her home, family, and voice to follow her heart and join her prince on dry land. However, she quickly learns that true love can come at a terrible price.
Opera Orlando artistic director Grant Preisser will direct this unique take and new English translation of Rusalka, joined by internationally-acclaimed music director and pianist Bernard McDonald, making his Company debut. Also making their Company debuts will be hometown soprano Shannon Jennings in the title role, acclaimed tenor Isaac Hurtado as her Prince, and international bass-baritone James Demler as Vodník, her father. Returning to Orlando and rounding out the cast is Metropolitan Opera soprano Emily Pulley in the role of Je?ibaba, the witch who transforms Rusalka.
“This isn’t Disney’s little mermaid. Rusalka is a beautiful tale about the cost of love, and an exploration of what true sacrifice means,” says Opera Orlando artistic director and stage director Grant Preisser. “Being able to present this on site at the museums, surrounded by the Mayan-inspired decor, and in such intimate spaces will really be something special. This new translation takes its cues from the mystical aspects of the property, the natural beauty of Central Florida, and the truly gorgeous music of Dvořák. It will be quite the romantic night. I mean, what could be better than opera under the stars?"
RUSALKA | music by Antonin Dvořák & libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil
sung in English with no supertitles
Friday | March 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday | March 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Estimated run time is 2 hours and 50 minutes in three acts with two intermissions across the museum property. Pre- and post-show receptions with appetizers, wine, and desserts are included. Free self parking is available on site, and valet parking is available at an additional cost.
Individual tickets are $149 for regular admission with only 40 VIP seats available for each performance at $169. VIP seats are located in the front four rows of the audience closest to the action. Purchase tickets online at www.OperaOrlando.org/Rusalka or over the phone through the Opera Orlando box office at (407) 512-1900, ext. 0.
Additionally, Opera Orlando’s 2023-24 Opera on the MainStage subscriptions are also currently on sale through the Dr. Phillips Center’s Bill & Mary Darden Box Office, (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.DrPhillipsCenter.org, or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0.
See YOU at the Opera!
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About Opera Orlando: Celebrating, expanding, and sharing the world’s greatest art form, the 2023-24 season marks Opera Orlando’s eighth season producing high-quality operatic entertainment and educational programs that engage Central Florida audiences.
Stay up to date with Opera Orlando’s season online at www.OperaOrlando.org, and follow and like the Opera’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts to share in all the Company has planned for 2023-24.
Opera Orlando
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Gabriel Preisser General Director
- July 27, 2023
- (407) 512-1900 x3
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