Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON - March 2, 2015. For its fifth season, Metro Youth Opera (MYOpera) presents the rarely-performed Berlioz masterpiece, Béatrice & Bénédict. Based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Berlioz’s beautiful opera is perfect family fare, complete with love, laughter, and a healthy dose of scheming.
Three shows only: Friday April 24 - 7:30pm, Saturday April 25 - 7:30pm, and Sunday April 26 - 2:30pm
"I am very excited to present this scarcely-seen opera of the Romantic period," says Founder & Artistic Director, Kate Applin. "Berlioz had such a love of Shakespeare and here we see his take on Much Ado About Nothing, focusing on the main love stories and all the hilarity that ensues from plotting and well-meaning friends. I have been waiting to present this opera and I am delighted to be doing so for MYOpera’s 5th season!"
The production features a stellar cast of emerging, Toronto-based talent led by music director Natasha Fransblow and stage director Alison Wong. All three performances will will be presented in the Aki Studio Theatre in beautiful, new Daniels Spectrum Building on Dundas Street East in Regent Park.
Metro Youth Opera was founded in 2010 by Kate Applin as an opera company in which talented emerging artists could advance their professional careers. Metro Youth Opera provides Toronto’s talented young opera singers the opportunity to perform complete roles and be compensated for it. Metro Youth Opera is designed to create viable development opportunities for young artists in all fields related to the world of opera: singers, stage directors, music directors, and more. Metro Youth Opera launched in 2011 and has mounted productions of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, a Triple-Bill of Stravinsky's Mavra, Pergolesi's La serva padrona, and Vallerand's Le Magicien and Humperdink’s Hansel & Gretel (this show was later invited to perform at the Kawartha Concerts Encore Series).
Béatrice & Bénédict by Hector Berlioz
Friday, April 24 at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 25 at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 26 at 2:30pm
Presented at the Aki Studio Theatre
Daniels Spectrum Building
565 Dundas Street East
Visit http://www.metroyouthopera.ca for more information and to buy tickets.
Illustration: Hector Berlioz, painting by Émile Signol, 1832.
2015-03-02
Toronto: Metro Youth Opera presents Berlioz's "Béatrice et Bénédict" April 24-26