Knoxville Opera announces its 30th Anniversary Season

General Director Brian Salesky has announced Knoxville Opera’s magnificent 30th Anniversary Season that opens with the romantic operetta The Student Prince as part of Oktoberfest!; continues with Three Tenors Hall of Fame Gala; Giuseppe Verdi’s riveting La Forza del Destino; and closes with Giacomo Puccini’s tumultuous Tosca.

Oktoberfest! features highlights from Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince. Journey back to Old Heidelberg where the ivy-covered University halls reverberate with the glorious sound of male voices singing in praise of wine, women, and song! Guests can offer a rousing toast to such timeless classics as “Deep in My Heart,” “Golden Days,” “Gaudeamus Igitur,” the beautiful “Serenade,” and of course the students’ famous “Drinking Song.” Oktoberfest! takes place on Friday, October 5, 2007, at 6pm and includes an unlimited German buffet, beer, and wine.

The Three Tenors Hall of Fame Gala marks a return to the Bijou Theatre, site of Knoxville Opera’s inaugural performance in 1978. The Gala pays tribute to the new Knoxville Opera Hall of Fame inductees. Three internationally acclaimed artists will share the spotlight in a thrilling program containing some of opera’s most dramatic and beautiful tenor scenes including the powerful finale of Boito’s Mefistofele, excerpts from Verdi’s Il Trovatore and La Traviata, and the Tennessee premiere of his historic Hymn of the Nations (a Toscanini favorite). The Three Tenors Hall of Fame Gala will take place Friday, November 2, 2007 at 6pm with a dinner in honor of the inductees following at Club LeConte.

A cruel destiny dooms the affair between an Incan prince and his Spanish lover in Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny). A horrific accident causes her brother to mistakenly hold them responsible for her father’s death, prompting an insatiable quest for revenge. Years later he finally hunts them down in a monastery where they secretly have been living independent, remorseful lives. Neither brother nor sister can escape the unrelenting power of fate that spells their demise. Audiences will be riveted from the ominous overture through the heavenly finale, as the epic story, brilliantly crafted by the composer of Aïda, is brought to life by an all-star cast. This is a rare live performance of some of Verdi’s most thrilling music. This East Tennessee premiere takes place Friday, February 8, 2008 at 8pm and Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 2:30pm at the Tennessee Theatre.

Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival wraps up the season with the ever-famous Italian Street Fair and two dazzling performances of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. One of the world’s most alluring characters comes to life on the stage in the persona of opera singer, Floria Tosca. Her passionate love for painter and political activist Mario Cavaradossi thrusts her into a dark and dangerous arena where enemies of the State are executed at the ruthless hands of Police Chief Baron Scarpia. This fascinating tale of lust, greed, corruption, and spine-tingling mystery is a masterpiece from beginning to end. Presented as part of Knoxville Opera’s 2008 Puccini 150th Birthday Celebration, Tosca will take the stage on Friday, April 18 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 20 at 2:30 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre.

Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival Italian Street Fair will once again be turning Knoxville’s Gay Street into a street scene similar to a marketplace found in Italy! The 7th annual festival will take place Saturday, April 19 from noon until 9pm and feature an artisans market, Mediterranean food, and live entertainment.

As part of Knoxville Opera’s ongoing commitment to “demystify opera,” both La Forza del Destino and Tosca will be in Italian with projected English translations and include an Opera Preview forty-five minutes prior to the performances by Maestro Brian Salesky with the curtain raised on the set of the opera.

For more information or tickets to Knoxville Opera’s exciting 30th Anniversary season, please call (865) 524-0795.

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