Tuesday, September 13, 2022

THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Arizona Opera - March 3-12, 2023



Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
 
COMPANY PREMIERE
March 3 - 5, 2023 at Symphony Hall
March 11 & 12, 2023 at Tucson Music Hall

Fall in love all over again with this timeless classic! A wonderful opportunity to bring the entire family to Arizona Opera and experience familiar favorites and beloved characters, this treasured musical is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, and set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938. The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun.

Maria falls in love with the children, and eventually their widower father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. Captain von Trapp and Maria decide on a daring plan to flee Austria with the children, with everything at stake. Many songs from the musical have become enduring family classics, including "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Do-Re-Mi," and the title song, "The Sound of Music."

Bringing to life the role of Maria, Cadie J. Bryan has been praised by Opera News as “sparkling” and “pertly pealing.” Ms. Bryan, whose most recent performances include the role of Despina in Arizona Opera’s 2021/22 Season production of Così fan tutte, is quickly emerging as a captivating and versatile performer in a variety of repertoire. Bryan’s 2021/22 Season featured multiple house and role debuts including with The Dallas Opera in concert for the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and with Opera Las Vegas as Addie Mills in the West Coast premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The House Without a Christmas Tree. A recent graduate of the Pullin Opera Studio, Bryan has been seen at Arizona Opera as Musetta in La Bohème, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Bess in Riders of the Purple Sage. 
A true love story within a love story, Bryan is married to fellow operatic artist, baritone Jonathan Bryan, who makes his Arizona Opera debut playing Captain von Trapp.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Bryan has been praised for his “beautifully resonant baritone,” and “substantial sound.” Mr. Bryan has performed leading roles on stages throughout the United States and abroad and is an alumnus of The Atlanta Opera Studio, Wolf Trap Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. A Georgia District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he is also a recent alumnus of Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artist Program, and has been engaged in an array of roles, from Marcello in La Bohème to Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. 

The Sound of Music will take place in a new production created by internationally recognized director of opera and theater, Francesca Zambello. One of the most celebrated directors of our time, Zambello’s work has been seen at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, the Bolshoi, Covent Garden, the Munich Staatsoper, Paris Opera, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and English National Opera. She is currently the Artistic Director of Washington National Opera and the Artistic and General Director of the Glimmerglass Festival, where Zambello’s picturesque production of The Sound of Music will first appear in summer 2022, before making its way to Arizona Opera this coming spring.

Conductor George Manahan has served for more than a decade as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music. He also served as Music Director of New York City Opera, Portland Opera, Richmond Symphony, and American Composers’ Orchestra. A recipient of Columbia University’s Ditson Conductor’s Award, Manahan was honored by the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “career-long advocacy for American composers and the music of our time.” His recent Carnegie Hall performance of Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra was hailed by audiences and critics alike. “The fervent and sensitive performance that Manahan presided over made the best case for this opera that I have ever encountered,” said The New York Times.

Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Conductor: George Manahan
Original Concept Director: Francesca Zambello
Stage Director: Ian Silverman
Assistant Stage Director: Mario Pacheco
Maria Rainer: Cadie J. Bryan
Captain Von Trapp: Jonathan Bryan
The Mother Abbess: Alexandria Shiner
Elsa Schraeder: Alyson Cambridge
Liesl: Véronique Filloux  
Max Detweiler: Peter Morgan
Sister Margaretta: Tiffany Choe
Sister Berthe: Lauren Cook
Rolf Gruber: Schyler Vargas

Part of the Marlu Allan and Scott Stallard Modern Masterworks Series.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.com

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