Very, Very Verdi

Opera
Santa Barbara Reaches Out

As part of the third season of Opera on the Go—a series of
monthly public lectures on operatic composers and the direction of
opera as an art form—Opera Santa Barbara presents Verdi: An Intimate
View. The lecture by renowned opera writer Mary Jane
Phillips-Matz will focus on the composer’s life and
career. Phillips-Matz’s biography of Giuseppe Verdi (pictured) is
based on more than 30 years of research in public and private
archives about the man who’s celebrated throughout Italy for his
patriotism, philanthropy, and composition. Her lecture will provide
a glimpse into Verdi’s musical genius, 19th century Italy, and the
Verdi family story.

Verdi: An Intimate View is an appropriate entrée to
Opera Santa Barbara’s 2007
season, which opens with the original production Viva
Verdi, a modern opera written by the Granada Theatre’s
executive director Peter Frisch and featuring some of the
composer’s greatest arias. The Verdi Festival runs from February to
March with productions of Rigoletto and A Masked
Ball. The opera will be auditioning singers for the chorus
between October and December.

● 411 ● Verdi: An Intimate
View will be held Wednesday, September 20, 5:30 pm, at
Victoria Hall. Tickets for the eight-part series of Opera on
the Go are $120 or $96 for season subscribers, and can be ordered
by calling 898-3890. Single tickets are $15 per person, $12 for
season subscribers, and $5 for students with identification, and
are only available at the door.