NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle Opera, Westchester’s longest running opera company, will present Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme, from June 21-24, 2018 in the Frank J. Auriana Theatre at the Ursuline School, 1345 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY. The production will be directed by Company co-founder and artistic director Camille Coppola, with orchestra and chorus conducted by Brian Holman, set design by Anthony Valbiro and lighting design by Adam Welsh. The opera will be sung in Italian, with English supertitles.
Mrs. Coppola has directed all of the productions for the past 33 seasons and has been instrumental in assisting young opera singers in their careers, several of who are currently performing leading and comprimario roles at the Metropolitan Opera. Mrs. Coppola has been a vocal competitions judge for The Puccini Foundation, New York Vocal Artists, Inc. and Career Bridges Association and lectures on opera throughout the county. She also directed for the Altamura Center for the Performing Arts. As a soloist she has performed with the New Rochelle Opera, Westchester County Opera Association and the Performing Arts Society. She is the founder of the Queen City Singers and received the Cab Calloway Lifetime Achievement Award for the Performing Arts.
Mr. Holman is making his conducting debut with New Rochelle Opera. This past season, Mr. Holman debuted with Cleveland Opera Theater, Marble City Opera, and appeared at Film Fest Tucson, and the Harare International Festival of the Arts with Baroque 2000 Chamber Orchestra. He recently conducted at the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Sicily, Merkin Concert Hall, and joined New York City Opera as assistant conductor.
The cast on Thursday (6/21) and Saturday (6/23) evenings are: Alexa Jarvis (Mimi), Christopher Nelson (Rodolfo), Yulan Piao (Musetta), Suchan Kim (Marcello), Kevin Grace (Schaunard), Christopher Nazarian (Colline), and Ben Dunevitz (Benoit/Alcindoro). The cast on Friday (6/22) evening and Sunday (6/23) matinee are: Mithra Mastropierro (Mimi), Christopher Trapani (Rodolfo), Kelli Butler (Musetta), Jeremy Moore (Marcello), Jonathan Hare (Schaunard), John Dominick III (Colline), and Alexander Adams-Leytes (Benoit/Alcindoro).
Performances on June 21, 22 and 23 are at 8:00 pm, and June 24 is at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $40 general admission, $37 for seniors and $15 ticket for students. A discounted ticket price of $33 is being offered for all tickets to the Thursday, June 22nd performance, only if reserved and paid for in advance. Tickets purchased at the door on Thursday will be full price. Advance tickets may be purchased with a credit card by visiting www.nropera.org or by calling (800) 838-3006, or by sending a check payable to New Rochelle Opera, P.O. Box 55, New Rochelle, New York 10804. All tickets will be held at the door. Group rates are available for 10 or more. For further information, call (914) 576-1617.