dell'Arte Opera Ensemble Opens New Season on Saturday With 'Violetta & Her Sisters'

dell'Arte Opera Ensemble launches their August 2016 season this weekend under the theme of Violetta & her sisters, a month-long theatrical paean to the French demimonde through the operatic masterpieces of Verdi, Massenet, Puccini and more.

Beginning this Saturday, Aug. 13, dell'Arte will stage Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata at the Rose Nagelberg Theater, joined by performances throughout the month of Jules Massenet's Manon and an anthology piece dubbed Scenes from the demi-monde, driven by Giacomo Puccini's La rondine, La bohème and the work of Italian librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo.

The penultimate showing on August 27 includes a special performance of Chansons de Baudelaire, a look inside the art of 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire with music from French composers Claude Debussy, Henri Duparc, Gabriel Fauré, violinist Benjamin Godard and others.

dell'Arte director Chris Fecteau told BroadwayWorld of his excitment for the new season, the opera ensemble's first utilizing a new mentorship program behind the scenes:

"This season promises to be our very finest, as we institute a new Opera Leaders Mentorship program, through which our young stage directors, stage managers, designers, conductors, and pianists will receive expert guidance 'on the job.' [...] Our vocal artists will enjoy a larger orchestra and more generous coaching allotments than in previous years. ... [O]ur audiences will feel the difference."

Cititour.com published a schedule of showings and stage times for Violetta & her sisters:

"Violetta & her Sisters will be performed in the Rose Nagelberg Theater at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, with 14 performances from August 13-28, 2016. La traviata will be performed on August 13-14, 25, and 27 at 7:30pm, and August 20-21 at 2pm; Manon on August 20, 22, 24, 26 at 7:30pm and August 28 at 2pm; Scenes from the demi-monde on August 19 and 23 at 7:30pm and a very special recital Chansons de Baudelaire August 27 at 2pm."

For more information and tickets, please visit the dell'Arte Opera website at www.dellarteopera.org.

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Tagsdell'Arte Opera Ensemble, Giuseppe Verdi, Jules Massenet, Giacomo Puccini, La bohème, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Charles Baudelaire, Claude Debussy, Henri Duparc, Gabriel Fauré, Benjamin Godard