Pittsburgh, PA…
September 17, 2019
Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications
Office: 412.281.0912 ext. 217
Mobile: 412.427.7088 or
Contact via email
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Pittsburgh Opera presents its first-ever Spanish-language opera, Daniel Catán and Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s magical Florencia en el Amazonas
Photo by Matthew Staver
Pittsburgh Opera continues its 81st season with its first-ever Spanish-language opera, Daniel Catán and Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s magical Florencia en el Amazonas.
Florencia Grimaldi is a famous opera singer traveling to perform at the opera house in Manaus, Brazil, in the early 1900s. She also hopes to find her long-lost lover Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter who has disappeared into the Amazon jungle.
Florencia journeys down the Amazon river by steamship with a cast of colorful characters, including an intrepid female journalist and a couple looking to rekindle their love. As they penetrate deeper and deeper into the heart of the Amazon, the passengers and crew realize their voyage is not just a physical journey, but also a mystical one.
Inspired by the magic realism of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel García Márquez and his novels Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude, Florencia en el Amazonas features lush, melodic music and ever-changing backdrops of mysterious beauty.
Music Director Antony Walker conducts. Stephanie Havey directs a revival of Jose Maria Condemi’s original production.
These performances have received special funding from The Pittsburgh Foundation. See our full list of performance sponsors below.
As always, English supertitles will be projected above the stage.
Single tickets for adults start at just $14; kids and teens ages 6-18 are half-price. For tickets call 412-456-6666, visit the Box Office at Theater Square, or buy online. Group discounts, including student discounts, are available.
Performance Dates/Times/Location/Length/Language
Where:
Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, downtown Pittsburgh
When:
- Sat., Nov. 9, 2019 * 8:00 PM
- Tues., Nov. 12, 2019 * 7:00 PM
- Fri., Nov. 15, 2019 * 7:30 PM
- Sun., Nov. 17, 2019 * 2:00 PM
Run Time:
1 hour, 45 minutes, with one intermission
Language:
Sung in Spanish with English texts projected above the stage
Fun Facts
- Not only is Florencia en el Amazonas the first Spanish-language opera in Pittsburgh Opera’s 81-year history, it was also the first Spanish-language opera by a Mexican composer commissioned by major United States opera houses. It premiered in Houston in 1996.
- Soprano Alexandra Loutsion, who sings the role of the title character, grew up in Canonsburg, PA. She is an alumna of the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and a former Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist. Her most recent appearnce with Pittsburgh Opera was her role debut as Princess Turandot in 2017.
- Composer Daniel Catán stated that Florencia “is the story of the return journey that we all undertake at a certain point in our lives: the moment when we look back at what we once dreamed of becoming, and then confront what we have now become.”
Tickets and Group Discounts
Single tickets for adults start at $14; tickets for kids and teens ages 6-18 are half-price. Call 412-456-6666 or buy online.
Group discounts, including student discounts, are available. For more information about group ticket services and discounts for groups of six or more people, contact Regina Connolly at (412) 281-0912, ext. 213 or via email.
The Story, in brief
Cast and Artistic Team
See the Florencia en el Amazonas show page for a complete synopsis of the opera.
Media Events
Please contact Chris Cox for reservations
- Photo Shoot (Mon., Oct. 28, 12:30 PM) - location TBA
- Full Dress Rehearsal (Thurs., Nov. 7, 7:00 PM) - Benedum Center
Related Events
- Opera Up Close (10/27) - at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- WQED Preview (11/2 & 11/8)
- New Guard Opening Night Lounge (11/9)
- Audio Commentary (11/12)
- Meet the Artists (11/12)
- November Brown Bag concert (11/16)
Sponsors
- PNC is the 2019-20 Pittsburgh Opera Season Sponsor
- WQED-FM is Pittsburgh Opera’s Media Sponsor
- Ambridge Regional Distribution and Manufacturing Center is the Tuesday performance and ‘Meet the Artists’ post-show event sponsor
- These performances have received special funding from The Pittsburgh Foundation, and from the following Funds:
- The J. Raymond Price Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
- Belle Richards Fund No. 2 of The Pittsburgh Foundation
- Alice Risk Wilson Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
- John K. Saxman, Jr. Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
- Nicky Horvitz Gordon Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
