The Bronx Opera will be performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Idomeneo” on Thursday, Feb. 12, Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15, at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theater, located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W.
Idomeneo, set on the island of Crete in the aftermath of the Trojan War, is a high-stakes tale of gods, love and sacrifice. It will be performed in English by a talented cast and ensemble, many of whom are coming off recent local, regional and international performances before joining together to work on this play.
Tenors James Danner, Matthew Youngblood and Rashard Deleston will be portraying Idomeneo, Arbace and the High Priest, respectively, while sopranos Samantha Long and Emma Robertson will play Elettra and Ilia. Miastasha Gonzalez-Colon, a mazzo-soprano, will play Idamante.
Other cast members include Gordon Blodgett, James Cottone, Zachary Tirgan, Vianca Alejandra, Caitlin Caruso Dobbs, John Carr, Victoria Falcone, Troy Freeman-Cheng, Caroline Hawthorne, Christopher Jackson, Regina Krawiec, Elias Levy and Amanda Simms.
The show will be conducted by Michael C. Haigler and directed by Benjamin Spierman. Jim Howard is the set designer, Alana Roecker Katt is the costume designer and Joshua Rose is the lighting designer.
This will mark the Bronx Opera’s first production since its founder, Michael Spierman, stepped away from conducting the shows. He transitioned into a new role as Artistic Director Emeritus. Additionally, he serves as the Orchestra of the Bronx’s music director. A gala is planned to honor him on Saturday, March 21, at Lehman College’s Studio Theatre.
Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 and 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 and 15. Reservations and tickets can be purchased at our.show/BxOidomeneo. Tickets are priced at $40 for the orchestra section and $30 for the mezzanine section.
Idomeneo first premiered in 1781 in Munich, when Mozart was just 25 years old. It was the first of his mature operatic masterpieces. The opera combines elements of Italian high drama with the spectacle of French Baroque opera.
Those interested in learning more about the shows and the Bronx Opera can email them at BronxOpera@gmail.com.
