Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 7 La Boheme #2

4 | January 10 - 31, 2019 Welcome to Lyric! We’ve reached the midpoint in a wonderful 2018/19 season, filled with exciting music and drama, which I very much hope you’ve enjoyed. After the success of Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème in October, I’m delighted that we’re able to bring it back for more performances in January. After 46 years, a new vision of this universally beloved work was long overdue on our stage. Lyric’s new coproduction packs a tremendous emotional punch. I’m thrilled to welcome back for two productions this season Richard Jones, an extraordinary director. I’ve always appreciated Richard’s ability to reach the emotional heart of whatever piece he directs. He does this in La bohème , exploring the music and text in remarkable detail. Lyric’s marvelously youthful cast is made up of international stars. I'm so pleased that Maria Agresta, the irresistible Italian soprano who made her Lyric debut last season as Liù in Turandot , is returning to sing Mimì, her favorite role. Opposite her as Rodolfo is Michael Fabiano, the American tenor who has very rapidly ascended to the front rank internationally. Our Musetta, Danielle de Niese, will no doubt captivate Lyric audiences, as she’s done previously in Giulio Cesare, The Marriage of Figaro, and the world premiere of Bel Canto . Zachary Nelson (Marcello), heard at Lyric in Turandot and Das Rheingold , is one of the most promising American baritones of his generation, and Adrian Sâmpetrean (Colline), the Romanian bass, has proven deeply impressive in Lyric’s recent productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and I puritani . Our conductor, Domingo Hindoyan from Venezuela, made his acclaimed Lyric debut in the first series of Bohème performances. He’s rapidly developed a sensational career in both the opera house and the concert hall. Last season, which included his Metropolitan Opera debut (L’elisir d’amore) , he was also on the podium at the opera companies of Stuttgart, Monte Carlo, Dresden, and Berlin. On the podium for the final performance, making his Lyric debut, will be the fast-rising Stefano Sarzani, a former Solti Fellow and one of the most gifted young conductors of his generation. La bohème at Lyric will make you fall in love with opera all over again. Anthony Freud General Director, President & CEO The Women’s Board Endowed Chair From the General Director STEVE LEONARD