ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - Opera Pacific presents its third opera of the 2003-2004

mainstage season, March 2, 4, 6, 7, 2004, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, with Leonard Bernstein’s opera Candide. Opera Pacific’s production will be presented in English with English Supertitles.

 

Opera Pacific invites its audience to enter a world of fantasy and imagination as the tale of the optimist, Candide, comes to life.  Bernstein’s immensely popular opera unfolds with an entertaining score that includes highlights of the American operatic repertoire such as “Glitter and Be Gay,” “Make Our Garden Grow,” and “Oh Happy We.”  Dashing young tenor Richard Troxell makes his Opera Pacific debut as the eternal optimist Candide. Laura Claycomb (3/2, 3/4, 3/6), who dazzled audiences in Festa Italiana 2000, makes her long-awaited debut on the mainstage alternating with Orange County’s own Lynette Tapia (3/7) as Cunegonde.  In addition, the vibrant cast includes William Parcher as Voltaire/Pangloss/Cacambo/Martin, Opera Pacific favorite Frank Hernandez as Maximillian/Captain, Joanna Mongiardo as Paquette, and returning artists Matthew Lord as the Governor/Vanderdendur and Judith Christin as the Old Lady.   Alongside this brilliant young group of singers, the acting cast that includes Zale Kessler, Andrew Nienaber, Paul Shikany and Sam Zeller.

 

Artistic Director and Principal Conductor John DeMain leads the Opera Pacific Orchestra and chorus in this innovative production designed by Broadway and opera designer Jerome Sirlin, who is renowned for his work with visual projections.  Jeffrey Lentz, who has appeared on the Opera Pacific main-stage in Little Women and The Abduction from the Seraglio, makes his directorial debut with the Company.  Joining Sirlin and Lentz are Broadway lighting designer Howell Binkley and choreographer and musical stager Michele Assaf, who created Opera Pacific’s memorable 2001 Space Odyssey Gala. 

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OPERA PACIFIC, one of America’s top ten opera companies, presents a full season of professional productions at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.  The 2003 - 2004 season opened in November 2003 with Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, November 11 - 16, and continued with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Così fan tutte, January 20 - 25, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide will commence March 2, 4, 6, 7, and concludes with the double billing of Ruggiero Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana April 20, 22, 23, 24, 25.  All operas are performed with English translations projected above the stage.

 

Opera Pacific’s newly announced 19^th season (2004 - 2005) opens on Tuesday, November 9, 2004, and continues through Sunday, August 14, 2005, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa. The main-stage season presented at the Orange County Performing Arts Center will begin with Giacomo Puccini’s exquisite Turandot, November 9, 11, 13, 14, 2004; continues with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s timeless comedy The Marriage of Figaro, January 18, 20, 22, 23, 2005; Camille Saint-Saëns’ powerful Samson & Delilah, February 22, 24, 26, 27, 2005; and conclude with Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata May 17, 19, 21, 22, 2005.  The final production of the season, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, will take place at the Pacific Amphitheater on the Orange County Fairgrounds August 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 2005.

 

Opera Pacific performances at the Orange County Performing Arts Center are located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. for all performances running Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. for all Sunday matinees. Single tickets for Candide and all the productions of the 2003 - 2004 season are on sale now and range from $40 - $185. Season subscriptions for the 2004 - 2005 season are on sale now and range from $99-$985.

                                                                                                    

 

For more information or to order tickets, please call 1 800 34 OPERA

or visit us at www.operapacific.org.