San Diego Opera announces 2016-2017 ‘Community Conversations’

Dr. Nicolas Reveles
Dr. Nicolas Reveles

SAN DIEGO – San Diego Opera has announced the continuation of its “Community Conversations”, a free lecture series that explores the various aspects of San Diego Opera’s 2016 – 2017 season – La Cenerentola (Cinderella), Soldier Songs, Falstaff, and La traviata.

These popular events pair San Diego Opera’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, Dr. Nicolas Reveles, with exciting speakers who are experts in their respective fields. Topics include: “Meet the Composer: David T. Little’s Soldier Songs,” “Operatic Fairy Tales: Cinderella and La Cenerentola,” “Verdi, Young and Old: La traviata and Falstaff”, and “Points of View: Falstaff in Shakespeare and Verdi.”

“Community Conversations is an ongoing opportunity for us as a company to connect with areas of relevance to our audience in ways that are incredibly exciting, and sometimes unexpected,” shares Dr. Nicolas Reveles. “Soldier Songs is a new opera that explores the cost of war on the human psyche, and who better to explain it to us than the composer himself, David T. Little. La Cenerentola, Rossini’s take on the timeless Cinderella allows us to explore how other composers used fairy tales as their inspiration. Verdi’s Falstaff and La traviata enables us to look at two operas of the composer’s long and storied career. I’ll be joined by community leaders and scholars to help put our season’s operas into a modern context.

All events are free and open to the public but an RSVP is required as these venues have a capacity limit.

Visit http://www.sdopera.org/engage/community-conversations for more information and to reserve a seat.

Community Conversations for the 2016-2017 season are as follows:

Sunday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

Meet the Composer, David T. Little

San Diego Central Library, Neil Morgan Auditorium

San Diego Opera is producing the opera Soldier Songs by composer David T. Little, a gripping drama with a libretto made up of reflections on war by veterans who were involved in five major foreign conflicts. Soldier Songs explores the idea versus the realities of the soldier, loss and the exploitation of innocence, and the impossibility of expressing the truth of war. Join Nicolas Reveles in an intimate discussion with the creator of the work, how it was developed, and about the unique style of Little’s music.

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:30 p.m.

Operatic Fairy Tales: Cinderella & La cenerentola

San Diego Central Library, Neil Morgan Auditorium

Join Nicolas Reveles, Director of Community Engagement for San Diego Opera, in a free-wheeling discussion of Cinderella, the fairy tale and the opera (Rossini), with Joseph T. Thomas, professor of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU, where he serves as Director of the National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature. Explore with us the history of the tale, a bit about the many operas that use fairy tales as their sources, and the heartfelt meaning the story and the opera.

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.

Verdi, Young and Old: La traviata & Falstaff

San Diego Central Library, Neil Morgan Auditorium

Come join us for a special edition of OperaTalk Live! in a fun and informative discussion of Giuseppe Verdi’s two operatic masterpieces, La traviata and Falstaff. This is a great opportunity to distinguish between Verdi’s operas in mid-career and the operas of his old age. Presented by Nicolas Reveles and taped live by UCSD-TV, expect some delightful stories, a refreshing look at the art of opera and some wonderful music!

Wednesday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m.

Points of View: Falstaff in Shakespeare and Verdi

Old Globe Theatre, Hattox Hall

In a lively discussion with Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director of The Old Globe Theatre and a Shakespeare expert, the character Falstaff will be looked at from various points of view: that of the stage director, the actor and the singer (not to mention the viewer or the listener!) Considered the best operatic version of Shakespeare, Verdi’s Falstaff still inspires with its humorous, adventurous and ultimately touching portrayal of this classic character. Was Verdi true to Shakespeare? We’ll find out!

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