LOVE. SCHEMING FRIENDS. BETRAYALS. HEARTBREAK. HOPE. NEW LOVE? A WEDDING. A FALSE NOTARY WITH A VERY SUSPECT NASAL TONE OF VOICE. MORE HEARTBREAK. ANOTHER WEDDING. A COUPLE OF VERY HIGH NOTES. THE END.
Bring your chairs to NDG park and witness Mozart and Da Ponte's recipe for love and fidelity!
Free admission, voluntary contributions welcome.
Cast:
Fleudelise - Stéphanie Lessard
Dorabelle - Nadia Neiazy
Delphine - Natalie Petrarca
Fernand - Marc-André Pronovost
Guillaume - Vincent Ranallo
Don Alphonse - Charles Romualdo Brocchiero
Musical director and piano - Pascale Verstrepen
Staging by François Racine
Original idea, adaptation and texts - Nadia Neiazy
Presented by Productions Alma Viva, Opéra dans le Parc is produced in partnership with Notre Dame Des Arts (www.notredamedesarts.com/) and La Semaine des Arts/ Arts Week NDG.
photos@Tristan Brand 2016
Baritone Vincent Ranallo's singing career centers mainly around the concert stage and creation of contemporary works, as numerous contemporary composers, from Québec as well as from Europe, have been inspired by his voice.
Hailed for the beauty and depth of expression of his voice, as well as for the infectious sentiment inherent to his interpretation, he has been invited to perform with a steadily growing number of ensembles, at festivals in North-America and in Europe. In 2017, he was invited to create the barytone solo in Éric Champagne's Te Deum with the New England Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York.
His artistic approach is inspired by his experience in theater and dance, as he is trained in classical ballet by the Grand Ballets Canadiens and has had occasions to work with choreographers like Marie-José Cartier and Estelle Clareton.
His latest collaborations include a first recording of the sacred works by Québec composer Auguste Descarries, released by Espace XXI, as well as a monograph of Martin Lachance's music.
Belgium native Pascale Verstrepen started studying the piano with Ho Thi The Van in 1998. After obtaining her BA at the University of Québec in 2001, in the class of Pierre Jasmin, she continues in the master's program at Université de Montréal under Paul Stewart. She obtained for two consecutive years (2000/2001) the stipend for excellency Nicole-Junca.
Pascale started to play in the orchestra led by her father Gène Capri, les Cordes de Velours, as early as age 14, in her second year of playing the piano. Today she still works mainly as a collaborative pianist for singers and instrumentists.
Additionally to her work as an accompanist at the Rudolf Steiner School of Montreal, where she teaches music and choir singing in the sector for continuous studies, Pascale also conducts the music program at the Coeur-Immaculé-de-Marie parish and directs two choirs, Polumnia and Equi-Vox Montreal.
Canadian director François Racine has led a career as opera director and teacher for many years.
Named «Artist of the year 2008-09» by Seatle Opera, Mr. Racine received accolades for Cosi fan tutte with Pacific Opera Victoria and for his innovative interpretation of Dido and Aeneas in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 2010.
While a member of the Canadian Opera Company ùensemble, Mr. Racine assisted Robert Lepage on his productions of Erwartung and Bluebeard’s Castle, and later supervised and restaged performances at Edinburg, Hong Kong and Melbourne Festivals and later in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Cincinnati, Montreal, Quebec and Seattle.
François Racine has directed opera productions for Opéra de Montréal, the Festival Opéra de Québec, Seattle Opera, The Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opéra de Québec, La Jeune compagnie Opéra in La Chaux de Fonds, Swirzerland, Pacific Opera Victoria, Cincinnati Opera, the Edmonton Opera Association and the Vancouver Opera Festival.
As Opera Acting guest professor at l’Université de Montréal, François directed many operas and is now teaching the specialized acting class for singers.