Dayton Opera, Dayton Ballet take the stage with classic works

Soprano Chloé Olivia Moore will portray the titular role. Moore returns to Dayton Opera following her last performance as slave girl Liu in the 2018 production of “Turandot.” Her Dayton Opera credits include Leila in 2015′s “The Pearl Fishers” and Nedda in 2016′s “I Pagliacci.” Known for her vocal dexterity from depth to speed, she has been praised by The Washington Post for her “clarion” voice with “a wealth of shades.”

Tenor Matthew Vickers will appear opposite Moore as Alfredo. He made his Dayton Opera debut as Rodolfo in 2019′s “La Bohème.” He particularly received his vocal training from the young artist programs at Virginia Opera, Sarasota Opera and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Opera Now hailed him as “a gutsy performer whose glowing tenor voice has interestingly dark, baritonal undertones.”

In the role of Alfredo’s manipulative father Germont, bass-baritone Kenneth Shaw returns to Dayton Opera for the 16th time. He has sung over 70 leading roles in over 50 operas with opera companies across the country and around the world.

Supporting roles will be offered by mezzo-soprano Christina Hazen as Violetta’s close friend Flora, baritone Samuel Kidd as Violetta’s admiring protector Baron Douphol, tenor Manfred Anaya as Alfredo’s friend and nobleman Gastone, baritone Bradley Mattingly as Flora’s lover Marquis d’Obigny, soprano Maya Vansuch as Violetta’s loyal maid Annina, and bass-baritone Benjamin Smolder as Violetta’s attentive doctor Dr. Grenvil.

The 90-minute, intermission-less production, featuring lighting design by John Rensel, will have stage direction by Johnathon Pape, who last directed Dayton Opera’s 2018 production of “Turandot.” His Dayton Opera credits include 1999′s “Carmen,” 2000′s “Don Giovanni” and 2001′s “The Barber of Seville.” In 2011, Pape notably joined the faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he serves as director of opera studies, and in 2017, he instituted the Boston Conservatory Summer Opera Intensive, a three-week training program in Valencia, Spain.

In addition, Verdi’s score will be supervised by Patrick Reynolds, DPO associate conductor. The orchestra will be on stage for this concert-style performance in a socially-distanced configuration. The opera will be sung in Italian with English surtitles.

There are three viewing options for patrons: In-theater performance tickets are $50 per performance; live stream performance tickets to be viewed Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m. in the comfort of home in real time are $25; and a virtual stream membership begins at $100. For more information, call Ticket Center Stage at 937-228-3630 or visit online at daytonperformingarts.org.

Enchanting ‘Cinderella’ at Victoria Theatre

Dayton Ballet presents Sergei Prokofiev’s beautiful, enchanting “Cinderella” Friday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24 at 3 p.m., and Sunday, April 25 at 3 p.m. at the Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton.

Considered one of the most widely-regarded pieces in the ballet repertoire, “Cinderella” premiered in 1945, five years after Prokofiev began composing the score.

“I see Cinderella not only as a fairy tale character, but also as a real person, feeling, experiencing, moving among us,” he said in “101 Stories of the Great Ballets” by George Balanchine and Francis Moon.

Dayton Ballet artistic director Karen Russo Burke originally choreographed this production in 2013. The organization will offer a condensed presentation, slated to run 70 minutes with no intermission.

There are three viewing options for patrons: In-theater performance tickets are $50 per performance; live stream performance tickets to be viewed Saturday, April 24 at 3 p.m. in the comfort of home in real time are $25; and a virtual stream membership begins at $100. For more information, call Ticket Center Stage at 937-228-3630 or visit online at daytonperformingarts.org.

Contact this contributing writer at rflorence2@gmail.com.