Arts at the Palace is pleased to present three virtual opera experiences this spring, curated especially for our audiences. This series is for opera fans and “newbies” alike—we promise you’re in for a treat!
—-THE IMPRESARIO—-
Enigma Chamber Opera presents Mozart’s The Impresario or We Get Locked Down but We Get Up Again or Live from the Meta
WATCH
GET YOUR TICKETS:
It’s free to view! Enigma Chamber Opera decided not to charge, as they are keen to spread some laughter and light relief in these dark days. (Though, of course, if you’d like to support them, you’ll find a link for donations on that YouTube page.) But most importantly, just enjoy! There are subtitles available—at the bottom right of the YouTube viewing screen, you’ll see a “cc” button. Click that to turn on closed captioning. You’ll also find a synopsis in the box below the viewing screen; click “SHOW MORE” and you’ll get the full cast list, synopsis, etc.
JOIN
SATURDAY, APRIL 10TH AT 1 PM ON ZOOM
Chat with Kirsten Z. Cairns of Enigma Chamber Opera, as well as members of the cast and creative team of The Impresario, available to watch free right now on YouTube! Arts at the Palace’s board member Anna Labykina will moderate this free informal Q&A discussion—all are welcome! Please email director@artsatthepalace.org to register for a Zoom link.
Enigma Chamber Opera Founder and Artistic Director Kirsten Z. Cairns has staged works throughout the US and in the UK, working with groups including UMKC’s Conservatory, Longy School of Music, The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Dartmouth University’s Glee Club, Opera del West, Opera North, Trinity Church Boston, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As Resident Stage Director for Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series, Cairns’ productions included three world premieres. Her work has been described in the press as “so good you want to see it again, right away” and “astounding, phenomenal, superb.”
Also joining the conversation will be Peter A. Torpey, Media Designer; Simon Robson, Script Writer and ‘Sir Nick Hall’; Rebecca Shannon Butler, Costume Designer, and Matthew DiBattista, Music Director and ‘Judas Angel’! We are so delighted to introduce these artists to our community!
ABOUT
Established at the end of 2019, Enigma Chamber Opera had just completed their debut production (Britten’s The Turn of the Screw) when the world went into lock down. Undeterred, they began to plan a remote show. Artistic Director Kirsten Z Cairns had always been intrigued by Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario)—she was struck by how modern and relevant the text seemed, telling the comic tale of the struggles faced when trying to stage an opera. In 2020, those struggles included a whole new set of challenges; so Cairns hit upon the idea of creating a new version of The Impresario, exploring (and trying to see the funny side of!) the trials of artists in isolation. “A lockdown opera for the Covid Age,” as the script tells us!
Collaborating with brilliant media designer Peter Torpey and script writer Simon Robson (who also plays the lead role), Cairns developed her idea, to incorporate an entirely new script and libretto—but retaining the story structure, characters, and wonderful music from the Mozart original. Enigma’s resident costume designer worked with the incredible cast to create the various looks for all the characters, and over the late summer of 2020 the production was filmed—all without any two team members ever being in the same room!
Arts at the Palace’s Let’s Go to the Opera! artist conversations about The Impresario and Gallo are made possible by a grant from the CNY Arts COVID-19 Arts Impact fund.
