MOF20 Brings Mozart To Midtown

Opera Memphis returns to Playhouse on the Square for Midtown Opera Festival 2020, and this year it's all about Mozart! Anchored by the comedic opera Così fan tutte, this year's festival will include new fringe events like Mozart After Dark, Bastien & Bastienne, and Mozart: Lost and Found - a concert with Memphis Symphony Orchestra - as well as classic favorites like Cartoons & Cereal and the Closing Cast Party. Tickets are on sale now at www.operamemphis.org or 901.257.3100.

Love and relationships are powerful inspirations for many opera masterpieces, and Così fan tutte is no exception. Young Ferrando and Guglielmo and their fiancés Dorabella and Fiordiligi swear absolute trust, fidelity, and devotion to each other as they prepare to walk down the aisle... That is until the astute Don Alfonso presents the young men with an opportunity to test the bonds of love. Will Ferrando and Guglielmo choose to open this Pandora's box on their relationships? Can their sweethearts surmount the challenges that they would inevitably face? Or will it all come crashing down upon them like so many tiers of wedding cake? With an exuberant cast of old favorites and new faces and under the direction of General Director Ned Canty and Music Director Michael Sakir, this opera is sure to leave you laughing and contemplating the nature of love.

"Così fan tutte the very first opera I ever directed, and remains one of my all-time favorites," says Opera Memphis General Director Ned Canty. "Its blend of broad comedy, dark satire, and raw emotion as a way to explore issues of love, fidelity, and consent would find a natural home today as 'prestige television'--one more reminder that the great artists illuminate the heart of humanity in ways that defy time or place."

The cast for Così fan tutte is small but packs a punch. Helen Hassinger, and Philip Himebook join Handorf Company Artists, Jake Stamatis and Tahanee Aluwihare, as the fateful lovers. Himebook, Stamatis, and Aluwihare were all recently seen on stage in Opera Memphis's production of Puccini Double Bill: Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi. Sharin Apostolou makes her Memphis debut as the clever maid, and Memphis favorite Darren K. Stokes steps into the role of the charismatic Don Alfonso.

In addition to the timeless classic, Così fan tutte, Opera Memphis is bringing other lesser-known Mozart pieces to center stage at Midtown Opera Festival 2020. Music Director Michael Sakir and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra partner to present Mozart: Lost and Found - a concert of Mozart's lost, forgotten, and unfamiliar pieces, paired with his recognizable Eine kleine nachtmusik. Mozart After Dark will give audience members a tantalizing taste of Mozart's most --ahem-- mature songs and excerpts (so mature, in fact, that this is a 21 and older event). Opera Memphis's McCleave Fellow in Directing, Bethania Baray, will also direct a Mozart opera, Bastien & Bastienne, for the Festival. This short piece was composed by Mozart when he was only 12 years old and tells a tale of love with a side of cocktails. For a full list of all Fringe Events, visit www.operamemphis.org/mof20.

Midtown Opera Festival 2020 runs March 28 - April 4 at Playhouse on the Square, with performances of Così fan tutte on March 28 and April 4 at 7:30PM. For tickets and more information, visit www.operamemphis.org or call the Opera Memphis Box Office at 901.257.3100.