Love at first sight! Puccini's world-famous melodies will resonate in the acoustics of Jewett. The story of struggling young artists in Paris has been updated to Paris of the 60's--one of the world's many revolutionary times. The opera is eternally youthful and full of poetry and wit. Sung in Italian with English words (Supertitles) projected above the stage.

This is the season for retro fashion--cars, shoes, dress, and now opera. La Boheme, one of the most beloved and famous operas in the repertoire, has a new look inspired by the radical spirit of Paris in the 1960's. It will be sung in the original language of Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage. Caldwell Fine Arts has presented this work in 1986 and 1992 when the setting was Paris in 1831. The audience will be swept away by this bittersweet tale of young lovers who boldly confront their circumstances with humor, passion, and camaraderie. Snatches of the music will be very familiar to every one because it is used in numerous commercials, performed by aspiring Miss Americas, and included in movies such as Moonstruck which featured Cher.

Placido Domingo, one of the world’s three great tenors, wrote recently in a national magazine:

Opera has enriched my life to an incredible degree-and I can only wish that more people would come under its spell. To this day I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when the final chords are played in La Boheme as the young man, Rodolfo, realized that his beloved Mimi has died. I am well aware that some people say they simply don’t like opera. I respect all opinions, except from those who won’t take the chance to have what might be a life-enriching experience. If people are afraid to be touched emotionally by the power of opera, then to my way of thinking, they are afraid of themselves. Opera is a complex staging of music, scenery, costumes, and lighting. To experience the magic, you must watch it in the company of others. You do not have to get dressed up to go, but you must be present because you cannot get the same effect from TV or DVD.

There are 16 singers: 5 women and 11 men who were chosen from hundreds of applicants for a coveted position with this tour group which includes musicians from Texas, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Georgia, Montana, Canada, New Zealand, Korea, Australia and Italy. Our cast features Karen Slack as Mimi. She is a member of the opera program at the Curtis Institute of Music where she has performed leading roles. She will be featured soon in A Little Night Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Rodolfo will be sung by Scott Scully from Houston. He graduated from the University of North Texas and made his professional debut with the Fort Worth Opera in 1998 and the Houston Grand Opera in 1999. Jennifer Black, Musette, is also a native of Houston. She received her degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Among many awards, she was a national finalist in the Metropolitan Opera 2000 auditions and is currently studying at Yale. Marcello, Quinn Kelsey, graduated from the University of Hawaii and has sung with the Honolulu Symphony and other music organizations in the islands.

The conductor Ari Pelto was one of four conductors selected to conduct the Seattle Symphony and one of nine finalists for the Atlanta Symphony. He was Assistant Conductor of the Spoleto Festival USA and the Indiana University Opera Theater. Our production has two piano accompaniment from Jeremy Frank of Glendive, Montana, and Daniele Piattelli, from Florence, Italy.

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Caldwell Fine Arts l 2112 Cleveland Blvd. l Caldwell, ID 83605 l cfa@collegeofidaho.edu
Sylvia Hunt: 208.454.1376 l Shirley Marmon: 208.459.3405

Copyright 2003 Caldwell Fine Arts