la traviata

June 27 & 28, 2024 | 7:30 pm
june 30, 2024 | 3:00 pm
Music Hall • springer auditorium

Music by Giuseppe Verdi 
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

Sung in Italian with projected English translations

What would you do for love?

Alfredo wants to be with Violetta, but love can mean different things. Alfredo toasts to true love and affection that endures, while Violetta celebrates desires that are fun, free, and fleeting. Persuaded to try another way of life, she agrees to stop playing games. But old habits die hard. Featuring one of opera’s ultimate soprano roles, La Traviata explores the passions and pitfalls of the heart. Will Violetta find love that lasts, before it’s too late?

Note: In this production of La Traviata, the story unfolds in the vibrant atmosphere of 1920s Paris, known for its cultural revolution and societal shifts. The characters, including Violetta, engage in behaviors that reflect the cabaret culture of the era, such as smoking, occasional drug use, and gender fluidity. Portrayals are tastefully handled within the boundaries of personal identity, avoiding explicit content.

NEWS & REVIEWS

Cincinnati Business Courier: “A superb cast of singers soared in the leading roles, and the updated production was tantalizing. In addition, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s playing of Verdi’s tuneful score was sublime under the baton of rising Italian conductor Lorenzo Passerini.”
Read the review >>

CityBeat: “The score is one of Verdi’s most appealing: heartbreaking melodies, of course, but also raucous drinking choruses and virtuosic arias … [Evans] Mirageas says he hopes the traditional production will be enhanced by director Trevore Ross’s exploration of secondary characters who can be seen as Violetta’s family.”
Read the story >>

90.9 WGUC: “Cincinnati Opera presents La Traviata”
Listen to the interview with Evans Mirageas here >>

PRODUCTION PHOTOS

Cast & Creative Team

Violetta Valéry – Gilda Fiume
Alfredo Germont – Santiago Ballerini
Giorgio Germont – Anthony Clark Evans
Flora Bervoix – Taylor-Alexis Dupont
Gastone de Letorières – Demetrious Sampson, Jr.
Baron Douphol – Mike Young
Marquis d’Obigny – Thomas Dreeze
Doctor Grenvil – Samuel Smith
Annina – Tanya Harris
Messenger – Ivan Griffin
Conductor – Lorenzo Passerini
Stage Director – Trevore Ross
Scenic Designer – Desmond Heeley
Costume Designer – Chad Phillips
Lighting Designer – Thomas C. Hase
Wig and Makeup Designer – James Geier
Chorus Master – Henri Venanzi
Choreographer – Yoshihisa Arai

Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, and Cincinnati Opera Chorus

DISCOVER MORE

Opera Insights
Enhance your La Traviata appreciation with a pre-curtain talk one hour before each performance in Music Hall's Corbett Tower. Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, provides a 30-minute overview and insights into the opera's history, music, and production. Free to all ticket holders. No reservations required.

Digital Program
Learn more about the artists, read the synopsis, and more. Read more >>

Director’s Notes: Don’t Forget Me
“Central to my vision was the reversal of Violetta’s place among her peers. Instead of being viewed as an outcast of society, she is surrounded by a curated group of individuals, each in their own way marginalized or ostracized by societal norms.” Read more >>

listen

watch

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Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, sat down with conductor Lorenzo Passerini at the villa on the banks of Lake Como where Verdi composed La Traviata, to talk about what makes it so special.

Meet the Composer

production sponsor

HARRY and LINDA FATH

performance sponsors

This production is owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a generous and deeply appreciated gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation of Marshalltown, Iowa.
Original production staged by Frank Galati.
Production design by Desmond Heeley.

Original illustration of “La Traviata”: © Daria Petrilli - Licensee Chiara Roilo