Lyric Opera of Virginia is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
company based in the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...
. Its leader is Peter Mark, who was the Artistic Director of the
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia which was first organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers.
The company presented its first productions in 1975, and in the following four decad ...
for 36 years.
Although Mark's contract with Virginia Opera was set to expire at the end of May 2012, the Virginia Opera's executive committee terminated Mark on November 18, 2010.
[ In 2003, Virginia Opera's board assigned Mark's administrative leadership duties to Paul A. "Gus" Stuhlreyer, leaving Mark with the titles of music director, artistic director and principal conductor.][ On January 9, 2011, Mark, Edythe Harrison, and others announced the formation of a competing opera organization to be called "Lyric Opera of Virginia."]La Traviata
''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...
'', Rogers and Hammerstein's ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...
'', and an abridged production of ''Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'' at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts is a $47.5 million performing arts theater with 1,308 seats located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States in Virginia Beach Town Center, Town Center. Commonly known as the S ...
in Virginia Beach, the Center for the Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University (CNU) is a public university in Newport News, Virginia. It was founded in 1960 and is named after Christopher Newport, captain of Susan Constant, one of the ships which carried settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, Jam ...
in Newport News, the Landmark and Carpenter Theatres in Richmond, and a venue in Northern Virginia. The first season's budget was $2.5 million.[ In 2013 the company staged ]Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's ''Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'' in honor of the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth.
References
External links
Official Lyric Opera of Virginia Website
{{opera-company-stub
Musical groups established in 2011
American opera companies
Fairfax County, Virginia
Culture of Norfolk, Virginia
Music of Richmond, Virginia
Music of Virginia