Juilliard Opera Center Presents Verdi's "Falstaff" on Wednesday, April 22 and Friday, April 24 at 8 PM, and Sunday, April 26 at 2 PM in Juilliard's Peter Jay Sharp Theater

Production directed by Stephen Wadsworth features singers from the Juilliard Opera Center with Keri-Lynn Wilson conducting the Juilliard Orchestra

The Juilliard Opera Center (JOC) presents Giuseppe Verdi's comic opera Falstaff (libretto by Arrigo Boito) on Wednesday, April 22 and Friday, April 24 at 8 PM with a Sunday matinee on April 26 at 2 PM in Juilliard's Peter Jay Sharp Theater (155 West 65^th Street). The production features singers from the Juilliard Opera Center. Stephen Wadsworth directs the production, and Juilliard alumna Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts the Juilliard Orchestra.

Falstaff, which was Verdi's last opera, follows the adventures of Sir John Falstaff. Arrigo Boito's libretto is based on Shakespeare's play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and scenes from Henry IV. The premiere of the Falstaff took place in Milan at La Scala on February 9, 1893.

The cast features: Nicholas Pallesen as Falstaff, Jessica Klein as Alice Ford, Jennifer Zetlan as Nannetta, Rebecca Jo Loeb as Meg Page, Mariana Karpatova (JOC alumna and 1999 recipient of the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital) as Dame Quickly, Paul Appleby as Fenton, Paul LaRosa and Kelly Markgraf as Ford, John Andrew McCullough as Bardolfo, Benjamin Bloomfield as Pistola, and Ta'u Pupu'a as Dr. Caius. The New York Times says in its November 14, 2008 review of the Juilliard Opera Center's production of James Conlon's Trilogy: "The robust baritone Paul LaRosa is wonderful as the nimble-footed heavyweight duped by his wife, here the soprano Jennifer Zetlan in an effervescent portrayal." Paul Appleby was a finalist in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Tickets to Falstaff are $20 and available at the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office located in the lobby of Juilliard at 155 West 65^th Street. Half-price tickets for students and seniors are available only at the Box Office; TDF is accepted. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 6 PM. For further information, call (212) 769-7406 or go to www.juilliard.edu.

Director Stephen Wadsworth is the James S. Marcus Faculty Fellow at Juilliard and head of dramatic studies at the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artists Development Program. He has directed productions for the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Convent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, Nederlandse Opera, Edinburgh Festival, and in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Santa Fe. He made his Seattle Opera debut in 1985 with Janácěk's Jenůfa; other Seattle Opera credits include Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris and Orphée et Eurydice, Handel's Xerxes, and Wagner's Lohengrin, Fliegende Holländer, and the 2009 Ring.

Mr. Wadsworth recently conducted Agamemnon with Tyne Daly and Delroy Lindo at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles, and his productions of plays by Aeschylus, Shakespeare, Molière, Marivaux, Goldoni, Shaw, Wilde, and Coward, a number of which have played at Seattle Repertory Theatre (where he was an affiliate artist from 1998 to 2004), have established him as a master of the classical repertoire. He wrote the opera, A Quiet Place, with Leonard Bernstein, and served as dramaturg and director for the world premieres of Daron Aric Hagen's Shining Brow and Peter Lieberson's Ashoka's Dream. He has translated and adapted a number of works for the stage, including operas by Monteverdi, Handel, and Mozart, and plays by Molière, Marivaux, and Goldoni. Mr. Wadsworth was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his literary achievement as a writer and scholar on works of Molière and Marivaux.

Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson made her Los Angeles Opera debut conducting La Rondine in June 2008. She divides her conducting career between symphony orchestras and opera productions. In recent seasons, she conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony. She also made debuts at the Leipzig Opera with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in a new production of Madama Butterfly; the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago conducting Madama Butterfly; with the Toscanini Symphony in various Italian theaters conducting a new production of Rigoletto; and at the opening of the restored opera house in Ancona conducting a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor.

About Juilliard Vocal Arts

One of America's most prestigious programs for educating singers, The Juilliard School's Department of Vocal Arts offers young artists programs tailored to their talents and needs. From bachelor and master of music degrees to advanced artist diploma programs in voice and opera studies, Juilliard provides frequent performance opportunities, featuring singers in its own recital halls, on Lincoln Center's stages, and around New York City. In its nearly 77 year-history, Juilliard's opera department has presented numerous premieres of new operas as well as works from the standard repertoire.

Juilliard graduates may be heard in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world; diverse alumni artists include well-known performers such as Edie Adams, John Aler, Sasha Cooke, Jan DeGaetani, Faith Esham, Simon Estes, Lauren Flanigan, Renée Fleming, Nanette Fabray, Anthony Dean Griffey, Barbara Hendricks, Hei-Kyung Hong, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Michael Maniaci, Audra McDonald, Susanne Mentzer, Leona Mitchell, Leontyne Price, Florence Quivar, Neil Rosenshein, Risë Stevens, Tatiana Troyanos, Shirley Verrett, Veronica Villarroel, and Robert White, among others.

In February 2008, Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera announced a joint training program to identify and educate the finest young opera singers and accompanists, preparing them for careers in the world's great opera houses. The newly-named Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in Partnership with The Juilliard School was announced by Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager, and Joseph W. Polisi, President of Juilliard. Met Music Director James Levine will serve as the program's Artistic Director, and Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of Juilliard Vocal Arts, will serve as Executive Director. The program begins with the 2010-2011 season.

FOR LISTINGS:

FALSTAFF

Music by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Arrigo Boito

Featuring singers from the Juilliard Opera Center and the Juilliard Orchestra

Wednesday, April 22 and Friday, April 24 at 8 PM

Sunday, April 26 at 2 PM

Juilliard's Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65^th Street

Director: Stephen Wadsworth

Conductor: Keri-Lynn Wilson

Set Designer: Derek McLane

Costume Designer: Sam Fleming

Lighting Designer: David Lander

Cast:

Falstaff: Nicholas Pallesen

Alice Ford: Jessica Klein

Nannetta: Jennifer Zetlan

Meg Page: Rebecca Jo Loeb

Dame Quickly: Mariana Karpatova (JOC alumna)

Fenton: Paul Appleby

Ford: Paul La Rosa and Kelly Markgraf (Mr. La Rosa will be performing on 4/24 and 4/26. Mr. Markgraf will be performing on 4/24.)

Bardolfo: John Andrew McCullough

Pistola: Benjamin Bloomfield

Dr. Caius: Ta'u Pupu'a

Tickets are $20 and available at the Janet and Leonard Kramer Box Office at Juilliard, located at 155 West 65^th Street, or through CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500. Half-price tickets available for students and seniors; TDF accepted only at the Box Office.