Juilliard Opera Presents Francesco Cavalli’s Erismena, Bringing the Original English Translation to New York City for the First Time

NEW YORK, February 1, 2024––Juilliard Opera presents Francesco Cavalli’s Erismena on February 21, 23, and 25 in the Willson Theater at Juilliard. Erismena dates to the early Baroque era—it premiered in Venice in 1655—and is thought to be the first full-length opera to be translated into English. Dutch-Peruvian artist Lisenka Heijboer Castañón, who was Juilliard’s Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts opera directing fellow during the 2019-20 season, returns to make her Juilliard directing debut with this production. Avi Stein conducts Juiliard415, the school’s period instrument ensemble.

“Cavalli’s Erismena is a masterpiece from the Venetian Baroque that is too little performed in the United States,” says Brain Zeger, artistic director of Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. “Because it was also originally performed in London, we have the rare chance to present it in a contemporary English translation, highlighting the theatricality and immediacy for a New York audience.”

Juilliard Opera’s production of Erismena marks the first time that the original English translation will be sung in New York. A true ensemble piece, the cast consists of nine singers. 

Three internal performances for the Juilliard community take place on Wednesday February 21 at 7:30pm; Friday February 23 at 7:30pm; and Sunday February 25 at 2 pm. The  February 25, performance will be livestreamed to the public at juilliard.edu/calendar via Juilliard LIVE, the school’s free digital platform, which provides access to performance livestreams and programming from the music, dance, drama, and preparatory divisions. 

Media tickets are available on request.

Program Details

Juilliard Opera Presents Erismena
Music by Francesco Cavalli

Wednesday, February 21 | 7:30pm
Friday, February 23 | 7:30pm
Sunday, February 25 | 2pm* 
Juilliard’s Meredith Willson Theater, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023

*The Sunday, February 25 performance will be livestreamed at juilliard.edu/calendar. Juilliard LIVE is available on a web browser or on a TV, tablet, or smartphone through the Apple iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV apps; Android and AndroidTV are coming soon.

Avi Stein, Conductor
Lisenka Heijboer Castañón, Director
Sung in English with English supertitles
Juilliard415

Creative Team and Cast
Scenic and Costume Designer: Julian Crouch
Lighting Designer: Mary Ellen Stebbins
Dramaturg: Ligiana Costa
 
Erimante.             Tutti cast
Diarte                   Younggwang Park
Erismena             Tivoli Treloar
Agrippo                Dongwei Shen
Orimeno              Geun-hyeong Han
Aldimira               Song Hee Lee
Flerida                 Gemma Nha
Alcesta                Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha
Erineo/Idraspe     Stephanie Bell
Clerio                   Kate Morton

Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts was established in 2010 by the generous support of Ellen and James S. Marcus. 

This production is partially sponsored by Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon.

Juilliard Historical Performance is grateful for endowment support from the Sidney J. Weinberg Foundation.

Juilliard's full-scholarship Historical Performance program was established and endowed in 2008 by the generous support of Bruce and Suzie Kovner.

This program is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York.

Juilliard’s lead digital sponsor is Bloomberg Philanthropies.

 

About the Artists

About Lisenka Heijboer Castañón

About Avi Stein

About The Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts
One of America’s most prestigious programs for educating singers, Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts offers young artists programs tailored to their talents and needs. From bachelor and master of music degrees to an advanced Artist Diploma in Opera Studies, Juilliard provides frequent performance opportunities featuring singers in its own recital halls, on Lincoln Center’s stages, and around New York City. Juilliard Opera has presented numerous premieres of new operas as well as works from the standard repertoire.

Juilliard graduates can be heard in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world; alumni artists include such well-known performers as Simon Estes, Renée Fleming, Leontyne Price, Risë Stevens, Tatiana Troyanos, and Shirley Verrett. Recent alumni include Paul Appleby, Julia Bullock, Sasha Cooke, Isabel Leonard, Erin Morley, Susanna Phillips, and Erin Morley.

About The Juilliard School
Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors, composers, choreographers, and playwrights from around the world so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Led by President Damian Woetzel since 2018, Juilliard is guided in all its work by the core values of excellence; creativity; and equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB). Juilliard is committed to enrolling the most talented students regardless of their financial background.
 
Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). Currently more than 800 artists from 43 states and 44 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 700 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the country, and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division, including its Music Advancement Program (MAP), which serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 800 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K-12 educational curricula as well as pre-college and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China.
 

juilliard.edu | @juilliardschool

CONTACTS:

Allegra Thoresen
[email protected]

Image: The Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts presents Dido and Aeneas, directed by Mary Birnbaum, and conducted by Avi Stein featuring Juilliard415, on February 18, 2019, in the Meredith Willson Theater. 

Photo by: Rosalie O'Connor Photography, courtesy of Juilliard 

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