Opening the program of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the composer’s death, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Washington National Opera present a special preview of Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville debuting on April 28th at the Kennedy Center.
Artistic Director Peter Kazaras will take you inside the composer’s mind and into the history and social context of the opera, explaining the behind the scenes of this revival of Rossini’s delightful comedy – one of the most beloved opera masterpieces of all time, boasting uproarious laughs and sensational music in equal measure.
The program will also feature musical performances with bass Paolo Bordogna (Dr. Bartolo), bass Wei Wu (Don Basilio), and baritone Andrei Zhilikovsky (Figaro), including the iconic and notoriously challenging aria “Largo al factotum“. The artists will be accompanied by pianist Joel Ayau.
presented in collaboration with
LOCATION
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
REGISTRATION & PHOTO ID REQUIRED
DOORS OPEN 30 MINUTES PRIOR EVENT START-TIME
Due to new safety regulations, we are not allowed to add extra seats to the auditorium or let anyone stand. A registration is not a guarantee of a seat as these are assigned on a first-come first-served basis.
RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH EVENTBRITE. NO PHONE OR EMAIL RSVP AVAILABLE
About WNO
Founded in 1956 as a modest but intrepid ensemble known as the Opera Society of Washington,Washington National Opera (WNO) is today one of America’s largest opera companies. WNO draws inspiration from a rich legacy built on the values of artistic excellence, engagement with a broad community, and a thriving future for the art form of opera and its audiences. As an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO performs fall and spring seasons in the 2,200-seat Kennedy Center Opera House. WNO also offers performances on Millennium Stage and at other venues at the Center and throughout the city, and offers training, educational, and enrichment programs year-round.
Peter Kazaras
Stage Director Peter Kazaras currently serves as Director of Opera UCLA. Previously, he was the Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program. Earlier in his career, he received worldwide acclaim as an operatic tenor, performing at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Vienna, among many others. This season, Mr. Kazaras will be directing The Barber of Seville with Washington National Opera. In future seasons, he is slated to return to Dallas Opera.
In addition to his work at UCLA, Mr. Kazaras recently directed La bohème for Los Angeles Opera, The Dallas Opera, and Washington National Opera; The Consul and the world première of An American Dream for Seattle Opera; Cendrillon for The Julliard School; The Rape of Lucretia and a double-bill of Gianni Schicchi/The Medium for the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera; and the world première of a revised version of An American Tragedy for The Glimmerglass Festival. Additionally, he was invited to give master classes for the Washington National Opera Young Artists and Glimmerglass Opera.
Andrei Zhilikovsky
Moldovan baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky studied choral conducting at the Stefan Nyaga Musical College in Chișinău, Moldova. Whilst at college he also studied as a vocalist and upon graduation, was granted a place at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, St Petersburg.
He was a finalist in the St. Petersburg International Vocal Competition (2007) and a prize-winner of the Obraztsova International Competition for Young Singers (2009) and the Maria Bieshu International Vocal Competition.
He performs at houses including Teatro Municipal de Santiago Chile, Opera de Paris, Icelandic Opera and the Bolshoi to name a few. His performances of Barbiere will mark his American debut.
Paolo Bordogna
Paolo Bordogna is an internationally renowned bass-baritone. He studied with Roberto Coviello, Katia Ricciarelli and Bianca Maria Casoni at the “Accademia Internazionale di Desenzano” and with M° Alberto Zedda at the “Accademia Rossiana” in Pesaro. In 2000 he won the “Caruso” Competition and in 2006 he received the “Bastianini Award.”
His expansive baritone range and acting skills have led to performances of over 50 roles from 16th Century to the contemporary era and he has been in most demand for his speciality in Bel Canto and buffo roles.
Outside of his native Italy, Paolo Bordogna has performed in ROH Covent Garden, Opèra de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, Real de Madrid, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Wexford Opera Festival, Liceu de Barcelona, Sydney Opera House, Valencìa Palau des Arts, Washington National Opera, Moscow, Nice, Las Palmas, Festival de Strasbourg, Bilbao, and Marseille.
Wei Wu
A native of China, bass Wei Wu recently made his company debut with the Santa Fe Opera, as Kobun in the world premiere production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Upcoming engagements this season include a return to Washington National Opera, singing Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and he joins the West Virginia Symphony in concert for Verdi’s Requiem. Last season, the bass’s performances included Timur in Turandot with Pittsburgh Opera and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with NCPA Beijing, and he covered Gualtiero Walton in I Puritani for the Metropolitan Opera. On the concert stage, he joined the Kansas City Symphony and Choral Arts DC for the Mozart Requiem, and appeared with Washington Concert Opera as Phanuel in Hériodade. Mr. Wu’s 2015-2016 season included engagements singing the Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila at the NCPA Beijing, Bonze in Madama Butterfly with North Carolina Opera in his company debut, Father Trulove in The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera, and the Ghost of Nino in Washington Concert Opera’s production of Semimirade. In his final year as a member of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, his role assignments included covering the role of Zuniga in Carmen, and Wilcox in the World Premiere of Better Gods. In his first season with Washington National Opera, Mr. Wu has made his debut in the world premiere production of The Lion, The Unicorn and Me as the Inn Keeper, Lizard, Ox and The Shepherd, and he also appeared in Breaking, part of the American Opera World Chinese Initiative. He has also appeared in The Magic Flute as the Second Armored Man at the Kennedy Center. Mr. Wu received his B.M. in Vocal Performance from the People’s University of China, Beijing, and received his Performance Certificate and M.M. in Voice Performance at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Joel Ayau
Pianist, conductor, teacher, and coach Joel Ayau enjoys an astonishingly diverse musical career. A recent graduate of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program of the Washington National Opera, he has also worked on the music staff of companies including Opera Memphis, Wolf Trap Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, the Castleton Festival, Toledo Opera, Aspen Opera Theater Center, and Music Academy of the West. In the 2017-2018 season, he will serve as an assistant conductor for the Washington National Opera productions of Aida, The Little Prince, and The Barber of Seville, as well as La Cenerentola at Portland Opera. As a pianist, Mr. Ayau has excelled in the fields of both instrumental and vocal accompanying. Described as “zesty” and “energetic” by the New York Times, he has performed instrumental recitals with luminaries including David Halen, Charles Neidich and principal members of the Vienna Philharmonic, National Symphony, and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has accompanied legendary singers such as Andrea Bocelli, Frederica von Stade, and George Shirley, as well as rising stars including Alyson Cambridge, Zach Borichevsky, and Kathryn Lewek, in venues including Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and National Concert Hall in Taipei. Mr. Ayau is a regular performer at many of the venues at the Kennedy Center; his recent performances of the Ben Folds Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, accompanying the Nashville Ballet in the Kennedy Center Opera House, were praised as “a worthy spectacle” by DC Theatre Scene. Mr. Ayau holds the Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Michigan in Collaborative Piano, having studied under renowned pedagogue Martin Katz. He earned a Masters in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School, and bachelors degrees from New York University in Computer Science and Piano Performance. He is a regular guest professor at George Washington University and several universities in Taiwan. From 2011 – 2014, he served as pianist for the United States Army Chorus, performing for foreign dignitaries and audiences around the country.