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The Livermore Valley Opera is ready to welcome its performers back to the stage live and in-person for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic with its “Celebrate!” operatic ensemble shows this weekend at the Bankhead Theater.
Taking place Oct. 9 and 10, the performances represent the start of the 30th anniversary season for the Tri-Valley’s nonprofit professional opera company.
“‘Celebrate!’ is a unique, live gala-concert and the perfect opera experience for all ages,” artistic director Erie Mills said in a statement.
“Celebrate! An Evening of Favorite Operatic Ensembles” will feature recognizable LVO singers and ensembles performing pieces from productions of “Carmen”, “The Magic Flute”, “The Barber of Seville”, “Madame Butterfly”, “La Boheme”, “Lakme”, “The Merry Widow”, “Der Rosenkavalier” and “La Traviata.”
The performers will include Marie Plette, Liisa Dávila, Shawnette Sulker, Nikola Printz, Molly Mahoney, Alex Boyer, Thomas Cilluffo, Eugene Brancoveanu and Robert Mellon.
Maestro Alex Katsman will conduct the orchestra. Ensemble numbers will be sung in their original languages with English supertitles.
The “Celebrate!” performances will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 9) and at 2 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 10) in the Bankhead Theater in downtown Livermore. Tickets range from $20 to $95; visit www.LVOpera.com.
The traditional Opening Night Dinner event (with separate ticket purchase required) will be held at nearby Uncle Yu’s at the Vineyard with check-in and welcome reception starting at 5 p.m. Oct. 9.
The Bankhead Theater requires proof of vaccination for indoor performances.
Founded in 1992 to present live professional opera in the Tri-Valley, Livermore Valley Opera will produce a fully staged opera — Verdi’s “Otello” — over two weekends in March 2022 at the Bankhead to culminate its 30th anniversary season.
The nonprofit is fresh off winning The American Prize in the Professional Opera Division three weeks ago for its ambitious double-bill production on the eve of the pandemic in March 2020: Alexander von Zemlinksy’s “A Florentine Tragedy” and Giacomo Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.”
