Hillman Opera brings popular operetta ‘Die Fledermaus’ to Fredonia in November
Combining elements of comedy, mistaken identities, and romantic entanglements to create a light-hearted and entertaining story, “Die Fledermaus,” remains one of the most popular operettas in the world.
It will come to life on the stage of King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia when the Hillman Opera presents performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11.
Tickets are $25 for the General Public; $10 in advance or $15 at the door for Students, and can be purchased 24/7 online, or by calling the Fredonia Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501. Ticket office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Die Fledermaus” – “The Bat” in English – was composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée. Hillman Opera Producer Donald Marrazzo said “Die Fledermaus” is considered “one of the great musical, comedic, and theatrical masterpieces of the Romantic Period.”
“Written and premiered in 1874, it is an enduring operetta filled with an incredible amount of intelligence, charm, and fun,” Dr. Marrazzo said. “The plot centers around a practical joke gone awry that results in nearly everyone on stage operating under false pretenses and false identities.”
He describes “Die Fledermaus” as “a treasure trove of sparkling and memorable musical gems.”
“The overture is one of the richest in its genre; the Act II waltz is one of the most recognizable pieces in the history of music and the arias, duets, trios, and choruses are some of the most beautiful in the repertory,” Marrazzo said. “‘Die Fledermaus’ is a piece for the ages.”
Marrazzo is making his debut as the producer of the Hillman Opera after joining the faculty of the Fredonia School of Music as assistant professor of Voice and director of Opera Studies.
“I joined the team at SUNY Fredonia in late August and I'm so happy to be here,” Marrazzo said. “The university and the village itself are very special - there is a strong sense of community and an incredible amount of goodwill amongst the administration, faculty, and students. I have the good fortune of having [SUNY] Distinguished Teaching Professor Julie Newell - who was the Hillman Opera producer for a number of years - as a colleague here and that is truly inspiring. Not only does Julie have a long and distinguished history with Hillman Opera, she also had a first-rate singing career. To have the opportunity to discuss the history of Hillman Opera - and to brainstorm ideas for the future - with Julie is a rare privilege.”
Approximately 250 people are involved in bringing the Hillman Opera semi-staged production to King with cast, chorus, orchestra, artistic staff, production team and backstage crews. “There are so many ‘moving parts’ in producing an opera or operetta, that many people are indeed involved. It takes a village,” Marrazzo noted.
The highlights will be many, the producer noted.
“We have a wonderfully talented all-student cast, chorus, and orchestra who will be performing under the baton of Fredonia's outstanding new Director of Orchestral Activities, Dr. Emily Schaad,” Marrazzo said. “Our stage director for this production, [SUNY] Distinguished Teaching Professor Paul Mockovak, has created a staging that is incredibly smart, charming, and fun, and our production team has designed and built beautiful sets. All of these elements combined are sure to give our audiences a highly entertaining and unforgettable experience.”
The principal cast members are a group of wonderful student singers who originally hail from various parts of New York State and Pennsylvania.
The operetta is double cast with Friday night principal performers including Ashley Zielezinski, junior, Music/Voice major, from Buffalo, NY, as Rosalinda; X'Zaya Ivy, senior, Music Performance/Voice, from Rochester, NY, as Adele; Daniel Novak, senior, Music Education/Voice, from Lakeview, NY, as Gabriel von Eisenstein; Adrian Otero, sophomore, Music Education/Voice, from Long Island, NY, as Dr. Falke; and Nicholas Mango, senior, Music Education/Voice, from Long Island, NY, as Alfred.
Saturday night principal performers include Leah Curran, senior, from Rochester, NY, as Rosalinda; Ben Deschner, junior, Music Performance/Voice, from Newtown, PA, as Gabriel von Eisenstein; Nova Kowalski, senior, Music/Voice, from Parish, NY, as Adele; Jackson Kelly, sophomore, Music Education/Voice, from Amherst, NY, as Dr. Falke; and Theodore Van De Ven, junior, Music Education/Voice, from Saratoga Springs, NY, as Alfred.
Other cast members, in addition to the chorus, include Esther Duclair and Eunmi Hwang as Sally; Anna Evans and Jess Hall as Prince Orlofsky; Brendan Mathewson and Dominic Townsend as Frank; Lucas Cochran as Dr. Blind; Delaney Jessica Gruber as Frosch, and Gunnar Nowicki as Ivan.
Marrazzo hopes audiences will be able to “leave the stresses of daily life behind for a couple of hours and simply enjoy the incredible music and good humor” that the Hillman Opera production will offer.
“I'm very excited to share with our audiences the abundance of talent we have at SUNY Fredonia, and I hope we can create a memorable experience for everyone who attends.” Marrazzo said. “A colleague of mine once said ‘music really distills the essence of life, and true art is really what makes life worth living’ - I agree completely!”
“Die Fledermaus” is sponsored by Gugino & Ryel Financial as part of the 2023-24 Lake Shore Savings Season.
