 
Lucia di Lammermoor
(Dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti)
August 7th * Sunday * 2 PM
Mercedes Edwards Theatre
902 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA
Romance, wars and feuds, folklore and mythology intrigue audiences and pique interest in the history and culture of Scotland. The famous sextet ranks as one of the finest pieces of dramatic music in all opera. Lucia’s “mad scene” is considered the showpiece of coloratura sopranos, with effective recitatives and brilliant solo lines.
Così fan tutte
(Opera Buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
August 14th * Sunday * 2 PM
Mercedes Edwards Theatre
902 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA
The 2011 summer opera festival finale meets Mozart in Austria for the fully staged opera Cosi fan tutte (Opera Buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and considered around the country as the 2011 opera of the year) originally set in Naples. Così fan tutte, literally means "Thus do all [women]" but it is often rendered as "Women are like that". It was performed 1790 then not peformed in Vienna during Mozart's lifetime, then considered risque. After World War II, it reemerged in the standard operatic repertoire and now appears as one of the most-performed operas worldwide.
The Bonner Auditorium
2011 Summer Opera Festival Series at the Fresno Art Museum
California Opera’s annual Summer Opera Festival continues this weekend – meet and greet the artists traveling to Fresno from around the world to entertain, educate, enlighten and enjoy the friendship and following of Festival Fans. This summer, Festival Fans journey around the world as Festival Artists highlight diverse cultural traditions of opera from East to West.
Enjoy live, fully staged opera at the MET (Mercedes Edwards Theatre) in Clovis on August 7th and 14th. Visit the Fresno Art Museum for the Free Summer Opera Series at the Bonner Auditorium, sponsored by the Bonner family Foundation, starting this weekend. Patrons of any of the Free Summer Opera Series at the Bonner Auditorium will receive a VIP Pass to attend the August 7th and 14th performances at the MET.
July 29th
Festival Artists Showcase
Friday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
Meet and greet opera festival performers, youth through those professional artists who have traveled around the world from countries including China, Japan, Korea, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Canada and the United States to share their talents with the Fresno community. Opera Artists present their signature works and enjoy food, fun and fellowship with family, friends, and fans!
July 30th
A Night in Asia
Saturday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
Starting the summer’s international world tour in Asia, an evening featuring new and returning festival artists of China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan gift patrons with songs of their homelands. Complimenting the evening is an encore performance by the 2010 cast of the Madama Butterfly performance tour, that was praised for it’s outstanding ensemble, ingenious staging, and exceptional casting, creating a realistic portrayal of the infamous characters that moved us all.
July 31st
Bluebeard’s Castle
Sunday, 2 PM
2233 North 1st Street
The opera festival travels to Hungary for Bartok’s only opera. The psychologically thrilling folk tale from Béla Bartóktakes place as Judith (British Soprano Angelina Billington) leaves her previous life to be with Bluebeard (Baritone Nicolaus Schiffman) in his castle as his newest bride. Upon entering the castle she notices that dark aura and seven locked doors. She insists on knowing what is hidden behind the doors so Bluebeard reluctantly gives her a key to each. He begs her not to open the last two doors, but her curiosity soon prevails. The electric duo of Billington and Schiffman has been described by critics as "sizzle on stage" but this year's duo transforms the stage into a dark and sinister world.
August 5th
Destination Deutschland
Friday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
On this summer’s international journey, the tour stops in Germany - among other features of the evening, Festival artists highlight Die tote Stadt (German translation - The Dead City) that premiered in 1920, when composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, at 23 years old, had two other one-act operas already to his name. The success of his earlier works was so great that Die tote Stadt was subject to fierce competition among German theaters for the right to the world premiere. One of the greatest hits of the 1920s, the work was banned by the Nazi régime due to Korngold’s Jewish ancestry, then fell into obscurity until recent revival.
August 6th
An Evening in Memory
Saturday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
Each year, California Opera honors those beloved members, patrons and performers who departed throughout the year. Continuing the summer opera’s international tour, set in a pearl-fishing village in Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka), French composer Bizet’s “other opera” The Pearl Fishers (Original French title: Les Pêcheurs de perles) is a highlight of the evening, sharing a story about choosing friendship over the love of a woman and a priestess who prays for the safety of the pearl fishers.
August 7th
Sunday, 2 PM
Lucia di Lammermoor
Mercedes Edwards Theatre
902 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA
The opera festival stops in Scotland for the fully-staged dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Romance, wars and feuds, folklore and mythology intrigue audiences and pique interest in the history and culture of Scotland. The famous sextet ranks as one of the finest pieces of dramatic music in all opera. Lucia’s “mad scene” is considered the showpiece of coloratura sopranos, with effective recitatives and brilliant solo lines. Complimentary VIP Passes will be made available to all audience members of any of the Bonner Auditorium Summer Opera Series events.
August 12th
From Sea to Shining Sea
Friday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
From Broadway to the American Opera Stage, festival artists showcase their favorite American works of musical theatre, operetta, and American opera composers. Bright young artists with exceptional musical theater talent perform from their best loved great American productions, as veteran opera artists bring audiences a slice of the 20th century American opera experience.
August 13th
Festival Finale
Saturday, 7 PM
2233 North 1st Street
The concluding program of the Bonner Auditorium Summer Opera Series, the evening stops in Italy honoring the Grand Opera works of Giuseppe Verdi, including highlights of Othello, Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera and Don Carlos, celebrating the culminating summer accomplishments of featured festival artists, under the direction of internationally acclaimed trainers and directors.
August 14th
Cosi fan tutte
Sunday, 2 PM
Mercedes Edwards Theatre
902 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA
The 2011 summer opera festival finale meets Mozart in Austria for the fully staged opera Cosi fan tutte (Opera Buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and considered around the country as the 2011 opera of the year) originally set in Naples. Così fan tutte, literally means "Thus do all [women]" but it is often rendered as "Women are like that". It was performed 1790 then not peformed in Vienna during Mozart's lifetime, then considered risque. After World War II, it reemerged in the standard operatic repertoire and now appears as one of the most-performed operas worldwide.
Complimentary VIP Passes will be made available to all audience members of any of the Bonner Auditorium Summer Opera Series events.
Please Call 225-6737 (CAL-OPERA) for additional details.
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