St. Martin's Lutheran Church
Austin, TX

LOLA and Panoramic Voices present a new staging of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

Love, Sorcery, and tragic opera, what better way to spend Valentine’s Day Weekend!  LOLA (Local Opera Local Artists) and Panoramic Voices (both Austin Critics Table Award Winners) present Henry Purcell’s stunningly beautiful baroque masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas (late 17th century). This first collaboration from two Austin art institutions fuses brilliant operatic talent, chamber orchestra, chorus, and choreography to depict the timeless tale of Dido, Queen of Carthage, caught between her duty to marry the Trojan Prince Aeneas, solidifying the political power of Carthage, and the desires of her heart, further complicated by an opposing and powerful sorceress. Music Direction by Brent Baldwin, Stage Direction by Rebecca Herman, and Choreography by Erica Gionfriddo.

This cast includes Ivy Cantu making her LOLA and Panoramic Voices debut as Queen Dido and the powerful well-established baritone David Small in the role of Aeneas. Two sopranos will be making their debuts: Jihee Han making her LOLA and Panoramic Voices debut as Belinda, Dido’s confidant and Natalie Howard making her LOLA debut as the Sorceress with a vendetta. Rounding out the cast are mezzo Julie Silva as  Second Woman, soprano Mary Kettlewell as First Witch, mezzo Jessica Blau as Second Witch, tenor Jeffrey Jones Ragona as The Sailor, and countertenor Holt Skinner as The Spirit.

In addition to Purcell’s work, a premier of Forgiveness by Austin-based choral composer Carlos Alberto Cordero Garcia, featuring soprano Katrina Saporsantos will be performed prior to the opera. This piece is a commission by Panoramic Voices.

Running time for Dido and Aeneas – Approximately 60 minutes