The Elixir of Love

August 6-20, 2022
McCaw Hall

Overview

The Opera is back, and experiencing the live show
is the best elixir of all.”

–The Seattle Times

Music by Gaetano Donizetti; Libretto by Felice Romani

Love, laughs, and liquor. Utterly enjoyable from first sip to last, this fizzy concoction is opera’s most winning comedy. A lovestruck bumpkin is about to lose the company of a rich and independent landowner. Crossing paths with a quack doctor, he soon gets duped in more ways than one. Wine, a windfall, and a fateful “furtive tear” eventually reveal happy truths as sincerity triumphs amid much rejoicing.

Don't miss this new-to-Seattle production set in the 1940s! Plus, enjoy the debuts of four-internationally renowned singers performing Donizetti's bubbly bel canto including the famous tenor aria "Una furtiva lagrima." Main floor tickets start at $35 for every performance.

Performance Information

McCaw Hall

Evening performances at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM

In Italian with English subtitles

Performance Time: 2 hours 40 minutes with intermission

Movie-Style Rating: PG

Content Advisory

Trailer

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Reviews

This is exactly what opera fans need right now.”

–The Seattle Times

A true crowd-pleaser with a plot that wouldn’t look out of place in a Netflix rom-com.”

–Crosscut

Everything you hope for in a comic opera: great conducting and singing, memorable arias, clever staging, and a lot of laughs.”

–SGN

Impeccable orchestra as always (spoils me for other companies), great chorus, sensitively conducted.”

–Sam P. via Facebook

A perfect introductory piece for the curious and the new.”

–Eclectic Arts

Just phenomenal, top-tier talent on this show.”

–Converge Media

Cast

Salome Jicia

Adina

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2021/22: Adina, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Zugdidi, Georgia
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Desdemona, Otello (Opéra Royal de Wallonie); Bianca, Bianca e Fernando (Opera di Genova); Countess Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro (Bolshoi Theatre); Norma, Norma (Het Concertgebouw and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg); Giselda, I Lombardi alla prima crociata (Opéra Royal de Wallonie); Fiorilla, Il turco in Italia (Opéra de Lausanne)

Last Updated: June 2022

Salome Jicia

Adina

Seattle Opera Debut
Aug. 6, 7, 12, 14, 17, & 20

Andres Acosta

Nemorino

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Nemorino, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Miami, FL
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Tony, West Side Story (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari); Edgardo, Lucia di Lammermoor (Madison Opera); Jasper, Snowy Day (Houston Grand Opera); Herald, Don Carlos (The Metropolitan Opera); Timothy, Fellow Travelers (Florida Grand Opera); Mr. Rodriguez, Awakenings (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis)

Last Updated: June 2022

Andres Acosta

Nemorino

Seattle Opera Debut
Aug. 6, 14, & 20

Amitai Pati

Nemorino

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Seattle Opera Debut: Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (’22)
Engagements: Ferrando, Così fan tutte (English National Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (San Francisco Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival); Tamino, Die Zauberflöte (Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier, San Francisco Opera); Alfredo, La traviata (Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Opera national du Rhin); Roméo, Roméo and Juliette (Opéra de Rouen Normandie, Savonlinna Opera Festival) Anichino, Beatrice di Tenda (Opéra National de Paris)

Last Updated: February 2024

Amitai Pati

Nemorino

Seattle Opera Debut
Aug. 7, 12, 17

Rodion Pogossov

Belcore

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Papageno, The Magic Flute

Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Seattle Opera Debut: Belcore, The Elixir of Love (’22); Raimbaud, Count Ory (’16)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Escamillo, Carmen (’19)
Engagements: Dandini, Cinderella (LA Opera); Don Geronio, Il turco in Italia (Glyndebourne Festival); Jaroslav Prus, The Makropulos Case (Malmö Opera); Figaro, Barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Regio Turin); Fra Melitone, La forza del destino (Royal Opera House); Papageno, Zauberflöte (Glyndebourne Festival)

Last Updated: December 2023

Rodion Pogossov

Belcore

Aug. 6, 7, 12, 14, 17, & 20

Luca Pisaroni

Dulcamara

Bass-Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Dulcamara, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Busseto, Italy
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Alidoro, Cinderella (Opéra national de Paris); Leporello, Don Giovanni (San Francisco Opera); Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro (Opéra national de Paris); Henry VIII, Anna Bolena (Opernhaus Zürich); The Four Villains, The Tales of Hoffmann (Staatsoper Hamburg); The King of Scotland, Ariodante (Bolshoi Theater)

Last Updated: June 2022

Luca Pisaroni

Dulcamara

Seattle Opera Debut
Aug. 6, 7, 12, 14, 17, & 20

Tess Altiveros

Giannetta

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Papagena, The Magic Flute

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: Clorinda, The Combat (’17)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Nana/Market #1/Wajma, A Thousand Splendid Suns (’23); Giannetta, The Elixir of Love (’21, ‘22); Female Soldier, The Falling & The Rising (’19); E, O+E (’18)
Engagements: Mimì, La bohème (Intermountain Opera); Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Idaho); Soldier, The Falling & The Rising (Des Moines Metro Opera, Arizona Opera, Intermountain Opera, Opera Memphis); Soloist, Mozart C Minor Mass (Seattle Pro Musica)

Last Updated: January 2024

Tess Altiveros

Giannetta

Aug. 6, 7, 12, 14, 17, & 20

Creative Team

Giampaolo Bisanti

Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Conductor, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Milan, Italy
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Conductor, The Elixir of Love (Opéra national de Paris); Madame Butterfly (Opéra du Monte-Carlo); Macbeth (Wiener Staatsoper); Macbeth (Teatro alla Scala); Adriana Lecouvreur (Teatro alla Scala); Falstaff (Wiener Staatsoper)

Last Updated: June 2022

Giampaolo Bisanti

Conductor

Seattle Opera Debut

Stephen Lawless

Stage Director

At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Stage Director, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Warrington, England
Seattle Opera Debut: Stage Director, The Elixir of Love (’20)
Engagements: Stage Director, Roberto Devereux (San Francisco Opera and Los Angeles Opera); Peter Grimes (Theater Magdeburg); The Marriage of Figaro (L’Opéra de Montréal and Cincinnati Opera); Manon Lescaut (The Grange Festival); The Turn of the Screw (Theater Lübeck)

Last Updated: June 2022

Stephen Lawless

Stage Director

Seattle Opera Debut

Ashley Martin-Davis

Set & Costume Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Set Designer and Costume Designer, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: London, England
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Set Designer, Macbeth (Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia & Royal Danish Opera); Set Designer, Julius Caesar in Egypt (Theater an der Wien); Costume and Set Designer, Macbeth (Opéra de Dijon); Set Designer, Owen Wingrave (Theater Lübeck); Set Designer, Le nozze di Figaro (Theater Lübeck)

Last Updated: February 2022

Ashley Martin-Davis

Set & Costume Designer

Seattle Opera Debut

Thomas C. Hase

Lighting Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2022/23: Lighting Designer, The Elixir of Love

Hometown: Madison, WI
Seattle Opera Debut: Lighting Designer, The Barber of Seville (’00)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Lighting Designer, Rigoletto (’14); Il trovatore (’10); I puritani (’08); La bohème (’07)
Engagements: Lighting Designer, Powder Her Face (Nederlandse Reisopera); Castor and Patience (Cincinnati Opera); Aida (Cincinnati Opera); Peter Grimes (Teatro La Fenice); Woman with Eyes Closed (Opera Philadelphia); Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi (San Diego Opera)

Last Updated: June 2022

Thomas C. Hase

Lighting Designer

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master

Chorus Master

Hometown: Muscatine, IA
Seattle Opera debut: The Elixir of Love (’22)
Michaella Calzaretta made her Seattle Opera debut in 2022 as the company’s new chorus master and head of music staff. Acclaimed for her high standards and superb preparation skills, Calzaretta oversees all musical activities at the company and prepares the chorus for main stage productions. In January, the chorus embarked on their immensely successful first-ever tour to Mt. Vernon and Vashon Island. Recent praise includes “Her chorus was one of the stars... the voices were radiant” (Bachtrack) and “... the singers are both zesty and accurate (they’re also extremely nimble)” (The Seattle Times). Calzaretta is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at Indiana University.

Last Updated: July 2024

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master

Seattle Opera Debut

Orchestra, Chorus, & Additional Artists

Orchestra

Violin I
Eduardo Rios, Concertmaster
Jennifer Bai, Assistant Concertmaster
Ceclilia Poellein Buss
Timothy Garland
Mikhail Shmidt
Jeannie Wells Yablonsky
James Garlick
Adrianna Hulscher
Caitlin Kelley
Dawn Posey

Violin II
Kathleen Boyer, Principal
Natasha Bazhanov, Asst. Principal
Brittan Breeden
Linda Cole
Xaio-po Fei
Artur Girsky
Blayne Barnes
Sol Im

Viola
Mara Gearman, Principal
Timothy Hale, Asst. Principal
Wesley Dyring
Sayaka Kokubo
Daniel Stone
Allison Farkas

Cello
Meeka Quan DiLorenzo, Principal
Eric Han, Asst. Principal
Vivian Gu
David Sabee
Charles Jacot
Sarah Rommel

Bass
Jonathan Burnstein, Principal
Todd Larsen, Asst. Principal
Sam Casseday

Flute
Jeffrey Barker, Principal
Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby

Oboe
Mary Lynch VanderKolk, Principal
Stefan Farkas

Clarinet
Emil Khudyev, Principal
Sean Osborn

Bassoon
Seth Krimsky, Principal
Paul Rafanelli

Horn
Jeffrey Fair, Principal
Jenna Breen

Trumpet
Alexander White, Principal
Christopher Stingle
Michael Myers

Trombone
Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, PrincipalDavid Ritt
Keith Winkle

Timpani
Rob Tucker, Principal

Percussion
Gunnar Folsom, Principal
Blaine Inafuku

Harp
Valerie Muzzolini, Principal

Keyboard
Philip A. Kelsey, Principal

Personnel Manager
Liz Kane

Assistant Personnel Manager
Keith Higgins

Rotating members of the string sections are listed alphabetically. The Orchestra is composed of members of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Chorus

Sopranos
Jennifer Campbell
Carissa Castaldo
Karen Early Evans
Dana Johnson Robbins
Ellaina Lewis
Linda Mattos
Ibidunni Ojikutu
Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox
Shelly Traverse
Lyndee White

Mezzo
ELorraine Burdick
Erica Convery
YeonSoo Lee
Rachelle Moss
Elizabeth Peterson
Susan Salas
Heidi Vanderford
Lucy Weber

Tenors
DuWayne Andrews, Jr.
Andrew Etherington
James Galbraith
Anthony James
Ian Loney
German Mendoza
Karl Reyes
Stephen Wall

Bass/Baritone
Craig Garreston
Craig Grayson
Glenn Guhr
Ben Kramer
Zachary Martin
Julian Reisenthel
Jonah Spool
Revere Taylor

Supernumeraries

Henry Brown
Abby Chao
Preston Chao
Leo Clayton
George Counts
Kate Good-Smith
Jasmine Hall
Mark Hartman
Connie Hayashi
Luther M. Hintz
Jaime Jamison
Kalani Koth
Daniel Lathrop
Jeff Parker
Kevin Swantek
Geoff Tamble
Estella Wu

Photos & Videos

Listen to the Music

Articles

Conductor Giampaolo Bisanti in Conversation

Italian conductor Giampaolo Bisanti has been praised for his musical knowledge and passion. In this interview, Giampaolo shares his affection for Donizetti’s music, the influence of his grandmother, working with Christina Scheppelmann, and a new passion—earning his pilot’s license.

A Conversation with The Elixir of Love Director Stephen Lawless

English stage director Stephen Lawless was 19 years old when he started his career. He has worked all over the world on the most prestigious stages. This is his first production at Seattle Opera. Learn how Stephen got his start, what he remembers about 9/11, which titles he has not directed, and if he’s a Liverpool or Manchester soccer fan.

Season Sponsor

James and Sherry Raisbeck

Young Singers Season Sponsor

Maureen and Richard Swanson

Production Sponsors

Barbara Stephanus
Kreielsheimer Foundation

Artist SPONSORS

Eulalie Schneider — Salome Jicia

22/23 Season

The Elixir of Love
Tristan & Isolde
Samson & Delilah in Concert
A Thousand Splendid Suns
La traviata

Explore the Season

The Elixir of Love

Overview

Performance Information

Performance Information

Movie-Style Rating: PG

Have a Promo Code?

Trailer

Subscribe Today

COVID Safety

Reviews

Cast

Creative Team

Orchestra, Chorus, & Additional Artists

Orchestra

Chorus

Supernumeraries

Photos & Videos

Listen to the Music

Articles

Conductor Giampaolo Bisanti in Conversation

A Conversation with The Elixir of Love Director Stephen Lawless

Season Sponsor

Young Singers Season Sponsor

Production Sponsors

Artist SPONSORS

22/23 Season

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