Orchestra Miami and Magic City Opera Celebrate Bernstein

Orchestra Miami and Magic City Opera join forces to perform two exciting masterpieces in honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday: Bernstein at 100: Trouble in Tahiti/Arias & Barcarolles.

Trouble in Tahiti, an opera in one act, is a candid portrait of the troubled marriage of a young suburban couple. With a little white house in the suburbs, Sam and Dinah are the perfect picture of a young couple in the 1950s – and they are both desperately unhappy. A clever and cutting libretto matched with a jazz-infused score, Tahiti delivers a candid and profound portrait of a couple longing for love and intimacy amidst the American dream.

Arias & Barcarolles, Bernstein’s last major piece, is a very personal song cycle composed for mezzo-soprano and baritone and is a poignant rumination on marriage, life and the nature of love. Both pieces will be performed by critically acclaimed American baritone Gabriel Preisser (as Sam in Trouble in Tahiti and baritone soloist in Arias & Barcarolles) and Caitlin McKechney (as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and mezzo-soprano soloist in Arias & Barcarolles). Also appearing as “The Trio” is mezzo-soprano Shanna Nolan Gundry, tenor Scott Bracken-Tripp and baritone Anthony Zoeller. The opera will be directed by Michael Yawney and conducted by Orchestra Miami’s Artistic Director Elaine Rinaldi with costume design by Lauren Constantine.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the world-wide Bernstein at 100 celebrations with these two terrific pieces” says Orchestra Miami Artistic Director Elaine Rinaldi. “These pieces are so personal for Bernstein- especially Arias & Barcarolles”. It’s a wonderful window into who he was as a person, not just as a composer”. Director Michael Yawney adds, “Bernstein's music packs an emotional punch because he writes about the feelings we all experience every day. Trouble in Tahiti and Arias & Bacarolles are about being a couple in today's America. They sing to us about the joy (and frustration) we all experience with our significant others.”

The performances take place on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at 8:00 PM at Pinecrest Gardens (11000 SW 57 Avenue, 33156) and Sunday, January 6, 2019 at 4:00 PM at the Alan & Diane Lieberman Theater at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC/Sanford L. Ziff Campus (18900 NE 25 Avenue, North Miami Beach, 33180) Tickets start at just $20 for the Pinecrest Gardens performance!

Join us for a special VIP Tahitian party! For $55, enjoy an exclusive pre-concert reception that will include complimentary drinks and light bites, including a signature Tahitian Rum Punch, featuring Miami’s original award-winning rum, Miami Club Rum, a post-concert meet-and-greet with the artists and premium seats to the performance!

Reserved Seating tickets for the Jan. 5th performance at Pinecrest Gardens are $20 (Rows L-M); $30 (Rows J-K); $40 (Rows E-H- Seniors receive 20% discount on this price level); $55 (Seniors receive 20% discount on this price level- includes the VIP events!). Reserved seating tickets for the Jan. 6th performance at the Alan & Diane Lieberman theater are $40 (rows F-L) and $55 (rows A-E, includes the VIP events).

There is free parking available at both venues, and the performance will last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets and information can be found at www.OrchestraMiami.org or call (305) 274-2103 or visit www.MagicCityOpera.org .

ABOUT ORCHESTRA MIAMI

Founded in 2006 by Artistic Director Elaine Rinaldi, Orchestra Miami exists to fill the unique cultural needs of our community, and is successfully fulfilling its mission of bringing affordable concerts of quality symphonic music to all people in Miami-Dade County. Orchestra Miami’s goal is to provide people opportunities to experience art, build community, and educate through music. Orchestra Miami’s signature programs include its “Beethoven on the Beach” free outdoor concerts, its “Discover Miami Through Music” series, its many collaborations with the Miami Dade County Public Schools and its new Family Fun Concert Series. Orchestra Miami consists of a select group of professional musicians, all permanent residents of South Florida, whose collective body is unparalleled in terms of excellence and experience. Led by Founder and Artistic Director Elaine Rinaldi, Orchestra Miami continues to exceed expectations in terms of programming and artistic quality. For more information, please visit our website at www.OrchestraMiami.org.

ABOUT MAGIC CITY OPERA

Magic City Opera, established in 2016, was formed to create experiential events that can entertain and educate South Florida audiences using the creative arts force, opera. Recognizing the social culture that the South Florida community thrives on, Magic City Opera focuses on creating short presentations, bookended with social events. MCO operates on the precept that less is more, limiting our presentations length to 90-minutes or less, allowing time for reflection, discussion, and socialization. We believe that an operatic presentation gives the audience the “High Five” of the creative arts: Music, Drama, Visual Art, Dance, and the Literary Arts. We endeavor to create performances that incorporate as many of the “High Five” as we can in each presentation, giving the audience an experience that will stay with them for a lifetime.