State Repertory Opera Presents "The Marriage of Figaro" at Montclair State University

One of Mozart’s most beloved operas, The Marriage of Figaro (La Nozze di Figaro) will be presented by the State Repertory Opera (SRO) of New Jersey on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 2:00 pm in Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State University. This semi-staged production is a collaboration between SRO and the Society of Musical Arts (SOMA) orchestra of Maplewood, NJ. Dita Delman, the company’s Artistic Director, has put together a young, energetic and talented cast which is accompanied by the SOMA orchestra of outstanding musicians from the NY/NJ metropolitan area, conducted by Stephen Culbertson. The Stage Director is Stephanie Godino, of the Joffrey Ballet School.

A charming, but profound comedy, The Marriage of Figaro (K.492) is based on one of three plays by Pierre Beaumarchais and set to exquisite music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The original play (preceded by The Barber of Seville) reflects changing social attitudes in France before the Revolution. The opera was first performed in 1786. For this performance, the 18th century setting has been transported to contemporary times in the Hamptons on Long Island. The SRO cast brings the opera to life with many themes relevant to the 21st century – love, philandering, seduction, jealousy, political intrigue, and more – ultimately climaxing in repentance and forgiveness. The opera is a favorite of seasoned operagoers and a perfect first opera for those new to the art form.

The time-frame for the action is less than 24 hours on the day of and immediately following the actual wedding. Who knows what the real wedding would have been like! “Figaro” has to be considered as one of the handful of “perfect” works of art (let’s not limit ourselves to opera), where the music, libretto, characters and story come together to create an experience that is at times, funny, poignant, clever, touching, funny (again), socially aware, forward-thinking, melancholy, ironic, and finally, the happy outcome. Perfect!

An easily-overlooked feature of the opera is the way the orchestra interacts with individual characters and the plot. The performance recalls the Greek-chorus, emphasizing underlying emotions and commenting on the text. Mozart was not the first composer to advance this idea. But, as with his symphonies and concertos, he raised the standard to a completely new and sublime level of expression.

The cast members of “The Marriage of Figaro” hail from New Jersey, with two principals from New York, all with significant opera résumés.

Figaro---Wayne Hu (East Hanover)

Susanna---Yekaterina Gruzglina (Morristown)

Count---Mark Fitzgerald Wilson (South Orange)

Countess---Natalie Polito (New York)

Marcellina---Katy Sumrow (Parsippany)

Basilio---Shawn Bartels (Union)

Antonio---David Honeryager (Springfield and teaches at Millburn Middle School)

Cherubino---Chloe Schaaf (New York)

Bartolo---Zack Rabin (New York)

Barbarina---Samantha Dango (Cranford)

NJ State Repertory Opera's primary purpose and mission remain today what they were in 1975 when it was founded -- to help diverse New Jersey audiences experience excellent opera performances on this side of the Hudson, sung by young New Jersey residents who will be tomorrow's luminaries in the opera world. Under the guidance of founder and Artistic Director Dita Delman (Newark native and opera/oratorio soloist), SRO has distinguished itself through the presentation of operas rarely seen in the metropolitan area and its refreshing interpretations of established classics. For further information please visit: http://njsro.weebly.com/the-marriage-of-figaro.html.

The Society of Musical Arts orchestra was founded in 1981 by New Jersey’s well-known master violin teacher, Samuel Applebaum, to offer opportunities for both amateur and professional musicians to present classical music for local audiences in Maplewood. The organization has flourished for the last 6 years under the baton of Maestro Stephen Culbertson, who has conducted over 35 orchestras, opera productions, and ballet companies in Europe and the U.S. A strong advocate of American music as both a conductor and a publisher, he co-founded Subito Music Publishing in 1993 and is currently president of Subito Music Corporation, located in Verona, NJ. For further information please visit: http://www.soma.ar88.net/.

Tickets are $50 each, $40 for seniors and $30 each for groups of 10 or more. Advance tickets can be purchased online at http://njsro.weebly.com/the-marriage-of-figaro.html or call (973)763-7969 for reservations. For more information please visit: info@njsro.com.