Palm Beach Opera is excited to announce the cast for its 2023 Season, which features famed opera artists from around the world in performances of “Madama Butterfly,” “Così fan tutte,” and “Falstaff” at the Kravis Center.
Following up on the company’s memorable 60th anniversary season, Palm Beach Opera’s 2023 opera titles are among the world’s most popular and performed operas. The highly-anticipated 2023 Season will present Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Jan. 20-22, Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” on Feb. 24-26, and for the first time in company history, Verdi’s “Falstaff” on March 24-26.
“We are thrilled to present our community with another season of extraordinary live opera,” said PBO’s General and Artistic Director, David Walker. “All three operas feature captivating sets, unforgettable music, and incredible singers from around the world.”
On Jan. 20-22, Palm Beach Opera will open the season with the iconic and sweeping “Madama Butterfly.” Acclaimed Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro will lead the orchestra, and American stage director Alison Moritz, known for her innovative interpretations, will lead the cast. Sharing the role of Cio-Cio-San are sopranos Jennifer Rowley, last seen at PBO as Hanna in “The Merry Widow,” and Toni Marie Palmertree (Jan. 21), who will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this fall. Rowley will also be marking her role debut in this production. Starring as Pinkerton will be tenors Jonathan Burton and Robert Watson (Jan. 21), both recent PBO artists. Burton performed as Don José in PBO’s “Carmen” earlier this year, and Watson, a former Benenson Young Artist, performed as Canio in the company’s 2021 Festival performance of “Pagliacci.” Mezzo-soprano Renee Tatum, celebrated for her “gleaming vocalism” by Opera News, will perform as Suziki, and baritone Troy Cook, who recently debuted at London’s esteemed Royal Opera House, will sing the role of Sharpless. Montanaro, Mortiz, Palmertree, Tatum, and Cook will all mark company debuts in this production.
On Feb. 24-26, PBO will present Mozart’s intriguing “Così fan tutte,” a brilliant and sophisticated comedy of twin romances. PBO’s Chief Conductor David Stern will lead the orchestra, and Fenlon Lamb, who directed PBO’s “The Elixir of Love” to critical acclaim, returns to lead the cast. Hailey Clark, hailed by Opera News for her “warm and effortless” soprano, will sing the role of Fiordiligi, and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey—winner of the Glyndebourne Opera Cup and world-famous Operalia competition—will perform as Dorabella. Rising Houston Grand Opera star Thomas Glass will perform as Guglielmo, and American baritone Dennis Jesse, who performed in Des Moines Metro Opera’s 2018 Emmy-winning broadcast performance of “Billy Budd,” will perform as Don Alfonso. Former PBO Benenson Young Artist Duke Kim, last seen at PBO as Camille de Roussillon in “The Merry Widow,” will return as Ferrando, and Seattle Opera star Madison Leonard will debut as Despina. Hankey, Glass and Jesse will also mark house debuts in this production. Glass, Kim, Leonard, and Hankey are all former winners of the esteemed Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition.
On March 24-26, Palm Beach Opera will present a company debut of Verdi’s Shakespeare-inspired “Falstaff.” Returning to PBO in this production are renowned conductor Antonello Allemandi and director Garnett Bruce, who worked together in PBO’s celebrated “Carmen” earlier this year. Returning for his eighth Palm Beach Opera production, Michael Chioldi will perform the title role. Recognized by The New York Times for her “powerful, gleaming” voice, soprano Amber Wagner will return as Alice Ford. A regular at Lyric Opera of Chicago, mezzo-soprano Lauren Decker will mark her company debut as Mistress Quickly, and Andrew Manea, who performed as Count Danilo in PBO’s recent “The Merry Widow,” will return as Ford. Last seen at Palm Beach Opera as Gilda in “Rigoletto,” Andrea Carroll will perform the role of Nannetta. Returning Benenson Young Artist Meridan Prall, who performed as the Sorceress in PBO’s 2021 “Dido and Aeneas,” will return as Meg Page.