DIDO AND AENEAS Directed and Choreographed by Karole Armitage, Conducted by Nicole Paiement
Company:
Opera Saratoga
DIDO AND AENEAS Directed and Choreographed by Karole Armitage, Conducted by Nicole Paiement
Music by Henry Purcell
Libretto by Nahum Tate
A Site-Specific Production – Outdoors, Under the Stars
Presented in Partnership with the National Museum of Dance
PLEASE NOTE: This is a unique production, being staged on a specially constructed stage, outdoors, at the National Museum of Dance. Because the weather is unpredictable, for every performance date we have also scheduled two “rain dates.”
All tickets include admission to the wonderful exhibits at The National Museum of Dance, beginning at 7:00 PM. Seating is general admission, with seating beginning at 7:45 PM for the performance beginning at 8:15 PM.
Opera Saratoga is thrilled to present the first Baroque opera in the company’s history in a truly unique production under the stars! One of the earliest English operas, Dido and Aeneas is one of Purcell's foremost theatrical works. This heartbreaking opera recounts the love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for the Trojan hero, Aeneas, and her despair when he abandons her. The combination of exquisite vocal music and extensive use of dance has inspired many interpretations of the great score. Opera Saratoga has invited world-renowned choreographer and director Karole Armitage to create a very special site-specific production for Saratoga Springs that embraces the natural beauty and history of The National Museum of Dance located in Spa State Park. The production, conducted by Nicole Paiement in her Opera Saratoga debut, will feature Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Dido, along with the exquisite dancers of the ArmitageGone! Dance Company in what is sure to be one of the most talked about productions of the summer for dance and music lovers alike.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Monday, July 6, 2015
Rain Dates: Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Rain Dates: Monday, July 13 and Tuesday, July 14.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Rain Dates: Monday, July 20 and Wednesday, July 22.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Rain Dates: Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23.
All tickets include admission to the wonderful exhibits at The National Museum of Dance, beginning at 7:00 PM. Seating is general admission, with seating beginning at 7:45 PM for the performance beginning at 8:15 PM.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a unique production, being staged on a specially constructed stage, outdoors, at the National Museum of Dance. Because the weather is unpredictable, for every performance date we have also scheduled two “rain dates.” Ticket holders will receive information about notification procedures in the event that their performance needs to be postponed due to inclement weather. In the event that the performance must be temporarily postponed, your ticket will be honored on the specific rain dates indicated here. We are not able to provide a refund in the event that your performance date shifts due to weather. We recommend you hold not only your performance date, but also the rain dates indicated for that performance date, to ensure that you are able to attend this unique production.
PERFORMANCE VENUE
The National Museum of Dance
99 South Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
More notes on Karole Armitage:
Karole Armitage, director of the New York-based Armitage Gone! Dance Company, was rigorously trained in classical ballet. As a professional dancer she performed in Balanchine's Grand Théâtre de Genève Company and in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Armitage is renowned for pushing the boundaries to create contemporary works that blend dance, music and art to engage in philosophical questions about the search for meaning. She joins a legacy of process-focused experimental dance that embraces the ballet and modern dance heritage as well. She directed the Ballet of Florence. Italy (1995-99) and the Biennale of Contemporary Dance in Venice (2004), served as resident choreographer for the Ballet de Lorraine in France (1999-2004). She has created works for many companies form The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow to the Tasmanian Dance Company in Australia. She has choreographed two productions for the New York Philharmonic, directed opera at important European Opera Houses from Teatro di San Carlo in Naples to Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, two Broadway productions (Passing Strange and Hair, the latter earning her a Tony nomination), videos for Madonna and Michael Jackson, several films for Merchant Ivory productions and the Cirque du Soleil production Amaluna (2012). Ms. Armitage, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, was awarded Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's most prestigious award in 2009, and an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from the University of Kansas in 2013.
