{"id":44169,"date":"2025-07-06T20:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T20:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44169\/"},"modified":"2025-07-06T20:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T20:01:12","slug":"opera-neo-planning-trio-of-works-from-the-19th-20th-centuries-in-july-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44169\/","title":{"rendered":"Opera Neo planning trio of works from the 19th, 20th centuries in July \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since founding Opera Neo in San Diego in 2012, artistic director Peter Kozma continues to expand its boundaries as an international company dedicated to performing rarely produced baroque operas and classical works and offering professional performance opportunities for up-and-coming international singers.<\/p>\n

That tradition continues this month with the final three productions of the company\u2019s 2025 summer season.<\/p>\n

The season kicked off in May with a production of Vivaldi\u2019s 1733 work \u201cMotezuma,\u201d which was presented in mid-May at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego in Hillcrest.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe cast of Opera Neo\u2019s production of Vivaldi\u2019s \u201cMotezuma,\u201d presented in San Diego in May. (Gary Payne)<\/p>\n

There was also an aria gala concert on June 29 in La Jolla, and another concert of early 1900s French songs by composer Reynaldo Hahn is coming up July 11.<\/p>\n

The production season continued in June with Haydn\u2019s 1784 work \u201cArmida,\u201d which is the company\u2019s third co-production with the Hungarian State Opera. The first performances, featuring a cast and production team of Hungarian and American artists, was presented at the Eiffel Art Studios in Budapest. That production will now return home to San Diego for performances July 18 and 19 in downtown San Diego.<\/p>\n

The season will close at the end of this month with two outdoor performances of Donizetti\u2019s 1832 opera \u201cThe Elixir of Love\u201d at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa park.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at Opera Neo\u2019s upcoming shows for July. Tickets are on sale at operaneo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A French Salon with Reynaldo Hahn and Friends<\/p>\n

This summer recital will feature works by early 1900s French-Venezuelan composer Reynaldo Hahn and his contemporaries Duparc, Chausson, Saint-Sa\u00ebns, Chaminade, and Poulenc. The program will feature the Opera Neo\u2019s studio artists in two performances next weekend. The first is a solo concert in La Jolla followed by a concert and reception with hors d\u2019oeuvres and drinks, at a private home in Encinitas. Concert only at 7 p.m. Friday at La Jolla Woman\u2019s Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $10-$55. Concert and dinner, 6 p.m. July 13 in Encinitas (location will be sent with tickets). $315.75.<\/p>\n

\"VivienneVivienne Ortan and Tyrese Byrd in Opera Neo\u2019s production of Haydn\u2019s \u201cArmida,\u201d presented in June in Budapest, Hungary. (Gary Payne)
\nJoseph Haydn\u2019s \u2018Armida\u2019<\/p>\n

First presented in Budapest, Hungary, last month, this co-production with the Hungarian State Opera features Haydn\u2019s 1784 work \u201cArmida.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s named for the enchantress sent by the devil to seduce and destroy the Christian crusaders aiming to capture the city of Jerusalem. Brave knight Rinaldo falls in love with Armida, who returns his affections and refuses to kill him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaydn\u2019s Armida reminds me of an American \u2018indy\u2019 movie,\u201d said Andr\u00e1s Alm\u00e1si-T\u00f3th, the artistic director of Hungarian State Opera, who directed this production. \u201cWhile we know that part of the action is going on off-screen in the outside world, the main story is about the intense relationship between two people, all shot in a single living-room. For me, this opera is about the anatomy of a breakup.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a unique opportunity to bring this remarkable opera to life with our American colleagues \u2014 the last work that Haydn composed for his Hungarian patron and employer, Prince Eszterh\u00e1zy, before he moved to London,\u201d Alm\u00e1si-T\u00f3th said. \u201cIt is a beautiful piece of music and a very intimate and intensely dramatic work. A perfect opera for young singers to sink their teeth into and learn about themselves as human beings and performers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coproduction features costumes by Rich\u00e1rd M\u00e1rton and videos designed by Zsombor Czegl\u00e9di.<\/p>\n

Opera Neo\u2019s artistic director Peter Kozma conducts the production. He said the collaborations with HSO have been fruitful for his company, audiences and the young Hungarian and American singers who are performing in the shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs opera is a global art form, this collaboration is providing us with an ongoing benchmark and opportunities to exchange ideas with both young and established artists from across the Atlantic,\u201d Kozma said.<\/p>\n

The production features three Hungarian singers making their company debuts: tenor Botond P\u00e1l (as Rinaldo), mezzo-soprano Vivienne Ortan ( as Clotarco), and baritone Norbert Bal\u00e1zs (as Idreno). Two American singers are also making their Opera Neo debuts, tenor Tyrese Byrd (Ubaldo) and soprano Katherine Malone (Zelmira). They are joined by Opera Neo veteran Emily Helebrook who will sing the title role. 8 p.m. July 18 and 19. UC San Diego Park & Market, 1100 Market St., San Diego. $10-$75.<\/p>\n

\"AA scene from Opera Neo\u2019s 2024 production of Mozart\u2019s \u201cCosi fan tutte\u201d at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. The company returns to the outdoor venue later this month. (Gary Payne)
\n\u2018The Elixir of Love\u2019 by Gaetano Donizetti<\/p>\n

Donizetti\u2019s popular 1832 comedy is the story of a poor Italian villager named Nemorino who\u2019s in love with the beautiful but unobtainable woman named Adina. She rejects him and becomes engaged to another man, so Nemorino drinks a love potion supplied by a quack doctor hoping it will change her mind. Eventually Adina pledges her love for Nemorino, but not due to any potion. Nemorino has instead inherited a large fortune and becomes the most eligible bachelor in town.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis delightful summertime comedy is overflowing with beautiful melodies and earworm ensembles that make you feel like you are at a Broadway show,\u201d\u00a0 said Kozma, who is directing the production.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Elixir of Love\u201d will be Opera Neo\u2019s third fully staged production presented outdoors at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. The event will feature food and drinks for sale, open art galleries that audience members can visit during intermission and more. Kozma said the Spanish Village performances have become very popular with audiences because of their interactivity and location.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Spanish Village shows go straight to the heart of our mission,\u201d says Kozma. \u201cMeeting people organically where they are, with beautiful music, entertaining and thought-provoking staging, and a fun-filled, welcoming atmosphere \u2014 it\u2019s a magical thing to experience, and it\u2019s what Opera Neo is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production will be choreographed by Kareem Mack and will star four singers making their company debuts: soprano Alexandra Henderson as Adina, tenor Matteo Adams as Nemorino, baritone Andrew Payne as Belcore and soprano Abigail Baggott as Giannetta. Also joining the cast as the love doctor Dulcamara is returning baritone Revere Taylor. 8 p.m. July 25 and 26. Spanish Village Art Center, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park, San Diego. $5-$75.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since founding Opera Neo in San Diego in 2012, artistic director Peter Kozma continues to expand its boundaries…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1576,32310,171,3548,1370,5424,8738,3549,3550,7264,1072,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-44169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-classical-music","12":"tag-encinitas","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-la-jolla","15":"tag-latest-headlines","16":"tag-music-and-concerts","17":"tag-north-county","18":"tag-san-diego","19":"tag-san-diego-county","20":"tag-sandiego","21":"tag-things-to-do","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114808074079999705","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}