Virginia Opera 2017-18

Virginia Opera will stage its first productions of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Samson and Delilah” and Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in its 2017-18 season.

The company will continue its survey of Giacomo Puccini’s operas with a production of his only American-themed work, “The Girl of the Golden West.” The season concludes with Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.”

Rachele Gilmore, a soprano has performed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, will make her Virginia Opera debut as Lucia. Others in principal roles include Derek Taylor as Samson, Katharine Goeldner as Delilah, Jill Gardner as Minnie in “The Girl of the Golden West,” Heather Buck as Tytania and Matthew Burns as Bottom, both in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Adam Turner, Virginia Opera’s resident conductor, will lead the Saint-Saëns and Britten, with Andrew Bisantz conducting the Puccini and Ari Pelto conducting the Donizetti.

Productions are staged at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Arts Center in Richmond and the Center for the Arts of George Mason University in Fairfax.

Subscription ticket prices are $64.56-$372.72 in Norfolk, $66.36-$359.80 in Richmond. Subscription prices and information for Fairfax will be announced later.

For more information, call (866) 673-7282 or visit http://vaopera.org

Performance dates, venues and casting:

Sept. 29, Oct. 1 and 3 (Norfolk)
Oct. 7 and 8 (Fairfax)
Oct. 13 and 15 (Richmond)
Saint-Saëns: “Samson and Delilah”
Adam Turner conducting
Derek Taylor (Samson)
Katharine Goeldner (Delilah)
Michael Chioldi (High Priest)
Paul Curran, stage director
in French, English captions

Nov. 10, 12 and 14 (Norfolk)
Nov. 17 and 19 (Richmond)
Dec. 2 and 3 (Fairfax)
Puccini: “The Girl of the Golden West”
Andrew Bisantz conducting
Jill Gardner (Minnie)
Roger Honeywell (Ramerrez, alias Dick Johnson)
Lillian Groag, stage director
in Italian, English captions

Feb. 9, 11 and 13 (Norfolk)
Feb. 17 and 18 (Fairfax)
Feb. 23 and 25 (Richmond)
Britten: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Adam Turner conducting
Heather Buck (Tytania)
Matthew Burns (Bottom)
David Blalock (Lysander)
Michael Shell, stage director
in English, English captions

March 23, 25 and 27 (Norfolk)
April 7 and 8 (Fairfax)
April 13 and 15 (Richmond) 
Donizetti: “Lucia di Lammermoor”
Ari Pelto conducting
Rachele Gilmore (Lucia)
Joseph Dennis (Edgardo)
Kyle Lang, stage director
in Italian, English captions