Look a Pharaoh in the Eye. New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera Presents Verdi's Grand Opera, Aida.
The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera (Verismo Opera) presents the splendor of Giuseppe Verdi's grand opera, Aida, featuring an international cast, on April 17, 3:00 p.m., at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey.

FORT LEE, NJ, March 23, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera of Fort Lee (Verismo Opera), the only professional grand opera company in North Jersey, presents Giuseppe Verdi's grandest opera, Aida, on April 17, 3:00 p.m., at the BergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.

Verismo Opera presents this epic story of a bitter love triangle set in ancient Egypt with an international cast, including Canadian Sharon Azrieli Perez and Ukrainian Galina Ivannikova, joined by Canadian director/soprano Evelyn La Quaif. Under Artistic Director Lucine Amara, one of the Metropolitan Opera's finest performers and interpreters of Aida, and La Quaif, Verismo Opera brings this epic, dramatic love story to the stage with great pageantry, opulence and a large cast in full costume.

The renowned, late designer Camillo Parravicini created the traditional sets depicting ancient Egypt. Principal Conductor and Music Director, Anthony Morss, conducts the full Verismo Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

"Having sung the role of Aida several times at the Metropolitan Opera and throughout the world, this production spotlights powerful personal relationships that are played out before the audience's eyes -- the passion between Aida and Radames and the fear and longing between Amneris and Radames. While other productions are presented with two-dimensional characters, Verismo Opera's rendition brings to the stage REAL characters," explains Lucine Amara.

Aida Cast
Soprano Sharon Azrieli Perez makes her Verismo Opera debut as Aida for the first time. Hailed as a "mistress of merry inflection and piquant words" by Andrew Porter of the New Yorker Magazine, Azrieli Perez recently performed four concerts for the prestigious Orford Music Festival in Quebec. This past October, she sang a concert of Cantorial Classics with the Israel Chamber Orchestra in Tel Aviv. She has performed a range of roles, including Leonora in Il Trovatore with the Israel Vocal Arts Institute and Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Vermont Opera Festival.

Originally from the Ukraine, mezzo-soprano Galina Ivannikova appears with the company for the first time as Princess Amneris, a role she successfully debuted last year with the Memphis Opera. She has also sung the roles of Marthe in Gounod's Faust and the witch and mother in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. With the Kiev Conservatory Opera and Nikolaev Musical Theatre, she performed several titular roles, such as Carmen by Bizet and Maddalena in Rigoletto by Verdi.

Metropolitan Opera performer Adam Klein (tenor) appears as Radames, captain of the guard. He has sung lead roles with the Metropolitan Opera in Hansel and Gretel, War and Peace, Salome, Arabella and several others. Klein was the first boy soprano to sing Yniold in Pelleas et Melisande at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971.

Baritone Andrew Cummings returns to Verismo Opera to perform the role of Amonasro, King of Ethiopia and the father of Aida. In 2009, he performed Renato in the company's production of Un Ballo in Maschera.

New Jersey residents play prominent roles, including Steven Fredericks (bass-baritone) as Ramphis-the High Priest and Ryan Allen (bass) as the King of Egypt. Fredericks' lengthy list of credits include performing the King in Aida with Mobile Opera and Antonio in The Tempest with The Dallas Opera. He has performed in Verismo Opera's productions of Rigoletto as Sparafucile and La Boheme as Colline.

Allen made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Hans Foltz in Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg in 1993. He has appeared in a number of opera houses performing Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, among others; Candy in Of Mice and Men with the Florentine Opera; and Don Magnifico in La cenerentola with the Utah Opera and Connecticut Opera.

Joshua Benevento (tenor), whose professional career was launched with a singing role in the HBO series, The Sopranos, appears for the first time with Verismo Opera as the Messenger. He is the recent first place recipient in the Lieder Division of the prestigious Liederkranz Foundation Competition. Notably, he has sung leading roles in numerous operas, including Gianni Schicchi, Die Zauberflöte, Turandot, and Carmen.

Newcomer Jasmine Thomas (soprano) appears with Verismo Opera as the Priestess. A recent graduate of Purchase College Conservatory of Music, she appeared in several of the institution's productions, including Amahl and the Night Visitors and Angelica. Thomas has appeared in various festivals such as the Johannes Brahms International Music Festival in Wernigerode, Germany and was the 2010 winner in the collegiate division of the Harlem Opera Theatre Vocal Competition.

Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the opera is in four acts. Antonio Ghislanzoni's libretto tells a tragic story of love, jealousy, and revenge using traditional, elaborate staging.

Funding
Aida is made possible, in part, with funds provided by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State, through grand funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. Other supporters include The Gerda Lissner Foundation, Inc., Vanguard Charitable Endowment Fund, Paul Weiss Matching Fund, Robert J. Campbell, MD, KSJ and Cesare L. Santeramo, KSJ.

Ticket Information
Tickets may be purchased by calling the BergenPAC box office at (201) 227-1030. A special 10% discount on all tickets will be available ONLY on March 31, April 1, and April 2 using the code AIDA2A.

Press Release Contact Information:

Gianni Simone
NJ Association of Verismo Opera
President
P.O. Box 3024
Fort Lee, New Jersey
USA 07024-9024
Voice: 201-886-0561
Website: Visit Our Website