Britain's Royal Opera House Brings Combined Opera and Ballet Cinema Season to Canada
The world's high-culture mecca aims to broaden its audience overseas with opera and ballet broadcasts at Landmark Cinemas across Canada as well as independent cinemas, performing arts centres, and colleges and universities.
TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - For the first time, Canadians of all ages will have the exciting opportunity to experience Britain's beloved Royal Opera House in all its glory right here at home when a fresh new crop of both opera and ballet performances hit Canadian cinemas this fall. The brand new Royal Opera House Cinema Season will feature seven operas and four ballets – direct from the Covent Garden stage – starting with The Royal Opera House production of Verdi's I Due Foscari on November 29.
Even more exciting news for Canadian opera fans: homegrown superstar soprano Adrianne Pieczonka will star in Wagner's epic Der fliegende Holländer, and renowned Canadian Baritone Gerald Finley (who wowed audiences last season in Wagner's Parsifal) will take the lead role in Rossini's final masterpiece Guillaume Tell, conducted by The Royal Opera's Artistic Director, Antonio Pappano.
Other season highlights:
- Tchaikovsky's ever-popular ballet Swan Lake
- Verdi's I due Foscari starring Plácido Domingo
- La bohème starring Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a co-production with the National Ballet of Canada
Now in more than 1000 cinemas across 40 countries, the Royal Opera House Cinema Season continues to expand each year and Canada is playing an integral part in that growth since the ballet series' launch three years ago. Alastair Roberts, Managing Director of Royal Opera House Enterprises says, "it's very exciting to be announcing this new exclusive partnership with MEI which enables us to consolidate our presence in Canadian cinemas by showing performances by both The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet in the same venues. We've got a loyal and growing audience across Canada and this is a real milestone on our journey."
The Royal Opera House has perfected a filming style that offers "the best seat in the house" at world-class opera and ballet performances with all of the tension and anticipation of a live performance preserved. "The experience is very much like being in the auditorium at Covent Garden," said Roberts. "You feel the buzz beforehand with glimpses backstage as the cast gets ready for the show, then the curtain goes up and you really are sitting in one of the best seats in the house in the thick of the action."
Notes to editors:
- For a complete listing of participating cinemas, performing arts centres, and post-secondary institutions, or information about partners MEI Events International Inc, Arts Alliance Media and Landmark Cinemas, download the full press release here.
- For more information, or to obtain media passes, images, or arrange interviews, contact [email protected].
About The Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House presents more than 400 performances at the iconic Covent Garden theatre in London each year reaching an audience of more than 710,000. Beyond that, people around the world enjoy our work through our ROH Live Cinema Season, Royal Ballet Live, Royal Opera Live, BP Big Screens and other online and interactive projects. The Royal Opera House also plays a leading role in education, community engagement, skills development, professional training and cultural regeneration in the UK. For more information, visit roh.org.uk.
For more on MEI Events International Inc, Arts Alliance Media, and Landmark Cinemas, please download the full press release here.
SOURCE: Profis Communications
Or to obtain media passes, images, or arrange interviews, contact [email protected].
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