2022 Festival Casting Breakdown

    Secondary, Comprimario, and Ensemble cast members may participate in multiple operas and in song recitals programmed within the festival.

    JUANA
    Music by Carla Lucero
    Libretto (in Spanish) by Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Carla Lucero
    production single-cast with covers
    4 – 5 performances

    # At least partial nudity is indicated in the libretto (scroll to the end of the Juana breakdown for the description)
    Ages are those listed in the score, not literal singer ages
    Ethnicities refer to historical characters; casting will not necessarily take this information into account
    @  One singer plays multiple roles

    Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz#, mezzo soprano (A3 – A5)
    must have easy passaggio and upper register
    Age: 30’s
    Criollo

    Concepcíon/Young Juana@, soprano (E4 – B5)
    tessitura is very “high and light”
    Age: 16 – 20
    Mestiza

    El Alma, countertenor (A3 – F5)
    Age: Any

    The Vicereine (La Condesa)#, soprano (C4 – C6)
    tessitura sits above passaggio a significant amount, but needs a more mature sound for contrast with other characters
    Age: 35 – 45
    Spaniard

    The Viceroy/Fiscal/Men in Shadows@, Tenor (F3 – B4)
    Age: 45 – 55
    Spaniard

    Sor Andrea/Mother Andrea/Chorus@, soprano (C4 – C6)
    must have free, easy top
    Age: 30’s+

    Padre Antonio/Men in Shadows@, baritone (A2 – F4)
    not high tessitura – could be bass baritone
    Age: 55+
    Criollo

    The Bishop of Puebla/Sor Filotea/MIS@, tenor (D3 – A4)
    sits high register a good amount of the time; must be comfortable in drag
    Age: 40’s
    Spaniard

    The Archbishop/Men in Shadows@, bass (F2 – A3)
    Age: 50 – 60
    Spaniard

    Madre Melchora, contralto (A3 – C5)
    Age: 40’s

    Sor Rafaela/Chorus@, mezzo soprano (A3 – G5)
    Age: 30’s

    Don Carlos/Court Clerk/Men in Shadows@, tenor (Eb3 – C5)
    top register used, but role does not sit there
    Age: 30 – 40
    Criollo

    Four additional chorus members (Nuns; may cover some roles above)
    Age: Any
    There were several kinds of nuns in the convent, including converted Jewish nuns, as well as mestizas whose racial mixture tended to be muted by years of intermixing with Spaniards 
    3 sopranos, 1 alto
    Covers for other roles may also sing chorus

    # Stage directions quoted from the libretto: La Condesa bares and kisses Juana’s shoulders, then wraps her arms around Juana. Juana kisses La Condesa’s neck. La Condesa takes Juana’s hands and kisses them, then leads Juana to her bed, and in one fluid movement, Juana steps free of her camisole. Both naked now, they are enveloped in the darkness of the night. (end of Act I).  A professional intimacy coach will be an integral part of the staging process for this scene.

    PELLEAS ET MELISANDE (abridged version)
    Music by Claude Debussy
    Libretto (in French) adapted from the play by Maurice Maeterlinck
    production single-cast with covers
    4 – 5 performances

    PRIMARY CASTING WILL FAVOR dell’ARTE OPERA ENSEMBLE ALUMNI

    Arkel (King of Allemonde), bass
    Geneviève (mother of Golaud and Pelléas), contralto
    Golaud (grandson of Arkel), baritone or bass baritone
    Pelléas (grandson of Arkel), tenor or baritone (baryton-Martin)
    Mélisande, soprano or high mezzo soprano
    Yniold (young son of Golaud), soprano or boy soprano

    IL RITORNO d’ULISSE IN PATRIA
    Music by Claudio Monteverdi
    Claude Debussy
    Libretto (in Italian) by Giacomo Badoaro
    production single-cast with covers
    4 – 5 performances

    ROLES MAY BE COMBINED FOR INDIVIDUAL SINGERS
    Tessitura of soprano and tenor roles are lower than most traditional opera, and may be assigned to mezzo sopranos or baritones

    GODS AND GODDESSES (only a few scenes each)
    L’humana Fragilità, mezzo soprano
    Il Tempo, bass
    La Fortuna, soprano
    L’Amore, soprano
    Nettuno, bass
    Giove, tenor
    Giunone, soprano
    Minerva, soprano

    HUMANS
    Penelope, mezzo-soprano
    Ericlea (Penelope’s nurse), mezzo soprano (could be en travesti/counter tenor)
    Melanto (attendant to Penelope), soprano
    Eurimaco (servant to Penelope’s suitors), tenor
     Ulisse, tenor
    Eumete (a shepherd), tenor
    Iro (a parasite), tenor
    Telemaco (son of Ulisse), tenor
    Penelope’s suitors – some solo singing, some trio singing
       Anfinomo (suitor to Penelope) alto or countertenor
       Pisandro (suitor to Penelope), tenor
       Antinoo (suitor to Penelope), bass