2022 Festival Casting Guidance

    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 Carla Lucero & Alicia Gaspar de Alba
    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) PRINCIPAL
    must have easy passaggio and upper register
    Age: 30’s
    Criollo

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

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

    The Vicereine (La Condesa)#, soprano (C4 – C6)  PRINCIPAL
    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)  SECONDARY
    Age: 45 – 55
    Spaniard

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

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

    The Bishop of Puebla/Sor Filotea/MIS@, tenor (D3 – A4)  PRINCIPAL
    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)  SECONDARY
    Age: 50 – 60
    Spaniard

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

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

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

    Four additional chorus members (Nuns; may cover some roles above)  COMPRIMARIO/ENSEMBLE
    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  SECONDARY
    Geneviève (mother of Golaud and Pelléas), contralto   SECONDARY
    Golaud (grandson of Arkel), baritone or bass baritone   PRINCIPAL
    Pelléas (grandson of Arkel), tenor or baritone (baryton-Martin)  PRINCIPAL
    Mélisande, soprano or high mezzo soprano  PRINCIPAL
    Yniold (young son of Golaud), soprano or boy soprano  COMPRIMARIO

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