Local opera company recipient of prestigious grant

Boston­–Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Britten/Pears Foundation which will be used to underwrite Intermezzo’s upcoming performances of Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River this November.

The Britten/Pears Foundation’s mission is designed to support performances of rarely heard works by Benjamin Britten in markets that are underserved for his music.  Britten was one of the 20^th centuries most prolific and influential composers, and his partner Peter Pears participated in the premiers of most of Britten’s stage and vocal works.

Premiered in 1964 at the Aldeboro Festival in England , Curlew River is the first of Britten’s three religious parables, adapted from an authentic Noh play, Sumidagawa ( Sumida River ).  It contains some of Britten’s most intense and hauntingly beautiful music.  Intermezzo’s performances mark the first time the opera has been seen in the Boston area in over 20 years.

“We are very excited to be recognized by the Britten/Pears Foundation and for their financial support,” says John Whittlesey, Artistic Director for Intermezzo.  “It’s an important and powerful work that most people have never had the opportunity to see on stage.”  Whittlesey added, “To the extent that we can, we will reconstruct the original set and staging from the first production designed by Colin Graham.”  Mr. Graham, recognized as one of the leading opera directors in the world, will act as an Artistic Advisor to the production.

The production will feature several noted Boston singers, including tenor Jason McStoots as the Mad Woman, baritone Sumner Thompson as the Ferryman, Paul Guttry as the Abbot, and John Whittlesey as the Traveler.  Musical direction will be by James Busby, stage direction by Andrew Ryker, and set design by William Fregosi.

Curlew River will be performed on Friday, November 17^th at 8 pm and Sunday, November 19^th at 4 pm at the Jesuit Urban Center , 741 Harrison Avenue .  Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students and can be reserved in advance by calling 617-899-4261 or by email at JWOpera@aol.com.  For more information, please see www.intermezzo-opera.org.

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Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series is a chamber opera company based in Boston , MA . Founded in 2003, Intermezzo was born out of a vision to produce contemporary chamber operas and bring new and exciting works to the musical life of New England . All works are performed in English.