New Bel Canto Festival coming to New York

[edurban]

Last night was the final performance of Bel Canto at Caramoor (Bellini's Il Pirata with Angela Meade) as the 20 year old annual celebration of early 19th century opera will be moving to a new home on the campus of SUNY Purchase.  Competition for resources was too severe at Caramoor where conductor Will Crutchfield has led 2 concert performances of opera every summer alongside a mix of other events: classical, jazz, folk, and pop.  The old venue is a lovely estate in Westchester, with extensive gardens, but the new venue is nearby, will offer 9 days of singer training, workshops, concerts and 2 semi-staged operas under the name "Teatro Nuovo".  The program is ambitious, with Crutchfield raising 2 million to get it off the ground.  Original instruments will be used, and Crutchfield will not be the only conductor. 

The Caramoor programs were often adventurous, with some 40 operas being done over the years, but there were limits...rarities tended to be by name composers.  (Meyerbeer was proposed several years, but never made the final cut.)  By contrast, the first 2 operas of Teatro Nuovo will be Tancredi (not very rare) and G S Mayr's Medea in Corinto (very rare).  Mercadante has been mentioned for future seasons...

The inaugural festival will run July 28-Aug 5, 2018.  Www.TeatroNuovo.org

Promising stuff!

David