Tosca

Something to live for. Something to die for.

All is fair in love and war. But for Rome’s celebrated opera singer, Tosca, all is not well. Fueled by jealousy, the Chief of Police pursues her artist lover for alleged treasonous acts, pausing only to pursue Tosca with a decidedly different set of acts in mind. From the start, Puccini’s penchant for verismo is as present as ever, and to further tighten the tension, each act plays out in real time – packing twists and terrors by the truckload into one 24-hour period. Also present is Puccini’s unrivaled ear for melodies that swirl like smoke trails, forming soft stacks of billowing clouds. But we know that eventually, all that heavy, haunting beauty will begin to block out the sun. Facing ruthless tyranny and torture, Tosca’s revenge is bathed in verismo violence and sealed with a kiss. She lived for art and love and her willingness to trust an evil man doesn’t end well.

Saturday, April 30, 2022 | 7:30 pm

Friday, May 6, 2022 | 7:30 pm

Sunday, May 8, 2022 | 2:00 pm

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COMPOSER Giacomo Puccini

LIBRETTIST Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

CONDUCTOR Ryan McAdams

DIRECTOR Carol Vaness

Understand every word: Performed in Italian with English subtitles.

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Take a deep dive into Tosca with an in-depth guide by Lyric Opera Guild Opera Member, Stu Lewis.

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Principal Cast

Tosca, Marina Costa-Jackson

A Metropolitan Opera Council Grand Prize Winner, Marina Costa-Jackson’s engagements have taken her to some of world’s leading opera houses including Los Angeles Opera (La bohème), Seattle Opera (Eugene Onegin/Cosi fan tutte), San Diego Opera (Suor Angelica), L’Opéra national de Paris (Carmen), Grange Park (Don Carlos), Cologne (La traviata), Savolina Opera Festival (Otello), Dallas Opera (Norma), Musica Viva Hong Kong (Il trovatore), Royal Concertgebouw (Roméo et Juliette). During COVID she was to make her Royal Opera House debut at Giulettea (Les contes d’Hoffmann), return to Paris for Mimi (La bohème), debut Amelia (Simon Boccanegra), and join Michigan Opera Theatre for I Pagliacci.

Cavaradossi, Dimitri Pittas

Dimitri Pittas has appeared on leading opera stages throughout North America and Europe, including the Bavarian State Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Canadian Opera Company. He is a graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program and has been heard on the Met stage as Rodolfo (La bohème), Macduff (Macbeth), Nemorino (The Elixir of Love), Cassio (Otello), Alfred (Die Fledermaus) and Tamino (The Magic Flute). His repertoire includes performances as the title role of Don Carlo, Riccardo (A Masked Ball), Alfredo (La traviata), Tebaldo (The Capulets and the Montagues), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), the Duke (Rigoletto), and Michele in the world premiere of La ciociara (Two Women) by Marco Tutino with San Francisco Opera.

Scarpia, Michael Mayes

A highly sought-after interpreter of Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, Baritone Michael Mayes has performed the role with Atlanta Opera, Washington National Opera, Teatro Real, New Israeli Opera, and the Barbican in London. Recent highlights include his debut with Staatsoper Stuttgart in Nixon in China, Sweeney Todd with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Rigoletto with Houston Grand Opera, Tonio (I Pagliacci) with Boston Lyric Opera, Thoas (Iphigénie en Tauride) with Staatsoper Stuttgart, Conte di Luna (Il trovatore) with Seattle Opera, Doug (Everest) with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Wozzeck with Des Moines Metro Opera.