US Townhall RealStories presents: BEN SPIERMAN of the Bronx Opera
Written by Scott Katz
Thursday, 06 May 2010 20:58
On Thursday, January 20, we once again invited Ben Spierman, Associate Artistic Director for the Bronx Opera, back to visit with us for another USTownhall RealStories interview. The Bronx Opera, now in its 44th Season, is presenting the rarely performed comic opera, Fra Diavolo by French composer, Daniel Auber from 1830. The Bronx Opera's production updates the setting to 1930 and is completely performed and sung in English.
It was at the Lovinger Theatre in the Bronx's Lehman College on January 15 and 16, and moves to the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College for its January 22 and 23 engagements.
Mr. Spierman was also kind enough to tease his upcoming production of Don Giovanni by Mozart, which will premiere in May 2011.
On Thursday May 6, 2010, we broadcast an episode of our Internet Radio Show with Mr. Spierman as it was set to mount its production of Don Pasquale, a comic opera by famed Italian composer, Donizetti. As with Fra Diavolo, this was a limited engagement of four performances. On May 7 & 8, the opera was staged at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College in the Bronx, while on May 14 & 15, it was performed at Hofstra University's John Cranford Adams Playhouse in Long Island.
On Saturday, January 9, 2010, we did a video interview with Mr. Spierman for our USTownhall RealStories webcast, which took place shortly before the curtian rose on opening night of the comic opera, Die Drei Pintos by Gustav Mahler. Squarely within the comic opera genre in early-1800s Europe, there are many similarities between Die Drei Pintos and Fra Diavolo, but there are some important differences as well, which Mr. Spierman points out in our most recent interview.
To find out more information about the Bronx Opera and its production of Don Pasquale, please visit www.bronxopera.org
Click on the players below to listen to our exclusive interviews with Ben Spierman, the Associate Artistic Director of the Bronx Opera.
(3) January 20, 2011 audio interview re: Fra Diavolo
(2) May 6, 2010 audio interview re: Don Pasquale
(1) January 9, 2010 video interview re: Die Drei Pintos