Continuing Live Operatic Fundraising Performances  for 51 Walden - Our 15th Season Puccini's Turandot Friday June 10, 2022 - 8 PM Sunday June 12, 2022 - 2 PM

Programs

Printed program

On-line program supplement

General Information

Performances Friday June 10 at 8 PM and Sunday June 12 at 2 PM.  

Tickets are $30, reserved seating.  Order tickets online on our ticketing site or by calling 51 Walden at 978-369-7911.

The opera is performed with full orchestra, sung in Italian with projected English titles.  Performed on the 51 Walden drama stage with limited staging and sets, principals fully costumed.

Open rehearsal with covers on Thursday June 9 at 7:30 PM, tickets $20 at the door, open seating.

Cast and Company

Cast List

Detailed Cast Bios  (pages forthcoming)

COVID Safety - as of May 27, 2022

(COVID protocols are subject to change due to regulatory agencies at many levels, and can influence what we must do.  The following applies as of 5/27/22.) 

We are using a multi-layered approach to maximize safety for performers and audience alike.

Anyone exhibiting COVID symptoms such as fever, chills, coughing should not attend no matter the circumstances. 

All performers have been fully vaccinated and will be wearing masks except for times when masks interfere with performing.  All singers and anyone else performing unmasked at any time is required to have a negative rapid test shortly before performing.  The hall has had UV scrubbers installed and has air purifiers in the lobby.  The overhead fans will be running in our high-ceilinged space.  Doors to the outside will be opened as possible to increase air flow.  The two intermissions will be held without refreshments.

Audience members must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask at all times.

Learn About Turandot

The opera was Puccini's final effort, considered his finest by many critics.  He died in 1924 without fully completing the last act, which was done by the Italian composer Franco Alfano in 1926.  It is currently the nineteenth most-often performed opera worldwide according to Operabase.com, a favorite in opera houses around the globe. 

Turandot is often staged with lavish sets and costumes and huge casts, and requires a large orchestra, placing it beyond the reach of many smaller opera companies.  While our production is modest in many of these dimensions, our talented local cast, eager to finally perform this iconic work after two postponements due to COVID, delivers the full emotional impact of Puccini's unique musical writing style nonetheless.

The related Wikipedia article is here:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turandot

Intriguing Background DVDs

Puccini - Tony Palmer

Prolific British director and documentary film-maker Tony Palmer used his production of Turandot with Scottish Opera in Glasgow as a framework for his bio-pic Puccini.  This fascinating film blends dramatizations of Puccini's final years (during which he composed Turandot) and the path leading to Palmer's innovative production in Glasgow.  Learn the origins of Ping, Pang, and Pong!  Based on updated facts about tragic and scandalous goings-on long hidden by the Puccini family, this DVD will give you a solid background to better understand the opera.

The Turandot Project - Zubin Mehta

In 1998 Zubin Mehta took a production of Turandot inside the Forbidden City in Beijing after a year-earlier staging in Florence, directed by Zhang Yimou of Raise the Red Lantern.  With extras provided by the Chinese Army and others, the resulting nine performances were sold-out successes in Beijing.  The Turandot Project is a documentary about the effort required, including portions of the performance.  Here is a review of the production and the documentary.

A Fundraiser for 51 Walden

The performance is a benefit fundraiser to support operation of the 51 Walden facility.  Proceeds contribute valuable funds to the maintenance and operation of 51 Walden, a community resource supporting hundreds of local residents each week throughout the year.

Donations to support 51 Walden can be made directly here, or by sending a check payable to "51 Walden" to P O Box 251, Concord, MA 01742.  51 Walden is a 501(c)3 organization.

Information for prospective singers, cast, and crew

Last updated 6/26/22