Tenor
Ramón Vargas takes the role of King Riccardo, with soprano Tamara Wilson, a recent alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, singing the lead role of Amelia, Riccardo's lover, for the first time anywhere. Contralto phenomenon Ewa Podles plays the fortune-teller Ulrica, with soprano Lyubov Petrova making her house debut as the page boy Oscar, and baritone Carlo Guelfi as Renato, Amelia's husband and the King's assassin. HGO music director Patrick Summers conducts
the five performances through November 2.
For more information on Un ballo in maschera, as well as the HGO production of Donizetti's Fille di R_giment (starring Laura Claycomb and Barry Banks and opening Oct. 26) and the rest of Houston Grand Opera's 2007-08 season, visit www.houstongrandopera.org.
* * * * * * * * *
All photos by Andrew Cloud.