Halloran And Garcia For NZ Opera's La Boheme
Antoinette Halloran and Jesus Garcia have been tapped to perform the roles of Mimì and Rodolfo in The NBR New Zealand Opera’s forthcoming season of La Bohème.
When Australian soprano Antoinette Halloran makes her NBR New Zealand Opera debut in the role of Mimì, she will be fresh from performing the role in February/March with Opera Australia. “Puccini is my favourite composer,” she says, “so to sing any of his heroines is an absolute joy. Mimì has so much heart and humanity. She’s no shrinking violet yet she has such strength, such integrity – it’s an honour to play her. And for me, the key to the role is to make her so enchanting to audiences that when she dies the loss is very great. Even though I’ve seen Bohème probably 20 times,” she adds, “I still get a shock when Mimì dies. It’s a very beautiful death – she just slips away.”
In 2003, at the age of 27, American tenor Jesus Garcia played Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème on Broadway, winning a Tony Award and being hailed for “effectively displaying the sensuous Latin timbre and instinctive pathos that Puccini's writing implies” [New York Times]. Five years later he’s relishing reviving the role for New Zealand audiences.
Joining Antoinette Halloran and Jesus Garcia in the principal roles of this new production is a similarly exciting and talented line-up. Australian soprano Tiffany Speight, who was lauded by critics and audiences in 2006 when she performed Pamina in The Magic Flute, returns to play Musetta. Polish baritone Marcin Bronikowski makes his New Zealand debut as Marcello. New Zealander Robert Tucker, a recent graduate of the Australian Opera Studio plays Schaunard, and The NBR New Zealand Opera’s 2007-2008 PwC Dame Malvina Major Young Artist Wade Kernot plays Colline.
La Bohème opens in Wellington, New Zealand on May 10th and in Auckland on May 29th. More information can be found by visiting www.nzopera.com
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