Louis Lohraseb conducts a production by Tony-winning director Rob Ashford, starring Joshua Hopkins and Isabel Leonard

(Los Angeles) September 25, 2023 — LA Opera continues its 2023/24 season with Gioachino Rossini's delightful comedy,    The Barber of Seville. Louis Lohraseb will conduct a production created by Tony Award-winning director Rob Ashford, starring baritone Joshua Hopkins as Figaro, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Rosina and tenor Edgardo Rocha as Count Almaviva. Performances will take place from October 21 through November 12, 2023, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

"The Barber of Seville has always been one of the most popular of all operas, with vivid characters and a sparkling score that gives plenty of bravura opportunities for the singers," said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera's president and CEO. "Our dazzling production, directed by Rob Ashford, features a magnificent cast, all under the masterful baton of Louis Lohraseb, a fast-rising conductor who got his start with the company."

About the Opera
The dashing Count Almaviva is ready to sweep Rosina off her feet and make her his countess—but not if her greedy guardian Doctor Bartolo has anything to say about it. Enter Figaro: barber, valet and the man with a plan to wreak joyful havoc and let true love bloom.

The Performers
Baritone Joshua Hopkins stars as the street-smart matchmaker Figaro. He made his LA Opera debut in 2020 as Orpheus in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Eurydice, a role he reprised at the Metropolitan Opera in 2021. His engagements this season include Dandini in   La Cenerentola in Chicago, Malatesta in Don Pasquale in Toronto and Apollo in the world premiere of Bernard Foccroulle's   Cassandra in Brussels.

Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who made her LAO debut as Donna Elvira in   Don Giovanni, returns as the spunky Rosina. The 2013 winner of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, she recently made her debut at Milan's La Scala as Miranda in Thomas Adès’   The Tempest and her Houston Grand Opera debut as Charlotte in   Werther.

Uruguayan tenor Edgardo Rocha makes his company debut as Count Almaviva. This season he performs Don Ramiro in    La Cenerentola with the Vienna State Opera and all three leading tenor roles in Donizetti's "Tudor Trilogy" (Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and    Roberto Devereux) with Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Italian bass-baritone Paolo Bordogna makes his company debut as Dr. Bartolo (October 21 through November 4). A specialist in    bel canto and   buffo roles, he has been a regular guest at the Rossini Opera Festival since 2005 and appears with major opera companies throughout the world.

American bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi will appear as Dr. Bartolo on November 9 and 12, making his company debut. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera for more than two decades, appearing there this season as the Speaker in    The Magic Flute.

Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni makes his LAO debut as Don Basilio. Recent engagements include the four villains in   The Tales of Hoffmann at the Vienna State Opera, as well as appearances with the Metropolitan Opera as the title role in    Don Giovanni, Figaro in   The Marriage of Figaro and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte.

The cast also includes two members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program: soprano Kathleen O'Mara as Berta and baritone Ryan Wolfe as Fiorello. Baritone Joel Balzun performs the role of the Sergeant.

The Creative Team
Rossini’s beloved score is conducted by Louis Lohraseb, an alumnus of the company's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program who returned to Los Angeles to conduct Tosca last season. The production is staged by Tony- and Emmy-winning director-choreographer Rob Ashford. The scenic designer is Scott Pask and the costume designer is Catherine Zuber; both have won Tony Awards for their extensive work on Broadway. Howard Harrison, a two-time Olivier Award winner, is the lighting designer and Jeremy Frank is the chorus director.

Performance Dates, Times and Address
There will be six performances of The Barber of Seville at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, located at 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012:

• Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, October 29, 2023, at 2pm
• Thursday, November 2, 2023, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 7:30pm
• Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, November 12, 2023, at 2pm

Tickets
Tickets for The Barber of Seville begin at $24 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012). For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. The company also offers a multitude of online content via its LA Opera On Now digital offerings, which launched in 2020. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

Production made possible by generous support from
Andrea and Janie Pessino
Tarasenka Pankiv Fund (Tara Colburn)

With special support from
Laura and Carlton Seaver

Isabel Leonard’s appearance made possible by generous support from
The Eva and Marc Stern Principal Artists Fund

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by
Terri and Jerry Kohl

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.