Music by: Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

Puccini's glorious score brings to life one woman's struggle for lova, art, and freedom in a male-dominated world at the turn of the 19th Century. Religion, politics, and passion collide in this stirring work.

Chautauqua Opera Company's production is led by Sarah Ina Meyers (Director) and Steven Osgood (Conductor). 

2 hours 30 minutes, 2 intermissions 

This production is dedicated to Richard Moschel whose sudden passing in 2020 continues to sadden all those who knew him. Rich was one of Chautauqua Opera Company’s most dedicated and ardent supporters, and his presence with Lynn at performances throughout our season was steadfast. He was often a supernumerary in our productions, and Tosca is exactly the type of opera which would have enticed him to the stage.  

Rich—you are dearly missed, and your legacy will be celebrated for years and years by all of us at Chautauqua Opera. 

-Steven Osgood, General & Artistic Director

E non ho amato mai tanto la vita….

                        I have never loved life more.

As he awaits execution, Cavaradossi is consumed by one thought – his love for Floria Tosca. Of the many things he could be thinking about in his final moments – his legacy on earth, his work, the victory at Marengo – he chooses to focus on the passion he and Tosca have shared. In this realization, Act III Cavaradossi is quite different from the combative face he shows to Scarpia in Act II, and even more unlike the Cavaradossi of Sardou’s original play, who seems entirely unfazed by his own death, and does not think of Tosca until she appears on the scene. Even Puccini’s own librettists argued against Cavaradossi experiencing this moment of raw vulnerability, wanting him to instead present a more heroic political stance. But Puccini was certain of what the tenor should feel and express. Cavaradossi begins the aria in sensual nostalgia – the sight of the stars, the smells of the earth, the feel of her skin under his fingers… and he ends in simple honest despair. He is dying, and he has never loved life more. The music throbs with pulsing viscerality.

This aria encapsulates the emotional tension of the drama. Rome in 1800 would have been suffused with the atmosphere of death, as the city swung back and forth between the warring regimes of Neapolitan royalty and Napoleonic forces. Against this murky backdrop, the love between Tosca and Cavaradossi is like starlight – a brightness surrounded by depths of dark. In our production we chose to expose that chaotic atmosphere to highlight the courage and vulnerability of their love. The awareness of mortality is pervasive. The scenery is intentionally stripped back and skeletal, left raw at the edges. The main scenic element is a large scaffold unit that tracks through all three acts. Cavaradossi uses it for his art in the first act, but by the third it is revealed to be the gallows for hanging prisoners (as was the original plan for Cavaradossi). In Act II, it lurks in the shadows just outside Scarpia’s window while the snare drums beat out the last walk of the condemned.

Scarpia’s table at the Palazzo Farnese is littered with the iconography of death. It evokes a genre of painting known as Vanitas in which morbid images – rotting fruit, skulls, the smoke of a dying flame – are juxtaposed with symbols of wealth, power, and earthly pleasure, to demonstrate the folly of greed and vanity against the certainty of death. As Liliana and I explored this style of painting, we were struck by the parallels to our vision for this production. Many of the iconic images of this art were already integral to our own storytelling – extinguished candles, wilted flowers, shadows and angels. Of course, there is good reason for this – the opera is in many ways a kind of parade of death.  The politician, the artist, the lover – all share the same fate. Death is the ultimate equalizer. For this reason, many choose to view the opera as nihilistic– a story of futility, in which both good and evil receive the same reward.  Vanitas paintings can likewise be interpreted as the ultimate pessimism – if we are to die, then all human endeavor can seem meaningless. But there is an equally valid and diametrically opposed interpretation to these images – that it is only the presence of death that gives life any meaning. And the awareness of death ensures we choose to live life in the most valuable way possible.  This opera, like these paintings, can be seen as an exhortation to live for what truly matters. 

These paintings encourage the viewer to think on his or her immortal soul, and to prepare it for death, through religion. For Floria Tosca, love, art and religion are nearly indistinguishable. All three activities are ethereal, and therefore easily dismissed by the male characters. Scarpia lives only for lust and power. He manipulates love, as he manipulates religion and law, to satisfy his own desires, and laughs at those who take romantic love seriously. Even Cavaradossi speaks dismissively at times of Tosca’s faith and commitment. To a certain extent, history agrees with these men. Tosca’s love is fragile and short-lived. It is not a document to be read in the future, not law or policy, not a battle to be recorded for posterity, not a building that will endure. When it is gone, love leaves behind less physical trace than a candle blown out. At least when a flame dies there is smoke. And yet, the opera valorizes this most ephemeral of substances. It is Tosca’s love that gives her the power to fight for her lover, that gives her the strength to bring down the evil of Scarpia. And in his aria, Cavaradossi admits it is that love that has made his life meaningful.

In the pessimistic interpretation, Tosca’s suicide would be a rejection of life. But just as she leaps to her death, the music surges with the melody of Cavaradossi’s aria – I have never loved life more. This music, like her soul, soars upwards – still reaching, still ascending. We choose to view Tosca’s suicide as a validation, rather than a negation, of life. She dies as she has chosen always to live, with love and faith. Her last words are “before God.” Even in death, Tosca is still striving, still determining her own fate. And Puccini’s music elevates her choice, even as it mourns for her, and Cavaradossi, and their love.

Cast:

Tosca: Elaine Alvarez
Cavaradossi: Chauncey Packer
Scarpia: Alan Held
Sacristan: Jake Skipworth
Angelotti: James Eder
Spoletta: Eric Botto
Sciarrone: Bernardo Medeiros
Jailer: Luke Harnish
Shepherd: Megan Fleischmann

Chorus:

Megan Fleischmann
Luke Harnish
Nicole Heinen
Marcus Jefferson
Emily Michiko Jensen
Olivia Johnson
Phillip Lopez
Bernardo Medeiros
Talin Nalbandian
Nicola Santoro
John Kun Park
Max Potter
Jake Skipworth
Hilary Grace Taylor
Felix Aguilar Tomlinson

Supernumeraries:

Children's Choir:

Charlotte Dahlie
Celli Dinapoli
Helen Fischer
Rosie Fischer
Eliana Gefter
Eleanor Pender
Sunnhi Suber
Aren Suber
Leland Suber
Jaxon Wolcott

Creative: 

Stage Director: Sarah Ina Meyers
Conductor: Steven Osgood
Chorus Master: Carol Rausch
Assistant Director: Diane Machin
Scenic Designer: Liliana Duque Piñeiro
Fight Choreographer: Dale Girard
Lighting & Video Designer: Michael Baumgarten
Costume Designer: B.G. FitzGerald
Wig & Makeup Designer: Martha Ruskai
Musical Preparation: Dottie Randall
Supertitles: Allison Voth
Artistic Assistant: Meilina Tsui

Chautauqua Opera Orchestra:

Violin 1:
Vahn Armstrong
Cheryl Bintz
Lenelle Morse
Olga Kaler
Amanda Gates
Adrienne Finet

Violin 2:
Diane Bruce
Simon Lapointe
Jonathan Richards
Anton Shelepov

Viola:
Chris Fischer
Karl Pedersen
Eva Stern

Cello:
Lars Kirvan
Daryl Goldberg
Igor Gefter

Bass:
PJ Cinque
Kieran Hanlon

Flute:
Richard Sherman
Kathy Levy

Oboe:
Alexis Porcaro

Clarinet:
Eli Eban
Dan Spitzer

Bassoon:
Sean Gordon

Horn:
William Bernatis
Donna Dolson

Trumpet:
Pete Lindblom
Les Linn

Trombone:
Eric Lindlom

Timpani:
Jeremy Levine

Percussion:
Tom Blanchard
Brian Kushmaui

Harp:
Beth Robinson

Organ/Celesta:
Dottie Randall

Production:

Technical Director: John P. Woodey
Production Stage Manager: Adam Fulmer
Assistant Stage Managers:
Hanna Atkinson
Hailey Delaney
Julie Welch
Props Director: Wendy Ann
Production Aid: Jaaven Middleton

General & Artistic Director: Steven Osgood
Music Administrator/Chorus Master: Carol Rausch
Director of Production & Resident Lighting Designer/Video Designer: Michael Baumgarten
Managing Director: Daniel Grambow
Arts Marketing Specialist: Makayla Santiago-Froebel
Company Managers:
Claudia Torres
Austin Terris
Diction Coach/Supertitles Operator: Allison Voth
Coach/Accompanists:
Miriam Charney
Dottie Randall
Emily Jarrell Urbanek
Kristin Roach
Arts Marketing Associate: Jessica Mack

The Chautauqua Institution and the Chautauqua Opera Company would like to acknowledge the continuing generosity of the Norton and Richards families through the Ralph and Elizabeth Norton Philanthropic Trust, and the following major donors who have created endowment funds for opera, and support the opera program through annual giving, and through major capital gifts:

The Peggy and Andy Anderson Family Fund for Opera

John E. Anderson Opera Endowment

A Chace & Josephine B Anderson Opera Endow Fund

The Cynthia Auerbach Fund for Opera

Bemus Endowment for Opera

Anne and John Burden Opera Fund

The Ralph E. Miller and Paul E. Cawein Fund for Opera

Chautauqua Opera Endowment Fund

The Chautauqua Opera Guild Endowment

Thomas and Kathleen Clingan Fund for Opera

The Connolly Family Fund For Opera

The John A. and Emily McKnight Corry Opera Fund

The Barbara Baldwin DeFrees Opera Fund

Eleanor C. Eisenmenger

The Walter F. Ferchen Opera Fund

The Eleanor B. Franks Fund for the Opera

Dr. and Mrs. Donald J. Furman

The James and Elisabeth Groninger Fund for Opera

The Jane A. Gross Opera Endowment

The Kay Frantz Israel Fund for Opera

The Mildred Lesenger Fund for Opera

The Kay H. Logan Opera Fund

The Annette Pickens Malvin Memorial Fund for Opera

The Christopher and Susan Martin Opera Fund

The Margaret Clark Mercer Fund for Opera

The Steve Z. and Mary G. Mitchell Family Fund

The Reverend Lloyd V. Moffett Opera Endowment Fund

New York State Council on the Arts

The Robert G. and Lillian Vitanza Ney Family Opera Fund

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Hale and Judy Oliver

The Joseph A. and Anne T. Prezio Opera Endowment Fund

The Richards Family Opera Fund

Mrs. Bartlett Richards

The Molly Rinehart Fund for Opera

The Wadsworth Fund

Charles and Lois Weaver Fund for Opera

Dr. Fred R. Whaley and Helen A. Whaley Fund for Opera

The Robert and Virginia Young Opera Fund

Zemsky Endowment For Opera

Renowned throughout the United States, Chautauqua Opera Company's Young Artist program is among the most respected training opportunities available for developing singers who are on the threshold of full-time professional careers. This year, General and Artistic Director Steven Osgood and Music Administrator Carol Rausch selected 17 Young Artists from over 900 applications. The singers on this select roster receive intensive training in all facets of performing, including diction, movement, stage combat, career management, and musical and dramatic coaching. Young Artists make up the core of the company and perform in all mainstage Chautauqua Opera productions, in concert with the Chautauqua Symphony, in “Afternoon of Song” recitals in the Athenaeum Parlor and the Opera Invasion series. Chautauqua Opera Company's Young Artist program is proud to have been a training ground for many alumni who have become leading artists with opera companies throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Chautauqua Opera Guild serves as the advocacy group in support of the Chautauqua Opera Company. Memberships support our Young Artists, the Children’s Opera Education Program, and grant access to events all summer long. 

Join today! 

Opera Guild Members as of July 26, 2022:

Edith Benson

Jack Connolly and Peg Barrett

Virginia H. Cox

Paula Gierszal and Lisa Ann Gierszal

Cheryl Gorelick and Jake Zeigler

Nancy Langston

Jay Lesenger

Beth Madison

Chris and Sue Martin

Mary and Steve Mitchell

Hale and Judy Oliver

Rev. Richard and Mrs. Joreta Speck

Drs. Jane Stirniman and Jeanne Wiebenga

Linda Steckley and Pete Weitzel

Toni and Joe Goldfarb

Arlene Gottlieb and Chaz Miller

Arlene Hajinlian

Brad and Deanna Johnson

Patricia King

Jane and Jerry Lahey

Lynn Moschel

Rich Osborne

Kimberly Perry

Belinda and Matt Rogers

Rachel and Philip Rogers

Adele M. Thomas Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Kay Karslake White

Shirley Adams

Philip Allen

Richard and Marty Davis

Ted and Deborah First

Susan J. Grelick and John V. Heffron

Michael E. Hill and Peter M. Korns

Sallie L. Holder

Carol and Bob Hopper

Dr. F. Palmer Lindblom

Cynthia Norton

Mary and Bob Pickens

John P. Pless

Robin and Mark Robbins

Carol Schaal

Nancy Seel

Jana V. Stone and Raymond J. Galligan

Sue Tebor

Steve and Pat Telkins

Brenda and Larry Thompson

Angela Twist

Chris Anderson

Loretta Bower

John Burden

Judith Claire

Drs. Gilbert and Rona Eisner

Elliot and Judith Goldman

Judy and Al Goldman

Terrie Vaile Hauck

John and Jill Hopkins

Robert Ivers

Nancy M. Leininger

Mike and Nancy Lott

Narwhals and Georgina Mating

Mary Lou McFate

Judith D. Musser

Sanford and Margery Nobel

Melissa Orlov

Steve Peters

Sue Ann and John Power

Katy Smith

Rabbi Samuel and Lynn Stahl

Jenny and Tim Stitely

Margaret Viehe

Nancy Waasdorp

Elizabeth A. Welch and Stephen E. Glinick

Mary Louise Williamson

Mark Altschuler

William and Renee Andrews

Anna Antemann

Joyce and Scott Brasted

Carolyn Byham

Sally Craig and Mike McAvey

Christopher and Roslyn Dahlie

Roger Doebke

Jean and Sigo Falk

Marwin L. Feldman

Christopher Gibbs

Anonymous

Carole E. Gladstone

Samantha F. and Daniel Grambow

Don and Kathleen Greenhouse

Jane A. Gross

Carol and John Hardenburg

Ellen Harmon

Catherine Jarjisian

Erwin H. Johnson Memorial Fund

Phil and Livia Kades

Len and Judy Katz

Douglas Kreider and Dale Kennedy

Gary Landrus

Susan Laubach

Colleen Law and David Borden

Peter and Kate Letarte

Sharon and Dick Levick

Karin and Rich Lewis

Susan Rowan Masters

Casey and Marilyn Neuman

Michael Nolan

John and Esther Northman

Barbara Rait

Rodney Schlaffman and Lawrence Greenberg

Joan and Bob Spirtas

Margo Stuart

Matthew Swanson

Suzanne Taub

Sandi and Burt Zucker

Scenery constructed by Local #266 I.A.T.S.E.

Lighting provided by Advanced Production Group