Subscriptions & Single Tickets on sale now!
THE CAST
Learn more about our artists by clicking or tapping their headshot.
Angela Meade (Ermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus)
Lawrence Brownlee* (Oreste, son of Agamemnon)
David Portillo** (Pirro, son of Achilles and king of Epirus)
Matthew Hill (Pilade, friend of Oreste)
Erin Ridge (Cleone, confidante of Hermione)
Rolando Sanz (Attalo, servant of Pyrrhus)
Ginger Costa-Jackson* (Andromaca, widow of Hector)
Matthew Scollin (Fenicio, tutor to Achille and then to Pyrrhus)
Katelyn Jackman (Cefisa, confidante of Andromaca)
*Lawrence Brownlee and Ginger Costa-Jackson’s appearances with WCO have been generously underwritten by Harlow Case and James Riedy.
*Angela Meade’s appearance is made possible by Alexander D. Crary and Jacquelyn and Bishop Sheehan.
**David Portillo’s appearance with WCO has been generously underwritten by Edgar A. and Andy Smith.
know before you go
Pricing
Subscriptions start at $72 (1 ticket to both performances, Ermione and La Rondine).
Single tickets start at $44 per performance.
Pre-performance talk
5 PM
Included in price of performance ticket
Takes place inside Lisner Auditorium
To be given by WCO co-founder Peter Russell
Generously sponsored by The Guild for Washington Concert Opera
Opera Gems
Free online lecture by Peter Russell
Date/Time TBA
Approximate run time
2 hours and 40 minutes including one (1) 20 minute intermission
THE OPERA
Sung in Italian with projected English supertitles
Premiered at the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples (March 1819)
Based on the play Andromaque (1667) by Jean Racine
On many levels, being able to present Rossini’s Ermione, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War, is something of a miracle as it disappeared from the public eye after only seven performances in 1819, not to be unearthed again until over 100 years after Rossini’s death. Despite its relatively short performance history and initial reputation as a failure, the opera is positively overflowing with vocal pyrotechnics, and the historical record is clear on the fact that the composer himself continued to hold a great deal of affection for it well into his later life. As a recovered gem, Ermione continues to shine brightly, and Washington Concert Opera is honored to play an important role in its continued, modern reevaluation.
Featuring star soprano Angela Meade, who has sung the title role to great acclaim in Italy and Spain, as well as a WCO favorite, the internationally acclaimed Rossini tenor, Lawrence Brownlee, in an exciting role debut. They will be joined by outstanding Rossini interpreters, tenor David Portillo and mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, for an evening of spectacular and virtuosic singing.