Opera Roanoke will present Verdi’s La Traviata on Friday, April 8th at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 10th at 3pm to conclude their 40th anniversary season. The production will take place in Shaftman Performance Hall at The Jefferson Center in Roanoke.
Amy Cofield Williamson (Carmen, ’12; Julius Caesar, ’14), who has covered the lead role for famed soprano Reneé Fleming, will star. With a cast including beloved baritone Levi Hernandez (Cinderella, ’15), Opera Roanoke’s 2015/2016 season closes in a crescendo of passion with one of the greatest dramatic masterpieces in the operatic repertoire.
Prior to singing La Traviata’s Violetta with Opera Roanoke, Amy Cofield Williamson understudied the role at Houston Grand Opera for diva Reneé Fleming, who is considered by many to be the greatest soprano of her generation.
In regard to covering the same role that Fleming was singing, Cofield Williamson says, “I had developed my own characterization previous to the Houston Grand Opera production…but of course, I am always open to discovering new dimensions to a character. Watching Reneé become Violetta certainly gave me some new ideas and some deeper connections to the role that have continued to inform my portrayal.”
In a charming case of life imitating art, Opera Roanoke’s leading lady and its Artistic Director, Scott Williamson, who will conduct La Traviata, first met while singing Violetta and the male lead role Alfredo in a Maryland production of the opera.
Cofield Williamson says, “Scott started singing, and I was caught completely off guard by the beauty of his tenor and by his vibrant personality that drew me in so immediately. When I started singing in response, he seemed to light up even more, turned his chair toward me, and….well, the rest is history. Needless to say, the passion and chemistry between us carried into our real life experience, and we were married the following June.”
Maestro Williamson remembers how, when an audience member asked them if they were in love in real life, they responded, “Well, we just met on Tuesday…” after exchanging embarrassed chuckles.
Maestro Williamson urges people to see La Traviata, because, “It is simply one of the great masterpieces of all time…it is a work of art every human being should encounter at least once, and preferably many times, in their life”.
Cofield Williamson adds, “With Maestro Williamson directing and conducting, audiences are surely in for a treat. As director he will bring so many additional layers to this beautiful and tragic story, and as conductor, he and I will have the opportunity to make connections across the stage, bringing this music and story together in fresh and magical ways.”
To purchase tickets please call The Jefferson Center Box Office at (540) 345-2550 or visit The Jefferson Center Box Office at 541 Luck Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. Their hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. To purchase tickets online please visit www.jeffcenter.org/la-traviata. Season tickets are also still available through The Jefferson Center Box Office for patrons who attended October’s Sweeney Todd.
Malia Diaz
