Six new productions are on the 2007-2008 roster at New York City Opera, starting in September with the New York premiere of Margaret Garner, composed by Grammy Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour with a libretto by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison. Directed by Tazewell Thompson, the production is designed by Donald Eastman, sets, Merrily Murray-Walsh, costumes, and Robert Wierzel, lighting. Next up is a new production of the double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci with sets and costumes by Ashley Martin-Davis and lighting by Wolfgang Goebbel. In October the mood changes with a new production of Massenet’s Cendrillon, with sets and costumes by André Barbé and lighting by Guy Simard—both making their company debut with a French opera set as a spoof on 1950s American culture.
Samuel Barber’s Vanessa makes its NYCO premiere in November, with sets by Michael Yeargan and costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. The spring portion of the season opens in March with a new production of Henry Purcell’s King Arthur— performed with the Mark Morris Dance Company— with sets by Adrianne Lobel, costumes by Isaac Mizrahi, and lighting by James Ingalls. The final new production of the 2007-2008 season is Ragtime, in a special 10th anniversary version of the Tony Award-winning American musical. Details about the entire New York City Opera season can be found at www.nycopera.com