Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas LIVE

Daniel Catán’s spellbinding, magical masterpiece to be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera stage directly to the big screen at Newport Performing Arts Center

NEWPORT, OR: Inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas tells enchanting story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus—and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. On Saturday, December 9 at 10:00am, Florencia will be broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York to the big screen at Newport Performing Arts Center, presented by Oregon Coast Council for the Arts.

A riverboat wends its way along the Amazon River. On board is renowned vocalist Florencia Grimaldi, who has embarked on a desperate, clandestine mission in search of her long-lost, butterfly-hunting lover, Cristóbal. Also on board are a middle-aged couple who bicker incessantly, the writer of Florencia's biography, and a mysterious figure who somehow seems to know everyone on board. Through storms, losses, a man overboard, and the threat of cholera, a mysterious journey unfolds.

Poignant and evocative, Florencia's long-awaited Metropolitan Opera premiere marks the first Spanish-language opera at the Met in nearly 100 years. It’s also the first opera at the Met by a Mexican composer, Catán, whose librettist, Marcela Fuentes-Berain, also hails from Mexico City. Mexican American soprano Ailyn Pérez, who grew up in Chicago the daughter of Mexican immigrants, stars in the title role, trading in the usual operatic Italian and French for the Spanish she speaks fluently. The set designer for Mary Zimmerman’s visual feast of production is the Havana-born, Buenos Aires–reared Riccardo Hernández, in his Met debut. A distinguished ensemble of artists portrays the diva’s fellow travelers, including soprano Gabriella Reyes, bass-baritone Greer Grimsley, baritone Mattia Olivieri and tenor Mario Chang.

This live transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning “Live in HD” series, bringing world-class opera to screens across the globe. Audiences are invited to experience this deliciously mysterious opera with better-than-front-row angles and glorious sound. The production is sung in Spanish, with English subtitles, and will be broadcast live—as it happens—from the Met stage, in HD, to the Alice Silverman Theatre. Run time is approximately 2 hours 15 mins, with one intermission. Tickets range from $15.50 - $25.75 when purchased at the Newport Performing Arts Center box office (777 W Olive Street) or by phone. Online ticketing is also available (additional fee applies). To learn more, call 541-265-2782 or visit coastarts.org/events/met-florencia

The Met: Live in HD is an award-winning series of live, high-definition cinema simulcasts. Oregon Coast audiences can enjoy the beauty, grandeur, and excitement of world-class opera, broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera stage directly to Newport Performing Arts Center’s big screen — and savor every delicious note through the unrivaled sound quality of our state-of-the-art Meyer Constellation Acoustic System. To learn more, visit www.coastarts.org/met

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developing, promoting, and celebrating community arts on the Oregon Coast. Learn more at www.coastarts.org

Please email questions or interview requests to:

Darcy Lawrence

Marketing & Communication Coordinator Oregon Coast Council for the Arts

Darcy@CoastArts.org