Watch the videos of our latest productions:
Le Pauvre Matelot
The wife - Amy Maples, soprano
The sailor - Max Jacob Zander, tenor
His friend - Tom Sitzler, baritone
The father-in-law - Jason Adamo, bass-baritone
Please help funding this show.
We need your help! THANK YOU!
Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board for Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
Program funded by Middlesex County, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
La Serva Padrona
Serpina - Alize Francheska Rozsnyai, soprano
Uberto - Jake Stamatis, bass-baritone
Music Direction: Benjamin T. Berman
Stage Direction: Anna Stefanelli
First performed almost 200 years apart, Milhaud's Le Pauvre Matelot (1927) and Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona (1733) nevertheless have some things in common. Each opera features only a few characters, and the storyline is straightforward. In each case, we meet a woman who knows what she wants and who is passionate, even stubborn, about pursuing her goal. However, each woman chooses rather different means to accomplish her goal. While both operas are short (around 45 min), their underlying moods couldn’t be more different.
LE PAUVRE MATELOT
(THE POOR SAILOR)
A sailor and his wife are having a very special reunion after 15 long years of separation. What could be more joyful? Not so fast. The sailor returns home incognito and decides to test his wife by posing as her husband's wealthy friend. Her husband, he claims, is poor and haunted by his creditors. Eager for her husband's return, she decides on a plan to welcome him back.
Darius Milhaud's short opera is based on a libretto by Jean Cocteau, whose masterful storytelling combines elements of classical Greek drama, fairytale, and satire. No spoiler alert: Expect the unexpected.
LA SERVA PADRONA
(THE MISTRESS OF THE HOUSE)
This is an entertaining story of Serpina (La serva), a smart young woman who has taken care of her guardian, Umberto, more than he has taken care of her. “La serva” (Italian for servant) is really “la padrona” (the head of the household). Umberto is looking to marry but is blind to Serpina's affection. Through a series of comic developments, Serpina triumphs. Guess who is surprised at the end.
La Serva Padrona is based on a libretto by Gennaro Antonio Federico. The characters in the opera echo the familiar stock characters of the Italian commedia dell'arte. La Serva Padrona was hugely popular and instrumental in establishing Italian comic opera as an international presence in the eighteenth century. The opera was so impactful in Paris that it triggered a major controversy.
HUB CITY OPERA AND DANCE COMPANY connects the community with important old and new works that educate and entertain, bringing together amateur and professional singers, musicians, dance and visual artists to create performance art unheard and unseen before.
Education
We strive to provide children at the elementary through high school level with opportunities to discover and nurture a love of the arts. We are actively looking to expand our network of partner schools.
Entertainment
We search for the hidden gems of opera and make them accessible to modern audiences. Our emphasis on little-known works set our productions apart.
Enrichment
We partner with local community leaders to spread the joy of opera and dance to a wider audience and create a space for local performers to express themselves through art.
We Need Your Support
Not only your financial support. If you are interested in learning more about our project and how you can participate, please contact us.
