Welcome to the 2017 Greve Opera Academy and Chamber Music Festival!
Dear Music Lovers,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the third edition of the Greve Opera Academy and Chamber Music Festival. Our passion for music is the common force which draws us together. It is very important that we come to such a place that is connected with the roots of our culture and art, and explore the possibilities and limits of our shared creativity. This essential concept of sharing in the human expression extends here in Greve-in-Chianti to everyone who can connect with our concept. Opera Academy is in many ways unique. It elevates the students to the status of an artist by allowing them to share equally in the creative process. Here we work together in the environment which allows us, if only for this short time, to share our lives and our live’s passions to create something better then ourselves. On behalf of everyone involved — Academy faculty, Greve city officials, supporting staff — I would like to welcome you to this beautiful place and hope that you will have a great time living through the process which will most certainly make us all better people and better artists by the end of our time together.
Thank You,
Adrian Sylveen
Artistic Director and Conductor
2017 GREVE OPERA ACADEMY AND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES
SATURDAY JUNE 17- 21.00
Sala della Musica of the Relais Santa Croce – FLORENCE
Concert of the CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF GREVE IN CHIANTI
and the CONNECTICUT VIRTUOSI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
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THURSDAY JUNE 22 – 21.15
Piazza Matteotti – GREVE in CHIANTI
OPERA—“Tosca” by G.PUCCINI
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SATURDAY JUNE 24 – 19.00
Santa Croce Church – GREVE IN CHIANTI
Concert of the Chamber Orchestra of Greve in Chianti
and the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
—
SUNDAY JUNE 25 – 21.15
Rocca di Montestaffoli – SAN GIMIGNANO
OPERA—“Tosca” by G.PUCCINI
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MONDAY JUNE 26 & TUESDAY JUNE 27 – – 18.00
SALA HACK, PALAZZO DELLA TORRE, MUSICA CLASSICA
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THURSDAY JUNE 29 – 21.00
Sala della Musica of the Relais Santa Croce – FLORENCE
Concert of the CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF GREVE IN CHIANTI
and the CONNECTICUT VIRTUOSI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
—
SUNDAY JULY 2 – 21.15
Rocca di Montestaffoli – SAN GIMIGNANO
OPERA—“Cosi fan Tutte ” by W.A.MOZART
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TUESDAY JULY 4 – 21.15
THURSDAY JULY 6 – 21.15
Piazza Matteotti – GREVE in CHIANTI
OPERA—“Cosi fan Tutte” by W.A.MOZART
—
FRIDAY JULY 7 – 19.00
Santa Croce Church – GREVE IN CHIANTI
Concert of the CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF GREVE IN CHIANTI
and the CONNECTICUT VIRTUOSI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
ABOUT CONNECTICUT LYRIC OPERA
Now in our Fourteenth Season, Connecticut Lyric Opera (CLO) is the state’s leading opera company performing to thousands across Connecticut in four venues – Hartford, Middletown, New Braitain, and our home, New London. We have earned the reputation as an innovative company that is renowned for our world-class singers, phenomenal concert-quality orchestra and programming choices that go beyond the well-loved standards of the repertoire to include lesser-performed yet equally compelling works. Together with our musical partners, the CT Virtuosi, we have initiated the Greve Opera Academy and Music Festival in Italy and the Summer Opera Institute in Farmington. Since our founding, the mission of CLO has been and remains:
Inspire: To contribute to the cultural life of Connecticut and beyond with the highest quality operas and concerts from the traditional and contemporary repertoires.
Involve: To encourage the development of singers, musicians and theatrical artisans through their participation in professional opera and other productions.
Instill: To present opera to people of all ages in such a way as to foster a love and appreciation of the art form in particular, and classical and vocal music in general.
We are extremely proud of the fact that singers in our Young Artist Program have gone on to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the Salzburg Festival and other major companies.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT VIRTUOSI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Established in 1997 and having just celebrated its 20th Anniversary Season, the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra is the state’s premier professional chamber orchestra dedicated to presenting both traditional and contemporary classical chamber works to the public. The Orchestra, led by founder and Artistic Director Adrian Sylveen continues to grow in size and repertoire, presenting approximately 35 times a year in many major performing arts centers throughout Connecticut and New York. The organization consists of approximately 27 professional musicians and administrative staff of four. The mission of the Virtuosi is to preserve and perpetuate the great traditions of orchestral music through the expansion of its public performance season, its education series, and by showcasing the excellence of regional and international talent. In the choice of repertoire, special attention is given to music from Eastern Europe. The Orchestra collaborates on many projects with the New Britain Chorale, CCSU, Middletown Concert Association, Chopin Foundation in NY, and others. We co-produce fully staged opera productions with Connecticut Lyric Opera. In addition to performances, the Orchestra makes an effort to enrich the community by providing other programs such as free tickets to the local schools, lectures etc. A frequent guest at the Kosciusko Foundation’s Chamber Music Series, in 2003 the Virtuosi was invited to perform at the Gala Concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of John Paul II papacy.
ABOUT THE GREVE OPERA ACADEMY AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
Founded in 2015, the Greve Opera Academy and Music Festival is a collaborative effort between the American performing organizations Connecticut Lyric Opera and Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the municipality of Greve-in-Chianti, province of Florence. The first season saw a fully staged production of Le Nozze di Figaro with performances in Greve and San Casciano val di Pesa, as well as additional concerts and recitals throughout the commune of Greve. Last year, Season Two, witnessed an expansion of the program with fully staged productions of La Boheme and Don Govanni performed in San Gimignano and Greve, as well as concerts and recitals in Florence and Greve. Including this season, student participants have come from the US, Italy, Canada, China, Poland, Cyprus, Australia and Austria.
ABOUT GREVE-IN-CHIANTI
Greve-in-Chianti consists of a large part of the hilly territory between Florence and Sienna. Looking at the tranquil atmosphere of this fairly busy little town, one would never guess that the town of Greve, and the headquarters of the local comune, had been caught in the crossfire of Florence and Siena for hundreds of years. Greve’s history is connected to the beautiful Castle of Montefioralle located above the town, when it served as the castle’s marketplace in the 13th century. The strategic position at the crossroads of three important pilgrimage roads – the Chiantigiana road, the road to Valdarno and the road to Val di Pesa – favored its economic growth.Piazza Matteotti is the main point of reference in Greve and even if it isn’t “square”, it is still the focal point of the town. What makes the place particular, apart from its strange shape, is the portico on three sides of the square. The portico continues to serve as the frame for boutique shops, artisans workshops and restaurants. Some of these shops are particularly famous drawing locals and tourists alike for their quality and diversity of goods: the Antica Macelleria Falorni, a Tuscan butcher shop that has been in the same spot since 1729, and the Bottega dell’Artigianato, a shop specialized in hand-woven baskets and products made in olive wood. The covered sidewalks on either side are an excellent place to relax and do a bit of people watching, at one of the many restaurants, cafes and enotecas. More shops and enticing restaurants are also located down via Roma and via Garibaldi, at the top and bottom of the square. The beauty of Greve is that it is compact and you can easily visit everywhere by foot.
For more info, visit: https://www.chianti.com/greve-in-chianti/
We would like to thank and acknowledge the invaluable partnership of:
The Municipality of Greve-in-Chianti