Verdi meets Shakespeare in the crowning achievement of Italian opera.
He's a beloved leader, a distinguished military commander and a devoted husband. But when an envious subordinate introduces the notion—just the slightest whispered hint—that Othello's wife Desdemona might possibly be unfaithful, it's enough to send him into a downward spiral of fury and murder.
Hailed as the pinnacle of the Italian operatic repertoire, Verdi’s transformation of the original Shakespeare play is a powerful drama of uncontrolled human emotion at its most extreme. Verdi's musical portrait of Otello’s descent into a tortured heart of darkness is explicit in every chilling detail as he destroys all in life that he holds dear.
Verdi master James Conlon takes command of the truly epic musical forces. The powerhouse cast is led by Artist in Residence Russell Thomas in the title role (considered the "Mount Everest" of the dramatic tenor repertoire). Rachel Willis-Sørensen makes a highly anticipated company debut as the doomed Desdemona and Igor Golovatenko is the sadistic Iago, slyly exploiting Otello's one fatal flaw: jealousy.
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One hour before each performance begins, join Music Director James Conlon for a pre-show talk about Otello in Stern Grand Hall, on the second floor of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Admission is complimentary with your ticket.
Russell Thomas: "His farewell to glory in act two was exceptionally fine and the personal annihilation he achieved in the final scene was shattering. It is a searing and overdue interpretation."
Listen to Otello's dramatic Act 1 entrance ("Esultate!"), with the chorus cheering his stunning victory over an enemy fleet.
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A scene from LA Opera's 2008 production of "Otello," staged by John Cox.
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A scene from LA Opera's 2008 production of "Otello," staged by John Cox.
Robert Millard / LA OperaSwipe for More

A scene from LA Opera's 2008 production of "Otello," staged by John Cox.
Robert Millard / LA OperaSwipe for More

Russell Thomas, LA Opera's Artist in Residence, sings the title role of "Otello."
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Rachel Willis-Sørensen makes her LA Opera debut as Desdemona in "Otello."
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Igor Golovatenko sings the role of Iago in "Otello."
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Music Director James Conlon conducts "Otello."
Dan SteinbergCast
- Otello
- Russell Thomas
- Desdemona
- Rachel Willis-Sørensen
- Iago
- Igor Golovatenko
- Cassio
- Anthony Ciaramitaro
- Emilia
- Sarah Saturnino
- Lodovico
- Morris Robinson
- Roderigo
- Anthony León
- Montano
- Alan Williams
- Herald
- Ryan Wolfe
Russell Thomas
Otello

From: Miami, Florida. LA Opera: Pollione in Norma (2015, debut); Cavaradossi in Tosca (2017); title role in The Clemency of Titus (2019); online Signature Recital (2021); title role of Oedipus Rex (2021); Radames in Aida (2022); title role in Otello (2023); Calaf in Turandot (2024); soloist in Fire and Blue Sky (2024). He has been the company's Artist in Residence since 2021.
With a “heroically shining tone of exceptional clarity and precision” (Opera magazine) and “gorgeously burnished power” (New York Times), American tenor Russell Thomas uses his signature elegance and intensity to create vivid character portrayals on the world’s most important stages.
His engagements for the 2021/22 season include his return to LA Opera as Radames in Aida, Florestan in Fidelio with San Francisco Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Cincinnati Opera, Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the title role of Otello at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Appearances in the 2022/23 season will include the title role of Ernani with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Calaf in Turandot with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
He opened the truncated 2019/20 season with his role debut as Don Alvaro in a new production of La forza del destino at Deutsche Oper Berlin, and subsequently made his role and house debuts as Radames in Houston Grand Opera’s new production of Aida. He also returned to Washington National Opera as the title character in Otello. On the concert stage, he joined Gianandrea Noseda at the Vienna Konzerthaus for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. (Engagements cancelled due to the pandemic included leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera and Canadian Opera Company.)
The 2018/19 season featured Mr. Thomas’s hotly anticipated stage debut in Verdi’s iconic Otello, seen at the Canadian Opera Company after concert performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He sang Manrico in Il Trovatore at the Bavarian State Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, made his role debut as Roberto Devereux at San Francisco Opera, and brought his celebrated Titus in The Clemency of Titus to LA Opera. On the concert stage, he joined the World Orchestra for Peace in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the BBC Proms, and performed Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He closed his season by reuniting with conductor Teodor Currentzis and director Peter Sellars for a new Idomeneo at the Salzburger Festspiele.
Mr. Thomas has enjoyed a string of operatic triumphs in recent seasons, including performances as Don Carlo at Washington National Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin; Cavaradossi in Tosca at LA Opera and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and Pollione in Norma at Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia. He has debuted as Florestan in Fidelio at Cincinnati Opera, as Stiffelio at Oper Frankfurt, and as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Mr. Thomas has sung Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, Loge in Das Rheingold with the New York Philharmonic, Adorno in Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Ismaele in Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera and Seattle Opera. His portrayal of the title character in the new Peter Sellars production of The Clemency of Titus at the Salzburg Festival and Dutch National Opera drew praise from the The New Yorker, which noted, “Thomas’s penetrating tenor, which has lately acquired richness and heft, anchored the evening.”
Future seasons include appearances in Berlin, London, Toronto, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Learn more at RussellThomasTenor.com.
Rachel Willis-Sørensen
Desdemona

From: Tri-Cities, Washington. LA Opera: Desdemona in Otello (2023, debut); Violetta in La Traviata (2024).
American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen is known for her diverse repertoire ranging from Mozart to Wagner. A regular guest at the leading opera houses around the world, Le Monde enthused, "…the American soprano has without a doubt one of the most impressive voices in the opera world. The timbre, of marmoreal beauty, is striking, the projection telluric..." In 2021, Rachel signed a multi-record deal with Sony Classical. Her debut album was released on April 8, 2022.
Ms. Willis-Sørensen opens the 2022/23 season with a return to the Bayerische Staatsoper to perform the role of Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes which she debuted earlier in the year. She then makes her first role debut of the season, as Elisabeth in Verdi’s Don Carlos with Lyric Opera of Chicago. This season finds her performing two roles at the Wiener Staatsoper. Her first engagement in Vienna includes a return to the role of Rosalinde in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, followed by Mimi in La Bohème. Returning to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, she then performs her second role debut of the season, the title role in Strauss’s Arabella. In the spring, she performs the role of Violetta in La Traviata at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and makes her house debut at LA Opera as Desdemona. She returns to the Royal Opera House to perform the role of Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. On the concert stage, she performs Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder in Copenhagen, Denmark, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Insula Orchestra in Linz, Austria, and an open air concert in Waldbühne, Berlin, alongside Jonas Kaufmann. Her second CD, Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder, comes out March 10 on Sony Classical.
Previous engagements include Rusalka (Rusalka) at the San Francisco Opera and NDR Hamburg, Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) at Glyndebourne, Semperoper Dresden and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Violetta (La Traviata) at Opéra national de Bordeaux, Marguerite (Faust) as part of the Royal Opera House’s tour of Japan, Elsa (Lohengrin) at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opernhaus Zurich, and Oper Frankfurt, Desdemona (Otello) at the Wiener Staatsoper and the Bayerische Staatsoper, Mimi (La Bohème) at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Semperoper Dresden, Countess (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Metropolitan Opera and the Wiener Staatsoper, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wiener Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera and Semperoper Dresden, Hélène (Les Vêpres siciliennes) at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Valentine (Les Huguenots) at the Grand Théâtre Genève, Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at the San Francisco Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes) at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden and the Wiener Staatsoper, Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) at the Houston Grand Opera, Leonore (Fidelio) at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and Leonora (Il Trovatore) at the Teatro Regio di Torino and Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Equally at home on the concert stage, she has performed Strauss's Four Last Songs multiple times, including notably at Buckingham Palace for a Prince Charles birthday celebration, and joined Jonas Kaufmann in 2019 and 2020 for a multi-city European tour in support of his latest recording, Wien, on which she is featured. Other repertoire includes Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mahler’s 2nd, 4th and 8th Symphonies, Mendelssohn’s Elias, Dvořák Stabat Mater, and the Verdi Requiem.
Rachel was a member of the ensemble at the Dresdner Semperoper for three years, where she sang Hanna Glawari (Die Lustige Witwe), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito), Elettra (Idomeneo), Diemut (Feuersnot), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) and Mimi (La Bohème). She won first prize at the 2014 Operalia competition in Los Angeles and at the 2011 Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, and she was a winner of the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Brigham Young University and is an alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. An active presence on social media, she can be found on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @rachewillissorensen and on Twitter under @RWSing.
Learn more at RachelWillisSorensen.com.
Photo: Olivia Kahler
Igor Golovatenko
Iago

From: Saratov, Russia. LA Opera: Giorgio Germont in La Traviata (2019, debut). Upcoming: Iago in Otello (2023).
Russian baritone Igor Golovatenko quickly made a name for himself on both the concert platform and operatic stage after his debut in the 2006 Russian premiere of Delius' <em>Eine Messe des Lebens</em> with the Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Having studied at the Moscow Academy of the Choral Arts with Dmitry Vdovin, Mr. Golovatenko was awarded first prize at the St. Petersburg Three Centuries of Classical Romance Competition and second prize at Dresden's International Competizione dell'Opera. A leading baritone at the Bolshoi Opera, Igor Golovatenko will return there this season as Shchelkalov in Boris Godunov, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, and Robert in Iolanta. He has previously appeared at the Bolshoi as Germont in La Traviata, Posa in Don Carlo and Marcello in La Boheme.
In recent seasons, he has made a number of significant debuts: Severo in Donizetti's Poliuto at the Glyndebourne Festival, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Guy de Montfort in Les Vêpres Siciliennes at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and Count di Luna in Il Trovatore at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. This season, he will also debut at the Salzburg Festival as Prince Yeletsky in The Queen of Spades, appear at the Opéra de Bordeaux as Ernesto in Il Pirata, and sing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 at the BBC Wales’s Proms in the Park.
His appearances in the 2022/23 season will include Rodrigue in the original five-act French version of Don Carlos with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Future engagements also include his debut at the Metropolitan Opera.
Other recent performances include Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Cologne Opera; his return to the Glyndebourne Festival as Germont in La Traviata; Rachmaninov's Spring Cantata with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican; Iokanaan in Mariotte's Salome and Carlo Gustavo in Foroni's Cristina regina di Svezia at the Wexford Festival; Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Teatro Sociale di Rovigo, Opera Giocosa di Savona and Teatro di Bergamo as part of the Bergamo Music Festival; the title role in Rigoletto with Opera Giocosa di Savona (directed by Rolando Panerai); Seid in Verdi's Il Corsaro at the Teatro Verdi di Trieste (conducted and directed by Gianluigi Gelmetti); the title role in Eugene Onegin at the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; Count di Luna in Il Trovatore in Riga, Latvia; Lopakhin in Fénelon's La Cerisaie at the Opéra National de Paris; Shchelkalov and Rangoni in Boris Godunov at the Teatro Massimo Palermo (directed by Hugo de Ana); Monfort in Les Vêpres Siciliennes at the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; Shchelkalov in Boris Godunov at the Bavarian State Opera (conducted by Kent Nagano and directed by Calixto Bieito); and Germont in La Traviata (directed by Francesca Zambello) and Rodrigo in Don Carlo (directed by Adrian Noble) at the Bolshoi.
Anthony Ciaramitaro
Cassio

From: Coral Springs, Florida. LA Opera: Lord Cecil in Roberto Devereux (2020, mainstage debut); Orpheus in The Death of Orpheus (2020); Ruiz in Il Trovatore (2021); Heinrich der Schreiber in Tannhäuser (2021); Messenger in Aida (2022); Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor (2022); Cassio in Otello (2023). He is an alumnus of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program (2019-22)
The winner of the CulturArte Prize at Operalia 2022 and a Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions 2019 National Semifinalist, the tenor is drawing attention for his Italianate sound and compelling stage presence.
In December 2022, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Messenger in Aida. Other appearances for the 2022/23 season include the Verdi Requiem with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and returns to LA Opera as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and as Cassio in Otello.
In addition to several appearances with LA Opera, his engagements for the 2021/22 season included creating the role of Giorgio in New York City Opera's world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.
In the summer of 2021, he performed Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Aspen Music Festival, under the baton of Patrick Summers.
He spent the summers of 2018 and 2019 as an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera, where he covered the role of Lindoro in L’Italiana in Algeri and performed the role of Toke in the world premiere of The Thirteenth Child.
Mr. Ciaramitaro is a former Cornelia T. Bailey Apprentice Artist at Palm Beach Opera, and a former Marion Roose Pullin Studio Artist with Arizona Opera, where he appeared as Theseus in Patrick Morganelli’s Hercules vs. Vampires, Spoletta in Tosca, the Governor and Vanderdendur in Candide, and Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. Mr. Ciaramitaro performed the role of Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola as a member of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in 2017, and spent previous seasons as a studio artist with Chautauqua Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, where he performed the roles of Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro and the Messenger in Aïda.
While working toward a Masters in Music at Florida State University under the direction of Douglas Fisher and voice teacher David Okerlund, Mr. Ciaramitaro performed the roles of Alfredo in La Traviata, Charles II in Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players, and Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola. Mr. Ciaramitaro earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College and studied with tenor Richard Owens.
In concert, Mr. Ciaramitaro has performed Orff’s Carmina Burana and Haydn’s The Creation with the Tallahassee Community Chorus, and was the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah at the Crystal Cathedral and with the Messiah Choral Society of Winter Park and the Villages Philharmonic.
Sarah Saturnino
Emilia

From: Grass Valley, California. LA Opera: Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Jocabed in Moses (2023); Emilia in Otello (2023, mainstage debut). She joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in 2022.
Mexican-American mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino is quickly becoming known for her versatility and “range of vocal colors” (Miami Herald). Her appearances for the 2022/23 season include Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, appearances with LA Opera as Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia and Emilia in Otello, and a Callas centenary concert with Dayton Opera.
Recent roles include: Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro and Carmen in The Tragedy of Carmen with Shreveport Opera, Vera Boronel in The Consul with Baltimore Concert Opera, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Opera San Antonio and Painted Sky Opera, and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with Yale Opera.
She recently completed her second season with the Shreveport Opera Company's Resident Artist program. In 2020 she performed in Art After Dark where she sang Maria in Feel the Tango, Angie in Pepito, and Julia Child in Bon Appétit. She also sang in their 2021 recorded production of Rigoletto as Maddalena and Giovanna.
In 2022, she returned to Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, covering Meg Page in Falstaff. During the 2021 summer season with Santa Fe Opera, she covered the roles of Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is an alumna of the Chautauqua Opera Company’s Young Artist program. She has performed with the Miami Summer Music Festival as Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and was a soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival, as well as multiple concerts in Tuscany, Italy, with Bel Canto in Tuscany.
She received the Campbell/Wachter Scholarship Award from the Santa Fe Opera for the 2021 season. She received the Faculty Award from the Vann Vocal Institute in 2020. She was a first place winner of the Pacific NorthWest Competition in Eugene, Oregon in 2019. She has placed in the top ten in the Brava! Competition two years (2018, 2019) in a row and was a Grand Finalist in the Talents of the World Competition in 2018.
She has performed in many concert works including Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Handel’s Let God Arise, O Sing unto the Lord, and Messiah. She has also sung in recitals for the Trinity on Wall Street, Pipes at One and the Chautauqua Opera Company’s Emerging Artists Recital. She has also performed the Old Lady in Candide with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.
She graduated cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor of arts in vocal performance and a minor in music industry in 2016. Roles at UCLA include: Jenny in Down in the Valley, the Shepherd in L’enfant et les sortilèges, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, the Old Lady in Candide, and Le Prince Charmant in Cendrillon. She graduated with honors from the Yale University School of Music with a master's of music in 2018. Roles at Yale included: Second Lady in The Magic Flute, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Bertarido in Rodelinda, and Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking. She continued to work and study at the Potomac Vocal Institute where she studied under the world-renowned Elizabeth Bishop and Arianna Zuckerman in the inaugural class of the Professional Development Program. Roles in that program included Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Quickly in Falstaff and Charlotte in A Weekend in the Country.
Miss Saturnino is a choreographer, fight director and intimacy director. Her work includes Feel the Tango, Speed Dating, and The Marriage of Figaro for Shreveport Opera. She works with Sordelet, Inc., as a fight and intimacy director. She is also trained in fencing.
Morris Robinson
Lodovico

From: Atlanta, Georgia. LA Opera: Sarastro in The Magic Flute (2009, debut); Fasolt in Das Rheingold (2009, 2010); Oroveso in Norma (2015); Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio (2017); Zaccaria in Nabucco (2017); Sparafucile in Rigoletto (2018); Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo (2018); Parsi Rustomji in Satyagraha (2018); Ferrando in Il Trovatore (2021); Hermann in Tannhäuser (2021); Ramfis in Aida (2022); Lodovico in Otello (2023); Timur in Turandot (2024).
Morris Robinson is considered one the most interesting and sought-after basses performing today.
He regularly appears at the Metropolitan Opera, where he is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Program. He debuted there in a production of Fidelio and has since appeared as Sarastro in The Magic Flute (both in the original production and in the children’s English version), Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the King in Aida, and in roles in Nabucco, Tannhäuser, and the new productions of Les Troyens and Salome. He has also appeared at the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Seattle Opera, LA Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Teatro alla Scala, Volksoper Wien, Opera Australia, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. His many roles include the title role in Porgy and Bess, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Ramfis in Aida, Zaccaria in Nabucco, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo, Timur in Turandot, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, and Fasolt in Das Rheingold.
Also a prolific concert singer, Mr. Robinson’s recently made his debut with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in performances of the Mahler Symphony No. 8 with its music director, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyl. His many concert engagements have included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (where he was the 2015/16 Artist in Residence), San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Met Chamber Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, New England String Ensemble, and at the BBC Proms and the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, Cincinnati May, Verbier, and Aspen Music Festivals. He also appeared in Carnegie Hall as part of Jessye Norman’s HONOR! Festival. In recital he has been presented by Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Savannah Music Festival, the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Mr. Robinson’s solo album, Going Home, was released on the Decca label. He also appears as Joe in the DVD of the San Francisco Opera production of Show Boat, and in the DVDs of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Salome and the Aix-en-Provence Festival’s production of Mozart’s Zaide.
For the reduced 2020/21 season, Mr. Robinson returns to both the Michigan Opera Theater and the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Haggen in Twilight: Gods, an innovative production of Gotterdämmerung created by Yuval Sharon. He also sings Sparafucile in a special performance of Rigolettto produced by the Tulsa Opera. He is also a member of the Atlanta Opera’s Company Players for the 2020/21 season where he will appear in various concerts, recitals, and educations outreach events throughout the year.
An Atlanta native, Mr. Robinson is a graduate of The Citadel and received his musical training from the Boston University Opera Institute. He was recently named Artistic Advisor to the Cincinnati Opera.
To learn more, visit MorrisRobinson.com.
Anthony León
Roderigo

From: Riverside, California. LA Opera: Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor (2022, debut); Spoletta in Tosca (2022); Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro (2023); Ramses in Moses (2023); Roderigo in Otello (2023); Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (2023).
The American-born Cuban and Colombian tenor Anthony León is a young up-and-comer who is quickly developing an international performing career. On October 30, 2022, he was the first place winner of Operalia, where he also won the zarzuela prize. For the 2022/23 season, his appearances include Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor and Spoletta in Tosca with LA Opera, where he is a member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
His most recent engagements include singing Remendado in Carmen at Santa Fe Opera, Ernesto in Don Pasquale at New England Conservatory and being on tour performing the roles of Giove and Amphinome in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria with the ensemble I Gemelli. On tour, Anthony performed at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France; Arsenal Theater in Metz, France; and Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland. A recorded album is in the works and is set to be released in 2023. In the fall of 2021, Anthony also presented the role of Count Almaviva in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of The Barber of Seville. During the summer of 2021, Anthony was an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera covering the role of Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to these contracts, Anthony has performed in other leading roles recently such as Le Chevalier in Dialogue des Carmélites, Agenore in Mozart's Il re pastore, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Tamino in The Magic Flute, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance.
Most recent honors include winning the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in the Los Angeles District in 2022 and receiving a Career Development Grant from the Sullivan Foundation. Other accolades include being named “Best up-and-comer” in the Inland Empire Magazine’s “Best of the Best 2019” list and being awarded the Wendy Shattuck ‘75 Presidential Scholarship for Vocal Studies among other prestigious awards.
Anthony holds a bachelor of music from La Sierra University and a master of music degree concentrating in vocal performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, studying under the tutelage of Bradley Williams.
Learn more at AnthonyLeonTenor.com.
Alan Williams
Montano

From: San Bernardino, California. LA Opera: Abe in Omar (2022, debut); soloist in Frankenstein with Live Orchestra (2022); Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro (2023); Jethro / Voice of God 2 in Moses (2023); Montano in Otello (2023); Masetto in Don Giovanni (2023). He joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in 2022.
Alan Williams recently received his specialist and master's degrees in voice performance from the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Daniel Washington. He received his undergraduate degree in 2018 from Northern Arizona University, where he studied with Dr. Judith Cloud.
He has performed a number of major roles with various festivals and universities including John P. Parker in Adolphus Hailstork’s Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story, Rev. Olin Blitch in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah and the title role in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. He has also performed in various concerts with Detroit Opera, recently in Detroit Players Club Opera Event. In the fall of 2021, Alan was invited to sing for Jean Snyder's presentation on the works of Harry T. Burleigh at the Oxford Lieder Festival in Oxford, England. He has also had the honor of singing with Dr. Eugene Rogers' professional chamber choir Exigence since 2020.
He has received notable awards, recently earning an encouragement award at the Arizona District Laffont Competition. In 2021, he was named the winner of the Graduate Concerto Competition at the University of Michigan. Also during his M.M. studies at Michigan, he was selected as a national finalist in the 2019 National Association of Negro Musicians convention. In his undergraduate studies at Northern Arizona University, he was selected as a finalist for two consecutive years in the Rocky Mountain District for MONC auditions.
In the summer of 2022, he will join the Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Program at Des Moines Metro Opera, where he will sing the role of Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and cover the role of the Lawyer in Porgy and Bess.
Ryan Wolfe
Herald

From: Arlington Heights, Illinois. LA Opera: soloist in Frankenstein with Live Orchestra (2022); Jailor in Tosca (2022, mainstage debut); Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia (2023); Moses in Moses (2023); Herald in Otello (2023). He joined the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in 2022.
Ryan Wolfe is a passionate musician fueled by his love for collaboration and performance, who has been commended for his “commanding presence” and “well-tutored, polished baritone.”
His 2022/23 season began with Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder with the Richmond Symphony followed by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He made his LA Opera debut as the Jailer in Tosca, with future credits including the Herald in Otello, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia conducted by Lina Gonzalez Granados, and the title character in Henry Mollicone’s Moses conducted by James Conlon. Additionally, he is the cover for the roles of Johnson/Owen in Omar, the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, and Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande. He debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the Steersman in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
In the summer of 2022, he returned to the Apprentice Artist Program at Des Moines Metro Opera to cover Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The 2021/22 season saw him make several role debuts including Ithe Count in The Marriage of Figaro and Cardinal 3/Priest/Father in Phillip Glass’s Galileo Galilei at the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music (CCM). In March of 2022, Ryan covered the role of Papageno in Barry Kosky’s internationally acclaimed production of The Magic Flute with Des Moines Metro Opera. Most recently, Ryan appeared as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with the Santa Cruz Symphony, conducted by Daniel Stewart.
He won an Encouragement Award in the Central Region Finals of the Eric and Dominque Laffont Competition in 2021, won first prize in the 2022 University of Cincinnati – CCM Corbett Opera Scholarship Competition and is a two-time semi-finalist (2021, 2022) of the Lotte Lenya Competition. He has also won awards from Classical Singer National Voice Competition and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.
In the summer of 2021, he joined the Des Moines Metro Opera Company as an Apprentice Artist where he performed Sen. Potter’s Assistant/Bookseller/Priest/Technician/Party Guest in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers and Narumov in The Queen of Spades and covered Cithéron in Rameau’s Platée. He was also featured as Pandolfe in Cendrillon and the title role in Don Giovanni in the festival’s scenes program. He made his professional debut in February 2020 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the Armchair and Tree in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges under the baton of Louis Langrée and direction of James Bonas. A strong proponent of new music and a consummate musician, he collaborated with Opera Fusion:New Works - Cincinnati Opera to workshop Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice (co-commissioned by LA Opera and the Metropolitan Opera).
Other operatic highlights include Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Baron Mirko Zeta in The Merry Widow, Giove in La Calisto, Kecal in The Bartered Bride, Simone in Gianni Schicchi, and Seneca in The Coronation of Poppea. He has also been seen performing selections of Bernstein and Mahler with the CCM Philharmonic, and was the bass soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with the DePaul University Symphony Orchestra.
Ryan completed his master’s degree before partially completing an artist diploma at the University of Cincinnati – CCM where he studied with esteemed baritone William McGraw. Upon Professor McGraw’s retirement, Ryan began studying with world-renowned baritone Elliot Madore. He is a proud alumnus of DePaul University where he received his bachelor of music, studying with Jeff Ray.
Creative Team
- Conductor
- James Conlon
- Original Production
- John Cox
- Director
- Joel Ivany
- Scenery & Costumes
- Johan Engels
- Chorus Director
- Jeremy Frank
James Conlon
Conductor

James Conlon has been LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director since 2006.
Since his debut that year with La Traviata, he has conducted 66 different operas and more than 435 performances to date with the company. Highlights of recent seasons include the 2020 company premiere of The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme) by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the 2021 company premiere of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, and the 2022 company premiere of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
(Click here to visit James Conlon's Corner, where you can find essays, videos and conversations he has created especially for LA Opera.)
One of today’s most versatile and respected conductors, James Conlon has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire. He has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra since his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974. He has conducted more than 270 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. Through worldwide touring, an extensive discography and videography, numerous essays and commentaries, frequent television appearances and guest speaking engagements, Mr. Conlon is one of classical music’s most recognized interpreters.
In September 2021, he became Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
He has been Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Torino, Italy (2016–20); Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera (1995–2004); General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Germany (1989–2003), simultaneously leading the Gürzenich Orchestra and the Cologne Opera; and Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1983–91).
Mr. Conlon has served as the Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony (2005–15), and is now Music Director Laureate of the Cincinnati May Festival―the oldest choral festival in the United States―where he was Music Director for 37 years (1979–2016), marking one of the longest tenures of any director of an American classical music institution. As a guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, he has led more than 270 performances since his 1976 debut. He has also conducted at leading opera houses and festivals including the Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, La Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Mariinsky Theatre, Covent Garden, Chicago Lyric Opera, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
As LA Opera's Music Director since 2006, Mr. Conlon has led more performances than any other conductor in the company’s history—to date, over 420 performances of more than 60 different operas by over 20 composers. Highlights of his LA Opera tenure include conducting the company’s first Ring cycle, recently re-aired in a marathon webcast celebrating the performances’ tenth anniversary; initiating the groundbreaking Recovered Voices series, an ongoing commitment to staging masterpieces of 20th-century European opera that were suppressed by the Third Reich; and spearheading Britten 100/LA, a city-wide celebration honoring the centennial of that composer’s birth. During the period in which Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was closed due to the pandemic, Mr. Conlon conducted LA Opera’s live-streamed, socially distanced production—staged at the Colburn School—of The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a prominent Black composer in 18th-century France. The performance was presented as an online-only event in fall 2020 and marked the work’s West Coast premiere. The Pavilion reopened in June 2021 with Mr. Conlon conducting the company premiere of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, with which LA Opera became the first major American opera company to perform live in its own theater since the coronavirus outbreak. The performance was subsequently released online for at-home viewing. During LA Opera’s 2021/22 season, Mr. Conlon conducts three operas long absent from the company’s repertory: Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which opens the season; Wagner’s Tannhäuser; and Verdi’s Aida. He also conducts John Neumeier’s ballet adaptation of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, performed at LA Opera for the first time.
Mr. Conlon’s first season as Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra includes three weeks of concerts, starting with an October 2021 program of music by historically marginalized composers. The featured works are Alexander Zemlinsky’s Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid), which is the piece that sparked Mr. Conlon’s interest in suppressed music from the early 20th century, and William Levi Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, which reflects a theme that will recur throughout Mr. Conlon’s advisorship—the bringing of attention to works by American composers neglected due to their race. He returns in February 2022 for performances including Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony and the final scene of Wagner’s Die Walküre, with guest artists Christine Goerke and Greer Grimsley. The BSO season concludes in June 2022 with Mr. Conlon conducting an orchestra co-commission from Wynton Marsalis, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Beatrice Rana, and Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony (“Leningrad”). As Artistic Advisor, in addition to leading these performances, Mr. Conlon will help ensure the continued artistic quality of the orchestra and fill many duties off the podium, including those related to artistic personnel—such as filling important vacancies and attracting exceptional musicians.
Additional highlights of Mr. Conlon’s season include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at Rome Opera, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman at New National Theatre, Tokyo, the Paris Opera’s Gala lyrique with Renée Fleming, and concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony and works by Beethoven and Bernstein), Gürzenich Orchester Köln (Sinfoniettas by Zemlinsky and Korngold), Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra (works by Shostakovich and Zemlinsky), and at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Mr. Conlon’s 2021/22 season follows a spring and summer in which he was highly active amidst the re-opening of many venues to live performance. These engagements included concerts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and RAI National Symphony Orchestra. He also led a series of performances in Spain scheduled around World Music Day (June 21). In Madrid, over a period of two days, he conducted the complete symphonies of Schumann and Brahms in collaboration with four different Spanish orchestras: the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE). He subsequently conducted JONDE at the Festival de Granada and Seville’s Teatro de la Maestranza. Additional summer 2021 engagements included the Aspen, Napa, Ravello, and Ravinia Festivals.
In an effort to call attention to lesser-known works of composers silenced by the Nazi regime, Mr. Conlon has devoted himself to extensive programming of this music throughout Europe and North America. In 1999 he received the Vienna-based Zemlinsky Prize for his efforts in bringing that composer’s music to international attention; in 2013 he was awarded the Roger E. Joseph Prize at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for his extraordinary efforts to eradicate racial and religious prejudice and discrimination; and in 2007 he received the Crystal Globe Award from the Anti-Defamation League. His work on behalf of suppressed composers led to the creation of The OREL Foundation, an invaluable resource on the topic for music lovers, students, musicians, and scholars; the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School; and a recent virtual TEDx Talk titled “Resurrecting Forbidden Music.”
Mr. Conlon is an enthusiastic advocate of public scholarship and cultural institutions as forums for the exchange of ideas and inquiry into the role music plays in our shared humanity and civic life. At LA Opera, he leads pre-performance talks, drawing upon musicology, literary studies, history, and social sciences to contemplate—together with his audience—the enduring power and relevance of opera and classical music in general. Additionally, he frequently collaborates with universities, museums, and other cultural institutions, and works with scholars, practitioners, and community members across disciplines. His appearances throughout the country as a speaker on a variety of cultural and educational topics are widely praised.
Mr. Conlon’s extensive discography and videography can be found on the Bridge, Capriccio, Decca, EMI, Erato, and Sony Classical labels. His recordings of LA Opera productions have received four Grammy Awards, two respectively for John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles and Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Additional highlights include an ECHO Klassik Award-winning recording cycle of operas and orchestral works by Alexander Zemlinsky; a CD/DVD release of works by Viktor Ullmann, which won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik; and the world-premiere recording of Liszt’s oratorio St. Stanislaus.
Mr. Conlon holds four honorary doctorates and has received numerous other awards. He was one of the first five recipients of the Opera News Awards, and was honored by the New York Public Library as a Library Lion. He was named Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic. He was also named Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture and, in 2002, personally accepted France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur, from then-President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac.
Learn more at JamesConlon.com.
John Cox
Original Production

From: Bristol, England. LA Opera: Die Frau ohne Schatten (1993, debut; 2004); Vanessa (2004); Otello (2008). Upcoming: Otello (2023).
John Cox is recognized as one of the world's major opera directors. For many years, he was director of productions for Glyndebourne, where he directed works by Mozart, Rossini and Haydn, a celebrated Rake’s Progress with David Hockney’s designs, and a notable group of Richard Strauss domestic comedies: Ariadne auf Naxos, Capriccio, Intermezzo, Die schweigsame Frau, Der Rosenkavalier and Arabella. He subsequently was artistic director of Scottish Opera and production director for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
His opera productions have been seen throughout Europe, North America and Australia, and he has also worked extensively in theater, television, film and major festivals. Recent productions include The Marriage of Figaro for Garsington Opera, Thaïs for the Metropolitan Opera and Cosi fan tutte for the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Joel Ivany
Director

From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. LA Opera: Nabucco (2017, assistant director); Placido Domingo 50th Anniversary Gala (2017, stage director). Upcoming: Otello (2023, mainstage debut as director).
Joel Ivany is the founder and artistic director of AtG as well as the artistic director of Opera at Banff Centre. He was recently appointed the artistic director at Edmonton Opera.
His directing credits include productions of Macbeth (Minnesota Opera), Carmen (Vancouver Opera), The Tales of Hoffmann (Edmonton Opera), Gavin Bryars’ Marilyn Forever (Adelaide Festival, Australia) and The Marriage of Figaro (revival at Norwegian National Opera). He is the author of seven (and counting) original librettos for companies such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company.
Recent mainstage directing credits include Dead Man Walking at Minnesota Opera and Orphée⁺, a multiple award-winning re-imagining of Gluck's opera, with Opera Columbus, AtG and Banff Centre. He has directed productions for the Canadian Opera Company (Hansel and Gretel, Carmen), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Mozart’s Requiem, Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins), the Canadian Children’s Opera Company (Brundibár), Vancouver Opera (Carmen, Dead Man Walking), and Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus (AtG and Banff Centre). Recent highlights include the worldwide critically acclaimed film Messiah/Complex (AtG) and directing the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for CBC Television.
He is a proud graduate of the Opera School at University of Toronto and is a member of the Alumni Wall of Fame at his alma mater, Western University.
Upcoming productions include Carmen for Canadian Opera Company, Orphée⁺ for Edmonton Opera and Don Giovanni for National Arts Centre.
Johan Engels
Scenery & Costumes

From: Scottburgh, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. LA Opera: L'Elisir d'Amore (1996, debut; 2009); Otello (2008); Thaïs (2014). Upcoming: Otello (2023).
Johan Engels (1952-2014) was renowned internationally for his work in opera, theater and ballet. His designs for The Passenger have been integral to the success of Mieczysław Weinberg’s opera—first in its world stage premiere at the 2010 Bregenz Festival and subsequently in London, Warsaw, Houston (American premiere), New York, Chicago, Detroit and Miami. In addition to his Bregenz productions, highlights of Engels’s operatic career included productions for London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Arne’s Artaxerxes), the Zurich Opera House (such rarities as Johann Strauss II’s Simplicius, Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re, and Chabrier’s L’étoile), the Opéra de Marseille (Ring cycle), LA Opera (L’Elisir d’Amore, also seen in Madrid, Geneva, and Graz), the Salzburg Festival (Turandot), Welsh National Opera (Khovanshchina, Lulu, Don Carlos, the latter coproduced with Houston Grand Opera), the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Opéra National de Paris, Opera North, and Finnish National Opera, among many other companies. In British theater, the designer was associated with the Donmar Warehouse (including David Leveaux’s production of Sophocles’s Electra, which transferred to Broadway), Royal Shakespeare Company, Almeida Theatre, and Chichester Festival.
Among his final projects, he had designed a new Ring cycle for Lyric Opera of Chicago; the first three Ring operas premiered there posthumously between 2016 and 2018.
Jeremy Frank
Chorus Director

Jeremy Frank became Chorus Director in 2022.
Since joining LA Opera in 2007, he has served as associate chorus director (since 2011) and assistant conductor, and he has worked closely with the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Before becoming Chorus Director, he previously directed the LA Opera Chorus for the Plácido Domingo 50th Anniversary Concert (2017) and for The Clemency of Titus (2019). One of his generation’s most respected pianists and vocal coaches, he has collaborated with major opera houses throughout the United States. He has assisted in the preparation of operas and vocal chamber music at the LA Philharmonic. As a pianist, he has partnered with Sondra Radvanovsky, J'Nai Bridges, Eric Owens, Brandon Jovanovich, Rodell Rosel, Dolora Zajick, Kate Lindsey and Susan Graham. He accompanied Joyce DiDonato at the 54th Grammy Awards, the first time the ceremony featured a performance by a classical singer.
In partnership with the Getty Villa and LACMA in Los Angeles and the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., he has curated multimedia recitals which draw connections between the classical vocal repertoire and special exhibits in the museums. He is a frequent collaborator at Wolf Trap Opera as an assistant conductor, chorus master and recitalist. He has been a guest coach at the Opernfestspiele St. Margarethen, in Esterhazy, Austria, and he helped prepare Seattle Opera’s Ring cycle in 2013. He has been a guest faculty member for young artist programs at Utah Opera and Seattle Opera, and he is a part-time lecturer in vocal arts and opera at the University of Southern California. (JeremyMFrank.com)

Read the synopsis

Synopsis
A seaport in Cyprus at the end of the 15th century
The historic struggle between Christian and Muslim naval forces for control of the eastern Mediterranean is now between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Turks, its principal objective the island of Cyprus, currently occupied by Venice. The commander of the Venetian fleet is Otello, who is also the governor of Cyprus. Unusually, Otello is a Moor, a Muslim who has converted to Christianity, married a noble Venetian and risen to the highest rank in the Venetian armed forces.
Act One
Otello, having defeated the Turkish fleet, must conquer a ferocious storm before reaching port. The Cypriot people and the Venetian garrison join in hailing this double victory, and glorify Otello. The people and the sailors light a bonfire in celebration while Otello withdraws to be reunited with his wife, Desdemona.
Present is Iago, Otello’s ensign. He is at heart a bitter racist and wills Otello’s downfall. Despite his apparent devotion to his master, Iago hates Otello because he has promoted Cassio to captain instead of him. Roderigo, a Venetian nobleman, is in love with Desdemona; Iago offers to help him to woo her away from her husband. When the wine begins to flow, he next shames the young Cassio into drinking too much. Cassio is very close to Otello, having acted as his go-between in the courtship of Desdemona. In his drunken state, Cassio assaults Roderigo and a brawl ensues in which he wounds Montano, a fellow officer. Otello appears and restores order, but demotes and dismisses Cassio.
The people depart, leaving Otello alone with Desdemona. They explore the nature and quality of their profound love for one another. It is clear that for Otello, this amounts to a form of worship.
Intermission
Act Two
Iago convinces the miserable Cassio that the way back to Otello’s favor is through Desdemona, who is shortly expected here in the garden. Alone, Iago expounds his belief in the supremacy of evil and in his destiny to perpetrate it. Death comes as the end; there is nothing beyond it.
Cassio engages Desdemona in conversation just as Otello arrives. Iago pretends to be suspicious of their encounter, then to dismiss such thoughts. Desdemona is greeted by an adoring group of islanders and their children bringing flowers and gifts. They obviously revere and love her. By warning Otello against jealousy, Iago succeeds in planting the germ of doubt in Otello’s mind, so that when Desdemona pleads Cassio’s case he is uncommonly harsh with her and shows signs of stress. She tried to comfort him with the handkerchief he had given her as a token of his love. He snatches it impatiently and throws it down. When Emilia, her companion, retrieves it, Iago demands it from her. She mistrusts his motive and refuses his demand, but in the end he forces it from her.
After the women have departed, Iago starts on Otello in earnest. He pretend to have heard Cassio having an erotic dream about Desdemona and also to have seen Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s possession—introducing the handkerchief strategy only minutes after Otello has handled it himself. Such is the vulnerability of Otello to the idea of female dishonor.
Iago has snared Otello. They join in an oath of vengeance which invokes the whole of creation, the very same cosmic reach which Otello had earlier ascribed to his love for Desdemona.
Intermission
Act Three
A herald announces the arrival of a ship bringing an ambassador from Venice. Iago must work quickly to achieve his evil purpose. Otello demands proof positive of Desdemona’s infidelity, which Iago promises he shall have from Cassio himself. Desdemona appears and once more makes a plea for Cassio’s forgiveness. Otello again shows signs of stress and asks her to soothe his brow—with the handkerchief he gave her (the one stolen earlier by Iago). He describes its rare, magic power and warns her against ever losing it, before dismissing her crudely.
Alone, Otello complains to God that he could have borne any other disgrace but this, to lose the haven of his soul’s repose. If she is truly guilty, death is the only punishment. But he must have the final proof.
Iago brings Cassio and they converse frivolously about Cassio's mistress Bianca. Otello watches, just out of earshot; he observes their humorous banter and assumes they are laughing about Desdemona. Cassio describes finding a mysterious handkerchief in his quarters and shows it to Iago, who makes sure that Otello sees it also. This is all the proof Otello needs.
Meanwhile, the Venetian ambassador Lodovico and his party have disembarked and are about to arrive. Otello and Iago agree to kill both Desdemona and Cassio that very night. Lodovico brings an order from the Doge recalling Otello to Venice. His successor as governor of Cyprus is to be Cassio. Enraged and humiliated, Otello assaults Desdemona in front of the entire assembly, while Iago continues his relentless plotting. The meeting breaks up in disorder and Otello falls down in a fit of apoplexy. Outside, the people continue to acclaim their hero; inside, it is Iago who is triumphant.
Scene change
Act Four
It is night. Desdemona awaits Otello as Emilia prepares her for bed. She recalls a song sung by her mother’s maid about a young girl who loved too well.
Otello enters, finding Desdemona asleep. He kisses her and she wakes up. He tells her he is going to kill her and why. Her protestations of innocence fall on deaf ears. Emilia returns with the news that Cassio has killed Roderigo. She finds the expiring Desdemona and raises the alarm. She, Cassio and Montano expose the villainy of Iago, who flees with guards in pursuit. Otello stabs himself and dies, kissing Desdemona for the last time.
Synopsis by John Cox
Sung in Italian with English subtitles
Running time: approximately three hours and 15 minutes, including two intermissions
An LA Opera co-production with Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Teatro Regio di Parma
Production made possible by generous support from
GRoW @ Annenberg
Barbara Augusta Teichert
With special additional support from
National Endowment for the Arts
and
The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
With special appreciation to
Gregory and Régina Annenberg Weingarten
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