Baltimore Concert Opera Announces Beaumarchais Book-ends, Boheme And The Bard

Baltimore, MD (Top40 Charts/ Baltimore Concert Opera) - Baltimore Concert Opera is proud to announce their second full season, Beaumarchais Book-ends, Boh�me and the Bard. Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Sept 24 and 26), Puccini's La Boh�me (Dec 3 and 5) and Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (May 20-22) will be offered this season, as well as (subject to funding) Franco Faccio's Amleto (March 25 and 27), a setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. As an added benefit to our audience, a season ticket package to include three of the four offerings this year (excluding Amleto) is available now.

The season will feature talented artists from across the country. Il Barbiere di Siviglia will star David Krohn in the title role, Heather Johnson as Rosina, BCO favorite Tim Augustin as Almaviva, Stephen Eisenhard as Dr. Bartolo and Jeffrey Tarr as Basilio. Gary Casity will conduct, and James Harp will accompany. The balance of the exciting season includes the return of Maestro Anthony Barrese for La Boh�me and Amleto, as well as Trevor Scheunemann for Le Nozze di Figaro (fresh from performances with Washington National Opera and San Francisco Opera). The board of the BCO will announce in October if necessary funding has been obtained to produce Faccio's Amleto, a piece not performed since 1871.

"I'm thrilled to announce that the company that started on $750 and a dare, is here to stay. We were very happy to complete our 2009-2010 season "in the black," and look forward to our second full season," said Brendan Cooke, General Director of the BCO. "I am so grateful to the board members, artists, volunteers, patrons and donors that have helped us not only survive our first season, but to grow our budget for this season to just under $100,000. I am most pleased to announce that each performance this year will feature a fully professional, local chorus, comprised mainly of former members of the Baltimore Opera Chorus. The combination of choruses prepared by Baltimore's own James Harp, plus the exciting array of soloists who have performed in the world's greatest opera houses, all in the intimate setting at the Engineers Club, is not to be missed."

The company performs in the grand ballroom of Mount Vernon's historic Engineers Club. This season, the Engineers Club will offer pre-performance dining packages to BCO patrons, details are available on the BCO Web site. Tickets range from $25 - $65, and include the pre-performance lecture and hors d'oeuvres. Dinner/Brunch can be added to a ticket price for an extra $37, gratuity included. For more information on the performances or to purchase tickets, please go to www.BaltimoreConcertOpera.com.