American Baritone Mark Walters' Debut Performance in "Rigoletto" Broadcasts Saturday, Dec. 1 on Classical South Florida Public Radio

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Grand Opera's January 26, 2012 production of Rigoletto will be broadcast this Saturday, December 1 at 12:00 pm EST on the Classical South Florida Public Radio station 88.7 FM.
This broadcast can also be heard at the same date and time online at http://classicalsouthflorida.publicradio.org.
Click on the Listen Live button to hear the broadcast.

Rigoletto
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

The deformed court jester Rigoletto is famous for mocking the husbands of the women the Duke has seduced. When Rigoletto's own daughter, whom he has kept carefully hidden, falls victim, he vows to have revenge. But repaying evil with evil goes horribly wrong, and Rigoletto learns that he has reaped what he has sown. This first work of Verdi's maturity began a series of masterpieces that would come to define Italian grand opera. Rigoletto has continued to fascinate and thrill audiences for more than 150 years.

Outstanding American baritone Mark Walters returns to FGO in the title role. Fresh from his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, tenor Michael Fabiano appears as the Duke with, as his victim Gilda, the award-winning soprano Nadine Sierra.

Cast

Conductor - Andrew Bisantz
Stage Director - Jeffrey Marc Buchman
Choreographer - Rosa Mercedes

Rigoletto - Mark Walters
The Duke of Mantua - Michael Fabiano
Gilda - Nadine Sierra
Count Monterone - Joo Won Kang
Sparafucile - Kevin Langan
Maddalena - Dana Beth Miller
Marullo - Ryan Milstead
Borsa - Jason Ferrante
Count Ceprano - Craig Colclough
Countess Ceprano - Courtney McKeown
A Page - Brittany Ann Renee Robinson

This production was made possible by a generous gift from Stephen Keller and Lesleen Bolt in loving memory of Stephen.

This performance marks Walters' debut in the title role of Rigoletto. Walters has taken on much of the standard Verdi repertoire in recent seasons with performances of Germont in La traviata, Count di Luna in Il trovatore, Don Carlo di Vargas in La forza del destino, Amonasro in Aida and Ford in Falstaff.  He is presently preparing Renato in Un ballo in maschera for Opera Tampa later this season.  Walters has studied all of these roles under the guidance of renowned American baritone Sherrill Milnes.

Mark Walters schedule for the 2012-2013 Season:  

A Summer Concert
Town Place
September 1, 2012
Faversham, United Kingdom  

Bel Canto Concert
Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center
September 9, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
Highlands, NC  

Lucia di Lammermoor
Arizona Opera
October 12 - 21, 2012
Phoenix and Tucson, AZ  

La boheme
Florida Grand Opera
November 17 - December 8, 2012
Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, FL  

The Pirates of Penzance
Eugene Opera
December 28, 30, 31, 2012
Eugene, OR  

Un ballo in maschera
Opera Tampa
February 7, 9, 10, 2013
Tampa, FL  

La fanciulla del West
Mobile Opera
March 22, 24, 2013
Mobile, AL  

The Pearl Fishers
Opera Carolina
April 13, 18, 21, 2013
Charlotte, NC  

Photo 1: Rigoletto Mark Walters, Photographer Gaston de Cardenas  
http://www.markwaltersbaritone.com/kcmsLite/assets/images/RigFGOGirls.jpg

Photo 2: Rigoletto Mark Walters, Photographer Gaston de Cardenas  
http://www.markwaltersbaritone.com/kcmsLite/assets/images/RigFGOOpening.jpg

Photo 3: Rigoletto Mark Walters and Nadine Sierra, Photographer Gaston de Cardenas 
http://www.markwaltersbaritone.com/kcmsLite/assets/images/RigFGOEnding.jpg

Video: Rigoletto – Cortigiani Excerpt  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YQoGHl-XDkQ

Contact:
Joseph Busseto  
[email protected]  
http://www.markwaltersbaritone.com

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SOURCE Mark Walters