The Savannah VOICE Festival (SVF) and Savannah Music Festival (SMF) announce the full cast for the co-produced Puccini operas which will be presented during the first weekend of the 2015 Savannah Music Festival.  Two of Puccini’s one act operas, the tragedy - Suor Angelica and comedy - Gianni Schicchi will both be presented on the evening of Friday March 20^th and afternoon of Sunday March 22^nd 2015 at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts, featuring the Savannah Philharmonic. 

This new operatic collaboration between the SVF and SMF featuring two of Puccini’s three part series of one act operas will be conducted by Eugene Kohn, with baritone Mark Delavan and soprano Veronica Villaroel in the title roles, directed by Joachim Schamberger and features many of the Voice Program's favorite artists from the 2014 Summer Voice Festival.  Local artists have been selected to appear in these prestigious productions including: 

• In Suor Angelica: Georgia artists Rebecca Flaherty (a VOICE Program Faculty member and talented soprano), Emily Grunstad-Hall (soprano), Kristin Moye (mezzo-soprano) and Jillian Pashke (a VOICE Program alum and also soprano) will join the cast. 

• In Gianni Schicchi, Cyril Durant (a VOICE program alum baritone), Kyle Siddons (baritone), Hanna Suddath (a Teen VOICE alum soprano) and Russell Watkins (a bass- baritone) will appear in the comedy.

Both one-hour operas will be performed together, allowing people to choose between Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. "We hope people will come to both performances!" says Maria Zouves, Executive Director of the Savannah VOICE Festival. “It's one of those shows that are visually stunning, filled with recognizable tunes and two very different and fast paced stories. Folks that come Friday won't want to miss seeing it, and their own favorite Georgia artists, again!" 

Zouves adds “We set a high standard when auditioning our productions and are delighted that in addition to the internationally recognized artists appearing in the starring roles, we have been able to find the majority of artists for the supporting roles from the Savannah region.  Tickets for the opera are selling fast so we encourage people to get ahead and book their seats – or purchase tickets as holiday gifts – sooner rather than later.” 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.savannahmusicfestival.org, by phone at 912.525.5050 or in person at the Savannah Box Office at 216 E. Broughton Street. For more information, please visit www.savannahvoicesfestival.org, www.voicexperiencefoundation.com or call 855.76.OPERA.