Kansas City's Lyric Opera Premieres HMS Pinafore, 11/6

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will produce the hilarious, topsy-turvy Gilbert and Sullivan tale of love, rank and birthright, H.M.S. Pinafore, November 6, 8, 11 & 14, 2009.

Critically acclaimed bass-baritones return to the Lyric Opera Baritone Daniel Belcher, Baritone Robert Gibby Brand and Bass Matthew Treviño return to the Lyric Opera after receiving rave reviews for their appearances during the Lyric Opera 2008-2009 season.

Mr. Belcher (Captain Corcoran) is a Liberty, Missouri resident who recently garnered recognition in France by winning the Diaposon D'or Award for his recording of Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de Loin. He appeared in the Lyric Opera productions of The Barber of Seville, Cinderella and last season's La bohème for which Timothy McDonald of the Kansas City Star said Mr. Belcher's Marcello used a "rich, expressive tone."

Last season Mr. Belcher performed with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Grand Theatre de Geneve, and made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem. Mr. Belcher also recently appeared with San Francisco Opera, Stadttheater Klagenfort in Austria, Utah Opera, Houston Grand Opera and New National Theater in Japan.

Baritone Robert Gibby Brand (Sir Joseph Porter) will return to the Lyric Opera after his acclaimed Lyric Opera performance as Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance. The Kansas City Star stated, "...Brand's performance is as precise as it is broad (indeed, he's the one who will remain in your head after you leave the theater."

Mr. Brand is a familiar face to Kansas City audiences, having performed at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, Quality Hill Playhouse, Actors' Theatre of Kansas City, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, and Kansas City Ballet. Mr. Brand previously performed with the Company as Koko in The Mikado (2001) and Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore (1991 and 1997).

Bass Matthew Treviño (Dick Deadeye) returns to the Lyric Opera after making his Company debut in La bohème in 2008. Mr. Treviño who recently sang with Michigan Opera Theater, Dallas Opera, Fresno Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera and the Nevada Opera, has been hailed as a "...bass of rare talent" by the San Francisco Chronicle, and said to have a voIce That "achieves nobility and sonorous resonance," by Opera News Online.

Emerging opera stars make Lyric Opera and role debuts as love struck couple Soprano Ava Pine and tenor Jon-Michael Ball make their role and Lyric Opera debuts as the love struck couple Josephine and Ralph.

Miss Pine has performed with the Boston Baroque, Florentine Opera, Arizona Opera, the Fort Worth Opera and Dallas Opera where she received critical acclaim from Scott Cantrell of the Dallas Morning News, "She can sparkle through coloratura, but also radiate lower-register warmth. And she's no less dazzling an actress, dancing, flirting and pretty much tying everyone around her little finger." This season she will return to sing at Boston Baroque and Fort Worth Opera and will sing at Opera Naples as well as with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in London for the United Kingdom premiere of Angels in America in the role of the Angel.

Mr. Ball has appeared in VOX: Showcasing American Composers at New York City Opera, in The Pirates of Penzance as Frederic at Opera Orlando, in Billy Budd at Santa Fe Opera, and in Una Noche de Ópera at Orquesta de Cámara in Peru.

Mr. Ball has been a part of many acclaimed artist training programs including the Santa Fe Opera apprentice program and the Glimmerglass Opera Young American Artist Program. He is an ASCAP Foundation Scholar and was the 2008 recipient of the Santa Fe Opera Richard Tucker Foundation Award.

Stage Director and role veteran make Lyric Opera debuts William Theisen makes his directing debut at the Lyric Opera in H.M.S. Pinafore. He has directed over 100 productions for theatre and opera companies throughout the United States and Canada, and was recognized by The Washington Post as "an expert in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan."

Mr. Theisen's recent credits include The Pirates of Penzance for the Santa Fe Opera, Virginia Opera and Skylight Opera Theater, The Mikado with Opera Carolina, Piedmont Opera Theatre and Virginia Opera, and H.M.S. Pinafore at Skylight Opera Theatre and Virginia Opera.

Mezzo-Soprano Deborah Fields makes her Lyric Opera debut as the buxom Little Buttercup. Miss Fields has sung the role with Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players, and Skylight Opera Theatre. She is a specialist in Gilbert & Sullivan and has performed numerous roles in the pair's works at Lake George Opera, Piedmont Opera, and Virginia Opera.

Miss Fields was hailed for her portrayal of the role by the Milwaukee Shepherd Express Metro, "Deborah Fields is just right as the bawdy Little Buttercup, slinging her rich voice around like a mug of ale. She actually seems to understand the joke of her name, unlike about 15 other women I've seen in the role."

Apprentices gain insight and experience with the Lyric Opera The Lyric Opera regularly includes members of the Company's apprentIce Training program in their performances and H.M.S. Pinafore is no exception. Robert McNichols, Jr., a University of Kansas apprentice will sing the role of Bill Bobstay, while Stephen Fish, a University of Missouri-Kansas City apprentice will perform the role of Bob Beckett. Jennifer Forte, also a UMKC apprentice, will perform in the role of Cousin Hebe.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City apprentice programs offer students valuable experiences in training to become professional opera singers. Participants in both programs have numerous opportunities to gain performance experience through chorus, comprimario and principal roles and with community outreach and activities.

Performed in English with subtitles projected above the stage, the Lyric Theatre, 11th and Central, Downtown Kansas City presents H.M.S. Pinafore for 4 performances: Nov. 6, 8, 11 and 14
Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m.; Wednesday curtain is at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday is a 2:00 p.m. matinee. Ticket availability varies by performance. Limited student rush tickets are $10 one hour before curtain, with valid ID. To purchase tickets, visit www.kcopera.org, or call the ticket office at (816) 471-7344 or 1-800-OPERAKC (673-7252).

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City is a member of OPERA America, and this season is made possible with funding from the Missouri Arts Council, the Arts KC Fund & the Neighborhood Tourism and Development Fund.