Federico Garcia Lorca

This weekend I leave sunny southern Colorado to head out to, also sunny, southern California to prepare for Long Beach Opera (LBO)’s upcoming production of Osvaldo Golijov’s flamenco-infused contemporary opera, Ainadamar. This will be my second production with LBO and I am beyond excited to be a part of what is sure to be yet another musical and artistic triumph for this daring, unconventional opera company.

Golijov’s Ainadamar recounts the unjust execution of Spanish playwright and poet Federico Garcia Lorca in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. Lorca’s life and death are replayed through flashbacks by actress Margarita Xirgu, Lorca’s muse, dear friend, and greatest proponent. To put it simply, Ainadamar is a musical and cultural revelation. Golijov brings together authentic Spanish, Arabic, and Latin American musical traditions with his own striking brand of composition which just happens to have more than subtle hints of Baroque influence…which I was personally thrilled to hear!

I’ll be performing the role of, Falangist guard, Javier Jose Tripaldi who just happens to be a real historical character. Tripaldi was present at the execution of Lorca and played a sadly telling role in the process. Did I purposefully leave that extremely vague? You bet! If you’d like to know the rest of the story, come on out on May 20th @ 7pm or May 26th @ 8pm and experience Ainadamar in person!

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