'La Fille du Régiment' Features Two Bel Canto Singing Greats

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Natalie Dessay, as Marie, salutes with her adopted family, the 21st French Regiment.

POTSDAM, NY (07/07/2011)(readMedia)-- A hilarious production of "La Fille du Régiment" wowed London crowds when it first premiered -- and now an encore screening of the opera will be presented for North Country audiences on July 18, through the Metropolitan Opera's 2011 Summer Encores.

Featuring Natalie Dessay as the rough and noisy regiment's daughter, and Juan Diego Flórez as the man who loves her, this striking production will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 18 in Potsdam's Roxy Theater, through The Met: Live in HD.

The opera will be performed in French, with English subtitles. The expected running time is two hours, 20 minutes.

Originally written in France by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, "La Fille du Régiment" is the story of an orphaned child, Marie, who is adopted by the sergeant of the 21st French Regiment. The cute tomboy falls in love with Tonio, a local Tyrolean who saved her life. Unfortunately for their love, Marie is bound by marriage agreements that tear her away from Tonio as she discovers her family and her past.

Laurent Pelly's hilarious production stars two of the greatest bel canto singers -- Dessay and Flórez, who tosses off nine high Cs in his famous aria, "Ah, mes amis, quel jour de fêtes." Legendary actress Marian Seldes makes a special appearance as the Duchess of Krakenthorp, and Marco Armiliato conducts.

The Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world will return to Potsdam this summer through the third season of The Met: Live in HD Summer Encores. The 2011 Summer Encore season will celebrate the masters of Italian opera, with productions of works by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti and Rossini.

In the North Country, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music and J.S. Cinemas sponsor the 2010-11 season of The Met: Live in HD.

Special summer ticket pricing is discounted: $13 for adults, $11 for senior citizens, $9 for students and $7 for youths aged 18 and under.

Tickets are available by calling the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277, or visiting the Roxy Theater or Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam or the CPS Box Office in the lobby of Sara M. Snell Music Theater. You can also reserve tickets online by visiting www.cpspotsdam.org.

For more information on the 2010-11 The Met: Live in HD season, visit the Metropolitan Opera website at www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/hd_events_next.aspx.

To learn more about The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011.

-www.potsdam.edu/crane-