Patricia Racette Takes Tosca to Center Field in Washington, D.C.

"Join Washington National Opera for the fourth-annual Opera in the Outfield, a free, live opera broadcast of Puccini's Tosca on Thursday, September 22 at 7:30 p.m. (gates open at 5:30 p.m.). Arrive early to the ballpark to enjoy entertainment and activities including:
- Performances by community youth groups including the Greenbelt S.I.T.Y. Stars double-dutch team of Greenbelt, MD, the award-winning Yorktown High School Marching Band from Arlington, VA, and the DC-based Taratibu Pan-African Step Team.
- A screening of the Warner Bros. cartoon "What's Opera, Doc?," starring Bugs Bunny and his nemesis Elmer Fudd.
- Chances to win prizes, including a VIP suite for a Nationals Game and tickets to Kennedy Center performances.
Register now for a reserved seating section at the park and be automatically entered to win a full season subscription for two to Washington National Opera's 2011-2012 season! No purchase (or seating pass request) necessary to win. A purchase or reservation will not increase your chances of winning. For more information on the giveaway, please visit the Opera in the Outfield Registration Giveaway Official Rules page. By entering the giveaway you agree that you have reviewed the full contest rules and agree to be bound by all terms and conditions." [Source]

Details after the jump.



Registration closes September 19 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Please Note: Opera in the Outfield is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Seating in the stands and on the outfield grass will be available for walk-ins at the event.

Nationals Park is located at 1500 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.

Guests who plan to sit in the outfield grass may bring blankets to sit on. Chairs are not permitted on the grass. Nationals Park concessions will be open for the simulcast. No alcoholic beverages may be brought into Nationals Park. No bags larger than 16 inches x 16 inches x 8 inches will be allowed into the ballpark. All bags are subject to inspection. Guests are prohibited from bringing hard containers into Nationals Park. Click here for a complete list of prohibited items in Nationals Park.

Are Domestic Opera Companies Beginning Their Final Descent?

How many are standing around watching the
collapse of opera houses across the United States?

Seems as though New York City Opera was the first company in the United States to really yell "Fire!" loud enough for people to start paying attention to their imminent collapse. Now other companies are following suit, beginning with Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera and Austin Lyric Opera.

Patricia Racette Excels in Title Role of Iphigénie For WNO

Racette in Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride at Washington National Opera (Photo: Scott Suchman)

"Without any daringly ornamented arias or anything extraneous that might divert attention from the story's dramatic continuity, a Gluck opera will succeed only with talented singing actors and compelling direction. There are almost none of the tried-and-true operatic clichés to fall back on, not even a romantic intrigue: the central relationship here is of brother and sister, who do not even recognize one another until the end. In the title role, soprano Patricia Racette was riveting, the searing strength of her voice underscoring the still intensity of her stage presence. This was certainly what one expected of Racette, after such satisfying turns here as Jenůfa in 2007 and Ellen Orford in 2009, but her bold and electrifying performance far exceeded my hopes. After some tentative notes at the top of her range in the first hour or so, Racette hit her stride, singing with lyrical abandon in the Act IV aria 'Je t'implore et je tremble.'" [Source]

More production photos after the jump.

All photos by Scott Suchman for the Washington National Opera.