Center For Contemporary Opera Presents The ‘The Secret Agent’ March 18, 2011

Center for Contemporary Opera, led by General Director James E. Schaeffer, presents the world premiere of Michael Dellaira and JD McClatchy’s The Secret Agent, Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 at The Danny Kaye Playhouse. The cast features Metropolitan Opera veteran Amy Burton as Winnie and Scott Bearden as Verloc. The performance will be directed by Sam Helfrich. Emmy-nominated conductor Sara Jobin, will conduct the Center for Contemporary Opera Orchestra.

Based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, The Secret Agent is a story of social tragedy and intimate human drama taking place in late 19th century London. It chronicles a stirring tale of political intrigue among anarchists and government officials, murder and suicide. A bomb has exploded at the Greenwich Observatory – an attack “having all the shocking senselessness of gratuitous blasphemy,” as Conrad writes. Chief Inspector Heat’s investigation leads to Adolf Verloc, a foreign provocateur and his cell of terrorists. But the bomber turns out to be a mere boy: Verloc’s wife’s beloved brother, out on a mission he could not have understood. On joint commission from The Center for Contemporary Opera, San Antonio Opera and Long Leaf Opera, Michael Dellaira and JD McClatchy have transformed this political mystery into a captivating opera.

Official Website: http://centerforcontemporaryopera.org