Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Michael Cunningham and award-winning film,
the opera encounters three women at fateful moments in their lives,
which, though lived decades apart, are profoundly connected
Co-commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera
Tickets available at www.philorch.org/The-Hours
(Philadelphia, February 25, 2022)—Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra will present the world premiere concert version of Kevin Puts’s opera The Hours, a co-commission by the Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera, March 18 and 20 in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. The performance features an all-star cast, including soprano Renée Fleming as Clarissa Vaughan, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Virginia Woolf, and soprano Kelli O’Hara as Laura Brown. The Hours is supported by Constance and Michael Cone with additional support provided by Naomi and Stephen Breman, Christos Coutifaris and Deborah Driscoll, and Joseph and Bette Hirsch. Tickets are available at www.philorch.org/The-Hours.
Based on Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel and the award-winning film of the same name, The Hours has been adapted by composer Kevin Puts with librettist Greg Pierce. The story chronicles a day in the life of three women from three different eras whose interwoven narratives are connected to Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. In 1923, Virginia Woolf is writing the novel and struggling with depression. In 1949, Laura Brown reads the novel to escape her conventional life. At the end of the 20th century, Clarissa Brown is living a life similar to that of the novel’s titular character. Though their stories take place over 80 years, the women each grapple with the notion of living their lives for someone else.
“This is perhaps the most significant collaboration to date between my two institutions in the United States,” said Nézet-Séguin. “To bring to life a compelling new opera by one of the great composers of our time with some of the greatest singing actresses of our time is a tremendous honor. We look forward to sharing this unforgettable experience with audiences.”
"It is an indescribable honor and the stuff of dreams to create a work for this stellar constellation of artists,” said Puts. “Michael Cunningham's captivating book suggests possibilities unique to the operatic stage, and it has been a deeply fulfilling experience to explore these possibilities with librettist Greg Pierce."
Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his debut opera Silent Night, Kevin Puts has been hailed as one of the most important composers of his generation. Critically acclaimed for a richly colored, harmonic, and freshly melodic musical voice that has also been described as “emotional, compelling, and relevant,” his works, which include four operas, four symphonies, chamber music, and several concertos, have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by leading orchestras, ensembles, and soloists throughout the world.
Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, performing in the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Awarded the highest US honor for an individual artist, the National Medal of Arts, as well as four GRAMMY awards, she brought her voice to a vast new audience in 2014, as the first classical artist ever to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. Another groundbreaking distinction came in 2008 when she became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an Opening Night Gala.
A naturally gifted singer noted for her commanding stage presence and profound artistry, Jennifer Johnson Cano has performed in Carmen and The Handmaid's Tale with Boston Lyric Opera; John Adams’s El Niño, conducted by the composer; Dialogues of the Carmelites with Houston Grand Opera; and The Cunning Little Vixen with the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. This season alone includes premieres by Marc Neikrug and Gregory Spears, and she continues to be in-demand with major orchestras and conductors.
Stage and screen star Kelli O’Hara has established herself as one of Broadway’s greatest leading ladies, earning the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. That same year she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Lehár’s The Merry Widow opposite Renée Fleming, and returned as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Her concerts, spanning from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo, have garnered international acclaim. O’Hara currently stars alongside Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon in HBO’s new series The Gilded Age.
The Hours
March 18 at 8:00 PM—Friday evening—Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
March 20 at 2:00 PM—Sunday afternoon—Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Renée Fleming Soprano (Clarissa Vaughan)
Jennifer Johnson Cano Mezzo-soprano (Virginia Woolf)
Kelli O’Hara Soprano (Laura Brown)
Brett Polegato Baritone (Richard, Clarissa’s best friend)
Jamez McCorkle Tenor (Leonard, Virginia’s husband)
Deborah Nansteel Mezzo-soprano (Sally, Clarissa’s partner)
Brandon Cedel Bass-baritone (Dan, Laura’s husband)
William Burden Tenor (Louis, Richard’s ex-boyfriend)
Sylvia D’Eramo Soprano (Kitty, Laura’s neighbor/Vanessa, Virginia’s sister)
Raven McMillon Soprano (Barbara, a florist/Mrs. Latch, Richie’s babysitter)
Richard Troxell Tenor (Walter, a novelist/Michael, a novelist)
Chuanyuan Liu Countertenor (Man Under the Arch/Hotel Clerk)
Jonah Serotta Boy Soprano (Richie, Laura and Dan's son)
Chelsea Laggan Mezzo-soprano (Nelly, the Woolf's cook/Heather, Sally's ex-girlfriend)
Thomas Fitzgerald Boy Soprano (Julian, Vanessa's oldest child)
Elliet Brown Boy Soprano (Quentin, Vanessa's middle child)—Friday only
Devan Truax Boy Soprano (Quentin, Vanessa's middle child)—Sunday only
Sarah Shoff Soprano (Angelica, Vanessa's youngest child)—Friday only
Sydney Parson Soprano (Angelica, Vanessa's youngest child)—Sunday only
Philadelphia Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller Director
Paula Suozzi Stage Director
Greg Pierce Librettist
Puts The Hours—World Premiere of Concert Version—Philadelphia Orchestra Co-Commission
The Hours is supported by Constance and Michael Cone with additional support provided by Naomi and Stephen Breman, Christos Coutifaris and Deborah Driscoll, and Joseph and Bette Hirsch.
Tickets are on sale now and start at $44. Tickets are available at www.philorch.org/the-hours or 215.893.1999.
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About The Philadelphia Orchestra
About Yannick Nézet-Séguin
About the 2021–22 Season
About the Digital Stage
Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS)
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
267.250.5148
aberke@philorch.org
Alyssa Moore
215.893.3142
amoore@philorch.org