THE Italian opera “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini featuring Korean and Filipino artists will be staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Theater on October 2 and 4, 2015 at 8:00pm.
Playing the title role of Florina Tosca is Korean soprano Yae-Jin Han, with tenor Ji-ho Kim as Mario Cavaradossi and baritone Daesan No as Baron Scarpia. Portraying the supporting roles are tenor Lemuel de la Cruz as Spoletta, Noel Azcona as the Sacristan, and Byeong-In Park as Angelotti. The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra will be under the baton of Maestro Jae-Joon Lee, with the UST Coro Tomasino under the direction of Ronan Ferrer and Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir under the direction of Maria Teresa Roldan providing choral support. Stage direction is by Floy Quintos.
Soprano Yae-Jin Han graduated with highest honors at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan. A first prize winner at the Marsala, Bel Canto, and Como International Vocal Competitions, she had portrayed the leading and title roles of the operas “La Traviata”, “Madame Butterfly”, “Aida”, “Cosi fan tutte”, Tosca”, “Don Giovanni”, and “ “L’elisir d’amore”. She was a featured soloist of the KBS Symphony, Ukraine Philharmonic, Bacau Philharmonic, Korean Symphony, Incheon Symphony, and other major orchestras in Korea. She is currently a faculty member at Sang Myung University.
Tenor Ji-ho Kim graduated from Kyung Sung University in Korea, National College of Music in Koln, Germany, and Magnita Gorsk in Russia. He had portrayed the leading roles in the operas “I Pagliacci”, “Aida”, “Madame Butterfly”, “Turandot”, “Cavalleria Rusticana”, “La Traviata”, “Un Ballo in Maschera”, “Carmen”, and “Nabucco”. He was a soloist for Handel’s “Messiah” and Mozart’s “Coronation Mass”, and had appeared in various performances in Japan, Russia, Cuba, and China.
Baritone Daesan No graduated from Han Yang University in Seoul, Peabody Institute in Maryland, and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. He was a first prize winner in the Marilyn Horne Vocal Competition, Mario Lanza International Vocal Competition, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition, Liederkranz Foundation International Vocal Competition, James Parkinson Italian Opera Competition, Jeunesses Musicales International Competition in Canada, recipient of the Placido Domingo Fellowship at the Academy of Vocal Arts, and the coveted Lieder Prize of the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World. His numerous leading roles include those from “Falstaff”, “Rigoletto”, “Don Giovanni”, “Die Zauberflote”, “Lucia di Lammermoor”, “Madame Butterfly”, “Carmen”, and “Tosca”. He had played the title role of “Rigoletto” during the 2014 opera presentation at the CCP Main Theater.
The opera production is an annual project of the Cultural Center of the Philippines that started several years ago. Past productions and co-productions with the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., Rustan’s Group of Companies, and the Philippine Italian Association have included Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” (2012), Verdi’s “La Traviata” (2013), and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” (2014). Other co-productions at the CCP were with the UST Conservatory of Music – Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” (2007), Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” (2009), and with the MusicArtes – Puccini’s “La Boheme” (2011).
(From Cultural Center of the Philippines)
