Queen of Spades Plays to Win!

by Christie Connolley

Union Avenue Opera is garnering fabulous reviews of their production of Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame. Sarah Bryan Miller of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch raved about the stellar production:

“Artistic director-conductor Scott Schoonover assembled a really impressive group of singers for the final production of UAO’s summer season, particularly among the men. Tenor Mathew Edwardsen, as the obsessive officer Gherman, sang strongly throughout his long and difficult role, with an unstrained upper range; more presence would be helpful, but he was convincingly insane by the opera’s end.

Bass-baritone Todd von Felker, as Gherman’s friend Count Tomsky, sang richly and held the stage effortlessly. Jordan Shanahan’s beautiful baritone and aristocratic bearing made his sympathetic Prince Yeletsky into a complete, believable character, and his Act II aria was a highlight of the evening.

Soprano Sylvia Stoner has a big, beautiful voice; on Friday night she had a tendency to shade the pitch on the low side, but her doomed, betrayed Lisa was touching and sympathetic. As her grandmother, the Countess, mezzo-soprano Cecelia Stearman commanded the stage. She played an imposing old woman convincingly, without ever descending to stage-old-lady schtick.

Mezzo Debra Hillabrand was a radiant Pauline, and sang exquisitely. Soprano Stella Markou made the brief role of the shepherdess Chloe into a gem.”

Check out the entire review here!

Two performances left!  Get tickets and information here!