Acclaimed opera director Tito Capobianco is the 2007 Jeannine B. Cowles Distinguished Professor in Residence for the Portland State opera performances of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

Capobianco is renowned for his ingenious and versatile treatment of repertoire classics, from baroque to romantic, verismo and contemporary operatic repertoire. He has staged over 250 productions in Europe, Australia and the American continents for major opera houses such as Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona along with the festivals of Spoleto, Caramoor, Las Palmas, Buenos Aires and Mexico City. His staging of American and world premieres, plus numerous new productions that have been hailed as landmarks in opera history, has had a strong influence in the development of opera in the United States.

In addition to directing Così fan tutte, Tito Capobianco will also give a master class that is open to the public, Saturday, April 14, 2007, in the Lincoln Recital Hall (1620 SW Park). For more information contact Christine Meadows at 503-725-5463.

The five showings of Così fan tutte include evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 27; Wednesday, May 2; Friday, May 4; and Saturday, May 5; and a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 29, 2007, in the Lincoln Performance Hall (1620 SW Park Avenue). Tickets for the opera are $25 for the general public, $19 for seniors and PSU faculty and staff, and $12 for students and children. Tickets are available through the PSU Box Office (1825 SW Broadway), by calling 503-725-3307 or through any TicketMaster outlet (service charge may apply). Media interested in attending should contact Angela Abel, University Communications, at 503-725-8794.

“Così fan tutte is a comic satire that demonstrates the well-known musical talent of the composer as well as his roguish and mischievous character,” said Capobianco. “Mozart delights in all the weaknesses, desires and pretensions of the human condition. He celebrates with sensual satisfaction the feminine frailty and her inability to resist passionate declarations of love and new pleasures, which fidelity and honor prohibit…true? Alas, the flesh is so weak.”

The story of Così fan tutte begins in a Neopolitan café, where two young men, Ferrando and Guglielmo, argue with the older and more skeptical Don Alfonso that their fiancées, the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, would never betray them. Aided by Despina, the sisters’ maid, the men hatch a plot to test the women’s loyalty. They disguise themselves as Albanians and woo each other’s lovers, managing through various tricks to win over the initially reluctant women. As deeper feelings surface, however, the suitors become uneasy with their antics and once the deception is unmasked, the four reunite.

Throughout his career, Capobianco has demonstrated his commitment to the educational needs of young artists. In 1968 he founded and became general director of the Opera Center at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. He also created the Opera Department at the College of Performing Arts in Philadelphia in 1972, the San Diego Opera Center 1977 and the Pittsburgh Opera Center in 1986. The latter evolved into the Pittsburgh Opera at Dusquesne in 1990. In the late 1970s he established the world’s first Verdi Festival. In recognition of his creative work in Italian and French opera and culture, he has been awarded the equivalent of the title “Sir” by the Italian and French governments, as well as numerous honorary degrees for his extensive community involvement.

Jeannine B. Cowles Distinguished Professorship
In 2002, Jeannine B. Cowles, a local business woman and long-time supporter of Portland State University, presented the Department of Music with an endowment to bring an internationally recognized opera artist to Portland State University each spring to work with PSU students as they prepare the opera production. These artists bring an understanding of the highest levels of the professional world of opera to our students through coaching, directing, advising and Master classes.

Former Jeannine B. Cowles Professorships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#07-033)

Source: Christine Meadows (503-725-5463)
School of Fine and Performing Arts