ANDROMEDA
Opera composed by Marc’Antonio Ziani on a libretto by Pietro Pariati
November 6 & 7 | 7:00 PM
November 8 | 2:00 PM
Creativity Theater – 221 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA
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Only 20 discounted seats are available: reserve your tickets soon!
Ars Minerva is delighted to bring a forgotten opera back to life. Andromeda, composed in Vienna in 1714 by Marc’Antonio Ziani to a libretto by Pietro Pariati, has not been performed since its original premiere more than three centuries ago.
Set in ancient Egypt, this one-act chamber opera retells the myth of Perseus and Andromeda. The princess, betrothed to Agenor despite her love for Perseus, is offered in sacrifice to save the kingdom from a terrible sea monster sent by Poseidon. Armed with a shield given to him by Minerva, Perseus defeats the creature and wins his beloved’s hand.
Directed by Céline Ricci, with JungHae Kim as music director, this production marks the opera’s modern revival, bringing a remarkable chapter of the Baroque repertoire back to the stage through extensive research and the reconstruction of the original score.
CAST
- Aura Veruni as Andromeda — Princess of Egypt, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia
- Sara Couden as Perseus — Son of Jupiter and Danaë, hero and Andromeda’s beloved
- Sidney Ragland as Cepheus — King of Egypt, Andromeda’s father
- Kindra Scharich as Cassiopeia — Queen of Egypt, Andromeda’s mother
- Max Ary as Agenor — King of Phoenicia, Andromeda’s betrothed
ABOUT ARS MINERVA
Ars Minerva is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) performing arts organization founded in 2013 by Céline Ricci. Its mission is to engage new audiences with classical music through innovative productions of Baroque operas. In collaboration with artists from the San Francisco Bay Area, Ars Minerva has presented world-premiere productions of long-forgotten operas, bringing neglected works back to life for contemporary audiences.
Céline Ricci – Executive and Artistic Director
Céline Ricci is the founder of Ars Minerva and has directed productions including La Cleopatra, Le Amazzoni nelle Isole Fortunate, La Circe, Ifigenia in Aulide, Ermelinda, Messalina, Astianatte, and Olimpia Vendicata. Born in Florence to Italian and French parents, she studied in Paris before pursuing postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Selected by renowned conductor William Christie for his academy, Le Jardin des Voix, she was named one of opera’s promising emerging talents by Opernwelt in 2005.