Ensemble OrQuesta Opera Academy: L'Orontea

A queen who refuses to love. A painter who turns every head. A court in complete confusion.

Orontea has no intention of marrying. Proud of her independence, she is determined that neither love nor a husband will interfere with her rule. Then a handsome young painter arrives at court, and her resolve begins to unravel.

Unfortunately, she is far from the only person to notice him. Jealous lovers, a disguised assassin and a decidedly undignified struggle between duty and passion soon turn courtly life upside down.

Presented as the culmination of Ensemble OrQuesta’s Opera Academy, this production brings together singers for an intensive period of musical and theatrical training, leading to public performances at The Cockpit. Under the artistic direction of Marcio da Silva, with musical guidance from harpsichordist Predrag Gosta, participants develop their interpretation of Baroque opera through rehearsal and performance.

By turns tender, mischievous and absurd, Cesti’s L’Orontea combines expressive arias with a wonderfully tangled story of attraction, mistaken identity and wounded pride. At its heart is a woman accustomed to giving orders who discovers that her own heart refuses to obey.

Discover a colourful operatic world in which crowns offer little protection against Cupid’s arrow

ENSEMBLE ORQUESTA BAROQUE

Marcio da Silva Stage/Music Director