The Los Angeles Opera presents Puccini’s immortal Tosca—a suspenseful political drama and love story centered on the fictional diva and force of nature, Floria Tosca. Dr. Brown-Montesano will delve into some of the essential influences on Puccini’s creative thinking for this particular opera, from the evocative backdrop of Rome during the Napoleonic Wars to the real-life aesthetic challenges of Italian verismo and Wagnerian concepts of music-drama.

From the Los Angeles Opera: The cast for this production is led by four of the greatest artists of their generations. Soprano—and UCLA alum—Angel Blue takes on the iconic role of Puccini’s glamorous but tough-as-nails heroine, with tenors Michael Fabiano and Gregory Kunde sharing the role of Mario Cavaradossi, the rebel who becomes the target of the most dangerous man in Rome. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny is the evil Scarpia, who likes nothing more than seeing his victims suffer. The heart-pounding production is staged by the legendary director John Caird and led by the fast-rising young conductor Louis Lohraseb in his mainstage company debut.

Dr. Brown-Montesano will be speaking before all performances of Tosca:

• Saturday, Nov 19, 2022. Lecture @ 6:30pm, curtain @ 7:30pm.
• Sunday, Nov 27, 2022. Lecture @ 1pm, curtain @ 2pm.
• Thursday, Dec 1, 2022. Lecture @ 6:30pm, curtain at 7:30pm.
• Sunday, Dec 4, 2022. Lecture @ 1pm, curtain @ 2pm.
• Wednesday, Dec 7, 2022. Lecture @ 6:30pm, curtain at 7:30pm.
• Saturday, Dec 10, 2022. Lecture @ 6:30pm, curtain at 7:30pm.