Greetings

La Traviata is for me probably the highest expression of Italian opera, rich in melodies, dramaturgy, intensity and moments of fragility where Verdi knew how to perfectly adapt the text to his music and turn this opera into a jewel.
For me, the Seiji Ozawa academy is a very special project which occupies a very important space in my heart and in my career since I grew up and was educated in a very similar project in Venezuela called El Sistema. I firmly believe that all educational projects and especially this one created by Maestro Ozawa are of great importance for young musicians since it gives them the opportunity to work with great teachers and prepares them for a professional life in music. I just want to be on the podium to share this great opera with all of you.

Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Principal Conductor
Diego Matheuz


I am proud that the Juku will present its first Verdi opera in the Spring of 2025! La Traviata is arguably one of the greatest operas and after the works of Mozart, Puccini, Bizet and Ravel (among others), we are now ready to present Verdi. La Traviata is the most popular of Verdi’s works and is an essential experience in the education of our young orchestra. This year, we are adding world-renown Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, of the Metropolitan Opera to our group of esteemed Sensei, to train our chorus in the Verdi style. In the Juku tradition, our chorus are all young singers. To study Verdi under Donald’s tutelage will be an unforgettable experience and I invite you to share the result with us.

Stage Director / Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Artistic Director
David Kneuss

PROGRAM

Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Opera Project XXI
Verdi: La traviata

Opera in three acts in Italian with Japanese titles

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  • Tour Schedule
    Kyoto
    March 14, 2025 (Fri)
    March 16, 2025 (Sun)
    ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Main Hall

    Tokyo
    March 20, 2025 (Thu/Holiday)
    March 22, 2025 (Sat)
    Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Main Hall


    Artists
    Violetta Valéry: Nina Minasyan
    Alfredo Germont: Kang Wang
    Giorgio Germont: Quinn Kelsey
    Flora Bervoix: Megan Marino
    Annina: Mayumi Makino
    Gastone: Martin Bakari
    Barone Douphol: Soshiro Ide
    Marchese d’Obigny: Hidekazu Machi
    Dottore Grenvil: Teppei Kono


    Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Founder / Permanent Artistic Director: Seiji Ozawa
    Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Associate Director: Sadao Harada
    Assisting Director: Seira Ozawa

    Conductor: Diego Matheuz (Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Principal Conductor)
    Stage Director: David Kneuss
    Set & Costume Designer: Robert Perdziola
    Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo
    Lighting Designer: Yi Zhao

    Orchestra: Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra
    Chorus: Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Choir


    Presented by: Seiji Ozawa Music Academy / VEROZA Japan Company Ltd.
    City of Kyoto, ROHM Theatre Kyoto (Kyoto City music art cultural Promoting Foundation) (Kyoto Performances)
    Co-presented by: Rohm Music Foundation
    Sponsored by: ROHM Co., Ltd.
    Produced by: VEROZA Japan Company Ltd.


  • Conductor, Director

    • photo: Diego Matheuz
      Conductor
      Diego Matheuz
      Profile »

      Diego Matheuz

      Diego Matheuz [Conductor]

      Diego Matheuz belongs to the first generation of outstanding musicians emerging from Venezuela’s El Sistema.
      At the age of 39 he can look back at fruitful periods as principal conductor of La Fenice in Venice, principal guest conductor—upon Claudio Abbado’s invitation—of the Orchestra Mozart Bologna, and as principal guest conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
      A particularly significant moment in his career was the “Special Gala Concert” celebrating the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon at Suntory Hall in December 2018, where he exchanged the baton with Seiji Ozawa to conduct the Saito Kinen Orchestra with soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter.
      Since then, Mr. Matheuz has worked with the Saito Kinen Orchestra upon Seiji Ozawa’s invitation regularly, and in June 2022, he was appointed the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy’s first-ever principal conductor. In Japan, he also worked at the Argerich Music Festival recently, conducting a series of highly successful concerts with Martha Argerich performing Ravel’s Concerto in G.
      Other orchestras he conducted include Santa Cecilia, Rome, La Scala Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Spanish National Orchestra, the BBC, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, National Symphony Orchestra Dublin, Prague Philharmonic, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, OSESP São Paulo, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Diego Matheuz is a regular guest at the major opera houses in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Paris and New York, and at prestigious festivals including the Rossini Festival Pesaro and the Arena di Verona. In Venezuela, he carries out intense periods of formation and expands the repertoire of the Sistema orchestras. In addition, he works with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, of which he is principal conductor.

    • photo: David Kneuss
      Stage Director
      David Kneuss
      Profile »

      David Kneuss

      David Kneuss [Stage Director]

      David Kneuss has recently completed his tenure at the Metropolitan Opera where he served as executive stage director for 25 years and directed nearly 100 productions. In addition to the Met, Mr. Kneuss has also directed productions for the opera companies of: Chicago; San Francisco; Washington, DC; Boston; Portland (Oregon); Bonn (Germany); the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; the English National Opera; and Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Nishinomiya, Japan, where he recently staged Don Giovanni, completing the Mozart/DaPonte trilogy for that company.
      Having a career-long association with Seiji Ozawa, Mr. Kneuss first staged opera for Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall. In Japan, he has directed more than 30 productions for Ozawa’s music festivals and continues to create productions for the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival and the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, where Mr. Kneuss also serves as Artistic Director, and where he has most recently created his production of Puccini’s La Bohème.
      Mr. Kneuss created a production of La damnation de Faust at Matsumoto Castle, which was the first outdoor production ever presented by the Saito Kinen Festival and was seen by an audience of 5,000. His Peter Grimes, a joint venture between the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Saito Kinen Festival, began at the Tanglewood Music Center to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opera’s American premiere and was featured in a film entitled A Tale of Tanglewood.

  • Cast

    • photo: Nina Minasyan
      Violetta Valéry
      Nina Minasyan
    • photo: Kang Wang
      Alfredo Germont
      Kang Wang
    • photo: Quinn Kelsey
      Giorgio Germont
      Quinn Kelsey
    • photo: Megan Marino
      Flora Bervoix
      Megan Marino
    • photo: Mayumi Makino
      Annina
      Mayumi Makino
    • photo: Martin Bakari
      Gastone
      Martin Bakari
    • photo: Soshiro Ide
      Barone Douphol
      Soshiro Ide
    • photo: Hidekazu Machi
      Marchese d'Obigny
      Hidekazu Machi
    • photo: Teppei Kono
      Dottore Grenvil
      Teppei Kono

TICKETS

     

Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Opera Project XXI
Verdi: La traviata

Opera in three acts in Italian with Japanese titles

  • Tickets go on sale: November 16 (Sat)

  • Kyoto Tickets
    S¥22,000 / A¥16,000 / B¥13,000 / C¥8,000
    Childcare services available

  • Tokyo Tickets
    S¥25,000 / A¥19,000 / B¥13,000 / C¥8,000
    Childcare services available

  • Kyoto / Tokyo
    U39:¥10,000
    *For those age 39 and under. Available in limited quantities for S and A seat types. Designated seating not available. Age verification will be required upon entry. One ticket per person only.

    U25:¥3,000
    *For those age 25 and under. Designated seating not available. Age verification will be required upon entry. One ticket per person only.


    Adult + Child Special Opera Ticket

    -Kyoto [Adult (Discounted A Seat Price): ¥14,000 + Child: ¥3,000]
    -Tokyo [Adult (Discounted A Seat Price): ¥17,000 + Child: ¥3,000]

    *A set ticket for adjacent seats (A seats). Available for up to 2 adults and 2 children. The child must be a elementary school or junior high school student on the day of the performance. Age verification will be required upon arrival. Designated seating not available.

  • NOTE:

    Important Notice When Purchasing Tickets
    ・The information provided is current as of October 1, 2024.
    ・Performers may be subject to change due to illness, injury, or other reasons. Please note that tickets cannot be canceled or refunded except in the case of a performance cancellation.
    ・We kindly ask that infants and preschool children are not brought or admitted.
    ・The performance is expected to last approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes.

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