UCI Opera and UCI Symphony

Suor Angelica

By Giacomo Puccini
Andreas Mitisek, stage director and design
Dr. Geoffrey Pope, conductor
Dr. Yuliya Minina, assistant music director

Saturday, May 10, 2025, 8 p.m.

Irvine Barclay Theatre

Some secrets are too sacred to keep.

Experience Puccini's spellbinding Suor Angelica, a journey into a 17th-century Tuscan convent where a noble-born nun harbors a devastating secret. Forced behind convent walls after bearing an illegitimate child, Sister Angelica has waited seven years for news of her son. When her steely aunt finally arrives, their confrontation builds to one of opera's most shattering revelations, followed by a transcendent finale blending tragedy with divine redemption. Through Puccini's luminous score, this one-act masterpiece delivers a powerful tale of maternal love, loss, and grace that will hold you breathless from first note to final miracle.

This modern, staged production will be presented in Italian, with supertitles.

Approximate length: 1 hour (no intermission)

Generous support is provided by the Opera Guild and Marjorie and Robert Rawlins Endowment Fund.

Cast:

• Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) - Abigail Mesel
• La Zia Principessa (The Aunt Princess) - Mariana Camara
• Suor Genovieffe (Sister Genevieve) - Isabelle Knowles
• La Zelatrice (The Monitor) - Melanie Juniel
• La Maestra delle Novizie (The Mistress of the Novices) - Cinthia Villagran
• La Sorella Infermiera (The Nursing Sister) - Veronica Abgarian
• Sorella Cercatrice (Alms Sister) - Alexis Eckland, Mariana Camara
• La Badessa (The Abbess) - Cinthia Villagran
• Le Converse (Lay Sisters) -  Cinthia Villagran, Veronica Abgarian
• Suor Osmina - Baharnaz Alimohammadi
• Suor Dolcina (Sister ‘Sweet’) - Ella McClellan
• Novizie (Novices) -  Alexis Eckland, Ella McClellan
• Chorus of Sisters

Tickets
General Admission: $21
Senior Age 62+: $18
UCI Faculty, Alumni, Staff, Emeriti and Retirees: $18
Arts Packages (3+ events): $16
Groups 10+: $18
Students & Youth Age 17/Below: $10

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