American Premiere | Composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck

Never before staged in America, Gluck’s lighthearted Baroque fantasy recounts the misadventures of Pierrot and Scapin, who find themselves shipwrecked on Merlin’s Island – an unlikely utopia where wealthy women are required by law to marry poor men, all the lawyers are honest, married couples are always faithful, and disputes are settled by a throw of the dice. The hapless pair almost lose their new brides in one such game of chance, but Merlin intervenes and the enchanting score dances and dazzles its way to a delightfully perfect conclusion. Conducted by renowned Baroque specialist Harry Bicket; directed by Christopher Alden, one of America’s foremost opera directors.

Director: CHRISTOPHER ALDEN | Associate Director: ROY RALLO | Conductor: HARRY BICKET
Assistant Conductor: TONY BARRESE | Accompanist: MICHAEL BAITZER | Costumer Designer: KAY VOYCE
Set Designer: ANDREW LIEBERMAN | Lighting Designer: AARON BLACK

Merlin/Zerbin/Hanif/Le Chevalier/M. de la Candeur/Le Philosophe: RICHARD TROXELL
Argentine: MONICA YUNUS | Diamantine: AMANDA SQUITIERI | Pierrot: KEITH PHARES
Scapin: EUGENE BRANCOVEANU | Hippocratine: CONSTANCE HAUMAN | Le Notaire: KEVIN BURDETTE

“...a lark of a production.”- The New York Times

Sponsored by NBSC

Additional support is provided by the The Brand Foundation. Opera programming is endowed by the Arthur and Holly Magill Foundation. L'ile de Merlin featured the Ginn Resorts Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.