Between the Notes

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts,
Comcast Circle
300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
NEW this season—two sessions!

Verdi’s Don Carlo makes its much-anticipated return to the Academy of Music stage in April in a beautiful new production by Tim Albery. Heading a star-studded cast which includes Michelle DeYoung, Leah Crocetto and Dimitri Pittas, Philadelphia born and trained bass-baritone Eric Owens comes home to make his role debut as the tormented King Philip II.

This opera is mired in intrigue–political, ecclesiastical and romantic–and inspired by the true story of one of the most powerful families in European history. Helping us learn more about this grand spectacle and navigate the treacherous course of love, freedom, church and state is Dr. Brooke McCorkle from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. McCorkle will discuss elements of the historical characters in the opera, including the Hapsburg Dynasty, Roman Catholic Church, and the Spanish Inquisition and how Verdi’s five-act French grand opera was modified into four acts and in Italian.

Available to Friends at the Contributor level ($100) and above. Reservations required. Email membership@operaphila.org or call Subscriber & Member Services at 215.732.8400.

About Dr. McCorkle: Currently a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University, Dr. Brooke McCorkle is an accomplished double bassist, Japanologist, and music historian. She earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Oklahoma in International Relations in East Asia (2004) and Double Bass Performance (2008). At the University of Pennsylvania, she acquired a Master's Degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations in 2012 while working on her PhD in Musicology, which she completed this March. Her dissertation, Searching for Wagner in Japan, addresses the history of Wagnerism and modernity in Japan from the late nineteenth century to the present day. In addition to opera, Brooke also has a strong interest in film music.