The Magic Flute. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Manhattan Opera Studio. New York

December 20, 2015

The Magic Flute. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Manhattan Opera Studio. New York

The Magic Flute

W.A. Mozart

Conductor: Michael Shane Wittenburg

Director: Lisa Nava

Costume design: Natalia Roumelioti

A production of Manhattan Opera Studio

Weill Hall of Carnegie Hall. New York, NY.

Three Spirits. Jumg Eun Mi, Angela Dinkelman and Frances Mitchen-Diago. Wearables Ntilit.

Press:

The Manhattan Opera Studio’s performance was a celebration of the organisation’s 125^th anniversary and brought the magic of the story to life, even in the intimate recital hall, without the elaborate sets I’d seen in the Met’s production earlier in the year. The costuming however nodded to the work's rich performance history, with Sarastro (Hans Tashijan) in particular decked out so extravagantly he had to move sideways through the exit.

The standard of singing was high, with Kyle van Schoonhoven as Tamino and the three ladies (Bridget Casey, Angela Dinkelman and Brittany Catalano) giving particularly good performances. And Nina Kassis, as the Queen of the Night, succeeded in hitting the high notes of the opera's famous arias. (...)

The recital-style performance in the gorgeous setting of the Hall (in use since the Carnegie’s opening in 1891) was a wonderful experience. Seeing the singers so close is something you don’t get exposure to in the cavernous Lincoln Centre and I also enjoyed being able to watch pianist and conductor Michael Wittenburg, who was onstage alongside the actors.

The Secret Victorianist

The Queen of the Night. Wearable by Ntilit. Photo by Jendaya Dash.

Papageno, The Queen of the Night, Sarastro and Papagena. Wearable by Ntilit. Photo by Jendaya Dash.

Michael Shane Wittenburg, Lisa Nava and Natalia Roumelioti.

Pamina. Wearable by Ntilit. Photo by Jendaya Dash.

Comments

After studying art in high school and piano at the Scuola Civica of Music, Lisa Nava pursued a course of studies in theatre and cinema at Milan's University of Studies, graduating with a thesis on musical theatre direction. During her academic years, she began working in the production departments of film productions, later moving on to work with major film companies. Since 2002, she's been working as an assistant director and stage manager in opera productions at prestigious national and international festivals and opera houses. Lisa made her debut as an opera director in 2006 at Milan's Delle Erbe Theatre with Così fan tutte. In 2009, at the Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato in Milan, she directed Ferrovia Soprelevata by Dino Buzzati and Luciano Chailly. The following year, Lisa worked on Poème électronique by Edgard Varèse and Le Corbusier. In the summer of 2013, she became a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab in New York City, and in December of the same year, she was invited to the TPAM Directors Lab in St. Petersburg. Additionally, she taught at the Marangoni Institute of Fashion and Design in Milan. In 2016, Lisa wrote her first screenplay for a feature film and moved to New York City, where she became the main stage director at the Manhattan Opera Studio. In this role, she directed productions at the National Opera Center, Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall, and the St. Jean Theatre. In 2019, she directed a full version of Die Walküre by Richard Wagner at the St. Jean Theatre. Lisa has collaborated with various theaters and festivals in New York, and in February 2018, she was invited to Beirut, where she became one of the founders of Directors Lab Mediterranean. In the summer of 2018, she co-directed Ba-ta-clan by Jacques Offenbach at the Caio Melisso Theatre for the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale in Spoleto, and in recent years, she has also worked as a Director's assistant for the same organization. During the winter lockdown of 2020, Lisa created the documentary Waterandbirds, featuring an original soundtrack composed by David Torn. Most recently, in 2024, she collaborated with Alfonso Alberti on a project to stage an unreleased work by Giorgio Gaslini in the form of a reading at the Camera del Lavoro in Milan."