THE METROPOLITAN OPERA PRESENTS THE ENCHANTED ISLAND AT THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE

For Immediate Release

August 13, 2014

Williamstown, MA—In one extraordinary work, lovers of Baroque opera have it all: some of the world's best singers, glorious music of the Baroque masters, and a story drawn from Shakespeare. The Enchanted Island airs at the Clark Wednesday, August 27 at 12:55 pm. Tickets are $15 ($12 members, students). To order tickets, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 0524.

Lovers from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream are shipwrecked on the other-worldly island of The Tempest. Inspired by the musical pastiches and masques of the eighteenth century, the work showcases arias and ensembles by George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and others, and a new libretto devised and written by Jeremy Sams.

In this encore performance, eminent conductor William Christie leads an all-star cast with David Daniels (Prospero) and Joyce DiDonato (Sycorax) as the formidable foes, Plácido Domingo as Neptune, Danielle de Niese as Ariel, and Luca Pisaroni as Caliban. Lisette Oropesa and Anthony Roth Costanzo play Miranda and Ferdinand. The production is directed and designed by Phleim McDermott and Julian Courch; William Christie conducts.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, open to the public with more than 240,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark opened its expanded facilities on July 4, 2014, unveiling new and enhanced spaces that accommodate the continued growth of the Institute’s programs. Included in this final stage of the project are the new 42,600-square-foot Clark Center designed by Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, expansion and renovation of the original Museum Building and the ongoing renovation of the Manton Research Center by Selldorf Architects, and a sweeping redesign of the grounds by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture. The first phase of the campus expansion project was completed in 2008 with the opening of Stone Hill Center, a striking conservation and exhibitions facility also designed by Tadao Ando.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Opening season hours: Galleries open daily from July 4 through October 13, 2014, 10 am to 5 pm (Fridays in July and August until 7 pm). From October 14, 2014 through June 30, 2015: Galleries open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20 through October 31, 2014 and free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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