A Night in Paris with Chopin and Malibran

The Opera Atelier will highlight the atmosphere of feverish creativity of 1830's Paris, when salons welcomed luminaries such as Chopin, Thalberg, Malibran, and Rossini, with a theatrical reenactment of a soiree at Countess Merlin's, after an original script by Daniel Daroca, Music Director of The Opera Atelier, based on historical sources with musical and literary selections.

Widely considered by her contemporaries the reigning queen of Parisian salons, Mercedes Jaruco, Comtesse de Merlin, was a Cuban-born singer and writer of note as well as an ardent supporter of the arts. Her salon attracted a veritable who is who in European culture. The play bridges the performing arts with media arts, within a historical context. Light dialogue mixes with musical performances, and literary recitations, in the manner characteristic of Parisian salons. This fictional work is based on research of contemporary sources, including newspaper articles, literary works, and letters from artists of the…