‘Werther’ Live Webcast with James Valenti on Sunday, February 5

James Valenti in Werther live webcast

Minnesota Opera together with collaborators SoundQue and Opera Music Broadcast.com invite you to tune in for the first  live webcast of 2012, Massanet’s Werther starring James Valenti and Roxana Constantinescu, airing February 5, at 2 PM CT (8 PM GMT).

The webcast will be offered worldwide free of charge, which means no barriers of price and/or location. The webcast will further the company’s efforts to expand accessibility to live opera performance and exposure to Minnesota Opera’s artistic quality.

“Last year we started live video webstreaming of opera — every performance we have broadcast has averaged about 60-80,000 viewers, from over 20 countries,” says Kelly Rinne, music director of Opera Music Broadcast, explained in a recent interview on Operatoonity. “My goal is to do for the regional companies what the HD broadcasts did for the Met — our station already has the built-in audience through our use of social media. We just need the opera companies to step up and look to build their audience beyond the physical confines of the opera house.”

The live webcast advances the technology currently offered by the Met and other houses who provide free audio to selected performances: tomorrow, you can see AND hear Werther.  Just visit Opera Music Broadcast’s website to enjoy. It’s that simple.

So, why not give yourself an early valentine and tune in?

For the last thre

e years, Minnesota Opera has made new media a priority, working with those at the vanguard of the fast-changing field of digital distribution for opera. This project is an opportunity for Minnesota Opera to become the first major American opera company to webcast its works through this emerging distribution channel. Thanks to major funding provided by the St. Paul Cultural star Program, Minnesota Opera’s production of Werther has the potential to reach exponentially greater audience members than it could in its one-week engagement on the Ordway stage.

The Cast webcast only

Werther, a poet James Valenti

Charlotte Roxana Constantinescu

Albert, her betrothed Gabriel Preisser

Sophie, Charlotte’s sister Angela Mortellaro

Le Bailli, Charlotte’s father Joseph Beutel

Schmidt, his friend John Robert Lindsey

Johann, his friend Rodolfo Nieto

Brühlmann, a young man Mark Thomas

Käthchen, a young woman Alison Schardin