There's More to Opera Than the Top Ten — Dane Suarez

When you think of opera, what comes to mind? La bohème, Carmen, The Magic Flute—perhaps the same ten or so beloved classics that grace American stages year after year. And don’t get us wrong, they’re masterpieces for a reason. But what if we told you there’s a vast universe of breathtaking music just beyond those well-worn scores—operas filled with heart-stopping arias, powerful ensembles, and stories that deserve to be heard just as much as their famous counterparts?

At OperaDelaware, we believe opera is for everyone, and that means embracing a broader repertoire—shining a light on hidden gems, as well as on those celebrated pieces that are notoriously difficult to cast. Enter our upcoming Company Artist Recital: Opera's Greatest Moments.

This program was built on a simple yet bold idea: to select music that highlights the unique strengths of each of our artists while exploring some of opera’s most exhilarating and challenging moments. This recital isn’t just a greatest-hits playlist—it’s an invitation to experience the scenes that demand extraordinary talent but rarely get the spotlight they deserve.

The Program

BEETHOVEN – Fidelio

We open with Beethoven's lone opera, Fidelio, a work revered for its profound themes of justice, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion. This sublime quartet is a study in layered emotions—four characters caught in a web of love and longing, each unaware of the others' true motives. The result? A perfectly constructed, delicately balanced moment of operatic beauty.

"Mir ist so wunderbar" (Toni Marie Palmertree, Emily Margevich, Dane Suarez, Gerard Moon)

BELLINI – Norma

If you’re looking for bel canto at its most exquisite, Norma is your answer. The opera is a veritable Everest for sopranos, requiring vocal purity, agility, and emotional depth. In “Casta diva”, Toni Marie Palmertree soars through the opera’s most famous aria—a celestial, reverent plea for peace. And in “Mira, o Norma”, Palmertree and Emily Margevich navigate Bellini’s signature long, arching phrases in a duet that is both intimate and electrifying.

"Casta diva" (Toni Marie Palmertree)

"Mira, o Norma" (Emily Margevich, Toni Marie Palmertree)

VERDI – Don Carlo

Politics, passion, and power struggles—Verdi’s Don Carlo has it all. In the rapturous friendship duet “Dio che nell'alma infondere”, Dane Suarez and Gerard Moon embody a bond forged in the fires of political rebellion. Later, Moon’s heartbreaking “O Carlo, ascolta” delivers the crushing weight of sacrifice—because what’s a Verdi opera without a devastatingly beautiful goodbye?

"Dio che nell'alma infondere" (Dane Suarez, Gerard Moon)

"O Carlo, ascolta… Io morrò" (Gerard Moon)

DVOŘÁK – Rusalka

Think of Rusalka as The Little Mermaid—but with even more longing and heartbreak. This hauntingly gorgeous Czech opera is famous for Rusalka’s "Song to the Moon", but here, we shift focus to the Prince’s lesser-heard but equally mesmerizing aria, where he grapples with his love for a woman who remains just out of reach.

"Vidino divná, přesladká" (Dane Suarez)

MONIUSZKO – Halka

Considered the cornerstone of Polish opera, Halka is a tragic tale of love, betrayal, and social divides. In this gut-wrenching aria, Emily Margevich brings raw intensity to Halka’s moment of ultimate despair—an all-too-human cry of grief and helplessness.

"Ha! Dzieciątko nam umiera… O mój maleńki" (Emily Margevich)

INTERMISSION

PUCCINI – La fanciulla del West

Puccini meets the Wild West in La fanciulla del West, a gold rush drama brimming with passion and peril. If this heartrending Act I duet sounds suspiciously familiar, you’re not imagining things—Andrew Lloyd Webber lifted a few notes for The Phantom of the Opera’s “Music of the Night”. You’re welcome.

"Mister Johnson, siete rimasto indietro" (Toni Marie Palmertree, Dane Suarez)

"Ch'ella mi creda" (Dane Suarez)

GIORDANO – Andrea Chénier

Revolution, poetry, and doomed romance—Andrea Chénier delivers it all. Gerard Moon brings gravitas to “Nemico della patria”, an aria drenched in political cynicism, while Toni Marie Palmertree’s “La mamma morta” (as famously featured in Philadelphia) captures the opera’s most wrenching moment.

"Nemico della patria" (Gerard Moon)

"La mamma morta" (Toni Marie Palmertree)

PUCCINI – Manon Lescaut

Love, lust, and ultimate despair—Puccini’s Manon Lescaut is a study in excess. Emily Margevich and Dane Suarez bring fiery chemistry to the seductive lovers’ duet before Margevich plunges into Manon’s final aria, a devastating portrait of isolation.

"Tu, tu, amore? tu?!" (Emily Margevich, Dane Suarez)

"Sola, perduta, abbandonata" (Emily Margevich)

GOUNOD – Faust

We close with Gounod’s Faust, where romance and the supernatural collide in a whirlwind of temptation and damnation. This electrifying trio propels us toward a dramatic finale—because when the Devil is involved, you can be sure things won’t end quietly.

"Alerte! Alerte!" (Toni Marie Palmertree, Dane Suarez, Gerard Moon)

Why This Program?

OperaDelaware’s Company Artist Recital is more than just an afternoon of sublime music—it’s a celebration of the artistry and versatility of the extraordinary Company Artists. By stepping beyond the usual suspects of the opera world, we invite you to experience the staggering variety and emotional depth this art form has to offer.

Opera has never been one-size-fits-all. It is daring, thrilling, heartbreaking, and, at times, completely over-the-top—in the best possible way. And with artists like these, the possibilities are endless.

Join us as we bring these rarely-heard masterpieces to life. This is opera at its most exhilarating, its most unexpected—and it’s all for you.