Photo by Cory Weaver
Lisette Oropesa, who made her San Francisco Opera debut in 2011 in Handel's Xerxes, will sing the role of Nannetta in tonight's performance of Verdi’s Falstaff. The soprano, who is scheduled to sing the same role at the Metropolitan Opera, beginning in December, replaces Heidi Stober only for this performance, with the expectation that Stober will get well and resume the role for the remaining performances.
According to the S.F. Opera press department, this is what happened at the Oct. 11 performance, necessitating the cast change:
Soprano Heidi Stober came down with a cold Friday afternoon; because it was not affecting her vocal cords, she decided to sing the evening’s performance as planned, with her illness announced from stage prior to curtain.Over the course of Acts 1 and 2, her symptoms worsened significantly and it was determined that she would be unable to continue the performance. There was no assigned cover for Nannetta in this production. Former Adler Fellow, soprano Nikki Einfeld, who lives locally, was called at intermission and, after making necessary arrangements, came to the opera house as soon as possible. The intermission was delayed and the performance resumed after a break of one hour, 12 minutes.
Ms. Einfeld sang Act 3 from the side of the stage while Ms. Stober acted the role on stage. Nikki Einfeld previously performed the role of Nannetta in Falstaff with Edmonton Opera in 2008.