Duke Symphony Orchestra with mezzo soprano Irene Roberts

The Duke Symphony Orchestra, directed by Harry Davidson, celebrates the music of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) in the year of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Program: Prelude to the opera "Lohengrin," "Wesendonck Lieder," Prelude to Act III of "Lohengrin," Prelude and Liebestod from "Tristan und Isolde." Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano Irene Roberts joins the symphony for this special concert.Roberts made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2012-13 season, appearing in Le Nozze di Figaro and Wagner's Parsifal. She also made a debut with San Francisco Opera in their new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Laurent Pelly. Other highlights of her season included her role and house debut as Cherubino with the Syracuse Opera and the cover of Suzy in La Rondine at the Met. Roberts has appeared with Lyric Opera Baltimore, Fresno Opera, and joined the roster of the Met as the cover of Stéphano for Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. She performed with the Los Angeles Philarmonic in a concert presentation of Rigoletto at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. She also returned to Townsend Opera for a run as Carmen, and to Palm Beach Opera, where she was a resident artist for two seasons, for performances as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. Roberts' other engagements have included Siébel with the North Carolina Opera, Mahler's Ruckert Lieder with the Duke University Orchestra, Amore in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at Palm Beach Opera, and two summer seasons at the Castleton Festival.