James E. McGreevey
Governor

William D. Watley
Secretary of Commerce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karen Wolfe - 609.292.2523

OPERA FESTIVAL OF NEW JERSEY BRINGS
GRAND OPERA TO THE GARDEN STATE

Company's 20th Anniversary Festivities Begin Sunday, June 29th - Saturday, July 19th, 2003

Princeton, N.J. (June 2, 2003)—This summer, Opera Festival of New Jersey continues the tradition of artistic excellence with its renditions of Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, and Berg's Wozzeck. The 2003 season runs from Sunday, June 29, until Saturday, July 19, at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey.

This year, Opera Festival of New Jersey celebrates its 20th anniversary with three brand new productions. Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri honors the genius of Italian comic opera; Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin pays homage to the great Russian dramatic opera tradition; and Berg's Wozzeck is thought to be many opera-lovers' vote for the greatest 20th century opera.

Single tickets are now on sale at Opera Festival of New Jersey’s ticket office located at 5 Hulfish Street in Palmer Square. Tickets range in price from $25 to $90 and visitors interested in purchasing tickets may either visit Opera Festival of New Jersey’s ticket office, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or telephone 609-919-0199 or toll-free 1-866-636-5858.

“After you dine at one of our award winning restaurants or spend the weekend at a relaxing bed and breakfast inn, take in a performance at the Opera Festival of New Jersey," said Nancy Byrne, executive director of the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism. “This festival is among the nation's leading summer opera festivals and offers performances that feature some of the finest opera talents in the world, many of whom have performed on the stages of American and European opera companies."

The following is the festival's schedule of events:

Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri

• Sunday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m.
• Saturday, July 5 at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 11 at 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin

• Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 6 at 2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m
• Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 18 at 8:00 p.m.

Berg's Wozzeck

• Tuesday, July 8 at 4:00 p.m.
  McCormick Hall, Princeton University Symposium “The Play – The Opera – Past and Present”
• Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.
  Miller Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary Concert “...in the shadow of Mahler” with members of Opera Festival of New Jersey opera company
• Saturday, July 19 at 8:00 p.m.

More information on Opera Festival of New Jersey can be obtained by visiting its Web site at www.operafest.org or contacting the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism, at 1-800-VISITNJ (847-4865); or by checking the Web site at www.visitnj.org.