FREE, HD Broadcast presented by PNC Arts Alive takes place at Independence National Historical Park on Saturday, Sept. 27

Philadelphia, PA: FREE tickets to Opera Philadelphia’s HD broadcast of The Barber of Seville will be available to the public starting on Wednesday, September 3.  You can score your free tickets to Opera on the Mall beginning at 10 a.m. at operaonthemall.org. Everyone who registers will be entered to win an Opera Philadelphia subscription for two to the entire 2014-2015 Season.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7:00 p.m., our community will gather together to enjoy the opening of the cultural season with the funniest of all comic operas.  Opera Philadelphia’s season-opening performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville will be broadcast in high definition from the stage of the Academy of Music to a giant outdoor screen in the shadow of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Rossini’s rapid-fire romp set in Spain kicks off with a famous overture and veers into a hilarious series of misadventures and mistaken identities.  Determined to win the heart of the beautiful, strong-willed Rosina (mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway, in her role and company debuts) with charm and wit—rather than nobility and wealth—Count Almaviva (tenor Taylor Stayton) enlists the help of a wily barber (baritone Jonathan Beyer) to steal her away from her lecherous guardian, Dr. Bartolo (bass Kevin Burdette). From the famous “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!” of the Barber’s aria, “Largo al factotum,”to Rosina’s equally spectacular “Una voce poco fa,” the opera is a non-stop parade of hits.

This is the fourth year Opera Philadelphia will launch its season with a free broadcast at Independence National Historical Park. Last year, nearly 4,000 guests enjoyed the broadcast of Verdi’s Nabucco from their picnic blankets and chairs.

Event information is available at operaonthemall.org or by calling 215.732.8400.

Opera on the Mall is presented by PNC Arts Alive, a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative of the PNC Foundation.  The goal of PNC Arts Alive is to help area residents gain access to the arts and to help arts organizations expand and engage audiences. In 2014, twenty-one organizations were selected for their bold thinking around increasing arts access and engagement. For more information about Opera Philadelphia’s grant and all of the funded programs, visit www.pncartsalive.com.