Opera Philadelphia General Director & President David B. Devan announced today that Dimitri Pittas, a dynamic performer poised “to take his place among the great tenors who have assayed Nemorino” (The Financial Times), will replace Christopher Tiesi as the lovelorn Nemorino for all five performances of The Elixir of Love, April 29-May 8 at the Academy of Music. Mr. Tiesi has withdrawn from the production due to illness.

Pittas, who made his Opera Philadelphia debut last season in the title role of Verdi’s Don Carlo, returns to Philadelphia in a role and production he knows quite well. In 2009, Pittas appeared as Nemorino in The Santa Fe Opera’s new production of The Elixir of Love, which was helmed by Opera Philadelphia Music Director Corrado Rovaris and director Stephen Lawless, who have reunited to bring their hit staging to the Academy of Music. Pittas was lauded by Opera News for both his acting ability and his vocal presence in his 2009 performance: “His Nemorino was no illiterate klutz but a young man who, with delightful spontaneity, is discovering the joys and woes life has to offer. He grew from the simplistic sentimentalism of ‘Quanto è bella’ to the articulation of mature, compassionate love in ‘Una furtiva lagrima.’”

“We feel truly fortunate to have Dimitri Pittas, who performed in this same production at Santa Fe with our Music Director Corrado Rovaris and stage director Stephen Lawless, available to step in and sing the role of Nemorino,” said Devan. “He has performed at The Metropolitan Opera, Welsh National Opera, and stages all over the world.”