Fidelio is Beethoven’s only opera, and the work is singular for it: a political thriller propelled by love, asking its cast to navigate spoken German dialogue and bel canto singing within the same acts. Sotto Voce Vocal Collective and the Avanti Orchestra stage their production at Asbury Hall on Sunday, August 16, as part of Avanti’s 3rd Buffalo Beethoven Festival.
About the Show
The opera follows Leonore, who disguises herself as the young boy Fidelio to gain access to a prison and free her politically imprisoned husband, Florestan; the venue frames this as “a timeless story of transcendent love and heroism,” though the love here is more resourceful than the phrase suggests. Director Alex Huddleston, who led Sotto Voce’s productions of The Magic Flute and Lucia di Lammermoor, stages this production; two original short films by Huddleston precede each of the opera’s overtures. The cast draws from across the country: Amanda Santos (New Jersey) sings Leonore, Danny Leclerc (Montreal) takes Florestan, and Pengyu Yang (Michigan) plays the antagonist Pizarro. Marzelline, Rocco, and several choral positions are filled by Buffalo-based performers. The performance is sung in German with English spoken dialogue and subtitles.
Sotto Voce operates as an artist-driven collective rather than a traditional opera company, with an “opera nouveau” approach that puts multimedia and interdisciplinary collaboration at the center of each production. Their Lucia di Lammermoor drew this from critic Peter Hall: “What voices! Bel canto promises us soaring, lyrical lines that convey deep emotion, all while we witness exceptional skill with intricate melodies and elaborate embellishments.” The Avanti Orchestra, founded in 2023 by conductor Mason Cancilla, has grown quickly, expanding from a chamber-scale ensemble to eight performances across six programs in its 2025–2026 season. JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, has written of Cancilla: “His conducting is poised, elegant, and very polished. He is beautifully connected to the musicians and it is obvious that they love playing for him.”
Venue & Logistics
Asbury Hall, the historic concert space within the Babeville complex at 341 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, sits at the center of western New York’s performing arts calendar. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the performance begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets
General Admission Seated tickets are $50. Tickets are available through the Babeville Box Office (Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.); in-person cash purchases carry no service fee, while credit or debit adds 3%. Buy tickets