What drives Eugene Opera director and conductor Andrew Bisantz
“It doesn’t take much to get Eugene Opera artistic director and conductor Andrew Bisantz pumped up, particularly if he’s talking about the Eugene Opera’s coming performances of “Tosca.”
…I’m first of all very excited about our leading lady, Jill Gardner. Jill has performed with us before; she was Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin” in 2016. She was wonderful in that, but Tosca is really her role. It will be our third time doing it together. We have a special communication, musically and dramatically. We have a terrific cast, and our production will be directed by our good friend and frequent Eugene Opera director David Lefkowich. David and I first did “Tosca” together in Boston about a decade ago for Boston Lyric Opera, and he directs the piece incredibly well.
We’re moving the action up to a 1930s fascist-era look. When you see people in costumes that are a little closer to their actual time — that makes the piece more immediate…”