Acclaimed stage director, Joseph Bascetta, is recognized for his high
artistic standards and insightful direction and is continually gaining
notoriety for his productions. His 2004-2005 season included Tosca, for the Shanghai Grand Opera for the opening of the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center in Podong Shanghai. Mr. Bascetta’s 2005-2006 season will include, Aida for Opera Columbus, and La Boheme for The Astra Theater in Malta. Then on to Fresno grand opera for Merry Widow, Mobile Opera for La Boheme, and returning to Fresno Grand Opera for Otello.
International career highlights include an outdoor extravaganza of Turandot
for the renowned Pula Opera Festival in Croatia, a production that received
much acclaim and was televised nationally. In addition, Mr. Bascetta
directed Otello for the prestigious Taipei Music Festival at the National
Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan, and a captivating production of La Sonnambula
with world famous bass, Bonaldo Giaiotti at the Festival de Opera in
Tenerife, Spain. A frequent guest of Asia’s leading opera festivals, Mr.
Bascetta debuted with the Singapore Lyric Theatre directing Faust, debuted
in Seoul Korea at the Kim Cha Kyung Opera where he was invited to stage an
outdoor spectacular of Carmen in Seoul’s Olympic Park which was televised
throughout Korea, directed Rigoletto for the National Theater of Taipei,
and directed Cavalleria Rusticana in Shanghai, China at the new international
Opera House. Mr Bascetta also made his debut in Malta as artistic advisor
as well as stage director for Macbeth, and subsequently returned to Malta
as artistic advisor and stage director for productions of Rigoletto,
Aida, and La Gioconda with star Ghena Dimetrova.
In 1999 he helped start the new Fresno Grand Opera and soon became its
Artistic Director. He directed the company’s first production of Madama
Butterfly with Maria Spacagna. He has gone on to direct productions of
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, and most recently Tosca
and La Traviata with Fresno Opera. Other engagements include La
Cenerentola for Providence Opera, Die Fledermaus, Carmen
and an Opera Gala Concert for Fresno Opera, Madama Butterfly and
Tosca for Mississippi Opera, Un Ballo in Maschera at
the Astra Theater in Malta, Die Fledermaus for Gold Coast Opera, and
Tosca for Providence Opera and Boston Academy of Music,
La Bohème for Opera Lyra in Ottawa and Madama Butterfly
for Providence Opera. Additional opera companies he has worked with include
Berkshire Opera, Buffalo Opera, Capital Artistic Opera, Chicago Opera
Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Dayton Opera, Hawaii
Opera Theatre, Jefferson Performing Arts Society of New Orleans, Michigan
Opera Theatre, New York Shakespeare Company, Ontario Opera, Palm Beach
Opera, Pensacola Opera, Pittsburgh Opera Theatre, Saskatoon Opera, the
Shubert New Haven Opera, the Singapore Lyric Theatre, the Taipei Music
Festival in Taiwan, the Tenerife Opera Festival in Spain, Toledo Opera,
Virginia Opera, and Washington Lyric Opera.
Mr. Bascetta received great acclaim for his production of Porgy & Bess at
Toledo Opera, where he has also directed Carmen, Gianni Schicchi,
and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. At Hawaii Opera Theatre, he has directed an
insightful production of La Traviata, a spectacular Turandot,
Aida, and La Bohème. Other productions include Aida
for the Buffalo Opera commemorating their tenth anniversary season,
Turandot for Tulsa Opera, Madama Butterfly for Mississippi
Opera, Faust for the Connecticut Opera Association with Justino Diaz,
Madama Butterfly for Virginia Opera and La Bohème and
Faust for Dayton Opera.
Mr. Bascetta began his career in New York City where he received the
coveted Show Business Award for Best Director of the Year for his
direction of Floyd’s Susannah and Ward’s The Crucible.
His background includes training with the Royal Shakespeare Company of
London, dance and performance training in vocal and choral technique,
experience as a music educator, and intensive study of Stanislavsky acting
technique with Stella Adler. Mr. Bascetta has studied with renowned Opera
Director Frank Corsaro and established the Opera Studio of New York for
the purpose of bringing the acting values of Stanislavsky and Actors
Studio to Opera. Additional international credits include American
representative and acting teacher for the International Opera School
of the Societa dei Concerti in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy and the
acting teacher for A.I.M.S. in Graz, Austria. Mr. Bascetta has been
the Artistic Director of the Berkshire Opera, the Ontario Opera, and
the Capital Artistic Opera Company, and is now Artistic Director of Fresno
Grand Opera.
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