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American tenor CHARLES CASTRONOVO to perform 'Dolce Napoli: The Neopolitan Songs' at King's Head Theatre, Islington

Charles Castronovo 
Dolce Napoli: The Neapolitan Songs 


One of the rising stars of international opera, American tenor Charles Castronovo, is swapping the plush surroundings of the 2,256-seat Royal Opera House, where he normally performs in London to sing in a tiny fringe theatre behind a pub.

In a massive coup for the 100-seat King’s Head Theatre in Islington, home of Olivier Award-winning OperaUpClose, Castronovo will premiere Dolce Napoli: The Neopolitan Songs for six performances from Sunday 31 March until Monday 29 April.

As Castronovo is singing Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House during his King’s Head run, a speeding motorbike is being laid on to race him from the curtain call at Covent Garden to north London in time for his 11.00pm final performance on Monday 29 April. He had a similar double duty dash in New York recently when after he took his bow as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, he had to race across Manhattan to the club 54 Below, where he was singing old-school Italian songs with the band Sweet Nectar. 

Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King's Head Theatre said: "We were so flattered and excited to be approached by Charles about these concerts. He loved singing in an up-close-and-personal environment in New York, and wanted to repeat the experience here in London - and where better than the King's Head, with its colouful history of bare-knuckle boxing, theatre, and more recently, opera? It will be a real treat for our audience to hear one of opera's most exciting new voices at such close range. We can't wait!”

The King’s Head Theatre show is based on his latest CD, Dolce Napoli: The Neopolitan Songs. Castronovo celebrates his bloodlines with a collection of thrilling Neapolitan songs, among them some of the best known and most beloved Canzone Napoletana including, Maria Mari, Santa Lucia, Malafemmena, Catari, Scetate and Come Faccette Mametta. Castronovo captures the spirit of Naples in English and Italian, introducing these songs to new audiences in the same manner as the great Italian-American singers of the last generation, but with a beautiful operatic voice that does them full justice.

Charles Castronovo was born to a Sicilian father and an Ecuadorian mother in Queens, New York but grew up in Southern California. Named One of The Hottest Rising Stars of Opera in 2013 by The Huffington Post, Castronovo has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Opera National, Paris, Theatre du Capitole, Toulouse Opera, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Theatre Royale de la Monnaie Brussels, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Santa Fe Opera and many other theatres in both Europe and the United States.

Listings Info

King’s Head Theatre 
Islington

Sunday 31 March at 7.15pm 
Monday 1 April at 7.15pm 
Sunday 7 April at 7.15pm 
Monday 8 April at 7.15pm 
Sunday 14 April at 7.15pm 
Monday 29 April at 11.00pm

Press night: Monday 1 April at 7.15pm

Tickets: £35.00 except Sunday 14 April when all seats are £50.00 (to include a free copy of the CD, Dolce Napoli: The Neopolitan Songs) as a King’s Head Theatre benefit.

www.kingsheadtheatre.com 
Box office: 020 7478 0160

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