Fort Worth Opera Closes Its 79th Season With A Stellar Performance of Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

The Fort Worth Opera pulled out all the stops to end their 79th season this past weekend, with a full-scale production of Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), which was composed by Rossini from 1792-1868 and first performed in 1817, quickly becoming an opera favorite for its high-energy score, comedic relief, and of course, a love story.

“This production marks a major milestone for our company as our first fully staged opera [at Bass Performance Hall] since 2019,” says Angela Turner Wilson, the Fort Worth Opera’s General and Artistic Director. “It was complete with detailed sets, costumes, and a complete orchestra.” Other productions over the years have been semi-staged, which means they were produced with the use of a limited number of props and costumes.

A Review of Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

In this production of Cinderella, the wicked stepmother is replaced by a cruel stepfather, Don Magnifico, who treats Angelina (Cinderella) like a servant while putting his two daughters, Clorinda and Tisbe, on a pedestal. There’s a knock at the door, and Alidoro, the tutor to Prince Don Ramiro, enters the scene, dressed as a beggar. The sisters are appalled by this beggar, trying to send him away while Angelina offers him food and coffee. Soon, courtiers arrive and announce that Ramiro is on his way and holding a ball in order to find his bride.

Angelina’s kindness to the “beggar” sets her fate in motion, and mistaken identities, fateful meetings, and romance spark from there. What’s different in this tale from the traditional one is that instead of Cinderella running out of the ball and dropping a slipper, she gives the Prince one of her matching bracelets and tells him to find her and know her by the bracelet. Of course, Cinderella eventually gets her prince, and at their wedding, her stepfather, Don Magnifico, tries to win her favor after years of mistreatment. Cinderella only asks to finally be acknowledged as his daughter and says that her days of sitting by the fire are over.

Cinderella was played by mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche, a “rising star in the opera world,” says Turner Wilson. “This role was a vocal and dramatic marathon, and I love that,” says Doche. “Angelina isn’t a fairy tale princess waiting to be rescued. She’s grounded, intelligent, and driven by compassion,” she says. “Rossini gives her music that’s dazzling but also deeply human.”

Grammy-nominated performer Victor Ryan Robertson starred as Prince Ramiro in the production, and at the podium, internationally acclaimed conductor Christian Capocaccia led the cast and the Orchestra. Born in Rome, his intense passion for music has made him a favorite on stages across the country and in Europe.

New York- and Dallas-based director and choreographer Candace Evans led the production, while a trio of baritones — Grammy Award-winning Adelmo Guidarelli, Efraín Solís, and Eric McKeever helped round out the performance as Angelina’s father, the Prince’s valet, and the Prince’s tutor. Stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe were played by Fort Worth Opera Resident Artists Hannah Madeleine Goodman (soprano) and Mariam Mouawad (mezzo-soprano), who stomped and danced across the stage, creating laughable moments within the story.

Additional celebrations to the show included a pre-show tea party, private box opportunities, and a custom bracelet collaboration with BuDhaGirl, so fans could wear the same bracelet that Cinderella shared with the Prince after the ball.

The Fort Worth Opera’s 80th Season

The Fort Worth Opera’s upcoming 80th season will be a year-long celebration of the oldest opera company in Texas, with each production spotlighting a defining element of the company’s artistic legacy. To kick things off in October, acclaimed tenor Jonathan Tetelman will perform a one-night-only concert. In November, there will be a production of minimalist icon Philip Glass’s genre-bending re-imagining of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 surrealist film, La Belle et La Bête (Beauty and the Beast). In the winter, the Opera presents Cowboys & Culture, a musical love letter to the city the company has always called home. Lastly, Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly will close out the season in April 2026.

Information about season tickets can be found here.