Bohemian Rhapsody: Ellie Dehn and James Valenti return to Minnesota Opera for Puccini's La Boheme

St. Paul, Minn. — They are both singers whose stars are on the rise in the opera world. And we can count our lucky stars that soprano Ellie Dehn and tenor James Valenti are back in Minnesota. These two Minnesota Opera regulars (they were here in 2008 for Romeo and Juliet).

Both are enjoying great careers at opera houses around the world, and both sing at the Metropolitan Opera in the coming year; Ellie this fall in La Boheme (singing Musetta, not Mimi), and James this month in La Traviata, opposite Angela Gheorghiu.

Valenti and Dehn stopped by Minnesota Public Radio's Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio, where they sang two duets from "La Boheme", and talked with classical host John Birge about their expanding successes, and their Minnesota roots.

Guests

• James Valenti: American tenor James Valenti has been hailed for having a voice of Italianate beauty, for his handsome stage presence, and for his elegant musicianship in performances with the leading opera companies of the world. He is considered one of his generation's brightest rising stars. Valenti's repertoire encompasses the romantic leading roles of both Italian and French repertoire, including Puccini's Rodolfo in La boheme and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Verdi's Duke of Mantua and Alfredo, and Gounod's Romeo and Faust. He is equally at home with the bel canto roles of Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor.
• Ellie Dehn: Respected and admired for her exceptional artistic skills, American soprano Ellie Dehn has or will have engagements through 2012 in many of the world's leading opera house including Teatro alla Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Geneva, Bologna, Santa Cecilia and Houston Opera. This summer she will debut at Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere of Spratlan's Life is a Dream. She will make her San Francisco Opera and the Houston Grand Opera debuts as the Contessa in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. She will also return to the Metropolitan Opera as Musetta, and will debut with Teatro alla Scala as Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann.