Washington Classical Review

Angel Raii Gomez as Prince Ramiro and Sophia Maekawa in the title role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola at Wolf Trap Opera. Photo: Rich Kessler

Wolf Trap Opera’s 2026 season kicked off  Thursday night with a sold-out opening of La Cenerentola Thursday evening in the Barns. The cast of talented young artists brought Rossini’s take on the Cinderella tale energetically to life, resulting in a performance that was charming and laugh-out-loud funny. Even with its lengthy runtime, the opera never outstayed its welcome thanks to its high energy and playfulness.

In this version of the classic tale, Prince Ramiro and his valet Dandini swap roles so that the prince is able to search for his future bride and see her true colors. Upon visiting the house of Don Magnifico to invite him and his daughters to a ball, the disguised prince quickly falls head over heels for the shy, polite maid Cenerentola, while the gussied-up Dandini revels in (and later recoils from) the attention of Magnifico and his daughters, all of whom are vain, bickering, social-climbing flatterers.

Sophia Maekawa, a scene-stealer as Cherubino in last year’s Marriage of Figaro, returned to the Barns stage as Rossini’s heroine. Counterintuitively for the titular role, Maekawa’s Cenerentola was too often upstaged by the chaos around her. Her voice, though pretty, lacked power compared to her colleagues, and she was often drowned out and difficult to hear during ensembles and in her lower register. Fortunately she had more opportunity to shine towards the ends of both acts, when the story allows her to take front and center, and sing solo in her upper register.

Angel Raii Gomez made for a charming Prince Ramiro. Rossini’s score is slow to give him opportunity to stand out, but he asserted himself as a competent and lithe voice in the Act 1 duet with Dandini “Zitto, zitto, piano, piano,” and he delighted the audience with his“Si ritrovarla io giuro” and firecracker high Ds.

Filene artist Angela Yam and Wolf Trap veteran Emily Treigle set a high bar from the outset as the stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe. They sang in lockstep, always bold, confident and easy to hear through tongue-twisting patter and when they battled for command of the stage. 

Yam also enjoyed a rare moment of solo attention with her aria “Sventurata! Mi credea,” showing off her rich upper range.  The sisters and their over-the-top acting were aided by the wildly exaggerated costumes of Jacob A. Climer and the hair and makeup of Anne Nemith, who ensured they took up as much visual real estate as possible.

As Don Magnifico, Ziniu Zhao truly puts the buffo in basso buffo. While not the strongest individual voice onstage, he makes up for it with some genuinely impressive diction and explosive attitude, showcased in his drunken aria “Intendente! Reggitor!” 

Angela Yam as Clorinda (left) and Emily Treigle  as Tisbe (right), with Korin Thomas-Smith as Dandini in La Cenerentola. Photo: Rich Kessler.

His energy was well matched by Korin Thomas-Smith as Dandini, his frequent scene partner, who served up an even more animated performance. Thomas-Smith’s Dandini absolutely reveled in the chance to play prince for a night. In his swaggering Act 1 aria “Come un’ape ne giorni d’aprile” he glided, spun, and gesticulated with such camp that he had the audience in uproarious laughter. Dandini and Magnifico’s duet “Un segreto d’importanza” was another comedic highlight, showing off their sharp and skillfully timed back-and-forth patter.

As the mysterious and wise Alidoro, Cumhur Görgün’s round, strong, and mostly steady bass made for an excellent tutor-turned-angel. Understated at first, his presence onstage as a quiet and stoic figure frequently gave way to more sarcastic and playful moments, such as quietly observing the chaos of act 2, glass of wine in hand, and rearranging the stupefied family members like Barbie dolls during the sextet “Siete voi?”

Climer’s sets made simple yet effective use of the Barns’ limited space. Large paintings and torn wallpaper helped add visual interest to Magnifico’s dilapidated house and the bold crimson drapes of the prince’s palace made for a pleasing contrast.

Conductor Louis Lohraseb had a solid grip on the reins, keeping the orchestra and the singers in sync all evening. There were passing ensemble lapses, which were all swiftly brought under control.

The stage direction by Joel Ivany was delightful and allowed for great character, charm, and physical comedy to emerge from every crevice. The chorus of studio artists, under chorus master Michael Lewis, provided rock-solid vocal accompaniment at every opportunity and many worthy comedic moments of their own.

La Cenerentola runs through June 27. wolftrap.org