What Becomes a Legend Most? Antony and Cleopatra Symposium

In preparation for our Carnegie Hall performances of Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, come spend an afternoon with the legendary Queen of the Nile. Who really was Cleopatra: Beauty queen? Feminist? The last Pharaoh? The first politician? Sex goddess? Mother? Egyptian? Greek? Black? And why are we still obsessed with this woman who lived over 2000 years ago?

Singers, actors, Egyptologists, art historians, cultural critics, and Samuel Barber’s biographer will offer a wide-angle view of this American masterwork. City Opera and Miller Theatre co-present this program that explores the world’s enduring fascination with our larger-than-life heroine.

12:00-1:00pm
Setting the Record Straight
Barbara Heyman, author of the definitive biography,
Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music discusses Antony and Cleopatra.

1:10-2:10pm
From Plutarch to Shakespeare to Liz Taylor:
Images of Cleopatra on Canvas, Stage, and Screen
A critical survey of the iconography of Cleopatra by Prudence Jones, author of the biography Cleopatra as well as Cleopatra: A Sourcebook.

2:40-3:50pm
Creating Cleopatra
Zoe Caldwell, three-time Tony award winning actress
Francesca Royster, author of Becoming Cleopatra: The Shifting Image of an Icon
Ann Macy Roth, Associate Professor of Egyptology, NYU
Cori Ellison, City Opera Dramaturg
discuss the ever-fascinating Queen of the Nile and her cultural significance today.

4:00-5:00pm
Cleopatra Sings: Elizabeth Futral in Recital
The recital will include selections from Handel’s masterpiece Giulio Cesare, Massenet’s rarely-heard Cléopâtre, with contemporary depictions from the Rolling Stones to
Pam Tillis. Featuring the world premiere of a specially-commissioned song by Justine Chen, an up-and-coming composer who has twice been featured in City Opera’s celebrated festival VOX: Showcasing American Opera