QSO’s Musical Director Constantine Kitsopoulos continues to make it his goal to bring symphonic music into the lives of Queens residents of all ages. Kitsopoulos will be joined by David Ronis, Stage Director of the Queens College Opera Studio, for a brief talk before the performance, in which they will address their reasons for choosing the piece, and their hopes for future collaboration.

Gianni Schicchi (pronounced roughly “Johnny Skee-kee”) tells a playful story of greed, deceit and romance, and includes one of the most famous operatic arias of all time, “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

“This is an opera to delight anyone,” says Kitsopoulos, who made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in September of last year. “Our hope is to see children, parents and grandparents in the audience together. Puccini’s take on Dante is always a crowd-pleaser, and wins over those who think they don’t like opera.”