Subscribe to Guide
No Result
View All Result
Hamptons.com
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support
No Result
View All Result
Hamptons.com
November 6, 2020

INTERVIEW: Gifted Mezzo-Soprano Opera Star Anna Tonna Talks “Rival Queens” And Its Jaw-Dropping Slap Scene

T.J. Clementeby T.J. Clemente
in Arts
Home Arts

Anna Tonna, a gifted mezzo-soprano who has been described by critics as “a born star,” was excited to talk about her role in Divaria Productions’ Rival Queens, an original biopic opera making its virtual world premiere via Bay Street Theater’s online programming starting Thursday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m. Tonna will star as Queen Elizabeth I. In the past, Tonna’s performances have been depicted as “full of charm and magnetism with her dark, compact lyric mezzo-soprano.” Within seconds of the interview, I understood why.

When asked what excited her most about this project, Tonna said, “Because of COVID we are having to make art and make music and in this case opera in new different creative ways. As performers we are so used to having the audience there, the whole perimeter that you go to a theater and sing for people, you get that energy from people that you sing on stage with collogues and COVID has forced a rethinking of how to sing opera for people, even in these times. So, what most excites me is this new frontier, this new type of opera and type of performing that we are doing in Rival Queens. Instead of us just doing the opera by Donizetti the way it would be done at the Met, they have done this opera Maria Stuarda, but we are doing it like a documentary. It’s like a biopic in which we are taking the music, but we are also inserting this other view point of the real queens and who they were as people. I had to read the letters by Elizabeth I of England. We are weaving the music of the opera with the real people and what they felt, how they reacted, and the relationship between the two ladies who were actual cousins who never met. The fact that we are creating something new is exciting to me.”

When discussing her favorite moment in the show, Tonna revealed, “Although this is the first time that I have sung this opera, this opera is usually done at really big opera houses. There are certain operas that I have done a lot, but this is the first time I call it my ‘quarantine opera’ – because I spent the whole summer studying it. I was home, all my jobs were canceled, so I stayed home just learning this one.” Anna Tonna is from the Bronx. Actually, very near the beautiful Conservatory of the Botanical Gardens. However, as a child she lived on Long Island in Babylon.

So, her favorite moment in this performance? Tonna said, “This Maria Stuarda is all about the confrontation scene which never happened historically. They never met, but in the opera they do. In the scene, Mary Stuart stands up to Elizabeth and I always call it the slapping scene, but usually no one gets slapped. It’s a confrontation scene between her and I alone, speaking and insulting each other. Elizabeth does a big insult towards Mary Stuart and Mary Stuart stands up for herself. Actually, in the filmed part, I do slap her. In our version, there is a slap. There is also a psychological component that goes on that people will see. But, my favorite scene is the confrontation for sure. Remember, our audience is going to see this as a film, we did it like a movie, we went into an audio studio first (in SoHo) and we sang the music. Then, in late September, we filmed it at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in Manhattan.”

Just to give everyone a breath of the work of Anna Tonna, one must mention she starred in the North American premiere of L’Equivoco Stravagante, and the Rossini Gesellschaft described her as “a mezzo heroine who knows how to sing Rossini.” New York Magazine wrote a complimentary review of Tonna lauding she was “showing off her warm, secure mezzo-soprano to maximum advantage.”

She recently played the role of Laura Adorno with both the Brno State Opera in the Czech Republic and the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. Other performances include Clarina in Rossini’s La Cambiale di Matrimonio for Little Opera Zamora; recitals in Madrid, Italy, Vienna, and Lisbon; and a Zarzuela concert at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

In New York, she will be featured at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the Americas Society. Finally, as part of the Centennial Anniversary dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, she performed in the composer’s Songfest for Maverick Concerts.

She is one talented woman, so make sure to catch her performance in Rival Queens. In addition to the Bay Street viewing, the Rites of Spring Festival will host a Rival Queens screening on Saturday, November 14 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information about the Bay Street screening, visit www.baystreet.org. For more information about Rival Queens, visit www.divariaproductions.com.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Get the top Hamptons events and latest scoop!

What's Happening in the Hamptons

Related Posts

The Parrish Art Museum’s 2025 Midsummer Gala Raises Nearly $1.4 Million
Arts

The Parrish Art Museum’s 2025 Midsummer Gala Raises Nearly $1.4 Million

September 17, 2025
9th Annual Summer Design Luncheon Benefit Featured Acclaimed Interior Designer Marshall Watson
Community

9th Annual Summer Design Luncheon Benefit Featured Acclaimed Interior Designer Marshall Watson

September 16, 2025
Hamptons Black Art Renaissance, SUPERPOSITION Gallery’s MAMI WATA Exhibition
Arts

Hamptons Black Art Renaissance, SUPERPOSITION Gallery’s MAMI WATA Exhibition

September 2, 2025

Search Articles

No Result
View All Result

LOCAL EVENTS

Events

17
Sep
17
Sep
-
17
Sep

Bring a Friend; Make a Friend

September 17 @ 12:30 PM - September 17 @ 02:00 PM
Sen
17
Sep
17
Sep
-
17
Sep

Meet Artist-in-Residence: Marie-Claire Chabauty

September 17 @ 02:00 PM - September 17 @ 03:00 PM
Online
18
Sep
18
Sep
-
18
Sep

Classic Albums Live Queen: News of the World

September 18 @ 08:00 PM - September 18 @ 10:00 PM
The Suffolk
18
Sep
18
Sep
-
18
Sep

Perry Bancs at The Stephen Talkhouse

September 18 @ 08:00 PM - September 18 @ 11:00 PM
161 Main St, Amagansett, NY 11930
19
Sep
19
Sep
-
19
Sep

SoundWAVE – a bespoke sound bath hosted by WAVE WELLNESS Southampton

September 19 @ 05:45 PM - September 19 @ 06:45 PM
15b Hill Street Southampton NY
Load more listings
Next Post
Virtual Girls Night In Benefit To Support Lucia’s Angels And Coalition For Women’s Cancers at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

Virtual Girls Night In Benefit To Support Lucia's Angels And Coalition For Women's Cancers at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

  • 167 Dune Road, Bridgehampton, NY 11932⁠
Saunders Exclusive: $42,500,000⁠
@jenniferwilsonhamptons 
@edbruehl @leemohlerehamptons 
@hamptonsrealestate 
⁠
Experience extraordinary coastal living with this exquisite oceanfront estate on Dune Road in Bridgehampton. ⁠
⁠
Designed by the renowned architect Francis Fleetwood, this remarkable property boasts 300 feet of private ocean frontage, complete with its own private boardwalk leading directly to the beach, all set on over 3 acres of prime land.⁠
⁠
The charming shingle-style residence encompasses 4,200 +/- sq. ft. of luxurious living space, featuring 5 bedrooms and 5 full bathrooms, plus an additional half bath.⁠
⁠
Read the full article at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#duneroad #oceanfront #bridgehampton #realestate #hamptons #francisfleetwood ⁠
⁠
⁠
⁠
  • The Hamptons have seen their fair share of collaborations and takeovers this summer. Still, nothing compares to The h.wood Group and Chase Sapphire Reserve’s transformation of Montauk hotspot Mary Lou’s into Delilah Montauk.⁠
⁠
The four-day takeover combined unforgettable dining experiences with show-stopping live entertainment featuring performances by Zack Bia, Alesso, Gwen Stefani, and DJ Pee.Wee (Anderson Paak). ⁠
⁠
Exclusively for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders, diners were treated to white glove hospitality and Delilah’s staples, including the famous chicken tenders and tuna tartare, and bold twists on Hamptons classics like lobster rolls, striped bass crudo, and crab and avocado toast. 

Check out more at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)

#gwenstefani #alesso #djpeewee #chasesapphirereserve #delilahmontauk #montauk #hamptons
  • LVIS thrift shops are open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 AM through 5 PM

donations are accepted Wednesday through Saturday 10 AM through 1 PM by appointment 

located at 95 Main St East Hampton
  • Check out the Top Hamptons Events This Weekend!⁠
⁠
🚗 The Bridge IX⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 2–7PM⁠
📍 The Bridge, Bridgehampton⁠
Over 300 rare automobiles showcased across stunning landscapes.⁠
⁠
🎬 23rd Annual Surf Movie Night⁠
📅 Fri, Sept 12 | 5:30–9PM⁠
📍 Southampton Arts Center⁠
Surfboard swap, live music & outdoor film screening. 🌊⁠
⁠
🍝 San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 – Sun, Sept 14 | 10AM⁠
📍 Hampton Bays⁠
Italian pastries, live entertainment & fireworks Sat @ 8:15PM 🎆⁠
⁠
🎭 In Process: Roderick George⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 7PM⁠
📍 Guild Hall, East Hampton⁠
A special in-process presentation of The Missing Fruit (Part I).⁠
⁠
🎤 Sheena Easton at WHBPAC⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 8PM⁠
📍 Westhampton Beach PAC⁠
Grammy-winning artist live on stage!⁠
⁠
☕ Cars & Coffee⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 9–11AM⁠
📍 Bridgehampton Museum⁠
Classic & exotic cars, food, drinks & live music.⁠
⁠
🛍 Hampton Vintage⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 10AM–5PM⁠
📍 Westhampton Beach Village Green⁠
Shop unique vintage finds!⁠
⁠
🎶 Hamptons Festival of Music Finale⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 4PM⁠
📍 St. Luke’s Church, East Hampton⁠
Featuring Cimarosa, Berlioz & Beethoven.⁠
⁠
🍷 Wine Dinner with Pradorey at R.AIRE⁠
📅 Tues, Sept 16 | 6:30PM⁠
📍 Hampton Bays⁠
Five-course tasting menu with exquisite wine pairings.⁠
⁠
🎥 Toy Story 30th Anniversary Screening⁠
📅 Sept 12–15 | Various Times⁠
📍 Southampton Playhouse⁠
Celebrate Woody & Buzz’s timeless adventure!⁠
⁠
Check out more events at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#carshow #hamptons #sangennaro #sangennarofeast #winedinner #bridgeIX
  • The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF Hamptons) hosted the Bow Wow Meow Ball in East Hampton. The evening’s honorees, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, were presented with the Champion of Animals Award, recognizing their more than twenty-five years of support to ARF. ⁠
⁠
Over 400 guests celebrated ARF’s remarkable work with cocktails, followed by dinner catered by Olivier Cheng. Peter Marino, accompanied by his daughter and ARF Board Member Isabelle Trapnell Marino, presented the Scarboroughs with their award. ⁠
⁠
📸: Patrick McMullan/PMC⁠
⁠
Check out the full gallery at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#arf #bowwowmeowball #hamptons #animalrescuefund #animalrescue
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Hamptons.com

Saunders Broadcasting Corp.

Phone: 631-613-8440
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Facebook.com/HamptonsOnline
Twitter: @Hamptons
Instagram: @HamptonsOnline

About Us | Contact Us

Hamptons.com

  • Lifestyle
  • Events
  • Real Estate
  • Live Cameras
  • Public WiFi

Subscribe

Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Get the top Hamptons events and latest scoop!

© 2025 Hamptons.com | All rights reserved
Saunders Broadcasting Corp.
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support

© 2025 Hamptons.com | All rights reserved
Saunders Broadcasting Corp.
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us