Buffalo Opera Unlimited Presents Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci
A larger-than-life story of love, jealously, and betrayal set in a circus troupe, where painted smiles and bright costumes mask infidelity.
Experience Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci Friday, September 26 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, September 28 at 2:30 pm in Buffalo State University’s Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY. Tickets are available at the Rockwell Hall Box Office (716-878 3005), or online at www.buffalooperunlimited.org. General Admission $40, Senior $30, Student $10. The opera will be performed in Italian with English surtitles and with full orchestra and chorus.
The cast includes Jordan Weatherston Pitts as Canio, Andrea Bickford as Nedda, Joshua Conyers as Tonio, Nicholas Kilkenny as Silvio, and Andrew George as Beppe. The Conductor and Artistic Director is Matthew Marco. The Stage Director is Brent Weber. The Set Designer is David King. The Lighting Designer is Harry Mandris. Costume Coordinators are E.L. Hohn and Hannah LaRuez. Costumes are courtesy of Tri-Cities Opera
Pagliacci marks the launch of Buffalo Opera Unlimited’s 40th season. To honor this achievement, BOU will host a celebration at Rockwell Hall immediately following the Friday, September 26 performance. The event is free and open to all ticket holders. Those planning to attend the celebration are asked to RSVP at the 40th Season Celebration tab on the BOU website.
Highlights of the evening include music, a silent auction featuring unique items and experiences, along with beverages and light fare.
Tim Kennedy, Artistic Director Emeritus, founded Buffalo Opera Unlimited (BOU) in 1985. Through the years, BOU has given hundreds of regional artists opportunities to perform, and thousands of audience members opportunities to experience live opera in Western New York. Further, BOU has been committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion since its founding 40 years ago.
Jordan Weatherston Pitts is an interdisciplinary artist and internationally acclaimed tenor, celebrated for his dynamic presence across both operatic and drag stages. With performances spanning major opera houses, symphony halls, and nightlife venues around the world, Pitts blurs the boundaries between classical tradition and contemporary performance.
As a soloist, he has sung with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, Royal Opera Wallonie-Liège, Château de Versailles, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Sun Valley Opera. His operatic repertoire includes leading roles such as Alfredo (La Traviata), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), and Gonzalve (L’Heure Espagnole), showcasing his affinity for romantic and lyric repertoire.
Pitts was a finalist on La France a un Incroyable Talent (France’s Got Talent) Season 19, bringing his operatic voice to a new audience and earning international recognition.
His work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Oper! Magazine (Germany), The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, NY Classical Review, and in interviews with ABC News, BBC One, NY1, and Gay Times.
Soprano Andrea Bickford hails from Boston, MA and is praised for her musical sensitivity, stage acting, and vocal power (The Ithaca Times). Possessing a diverse repertoire, Ms. Bickford has sung on opera and concert stages worldwide. Andrea is looking forward to making her role debut of Nedda in Pagliacci with BOU after recently singing the roles of Woglinde, Helmwige, and Waldvogel in Wagner’s Ring Cycle this past summer. Her recent roles include Amelia from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Vitellia in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Rosalinde in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, and Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium. As an avid competitor, Ms. Bickford won first place at the Buffalo District for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2025 and third place for the 2025 Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition, as well as first place at the Mendelssohn Club of Albany’s Dolven Awards in 2024. Ms. Bickford’s compelling stage presence paired with her extensive background in dance couples to deliver consistent, graceful, and meaningful performances. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a Minor in Dance from Ithaca College and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Catherine Cook. Andrea currently studies with soprano Jennifer Rowley.
Grammy-nominated American Baritone, Joshua Conyers has been singled out by Opera News for his “deliciously honeyed baritone that would seduce anyone,” by The New York Times as having “a sonorous baritone” that “wheedled and seduced,” and by The Washington Post for having a “show stealing” performance. A native of Bronx, NY, he is known for his captivating performances and recognized as one of the leading dramatic voices of today. Mr. Conyers has performed with the most prestigious opera companies, symphonies, and concert halls in the world such as The Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, English National Opera, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, and many others. As a concert soloist and recitalist, he has sung throughout the United States and Europe. His recordings include the Grammy-nominated X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, his debut solo album A Miracle in Legacy, Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d’Ispahan and Bernstein, Gershwin, & Copland: Works. Mr. Conyers is an Assistant Professor of Voice at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.