Cast & Characters

The Cast

Dalila: Olga Borodina
Samson: Clifton Forbis
High Priest: Jean-Philippe Lafont
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume

The Characters

Dalila (mezzo-soprano) – Samson’s ex-lover, a beautiful Philistine woman who hopes to use her allure to discover the secret of Samson’s strength.

Samson (tenor) – The leader of the Hebrews. He is incredibly strong, but has a weakness for Philistine women. Samson also has a secret: if he ever cuts his hair, God will rob him of his strength,

High Priest of Dagon (baritone) – The High Priest of the Philistines’ god Dagon. Frightened that Samson’s strength will inspire a revolt amongst the Hebrew slaves, he hopes to use Dalila to bring Samson to his knees.

Abimélech (bass) – The Philistine satrap (provincial governor) of Gaza. He condemns the Hebrews for refusing to accept Dagon as their god.

Old Hebrew (bass) – Leads the Hebrews in prayer and advises Samson to resist Dalila’s charms.