OPERA America Announces National Opera Week 2014: Friday, October 24 – Sunday, November 2
Organizations Nationwide Engage Communities through Events and Announcements
ERIC OWENS, Honorary Chairman, encourages the public to experience opera
OPERAAMERICA.ORG/OPERAWEEK
Over 160 opera companies, schools and organizations across North America will celebrate the sixth annual NATIONAL OPERA WEEK from Friday, October 24 through Sunday, November 2, 2014, with opera activities and announcements in their communities. National Opera Week is coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera.
OPERA America is delighted to announce that star bass-baritone ERIC OWENS is serving as the Honorary Chairman of National Opera Week 2014. “I’ll never forget my first time attending a live opera performance. It was a life-changing experience, simply for having heard the human voice in all of its glorious splendor,” stated Owens. “Opera is an all-encompassing art form — it combines music with theater and dance and sets and lighting in a way that no other musical performance does. If you have never been to the opera before, you owe it to yourself to experience this incredibly moving and deeply effecting art form,” he continued.
National Opera Week celebrates the vibrancy of opera in America today, and conveys the excitement and importance of opera to a national audience.
The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles, opera training programs, and opera-related learning and social groups across North America will be on display through the wide array of events offered. These activities include performances, family-friendly festivals, lectures, social events, social media contests and announcements of year-round community impact.
“Opera is thriving across the United States as is shown by the number and scope of organizations participating in this year’s National Opera Week,” stated OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca. “Cities large and small are home to vibrant opera organizations that serve the public inside the opera house with inspiring performances and in the community with family programs, lectures/demonstrations and performances in alternative venues. National Opera Week demonstrates and celebrates the diversity of our art form today that promises an exciting future for opera across the country.”
For descriptions of select activities and lists of participating organizations and event states, please see below.
For a full listing of National Opera Week activities, visit operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.
A welcome video from National Opera Week 2014 Honorary Chairman Eric Owens is available at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.
On Twitter, join @OPERAAmerica in the National Opera Week conversation with #OperaWeek.
For more information about OPERA America and its services, visit operaamerica.org.
SELECTED ACTIVITIES
See full National Opera Week activity listings at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.
Amarillo Opera | Bon Appétit! (Amarillo, TX) Bon Appétit! is a charming short opera based on one of Julia Child’s best-loved television shows. Come for a delicious evening of laughter as the flamboyant master chef teaches the makings of a classic French chocolate cake — Le Gâteau au Chocolat L’Éminence Brune.
The Dallas Opera | Simulcast at Klyde Warren Park (Dallas, TX) Attend a live simulcast of The Marriage of Figaro. Additional features include a screening of the 1945 Three Stooges classic Micro-Phonies, the “Worst Bridesmaid’s Dress Ever” contest, a bouquet toss and more! Sign up for a free study guide and e-mail reminder, and be sure to arrive early to secure a spot on the lawn and take advantage of the variety of available wining and dining options, from the park’s own gastropub, Savor, to the local food trucks!
- Schirmer/AMP Music Sales Classical | Opera Aria Give-Away (online)
Celebrate Opera Week with free downloads of select arias from operas by Daniel Catán as well as an opera trivia contest on Facebook and Twitter with opera scores and CDs as prizes. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
The Glimmerglass Festival | OPERA-tion Arts (Cooperstown, NY)
OPERA-tion Arts is a free, interactive education program that culminates in an opera-inspired art show at The Cooperstown Art Association. Glimmerglass staff members join area second grade classes to offer a multimedia presentation on opera. The students then illustrate their impressions of the art form, producing everything from drawings of performers, scenic designs and costume elements to sketches of original operas.
Merola Opera Program | Merola Goes to the Movies (San Francisco, CA)
Merola Goes to the Movies brings opera masterworks to the silver screen. Attendees will glean fascinating insights about the opera from the pre-screening talk and can also enter drawings to win prizes. This screening features Bizet’s Carmen with Plácido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson, Ruggero Raimondi, Faith Esham and François Le Roux. The film is directed by Francesco Rosi.
Minnesota Opera | Social Media Preview Night (Minneapolis, MN, and online)
Minnesota Opera welcomes select press members, bloggers and social media influencers to attend final dress rehearsals and participate in live tweeting, posting to Facebook, blogging, note taking and illustrating. Prior to the rehearsal, a member of the Minnesota Opera creative team will speak about the production and answer questions from the group during an informal meet and greet.
OperaBuffs of Western New York | Wayward Sisters (Buffalo, NY)
Contralto Suzanne Fatta will take a look at portrayals of witchcraft, magic and folk religions in opera and music-drama throughout the Western canon — from Ulrica and Dido’s Sorceress to Carmen reading the tarot cards. Special attention will be played to the range/fach, character and musical themes attached to these female roles. During the lecture, attendees will enjoy live performances of opera arias.
OperaDelaware | Who’s Afraid of Opera? (Wilmington, DE)
From Sesame Street to Wall Street, from British Airways to Bugs Bunny — opera has been part of your vocabulary all along! Come explore some of the most celebrated moments of opera in pop culture, as well as suggestions for what should become part of the mainstream.
Opera Omaha | Coffee Chat at the Omaha Conservatory of Music (Omaha, NE)
Hal France and friends take a look at opera from the storyteller perspective. The event will include performances by William Shomos, University of Nebraska-Lincoln director of opera; Shelby VanNordstrand, University of Nebraska-Omaha Voice faculty member; J. Gawf, Opera Omaha music director; and Dryden Meints, Opera Omaha chorus member.
Opera Parallèle | My Head is Full of Colors (San Francisco, CA)
This year, Opera Parallèle’s Hands-on-Opera program will partner with fourth graders to present its first commissioned children’s opera. Written for soprano, baritone and a children’s chorus, My Head is Full of Colors was composed by Chris Pratorius with a libretto by Opera Parallèle’s own Nicole Paiement.
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra | Orlando Phil Shares Its Opera Side (online)
Through its interactive website and social media activity, Orlando Philharmonic highlights the integral role of opera in its current season.
Palm Beach Opera | Opera Day at the Library (West Palm Beach, FL)
In an afternoon filled with fun activities for children of all ages, Palm Beach Opera presents an interactive reading of A Soup Opera by Jim Gill, art stations for free creative expression and a ticket giveaway for the family performance of The Daughter of the Regiment.
San Diego Opera | Taste of Opera (La Jolla, CA)
Love makes the world go around, but so do music and food! Dr. Nicolas Reveles, San Diego Opera’s director of education and community engagement, and John David Peters, San Diego Opera’s scenic studio production carpenter, explore La bohème’s true love story, music, onstage props and the “live food” used in the opera. Don’t miss this elegant evening of masterful French cuisine and behind-the-scenes information from two experts. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Sarasota Opera | Understanding Opera: Getting Opera on the Stage (Sarasota, FL)
Greg Trupiano, Sarasota Opera’s director of artistic administration, will introduce attendees to essential elements of producing an opera. Attendees will also hear from the lighting designer, chorus master and a member of the music staff to learn more about how their contributions make productions possible.
Stevens Institute of Technology | The Fandom of the Opera (Hoboken, NJ)
Mark Schubin will deliver an illustrated talk about how opera helped create the modern media world and continues to drive technological development, from electronic home entertainment in the 19th century to quantum entanglement in the 21st.
Wichita Grand Opera | Fright Flight (Wichita, KS)
Wichita Grand Opera and the Kansas Aviation Museum team up for Fright Flight — an evening of spooky fun in the historic, haunted Wichita Air Terminal. The evening includes live performances of some of opera’s eeriest arias, walk-throughs of the haunted terminal areas, tarot readings, a best costume contest, food and dancing.
ACTIVITIES IN 33 STATES, DISTRICTS & PROVINCES
Additional activities take place online.
Alabama
Alberta (Canada)
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ontario (Canada)
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Wisconsin
168 PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Amarillo Museum of Art
Amarillo Opera
Amberleigh Retirement Community at Williamsville
The American Center for Puccini Studies
The American Guild of Organists
American Opera Projects
Amherst Chamber Orchestra
AMP Music Sales Classical
Aroha Philanthropies
Arizona Opera
Artichoke Dance Company
The Art Song Preservation Society of New York
Arts Council of Washington, Missouri
The AT&T Performing Arts Center
Austin Opera
The Aviva Players
Bank Street Films
Bel Cantanti Opera
Beth Morrison Projects
Big Brothers and Sisters of Erie County
Boston Children’s Museum
Boston Conservatory Opera
Boston Opera Collaborative
Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras
Buffalo and Erie County Library
Buffalo Master Chorale
Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus
Buffalo Opera Unlimited
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Calgary Opera
The Camerata di Sant’Antonio
Camp Hill Light Opera Experience
Canadian Institute of Czech Music
Canadian Opera Company
Capstone Village
Celebrate National Opera Week Buffalo/Niagara Region
The Cheektowaga Symphony
Chopin Singing Society
Combined Rotary of Pensacola
Connecticut Concert Opera
The Cooperstown Art Association
Creative Arts Charter School
Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival
The Dallas Opera
dell’Arte Opera Ensemble
Heidi Lauren Duke
East Coast Chamber Opera
Erwin H. Johnson Memorial Fund Inc.
Eugene Opera
Fargo-Moorhead Opera
Suzanne Fatta
First Presbyterian Church at Hilton Head
Florentine Opera Company
Florida Grand Opera
The Fontenelle Forest
Forest Room 5
Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Library
Fredonia College Choir
- Schirmer
Gailliot Family Foundation
Georgia Southern University
The Glimmerglass Festival
GoingGoingGoneSports Gallery
Wayne Gooding
Havre de Grace Opera House Foundation
Hillman Opera Company
The International Vocal Arts Institute
Irish Classical Theatre
Matt Johnson
Kansas Aviation Museum
The Kennedy Center
Kerr Cultural Center
Kimball Foundation
KLUV Radio
LehrerDance
Live and Learn Bethesda
Los Angeles Opera
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach
Marble City Opera
Mariachi Conservatory
Master the Possibilities Education Center
Merola Opera Program
Sherrill Milnes
Minnesota Opera
MZJ Music
The New York Children’s Opera Studio
New York Opera Alliance
Niagara Arts and Cultural Center
Nickel City Opera
On Top of the World
OPERA America
Opera Atelier
The Opera Atelier
Opera Canada Magazine
Opera Colorado
Opera in Williamsburg
Opera North
Opera Omaha
Opera on the James
Opera Parallèle
Opera Piccola of San Antonio
Opera Saratoga
Opera Tampa
Opera Theater of Pittsburgh
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
OPERA THINK TANK
OperaBuffs of Western New York
OperaDelaware
Opera-Lytes
OPERAtunity Maryland
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Eric Owens
Owlsong Productions, Inc.
Palm Beach Opera
Pensacola Opera
Performance EmPowering
Piedmont Opera
Players Theatre Festival of Short Plays
Point Loma Opera Theatre
Point Loma University of the Nazarene
Ravinia Festival
Reimagining Opera for Kids
Riviera Beach Library
Rochester Opera Guild
San Diego Opera
San Diego State University Lyric Opera Theatre
San Diego State University Voice Faculty
Sarasota Opera
Savannah Voice Festival
Mark Schubin
The Screening Room
The Sheila and Jody Grant Opera Discovery Program
Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs
Nyl Smith
Smyrna Opera House
Soprano Meets Contrabass
Joan Ross Sorkin
Mira J. Spektor
Station Exchange at Home
Stevens Institute of Technology
Suites at Station Exchange
SUNY Fredonia
Diyi Tang
Texas Book Festival
Texas State Opera Theatre
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble
The Toronto Opera Club
Toronto Operetta Theater
Tri-Cities Opera
The University of Alabama Opera Theatre
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
University of Nebraska, Omaha
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of North Texas
University of Northern Colorado Opera Theatre
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville
VIA Records
VisionIntoArt
Wagner Society of Santa Fe
Washington National Opera
Welltone New Music
Wichita Air Terminal
Wichita Grand Opera
Wichita State University Opera Theatre
WNED
Maria Zouves
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About OPERA America
OPERA America (operaamerica.org) leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera.
- Artistic services help opera companies and creative and performing artists to improve the quality of productions and increase the creation and presentation of North American works.
- Information, technical and administrative services to opera companies reflect the need for strengthened leadership among staff, trustees and volunteers.
- Education, audience development and community services are designed to enhance all forms of opera appreciation.
Founded in 1970, OPERA America’s worldwide membership network includes nearly 200 Company Members, 300 Associate and Business Members, 2,000 Individual Members and more than 12,000 subscribers to the association’s electronic news service. In response to the critical need for suitable audition, rehearsal and recording facilities, OPERA America opened the first-ever NATIONAL OPERA CENTER (operaamerica.org/OperaCenter) in September 2012 in New York City. With a wide range of artistic and administrative services in a purpose-built facility, OPERA America is dedicated to increasing the level of excellence, creativity and effectiveness across the field.
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