Still Bigger Than the Lone Star State!
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THE 2016 DALLAS OPERA GUILD
VOCAL COMPETITION—THIS WEEKEND!
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Finals Round Scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks at 7:20 p.m.
Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
The AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas, Texas
DALLAS, TX, APRIL 26, 2016 – The Dallas Opera wishes to remind music lovers that the expanded and revised 2016 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition will take place on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. (Semi-Final Round) and Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. (Finals Round).
Competitors in the critically acclaimed 2015 Competition took home prize monies totaling $18,500. Although this competition has as its primary focus, artists in the 18 to 34 age range, singers of any age may apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
As the competition sought to gain even greater prominence and significance, The Dallas Opera and The Dallas Opera Guild made two significant changes last year, prompting Dallas Morning News Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell to write that the competition had “considerably upped its ante”:
- In order to attract the most talented applicant pool with the greatest potential, the eligibility criteria for applicants changed. The 2016 competition is open to residents of all 50 states and U.S. Territories (including residents with a valid Green Card or H-1, H-2, H-3, I-20, K-1, O-1, P-2 and P-3 visas).
- The Finals Round, taking place on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Winspear Opera House, will be accompanied by The Dallas Opera Orchestra, conducted by TDO’s acclaimed Music Director, Emmanuel Villaume. Up to six finalists will participate.
The impact of these changes was immediately perceived. Senior Classical Music Critic Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of theaterjones.com wrote: “The results surely exceeded expectations for this newly re-envisioned competition…It won’t take long to situate itself at the top of such events and become an important gold star on any young artist’s résumé.”
Judges for the expanded 28th Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition have been drawn from distinguished performers and opera administrators and will also include General Director & CEO Keith Cerny, Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and TDO Artistic Administrator Ian Derrer.
Commented General Director & CEO Keith Cerny: “The Guild Competition took a bold step forward last year and the result was electrifying! Emmanuel Villaume and The Dallas Opera Orchestra brought a tangible level of excitement to these performances and clearly inspired the finalists to do their absolute best.
“I’m quite certain that this year’s competition will bring a whole new set of challenges and give us new opportunities to build on our previous success. Working closely with Dr. Brian Zeger, our esteemed adjudicators, and the Guild, we are well on our way to creating an event that attracts the very finest young singers of this generation.”
Judges for the 2016 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition:
Brian Zeger, Chair
Artistic Director of Juilliard’s Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and Executive Director for the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera
Keith Cerny
General Director and CEO, The Dallas Opera
Emmanuel Villaume
Music Director, The Dallas Opera
Ian Derrer
Artistic Administrator, The Dallas Opera
Aidan Lang
General Director, Seattle Opera
Leonore Rosenberg
Associate Artistic Administrator, The Metropolitan Opera
Joshua Winograde
Senior Director of Artistic Planning, Los Angeles Opera
Diane Zola
Director of Artistic Administration, Houston Grand Opera
Dallas Opera Guild Co-President Jana Irwin explained that “the life of The Dallas Opera Guild revolves around this annual competition, because all of us feel so strongly about the need to support the future of opera. Greater prominence within the music industry can only translate into greater benefits for those lucky enough to be selected to participate, making this a win-win situation for all concerned.”
Admission for the Semi-Final Round is free, general admission tickets for the Finals Round are $5 – Lexus Red Parking for either round of the competition is just $5, as well. Purchase now at dallasopera.org.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7. VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG
FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS
Contact Suzanne Calvin, Director of Media and PR at [email protected]
Or Celeste Hart, Communications Manager at [email protected]
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TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, 2015-2016 SEASON SPONSOR FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “SEEKING THE HUMAN ELEMENT” SEASON
The Dallas Opera Family Performances are generously supported by
Texas Instruments and the Betty and Steve Suellentrop Educational Outreach Fund.
TDO Family Performances are a part of the
Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs
Ticket Information for the 2015-2016 Dallas Opera Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2015-2016 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Ninth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.
MANON by Jules Massenet
March 4, 6(m), 9, 12, 2016
A Timeless Tale of Young Love Set in France
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille
Time: Late 19th Century
Place: France
Conductor: Graeme Jenkins
Original Director: Sir David McVicar
Stage Director: E. Loren Meeker*
Set and Costume Designer: Tanya McCallin
Original Lighting Designer: Paule Constable
Original Choreographer: Michael Keegan-Dolan
Revival Choreographer: Colm Seery*
Lighting Designer: Kevin Sleep
Wig & Make-up Designer: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Ailyn Pérez (Manon), Stephen Costello (Chevalier des Grieux), Edwin Crossley-Mercer* (Lescaut), David Pittsinger* (Count des Grieux), William Ferguson (Guillot de Morfontaine) Troy Cook* (de Brétigny), Katherine Whyte* (Pousette), Kathryn Leemhuis* (Javotte), Audrey Babcock (Rosette), Theodor Carlson (Innkeeper)
The Return of Stars Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello – with Graeme Jenkins conducting!
SHOW BOAT by Jerome Kern
April 15, 17(m), 20, 23, 29, May 1(m), 2016
A Great American Musical
Music by Jerome Kern – Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Time: 1887-1927
Place: Mississippi and Chicago
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Original Director: Francesca Zambello
Stage Director: E. Loren Meeker
Set Designer: Peter J. Davison
Costume Designer: Paul Tazewell*
Lighting Designer: Erik Watkins
Sound Designer: Tom Clark
Choreographer: Michele Lynch*
Wig & Make-up Designer: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Andriana Chuchman* (Magnolia), Michael Todd Simpson (Gaylord Ravenal), Lara Teeter* (Cap’n Andy Hawks), Alyson Cambridge* (Julie), Angela Renée Simpson (Queenie), Mary-Pat Green* (Parthy Ann Hawkes), Kate Loprest (Ellie Mae Chipley), Morris Robinson (Joe), Jeffry Denman (Frank Schultz), Keith Chambers (Jake)
Performed with the Power of the Operatic Voice and Full Orchestra conducted by Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume!
*Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.
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