Tour to Syracuse Opera to see Puccini's Madama Butterfly
April 15 at 2 pm
The Opera Guild of Rochester has scheduled a tour to see Puccini's
Madama Butterfly presented by Syracuse Opera. We will be attending the 2 pm matinee on Sunday April 15th.
Click here for complete information and to download the order form!
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Edition Viva Voce, April 2018
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The Opera Guild of Rochester, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to support opera and opera education in the greater Rochester area.
The Guild presents free opera lectures at local libraries, tours to productions of local opera companies and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and our popular Beat-the-Blahs, Haskell Rosenberg Memorial Series, at Temple B'rith Kodesh in Brighton.
This newsletter is sent via eMail each month, currently to over 3,000 subscribers. For a free subscription send your contact details, including your eMail address, to [email protected].
Our Website and Facebook pages serve as a clearinghouse for local and regional opera, concert, and recital information, with links to other music organizations in our area. Please visit our Website at operaguildofrochester.org.
For up-to-date information on opera-related news and events, please visit us on facebook.com/OperaGuildofRochester.
Reader Article submission deadline for the next issue is the 15th of the previous month.
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The Summer Season
Julius Caesar
The Great Gatsby
Mame
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Barber of Seville
Die Fledermaus
Little Red's Most Unusual Day
Opera Pops
Don Giovanni
Candide
As One
The Merry Widow
The Consul
Rocking Horse Winner
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April 14,
Carmen at the Little, Opera Guild Meet-up
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Save the Date!
On June 13 the Opera Guild will sponsor the second "Bravo Night" at the Little Café from 7 to 9 PM. Live accompanied singers will perform opera favorites in an informal atmosphere. Come have fun with us, it's **free**
and open to the public.
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Introducing the first of our
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What:
A free, casual, live performance perfect for those seeking to learn about opera as well as die-hard fans. Informal cabaret-style, with popular opera arias and musical theatre hits. The evening will be paced to allow for attendees to converse between arias.
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Mark Daniels, tenor, will be singing opera favorites and a Neapolitan folk song
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Kearstin Piper Brown, soprano, will perform crowd-pleasers from Puccini, Gershwin and others
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Rob Goodling, accompanist
Program subject to change.
Where:
Little Café, 240 East Ave.
When:
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 from 7-9pm
Cost:
No admission fee. Food and drink available for purchase at the café.
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Eastman Opera
2017-2018 Calendar
The Light in the Piazza *
by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas
Based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer
April 5, 6, 7 at 7:30 p.m.
April 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
OPERA SCENES
May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
May 6 at 2:00 p.m.
804 Black Box Theatre
*Tickets sold through the
Eastman Theatre Box Office
433 East Main St., Rochester NY
585-274-3000
Pre-performance Talks one hour
before each Eastman Opera Theatre
performance except April 5
Information about upcoming
Eastman concerts and events can be found at
www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts
www.esm.rochester.edu/voice
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2017-2018 'Doomed Divas' season!
Puccini's Madama Butterfly (Opera Guild spring trip)
April 13 at 8 PM
April 15 at 2 PM
Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, having debuted the role of Butterfly at San Francisco Opera in 2016, will reprise the role for Syracuse Opera. CNY native Dinyar Vania returns to play Pinkerton, with baritone Troy Cook (Eugene Onegin) as Sharpless, the American Consul. Glenn Lewis of Pittsburgh Opera will conduct, with Alison Moritz making her Syracuse Opera debut as stage director.
For more information about the trip to Madama Butterfly Click Here.
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Tickets from $26 to $206, student tickets, $10.
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ROBERTS WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Music and Performing Arts presents
Engelbert Humperdinck's
, HANSEL AND GRETEL
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This fairy-tale opera, based on the Brothers Grimm story, is presented in English, the beautiful score conducted by Adam Potter, with stage direction by Constance Fee. Kaitlyn Newman is Hansel and Rebecca Mugnolo is Gretel, with Esther Ting as the witch.
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FREE and open to the public
Saturday, April 29 @ 3 pm, Hale Auditorium
2301 Westlake Drive, Rochester, NY 14624
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Enjoy the opera at The Little! Here is the 2017-18 Royal Opera House lineup
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Bizet's Carmen
Saturday, Apr 14, 12 PM
Wednesday, Apr 18, 6 PM
Join fellow opera fans for informal discussion at a Meet-Up in the café after the Saturday screening.
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Verdi's Macbeth
Sunday, May 27, 12 PM
Tuesday, May 29, 6 PM
Join fellow opera fans for informal discussion at a Meet-Up in the café after the Saturday screening.
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Metropolitan Opera HD Season 2017-2018
See our docents' essays on the composer and background of the operas in the Viva Voce issue published in the beginning of the broadcast month. These essays can also be found on our Website. Click Here to peruse the collection.
Giuseppe Verdi, Luisa Miller
Sat, Apr 14, 2018 12:30 PM
Its first Met performance in more than 10 years, starring Sonya Yoncheva as Luisa, Piotr Beczala as Rodolfo, Olesya Petrova as Federica, Placido Domingo as Miller, Alexander Vinogradov as Walter and Dmitry Belosselskiy as Wurm. James Levine will conduct.
Jules Massenet, Cendrillon
Sat, Apr 28, 2018 12:55 PM
Its premier at the Met in an imaginative, new storybook production by Laurent Pelly, starring Joyce DiDonato as Cendrillon (Cinderella), Alice Coote (in a trouser role) as Prince Charming, Kathleen Kim as the Fairy Godmother and Stephanie Blythe as Madame de la Haltiere. Bertrand de Billy will conduct.
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Lotte Lenya Competition
April 14, 2018
Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music
Finals usually 11 am to 4 pm; evening concert and announcement of winners.
All free and open to the public.
2018 is the 20th anniversary of the Lotte Lenya Competition, an international event intended to identify and nurture the next generation of performers who are multi-trained and -gifted in opera and musical theater.
The talent and versatility these young artists display is truly amazing. At the day-time performance, each must present a number from each of the following: opera or operetta, the works of Kurt Weill, a pre-1968 musical; a post-1968 musical.
This year, the semifinalists will perform in New York City for judges Lisa Vroman, musical theater star, and Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. In Rochester, the finals round will be judged by Tony Award-winning actress and singer Victoria Clark, opera and music theater conductor James Holmes, and Broadway director, producer and author Jack Viertel. A total of $75,000 in prize money will be awarded.
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CLASSICAL IDOL INTERNATIONAL VOCAL COMPETITION
Saturday, April 28, 7:30 pm
Temple B'rith Kodesh, 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester
The 12th annual voice competition, featuring 9 finalists performing opera, art song, and oratorio. Distinguished judges offer constructive commentary to these young artists, and Julia Figueras of WXXI emcees the event.
Tickets ($75) are available online click here.
Or through the ROS Box Office, (585) 473-2234.
Contact the office for tables of up to 8 guests.
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Granger Eastman Salon Series |
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The Granger Eastman Salon Series seeks to provide an encouraging performance space for Eastman voice students in the greater Rochester area. This semester's recitals are as follows:
April 27th at 8pm: Songs of Summer
Performances will be held at
Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum,
295 N Main St, Canandaigua, NY 14424
(585) 394-1472
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ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF MEDICINE AFTERNOON CONCERT SERIES
1441 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610
Sunday at 2 pm. April 8
Rebecca Penneys, piano
Stefan Reuss, cello
Mikhail Kopelman, violin
Doors open at 1:15. Tickets are $35 at the door for non-members and subscriptions are available.
Go to www.raom.org or contact Lydia N.C. Nicolson at 585-271-1314 or [email protected] for more information.
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2017 - 2018 Season
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Peter Brook and Georges Bizet The Tragedy of Carmen
April 27, May 4, 7:30 PM
April 29, May 6, 3:00 PM
Tri-Cities Opera Center
For tickets and information call (607) 772-0400 or go to http://www.tricitiesopera.com
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The Nightingale
a
nd Other Short Fables
APRIL 13 TO MAY 19, 2018
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Anna Bolena
APRIL 28 TO MAY 26, 2018
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To buy individual or subscription tickets Click Here
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Dave Mancini
A SPRING MUSICALE
Featuring the Music of Dave Mancini
SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018 AT 7:30 pm
Hochstein Performance Hall
50 Plymouth Avenue, Rochester, NY
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Rebecca Gilbert, Flute,
Wilfredo Deglans, Violin
Tigran Vardanyan, Violin,
Nick Weiser, Piano,
Mike Griffin, Bass
Dave Mancini, Drum Set and Percussion
with Guest Vocalist Kristy Ingersol |
General Admission $15.00, Students $10.00
Tickets available at the door and in advance at
Bop Shop Records, 1460 Monroe Ave, Rochester
DSC and More Print & Copy, 401 E. Main St., East Rochester
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Donations
As an Amici, your contribution in any amount is greatly appreciated. All donation levels receive an invitation to the Annual Recital (see the following article); those listed below will be given priority until a date specified on the invitation.
Chorus: $60-$99
Comprimario: $100-$149, one additional recital invitation.
Primo: $150-$199, $20 discount on trip (except to New York City).
Maestro: $200-$299, $30 discount on trip (except to New York City).
Impresario: $300 or more, $30 discount on trip (except to New York City); two additional recital invitations.
To donate online go to
http://operaguildofrochester.org/donate.html
and scroll down until you find the PayPal link.
You may also mail a check to Opera Guild of Rochester, P.O. Box 92245, Rochester, NY 14692-0245. Please include an email or other address for your tax receipt.
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Opera Guild of Rochester Annual Recital for Donors
Sunday May 20, 2018, 2 p.m.
Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave.
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This year our recitalist is tenor Mark Daniels, accompanied by pianist Rob Goodling.
Mr Daniels is a versatile tenor who hails from Kennebunk, Maine. His early studies were with David Goulet in Portland, Maine, where he made his professional debut as Charlie Dalrymple in Lerner and Loewe's
Brigadoon. Mr. Daniels continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of Rita Shane, where he made his Eastman Opera Theater operatic debut as Sam in Carlisle Floyd's
Susannah. He performed the role of Ferrando in Mozart's
Cosi fan tutte in Urbania, Italy, with Benton Hess's Oberlin in Italy program and again in Buffalo, New York, with Buffalo Opera Unlimited. Other roles have included Danilo in Lehar's
The Merry Widow with Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Nemorino in Donizetti's
L'Elisir d'Amore with Genesse Valley Orchestra and Chorus, and Bingley in the world premier performance and recording of Amanda Jacobs and Lindsay Warren Baker's
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Daniels was the tenor soloist in J. S. Bach's
Magnificat with the Finger Lakes Chorale under the direction of John Walker, and Great Lakes Productions created a show around him called "
A Tenor," which he preformed for two years throughout the Rochester area and upstate New York with the "Tuscan Trio and Two Sopranos."
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Mark Daniels' recital will include tenor arias by Donizetti, Tchaikovsky and Verdi as well as a collection of Neapolitan folk songs.
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Opera Essays
This section brings you articles written by Opera Guild docents, previously distributed at HD performances. Other essays previously published as Reader Articles are also published in this section. All these essays are also available on the Website in the Reading Room.
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Cendrillon, Opera by Jules Massenet on Perrault's fairy tale
Peter Dundas
Massenet's fifteenth work for the theater was not really an opera, but a fairy tale set to music; "A Fairy Story in Four Acts and Six Tableau" was the official title. Massenet was at the height of his success and the opera was well received.
The extraordinary success of Humperdinck's fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, had induced Massenet to try his luck, too, with this genre of opera. However, his librettist, Henri Cain wrote to the music critic, Adolphe Jullien, that he and the composer had pondered over this plot and sketched their work before Humperdinck had launched his, and that the success of Hansel and Gretel, far from indicating to them the path to follow, came near to making them give up Cendrillon after it had been sketched.
Humperdinck's opera, it may be added, was immediately successful when produced in 1893, while Cendrillon was not premiered until six years later. It had its first hearing in Paris at the Opéra-Comique, on May 24, 1899, and was applauded by the critics as well as the public. Albert Carré, who had been recently appointed director of that theatre, staged it with extraordinary splendor, to show what he could do in that direction and it was 'up to' Massenet, 'as we say colloquially', to provide not only a feast for the ears but also to the eyes, 'plaisirs des yeux' promised by his manager. That he succeeded was generally acknowledged.
An unnamed correspondent for the "London Daily Telegraph & Courier" reviewed this Premiere on May 25, 1899. Here is the opening paragraph.
"PARIS, Wednesday Night.
Cendrillon, the new opera brought out this evening, bids fair to be a great success. M. Massenet was born under a happy star, and he is beyond question the most popular of living French composers. Intense interest is therefore invariably manifested in this art-loving capital whenever a new work from his facile pen is announced. In this particular case the interest is greater than usual, for the reason that M. Massenet has here modified his style. Cendrillon is essentially an opera-bouffe, although there is much in it that recalls the manner of the composer of Werther and Manon. But passion has no place in the play, and whenever we are not enchanted by the fairyland we are amused and delighted by concerted pieces conceived and executed in the true buffo spirit, which we had almost feared was extinct. Much as we admire Wagner, it is open to us to deplore the unfortunate influence the great German master has had upon the newest school of French composers. It is not everybody who can bend Apollo's bow, and the effort in trying to bend it is by no means conducive to beauty. From Wagner's influences M. Massenet is absolutely and refreshingly free. Where Cendrillon is at all reminiscent it is rather of the older school of musicians, but for the most part M. Massenet has here been satisfied to be simply himself, and the result of his confidence in his own genius has been a signal success."
In the well-known book by Henry Finck (1910) about the operas of Jules Massenet, he writes "It is 'love at first sight' for both Prince Charming and Cinderella, adorned by the Fairy when they meet at the ball. Subsequently, alone at home, Cinderella imagines she will die during the night and says farewell to all her belongings. Luckily her godmother, the Fairy, is awake. Hearing herself invoked at the same moment by both Cinderella and the lovelorn Prince, she removes the curtain of foliage which had prevented them from seeing each other, and they embrace: both have the same dream. In the last act, all the Princesses in the world are called together to try on the small slipper found at the court-ball. Cinderella is brought there, too, by her Fairy; and the Prince, recognizing her promptly, offers her his arm.
It must have been a pleasant pastime for Massenet, Jullien thinks, to keep himself busy with this light poem, to exercise his skill and experience in inventing music equally airy and diminutive. It is only just to say that he succeeded. This score is one of those in which he has shown the greatest suppleness and skill, without putting much musical pith into it, but lavishing ingenious effects of rhythm, odd contrasts of colors, and enlivening volumes of sound whenever the attention is in danger of flagging.
Louis Schneider declares that Massenet "dusted the tale of Perrault and the libretto of Henri Cain with a fine powder of sounds." He was particularly impressed by the skill displayed in evoking the spirit of another age. "Massenet has given to his imitations the stilted grace and the deliberate simplicity of the dances of the reign of Louis XIII, which he has succeeded in reviving; the minuet of Madame de la Haltiere, the concert at the King's with its odd modulations; the entry of the daughters of the nobility, so original; that of the fiancés, accompanied by the oboes in thirds; that of Mandores, with delicious rhythms; the Florentine, and finally the Rigaudon - all this is like bringing back to life the colours of that time; it means a power of penetration, a sharpness of vision which pierces the ages in a word, a skill that borders on the marvelous."
After an initial flurry of activity, Cendrillon faded from sight. It has taken over a hundred years for the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden London and the Metropolitan Opera In New York City to mount their premieres in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
The actual premiere of Cendrillon in USA took place on November 5, 1911, at the Metropolitan Opera of Philadelphia. As reviewed in "The Philadelphia Inquirer", it was a lavish affaire, staged by Mr Dippel recreating the 'mise en scene' of the original scenery in Paris and with the best singers from London. Miss Mary Garden played the trouser role part of Prince Charming with Miss Maggie Teyte as Cinderella.
Reference: Finck, Henry, Massenet and His Operas, John Lane Co., NY 1910, pp. 202-206
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Love and Conspiracy: Giuseppe Verdi's Luisa Miller
Art Axelrod
Verdi completed
Luisa Miller in 1849; it premiered at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The libretto is by Salvatore Cammarano who had already done several of Verdi's librettos and, after
Luisa, would go on to write
Il trovatore. The libretto for
Luisa Miller is based the play
Kabale und Liebe (
Intrigue and Love) by the German dramatist, poet and philosopher, Friedrich von Schiller.
Verdi scholars divide his works into three periods. His early period extends from
Oberto (1839) to
La Battaglia di Legnano (The Battle of Legnano, 1849). During this period, he remained strongly influenced by the three then-dominant figures in Italian opera: Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Gioacchino Rossini. The style of these composers was whimsically referred to by Verdi scholar Julian Budden as the "Code Rossini," comprising both the conventional melodramatic nature of the plots and the conventional format of the musical numbers.
Beginning in 1849, when Verdi was 36, he began to expand on these formats and styles. He was internationally recognized and no longer felt constrained by those older musical and dramatic conventions. The consensus among opera scholars is that
Luisa Miller marks the beginning of his second period.
The novelty begins with the Overture. Verdi scholar William Berger calls it, "...one of Verdi's best and most interesting. Instead of combining contrasting themes [the conventional practice at that time], it uses the theme of Luisa's sadness in Act III as its basis, changing the emotional emphasis with varying orchestration and emphasis." Another commentator, Sir Denis Forman, calls it "A full-scale symphonic overture." Today, we modern audiences take that sort of thing for granted, but at the time it was almost revolutionary.
Verdi was also original in eschewing the conventional extravagantly melodramatic plot, for a more philosophical, psychologically relevant one based on the play.
Friedrich von Schiller (1759 -1805) was a German poet, philosopher, physician, historian, and playwright. As a playwright, he is regarded as one of the most important German dramatists and, indeed, one of the most important in all of Europe. He was also a philosopher whose writings dealt with human freedom, just the sort of ideas that could inspire Verdi..
Schiller's play is a "Bourgeois Tragedy," a dramatic form that emerged in the 18th century, along with the rise of the middle classes (the bourgeoisie) and the Age of Enlightenment. Previously, in European drama and opera, "common people" were the subjects only of comedy: the traditional theory of drama was that tragic heroes had to be persons of noble rank, aristocrats or gods and goddesses. But along with the Age of Enlightenment came the recognition of bourgeois values, and works with protagonists who are ordinary citizens concerned with private life and family. The values celebrated in these works are ones such as humanity, individuality and true emotional expression. The principles of the Age of Enlightenment can be found in opera in the end of the 18th century, for example, Mozart's
Magic Flute in 1791, and the Bourgeois Tragedy as a genre was particularly popular in Germany,
Intrigue and Love being a prime example.
Schiller was primarily interested in social criticism, particularly of absolutism and social hypocrisy but Verdi was less interested in Schiller's societal views than with personal drama. In Schiller, Luisa's father is a town musician, a respectable bourgeois figure; in Verdi he is a retired soldier who has spent his life in the service of the Prince (von Walter's boss), thus adding poignancy and irony to the story. In Schiller, Lady Milford is the mistress of the Prince, very much in on the intrigue. In Verdi, her counterpart, Duchess Federica, is Walter's niece, truly in love with Rudolfo, and an innocent dupe.
The Australian journalist and music critic Charles Osborne remarks that the libretto of Luisa Miller is "inadequate as an adaptation of Schiller's excellent play [but] Cammarano's
Luisa Miller is, in its own right, a very fine libretto." Schiller and his contemporary, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, are not much studied in the English-speaking world, but in Germany are regarded as the literary equals of Shakespeare.
Luisa Miller serves well as an introduction to his work in the twenty-first century.
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SEAGLE MUSIC COLONY
SUMMER 2018
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Seagle Music Colony, 999 Charley Hill Road
Schroon Lake, NY 12870
(518) 532-7875
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Candide
Leonard Bernstein
July 5, 6, 7 at 8 pm, July 6 at 2 pm
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Seagle Music Colony's 103rd season will begin with our tribute to the 100th birthday of the great American composer, conductor and musical icon, Leonard Bernstein. This fantastical romp through time and cultures is based on the novel by Voltaire and features plenty of memorable tunes and quick-witted action.
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Julius Caesar
George Friderick Handel
July 18, 19, 21 at 8 pm, July 20 at 2 pm
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Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare), is one of the most performed Baroque operas in the canon, but will be Seagle Music Colony's first production in the genre in many years. With a compelling plot and an incredible amount of virtuosic music, this opera will be a real showcase of the emerging artists' talent, and a joy for our audiences.
Sung in Italian with projected English supertitles.
Pre-Show lecture - 1 hour prior to curtain.
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The Great Gatsby
John Harbison
August 1, 2, 4 at 8 pm, August 3 at 2 pm
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This opera based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald had its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in 1999 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of James Levine with the Met. Seagle Music Colony is excited to be able to mount a new production of this beautiful and lyrical opera, and continue our tradition of cultivating new operas and giving our emerging artists a chance to sing the work of living composers.
Sung in English with projected English supertitles
Pre-show lecture - 1 hour prior to curtain.
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Mame
Jerry Herman
August 15, 16, 18 at 8 PM, August 17 at 2 PM
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Seagle Music Colony's 2018 mainstage season will close with this Broadway classic in its first SMC production. Based on the novel Auntie Mame, the story follows the eccentric title character as she finds her way from riches to rags and back again. A favorite for young and old, this show is sure to please.
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Billy Goats Gruff
Children's Opera
July 14 at 10:00 and 11:30 am - Boathouse Theater
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John Davies' take on the traditional fairy tale uses music of Mozart, Donizetti and Rossini in a delightful 35 minute show that teaches audiences about the perils of being a bully. Performances are free and will be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Billy Goats Gruff
Children's Opera - July 14 at 10:00 and 11:30 am - Boathouse Theater
Also on tour across the North Country - dates and locations TBA
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Bernstein
July 7 - August 24
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Our production of West Side Story gets a hip, urban look, and features the original Jerome Robbins choreography in one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musicals of our time.
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Janáček
July 8 - August 25
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Inspired by "Vixen Sharp-Ears," a Czech cartoon, Janáček composed this poignant fable with lush orchestrations that summon the magic of a starlit night, the songs of birds and the peace of the ancient forest.
For information about the Opera Guild tour to
The Cunning Little Vixen contact
[email protected].
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Rossini
July 14 - August 25, 2018
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Rossini's comic bel canto masterpiece The Barber of Seville will be presented in a production directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Glimmerglass Festival Music Director Joseph Colaneri.
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Puts/Campbell
July 15 - August 23
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In a singular moment during the "war to end all wars," peace broke out on Christmas Eve. Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night brings to life the brief, legendary truce during World War I.
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GENEVA LIGHT OPERA
presents
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Rossini's Comic Opera
The Barber of Seville
Thursday July 26 at 7:30 PM
Saturday July 28 at 7:30 PM
Sunday July 29 at 3:00 PM
at The Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY
Featured singers include
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bass-baritone
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Jimi James
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bass
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Valerian Ruminiski
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mezzo soprano
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Sarah Nordin
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conducted by
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James Blachly
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with a hand-picked
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Chamber Orchestra
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Tickets can be purchased by phone at 315-789-8660
and starting April 1st online at the website.
Tickets $75 - $10, Children K-12 free
GENEVA LIGHT OPERA
THE SMITH OPERA HOUSE
82 Seneca St., Geneva, NY
315-781-5483
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Finger Lakes Opera
Summer Season
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Finger Lakes Opera at Canandaigua Academy
435 East Street
Canandaigua, NY 14424
(enter at East Street entrance)
Johann Strauss Jr's Die Fledermaus
Friday, August 10 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 12 @ 2:00 p.m.
This comedic masterpiece of mistaken identities and amorous double-dealing is sure to entertain and charm audiences young and old alike. Die Fledermaus features a sparkling musical score full of beautiful melodies and exquisite orchestration.
Cast of Principals
Elena O'Connor, as Rosalinde
Jonathan Michie, as Eisenstein
Valentina Farcas, as Adele
Bray Wilkins, as Alfred
Clara Nieman, as Orlofsky
Little Red's Most Unusual Day
Saturday, August 11 @ 10:30 a.m.
A captivating children's opera aimed at introducing our young audiences to the wonderful world of opera. This showing is FREE!
Opera Pops
Saturday, August 11 @ 7:30 p.m.
This program showcases some of opera's greatest hits, blended with a bit of Broadway, and performed by
Finger Lakes Opera Orchestra and the Finger Lakes Opera Young Artists.
PURCHASE TICKETS
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CHAUTAUQUA OPERA COMPANY
2018 SEASON
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Saturday July 7, 2018 - 8:15 p.m.
Ned Canty, Stage Director
David Adam Moore - Don Giovanni
Richard Bernstein - Leporello
When legendary womanizer Don Giovanni goes too far, he finds himself tangled in his own web of lies and deception. Experience the magic of Mozart in the Amphitheater! With its perfect blend of tragedy and comedy, larger than life characters and stunning score, this opera is an irresistible classic.
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Friday, July 27, 2018 - 4:00 p.m.
Monday, July 30, 2018 - 7:30 p.m.
Jay Lesenger, Stage Director
Robert Orth - Voltaire/Pangloss/Martin
Leann Sandel-Pantaleo - The Old Lady
The naive young hero, Candide, is plagued by an endless series of bizarre comedic disasters on his globe-spanning search for the true meaning of life. Based on the sharply satirical story of innocence lost by Voltaire, Leonard Bernstein's darkly funny operetta receives its company debut, joining the centennial celebration of the composer's birth. With a delightfully tuneful score, including highlights such as "Glitter and be Gay" and "Make our Garden Grow," Candide truly offers audiences "the best of all possible worlds."
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018 - 4:00 p.m.
Music and Concept by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed
Matt Gray, Stage Director
Kelly Markgraf - Hannah Before
Sasha Cooke - Hannah After
Fry Street Quartet
As One is one of the most performed new operas in the country, and its exciting arrival at Chautauqua Opera reunites the original cast and ensemble of the 2014 premiere. Accompanied by the Fry Street Quartet, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and baritone Kelly Markgraf again share the part of the transgender protagonist Hannah in the opera's sixteen vignettes that chronicle her journey toward self-acceptance with empathy and humor.
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More Performances
In addition to our mainstage operas, the Chautauqua Opera Company presents over 30 programs each season, including concerts, recitals, and an opera for young audiences, and more.
CLICK TO WEBSITE
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THE 2018
OPERA SARATOGA SUMMER FESTIVAL
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The Spa Little Theater
Spa State Park
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
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THE MERRY WIDOW, Lehar
June 29 and July 13, 7:30; July 1 and July 8, 2 pm.
One of the most popular operettas across the globe,
The Merry Widow, returns to Opera Saratoga for the first time in thirty years. Hanna Glawari, the Merry Widow, is beautiful and rich... and she's captivated every man in the country. But Hanna is looking for true love. Will she be able to find a suitor that is not only after her wealth? Will the nation of Pontevedro slip into economic collapse if she marries a foreigner? Will all those dancing girls prove too distracting for the audience?! Franz Lehár's magical score features the famous "Vilja" song, the "Merry Widow Waltz," and many more beloved melodies.
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THE CONSUL, Menotti
July 7, 7:30; July 7 and July 15, 2 pm
In 1950, The New York Times hailed the Broadway premiere of The Consul as "a smash hit" and "an opera of eloquence, momentousness, and intensity of expression...written from the heart, with a blazing sincerity and a passion of human understanding... It is torn out of the life of the present-day world, and poses an issue which mercilessly confronts humanity today. And this is done with a new wedding of the English language with music in a way which is singable, intensely dramatic and poetic by turns, and always of beauty." Almost 70 years later, Gian Carlo Menotti's riveting opera still delivers a punch as powerful and timely as its subject matter - the struggle for freedom against oppression, and the maddening nature of unrelenting bureaucracy.
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ROCKING HORSE WINNER
, Williams/Chatterton
VINKENSPORT, or THE FINCH OPERA, Little/ Vavrek
July 7, 7:30; July 9 and July 15, 2 pm
Both sung in English with English Supertitles
A modern adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's short story, Rocking Horse Winner explores the relationship between Paul and his emotionally distant mother. The son becomes dangerously obsessed with solving the "bad luck" of his family in order to win her love in an intimate, psychological look at love, "luck", and greed.
This opera was one of the earliest collaborations between David T. Little and Royce Vavrek, whose critically acclaimed works also include JFK and Dog Days. Vinkensport is a bittersweet comedy in one act that explores the nature of competition and the need to win through the frame of an obscure Flemish folk sport, Finch-Sitting. We see a motley assortment of contestants battle to see who has the most melodious bird. As they compete, the joys, sorrows, delusions and all-too-stark realities of their trainers are revealed.
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Tickets, $50-95. Opera Gala, June 3, 4:30 pm, $175.
Click here for website and to buy tickets.
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From your Opera Guild
Dear Opera Lovers,
What a month! The calendar is full, and those are only the opera events! Orpheus seems to have beguiled the gods with his lyre to endow Rochester and its environs with musical treasure from aria to symphony.
But don't forget - the schedule is eased by encores of several presentations: on the Wednesday following Met HD Simulcasts, i.e., April 18 and May 2, there are repeat showings of Luisa Miller and Cendrillon, respectively; ditto Carmen at the Little on April 18. For myself, I look forward every year to Classical Idol and Lotte Lenya and will double up on events if necessary.
And, don't forget the Guild's first Bravo Night at the Little Cafe! An informal (Free!) evening on April 11 of popular opera numbers and some musical theater, especially for those wishing to get a taste of opera. If you are reading this, you are probably past the 'tasting' stage, but here is a great opportunity to bring a friend or recommend the event to someone who has expressed an interest. WE know opera isn't stuffy, and here is the perfect chance to demonstrate that to those who might be more skeptical.
Happy Spring!
Please consider the Opera Guild of Rochester among your charitable organizations for 2018. Donations to the Opera Guild of Rochester are fully tax deductible and donors will receive an invitation to the Annual Recital in May 2018, which includes a dessert reception with the artists.
To donate online Click Here. Be sure to scroll down until you find the PayPal link.
Enjoy our free Lecture/Listening series, which you can download from the Website at operaguildofrochester.org by clicking on Reading Room. While at our Website you can also learn about our opera program at Temple B'rith Kodesh, our opera trips to regional opera companies including the Glimmerglass Festival, and our Metropolitan Opera trips.
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