Friday, January 17, 2020
12 Questions to Ask Before Going to an Opera
The dates are picked out, the tickets are bought, and you're off to the opera! BUT WAIT! Did you forget anything? Take a quick look at these 12 frequently asked questions to ensure your best experience with the opera!
1. Where is the show?
Some opera companies have their own opera houses where all of their performances are located. However, many companies, like Opera Memphis, change venues for their shows. Sometimes...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Friday, January 17, 2020
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
8 Things About Puccini You May Not Have Known
You think you know Giacomo puccini? go through our list and see how many of these facts you already know!
1. Puccini's full name was Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini. He was named after four recent ancestors.
2. Puccini struggled in school at Seminario di San Michele and Seminario di San Martino. He was expelled several times and only re-admitted with his mother's...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Opera Memphis Brings Masterpieces and International Opera Stars to the MidSouth
Opera Memphis presents a Puccini Double Bill: Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi bringing two Giacomo Puccini masterpieces and international opera stars Kelly Kaduce and Todd Thomas to GPAC. For this Valentine’s Day weekend, both pieces - whether tales of spiritual redemption or of farcical greed and conniving - explore themes of family and what it compels us to do. Performances...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Thursday, January 2, 2020
10 Ways to Have Opera in Your 2020
It's a new year and a chance to incorporate some new music (or more of your favorites) into your life! Here are 10 easy ways to bring a little opera into your 2020 without breaking the bank.
1. Add the Opera Classics playlist to your Spotify .
Easy. Instant. And best of all, FREE. Listen to over 5 hours of the best of opera music anytime, anywhere.
2. Pick up some vinyl recordings of famous operas.
...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Opera Memphis travels back in time this holiday season with A Victorian Holiday !
It’s that most wonderful time of the year, and Opera Memphis teams up with Dixon Gallery & Gardens to bring back A Victorian Holiday for Memphis families and friends. This unique theatrical experience transports party-goers back to 19th-Century Memphis where they are invited to immerse themselves in Victorian-era music, costumes, characters, and more! The full-evening event will include...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Chamber Music: 300 Years and Going Strong
...But what IS chamber music?
For those of you (like myself prior to researching for this article), the phrase "chamber music" may evoke images of men and women in powdered wigs and frilly sleeves - basically the entire cast of Amadeus . And while most of us can kinda sorta describe what chamber music might be, we have a hard time putting a strong definition to it. Well, according to this online source , chamber music...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Thursday, November 14, 2019
The First Lady of Grand Opera:
Madame McCleave
"Her voice was pure and high and held appealing expression that was exquisite at times, then full of the sunlight or spring, or again told this gripping tale with pathos and sympathy."
- The Washington Times
Madame Florence Cole Talbert McCleave - a pioneer for singers of color, a world-renowned opera icon, a Memphis music champion, and the inspiration for The McCleave Project at Opera Memphis. Just recently...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Opera Memphis and Iris Orchestra Celebrate Up-And-Coming Musicians
With their upcoming event, WORDS + MUSIC , Opera Memphis and Iris Orchestra celebrate four emerging musicians with an intimate concert featuring chamber music from Haydn to Brahms, vocal performances, and instrumental pieces. The evening will showcase the talents of Opera Memphis Handorf Company Artists Tahanee Aluwihare (mezzo-soprano) and Jake Stamatis (baritone), and Iris Artist Fellows Amaro...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
"I definitely have equally poor restraint with an éclair as I do with a quiche Lorraine..."
Hey everybody! Jillian here! We're gonna deviate from our standard "Welcome to Opera Memphis," introductions, and I'm going to personally introduce you to this awesome woman who will be delighting Memphis with her powerhouse voice this season.
Tahanee Aluwihare (that's pronounced phonetically: Tah-HAH-nee Ah-loo-vee-HAH-ray) is a charismatic,...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Opera Memphis in National Spotlight during this year’s 30 Days of Opera events
Since its inception, #30DaysofOpera has been turning the opera house inside out to bring free professional opera performances to men, women, and children all over Memphis and the Mid-South - people who may otherwise never get to experience a live opera performance because of financial limitations, geographic restrictions, or time constraints. We dedicate the entire month of September to...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Friday, August 16, 2019
"I'm an artist, thinker, goof, Pennsylvania born citizen of the world who loves adventure, coffee, and cats."
Meet the first of Opera Memphis's two Handorf Company Artists for the 2019-20 Season: Jake Stamatis ! Born and raised in the tiny rural town of Tunkhannock in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Jake's love for opera began during his formative years while watching the popular children's cartoon Hey, Arnold! on Nickelodeon.
"There was a full...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Friday, August 16, 2019
Friday, August 2, 2019
PHOTO BY: Ziggy Mack
Opera Memphis Announces Second McCleave Fellowship Recipient
Opera Memphis is proud to announce the second participant in The McCleave Fellowships - Bethania Baray . A first-of-its-kind program launched in 2018, The McCleave Fellowships are designed to identify and nurture emerging artists, directors, and conductors of color in opera and are the second phase of The McCleave Project established by Opera Memphis in 2017.
Bethania Baray, the...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Friday, August 2, 2019
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Opera Memphis produces for Crosstown Arts As One , a new chamber opera following the journey of transgender protagonist Hannah.
This August, Opera Memphis will join Crosstown Arts for their annual Continuum Music Festival to produce As One , a new chamber opera for two voices--Hannah before (baritone) and Hannah after (mezzo-soprano). Performances will take place August 16 & 17 at Crosstown Arts Theater. Information and tickets can be found HERE .
From the...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Opera Memphis Announces 2019-20 Season:
Putting the Memphis in Opera
Opera Memphis is pleased to announce the lineup of events for its 2019-2020 Season , featuring a Puccini Double Bill of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi and Mozart’s Così fan tutte as the anchoring performance of the Midtown Opera Festival 2020 . The year kicks off with the eighth annual 30 Days of Opera , and continues with The Jessye Norman Concert presented with Memphis...
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at Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Opera Memphis to Receive $25,000 Grant from
the National Endowment for the Arts
Memphis, TN— National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $25,000 to Opera Memphis for their 30 Days of Opera program and The McCleave Project , a multi-pronged effort to...
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at Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Opera Memphis Announces 2019-20 Handorf Company Artists:
tahanee aluwihare & Jake Stamatis
After an amazing 2018-19 Season with Handorf Company Artists Stephanie Doche and Philip Himebook, Opera Memphis welcomes 2019-20 Handorf Company Artists: Mezzo-soprano Tahanee Aluwihare and Baritone Jake Stamatis to Memphis. Learn more about these emerging singers below.
Tahanee Aluwihare
A native of Sri Lanka, Tahanee Aluwihare (mezzo-soprano) made her debut with the Symphony...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
From Michael Sakir | Music Director:
I grew up without any emotional connection to the United States Armed Forces. I was born on the “Left Coast” to two Baby Boomer hippies. I attended a small liberal arts college in the 2000s where we protested the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I lived most of my life detached from and even slightly distrustful of the military. That is, until very recently when this perspective was challenged in a rather unexpected way.
...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Opera Memphis to celebrate our troops with premiere of The Falling and the Rising at Midtown Opera Festival 2019.
This April, Opera Memphis’ seventh annual Midtown Opera Festival will be anchored by premiere performances of The Falling and the Rising , a new American story written by Memphis playwright Jerre Dye and composed by Opera Memphis favorite Zach Redler . The Falling and the Rising takes the stage at Playhouse on the Square April 6, 12, &...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Opera Memphis Announces Full Line-up for Midtown Opera Festival 2019
The seventh annual Midtown Opera Festival is upon us, and this year Opera Memphis is celebrating more than just opera. From the anchoring opera The Falling and the Rising celebrating our nation's troops, to the Festival Fringe Events celebrating everything from aerialists to Bugs Bunny to improv theatre to Broadway showtunes, this year's festival has something for everyone. CLICK...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Opera Memphis Trustee Charlie Schaffler One of Five Recipients of OPERA America 2019 National Trustee Recognition Award.
From Nicholas Wise at OPERA America:
February 6, 2019 (New York) — OPERA America , the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards. Now in their...
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Posted by
Jillian Barron
at
Wednesday, February 20, 2019