Mark Your Calendar:
July 5--Apprentice Artist Program One-Act Operas: Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock and Weill's The Little Mahagonny.
July 7 & 8--AAP Masterclasses with Carol Vaness: The world-renowned soprano will be in residence working with the Apprentice Artists in sessions that are open to the public. They will be held in Lekberg Auditorium at 1:30 pm. 
July 10--Stars of Tomorrow: Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium gives the Apprentice Artists a chance to shine in a concert of arias and ensembles accompanied by the Festival Orchestra.

A Masked Ball, Regina and The Elixir of Love.

Want to read a review before you see the show? Click on the links below to read The Des Moines Register's reviews of DMMO's 2008 Summer Festival.

A Masked Ball "is right on target. Verdi's score is brilliant, the singing is expressive and the staging is as well-paced as a Hollywood blockbuster, thanks to director Robert Larsen's ambitious guidance."

Regina is "difficult to watch--and undoubtedly difficult to perform--but it's impossible to turn away."

The review for The Elixir of Love will be printed in the July 2 edition of the Register. A quick search for "Elixir of Love" will find the review.

Gwendolyn Jones and Kimm Julian shine in Regina.

There are special things happening on DMMO's stage this summer and we want to share them with you! In fact, we have a great deal available right now:

• Get 25% off all remaining seats for the July 4th matinee performance of Regina! Celebrate Independence Day with an American opera. After you enjoy the fireworks on stage, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy a picnic or bar-b-que with friends and family before the night-time fireworks displays!

Many seating sections and even some entire dates are already sold out. Order your tickets today to get the very best available seats!

by Michael Egel 

As part of the 2008 Festival Season, members of the James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program will present two one-act operas on July 5 at 1:30pm. Taking the stage at the Des Moines Playhouse's Kate Goldman Children's Theatre will be two 20th century musico-politcal satires that resonate as much today as when they were first written. The performance is free and open to the public. Please join us for these rarely seen works. Click here for reservations.

Mahagonny-Songspiel, also known as The Little Mahagonny (pronounced MAH-hah-go-nee), is a "small-scale 'scenic cantata'" written by the composer Kurt Weill and the dramatist Bertolt Brecht in 1927. Weill was commissioned to write one of a series of very short operas for performance that summer, and he chose to use the opportunity to create a "stylistic exercise" as preparation for a larger-scale project that he and Brecht had begun to develop together, their experimental "epic opera" The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1930). The Little Mahagonny was based on five "Mahagonny Songs," which had been published earlier in the year in Brecht's collection of poetry, Devotions for the Home. To these five was added a new poem, "Poem on a Dead Man," that was to form the finale. Two of the songs were English-language parodies written by Elisabeth Hauptmann: the "Alabama Song" and "Benares Song". Later, the "Alabama Song" was popularly revived by the rock group, The Doors.

Continuing with a theme from recent seasons, the second of two works was written by the composer of an opera featured on the mainstage. In 1937,  Marc Blitzstein (composer of Regina) created a musical entitled The Cradle Will Rock.  The piece is a Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed. It follows the efforts of Larry Foreman to unionize his fellow workers and otherwise combat a ruthless Mr. Mister. Blitzstein creates a world of allegorical societal figures that aid in this polictically charged satire. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, the complicated and legendary first performance was directed by Orson Welles and produced by John Houseman. That politically charged first performance was the basis for a 1999 film written and directed by Tim Robbins.

Please note that some of the subject matter in these two one-act operas may not be suitable for all audiences and seating will be limited.

Our very own Apprentice Artists take center stage for the annual Stars of Tomorrow concert. They'll be accompanied by the Festival Orchestra presenting arias, duets and ensembles from many different operas. You'll hear some of the best music the world has to offer from Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, and La Bohème, just to name a few.

Held at Sheslow Auditorium on the Drake University campus on July 10, 2008, the concert is followed by a dessert reception with the artists. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Click here to buy tickets or call the DMMO box office at (515) 961-6221.

DMMO is once again teaming up with two great caterers to create the perfect accompaniment to your experience at the opera! Whether you're attending an evening performance or a matinee, you can add a meal in our very own air-conditioned tent to your outing for the perfect trip to the theater.

Chef Michael LaValle and his team from the Des Moines Embassy Club have created three gourmet menus tailored to our three mainstage operas to help you "set the stage" for dinner. Chef Burton Potter takes over for the pre-matinee brunches.

It's easy to add dinner or brunch to your opera experience! Click here to make your reservations online (be sure to select the date for which you have tickets) or call 515-961-6221 for friendly, personal service.

The Opera Boutique is now online! You can check out our t-shirts, coffee mugs, polo shirts and more. You can make purchases through the website or you can preview the items and pick them up when you come to the opera!

Are you looking for a fun way to learn more about this summer's productions of A Masked Ball, Regina and The Elixir of Love before coming to the theater? We have just the thing: The Irreverent Guide to Opera!

Dr. James Cooney is a retired college professor and opera fan who has brought his tongue-in-cheek wit and fun-loving attitude to the opera in the form of the Irreverent Guide. You can download it and learn more before the curtain goes up. Check it out here!