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DMMO's 39th Summer Festival Productions Announced

June 24-July 17, 2011

 

 

La Bohème (1896) by Giacomo Puccini

 

The world’s most popular opera! It’s Christmas Eve in Paris, complete with the abandoned revelry of Bohemian life.   The novelist Henri Murger wrote a journal about his youth in Paris in the 1930s and from its pages comes a musical version that Puccini set to beautiful and passionate melody so eloquent in its expression of love won and lost that it hasn’t failed to inspire each succeeding generation.  This is an opera to be seen again and again.

 

Last seen at DMMO:       Summer Festival 1996 (though it was performed it in the Civic Center in January, 2001)

 

 

Don Pasquale (1843) by Gaetano Donizetti

 

Don Pasquale is the 69th of Donizetti’s 71 operas.  One of the world’s greatest operatic comedies contains a plot as old as time.  The characters and their roles in farce are clearly based on commedia dell’arte types- Italian improvised comedies.  Pasquale is the old bachelor who always has an eye for the young ladies; Malatesta is the Doctor whose attitude and carriage is of profound erudition – but whose wisdom is questionable; Ernesto is the young, passionate and often witless lover and Norina is the willful, vivacious young women caught in the center of the intrigues.  Fashioned for four incredible singers / comic actors and a chorus, the story is durable and timeless, the music is charming, buoyant and as enduring as springtime itself!

 

Last seen at DMMO:       Summer Festival 1993

 

 

Dialogues of the Carmelites (1956) by Francis Poulenc

 

One of the twentieth century’s most powerful, important and emotionally challenging operas, the piece is based on a play by Georges Bernanos and was premiered at La Scala in Milan.  Set against the terrifying backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story about a young woman of nobility who becomes a nun, against the wishes of her father and brother.  Blanche de la Force is deeply afraid of the terror of the world in which she finds herself and joins the convent in an attempt to find refuge where she can live and work without fear.  And then the Revolution begins and nothing is ever the same again.  This is a story about real people but told with some abstractions that reflect the fact that often times what we say to each other is not often exactly what we mean.

 

As the wheels of the Revolution turn, giants are felled and little people are left behind are left to tremble in the wake.  The opera records the everyday happenings and conversations in Blanche’s life as she watches those around her deal with faith and courage and those events that lead her to her own crisis of faith versus fear.

 

The final scene stands alone and apart as one of the greatest moments in all musical theatre.

 

Last seen at DMMO:       Summer Festival 1984

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July 30, 2010

Des Moines Metro Opera Completes 38th Summer Festival Season!


Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) completed its 38th Summer Festival Season on Sunday, July 18th with its final presentation for 2010, Mozart’s, The Marriage of Figaro.


Each year DMMO presents three productions, with a total of sixteen different shows given during a three week festival season. All productions are held at the Blank Performing Arts Center, Simpson College Campus, Indianola, Iowa. This year the festival season production’s included:

 Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, starring Iowa native Craig Irvin of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sarah Jane McMahon of the New York City Opera.

Macbeth, retold by Giuseppe Verdi, featured Todd Thomas of Seattle Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre and Brenda Harris as Lady Macbeth.

Susannah, the Biblical saga of Susannah and the Elders and retold by Carlisle Floyd, one of the most remarkable composers of the 20th century. Set to Appalachian folk tunes and Protestant hymns, it is a purely American musical drama. Iowa native Beverly O’Regan Thiele portrayed Susannah and John Marcus Bindel portrayed Olin Blitch.

Greater Des Moines and Iowa can be proud of its often hidden gem, Des Moines Metro Opera.

During this challenging economy, arts and cultural endeavors have felt the strain particularly strongly. Des Moines Metro Opera’s tradition of artistic excellence balanced with fiscal responsibility has lessened the impact as critically as that felt by other opera companies in the country, but opera remains the most expensive art form to produce.
Although DMMO is fortunate to have the continued strong support of its many friends and supporters, the fundraising goal of DMMO has not yet been met. One of the organization’s most loyal supports is committed to ensuring that it does. James M. Collier (sponsor of the James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program), has issued a special CHALLENGE to the community to support Des Moines Metro Opera. Your gift, made prior to August 31st will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR by Mr. Collier, up to $25,000!


To support DMMO, gifts may be made by calling DMMO at (515) 961-9661 or by making your gift online at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.


The featured productions for the 2011 Summer Festival Season will be announced early August. To learn more about Des Moines Metro Opera call (515) 961-9661 or visit www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.


The Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the top 20 summer opera companies in the world (Money Magazine). The company was founded in 1973 by Dr. Robert Larsen and operates with under Managing Director Robert M. Montana and Director of Artistic Operations Michael Egel. The Des Moines Metro Opera strives to operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States.

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July 13, 2010

 

Don’t miss out on the Des Moines Metro Opera Summer Festival Season!  DMMO is offering a special, one time deal of “RUSH” tickets for the Wednesday, July 14 production of Verdi’s Macbeth!

 

For this performance of Macbeth alone, the Des Moines Metro Opera is offering a special deal on any available seat! Call the office at 515-961-6221 and mention the code word “RUSH” and your ticket will be only $25. Tickets will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis, so act fast!

Macbeth is Shakespeare’s chilling tale of murder and madness, retold by one of Italian opera’s greatest composers – Giuseppe Verdi.  The brooding landscape and mists of Scotland are seared with the passion and fire which is characteristic of Verdi’s earliest operas.  The opera is sung in Italian, but has English supertitles above the stage, so everyone can easily understand the tale.

The Des Moines Metro Opera’s “Stars of Tomorrow” concert is also planned for this Thursday, July 15, at 7:00 pm at Sheslow Auditorium on the Drake University campus, Des Moines. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 for students. Tickets may be bought at the door or by calling (515) 961-6221. The “Stars of Tomorrow” concert highlights the accomplishments of the members of the James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program in a series of arias, duets and ensembles from a variety of operas.

The Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the top 20 summer opera companies in the world (Money Magazine).  The company was founded in 1973 by Dr. Robert Larsen and operates with under Managing Director Robert M. Montana and Director of Artistic Operations Michael Egel. The Des Moines Metro Opera strives to operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States.

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July 5, 2010

The 38th summer festival season of Des Moines Metro Opera is in full swing!

This week Des Moines Metro Opera will feature FIVE opportunities for the

public to enjoy an opera experience, as well as other special events.

Des Moines Metro Opera Performance dates and times:
Macbeth: Tuesday, July 6 and Friday, July 9 at 7:30 pm
The Marriage of Figaro: Saturday, July 10 at 7:30 pm
Susannah: Wednesday, July 7 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, July 11 at 2:00 pm

All performances are held at the Blank Performing Arts Center, Simpson College Campus, Indianola, Iowa.

Special event and other unique opportunities this week include:
Tuesday, July 7:
The first, to attend the final Apprentice Artist Scenes Program (AAP). Here, members of the AAP study and perform over 50 scenes and excerpts drawn from all corners of the operatic repertory. This is the final opportunity! Event will begin at 1:30 pm at Lekberg Hall, Simpson College Campus. No charge to attend.

The second is the Des Moines Metro Opera “Guild Night,” hosted by the Des Moines Guild of DMMO, offering a FUN way to see the Opera. Begin the evening by meeting at 5:45 pm at Django, downtown Des Moines. Attendees will depart for Indianola (on a chartered bus) at 6:45 pm, with the performance of Susannah beginning at 7:30 pm. Tickets are only $50 per person and include appetizers, wine, and one opera ticket. The $5 bus fee is not included. Registration is required in advance by calling DMMO at (515) 961-6221.

Saturday, July 10:
Des Moines Metro Opera is pleased to announce a residency with American Composer Carlisle Floyd in conjunction with performances of his one-act operas, The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair and Markheim. Both will be held at Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 10 and will be presented by DMMO’s Apprentice Artists and are free and open to the public. In addition, Mr. Floyd will be present with the company for the July 11 matinee performance of his opera Susannah on the mainstage.

Sunday, July 11:
Des Moines Metro Opera’s Chamber Music Concert is also a free event and will feature the Des Moines Metro Operas resident Festival Orchestra at Lekberg Hall on the Simpson College Campus at 7:30 pm Sunday, July 11.

As always, call the Des Moines Metro Opera office at 515-961-6221 or visit the website at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org for more information about our events and to order tickets.

The Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the top 20 summer opera companies in the world (Money Magazine). The company was founded in 1973 by Dr. Robert Larsen and operates with under Managing Director Robert M. Montana and Director of Artistic Operations Michael Egel. The Des Moines Metro Opera strives to operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States.

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June 22, 2010

Des Moines Metro Opera's 38th Festival Performances Begin

The Des Moines Metro Opera will open its 38th Annual Festival Season this week, beginning June 25 at 7:30 pm with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Indianola, Iowa. The production will star Craig Irvin of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sarah Jane McMahon of the New York City Opera. A second viewing is available as a matinee at 2 pm on Sunday, June 27.

June 26 features the “Opening Night Gala Dinner”, and the opera Macbeth, retold by Giuseppe Verdi, one of Italian opera’s most famous composers. Todd Thomas returns to the title role after recent performances with Seattle Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre. Brenda Harris, last season’s Agathe in Der Freischutz, will portray as Lady Macbeth.

The third production is Susannah and will open July 3. The Biblical saga of Susannah and the Elders is retold by Carlisle Floyd, one of the most remarkable composers of the 20th century. Set to Appalachian folk tunes and Protestant hymns, it weaves beautiful vocal lyricism with a poignant and purely American musical drama. Susannah’s role will be characterized by singer and actress Beverly O’Regan Thiele, and Olin Blitch is portrayed by John Marcus Bindel.

Accompanying all of Des Moines Metro Opera’s principle performers are the James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program participants, selected from over 800 auditions nationwide. Apprentices work with 12 professional coaches and directors from companies including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and others.

All performances are held at the Blank Performing Arts Building at Simpson College in Indianola. Evening shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees begin at 2 pm, with an opera preview starting 45 minutes before every show.

Evening shows follow an optional tent dinner that can be reserved for an additional cost. Dinners are prepared by Des Moines Embassy Club chef Michael Lavalle, available in an air-conditioned tent beside the theater.

The Des Moines Metro Opera offers weekend packages that include an opera on both Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday matinee, three meals, and local accommodations.

The Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the top 20 summer opera companies in the world (Money Magazine). The company was founded in 1973 by Dr. Robert Larsen and operates with under Managing Director Robert M. Montana and Director of Artistic Operations Michael Egel. The Des Moines Metro Opera strives to operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States.

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May 27, 2010

Des Moines Metro Opera's 38th Festival Season Opens

The Des Moines Metro Opera starts their 38th Festival Season on June 25 with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Indianola, Iowa, staring Craig Irvin of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Sarah Jane McMahon of the New York City Opera.

This seasons productions include The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth and Susannah. Accompanying the principal performers are apprentice artists, selected from over 700 auditions nationwide.

Apprentices work with 12 professional coaches and directors from companies including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and others.

All performances are held at the Blank Performing Arts Building at Simpson College in Indianola. Evening shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees begin at 2 pm.

The Blank Performing Arts Building at Simpson College has 488 seats wrapped around the stage, with a close-up view of the stage.

Evening shows follow an optional tent dinner that can be reserved for an additional cost. Dinners are prepared by Des Moines Embassy Club chef Michael Lavalle, available in an air-conditioned tent beside the theater.

Des Moines Metro Opera offers weekend packages that include an opera on both Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday matinee, three meals, and local accommodations.

Des Moines Metro Opera is one of the top 20 summer opera companies in the world (Money Magazine). The company was founded in 1973 by Dr. Robert Larsen and operates with under Managing Director Robert M. Montana and Director of Artistic Operations Michael Egel. The Des Moines Metro Opera strives to operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States.

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March 12, 2010

Des Moines Metro Opera Begins Artistic Leadership Transition

Founder Larsen Moves to Mentor from Maestro to Ensure Legacy

(Indianola, Iowa)  Following a strong decade of record attendance, financial growth and national critical acclaim, Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) is launching an artistic leadership transition that will ensure the vision and legacy of Founder and Artistic Director Robert L. Larsen. This two-year transition will culminate in the 40th anniversary season in 2012. During the transition, Larsen will add the role of mentor to maestro as DMMO creates new opportunities for collaboration with dynamic conductors and stage directors.

Larsen has announced his selection of conductors and stage directors for the 38th Festival Season, which will take place from June 25 through July 18, 2010. The season will include a total of 16 performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, and Carlisle Floyd's Susannah.

David Neely, who has served as an associate conductor of the Company since 2003, will conduct Figaro and Macbeth. Currently the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Kansas, Neely brings extensive international professional experience to the podium. He worked as a conductor in Germany for more than 10 years in the opera houses of Bonn, Saarbrucken, Coburg, St. Gallen, Bielefeld, Kaisersautern, Halle and in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Neely led Sarasota Opera’s production of Moniuszko's rarely performed Polish opera, Halka. In 2007, Neely was honored with one of two nationally awarded Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Assistant Conductor Grants for his work with DMMO.

Larsen's pick for Susannah is Joseph Mechavich, one of North America's foremost conductors. In 2009, Mechavich was named as an “emerging artist” by The American League of Orchestras, and presided over performances of Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera, Porgy and Bess at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Cendrillon at Aspen Music Festival. The 2010 opera season will see Mechavich debuting with the Washington Opera conducting Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music conducting Candide. In addition, he will be returning to the podium at Kentucky Opera for Of Mice and Men, The Naples Philharmonic for Don Giovanni, Opera Birmingham for Aida, and Dayton Opera for Faust.

William Farlow will provide stage direction for Figaro. Farlow's career has taken him to Scotland, Mexico, and Canada as well as throughout the U.S. including New York City, Chicago, Memphis and Fort Worth. He's directed productions such as Turandot for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Salome for the Los Angeles Opera, and Tristan und Isolde for the Pittsburgh Opera. Farlow has worked with artists such as Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Carlo Maria Giulini, and David Hockney. Farlow's directing repertoire ranges from Handel to Schoenberg and Mozart to Ravel. This season, he will direct Thaïs and Maria Stuarda for UW-Madison, where he is Professor of Music and Director of Opera. Farlow has a 30-year history with DMMO.

Dugg McDonough will direct Susannah. Now in his 21st season with DMMO, McDonough is largely responsible for DMMO’s successful Apprentice Artist Program. Formerly Producer and Director of Opera Theater at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia, he has completed his eighth year as Artistic Director of LSU Opera at Louisiana State University. In 2007, he mounted the first new production in more than 20 years of Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark, an event that produced the first commercial DVD of any of the composer-librettist's operas. Active as a professional stage director, he has worked with such companies as New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, San Diego Opera, Greater Miami Opera (now Florida Grand Opera), and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Recently, he directed the Gulf Coast Premiere of Gluck’s L' Ile de Merlin ou le Monde Renversé for the New Orleans Opera Association/Music at Madewood.

Since its founding in 1973, Larsen has conducted every performance of the DMMO's 122 productions. Larsen will continue as a stage director for the production of Macbeth in conjunction with director A. Scott Parry, and he will continue to be an active and visible part of the company in his role as Artistic Director.

“Des Moines Metro Opera is in a solid financial position thanks to extraordinarily committed donors and supporters, a dedicated board of directors and exemplary administrative staff led by Managing Director Robert Montana,” says Larsen. “Perhaps most of all, I am able to move in this direction because of our Director of Artistic Operations, Michael Egel, who's been with DMMO for more than 10 years. Beyond the artistic and production details, Egel oversees DMMO's extensive audition process and contributes to our repertory selection and casting process. He works with young artists of DMMO's OPERA Iowa touring trouping as well as coordinates the summer festival's Company members.”

“During DMMO's summer festival season, Egel coordinates the activities of more than 150 company members, including creating the performance and singer-training components for the Apprentice Artist Program. Each winter, he works with the young artists of DMMO's OPERA Iowa touring troupe in developing education materials and artist-led workshops. None of that will change,” says Larsen. Egel will work with Larsen to ensure the Company's high standard of artistic excellence and will oversee the Company’s collaboration with new artistic teams.

DMMO's Board President William S. Niebur praises the dream that Robert Larsen has created, as well as the transition plan that has been put into place. “Dr. Larsen has generously given nearly 40 years of his personal and professional life to the DMMO. His vision, guidance and contributions have indelibly enhanced the community and larger cultural world. We have the good fortune to be mentored and guided in numerous artistic facets over the next two years to ensure his dream endures and legacy is established.”

DMMO is one of the nation's largest summer opera festivals, featuring nearly 200 singers, orchestral musicians, conductors, stage directors, technicians and staff in three new productions each season. Robert Larsen founded DMMO in 1973. DMMO's budget has grown from $22,000 to nearly $2 million and is now one of the most respected performing arts organizations in Iowa. After 37 successful seasons, DMMO continues its unwavering commitment to the mission and philosophy of its founder: To operate a progressive opera company with a national reputation that fosters the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in the United States with the objectives of:

PRODUCING opera as a living art form through performance and composition,

OFFERING a stage for American-trained principal artists,

PROVIDING a high-caliber Apprentice Artist experience with exceptional opportunities to perform and to participate, and

DEVELOPING regional audiences of all ages through educational outreach programs.

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January 18, 2010

Des Moines Metro Opera’s

OPERA Iowa Troupe Kicks Off 24th Annual Tour!

Underwritten by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.

Indianola, IA – OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera’s educational touring troupe, will hit the road for its 2010 tour on January 26, 2010. During the ten-week tour, the group will give the world premiere performances of Michael Patterson’s A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver. The ten-member troupe will also perform Rossini’s classic opera buffa The Barber of Seville and Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel.

The public is invited to the 2010 tour’s kick-off event, a family-friendly performance of Hansel & Gretel at Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre in Des Moines at 2:00 pm on Sunday, January 24. This 50-minute performance will be given by the eight-member troupe accompanied by the tour’s music director on piano. Tickets are just $7 per person and are available online at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org, by phone at (515) 961-6221 or in person at Hoyt Sherman’s box office (1501 Woodland Avenue).

Between January 26 and April 9, OPERA Iowa will visit some 50 schools and communities in Iowa and surrounding states, giving over 80 performances for approximately 25,000 school-aged children. The school performances are presented in conjunction with interactive and engaging workshops that meet the National Standards for Arts in Education guidelines. The troupe will also give 10 evening concert performances for community audiences in various locations across the state. These performances are open to the public. A complete listing of OPERA Iowa’s performance schedule can be found at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org/2010_oi_schedule.htm.

Composed by Iowa’s own Dr. Michael Patterson, A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver is a 50-minute opera that delves into the life of the agricultural pioneer and Iowa hero, focusing on the key events that would shape the destiny of this great scientist. A Dream Fulfilled was created in cooperation with the State Historical Society of Iowa, which provided research assistance. To bring this story to the children of Iowa, DMMO and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs formed a partnership that creates week-long residencies at the State Historical Building of Iowa for the OPERA Iowa troupe at the beginning and end of the touring season.

The Barber of Seville is a sparkling romantic comedy by the great bel canto composer, Gioacchino Rossini. The story surrounds the incorrigible Figaro, opera’s best-known barber, and a character made popular to many by none other than Bugs Bunny! Combining Figaro’s charm with some of the most-memorable tunes ever penned, the opera is a twisting tale of hilarious intrigue with more than a few missteps along the way to happily-ever-after.

Returning to the OPERA Iowa stage for the 2010 tour is Engelbert Humperdinck’s family-friendly opera Hansel and Gretel, which uses spoken text and folksong melodies to set the famous Grimm’s fairy-tale to music. Hansel and Gretel, in operatic form, was first heard in Weimar, Germany, in December of 1893. The opera retells the familiar tale of two mischievous children, their exasperated parents and one hungry witch! In its own day, Hansel and Gretel offered a perfect contrast to the violent verismo operas of Italy that were popular at the time. It’s themes of loyalty, perseverance and platonic devotion still resonate in our own times.  At its premier, Richard Strauss declared the opera a masterpiece and predicted that it would become one of the world’s greatest operas.  Indeed it has.

Chosen from nationwide auditions, the OPERA Iowa troupe brings together talented young performers to share their love of opera with audiences of all ages. The members of the 2010 OPERA Iowa troupe are: soprano Diana Stoic of Skokie, IL; soprano Kristin Titus of Cinnaminson, NJ; mezzo-soprano Megan Marino of Boulder, CO; tenor Eric Bowden of New York, NY; bass Daniel Richardson of Skokie, IL; tenor Roland Hawkins of Little Canada, MN; baritone Andrew Wannigman of Jamaica Plain, MA; and bass-baritone Benjamin Bear of Lincoln, NE. The music director is Michael Sakir of Brookline, MA; and the technical director is Adam Rager of Evansville, IN.

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September 30, 2009

Des Moines Metro Opera Announces 38th Festival Season

Indianola, IA – At the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors, Dr. Robert Larsen, Founder and Artistic Director of Des Moines Metro Opera, announced the operas that will be produced for the 38th Summer Festival Season. The three, full-scale operas will be presented in 16 performances between June 25 and July 18, 2010, and will follow the Company’s successful formula of presenting an artistically balanced season that includes both tragedy and comedy, and a combination of well-known pieces with one 20th century work. In presenting the upcoming season to the Board of Directors, Dr. Larsen said, “our constant concern for balancing period, style and theatrical values in opera through all ages has led us to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.”

The 38th Summer Festival begins with an opening night performance of The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sung in English. “The Marriage of Figaro is one of the greatest operas ever written,” says Larsen. From its famous overture to the brilliant finales, it combines the elegance and wonder of Mozart’s music with a very human comedy of wit and brilliance. It is a “sequel” to The Barber of Seville (presented as a part of Des Moines Metro Opera’s 2009 Season), though Figaro was composed some 30 years earlier. In this, the second installment of the Beaumarchais trilogy, things have changed a great deal for Count Almaviva, Figaro and Rosina, now the Countess. Mozart’s masterpiece tells a riotous tale of marriage, deception and mistaken identities but ends with the triumph of virtue, love and forgiveness.

Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, sung in Italian, is a chilling tale of witches, prophecies, murder and madness as retold by one of Italian opera’s greatest composers. Lady Macbeth wants the throne of Scotland for her husband, so she persuades Macbeth to murder the true king thus making the witches’ prophecy come true. Once the deed is done, one of the greatest and most famous tragedies for the stage is set in motion. Verdi creates an opera that is deeply inspired by the Shakespeare he loved, setting the tale to music that matches its chilling power, but surging with a life all its own. The mists and brooding landscape of Scotland are seared with the passion and fire characteristic of Verdi’s earliest operas. Macbeth is “taut, it’s musically and dramatically challenging, it’s almost breathtaking in its vicious melodrama and immediacy,” Maestro Larsen says, “and it features Todd Thomas, our powerful Rigoletto and Iago of past seasons, and Brenda Harris, the stunning Agathe of last season’s Der Freischütz.”

One of the most important and frequently performed American operas of the 20th century is Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, the third offering of the 38th Festival Season. It is the Biblical saga of Susannah and the Elders, reimagined in a powerful American setting by one of the 20th century’s most remarkable opera composers. Appalachian folk tunes, Protestant hymns and square dances woven together with beautiful vocal lyricism create a poignant and purely American musical drama. Set in the mountains of Tennessee, Susannah Polk is an innocent yet independent girl who is targeted as a sinner by the Elders of her church in the small mountain town of New Hope Valley. She finds herself maligned, persecuted and cast out by the community, led by the evangelist Olin Blitch, its spiritual leader.

The Company will continue to use English supertitles projected above the stage for every performance and provide free opera previews prior to each performance.

  • Current subscribers can renew their seats beginning on October 1, 2009.
  • Season subscriptions will be available to the general public on November 2, 2009.
  • Single tickets will go on sale April 1, 2010.
  • All tickets are available by visiting www.desmoinesmetroopera.org or calling Des Moines Metro Opera's box office at (515) 961-6221.
  • Season subscriptions range in price from $99 to $230.
  • Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more adults for all performances and for students in kindergarten through college for mid-week performances.

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January 5, 2009

Des Moines Metro Opera Unveils World Premiere in 2009

Indianola, IA – OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera’s educational touring troupe, will present a newly commissioned opera during its 23rd annual tour, Jan. 26-April 10, 2009, with a world premiere performance on January 23 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines.

Composed by Iowa’s own Dr. Michael Patterson, A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver is a 50-minute opera that delves into the life of the agricultural pioneer and Iowa hero, focusing on the key events that would shape the destiny of this great scientist. A Dream Fulfilled is being created in cooperation with the State Historical Society of Iowa, which has provided research assistance.

To bring this story to the children of Iowa, DMMO and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs formed a partnership that creates week-long residencies for the OPERA Iowa troupe at the beginning and end of the next two touring seasons.

During the residencies, OPERA Iowa, museum curators, historians and professional Iowa artists will facilitate interactive workshops that connect students to Iowa history, interpret the museum and teach more about Carver and other famous Iowans. OPERA Iowa will also give performances at the Historical Building for Golden Circle-area school children and – in the eight weeks between residencies – travel the length and breadth of the state with its award-winning combination of education and entertainment.

“The State Historical Museum’s History Through the Arts theater program is very pleased to join with the Des Moines Metro Opera and present the George Washington Carver opera for children in the Cowles-Kruidenier Auditorium,” DCA Director Cyndi Pederson said. “We believe that children learn through interactive programs and teaching them about George Washington Carver is a great way for them to learn about international, national and Iowa history.”

A Dream Fulfilled begins in Winterset when Carver learns that he will attend Simpson College. The story then transitions to Indianola and from there to Iowa State University in Ames where Carver did groundbreaking work in botany.  The opera culminates in the United States Capitol with Carver’s testimony before Congress.

“Des Moines Metro Opera is pleased to be able to present this new work which further immortalizes one of the great figures in our state’s history,” said Thomas Smith, DMMO’s Executive Director and CEO.  “Just as exciting is the opportunity to collaborate again with an accomplished composer such as Dr. Patterson, and to forge a new partnership with the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which along with the Iowa Arts Council, provides critical financial and logistical support to so many of the cultural organizations that make Iowa an attractive place to live, work and play.”

The opera’s composer, Dr. Michael Patterson, is a graduate of Simpson College and holds post-graduate degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Patterson has worked with the Des Moines Metro Opera for more than 30 years. Currently an Associate Professor of Music Education at Simpson College, he has also been an instructor and accompanist for the Simpson College Orpheus Festival and Elderhostel. He founded and administrates the Music Education Workshop series at Simpson, which for nine years has featured nationally recognized clinicians in workshops each semester. Patterson has composed numerous songs for solo voice and piano, choral works and an opera, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which toured with OPERA Iowa in 2003 and 2004.

OPERA Iowa’s 23rd season, from January 26-April 10, 2009, will delight audiences across the state with performances of Patterson’s A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver for elementary students and Rossini’s comedy The Barber of Seville for older students and evening audiences. The OPERA Iowa troupe will present a final dress rehearsal performance of The Barber of Seville for the public at Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre on Feb. 1.

During their residencies in schools, the troupe members present interactive workshops that fulfill the National Standards for Arts in Education requirements, helping students learn more and enjoy the opera performance more. OPERA Iowa has previously presented the world premieres of three operas: Stephen Paulus’s Rumpelstiltskin, Amy Tate Williams’s Harmoonia and Michael Patterson’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

 

Des Moines Metro Opera, OPERA Iowa’s parent company, will present its 37th Festival Season, from June 19 through July 12, 2009, at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola. Featured will be Puccini’s Tosca (sung in Italian), Weber’s Der Freischütz (sung in German) and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (sung in Italian). More information is available at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.

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October 1, 2008

Des Moines Metro Opera Announces 37th Festival Season

Indianola, IA – At the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors, Dr. Robert Larsen, Founder and Artistic Director of Des Moines Metro Opera, announced the operas that will be produced for the 37th Summer Festival Season. The three, full-scale grand operas will be presented in 16 performances between June 19 and July 12, 2009, and will follow the Company’s successful formula of presenting an artistically balanced season that includes both tragedy and comedy, and a combination of well known pieces with one rarely-performed work. Dr. Larsen, has chosen the following outstanding scores for DMMO’s 37th Festival Season:

Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca - sung in Italian
Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz - sung in German
Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville - sung in Italian


The Company will continue to use English supertitles projected above the stage for every performance and provide free opera previews prior to each performance.

“The 2009 season we have planned fro the Des Moines Metro Opera is nothing short of amazing,” says Dr. Larsen, “This is opera for every taste and everybody.”

“We are excited to present this tour de force lineup of the operatic repertoire,” says DMMO's Executive Director Thomas Smith. “Our commitment to engaging the very best voices and production values will make these performances a can’t-miss experience for thousands of Iowans next summer.”

The 37th Summer Festival begins with an opening night performance of Tosca by Giacomo Puccini. “Tosca is one of the world’s greatest and most beloved scores,” says Larsen. “American soprano Carter Scott will make her debut with us in this searing piece of passionate musical drama which in many ways gets at the absolute soul of opera.” One of the grandest of grand operas, Tosca is one of the repertory’s most enduringly popular works. The beautiful and tempestuous singer Floria Tosca is in love with the young painter Cavaradossi but desired by the ruthless Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia. As the drama moves toward its heart-wrenching climax, she finds herself caught in a web of love, jealousy and intrigue. Set against the backdrop of history, Puccini combines the pageantry and passion of grand opera with the drama of verismo realism. This production commemorates the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The Barber of Seville is a sparkling romantic comedy from the pen of the great bel canto composer, Gioacchino Rossini. “For some,” Larsen says, “this perennial favorite will the headliner with a star-studded cast that features Iowan John Osborn as Count Almaviva, a role he recently performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago to great acclaim, John Moore, another Iowa native who made his Metropolitan Opera debut last spring, as Figaro, and the adorable Jane Redding, who was our stunning centerpiece in last summer’s L’Elisir d’Amore as Rosina” The story surrounds the incorrigible Figaro, one of the best-known barbers of all-time, and a character made popular to many by none other than Bugs Bunny. Combining Figaro’s charm with some of the most-memorable tunes ever penned, the opera is a twisting tale of hilarious intrigue with more than a few missteps along the way to happily-ever-after.

“I’ve saved the best for last,” Larsen said as he announced the Company premiere of Carl Maria von Weber’s glorious Der Freischütz. Tenor Jeffrey Springer returns to DMMO’s stage to sing the role of the young forester Max, who must win a shooting contest to gain the hand of his beloved Agathe in this classic fairy tale. Will he bargain with his soul to secure glory and love? From the opera’s famous overture, to the eerie Wolf’s Glen scene, complete with supernatural effects, to its stunning conclusion, audiences will be swept up by the unforgettable music and fantastic drama.

Season subscriptions will be available to the general public on November 3, 2008. Single tickets will go on sale April 1, 2009. All tickets are available by visiting www.desmoinesmetroopera.org or calling Des Moines Metro Opera's box office at (515) 961-6221. Season subscriptions range in price from $99 to $230. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more adults and for students in kindergarten through college for mid-week performances. For more information please call (515) 961-6221.

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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has established its first individual arts award in 25 years, the NEA Opera Honors.

The awards, which celebrate lifetime achievement and individual excellence, will be presented on October 31 at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, DC, with performances by the Washington National Opera and members of its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists program, conducted by Placido Domingo. NEA chairman Dana Gioia says that the new award "recognizes that American opera has truly come of age with our singers, musicians, composers, directors, designers and opera companies who are second to none in the world." OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization, is the NEA partner in the Opera Honors program. In this inaugural year of the award, Washington National Opera is also a partner.

The first NEA Opera Honors are being given in four categories: singer, composer, advocate and conductor. Soprano  Leontyne Price is known for her elegant musicianship, her generosity to young singers and her remarkable recording legacy. Composer Carlisle Floyd has had a long and distinguished career; his many memorable operas include Susannah and Of Mice and Men. Advocate winner Richard Gaddes, the general director of the Santa Fe Opera and co-founder of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, is known for challenging, adventurous programming. James Levine, who has led the Metropolitan Opera premieres of work by composers from Mozart to Weill and the world premieres of American operas by John Corigliano and John Harbison, has also fine-tuned the Met orchestra into one of the world's leading ensembles.

For more information, visit the NEA Opera Honors Website or www.operaamerica.org.