Des Moines Metro Opera Receives Nomination for 2024 International Opera Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2024
PRESS CONTACT: Scott Arens, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Indianola, IA — Des Moines Metro Opera has been selected as a finalist in the Festival of the Year category for the 2024 International Opera Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Germany on October 2. Regarded as the Oscars of the opera world, the International Opera Awards celebrates excellence in opera and raises funds and awareness for the Opera Awards Foundation which supports aspiring opera artists. Des Moines Metro Opera joins the list of finalists alongside some of the most prestigious international opera festivals: Buxton International Festival (England); Garsington Opera (England); Savonlinna Opera Festival (Finland); Smetana Opera Cycle Ostrava (Czech Republic); and Tiroler Festspiele Erl (Austria). Des Moines Metro Opera is the only American festival to be nominated this year. Additionally, two principal artists from DMMO’s 2024 Festival Season have been selected as finalists in the Rising Star category: baritone Justin Austin (Thomas Eugene McKeller, American Apollo) and tenor Duke Kim (Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville). See the full list of nominees.
"That the incredible work of our artists, staff, conductors, directors, designers, orchestra, production and artistic staff has been recognized in this way is an honor and quite humbling,” said Michael Egel, the Linda Koehn General and Artistic Director. “We are fortunate to produce our summer festival in a region that places a high value on the arts and culture. The loyalty and support of this community and our many donors and patrons means our work resonates not only with statewide audiences but boldly beyond our borders nationally and even internationally, drawing the world’s attention back to central Iowa. As the profile of our festival has continued to grow these last many years, at our core is always a ‘can do’ spirit fueled by the belief that the greatest performances in the world need not be found only in the largest cities or tourist meccas, but anywhere talented people gather with the vision to create something bigger than themselves. We are honored to be nominated for this award.”
The 2024 Festival Season featured a bold mix of programming, including the company’s 3rdworld premiere, American Apollo by composer Damien Geter and librettist Lila Palmer; a company premiere and new production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande; a new production of Richard Strauss’s Salome; and a colorful production of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. The festival garnered rave reviews from prominent critics and audiences alike. The New Yorker praised the company in its review, calling DMMO “one of America’s boldest smaller companies.” Musical America stated, “two big-house operas succeed in a small one,” commending the company on its new productions of Salome and Pelléas et Mélisande. Opera with Opera News said the season “proved to be one of its most intriguing to date and easily reverified DMMO as one of the boldest and most resourceful opera companies around.” Opera Today concluded its final review of the season with “I don’t say this lightly: this DMMO season was the finest festival I have ever attended. It is not only the artistic care and the excellence of the product that make this a must-see festival, it is the intimacy of the venue itself, that proximity to the performers that is so engaging and compelling. There is no place else like it.”
About the International Opera Awards
The International Opera Awards promotes excellence in international opera and supports aspiring talent through The Opera Awards Foundation. Judging of the International Opera Awards is carried out by a jury of industry professionals headed by the UK’s Opera magazine editor John Allison. Since 2012, the International Opera Awards has raised funds for the Opera Awards Foundation to support bursaries for nearly 100 aspiring artists, including singers, directors, conductors, répétiteurs and pianists.
About Des Moines Metro Opera
Lauded by The New Yorker as “one of America’s boldest smaller companies,” Des Moines Metro Opera is a progressive opera company located in the heart of Iowa that has taken its place among America’s leading opera festivals. Founded in 1973, it’s one of the largest performing arts organizations in Iowa, annually producing over 100 performances in the metro area and across the region.
The 2025 Festival Season runs June 27 – July 20 and includes the long-awaited return of Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, a new production of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen and a new production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Season subscriptions and individual ticket reservations are currently available for purchase online at dmmo.org/ticketsor by calling the Box Office at (515) 209-3257.
Learn more about Des Moines Metro Opera.
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