Operatic Saint Louis

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Classic 99 For Sale?

Sarah Bryan Miller, Post-Dispatch classical music critic, reports that the owner of Classic 99 (KFUO 99.1) plans "to quietly sell" the radio station. Classic 99, of course, is the home for the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in St. Louis.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

New Opera Saint Louis Presents "Don Pasquale"

New Opera Saint Louis' Gina Galati, soprano, and founder and artistic director; Andrew Martin, administrative director; and Tim Ocel, stage manager, appeared on KWMU's "Cityscape" on Friday, March 27, to discuss their current production of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale."

Click here to listen to an archived version of the program.

New Opera Saint Louis' next presentation of "Don Pasquale" will be Sunday, March 29, at 5:00 p.m. Tickets range from $22.00 to $30.00, with student rush tickets available for $15:00 at the door with valid student identification.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Stella Markou: Opera at the Touhill

From Chris King's Poetry Scores blog:

Opera in color
New UMSL production features ample black talent

By Chris King
St. Louis American

Classical music traditions are struggling to find new, younger, more diverse audiences. They need to ask Stella Markou what her secret is.

Markou –- an operatic soprano and director of vocal studies at UMSL -– has a new production coming to stage at the Touhil on March 3 and 4 that features (count ‘em) four African-American students: Wyatte Jamison, April Lowe, Jenny Beasley and Audreia Norman.

This beautiful young teacher and performer has glowing things to say about all of them.“Jenny Beasley is a double major, biology and Spanish –- she just got back from Spain,” Markou said.

“She is a huge aficionado of opera, but this is her first time staging and doing things.”

Wyatte Jamison also is only dabbling in opera, rather than pursuing a major –- he is studying political science, though his director said he plays a “vital role” in one piece and a “pivotal role” in another.

“He is just a joy, an incredible human being overall,” she said of Jamison. “He is a youth leader, sings in a gospel choir and his father is a preacher.”

His father, the Rev. Henry C. Jones, is pastor of Ira Grove Free Will Baptist Church in East St. Louis, where the family lives.

April Lowe comes to the voice from another instrument – she plays bass clarinet in the university symphonic band.

“Last year, she wanted to sing, wanted to learn, though she had no exposure whatsoever,” Markou said.

“I couldn’t fit her in, so I tracked her down this year. This is her first debut in opera, period. She has made quite extraordinary strides.”

Audreia Norman is the one with the operatic name – as in soprano Jessye Norman – and training. She was formerly part of the artist-in-training program at Opera Theater of St. Louis.

“She has a tremendous lyric voice,” Markou said of her.

Markou is directing all of these talents (and more) in UMSL Opera Theatre in an interesting production based on the seven deadly sins titled Desire, Deception and All Things Wicked, incorporating the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Benjamin Britten, Gioachino Rossini and others.

Opera might sound boring and old-fashioned to those who haven’t developed an ear for art song or an eye for highly theatrical staging, but you wouldn’t think “boring” if you read plot summaries of famous operas or just followed the stories.

There is a reason why they call soap operas “soap operas.” There is a whole lot of loving and cheating and losing going on.

In describing her students’ roles, Markou resorts to descriptions such as “the servant of the wronged wife” and “the forsaken wife who is killed off.”

As for the director herself, Markou served as moderator for the Teatro Lirico D'Europa performance of Aida at UMSL's Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, and has performed with the Ambassadors of Harmony and Arianna String Quartet.

She is scheduled to sing at a Maria Callas tribute in Boston and in the June staging of the musical Booth in New York, which was composed by UMSL’s own Barbara Harbach and Niyi Coker.

UMSL Opera Theatre will perform Desire, Deception and All Things Wicked 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 in the E. Desmond and Mary Ann Lee Theater at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. It is free and open to the public.

Call 314-516-5980 or visit the Touhill's web site.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

"Bizet Is More Than Carmen and Verdi More Than Aïda" at Monday Noon Series

The Center for the Humanities at UMSL's Monday Noon Series will present "Bizet Is More Than Carmen and Verdi More Than Aïda" on March 9, at 12:15 p.m. in the J.C. Penney Conference Center.

Suzanne Wohl, who has facilitated numerous classes on musical composers, opera, drama, and literature at the Lifelong Learning Institute for older adults at Washington University and for OASIS, a nonprofit educational organization for mature adults, will go beyond Carmen and Aïda to explore Bizet's Les Pecheurs des Perles (The Pearl Fishers) and Verdi's La Forza del Destino.

The Monday Noon Series is a free cultural series featuring presenters from many ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds exhibiting a diverse array of talent and expertise. Subjects range from art, dance, and music to political, social, and environmental conditions.

Light refreshments will be served.

Click here for more information, a complete schedule, and driving directions.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis 2009 Schedule

Click here for ticket information.

La bohème -- Giacomo Puccini

Saturday, May 23, 8:00 PM
Thursday, June 4, 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 6, 8:00 PM *
Wednesday June 10, 8:00 PM
Friday, June 12, 8:00 PM
Sunday, June 14, 7:00 PM
Wednesday, June 17, 1:00 PM (Matinee)
Saturday June 20, 8:00 PM *
Saturday June 27, 1:00 PM

Salome -- Richard Strauss

Saturday, May 30, 8:00 PM
Wednesday, June 3, 8:00 PM
Friday, June 5, 8:00 PM
Thursday, June 11, 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 20 1:00 PM (Matinee)
Wednesday, June 24, 1:00 PM (Matinee)
Sunday,, June 28, 7:00 PM

Il re pastore (The Shepherd King) --
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sunday, June 7, 7:00 PM
Saturday, June 13, 8:00 PM
Tuesday, June 16, 1:00 PM (Matinee)
Thursday, June 18, 8:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24, 8:00 PM
Friday, June 26, 8:00 PM

The Ghosts of Versailles -- John Corigliano

Wednesday, June 17, 8:00 PM
Friday, June 19, 8:00 PM
Sunday, June 21 7:00 PM
Tuesday, June 23 1:00 PM (Matinee)
Thursday, June 25 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 27, 8:00 PM

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Madama Butterfly High Definition Screening at SLAM

In St. Louis, the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday matinee performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly will be shown at the St. Louis Art Museum, on March 7, at 12:00 p.m. The running time will be 3 hours 21 minutes with two intermissions.

Cristina Gallardo-Domâs returns to the title role in the late Anthony Minghella’s production opposite Marcello Giordani. Patrick Summers will conduct.

Tickets for the HD broadcast are $22 ($15 for members of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, or Metropolitan Opera, and children 12 and under).

Tickets are available in person at the Museum or through MetroTix. Tickets purchased through MetroTix will incur a $2.75 service fee per ticket; the service fee is waived for tickets purchased at the Museum.

According to the Museum's web site:

The Museum theatre seats 480 people. The screen is approximately 12 feet by 22 feet, and the opera broadcasts will be received in high-definition via satellite. The auditorium uses a widescreen, high-definition projector at 1080i. The sound system is Dolby 5.1 digital surround.

Click here to find other venues carrying this HD broadcast.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Met's 2009-2010 Season