Give the gift of opera

How many people do you have on your seasonal gift-giving list? How many of those people fall into the "impossible-to-buy-for" category? Opera Omaha can help you with that.

Violetta (played by Inna Dukach), is hard-to-buy-for. She wants opera tickets.

We offer a two-performance package as a mini subscription. It includes a ticket to both of our remaining productions in our 2012-2013 season. One ticket to both the Jun Kaneko production of Mozart's The Magic Flute and to Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle with Samuel Ramey in the title role can be purchased for as little as $32 total. That is a fantastic deal! You could send two people to professional opera productions, not once, but twice, for $64. Wow!

There are a few bonuses that accompany this fantastic offer. See the list below for more information and then call us at 402-346-4398 to cross those wonderful, hard-to-buy-for people off your holiday gift list. Our ticket office is open to be your one-stop-shop Monday through Friday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. We're waiting for your call!

Subscriber bonuses:

Free, uncomplicated ticket changes from one day to another. For example, if you purchase tickets to our Friday evening shows and the gift recipient can't attend on Friday, the tickets can be swapped for tickets to our Sunday matinee. This is accomplished with one phone call to our offices. No complicated process or requirements.

Additional tickets are available at the discounted, subscriber rate.

Our subscribers are the first to know about our upcoming special events and our season announcements.

Opera Omaha's Patron Services Manager, Tom Chandler

Anyone from our friendly office staff is available to assist you during business hours. Our Patron Services Manager, Tom Chandler, specializes in working with our subscribers to answer questions and assist with ticketing and related issues.

We're looking for you!

That's right! We're looking for you!

Do you have dreams of performing at The Orpheum Theatre? Do you have a great singing voice? I thought I heard you say, "Yes!"

We want to hear you at our upcoming auditions. Information about our Thursday, January 17 auditions is below. Opera Omaha is looking for chorus members to sing during our 2013-2014 season productions.

If you love to sing and perform for an audience, contact us for an audition time. Contact information and more details are below. Join us! We would love to hear you sing.

The men of the chorus in LA TRAVIATA

Chorus Auditions, Thursday, January 17, 2013

Opera Omaha is holding chorus auditions for 2013/2014 Season on Thursday, January 17th from 5pm – 7pm in the Opera Omaha Rehearsal Hall, 1850 Farnam Street, Omaha NE (entrance on 19th Street).

You must be at least 18 years old to audition.  Prospective members will be assigned a time slot and asked to present 2 selections; one must be in a foreign language, not to exceed 5 minutes in total.  Arias, arts songs, or church solos are all acceptable as audition pieces.  Please provide printed music as an accompanist will be available at no cost.

Contact Cammy Watkins at cwatkins@operaomaha.org for details and to schedule an audition.  Additional information about the Opera Omaha Chorus is also available at www.operaomaha.org.

Join us at KANEKO this Thursday, November 29

We have an event for you! This Thursday, November 29 at KANEKO, 1111 Jones St., we present a fantastic program featuring Jun Kaneko and Monica Yunus. Jun Kaneko will discuss design process for his new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. Monica Yunus, soprano, will sing at least two selections from her broad repertoire including a piece from The Magic Flute. Ms. Yunus is Pamina in our February, 2013 Jun Kaneko-designed production of The Magic Flute.

Monica Yunus, Soprano

Omaha is fortunate to have many, many great artists in our community. We look forward to working with many of them throughout this season and to bringing you great events like this one. Join us on Thursday, November 29 at KANEKO. A wine and cheese reception begins at 6:30pm with the program beginning at 7:00pm. More information including a link to the Facebook event and a link to the KANEKO website is below.

This is a one-time opportunity! Don't miss this free, public event. We can't wait to see you there!

If you would like to RSVP, please visit our Facebook event page. A link is below.

Facebook Event

Follow the link below to visit the KANEKO website page with information about Thursday's event.

Jun Kaneko Talks Design Process for The Magic Flute

 More information about Ms. Yunus is available on her website. Click here to visit the site. 

 

Small Business Saturday

Saturday, November 24, 2012 is Small Business Saturday. This is a great day to support your locally-owned small business including the arts organizations in Omaha. When you spend your dollars at a locally-owned business rather than a distantly-owned big box store, more of that money stays here in our community. Local jobs are created and our Omaha economy is stimulated. It's a win-win way to spend your money.

As an added bonus, if you are an American Express cardholder with an eligible credit card, you can enroll your card online for a $25 statement credit if you spend $25 in one transaction at a participating retailer. There are a limited number of enrollments available and this deal is only valid through 11:59PM MST on November 24, 2012 unless the enrollment limit is reached sooner. Enroll by clicking here and then make your $25 purchase at any participating small business. Your statement will be credited automatically if all the requirements are met. 

Opera Omaha hopes to hear from you this holiday season. We want to be part of your holiday shopping. We offer gift certificates in any denomination. The certificates can be used to buy tickets, parking passes, drink tickets, and (coming soon) merchandise for any of our productions. Tickets to our productions begin at only $19 each. Just think, for as little as $38, you can be a holiday hero by sending two people you love to the opera. 

Call our office Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm to finish your holiday shopping. Buy local Omaha! Your dollars go farther and propel our community forward when you shop at a locally-owned small business. 

We look forward to talking with you and being part of your holiday season. Call us at 402-346-4398. We're waiting for you.

Miracle on Farnam

Opera Omaha is excited to be one of 14 creative non-profit organizations participating in "Miracle on Farnam". This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of public holiday displays in Midtown Crossing. As part of this season-long celebration of holiday cheer, each participant designs and installs a window display to showcase the mission and activities of the organization.

This free public event commences on Thursday, November 15 at dusk with the annual lighting of the Midtown Crossing holiday lights and presentation of the windows. Be part of the action! After visiting the displays, you can vote for your favorite either online at www.miracleonfarnam.com or at any Midtown Crossing merchant. The winning organization receives a check for $3,000 and bragging rights.

The participant list is impressive! We can't wait to see how each of the creative minds from the list below visually express the organization's mission.

• The Blue Barn Theatre
• The Durham Museum
• Joslyn Art Museum
• Joslyn Castle Trust
• The Kent Bellows Studio and Center for Visual Arts
• Lauritzen Gardens
• Omaha Children's Museum
• Omaha Community Playhouse
• Omaha Performing Arts
• Omaha Symphony Guild
• Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
• The Rose Theater
• Strategic Air and Space Museum

There is no need to travel far from home to see enchanting holiday window displays. Instead, take a short drive or walk to visit Midtown Crossing's "Miracle on Farnam". Don't forget to vote for your favorite. It's a free, fun holiday celebration for the entire family! 

Opera Omaha Week and a Master Class

We are nearing the end of Opera Omaha Week, which is part of National Opera Week. The overall goal of National Opera Week is advocacy for the art form. The week is full of events promoted and arranged by opera companies across the United States. The events are free or very low cost and open to the public. Again, the goal is to engage people who may not otherwise attend an operatic event and give opera a wider public exposure.

Our week of events included a pre-broadcast talk by famed stage director, James de Blasis, at the Film Streams Met HD showing of Othello, a luncheon with Metropolitan Opera star, Peter Volpe, a Halloween party featuring Mr. Volpe and the Opera Omaha Artists in Residence, and, finally, on Saturday, a vocal master class led by Mr. Volpe. All of these events were free and open to the Omaha community and beyond. THIS is the meaning of National Opera Week!

The vocal master class this Saturday, November 3 begins at 1:00pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. Although the name "vocal master class" may sound very formal, the event is relaxed. You are not asked to sing or to participate. Attendees will hear Peter Volpe and our Artists in Residence (Maria Lindsay, Andrew Spady, and Kirk Vaughn Robinson) perform and Mr. Volpe will offer suggestions and information to the Artists in Residence. The audience is welcome to ask questions and you do not have to stay for the entire class.

We want you to join us at our office, 1850 Farnam Street, for entertainment and refreshments this Saturday as we end Opera Omaha Week. Help us celebrate National Opera Week with four magnificent singers in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. RSVP to our Production Coordinator and fabulous Opera Omaha Week organizer, Cammy Watkins, at cwatkins@operaomaha.org. We can't wait to see you here!

Mr. Volpe's biography below and the photograph above are from his website.

American bass Peter Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim on four continents. Possessing a vast and ever-expanding repertoire of over 80 roles in six languages, his captivating style and interpretive skill embraces the depth of historical and fictional characters. Of a recent portrayal as Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Opera News said he “managed to create in his single aria and scene an impressive dignity. His full-bodied bass and great candor of tone, together with his intelligent interpretation, won him a well-deserved ovation.”

In 2011 and beyond, performances include Angelotti in Tosca, Idraote in Rossini’s Armida and Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera, Deguiche in DiChiera’s Cyrano at the Florida Grand Opera, Timur in Turandot at Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Frere Laurent in Romeo et Juliette at Vancouver Opera, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Austin Lyric Opera, and Ramfis in Aida at Arizona Opera.

Most recent operatic engagements from the past two seasons (2008-2010) include Idraote in Armida at the Metropolitan Opera, Marcel in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots at the Bard Festival, Gremin in Eugene Onegin at Vancouver Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa, Timur in Turandot at Opera Lyra Ottawa, Silva in Ernani and Mephistopheles in Faust covers at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Commendatore in Don Giovanni at Palm Beach Opera, Zuniga in Carmen at Arizona Opera, and Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera and Portland Opera.

In the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Volpe created the role of Deguiche in world premiere of Cyrano with the Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Company of Philadelphia, as well as performing Frere Laurent in Romeo et Juliette with the Baltimore Opera, and Jacqueau in War and Peace and Frere Laurent cover in Romeo et Juliette at the MET. Operatic engagements from 2006-2007 season include Banquo in Macbeth with Arizona Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Frere Laurent in Romeo et Juliette with Atlanta Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre, and Zuniga in Carmen with the Seiji Ozawa Opera Project in Japan.

Mr. Volpe made his notable Metropolitan Opera debut in their new production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace, and has subsequently returned for new productions of Berlioz’ Les Troyen, Strauss’ Salome, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, as well as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen, Aida, I Vespri Siciliani, Cyrano di Bergerac, and Andrea Chenier, among others. In addition, he has appeared with San Francisco Opera in productions of Salome, Nabucco, and Romeo et Juliette, with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Falstaff, with Washington National Opera for Britten’s Billy Budd and Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans, as well as Mephistopheles in Faust and Ramfis in Aida with Palm Beach Opera, Mephistopheles in Faust with Vancouver Opera, and a debut with Portland Opera as Banquo in Macbeth.

As a concert soloist, he has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London at the Chichester Festival, the Manhattan Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, L’Orchestra d’Imola in Italy, Oberlin Conservatory, Arizona State University, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Queens Symphony, and the Augusta Choral Society. He has also performed Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the New York Metropolitan Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony and Augusta Choral Society, Handel’s Messiah with Edmonton and Louisville Symphonies, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Choral Society of Philadelphia.

It's tomorrow! It's Monsters and Mayhem with the Greater Omaha Young Professionals.

Don't forget to register! Your chance to participate in this fun event ends tomorrow. Join us!

"Monsters and Mayhem" is a costume party for a cause. Or, in this case, several causes. The beginning of the evening is the Trick-Serve-Give Nonprofit Fair from 5:30-8:00pm. Attendees pay $10 admission to the event which they then receive back in tokens to be given to the nonprofit fair agency of their choice. The money donated goes directly to the chosen nonprofit and attendees participate in creative booth displays and raffles. The second half of the evening includes a costume contest and party. All of this happens on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at the Scoular Ballroom.

Don't miss your chance to be part of "Monsters and Mayhem". More information is on the Greater Omaha Young Professionals website. 

More information about our SECOND Halloween party of 2012 will be posted in a follow-up blog entry about Opera Omaha's participation in National Opera Week. If you want more details now, visit our Facebook page!

We're part of Monsters and Mayhem!

Opera productions and costumes go hand in hand, so it's no surprise that Opera Omaha is part of TWO Halloween parties this year. The first is a great honor and delight. Our organization was chosen through a competitive application process to be included in the Greater Omaha Young Professionals event, "Monsters and Mayhem".

"Monsters and Mayhem" is a costume party for a cause. Or, in this case, several causes. The beginning of the evening is the Trick-Serve-Give Nonprofit Fair from 5:30-8:00pm. Attendees pay $10 admission to the event which they then receive back in tokens to be given to the nonprofit fair agency of their choice. The money donated goes directly to the chosen nonprofit and attendees participate in creative booth displays and raffles. The second half of the evening includes a costume contest and party. All of this happens on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at the Scoular Ballroom.

Don't miss your chance to be part of "Monsters and Mayhem". More information is on the Greater Omaha Young Professionals website. 

More information about our SECOND Halloween party of 2012 will be posted in a follow-up blog entry about Opera Omaha's participation in National Opera Week. If you want more details now, visit our Facebook page!

Today's your last chance! See our LA TRAVIATA today at 2pm!

Our 2012-2013 season opening production of Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata opened on Friday, October 5 and closes today, Sunday, October 7. Curtain time is 2:00pm. It's a gorgeous production full of astonishingly skilled singers and other artisans. Don't miss it!

Tickets start at only $19 and are available at the door or online at Ticket Omaha. The Omaha World Herald review and a lovely production photo are below. Come! Join us! Enjoy the elegance that is a sure harkening to 19th Century French affluence and drama.

Opera Omaha goes big and bold with lush and lavish ‘La Traviata’

Soprano effortlessly soars to vocal stratosphere

By Todd Von Kampen
World-Herald Corespondent
To better appreciate the significance of Opera Omaha's newly opened 55th season, imagine if "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" — respectively the top two

musicals in combined Broadway and London performances — were produced at the Orpheum Theater four months apart.

The corresponding worldwide honors in opera belong to Mozart's "The Magic Flute," which awaits Opera Omaha audiences in February, and Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata," which opened at the Orpheum on Friday night with a lavish musical and visual telling of the tale of a dying Paris courtesan redeemed by love.

Because of tonight's John Williams program by the Omaha Symphony (which provided superb accompaniment in the Slosburg Hall pit under conductor Joseph Rescigno), Omahans have only one more opportunity at 2 p.m. Sunday — to experience an opera that struggled for acclaim after its 1853 premiere but features at least two arias that even novice patrons likely have heard somewhere before.

Based on a story by "The Three Musketeers" novelist Alexandre Dumas, "La Traviata" centers on Violetta Valery, whose health is fading from tuberculosis. She's quite used to losing herself in the refined yet decadent pursuits of wealthy Parisians in the early 1700s. But she doesn't count on young Alfredo Germont, who sweeps away her cynicism with his devotion — but in the process prompts his father, Giorgio, to demand that Violetta give him up to preserve his family.

All this would be difficult to follow if audiences weren't blessed with a captioning screen above the stage to translate the opera's Italian arias and recitatives. Sunday's audience also will enjoy impassioned acting as well as singing from tenor Joshua Kohl (Alfredo) and baritone Jake Gardner (Giorgio), whose characters both are changed forever by Violetta's embrace of her last chance to selflessly love another human being.

Soprano Inna Dukach's portrayal of Violetta seemed to grow as the opera progressed, though that likely can be attributed to the opera's dramatic arc. Her mastery of Verdi's vocal demands is evident throughout in her rich vibrato delivery and her seemingly effortless visits to the vocal stratosphere.

By contrast, Dukach's character seemed dramatically flat in the soiree. Consider, though, the jaded, shallow nature of Violetta's life up to that point. Dukach's presentation changes profoundly as Violetta struggles with her reaction to Alfredo's suit, surrenders to it and then bravely confronts the reality that a fully realized and lived-out love includes periods of suffering as well as times of bliss.

The other singing roles and the chorus shine when given the opportunity, particularly in the soirée scene and a subsequent masked ball featuring depictions of Gypsies, bullfights and flashy flamenco dances. Sunday's audience also should take note of the dazzling colors in the women's gowns and the angled set walls and ceiling beams that create the impression of massive mansion rooms.

Meet the Artist: Jake Gardner

“Opera is when a tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone.” - George Bernard Shaw

In La traviata, the offending baritone is Jake Gardner as Giorgio Germont. Germont is the father of our young tenor, Alfredo, who is in love with our soprano, Violetta. The relationship has caused problems for the Germont family.  One of those is the plight of Alfredo's sister whose fiance will not marry her until her family name is clear. Germont sings a beautiful duet with Violetta and then with Alfredo as he asks the two to end their scandalous relationship and restore honor to the family. 

Mr. Gardner's singing and acting perfectly capture the mood of his character and the scenes. He uses formidable vocal skill to sing a difficult role with finesse and beauty. The relationship between son and father is clear and believable with Mr. Gardner in the role of the elder Germont. 

Don't miss your opportunity to see Mr. Gardner perform the role of Giorgio Germont in Opera Omaha's October 5 and 7 production of La traviata! Tickets are available online at Ticket Omaha or 402-345-0606.

More information about Jake Gardner is available below and on his website. 

Boasting a career which includes performances with major opera companies and orchestras throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, bass-baritone Jake Gardner remains one of the opera world's most sought-after singing actors. Reviews continue to garner praise for his "splendid voice and commanding presence" (Syracuse Post-Standard). After recent performances of Michele and Gianni Schicchi in Puccini's Il Trittico, the Honolulu Advertiser noted, "Words fail with baritone Jake Gardner, who did not play his roles so much as became them - wonderful voice, wonderful actor."

In the upcoming 2012-2013 season, Mr. Gardner will debut with Washington National Opera as Geronte di Ravoir in Puccini's Manon Lescaut, returns to Virginia Opera as Frank in Strauss' Die Fledermaus and sings two of his signature roles with Opera Omaha (Giorgio Germont/La Traviata) and New Orleans Opera (Sharpless/Madama Butterfly).
In the 2011-2012 season, Mr. Gardner sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Arizona Opera, The Mayor in John Mustos' The Inspector at Boston Lyric Opera, Mayor Shinn in The Music Man and the Judge in Lost in the Stars at Glimmerglass Opera and the Musiklehrer (cover) in Ariadne auf Naxos at Lyric Opera of Chicago.  The bass-baritone also returned to his home company, Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY, to direct Puccini's Madama Butterfly as well as sing the role of Sharpless.

For the 2010-2011 season, Mr. Gardner returned to New York City Opera to portray Doc in Bernstein's A Quiet Place, Hawaii Opera Theater to sing Germont in La Traviata and Opera Grand Rapids in his role debut of Geronte de Ravoir in Puccini's Manon Lescaut. In the summer of 2011, the bass-baritone returned to Glimmerglass Opera to portray Buffalo Bill Cody in Annie Get Your Gun alongside Deborah Voight and to sing the role of Ronaldo Cabral in John Musto's one-act opera Later The Same Evening.  On the concert stage, Mr. Gardner sang Verdi's Requiem with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra under the baton of new music director Jean-Marie Zeitouni and Bach's B Minor Mass with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Noted North American engagements from the past few seasons include Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Hortensius in La Fille du Régiment with San Francisco Opera, Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Scarpia in a concert version of Tosca with Boston Lyric Opera, de Brétigny in Manon for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for Florida Grand Opera, Baron Zehta in The Merry Widow with Los Angeles Opera, Jupiter in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld at Glimmerglass Opera, Horace Tabor in Central City Opera's The Ballad of Baby Doe, Sharpless in Renata Scotto's production of Madama Butterfly with Palm Beach Opera, and multiple appearances with Hawaii Opera Theatre, including Wotan in Die Walküre, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Fredrik in Sondheim's A Little Night Music, Michele and Gianni Schicchi in Il Trittico and Scarpia in Tosca. Mr. Gardner also sang Sharpless with Opera Cleveland and New York City Opera and toured in Japan as Gideon with New York City Opera's production of Little Women.

Internationally, Mr. Gardner's career spans most of Europe having begun as the principal baritone at Oper Köln in Germany where he appeared in a vast number of operas including the title roles in Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Germont in La Traviata, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, to name a few. While in Cologne he appeared in Shostakovich's The Nose in a new production directed by Harry Kupfer. He has sung Don Alfonso in Cosí Fan Tutte with Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and performed in a new production of the same opera directed by Trevor Nunn at the Glyndebourne Festival under the baton of Simon Rattle. Other international opera credits include appearances with the Wexford Festival, Budapest Festival, Théâtre du Châtelet, Komische Oper Berlin, and with opera companies in Bonn, Dresden, Vienna, and the Netherlands.

Additional noted engagements throughout North America include Jules Goddard in the premiere of Bolcom's A Wedding at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with San Francisco Opera; Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and Publio in La Clemenza di Tito at New York City Opera; Ashby in La Fanciulla del West, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites and Jupiter in Offenbach's Orpehus In The Underworld with Glimmerglass Opera; Albert in the premiere of Hans-Jurgen von Bose's Die Lieden des jungen Werther with Santa Fe Opera; Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos with Opera Colorado; and Slim in Of Mice and Men with both Vancouver Opera and Cleveland Opera. Mr. Gardner also appeared with the San Diego Opera in gala performances of Die Fledermaus with Dame Joan Sutherland. His Lincoln Center debut was in a nationally televised 'Live from Lincoln Center' concert with Dame Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, and Luciano Pavarotti. He appeared twice in the same season at Carnegie Hall in concert performances of Massenet's Le Cid with Placido Domingo and Grace Bumbry which was recorded live by CBS/SONY.

Mr. Gardner also enjoys a successful career of concert performances, including Mahler's Das klagende Lied with the New York Philharmonic under James Conlon and Janacek's Glagolitic Mass with Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. He also sang the role of Wotan in Jonathan Dove's arrangement of Das Rheingold directed by Christopher Alden with the EOS Orchestra. He appeared with the Mostly Mozart Festival to sing Mozart's Thamos, King of Egypt and later returned for performances of Walton's Belshazzar's Feast. He appeared as soloist in the Proms to perform an evening of music by Kurt Weill and his contemporaries and gave a much-acclaimed Lincoln Center performance of Handel's Saul, which he later repeated at the San Antonio Festival. He most recently performed Verdi's Requiem with both Bel Canto Chorus and Highland Park United Methodist Church, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and Messiah with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to the CBS/SONY recording of his 'Live at Lincoln Center' concert, Mr. Gardner can be heard on a recording by BMG of Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots, which he also performed at the San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera, Edinburgh Festival, Stuttgart Opera, and Virginia Opera. Another Musgrave work, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which was broadcast over BBC and subsequently aired throughout the United States on National Public Radio, was released commercially in April 2011 by NMC Recordings, Ltd. He may also be seen in the original 1983 released film version of Peter Brook's La Tragedie de Carmen and on the CD entitled Afrika Songs composed by Wilhelm Gross with the Matrix Ensemble conducted by Robert Ziegler.

Meet the Artist: James Benjamin Rodgers

Tenor James Benjamin Rodgers sings the role of Gastone in Opera Omaha's production of La traviata. Gastone is a bit of a matchmaker. He leads Violetta and Alfredo into a situation where they begin their affair. Gastone knows that Alfredo admires Violetta and that Violetta will return his affections. He also runs interference between Violetta's current lover, Baron Douphol, and Alfredo. As Gastone, James Benjamin Rodgers sings and acts his part with perfection.

A native of New Zealand, Mr. Rodgers lives and works in New York City with engagements around the world. More information about him is available in the biography below and on his professional website. Join us for La traviata and see Gastone in action!

Go online to Ticket Omaha or call 402-345-0606 to buy tickets to our October 5 and 7 production of Verdi's great drama, La traviata. James Benjamin Rodgers as Gastone awaits!

James Benjamin Rodgers

A native of New Zealand, James Bejamin Rodgers has performed at the Kauffman Center, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Trinity Wall Street, Riverside Church, (le) Poisson Rouge and the renowned Joe’s Pub in New York City. He has appeared with such organizations as The Ravinia Festival, Joy in Singing, Southern Opera, Toledo Opera, The Southern Sinfonia, The Little Orchestra Society of New York, The Orpheus Choir, The Merola Opera Program, The Schwabacher Recital Series, The Banff Centre, The Mac-Haydn Theatre, The NBR New Zealand Opera, Opera on the Avalon, The Bannf Center, The Opera Company of Middlebury, Red Light New Music, Stage Time Collaborative and The Japan Society of New York.

A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, James was the Orvis Foundation Scholar and received the Janet D. Schenck Award for his distinguished contribution to the life of the school. He has studied voice with Joan Patenaud-Yarnell, Neil Rosenshein and Emily Mair. 

In 2011 James has performed with Toledo Opera, Opera on the Avalon and The Banff Center’s Opera as Theatre program. He created the role of Marco Polo in the world premier of Christopher Cerrone’s Invisible Cities, an opera based on Italo Calvino’s novel. A passionate performer of art song, this season James performed Schumann’s Dichterliebe with pianist Jillian Zack, and Liszt’s Tre Sonetti di Petrarca with pianist Liza Stepanova. James also appeared with the Mac-Haydn Theater as the title character(s) in Jekyll an Hyde the Musical.

In 2012 James has appeared in the premier performance of Matthew Welch’s opera Borges and the Other at Roulette, Brooklyn and took the role of Tommy Albright in the Mac Haydn Theatre’s production of Brigadoon. Later in 2012 he performs a series of concerts in New Zealand with pianist Jillian Zack. This program focuses on the life and works of Kurt Weill. James also returns to the Southern Sinfonia as the tenor soloist for the world premiere of John Drummond’s The Journey Home. He will then perform the role of Gastone in Omaha Opera’s production of La Traviata, and will make his Avery Fisher Hall debut as the tenor soloist in The Messiah.

James has performed numerous roles in both opera and musical theatre including creating the role of Marco Polo in Christopher Cerrone’s Invisible Cities in 2011. He is a passionate performer of the art song repertoire and a champion of new music. His awards include: An Arts Excellence Award from the Malvina Major Foundation (2010), Winner of the Joy in Singing Competition (2008), Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition (2007), Wellington Rotary Scholarship, Marie D’Albini Scholarship, Bell Gully Travel Award, Sir Henry Cooper Memorial Scholarship in Music, grants from the Lankhuyzen/Whetu Kairangi Masonic Trust and the Malvina Major Foundation.

James recently completed his debut recording with renowned pianist Kenneth Merrill. The disc, “Exiled” The Extrication of Kurt Weill, will be released in 2012.

James resides in New York City.

All Rights Reserved © James Benjamin Rodgers. 2008

Meet the Artist: Leah Wool

Mezzo-soprano Leah Wool is Flora in La traviata. Flora is a party girl. One of Opera Omaha's staff described her as Violetta's "frenemy". Wikipedia says that the word is a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that can refer to either an enemy disguised as a friend or someone who's both a friend and a rival. This seems accurate for Verdi's character and Leah Wool's current role, Flora.

Ms. Wool plays the role with joy and skill. Her velvety mezzo-soprano and marvelous acting skills convey the impression that she is a friend with a past and an agenda. Join us for La traviata this weekend and see Ms. Wool as Verdi's party girl, Flora.

La traviata is at Omaha's beautiful Orpheum Theater on October 5 and 7. Need tickets?  Visit the Ticket Omaha website or call 402-345-0606.

Leah Wool's biography is printed below. This information and more is available on her website.

Mezzo-soprano Leah Wool has been hailed by Opera News as "among the more distinctive and accomplished artists of her generation," with a "distinguished, lovely timbre."

Ms. Wool's 2012-2013 season includes appearances with Portland's prestigious Chamber Music Northwest, both Nashville Opera and Knoxville Opera as the title role in La Cenerentola; Sacramento Opera, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia; and as Flora in La traviata with Opera Omaha.

In the 2011-2012 season, Leah Wool returned to the San Francisco Symphony as the second mezzo-soprano in Debussy’s Le Martyre de St. Sébastien, bowed in Glass’ Kepler and in recital at Spoleto Festival USA, appeared with Gloria Musicae for Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ, and sang Handel's Messiah with both the Kansas City Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony.

Her 2010-2011 season included returns to Gotham Chamber Opera as the title role in Montsalvatge's El gato con botas and Utah Opera as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opéra Louisiane , and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with The Little Orchestra Society at Avery Fisher Hall. On the concert stage, she returned to Avery Fisher Hall in Copland's In the Beginning and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, debuted with the San Francisco Symphony for the Duruflé Requiem, and sang the roles of Dido and also the Sorceress in concert performances of Dido and Aeneas with the Portland Baroque Orchestra and the Oregon Bach Festival.

In the 2009-2010 season, she sang Hänsel with Kentucky Opera, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Knoxville Opera, and added three roles to her repertoire: the title role in Handel's Amadigi di Gaula with Boston Baroque, Isabella in L'italiana in Algeri with Utah Opera, and Betty in Flora at the Spoleto Festival USA. On the concert stage, she performed Händel's Messiah with the Utah Symphony and the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle with the Gloria Musicae.

In 2008-2009, Ms. Wool sang the title role in La Cenerentola with Orlando Opera, Meg in Little Women with Syracuse Opera, Amastre in Xerxes with Boston Baroque, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Myrtale in Thaïs. In the summer of 2009, Ms. Wool made her debut with Glimmerglass Opera as the Secretary in Menotti's The Consul.

In previous seasons, Ms. Wool appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in performances of the Second Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro and Marshal Murat's Adjutant in War and Peace, bowed as Angelina in La Cenerentola with both Opera New Jersey (role début) and Opera Fairbanks, and joined fellow Yale Opera alumni in concert at Weill Recital Hall as part of the inaugural "Yale at Carnegie" series.

Notable past performances also include the Second Novice in Suor Angelica at the Metropolitan Opera (company début), the title role in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Erika in Vanessa with Central City Opera, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette with Toledo Opera, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Newton Symphony, Delia in Il Viaggio a Reims at New York City Opera, Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Utah Opera, and Léoena in La Belle Hélène with Santa Fe Opera. Ms. Wool was one of a select group of Yale Opera alumni invited to record the complete song collection of Charles Ives, which was released in 2008 on Naxos Records.

Sought after on the concert stage, she has appeared as mezzo-soprano soloist for works including Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor with Gloria Musicae, Haydn's Theresienmesse with the New Jersey Symphony, Handel's Messiah with the Utah Symphony, Duruflé's Requiem with the Greenwich Choral Society, Vivaldi's Gloria with the New Haven Symphony, Bruckner's Missa Solemnis with the Manchester Symphony, and Bach's Magnificat, Stravinsky's Les Noces, and Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass at Yale University.

A two-time Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she is also a 2008 Winner and a 2004 Encouragement Grant recipient of the Sullivan Foundation Awards. Ms. Wool was a Second Place Winner in the 2005 Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Vocal Competition and subsequently made her Alice Tully Hall debut in the Foundation’s gala concert, receiving praise from Opera News as "the afternoon's most arresting voice." Other honors include a 2008 Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, a 2007 Grant from the Giulio Gari Foundation, and the 2003 Judith Raskin Memorial Award from Santa Fe Opera. She was also the 2002 recipient of the Presser Award, a prestigious study grant from The Presser Foundation and the Yale School of Music.

Ms. Wool has been a Young Artist at Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Utah Symphony & Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera North, and the Caramoor Festival. She holds an Artist Diploma and Master of Music from Yale University and received her Bachelor of Music magna cum laude from Westminster Choir College. Ms. Wool is a native of Long Island, New York.

Meet the Artist: Patricia Soria Urbano

In La traviata, Annina is Violetta's trusted maid and frequent companion. The role of Annina is challenging and important. She fulfills the role of confidant and messenger and does it well.

Patricia Soria Urbano is our Annina. Ms. Urbano is a director and performer at San Francisco Parlor Opera. The organization's current season includes a production of Susannah by Carlisle Floyd. The multi-talented soprano has a warm, melodic voice and sings the role of Annina with all the concern and care required. This is a performance not to be missed!

If you don't yet have your tickets, go online to Ticket Omaha or call 402-345-0606 today! Don't miss your chance to see Patricia Soria Urbano sing the role of Annina. Join us!

Ms. Urbano's biography is below and you can find more information about the San Francisco Parlor Opera on the organization's website.

Patricia Soria Urbano, Mexican Soprano, has been lauded as having …’rich, powerful vocals and feisty acting…’ (SF Weekly).  Ms. Urbano is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied under Metropolitan Opera Soprano Ms. Patricia Craig.  Some of Ms. Urbano’s roles include Susannah in Susannah, Antonia, Giulietta, and Stella in Les Contes d’Hoffmann,  Tosca in Tosca , Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Thais in Thais, Marguerite in Faust,  Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte,  Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Pamina in The Magic Flute .  Ms. Urbano has worked with distinguished opera companies in California which include West Bay Opera covering the leading soprano role, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice and Pocket Opera‘s  Emperor Norton as Diana.  Ms. Urbano was the recipient of the Mim Babin Scholarship Award from the American Musical Theatre as well as Redwood City’s Concerto Competition Winner.  She is delighted to be joining Opera Omaha this season.

Meet the Artist: Joshua Kohl

The primary love affair and focus of the storyline in La traviata is the forbidden relationship between Violetta and Alfredo Germont. Alfredo is passionate about Violetta from the beginning of the opera and they leave Paris for the French countryside to be together. But, as often happens when a soprano and a tenor fall in love and want to be alone, a baritone (in this case, Alfredo's father, Giorgio Germont) comes along and tears them apart.

Joshua Kohl is Alfredo in Opera Omaha's production of La traviata. The young tenor sings and acts the part in perfect keeping with the role. He is every bit the devastated young lover, torn between Violetta and the demands of his father and society.

Join us on October 5 or 7 and see Mr. Kohl as Alfredo. Don't miss it! Go online at Ticket Omaha or call 402-345-0606 for tickets today.

More information about Mr. Kohl, including the biography quoted below, is available on his website.

JOSHUA KOHL
Tenor
American tenor Joshua Kohl was called a “tenor to watch” by The Boston Herald and was recently singled out for his “glorious, relaxed performance” by Opera News. The Salt Lake Tribune said of his performance in Macbeth that he “nearly steals the show with his impassioned portrayal of Macduff. The young tenor brings a jolt of urgency to every scene he's in, and the aria in which Macduff expresses his grief over his family's murder is arguably the emotional high point of the evening.”

During the 2012-13 season the tenor will be heard as Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Omaha, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Dayton Opera, Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Southwest, and finally Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. On the concert stage he returns to the New Haven Symphony for performances of Carmina Burana.

Mr. Kohl began the 2011-12 season at Nashville Opera portraying Alfredo in their production of La Traviata, and followed that engagement portraying the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with the Sarasota Opera before returning to Opera Saratoga as the Duke in Rigoletto for which the Albany Times-Union said that his “singing revealed the fullest emotional range of the principals — joy, rapture, rage.” In addition, as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana in his debut with the Hartford Symphony, he “conveyed the roasting swan’s plight with poignancy and humor” (In the Spotlight), making the passage “otherworldly and nightmarish.” (Hartford Courant)

During the 2010-11 season Mr. Kohl sang Alfredo in La Traviata with Tulsa Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera, West Side Story Suite in concert with the Lexington Philharmonic, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with the New Jersey Symphony. During the previous season, he joined the Dallas Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for student matinee performances, Sarasota Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte which was “sung suavely” (Herald-Tribune), Lake George Opera as Don José in Carmen, the Commonwealth Opera as Ferrando in Così fan Tutte, and Utah Opera as Macduff in Macbeth. On the concert stage he was an Artist-in-Residence with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and sang Handel’s Messiah with the New Haven Symphony.

During the 2008-09 season, the tenor sang Rodolfo in La Bohème with the Pittsburgh Opera in a student matinee performance, and made debuts with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as First Jew in Salome and with the Virginia Opera as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. His Nemorino was praised for his “sincere and touching performance. The young tenor displayed a bright voice of great size, yet capable of movement and nuance.” (Portfolio Weekly) On the concert stage he presented a recital under the auspices of the Upper Ohio Valley Opera Guild, joined Yale University for a performance of Stravinsky’s In Memoriam Dylan Thomas, and appeared with
both Opera Providence and Connecticut Concert Opera.

Meet the Artist: Director, James de Blasis

How many people can say that they've directed opera for more than 40 years? How many of those individuals are still directing world-class, professional opera? How many of those still have new ideas that inject excitement into the classics? After narrowing that down, you've got a short list of people that includes our La traviata Director, James de Blasis.

Mr. de Blasis does all of those things and more. He is a force of nature in the rehearsal hall creating moods and scenes for the audience that few others could devise. Opera Omaha is thrilled to welcome Mr. de Blasis for a repeat appearance with the company.

Please take a few moments to read Mr. de Blasis' biography and get to know a little more about this incredible artist.

James de Blasis has been an active Producer, Stage Director and Dramatic Operatic Role Coach all over the United States.  After a professional debut starring Richard Tucker in La Boheme his career flourished with a New York City Opera debut in Carmen, starring Placido Domingo and Beverly Wolff.  After that came came debuts in San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Pittsburgh, Palm Beach, Tulsa, San Diego, Portland, Memphis, Harford, The Schubert Opera and Opera Canada.

Jim took over the Cincinnati Opera as both General and Artistic Director leading that company to international acclaim with productions of rarities like Zaza and Risurrezione, a US premiere, repertoire of vast diversity and discovery of young artists who made major international careers.  He received the Post Corbett Award in Cincinnati as Artist of the Year, The Ohio Governors award for Artistic Administration, served on both the Opera and  National Panels for the National Arts Endowment and received the Opera America Citation for 25 years of Outstanding Leadership of Cincinnati Opera.

Recommended by Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle, Jim became National Consultant to The Corbett Foundation giving financial assistance to 28 Opera Companies in America, including the first grants to the then OMAHA OPERA in the early 1970’s.  He is also remembered locally having directed Beverly Sills in Lucia di Lammermoor which opened the restored Orpheum Theater in 1975.

His operatic repertoire consists of 64 differing operas from L’Incoronazione di Poppea to Boris Godonov. Jim has a special affinity for French repertoire scoring huge successes in Faust, Manon, Romeo et Juliette, Werther, Carmen and Pearl Fishers.

His famous Wild West Elixir has been seen all over the U.S. to great acclaim, and shown on National Television along with his Hansel & Gretel.

Jim says his favorite work is the “one-on-one” coaching of artists with special emphasis on character discovery thru the score and constant work on meaning of the music thru the bel-canto emphasis on text.