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.
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. .jpg)
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