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.