Iowa Public Television’s broadcast of “Des Moines Metro Opera Presents Billy Budd” has won the 2018 Upper Midwest Emmy in the Arts/Entertainment Program division.

The 2018 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Gala and awards ceremony was held on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, with the team of creators Judy Blank, Andrea Coyle, Chad Aubrey, Jim Leasure, David Feingold, Kevin Rivers, Neal Kyer, Rick Fuller, Steve Carns, Phil Blobaum, Scott Faine, and Darrin Clouse receiving the award.

This is the fourth year that one of IPTV’s broadcasts of a Des Moines Metro Opera production has been nominated in this category.

Previous nominations came for the company’s productions including “Le Comte Ory” from the 2014 season and “Jenůfa” from 2015. Last year  “Des Moines Metro Opera Presents Manon” was the first time the company won the Upper Midwest Emmy.

“Billy Budd was a seminal artistic achievement for Des Moines Metro Opera,” DMMO’s General and Artistic Director Michael Egel noted in a press release.”We were honored to present the world premiere of a new performing edition of this rarely performed masterpiece and equally excited that the production was captured for a broader audience. The extraordinary caliber of IPTV’s efforts coupled with DMMO’s commitment to high-quality artistic experiences has created wonderful viewing opportunities for an ever-growing number of people.

“We are grateful to the artists, donors and IPTV personnel who have made these broadcasts possible over the last six seasons.”