The Atlanta Opera has announced the addition of four new members to the company’s Board of Directors. The new members, who come from diverse backgrounds will provide a unique vision and skill set to further the Opera’s strategic plan. The four new members are Elizabeth Adler, Sandra Morelli, Alex Simmons, and Bill Snyder. Adler is a Counsel in King & {…}
Music was always a major part of bass-baritone Wayne Tigges’ youth. As the youngest of 10 kids, his father was part of a professional barbershop quartet and the majority of his family members were singers in one way or another. The young Tigges was also a lead singer in a heavy metal band called Aftershock. From there he would eventually {…}
This weekend will feature a ton of opera across North America, with companies opening a number of productions and others closing them up. First, let’s take a look at the new runs opening this week. Saratoga Opera’s “La Traviata” gets its first performances on Friday and Sunday while Opera Omaha presents its only two “Tosca” showcases of the year those {…}
The Atlanta Opera is slated to present “From Opera to Opry: Liquor, Love, and the Lord later this year. The showcase, which will take place at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse this Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, in collaboration with ADA Ovations. The holiday concert enters its second year after a successful showcase in Dec. 2016. The program is written by baritone {…}
Times are good for the Atlanta Opera. The company has just announced that it will receive a $1.2 Million, three-year grant from The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The gift “will partially underwrite both the successful Discoveries series and the Studio Tour through the 2020-21 season. The Opera previously received a $600,000, two-year grant from the Molly Blank Fund {…}
The busy weekend in the US continues throughout with a number of companies continuing previously unveiled productions. Before we look at continued runs, let’s look at some of the first-timers this weekend. Among those is LA Opera’s production of “The Pearl Fishers,” which opens on Saturday with a cast that includes Nino Machaidze, Javier Camarena, and Alfredo Daza. Over in {…}
The fall opera season continues growing with more and more opera companies opening their doors. This will be the first weekend of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-18 season. While the company has no shows scheduled for Friday, it will have a double header of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” on Saturday during the afternoon and “Die Zauberflöte” in the evening. The former stars {…}
In recognition of his skills and experience, The Atlanta Opera has named Micah Fortson as their new Managing Director. For over a decade Fortson has served in production and stage management for companies such as San Francisco Opera, Steppenwolf Theatre, and New Orleans Opera. Following this, he spent the next seven years with the law firm Fortson, Frazer & Siegrist, {…}
The Atlanta Opera has issued a statement due to Hurricane Irma. Per the company’s Facebook page, “due to potentially severe weather conditions, The Atlanta Opera Center will be CLOSED Monday, 9/11. We expect to be open 9/12 unless conditions require otherwise.” The statement was issued after Gov. Nathan Deal declared Georgia in a state of emergency due to Hurricane Irma’s anticipated {…}
The Atlanta Opera has announced the six members of the 2017-2018 Atlanta Opera Studio following a successful inaugural season in 2016-17. The Studio will feature three returning and three new artists, selected from 300 applicants and nearly 150 live auditions. Tomer Zvulun (General & Artistic Director), Lauren Bailey (Director of Artistic Administration), Rolando Salazar (Interim Chorus Master/Music Administrator), and Wade Thomas (Artistic {…}
Being a general and artistic director for any opera company is quite a massive challenge. Especially a growing one like the Atlanta Opera. Now imagine giving yourself another massive job on top of such, say director of three productions for your upcoming season. Most people would balk at the proposition, but not Tomer Zvulun who is not only running the {…}