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 {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera is set to collaborate with the Iowa National Guard and Camp Dodge for a series of performances of “Glory Denied.” The production, which takes place on Nov. 16, 17, and 18, will be fully produced at Camp Dodge with the Iowa National Guard providing consulting to the creative teams needs. “The Iowa National Guard is {…}
While the summer is in full swing, there aren’t all that many companies in production at the present moment. That said, there are still a plethora of solid offerings. Here’s a look at our top picks, in alphabetical order by company. Rocking Horse Winner / Vinkensport or The Finch Opera – Opera Saratoga This unique double bill features music by {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera has announced its 2019 Festival featuring three mainstage productions and two second stage series operas. Michael Egel, General and Artistic Director of the DMMO noted, “Our 2019 season features a bold and exciting combination of titles both familiar and new. Building upon the power of sung stories as they can only be told in Des Moines {…}
The 2017-18 season comes to an end. Now what do you do? Or more like where do you go? Opera lovers know that there are a plethora of festivals to check out, but many are distant from their own traditional opera companies and it can turn into a challenge trying to figure out where to fly out to in the {…}
Des Moines Metro Opera has announced a concert and reception featuring internationally acclaimed countertenor John Holiday. The concert, which is set for Sunday, April 8, will feature an eclectic mix of opera, jazz, and gospel selections and will be held at the sanctuary at Plymouth Church in Des Moines. Holiday will be joined by Scott Arens, DMMO’s director of marketing {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera’s Words and Music at the Carnegie Capital Campaign has successfully completed its fundraiser. The company announced that it was able to raise over $4 million, exceeding its original $3.5 million goal. General and Artistic Director Michael Egel announced the news at a donor recognition event to celebrate the campaign’s success. In total the campaign had over 175 donors, {…}
It’s a busy weekend in North America with close to 70 performances taking place all over the continent. With so much activity from such major companies, pinning down just a handful to recommend to the operagoer was a rather challenging task. But here is a look at five performances to see this weekend around the States and Canada. As One {…}
The summer festival season continues with a few companies putting on new and exciting productions. Portland Opera showcases its new production of “Così fan tutte” on Friday, while Wolf Trap Opera unveils its own “Tosca.” Pittsburgh Opera Festival debuts its own “Xerxes” production that same night. Charlottesville Opera continues its production of “Rigoletto,” as does Central City Opera with “Carmen,” {…}
The summer continues its torrid pace with a number of major companies showcasing production premieres. The Glimmerglass Festival kicks off its 2017 season on Friday with “Porgy and Bess,” which stars Musa Ngqungwana. The same goes for the Pittsburgh Festival Opera, which debuts that same night with “Sweeney Todd,” which also plays on Sunday. Meanwhile, Des Moines Metro Opera showcases {…}
The Des Moines Metro Opera has announced the repertory for its 2018 season which will also include the company’s 46th Summer Festival and two Stages Series. The company’s season will include such operas as “Die Fledermaus,” “Rusalka,” Jonathan Dove’s ever-popular “Flight,” and a production of Kaminsky/Campbell/Reed’s one-act opera “As One. There will also be a production of Aaron Copland’s “The Tender {…}