On May 13, 2022, Portland Opera will present a special, one-night-only event in celebration of Maestro George Manahan’s tenure as their Music Director. Titled, “The George & Friends Concert,” the PO Chorus and Orchestra will be joined by guest artists and friends of the longtime director, performing arias and ensemble pieces from works such as “Carmen,” “Tannhauser,” “Lakme,” “Candide,” “Sweeney {…}
Portland Opera to Go (POGO) returns this month with “A Journey of Faith/Un Camino de Fe” by Héctor Armienta and Marcos Ochoa. “A Journey of Faith/Un camino de Fe” is based on a true story and is a story within a story. It begins with a young Latina in high school who is convinced that her family’s story is not {…}
Portland Opera is set to present “The Central Park Five” starting on March 18, 2022. The opera, composed by Anthony Davis to a libretto by Richard Wesley, will be directed by Nataki Garrett and stars Soltero Donovan as Antron McCray, Aubrey Allicock as Yusef Salaam, Bernardo Holcomb as Kevin Richardson, Nathan Granner as Kharey, Victor Ryan Robertson as Raymond Santana, {…}
The Portland Opera has received a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The company received $30,000 to support its production of “The Central Park Five,” which is scheduled for performances in March 2022. “We are so grateful to the National Endowment of the Arts for their support of this production of ‘The Central Park Five,’ and we’re so excited {…}
(Credit: Portland Opera official website) The Portland Opera has announced the upcoming U.S. premiere of Leslie Uyeda and Rachel Rose’s opera “When the Sun Comes Out.” The opera house will present six performances of the opera on Jan. 28 and 30, Feb. 3, 5, 10, and 12, 2022 at the Gregory K. and Mary Chomenko Hinckley Studio Theatre at the {…}
Portland Opera has announced that Damien Geter will take on the position of interim Music Director beginning Oct. 1. Geter is an accomplished composer, bass-baritone, and actor. His library of compositions includes chamber, orchestral, and vocal works that focus on social justice. He has been seen on the operatic stage with Portland Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, and many {…}
Editorial Note: A previous version of this article stated that George Manahan was retiring. This is incorrect. He is stepping down from his position but will continue working in different capacities. The article has been altered to reflect this. George Manahan, the Music Director of the Portland Opera for the last nine years, has announced that he will be stepping {…}
Portland Opera has announced that it will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or negative tests from a COVID PCR test for all ticketholders for the 2021-22 season. Per a press release, “fully vaccinated” means that ticketholders have “received their final vaccination dose of either the two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson {…}
Portland Opera has announced that Priti Gandhi will be its new artistic director. Gandhi will work alongside general director Sue Dixon as well as artistic advisors Karen Slack and Damien Geter to develop the company’s artistic and repertory planning and casting. She will also engage in the development of the Portland Opera Resident Artist Program and direct the artistic program. {…}
Portland Opera has announced that it will be canceling performances of “Frida” on June 26 and 27. The company stated that the cancellation would be necessary due to “extreme heat warnings.” Per a press release, patrons with tickets to the performances would have an option to attend an added performance scheduled for Friday, June 25. The opera, which was directed {…}
Portland Opera has announced the launch of its Ensemble Leader Fellowship Program, meant to provide meaningful career advancement experiences for emerging professionals of color. The company has named Jasmine Johnson as its very first Ensemble Leaders Fellow during their upcoming 21-22 season and will help develop the program in its pilot year. An alumnus of PO’s Resident Artist program, Johnson {…}