There will be a shift in the Portland Opera’s executive leadership. Per a press release, General Director Christopher Mattaliano will be transitioning to the role of Artistic Consultant at the start of 2019-20 season with Sue Dixon, the current Director of External Affairs, set to become Interim General Director as of July 15, 2019. Mattaliano started working with the organization {…}
There are four operas that rarely get performances in North America, making them all the more essential viewing for the weekend. Here are our top five operas to see this weekend (in alphabetical order by company). Billy Budd – Central City Opera Britten’s masterwork kicks off on Saturday with a production conducted by John Baril and directed by Ken Cazan. {…}
The Portland Opera will present “La Finta Giardiniera” starting on July 12, 2019. The run of the Mozart opera will last six performances, ending on July 27, 2019. The work will be conducted by George Manahan with soprano Lindsay Ohse as Sandrina. Mark A. Thomsen will appear as Podesta. Other cast members include Geoffrey Schellenberg, Helen Huang, Camille Sherman, Thomas {…}
The Portland Opera is set to host a special community recital featuring mezzo-soprano Camille Sherman in her first year as a resident artist with the company. Sherman is set to give a recital accompanied by Portland Opera’s Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor Nicholas Fox. Sherman made her Portland Opera debut this fall as Flora in Verdi’s “La Traviata” and will sing {…}
Portland Opera has announced its 56th season. In a press statement, General Director Christopher Mattaliano said, “The 2019/20 season is a celebration of the art of opera. This season gives us the opportunity to explore works spanning four different centuries, from Bajazet, which premiered in 1735, to Three Decembers which premiered in 2008. We cannot wait to bring our audiences {…}
On May 14, 2019, the Portland Opera will present baritone Geoffrey Schellenberg in recital. This performance, scheduled for May 14 2019, at the Whitsell Auditorium of the Portland Art Museum, is part of the company’s 2019 Resident Artist Series. Schellenberg, in his first year as a resident artist, will work alongside Nicholas Fox, who is Portland Opera’s Chorus Master and {…}
The PHAME Academy, an organization which empowers adults with development disabilities to lead creative lives, and the Portland Opera have announced that it will put on a collaborative rock opera this August at the Hampton Opera Center. The opera focuses on a young writer who creates a number of poems that take on a life of their own. The two {…}
Portland Opera will host a special community recital featuring tenor Thomas Cilluffo alongside Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor Nicholas Fox on the piano. Cilluffo is a second-year resident artist with the company. He made his Portland Opera mainstage debut as a soloist in the 2018 Big Night Concert, and performed the role of Borsa in “Rigoletto.” He has also appeared {…}
In our selections for this weekend’s top picks, we examine a few classic masterpieces with some solid casting as well as some new operas that are gaining some traction across the continent. Here is a look at our selections, in alphabetical order by company. La Bohème – Dallas Opera On Saturday evening, audiences will get a chance to check out {…}
Portland Opera will host a special community recital featuring second-year resident artist Helen Huang. The performance is part of the company’s Resident Artist Series, which consists of “intimate and direct performances – focused on the singer, the pianist, and art song.” The soprano will perform works by female composers and poets, as well as Chinese folk and art songs. She {…}
Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed’s “As One” will get a run of performances at the Portland Opera throughout the last week of March. The performances will star Hannah S. Penn as Hannah after while Lee Gregory performs as Hannah before. Andreas Mitisek will serve as Director, Conductor, Set, and Costume Designer for the production with Connie Yun as {…}