"...one of the best nights of opera stuff I have ever enjoyed--and this includes all the shows I have seen from my 2nd row seat at LA Opera, Opera Bastille, Covent Garden, and Staatsoper in Berlin." audience member (email)
"...I have not seen any singing event that entertaining in a very long time. The joy of spirit and bounding creativity was astounding." audience member (email)
THREE SUMMER PRODUCTIONS in 2008!
2.60
NON-BORING ORIGINAL OPERA - Title TBA Each summer during OperaWorks' four-week Summer Intensive Program, we create an original 3-act opera to showcase the 30 international singers in residence. The 2008 creative team includes Ann Baltz, directors Cathy Hurst and John Ahart, choreographer Paula Thomson, and music directors Shane Schag, Chun-Wei Kang, and Dan Bridston.
Because we won't know the storyline, the cast or the repertoire for this summer's original opera until the singers arrive, we encourage you to stay tuned to this space where we will update you weekly as the plot develops! (Previous productions are described below).
Two Performances Only!
Saturday, July 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 27 at 2:00 p.m.
Recital Hall
California State University, Northridge
TICKETS $23 general $18 for seniors/students/servicemen ($25/$20 at the door)
2.64
EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE Our new Emerging Artists Program Showcase features 28 international singers in an afternoon of opera arias, songs and ensembles. Co-directed by Laurel Goetzinger with music directors Dan Bridston, Suzanne Recer and Lisa Sylvester, this afternoon offers audiences a chance to hear up and coming stars!
One Performance Only!
Saturday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Recital Hall (in Cypress Hall)
California State University, Northridge
2.75
SUMMER OPERA NIGHT OperaWorks' 2008 Accelerated Advanced Program will culminate in a moving and thought-provoking performance piece incorporating opera, physical theater and movement created by choreographer Paula Thomson, director Melissa Weaver, and music directors Elvia Puccinelli and Ann Baltz.
This production introduces audiences to a new way of experiencing a "concert." In two short weeks, singers have learned to let go of the traditional "plant and sing" mindset to perform in a music-physical theatre piece that is vibrant, exciting, and relevant and engaging for today's audiences.
Two Performances Only!
Friday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Recital Hall (in Cypress Hall)
California State University, Northridge
MY OTHER, MY SELVES
8.91
2007 Summer Program Production Another unique and fascinating operatic adventure from Ann Baltz and Eli Villanueva. Teaming up with the 2007 Cast from OperaWorks' nationally acclaimed summer program, they created an original fantasy opera incorporating standard operatic repertoire into a new plot.
My Other, My Selves" opens the door to "Andrew" who suffers from mulitple personality disorder. This uncharacteristically dramatic opera features 30 extraordinary singers who take us to The Internet, a Speed-Dating session, a Beauty Pageant, and a Jail cell -- all as parts of Andrew's mind.
TREY VEET, DETECTIVE and the CURSE ON THE HIGH C'S
8.92
2006 Summer Program Production Yet another impossible plot finds its way into OperaWorks' ever-expanding repertoire of original operas! Curse on the High C's begins with a Detective's fateful meeting with a Femme Fatale.
In their search to end the curse, they encounter a vengeful lover, cheerleaders gone bad, and a pianist who just won't die!
This hilarious three-act opera incorporated favorite arias into a new plot, all connected by dialogue improvised in performance!
So...get in, sit down, take your dramamine and join the search for the Curse on the High C's!
APRIL FOOLS
8.93
2005 Summer Program Production Three babies are born in three unconventional places: at a high school reunion, a wedding reception, and the "Labor of Love" Birthing Center.
In 2005, featuring 30 singers from across the country, OperaWorks created yet another original opera with an unpredictable plot and favorite opera arias, centering around the birth of three young children born on April Fools Day.
ARIA STAYIN' ALIVE?!
8.94
2004 Summer Program Production The 2004 Summer Program's original 3-act opera was yet another plot filled with lots of intrigue, and many colorful characters...
.........and some off-color ones...
including a flamboyant funeral director...
a narcoleptic bodyguard...
a hysterical IRS agent...
and a mailman with an "interesting" hobby.
ROYAL FLUSH
8.95
2003 Summer Program Production This original opera again used well-known and well-loved opera pieces and improvised dialogue to "glue together" a wacky new plot that involved none other than...
the winners of a Reality TV relationship show....
the prison warden who dislikes Trekkies...
prisoners...
guards...
the warden's daughter
Trekkies from all walks of life....
...and other surprise characters !
NUPTIALEDOPHOBIA ...A Minister's Nightmare
8.96
2002 Summer Program Production As the culmination to the Summer Intensive Program of 2002, OperaWorks presented NUPTIALEDOPHOBIA: A Minister's Nightmare.
It is the story of a minister who can no longer perform marriage vows without catastrophic consequences, the work featured treacherous demons, desperate brides, lost grooms, and a host of other memorable characters.
Audiences were treated to an unforgettable experience!
ARIA M'DADDY?
8.97
2001 Summer Program Production This wild and zany opera closed the Summer Intensive Program of 2001.
"ARIA M'DADDY" centers around a dysfunctional family reunion in which the patriarch is shot by misguided participants in a Murder Mystery game.
The three act opera featured a cleptomaniac aunt, cross-breeding cousins, a disgraceful Dr. Love and his perennially pregnant nurses, and the ever popular Geri Springer, host of her very own cable TV home decorating show.
Some audience members found this show educational, although that was not our intent...
OPERAWORKS IN PURGATORY
8.98
2000 Summer Program Production What happens when God and Satan make a bet on a national TV ?
In 2000, OperaWorks created a three-act opera about it. Jay Wad, the popular host of the "Jay Talk" talk show, becomes the target of a wager between God (as a homeless activist) and Satan (as a female philanthropist).
Jay is whisked away to the cruise ship, SS Purgatory, where he is sorely tempted by an accomplice of Satan. But, before he succumbs to her ways, he is tranported to a cable TV psychic show where he is saved by God.
Crazy? Unbelievable? Irreverant? Too much fun? You bet!!
BRING OUT THE BRIDE
8.99
1998 Summer Program Production As she reaches the altar to marry her fiance', a bride is mistakenly arrested by the INS and taken to jail !
This opera, created in 1998, is the story of her wedding day: from the church, to jail, to court. "BRING OUT THE BRIDE" was populated with double agents, hookers, inept lawyers and a rodeo-style judge.
The action runs the gamut from a fight in the jail between the bride and hookers, to the courtroom with dueling lawyers, and ending with a beautiful reunion of the bride and groom.
This show was an emotional roller coaster!
THE FLIP SIDE SERIES
9.90
Imagine what happens when talented singers and directors have fun with some of the greatest works in opera. Audiences were treated to that very experience in FLIP SIDE, FLIP SIDE 2 and FLIP SIDE 3.
The Flip Side Series presents a wild juxtaposition of the classic with the hilarious. These performances balance well-known works as they were meant to be performed with clever send-ups that include costume snafus, translation goofs, unintended plot twists, and incongruent operatic medleys.
Originally conceived as an opera performance in which anything that could go wrong, does, FLIP SIDE premiered as the Los Angeles Times "Pick of the Week."
FLIP SIDE 4 is our 2008 Fundraising Event production. Join us on Saturday, May 3, 5:00-7:00 PM for wine, hors d'oeuvres, and this hilarious backstage look at opera.
CONCERT OPERA SERIES
9.95
The Magic Flute OperaWorks' Concert Opera Series offers well-known operas at truly affordable prices with the goal of enticing new audiences to opera. The Magic Flute is sung in German with English dialogue, minimal staging, and user-friendly introductions. The cast features singers from New York City, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. This opera is part of OperaWorks' Role Preparation Course, offering career-bound singers the opportunity to learn and perform complete roles without the pressure of a fully-staged production.
The Magic Flute is made possible in part with a generous gift from the Opera Guild of Southern California.
TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY:
• Friday, April 25, 2008 7:30 pm
Northridge United Methodist Church
9650 Reseda Blvd, Northridge CA 91324
• Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:00 pm
Glendale Central Library
222 E. Harvard St., Glendale CA 91205
Tamino - Darron Flagg*
Pamina - Shelly McDowell
Papageno - Justin Lundsford
Queen of the Night - Laura Parker*
1st Lady - Hannah Waldman*
2nd Lady - Jayme Alilaw
3rd Lady - Anna Larsen*
Sarastro - Philip Nash
Monostatos - Corey Trahan
Monostatos (preview) - Robert Norman*
1st Spirit - Stephanie Howard
1st Spirit (preview) - Emily Dyer
2nd Spirit - Julia Aks
3rd Spirit - Argenta Walther*
Papagena - Alysha Conroy*
1st Priest - Robert Norman*
2nd Priest - Sean Sullivan
1st Armed Man - Robert Norman*
2nd Armed Man - Sean Sullivan
Speaker - Maurice Godin (Guest Artist)
Priest - John Paton (Guest Artist)
*=OperaWorks alumni
Musical & Dramatic Preparation - Ann Baltz
Conductor - David Aks
Movement - Paula Thomson
9.96
La Boheme In the Spring of 2005, OperaWorks launched La Bohéme-a Concert Opera as the first in a series of OperaWorks' New Concert Operas, offering career-bound singers the opportunity to learn and perform complete roles without the pressure of a major production.
NEW WORKS & COLLABORATIONS
9.96
Tony Caruso's Final Broadcast a one-act opera in ten scenes performed with chamber orchestra
OperaWorks presents the World Premiere of "Tony Caruso's Final Broadcast" at the NOA and NATS national conventions in Los Angeles. This one-act opera by Paul Salerni (composer) and Dana Gioia (librettist) was the 2006 winner of the NOA Chamber Opera competition. This opera is produced through generous contributions from the National Opera Association; the LA Opera Community Programs; the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication at California State University-Northridge; and the Opera Guild of Southern California.
Friday, January 4, 2008
7:00 PM
The Biltmore Bowl
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
SYNOPSIS The opera takes place in a classical music radio station on the last night of its
operations. (At midnight the station's new management will convert to an easy-listening format.) The station's final program, "Opera Lover," is hosted by Antonio Caruso, a failed tenor who has worked on the show for 27 years.
CAST: Christopher Campbell* (Tony Caruso)
Erika Wueschner* (Maria Callas)
Kristina Driskill* (The Dark Woman)
Wendy Elizabeth Cooper* (Tony's Mamma)
Laura D. Parker* (Intern)
Bruce Wright* (Engineer)
Hannah Waldman* (Nun)
Vincent Robles* (Priest)
Julie Bermel+, April Amante+, Jayme Alilaw+ (Marketing Trio)
Steven Lanzarotta (Young Tony)
and special guest Henry Fogel as the Announcer
David Aks*+ (Conductor, Co-Music Director)
Eli Villanueva-- (Director)
Ann Baltz*+ (Producer, Co-Music Director)
Steve Karr (Rehearsal Pianist) *=artist associated with OperaWorks
+=artist associated with California State University, Northridge
--=Eli Villanueva's services are graciously provided by the LA Opera.
9.97
"Underwater" and "Beached"
The [Lester Horton Dance] award for outstanding achievement in performance by a dance company went to break-dance veteran Jacob "Kujo" Lyons' interdisciplinary dance and physical theater troupe Lux Aeterna for two works: "Underwater" -- which was indeed performed underwater -- and "Beached."
OperaWorks faculty David Aks (cello), Ann Baltz (piano) created the improvised music for both award winning dances, while Paula Thomson served as artistic advisor for the collaboration. OperaWorks alumni Laura Parker (soprano) and Kristina Driskill (mezzo) performed vocal improvisations onstage in performance at the Ford Amphitheater in October 2007.
OperaWorks collaborated with California State University Northridge's dance program in a multi-disciplinary performance of "The Diary of Virginia Woolf" by Dominick Argento. The cast of dancers and singers were choreographed by OperaWorks faculty Paula Thomson. OperaWorks alumni Erika Wueschner (soprano), Kristina Driskill (mezzo) were soloists and dancers onstage.
SING-IN THE HOLIDAYS
9.99
Annual Holiday Concert Back by popular demand, OperaWorks presents the 3rd Annual "Sing In the Holidays" concert! Audiences enjoy the beautiful, poignant, funny and outrageous, all performed by OperaWorks alumni.
Singers: Briana Blythe | Alysha Conroy | Wendy Elizabeth Cooper | Kristina Driskill | Craig Johnson | Amanda McAllister | Robert Norman | Julie Morrissey | Cheri Stark | Kyla Page Williams | Bruce Wright | Erika Wueschner Instrumentalists: David Aks, cello | Ann Baltz and Dan Bridston, piano
And that isn't all! Audience members join the performers in singing the thrilling Hallelujah Chorus!
At the performance, students from the Oakwood School will sell artisan work made by indigenous women's cooperatives in Chiapas, Mexico. All proceeds go directly to these women. www.chiapasproject.com
Sunday, December 2, 2007
2:00 PM
Unitarian Church of Studio City
12355 Moorpark St, Studio City
SUMMER 2008 features three new diverse productions showcasing 83 international singers in residence at OperaWorks' summer training programs! Don't miss a single performance!
