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City Opera's Erik Gensler speaks with two staff operaphiles about the 2010 Spring Season which includes: a sparkling production of Chabrier’s L’Etoile; the return of the Emmy Award-winning production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and Handel’s intimate romantic comedy Partenope.  Dramaturg Cori Ellison and Director of Music Administration Kevin Murphy provide a behind-the-scenes look at each of these operas - what they are most looking forward to, their favorite moments from each of the opera, and their thoughts on the new and returning artists performing this season.  Cori and Kevin also reveal their favorite moments from each of these works.

New York City Opera is pleased to announce its 2010-2011 season, which spotlights American composers and 20th-Century works within a mix of world premieres, New York premieres and new productions.  The 2010-2011 season will also feature the launch of concert series showcasing the non-operatic works of several of the composers of this season’s operas.  Click here to learn more about the operas and how to secure your seat for what is sure to be an exciting season here at City Opera!

 

New Production/New York Premiere
Acclaimed director Christopher Alden stages a new production of the final stage work of America's greatest theater composer Leonard Bernstein.

 

Inspired by an incident in his own marriage, Strauss's lighthearted domestic comedy creates a real-life portrayal of his temperamental yet devoted wife. This series of short cinematic vignettes with orchestral interludes follows the fast-paced action in a witty production by director Leon Major.

 

Donizetti's Italian classic is reimagined with an American swagger in Jonathan Miller's inventive production that captures the 1950's Southwest, complete with soda jerks, a Ford Fairlane, and a dusty roadside diner.

 

Stefania Dovhan stars as the heart's desire of the lovesick Nemorino, sung by rising tenor David Lomeli in his City Opera debut.

 

This triple bill of cutting-edge mini-opera features three virtuoso sopranos taking on tour-de-force roles that showcase the work of vital innovators of modern music.  The triptych includes La Machine de l’être by New York composer John Zorn, Arnold Schoenberg's groundbreaking Erwartung and the U.S. stage premiere of Morton Feldman's Neither.

 

New Production/New York Premiere
City Opera presents the New York premiere of the first opera by Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar and Grammy-Award winning composer of hit shows Wicked, Godspell, Pippin and numerous Disney films.

 

This psychological thriller stars the mesmerizing Lauren Flanigan as an ambitious psychic who devises a scheme to win the fame she craves.

 

Don't miss captivating concert performances featuring special guests including Christine Brewer, Kristin Chenoweth, Raúl Esparza, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and John Zorn.

 

Bring the whole family to a matinee concert of Oliver Knussen's Where the Wild Things Are, based on the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak.

We here at City Opera have been going through a bit of withdrawal after the recent Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  The 2010 games were truly an exciting time: the drama! the competition! the opera! Yes, that's right.  Opera seemed to be everywhere at this year's Winter Games.  American figure skater Mirai Nagasu placed 4th overall with her free skate to selections from Bizet's Carmen.  Coincidentally, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland also came in 4th overall with his free skate to Verdi's La Traviata.  One of the most talked about moments at the Olympics (at least for opera fans) was the performance of the Olympic hymn by Canadian soprano superstar Measha Brueggergosman.  We were lucky enough to have Ms. Brueggergosman perform at our American Voices concert earlier this season.  Here's a clip of her stirring performance from the unforgettable Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games.

 

 

City Opera resident diva Lauren Flanigan (seen in last fall's Esther) will be featured in The CUNY Graduate Center's "Concerts & Conversations" in a program entitled SOLO: The Art of the Monodrama Tuesday, March 2nd at 7pm. 

 

Subtitled "Wives, Daughters, Queens & Whores-Medieval Voices," the program will include such works as Try Me, Good King (the last words of the wives of Henry VIII) by Libby Larsen, Lady Macbeth (speeches from Shakespeare's Macbeth) by Thomas Pasatieri, Ofelia Lieder by Richard Strauss, excerpts from Telaio: Desdemona by Susan Botti, and excerpts from The Flower and the Hawk by Carlisle Floyd, followed by a discussion. With Miriam Charney, piano, and special guests Annie Ross and Ellen Lauren, among others.

 

Click here to purchase tickets.

 

 

Lauren Worsham has been quite busy since her City Opera debut as Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide back in 2008.  Lauren has paired up with librettist Royce Vavrek (whose opera Dog Days will be featured in this year’s VOX Contemporary American Opera Lab) to form The Coterie, a new company specializing in blending the worlds of musical theater and opera.  The Coterie works with composers whose music blurs the lines between standard musical theater and opera with rock, pop and jazz influences.

 

 “I wanted to fill the niche for the in-between”, says Lauren.  “Royce and I wanted to create a company with a younger audience, so we looked for music that was caught between the genres.” Lauren says that the composers create pieces based on the style and talents of the singers in the company while also experimenting with fusing these varied genres.  “I don’t have formal training in opera, but I am interested in more dramatic and more sophisticated works of musical theater that are falling in line with the direction contemporary opera is taking.”

 

Lauren and Royce will be showcasing the talents of the their company this Monday February 22^nd as they present THE COTERIE UN/PLUGGED, VOLUME ONE: LAUREN WORSHAM AND FRIENDS at the Canal Room.  The benefit concert will include new works by Vavrek, Obie Award-winner Kyle Jarrow, Taylor Mac and more.  These specially-comissioned works with be performed by Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (Falsettos, Company), Theresa McCarthy (Titanic, Floyd Collins) and Andrew Nolen among others.  Lauren says she wanted the concert to appeal to an audience that loved new music but also her friends who didn’t really know opera or musical theater.  For both Lauren and Royce, it really came down to showcasing some fantastic artists. Adds Royce: "With The Coterie un/plugged concert series, we hope to present events that showcase vocalists that fit the mission of The Coterie: a hybrid singer that is an equal vocalist and actor that lives in the music theater realm.  By asking composers to write specifically for these performers we are able to explore the versatility of these awesome artists and cater to their singular abilities.  It's really a win-win situation:  composers get to write material for an ideal instrument, and the singers get music that shows them off to the utmost effect."

 

To purchase tickets to The Coterie un/plugged on Monday, February 22^nd at 7:30, click here.

 

 

"Man’s love is of his life a thing apart; ‘Tis woman’s whole existence." --Lord Byron

Our sparkling production of Chabrier's L'Étoile opens in just a few short weeks.  Though Chabrier is not very well known here in the states (Did you know he ruined many a piano with his ferocious playing?), he was a celebrated composer in his native France.  Noted for creating a sense of frivolity and joy in each of his works, Chabrier was admired by and influenced the likes of Debussy, Strauss, Ravel, Stravinsky and more.   Many people don't know that Chabrier befriended many French Impressionists of his time: Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas (who painted the portrait of Chabrier below)

 

If you want to learn more about Chabrier come to our event, A Chabrier Salon, on March 2nd.  L'Étoile cast members Julie Boulianne and François Loup, and conductor Emmanuel Plasson will be on hand to perform some of the composer's enchanting work.  The evening will be hosted by Dramaturg Cori Ellison.

 

Learn more and get tickets here .

 

City Opera returns this year to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to present Opera at the Schomburg Monday February 1st at 7:00 p.m. As part of our Opera Matters program, this is the beginning of a three part series celebrating the great American opera repetoire that celebrates African-American culture.

 

Opera at the Schomburg will delve into the substantial role of opera in African-American culture, as documented by the Schomburg’s prized collections of rare scores, librettos, images, recordings, films, and documents. City Opera will once again partner with artists from Opera Noire of New York in presenting live excerpts from operas by composers including John Adams, Edward Boatner, Mark Fax, Scott Joplin, Thea Musgrave, Virgil Thomson, and Clarence Cameron White, interspersed with rare visual images, audio, and video clips of such legendary singers as Jules Bledsoe, Ellabelle Davis, Gloria Davy, and Dorothy Maynor, and lively commentary by distinguished guests.

 

We stopped by the office of Cori Ellison, NYCO's in-house dramaturg and the curator for the events at the Schomburg Center to ask her a few questions...

 

 

 

With American Idol returning to the airwaves this month, it’s hard not to notice all of the talent-competition television shows crowding one’s DVR.  With every click of the remote, you’re bound to stumble up on some amateur designers competing to create the best outfit/hairstyle/model pose or celebrities dancing to win who knows what.  Low and behold, another profession is being tackled by the reality-television world: the opera singer.  ITV Studios in London has been commissioned to produce a new reality series entitled Popstar to Operastar.  According to WorldScreen.com, “The show will follow eight singers as they transition into the world of opera, with the help of professional mentors Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon. The contestants will perform world-famous opera songs, training in a completely different style than they are used to and also a completely different language. The viewers decide the winner of the show, voting each week for who stays.”  Interesting fact: host Rolando Villazon (pictured below) played Rodolfo in the 2000-2001 season production of Puccini’s La Bohème, which was filmed for Live from Lincoln Center.  The show is slated to be filmed and released early this year.  What do you think? Will they find the next opera star?

 

Interior Design Magazine featured our fabulous E.V. Day exhibit, located in the promenade of the David H. Koch Theater, as part of their "In the Air, 2009" celebrating the "winds of change that blew through the year's design and art".  You can view the exhibit when we begin our Spring season March 18th!

 

Rice Krispies have been a staple of the American breakfast table for years, but have yours ever been accompanied by a famous aria? Check out this commercial from the late 60s where a father laments the loss of his favorite breakfast cereal.  You may recognize the tune as the big tenor aria "Vesti la giubba", the first act finale of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, made famous by Enrico Caruso.

 

 

 

The song has been featured in numerous films, television shows, commercials, and video games, anywhere ranging from Seinfeld to Grand Theft Auto.

Who knew New York City Opera could be your stepping stone to an Oscar? Wowing critics and audiences, Anna Kendrick is getting rave reviews and Oscar buzz in her role as the uptight Natalie Keener in the new film Up in the Air costarring George Clooney. Kendrick is no stranger to the theater and opera community, having starred in the cult indie hit Camp and earning a Tony nomination for her performance in Broadway’s High Society.  City Opera had the chance to work with Anna in our starry 2003 revival of A Little Night Music (seen here with Claire Bloom).  Check out her interview with Moviefone where she discusses her young start on the stage and her budding film career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think you've heard every version of the world's most famous aria? Check out this rousing rendition of one of Bizet's most beloved classics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One couple who attended Jewish Singles Night at Esther are Jewish Singles no more.  Darren, an opera lover, took his girlfriend, Tracy, to Jewish Singles Night last Thursday.  During the first intermission Darren proposed to Tracy who said "yes."  This was their last singles event.  Mazel Tov. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, opera companies across America are celebrating National Opera Week.  For our part in this celebration, City Opera will be dedicating all performances to this celebratory occasion.
 
We will pay special tribute to Frank Corsaro, who made his directorial debut with us in 1958, and Julius Rudel, who became the General Director of City Opera in 1957, with a short speech from George Steel on stage prior to the performance of Esther this Thursday.  Mr. Corsaro and Mr. Rudel are both recipients of the 2009 National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors.  

 
Check out these videos about each recipient, including City Opera Dramaturg Cori Ellison's interview about the Julius Rudel era at City Opera.

The reviews for our Fall productions of Esther and Don Giovanni are pouring in.  You can access them all in one place in our pressroom.   If you have any reviews or comments about these productions please post them on our Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/nycopera

 

 

With all the changes in the weather lately, it seems like everyone in New York is reaching for tissues and hand sanitizer.  But although we all may get a bit fidgety when the person sitting next to us on the subway starts coughing or sneezing, there are few professions that require more health-consciousness than being an opera singer.  Since we've been interviewing the cast of Don Giovanni lately for an upcoming behind-the-scenes video, we got their opinions on how to survive cold & flu season singer-style.  

 

Other popular answers from the whole cast were to exercise regularly and wash your hands frequently.  "Basically, take care of yourself and be considerate of your colleagues," says Amanda Pabyan, "if one person is sick, it's really easy to pass it from person to person." 

Playbill Arts recently interviewed Joyce DiDonato, who will be appearing here next week in our American Voices concert.  Click here to read the interview.

Greetings Shoppers!

 

It's Dame Lori, writing in to report that October is the Spookiest Month for us at City Opera Thrift Shop...there is so much scary great fun going on.

 

Last week we celebrated with The Costume Event--what an astonishing evening! Over 200 Vintage Costumes donated from the warehouse were on sale...ball gowns, beggars gowns, faustian frocks, flamenco frills, gas masks and cod pieces, too.  When the doors opened, the crowds flew in from alll over the world and fled

through to scoop up these amazing pieces. Hauling out 4 huge bags of costumes were the owners and special effects wizard of Blood Manor, NYC's Most Haunted House, ecstatic over the scary ripped beggars rags they scored to style their monsters and freaks.  On a higher, more sophisticated plane, our friends and devotees, Sophie Eustache and Pamela Meurice, were all aglow in their fine costuming stylings preparing for next year's Carnivale in Venice- their 12th season in a row!

 

 

Oh readers, how I LOVE VINTAGE....and it's coming to City Opera Thrift Shop next Wednesday evening from

5-9:00 pm. Vintage is how I have been able to dress and style myself and it's definitely how I developed my Soul Style.  Finding one piece of vintage can spiritually, emotionally and physically change your personality in a heartbeat.  We have hundreds of pieces that can instantly transform a depressed unemployed customer into a courtesan strolling down The Avenue des Champs-Elysees for less than $50! 

 

I enter the orchestra pit of the basement to explore the VINTAGE scene and bump into Jay Thompson, the leader and genius behind everything genius at the store. Jay knows the power of each piece and sums up this event brilliantly, "VINTAGE is a very fun hodge podge event and big treasure hunt! "

 

Aha, I see the hodging and podging happening in front of my eyes...silk mandarin dresses and robes, batiks from Bali, ponchos from Mexico, sexy mumus and hostess gowns. And as I touch each piece, I imagine all the designers inspired by them....Vivienne Tam, Anna Sui,Todd Oldham, Moschino, Isaac Mizrahi and so on and so on.  And now the little treasures....the gorgeous designers who are resting their souls....Bill Blass, YSL, Chanel and Pauline Trigere all waiting for you, mixed in with other precious designs for you to touch and be visually and sensually inspired. And the furs, always the furs..how 'bout a stole for a steal at $75? Don't forget the endless accessories, big and chunky is the look or dainty and demure....however you want it--VINTAGE will personalize your look with the add on of ONE PIECE and it's CHEAP!

 

For the bigger treasures, I go upstairs to a little sideroom where I find the handsome Jeremy Forbis, assistant manager sporting a new facial style....a beard! Which makes him very profound when he says..."Imagine ABC Carpet & Home with Thrift Shop Prices." I pull a few images out of him... vintage teak, 70's chrome and glass, lucite, 50's daybed. Thank you, Jeremy...what's next- a handlebar mustache?

 

And as I exit, I fix my eyes on a brand new feature at the Shop- Lana Weiss, a 22 year old fashion designer, vintage lover and recent college graduate who just moved to NYC from Illinois to land a job at Vogue's favorite highest quality thrift shop. Wearing a classic vintage red top and blue skirt, this talented young woman gushed that she is "really really really excited about next Wednesday!"

 

Fashion History Continues.

Classic designs never go out of style.

Everything old is new again.

Join the Vintage Revolution on October 28.

5:00-9:00 pm

City Opera Thrift Shop

222 E. 23 St., , between 2nd & 3rd Avenue