December's Guild Chapter Meetings

You are invited to attend one of DMMO's Guild meetings in December! There are three chapters to choose from: Des Moines, Ames and Indianola. Click here to learn more about the scheduled programs.

Des Moines: Tuesday, December 16 at 6:00

Ames: Tuesday, December 9 at 7:30

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 

The Iowa District Met Auditions will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 6, in the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall in the Music Building on the Iowa State University Campus. Winners of the District Competition will advance to Regional competition; winners at the Regional level will advance to the National finals at the Met. 

The Iowa District has a history of producing singers who have gone on to the National Finals including John Osborn, John Michael Moore and Eric Cutler.

Wine & Food Showcase: February 20, 2009

You won't want to miss DMMO's biannual sampling extravaganza! It's central Iowa's only unlimited tasting event! Think of it as a 14,270 square foot all-you-can-eat buffet! Tickets are just $50 per person or $35 each for groups of eight or more. Click here to order your WFS tickets now.

Already the area's best chefs, caterers, brewers, and wineries are lining up to be a part of Wine & Food Showcase! You'll be able to try signature offerings from
--Cyd's Catering
--Iowa Beverage Systems
--John Ernest Vinyard & Winery
--Maytag Dairy Farms
--P.F. Chang's China Bistro
--Shane's Rib Shack
...and many more!

"Diva-dends," DMMO's gift certificates, make wonderful gifts for friends and family members who don't need any more "stuff" in their lives! Diva-dends are available in any amount. Just call Dennis Hendrickson at (515) 961-6221 to give the gift of great opera this holiday season.

All About DMMO Auditions
by Michael Egel, Artistic Administrator 

Des Moines Metro Opera is now about half-way finished with our annual audition season. So far, we have heard over 500 auditions for both principal artist positions in our mainstage operas and for the 40 positions in the 2009 James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program. We heard two days of auditions in Baton Rouge, two days in Chicago, and five days in New York. We'll hear one more day of auditions in Indianola in late December. Our Baton Rouge auditions were hosted by the Louisiana State University Music Department. We often find that schools with a larger than average population of singers are interested in hosting auditions for important training programs as a perk of enrollment for their students. It is not uncommon to hear young singers of promise who might not have the opportunity or financial means to audition for the program in one of the other audition locations. 

No matter the city, our audition days are usually long, beginning with the first singer at 9:00 in the morning and finishing with the last between 5:00 and 6:00 each day. In Chicago, we rent a hall from the Chicago Youth Symphony and in New York, we rent a hall from NOLA Sound Studios. NOLA is a hub of the New York musical scene, situated in midtown Manhattan. With several audition halls and one common lobby, it is not unusual for DMMO to be holding auditions right next door to auditions for other opera companies or even musical theatre productions. This season, we were next to auditions for a new production of The Fantastiks. The hallways, corners and even the restrooms were quite literally filled with couples rehearsing scenes from the show for various call-backs. Broadway auditions are certainly quite different from opera auditions!

DMMO provides a pianist to accompany each singer. We do this to ensure that each singer has the same quality of accompaniment. For our New York auditions, we have a great pianist in Joseph Smith. Joe has played for DMMO's auditions for well over 15 years and knows every obscure corner of the repertory like the back of his hand. It is rare for a singer to bring in a piece that he does not already have at least passing familiarty with. In those rare instances, he is able to read it at first sight. Not only does he sit through every audition that we do, he spends the majority of the day seated on a hard piano bench with few bathroom breaks!

In addition to spending all day listening to singers, we spend the evenings attending performances and keeping abreast of major productions being mounted at the Met, New York City Opera and even on Broadway. This year, some of the productions we saw included Manon and The Pearl Fishers at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Seagull and A Man For All Seasons on Broadway, Dr. Atomic at the Met, the annual concert for the Richard Tucker Foundation and a wonderful recital at the Morgan Library featuring the unlikely duo of DMMO alums Lauren Flanigan and Corey Bix.

From these auditions we can finish casting the mainstage roles and continue to populate the Apprentice Artist Program. It is always exciting for us to sit down after the trip and go through our detailed notes on each singer. Many of the openings in the AAP will be offered right away to those singers whose talent stood out from the crowd. After the final day of live auditions in Indianola, we'll listen to each and every recorded audition that was submitted. The rest of the positions in the AAP will be then be filled. By the time the singers arrive next summer, we will have heard between 800 and 1000 auditions for our mainstage roles and apprentice positions!

We find ourselves in a time of great change and challenge. The current financial turmoil dominates the headlines, making us all more eager to focus on our day to day well being. But I ask that you join me in looking ahead to what will be another fantastic summer of grand opera in Iowa, as we present our 37^th Festival Season.

Puccini's Tosca, a quintessential example of Italian verismo opera (and my personal favorite), will sweep you away in its lush melodies and poignant drama. There are several spine-tingling moments in this great score, including the Act I "Te Deum," the tenor's stirring high B flat as his cry of "Vittoria!" rings through the Palazzo Farnese, and of course, Tosca's famous show stopper, "Vissi d'arte." Our cast will be led by three incomparable artists - Carter Scott in the title role, making her Company debut, Drew Slatton as Mario Cavaradossi, and Andrew Costello as Baron Scarpia.

Der Freischütz is an operatic rarity in the 21^st Century, though for no sound reason. The score of the opera, based on a German legend and the folk music of the time, was an instant success, and at one point was widely toured throughout America. It is a tale of supernatural struggle, where love eventually conquers evil. This production will be led by two American singers with major national and international careers - Jeffrey Springer singing Max, and Brenda Harris, who will sing Agathe. We are also pleased to welcome back Iowa native Melanie Long in the role of Ännchen, following her delightful portrayal of Oscar in last summer's production of Un Ballo in Maschera.

The Barber of Seville is one of the repertoire's greatest comedies, filled with familiar tunes and loveable characters. Unlike Der Freischütz, the premier of Barber was a fiasco, with several on-stage problems and a negative audience reaction. But the work quickly found favor among the public, and has been a staple of the repertory ever since. Barber returns to the DMMO stage after an absence of ten years, and features several great friends of the Company in its cast - including Jane Redding as Rosina, John Michael Moore as Figaro, and John Osborn singing the role of Count Almaviva, which he performed to great acclaim last year at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Art is often used as a means of escaping our everyday life, and that can perhaps provide no greater comfort than it does now. America's opera companies have not been immune to economic reality, and several of our peer organizations have reported reductions in performances, productions, or even the cancellation of their season. I am happy to say that Des Moines Metro Opera remains in a strong financial position, and while we are mindful of every expense, and tireless in making every sale and fundraising call we can, I am confident that the 2009 season will be a great success, both artistically and fiscally.

When times are challenging, the arts can bring us solace and reassurance, renewing our spirits and feeding our souls. Though the opera season is still several months away, I earnestly hope that you will make the commitment to attend all three operas, and guarantee yourself that beautiful escape that a night at the theatre can provide. This year, your support is more critical than ever, and I can promise that you will not be disappointed, and you will certainly be uplifted. I look forward to seeing you all next summer!