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OPERAzzi: DMMO's E-Newsletter
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January 18, 2007
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Welcome to OPERAzzi's brand-new look! There are a number of great features in this updated format, including an easy link to forward this message to a friend and a link to update your email preferences with us...you'll find these links at the bottom of the message, so check them out. As always, we love to hear from you. Send your comments and suggestions to McB Smith. We hope you enjoy your new-and-improved OPERAzzi!
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Arias in Ames Featuring Janara Kellerman: January 21
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Arias in Ames
Featuring Mezzo-soprano Janara Kellerman
With Accompanist Paula Forrest
Sunday, January 21, 2:30 p.m.
Northminster Presbyterian Church, 1416 20th Street in Ames
Tickets: $25, call 515-292-8741
(Tickets also available at the door)
Students admitted free
Proceeds support the Des Moines Metro Opera
Ms. Kellerman, a native Iowan and Simpson graduate, receives rave reviews for her powerful, velvety voice. She was highlighted in the Opera News review of DMMO's 2006 productions of both Rigoletto and The Magic Flute. She will return to DMMO to sing the title role in Carmen for the 2007 Festival Season. Hear her now in recital, singing arias, art songs and Broadway hits. Her talent will amaze you and her personality delight you! Ms. Kellerman lives in NYC and sings with the New York City Opera.
Arias in Ames is sponsored by the Ames Chapter, DMMO Guild.
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OPERA Iowa's Don Pasquale: January 26
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Des Moines Metro Opera's educational touring troupe will present a preview performance of Donizetti's comedy Don Pasquale at 7:00 pm on January 26, 2007, at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. To share this hilarious musical farce with families, tickets have been priced at just $5 per person and are available by calling DMMO's box office at (515) 961-6221. This is award-winning entertainment at combo-meal prices!
Founded in 1986, OPERA Iowa is launching its 21st season with this performance. Don Pasquale will be presented by the five members of the touring troupe, accompanied on piano by the group's music director, Eric Andries. After the performance, audience members are invited to greet the artists at a reception in the galleries at Hoyt Sherman Place.
Don Pasquale shines as one of the great comedies by bel canto composer Gaetano Donizetti who is perhaps best known for his celebrated tragedy Lucia di Lammermoor. Don Pasquale combines a love story with elements of classic Italian commedia dell'arte, the theatrical tradition that places stock characters in amusing situations creating comedy meant to entertain the masses.
Chosen from nationwide auditions, the OPERA Iowa troupe brings together talented young performers to share their love of opera with audiences of all ages. The members of the 2007 OPERA Iowa troupe are: soprano Vivian Krich-Brinton of Davis, CA; bass Aaron Sorensen of Omaha, NE; tenor Drake Dantzler of Austin, TX; baritone Benjamin Werth of Brooklyn, NY; and bass-baritone Bryan Franklin of Atlanta, GA. The music director is Eric Andries of Baton Rouge, LA and the technical director is Rory Horkan of Baraboo, WI. Des Moines Metro Opera's Education Director and Artistic Administrator, Michael Egel, is the OPERA Iowa Tour Coordinator.
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Wine & Food Showcase: February 23
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Get your tickets now for the Wine & Food Showcase--just call DMMO's box office at (515) 961-6221 or download a ticket order form!
5:30 pm - THE MAESTRO'S TASTING
$125 per person,
includes admission to The Grand Tasting
Start your evening with The Maestro's Tasting and enjoy premium wines in the elegant Iowa Ballroom. Donated by private collectors, these wines will tempt your palate and whet your appetite! Finish your culinary journey at The Grand Tasting.
6:00 pm - THE GRAND TASTING
$50 per person or $45 per person in groups of 6 or more
The Wine and Food Showcase Grand Tasting takes you on a tour of cuisines and beverages from around the world and right here at home! In the Hall of Cities you'll feast on sumptuous fare from Iowa's best chefs, restaurants and caterers plus hundreds of wines from renowned local, national and international wine makers, as well as microbrewed beers, gourmet coffees and teas. This is an unlimited sampling extravaganza and it's always a fantastic event-gather your friends and enjoy an evening of great tastes! At The Grand Tasting you can indulge in gourmet offerings from: 801 Steak & Chop House Bravo! Cucina Italiana Cedar Ridge Vineyards The Continental Cool Basil Thai Restaurant Crave Bar, Grill & Fondue Des Moines Embassy Club Edible Arrangements Godiva Chocolatier Gong Fu Tea Great Harvest Bread Company inPlay & Forte Banquet Iowa Beverage Systems Iowa Wine & Beverage John Ernest Vineyard & Winery Johnson Brothers of Iowa JT's Fine Wine & Spirits La Vida Loca Winery Lucca Restaurant Maggie Moo's Maytag Dairy Farms Mezzodi's MJ Wines Mosaix Restaurant & Wine Bar Palmer's Deli & Market PF Chang's China Bistro Rock River Grill & Tavern Romance Wines Romano's Macaroni Grill Southern Hills Winery Splash Seafood Summerset Winery Sweet Binney's Tandoor Authentic Indian Cuisine Underground Inc. The Village Bean Co.
Stay tuned to OPERAzzi for announcements of additional vendors!
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All About: The James Collier Apprentice Artist Program
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This month, we're learning more about DMMO's training program for young singers. The Apprentice Artist Program is one of the largest of its kind, providing learning and performing opportunites to 40 to 42 talented young vocal musicians each summer. Over 1000 artists apply for these coveted positions each year and approximately 700 are heard in live auditions in four cities around the country. Any artist who doesn't receive a live audition is invited to sumbit a recorded audition, which means that Dr. Larsen has some 300 CDs to listen to before final selections are made!
Once the singers have accepted the invitation to join the Company, they arrive in Indianola at the end of May for a seven-week residency. During that time, they work very hard! They
- rehearse for mainstage productions, in which they make up the choruses, fill many of the smaller roles and cover the principal roles
- rehearse for the Scenes Programs, a series of 10 free concerts featuring one-act operas and scenes from traditional and contemporary repertory
- work closely with a staff of 12 professional music coaches and stage directors to learn new roles and focus on specific issues of concern
- attend daily classes and seminars covering areas such as Diction and Languages, Stage Combat, Make-Up Techniques, Acting for Singers, Audition Techniques, Life in the Business and much more
- perform in mainstage productions, scenes programs and special fundraisers like Cabaret Night Live and Peanut Butter & Puccini.
The AAP has two dedicated co-directors, Dugg McDonough and David Neely (you can learn more about them in this month's Getting To Know You article). Dugg focuses on the stage technique side, while David heads up the music side of the program. They work with a talented staff of coaches and directors who are drawn from opera companies and universities across the country to provide an amazing experience for the young artists.
DMMO's training program was established by founders Dr. Robert Larsen and Doug Duncan in the Company's infancy because they recognized the importance to the future of opera in America of high-quality training for the next generation of singers. The AAP is entering its 33rd season this summer!
The AAP was recently named in honor of one of our staunchest supporters, James Collier, to acknowledge his commitment to the Program. A retired teacher of English Literature, Jim's generous gifts over the years demonstrate his love of music, as well as his dedication to teaching and learning. Jim says, "My mother loved the opera. At first I didn't know very much about it, but as the years went by I learned more and made friends in Indianola and it really grew on me. I wanted to honor my parents and to encourage DMMO's dedication to teaching; supporting the Apprentice Artist Program was the perfect way to do those things!"
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Getting To Know You: Dugg McDonough and David Neely
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Dugg McDonough and David Neely
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by McB Smith
This month I talked with the Co-Directors of the James Collier Apprentice Artist Program, Dugg McDonough and David Neely, to learn more about two important members of DMMO's Festival staff.
McB: What are your roles within DMMO?
Dugg: 2007 will mark my 15th year as Co-Director of DMMO's Apprentice Artist Program (now the James Collier Apprentice Artist Program), and I am very grateful for, and proud of, the longevity and success that we have achieved. My primary duties for the program (we co-directors wear many hats during the summer) are to organize and administrate all performances and offerings for the apprentice artists, as well as to act as one of the staff stage directors for scenes and one-act operas that are performed by the young singers throughout each DMMO season. In recent years, I have also developed and run sessions in audition skills, monitored and participated in a variety of discussions and seminars, and starting in 2006, organized and supervised our Cabaret show in downtown Des Moines. After all of those duties, it is my daily job to try to answer questions and solve problems for the apprentices and to create as much of a positive and productive environment as possible throughout the course of their time with us.
David: In addition to being the Co-Director of the AAP, I am the assistant conductor for one of the mainstage productions and I am head of the music staff.
McB: What attracts you to opera rather than other musical or performance genres?
Dugg: I'm a theater guy through and through, although I was trained as a musician from my earliest years. My first love was American musical theater, and Broadway cast recordings still occupy my CD player a lot! As a director and performer, my experiences have encompassed opera, musical theater, and plays. In college I began to explore opera, and especially through the works of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and Monteverdi, I quickly came to a fascination with the art form's richness, depth, and history. Early in my operatic experience, I also fell in love with many of the masterpieces of 20th-century (and now 21st-century) opera.
David: It's simple, really--great music combined with great drama and great voices.
McB: What keeps you coming back to DMMO season after season?
Dugg: The people! And the Company's commitments to both the apprentice artists and to American opera! Beginning at the top with Robert Larsen, DMMO has a long-standing tradition of honoring some of America's finest young talents. That dedication spreads throughout each summer's artistic and administrative staffs, creating one of the most positive working environments in any American festival. Each summer, I look forward to working with Artistic Administrator Michael Egel, my fellow AAP Co-Director David Neely, and our talented resident team of musical coach/conductors and stage directors. This past year, I have enjoyed getting to know new Executive Director Thomas Smith, and I look forward very much to my continued association with him.
David: I really enjoy the unique family-like atmosphere of the Company and the high artistic standard.
McB: What is your favorite part of working with the Apprentice Artist Program?
Dugg: The singers-and the staff! It is endlessly exciting to work with the many outstanding young talents that populate DMMO every summer. It is wonderful to rub elbows with their vocal and theatrical gifts and to be able, in many cases, to help in the growth of their performance skills. Also, I get a huge kick out of creating scenes and one-act operas from a wide variety of repertoire through staging concepts that are both traditional and non-traditional. The constant experimentation that occurs in our apprentice performances is an endless source of stimulation and fun!
David: The quality of the apprentice artists is always very high. It is exciting to collaborate with talents that are on their way up and be able to give them something to take along the way. I particularly enjoy the individual coachings and master classes.
McB: What has been your most satisfying moment during your time at DMMO?
Dugg: After all of my years with the Company, I simply can't pick one moment or event. But I have most enjoyed chances, in our apprentice artist performances, to create scenes (and occasional one-acts) from new, neglected, or unusually challenging repertoire, such as Kurt Weill's Mahagonny, Aulis Sallinen's The Red Line, or Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark. One proud memory is my 2004 collaboration with Maestro David Neely and a talented cast of singers on the difficult last scene from Alban Berg's Lulu. And then there were performances, on two occasions, from my own opera, Ordinary People, that were very well received. Lastly, it is always wonderful to direct scenes from favorite American musicals (Oklahoma!, Carousel, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, etc.) that often introduce aspiring opera singers to these great works.
David: I'd have to say that scene from Lulu or getting to walk on my hands in last year's scene from Ariadne auf Naxos!
McB: What else should audience members know as they watch the apprentices onstage?
Dugg: Our apprentice artist performances are terrific chances, as the title of our yearly gala concert suggests, to catch the "stars of tomorrow"! Audiences can and should support our singers by seeing and hearing them on as many occasions as possible. Whereas the apprentices fill both the chorus and supporting roles on our DMMO mainstage, the best opportunities to hear their solo skills are in our scenes programs, one-act opera presentations, Cabaret show and the annual "Stars of Tomorrow" concert. All of these performances are open to the public, and I hope that everyone will attend and enjoy these exciting events!
David: I'd like people to keep in mind the amount of talent and dedication that it takes on the part of the young artists to get to this point and how incredibly hard they work during the Festival Season.
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