Threads & Trills Luncheon and Costume Show

Peanut Butter & Puccini Family Opera Adventure

The OPERAtors Team Up With YPC for Vino & Verdi

Stars of Tomorrow

Apprentice Artist Scenes Programs

Getting To Know You: Hiromi Ito

Box Office Update

Mark Your Calendar:
June 13--Threads & Trills Costume Show & Luncheon. Tickets are just $40 each, call (515) 226-1208 or click here.
June 14 & 16--Peanut Butter & Puccini Family Opera Adventure. Tickets are just $8, call (515) 989-0836 or click here.
June 15--Vino & Verdi Season Kick-Off for The OPERAtors. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Call (515) 961-6221 or email msmith@dmmo.org.
July 5--Stars of Tomorrow Gala Recital and Dessert Reception. Tickets are just $20 for adults or $10 for students (K-12), call (515) 961-6221 or click here.

Threads & Trills Luncheon and Costume Show

The three chapters of Des Moines Metro Opera's Guild team up for one big event every year: the much-anticipated Threads & Trills. This annual luncheon is the first chance for Guild members and opera fans to get a sneak peek at some of the costumes from the season's productions. The costumes are modeled by local celebrities and set off by arias and duets performed from the three operas performed by the principal artists who will sing them onstage.

Held on Wednesday, June 13 from 12:00 until 2:00 pm at Des Moines's Wakonda Club, Threads & Trills tickets are just $40 per person and include lunch and the show. Tickets are available online (click here) or by calling Beth Triebel at (515) 226-1208

This year's event promises to be a great time! Models will include local entrepeneur Max Cardenas, TV personality Brad Ehrlich, State Representative Mark Davitt, Des Moines Register reporter Michael Morain, former Teacher of the Year Ruth Ann Gaines, DMMO's former Executive Director Jeri Mace, Amy Duncan of the Indianola Record-Herald, and Des Moines Guild member Cherie Shreck.

There will be musical selections from Carmen performed by Janara Kellerman, Scott Piper and Karin Wolverton. We'll hear excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream from Randall Scotting and Jane Redding. Allan Glassman, Todd Thomas and Dana Beth Miller will perform selections from Otello.

Peanut Butter & Puccini Family Opera Adventure

Summer vacation is here and you're wondering what to do with the kids. Bring them to Peanut Butter & Puccini! There are two sessions to choose from this year: Thursday, June 14 and Saturday, June 16. Tickets are just $8 per person and include a special performance of Hansel & Gretel, a sack lunch and a backstage tour of the opera theater! You'll see all the different things that go into creating an opera performance, including the costumes, props, wigs and make-up, orchestra and more.

Tickets are available from Kris Hill at (515) 989-0836 or on the DMMO website. Click here to order tickets for June 14. Click here to order tickets for June 16.

The OPERAtors Team Up With YPC for Vino & Verdi

Des Moines Metro Opera's annual event for newcomers to opera, Vino & Verdi, will be co-hosted by Young Professionals Connection and The OPERAtors. Vino & Verdi will be held on Friday, June 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola. Attendees will see how opera evolves from the page to the stage at this unique event with a behind-the-scenes peek into the rehearsal process, a backstage tour and insider's notes from the production staff of the ever-popular Carmen.

The evening begins at 6:00 pm with light appetizers and a wine reception, then continues with the theater tour at 6:30. A brief presentation about Carmen will immediately precede the piano dress rehearsal, which begins at 7:00.

YPC is a leading organization for young professionals in the greater Des Moines area, focusing on networking, social, charitable, civic, diversity and professional development events and activities. The OPERAtors is Des Moines Metro Opera's group for those new to opera and those who want to learn more about the art form in a fun and informal environment.

Join us at Vino & Verdi to celebrate the launch of DMMO's 35th Anniversary Season with a wine reception. The event is free, but reservations are required. Call (515) 961-6221 or send an email to McB Smith to make reservations.

Stars of Tomorrow

DMMO's Apprentice Artists pull out all the stops for the annual Stars of Tomorrow orchestral concert. This is your chance to see these amazingly talented singers take center stage, performing arias, duets and ensembles accompanied by the Festival orchestra.

The "Stars" concert will take place at Sheslow Auditorium on the Drake University campus on Thursday, July 5 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are just $20 for adults and $10 for students (K-12); the ticket price includes a dessert reception with the artists following the concert. Purchase your tickets online or by calling DMMO's Box Office at (515) 961-6221.

Apprentice Artist Scenes Programs

The members of the James Collier Apprentice Artist Program may be the hardest working people in show business! In addition to coachings and rehearsals for their mainstage work as choristers and comprimario artists, they are also hard at work on scenes from a broad range of opera repertory, from well-known works such as Madama Butterfly to harder-to-find fare like Mathis der Mahler.

These scenes are prepared under the guidance of the members of the AAP staff and performed for their colleagues and the public, generally on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. The best part is that the performances are free. There are ten programs in all, encompassing 47 scenes and two one-act operas!

The dates for the remaining programs are:
June 9, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
June 14, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
June 16, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
June 23, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
June 27, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
July 7, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
July 11, 1:30 pm, Lekberg Hall in Simpson College's Music Building
July 14, 1:30 pm, One-Act Operas, Studio Theatre in Blank Performing Arts Center

Getting To Know You: Hiromi Ito

by McB Smith 

In an orchestra, the first-chair violin player fills the role of concertmaster. DMMO's concertmaster, Hiromi Ito, has been playing in our orchestra for seven years. When he's not in Indianola for our Festival Season, Hiromi lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he is a member of the Fort Wayne Symphony. I had a chance to ask Hiromi a few questions and learn more about this gifted member of our opera family.

What does the concertmaster do?
H.I.: I could easily write a book about what a concertmaster does. But let me try to give you a brief answer here. As the head of the first violin section he plays the passages written for a solo violin in the orchestra scores. He is also in charge of the bowing (how the bow is drawn across the strings has a strong impact on the clarity, volume, nuances, and beauty of string playing). Preparation for the bowing starts months before the first rehearsal. All his bowing will be copied by his fellow violinists who normally occupy about one-third of the orchestra membership. Principals in the other string sections will also try to coordinate with his style. The concertmaster, working closely with the conductor, makes decisions in other technical details that will often affect the entire string section. In addition he usually has some administrative and ceremonial duties to perform. In short, the concertmaster has a unique artistic role that influences the orchestra on many levels. 

What attracts you to opera rather than other musical genres?
H.I.: Musical instruments and human voices with the help of wonderful visual effects can create unbelievably powerful moments. There are many great symphonic pieces I enjoy, but these operas that have survived an even more rigorous test of time are so direct, so irresistible and often overwhelming.

What should the audience know about DMMO's orchestra?
H.I.: Like our audience, many of us got bitten by the opera bug ourselves and we choose to play long and hard operas rather than other shorter (and possibly easier) summer jobs. I should add an invitation to our two free chamber music concerts during the season where you can find musicians who got bitten by the ensemble bug too. They are in Lekberg Hall in the Music Building on Simpson's campus at 7:30 pm on July 1 and July 8. Anyway, we always appreciate the support of the audience here.

How long have you been playing the violin? How long at DMMO?
H.I.: For most professional violinists the answer should be "Many many years," since they usually started very early. I started playing the violin when I was 3 years old. However, I was away from the violin for quite a while and fooled around with all kinds of other musical instruments like clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bass, piano, etc. In college I majored in biophysics which, believe it or not, helped me musically. I know it sounds strange, but I am both early and late starter on the violin. This is my 8th season at DMMO.

How did you get into playing professionally?
H.I.: I got paid to play the guitar before I ever got paid to play the violin, and almost took the offer to play a lead guitar in a professional rock band. Anyway, after graduating from college, I was studying composition in Tokyo. One day I got a call from an old friend. He knew I used to play violin and suggested that I audition for the orchestra in our hometown. I thought it might be a good experience for a composer to play in an orchestra and played the audition. The orchestra not only hired me but eventually sent me to Europe to study where I finally got bitten by the violin bug. That's how I started. But boy! I haven't had time to compose ever since.

What brings you back to DMMO?
H.I.:  It is such a privilege to be a part of this well-established opera company and work with many talented and dedicated people. Dr. Larsen's passion for opera is infectious, and we love him despite his occasional yelling at us in the rehearsals. And Indianola is a nice place to stay in early summer.

Box Office Update

Ticket orders have been steady with occasional frenzies since last month! However, there are still seats left for selected performances. You won't want to wait a moment longer to order tickets

The update from the Box Office below was prepared on Thursday, June 7.

A Midsummer Night's Dream:
Saturday, June 23 - Scattered single seats remain.
Sunday, July 1 - SOLD OUT - waiting list started for all sections.
Friday, July 6 - Scattered single seats remain.
Tuesday, July 10 - A handful of seats remain in sections A1 and B. Waiting lists started for sections A and C.
Saturday, July 14 - Scattered single seats remain.

Otello:
Saturday, June 30 - SOLD OUT - waiting list started for all sections.
Tuesday, July 3 - Seats in all sections are available.
Sunday, July 8 - A handful of seats remain in sections A1 and A. Waiting lists started for sections B and C.
Wednesday, July 11 - A handful of seats remain in all sections.
Friday, July 13 - SOLD OUT - waiting list started for all sections.

Carmen:
All performances of Carmen are SOLD OUT with waiting lists started. To place your name on the waiting list, please call (515) 961-6221.

All orders that the Box Office receives will be mailed out within two days of purchase. Often there are ticket exchanges or returns from season subscription purchases, so seats may open up for sold-out dates at any point. And for several performances groups of seats are being held and several of those will be released for sale when those large groups finalize their numbers. Even if your preferred date or section is sold out, there is a good chance that seats may become available soon. When seats become available, they are offered to people on the waiting list, on a first-come, first-served basis. Get your name on the waiting lists now!

Call the Box Office today at (515) 961-6221 to make your reservations or order online at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org!