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| Mainstage Opera Update
All three operas are really coming together! The tech crew has been working very hard and the sets are starting to come to life! Rehearsals are beginning to take place on the stage where you will see them! And there are coachings and rehearsals all day, every day! These productions are going to be AMAZING!
Here is an update on ticket availablity:
June 25 - Section B sold out - Seats available in A1, A and C
June 26 - All seating sections available
June 27 - Sections B and C sold out - seats available in A1 and A
July 2 - All seating sections available
July 3 - All seating sections available
July 4 - All seating sections available
July 6 - All seating sections available
July 7 - Section B sold out - seats available in A1, A and C
July 9 - Handful of seats left in all sections
July 10 - Handful of seats left in all sections
July 11 - Call for the waiting list
July 13 - All seating sections available
July 14 - All seating sections available
July 16 - All seating sections available
July 17 - All Seating sections available
July 18 - Sections B and C sold out - seats available in A1 and A
Don't despair if your preferred date or section is on the list above--call our Box Office at (515) 961-6221 now to be placed on the waiting list. We often have subscribers who wish to exchange their tickets for another date, or patrons who must release their tickets due to an unavoidable conflict, and we can often find seats for those on the waiting list. If your preferred date isn't on the list above, DON'T WAIT! Order your tickets right away by phone at (515) 961-6221. Want to order your tickets online? Use the links below!
Click here to order tickets for The Marriage of Figaro.
Click here to order tickets for Macbeth.
Click here to order tickets for Susannah.
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James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program
The James M. Collier Apprentice Artist Program is one of the driving forces behind each and every Festival Season. The Program was established 36 years ago to provide career training to emerging singers to help them bridge the gap between their academic studies and the world of professional opera.
Each summer, 40 exceptional young singers are singled out from over 850 auditions as the best and the brightest. These 40 singers then spend seven weeks in Indianola taking part in one of the largest and most highly-acclaimed programs for young artists. They delve into intensive work with coaches and directors from around the country, studying all aspects of stagecraft and honing their vocal talents.
The Apprentice Artists study, rehearse and perform over 35 scenes in a series of 10 programs over the course of the season. Chosen from every corner of the repertory, you'll see scenes from favorite operas like La Traviata and Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as rarer works like Vĕc Makropulos and Le Comte Ory.
These performances typically take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1:30 pm, but this week's performances will be Thursday and Saturday! They are held in Lekberg Hall in the Amy Robertson Music Center on Simpson College's campus. This week's scenes programs will take place on Thursday, June 17, and Saturday, June 19, and will feature excerpts from the following operas: The Turn of the Screw, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Don Giovanni Sextet, L'Incoronazione di Poppea, A Streetcar Named Desire, Arabella, Lohengrin, Eugene Onegin, La Bohème, and Luisa Miller.
Click here to see the complete schedule of performances.
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Wednesday, June 16, 12 - 2 pm
Opera fans will get a sneak peek at the costumes from the season's operas while enjoying arias and duets sung by principal artists from each show this Wednesday at the Jordan Creek Holiday Inn. Lunch is included with the purchase of a $40 ticket.
Des Moines celebrity Mike Pace will act as Master of Ceremonies for the afternoon while local celebrities will strut their stuff as costume models. Models will include Michele Griswell, a graduate of Berry College who currently serves on the Board of Directors of Des Moines Metro Opera; Michael Morain, an Ames native who works for the Des Moines Register; Brad Ehrlich of Channel 13 News; Sophia Ahmad who is an online entertainment reporter for the Des Moines Register; Matt McCoy, an Iowa State Senator; and DMMO's own Leslie Garman!
Craig Irvin , Sarah Jane McMahon, Michael Mayes, Beverly O'Regan Thiele, John Marcus Bindel, Todd Thomas and Brenda Harris will be singing selections from this season's The Marriage of Figaro, Macbeth and Susannah.
Click here to purchase a ticket to Threads & Trills.
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Peanut Butter & Puccini Family Opera Adventure
Thursday, June 17, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm and 11 am - 2 pm; Saturday, June 19, 11 am - 2 pm
Peanut Butter & Puccini offers you a chance to bring your children and grandchildren to DMMO's home theater at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola for a backstage tour. See everything that goes into creating an opera production! We'll show you the costume shop, the wig and make-up stations, the props department, the catwalk where the lights hang, the orchestra pit, and the stage itself, where the singers give amazing performances. Each ticket includes a peanut butter sack lunch and a kid-friendly performance of Hansel and Gretel! This event has become so popular over the years that three dates are offered.
Don't miss it! Click here to order tickets now.
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Q and A with stage director of Susannah, Dugg McDonough
You have a fine history with Des Moines Metro Opera. What about this company is the most exciting to you?
Three things. 1) Its vision (Dr. Robert Larsen's foresight of bringing festival opera to the Midwest), 2) its dedication to great American opera, and 3) its sincere commitment to the young American singer.
What about the work of Carlisle Floyd is interesting to you as a director?
Everything. Mr. Floyd is perhaps our greatest living American opera composer (and librettist), and he is a master at wedding music and drama. Also, he writes real American opera on American subjects (Of Mice and Men, Cold Sassy Tree, and Willie Stark, in addition to Susannah).
Do you approach the stage direction of American Operas differently than more standard repertory opera?
Not really. Great music drama is great music drama, regardless of language or national origin or century. I try to set action to music and character. However, the familiarity of American stories and settings does provide, for me at best, a bit of an artistic "comfort zone."
What are some of your career highlights?
This DMMO Susannah (I hope). Also, our LSU Opera DVD of Floyd's Willie Stark. A recent Tristan & Isolde in Bulgaria. And wonderful memories of times in great companies (New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, as well as, of course, DMMO).
Most recently, you have become involved [in] teaching. How does operatic work in academia differ from the professional world of operatic production?
In university productions and classes, you are focused both on overall quality of performance and on the artistic growth of young performers. I find the academic challenges constantly, and freshly, exciting!
What is the most difficult piece you have ever had to direct?
Candide. Act II presents challenges of structure, clarity, and shape. But the piece is wonderful, smart fun.
What was your worst moment in the theatre?
An Italian comedy (unnamed) for a southern festival (unnamed) that I had to direct while my marriage was in big trouble. I don't recommend that combination of experiences to anyone! Also, in my "breakout year" as a professional director in the late '80's, I shattered my ankle on the ice in NYC the night before my flight and lost 4 out of 5 jobs! Recovery on all counts was slow!
Tell us one thing nobody knows about you.
In college, during my musical theater performance years, I once sang the Count in The Marriage of Figaro on a dare. I heard it was actually good!
Click here to learn more about Dugg McDonough.
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