NEWS

Recent News at Opera Theater

Millie Awards on May 2, 2010

Celebrate with this year's Millie Award winner, William E. Strickland, Jr, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, and Bidwell Training Center.
Evening begins at 6 PM and will include wine, hors d' oeuvres, dinner and performances by Keith Dean, Maureen Budway and Ernesta Pollard with Ray Blackwell as accompanist. Tickets are $150.

Home of Henry P. Hoffstot, Jr.
5057 Fifth Avenue
Shadyside

For more information, please contact Victoria at Opera Theater at 412-621-1499 x10 or vsieffert@operatheaterpittsburgh.org

---

 

March 27th, 2010

Please join us for a free symposium, “Stephen Foster in American Cultural History,” which will take place in the Henry Heymann Theatre on April 24rd & 25th. Did you know that the Center for American Music is the world’s go-to place for anything Stephen Foster and has over 30,000 materials reflecting his works, composers influenced by him and music throughout American history? Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh.

Click here for speakers and schedule.

---

This season has been a success thus far! LoveSpell got a great review on pittsburghlive.com

Click HERE to see the review.

The obscurity of the opera "L'Incantesimo" (The Love Spell) was shown to be a classic case of artistic injustice by enchanting weekend performances of it by Opera Theater. The story, in which the magical power of love triumphs, was apt for Valentine's Day weekend.

The one-act opera by Italo Montemezzi was performed in its original Italian with projected English translation. Although the composer was Italian, his musical style shows strong German influence in this piece, particularly Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, along with a bit of France's Claude Debussy. Yet these influences were absorbed rather than mirrored. Montemezzi's music casts its own irresistible spell.

Anna Singer was superb as Giselda, whose love for her husband Folco is met with indifference. Tenor Daniel Teadt acted superbly as Folco, particularly in projecting his introspective discomfort. He sang with a wide dynamic range, but his loud singing was dull for being unvaried on Saturday night.

Craig Priebe, as the shrewd Salamone, sang with ample reserves, while his acting had the calm assurance of a wise person. Richard Furman played the ardent Rinaldo, a friend of Folco who was Gisela's lover before her marriage. After a winter garden blossoms as though it's spring, Rinaldo regains Giselda, and love triumphs.

Conductor Bernard McDonald led the winning performance, which used a brilliantly reduced orchestration created by Robert Frankberry. The Hall of Sculpture at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland was a beautiful visual setting for the performance.

---

 

July 10, 2009

Season 09-10

Opera Theater will announce its 09-10 Season at the end of summer... Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn wrote an opera?! Montemezzi in the Art Museum on Valentine's Day? Stephen Foster in the Stephen Foster?! Stay tuned!!!

---