The Atlanta Opera: December 2011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Move over Sugar Plums...

By Ellen Sturgill

Chocolate bars are dancing around our heads here at The Atlanta Opera!

What do you get when you mix opera with five children, one zany confectioner, a dash of magic, and lots and lots of chocolate bars? The Atlanta Opera's second opera of the season, The Golden Ticket! This new and delightful opera is based on Roald Dahl's beloved tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and will take you on a journey into the magical world of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Commissioned by American Lyric Theater and Roald Dahl's widow, Felicity Dahl, The Golden Ticket features all the sweet delights familiar from the book, including chocolate rivers, inflating blueberries, and magical elevators.

The road to creating this opera, however, wasn't as smooth as Wonka's famous chocolate. Composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock struggled with legal issues surrounding Dahl's book, as well as getting companies to take an opera based on a children's story seriously. The Golden Ticket's world-premiere in June 2010 at Opera Theater of Saint Louis was an enormous success. The production entertained audiences, and proved that opera isn't just love triangles and death scenes.

"Delightful: a fanciful tale meets... opera. Sturrock's libretto bubbles along with fun rhyming couplets, and the music is surprisingly sophisticated." (Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell, on the Opera Theater of Saint Louis premiere)

Atlanta audiences will certainly see things they've never seen before. This new production combines dramatic sets, special effects, and elaborate costumes that are sure to delight.

Peter Ash's music also strikes just the right notes, with whimsical orchestrations, as well as dramatic arias that parody traditional opera styles. Many of the singers are familiar with the opera, having sung it in the world premiere. These singers include bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka/Mr. Know, tenor Andrew Drost as Augustus Gloop, and baritone David Kravitz as Lord Salt. Also reprising a role is Abigail Nims, who sang the role of Veruca Salt in Wexford Festival Opera's production.

Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka. Photo: Courtesy of Opera Theater of Saint Louis.

The Atlanta Opera is also thrilled to have The Golden Ticket composer Peter Ash coming to conduct the performances. Having the original composer of an opera conduct is a rare treat, and we are excited to have such a new production in our 2011-2012 season. If you can't wait until March to see more from this opera, visit our website for more information, as well as videos and audio clips of The Golden Ticket.

After all this talk of chocolate, are you craving something sweet or savory? Then you're in luck!

In this week's blog post, we thought we'd not only give you a sneak peek of the The Golden Ticket, but also a taste of the opera, too!

The recipe links below include treats from the five children of The Golden Ticket. They are easy to make, and don't worry, these indulgences will not inflate you like a blueberry, or get you thrown into the trash by squirrels! At least, we don't think they will... Enjoy!

Augustus Gloop's Finger-Lickin-Good Chocolate Fudge

© Kraft Foods

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Opera at Warp Speed!

By Ellen Sturgill

Are you dying to break into the opera world? Have you been wishing for an opportunity to showcase your music, talent, and skills? Would you love to be a reality TV star like Snookie, Donald Trump, and the Kardashians? Well, we can't really help you with that last aspiration, but here at The Atlanta Opera, we have the perfect opportunity for those of you looking to let your voices be heard! Presenting the second annual...

The 24-Hour Opera Project was created to promote outreach and awareness by encouraging the community to become involved in opera. This event also gives composers, lyricists, directors, and singers an opportunity to showcase their art for the public. Those selected to participate will be randomly partnered in teams, given a theme for their opera, and then let loose for 24 hours to create a one-of-a-kind production. The creative process will be filmed, so you can be a part of all the action! There will also be a "Confession Cam," similar to your favorite reality TV shows. After the 24 hours is over, the teams will present their operas to a panel of judges, a public audience, and a live webcast. Prizes will be awarded for the Judge's Choice, as well as an Audience Favorite.

A scene from last year's Audience Favorite, Scrub-A-Dub Raw. © Tim Wilkerson

Why am I feeding you all this information? Because there is still time to join the fun! Composers, lyricists, directors, and singers have until December 21 to apply by visiting our website. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to spend 24 hours with people who love opera, who enjoy being creatively challenged, and who simply want to have a blast!

Atlanta Opera staff and last year's 24-Hour Opera Project participants. © Tim Wilkerson

The videos and images in this article are from last year's event, and will give you a glimpse of the excitement to come! Enjoy!

Bass Larry Frazier, tenor Charles Baugh, and mezzo-soprano Sharon Blackwood rehearse A Toast for all Toasts. © Tim Wilkerson

Video of the launch party for last year's event. © Cherokee Rose Productions

The infamous "Confession Cam." © Cherokee Rose Productions

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Sing we joyous, all together!

By Ellen Sturgill

The Atlanta Opera has already decked its halls, and we are now ready to "fa, la, la" this holiday season! If you're wondering how you can get into the holiday spirit, look no further than The Atlanta Opera Holiday Concert. In our third annual holiday concert, eight selected soloists from The Atlanta Opera Chorus will be performing at All Saints' Episcopal Church. The ensemble will be joined by organist Peter Marshall, and conducted by Atlanta Opera Chorus Master, Walter Huff.

Photo courtesy of Walter Huff

The concert is a special tradition for us, and we thought that for this week's blog, we'd speak to Walter, and get the inside scoop on what makes this concert the perfect opportunity to ring in the holidays. Enjoy!
1. How did the Holiday Concerts get started? They started about three years ago. We’ve always wanted to do something during the holidays as an opera company. Years and years ago, the opera presented Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at Spivey Hall. We did that opera for about five years during Christmas, and it was a lovely event. This, however, was probably 15 years ago, if not even more.

Since then, there really hasn’t been anything, and Dennis and I had been interested in presenting a Christmas performance with The Atlanta Opera Chorus. But presenting the full chorus in December is almost impossible, with their schedules. So, I had the idea of selecting eight choristers who would be a good fit. Linda Bailey, who is the coordinator of the All Saints’ Episcopal Church concert series, began to communicate with the Opera about hosting a Christmas concert there. And the Holiday concerts have been an incredible success. We sold out the first year. The second year we did two performances. This year, we are doing one performance that is expected to sell out. There really is nothing like this concert on the Atlanta concert scene during the holidays!

The All Saints’ Episcopal Church is a beautiful setting. It is accessible, and stunning. It has Tiffany stained-glass windows, candlelight, and it is a great place to hold the concert. This church seats about 450, so it’s not small, but it’s also not overwhelming. It sets a scene for a nice, intimate evening.

2. What will the repertoire be this year? The music ranges from sacred to secular. At times, all eight singers perform together as a small chamber ensemble, and then there are duets, trios, and each singer has a solo piece. Every singer is showcased, but they are also singing together in a great choral blend. We are performing a wide variety of music by Bach, carols in French, German, and Welsh. There is even a beautiful early colonial American Christmas carol, a gospel piece, and a nice arrangement of the “12 Days of Christmas” from the King’s Singers. This year will be interesting in that we are also doing an excerpt from Amahl and the Night Visitors that we used to put on at Spivey, so that will be a nice connection to our past holiday programs. This concert is similar to a PBS holiday offering. There is great variety, and truly, something for everyone.
3. Do you have a favorite piece, or one that you are most looking forward to performing this year? It is a 90-minute program with twenty selections, and thirteen of them are new for this year. It’s very hard to pick a favorite! I think the Gospel piece “Come to the Manger” is a great selection, sung by Tim Miller, who was part of our Porgy and Bess cast (2010). We are also doing a very nice arrangement of “White Christmas,” which is new. And I love our lush arrangement of “Silent Night,” and a beautiful Italian carol for tenor that Pavarotti made famous. We also have boy soprano, Will Trimble, joining us for the excerpt from Amahl. He did this solo at First Presbyterian, so that will be excellent to have him joining us. We end with a spectacular finale of “O Holy Night” with the whole ensemble, and this piece is a great ending for the concert.
4. This concert certainly sounds like an excellent outlet for your chorus members, as well. It is. Because we generally work in a large ensemble of about fifty, it is great for us to get to work together in this small chamber ensemble. You need that unique singer that is not only very viable by themselves, but also can exist really well in a choral situation. That is why this concert is so special. There are choral concerts on every corner during the holidays, but because we have a small, but very trained and talented group of singers, our concert is a real treat to hear that mix. Some of the singers in this concert are currently singing with The Atlanta Opera Chorus, and some are alumni. Five of the singers have participated in this concert every year. It is accompanied by Peter Marshall on the organ, who is an instructor at Georgia State, and the Principal Keyboardist with The Atlanta Symphony.
5. How long are you and your ensemble able to rehearse for this concert? We met in September to talk about the program. It’s hard when you have a success like this [concert], because you don’t want it to be the same every year, but you do want to keep everybody’s favorite pieces. I actually brought two audience members from the previous concert, and asked them, “What would you hate to see go [from the concert]?” That helped us in our selection, and was a nice way to get feedback. Once we had the program solidified, we rehearsed whenever we could this fall in between Lucia di Lammermoor rehearsals, and have been rehearsing more intensely as the concert gets closer.

6. What makes the concert different from other programming that you do? This concert is different in that we get to explore cross-over repertoire. This concert involves opera singers singing secular music and more popular pieces, but still singing it in a classical fashion. Many opera singers are now releasing Christmas cds, and to help select repertoire, I listened to many of these. It allowed me to explore different vocal and musical styles. Which means that I have to choose singers who can do that, which is also fun! There has to be chemistry between the eight singers to create a product that is uniquely theirs.
7. What are some of your favorite memories from the last concert? With last year’s concert, I remember it being incredibly cold that evening-- 11 degrees, to be exact. And what was so funny about this was that the dressing rooms were in a separate building from the sanctuary. So at the beginning of the concert, and then again at intermission, we had to traipse across from that building a good ways to the sanctuary with some of the female singers freezing in their evening gowns! But I think the main memory I have is that with the first concert, you feel like you have something special, but very different, so you’re not sure of the reaction that you’re going to get. It was a packed concert, and I was so pleased because the [audience] reaction was tremendous. I think that’s the best memory for me. The concert really seemed to work for something that was actually very new and different to the holiday offerings here.

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The Atlanta Opera Holiday Concert will be a wonderful event that you will not want to miss. It is a joyful evening full of talent, fun, and beautiful music. With tickets starting at $30, this concert would make a perfect Christmas gift for that friend that is hard to buy for. If you would like to see a preview of this concert, check out the videos below of tenor Tim Miller singing “Come to the Manger,” and of the ensemble singing a fun arrangement of “Jingle Bells.” For more information on how to buy tickets for the Holiday Concert, visit our website. We hope you’ll join us on December 13th at 7:30pm for this wonderful holiday tradition!

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.© Tim Wilkersonof any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.88