Opera Vivente

Two BOGOs and Peter Brook Speaks

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:44:00 +0000

March 2, 2010 - So only two performances of Impressions of Pelléas remain, and in an attempt to jolt Baltimoreans out of their apparent snow induced comas, Opera Vivente is offering two different BOGO (buy one get one free) offers.

On Thursday, in a shout out to all our fellow performing artists, we are offering a BOGO to all AGMA members. Simply show your AGMA card at the door to qualify for the buy one get one free incentive. The original FB post said this was going to only be cash sales and only between 7 and 7:30pm, but I'm feeling generous so we'll give you the special any time up until curtain and you pay with cash, check, or credit card.

On Saturday, OV is sending our love to all the dedicated arts patrons in Baltimore who did not let the snow suck out their will to live. Present a ticket stub or program from a cultural event attended during the month of February to qualify for the ARTS LOVER BOGO. Almost every arts organization in town still managed to present something during the February Fury (fine evidence of the dedication of Baltimore's artistic community) so this shouldn't be too difficult.

Finally, if you're still wondering just what this Impressions of Pelléas thing is, here's a link to an interview with Peter Brook (one of the show's creators).

And (sorry, I guess the above wasn't really "finally") if you don't qualify for either of the BOGOs we do have tickets starting as low as $33 (click here to buy) AND we always offer our 50% off student rush ticket starting a half hour before each curtain. So come on, aren't you done sitting at home waiting to see if the sky is going to fall again?

A Few Images from Last Night's Dress Rehearsal

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:08:00 +0000

February 24, 2010 - Here are some images taken by Cory Weaver at the first dress rehearsal last night. Enjoy.

Rehearsal video clip of Impressions of Pelléas

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:58:00 +0000

February 23, 2010 - Last night's Wandelprobe introduced costumes into the mix. To see a little video of last night, click here. While the show has plenty of delicate "impressionistic" moments, it also contains scenes of tremendous emotional power. In this scene, Golaud, pushed to the brink by his doubts, turns violent towards his wife Mélisande.

Why Impressions of Pelléas? Why Now?

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:10:00 +0000

Opera Vivente will open a new production of Marius Constant's searing distillation of Debussy's Pelléas and Mélisande Friday, February. Conceived to be accompanied by two pianos, Impressions of Pelléas intensifies the tragedy of the love triangle between two half-brothers and a mysterious princess while evoking the sound world of Debussy's piano masterpieces. It is a chamber opera produced as a chamber opera.

Why do Impressions of Pelléas right now?

A lot of the talk in our industry and in criticism has centered on the question of "How can we keep doing the same stuff we've always been doing for less money"? We must produce yet another Carmen or Traviata or Butterfly, but for half the cost as the last time we did it. To my mind, this almost always results in a production that is unsatisfactory on many levels and is reviewed as such. But we are coming to accept it as the best we can do, after the oft-invoked caveat of "but in the current economic climate…”

To m, the more productive question for the opera industry to be asking is: "What are the elements of opera that are somewhat independent of cost, and what repertoire and production style best focuses us (and our audience) on those elements"?

When I start making a list of those elements, here's what I come up with:

1) Intelligent, musical, singing.

2) Committed, detailed, and skilled acting.

3) Evocative, thoughtful design that serves to enhance the audience's emotional response to the work rather than being an element that steals the audience's attention away from the work. (avoiding the old bon mot of "the audience left the theatre humming the set" in other words)

4) Direct communication with the audience that does not require expensive technology and equipment

5) Direction that places narrative, catharsis, and relevance at the forefront rather than spectacle or concept.

So then the answer to why Impressions of Pelléas now: quite simply, it's a piece that emphasizes all the above elements. I fact, I'd say it's the sort of piece that demands the above elements in order to work.

The musical language of the piece is not one that is all about high notes belted out by some overpaid "star", but rather a marriage of text and tone that is so subtle and intimate that it only comes alive in the throat of a singer who is more interested in artistry and the art form than accolades. The core of the story and the power of Pelleas is its examination of human relationships.

There are no improbable larger than life operatic hero/heroine relationships involving babies tossed in a fire or smugglers, gypsies, and an errant corporal. Instead, there are real human relationships: sibling rivalry between half-brothers, ineffective parents and grandparents, abusive marriages.

The characters of Pelléas tell half-truths, they commit sins of omission, they change their minds, they recognize the error of their ways and yet still persist in them. They delude themselves. Sound familiar? It should, because those are the things that we do. And the hope is that viewing these things on stage gives us the distance required to understand, to empathize, and to achieve catharsis.

Obviously a work of this sort of subtlety needs a number of things to work. For Opera Vivente, these things are presentation in the vernacular, a design concept that is evocative and functiona without being overwhelming, a stage director who is willing to spend the time building those characters with singers who are also willing to be that vulnerable and true to the emotions required of them. And finally, a performance space intimate enough that those singers will feel confident of their efforts being perceived by the audience occupying the same room with them and not only in a close up on an HD screen.

Personally I know a lot of singers, designers, and instrumentalists who will readily tell you that these are the elements that drew them to opera in the first place. So why have we as an industry allowed spectacle, "star" personalities, and a tiny segment of the total operatic repertoire to hogtie us into the belief that big is always best? In the end, does all great opera have to be grand opera?

To get tickets to this truly great opera, click here.

A Cure for "Snowpression"

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:12:00 +0000

February 17, 2010 - So the past week or so has been pretty hellish here in Baltimore with record breaking snowfalls that resulted in events having to be postponed, rehearsal schedules being rearranged and then rearranged again, artists being unable to get here on their originally scheduled date and so forth. I then added the personally joy of getting terribly ill just at the point that the marathon rehearsal days were beginning. Let's just say that by this past Monday, I was beginning to feel pretty defeated. Then last night I sat in the final rehearsal for our cabaret that's coming up this Friday and once again realized why I do what I do. Listening to these wonderful singers (Joy Greene, Jessica Renfro, Ken Gayle, and Chris Austin) perform the work of great American song writers such as Gershwin, Porter, Sondheim, and Weill, I was transported away from the stress of the schedules, the traffic, the illness, and all the rest. In short, the show just made me "feel good". My colleagues and I had been remarking about the general feeling of malaise that seems to have settled over Baltimore since the snow, which I dubbed "snowpression". Well from last night's experience it seems that My Foolish Heart my be just what the doctor ordered. So here are the details:

When: Friday, February 19th - doors open at 7pm for eating and drinking, music starts at 8pm

Where: the Great Hall of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 811 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 (sidewalks are shoveled and salted, parking lot out back has been cleared)

How much: Tickets are $30 which includes light fare and there's a cash bar in case you need a little something extra in the heartwarming department. You can get tickets by clicking here or you can just pay at the door.

So come shake off the "snowpression" with a big dose of LOVE!

Focus on February, part 2

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:30:00 +0000

February 2, 2010 - This Thursday and Friday, Opera Vivente will hold the second set of auditions for the 2010-2011 season. In general, I really enjoy hearing singers, particularly those whom I have not heard before. But it seems every year, there's some new worrisome trend that normally generates at least one blog post. This year's winner - TARDINESS! Yep, back in the Fall, I was amazed at how many singers were late for their auditions, and for this round, I'm astonished at the huge number of singers who waited to the absolutely last second to send in their materials. Deadlines are meant to circumscribe procrastinators NOT serve as an indicator of the best time to send in your materials. "By January 31st" does not mean "only on January 31st". I can hear all the singer excuses flying through the air now: "I needed to get a new headshot and the photographer didn't turn it around fast enough", "I was waiting to see if I could add that live recording from the lobby of the Met to my CD", "The cat ate my resumé". Blah, blah, blah. The simple fact of the matter is that while there are sometimes justifiable reasons for just barely making the deadline, most of the time it's simply a problem with time management or priorities. You didn't send something in until the last possible second, because you weren't really concentrating on finding opportunities for yourself as a singer. AND (here's the problem with that ladies and gentlemen), the company who gets your materials at the 11th hour (or sometimes even beyond that) has just formed their first impression of you: procrastinator and/or someone who doesn't pay attention to the details.

Forewarned is forearmed. And in case you're wondering what the very close second issue was this past Fall, click here to read a wonderful new blog's first post.

Focus on February, part 1

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:52:00 +0000

January 23, 2010 - So OV has very full month coming up in February, so I'm going to do a short series of posts giving more details. First up, Club OV's cabaret in honor of Valentine's Day entitled My Foolish Heart.

Club OV is the cabaret arm of Opera Vivente. Cabaret gives people a chance to enjoy great music sung by fantastic singers in a truly relaxed atmosphere: table seating, candlelight, food and drink throughout the performance, laughter and comment encouraged. For My Foolish Heart, we have OV favorites Joy Greene (most recently Lady Anna in Lord Giovanni), Jessica Renfro (our hysterically funny Tisbe in Cinderella), Ken Gayle (Pelléas in our upcoming production of Impressions of Pelléas) and Chris Austin (most recently Lord Magnifico in Cinderella) accompanied by Dana Scott at the piano, singing love songs by composers as diverse as Gershwin, Sondheim, and John Lennon. The program starts with a set extolling the praises of love, followed by a "new love" set which includes the cabaret cult classic "Taylor the Latte Boy", a "trouble with love" set, a "love lost" set, a "love the second time around" set, and closes with a "true love" set.

With tickets priced at $30 including food, this is a great way to celebrate the season of love with your special someone. Or take advantage of the informal "talking encouraged" atmosphere (and the cash bar) to make a connection with a "stranger across a crowded room". Seating is limited so don't wait. Fall in love with love by clicking here.

Resolutions for 2010

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:18:00 +0000

December 31, 2009 - So last year around this time, I blogged a typical favorite things of the past year post, but since with very few exceptions (a new President, getting an award for 10 years of leadership of OV from Opera America, and the continued love and support of my family and friends) this year has pretty much sucked a big pile of suckitude, I decided to blog about my aspirations, goals, hopes, etc. for 2010.

In the coming year, I hope to be more realistic in assessing what I can accomplish and the relative importance of those accomplishments. I will aspire to not take other people and their contributions for granted, and to not put off doing and saying things that affirm, praise, or console because of a belief that "oh, there's always time to do that when I'm done doing this". I've discovered that's often not the case. I plan on being more attuned to the pleasure of simple, little things that cross my path every day and which have hitherto often gone unnoticed and under-appreciated and (the flip side of this coin) to address and then let go of petty slights and insults (real or imagined) rather than let them fester.

And finally, I'm going to attempt to be a colleague, friend, son, husband, and person that people are pleased and proud to have in their lives all year through, not just during the holiday season when we all rush around trying to make amends for all the things we did or neglected to do during the previous 12 months.

I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and abundant 2010.

A Holiday Teaser

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:21:00 +0000

December 8, 2009 - Last night we had the first rehearsal for our upcoming holiday cabaret, "All I Want for Christmas Is. . ." Click here for a little video teaser - the quartet rehearsing Fred Silver's "The Twelve Days After Christmas".

Only a few tickets left. Click here to get yours before we're sold out.

Auditions Post-Mortem

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:28:00 +0000

November 23, 2009 - Our Autumn round of auditions has now come to a close. I have to say that I was very impressed with the general level of singing. Definitely some very strong candidates for all the roles in the 2010-2011 season. One thing that I did notice, however, was that singers really do not take enough care with their resumés. In addition to having several people proofread them, I also highly encourage singers to enlist the services of someone with graphic design experience. You wouldn't submit a headshot taken with a disposable camera by a friend so why submit a resumé that's been typed on a home computer using a basic word-processing program?

Anyway, I was disappointed that none of the public observed the auditions. We had opened them to the general public as part of National Opera Week. Maybe there were so many things going on onstage during this past weekend that people just didn't have the energy for any kind of "behind the scenes" offerings. There were so many things going on, it was difficult to attend everything. I myself made it to opening night of Peabody's Così fan tutte and the second performance of University of Maryland's La finta giardiniera but unfortunately was unable to see Baltimore Concert Opera's Don Pasquale or Baltimore Opera Theater's Il barbiere di Siviglia. If any of my readers were able to attend those productions I'd love to hear what you thought of them.

Next up - OV's Holiday Cabaret on December 11th.

National Opera Week

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:25:00 +0000

November 5, 2009 - In just a little over a week, America will be celebrating National Opera Week (November 14-21). This joint initiative between Opera America and the NEA will kick off with the second annual NEA Opera Honors in Washington, DC on Saturday, November 14th. Throughout the week, opera companies across the country will be offering various operatic activities to bring about an increased awareness of the art form to their respective communities. To mark the occasion, Opera Vivente will be "lifting the veil" on an aspect of opera production that is virtually completely unknown to anyone other than professional singers: the audition. Opera Vivente invites any people interested in the process by which singers get cast in roles to attend our auditions in Baltimore. The audition period is Friday, November 20th from 12-4pm, Saturday, November 21st from 2-6pm, and Sunday, November 22nd from 3-5pm. The auditions will take place at our venue located at 811 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Come enjoy this rare opportunity to hear what normally only industry "insiders" hear. And help spread the word that opera is a vital, exciting, and relevant art form worthy of celebration not just for a week in November but throughout the entire year.

See you at the auditions! - John Bowen

All I Want for Christmas Is. . .

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:56:00 +0000

October 24, 2009 - So rather than wallow in regret over the cancellation of Devils, Demons, and Divas, I've decided to throw myself full-force into planning our upcoming cabaret entitled All I Want for Christmas Is. . . This program has really developed quite a following over the past two years and is as much fun to put together and perform as it is to attend. This year will feature OV favorites Joy Greene, Jennifer Blades, Frédéric Rey, and Christopher Austin singing songs about all sorts of holiday wish lists, running the gamut from silly to sublime. As I'm planning the program, I'd love to hear from our fans what they'd like most for Christmas (or Hanukah or Kwanzaa or Ramadan). So go ahead and post a comment and see you at the cabaret.

Supertenor

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:36:00 +0000

October 2, 2009 - Last night, I saw one of the most spectacular displays of vocal technique and artistry I have every encountered. On Monday, Gran Wilson (our Prince Ramiro) was in a bicycling accident in which he sustained a cracked rib, a punctured lung, and several other more minor injuries. Since Ramiro is not exactly a minor or easy role, I frantically scrambled to find someone who could sing the role with the score from the orchestra pit, thinking that the best case scenario would be that Gran would be well enough to walk the role and the worst case scenario would be that I would walk the role in Gran's stead since I know all the blocking and am roughly the same size as Gran and could fit in his costumes. Joseph Shadday (a new student of Gran's) was consequently found, rehearsed, and ready to sing last night. But none of us were ready for Gran's announcement at 2pm yesterday that he felt recovered enough to sing all of the role except Ramiro's stratospheric second act aria. I mean, come on, this role is taxing enough with both lungs - sing it on one lung?!? But sing it he did and it sounded fantastic. In fact, audience members who had heard my pre-performance announcement about the situation told me at intermission that without the announcement they would never have known that anything was amiss. So BRAVISSIMO Gran! You are a beacon and hero to us all.

There are still tickets available for Saturday's performance. Come hear Supertenor for yourselves. He's planning on singing even the stratospheric aria that night.

A few random musings

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:30:00 +0000

September 30, 2009 - Just some thoughts that have been running through my head.

One man's tired cliché is another's cherished memory.

Innovation that provides no insight is not brilliance, merely a desperate cry for attention. Cinderella done with an all male naked cast or in an insane asylum may be innovative but does it really provide any insight into the themes of the piece (or entertain any but the most prurient and/or jaded audience)?

Companies that are continuing to produce art (even if it's not "lavish") in the current climate deserve respect (even if it's begrudging) not carping about the physical elements that their budgets allow.

Comments welcome.

And there are still good seats available to the two remaining performances of Cinderella. Click here to get yours or show up at the door and save yourself the processing fee.

See you at the opera!

A Little Rehearsal Video

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:39:00 +0000

September 11, 2009 - On this national day of mourning, I thought we could all use a little pick me up. So, please to enjoy a little clip of the opening of Rossini's Cinderella recorded at rehearsal on Wednesday night.

Remembering that the arts heal wounds with laughter, tears, and a sense of our shared humanity, see you at the opera.

Cinderella's Surreal World

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:22:00 +0000

August 25, 2009 - So the design team and I have been hard at work hashing out details of the production. The set is in the process of being built, and it looks like we'll have the great luxury of having the set loaded in for the entire rehearsal process thanks to Steve Cosby and Renegade Productions. Here's a little sketch to give you a taste of our "world where nothing is as it seems". Click here to find out more or to purchase tickets.

OV Audition FAQs

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:59:00 +0000

August 16, 2009 - Well applications have started arriving in the office for our upcoming November auditions and so have some questions, so I thought I'd do a brief blog post to try and answer some of them.

Do you audition in New York or only in Baltimore?

Only in Baltimore. We are very proud to have achieved a high enough profile and level of respect in the industry that singers come from all over the country to audition for us. Nothing against New York; we just don't feel the need to go there to hold auditions.

Do you only hold auditions once a year?

No, we generally hold two sets of auditions. One in November and one somewhere between mid-February and mid-March. Be aware, however, that some roles are cast from the November auditions so that there are often fewer roles open for the late winter set.

Do I have to sing something from the actual operas you are casting?

Not necessarily, but if you don't have arias from the actual operas we're casting, then you should have arias which demonstrate similar vocal demands to those of the role that you are interested in. Your ability to sing "O mio babbino caro" doesn't really speak to your ability to sing the role of Donna Anna or Lucia or Cleopatra. Also, make sure that there's actually a role in the season that is appropriate for your voice type.

If I'm not granted an audition do you still keep my application fee?

No. If we determine that we cannot grant you an audition, we will destroy your check or money order rather than depositing it.

How important are my headshot and resume?

Very. Next to the quality of your audition itself, they are the most important parts of your package. Resumés that are sloppy or confusing or disingenuous, that are filled with typographical errors, or that are poorly designed as well as headshots that are outdated or don't give an accurate picture of you are signs that you are not serious about your art and that you do not have the level of professionalism that most companies are seeking. I highly recommend that you enlist the services of professional graphic designers and photographers to create these important components of your package. Dave Cooper (www.davekcooper.com) is an example of someone who can create all of these components in a polished, professional, and cost-effective manner.

Do you provide an accompanist?

Yes, and your application fee goes mostly to covering their services.

If I've missed any other questions, let me know and I'll answer them in future posts. One last thing before I sign off. Male singers - send in your materials. Just because the ladies outnumber you industry-wide does not mean that companies want to always be in the position of finding you rather than you expressing interest in being cast by them.

See you at the auditions and at the opera!

LPOI Program Opens Tonight

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:21:00 +0000

July 31, 2009 - Just a reminder that the Little Patuxent Opera Institute at Howard Community College where I've been working with a group of talented young artists has its opening performance this evening. The first half is operatic scenes ranging from Monteverdi to Britten and the second half is Puccini's conventual potboiler Suor Angelica. Click here for more info.

The Two Women in my Life

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:45:00 +0000

July 22, 2009 - This week is completely absorbed with the bringing to fruition of Little Patuxent Opera Institute's production of Sister Angelica and with crystallizing the design concepts for Opera Vivente's opening production of the 2009-2010 season: Rossini's Cinderella. (As an aside, I'm thrilled to announce that Don Thomas will be completing the design team as lighting designer). While these two title heroines share a few personality traits (goodness, humility, etc.), ultimately they and the two pieces they inhabit are so different that I'm almost feeling bipolar working on them at the same time. Look for more visuals for Cinderella in the next few weeks, but as a teaser I can tell you the look is a bit like M. C. Escher visiting Versailles.

See you at the opera!

Club OV and I Hear America Singing

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:11:00 +0000

July 17, 2009 - So tomorrow afternoon at Corpus Christi Church in Bolton Hill, Opera Vivente, wearing its cabaret hat (henceforth to be known as Club OV), will present a program entitled I Hear America Singing; a program which, with the exception of "Make our garden grow" from Bernstein's Candide, contains no opera. Several OV fans have wondered why an opera company is presenting a program of folk songs, patriotic songs, broadway songs, pop songs, and even one rock song, so here's my answer for what it's worth.

For me, and for the vast majority of people who work at OV, "opera" is about story-telling, an elucidation of the human condition brought about through a magical combination of words and music. In that light, all the music in I Hear America Singing is "operatic" because it all speaks to the story of America and Americans. For better or worse, until recently, the more traditional concept of opera has been one that has eluded American composers, but the works of George M. Cohan, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Frank Loesser and many, many others have told this story as eloquently as any 19th century Italian composer told the story of the unification of Italy.

So, come check out Club OV's offering tomorrow afternoon at 2 and 5:30pm. Come hear America singing, because she sounds amazing.

Summertime and the Livin' Ain't Easy

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:29:00 +0000

July 11, 2009 - As the child of two educators, summer was always a season when things slowed down dramatically, lots of time was spent doing nothing, and deadlines were something that didn't exist again until September (or at the earliest late August). Well, as an adult running a non-profit arts organization, summer is in some ways more hectic and demanding than the producing season. This is the time when the bulk of the planning happens. Casts are assembled and contracts are sent, bios and ads are gathered for the season program (this is often incredibly time consuming due to singers being all over the place in summer festivals, young artist programs, etc.), grants are written and submitted, rehearsal schedules developed and tweaked. The list goes on and on.

This summer, I've added another component to my already busy summer: The Little Patuxent Opera Institute, a fledgling training program for young singers based at Howard Community College. The group of 8 young women participating in the institute are putting on a program consisting of operatic scenes ranging from Claudio Monteverdi to Benjamin Britten on the first half and a fully-staged production of Puccini's Suor Angelica on the second half (the cast for this is being fleshed out by professional singers in the area). They are receiving what is often referred to as a "baptism by fire", having to cope with a huge range of styles in three different languages while polishing their technique and learning how to create character, move fluidly on stage, and convey emotion with their voices. Kudos to them all for their hard work and progress so far. If you want to know more about the institute, click here.

Also, next week I dive into rehearsals for our Artscape offering. More akin to our cabaret offerings, I Hear America Singing, interweaves readings from American history with music ranging from folk tunes to spirituals to Tin Pan Alley in a moving celebration of the American spirit. Click here for more info.

So if your summer schedule permits, come check out either The Little Patuxent Opera Institute, Artscape, or both. See you at the opera!

What's Been Going On

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:38:00 +0000

June 30, 2009 - So, first of all, let me apologize for the very long hiatus in posts. A variety of factors have contributed to this, but rather than bore you with that, I'll just give a brief update to what's been going on during the month of June and a quick glimpse of what will be going on in July.

During most of June, I was in Tulsa, where I was unfortunately reminded that unprofessional, unethical, and downright rude behavior still exists in this industry. I'm going to take the highroad here and consign the whole experience to "things that make John a sadder but wiser director". Moving on. . .

While I was in Tulsa, the OV family was hard at work sending out the end-of-season appeal letter (many thanks to those of you who contributed so generously), the 2009-2010 season brochure (thanks to Dave Cooper for the absolutely brilliant design), keeping the office running (thanks especially to Karen Pekala), writing grants (thanks Ellen and Jan Richter, and Kathy Kahler), and redesigning the website (if you haven't already done so, check out Inspired Revolutions chic and very navigable new look at www.operavivente.org). The website still has a few things to be added, but it's ready and waiting to take your ticket order for next season and/or receive your online donation.

July will mostly be occupied by two things for me: The Little Patuxent Opera Institute at Howard Community College and Artscape. The LPOI is the brainchild of James Bailey and Deborah Kent, two colleagues of mine who are very active in the training and polishing of young singers. As training and polishing, as well as offering professional opportunities, has always been central to what OV does, I'm very excited to be a part of this program which will culminate in a performance of various operatic scenes as well as a complete Suor Angelica at the end of the month. As far as Artscape goes, OV will be offering something a little different this year, a concert entitled "I Hear America Singing: A Musical Celebration of the American Spirit". This concert was developed several years ago for Londontowne, and I'm excited to be bringing it to Baltimore audiences on July 18th at 2pm and 5:30pm at Corpus Christi church. The singers will be Leah Inger, Jennifer Blades, Adam Caughey, and Jason Buckwalter. If you need a break from the heat and fried-dough eating that will lift your spirits, come check us out.

Okay, so look for more frequent posts from now on. I promise. Really, I promise, pinky-swear, etc.

See you at the opera!

Greetings from Tulsa

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:22:00 +0000

June 11, 2009 - Hey friends. I'm here in Tulsa directing A Little Night Music for Light Opera of Oklahoma. I haven't been posting much, not because I'm swamped with rehearsals here (wish I could say that I was) but rather because OV is in the process of redesigning its website and evidently blogs are the hardest thing to transfer to I'm trying to not make Inspired Revolutions job and more difficult. Look for more regular postings when I get back in a couple weeks to Charm City. In the meantime, look for your OV 2009-2010 season brochures in the mail.

Whole Lot of Planning Goin' On

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:54:00 +0000

May 20, 2009 - So here's what's going on at Opera Vivente. Lest you think that the hiatus in my blog posts meant that we were all on vacation here at the opera, I thought I'd just fill you in on a few fronts.

The 2009-2010 Season
Our season deals with fairy tales and the deeper currents that run under seemingly naive stories of good and evil. We open with Rossini's Cinderella (September 25, 27, October 1, and 3), a take on the traditional fairy tale which places far greater magic in a true and good human heart than in talking mice with surprising seamstress skills. Also, no fairy godmother but rather a wise philospher named Alidoro, so we'll be very safe from any Disney lawsuits.

The season continues in late winter with a brilliant distillation of Debussy's only opera by the French composer Marius Constant. Impressions of Pelléas (February 26, 28, March 4, and 6) takes place in the mythical kingdom of Allemonde and explores the archetypal psychic undercurrents of two half-brothers in love with the same mysterious woman. The music that accompanies this tale is filled with an achingly beautiful melancholy.

The season concludes with Mozart's perennial favorite The Magic Flute (May 14, 16, 20, and 22). Be prepared for a novel and distinctly Baltimorean perspective on this classic tale of a boy, his flute, his girl, and her mother (along with one of the most loveable sidekicks ever to grace the operatic stage).

Casting has been completed for the season and design teams are being assembled. Subscriptions are currently on sale (individual tickets go on sale August 3rd) and may be purchased over the phone (410.547.7997) with a credit card. Online sales should be available by the end of next week.

We are also working on our Artscape offering for this summer. On Saturday, July 18th at 2 and 5:30pm, Opera Vivente will perform I Hear America Singing: A Musical Celebration of the American Spirit. This program interweaves readings from American history with music ranging from folk tunes to spirituals to Tin Pan Alley. This event is free and open to the public, so come check us out at Corpus Christi Church on Mt. Royal Avenue.

I personally am also preparing to go to Tulsa on June 1st to direct Stephen Sondheim's brilliant A Little Night Music for Light Opera of Oklahoma. More on that once I'm there.

Gotta dash. As you can see, I'm very busy. See you at an upcoming OV event!

Glory to Our New May King - Tim Smith's Review

jbowen@operavivente.org (Opera Vivente) — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:13:00 +0000

May 5, 2009 - Just a brief post to bring your attention to Tim Smith's review. Click here to see what he had to say on his blog. There are still some tickets left for the remaining two performances on May 7th and 9th at 8pm. Click here to get your tickets.

Also, you can still purchase tickets to our gala on May 16th at the Winans Mansion (1217 St. Paul Street) by calling the box office at 410.547.7997.