New Orleans Opera
Community Works and New Orleans Opera
Join us for a virtual summer camp this July that shows just how fun opera can be. Students will transform classic operas using their own stories and voices with Enrichment Instructors specialized in opera and creative writing.
1 Hour a Day
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Open to 4th – 8th graders in the Greater New Orleans Area
Closing with an in-person (outdoors) student showcase for family and friends
Sarah pictured here with her oldest son in 2017.
Describe your job in 25 words or less: I connect all the pieces of a production so the show can happen. It’s managing lots of details, both small and large.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? It’s around 9pm in the summer on the porch at my parents’ farm in Kentucky. All of the kids are asleep, the sun is setting, and the lightning bugs are glowing.
What is your greatest fear? Not seeing my children grow up
Which living person do you most admire? Barack Obama
Which historical figure do you most identify with? I don’t know if she qualifies as historical just yet, but I have to say Michelle Obama. In reading her autobiography, I was able to relate to her in so many ways–leaving the legal profession to fulfill a passion in a new career; trying to be a good mom while achieving professional goals.
Who is your favorite composer? Shostakovich
Which opera did you see first? Carmen
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Temperance
What is your greatest extravagance? Wine and pedicures
When and where were you happiest? Here, now, today. I have an amazing family and a career that I love.
Which opera character would you most like to have dinner with? Sister Helen
What talent would you most like to have? I would like to learn classical guitar.
What is it that you most dislike? Lack of curiosity and the inability to empathize
Who are your favorite writers? The Brontës; F. Scott Fitzgerald; Susan Choi; Ian McEwan; Haruki Murakami; Jane Austen
What is your most treasured possession? My great-grandfather’s fiddle
Chamber opera or Grand opera? Both
Contemporary or Classic opera? Both
July 9, 2021, 7:00 – 10:00 PM at Artmazing Gallery
Must be 21 or older to purchase tickets and attend.
While the ball was delayed this year, we will still celebrate with the usual exuberance of glitter and wigs all in support of opera education. The funds from this event support opera education programs for the Greater New Orleans area through the New Orleans Opera Association’s Education Department. We are very excited that we were able to hold the ball last year, which provided funds for the educational programming to be conducted virtually at a great time of need to local students. We are even more thrilled that we will be able to continue the tradition this year, as times like these show how important music education is to students and musicians.
The theme of Cabaret Soirée is loosely based on Moulin Rouge in support of the upcoming opera production La Bohème in April 2022. Wigs and costume or cocktail attire inspired by the theme are encouraged. A panel of judges will select their favorite wig-wearing guests, then choose who will be crowned the “Big Wig 2021”. Along with food and libations provided by stellar local sponsors, guests will have access to the Artmazing Gallery installation for photo ops.
Since 2017, the Big Wig Ball events have raised more than $28,000 in funding to directly support programming costs for Student Night Out performances and other education programs. Each year, the Student Night Out performances introduce more than 2,000 local K-12 students to the operatic arts when students and chaperones attend opera productions at Mahalia Jackson Theater. This year, the pandemic presented hurdles that the Education Department tackled with ease; they were able to quickly switch in-school activities to virtual educational programs for students.
This event has a wide, diverse group of cultural supporters, and we love promoting our local sponsors. Please join us in continuing this annual tradition that strengthens the local arts community by becoming a sponsor today.
Sylvain Society is the New Orleans Opera Association’s young professionals affiliate organization. Sylvain’s mission is to connect the operatic arts to the Greater New Orleans community. Membership is free and open to individuals ages 21 through 45.
Sylvain Steering Committee Chairs: Amanda Credeur, Ava McClain, Michael Roussel Jr., and Bianca Spears.
Learn more at www.neworleansopera.org/sylvain
The Lacrimosa (Latin for “weeping/tearful”) is part of a powerful Requiem composed in D Minor by Mozart in 1791. In consideration of our own New Orleans community, so heavily impacted by COVID-19, we have created this unique and meaningful project to lift voices up in memory of those in our community we lost. Coming soon!
Just weeks ago, the New Orleans Opera was thrilled to present a 90-minute abridged version of Porgy and Bess at the Newman Bandstand in Audubon Park as our 2020-21 season closer. This American classic by George and Ira Gershwin was the only scheduled work this year to enjoy a live performance with live orchestra in front of a live audience! And yet COVID-19 restrictions meant mounting the opera without our chorus – the true heart of the Catfish Row community.
We thought of our own New Orleans community so heavily impacted by COVID-19 and decided to lift these voices up in memory of those in our community that we lost.
Partnering with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), the opera company has found a way to offer a paid musical opportunity to 24 singers who would have been hired as the core ensemble for Porgy and Bess. They instead have joined their voices for the Lacrimosa movement from Mozart’s Requiem, accompanied by the LPO under the baton of Maestro Robert Lyall. The performance, recorded at the Esplanade Studios, will serve as the soundtrack for a filmed tribute by Crista Rock to New Orleanians lost to COVID-19.
The vocal ensemble, prepared by Chorus Master Carol Rausch, consists of current and former members of the New Orleans Opera Chorus, students and alumni of Loyola University, students and alumni of Xavier University, faculty members from these institutions and Nicholls State University, and members of OperaCréole. Founded by Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason after the 2010 production of Porgy and Bess and recognizing the need to spotlight the amazing pool of Black classical vocalists in the city, OperaCréole researches and performs lost or rarely performed works by composers of African descent.
Joel C. Dyson
Valerie Jones Francis
Rebeckah Gordon-Kirk
Vickie R. Thomas
Taylor J. White
Khrystal Williams
Allison Joiner
Givonna Joseph
Aria M. Mason
Amanda McCarthy
Valencia Pleasant
Shirley A. Stewart
Tyrone Chambers, II
Antonio Domino, Jr.
Kentro Mason, Jr.
Mark-Anthony Thomas
Ahmir Trotter
Jeremiah Tyson
LaRon Austin, Jr.
Isaiah Frection
Ivan J. Griffin
Brandon Richardson
Micah D. Turner
Dr. John E. Ware
Hannah Yim
Carlos Miguel Prieto
Sarah Yen
Janeta Mavrova
Judith Fitzpatrick
Byron Tauchi
Kurt Munstedt
Yaroslav Rudnytsky
Benjamin Thacher
Richard Woehrle
Bruce Owen
Ila Rondeau
Jonathan Gerhardt
Rachel Hsieh
Dimitri Vychko
Paul Macres
Daniel Parrette
John Reeks
Michael Matushek
Darrel Hale
Vance Woolf
Craig Heinzen
Matthew Wright
Ben McIlwain
Evan Conroy
Jim Atwood
Esplanade Studios: Misha Kachkachishvili, Jesse Snider, Daniel Perez, Varavara Degtiarenko, Jeromy Thomas.
Crista Rock Productions: Crista Rock and Angelo Imbraguglio.
Please note, the deadline to participate is midnight, Monday, OCTOBER 4, 2021.
The mission of the New Orleans Opera Association (NOOA) is to enrich the lives of all people by producing opera of the highest artistic quality and provide educational opportunities through traditional and innovative approaches. The Director of Community Partnerships and Education plays a critical role in the realization of the company’s goals and the overall growth of the New Orleans Opera.
New Orleans Opera Association is celebrating its 78th season in 2020-2021 and is proud to continue the legacy of producing opera in America’s First City of Opera, a tradition which began when Andre Getry’s Sylvain premiered in New Orleans on April 22, 1796. Each year, NOOA presents operatic productions that feature both classical and contemporary works. Beyond the stage, the key component of NOOA’s mission is its commitment to outreach and education programs in the Greater New Orleans area.
At New Orleans Opera, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and we are an equal opportunity employer. NOOA will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to eliminating barriers to access and equity and see a diverse workforce as a key step toward this goal. We encourage candidates who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, otherwise-abled, and other underrepresented identities to apply. All applications will receive consideration for employment.
June 4, 2021 at 6:00 PM
Join us as we close the season with a FREE one-hour Opéra Nouvelle concert of favorite music from both Opera and Broadway by Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Delibes, Puccini, Bernstein, Bock and Harnick, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
It is free to attend, but you must register for admittance. Bring your own chairs or a blanket for seating and no outside food or beverage is allowed in the Sculpture Garden.
The play’s the thing, and the Bard is the best when it comes to opera and musical theater plots! This concert features music from Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (based on The Taming of the Shrew), Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Verdi’s Falstaff, Thomas’ Hamlet, and Rodgers and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse (based on The Comedy of Errors). Plus three musical settings of Romeo and Juliet – the famous opera by Gounod, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi by Bellini, and Bernstein’s magnificent West Side Story.
We look forward to welcoming you at our upcoming performance.
The health and safety of our guests, performers, and staff are our top priority. While there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public spaces where people are present, we hope that the following guidelines will help everyone safely enjoy the performance.
Any guests who are unable to adhere to the above guidelines will be asked to leave the performance. We thank you in advance for your cooperation!
In the case of a possible COVID-19 exposure at the performance, the ticket purchaser will serve as the main contact for their party.
I am extremely honored and excited to be the General Director of New Orleans Opera, following in the footsteps of Robert Lyall and Arthur Cosenza and continuing the tradition of great operatic performance in New Orleans – America’s first city of opera. Thank you all for the warm welcome to my new home in this community that is so rich with culture and history.
As we look forward to our return to live operatic performances, I want to share with you my excitement about our 2021-22 season – one I’m confident you’ll find to be a dynamic and exhilarating return to the theater. In planning this season, your safety and comfort were top of mind as we ease out of the pandemic-based restrictions of the past year. To that end, the works programmed in the first half of the season are under 90 minutes in length and performed without intermission, following the recommendations of local health officials.
We’ll begin our season with Act 1 of Die Walküre, one of Richard Wagner’s most exciting and dramatic compositions, in collaboration with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and with LPO Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto as conductor.
Our season continues after the New Year with a return to the Marigny Opera House and the Gulf Coast premiere of Josephine, by the popular American composer, Tom Cipullo. This beautiful opera honors the life of the iconic American singer, dancer, and activist, Josephine Baker, and has been hailed as “theatrically riveting” by the Washington Post. The production will be directed by Lauren Turner, Artistic Director of New Orleans theater company No Dream Deferred. Following this American operatic masterpiece, the Marigny Opera Ballet will take the stage to debut a new work of dance inspired by Ms. Baker. This unique collaboration featuring great New Orleans artists is sure to sell out quicky!
In February, the New Orleans Opera Chorus will take center stage for a Gala Concert at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Special guest soloists will join them for a festive evening of opera’s greatest hits conducted by our own Robert Lyall.
Finally, we end the season with Puccini’s beloved masterpiece, La bohème. This tale of young love, found and lost, has never ceased to pull at the heartstrings of audiences in over a century of performances. Metropolitan Opera conductor Joseph Colaneri will make his New Orleans Opera debut on the podium.
These four operatic evenings will form the core of a season rich with opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this art form, celebrating centuries of great composition. By subscribing, you’ll be showing your support as we emerge back into full-scale opera production and joining a community of opera lovers committed to celebrating the transformational power of this art. Our efforts continue year-round across the greater metro area, and we invite your additional support for programs in area classroom as well as around the community.
Join us for this exciting new season and secure your favorite seats by subscribing today! I look forward to being together to enjoy beautiful operas again. Warmest wishes,
Clare Burovac
General Director
New Orleans Opera and Loyola University have a long and rich relationship, with a history of many partnerships, including Masterclasses. We are proud to collaborate again this year in the virtual environment, and we are excited that we can invite you to join us.
Masterclasses play a very important role in the development of a young singer. According to Fred Plotkin, “Masterclasses are one of the most fascinating aspects of the process of taking talented but inexperienced young singers and trying to polish and mold them while allowing them to retain what makes them special.”
New Orleans Opera is grateful to those participating in this Masterclass Series for allowing us a glimpse into the special journey of an opera singer. Mark your calendars to join us – free of charge!
New Orleans native Alfred Walker is a graduate of Dillard University, Loyola University, and the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program. He is also the recipient of awards from the George London Foundation, Palm Beach Opera Competition, Houston Opera Studio’s Eleanor McCollum Competition, and the Sullivan Foundation career grant.
Mr. Walker was lauded by Opera News for his “inky bass-baritone and clear projection that seemed ideally suited to the role, capturing this isolated man’s passion with telling grief,” for his performance as Crown in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess.
Read more about Alfred on his website here.
Last seen at the New Orleans Opera in the Verdi Requiem in 2010. American mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby is in demand by opera companies and orchestras throughout the world. Her unique vocal timbre and insightful musicianship allow her to pursue a repertoire extending from the operas of Monteverdi and Handel to recent works by John Adams. She regularly performs the major heroines of nineteenth-century French, Italian, and German opera and the great symphonic masterpieces.
Read more about Nancy on her website here.
Antonio Domino, tenor
Julianna Espinosa, soprano
Julia Tuneberg, soprano
Jeremiah Tyson, tenor
Jane Eaglen has enjoyed one of the most formidable reputations in opera for the past two decades. Her performances of roles such as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, the title roles in Puccini’s Turandot, Bellini’s Norma, and Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen have earned her acclaim on stages of the leading opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, and l’Opéra National de Paris.
Read more about Jane on her website here.
Samuel Ater, bass-baritone
Nora Cullinan, soprano
Veronica Samiec, soprano
Alysa Foster, soprano
Garrin Mesa, baritone
Greer Grimsley is internationally recognized as an outstanding singing actor and one of the most prominent Wagnerian singers of our day. Continuing his reign as a leading interpreter of the god Wotan, he sang the eminent role once again in the Spring of 2019 for the Metropolitan Opera’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in the reprisal of Robert Lepage’s landmark production from 2013. New Orleans is lucky to have Greer and his family call the city home!
Read more about Greer on his website here.
