Press & Media Information:



'The Great Wagner Concert': ASO, Opera Birmingham team up for excellent evening of Wagner - 5 stars out of 5
al.com, April 17, 2011



'The Great Wagner Concert': Richard Wagner getting his due at Opera Birmingham show
al.com, April 10, 2011



'Lucia di Lammermoor': Gone mad again by Opera Birmingham - 5 stars out of 5
al.com, March 19, 2011



Alabama born singers bringing world stage credits home for 'Lucia'
al.com, March 13, 2011



Opera Birmingham Presents:
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor

For Immediate Release

Eleanor L. Parker, Director of Marketing & Communications
Opera Birmingham
3601 Sixth Avenue, South
Birmingham, AL 35222

Birmingham, AL - Opera Birmingham, Alabama’s largest opera company will produce Gaetano Donizetti’s showpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor, on Friday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 20 at 2:30 p.m. at Samford University’s Wright Center. Alabama's own Susanna Phillips returns to Birmingham to début another leading role—the tour de force title role of Lucia in Donizetti's psychological thriller.

Set in the misty moors of Scotland, this tale of feuding clans, forced marriage, secret love, jealousy…and madness...boasts some of the most stunning music in all of opera. From the Mad Scene—one of the most difficult and breathtaking episodes in opera, and one of the most famous scenes in all theater—to the famous sextet, Lucia features bel canto (beautiful singing) at its best. Lucia di Lammermoor premiered at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on September 26, 1835.

The Opera Birmingham cast, led by the highly acclaimed soprano Susanna Phillips as Lucia, will also feature renowned singers, including tenor John Bellemer as Edgardo, baritone Corey McKern as Enrico, bass Kurt Link as Raimondo and tenor Elias Hendricks III as Arturo. This production will be conducted by Andrew Altenbach and will be directed by Kathleen Clawson.

“It’s always great to have Susanna back in Alabama,” said John D. Jones, General Director of Opera Birmingham. “Lucia is the Mount Everest of soprano roles, and we’ve been looking forward to this performance for several years! Birmingham gets Susanna first, in this role début, before she takes it to the Lyric Opera of Chicago next season!” Opera Today described Ms. Phillips as having “a golden voice, full of warmth and richness,” while the New York Times wrote of her recent performance at Carnegie hall, “[Libby Larsen’s elegant song cycle ‘Try Me, Good King’] received an excellent performance from the silvery-voiced soprano Susanna Phillips, who captured the cycle’s varied moods, from erotic longing to dark comedy.”

Huntsville native Phillips, now based in New York, is fresh from a run with the Metropolitan Opera where she appeared as Pamina in The Magic Flute and Musetta in La bohème. She will also portray Musetta on the Met’s Japan tour in June. Additionally this season, Ms. Phillips will be singing Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Boston Lyric Opera and will be performing a concert at Carnegie Hall and a solo recital in Chicago. Ms. Phillips has appeared with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in L’Elisir d’Amore and has performed with Santa Fe Opera in The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. She has performed previously with Opera Birmingham in Le nozze di Figaro and La Traviata. This will be Ms. Phillips’ role début as Lucia, and she will reprise the role with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as part of their fall season.

Bellemer, who is based in New York, sings the title role in Faust with the Hawaii Opera Theater this season. His previous roles include Don Jose in Carmen with Boston Lyric Opera, Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opéra de Rouen in Paris, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia at the Buxton Festival. He has performed Macduff in Macbeth and Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opéra National de Bordeaux, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opéra de Rennes, Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Don Jose with New York City Opera. This will be Mr. Bellemer’s début with Opera Birmingham and his role début as Edgardo.

McKern, a Pelham native who is based in Pensacola, Fla., will be making his Opera Hong Kong and Michigan Opera Theatre début as Marcello in La bohème. He has previously sung the role of Marcello at the Santa Fe Opera. Other previous engagements include Masetto in Don Giovanni with Santa Fe Opera, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the Arizona Opera, Valentin in Faust with Opera Carolina, and Morales in Carmen with New York City Opera. Mr. McKern has performed previously with Opera Birmingham in La bohème, Turandot and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Home for the Holidays. This will be his role début as Enrico.

Link, who is based in New York, has sung the roles of Commendatore in Don Giovanni with the Arizona Opera, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Florentine Opera, the title role as The Mikado at the Syracuse Opera, Le Comte des Grieux in Manon with Florida Grand Opera, and with the Metropolitan Opera in productions of War and Peace and Macbeth. Mr. Link has performed previously with Opera Birmingham in Turandot. Next, he performs Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro at the Portland Opera. Of his previous performance as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Utah Symphony & Opera, the Deseret News said “Link put compassion and feeling into his character.”

Hendricks, based in New York, has performed previously as Romeo in International Opera Theater’s world premiere of Romeo e Giulietta in Umbria, Italy, Crab Man in Porgy and Bess with Dallas Opera, Mingo in Porgy and Bess with New Jersey State Opera, and in Beggar’s Holiday with Pittsburg Opera Theatre. Mr. Hendricks was a tenor soloist in Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Celebration. His Opera Birmingham performances include Aida, Porgy and Bess, The Marriage of Figaro and Home for the Holidays. This is his role début as Arturo.

Altenbach, based in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, was the associate conductor of the world-renown Grand Teton Music Festival last summer. His upcoming symphonic engagements include the Memphis, Milwaukee and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras, and Brevard Music Center. He has been the associate conductor of Central City Opera for the past two seasons. He recently made his international début, conducting La bohème at Opera Africa in Johannesburg. He was also the associate conductor of the Minnesota Opera. This will be Mr. Altenbach’s début conducting for Opera Birmingham.

Clawson, who is based in Albuquerque, N.M., returned to the Daytona Opera this season as stage director for La Traviata and Faust. She joined the Utah Opera to stage an adaptation Dr. Miracle and directed RENT at the University of New Mexico. She has directed Il Campanello and Dr. Miracle for the Santa Fe Opera. This production will be Ms. Clawson’s first time directing Lucia di Lammermoor. Previously, she has directed the Opera Birmingham productions of La Traviata, Tosca and La bohème.

In addition to the principals, the production will feature the Opera Birmingham Chorus, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. It will be sung in the original Italian with projected English translations. The Opera Birmingham Chorus is made up of local businesspeople, attorneys, doctors, teachers, as well as students from numerous area colleges and schools.

Tickets are available to both performances of Lucia di Lammermoor and may be purchased by phone at 205-322-6737, online at www.operabirmingham.org, or by visiting the Opera Birmingham office at 3601 Sixth Avenue South. Single tickets range from $25 (balcony) to $90 (center front orchestra), and student tickets may be purchased for with a valid ID. Season subscriptions are also still available and offer significant savings over single ticket prices, as well as great benefits like priority seating, ticket exchanges, and invitations to exclusive events.

Opera Birmingham is pleased to be a part of The Year of Alabama Music celebration! The Opera Birmingham season continues with The Great Wagner Concert on April 16. Additional information may be found at www.operabirmingham.org. Follow Opera Birmingham on Twitter operabham or on Facebook at Opera Birmingham. Opera Birmingham, Northern Alabama's only professional, regional opera company, has entertained audiences in the region for over 55 years.

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Opera Birmingham Presents:
Gounod's Faust

For Immediate Release

Eleanor L. Parker, Director of Marketing & Communications
Opera Birmingham
3601 Sixth Avenue, South
Birmingham, AL 35222

Birmingham, AL - Opera Birmingham Alabama’s largest opera company will produce Charles Gounod’s grand opera, Faust, on Friday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Samford University’s Wright Center. Gounod's masterpiece, which features one of the most thrilling finales in all of opera, is one of the world’s most frequently performed operas, but has not been heard in Birmingham in over three decades.

“Faust is truly one of the grandest of grand operas,” said John D. Jones, General Director of Opera Birmingham. “It’s full of familiar tunes and is a work I’ve wanted us to produce for over a decade. It’s a timeless story with a shattering finale. I can guarantee an exciting and moving night at the theater!”

Faust tells the story of the aged scholar, Faust, who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for youth; and, in doing so, causes the tragic downfall of a virtuous young girl, Marguerite. Faust debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris on March 19, 1859. It was Faust with which the Metropolitan Opera in New York City opened for the first time on October 22, 1883.

The Opera Birmingham cast will be led by tenor Bryan Hymel as Faust, and will feature a host of the opera world’s best and brightest stars including soprano Mary Dunleavy as Marguerite, mezzo-soprano Millinee Bannister as Siebel, bass Kirk Eichelberger as Mephistopheles, baritone Michael Mayes as Valentin, mezzo-soprano Gloria Parvin as Marthe, and baritone Daniel Siegel as Wagner. This production will be conducted by Israel Gursky and will be directed by Dona D. Vaughn.

Hymel has performed as Rodolfo in La bohème with the Atlanta Opera and in the title role of Werther at the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden). His Opera Birmingham roles include Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the Duke in Rigoletto. He was the winner of the 2003 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition and is a Louisiana native. This will be his role debut as Faust, and he will conclude his season with a reprisal of Faust with Santa Fe Opera.

Dunleavy’s gallery of operatic heroines is led by her signature role, Violetta in La traviata, seen in venues including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, and others. This will be her debut with Opera Birmingham and her role debut as Marguerite. She will reprise the role of Marguerite with the North Carolina Opera later in the season.

Bannister’s previous roles include Siebel with Nashville Opera, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Utah Festival Opera Company, Dorabella in Così fan tutte with Amarillo Opera, and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera North. She has performed with Opera Birmingham as Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly.

Eichelberger has performed as Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opera San Jose, as the title role in Le Nozze de Figaro for Opera Memphis, and as The Emperor in Tea: A Mirror of Soul with the Opera Company of Philadelphia. This will be his debut with Opera Birmingham. He performed the role of Mephistopheles previously with Opera San Jose and Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, CA. Of his performance with the Festival Opera, Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "The devil gets the best lines in many circumstances, but rarely so definitively as when he's portrayed by a singer like bass Kirk Eichelberger. His performance as Mephistopheles combined tonal suavity and power with a dark, sardonic edge that bespoke all sorts of demonic undercurrents; the duet with Marguerite in the cathedral scene was a tour de force of fiery bravado."




Mayes sang the title role in Don Giovanni with Connecticut Opera, Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Des Moines Metro Opera, and Guglielmo in Cose fan tutte with Arizona Opera. This will be his debut with Opera Birmingham and his role debut as Valentin.

Parvin has performed in oratorio performances throughout the south with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony and Louisville Orchestra. Her operatic experience includes numerous productions. This will be her debut with Opera Birmingham and her role debut as Marthe.

Seigel has performed previously with Opera Birmingham in La traviata and Barber of Seville. He has also performed Andrea Chénier with Mobile Opera and Albert Herring with Opera North. This will be his role debut as Wagner.

Gursky has led performances of Don Giovanni for the Washington National Opera, The Fly and Le Nozze di Figaro for the Los Angeles Opera, and Hänsel und Gretel for PORTopera. He has also conducted in several concerts with the orchestra of the Washington National Opera, including performances with Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli. This is his debut conducting for Opera Birmingham.

Vaughn is the Artistic Director of Opera Programs at Manhattan School of Music and also serves as Artistic Director of PORTopera. She began her career as a performer in the original Broadway productions of Company, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Seesaw. Her directing credits include New York City Opera and the Kennedy Center. This is her debut directing for Opera Birmingham.

In addition to the principals, the production will feature the Opera Birmingham Chorus, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. It will be sung in the original French with projected English translations. The Opera Birmingham Chorus is made up of local businessmen, attorneys, ministers, teachers, as well as students from numerous area colleges and schools.

Tickets are available to both performances of Faust and may be purchased by phone at 205-322-6737, online at www.operabirmingham.org, or by visiting the Opera Birmingham office at 3601 Sixth Avenue South. Single tickets range from $25 (balcony) to $90 (center front orchestra), and student tickets may be purchased for with a valid ID. Season subscriptions are also still available and offer significant savings over single ticket prices, as well as great benefits like priority seating, ticket exchanges, and invitations to exclusive events.

The Opera Birmingham season continues with Donzetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on March 18 and 20, and The Great Wagner Concert on April 16. Additional information may be found at www.operabirmingham.org. Follow Opera Birmingham on Twitter operabham or on Facebook at Opera Birmingham. Opera Birmingham, Northern Alabama's only professional, regional opera company, has entertained audiences in the region for over 55 years.

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Opera Birmingham Presents:
Home for the Holidays

For Immediate Release

Eleanor L. Parker, Director of Marketing & Communications
Opera Birmingham
3601 Sixth Avenue, South
Birmingham, AL 35222

Birmingham, AL - Opera Birmingham continues its 2010-2011 season with Home for the Holidays. The concert will be presented on Friday, December 17, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 19, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. at Samford University’s Brock Recital Hall.

Join tenor Elias Hendricks, baritone Corey McKern, soprano Jan Cornelius, and mezzo soprano Chandra McKern for a concert of holiday favorites as Opera Birmingham celebrates the season!

Accompanied by pianist Kirt Pavitt of the Santa Fe Opera, Home for the Holidays is sure to be one of the best holiday concerts around. This family-friendly holiday tradition features a sing-along and even a visit by jolly old Saint Nick!

Tickets are still available to both performances of Home for the Holidays and may be purchased by phone at 205.322.6737, online at www.operabirmingham.org, or by visiting the Opera Birmingham office at 3601 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35222. Single tickets are $15, $30, and $50, and student tickets may be purchased for $12 with a valid ID.

This concert is made possible through the generous support of Patty McDonald. Opera Birmingham’s 2010-2011 season continues in the new year with productions of Gounod’s Faust on January 28 and 30, 2011, Donzetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on March 18 and 20, 2011, and The Great Wagner Concert on April 16, 2011. Additional information may be found at www.operabirmingham.org. Follow Opera Birmingham on Twitter @operabham or on Facebook at Opera Birmingham.

Opera Birmingham, Northern Alabama's only professional, regional opera company, has entertained audiences in the region for over 50 years.

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Elizabeth Futral returns to Opera Birmingham

November 16

Birmingham, AL —Opera Birmingham opens the season with a dazzling recital by the magnificent soprano Elizabeth Futral. An Evening with Elizabeth Futral, presented in collaboration with the Samford University School of Arts, will take place on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 7:30 pm at Brock Recital Hall, Samford University. Ms. Futral will be accompanied by William Billinghurst on the piano.

This season’s opening gala concert is a once-in-a-lifetime musical event with limited seating. “Elizabeth Futral has continued to set the opera world afire since her last appearances here in 1999 and 2005,” said John D. Jones, General Director of Opera Birmingham.

Ms. Futral has appeared at the major opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan Opera (the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Princess Eudoxie in La juive, Elvira in I Puritani, and Princess Yueyang in the world premiere of The First Emperor), Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Musetta in La bohéme), San Francisco Opera (Stella in the world premiere of A Streetcar Named Desire, Violetta in La traviata), Bayerische Staatsoper (Nannetta in Falstaff), Gran Teatre del Liceu (Gilda in Rigoletto), Berlin State Opera (Violetta), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Violetta and the title role in Partenope), and Washington National Opera (Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Violetta and Lucia).

With her stunning vocalism and vast dramatic range, Elizabeth Futral has established herself as one of the major coloratura sopranos in the world today. “In a bright, focused and sizable voice, she spins out streams of florid coloratura roulades and makes embellishments seem natural elaborations of long melodic lines,” said The New York Times of her Metropolitan Opera performance in Lucia di Lammermoor.

In addition to the concert with Opera Birmingham, the 2010-2011 opera season for Elizabeth Futral will include performances in other venues throughout North and South America. She will be singing the four heroines in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with the Florida Grand Opera, in addition to performances as Violetta in La traviata with the Minnesota Opera. She will perform the title role in Thaïs with the Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile

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Eleanor Parker, Director of Marketing for Opera Birmingham, explained, “This concert is not a part of our regular season subscription, so must be purchased separately. There are less than 40 seats remaining, so tickets are going quickly.”

Tickets for An Evening with Elizabeth Futral are $50. A reception with the artist will be held a private home following the performance. Tickets for the concert and reception are $100.

Ms. Futral, a graduate of Samford University, will also present a master class for Samford students on Wednesday, November 17.

Opera Birmingham, Northern Alabama's only professional, regional opera company, has entertained audiences in the region for over 50 years.

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Opera Birmingham Celebrates National Opera Week

October 29 – November 7

October 8, 2010

Birmingham, AL —Opera Birmingham is proud to join nearly 100 other opera organizations nationwide to celebrate National Opera Week (October 29 – November 7), organized by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Opera Birmingham will host a variety of events to celebrate National Opera Week at their Hill Opera Center and on campuses and at churches throughout the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas.

“National Opera Week is an opportunity to highlight the astounding diversity and creativity of opera activity across the United States today,” stated Marc A. Scorca, president & CEO of OPERA America. “There is something for everyone during National Opera Week, providing both the seasoned attendee and newcomer a chance to learn about, experience and enjoy the art form in an informal setting.”

National Opera Week celebrates the vitality of opera in America today and brings the inventiveness and excitement of opera to a broader national audience. The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs across the United States will be shared through a variety of free and accessible activities for opera lovers and newcomers to the art form.

“Opera Birmingham is pleased to participate in the second National Opera Week. This year, our focus is on the young singer and features events on five college campuses,” said John Jones, General Director of Opera Birmingham. “Our great local asset—the Opera Birmingham Chorus—kicks off the week with a Chorus Cabaret and an Open Rehearsal for “Faust.” Our first Opera Attic Sale—to benefit the Company’s programs in the community, such as discounted tickets for students—will end the week with something new and different with wide appeal.”

Coinciding with the presentation of the NEA Opera Honors in Washington, D.C., National Opera Week honors the careers of the outstanding artists chosen each year for this award. The recipients of the 2010 NEA Opera Honors are Soprano Martina Arroyo, General Director David DiChiera, Composer Philip Glass and Music Director Eve Queler. Previous honorees include Composer John Adams, Composer Carlisle Floyd, Mezzo-Soprano Marilyn Horne, Conductor James Levine and Soprano Leontyne Price. The 2010 NEA Opera Honors will take place on Friday, October 22 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (www.neaoperahonors.org).

Opera Birmingham National Opera Week Event Details:

Opera Birmingham Chorus Cabaret
Unitarian Universalist Church, 4300 Hampton Heights Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209
October 29, 7:30pm
Audience members will be entertained by the Opera Birmingham Chorus, performing favorite opera choruses from Aida’s Triumphal Chorus to Carmen’s famous Toreador Chorus. Admission is $10.

Opera Birmingham Chorus Open Rehearsal
The Altamont School, 4801 Altamont Road South, Birmingham, AL 35213
October 30, 10:00am
Observers will see and hear the Opera Birmingham Chorus, under the direction of Daniel Seigel, as it prepares for January’s production of Gounod’s timeless classic, “Faust.” Admission is free.

Opera Birmingham Annual Subscriber Open House and Dedication of the McDonald Event Room
The Hill Opera Center, 3601 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35222
October 31, 3:00pm
Opera Birmingham dedicates the newly renovated McDonald Event Room, named in honor of Patty McDonald and in memory of her husband, Pat McDonald, in the Hill Opera Center. Admission is free.

"What's Opera, Kitty?"
Hill Hall - Birmingham-Southern College, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, AL 35254
November 1, 7:00pm
Opera Birmingham General Director John Jones is joined by Birmingham-Southern College Director of Opera Studies Jeff Kensmoe for a discussion about auditioning and repertoire for young artists. Admission is free.

Opera Birmingham Mock Auditions
Hulsey Recital Hall - UAB, 950 13th St. South, Birmingham, AL 35294
November 2, 3:30pm
Opera Birmingham General Director John Jones hears and critiques auditions featuring UAB vocalists. This event is free.

 

Opera Birmingham Mock Auditions
Le Baron Recital Hall - Davis Music Building - University of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL 35115
November 3, 12:00pm
Opera Birmingham General Director John Jones hears and critiques auditions featuring Montevallo vocalists. Admission is free.

 

Wright Center Backstage Tour
Lobby of the Wright Center - Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229
November 4, 4:00pm
Step behind the curtain for a look backstage at Opera Birmingham’s mainstage home, the Leslie Wright Center on the Samford University campus. Admission is free.

"Real to Reel: Opera Goes to the Movies" 
Choral/Opera Room - Moody Music Building - University of Alabama
November 5, 7:30pm and November 7, 3:00pm
The University of Alabama Opera Theatre presents a multimedia evening of opera scenes and arias heard in famous motion pictures. The evening will include scenes from a documentary on the opera program which will be filmed during the fall semester and the performance itself, along with the audience, will become part of the finished film. Tickets are $10 for General Admission and $5 for Students. For tickets and information call 205-348-7111. Box Office Hours are 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Samford Opera Works Homecoming Cabaret
Harry's Coffeehouse - Student Union - Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229
November 5, 8:30pm
Admission is free.

The Opera Attic Sale
The Hill Opera Center, 3601 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35222
November 6, 7:00am – 12:00pm
Treasures, including costumes and props from Opera Birmingham productions, will be the stars of this sale! A wide variety of household and electronic goods will give new meaning to the words “Rummage Sale!” Admission is free.

For more information about National Opera Week events around the country, please visit www.operaamerica.org/now. Follow the National Opera Week conversation on Twitter with #operaweek.

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Additional press contacts: For OPERA America: Patricia Kiernan Johnson, 212-796-8620, ext. 217, PKJohnson@operaamerica.org For NEA: Victoria Hutter, 202-682-5692, hutterv@arts.gov