More Than 200 Organizations Celebrated Opera

Activities, Contests and Announcements Reached Across the Country

Eric Owens, Honorary Chairman, Encouraged the Public to Experience Opera

This year marked the most successful National Opera Week yet, smashing previous participation records. From Friday, October 24 through Sunday, November 2, 2014, 205 opera companies, schools and organizations across North America presented performances, activities, contests and announcements in 37 states to celebrate opera.

First held in 2009, National Opera Week is an annual event coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera. National Opera Week celebrates the vibrancy of opera in America today, and conveys the excitement and importance of opera to a wide national audience.

The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles, opera training programs, and opera-related learning and social groups across North America were on display through the wide array of events offered. These activities included performances, family-friendly festivals, lectures, social events, social media contests and announcements of year-round community impact.

Star bass-baritone Eric Owens served as Honorary Chairman of National Opera Week 2014. “I’ll never forget my first time attending a live opera performance. It was a life-changing experience, simply for having heard the human voice in all of its glorious splendor,” stated Owens. “Opera is an all-encompassing art form — it combines music with theater and dance and sets and lighting in a way that no other musical performance does,” he continued.

A welcome message from Eric Owens is available at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.

To highlight many examples of opera’s current vitality, OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca issued a statement on Friday, October 31 on the state of the opera field, which reads in part:

“Over recent months, companies have navigated numerous obstacles to bring exciting performances by outstanding artists to appreciative audiences; a number of them are still struggling to under the weight of deficits that accumulated through the years of the Great Recession. Without oversimplifying the challenges that must be addressed, opera’s vitality is not limited to National Opera Week. Artistically, the field has never been more vibrant. Companies are implementing new strategies to build attendance at the same time that public events have demonstrated a tremendous interest in the art form.”

National Opera Week 2015 takes place from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, November 1, 2015.

For descriptions of selected activities and lists of participating organizations and event states, please see below.

View the full list of National Opera Week 2014 activities at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.

Participate in the National Opera Week conversation on Twitter with #OperaWeek.

National Opera Week 2015
National Opera Week 2015 will be held from Friday, October 23 through Sunday, November 1, 2015. OPERA America encourages all organizations, companies and individuals to participate in this celebration of opera. There is no fee to participate in National Opera Week and membership in OPERA America is not required. More information will be available at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.

Select Activities

Amarillo Opera | Bon Appétit! (Amarillo, TX)
Bon Appétit! is a charming short opera based on one of Julia Child’s best-loved television shows. Attendees enjoyed a delicious evening of laughter as the flamboyant master chef taught the makings of a classic French chocolate cake — Le Gâteau au Chocolat L’Éminence Brune.

The Dallas Opera | Simulcast at Klyde Warren Park (Dallas, TX)
Attendees viewed a live simulcast of The Marriage of Figaro and a screening of the 1945 Three Stooges classic Micro-Phonies, in addition to participating in a “Worst Bridesmaid’s Dress Ever” contest and a bouquet toss. Before the simulcast, attendees could take advantage of a variety of wining and dining options from local food trucks.

Joyce DiDonato | World Series National Anthem, Game 7 (Kansas City, MO; TV)
Opera superstar, Kansas City native and avid baseball fan Joyce DiDonato sang the national anthem before the start of Game 7 of the World Series.

G. Schirmer/AMP Music Sales Classical | Opera Aria Give-Away (online)
G. Schirmer offered free downloads of select arias from operas by Daniel Catán as well as an opera trivia contest on Facebook and Twitter with opera scores and CDs as prizes.

Going Going Gone Sports Gallery | Opera & Baseball (New York, NY)
Opera and technology expert and baseball enthusiast Mark Schubin delivered an illustrated talk about the amazing joint histories of opera and baseball. A video recording of this talk is available on YouTube.

Lyric Opera of Chicago | #HoldThatHighNote (online)
Lyric Opera of Chicago asked its social media followers to film a short video singing a note and tagging it with @LyricOpera on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Participants were encouraged to be as creative as possible, using costumes, props or unique locations. The person with the most creative video won two free tickets to select dates of Lyric productions this season.

Minnesota Opera | Social Media Preview Night (Minneapolis, MN; online)
Minnesota Opera welcomed select press members, bloggers and social media influencers to its final dress rehearsal to participate in live tweeting, posting to Facebook, blogging, note taking and illustrating. Prior to the rehearsal, a member of the Minnesota Opera creative team spoke about the production and answered questions from the group during an informal meet and greet.

OperaBuffs of Western New York | Wayward Sisters (Buffalo, NY)
Contralto Suzanne Fatta took a look at portrayals of witchcraft, magic and folk religions in opera and music-drama throughout the Western canon — from Ulrica and Dido’s Sorceress to Carmen reading the tarot cards. Special attention was payed to the range/fach, character and musical themes attached to these female roles. During the lecture, attendees enjoyed live performances of opera arias.

OperaDelaware | Who’s Afraid of Opera? (Wilmington, DE)
From Sesame Street to Wall Street, from British Airways to Bugs Bunny — opera has been part of your vocabulary all along! OperaDelaware explored some of the most celebrated moments of opera in pop culture, as well as suggestions for what should become part of the mainstream.

Opera Parallèle | My Head is Full of Colors (San Francisco, CA)
Opera Parallèle’s Hands-on-Opera program partnered with fourth graders to present its first commissioned children’s opera. Written for soprano, baritone and a children’s chorus, My Head is Full of Colors was composed by Chris Pratorius with a libretto by Opera Parallèle’s own Nicole Paiement.

Opera Southwest | Amleto (Albuquerque, NM)
Hamlet (Amleto) is an operatic adaptation of the Shakespearean classic that had been lost to history for over 140 years until its recent rediscovery by OSW Artistic Director Anthony Barrese. This production, the work’s American premiere, was the first time it had been presented anywhere in the world since 1871.

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra | Orlando Phil Shares Its Opera Side (online)
Through its interactive website and social media activity, Orlando Philharmonic showcased the integral role of opera in its current season.

Palm Beach Opera | Opera Day at the Library (West Palm Beach, FL)
In an afternoon filled with fun activities for children of all ages, Palm Beach Opera presented an interactive reading of A Soup Opera by Jim Gill, hosted art stations for free creative expression and gave away tickets for a family performance of The Daughter of the Regiment.

The Santa Fe Opera | Young Voices of The Santa Fe Opera on the Town (Santa Fe, NM)
To celebrate National Opera Week, the Young Voices of The Santa Fe Opera hit the town. On November 1, these talented high school students performed at eight different public locations in Albuquerque.

Sarasota Opera | Understanding Opera: Getting Opera on the Stage (Sarasota, FL)
Greg Trupiano, Sarasota Opera’s director of artistic administration, introduced attendees to essential elements of producing an opera. Attendees also heard from the lighting designer, chorus master and a member of the music staff to learn more about how their contributions make productions possible.

Tulsa Opera | Big Sing (Tulsa, OK)
Tulsa Opera kicked off a new program that gave the general public the opportunity to sing with professional opera singers and chorus members. At each Big Sing event, participants learned a piece of choral music and performed it — all in less than half an hour.

Utah Opera | Halloween Carnival (Salt Lake City, UT)
Utah Opera held a musically themed Halloween Carnival at its production studios on October 29. There were costume contests, face painting by costume artists, photo ops in front of opera scenes, spooky games and prizes. Admission was free with the donation of a can of food for the Utah Food Bank.

Wichita Grand Opera | Fright Flight (Wichita, KS)
Wichita Grand Opera and the Kansas Aviation Museum teamed up for Fright Flight — an evening of spooky fun in the historic, haunted Wichita Air Terminal. The evening included live performances of some of opera’s eeriest arias, walk-throughs of the haunted terminal areas, tarot readings, a best costume contest, food and dancing.

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