Friends of LVO

Capulet et Montagues in Livermore Valley

2011-10-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Singers were transported on the new Ruby Hill Wine Tour Bus.

Singers from the recently concluded fall Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) production of Roméo et Juliette took their days off during the busy rehearsal weeks, and were given the royal treatment at some of our Livermore Valley wineries, including : Les Chênes, La Rochelle, Concannon Vineyards, Occasio, Ruby Hill Winery, and Nottingham Cellars, the provider of our opening night gala wine.

It was a special treat to take a behind the scenes tour of Concannon Vineyards with it's state-of-the-art bottling line, and now one of the largest wineries in California. Small and medium-sized wineries were on the tour to give our visiting artists the "full flavor" of our valley appellation.

L to R: Bernardo, Norman and Christian.

After all this local education, and since it was in the middle of harvest season, singers were invited to join the fun and help pick, weigh and measure the "brix" at the Norman and Stephanie Petermeier’s home vineyard, Villa per Dué. Norman is the enologist at Ruby Hill Winery and Stephanie is a member of the Livermore Valley Opera board of directors, and is the event chair of the upcoming LVO 20th Anniversary Celebration on January, 28, 2012.

You can see that Montague (Christian Reinert who was Romeo) and Capulet (Bernardo Bermudez) are getting along just fine offstage enjoying the process of making wine.

Please visit our Facebook page for more photos of this fun time!

Location, Location, Location

2011-09-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Revon set design mock up for Roméo et Juliette

No, not retail, we're talking strictly opera here. "Roméo et Juliette," the opera by French composer Charles Gounod is what's next for Livermore Valley Opera, and Opening Night is September 24th. (Tickets anyone...?)

The music is simply beautiful, and although this opera is just the 28th most popular, according to Opera America, Juliette's aria "Je veux vivre" is possibly one of the most requested. (At least it was at the recent Opera in the Vineyard event held by LVO!) I am listening to several renditions of this area as I write this blog post, Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, and Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé -- (vote for your favorite in the comments!).

You will get to hear this music live, fully staged, and you can do it for less than what you'd spend on dinner, parking and gas to get into San Francisco from the Tri-Valley. And, you'll be much closer to the stage.

Set Designer Jean-François Revon says he listens to the music over and over again to create a set design that both suits the opera and addresses the stage director's unique vision. He has designed more than 350 sets and has been working with the directors and volunteers at LVO for the last eight years. He has been instrumental in helping the company grow into the emerging professional opera it is today. In 2007, LVO made a huge transition from the Livermore High School auditorium to the 507-seat Bankhead Theater.

"Livermore Valley Opera has a true advantage being a smaller company. It is a privilege [for a stage director] to create their own piece with a custom set. It is a huge selling point for the company," according to Revon.

"It was very easy to work with Bill Murray, a true pleasure. His vision was specific and clear and easy for me to design for."

When asked what was particularly challenging about this opera set, he said it was the "number of locations," six locations en total, over five ACTS. "That's a lot for an opera," says Revon. In all that time, this is only the second time Revon has designed a set for Roméo et Juliette.

Bill Rabe, Set Construction

Roméo et Juliette is a very ambitious undertaking for LVO in its 20th anniversary season. The set changes must appear uncomplicated, challenging when there are so many. Stage Director Bill Murray's vision was to use windows and color as symbols and a way of emoting, through the scenic changes. Audiences will notice, or perhaps simply feel, the way light and artistry have tugged at their emotions as the scene changes from a ballroom party scene to an out of doors, to a prison, outdoors (totally difference location, of course), to Juliette's bedroom, and to the final tomb scene.

Serena Shannari painting the ground row.

For an LVO first, Scenic Painter Serina Shannari, has used the technique of painting with hot wax on at least two canvasses depicting windows in Acts I (ballroom) and IV (bedroom). The wax gives a "glass-like" quality to to the set piece and helps exaggerate the color using light creatively, thanks to collaborative Lighting Designer Kevin Bautch. In particular, you will notice the effect on the stained glass window in the bedroom scene. A light box technique is used in the prison scene to give depth and darkness to the moment. Shannari has trained LVO volunteers over the years of collaboration to assist her with painting, which translates into cost savings for the company.

Volunteers Jill Evanko and Sue Rabe

In all, it is a $10,000+ set, a bargain in the opera world. LVO is accomplishing this feat thanks to donated lumber and a dedicated team of highly-skilled set construction volunteers lead by Bill Rabe. He and Revon have worked together over the years to translate a visiting stage director's unique visions into magic on stage. LVO now enjoys professional company member status with the national arts organization Opera America. Bill and his crew create plans based on the Revon designs, working from mock up images, so they can actually build the set that you will see on stage. LVO's set construction crew includes: Rich Sutherland, Harald Kipp, Brian Maxwell, Larry Snyder, and even cast member Ernie Alvarez helped construct for a couple of days between rehearsals.

What's next for Jean-Francois? The Crucible

Don't miss the final Roméo et Juliette preview this weekend, always free and open to the public:

Livermore Main Library on Sun. 9/18 @ 2pm

Free Opera Previews

2011-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Art by Lauren Covey

LVO is presenting a series of free public performances at various Tri-Valley locations this month, beginning with the Harvest Festival at Concannon Vineyard this weekend.

If you'd like to hear some beautiful singing from our upcoming Roméo et Juliette, which opens September 24th, here is the complete schedule:

September 4, 1:00 p.m., Concannon Vineyard at the Harvest Festival in Livermore
September 7, 6:30 p.m., Dublin Library
September 8, 12:00 p.m., Dublin Senior Center
September 11, 2:00 p.m, Pleasanton Library
September 15, 1:00 p.m., Pleasanton Senior Center
September 18, 2:00 p.m., Livermore Main Library

Most of the programs are an hour long. LVO is also conducting outreach to schools, 50-minute periods between August 29 to September 22, thanks to a funding from Wells Fargo and the Pleasanton Curtural Arts Council.

Special thanks to orchestra coordinator and former board member Gary Sears for putting this program together.

See below for the key to the schedule of singers, many of whom are cast in roles for Romeo et Juliette, also accompanists, and when Stage Director Bill Murray will be joining them.

Participating artists:
Bill Murray, Romeo et Juliette Stage Director
Melody King, soprano, cover for Juliette
Bernardo Bermudez, bass, Count Capulet
Roberto Perlas Gomez, baritone, Mercutio
Christie Hageman, soprano, Juliette
Christian Reinert, tenor, Romeo
Nikolas (Nik) Nackley, baritione, Gregario
Micah Naler, violin
Danielle Naler, accompanist
Bruce Olstad, accompanist

Venue - Performer/Speaker:
Concannon Vineyard - Michelle Rice
Dublin Library - Melody, Bernardo, Danielle
Dublin Senior Center - Melody, Roberto, Danielle
Pleasanton Library - Christie, Christian, Bill, Micah, Danielle
Pleasanton Senior Center - Melody, Nik, Danielle
Livermore Main Library - Christie, Bernardo, Bill, Bruce

Artwork by Lauren Covey of Livermore, first place winner in LVO's Roméo et Juliette opera art contest.

Dialogue with a Diva

2011-09-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

We first posted about the Yankee Diva in June 2009. She is a mezzo soprano currently calling The Met her home, and she is also a teacher and a blogger. Here is her new URL: http://www.joycedidonato.com/blog/.

She has a great following on the stage and online. Her photos and observations are refreshing musings indeed.

Ashley’s First Opera

2011-08-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is the story of how a 5-year-old was introduced to opera by her grandmother, Stephanie Petermeier, who is an opera board member and Chairing our upcoming 20th Anniversary Celebration event in January 2012.

LVO is creating new "opera-tunities" to introduce children and youth to the magical world of opera, from the Ice Cream & Opera Sunday matinees to the new Student Dress Rehearsal Night. We also created OperaLive!, a series of free public outreach performances at libraries and community centers, and a student "poster" art contest, to introduce new fans, of all ages, to opera. Please check our website www.LivermoreValleyOpera.com for details.

Here is Ashley's Story, as told by her grandmother:

It was the spring of 2004. At the tender age of five, Ashley begged me to take her to the opera. I had taken my grown daughters Kristine and Julie to the opera the previous weekend and she wanted to know what it was all about.

Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) was then performing in the local high school and youth tickets were just $15, so I thought that if we only made it through ½ an opera that would be alright. I was babysitting her one Saturday night, and I still had my playbill from the performance. We read every inch of it together, except the ending of the synopsis. She was interested in all parts of this production of Madama Butterfly.

I decided to take her to the final Sunday matinee. We got dressed up for opera together and went to the Livermore High School theater with much anticipation. Ashley’s eyes were glued to the stage. I don’t think she moved in her seat at all. When the First Act was over I asked, “Would you like to go home now?” She answered, “Is it over?”

At Intermission, it was time to tell her about the tragic ending. We sat outside eating the cookies, traditionally home-baked by volunteers at the original venue, and discussed what was going to happen next. I explained how none of it was real, but if she wanted to close her eyes, she could. She was captivated again for the rest of the opera. When Butterfly reached for the knife in the final act, she turned and buried her head in my shoulder. I could feel her shuddering, and she remained there until I said, “It’s over,” and she turned back to the stage just in time to see Pinkerton arrive too late to help.

When Ashley returned home, this is how a five-year-old explained the plot to her parents:

"There was a man that told Pinkerton that it was not a real wedding, and told Butterfly that it was, and it was very sad.”

She is now decidedly hooked on opera for a lifetime, and we have enjoyed attending the LVO Sunday matinees as a family, with free ice cream at Intermission for all, and a tour backstage for the kids.

A Poem Honoring Livermore Valley Opera

2011-07-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

In Honor of the Livermore Valley Opera on its 20th Anniversary
by Charan Sue Wollard

any moment this paper may burst into song
mad notes curling its edges like fire
darkness doloroso pouring
forth in resonant timbre
from ink-smudged surfaces --
more than mere meter and rhyme
tripping like moonbeams --
sounds soaring, arias allegretto, fortissimo
beating the high rafters
till they tremble with joy
let us sing of Rossini, Puccini, Mozart
Wagner, Verdi, Gounod, Strauss
praise the mighty voices
of principals and chorus
praise too those unsung lovers
toiling in shadows
step out from behind the curtain,
take a bow, Livermore Valley Opera!
while this poem sings to you

Poet Laureate

2011-07-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Charan Sue Wollard is currently serving her second term as poet laureate of Livermore. She graciously offered to compose a poem to commemorate Livermore Valley Opera's 20th anniversary season which begins this month with our first event this weekend, Opera in the Vineyard, and will continue to build to a larger 20th Anniversary Celebration concert and dinner event in January 2012.

Ms. Wollard's poems have appeared in publications including the Carquinez Review, The Gathering and Crow Talk. Her first book, “In My Other Life,” a collection of original poems and paintings, was released in 2010 by Richer Resources Publishing.

We thank you Charan Sue for acknowledging our community's accomplishment in stewarding and supporting an opera company for 20 years.

She attends Ellen Bass's workshop, and is a member of Poet’s Society and the Ina Coolbrith Poetry Circle. Her work has won numerous awards, including Grand Prize at the 2004 Poets’ Dinner. She also manages the site www.livermorelit.com.

Wollard spent 27 years as a writer and editor for various Bay Area newspapers. Now a local Realtor, she writes a weekly real estate column for The Independent.

Her LVO poem will be published in a separate post! We thank you Charan Sue for acknowledging our community's accomplishment in stewarding and supporting an opera company for 20 years.

NY Opera Weekend

2011-05-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

This blog editor has finally been to The Metropolitan Opera. Truth be told, the real reason for the trip East was the opera being produced at the second stage adjacent, Séance on a Wet Afternoon. This new work had it's world premier at Santa Barbara Opera, a first opera by Stephen Schwartz of the musical theater world, both as composer and librettist. Most notably, he composed the score for Wicked.

The Séance matinee produced by New York City Opera was Sunday, so naturally, my travel companion and I were going to see what ever was at the Met on Saturday. That's a lot of opera for one weekend. We saw Cappriccio with René Flemming at the Met. It was a cerebral opera, the last one every composed by Richard Strauss, and the only part I really enjoyed was the comedic relief by the two ballet dancers. They were the best actors. We had excellent seats, and we noted the high proscenium arch, the beautiful golden curtain, and the chandeliers that raise when the show is about to begin. The titles, which one could play in German or English, that were embedded in the seats were the biggest surprise; the opera just didn't capture me.

For the same price ticket, more than $100 let's say, we saw Séance the next day. The set and lighting amazed us. The story had us on the edge of our seats, the chorus was huge and very engaging. Lauren Flanigan made a very convincing crazy person. The set was a 3-D house, made from some translucent material, rotated 360 degrees without a hitch when the scene called for it. They even "flew" a live human in the final act. We were highly entertained.

When all the applause was done, my friend turned to me and said, "why was that not a musical?" It certainly had similar qualities, only it was set to a live orchestra and the singers wore no mics. Now that our trip is over, we still marvel at the difference between the two opera experiences. I think I can appreciate even more the value that my new home town company, Livermore Valley Opera, offers.

Flicka

2011-05-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

If you are an opera buff, you will know who the title refers to, and after observing the sold out Master Class she gave at the San Francisco Conservatory which began at 7:30 p.m. on April 12, 2011. By the end of the session, it was close to 10:15 p.m., we felt like we knew her well enough to call her by her nickname. She is a lady that has had an amazing opera career and exudes a warmth that goes directly against the stereotype of diva.

We watched in amazement as Frederica von Stade coached singers on stage, with a devoted opera audience of 150-200 people in attendance. The master class agenda indicated that five singers and one alternate would be coached. As each one came to center stage, graced with one grand piano and one collaborative keyboardist, Kristin Pankonin, they sang their selected aria for Flicka and for us. The selections were by well-known dead composers Handel, Mozart, Gounod and Menotti, plus one by Steward Wallace, still living.

German never sounded so beautiful as when Kelsey Harris sang "Ach, ichs Fuhl's" from Die Zauberflote. Each time we heard the natural instrument these fine artists, we wondered what Flicka could possibly improve? Her coaching style was incredibly warm and supportive, always staring with a genuine compliment. Her recurring theme for the night was to encourage each singer to employ the tool of "singing softly", not only to protect their voice, so they too can have as long and successful career, but to engage the audience with emotional complexity of a role presentation.

As a special guest, Flicka's good friend, mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, came to the stage to lend her counsel to Yang Hai who sang "She Wanted the Mink". Cao debuted this in the role of Ruth and Liu Ling in the SF Opera world premier of The Bonesetter's Daughter in 2008. Ms. Cao will be a guest on honor at LVO's 20th Anniversary Celebration event on January 28, 2012.

Mezzo-soprano Sara Couden, who was Mamma Lucia in LVO's fall 2009 production of Cavalleria Rusticana was the alternate, and even thought the hour was late, Flicka allowed her to sing her electrifying rendition of "I Am Afraid" from Menotti's The Medium.

'Night Out' Makes its Debut in Pleasanton

2011-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Please join us for a "Night Out", performances at 2:00 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton this coming Saturday, April 16.

A light-hearted opera in one act that takes place in a "diner on Main Street". Experience some of the world's best-loved arias as Miles and Mimi encounter the stylish Rupert and Remy on their night out.

Written by Sara Nealy and Music Direction by Alexander Katsman.

BUY TICKETS

Three Generations: One Volunteer’s Story

2011-04-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Guest Post by Barbara Edwards
LVO Wardrobe Volunteer, Chorus Member & Patron

Barbara and Sir David Willcocks, Conductor of the New Zealand Choral Festival.

Livermore seemed small when Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) was first formed. The initial venue at the Livermore High School’s auditorium seemed small as well when I first signed up as a volunteer chorus member a long time ago. The production was La Traviata, which I ultimately backed out on, because, due to my overseas musical travels, I had missed several rehearsals; I didn’t want to breeze in from Europe as a "prima donna" for my very first role with the opera. I remember that in the high school auditorium the audience was so close to the stage they were almost on it. The idea of performing in such a small venue kind of scared me off because I thought that “if I were performing on that stage everyone I knew could easily see me!” It was a very intimate venue, in a very small town at the time. Many years would transpire before I would again commit to performing with LVO.

"Livermore Valley Opera is now my priority; it takes precedence over my beloved choral festivals."

It has been fun watching the company grow throughout the years in the quality of sets, the singers, the staging, and professionalism. All along, it seemed that everyone involved was having a good time. My 7th grade sewing skills were resurrected when I was recruited by a friend to help with costume construction, and I volunteered in wardrobe for several years. I went from sewing simple seams to doing somewhat complicated alterations. It was a fun learning experience and throughout the years I've found these new skills to be quite useful. At some point LVO started renting costumes instead of creating them so that caper ended for me. Thus, my role reverted back to being a donor and a member of the audience.

Eric, Barbara and Donna Edwards, "three generations" choristers in LVO's 2009 production of Cavalleria Rusticana & Palliaci.

Before I volunteered for LVO’s chorus, I had become "addicted" to participating in choral festivals, nationally and internationally. The travel interfered with conflicting rehearsal schedules and demands of our local opera company, so singing in the LVO chorus had to wait. Then “Cav-Pag” (Cavelleria Rusticanna & Palliacci) happened in the fall of 2009, and everything changed for me. Our local opera company was now staging their productions at the brand new 507-seat Bankhead Theater, with an orchestra pit, a green room and gorgeous chorus dressing rooms at their disposal.

My grandson, Eric, at 12 years of age, was asked to be in the men’s chorus as an advanced Chamber Choir member of the Cantabella Children's Chorus, a frequent collaborative partner in the community. His mother Donna, another singer in the family, also decided that it would be a very special experience to participate with him in the opera so she auditioned and also joined the chorus. I let one rehearsal slide by and then woke up to the uniqueness of the opportunity and decided that I just had to sing in the chorus as well, and then I was hooked.

Barbara gets an autograph from Luciano Pavarotti, taken in April 1992 in Oslo, Norway.

I already had a few friends in the opera chorus, and the company warmly welcomed me back. We three became known as the “three generations trio”: grandmother, daughter, and grandson all singing on stage together. The challenge of learning and memorizing so much music, the camaraderie of the rehearsals, mingling with the principal singers, and the glamour of the performances turned it into a fabulous experience for us. It was very special to be in the production together and it is a memory we will always cherish.

My next production with LVO was Stage Director Mark Streshinsky’s modern interpretation of Don Giovanni. That was over-the-top fun. The chorus only had about three lines of music to sing but that was greatly compensated by giving us a lot of acting opportunities. In one scene, I was highly visible downstage in tight gym clothes doing yoga moves. I realized I'd come a long way from wanting a huge distance between me and the audience. That scene garnered much hilarity from the audience as, unbeknown to us yoga performers, Leporello, played by Roberto Perlas Gomez, was photographing us from the rear while we were in the Downward Facing Dog position, thus adding to The Don's prospect files.

Barbara Edwards, second from right, in the Don Giovanni yoga scene.

This spring, I'm singing in Madama Butterfly. As rehearsals begin, I wonder what adventures will unfold. As usual there is a mix of familiar and new faces in the chorus. I know that there will be challenges, there always are, such as how to put on a kimono. I know that we'll all try to do our very best and that we'll once again be thrilled and proud to be a part of Livermore Valley Opera.

Livermore Valley Opera is now my priority; it takes precedence over my beloved choral festivals. I was miserable last year when my New Zealand Choral Festival in January had me missing way too many rehearsals to participate in LVO’s production of Die Fledermaus. I'm performing with the chorus in LVO’s Madama Butterfly instead of the New Zealand festival. I'm grateful for my LVO opportunity and I'm honored to be a part of it.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written before we staged Madama Butterfly. If you see Barbara at the "Night Out" concert at the Firehouse Arts Center, ask her about her music resume singing in international choral festivals!]

April Nissen: Woman of Many Talents

2011-03-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Max, Walt and April Nissen Family ( L to R).

April Nissen, Timpanist and Percussionist
April hails from Livermore and plays eight different instruments of music called for in the Puccini's score of Madama Butterfly.

In the sitzprobe (a German word meaning literally "sit sing" and indicates the first time the musicians and singers come together with the conductor to practice the entire score without staging), the director cut out the "anchor chains" called for in the original score, or it would have been nine instruments called upon her to play. Even an octopus couldn't do that!


April's set up for the sitzprobe.

April's repertoire of instruments for LVO's production of Madama Butterfly include: timpani, side drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, keyboard glockenspiel, Japanese bells, tubular chimes, Japanese tam tam, and bird whistles (played by another musician).

In addition to being employed full-time as a chemist at Sandia National Labs, she is the mother of a 3-year-old, and she has performed with Livermore-Amador Symphony for 13 years.

She started playing percussion in high school, while also studying piano and playing the flute. April completed her degree in piano performance at Scripps College while also earning a BS in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College. I also played timpani and percussion in the Claremont College Orchestra. Since then, she has picked up experience on the various instruments over the years playing with the local symphony and the Pleasanton Community Concert Band.

Although we cannot call her our own exclusively, we very much appreciate that April is so generous with her talents.

For this production April is in good company of several new LVO orchestra members. Please join us in welcoming:

Meredith Clark, Harpist
The harp in Butterfly is crucial. Every time you hear the harp in Butterfly, it’s almost like a “leit-motif” or musical theme which is heard conspicuously when Cio-Cio-San makes her first appearance and then throughout the opera.

Meredith has appeared as guest principal harpist with SF Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony and many other professional orchestras throughout northern California and the country. She received a Master of Music in harp performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, one of the premier music schools in the nation.

At the end of this month, Meredith is off to audition for the harp position in the opera orchestra with Chicago Lyric Opera. We wish her well!

Troy Davis, Oboe
Troy, our principal oboist, has also performed as principal oboe with Berkeley West Edge Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera and other ensembles in the Bay Area. In addition, he has played second oboe / English horn with SF Opera Orchestra, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Berkeley Symphony and just about every other professional orchestra in northern California. He studied oboe at the SF Conservatory with John de Lancie, former principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Kevin McLaughlin, Trumpet
Kevin, our principal trumpet player, knows Alex Katsman from his employment as head music librarian at the SF Conservatory. Kevin received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his Master of Music from Yale University. He also received a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Kevin auditioned and won a place on the SF Opera Orchestra’s substitute roster in March, 2009. He has also played professionally with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, among other ensembles. For about three years, he performed regularly with the Raimund Theater Orchestra in Vienna, Austria.

Remember, when you give us your "hands" in applause, you give them for our fine orchestra members as well!

Geisha Q&A

2011-03-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

Questions posed by a Soprano to Stage Director

Brian Clay Luedloff in preparation for

LVO's Madama Butterfly.

Q2. How much training as a geisha has Cio-Cio San had?

Presumably taken into the geisha house as an orphaned child (or sold to the house by her parents) she may have been there from age 5 on; at age 15 we know that she is already accomplished in her skills, so I think five to ten years of training would be about right.

Q1. How aware is she about what happens to other geisha that have married Americans?
Very often other geisha, if abandoned, would have had too much shame to return to the same geisha house; more likely they would go to a different city and take up in a new house, so word of their abandonment would be rare. If she had heard other stories of geisha being abandoned by their American suitors she is probably too young to think it would happen to her. She is at once pragmatic and a dreamer.

Q3. I am also trying to answer questions about exactly how naive Cio Cio San is. I also want to find some specific points in the score where her geisha training is evident, in conversation with Sharpless, Goro, Yamadori, etc.

We know from Goro that she was bought (possibly sight unseen), as he procures Japanese brides for many young sailors. Most of the evidence of her geisha training is in Act I, when she asks the other geisha to confirm the validity of her past ("Vero?/Vero!") and in "Che tua madre" when she explains to her small child that the consul Sharpless thinks that they will
have to return to begging in the streets, where she will perform her geisha dance again. Better clues lie in the source material, the short story by John Luther Long and the play by David Belasco.

Q4. She is very strong at a young age. She was trained as a geisha to survive and become self sufficient. Why would marriage be the option? How would Goro have convinced her, or was it part of the price of becoming "independent"?
Well, she is trained to be subservient, and has learned survival as a result of that subservience. Geisha were very often married to rich men; owning a geisha of your own was a status symbol among the Japanese wealthy class. A geisha had a narrow window of opportunity, while still young and beautiful (and, presumably, a virgin) to marry a wealthy man. The alternative was a life of serving as geisha to many patrons over a lifetime, so marriage, particularly to an American naval officer, would be quite a prize for a young geisha!

Q 5. Did she already have issues with some aspects of Japanese life/men because of what her father had to do, making an American husband more appealing?

She seems just as infatuated with the foreign aspect of the marriage as Pinkerton. He laughs, speaks, walks differently. I think she's 15 and totally smitten with the handsome American; the only Japanese men she likely knows are patrons of the geisha house, generally not eligible for marriage, or undesirable by virtue of age or poverty. She has clearly romanticized what her American life will be; but she does not entirely abandon her Japanese nature or culture. She reacts with great shame when the Bonze accuses her of heresy; the end of the opera demonstrates her devotion to Japanese tradition.

While some productions have Cio-Cio-San in American dress for the last two acts, I think she knows what she's selling; that's why she tells Suzuki to get the obi in which she was married, because when Pinkerton returns she wants him to see her as she was on their wedding night. She does welcome Sharpless in act II to "this American home" but aside from a few trappings (American whiskey, a small American flag) she likely does not have particular knowledge or experience of American culture.

Q6. Does her relationship with Suzuki begin prior to the marriage, or is the strength of the relationship because Suzuki only knows her in this setting and watches her demise slowly over 3 years?

I believe Suzuki is an older geisha, far beyond the age to marry or even perform basic geisha duties; I think Butterfly takes her with her as a servant as a kindness and out of affection for an older geisha who likely helped train her. If there is not a personal loyalty between them Suzuki would have little reason to stay in Act II when they are penniless.

High School Night @ Dress Rehearsal

2011-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Join the cast and crew of "Madama Butterfly" for the unforgettable experience of a full production at the final dress rehearsal before Opening Night.

This special student access includes an introduction before the show by Director Brian Luedloff and general seating in the Bankhead Theater at 2400 First Street in Livermore.

Tickets via the Bankhead Theater Box Office, by telephone 925-373-6800, or online: BUY TICKETS

Tickets: $5 with student ID and $25 for accompanying parent or guardian.

Thank you to Wells Fargo for making this possible with a Community Development Grant.

Flickr photo by sweis78, cc.

Emerging Professional Company

2011-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Livermore Valley Opera was just upgraded by the board of directors of OPERA America to Professional Company Member status. This is quite a boost and an endorsement for our company. We will endeavor to make the best use of the member benefits to ensure we are around for another 20 years.

OPERA America is dedicated to supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera in the United States. The association provides members with an array of publications and online resources, regional workshops, an annual conference and network-specific services such as conference calls, e-mail listservs and direct contact with staff with expertise in opera production, administration and education. OPERA America provides members with tools to maximize the effectiveness of financial and human resources, expand the scope of repertoire and programs, and extend their reach to new and diverse audiences.

Founded in 1970, OPERA America has an international membership that includes nearly 150 Professional Company Members, 300 Associate and Business Members, 2,000 Individual Members and over 16,000 subscribers to its electronic news service.

Good job to everyone associated with LVO. Give yourselves a pat on the back!

BRAVO!

$250K Grant

2011-03-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Soprano Caroline Jang and Michael Onwood perform at an outreach event for COV.

Not for LVO...but, it is for one of our own! Please help us congratulate Charles Barber, former conductor with Livermore Valley Opera, and current artistic director and conductor with City Opera Vancouver (COV).

Bravo to Charles and everyone at the company, for the record $250,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to commission a new chamber opera. Here's the story on their website.

Stella's Story

2011-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

Stella Rowland and baritone Roberto Perlas Gomez

How many of us have told the story of our first opera experience? For most, it takes an introduction by a friend or family member. This woman's story is unique because she decided to pursue opera all on her own, and thus began her personal opera adventure. We encourage our gentle readers to leave a comment on this post, or on our Facebook page, and share their own "first" opera experience.

[Editor's note: Stella is a gate watch employee at Ruby Hill, where LVO board member Stephanie resides. To keep our costs low, board members and patrons host singers in their homes.]

We asked Stella to share her story with us. Here it is in her own words:
"It Takes an Introduction -- or Does it?"
by Stella

The day after I attended an opera for the first time (it was a spur of the moment decision to go; I saw a billboard in a store window, and decided I needed a little culture in my life -- "seventy-three is too old to have never seen an opera", so, I bought a ticket and enjoyed a wonderful evening of Pagliacci ~ I loved it...), I took my program to work and was excitedly showing it to Jack, the night officer on duty. He recognized the picture of Roberto Perlas Gomez [lead singer] in the flyer as the same very friendly and charming gentleman he had been allowing entry to as a guest. Roberto performed the role of Tonio the clown, in Livermore Vally Opera's (LVO) presentation of Pagliacci.

After the delight of experiencing my first opera at the Bankhead theater in Livermore, it was doubly exciting to find that Roberto was a guest of the Petermeier family during his engagement at the Bankhead. Never dreaming I'd get a chance to meet him, I asked Jack to get my program autographed. To my surprise, Roberto went out of his way to stop by the gate when I was there and smiled this old lady right into a teenager.

I was so charmed by the combination of events, that I became an immediate groupie of Roberto's, having already been blown away by the new experience of opera. Seeing his performances, and seeking out this new addition to my life, what opera presents to me is both enriching and stimulating.

Since then, I have seen LVO's excellent presentation of Don Giovanni - twice. In the past, my area of stimulation has been football. Thanks to LVO, Roberto, and my own spontaneity that caused me to buy that first ticket to the opera, I have added opera to my corner of the world, and it's wonderful to have that corner expanded.

Opera is the best!

Happy New Year,
Stella

‘Twas The Night Before Opening

2010-12-14T08:33:00.001-08:00

A poem by Sara Nealy, Executive Director of Livermore Valley Opera

"Twas The Night Before Opening

‘Twas the night before Opening, and throughout the opera house
Not a creature was stirring, not even die Fledermaus.
The costumes and props were placed with great care,
In hopes that Bonnie soon would be there.

But back in the Green Room, there arose such a clatter,
Raquel turned to Doug and said, “What’s the matter?!”
The soprano was screaming, “My cold’s gotten worse!”
So Jim took off to go find a nurse.

When all of a sudden, she started to faint,
and Maestro exclaimed, “We simply can’t wait.”
“Now mezzos, now tenors, now lights from above …”
Come on - where’s the chorus for “Elixir of Love?”
On set pieces Mike hammered only last night,
On Monica’s flats that she painted so bright.
Stephanie can’t hold people much longer in the lobby,
“The show must go on!” said Teri and Bill Rabe.
Delma had counted the ticket sales twice,
TJ wore his top hat, which all thought was nice.

To the stage came the singers, and the curtain did rise.
The music made the audience fill up with sighs.
Arias, duets, orchestra: sublime!
Everyone transported to another place and time.
Critics praised the performance and wrote with delight.
And I said to the Board, “to all a Good Night!”

Photo Caption: LVO Board of Directors - Front R to L, Teri Tith, Sara Nealy, Mike Miller, Back row R to L, Jim Schmidt, Stephanie Petermeier, Alexander Katsman, Monica Kulander, Delma Kline, TJ Gilmartin.
Photo credit: Barbara Mallon

Projection Technology in Opera

2010-10-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

A Conversation with Jeremy Knight
Jeremy Knight was the Projection Designer on our recently concluded production of Don Giovanni at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore, Calif. Stage Director Mark Streshinsky and Music Director Alexander Katsman teamed up a second time, to bring a modern presentation of this popular opera to the stage in the Tri-Valley. Jeremy was also a part of both collaborations. This marks the first time in its 19 year history that LVO has used projection technology as a part of the set design for an opera.
View to more projection design work by Jeremy

LVO: How long have you been doing this, how did you become a projection designer?

Jeremy: As with most things it sort of happened accidentally. I’ve been doing this for six years and it actually started around late 1999. My son got a digital video camcorder and I had been interested in making movies since a teenager. I had a movie camera. Silent movies were a very difficult and expensive thing to make. It cost me $10. So, I had been singing in the Berkeley Opera chorus since the late 80s. It was always hard to get a good video of the show.

LVO: So, you were already aware of some of the challenges of being in the theater.

Jeremy: Oh sure, yeah. I thought this would be fun and that I could use my position with Berkeley Opera to develop my skills with video taping the shows. So I dropped out of the chorus and started video taping the shows…

LVO: Oh no, I have to say I am sorry to hear that because opera companies always find it harder to recruit men as chorus members!

Jeremy: Well, I am a much better videographer than singer…

LVO: Oh, okay, well now we have to know what was your key?

Jeremy: I am a second bass. Anyhow, so in 2004 Mark Streshinsky was directing the current production of Don Giovanni. He and Jonathan Khuner, who was at that time the Artistic Music Director at Berkeley Opera decided to do Wagner’s Ring (Cycle) in one evening, which Berkeley Opera just reprised this season in El Cerrito. And, Mark had the idea that a very good way to handle the fact that there are about 40 different scenes in the opera would be to use a minimal set and use projections on large screen for scenery.

LVO: That sounds like a big challenge.

Jeremy: Well, this was my first project. And, Mark says “well where are we going to find somebody who can do this?” and Jonathan said “well I can ask Jeremy, he’s been videotaping the shows, maybe he knows somebody.” And, when I heard about the project, I thought this would be a wonderful thing, and I talked Mark into having me do it. We got along very well and the production was a terrific success.

LVO: Yes, I guess it was if they just produced it again. So the first time was 2004 and they just brought it back this season?

A projection scene from the Legends of the Ring.

Jeremy: Yes, that’s right. And, ah, pretty much, Mark wanted three screens, three videos going at once. This is something actually very hard to accomplish, it’s getting easier now, but um, I had…three screens, three projectors going. I worked on it for three months. I devised a system using the projections on DVD. I had just gotten the hardware to allow me to make DVDs. I found some DVD players that would not show anything on the screen when you press “play” or “pause”. We had to use one remote control to cue all three DVD players simultaneously.

LVO: Did it ever make you nervous relying on technology so much?

Jeremy: Yeah, it was. In fact, on opening night one of the DVD players froze about 2/3 of the way through Act I, but it never happened again.

LVO: Jeremy, would you say projection technology in scenes is kind of a trend right now?

Jeremy: It seems to be, though it’s been around since the 19th century. The Magic Lantern slides were a part of theatrical productions in the 1870s or 80s…it is now relatively inexpensive to visual programs. You don’t have to use film. It (the technology) has come a long ways as far as cost and ease of creation.

It’s popular now because it’s cheap, relative to building sets. It’s flexible…but does have a lot of limitations.

LVO: Can you give us an example of the challenges to incorporate projection?

Jeremy: Well, lighting is a challenge. For example, you have to keep light off the screen. It is a really different approach to theater. You need to decide what it is that projections are representing. They can either be part of the set, they can be somehow abstractly giving a feeling to what’s going on in the show. The Don Giovanni projections are kind of in both categories. In the first scene that takes place at night, the first projection is a simple star field. Mark likes to keep his projections fairly abstract. So, in the wedding scene, there are flower petals falling down. In the party scene, there are mirror balls spinning around.

An iPhone list of Don Giovanni's conquests from the LVO production;
Marie Plette and Roberto Perlas Gomez on stage. [Photo credit: Barbara Mallon.]

LVO: As I understand one thing that’s kind of hard with Don Giovanni is the final scenes, where he goes down in flames…very hard to do real flames in a theater setting. Everyone has to figure out how they’re going to do that, so there again it was projection to the rescue, right?

Jeremy: Right, right…

LVO: Where do you get your images?

Jeremy: Some of them I photograph myself, either video or still, such as the disco balls in Don Giovanni. Some things I find on the Internet. I have purchased still photographs on-line from iStockphoto. Once I have the image it usually gets considerable modification in Photoshop. I also have an animation program I used to make the flower petals and leaves dropping for Don Giovanni.

LVO: Have you exclusively done projections for operas? Where there any changes from the way Berkeley did Don Giovanni compared to Livermore?

Jeremy: Mostly just operas yes, …in the last six years. I also did an opening scene for a Lamplighter’s gala, an event called “Star Drek”. We did an opening scene that like the Star Trek (TV series) opening scenes with the space ships coming around…

LVO: Tell us more about Don Giovanni. Were there any significant differences for the way you did it at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore?

Jeremy: Actually, the Livermore used many of the existing projections. As luck would have it, the Commandatore was played by the same singer, so I did not have to re-shoot that.

Eugene Brancoveau as Don Giovanni with the James Grainger as the
Il Commendatore projected behind him. [Photo credit: Barbara Mallon.]

LVO: You really made him larger than life…we have a photo of this posted on our our Facebook page.

Jeremy: So, the main change was this was the second show I’ve done with the video on computer. When we did Don Giovanni at the El Cerrito theater, because of the location of the projectors, we had three DVD players and three operators. Because the projectors are off of the boxes on the side of the stage. The stage manager cued the changes. So, we worked with the high school students as the operators.

LVO: Now, I am not familiar with El Cerrito, can you tell us about this venue?

Jeremy: Berkeley (West Edge) Opera productions are at this new high school theater…It has fly space above the stage, dressing rooms. …it just opened last year.

LVO: Any other challenges doing projections at the Bankhead Theater? I don’t thinks it's ever been done in that theater.

Jeremy: There are some limits to what you can do with just one projector at the back of the house. It is (located) in the sound booth.

LVO: And, that’s at the very back of the theater above everyone’s heads in the audience, right?

Jeremy: Yes, it’s shooting down. The performers are casting shadows on the screen sometimes, and that’s okay.

LVO: In other theaters, where are the projections done from?

Jeremy: In the Julia Morgan Theater, we were able to hang projectors over the audience. It was a small theater with a relatively low roof, so we were able to latch things up above. The last show we did there last summer, at Julia Morgan, was the one show where sets were totally projected and I was also able to design the set, so there were four projectors, three screens.

LVO: Was it like being a kid in a candy store for you in terms of creative control?

Jeremy: It was very nice to have the thing look like how I wanted it to look instead of how the set designer wanted it to look. Yeah. And ah, the Julia Morgan Theater doesn’t have a proscenium curtain, the curtain that goes across the front of the stage. The way the opera was written, there were 11 scenes and there was (supposed to be a) curtain between each scene. So, we decided to project a curtain between each scene.

Actually, it was a hilarious effect and the audience really enjoyed seeing this animated curtain come up.

LVO: How did you get a curtain image? Or, is that a trade secret?

Jeremy: No, no…I started with a picture of a curtain, and I animated it, moving it up from the bottom. Jonathan also served as the Stage Director, this was a very bare bones production, no costume budget…

LVO: Very creative. Now we wanted to ask about a perception. The use of projection technology does not necessarily save a lot of money on the overall budget, because you have to spend a lot of time making sure the effect and the technology works right. Is that right?

Jeremy: That is certainly true…

LVO: So what’s next for you?

Jeremy: We’ll see what comes along. Including the LVO production (Don Giovanni), I’ve worked on six productions in the last calendar year, which is really a lot and I am looking forward to a small vacation. I am going to be working with Mark on a series of one act operas he’s producing at Yale.

A Conversation with Sean Sullivan

2010-09-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

This interview took place on September 22, 2010 at the Bothwell Art Center as Sean was waiting for his call time at rehearsal for Livermore Valley Opera's (LVO) Don Giovanni, which opens on October 2nd. As many of you know, smaller opera companies, like LVO are career builders for emerging artists such as Sean Sullivan. Sean is performing as Masetto, his first principal role post-college, on the same stage with his vocal coach and mentor, Eugene Brancoveanu who is performing the role of Don Giovanni himself.

BUY TICKETS

LVO: I understand you’ve been singing a long time. What brings you all the way to Livermore to sing for us?

SEAN: Actually, my teacher Eugene (Brancoveneau). He came to Los Angeles to do a project with LA Opera and my Mom is affiliated with LA Opera. She is a board member there and [my family] was housing Eugene during his performance. I was attending CSUN (Cal State Northridge). I wasn’t living at home the time and she said, “Come home and have a free lesson because Eugene is living here and he said he would give you a lesson.”

LVO: So Mom hooked you up?

SEAN: Exactly, and so I went to the house and had a lesson. He was like, “Oh okay, I’ll give the kid a free lesson, maybe he’ll be good.” I sang for him and he was like, “I want to take you on as a full-time student.” He got really excited.

LVO: Now had you seen an opera at that point?

SEAN: Oh yeah. My first opera was Carmen, and I was about 8-years-old.

LVO: Wow, 8 years and you saw Carmen. Now coincidentally, there’s a requirement for a lot of little boys in the chorus for Carmen. Was this in L.A.?

SEAN: Yes, and…later when I was about 12 I got to be in that chorus. I got to do a lot of children’s operas in the LA Children’s Chorus when I was younger. I did La Boheme, Carmen, and the Frauen Haben. I also did Parsifal, a children’s chorus offstage in the first ACT.

LVO: So, is playing Masetto your first principal role with a professional company?

Sean: Pretty much, out of college, it is my first principal role. In college I did small principal roles at CSUN for two years, where I played Antonio in the Marriage of Figaro, but that was weirdly cast because he’s the oldest person in the show. He’s the old Dad and he comes in all drunk…it was a nice little feature, with not too much to sing, but it required a lot of acting actually. I had to learn how to act drunk.

LVO: How old are you by the way?

Sean: I am 19 now.

LVO: Okay, so that role really was a stretch for you being under age!

Sean: [Masetto in LVO’s Don Giovanni] is definitely my first substantial role, where I really have had to knuckle down and learn a lot of music and commit a lot of time to the opera. And, it’s a huge learning process for me as well.

LVO: Different than being a chorus member?

Sean: Oh, way different because there’s so much responsibility involved. I’m one of like seven people who carry the show, and that’s a heavy load, you know?

LVO: Well, I am sure you are up for it.

Sean: Yeah 100%! It’s also a huge opportunity for me as well as being like…

LVO: Oh, we like to call those “opera-tunities” in our company…

Sean: Opera’tunities, that’s clever! I like it. I like it. [Laughing.]

LVO: What else would you like to share with LVO opera goers?

Sean: The way we are doing it [Don Giovanni] this time is fun. I love this new production. I love Mark (Streshinsky). He is just a great director, Alex (Katsman) is amazing too. Really both the Stage Director and the Music Director, I’ve learned so much from them already from this process.

LVO: Can you give us a specific example of something you’ll take away?

Sean: I’ve learned to be organic and comfortable on stage. And, I’ve learned to really just be myself and not like try to be the character, as opposed to being Sean…

LVO: Because you’re well cast already, you fit the role already and so it’s okay bring a little bit of you to it?

Sean: Exactly. It’s nice. It’s nice. Before I think I got to the point where I was over-thinking on stage. I was stressed out and it wasn’t natural. But, then just from going to through the process of working with Mark I calmed down, I got more into my body, and I learned to “own” myself a bit more. That’s what this really has been so far [for me] is a an amazing learning experience…The foundation is being made right now.

LVO: Would you like tell us about an early experience you had as a child singing in a childrens opera?

Sean: I auditioned for Julie Tamour’s Grendel, from the Beowolf myth. This opera was done from the point of view of the monster Grendel. Julie was married to the composer, Elliot Goldenthal. She was the director, and I auditioned for young Prince Hrothgar. What happened was they needed a child who had experience on stage and they were getting kids to audition and this part was written for a boy soprano, but I was about 13 or 14 at the time and my voice had just started to change. So it was very scary for me. I didn’t even know if I was going to continuing singing at the time, because I didn’t know if I was going to have a voice. I had put so much work into being a boy soprano. And so…I went into the audition and sang through the part and the composer was like, “, you’re, you’re kinda old, don’t you sing lower in your chest voice?

LVO: You hadn’t tried it yet?

Sean: I hadn’t tried. And so he said, “You know what? I want you to sing this part in your chest voice right now for us.” And so I did it….I did it. I sang it in my chest voice, and uh, they gave me the role, and they changed entire part down to make it [work] so I could sing it. It was awesome. It was a huge deal for me. Now, it was a small part though. It was only about eight minutes on stage.

LVO: May I ask a question for those who might not know, but what is a chest voice? How is it different than a head voice?

Sean: It’s more like tessitura, a “head” voice as opposed to a chest voice. Only men have “chest” voices. So, like women sing in their head voice, which is like the higher tessitura and men sing in their chest voice which gives them that kinda, “roaaaar” feeling.

LVO: Very interesting. Last Sunday, when you sang at LVO’s OperaLIVE! performance the discussion touched on how a voice matures with age. Where are you at with your voice?

Sean: It could still change on me, because as Jenny (Lister) was saying it grows and your [voice is] not fully mature until about age 30. So, I could go much lower. I could become a bass, bass, bass, or I could stay a baritone. But, the thing is it’ll grow in maturity to the point where I’ll be able to do more roles, different roles. I should not be doing any Verdi right now. It will be a long time…[his music] is very difficult repertoire and it is very technically and physically demanding. It’s really hard to sing. A voice as young as me cannot take on a role that challenging yet. But, one day…

LVO: So you really are interested in opera?

Sean: I am, I am. I wasn’t when I was younger. Because my Mom dragged me to the opera all the time. I just didn’t want to sit in a stuffy room with so many clothes on.

When I was younger I was brought to so many operas I kinda rejected it. My brother still won't go to the opera, unless I am in it. He is not an opera-goer.

LVO: Was there all kinds of music being played in your home?

Sean: Yes, jazz, classical music of all kinds, um, new stuff…I always loved music even though I was not really turned on to opera until I was about 12, which is still pretty young for someone. I was sent to Colburn Music School when I was about 9 years old. I played flute and piano and flute starting off, and then I took theory classes, and then I joined the chorus at Colburn. Then I went over to LACC [Los Angeles Children’s Chorus]. LACC is like where I really fell in love with opera.

LVO: So this was how your Mom kept you busy, you seemed to like doing all those things, and did you have to audition for LACC?

Sean: They completely audition you. They actually have three different tiers of choirs, there’s the apprentice, the intermediate and the concert choirs at LACC, and I got right into the which was really nice.

LVO: Okay, now let’s shift gears a little bit. What is it like to be working on stage with your teacher Eugene? How many teachers have you had?

Sean: It’s great, it’s great. I’ve had several teachers in the past years. This is the first time I’ve actually had a male teacher. Which is a weird kind of disconnect. It is just technically different. Having Eugene as my teacher is amazing just because he can do something, he can sing something and I can just take from the experience of watching him sing. He understands the voice I have better than any of my other teachers because he has the same voice…well, not the same voice but a man’s voice.

I am indebted to Eugene in a lot of ways. He will definitely be my teacher forever, but there’s other teaching facets I can fill in my opera career, teachers who will give me advice on my voice, but I will always hold the advice that I have gotten from Eugene as more important.

LVO: So you’ll measure everything against that?

Sean: Exactly, it’s my basis for comparison. And, that is a big deal. And I will always go back to Eugene. Like if I go to a conservatory, they’re going to assign me a teacher and I am going to study with them because that is what I am paying for in the long run.

Lot’s of people have told me that beyond getting a Bachelor’s degree or getting a conservatorial degree is building up a resume, and that’s what I am doing here. I am going to be able to put Masetto, Livermore Valley Opera, …this is definitely a resume builder for me, because learning Masetto is huge deal. That means now I can do that part. I know that part. I will be able to do be Masetto in any production of Don Giovanni. I’ve “added this to my arsenal” kind of thing. It’s the most valuable thing an opera singer can do I think.

Guerrilla Marketing Our Opera

2010-09-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Je Suis Titania"

2010-09-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) is committed to selling out every performance. That is the elusive goal all live performing arts groups want to reach. The energy in the hall when the house is full and the audience enraptured is electric indeed. It feeds the performers.

We at LVO know we have reached an entertainment quality level on the stage and a total opera experience, given location, free parking, and the enormous pool of Bay Area talent for auditions, that has significant value. We set ourselves to the task of "making it a full house" each time we undertake a new production, and in tough economic times it takes creativity and flexibility to create "opera-tunities" to share this wonderful art form with those who have yet to discover it, as well as those who already love it.

We strive to make opera in our valley a rich and rewarding experience for all, whether volunteer, patron, or performer.

Without staff, for 18 years we have worked hard to get to this point. Now, we have hired our first Executive Director and restructured external titles for members of the board to put on our best public face. We continue to strengthen our volunteer board, recruit new talent and resources. Our board currently does the work in place of a regular paid staff, which makes recruiting new board members a challenge.

We've been carried through all these years on the backs of many dedicated volunteers who love opera, and we hope that tradition continues well beyond our 19th season.

All this to say, as an organization, together, we are reaching to a new horizon with a 20th anniversary just around the corner. We want to put our best foot forward, always. And we want to reach as many people as possible to share this gift in the sometimes sublime pairing of the human voice to music. In that effort, we have embraced "what's new", to share "what's old" i.e.: social media, email marketing, and the blogosphere (if you are reading this, that's where you are!). Yes, you will "find us on Facebook", but only if you want to, and when you want to.

On that note, we wanted to share something we found on Twitter today. (You can follow us there too @LittleMissOpera.) It is a recording of Julie Andrews, age 12 posted to The Culture Monster, blog written by a Los Angeles music and culture columnist. Listening to it will make your day!

Opera at the Ballpark

2010-08-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is still on my opera "list of things to do", including seeing my first opera performance at The Met...

If you're planning to take BART like a group of LVO friends did last year, no need to haul your own picnic. You can pre-pay for one and pick it up when you get there!

Opera at the Ballpark
San Francisco Opera
Aida
Guiseppe Verdi
Friday, September 24, 2010
AT&T Ballpark
FREE live simulcast performance!

Just for grins, I am posting the opera version of the ballpark song again too:

Take me out to the opera,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me a seat at the Opera House.
I don’t care if it’s Mozart or Strauss,
For it’s root, root, root, for the divas,
Bring a friend or a spouse,
For it’s one, two, three cheers for you
at the O-per-a House!

Santa Barbara Opera Heading to NY

2010-08-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

'A New York Minute...'

By clicking on the social bookmarking icon at the bottom if this "email blast" sent out by Santa Barbara Opera, we can share this with you in a heartbeat. Click on the link above if you would like to view it.

They are organizing a trip to New York for their constituents and patrons, -- really, anyone who wants to go and see "Seance"...I thought it sounded intriguing the moment I heard the title. Now there is an opera-tunity to see it again!

The tie in to NY is that their new work, entitled Seance on a Wet Afternoon, which premiered in Santa Barbara (my home town) in September 2009, is being produced in the Big Apple. It is a psychological thriller in two ACTS.

Congratulations to the creative team at Opera SB for getting a second showing so quickly for their original opera. New works are creative, yet risky undertakings for smaller opera companies. Risky because fully staged operas are expensive to produce. They often linger for years before getting a chance to be presented to new audiences. LVO's board learned about these kinds of aspects of the bigger opera picture at the Opera America conference in June.

Opera SB also makes good use of this email to promote their season tickets, with a catchy incentive: a special drawing for a chance for sit in the really cool looking box seats at the recently refurbished Granada Theater that they call home. Oh, I wish...!

KQED Opera Tonight

2010-08-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

KQED (channel 9) will be broadcasting the San Francisco Opera productions of "Madama Butterfly" tonight, and "Don Giovanni" on September 2nd -- both at 8:00 p.m.

KQED TV Broadcasts of San Francisco Opera

This is quite a coincidence since both of these operas represent our entire season at LVO.

Past Performer to Sing Her First "Lucia"

2010-07-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Soprano Angela Cadelago for landing the title role in Festival Opera's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Here is a link to the article by Sue Gilmore that appeared in the Valley Times / Contra Costa Times: A new 'Lucia' marks her debut with Festival Opera

Ms. Cadelago performed for LVO many years ago in our Faust production. Did any of you see her in it?

Click here to view her website: Angela Cadelago

The Piper is Coming!

2010-07-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Don't miss Cantabella Children's Chorus opera The Piper of Hamelin opening on July 24. It is a limited engagement, only 3 shows. We are proud to call them a frequent collaborative partner of Livermore Valley Opera. Their beautiful voices have joined our chorus many times over the years. Cantabella is an award-winning, touring group that calls the Tri-Valley their home.

LVO Set construction volunteers assisted with their scenery, in a true reciprocal collaboration. BRAVO!

Show dates/times:

SAT July 24, 3:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
SUN July 25, 3:30 p.m.
TICKETS
Amador Theater
1155 Santa Rita Rd
Pleasanton, CA 94566

A Modern Take

2010-07-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

LVO's Don Giovanni Stage Director, Mark Strashinsky

Many ReTweets on the comment stream for this online article by Newsweek reporter Seth Colter Walls. He writes about The Met operas on PBS.

Getting With the Program, by Seth Colter Walls, Newsweek, July 12, 2010

It was interesting to learn in the first paragraph that NY City Opera recently presented...

a very modern Don Giovanni, which according to Walls, was "as philosophical as it was sexy."

Can't wait to see the modern version that Stage Director Mark Streshinsky (his bio) is planning to present at the Bankhead Theater for us this fall!

Summer Benefit Concert

2010-07-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Now that's a date you can mark your calendar by! Our 18th annual Opera in the Vineyard has a new look this year. You can expect the same great venue as last year, Retzlaff Vineyards, and to hear samplers of operatic arias and enjoy Bob Taylor's wine. There will be a dozen or so silent auction items to tempt you, ranging from gift certificate for dinner on the town to golf rounds, the best our valley has to offer.

What's new you ask? All paying guests may keep the new LVO logo commemorative wine glass. All wine is purchased. Tables and seats are provided for everyone, so just B.Y.O.P. (bring your own picnic)!

What: Opera in the Vineyard
When: Sunday, August 1, 2010; 5pm- 8pm
Where: Retzlaff Vineyards, 1356 South Livermore Avenue, Livermore [MAP]
Cost: $30 in advance, $35 day of event.
How: Reservations made online

Professional Bay Area opera stars David Gustafson (“Alfred” in LVO’s Die Fledermaus) and Krista Wigle (“Musetta” in LVO’s La Boheme), will perform arias from classic operas. Also performing are members of the award-winning Cantabella Children’s Chorus who will sing for the first time at this event, and the Vintage Brass Quintet, their fifth appearance at this fundraiser.

“This is a very popular event in the community and we expect another sell-out audience,” says Teri Tith, LVO Event Chairperson and Board Member.

“It’s a ‘bring-your-own-picnic’ event where guests are entertained by some of the Bay Area’s top opera talent, yet in a really laid back atmosphere.

LVO’s twice-a-year opera productions at the Bankhead are “classy” events, but Opera in the Vineyard is very casual and offers a good opportunity to sample opera – along with wine. You don’t have to sit through an entire opera, but you may fall in love with an aria and decide to give a full opera a try!”

MORE INFO

Sunday at the Opera House

2010-06-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

My husband is not "in" to opera. He is my "rock n' roll" guy. So you can imagine my delight when he suggested that he would be interested in seeing Puccini's "Girl of the Golden West". I suspected he was just done with weed whacking around our property, and needed a break from house chores. I acted quickly and was able to buy "the last seat in the house". At least that's what the ticket agent told me. The ads in the SF Chronicle would indicate the same "SOLD OUT" in their print ads.

This time, I was determined to bring my opera glasses, purchased for the exorbitant price of $50.00 at a flea market, and a handkerchief. What I forgot to bring were the actual tickets. OMG! We realized it just as we were about to enter that famous maze of freeway intersections before you get to the toll booths to cross the Bay Bridge. We both knew immediately that we would not be able to drive 45-minutes to retrieve them, then another 45-minutes to return to SF. A valuable lesson was learned. I called the box office, which opens at 10:00 a.m. on show days, and they were able to reprint our tickets for pick up at Will Call. Whew!

Then another panic, we realized because we had the radio on, that it was also Gay Pride Parade day. We knew we could expect hoards of people in our path if we did not chose our path to the War Memorial carefully. Luckily, my husband used to live in the City and knows the access and exit points better than anyone. My call to the box office also revealed that the show start time of the matinee was 2:00 p.m., not 1:30 p.m. as it was for "Faust". Okay, we were able to relax a little once we got the car parked at the Performing Arts Garage. ($12.00 to park, but it is going up to $15.00 as of July 1).

Another pleasant discovery was the Sage Cafe, located at the base of the parking garage. The wonderful smells wafting out of their kitchen enticed us to sit down. We noticed the place was well-attended, and when I saw noodles on the menu and an all Asian staff, I knew it would be good. We had some delicious lettuce wraps filled with Shiitake mushroom and beef, followed by a large portion of beef chow fun, then proceeded to fetch our tickets from Will Call. Jardiniere restaurant was also proximal, as we passed it on the way to the performance hall. It would have been nice to avoid the mass exodus from the parking garage after the show, by slipping in for a drink at the bar. Maybe next time. We had to get home to feed the dog and secure the chickens before dark.

As for what happened in between. I loved this opera. I even recognized one of the performers on stage as Igor Viera, who played the role Figaro in our recent "Barber of Seville", and also Dr. Falke in "Die Fledermaus". It is always fun to know someone on stage. I shouted a "Bravo" to him when he got to take his bow, but I doubt he could hear me from the Balcony Circle. Deborah Voigt, playing Minnie, had no trouble getting her voice up to me, however, and I felt it was a rare treat to see her perform. She is a regular at The Met. I was a little worried when she dismounted from the live pony on stage. Someone forgot to double-check the cinch. That would have been a tragedy, but as it turned out, I did not need my hankie as this opera had a happy ending for almost everyone (nobody dies!).

I am glad we traveled to the City to see this opera. The performers who sing on the big stage indeed have big voices. I think I am also a fan of verismo opera, realism, real people, real life situations. I could recognize some of the Puccini style of music and theme from "La Boheme".

photo at right: Meghan McGovern with Igor Vieira in LVO's Die Fledermause, photo taken by Barbara Mallon.

Flash Opera Event in Philly

2010-06-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Why not here? This operatic stunt in an open air market in Philadelphia is sure to make you smile!

Opera Conference - Day Two

2010-06-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

LVO Board Members Monica Kulander & Teri Tith in
Los Angeles for the Opera America 2010 Opera Conference.

People under-appreciate how much energy it takes to listen, learn and absorb new information. We are doing a lot of that and networking, which also requires a lot of energy, here at the 2010 Annual Opera Conference. We learned that this is one the best turn-outs they've had in recent years.

Thursday, was the first official day of the conference. I was feeling glad we got in a day early. The crowd nearly tripled yesterday, and it would have been intimidating if we had not met all the wonderful staff of Opera America and many of the fellow participants already. Next year, this conference will travel to Boston, and I am glad we made an effort, while it was on our coast, to attend. I would like to share a favorite story told by Zev Yaroslovsky, L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

Zev had the pleasure on introducing our keynote speaker, the composer Daniel Catan, and before he did that he shared how he came late to appreciating opera. He said his teenage son was in a speech competition at school and he had chosen (or was given) the subject of opera. He said his son started bringing opera DVDs home from school and would listen to them behind the closed door of his room every afternoon. Well apparently the music escaped through that door and caught the father's attention. He started thinking, "hey, this stuff's not bad" and decided to try opera. L.A. Opera is lucky to have such an advocate today.

The opening general session was my favorite learning part of the day, followed by the Wells Fargo-sponsored "20-minutes with an expert" (they call it the SmartBar, too cutesy a name to be descriptive in my opinion). My brain is still processing all the snippets of wisdom. I am hoping they will percolate to the top of my brain and come out my mouth when in board meetings and it really counts. I would like to share some of them in this post:

Opera is a "magic, crazy world", Placido Domingo.

Leadership in opera companies across America need to change their thinking in relation to new works in opera, and make sure that more audiences get exposure to them. Too many premiers are never seen again. This needs to change -- Daniel Catan, Composer.

Try giving it away for free; create casual, intimate venues to expose people to young, upcoming singers who crave the experience. (Let' them wear blue jeans and drink beer) -- Ann Ricci/Opera on Tap.

Think of opera as a "social service" to your community -- Anthony Freud/Houston Grand Opera.

Let the economic recovery play out, but don't use it in reference to our art, instead "continue the discovery" of opera. Marc A. Scorca/Opera America.

Ask your constituents, patrons, donors, volunteers what they want in an opera company -- then find out how to give it to them. (Strategic Planning expert, Bruce Thibodeau/Arts Consulting Group).

For LVO's 20th anniversary, we could create a gala two nights before our production's opening night, to kick off our silver anniversary season, taking the big ballroom scene from Die Fledermaus and recruiting a chairperson who contributes a large sum of money to underwrite the fabulous evening and lends us their Rolodex (Rolex?) so that all their friends and family will attend to help us celebrate. Get local officials engaged to make proclamations for our years of performance art, and link with many wineries for a taste of opera event. Make it dressy, a "real occasion", and invite artists who we've helped along in their careers, back to sing a part in the scene on stage. Have an M.C. to properly introduce each returnee and dignitary on stage. Make it shorter than an opera, not such a huge time commitment, and not obligatory to attend an entire opera (especially for the dignitaries who always have so little time). Wendy Westwood/Wendy Westwood & Associates.

Baby Boomers are crossing over from work lives to retirement, help them put connect their wealth with their passion for a "balanced portfolio" -- Ronald Florence/Wells Fargo Wealth Management Director of Investment Strategy.

Philanthropic distributions can help wealthy people manage their tax burdens (same guy as above!).

Opera Conference - Day One

2010-06-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

We drove down to L.A. on Tuesday. Distracted by lots of banter, we made it down in decent time, just 5.25 hours to Venice, California. Wednesday was all opera, all day at the Opera America annual conference. Livermore Valley Opera joined as an Associate Member (much less expensive than the full professional membership that we did not qualify for on a technicality), in 2009. Next year, this conference will be hosted by the anchor opera company in Boston, so we made a huge effort to attend it in our own backyard. Six volunteers are attending the conference this week.

Day one was comprised of an all-day seminar, followed by newbee orientation, and a welcome reception at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. I attended the Social Media & Technology seminar, and it blew my socks off. Cool stuff usually does. You would not believe the innovative things Vancouver Opera is doing to get their their patrons engaged. Madison Opera even has a social media learning page (Connect Online) so more of their followers can join the online dialogue, fun and games (yes, they do contests) online.

I graded each presenter. No need to post that here, as it was really a ranking for myself, but the five presenter's received a B, A+, C-, and B+. There were many new developments and apps that I now need to go and explore to see if we can or should be using them back home, such as: Twitalyzer (measuring the success of your Twitter effort), Econsultancy.com (source for social media strategies), Wildfire.com (low cost social media marketing campaigns), PitchEngine.com (press release disbursement via social media), Livestream.com (being careful of artist's contractual limitations on visual distribution, this is a platform for video stream), and Foursquare.com (a way to meet up with friends and discover new places, mobile app).

I learned that there is FHML, Facebook's own version of HTML for formatting posts, and about QR barcodes that can be placed on a poster or flyer so that folks walking by can take their mobile smartphone (if they've downloaded the app) and scan the barcode to purchase tickets. LVPAC's ticketing system uses Tessitura and they are here with a booth. I learned that this software does have a very expensive ($20K) add-on that allows the interface for this type of coolness, but I don't expect them to add it any time soon. Sometimes it's just neat to know what's possible.

In addition, I jotted down a few places for good statistics on online user trends that will help us make decisions when setting policy and course for LVO, such as Harris Interactive's December 23, 2009 Internet user study, and Mashable.com's report. Equally important, were two leads to sources for funding or underwriting for the minimal expenditures required by social media bells and whistles, including Google Ads grants to nonprofits and the Nonprofit Sponsorship Network.

At the end of the day, we attended the new conference attendees orientation and then walked down the street to the official welcome reception. Placido Domingo, L.A. Opera's "Eli and Edythe Broad" General Director, addressed the group as we sipped champagne.

Looking forward to Day Two.

Evolution of an Opera Critic

2010-05-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Guest Contributor "Linny" writes...

I am invited to The Night of Stars in San Jose: the culmination of four rounds of West Coast Auditions to determine the best of the best from among today’s developing opera stars. This is the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition. The ten contestants in this event are already winners, but tonight they will vie for the top awards out of $50,000 in cash prizes.

Judging the event are Indianapolis Opera Artistic Director James Caraher, Washington National Opera Director of Artistic Operations Christina Scheppelmann, San Francisco Opera’s and Canadian Opera Company’s former General Director Lotfi Mansouri, and…me! Of all people! I’ve certainly never done anything like this before, and I didn’t expect to do so tonight—but here I am. As I enter the door I am politely invited to cast my vote for the People’s Choice award and I am given a voting chip along with awesome responsibility.

Now I must not only enjoy the music, but also listen with a purpose. I weigh the quality of the voice, the projection, the details, and drama. How well does each singer portray the role? (I admit I favor this quality, but I must be fair. Just because the oh-so-dark-and-serious Wagnerians aren’t as light and festive as the flirtatious soprano doesn’t mean they should lose if they do a better job.)

The music is stunning! It runs the gamut from pathos to delight, and I am taken away with it. I find five favorites. Four too many. I bite my lip and finally narrow it down to one: Jonathan Beyer, who dazzles me with a spectacular modern, staccato piece from Nixon in China, unlike anything I’ve heard before.

I’m only mildly disappointed when my favorite comes in second to the sparkling soprano, Danielle Talamantes. All of the performances were very, very good.

And I learn something, too. I find that listening to the details, assessing and judging is a lot of fun—much more fun than just listening! And I learn a little more about the music, the voices, the whole opera experience. Gradually, I’m becoming an Opera Critic.

[Blog editor's note: Soprano Danielle Talamantes has been offered a full cover contract with the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York for the 2010-11 season. She will be at the MET from April 18 - May 13, 2011 covering/singing the role of Najade in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.]

Flickr photo by Anatoly Kraynikov cc.

Auditions

2010-05-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our new Executive Director, Sara Nealy, has the privilege of sitting on the three-person panel listening to some of the Bay Area's (and beyond) best young singers try out for a role in our upcoming season. We are now in call backs for the lead roles. Listening in, I was wishing there were more roles for these talented individuals.

It was my first time listening in. This experience is a unique to an opera company of our size. I doubt I would get this "opera-tunity" with SF Opera (without donating loads of cash) if I lived in the City. Opera companies are rated by letters, which have nothing to do with a grade or artistic accomplishment, ascending D to A level company. Livermore Valley Opera (LVO to those who know and love us) is a D-level company due to the size of its budget alone.

Of course, we have always paid the artists, singers, musicians and stage directors, but for many years volunteers have been the driving force, indeed the core of our organization. High schools have boosters, larger opera companies have guilds and complicated membership structures. We have 100+ community volunteers, and a healthy base of donors (some of those same volunteers).

The fact that we have an opera company, and have supported it for so many years (now entering our 19th season), is due to the largess of community support. Our opera company is an integral part of our vital cultural arts. It allows for community participation, not just as patrons. It is worthy of your continued support.

LVO will be doing Don Giovanni in the fall and Madama Butterfly in March 2011.

PHOTO: L to R, Sara Nealy, LVO Executive Director, Raquel V. Holt, LVO's founding board member and first Artistic Director; and Alexander Katsman, LVO Music Director & Conductor.

A Grand Afternoon

2010-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Tickets are still available for LVO's "grand afternoon". Please join us for a unique opera experience featuring Bay Area opera singers, our maestro at the grand piano, and opera friends who are being honored for their generosity in donating "a grand or more" to Livermore Valley Opera.

We'll be gathering at a private vineyard estate, located just down the lane from Livermore's world class Poppy Ridge Golf Course.

Tickets: $75.00 (unless you've donated a grand or more!)
Contact: Event Chair, Monica Kulander
(925) 449-0419
www.LivermoreValleyOpera.com

Featured Artists:
Duana Demus-Leslie, Soprano
David Gustafson, Tenor
Susanna Jimenez, Soprano
Alexander Katsman, LVO's Music Director

You will recognize some of the singers from our recent operas, and get a chance to mingle with them.

FLICKR PHOTO by boardwalk, cc

Adler Opera & Wine Country Special

2010-04-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

HOT OFF THE PRESS! We are launching this special wine country Adlers Opera Package in partnership with Downtown Livermore businesses and The Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham.

What could be better than an intimate setting, the nation's best up-and-coming operatic singers, and a hotel crash pad. Heck, it includes two tickets to the show, a comp bottle of wine, and downtown dining and shopping discounts. Full details on the Hawthorn Suites website: Manager's Special.

Come to hear the San Francisco Opera Center Adler Fellows at the Bankhead Theater on April 11th, but why not spend the night, have a little time go wine tasting too?!

What a deal for only $249 plus tax!

Yes, Virginia, The Adlers Are Coming to Livermore!

2010-03-25T16:48:00.001-07:00

Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) presents the San Francisco Opera Center Adler Fellows in a performance of "Rivalries", including two one-act operas about the rivalries and struggles of love and competition.

Hugo Weisgall's "The Stronger," a bitter rivalry of love, and Mozart's "The Impresario," a competition for the perfect role, will be performed by these rising stars.

This is a benefit performance for LVO and all proceeds will help directly fund the fall production of Don Giovanni.

SF Opera Center Adler Fellows
"Rivalries" two one act opera Bankhead Theater Sunday, April 11, 2010 2:00 p.m. Free parking
Performance tickets available online, by phone or in person, $25-$45. Box office phone: 925-373-6800.

buy peformance tickets

buy reception tickets

A food and wine reception follows the performance with the artists for a separate $25 ticket.

Behind the Proscenium Arch

2010-03-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

About 40 kids and their parents took a tour behind the scenes after last Sunday's matinee Ice Cream & Opera performance, our first ever attempt to engage entire families in an opera experience. The adults seemed to appreciate the ice cream as much as the children.

We hope to make this a Livermore Valley Opera tradition on the first Sunday matinee.

If you liked what you saw last weekend, please tell a friend not to miss Die Fledermaus. Only two more shows left.

Buy tickets now.

Saturday, March 20 8pm

Sunday, March 21 2 pm

Definition: proscenium arch (now that's a good opera word!)

Photo by Barbara Mallon.

Diablo Magazine Top Ticket Pick

2010-03-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

We thank Diablo Magazine for including us once again in this weeks Top Ticket picks for this week in their online column covering happenin' performing arts in the valley.

Don't delay your ticket purchase if you want to see this performance. This Opera Week only has four performances: Saturdays March 13 and 20 at 8pm, and Sundays March 14 and 21 2pm.

Buy Tickets Now

We look forward to seeing you all down at the "opera house" (Bankhead Theater)!

Countdown to Opera Week

2010-03-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

Our friends (volunteers) are busy behind the scenes right now. The finishing touches and paint will go on sets this week. Next week, we move into the venue for Tech Week rehearsals and the sitz probe (thowing it all together with music/musicians, sans costumes). Everyone has been fitted and blocking is taking shape to make some great Acts on stage.

Don't miss our spring production run of Die Fledermaus, opening with a gala reception (ticketed separately at $50), at which we are honoring a long-time opera supporter and local statesman, businessman, and war hero: John Shirley.

Ticket sales are hopping, so don't miss out. We only have four performances on this run:

Saturdays, March 13 & 20 - 8pm curtain
Sundays, March 14 & 21 - 2pm matinee

Adult tickets: $19-49, may be purchased at the Bankhead Theater box office, located in downtown Livermore, or online.

Please do tell friend -- better yet bring one with you. This opera will be sung in English. It's one big party on stage and a great first opera experience for newbies!

Top photo: L to R, Monica Kulander, Bill Rabe, John Kline and Jill Evanko working with lumber.
Photo inset Right: Sue Rabe stapling canvass to a set piece.
Illustration by Jen Mayhew.

Meet Erie Mills

2010-02-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

You may not know that Livermore Valley Opera has an Advisory Council. This council is a dedicated group of opera patrons who find it easier to lend their expertise than their time. We are so pleased to tell you that Erie Mills, a Coloratura Soprano and Voice Coach, and the only artist on the board of Opera America, has recently joined us as a vociferous supporter. She is a new member of our Advisory Council and she has plenty to say!

See her recent featured interview in this month's issue of Opera News:

"Reunion: Erie Mills" by Scott Barnes

Gorilla Marketing Opera

2009-12-25T23:58:00.000-08:00

Bravo Michael Taylor!

2009-12-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Our mission is to enrich our community by producing the world's best operas, and to foster the careers of talented opera singers. We encourage a wider appreciation of opera and the associated arts.

So, we wanted to share this exciting news about Michael Taylor, who has spent many hours with Livermore Valley Opera as stage director. We want to congratulate him on a successful showing of his premier last week.

Michael's productions with LVO include:

Director & Conductor: Die Fledermaus, '93; Carmen, '95; La Traviata, '97; and as Stage Director for Tosca, '97; Rigoletto, '97; Tales of Hoffman, 2000; Don Giovanni, 2000; and Pagliacci & Gianni Schicchi, 2001.

"Truce of Carols" which debuted on December 5/6, was Mission City Opera's first ever new opera performance. Libretto and composition Michael Taylor, now Mission City Opera's Associate Conductor.

BRAVO!

Read more about it in this News Blaze article:

Mission City Opera Premiers Michael Taylor's New Opera "Truce of Carols"

Join the LVO Chorus

2009-11-22T07:03:00.001-08:00

Illustration by Jen Mayhew

Would you like to sing in the chorus on stage at the Bankhead Theater?

LVO will be presenting Die Fledermaus, sung in English, in March 2010.

Monday, January 25, 2010 - First Chorus rehearsal
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Second Chorus rehearsal

Note: Chorus rehearsals will be on Mondays, 7:30-10 PM

Audition and Rehearsal location: Bothwell Performing Center, 2466 8th St., (corner of H and 8th), Livermore, CA 94550

If interested, please contact: Pat Goard (Chorus Coordinator) Email: goardp@att.net

Goal: 24 singers - SATB - Greatly needed are Tenors and Basses. Prospective chorus members will have audition. Come prepared to sing your favorite song.

Black Violin

2009-11-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, saw this group live today at the Bankhead Theater. They performed to an audience of school children and they really connected with them.

I am showing this to our opera board at the meeting tonight.

Black Violin shows us beauty, in picture and sound, of blended micro-cultures in the performing arts world, much the same way the Star Trek series showed viewers a vision of a more perfect future. This is what's next!

Team Opera @ Pillars of the Tri-Valley

2009-10-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to volunteers Sara Nealy and Bill Rabe for helping our opera company with this wonderful public outreach display at the first annual Pillars of the Tri-Valley event that was held this week. Bill retrofitted the set piece from our Pagliacci production to be a stand-alone feature and it looks great as our back drop. We had our dvd of Carmen playing on the monitor and put the original artwork for our upcoming production of Die Fledermaus (March 2009) in a nice frame on the easel.

We made contact with 14 individuals who expressed interest in our organization, if not as board members, as direct volunteers.

Photo: L to R, Sara, Teri Tith, Stephanie Petermeier, Raquel Holt, and Jim Schmidt.

Call for Board Members

2009-10-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Nonprofit Board Member Recruiting Event

October 21, 2009
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
CarrAmerica Cafe
4400 Rosewood Drive
Pleasanton 94588

Champion your local opera company to greatness. Artistic values are at an all-time high now, and we are especially fortunate to call the Bankhead Theater our home. The economy is challenging, but together, we can surmount that hurdle, right? If this sounds like a role you would like to play, please consider registering and attending Pillars of the Tri-Valley, a first annual event designed specifically to encourage professionals and business executives to engage at the board member level with nonprofits within their community. There is no fee to attend. To learn more about this initiative brought to you by the Communities of Character Collaboration in Pleasanton: Learn More & Register.

Or, simply send us an email and let us know you are interested!

Photo: Roberto Perlas Gomez, baritone, who plays roles in both "Cav and Pag", with LVO board member Teri Tith at the artist's reception that immediately follows the each final curtain.

ACE Rail Promotion

2009-09-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

LVO is thrilled to have the support of ACE rail as a marketing collaborator for our upcoming production of Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci, opening October 10th. We only do one performance mid-week, and that would be our Frugal Friday. This is our truly accessible, affordable opera night, as we discount every seat in the house by $10.

Yes, students and youth (age 18 or under) may combine it with their additional discount. No reason not to give opera a try!

The ACE folks are putting our posters up in the trains that bring residents who work in Silicon Valley to the Great America station and back each work day. They have also posted about our opera on their official blog. Feel free to leave a comment for ACE commuters who are reading about it!

Special thank you to Hubert Hanrahan at ACE for jumping on board with this idea to promote opera!

Please tell a friend who commutes. The parking lot that serves ACE rail is the same one that serves the Bankhead Theater, the home of Livermore Valley Opera.

A good opera is something nice to look forward to at the end of the work week.

Milestones: Nina Yoshida Nelsen

2009-09-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Nina Yoshida Nelsen, mezzo soprano, will be making her Lincoln Center debut March 19th at New York City Opera singing Suzuki with the opening night cast in their production of Madame Butterfly.

This is the same role Ms. Nelsen sang with Livermore Valley Opera in March 2004.

Brava to you Nina!

Nina Yoshida Nelsen's official website

Bravo Cantabella Children!

2009-08-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Top honors went to the Livermore's own Cantabella Children's Chorus at the prestigious Golden Gate International Children's and Youth Choral Festival recently held at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. They won first place in the Historical Category which included their presentation of "Sound the Trumpet".

Bee Chow, their artistic director, has worked very hard for many years and we congratulate her and all the children and families who contributed to this success.

We are also pleased to announced that we will be collaborating with the Cantabella Children's Chorus to bring you Pagliacci & Cavalleria Rusticana in October. It requires a large chorus, possibly 30 in all and 12 of the singers will be Cantabella kids.

Patron Quote

2009-08-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

"We escaped the cold fog in SF and had a wonderful warm weekend and biking in Livermore. We did some wine tasting, stopped at Retzlaff Vineyards and came back to see the fabulous opera concert!"

-- Eileen and Joe Cuff

We are pleased to report a successful Opera in the Vineyard event last weekend. There were plenty of tables and chairs for the approximately 130 people who attended our al fresco summer concert and fundraiser. Guests enjoyed Retzlaff wine, and the songs lifted our spirits.

You can look forward to next year's benefit to be held at Retzlaff Vineyards again. "Good job" everyone and thank you for your support!

Opera in the Vineyard Fundraiser This Weekend

2009-07-31T03:37:00.000-07:00

It may not be etched in stone, but we have confirmation that news about our event this weekend is in multiple places. We recently launched a new LVO Facebook Page and we posted the event there for a growing fan base. We also got it listed with the Classical Voice online, in the Pleasanton Weekly, and The Independent, both print and online versions of these two publications. Additionally, we got a mention in Alive East Bay Magazine's performing arts column, and our event was listed as a "top ticket for events this weekend" in the Diablo Magazine blog.

We really got the word out thanks to our pro bono publicist Nancy Vicknair. If your arts group is not using her, we can only say good things about Nancy, and, "thank you Nancy"!

We are expecting a good turn out, and folks who are attending will know, because we will announce it during the program, that our performance on Sunday, to be held for the first time at Retzlaff Vineyard, will be dedicated to the late Gloria Rezlaff Taylor. She was an active supporter of the arts in Livermore and she was an opera patron. She also served on our Advisory Council. We miss her very much.

Opera in the Vineyard, slated for Sunday, August 2nd from 5 to 8pm, will feature some pretty cool silent auction items! Here are some highlights:

Paintings by local artists
Stained Glass
Hand-made Quilt
Multi-colored Amber Necklace
55-Minute Massage
Golf Lessons by a PGA Pro
and much more!

We held this annual summer fundraiser at Cedar Mountain Winery for many years, almost as long as we've been conducting opera business in the valley, and we would be remiss not to thank Earl and Linda Ault for their hospitality and generosity over the years. They really helped us launch this event.

We hope you can join us. Please see our website's Event page for details on our performers, and don't forget to bring a picnic and a warm wrap of some sort. The Livermore evenings can be very cool.

A Letter from Dr. John Shirley

2009-07-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Patrons and Friends,
After fifteen years of service on the Livermore Valley Board of Directors, and two terms as president, I have decided to step down.

I will continue to help where I can. I love Livermore Valley Opera (LVO) and have enjoyed every minute I have spent with wonderful people bringing fine opera to our many wonderful patrons. It has been my pleasure to be involved with LVO as we produced 30 opera. I have greatly enjoyed every production.

I first became aware of LVO, when I attended a performance of Die Fledermaus and Cosi Fan Tutte in the 1993-1994 season. The company was just a year old. I noticed many empty seats in the auditorium and felt it was a shame that people were missing out on such a fine entertainment opportunity. I decided to write letters to the local editors during the production run, telling everyone how wonderful Livermore Valley Opera was. This caught the attention of LVO founding board member, Al Frank, who introduced himself at a public function we were both attending. He thanked me for the letters and asked if I would like to join the board of directors. At the time most of the board members were artistic types. He said they really needed someone who knew people in the community and could help with fundraising. I told him I would be glad to help out.

All of you have received letters from me asking for your investment in our company. You have been very generous with financial contributions and support. Many of you have volunteered long hours in set construction, load ins, stage crews, fundraising and many other capacities. It takes an enormous amount of effort to put on a production, starting with auditions, and ending with the breakdown of the set immediately after the last performance. Over the years, we have had fine producers, directors, singers, musicians, chorus, costumers and many of these talented people continue to serve.

I am very pleased that Mike Miller has agreed to serve as President of the Livermore Valley Opera Board of Directors. He is a very capable, hardworking, level-headed fellow. He will do a good job.

Again, I want to thank you for your financial support, your attendance at the operas, and for your appreciation of Livermore Valley Opera as a valuable community asset that delivers very fine productions. It is a valuable community asset, one that I encourage you to take good care of.

Very sincerely,

John Shirley

Yankee Diva

2009-06-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Have you heard about Joyce DiDonato yet? She is an American singer coming up through the ranks of opera, originally from Kansas. I hope we all get to see her perform some day. She has her own blog, called, you guessed it, YankeeDiva. We've added it to our sidebar for future reference.

There was a wonderful write upon her in Forbes Life magazine June 2009 issue, page 70. The link to the online article may expire, but here goes:

"Note Worthy", by Jim Bosseau

If you have seen her in a performance, please leave us a comment on this post and tell us about it.

Our Next Stage Director

2009-06-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that David Cox has signed on to be our visiting Stage Director for Pagliacci & Cavalleria Rusticana in October.

Please help us welcome him to Livermore Valley Opera!

Biography

Mr. Cox began his foray into stage directing in 1993 for Pacific Repertory Opera’s Don Pasquale. He has since directed several other shows for PRO including: Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Faust, Rigoletto, and Die Zauberflote. He returned to PRO in March of 2007 to direct Verdi’s La Traviata. For his first directing assignment for Opera San Jose, Mr. Cox began with an original language Eugene Onegin followed by two critically acclaimed pieces from the French repertoire: Faust and Pearl Fishers. In the new California Fox Theater he directed sold out performances of Carmen and La Boheme.

In the summer of 2004 Mr. Cox directed Rigoletto and Un Ballo in Maschera for Festival Opera in Walnut Creek to great audience and critical acclaim and has been asked to return in 2008 to direct a new production of Turandot. In recent seasons, he has been the principal stage director for Opera Idaho, directing Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Boheme, L’Elisir d’Amore and Lucia di Lammermoor and Cosi Fan Tutte.

In the summer of 2008, Cox directed his first musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, for Cabrillo Stage. The show received rave reviews and ran for five weeks. Most recently, he made his debut with West Bay Opera with a sold out production of Carmen. He also directed Don Giovanni in February of 2009, his first opera for San Francisco Lyric Opera.

In addition to professional opera, Mr. Cox enjoys working with young singers and has directed The Impressario, Gianni Schicchi and Cosi Fan Tutte for the USC Opera Department.

Mr. Cox helped initiate, performed and sang in the first opera at the San Luis Obispo summer Mozart Festival. He directed and sang in Magic Flute, Cosi Fan Tutte and assisted with Le Nozze di Figaro.

Tosca at the Ballpark

2009-06-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
LVO is coordinating a group outing to watch SF Opera's live simulcast on a 103-foot wide screen at AT&T Park in San Francisco. We'll meet at BART at 5:00 p.m. to travel at leisure to the City. They admit folks as early as 6:30, but you must be registered (for up to four persons) with SF Opera first. Please follow this link to register.

Please let us know if you'd like to join us at BART or in the LVO section of the picnic area. Bring a warm wrap and something low to sit on. We'll be wearing our logo jackets so you can find us!

Opera in the Ballpark featuring: Tosca
Friday, June 5th
Showtime: 8 p.m.
Gates open: 6:30 p.m.
BART meet time: 5:00 p.m.

This is a FREE performance!!!

Ever Heard of a Theremin?

2009-05-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Has nothing to do with a cold remedy.

It's a musical instrument that you can play without every touching it. Yup, here's another UTube demo of the Cavalleria Rusticana intermezzo, with a theremin and guitar rendition.

It's All About the Music!

2009-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Livermore Valley Opera will be presenting Cavalleria Rusticana in October 2009. Here is the beautiful Intermezzo from that opera that I found on UTube.

Enjoy!

Workshop for Arts Groups

2009-04-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Livermore Valley Opera has enticed Debra Askanase, an experienced community organizer, non-profit executive and business consultant to give the resident companies some advice on social media strategy. She holds an MBA in International Business. You can follow her @askdebra on Twitter, read her bio and get free advice on her blog: Community Organizer 2.0.

[Photo: Jim Schmidt, Debra, and Teri Tith giving the web 2.0 sign.]

Debra has created a custom 2-hour presentation to show Livermore's performing arts groups how we can use Facebook and Twitter and integrate them with our email blasts and website/blog for maximum benefit to match our strategic goals. There will be light refreshments and time for Q&A.

Online Community Organizing for the Lively Arts
2-hour Workshop by Debra Askanase, Community Organizer 2.0
April 30, 11:00 a.m.
$25.00 per person
Founder's Room @ The Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore
Contact: Teri Tith, Livermore Valley Opera, 925-447-0536 TeriT@LivermoreValleyOpera.org

Volunteers, staff and board members are encouraged to attend this low cost workshop tailored for the nonprofits arts. This is a special opportunity to learn about Web 2.0 as it applies to our particular area of the nonprofit world. The cost of this workshop is partially underwritten by LVO, as we will also meet with Debra separately to develop our social media strategy.

Anyone who is interested may attend, but capacity is limited to the first 15 people.
Your RSVP would be appreciated by April 28.
Checks only accepted and can be paid in person at the workshop.

Please "Tweet" this to your friends in the arts! Hope to see your smiling faces next week.

Pants Roles

2009-04-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

During our run of The Marriage of Figaro, several patrons approached us an mentioned a curiosity as to the women playing a man’s part in this opera. You may be interested to know that there are thirty or so operas that have “pants roles” also known as a “trouser role” or “breeches role”. This is a role where a woman plays a man and the audience usually accepts this knowing that it is so.

What could be the reasons for such roles?

Some say that this was an excuse to see young pretty women in tight fitting breeches perform on stage during those bygone times when women wore dresses with wide layered skirts. Another reason is that during the early Italian operas, some roles were written for castrati*. But this, too, waned and became part of times long past. Perhaps the most important reason for the “pants roles” is the artistic reason.

The music written for this role demands a matured voice that can project strongly on stage and still has that boy-like quality (instead of the breathy voice of a young boy at puberty). A mezzo soprano singer fits this role. Considered one of the best pants roles is Cherubino. In The Marriage of Figaro, Cherubino is a teenager in his puberty, at that stage of becoming “aware” and puzzles about this strange feeling that sometimes makes him cold and at times, hot. He expresses this in beautiful arias that demand a range of an adult voice.

During the auditions for the Cherubino role with LVO, singers were selected not only for their voice but also how they possibly will portray the part convincingly once they are on stage. Do they have that “boy look”? Erin Neff (pictured center in the rehearsal photo above) and Evgenia Chaverdova, double cast as Cherubino, both were well suited for this role. They have beautiful, velvety voices that strongly soared to a high G note. In their own unique way, they superbly portrayed a teenage boy, awkward and confused, adoringly cute, and in love!

*Men castrated in boyhood to retain their high voice.

Sex in Opera

2009-04-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just got this in my mailbox yesterday from Fremont Opera and had to pass it along.

If you're not afraid to blush in public...

Sex in Opera
Sunday, May 3, 2009
4:00 p.m.
Tickets: $25.00
Open seating
Mission Coffee Roasting Company
151 Washington Blvd., Fremont

Fremont Opera's talented singers will be on hand for a few, um, demonstrations, and this stimulating talk will be given by their Artistic Director David Sloss.

Anyone up for a carpool to Fremont?

www.fremontopera.org

A Star Shining Bright in Livermore

2009-03-17T09:48:00.001-07:00

[Photo credit: Barbara Mallon.]

by Sue Steinberg

Eugene Brancoveanu singing here in Livermore? I couldn’t believe it! The international star who won rave reviews at San Francisco Opera and headlined SFO’s West Coast premier of The Little Prince?

Believe it or not, Livermore Valley Opera has actually engaged this bravura artist for ALL PERFORMANCES of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and Livermore is truly on the opera map.

This is not a paid “puff-piece”, but a heartfelt tribute to a company that continues to astonish with magnificent productions on a limited budget, a multi-tasking Board of Directors, and a cadre of hard-working volunteers. All of them deserve a curtain call as resounding as the cast’s ovations on opening weekend.

The production itself is a perfect gem, from principals through choristers, with no weak links in singing or acting. With memories dating back to Cesare Siepi at the Old Met, this reviewer cannot recall a more thoroughly enjoyable “Figaro”.

The opera shows Mozart at his sparkling best, with wonderful arias and ensembles, plus Lorenzo da Ponte’s wittiest libretto. Based on Beaumarchais’ 1778 play which helped foment the French Revolution, it is a trenchant social indictment of the imperious aristocracy cloaked in surface courtesy and elegant manners.

A true “Upstairs, Downstairs” of the late 18th Century, it describes not just the simple love story of two servants planning to marry, but also their struggle to fend off their noble lord, who aims to enjoy his “droit du seigneur” with the bride on her wedding night.

The helpless plight of this servant class leads to the indignation and fury that would soon topple their masters (or at least their heads) into the gutter. No wonder Louis XVI decided to forbid the original play until his wife, the short-sighted (and short-lived) Marie Antoinette, lobbied for its performance.

In the first scene, the Countess’s maid Susanna alerts her fiancé Figaro, the Count’s servant, to their master’s scheme. Figaro, in a bold declaration of war, sings menacingly, “So he wants to dance, does he? Well, I’ll play the music and make HIM dance to MY tune!”

Nothing so revolutionary had ever been staged before, and Figaro’s ability to humiliate the Count in the final scene would have been a startling shock to the audience. In this production, the Count actually shakes his servant’s hand, as much a symbol of “the world turning upside down” as the American patriots’ victory over mighty England a few years earlier.

The opera presents all classes of society, from peasants to nobility, each with appropriate costumes, manners, and even singing styles. Across the board, everyone’s Italian is uniformly impeccable (as attested by native speakers), with the chorus unusually well-blended. Kudos to Music Director Alex Katsman for his superb conducting, harpsichord playing and coaching in pronunciation and enunciation.

Great applause to Director Jose Maria Condemi, whose attention to detail produced such a lively show, with stage business illuminating every nuance of the plot and text. English
super-titles can only represent a fraction of the action, but audience response proved their instant comprehension of Condemi’s “non-verbal script”.

Particularly outstanding is the preening of elderly spinster Marcellina (a delicious creation by Carrie Hennessey), as she plots to trap Figaro into marriage, and trades smiling insults with his beautiful young fiancée Susanna.

For ultimate over-the-top comedy, watch veteran Michael Mendelsohn as the smarmy music teacher and pandering go-between Don Basilio. His nasty smirks, obsequiously exaggerated bows, and manic “conducting” of the chorus evoked appreciative laughter from the audience.

Jason Sarten plays a magnificently pompous Dr. Bartolo, eager to help force Figaro’s marriage to Marcellina. When Figaro is revealed to be their love-child, and Bartolo realizes that he himself must be the old lady’s groom, his facial reactions show his emotions even better than his words.

A bouncing, scatter-brained young girl, Barbarina, is realistically acted and beautifully sung by vivacious Jordan Trommater. She is partnered by the similarly hormonal teenage “page-boy”, Cherubino, played with equal excellence by Erin Neff and Evgenia Chaverdova. Gifted with two of the opera’s most memorable arias, each brings the believable excitement, awkwardness and confusion of male adolescence to this “pants role.”

Other wonderful arias go to principals Figaro and Susanna, played alternately by Robert Stafford and Sascha Joggerst, Jennie Litster and Sepideh Moafi. I’ve seen both casts, and it would be impossible to choose between these gifted singing actors, who bring beautiful voices, engaging personalities and boundless vitality to their roles.

Watching Susanna’s outrage upon seeing Figaro embrace Marcellina (his newly-discovered mother) or pretend to woo the countess (his own fiancée in disguise) is great fun, but her fury also awakens true sympathy – especially from women. Similarly, Figaro’s horrified despair when he learns of Susanna’s pretended rendezvous with the Count, strikes a chord in anyone who has known infidelity. Mozart has refined gold from both situations, writing an aria of lyrical beauty for Susanna (‘Come quickly, my love”) and for Figaro, the show-stopping diatribe against faithless women, (“Men, open your eyes!’).

The give-and-take between the Count and Countess is also painfully realistic. The Count still loves his Rosina, but is unreasonably jealous, while secretly pursing the extra-marital pleasures he feels entitled to enjoy. The Countess, sadly faithful to her philandering husband, is reduced to desperately trying to trap him into a tryst with Susanna, hoping that he will repent and reform.

Kaileen Miller, who heroically sings all performances, is every inch the Countess, with noble carriage, statuesque beauty, and the ability to wring a listener’s heart with her plaintive laments for lost love. Gorgeously robed by expert Costume Designer Vicky Nebeker, with courtly wig by Denise Gutierrez, she seems the new incarnation of Kiri te Kanawa, famous world-wide in this role. Listen for her floating silvery tones, ravishing pianissimo, and outbursts of dramatic emotion, and watch her impressive breath control over long legato phrases.

Eugene Brancoveanu as the Count instantly commands the stage with his imperious bearing. A consummate actor, he switches effortlessly from sly seduction of Susanna to towering fury at being thwarted, murderous jealousy over his wife’s suspected infidelity to tender supplicating pleas for pardon when he is proved wrong.

His nervous agitation trying to make a cup of tea to calm his offended wife is a finely-crafted example of stage artistry few singers develop so skillfully. And his heart-stopping “moment of truth” in the final act is unexpectedly moving and convincing. Combined with the wide range of his rich powerful voice, Brancoveanu’s performance left listeners reaching for new superlatives!

The production’s overall excellence includes Jean Francois Revon’s technical directing and Yannis Adoniou’s spiritual choreography, with a gorgeous set created for a major Canadian opera company.

Nearly-full houses for opening weekend suggest a likely sell-out for next week’s final performances, when many (including this enthusiastic reviewer), plan to return. Advance reservations are strongly advised. Tickets are available at the Bankhead Theater box office on First Street, Livermore, or by calling or online at www.livermoreperformingarts.org.

Final performances will be Friday March 20 at 7:30 PM, and Saturday March 21 at 8PM, and Sunday March 22 at 2PM, with an introductory talk one hour before curtain time. Frugal Friday features discounted tickets for all ages, with special low prices for students through college.

You Have Got to See This!

2009-03-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Marriage of Figaro opened last weekend. Only one more weekend of opera fun until the next season begins in March...when we will be performing a two for one performance of:

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci

I just love it that I live in a town that has a professional circuit rodeo and an opera company it can be proud of!

Bankhead Theater Box Office Hours & Location:
Tuesday through Saturday, 12:00 Noon to 6:00 p.m.
Performance days: 12:00 Noon through Intermission.
Call 925-373-6800 for tickets and information.

"The Marriage of Figaro" final weekend:

March 20, Frugal Friday 7:30pm (take an additional $10.00 off and give opera a try!)
March 21, Saturday 8pm
March 22, Sunday 2pm

Tech Week - Countdown to The Marriage of Figaro!

2009-03-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

[Photo credit: Barbara Mallon. Pictured above are Robert Stafford and Jennie Litster
as Figaro and Susanna in Monday's rehearsal.]

A performance really comes together in Tech Week with set and stage preparation, finalizing of props, rehearsals and harmonizing singers with the orchestra. Tech Week is the term used for the week of rehearsals prior to the opening of the show and upon Load In to the theater where the performance takes place. It is both an exhilarating and stressful time.

This week, the magic on the stage begins to take shape under the direction of our Stage Director Jose Maria Condemi and Music Director Alex Katsman, assisted by Jean-Francois Revon our Technical Director, Stage Manager Bethanie Baeyen and Raquel Holt, a founding board member and Artistic Director.

Sunday

The set arrived in pieces on Sunday on a 50-foot trailer, fully stuffed. It was designed and built by Hamilton Opera Company in Ontario, Canada, and traveled to Sacramento Opera before reaching us. We got it for a “song” and it will be our largest and most complex set yet. It took a full day to sort out the immense pile of giant pieces and put together the “towers” on the raked platform. We are grateful for the help of Set Construction Coordinator Bill Rabe in this effort. At the same time, lights were being hung and the lighting pattern programmed under the direction of Light Designer Rob Anderson. It took a group of 14 volunteers and half a dozen Bankhead Theater staff members all day to accomplish the load-in on Sunday. We’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone for giving up their Sunday to help us.

While the set was being assembled at the theater, the artists and musicians participating in the traditional Sunday night sitzprobe at the Bothwell Art Center where rehearsals have been held since February. As you know, opera is a world of many languages, and for some reason, the German word for “sitting practice” has lasted through the years. In a sitzprobe, singers and orchestra come together for the fist time in the theater for a practice without staging and blocking.

Monday

The first Monday rehearsal in the theater brings the artists onto the new set, for Act 1 and 2. This particular set platform is raked; it is sloped to a 12% angle. That slope gives better audience visibility to the singers, and, at least to this viewer, who saw it in Sacramento, a “super three-dimensional” view, further enhanced by the artistic perspective line of the large set structures. We hope you enjoy the visual effect.

There is constant movement and drama carefully planned by the Stage Director that can only be perfected with the real set, actual furniture and props, and getting used to moving up and down the grade of the slope.

Monday also engages the all-volunteer stage crew for the first time. The choreography of moving set pieces and furniture is something of an art all to itself. It must be done quickly, quietly and without disruption to the flow of the production. Every prop and piece of furniture will have a position on and off the stage. Our Props Mistress Bonnie Schmidt has worked hard to find just the right items. Spikes marks will be set on the stage floor using colored tape to help guide our volunteer crew led by our capable board member Bob Canning.

Tuesday

Tuesday’s rehearsal is similar to the Monday, only focusing on Acts 3 and 4. On the third day all the Acts come together, with full singers, costumes, orchestra, rapid scene changes, and final adjustments for maximum artistic expression.

Wednesday - All four Acts together, no audience, strictly rehearsal.

Thursday

A final dress rehearsal is slated for Thursday. Costume Designer Vicky Nebeker can make final adjustments to the wardrobe. This is now the real thing, done as if performing to a real audience. Sometimes we invite student groups to be in the audience to give our artists a boost. Our official photographer Barbara Mallon photographs the final dress rehearsal, which we use for promotional and archival purposes. You will see her work on display at Intermission!

Friday - "go dark"

On Friday we officially “go dark”, giving the performers and crew a rest before the big Opening Night for The Marriage of Figaro.

Saturday, March 14th is our Opening Night & Gala event. Don’t miss the opening night lecture given by our Stage Director Jose Maria Condemi.

We hope you are as excited about Opera Week as we are!

Las Positas College Night

2009-03-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

We dedicate The Marriage of Figaro Opening Night on March 14, 2009 to the Students, Faculty, and Staff at Las Positas College, many of whom will be in our audience that night. We are proud to have such a fine educational institution in our valley. In particular, we want to highlight their performing arts program, which includes music, dance and theater.

Where else would you go to learn the language of opera? (Don't worry we always provide supertitles in English!)

The possibilities for collaboration are limitless with all the arts groups in our community, and Livermore Valley Opera offers special Youth and Student prices in every section, on every performance.

We have even expanded our definition of "student" pricing to include any youth "who looks under 18" or has a Student Body Card.

The Marriage of Figaro, March 14-22, 2009

2009-03-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Performance Dates & Times:

Saturday, March 14, 8pm (Opening Night Gala & Las Positas College Night)
Sunday, March 15, 2pm
Friday, March 20, 7:30pm (*Frugal Friday)
Saturday, March 21, 8pm
Sunday, March 22, 2pm

Ticket prices: $19 to $59, depending on seating and performance. Contact the Bankhead Theater Box Office 925-373-6800 or stop by in person at 2400 First Street in downtown Livermore. More about our artists and the show on our website.

Opening Night Gala
A special evening with ample appetizers and a beverage service will be staged in the theater lobby just prior to the performance. Tickets are $40 and are sold separately from the performance. Gala starts 5:30 p.m. It's an "opera'tunity" to dress up and meet those who are intimately involved in bringing opera to our community! The Gala can be attended separate from the performance. If you hold tickets for another night, you can still attend the gala.

*On Frugal Friday, students tickets are as low as $19, a bargain for fully-staged opera. We want opera lovers of all ages!

Pleasanton Chamber Players Performance March 8

2009-02-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

The Bankhead Theater planned in advance for Livermore Valley Opera. To make a home for us at this new, state-of-the-art performance hall, they built an orchestra pit to suit our needs.

We engage fine local musicians for each performance. When they are not in our employ, these musicians travel all around the San Francisco Bay Area to practice their art. You will have a chance to hear some of them perform at a special show presented by the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council:

Pleasanton Chamber Players
The Rise of German Romanticism
March 8, 2009 @ 3:00 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church, Pleasanton
Tickets $15.00 - $18.00
925-455-5333

Photo caption: Alex Katsman conducting opera business in the pit of the Bankhead Theater.

Photo credit: Barbara Mallon

A Patron Writes

2009-01-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

LVO supporter writes to us upon receiving an invitation to attend our winter fundraiser this coming weekend:

"Thank you very much for the invitation Saturday, but I can't make it. Hopefully next time! I am a fan of Sascha Joggerst, Duana Demus and Robert Stafford, having heard all three with other opera companies. This is a great cast, and I am rounding up fellow opera lovers to go in March.

I was very impressed that you were able to hire Robert McPhearson for Almaviva, and I love Layna, she and Rob were artists-in-residence for Opera San Jose and I saw everything they did. Igor was a delight as Figaro!"

Thanks,
Louise

(Yes, her name was changed to protect her identity, but you get the idea!)