Archives for September 2010

September 29, 2010

The gents at Barihunks are always incredibly generous with their enthusiasm for our marketing campaigns and lend consistent support for folks – like the marketing team at Livermore Valley Opera in Northern California – who put an intelligent or interesting twist on outdated notions of “community outreach.”  Be sure to watch the video…a total hoot! […]

They have all the fun and we get all the benefits. I’m using “we” in the imperial sense, meaning all the local organizations and individuals that comprise the kaleidoscopic Dallas area arts scene. More on this important Gala from Jeanne Prejean of “MySweetCharity” blog. Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR

September 27, 2010

From the Instant Gratification File: Word about the Dallas Opera’s first simulcast is beginning to make the rounds. Here’s a headline in “Opera Now,” a British-based international opera publication, sandwiched between San Francisco’s ballpark simulcasts and Houston’s mariachi opera. Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR

Op-Ed contributor Alex Ross in yesterday’s “New York Times” tackles the perception of the high cost of producing opera in tough times – even as the Met prepares to unveil the first part of its brand-new “Ring” Cycle, a four-part, two-year endeavor. The terrific prose you expect from Alex Ross and some interesting insights and […]

September 24, 2010

Kudos to COMMANDOpera for the preview of our upcoming season opener, “Don Giovanni,” particularly for going the distance to acquire these gorgeous photos of the John Pascoe-designed set for Washington National Opera. The renowned Mr. Pascoe will be directing his production in Dallas, as well. In any event, it’s a superb sneak peek at what we can expect […]

September 23, 2010

The name is pronounced “Shot,” by the way.  POW-low SHOT.  Hope you won money on that one. “Dallas audiences ARE in for a treat” any way you pronounce it. I’m counting the days until the arrival of baritone Paulo Szot to begin rehearsals for our season opener: Mozart’s retelling of the Don Juan legend, “Don Giovanni.” And […]

They’re at it again, the local critics, that is. Willard Spiegelman of D magazine (not to mention SMU, “The New York Times,” etc.) is the latest to raise the issue of the audience “O”…the sometimes ill-timed, other times automatic standing ovations on the part of Dallas/Fort Worth audiences. One of the points made is that this behavior somehow validates […]

September 21, 2010

Little black dresses abounded at the August 26th Opening Night kick-off party, hosted by Chairman Julia Moore, at Oscar de la Renta NorthPark. You’ll have to wait until opening night on October 22nd to see what these ladies purchased. It was a nice bit of icing on the cake that a percentage of the proceeds […]

I’ve heard plenty of discussions and a wide variety of opinions about “the best seat in the new house,” but the fact remains that nothing compares to being right there onstage with these fabulous artists, in the middle of the action. And now’s your chance. This evening, the Dallas Opera will stage an open casting […]

September 20, 2010

They held auditions yesterday in Little Rock, Arkansas for roles in the upcoming world premiere opera “Billy Blythe” about young Bill Clinton in his native land. Good thing they’ve already announced the title of the new work because most of the suggestions I’ve heard have been (how shall I put this?) below the belt. We’ll […]

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I read that around 15 hundred of the fans attending the annual Proms concerts at Royal Albert Hall each summer – are STANDING! (I don’t mean “Hope and Glory” standing, I mean from start to finish) That seems to be the new wave in opera, […]

The only thing that might be as much fun as dressing up for opening night of the Dallas Opera season is NOT dressing up and enjoying the very same opera (Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”)–for free–under the stars. That’s the motivation behind the Dallas Opera’s very first simulcast slated for opening night (Friday, October 22) in the […]

September 16, 2010

For those of you who couldn’t get enough of last spring’s world premiere production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s MOBY-DICK, the duo have been commissioned again (their first collaboration since M-D) to create a new song cycle to be unveiled by renowned baritone Nathan Gunn in a one-time-only performance at the Dallas Opera’s 2011 Gala […]

September 15, 2010

It’s been a favorite story from Cinderella to Busby Berkeley’s Depression-Era cinematic classics: the understudy who goes on at the last minute and comes back a star. Only in this case, Ailyn Perez was the SECOND understudy who went on in the SECOND act – and already a bonafide star. So, let’s just say the dramatic events […]

September 13, 2010

Is your body temperature between 97 and 100 degrees Farenheit? Do you have a detectable pulse? Do you own a watch and have a penchant for showing up on time? Do you enjoy playing “dress-up”? Can you fake emotions for anyone other than your in-laws at Christmastime? If you answered “yes” to all of these compelling questions, […]

Honestly, a marriage of opera and science fiction couldn’t be more natural so…this head-snapping notice immediately caught my eye. It seems that actor/director John de Lancie (best known to sci-fi aficionados as the character “Q” in Star-Trek “The Next Generation”) is headed to Texas to conduct a bonafide master class on acting in opera. The man has […]

The famed Saito Kinen Festival…with a slice of Dallas Opera thrown-in for good measure. Details from “The New York Times.” Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR

September 10, 2010

I was checking out this slight, charming, Post-Tony (but still during the run of “South Pacific”) interview with Paulo Szot when the questioning turned to his dogs…as in five Weimareimarimaraners.  (sigh!) You know what I mean. I can’t help wondering, even if two stay with his parents, whether the other three will be cavorting outside […]

September 8, 2010

No, Virginia, there is no “Moby-Claus.” I’ve seen a rumor circulating among opera aficionados on the internet that the October 12th WRR “Dallas Opera Encore Performances” broadcast of the world premiere production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s MOBY-DICK will be streamed, simultaneously, like much of the station’s programming. I am sorry to be the […]

September 7, 2010

“Some cared deeply about culture,” said fund-raiser par excellence Bill Lively, “but all the donors cared about Dallas.”  An in-depth piece in “The Dallas Morning News” that follows the money and examines the philosophy behind this dramatic expansion of the Arts District and the Herculean civic effort that brought about the AT&T Performing Arts Center.  […]

Fantastic news regarding the RIGOLETTO cast!   The Man himself is coming to sing the title role.   Here’s the word from D magazine’s Front Row and Peter Simek. Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR