KEITH ARMSTRONG TO SING ANTHEM BEFORE A CROWD OF THOUSANDS
AT AT&T STADIUM APRIL 11, 2014 FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S
FREE “BARBER” SIMULCAST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014
Celeste Hart 214.443.1071
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
celeste.hart@dallasopera.org
THE DALLAS OPERA ANNOUNCES THE WINNER OF The “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?” National Anthem Competition™
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Additional Information at dallasopera.org/simulcast
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TDO STADIUM SIMULCAST PRESENTED BY: THE DALLAS FOUNDATION WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM
THE CARL B. AND FLORENCE E. KING FOUNDATION
2013-2014 SEASON SUPPORT FROM TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION
DALLAS, APRIL 10, 2014 – The Dallas Opera is thrilled to announce the winner of its inaugural, “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?” National Anthem Competition™. Keith Armstrong, 58, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was selected by popular vote from among five finalists. Nearly 1500 votes were cast to determine the winner.
Armstrong learned of the competition through a friend’s text. “They encouraged me to enter. Anytime I have an opportunity to sing the national anthem or “God Bless America”, I do. It’s my passion. I never served in the military so this is my chance to serve my country. I’m grateful for the opportunity to honor our country. I’m humbled to be included with those four other people, any one of which would have done a great job. I’m excited. It’s going to be a grand event!” said Armstrong.
The brand-new competition was designed to encourage an inner diva or divo, and offered men, women and children the opportunity to compete – via YouTube submissions – for the unique chance to bring down the house at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Forty-seven applicants submitted online auditions.
The winner will make a live appearance at the stadium on Friday, April 11, 2014 to sing the national anthem – a cappella – prior to that evening’s performance of Rossini’s 1816 masterpiece, The Barber of Seville at 7:30 p.m.
The Dallas Opera’s April 11th AT&T Stadium Simulcast of The Barber of Seville is presented by The Dallas Foundation with additional support from the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., followed at 7:00 with the world’s largest screening of the Warner Brothers Classics cartoon “Rabbit of Seville,” a 1950 Chuck Jones masterpiece starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Armstrong will regale the simulcast audience on the gigantic stadium screens with an amplified, unaccompanied performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The Dallas Opera’s Barber, produced with generous support from TACA, features Dallas Opera favorite Nathan Gunn in the title role, with acclaimed mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (courtesy of The Charron and Peter Denker Rising Stars Endowment Fund) as Rosina, lyric tenor Alek Shrader as love-struck Count Almaviva, the inimitable Donato DiStefano as Dr. Bartolo and Turkish bass Burak Bilgili as Don Basilio in this all-star ensemble cast.
Free general admission tickets for the April 11th AT&T Stadium Simulcast (with a convenient print-at-home option) can be obtained through the Dallas Opera website at www.dallasopera.org/simulcast.
“It’s been a personal goal of mine to engage remarkable world-class artists to create an unforgettable entertainment experience for people from all walks of life,” commented Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, “and nothing does this better than opera—a spectacular art form made even more so when viewed on the largest high-definition screens in the country.
“The Dallas Opera is deeply honored that The Dallas Foundation is presenting this event for a third consecutive year and we are equally grateful for the generosity of the Jones Family, who encouraged this extraordinary collaboration with the Cowboys organization from the moment we made our dream known to them.”
“I am also very pleased that the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation is providing additional support for this year’s stadium simulcast and I hope that the centralized location of AT&T Stadium will—once again—prove to be an irresistible magnet,” Mr. Cerny added.
“With free parking, a classic cartoon and a wonderful new singing competition, a wear-what-you-want dress code, world-class performances, on-screen English language supertitles and plenty of available concessions—this night will continue to redefine 21st century opera as a genuinely exciting and user-friendly entertainment experience.”
And what could be more “user friendly” than Gioachino Rossini’s wildest and most popular romp? Disguises and false identities abound as men—young and old—vie for the hand of the beautiful Rosina in one of the funniest and most frenetic operas ever composed!
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Single tickets for The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 Season start at just $19 and are available by visiting www.dallasopera.org or by consulting with TDO’s ticket office professionals at 214-443-1000.
EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “MARCH AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS OR VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG/EVENTS
For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
To arrange an interview or for additional information please contact Suzanne Calvin, Director Media & Public Relations
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season
Is Sponsored by Texas Instruments Foundation
THE DALLAS OPERA WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERS:
AMERICAN AIRLINES – OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
LEXUS – OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
Ticket Information for the 2013-2014 Dallas Opera Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275. Family performance tickets are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2013-2014 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-SeventhInternational Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk begins one hour prior to curtain, at most performances.
DEATH AND THE POWERS by Tod Machover
February 12, 14, 15 & 16(m), 2014
Science fiction and poignant family drama combine in a major regional premiere!
An opera in one act first performed in Monte Carlo, Monaco at the Salle Garnier on September 24, 2010.
Libretto by Robert Pinsky, based on a story by Pinsky and Randy Weiner
Time: Unknown time in the future
Place: Earth, the home of billionaire Simon Powers
Conductor: Nicole Paiement
Original Direction: Diane Paulus*
Stage Director: Andrew Eggert*
Production Design: Alex McDowell*
Costume Design: David C. Woolard*
Lighting Design: Donald Holder
Sound Design: Chris Full*
Choreography: Karole Armitage*
Wig & make-up Supervision: David Zimmerman
Starring: Robert Orth (Simon Powers), Joélle Harvey (Miranda), Patricia Risley(Evvy), Hal Cazalet*(Nicholas), Frank Kelley*(The United Way), David Kravitz*(The United Nations), Tom McNichols*(The Administration).
DIE TOTE STADT (“THE DEAD CITY”) by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
March 21, 23(m), 26, 29 and April 6(m), 2014
The Hitchcock-like tale of one man’s dark obsession with the woman he loved and lost.
An opera in three acts first performed in Hamburg & Cologne, Germany on December 4, 1920
Text by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Paul Schott based on a novel by Georges Rodenbach, Bruges la morte
Time: End of the 19th century
Place: The city of Bruges in northwestern Belgium
Conductor: Sebastian Lang-Lessing*
Stage Director: Mikael Melbye
Scenic Design: Mikael Melbye*
Costume Design: Dierdre Clancy*
Video Design: Wendall Harrington*
Lighting Design: Mark McCullough
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Choreography: Matthew Ferraro*
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Mardi Byers*(Marie/Marietta) , Jay Hunter Morris (Paul), Morgan Smith (Fritz), Weston Hurt (Frank), Katherine Tier*(Brigitta), Andrew Bidlack (Albert), Jan Lund**(Victorin), Jennifer Chung (Juliette), Angela Turner Wilson (Lucienne).
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini
March 28, 30(m), April 2, 5, 11 & 13(m), 2014
Figaro, a scheming barber and jack-of-all-trades plots to release a headstrong girl from her gilded cage!
An opera in two acts first performed in Rome on February 20, 1816
Text by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, from his comedy Le Barbier de Séville
Time: 18th century
Place: Seville, Spain
Conductor: Giuliano Carella*
Stage Director: Herb Kellner
Original Production: John Copley
Scenic Design: John Conklin
Costume Design: Michael Stennet
Lighting Design: Gary Marder
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Nathan Gunn (Figaro), Isabel Leonard*(Rosina), Alek Shrader*(Count Almaviva), Donato DiStefano (Dr. Bartolo), Burak Bilgili*(Don Basilio), Nathan De’Shon Myers (Fiorello), Christian Teague*(Ambrogio).
DALLAS OPERA FAMILY PERFORMANCES
Jack and the Beanstalk: October 26, 2013 and April 5, 2014
Family Concerts: November 3, 2013 and February 1, 2014
The Elixir of Love: November 9, 2013 and April 12, 2014
* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.