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    Original or Familiar – It’s all art and it’s all new

    Il Postino

    (Image from LA Opera’s world premiere production of “Il Postino”)

    Decisions, Decisions. How do the chief executives of major performing arts organizations grapple with the task of advancing the art form and attracting audiences at the same time? Find out what goes on behind the scenes on Tuesday March 5th in a free “Conversation with Keith,” as in Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, Art&Seek’s Jerome Weeks, and Heather Kitchen, Managing Director of the Dallas Theater Center. More details follow:

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    Monday, February 25, 2013

    Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014
    Suzanne.Calvin@dallasopera.org
    Or Megan Meister 214.443.1071
    Megan.Meister@dallasopera.org

    THE DALLAS OPERA AND KERA’s ART&SEEK
    ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT
    “CONVERSATIONS WITH KEITH”
    ~~~~
    Moderated by Art&Seek Reporter/Producer
    JEROME WEEKS
    ~~~~
    “Accessible versus Avant-Garde Productions of
    Music and Theater.” – With Live Audience Q&A!

    Featuring Dallas Opera General Director & CEO Keith Cerny
    & Dallas Theater Center Managing Director Heather Kitchen

    TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
    Hamon Hall, Winspear Opera House
    AT&T Performing Arts Center

    DALLAS, FEBRUARY 25, 2013 – The Dallas Opera, in partnership with KERA’s “Art&Seek,” is happy to announce the next edition of “Conversations with Keith” taking place on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in Nancy B. Hamon Hall (located in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas), featuring special guest Heather Kitchen, Managing Director of the Dallas Theater Center.
    The hot topic is “Accessible versus Avant-Garde Productions of Music and Theater” and if you have ever wondered how performing arts organizations select an artistic team and commission a brand-new work for the stage—this is the event for you!
    The conversation will be moderated by the award-winning KERA/Art&Seek Producer-Reporter Jerome Weeks, who also moderated the Dallas Opera’s highly acclaimed “Page to Stage” weekend with composer Jake Heggie, librettist Gene Scheer, and other special guests, in preparation for the company’s enormously successful 2010 world premiere of Moby-Dick.
    Mr. Weeks also occupies the moderator’s chair for our continuing series of “Composing Conversations” designed to bring the world’s most intriguing composers and librettists to Dallas for conversations about their craft, their careers, and their current and future projects.

    “Conversations with Keith” are always FREE and open to the public. However, seating is limited and RSVPs are strongly recommended.
    To secure your seat for this extraordinary inside look at creating and commissioning new twenty-first century works, call 214.443.1044 or reserve your seat online at rsvp@dallasopera.org.
    Paid parking ($5 to $15) is available underneath the Winspear Opera House and throughout the Arts District.

    KEY BIOS:

    HEATHER M. KITCHEN joined Dallas Theater Center in 2011 as managing director. She was honored to be appointed managing director, and was inspired by the outstanding artists, Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers that she met here. Before joining DTC she served as executive director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for 14 seasons where she oversaw the growth of the budget from $11 million to more than $19 million. Heather led A.C.T.’s first endowment campaign, which surpassed its $25 million goal by more than $6 million. She served as general manager of The Citadel Theatre in Alberta, Canada, production manager at Theatre New Brunswick, and worked as a stage manager at many major regional theaters across Canada including The Stratford Shakespearean Festival, The Neptune Theatre and Canadian Stage Company. Heather holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Western Ontario’s reknowned Richard Ivey School of Business. She was ranked among the San Francisco Business Times’ top 100 “Most Important Women in Business in the Bay Area” five times. Heather is also an avid amateur musician who plays piano, flute and classical guitar.

    JEROME WEEKS is a producer-reporter for KERA’s Art & Seek. His arts reporting and criticism have appeared on KERA FM, KERA TV, and online at ArtandSeek.org.
    A professional critic for more than two decades, he was the book columnist for The Dallas Morning News for ten years and the paper’s theater critic for ten years before that. His writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, American Theatre and Men’s Vogue magazines. He has won five Katie Awards from the Dallas Press Club, a graduate journalism fellowship from Columbia University and a Knight Digital Media Fellowship to the University of California-Berkeley. In 2012, he received first place for specialty reporting from Texas Associated Press Broadcasters and the John G. Flowers Award for Excellence from The Texas Society of Architects. Jerome has appeared on Studio 360, C-SPAN’s Booknotes and KERA’s national documentary Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American Theater. He is a member of both the National Book Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association, and is a fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.

    Biographical information about DALLAS OPERA GENERAL DIRECTOR AND CEO KEITH CERNY is available online at http://www.dallasopera.org/about/staff/general-director/

    ABOUT ART&SEEK

    Art&Seek brings North Texans news about arts, music and culture. The team’s arts journalists produce reports, interviews, criticism and video for KERA FM, KERA TV and online at ArtandSeek.org. Art&Seek’s calendar hosts profiles and events from more than 3,000 arts groups and venues. Highlights can also be heard on KERA FM and KXT 91.7 FM. Art&Seek is a service provided by KERA/North Texas Public Broadcasting.

    EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “FEBRUARY AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
    IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
    VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

    For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
    To arrange an interview
    Or for additional information
    Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR
    214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org

    The Dallas Opera’s 2012-2013 “Pursuits of Passion Season”
    Is Presented 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 2012-2013 Dallas Opera Season

    All performances are in the new Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Single Tickets for TURANDOT, THE ASPERN PAPERS and family performances are on sale now. Family performances are $5, mainstage operas start at a new low price of just $19! For more information, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.

    THE DALLAS OPERA 2012-2013 SPRING SEASON INFORMATION
    The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Sixth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in downtown Dallas. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 p.m. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance. Assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

    TURANDOT by Giacomo Puccini
    April 5, 7(m), 10, 13, 19 & 21(m), 2013
    Puccini’s Last Masterpiece—Riddled with Passionate Romance and Unforgettable Music!
    An opera in three acts first performed in Milan at La Scala, April 25, 1926
    Text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, based on Carlo Gozzi’s fable, Turandot.
    Time: Legendary times
    Place: Peking, China
    Conductor: Marco Zambelli
    Stage Director: Garnett Bruce
    Production Design: Allen Charles Klein
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Lise Lindstrom* (Princess Turandot), Antonello Palombi (Calaf), Hei-Kyung Hong (Liu), Christian Van Horn* (Timur), Jonathan Beyer (Ping), Joseph Hu (Pang), Daniel Montenegrio* (Pong), Ryan Kuster* (A Mandarin), Steven Haal (Emperor Altoum).

    THE ASPERN PAPERS by Dominick Argento
    April 12, 14(m), 17, 20, 28(m), 2013
    The Games People Play—Both Young and Old—To Achieve Their Twisted Desires!
    An opera in two acts first performed in Dallas, November 19, 1988.
    Text by Dominick Argento, based on a Henry James novella.
    Time: Legendary
    Place: Lake Como, Italy
    Conductor: Graeme Jenkins
    Stage Director: Tim Albery
    Scenic Design: Andrew Lieberman*
    Costume Design: Constance Hoffman*
    Lighting Design: Thomas Hase
    Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
    Assistant Director: Michael Mori
    Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
    Starring: Susan Graham* (Tina), Alexandra Deshorties (Julianna Bordereau), Nathan Gunn (The Lodger), Joseph Kaiser* (Aspern), Dean Peterson (Barelli), Sasha Cooke* (Sonia), Eric Jordan* (A painter), Jennifer Youngs* (Olimpia).

    * Dallas Opera Debut
    ** American Debut
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; TACA; 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 Mrs. William W. Winspear and the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for their continuing support.

    ###

    The Cultural Conversation Heats Up

    Just in time for the “Firecracker” week of the Fourth and my long-awaited vacation, things decided to heat up significantly both inside and outside the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

    It started last week with the release of a University of Chicago study on a variety of newly constructed cultural edifices, including the AT&T Performing Arts Center, followed (a few days later) by the announcement of a Standard and Poor’s downgrade to the center’s credit rating. The back-to-back stories prompted this Independence Day editorial in “The Dallas Morning News.”

    A couple of days later, “Dallas Morning News” Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell weighed-in with his verdict: ATTPAC and TDO may have suffered in years past from a lack of stable and effective leadership, a conclusion that appears to be based (at least in part) on the success story of another resident company, the Dallas Theater Center.  You can read Scott’s piece here and draw your own conclusions.  I have a bone or two to pick but I will keep them to myself.

    Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR

    Glowing Reviews for The Lighthouse

    The limited engagement of the Dallas Opera’s new production of THE LIGHTHOUSE is now history – but the accolades continue to roll in on the tide.

    Katie Womack of “The Observer” found it a “strange yet engrossing musical and theatrical experience.” Read more of her review here.

    Over at “Theater Jones,” critic Gregory Sullivan Isaacs proclaimed the production a “must-see” and one that gave him a “glimmer of hope” for a new era of artistic collaboration that will demolish old barriers and preconceptions.  Read his illuminating  article here.  And go back and catch the splendid series TJ has produced on the making of THE LIGHTHOUSE.

    Veteran arts writer Olin Chism, reviewing for KERA’s “Art and Seek,” found it “a powerful theater piece, with music serving an attendant though striking role.”  Catch Olin’s review here.

    David Weuste of “Everyday Opera” called it “a shining start” to our new, dedicated chamber series and found reasons to praise virtually every aspect of the production.  Read his assessment here.

    At “The Dallas Morning News,” Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell says the production was “quite vividly realized by three very fine singers in a deft staging by Kevin Moriarty, artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center.”  Read Scott’s review here.

    At “D Magazine,” after asking whether the Dallas Opera had bitten off more than it could chew (or words to that effect), critic Wayne Lee Gay hasn’t yet weighed-in with a final verdict.  We’ll be the first to let you know.

    And a new take on the production from Laura Begley at “Operagasm,” a site by and for singers and other people passionate about opera.  Read it here. 

    UPDATE: Also, Alex Hoskins writing for SMU’s “Daily Campus” right here.

    (Photo by Karen Almond, Dallas Opera)

    Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media and PR

     

     

     

    Theater Jones Goes “Behind the Curtain”

    Behind the curtain, down in the pit, at the publicity shoot, in the tech director’s office, talking with the conductor, the director and the stars: “Theater Jones” was everywhere, as the Dallas Opera and the Dallas Theater Center prepared for our chilling new production of THE LIGHTHOUSE, opening for a very limited engagement this Friday night, March 16th.

     Read – and see more – here!

    Be sure to click the final link on the page to read Gregory’s in-depth piece on the organizational collaboration and all that it entails.  It’s quite interesting!

    Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR

    All About THE LIGHTHOUSE

    Excellent feature on the Dallas Public Library blog, “Booked Solid” about our upcoming production, THE LIGHTHOUSE, by Peter Maxwell Davies – a contemporary work that will inaugurate our new, dedicated chamber series in partnership with the Dallas Theater Center. Be sure to read it all the way to the end, as the final paragraph has a jaw-dropping bit of trivia – downright spooky! Read Andrew Anderson’s entire article right here.

    (Fladda Lighthouse photo from Wikipedia)

    Suzanne Calvin, Manager Director Media & PR

    The Lighthouse is Looming

    And it’s a new experience for every one of us to be working with members of the Dallas Theater Center’s production team (and vice versa!) under the direction of Maestra Nicole Paiement and stage director Kevin Moriarty.  There’s some heavy lifting to be done, certainly, but it’s clearly a labor of love for all concerned in this groundbreaking artistic partnership!

    Find out how opera differs from theater, even in the pre-production phase, in this month’s cover story in “Art + Culture” Magazine by Gregory S. Isaacs entitled “Dissecting the Opera-tion.” Access the feature here.  You’ll also enjoy the working models by award-winning Broadway set designer Beowulf Boritt, like the one pictured above.

    And get your tickets now for the very limited engagement, March 16-18.  If you want new works, don’t just talk about it – vote with your credit card!  Your support for the inaugural production of the Dallas Opera’s new chamber series will keep this conversation going strong!

    Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR