Requiem Excitement and More!

Helo Opera fans,

It's been a busy few days at Opera on the Avalon's festival. Last night we did our first production of Mozart's Requiem to a packed house at St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral. Our performers along with the Newfoundland Synphony Orchestra wowed the audience with their performance of one of histories most enigmatic pieces. Don't dispair if you missed last night's performance: there's another one tonight at 8pm. Tickets are $25 for adults and $18 for students and seniors. It's the hottest ticket in town!

 

The evening's soloists: (L-R) Michael Anderson, Ardra Shepinetz, Michelle Siemens, Nicholas Smith

 

Performers Allison Nicholas and Matthew Feener have some fun before the show

 

Performer Christopher Dunham readies for the show

 

The front line of performers

In addition to Mozart's Requiem, the cast of Gianni Schicci got a treat at rehearsal when special guest Andy Jones came for his first rehearsal as Buoso Donati. Mr. Jones is a living legend in the Newfoundland theatre scene and he was blown away by the power of the voices around him. The cast was also joined by another veteren of the Opera on the Avalon festival: a dog named Johnny Cash. He rather stole the spotlight in rehearsal, taking perch upon poor Buoso.

 

  

Johnny Cash: Opera on the Avalon's designated scene stealer

The festival is well underway and all the performers are elated to be part of the experience. You don't want to miss a single performance. Head down to the Requiem tonight and get your tickets for Suor Anglica and Gianni Schicci as soon as possible! The operas will run from June 20-24th at Holy Heart Theatre.

That's all from Opera on the Avalon today. Check back for more info as the festival moves on.

Regards,

David Maher

Opera on the Avalon Team

Week Two begins!

Good Monday to you all!


Week two of the Opera on the Avalon Festival begins today after a weekend of recitals. Both recitals featured stunning renditions of many different aria's from some of the great operas in history. It was a great chance for the performers to strut their stuff before a packed hall filled with the local opera going community.

Enjoy a look at two talented performers delivering stunning renditions of their favorite arias.

Nicholas Smith gives us "Vecchia zimarra senti" from La Boheme:

Rose-Ellen Nichols sings a seductive rendition of "Pres des Ramparts de Seville" from Carmen:

 

 There'll be lots more content posted throughout the week as we gear up for the June 6 &7 performances of Mozart's Requiem. Be sure to check back here daily for more updates from the festival. As always, we're on facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

Enjoy your day!

David Maher

Opera on the Avalon Team

It's Recital Time!

Hello Opera fans,


We're on day four of the festival and things just keep getting more exciting! Tomorrow and Saturday, our performers will be performing a recital featuring some beautiful arias at the D.F. Cook Recital Hall at 8pm. It'll be a first look at the performers and a chance to whet your appetite for the full productions we'll be putting off in the coming weeks. The performers will be displaying the skills they've been learning from the talented vocal coaches here at the festival, including Paul Transue, Stephen Philcox, Maria Yung, and Ming Kwong.


In addition, Mozart's Requiem will be performed is a little over a week, on June 8th and 9th. If you tune into CBC Radio One's Weekend AM with Chris O.Neill-Yates, you could win tickets to the event! If you head down to the aria recital, it may help your chances at those tickets, wink wink. That said, enjoy some behind the scenes photos of the Requiem rehearsals!

Apprentice Conductor Alice Hietala showing music in motion

 Paul Transue, Alice Hietala, and Judith Yan

 Vocalists prepare for the next run.

 The Tenors await.

Everyone is becoming more and more excited as the performances approach. Be sure to stay tuned for more videos, photos, and upcoming interviews with various guests of the festival.

As always, like us on facebook, follow us on Twitter, and share both those pages to help us spread the word! Here's to much more opera excitement from the Opera on the Avalon festival.

David Maher

Opera on the Avalon

OOTA Day 2: Busy Days!

Hello Opera fans,

Things are well under way here at the Opera on the Avalon festival. Not a moment goes by without someone hitting a beautiful high note from one of the many practice rooms. The rehearsals for Opera on the Avalon's production of Mozart's Requiem are well underway. In the video below, we see apprenticeship conductor Alice Hietla taking the performers through the second rehearsal. With how lovely it sounds, you'd swear it was opening night!




Be sure to find us on facebook, follow us on twitter, and subscribe to our youtube for daily behind the scenes updates from Newfoundland's largest music festival!



David Maher
Opera on the Avalon Team

Today is the Big Day!

Hello Opera fans,

That's right, today is finally here. Opera on the Avalon's Fourth Annual Festival has officially begun! The hallways of the M.O. Morgan Building at MUN are alive with pianos, voices, and people all practicing for the upcoming performances. It's a big day, but we at Opera on the Avalon are up for the challenge. Pictures and videos will be posted here throughout the festival to keep everyone updated about what's happening. You'll see interviews with performers, conductors, and directors as the show dates get closer. There'll be lots of fun videos as well, as this festival is as much about learning as it is about fun!

So be sure to bookmark this page and keep on coming back. You can never be sure what you're going to see or hear here at Opera on the Avalon, but this is your first source for all the opera action.

Stay tuned and keep singing!




David Maher
Opera on the Avalon

Hello Opera fans!


Only one week until the Opera on the Avalon Festival begins and we couldn't be more excited (or busy!). With over 100 performers and faculty coming to entertain the province with a month's worth of opera performance, you can see why we'd be both on the edge of a stress overdose and on the edge of our seats with excitement.

So in order to help deal with the pressure of getting this all together smoothely, here are a few survival tips we've put together to keep us mentally fit during our most stressful times.


OPERA ON THE AVALON'S GUIDE TO STRESS REDUCTION

1. Singing. Surprising, right? Who'd have thought opera fans would recommend singing in order to get to a happy place? But it works! Whether it's in the shower, in your car on the way to work, or embarrassingly loud in the office while your coworkers give you blank stares (I swear there's no story behind this one. No really. That has not happened in our offices. okaymaybeonceortwice), it's just a good way to let of some steam in a creative way. Mind you, it's not without its own stresses. As you can seein the video below, singing under pressure can make for some even more stressful moments:

2. Listen to classical music. Another shocking addition to this list, I know. But classical music is renown for its peaceful tones and calming ability. If you're feeling a little overworked, why not listen to a Bach Concerto, a Mozart symphony, or one of the most famous works of all, Handel's Messiah? Just make sure you're listening to a reliable organist:

3. Watch a sporting event. Okay, so maybe the best escape from opera related stress is to get away from any kind of music altogether and enjoy a good old fashioned sporting event. The NHL and NBA playoffs are on right now, why not enjoy something like that? Sports aren't everyone's cup of tea for sure, but it'll certainly take you away from opera stress, if only for a moment. Whatever you choose to watch, perhaps think twice before enjoying some Japanese horse racing:

Now that we're relieved of all stress (and perhaps questioning our sanity just a little bit), it's time to finish preparations for this year's festival. For details on performances, singer's biographies, and how to get involved and donate, be sure to visit our website, like our facebook page, and follow us on twitter. We'll have lots of behind the scenes footage and perhaps something to give you a good chuckle during your busy day. We can't wait to see you all at the festival!




David Maher
Opera on the Avalon Team

Another Opera on the Avalon Festival is just around the corner!

Hello Opera fans!

The Fourth Annual Opera on the Avalon Summer Festival begins in nine days and we can't be more excited. Things are always hectic around the office, but with the festival opening in sight all the nervous energy is turning into excitement. We're thankful to be working with a great cast of singers, directors, stage managers, and instumentalists. Doing good work for great people makes the long hours all worth while. That said, you know what would make it even more worth while? Seeing your face in the audience! Be sure to check out www.operaontheavalon.com for more information on the performers and the shows, including full biographies of the participants and background for the shows.

In the meantime, we'll be posting updates, sharing some videos, and chatting with you fine folks on this blog. Here is where we'll perhaps unwind a little bit so you can see what really goes on behind the scenes at Opera on the Avalon's festival.


Tell your friend's and we'll see you at the shows!



Regards,
David Maher
Opera on the Avalon