Opera SLO -
2014 Columns
Note: While many Opera Slo columns contain announcements of specific events that
occurred in the past, those same columns also include video clips and discussions
of outstanding operatic performances -
October, 2014 The Marriage of Figaro and Aida
This season's Met Live in HD series will begin locally on Saturday, March 18, 9:55am,
with Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. All performances will be held at the Performing
Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus. Tickets are $27 each, which includes parking,
and may be purchased online at PAC SLO, or by calling 805-
September, 2014 Aida and Grand Opera
Ask most opera fans for an example of grand opera, and I believe Aida will top the list of responses you get. With its crowds of soldiers, priests, captives of war and skilled dancers, most of them attired in exotic costumes, its triumphal march with herald trumpets, its tale of doomed love marked by dramatic confrontations and an achingly beautiful tomb scene, this work virtually defines the term "grand opera" as we commonly use it.
August, 2014 Broadway by the Sea Returns in August
Summertime on the Central Coast means the return of Opera San Luis Obispo's annual American classic outdoor concert, Broadway by the Sea. Save the date, Saturday, August 16. The gate will open at 1pm, the concert begins at 2pm. This year's theme is "Great Broadway Ensembles," and the performance will feature a vocal quartet and pianist.
July, 2014 Phyllis Frank Loves Opera
Phyllis Frank loves opera. . . passionately. Yet, this accomplished musician who plays the cello and has sung in various choral groups, including a fifteen year stint in the Vocal Arts Ensemble, came to opera relatively late in her musical life. Until about six years ago, there was "something about opera I didn't get."
June, 2014 MET Announces 2014 -
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its "Met Live in HD series" for the 2014-
May, 2014 Show Boat on Mothers' Day Weekend
A moving story based on Edna Ferber's best-
April, 2014 Show Boat Comes to Town
Based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel of the same title, the musical follows the lives of a theatrical family on the "Cotton Blossom," a Mississippi River show boat, and their struggles with gambling, racial tensions, infidelity and poverty. Show Boat contributed songs such as "Ol' Man River," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine," and "Only Make Believe" to the canon of American popular song.
March, 2014 Looking Ahead to Show Boat by Kathryn Bumpass
This beloved musical will be conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff, Artistic and General Director of Opera San Luis Obispo. Erik Austin of Kelrik Productions will direct the production and Drew Silvaggio of the Civic Ballet will choreograph the musical. The choirs of Morro Bay High School, led by ColleenWall, will join as well. Guest artists will perform the major roles.
February, 2014 That's Amore – “My Heart Belongs to Broadway”
Mesmerizing ocean views at the Dolphin Bay resort in Pismo Beach provide the perfect
backdrop for Opera San Luis Obispo’s annual Valentine-
January, 2014 Verdi's Last Opera
Falstaff is Verdi's only comic opera, except for the early Un giorno di regno, of 1840. It is based primarily on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor with additional material from Henry IV, I and II.
Verdi probably never would have composed Falstaff were it not for the urging and collaboration of librettist Arrigo Boito. Boito's previous experience with Verdi included a revision of the libretto for Simon Boccanegro in 1857, and more importantly, the libretto for another Shakespearean drama, Verdi's masterful Otello.