My name is Rae Weimer and I am the associate director of development at The Atlanta Opera.  In my role I work alongside a group of fundraising professionals who share the common goal of establishing meaningful relationships with friends who support The Atlanta Opera. Thanks to the support of our loyal patrons and donors – in other words – you, the 2012-2013 Atlanta Opera season was a great success!   You experienced the magic of live opera, the spine-tingling music, […]

Opera!  True Atlanta Story The Atlanta Opera takes you behind the scenes as only we can. Brandon Odom tells you what it’s like to be a member of The Atlanta Opera Chorus…   Brandon Odom, member of Atlanta Opera Chorus can next be seen in The Italian Girl in Algiers – April 27 & 30, May 3 & 5 Tell us a little bit about yourself…. where are you from, how did you get into singing opera?  I came to […]

Sandra Piques Eddy rehearses at The Atlanta Opera Center for the upcoming production of The Italian Girl in Algiers. Sandra Piques Eddy was last seen on the Atlanta Opera stage in 2008’s The Marriage of Figaro.  She returns to Atlanta to sing the role of Isabella in the Opera’s upcoming premiere production of The Italian Girl in Algiers.  We sat down with Sandra to learn more about her, her love of Pinterest, and who she has dance parties with while listening […]

In case you missed the SHOWCASE or LIVE WEBCAST of the Atlanta Opera’s third annual 24-Hour Opera Project, here is a quick and dirty recap! This year’s theme was: “CONVINCING CONFESSION“ Throughout the process, participants made CONFESSIONS OF THEIR OWN. Here are some highlights… CHECK OUT MORE ON YOUTUBE! WABE’s John Lemley did a FANTASTIC job hosting this wild and crazy event. And the judges judged with great judgement! A special thank you to: Ned Canty, General Director, Opera Memphis
 […]

The 7-10 minute creations from the 24-Hour Opera Project (24HOP) will be performed in front of a live “studio audience,” but there are some of you who can’t be in Atlanta, and there are some of you who just want to be able to put your feet up, make some popcorn, crack open a beer, and quietly enjoy some opera with your dog at your side! For those of you who can’t make it to the showcase, you will still […]

We’ve all known them… Those friends who can’t go out with you because they have rehearsal, or they have to practice, or they are locked away in a room with a midi for three days straight, or they have to attend a master class with an obscure counter tenor from Bulgaria. These pursuits of passion have always been a little bit of a mystery to you, but you have loved and supported your friends anyway. Why? Because they love opera, […]

By Natalie Creamer On Saturday, November 10, The Atlanta Opera opened its 2012-2013 season with Carmen, Georges Bizet’s timeless tale of a love triangle gone horribly awry. In case you have not seen it, or to refresh your memories, here is a photo essay that recounts Carmen’s final days. Oh, the drama… Micaëla (Melissa Shippen) enters Act I searching for her fiancée Don José. Resting outside the guardhouse with his men, Corporal Moralés (Scott Hogsed) charms the young girl with […]

By Natalie Creamer As technology use continues to grow, performing arts organizations are adopting new strategies to appeal to audiences who communicate through smartphones and tablets. Recently, The Atlanta Opera expanded its digital presence in two very innovative ways. The Theatre Plus Network By partnering with Dave Stevens, creator of the Theatre Plus Network (TPN), an Atlanta-based start-up that specializes in live publishing through “augmented reality,” a smartphone application has been created that makes images in printed materials “come to […]

By Park Cofield What do you remember most from your childhood storybooks – the words or the illustrations? I remember the pictures. When Atlanta Opera Director of Community Engagement, Emmalee Iden, approached me about directing this year’s Opera Studio Tour, I suggested the folk story, Stone Soup. At first, I did not recall much of the plot, but had a strong memory of one particular image – an orange and brown illustration from Marcia Brown’s Caldecott®-winning book , published in […]

By Natalie Creamer Over Labor Day Weekend, the 2012 AJC Decatur Book Festival drew in big crowds interested in purchasing books, eating good food, listening to readings, and attending conversations led by authors from around the country. The Atlanta Opera had an opportunity to participate in one of these conversations. Vynnie Meli, an award winning playwright, and a librettist in our 24-Hour Opera Project for the past two seasons, joined a panel discussion investigating “The Poetics of Song Lyrics.” Led […]

By Natalie Creamer Recently, The Atlanta Opera was awarded a generous grant by the Zeist Foundation in support of the Student Shorts program. The grant covers direct expenses for the special student performance of Carmen. Approximately 1,200 Atlanta Public School students will attend the Student Short production of Carmen at no cost. To encourage Atlanta Public School students to expand their minds and engage in the performing arts, the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs sponsors an annual Cultural Experience Project. […]

By Natalie Creamer On Monday, July 30th the collaborators of Liquid Culture, a series of public events spearheaded by Lauri Stallings and gloATL, met at the Sandler Hudson Gallery to initiate a community dialogue exploring the role of public art, and their recent production at Sol LeWitt’s 54 Columns. The Atlanta Opera was invited to participate in this series of what Lauri Stallings called “installations,” or “utopia stations.” This was an experimental collaboration to introduce new audiences to the world […]