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 […]

By Luisa Rodriguez Last week, The Atlanta Opera, hosted training for local educators called MUSIC! WORDS! OPERA! Led by Opera America associates Neil Ginsberg, a composer and music educator, and Clifford Brooks, longtime Opera America employee and curriculum consultant, the training explored ways in which teachers could foster student interest in opera. The week began with an overview of opera, given by Clifford Brooks. During this overview, he offered some very helpful explanations about why opera is relevant to the […]

By Luisa Rodriguez Students from the Atlanta Opera High School Opera Institute showcased their work in a concert presented at Morningside Presbyterian Church on June 10th. Led by Music Director and Atlanta Opera Chorus Master Walter Huff, eleven students presented arias and ensemble pieces from both popular and lesser known operas. In this nine-month professional development program, students receive coaching in preparing and auditioning for a role, selecting a music school, characterization, diction, and vocal technique. One of a few […]

The Atlanta Opera’s Tim Miller appeared in some promos announcing schedule changes to the [Adult Swim] line-up on the Cartoon Network. How much fun is this?

On April 23, The Atlanta Opera hosted its 2012 Volunteer Reception. It was a great honor for us to be able to express gratitude to all who donate their time to The Atlanta Opera. It is no secret that the success of our organization depends on our devoted volunteers, who believe in Atlanta and the role The Atlanta Opera plays in our community. At the event, Dennis Hanthorn recognized three individuals who have made a tremendous impact this year, and […]