The Atlanta Opera Blog

April 23, 2012

Eduardo Chama serves up some Leporello . . . with gusto!

The role of Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni is wonderfully sly and humorous, wringing all the salacious fun out of his recitation of his master’s amorous conquests! But the role itself is much more complicated than that. The real skill lies in pulling out the innuendo and hidden inferences that define Giovanni and Leporello’s relationship. Who better to explore this character than Eduardo Chama, who is playing Leporello in the Atlanta Opera’s production of Don Giovanni, opening April 28. Eduardo […]
March 27, 2012

Come “Escape the Ordinary” with The Atlanta Opera

By Ellen Sturgill Last night at our Season Snapshot event, The Atlanta Opera proudly presented the three mainstage operas of the 2012-2013 Season. They are… drumroll please…        With fiery gypsies, tragic love stories, and a comedy for the ages, Atlanta audiences can expect to be transformed, transfixed, and transported through these well-known and loved operas. With this exciting season announcement, who better to give our readers a look at why these operas were chosen and what to expect than […]
March 12, 2012

Do you love Br’er Rabbit?

By Ellen Sturgill Then don’t miss this exciting new opera! For its 2011-2012 season, The Atlanta Opera commissioned a children’s opera called Rabbit Tales, and it will have your kids laughing out loud, while diving into the magical world of opera.   Rabbit Tales centers around the antics of Br’er Rabbit and his friends, and also draws on Native American, Cajun, and African folklore, providing children and adults with a culturally enriching experience.  This opera contains clever sets, fun characters, interactive scenes, […]
March 2, 2012

Sneak Peek of The Golden Ticket

By Ellen Sturgill Get ready, Atlantans, because tomorrow, you will finally get your chance to see the inside of Willy Wonka’s factory! The Atlanta Opera‘s second production of the season, The Golden Ticket, premieres tomorrow night, and it promises to be a performance like no other.  With dazzling visual effects, spectacular costumes, larger-than-life characters, beautiful music, and chocolate (lots of it), Roald Dahl’s classic story comes to life in this modern operatic adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If you […]
February 24, 2012

Behind the Scenes of The Golden Ticket

By Ellen Sturgill Mark your calendars! In a little over a week, The Atlanta Opera will be presenting one of the most fanciful operas it has ever produced.  The Golden Ticket opens on Saturday, March 3rd, and Atlanta audiences will be in for a treat – and we don’t just mean chocolate. True to Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the opera centers on the antics of four bratty children, one sweet child, and a zany […]
February 10, 2012

Q&A with Adam Cannedy, Oompa Loompa Aficionado

By Ellen Sturgill Everyone has heard of Roald Dahl’s classical book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But people may not know that composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock took this iconic story, and turned it into a larger-than-life opera.  The Atlanta Opera is excited to bring The Golden Ticket to our stage this March.  If you love chocolate, beautiful music, and Oompa Loompas, this opera is for you.   To give readers an inside scoop on what being a […]
February 3, 2012

Reality TV with an Operatic Twist

By Ellen Sturgill Staying up all night can do some funny things to a person, and we here at The Atlanta Opera would like to share all the hilarity that ensued at the 24-Hour Opera Project! Participants in the event had to either stay up all night, or rehearse for hours to complete their opera scenes in the 24-hour period, and we captured the creative processes of our five teams through our “Confession Cam.”  Think of it as “reality TV meets Verdi.” As the weekend […]
January 24, 2012

A Weekend of Accidental Affairs…

By Ellen Sturgill With teddy bears, bugles, rolling pins, and “Accidental Affairs” setting the scene, the second-annual 24-Hour Opera Project was a success.  Contestants from all over the United States came to Atlanta to compete in the whirlwind of operatic chaos, and create what turned out to be five dramatic, hilarious, and innovative opera scenes. It all began with the Kick-Off party on Friday night at 5:00 p.m., where the composers and lyricists selected props from an assortment of bags […]
January 17, 2012

Top 10 Reasons to Tune in to the 24-Hour Opera Project

By Ellen Sturgill The second-annual 24-Hour Opera Project is almost here, and you only have to wait three more days for all the chaos and creativity to begin! The event starts this Friday, January 20th at 5:00 p.m.,  with the Launch Party, where teams will be randomly selected, and the theme for the compositions will be revealed.  All of this craziness will lead up to the Showcase performance on Saturday, January 21st at 7:00 p.m.  The will be your chance to see the contestants’ […]
January 9, 2012

We’re Going Live!

By Ellen Sturgill The fastest-paced event of the season is just around the corner! So brace yourselves, for the second annual  24-Hour Opera Project! Beginning on January 20th at 5:00 p.m., composers, lyricists, stage directors, and singers from all over the United States are randomly put into teams, and have 24 hours to compose, stage, and rehearse a 10-minute opera! Following the caffeine-fueled rehearsals, the teams will perform their creations in front of a panel of judges including: Stephanie Adrian, Voice […]