Photo Credit: Michael Rollands By Noel Morris Islam, kidnapping, sex, and slavery — these are risky conversation topics for holiday gatherings. But not in 1782. Mozart’s The Abduction From the Seraglio places the action outside a Turkish harem. It isn’t a probing exploration of religion or human rights, however, it’s farce. Based on Belmont und Constanze by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner, the Turkish palace is but a backdrop to the drama of two women, their lovers, and the powerful Muslim men […]

Stephen Key, 2016 In week two, Tom dives deeper into his role as the Pasha, and experiences rehearsals a little differently than what he’s used to. Illustrations provided by his son, Stephen Key. OK, one week in to rehearsal for The Abduction from the Seraglio, and the attitude of “Just-do-it!”, “Go-for-it”, “Grow-or-go!” is absolutely necessary. It’s like preparation for a sporting event. We have now been guided through Mozart’s entire opera by our Director, Chris Alexander, and we cover seduction, betrayal, capture, escape, […]

As an actor, Theatrical Outfit Artistic Director Tom Key has appeared in over 100 productions from off-Broadway to Los Angeles. He also co-authored the hit off-Broadway musical, Cotton Patch Gospel, with the late Harry Chapin. Suffice to say, it seems like he’s done and seen it all…except opera! Every week, Tom will share his inner monologue as he experiences the process of rehearsing and performing in an opera for the first time, as Pasha Selim in The Abduction from the […]

Before heading to Atlanta to perform in The Abduction from the Seraglio, soprano Sarah Coburn took some time out of her busy singing schedule to chat with us about her life as a singer and learning the difficult role of Konstanze. THE ATLANTA OPERA: Did you grow up in a musical family? SARAH COBURN: Yes, my mother’s side of the family is very musical. My grandmother was a jazz singer and my aunt is a fabulous pianist. My sisters have […]

Khamary Grant is probably more put together than most adults. The young actor and singer is working hard at the Atlanta Opera’s High School Opera Institute, a one week intensive for rising 10th-12th graders at Emory University. Find out how he became interested in opera, and what he’s got planned for an exciting summer. What grade are you in and where do you got to school? I’m a rising senior, and I go to Veritas Classical School. It’s part home […]

By Tomer Zvulun  One of the most fascinating aspects of opera is the variations of musical styles within the art form itself. From Baroque to modern music, the art form runs the gamut of flavors, each of them uniquely defined by a different language, period, composers style, orchestra size, color, etc. As an Artistic Director, choosing the operas for a season is a little bit like selecting the perfect ice cream combination.  How do you choose the perfect mix? Do […]

Atlanta Opera Costume Coordinator Joanna Schmink spends most of her time in the costume shop sourcing, curating, altering, and piecing together costumes from other designers and productions.  For Romeo and Juliet, she designed and created everything from scratch for this spectacular grand opera with an equally grand cast. We talked to her about the joys and challenges of the job. The Atlanta Opera: Who or what influenced you to get into costume design? Joanna Schmink: Growing up, my parents involved […]

All photos by Jeff Roffman We’re forever fascinated by pirates. It’s a child’s fantasy to battle pirates – think Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook – but it’s also an adult metaphor elastic enough for a range of social commentary. By our romanticized view, pirates live off their wits, live a hedonist life. They have escaped the conventions of a society which, as every free-spirit knows, stifles creativity. As escapist fiction, literature (Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” from 1719) and opera (Bellini’s “Il […]

      Bass Kevin Burdette is currently appearing as Stobrod/Blindman in Cold Mountain at Opera Philadelphia, but he’ll be with us soon to start rehearsing his role as The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, opening March 5th. We sat down with the “Robin Williams of opera” to pick his brain about preparing for the role, Gilbert and Sullivan’s influence, and his thoughts on Queen Victoria.                                  […]