Open Opera Blog

OPEN OPERA’S PROGRAM
Live Oak Park, Berkeley
June 27, 2010

Jo Vincent Parks: Prologue Aria, I Pagliacci, by Leoncavallo

Eileen Meredith: “Chi’l bel sogno di Doretta”/La Rodine by Puccini

Katya Roemer: “Io son l’umile ancella”/Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea

Angela Moser and Ellen St. Thomas: ”Sull’aria”/The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart  

Theresa Cardinale: “Mon Couer”, Samson and Delilah, Saint Saëns

Gustavo Garcia Hernandez: “Recondita armonia”, Tosca, Puccini

Katya Roemer/Theresa Cardinale: “Barcarolle”/Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach

Megan Cullen: “Song to the Moon” Rusalka, Dvorák

David Chavez/Eileen Meredith: “O soave fanciulla”/La Bohème by Puccini

Elizabeth Baker: “Una voce poco fa”/Il Barbiere by Rossini

David Chavez: “Nessun Dorma”, Tosca, Puccini

INTERMISSION

Angela Moser: “Dich teure halle”/Tannhäuser by Wagner  

Theresa Cardinal and Katya Roemer: “Non ti scordar mai di me” Written by Ernesto De- Curtis; Domenica Furno

Richard Fey: “Non piu’ andrai”, Figaro, by Mozart

Angela Arnold: “My Man’s Gone Now”, Porgy and Bess by Gershwin

Katya/Theresa/Richard: “Soave sia il vento”/Così fan tutte by Mozart  

Angela Moser and Heather McFadden: “Vien Mallika”…, Lakme, Delibes

Heather McFadden: “Voi lo sapete”, Cavallaria Rusticana, Mascagni

Angela Moser: “O zittre nicht”/The Magic Flute by Mozart

Megan Cullen: “Vissi d’arte”, Tosca, Puccini
Open Opera brings free, professional opera to Bay Area parks and use public space to build community through the arts.

We are a non-profit company that relies solely on donations and contributions. If you would like to join Open Opera’s supporters, please visit us today at the volunteer table and we will happily and gratefully accept your donation.
You may also visit us at www.openopera.net and click on the donation tab.
Thank you!

Open Opera showed up last night at the City of Berkeley council meeting and surprised everyone with a song. Jo Vincent Parks, Open Opera’s Leporello in Open Opera’s upcoming performances of Don Giovanni at John Hinkel Park, sang “To Dream the Impossible Dream” as a dedication to Berkeley City Council Members Susan Wengrf and Lauri Capitelli for their support of Open Opera. He was greeted with wild applause and happy faces–a welcome break from the generally serious mood.

Lisa Houston singing with Jim Meredith Playing at Crab Cove, Alameda, CA

A HIT: Open Opera Wows 750 at Crab Cove Concerts Kickoff
Open Opera started off Alameda’s Concerts at Crab Cove May 14 with two hours of wonderful vocalizing next to San Francisco Bay at Crown Beach. About 750 music fans enthusiastically supported our singers on a sunny Friday evening. Thanks to the West Alameda Business Association for hosting a great event!

NEXT UP: Return to Open Opera’s Origins at Live Oak Park June 27
Open Opera’s next free outdoor concert will be at 3 PM on Sunday afternoon, June 27, at Live Oak Park at 1301 Shattuck Avenue (at Berryman Street) in northeast Berkeley. Open Opera’s very first free outdoor opera concert was at Live Oak Park on October 25, 2008. You can take AC Transit’s line 18 bus, carpool, walk, or bicycle to the park. (Auto parking is limited nearby.)

ON DECK: Orinda Community Center Park July 25
At 4 PM on Sunday, July 25, we return to Orinda for a family-friendly and free concert at Orinda Community Center Park, sponsored by the Orinda Rotary Club. The handicapped-accessible park is across from Rite Aid at 28 Orinda Way in Orinda.
Bring friends, family, a blanket, and a picnic to this free event. (Food and drinks will be available for purchase.)

TWICE THE MOZART: Four Performances of Don Giovanni August 7-8 & 14-15
Open Opera will mount four fully staged performances of W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni at John Hinkel Park’s historic WPA-era amphitheater at 41 Somerset Place in Berkeley. Saturday and Sunday performances begin at 3 PM over two weekends this year. Save the dates and come early—1500 opera lovers crowded into the 700-seat amphitheater for last year’s two performances of Marriage of Figaro. (Please carpool and come early: parking nearby is very limited and local streets are quite narrow.)

We’ll see you in the parks this summer!

Open Opera brings free, professional opera to Bay Area parks
and uses public space to build community through the arts.

Please contact us to find out more about Open Opera:
On the Web: http://www.openopera.net/contact.html
Email us: info@openopera.net
Call us: 510-547-2471

Upcoming Events for 2010
Save the dates and tell your friends!
June 27 at 3 pm - Opera Concert in the Park - Live Oak Park in Berkeley
July 25 at 4 pm - Opera Concert in the Park - Orinda Community Park
August 7-8 - Mozart’s Don Giovanni - John Hinkel Park in Berkeley
August 14-15 - Mozart’s Don Giovanni - John Hinkel Park in Berkeley
†
Donate $25 today!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

OPEN OPERA RETURNS TO BERKELEY’S LIVE OAK PARK
WITH FREE OPERA CONCERT JUNE 27

BERKELEY, CA, June 11, 2010 –

Open Opera returns to Berkeley’s Live Oak Park at 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 27, with a free opera concert featuring Bay Area singers performing opera favorites in the outdoors.

On October 25, 2008, Open Opera offered its very first free outdoor opera concert at Live Oak Park, which is at 1301 Shattuck Avenue (at Berryman Street) in northeast Berkeley.

Open Opera’s professional singers come from all over northern California. Stay tuned for a listing of the singers.

Open Opera will offer four free performances of W. A. Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” at Berkeley’s John Hinkel Park on August 7, 8, 14, and 15. About 3000 people enjoyed two free performances of Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” there last July. Open Opera will also offer
more free outdoor concerts this summer.

Artistic Director Olivia Stapp, who lives in Berkeley, co-founded Open Opera “to bring free, professional opera to Bay Area parks and use public space to build community through the arts…We wanted to return opera to its informal origins. At beautiful venues like Live Oak Park a music lover can listen, play with the kids, or picnic during a concert.” After a long and successful international opera career as a soprano, Stapp is offering Master classes for talented northern California professional singers as well as places to sing in the great outdoors. Executive Director Ellen St. Thomas, who co-founded the nonprofit group, says Open Opera “makes opera accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience, without cost or formality. We couldn’t wait to come back to Live Oak Park again.”

“We’re bringing opera to the public for free in a time of economic uncertainty, and using public outdoor spaces to build community through the arts,” adds mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Baker, Open Opera’s third co-founder and its Creative Director. Baker performed the role of Cherubino in last summer’s Marriage of Figaro. “It is great to see the kids playing and sitting in the trees while enjoying opera music.”

AC Transit’s line 18 bus serves Live Oak Park from Albany and downtown Berkeley Carpooling, walking, or bicycling are recommended: parking is limited in the area.

Open Opera is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the City of Berkeley and by private donations. For more information on Open Opera, future performances, master classes, or to volunteer or support opera in public spaces, visit www.openopera.net or contact Executive Director Ellen St. Thomas (ellen@openopera.net; 510-547-2471).

OPEN OPERA’S PROGRAM
CRAB COVE, ALAMEDA, CA
MAY 14, 2010

Aimee Puentes: “Gavotte”/Manon by Massenet

Katya Roemer: “Io son l’umile ancella”/Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea

Igor Vieira: ”Catalog Aria”/Don Giovanni by Mozart  

Eileen Meredith/Lisa Houston: “Barcarolle”/Tales of Hoffman by Offenbach

Ryan Bradford: “Pappageno’s Aria” The Magic Flute by Mozart  

Pedro Rodelas: “La donna è mobile”/Rigoletto by Verdi

Igor Vieira/Aimee Puentes: “La ci darem la mano”/Don Giovanni by Mozart

Leland Morine: “O vin, dissipe la tristesse”/Hamlet by Thomas

Aimee Puentes: “Juliette’s Waltz”/Romeo et Juliette by Gounod

Marta Johansen/Lisa Houston/Leland Morine: “Soave sia il vento”/Così fan tutte by Mozart  

INTERMISSION

Angela Moser: “Dich teure halle”/Tannhäuser by Wagner  

Lisa Houston: “Non più mesta”/Cenerentola by Rossini

Katya Roemer/Lisa Houston: “Tutti fior”/Madama Butterfly by Puccini  

Marta Johansen: ”Caro Nome”/Rigoletto by Verdi

Elizabeth Baker: “Una voce poco fa”/Il Barbiere by Rossini  

Pedro Rodelas/Eileen Meredith: “O soave fanciulla”/La Bohème by Puccini

Leland Morine: “Di provenza”/La Traviata by Verdi

Eileen Meredith: “Quando m’en vo”/ La Bohème by Puccini

Lisa Houston: “Habanera”/Carmen by Bizet

Angela Moser: “O zittre nicht”/The Magic Flute by Mozart

Open Opera brings free, professional opera to Bay Area parks and use public space to build community through the arts.

We are a non-profit company that relies solely on donations and contributions. If you would like to join Open Opera’s
supporters, please visit us today at the volunteer table and we will happily and gratefully accept your donation.
You may also visit us at www.openopera.net and click on the donation tab.
Thank you!

Word on Webster

The first in a series of free open air Concerts at the Cove last Friday was a smash hit with more than 1,500 people coming to Crab Cove to hear Open Opera present favorites by Puccini, Mozart and others. The concerts are held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the second Friday of May, June, July and August. The next concert on June 11 features “Foreverland,” a 14-piece Michael Jackson tribute band.

West Alameda Events

WABA’S CRAB COVE CONCERT OPENER MAY 14 FEATURES

OPEN OPERA, LOCAL ALAMEDA SINGERS

Alameda, CA, May 5, 2010 –

Open Opera will present world-famous opera favorites at the 2010 season’s first free Concert at Crab Cove on Friday, May 14 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM in West Alameda.

The first Concert at Crab Cove marks Open Opera’s second Alameda performance. Singers from throughout northern California will sing opera favorites by Puccini, Mozart, Verdi, and others. On June 20, 2009, Open Opera offered its Alameda premiere at Franklin Park, where 300 people including mothers with infants, retired couples on bikes, picnicking families, and kids sitting in trees listened to famous opera arias. Last July about 3000 people enjoyed two free performances of Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” Berkeley’s sunny John Hinkel Park.

Open Opera will offer more outdoor concerts this summer, plus four performances of W. A. Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” at John Hinkel Park on August 7, 8, 13, and 14.

Artistic Director Olivia Stapp co-founded Open Opera “to bring free, professional opera to Bay Area parks and use public space to build community through the arts…We wanted to return opera to its informal origins. At a beautiful venue like Crab Cove a music lover can listen, play with the kids, or picnic during a concert.” After a long and successful international opera career as a soprano, Stapp is offering Master classes for talented northern California professional singers as well as places to sing in the great outdoors. Executive Director Ellen St. Thomas, a co-founder of the nonprofit group, says Open Opera “makes opera accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience, without cost or formality…We couldn’t wait to come back to Alameda after the wonderful welcome we received at Franklin Park last summer.”

“We’re bringing opera to the public for free in a time of economic uncertainty, and using public outdoor spaces to build community through the arts,” adds mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Baker, Open Opera’s third co-founder and its Creative Director. Baker performed the role of Cherubino in last summer’s Figaro. “It was great to see the kids sitting in the trees and enjoying the music at Franklin Park.”

The Crab Cove Visitor Center is at 1252 McKay Avenue, just off Central Avenue and Webster Street. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase, and BikeAlameda will provide free Valet Bike Parking at these free concerts produced by the West Alameda Business Association (WABA). Carpooling, walking, or bicycling are recommended: car parking is limited in the neighborhood.

Open Opera is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and by private donations. For more information on Open Opera, future performances, master classes, or to volunteer or support opera in public spaces, visit www.openopera.net or contact Executive Director Ellen St. Thomas (ellen@openopera.net; 510-547-2471).

Open Opera Master Class Series 2010
presents Jeannine Altmeyer
Berkeley Piano Club
April 10, 2010 7PM
Pianists: Chun Mei Wilson and James Meredith
Host: Olivia Stapp
Angela Moser “Dich, teure Halle” Tannhäuser, Wagner
Elender Wall “Du bist der Lenz” Die Walküre, Wagner
Megan Cullen “Es gibt ein Reich” Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss
Elizabeth Baker
Paula Goodman Wilder Immolation Scene “So-werf’ ich den Brand, in Walhalls prangende Burg” Götterdämmerung, Wagner
Eileen Meredith “Donde lieta” La Bohème by Puccini
Lisa Houston “Sein wir wieder gut” Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss
Lisa van der Ploeg “Wo in Bergen du dich birgst” Die Walküre, Wagner
Christine Springer “Der Männer Sippe sass hier im Saal” Die Walküre, Wagner
Heather McFadden “Weiche Wotan” Das Reingold, Wagner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

OPEN OPERA PRESENTS: WAGNERIAN SOPRANO JEANNINE ALTMEYER
APRIL 10 at THE BERKELEY PIANO CLUB

Berkeley, California (April 1, 2010)—Open Opera opens its 2010 season with an insightful master class on April 10 with dramatic soprano Jeannine Altmeyer.

Audience members will witness a great artist unveil secrets of opera performance while select singers will have the opportunity to work with one of the leading Wagnerian sopranos of our time. In this latest offering from Open Opera’s Master class series, Jeannine Altmeyer will offer technical and interpretive insight to emerging artists. Whether you sing at church, in a community chorus, or simply wish to learn how opera singers do it, there is much to gain from joining Open Opera at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the Berkeley Piano Club in Berkeley.

Soprano Jeannine Altmeyer first captured the attention of the opera world when, at 21, she won first prize in several major competitions, including the national Metropolitan Opera Auditions. She has been praised for her portrayal of Brunnhilde in Wagner’s Ring operas, Leonore in Fidelio, and Isolde in Tristan and Isolde. She has performed these and other roles extensively in the world’s major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Paris, La Scala, Rome, Teatro Colon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Ms. Altmeyer has served as Guest Artist and Master class Teacher at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival since 2005.

The Berkeley Piano Club is accessible to all persons with disabilities.

WHAT: Master class with Wagnerian soprano Jeannine Altmeyer
WHEN: Saturday, April 10, 2010, at 7:00 PM
WHERE: The Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
COST: $15 suggested donation
MAP: Google Map link:†http://tinyurl.com/BerkeleyPianoClubMap
TRANSIT: AC Transit local line 51B, also 49, 52, 851
CONTACT: Open Opera (510-547-2471; info@openopera.net, www.openopera.net)