“Peak happiness lies mostly in collective activity.” Adam Grant, a professor at The Wharton School writes in a recent New York Times Opinion piece about Collective Effervescence (caps mine). I hadn’t seen that phrase before, but it perfectly encapsulates the feeling I’ve had after the last several live performances that we’ve had this summer.
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WTO had a big week last week, with the classical emphasis for the 50th Anniversary concert, Fifty Years Together: A Celebration of Wolf Trap and two performances of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert. The weather at the beginning of the week was oppressive: hot and humid, and hovering relentlessly
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The weather in the DMV is starting to trend towards familiar summer weather: warm and humid, with a strong chance of thunderstorms. Likewise, the calendar is starting to also trend towards the familiar , with a robust slate of performances at our Filene Center home later this week. We’ve got a slate of Filene Artists
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I’m writing this from the back of the Barns, listening to Joseph Li run the Sweeney Todd chorus through their lines, first on words, then on neutral syllables…shortly I’ll get the full effect, and I can’t wait! There are still tickets available for July 2 and 3, if you’re in the DMV. I have to
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Friends, We are in the thick of it! Singers arrived at the very end of May, and we are currently rehearsing several projects. I’ll be honest – I feel quite guilty in not writing more and sooner! But I’ll give you a short update today, with a sincere promise to be more regular and overt
Read More Corriam tutti! My first summer at Wolf Trap (fifteen years ago now!) I remember hearing our Instant Opera! cast rehearsing at Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods. As I crossed the bridge and made my way through the woods, I heard Mozart’s famous chorus; “Corriam tutti! Corriam tutti a festeggiar!” Everyone run to celebrate! Today feels like the embodiment of that vivacious musical moment, as we announce the return of live music
Read MoreWe are thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of the Wolf Trap Opera team! Ronald Lee Newman joined us just last week as the Director, Artistic Operations. This position will play a critical role in future season planning and implementation, and we are confident Ron is more than up for the task with
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If you are an opera lover, or opera-curious, I hope you are able to spend some time digging around the interwebs today, as there’s a true plethora of material for you to consume: historic performances (here’s one of my favorites), old chestnuts, new works, new takes on the aforementioned chestnuts. There are interviews with artists,
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Friends, I have tried to write this post no fewer than a dozen times. I don’t get very far, because there is so much to say, so many layers surrounding this crazy summer. Our season has concluded, and our company has scattered; but they left us in good health, and that is truly the best
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On Friday and Saturday, we captured audio and video from several scenes in Puccini’s La bohème and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin for Love: Surrender, a series of videos that will be posted on our website on August 9. And from today’s vantage point here in the Barns balcony, I’m witnessing scenes from the Orpheus myth, set
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