Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

It’s a hot, sunny Monday in June, and I’m sitting in air-conditioned comfort at The Barns, watching the Journey to Reims cast prepare for tomorrow night’s Opera Learner’s Permit performance. Bliss. If you know any teens or tweens who might enjoy a custom-designed evening of comic opera, call (text?) them right now to tell them

Exciting news reached us this afternoon: WTOC alumna Jamie Barton (2009) has just won the 2013 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition! She also took home the Song Prize and appeared to win the hearts of everyone (including the BBC Orchestra, who surprised her with a rendition of the theme from Doctor Who during her

Last night’s invited dress rehearsal was the 188th birthday of this crazy and beautiful opera (premiered on June 19, 1825 in Paris.) The occasion was marked by comedy, intrigue, beautiful sets and costumes, hundreds of thousands of 16th notes, and birthday cake.  Today is the day before opening night – a blessed and much-needed company

Ensemble casts are an amazing thing. They don’t occur naturally or frequently in this opera jet age, rife with double- and triple-cast productions and box office stars flying in at the last minute. This cast of 17 soloists and 11 supporting singers in Rossini’s Journey to Reims is a rare and wonderful phenomenon. All the

This post was born at the intersection of two things at which I do not excel. First, I am terrible at keeping up with trade magazines. They pile up on my desk and mock me, and every few months I give in and take them home and dig through them. Second, I too infrequently boast

It’s a little random, I admit, seeing photos from Boheme with music from Traviata. But lawn tickets to Traviata are on sale this Memorial Day weekend for only $10, and if you’ve never seen an Operascape production at the Filene Center, spending 30 seconds with the clip below might whet your appetite. If you read this blog, you are probably more likely

La traviata, much on our minds as we prepare for July 19, is enjoying a birthday! 160 years ago today –  on March 6, 1853 – Verdi gave voice to Violetta, and we are all the richer for it. It’s a “snow day” here in Virginia. The actual snow was a bit of a bust,

As we scramble madly to put the pieces together for our 2013 season announcement this weekend, I am grateful to my colleague and partner in crime Lee Anne Myslewski for today’s post! People often ask what we do during the “off-season,” that mythical time between the last day of the season and the first day

A Blog Exclusive! We will spend the next month fleshing out the details of the WTOC repertoire and casting for next summer, and our season announcement is scheduled for February 2, 2013.  But those of you in the DC area (and any of you far-flung readers who are hardy opera voyagers!) may be interested in

Is the sting of rejection threatening to spoil your holiday spirit? Surf on over to Backstage.com for 26 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get the Part. A brief selection from the list: 1. You’re too tall. 2. You’re too short. 11. You’re too serious. 12. You’re too funny. 17. You remind the producer of his sister,