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Norah Long

Birth Place: Hollywood, California

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Norah Long has established an illustrious career on her flexibility of style, winning critical acclaim worldwide for her work across genres of theater, opera, concert stage, recording studio, and sacred music.

In Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice at Minneapolis' Pantages Theater, Opera Today Magazine described Norah’s voice as “a full-bodied voice of special color and grit,” and Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote, “By turns ethereal, cackling, sinister, girly and richly operatic, her singing infuses Gordon’s lyrics with a dazzling interpretation.”

Norah’s flexibility and willingness to try new things has won her the opportunity to perform many world premieres, including: Stephen Paulus’ Pulitzer Prize nominated To Be Certain of the Dawn with Minnesota Orchestra; David Heath’s “street” concerto Alone at the Frontier with Minnesota Orchestra and violinist Nigel Kennedy; and a wild and contemporary adaptation of The Impresario and The Bourgeois Gentleman with John De Lancie, Andreas Delfs, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Other world premieres include Mark Warhol’s random-note song cycle Crazy Rabbit Songs (recorded for innova label’s CD “Ou est Fleuri Rose et autres aventures”); Albert Biales’ full-length opera The Dragon as the heroine Elsa; and Kim D. Sherman’s opera trilogy Three Visitations, as the wild-haired and electric Ophelia Levine (“Lamentations”) and the tormented Norma Desmond-like Amana del Ray (“Long Island Dreamer”).

Norah also premiered the role of Judy Garland, ages 4-36, in William Randal Beard’s critically acclaimed musical Beyond the Rainbow; the roles of LaVerne Andrews and Maxene Andrews respectively in Beth Gilleland’s box office hit musicals Sisters of Swing and Christmas of Swing; and Eliza Wilder in Little House on the Prairie: the Musical, directed by Francesca Zambello.

Among her numerous collaborators while developing pieces for workshops, readings, recordings, and smaller premieres, Norah has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Jeffrey Hatcher, Chan Poling, Kira Obolensky, Robert Elhai, Carol Barnett, Rachel Sheinkin, Dale Warland, Rachel Portman, and Marsha Norman.

Norah’s dynamic career began with The Dale Warland Singers, with whom she received early critical praise as a soloist, being singled out by the press as “stunning.” Reviews for her dramatic and vocal work since then have followed suit, making her presence a covetable asset for directors around the country.

Backstage East Magazine (NYC) has called Norah’s musical theater performances “extraordinary,” American Record Guide “eminently believable” and “breathtaking,” and St. Paul Pioneer Press “Magnificent. Luminous. Sublime.” Also an accomplished dramatic actor, Long has won accolades nationally for her theater roles, with press calling her work “exquisite,” “compelling,” “psychologically complex,” “superb,” “powerful,” “genuine,” and “intelligent.” She has been honored with Artist of the Year awards and in best-of lists many times throughout her career, and has been profiled in numerous feature articles for newspaper and magazine.

Norah’s success has taken her to Germany and Japan on solo concert tours where she received glowing reviews, as she has for performances throughout the United States. Here in the US, Norah delighted audiences as Lorie Line’s vocal soloist on her 2008 national holiday tour.

Norah’s Minneapolis-St. Paul regional credits include regular appearances at the Guthrie Theater, where she most recently portrayed Kristine in Dollhouse directed by Wendy C. Goldberg; other Guthrie credits include Eliza Wilder in the premiere of Little House on the Prairie (in which she also understudied Melissa Gilbert as Ma) and Abigail Adams in 1776. She also appears frequently as a soloist for Minnesota Orchestra, as well as regularly playing leading roles at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Skylark Opera, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres where credits include Agnes in I Do! I Do!, Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Guenevere in Camelot, Maria in The Sound of Music, and her nationally-acclaimed performance as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Among her other widely-acclaimed Twin Cities credits are Marie in Lombardi (History Theatre), Cinderella in Into the Woods, Laura in Goblin Market, and Cathy in The Last Five Years (Nautilus Music-Theater), Jo March in Little Women (Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company), Fanny in On the Verge (Jungle Theater), Julie in Miss Julie and Imogen in Cymbeline (Ten Thousand Things Theater), and Roxane in Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune’s stunning production of “Cyrano.”

Around the country, Norah has been lauded for outstanding performances as Catherine in “The Heiress” for Denver’s Arvada Center for the Arts and as Judy Garland for Riverside Theatre (Vero Beach) and Florida Stage. In 2012, Norah expanded her career to the New York area for the first time, understudying both Donna English as Elsa Schraeder and Suzanne Ishee as Mother Abbess at Paper Mill Playhouse in The Sound of Music.

In January 2010, Norah released a solo CD entitled View from Violet Hill, a collection of newly arranged hymns, gospel songs, and original music, including the premiere recording of a song by Jamie Bernstein Thomas, written in honor of her father Leonard Bernstein. She is also featured with baritone Peter Halverson on Skylark Opera’s CD Sweethearts of Song: The Songs of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, and on Lorie Line’s 2008 CD Christmas Around the World.

When not busy performing onstage, Norah has been ongoingly engaged as a Teaching Artist for Upstream Arts, a Twin Cities-based education program for people with disabilities, and resident soloist for St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN. She is currently dividing her time between Minneapolis and New York.

Fans can find more information, as well as pictures, video, and audio recordings, at her Facebook Page (facebook.com/norahlong.news) and on Reverb Nation (reverbnation.com/norahlong).

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Norah Long to Headline Regional Premiere Of Jake Heggie's THREE DECEMBERS at Skylark Opera Theatre


Skylark Opera Theatre takes to the stage in a production of Jake Heggie's and Gene Scheer's chamber opera Three Decembers.

Skylark Opera Theatre To Present Regional Premiere Of Jake Heggie's THREE DECEMBERS


Skylark Opera Theatre returns to stage this Spring with the regional premiere of Jake Heggie's Three Decembers. The character-driven chamber opera, a collaboration between acclaimed American composer Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer, based on a script by Terrence McNally, will be directed by Gary Briggle and presented at the Jungle Theater.

RETURN OF NATURE, A Walking Play, Comes To The Old Manse This September


a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Trustees is pleased to present the return of TigerLion Arts' critically acclaimed outdoor walking play Nature at the Old Manse in Concord this September. Reprising the sell-out production in 2017 which welcomed nearly 2,000 over its two-week run, Nature will be presented over a three-week period beginning on Friday, September 13, 2019.  

The Southern Season Will See a Mix of New and Old in 2019-2020


The Southern Theater kicked off 2019 at Indeed Brewing last week, announcing plans for the upcoming season. "We will be opening the Southern Theater doors a little wider starting in 2019," says Acting Executive Director Janette Davis. The Southern which will begin with a pre-season from January-August 2019, then move to a full season in the fall of 2019 through summer 2020, will expand to include more options for artists and companies who want to perform under the historic arch.  

BWW Review: Prime Productions presents TWO DEGREES at Guthrie's Dowling Studio


Tira Palmquist's TWO DEGREES could not be more timely. Written in 2014, it centers on a woman paleoclimatologist, Emma, as she is called to Washington to testify before a hostile Senate committee about climate change-a committee that, she is told, is "easily bored by facts." She's been invited by her old college friend, Louise, now a powerful senator.

BWW Interview: PRIME Productions' Shelli Place and TWO DEGREES


Shelli Place and her colleagues at PRIME Productions saw a role to fill in the varied theater landscape in the Twin Cities, and are doing just that in their second season with an area premiere of TWO DEGREES at the Guthrie's Level Nine.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Will Get Raised Up with SISTER ACT


Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) is pleased to announce the return of one of its most highly-acclaimed productions, SISTER ACT The Divine Musical Comedy, for a limited fall-winter run on its Main Stage. SISTER ACT will open to a week of preview performances on November 3, 2017. The official opening night is Friday, November 10th. (cast list below)

BWW Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS' Chan Poling


Not often are we treated to a brand new musical theatre piece created by three local legends and acted by a dream cast of eight popular local performers. A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS is a rare treat on all counts. We get to hear directly from the creator and composer, Chan Poling, in this 6 Questions & a Plug.

World Premiere of A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS Begins Tonight at Illusion Theater


In the newest work by the creators of the smash hit Glensheen, Chan Poling's rocking rhythms, Jeffrey Hatcher's wicked wit and Bill Corbett's zany imagination come together to create a headlong ride filled with silliness, surprises and good feeling fun. A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS, a fresh musical comedy and tale of transformation, opens tonight, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Illusion Theater, located on the eighth floor of The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis.

World Premiere of A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS to Play Illusion Theater This Spring


In the newest work by the creators of the smash hit Glensheen, Chan Poling's rocking rhythms, Jeffrey Hatcher's wicked wit and Bill Corbett's zany imagination come together to create a headlong ride filled with silliness, surprises and good feeling fun. A NIGHT IN OLYMPUS, a fresh musical comedy and tale of transformation, opens Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Illusion Theater, located on the eighth floor of The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis.

BWW Reviews: Penumbra Theatre's BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK - A Timely (and Very Funny) Look at Black Actors in Hollywood


In BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, now playing at Penumbra Theatre as part of their 'Womansong' season, the title character is a black actress in 1930s Hollywood who gets her big break playing a loyal slave in an antebellum Southern melodrama. She imbues the stereotypical role with as much humanity and depth as possible, and so begins a long and successful career, until she mysteriously disappears from the spotlight. Vera is a controversial figure because on the one hand her characters perpetuate the stereotypes seen in movies, but on the other hand she makes her characters as real as possible and has built a successful career for herself and opened doors for black actors in Hollywood. The play examines these issues in a funny, entertaining, innovative way, jumping across time and using video of Vera's first movie.

BWW Reviews: TigerLion Arts' Outdoor Walking Play NATURE at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Embodies the Spirit of Nature Through the Lives of Emerson and Thoreau


I went for a walk today. The sky through the trees caught my eye. The sound of music floated in and out between the calling of the birds, and the smell of the late summer prairie was all around me. I followed Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau through their lives, studies, and friendship. I thought about nature not as something to be visited occasionally, but as something we live in the midst of daily, whether we're aware of it or not. Sometimes her voice is obscured by the busyness of modern life, but she's always there if we take the time and listen hard enough. TigerLion Arts' outdoor walking play, NATURE, is more than just theater, it's an experience. The story of the life of writers, philosophers, scholars, and friends Emerson and Thoreau includes one very important character, nature, as experienced through the beautiful grounds of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Illusion Theater to Kick Off 2014 'Fresh Ink' Series 6/29 with WALKING ACROSS POLAND


This summer's Fresh Ink series gets a headstart June 29-30 with a special preview of a new musical theater production by Illusion's Producing Director Michael Robins and Composer Roberta Carlson. Then in July, the annual showcase brings together a performance celebrating Walt Whitman by Patrick Scully, the third play in a trilogy by James Still and a reading of some still-wet-on-the-page scripts by local playwrights.

2013 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Awards Winners Announced - THIS SIDE OF PARADISE Big Winner!


Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 50 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2013 Minneapolis winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!

BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Awards LAST CHANCE - Kendall Anne Thompson Leads!


Voting is now underway for Minneapolis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Holiday Madness Awards Update 12/20 - Dean Holt Leads!


Voting is now underway for Minneapolis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Minneapolis Winter Storm Watch Awards Update 12/13 - Ron Peluso Winning Best Director!


Voting is now underway for Minneapolis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Awards Update 12/6 - Norah Long Winning Best Actress!


Voting is now underway for Minneapolis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Post-Turkey BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Awards Update 11/29 - Bloomington Civic Theater Winning Best Community Theatre!


Voting is now underway for Minneapolis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

The Guthrie's BEHOLD Gala Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Community, Performances


On Saturday night, BEHOLD: A Gala Performance, honoring 50 years of the Guthrie, took place on the theater's Wurtele Thrust Stage before a packed house. The performance featured a glittering array of contributors including actors and artists linked to all aspects of the Guthrie's past and its vision for the future. BEHOLD, the centerpiece of a weekend that captivated the Twin Cities and marked the long and vital relationship between the Guthrie and the community that it calls home, marked the half-century milestone for the flagship of the American regional theater movement that first opened its doors in 1963.

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