Atlanta Opera Company Announces Upcoming Fall Events

The Atlanta Opera Extras are community outreach initiatives that entertain and educate audiences about opera. A  listing of some of our upcoming fall events is below. For more information and a complete listing on The Atlanta Opera Extras, visit www.atlantaopera.org or call 404-881-8801.

The Atlanta Opera @ the Decatur Book Festival
Sunday, September 4, 2011 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Decatur High School Auditorium
310 N. McDonough St.
Decatur, GA 30030
Free and open to the public

The Atlanta Opera has commissioned a one-hour children's opera called Rabbit Tales, based on the famed Br'er Rabbit stories, popularized by Joel Chandler Harris. The AJC Decatur Book Festival will host a special presentation called "From the Briar Patch to the Big Stage: Adapting Br'er Rabbit for Opera," in which composer, Nicole Chamberlain; librettist, Madeleine St. Romain; director, Park Cofield; and Executive Director of The Wren's Nest, Lain Shakespeare will discuss its development and creation. There also will be singers giving a sneak peak of some of the arias!

The Atlanta Opera @ Cocktails in the Garden
Thursday, September 15, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Cost: $18.95 | Garden Members free | Full cash bar

Join The Atlanta Opera at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for Cocktails in the Garden, an evening of mixing, mingling, and music. Sample complimentary light bites from a top restaurant, groove to sounds from Lethal Rhythms and watch for performances of your favorite opera arias. In addition to full cash bars, monthly themes pair a specialty cocktail with a plant or garden feature. The month of September features "Skylines & Spirits."

The Atlanta Opera @ the Sandy Springs Farmers Market

Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sandy Springs Farmers Market
235 Sandy Springs Circle NW
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
Free and open to the public

Join Atlanta Opera Chorus Members as they perform some of your favorite arias from the 2011-2012 season outside at the Sandy Springs Farmers Market. Come enjoy the beautiful day, peruse an assortment of local and seasonal products, and hear beautiful music.

The Atlanta Opera @ Scarecrows in the Garden
Saturday, October 1 to October 31, 2011
Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Free with admission

"Scarecrows in the Garden," Atlanta's favorite fall tradition, returns for another season of spooky, kooky fun. Every October, the Garden is stuffed with more than 100 scarecrows handcrafted by businesses, individuals, schools and organizations. If you post your picture with the Atlanta Opera's scarecrow to our Facebook page, you will be entered to win two free tickets to The Golden Ticket!

The Atlanta Opera @ Little Five Points Halloween Festival Parade
Saturday, October 22, 2011 @ 12 p.m.
Little Five Points
Intersection of Moreland, McLendon and Euclid Avenues
Atlanta, GA
Free and open to the public

Come watch Atlanta Opera staff and chorus members at the Little Five Points Halloween Festival & Parade, as we transform into "bloody Lucias" and re-enact the mad scene in Donizetti's classic opera, Lucia di Lammermoor. This signature Halloween festival is one of the top ten Halloween events in the country, and is staged in Little Five Points. Each October, over 35,000 people enjoy great food and drink, live entertainment, and the best Halloween parade in the South!

Opera Chat
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 @ 7 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Buckhead
2900 Peachtree Rd. NE
Suite 310
Atlanta, GA 30305
Free and open to the public

Select members of the cast, artistic and production crews will discuss the multi-faceted roles they
play in mounting the Atlanta Opera's upcoming production of Lucia di Lammermoor.

Evening at Emory
The Atlanta Opera: The Life of Donizetti: Joy, Tragedy and Madness
Tuesdays, October 25 - November 15 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Emory University Center for Lifelong Learning
Emory Briarcliff Campus
1256 Briarcliff Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30306
Tuition: $200 (includes performance tickets)

Carter Joseph's popular Evening at Emory class will explore the tragic life of composer Gaetano Donizetti, and examine whether the mad scene in Lucia di Lammermoor was a case of art imitating life. On November 15, the class will attend the Atlanta Opera's production of this masterpiece.

For more information and a complete listing on The Atlanta Opera Extras, visit www.atlantaopera.org or call 404-881-8801.

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