George Manahan News

Portland Opera has announced a reimagined 2020/21 season, featuring a series of virtual recitals from the company's artistic home in Southeast Portland, an outdoor opera experience, and productions broadcast via the company's new digital channel, Portland Opera Onscreen.

On Friday, November 13, 2020, composer Scott Lee releases Through the Mangrove Tunnels on Panoramic Recordings, an imprint of New Focus Recordings.

Through the Mangrove Tunnels, performed by the JACK Quartet with pianist Steven Beck and drummer Russell Lacy, is a 45-minute work inspired by Lee's experiences growing up exploring the swamps and bayous of Florida.

Next month, Portland Opera will present An Evening with Portland Opera: A Free & Virtual Concert from Rose City. The online benefit concert will take place on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 7:30PM, and will be available for free on Portland Opera's Vimeo and YouTube channels.

American Composers Orchestra has announced a slate of virtual and in-person programming for the 2020-2021 season in response to these challenging times for the performing arts.

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) announced two commission awards for emerging composers Paul Novak and Dai Wei. They were chosen from six participants in ACO's 29th Underwood New Music Readings, one of the most coveted opportunities for emerging composers in the United States.

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) will not perform its April 2, 2020 concert at Carnegie Hall, which has extended its public closure through Sunday, May 10, 2020 in an effort to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). The concert, led by ACO Music Director George Manahan, was to have featured the world premieres of two new works commissioned by ACO a?" Mark Adamo's Last Year: Concerto for Solo Violoncello with Harp, Piano, String Orchestra with cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and Nina C. Young's Out of whose womb came the ice with baritone David Tinervia and video by Luke DuBois. The premieres of both pieces will be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity, as part of a future ACO concert.

Amidst concerns of the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and at the request of the City College of New York, American Composers Orchestra has decided to limit this year's 29th Annual Underwood New Music Readings on March 12 and 13, 2020 to orchestra musicians, composers, and staff.

Portland Opera has announced programming for the 2020/21 season, which will open on September 11, 2020. The season will launch in the fall with Robert Xavier Rodríguez's Frida, starring soprano Catalina Cuervo in the title role. This will be followed by the company's fall classic opera, Puccini's enduring drama Tosca, in October and November. The season will continue with a double bill of two pieces honoring the lives of Jewish victims of the Holocaust-Grigori Frid's The Diary of Anne Frank and Jake Heggie's For a Look or a Touch-in early 2021. On March 13, the company will present its annual Big Night concert at the Keller Auditorium. The season will close with Giuseppe Verdi's tour de force opera, Il Trovatore, starring Italian soprano Selene Zanetti in her U.S. debut.

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) continues its 2019-2020 concert season with The Natural Order on Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 7:30pm at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. The concert features the world premieres of two new works commissioned by ACO that explore the complicated relationship between humankind and the natural world a?" Mark Adamo's Last Year: Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra and Nina C. Young's Out of whose womb came the ice. John Luther Adams' Become River, previously announced, will be replaced on the program with Silvestre Revueltas' Colorines.

Portland Opera will mark the start of the 2019/20 season with Giacomo Puccini's powerful drama Madama Butterfly. This production will feature the U.S. debut of acclaimed soprano Hiromi Omura as the title character, a role she has sung with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, the Latvian National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and The New National Theatre Tokyo.

Portland Opera will mark the start of the 2019/20 season with Giacomo Puccini's powerful drama Madama Butterfly. This production will feature the U.S. debut of acclaimed soprano Hiromi Omura as the title character, a role she has sung with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, the Latvian National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and The New National Theatre Tokyo. This piece tells the story of a young wife and mother named Cio-Cio-San, in Nagasaki, Japan, who waits for the return of her beloved B.F. Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the United States Navy. Written in 1903, and last seen on the Portland Opera stage in 2012, Puccini's stunning and emotional work continues to be one of the most popular operas performed in the United States. Portland Opera will present four performances of Madama Butterfly on October 25, 27, 31, and November 2 at the Keller Auditorium in downtown Portland.

San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program wraps up its Summer Festival with the Merola Grand Finale, a concert at the War Memorial Opera House featuring the 29 young international artists selected from over 800 applicants in the 2019 Merola Opera Program, who will showcase a dazzling array of opera's most exciting arias and ensembles. Conducted by Maestro George Manahan, Music Director of the American Composers Orchestra and Portland Opera, and directed by 2019 Merola Apprentice Stage Director Greg Eldridge, this evening showcases the hard work and extraordinary talent of the Merola artists. The Merola Grand Finale will be performed at 7:30pm, Saturday, August 17 at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. For tickets or more information, visit www.merola.org or call (415) 864-3330.

Portland Opera is thrilled to present a new production of Mozart's heartbreaking and comedic work La Finta Giardiniera this July. In this opera from 1775, the heroine Violante goes into hiding as "the disguised gardener" at the Mayor's (Podesta's) country estate after escaping her abusive lover, Count Belfiore. As she chooses forgiveness, a dizzying cast of characters come together in a tale about the very complex nature of the human heart. Portland Opera will present six performances of La Finta Giardiniera on July 12, 14m, 18, 20, 24, and 27 at the Newmark Theatre. 

Portland Opera is thrilled to bring its production of Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville to the stage this June. Considered one of the greatest comic operas of all time, Rossini's opera tells the story of the Count Almaviva, who has fallen for the charming Rosina, and enlists the help of the town barber Figaro to assist in winning her affection. Together they try to outwit her guardian Dr. Bartolo, who also vies for her hand. Portland Opera will present four performances of The Barber of Seville on June 7, 9m, 13, 15 at the Keller Auditorium.

Portland Opera is thrilled to bring its production of Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville to the stage this June. Considered one of the greatest comic operas of all time, Rossini's opera tells the story of the Count Almaviva, who has fallen for the charming Rosina, and enlists the help of the town barber Figaro to assist in winning her affection. Together they try to outwit her guardian Dr. Bartolo, who also vies for her hand. Portland Opera will present four performances of The Barber of Seville on June 7, 9m, 13, 15 at the Keller Auditorium.

Portland Opera is pleased to announce programming for the company's 56th season, which will open on October 25, 2019. The season will launch with one of the most powerful operas of all time, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, starring internationally acclaimed soprano Hiromi Omura in the title role. In February, the company will present An American Quartet: Four One-Act Operas in an intimate evening in the Hampton Opera Center's black box theatre. These one-acts feature Gian Carlo Menotti's The Telephone, Samuel Barber's A Hand of Bridge, Douglas Moore's Gallantry, and Lee Hoiby's Bon Appetit! The season will continue with a rare presentation of Vivaldi's opera Bajazet in March, which will be a special collaboration with the Portland Baroque Orchestra. In the spring, Portland Opera will present its annual Big Night concert and Leoncavallo's verismo masterpiece, Pagliacci. The 2019/20 season will close with the Portland Opera premiere of Jake Heggie's familial drama, Three Decembers.  

Portland Opera is thrilled to bring its production of Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville to the stage this June. Considered one of the greatest comic operas of all time, Rossini's opera tells the story of the Count Almaviva, who has fallen for the charming Rosina, and enlists the help of the town barber Figaro to assist in winning her affection. Together they try to outwit her guardian Dr. Bartolo, who also vies for her hand.

Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Opera Theater's new production of Tobias Picker's Emmeline opens next week for a four-performance run at MSM's newly renovated Neidorff-Karpati Hall.

Portland Opera is thrilled to present the company's annual Big Night concert on May 11, 2019 at the Keller Auditorium. Music Director George Manahan will lead the Portland Opera chorus, orchestra, resident artists, and guest soloists in an evening of some of the most beautiful music ever composed, with works by Verdi, Bizet, Mozart, and more. General Director Christopher Mattaliano will host the evening's program, which will feature a special reveal of the company's 2019/20 season.