Houston Grand Opera News

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, announces details of Opera Conference 2009: Making Opera Matter, to be held in Houston, Texas from April 29 to May 2. Co-hosted by Houston Grand Opera, this largest gathering of opera professionals in North America will convene at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the heart of Houston's business and entertainment districts.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is thrilled to welcome Tony Award-nominee Marion McClinton and Carlyle Brown, one of this country?s most prolific playwrights, to 59E59 Theaters and Americas Off Broadway. The NYC premiere of Mr. Brown?s playPure Confidence, directed by Mr. McClinton and from Minneapolis? Mixed Blood Theatre, begins previews on Friday, May 22 for a limited engagement through Friday, July 3. Opening Night is Wednesday, May 27 at 8 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7:00 PM, Wednesday ? Friday at 8:00 PM; Saturday at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; Sunday at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. There is an added matinee performance on Wednesday, July 1 at 2 PM. The regular ticket price is $45 ($31.50 for 59E59 Members). A 5-StarCard (one ticket to each show in the festival) is available for $100 ($85 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. For more information visit www.59E59.org.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) continues its 54 th season with Verdi's hauntingand tragic tale Rigoletto. Rigoletto, which was last performed at HGO in 2001, returns to the Wortham Theater Centerwith a powerful new staging of Michael Yeargan's classic production that was inspired by Italianpainter Giorgio di Chirico.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Designate Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in five free concerts this summer throughout the City of New York, from July 14 to 20. He will conduct all of the 2009 New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, sponsored by Target, which will take place July 14?17, 2009 in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as two free indoor concerts, in Staten Island and Queens, on July 18 and July 20 respectively.

El?na Garan?a sings the title role of La Cenerentola, Rossini's charming version of the Cinderella story, for the first time with the company beginning May 1. The Latvian mezzo-soprano made her highly acclaimed Met debut last season as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) continues its 54 th season with Verdi's haunting and tragic tale Rigoletto. Rigoletto, which was last performed at HGO in 2001, returns to the Wortham Theater Centerwith a powerful new staging of Michael Yeargan's classic production that was inspired by Italianpainter Giorgio di Chirico.

Opening tonight - Thursday, April 16th at 7:300 pm is Dances Patrelle, 20th Repertory Season, through April 19, 2009 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues) NYC. The diverse and exciting program celebrates 20 years of creativity that includes 2 dramatic ballets by Francis Patrelle: a World Premiere as well as a past dance classic staged by Cynthia Gregory.

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University. New York City Opera's annual VOX series demonstrates the company's commitment to the development of American opera, giving a free-of-charge platform to new or previously unperformed American operas. This year's showcase will include Renowned Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz's new opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon.

Dances Patrele 20th Anniversary Celebration begins at Barnes & Nobel Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway (at 65th Street) on Monday, April 13th at 7:00 pm. The Free event is a celebration, talk and CD/book signing in honor of the company's 20th Anniversary and the premiere of MURDER AT THE MASQUE.

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will launch its 31st season this fall with the New York premiere of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY. Conceived, written, and performed by Ms. Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY will begin preview performances on Tuesday, September 15 and will officially open in early October.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of ALT, has announced that the company has commissioned The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In his announcement, Edelson explained that all of Dahl's beloved characters find a unique voice in this exciting new opera. 'If thoughts of Augustus Gloop being swept away in the Chocolate River, Violet Beauregarde inflating like a giant blueberry, Mike Teavee being demagnified into the tele-dimension, and Veruca Salt being thrown down the rubbish shoot by a gang of nut-inspecting squirrels sound like your idea of a fun night at the opera - or better yet, unlike any night at the opera or theater you've ever experienced - The Golden Ticket is....just the ticket!'

In advance of the highly anticipated New York premiere of the Joe Goode Performance Group / Basil Twist work Wonderboy at The Joyce Theater (April 23-26), there will be a special Dance Talks with Mr. Twist on Monday, April 6 from 6:00 - 8:00pm at Joyce SoHo (155 Mercer Street, between Houston and Prince). This event, a conversation between artist and audience, illustrated with dance videos and movement demonstrations, is free and open to the public, however reservations are required and can be made by calling (646) 792-8377.

Dances Patrele 20th Anniversary Celebration begins at Barnes & Nobel Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway (at 65th Street) on Monday, April 13th at 7:00 pm. The Free event is a celebration, talk and CD/book signing in honor of the company's 20th Anniversary and the premiere of MURDER AT THE MASQUE.

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10 th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University. New York City Opera's annual VOX series demonstrates the company's commitment to the development of American opera, giving a free-of-charge platform to new or previously unperformed American operas. The final excerpt presented on Saturday, May 2, will mark the 100 th opera presented by VOX.

General Director Brian Dickie announces Chicago Opera Theater's 2010 Spring Festival Season: Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, featuring Frederica von Stade; the 2008 People's Opera winner: Rossini's Mosè in Egitto; and the Chicago professional premiere of Francesco Cavalli's Giasone.

Legendary designers WILLIAM IVEY LONG and BOB CROWLEY are among the four recipients of 2009 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards to be presented at a ceremony this Friday, March 27 at 6:30pm, at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Five-time Tony Award winning costume designer William Ivey Long will receive the 2009 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for theatrical costume design, and, for his achievements as both a costume and scenic designer, Bob Crowley (also a five-time Tony Award winner) will receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards' special Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatrical Design.

FireSale! The DiverseWorks Gala online auction! Want to know what's sizzling at the DiverseWorks Gala Silent Auction this year? Just go online and check out some of this year's selection. In fact, you can start bidding now to get a head start on those items that you desire. However, don't wait too long because the online auction closes tomorrow.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, has announced that Kyrian Friedenberg, the ten-year old singer, violinist and actor most recently seen in Gypsy with Patty LuPone on Broadway, has been cast as Charlie Bucket in ALT's upcoming workshop and reading of The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Speaking of the young performer, Edelson said that 'Kyrian has a wonderful voice, is incredibly musical, and has charisma that is truly contagious. After hearing him sing Charlie's first act Aria from The Golden Ticket, I had no doubt that he was the right boy to bring Roald Dahl's classic character to life in our upcoming workshop.'

Alan Gilbert, who will become Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2009, returns to New York to lead two weeks of programs with the Orchestra. The first series of concerts ? Thursday, April 30, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, and 8:00 p.m., and Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. will comprise Dvorák?s The Golden Spinning Wheel; Saint-Saëns?s Violin Concerto No. 3, with Joshua Bell as soloist; and Martin's Symphony No. 4.