Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Atlanta Opera Presents Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Cobb Energy Centre

The final opera in the Atlanta Opera’s 2010-2011season is Così fan tutte, Mozart’s brilliant comedic masterpiece about two officers who boast of their girlfriends’ faithfulness, only to have a clever friend put it to the test. Disguises, charades, mischief, and heartbreak result, but in the end, all are much wiser in the ways of love. Metropolitan Opera conductor Kazem Abdullah makes his Atlanta Opera debut and will lead The Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Chorus and cast. Così fan tutte will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage. Performances are April 9, 12, 15 and 17, 2011 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Soprano Keri Alkema will perform the role of Fiordiligi, and University of Georgia graduate mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway will sing Dorabella. Soprano Kiera Duffy, who recently appeared on the Atlanta Opera stage in Akhnaten, sings Despina, and tenor Matthew Plenk sings the role of Ferrando. Both Duffy and Plenk are featured in the Metropolitan Opera’s behind-the-scenes documentary, “The Audition.” Baritone Phillip Addis, who last appeared on the Atlanta Opera stage in the 30th anniversary season opener The Elixir of Love, sings Guglielmo, and the scheming Don Alfonso will be sung by bass Jason Hardy. Jose Maria Condemi will direct.

The Atlanta Opera also will offer Atlanta Opera Extras, community outreach initiatives that entertain and educate audiences about music and themes in Così fan tutte. A complete listing of upcoming events is below.

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Così fan tutte
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
Sets from The Atlanta Opera
Previous Atlanta Opera Performances: 1987, 2000
Approximate Running Time: 3 hours
Four Performances at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 8 pm
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Friday, April 15, 2011 at 8 pm
Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 3 pm

Creative Team
Conductor Kazem Abdullah*
Stage Director Jose Maria Condemi*
Set Designer Peter Dean Beck
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker

Cast
Fiordiligi Keri Alkema*
Dorabella Jennifer Holloway*
Despina Kiera Duffy
Ferrando Matthew Plenk*
Guglielmo Phillip Addis
Don Alfonso Jason Hard

Description

Two soldiers test the faithfulness of their fiancés on a dare. Pretending they are called away to duty, the men leave -- only to return as foreigners in disguise to woo the assumed two-timing women. Mischief and heartbreak result, but a happy ending is certain! This brilliant Mozart opera is a masterpiece of comedy and a favorite the world over.

*Denotes Atlanta Opera debut.

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TICKET INFORMATION

Single Tickets
$25 -$140 plus tax, convenience and venue fees
Online -- Visit www.atlantaopera.org
By Phone -- Call 404-881-8885 or 1-800-35-OPERA (Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
In-person – Visit the Bank of North Georgia Box Office at the Cobb Energy Centre (Mon-Fri, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; and one hour prior to a performance on day of show).

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ATLANTA OPERA EXTRAS

Mozart, Così fan tutte, and the End of the Enlightenment
Tuesdays, March 22 – April 12 @ 7 p.m.
Emory University Center for Lifelong Learning
Tuition: $200 (includes performance ticket)
Carter Joseph’s popular Evening at Emory class will explore the musical and social influences in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. On April 12, the class will attend The Atlanta Opera's production of this comedic masterpiece.

Atlanta Opera Master Class with Kiera Duffy
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 @ 11 a.m.
Georgia State University
Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center
Room 430
Free and open to the public
www.music.gsu.edu
Featuring soprano Kiera Duffy, who will be performing the role of Despina in the Atlanta Opera's production of Mozart's Così fan tutte.

Opera Chat
Monday, March 28, 2011 @ 7 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Buckhead
2900 Peachtree Road NE
Suite 310
Atlanta, GA
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 Così fan tutte.

Opera 101
Monday, April 4, 2011 @ 7 p.m.
The Atlanta Opera Center
1575 Northside Drive, Bldg. 300, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30318
Free and open to the public

A multimedia presentation by opera aficionado and Atlanta Opera Board Member Carter Joseph/ Audiences learn about the history, background, and story line of Così fan tutte through a combination of lecture, audio and video samples. Reservations are requested; email education@atlantaopera.org or call 404-343-7016.

Pre-Opera Talk
Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 15 2011 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 2 p.m.
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Free to ticketholders
Pre-Opera Talks are held one hour prior to each performance inside the John A. Williams Theatre at the Cobb Energy Centre and provide opera attendees a free sneak peek into the opera they are about to see.

Atlanta Opera Costume Exhibit
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Friday, April 15 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Free to ticketholders
During the run of Così fan tutte audiences can experience a retrospective from the vaults of the Atlanta Opera’s celebrated Costume Shop. Audiences will be able to see these incredible pieces of craftsmanship up close and personal, as well as see highlights from costumes featured in our upcoming 2011-20112 season.

La Belle Soirée: A Fun and Flirty Affair
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 @ 6:30 p.m.
At the Home of George and Dale Levert
$75/person (includes valet parking)
This “Fun and Flirty” fundraiser, featuring surprise serenades and delightful bubbly, will benefit The Atlanta Opera.

Brisk Ticket Sales for Wadsworth & Friends Concert Make It A Sell-Out

Concert Ticket Chair Jan Bowyer reports that the strong enthusiasm Saturday evening's Wadsworth & Friends Concert have made it a sell-out and ticket sales have been discontinued. Bowyer commented, "There may be some "no-shows" that will allow us to make a few more tickets available at the box office right before the concert, but tickets are no longer available at any of the outlets." Newnan and Coweta County residents who've not attended the concert will experience its unusual quality and past attendees will again enjoy the outstanding cultural event.

Hometown artist and world famous pianist and classical music host Charles Wadsworth will escort five talented musicians to the Wadsworth Auditorium stage - all of whom will provide an exceptional evening of entertainment for the audience. The lights will dim at 7:30 p.m. in the Wadsworth Auditorium on Saturday evening, and the concert that has become a Newnan, cultural tradition will begin. Octogenarian Charles Wadsworth will host the evening with his special style of informality that has taken the name of Newnan and his hometown stories to concert stages around the world as he has accompanied many of classical music's most famous and talented musicians.

Newnan native Sarah Taylor will step onto the Wadsworth Auditorium stage to make her professional debut and will delight the audience with two soprano arias: one each from Puccini's Turandot and his La Boheme. Flutist Angel Jones-Reus who last performed in Newnan in 2009 will return to lend her substantial talents to the concert and also to join with Sarah Taylor on Friday before the concert and instruct county school students in the two Master Classes sponsored by Newnan Rotary and Shannon Norris at Cargill and scheduled to be held at the Centre for Performing & Visual Arts.

Inon Barnatan having recently returned from Europe after a series of flourishing concerts will be flying here to entertain the Newnan audience with his special talents at the piano. He has also quickly made his mark in debuts at many of this nation's prominent concert halls. Bella Hristrova is a 26-year-old Bulgarian violinist who will take to the stage and perform with several of the others and also as a soloist. She performs on a highly valued circa 1655 Nicolò Amati violin.

Cellist André Díaz, who performed previously in Newnan in 2005 ad 2006, returns to a community with which he is most familiar. A resident of Dallas, Texas, Díaz spent considerable time in this area as a youth, He has a father and a Newnan-born stepmother who now reside in Columbus and they, with his two sons, will be attending the concert.

Virginia "Ginny" Lyles, Chair of the Newnan Cultural Arts Commission, said, We've received wonderful support from the sponsors and patrons who make this concert possible. They're the ones who deserve the credit for making the Wadsworth & Friends Concert the truly exceptional cultural event that it has become. It is such a celebration of the best of our community."

Monday, March 07, 2011

Wadsworth & Friends Concert Again Presents “Master Classes” to Coweta’s Students

Reprising a continuing program that began in 2008, Newnan’s Cultural Arts Commission (NCAC) recently sent letters to principals and music instructors at the county’s public and private high schools and middle schools. The letters invited vocal students and students studying the flute to participate in Master Classes at The Centre for Performing & Visual Arts provided by NCAC as a part of the Wadsworth & Friends Concert to be held on the following evening. The free-of-charge classes are supported by Newnan Rotary and by Cargill.

An accepted definition of a Master Class is: “one that involves teaching of an expert of that discipline — usually music, but also painting, drama, dance, or any of the arts. In a Master Class, a teacher’s general comments are replaced by the far more personal, intimate, informed, and individualized instructions and comments of a practiced professional in that talent or skill.”

Flute students will meet with Angela Jones-Reus - a flutist who now serves as Professor of Flute at the University of Georgia and has traveled the world in her multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber artist, orchestral artist, and teacher. They will gain a special insight and knowledge of playing the flute. Vocal students will have the opportunity of hearing local artist Sarah Taylor share her special knowledge of singing and her experiences while growing up in Newnan and singing to local audiences. She’ll discuss her continued education, how it has expanded her vocal talents and provide personalized instructions.

Don Nixon, Director of The Centre for Performing & Visual Arts says, “As a student is developing, it’s so important that they be exposed to excellence - to be able to see and hear and know the very best. They need to be exposed to the best there is so they’ll be enabled to recognize and know what’s being put before them during their youth and in their later life.” Nixon expanded and said, “The Centre fully endorses, appreciates, and supports this Master Class project because we know and understand its importance. We’ll continue to work towards it being inspirational to our students and provide our assistance.”

Newnan Rotary President Clayton Hicks said, “Rotary International supports important projects and charitable causes all over the world, but Newnan Rotary takes a special pride in the additional programs we support locally, not the least of which are projects that help our students.

Cargill, like Newnan Rotary, has supported the Master Class program since its inception four years ago. Shannon Norris at Cargill said, “Cargill views this as a great opportunity to support our community and highlight the resources and cultural events that are so often overlooked or taken for granted. We consider our sponsorship of the Master Class program to be a privilege.”

Tickets for the concert are now available at Scott’s Book Store on the Courthouse Square, Morgans Jewelers at Ashley Park, the Bank of Coweta at Thomas Crossroads, and The Centre for Performing & Visual Arts. They are budget priced at $20. for adults and $15. for students and 65+ seniors.