August-September, 2012 

For more information call 218.728.8949 (please leave message

OPERAFEST Film Festival            Zinema 2 Movie Theater               August 17 – 19

Opening Night Party - Friday, Aug. 17 at 6 pm with pre-screening lecture, movie, prizes, wine and buffet  dinner.  Admission: $30 per person.

Opera Film Festival screenings will include:
          Amadeus by Milos Forman   
           A Night at the Opera starring the Marx Bros.
           The Magic Flute directed by Ingmar Bergman 
           La Traviata starring Placido Domingo and directed by Franco Zefirrelli 
           Maria Callas: Her life and times produced by Tony Palmer
General Admission to Films:    $10 or $14 with wine or beer included.

Purchase tickets at Zinema 2 Box office at 218-722-7300 after July 1.  Purchase an OperaFest Film Pass (good for all film screenings plus Opening Night Party): $65

SONGFEST VOCAL SERIES                Duluth Congregational Church     August 17 and 18, TBA
Vocal recitals with your favorite DFO singers.  Programs to be announced.
Tickets are suggested donation: $15 (at the door only)            

OPERA’S GREATEST HITS                 Bayfront Festival Park                   August 19 at 3:00 pm
Grand Finale Concert for “Art in Bayfront Park.”
Great Moments from the Grand Operas featuring your favorite DFO singing stars.

Admission: $25 for pre-sale online or $35 on day of performance
Purchase tickets through www.artinbayfrontpark.com (available now).

OPERA ON THE LAKE                       Nokomis Restaurant                  September TBA
Features fine wine, light buffet and performances from the cast of La tragedie de Carmen. Admission: $40. Includes wine, food and entertainment. Purchase tickets through Nokomis Restaurant at 218.525.2286 (after August 1)

Mainstage Opera              

La Tragédie de Carmen         Fregeau Auditorium          September, TBA

by Georges Bizet

Peter Brook’s brilliant, Tony award-winning staged adaptation of Bizet’s classic opera, Carmen, with a stellar cast of exciting singer-actors and musicians. Staged by Artistic Director Craig Fields and conducted by Markand Thakar.

Admission: $25-50.  Purchase tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com or call 218.728.8949 (after August 1)

GRAND OPERA ON FILM IN DULUTH

February  21st      7:00pm
Puccini’s    Il Trittico
from the Royal Opera House

Zinema 2
222 E Superior Street, Duluth MN

Duluth Festival Opera continues its long tradition of popular fundraisers with another festive evening of beautiful singing, classic dining, live auction and reverie. This year’s Cabaret will be a ‘Stylish-Irish’ theme – romantic, historic and green! Opera Cabaret VIII will highlight a salute to the “Great American Opera Singers of the Past”, as we honor the contributions of American operatic superstars, including Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne, Richard Tucker, Robert Merrill and others. And, our talented Cabaret Singers will pay tribute to the musical legacy of Ireland with a medley of your favorite songs from the Emerald Isle.

Our evening of entertainment will also include an Opera Trivia Quiz with prizes and an opportunity for spectacular ‘experiences’ from our live auction, including a week-long romantic vacation getaway to Maui!  You won’t want to miss this great night of fun to help sustain the DFO’s outstanding programs.

Comprising our superb group of Cabaret singers will be last year’s leading soprano from Pocahontas, lyric soprano Linh Kauffman; UMD graduate and Met Opera baritone, Nathan Herfindahl; beautiful mezzo-soprano, Sidney Walker; and new tenor sensation and rising Twin Cities artist, Timothy James. They will raise the rafters with famous selections from Tosca, La traviata, Barber of Seville, Lakme, Rigoletto, The Pearl Fishers, Giulio Cesare and more.

Come to the Cabaret to support the Duluth Festival Opera by attending this evening of beautiful music with fine food and live auction.

The new date for Opera Cabaret VIII will be determined in the next few weeks. Please check back with us at 218-728-8949 or online to confirm the new date.

Thank you for your continued support of the DFO and our programs!

Opera on the Lake – September 14, 4:00 pm
Nokomis Restaurant and Bar

Meet the Composer Luncheon – September 16, 12:00 pm
Kitchi Gammi Club

Pocahontas: a Woman of Two Worlds – September 22, 7:30 pm
Marshall School Fregeau Auditorium

For more information on any of these events and tickets to Opera on the Lake and the Meet the Composer Luncheon, please call the Duluth Festival Opera office at 218-728-8949. Reserved tickets to Pocahontas can now be purchased through BrownPaperTickets by clicking HERE.

                                                 

“a moving, poignant, and in every sense tasteful piece of musical theatre … beautiful, flawless … this is what theatre is all about.”

The Duluth Festival Opera presents Nautilus Music-Theater’s Ivey award-winning production of “I Am Anne Frank” at Duluth’s Teatro Zuccone for a four-night run in July.

Created by Michael Cohen and Enid Futterman, this innovative music drama is a musical adaption of Anne Frank’s famous diary, written by a young girl standing tip-toe on the edge of her future during a time of hatred and intolerance.

The play combines spoken excerpts from Anne’s diary with songs that reveal the power of her inner life. Fully faithful to its source material, Anne’s famous chronicle of two Jewish families secreted in a cramped garret in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation is still as suspenseful and moving as ever. Her writing is propelled by an undying faith in the goodness of people.

This heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story stirs our deepest emotions as it insists upon honoring the endurance of the human spirit. Vanessa Gamble portrays Anne Frank in a heartfelt, touching performance that has enthralled critics and audiences.

 I am Anne Frank is a 90-minute musical drama, not recommended for young children under 10 years old. 
Dates: July 21-23 at 7:30 PM  &   July 24 at 2:00 PM
Where:  Teatro Zuccone  -222 East Superior Street – DowntownDuluth
Tickets:   $16 per adult and youth under 18 are free
Purchase:  online at http://teatrozuccone.com/ or call the box office at 218-336-1414

Nautilus’ production premiered in 2006, earned rave reviews and won a coveted Ivey award, which noted that “the impressive artistic contributions of the talented cast, combined with the matchless vision of the directors, made I Am Anne Frank a stunning collaboration of fine acting, sharp stage direction, effective lighting, and gorgeous music—a wonderful blend of music and acting, and an innovative way of telling an important story.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: The company is actively seeking *Native American singers when possible for specific leading and supporting roles denoted below.

Production Timeline Production rehearsals will begin around September 8, 2011 with performances on September 22, 25, 29, 30 and Oct. 1.

Roles and Voice Types Open for Casting
*Pocahontas                       Lyric soprano (high C); age range 25-35

*Young Pocahontas         Lyric-coloratura soprano (high C); age range 18-30
                                                  (must be petite and appear child-like)

John Smith                           Lyric tenor (high A); age range 30-40

John Rolfe                             Baritone (high G); age 30-40

*Powatan                               Bass-baritone (high F); age range 35-50

*Uttamatomakin                Baritone (high F#); age range 30-50

*Pocahontas’ Mother       Mezzo-soprano (high A); age range 35-50

Lady Sizemore                    Mezzo or Soprano (high F); age range 25-35

 Requirements

1. Please be prepared to sing three contrasting arias, including at least one selection in English.
2. Please prepare a one-minute dramatic monologue from any theatre piece.
3. Please bring a copy of your resume and headshot with you.

Accompanist An experienced pianist will be available for a nominal fee or you may bring your own accompanist. The pianist’s fees are $25 inMinneapolisor $15 inDuluth.

Regional Audition Dates and Locations
IN DULUTH               Friday, May 20 from 4-8 pm at the Duluth Congregational Church, 2833 E. Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55812.

IN MINNEAPOLIS    Friday, June 3 from 4-7 pm at First Unitarian Society ofMinneapolis,  900 Mount Curve Ave.,Minneapolis,MN55403.

How to Apply for an Audition

1. Email your bio, resume, recent recording (mp3 or video files) and headshot to tina_opera@yahoo.com by May 10 for Duluth and May 15 for Minneapolis.
2. Or mail hard copies of these materials to the DFO,222 E. Superior Street, Suite 320,Duluth,MN55802 by the dates shown above.
3. Pay a $15.00 audition processing fee online at www.dfopera.org by clicking the DONATE button and using Pay Pal or a credit card, or send your check to Attention: Auditions at DFO, 222 E. Superior Street, Suite 320, Duluth, MN 55802.
4. In your materials, please include:

• Your complete contact information, including phone and email.
• Which audition date/location you prefer.
• Which role(s) you are interested in.
• If you wish to use our staff pianists, we will provide their contact information to you.

1. After reviewing your materials, you will be contacted by email for an audition time if you are selected for a live audition.
2. Singers will be selected for a live audition based on the quality of their résumé and recordings.
3. New York-based, managed singers may qualify for casting without a live audition inMinneapolis.
4. For logistical questions, please email Tina at tina_opera@yahoo.com or call her at 218-428-6845.

Join the Duluth Festival Opera for
Vino With Verdi
An evening to remember at
Valentini’s Vicino Lago
1400 London Road, Duluth

Sunday, May 1, 2011
4:30 – 7:00pm

A glorious evening of Italian Cuisine with Italian Opera!
Featuring a full-course Italian dinner to satisfy your culinary tastes along with world-class operatic voices performing Verdi’s most memorable music.

The Artists
Kirsten Hoiseth & Amy Wolf, sopranos
Jonathan Burton, tenor & Nathan Herfindahl, baritone
Barbara Brooks, pianist

Dinner, Wine and Performance: $70 per person
Cash bar is available. Seating is limited.
RSVP by Friday, April 22nd
218.728.5900
Or email: info@valentinisduluth.com

See the Vino with Verdi tab for information about the April 30 event in Chisholm, MN at Valentini’s Supper club.  New this year!

Heartfelt thanks to all who attended and supported the DFO’s 2011 Opera Cabaret on February 11 at Greysolon Plaza. Our sold-out Moorish Room turned out to be a wonderful venue for our talented group of Cabaret Singers, all of whom thrilled the crowd.

It was great fun to begin the performances from “within” the crowd of attendees. They provided some shocked looks of surprise, but this was all great fun for singers and listeners alike!

I also want to congratulate our Cabaret Committee for their splendid work this year. Total proceeds from ticket sales and auctions exceeded our $20,000 goal and everyone went home with happy smiles on their faces.

Many thanks to this year’s sponsors, patrons, artists and business partners for their support.

We can’t wait until next year to relive the magic of Opera Cabaret …

A special thank you to the people and business below. Without their generosity, the Cabaret wouldn’t have been such a success.  Thank you!

Dick Adams

Terry Anderson

Anytime Fitness

Angela Bella Flora

Arrowhead Tennis  & Athletic Center

Bellisio’s / Grandma’s Corporation

Bob Berg

Linda Berg

Bluefin Bay

Blue Lake Gallery

Canal Park Lodge

Penny Clark

Debra Cohen

Continental Ski  & Bike

Duluth 10—Marcus Theaters

Duluth Playhouse

Duluth Superior Symphony

Katie Dwan

Edgewater / ZMC Hotel

Jax Eisenmann

Craig Fields

Fitger’s Inn,
Fitger’s Wine Cellar

Dick Fryberger
Robert & Angie Fryberger

Walt & Kay Gower

Tom Haas and Jeannie Thoren

Robert & Ann LaCosse

Lake Dental

Lake Superior Garden Center

Lakewood Berry Farm

Lakescapes LLC of Bayfield

Lake Superior Dental Associates

Lake Superior Magazine
Language of Hair

La Peindo

Brent Loberg
Mainstream Fashion for Men

Marine General

Master Lawn Care

Midi Restaurant

Minnesota Opera

Minnesota Vikings

Mix 108, FM

Metropolitan  Opera

NelsonJersett

Northern Trend Builders & Design

Dolly & William Schnell

Northern Waters Smokehaus

Old Towne Gallery

Old Vermilion Trail Hunting Preserve

Crystal Pelkey

Pioneer Bank

Sacred Heart Music Center

Shawn’s Salon  Associates

William & Dolly Schnell

Snowflake Nordic Ski Center

Sterling String Quartet

The Pub Restaurant & Wine Bar, Madeline Island

Thunderhook Camps

Toni Tigue

Touch of Plasch

Wild Birds Unlimited