The Canadian Opera Company's (COC) 2007-2008 season will open with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and will continue with Verdi’s Don Carlos, Puccini’s Tosca, a company premiere of Leoš Janáček’s From the House of the Dead, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. The seven mainstage operas will be performed in the company’s new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

Dayton Opera's 47th season will include Mozart's Don Giovanni, the company premiere of Verdi's Macbeth, and Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The 6th Dayton Opera Star Gala will feature soprano Angela Brown. Subscription renewals for the 2007-2008 season began February 1 by mail and phone. Subscriptions range in price from only $99 to $289 for a full series, with further discounts available for seniors and students. New subscriptions are also available now. Single tickets for the 2007-2008 season will go on sale in mid-August and start at just $15. For more information, call the Dayton Opera Subscriber Hotline at 937-227-3391.

This fall, Gotham Chamber Opera will present a new production of Astor Piazzolla's rarely-performed tango operita Maria de Buenos Aires at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. During the spring of 2008, the company will present Ariadne Unhinged, a newly-conceived production staged by director and choreographer Karole Armitage, with works by Monteverdi, Haydn, and Schoenberg.

Opera Santa Barbara's all-Verdi season will open with Rigoletto at the Lobero Theatre on February 24, with additional performances on March 2, 4, and 10. Verdi Festival tickets can be purchased by calling the Lobero Theatre box office at 805-963-0761, visiting the Lobero Theatre Box Office, or ordering online at http://www.lobero.com/. The Opening Night Gala will be held on February 24 in the Lobero Theatre Courtyard prior to the performance; for more information, please call the Opera Santa Barbara office at 805-898-3890.

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The Academy of Vocal Arts will present Vanessa, by Curtis-trained composer Samuel Barber, with libretto by classmate and fellow composer Gian-Carlo Menotti. Performances will be held at the Helen Corning Warden Theater in Philadelphia on February 23, 25, and 27, and March 1 and 3. To purchase tickets or for more information, please call 215-735-1685 or visit http://www.avaopera.org/.

It is with great sadness that the Center for Contemporary Opera reports that Michael Hall, the librettist of Madimi, died in London on January 24. The Center for Contemporary Opera will dedicate the performance on Friday, February 2 to his memory. Hall had hoped to be present to see his work for the first time. The performance is at 8:00 p.m. at the Thalia Theater at Symphony Space (95th Street and Broadway). Tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling 212-864-5400, or e-mail BoxOffice@SymphonySpace.org.

The Dallas Opera will present the grand finale of its 50th anniversary season: the company premiere of Wagner’s Lohengrin on Thursday, February 15 in the Music Hall at Fair Park, with subsequent performances February 18, 21, and 24. All performance times are one-half hour earlier than usual. Tickets can be obtained online at http://www.dallasopera.org or by contacting The Dallas Opera ticket services at 214-443-1000. Single tickets are priced from $25 to $199 if purchased in advance; group discounts are also available through the ticket office.

Florida Grand Opera's (FGO) season continues with a new production of Bellini’s La sonnambula. Performances will begin in Miami on February 10 and continue on February 13, 16, 21, 24, and 18. The production will then move to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale for performances on March 1 and 3. For tickets, please call 800-741-1010 or visit http://www.fgo.org/.

New Jersey Opera Theater will launch its fourth season with a semi-staged production of Puccini’s Turandot on March 4 and 11. Performances will take place at McCarter’s Matthew’s Theatre (Princeton) and the State Theater (New Brunswick), respectively. Tickets for Turandot are available through the McCarter Theatre Ticket Office at 609-258-2787 (http://www.mccarter.org/) and through the State Theatre Box Office at 732-246-7469 (http://www.statetheatre.com/). Ticket prices range from $65 to $30 at the State Theatre and $65 to $43 at McCarter. A $90 ticket at both theaters is also available which includes a champagne reception with the artists after each performance. Call New Jersey Opera Theater 609-799-7700 for more information, or visit http://www.njot.org/.

Opera Boston's season will continue with Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, presented fully-staged at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theatre February 23, 25, and 27. Tickets are $24 to $99 and are on sale now at the Cutler Majestic Theatre Box Office at 219 Tremont St., online at http://www.Telecharge.com/, and by phone at 800-233-3123.

Opera Columbus continues its 2006-2007 season with Lehár's The Merry Widow on February 9 and 11 at the Palace Theatre. Single tickets range in price from $27.50 to $102.50, and may be purchased by visiting or calling the box office at 614-469-0939, or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

The new National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Arts Projects application guidelines are now available on the NEA's Web site. Organizations may apply under the following categories:

• Access to Artistic Excellence: To encourage and support artistic excellence, preserve our cultural heritage, and provide access to the arts for all Americans. An organization may request a grant amount from $5,000 to $150,000. (Two deadlines: March 12 and August 13, 2007)
  
  
• Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants: To support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Grants are for $10,000. (Deadline: June 1, 2007)
  
  
• Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth: To advance arts education for children and youth in school-based or community-based settings. An organization may request a grant amount from $5,000 to $150,000. (Deadline: June 11, 2007)

To view the guidelines, please visit http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/, select the field or discipline most relevant to your project, and Grants for Arts Projects will be the first funding opportunity listed.

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The Annapolis Opera winter series of opera appreciation classes will feature comparisons of major opera productions; each class will watch and discuss two or three video segments of opera productions from all over the world. Evening classes will be held on five non-consecutive Tuesdays -- from February 27 to a tentative final class on March 27 -- in the home of Opera Guide, Dr. M.A. Cashman. Class fees are $50 for members of Annapolis Opera, $100 for non-members (includes $50 membership), and $25 ($12 for members) for individual classes. To register and obtain directions to the class venue, call Annapolis Opera at 410-267-8135.

The Canadian Opera Company (COC) and The Munk Centre for International Studies will present their multidisciplinary approach to opera, two symposia entitled The Opera Exchange.  Participants will learn about operas with talks by an array of academic specialists, followed by panel discussions. The symposium for Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, The Lady's Not for Spurning: Passion and Mayhem in the Russian Provinces, will be held on Saturday, February 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Northrop Frye Hall at Victoria University. Speakers will include Christina Kramer, Robert Chandler, Donna Orwin, Sarah Young, Irene Makaryk, Simon Morrison, Sterling Beckwith, and members of the COC's creative and artistic team. To purchase tickets online, please click here, or call COC Ticket Services at 416-363-8231. Additionally, the COC’s free vocal concert series will continue on Thursday, February 8 from noon to 1:00 p.m. with the Opera Division of the University of Toronto’s Inspired by Goethe, arias and ensembles from operas with libretti based on works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. On Tuesday, February 13 from noon to 1:00 p.m., tenor Vadim Zaplechny will present Of Love and Death: Art songs by Glinka and Shostakovich, a program of rarely heard song cycles. For more information, please visit the COC's February concert listings.

On February 23, Central Iowa's chefs, restaurants, and caterers will join with Iowa's wineries, breweries, and distributors to tempt you with their signature offerings at Des Moines Metro Opera's Wine & Food Showcase, held at the downtown Des Moines Marriott. The Wine & Food Showcase will benefit the company's education and outreach programs, including OPERA Iowa, OPERAtion Opera, and the James Collier Apprentice Artist Program. Tickets for The Grand Tasting only are $50 per person or $45 per person for groups of six or more. Tickets for the Maestro's Tasting include admission to the Grand Tasting and can be purchased for $125 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 515-961-6221 or visit http://www.dmmo.org/.

Light Opera Oklahoma's Valentine's Cabaret will feature Andrea Leap performing Finding the Right Dress. This cabaret-style show is the perfect way to kick off your Valentine's Day. The event will be held on Sunday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Harwelden Mansion on 2210 South Main. Tickets are $75 for couples and $35 for single tickets. Call 918-583-4267 ext. 3 for more information.

Los Angeles Opera will present Angela Gheorghiu in concert on Saturday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. She will be accompanied by the LA Opera Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Kohn. The performance will be held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Tickets range from $25 to $100 and are on sale at the Los Angeles Opera Box Office, by phone at 213- 972-8001, or online through http://www.laopera.com/.

On Friday, February 9, soprano Lisa Saffer will present a special benefit recital for PORTopera at University of Southern Maine's (USM) Abromson Center. Saffer will be accompanied by Martin Perry on piano and Katherine Shao on harpsichord. Tickets for the recital and a reception with Lisa Saffer are $100 per person. For the recital only, tickets are $50 and $35 per person. A special student rate of $10 per person is also available; these tickets are for the performance only. To order, please call the USM ticket office at 207-780-5951.

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Arts Advocacy Day
As a national co-sponsor of Arts Advocacy Day, OPERA America wants to make sure its members are represented! Come to Washington, D.C. on March 12 and 13, and take part in the largest organized national arts action summit. On March 13, OPERA America will be organizing meetings with Congressional offices on Capitol Hill. If you have questions, please e-mail HGordon@operaamerica.org. For more information about Arts Advocacy Day, please visit the Americans for the Arts Web site at http://www.artsusa.org/.

OPERA America Participation Campaign
In an effort to establish more relationships between OPERA America members and elected officials, OPERA America is launching a 2007 Participation Campaign. The goal of the campaign is ensure that our members are connecting with their elected officials and that elected officials are in turn 1) attending a performance 2) visiting a facility, and 3) attending an education or outreach event. Our objective is to reach 50 percent of Congress, and we need every OPERA America member to help! We are encouraging members to contact their federal representatives and request a meeting to introduce themselves, their company, and OPERA America. By educating and establishing relationships with elected officials, we can and will increase opera's presence within the federal landscape. For tips on contacting your legislators, please visit the American Arts Alliance Web site.

House Democrats Name Chairs of Appropriations Subcommittees
The House democrats have named the chairs of the appropriations subcommittees. Representative Norm Dicks (WA) will chair the Interior Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH); and Representative Dave Obey (WI) at Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, which oversees the Department of Education’s Arts in Education program.

Continuing Resolution Remains Elusive
Several issues remain over the fate of a $463.5 billion "joint funding resolution" that would fund many federal agencies, including the NEA, despite the efforts of House and Senate negotiators to reach agreement by the end of next week. Democrats intend to fund most agencies and programs at FY2006 levels. House Democrats may introduce their resolution as early as the last week of January in order to have all the pieces in place by February 5.

In early December, Congress passed a continuing resolution which temporarily funds federal programs at their existing levels through February 15, 2007 or until all appropriations bills (including the Interior Bill which funds the NEA) have been signed. Once the continuing resolution expires, there is hope that an NEA amendment could pass as part of an "omnibus," or one large spending bill which would contain multiple appropriations bills.

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Competition seeks a new voice in opera

Opera hopefuls take spotlight

The Metropolitan Opera in a Theater Near You

Miami centre stage

Please note: Publications move online articles to their archives after a certain period. Therefore, articles listed here may only be available online for a short time. Some online publications may also require registration before you can read an article.

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