Opera companies, schools and organizations across North America will celebrate the seventh annual National Opera Week from Friday, October 23 through Sunday, November 1, 2015, with over 140 opera activities and announcements in their communities. A new addition to the program this year is Opera Advocacy Day (October 29), which empowers individuals to take action to support the art form. National Opera Week and Opera Advocacy Day are coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera.

OPERA America is delighted to announce that renowned actor David Hyde Pierce is serving as the Honorary Chairman of National Opera Week 2015, encouraging audiences to explore opera. Mr. Pierce stated:

“Opera is life at its happiest, at its craziest, at its most heartbreaking and at its most beautiful. Opera transports you to a different world, and changes your world in the process. If you’ve never been to an opera, National Opera Week is the time to give it a try. Opera companies all over the country are opening their doors and creating special events, backstage tours, kid- and family-friendly performances, you name it. If you’re already an opera lover, bring a friend; parents, bring your kids. You’ll discover a world of gods and heroes, of barbers and bird catchers, of slapstick and spectacle and magic, and, above all, music — beautiful, passionate, soul-stirring music. You won’t believe your ears.”

Mr. Pierce welcomes audiences to National Opera Week in a video message, viewable at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.

National Opera Week celebrates the vibrancy of opera in America today and conveys the excitement and importance of opera to a national audience.

The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles, opera training programs, and opera-related learning and social groups across North America will be on display through the wide array of events offered. These activities include performances, family activities, lectures, social events, tours, trivia contests and announcements of year-round community impact.

“Opera is thriving across the United States and Canada,” stated OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca. “Cities large and small are home to vibrant opera organizations that serve the public inside the opera house with inspiring productions and, in the community, with events for families, demonstrations and performances in alternative venues. National Opera Week demonstrates and celebrates the diversity of our art form today that promises an exciting future for opera across the country.”

On Thursday, October 29, Opera Advocacy Day provides an opportunity for individuals who work in or love opera to show their commitment to the art form by urging lawmakers and community leaders to support arts education and other policies and legislation that promote opera and the performing arts. Facts, talking points and other resources are available on the National Opera Week website (operaamerica.org/OperaWeek) and through the Performing Arts Alliance, of which OPERA America is a founding member.

“Nothing makes a bigger difference than when policymakers and community leaders hear from their constituents,” stated Brandon Gryde, director of government affairs at OPERA America. “Whether the issue most important to you is arts education in our schools, funding for the National Endowment for the Arts or tax policy for nonprofits, change won’t happen if we don’t raise our voices. Opera Advocacy Day is a great opportunity for opera companies, artists and lovers of the art form to share how opera and the performing arts make our communities healthier and more vibrant.”

Descriptions of select National Opera Week activities and lists of participating organizations and event states are below.

Visit operaamerica.org/OperaWeek for a full listing of National Opera Week activities, a welcome video from Honorary Chairman David Hyde Pierce and Opera Advocacy Day resources.

On Twitter, join @OPERAAmerica in the National Opera Week conversation with #OperaWeek.

Select Activities

The Industry: Hopscotch (Los Angeles, CA)
What if a car became the tool for a transformed view of your own city? After the runaway success of Invisible Cities, The Industry will move audiences in a whole new way with its latest project, Hopscotch, an audacious new operatic experience that takes place inside a network of crisscrossing cars throughout the cityscape of Los Angeles. The first-ever car opera, Hopscotch makes its world premiere on Saturday, October 31 for a limited run.

Los Angeles Opera: Grand Avenue Arts All Access (Los Angeles, CA)
Come to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for an exhibition of LA Opera costumes, wigs, props and more. There will be an opera recital featuring singers from the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program and an opportunity to sit in on a working orchestra rehearsal of Jake Heggie's thrilling opera Moby-Dick led by Maestro James Conlon. After visiting, explore more open houses and free events with 11 other arts partners along Grand Avenue!

Madison Opera: Opera Novice (Madison, WI)
First-time operagoer? Timid about taking the plunge? Wondering if you'd like it? Just want more insight into opera? Come to the Margaret C. Winston Madison Opera Center for a short, fun and informative evening about the art form that is opera. Learn about different aspects of opera, enjoy a live performance and have the chance to ask questions. It's the perfect jump-start for the opera curious.

Metropolitan Opera Guild: The Singers' Studio: Olga Peretyatko (New York, NY)
Part of an intimate interview series, Opera News Editor-in-Chief F. Paul Driscoll chats with soprano Olga Peretyatko about her work on stage and in the recording studio.

OPERA America: Teen Sing (New York, NY)
The NYC Teen Opera Council presents Teen Sing, a recital and sing-along at two senior care facilities.

Opera Birmingham: Opera Shots (Birmingham, AL)
Held in unexpected places and designed to break down the stereotypes of opera, Opera Shots concerts feature members of the Opera Birmingham Chorus and guest artists presenting an open-mic-style concert of opera’s greatest hits, chorus favorites, jazz standards and musical theater. Included in the festivities will be ticket giveaways, social media contests and more.

Opera Omaha: Musical Explorers (Omaha, NE)
Sing along with Opera Omaha in this fun and interactive 15-minute program that teaches kids how singers express feelings through song. Led by Resident Music Director J. Gawf, this program, featuring local soprano Elaina Matthews and music from Mozart's The Magic Flute, will be performed three times within the hour.

OPERA San Antonio: Opera and Aerials (San Antonio, TX)
OPERA San Antonio is collaborating with Aerial Horizon to present an event that combines skillful singing with stunning aerial silk routines, featuring artists from Aerial Horizon and OPERA San Antonio. Rising opera star and aerial silks performer Rainelle Krause will perform her unique routine that takes arias to the air.

San Diego Opera: 115 Years of Great Tosca Performances (San Diego, CA)
In a lively conversation between two opera scholars, Drs. Ron Shaheen and Nicolas Reveles will survey the distinguished collection of great performers who have inhabited the roles of Tosca, Cavaradossi and Scarpia. Through audio recordings dating as far back as 1903 and video excerpts of more recent productions, you’ll get a glimpse of the evolution of vocal interpretation, as well as some rewarding insights into the traditions that have become attached to this gripping opera. This Community Conversation celebrates 60 years of opera lectures at the Central Library, a continuing partnership with San Diego Opera since 1955.

Savannah VOICE Festival: Alice Ryley: A Savannah Ghost Story (Savannah, GA)
She came to follow a dream, she became Savannah history. Be the first to hear the famous ghost of Wright Square, Alice Ryley, come to life in a new one-act operatic work and attend the post-performance talkback. This uniquely Savannah piece is commissioned by the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs and written by Michael Ching.

Mark Schubin: Miracles on West 39th Street: How Opera Helped Create the Modern World (New York, NY)
Join technology and media expert Mark Schubin for a talk at the intersection of West 39th Street and Broadway, where, starting in 1882, opera-performance spaces occupied three of the four street corners. These performance spaces helped establish electric power, electronic hearing aids, elevator music, music synthesizers, radio broadcasting, sound recording, surveillance bugs and the world’s largest illuminated sign. Delay the commute home, and learn some of the fascinating history of opera and media technology in New York City, right where it happened.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Opera Flash Mob (Las Vegas, NV)
Singers from UNLV Opera will promote opera and their upcoming production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury with a campus opera flash mob.

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