The Minnesota Opera presents an all-new production of Faust, directed by acclaimed choreographer Doug Varone. Gounod's opera follows the fortunes of an aging Dr. Faust, who makes a deal with the devil to regain his youth. This tale of good and evil brims with Gounod's unforgettable melodies and opera's favorite villain, Méphistophélès.
Click here to download the press release
If you were among those who attended the world premiere of The Grapes of Wrath, then you know the combination of warmth and humor that makes Ricky Ian Gordon's music so affecting. If you weren't, don't miss the chance to hear the delightful Mr. Gordon performing his own songs this Saturday on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.
The show aired on Dec. 27 from 5-7pm - click here to view the show's archive page, or click the links below to hear streaming audio from the program.
Hear Ricky sing "Finding Home" and "Heaven"
Ricky speaks with Garrison Keillor, and sings "A Horse with Wings"
Hope Sings Eternal with Opera
GRAYDON ROYCE, Star Tribune
Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008
It
was the day after Christmas, 2007. Nicole Percifield rose at 4 a.m. on
her family's 4,000-acre farm. Driving to Calgary International Airport,
her dad was trying to cut the Canadian chill, but Percifield worried
what the car heater's hot, dry air would do to her vocal cords. She was
due in Minneapolis for a callback audition for the Minnesota Opera's
Resident Artists Program (RAP) and she couldn't be too careful.
Arts Partners receive combined $2.25 million in Wallace Foundation Excellence Awards
The Ordway Center, The Minnesota Opera, and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have each been awarded audience-development grants.
This year, the Wallace Foundation focused their giving in two communities (Seattle and the Twin Cities), awarding a total of eight WEA grants to arts and culture organizations in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. Of that number, the MN Opera, SPCO and OCPA have each been awarded $750,000 - the maximum grant amount possible - which will be disbursed over the next four years.
The Minnesota Opera reshapes its stuffy image with tongue-in-cheek promotions for young new patrons.
By Dominic P. Papatola
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Saturday Nov. 8 2008
Sex, booze and ... opera?
If that sounds like an unlikely combination, you maybe haven't been paying attention to the Minnesota Opera, which is attempting to broaden its audiences and shake off the genre's fusty, hidebound image with a wink and a smile.
The Minnesota Opera Presents The Abduction from the Seraglio Starring Kathleen Kim as Blonde
Asian Pages vol. 19, no. 5, Nov. 1 2008
by Frank Joseph
"It all sounds rather natural and effortless...But I can tell you I worked very hard for many years with little hope of success."
The Minnesota Opera has added three performances of Rossini's The Barber of Seville to its Spring schedule. In addition to the previously announced performances on April 11, 14, 16, 18 and 19, the company has engaged another cast of principal singers for performances on Wednesday, April 15 and Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m., and a 2:00 matinée performance on Saturday, April 18.
Mozart’s comic genius shines throughout this vaudeville from the Age of the Enlightenment, co-produced with the Houston Grand Opera and several other companies. As Belmonte and his servant set out to rescue their lovers held hostage on a train bound from Istanbul to Paris, hilarious hijinks are all aboard the Orient Express.
The Minnesota Opera season opens on September 20 with Verdi’s Il trovatore, Verdi’s smoldering tale of love and vengeance. Three opera stars from the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, lead the cast: soprano Mlada Khudoley makes her company debut as Leonora, tenor Avgust Amonov debuts as Manrico and mezzo-soprano Olga Savova debuts as Azucena.
The Minnesota Opera and PS Classics are proud to announce the release of the first-ever recording of Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie's epic American opera, The Grapes of Wrath (PS Classics, PS-866).
The three-CD set lists at $39.98, and is available now in record stores and at online retailers such as Amazon.com.
The Minnesota Opera announced its 2008–2009 season, which includes a new production of Faust and the American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio.
St. Paul, MN – In a ceremonial signing event today, leadership representing