Outreach
Nevada Opera's Studio Program
Youth Program
| The Spring, 2013 program is currently underway. The program began January 7th and will culminate with a performance in June, En Harmony II. For information on the program, click here. |
The Youth Program is designed to create professional opportunities and enhance the skills of young performers with early dreams of becoming professional performers. The program creates opportunities for young performers to learn roles in musicals and operas written specifically for performers between the ages of 9 and 18. It creates a professional atmosphere to hone their skills and a safe environment for them to pursue their musical future. It runs on a professional model and all young performers are expected to advance in their musical, performing and collaborative skills with the final production being in alignment with professionally acceptable productions world-wide.
The program is an educational program with individual and group vocal, acting and dramatic training and opportunities and requires a small fee of $200 per child per session. We are seeking funds to provide scholarships for at-risk and economically-disadvantaged youth, so that children with interest and ability can participate in this program, no matter their financial situation. This program is expected to be financially self-sustaining in the first year through tuition and ticket sales.There are scholarships available for qualifying children, as Nevada Opera supports local talent at all cost.
Linda Saxton is the Director of the Nevada Opera Youth Program. She brings more than 35 years of musical experience to what promises to be an exciting time in our city’s performance culture. The program, begun with the Fall, 2012 session, provides an opportunity for students to receive vocal, performance, dance, and dramatic training. Students in the fall program were cast in Nevada Opera’s production of Sweeney Todd; 18 students participated in The Best Christmas Pagent Ever.
Our students are active in the larger community:
- Danielle Mudd, a member of the Youth Chorus for 7 years sang the National Anthem at a Reno Bighorns game Feb. 9th. Emily Watson will sing at the Bighorns April 2nd and the Aces game, May 25th.
- Jaycee Lanza and Hannah Eckert, both of whom were in the Fall, 2012 program, will be playing Cosette (Hannah) and Eponine (Jaycee) in the Tahoe Players production of Les Miserables in late July. Sydney Berg will also appear. Jaycee played Maria in a local production of West Side Story as well as singing at local events with the Youth Programs trio. Hannah has had solo appearances with the local Bel Canto organization and portrayed Linus in Broadway Bits' You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.
- At the Lenea music and theater festival/competition in Sacramento, Kaelyn York, a senior at Truckee High received a silver, and Savanah Wilkinson, a sophmore received a gold in STAGE DOOR,a duo scene. Both are members of our 2012-2013 programs.This competition is held yearly for all of No CA high schoolers. Students submit their choice of scenes and perform before judges/ professors from Sac State, City College, actors and actresses from NY and LA Equity and Sag. Both students were coached by director Peggy Boelk, who works with our Youth Program.
- Kaelyn York, Chelsea Mohun, Savannah Wilkinson, Mikayla Mattocks will be performing in Truckee High Schools "The Best of Broadway" May 10, 11, 12 and 16,17,18. Directed by Peggy Boelk and Music Director Linda Saxton
A possibe production for the fall of 2013 is Linda’s original “A Hop Through History”, a musical journey through American history that corresponds with the 5th Grade curriculum in Nevada. Se is reaching out to the Washoe County School District to gain their participation to present this fun, learning musical in Reno.
We collaborate with other Reno organizations and businesses: The Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum; Reno Video Game Orchestra; Steinway Gallery; Petfolio (Art Paws), UNR, Sarah Winnemucca Elementary School, Washoe County, and the Washoe County School District.
Nevada Opera’sArtist Development Programs are crucial to NOA's success; They help artists develop and enhance their skills, provide a broader appeal for audiences and support, enhance the production quality and provide services to the community. Artist programs have a variety of styles; ours creates a community of music makers. Typically everything is double cast meaning that EVERYONE gets solo work.
There are two tracks:
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Youth Program for kids, tweens and teens
Nevada Opera’s Youth Program is designed to create professional opportunities and enhance the skills of young performers with early dreams of becoming professional performers.
- Resident Artist Program for professional opera singers
A program to help launch the careers of young artists from Reno, the nation and even world-wide by offering them professional opportunities to learn major roles as well as contemporary roles
Nevada Opera Studio Program
Resident Artist Program
We are bringing back The Studio, the award-willing program developed and run by Kathleen Kimmel until 2004. This highly successful Resident Artist program helped launch the careers of many young Reno artists. The program will offer local singers professional opportunities to learn leading roles in both traditional and contemporary operas. In addition, young artists from all over the world will be invited to Reno to network and sing, providing our local artists with access to their peers in other cities.
For Artown 2012 performances, Nevada Opera featured a number of local artists as well as a dozen visiting singers and pianists hailing from New York to Kyrgyzstan. Under Monica’s direction, Kathy Kimmel and Jon Fay, both veterans for Nevada Opera, return to run this program. We will also expand our presence in the community and build new audiences with our Opera Show Chorus that will perform in smaller theatres and restaurants. This program will generate revenue through paid performances at restaurants and special events.
Among the visiting artists were:
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Marie Putko, Soprano, recently graduated from New York University Masters of Classical Voice and Opera Performance program with an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. She received her B.A. from Providence College in Vocal Performance in 2010. Performance credits include Dido and Aeneas (Belinda), Amahl and the Nightvisitors (Amahl), Company (Sarah), Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, Die Fledermaus, and The Imressario (Miss Silverpeal). In addition, Marie sang in the Opera Workshop for the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria in 2008 and the Florence Voice Seminar in 2011. Marie teaches Yoga at NYU and hopes to further her practice in Yoga for Singers and Musicians. |
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Russian-born Lyric Soprano, Irina Kasimova-Ulrich, has lived in Portola, CA since 2008. This will be her debut with the Nevada Opera Festival in Reno, NV. She has previously participated in annual Russian Festivals in Reno (2010, 2011) and San-Francisco, CA (2012). In March 2012 Irina sang in recital, “Dinner with Divas and Divos”, at the University of Nevada Reno Knowledge Center, Reno, NV. In 2009-2010 she was both a member and a soloist in “Master Works Chorale”under Artistic & Music Director Richard Lee (Reno, NV). In 2009 she also performed in the International project, “Meloplastika”, created by the famous Ukrainian artist, Konstantin Lyashev in Kyev,Ukraine. Irina has a wide range of musical and academic interests. She graduated from P.I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kyev, 2002) and a post-graduate school (2007). Her master’s degree is in Music Pedagogy and Education and Theory and History of Culture. She was awarded an Honorary Diploma in the International Competition, “XXI Centery Art” (Kyev-Vorzel, Ukraine 2005, Solo Vocal), and a Diploma from the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund for a significant creative contribution to the development of Ukrainian Culture (Kyev, 2009). |
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Julie De Vaere, praised as a mezzo-soprano who is “warm-voiced and gracious”, has performed with Michigan Opera, Sarasota Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Delaware, and Opera Omaha. Her rich array of roles include Carmen, Lucretia, Olga, Miss Jessel, The Secretary in The Consul, Loma in Cold Sassy Tree, and the title role in Massenet’s Thérèse. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and returned for Handel’s Messiah with John Rutter conducting. Recent engagements include her recital debut at the American Church in Paris and her first Maddalena with St. Petersburg Opera. |
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Sarah-Jane Pinsky is currently an undergraduate student studying at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. She is pursuing a dual degree in Music Performance for voice and a degree in Physical Anthropology. Her vocal studies are under the instruction of Ms. Monica Harte. Miss Pinsky was recently featured in Kindergarten an opera short by Christian McLeer, which was filmed for BCAT television. She recently finished filming a student film called In Loving Memory. Sarah-Jane Pinsky is also a cellist and was awarded a scholarship to study at the Conservatoire de Musique de Quebec during her begging years as a cellist. |
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Canadian soprano Allison McAuley is a recent graduate of New York University’s Master of Classical Voice and Opera Performance program. She completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at Queen’s University in Canada. Notable roles include Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Noémie in Cendrillon, the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury, Ariel in Footloose, and most recently Countess Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music. She was a regional finalist in the 2011 Classical Singer Competition in New York City, and she has also appeared on the television shows System Crash, and Are you Maria?, and on Canada’s MuchMusic. |
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Alexandra Lang is recognized for her integrity as a musician, distinct vocal color and versatility as a singing-actress. A native of Atlanta, she made her operatic debut in the title role of Massenet’s Manon with Opera in the Ozarks. Last summer, Ms. Lang was invited to sing the national anthem at Boston’s historic Fenway Park. In November the soprano made her New York Lyric Opera Theatre debut as Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Keith Chambers at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. She makes her first appearance with Nevada Opera this summer as a Studio Artist. |
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Praised for her “lovely and rhythmically supple” singing (Cleveland Classical), soprano Candice Hoyes is a prizewinner of the 2010 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition for Lieder. She has recently completed young artist apprenticeships at Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival for Young Artists in Opera and the Caramoor International Music Festival. This season, she makes her debut at Opera Nevada (Adele in Die Fledermaus) and Florida Opera Theatre (Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia). Candice performs Debra in Jennifer Griffith’s new opera, Beautiful Creatures with renowned director Christopher Alden, and is recording the role of Maxine McNair in Richard Pearson Thomas’ new opera, Blood of Angels. Candice is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, Columbia Law School and Westminster Choir College. |
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Mezzo-soprano Stephanie McGuire recently enjoyed performing with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall. She has covered and performed solo roles for New York City Opera, on the mainstage at Lincoln Center and for the VOX contemporary music festival, respectively. Highlights of Stephanie’s 2011-2012 season included Ruggiero (Alcina) with Satori Opera and Bradamante (Alcina) with New York Lyric Opera. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 with Remarkable Theater Brigade, singing Tiatin in an excerpt of Tania León?s Scourge of Hyacinths. This August, she will appear as Starenka and Rychtarka in Opera Slavica's Jenufa. |
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| Praised by Opera News for her “pearly tone”, American Soprano Rebecca Blinder was recently seen performing with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Virginia and Tel Aviv as Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), as well as in scenes as the title role in Alcina, and Rose (Street Scene). She is thrilled to make her Nevada Opera debut as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus as part of the Artown Festival. Her 2011-2012 season included creating the role of Margie Mitchell in Billy Blythe with Metropolis Opera and guest performances with the Motyl Chamber Ensemble. An avid interpreter of new opera, Ms. Blinder created the role of Miss Northridge in the OperaWorks premiere of My Other, My Selves and was featured in their production In Celebration of Small. Other roles include Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Catherine (A View from the Bridge), Louise (Pir vo vremja čumy), and Micaëla (La Tragedie de Carmen). Ms. Blinder holds M.M. and B.M. degrees from the University of Michigan and makes her home in New York City. |  |
The premier performances of P'Opera were on March 24th at Fuego. Some 100 people watched and applauded two selloout programs. Programs and some photos are below. Click a photo to enlarge and show a caption.
In addition, there is a YouTube of some video clips. Click here to see and hear.
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5:00 Show Hark the Hour of Ten is sounding Joy Unbounded--------------Trial by Jury La Ci Darem La Mano---------Don Giovanni Summertime Matchmaker-----------Fiddler on the Roof Sunrise-Sunset-------Fiddler on the Roof O Mio Babbino Caro-------Gianni Schicchi Lillie’s Eyes--------------Secret Garden Besame Mucho Caanan Days---------------Joseph and the The Promise of Living--------Tenderland Valentine Ascot Gavotte---------------My Fair Lady Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day----Mikado Va Pensiero----------------------Nabucco |
7:30 Show Hark the Hour of Ten is sounding O Joy Unbounded------------Trial by Jury La Ci Darem La Mano---------Don Giovanni Matchmaker-----------Fiddler on the Roof Sunrise-Sunset-------Fiddler on the Roof Music of the Night Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day----Mikado Pity the Child---------------------Chess Caanan Days---------------Joseph and the Empty Chairs and Empty Tables The Promise of Living---------Tenderland Away Back to Then Ascot Gavotte---------------My Fair Lady The Prayer Va Pensiero----------------------Nabucco |
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P'Opera
is a concert program of the Nevada Opera Chorus. The name implies the 'popular' orientation of the music.
Performances are planned for local restaurants and other gatherings. The program is intended to raise funds for Nevada Opera in addition to providing our choral artists opportunities to enjoy performing and grow professionally.
The 'popular' music will have eclectic sources: Boardway, light opera/operetta, Gilbert and Sulivan and even madrigals in addition to works, primariiy well-known, from grand opera.
P'Opera's first performance is at Fuego restaurant, just across the street from the Pioneer Center. Patrons will purchase tickets for the performance from Nevada Opera and then order from the menu as usual. To make reservations, first call the NVO office (775-786-4046, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm). Once you purchase your ticket for the performance, we ask that you call Fuego at 775-322-1800 to make the actual meal reservation. Drop-ins will be accomodated on the evening of the performance as space allows.
