Category Archives: Opera

Maryland Opera Studio presents Florencia en el Amazonas at Clarice Smith, Apr 13-21

Maryland Opera Studio presents Florencia en el Amazonas at Clarice Smith, Apr 13-21

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Florencia en el Amazonas

Daniel Catán, composer
Marcela Fuentes-Berain, librettist
David Neely, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director

April 13-21, 2024
Sat, Apr 13, 2024 . 7:30PM
Wed, Apr 17, 2024 . 7:30PM
Fri, Apr 19, 2024 . 7:30PM
Sun, Apr 21, 2024 . 3:00PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Daniel Catán, composer
Marcela Fuentes-Berain, librettist
David Neely, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director

Journey down the Amazon River aboard the steamboat El Dorado in Daniel Catán’s opera that explores themes of longing, self-discovery and the connection between art and the natural world. Inspired by the magical realism found in the works of Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Florencia en el Amazonas follows the story of Florencia Grimaldi, a famous soprano returning home to sing at the opera house in Manaus with hopes that the performance will attract her love Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter who has gone missing in the jungle.

Aboard the El Dorado are several passengers traveling to watch Florencia’s performance: a squabbling couple, the captain, his nephew and Rosalba, a journalist planning to write a book about Florencia. Despite their proximity, the passengers are unaware of Florencia’s identity. As the journey continues, the lives of the passengers become increasingly intertwined, forcing them to confront their fears and desires.

Join the Maryland Opera Studio on this magical boat ride that celebrates the transformative power of art and the resilience of the human spirit in their spring production of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas.

Tickets: $25 General, or $10 Students. Click here.

Maryland Opera Studio presents Albert Herring at Clarice Smith, Nov 11-15

Maryland Opera Studio presents Albert Herring at Clarice Smith, Nov 11-15

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Albert Herring
Benjamin Britten, composer
Craig Kier, conductor
Stephanie Sadownik, director

November 11-15, 2023
Sat, Nov 11, 2023 . 7:30PM
Sun, Nov 12, 2023 . 3:00PM
Tue, Nov 14, 2023 . 7:30PM
Wed, Nov 15, 2023 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Set in Great Britain’s idyllic Suffolk countryside, Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring follows the story of a bashful and unsuspecting shopkeeper’s assistant who finds himself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight. When the village’s annual May Queen ceremony lacks a virtuous candidate, Albert Herring is crowned the first-ever May King–a decision that sets the stage for a series of antics and unexpected transformations.

Filled with eccentric characters, a clever libretto and a touch of mischief, Britten’s opera explores societal norms, self-discovery and the power of individuality.

Tickets: $25 general, $10 students. Click here

Maryland Opera Studio presents Opera Scene Study at Clarice Smith, May 4 & 5

Maryland Opera Studio presents Opera Scene Study at Clarice Smith, May 4 & 5

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Opera Scene Study
Maryland Opera Studio

Part 1: Thursday, May 4, 2023 . 7:30PM
Part 2: Friday May 5, 2023 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

First-year Maryland Opera Studio (MOS) students demonstrate their talent in this showcase featuring duet scenes from a wide operatic repertory. To keep the focus on beautiful, pure sounds and vivid acting, the performance is accompanied only by piano and minimal props.

MOS is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from the classic repertoire to provocative new works, MOS is building audiences and advancing the art that sustains them.

Tickets: Free, no tickets required. Click here.

Maryland Opera Studio presents Don Giovanni at Clarice Smith, Apr 14-23

Maryland Opera Studio presents Don Giovanni at Clarice Smith, Apr 14-23

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer
Lorenzo Da Ponte, librettist
Craig Kier, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director
April 14-April 23, 2023

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Grand Pavilion, general admission.

While fleeing the scene of his crime, the lascivious Don Giovanni commits an unimaginable murder. This depraved act unleashes hell itself in an opera that masterfully combines dark comedy with the darkest of acts. With themes that continue to resonate today, Mozart and Da Ponte create a world as troubling and complicated in our time as it was at its premiere. This opera will be performed in Italian with English supertitles. Under the direction of Craig Kier, the Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.

Pay what you wish. Click here.

Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this performance will not be livestreamed.

Maryland Opera Studio presents Proving Up at Clarice Smith, Feb 18

Maryland Opera Studio presents Proving Up at Clarice Smith, Feb 18

Maryland Opera Studio presents
Proving Up
Craig Kier, music director
Missy Mazzoli, composer
Royce Vavrek, librettist

Saturday, February 18, 2023 . 8:00PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Based on a 2013 short story by Karen Russell, Proving Up, is a surreal and haunting commentary on the American dream as experienced by the Zegners, a fictional family of 1860s homesteaders. This narrative feels newly relevant at this fraught moment in the nation’s history, when people are examining and reevaluating the achievability of the American Dream. The Zegners are a family that does everything “right” and are still undermined by forces beyond their control. These characters have parallels in our contemporary world: a mother who tries to maintain control through domestic order, a father who turns to the bottle under the pressures of supporting a family, children forced to take on responsibilities beyond their years and a lone, deranged man who resorts to violence and destruction. Pushed to the edge by poverty and ultimately undermined by fate, the Zegners’ fixation on “proving up” never wanes.
 
About the Maryland Opera Studio:
 
Under the direction of Craig Kier, the Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.
 
Tickets: Free, no tickets required. Click here.