About 50 opera fans gathered in the Grand Ballroom of Mount Vernon’s Engineers Club on Monday for the first of two evenings of Baltimore Concert Opera’s open auditions entitled So You Think You Can Sing Opera? And that’s exactly what happened as 22 artists sang a cumulative 30+ arias over the course of the evening. The highlight for me was at the end of the first half when soprano Rachel Joselson and mezzo-soprano Laura Zuiderveen offered their auditions.  Joselson sang the “Salce, salce/Ave Maria” scene from Act IV of Verdi’s Otello with beauty and finesse. Joselson is obviously a very seasoned artist as she created a stunning arc musically and dramatically from beginning to end. Zuiderveen, rich-voiced and theatrically commanding, sang Wagner’s “Weiche Wotan weiche!” from Das Rheingold and “Mon Coeur s’ouvre a ta voix” from Samson and Dalilah. Other standouts of the evening include Kevin Wetzel’’s rendition of Valentin’s “Avant de quitter ces lieux” from Faust and Theresa Bickham’s Silver Aria from The Ballad of Baby Doe.  BCO’s General Director Brendan Cooke offered his usual witty commentary, helping the audience and singers release any tension or preconceived notions they may have had about this format.

Due to a previous engagement, I had to leave before the last three singers took to the stage.

Auditions continue tonight starting at 7pm.  For $10 at the door, you can experience when American Idol meets opera in an up-close and personal setting.  The Engineers Club is business casual, so remember, no jeans or Simon Cowell black t-shirts.  For more information, visit www.BaltimoreConcertOpera.com.

Monica Boldt sings at BCO's open auditions Monday evening.

You’re probably thinking I’m writing today to inform you of the next great operatic performance in Baltimore. Or to ask you for your financial support of one of the fine opera companies our city is lucky to have. In fact, I am simply asking for 5 minutes of your time and, if you are willing, a vote for someone who has touched many people in Baltimore, bass Jason Hardy. Many of you know Jason from his many performances with the Baltimore Opera Company or when he sang Leporello in Baltimore Concert Opera’s inaugural performance of Don Giovanni in March 2009.

Everyone has a story, but there is none more amazing, devastating, encouraging, hopeful, touching and worth sharing, than the Jason’s story. Jason attended the Peabody Conservatory here in Baltimore. As our mutual friend, Brendan Cooke, would say, he spent much of his time pining away for his then girlfriend, Bevelyn…who also had quite a story.  Bevelyn had lost her husband to brain cancer, just a few days before their son was born.  She met Jason when her boy, Luke, was an infant.

Jason’s career was on the fast track, when they found out that Bevelyn had breast cancer.  They, of course, were shocked and terrified.  A few days later, they received even more news that they’d have to digest, Bevelyn was pregnant!  They found doctors that were willing to treat her cancer “around” the pregnancy…and soon, their miracle baby, Sabrina was born.  Bevelyn continued her treatment, and was ultimately given a clean bill of health.

Tragically, Bevelyn’s cancer returned. Treatment after treatment, set-back after set-back, Bevelyn remained an inspiration to everyone who knew her.  In 2007, Jason (and the rest of us) lost Bevelyn and leaving Jason a single parent.

Fast forward a couple of years…because this story has a happy ending, and you can help make it even happier.  Like his wife Bevelyn, Jason too was able to find love after devastating loss.  In 2007, he met a wonderful woman named Carrie. Many people search their whole life to find a soul-mate…Jason found two, and those that know him are eternally grateful that he has found Carrie.

Jason proposed to Carrie after opening night of a production of Le Nozze di Figaro…and she said YES.  Some charming video of the proposal can be found here:

So, what does this have to do with you? Jason and Carrie have been entered into Crate & Barrel’s Ultimate Wedding Contest to get their dream wedding. I can think of no more deserving people. Here’s what you can do:

1. Vote for Jason and Carrie by clicking here
2. Post their story to your Twitter account, Facebook page or Youtube channel
3. Sign-up to follow progress on Twitter @JasonHardyATL or #FigaroWedding

Thanks for your time and as always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this story.

BSO Soloists: Libiamo on Aisle 5

BSO Extends Exclusive Offer for 50% Off Tickets!
As a loyal supporter of opera in Baltimore, the BSO would like to extend an EXCLUSIVE OFFER to attend one of these upcoming events at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall featuring operas by Barber and Gershwin and Vocalists of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. To buy tickets, simply login to BSOmusic.org using Promo Code 12286 to purchase your discounted tickets (you must login before adding tickets to your cart to view discounted ticket price.). Don’t delay as this exclusive offer expires March 27, 2010 at 1 p.m. For more details about this 50% OFF offer for BaltimoreOpera.com subscribers, click here.

Here is the rundown for this weekends performances:
Hearts, Cards & Carnival
Thu, March 25 at 8 pm
Sun, March 28 at 3 pm
Cards, games, dancers and puppets. This program in our late-winter carnival features concert presentations of two 20th-century American operas. One, by Samuel Barber, is sung over a game of cards in ten minutes, followed by Gershwin’s Blue Monday—mixing jazz, voice and Americana. The evening ends with Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella, its neo-classical music mirroring a puppet tale of madcap comedy.

Casual Concert: Pulcinella
Sat, March 27 at 11 am
It’s story time at the symphony—and not just for kids. Prokofiev’s classic tale Peter and the Wolf takes center stage in this concert of musical storytelling. The morning also includes a suite from Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella, its angular music mirroring a puppet tale of mad cap comedy. Pastries and coffee on sale starting at 10 am.

Off the Cuff: Pulcinella
Sat, March 27 at 7 pm
Thanks to radical works such as his Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky catapulted himself to fame by writing music for the ballet. Marin Alsop rips open another stunning Stravinsky ballet, Pulcinella, a witty re-invention of 18th century courtly dance music with a 1920’s twist, and a charming plot told in song and dance. Why is this work credited with being among the first examples of neo-classicism? What the heck is neo-classicism? No worries, Marin Alsop and the BSO have all your answers.

I hope you make it to one of these performances (I will be there on Sunday). If you do, please chime in on the BaltimoreOpera.com Blog with your thoughts of the concert.

I hope some of you were in the audience when grand opera returned to the Lyric on February 14th with Opera New Jersey’s performance of Bizet’s Carmen. After many seasons on the audience side of the curtain, I had the distinct pleasure of my making my Lyric Opera House debut…albeit as a supernumerary.  It was an incredible feeling watching the curtain rise and seeing a packed Lyric Opera House, all while sitting next to my wife, Soprano Suzanne Balaes-Blair, in the bull ring bleachers.  Suzanne last sang at the Lyric in the chorus of Baltimore Opera’s production of Norma in November 2008, which we all know sadly turned out to be their swan song.

I have received quite a few e-mails with feedback on Carmen at the Lyric. Some talk about the wonderful upbeat feeling of having grand opera back at The Lyric, if only for one night.  Others were a little disappointed in certain aspects of the production.  What did you think? If you were there, take a moment and share your thoughts by commenting on this blog post at the bottom..  

Looking ahead, Opera Vivente will continue their performances of Impressions of Pelléas (Debussy/Constant) tonight and Saturday night at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon.  OV has generously offered a special BOGO promotion for BaltimoreOpera.com subscribers.  Just call the OV box office at 410-547-7997 and mention "BaltimoreOpera.com" and you will get a free ticket with each ticket you purchase, while supplies last.

Also this weekend, you will have the opportunity to catch not one, not two but THREE cabaret style performances of opera here in Baltimore. Tomorrow night at 7:30pm, Baltimore Concert Opera returns to Germano’s for an evening of wine, food and opera favorites, all sung by members of the BCO board and special guests. If you made it to BCO’s last Germano’s Cabaret night in November, you’ll know this is not-to-be-missed entertainment. Call Germano’s at 410.752.4515 to make your reservations. Not to be outdone, The Lyric is continuing their L3 series at Meli on Friday night at 5pm and has their Germano’s Cabaret night on Saturday evening at 6:30pm. Conceivably, you could make all three of these performances (Friday night’s performances are scheduled 30 minutes apart and are only blocks away from each other). If you do make all three, please buy Maestro Jimmy Harp a drink…he’s the pianist for each of them!

Next up is Peabody Opera Theatre’s performances of Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, March 10th-13th. Also during that time, Baltimore Opera Theatre returns to the Hippodrome for their second performance, this time of Verdi’s Rigoletto, on March 11th. To round out the weekend, Annapolis Opera brings Puccini’s Tosca to the stage at Maryland Hall in Annapolis on March 12th and 14th.

Opera fans are in for a special treat on March 19th and 21st with Baltimore Concert Opera’s third performance of their season with Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. This special pairing of two one act operas is sure to be a season highlight for Baltimore opera fans as BCO audience favorites Michael Mayes and Francesca Mondanaro return to Baltimore for two nights only. Baltimore Concert Opera has offered a 10% discount to BaltimoreOpera.com subscribers on ticket purchases to CavPag. Just enter promo code BOCAVPAG at checkout to take advantage of this special offer.

There are two new young opera groups that are performing in Baltimore. Chesapeake Concert Opera is performing Verdi’s La Traviata on March 26th & 27th at Memorial Episcopal Church in Bolton Hill. The Figaro Project has also started performing at Germano’s Cabaret and plans to raise the curtain on May 16th with their first performance of The Figaro Project based on Le nozze di Figaro at First English Lutheran Church. If you’ve been to any of their performances, please do chime in with your thoughts by commenting at the bottom.

Finally, at the end of the month, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is performing Stravinsky’s Pulcinella under the baton of Marin Alsop. This is a great chance to see this rarely performed piece which was written to be performed as a ballet, featuring local Bass-Baritone and impresario Brendan Cooke.

As always, BaltimoreOpera.com is up-to-date with information and links for all of these performances. If you have any suggestions or comments, please drop me an e-mail, or discuss your operatic experiences by commenting below. I hope to see you at the opera!

I am happy to report that over 30 of your fellow subscribers to BaltimoreOpera.com took advantage of Baltimore Concert Opera’s recent promotion for their upcoming performances of Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci on March 19th & 21st. BCO was so delighted with the response that they are now offering a 10% DISCOUNT through the end of February. To purchase tickets, go to http://www.BaltimoreConcertOpera.com and enter the promo code BOCAVPAG at checkout to receive the discount on your ticket purchase.

Yet even during this dark financial period, we were reminded of the importance of giving. Tim Smith recently brought to our attention the story of Louise Dieterle Nippert, a 98-year-old arts patron and former soprano, who donated $85 million to support the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cincinnati Ballet, the Cincinnati Opera and the May Festival.

I hope that you will consider making an end-of-year contribution to your favorite opera company (or companies). If you can’t afford $85 million, perhaps you can afford $850, or $85 or even $8.50. And for those of you 71 or over, you can very likely make a tax-free gift to the organization of your choice from your traditional IRA and you won’t pay income tax on the amount of your gift. Tell your IRA administrator that you want to make a “qualified charitable distribution” to one of the organizations below. The administrator will send your tax-free gift directly to them. It must be postmarked by December 31, 2009! (Note: We do not advise on personal income tax issues. Please consult your tax advisor for full information. Only your advisor can give you definitive advice based on your personal financial circumstances.)

Here is a list of local opera companies who could use your help to ensure that 2010 is a vibrant year for opera in Baltimore:

• American Opera Theater
• Annapolis Opera
• Baltimore Concert Opera
• Lyric Opera House
• Opera Baltimore
• Opera Vivente

Regardless of your ability to donate to these companies, I also encourage you to support them by buying tickets to upcoming performances. We don’t have to look too far ahead for some amazing events. Tonight, Renée Fleming graces the stage of The Lyric Opera House (tickets are still available). In January, American Opera Theater is bringing Le Cabaret de Carmen back to Baltimore Theatre Project. On February 14th, The Lyric Opera House is presenting an Opera New Jersey production of Bizet’s Carmen starring Denyce Graves along with members of the former Baltimore Opera Chorus. In late February, Opera Vivente brings Impressions of Pelléas to their home stage at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. And March brings a plethora of performances by Peabody Opera (Die Fledermaus), Baltimore Opera Theatre (Rigoletto), Annapolis Opera (Tosca) and more. Here’s the complete schedule of opera in Baltimore in 2010.

Personally, I am particularly looking forward to Baltimore Concert Opera’s Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci being performed March 19th and 21st at The Engineers Club. Here’s a video preview of what they have in store for us:
Baltimore Concert Opera’s Preview of Cav/Pag

Finally, if you’re still looking for the right holiday gift for someone special, a night at the opera is the perfect gift. Introducing someone new to this beloved art form is perhaps one of the most special gifts you could give.

I would like to thank all of you who have communicated your support of BaltimoreOpera.com over the past six months. It is personally very rewarding to hear that you find it useful and informative. I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season and peaceful new year.

National Opera Week is off to to BIG start in Baltimore! With a promotion for first-time opera attendees, Baltimore Concert Opera is offering free tickets for tonight’s performance of Don Pasquale. And joining the fun is Opera Vivente who is inviting the public to get a free backstage glimpse of the audition process by attending their auditions this Friday through Sunday. More information about both of these events in conjunction with National Opera Week is available on their Web site (make sure you choose "Maryland").

As I mentioned, Baltimore Concert Opera’s Don Pasquale opens tonight and tickets are still available. If you can’t make it tonight, a second performance will be held on Saturday evening. The Engineers Club is a beautiful venue to experience opera. Make it an evening by making reservations for dinner at the Club when you buy your tickets (Note: dinner reservations end Friday, so don’t delay). And listen to BCO’s interview on WYPR’s Maryland Morning this week.

Perhaps the biggest news of the week is the much anticipated opening of Baltimore Opera Theatre’s season with Il Barbiere Di Siviglia at the Hippodrome. Tickets are still available, so I encourage you to attend and welcome this new opera company to Baltimore. You can also check out their interview on WYPR’s Midday.

Check out all of the upcoming opera events at www.BaltimoreOpera.com. I received much feedback since my last e-mail and have added events from other companies as well as included the opera simulcasts at The Charles.

As always, I welcome your comments.

As a former Baltimore Opera Co. subscriber and the husband of a Baltimore Opera Chorister, I have established BaltimoreOpera.com to promote opera in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. On this site, you will find a calendar of upcoming opera events, links to news articles, blogs and even more in the coming weeks. Please check it out and return often for updated information and special offers. This space is intended to create a sense of community among opera lovers in Baltimore.

I hope that if you have not already done so, you will consider purchasing tickets for an upcoming performance. Baltimore Concert Opera kicks off the season this weekend with Gounod’s Faust at The Engineers Club. If you did not attend their inaugural performance of Don Giovanni earlier this year, you won’t want to miss what is sure to be a season highlight, all taking place in the intimate ballroom of the Garrett Jacobs Mansion in Mount Vernon. At the end of the month, Opera Vivente opens it’s 12th season with Rossini’s Cinderella. And as you’ll see from the calendar, there is no shortage of choices in Baltimore’s operatic calendar.

Now is the time to support all of these companies. Locally produced grand opera is bound to return to Baltimore, but that goal hinges upon your support of what is currently being offered. Consider trying something different, new and exciting. I promise you will be rewarded.

Please e-mail me and let me know what other information you would like to see in this site. Your input is crucial to its success. I look forward to seeing you at the opera!