The Living Opera Brings First Opera to Garland

Garland, TX. The Living Opera will be presenting operas by American composers at the Plaza Theater in March and April of 2007, a first for the City of Garland. Bernstein’s one act opera Trouble in Tahiti will be coupled with Menotti’s one act The Old Maid and the Thief in March, then Copland’s The Tender Land will be presented in April. All three operas will be sung in English, with five performances of each opera.

Tickets start at $10 and go up to $34 Additional discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. On Tuesday evening performances, TLO is offering half price tickets for students and seniors. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.thelivingopera.org or call 972-494-3500

Trouble in Tahiti/The Old Maid and the Thief

Trouble in Tahiti is a short opera composed by Leonard Bernstein to an English libretto written by Bernstein himself. Bernstein is one of the most widely known American composers and conductors, famous for West Side Story, among other works. Set in the affluence of a nameless American suburb, Trouble in Tahiti shows the disenchantment of Dinah with her philandering husband Sam, who is more interested in his career than in his family. They effect a reconcilement of sorts at the end of the opera, although it is doubtful that it will last.

The Old Maid and the Thief is an opera by Italian- American composer Gian Carlo Menotti, written and premiered in 1939. It was the first opera ever composed specifically for performance on the radio, commissioned by NBC. The opera is probably most known for two arias. First, «What curse for a woman, is a timid man (Steal me, sweet thief),» is a full scene, where Laetitia sings of her affection for Bob, the vagabond bum. The other popular aria is «Bob’s Bedroom Aria,» where Bob contemplates hitting the road again. The opera was premiered on NBC on April 22, 1939, and was first staged in Philadelphia on February 11, 1941. Menotti is perhaps best known for his Christmas opera, the first written specifically for television, entitled Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Artists performing in Trouble in Tahiti and The Old Maid and the Thief include Brooke Clark Gibson of Garland, Brian B. Carter of Austin, Jonathan Morales of Granbury, Kyle T. Jones of Arlington, Shannah Pace of Carrollton, and SMU student Audra Scott. Trouble in Tahiti/The Old Maid and the Thief is directed by Michael Chadwick of Garland, and conducted by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Dallas.

Trouble in Tahiti/The Old Maid and the Thief is made possible by a grant from The 500, Inc.

The Tender Land

The Tender Land was inspired by James Agee’s book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, an account of a journey through the rural South during the Depression by Agee and his companion, the photographer Walker Evans. The famous and beautiful quintet “The Promise of Living” is an operatic experience that shouldn’t be missed.

Artists performing in The Tender Land include Elizabeth Racheva of Dallas, Megan Meister of Richardson, Brandon and Brooke Gibson of Garland, Scott Quinn of Tyler, Jonathan Morales of Granbury, Jennifer White of Rowlett, Erin Richard of Garland, and SMU student William Perry. The Tender Land is directed by Michael Chadwick of Garland, and conducted by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs of Dallas.

About The Living Opera: The Living Opera’s mission is to make opera accessible, affordable and appealing to a broader spectrum of the community by offering high-quality performances, providing education and outreach programs and promoting the development of emerging artists and artisans. TLO produces and presents multiple productions throughout the year. The public season is in the spring and summer, while the fall features a school touring production of a one-act opera, usually in English. TLO is almost entirely funded by donations, grants, and underwriting. In this way, ticket prices are kept to a minimum and opera becomes much more accessible to local audiences.

Website: http://www.thelivingopera.org