Opera-Online - National Opera Week

This week we honor National Opera Week - a week long celebration of the art form sponsored by OPERA America, a national service organization.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia celebrated National Opera Week with a series of events launched by a massive public performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Over 650 singers from almost 30 organizations descended on Macy's in Center City Philadelphia to sing this well-known and well-loved favorite, accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ. With over 28,000 pipes, it's the world's largest pipe organ!

It launches the Opera Company of Philadelphia's collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Random Acts of Culture initiative which is dedicated to producing 1,000 random acts over the next three years.

VIDEO CLIPS OF THE WEEK:
In honor of National Opera Week and Random Acts of Culture, we showcase the Opera Company of Philadelphia's two random acts. The Hallelujah Chorus from October 30, 2010 and the La Traviata Brindisi from April 24, 2010 at Reading Terminal Market. ENJOY!

Hallelujah Chorus

Reading Terminal Brindisi

OPERA ON THE AIR
This weekend listen to 90.1 WRTI FM's broadcast of Houston Grand Opera's production of Don Giovanni starring Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as the Don. Here's what WRTI has to say about the opera:

Looks can be deceiving, as many learn painfully from the charming and dubious Don Giovanni. Mariusz Kwiecien plays the legendary playboy, whose "little black book" holds thousands of names. Donna Elvira (Ana Maria Martinez), whom he abandoned three days after their hasty wedding, conspires with the scorned Donna Anna (Alexandra Deshorties) and her betrothed Don Ottavio (Garrett Sorenson) to bring the rake to justice. Oren Gradus plays the Don's lackey Leporello; Fiona Murphy is the innocent Zerlina, whose wedding to Masetto (Ryan McKinny) is threatened by Giovanni's charms; Raymond Aceto plays the omniscient Commendatore.

Oren Gradus: Leporello
Alexandra Deshorties: Donna Anna
Mariusz Kwiecien: Don Giovanni
Raymond Aceto: Commendatore
Garrett Sorenson: Don Ottavio
Ana Maria Martinez: Donna Elvira
Fiona Murphy: Zerlina
Ryan McKinny: Masetto

Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these alerts by emailing their name, school, and age to us at outreach@operaphila.org.

Until next week…

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