As One, Des Moines Metro Opera - John Moore, baritone - photo: Duane Tinkey
A dynamic program of French and Spanish repertoire featuring works by Viardot, Debussy, Poulenc, Cantaloube, and de Falla, Quagliata reunites with collaborative pianist Valerie M. Trujillo at Florida State University on January 12th.
Follow the fate of Don José, a naïve soldier who falls under the spell of the fiery gypsy Carmen, and abandons his duty and his love for Micaëla, a sweet country girl. But Carmen's free spirit and seductive charms lead her to another man, the handsome bullfighter Escamillo, and drive José to jealousy and violence. With unforgettable melodies like the 'Habanera' and the 'Toreador Song', Carmen is a thrilling spectacle of love, lust, and betrayal. Come see why Bizet’s masterpiece of operatic romance and drama is one of history’s most popular operas ever written.
JULY 5, 6, 12 and 13, 8pm
Carmen is presented in French with projected English supertitles.
Join Quagliata and fellow soloists soprano Ekaterina Kim, tenor Adam Diegel, and baritone Zaikuan Song for the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra’s Season Finale concert of the Verdi Requiem.
The GSO gala begins with a concert to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Join us for a musical voyage featuring favorite GO artists performing great melodies from opera to popular classic hits. Dive into this riveting journey across time and genres as we celebrate our 10th year with highlights from past performances and a glimpse of what's to come. Join us for a musical voyage concert featuring favorite GO artists performing great melodies from opera to popular 60’s-70’s classic hits by the Beatles and others.
For the Gala package patrons then move on to The Club at the Strand for an elegant gala dinner. Gala Package includes Premium Concert Tickets, a “Meet the Artists'' Reception and Dinner. A new addition this year is an exciting after party with dancing in the Charleston Room!
Guys and Dolls was the winner of the 1950 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The show follows the unlikely love story of Sister Sarah Brown, a missionary trying to evangelize the wicked of New York City, and Sky Masterson, a high stakes gambler who has a hard time turning down any bet. Leading the cast of Guys and Dolls is Keith Phares as Sky Masterson. Opera News calls Phares’ voice a “fine lyric baritone” with “velvety beauty,” making him the perfect choice for the suave crooner. Mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata stars alongside Phares as Sister Sarah Brown. The New York Times praised her performance with New York City Opera as “vocally and physically nuanced… vividly conveying the evolution of the character.”
March 22, 29, & April 5, 2023 @ 6:30PM and 7:45PM
Hued Songs, IlluminArts and Vizcaya are thrilled to present a three-part series of performances amplifying the historic contributions of three influential women. Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Chief Sandrell Rivers, and Betty Mae Tiger Jumper’s work has impacted and transformed Miami and South Florida, creating change for their own, and future, generations. These three musical performances will illuminate the intersections among the women’s lives as well as their inspirational achievements and contributions. The programs taking place in the Courtyard in Vizcaya's Main House will feature sopranos Brittany Graham and The Jas Sound, and mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata with narration by Natalia Martinez-Kalinina and Rosie Gordon-Wallace.
This is a series of three musical performances. Each concert will focus on a different influential woman. March 22 will highlight Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Founder of The Black Archives, March 29 will focus on Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, the first Chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and April 5 will highlight Chief Sandrell Rivers, a Miami arts advocate. There will be two performances each evening; one at 6:30 and one at 7:45.
Join GRAMMY-nominated mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata and award-winning pianist Jenny Snyder performing works by Georges Bizet, Francis Poluenc, Manuel de Falla, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and more!
One over-protective father would be enough; imagine having an army of them! Sparks fly when Marie, an orphan raised by French soldiers, meets Tonio from across enemy lines. Her “dads” won’t stand for this—and neither will the mysterious, aristocratic relative who whisks her away, determined to turn her into a lady and marry her off to a proper man.
Described as “the perfect male lead” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Jack Swanson plays Tonio—don’t miss his jaw-dropping vocal acrobatics after he first meets Marie, depicted by rising-star soprano Madison Leonard.
And, of course, find out who will win on the battlefield of love, in this spunky and family-friendly comedy!
Sung in French and English with English supertitles.
Forty Forward
A One-Night-Only concert celebrating four decades of opera in Pensacola!
A World Premiere with Minnesota Opera
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY KATE DICAMILLO
MUSIC BY PAOLA PRESTINI
LIBRETTO BY MARK CAMPBELL
A miraculous journey.
Edward Tulane is a toy rabbit who thinks of himself as quite exceptional. Content in his easy life, his world is upturned when he is separated from his loving family. Based on the best-seller by local author Kate DiCamillo, Edward Tulane takes us on a miraculous journey, from the depths of the deep blue sea to the streets of Memphis. Perfect for the young and young at heart, this Minnesota original shows us a true miracle—that even the most broken of hearts can learn to love again.
Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage.
Music by Kristin Kuster
Libretto by Mark Campbell
Based on the novel by Jane Smiley
Leadership funding provided by Linda & Tom Koehn
On July 9, 2022, Des Moines Metro Opera will add a new American work to the operatic canon with its world premiere of A Thousand Acres with music by Kristin Kuster and libretto by Mark Campbell.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear set on a farm in Iowa in the late 1970s told from the point of view of Ginny, the oldest of three daughters. Larry Cook, a prominent farmer, announces at a family gathering that he has decided to divide his thousand acres between his three daughters. While Ginny and Rose acquiesce to their father's wishes, Caroline demurs and enrages her father. Ginny tries to hold the family together but Rose, recovering from cancer treatment and fearful for the fate of her two daughters, is unrepentant in her criticism both of Caroline's selfishness and Larry's bullying nature. As Larry descends into rage and dementia, all the buried family secrets are finally laid bare.
A Thousand Acres is family drama writ large. It is a story with great scope and broad appeal with distinctive female characters that explores ideas of family conflict, patriarchy, legacy and the strength and fragility of the ties that bind us together, all told through the eyes of its central female protagonist.
Ginny: Elise Quagliata
Rose: Sara Gartland
Larry: Roger Honeywell
Jess: John Micheal Moore
Ty: Keith Phares
Director: Kristine McIntyre
Conductor: David Neely
Now one of the most performed American operas of all time, Jake Heggie’s first opera Dead Man Walking was commissioned by and premiered at San Francisco Opera in 2000. Dead Man Walking is based on a 1993 memoir of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, which was subsequently made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. It is a heart-wrenching story of grief, grace and redemption, recounting Sister Helen’s courageous struggle to provide spiritual guidance to a condemned Louisiana murderer in the months leading up to his execution.
Heggie has become the leading living American composer of operas, having also written The End of the Affair, Three Decembers, Moby Dick, If I Were You and It’s a Wonderful Life. Sara Jobin (most recently Evgeny Onegin, 2015) returns to conduct.
Sister Helen Prejean: Elise Quagliata
Joseph De Rocher: Tim Mix
Mrs. De Rocher: Stephanie Weiss
Sister Rose: Shawnette Sulker
Conductor: Sara Jobin
Called “A Marriage of Figaro for the 1990s,” Flight has both laugh-out-loud comedy and more touching moments as the story of the refugee who lives in the airport unfolds around a colorful cast of characters who find themselves delayed in the terminal. As the delay drags on through the night, the group learns that their overnight stay will not only be physically uncomfortable, but also emotionally challenging as they navigate relationships, deception, and eventual reconciliation.
Sung in English with English supertitles.
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours, 40 minutes including two intermissions.
Single-performance Tickets On-Sale: June 15, 2021
Saturday, Jan 15, 2022, 7:30 PM
Monday, Jan 17, 2022, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022, 7:30 PM
Friday, Jan 21, 2022, 7:30 PM
Sunday, Jan 23, 2022, 2:00 PM
Come celebrate the holidays with your friends at Gulfshore Opera. Join us for the 8th Annual Holiday Taste of Opera at The Club at the Strand, Thursday, December 2, 2021, featuring mezzo-soprano, Elise Quagliata. Enjoy holiday classics, opera favorites, and a wonderful dinner hosted by Larry Waller and Becky Wilder.
Elise returns to the role of Hannah After for her fourth production of As One in her Opera Orlando debut.
Baritone Michael Kelly will sing the role of Hannah Before.
Read more about this seminal work here: https://www.aopopera.org/asone
After over 60 performances of the role, Elise is excited to bring this character to life on the stage where she debuted the role in 2006.
Carmen~Elise Quagliata
Don Jose~Adam Diegel
Escamillo~Luis Alejandro Orozco
Director~Fenlon Lamb
Conductor~Jerome Shannon
Both performances will be live-streamed. Click on the link for more info.
Elise revisits this amazing role for her sixth production of Jake Heggie’s seminal contemporary opera, Dead Man Walking, based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean.
Heggie has become the leading living American composer of operas, having also written The End of the Affair, Three Decembers, Moby Dick and It’s a Wonderful Life. He is currently at work on If I Were You, a new opera commissioned by San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program. Sara Jobin (most recently Evgeny Onegin, 2015) returns to conduct. Sara is the newly appointed artistic director of The Center for Contemporary Opera and last season made an important debut, conducting the LA Phil New Music Group at Disney Hall. Director Kristine McIntyre, who has staged the opera in Kansas City, Des Moines and Madison, makes her Opera Idaho debut.
Friday, April 24, 2020 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 2:30pm
Elise Quagliata, Sister Helen Prejean
Tim Mix, Joseph De Rocher
Kristine McIntyre, director
Sara Jobin, conductor
LOST HEARTS CAN FIND HOME AGAIN
Edward Tulane is a toy rabbit who thinks of himself as quite exceptional. Content in his easy life, his world is upturned when he is separated from his loving family. Based on the best-seller by local author Kate DiCamillo, Edward Tulane takes us on a miraculous journey, from the depths of the deep blue sea to the streets of Memphis. Perfect for the young and young at heart, this elegantly whimsical Minnesota original shows us a true miracle—that if you open your heart, you can find home.
Performances:
March 21, 2020, 7:30pm
March 22, 2020, 2pm
March 26, 2020, 7:30pm
March 28, 2020, 7:30pm
March 29, 2020, 2pm
A disheveled bed, letters strewn across the floor, a woman pacing alone in her apartment, awaiting her lover's last call...
Francis Poulenc's compelling monologue The Human Voice (La voix humaine), based on the 1930 play by Jean Cocteau, tells the story of a relationship coming to its end and a couple's failure to communicate despite being surrounded by devices that are meant to bring us closer together.
Featuring mezzo-soprano and audience favorite Elise Quagliata (Dead Man Walking, A Little Night Music, As One, Flight) and Maestro David Neely at the piano, The Human Voice is one-act in length and will be sung in English with an updated translation by director Kristine McIntyre. The production will be offered for two performances only at Grand View University’s Viking Theatre.
Elise returns to Pensacola Opera for her 8th production with the company! She will revisit the role of Hannah after in Laura Kaminsky’s extremely popular and relevant opera, As One. Libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, who also created the beautiful projections.
As One is a chamber opera in which two voices—Hannah after (mezzo-soprano) and Hannah before (baritone)—share the part of a sole transgender protagonist. Fifteen songs comprise the three-part narrative; with empathy and humor, they trace Hannah’s experiences from her youth in a small town to her college years—and finally traveling alone to a different country, where she realizes some truths about herself.
"As One forces you to think, simultaneously challenging preconceptions and inspiring empathy."
—The New York Times
“A piece that haunts and challenges its audience with questions about identity, authenticity, compassion and the human desire for self-love and peace.”
—Opera News
Performances are November 1, November 2, and November 3.
The 25th Anniversary Season will culminate with a Gala on Thursday, October 10 at the Barnett on Washington. Guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres followed by a masterfully crafted gourmet meal with a special musical performance by three notable UAO alum: Kenneth Overton (Stephen Kumalo, Lost in the Stars), Elise Quagliata (Sister James, Doubt), and Marsha Thompson (Abigaille, Nabucco). The evening will be hosted by Kathy Lawton Brown of Classic 107.3, The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis.
Elise will be making her debut with Kentucky Opera this fall singing Carmen.
Iconic. Brave. Timeless. Carmen struggles to overcome her tragic circumstances. Featuring Bizet’s magnetic music, hear some of the most recognizable melodies in opera, including the “Habanera,” the “Seguidilla,” and the famous “Toreador Song.” Carmen is a heroine for the ages.
Featuring:
Dominic Armstrong, tenor
Richard Ollarsaba, baritone
Emily Albrink, soprano
Joseph Mechavich, conductor
Dan Wallace Miller, director
Elise will be performing an all Clara and Robert Schumann recital with Jesse Blumberg, baritone, Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet, and Pedja Muzijevic, piano at Union Hall on Saturday, August 17th at 5:30pm.
Also, Elise and Jesse will perform the acclaimed chamber opera, As One, at the Rockport Opera House for the grand finale of the Bay Chamber Concerts festival on Sunday, August 18th at 6:00pm.
Featuring the Maxwell String Quartet:
Colin Scobie, violin
George Smith, violin
Elliott Perks, viola
Duncan Strachan, cello
Alexandra Enyart, conductor
