Welcome to Opera Guild of Rochester
Formerly known as The Guild of Mercury Opera Rochester, Inc., the newly-titled Opera Guild of Rochester, Inc. will continue to present the programs that the Guild has been sponsoring in recent years: free opera lectures at local libraries; tours to productions of leading local opera companies and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City; and our popular Beat-the-Blahs — The Haskell Rosenberg Memorial Series atTemple B'rith Kodesh in January 2014.
In July 2013, we took a bus trip to the Glimmerglass Opera Festival to see a production of Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman). Our Fall Tour to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City has just been announced!
On May 18th, 2014, we will enterain our donors with our annual opera recital at the Rochester Academy of Medicine. The May recital will feature mezzo-soprano Jessica Best accompanied by Linda Boianova.
You will find links to regional opera companies and local music organizations with their exciting programs, as well as the Metropolitan Opera's schedule of HD telecasts in local movie theatres. Click here to view the MET in HD's exciting 2013-14 schedule!
Perhaps the most exciting feature of our website is the ability to view production photos, cast photos and bios, programs, and reviews of Mercury Opera Rochester's six seasons. Click here to view the history of Mercury Opera Rochester and re-live your favorite moments at the opera.
Visit our website often to stay in touch with opera events in Rochester and Western New York State.
Dear Opera Lovers,
Please consider the Opera Guild of Rochester among your charitable organizations of 2013. Enjoy our free Lecture/Listening series, which you can download free from the web site’s Reading Room, our ‘Beat-the-Blahs’ opera program at Temple B’rith Kodesh, and opera trips to regional opera companies including the Glimmerglass Festival.
Donations to the Opera Guild of Rochester are fully tax deductible. Donors receive an invitation to our annual recital, a gift to our donors, which will be held on May 19th, 2014. Click here for information on how to make your gift.
Opera Guild of Rochester Volunteer Dinner Celebration Held on October 27, 2013
On October 27, 2013 Opera Guild of Rochester volunteers gathered with Carol Crocca, Vice-President of Development at Agneta Borgstedt’s house to celebrate their loyal service to promote opera in Rochester and the Western New York region with an Italian home cooked dinner. Carol and Agneta were particularly happy to say thank you to them and our oldest standing opera volunteer Joe Heintzman for all the help they have given us for so many years. The pictures below were taken by volunteer Elisabeth Beumer.
Left to right - Joe Heintzman, Joan Schultz, June Stornelli, Carol Crocca, Ezio and Lillian Bonanni, Joe Manzini, Rosalie Di Pasquale.
Left to right - Lillian Bonanni, Joe Manzini, Rosalie Di Pasquale, Agneta Borgstedt, Joe Heintzman, Joan Schultz.
Eastman Opera Theatre Presents Handel's "Serse"
Eastman Opera Theatre brings Handel's Serse (Xerxes) to life in a production that features musical direction by world renowned lutenist, Paul Odette (pictured right) with stage direction by Steven Daigle.
Serse will run for four performances on January 30, 31 and February 1 at 7:30 and February 2 at 2:00 PM in the Studio 804, Annex at the Eastman School of Music. A pre-performance lecture will be given one hour prior to each performance.
Serse (Xerxes) is not only Handel’s only comic opera, as it has sometimes been described, but it is the finest of his operas with comical or satirical elements and shows the greatest deviation from the standard forms of opera seria. Most of the arias are short, and about half are through-composed, without da capo. In many scenes the music is precisely molded to the action in a manner which seems prophetically modern.
Though other Handel operas may contain greater music, Serse is one of the composer’s most consistently satisfying scores, moving sure-footedly between farce and tragedy and always responding with insight to the emotions of its very human characters.
Tickets sold through the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office located at 433 East Main Street, Rochester NY.
Telephone: (585) 454-2100
Royal Opera House Announces Digital Theatre
Robert Hugill reports in his review in Opera Today that the first six Royal Opera House productions (four operas and two ballets) will be available on-line as part of Digital Theatre Collections. Digital Theatre (www.digitaltheatre.com/browse/royal-opera-house-collection) is an online platform which offers good quality theatrical performances in a variety of digital formats, on-line streaming, download, iPhone apps, a dedicated channel on the YouViewTalkTalk player and on desktop.
The first four operas available are David McVicar’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Erwin Schrott and Miah Persson, conducted by Antonio Pappano, John Copley’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème with Teodor Ilincai and Hibla Gerzmava, Kasper Holten’s 2013 production of Eugene Onegin with Krassimira Stoyanova and Simon Keenlyside and Richard Ayre’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata with Renee Fleming, Joseph Calleja and Thomas Hampson.
