Chattanooga Pulse

After a one-year hiatus, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera announced two events that will bring opera back to the CSO line-up. The CSO will present the internationally acclaimed The Opera Show for one performance on February 6, 2010 as a benefit to raise funds for the new CSO Opera Fund.

In addition to The Opera Show, the CSO is announcing a collaboration with the Chattanooga Ballet and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre to present Amahl and the Night Visitors annually, beginning in November 2010.

“The Opera Show is an amazing production featuring 4 singers, 5 dancers, and 8 costumed musicians. This touring production looks like opera’s greatest hits meets Cirque de Soleil”, said CSO Executive Director Molly Sasse. “It has incredibly elaborate costumes and staging and includes about 30 of everyone’s favorite arias.”

Attendees will experience an exclusive evening of costumes, dance, staging, and arias arranged throughout three acts. Highlights include Nessun Dorma, Queen of the Night, La Donne e Mobile, the Toreador Song and many more.

“We are presenting The Opera Show as a benefit to raise funds for new CSO Opera Fund,” said Ms. Sasse. “Half of the ticket price is a tax-deductible donation to the new fund. We realized during this past year that we could not afford to present opera in the manner which we had done for so many years without a substantial reserve before we even began to plan another production. Our goal is to raise $100,000 so that we can announce our next grand opera production. The Opera Show looked to us like a great vehicle to start the new CSO Opera Fund.”

The Opera Show will be preceded by a dinner celebrating opera’s great past in Chattanooga. Limited premium ticket and dinner packages are available. Ticket prices will range from $50 to $500.

In addition to The Opera Show, the CSO is working with Chattanooga Ballet and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre to create and stage an annual production of Giancarlo Menotti’s opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. Originally written for television in 1951, Amahl tells the story of the Three Wise Men who stop by a poor crippled boy’s home on their way to Bethlehem. The Chattanooga Theatre Centre will design the sets and costumes and provide stage direction for the production, while Chattanooga Ballet will choreograph and provide dancers for the shepherds’ dance.

“A local foundation has offered support for sets and costumes, so we feel very confident that we can mount this production locally in a fiscally responsible manner and bring our city a wonderful holiday treat. We’ll be offering public performances as well as daytime performances for school groups.”

CSO Music Director Robert Bernhardt, who has directed opera production in Chattanooga for the past sixteen years, expressed his pleasure in the upcoming productions.

“I have had an ever-increasing love affair with opera, and being involved in the production and performance of it has been enriching in every way,” states Maestro Robert Bernhardt. ”As you can imagine, bringing Opera back to the Tivoli has been a top priority for me and the staff of the CSO in these past several months. We have great plans for the future, but realize that the return must be financially viable, and most likely, gradual.”

“Our production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, a broad and wonderful collaboration with our Arts partners in Chattanooga, is another step in the inevitable and essential revival of Opera here, and I am delighted that we are beginning our journey back with such a beautiful and meaningful work. I’ve admired and loved Amahl and the Night Visitors for 30 years,” states Maestro Bernhardt. “Menotti’s masterpiece is a perfect gem, musically beautiful, challenging in performance, and overwhelmingly emotional and gratifying for the audience, and for all of us involved, for that matter. It’s also ideal as a first opera for children or adults. Its story is as affecting and fresh as it was 50 years ago, timeless in its message and direct in its musical language.”

Chattanooga Ballet General Director Bob Willie commented on the upcoming collaboration. “Chattanooga Ballet has a rich history of collaboration with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. Opera is the most complex and most beautiful of the performing arts forms as it encompasses symphonic music, voice, dance, and theatre,” said Mr. Willie. “We are honored to play a part in this collaborative effort between three of Chattanooga’s premiere arts organizations to keep professional opera a vibrant and integral part of the cultural offerings our community.”

“Since the decision was made by our board one year ago to suspend opera productions for the current season, we’ve been exploring lots of options to bring opera back to the CSO stage,” said CSO Executive Director Molly Sasse. Over the past year, opera patrons have come together to share possible solutions to keeping opera alive and well in Chattanooga. From collaborations with regional opera companies to the Opera in Cinema series at the Rave movie theatre, many possible solutions to keeping opera in Chattanooga have been explored.

“We had never raised funds just for opera since the merger of the Chattanooga Symphony and Chattanooga Opera in 1985. But the gap between what opera costs and what we can raise from ticket sales, even with sell-outs and top ticket prices of $87.00, is about $100,000. That’s why we’re launching the Opera Fund—when we raise that much, we’ll put on another grand opera. Meanwhile, we’re very excited about working with our partners to produce Amahl. We believe it’s going to be a great addition to the holiday line-up.”

“Opera has been an important part of Chattanooga’s rich arts heritage for many years,” states Dan Bowers, Allied Arts President. “It is unusual for a community our size to be able to sustain opera. I commend the CSO for their efforts to continue this wonderful Chattanooga tradition. Their thoughtful leadership is important to the future of opera in Chattanooga and to our entire arts community.”

“The CSO board debated at some length last year before we made the decision to postpone opera production for the current season while we explored new options to make opera more viable financially,” states CSO Board President, Susan Rich. “I’m happy to report that this time off from production is resulting in some truly innovative approaches to opera—especially the collaboration with Chattanooga Ballet and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.”

CSO Mission The CSO produces a variety of exemplary live musical performances of symphony, opera and pops for a variety of audiences: orchestral music lovers as well as non-traditional and emerging audiences, including school students. In so doing, the CSO contributes to the education of our children, supports the regional economy, reinforces the cultural fabric of the community and enhances our overall quality of life.