Whistler House Museum of Art

Last night we presented an abbreviated version of our Carnevale di Venezia program at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell.  The audience was wonderful and we all had a great time singing Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Rossini, and Gilbert & Sullivan.  The theme of the gala was Venice, so our songs were perfect for evening.

It isn't often that people have a chance to hear this kind of music outside of a big city concert hall. Our mission is to expose our audience to music that isn't readily available to them.  It is gratifying to see people's eye light up when they hear the music and to tell us afterwards that they didn't think they would like "opera," but they found it it was actually enjoyable (we like these back-handed compliments)!

The Venetian program has been very successful, but now we are on to our spring program of love songs.  This time around the program will be in English, except for one aria in Italian.  We look forward to this "quiver full" of new songs.

Our thanks to Michael Lally, Director of the Whistler House Museum of Art, for inviting us to sing and also to All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chelmsford for giving us our home.

Onward and upward

Cupid's Arrow: A Quiver Full of Love Songs

Illumination Opera Presents... 

Cupid's Arrow: A Quiver Full of Love Songs.  

Songs from the 17th century to the 21st.  Fanciful songs, songs of longing, comic songs, we will have it all.  Cupid will be making his mischievous appearance throughout the program.

The concert is once again free, although donations will be gladly accepted!

All Saints' Episcopal Church

1o Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA

June 20, 7 pm.

Love Therapy

Carnevale di Venezia has been very successful.  All Saints' Church is a great host as well as a great venue.  Our next program will be "Love Therapy" on June 20th.  It will be about love, good and bad.  We will post more about the program as it develops.

Carnevale di Venezia II

Our first performance of Carnevale di Venezia was a great success.  Audience members really did come in masks!  We are repeating the program this Friday night at 7:00 pm at United Methodist Church of Westford, 10 Church Street, Westford, Massachusetts.  The program length is just right, about 65 minutes.  There is a mix of solos and duets with opening and closing songs sung by the Company.  Please join us! 

CARNEVALE DI VENEZIA!

Revelry and Song...

Join the Illumination Opera Company in an evening of Venetian inspired music from Monteverdi to Rossini to Gilbert & Sullivan.

The audience is invited to come in masque to add to the festivities.

Saturday, February 21, 7:00 pm

All Saints' Episcopal Church

10 Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA 01824

Free parking on site and across the street

No tickets, but donations gratefully accepted to support community opera

Entering Our Second Year!

Happy New Year to our patrons, our audience, and all our musical friends.  We are indebted to all of you.

As I have said before, we are so happy that we completed our first production and we actually broke even.  This would not have been possible without the generous grants we received.  Many other producers have said it is truly amazing to break even the first time; however we are ambitious.  Our unmet goal was actually to raise funds for our next production through ticket sales, but that was probably too ambitious.  This just means rolling up of the proverbial sleeves and getting started on raising money for the next full production which is slated for February 2010.

There is much to look forward to in the coming year.  Change is coming and we will keep our eyes on our goal to bring opera to our wonderful community.

Onward and upward!

WE DID IT!

Illumination Opera proudly presented Hansel and Gretel on December 6 and 7, 2008!   The Opera Gods were with us to extent that we just missed the ice storm that hit us the following week knocking out power for hundreds of thousands homes.  

I still think it was insane to put together this production on such a short rehearsal schedule, but we did.  We only rehearsed once a week (that is all we could afford), blocking an act each week, then running the first two acts once and the third act once.  We then had three shots at running the whole thing plus one tech and one dress.  

How I wish we had a sitz probe.  Maybe next time.

For all the difficulties, it was worth all the effort.  My favorite comment was from the mother of one of the little boys in the chorus.   She told me he said, "Now that the opera is over, what do I have to look forward to?"  His mother had to remind him about Christmas!!!!!  An opera convert!

We were prepared for lots of rustling around in audience considering it was filled with little children.  However, we were happily surprised because they were riveted.  Not a peep from anyone.  At the end we came out into the house and little children wanted to touch us and asked to see the oven and the ginger witch.  They loved the Angels.  It was fun explaining why I was playing a boy.  We were all so very happy.

Long live opera!