Opera Theater of Pittsburgh

Mildred Miller Posvar, founder
Main Performance Venue: The Twentieth Century Club
Beggar's Holiday
Brundibar
Die Fledermaus
Porgy & Bess
Djamileh
Gianni Schicchi
Prima La Musica

Opera Theater of Pittsburgh is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh's university and museum district. Opera Theater of Pittsburgh performs at The Twentieth Century Club in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and at non-traditional venues around the city.

Opera Theater of Pittsburgh (OTP) was established in 1978 by the noted opera star Mildred Miller Posvar and Helen Knox. Its current artistic director, Jonathan Eaton, joined the company in 1999.

In 2012, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh reinvented itself as a summer festival presenting staged operas, musicals, recitals, and cabaret.[1]

Activities

Past initiatives have included a Fusion Festival of American-Asian works at the Andy Warhol Museum which included the world premiere of RedDust, a multi-media opera by Mathew Rosenblum and The Sound of a Voice by Philip Glass and David Henry Hwang. Other major initiatives have included the Pittsburgh Ring, two complete cycles of Wagner's great operas in collaboration with Long Beach Opera using Jonathan Dove's reorchestration. Recent American operas include Just Above My Head, a world premiere jazz opera by Pittsburgher Nathan Davis. Operatic versions of classics American plays have included Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke, William Bolcom's A View From the Bridge and Regina, an operatic version of The Little Foxes by Marc Blitzstein.

Aside from forays in the traditional repertory, OTP has sought to present a number of modern masterpieces which are not regularly included on standard programs: Lost in the Stars, The Emperor of Atlantis, Bluebeard's Castle, Brundibar, Der Jasager, and the English language premiere of Weill's Die Bürgschaft.

Most recently it has initiated a "Salon Series" devoted to shorter works performed in unusual spaces, such as Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, performed in a church converted into an art gallery; Bizet's Djamileh, presented in a Persian Carpet Emporium; Thomas Pasatieri's La Divina, and Salieri's Prima la Musica, e Poi le Parole, performed in Pittsburgh's own version of the Petit Trianon Palace.

Jonathan Eaton, Opera Theater's current General and Artistic director, joined the company in 1999. An internationally renowned stage director, Eaton continues Opera Theater's mission.

The Mildred Miller International Voice Competition

Opera Theater annually hosts the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition in honor of its founder, Mildred Miller Posvar. The event, held in Pittsburgh, is a search for America's best singers. Young professionals aged 18–35 are eligible to compete for cash prizes and solo roles in the company's SummerFest. Past competition winners include Juan José de Leon, Andrey Nemzer, and Elizabeth Baldwin.

Opera Theater previously celebrated annually The Millie Awards. The purpose was to reflect several diverse aspects of Mildred Miller's distinguished career - singing, acting, community service and education. The "Millies", as they are affectionately called, recognize and show appreciation for high accomplishments in the performing arts, honoring those individuals whose support has been instrumental in the success of Opera Theater.

Community outreach

Opera Theater's educational outreach is of primary importance. Working directly with schools as well as in partnership with such educational groups as Gateway to the Arts, OTP has taken opera to more than 500,000 school children. In addition, it actively seeks opportunities to include students in productions, exceeding state standards for direct arts experiences and creating partnerships with the communities and the families for which it performs.

Record of Repertory

[2] SummerFest 2015 - July 10–August 2, 2015


[3] SummerFest 2014 - July 10–27, 2014

[4] SummerFest 2013 - July 6–21, 2013

SummerFest 2012

2010-2011

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

1998-1999

1997-1998

1996-1997

1995-1996

1994-1995

1993-1994

1992-1993

1991-1992

1990-1991

1989-1990

1988-1989

1988

1987

1986

1985

1984

1982

1981

1979

1978

References

  1. ↑ http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-a-entertainment/classical-musings/28881-opera-theater-to-be-a-summer-festival
  2. ↑ http://www.otsummerfest.org
  3. ↑ http://www.otsummerfest.org
  4. ↑ http://www.otsummerfest.org
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