Michael Mayes, host of the hilarious Texapolitan Opera podcast, will be singing Papageno at the Michigan Opera Theater. Performances will run from April 9-17 and tickets and additional cast information can be found HERE. Here is a brief video of Mayes explaining why The Magic Flute is a great opera for kids (while wearing skulls on his cowboy shirt!). We told you that he's funny.
Here is the famous version of Ileana Cotrubas and Christian Boesch singing the duet for Papageno and Papageno.
By the way, David DiChiera, who runs the Michigan Opera Theater and who is also a composer, will have his opera "Cyrano" performed at the Florida Grand Opera with baritone Marian Pop. Click HERE for additional information and to listen to audio clips. Here is a video of the Act 2 quintet.
We spent a good deal of time covering the Isaac Mizrahi production of "A Little Night Music" in St. Louis in some recent posts. We featured Chris Herbert pretty prominently, but also mentioned that Aaron Agulay and Lee Gregory were in the cast. Lee Gregory is married to the supremely gifted soprano Kelly Kaduce Gregory and we've just learned that the couple will be performing together again.
Lee Gregory will be singing Shaunard in La Boheme with Kelly Kaduce Gregory as Mimi from November 13-21 at the Michigan Opera Theater. This is the same company that brought us the U.S. debut of Barihunks favorite Randal Turner, so they hold a special place in our hearts.
We also feel compelled to bestow some praise on Michigan Opera Theater general director David DiChiera, who has kept opera running in a city that has faced some severe economic challenges. It was recently announced that DiChiera was selected as one of the recipients of the 2010 National Endowment for the Arts’ Opera Honors for his lifetime contribution to opera. The other recipients are Martina Arroyo, Eve Queler, and Philip Glass.
This site would like to offer a special CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. DiChiera.
