Nashville Opera Association

The Nashville Opera Association is a professional opera company in Nashville, Tennessee and is a member of OPERA America.[1] The company currently offers four fully staged opera productions and an educational outreach program during an annual season which runs from October through April. Performances are offered at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Downtown Nashville and the Noah Liff Opera Center in the Sylvan Heights section of West Nashville. Designed by architect Earl Swensson, the 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) Noah Liff Opera Center houses the company's executive offices, conference facilities, and a rehearsal studio.

Nashville Opera
Noah Liff Opera Center in Nashville
Background information
OriginNashville, Tennessee, United States
GenresOpera
Occupation(s)Opera Company
Years active1981-present
WebsiteNashville Opera Web Site
MembersGeneral and Artistic Director
John Hoomes
Past membersFounder
Mary Cortner Ragland
Thor Johnson
Former Chief Executive Officer
Carol Penterman

History

The Nashville Opera Guild was chartered in 1981 under the direction of Mary Cortner Ragland. They produced their first opera, Madama Butterfly, in the same year. In 1987, the Nashville Opera Guild transferred its charter to the Nashville Opera Association. Two years later, they hired their first permanent director, Kyle Ridout, whose tenure lasted five years. In 1995, the former General Director Carol Penterman (through 2012) and current Artistic Director John Hoomes joined the Nashville Opera.[2] The Nashville Opera merged with the Tennessee Opera Theater in 1997, increasing production from one or two to four operas per season. In April 2009 the Nashville Opera's new facility, the Noah Liff Opera Center, had its grand opening.

John Hoomes joined Nashville Opera in 1995 as the Artistic Director, and was named CEO and Artistic Director in 2012. As a freelance stage director, he has directed over 200 productions of opera and music theatre in the US, South America, and Canada.  The New York Times declared his Nashville Opera world premiere of Elmer Gantry “An Operatic Miracle...in Nashville.”  A June 2010 Opera News feature article acknowledged, “Hoomes has proved himself one of the most interesting stage directors in the regional market today with a seemingly limitless knowledge of repertoire.”

Since receiving his master's degree from Indiana University, he has worked for many professional opera companies including New York City Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Teatro Colón, Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Lake George Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera, The Florentine Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Opera New Jersey, The Opera Company of North Carolina, Pensacola Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Memphis, Arizona Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Cleveland, Opera Columbus, and Sarasota Opera.

Mr. Hoomes has directed a wide variety of opera productions including: Tosca, Andréa Chenier, La Bohème, Carmen, Die FLedermaus, Der Rosenkavalier, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, La Fanciulla del West, Salome, Don Giovanni, Ernani, Jenufa, Otello, Aïda, and Turandot.

In fall 2009 Mr. Hoomes directed the Tennessee premiere of The Fall of the House of Usher by composer Philip Glass, a state of the art, multi-media production which involved ground-breaking, immersion video techniques. This innovative production was critically acclaimed both by the Wall Street Journal and Opera News.

Mr. Hoomes staged the world premieres of Robert Aldridge's Elmer Gantry, as well as a second new production of the same work for Florentine Opera (recorded on Naxos Records and winner of 2 Grammys; also named the #1 opera CD release by Opera News), and the world premiere of songwriter Marcus Hummon's chamber opera, Surrender Road at Martha Rivers Ingram Hall in Nashville.

Hoomes also directed the “Southeastern professional premiere” of five contemporary pieces:  Poulenc's La Voix Humaine and Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Lighthouse, David Lang's The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, Romulus Hunt by Carly Simon, Michael Nyman's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and an acclaimed production of Daniel Catán's opera Florencia en el Amazonas.  Mr. Hoomes later remounted Nashville Opera's production of Florencia en el Amazonas for the New York City Opera in the Rose Theatre at Lincoln Center.

In January 2017, he staged Nashville Opera's third world premiere, THREE WAY, by Robert Paterson and David Cote. Nashville Opera's world premiere production of Three Way was then remounted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in June 2017 in collaboration with American Opera Projects.

World Premieres
  • The NOA premiered Surrender Road by Grammy Award winning songwriter Marcus Hummon in 2004. A documentary, The Making of Surrender Road, was filmed in association with this production.
  • In November 2007 the Opera produced its second world premiere Elmer Gantry by composer Robert Aldridge and librettist Herschel Garfein.
  • In 2008, Nashville Opera's education program premiered The Ugly Duckling by Andrew Duncan. The 45-minute opera is a musical adaptation of the classic children's story and includes familiar components from other classic tales.
  • In January 2017, Nashville Opera staged its third MainStage world premiere, THREE WAY, by Robert Paterson and David Cote. Nashville Opera's world premiere production of Three Way was then remounted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in June 2017 in collaboration with American Opera Projects.
  • In spring 2018, Nashville opera's education program premiered The Enchanted Forest by Anna Young.
  • In spring 2019, Nashville Opera's education program premiered Abrazo de Oso/Bear Hug by Anna Young.

Repertory

1980-81

1982-83

  • Tosca Puccini

1983-84

1984-85

1985-86

1986-87

  • La Bohème Puccini

1987-88

  • Il trovatore Verdi

1988-89

1989-90

1990-91

  • Rigoletto Verdi

1991-92

1992-93

  • The Barber of Seville Rossini
  • Madama Butterfly Puccini

1993-94

  • Tosca Puccini

1994-95

  • Don Pasquale Donizetti
  • Die Fledermaus Strauss

1995-96

  • La traviata Verdi
  • Stand-Up Opera Ward
  • The Magic Flute Mozart

1996-97

  • La Bohème Puccini
  • Operetta Cabaret
  • The Elixir of Love Donizetti

1997-98

  • Aïda Verdi
  • The Turn of the Screw Britten
  • La Cenerentola Rossini
  • Trouble in Tahiti Bernstein
  • Gianni Schicchi Puccini

1998-99

  • Carmen Bizet
  • H.M.S. Pinafore Sullivan
  • Così fan tutte Mozart
  • Der Rosenkavalier Strauss

1999-00

  • Madama Butterfly Puccini
  • Susannah Floyd
  • The Magic Flute Mozart
  • The Flying Dutchman Wagner

2000-01

  • Don Giovanni Mozart
  • The Mikado Sullivan
  • Regina Blitzstein
  • Otello Verdi

2001-02

  • Turandot Puccini
  • Hansel and Gretel Humperdinck
  • The Pearl Fishers Bizet
  • Rigoletto Verdi

2002-03

  • The Barber of Seville Rossini
  • La traviata Verdi
  • Porgy and Bess Gershwin
  • La Bohème Puccini

2003-04

  • Tosca Puccini
  • Pagliacci Leoncavallo
  • The Pirates of Penzance Sullivan
  • Salome Strauss

2004-05

  • Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti
  • La Voix Humaine Poulenc
  • The Lighthouse Davies
  • Die Fledermaus Strauss
  • Carmen Bizet

2005-06

  • Faust Gounod
  • Surrender Road Hummon
  • Iolanthe Sullivan
  • Turandot Puccini

2006-07

  • Aïda Verdi
  • Amahl and the Night Visitors Menotti
  • Les Enfants et les Sortilèges Ravel
  • Romeo and Juliet Gounod
  • Madama Butterfly Puccini

2007-08

2008-09

  • Don Giovanni Mozart
  • The Student Prince Romberg
  • Amahl and the Night Visitors Menotti
  • La Bohème Puccini

2009-10

  • Tosca Puccini
  • The Fall of the House of Usher Glass
  • Rigoletto Verdi

2010-11

  • Andrea Chénier Giordano
  • Hansel and Gretel Humperdinck
  • The Marriage of Figaro Mozart
  • Carmen Bizet

2011-12

  • La Traviata Verdi
  • I Pagliacci Leoncavallo
  • The Girl of the Golden West (La Fanciulla del West)" Puccini

2012-13

  • Madame Butterfly Puccini
  • The Difficulty of Crossing a Field Lang
  • Cinderella Rossini
  • The Magic Flute Mozart

2013-14

  • The Pearl Fishers Bizet
  • The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat Nyman
  • The Barber of Seville Rossini
  • Otello Verdi

2014-15

  • La Boheme Puccini
  • Romulus Hunt Simon
  • Florencia en el Amazonas Catan
  • The Pirates of Penzance Gilbert & Sullivan

2015-16

  • Turandot Puccini
  • Hydrogen Jukebox Glass
  • Così fan tutte Mozart
  • Die Fledermaus Johann Strauss

2016-17

  • Don Giovanni Mozart
  • Glory Denied Tom Cipullo
  • Three Way Robert Paterson
  • Carmen Bizet

References
  1. Archived 2010-10-07 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Archived 2010-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
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