Nashville Opera Association

Nashville Opera
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Opera
Occupations	Opera Company
Years active	1981-present
Website	Nashville Opera Web Site
Members
Executive Director Carol Penterman Artistic Director John Hoomes
Past members
Founder Mary Cortner Ragland Thor Johnson

The Nashville Opera Association is a professional opera company in Nashville, Tennessee and is a member of OPERA America.^[1] The company currently offers three fully staged opera productions and the On Tour 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 award-winning Noah Liff Opera Center in the Sylvan Heights section of West Nashville. Designed by renowned 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 state-of-the-art rehearsal studio. The center was designed to accommodate small theatrical performances and special event rentals. Nashville Opera's mission statement is "make a difference by creating legendary productions and programs and providing exceptional service."

Nashville Opera is managed by Carol Penterman, Executive Director and CEO. Prior to being selected by Nashville Opera's Board of Directors to lead the company in 1995, Ms. Penterman was recognized throughout the industry for her creativity and business acumen. Classically-trained at the prestigious Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Ms. Penterman elected to pursue opportunities in stage and executive opera management. Since assuming her duties at Nashville Opera, the company's annual revenues have grown from less than $500,000 in 1994 to more than $2.4 million today. In addition to serving numerous local civic organizations, Ms. Penterman was recently elected Treasurer of OPERA America's Board of Directors.

John Hoomes joined Nashville Opera in 1995 as the Artistic Director, the same year that Carol Penterman was named Executive Director. Mr. Hoomes received his Masters Degree from Indiana Univiversity with a concentration in directing and has become recognized as an expert in the field of opera and musical theater. He has gained a solid reputation for staging thought-provoking interpretations, and for possessing the artistic vision to bring new works to the stage. In 2005, Mr. Hoomes collaborated with GRAMMY-Award winning songwriter Marcus Hummon on Nashville Opera's first world-premiere, Surrender Road. Two years later he directed the world-premiere of composer Robert Aldridge's Elmer Gantry, an operatic adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' groundbreaking novel. Mr. Hoomes has directed over 75 productions of opera and musical theater in his career, including nearly every Nashville Opera production since 1995. As a freelance director, he works with companies throughout North America such as Arizona Opera, Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Glimmerglass Opera, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Indianapolis Opera, Opera New Jersey and Pittsburgh Opera.

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. Three years later, they hired their first permanent director, Kyle Ridout, whose tenure lasted four years. In 1995, the current General Director Carol Penterman and current Artistic Directory John Hoomes joined the Nashville Opera.^[2] The Nashville Opera merged with the Tennessee Opera Theater in 1997, increasing production to 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.^[3]

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 to rave critical reviews. The NOA and Elmer Gantry were subsequently featured on the cover of the Sunday Arts & Entertainment section of the New York Times.

• Nashville Opera On Tour premiered The Ugly Duckling by Andrew Duncan in 2008. The 45 minute opera is a musical adaptation of the classic children’s story and includes familiar components from other classic tales. Written for school-age children, the message of the work is that standing out and being different is not necessarily a bad thing.

Repertory

1980-81

• Madama Butterfly Puccini

1982-83

• Tosca Puccini

1983-84

• La traviata Verdi

1984-85

• Cavalleria rusticana Mascagni
• Pagliacci Leoncavallo

1985-86

• The Barber of Seville Rossini

1986-87

• La Bohème Puccini

1987-88

• Il trovatore Verdi

1988-89

• The Mikado Sullivan

1989-90

• Lucia di Lammermoor Donizetti

1990-91

• Rigoletto Verdi

1991-92

• Carmen Bizet
• Carousel Rodgers

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 Marc 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 Marcus 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

• Samson and Delilah Saint-Saëns
• Elmer Gantry Aldridge
• H.M.S. Pinafore Sullivan
• Il trovatore Verdi

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

References

1. ^ http://www.operaamerica.org/applications/membership/company.aspx?loc=3099
2. ^ http://nashvilleopera.org/Nashville_Opera/Leadership.html
3. ^ http://nashvilleopera.org/Nashville_Opera/History.html

External links

• Nashville Opera Nashville Opera Official Site
• New York Times New York Times 2008 Article Review
• Broadway World Rigoletto
• Twitter Nashville Opera page
• Facebook Nashville Opera page
• YouTube Nashville Opera Channel

Persondata
Name	Association, Nashville Opera
Alternative names	Nashville Opera
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death