Although this year has been a challenge for all of us, we've kept the Microbrewey for Opera open, with two productions this past October: first we unveiled our brand new video opera "Orsa ibernata", and then we enchanted the Danceworks parking lot with an art song/dance extravaganza!
And later this season, we'll debut two new music theater pieces by Wisconsin composer Matt Zembrowski and local violin/cello duo SistaStrings; and this spring, we'll premiere a newly commissioned English translation of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.
And later this season, we'll debut two new music theater pieces by Wisconsin composer Matt Zembrowski and local violin/cello duo SistaStrings; and this spring, we'll premiere a newly commissioned English translation of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.
We'll always find a way to make opera happen! But we can't do it without your help: your support allows us to continue to produce the local, lyric theater you've come to know and love, and expand the boundaries of what opera in the Age of Coronavirus can be.
Your support is greatly appreciated!
The Reviews Are In!
"A riveting portrait of a woman in emotional turmoil..." ~Terry Blain, Star Tribune
"A minimalist emotional journey of hauntingly moody simplicity...True to some of MOT’s strongest work, "Orsa ibernata" beautifully asserts its emotions vividly in song and drama." ~Russ Bickerstaff, The Small Stage
"From the moment composer-soprano Elizabeth Blood begins intoning “brambles and weeds” with a trilled R,
the listeners know they have entered sacred space..." ~Karren Alenier, The Dressing
"A weird phantasmagoric piece, as [composer/performer Elizabeth Blood] plays a woman who's lost her love...
Under Brylow's Green Mansions direction and Christal Wagner's silky, vine-laden videography, it's a real dream opera."
~D. L. Groover, Houston Press
"The greenery and close-up images of gnarly forest details enhance the mood, a blend of sorrow and suspense...
a viewer has plenty of time to linger on the sound of Blood's voice or what danger she is heading toward."
" ~Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"A minimalist emotional journey of hauntingly moody simplicity...True to some of MOT’s strongest work, "Orsa ibernata" beautifully asserts its emotions vividly in song and drama." ~Russ Bickerstaff, The Small Stage
"From the moment composer-soprano Elizabeth Blood begins intoning “brambles and weeds” with a trilled R,
the listeners know they have entered sacred space..." ~Karren Alenier, The Dressing
"A weird phantasmagoric piece, as [composer/performer Elizabeth Blood] plays a woman who's lost her love...
Under Brylow's Green Mansions direction and Christal Wagner's silky, vine-laden videography, it's a real dream opera."
~D. L. Groover, Houston Press
"The greenery and close-up images of gnarly forest details enhance the mood, a blend of sorrow and suspense...
a viewer has plenty of time to linger on the sound of Blood's voice or what danger she is heading toward."
" ~Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
And check out our interview with Jaimelyn Gray of "You've Got a Thing!"
If you missed the Decameron Opera Coalition's inaugural production, you're in luck!
All four installments are available to stream from now until the end of the year!
All four installments are available to stream from now until the end of the year!
Tickets still available!
All tickets: $15
One ticket gives you access to all four episodes!
When ordering, make sure to select Milwaukee Opera Theatre in the "Company designation" field.
Once your ticket has been purchased, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to the Decameron Opera Coalition's streaming platform.
Watch the "Afterparty" segments for a Q&A session with the artists!
When ordering, make sure to select Milwaukee Opera Theatre in the "Company designation" field.
Once your ticket has been purchased, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to the Decameron Opera Coalition's streaming platform.
Watch the "Afterparty" segments for a Q&A session with the artists!
In July, we were offered the opportunity to join a coalition of opera companies from around the country to create a multi-part opera, with each part based on a story from Boccaccio's Decameron. Each company in the coalition would commission a
ten-minute video opera to comprise a "chapter" of the larger piece, and composer/librettist team Matt Boresi and Peter Hilliard
would create a framework that tied the whole thing together.
With a deadline of October, the goal of producing, writing, composing, filming, editing, and releasing our segment seemed positively Herculean! But since we can't say no to a juicy project, here we are three months later with a brand-spankin' new video opera to share "Orsa ibernata" ("Hibernating bear"), with music and performance by local composer Elizabeth Blood, libretto and direction by MOT Company Manager Danny Brylow, and videography by regular MOT performer Christal Wagner.
ten-minute video opera to comprise a "chapter" of the larger piece, and composer/librettist team Matt Boresi and Peter Hilliard
would create a framework that tied the whole thing together.
With a deadline of October, the goal of producing, writing, composing, filming, editing, and releasing our segment seemed positively Herculean! But since we can't say no to a juicy project, here we are three months later with a brand-spankin' new video opera to share "Orsa ibernata" ("Hibernating bear"), with music and performance by local composer Elizabeth Blood, libretto and direction by MOT Company Manager Danny Brylow, and videography by regular MOT performer Christal Wagner.
Photo Credits: Christal Wagner, Jason Fassl, Jill Anna Ponasik
Meet the Team!
Elizabeth Blood (Composer/Soprano)
earned a degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While she mainly stays within the classical realm, Elizabeth's curiosity leads her to do many unique artistic projects, from singing rock opera in the premiere of a 3D play (Fruition of a Delusion), to singing a cappella as the soundtrack for live dance (DanceCircus), to singing at festivals for social activism and fundraising (FemFest). Elizabeth has been honored to premiere works by many composers, including Amanda Schoofs, Sam Mullooly, Jonathan Smith, Tom Ford, and Alaric Coussons. In Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s production of Utterance, which premiered last Fall, Schoofs (composer of Eternal Burning) said Elizabeth's exploration of extended vocal techniques and improvisation "shaped the role of Volition." Now in the capacity of performer and composer, Elizabeth warmly anticipates personal and artistic growth in collaboration with MOT as part of the Decameron Opera Coalition. |
Danny Brylow (Librettist/Director) has contributed to the burgeoning field of contemporary opera and new music-theater as a stage director, performer, translator, and arts administrator. He has participated in the premiere of several new operas, including
Judgment of Midas (Ince), Kocho (Fisher), Río de Sangre (Davis), Border Towns (Brooke), and Time and Motion Study (Brooke). As a translator, his English-language adaptations of Don Giovanni (co-written with singer Tim Rebers), Der Ring des Nibelungen, Die Zauberflöte, and Les contes d’Hoffmann have been performed by MOT, Skylight Music Theatre, and Arbor Opera Theater. In 2019, Danny served as Production Dramaturg on a fully staged Carmina Burana and directed the world premiere of Amanda Schoofs’s Eternal Burning as part of Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s Utterance. Danny is a graduate of Bennington College and the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute and has served as Company Manager of Milwaukee Opera Theatre since 2015. |
Christal Wagner (Videographer/Editor)
holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also spent 6 years as an adjunct faculty. She is a mover, choreographer, photographer, videographer, film maker, and performer all throughout the Milwaukee area, and has been a member of Danceworks Performance Company since 2007. In 2012, she co-founded the music and dance performance ensemble Cadance Collective, creating pieces through improvisational practices and original soundscapes. In January 2020, she became the Saint Kate Art Hotel’s first artist in residence with collaborator Kirsten Schmid, creating photography and videography to animate Kristen's clothing designs through movement. She is a proud SEED Creation Fund Recipient, set to premiere her new filmed work L'homme Armé at the Li Chiao-Ping SEED Creation Perform- ance Festival in August 2020. Christal first performed with MOT in 2011 and is humbled to be on the other side of the performance lens almost ten years later. |
|
From Librettist and Director Danny Brylow...
"It was a random Friday afternoon in July when librettist Matt Boresi first approached us about creating a short video opera based on a story from the 14th century literary masterpiece,
The Decameron. The finished product was to comprise one chapter in a multi-company, multi-part virtual opera anthology for the newly-created Decameron Opera Coalition. My interest was piqued, but I was also hesitant. With the deadline only three months away, it felt like too little time to conceptualize, adapt, write, compose, film, and edit a movie, even one that only lasted ten minutes! Over the next few days, Jill Anna and I emailed back and forth, deciding that we’d probably end up regretfully turning the project down. There just wasn’t enough time..." Read Danny's full statement here!
|
From Composer and Performer Elizabeth Blood...
"Let us allow ourselves to sit in stillness, even when it might be uncomfortable, even when the chaos of the world is swirling and burning around us and inside of us. To step away from the things we distract ourselves with, just for a little while, and simply face ourselves. I think our society has come to a place where we need to be stimulated constantly, and reasons for stillness have become lost. For me, stillness is showing up for myself and offering a moment to my voice. It’s often uncomfortable, but I’ve learned that facing myself and sitting in discomfort brings healing and creates space, so that I can show up stronger, so that I can be of better service and support to my world in my own way. The beauty, when we heal and create space to show up fully in our unique ways, can be, and is, incredibly powerful."
Read Elizabeth's full statement here!
|
Explore the rest of our season!
Distance Commissions (Virtual)
We're commissioning two brand new music-theater pieces around the theme of distance,
designed to be composed, produced, and performed remotely in virtual soirées this winter.
L’Orfeo (Live/Indoor)
We close our season with a co-production of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo,
partnering with Aperi Animam to commission and perform a new
English translation of this masterpiece of early opera.
We're commissioning two brand new music-theater pieces around the theme of distance,
designed to be composed, produced, and performed remotely in virtual soirées this winter.
L’Orfeo (Live/Indoor)
We close our season with a co-production of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo,
partnering with Aperi Animam to commission and perform a new
English translation of this masterpiece of early opera.
Doc Danger: Radio Edition is available to stream on our website!
Also available on several streaming platforms!
Anchor | Breaker | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Spotify | YouTube
Anchor | Breaker | Google Podcasts | Overcast | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Spotify | YouTube
Our season was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board
with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
|
|
MOT is a proud member of Opera America.
|
Our Mission
We are Milwaukee’s micro-brewery for opera, proudly producing small batches of high quality, local lyric theatre.
We tell stories through music...unconventionally.
We tell stories through music...unconventionally.
Milwaukee Opera Theatre is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
