PRESS & REVIEWS
Society Notebook: Opera Maine gala celebrates new production, new name
'A Night at the Opera' fundraiser was held in support of the upcoming performance of 'La Traviata.' Shoni and Nik Caner-Medley of Portland and Monaco. Click here for a collection of photos.In Portland, people still dress for the opera. At Opera Maine’s annual gala, “A Night at the Opera,” tuxes, Read more
A STUDY IN CONTRASTS, SOPRANO KATE ALDRICH
Mezzo-Soprano Kate Aldrich Hannaford Hall May 13, 2017 by Christopher Hyde Mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich strode on stage at Hannaford Hall Saturday night, wearing a spectacular red dress, and proceeded to sing of love, death and suicide. Germanic weltschmertz was appropriate for a singer who has made “Werther” her own, but Read more
Concert review: Kate Aldrich shows why she’s in demand in opera world
The Maine native's superb mezzo-soprano voice dazzles in a Portland recital. BY ALLAN KOZINN Opera Maine‘s first presentation since renaming itself (from PORTOpera) was a recital by mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich at Hannaford Hall on Saturday evening. The concert originally was scheduled for March 26, but a last-minute invitation from Plácido Read more
PORTopera changes its name to Opera Maine
The new name better reflects its mission and clears up confusion with the other Portland. BY BOB KEYES STAFF WRITER Edward Parks plays Escamillo in PORTopera's production of "Carmen" at Merrill Auditorium in July 2016. Staff photo by John Ewing PORTopera, the Portland-based professional opera company, is changing its name to Read more
CELEBRATION OF A VIBRANT PRODUCTION OF CARMEN
OPERA NEWS Carmen PORTLAND, ME PORTopera 7/27/16 MAINE'S PORTOPERA CELEBRATED its twenty-second season with a vibrant production of Carmen, the opera that was also chosen for their first season in 1995. Far from shrinking from the demands of this powerhouse audience favorite, with its varied choruses (including a children’s chorus) Read more
PORTOPERA’S CARMEN: TOUGH AS NAILS
Posted: July 27, 2016 Written by: Bob Keyes Maya Lahyani grew up in Israel with a sense of survival ingrained in her psyche. Every Israeli child comes of age with the idea of fighting for your beliefs. At age 18, she joined the Israeli army, as most Israelis do. Lahyani, Read more
CARMEN AT MERRILL: OPERA PORTRAYS ‘SEXY FEMME FATALE, A MAN-EATING CREATURE’
July 24, 2016 Tim Gillis Maya Lahyani, a mezzo-soprano who sings the role of Carmen, and Dona D. Vaughn, artistic director at PORTopera for 22 years, previewed the famous Bizet work that combines Spanish flair and iconic themes. Lahyani, an Israeli opera singer, is a 2010 grand finalist of the Read more
“Opera in ME” at Victoria Mansion
Slide 1: Victoria Mansion advisory board members Harrison H. Sawyer, left, Jean Nishiyana and Jane N. Sawyer with board member Ruth Story. — Amy Paradysz photo Slide 2: Margaret and Robert Macdonald of North Bridgton, left, with Cynthia and Bob Macdonald of Cape Elizabeth at the recent PORTopera preview at the Read more
Review: Popularity of ‘Carmen’ demands more of PORTopera
BY ALLAN KOZINN July 28, 2016 It seems odd to have an opera company (or even, as it is sometimes called, a festival) with a name, a logo, an artistic staff and a board of directors, but no schedule to speak of. PORTopera presents a single, large production (and a Read more
PORTOPERA DELIVERS A LANDMARK “CARMEN”
PORTopera “Carmen” Merrill Auditorium July 27 by Christopher Hyde Bizet’s “Carmen” can be summed up by a well-known pornographic postcard from the composer’s Paris, in which a beautiful young woman accepts a bouquet from a Romantic lover. A drapery or curtain conceals her lower half, which is receiving the intimate Read more