PRESS & REVIEWS
WRITTEN MORE THAN 200 YEARS AGO, ‘MARRIAGE OF FIGARO’ JUST AS RELEVANT AMID #METOO
Posted: July 18, 2018 Written by: Bob Keyes Mozart wrote his masterpiece “The Marriage of Figaro” in 1786, and the libretto was based on a stage comedy by the Frenchman Pierre Beaumarchais, which debuted two years before that. Apparently, men haven’t evolved much since then. “The Marriage of Figaro” tells Read more
A MEMORABLE “MARRIAGE”
COMMENTARY, MUSIC CRITICISM, PREVIEWS, REVIEWS Opera Maine “Marriage of Figaro” Merrill Auditorium July 25, 2018 by Christopher Hyde If you don’t have tickets already, buy whatever is available for Opera Maine’s new production of “The Marriage of Figaro.” on Friday. It has everything—a great cast of singers, an interesting Downton Abbey-style set by Read more
USM Voice studies area represented in Opera Maine’s thrilling Marriage of Figaro
POSTED JULY 27, 2018 Opera Maine's production of Marriage of Figaro, which received rave reviews, featured several cast members with ties to the University of Southern Maine's School of Music. The character of Antonio (the Count's gardener and lead character Susanna's "drunk uncle") was played to great comic effect by artist Read more
Opera News reviews LA TRAVIATA
La Traviata PORTLAND, ME Opera Maine 7/28/17 Maria Natale and Mackenzie Whitney, Violetta and Alfredo for Opera Maine © Martha Mickles JUST BEFORE ITS twenty-third season began, PORTopera changed its name to the more clearly defined Opera Maine. Fortunately, its guiding talents have remained the same. Artistic director Dona D. Vaughn Read more
Opera review: ‘American Dream’ addresses racism during World War II
Opera Maine presents a single, high-profile production every summer at Merrill Auditorium, but it also runs a studio artists program for young singers that is equally important and stages a chamber opera in the weeks before the main presentation. Though more modest than the big-ticket presentations of classics from the Read more
Maine Arts Commission: Producers/Presenters Forum
Maine Performing Arts Forum 2017 Maine producers and presenters convened on September 18 at Frontier Cafe in Brunswick for the Maine Performing Arts Forum. The event was hosted by the Maine Arts Commission to facilitate panelist discussions about the challenges and celebrated successes in the performing arts sector of Maine. Read more
Featured on “207”
Featured on WCSH6 show "207" PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Opera Maine has been the sole opera company in the state for 23 years. Wednesday will be opening night for it's newest showing of La Traviata. The harmony of string and wind instruments will signal for you to get ready for the Read more
Opera review: ‘La Traviata’ finishes strong
A pair of warring impulses seem to drive Opera Maine, the freshly renamed company formerly known as PORTopera (and before that, Portland Opera Repertory Theater). Members of the company’s administration will tell you that they would love to present more than a single large production every year, and they agree that, Read more
Two performers’ paths meet again in Opera Maine’s ‘La Traviata’
Maria Natale was born to sing. She’s known it since she was a child, and starring as the fallen woman in the Opera Maine production of “La Traviata” fulfills a professional goal. It’s her dream role, and one that she hopes will help propel her to the stage of the Read more
A CAPTIVATING “LA TRAVIATA”
“La Traviata” Merrill Auditorium July 26, 2017 by Christopher Hyde “Enchanting” is not a word one reads often in music reviews, but it applies to the Opera Maine production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” which opened Wednesday night at Merrill Auditorium. I was prepared to turn up my willing suspension of Read more