Who is Werther? Tempo Presents: An evening of cocktails and conversation.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 6-9pm

6pm-7pm Cocktails, mingling
7pm-9pm Meet the stars of Werther: James Valenti, Roxana Constantinescu, and director Kevin Newbury; hosted by Minnesota Public Radio's John Birge.
With special music selections by Victoria Vargas and Nathaniel Peake.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Cash bar featuring fabulous French cocktails.

Where: 

The Minneapolis Women's Club, 410 Oak Grove Street, Minneapolis MN 55403

Tickets: $10 Tempo Members; $15 Non-members
General admission. Space is limited.

To purchase tickets, call Minnesota Opera's Ticket Office, 612-333-6669, M-F, 9am - 6pm.

Read more...

Opera Bootcamp: Basic Training

Thursday, December 8, 6pm

Minnesota Opera Center

Learn your operatic do re mi from your fa so la ti in a must-attend intense Opera Bootcamp. Last year Drill Sergeant Keeton broke a glass with her voice (not to mention, our fearless board chair dropped and gave his 20)—wait until you see what she has in store for us this year!

Tickets: $10 Tempo members or $15 General admission
Call the Minnesota Opera Ticket Office M-F, 9am-6pm at 612-333-6669.

Still hesitant?  Check out these rave reviews from last year's event:

http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2010/12/stand_at_ease_f.php

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/style/112035624.html

http://cocogoesout.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-enlist-in-opera-boot-camp.html

http://www.minnpost.com/maxsparber/2010/12/10/24106/basic_training_for_future_opera_patrons_fitzgerald_with_sound_effects

Bring a new and unwrapped toy to the event for Minesota Opera's Toys4Military Kids drive and receive a free copy of Angela Keeton's (aka Minnesota Opera’s Teaching Artist and Bootcamp Drill Sgt.) debut recording.

Read more...

Tempo Sketch Artists: Thomas Boguszewski

Tempo invites sketch artists to dress rehearsals at MNOpera to create an artistic rendering of how they perceive each opera. Here is Thomas Boguszewski's vision of Silent Night (more available at http://thisisartinprogress.blogspot.com/2011/11/silent-night-at-opera.html):

"I am a history enthusiast and a fan of the film Joyeux Noel, which the opera Silent Night is based on.  I thought the staging of this opera was magnificent.  The costumes were spot-on, the stage (which used a rotating circular platform in the center) was ingenious, the acting and blocking were well-thought-out.  Any person who knows about or would like to learn more about the Christmas Truce of 1914 should see Silent Night.  Watching this production warms the heart a little, but also gives one a sense of the terrible irony of war —where humanity is looked upon as "weird" and violence is the norm.  I think the message of this play is not only that "Artists make bad soldiers" as Lieutenant Horstmayer points out at the beginning of the play, but also that good human beings make bad soldiers."

Read more...

Tempo Sketch Artists: Kate Saturday

Tempo invites sketch artists to dress rehearsals at MNOpera to create an artistic rendering of how they perceive each opera. Here is Kate Saturday's vision of Silent Night:

I'm always amazed by the strength and simplicity of the sets at MNOpera, but Silent Night went way beyond previous shows.  I was amazed by how viewpoint and sympathy could shift as the stage rotated, and how dropping a window onto the battlefield could transform it into a mansion while retaining the sense of lonliness and fragility.  ~Kate Saturday

Read more...

Silent Night Sketch Artists: Lee Blauersouth

Tempo invites sketch artists to dress rehearsals at MNOpera to create an artistic rendering of how they perceive each opera. Here is Lee Blauersouth's vision of Silent Night (also accessible at http://godseekercomic.com/2011/11/13/another-comic-artists-night-at-the-opera-events-pics/):

Read more...

Silent Night Sketch Artists: Ryan Dow

Tempo invites sketch artists to dress rehearsals at MNOpera to create an artistic rendering of how they perceive each opera.  Here is Ryan Dow's vision of Silent Night (also accessible at http://ryandow.com/ic/2011/11/14/sketch-night-at-the-opera/):

Read more...

Save the Date: Silent Night Preview Event on October 26

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 6:00 pm

Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55455

Minnesota Opera’s commissioned opera Silent Night tells the story of Christmas Eve in the Great War’s trenches. Preview this work in an evening where all is calm and all is bright: Art and policy intersect as Minnesota Opera and the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs convene a public conversation concerning military policy and dissention. Musical selections presented by composer Kevin Puts and the cast of Silent Night.

Go AWOL with fellow Tempo members in a pre-lecture cocktail hour, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Fill your fatigues with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar before the lecture.

Admission: Free for Tempo members, $5.00 general admission with RSVP; limited seating. $10.00 for everyone at the door.

Call 612-333-6669 to R.s.v.p.

For information visit mnopera.org/tempo.

Read more...

Save the Date: Opening Night of Così fan tutte + Cast Party

Bring your date (or two) for a little lover’s switcheroo following the opening night of Mozart’s masterpiece, Così fan tutte. Tempo members and their invitees simply show their opening-night tickets for access to this exclusive cast party.

The evening’s specialty cocktails, Mozartini and Love Potion #9, are guaranteed to wash away your inhibitions with fellow party-goers, the cast of Cosi. Sakura is your oyster, where our aphrodisiac-laden dessert selection melts in your mouth. Don’t miss this evening of formal folly: Black tie admired, but not required.

Join us at Sakura for Tempo's Opening Night Cast Party after Così fan tutte

Read more...