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Showing posts from 2014

Podcast - Is Composer John Adams A Mininalist?

Composer John Adams is universally acknowledged as one of the great opera composers of our time. We're tremendously excited to be producing his work Nixon In China (1987) in our Fiftieth Anniversary Season in March, 2015. Let's take a look and a listen to his musical style: is he a minimalist in the tradition of composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich? Nicolas Reveles asks the questions, and perhaps has a few answers for you!

Podcast - The Ladies of the 2015 Season

The 2015 Season is a great opera season for strong female roles. Donna Anna in Don Giovanni , Musetta in La boheme , and Madame Mao in Nixon in China all fit that description: strong characters, bold music! Dr. Nic spends a little time with these three women in today's podcast.

Podcast - DON GIOVANNI: A Dangerous Opera

Mozart and his poet-librettist Lorenzo DaPonte created a true masterwork in Don Giovanni, the story of a libertine nobleman and his constant need to seduce and abandon every woman he meets. A sordid story, sure, but filled with incredible music and drama. Dr. Nicolas Reveles lets you in on a few operatic secrets!

Podcast - LA BOHEME: The Perfect Opera

In this introductory podcast to Giacomo Puccini's La boheme , Nicolas Reveles discusses why this opera is such a favorite from the repertoire and gives us a glimpse into Puccini's creative process. This is an opera filled with passion, joy, tenderness, romance and tragedy... it's got everything you could want for a great evening of musical theatre.

Podcast - NIXON IN CHINA: An Opera About Contrasts

Welcome to the first podcast of San Diego Opera's 2015 Season! Let's begin with a introduction to John Adams' brilliant opera, Nixon in China which premiered at Houston Opera in 1987. In this podcast, Nicolas Reveles (Director of Education and Community Engagement) talks about the origins of the opera, you'll hear a bit of the prelude to the first act, and hear about the creators' approach to this fascinating historical event.

DON QUIXOTE by Batton Lash

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Artist Batton Lash joined us last week to sketch Don Quixote. Batton was one of the first artists to join us for Comic Artist Night at the Opera. We salute him. You should head on over to Batton's website Exhibit A Press to see what he's been up to lately. Artwork © copyright 2014 by Batton Lash. All rights reserved.  

Don Quixote by Joe Sanabria

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Also joining us for Comic Night at the Opera was Joe Sanabria who shares his work below. Joseph creates many of his final pieces on the computer but also also works with more traditional media such as oils, ink, and graphite. When he's not in the studio he can often be found out and about in Southern California, working on a plein air painting or taking photos.  Today, Joseph splits his time between various freelance assignments, the new adventure clay game: Armikrog, and a new, unannounced graphic novel.   You can find more of his work, and you should because it is awesome, at his website.      Artwork © copyright 2014 by Joseph Sanabria. All rights reserved.       

DON QUIXOTE by Eric Shanower

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Our original artist for Comic Artist Night at the Opera, Eric Shanower, stopped by last week to sketch our last (maybe not last) production - Don Quixote. His pictures are below. Head over to Eric's Hungry Tiger Press to see what he's been up to lately. Artwork © copyright 2014 by Eric Shanower. All rights reserved.

DON QUIXOTE by Marty Davis

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Last week we invited artist Marty Davis to sketch one of our final rehearsals of Don Quixote. You can see more of his work at his website . All of us here at Aria Serious thanks Marty for joining us for what may be our last time at the opera. Artwork © copyright 2014 by Marty Davis. All rights reserved.

A MASKED BALL by Scott Benefiel

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Today is starting out wonderful. Not only do we have a performance of A MASKED BALL tonight, but artist Scott Benefiel just sent over his sketches from Comic Artist Night at the Opera. Scott has been an illustrator for several years working as a storyboard, comic book, and conceptual artist for most of his professional life. Recently he designed VFX storyboards for the new COSMOS TV series (which, if you have not seen yet, is awesome), and was part of Aaron Sowd Productions where he created pre-vis storyboard art on feature films for Will Smith's Overbrook Productions. He was a cinematic storyboard artist for 343 Industries on the video game Halo 4 as well. Recent creative endeavors include writing and starring in t he internet series Ghost Provokers , a parody of the ghost hunting shows which currently proliferate the airwaves. He also writes and draws the webcomic Cork . You can see more of Scott's work at his website . Artwork © copyright 2014 by Scott Benefiel. All

A MASKED BALL by Joe Sanabria

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Artist Joe Sanabria watched one of the final rehearsals of A MASKED BALL last week and just sent over his sketches. And we sure do love them. Even better, Joe sent over a video of how he makes his incredible drawings. And for someone who spends 20-minutes working on stick figure, watching him work is like watching magic being explained. Check out his sketches below, watch the video of him making the sketches, t hen check out his website for more of his amazing work . Artwork © copyright 2014 by Joseph Sanabria. All rights reserved.