Udderly Fabulous

Another Opening, Another Show

2009-10-23T11:35:00.002-04:00

Hello friends. Yes, I’ve been gone awhile. I won’t bore you with the reasons for my brief lack of blogging. All that matters is I’m back. Boy, do I have exciting things to tell you!

I’m sure you’ve heard, but Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci opens our season this weekend (tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre)!

Photo by GroovyDoodle Photography

In Pagliacci (“Players” or “Clowns”), betrayal leads to bloody revenge in this story-within-a-story. Canio, playing the role of the clown, is a jealous husband who must bring laughter to his audience even after learning of his wife’s infidelity. Tragic consequences ensue as theatre and real life blur in this verismo shocker. The work features one of opera's most well-known and beloved arias, “Vesti la giubba.”

Sounds better than any reality TV show (and I should know, reality TV is one of guilty pleasures)!

While it’s sung in Italian, there will be English supertitles (so, it’s kind of like watching a foreign film). The opera is accompanied by the fabulous Columbus Symphony Orchestra. And, our friend Christopher Purdy gives a pre-curtain speech one hour before each performance.

Chances are you’ve even heard “Vesti la giubba” or heard culture references to Pagliacci. Here’s some highlight (feel free to use these to impress your friends):

- The music from the famous aria was featured in a 1969 Rice Krispies ad, with the lyrics, “No more Rice Krispies we are out of Rice Krispies.” Entertainment Weekly named it as one of the 10 best commercials of all time.

- The 1954 song "Mr. Sandman" contains the line, "Give him a lonely heart like Pagliacci, and lots of wavy hair like Liberace."

- In the 1987 film The Untouchables, Al Capone is attending a performance of the opera, openly crying, when his henchman enters and tells him that he has killed Chicago Police Officer Jim Malone. Capone ceases his tears and laughs quietly.

- On an episode Seinfeld entitled "The Opera", Jerry and Elaine attend a performance of Pagliacci where their stalker disguises himself as Pagliaccio the clown to seek revenge on them.

- The Simpsons had an episode which consisted of the Simpson family going to Italy. The family ended up on stage for a Pagliacci performance with Sideshow Bob trying to kill the whole family as part of the act.

While all these cultural references are dandy, nothing can beat seeing the real thing! Luckily for you, great seats are still available. Prices start at $10 (but you have to buy those at least an hour before each show – preferably long before that)! To order your tickets give my buddies over at the CAPA Ticket Office a call at 614.469.0939 or visit ticketmaster.com. And just because I love my loyal blog readers, feel free to use code SCORE to save 20% off single tickets.

Enjoy Opera for FREE

2009-08-07T10:43:00.006-04:00

Ha! I bet I got your attention. That's right, I said it: Come enjoy opera for FREE. Doesn't get much better than free! I mean, come on, free fits in EVERY budget.

Here's our upcoming FREE performances:

Opera Over Lunch Enjoy beautiful voices and wonderful music over lunch. Two Opera Columbus singers will perform some of Opera's greatest hits during lunch at Easton Town Center. This is a free performance. Easton Town Square (at Easton Town Center) 160 Easton Town Center Columbus, OH 43219 12 - 12:45 p.m.	2009-08-14	Easton Town Square
Opera Over Lunch Enjoy beautiful voices and wonderful music over lunch. Two Opera Columbus singers will perform some of Opera's greatest hits during lunch at Easton Town Center. This is a free performance. Easton Town Square (at Easton Town Center) 160 Easton Town Center Columbus, OH 43219 12 - 12:45 p.m.	2009-09-18	Easton Town Square
Riverfront Arts Festival/WaterFire Columbus Opera Columbus performs excerpts from Puccini’s classic opera “La Bohème” in English. Performance artist Robert Post makes his opera directing debut. Riverfront Amphitheater, Genoa Park Washington Blvd between Broad and Town streets Columbus, OH 43215 Performance at 7:30 pm	2009-09-19	Riverfront Amphitheater, Genoa Park
Opera at the North Market Come hear some of Columbus' most talented Opera singers as you enjoy all the food and fun the North Market has to offer. Singers perform from 11 - 11:45 a.m. & 12:15-1 p.m.	2009-09-26	The North Market

I'll be there enjoying the beatiful voices and you can bet I'll be doing a little shopping at Easton and the North Market, too. Singing and shopping - two of my favorite things! Hope to see you there!

Sneak Peak

2009-07-24T10:53:00.005-04:00

Underneath it all...everyone's an opera lover. Ain't that the truth?!

See some of the pictures for our season guide, taken by the cool folks at GroovyDoodle Photography, by visiting our facebook fan page. Thanks again to all of our fabulous volunteers!

And keep an eye out... our season guide will be appearing soon!

Let's Go Wild!

2009-07-09T11:00:00.005-04:00

...for Opera, that is.

One of my favorite events of the year is happening tomorrow, July 10: Go Wild! for Opera at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

On Monday Bill Boggs, our fabulous Artistic Director and Maestro, super volunteer, Jeryl, and myself joined Suzi Rapp, from the Columbus Zoo, and a baby snow leopard to chat about the upcoming concert with our friends at NBC 4.

We had a great time chatting with Amy and Bob about the event. While I'm a little hurt they opted to use the baby snow leopard to promote the event and not yours truly, I'll get over it (I mean, it was pretty cute).

Our seventh annual concert, One Enchanted Evening: The music of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber, will feature some of Columbus' favorite peformers. You'll hear songs from your favorite musicals including OKLAHOMA!, The King & I, Evita and Phantom of the Opera. Local media celebrities, Cabot Rea and Chuck Gillespie, will be emceeing the event. The concert at the Zoo begins at 8 p.m.

Adult general admission is $35 but if you use code GWMSNC you can save $10! For tickets call 614-724-3570 or click here. Your ticket gets you into the Zoo all day so be sure to come early and say hello to your favorite animals!

And don't worry about the weather. Bob is forcasting Friday's weather to be mostly sunny, hotter and a bit more humid.

See you at the Zoo!

Opera Unmasked

2009-07-01T16:38:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year when we're busy putting together our season guide (it highlights all our upcoming shows). This year's theme (thanks to those creative folks at LondyLawrence) is, "Underneath it all, you're really an opera lover." Now, isn't that the (beautiful) truth?!

We needed some photography for the guide and decided to take our own using our friends, colleagues and volunteers. Our first potential dilemma was finding a photographer who would work with our photography budget (budget = nothing). The amazing Meloney and Adam from GroovyDoodle Photograph y answered our call! They graciously donated their time and talent. Plus, they're pretty groovy and fun people. We all had a blast working together!

Our next potential issue was finding people willing to be models for our guide. While Lisa Wwas a little worried people wouldn't show up (silly girl!), she had nothing to be worried about. Putting out a call for models on Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist, through OC's volunteer groups, sending some e-mail, asking our board members and calling in a few favors we had over 35 beautiful people show up. We had a wide variety of races and ages declaring themselves opera lovers.

To help illustrate our theme we had our models pose with...

...and without a mask (isn't our mini-studio cool?!).
We also shot some amazing photos to use as the main images for each of our upcoming shows (Pagliacci, Mario Lanza Tribute Concert and Romeo & Juliet). While I'd love to share those with you (becasue they are simiply amazing), I don't want to to ruin the surprise.

Stay tuned for updates (and photos) from our season guide!

Breakfast Thrusday

2009-06-11T11:46:00.004-04:00

Thursdays might just be the favorite day of the week for Opera Columbus staffers. Why, you ask? Because Thursdays are our weekly staff meetings/breakfast. To make sure there are delightful breakfast goodies to tickle our taste buds we rotate through the staff and everyone takes their turn buying or bringing in breakfast. But, even better than the breakfast treats is the time we have to talk, discuss problems, troubleshoot and brainstorm new ideas.

Whether you're a staff of seven (plus a cow and the occasional office dog) or a staff of 1,000,007 it's important to be on the same page. Eating a meal together allows us to do just that. In fact, our fundrasier "Make Change for Opera" is a product of our weekly breakfast meeting (um, have you donated your chage yet? NO?! There's still plenty of time, click here for more info).

Today while dining at Tommy's Diner on Broad Street (which was AMAZING), I got to share some exciting news: I'm gonna be in the paper! The Columbus Dispatch to be more exact. Yesterday a photographer came to the office to take my picture (which, out of the kindess of my heart, I graciously and humbly permitted Lisa to be in, too) to accompany a story about local arts organizations and their use of social media (a list of most the Columbus arts organizations on Twitter can be found here). We were happy to share our story and why we think social media is so important. I think the article is going to appear on Monday, June 15. Don't worry, I'll let the world know when I make my Columbus print debut.

Make Some Change

2009-05-29T11:08:00.010-04:00

It’s no secret that the economy isn’t so great right now. And that not-so-great economy is having an extreme impact on our donors, grants and the organization as a whole. Opera Columbus almost went under three years ago and we are committed to making sure we’re around for a long time. That wouldn’t be possible without the support we’ve received from the Columbus community and our commitment to fiscal responsibility.

I’m gonna be honest with you: Opera Columbus is struggling. We need to raise $90,000 by June 30 to finish the year in the black. (In other words, we need this to meet our budget and not carry forward any debt to next year. It's a big deal.)

Have you ever uddered the phrase, “I’d love to donate to the arts but I just don’t have the money.” I know, I have, too. But even the smallest amounts add up, and this can make a huge difference for Opera Columbus.

How? So glad you asked!

We’re launching a grassroots fundraising campaign called “Make Change for Opera Columbus.” We know times are tough for everyone, but all we’re asking you to do is donate your spare change to Opera Columbus. Come on, I know you have some sitting on top of the dryer or on your dresser. Have a House Coffee instead of a Grande Double Mocha Chip Latte one day and donate the difference to the Opera. $1, $5, $10 from enough people can have a huge impact on Central Ohio’s only professional opera company.

Let me put it this way: My co-worker, Lisa (@Minxy_OperaCols) has 800 followers on Twitter. If each of those followers donated $2, that would raise $1,600 for the organization. $1,600 could pay for an ad to promote our next show, it could pay for English-language supertitles for one production, it could pay for almost three in-school touring shows, it could help pay our utilities, it could pay for hardware used to put together sets onstage for one production…basically, it will help keep us alive and sharing this wonderful artform with our community. We mean it when we say that every little bit helps.

Where can I donate? Well, friends, there are several ways:

1. Stop by the Opera Columbus offices (177 East Naghten Street) Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. or Friday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. We’re up on the second floor. You can drop change off there.

2. Visit us at a community programming event:

May 30: Opera at the North Market from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Check our calendar of events for other events between now and June 30.

3. Donate online to "Make Change for Opera Columbus"

You can donate online using the Twitter application, Tipjoy. You can simply tweet "p $2 @OperaColumbus to help our cause http://bit.ly/8sfil @tipjoy" or use the tool below or in the side bar. You'll need to set up an account with TipJoy in order for your donation to reach Opera Columbus. Read more about TipJoy here.

UPDATE: Don't have a Twitter account but want to donate online? No worries. Just use the "Make Change" tool to your right. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address. Instructions for completing your donation will arrive in your inbox.

How else can I help? My, you are so thoughtful. Thanks for asking.

One simple way (besides donating) you can help: Tell others. Use the power of social media to share this cause with others. At happy hour, tell your friends. E-mail 10 of your friends and ask them to make some change for Opera Columbus.

Here's another way you can help: Put a change receptacle in your office, business, etc. The more opportunities people have to "Make Change" the more change we can make. Contact Lisa by e-mail, Twitter or phone (614.461.8101) to get a change receptacle. Our goal for "Make Change" isn't to raise the full $90,000 we need, although it would be pretty sweet if we could. Our goal is to "make change" by raising $2,000 by June 30. I believe we can do it (and we can watch the status on our goal tracker to the right). Please consider donating and helping to "Make Change for Opera Columbus." Your $.75, $1.00 or $5.00 donation will make a huge difference and will help to ensure Opera Columbus is around for a long time.

Special thanks to Huntington Bank for generously agreeing to count all the money raised to "Make Change for Opera Columbus." And, thanks to you, in advance, for your support.

Plus, how often can you say, a cow asked me to donate to the opera? It will make for great happy hour/dinner party conversation.

Press Worthy

2009-05-22T10:45:00.003-04:00

You know your Opera Company is in good hand/hooves when your Executive Director is often recognized for his good work. And it's recognition from the well respected business community (how often does that happen in the world of arts?). The staff is thrilled that Press is being honored for being the amazing, fearless leader that we all know he is.

Guess I should get to the point and tell you about the award...

Press received the 2009 Pace Setter Executive Award at a ceremony held on May 14, 2009 at the Blackwell Inn on the Campus of The Ohio State University (OSU).

The Pace Setter Executive Award is an annual award given to a “pace setter” of the business community. The Executive Award is one of OSU Fisher College of Business’ most important awards, as it recognizes the ideals that the school strives to instill in its students. Previous award winners include Irving Schottenstein, Charles Y. Lazarus, John B. Gerlach, Sr., Katherine S. LeVeque and John H. McConnell, among others.

And here's a little background on the amazing man:

Press, 1975 OSU graduate and a Vietnam veteran, has been Opera Columbus’ Executive Director since 2006. During this time, he has helped the organization achieve a significant turnaround in its operation and financial well-being. Press is extremely committed to the success and growth of the Columbus arts community and currently serves as the president of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium.

From 1975 to his retirement in 2001, Press was with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), formerly Coopers & Lybrand LLP. The last 17 years, he was a partner in the firm’s financial services practice.

Throughout his career at PwC and into his retirement, Press has been active in community service. He held the position of chair/president for nine different organizations. In the mid-1990s, he received the Beta Alpha Psi (Professional Accounting Fraternity) Outstanding Alumni Award. In June 2007, he was recognized by the Ohio Society of CPAs with the Gold Medal for Meritorious Service to the Profession, its highest honor.

Congrats, Press. You rock!

The Bovine Opera

2009-05-07T14:04:00.003-04:00

A friend just alerted me to this story about a cow making a run for it in Jamaica, Queens. All I can say is, "You go girl!"

The story of the fleeing cow is very operatic in nature: oppressed female escapes her captors, disappears into the night in a quest for freedom and along the way finds her true love, but in a tragic turn of events the lovers cannot be together (I may have elaborated, just a little). I think the first opera featuring a cow in the leading role might be in the works. I'd be happy to provide input on it's creation. Feel free to contact my agent (note to self: find agent). Oh, I can sing the lead too (note to self: brush up my singing voice) and every note would be extremely mooving.

A Columbus Celebration

2009-04-27T16:18:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, over 175 people came out to enjoy Opera Ball 25: a Columbus Celebration. As you can see in the video montage above (done by the fabulous Amy Parrish - check out her site here, check out additional photos here and tell all your friends about her), a grand time was had by all. My favorite part of the evening? The Kahiki inspired Mai Tais - they even smoked! It was so cool. I also loved looking at the 30+ silent auction items, encouraging bidding on our seven live auction items, grazing on the food (inspired by iconic Columbus restaurants) and dancing the night away. The next morning my four hooves were still sore from dancing, but the smile was still on my face from the amazing night.

These are the first faces you see as you come into the ball.
Not a bad way to start the evening.

Eric and I took a moment to enjoy the view of the beautiful
Atrium at Nationwide Plaza.

Here Eric and I bid on a fabulous auction item (alas, we did not win).

Here I am talking up the live auction items to Bill Curlis,
one of the Ball co-chairs, and Press.

Here I am enjoying the company of 30+ bottles of wine
(this was our raffle prize of the evening - I'm bummed I didn't win)

Lisa & Ben hadn't seen the dining room, so I
gave them a little tour. It sure looked beautiful!

Chase Away the Rainy Day Blues

2009-03-27T16:17:00.004-04:00

In case you didn't know, I'm a bit of an opera geek. I especially love hearing new talent. That's exactly why I'm so excited for our annual Irma M. Cooper Opera Columbus International Vocal Competition this weekend! Twenty-eight talented singers from across the nation, ranging in age from 22 - 35, will be coming to Columbus to compete for cash, prizes and operatic glory (and they'll probably be fighting to get their picture taken with yours truly).

The competition begins with the free semi-finals on Saturday (March 28) at 10 a.m. and lasts until 1 p.m. then it's time for a lunch break. The competition resumes at 3:30 and goes until 6 p.m. From there the judges have to narrow the field to eight singers all of whom will sing on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday's finals cost $10 (and are free to Opera Columbus subscribers) . Tickets are available at the door the day of the finals. We're supposed to have showers all weekend in Columbus so I can think of nothing better to beat the rainy day blues than by listening to some amazing opera singers.

I promise you this year's competition will be one the best yet. We have three amazing judges: Kristin Cowdin (Artist Manager at Guy Barzilay), Diane Kesling (accomplished opera singer and director) and Lenore Rosenberg (Associate Artistic Administrator of the Metropolitan Opera). The very talented Donna Hallen Loewy will be our accompanist for the weekend (her fingers are going to be tired after playing for 28 people on Saturday and eight more on Sunday!).

Best of all, this year's competion is going to be dedicated to our dear friend, Paul Hickfang. Paul has been involved with the competition since it's inception. Paul passed away earlier this year. We miss him dearly and are looking forward to honoring him this weekend.

Special thanks to Johanna, Jeryl, Eric and all our wonderful volunteers for making this weekend possible.

Hope I see you at Weigel Hall (on OSU's campus) this weekend! Seriously, take this cow's word - you don't want to miss it!

Irish Broadway

2009-03-17T16:09:00.004-04:00

Let me let you in on a little secret. I love (LOVE) NPR. I mean, I can't get enough. If this makes me a super geek, so be it. I would be lost with out National Public Radio.

This morning I was listening to 89.7 WOSU and I heard the most fascinating story about Naghten Street, the very street on which Opera Columbus sits! My favorite part of the story was learning that the street was once called Irish Broadway. How cool is that?!?! Picture it: lots of green, sparkly costumes, gold tap shoes, top hats... I digress. So, thanks to our friends at WOSU (and information from the historical marking on the street) here's a wee bit o' Columbus Irish history for you in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

Thousands of Irish immigrants came to Columbus to seek personal and religious freedom. With the "Great Hunger" in Ireland and the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the National Road, immigration to Columbus increased in the mid nineteenth century. They initially settled in the north side of the city in the swamp flats, where inexpensive land was available and work could be had on the railroads. Settlement spread to Franklinton, on Naghten Street, later known as "Irish Broadway"- part of which is now Nationwide Boulevard, and to nearby Flytown. The immigrants became domestic workers, civil servants, entrepreneurs, and served the city in police and fire departments. Others were leaders in government, law, medicine, and education. Their legacy continues today in the Irish-American population of Columbus, Ohio.

These are only a representative few of the Irish individuals and groups who were prominent in the formation of Columbus. IRISH IN COLUMBUS BEFORE OHIO STATEHOOD Lucas Sullivant, Founder of Franklinton in 1797 John Brickell, Early settler IRISH IN COLUMBUS DURING EARLY STATEHOOD Thomas Kirker, Ohio's 2nd governor, acting 1807-08 term John Kerr, 2nd Mayor of Columbus Alfred Kelley, Father of Ohio Canals, Ohio and Erie Canal Developer, and Legislator IRISH IN COLUMBUS AFTER THE GREAT HUNGER (1845) Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, St. Francis Hospital Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs, St. Mary of the Springs Academy William "Billy" Naghten, Columbus City Council President Patrick Egan, Franklin County Coroner for ten terms Jeremiah O'Shaughnessy, Superintendent, Division of Water, Columbus, Ohio.

Cast Your Ballot

2009-03-13T16:20:00.004-04:00

So, my blog-reading friends, I have a teeny, tiny favor to ask of you.

Columbus Monthly is a top-notch, monthly magazine here in beautiful Columbus. Each year they have a "Best of Columbus" issue where people can vote on everything from the best Columbus Chinese restaurant to TV anchor to performing arts organization (you see where this is going?). Here's where we need your help. Please take a minute and cast your vote for Opera Columbus as your favorite Columbus performing arts organization. Click here to cast your ballot. It only takes a few minutes and you could win a $100 gift certificate from one of the restaurants voted best by the readers of the poll. Plus you will receive my undying love and affection (and I know that's what everyone really wants).

Oh, and it would be pretty awesome if you voted for "Udderly Fabulous" as the best blog. Just throwing that out there (hint, hint).

For my Columbus-based readers, don't forget it's Restaurant Week! More than 40 Dine Original member restaurants, from casual to fine dining, are participating. Each restaurant has prepared a special fixed-priced menu- some restaurants at $15 and some at $30 (excluding gratuity and tax). I've already been to a couple, and take my word for it - the menus are to die for! It's such an amazing deal!

So, first, vote for Opera Columbus (and "Udderly Fabulous") then treat yourself to an amazing dinner at one of Columbus' best restaurants. You deserve it.

Thank You Columbus!

2009-03-06T16:41:00.006-05:00

If you missed Turandot (and shame on you if you did), you missed an amazing production! We had an awesome cast, chorus, stage crew, production team and audience. It was our best attended show since moving back to the Ohio Theatre. Over 4,000 people saw our production of Turandot (4,602 to be exact). All I can say is, "WOW!" Thank you so much for your support of Opera Columbus. We literally wouldn't be here without you.

Besides a great production, we also had an amazing party after the show (special thanks to Activities Coordinator, Jeryl). I think this proves how cool opera really is. Now, aren't you sad you weren't there?

And I'm thinking now would be a good time to buy your tickets to our next production, The Mikado. Get on it.

Happy Weekend!

OC Board Member Lori with her husband Bob who

made his Opera Columbus debut playing a great Prince of Persia

Getting some love from ASM, Alicia

Othalie's mom, funny-man Dean Anthony
and the fabulous Othalie Graham

Mark Andrew Baker and I share a slice of yummy pizza

Eric, who played an amazing Madarin and his friend Jay

The Ice Princess Cometh

2009-02-20T08:48:00.006-05:00

Columbus is a buzz with excitement over everyone's favorite opera ice princess, Turandot!

This week we've been thrilled to have articles in papers like The Columbus Dispatch, This Week News and Suburban News Publications. We've visited Sunny 95's morning show and chatted about opera with Dino and Shawn:
And we've had fun visiting our friends at NBC 4 this morning (and Monday) and telling them about our exciting production. Here we are (feeling like the stars we are) waiting to go to the set:

It's been a blast chatting with folks and telling them about this great production! Know what would be even better? Seeing you there! Just in case you missed it, tickets are $10 - $102.50. Call CAPA at 614.469.0939 or click here to buy your tickets.

As my fabulous friend Othalie Graham says in the Dispatch article, "It's such an exciting story that is easy to follow. If you've never gone to the opera, this is the opera to go to."

There you go people, listen to the lady and get yourself to the opera!

$10 Tickets - Doesn't get better than that!

2009-02-19T15:27:00.003-05:00

Just in case you haven't purchased your tickets (tsk, tsk)... I want to remind you that Turandot opens this weekend at the Ohio Theatre. And guess what? You can see this world-class production for as little as $10. Yes, you read that right - $10!!! Basically, for the price of a movie ticket you can see LIVE opera in the beautiful Ohio Theatre. Details about the offer are below:

Opera Columbus is offering $10 rear mezzanine general admission tickets to its upcoming production of Turandot on Friday, February 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 22 at 2 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre.

“The economy is affecting us all,” said Executive Director Press Southworth. “During these tough times we want to continue to make sure the opera is accessible to all.”

The $10 rear mezzanine general admission tickets are available by calling 614.469.0939 or visiting TicketMaster.com. Tickets are also available at the door; however, the $10 tickets will stop being sold one hour before each show. The box office opens two hours before each performance.

Reserved seating with ticket prices ranging from $27.50 - $102.50 is also available at the above locations.

Sung in Italian with English Supertitles, Turandot will be performed at the Ohio Theatre on Friday, February 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 22 at 2 p.m. WOSU’s Christopher Purdy will be giving pre-curtain talks starting an hour before the show. Tickets are available by calling 614.469.0939 or visiting TicketMaster.com.

I heart Carl (and Turandot)

2009-02-17T16:34:00.004-05:00

The most dashing blogging livestock this side of the Mississippi

Moooooooo! There aren't words to describe the excitement and it's not just because Turandot opens in three days. It's because I got to meet Carl, Opera Cleveland's blogging chicken (Ohio has talented livestock). We decided to get together to dictate... I mean help with the set assembly. Enjoy the pictures from my day with Carl.

Meet Marv. He plays the Price of Persia's head.
Who says Opera isn't exciting?

We took some time to discuss stage managing Turandot with Kevin.

I don't think he was responsive to the suggestion of adding
some cows and chickens into the crowd scenes.

Just making sure Kevin had all his notes in place.
He did. Man, talk about organization. Kevin rocks!

Here we are reenacting the kiss between Turandot and Calaf.
(NOTE: While I heart Carl, my heart still belongs to Stinger.)
We really feel there should be more roles for chickens and cows in opera.

The set was shipped in a huge semi-truck in lots of pieces.
Each piece is marked by scene so you know how to put it
back together. It's like a big, fun, opera puzzle!

A little to the left gentlemen!

Singing our hearts out to the beautiful Ohio Theatre and imagining the
standing ovation that we would surely receive (if there was an audience).

Behind the Scenes

2009-02-13T13:59:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite reasons for working at the opera is seeing all the magic that goes on behind the scenes to make the show come together. There's costumes to fit and tailor (and sometimes to build), wigs to fit and style (this show has over 50 wigs/hair pieces!), lights to position, sets to come together...the list can go on and on. What some people don't realize is that this happens in three (sometimes less) short weeks! *sigh* I heart opera.

Here's my picture recap from the last week. Enjoy!

Trying on one of the many masks used in the show.

Ever wondered how the opera singer know where to

stand/move if there's no set with which to practice?
We tape the floor. The different color tape is
for the different sets. Here are some stairs.

Here I am helping Eric (playing the Mandarin)
and Wayne (our costumer) with costume fittings.

Here's our fabulous hair & makeup guru, Chris.

He's fitting Bob Murray (Prince of Persia) with his wig (poor Bob,
the Prince of Persia loses his head - literally - during the show).

Tickets are still available (but going fast). Get yours today by calling 614.469.0939 or clicking here.

Drinking & Singing

2009-02-09T15:02:00.006-05:00

I can't imagine a more perfect evening - opera and cocktails.

Opera Columbus hosted another fabulous Meet & Greet on February 6. Guests were able to watch a Turandot rehearsal then were invited to La Chatelaine to enjoy drinks and fantastic food. Special thanks to Jeryl, OC's Activities Coordinator, and Gigi, La Chatelaine's owner, for such a great night!

Want your chance to mingle with the cast? Well then, buy your tickets to Turandot! To order call 614.469.0939 or visit TicketMaster.com. Use code FRIEND for 20% off single tickets! (Yes, this is a shameless plug, but it's my blog, so I'll plug away!). After the February 20 show join us for the after party at Due Amici ($40/per person). Call 614.461.8101 x31 to RSVP.

With funny man Mark Andrew Baker, the lovely
Diana McVey and the talent pianist Ed Bak.

Here I am with the amazing stage director, John Hoomes.

Special shout out to my Nashville Opera fans. You guys rock!

With the oh, so beautiful (and funny) Othalie Graham.

Here I am with the amazing Jay Kromalic, our board president.

I'm starstruck in this picture! I got to meet my favorite
Buckeye, Ryan Pretorius, and his lovely friend, Jessica

So excited to have my picture with ALIVE's
Miss Bella and Sir Thomas.

I Will Sing the Song of Purple Summer

2009-02-06T10:16:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned (lately) how much I love Columbus? What a wonderful town we call home! Beside the opera, there are so many cool things to do and see. We have a world-class arts scene right here in our own back yard.

Helping that arts community thrive is Broadway Across America. They are wonderful partners for us and are always anxious to help us out. Basically, we love them & what they do.

This week the touring Broadway show, Spring Awakening, stops in Columbus. Last night I was lucky enough to see the show and meet the very talented cast (um, have I mentioned that I also really, REALLY, love my job).

Besides winning the 2007 Tony Award and learning that Blake Bashoff (who played Karl on LOST) was in the show I was pretty unfamiliar with it. I think that was a good thing for me because I saw the show with fresh eyes and no preconceived notions (Phantom of the Opera was totally ruined for me when I knew all the special effects before evening seeing it).

Set in Germany in 1891 (but dialogue and songs are performed using modern day language and slang) the musical focuses on teenage self-discovery. The characters yearn for more information but are denied by their puritan parents and elders in their quest for answers. This results in the audience seeing all the trials and tribulations of the teenagers' journey through puberty. The characters explore their sexuality, abuse, suicide, abortion and everything in between (there's also some brief nudity). This is a show for mature audiences.

While the subject matter is serious the energy from the cast, the amazing voices (especially that of Steffi D, a top five finalist on Canadian Idol) the indie-rock style of singing and the catchy tunes will have you tapping your toes and glued to your seat (and trying to resist the urge to get up and dance!).

See it before it's too late (it's in town through Sunday). Click here to buy your tickets now! It's a show you don't want to miss.

(Special thanks to @BroadwayAllison for my udderly awesome backstage experience!)

Just Another Day at the Office

2009-02-04T13:05:00.003-05:00

I love my job. The other day I got to hang out and chat with our two awesome Turandot leads - Othalie Graham and Randolph Locke. Can I just say that they are fab-u-lous! Opera singers are so cool (I mean, not as cool as blogging opera cows, but pretty darn close).
Here I am posing with our talented and marvelous stars. "Mimi, why on earth are they wearing sunglasses inside," I hear you asking. Well, let me explain:

1. The sun (that bright object in the sky that usually provides heat) actually made an appearance in Columbus (shocking, I know).
2. We have a real problem with Opera paparazzi outside our office (they often want to snap our photo as we dash off to another exciting Opera Columbus event *sigh*) so the glasses helped to disguise our artists.

From what I hear, practices are going extremely well. In just two days (TWO DAYS!) they already have act one blocked. Needless to say, it's gonna be a good show. Have you bought your tickets yet? NO? Get on it! Call 614.469.0939 or visit Ticketmaster.com to buy tickets today. Enjoy 20% off single tickets by using the code: FRIEND.

Turandot - Day 1

2009-02-02T16:47:00.007-05:00

Moooooooo - opera makes me so excited!

Here I am. Excited & waiting for rehearsal to start.

This is one of my favorite days during production time - the first day of rehearsal. This is the first time all the singers have come together to sing for this production. I was lucky enough to sit in on today's rehearsal. Let me tell you - these amazingly talented artists did not disappoint. Powerful and beautiful voices filled the rehearsal space (which is a church community room - ha, you thought opera was so fancy!).

Press greets the artists. From Left to Right: Gene Allen (Emperor Altoum),
Mark Andrew Baker (Ping), Dean Anthony (Pong), Eric Johnston (Pang),
Othalie Graham (Turandot), Randolph Locke (Calaf), Diana McVey (Liu),
Sun Yu (Timur) & Eric McKeever (Mandarin).

Day one is the only time where the artists sit and sing through their parts. Speaking of parts, they come with their part memorized so they can dive right into the rehearsal process. Which they do almost instantly. Can you believe we mount a full-scale grand opera in only three weeks? That's pretty incredible!

These are the incredible folks that help make the opera magic happen.
From back to front: Ed Bak (Pianist), Bill Boggs (Artistic Director/Conductor/Chorusmaster),
John Hoomes (Stage Director), Kevin Lohr (Director of Production/Stage Manager)
& Alicia Boggs (Assistant Stage Manager).

Sing, Sing a Song

2009-01-29T16:10:00.006-05:00

My, oh my. I don't know about you but I'm about done with all this snow and ice. I wonder if any of the Florida opera companies have an opening for a blogging cow...

Even with the cold temperatures and nasty weather things here at Opera Columbus are a poppin' and a crackin'. Our artists for Turandot arrive this weekend and I can't wait to meet the lovely Othalie Graham (Turandot) and the dashing Randolph Locke (Calaf)! But I digress (ha, imagine that)...
This past weekend I helped with the first round of judging for our Irma M. Cooper Opera Columbus International Vocal Competition (IMCOCIVC). Let me just say there are some AMAZING young singers out there. I was floored by the talent our 112 applicants shared with us (via CD).

Six judges (they wouldn't let me be a judge...something about credentials) listened and reviewed all applicants and narrowed the field down to 30 singers.

So, everyone needs to venture to Weigel Hall (on the campus of The Ohio State University) on March 28 to watch the 30 semi-finalists battle it out for eight finalist spots. Then, rest up and come on back on March 29 to see the eight finalists compete for the top prize ($3,000 and a chance for a role with Opera Columbus). Also, one lucky finalist will be selected to sing at the 7th Annual Go Wild! for Opera concert in July. All the cool cows will be there.

Congratulations to our semi-finalists:

Lindsay	Ammann
Elizabeth	Baldwin
Joseph	Barron
Elizabeth	Brooks
Jonathan	Burton
Brian	Calì
Sarah	Callinan
Jessica Rose	Cambio
Carolina	Castells
Marianne	Cope
Alyssa	Cox
Jennifer	Forni
Timothy	Gartner
Jennifer	Jellings
Julie	Kinzey
Emily	Langford Johnson
Katherine	Lerner
Sarah	Lewis Jones
Catherine	Martin
Kevin	Ray
Sonia	Rodríguez Bermejo
Courtney	Ross
Paul	Scholten
Nathan	Stark
Kate	Tombaugh
Joanne	Um
Mark	Van Arsdale
Keyona	Willis
Magdalena	Wór
Jung Na	Yoon

Oh, The Weather Outside if Frightful

2009-01-14T14:43:00.006-05:00

I'm back! Did you miss me? I certainly missed blogging. As a special surprise my parents took my siblings and me to Miami for a week (and it wasn't easy getting a whole herd to Miami). White sand, blue water, warm skies and cute cabana boys made this vacation a dream come true. Here's my view from laying in my favorite hammock:
I came back relaxed and even had a little tan. Imagine my shock lading at CMH and driving back to my beloved Opera Columbus in this:

Have no fear loyal readers, even the numbing cold won't keep me from you! And I have so much to share with you about our upcoming production of Turnadot (which is gonna be fabulous), our vocal competition (which has over 90 applicants) and, of course, other fabulous Columbus stuff (like ProMusica's most recent concert).

So, if you have to go out in this hot mess please bundle up and drive safely. They made me pose in the snow. I was not thrilled. But, for you, I'd do (almost) anything.

It's the Holiday Season

2008-12-24T13:04:00.003-05:00

Hello, friends. I wanted to write a quick post before I headed back to the farm to spend the holidays with the crazy herd that is my family. 2008 has been a great year for me (and for you since I started this little old blog) and I'm looking forward to an even better 2009!

We're on holiday break (isn't that great?!) until Jan 5. So, I'll be back in 2009 with more fun Opera Columbus stories and Columbus treasures to share with you. Try not to miss me too much until then.

Here's wishing you the very merriest of holidays and happiest New Year.

Happiness is...

2008-12-17T14:04:00.008-05:00

...eating at Noodles & Company (Grandview location...although I'm sure others are just as yummy)!

I've mentioned it before, but let me say it again. The OC staff loves to eat almost as much as they love opera. Our lunch destination is usually decided no later than 10:30 a.m. every day. No wonder I love these people so much! One of our very favorite places to dine is Noodles & Company. They have the most delicious, fresh and yummy dishes. The staff top picks tend to be the Pesto Cavatappi and, my personal favorite, the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese. I've heard they are both good with the Parmesan crusted chicken (sorry, Carl). And in my humble (ha ha, humble) dessert-expert opinion they have the best rice krispie treats, EVER!

The Grandview Noodles & Company has something even better than food (crazy, I know): excellent customer service. Their employees greet our staff with a smile and have come to recognize us (kinda like Cheers where everyone knows your name without the booze and add noodles). One time when Lisa wasn't hungry (crazy, yet again) she didn't order anything but a Diet Coke (FYI - don't cross Lisa if she hasn't had at least one Diet Coke. This cow learned that the hard way) Ken, the general manager, delivered the food and asked what she had ordered. When she replied nothing Ken said that wasn't right and brought her out an order of Mac & Cheese.

So, to sum it up... if you're hungry go visit our friend Ken and the rest of the Grandview Noodles & Company staff. And stop and say hi to us because we're there like, um, twice a week (seriously).

Hanging with my buddy Ken. He rocks.

Loving my yummy dessert.

Kevin & I strike a pose and dream of the delicious dish we'll order today.

Happy Holidays from Opera Columbus

2008-12-09T10:40:00.007-05:00

As you make your year end gifts, please remember Opera Columbus.
Click here or call 614.461.8101 x17 to donate.

Holiday Fun

2008-12-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Even More Holiday Fun

2008-12-05T15:45:00.002-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

2008-12-05T11:10:00.005-05:00

With eight human staff members, a blogging cow and a dog everyone has to pitch in and help out. As we often say, we are each others' support staff. Whether it's hanging up posters, picking up artists from airport or, as in Tuesday's case, completing a direct mail project everyone from the Executive Director on down rolls up their sleeves and gets to work.

I'm not gonna lie, working on big projects as a staff is a lot of fun. We laugh, talk opera, drink hot chocolate and make fun of Lisa's love for Josh Groban. And man, can we crank out a direct mail project! If the opera gig doesn't pan out we always have our mad direct mail skills on which to fall back.

Helping Lisa send things to the printer (and making
sure she doesn't blast Josh Groban's holiday album too loud)

Helping Susan fold letters. Don't forget the pledge form!
Also, are you totally loving my new sweater?
Susan made it for me. She's so talented!

Donna and I stuff envelopes. Donna also wants me to
remind you: As you make your year end gifts, please
consider Opera Columbus. Click here to donate online.

Kevin can label envelopes faster than
anyone I know. Maybe his super powers
come from his sweet handle bar mustache.

Thankful

2008-11-26T13:45:00.004-05:00

Greetings readers! It's been an eventful (and short) week here at Opera Columbus.

In a few minutes I'm getting ready to leave the office and head back to the farm for Thanksgiving with the family (pray that I survive some of my crazy aunts and my grandmother asking me when I'm getting married - I just haven't met the right bull yet, ok).

As I sit back and think about Thanksgiving I have so much for which to be grateful. I have my health and my wonderful family. I have the best co-workers and fantastic blog readers. Plus, I'm always thankful for opera in general and the fabulous city in which I live, work and play. Speaking of great co-workers, we celebrated Eric's birthday today with a lunch at Northstar Cafe in Clintonville. I highly (HIGHLY) recommend the veggie burger. I'm told it tastes just as good as the real thing.

Enjoy the photos. Happy Thanksgiving!

With chef Matt. He was glad to hear we love Northstar!

With the adorable birthday boy, Eric.

With the handsome duo of Kevin and Eric.

With our funny and fearless leader, Press.

Susan and I know how to work the cute.

Hang on Sloopy

2008-11-21T16:18:00.006-05:00

I've been excited all week for the big game tomorrow. I will join thousands of other OSU fans and brave the cold to root on my beloved football team. I even traded in my pearls for a beautiful buckeye necklace. Mooooooooo! Go Bucks! Beat Michigan!

We Gather Together

2008-11-18T14:03:00.002-05:00

Yours truly (with the best head piece -
sparkles and feathers!) getting ready to dive
into the delicious bisque.

Besides loving Opera Columbus, a good party and a yummy cocktail the Opera Columbus staff is nuts for good food. On a typical day talk of "What are we having for lunch?," begins anywhere between 9:01 and 11 a.m.

On Thursday, Jeryl, OC's activities coordinator, wowed us with her culinary skills and made pumpkin bisque for the staff. To get in the mood for the fall season we decided to declare it a Pilgrim Lunch. And being opera folks we couldn't just leave it at that, we had costumes as well. I, of course, had the best headpiece and we even made one for Clooney, the office dog.

Never a dull day at the Opera Columbus office!

The Pilgrims

The Native Americans

The Pilgrims and Native Americans
gathering together for a photo op

Clooney, thrilled to be a Native American

Two adorable Native Americans begging for more food

We take our roles very seriously at the opera (and of course,
the Pilgrim ladies couldn't have boring hats, so I bedazzled
them and added shiny silver ribbon).

Kevin modeling his Pilgrim hat

It's a Celebration

2008-11-12T10:17:00.008-05:00

I've said it before and I'm gonna say it again. Opera people like to party (hence why I love opera people). To celebrate The Pearl Fishers' opening night, Opera Columbus hosted a party at Due Amici. The evening was filled with fabulous friends, talented artists, amazing food and several delicious libations.

Wanna be a part of this fun? Don't miss our Turandot Opening Night After Party on February 20. Pencil it in, more details to come.

With Opera Columbus Board President &
all around great guy, Jay.

With Nick, from Power Shack (our artist fitness sponsor).

With Rebekah, hair stylist and make-up artist extraordinaire.

Vale recognized my talent and insisted I call my agent.
He let me use his phone and gave me some tips.
That Vale is a great guy. The next singing cow role
in opera is totally mine.

With the talented Philip.

With two of my Opera Columbus favorites - Brian and Elise.

Learning a new dance step from our choreographer, Tim.

With new fun and fabulous friend, Julia.

With OC's Director of Production and Pearl Fishers
Stage Manager, Kevin.

With Director of Marketing & PR, Lisa, and our friend, Ben.

Pearl Fishers Photo Recap

2008-11-07T10:19:00.008-05:00

As you've read in my blog, we are very lucky to have some great partnerships. One of those partnerships is with photographer Will Shively. Will is an AMAZING photographer and takes stunning photographs of each of our operas. The photos from our most recent production were so incredible, I just had to share them with you!

So in case you missed it (and shame on you if you did) enjoy my photo recap (and, of course, my personal narration of the story).

Click the picture to go to our Flickr album

With a Tweet, Tweet Here

2008-10-29T15:23:00.007-04:00

Please forgive me, loyal readers. After a busy week and and even busier weekend I took some vacation days to recover. But, I'm back at it and have a ton of exciting things to share.

First, let's talk about the Tweet-up. For those of you saying, "A Tweet-what?," let me explain. Some of the staff members are active on Twitter (Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Thank you, Wikipedia.). Twitter allows us to share all the fun stuff that goes on behind the scenes with our friends/followers. Twitter people are cool and like to get together face-to-face thus resulting in a Tweet-up. This is a time for Tweeple (Twitter people) to network, socialize and enjoy some food.

To share our love of opera with our Twitter friends we decided to host a Tweet-up before our Pearl Fishers dress rehearsal and invite everyone to stay and watch the rehearsal. We had a great turnout with about 55 people in attendance. Special thanks to Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and The Refectory for providing us with door prizes for the event. We heard a lot of people saying it was their first opera experience and where surprised to find out how much they enjoyed it. Some of our friends even wrote a few blogs about it (to read them click here, here and here). Check out some of the great Twitter feedback here and here.

I like to start with dessert first

Posing with Twitter-er extraordinaire Rocky (@rockson)

Providing our friendly bartender with a little help

Smiling for the Camera with Jason (@blantonious)

Press and I marveling (and sampling) the
amazing food spread

Let's Go on with the Show!

2008-10-22T14:02:00.004-04:00

It's Pearl Fishing time in Columbus! Our set has arrived, we've moved to the Ohio Theatre, the CSO is back and it's almost show time. Tonight is an exciting night because not only is it our final dress rehearsal, it's also the night of the Opera Columbus Tweet-up. I can't wait to meet all of our Twitter friends and see what they think about the artform we all love. But, I'll have more on that tomorrow.

So, I was helping Lisa with some media relations items on Monday (that girl would be lost without me) and decided to snap a few behind the scenes shots. And, after watching rehearsal, I promise you an amazing show. Order your tickets today. And just because I'm a generous bovine I'll offer you 20% off single tickets. All you have to do is call 614-469-0939 and mention you'd like a G-Type ticket. Enjoy!

Look at that marquee! I love seeing our name in lights!

Eric and I marvel and the beautiful Ohio Theatre.

Posing with Assistant Stage Manager, Alicia, on our awesome set.

Props table. Lots of fun stuff here!

This is basically command central for the Opera. From this
perch is where Stage Manager Kevin makes all the calls.

With prop man extraordinaire, James. Props are very important.

Do You Believe in Magic?

2008-10-17T16:25:00.010-04:00

Busy doesn't even begin to describe the goings on here at Opera Columbus. It's a good busy though. There is also a certain excitement in the air. After all, The Pearl Fishers opens at the Ohio Theatre one week from today! Hooray! (Seriously, get your tickets now. Rumor has it that this is the best cast we've ever had!)

The artists have been in town for two weeks rehearsing the show. But, it takes more than just the folks on stage to make opera magic. It takes a lot of people working behind the scenes to make sure what you see on stage is the best opera possible.

So my friends, follow me on a pictorial tour of the people that make the opera magic happen.

Artist Transportation & Housing:

Here at am at with Joe of Roush Honda and Kevin, our director
of production.Roush Honda donates rental cars for our
artists to use while they're in Columbus. Looking for a
new car? Need a tune up? Wanna talk to some super
nice people? Then I suggest you visit our friends at Roush.

The whole Opera Columbus staff goes to pick up the cars and
drop them off wherever the artists are staying. Here I am
navigating for Lisa (she tends to be directionally-challenged).

I made a new friend with Nick, the manager of the hotel
where are artists are staying. He was excited to have
our talented artists stay at their hotel and asked
lots of questions about opera.

Costumes/Wardrobe:

For each opera we rent our costumes and they arrive
in boxes. I'm helping sort out all the pieces.

Once sorted, the costumes are hung up, labeled and tailored
to each performer. Donna and Wayne, our wardrobe team do a great job!

I couldn't help it, I had to try on some of the costume pieces. Don't tell.

Marketing/Advertising:

We have a great partnership with the ad agency LondyLawrence. Working
closely with Lisa, our director of Marketing & PR, they develop
creative ideas and marketing pieces. Did you see our beautiful
Season Guide? Yeah, they are the creative genius' behind it.
Looking for an ad agency that rocks? LondyLawrence is your answer.

Clooney, the Opera Dog, and I also provide marketing support.

Wigs & Makeup:

Just this week the wig and makeup team arrived. They have to design
and style about 50 wigs/hair pieces. Here I am giving Chris a few tips.

Here I am watching Christine do her design thing.

Look at all the cool wigs designed and styled by the team from
Cosmic Hair and Makeup. They are amazing and super
fun to work with, too!

Celebrate Good Times

2008-10-14T13:47:00.006-04:00

Opera people are fun people. Surprised to hear that? Well, I swear it's true. Opera people also love to party (no wonder I love opera as much as I do). To give people a chance to see the rehearsal process and chat with the cast Opera Columbus hosted a Meet & Greet on Friday. Here are some fun pictures taken at La Chatelaine after the rehearsal. Enjoy!

Here I am with Alicia, the Assistant Stage Manager,
and Kevin, Director of Production and State Manager.

With friends Mike, Andrew and Justin.

With Vale and Willie. I had to try Vale's drink.
Not gonna lie. It was good.

With the fabulous Ed. He's also our rehearsal
accompanist. Man, can he tickle those ivories.

With my friend, Thomas.

With Press, our Executive Director, and
Donna, our Director of Finance.

Happy Cow-lumbus Day!

2008-10-10T15:22:00.005-04:00

Holy opera cow! It's one of my favorite holidays - Columbus Day! Silly, I know, but what can I say? I'm nuts about this town.

Susan and I discuss which fabulous Columbus
spot we should visit first. I vote for the Zoo,
she votes for BalletMet.

My friends over at Experience Columbus have teamed up with Dine Originals Columbus and a lot of local arts/cultural organizations to provide fantastic discounts all weekend! (Wish Opera Columbus could participate but we don't have a performance this weekend. Oh, well, more time to experience all the other fabulous places in Columbus!) Want to learn more about Experience Columbus Days? Click here to download the discount flyer.

Stop reading this blog and get out and experience all our beautiful city has to offer. And, keep an eye out for me! Wonder if they'll notice if I leave early today...

Oh Say Can You See!

2008-10-08T15:50:00.004-04:00

My heart is still pounding from the excitement. I just met Leo Welsh, the OFFICIAL National Anthem singer for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was kind enough to pose with me, one of his biggest fans.
Leo, my friends, is an opera singer. That's right. The cute guy you cheer for at Nationwide Arena also sings the operatic greats. In fact, he's in the chorus for our upcoming production of The Pearl Fishers. Do you need any more reasons to buy tickets?

Oh, I might have casually mentioned that I really like Stinger (a lot). Guess what? Leo said he's going to help me meet him. MOO! I'm so excited! Now I need to figure out what I'm going to wear when I meet him. I love life here at the Opera Columbus office!

The Pearl Fishers Cast is in Columbus!

2008-10-07T12:20:00.008-04:00

There are some times when it's appropriate to cheer. And, there are times when a cheer just doesn't cut it and you have to moo! This is one of those cases... MOO! I'm so excited The Pearl Fishers artists have arrived!

The Opera Columbus office is popping and cracking. The costumers are here doing fittings and preparing the outfits for the show. Chorus and principal artists are in and out of the office for meetings and costume fittings. The staff is equally as busy getting ready for students to attend our dress rehearsal, working on organizing our Tweet-up, talking with reporters and, basically, making sure everything comes together to ensure this show is a success.

I was lucky enough to sit in the first sing-thru with the principal artists. It was AMAZING. The voices are warm and gorgeous. And speaking of gorgeous, the cast is full of beautiful people and they are all as nice as nice can be. Just goes to show - Opera is sexy! And here's the proof:

Meet the beautiful and talented, Diane Alexander. This stunning soprano plays Leïla, priestess of Brahma. She's also in all our ads for the show. This is her second time singing with Opera Columbus (she played the lead in The Merry Widow in Feb 2007). She's the first part of the tragic love triangle in the show.

Here I am helping Vale Rideout do a little brush up before rehearsal began. I think he was surprised a cow knew so much about opera. Vale is a handsome and charming guy who plays Nadir, a fisherman, the romantic tenor. Vale's the second part of the love triangle.

Next we have the dreamy baritone - Philip Cutlip. He's a charmer ladies (and couldn't resist kissing the cutest cow he's ever met *sigh*). He gives Stinger a run for his money. Philip plays Zurga, king of the fishermen. Philip completes the show's love triangle.

Central Ohio based bass-baritone, Brian Banion, completes the pricipal cast of The Pearl Fishers. Brian plays the high priest of Brahma, Nourabad. Brian is hilarious and has a killer smile (when he actualy smiles for the camera). Brian does wonderful things for Opera Columbus! He's often in our productions and frequently sings with our community programs.

But all the talent isn't just on the the stage! We are lucky to have, in my opinion, one of the best conductors and stage directors in the business.

Here I am with my good friend, Bill Boggs. Not only is he OC's artistic director, he's the conductor for The Pearl Fishers. We are so lucky to have someone so talented living and working right here in Columbus. Here we are studying the score. He often consults me before a big gig. I'm his go-to-cow.
I was able to corner stage director William Florescu today when he was in the office. Biff, as he's know to his friends (which would be me), is a busy guy. He's also the General Director of Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee (I have some cousins in Mikwaukee, maybe I'll have to drop by for a visit sometime). He's in rehearsal most of the day and is also remotely running an opera company. I'm hoping he finds some time to sleep.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates! And while you're waiting...buy some tickets to the show at the Ohio Theatre on October 24 at 8 p.m. and October 26 at 2 p.m. Call 614.469.0939 or visit Ticketmaster.com.

Let's Go Jackets!

2008-10-03T15:24:00.006-04:00

Last night I joined OC Executive Director Press, Director of Production Kevin, Director of Education & Community Programming Eric and Director of Marketing & Public Relations Lisa for a Blue Jackets game at Nationwide Arena. Even though my beloved Jackets lost, we still had a lot of fun!

Not only do I love Opera, I'm pretty crazy about hockey, too. Plus, I love supporting any Columbus-based team. Come to think of it, I may be a little biased towards the Blue Jackets because I think their mascot, Stinger, is really cute. If anyone knows Stinger and can arrange a little meeting with the cutest cow in Columbus I'd be eternally grateful. Enjoy the picture highlights!

The gang before the game began.

Quick picture with Press & Lisa. Lisa needs to go
shopping for some Blue Jackets apparel, she's wearing an
Otterbein sweatshirt. The nerve! We're having
a talk about this on Monday.

I join Kevin and Eric cheering - GOAL!

Right after the first period. It was all tied up! Who
do I need to know to be one of the lucky folks that
get to ride and wave on the Zamboni?

FIGHT! Huge fight breaks out during the second
period. The Sabre's goalie & another player were
thumping on Rick Nash. Lots of players got involved.
Pretty sure we saw the ref pick up teeth.

*Sigh* Stinger, I heart you.

A Lovely Day

2008-10-01T15:12:00.010-04:00

Holy cow! It is crazy busy here on East Naghten Street. Things are so busy that they've put yours truly to work - I've been helping move boxes, stuff envelopes, run errands, make artist arrangements, etc. This has left me with little time to blog. Today, I finally put my hoof down. I will not take on any more projects until I can blog! So here it goes...

Opera Columbus has many excellent volunteer groups. These volunteer groups perform various functions from serving as manning the Opera Columbus booth at various festivals to fundraising. They are the heart of of Opera Columbus.

President of Les Claqueurs, Esther (right), your favorite blogging
bovine and another fabulous Claqueurs member

Last Wednesday, I, along with most of the OC staff, had the pleasure of attending the annual picnic of Les Claqueurs. Les Claqueurs is a unique club of senior volunteers interested in advancing the purposes of Opera Columbus.

At the picnic, we were able to talk about all the super fantastic things going on at Opera Columbus. We talked about our upcoming production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers and the most exciting thing (in my humble opinion) was talking about our new blog. The Claqueurs seemed excited to meet me and herded around demanding to be photographed with their new favorite cow. I, of course, happily obliged.

Here I am with our hosts Dick and Ginny and Claqueurs
member, Harriett. Harriett is a woman after my own heart.
Way to promote the show, my friend!

They are a fun group of people and boy, oh boy, can they cook up a storm! They take their picnics seriously. I couldn't help but go up for seconds (hey, it's pumpkin pie, it was calling my name):

Thank You for the Music

2008-09-25T14:11:00.006-04:00

Hip, hip, hooray! Now this is news a gal can moo about!

In fact, Susan (OC's Assistant Executive Director and Director of Development) and I were mooing and cheering about it earlier:

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is back! And, the good news doesn't stop there. Where/When will they make their return? At our production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers on October 24 & 26! Newspapers all over the country have picked up the story and most have included a mention about Opera Columbus. We love seeing our lovely company's name in print (the only way it would have been better is to mention the beautiful blogging opera cow)!

To read more about the CSO click here.

Have you purchased your tickets yet? If not, get on it!

Oh Come Let's Sing Ohio's Praise

2008-09-22T15:58:00.004-04:00

Yours truly enjoying some pre-game activities with
Director of Production, Kevin, Director of Marketing
and PR, Lisa, and OC Board Member, Bill.

O-H...I-O!

What a glorious Saturday! I can't imagine a more perfect day - good friends, beautiful weather and OSU football at The 'Shoe.

On Friday, Kevin scored some last minute OSU tickets to the Troy game. Being a fellow alum (and HUGE Buckeye fan), Kevin invited me to join him. After hearing I was going to the game, Lisa sat in her office making comments (loud enough for everyone to hear) about how she's "never been to a game before" and how she "wished she could go, too." So, being the generous folks we are, Kevin and I asked her to join us.

We started game day the way every good fan should start - tailgating. We met up with one of our fun and fabulous OC Board members, Bill, and some friends from German Village. And, can I just say, the food was AMAZING. After grazing for a while we headed over the stadium and found our seats so we could watch TBDBITL make its entrance.

This moment always gives me goosebumps.

What a game! I'll admit, I was a little nervous going into the fourth quarter up by only four points. My dearly beloved Buckeyes sometimes can crumble at this point. But, freshman, Terrelle Pryor quickly put my fears to rest throwing two more touchdown passes making the final score 28-10. I can't wait to watch him the rest of the season (I think I may have a new crush, sorry Carl).

We left the stadium a little sun burnt, a little hot but very happy! Go Bucks!

My Kind of Town

2008-09-19T15:23:00.003-04:00

Moos Flash: I heart Columbus. A lot.

Before Wednesday I would have bet money you couldn't find anyone who loves Columbus more than this cute cow; however, that morning I learned there are 47 people that might just love Columbus a little more. Those 47 love our amazing city so much they spend a lot of their time promoting it! If you haven't guessed by now, I'm talking about the staff at Experience Columbus.

Wednesday, I helped Eric and Lisa take some OC season brochures down to the Experience Columbus Visitor Center. We'd never been before and it's a fantastic place! Our new friend Ben, showed us around the center and then arranged for us to get a tour of the rest of the office (which is beautiful and full of marvelous people).

Ben is udderly fabulous and we clicked right away.

Here we are having a chuckle over the joke
I just told him. (What kind of milk comes from a
forgetful cow? Milk of Amnesia!)

Need to know what's going on in Columbus? Want to buy some Columbus based/themed merchandise? Want to know about Columbus restaurants, sporting events or performing arts events? Well, you can do it all at the Visitor Center!

They have all kinds of helpful things to educate you about the city I love. In the middle of the center there are several computers where you can look up events and even purchase/print tickets (if tickets are sold on Ticketmaster.com - *ahem* like Opera Columbus tickets).

Looking up some fun stuff to do this weekend:

On one wall of the center they have two HUGE magnetic maps. If you're not sure where something is Ben can point out (at lightening speed). That Ben, he's a smart (and cute) guy. Here Eric points out a super fun place to be, Opera Columbus:

I showed Ben the best place to put our Season Guide. Now when you stop in the Visitor Center, besides seeing Ben's smiling face, you can pick up an OC brochure (yay!).

On a different note, I want to give a quick shout out to an amazing friend - Amy Constantine-Kline. Some of you know Amy as your go-to-gal at the CAPA ticket office. Amy is moving back to her hometown of Pittsburgh and working at MCG Jazz. We thank Amy for all her hard work and wish her, and her family, the best of luck.

My Country 'Tis of Thee

2008-09-15T16:42:00.005-04:00

That's what all the cute kiddos had to sing for our Opera Columbus Youth Chorus auditions this past weekend. Now, let me say, as a young calf, I would have rocked the house with this little ditty. But, I digress.

We had an amazing turnout for our auditions on Saturday. All in all we had 46 kids, from all over Central Ohio, tryout for the chorus. They ranged in age from sassy 7-year-olds to sophisticated 17-year-olds.

From those 46 talented youths our lovely chorus mistress, Susie, and resident youth choral music expert, Jayne, had to narrow the field down to 20 children. Here I am giving them advice on how to select the best singers for the job: While the young opera-stars-to-be waited for their time to audition, I had the chance to hang out with a few. We chatted about everything from favorite school subjects (recess was a popular pick) to past stage roles to the OSU game (oy vey, what a game).

Here I am with a clan of Buckeye and opera loving Columbusites:

Miss S. and I strike a pose before I help her get measured for her costume:
Susie and Jane had a tough job. Thanks to everyone that tried out. Make sure you come see our production of Turandot in February to see 20 of the most talented kids in Columbus.

Celebration

2008-09-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Giving Charlene Brown, host of WOSU's Artzine,
some tips during an interview with Press about
arts and the economy (to air in October).

Whew. It's been a whirlwind of a week here at Opera Columbus. Not only did we celebrate Press' birthday but everyone is crazy busy getting ready for our upcoming production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers (have you bought your tickets yet? Get on it by calling 614-469-0939). In honor of his birthday, I spent some time with Press this week (I even had to help him prep for a TV interview). We chatted and here's some fun stuff you should know about the wonderful guy that leads our company:

OPERA

First Opera: Mozart's The Magic Flute, an Opera Columbus production in the early 90s.
How you got involved with OC: A partner at my office and an OC board member at the time, Sheldon Chizever, invited me to attend a performance. His hope was I would get involved with the Board (which I did).
If someone said, "Ug, opera isn't for me," how would you respond: Have you tried it? It's not an elitist artform. It was originally created for the common class. This beautiful artform combines music, symphony, sets, acting, etc. It's colorful and full of pageantry!
What's your take on cows and opera: Well, if a cow wants to be excited about opera she should probably check out a production of Carmen. There are usually some fine looking bulls appearing with the toreador.

FAVORITES
TV shows: Days of Our Lives, Law & Order and LOST.
Books: The Green Mile and anything by James Patterson.
Music: If by Dean Martin and anything by Enya, The Beatles and Queen.
Ice Cream: Dolce de Leche.

COLUMBUS
Favorite restaurant: The Top on East Main.
Hidden gem: Tommy's Diner on East Broad.
Proof that this isn't a cowtown: We have amazing arts and culture here in the city and it's accessible to everyone. In other cities people can't be involved with multiple arts and cultural organizations due to cost or distance - here it's affordable and easy to get to and attend/participate.

FUN STUFF
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up: A baseball player.
What would people be surprised to know about you: I'm a huge OSU Buckeyes fan, but I guess that's not a surprise. How about the fact that I have eight different season subscriptions to various sporting events and eight different memberships/season subscriptions to arts/cultural organizations. I love sports and the arts - I do it all!
If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you want to have with you: All I would need is Joan, my wife of 40 years.

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-12T11:29:00.014-04:00

Happy Birthday, Press! September 10 was our Executive Director's birthday. The staff here at OC loves to celebrate birthdays (come to thinking of it they enjoy finding things to celebrate - I like these people). So, in honor of our fearless leader's big day we had cake in the afternoon and ventured to Hyde Park on the Cap for $4 martinis/cocktails after work (a perfect combination, if you ask me). Enjoy our photos from Press' Birthday Celebration Extravaganza.

Make a wish
(I'm guessing he was wishing there were more
roles for beautiful bovine in Opera productions.)

Most of the udderly fabulous Opera Columbus staff
(Lisa makes us wear hats then gets out of wearing
one because she takes the pictures - sneaky.)

Time for cocktails! My favorite? Moojitos!

With Director of Production Kevin and Assistant Executive
Director/Director of Development Susan
(Don't we make a cute little family?)

Activities Coordinator Jeryl and friend Zoran.
(Bunny ears? That's so second grade.)

Press and his lovely, and fabulously funny, wife Joan.

We wrapped up the evening with birthday kisses!
(Actually this is probably what he wished for earlier.)

A Lovely Night

2008-09-08T13:58:00.006-04:00

If you weren't at Genoa Park this weekend for German Village's Oktoberfest you really missed out on another one of Columbus' fabulous events.

It couldn't be a more perfect day for Oktoberfest. The sun was setting as we (my co-worker Lisa, another friend and yours truly) strolled along looking at everything from folks selling Buckeye crafts (Speaking of the Buckeyes, how about that game on Saturday afternoon? I was one nervous cow during a good chunk of the game.) to people walking around in keg hats. And, of course, there's the food. I thoroughly enjoyed the sour kraut balls from Hey Hey Bar & Grill and the three of us split a heavenly cream puff from Schmidt's while Lisa and I sipped on glasses of Riesling.

My favorite part of the evening (besides viewing the breath-taking Columbus skyline) was watching the air accordion contest. That's right - air accordion (think air guitar - accordion style). It was awesome. There's nothing like watching intoxicated individuals play their air accordions to the sweet sounds of polka.

I'd love to show you pictures of other interesting headgear (Carl, there were chicken hats!), the unique attendees, the food and the beautiful skyline reflecting in the waters of the Scioto. Alas, someone that I will not name (*cough, cough* rhymes with Visa) forgot to charge the camera battery. Seriously, can I get some qualified help around here? Instead you get a picture of me glancing over the nifty brochure they provided at the gate and reliving my lovely evening.

I Gotta Moo!

2008-09-04T11:54:00.006-04:00

I am still super pumped after a fantastic lunch yesterday with co-workers Eric (our Director of Education & Community Programming) and Lisa (our Director of Marketing & PR/resident celebrity gossip expert) and Cindy from WOSU's Artzine.

Before I get into the fabulous-ness that happened during lunch, I just have to say that we at Opera Columbus love the incredible relationships and partnerships we have with so many of the phenomenal arts and cultural organizations here in Columbus (*ahem* another point proving this isn't a cowtown). We love collaboration here at OC!

Back to lunch...the four of us gathered at Northstar Caf é (I had the veggie burger and it was AMAZING), a local Short North eatery, to chat about possible Opera Columbus stories for Artzine. Being the genius and natural people pleaser I am, I led our discussions and pitched some stupendous ideas.

(Here I am leading discussion. Cindy and I had
so many great ideas about features for the show
Lisa and Eric could hardly get a word in!)

So my friends, if you're in the area, tune into Artzine on WOSU. Over the next year, you're going to be learning a lot about Opera Columbus and what goes on behind the scenes. I also have a hunch I'll be making my TV début *wink*. Stay tuned!

(After the meeting we ran into some hip, sassy,
professional ladies, much like myself: Sherri
from Victoria's Secret, Tracy from ZenGenius and Jamie
from Experience Columbus. Now that's hot.)

Oh Happy Day

2008-09-02T11:37:00.004-04:00

I hardly slept all weekend. While I had a lovely time relaxing, following the latest election news and shopping at the outlet malls, I could not wait for Tuesday morning! Why? Because, silly, Opera Columbus single tickets go on sale today!

Ordering is super easy and the CAPA Ticket Office folks are incredibly helpful and basically plain awesome. You need to call our friends in the Ticket Office (614-469-0939) and order your tickets today. You can also go online and order tickets, but then you miss talking with the fabulous CAPA peeps.

Opera tickets make great gifts, too. I ordered a pair of The Pearl Fishers tickets for a couple of my cow gal pals back home and a pair of Turandot tickets for my fancy friends who love Neal E. Boyd on America's Got Talent (he sings the famous Tenor aria, "Nessun Dorma", from Turandot). And I think I may get a few tickets to The Mikado for some of my musical theatre loving friends.

Get on it. Order your tickets today (614-469-0939 or click here)! See you at the opera!

Sum-summer-summertime

2008-08-26T10:01:00.005-04:00

I heart summer! I adore laying by the pool with a cool umbrella drink, I love going to the Ohio State Fair (there are usually some fine looking bulls there) and I fancy walking around Goodale Park on a warm summer evening. But, what I love most about summer is Opera Columbus' summer camp!

And, Opera Columbus has one fine summer camp, if I do say so myself! This year's camp was held in July on the campus of The Ohio State University (the alma mater of one amazing cow, *ahem* moi). Even though I no longer make the age break to be a camper, I love helping out and watching the performances. (I'm also in the process of encouraging Eric, our Director of Education & Outreach, to include a cow as the lead in next year's summer camp performance, but that's a post for a different day.)

Let me tell fill you in with some of the details of about our fun summer program. To make sure everyone gets the best experience we break the camp into two sections.

First, there is the Opera Columbus Summer Camp for ages 8 - 13. This section introduces participants to the world of opera focusing on music, drama, movement, stage craft and visual art. Their portion of the camp concluded with a performance with Opera professionals in an abridged version of Hansel and Gretel. Here's a clip of two of our professionals singing "Evening Prayer" as part of the final performance:

The second part of our summer camp is called the Opera Columbus Academy. The Academy is designed for ages 14 -18 as a pre-professional training program that provides vocal students in-depth training and helps them prepare for college auditions, etc. Their portion of the camp concluded with selections from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Those young singers were amazing and I had a blast hanging out with all of them. Here I am warming up with some of the girls before the show:

So if you know any kids or calves that want to give life on the stage a try, it's not too early to start thinking about camp for next year. Shoot my buddy, Eric, an e-mail. (E-mails supporting a cow as the lead in next year's summer camp performance should also go to Eric.)

Start Spreading the Moos!

2008-08-22T11:50:00.007-04:00

My, oh my! I do declare, I am a little flabbergasted!

I was cruising the Internet today with my co-worker, Eric (OC's Director of Education and Outreach). We were catching up on Twitter and saw that Carl had a tweet with a link to an article talking about our friends at Opera Cleveland. So of course we clicked on the link to read about Carl (have I mentioned that I adore this chicken?) and the exciting things going on at Cleveland Opera.

Eric I and were so surprised to see that yours truly was mentioned in the article!

Not just any bovine gets her name in the press! I can't wait to e-mail the girls back home about my media mention. Watch out world - this cow is going places!

I Say Hello

2008-08-20T14:01:00.005-04:00

Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo!

I am thrilled to be typing my first blog! It took some time to convince my Opera Columbus co-workers that I was Web-worthy. But, thanks to Carl (I love you Carl!), Opera Cleveland 's Opera Chicken, and some conversations at the Opera America conference in June, here I am.

(Even before I was officially hired, they put me to work. Here I am passing out programs at our Summer Camp performance.)

Let me tell you a little bit about life before Opera Columbus hired their newest, and most talented, staff member. I grew up on a farm just outside Columbus and mooved to the big city for college. After graduating from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) I worked a few odd jobs (waitressing, temping, filing and even dabbled in real estate). During that time I got to experience a lot of the amazing things Columbus has to offer, *ahem* like Opera Columbus. But, during the same time I kept hearing people call my beloved city a *gasp* cowtown.

So when I heard Opera Columbus was looking for someone fabulous to write their blog about how awesome Opera Columbus, and Columbus in general, is I jumped on the chance.

Honey, let me tell you something. I am one cool, opera-loving, Columbus-adoring, cow. I am here to take back the cow in cowtown!