Opera company forming in BR, plans first show in October

With the mission of bringing professional opera to the Baton Rouge community, Opéra Louisiane has formed and has its first performance planned for October.

Tenor Paul Groves, a native of Lake Charles, has signed on as artistic consultant for the company. Robert Grayson will be the general director.

Groves has received international attention, having performed at every major opera house in The U.S. and Europe. He is a longtime favorite at the Metropolitan Opera.

Groves attended LSU and studied with Grayson, Kirkpatrick Professor and Chair of the Voice/Opera Division at the LSU School of Music. Grayson has been a leading tenor at the New York City Opera for more than a decade and has sung throughout the USA with many opera houses.

Several performers, mostly Louisiana talents, have agreed to perform during Opéra Louisiane’s inaugural 2007-08 season. Among those on the program for upcoming concerts are Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Futral, soprano; Groves, tenor; Jeffrey Wells, bass-baritone; Lucas Meacham, baritone; Lisette Oropesa, soprano, and Matt Morgan, tenor.

A board of directors and advisory board for the company is in place, and non-profit status is pending for the group.

The Opéra Louisiane Gala is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the River Center Theatre. The event will be sponsored and broadcast by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Beth Courtney, CEO of LPB, will serve on the advisory board, along with Edith Kirkpatrick and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Director Timothy Muffitt. The symphony will be featured at the Oct. 27 concert.

Other events planned are a guest artist concert with Oropesa and John Keene, pianist, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008; and a Young Artist Production at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2008, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 18, 2008. Ticket and venue information will be announced soon.

For more information on Opéra Louisiane, call (225) 205-8310, go to http://www.operalouisiane.com or e-mail operalouisiane@cox.net. The company’s mailing address is 7707 Waco Ave., Suite C, Baton Rouge, LA 70806.

OMC going to Austria
Members of local dance-theatre company Of Moving Colors will attend the well-known festival, Impuls Tanz, in Vienna, Austria, July 30.

The festival is a training-intensive workshop which will help OMC with technique, presentation and knowledge to further their cutting-edge performances. The ongoing training will also allow the troupe to continue its outreach programs to children and teens.

World-class instructors will teach contemporary technique, ballet, improvisation, jazz, theory and other specific techniques.

The local company will provide transportation, accommodations and two classes daily for the dancers, who will add additional classes at their own expense. The company is asking for public support to maximize the Vienna training so they can achieve their artistic goals, and in turn, share their new expertise with the community.

Tax-deductible contributions can be mailed to Of Moving Colors, P.O. Box 14700, Baton Rouge, LA 70898. For more information, call (225) 338-0804 or go to http://www.ofmovingcolors.org.

First Monday music
Organist Dan Talbot will perform at First Monday at First Methodist at 12:05 p.m. Monday, July 2.

Talbot will play music celebrating the Fourth of July.

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