Press Releases
“Opera Ball” Gala and Auction on September 11, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Press Release – Pine Mountain Music Festival
For Immediate Release
Contact: Peter Van Pelt
Pine Mountain Music Festival
906-482-1542
Date: August 25, 2010
Invitation to “Opera Ball”
Hancock – Celebrating the recent triumph of “La Traviata” and looking forward to next year’s premiere of the newly-commissioned opera “Rockland,” Pine Mountain Music Festival invites you to an “Opera Ball” on Saturday, September 11.
This gala event will be held at the Superior Ballroom, Best Western Franklin Square Inn, in Houghton, at 6:00 pm. Generous hors d’oeuvres and elegant desserts will be served, and there will be a live auction and a silent auction with many interesting items ranging from a Grand Hotel package, an Isle Royale package, and a cruise for four on a private yacht, to bottles of wine and a rustic table made by a Festival trustee from trees on her own property. Later in the evening, attendees can dance to the music of The Bluffs Orchestra.
The Opera Ball is a fund-raiser to help Pine Mountain Music Festival end 2010 in good financial health. The cost is $60 per person, with $30 being the tax-deductible amount.
Peter Van Pelt, executive director of the Festival, says, “We had such a good season this year, with ticket sales 30 percent ahead of 2009, that we are in a mood to celebrate. Although the Festival also presents chamber music and other kinds of music, we are calling this event the ‘Opera Ball’ as we look forward to next season’s new opera, ‘Rockland,’ which will be a major event for the area.”
For reservations, call the Festival office at 906-482-1542 by September 7 (or by September 1 to be entered in the Early Bird Drawing). Elegant attire is suggested but not required.
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera, classical and popular music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other smaller towns in the Upper Peninsula. Headquartered in Hancock, Michigan, it is supported by donations, ticket sales and grants. Visit the web at pmmf.org for more information.
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PMMF presents Verdi’s Great Opera La Traviata
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Photo: Jessica Rose Cambio and Bernard D. Holcomb in PMMF’s La Traviata
Press Release – Pine Mountain Music Festival
Contact: Peter Van Pelt
Pine Mountain Music Festival
906-482-1542
Date: June 30, 2010
Verdi’s great opera “La Traviata” is coming to the Upper Peninsula. This tale of love gained, then lost, then re-gained but too late, told to Verdi’s sublime music, will appear at Kaufman Auditorium in Marquette on July 13, at Norway-Vulcan Fine Arts Center in Norway on July 15, and at Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton on July 18. Tickets are $30 for adults or $10 for students.
The singers for this dramatic and popular opera will be eight Resident Opera Artists plus Eric Green, an experienced baritone who will sing the role of Germont. He has sung for the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera and other companies. For Michigan Opera Theater he sang the role of Robert Garner in the world premiere of “Margaret Garner.” Internationally, he has sung in Spain, France, Australia, Hong Kong and elsewhere.
The leading role of the courtesan Violetta will be sung by Jessica Rose Cambio who made her professional debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall singing scenes from Puccini’s “La Bohème” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has also sung in Italy, Russia and Israel and at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.
The role of Alfredo will be sung by Bernard Holcomb, a Pine Mountain Music Festival veteran from last year who has also sung at Sarasota Opera and Michigan Opera Theater. He toured to Russia, Germany, Latvia and Estonia with a “Porgy and Bess” production, and has appeared as soloist or recitalist with several symphony orchestras.
There will be an orchestra in the pit, conducted by Stephen Hargreaves, from Chicago, who is also an accomplished piano and harpsichord soloist. As a conductor, he has appeared with Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Omaha, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and other opera companies.
A chorus composed of local singers will round out the cast of this magnificent and popular opera.
It will be sung in Italian, with English surtitles above the stage so that the audience can conveniently follow the story-line. The Houghton performance is at 3:00 pm; the others are at 7:30 pm. There will be a pre-opera talk one hour before each performance, free to ticket-holders. “This production of ‘La Traviata’ will be a good introduction to opera for first-time opera-goers,” says Joshua Major, artistic director. “That wonderful Verdi music, awesome voices, great orchestra and chorus, expert conductor, lovely costumes – this will be a memorable event for our audiences.”
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera, classical and popular music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other towns in the Upper Peninsula. Headquartered in Hancock, Michigan, it is supported by donations, ticket sales and grants. Visit the web at http://www.pmmf.org or call 888-309-7861 for more information, or call 1-877-746-3999 for tickets.
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“Operatunitea” Delicious Event and Rubbing Elbows with Singers
Friday, July 2, 2010
Contact: Peter Van Pelt
Pine Mountain Music Festival
906-482-1542
Date: July 2, 2010
“Operatunitea:” Delicious Event and Rubbing Elbows with Singers
You are invited to an “Operatunitea” at the Four Seasons Tea Room in Houghton at 4 pm on July 16. There will be teas including hot Vienna Opera Ball tea, boysenberry iced tea, or lemonade along with the famous Tea Room favorite sweets, and a chance to meet singers who will appear in the opera “La Traviata” on July 18. Admission to the July 16 “Operatunitea” is $20. Call the Pine Mountain Music Festival office at 906-482-1542 or toll-free 888-309-7861. Prior registration is required, since seating is limited.
The event is sponsored by Pine Mountain Music Festival, whose artistic director, Joshua Major, will be on hand, along with Lucy Thrasher, director of the Resident Opera Artist program. They will present a brief preview of the opera, and will introduce the singers. This will be an unusual and personal peek behind the scenes of an opera production while enjoying the delights of a royalty-worthy ambience.
The opera “La Traviata,” one of the most popular operas of all time, will be presented July 13 at Kaufman Auditorium in Marquette, July 15 at Norway-Vulcan Fine Arts Center in Norway MI, and July 18 at Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton. The Houghton performance is at 3:00 pm, and the others at 7:30 pm. The opera will be sung in Italian, with English surtitles above the stage, so audience members can easily follow the story. A pre-opera talk, free to ticket-holders, will be given one hour prior to each performance. “La Traviata,” a story of love gained, lost, and then re-gained too late, is a good opera for first-time opera-goers.
Pine Mountain Music Festival presents a season of opera, classical and popular music each June-July in the Dickinson County area, the Marquette area, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and other smaller towns in the Upper Peninsula. Headquartered in Hancock, Michigan, it is supported by donations, ticket sales and grants. Visit the web at pmmf.org, or call 1-877-746-3999 for tickets (after April 12) or 888-309-7861 for more information.
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