Asheville Lyric Opera (ALO) is a professional, non-profit

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

company located in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. Its repertoire encompasses styles ranging from the comedies of Mozart and Rossini to the classic Verdi and Puccini dramas as well as classic

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

works. Founder David Craig Starkey served as General and Artistic Director until 2016. The 500-seat Diana Wortham Theatre, built in 1991, has been the company's home since 2001. ALO is a member of

Opera America __NOTOC__ Opera America, styled OPERA America, is a New York-based service organization promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera in the United States. Almost all professional opera companies and some semi-professional companies i ...

. Dean Anthony was announced as the company's new Artistic and Producing Direction beginning with the 2019/2020 Season.

History

Asheville Lyric Opera was founded in 1999 by the baritone David Craig Starkey.Asheville Lyric Opera
Our History
Retrieved 9 December 2014. In its first full season (1999–2000), the company presented Puccini's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'' in conjunction with the

Asheville Symphony Orchestra The Asheville Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The symphony's current conductor and Music Director is Darko Butorac who succeeded Daniel Meyer in 2018. History Lamar Stringfield organiz ...

. Past performances have included guest singers, conductors and directors who have performed across the U.S. and internationally. Soprano

Susan Dunn Susan Dunn (born July 23, 1954) is a Grammy Award-winning American spinto soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, and concert performances. Dunn is particularly admire ...

gave a recital as part of the company's first season in 1999, and in 2001, the company presented Rossini's ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' with

Rockwell Blake Rockwell Blake (born January 10, 1951) is an American operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in Rossini operas. He was the first winner of the Richard Tucker Award. Biography Born and raised in Plattsburgh, NY, Blake was the son of a m ...

in the role of Count Almaviva. The company began touring with their 2003/2004 season and has brought productions to Indiana, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The 2006–2007 season saw an expansion to three full opera productions along with an "education opera" performance for local schools. The Tenth Anniversary Gala in 2009 featured guests Angela Brown, soprano, Tonio DiPaolo, tenor, and David Malis, baritone, joined by the Asheville Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Principal Guest Conductor,

Robert Hart Baker Robert Hart Baker (born March 19, 1954) is a symphonic and operatic onductorand music director based in Belleville, IL. Previously York, PA and Asheville, NC, United States. He has toured extensively, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Asia ...

. Other notable artists who have appeared with the company through opera co-productions and recitals include Angela Renée Simpson, Talise Trevigne and

Stephen Mark Brown Stephen Mark Brown is an American opera tenor. He has sung with Luciano Pavarotti on the television program "Pavarotti Plus," and has sung at La Scala. In 2005, Brown was described as "emerging as one of today's leading tenors in the French and I ...

. Conductors who have led recent ALO productions include Timothy Myers, Robert Franz, Keith Chambers and Daniel Meyer. By 2012 the company had presented over twenty-five full operas and numerous concerts across Western North Carolina. The 2012/2013 Season featured Verdi's ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'' with soprano

Elizabeth Caballero Elizabeth Caballero (born in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban-American lyric soprano. She emigrated to the United States via the Mariel Boatlift. Raised in Miami, Florida, she studied piano as a child and later studied voice at Miami-Dade Community Co ...

as Violetta, Puccini's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'', and a concert by tenor

Lawrence Brownlee Lawrence Brownlee (born November 24, 1972) is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire. Describing his voice, Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, said: "There are other singers that sing ...

The 2013/2014 Season included ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original ...

'', and '' South Pacific''. The production of ''Die Fledermaus'' was performed in English with the script adapted to fit the cultural and historical background of Asheville. This production also marked a new collaboration with the Symphony of the Mountains of

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...

ALO also presents educational programs and operas for children across the region, and offers student internships in arts administration, music business, and performance.

Past seasons

*2013–2014 ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

'' and ''

Suor Angelica ''Suor Angelica'' (''Sister Angelica'') is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as ''Il trittico'' (''The Triptych''). It received its wor ...

'' (double bill), Opera Winter Gala, ''

'', '' South Pacific'', ''

''.List sourced from Asheville Lyric Opera
Past Seasons
Retrieved 9 December 2014. *2012–2013 ''

'', Taste of Opera, ''

'', ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' *2011–2012 ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'', The Asheville Christmas Show, ''

Cosi fan tutte Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to: * ''Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra ** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play * Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain * Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to be ...

'', ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', Taste of Opera *2010–2011 ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'', Christmas Concert, '' Brundibar'', ''

'', Taste of Opera *2009–2010 ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'', ''

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...

'', Christmas Concert, ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...

'', ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' *2008–2009 ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

Gianni Schicchi () is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...

'', Opera Concert, ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'' *2007–2008 ''

'', '' Down in the Valley'', ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'', ''

'' *2006–2007 ''

The Elixir of Love ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premier ...

'', ''

Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commission ...

'', ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...

'', ''

'' *2005–2006 ALO Opera Gala, ''The Magic Flute'', ''Madame Butterfly'' *2004–2005 ALO Opera Gala, ''Carmen'', ''The Marriage of Figaro'' *2003–2004 ALO Opera Gala, ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'', ''La bohème'', ''Don Pasquale'' *2002–2003 ALO Opera Gala, ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' and '' Gift of the Magi'' (double bill), ''Cosi fan tutte'' *2001–2002 ''The Barber of Seville'', ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'', '' Annie Get Your Gun'', ''La traviata'' *2000–2001 ALO Opera Gala, Live from Broadway, ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'', ''Madame Butterfly'', ''

Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879 ...

'' *1999–2000 Live from Broadway, ALO Opera Gala, ''La bohème'', ''Pagliacci''

References

External links

Asheville Lyric Opera Official website
{{authority control American opera companies Culture of Asheville, North Carolina Musical groups established in 1999 Tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina Performing arts in North Carolina 1999 establishments in North Carolina