#VirtualOperaOmaha Week 5 Round-Up

Here is what happened during our sixth week of #Virtual Opera Omaha!

Check-In with soprano Ashley Emerson
Soprano Ashley Emerson brought endless energy and fun to the role of Blonde in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio back in February. It seems that same enthusiasm has taken hold during her quarantine too! Aside from quality time with her husband, the tenor Dominic Armstrong, and her dog Louie, she’s been hosting Pasha Parties.
Unsure as to what they are? Watch the video to find out!

Virtual Prelude Talk: La Traviata
Last week’s Prelude Talk, presented by Lawrence Edelson, General and Artistic Director of Opera Saratoga, covered Verdi’s La Traviata. We found the discussion of the role of tuberculosis in the opera, and in society in the mid-19th century, particularly fascinating. This talk preceded The Met Opera’s free nightly stream of the opera, in a production featuring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani and Matthew Hvorostovsky which streamed live on April 14, 2012.
Watch the Prelude Talk here.

Highlights from the wider opera world:
All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus: A Zoom Opera
Did you watch Kamala Sankaram and Rob Handel’s new virtual opera All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus this weekend? This stunning 15-minute opera was performed through Zoom and presented on Facebook Live. You can still watch it on the HERE Arts Center Facebook page.

The Met Opera At-Home Gala
On Saturday afternoon, The Metropolitan Opera in New York held their annual gala – but this time, it was held from over 40 different spaces around the world. General Manager Peter Gelb Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin presided over the event, and were joined by over 40 of the world greatest performers from their homes!
Catch some of the highlights on The Met Opera’s YouTube channel.