Who’s Afraid of Opera with James Meena
September 20 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT
TOPIC: Who’s Afraid of Opera
SPEAKER: James Meena, Artistic Director & Principal Conductor
Mr. Meena will provide an overview of the opera art form and Opera Carolina’s 75-year history of service to Greater Charlotte.
A guest performance may be provided.
BIOGRAPHY
Entering his 25th season with Opera Carolina, Mo. James Meena’s tenure with Charlotte’s 75-year old opera company has been characterized by an unswerving commitment to artistic excellence.
During his tenure, the company has presented eight regional premieres and seven new American operas, including Cold Sassy Tree and Susannah by Carlisle Floyd, Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison, Rise for Freedom by Adolphus Hailstork, the new musical drama I Dream by Douglas Tappin about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the House Music Opera House of Orfeus by Nmon Ford and The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson starring international superstar Denyce Graves. Under his direction, Opera Carolina performances of Margaret Garner, Faust and Il Trovatore were broadcast over NPR World of Opera, nationally syndicated to 92 stations.
He is regarded as one of America’s finest opera conductors, and has performed as guest conductor with orchestras and opera companies across the globe Turandot in the Teatro Antiche Taormina and Teatro Greco Siracusa, Tosca at the Luglio Festivale Trapani in Sicilia, a double-bill of Rachmaninoff’s rarely-performed Aleko paired with Pagliacci as well as La fanciulla del West, both with New York City Opera; Le nozze di Figaro for Teatro Sociale Rovigo Italy, La Fanciulla del West for five prestigious Italian theaters: Teatro del Giglio, Lucca Italy, Teatro Verdi in Pisa, Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, Teatro Pavarotti di Modena and Teatro Goldoni di Livorno, a Gala concert with Renee Fleming and the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, La bohème with the prestigious Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata, Pagliacci, Madama Butterfly and La bohème with Opéra de Montréal.
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NOTE: Attend in-person at PUMC, no registration required. Attend via Zoom, please register with the Zoom link above.