Production to stream for six months on wolftrap.org and weta.org; WTO’s The Marriage of Figaro to air on Classical WETA 90.0FM on Saturday, May 14
Vienna, Virginia (March 22, 2016) – Beginning today, opera fans can experience John Corigliano and William M. Hoffman’s acclaimed opera The Ghosts of Versailles from anywhere in the world, at no cost, thanks to a new initiative by Wolf Trap Opera (WTO) to film and stream select productions. WTO’s 2015 production of The Ghosts of Versailles, which played to sold-out houses and garnered critical acclaim, is available for viewing at wolftrap.org/streaming and via public broadcaster classicalweta.org beginning today until September 22, 2016. Production photos are available upon request; background and casting can be found here.
The streaming project marks the start of a multi-year plan to offer WTO performances to a broader audience, extending the reach and visibility of one of the nation’s most highly regarded residency programs for emerging opera professionals. This summer’s productions of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria will be recorded for future online streaming.
“Wolf Trap Opera’s mission is to prepare singers for professional success, and one way to do that is by creating opportunities. By recording and streaming performances, we are guaranteeing that our artists’ work will be more visible within the opera community, which includes fans, other artists and industry leaders,” stated Kim Witman, senior director, opera and classical programming at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the parent company of WTO. “But beyond that, we’re proud of The Ghosts of Versailles, and proud of all our artists – to give their work a life beyond four performances is thrilling.”
The Ghosts of Versailles was a new production by Wolf Trap Opera performed at The Barns at Wolf Trap in July 2015. The production ran for four sold-out performances, earning high praise from audiences and critics alike, with The Washington Post branding it “a dazzling thing all around” and Opera News calling it “thoroughly inspired.” The production featured performances by WTO’s Filene Young Artists and Studio Artists, and was conducted by Eric Melear and directed by Louisa Muller, with set design by Wilson Chin, costumes by David Woolard, and lighting by Robert H. Grimes. Complete casting can be found here.
Video production for The Ghosts of Versailles’ streaming initiative was provided by Blueland Media, with in-house audio recording by Robert H. Grimes for Wolf Trap Recordings. Blueland Media will continue as the video production partner, with future audio engineering provided by Classical WETA 90.9FM.
In addition to video streaming, Wolf Trap Foundation announced that Wolf Trap Opera’s 2015 production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro will be broadcast by Classical WETA 90.9FM on Saturday, May 14 at 1:00 p.m., as part of Classical WETA Opera House.
Dan and Gayle D’Aniello
Wolf Trap Opera 2015 Season Underwriters
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Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally and internationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the national park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The 7,028-seat Filene Center is operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by the Wolf Trap Foundation year round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, grants, and a nationally recognized internship program.
Classical WETA 90.9 FM is the exclusive home of classical music in Greater Washington. Each week, the station attracts nearly 500,000 broadcast listeners as well as tens of thousands of online listeners from around the globe who stream the station at classical.weta.org and listen via iTunes. The station provides opera broadcasts of world-class companies on Saturday afternoons, including live performances of The Metropolitan Opera and performances by the Washington Concert Opera. Among the station’s programs is Front Row Washington, which presents classical performances by renowned soloists musicians and ensembles, recorded at venues throughout the nation’s capital. In addition, VivaLaVoce features classical vocal music available by live stream at vivalavoce.org and via the HD2 signal of Classical WETA 90.9 FM.
Media Information:
Interviews, b-roll and high-resolution images are available upon request.
Michelle Pendoley, Director, Public Relations
703.255.1917 or michellep@wolftrap.org