Monday, November 05, 2007


MEET THE CAST OF LA BOHÈME!

(back row) Maryann Kyle, James Martin, Kreshnik Zhabjaku, Daland Jones, Mike McDonald, Kyle Swann
(front row) Raffaele Sepe, Stephanie Gregory, Dan Hague, Laurentiu Rotaru

We kicked off the season this past Saturday night with a "Meet the Cast, La Bohème Pre-Party" sponsored by the Mississippi Opera Guild at Reservoir Pointe.

This wonderfully eclectic group of singers and directors including artists from Italy, Romania, Albania, Connecticut, and New York are right here in Mississippi.

We hope to see you at the performance on November 10 at 7:30pm in Thalia Mara Hall. Call 601-960-2300 for tickets!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

The Metropolitan Opera goes to the movies!



Find a movie theater near you!

Click the link for ticketing and details


Roméo et Juliette – Gounod
Saturday, December 15, 2007 1:00 pm


Hansel and Gretel – Humperdinck
Tuesday, January 1, 2008 1:00 pm

Macbeth – Verdi
Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:30 pm

Manon Lescaut – Puccini
Saturday, February 16, 2008 1:00 pm

Peter Grimes – Britten
Saturday, March 15, 2008 1:30 pm

Tristan und Isolde – Wagner
Saturday, March 22, 2008 12:30 pm

La Bohème – Puccini
Saturday, April 5, 2008 1:30 pm


La Fille du RégimentDonizetti
Saturday, April 26, 2008 1:30 pm

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Some sad news

Please read the following regarding of one of Mississippi Opera's most prized Board Members

Barbara Moffitt


Barbara Herfurth Johnson Moffitt of Jackson, a longtime community arts activist, died of pancreatic cancer on Friday, August 24, at her brother's home in Osage Beach, MO. She was 75.
Visitation will begin at 12 noon on Wednesday, August 29, at Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home on High Street, with the service following at 2 p.m. in the chapel there. The Rev. Dr. Ruth Wallace Black, director of pastoral services at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will officiate.
A native of Eldon, MO, Mrs. Moffitt was the daughter of the late Matilda Haldiman Herfurth and Theodore R. Herfurth. She attended the Eldon Public Schools where she was active in all music activities and played piano, flute, oboe and violin. She also played organ for her church. She was a member of her high school honor society, editor of her high school newspaper and salutatorian of her class. She also served as auditor for the American Legion Girls' State.
After high school graduation, she attended William Woods College and Central Missouri State College – both on a music scholarship – and Radcliffe (night school) in journalism. She earned her baccalaureate degree cum laude at Belhaven College in Jackson.
In l952, she married John Harold White, Jr., and they had one son, John Harold White III, who died in 2003.
Mrs. Moffitt earned her law degree at the Mississippi College School of Law where she graduated cum laude. She was a member of the Mississippi State Bar and a charter member of the Mississippi Women Lawyers' Association. She was a former member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral.
Always involved in the community, Mrs. Moffitt was a member of the Jackson Symphony League and served as league secretary and chairman of the league's 1973 Odyssey Ball. She served as president of the Community Children's Theatre of Jackson and the Jackson Family Service Association and as a member of the board of the Mississippi Kidney Association.
She also was a member of the One O'Clock Club, the Holiday Club, the Serendipity Luncheon Club, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Bridge Aunties, the University Club, Women in Art and the Women's Fund of the Greater Jackson Foundation. A past president of the Contemporary Drama Club, she was named "a volunteer of the year" by Goodwill Auxiliaries in 1992.
Mrs. Moffitt worked on the Mississippi Arts Festival from its inception as the Pops Plus and Maytime Mosaic in the late 60s. She served as co-chair, chair and advisor for the annual event and president and board member of the parent organization, the Mississippi Arts Festival, Inc.
Longtime friend Lois Clover said she was a part of the arts scene in Jackson since her college days at Belhaven.
"The Mississippi Arts Festival – which was staged at the coliseum/fairgrounds -- wrapped symphony, opera, theatre, art exhibitions and children's events into one package," Mrs. Clover said. "Barbara chaired one of our most spectacular festivals. She had an innate talent for handling contracts with performing artists and particular brilliance with artistic programming, fundraising and budgeting. Other volunteers were happy to follow her leadership."
But her love in the arts was opera. She began her volunteer career with the Mississippi Opera Association (then the Jackson Opera Guild) in 1958 as promotion chair and subsequently served as a member of the organization's board for many years. She was production director of the Mississippi Opera Company for nine years – during which the company did 22 productions. She also served as president of the Mississippi Opera Guild and as administrative director for the Opera Company for two years and as general manager of the company for two years.
The Mississippi Opera is a charter member of Opera America, an organization that provides a voice for opera in this country. Mrs. Moffitt represented the state organization for more than a decade at Opera America's annual meetings. She also was elected to the organization's Board of Directors, the first nonprofessional named to that body.
"For many years," said Richard B. Wilson, Jr., former president and board chairman of the Mississippi Opera Association, " Barbara served as the volunteer production manager of our company. It was she who was responsible for getting red cabbages (if needed for props) or a firing squad composed of prominent bankers, lawyers and businessmen to execute a tenor in the final scene of Tosca, " he said. " We could not have paid her enough to do what she did as a volunteer. Truly, Barbara was the backbone of the Mississippi Opera during its glory days."
Edwina Goodman, who performed in many productions during that period, said Barbara "was dedicated to doing whatever it took to present a performance equal to those of numerous larger companies.
"Having sung in several productions, I can say she was always the catalyst for the production. She was wonderful in making the lead singers, the chorus, the conductors, the stage managers and the members of the orchestra feel that they were doing something truly enlightening and important for the community," Mrs. Goodman said.
Mrs. Moffitt also was a member of the board of Friends of the Arts in Mississippi, the support organization of the Mississippi Arts Commission, and served as its executive director for two years. She was chosen for listing in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Arts Entertainment for her contributions to the arts.
Mrs. Moffitt had a wide circle of friends, among them Jay Wiener who as a young professional moved next door to Barbara and her husband, Dr. Sam Johnson, whom she married in 1982. Wiener said:
"High among my good fortune in life is that of moving next door to Barbara and Sam Johnson, shortly after graduating from law school, in my 20s. Any fear that adulthood is marked by dull conformity was allayed by Barbara and Sam's example.
"They were cultured, intelligent, and pragmatic, with puckish senses of humor, rivaling any experienced at college," Wiener said. " We were devoted neighbors from the outset, and I cherish Barbara's model; given her commitment to the community's cultural health; her progressive passion to make the world a better place; and her unwillingness to suffer fools gladly, when to do so is acquiescence in low expectations, in a world in which short term considerations increasingly eclipse community health and progress."
Dr. Johnson, who was chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, died in a white water rafting accident in 2000. Barbara married Dr. Ellis Moffitt, a retired allergist, in 2001. He died in 2004.
In addition to her love for the arts, Barbara's passion was for animals – especially her standard poodle, Cara. She is survived by her brother, James T. Herfurth; her nephew, Matt Herfurth, his wife, Jeane, and their children, Abbey and Grace, all of Osage Beach, MO; niece, Kimberly Herfurth-Ayscue of Raleigh, NC, and her children Michael and Andrew Boyle of Tallahassee, FL; stepchildren, Margaret Sudduth of Jackson, Alice Johnson of Jackson, Dr. Lee Johnson of Ft. Worth, TX, Dr. Virginia Crawford of Hattiesburg, and Dr. John Moffitt of Madison; ten step grandchildren; and her beloved poodle, Cara.
Friends named as honorary pallbearers include R. James Young, Dr. D. E. Magee, Dr. C. J. Chen, Joe Harris, Richard B. Wilson, Jr., Mueller Addkison, Charles Daley, E. Grady Jolly, Jr., and Dr. Don Mitchell, all of Jackson.
Memorials may be made to the Mississippi Opera, the Mississippi Animal Rescue League or a charity of choice.
Published in the Clarion Ledger on 8/28/2007.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Raffle Winners


Thank you to everyone who purchased a chance to win in the annual Mississippi Opera raffle fundraiser. The winners were drawn on April 21 during intermission of the production of Carmen at Thalia Mara Hall. Congratulations to:

Mary Ann McCarty - 41" Outdoor Stainless Viking Grill

Bob Soukup - Opera Length Mikimoto Pearls

Chad Clifford - 2007 C230 Mercedes-Benz


Be on the lookout for next year's chance for your name to be listed above!!!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Meet the Cast!



Photo credit Steve Rouse, USM Marketing and Public Relations





Cast members for Mississippi Opera (left to right) Oziel Garza-Ornelas as Escamillo, Fenlon Lamb as Carmen, Daniel Holmes as Don José and Hilary Ginther Carmen cover.

Oziel Garza-Ornelas’ (baritone) career already includes appearances with many opera companies in Europe and North America, including The Washington Opera (Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte), Frankfurt Opera (Belcore), Grand Théâtre de L’Opera de Limoges (Marcello in La Bohème), San Diego Opera (Schaunard in La Boheme), Orlando Opera (Schaunard), Sarasota Opera (Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Lescaut in Massenet’s Manon), Opera Theater of Connecticut (Escamillo in Carmen), Piedmont Opera (Lescaut and Marcello), Grand Théâtre de Genève, L’Opera de Nancy and the Neues Festspielhaus, St Pölten (Emuke in Tania Leon’s Scourge of Hyacinths produced by Robert Wilson), and Di Capo Opera Theater in New York (Silvio in I Pagliacci).

Recent engagements include debuts with the Santa Fe Opera as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, in Liège, Belgium as Germont in La Traviata, New Israeli Opera as Dandini in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City as Taddeo, Opera Carolina as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Kentucky Opera as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro, Shreveport Opera as Germont, and Rigoletto for Nevada Opera.


For American mezzo-soprano Fenlon Lamb’s debut Sacramento Opera as Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, the Sacramento Bee raved, “…every inch the saucy rebel [who] navigated the highly ornamented passages with creamy ease.” Described as “deliciously vulnerable” her Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE was hailed by the Santa Barbara News-Press as “a charismatic characterization supported by a dynamic, rich vocal sound.” The Baltimore Sun applauded her AGRIPPIN saying “In the title role, Fenlon Lamb revealed a bright, flexible voice, ever-brilliant phrasing and theatrical flourish.”

Recently Ms. Lamb sang the roles of Stephano ROMÉO ET JULIETTE at Cleveland Opera, Maddalena RIGOLETTO for Opera Vivente and Flora LA TRAVIATA with Opera Grand Rapids. Highlights from recent seasons include Rosina IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA with Sacramento Opera, Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE for both the Caramoor International Music Festival and Opera Santa Barbara, Charlotte WERTHER for Opera Vivente, the title role of IOLANTHE for Cleveland Opera where she also sang the world premiere of COME TO ME IN DREAMS with baritone Sanford Sylvan.


American tenor Daniel Holmes has been praised as a "confident and passionate Roméo" in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette with Opera North, and enthusiastically lauded as Alfredo in La Traviata, "his voice was smooth and controlled, and he sang with unpretentious confidence."

Other opera roles include Rodolfo in La Bohème at Italy's Ravella Festival, Gérald (Lakmé) at Sarasota Opera, Hoffmann in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with the Tri-Cities Opera (NY), Tom in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Sam in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, and Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. He has also performed leading roles with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

This year, Mr. Holmes returned to Sarasota Opera to sing Rodolfo and as cover for Carlo in Verdi's I Masnadieri.


Hilary Ginther, a Bristol, VA native, is a senior voice performance major at USM. She has performed roles with SOMTC in Susannah, The Magic Flute, and A Grand Night for Singing. She performed as Maria in the USM production of West Side Story in Geb. 2006. Ginther studies with Dr. Maryann Kyle, who also directs the SOMTC.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

From the Students in Carmen

I could not ask for a more rewarding experience than this joint production of Carmen. As the Carmen #2, and a senior undergraduate at USM, I am learning more than I ever could have hoped from Carmen #1, Fenlon Lamb. Working with the professionals, I have received much coaching from them, and for that I am extremely grateful. This is a huge milestone for me, and I cannot express the value of this opportunity. Working with Alan Mann and the hired singers in this production of Carmen is something that very few undergraduates are able to experience, and I am thankful to the MS Opera and USM for giving the students such an incredible opportunity, and a huge stepping stone in my career as a young singer. It is making all of us much better performers to be in the presence of such fine professionals. We are having a blast!
~Hilary Ginther

Performing with professional singers and with a director like Alan Mann is a wonderful learning experience. Dan, Fenlon and Oziel have been wonderful mentors throughout this experience and have gone beyond the 'role' to help us students learn the ropes of opera performance. This is truly a wonderful opportunity for the students of USM, and for that we are grateful. (El Remendado)
~Ronald Laitano

Monday, April 02, 2007

Carmen Rehearsals Underway

Rehearsals for the April 21 production of Carmen began in Hattiesburg last week. All of the cast members have arrived safely and are vigorously rehearsing everyday.

Hopefully we will have some comments to post from the directors, cast and crew within the next few days.

Thank you for reading!


Wednesday, January 10, 2007

What's Happening at Mississippi Opera

Greetings from the Mississippi Opera (MOA) office! I would like to thank you for being a part of our ever-growing mailing list and take a moment to update you on some of the incredible happenings so far this season.

The opening opera, Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, was an enormous success artistically, financially and educationally. Alan Mann, Artistic Director, and I offer our utmost thanks to everyone involved on every level. Please view pictures from the opera online at www.blaylockphoto.com. It truly was a fantastic experience with a wonderfully receptive audience.

The company is not only artistically excellent but financially sound as well. In the last year alone, the accounts payable balance was reduced by almost $70,000. Other achievements this season include: the implementation of a new Long-Range Plan, a Document Retention and Destruction Policy and a Conflict of Interest Policy. Coupled with the introduction of a new Whistle Blower Policy and a new handbook outlining Personnel Policies, MOA continually increases the company’s administrative transparency.

On the technological frontier, MOA has made a number of advancements. With the generosity of Kite Networks of Ridgeland, we are now a wireless internet zone! Updating from dial-up has vastly improved day to day operations. Also, thanks to an anonymous donor, computer software and hardware upgrades have contributed to our ability to operate more efficiently in the twenty-first century. In fact, please subscribe to the MOA blog to recieve an email notification when new posts are made. Easily accessed through our informative website, the MOA blog will allow you to read updates pertaining to the company from both an administrative and artistic perspective. When you're done here, please continue your tour of MOA's website which features company history, ticket form downloads, raffle information, the option to donate online and more!

As you can tell, we are extremely busy here in the office. As the MS Museum of Art prepares to move, the reallocation of office space and the addition of other arts organizations to the arts center as well as a splendid green space are all actively being discussed among the arts groups, the Downtown Partners and the City of Jackson Department of Human and Cultural Services. It is proving to be an extremely exciting season.

So, if you’re downtown, stop by to see us – meaning Nell, me and our exquisite Eric McDonald portrait of Metropolitan Opera tenor, John Alexander. Thank you for supporting MOA!

See you at the shows,
Elizabeth Stevens
Administrative Director