Composer Jim Cockey with Executive Director Mark Junkert

Become part of the creative process when Opera Idaho presents a showcase of a new opera work-in-progress by Idaho composer Jim Cockey on Monday, April 26 at 7:30 pm at the Opera Idaho Studio.

The evening will feature the 20 minutes of the work which Jim has composed thus far, followed by feedback from the audience, which Jim will take into account as he completes the piece.

Performing the piece will be:

Penny Odysseus – Michele Detwiler, mezzo soprano
Dee Motolemus – Tara Victoria Smith, soprano
Melanie Thius – Vernae Buck, mezzo soprano
Yuri Machus – Geoff Friedley, tenor
Andy Neus – Michal Jarolimek, bass
Phil Mius – Alex Burns, baritone
Calypso – Tara Victoria Smith, soprano
John Odysseus – Geoff Friedley,tenor

Accompanist – Felix Eisenhauer

The work is a modern re-telling of the Odyssey tale, says Jim. John, the hero, is a corporate CEO who, after war breaks out in the Middle East, is detained by terrorists for seven years. His wife Penny, acting CEO for the company, fends off several executives who are plotting a hostile takeover in John’s absence. Libretto is by Idaho playwright Bernadine Cockey.

Jim just returned from Hyannis, Mass. where his work, The Gift of the Elk, a piece for Native American flute and symphony orchestra premiered with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra. Jung-Ho Pak conducted the CCSO, which also commissioned the piece. We caught up with Jim and asked him about this new work, his first foray into composing for opera. (Watch for a story in the Statesman’s Scene Magazine Friday, April 23. 2010.)

Opera Idaho: What was the genesis of this work?

Jim Cockey: When I wrote Symphony #2, it had a scene that was quite dramatic and I had a blast writing it. Ever since then, I”ve wanted to write opera. I approached Mark Junkert and I got Berni on board as librettist.

Opera Idaho: Describe your composing process.

Jim Cockey: I like to be in my ‘composing space’ in my house. It helps to have a work habit. I like to get up in the morning and compose. By noon, either I keep going or I’m done for the day and keep the rest of my life going. Sometimes inspiration or deadlines keep you working all your waking hours!

Working in opera is great fun because I get to run around the house singing! It’s been a terrific experience — I absolutely love this medium. Bringing these characters to life allows me to be a writer and part director, roles I’ve never done before. When I talk about writing, I mean bringing the characters to life. Music is my way of giving them life.

Opera Idaho: How do you and (former wife) Berni collaborate as composer and librettist?

Jim Cockey: This is a full collaboration. We’ll work separately — she wrote the libretto alone and I composed the music alone, but we comment on each other’s work. Before we write, we do quite a bit of conceptualizing together. Then we get together and revise as need. So we meet before during and after we actually write.

Berni has also worked in production for several Opera Idaho shows this season. Her play, Night Among the Hunters, received third place in a national competition sponsored by Writer’s Digest.

Beginning in August 2010, Opera Idaho will offer Camp Opera Idaho, a summer opera camp for children ages 10-18.

Come and sing and dance your heart out!  Attendees will learn about all elements of opera, including costumes and props! Friends and family will be dazzled with a performance at the conclusion of the camp!

Dates: August 2nd-6th, 2010 (Monday-Friday)
Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
Location: Opera Idaho studio, 513 South 8th St., Boise
Ages: 10-18
Cost: To be determined

To register, call or e-mail Amanda Campbell at 208-345-3531, ext. 2

Please see Camp Opera Idaho’s website for more information as it becomes available!

Opera Idaho will receive one of four federal stimulus grants awarded to Idaho arts organizations. Opera Idaho will receive $50,000 to reinstate a Director of Marketing position. The grant is through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and is administered by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Read the rest of this entry »

Watch the news on KIVI-TV (Channel 6 in the Treasure Valley) this Sunday and see a feature on the renovations being made at the Egyptian Theatre to accommodate Opera Idaho’s move to its new home. Live at 5:30 and Live at 10:00 will air the story, which will feature interviews with Hardy Foundation and Egyptian Theatre staff and Opera Idaho Executive Director Mark Junkert.

The Egyptian Theatre was lovingly restored in 1999 on commission by the Hardy Foundation. The Hardy Foundation is making further adjustments to the theatre to accommodate Opera Idaho in its new home.

In announcing the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise as its new home, Opera Idaho has committed to performing at least two main-stage operas at the Egyptian in each of the next five seasons. The first of these operas will be Gian-Carlo Menotti’s endearing Christmas classic Amahl and the Night Visitors in December. Rossini’s Cinderella and Ned Rorem’s new American opera Our Town will follow in early 2010. Opera Idaho’s Season-Opening Recital on Sept. 11 will also take place at the Egyptian but will not require adjustments to the theatre.

Follow the latest news and meet other fans of Opera Idaho on the Opera Idaho Facebook web site. Resident Company and Marketing Committee member Stephen Price maintains the site. Join us now.

The cast of Opera Idaho's Jacques Brel (2007)

The National Endowment for the Arts in its recent Annual Report featured Opera Idaho and its 2007 production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.

The Annual Report featured two organizations from each state that were funded by the NEA. Opera Idaho received a $10,000 grant for Jacques Brel. Performances were at The Big Easy (now The Knitting Factory) in Boise’s BoDo District.

now retired Opera Idaho Executive Director chosen by Governor Otter

The Governor’s Awards in the Arts will be presented to recipients at a public ceremony, complete with entertainment from primarily Idaho Falls individuals or groups, in Idaho Falls on Monday, Oct. 6. The ceremony is at the Colonial Theater and will begin at 7:00 PM and will conclude around 9:30. The Award for Excellence in Arts Administration is being given to Julie Kilgrow, past Executive Director of Opera Idaho. Tickets are $12 (under 12 free) and can be purchased by calling 208-523-0471 Monday through Friday 11 – 5 and Saturday 10 – 4.

Constituents of downtown Boise as well as art and opera lovers alike will soon take notice as Opera Idaho unveils a fresh and revitalized brand identity. Ushering in the 2008-2009 Season is Mark Junkert, who officially became the Company’s new Executive Director on May 22, 2008.

The elements of Opera Idaho’s new identity include a new logo, a redesign of the Company’s Web site, and a continued relationship with Boise-based illustrator Bill Carman; all of which were facilitated by Boise–based design studio, Creative Soapbox. Creative Soapbox’s Founder and Pricinpal, Justin Kuntz, affirms that the new identity offers the familiarity of a corporate mark, while retaining artistic flair. He further states, “the strength yet simplicity of the mark combines both masculine and feminine characteristics, which yield a brand that conveys integrity and emotion”.

The Opera Idaho identity is meant to be meaningful and beautiful to any eye and to communicate to a diverse audience. In addition to speaking to multiple audiences, the identity and logo clearly position Opera Idaho as a world–class organization—ready and worthy of substantial investment.

The logomark is meant to be an interpretive mark that provokes a multiplicity of meanings. It was derived from several different elements including the letterforms “O” and “I” and was additionally influenced by several musical symbols including the fermata. The variation of a single color represents the complexity and range of a voice, and effectively conveys royalty and passion.

Look for more information regarding the Opera Idaho brand redesign Case Study soon at the Creative Soapbox website.

About Creative Soapbox

Creative Soapbox is a strategic design agency focused on creating sustainable brands for responsible companies. We create lasting client-partnerships that embrace interconnected digital media to deliver compelling brand experiences. To learn more about Creative Soapbox, visit www.creativesoapbox.com.

Opera Idaho has appointed Mark Junkert to the position of Executive Director, upon the retirement of Julie Kilgrow, Executive and Artistic Director. Mark will begin working in transition with Julie on May 19, and will officially assume his position when Julie retires May 22. Opera Idaho expects to hire a part-time Artistic Director at some time in the near future.

Mark comes to Idaho from New York City and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. In St. Paul he was Managing Director of Skylark Opera. Concurrently, he served as Executive Director of the Martina Arroyo Foundation, a New York-based organization dedicated to training young opera singers. Mark has also held positions as Executive Director of The Collegiate Chorale in New York, Director of Marketing for Augsburg Fortress, Publishers in Minneapolis, and Executive Director of the National Lutheran Choir in Minneapolis. A native of Minnesota, Mark studied voice and opera in the Graduate School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with William Warfield. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Denver.

About the Artist

Artist Bill Carmen

Bill Carman

Professor, Illustration and Drawing at Boise State University

Work by Bill Carman has been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications including Society of Illustrators Annuals, American Illustration, 3×3 Magazine, RSVP and Spectrum. His illustrations continue to appear on CD covers, magazines, and on posters benefitting organizations such as local theaters, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, Robert’s Snow Cure for Cancer, and The Arthritis Foundation. Illustrations for the Boise States University’s magazine Focus, has won regional and national bronze, silver, and gold awards from CASE. Bill has also authored and illustrated a children’s book, What’s That Noise?, published by Random House Books.

If you would like to see more of Bill Carman’s work please go to www.boisestate.edu or www.billcarman.com