8 p.m. Jan. 21-23 and 28-30 and 2 p.m. Jan. 24 and 31 in the Morrison Center Recital Hall

Tickets $15 general admission/$10 Boise State students at Select-a-Seat or at the door.

Master Class Home Page

Idaho Stateman Article -

Press Release provided by BSU.

Veteran actress Lynn Allison (right) invokes the spirit of iconic opera singer Maria Callas in a production of Terrence McNally’s award-winning play, “Master Class”.  Allison is joined by an all-professional cast, including pianist Del Parkinson (center), singers Leslie Mauldin (left) and Ryan Olsen and actress Valerie Baugh. Photo by Allison Corona

Veteran actress Lynn Allison (right) invokes the spirit of iconic opera singer Maria Callas in a production of Terrence McNally’s award-winning play, Master Class. Allison is joined by an all-professional cast, including pianist Del Parkinson (center), singers Leslie Mauldin (left) and Ryan Olsen and actress Valerie Baugh. Photo by Allison Corona.

The departments of Music and Theatre Arts are partnering with Opera Idaho to present Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play Master Class at 8 p.m. Jan. 21-23 and 28-30 and 2 p.m. Jan. 24 and 31 in the Morrison Center Recital Hall. Tickets are $15 general and $10 for Boise State students at Select-a-Seat outlets or www.idahotickets.com. Tickets also may be purchased at the door. The play is intended for mature audiences.

Master Class is based on a series of Juilliard master classes given by the great opera singer Maria Callas, one of the most compelling and controversial artists of our time. Vividly and often comically, McNally’s play captures the essence of Callas as she alternately destroys and inspires three eager Juilliard opera students with her brutally honest critiques, recollections of her illustrious career and turbulent life, and unwavering commitment to the sacrifices artists make for their creations.

The collaborative production involves Boise State’s departments of Music and Theatre Arts and the Idaho CoOPERAtive, a professional development group for singers housed in the Music Department and co-founded by associate professor and head of voice studies Laura Rushing-Raynes. Thanks to a College of Arts and Sciences Community Engagement Grant and sponsorship by Opera Idaho, it is a professional production starring Boise favorites Lynn Allison in the lead role of Maria Callas and Boise State piano professor Del Parkinson as her master class accompanist.

Allison is a celebrated actress known best for her work with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Boise Contemporary Theater. The upcoming performance of “Master Class” is the realization of a long-smoldering pipe dream she shared with Rushing-Raynes in 2001. Boise State had an ideal venue and a pool of faculty and community talent, and Allison had the clout and inspiration to spark what promises to be a thrilling evening of theater and music.

“There is a lot of talent in the area and not a lot of places to put it, so it makes sense to share resources and find ways to do ‘environmental’ theater,” said Allison, referring to the fact that the Morrison Center Recital Hall is a natural backdrop for a play about students in a music class. Not only does it take advantage of an existing resource, it also adds a dimension that a set cannot, blurring the line even more between real and imagined.

Also blurring that line is the fact that Callas speaks directly to the audience, suggesting (and sometimes demanding) they do their own reflecting on the meaning of art and what happens when an artist surrenders to passion and the pursuit of greatness.

“While the play is incredibly funny, it also is deeply reflective, forcing Callas to ask, ‘What have I done? What have I sacrificed? What have the rewards truly been?’ ” said Rushing-Raynes.

“Her memories and the music feed on each other, and her personality informs the performance. She is a force,” Allison said. “The play is about her frustrations as well as those moments when she surrenders to the beauty of her students’ voices, when they finally understand.”

The cast also features singers Leslie Mauldin and Ryan Olsen (a member of Boise State’s adjunct voice faculty) as well as actress Valerie Baugh (a member of Boise State’s adjunct theatre arts faculty). The production will be directed by theatre arts professor Ann Hoste and musically coached by Rushing-Raynes. Stage management will be provided by Opera Idaho, for which Rushing-Raynes recently conducted Amahl and the Night Visitors, with Baugh as assistant-director. Mauldin is singing in Opera Idaho’s upcoming production of Rossini’s Cinderella, further underscoring the partnership.

“The message of the Community Engagement Grant is, whatever you’re doing, be effectively outreaching and interfacing with community members and organizations,” Rushing-Raynes said. “This project fulfills that message, and we hope it will be the first of many more such collaborations.”

Following the two Sunday matinee performances on Jan. 24 and 31, the cast will invite the audience to participate in a discussion and demo of an actual master class, featuring Boise State voice students being taught by cast members Mauldin and Olsen, both accomplished voice teachers.

For more information, visit the Master Class Home Page

Oct. 30 (7:30 pm) and Sunday, Nov. 1 (2:30 pm) with The Boise Philharmonic

Single Tickets on sale now — call 387-1273, T-Su 11am – 6pm

For one day, we’ve done away with the most often-cited reason people don’t attend opera … high ticket prices! To inaugurate its season series of Sunday matinees, Opera Idaho is offering all tickets for the Nov. 1 performance at one low price of $34.

Listen to our radio spots about Faust.

“The greatest love story”

“Mephistopheles here”
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Faust director Doug Copsey and conductor Robert Franz plan Opera Idaho's new production

When Opera Idaho begins its 2009/10 mainstage season next week with Charles Gounod’s Faust, sung in French with English titles, it will mark the first time a Boise Philharmonic conductor has led an opera in more than 20 years. With Boise Philharmonic Music Director Robert Franz in his Opera Idaho debut, Faust will be performed Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 pm, and Sunday, Nov. 1, 2:30 pm, at the 998-seat Auditorium at South Junior High School, Boise’s newest, state-of-the-art performing arts venue. Doug Copsey, who directed Faust the last time it was performed by Opera Idaho (1978), will return to direct this opera again. Idaho Dance Theatre and choreographer Marla Hansen will collaborate in the staging. Opera Idaho is part of a new impetus of cooperation amongst arts organizations in the Treasure Valley, as noted in a front page article in The Idaho Statesman Sunday, Oct. 18.

Read The Idaho Statesman article about collaboration »

Read more about Faust and the cast »

Previews also will precede both performances one hour before curtain; these previews will be given by Steve Trott at The Auditorium at South Junior High. No registration is required.

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. So that you can learn more about what is being done at the Egyptian and follow the progress being made, we introduce a series of blog posts we are calling:

‘Becoming an Opera House – Renovations at the Egyptian’

Production Manager, Jennifer Wilhelmi, will post behind-the-scenes updates throughout the process from the other side of the curtain. To view all entries click on the ‘Becoming an Opera House’ link in the categories list in the left sidebar.

Stage, Lighting, Communication, Space – Part 1

By: Jennifer Wilhelmi
Production Manager
Opera Idaho

A few years ago I did a workshop for the Missouri Association of Community Theatres called “Gonzo Theatre – performing in non-traditional spaces.” Next season Opera Idaho will be going into the Egyptian Theatre in Boise to present 3 staged operas and will be facing the same situation of working in a non-traditional performance space.

Yes, the Egyptian is a beautifully restored movie theatre and something Boise can be very proud of. It will be a wonderful place for the audience to enjoy the offerings of live opera as they have enjoyed the movies presented in this great downtown venue. Being a production person, I get to look at it differently. I have the view from backstage. I hide out in the dark and wear black clothes. In a facility designed for movies the backstage of the Egyptian looks a whole lot like a big brick wall.

The Hardy Foundation has made a grand commitment to make adjustments in the theatre to accommodate live fully-staged performances of exciting operas. The purpose of this blog is to keep our patrons updated on the complexities and the progress of those changes.

There are four major performance environment problems that are being addressed by the Opera Idaho and Egyptian Theatre staffs. The first is the stage itself. The second is lighting that stage. The third is a communication system for production personnel and the fourth is, “What do we do with the cast of fine singers when they are not onstage?”

As of this date, a lot of progress has been made on the stage. A portable stage is being designed by the Wenger Corporation that can be brought in and set up providing a center stage with wings that can accommodate a full chorus and scenery for the production. Some of the seats will be temporarily removed to allow for a proper orchestra and its maestro. The present lighting system will be expanded with more positions provided for lights further back in the seating area to better light the performers on the stage. A communication system is also in the works.

Ideas are being discussed about how to accommodate a large cast backstage, including dressing rooms and access to the stage without going out in the frequent Boise inclement weather to get there. We want our singers as well as the audience to be comfortable and enjoy the performance experience.

There is still a lot of work to do and although it seems far away, December and Amahl and the Night Visitors fast approaches. Come back often for updates on the progress of transforming a beautiful movie theatre into an equally beautiful opera house.

The NEA will distribute 631 grants, totaling $29.775 million, to groups in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Over 2000 organizations applied. Other Idaho arts organizations receiving ARRA funding are Boise Contemporary Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and The Cabin. Opera Idaho is one of only 17 opera companies to receive ARRA funding.

The grant is the largest grant Opera Idaho has ever received from the NEA. Previous NEA grants have funded productions of La traviata (2005), The Mikado (2006), Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (2007), and Nosferatu (2004). Opera Idaho last had a Director of Marketing in late 2007. “To have a Director of Marketing back in our organization to help us with the challenges of marketing and expanded season in this economic climate is of immense benefit,” says Opera Idaho Executive Director Mark Junkert. “We are grateful to the NEA and all in our federal government who have made these funds available.”

Opera Idaho also recently received grants totaling $19,559 from the Idaho Commission on the Arts to support the 2009/10 season. The Boise City Department of Arts and History has consistently funded Opera Idaho as one of its six anchor organizations.

See a complete list of  organizations who will receive ARRA grants through the NEA.

Read an article about the NEA grants in The Idaho Statesman.

View the job description and learn more about how to apply on our Job Opportunities page.

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.

Friday, June 12, 7 PM (gates open at 6 PM )
Sunday, June 14, 5 PM (gates open at 4 PM)

Join Opera Idaho’s Resident Company and special guest artists Stephanie Sabin (soprano) Betany Coffland (mezzo) and Jason Detwiler (baritone) for a program selected from both opera and Disney musicals. Directed by Doug Copsey; musical preparation by John Bostron.

From the world of opera … the famous “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore, scenes from Faust, Tales of Hoffman (including the famous Barcarolle), Leonard Bernstein’s Candide and Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.

From the world of Disney … selections from Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid.

Tickets: $25 (adults), $15 (children 3-13)
Children 2 and under free

Stephanie Sabin (soprano)

Betany Coffland (mezzo)

Jason Detwiler (baritone)

Subscriptions begin at $99 for six events, with the best seats available for $299. Seats will be assigned with priority given by order date. As a subscriber, your tickets are exchangeable for another performance of the same opera.

Visit our Tickets page to order.

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.