Download High Notes - Portland Opera

High Notes
A Periodic Newsletter for Portland Opera Volunteers
May 2015
____________________________________________________________________________
Save the Date: Portland Opera Gala
June 20, 2015
This season has been a celebration of Portland Opera
turning 50! Topping off this celebration is the
Portland Opera Gala on June 20! It’s been 17 years
since the last gala, and this one promises to be very
special in every aspect! There will be food, drink,
and lots of entertainment. This means it is a great
opportunity to volunteer and participate in the
Portland Opera event of the year.
The 50th Anniversary Gala theme is “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream,” and the area around the Hampton
Opera Center will be transformed into a magical
setting full of surprises! The enchantment begins
from the moment guests step out of their cars, then
stroll or are driven down the path to the party where
musical and magical delights surround them while
they enjoy cocktails. They will move from the
cocktail areas to the dinner tent, where even more
entertainment awaits, and continues until the gala
ends.
But wait, the evening doesn’t stop there! In addition
to the gala, there will be an after party beginning at 9
pm. While some guests may attend both, some may
arrive only for the after party to enjoy dancing and
hip music.
The gala alone will require approximately 50
volunteers. Volunteers will do check in/out, handle
artists, greet and control traffic, and shuttle attendees
via golf cart from/to parking. There will be several
volunteer shifts, beginning at 4pm and ending at
11pm, with shift lengths varying depending on the
task. Gala volunteers will be fed and have an
opportunity to see the live entertainment. Another
six volunteers are needed for the after party to greet
and do traffic control.
 Watch your email in May for our call for
volunteers for the gala and after party!
Portland Opera Street Fair coming August 1!
Another date to save to volunteer for Portland
Opera is August 1 for the street fair on Main
Street next to the Schnizter. The Street Fair will
be in conjunction with Portland Opera’s
production of The Elixir of Love!
Volunteer Spotlight
Kayla Guitierrez: Giving Full Measure
Kayla Gutierrez is clearly a great fan of opera. This
is evidenced not only by all she contributes to
Portland Opera, but also in the way she speaks about
opera with passion and admiration. “I have loved
opera as long as I can remember,” she says. “I don’t
really know when or how it first started, but I can’t
recall a time when I didn’t love it.”
Kayla’s
connection with
Portland Opera
started when she
received comp
tickets for Love of
Three Oranges in
the 1997-98
season and learned
about volunteer
opportunities. Starting with the very next show, she
began participating in an impressive variety of
activities, including backstage beverage, airport
transportation, office assistance, events, greeting,
and lightwalking.
The Hampton Opera Center211 SE Caruthers StreetPortland, OR 97214P 503-241-1407F 503-241-4212www.portlandopera.org
High Notes—May 2015
She was asked to be the lead volunteer for
lightwalking in the 2003-04 season and continues to
coordinate this important job for every show. In
recognition of all she does, Kayla was named
Portland Opera volunteer of the year in 2002.
For a few years, Kayla also worked on and off as
interim staff for Portland Opera in several positions,
including assistant to general director Chris
Mattaliano. Although she now has a full-time “day
job,” she gladly accepted Portland Opera’s offer last
year of a part-time staff position as front-of-house
manager. In this capacity, she serves as the liaison
between Portland ’5 Centers for the Arts staff at the
Keller Auditorium or Newmark Theatre and
Portland Opera staff. You can find here in the lobby
during every performance, starting at 5:30 pm and
ending only when all patrons have left the theatre.
Kayla helps with crowd control, answers questions,
supervises the costumed greeters, and troubleshoots
for the box office, all in a calm, capable, and
friendly manner.
One of Kayla’s favorite activities over the years was
performing as a supernumerary in Fidelio during the
2008-09 season. “Being a super was a bucket list
item for me,” she says. “It was one of the highlights
of my life to be on stage.”
Kayla says she tends to favor the classic tragedies:
Tosca, Lucia, Traviata. But she has also been
pleasantly surprised by others that she initially
thought may not be her cup of tea, including Hansel
and Gretel and The Cunning Little Vixen. This
reflects her open attitude and her eagerness to learn
as much as she can about this beloved art form.
page 2
Katrina Galka: An Incomparable
Soprano!
On March 31 a large audience enjoyed a wonderful
evening of song by soprano Katrina Galka,
accompanied by Nicholas Fox, piano, and
GeorgeAnne Ries, flute. What a treat to hear
Katrina’s beautiful lyric voice whose phenomenal
high range makes it sound so effortless! The expert
accompaniment by Ms. Ries and Mr. Fox certainly
added to the experience.
Katrina presented a
program of George
Frideric Handel,
Joaquin Rodrigo,
Richard Strauss,
Libby Larsen, Léo
Delibes, Jules
Massenet, Gabriel
Fauré, and Claude
Debussy. As if that
repertoire were not
enough, she sang it in five different languages!
Good news for Portland: Katrina is returning next
year for her second year as a Portland Opera
Resident Artist. This gives us all another opportunity
to hear her in recital!
Don’t miss the 2015 season final Portland
Opera Resident Artist recital coming up on
May 12! Be sure to come and hear Alexander
Elliott’s rich baritone in his final recital as a
Portland Opera Resident Artist as he completes
his second year. Good news: Alexander returns
in 2016 as the title character in Eugene
Onegin!
Making New Entrances
One of Kayla’s favorite pursuits is bringing
new people to opera. She convinces friends
and co-workers to at least try it, offers them
dress rehearsal tickets, and is rewarded by their
positive reviews. “No one has not liked it, and
many want to go again,” she says. “Even
teenagers.”
The Hampton Opera Center211 SE Caruthers StreetPortland, OR 97214P 503-241-1407F 503-241-4212www.portlandopera.org
High Notes—May 2015
Mark Tiarks: Spreading the Word
As Director of Marketing and Communications,
Mark Tiarks is responsible for all Portland Opera
materials that go before the public (except
contribution requests, which fall under the
Development department). Although Mark came to
the company only last year, he has a wealth of
experience in the opera and theatre worlds and
brings the full spectrum of skills needed for his
multi-faceted work.
After earning a
degree in dramatic
literature from
Carleton College in
Minnesota, Mark
won a scholarship
from the Watson
Foundation to study
theatre and opera
production for a
year in London.
Upon returning to
the U.S., he started
his first full-time
staff position as both artistic administrator and
director of development for Opera Theatre of Saint
Louis. (Raised in St. Louis, Mark remains “an
unrepentant Cardinals fan.”) He has also worked as
producing director for the Court Theatre in Chicago,
general director of Chicago Opera Theatre, director
of planning and marketing at Santa Fe Opera, and as
a consultant.
Mark served as an adjunct faculty member at
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for
several years, and from time to time has enjoyed
stage directing and teaching young people singing
and acting. This all contributes to his work in
Portland. “I find that my artistic background helps in
marketing and communications,” Mark says. “I
share people’s enthusiasm.”
One of Mark’s goals is to help expand the consistent
opera-going audience. While a loyal core of
supporters has remained throughout the recession,
some patrons may have dropped out when the
economy fell. “This ‘next ring out’ is the piece that
needs to be rebuilt,” Mark notes. “This is one of our
page 3
challenges.” Another challenge is the company’s
change to a festival season, which requires spreading
the word and making some adjustments to marketing
and communications approaches.
Outside of work, Mark enjoys gardening, cooking,
and drinking beer (not necessarily in that order). His
older daughter is a sophomore at Northeastern
University in Boston. His wife Marquita is still
living in Santa Fe, but will join Mark in Portland
after their younger daughter finishes high school
there this year.
Sex and Money
Mark attributes his interest in opera to “sex and
money” (or, more accurately, the lack thereof).
In college, he was interested in a young woman
who was an opera fan. Fortunately, the
Minnesota Opera had really cheap tickets, so
Mark was able to take her to several
productions. The first opera he saw was
Postcard from Morocco. “It’s theatrically
driven,” he says, “and with my theatre
background, I loved it. My interest in opera
ended up lasting much longer than my interest
in the young woman.”
A Bilingual Barber
On April 10, Portland Opera To Go (POGO)
returned from La Grande, Oregon,
to finish up its triumphant run. After 67
performances of our brand new, bilingual adaptation
of The Barber of Seville, POGO served 16,430
children and families in 63 venues in 33 distinct
communities throughout Oregon and Southwest
Washington.
This year's bilingual (Spanish and English)
production was unique for the Portland Opera, and
aimed to serve both our English-speaking
constituents and the rapidly growing Hispanic
population of Oregon. Two of our cast members,
Jose Solano (as Figaro) and Christina Rivera (as
Rosina) were completely bilingual, Latino singers,
and Brandon Morales (as Uncle Bartolo) and Matt
Chittick (as Almaviva) rounded out the cast.
The Hampton Opera Center211 SE Caruthers StreetPortland, OR 97214P 503-241-1407F 503-241-4212www.portlandopera.org
High Notes—May 2015
"In order for opera to be vibrant and real and alive to
minority students, it is important that they see a
performer on stage that looks like them," says
Manager of Education & Outreach Alexis Hamilton.
"With our new Barber, we are able to reach out to
new audiences and provide a learning experience for
both English and Spanish speakers."
page 4
The way they used their voices made the sound
flood the gym. Dylan
The opera was like watching a 3D movie with the
sound cranked up. Dylan
The opera of the Barber of Seville was really,
really good. Everything about the opera was fun
to watch."
If you want an opera with love and laughs, then
go and see the Barber of Seville, TODAY! Amos
All in all, I quite liked the first opera I ever saw.
Hamilton smiles, "Our work here is done."
Portland Opera’s 2016 Season
Photo by Studio McDermott
In this adaptation, Rosina, recently arrived in Alta
California of the 1830s from Spain, speaks only
Spanish, while Almaviva, the handsome young man
she has fallen in love with, speaks only English.
Enter the eponymous barber. "Figaro is bilingual,
and is able to bridge the language gap between the
two young lovers," Hamilton elaborates. "He is a
stand-in for all of those little Figaros who are codeswitching back and forth between the Englishspeaking world of school and their Spanish-speaking
homes and communities. We think this is a
character that resonates deeply with these kids."
He did. Hamilton proudly shares some of the
student work she received from Pratum Elementary.
The assignment was to write a review of the opera.
Some quotes are below:
I liked this opera as much as my own muchachos.
It was enjoyable, funny, and just asking for
applause. The singing, acting, music, set, and
costumes were muy, muy bien. If you don't like
this opera, then there is something wrong with
you, muchacho. Cesar.
Beginning in 2016, Portland Opera is moving to a
Festival Season. What does that mean? The season
will be condensed from its current 8- to 9-month
season down to approximately 3 months. Portland
Opera’s 2016 offerings will be split between the
Keller Auditorium and the Newmark Theatre – two
productions each.
At the Keller in May will be Mozart’s The Magic
Flute, a profound “coming-of-age” comedy
demonstrating the power of music to restore our
spirits and guide us in turbulent times. Portland
Opera’s production features scenery and costumers
designed by Maurice Sendak, the world-renowned
children’s book author and illustrator.
Following in June is Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney
Todd, which packs an enormous theatrical punch
achieved through powerful and sophisticated music.
July brings us the two Newmark productions, with
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin opening first. Its
premiere took place in an intimate theatre, just 100
seats larger than the Newmark, and was sung by an
attractive young cast at Tchaikovsky’s insistence.
This is just as ours will be.
The Hampton Opera Center211 SE Caruthers StreetPortland, OR 97214P 503-241-1407F 503-241-4212www.portlandopera.org
High Notes—May 2015
The final 2016 offering will be Rossini’s The Italian
Girl in Algiers at the Newmark. This is guaranteed
to be laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish. The
music is energetic and melodic, celebrating the
power of Italian womanhood!
How does this festival season impact our volunteers?
First, the production volunteer calendar will be
shortened, and the two Newmark productions will
overlap. In fact, there is one weekend where both
operas will be shown. Second, there is less
page 5
opportunity for costumed greeters because we do not
have them at the Newmark due to the theatre’s
configuration. Portland Opera plans to do more
community outreach during the months of
September through April, so there may be volunteer
opportunities associated with this. Details are not
known at this time. Be sure to watch your email to
hear about volunteer opportunities as they become
available!
Join the Conversation!
You can find out more about the subjects in these articles, as well as much more, at:




Portland Opera website: www.portlandopera.org
Volunteer information: www.portlandopera.org/support
Marilyn Crilley (volunteer coordinator): [email protected]
Kim Lundin (staff volunteer liaison): [email protected]
You can also share your thoughts with other opera lovers on our Facebook page:
facebook.com/PortlandOperaAssociation, and follow us on Twitter @PortlandOpera. Join the conversation
and share your own Carmen-related posts with the hashtag ##PDXCARMEN.
High Notes editors: Marilyn Crilley and Nancy Jerrick
Portland Opera’s Mission
Portland Opera exists to inspire, challenge and uplift our audiences by creating
productions of high artistic quality that celebrate the beauty and breadth of opera.
The Hampton Opera Center211 SE Caruthers StreetPortland, OR 97214P 503-241-1407F 503-241-4212www.portlandopera.org