News & Reviews

Emily’s friend Trevor, played by the remarkable tenor Frank Convit, nearly stole the show. His character’s difficulties, heartrendingly drawn in an incredibly patient and well-paced aria, constantly in dialogue with Todd Waldecker’s gentle clarinet, become the soil from which Emily’s empathy is grown. The number’s climax (“is there something wrong with me?!”) was magnificent and chilling. When we entered Analogue, we were given instagramesque hearts to raise when we heard a b

“A Journey of Faith/Un camino de Fe” is based on a true story and is a story within a story. It begins with a young Latina in high school who is convinced that her family’s story is not interesting to tell and is confronted by her older brother, who tells her about the emotional and difficult challenges her family faced as immigrants in the U.S. Thanks to her brother’s inspiring stories, the girl’s pride in her family and her heritage is revived. In the opera, the family deal

Based on a true story,  A Journey of Faith / Un Camino de Fe is a story within a story. It opens with a young Latina high school girl struggling with a writing assignment for a competition. Convinced that her family history is not interesting enough to tell, she is confronted by her older brother, who recounts through a series of flashbacks the emotional and difficult challenges her family faced as immigrants in the United States.  Plagued by the Coyote (an immigrant smugg

The New Orleans Opera and the New Orleans Museum of Art are thrilled to continue a three-year collaborative partnership with the Opéra Nouvelle series. This year’s theme is “Mozart and the Garden.” The first half of this one-hour event is a fantastical journey through Mozart’s greatest hits— Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte and, perfectly suiting the occasion, La finta giardiniera (set in a garden, about a noblewoman in disguise). The second

In Act Two a dying soldier named Loree was sung by Frank Convit. His lines urging the King to join the fray and his final words “I’ve done my duty now…” were sung with all the poignant power of a seasoned soloist. Read More Here

From April 4-7, Auerbach will enjoy yet another triumph in New Orleans when her one-act, one-hour opera, “The Blind,” is given four performances at the Marigny Opera House. Possibly the world’s first (and only!) a cappella opera, the work is being sung by a 16-member choral ensemble with no live orchestration. The storyline of the opera revolves around an 1890, one-act play of the same name by Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck. A group of blind patients have been led into th

Dominick Argento Chamber Opera Winner performance After Life, by Tom Cipullo Roussel Hall, Loyola University New Orleans Gertrude Stein – Zara Zemmels Pablo Picasso – Frank Convit The Youth – Haley Whitney Music Director – Carol Rausch Stage Director – Cara Consilvio Read More Here

The year was 1968, when "Maria de Buenos Aires, a Tango Opera" premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires. The plot centered on Maria, a prostitute who was killed, then came back to haunt the area where she once lived and worked. But it is the execution of the plot - including a ghost, religious parallels, some tango, and a libretto that can be like a word jumble, among other elements - that made it surreal. But why not embrace the challenge, and on Sept. 9 and 10, the New

Seated, the dozens at the tables then turned attention to the entertainment. Carol Rausch, the chorus master and music administrator for the New Orleans Opera, accompanied Andrew Burgmayer, Frank Convit and David Murray in a selection of songs from Harrow School (where Churchill matriculated in 1988). Subsequent songs from WWI and WWII included “The White Cliffs of Dover,” “Over There” and “Rule Britannia.” Read More Here