Intimate Opera to present holiday show at Pasadena Playhouse

Quite often, as she makes her way from meeting to meeting to finalize plans for Intimate Opera of Pasadena’s (IOP) upcoming production of Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Pasadena Playhouse this December, General Director Wendy Kikkert finds herself tempted to give herself a pinch.

“When I founded the company fourteen years ago and we were performing once a month at a bookstore-coffee shop in Old Pasadena, I dreamed of reaching this stage in our growth,” Kikkert confides. “Making our debut as the official opera company in residence at the Pasadena Playhouse is the realization of that dream.”

Artistic Director Stephanie Vlahos sees the move to the Pasadena Playhouse this season as a natural transition. "In my work staging Intimate Opera's critically acclaimed Tosca last season, I saw the value of exploring the 'intimate', theatrical dimensions of opera," explains Vlahos, who began her career in Los Angeles as a young artist at Los Angeles Opera and is now respected as a director for Full Circle Opera Company, The Opera Institute at CSULB, and the Domingo-Thornton Young Artists program at LA Opera, as well as other regional opera companies throughout the US. “I am also interested in productions that pare down the dimensions of opera to reveal its underpinnings - stories about the human condition, about humanity. These performances are not intentionally cutting-edge, but our concept, delivery, and result - even if we honor the traditional opera - will be unique and fresh.”

IOP’s outreach to the community extends beyond its audience, however…to its cast members. Productions are unique in that young, emerging opera singers are offered an invaluable opportunity to learn from and perform with more seasoned, celebrated artists. Amahl and the Night Visitors is a case in point. Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, tenor Greg Fedderly and baritone Cedric Berry – all of whom, like Vlahos, first experienced the joy of collaborative efforts as Young Artists at LA Opera – will join IOP’s cast for Gian Carlo Menotti’s one act opera of hope and healing on Thursday, December 16 at 8 p.m. and Friday, December 17 at 8 p.m.

A second cast of emerging artists will also bring the tale – the story of a crippled shepherd boy and his mother, who receive a visit one star-lit evening from three kings on their way to Bethlehem to pay tribute to an even greater king – to life at matinee performances on Saturday December 18, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 19 at 2 p.m.

But, at the moment, the ‘story’ that is uppermost in Stephanie Vlahos’ mind is that of Intimate Opera of Pasadena, itself. "I think that this is a great Cinderella story borne out of the realization that a niche needed to be filled and a desire to fill that niche with a conscience,” says Vlahos. “As a former opera singer, I have been very fortunate to be a part of this great art and I believe that everyone of us who has profited from opera has a responsibility to give back. I am confident that the final product - one of collaboration between emerging artist and celebrated artist- will be an exciting night of theater. “

Opera lovers and theatre goers who share IOP’s excitement about what Kikkert describes as the company’s “renaissance and rebirth” may wish to attend a “friend-raising” party on September 30 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Main Stage of the Pasadena Playhouse. To whet the community’s appetite for ‘intimate opera,’ the party will include an abridged presentation of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love, performed by IOP artists and directed by Stephanie Vlahos.

For more information and make a reservation to attend, call (626) 274-7342 or email wendyk@intimateopera.net. Reservations will be required at the door.

“Pasadena has long been acknowledged as a mecca for the arts – a home to world class museums, galleries, orchestras and theatrical companies like the Playhouse,” says Kikkert. ““The time has come for the arts-loving Pasadena community to have an opera company to call its own, which is why we now call ourselves Intimate Opera of Pasadena. We are Pasadena’s opera company. We welcome the community’s input, enthusiasm and support as we begin this exciting new phase.”

Tickets for Amahl and the Night Visitors are now available online, at www.intimateopera.net. A gala performance will take place Thursday, December 16, at 8 p.m., with tickets ranging from $60 to $100/person. Patrons interested in attending a gala dinner following the opening night performance should call 626.274.7342 or email Wendyk@intimateopera.net for more information.

Performances will also be held on Friday, December 17 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 18 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets for these productions range from $35 to $75.

ABOUT INTIMATE OPERA OF PASADENA

The Intimate Opera of Pasadena is all about great performances through giving back. IOP is committed to the outreach of opera with productions that support and nurture the emerging, local opera singer by offering the invaluable opportunity of collaboration in performance with more seasoned, celebrated artists. In keeping with the sensibility of our new home at the Pasadena Playhouse, our productions seek to bridge the perceived gap between theater and opera by exploring the "intimate" proportions of live theater in opera. The result is a unique concept in performance that is magic for the performer and the community at large, galvanizing audiences from Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley, and beyond with the humanity, relevance, and life-enhancing experience of opera."