October 20-26 2024

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WHEN: October 4-25, 2024

WHAT: Canadian Opera Company presents Verdi’s Nabucco. 

The opera that launched Verdi's career, Nabucco is a sweeping saga featuring some of the most passionate music ever written. Never before performed at the COC, this is opera at its most spectacular: a rousing epic of the search for hope amid brutal cruelty and oppression, with a cast of over 120 performers.

 

Baritone Roland Wood stars as the tyrant Nabucco, alongside soprano Tamara Wilson as Abigaille, would-be Queen of Babylon, in this timeless tale of intrigue, ambition, and redemption.

 

Featuring Roland Wood as Nabucco; Tamara Wilson as Abigaille; Rihab Chaieb as Fenena; Matthew Cairns as Ismaele; Simon Lim as Zaccaria. 

Conductor: Paolo Carignani; directed by Katherine M. Carter.

 

WHERE: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St W, Toronto, ON

HOW: Order online via the COC website. https://www.coc.ca/tickets/calendar 

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WHEN: October 11-November 2, 2024

WHAT: The Canadian Opera Company presents Gounod’s Faust.

Disenchanted by his lifelong quest for knowledge, the aging philosopher Faust makes a pact with the devil and trades his soul for eternal youth—to disastrous consequences. 

 

Tenor Long Long is the scholar Faust, whose pact with Méphistophélès (bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen) promises to return him to the innocence of youth—and the love of Marguerite. Murder and madness ensue, with demons, witches, and a chorus of celestial voices rounding out this lavish spectacle directed by Amy Lane.

Featuring Long Long as Faust; Kyle Ketelsen as Méphistophélès; Guanqun Yu, Ariane Cossette (November 2) as Marguerite; Szymon Mechlinski as Valentin; Alex Hetherington as Siebel; Megan Latham as Marthe.

Conductor: Johannes Debus; Director: Amy Lane

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WHERE: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St W, Toronto, ON

HOW: Order online via the COC website. https://www.coc.ca/tickets/calendar 

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WHEN: October 18-27, 2024; Pre-curtain lecture October 20, 2024, 1:30 PM

WHAT: Opera-Lytes presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. 

Featuring Ted Smeltz as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB;  Michael Warner as Captain Corcoran; Ralph Rackstraw as Christopher Castleman; Ken Schlimgen as Dick Deadeye; Andy Gonlag as Bill Bobstay, Boatswain's Mate; Debbie Smith as Josephine Corcoran; Mariangela Mercurio as Hebe; and Mariami Bekauri as Little Buttercup (Mrs. Cripps).

 

Don’t miss the Free October 20 pre-curtain lecture, "What Makes HMS Pinafore So Funny?"
by Lisa Berglund, PhD!

 

WHERE: Amherst Community Church,  77 Washington Hwy, Buffalo, NY

HOW: Visit Opera-Lytes's Website for more information

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WHEN: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 2:30 PM

WHAT: The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents “Symphonic Spooktacular,” featuring Fernanda Lastra, conductor.

The BPO invites families to a ghoulishly delightful “Symphonic Spooktacular,” conducted by Fernanda Lastra. This concert is a Halloween adventure, blending eerie musical classics with lighthearted fun, perfect for kids and adults alike. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their Halloween best for a costume parade across the iconic Kleinhans stage. 

From mysterious melodies to spooky sounds, the orchestra will perform a selection of music that captures the spirit of the season, creating an enchanting atmosphere where imaginations can run wild. Join us for an afternoon where music and magic meet, making for a memorable Halloween experience for the entire family.

 

WHERE: Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 

HOW: Order tickets via phone (716) 885-5000, or Order Online 

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WHEN: Thursday, October 24, 2024, 7:30 PM; Saturday, October 26, 2024, 8:00 PM

Pre-Concert Chat: 6:30 PM Thursday (10/24), 7:00 PM Saturday (10/26)

 

WHAT: The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra presents “Fountains of Rome.”

Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra JoAnn Falletta travels down the Thruway to conduct two nights of orchestral blockbusters! Respighi’s Fountains of Rome thrills. The waves of La Mer suggest more than the churning of the sea. George Butterworth’s Green Willow poignantly reminds us of great promise unfulfilled, after the composer perished in battle at just 31-years-old. And Behzad Ranjbaran’s hypnotic Concerto for Violin and Orchestra echoes his native Persia.

 

WHERE: Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester, NY. Parking is available around the theatre including the East End Garage, surface lots, and street parking.

HOW: Order tickets online https://rpo.org/event/fountains-of-rome/

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WHEN: October 24-27, 2024

WHAT: Opera Atelier presents Handel’s Acis and Galatea.

Handel’s Acis and Galatea is one of the composer’s most beloved and successful operas. It is a timeless pastoral opera that blends beautiful arias with a poignant narrative of love, jealousy, and transformation. Each act and aria contributes to the rich tapestry of emotions, making it a beloved masterpiece in the Baroque repertoire. 

Sung in English and featuring some of Handel’s most ravishing music for singing and dancing, Acis and Galatea is the perfect introduction to opera and ballet for the entire family.

 

Featuring Antonin Rondepierre, Meghan Lindsay, Blaise Rantoanina, Douglas Williams, and the artists of the Atelier Ballet.

 

WHERE: Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON

HOW: Order tickets online https://www.operaatelier.com/shows/acis-and-galatea/ 

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WHEN: Friday, October 25, 2024, 10:30 AM; October 26, 2024, 7:30 PM

WHAT: The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents Schubert Symphony No. 9, “The Great”, featuring Andreas Delfs, conductor, and Juliana Athayde, violin.

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Under the baton of Andreas Delfs, this concert unfolds with the tender melodies of Debussy’s Clair de lune, setting the stage for an evening of emotional depth and beauty. Roberto Sierra’s Violin Concerto, performed by the brilliant Juliana Athayde, promises a voyage of sorrow and remembrance, dedicated to the memory of a friend’s lost child. The journey culminates with Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great,” an expansive work that traverses through joy, despair, and triumphant optimism. 

This concert is a testament to the power of music to encapsulate the breadth of human emotion, offering a space for reflection, solace, and exhilaration.

 

WHERE: Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 

HOW: Order tickets via phone (716) 885-5000 or Order Online  

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WHEN: Friday, October 25, 2024, 7:30 PM; Sunday, October 27, 3:00 PM

WHAT: Harmonia Chamber Singers presents “Voices of Autumn.” Experience sublime choral works from the Renaissance to Pop. Featuring Byrd, Palestrina, Tallis, Bruckner, Paulus, Mallonee, and Hogan. World premiere of “The Falling Star” by Caroline Mallonee, text by Sara Teasdale.

WHERE: Oct. 25 Venue: St Mark's Episcopal Church, 6595 E. Quaker St., Orchard Park, NY

Oct. 27 Venue: St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church, 200 St. Gregory Ct., Williamsville, NY

HOW: Order Tickets Online via Eventbrite

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WHEN: Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3:00 PM

WHAT: The Erwin H. Johnson Memorial Fund for Opera, Inc., in celebration of World Opera Day, presents Tormenta d’amore’s concert “A Night in Venice.” Take a journey drifting down the Grand Canal of Venice, passing the Teatro San Angelo, and hearing the music of native sons Claudio Monteverdi and Antonio Vivaldi, as well as Handel, Cavalli, and Sances, exploring the universal themes of love and betrayal.

 

Tormenta d’amore is a female baroque chamber ensemble founded by Ho Eui Holly Bewlay, soprano; Amy Cochrane, soprano; and Bonnie Choi, harpsichord, with featured guests Margaret Leenhouts & Koki Tanaka, violins, and Katie Weissman, cello. 

Tormenta d’amore enjoys discovering rarely performed gems as well as favorites from before the 1800s. It is their passion, and they are excited to share this with a wide range of audiences.

 

Funding made possible through Opera Volunteers International and the Opera Foundation of Buffalo.  

WHERE: Christ United Methodist Church, 350 Saratoga Road, Amherst, NY

HOW: By donation. For more information, visit www.ehifundopera.org 

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WHEN: Saturday October 26, 2024, 6:30 PM

WHAT: Sotto Voce presents their Fall Gala. 

Sotto Voce will once again host our annual gala fundraiser event at The UU Church of Buffalo - our base of operations. Familiar faces and some new ones too will come together to present a captivating evening of operatic scenes, food, a silent auction and the presentation of the “Sotto Voce Award for Lifetime Achievement & Service To The Arts” to local opera legend Frank Scinta. 

The program will feature previews of our upcoming season and beyond, and funds raised will be instrumental in making possible our March 2025 main stage event.

 

Featuring performances by Jessie Downs, soprano; Beth White, zwischen; Helen Lowry, mezzo-soprano; Tyler Huk, tenor; Ky Ver Hoef, baritone; Tim Flynn, bass; Jamie Gangemi, soprano; Erin Alexander, mezzo-soprano; and Jonathan Vogtle, pianist.

With works by… Puccini, Mahler, Donizetti, Debussy, Bizet, Bellini… and more!

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WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, 695 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY

HOW: Order tickets online here 

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