Montana Lyric Opera
Real Opera. Real Montana.
History of MLO
In 2007, a group of ambitious artistic & cultural leaders came together to form Montana Lyric Opera, Western Montana's only professional non-profit opera company. In less than four years, this young company has already established itself as a vital part of the regional cultural community, bringing high-quality productions and educational programs to concert halls, schools, and even nightclubs around the area.
In 2008, MLO unveiled its innovative Opera on Draft performance series with standing-room-only performances at Missoulas Badlander nightclub. That summer, the company presented its first Summer Youth Opera Camp, where students age 8-18 learned operatic singing and acting techniques, culminating in a fully staged and costumed performance of "The Emperor's New Clothes", featuring music by Mozart. The year ended with MLOs first professional opera production, Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors", produced in collaboration with Missoula Childrens Theatre.
In early 2009, the company continued its Opera on Draft series and expanded on its educational mission with an original adaptation of W. A. Mozart's "The Magic Flute", which MLO brought to numerous schools around western Montana. Then came yet another milestone, with the first annual Summer Opera Festival, centered around a semi-staged production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto". The production boasted nationally recognized singers performing alongside musicians from around the region. The Summer Opera Festival rounded out with Opera on Draft and our second annual Summer Opera Camp, featuring "The Tinker of Tivoli", a staged production based on music by Rossini.
2010 kicked off with yet another new and innovative program: Opera Decanted, an event featuring paired wines, cuisine, and opera music from countries around the world. The centerpiece of our 2nd Annual Summer Opera Festival was a semi-staged production of Puccinis gloriously passionate opera, "Madama Butterfly", featuring a cast of notable singers and full orchestra led by Los Angeles conductor, Daniel Redfeld.
The 2011 season promises to be the most exciting yet, featuring Opera Decanted and Opera on Draft in the spring, followed by our 3rd Annual Summer Opera Festival, which will feature a fully staged and costumed production of Mozart's hilarious opera, "The Marriage of Figaro" a fully staged and costumed youth production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance", Opera Decantedand Opera on Draft.
MLO STAFF
(Please click on name to send us an e-mail)
General Director
Gina Lapka
Music Director
Luis Millan
Youth Outreach Director
Nancy Caron
Accountant/Bookkeeper
Barbara Chaney
P.O. Box 2337
Missoula, MT 59806-2337
(406) 830-0323 Phone
MLO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sara Portzel, President
Gina Lapka, Executive Director/Secretary
Dr. Barbara Chaney, Treasurer
*Gary Bowman
Julia Jones
*Dr. Stephen Kalm
Don McCammon
Dr. Kevin Miltko
Kate Murphy
Cindy Reimers
Dr. John Snively
* Ex-officio member
Volunteer Opportunities
Housing and Transportation
Host housing for visiting guest artists, transportation while they are in town
Publicity/Marketing
Distributing Posters, Fliers, Brochures
Main Stage Production
Front of House (Ushers, Box Office, Raffles), Supertitle Operator, Stage Crew (constructing and/or moving sets)
Hospitality
Backstage refreshments for cast, crew and orchestra; Hospitality for guest artists
Youth Camp
Box Office, Backstage Assistance, Lighting, Set Design & Construction, Costumes, Lunch Supervision, Acting/Singing/Dance/Stagecraft Instruction, Vocal Coaching
Musicians
Performers for Outreach Productions and Events
Please talk to Gina Lapka if you are interested in helping out!
Montana Lyric Opera P.O. Box 2337 Missoula, MT 59806 * (406) 830-0323
Singers
We will be hearing auditions for Chorus roles in our upcoming production of "The Marriage of Figaro" (sung in Italian), as well as community outreach productions of Opera on Draft and Opera Decanted in the Spring of 2011. If you would like to receive notification of upcoming auditions, please click here to join our mailing list.
Orchestra
Instrumentalists interested in playing in the MLO Orchestra, please contact us to schedule an audition.
Our Mission is to introduce profesional opera to western Montana as a relevant and comprehensive art form, through professional productions, educational youth productions, outreach to the schools and community, and collaboration with local artists and arts organizations.
