Fifteen singers for 15 years — such a nice, complete package. That’s what the Opera Company of Middlebury will offer this Saturday, Sept. 8, when it presents its 15th Anniversary Gala at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. Since 2004, OCM has produced 20 operas, as well as concerts and other events. As a grand finale to its 15th season the company is bringing back more than a baker’s dozen of its talented vocalists to serenade guests who will be seated and served dinner at tables on the main floor of the THT hall. If you just want to listen, you can buy a ticket to sit in the balcony and soak up the sonorous sounds.
Performers from OCM’s first 15 seasons will travel back to Middlebury from across the country to celebrate the company, singing arias and duets that captivated audiences in the original productions, from “Carmen” (2004) to “A Streetcar Named Desire” (2018). This will be an elegant evening of unforgettable performances, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reconnect with a brilliant family of singers.
Some of the familiar voices that will be heard come from soprano Meredith Lustig (seen in “A Streetcar Named Desire”), baritone Joshua Jeremiah (“Thais,” “Macbeth” and “Il Trittico”), tenor Bray Wilkins “Eugene Onegin,” “Turandot, “Dido and Aeneas” and “The Magic Flute) and soprano Suzanne Kantorski (“La Bohème,” “The Pearl Fishers,” “Eugene Onegin” an “l Trittico”).
Under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Douglas Anderson, Opera Company of Middlebury has emerged as one of the most important small professional opera companies in the nation, creating fully realized productions in an intimate jewel box theater. The press is taking notice. The company has been featured in both Opera News and the Huffington Post, and a radio commentator called it “the most exciting opera company in New England.”
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for table seating start at $100, with food provided by the Waybury Inn and a cash bar. A balcony seat is $45. Get tickets at townhalltheater.org or 802-382-9222. More info is online at ocmvermont.org.