Fort Worth Opera Reveals 'Opera of the Americas' on KERA's THINK

Related: Fort Worth Opera, Opera of the Americas, KERA, Think, FWOpera

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Darren K. Woods, General Director of Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera) appeared on KERA's widely popular program Think-the daily topic driven and call-in radio show hosted by Krys Boyd-this afternoon, Monday, January 7, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. (CST). During this special hour long, in-depth interview he discussed the recent announcement of the organization's new artistic vision, Opera of the Americas, a ten-year commitment to the production of thought-provoking works by contemporary composers of the Americas.

Nationally announced this morning, Opera of the Americas is envisioned as a long-term, multi-phase initiative that will be launched in spring 2014 with the professional world premiere of With Blood, With Ink by composer Daniel Crozier and librettist Peter M. Krask. Following seasons will include the world premieres of A Wrinkle in Time by composer Libby Larsen and librettist Bradley Greenwald in 2015, and JFK (Working Title) by David T. Little, composer, and Royce Vavrek, librettist, in 2016. As part of this mission, the 2014 Festival will also include the regional premiere of the 2012 Pulitzer-Prize winning Silent Night by composer Kevin Puts-in co-production with Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Additionally, a second work by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek, the highly-acclaimed Dog Days-based on the short story of the same name by Judy Budnitz-will receive its regional premiere in co-production with Beth Morrison Projects within the first three years of Opera of the Americas. Contemporary programming selections for future seasons, as well as full festival announcements, will be made at a later date.

Audiences interested in learning more about FWOpera's long-term artistic vision or about the productions announced as part of Opera of the Americas can listen live on 90.1 FM or online at www.kera.org/think and can submit questions or comments via telephone at 1.800.933.5372 or email at think@kera.org. Podcasts of each THINK episode are available for download at www.kera.org/podcasts/think/.

KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization that serves the people of North Texas. The station broadcasts to the fourth-largest population area in the United States. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources atwww.kera.org. The station's extensive coverage of the arts can be found at www.artandseek.org. KERA-TV broadcasts on Channel 13.1. KERA WORLD broadcasts on 13.2. KERA-FM broadcasts on 90.1 in Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton, 88.3 in Wichita Falls, 100.1 in Tyler and 99.3 in Sherman. The music station KXT 91.7 FM is also streamed online at www.kxt.org.

Founded in 1946, Fort Worth Opera is the oldest continually performing opera company in Texas, and one of the 14 oldest opera companies in the United States. Under the leadership of General Director Darren K. Woods since 2001, the organization has gained national attention from critics and audiences alike for its artistic quality and willingness to take risks. Known throughout the operatic world as a champion of new and rarely-performed works, the company has taken a leadership role in producing contemporary operas. In 2007, when the company changed its fall/winter schedule to a condensed one-month long Festival in the spring, FWOpera staged its first world premiere, Frau Margot; and followed up the next season with Angels in America (which resulted in More Life: the Art and Science of AIDS, a community-wide collaboration amongst organizations in the performing and visual arts, children's education, medicine, and social services), Dead Man Walking in 2009, the world premiere of Before Night Falls in 2010, and Hydrogen Jukebox in 2011. The 2012 Festival staged the regional premieres of Mark Adamo's Lysistrata and Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, the first time the two composers' works were co-programmed. The company's CD recordings of Frau Margot and Before Night Falls are available on the Albany label.

Fort Worth Opera's 2013 Festival season (April 20-May 12, 2013):

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