Written by nicole walters

in person, as beautiful arias are lovingly

sung in romantic languages, the experience

often sweeps classic music lovers off their

feet. Luckily, we have the perfect new venue to witness

your first opera - and repeat patrons will be

equally enthralled as The Atlanta Opera's 2007-2008

season continues into spring in the spanking new Cobb

Energy Performing Arts Centre's John A. Williams

Theatre.

With a highly anticipated season, and a new facility

to stage productions like never before, The Atlanta

Opera hopes to stabilize its rather turbulent history.

Since its founding in 1979, The Atlanta Opera is in its

fourth residence, but until now, none were of optimal

operatic design. Originally staging productions wherever

stages were available, the Opera called Symphony

Hall home from 1990 to 1995 before relocating to the

Fabulous Fox Theatre, one of the world's largest opera

venues with 4,518 seats. In 1998, The Atlanta Opera

celebrated hitting its $1-million mark in ticket sales

for a single season while residing at the beloved and

historic Fox Theatre. It even hosted the 31st Annual

Opera America Conference at the Fox.

However, conflicts in scheduling moved the company

to the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center,

where it opened its 2003-2004 season, which proved

detrimental to the company. Attendance hit an all-time

low and the number of subscriptions was half of what

they were the year before. Fundraising also slipped

below sustainable levels and the company announced

severe cutbacks. In 2004, The Atlanta Opera celebrated

its 25th anniversary and the arrival of General

Director Dennis Hanthorn. Amid such dire circumstances,

Hanthorn knew that the company's future

was bleak, and remaining at the Civic Center would

lead to the company's demise. In order to clear its debt,

The Atlanta Opera decided to sell The Atlanta Opera

Center, which was its Midtown office and rehearsal

space. In 2006, when the opportunity arose to move

to Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, where the

John A. William's Theatre was specifically designed

to accommodate the sounds and sights of opera, Hanthorn

said it would be irresponsible not to consider it.

And it looks like the decision was the right one.

"Cobb Energy Centre opens the door for The

Atlanta Opera to truly become a world-class opera

company that Metro Atlanta rightly deserves as an

international city," said Greg Johnson, chairman and

president of The Atlanta Opera Board of Directors.

"For the first time in the history of this company, we

will perform in a state-of-the-art facility that will give

our patrons a more intimate opera experience and

allow us to grow artistically more than ever before."

This intimate experience is made possible by a

fewer number of seats than its previous location. The

new theater seats 2,750 patrons while the Civic Center

accommodates 4,600. This smaller setting allows the audience to be part of the action. After all, opera isn't just about singing, it's a theatrical production that entails acting,

drama, music and dance. In fact, even the new theater's

farthest seat is only 160 feet from the stage.

"Opera is drama and music, and if you get too far away

then you can't see the face and be engaged by the characters,"

said Kristopher Irmiter, who stars as Rucker Lattimore

in this month's production of "Cold Sassy Tree."

In addition to a smaller setting, the new theater is

also voice-friendly due to ideal operatic acoustic design, an

important element when considering that the actors perform

without any voice amplification.

Maureen McKay, who will be making her Atlanta Opera

Bebut as Lightfoot McClendon in "Cold Sassy Tree" said,

~'Ifyou sing in a hall that's designed for opera it enhances

the voice naturally and the listener is able to hear the whole

spectrum of the voice and all the colors of the sound.

If you sing in an auditorium that's not designed for opera,

the voice often sounds muddy, or it's often inaudible and you

can't hear all the nuances of the voice. Acoustics are very

important in classical music."

To celebrate finally having a model opera venue to call home, this inaugural season's shows were carefully selected to appeal to old,

new and young audience members, and even a fourth performance of each production was added, one more than last season. The

2007-2008 season's curtain rose in late September with Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot." This was the last opera Puccini wrote

before his death, and has been called his greatest masterpiece, making it one of the most popular operas performed.

November premiered Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," a new co-production between The Atlanta Opera and

Houston Grand Opera. The production featured Japanese bunraku puppets, including i witch that was more than 12-feet tall. The

selection of this famous fairy tale was meant to draw in a new and younger audience, and according to The Atlanta Opera's Interim

Director of Marketing Cristina Vasconez-Herrera, the two shows had great success.

"More than 10,000 people attended 'Turandot' and more than 9,000 attended 'Hansel and Gretel,'" she said. "Last season,

we averaged about 6,000 people per production. We had sold out shows during both runs and our subscription sales have increased

more than 80 percent compared to last season."

It isn't too late to discover why thousands in Atlanta have fallen in love with the Opera. This month The Atlanta Opera will

present Carlisle Floyd's "Cold Sassy Tree," which is based on the novel by Olive Ann Burns. Hanthorn said that the familiarity of

this story with Georgia and other Southern natives is what he hopes will entice more opera newbies. The story is set in the fictional

town of Cold Sassy, Ga., which is based on the actual town of Commerce. The opera tells the tale of a small town turned upside

down by the taboo marriage of Rucker Lattimore to a much younger woman, Love Simpson. It also highlights the coming of age of

Lattimore's grandson Will Tweedy, who, in many ways, is the same character as Lattimore, but shown at the opposite end of life's

spectrum. And if you happen to be new to the opera experience, this English-sung production may be a good one to cut your teeth

on. Especially if you are under the assumption that opera is boring and outdated. (Not to worry, The Atlanta Opera also provides

a screen displaying English subtitles when performances are performed in a foreign language.) "Any Joe Blow who likes music and

likes the story can come see this opera and

I think they'll be taken in by it," Irmiter

said. "It's a fun story, it's a slice of life

and if you want to go see your first opera,

I'd have a hard time suggesting a better The season will conclude in late April

and early May with the opera classic "The

Marriage of Figaro," by Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart. Conducted by Kenneth

Montgomery and directed by Trevore

Ross, the opera will be sung in Italian.

The story is the sequel to the 2006 production

of "The Barber of Seville" and

is an opera buffa, or comedic opera.

The storyline is so current it is repeated

on daytime soaps as it revolves around a

love quadrangle that results in mistaken

identity, humility, and ultimately, forgiveness.

Since "The Marriage of Figaro" is

one of the most popular operas, ranking

number six on Opera America's most

performed operas in North America, it's

sure to attract Atlanta's biggest opera

aficionados. But even if you are an opera novice,

The Atlanta Opera makes it easy for you

to enjoy and appreciate each show just

the same as a longtime opera enthusiast.

One hour before every show, a free 30-

minute sneak peek introduces the story

of the opera, as well as details about the

production's work. These lectures are

designed to enhance the experience of the

audience member by educating them on

unique aspects of the performance. The

Friends of The Atlanta Opera takes it one

step further by offering Opera 101, a twohour

multi-media presentation that introduces

people to the history, background

and storyline of each opera. The lecture

is led by opera connoisseur and honorary

board member Carter Joseph.

Despite the company's turbulent

beginnings, Atlantans proved they have a

love affair with opera that just would not

end. Having already entertained 800,000

patrons, performed more than 250 shows

and 84 productions, it looks like the numbers

will continue to grow for The Atlanta

Opera. And, in a city that is fast becoming

the cultural hub of the South, it's about

time The Atlanta Opera received its grand

old opera house. PN