My name is Kerriann Otaño and I am vice president of engagement with OperaDelaware.
I started in July and my job description is just five words: Bring people closer to opera. That’s exactly what I aspire to do each and every day — weave opera into the fabric of our community by showing people that this art form is fun, accessible, relatable, and for the community.
I’m excited to share with you all we have to offer this season, and to remind you that opera is about compelling storytelling and connection. It’s powerful, it’s exuberant, it’s loud — and it’s right here in Delaware!
OperaDelaware strives to welcome an engaged, diverse community brought together through the shared musical and dramatic experience of live opera.
This season at The Grand Opera House, OperaDelaware will present two mainstage offerings. On Oct. 28 and 30, the satirical masterpiece “Così fan tutte” takes a cynical swipe at romance. Mozart’s most controversial work is brimming with exquisite music, unbridled antics, disguise, and slapstick comedy.
“Così fan tutte” will feature an all-star ensemble cast of OperaDelaware favorites, including OperaDelaware Artist Ambassador Eric McKeever, and fresh talent making their OperaDelaware debuts.
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Beginning in November, OperaDelaware will present intimate, artist-curated recitals in the OperaDelaware Studios accompanied by OD’s accomplished Aurelien Eulert, head of music staff. With three Sunday Spotlight recitals as well as “A Valentine Cabaret” with the inimitable Toni Marie Palmertree, you can experience the majesty of live music and learn about the artists who make OperaDelaware so magical. Discover the music that inspired these magnificent singers, and get up close and personal with some of opera’s brightest stars.
In the spring of 2023, OperaDelaware will return to The Grand to present Verdi’s vibrant love story about devotion, desire and despair with the breathtakingly beautiful “La traviata.” “La traviata”shares its story with modern classics like ‘Pretty Woman” and ‘Moulin Rouge.”
This enduring and timeless tale will take you on an emotional journey, with exuberant singing and powerful moments of heartbreaking gravitas. The opera is ideal for anyone who is ready for a good cry. Bring your tissues.
Finally, OperaDelaware will present an intimate workshop of “Fearless,” a new piece by Derrick Wang, the virtuosic composer and librettist of the acclaimed opera “Scalia/Ginsburg.”
“Fearless” is a new music drama inspired by Hazel Ying Lee, the trailblazing aviator of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Experience opera throughout the creative process and help us to tell new stories, champion unsung heroes, and celebrate positive social change. Tickets for OperaDelaware’s 2022/23 season are available now at operade.org.
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During the pandemic, OperaDelaware began a series of parking lot performances sung from the outdoor staircase at the OD Studios. What began as Drive-Through Arias has quickly grown into the thriving Pop-Up Opera program thanks to generous support made possible through the PNC Arts Alive initiative, The Presser Foundation, and others.
OperaDelaware now has a portable, state-of-the-art opera stage that allows us to bring our world class singers out of the opera house and into the community.
With Pop-Up Opera, OperaDelaware is creating access to an artform that is often considered intimidating and elitist.
The intimacy and casual nature of these performances removes the stigma of opera’s inaccessibility, and invites audiences to have an up close and personal experience with live opera in an informal setting.
This fall, we’re excited to bring Pop-Up Opera to the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, Wilmington HOPE Commission, Wilmington Children’s Chorus, farmers markets, schools, neighborhood block parties and more.
Additionally, OperaDelaware will announce a nomination process to bring free Pop-Up Opera performances to five deserving schools this spring. Nominate your favorite school for an unforgettable experience when the contest is announced in November.
The Pop-Up Opera program is one of several OperaDelaware initiatives to bring people closer to opera. If you’ve never been to an opera, now is the perfect time to give your hometown company the opportunity to show you what you’ve been missing.
Join the over 1100 new patrons who attended an OperaDelaware performance for the first time last season. This spike in first-time attendees was largely thanks to our Pop-Up Opera initiative, which strives to make opera accessible and approachable.
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OperaDelaware is also continuing our Hometown Heroes initiative, which provides a pair of complimentary tickets to first time opera-goers working in healthcare and education.
The OperaDelaware mission is focused on opening the door to bold, vibrant and creative operatic programming that enriches the community, transforms audiences and encourages dialogue. That dialogue can only happen if we all show up and engage fully.
If you come to the opera this season, you’ll experience timeless classics that will speak to your soul, new American opera that will challenge and inspire you, artist curated recitals to connect with the music-makers more meaningfully, and Pop-Up Opera concerts taking place around the state in schools, rehabilitation centers, block parties and more.
There’s so much to see, hear, feel, and experience with OperaDelaware. Find what you’ve been missing at operade.org.
Kerriann Otaño is vice president of Engagement for OperaDelaware.
