Des Moines Metro Opera Unveils World Premiere in 2009
For Immediate Release January 5, 2009
(INDIANOLA, Iowa) – OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera’s educational touring troupe, will present a newly commissioned opera during its 23rd annual tour, Jan. 26-April 10, 2009, with a world premiere performance on January 23 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines.
Composed by Iowa’s own Dr. Michael Patterson, A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver is a 50-minute opera that delves into the life of the agricultural pioneer and Iowa hero, focusing on the key events that would shape the destiny of this great scientist. A Dream Fulfilled is being created in cooperation with the State Historical Society of Iowa, which has provided research assistance.
To bring this story to the children of Iowa, DMMO and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs formed a partnership that creates week-long residencies for the OPERA Iowa troupe at the beginning and end of the next two touring seasons.
During the residencies, OPERA Iowa, museum curators, historians and professional Iowa artists will facilitate interactive workshops that connect students to Iowa history, interpret the museum and teach more about Carver and other famous Iowans. OPERA Iowa will also give performances at the Historical Building for Golden Circle-area school children and – in the eight weeks between residencies – travel the length and breadth of the state with its award-winning combination of education and entertainment.
“The State Historical Museum’s History Through the Arts theater program is very pleased to join with the Des Moines Metro Opera and present the George Washington Carver opera for children in the Cowles-Kruidenier Auditorium,” DCA Director Cyndi Pederson said. “We believe that children learn through interactive programs and teaching them about George Washington Carver is a great way for them to learn about international, national and Iowa history.”
A Dream Fulfilled begins in Winterset when Carver learns that he will attend Simpson College. The story then transitions to Indianola and from there to Iowa State University in Ames where Carver did groundbreaking work in botany. The opera culminates in the United States Capitol with Carver’s testimony before Congress.
“Des Moines Metro Opera is pleased to be able to present this new work which further immortalizes one of the great figures in our state’s history,” said Thomas Smith, DMMO’s Executive Director and CEO. “Just as exciting is the opportunity to collaborate again with an accomplished composer such as Dr. Patterson, and to forge a new partnership with the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which along with the Iowa Arts Council, provides critical financial and logistical support to so many of the cultural organizations that make Iowa an attractive place to live, work and play.”
The opera’s composer, Dr. Michael Patterson, is a graduate of Simpson College and holds post-graduate degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Patterson has worked with the Des Moines Metro Opera for more than 30 years. Currently an Associate Professor of Music Education at Simpson College, he has also been an instructor and accompanist for the Simpson College Orpheus Festival and Elderhostel. He founded and administrates the Music Education Workshop series at Simpson, which for nine years has featured nationally recognized clinicians in workshops each semester. Patterson has composed numerous songs for solo voice and piano, choral works and an opera, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which toured with OPERA Iowa in 2003 and 2004.
OPERA Iowa’s 23rd season, from January 26-April 10, 2009, will delight audiences across the state with performances of Patterson’s A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver for elementary students and Rossini’s comedy The Barber of Seville for older students and evening audiences. The OPERA Iowa troupe will present a final dress rehearsal performance of The Barber of Seville for the public at Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre on Feb. 1.
During their residencies in schools, the troupe members present interactive workshops that fulfill the National Standards for Arts in Education requirements, helping students learn more and enjoy the opera performance more. OPERA Iowa has previously presented the world premieres of three operas: Stephen Paulus’s Rumpelstiltskin, Amy Tate Williams’s Harmoonia and Michael Patterson’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
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Des Moines Metro Opera, OPERA Iowa’s parent company, will present its 37th Festival Season, from June 19 through July 12, 2009, at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola. Featured will be Puccini’s Tosca (sung in Italian), Weber’s Der Freischütz (sung in German) and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (sung in Italian). More information is available at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.
